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Here is the weekly road construction report for Hamilton County:

I-24 East at mile marker 178.4 emergency bridge deck repair on bridge over Chestnut Street: TDOT contract crews will replace broken bridge deck panels on I-24 East at mile marker 178.4 on the bridge over Chestnut Street near the U.S. 27 interchange. This work will begin at 9 p.m. on Friday and be completed by 5 a.m. on Monday. During these repairs, the outside (right) lane and shoulder of the bridge will be closed. Additionally, in preparation for this work, crews will be installing barrier rail at this location beginning at 9 p.m. Thursday and ending on Friday by 5 a.m. Caution should be used while traveling through the work zone. During this work, THP will assist with traffic control. Also, traffic information will be displayed on TDOTs SmartWay Dynamic Message Signs, and several message boards will be used to provide traffic information to the public. [Simpson Construction Co., Inc.]

U.S. 27 (I-124) widening from I-24/U.S. 27 interchange to north of the Olgiati Bridge over the Tennessee River, including widening the Olgiati Bridge: Work on this project continues. The contractor may have temporary lane closures on U.S. 27 between 7 p.m.-6 a.m. As the project progresses, there may be short term temporary lane closures for the safety of the traveling public on city streets within the project area. Flaggers will assist with these closures and they will be properly signed in accordance with the Federal Highway Administrations Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. During Phase 1 of the U.S. 27 project, the contractor will be working on the northbound side of U.S. 27 on the bridges. Work will consist of demolishing and reconstructing the outside sections of the bridges along U.S. 27 North. Also on U.S. 27 South, they will be constructing a large retaining wall between the Olgiati Bridge and 6th Street. At least one lane will remain open in each direction on U.S. 27. THP will assist with traffic control on the project as necessary. Estimated project completion date is July 2019. For more info, visit the project website http://www.tn.gov/tdot/topic/US27-reconstruction-chattanooga. [Dement Construction Co., LLC/JM/CNP230]

SR 317 (Apison Pike) the grading, drainage and paving on from Old Lee Highway (LM 5.58) to SR-321 (Ooltewah-Ringgold Road) (LM 7.84): Work on this project continues. The contractor may have short term lane closures to perform various operations on an as-needed basis. Flaggers will assist with traffic control as needed. Estimated project completion date is May 2017. [Wright Brothers Const. Co. /Pruett/CNN279]

SR-320 (East Brainerd Road) grading, drainage, installation of signals, construction of seven retaining walls and paving from east of Graysville Road to east of Bel-Air Road: Work on this project continues. The contractor will have intermittent lane closures during this report period between 9 a.m.-2 p.m. This work may affect either direction of East Brainerd Road or side streets from Graysville Road to Hamlett Drive as the contractor installs road crossings and borings. The contractor may have short-term lane closures to perform various operations on an as-needed basis. Flaggers will assist with traffic control as needed. Estimated project completion is June 2017. [Mountain State Contractors, LLC /Pruett/CNN383]

Shepherd Road over SR-153 construction of a rolled steel girder bridge from West Shepherd Road to Shaw Avenue in Chattanooga, including grading, drainage and paving: Work on this project continues. The bridge has returned to two lanes of traffic. On the evenings of Monday and Tuesday the contractor will be removing falsework (temporary support structures) from the Shepherd Road Bridge between the hours of 8 p.m.-6 a.m. During this work, SR 153 beneath the bridge will be closed to traffic for the safety of the traveling public. On Monday night, the contractor will be working on the South side of SR-153 and on Tuesday night, the contractor will be working on the North side of SR-153. The Shepherd Road ramps will be used to keep SR-153 traffic flowing. Additionally, the bridge itself will be closed to traffic while this work takes place and the signals will be turned off to keep SR-153 traffic moving. Detours will be marked. During this report period, the contractor will start retaining wall and widening work on the Airport Connector Road west of the Shepherd Road Bridge. This work will require that the shoulder and right travel lane heading to the airport on Shepherd Road be closed. This change should only affect those turning right at the top of the ramp from SR-153 South, as they will not have a designated lane to the airport during this work. The through lane from the bridge will remain unobstructed except for the occasional flagging for equipment to move in and out. During the project, there may be intermittent nighttime lane closures as necessary in both directions on SR-153 between 8 p.m.-6 a.m. THP will assist with traffic control as necessary on the project. Estimated project completion is October. [Jones Brothers Contractors, Inc./Micka/CNP105]

SR-317 (Bonny Oaks Drive) improvement of the intersection with Volkswagen Drive (LM 3.85) serving Volkswagen Group of America, including grading, drainage and paving: Work on this project continues. The contractor may have short term lane closures on eastbound Bonny Oaks Drive at Volkswagen Drive to perform various operations on as-needed basis. Flaggers will assist with traffic control as needed. Estimated project completion date is March. [Talley Construction Company, Inc. /Pruett/CNN304]

The tunnel cleaning of the McCallie Tunnel on U.S. 11 (US 64, SR-2), the Stringers Ridge Tunnel on U.S. 127 (SR-8), and the Bachman Tubes on U.S. 41 (U.S. 76, SR-8): The nighttime cleaning operation of McCallie Tunnels, Stringers Ridge Tunnel, and Bachman Tubes occurs normally on Wednesday and Thursday nights during the week with the 3rd Tuesday of the month. There will be no tunnel cleaning this week. Work hours are between 8 p.m.-6 a.m. Tunnels will be closed during cleaning, and detours will be marked accordingly as each tunnel is cleaned. Contract completion date is June. [Diamond Specialized, Inc./Micka/CNP212]






The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture oversees restaurant inspections in the state. Inspection reports are 'snapshots' of the day and time the inspections took place. In many cases, violations are corrected on site prior to the inspector leaving.

READ MORE:

The following restaurants and other establishments in Perry County that handle food were inspected between Feb. 14 - 20 and reported as of March 1.

GREENWOOD HS

436 SUNBURY ST., MILLERSTOWN

Regular inspection

Dust accumulation on filters and interior of hood system.

MASTRACCHIOS WEST

83 N. MARKET ST., MILLERSTOWN

Regular inspection

FEC certificate posted in public view expired in 2014; crevices behind slicer blade had old food debris. Corrected on-site; exhaust fan in ceiling near hood system has grease and dust accumulation.

MAMMAS PIZZA

22 CARLISLE ST., NEW BLOOMFIELD

Regular inspection

Food facility is using/offering for sale foods prepared in an unapproved private home. Basket of peanut butter eggs on front counter; spatulas used for pizza oven were being stored directly on top of oven. placed in a tray on top of oven (corrected on site); wet wiping cloth on sandwich/sub prep table not being stored in sanitizer solution in between uses (corrected on site).

MORRISON'S GROCERY/ DELI

3670 SHERMANS VALLEY ROAD, LOYSVILLE

Regular inspection

No violations.

PERRY MENNONITE RECEPTION CENTER

350 GREENPARK ROAD, ELLIOTTSBURG

Regular inspection

No violations.
The nation's St. Patrick's Day parades kick off this weekend, and the list of the largest ones in the United States has a decidedly Pennsylvania flavor. With help from the International Business Times, here's a look. Also, don't forget about Harrisburg and York.

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Members of OUT@NBCUniversal march up Fifth Avenue during the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Tuesday, March 17, 2015, in New York. OUT@NBCUniversal is the first LGBT group to march openly in the parade's 254-year history. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

1. New York City

IBT says the parade draws more than 2 million visitiors and is one of the nation's oldest, with the first held in 1762. It starts at 11 a.m. and ends about 4:30 p.m. March 17, beginning on 5th Avenue at 44th Street. It ends on 5th Avenue uptown at 79th Street.

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A large crowd watches the St. Patrick's Day parade in Chicago, Saturday, March 14, 2015. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

2. Chicago

IBT says the first parade was held in 1843, and it now draws about 1 million spectators, who also enjoy the green dye in the Chicago River. This year's parade is Saturday, March 12, stepping off at noon.

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U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., left, poses for a photo with spectators while marching in the St. Patrick's Day parade, Sunday, March 15, 2015, in Boston's South Boston neighborhood. Until now, gay rights groups have been barred by the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council from marching in the parade, which draws as many as a million spectators each year. Moulton marched with OutVets, a group of gay military veterans, in the parade Sunday. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

3. Boston

IBT says this parade, first held in 1737, draws 600,000 to 1 million spectators. It will be held at 1 p.m. March 20. March 17 is also Evacuation Day in Boston, to mark the date when British troops evacuated Boston during the Revolutionary War.

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Grand Marshal Hugh Coleman, center, walks back to the parade after receiving a blessing from Bishop Gregory J. Hartmayer of the Diocese of Savannah during the start of the 191st St. Patrick's Day parade, Tuesday, March 17, 2015, in Savannah, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

4. Savannah, Georgia

IBT says that in relation to a city's size, this is the nation's biggest, drawing 700,000 to a city of about 140,000. This year's will take place at 10:15 a.m. March 17. The first was held in 1824.

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5. Kansas City, Missouri

The modern version of the parade started in 1973, and it draws about 200,000 spectators, according to IBT. It will be held at 11 a.m. local time on St. Patrick's Day.

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6. Scranton

This year's St. Patrick's parade will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 12. It draws about 100,000 spectators to a city of about 76,000. The route starts at Mulberry Street and Wyoming Avenue. The parade eventually passes the reviewing booth near the corner of North Washington and Linden Street and ends at the corner of North Washington and Vine. There is plenty more to do in Scranton. Check out our list.

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7. San Francisco

First held in 1852, it draws about 105,000 spectators. It will be held Saturday, March 12.

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8. Philadelphia

The city has had 245 continuous years of celebrations, starting in 1771. More than 200 groups are represented. It will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday. The parade route can be seen here.

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9. Syracuse, New York

The Syracuse St. Patrick's Parade began in 1982, and it draws about 30,000 people. This year's event will be held at noon Saturday, March 12.

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Marijuana meeting.JPG

Harrisburg Councilman Cornelius Johnson (at left) lead the public meeting March 10 about the city's efforts to reduce penalties for marijuana possession. To his right were Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico, Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse, Police Chief Thomas Carter, Council President Wanda Williams and Councilwoman Destini Hodges.

HARRISBURG- Marijuana isn't the reason people turn to a life of crime, but rather an arrest for marijuana possession that can push some people down the wrong path.

That was the sentiment of several people who spoke Thursday night in favor of Harrisburg's proposal to reduce the criminal penalties for small amounts of marijuana. The supporters said marijuana is much less harmful than other legal substances such as alcohol or prescription drugs.

People arrested for marijuana possession lose their driver's license under Pennsylvania law, which kicks off a chain-reaction. Without the ability to drive, they can lose their jobs and have a hard time finding a new one, tempting them to sell drugs or commit other crimes, several supporters said.

But other speakers said they thought the city's efforts to lessen penalties could encourage more marijuana use, create more drug addicts and cause more vehicular accidents.

Dozens of people showed up to the city council-sponsored meeting at the Harrisburg Area Community College midtown campus. It was the first of two scheduled public meetings on the marijuana proposal. The second meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. Thursday March 24 at the city's public works building at 1820 Paxton Street.

Most of the people who attended Thursday night's event supported the city's efforts to downgrade an arrest for marijuana possession from a misdemeanor to the same level as a traffic ticket.

But many of them opposed the city's proposed fines of $100 for the first offense, and $200 for the second offense as too high. And they opposed a third arrest reverting to a misdemeanor charge, as proposed by Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse.

Papenfuse said the fines and "three-strikes rule" were structured to act as a deterrent because city officials aren't looking to decriminalize marijuana. Instead, he said, city officials want to lessen the penalties to allow for people to make small mistakes without harming their long-term economic opportunities.

Poor people who are arrested can seek community service instead of the fine, under the proposal, Papenfuse said.

Some suggestions posed by speakers at the meeting included:

Lowering the fine to $25, which is the fine in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia

Allowing more than three arrests before a charge reverts to a misdemeanor

Adding a time limit for the three strikes rule, so an arrest as a teenager wouldn't count against someone arrested again as a 40-year-old.

Keeping fines out of the city's general fund so the city doesn't "profit" from arrests. (Councilman Cornelius Johnson said he would only support the measure if fines went to drug treatment or programs to help youths.)

Ensuring that arrestees don't lose their driver's license. As it stands, Pennsylvania law calls for a 6-month suspension for first offenses, a 1-year suspension for second offenses and a 2-year suspension for a third arrest.

District Attorney Ed Marsico appeared on the panel with city council members and Harrisburg Police Chief Thomas Carter. He said further investigation was needed to determine if Harrisburg's proposal could avoid suspending driver's licenses.

Marsico said he had concerns about Harrisburg's proposal because it would be at odds with other municipalities in the county. When Philadelphia adopted a similar law, it applied countywide, he said.

The impetus for Harrisburg's proposal was to lessen the load on Harrisburg police officers who get tied up in court for marijuana possession cases and allow people a second-chance after making a minor mistake, Papenfuse said.

Another reason, he said, was to address the racial disparity that shows up in marijuana possession arrests. Crime statistics provided by the mayor Thursday night showed 366 arrests in 2013, 461 in 2014 and 433 in 2015. Black people were arrested over white people at a rate of nearly six to one.

The statistics revealed that the city's proposal may be limited in its scope. Out of last year's 433 arrests, for example, 23 people were arrested for marijuana possession alone, while 410 others were arrested for possession plus other charges. Those other charges, which could include possession of other drugs or drug paraphernalia, would not be reduced to the same level as a traffic ticket under the city's proposal.

After the meeting, Councilman Johnson said he was reserving his opinion on specifics about the proposal until after the second public meeting, but said he wanted to look more closely at the fines and three-strikes provision.

Papenfuse said he believes Harrisburg can be a leader to help push the state toward reducing penalties for marijuana possession and removing mandated license suspensions for offenders.
An interview with "adoptive parents" of a Ukrainian man who posed as a Harrisburg High student has raised more questions than answers.

Stephayne and Michael Potts met with reporters Wednesday to tell their side of the story, resulting in new claims about Artur Samarin: That the stellar student who visited the Pentagon and met Vice President Joe Biden eventually became angry and talked about "blowing up the school."

Ian Garcia, a Harrisburg High School senior and friend of Samarin's who started an online petition to drop the charges against the 23-year-old Ukrainian, described the man who previously had been known as Asher Potts as more of a peacemaker than a danger.

"He had no altercations with anyone," said Garcia, who's known Samarin since they started in Harrisburg High School's junior ROTC program in 2012.

Garcia questioned the motives behind Stephayne Potts' statements and said that Samarin had "not ever been linked to violence at all until [Potts] brought that up."

Only a couple months ago, Samarin was one of the youth panelists on a town hall forum to discuss violence. Adam Klein, Samarin's attorney, has said that, up until his arrest in late February, Samarin was a "model student." Klein said he was unaware of any evidence that Samarin had threatened anyone or been seen as a danger.

Biden and the Pentagon

Harrisburg School District, so far, has declined to comment on various questions that emerged following the Potts' interview, including whether or not the district had any problems with Samarin; how he enrolled in the school; and why Samarin was allowed to remain in school if the FBI was contacted about him in December.

The Potts also claimed that Samarin met Vice President Joe Biden, but it was unclear whether that was through a school trip or an extra-curricular program. The district has declined to confirm any information on the trip.

Sam Cooper, district solicitor, on Wednesday declined to comment on any questions involving Samarin.

"It's an ongoing police investigation," Cooper said. "So we're not at liberty to really discuss this case at this point in time."

Garcia confirmed that the high school's ROTC did go on a trip to the Pentagon, possibly in 2013, but he wouldn't confirm whether or not Samarin also was on the trip. PennLive's attempts to reach officials at Harrisburg High's ROTC program have been unsuccessful.

If Samarin did meet Vice President Biden, it was news to Garcia.

Samarin never mentioned meeting Biden, Garcia said. And Samarin likely would have, Garcia said, since he liked people to be aware of his accomplishments.

"He loved talking about how he met [state Rep.] Patty Kim," Garcia said. "Joe Biden would have been like meeting a God."

Immigration lawyer

Another name that came up during the Potts' interview was Tabetha Tanner, an immigration lawyer in Camp Hill who reportedly told the Pottses to enroll Samarin in school.

Tanner provided the following statement in response to PennLive's request for comment.

"Due to attorney/client privilege, I cannot comment about the specific facts of this case," Tanner's statement said. "As an immigration attorney, I have never knowingly filed any documentation and/or applications for a client which I knew or had reason to know were forged or otherwise falsified. Prior to filing any applications, I review the client's personal documentation, and ask clients many questions to ensure that when I sign my name to the documents, they are true to the best of my knowledge."

"If a client has done something improper in obtaining an immigration benefit prior to meeting with me and they do not admit to the impropriety, the documents appear to be legitimate, and applications submitted are approved by USCIS, there is no way for me to conclude otherwise," the statement said. "In a case where a client is interested in attending school in the United States, I advise clients that the proper channel is through attendance at a private school and once accepted to a private school, I offer assistance in applying for a student visa."
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- As most Americans brace themselves for losing an hour of sleep this weekend, some corners of the country are considering bold alternatives to daylight saving time.

Turn clocks forward an hour at bedtime Saturday night; the time change begins at 2 a.m. Sunday. Daylight saving time will end in November.

California has a bill that would ask voters to abolish the practice of changing clocks twice a year. Lawmakers in Alaska and nearly a dozen other states are debating similar measures. Some lawmakers in New England want to go even further, seceding from the populous Eastern Time Zone and throwing their lot in with Nova Scotia and Puerto Rico.

"Once we spring forward, I don't want to fall back," said Rhode Island state Rep. Blake Filippi, who hopes the whole region will shift one hour eastward, into the Atlantic Time Zone.

Opponents of daylight saving time argue that traffic accidents, heart attacks and strokes increase when we change time, and that contrary to popular belief, it does not save electricity.

Shifting to Atlantic Time and never changing back would effectively make summertime daylight saving hours permanent, said Filippi, who made a public health case for his bill at a Rhode Island State House hearing this week.
WILLIAMSPORT -- The former executive director of the Boal Mansion Museum in Centre County has been found guilty of possessing, receiving and producing child pornography plus obstruction of justice.

Christopher Lee

A jury of six men and six women in U.S. Middle District Court deliberated about an hour Thursday evening and about the same time Friday before finding Christopher G. Lee, 66, guilty of all charges.

Jurors found Lee possessed images of minors under the age of 12.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Taylor declined comment on the verdict because she said Lee is facing a second trial on allegations he enticed and transported two boys, 14, and 17, with the intent to engage in sexual activity with them at the museum.

Those charges were severed from those on which he was found guilty. No date has been set for the second trial.

Lee is disappointed by the verdict and will appeal it and rulings that went against him on pretrial motions, his attorney, Kyle W. Rude said.

He understands the process and respects the jury's decision, he said. Judge Matthew W. Brann set March 25 as the deadline to file post-trial motions.

A sentencing date will not be set until after a pre-sentence conference the judge scheduled for July 18. The maximum sentence on one of the counts is 30 years.

Lee, who lived on the second floor of the museum in Boalsburg, has been jailed without bail since his arrest Oct. 2, 2014, and Brann said his status that will not change.

The issue during the five-day trial was not whether child pornography was found on computers and other devices seized in separate searches by State College police and FBI in June and October 2014, respectively.

Rude acknowledged examples shown the jurors of the 69,704 images discovered on the seized computers, thumb and hard drives were child pornography but argued there was no evidence Lee knowingly possessed, received or produced it.

The defense introduced evidence others had access to the computers and thumb drives. "Don't let disgusting pictures cloud your mind," he told jurors in his closing argument.

Rude said after the verdict he believes the pornographic pictures shown by the prosecution had an impact of jurors.

Taylor told jurors in her closing argument if they applied their common sense and life experience to what they heard in the courtroom they would conclude Lee was the only one responsible for the pornography.

Child pornography was found on at least five password-protected devices along with sexually explicit narratives, she said.

Lee took videos in 2005 and 2006 at the museum of boys then 14 and 15 years old, cropped them to focus on the genital area and included them in narratives, the prosecutor alleged.

There was no dispute Lee, a musician and former Harris Twp. supervisor, took the videos but Rude argued there was no evidence his client did anything more.

Included in the prosecution evidence was a list of websites with titles inferring child pornography. Taylor noted the list had been installed on a thumb drive found in Lee's bedroom after the June search and it had been modified the day before his arrest.

Rude had argued investigators looked only at Lee because the computers and other devices belonged to him or the museum. Assumptions are easy but in this case they are wrong, he told jurors.

He cited the number of young and adult tour guides, some from France, plus interns who stayed at the museum and had access to computers because they were provided the password.

The obstruction of justice charge was based on calls Lee made from the Columbia County Prison asking his cousin, John Thompson, to make arrangements to retrieve his cell phone from the FBI and have it wiped.

Taylor claimed that showed guilt but Rude argued Lee was concerned about his list of contacts on the phone.

He noted after Thompson told him tampering with the phone would be construed as obstruction of justice, the requests stopped.
Pa. Budget Secretary Randy Albright

State Budget Secretary Randy Albright defends Gov. Tom Wolf's budget positions before the House Appropriations Committee at the state Capitol Thursday.

What more can you say about a budget stalemate that's now into its ninth month, has the state Treasurer weighing competing Constitutional provisions to keep certain state operations afloat and - with a fresh batch of tax increase proposals on the table - shows no sign of easing in 2016-17?

Lots, it turns out.

The House Appropriations Committee had State Budget Secretary Randy Albright in to close its winter set of budget hearings Thursday and, between this year's gridlock and next year's $33.2 billion plan, it took five hours for all sides to make their case.

Catch the full show on PCN if you want, but here are the points along the way that made the biggest impression on us.

1) The first order of business for everybody still seems to be finishing the 2015-16 budget.

Speakers on all sides seem to be shooting for the same short-term goal this spring: wrapping up the unfinished business of the current fiscal year before plunging into 2016-17 issues including Gov. Tom Wolf's $2.7 billion tax increase.

That's not to say it will be easy.

Albright said he takes encouragement from acknowledgments from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers that there is a recurring gap between income and expenses that, either through higher taxes or spending cuts, has to be closed.

But House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bill Adolph, R-Delaware County, countered that he believes with the current fiscal year nearly 75 percent complete, 2015-16 at least should be closed with little or no tax increase.

At least both sides want to get back to the table.

"Next Monday when we go back into session, I want to start talking," Adolph said at one point Thursday. "I think the money's there. We can pay our bills, and let's close this pain (of fiscal uncertainty) for these folks out there."

2) Wolf's $6.9 billion in December line-item vetoes - including more than $3 billion earmarked for schools - to close a budget hole estimated at $500 million to $600 million was ultimately about leverage.

Actually, we already knew that.

But rarely is it stated as openly or directly as this:

The vetoes were "to make the clear statement that it (the overall amount of funding earmarked for state aid to public schools in the GOP-crafted budget) is not enough," Albright said under questioning about the governor's strategy.

Wolf's preferred spending package called for about $300 million more in new education investments this year than the Republicans offered in the budget that was partially adopted.

The line-item reduction means the funding issue has to be addressed again, or some districts could run out of funds before the current school year ends.

"School districts are struggling... There is a result if we don't adequately fund our school districts. Local property taxpayers will have to bear the burden of that," Albright said.

Republicans said they appreciated Albright's candor Thursday, if not the vetoes themselves.

"We were a half a billion dollars off between what the governor wanted (in overall spending) and what we put on his desk, and he blue-lined six billion dollars," Adolph said. "That's not trying to work towards compromise."

"Quite frankly, it appears that the executive branch is trying to create a crisis in order to put pressure on the Legislature to pass these tax increases," said Rep. Keith Greiner, R-Upper Leacock Twp., Lancaster County.

3) Having created that leverage, Wolf apparently means to use it.

Lawmakers have been peppered during the budget hearings from all types of interest groups complaining about a lack of funding due to the partial budget, whether its 4-H kids or university presidents.

Albright, however, said Thursday that the administration is still not receptive to single-issue bills that would seek to restore full funding to one or a handful of spending lines.

Rep. Gary Day, R-Lehigh County, asked Albright if Wolf would accept supplemental appropriations bills for agreed-to allocations to Penn State, Pitt or Temple, or some $50 million that supports agricultural extension offices across the state.

Penn State, which runs the ag extension offices as the state's land-grant university, has threatened a shutdown of the system in July if its funds aren't released.

Albright said Wolf won't entertain single appropriation bills.

"The governor will engage in... whatever meaningful compromise is necessary to enact an appropriate final spending plan for the current fiscal year," Albright said.

"We are not going to pick favorites. We are not going to prioritize one of those needs over the needs of others," Albright said. "What we need to do is appropriately address and fund all of the state's spending needs."

4) Is it really savings when you've spent your cost reductions on something else?

This is an existential question that governors and state lawmakers have wrestled with for years.

Former Gov. Ed Rendell, for example, bragged about the efficiencies in his administration, but he never received much credit with Republican lawmakers because the bottom line on his budgets always went up.

Gov. Wolf is running into the same issue.

Rep. Seth Grove, R-Spring Grove, argued Thursday he can't find the administration's advertised $150 million in operational savings anywhere in its 2016-17 budget book.

Albright said the savings are in there, and that if they weren't real lawmakers would see even higher expenditure requests or cuts in programs that Wolf believes should be funded.

Grove and other Republicans had a different take: it's not really savings if it's already spent.

5) Leave a Democrat and a Republican in the same room at the state Capitol long enough and they'll still argue about Corbett-era school funding cuts.

Usually it goes like this.

Democrats make reference to former Gov. Tom Corbett's education cuts, and Republicans push back, arguing the money used to prop up Rendell's school spending was short-term, federal dollars.

It was only the disappearance of the federal funds, they argue, that caused the overall funding cut for basic education in Corbett's first budget. Overall aid to public schools fell by about $900 million that year.

It happened again Thursday, but Albright was well prepared for the assault.

He contended, under questioning from Rep. Fred Keller, R-Snyder County, that the federal stimulus money was used exactly as it was supposed to have been: to bridge drops in state tax revenue resulting from the Great Recession.

Tax collections bounced back nicely in fiscal 2011 and 2012, Albright noted, but Corbett, with legislative approval, simply made different policy choices.

"We used that money to fund business tax cuts," Albright said, referring to Pennsylvania's decision-makers at the time, "and not to replace those (federal) funds to local schools."

With budget hearings completed, the House and Senate are scheduled to return to the Capitol Monday for several session weeks. Or as we like to call it, the next chance to break the budget stalemate.
Unum and its employees teamed up to contribute $3.5 million last year to non-profit organizations in Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia, part of more than $12.7 million in total charitable support from the company in the U.S., U.K. and Ireland.In addition, employees in Unums Chattanooga office volunteered 20,000 hours to their favorite local causes, valued at $482,509.We have a longstanding tradition of helping others and fostering partnerships with organizations that are committed to making a difference in our communities, said Suzanne Payne, director of corporate social responsibility.That commitment to social responsibility is one of Unums core values, and its rewarding to see our employees demonstrate that commitment by giving of their time, talents and financial resources.The company primarily focuses its charitable efforts on supporting public education initiatives that provide more opportunity for students to learn. Other areas of support include health and wellness and arts and culture.With the help of Unum and its employees, Y-CAP was able to provide more than 125 troubled middle school kids in the Chattanooga area with direct services in 2015, said Andy Smith, executive director at Y-CAP. Unum continues to show its not only financially invested in programs across our city, but also personally invested. Unum employees come in often to check in with our kids and provide face-to-face support.Unum continued its multi-year partnership with the Public Education Foundation through supporting programs such as the Principal Leadership Academy.Six years ago, Unum invested in the creation of Hamilton Countys Principal Leadership Academya yearlong program that provides extensive training and support to educators who want to become our next generation of principals, said Bill Kennedy, vice president of Leading & Learning at PEF. Unum not only helps underwrite the cost of the academy, but every year since the creation of PLA, senior Unum executives have served as mentors and a Unum team has shared with the aspiring principals thoughts on creating a positive culture in the workplace.The company also strengthened its commitment to public education through charitable giving and employee engagement with organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Club, Girls Inc. and Urban League.These programs, and many more like them, make a lasting impact on our community, Ms. Payne said. They enhance the educational and developmental opportunities for children and young adults, and they do a fantastic job preparing them for the future.Outside of public education initiatives, the United Way was a big beneficiary of Unums corporate giving in 2015. A sampling of other beneficiaries include Chattanooga non-profit organizations that partner with Unum, including Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation and Junior Achievement of Chattanooga.
FILE - In this Feb. 19, 2016 file photo, pop star Kesha leaves Supreme court in New York after a hearing involving her producer, Dr. Luke. About 35 Kesha fans gathered outside Sonys Manhattan headquarters on Friday, March 11, to deliver petitions with more than 411,000 signatures demanding that the label release Kesha from her Sony recording contract and drop the producer, Dr. Luke, who she has accused of raping her. The hit-making producer, born Lukas Gottwald, is not charged with any crime. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
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County School Board members were told Thursday afternoon that central city schools - like some in the rapidly-expanding northeastern part of the county - are getting crowded.

New zoning plans were unveiled to try to bring the existing schools into better balance.

And it is planned to put an unused annex at Calvin Donelson School back into use. It will provide eight classrooms.



It was the first board meeting since the panel decided not to accept the buyout offer of Supt. Rick Smith, but also not to fire him. Supt. Smith the next day declared he will stay on until his contract expires in 2019.

After discussing the new school zones and the upcoming budget, the board went into executive session with attorney Scott Bennett. The attorney said there would be no statements issued after the private session in the superintendent's conference room.

On the central city, Ben Coulter of the school staff told the board there is "not a whole lot of room" to work with.

Board member David Testerman said, "The amount of housing that is going in downtown is just unbelievable. But we still have a bunch of old schools that are ready to fall apart."

George Ricks, another board member, said the inner-city schools "are growing as fast as the suburbs." He said there is a lack of a middle school for the elementary schools to feed to. He noted that Howard Middle School was closed earlier and recommended that school officials look at the possibility of reopening it.

Lee McDade, assistant superintendent, said the old Howard Middle School has a new roof, but needs extensive renovation inside. He said a "quick estimate" for the work was $2 million to $3 million.

Supt. Smith said, "We have gotten the message that we need to be very diligent about utilizing available space, and that's what we're doing."

Some students now zoned for East Side Elementary will be zoned for Battle Academy and some zoned for Orchard Knob Elementary will be shifted to Brown Academy.

East Lake Elementary has 646 students - 160 over capacity, and some of those will be shifted to Donelson, including sections around Central Avenue and Wheeler Homes.

Spring Creek Elementary in East Ridge has 736 students and a capacity of 600. Some zoning changes will be made that will add students at East Ridge Elementary as well as Barger Elementary, which now has 400 students and can hold 474.

Dupont Elementary has 395 students with a capacity of 342. Some of those will be shifted to Alpine Crest Elementary.

Mr. Coulter said mountain students will be zoned for Soddy Elementary instead of the new Middle Valley Elementary (that combines Falling Water and Ganns Middle Valley).

On the school budget, Finance Director Christie Jordan said the starting figure will be $351,257,996.

She said that includes 37 positions that were added since the start of the school year as well as an employee step pay increase.

She said the school-age child care, with a budget over $3 million, was taken out of the general budget because it is self-funded.

Ms. Jordan said the school system has 4,232 employees. She said fewer than four percent of that number "are not at a school every day."

She said there are 21 administrators and directors as well as 121 administrative support personnel.

Board member Greg Martin said he would like to see pay increases go to classroom teachers "rather than the people who are already making high wages."

He said, "Teachers are way down on the lower end of the scale. I would rather see it go to the teachers."

Ms. Jordan said the child nutrition program "will be getting $800,000 in badly needed cafeteria equipment."

Board member Ricks said he would like to see cafeteria workers paid more. They now start at $8.43 per hour. There are 142 cafeteria workers who are paid benefits.


Petersburg Republicans couldnt vote in town last week during the Presidential Preference Poll because no one volunteered to run the caucus.

The Petersburg Pilot fielded multiple calls and received emails asking why Petersburg didnt have a poll.

Chair of the Alaska Republican Party Peter Goldberg summed it up.

An effort was made to find people around the state, Goldberg said. Some districts had multiple places but there were several communities that had no one. If there is someone to blame, and youre a Republican, look in the mirror and say what have I done to help today?

Alaska Republican Party Communications Director Suzanne Downing said she was disappointed Petersburg didnt have any volunteers.

These elections are run by the district, Downing said. We (Alaska Republican Party) dont run them as a central operation. We try to help coordinate and get them going but its 100 percent a district activity.

Petersburg resident Jean Ellis has organized polls in the past but had other obligations the day of the preference poll.

I called a couple people and asked if theyd do it and they said no so I didnt keep pushing, Ellis said. If pieces of the party, like Petersburg, are not organized were not going to have anything happen unfortunately.

As of February, there are 662 registered Republicans in Petersburg, according to data from the State of Alaska Division of Elections.

In District 35, which includes Petersburg, Wrangell and Sitka, 36 percent of the votes went to Donald Trump and 27 percent went towards Sen. Ted Cruz.

Statewide, Cruz won 36 percent of the votes with Trump tailing close behind with 33 percent of the votes followed by Sen. Marco Rubio with 15 percent.

Candidates who received more than 13 percent of the votes will be granted delegates relative to the votes they received. Out of 28 Alaska Republican delegates, three are free to support any candidate they choose.

Petersburg resident Annette Wooton reached out to the Alaska Democratic Party about running a local caucus.

Theyve sent me some information, Wooton said. Pretty much what were going to be doing is calling Sitka. Theyll be running the majority of it and Ill be helping coordinate and organize things in Petersburg.

In order to vote in a party caucus, an individual must be registered as a member of that party. Voters will have the option to register as a Democrat at the polls.

The Democratic caucus will be held on March 26 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Petersburg Indian Association conference room where voters wont cast a ballot, but will claim support for a candidate. If a chosen candidate doesnt receive a 15 percent threshold of support within the district, the voter will be asked to realign.

Alaska has 20 Democratic delegates, 16 of whom must conform to the outcome of the caucuses and four who are free to vote for the candidate of their choice at the convention.
Election Q&A: Meet the candidates for Emmet County Commission

The first, third, fourth, fifth and sixth districts are all contested races on Nov. 8.
A Chattanooga federal judge has upheld the conviction and death sentence of Christa Pike, who was convicted of the 1995 torture murder of a fellow Job Corps worker in Knoxville.

Judge Sandy Mattice said he did not find valid grounds for the appeal to proceed further in the federal courts.

Ms. Pike, who was the youngest woman to be sentenced to death in the United States since the U.S. Supreme Court's Furman ruling in 1972, was 18 at the time of the killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. She was 20 when she was sentenced to death plus 25 years in state court.

Ms. Pike had dropped out of high school before joining the Job Corps, which offered vocational training for low-income youth. She began dabbling in the occult and devil worship along with a boyfriend.

She allegedly became jealous of Ms. Slemmer, believing she was trying to steal her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp.

The victim was lured to an abandoned steam plant close to the University of Tennessee campus.

She was attacked by Ms. Pike and Shipp and was taunted, beaten and slashed. A pentagram was carved in her chest. Ms. Pike smashed her skull with a large chunk of asphalt. She later kept a piece of the skull and showed it off to friends. When she was arrested, a piece of the victim's skull was in her jacket pocket.

Shipp was given a life sentence with the possibility of parole in 2028.

Ms. Pike at one time dropped her appeal, but later refiled it.

Ms. Pike on Aug. 24, 2001, attempted to strangle a fellow inmate, Patricia Jones, with a shoe string. Ms. Jones nearly died. Ms. Pike was convicted of attempted first-degree murder in 2004.

Ms. Pike was in the news in 2012 when she was allegedly involved in a plot to escape from prison with the help of a corrections officer and a New Jersey man who had visited her in prison.


The National Network for Safe Communities and Chattanooga Mayors Office announced on Friday that Public Safety Coordinator Paul Smith has accepted the position of Strategic Operations and Policy specialist at the National Network for Safe Communities at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, NY. The National Network for Safe Communities, founded by criminologist David M. Kennedy, advances strategies to reduce violence and strengthen relationships between police and communities, and has guided the work of the Chattanooga Violence Reduction Initiative (VRI) and related work in scores of other cities across the country.

Paul is as dedicated, energetic, and creative a practitioner as anyone Ive worked with, said Mr. Kennedy. He has driven innovations that include a nationally unique response to victims of violence, and my organization has been sending other cities to Chattanooga to learn from what he and his partners have been doing. We are honored to bring him into this new role where he can build on and share his expertise with the field.

As Strategic Operations and Policy specialist at the National Network, Mr. Smith will draw on his experience as public safety coordinator in Chattanooga by providing direct advising and support to cities implementing the National Networks model to reduce violence and strengthen police-community relations.

Over the last three years, Paul has worked tirelessly to make Chattanooga safer and stronger -- and his leadership will be missed throughout our community, said Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke. That said, this is a great accomplishment and, on a personal note, I am proud and excited that Paul has the opportunity to further his expertise and help positively impact more cities across the country.

Mr. Smith was appointed public safety coordinator for the City of Chattanooga by Mayor Andy Berke in June of 2013 to coordinate public safety efforts focused on a variety of initiatives. Prior to his time with the City of Chattanooga, Mr. Smith served as principal of Howard High School as well as an assistant principal of Orchard Knob Middle School and a teacher at Tyner High School.

Paul has helped move the needle on how we approach targeted violence reduction and community outreach in Chattanooga, said Chief Fred Fletcher, Chattanooga Police Department. While we will miss his day-to-day guidance and support, we look forward to continue to work with Paul in his new advising role at John Jay.

Mr. Smith will transition to his new role with National Network for Safe Communities by May 1. The City of Chattanooga is interviewing candidates and is expected to announce a new public safety coordinator in the coming weeks.
Jill Levine says wellbeing, engagement, and hope will bring positive change to the public school system.

The principal of Normal Park Museum Magnet spoke before Civitan Club members Friday at the Bessie Smith Hall. She touched on her experience as the ambassador to the head of the nations K-8 public schools.

After helping turn Normal Park into one of the nations best K-8 programs, Ms. Levine in 2015 worked in Washington D.C. to help find answers to difficult challenges in public education. She spoke with principals from all over the U.S. who shared stories after stories of students in need of emotional support. But the principals felt they did not have the resources to adequately help, Ms. Levine said.

This is partly due to the increased student testing in public schools, which take away time from teachers to teach.

Were putting too much emphasis on testing, Ms. Levine said.

Because teacher evaluations are now linked to student test scores, she said teachers are less likely to go to lower performing schools for jobs. The over emphasis on testing, she said, disenables teachers to teach the way they want; it makes them less empowered and drains the joy out of the job.

She recounted how when she moved back to Chattanooga from D.C. to return to her lead role at Normal Park, she found the same issues of testing present in Hamilton County. With the introduction of Tennessee Ready  an entirely online test  student testing has doubled since last year.

As a solution, Ms. Levine urges academic leaders to focus less on testing and more on the child. She believes that through wellbeing, engagement, and hope test scores will rise.

She recounted the story of a boy who came to Normal Park in the sixth grade. He had a history of skipping class, and it was not until a teacher gave him the job to shine the spotlight on the stage for drama students that his attendance spiked.

From then on, the boy did not miss a single day of school, Ms. Levine said. He even went on to perform in the musicals. That, to Ms. Levine, showed the power of engagement in a childs educational path.

She told of another student who did not like school, but loved to be in plays. This student went on to be a professional actor who later told Ms. Levine that being on stage in school gave him hope to continue.

Regarding wellbeing, Ms. Levine sees this as teachers putting the students before themselves to offer the kids comfort and security.

In closing, Ms. Levine said she wants to help build schools students dream of. Schools with art programs, debate teams, and hands on learning, for example. Stop thinking so much about numbers and measures, she said, and start thinking more about the students.
What's the job market like for chemists? Dude -- it's always bad.*

How bad is it? How the heck should I know? Quantifying the chemistry job market is what this blog is about. That, and helping chemists find jobs.

E-mail chemjobber with helpful tips, career questions or angry comments at chemjobber -at- gmail dotcom. All correspondence is kept confidential. (Didn't get an e-mail back? It's okay to try again.)

Voicemail/SMS: (302) 313-6257

Twitter: @chemjobber

RSS feed here

(The Blogger spam filter gets hungry sometimes, and likes to eat comments. You can e-mail me, and sometimes I can get it to cough up your comment. I am always happy to try.)

(*For the literal-minded, this is a joke. Mostly.)
It seems like every week, news hits the streets of yet another company rolling out a new bike, many of which are now wearing "mid-fat" or "plus size" tires. A year ago, plenty of riders were quick to dismiss plus-size bikes as just another blip on the bike industry radar-o-fads. The growing number of bikes sporting 2.8 and 3.0-inch tires suggests otherwise.



Plus-size hardtails, plus-size trail bikes and a quickly-growing crop of extra-fat tires are all coming down the pike. If you thought this breed of bike was going away anytime soon, think again.



But what do you think? And, perhaps more importantly, why?

Colin Meagher photo
OncoQR ML GmbH and TYG Oncology, Ltd Expand their Collaboration Against Cancers

Details Category: More News Published on Friday, 11 March 2016 19:40 Hits: 1820

LONDON, UK and VIENNA, Austria I March 11, 2016 I TYG oncology, a UK biotechnology company specializing in hormone neutralization therapy for gastrointestinal cancers, and OncoQR ML GmbH, an Austrian biotechnology company specializing in developing therapeutic vaccines against oncological and infectious disease targets using the S-TIR technology platform, have expanded their collaboration to develop additional therapeutic vaccines against gastrointestinal cancers. The parties have agreed on confidentiality regarding the general terms and financial details of the transaction.

TYG oncologys lead vaccine candidate is TYG100, a novel immunotherapy based on the S-TIR technology platform, targeted against pancreatic and other gastrointestinal cancers for the clinically validated target gastrin (G17). With the expansion of the collaboration, TYG oncology has also been awarded the exclusive, unlimited right to exploit the S-TIR technology for other forms of gastrin and related gastrointestinal targets.

Fred Jacobs, CEO of TYG oncology Ltd. remarked We are very fortunate to be collaborating with OncoQR ML on TYG100. Weve succeeded in achieving therapeutic levels of gastrin neutralising antibodies in non-human primates, our closest cousins, with only one shot of TYG100. A predecessor vaccine developed in the early 2000s didnt induce enough high responders in phase III studies to justify approval. By re-designing this vaccine based on the S-TIR Technology Platform the difference in immunogenicity is enormous; it is like comparing a dripping tap with the water at maximum flow. Therefore, together with our collaborators OncoQR ML, we plan to publish ASAP the immunologically important results of this spectacular dose-ranging study in non-human primates (NHP) in a peer reviewed journal. The predecessor vaccine had no serious adverse events and now TYG100 demonstrates powerful immunogenicity with 100% high responders, 100% checkpoint control and with 0% serious adverse events observed. In a parallel arm of the trial, there was little attenuation of the immune response by gemcitabine, the most frequently used chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer, when given in combination with TYG100. This is particularly good news for patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of cancer. We are delighted to expand our collaboration and look forward to working even more closely with OncoQR ML in the future when we expect to introduce other vaccines based on the S-TIR technology platform.

Dr. Geert C. Mudde, Inventor of the S-TIR technology platform and a Founder and CSO for both TYG oncology and OncoQR ML commented, We are extremely excited about the characteristics that TYG100 has shown in this NHP trial. For an immunotherapy to provide maximum clinical value in an aggressive disease such as pancreatic cancer, the immune response must be really strong and be achieved really fast. It is critical that the suspension of checkpoint control - which allows the immune system to mount a powerful attack against tumor cells as it does not consider them as 'own' cells - is reversible. The data from our recent NHP trials show that TYG100 has just these characteristics.

Christof Langer, CEO of OncoQR ML, added, This success encouraged us to expand our collaboration. I am extremely pleased that the recently announced positive data with TYG100 in non-human primates has strengthened the existing relationship with TYG oncology. With the expansion of the collaboration, TYG oncology is now the sole developer of TYG100 and will be leading the product into the clinic and on to the market. OncoQR ML will do whatever it can to support TYG oncology in order to achieve clinical success and provide patients and clinicians with urgently needed new treatment options.

TYG oncology is now seeking commercial partners for the fast track clinical development of its Orphan Drug TYG100 against pancreatic cancer and gastroesophageal cancer, two orphan diseases with poor survival rates.

About TYG oncology

TYG oncology Ltd was founded in the UK in 2013 as a joint venture between Astrimmune founders and OncoQR ML to further develop hormone neutralization therapies in gastrointestinal cancers. TYG oncology filed for patent protection of TYG100 in 2014. With their extensive experience in this field having worked together with a prototype anti-gastrin vaccine in the early 2000s, the founders of TYG oncology and OncoQR ML have committed themselves to bringing this immunotherapy to the patients and clinicians who desperately seek alternative treatments. TYG100 has already achieved orphan drug designation by the FDA for pancreatic cancer.

For further information and for all investor inquiries concerning TYG oncology and their pipeline of products, please contact Fred Jacobs, Founder and CEO of TYG oncology at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or +44 798 938 63 26

About OncoQR ML

OncoQR ML is a biotech company established in Vienna, Austria, developing Next Generation Checkpoint Control Cancer Immunotherapies to treat oncologic, autoimmune, and infectious diseases. OncoQR MLs vaccine candidates are based on the unique, proprietary, human-specific S-TIR technology platform, which enables the patients immune system to generate a powerful immune response against non immunogenic targets including and especially tumor-associated antigens. In 2014, the S-TIR technology platform for use in the field of allergy has been exclusively out-licensed to Allergopharma/Merck.

SOURCE: OncoQR ML
Report Links Chinese Criminal Underworld and Macau Casinos

March 11, 2016 Jason Glatzer Editor

Casinos in Macau have been experiencing a steady decline in revenues for almost two years. One of the reasons is the decline in business generated from gambling junkets which attracted high rollers that contributed a large percentage of the overall revenue.

A recent report by University of Hong Kong sociologist T. Wing Lo and Department of Applied Social Sciences researcher Sharon Ingrid Kwok published in the British Journal of Criminology, titled Triad Organized Crime in Macau Casinos: Extra-Legal Governance and Entrepreneurship opinionated that the Chinese criminal underworld dominates the activity of the gaming junkets. The report validates suspicions that many have publicly suggested over the years related to ties between triads and casinos in the largest gaming hub in Asia.

Research for the report, which included 17 interviews with triad members, VIP operators, police, and mainland officials, along with visits to VIP rooms, took place over two-and-a-half years between 2012 and 2015.

The main conclusion from the study is: "The VIP-room operations are still dominated by triads to date. But they have readjusted their traditional intrusive role and reinvented harmonious business strategies to suit the market reality."

Furthermore, the study states that much of the income generated by the triads is related to the VIP activity taking place in many of the biggest casinos in Macau.

Macau casinos have begun to focus more and more on their mass-market business catered to everyday players in order to diversify away from income being driven primarily from its VIP rooms. That being said, the VIP business is a major driver not only to the Macau casinos themselves, but the parent companies that run them which own casinos in other locations around the world, including the gaming capital of the world, Las Vegas.

Macau Gaming Watch highlights how the junkets and VIP operators are dominating the income streams in the city's casinos in a report titled Wynn Macau Junkets & VIP Operators.

The report explains that even when removing "commissions and discounts," that 56 percent of total revenue generated by Wynn Macau during 2014 was generated via VIP gaming and accounts for 39 percent of the parent company's overall revenue.

This figure, however, isn't all related to external gaming junkets as the casino operates its own internal junket as well. In October 2013, a Wynn Resorts official testified to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission that the internal junket is quite extensive, employing "about 215 people internally" and "six international marketing offices that recruit customers and bring them to our property."

Casinos continue to deny that they are aware of the criminal underworld's involvement in the gaming circuit. Additionally the South China Morning Post reported that Macau's Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau also claimed they are unaware of triad involvement.

"So far, we have not verified any triads selected by casinos or working with junkets," the Bureau stated.

However, the British Journal of Criminology report suggests, this is not the case. The report went on to state that some casinos would seek out the most powerful triads as managers of VIP activities.

Millions Stolen from Gaming Junket Last Year

In September 2015, Bloomberg Business, Daiwa Capital Markets analysts, led by Jamie Soo, issued a report stating that millions of dollars were stolen by Dore Holdings, a junket working inside the Wynn Macau. Stock prices tumbled as the amount stolen was reported to be anywhere from HK$200 million ($25.8 million) to HK$2 billion ($258 million).

The impact brought the junkets back into the spotlight, as Dore Holdings was reported to operate at least 25 of the VIP tables at the casino, or more than five percent of the 461 total tables the casino operates, according to its latest filing.

*Image courtesy of The Times.

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An ISIS defector turned over the records on thousands of terrorists and their contacts to Britain's Sky News. (Photo: Screen shot from Sky News video)

Tens of thousands of documents, containing names, addresses, telephone numbers, and family contacts of Islamic State jihadis, have been presented to British TV network Sky News.

Nationals from at least 51 countries, including the United States, had to give up their most personal information as they joined the terror organization.

Only when the 23-question form was filled in were they inducted into IS.

A lot of the names and their new Islamic State names on the registration forms are well-known.

But the key breakthrough from the documents is the revealing of the identities of a number of previously unknown jihadis in the United States, Canada, the UK, across northern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Their whereabouts are crucial to breaking the organization and preventing further terror attacks.

Some of the telephone numbers on the list are still active and it is believed that although many will be family members, a significant number are used by the jihadis themselves.

The files were passed to Sky News on a memory stick stolen from the head of Islamic State's internal security police, an organization described by insiders as the group's version of Hitler's SS.
Action Target Inc. today announced a collaboration with Team One Network. Together the partners have developed the Action Target Academy to provide advanced training courses for rangemasters, firearms instructors, shoot house instructors, range safety officers, and citizens.

Action Target has a start-to-finish approach to shooting range development, from product engineering and manufacturing to range design and installation. The Action Target Academy allows the company to amplify its turnkey operations by delivering world-class training to law enforcement, military and commercial ranges.

Training has always been an important part of our commitment to providing an all-inclusive solution for our clients. Our partnership with Team One Network gives us the opportunity to integrate the industrys best in firearms training, targets and shooting range products, said Kevin Tomaszweski, Action Targets VP of engineering and marketing.

The Action Target Academy powered by Team One Network is comprised of an extensive selection of courses. All course material is designed to educate participants in modern training tactics using updated range and target technology.

We are honored that Action Target has selected Team One Network to provide training programs for the Action Target Academy, said John Meyer, president of Team One Network. Aligning with Action Target allows Team One Network to instruct on the most advanced shooting ranges and target systems available. Combining these systems with the most up-to-date and technologically advanced training from Team One Network delivers a high quality and unique training program.

To find out more about the Action Target Academy powered by Team One Network, including course details, visit: http://www.actiontarget.com/training/custom-training/.

About Action Target Action Target Inc. is a privately owned business headquartered in Provo, Utah. The US market leader for shooting range technology, Action Targets key markets include commercial, law enforcement and military. With over 4,000 products and 40 patents for the systems it designs and manufactures, Action Target differentiates itself from its competitors with its unique start-to-finish approach from engineering and manufacturing to range design and installation. Action Target also designs systems and conducts firearms training for law enforcement and various military divisions. For more information, visit www.actiontarget.com.

About Team One Network Team One Network is dedicated to providing law enforcement, military and commercial ranges with the most current and technologically advanced training courses available. Team One Networks professional instructors and consultants are recognized as subject matter experts both nationally and internationally. To learn more, visit www.teamonenetwork.com.
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Republicans have stopped personally attacking each other, and the result has been a debate that revealed a frontrunner who knows nothing and a political party with no new ideas. In other words, the CNN debate has been a different kind of disaster for the Republican Party.

The candidates are holding to an agreement not to personally attack each other, but instead of benefiting the establishment candidates who understand policy, the debate exposed the fact that behind the Republican rhetoric is the same old party who are largely sticking to the George W. Bush era policies that got the country into two wars, and nearly destroyed the US economy.

If the point of this debate is to expose Donald Trump as a know nothing, it is working. Ted Cruz is looking like a policy wonk next to Trump. The problem that this debate is revealing is the Republican Party has no new ideas. The Republican candidates, with the exception of Trump, want to privatize Social Security. All of the Republican candidates, with the exception of Kasich, lied and distorted Common Core. All of the Republicans want to cut taxes for the wealthy, and their anti-immigrant positions were on full display during the discussion on immigration.

The Republican Party wanted to demonstrate that they can be a serious party that can govern, but this debate is demonstrating why they should not be given back the White House. A vote for any of the Republican candidates on the Florida stage is a vote for a return to the failed policies of George W. Bush.

The circus of personal attacks in previous debates hid the fact that the Republican Party is intellectually empty. The Republican candidates argue for more war in the Middle East, and the return of American combat troops to the region. Viewers even heard the old Bush line that the president must listen to the generals.

The calmed down Republican debate has been a complete disaster. The GOP is still a party that is completely unfit to govern.
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Showing just how easy Republicans are going to make 2016 ads for Democrats, the Senate Democratic Policy and Communications Center (DPCC) put out a video today showing exactly what hypocritical slimeballs Republicans are being in order to justify their absurd refusal to do their jobs and confirm an Obama Supreme Court nominee.

Watch here:

Senate Democrats point out:

Americans Say by 2-To-1 That Senate Should Hold Hearings on President Obamas Supreme Court Nominee American People to GOP: Do Your Job and Carefully Consider the Presidents Supreme Court Nominee

The video shows that when it was beneficial to their party, Republicans honored and revered their constitutional obligation to advise and consent the President regarding a nominee. But now due to their Obama Derangement Syndrome, they dont want to do their jobs anymore.

All Democrats need to do is air Republicans speaking, because they are that ridiculous at this point. Meanwhile, President Obama is enjoying Reagan-level approval ratings.

Do we see Obama Republicans in our future? Oh, I think we do. They wont be called that because the media is pretty sure we all hate Obama, but that is what they are.

The Republicans who appreciate and respect law and order and process will not want to be associated with this radical jihad against the Constitution and the wild power grab Senate Republicans are currently engaging in. This is catering to racism, pure and simple. Its time Americans showed Republicans they wont put up with this kind of blatant disrespect of the President.
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Ted Cruz blamed President Obama for the violence at Donald Trump rallies during the CNN debate.

After Trump had blamed the protesters for the violence at his rallies, Ted Cruz upped the ante and blamed President Obama.

Cruz said, Listen, I think for every one of us we need to show respect to people. We need to remember who it is were working for. Weve seen for seven years a president who believes hes is above the law. Who behaves like an emperor. Who it is all about him, and he forgot that he is working for the American people.

Ted Cruz told Republican voters that the violence is a direct result of the election of President Obama. Cruz said that Washington isnt listening, so Republicans are angry. What Cruz didnt do was disavow the violence. What Cruz didnt do is as a member of his party take responsibility for the rhetoric that has led to the hate and violence.

Republicans have blamed President Obama for all of their bad behavior for the past seven years, so it isnt a surprise that they would blame this president for the violence that their obstruction, hateful rhetoric, and disrespect of this president inspired.
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Instead of apologizing for punching a protester, a Donald Trump supporter is warning that next time they will kill him.

Video:

Inside Edition talked to John McGraw, the man who punched the protester at the Trump rally, who said that next time he may kill a protester:

When asked if he liked the rally, he said: You bet I liked it. Knocking the hell out of that big mouth. And when asked why he punched the protester, he said: Number one, we dont know if hes ISIS. We dont know who he is, but we know hes not acting like an American, cussing me If he wants it laid out, I laid it out. He added: Yes, he deserved it. The next time we see him, we might have to kill him. We dont know who he is. He might be with a terrorist organization.

The protester was a 26 year old African American named Rakeem Jones who most definitely does not look like an ISIS terrorist. Plus, it is extremely unlikely that an ISIS terrorist would come to a Trump rally to hold a protest and be ejected.

The statements of Mr. McGraw confirm that anyone who is not white at a Donald Trump rally will be viewed will be unwelcome and viewed with hostility. The media has sugarcoated and glossed over the violence at Trump rallies for months. Finally, an incident has occurred that even the Trump loving corporate owned press cant ignore.

Instead of apologizing for his violent behavior, the Trump protester warned that lethal violence could be on the way. Donald Trump is riding a wave of racism to the Republican nomination. There is a reason why Trump would not disavow David Duke when he was asked to. David Duke and the white supremacists of the Republican Party are Donald Trumps voters.

As President Obama pointed out earlier, the Republican Party created Trump by adopting the politics of racial division. The result of seven years of birtherism and racism is that GOPs big tent has been replaced with a white hood.
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Here are the winners and losers from the CNN Republican debate in Florida.

Winners and Losers:



Winners:

1). Donald Trump  Who benefited the most from the Republican candidates attempting to hold a civil debate? Donald Trump. The target was taken off of Trump, which means that he got a free pass. Donald Trump demonstrated that he knew virtually nothing about policy. Trump got Common Core wrong, and his solution to every problem was either that he was going to make America great, or that America is in big trouble. Trump claimed that a lot of Muslims in the world hated the United States. After Rubio had confronted him on the Muslim hate, Trump played the 9/11 card. Both Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz failed to put together a complete debate performance. Because none of his challengers were able to knock him off, Donald Trump had a good night.

2). Marco Rubio  Rubio had a nice moment when he pointed out that anti-Muslim rhetoric has consequences. He also told Trump that there are a lot of Muslims buried at Arlington. After Trump had called him politically correct, Rubio responded that he was more interested in being correct than politically correct. Rubio really shined when Trump waffled on whether or not he would close the US embassy in Cuba. Rubio pounced and told Trump exactly what a good deal with Cuba would look like.

Rubio was the reverse of Cruz. He had a bad first hour, but the second hour where he looked like a real challenger to Trump, who could win in Florida. The problem is that Rubio and Cruz individually are not good enough to stop Trump. Rubio is a winner while Cruz is a loser because he closed better than the senator from Texas.

Listen to Sarah Jones and Jason Easley discuss the Republican debate:

Losers:

Ted Cruz Ted Cruz was the opposite of Marco Rubio. Cruz had a good first hour which was highlighted by his exchange with Trump on the frontrunners proposed tariff, but in hour number two, Cruz fell off of the map and was leapfrogged by Rubio. Cruz tried to regain momentum by reminding voters that he is the candidate who has beaten Trump the most, but the toned down format did not play to Cruzs strengths.

2). John Kasich  Gov. Kasich might have had a chance if his party had not gone completely insane. Kasich tried to make the executive experience argument several times, but in a year where having decades of experience in government is viewed as a negative by Republican voters, this wasnt the best strategy. Kasich was not relevant, and if the Republican Party were being honest, they would admit that Kasich is only in the race to try to stop Trump from winning his home state of Ohio.
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A relatively fair number of Americans really have no idea what a despotic religious, and corporate fascist, government might look like; or remotely comprehend the level of damage a dictatorial regime would wreak on a population. It is likely true that one of the greatest gifts the Founding Fathers bestowed on America was the concept of a government with checks and balances and separation of powers. One thing some Americans may have taken note of over the past seven years is that anytime a court, at any level, does its job and rules according to the Constitution and against religious Republicans, that court becomes a conservatives mortal enemy.

One often hears conservative pundits opine that the solution to any court that dares to follow the Constitution and not Republican demands is ignore the ruling, nullify the court, or remove the offending jurists from the bench. Fortunately, at least for now, the separation of powers protects the courts from vindictive Republican legislators, but if the courts are in Kansas, that separation of powers and checks and balances is one vote and governors signature away from disappearing. Without a functioning judicial system in place, Kansas Republicans and Governor Sam Brownback can enact the corporate and religious dictatorship all Republicans lust to implement on the people at all levels of government.

Kansas Republican-dominated legislature, in league with Republican Sam Brownback, are panting to pass and enact a new law that political experts say effectively nullifies the Kansas Judiciary system. The GOP legislature and Brownback say that is precisely the intent of Senate Bill 439; nullify the liberal, activist, and out-of-control judiciary. The group that earned the despotic ire of Brownback and Republicans is the Kansas Supreme Court  for adhering closely to the United States and Kansas Constitution. Republicans are furious the states High Court ruled that Brownbacks education cuts violated the Constitutions funding mandate, ruled against religious Republicans attempting to ban and criminalize abortion, and cannot use the death penalty to entertain the population.

Senate Bill 439 is currently before the Judiciary Committee packed with Republicans. When it is passed and signed by Brownback it will mandate impeachment of any Judge in Kansas who acts contrary to the wishes of the Republican legislature. What that means in starker language is that any Judge who strikes down or modifies any law the legislature passes, for any reason, even if the law is unconstitutional and/or violates federal laws, the state legislature will impeach them and throw them off the court. Then Governor Brownback can appoint a tea party acolyte to do religious and corporate Republicans bidding and issue the rulings they have been praying and paying for.

It is noteworthy that the Brownback law passed last year defunding the Kansas Judiciary for acting contrary to Republicans was declared unconstitutional by the Kansas Supreme Court. That makes this latest Brownback move a thuggish vendetta and warning to the Justices on the Kansas Supreme Court. It is also a tyrannical ploy to allow Brownback to rule by religious and corporate Republican edict without interference from the Constitution.

By now some Americans are aware of the monumental economic catastrophe Brownbacks trickle down tax cuts have wrought on the state, and the situation is only getting worse after Brownbacks re-election on the grounds of the fetus. As Esquire writer Charles Pierce noted, the sorry condition of Kansas under complete tea party dominance serves as a textbook, laboratory-tested example of what unchecked Republican policies lead to.

Brownback is still incensed that two years ago the Supreme Court ruled that as the duly-elected Kansas governor, both he and his tea party legislature are required to follow existing state laws and the Kansas Constitution Brownbacks severe trickle down tax cuts for the rich and corporations has made following the law and Constitutions mandate to adequately fund education impossible; not that Brownback or Republicans intend to fund education, the state is nearly bankrupt due to Brownbacks tax cuts. Brownback wants ultimate unchallenged authority to rule by edict, and wiping out the Judiciary branch will eliminate the remaining obstacle to Brownbacks absolute despotism.

Americans should be acclimated to Republicans just talking about getting rid of courts and Judges that fail to acquiesce to Republican demands even if they are unconstitutional. But this Republican bill in Kansas is as distinctive as it is a frightening sign of the GOPs true intent to rule absolutely. It is unlikely that up to this juncture in American history that there has ever been an explicit measure created specifically for one branch of government to nullify another branchs authority as a form of punishment for not yielding to religious Republican ideology.

This action defines a despotic administration where the legislature is conspiring with the governor to enact a law specifically designed to intimidate and threaten the Judiciary into accepting the dictates of a Republican legislature. As Charles Pierce wrote in explaining the absolutist, dogma-driven, and religious fervor of these tea party acolytes;

They recognize no limits to their power, no curbs to their desire. There are few frontiers in democratic government that they will not work to violate, eliminate or to twist to their own purposes. And they absolutely will not stop. Ni shagu nazad, as Stalin said to his army. Not one step backwards.

The American people have to start understanding, and they better start right now, that everything that is and has been happening in Kansas is exactly what a Republican Congress with a Trump, Cruz, Rubio, or Kasich as president will do to America. For dogs sake, even with a Democrat in the White House, congressional Republicans and GOP-state legislatures have shamelessly attempted to pass myriad unconstitutional laws and talked openly about rewriting the parts of the Constitution dealing with the federal Judiciary. This is especially true every time an Appellate or High Court issues a ruling contrary to Republicans religious, bigoted, and corporate demands. Just look at the Republican Senates refusal to do their Constitutional duty and even consider an Obama appointment to the Supreme Court.

What is happening in Kansas is an ominous reminder that Republicans so hate the people, established laws, and the Constitution that they will never stop until they are allowed to rule unfettered by religious and corporate edicts. Kansas should also be a reminder that no matter how devastating a tyrant like Brownback is to the states residents, Republicans re-elected him because he has a special secret weapon every Republican keeps close at hand as an October surprise; the fetus.
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Well known is the old English adage that Jesus is an Englishman. But the quaint charm of an assertion like that is missing entirely when one of Donald Trumps supporters says Jesus wasnt a Jew.

It is a view altogether too reminiscent of Hitlers conception of Jesus as an Aryan fighter who who took up His position against Jewry.

This new claim comes from Thomas Robb, whom the SPLC describes as an Arkansas-based Christian Identity pastor and head of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, which he took over in the 1980s after the departure of David Duke.

According to Robb, appearing on The Alan Colmes Show on Fox Radio Wednesday, Jesus was not a Jew. He was an Israelite. If that distinction seems bizarre, read on.

Now keep in mind, Robb told Colmes that Trump is the pick of the litter in this years election cycle. Because white supremacy.

Even Evangelicals, many of them, acknowledge, at least intellectually, that Jesus was a Jew. As Professor Harold W. Attridge wrote at PBS Frontline, Jesus was born, lived, and died as a Jew and his identity cannot be understood apart from his Jewishness.

Now sure, we can say, well, you could be a Greek or a Roman and still be a Jew, at least in religious terms. The ancient world was full of converts to Judaism. And this issue came up when Colmes said Jesus Jewishness was indisputable.

Robb disagreed:

Whatever you say, whatever you say. It is a matter of dispute, it is a matter of dispute. He was an Israelite. The people that are today called Jews are not Israelites, theyre Khazars.

The Khazars, for the record, were a Turkic people who lived mostly north of the Caucasus in what is now the Ukraine and Southern Russia. They were originally pagans but converted to Judaism (the royalty and elites, at least) in the 8th century of the Common Era. The extent of this conversion is unknown and though it is historically attested, it is problematic.

This whole alleged tie-in to the Khazars is part of the Christian Identity movement but emerged originally in England as British Israelism in the 19th century with so much other 19th century nonsense  like the rapture and homosexuality.

The core of this system, as the ADL explains, was that white Europeans were descended from the Israelite people of the Bible: this was their true identity. White Europeans became White Americans with obvious results for people like Robb.

You see where the problem is, no doubt: Robb is telling us that Jesus was not really a Jew but that he and other White European Americans are  and are therefore the real chosen people. Not only that, but because Jews are not Semites, there is no such thing as antisemitism.

Jesus, of course, came from Galilee in the first century of the Common Era. The whole idea that Eastern Europes Ashkenazi Jews are descended from Khazars has now been genetically disproved, and even if they were, that would not make Jesus a Khazar.

Anyway, Colmes told Robb he was addressing Jesus religion, and said that Israelite was not a religion. He told Robb that furthermore, he didnt know of any Christians who did not think Jesus was Jewish.

Which is when Robb went off the deep end:

Even if youre right about everything you say, which I contest  but even if you are right about everything you say, that does not justify the genocide that is affecting our people today. Im referring to white genocide. I dont know by whom  it doesnt matter by whom.

It is easy to see why Robb supports Trump. He can combat white genocide by beating up black protesters at Trump events. Its a match made in whatever heaven Robb thinks awaits him.

It is important to observe here that this Khazar nonsense  and therefore antisemitism  was very much a part of the Oregon standoff, as the ADL noted:

3:23 PM (EST) Dave Fry, an Ohio resident still occupying the wildlife refuge after the arrests of several cohorts yesterday made anti-Semitic comments in his live feed at the refuge. Fry spoke about fake Jews, a term used by a number of white supremacists and conspiracy theorists who believe that many people who call themselves Jews today are not truly Jewish but are descended from a race of people called the Khazars. Drumming up anti-Semitic myths, Fry claimed that fake Jews believe theyre superior to people, are evil and do a lot of evil things with their money.

This is the sort of information not generally offered by the mainstream media in talking about domestic terrorism. It isnt about just politics, or even race, but ancient Christian stereotypes about Jews with a lot of 19th century pseudoscience thrown in.

All those people now chanting for Cliven Bundys release are, whether they know it or not, championing antisemitism.

Donald Trump has become the inheritor and champion of all this. There is a reason white supremacists have rallied around him, and why he has not really disavowed them, however often he uses the term to deflect criticism.

Far from simply de-legitimizing liberal politics, Donald Trump is working to delegitimize not only other ethnicities but other religions. His is the ultimate white patriarchy, a sort of nation-wide Posse Comitatus, if you remember them from the days before they became todays patriot militia movement.

It isnt a pretty picture, and there is no way to sugarcoat the fact that Trump is exactly what his critics say he is, and more. He is the living embodiment of all that is ugly in racist, sexist ideology.

One thing is for certain, with people like Robb in his corner, Donald Trump is not angling to make America great.
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The complaints and possible court cases have gone from civil to criminal for the Trump campaign as Michelle Fields of Breitbart News filed a police report against Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.

The Jupiter, Florida Police Department confirmed the investigation of Trumps campaign manager for misdemeanor battery, The Jupiter Police Department is currently investigating an alleged battery that occurred at 115 Eagle Tree Terrace (Trump National) on March 8, 2016. A police report was filed with the Jupiter Police Department on March 11, 2016 at approximately 10:00 AM and the investigation is ongoing. As with any investigation, specific details concerning criminal investigative information is not releasable while the investigation is considered active. Any additional details regarding this incident will be released once the investigation has concluded. The initial report, outlining the date, time, location, and nature of the incident will be released today. No additional information regarding this investigation is available at this time.

There were several witnesses to the alleged battery of a member of the media by the Trump campaign. Fields claimed that she was trying to ask Trump a question at the end of the Florida event when she was grabbed by the arm by Trumps campaign manager and nearly taken down to the ground. If true, this behavior would be consistent with the manner in which members of the media have been treated at Donald Trumps campaign events. Less than two weeks ago, a Time photographer was attacked and choke slammed by a Secret Service agent after he stepped 18 inches outside of a media pen to take photos of protesters at a Trump event.

A protester was punched in the face by a Trump supporter at a rally in North Carolina was charged with assault and disorderly conduct, and there has been a general escalation of violence against both protesters and the media at Donald Trumps campaign events. At the Republican debate on Thursday night, Trump said that his supporters were angry, and Ted Cruz tried to blame the violence on President Obama.

Whether one considers themselves to be on the left, center, or right in the political spectrum, all should agree that violence against members of the media is completely unacceptable. Donald Trump is already facing several civil lawsuits for fraud and violations of US immigration laws, and now his campaign can add possible criminal charges to the list.

A minority of Republican voters are set to nominate a man who will bring a ton of baggage and lawsuits to the general election. While the media obsesses over drummed up scandals over Hillary Clintons emails, Donald Trumps campaign manager could be facing criminal charges for battery. If Trump and his staff cant avoid legal trouble on the campaign trail, imagine the sort of scandals that would emerge if Trump was in the White House.
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A self-described conservative Texas gun rights activist planned to bring his rifle to President Obamas South by Southwest festival (SXSW) speech and wrote, This may get interesting, according to posts gathered by common sense gun control advocates Everytown and reported by New York Daily News.

Open Carry Texas founder C.J. Grisham made the remarks Wednesday to the closed groups 28,000 members, and one responded, If you get a clear shot, please fire for effect!, according to images of the posts obtained by gun control advocates Everytown for Gun Safety, the New York Daily News reported of a post made on a private page.

Grisham wrote that things may get interesting.

According to Wikipedia, Christopher J. C.J. Grisham is a retired U.S. Army First Sergeant and military blogger. A soldier in the counterintelligence military occupational specialty field, he is a combat veteran of the Iraq War and War in Afghanistan.

Grisham has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, a fact that he has shared openly. He has had public outbursts, complaints about which he claims lead to demotions.

Grisham has also already been investigated by the Army Intelligence and Security Command for speaking out against his Commander-in-Chief President Obama while he was active duty. He was also arrested for resisting arrest and convicted in 2013 for interfering with a peace officer. He was arrested later yet again, according to Wikipedia, for carrying a toy gun and refusing orders to leave the area.

The NY Daily News has screenshots for verification.

Not to worry, they report that the Secret Service is aware of this possible threat and can prohibit guns at presidential events if they choose.

In typical conservative fashion, Grisham later said that he wasnt actually going to be at the Obama event. He was going to be on the other side of town. Obviously fearing a visit from the Secret Service, Grisham wrote on Facebook, Our right to keep and bear arms is a right reserved to self-defense and personal survival only. It does not in any way convey a right or privilege to kill or threaten to kill anyone based on political or any other ideology.
Bin 36's New House Wine Has A Touching Family Story Behind It

By John Lenart in Food on Mar 11, 2016 4:11PM



Bin 36 Owner Enoch Shully and daughter Tulah. Photo Credit: Angela Burke

When Bin 36 shuttered its River North location at the end of 2015 and reopened under new ownership in the West Loop, many things changed. Gone were the dramatic soaring ceilings and the bible sized wine list. They were replaced with a cozier room and tight, one-page list. All of that was part of the plan for Owner Enoch Shully.

People can come in and feel at home. They don't have to wear a suit, just feel relaxed. We wanted to make it more warm and inviting, and so far we've had very positive feedback, says Shully.

The list, now considerably shorter than in its previous incarnation, still maintains a global reach. We have wines from as far as Uruguay and Macedonia, we touch every corner of the world. We are trying to broaden what we offer people and give them a chance to try different varietals. Our list is very diverse, says Shully.

One thing Shully has not changed entirely from the original Bin 36 is the house brand wine. He has however put his own personal touch into a new wine under the Bin 36 label. Shully formed a new partnership with Cass Wines, voted as 2015 Central Coast winery of the year. What the partners developed is Bin 36 Cuvee Tulah.

So many house branded wines are just that, a label and some juice. What they often lack, besides character, is a story. Well that's not the case with Bin 36 Cuvee Tulah. When Shully tells the story, you can see the passion for this wine in his eyes and hear true heartfelt sentiment in his voice.

The wine is named in honor of Shully's 2-year-old daughter, who was named after his mother, I lost my mom when I was very young. My mom passed from breast cancer and her name was Tulah. I always wanted to name a wine after my mother, except she died before I could do that. Like my mother and daughter this wine is elegant and beautiful, yet bold. This resonates with my mom and daughter. At two, my daughter is already so opinionated. She speaks her mind.



Photo Credit Angela Burke

Shully and Cass finally decided on a 100 percent stainless steel-fermented and aged roussanne. They made about 100 cases of the 2014 vintage.

Cuvee Tulah is available both by the bottle and by the glass at Bin 36.

When asked if it's tough to sell wine made from a somewhat obscure grape, Shully responds, People order sauvignon blanc from New Zealand or oaky California chardonnay because this is what they understand. My strategy to sell this wine is not to force it down anyone's throat, but to say, 'You ordered Sauvignon blanc, fantastic, but here taste this wine and tell me what you think.' And they often respond, 'Oh this is an unoaked chardonnay.' And then I tell them it's roussanne. Then the conversation starts from there.

The result of conversations like this is that Bin 36 sells far more Cuvee Tulah to go than it does in the restaurant. The wine sells for $15.55 and is also available online here.

If the sales rate of Cuvee Tulah continues, Shully expects the wine to be sold out by summer. He also plans on bottling a pinot noir and a syrah in the coming vintage.

Shully tells us, Bin 36 has always been known as an education place. People can buy wine anywhere but here they can learn something and try something new. And to hear the touching story about a wine with the house label.

Tasting Notes: 2014 Bin 36 Cuvee Tulah 100% Roussane. Star bright and slightly silver in color. Aromas of honeysuckle, wet slate, and salinity. Flavors of stone fruit, over ripe pear, mango and banana, with a touch of ginger on the medium long finish.


I took a look at the Somali Minnesotans charged with seeking to join ISIS in the December 7 Weekly Standard article The threat from Minnesota men.' Four of the ten have pleaded guilty to terrorism charges before Judge Michael Davis, including Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame. Last week Judge Davis adopted an experimental sentencing program to apply to these four cases. In the new issue of the Weekly Standard I focus on the case of ringleader Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame in the article Judging the Minnesota men.'

We havent heard much about Warsames case, but it warrants close attention. Warsame worked on the tarmac at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for eight or nine months, until August 2014, and aspired to blow airplanes out of the sky with rocket-propelled grenades. In the article, I take a look at the plea hearing before Judge Davis last month:

The evidence against Warsame led him to plead guilty to conspiring to provide material support to ISIS. Entering his plea on February 11, Warsame testified that he came from a very religious household. He acknowledged that he himself is very religious. He noted that he started talking about joining ISIS with his friends in the early months of 2014 (while he was working at the airport, though this went unmentioned at the hearing). [I]t was a time to not only talk, Warsame testified, but to put it into some action and do that. Listening to videos of Anwar al-Awlaki, he started learning about, you know, Islam and started learning about the history of Islam. He was affiliated with an unidentified local mosque where he studied the Koran and received additional teaching pretty much the same as Awlakis lectures on YouTube. Inspired to join ISIS, he sought to get in on the combat and beheadings he saw online with the object of restoring the caliphate. Then, Islam would take over the world and, you know, Muslims would no longer be oppressed all around the world. At this point, Judge Michael Davis asked Warsame why he hadnt joined the armed forces of the United States. You can probably guess the answer: Because I didnt think the United States military went by Islam.

Interested readers can check out the whole thing here.
Sen. Orrin Hatch spoke today at the monthly luncheon of the Washington Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society in Chinatown. I had wanted to attend, but couldnt due to illness.

According to a report from a reliable source, Sen. Hatchs address was interrupted when about half a dozen youngsters jumped up and began yelling Do your job. They waved yellow placards expressing the view that doing your job means confirming a new Supreme Court Justice nominated by President Obama.

After a while, the rest of the gathering shouted them down. Doug Cox, the unflappable president of the chapter, expressed his appreciation for the $20 per head contribution of the protesters.

Senator Hatch also handled the situation with aplomb. He can be seen here autographing one of the Fill the Supreme Court vacancy placards.

I suppose we can look forward to outbursts like these spicing up the D.C. landscape for the rest of the year, as the infantile left attempts, however feebly, to give a new meaning to the old slogan No Justice, no peace.
is not, apparently, violating federal laws and regulations and State Department procedures in a manner that exposes thousands of classified documents to our enemies. No, that isnt the sort of conduct that is likely to draw an indictment from Loretta Lynchs Department of Justice. Obamas DOJ is more interested in trying to jail scientists who point out the rather obvious flaws in the governments desperate effort to convince Americans that global warming is our greatest threat.

Today, Attorney General Loretta Lynch made a chilling appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee. In response to questions from Senator Sheldon Whitehouseit is scandalous that some call Donald Trump a fascist while Whitehouse holds officeLynch said that DOJ has referred complaintsthat would be Whitehouses complaintsagainst oil companies, who have little to do with the climate debate, to the FBI for potential criminal prosecution:

Until now, has any American administration ever tried to make it a crime to take one side of an ongoing scientific debate? No. The Soviets did that, in order to shore up the hopeless but government-favored theories of Lysenko. Until now, such conduct would have been unthinkable in an American administration. But Barack Obama, to his everlasting shame, is willing to emulate Josef Stalin by threatening criminal prosecution of those who disagree with the equally hopeless theories of Michael Mann et al. American history has come to a very sad pass.
Tonights Republican presidential debate produced virtually no fireworks and nothing that is likely to change the trajectory of the race. In other words, it was a good night for Donald Trump.

The mild tone of the debate was due, in part, to CNNs approach. Perhaps feeling embarrassed by their previous outings, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash asked policy questions almost exclusively. Food fight questions were left for near the end, and then only of the tepid variety.

More importantly, Trumps rivals werent interested in a food fight. Marco Rubio faces a make-or-break contest in Florida. He cannot afford a Chris Christie style suicide mission (though some might say he has already conducted one).

John Kasich has to win in Ohio. He has stayed alive by being above the fray. Tonight was no time for him to get down and dirty.

Ted Cruz pressed Trump the hardest, but almost entirely on policy. Cruz is counting on the field to be reduced to two before long. If and when it gets to that point, he doesnt want to be viewed as being any nastier than he already is.

Given the dynamic of the race, it hardly matters how the policy debate played out. But for the record, here goes:

Cruz will always do well when debating policy, and he did so tonight. The same goes for Rubio.

Cruz was probably the more effective of the two because he unified his policy disagreements with Trump around the theme that the tycoon wants the same role for government, just with better deals. Cruz, by contrast, insists on less government.

Kasich has improved throughout the debate process. He does pretty well on policy, and did so tonight.

Trump still hasnt mastered policy, but he is good at funneling policy questions into his wheelhouse, which is trade. When he debates trade, he injects the force of his personality and his reputation as a dealmaker into the debate and more than holds his own.

The one issue as to which Trump came up completely empty was entitlement reform. Trump said he is unwilling to change social security because the Democratic candidates (whom he says hes watching intently) arent budging on the issue. He doesnt want Hillary Clinton to outflank him on such a touchy issue in the general election.

But Trump could not remotely explain how the system can remain afloat without alteration. He kept talking about cutting waste, fraud, and abuse. When it was pointed out that doing so will barely make a dent, it was cue the clown show, as Trump started yammering about making America great again and not being taken advantage of by the Saudis.

Otherwise, Trump had pretty smooth sailing.

It might have been different if, when Cruz was asked about Trumps deviations from Republican Party principles, he had hammered the tycoon on issues like universal health insurance, Israel, eminent domain and so forth. Instead, Cruz talked about trade  Trumps best issue.

In fairness, though, Trump has been pounded in the past about health insurance, Israel, eminent domain and so forth. The effect, seemingly, has been negligible.

In his closing remarks and on other occasions tonight as well, Trump spoke of the opportunity Republicans have to bring millions of new people into the Party. These are the folks who are turning up at Trump rallies and voting for him in primaries.

Trump claims that they love the Republican Party. More likely, many of them dislike the GOP but are infatuated with Trump.

Either way, its a good pitch. Trump is asking mainstream, traditional Republicans to put aside our reservations and seize the opportunity to expand the party.

In pursuit of this end, you could see Trump throughout the evening trying where possible not to stray too far from Republican orthodoxy except on trade. He made a pretty good go of it.

Even so, for many of us Trumps ask is a big one.
The Senate has declared its support for the restructuring of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.

The Senate had earlier criticised Ibeh Kachikwu, the Minister of State for Petroleum, for announcing the major policy without proper consultation and without the amendment of the NNPC Act.

The Senate Whip, Sola Adeyeye, said the move was an illegality.

At a meeting with the Senate Joint committees on Petroleum Resources, which comprises Upstream, Downstream and Gas Committees, on Thursday, Mr. Kachikwu said the restructuring was necessary to make the NNPC a real revenue generating organisation.

He said making NNPC more efficient would help the corporation offset $5.2 billion it is owing major oil companies, and will reduce its current N30 billion monthly losses.

Mr. Kachikwu however apologised to the Senate for not consulting the legislative body before announcing on the restructuring.

I must apologise that we didnt take some of the senate leadership along the path of this restructuring but if you look at the draft of the Petroleum Industry Bill sent to us for our input, you will discover that the restructuring was within the suggestion we made, he said.

Having said that, I must take responsibility for not carrying out the necessary consultation as we should have done, he added.

Mr. Adeyeye said the minister would have violated the law if he had stuck to the use of the word unbundling.

After a closed-door session with the minister, the chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Tayo Alasoadura, (APC-Ondo State) told journalists the Senate was satisfied with the ministers plan.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on Thursday said electricity customers had lodged 47,127 complaints against 11 electricity distribution companies in the last quarter of 2015.

The acting Chief Executive Officer of the commission, Anthony Akah, said the high number of complaints by consumers was a clear indication of high customer dissatisfaction in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

Mr. Akah was speaking at the opening of a training session on customer complaints handling organised for staff of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) at Keffi, Nassarawa State.

The acting CEO implored the electricity distribution companies to take steps to reduce the high incidence of customer complaints in their areas of operation.

It is critical that electricity distribution companies should be alive to their duties of prompt resolution of complaints to ensure improved customer service satisfaction.

This will not only win the confidence of the customers for their service provider but also allow customers to benefit from gain of the privatisation of the power sector, he said.

Mr. Akah, who was represented by his technical assistant, Jonathan Okoronkwo, said in line with its enabling act, the commission had put in place necessary guidelines and regulations that would assist the service providers in rendering efficient and effective service to their customers.

He commended the management of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company for organising the training for its staff.

The NERC boss encouraged the participants to see the training as opportunity to be better equipped in the discharge of their responsibilities.

The assistant general manager, Customer Complaint, of NERC, Shittu Shaibu, who was among the resource persons at the training, took participants through relevant regulations of the commission pertaining to customer complaints handling.
Fired Police Chief McCarthy: 'Somebody Had To Take The Fall' For Laquan Video

By Sam Stecklow in News on Mar 11, 2016 9:05PM



Chicago Police Superintendant Garry McCarthy. Photo Credit: Viewminder

Chicago's ex-police superintendent Garry McCarthy made a probably ill-advised appearance on a panel at Harvard University's Institute of Politics this weekhis first high-profile public since he was fired in the wake of the Laquan McDonald police shooting scandal.

McCarthy played down his role in the aftermath of the Laquan McDonald killing by a Chicago police officer, which sounds more and more like a cover-up every day. He also portrayed himself as a victim of the establishment: "Somebody had to take the fall" for the shooting, he said, and then raised his hand and said, "Hi."

McCarthy said he saw the video just one day after the shooting took place on Oct. 20, 2014. "That was the end of my involvement," he said, until the Independent Police Review Authority recommended he strip the officer, Jason Van Dyke, of his police authority. He also said he would not have recommended releasing the video to the public even if he was asked to.

"If I was asked, which I wasn't, I would have recommended that we don't release [the video] until the investigation is concluded because that has been department practice," he said.

The thousands of emails released by Mayor Emanuel's office showed that at least his top aides were well aware of the video before Rahm says he ever was.

Baffingly, McCarthy told the panel his firing is directly related to this year's sharp crime and homicide rate increasesbecause the police have lost "legitimacy" in the public eye.

"One of the things they love to say to me in Chicago? They say: Man, you got screwed. But somebody had to take the hit. I said, youre right. And the person who is going to take the hit is the person who committed the act. At the end of the day, police legitimacy in Chicago took an enormous hit," he said. "People are dying at record numbers as a result. Theres a consequence for that. We have to recognize that if we dont like the way the system works, change the system.

Other reasons thrown out by police officials for the crime spike include the "ACLU effect," stemming from an agreement between the CPD and the ACLU of Illinois to attempt to get the Chicago Police Department to end its use of "street stops," which are otherwise known as "stop-and-frisk." Chicago's use of stop-and-frisk dwarfs New York City's at its absolute height 308 percent more people per 1,000 were stopped in Chicago in 2014 than New York in 2011. New York City's use of stop-and-frisk was ruled unconstitutional in 2013.

McCarthy also threw out a lot of numbers related to his tenure as CPD chief to indicate some measure of success: A 40 percent reduction in crime, the lowest homicide rates in 2013 and 2014 in five decades, complaints against officers down 50 percent, and nearly 70 percent fewer police shootings. But some numbers he didn't add included the sharp 13 percent increase in homicides in 2015, and a Chicago magazine investigation that found police had mislabeled at least 10 homicides, keeping them out of the official count.

You can watch the full video of his panel appearance, below:


The Code of Conduct Tribunal has adjourned the trial of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to March I8.

The tribunal, Friday, took the decision after Mr. Sarakis new lawyer, Kanu Agabi, asked the tribunal to rule first on the senate presidents objection to the powers of the tribunal to try him.

Mr. Saraki is facing charges of alleged false asset declaration and corruption.

The senate presidents bid to thwart the trial failed after the Supreme Court said the tribunal has powers and was constituted to hear the case against Mr. Saraki.

On resumption of the case at the tribunal, Mr. Agabi, a former Attorney General of the Federation, who led 64 other lawyers to represent Mr. Saraki, presented a fresh motion, seeking a ruling from the chairman of the tribunal, Umar Danladi, on the initial application that the tribunal lacked the jurisdiction to try Mr. Saraki.

Mr. Agabi said a copy of the application had been presented before the Ministry of Justice and was also addressed to the prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs.

He argued that the tribunal chair had an an obligation to rule on the new application.

Citing section 396, of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, Mr. Jacobs objected to the application, saying the matter was not ripe for hearing, and that the application was a new development which he knew nothing about.

The Ministry of Justice is not the prosecutor in this court, Mr. Jacobs said.

He added that the new move by Mr. Sarakis team was new to him.

Responding, Mr. Agabi pleaded with Mr. Jacobs and apologised for not personally handing the application to him.

Another tribunal judge, William Atedze, urged Mr. Jacobs to indulge Mr. Agabi since he had apologised.

The matter was adjourned till March I8.
Health workers at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital confirmed that two people were killed Friday by an explosion at the Central Bank of Nigeria building, Calabar, Cross River state.

A nurse in the hospital, who did not want his name mentioned because he was not authorised to speak, told PREMIUM TIMES that 13 victims of the explosion were brought to the hospital, and that one person was in critical condition.

He said there were fears that four of the victims may lose their sights because of the extent of the injury from the impact of the explosion.

Other victims had various degrees of burn, he said.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Calabar, John Eluu, said the explosion is believed to have been caused by a faulty fire fighter cylinder, and that the police were investigating the incident.
The Nigerian government has apologised to its citizens for the hardship and inconveniences power outage has caused them.

The government blamed the current electricity crisis in the country on sabotage, gas shortage and vandalism of power infrastructure.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, the minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said efforts were being made to rectify the situation and ensure a gradual improvement in the power situation.

There will be a decent improvement in the power situation from this weekend, thanks to ongoing remedial efforts that will double the current power supply to 4,000WM.

Getting back to the 5,074MW all-time high that was reached earlier will take a few more weeks, he said.

Mr. Mohammed said at a time the routine maintenance by the Nigeria Gas Company had affected the supply of gas to power stations, forcing down power supply from an all-time high of 5,074 MW to about 4,000MW.

He said a combination of unsavoury incidents further crashed the power supply to about half the foregoing figure.

The vandalization of the Forcados export pipelines forced oil companies to shut down, making it impossible for them to produce gas.

Then, workers at the Ikeja Discos, who were protesting the disengagement of some of their colleagues after they failed the companys competency test, apparently colluded with the National Transmission Station in Osogbo to shut down transmission.

Finally, the unfortunate strike by the unions at the NNPC over the restructuring of the corporation, shut down the Itarogun Power Station, the biggest in the country.

Due to these factors, only 13 out of the 24 power stations in the country are currently functioning. It is this same kind of unsavoury situation that has affected fuel supply and subjected Nigerians to untold hardship, he said.

The minister strongly condemned the situation in which some Nigerians, under the guise of the various unions in the oil and gas sector or sheer vandalism, will continuously sabotage the countrys power infrastructure.

The bitter truth is that for as long as these groups of Nigerians continue to sabotage the power infrastructure, Nigerians cannot enjoy a decent level of power supply.

We therefore admonish all Nigerians who may be agitating for their rights in whatever form to refrain from any action that will further hurt the same people they claim to be protecting, he added.
The police in Katsina State have arrested 15 persons for allegedly minting fake dollar notes amounting to $10 million.

The state commissioner of police, Usman Abdullahi, disclosed this in Katsina on Thursday during a news conference on the progress made by the command between the months of January and February.

Mr. Abdullahi explained that the police were able to arrest three car snatchers and recover nine vehicles during the period under review.

He urged the public to continue to assist the police by exposing the hideout of criminals in order to make the state free of crime.

The commissioner also revealed that 318 suspects were charged to court, while 100 were convicted for cattle rustling between January and February.

Mr. Abdullahi said 3,009 out of the 4,088 animals had been handed over to their owners.

According to him, this was made possible through the efforts of the joint security patrol team under Operation Sharar Daji.

He said two AK 47 rifles, two pistols, some ammunition and other dangerous weapons were recovered from the suspects.

The commissioner said the police were able to block some of the routes through which the rustlers got food and drugs in the forests.

(NAN)
Nigerian authorities should immediately release magazine publisher Yomi Olomofe on bail, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.

Police detained Olomofe early this evening in Lagos, after men he had accused of severely beating him in June 2015 alleged the publisher had assaulted and attempted to extort money from them, Olomofe and his lawyer told CPJ by telephone.

On June 25, 2015, Olomofe, who publishes the monthly community magazine Prime Magazine, andMcDominic Nkpemenyie, a correspondent with the state-funded Tide Newspaper, were investigatingallegations that customs officers at Seme, on Nigerias border with Benin, were complicit in smuggling, when more than 15 men attacked the two journalists, Olomofe told CPJ.

The men hit Olomofe on his face and body with their fists and sticks until he lost consciousness, the publisher and witnesses told CPJ days later, after Olomofe regained consciousness.

In a June 30, 2015, complaint to the Lagos state police commissioner, and a July 1, 2015, complaint to the inspector general of police, Olomofe identified his attackers and customs officers who had not intervened to stop the attack. Police have not charged anyone for assaulting the journalists, Olomofe and his lawyer, Akin Osunsusi, told CPJ.

In an October 2015 complaint to the police, the men Olomofe had accused of beating him themselves alleged that he had assaulted them and had attempted to extort money from them, the publisher told CPJ. He denied the accusations, and he and his lawyer said the first they had heard of them was today, after his arrest. It was unclear whether the publisher was formally charged with a crime.

Arresting magazine publisher Yomi Olomofe for beating the men he says beat him to a pulp is nothing short of obscene, Peter Nkanga, CPJs West Africa representative, said. Rather than blaming the messenger, police should energetically pursue those responsible for the crime.

A police officer at the Lagos State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), who gave his name only as Aminu, contacted by CPJ on March 8 in the course of follow-up research into the initial incident, said that he had repeatedly invited the customs officers for questioning about the June 2015 beating, but that they had not come, despite his having copied the head office of the customs service in Abuja. Being service officers, he said, I cannot just arrest them.

One of the customs officers who Olomofe said had not intervened to stop the 2015 attack told CPJ at the time that there was nothing he could do: The assailants were too rowdy.

Police at the SCID today told CPJ that they had been instructed to pass Olomofes file to the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Alagbon, in Lagos state, where Olomofe is held.

Dolapo Badmus, the Lagos State police spokeswoman told CPJ that police authorities in Abuja have jurisdiction over FCID and not the Lagos State Police Command. CPJ could not immediately reach the FCID spokesman for comment.

Deji Elumoye, the chairman of the Lagos state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, told CPJ that police in Alagbon had refused to grant Olomofe bail today, and that representatives of the union had not been allowed to see him in custody.

Olomofe and the Lagos state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in January 2016 filed a civil lawsuit against the attackers and the customs service seeking compensation for the attack, according to press reports.
A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Patrick Akpobolokemi, a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and others Thursday told a federal court that one of the defendants bought a land in Lekki, Lagos, at N70 million.

Eboigbe Etiosa, an estate valuer and agent, said Ezekiel Agaba, a former director at NIMASA, paid for the land in two installments of N40 million and N30 million.

Messrs Agaba, Akpobolokemi, Ekene Nwakuche, Governor Juan, Blockz and Stonz Limited and Al-Kenzo Logistics Limited are facing trial for allegedly diverting N2.6 billion, a fund meant for the implementation of International Ship and Port Security code at NIMASA.

The ISPS Code enables NIMASA to carry out security checks on vessels entering into the country.

The EFCC arraigned the defendants on a 22-count of advanced fee fraud and money laundering before Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on December 4, last year.

Mr. Etiosa was the prosecutions 11th witness.

Led in evidence by Rotimi Oyedepo, the EFCC prosecutor, he said a friend introduced him to Mr. Agaba, former Execituve Director, Maritime Safety and Shipping Development at NIMASA.

The witness said he sold a piece of land to Mr. Agaba at Northern Foreshore Estate, Lekki for N70 million, adding that he received the payment in installments  N40 million on January 15, 2014, and N30 million five days later.

Mr. Etiosa said the monies were paid into his Zenith Bank account.

On January 15, 2014, I received N40m from Ace Prosthesis Limited, he said.

On January 20, 2014, I received the balance of N30m from Aker Integrated Services Limited.

Actually, I do not know these two companies. After negotiation of price by the parties, I forwarded my account number to Capt. Agaba and my account was credited. And it was the money that I used to purchase the property.

The witness said the N70 million was for the purchase of a land by the NIMASA director, and not for a contract he executed for the agency.

Earlier, a prosecution witness, Rita Ifeadi, told the court how NIMASA staff operated bank accounts with different names.

Mrs. Ifeadi, the branch manager of Zenith Bank, Bar Beach, said Messrs Juan and Nwakuche operated an account for Aruward Consulting Services opened in the names of Philip Enuesike and Ima Udo.

Mrs. Ifeadi said a bank account could be operated by an individual other than the person who appears on the bank forms.

In KYC (Know Your Customer), if you know the people coming to pick the money, you can confirm it, Mrs. Ifeadi said during cross examination.

For some of those accounts, I knew who was coming to pick up the money, so I counter-signed the counter-cheques. Once I counter-signed, the teller could go ahead and pay.

The witness said since she personally marketed the accounts for NIMASA, she knew who was coming to withdraw money from the various accounts.

She also said an exception was made in the case of Messrs Juan and Nwakuche because the account opening forms were incomplete  the spaces meant for referees, for instance, were blank.

Its a failing on the banks part not to regularise the forms, Mrs. Ifeadi said.

Such errors do occur. And it was not flagged by the Compliance Department.

The judge adjourned till March 23 for continuation of trial.
A foundation, Segun Adeleye Foundation for Good Leadership in Africa (SAFFGLIA) to encourage governments across Africa to embrace good governance in order to uplift the standard of living of the people among was unveiled Thursday in Lagos.

The event, held at the Afe Babalola Hall of the University of Lagos on Thursday March 10, 2016, was attended by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who, as guest speaker, spoke on Setting Agenda For Good Leadership in Africa.

The chairman of Bi-Courtney, Wale Babalakin, represented by Molara Wood, Head Corporate Communication, Resort International, chaired the event.

The three in one event also witnessed the launch of a book: So Long Too Long Nigeria, written by Segun Adeleye, Founder of SAFFGLIA and President/CEO, World Stage Limited.

The minister, who was represented by the Director, Lagos Operations, News Agency of Nigeria, Joe Bankole, described the birth of SAFFGLIA as the beginning of a new dawn for good leadership in Nigeria.

According to him the present administration represents values the Foundation stands for, adding that the government is proud to associate with the foundation.

The minister identified corruption as the biggest challenge facing Africa. He noted that the administration of President Mohammed Buhari was committed to fighting the menace in order to secure the future of unborn generations.

He said, Leadership is about integrity and accountability and Nigerians has voted for President Buhari to change the face of leadership in Nigeria and transform the nation for the benefit of all, and Nigerians really need to give him time to enjoy the promised change.

While reviewing the book, the Managing Director, Freedom Online, Gabriel Akinadewo, underlined the relevance of Mr. Adeleyes articles, written seven to eight years ago, on infrastructural decadence, corruption, government policies, and unemployment to the present situations in the country.

While recommending the book to those in authorities, government and corporate organizations, he noted that, The fact that majority of issues captured in the book are testimonies of present realities in the country today shows that Nigeria has not changed over the years.

In his opening remarks, titled, Africa: The Tragedy of Wrong History, Mr. Adeleye went down memory lane from the first coup in January 15, 1966, in trying to locate where things went wrong.

He pointed out how bad leadership had held Africa hostage for years, preventing the younger generations from attaining their full potential.

He highlighted the visions of the foundation to include calling attention to activities of governments from local to national levels and encouraging/ compelling them to do things in the best interest of the people.

The foundation, he said, would also engage in leadership training programmes and promote researches into good leadership in Africa.

Adeleke Ipaye, a Senior Special Assistant to the Osun State governor represented Governor Rauf Aregbesola at the event.

He commended the author, saying his crusade for positive leadership was in line with the agenda of the current leadership in Nigeria.
The Canadian Police College and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have trained members of the Nigeria Police Force on effective investigation and management of complex and serious criminal incidents, a statement has said.

The statement was issued by the Public Affairs Office of the High Commission of Canada in Nigeria in Abuja on Friday.

It said Canadian police officials delivered the courses to Nigerian investigators to improve their capacity for major case and crime-scene management, evidence collection and preservation.

The High Commission added that the courses were also to improve the capacity of the Nigeria Police Force on kidnapping investigations as well as interviewing techniques and statement analysis.

It said the High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Perry Calderwood, at the closing ceremony of the one-week long training courses, emphasised Canadas commitment to assist Nigerian security personnel to combat crime.

This has been an opportunity for law enforcement officials to learn and apply internationally recognised methods for major case and crime-scene management.

The direct result will be an increase in the capacity to investigate serious offences and to obtain and analyse evidence that will bear judicial scrutiny in the prosecution of offenders.

The High Commission said the security cooperation between Canada and Nigeria was built on the commitment made by Canada through the Bi-National Commission, established with Nigeria in 2012.

It said the commitment was to assist Nigerian security forces in combating terrorism.

It is also in response to a request from the Inspector-General of the Nigerian Police Force seeking specialised training in these areas.

In addition, the training is to build upon other training initiatives that Canada has implemented in partnership with the Nigerian Police Force in recent years, the mission said.

(NAN)
The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, has said the Code of Conduct Bureau defaulted in law by not giving him a chance to defend himself first at the bureau, before it went ahead to file charges against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

Asit stands, Nigerians must ask why this fundamental and indispensable condition for a trial at the CCT has not been followed, said Mr. Saraki through a statement released on Friday morning by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Gbenga Makanjuola.

Mr.Sarakis trial over false declarations of assets resumes Friday at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Abuja.

What this means is: the condition precedent mandates that Dr. Saraki  as every other citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is entitled to  should have been given the opportunity to explain any perceived inaccuracy, but he was never given the opportunity to do so, the statement said.

Secondly and more crucially, the application submitted by the Senate President draws attention to the fact that the 13-year old declaration forms on which the majority of the impending suit is predicated, were examined and investigated by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) at the time of submission and were found satisfactory to the Bureaus requirements at the time.

Given that for 13 years, all the documents from the Senate Presidents asset declarations from 2003, 2007 and 2011 were accessible by the Bureau for investigation, Sarakis application states that the condition precedence should have been drawn to it; to give the Senate President the opportunity to explain and address any identified issues.

The senate president said his trial was borne from political mischief and malice associated with the timeliness and nature of this suit, but that he was however ready to submit himself to the law.
The efforts of the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, to unite all Yoruba traditional rulers, may be heading for the rocks, as the Awujale of Ijebuland, Sikiru Adetona, on Thursday attacked his Egba counterpart, the Alake Adedoyin Gbadebo, over his comments on the hierarchy of traditional rulers in Yorubaland.

The Awujale by rating him (Oba Adetona) above himself, the Alake demonstrated limited in knowledge of the Yoruba traditional system.

The first class traditional ruler made the comment on Thursday during the launch of the endowment fund of Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona Professional Chair in Governance at the Department of Political Science, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State.

Mr. Adetona recalled the recent visits made by the Ooni of Ife to the palaces of the different traditional rulers in the region, in the effort to foster peaceful coexistence among the traditional rulers.

According to him, it was during one of the Oonis visit to Akes palace that the Alake produced what he described as a wrong order of seniority of the monarchs in Yorubaland.

The Alake, while receiving the Ooni at his palace said that Yoruba Obas (the Big Five so to say) had been categorised with the Ooni in the first position followed by the Alaafin, the Oba of Benin, with the Alake coming fourth and the Awujale as the fifth in that order, Mr. Adetona said.

He also went further to quote wrongly from a 1903 Gazette to support all the fallacies in his statement.

Oba Adetona said on learning of the statement credited to the Egba monarch, he called the Alake to confirm if he made the statement, but that he denied it.

According to him, the refusal of the Alake to publicly deny repeated newspaper reports quoting him as making the statement gave credence to the fact that the statement was rightly credited to him.

Therefore, I consider it necessary to debunk the aforementioned falsehood and misrepresentation of facts from Akes palace so as to put the records straight, he explained.

First, I would like to make it abundantly clear that the 1903 Gazette referred to by Alake was just a newspaper publication that he, in his self-serving role is now presenting as an official Government Gazette.

The first question to Alake is: who categorised the Yoruba Obas and when? I challenge him to produce the document of the said categorisation.

It is a known fact that Alake was a junior traditional ruler under the Alaafin at Orile Egba before he fled to Ibadan for refuge as a result of the war then ravaging in Yorubaland.

Following the defeat of Owu by the Ijebu Army in 1826, the Owus became refugees all over Yorubaland. Some of the Ijebu troops that fought the war proceeded to Ibadan where they met Alake and sacked him, consequently forcing him to seek refuge at Ake in Abeokuta in 1830 where of course, he met the Osile, Olowu, and Agura already settled at Oke-Ona, Owu and Gbagura sections of Abeokuta Township respectively.

Even then, the Olubara, of Oyo origin had always argued that all the aforementioned four rulers met him in Abeokuta and therefore claimed to be their landlord. To even refer to Alake as Alake of Abeokuta not to talk of Egbaland, is a misnomer, as his control since his arrival at Ake in 1830 and till today is restricted to Ake section of Abeokuta. The official Government Gazette testifies to this fact.

In short, the Alake from history and all available records is a very junior traditional ruler in Yorubaland. His peers in Ijebuland are the Dagburewe of Idowa, Ajalorun of Ijebu-Ife, Akija of IkijaIjebu, Olowu of Owu-Ijebu, Oloko of Ijebu-Imushin, Orimolusi of Ijebu-Igbo and Ebumawe of Ago-Iwoye.

He also recalled that the Awujale, the late Alake, Oyebade Lipede and the late Oba Okunade Sijuwade, the Ooni of Ife, at one time sat over the issue with former President Olusegun Obasanjo at Aso Rock, Abuja.

He urged the Alake, as a young and inexperienced traditional ruler, to contact Chief Olusegun Obasanjo for proper education so as to save himself and his people from further embarrassment

It is important for Alakes education to appreciate that Ijebu has been in existence for almost 1,000 years and that we are the only people that still remain in our original homestead while other Yoruba towns and villages have relocated twice or more, Mr. Adetona said.

If only he cares to obtain a copy of the Book: The Ijebu of Yorubaland 1850-1950 by the late Prof. E. A. Ayandele, that erudite Professor of History and endeavour to read it, there, he will know who the Ijebus are and appreciate that from time immemorial and since our settlement on Ijebu soil, Ijebu was indeed a nation until 1892 when we were defeated in the Magbon War by the British colonial forces.

Notwithstanding the conquest, our early contact with the expatriates was quite significant and rewarding. It was during this period that our God-given commercial acumen was brought to play, resulting in enormous prosperity for the Ijebus to the envy of our neighbours.

I hereby strongly admonish Alake to refrain from making such unsavoury, unguarded and unfounded statements, which if not checked, may seriously jeopardise the unity of Yoruba Obas and their people.
The International Federation of Women Lawyers have expressed outrage over the comment by a Nigerian senator, Ali Ndume, advising men to marry more than one wife to show more care to women.

In a statement Friday, FIDA said Mr. Ndumes remarks were disparaging and meant to demean Nigerian women and portray them as sex objects.

While contributing to a debate on a motion to mark the International Womens Day, Mr. Ndume had also singled out Senate President Bukola Saraki, advising him to marry a second wife.

I urge men to marry more than one wife, said Mr. Ndume, Senate Leader, (APC, Borno South). The first care of a woman is marriage.

The FIDA maintained that the clamour for gender equality cannot be realized by women being married off to men.

May we remind the Senator that Nigeria is a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and his utterances negate its provisions, the group said in the statement signed by Inime Aguma, Country Vice President, FIDA, Nigeria.

Article 16 of that Convention says that State parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in all matters relating to marriage and family relations and the General Recommendation in Article 21 states that:

Polygamous marriage contravenes a womans right to equality with men, and can have such serious emotional and financial consequences for her and her dependents that such marriage ought to be discouraged and prohibited.

The group noted that the Holy Bible which Mr. Ndume referred to in his comments does not recognize polygamy as the wording of Mathew 19:4-6 refers to the union of one man and woman to the exclusion of any other being.

The group also urged Mr. Ndume and his colleagues to pledge gender parity and not trivialize the role of women in the society.

FIDA Nigeria stands with the female senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and say No to this degrading motion moved by Senator Ali Ndume.
The immediate-past governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has reacted to a threat by the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to suspend him for staging a violent rally.

Mr. Kwankwaso, a serving senator, had on Monday visited Ganduje town on a condolence visit to his successor, Abdullahi Ganduje, who lost his mother recently.

However, the Kano APC said the condolence visit was deliberately turned to a violent rally to cause mayhem in the state, abuse the governor and President Muhammadu Buhari.

APC chairman in the Kano, Umar Doguwa, had on Thursday addressed a press conference alleging that Mr. Kwankwaso had exhibited acts of indiscipline which should not be allowed to go unpunished.

Mr. Doguwa said the party leadership and elders had approved the constitution of a disciplinary committee to penalise Mr. Kwankwaso.

However, the camp of the former governor, on Friday, issued a statement, saying the former governor refrained from visiting the state since May 29, 2015 when he handed over to Mr. Ganduje in order not to interfere with the states affairs.

According to the statement, Mr. Kwankwaso had given his successor space and time to settle down and consolidate on Sen. Kwankwasos successful programmes and projects that resulted into 100% APCs success in the 2014 local government and 2015 general elections respectively.

The statement, signed by Mr. Kwankwasos aide, Yunusa Dangwani, also said the senator found it pertinent to visit his successor and condole with him over the death of his mother.

It said there had been close ties between Messrs. Kwankwaso and Ganduje, being his former deputy for eight years and also his former Special Adviser when Mr. Kwankwaso served as Minister of Defence.

The statement added that Mr. Kwankwaso also deliberately gave short notice for the condolence visit, but was pleasantly surprised by the turnout of the good people of Kano who came to receive him at the Malam Aminu Kano Airport and escorted him to Ganduje village.

The statement added that by the time Mr. Kwankwasos convoy arrived Ganduje town, they were surprised that some local people brandished local weapons, not minding the somber occasion. It is unfortunate that they could not be chided, thus we left them with their weapons at Ganduje.

It is therefore appalling and rather unfortunate that the good gesture of Sen. Kwankwaso has been mischievously interpreted wrongly.

It is also disheartening that few hours after the death of our state Deputy Chairman Alhaji Isa Ali Danmaraya the government was busy coercing and misleading some party leadership into addressing a press conference that will only culminate in splitting the APC in Kano, the statement said.

The statement further warned Mr. Ganduje to desist from dragging the name of President Muhammadu Buhari to cover for his administrations obvious weaknesses.

Mr. Kwankwaso therefore urged the governor to strive to concentrate on facing the enormous challenges of governance such that, perhaps, he may also be revered and respected by the good people of Kano State.
The Edo State Government has abolished Customary Court of Appeal.

Following the abolition, the state government on Friday upgraded and sworn-in five former Judges of the abolished court as new Judges of Edo State High Court.

The new judges are Justices Mary Nekpen Asemota, Timothy Ukpebor Oboh, Peter Akhihiero, Ohimai Ovbiagele and Osaretin Stella Uwuigbe.

Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony in Benin City, Governor Adams Oshiomhole said, The Judges that have just been sworn-in are not new on the bench.

It is more of a formality because they have been serving the state as Judges at the Customary Court of Appeal, which has now been abolished and with the approval of the National Judicial Council, my Lord, the five Judges of the Edo State Customary Court of Appeal have now been formally re-united with their brothers in the Edo State bench.

Let me say publicly that although we have had to swear you in again; we are not backdating your appointment. Your seniority remains because you have since been appointed as judges. So, for the purpose of seniority on the bench, it is your date of first appointment as a judge in the customary court that will be used.

By this singular action, we now have 29 judges of the State High Court and I believe this addition will mean quicker access to justice and the number of pending cases in the Edo State High Court over the next couple of months or years would be reduced considerably because we now have more judicial officials that are able to hear those cases.

The governor explained the rationale for scrapping the customary court.

I think it is only important that we use this medium to explain again to our employers, the people of Edo State the rationale behind this decision and the full implication of this decision.

First, by the abolition of the Customary Court of Appeal, we have not abolished the right of appeal for anyone who wishes to appeal the decisions of the customary court president. The right of appeal is guaranteed, except that the Chief Judge of the State will have the right and duties to empanel judges as he deems fit and as the occasion may demand, to hear cases that may arise from decisions of Presidents of Customary Courts.

So, access to appeal has not been abolished. It is guaranteed and therefore, those who might wish to suggest that we have abolished the right of appeal should know that those rights are very well preserved and they will be guarded jealously.

Continuing, the governor added, My Lord has had to set up special courts. For example, I am aware that we have special courts in respect of criminal cases but that doesnt mean that those judges cannot hear other cases.

If My Lord wishes, those judges can be assigned to any other case. So, I think what this law has done is to allow flexibility; but also to give opportunity to our otherwise very brilliant judges of the Customary Court of Appeal who before now could not hear other cases except if they relate to Customary Court matters.

I believe as I have argued in the past that you cant have such collections of fine brains and denied them the opportunity to use those brains but much more importantly, to give our people the opportunity to benefit from the industry and intellectual capacity of our judges that have been on the Customary Court of Appeal who were not able because of the limitations of their jurisdiction to hear cases that falls outside the jurisdiction of the Customary Court judges.

Responding on behalf of the five judges, Justice Mary Nekpen Asemota pledged their commitment to impartiality and quick dispensation of justice.

The ceremony attracted important personalities in the state, including Edo State Chief Judge, Justice Cromwell Idahosa and Edo State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Henry Idahagbon.
Members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly on Thursday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the State Security Services to release four of their members detained by the service since Friday, March 4.

The chairman, Ekiti House Committee on Information, Gboyega Aribisogan, while speaking to journalists in Abuja said that the call became imperative because the SSS would not embark on such action without presidential approval.

Like we have maintained, plotters of evil against the government of Ayodele Fayose and by extension the people of Ekiti State will not get our support, he said.

We, members of the State House of Assembly are prepared to spend the rest of our tenure in DSS cell, instead of plotting against our leader and mentor, Governor Ayodele Fayose.

Gone are those days in Nigeria when impeachment notices against governors were signed on the table of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and this time around, if the DSS is programmed to play the role played by the EFCC under former President Obasanjo, it will fail.

Mr. Aribisogan noted members would not be intimidated by the agents of the federal government especially if it had to do with the coming elections in 2018.

We have also been told that some of us have been slated for arrest and detention and it is on this note that we have come to inquire from the DSS those of us they still want to arrest so that we can turn ourselves in without giving them the stress of coming down to Ekiti, he said.

The DSS can also go ahead and publish the names of our members that they want to arrest so that we will know who among us to bring to Abuja.

Alternatively, the DSS can keep the entire 26 members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly in their custody for as long as they desire so that it will be easy for them to call anyone of us for questioning at any time of the day.
A Federal High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, has ordered the State Security Service to immediately release a member of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, representing Efon Constituency, Afolabi Akanni, from its custody in Abuja.

The court further ordered that alternatively, the SSS should produce the lawmaker in the court in Ado-Ekiti next week Wednesday, March 16.

Mr. Akanni was whisked away on Friday, March 4, along with three of his colleagues, by men of the SSS, who stormed the Ekiti State House of Assembly complex and he had since been held incommunicado at the SSS headquarters in Abuja.

Justice Taiwo Taiwo, while delivering the ruling on Friday on suit number FHC/AD/CS/8/16 filed on behalf of Mr. Akanni by his counsel, Obafemi Adewale, said the SSS did not meet all the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

The judge who also restrained the SSS from further arresting and detaining Mr. Akanni ruled that warrant to produce lawmaker in court should be served on the SSS.

The judge said the court heard the application urgently because the life and liberty of a citizen was at stake.

The motion exparte, deposed to by a member of the State House of Assembly, representing Oye Constituency II, Adetunji Akinyele, bordered on the infringement of Mr. Akannis fundamental human rights.

Apart from seeking the immediate release of Hon Akanni from SSS detention, the appellant also sought an order of injunction restraining the SSS and its representatives from further arresting and detaining him.

The hearing of the substantive application was adjourned till March 21.

Reacting to the ruling, one of the appellants counsel, Bunmi Olugbade, described it as rule of law in action.

He called for useful information in respect of other members whose whereabouts is unknown.
Today, March 11, finishes maybe one of the best editions of RioContentMarket ever. As said in our previous report, Day 2 has been extremely active, with different key agreements announced during all the day and one feature in common: the convergence of screens and type of players.

Prior to the market openings, some participants were worried about how the political and economical situation in Brazil could affect it. But, nothing of that was reflected at the venue. There are deals being agreed everywhere at RCM, with new formulas and models taking shape within the local industry.

After the recent currency devaluation in Brazil and the increase in the production costs, Free TV players have begun to take advantages of the State-funding programs, such us Fundo Setorial do Audiovisual and Article 39 of the SeAC Law, through partnerships between independent production companies and Pay TV networks.

SBT partnered with Mixer for drama series A Garota da Moto: it will premiere on May in Brazil and will be distributed by the international division of the broadcaster. Fernando Sugueno, programming director at Band, has met new local producers at RCM, while the channel has teamed up with Turner for the series Terminadores, produced with the incentives the law provides.

The Free TV and Pay TV session was a good example of this trend: a panel with Hiran Silveira, co-productions head at Record; Fernando Pelegio, creative and artistic planning at SBT; Zico Goes, content director at FOX; Monica Pimentel, VP content at Discovery Networks Brazil, and Joao Daniel Tikhomiroff, director-partner at Mixer, agreed that 'partnering for strategic projects is the best way to have a high quality project with international projection'. Competition programs such us Hells Kitchen or Batalha dos Confiteiros com Buddy Valstro were produced for SBT and Record, respectively, with airing on Discovery Networks channels as part of these alliances.

International deals? The Brazilian Film Commission Network (Rebrafic) and PACT (UK) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote co-productions of films, TV and other audiovisual projects. The Canadian Media Found (CMF) closed a deal with funding agency SPCine from Sao Paulo to develop five joint projects between Brazilian and Canadian companies. Stephane Cardin, VP, Industry and Public Affairs at CMF presented one of the animation projects jointly with Kiko Mistrorigo, from TV PinGuim.

The Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimiento Economico e Social (BNDES) approved the support of more than USD 1.2 millions for producer Panoramica, half of it as investment and half repayable. Prodco will use the funds to open new offices in Sao Paulo and co-produce two series: thriller Sem Volta (13x45min), together with Chatrone for Record TV; and Drop, with Prosperidade Comunicacoes e Filmes and Televisa Internacional Brazil, who will also hold the rights for international distribution. Our final goal is to internationalize the company within the next year with Latin America being be the main target. Thats why we are partnering up with Televisa, as well as with other companies from Argentina and other countries explained Rodrigo Guimaraes, business development director.

Day 2 had as well strong panels headed by the Acquisitions and Programming executives at Yle (Finland), NRK Super (Norway), RUV (Iceland), RTP (Portugal), ITV (UK) and Latina TV (Peru) focusing on kids programming and drama series. One of the messages: the buyers request imagination, adventure and compelling characters narrating heart stories that evoke feelings.

Fabricio Ferrara, from Rio de Janeiro
China will continue to roll out preferential financial policies to boost economic and social development in Tibet over the next five years, according to financial authorities on Monday.

Monetary and credit policy support will be fine tuned during the 2016-2020 period, according to a circular issued by the central bank and regulators of China's banking, securities and insurance sectors.

Financial institutions will be encouraged to open branches in Tibet and more direct financing and financial bonds are expected to help enterprises in Tibet, especially small and micro businesses, according to the circular.

More financial support for infrastructure, agriculture and environment protection is promised, as well as policies to improve farmers' incomes, according to the circular.
For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME.

Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire.

Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III.





to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever.





Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation.





View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union.

Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history.

Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words.




LONDON, March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

A revolutionary low cost, zero debt degree, which will benefit young people has been launched by a Hampshire insurance company.

Be Wiser is the first financial services company ever to offer a degree programme combined with relevant work experience.

The company has spent the last twelve months working in partnership with Peter Symonds College in Winchester and the University of Chichester, setting up the degree, which will combine employment with education.

"We are passionate about supporting the social and economic wellbeing of individuals, especially young people, living in the local area," said Crescens George, Director of Learning and Development at Be Wiser Insurance.

Editor's notes

Undergraduates will be employed by Be Wiser on a salary of 18K a year. The tuition fees are just 3K a year and Be Wiser has created a payment plan to cover these fees - Be Wiser Insurance will refund the 9K after successful completion and employment with the company.

BA (hons) degree, no debt and graduates will have earned 54K over their three years of study.

SOURCE Be Wiser
LONDON, March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Award winning British laser specialists, ER Productions, collaborated with Italian agencies, Eventually and Gio Forma, staged the biggest display of lasers the world has ever seen in Milan on Thursday the 10th of March at 10pm.

Based on the concept of connectivity, the spectacular event celebrated the launch of Samsung's Galaxy S7 and saw some of the most iconic buildings in Milan's Porta Nuova business district connected using lasers in an elaborate display that took the city by storm.

Emerging from a giant multimedia cube formed of video, laser and light located in Gae Aulenti Square, lasers were mapped across the highest skyscrapers in the city. Buildings featured in the impressive show included the Bosco Verticale, Palazzo Lombardia, Solaris, Samsung and UniCredit buildings, eventually returning to a purpose built music stage in the square where Fatboy Slim played a headline set. Designed to excite the audience at every stage, the lasers show peaked during Fatboy Slim's performance.

Over 10-tonnes of laser fixtures and an incredible 32 smoke machines were placed at various locations around the site including parks, balconies and skyscraper rooftops, in the potentially record breaking show. Created for Samsung by the agency Eventually under the creative direction of Anghela Alo and Claudio Santucci of Gio Forma, it is the first ever laser show to be staged in Milan.

Ryan Hagan of ER Productions, the British company behind the laser display, said of the potentially record breaking display "Installing 222 laser fixtures in just 3 days and 2 nights over a square kilometre of Milan was extremely challenging but thanks to a great team we were able to achieve the impossible. Guinness World Records are currently checking to see if it is indeed the biggest laser display the world has ever seen but it certainly looks that way.

"With an unparalleled beam profile that's extremely tight and bright even at a distance, Coherent OPS laser units were selected from ER's stock to use in the skyscraper sequence. In terms of the colour palette, we used blues and green with bursts of white laser to achieve a futuristic, electronic look that ran through the video content to form the giant multimedia cube. During Fatboy Slim's set the colour range exploded to reflect the party vibe. Because of the distances between city buildings and main stage, which could be up to a kilometre as the crow flies, we relied upon wireless artnet and fibre optics to connect the effects at each location during the 12-minute show."

Creative Director, Anghela Alo said "The show was conceived as an explosion of sound and light that would reach the most hidden corners of the city. Laser mapping redefined the outlines of the buildings and played with their forms."

Press enquiries should be directed to Elise Rappoport elise@tigauk.com, +44-(0)7967-327155 or Louise Walker louise@tigauk.com on +44-(0)7882-655416. Video and high res are available.

SOURCE ER Productions
LONDON, March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal will be visiting the 13th International Naval Engineering Conference and Exhibition (INEC 2016). INEC 2016 is being held Tuesday 26 - Thursday 28 April 2016 at The Passenger Shed at Brunel's Old Station, Bristol, UK and is an Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) Learned Society event.

"We are delighted that Her Royal Highness, an Honorary Fellow of our Institute, will be attending INEC 2016," says the Institute's Chief Executive, David Loosley. "As Admiral Chief Commandant for Women in the Royal Navy we believe she will find the conference, with its theme 'Engineering the Triple A Navy: Active, Adaptive, Affordable' of particular interest."

In the words of Cdr Matt Bolton RN, Chairman of the INEC 2016 Technical Advisory Committee: "INEC provides a unique and uncompromising forum for professional engineers and technologists from across the world's navies, defence industries and academic establishments to share the very latest thinking and developments in warship and submarine design and operation."

The biennial INEC, which HRH The Princess Royal attended in 2010, has a long and proud history. Over 300 delegates from nearly 20 countries are expected, including representation from navies at all levels; manufacturers and suppliers; and academics.

In addition to keynote addresses and over 75 peer-reviewed technical papers, more than 20 of which are eligible for the Sir Donald Gosling Award, designed to recognise young authors aged 35 and below, INEC has a small focussed exhibition, and delegates will be taking advantage of the excellent networking opportunities both within the exhibition hall, and within the social programme, which includes a reception aboard Brunel's ss Great Britain.

The Principal Sponsor of INEC 2016 is the Babcock International Group together with Major Sponsors: BMT Defence Services, Rolls-Royce, QinetiQ, and GE's Marine Solutions.

Further information on all aspects of INEC 2016 is at http://www.inec.org.uk and from inec@figsevents.co.uk. Online registration is now open; and all non-IMarEST member participants will be made complimentary IMarEST Affiliate Members for one calendar year, giving instant access to Institute services.

INEC 2016 Technical Advisory Committee and Patrons

The Technical Advisory Committee is a group of experts formed from the defence industry, academia and the military with the aim to develop and steer the technical programme for the event.

INEC 2016 Technical Advisory Committee includes:

Chairman: Cdr Matt Bolton RN, Ministry of Defence, UK

Dr Sal Ahmed , US Office of Naval Research Global

, US Office of Naval Research Global Jens Balle, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems GmbH

Lt Cdr Alex Davies RN, Ministry of Defence, UK

Lt Cdr Rinze Geertsma RNLN, Delft University of Technology

Ian Grant , QinetiQ

, QinetiQ Dr Alistair Greig , University College London

, University College London Tim Hardy , BMT Defence Services

, BMT Defence Services Lt Cdr Ian Hassall RN, Ministry of Defence, UK

Keith Howard , Babcock International Group

, Babcock International Group Paul Maillardet

Cdr (E) Mats Nordin RSwN, FOI Swedish Defence Research Agency, Sweden

Benjamin Thorp , Rolls-Royce

, Rolls-Royce Dr Phil Rottier , The MathWorks

, The MathWorks Oliver Simmonds , GE Power Conversion

, GE Power Conversion Rear Admiral ME (ret) Klaas Visser , Delft University of Technology

, Delft University of Technology Capt John Voyce RN , Ministry of Defence, UK

INEC 2016 Patrons:

Vice Admiral Sir Robert Hill KBE FREng HonFIMarEST

Vice Admiral Simon Lister CB OBE

Vice Admiral Dr Arie Jan de Waard

Rear Admiral Nigel Guild CB FREng

Rear Admiral (Ret) Ruurd Lutje Schipholt KNL OON HonFIMarEST

Cdre John Newell MBE RN (Rtd), BAE Systems, UK

Capt (N) Prof Dr hab Tomasz Szubrycht, Rector-Commandant, Polish Naval Academy

What is IMarEST?

IMarEST is the international professional body and learned society for all marine professionals. With over 16,000 members in 128 countries, the IMarEST is the first Institute to bring together marine engineers, marine scientists and marine technologists into one international multi-disciplinary professional body.

In addition to a wide range of services, including publishing The Marine Professional, the Institute organises Learned Society events for its members and the wider industry, these include: the Engine As A Weapon International Symposia (EAAW); Marine Electrical and Control Systems Safety Conference (MECSS) and the International Naval Engineering Conference and Exhibition (INEC); the Learned Society events are organised by FIGS Events Limited on behalf of IMarEST.

SOURCE FIGS Events and The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology
SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

To Co-Present Papers on Warranty Management With Leading Global Manufacturing Companies

Tavant Technologies, a leading global provider of Warranty Management Software, today announced that it is a co-sponsor of the Warranty Chain Management Conference (WCM) 2016, to be held in Jacksonville, Florida. Tavant will be exhibiting at booth number 3.



(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150306/732869 )



Tavant will co-present three key papers at the conference on March 16 and 17:

1. 'Cultural Sensitivities in The Warranty World - A Japan Case Study' by Anand Subramanian from Tavant Technologies along with San Caraballo from Daimler AG

2. 'Customer Satisfaction Through Supplier/Vendor Quality' by Moshe Devarapalli from Tavant Technologies along with Ken Monroe from Ingersoll Rand

3. 'Innovation in Warranty' by Rohit Lohan from Tavant Technologies along with David Christian from MCFA

Tavant will be showcasing its industry leading enterprise Warranty Management System - Tavant Warranty and Tavant Warranty On-Demand, its enterprise warranty solution offered on the Salesforce cloud.

"Tavant is a pioneer in warranty software solutions space. Tavant Warranty solutions allow customers to capture accurate warranty registration information, automate claims processing, manage part returns and streamline overall warranty operations," said Vibhor Mishra, Director, Marketing, Tavant Technologies. "The solutions enable you to make informed decisions based on dynamic warranty intelligence reports."

Get an opportunity to meet and learn from Tavant Warranty Management experts at booth number 3. Click here to schedule a discussion.

About Tavant Technologies

Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Tavant Technologies is a specialized software solutions and services provider that provides impactful results to its customers across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Founded in 2000, the Company employs over 1500 people and is a recognized top employer.

Tavant is the world leader in providing Warranty Management Solutions. The Company offers 'Tavant Warranty'- a globally leading, complete service life cycle - on premise warranty management software and, 'Tavant Warranty On-Demand', The first 100% native warranty management system on Salesforce.

Find Tavant Technologies on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Media Contact:

Vibhor Mishra

Tavant Technologies Inc.

+1 (408) 519-5400

vibhor.mishra@tavant.com

http://www.tavant.com



SOURCE Tavant Technologies
BRUSSELS, March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Church of Scientology of Belgium and Scientologists everywhere salute today's decision by the 69th Trial Chamber of the Brussels Criminal Court, which unequivocally rejects the prosecution's fatally flawed and biased case build on false allegations.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160311/343361

The Court categorically and emphatically dismissed all charges against two Churches of Scientology and eleven individual defendants while upholding the fundamental human rights of the Church and its members. The landmark decision rejects the biased charges brought by the prosecutor against the Church and its officials, and brings 18 years of religious discrimination fueled by investigative actions taken in bad faith by the prosecutor in this case to a complete halt. The decision makes it clear that the evidence does not support the prosecutor's biased view of the case against the religion, the Church and its adherents. Justice and the rule of law have prevailed in Belgium.

Presiding judge Yves Regiment noted that Belgian authorities had unfairly hounded the Church of Scientology for years stating: "The entire proceedings are declared inadmissible for a serious and irremediable breach of the right to a fair trial."

The Trial Court has reached the same unequivocal conclusion as the Highest Courts in Italy, the United Kingdom and Australia as well as judicial and administrative bodies in many countries: that Scientology should not be treated differently than other religions, and that basing prosecution on religious beliefs is a violation of human rights. This is the underlying principle that drives the decision and was ignored by the prosecution in bringing this fatally flawed case.

The Church of Scientology, founded in 1954, has millions of members in more than 180 countries. It first was established in Belgium in 1974 and sponsors numerous social betterment campaigns, in particular its drug prevention campaign, its campaign for the betterment of the moral values beneficial to the individual and his family, its action to end psychiatric abuses, its human rights education program and its literacy campaigns.

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE Church of Scientology of Belgium
NEW YORK, March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to further build on the STEM OPT Program, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will publish a final rule that will extend the time international students can participate in practical training from 17 months to 24 months. The final rule also improves and increases oversight over STEM OPT extensions by requiring the implementation of formal training plans by employers, adding wage and other protections for STEM OPT students and U.S. workers, and allowing extensions only to students from degrees from accredited schools.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160310/343147LOGO

Additional updates/changes to the STEM OPT Program:

Applications are only available for students who completed their degree at schools recognized by the accrediting agency and certified by SEVP.

Applications for a second extension are available for current STEM OPT students who receive an additional qualifying degree from an accredited college or university.

Participation from STEM OPT employers must include training programs with concrete learning objectives with proper oversight.

New criteria to safeguard against adverse effects on U.S. workers have been added.

20 hour minimum work weeks are required by students in the STEM OPT Program.

Limited unemployment is accepted during the initial period of post-completion OPT and the STEM OPT extension.

Employers of all STEM OPT students must participate in DHS' E-Verify program.

For more program changes and information on the final rule visit: https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/sevp-stem-opt

Our office is pleased to assist foreign students, employers and all those impacted by the new STEM OPT rules. Barst Mukamal & Kleiner LLP is an international immigration law firm based in New York City. Founded in 1930, BMK LLP is one of the oldest and most established immigration firms in the country, and one of very few firms of its boutique size offering a stand-alone immigration law practice. Our team of experienced attorneys assists clients with a range of complex legal matters concerning visa options, permanent residency, labor certification, and enforcement issues. Please contact us using our quick contact sheet or speak to one of our attorneys directly by calling 646-679-4980 or our toll free number, 888-506-1291.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Alexis Axelrad

Barst Mukamal & Kleiner

2 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10016

212-686-3838

SOURCE Barst Mukamal & Kleiner LLP

Related Links

http://bmkllp.com


BILLERICA, Mass., March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SI2 Technologies (SI2), a Massachusetts-based RF and sensor systems company, has been recognized with an award as the first member of the latest Manufacturing Innovation Institute, NextFlex, which is focused on maturing flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) manufacturing.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160310/343031

The award was presented by NextFlex Executive Director, Malcolm Thompson, at the NextFlex Founders reception held in conjunction with the 2016FLEX Conference and Exhibition in Monterey, California. Receiving the award was SI2's President and CEO Joseph Kunze.

"SI2 is proud to be the first NextFlex member and receive this award," said Kunze. "We have worked in this field for many years and our strategy in flexible and conformal electronics aligns extremely well with the NextFlex mission."

Flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) are new forms of electronics that integrate bulk integrated circuits and printed devices in flexible systems that can bend, fold, stretch and conform. The NextFlex institute will catalyze the development of a domestic ecosystem for manufacturing FHE through a Hub and a network of Nodes, including one located in Massachusetts.

Kunze continued, "We look forward to contributing to the Institute and working on NextFlex projects with our partners in the Massachusetts Node and across the country."

"NextFlex is extremely pleased that SI2 was the first organization to join our Institute, and other members will benefit from the company's expertise," said Thompson. "It is particularly important to our mission of advancing domestic manufacturing that SI2 is a small business."

About SI2 Technologies, Inc.

Founded in 2003 as a high-technology electronics company, SI2 is focused on the development and manufacture of custom RF and sensor systems. Examples of our products include conformal antennas and phased arrays which support multiple functions including communications, navigation, reconnaissance and radar for space, weight and power constrained applications. Other product areas range from microwave absorbers to wearable human performance sensors. In addition to conventional manufacturing approaches, SI2 utilizes proprietary Direct Write (digital printing) manufacturing technologies to produce FlexHybrid electronic systems and structures approaches to take a "dumb" structure and make it "smart" by integrating an electronic capability such as a sensor or antenna system.

For Further Information Contact:



Jonathan Lathrop

SI2 Technologies, Inc.

267 Boston Road

Billerica, MA 01862

PHONE: 978-495-5300

EMAIL: Email

SOURCE SI2 Technologies, Inc.
PHOENIX, March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- US Marine Corps Veteran and explorer Ruben Payan, Jr. announced his plans to summit K2 this June 2016 as part of Powerful Human's Climb for Humanity. K2, the second highest mountain in the world, is the last of 8 peaks to be summited by Payan and his team on behalf of the Powerful Human organization.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160311/343184LOGO

K2, due to its extreme technical difficulty, is commonly known as 'The Savage Mountain' owing to its remote nature and extreme weather conditions. Statistics are deadlier than Everest with 1 fatality for every 4 who summit. To date, only 334 people, including 20 Americans, have successfully climbed K2, in contrast with over 6800 summits of Everest.1

In 2006 Arizona native Payan was inspired to climb the eight tallest peaks in the world in the name of humanity. His achievements were motivated by his passion to inspire others into action. Galvanized by his own self-discovery, he founded POWERFUL HUMAN, an organization with a mission to support others as they discover and realize their biggest dreams. Using the mountains as metaphors, he shares ideas aimed at self-actualization and motivation to empower others to reach their full potential and live beyond limits. Payan successfully completed the Seven Summits in 2015 and is now focused on one of the most remote and difficult mountains in the world - K2.

"The opportunity for personal growth always seems to appear in the midst of chaos. I chose to climb mountains to demonstrate there is a powerful human in each and every one of us," said Payan. "Every person on this earth has a destiny to fulfill, something that is calling to you. Whether K2, as in my case, or any other challenge in life  my goal is to ultimately connect humans from all walks of life in the spirit of peace and unity."

The Powerful Human K2 expedition team is comprised of Payan along with four renowned Nepali climbers, Pemba Jangbu Sherpa, Lhakpa Sherpa, Phurba Soman Sherpa, and Damai Sarki Sherpa. Lhakpa, at 24, has already completed 11 eight-thousanders. With a successful K2 summit he will be the youngest and only individual to summit K2 three times.

1 K2 Statistics: www.alanarnette.com/climbs/k2.php

About Powerful Human

Community organization Powerful Human was founded in 2005 by veteran, mountaineer, author, and motivational speaker Ruben Payan, Jr. POWERFUL HUMAN is committed to providing mentoring and personal development opportunities with an emphasis on youth. For more information please visit www.powerfulhuman.com.

Media Contact:

Candice Scott

[email protected]

(310) 944-5558

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE Powerful Human

Related Links

http://www.powerfulhuman.com


The Siberian tiger has been increasing its range from the China-Russia border area, moving deeper into northeast China, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said Thursday.

Siberian tigers scramble for food in the Siberian Tiger Park, world's largest Siberian tiger artificial breeding base in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, March 22, 2013. [File photo]

The expansion comes as China does more to protect natural forests and rehabilitate tiger habitat, according to Chang Youde, a senior manager with the WWF China big cat program.

"Living space for the big cats is saturated in Russia where around 540 now live," said Chang on Thursday at a conference on tiger conservation.

Long-term monitoring has shown tigers moving from Hunchun nature reserve on the Russian border to Wangqing and Huangnihe nature reserves in Jilin Province, some distance from the frontier. Six have been spotted in Huangnihe in recent years and three are known to be resident there, according to Li Cheng, head of the reserve.

Jilin forestry department has set up about 1,000 remote infrared cameras to monitor Siberian tiger and Amur leopard since 2006. Best estimates are that there are 27 tigers and 42 leopards in Jilin. Jilin banned commercial logging in key state forests last year.

A 10-year government plan on tiger protection and leopards in Jilin is under consideration, with more protection zones set to be established to complement the current six. Around 8,000 square kilometers of suitable habitat could accommodate more than 30 Siberian tigers and over 50 Amur leopards.

People living in designated reserves will be relocated, with substantial curbs on grazing and logging, according to the provincial government. Strong measures will be taken against poachers.

Rohit Singh, chairman of the Rangers Federation of Asia, said he was amazed by what China has done to protect tiger habitat and the subsequent rise in numbers.

Siberian tigers, listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, live in east Russia, northeast China and northern parts of the Korean Peninsula.
Water properties in four fountains recently discovered in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region may help in the battle against cancer.

The fountains, in Nilka County, were found to contain deuterium-depleted water (DDW). Scientific tests showed that levels of deuterium, often referred to as heavy hydrogen, may be among the lowest in the world. However, it is the low levels of deuterium that make it so valued in the fight against cancer, the local Morning Post reported on Friday.

Deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen, has various uses, including weaponry and biological tracing. Natural DDW is usually found in high-altitude glacial regions.

It has properties that are helpful for cancer patients in recovery after chemotherapy and may ease symptoms, according to Wang Hai, the director of the Water Examination Center of the Professional Association of Mineral Water, China Mining Association.

At an altitude of more than 4,000 meters, in Bulong Canyon, the fountains were discovered by local herdsmen. The water was used to clean wounds on horses from saddle friction.

Two of the four fountains have an average deuterium concentration level of 93 ppm (parts per million) after an examination of 3,100 samples. The natural average is about 150 ppm.

DDW is used in the medical field as a supplementary product, according to Guo Yuchuan, a teacher at the College of Resources and Environmental Science, Xinjiang University and products containing it are sold in a number of countries, including the US, Russia and Hungary.
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Chinese Minister of Environmental Protection Chen Jining answers questions at a press conference on how to promote environmental protection on the sidelines of the fourth session of China's 12th National People's Congress in Beijing, capital of China, March 11, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua/Zhao Yingquan]

Environmental authorities across China fined polluters 4.25 billion yuan (654 million U.S. dollars) in 2015, an increase of 34 percent over 2014, Minister of Environmental Protection Chen Jining said on Friday.

The authorities delivered more than 97,000 punishment notices to polluters, Chen told a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC).

"They also worked with police and judicial agencies so that serious offenders not only faced administrative punishment but also criminal penalties," he said.

Polluters involved in 2,079 cases were placed under police detention and those in 1,685 cases were prosecuted.

About 1.77 million enterprises were inspected, with 191,000 of them punished, 20,000 closed and 34,000 suspended production.

"I would like to stress that severe punishment is not an end but a means to have enterprises understand the importance of abiding by the law," Chen said.

The ministry also stepped up supervision of local governments, inspecting 33 cities and interviewing 15 chief city officials.

China's revised environmental protection law took effect in January 2015.
Tokyo, March 10 : Five years after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan which triggered three nuclear meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear plant, the coastal fishing village of Namie remains a ghost town.

Black bags of radioactive waste line the vacant streets, while the dirt-blackened windows of the once-vibrant shops are boarded up. A waste facility stocked with contaminated soil and debris stands where the train station used to be, EFE news reported on Thursday.

"Even the rats finally left our house, maybe because there is nothing to eat anymore!" said Yuzo Mihara, an older evacuee who left Namie with his wife but returns periodically to gather belongings for his family's new life in Chiba prefecture, some 235 km away.

Of the 21,000 people forced to abandon Namie after it was designated one of the seven towns and two cities inside the disaster exclusion zone (within a 20-kilometer radius of the crippled Fukishima Daiichi nuclear plant), the majority have said they will not return.

Seventy percent have settled in other parts of Fukushima, and the rest are dispersed around the country, according to a town hall survey in September 2011.

But the municipal town hall plans to create a new future by clearing away the wreckage and reconstructing Namie by March 2017.

Namie is one of the few areas in the exclusion zone that has a foreseeable future.

Others, such as Tomioka - 10 km south of the devastated plant and the former home of nearly 6,300 families - has now become a no-man's land, with roads leading only to dead ends and ruins.

With some 174,471 people countrywide still living in shelters, Japan continues to struggle to recover from the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.

The catastrophic March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown killed an estimated 15,984 people nationwide, according to the National Police Agency.
New Delhi, March 10 : Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Thursday said he does not mind going to jail if the court wants him to.

Asked during an interview by a TV channel if he would go to jail having refused to pay the fine for the three-day International Culture Festival proposed to be held in the Yamuna floodplains here, Ravi Shankar said: "Yes, I will".

He also said that he would not pay the fine of Rs.5 crore slapped by the National Green Tribunal.

The green court on Wednesday gave a go-ahead to the World Culture Festival, organised by Art of Living Foundation, on the condition that it pay an advance fine of Rs.5 crore.

The spiritual guru also said that the structure being made for the event was temporary and will be dismantaled after the event.

"The structure created for the event is temporary and will be dismantled after the event. We wanted to create awareness about Yamuna through this event," said Shankar.
Seoul, March 11 : North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday ordered his army to prepare new nuclear tests amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula due to international sanctions imposed on Pyongyang and joint military maneuvers by Seoul and Washington.

Kim highlighted the need to "make nuclear strikes at the enemies from anywhere on the ground, in the air, at sea and underwater", according to North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The North Korean leader made the remarks while attending a ballistic missile launch, according to KCNA, without divulging when or where it took place.

According to KCNA, Jong-un "gave the military tasks to conduct more nuclear explosion tests to estimate the destructive power of the newly produced nuclear warheads and other tests to bolster up the nuclear attack capability".

On Wednesday, North Korea fired two powerful short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan, at a time of maximum pressure on the country due to new and tougher UN sanctions imposed on Pyongyang and military exercises currently held by South Korea and the US.

South Korea believes that they were Scud-type missiles, which would be the first time so far in 2016 that the North Korean People's Army launched this kind of missile, which was developed in the Soviet Union six decades ago.

Pyongyang has stepped up its bellicose rhetoric and its displays of military might since the adaptation of new international sanctions against the country, following its fourth nuclear test on January 6 and the launch of a space rocket on February 7, which many consider a disguised ballistic missile test.
Washington, March 11 : The Pentagon confirmed on Thursday that intelligence from a captured Islamic State (IS) chemical weapons expert had led to US-led coalition airstrikes against the extremist group's chemical weapons production facilities.

Calling Sulayman Dawud al-Bakkar, also known as Abu Dawud, as IS's "emir of chemical and traditional weapons manufacturing", Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said at a briefing that his capture by US special forces in Iraq in February offered information that yielded almost immediate results, Xinhua reported.

"The information has resulted in multiple coalition airstrikes that have disrupted and degraded ISIL's ability to produce chemical weapons, and will continue to inform our operations into the future," said Cook, referring to another acronym of the group.

Dawud was transferred on Thursday into Iraqi custody after interrogation, added Cook.

While the spokesman refused to elaborate on the airstrikes, he acknowledged that at this point the US-led coalition was unable to curtail IS's chemical weapons capability entirely.

He also said additional operations would be carried out to "further disrupt and degrade" IS's chemical weapons capability.
New York, March 11 : A female tourist has been spotted dragging a swan out of a Macedonian lake, taking a selfie with it and leaving it to die, a media report said.

In the photo that went viral on social media, an unidentified woman from Bulgaria was seen trying to drag a swan with her wing from the waters of the Lake Ohrid - one of Europe's deepest and oldest lakes that straddles the mountainous border between southwestern Macedonia and eastern Albania, New York Daily News quoted MINA as saying on Thursday.

The majestic bird lay still and died after the woman let it go. It was not immediately clear when the selfie encounter took place, the report added.

A few days ago, a baby dolphin was killed in Argentina when tourists pulled it out of the water and passed it on to take photos with it.

Consequently, humans have also been at the receiving end of such incidents.

In August last year, a rattlesnake bit a California man when he was trying to take a selfie with it.
Tokyo, March 11 : Five years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan hopes 37 countries will lift their embargo on food imports from the region, the government announced on Friday.

The earthquake and subsequent tsunami on March 11, 2011, ravaged northeast Japan and left 18,000 dead and missing and caused the worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine, in the Fukushima nuclear power plant, EFE news reported.

"We would like to eradicate these harmful rumours (about Fukushima products) showing progress in reconstruction through our embassies," said Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, marking the fifth anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that had triggered the nuclear disaster.

Kishida pledged to "continue working" to remove the restrictions that were imposed as a result of emissions from the plant that polluted surrounding areas and affected agricultural, livestock and fishery products.

Japan had also temporarily banned the domestic sale and consumption of various products from Fukushima, including rice and beef, after detecting radioactive contamination levels in them.

Authorities, wholesalers and retailers, imposed a strict chain of radiation controls on fruit, vegetables, meat and fish to certify safety.

Economic daily Nikkei reported that the recovery experienced in Japan in wholesale prices of fresh products from Fukushima, reflects how the stigma that weighs over the region has been decreasing among Japanese consumers.

Peaches, cucumbers, apples, "wagyu" beef and rice in the region have experienced price rises from their lowest peak in 2012, surpassing 2011 levels in 11 wholesale markets of the Tokyo metropolitan area.

However, prices continue to be below average than similar food products coming from other regions of Japan, said Nikkei.

Meanwhile, the coastal fishing village of Namie in Fukushima prefecture remains a ghost town after the accident with black bags of radioactive waste lining the vacant streets, dirt-blackened windows of the once-vibrant shops are still boarded up and a waste facility stocked with contaminated soil and debris stands where the train station used to be.
Tokyo, March 11 : A group of residents from the Japanese city of Hiroshima, including several survivors from the 1945 atomic bombing, on Friday filed a lawsuit to prevent the reactivation of a nuclear power plant in the area.

The plaintiffs urged Hiroshima district court to put a stop order on the reactivation process of Ikata plant, fearing the risk of an accident similar to the one in Fukushima Daiichi plant, triggered by the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, EFE news reported.

The three Ikata plant reactors are currently disabled, although plant owner, Shikoku Electric, plans to restart unit number three this spring, after obtaining approval from the Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority.

The group of plaintiffs comprise 67 people, including 18 "hibakusha", or survivors of the Second World War nuclear bombings in August 1945, as well as a citizen of Fukushima prefecture who was evacuated following the accident.

The lawsuit was filed two days after another court in west Japan agreed in favour of a lawsuit by a group of individuals who believed that a plant in Takahama posed a danger for the region, and could result in an accident.

In March 2014, the total number of hibakusha remaining in Japan or residing in other countries totalled to 183,519, almost half of the 372,264 in 1980, while their average age surpassed 80 years for the first time.
Tokyo, March 11 : Japan on Friday marked the fifth anniversary of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated coastal areas of the Tohoku region.

At 2.46 p.m. (local time), millions of people will observe a moment of silence in Japan marking the fifth anniversary of the quake that killed at least 19,304 people and left more than 2,500 still unaccounted for as of Thursday.

The anniversary comes as about 174,000 evacuees from disaster-hit areas still live outside their damaged hometowns, the Japan Times reported.

On Friday, a memorial ceremony will be held in Tokyo, attended by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as well as three representatives of survivors from Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, the three main areas devastated in the disasters.

Likewise in many places throughout Tohoku, memorial ceremonies will be held with a moment of silence observed at 2.46 p.m. (local time), when the magnitude-9.0 quake hit the region, triggering the gigantic tsunami five years ago.

In a paper released on Thursday, the central government declared "restoration of social infrastructure had been largely finished."

On Thursday, Abe argued that the Tohoku region continued to "make steady progress" toward recovery.

"Now more than 70 percent of (disaster-hit) agricultural land has become ready for planting, and nearly 90 percent of fishery-product processing facilities have resumed operations," Abe boasted at the news conference.

Disaster-hit coastal communities also face a graying and shrinking population, which will make it even more difficult for local towns to recover from the lingering effects of 3/11.

According to a poll conducted by the daily Mainichi Shimbun, 16 of 42 mayors of cities and towns in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures said they expect the populations of their municipalities will dwindle more than 10 percent over the next decade.

Meanwhile, at the crippled Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant, problems remain far from being solved.

Meanwhile, the Abe administration gears up to reactivate more of the nation's 42 commercial reactors that remain shut down in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

Off the 44 total reactors, two in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima prefecture, have already been reactivated despite protest from anti-nuclear activists.

"Nuclear power is indispensable for our country, which has few natural resources, to secure stable energy supplies while addressing climate change issues," Abe said.

He also claimed that a set of new safety standards introduced after the Fukushima disaster "are the strictest in the world" and that his government would promote the reactivation of reactors once they pass the screening by the national regulatory authorities.
New Delhi : Chandigarh, India's first planned city -- known for wide roads laid out in geometrical precision and large, green spaces that adorn neatly arranged rectangular neighbourhoods, called sectors -- faces an unlikely problem: How to collect, segregate and dispose its 25 truckloads of solid waste daily.

Chandigarh's 1.05 million people generate 370 tonnes of solid waste every day. The city employs 4,085 sweepers, which is 2.65 sweepers per km of road.

Mysore, the former royal capital of old Mysore State, won the top spot in the central government's sanitation survey, Swachh Sarvekshan. The city of 0.89 million people employs half the number of sweepers -- 1.37 sweepers per km -- but handles more solid waste, 410 tonnes, or 27 truck-loads, than Chandigarh. Mysore generates 0.45 kg of garbage per person daily, Chandigarh 0.35 kg.

More than 95 percent of Chandigarh's population is plugged in to a sewage network, and there are no open drains, entangled mess of overhead wires, narrow approach roads or market areas within residential spaces. It is not a surprise that Chandigarh was ranked second in the sanitation survey but a Chandigarhian might wonder why the city did not finish first.

One might not see much garbage lying around in Chandigarh, but that doesn't imply that it is being disposed off smartly. Having been born and brought up in Chandigarh, I have always found the city to be clean and charming: Small and, relatively, sparsely peopled -- 114 sq km, 9,252 persons per sq km -- alert administration and roads designed for easy cleaning.

Although sanitation standards fall away towards the more densely populated southern part, the system works.

Where Mysore scores is in its greater citizen participation, as a result of 'Let's do it Mysore', a non-government initiative, which consistently involves people in trash segregation. Chandigarh also runs campaigns, especially the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Campaign) in educational institutes and offices, but these are one-time affairs or limited to efforts of certain religious groups.

Mysore segregates its garbage, Chandigarh does not. Of the 370 tonnes waste that Chandigarh produces every day, 270 tonnes goes to a garbage-processing plant run by a company of the Jaypee Group, which makes refuse-derived fuel pellets.

The remaining 100 tonnes goes to a dumping site, beset by sanitary and administrative problems. As with most garbage mountains across India, those who live around Chandigarh suffer its primitive methods.

The company running it has also threatened to shut the plant if Municipal Corporation Chandigarh (MCC) does not pay a tipping fee -- given by municipalities to private processing plants for collecting and processing waste. The MCC refuses any payment because it transports the waste to the plant.

One solution to reduce the garbage produced is to segregate at source and recycle. Chandigarh does not do either, and this is the main reason why it does not match up to Mysore.

Mysore segregates at source and has nine waste-segregation plants that focus on producing quality manure. The sale of manure and dry waste like plastic adds to the revenue of its municipal corporation.

MCC Joint Commissioner Rajiv Gupta said Chandigarh wanted to segregate its garbage. "We are starting a pilot soon in four sectors for source-based segregation," he said. "Besides, a five-tonne capacity bio-methanation plant will start operating next month, which will generate electricity from organic waste."

Chandigarh's door-to-door garbage collection, initially handled by residents' welfare associations and NGOs who hired contract labour, is now dominated by a few private contractors.

In 2012, the garbage collectors went on strike when the corporation hired employees on contract for a pilot project. The dispute was resolved by an agreement that restricted contract labour to cleaning markets, but it hampers segregation efforts and forces punitive action.

Last year, the MCC issued 3,543 challans (notices) to people found littering in public spaces and earned Rs.6 lakh in fines. Those who refused to pay were prosecuted.

(In arrangement with IndiaSpend.org, a data-driven, non-profit, public interest journalism platform. Manu Moudgil is a freelance consultant with India Water Portal, an online platform on water and sanitation. The views expressed are those of IndiaSpend. The author can be contacted at respond@indiaspend.org)
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The 32nd Dail Eireann, lower house of Irish parliament, failed to elect a Taoiseach (prime minister) during its first meeting after the Feb. 26 general election.

During the meeting, Fine Gael (United Ireland Party) leader Enda Kenny, Fianna Fail (Republican Party) leader Micheal Martin, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and Richard Boyd Barrett from the Anti-Austerity Alliance-People Before Profit (AAA-PBP) were all nominated by their respective parties for the position of Taoiseach.

The voting process began with deputies voting for Kenny, who received 57 votes in favor and 94 against.

Fine Gael, which has 50 seats in the 32nd Dail Eireann, is still the largest party in Irish parliament.

Martin received 43 votes in favor and 108 against. Fianna Fail has 44 seats in parliament.

Adams received 24 votes in favor, and 116 against. Sinn Fein, having 23 seats in parliament, is now the third largest in terms of members of parliament in Ireland.

Boyd Barrett received nine votes in favor and 111 votes against. AAA-PBP has six seats in parliament.

In another development, Fianna Fail TD (member of parliament) Sean O'Fearghail was chosen as the new speaker of the 32nd Dail Eireann through a secret ballot. The new speaker will replace outgoing speaker Sean Barrett.

Following the vote, Kenny said he would resign as Taoiseach as he cannot secure majority support in parliament. But he said the current government would continue to work in the best interests of the country and its people.

Kenny will travel to Washington for St Patrick's Day even if a new government isn't formed.

As head of a caretaker government, Kenny's immediate duties also include the events surrounding the centenary celebrations of 1916 Easter Rising.

Kenny will be likely asked by Irish President Michael D Higgins to remain as acting Taoiseach until another vote is held.

Kenny-led Fine Gael became the largest party in Ireland after the 2011 general election. It then formed a coalition government with the Labor Party, with the Fine Gael party leader Kenny serving as Taoiseach. Kenny has led the party since 2002.

Labor had 33 seats when the 31st Dail Eireann dissolved in early February and now it took a serious thumping in the general election, only securing seven seats.

Fine Gael and Labor fell far short of required 80 seats for a coalition government for the next five years.

Both independents and smaller parties made huge gains, wining 34 seats in total.
New Delhi, March 11 : The government will soon provide secure mobile phones to soldiers along the international borders and in Naxal affected areas, Minister of State for Home Affairs Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary said here on Friday.

"You would be surprised to know that even today our soldiers do not have a mobile phone, as such on a short-term period basis, we are planning to provide mobile phones to army personnel in the border areas and Naxal affected zones so that they can keep in touch with their family via 3G mobile connection," said Chaudhary.

He was inaugurating the '8th International Security Summit', organised by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).

"The mobile phone would not be intercepted as we would be having the telephone exchange with us that can be carried by the battalion wherever it goes," the minister said.

"I had recently met a delegation of US-based company that claimed to provide us with telephone exchange in a box and instantly start over 1,000 secure mobile phone connections specifically for army personnel," he added.

The minister further informed that he had recently met another delegation of a US-based company providing blood testing equipment that could process blood samples in just a few minutes thereby saving invaluable time of the army personnel.

Regarding lack of a proper law aimed at cybercrime prevention in the country, Chaudhary said: "We have started a judicial process to transform the law in accordance with the technological advancement."

"We are fully prepared to thwart all types of security challenges. For cybercrime, we have constituted a high level committee of IT experts headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh," he said.

"Besides,we have also constituted a committee to combat the hackers," the minister added.
Tehran, March 11 : Moscow is set to deliver Russian-made surface-to-air S-300 missile defence systems to Iran before the end of this year, an official said.

"I think we will deliver the S-300 by the end of the year... The first delivery will be in September or August," Press Tv quoted Sergei Chemezov, head of Russia's industrial conglomerate Rostec as saying on Friday.

Last month, Iran's Defence Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said the country would take delivery of the first batch of S-300 missiles in the first quarter of 2016.

Russia committed to delivering the systems to Iran under $800 million deal in 2007.

Moscow, however, refused to deliver the systems to Tehran in 2010 under the pretext that the agreement was covered by the fourth round of the UN Security Council sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.

Following Moscow's refusal to deliver the systems, Tehran filed a complaint against the relevant Russian arms firm with the International Court of Arbitration in Geneva.

In April 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a presidential decree, paving the way for the long-overdue delivery of the missile defence system to Iran.

The decision came after Iran and the P5+1 group of countries -- the US, France, Britain, China and Russia plus Germany -- reached a mutual understanding on Tehran's nuclear programme in the Swiss city of Lausanne on April 2, 2015.

Tehran also developed its domestically-built Bavar-373 air defence system, which was successfully test-fired in August 2014.

The long-range missile system, which is similar to the Russian S-300, has been manufactured by Iranian defence experts, and is capable of hitting air targets at a high altitude.
New Delhi : An Urdu aristocracy on its knees, was beginning to make adjustments with the new British rulers when Ram Advani arrived in Lucknow. He set up Ram Advani Booksellers in a prominent corner of Hazratgang. This remained his eye on Lucknow for 65 years - until his death at 95 last week.

He brought the energy of the newcomer when he arrived in the early 1940s from Karachi, in Sindh, where he was born in 1920. It took Lucknow almost a century to recover from its first trauma when, in 1857, even its Begums joined in the door to door combat with the British who proceeded to empty the city of its citizens for fear of unexpected snipers. A year earlier, Wajid Ali Shah had been dispatched to Matia Burj, near Kolkata, where he lived for 31 years, unlamented, unsung. Some of the aftermath was still playing itself out which Ram witnessed and internalized as themes on which his book shop prided.

A shattered intellectual elite, silenced by change, slowly began to engage the new masters on their terms. If Punch was the supreme publication of satire and wit in London, some of the finest Urdu writers like Akbar Allahabadi would elevate Awadh Punch to an even higher level of elegant lampooning.

Ram's was not an Urdu Book shop but copies of Awadh Punch he would obtain from his sources. When Prof. Mushirul Hasan published Awadh Punch in English, copies were instantly available on his shelves. Books were never flaunted in a commercial scale; they were meant for the connoisseurs for whom the book shop was a meeting place, sometimes with the original authors themselves - Violette Graffe, the French scholar on Lucknow, V.S. Naipaul (India a million mutinies), Veena Talwar Oldenburg (Making of Colonial Lucknow), Rosie Llewellyn-Jones (Lucknow, City of Illusion) and Cambridge historian, Prof. Francis Robinson, William Dalrymple, Mark Tully, Dom Moraes - and every Indian of cosmopolitan interests who visited Lucknow. The spate of Western visitors to the Book Shop places Ram as an interpreter of Lucknow's deeper culture which still bustles in Chowk and Nakkhas.

Hazratganj actually divides Lucknow into two cultures. One side are the cantonment, Civil Lines and sprawling bungalows, corroborative evidence of those who saw the writing on the wall early and made cunning adjustments with the new ruling class.

In the other direction beyond Aminabad are chowk and Nakkhas the very core of classical Lucknow. Of this area, the old description is still stunningly accurate: "Gandi galiyan, saaf zabaan". (Dirty lanes but impeccable speech)

Not only did Ram know this, other Lucknow, but he was also familiar with Lucknow's other great book shop, Daanish Mahal, which translates as the palace of learning. This is where Urdu's greatest critic, Saiyyid Ehtesham held court. Josh Malihabadi occasionally climbed down from the Central hotel where he stayed, to enliven the conversation. In Ram's persona were integrated these two milestone book shops.

It was Lucknow's Catholicism which never allowed Ram Advani to claim any exceptionalism. The city's Ganga-Jamni culture was celebrated, of course. But that did not tell the full story. Recently Sanatkada, a group which dedicates itself to the celebration of Lucknow touched the heart of the matter. It celebrated Lucknow's "Rachi Basi", or all inclusive culture.

Infact, I recall the expression having originated in Ram's mind.

Mir Taqi Mir and others, have written copiously of Delhi's destruction at the hands of Ahmad Shah Abdali, Nadir Shah etcetera. But Lucknow's destruction, being more recent, has generally been a casualty of the "Victor's narrative". Why would the colonial masters dwell on the desolation they had brought about?

Ram was sensitive to the fact that in a century, Lucknow had taken atleast four major hits. The exile of its beloved king in 1856, the destruction of Lucknow in 1857, Partition in 1947 and Zamindari (Landlordism) abolition in 1951 which finally broke the back of the Muslim aristocracy.

Remarkably, as Ram reminded me over and over again, Lucknow picked itself up each time and put up the Welcome sign for all.

Nowhere in the country was there a city which proudly announced: "To be a doctor you have to be a Bengali first". Lucknow University's intellectual life was controlled by Radha Kumud and Radh Kamal Mukherjee. Lucknowis proudly accepted "Madrasis" (anyone below the Vindhyas) as brilliant administrators. President of the University Union was Iqbal Singh, a chain smoking Sikh who recited Urdu poetry. Among Lucknows "bakaits", tough's or mini gangsters was one Kaul Sahib, a short, muscular man with very broad shoulders. Imagine a Kashmiri Pandit with a reputation that learned the respect of Lucknow's "badmash" (bad men) like Buddhu Pahelwan, Funtoo, Nannhe, Rashid Ghosi and Pyare Jaani with a revolver in his trench coat.

You would never have imagined Ram Advani to be familiar with this infinite variety. But he was.

Heaven knows how scotch whiskey and soda came up for mention in his shop. A man contemplating a book, spun around in some anger. Traces of paan were virtually dripping from a corner of his mouth. "Mixing soda with scotch was the barbarous custom of the Sassenach", he growled. He was a somewhat dilapidated scion of some unknown aristocracy. To our astonishment he knew that Sassenach was a derogatory slang Scots (who were the masters of the amber stuff) used for the English. This anecdote says something of Lucknow of the 60s as also of Ram Advani until his death.

(Saeed Naqvi is a senior commentator on political and diplomatic affairs. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at saeednaqvi@hotmail.com)
Patna, March 11 : A day after ruling RJD legislator Raj Ballabh Yadav, accused of raping a schoolgirl, surrendered in a court and was sent to judicial custody in Bihar, the rape victim on Friday sat for Class 10 examination amid tight security, police said.

Putting an end to speculations whether the victim would appear for the examination or not, her father said she has taken the exam. "Finally, my girl has taken examination after the accused legislator was put behind bars," he said.

According to him, the family decided on Thursday that she should take the Class 10 examination after the Nalanda district administration, taking into account the family trauma and its fear for her life and limb, changed her examination centre to a nearby place.

With ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav, the rape accused who was on the run for last one month, surrendering and the Biharsharief civil court in Nalanda district sending him to judicial custody, the girl and her family have felt relieved.

Earlier, with her attacker on the loose, the family feared for her life.

Yadav, who represents Nawada constituency in the Bihar assembly, is known for his muscle and money power.

He is accused of raping the school-going girl in Biharsharief on February 6.

Yadav was absconding for many days after the victim filed a police complaint and while on the run, he was petitioning courts to get anticipatory bail.

Last week, a lower court rejected his anticipatory bail plea. Four of his accomplices have been arrested.

Earlier, the legislator's two houses, one each in Nawada and Patna, were attached in compliance with an order of the court.

Yadav's 13 bank accounts have been sealed. Police also said it has started the process of auctioning his plots at different places.

The authorities also suspended the licences of three firearms Yadav possessed.

According to the police complaint, a woman named Sulekha Devi, took the girl to an undisclosed location in Nalanda and forced her to have liquor, after which she was raped by a man, later identified as Yadav.

After she was raped, the girl said the woman gave her Rs.30,000.
New Delhi, March 11 : Heavy rain played spoilsport at Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's controversial mega cultural festival that began on Friday, with thousands of participants stuck on roads due to traffic snarls and pathways leading to the venue on the Yamuna floodplain turning into mush.

As the dusty Yamuna floodplain turned to slush, it made walking virtually impossible and vehicles got stuck. Those who were already inside ran for cover to escape the downpour.

Organisers wore a look of concern as the skies darkened over Delhi. The dark clouds along with rolling thunder followed by heavy rains left the organisers, participants and the onlookers drenched and miserable.

People were seen covering themselves with plastic sheets. Some others took out brightly coloured umbrellas.

"It is slippery. The road leading to the venue has turned marshy. I had to walk carefully," said Anuj Kumar, who had come from north Delhi to attend the cultural jamboree.

Policemen and volunteers tried to manage the crowd, but could not control the chaos.

As per the forecast of two leading weather agencies, the IMD and Skymet Weather Services, the showers on Friday followed by heavy rain may cause disruptions on Saturday and Sunday as well. The World Culture Festival is being held here from March 11 to 13.

These agencies told IANS that rain with thundershowers would continue over the weekend.

"Tomorrow (Saturday) and the day after that, there are fair chances that it would rain in the early morning, late afternoon and evening, with strong winds and thundershowers. It may spoil the event," said Mahesh Palawat, director of Skymet, India's only private weather forecasting agency.

The event has already landed in controversy for allegedly flouting the environmental regulations and degrading the ecology of the Yamuna floodplain.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living Foundation informed the authorities that three lakh people would attend the event. However, in its promotional literature, it had claimed that 35 lakh people would come from 155 countries.

The organisers had told the National Green Tribunal that they had spent Rs.25.63 crore for the event.

Traffic snarls also caused hardships to those who had to catch their trains from Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, which is not very far from the event venue adjoining the busy Delhi-Noida flyway. Many train travellers had to walk more than three kilometres carrying their luggages on their shoulders.

"I had to walk to catch my train to Mumbai and had a tough time because I was not aware that the road to Nizamuddin railway station will be choked," said Sachin Balakrishnan from Mayur Vihar.
Manali, March 11 : Eight trekkers, mostly from Punjab, who were on their way to Chanderkhani peak in the Manali region lost contact due to inclement weather, an official said on Friday, adding that a search was on to find them.

Police parties and members of the trekking team failed to locate the trekkers as the area has been witnessing intermittent snowfall since early Friday, Manali sub-divisional magistrate Jyoti Rana, who was monitoring the search operation, told IANS.

"We have deployed three rescue teams comprising 18 to 20 people to search for the trekkers," she said.

She said the missing people, including a resident, left for trekking on Thursday from Naggar near here. One of them established contact with the police and sought help.

"No contact has been established with anyone so far," Rana added.

Beyond the Chanderkhani peak at an elevation of 3,600 metre lies Malana village, which earned notoriety for cultivating Malana Cream, a prized hashish.
New Delhi, March 11 : "I just want to say, I belong to all," said Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the head of the Art of Living Foundation, in his welcome address on Friday to the large gathering at the World Culture Festival being held here.

"People of many countries are here to send one message that we are One World family," he told the audience witnessing the cultural extravaganza which invited controversy for being held on the ecologically sensitive flood plain of river Yamuna and for receiving government help.

Ravi Shankar said four or five things unite the world and these include sports, art and culture, economics, intellectual pursuits, and spirituality.

He took a dig at those who attacked the three-day event as a "private" affair receiving government help and said the whole world is "my family".

"Life is a struggle. We have to march on but to transform this march into a celebration is an art," he told the delegates from across the country and abroad and in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Ranchi, March 11 : The Jharkhand assembly was on Friday once again disrupted by the opposition protesting against the state government allegedly favouring the Adani Group in setting up a 1,600 MW thermal power plant at an investment of Rs.10,000 crore.

"The Jharkhand Energy Policy 2012 has been overlooked while signing the MoU with Adani Group to set up 1,600 MW thermal power plant in the state. The power generated from the plant will directly go to Bangladesh," Pradeep Yadav, a Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM-P) legislator, said.

According to the policy, 25 per cent of the installed capacity of any thermal power plant set up in the state would go to the state and price per unit would be decided by the Jharkhand Electricity Regulatory Authority, Yadav said.

"Adani group will provide 25 per cent power from an alternative source, which is violation of the policy. We demand Judicial or SIT probe into this irregularity," he said.

He said the state government was extending special favours to Adani. "For Adani the land rate has been reduced to Rs 13 lakh per acre from Rs 1.25 crore per acre in Santhal Paragana."

The state government dismissed the allegations as baseless.

"The charges are baseless. As per MoU, Jharkhand will get 25 per cent of the power from other sources. If Bangladesh does not take its the full share, then that will go to the state," said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Saryu Rai.

"The frequency and format of power will not change if the state gets 25 per cent power from other sources. The power will be supplied to Bangladesh by a dedicated transmission line. The decision was taken considering the international relationship," Saryu Rai said.

The opposition members boycotted the house and did not hear the reply of the government.

The opposition parties this week brought adjournment motions twice on their allegation that the state government reduced the land rate in Santhal Paragana area, where the power plant is to be set up, to help the Adani Group.

Their protests over the issue have stalled Jharkhand assembly more than once this week.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislator Stephen Marandi, who brought in an adjournment motion over the issue on Thursday, had also alleged malfeasance.

"The state government, through an order dated October 28, 2015, lowered the rate of the Santhal Paragana land up to 80 percent. First time in the history of India, land rate has been reduced up to 80 percent. The land rate has been reduced to help the Adani Group."
New Delhi, March 11 : Mexico is against UN Security Council reforms but prefers a compromise formula that can make it more effective, the Latin American country's Minister for Foreign Affairs Claudia Ruiz-Massieu Salinas said on Friday.

"Another area where we (Mexico and India) have shared a lot of work together is Security Council reforms," Salinas said while delivering the 22nd Sapru House Lecture here.

"The reform and enlargement of the UN Security Council has traditionally been an area in which India and Mexico have had different views," she said.

However, she said that at the end of the day both the countries "would like to see something very similar".

"A Security Council that is truly representative of today's reality," Salinas said.

"We have different means. India would prefer to have new permanent members and aspires to be one of them."

She said Mexico was among a group of countries that did not favour new permanent members.

She said these countries have been discussing this for quite some time.

"But we think it is time to work for building consensus and reaching an agreement," the Mexican minister said.

"The only ones that benefit from not doing this are the current permanent members. Our proposal is a compromise solution. A creation of long-term seats, non-permanent with the possibility of reelection."

She said this was a realistic solution that could be achieved in the short run.

According to Salinas, developing countries could effectively influence the UN's agenda and make the Security Council "to be more flexible to adapt to the reality of the changing world".

"You are the largest democracy of the world. I underlined that elections are the truly essential element to keep on building inclusive growth and social development," she said.

"How can we in the 21st century allow the permanent members the privileges without the scrutiny of the international community?"

Stating that more permanent members meant more paralysis, she said that "we understand and respect India's aspiration to become a permanent member".

"But for how long is India willing to wait?" she asked the gathering.

"That is why we have worked with other countries to broker a consensus and compromise solution that we have shared with you today," she said.

Mexico is among a group of countries called "United for Consensus" (UFC) that backed a resolution against expansion of the UN Security Council permanent members seats.

The others are Canada, Italy, Colombia, Pakistan, Argentina, Costa Rica, Malta, South Korea, San Marino, Spain and Turkey.

The UFC resolution opposed the push by the G4 countries - India, Brazil, Germany and Japan - to reform the UN's apex body.

Salinas, who arrived here on Friday on a two-day visit to India, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in the day.

She is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with her Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj on Saturday.
New Delhi, March 11 : The three-day World Culture Festival, which began here on Friday after much uncertainty for many days, was the big talking point on micro-blogging site Twitter.

"And it's raining as world culture festival begins. We can conquer man, not nature!," tweeted a noted journalist, perhaps expecting a washout of the event on its first day.

Ashoke Pandit, a film maker, viewed more optimistically the rains that accompanied the start of the event.

"Rain God Celebrating #WorldCultureFestival with the participants. Blessings," he tweeted.

The official twitter handle of the organisers -- World Culture Fest@WCF2016, said:

"Heavy showers at the venue have not dimmed the spirit of the Dhangari Dhols at the #worldCultureFestival!"

Eyewitness account said rainbow was sighted over the venue with people cheering "it's a miracle".

The cultural extravaganza, organised here by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's the Art of Living Foundation, invited controversy for the choice of the venue, namely the ecologically sensitive Yamuna flood plains, and for receiving government help.

The event was dragged to the National Green Tribunal which castigated the organisers and the government agencies for flouting environmental safeguards and fined the Art of Living Rs.5 crore.
Sagar (Madhya Pradesh), March 11 : Eight people, including five members of a family, were killed and as many injured in two separate accidents in Madhya Pradesh on Friday.

At least five people were killed and six children wounded when a vehicle and a car packed with school children collided head-on in Sagar district.

In the other incident, three people -- a police officer and two policemen -- were killed in Ashok Nagar district when the driver lost control over the vehicle and rammed into a tree. They were returning from a programme in which Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited the area to take stock of crop destruction due to hailstorm.
New Delhi, March 11 : India's factory output declined again in January, by (-) 1.53 percent, dipping further from the (-) 1.18 percent fall logged in December, official data showed on Friday.

In comparison, there was a growth of 2.8 percent in January 2014.

The negative show for the third straight month was due mainly to the manufacturing sector, while India Inc reiterated its demand for a rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India.

As per data on index of industrial production (IIP) released by the Central Statistics Office, the country's factory output logged a cumulative growth of 2.7 percent rise in the first 10 months of the current fiscal, while cumulative growth during the corresponding period of last fiscal stood at 2.6 percent.

"The general index for January 2016 stands at 186.3, which is 1.5 percent lower, as compared to the level in January 2015. The cumulative growth for the period April-January 2015-16 over the corresponding period of the previous year stands at 2.7 percent," an official statement said.

The January IIP was dragged lower by a (-) 2.8 percent drop in manufacturing activity. Between the other broader indices, electricity production rose by 6.6 percent, while that for mining was up by 1.2 percent.

The high negative contributors to the dip in the overall index included cables, insulated rubber, antibiotics, stainless and alloy steels, sponge iron and passenger cars.

Electricity, commercial vehicles, mobile phones, cement and gems and jewellery were positive contributors.

"In terms of industries, 10 out of the 22 groups in the manufacturing sector have shown negative growth during January 2016 as compared to the corresponding month of the previous year," said the statement.

Looking further at the use-based classification of six industries, the index for capital goods was down as much as 20.4 percent, while that for consumer non-durables was down 3.1. Consumer goods sub-index remained unchanged.

However, basic goods, intermediate goods and consumer durables recorded gains of 1.8 percent, 2.7 percent and 5.8 percent, respectively.

Reacting to the latest data, Indian industry repeated its call for a rate cut by the central bank.

"The growth in manufacturing sector remains fragile as evident from the fall in manufacturing index for the last three consecutive months. The delay in the recovery of manufacturing is going to impact the overall economic growth," A. Didar Singh, secretary general, FICCI, said in a statement.

"While the budget has tried to address tax related issues for manufacturing and we are hopeful that they would yield results, but we hope to see further rate reduction in the forthcoming monetary policy that can stimulate demand and investments in the economy to support manufacturing growth," he added.
New Delhi, March 11 : A Delhi court on Friday summoned the balance sheets of the Congress party, and the Associated Journals Pvt Ltd. (AJL) for the year 2010-2011 in connection with the National Herald case.

Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen ordered summoning of documents saying that these documents could not be referred as "personal documents" of the accused, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and her son Rahul Gandhi.

The order came on the plea of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy who sought summoning of balance sheet, receipts and payments accounts, income and expenditure statements for the year 2010-2011, 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 of the Congress and the AJL.

He had earlier told the court that these records were necessary to establish the method adopted by the accused for purpose of extending loans to acquire AJL, through Young India.

In its order the court said: "At the very outset, this court must observe that the documents referred to in the present application belong to two separate entities, i.e., INC (Congress) and AJL. By no stretch of imagination, the documents could be referred to as 'personal documents' of accused persons."

The court then posted the matter for March 21 for further hearing.

On June 26, 2014, the trial court issued summons to the Congress leaders on Swamy's complaint about "cheating" in the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd., which published the National Herald newspaper, by Young India Ltd., "a firm in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi each own a 38 percent stake".

Congress leaders Motilal Vora, and Oscar Fernandes, family friend Suman Dubey and technocrat Sam Pitroda were also named as accused in the case.
Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh), March 11 : As many as 56 Maoist guerrillas surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region on Friday while in a separate incident three central paramilitary personnel were wounded in a tunnel explosion.

In the first incident, three members including deputy commandant of 217 Kobra Battalion were left badly wounded when an explosives-laden tunnel engineered by the Maoists exploded while the team was heading from its camp to a village.

A total of 56 Maoists, the maximum so far, carrying a total reward of Rs.14 lakh, laid down their arms before Bastar's Inspector General S.R.P. Kalluri, the superintendent of police and the district collector.

At least 11 of these Maoists had ration cards, 46 of them had Aadhar cards, 36 had voter identity cards and five had passbooks, an official said.
Lucknow, March 11 : The BJP-led central government is working against the interests of small traders, said a Congress leader in Uttar Pradesh who heads the party's traders' cell.

"The Excise Act proposed in the budget will create more problems for the traders and the ongoing strike by the jewellers in the state is causing major loss of income," said Ramesh Mishra, chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Traders' Cell of the Congress.

He said the traders would soon launch a state wide protest against the policies of the Narendra Modi government, which were dealing a death blow to small traders.

"A meeting to discuss the plans for an agitation that will be held in every district of the state was held on Friday and we have decided to take up the issue of the bullion and jewellers at the very outset," Mishra said.
New Delhi, March 11 : An advisory that three women training to be IAF fighter pilots should avoid pregnancy for the next four years is not "legally binding", officials said on Friday.

"It is a formal advisory and not legally binding," said an Indian Air Force official.

Another official pointed out that the intense training for a fighter pilot is physically demanding and pregnancy in this period may be risky from the health point of view.

IAF officials also say that irrespective of gender, pilots are advised not to get married till their training is over.

"The women pilots have volunteered for the training, it is their choice. There are different requirements for different jobs. Like all other air warriors, they are dedicating themselves to the cause of the nation, it should not be seen in any other light," said the official, who did not wish to be named.

"Our officers make many sacrifices, many of them stay away from families for long time. It is unfair to look at them from the prism of gender, they are pilots first," said the official.

The three women -- Flying Cadets Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh -- will be commissioned in the IAF on June 18, and will become the first women fighter pilots of India.

They will subsequently undergo advanced jet training, and later proceed to the regular squadrons.

According to IAF officials, the three pilots are undergoing training at the Air Force Station at Hakimpet in Telangana.

They have so far completed 55 hours of training, and will complete 86 hours of flying training before being inducted.

Women form a minor section in the armed forces, with the IAF having the highest number at 1,350 followed by the army with 1,300 and the navy with 450 women officers, according to official information.

The 1.3 million-strong armed forces have 59,400 officers.
Bengaluru, March 11 : State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) on Friday announced it has delivered the first set of structural assemblies to Swiss firm Ruag Aviation for its new generation Dornier aircraft.

"We have manufactured and supplied the first of the four ship-sets for which we received an export order four months ago," HAL chairman and managing director T. Suvarna Raju said in a statement here.

The aero structures are being produced at the company's transport aircraft facility in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Ruag's managing director Volker Wallrodt received the first set early this week.

HAL, however, did not disclose the export order value in the statement.

HAL has been manufacturing the twin-turboprop utility Dornier (Do-228) for defence services and civil operations under production licence since 1983.

Ruag has been sourcing fuselage, wings and tail from HAL for Dornier's new generation aircraft (Do-228-212 NG) and assembling them at its other facility near Germany's Munich.

"We are exploring cost reduction to make Dornier viable for more exports and civil operations in the sub-continent," said Raju.

HAL has rolled out 120 Dorniers for the Indian Air Force, Indian Navy and Coast Guard over the last three decades.

The company also exported an unspecified number of the aircraft to Indian Ocean island nations of Mauritius and Seychelles.

"We plan to upgrade the multi-role aircraft and operate two civil variant from our airport at Nashik in Maharashtra," said Raju.

The company also has the Indian civil aviation regulator approval to make the Dornier's civil variant for airlines to use on feeder routes.
Gurgaon, March 11 : The Haryana government on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ujjawal Discoms Assurance Yojana (UDAY) in New Delhi.

A government spokesperson said Haryana has joined the Ujjawal Discoms Assurance Yojana (UDAY) "to cut down the debt burden of DISCOMs, reduce the cost of power, pare down losses to 15 percent over the next three years, and financially turn around the power distribution companies".

The MoU was signed by Rajan Gupta, additional chief Secretary (Power), on behalf of the Haryana government, and Nitin Yadav, managing director of the two discoms UHBVNL and DHBVNL with A.K. Verma, joint secretary in the Ministry of Power.

On the occasion, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that under the scheme, out of Rs.34,600 crore debt as on September 30, 2015, Rs.25,950 crore would be taken over by the state government.

In lieu of the loans taken from financial institutions by the DISCOMs, the state government will issue bonds which would carry much lower rate of interest compared to the loans from financial institutions.

The total debt of Rs.25,950 crore will be finally taken over by the state government over a period of next five years.

The implementation of the scheme would also help improve efficiency with the ultimate objective of providing 24X7 power to all consumers.

Union Minister of State for Power Piyush Goel said on the occasion that an overall net benefit of approximately Rs.14,160 crore would accrue to the state by opting to participate in UDAY, by way of savings in interest cost, reduction in AT&C and transmission losses, interventions in energy efficiency, coal reforms etc during the period of turnaround.

He said the discoms would overcome the losses in the next one year.
Jaipur, March 11 : With jewellers across the country on strike sinch March 2 on imposition of excise tax on jewellery, the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) on Friday urged the central government to withdraw the measure.

The apex body of the gems and jewellery industry which presently represents over 6,000 exporters in the sector, said the imposition of one percent excise duty on jewellery (other than plain silver jewellery) imposed in the union budget 2016-17 is not in the industry's interest.

"We strongly urge the finance minister to reconsider the withdrawal of levy of excise on jewellery products. The imposition of excise would severely impact jewellery production in India resulting in loss of employment to the uneducated but skilled jewellery workers," said GJEPC chairman Praveenshankar Pandya at a press conference here.

"Jewellery in the country is largely produced by the SMEs and they are not equipped to follow the rigid compliance of excise norms..

"We morally support the stand taken by GJF and other industry associations but we do not want to go on strike as a protest against this announcement as we believe in engaging with the Union government with constructive dialogue to persuade them to repeal the same," he added.

Meanwhile, the GJEPC will host the 'India Gem & Jewellery Awards (IGJA)' 2015 that recognises and rewards star performers of the Indian gem and jewellery sector here on Saturday. Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje are expected to attend.

A total of 32 nomination awards and 5 felicitation awards will be given away at GJEPC-IGJA 2015.
Kolkata, March 11 : A city court on Friday rejected the bail plea of Sambia Sohrab, the prime accused in the hit-and-run case that killed an IAF officer but granted the relief to two others accused arrested in the high-profile case.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjay Ranjan Pal granted bail to Shanu alias Shanawaz Khan and Johnny while extending the judicial custody of Sambia alleged to be behind the wheels of a car that mowed down IAF corporal Abhimanyu Gaud in the morning of January 13 on the Indira Gandhi Sarani, while the officer was supervising the Republic Day parade rehearsal.

Police on Thursday had filed the charge sheet before the court, indicting Sambia, son of former Rashtriya Janata Dal legislator Mohammad Sohrab, of murder among other offences while Shanu and Johnny have been charged with causing disappearance of evidence and harbouring an offender.

While Sambia was arrested on January 16 from the city, his friend Shanawaz Khan, was arrested from Delhi on January 18 and Johnny was nabbed a day later from Kolkata.
Moscow, March 11 : The exclusion of the Syrian Kurds from the upcoming intra-Syrian reconciliation talks in Geneva will only feed separatism in the war-torn country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

"A very alarming perspective will emerge that the exclusion of the Kurds from participation in the negotiations from the onset will only incite those forces that would prefer not to remain within Syria," Lavrov said at a press conference here following talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, adding that it is not in anyone's interest to do so, reports Xinhua.

Lavrov said the Kurds control at least 15 percent of the Syrian territory and are allies of both Russian and US-led coalitions in the struggle against the Islamic State, Nusra Front and other terrorist groups in Syria.

"So the beginning of negotiations without this group will be a manifestation of frailty of the international community," Lavrov said.

He also slammed Turkey for being the only side that opposes the participation of the Kurds, noting that all other members of the International Syria Support Group have defended their inclusion from the very beginning of the negotiation process.

The new round of reconciliation talks between the Syrian government and opposition in Geneva will be held from March 14 to 24.

The previous round of talks ended last month with no tangible results, but intensified international efforts have managed to establish a cessation of hostilities in Syria.
New Delhi, March 11 : As many as 164 ponzi, or chit fund, companies are currently being probed by central agencies for duping customers across the country, parliament was told on Friday.

Cases relating to the 164 companies operating ponzi schemes are being investigated by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

He also released a list of firms against which inquiries are in progress.

Jaitley also said the government has taken a number of steps to check cases of corporate frauds and protect interests of the investors in such ponzi schemes.

"Greater application of technology for early and preliminary identification of cases involving frauds through data analysis and usage of forensic tools etc., is being promoted," he said.

"CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) probe has been initiated in a large number of cases, many people were prosecuted and arrests made while several promoters continue to be in jails," he added.

Noting that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also attached properties of many promoters under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the minister said the government has decided to set up a central authority to take proper action against such offenders.
New Delhi, March 11 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday laid emphasis on strengthening bilateral cooperation with Mexico in his meeting with its visiting Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz-Massieu Salinas.

"Prime minister laid emphasis on strengthening bilateral cooperation, including in the fields of energy, manufacturing, infrastructure development, urban and town planning, science and technology, space, agriculture, health and traditional medicine," said a statement from Prime Minister's Office.

"The Mexican foreign minister expressed keen interest to deepen bilateral ties with India in all sectors. She extended invitation on behalf of the President of Mexico to the prime minister to visit Mexico," it added.

Salinas is on a two-day visit to India.
Panaji, March 11 : Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Friday hit out at critics of the DefExpo 2016, scheduled to be held in the state later this month, terming the opposition "political".

"The four-day DefExpo about which there was hue and cry in the beginning, probably (because) we are at the fag end of the political term... But luckily, the government overcame all these noises.

"I would say misconceptions about DefExpo and the opposition voices have come down, almost neutralized," said Parsekar at a function organised by the Goa chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).

Traditionally held in the national capital, the DefExpo 2016 is scheduled to be held in the coastal state's Betul village this year in last week of March, because a new convention centre is being built at the Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

However, the DefExpo 2016, which is the ninth in the series of biennial Land, Naval and Internal Homeland Security Systems Exhibitions organised by the defence ministry, has drawn opposition from the central government's opponents as well as a section of the civil society over the allocation of six lakh square metres of land at Betul.

The project's critics claim there has been no transparency in the decision-making which led to the relocation of the event to Betul, located 45 km from Panaji.

The chief minister, however, blamed the political opposition for trying to step up unwarranted criticism of his government with elections to the Goa legislative assembly just a year away.

"This is the last year and this is a government which did not have any malpractices on its record before going to elections," he said.

"For people in opposition and dreaming of coming to power in the future, the image of clean government was always a hurdle and hindrance their path and therefore every little thing is being opposed these days," he added.

Newly appointed chairman of the Goa CII Shekhar Sardesai also said the DefExpo 2016 was a terrific opportunity to build 'Brand Goa' and that those speaking against the project were "chronic naysayers".
New Delhi, March 11 : The withdrawal application under the new pension scheme will be online only from April 1, parliament was told on Friday.

"Withdrawal requests from subscribers under the new pension scheme will be accepted online only for processing and settlement," Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority had on February 25, 2015 made it mandatory to process withdrawal claims of subscribers on the online platform of the central record-keeping agency system from April 1, 2015.

"It was, however, observed that majority of withdrawal requests were still being received in physical form resulting in delay in processing of claims of subscribers," Sinha said.

The regulator has hence decided that from April 1, 2016 the agency will accept only such withdrawal requests raised on online platform for processing and settlement.
Rome, March 11 : The Italian police on Friday arrested 19 officials, road contractors and a lawyer amid a widening probe into alleged corruption at the state-owned road construction agency ANAS.

A finance police statement announcing Friday's operation did not specify if the suspects had been taken to prison or put under house arrest.

A Rome preliminary investigations judge referred to "widespread rottenness in one of the most visible public bodies in the economic sector of (public) contracts" in the warrant issued for Friday's arrests.

More than 250 finance police in Rome raided over 50 locations and seized assets worth some 800,000 euros linked to the 19 suspects as party of the probe in which a conservative lawmaker is said to be under investigation.

The lawmaker is said to be 53-year-old Marco Martinelli from ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia opposition party. He is a member of the lower house of the Italian parliament's public works committee.

Friday's arrests follow an operation in October in which a former junior minister for transport, Luigi Meduri, five ANAS employees, a lawyer and three road-building entrepreneurs were either jailed or put under house arrest.

The suspects face various charges including corruption and vote-buying, according to Rome prosecutors spearheading the investigation.

Meduri, a member of the ruling centre-left Democratic Party, was undersecretary for transport in 2006-2008 and also served as a national lawmaker and governor of the southern region of Calabria.
Kolkata, March 11 : West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress on Friday promised mobile health units in the hills, forests and mining zones, setting up of a Sanskrit Board, winter clothing for students, and construction of more madrasas in its manifesto for the upcoming state assembly pols.

The 146-page document, released by Chief Minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee during the day, pledged to set up an Industrial Investment Fund to promote and regulate industrialisation, and wi-fi connectivity across colleges and universities and a number of district towns.

In health sector, the party also promised to open more specialist clinics at district government hospitals, and set up 11 more super-speciality hospitals.

In the field of education, the party said it plans to incorporate the writings of great scholars, philosophers and thinkers of Bengal in the syllabi, distribute shoes to students from classes 5 to 8, introduce computers in every school, and make available texts pertaining to the curriculum in the internet.

Turning to the industrial sector, the manifesto said industries based on natural gas could be initiated with urgency once the state obtained a steady supply of natural gas.

Extensive implementation of CNG driven transportation, a 'House for All', registration of the workings of the panchayats through the geo-tagging system and mobile networks, taking up of farmer welfare programmes, providing primary computer training to government-funded madrasa students and elevation of madrasas to higher secondary level were among the other pledges in the Trinamool manifesto.

The manifesto was printed in five languages - Hindi, English, Bengali, Urdu and Santhali.

"We have lot of new programmes and plans which will complement the development initiatives taken since we came to power in 2011," said Banerjee.

She said 80 percent of the infrastructural work undertaken by her government was complete.

"Since we are in government, we can't say anything we feel like. We have to be responsible."

Banerjee claimed she has fulfilled all the promises made in her party's manifesto ahead of the 2011 assembly polls.

"The only exception is Singur, where our government came up with a bill to return land to those farmers from whom land had been forcibly taken by the erstwhile Left Front government", she said refering to the Tata Nano project, which had to be aborted following a sustained peasants agitiation led by her party in 2006-2008.

"But our bill was challenged by some people and the matter is still pending before the court. We are waiting for the court verdict. Till that time, we will continue to give foodgrains to the famrmers at Rs.2 per kilo."

Banerjee announced that her party would hold protest rallies in every block of the state on March 14, in remembrance of the martyrs who died in police firing at Nandigram of East Midnapore district in 2007.

She herself will lead a rally in the north Bengal town of Siliguri.

To a query from the media, Banerjee said though her government would highlight development work done during the Trinamool regime, the "unethical alliance" between the Congress and the Left Front will also be raised.

"Why should I spare people who are slandering us? We will reply to them. Do you want us to let their political campaign go unchallenged? I will say day in and day out that the alliance is unethical."
Kolkata, March 11 : With their ongoing seat adjustment talks hitting a roadblock, Left Front spearhead CPI-M and the Congress leaders held a fresh round of discussions on Friday night to resolve the disputes.

Matters came to a head on Thursday, after the LF came up with its second list of 84 candidates. It has so far announced 203 candidates including two each of associate parties Janata Dal-United and Rashtriya Janata Dal, while the Congress has announced 75 seats that it has earmarked for contesting, though it is yet to declare the candidates.

The bone of contention lies in 16 seats which feature on the list of both parties. Eight of the contentious seats are in Murshidabad district, considered the base of state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

Three senior Congress leaders Abdul Mannan, Pradip Bhattacharya and Somen Mitra went to the office of the Communist Party of India-Marxist's Bengali mouthpiece Ganashakti on Friday night and held talks with CPI-M state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra and secretariat member Rabin Deb.

Mitra said the differences have been narrowed down.

"We have held discussions with empathy. The differences have narrowed down," said the former state Congress chief as he came out after the discussions and exuded confidence that the problems would be resolved.

Menwhile, a CPI-M central committee member Shyamal Chakraborty said in a situation where the Trinamool stood to gain in a big way due to friendly fights between the Congress and the LF, one of the parties needed to withdraw.

Congress chief Chowdhury, who had threatened to contest all the seats if the dialogues proved futile, seemed to have softened his stand.

"The tie-up will not suffer. Our understanding is very much on. We may have some friendly fights. I know the CPI-M has lot of compulsions, as it has to placate so many LF partners," he said.
London, March 12 : Mary Cameron, mother of British Prime Minister David Cameron, has challenged government policies of public sector cuts applied by her son, feeling "very sad" for the end of a children's centre at a town administered by the Conservatives, to which her son belongs.

The statement was published by the Daily Mirror, after the city of West Berkshire just outside London, decided to close the doors of Chieveley and Area Children's Centre, where she works as a volunteer.

The mother of the prime minister said she feels sorry for this decision but admitted that "if there's not enough money to pay for it things have to go".

Cameron's government has set tough cuts in public spending, especially in the areas of social welfare, seeking to reduce the high deficit.
Los Angeles, March 12 : Cesar Millan, the star of the Nat Geo Wild series "Dog Whisperer", is under investigation over allegations of animal cruelty.

The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control major case unit visited Cesar's dog psychology center in Santa Clarita, California on Thursday to launch the investigation, reports tmz.com.

The visit came after the department was flooded with complaints following the February 26 episode of "Cesar 911". In the show, Milan used a method to stop a French Bulldog named Simon from attacking other dogs.

He then put a pig during the training so that the dog wouldn't get hurt if it performed some aggressive actions. Unfortunately, the dog bit the poor pig's ear and it started to bleed.

Later on Thursday, a representative for Nat Geo Wild released a statement to defend Milan.

"The pig that was nipped by Simon was tended to immediately afterward, healed quickly and showed no lasting signs of distress," the statement read.

According to Nat Geo Wild, Milan managed to curb Simon's behavioural problems and helped the dog overcome his aggression.

"As a result, Simon did not have to be separated from his owner or euthanised," the statement continued.
What do pathologists and medical laboratory professionals need to know about the Zika virus? Michael Diamond, MD, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Molecular Microbiology and Pathology Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, talked about the tests used to diagnose the Zika virus in a recent Q&A interview with Kelly Swails, MT(ASCP), Web Editor of ASCPs Lab Medicine. To listen to the interview via podcast, go to http://labmed.oxfordjournals.org/page/zika-virus-podcast.

ASCP is always looking out for pathologists and laboratory professionals. This educational podcast will provide our members with the knowledge they need, Ms. Swails says. We need to be on the forefront of the epidemic. If it spreads the way that health experts think it might, pathologists and lab professionals need to be prepared for it.

Currently, there is no vaccine or medication to prevent the Zika virus. Outbreaks have been reported in many countries, particularly in the Americas, and health officials anticipate the virus will continue to spread and it will be difficult to determine how and where the virus will spread over time. Areas affected by Zika virus outbreaks have also reported an increased incidence of birth defects and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

There are a few different tests used to diagnose the virus. The gold standard of testing for the Zika virusisolating the virusis done at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and some federal labs. Most other labs lack the facilities and expertise to do this reliably, according to Dr. Diamond.

Really, were dealing with two other types of tests, he says. One looks for the viral RNA. The sequence these viruses have of their RNA is unique. You can detect that sequence using specialized tests to amplify the viral RNA.

This test works when someone has active RNA in their blood or other fluid health officials may be testing. The test is quite specific, but there is a narrow window when an individual might have the virus in a particular bodily fluid, in this case the blood. So you may still be infected, but you may not have a lot of virus in the blood and you may not detect it. If you do detect it, its a very specific test and gives you a secure diagnosis, Dr. Diamond says.

The other test detects antibodies against the virus. An individuals immune system responds to the virus and generates antibodies. This happens after the phase when the virus is in the blood. Over a period of time, you transition from being RNA positive and antibody negative to RNA negative and antibody positive, Dr. Diamond says.

The challenge with the antibody test is that there is significant cross-reactivity with other viruses that circulate globally, such as dengue. In places such as Brazil, Central and South America, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, there is a high prevalence of dengue, and so it is difficult to distinguish if a patients antibodies were generated in response to an acute Zika infection, an acute Dengue infection, or a current Zika infection, but having been infected with Dengue in the past. We need better diagnostic reagents which will be able better distinguish those, Dr. Diamond says. There are some tests that can be done that could give you a pretty definitive answer, but many times, its equivocal and so were not certain using antibody of serologic-based test.

What are the next steps for pathologists and lab professionals? There are a number of public and private sector groups that are trying to generate new tests, Dr. Diamond says. The other thing is to be aware for detection in the blood supply and monitor it very carefully. Think of the diagnosis. Whether youre in a pathology lab in a certain part of the country which may not be a Zika epidemic but you have travelers going back and forth (to areas where the Zika virus is prevalent), and if you see a clinical history that is suspicious for the Zika virus but lab tests have not been ordered, ask if they have considered this diagnosis. Have an open dialogue with clinicians and let them know what we know.

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At its annual International Conference today the Captive Insurance Companies Association(CICA) honored longtime outstanding captive tax and legal expert P. Bruce Wright with the 2016 CICA Distinguished Service Award, and recognized Pleiades Insurance Co. Ltd. with the 2016 CICA Outstanding Captive Award.

The Distinguished Service Award was created to recognize individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to advancing the captive insurance industry. P. Bruce Wright is one of the foremost authorities on captive insurance tax and legal issues, and has shared his knowledge generously at virtually every captive insurance industry event over the course of several decades. Wright became involved with captive insurance early in his career and his enthusiasm and passion for problem solving and helping the captive industry remain evident in his work. It has been interesting working with people in different industries, that all have similar dealings with governmental entities. There have been some interesting outcomes and helping organizations work through them has been fun, Wright said.

He has been recognized by a number of captive domiciles for his contributions to the captive industry and has been named in the top 10 of the Captive Review Power 50 since its inception. Wright has served on the CICA/VCIA Joint Tax Advisory Committee for many years and has advised CICA leadership on breaking tax issues. In addition, he has been a mainstay of the CICA International Conference Tax Update session for many years. Mr. Wright is a partner at the law firm of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan, LLP with his principal office in New York City. He is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School and holds an LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center. He has also received his CPCU designation.

The Outstanding Captive Award is presented to a captive insurance company or risk retention group that has shown creative uses for a captive, been successful in managing the captive in terms of net results and usefulness to its owners, has prevailed over difficult times or situations, and has gained acceptance, recognition, and a positive reputation among rating agencies, regulators and colleagues in the captive industry.

Pleiades Insurance Co. Ltd. is wholly owned by Subaru of America, Inc. and was incorporated in Bermuda in 1988. During its 27 years of operation, Pleiades has consistently responded to the needs of Subaru, growing both the range of insurance business written and its value to its shareholders. Mary Harrington, Pleiades director and vice president, attributes Pleiades success to the companys value for thinking outside the box and commitment to Pleiades as an integral part of the business. The captive is an integral part of our risk management program and were always looking for new ways to use it, Harrington said. She has been involved with Pleiades since its incorporation in 1988 and says creativity has helped them to expand their captive, which even provides coverage for customers. Originally Pleiades provided only auto liability, workers compensation, general liability, and product liability coverages. Over the years, Pleiades has increased both lines of coverage and premium volumes. It now writes coverages for Subaru dealerships, along with mechanical/extended warranty lines of business, along with other business lines and employee benefit coverages. Pleiades has been inducted into the Bermuda Captive Hall of Fame.

About the Captive Insurance Companies Association (CICA)

CICA is the only global domicile-neutral captive insurance association. CICA is committed to providing the best source of unbiased information, knowledge, and leadership for captive insurance decision makers. CICA is your advocate around the world, key to the captive industry and the resource for captive best practices.
LeadiD, the company bringing consumer journey insights to marketers, today announced that it has won top accolades from the 2016 LeadsCouncil LEADER awards for the fourth consecutive year. The company was recognized with the Gold award for Best Compliance Company in the Mortgage vertical and the Silver award for Most Valuable Technology in the Education vertical.

The LEADER awards are selected in an open voting process by our industry peers and partners, so recognition is especially meaningful, said Ross Shanken, LeadiD Founder and CEO. This years accolades underscore the important work were doing to deliver actionable insight on consumer behavior in order to improve sales outcomes.

LeadiD helps marketers identify engaged, in-market consumers while deepening their understanding of the attributes that predict conversion success. With this data-driven insight, organizations can fine tune overall marketing strategy and spend and better manage customer acquisition costs.

The LEADER awards recognize companies that are working to change the industry for the better," said Glenn Tanner, Chief Marketing Officer at ITT Educational Services, Inc. That LeadiD has now been recognized for four consecutive years is a testament to the commitment and positive impact that LeadiD continues to have on brands and publishers alike. ITT Technical Institute highly values the contribution that LeadiD is making to improve practices in our sector.

LeadiDs TCPA solution supports marketers that directly dial consumers by precisely identifying lead-specific, non-compliant consumer data or behavior that can result in costly privacy violations. The companys TCPA Compliance with Visual Playback solution monitors and audits leads in real time, while ensuring compliance with evolving consumer privacy regulations such as the Federal Communications Commissions (FCCs) Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). LeadiDs TCPA compliance solutions have become a critical tool in protecting our business and the consumers that we serve, added Todd Jones, President, Retail Mortgage at BBMC Mortgage.

"LeadiDs recognition by peers is an indication of just how important its becoming to harness the most meaningful data for driving sales, said Michael Ferree, Director, LeadsCouncil. On behalf of the LeadsCouncil community, we congratulate LeadiD on continuing to break ground in compliance and buyer behavior analytics.

About LeadiD

LeadiD is the consumer journey insight platform that provides marketers with the highest-resolution view of the consumer buying journey. It is the only technology platform that witnesses both the first- and third-party consumer interactions and enables marketers to shorten the distance between data and decision making. LeadiD seamlessly integrates with any consumer journey decisioning process, and its comprehensive AppMarketplace offers plug-and-play solutions for TCPA compliance, fraud detection, data validation, scoring, and more.

About LeadsCouncil

As the largest independent industry organization focused on online lead generation, LeadsCouncil was created to promote best practices for online lead generation and customer acquisition, develop industry-specific research, and foster education and networking in the lead generation industry. Its members are comprised of consumer-facing organizations that buy leads, lead sellers and lead technology companies.
Barta Media Group, http://www.bartamediagroup.com, today announced the acquisition of Blue Key Interactive, http://www.bluekeyinteractive.com, a move that doubles the digital marketing company and positions it for future growth.

Blue Key, a Duluth-based internet marketing startup, specializes in web design, web and mobile apps, search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising, all designed to increase online sales. The companys founder, Macrae Cain, has a master's degree in Internet Technology and eight years of digital marketing experience with brands such as Huddle House, HiFi Buys, AMES Tools, and FirstData.

Blue Key and Barta Media Group have complementary areas of expertise, said Jason Barta, founder and chief executive officer. Together we can serve more clients and continue the companys strong growth trajectory.

Barta Media Group doubled in size from 2012 to 2015, and once again with the acquisition of Blue Key, which has seen rapid growth and success since opening its doors in March of 2014. Blue Key is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barta Media Group.

The agency garners exposure and new business for its clients through a full suite of traditional and digital marketing services and web presence management. Most of our clients think of us as a business partner and entrust us with all of their marketing needs, Barta said.

Among its roster of domestic and international clients spanning Canada, Germany, Romania, the Bahamas and the Southeast are Atlanta Office Liquidators, Guilford Clinics and Medical Aesthetics at Guilford.

Cains new title is partner and chief operating officer of Barta Media Group. All employees are being retained and the company is seeking additional sales professionals who have experience in design, marketing or technology. Barta Media is also looking to acquire more brands in the next few years.

The two companies coexist at 3675 Crestwood Parkway, Suite #400, Duluth, Ga. 30096.

About Barta Media Group, https://youtu.be/_rJYbC3i7ZE

Barta Media Group garners greater exposure and new business for domestic and international clients through a full suite of traditional and digital marketing services and web presence management, including: web design and development; business analysis and market research; search engine optimization (SEO), mobile apps, social media; radio, billboard, direct mail and pay-per-click advertising and video production. Headquartered in Duluth, Ga., along with its wholly owned subsidiary, Blue Key Interactive, the company was founded in 2007 and employs 12.
Naomi Feil We are proud of our extensive work with Ms. Feil to help educate our staff and associate businesses to better work with and create a much higher quality of life for our memory care residents across the country and in China.

Meridian Senior Living, LLC is proud to announce two life-changing opportunities to experience and learn from Naomi Feil, Founder of the Validation Training Institute, how to communicate with and reach cognitively impaired individuals. The first of these events will be held April 12, 9am to 3pm, at the Janet Goeske Foundation and Senior Center, located at 5257 Sierra Street in Riverside, California. This event is proudly co-sponsored by Alzheimers Greater Los Angeles, the Janet Goeske Foundation, and Meridian Senior Living and will be filmed before a live audience. The second event will be held April 14, from 9am to 3pm, at Alzheimers Orange County on 2515 McCabe Way in Irvine, California. This event is proudly sponsored by Alzheimers Orange County and Meridian Senior Living. Both events offer CEUs.

Naomi Feil, born in Munich in 1932, grew up in the Montefiore Home for the Aged in Cleveland, Ohio where her father was administrator and her mother was head of Social Services. After graduating with a Masters degree in Social Work from Columbia University, Naomi began working with the elderly. Between 1963 and 1980, Mrs. Feil developed Validation as a response to her dissatisfaction with traditional methods of working with severely disoriented elderly people.

Validation is a method of communicating with and helping disoriented old people. It is a practical way of communicating that helps reduce stress, enhance dignity and promote happiness. Validation is built on an empathetic approach and holistic view of individuals where you step into their shoes and see through their eyes to understand the meaning of their often bizarre behaviors. This method allows seniors the opportunity to express, both verbal and non-verbal, their feelings and needs, often having been suppressed for years. Please see this video (Click here) to better understand and observe first-hand Validation therapy.

Feil founded the Validation Training Institute (VTI) in 1983 and, as Executive Director of VTI, has traveled the world, including Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, France, Belgium, Italy, Great Britain, Austria, and most recently in China on behalf of Meridian Senior Living, to share her experience and Validation method with people from all walks of life. VTI, a U.S.-based, not-for-profit organization with a professional Board of Directors, has progressively developed certification levels, training programs, and formed a network of national and regional Validation organizations to disseminate information, train interested individuals, and maintain the spirit of Validation.

We are proud of our extensive work with Ms. Feil to help educate our staff and associate businesses to better work with and create a much higher quality of life for our memory care residents across the country and in China, says Kevin Carlin, Principal and Chief Sales Officer. We are committed to enriching the lives of seniors and continue to actively support our memory care communities through education and proven staff training.

For more information on these very special events, you may contact Maria Kauten, California Regional Marketing Director for Meridian Senior Living at mkauten(at)meridiansenior(dot)com or via phone at 714.906.4659.

About Meridian Senior Living:

Meridian Senior Living, LLC owns and operates senior housing communities across the United States and in China. With more than 10,000 beds, Meridian is currently the fifth largest assisted living provider and the third largest memory care provider in the United States.
Health professionals who provide gynecologic care to children and adolescents are gathering April 7-9, 2016, in Toronto, Canada, for the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (NASPAG) 30th Annual Clinical and Research Meeting. At this event they will share research and clinical recommendations to improve the care they provide their patients. Obstetricians, gynecologists, pediatricians, nurses and mental health professionals will participate in workshops and lectures to learn about topics such as early onset puberty, hypothalamic amenorrhea, treating transgender patients, surgical emergencies and many more.

The Annual Clinical and Research Meeting is NASPAGs primary annual meeting. The event is one way NASPAG fulfills its mission of providing a forum for education, research and communication among health professionals who provide gynecologic care to children and adolescents. The annual meeting is the one big chance during the year for professionals dedicated to the care of pediatric and adolescent girls to interact face-to-face to share breakthroughs and information related to their area of expertise, says Dr. Joe Sanfilippo, NASPAG Executive Director. Its a special time for NASPAG. Its where attendees get inspired to go back to their local cities and towns to continue caring for a special group of patients.

NASPAG energizes its audienceour members and meeting attendees, says Dr. Ellen Rome, NASPAG President. At the meeting and after, we are inspired to prevent more teen pregnancies through acquired skills, to be the transformative change in a young girls life, to empower young people and their families to improve their health and wellness. New attendees will share our energy, our passion and our skills when they come to Toronto.

We are very lucky to be celebrating the 30th anniversary of NASPAG this year in Toronto, says Dr. Sari Kives, Program Chair for the meeting. We have created what I believe to be a very well-rounded and diverse program. I look forward to seeing both new and familiar faces in April.

The Annual Clinical and Research Meeting is being held at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto. The hotel is located in the heart of Canadas largest metropolis, which offers an exciting mix of activities and attractions. The NASPAG meeting includes several social events, including a Wine and Cheese Welcome Reception on Thursday, April 7 and an early morning Fun Run on Saturday, April 9.

About NASPAG

The North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (NASPAG), founded in 1986, is dedicated to conducting and encouraging programs of medical education in the field of pediatric and adolescent gynecology. NASPAGs focus is to provide a forum for education, research and communication among health professionals who provide gynecologic care to children and adolescents. It supports professional training programs in pediatric and adolescent gynecology and promotes collaboration among health care professionals on issues related to pediatric and adolescent gynecology.

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Additional Information

Visit NASPAGs website at http://www.naspag.org

Follow NASPAG on Twitter @NASPAG

Search Twitter hashtag #NASPAG2016
The University of Maryland, Baltimore Countys (UMBC) Professional Graduate Programs will hold an Information Session on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. to provide participants with an in-depth look at the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Masters and Graduate Certificate programs offered at The University at Shady Grove in Rockville, Maryland. Interested students are encouraged to attend to receive information on admissions, curriculum, job outlook, and meet faculty and staff. Prospective students can learn more by visiting: http://umbc.edu/shadygrove/gis.

The applications of GIS are limited only by the imaginations of their users, says Dr. Erwin Villager, UMBC GIS Program Director. What I want my students coming out with is a fundamental understanding of how this technology can be used and how it can be applied. Really, it provides them a skillset where they can go out and solve any problem.

With an estimated growth rate of 35-40 percent per year, Geographical Information Science is one of the fastest expanding areas in information technology. The GIS job market is in need of qualified and experienced professionals to help design, implement, operate and manage geographic information systems.

If you interested in attending the upcoming GIS Information Session to find out how a Masters Degree from UMBC can help you get ahead in an ever-increasing field, please RSVP Today http://umbc.edu/shadygrove/gis/infosession.

About UMBC at The Universities at Shady Grove

The Universities at Shady Grove (USG), located in Rockville, MD, is a consortium of nine universities within the University System of Maryland. UMBC, a public Honors University, is among the institutions at USG. Like students on the UMBC main campus, more than 360 UMBC Shady Grove students benefit from small class size (average of 18), close faculty-student collaborations, and a diverse student population. USG is conveniently located in Montgomery County, a Washington D.C. suburb close to many government agencies, contractors and major healthcare organizations. For more information, visit: umbc.edu/shadygrove.
Jessica Wohl

Thinking ahead for appropriate care for aging loved ones is not usually a common conversation that comes up in day to day discussion. Most people never even consider it until theyre forced to. Oftentimes, there is a sudden event that causes the need to look outside the family for help with a loved ones care. Acti-Kare Responsive In-Home Care of Central Coast Orange County is positioned to fulfill those needs, whether its something as simple as occasional transportation to appointments, companion and homemaking services, all the way up to full non-medical personal care attention. The perception that many people have when they think about a caregiver coming into their home is that its only for people who need help with all aspects of daily living. Rarely is that the case, says Jessica Wohl, Area Director. Our caregivers at Acti-Kare know the importance of remaining as active and independent as long as possible and, to the extent that we can, help assist clients in maintaining their activities of daily living. In many cases, that means starting care early while the client can still be an active part of their own care plan. This gives them time to get used to their caregiver and find comfort in knowing that Acti-Kare is a consistent and reliable part of their life if the time comes when more assistance is needed.

Jessica was born, raised and has lived in Newport Beach, California for 36 years. She holds her Business Management and Operations Management degree from the California State University Long Beach and worked in finance for thirteen years. From a very young age Jessica has always thoroughly enjoyed spending time with seniors and volunteering at local retirement homes. She has volunteered countless hours of her time towards senior care and spent over a year taking care of her grandmother who was suffering from spinal cancer. This is where her passion for seniors was born.

Wohl tells us, My lifelong dream has been to own and operate an in-home care business. Much of her inspiration comes from her aunt, who has had Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for 35 years and requires a 24/7 live-in caregiver. Choosing a caregiver was a very important decision for her family as it required building significant trust and confidence in someone other than a family member. This process helped her to know exactly how she wanted to run her own business. After researching multiple opportunities, she chose Acti-Kare because they shared her same morals, values, and methods. They were the only company whose business model focused on keeping seniors mind and body active. I truly believes keeping seniors mentally, physically and socially active is KEY to their well-being, Wohl states.

Acti-Kare has created Acti-Vate, a revolutionary program that helps battle fatigue in many seniors. Seeing clients enjoying hobbies or interests that they havent been able to in years because of a highly trained Acti-Kare caregiver assisting them is incredibly rewarding. states Jessica.

There is no one size fits all when it comes to home care, which is why great attention to detail and time goes into understanding and assessing an individuals needs. Its important to incorporate a customized care plan in a manner that is comfortable for the client, their family and the caregiver. It didnt take Jessica long to decide to bring Acti-Kare to the Central Coast Orange County area.

With 8,000 people turning 65 every single day in the United States there is a growing shift in the traditional aging model. Now, more than ever, seniors are choosing to age in place, and that usually means remaining in a private home or independent living community as long as possible. Jessica states, We know people are happiest and most comfortable in their own homes. Were thrilled to know that we can play such a critical part in helping maintain their quality of life, comfort, and peace of mind. Weve seen firsthand that it not only makes life better for our clients, but their extended family as well.

Jessicas location serves Central Coast Orange County including the Corona del Mar, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Surfside and Sunset Beach areas.
With access to data from tens of thousands of past patients, radiation oncologists can make highly informed treatment decisions and offer personalized treatment plans for future patients.

Oncora Medical, a Philadelphia-based digital health startup, received $1.2M in seed financing. Oncora operates in the radiation oncology space and is developing software to improve the way doctors treat cancer with radiation. Investors in the round include San Francisco-based iSeed Ventures, Philadelphia-based BioAdvance, and well-known medical physicist and entrepreneur, Dr. Thomas Rock Mackie. Proceeds from the financing will be used to establish a world-class engineering team in Oncoras Philadelphia headquarters and complete early product installations with leading health systems.

David Lindsay and Chris Berlind founded Oncora in 2014 to help radiation oncologists access, organize, and learn from past radiation treatment data. Radiation is an important part of treatment for two-thirds of cancer patients. Currently, physicians have no way of integrating data from past treatments into their decision making process. Meanwhile, patients receiving radiation are suffering from potentially avoidable negative side effects. Oncoras software platform harnesses this valuable data and arms doctors with powerful tools to create personalized treatments for future patients.

When asked how the technology will improve care for patients, Lindsay explains: With access to data from tens of thousands of past patients, radiation oncologists can make highly informed treatment decisions and offer personalized treatment plans for future patients. These treatments will minimize the risk of toxicities while maximizing the chance for a cure. This is a big step towards personalized oncology care.

Support for Oncora in Philadelphia is widespread. Oncora is a great example of Philadelphias growing digital health ecosystem, said Gary Kurtzman, MD, Managing Director, Healthcare at Safeguard Scientifics (NYSE:SFE), who is joining Oncoras board of directors as chairman. David brought Oncora as a project to my healthcare entrepreneurship class at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania last spring and continued to develop the project afterwards by joining the Dreamit Health Accelerator. David has also received support from Wharton Entrepreneurship, Penn HealthX, First Round Capitals Dorm Room Fund, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, and the University City Science Centers Digital Health Accelerator. The current round of funding represents strong additional support for the Oncora platform.

About Oncora Medical

Oncora Medical is a healthtech startup in Philadelphia. Founded by David Lindsay and Chris Berlind, Oncora applies machine learning to radiation therapy data to improve quality of life for cancer patients. Oncora is supported by iSeed Ventures, BioAdvance, and others. Oncora is also a participant in the University City Science Centers Digital Health Accelerator and is supported by the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA, an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development funded by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority. More info is available at oncoramedical.com.
ServerMonkey, a leading distributor of new and refurbished IT hardware, is now an IAITAM Provider Member. IAITAM, short for International Association of Information Technology Asset Managers, allows ServerMonkey to demonstrate its commitment to the IT Asset Management profession.

IAITAM is a globally recognized membership that offers high quality benefits and expertise to members in the industry. The organization provides a common base of understanding as well as opportunities for its members to expand on opportunities in IT Asset Management.

By becoming a member of IAITAM, ServerMonkey hopes to join other members of the IT industry in monitoring IT assets and educating others of the benefits of IT Asset Management.

About ServerMonkey- ServerMonkey (http://www.servermonkey.com) provides new and pre-owned IT hardware including servers, networking equipment, workstations, laptops and desktops. Customers of all sizes, both small and large enterprise, utilize our trained engineers and technicians to conduct on-site services on a global scale.

ServerMonkeys value-added datacenter services include IT Asset Decommission and Disposition, Asset Recovery and Spare Parts Harvesting, Kitting, and other customized programs designed to improve ROI on IT hardware. Our OHSAS 18001:2007, ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004 certified headquarters is located in Houston, Texas, and we ship internationally through hubs in Amsterdam and Hong Kong.
Smart Clinic beat out 48 other hopefuls to advance to the 2016 Venture Madness finals, and compete for their share of the $100,000 in cash prizes. Venture Madness 2016, presented by Invest Southwest in partnership with the Arizona Commerce Authority, pitted 64 of the most promising startups against one another in a bracket-style, head-to-head competition. After two online elimination rounds in which the advancing companies were chosen by a selection panel, the top 16 companies advanced to the live-demo portion of the contest at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, AZ.

With a majority of the final 16 companies all focusing on the healthcare industry, and the final 4 being exclusively healthcare related, the need for purposeful innovation in the healthcare industry is clear. Its in this industry that Smart Clinic looks to make an impact, through better communication and engagement, with both the doctor and the patient.

"Venture Madness was a tremendous learning and networking experience, giving us an opportunity to share our product with fellow presenters and potential investors. Our amazing team of mentors helped us craft our presentation into a clear, concise message, and the overwhelmingly positive attention we received reinforces the true viability of our product which aims to bring clear communication back to healthcare." - Robert Backie, CEO, Smart Clinic

Potential investors at Venture Madness were given a clear picture of the healthcare industry and how it naturally lends itself to new business startups, where the room for improvement is vast, and the potential for success is even greater. Smart Clinic, founded by a Gastroenterologist, positions itself to be a single pane of glass for all pre and post visit, doctor and patient communications.

About Smart Clinic:

Founded by Gastroenterologist, Paul J. Berggreen, MD - Smart Clinic is a physician office controlled and directed communication tool that allows effective and confirmable two-way communication with patients through their mobile device. It can be used by the patient for one clinic, or for as many physicians as each patient has, thereby serving as a unified smart phone application that can function as a single source patients use to communicate and receive messages from all of their physicians, dentists, and other health professionals.

http://www.smartclinicapp.com
Light therapy decreased depressive symptoms and normalized circadian rhythms among cancer survivors, according to new research from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai presented today at the American Psychosomatic Society in Denver, CO.

Researchers from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Northwestern University in Chicago, University of Iowa, University of California in San Diego and Reykjavik University in Iceland randomly divided 54 cancer survivors into a bright white light or a dim red light group. Participants were provided with a light box and asked to use it for 30 minutes every morning for four weeks. Depressive symptoms and circadian activity rhythms were measured before, during and three months after completing the light exposures to determine the effectiveness of light therapy.

Depressive symptoms are common among cancer survivors even years after treatment has ended, said Heiddis Valdimarsdottir, PhD, Associate Professor of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and lead author of the study. This interferes with overall quality of life and puts survivors at risk for poor outcomes including death.

Patients exposed to the bright light experienced improvement in depressive symptoms while those exposed to the dim red light experienced no change in symptoms.

Our findings suggest light therapy, a rather non-invasive therapy, may provide an innovative way to decrease depression among cancer survivors, said William Redd, PhD, Professor of Oncological Sciences at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and co-author of the study.

Most patients face some degree of depression, anxiety, and fear when cancer becomes part of their lives. According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 4 people with cancer have clinical depression.

The good news is that depression can be treated, and bright light therapy is a potentially effective new treatment option, said Dr. Valdimarsdottir.

About the Mount Sinai Health System

The Mount Sinai Health System is an integrated health system committed to providing distinguished care, conducting transformative research, and advancing biomedical education. Structured around seven hospital campuses and a single medical school, the Health System has an extensive ambulatory network and a range of inpatient and outpatient servicesfrom community-based facilities to tertiary and quaternary care.

The System includes approximately 6,100 primary and specialty care physicians; 12 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 140 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. Physicians are affiliated with the renowned Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which is ranked among the highest in the nation in National Institutes of Health funding per investigator. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked as one of the nations top 10 hospitals in Geriatrics, Cardiology/Heart Surgery, and Gastroenterology, and is in the top 25 in five other specialties in the 2015-2016 Best Hospitals issue of U.S. News & World Report. Mount Sinais Kravis Childrens Hospital also is ranked in seven out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked 11th nationally for Ophthalmology, while Mount Sinai Beth Israel is ranked regionally.

For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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Vincent L. DiTommaso and Peter S. Lubin have been selected as 2016 Illinois Super Lawyers in the areas of Business Litigation and Class Action Law. No more than 5% of attorneys in Illinois receive this honor each year. This marks the sixth straight year both co-founders of DiTommaso-Lubin have been selected for this honor.

Two additional DiTommaso-Lubin attorneys, Patrick D. Austermuehle and Andrew C. Murphy, have been selected as Illinois Rising Stars for the second straight year in the areas of Business Litigation and Class Action Law. Rising Stars are selected from attorneys under the age of 40 who have been practicing for less than 10 years. No more than 2.5% of Illinois attorneys are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor each year.

Super Lawyers recognizes outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. The result is a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys. The Super Lawyers lists are published nationwide in and in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers across the country.

Vincent DiTommaso and Peter Lubin founded DiTommaso-Lubin in 1987. Over the years, DiTommaso-Lubin has earned a reputation as one Chicagos most well-respected complex business litigation and class action firms. DiTommaso-Lubin has successfully represented technology companies, software developers, distributors, manufacturers, doctors, business owners, and partners in matters involving partnership and physician group disputes, copyright and trademark claims, non-compete agreements, and employment litigation. DiTommaso-Lubin has served as lead or co-lead counsel in hundreds of contested or settlement class actions in Illinois and across the country delivering numerous multi-million dollar settlements or judgments. DiTommaso-Lubin also has the unique distinction of having extensive experience in class action defense as well. The attorneys at DiTommaso-Lubin have defended large and small companies in large class-action lawsuits involving hundreds of millions of dollars in claimed damages.

DiTommaso-Lubins excellence has not gone unnoticed. DiTommaso-Lubin was named as the first DuPage County "Law Firm of the Year" award recipient and Crains Chicago Business recognized DiTommaso-Lubin for obtaining the second highest settlement in Illinois in 2004 in the Erickson v. SBC class action. For more information about DiTommaso-Lubin, P.C., visit http://www.ditommasolaw.com.
Hope For Three Weekend wants to support families living with the rising epidemic of autism.

Announced today, Hope For Three and the Santikos Palladium Theater will partner to host Hope For Three Weekend, a massive three-day series of events addressing the issues of autism, in Houston, April 21-24. April marks National Autism Awareness Month, a growing concern in the country as one in 45 children are now diagnosed on the autism spectrum, according to The Center for Disease Control.

Hope For Three has created a weekend of support, information and fun for the autism community. Events will be held at the Santikos Palladium Theater off Grand Pkwy and W Belfort in Richmond. Anticipated attendance is approximately 1,500-2,000 guests over the course of the three-day event.

Hope For Three believes it is important to unite the entire community in one location to learn how we all can better support families living with the rising epidemic of autism spectrum disorder, said Hope For Three Executive Director Matt Jackson.

Through a legacy gift established by the late John L. Santikos, Santikos Theaters, a subsidiary of Santikos Enterprises, now operates as a social enterprise that exists for the sole purpose of supporting its local communities. Through donations, grants, sponsorships and in-kind giving, Santikos supports initiatives such as this and many more to help strengthen the community and enrich lives.

We are honored to partner with Hope For Three, said David Holmes, Santikos Enterprises CEO. This partnership embodies our commitment to actively support our local community. We invite the public to come out and support families and children with autism.

The Hope For Three Weekend will include the following:

Film Premiere

Thursday, April 21, 2016

A red carpet screening of the award winning, autism-related short film, Keep The Change. This invitation-only kickoff event will gather about 250 leaders in business and industry, government, medicine and media for a cocktail reception and show of this compelling movie.

State of Autism In Texas: A Family Forum

Saturday, April 23, 2016, 9-11 a.m.

The State of Autism In Texas: A Family Forum will assemble experts in the field of autism as it relates to education, insurance, treatment, government and law enforcement. Hope For Three organizers will moderate a lively and informative discussion around the issues of autism and its effects on the lives of individuals, families and our community. This event is free and open to the public. Registering online in advance guarantees participants a swag bag full of resources and information from local providers. Registration can be found at http://www.hopeforthree.org/event/forum/.

4th Annual Strike Out Autism

Sunday, April 24, 2016, 9 a.m.

Join the mayors of Fort Bend County and the community at large for the 4th Annual Strike Out Autism. This event is a celebration of the autism community through a family fun day, hosted for approximately 100 families with children on the autism spectrum. Families are asked to register in advance online at http://www.hopeforthree.org/event/strikeout-autism-2016/.

Hope For Three is still looking for and accepting sponsors for the weekend event. For more information on the weekend event and sponsorship opportunities, visit http://www.hopeforthree.org/events.

About Hope For Three

Hope For Three is a five year old nonprofit organization that addresses the urgent need to provide resources, support, including financial assistance to children with an autism disorder. Our primary purpose is to bridge the gap between families and providers so children have access to high-quality treatment at the earliest stage of life possible. The annual cost of care for a child with autism is around $60,000. We all know the financial stress that this can bring on any family, with the support of partners like Santikos Palladium we can make a difference in our families lives. Learn more about Hope For Three at http://www.hopeforthree.org.

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A.I.M. provides our customers added layers of defense and peace-of-mind that come from fewer fraudulent claims, improved quality of medical care for their injured workers and decreased overall work comp costs.

ICW Group Insurance Companies, a group of property and casualty carriers, announced today that it has developed a sophisticated proprietary analytic process to detect, deter and defeat workers compensation insurance fraud. This first-of-its-kind Analysis Investigation Module (A.I.M.) begins working to identify fraud immediately upon a claim submission, and predicts harmful trends that empower the companys special investigation unit (SIU) team to prevent deceit from impacting its customers businesses.

No other insurance company has an intuitive technology platform that moves faster than the speed of fraud, said Mike Bender, director of ICW Groups SIU. With predictive analytics, big data implementation and investigative experience, A.I.M. red-flags questionable behavior before it spreads like a virus.

Healthcare related workers compensation fraud costs the U.S. between $75 billion and $250 billion every year. Organized criminal enterprises use very sophisticated and complex schemes to perpetrate work comp fraud, causing catastrophic losses for businesses and their employees. No one tool met our standards, in terms of protecting our customersso we built our own, said Danny Engell, vice president of enterprise strategic planning and analytics at ICW Group.

Created by a consortium of innovative team members from ICW Groups actuarial, enterprise strategic planning and analytics, IT and claims departments, A.I.M. synthesizes more than 20 unique data sources, including proprietary claims information, national and state records, and industry archives. It uses this comprehensive insight as an astute investigative lens to examine every single claim submission, said Ying Huang, actuary at ICW Groupand one of A.I.M.s chief architects. Other antifraud tools only address part of the problem, and do not also specifically address our customers needs of reducing expenses, keeping employees healthy and getting injured workers back to work healthy, added Bender.

Organized criminal enterprises create teams of dishonest providers to bilk the system and abuse injured workers. Typically, these fraud rings are able to rake in millions of dollars for 5-10 years before they land on an insurance carriers radarall the while causing serious harm to injured workers with excess or unnecessary medical procedures, said Amanda Granger, vice president of work comp claims at ICW Group. A.I.M. provides our customers added layers of defense and peace-of-mind that come from fewer fraudulent claims, improved quality of medical care for their injured workers and decreased overall work comp costs.

The platform is already demonstrating impressive results. During beta, it:



Increased arrests, indictments and restitution on fraudulent claims

Decreased claims costs from fraudulent, questionable and suspicious claims

Identified and stopped organized criminal enterprises from attacking ICW Group and its customers

The A.I.M. platform will continue to evolve over time, explained Engell. Its fluid and continually updated with new industry trends, organized criminal behavior, laws and new analytic capabilities to identify fraud.

About ICW Group

Based in San Diego, ICW Group Insurance Companies is the largest privately held group of insurance companies domiciled in California. Quoting more than $3 billion annually, ICW Group represents a group of Property, Auto and Workers Compensation insurance carriers, including Insurance Company of the West and Explorer Insurance Company. ICW Group is recognized nationally as an industry leader in helping policyholders achieve fewer and less costly claims, and is committed to meeting the needs of its policyholders and elevating the trusted agents and brokers who advise them. More information is available at http://www.icwgroup.com, http://www.twitter.com/ICWGroup and http://www.facebook.com/ICWGroup.
Lithuanian journalist Ricardas Lapaitis  sitting alongside H.E. Jean Perrin, first French Ambassador to Azerbaijan  displayed disturbing photos of the Khojaly victims Khojaly was left to burn, but we must understand that conflicts disturb peaceful lives and remember our common humanity.

On 9 March, the multi-award-winning independent documentary Endless Corridor  a US/Lithuanian co-production  was shown at the long-established multi-disciplinary Parisian literary arts hub known as LEntrepot. The evening commemorated the victims of the Khojaly Massacre on 26 February 1992. This was the worst single atrocity of the ArmenianAzerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh and claimed the lives of 613 civilian victims in 1992. The death toll included 106 women, 63 children and 70 elderly people.

Attended by 70 Parisians from civil society and think-tanks, together with diplomats from the UNESCO Permanent delegations, including H.E. Anar Karimov, Head of the Permanent Azerbaijani Delegation to UNESCO, the screening was organised by the Paris branch of The European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS) under the auspices of the Justice for Khojaly campaign, in collaboration with Europa Film Akt (EFA). EFA is the organiser of the annual L'Europe autour de l'Europe festival, which regularly features the latest in Azerbaijani art cinema.

Following its international premiere throughout 2015, Endless Corridor, directed by Aleksandras Brokas, has attracted plaudits from critics across the world. It has received the Best Documentary and Best Director for a Documentary Prizes at the Tenerife International Film Festival in Madrid; the Best Documentary Editing Prize at the Milano International Filmmakers Festival; and in the prestigious US-based Accolade Global Film Competition, it achieved two awards  Best of Show in May 2015 and in January 2016 the Outstanding Achievement Award in the Accolade Humanitarian Awards 2015. It has also been screened on the pan-European Eurochannel, CNN Turk and TV 24 (Turkey) channels.

Marie-Laetitia Gourdin, Director, TEAS France, remarked: History is always the subject of debate and interpretation and, in a conflict, both parties are the victims. Tonights screening is not intended to increase tensions, but to develop awareness of the saddest chapter in the recent history of Azerbaijan. This territorial conflict with Armenia remains unresolved, and continues to have human consequences.

The tragedies of today should not cause us to forget those of yesterday. The millions of refugees seeking sanctuary today should not cause us to forget the approximately one million Azerbaijanis who have been waiting for more than 20 years to return to their lands that are still occupied by Armenian troops.

Their sufferings are real and documented. Let us achieve the path to justice and peace and realise that, only then, can Azerbaijan and Armenia fully and durably develop, after achieving harmony between neighbours.

Irina Bilic, Director, EFA, said: Tonights film contains some very emotional testimonies. This conflict is often covered in the films screened during the L'Europe autour de l'Europe festival, and needs the sincerity of artists to be adequately understood.

H.E. Jean Perrin, first French Ambassador to Azerbaijan from 199296, recalled the aftermath of the Khojaly Massacre saying: The Armenians used the Khojaly Massacre to terrorise and subdue Azerbaijan. I recall going to see some of the massacre survivors in the central hospital in Baku. Their injuries were not just those of war, and I will never forget what I viewed.

On the contact line, this is still a hot war that has continued for over 20 years. The Armenians are continuing to occupy Azerbaijani territory and words are insufficient to describe the sufferings of the refugees and IDPs. Soldiers are killed constantly, and despite four UN Security Council resolutions being passed against Armenia, nothing has been achieved. The negotiations continue through the OSCE Minsk Group, but Azerbaijan continues to suffer.

Lithuanian journalist Ricardas Lapaitis  an eyewitness to the massacre, whose return journey to Khojaly is central the film  vividly recalled: I was in Agdam in February 1992, immediately following the massacre and the collapse of the Soviet Union. There was an absence of medical expertise in Agdam, and I will never forget the injuries that I saw, many of which resulted in amputations.

My experiences changed my life and made me realise the value of becoming a journalist. Khojaly has been overlooked, yet it was an act of terrorism. Armenia and Azerbaijan must now work together through civil society to find a solution. Khojaly was left to burn, but we must understand that conflicts disturb peaceful lives and remember our common humanity.

The screening was followed by a lively question-and-answer session covering such subjects as the reasons why Endless Corridor has not been screened more in France to highlight the massacre and the conflict.

Despite the passing of four UN Security Council resolutions against the invasion, Armenia continues to occupy Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts to this day. Currently nearly 20 per cent of Azerbaijani territory remains occupied, and nearly one million refugees and internally displaced persons remain spread across Azerbaijan. The evening was dedicated to the memory of the Khojaly victims and those Azerbaijanis who have only one wish  to return home to live in peace with their neighbours.
The CRI-McGee, Miller & Co. merger positions CRI to continue to increase our physical availability so that we are even better able to conveniently meet this markets growing demands.

Conroe-based CPA firm McGee, Miller & Co., LLP has joined top 25 CPA and advisory firm Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC (CRI). The West Phillips Street location now operates under the CRI name, and all current personnel join CRIs team of more than 1,300 professionals.

Joining the super-regional firm of CRI creates opportunities for us to pursue additional clients in different industries, stated Virginia Miller, managing partner of McGee, Miller & Co. The merger also enables us to expand the spectrum of services that we deliver to current clients while taking advantage of efficiencies and economies of scale due to the combination of our practices.

CRI, currently ranked as the 21st largest accounting firm nationally, operates offices in 23 markets throughout nine states across the South  including the Greater Austin and Greater Houston areas.

Houston is the largest metropolitan area in our firms Southern footprint, and we have been rapidly expanding in this area since late 2013 with office locations in Houston, The Woodlands, and now Conroe, stated William H. Carr, chairman and managing partner of CRI. The CRI-McGee, Miller & Co. merger positions CRI to continue to increase our physical availability so that we are even better able to conveniently meet this markets growing demands.

CRIs industry specializations include construction companies, manufacturing and distribution companies, healthcare entities, not-for-profit organizations, governmental entities, financial institutions, and insurance companies. The firm also delivers specialized services including business consulting, forensic accounting, IT audit and assurance, SEC compliance, service organization control (SOC) reports, tax, transaction advisory services, and wealth management. To receive CRI news and alerts, text CRI to 66866or visit our website at http://www.CRIcpa.com.

About Carr Riggs & Ingram, LLC

CRI is located in 23 markets throughout Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. CRIs industry specializations include construction companies, governmental entities, financial institutions, healthcare entities, insurance companies, not-for-profit organizations, and manufacturing and distribution companies. CRI also offers specialized services including business consulting, forensic accounting, IT audit and assurance, SEC compliance, and tax. Additionally, CRIs portfolio companies deliver service organization control (SOC) reports, transaction advisory services, and wealth management. CRI is nationally ranked in the top 25 largest accounting firms. For additional information, please visit CRIcpa.com.

About McGee, Miller & Co., LLP

Since 1960, McGee, Miller & Co. has provided a broad range of accounting, tax, and advisory services to both businesses and individuals in Southeast Texas.

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Fresno City College music students experience an innovative approach to learning the piano thanks to the schools new Yamaha LC4 Clavinova Lab. Photo Credit: Dr. Brandon Bascom I look forward to seeing Fresno City College lead the way for other schools and music programs to incorporate this innovative technology to boost music education, said Jim Fishback, president of the Fresno Piano Gallery.

When Fresno City College music faculty determined it was time to replace the nearly two decades-old digital pianos at their school, they began researching with one question in mind: what would make the learning experience as efficient and positive as possible for music students? It soon became clear that the Yamaha LC4 lab and Clavinova digital pianos stood out from other available options.

Since last October, music students at Fresno City College have been learning, practicing and performing in one of the first LC4 Clavinova Labs to be installed at a U.S. two-year college. The new lab allows more students to become involved in the music curriculum at Fresno City College, and broadens the teaching capabilities of faculty. By pairing wireless, state-of-the-art capabilities with 24 digital pianos from the critically acclaimed Yamaha Clavinova series, the community college has enhanced and expanded music education offerings to students.

The intuitive, flexible LC4 lab system allows music educators to control piano instruction wirelessly to teach a group of up to 48 students  all at once, in smaller groups, or one-on-one  from any location in the room. A network of headphones and microphones allows teachers and students to engage directly with each other in private practice or one-on-one instruction. Instructors are freed up to move around the room, listening to students play and making real-time suggestions, especially in regard to physical approach. Then, with the touch of a button, the practice room walls may be instantly removed for group study, teacher-only broadcasts or all together now ensemble performances. Instructors even have a mute button to disable students instruments when its time to focus attention.

Weve been waiting years for this. Having the LC4 communication system has really made my teaching more efficient and Im able to help more students during class time, said Dr. Brandon Bascom, piano instructor at the college. And, I can pair two students together so they can help each other, which also maximizes my teaching time. Using the wireless headphones and the teacher control box on my iPad means I can teach from anywhere in the room. Being able to demonstrate techniques right in front of my students, one-on-one, is a godsend.

The piano lab features 23 Yamaha Clavinova CLP 545s and one teacher model, the CVP 709, the most advanced model in the series. By reproducing the playing experience and sound of the world-class Yamaha Concert Grand and Bosendorfer Imperial grand pianos, Clavinovas broaden students musical horizons. Dr. Bascom and the Fresno City College staff also favored the CLP 545s for their real wooden keys, which offer a traditional touch alongside the vast functionality of a digital piano. And, with unprecedented wireless iPad integration and exclusive Yamaha iOS apps, students and teachers may easily share music online, archive their own songs or favorites, browse custom performance settings from the Internet and download new songs directly from http://www.yamahamusicsoft.com into their Clavinova, all without having to connect any cables.

Jim Fishback, president of the Fresno Piano Gallery, worked closely with Fresno City College staff and Yamaha Corporation of America representatives throughout the selection and purchase process. Fishback said the new LC4 Clavinova Lab adds to the colleges standing as an innovative leader in music education in California and beyond.

This is very exciting new technology, and the new wireless LC4 Clavinova Lab reflects Fresno City Colleges commitment to provide the best resources to its students, Fishback said. I look forward to seeing Fresno City College lead the way for other schools and music programs to incorporate this innovative technology to boost music education.

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About Fresno City College

Fresno City College (FCC) was established in 1910 as the first California Community College in a system that has now grown to 109 campuses enrolling 1.5 million students. FCC is a comprehensive learning community offering innovative educational programs and 118 Associates Degrees to address the lifelong learning needs of a diverse population. Music majors may specialize in instrumental, vocal, guitar, piano or commercial music to earn the associate in arts degree. FCC is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Approximately 7 percent of the homes connected to community water systems have a lead service line, said Dr. Cornwell, president of EE&T. There are about 15 to 22 million Americans nationally served by lead lines.

A new analysis published today by the American Water Works Association estimates 6.1 million lead service lines remain in U.S. communities, suggesting progress in lead service line removal over the past two decades but indicating an estimated $30 billion challenge remains.

When the Lead and Copper Rule was instituted in 1991, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated there were 10.2 million lead service lines nationwide.

Communities have taken positive steps for more than two decades to reduce lead exposure from water and other sources, said AWWA CEO David LaFrance. But there is clearly much more to be done. The Flint crisis lays bare a simple fact: As long as there are lead pipes in the ground or lead plumbing in homes, some risk remains. As a society, we should seize this moment of increased awareness about lead risks to develop solutions for getting the lead out.

The study, titled National Survey of Lead Service Line Occurrence, is authored by David A. Cornwell, PhD, PE, BCEE, and Richard A. Brown, PE, of Environmental Engineering & Technology (EE&T, Inc), and Steve H. Via, AWWA regulatory affairs manager. The complete study is available online and a printed summary will be included in the Journal - American Water Works Associations April issue.

Approximately 7 percent of the homes connected to community water systems have a lead service line, said Dr. Cornwell, president of EE&T. There are about 15 to 22 million Americans nationally served by lead lines. In most cases, lead service lines are owned partially by the water utility and partially by property owners.

Other key takeaways from the study include:



The analysis suggests the number of remaining lead service lines could be as high as 7.1 million and as low as 5.5 million.

Approximately 11,200 community water systems currently have at least some lead service lines within their service areas.

Regionally, the largest concentration of remaining lead service lines is in the Midwest, with an estimated 3.4 million.

The analysis was based on results from two AWWA-sponsored surveys, one in 2011 and one in 2013. Combined responses were from 978 community water systems in 49 states plus the District of Columbia. The analysis was commissioned in 2015 by AWWA to assist EPA and others as they evaluate revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule.

On March 7, AWWAs board voted unanimously to support recommendations from the National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC) that strengthen the Lead and Copper Rule and will ultimately result in the complete removal of lead service lines.

The water communitys first priority is to provide safe water for everyone, LaFrance said. The AWWA boards support for the NDWAC recommendations underscores the importance of protecting families today from lead exposure and a shared responsibility among utilities, customers, property owners and government for the complete removal of lead service lines over time.

Lead is unlike other potential contaminants in that it is rarely present in the water coming from treatment plants and water mains; rather it comes from lead service lines and home plumbing. Under the Lead and Copper Rule, utilities collect samples from homes thought to be of high risk for lead. They use results from those samples to indicate if the utility should adjust water chemistry to protect against lead leaching into the water.

If the average cost of replacing each remaining lead service line is $5,000  a reasonable estimate  the collective cost could easily top $30 billion, LaFrance said. This is in addition to $1 trillion needed over 25 years to repair and expand buried drinking water mains. So as communities and as a broader society, we must advance a serious discussion on how we pay to get the lead out.

Part of this discussion must focus on affordability for customers, LaFrance added. Generally, water service is priced well below its value, but many families struggle to meet essential needs. Utilities and customers will have to work collaboratively in many cases to remove lead service lines. There may also be opportunities to learn from and expand existing government assistance programs that address other sources of exposure such as lead paint and dust.

Established in 1881, the American Water Works Association is the largest nonprofit, scientific and educational association dedicated to managing and treating water, the worlds most important resource. With approximately 50,000 members, AWWA provides solutions to improve public health, protect the environment, strengthen the economy and enhance our quality of life.
The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA), in cooperation with Reps. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) and Tom Rooney (R-Fla.), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, will host Brain Injury Awareness Day on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, March 16. The day will include a brain injury awareness fair with more than 50 exhibitors, a Congressional briefing, and a reception to celebrate the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force and Brain Injury Awareness Month.

Schedule of Events for Brain Injury Awareness Day 2016

10:00am - 2:00pm Brain Injury Awareness Fair, Cannon Caucus Room, Cannon House Office Building

*Please note this is a new location

2:30pm - 4:00pm Congressional Briefing, Concussion - It's Not Just a Concussion, Capitol Visitors Center, Congressional Meeting Room North CVC 268

5:00pm - 7:00pm Reception Celebrating Brain Injury Awareness Month, B338 Rayburn House Office Building

The days events will be preceded by the Washington, D.C. premiere of Beyond Laughter and Tears, a documentary about Pseudobulbar Affect. The film will be screened at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 15, 2016 at Union Station, Washington, D.C. Former NBC News TODAY SHOW health and fitness correspondent Jenna Wolfe will conduct a Q&A session after the screening with people who live with PBA, the filmmaker, and BIAA President and CEO Susan H. Connors.

The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) is the countrys oldest and largest nationwide brain injury advocacy organization. Our mission is to advance brain injury prevention, research, treatment, and education, and to improve the quality of life for all individuals
DTG Operations allegedly failed to compensate the Plaintiff and other employees for missed meal and rest breaks.

The Riverside labor law attorneys at the law firm of Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik filed a class action lawsuit against the rental car company for allegedly implementing an unlawful, unfair and deceptive meal and rest break policy. The complaint against DTG Operations, Inc. was filed on February 17, 2016 alleging meal and rest break violations on behalf of the company's non-exempt, hourly employees working in California. The case is currently pending in the Riverside County Superior Court for the State of California, Case No. RIC1601865. The Complaint can be read here.

The Complaint alleges that DTG Operations, Inc. does not have a policy or practice which provides meal and rest breaks to their employees thereby resulting in a failure to provide all legally required off-duty meal and rest breaks to their employees who were paid on an hourly basis in California. The Complaint further alleges that DTG operations, inc. failed to compensate the Plaintiff and other employees for missed meal and rest breaks. The California Labor Code, and specifically California Labor Code Sections 226.7 and 512, state that employees who are classified as non-exempt and paid on an hourly basis are legally entitled to take 30 minute uninterrupted meal breaks, meaning no work is required to be performed during the required off-duty meal period.

The California labor law attorneys at Blumenthal Nordrehaug & Bhowmik are now ready to represent other DTG Operations employees working in California. If you are a current or former employee of DTG Operations, Inc. in California and would like to know more about the DTG Operations, Inc. lawsuit, call (800) 568-8020 or fill out our contact form to find out if you are eligible to join the class action lawsuit and state a claim for unpaid wages.

Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik is a Riverside, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, and San Francisco, labor law firm that devotes its practice to helping employees overcome unfair business practices.
Peter Kozodoy It is critical that CT-based companies understand how to engineer a global brand and personify it through the use of todays diversified marketing toolkit. says Peter Kozodoy.

The US Department of Commerce and the Connecticut District Export Council will be holding the first Connecticut Export Week March 1418, 2016.

Peter Kozodoy will be speaking on Global Advertising Techniques Wednesday, March 16, 2016, from 8:30AM11:30AM at the United Illuminating Company-Administration Building at 180 Marsh Hill Road, Orange, CT. GEM Advertising is a participating sponsor of the event.

In the Global Advertising Techniques session, Peter will address how marketing abroad has its unique challenges, many of which tie back to strategic business decisions that can make or break a companys export plan. Brands who are thinking about entering foreign markets should attend this session to learn about branding and marketing strategies: how to make a plan, how to produce the assets, and how to manage the marketing cycle to increase the odds of success. Please click here to register.

Although modern tools have made it easier than ever to export products and services, there are still many inherent pitfalls to entering foreign cultures with a solely American perspective, says Peter Kozodoy. It is critical that CT-based companies understand how to engineer a global brand and personify it through the use of todays diversified marketing toolkit, and Im proud to be a part of this process alongside the US Department of Commerce as we all look to compete globally as a unified nation.

Over the week there will be a series of events all over the state, including an Export Roundtable with Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty and other in-person trainings and webinars designed for Connecticut businesses to either begin their export journey or increase their international business. This unique event is designed to celebrate the exporting successes achieved by Connecticut companies and to encourage more businesses to take their first step toward going global.

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About Connecticut Export Week

Connecticut Export Week was created by the District Export Council, which encourages and supports exports of goods and services that strengthen individual companies, stimulate U.S. economic growth and create jobs. Export expansion activities are accomplished by working with the U.S. Export Assistance Centers to provide opportunities to promote greater export activity at the local level while developing a trade assistance network. To find out more information about Connecticut Export Week and the events surrounding it, please visit: http://www.ctexporters.com/.

About GEM Advertising

GEM Advertising is a full-service, international, award-winning communications and marketing agency. GEM produces and polishes multifaceted branding campaigns that spark love affairs between brands and their customer-advocates. GEM sees the highest potential in their clients, and works with a feverish degree of passion and clarity to drive that potential into existence using human and technology resources of the highest integrity. GEM has worked with clients such as Albertus Magnus College, Jordans Furniture, Regional Water Authority, and the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce.

GEM has offices in New Haven, CT, Vancouver, British Columbia, Boston, MA, and Chicago, IL. To learn more about GEM Advertising, please visit: http://www.GEM-Advertising.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Janel Noblin, GEM Advertising, Janel(at)Gem-Advertising(dot)com or 1-844-436-8326 X 709
Although we have made great strides in our efforts to retain and advance experienced women, there is always room for improvement

Holland & Hart is honored to be one of 54 top law firms participating in the first-ever nationwide initiative aimed at tackling recruitment, advancement, and retention of experienced women in law firms. Diversity Lab, an organization that creates diversity initiatives to help firms find and keep the best talent, is launching its inaugural Women in Law Hackathon, a Shark Tank-style pitch competition designed to generate innovative ideas to close the gender gap in law firms. Partner Chris Groll, current leader of Holland & Harts Mergers & Acquisitions practice, is one of two Colorado lawyers joining participants throughout the nation comprised largely of law firm managing partners, practice group chairs, or high-level leaders.

Teams will work together virtually from January to June 2016 to develop initiatives and will present their ideas in-person to a panel of high-profile judges at the Pitch Event at Stanford Law School June 23-24, 2016. The top three winning teams will grant the prize money donated by Bloomberg Law (1st place $10,000, 2nd place $7,500, 3rd place $5,000) to their choice of a non-profit organization that is advancing women in the legal profession and beyond. Each team consists of six partners, two talent/diversity thought leader advisors, and a Stanford law student.

While the number of women in the legal profession and in law firms has steadily risen over the past 20 years, a mere 18% of women are equity partners according to a 2015 report by the National Association of Women in Law. Holland & Hart has been at the forefront of developing policies and programs that support women in becoming partners, pursuing firm leadership roles, and as working mothers. As of January, 2016, 28% of the firms partners are women and 34% of the firms lawyers are women. Although we have made great strides in our efforts to retain and advance experienced women, there is always room for improvement, says Holland & Hart Chair Liz Sharrer. We look forward to learning from the collective wisdom of the Hackathon participants and hope to implement some of the recommended initiatives.

To learn more about the event, visit Diversity Labs website.

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About Holland & Hart

Established in 1947, Holland & Hart is a full service, national law firm that today has more than 500 lawyers in 15 offices across the Mountain West and in Washington, D.C. delivering integrated legal solutions to regional, national, and international clients of all sizes. Holland & Harts attorneys have consistently been recognized by leading national and international peer and industry review organizations for innovation and dedication to the practice of law. Holland & Hart has been named five times as one of the 50 Best Law Firms for Women by Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers and has received Gold Standard Certification by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum for five consecutive years. For more information, visit http://www.hollandhart.com.
Fresh Roasted Hosting and expands our service offerings to ones that can cater to all individuals and small businesses, regardless of technical expertise!

Fresh Roasted Hosting, Pennsylvanias fastest growing web hosting provider, today announced a strategic partnership with Weebly, an incredibly easy to use drag & drop website builder. This partnership brings both new and existing Fresh Roasted Hosting customers Weeblys easy-to-use interface and high quality themes, combined with the dependable support and trusted reputation Fresh Roasted Hosting has delivered out of its Central Pennsylvania headquarters for over 5 years!

Currently, over 30 million people and small businesses use Weebly to build their online presence. The fully-customizable design platform lets you create a professional site, blog, or online store in minutes. Its surprising simple, but also equipped with the advanced features you need to take your website to the next level! Best of all, its now free for all Fresh Roasted Hosting customers.

Were very excited about this new strategic partnership with Weebly, said Aaron Blackeby, Head Barista at Fresh Roasted Hosting. Weve prided ourselves for years in offering one of the best web hosting services on the market for web developers but have always lacked the right tools to cater to novice users. This partnership helps us to solve that problem and expands our service offerings to ones that can cater to all individuals and small businesses, regardless of technical expertise.

About Fresh Roasted Hosting

Fresh Roasted Hosting is a leading web hosting provider headquartered in vibrant Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Tucked in among coffee houses, independent retailers, and the oldest continually-operating market house in the US, Fresh Roasted Hosting delivers all the same high-end web hosting solutions youd expect from one of the larger players but with a much better service!

About Weebly

Founded in 2007, Weebly is a San Francisco-based, global platform that lets people easily create a unique website, blog, or online store. Millions around the world use Weebly to start their businesses, sell online, showcase their achievements, and communicate with visitors in a thoughtful and meaningful way. Designed with the first-time business owner in mind, Weebly gives everyone the freedom to build a high-quality site that works brilliantly across any device.
"The Music of Jackie McLean," by Steven Lugerner & Jacknife I chose all the tunes because the melodies were super-strong. I'd listen to the albums and these are the songs I'd hum walking down the street.

For the last year and a half, San Francisco Bay Area woodwind expert Steven Lugerner has been digging into the music of jazz legend Jackie McLean with Jacknife, Lugerners hard-hitting West Coast post-bop quintet. The group has completed work on an album, "The Music of Jackie McLean," slated for release on April 22 by Primary Records, and will be touring the West Coast next month with special guest Larry Willis, the virtuoso pianist and former McLean sideman.

Exploring tunes from McLeans seminal early- and mid-1960s Blue Note albums "Jacknife," "Its Time," "Let Freedom Ring," and "New Soil," the new album brings together a formidable cast of rising talent, including pianist Richard Sears, bassist Garret Lang, drummer Michael Mitchell, and trumpeter JJ Kirkpatrick, all of whom will be on the April shows (with Willis replacing Sears).

Larry Willis made his recording debut on McLeans 1965 date Right Now and appeared on the original Jacknife album (1966) and other recordings by the saxophonist. Lugerner connected with Willis last summer at the Stanford Jazz Workshop, where Lugerner has been Manager of Education Programs since 2013 and Willis was a visiting artist.

Although Lugerner never had the opportunity to meet McLean, who died in 2006 at age 74, he listened deeply to the alto giants recordings as he was coming up. I studied with alto saxophonist Mike DiRubbo, who studied directly with McLean at the Hartt School in the early 1990s, says Lugerner. Mike was a huge influence on me when I was in college. And during his undergrad years at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music Lugerner took an orchestra class with trumpet great Charles Tolliver, who played such an important role in McLeans mid-60s bands.

The modal opening track On the Nile, a piece by Tolliver, debuted on McLeans "Jacknife," which was recorded in 1965 but only released a decade later. The unaccountably shelved album also provided Climax, an impressive composition by Jack DeJohnette, who was making his recording debut. Both tunes eschew harmonic complexity in favor of sinuous melodies that allow soloists to generate hurtling momentum. For Lugerner, its a sound that embodies the roiling environment of New York, the grittiness, the hustle and fast-paced lifestyle, the energy that the city brought to their lives. On the Nile takes no prisoners, but its accessible, a modal, vampy piece that hits a few key centers. In a way it anticipates developments in rock and hip-hop.

Like fellow altoists Charlie Parker and Ornette Coleman, McLean infused much of what he played with the feel of blues, whether or not the tune itself was a blues. The jaunty hard-bop anthem Hip Strut from "New Soil" was the tune that turned Lugerner into a McLean devotee during his first year at the New School. He included another classic JayMac blues Das Dat, from "Its Time," a consistently thrilling album with Tolliver, Herbie Hancock, Cecil McBee, and Roy Haynes. The best-known piece on the new album, McLeans mischievously lyrical Melody for Melonae, hails from "Let Freedom Ring," a quartet session with Walter Davis Jr., Herbie Lewis, and Billy Higgins.

I chose all the tunes because the melodies were super-strong, Lugerner says. Id listen to the albums and these are the songs Id hum walking down the street. I love the juxtaposition of Melody for Melonae and then this straight-ahead blues. I think Ornette and Jackie were the two bluesiest players that have ever existed.

Lugerners collaborators are similarly inspired by McLeans music. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, and based in Los Angeles, trumpeter JJ Kirkpatrick has gained attention with the Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartet. New York-reared drummer Michael Mitchell is making waves on the Bay Area scene with the electro-acoustic Negative Press Project. Bassist Garret Lang, whos now based in his native Los Angeles, has recorded with emerging players such as saxophonist Ben Flocks and reed player Levon Henry. And pianist Richard Sears, a Bay Area native now based in New York, is a rapidly rising star who released an acclaimed 2015 trio session Skyline and recently recorded his six-part suite for drum legend Tootie Heath, whos featured on the project (along with Lugerner and Lang).

In a relatively short period of time, 27-year-old Bay Area native Steven Lugerner has collaborated with a heavyweight roster of jazz masters, including pianist Myra Melford, percussionist John Hollenbeck, tenor saxophonist Dayna Stephens, altoist Miguel Zenon, soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom, flutist Jamie Baum, and drummer Matt Wilson. Last years digital-only release "Gravitations Vol. II" was a gorgeous duo project that places piano great Fred Hersch in an entirely new context.

A skilled and diversified woodwind doubler on saxophones, bass clarinet, B-flat clarinet, oboe, English horn, flute, and alto flute, Lugerner is suitably focusing on the alto saxophone for his work with Jacknife: This is one project where I can bring just one horn.
SweetIQ is proud to announce it has been awarded the Ad-to-Action award in the Attribution & Analytics category by the Local Search Association. A grand total of 100 entries from 72 different companies submitted entries for awards in various categories which included Best Local Ad Campaign, Sales & Marketing Automation, and more. Winners were announced at the Local Search Association 2016 conference held March 7th to the 9th in San Francisco.

SweetIQ is a local search marketing automation platform providing businesses with greater insight into their local search campaigns. Going beyond automated listings and reviews management, the company grows visibility online to drive more shoppers in-store. The in-depth data and analytics provided showcase performance improvements, alongside with online-to-offline ROI attribution for their clients local search marketing campaigns.

The Local Search Association has held the Ad-to-Action awards for the past three years to celebrate innovation and help promote the products that best drive local consumer actions. This year the competition was especially tough, with numerous entries in each category, said Greg Sterling, LSAs VP of Strategy & Insights. The judges were from a broad array of leading Internet companies, including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Pinterest, Yelp, Razorfish and many others. Winners of the 10 categories were chosen based on innovation, usability, execution, implementation, potential for ROI and solution design. Were proud to be recognized by our local search peers. It is a testament to the hard work our team puts in to bring the best and most actionable data to our clients, as well as our dedication and focus on driving performance. states Mohannad El-Barachi, CEO and Co-Founder of SweetIQ.

About SweetIQ

Leader in local search marketing, SweetIQ helps F500 retail brands grow their in-store foot traffic by improving the online findability of their brick-and-mortar stores. Turning big data into actionable intelligence, SweetIQ's marketing analytics and automation platform supports retailers and the marketing agencies that represent them in their corporate strategies, and empowers them in the reputation management of their brand. Founded in 2010, the company is headquartered in Montreal, Canada, with clients across North America. Read more at sweetiq.com.

-30-

For media inquiries or for an interview, please contact:

Amanda Ierfino

Marketing Coordinator, Social and PR, SweetiQ

1.514.461.3527

amanda(at)sweetiq(dot)com
Advisor Group Womens History Month provides Advisor Group with an invaluable opportunity to discuss the role of women in financial services.

Advisor Group, one of the largest independent broker-dealer networks in the nation, unveiled earlier this month their Women are Architects of Change campaign in honor of Womens History Month in March. In partnership with the firms Women FORWARD initiative, the campaign seeks to highlight and honor past, present and future architects of change within the financial services industry and beyond.

The Women are Architects of Change campaign will feature a variety of digital and media assets to include video, whitepapers and advisor features distributed on the companys LinkedIn and Twitter accounts and via a strategic postcard campaign.

For more than a decade, Advisor Group has dedicated itself to becoming a thought leader and preeminent destination for independent female financial advisors, as well as a go-to source for advisors looking to enhance their relationships and connect with more female investors. Women FORWARD and the annual W Forum womens conference are cornerstones of the firms efforts to support the growth of both female advisors and investors.

Advisor Group is led by Erica McGinnis, the firms President and CEO. Valerie Brown will be joining Advisor Group as Executive Chairman, once a proposed sale of the firm is completed in the second quarter of 2016. Both are dedicated advocates for women in the financial services industry. In 2015, McGinnis was named to InvestmentNews inaugural Women to Watch list, which honors female advisors and executives who have elevated the financial advice industry in some way. Brown has been included in Investment Advisors IA25, a list of the most influential individuals in the independent advisor business, as well as the 50 Top Women in Wealth by AdvisorOne, and to the InvestmentNews Power 20, which highlights individuals expected to have the greatest impact on financial advisors and the industry in that year.

Womens History Month provides Advisor Group with an invaluable opportunity to discuss the role of women in financial services, said McGinnis. Were in a unique situation at Advisor Group with an outstanding representation of women in leadership roles and we hope we can continue to influence diversity in our ever-evolving industry.

Women FORWARD was created to foster an environment of success for female advisors and to provide a wide-range of guidance to both male and female advisors looking to grow their relationships with female clients. The comprehensive program includes mentoring, training and networking initiatives designed to engage and inspire todays, and tomorrows, female advisors. Advisor Group had 139 total participants in their 2015 Mentorship Program class, which included 41 male mentors.

The W Forum annual conference offers education and networking opportunities for all women affiliated with Advisor Groups four broker-dealers. Advisor Group will host the 2016 W Forum in Salt Lake City, June 5-7. This will be the 10th annual womens conference.

About Advisor Group

Advisor Group is among the largest independent broker-dealer networks in the United States. The four broker-dealers that comprise Advisor Group  FSC Securities Corporation, Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., SagePoint Financial, Inc. and Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., are Registered Investment Advisors and members of FINRA and SIPC. Advisor Group fosters the spirit of entrepreneurship and independence exemplified by its nearly 6,000 affiliated independent financial advisors across the US. For more information, please visit http://www.advisorgroup.com.
MADISON  The personal and political lives of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and an embattled state Supreme Court justice have been intertwined for decades, starting with their overlapping semesters at Marquette University, where the future justice penned anti-gay opinion pieces and threatened to resign from the student government over a multicultural course requirement.

Justice Rebecca Bradleys writings bashing gays, feminism, abortion and political correctness at Marquette University from the early 1990s resurfaced this week, in the midst of her run for a full 10-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. They have become a central issue in the April 5 election, where she faces state Appeals Court Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg.

Walker hasnt said whether he knew about Bradleys writings before he appointed her to three judicial openings. Bradley said she has never spoken with Walker about them.

But his political opponents say theres no way the former Republican presidential candidate couldnt have known about Bradleys outspoken positions, given their connections at Marquette.

Walker and Bradley only overlapped at the private Jesuit school in Milwaukee for a year, a time when they coincidentally both had letters to the editor published in the student newspaper, an Associated Press review of records showed. Bradleys most controversial writings, including her column calling gay people queers and degenerates, were not published until two years after Walker left college.

Bradley, in a forum Wednesday at the Milwaukee Bar Association, apologized for the third time in as many days for her college opinions, saying her views are different today thanks to a mosaic of life experiences.

There are other ties from Marquette connecting Bradley and Walker decades ago.

The future state Supreme Court justice served as a senator on Marquettes student government alongside Jim Villa, one of Walkers longest and most trusted advisers. Villa and Bradley were on the student senate together at a heated meeting in 1991 where Bradley slammed down her nameplate and threatened to resign during a discussion of whether the university should add a multicultural course requirement, according to an article in the Marquette Tribune, the student newspaper.

Villa, who graduated from Marquette in 1994, went on to serve as Walkers chief of staff for five years when Walker was Milwaukee County executive and as an informal adviser to Walkers ill-fated presidential run last year. Villa, who is also a close personal friend of Walkers, currently works as a top vice president at the University of Wisconsin.

Scot Ross, director of One Wisconsin Now, the liberal group that brought to light Bradleys college writings, said he thinks Villa must have told Walker about Bradleys political past.

But Villa told AP on Wednesday that he did not, even as she was applying for judicial appointments. He said he remembered Bradley from college, but they were not close friends.

I didnt advise the governor on Rebecca Bradleys appointments, whatsoever, Villa said. He also said he didnt talk with Walker about her college writings.

Not only did I not speak to him about it, I didnt remember those writings, Villa said.

Walkers spokeswoman, Laurel Patrick, didnt immediately respond to messages asking when Walker first met Bradley and first learned of her college writing.

Bradley told reporters Wednesday that she cant remember when she first met Walker, and that shes never discussed her college writings with him.

Theyve practically been neighbors for the past decade. Their homes in Wauwatosa are around the corner from one another, less than half a mile away. Walker put his house up for sale in January.

Another column written by Bradley for Marquettes student magazine in 1992 came to light Wednesday. In it, Bradley argued that writer and critic Camille Paglia legitimately suggested that women play a role in date rape. In a collection of essays published that year, Paglia wrote that a girl who gets dead drunk at a fraternity party is a fool, and that if she goes upstairs with a fraternity brother she is an idiot.

Feminists call this blaming the victim. I call it common sense, Paglia wrote.

Bradley also wrote that she intended to expose the feminist movement as largely composed of angry, militant, man-hating lesbians who abhor the traditional family.

Bradley didnt disclose any of the college writings in the application materials she submitted to Walker for the three judicial openings, even though the application forms asked for a list of academic activities, including extracurricular involvement. She did list her time as a Marquette University student senator and as editor of the student newspaper at Divine Savior Holy Angels High School.

Walker first appointed Bradley as a judge on the Milwaukee County circuit court in 2012 before naming her to the state Court of Appeals in May 2015. He named her to the state Supreme Court last October. Bradley also donated $250 to Walkers recall election campaign in 2012.

Bradley has tried to distance herself from Walker, arguing that she applies the law independently and fairly and does not let politics sway her decisions. The race is officially nonpartisan, but conservatives are backing Bradley and liberals are supporting Kloppenburg.

Walker on Tuesday dodged a question about whether he would have appointed Bradley had she disclosed any of her previous writings, which have elicited criticism from liberals and Democrats who say she should resign over her anti-gay comments.

Its really irrelevant, Walker said, adding its right now up to the voters.
Advisor Group Advisor Group is a leader in our industry in so many ways and I look forward to contributing to the firms continued growth and success going forward.

Advisor Group, one of the largest independent broker-dealer networks in the nation, has hired Taylor Hammons as Senior Vice President (SVP) of Retirement Services and head of the networks Retirement Plan Consulting Services.

Hammons joins Advisor Group with more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry and specializes in all aspects of retirement plan management, plan design, investments, fiduciary responsibility, fee analysis and employee communications. He most recently served as Director of the ERISA Consulting Group and Executive Vice President at Sterne Agee & Leach, Inc. where he directed the firms sales and marketing initiatives for their corporate retirement plan products and services.

Prior to his time at Sterne Agee & Leach, Inc., Hammons was Director of the Retirement Plan Consulting Group and Senior Vice President at Morgan Keegan & Co., Inc. for nearly a decade. He also held positions as Vice President and Trust Officer for National Bank of Commerce, Trust Division and First Tennessee Bank, Trust Division.

We are thrilled to welcome Taylor to our talented team, said Allison Couch Pratt, Executive Vice President of National Sales for Advisor Group. We continue to grow our footprint in the retirement plan services space and with a goal of becoming the premier provider of retirement plan services in the independent broker-dealer community, were confident that Taylors addition will make our efforts that much more effective.

As SVP of Retirement Services, Hammons will report directly to Pratt and work with Advisor Groups National Sales organization to drive retirement plan sales, execute on strategic marketing initiatives and build strong institutional partner relationships.

I am absolutely honored to be joining the Advisor Group family, Hammons said. The opportunity to help drive the strategy behind the firms retirement plan services was extremely appealing to me. Advisor Group is a leader in our industry in so many ways and I look forward to contributing to the firms continued growth and success going forward.

As Advisor Group works toward growing their retirement plan services offerings, Hammons and Pratt will continue to build out a scalable platform designed to support both experienced and emerging retirement plan practitioners. Advisor Group firmly believes that their Retirement Plan Consulting Services are a key component of their organic growth strategy and the value that they offer their extensive network of advisors.

Hammons received a Bachelor of Business Administration from University of Mississippi, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Memphis School of Law and his LLM in Taxation from the Washington University School of Law. He also holds his Series 7 and 66 securities license.

About Advisor Group

The Advisor Group network of independent broker-dealers is among the largest in the United States. The four broker-dealers that comprise Advisor Group  FSC Securities Corporation, Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., SagePoint Financial, Inc. and Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., members FINRA/SIPC  foster the spirit of entrepreneurship and independence that our nearly 6,000 independent advisors exemplify. For more information, please visit http://www.advisorgroup.com.
The Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) is pleased to announce an exceptional line-up of industry leaders presenting their game-changing insights at their annual Re!Think 2016 conference in New York this March 14 -16. Each presenter will provide key insights into how advertising works today in the rapidly evolving media landscape.

Fifteen of the leading presentations on Monday, March 14 will include:

Big Data Drives Better Advertising

The Retentive Impact of Mass & Digital Advertising

~ 9:32-9:36AM (+ Tuesday, 3:10-3:30PM)

Greg Pharo  Director of Marketing Analysis & Research, AT&T

Charlie Hinton  Executive Director of Marketing Analytics, AT&T Mobility

Abstract: Can mass advertising reduce customer churn? Many brands understand how advertising drives sales but few have been able to quantify mass advertisings retentive impact on their existing customer base. AT&T has pioneered a way to use market mix modeling techniques to precisely measure the impact that each of its major media channels has in reducing customer churn. This reveals a more complete view of advertisings total ROI impact. It also allows for better, more complete media optimization since both sales and retention impacts can be evaluated.

Greg Pharo is AT&Ts Director of Marketing Analysis & Research. His Marketing Science team leads AT&Ts efforts to optimize its return on marketing investment using market mix modeling, media optimization, advertising & messaging research, omnichannel attribution, market testing and social media insights.

Charlie Hinton is Executive Director of Marketing Analytics at AT&T Mobility. Prior to AT&T, Charlie served in various media planning and director positions at BBDO, Mullen LHC and Bates USA. She has won numerous marketing awards including two Gold Effie awards and has been recognized by Advertising Age as a media maven. Charlie has a B.S., magna cum laude, from Georgia State University.

________________________________________________________________

Big Data Drives Better Advertising

Clean Data, Clear Insights: World-Class Advertising Data Governance

~9:37-9:41AM (+ Monday, 11:20-11:40AM)

Ashwani Verma - Principal, Advanced Analytics, AT&T Mobility

Joe Empert - Principal, Advanced Analytics, AT&T Mobility

Abstract: High quality marketing data is essential for robust advertising analytics just like superior ingredients are necessary to prepare a great meal. But how does an organization identify, acquire, maintain and fully exploit superior data? AT&T marketing organization spent the last nine years designing an Advertising Data Governance process to maximize success for advertising optimization and insights.

This paper describes how companies can radically improve advertising analytics and turbocharge marketing ROI by building a more robust advertising data governance process. AT&T will explain step by step on how to establish Data Governance policies to tame messy data; acquire new types of media information; and generate better consumer insights through intelligent information management, which enabled its marketing optimization program to generate over $500 million in ROI.

Ashwani Verma is Principal, Advanced Analytics at AT&T Mobility where he leads the Data Governance, Technical Solutions and Architecture practice for Marketing Organization at AT&T. Prior to AT&T, Ashwani has documented achievements in various fields such as Business Consulting, Project Management, Engineering Solutions and Services. Ashwani holds an M.B.A. and B.S. in electronics engineering.

Joe Empert is a Principal of Advanced Analytics, leading the marketing mix modeling practice at AT&T Mobility. He is responsible for the application of advanced analytics to measure and optimize the impact of media and advertising. Joes career includes leadership positions in the telecommunications, financial services, and aerospace industries.

________________________________________________________________

Big Data Drives Better Advertising

How Ad Fraud Befouls Measurement and How to Correct

~9:42-9:46AM

Dr. Augustine Fou, Ph.D.  Chief Marketing Science Officer, The ARF

Abstract: This original research paper provides case examples and specific scenarios of how bot activity pollutes every metric used in measuring digital advertising. This in turn causes bad business decisions. Detection technologies and methodologies are discussed along with recommendations for correcting for such errors in measurement.

Augustine Fou, Ph.D. is the Chief Marketing Science Officer at The ARF, responsible for translating the science of ad research into insights that are actionable for marketing practitioners. Previously, Augustine was Chief Digital Officer of Omnicoms Healthcare Consultancy Group. He also teaches digital/integrated marketing at Rutgers University and NYU. He holds his Ph.D. from MIT.

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Invest to Grow

Advertising Budgeting: Wheres the Evidence?

~9:48-9:52AM (+ Monday, 3:50-4:10PM)

Rachel Kennedy, Ph.D.  Associate Professor, Ehrenberg Bass Institute

Abstract: Huge advances have been made about how brands grow and how advertising works. For all these improvements, how much to spend? remains critically under-researched. Media are rapidly changing and very different approaches are used to determine budgets yet the evidence supporting many is scant.

We look at advertising budgeting through a marketing science lens searching for evidence based budgeting methods. Leveraging both heuristics and algorithmic methods and aligning with the latest forecasting decision-making we find that it is possible to improve current practice.

We critique budgeting methods and provide guidance on key issues in using various approaches. We share some research that compares results from different approaches and propose an approach to guide marketers in conditions of uncertainty; highlighting important knowledge gaps.

Rachel Kennedy, Ph.D. is Associate Professor and founding researcher at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science. She has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards, is published in key marketing journals, and is on the Editorial Advisory Boards for Journal of Advertising Research, International Journal of Market Research, and International Journal of Advertising.

Invest to Grow

Brand Investment & Valuation

~9:53-9:57AM (+ Tuesday, 2:40-3:00PM)

Frank Findley  VP, R&D, MSWARS Research

Shyam Venugopal - Senior Director, Portfolio Demand Strategy & Analytics, PepsiCo

Abstract: Media investments are generally made to grow an intangible asset, the brand. Unlike tangible assets like factories, which are quantified on the balance sheet, a brands financial value often goes unrecognized. This puts marketing at a distinct disadvantage in obtaining corporate resources. To bridge this gap the Marketing Accountability Standards Board sponsored a project that brought together leading academics, marketing and finance practitioners from six blue-chip corporations, and specialists from several research companies. An 18-month tracking study of 120 brands was used to identify a cornerstone brand strength metric and validate a practical model for brand valuation. As demonstrated in case studies, this provides a roadmap for monitoring marketing investment return and bringing financial rigor to the budgeting and project authorization process.

Frank Findley Frank Findley is VP of R&D for MSWARS Research, where he is a key contributor to product strategy. Over the years, his work has resulted in improvements to the copytest, tracking, media, and competitive intelligence product lines. He is the co-lead of the MASB BIV Project Team.

Shyam Venugopal is Vice President, Global Insights and Advanced Analytics at PepsiCo. In his current role Shyam is responsible for PepsiCos Global Analytics agenda including capability development and deployment, enterprise consumer and syndicated data strategy, and elevating internal and external partnerships. Shyam is a member of the MASB Brand Investment & Valuation Project team.

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Targeting Your Audience

Deconstructing Branded Content

~10:01-10:05AM (+ Wednesday, 11:40AM-12:00PM)

Jess Halter - Senior Research Analyst, IPG Media Lab

Kara Manatt - VP, Consumer Research Strategy, IPG Media Lab

Abstract: As video viewing has shifted to digital, advertisers around the world have been developing innovative branded content; however, the use of this media varies wildly between brands and nations, provoking new questions of effectiveness. To answer these questions, we partnered with Google to conduct a scientific research study involving nearly 15,000 consumers from around the globe, 50 different brands, and 105 pieces of test content investigating how consumers perceive branded content, if there are differences in perceptions across countries, and how this translates to branding effectiveness. This research stands to serve as a global guide, with specified information across industry verticals and countries, for businesses on how to curate the most impactful branded content possible.

Jess Halter, Senior Research Analyst at IPG Media Lab, answers advertisers most pressing questions with innovative quantitative research. She develops methodologies, crafts compelling stories with data, and presents results to the industry. With a degree in behavioral neuroscience, she integrates next generation tools to track consumers implicit reactions.

Kara Manatt is VP, Consumer Research Strategy at IPG Media Lab where she uses next generation technology to answer Mediabrands toughest advertising questions. Her research program also serves as a testing ground for innovations in ad products and strategies for publishers and ad tech companies.

________________________________________________________________

Targeting Your Audience

How TV Ads Drive Brand Searches Online

~10:06-10:10AM (+ Tuesday, 3:10-3:30PM)

Raymond Pettit, Ph.D. - VP, Analytics, comScore

Kenneth C. Wilbur - Associate Professor, Marketing, UCSD

Abstract: The interaction between TV viewing and social media is a given for todays consumer. How many of those second-screen interruptions are good ones? One of the most important research questions is how TV ads cause online search spikes.

Google Trends data show large, immediate, but brief spikes in brand searches corresponding to the insertion of an ad in a national program. This research explains these spikes using brand, product, creative, program, network, time and audience factors. We analyze three months of minute-by-minute data for dozens of brands.

Todays consumer and media consumption world is multivariate, and, as such, requires detailed data and advanced analytics to understand. This study will be the first to combine comScores unique detailed TV viewing behavior with detailed digital data to assess the causal influences and links between TV and online search.

Raymond Pettit, Ph.D. is VP, Analytics, at comScore. He specializes in advanced analytics and sales enablement at comScore. Raymond holds a doctorate in social science research from the University of Illinois and has authored two books on marketing and advertising research as well as numerous white papers, articles, and conference presentations.

Kenneth C. Wilbur is Associate Professor of Marketing at the UCSD Rady School. Kenneth produces original, practical research on advertising, media and technology. His work has appeared in leading journals, won major awards, and influenced practice. Previously, Kenneth worked at USC and Duke.

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Targeting Your Audience

Does Every Second Count?

~10:11-10:15AM (+ Tuesday, 3:10-3:30PM)

Kara Manatt - VP, Consumer Research Strategy, IPG Media Lab

Paul Neto - Research Director, YuMe

Abstract: There has been a great deal of research conducted concerning the effectiveness of standard video ad lengths, since they have been used for many years in both TV and digital. However, with the growing popularity of shorter video media such as Vine, shorter ad lengths of 5 and 10 seconds have also been introduced to spectrum  and marketers are faced with increasing questions of what works best where. The IPG Media Lab partnered with YuMe to conduct a research study with nearly 10,000 participants investigating the effectiveness of video ad lengths ranging from 5-60 seconds across different industry verticals, content lengths, devices, and location  also accounting for brand perceptions and consumer attention, in order to answer marketers questions of how best to utilize all different ad lengths under a vast number of conditions.

Kara Manatt is VP, Consumer Research Strategy at IPG Media Lab where she uses next generation technology to answer Mediabrands toughest advertising questions. Her research program also serves as a testing ground for innovations in ad products and strategies for publishers and ad tech companies.

Paul Neto is Research Director at YuMe where he focuses on research initiatives around the digital video utilizing traditional and innovative research methodologies. Prior to joining YuMe, Paul co-founded Crowd Science, where he used audience-based insights to improve ad targeting technology.

________________________________________________________________

Targeting Your Audience

What Makes Brands Facebook Content Shareable?

~10:16-10:20AM (+ Monday, 3:20-3:40PM)

Tania Yuki - Founder & CEO, Shareablee

Abstract: In 2015, U.S. brands published nearly 16 million posts on Facebook driving nearly 35 billion actions with social audiences. Yet just 11 percent of these actions involved sharing of a brands content. There has been scant study on what actually makes content shareable and the psychological drivers that prompt sharing. Replicating an earlier framework that outlined ways to increase virality of content, we tracked the 2,000 most-shared Facebook posts over a 12-month period, and then surveyed more than 10,000 social-media users about what might drive them to share that content online. In February 2016, we tracked the 120 most-shared Facebook posts by industry over the second half of 2015, and then surveyed by more than 1,200 social-media users to see whether motivational drivers had changed.

By identifying the most significant drivers of shareable content, brand marketers will have a deeper understanding of why people share, by gender, age and industry. Armed with this knowledge, marketers can craft brand content to inspire audiences to share content on their behalf across social media platforms.

Tania Yuki is Founder & CEO of Shareablee, a leading provider of social content analysis for brands and the official social media analytics partner of comScore. She has been honored with numerous industry awards from SmartCEO, Cynopsis Media, Direct Marketing News, LOreal, Multichannel News, The ARF Great Mind Awards, and Ad Age.

________________________________________________________________

Targeting Your Audience

Game ON: Understand Your Consumers

~10:21-10:25AM (+ Monday, 2:50-3:10PM)

Charlie Gordon - Director, Insights Solutions, Kantar Media

Abstract: Gaming, as a media channel, offers pretty much every attribute we could ever ask for as marketers, it has scale, variety, its social and grabs attention like nothing else. Yet despite all its plus points, it is by no means the number one advertising channel for brands. Interestingly with new platforms, greater realism, increasing connectivity and new channels, like Twitch, supporting gaming it is a real time of change, opening up new opportunities for brands and media. With these new opportunities in mind, Kantar Medias GameON project takes a new look at gaming as a media channel, combining established quant and qual techniques with new biometric tools and video coding. We therefore believe it to be ideally suited to the ARF Re!Think conference.

Charlie Gordon is a Director in Kantar Medias Insight Solutions team, with over 15 years research experience, specifically in the area of media research. He is well versed in designing mixed methodology projects utilizing the skills of qualitative and other experts to help clients understand fully the issues facing their businesses. Charlie is currently finalizing an international research study exploring attitudes to the take up of subscription video on demand services.

________________________________________________________________

Science to Sales

Cross-Platform Sales Measurement Has Arrived

~10:27-10:31AM (+ Tuesday, 12:40-1:00PM)

Leslie Wood - CRO, Nielsen Catalina Solutions

Maggie Zak - Senior Manager, Business Insights & Solutions, Time Inc.

Kaz Gunay  Consumer Insights & Strategy Lead, KraftHeinz Company

Abstract: Marketers increased demand for transparency, coupled with a deep understanding of their ROI has never been more important. Measuring the sales impact of their advertising investment has become a critical component to their overall assessment of ROI. What continues to be a challenge is to measure the investment of a single campaign across ALL media platforms.

This work began in 2013, where at the 2013 PDRF conference in Nice, France, Time Inc. and Nielsen Catalina Solutions (NCS) shared through their award winning paper, Cross Platform Sales Impact: Cracking the Code on Single Source, results from a rudimentary method for combining the measurement of print, digital and TV. In that study, we acknowledged that more work needed to be done to evolve the method to measure synergy and individual media effects more holistically at the HH level.

In 2015 at the PDRF conference in London, this expanded work was presented, continuing the collaboration between Time Inc. and NCS to develop a new method for measuring cross-platform media campaigns, their impact on sales, and the value that synergy holds in driving response.

In late 2015/early 2016, this work will be expanded to include for the first time, how secondary audiences for print (pass-along and out-of-home readership) contribute to sales. Our plan is to unveil this new research at the ARF.

Leslie Wood is CRO at Nielsen Catalina Solutions where she is responsible for research and development. Leslie has a long history of involvement in single-source methodologies, including BehaviorScan, Scan America, and Project Apollo. She is treasurer of the Market Research Council, secretary of the Advertising Research Council, and Nielsens liaison to the Center of Research Excellences ROI Committee.

Maggie Zak is Senior Manager of Business Insights & Solutions for Time Inc. where she manages ad effectiveness research across print and digital properties. She has 15 years of media research experience, including positions at Hachette Filipacchi and Mansueto Ventures. Maggie holds a B.A. in communications from University at Buffalo and an M.B.A. from NYU, specializing in marketing and strategy.

Kazim (Kaz) Ganay is the Head of Consumer Insights and Strategy for the Beverages and Snack Nuts business unit of the KraftHeinz Company. Kaz leads a team responsible for CIS strategies for a $5 billion portfolio of brands. Kaz brings over 17 years of diversified experiences, including brand management. Prior to moving into CIS he served on the supplier side as an economist before getting his MBA from the University of Wisconsin.

________________________________________________________________

Science to Sales

Evaluating TV Effectiveness in a Changed Media Landscape

~10:32-10:36AM (+ Monday, 2:50-3:10PM)

Olga Casabona - Senior Director, Client Insights, Turner

Isaac Weber - VP, Strategy, MarketShare

Abstract: Turner, in partnership with Horizon Media, commissioned MarketShare, leader in advanced marketing analytics, to analyze Television Ad Effectiveness in todays video age.

In a multi-screen, multi-channel, Internet-of-things world where TV is a transformed medium, marketers face an increasingly daunting task of where to invest marketing $$ to maximize sales and achieve best ROI.

More advertising $$ are shifting to mobile & digital due to a perceived efficiency. However, investment decisions across platforms require a more complex analysis of online, offline and non-media factors that create complex synergies between media in an effective marketing plan.

We believe TV has a measurement problem, not an effectiveness problem. So much attention is paid to changed average ratings without appropriate focus on effectiveness.

To address this, we analyzed the direct & indirect impact of TV marketing on sales, TVs role as part of the broader marketing mix and how that has changed.

Olga Casabona, Senior Director of Client Insights at Turner, is part of a team that takes a next generation approach to client insights that fuels the recommendation of best ad solutions for highest impact on marketers key business outcomes and innovation strategies. Prior to Turner, Olga led the Strategy and research efforts for various teams at NBCUniversal, Univision, impreMedia, McKinsey & Co. and Accenture.

Isaac Weber is a VP of Strategy at MarketShare, a Neustar solution. At MarketShare, Isaac works with some of the largest global advertisers and media companies to connect marketing investments to revenue using state of the art Media Mix Modeling and Multi-Touch Attribution. Prior to this, he held various roles at Charles Schwab and Discover Financial. Isaac has a B.A. in political science from Oregon State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.

________________________________________________________________

Neuroscience Advancements

Biometrics Reveal How and Why Ads Work

~10:52-11:01AM (+ Wednesday, 11:40AM-12:00PM)

Laurent Larguinat - Director, Mars Consumer & Market Insights, Mars

Magda Nenycz-Thiel, Ph.D.  Associate Professor; Manager, Mars Marketing Laboratory, Ehrenberg-Bass Institute

Duane Varan, Ph.D. - CEO, MediaScience

Abstract: How and why ads work is a question on each advertisers mind. The aim of this research is to better understand the potential of biometrics in both predicting and explaining in-market sales ads effectiveness. The study, the largest of its kind ever conducted, incorporated both biometric (skin conductivity, heart rate, eye tracking, facial coding and blink rate) and traditional survey copy testing on over 1100 responders of over 120 ads for Mars Inc. for which sales effectiveness is derived from longitudinal single source data. Our findings show that the biometrics outperform the traditional copy test measures in predictions of sales ads effectiveness. More importantly, our main insights refer to how to handle and use such rich data to understand and improve advertising copy. Limitations associated with biometrics and the way they are analyzed are discussed.

Laurent Larguinat is Director of Mars Consumer & Market Insights. In this role, his mandate is to collaborate with world-class academic partners to help establish Mars as the marketing science leader within the fast-moving-consumer-goods industry.

Magda Nenycz-Thiel, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, University of South Australia. She also manages the Mars Marketing Laboratory, an ongoing research and development initiative developed for Mars, Inc. by the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute.

Duane Varan, Ph.D. is CEO of MediaScience, a leading audience and marketing research firm with labs in Austin and Chicago. Until recently, he was also Professor of Audience Research at Murdoch University in Australia. Duane is the recipient of numerous awards including the Australian Prime Ministers Award for University Teacher of the Year.

________________________________________________________________

Neuroscience Advancements

Cross-Channel Priming for Best Results

~11:02-11:11AM (+ Monday, 12:20-12:40PM)

Neha Bhargava - Manager, Advertising Research, Facebook

Pranav Yadav - CEO, Neuro-Insight US Inc.

Abstract: From our living rooms to the palm of our hands, screens big and small are giving us the flexibility to access content whenever and wherever we want. While this 24/7 access appeals to consumers, it has complicated campaign planning for advertisers. While everyone agrees that budgets and creative efforts should follow users into digital environments, these spaces remain poorly understood, and the relationship between these new units and conventional television campaigns is yet to be fully determined. This research used a patented neurological testing approach called SST to examine impacts and priming effects among Facebook and television advertising for associated campaignsresulting in both a clear demonstration of the strength of cross channel advertising across Facebook and TV, and best practices for brands working across platforms.

Neha Bhargava is Manager of Advertising Research at Facebook where she helps advertising partners prove and grow the value they see from Facebook. Previously, Neha was a strategy consultant focused on providing marketing and product designs based on big data. She began her career as an engineer building rockets. Neha holds a B.S. in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT and an M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School.

Pranav Yadav is CEO of Neuro-Insight US Inc. Pranav helps advertisers and media companies make the most compelling connections between products and consumers by using the passive, granular insights of neuromarketing. Prior to Neuro-Insight, Pranav worked at ReD and Goldman Sachs.

________________________________________________________________

Neuroscience Advancements

Seeking the Moment of Ad Impact

~11:12-11:21AM (+ Tuesday, 11:40AM-12:00PM)

Nathalie Bordes - Senior Director, Emerging Channels Research, ESPN

Duane Varan, Ph.D. - CEO, MediaScience

Abstract: ESPN and MediaScience show in this research the impact of ad exposure length on ad viewability. This exploratory investigation was prompted by ESPNs work in the MRC Mobile Viewability Working Group and key questions of this research set out to answer:

 How quickly does the viewers eye gaze connect with digital ads and at what point does eye fixation on the ad occur?

 Is there a difference in the rate of fixation between PC and mobile platforms due to scrolling speed?

 Does the scrolling speed affect ad fixation, and if so, does this vary by platform?

In addition to these questions, the research also provided valuable insights into how visual ad fixation affects ad processing and memory.

Nathalie Bordes is Senior Director of Emerging Channels Research at ESPN where her team supports TV, online, mobile, OTT and social media groups across the sales organization. Nathalie is a member of the MRC Digital Committee, IAB Research Council and Market Research Council. Her focus lies on investigating the impact of new digital media metrics and measurements on ESPNs revenue goals and future product strategies.

Duane Varan, Ph.D. is CEO of MediaScience, a leading audience and marketing research firm with labs in Austin and Chicago. Until recently, he was also Professor of Audience Research at Murdoch University in Australia. Duane is the recipient of numerous awards including the Australian Prime Ministers Award for University Teacher of the Year.

About ARF:

The Advertising Research Foundation (The ARF) is an organization dedicated to creating, curating, and sharing objective, industry-level advertising research. ARF provides members with unique, research-based insights to make true impact on their advertising and build marketing leadership within their organizations. Founded nearly 80 years ago, The ARFs members today include more than 400 leading brand advertisers, agencies, research firms, and media-tech companies. Together, we challenge conventions and discover new, actionable insights through objective research at scale.

For more information please visit http://thearf.org.

# # #

Media Contact:

Jill Golden PR

320 5th Avenue, Suite 501

New York, NY 10001

347-524-2791

jill(at)jillgoldenpr(dot)com
Gabriel Said Reynolds, Ph.D. will present Islam, the Catholic Church, and the Future of the World, for the 2016 Hesburgh Lecture at Alvernia University.

Gabriel Said Reynolds, Ph.D. will present Islam, the Catholic Church, and the Future of the World, for the 2016 Hesburgh Lecture at Alvernia University, March 31. Sponsored by Alvernias Holleran Center for Community Engagement and the Notre Dame Club of Reading, this years Hesburgh event will take place at 7 p.m., in the McGlinn Conference and Spirituality Center.

Each spring, Alvernia University hosts a Hesburgh Lecture that both embodies the universitys core values and brings attention to topics that are relevant to todays local and global communities.

Gabriel Said Reynolds, Ph.D., professor of theology at Notre Dame, is the author of The Quran and Its Biblical Subtext (Routledge, 2010) and The Emergence of Islam (Fortress, 2012).

At Notre Dame, Reynolds teaches Foundations of Theology, Islam and Christian Theology, The Quran and Its Relation to the Bible, The Holy Land and Islamic Origins. Outside of Notre Dame, he has conducted research and delivered lectures in cities throughout the Middle East, including Ankara, Cairo, Jerusalem, Beirut, Damascus and Tehran.

Since 1986, the Hesburgh Lecture Series has brought a taste of Notre Dames academic excellence to Alvernias campus courtesy of the Notre Dame Club of Reading, which supports the event. The lectures perpetuate the example of President Emeritus Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh as a lifelong learner and further the Alumni Associations mission by providing meaningful opportunities to Notre Dame alumni, parents and friends.

Hesburgh lectures are presented by Notre Dame faculty members on topics related to art, architecture, business, communications, contemporary social issues, economics, environment, ethics, government, history, law, social concerns and many more. Annually, almost 5,000 alumni, parents and friends attend a Hesburgh Lecture.

ALVERNIA is a thriving university that empowers students through real-world learning to discover their passion for life, while providing the education to turn what they love into lifetimes of career success and personal fulfillment, helping them make the world a better place. Situated on a scenic 121-acre suburban campus in historic Berks County, Pa., the university of more than 3,000 students is conveniently located near Philadelphia (60 miles) and within an easy drive of New York, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
St. Anthony of Lansing, a Gardant affordable assisted living community, will host a St. Patricks Day Celebration from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on March 17.

The community, which is located at 3025 Spring Lake Drive in Lansing, Illinois, serves low-income seniors who need some help to maintain their independence.

During the celebration, Bud Boblink will blend family-style comedy, magic and harmonica music into a crowd-pleasing one-man show. Our menu will include Cheddar Guinness Dip, Green with Envy cheesecake, corned beef and cabbage rolls and St. Patrick's Day punch.

This event is open to the public; there is no charge to attend.

For more information, call 708-474-6100.

The St. Anthony of Lansing assisted living community was developed on more than four acres of property on the east side of Chicago Ave., north of 178th St., in Lansing, Illinois.

The community - a $27.9 million development that opened in 2013 - houses 125 one-bedroom apartments.

"We are providing older adults with a wonderful alternative to a nursing home or to struggling alone at home," says Julie Gambino, Director of Marketing at St. Anthony.

The community combines residential apartment-home living with the availability of personal assistance, help with medication, and a variety of convenience and support services, such as meals, housekeeping and laundry.

Residents live in private apartments that they furnish and decorate to their tastes. Each of the apartments features a kitchenette, spacious bathroom with shower and grab bars, individually controlled heating and air conditioning, and emergency alert system.

Certified nursing assistants, working under the direction of a licensed nurse, are on-duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"Residents also benefit from all of the opportunities are available to socialize with friends and neighbors and to participate in activities and special programs," says Gambino.

St. Anthony is certified to operate through the Illinois Supportive Living program, which emphasizes personal choice, dignity, privacy and individuality.

The affordable assisted living community is managed by Gardant Management Solutions., of Bradley, Illinois. Gardant is the largest provider of assisted living in Illinois.

"Our focus," says Rod Burkett, President and CEO of Gardant Management Solutions, "is to provide St. Anthony of Lansing residents with the love, compassion and dignity they deserve and the help and assistance they need. Our emphasis is on helping each resident achieve and maintain as much independence as possible for as long as possible."

Communities managed by Gardant include the Heritage Woods affordable assisted living communities in Batavia, Bolingbrook, Chicago, Gurnee, Manteno, McHenry, Plainfield and Yorkville, Illinois.

Gardant also manages the Heritage Woods assisted living community in Huntley, the Churchview affordable assisted living community in Chicago, and the Heritage Woods affordable assisted living and memory care community in South Elgin. The company will also operate The Montclare at Lawndale, a new affordable assisted living community that will open in Chicago next year.

For more information about Gardant Management Solutions or the assisted living, senior living and memory care communities the company operates, call 1-877-882-1495.
Unique Handmade Jewellery by Mixy Fandino Love Unique Design Love Fair Trade

Mixy Fandino, a specialist in fair trade, handcrafted jewellery from Colombia, is excited to announce the launch of a store at Camden Stables Market.

The store will allow customers to meet Mixy Fandino and discover her entire jewellery collection in one place.

Mixy Fandino is privileged in being able to work closely with artisans in the department of Cundinamarca, which is situated in the heart of Colombia. This Fair Trade collaboration provides artisans the opportunity to earn a livelihood while living at home and supporting their families.

Through working with local artisans and nurturing relationships based on respect and fair trade, Mixy Fandino has developed a high quality range of jewellery inspired by nature and indigenous tradition, yet with a wholly contemporary edge.

The Mixy Fandino store launches with its Spring/Summer 2016 collection, which includes a wide range of bright, colourful and exotic designs for women of all ages.

Mixy Fandino prides itself on producing contemporary jewellery pieces, which are handmade from natural and sustainable materials.

The main jewellery collection is handcrafted using Totumo, Tagua and Cotton Fibre  a beautiful range that displays a riot of South American colour.

In addition, Mixy Fandino is proud to announce the full launch of her sterling silver range of jewellery. This new range is highly anticipated, having sold out quickly during a pre-release event in Islington last Christmas. These exquisite silver pieces are produced using the ancient technique of filigree.

Commenting on the launch, Company Director Mixy Fandino said We are delighted to arrive in Camden  our store will provide a friendly and comfortable environment for our customers to visit us and purchase Mixy Fandino designs

Our jewellery celebrates the wonderful history and culture of the Colombian Andes, having been created by artisans who put their heart and soul into every piece, she added. The opening day will be full of surprises and live Colombian music.

To be part of this exciting event, please visit the Mixy Fandino store on Sunday 13th March 2016 between 1pm to 5pm at Unit 425 Camden Stables Market, NW1 8AH, London.

If you would like to find out more about Mixy Fandinos work, please visit their website http://www.mixyfandino.com or get in touch with Mixy at hello(at)mixyfandino(dot)com or call +44 (0) 7977130898.

http://www.mixyfandino.com

https://www.facebook.com/mixy.fandino/

https://twitter.com/mixyfandino
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A COLLECTION OF SOME OF MY BEST PUBLISHED PIECES, INCLUDING ANALYSIS, CRITICISM, AND SATIRE. NOW INCLUDING COMMENTS ON JUST ABOUT ANYTHING FROM MANY OF THE WORLD'S QUALITY NEWSPAPERS.
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A cookie is a small text file that a website saves on your computer or mobile device when you visit the site. Cookies are widely used in order to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site.Website use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. ("Google") to help analyse the use of this website. For this purpose, Google Analytics uses"cookies", which are text files placed on your computer.The information generated by the cookies about your use of this website - standard internet log information (including your IP address) and visitor behaviour information in an anonymous form - will be transmitted to and stored by Google including on servers in the United States. Google will anonymize the information sent by removing the last octet of your IP address prior to its storage.According to Google Analytics terms of service, Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website and compiling reports on website activity.We not use, and not allow any third party to use the statistical analytics tool to track or to collect any personally identifiable information of visitors to this site. Google may transfer the information collected by Google Analytics to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google`s behalf.According to Google Analytics terms of service, Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google.You may refuse the use of Google Analytics cookies by downloading and installing Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. The add-on communicates with the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js) to indicate that information about the website visit should not be sent to Google Analytics.Cookies are also used to record if you have agreed (or not) to our use of cookies on this site, so that you are not asked the question every time you visit the site.You can control and/or delete cookies as you wish. You can delete all cookies that are already on your computer and you can set most browsers to prevent them from being placed.Most browsers allow you to:If you chose to delete cookies, you should be aware that any preferences will be lost. Also, if you block cookies completely many websites (including ours) will not work properly and webcasts will not work at all. For these reasons, we do not recommend turning cookies off when using our webcasting services.
Born on March 11, 1916 to Polish-Jewish immigrants, Brooklyn native Ezra Jack Keats broke ground in childrens literature with his picture books featuring young protagonists of color in urban settings. Keats, who made his picture-book debut in 1954 as illustrator of Jubilant for Sure by Elizabeth Hubbard Lansing, moved into the literary spotlight when he won the 1963 Caldecott Medal for his first solo effort, Vikings The Snowy Day. In total, Keats wrote and illustrated 22 books and illustrated many more before his death in 1983. In addition to his impressive canon, Keatss legacy endures through diverse programs orchestrated by the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, which has organized an Ezra Jack Keats 100th Birthday Read-a-thon on March 11 at Books of Wonder in Manhattan.

At the event, nine childrens authors and illustrators will read aloud one of Keatss books to an audience that will include, across three sessions, the entire second grade  close to 170 children  at New York Citys P.S. 11. The impressive roster of childrens book creators participating in the Read-a-thon and the Keats titles they are reading are: Paul O. Zelinsky (John Henry), Pat Cummings (The Trip), Sean G. Qualls (A Letter to Amy), Andrea Davis Pinkney (The Snowy Day), Brian Floca (Peters Chair), Marisabina Russo (Over in the Meadow), Nina Crews (Maggie and the Pirate), Sophie Blackall (Regards to the Man in the Moon), and David Ezra Stein (Whistle for Willie).

Each child attending the event will receive one of Keatss picture books. Each teacher (as well as the library at P.S. 11) will receive a set of six Keats titles. All the books by Keats were donated by Penguin Random House. In addition, each teacher will receive one book by each of the authors and illustrators participating in the celebration, as a gift from the EJK Foundation.

For Deborah Pope, executive director of the EJK Foundation since 2000, celebrating the centennial of the authors birth holds singular meaning. Her father, Martin Pope, now 97, was a lifelong friend of Keats and was holding the authors hand when he died.

She explained that her father and Keats became fast friends when, as classmates at their public junior high school in the East New York section of Brooklyn, they both failed algebra. Ezra simply couldnt do algebra, and my father talked back to the teacher, so they both ended up failing! she said. They developed a very special friendship and were almost like brothers  without the rivalry. Ezra was like an uncle to my sister and me. He was always very gracious and treated us with respect as well as humor.

Incorporated in 1964, the EJK Foundation became active when Keats died. His will directed that the Foundation use the royalties from his books for social good. Martin Pope, as the Foundations president, and his late wife, Lillie Pope, as vice-president, focused the organizations efforts on creating and supporting programs aimed at bolstering childrens learning opportunities, love of reading, and belief in themselves.

The EJK Foundation, whose programs (expanded from those implemented by Popes parents) now include a bookmaking competition for young writers and illustrators, grants supporting programs in public schools and libraries that demonstrate creativity and cooperation, and the annual Ezra Jack Keats Book Award, which recognizes emerging childrens authors and illustrators of picture books celebrating originality, diversity, and family. The Foundation also supports fellowships for the study of childrens literature and scholarships in art and music to universities, museums, music schools, and other public organizations.

Authors Eagerly Sign on to Read

The Read-a-thon, noted Pope, is a fitting way to honor Keatss 100th birthday, since it reflects the respect his fellow book creators have for him  everyone she contacted agreed to participate in the event  as well as his devotion to children and to supporting the public school system. Ezra is revered in the literary community, and this event is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to celebrate his books and his world view, and to show our admiration, respect, and gratitude for all that he accomplished, she said.

Thrilled to be invited to read at the event, Sophie Blackall said she did not hesitate for a second before accepting. Recipient of the 2016 Caldecott Medal for Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick, Blackall also won the EJK Book Award in 2003 for her debut picture book, Rubys Wish. I received that award 13 years ago, but it is truly a lifetime honor, she said. Making books can be such an isolated experience, and more than anything this award made me feel connected to the childrens book community. And connection is such an important part of what Keatss books accomplish. They let children, especially children of color, connect to books in a way they perhaps hadnt done before, because they are able to see themselves in the stories.

Read-a-thon participant Sean G. Qualls praised Keatss ability to create stories that are so simple yet so profound  and universal. In The Snowy Day, he elaborated, Keats created a day-in-the-life story about a boy, Peter, and his surroundings, and the boy just happens to be African-American. Free of social agendas, I believe, Keats recognized race but then saw beyond it to create stories relatable to all humanity. Adding that Keats is one of my artistic heroes, Qualls added that he is honored to be part of the birthday celebration, and hopes that the young attendees will fall in love with his books as I did, and be inspired to create and share their own stories.

Andrea Davis Pinkney has a special connection to Keats: her picture-book biography of the author, A Poem of Peter, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, will be published by Viking in the fall. She was pleased to be asked to read The Snowy Day at the Read-a-thon, since it played a significant role in her childhood. Back then, I didnt fully realize that Keats had transformed childrens books, she explained. I only saw what I saw  I saw my brown-skinned self celebrated through Peters sense of wonder and discovery. I think I slept with my copy of The Snowy Day. Thats how much the book meant to me. Ive since learned that I wasnt the only one who embraced Keatss books like they were bed pillows. His characters and settings bring such comfort.

The Read-a-thon strikes yet another personal note for Pinkney, who lives on the same Brooklyn street where P.S. 11 is located. I know these students  I see them coming and going every day, she reflected. Theyre the kids whose lives are beautifully reflected in the city scenes Ezra created in his books that celebrate street corners, front stoops, graffiti, manholes, and storefronts. And that includes black and Latino children and families, homeless people, and colorful construction workers. Ezra Jack Keats is still bringing it home  100 years after he was born. And kids today are still rejoicing.
Neel Mukherjee. Norton, $16.95 trade paper (416p) ISBN 978-0-393-35210-8

Following his mothers death, and soon after his fathers, protagonist Ritwik is surprised to find himself entirely alone in his Calcutta neighborhood at age 21, not nearly as happy as hed hoped hed be with his mother gone (she was both the proudest mother in the area and, seemingly, the most abusive, always on the edge of fury, if not in its throes). His loneliness follows him to rainy rural England, where a scholarship gets him two years in university, and then on to London, where he stays without working papers. Ritwik is unable to shake the trauma of his mothers cruelty, punishing himself once she no longer can. Throughout this time, which is set in the early days of AIDS, Ritwik finds men with whom he can have brief, furtive encounters in bathroom stalls and on unlit backstreets, never learning their names, never allowing himself affection or trust. And yet hes not without hope. Calcutta native Mukherjee (The Lives of Others) illuminates the crevices of shame and despair with his beautiful prose.
"Paradoxical connections intrigue me," writes Tippett in her poetic, candid inquiry-cum-memoir Becoming Wise. "The way our technologies are reopening a sense that literal reality is not all there is; the robust vocabulary scientists and mathematicians have of beauty and of mystery." After over a decade doing in-depth interviews and accumulating spiritual knowledge on her popular podcast On Being, Tippett pulls from that well of conversations to reconstruct her trail of investigation into the nature of wisdom. The transcribed interviews, the bones of the book, are rigorous, intimate, affecting, and varied. She speaks to all types of "spiritual geniuses" (a phrase taken from Einstein) from religious and spiritual leaders, to scientists, poets, politicians, and activists, usually those on the frontiers of their professions, bridging divides and opening new avenues into traditional ways of thinking. Tippett does an impressive job weaving so many voices into a coherent whole.

Organized into five sections based on what she considers the "raw materials" or "breeding grounds for wisdom"words, flesh, love, faith, and hopethe book works because Tippett stands at the center, always questioning, learning, explaining. She tells her own life journeyher Oklahoma upbringing, her wide-eyed years in divided Cold War Germany, her decision to attend Yale divinity schoolalongside the spiritual evolution that came while hosting the podcast. During initial drafts of the book Tippett included only a small section about her father which she hid in the middle. Originally it was a throwaway. But then in rewrites, when a friend suggested she expand the section, Tippett decided to explore including her father more and suddenly her own history began bleeding more into the book. The result is beautiful. "I can disagree with your opinion, it turns out, but I can't disagree with your experience," she writes. "And once I have a sense of your experience, you and I are in a relationship, acknowledging the complexity of each other's positions, listening less guardedly. The difference in our opinions will probably remain intact, but it no longer defines what is possible between us." Pulling together and going beyond the accumulated knowledge of her interviews, Tippett's book is an incantatory trip into the paradoxical and profound.
The lawsuit filed Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court also names Gary Solomon, co-owner of SUPES Academy, and his business partner, Thomas Vranas, who are accused of arranging to pay former Chicago Public Schools chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett in the scheme.

Solomon and Vranas have pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and other federal charges.

Byrd-Bennett pleaded guilty in October to helping steer $23 million in no-bid contracts for as much $2.3 million in kickbacks and other perks while in Chicago.

Attorneys for the three did not immediately return messages seeking comment Thursday.
Federal prosecutors in the southern district of Illinois announced the fines against Farrell Lines and Damco USA on Thursday.

Acting U.S. Attorney Jim Porter says the two contractors were paid to move Defense Department cargo on behalf of the U.S. Transportation Command, which is based at Scott Air Force Base in St. Clair County.

Federal investigators determined that 563 weight tickets submitted by Farrell Lines to support billing invoices for individual cargo containers were created after the fact by employees of Damco, its subcontractor.

The case was settled without a lawsuit. Porter described the violation as one of poor record-keeping rather than willful misconduct.
They were identified as 19-year-old Eric and 18-year-old Edrick Maymon, of Markham, Illinois. The two were arrested on charges of harassment, trespassing and carrying a weapon on school grounds. Online court records don't list the names of attorneys who could comment for the Maymons. Jail records say the brothers remained in custody Friday. They both attend the school.

Some students had reported Thursday that the two made threatening comments and gestures as they drove by. Police say officers found the brothers in a student's room later and then found the shotgun in the car.
Vermilion County Coroner Peggy Johnson said in a news release Thursday that 47-year-old Ell C. Hoffman of nearby Homer was shot multiple times Wednesday night. Urbana resident Douglas F. Price, who was 69, was shot in the head.

Sheriff Pat Hartshorn earlier told The (Champaign) News-Gazette that the woman worked at the truck stop and was shot by a man believed to be her estranged husband while she sat in her vehicle during a work break. The man then shot himself.

Oakwood is about 25 miles east of Urbana.
CAMBRIDGE  A Galva resident involved with Green Vision International talked to the Henry County Board on Thursday about making use of swine waste.

This could help rebuild rural America, said Ron Pankau.

He noted that Henry County was the hog capital of the world in the 1960s, but since then Bob Evans Farms has left Galva and hog farms have closed.

The hog industry isnt what it used to be, he said.

The companys Donald McFarland said the new technology, which is a collaboration of Midwestern farmers and the University of Illinois, recovers carbon and could prevent runoff from further damaging the dead zone at the Mississippi delta.

This is an opportunity that we can create an economy or not, depending on the state, he said.

In other business, the county board approved placing a referendum for a half of one percent public safety sales tax on the November ballot, but not before expressing a misgiving or two.

A sales tax, its like forever, said board member Jeff Orton.

Board chairman Roger Gradert said the board could reduce the tax in the future if it wasnt needed. County administrator Colleen Gillaspie said the board could have the tax sunset or disappear at some future point, though she noted that was generally done in cases where a particular project is being paid off or new revenue is anticipated later on.

The money is needed for uses including sheriffs department payroll, squad cars and court security. The county is anticipating a deficit of more than $600,000 this year.

Board member Karen Urick noted a lot of money is used to provide public safety on the interstates in the county, and a sales tax would enable the county to have travelers help cover the cost. I admit last time I was a little worried about how funds would be used, but Im very much in favor of it this time, she said.

The lack of a state budget agreement for the current fiscal year prompted the board to allow the health department to continue to use funds set aside for a building project.The health department earlier had received permission to use construction funds for retirement, Social Security and health insurance funds.

Board member Jan May noted the state owes the health department more than $1 million. She said the department has cut and condensed everywhere they possibly can without cutting services to people.

The health departments building plans have been put on hold pending the states situation.

The board also authorized the release of $150,000 from the Henry County Rural Revolving Loan Fund to Midwest Trailer Manufacturing in Kewanee.
MOLINE -- Two candidates are running to running for the Democratic nomination to fill the vacancy on 14th Judicial Circuit created by the retirement of Judge Michael Meersman.

The winner of the match up between attorneys Kathleen Mesich, of Coal Valley, and Clayton Lee, of East Moline, likely gets an automatic win in the November General Election. No Republicans have filed to run for the position.

Judge Meersman retired last November and attorney Joe Fackel, who had no plans to run for the position, was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to fill the vacancy until the election.

Clayton R. Lee

Age: 39

Address: East Moline

Party: Democrat

Family: Wife, Lindsay; children: Andynn, 6; Grayson, 4; and Elynn, 18 months

Education: Alleman High School, St. Ambrose University, Northern Illinois College of Law

Political Experience: I have worked on four successful circuit court judge campaigns, as well as numerous other Democratic candidate races from the municipal to federal level.

Kathleen Mesich

Age: 39

Address: Coal Valley

Party: Democratic

Family: Husband, Christopher Fiems; sons, Ethan, 10; and Nathan, 3

Education: Rock Island High School, University of Illinois, B.S. and Southern Illinois University Law School, J.D.

Political experience: Precinct Committeeman for the Democratic Party.

Why are you running?

Lee: I am running for Circuit Judge because I believe that the citizens of Rock Island County deserve one who embodies the legal expertise, emotional temperament and common sense that I bring to the table.

In the past, I have worked with several judges, now on the bench, and they encouraged me, because of my well-rounded practice, to seek the office. Because my legal experience is so diverse, I am not a one-dimensional attorney. My clients tell me that I am a good listener, fair and extremely competent, a trait valued in a judge.

The poll results from my peers in the legal community, as the only recommended and qualified candidate, has only reinforced the fact that I made the right choice in running.

Mesich: I was raised to value service to others and to the community. The decisions a circuit judge makes can affect the lives, financial welfare and liberty of the citizens.

If elected, I promise to remain even tempered at all times while on the bench and treat everyone who enters the courtroom with fairness, dignity and respect. I promise to be respectful to all parties who appear before me and patient with those unfamiliar with the law.

If elected, I would only be the fourth woman ever to hold the position of Circuit Judge in this County. I believe diversity is critical to a successful judiciary, and the citizens of Rock Island County deserve to have judges who can relate to and understand their needs.

Explain how your legal background qualifies you to become a Circuit Judge.

Lee: My legal experience is broad based. I represent six municipalities, so my experience in municipal law allows me the knowledge of property and contract law. My background in collection work is extensive.

I am the Rock Island County Appointed Guardian ad Litem for Children at Risk, so I spend two days or more, each week, in Juvenile and Family Court. I am the voice for those who are unable to speak for themselves. It is a heavy responsibility to make sure that the children of Rock Island County are not forgotten, or lost in the system.

In addition, I am working on several criminal post conviction appeals. My background in estate planning services includes preparation of estate documents, handling estates, even serving as administrator on several. What I can bring to the bench is broad based legal knowledge, even temperament and a promise to serve the citizens of Rock Island County to the best of my ability.

Mesich: After graduating law school, I returned home to Rock Island County and began working with the well-respected Brooks Law Firm, where I am now a shareholder attorney. I am licensed to practice in Illinois and Iowa state courts as well as the federal courts of Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin. I have litigated hundreds of state and federal cases and am confident my extensive knowledge and experience before the bench will serve me well as a Circuit Judge.

I have been a guest lecturer for continuing legal education programs for lawyers and was chosen to serve as a Judge for the American Bar Association National Appellate Moot Court Competition. I am a certified arbitrator for the 14th Circuit and was elected by my peers to serve on the Board of Managers for the Rock Island County Bar Association. My background and legal experience, the confidence shown by local judges and my knowledge of the law all demonstrate my qualifications for circuit judge.
Dan Lee, who the hell do you think you are? ("Trump, an unspeakable disaster," March 6, Viewpoints)

Another talking head who professes in the newspaper how wrong we all are about Donald Trump!

Who tells us all what an excellent President John Kasich would be for us.

Can you not see 20 million people disagree with you? So you are in the minority, not the rest of us!

A president who trades the five most dangerous terrorist in the world, who only want to kill Americas, for one Army deserter, who threw down his weapon and tried to join the enemy, and should have been shot for desertion!

Its a spit in the face of every veteran in America!

And then, he implements giving billions of dollars to our biggest enemy IRAN, while they are shaking their fist at us, screaming death to America, and burning American flags.

Is he still on our side?

Then he, like, turns to us with a big toothy smile and tell us who you both think would make us an excellent president." Well, your track records suck! And we have had quite enough of people like you, who keep doing us these big favors!

The only unspeakable disaster would be taking a course from you at Augustana College.

Richard Benson,

East Moline
U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa) on March 9, 2016 joined National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association (NRC) member Atlantic Track & Turnout Co. for a tour of its facility in St. Clair, Pa.

Attendees included Rep. Matt Cartwright; Bob Morgan, District Director for Congressman Cartwright; Bill Hanley, Senior Economic Development Specialist for Congressman Cartwright; Peter Hughes, President, Atlantic Track & Turnout Co.; Ron Hikes, Plant Manager, Atlantic Track & Turnout Co.; Shane Baker, Asst. Manager, Atlantic Track & Turnout Co.; Bryan Freed, Plant Engineer, Atlantic Track & Turnout Co.; Paul Schuler, Sales, Atlantic Track & Turnout Co.; John Fehr, Sales, Atlantic Track & Turnout Co.; and Lindsey Collins, VP of Grassroots Advocacy at NRC.

Hughes gave an overview of Atlantic Track & Turnout Co. and its current operations. Atlantic Track was established in 1923. Atlantic Track inventories new and used rail products including relay rail, joint bars, ties, switch timbers, and tie plates. Atlantic Track also provides products for crane runway systems and transit systems, and services including surveys, inspections, installations, repairs, maintenance, and project management.

Hughes gave a tour of the facility, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Atlantic Track provides a mix of manufacturing and distribution services supporting the railroad and transit industries at their Pottsville facility, which opened in 1976. It is one of only two companies that makes electric third rail used in transit systems. Customers include transit systems in New York, Washington, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Atlanta. In addition, the facility houses machines for the milling, grinding, cutting, and drilling of railroad rails and other steel items. The facility employs 38 people.

Id like to thank Atlantic Track & Turnout Co. and the National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association for the opportunity to tour its facility in St. Clair, Rep. Cartwright said. Manufacturing and engineering are critical pieces of Pennsylvanias economy, and we must do everything we can to ensure were making things here in Schuylkill County. Im committed to expanding skilled jobs like the ones at Atlantic by supporting policies such as extending the short line rail tax credit, which would help create these jobs and further promote rail.

Congressman Cartwright was first sworn into Congress on Jan. 3, 2013. He was appointed to serve on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, where he is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Health Care, Benefits, and Administrative Rules. He is also a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources. Cartwright was additionally named to the Democratic Outreach and Engagement Task Force by Assistant Minority Leader Jim Clyburn.
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Today, Europe remembers those who lost their lives in terrorist attacks, as well as the families and friends of the victims. The date is significant since it was exactly 12 years ago that a terrorist bomb attack in Madrid killed 191 people and left 1,800 wounded. Since the Madrid attack, other tragedies have taken place across Europe, such as the bombings in London on 7th July 2005 and the recent terrorist attacks in Paris in January and November 2015.

In the past decade, initiatives aimed at reducing the risk of attacks and improving responses when attacks occur have been advanced by European government agencies, law enforcement authorities, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and research organisations like RAND Europe. These efforts have been aimed at combatting terrorism at key stages: the initial stage, where radicalisation is nurtured and encouraged; the planning stage, where terrorist plots are hatched; and the final stage, during which actual attacks are undertaken.

European policy has attempted to address these different aspects of the terrorist threat, focusing recent efforts on preventive measures and on making the EU-wide response more efficient and streamlined. In January, Europol launched an ad hoc European Counter Terrorism Centre, which will act as an information hub, provide analysis for ongoing investigations and contribute to the coordination of responses to major terrorist attacks.

In addition, research and studies that support the EU's efforts to prevent and respond to radicalisation and terrorism are ongoing. For example, Radicalisation Awareness Network brings together practitioners, researchers and NGOs in a bid to better understand and tackle the issue of radicalisation. The network works with RAND Europe to develop best-practice approaches to counter-terrorism and counter-radicalisation.

RAND Europe's involvement in TACTICS, a project funded by the European Commission, focused on approaches to enhance security and mitigate the consequences of terrorism in European cities. The project has led to a technology-ready concept, which will allow European cities to have a clearer understanding of terrorist threats and the capabilities available to respond to and counteract it. The end goal is a faster, more effective and more efficient response from security forces across Europe to deal with acts of terror.

RAND Europe also led a study on Radicalisation in the Digital Era, which investigated the role of the Internet in encouraging radicalisation, and demonstrated how smart online interventions can arrest the process of radicalisation and ensure that this does not lead to violent extremism.

The success of such preventative interventions and other counter-radicalisation initiatives are also being explored in the IMPACT Europe work, an international project funded by the European Commission that aims to define what works in tackling and preventing radicalisation globally. IMPACT Europe is developing a toolkit to help practitioners evaluate their counter-radicalisation initiatives and build good practices into future initiatives. The end goal of this project is to enable more effective initiatives to prevent radicalisation at the earliest possible moment.

Over 10 years on from the horrific terrorist attacks in Madrid and London, it can be argued that the threat of terrorism and radicalisation has not diminished. During that time, however, counter-terrorism efforts have become more sophisticated across Europe, taking aim at the root causes of terrorism before actual attacks take place. The potential of this work must not be overlooked as Europe looks to address the threat of terrorism during the next decade.

Ines von Behr is a senior analyst and Jacopo Bellasio is an associate analyst at RAND Europe.

Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
The Ethiopian Government has awarded a contract to GatesAir (formerly Harris Broadcast) for the installation of a national digital terrestrial television (DTT) contract.



The US company will design, supply, install, test and commission a DVB-T2 free-to-air network for 26 new transmission sites, and upgrade systems at 74 existing EBC facilities.Financing for the broadcast project, which will support 20 digital TV channels, is being arranged by J P Morgan with support from Export Development Canada (EDC).Welcoming the contract award, US Ambassador to Ethiopia Patricia Haslach said: The selection of GatesAir will capitalise on American know-how in digitisation and television technology, in order to achieve Deputy Prime Minister Debretsions plan to fast-track digital television broadcasting in Ethiopia.Furthermore, the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) will provide a training grant of US$600,000 for capacity-building in Ethiopia, accentuating the positive impact of the Embassys new Foreign Commercial Service.Canadas Ambassador to Ethiopia Philip Baker added Canada is pleased to collaborate with the United States and Ethiopia on this important venture to digitise the EBC television system in Ethiopia.The participation of leading Canadian telecommunications infrastructure providers in collaboration with Export Development Canada (EDC) is a good example of the growing trade relations between Canada and Ethiopia, and we hope that strategic commercial partnerships like this one will continue to strengthen in the future. GatesAir , which has been working in Ethiopia for 50 years, has also won DTT contracts in Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Togo. The contract in Ethiopia will see the company install Maxiva liquid-cooled UHF transmitters and DVB-T2 headend equipment, satellite uplinks, antennas and towers.
A+E Networks UK has announced the appointment of Luke Duffy as vice president of ad sales.





Duffy will be working across the companys portfolio of channel brands (History, Lifetime, Crime + Investigation and H2) in the UK and international markets.



A former head of trading at Channel 5, with agency experience (Aegis, Starcom), Duffy will lead A+E Networks UKs London-based sales team, with a remit to drive spot, non-spot and digital revenues across its commercial channels in UK, Benelux, Romania, Poland and Africa.



Duffy will manage current and future relationships with A+E Networks sales houses across multiple territories, including Sky Media, RTL Netherlands, DSTV Media Sales (Africa), Polsat Media (Poland) and Transfer (Belgium). He will also take responsibility for pan-regional ad sales campaigns.



Launching new ad sales markets will be a further key priority for Duffy.



This is a key appointment for A+E Networks UK. Ad sales in all forms will be driving the growth of our company in the future, said Nicolas Eglau, COO at A+E Networks UK, and general manager of the Nordics, the Benelux and CEEMEA. Lukes extensive experience, both in agency and with a free-to-air broadcaster, will be very valuable in helping us execute this strategy across all markets.



Duffy added: I am very much looking forward to this new challenge with A+E Networks. Its a very dynamic market and I am looking forward to unlocking new opportunities across A+Es channels and territories.
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ECHR prioritizes Russian opposition activist Udaltsovs application

MOSCOW, March 11 (RAPSI)  The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has given top priority to an application filed by Russian opposition activist Sergei Udaltsov, who was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for organizing the Bolotnaya Square protests in central Moscow in May 2012, his attorney Dmitry Agranovsky told RAPSI on Friday.

Udaltsovs defense filed the application regarding the sentence with the ECHR in September, 2015 claiming that opposition activists rights to fair trial, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly were violated. Similar application was filed by defense of another Bolotnaya activist Leonid Razvozzhayev.

Over 400 people were arrested and scores injured in the Bolotnaya Square protest that turned violent in May 2012. Dozens were later charged with inciting mass riots and using violence against law enforcement officers.

The case against Udaltsov and another opposition activist Leonid Razvozzhayev along with other opposition figures was initiated after the "Anatomy of Protest 2" film was shown on the NTV broadcasting network. The film claimed that the opposition was organizing a coup using funds from abroad. It showed Udaltsov and his companions allegedly talking with Georgian politician Givi Targamadze, who at the time headed Georgia's Parliamentary Defense and Security Committee, and is said to have been involved in masterminding revolutions in Georgia and Ukraine and mass riots in Belarus.

Udaltsov and Razvozzhayev were accused of organizing mass protests, convicted and sentenced in July 2014.
Investigators seek to extend detention of Russias Komi Republics ex-head

MOSCOW, March 11 (RAPSI) - Investigators have filed a motion with the Basmanny District Court of Moscow seeking to extend the detention of Vyacheslav Gaizer, former head of Russias Komi Republic who stands charged with fraud and organized crime related violations, and his alleged accomplices, the courts spokesperson Yunona Tsareva told RAPSI on Friday.

The court will hear the motion on March 16.

Earlier, the Investigative Committee reported terminating the activity of a criminal group led by the head of the Republic of Komi, Vyacheslav Gaizer.

Nineteen people are defendants in the case, including Gaizers deputy Alexei Chernov and Igor Kovzel, Chairman of the Republican State Council, and Konstantin Romadanov, Deputy Chairman of the Komi government.

Gaizer pleads not guilty. Several high-ranking officials have been arrested in the fraud and organized crime case, as well as several business people that the Investigative Committee called finance technologists.

During 80 searches in Komi, St. Petersburg and Moscow, the Investigative Committee and the Federal Security Service confiscated over 60 kg of jewelry, 150 watches worth $30,000 to $1 million each, over 50 stamps and seals from offshore corporations, and financial documents legalizing over 1 billion rubles ($14 mln) in stolen money transferred to the offshore zone.

Investigators have also opened against Gaizer a criminal case on money laundering.

On September 30, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to relieve Gaizer of his duties because of loss of trust.
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Cesar Millan is being investigated for animal cruelty following an incident on the former "Dog Whisperer" star's current reality show.

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The complaint was made against Milan's Dog Psychology Center, north of Los Angeles, on Thursday.

The complaint possibly stems from an incident in which a dog fearful of pigs attacked a pig during a training session on a recently aired episode of his current show, "Cesar 911" on Nat Geo Wild Channel.

"There was a complaint that we received and we are investigating the matter," Deputy Director Danny Ubario of L.A. County Animal Control, told TheWrap.

"An officer visited the center today and it is currently under investigation."

When investigators arrived at the facility, family members said Millan was away on a business trip.

Millan must comply to a 24-hour notice from animal control about the well-being of the pig.

The incident on the show outraged some animal activists and other dog trainers, inspiring professional dog trainer Laura Nativo to organize a petition demanding the cancellation of Millan's Nat Geo Wild Channel show.

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Nearly 8,000 signatures have been collected so far.

"It was really difficult to watch," Nativo said. "It's not the way to rehabilitate an animal that is fearful and and aggressive to pigs."

Millan is a self-taught dog trainer. His previous show, "Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan," aired on the National Geographic Channel and its Nat Geo Wild sister network from 2004 to 2012.
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New data released by CoreLogic reveals a slight increase in the number of completed foreclosures in January compared to the previous month.

According to CoreLogic's January 2016 National Foreclosure Report, foreclosure completions on the first month of the year recorded 38,000 units. That is 5,000 more units compared to December's 32,000 or 16.4 percent, Market Realist reported.

On one hand, foreclosure completion activities fell year-on-year at 16 percent. There is also a 22 percent decline in foreclosure inventory to 456,000 homes from last year's 583,000 units.

"In January, the national foreclosure rate was 1.2 percent, down to one-third the peak from exactly five years earlier in January 2011, a remarkable improvement," said Dr. Frank Nothaft, chief economist for CoreLogic, per World Property Journal. "The months' supply of foreclosure fell to 12 months, which is modestly above the nine-month rate seen 10 years earlier and indicates the market's ability to clear the stock of foreclosures is close to normal."

Market Realist explained that foreclosures cause several ripple effects in the property sector. An increase in foreclosure activities is associated with housing supply forecast and house prices. Distressed properties tend to sell lower than normal at around 15 to 20 percent discount. Consequently, neighboring properties also experience lower appraisals and home values.

"The improvement in distressed properties continues across the country in every state which is contributing to the lack of stock of available homes and resulting price escalation in many markets," president and CEO of CoreLogic, Anand Nallathambi, said via World Property Journal. "So far the trend toward lower delinquency and foreclosures has been immune from shocks from such things as the collapse in oil prices attesting to the durability of the housing recovery."

Over the past 12 months to January 2016, five states accounted for almost half of the national foreclosure completions. Florida recorded 74,000 units of completed foreclosure, followed by Michigan with 49,000 and Texas (29,000). California had 25,000 and Ohio 24,000.
The uncertainties over Britain's plans to exit the European Union and the impending stamp duty implementation in April are playing tug of war in the U.K.'s property market, Bloomberg reported.

Investors and prospective homeowners rush in to buy properties before the new tax takes effect. This result in an increase in mortgage applications as they try to secure approvals for their borrowings before they face higher taxes. The stamp duty change, which the government crafted with the aim of cooling the country's hot housing market, will add 3 percentage points to second home rates.

Consequently, there is an increasing demand which helped lift sales by 12 percent in February. House prices also rose by 0.8 percent last month as indicated by the data from LSL and Acadata, per Bloomberg.

With the issues surrounding the U.K.'s EU membership, there are also uncertainties as to how the so-called "Brexit" will affect the country's housing market. According to a report from The Guardian, there is going to be a slowdown in the housing market. Savills, an upmarket estate agent, has warned that the sector will be subdued in the run-up to the EU vote in June.

"We expect the UK residential and commercial investment markets to be subdued, for the former, as stamp duty reforms take effect, and, more generally, in the run-up to the EU referendum in June," said Jeremy Helsby, Savills chief executive.

If Britain decided to renounce its membership from the European Union, property investors might delay or cancel their investments while companies might postpone leasing offices in the country.

Asset manager BlackRock has also warned of Brexit's impact, saying, "Investors in London's commercial property market are understandably nervous about the Brexit vote. London has a lot to lose. It accounts for 23 percent of European cross-border commercial property investment."
A proposal to tax homes in Vancouver that are sitting empty is on the table in a bid to address the housing supply and affordability issues in the region.

As reported by CBC News, a group of UBC economic professors suggested increasing the property tax by 1.5 percent for vacant homes in Vancouver. They believe that with this, homeowners will be encouraged to rent out their houses that they barely use because they will be exempted from the surtax by doing so. Consequently, it will boost the housing stock as more properties will be made available for rent.

Josh Gottlieb, an economics professor at UBC and one of the proponents of the proposal, said that because property tax in the region is lower than the rest of Canada, it has been an attractive place for investors who acquire properties and leave them empty while their value appreciates.

But as the country is experiencing a supply issue, there needs something to be done. Gottlieb said, "The way to ultimately deal with that problem would be to expand housing supply. What do vacant units do? They do the opposite - they effectively restrict housing supply."

The report said there are 11,000 homes sitting empty in Vancouver and it would really help the country if people are encouraged to list their second homes for rent. The proposal also said that the surtax will generate an additional $90 million.

As previously reported here on Realty Today, house selling in the region reached another record high in February. The sector saw a 36.3 percent increase in house units sold last month compared to the same period in 2015. With the tight conditions between housing supply and demand, house prices in Vancouver have been increasing. The region's home property is a hot market, but experts have warned that it may soon become overheated, and owning a home in the area might turn to be "dangerously unaffordable."
After asking for $53 million for his fashion designing projects, Kanye West seems to be working on new projects as he was said to be collaborating with IKEA for future furniture designs. According to Elle Decor, the rumors started when a Kanye fan posted in an online forum that he has been visiting some of the IKEA offices in Sweden.

After that, the Swedish newspaper named Aftonbladet confirmed the news after talking to an IKEA spokesperson. According to Billboard, the company finally confirmed the news on Tuesday saying that it is true that the rapper was in Almhult, which is the town in southern Sweden where IKEA was founded in the 1940s. It is also the place where the company still retains its many key operations.

According to IKEA spokesman Jakob Holmstrom, West was there to visit some of the IKEA facilities including its design division. However, he did not reveal or comment on whether West and the company are planning a collaboration on a commercial project. When asked about it, he only responded by saying, "Time will tell."

Holmstrom also said that it was inspiring for the company to have a visitor like West and that he is looking forward to creating a more dynamic portfolio for their customers. IKEA was founded by Ingvar Kamprad who opened the first store in Almhult in the 1950s. As of last year, the company has a total of 328 stores in 28 different countries.

In his Twitter account, West said that he is with his mother-in-law Kris Jenner and sister-in-law Kylie Jenner for the Paris Fashion Week. He also sent a series of tweets regarding his visit in Sweden saying, "Up late designing in Sweden," and "Super inspired by my visit to Ikea today , really amazing company... my mind is racing with the possibilities..."
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When planning your class schedule next semester, you may find you have extra room to take an elective or two. Instead of picking a boring, easy class that you might not enjoy attending, why not choose from some of the interesting and unique classes that UGA offers? There are so many hidden gems that provide a fun and different learning experience. Of course this is a limited list and there are many awesome classes offered, but here are just a few.
As his lead in delegates for the Republican nomination continues to widen, Donald Trump seeks to achieve what no other businessman has done before: become the President of the United States without having held prior political office.
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HR chapter to give program on audits

The Northstate chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management will meet next week to talk about preparing for an audit.

The presentation is titled "HR Audits: Are You Ready?" and it will take place noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Redding Library. Doors open at 11:15 a.m. and lunch will be served at 11:30. Bonnie Salyer, a chapter member and HR director at the Shasta Family YMCA, will lead the presentation.

Among the topics to be discussed will be how do your HR policies measure up?, is there room for improvements?, are there different types of audits? and who conducts them.

Cost to attend is $15 for chapter members, $30 for future members and $10 for students.

Go to http://www.northstateshrm.org/event/hr-audits-are-you-ready/ for more information or to reserve a seat.

Make connection at chamber lunch

The Greater Redding Chamber of Commerce will host Connect 4 Lunch on March 30.

The event is noon to 1 p.m. at the chamber's office, 747 Auditorium Drive in Redding, and it's open to all chamber members. Four chamber members will do presentations on their company.

Pizza will be served.

Seating is limited or RSVP by going to http://web.reddingchamber.com/events/Connect-4-Lunch-260/details.

Reporter David Benda can be reached at 225-8219 or at david.benda@redding.com.
In Dec. 26, 2015 photo released by Vermont State Parks, the gutted remains of a stone hut sits on Mount Mansfield in Stowe, Vt. Jake Carpenter, founder of Burton Snowboards, pledged to donate more than $100,000 to rebuild the historic stone cabin after his sons caused the accidental fire on Dec. 23. (John Medose/Vermont State Parks via AP)

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By LISA RATHKE, Associated Press

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP)  The founder of Burton Snowboards has pledged to donate more than $100,000 to rebuild a historic stone cabin on Vermont's highest mountain after his sons caused an accidental fire that gutted the building.

The 1936 stone hut on Mount Mansfield in Stowe is owned by the state, rented out in winter by lottery and accessible by a chairlift at Stowe Mountain Resort.

State police say Jake Burton Carpenter had asked his two sons to get the cabin prepared for a family friend on Dec. 23 by stoking a fire in the wood stove and bringing in wood to dry. Police say the pair, thinking the guest was to arrive in an hour, placed wood against the stove to dry and left the stove door open with a log against it.

But the family friend didn't show up, and a lift mechanic called in the fire early the next morning.

"It's just sad, I guess. It's a piece of history," said Detective Sgt. Todd Ambroz of the Vermont State Police fire investigation unit, who said the fire was accidental.

George Carpenter, 26, and his 19-year-old brother, Tim, had realized at about 8 p.m. on Dec. 23 that the family friend would not be going to the stone hut. The next morning, they saw fire crews at the resort.

The brothers contacted state police that day and were told to contact the fire commissioner on Dec. 28, the Monday following Christmas, their parents said. George Carpenter called an arson tip line on Dec. 26, Ambroz said.

Their parents, who co-own the pioneering snowboard company Jake Burton started in the late 1970s, have pledged $100,000 to rebuild the stone hut and say they will match any funds the state raises. If more is needed, they say they will give more. The state does not yet know the cost to rebuild.

"The Stone Hut has been a refuge and a sanctuary for our family, just like it has for so many other people. This accident was devastating for everyone, including our sons," said Jake and Donna Burton Carpenter by email from Austria. "The cause of the fire was their leaving firewood (which they had brought in for guests) too close to the stove. The accident was purely the result of an intended act of consideration."

The hut was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps as a warming hut for crews that built trails on the mountain. It was a popular spot to rent between the end of November and mid-April and slept up to 12 with wood platforms and mattresses. It cost $225 per night to rent, and the only source of heat was the wood stove. In the summer, it was used by the Green Mountain Club Mount Mansfield caretakers.

"The stone hut is one of our parks' treasured places," Vermont Natural Resources Secretary Deb Markowitz said Wednesday. "We have a complete commitment to make sure it's rebuilt."


SHARE Photos courtesy of North Valley Art League Judith King's "Faces and Figures" exhibit is open this weekend at the North Valley Art League's Carter House Gallery, 48 Quartz Hill Road, Redding. Photos courtesy of North Valley Art League Judith King's "Faces and Figures" exhibit. Photos courtesy of North Valley Art League Judith King's "Faces and Figures" exhibit. Photo courtesy of Grace Place Tea House and Boutique ShiningCare's annual Cupcakes for Caregivers returns 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Grace Place Tea House and Boutique, 1448 Pine St., Redding.

Cupcakes for Caregivers taking place

ShiningCare's sixth annual Cupcakes for Caregivers will be held 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Grace Place Tea House and Boutique, 1448 Pine St., Redding.

Taste local chef's and baker's cupcakes, and then vote on your favorite.

The event also will include games, raffles, face painting, vendor and artist booths, and demonstrations by Winbeckler's.

Tickets are $3, and are available at Grace Place and online.

For more information, call 232-5543 or visit www.graceplaceteahouse.org.

Dinner to benefit Ono Grange

Ono Grange 445 Corn Beef and Cabbage Dinner will be offered 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday at the Ono Grange, 11920 Platina Road, Ono.

Dinner is $10 for adults, $5 for kids, and free to kids 5 and younger.

For more information, call 396-2273

St. Patrick's Dinner to be held at church

Knights of Columbus will hold its annual St. Patrick's Dinner 5:30 to 8 p.m. Sunday at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 2040 Walnut Ave., Redding.

The dinner will include a traditional corned beef dinner with dessert, bar, raffle prizes and music.

Tickets are $8 to $16 in advance, $10 to $20 at the door. Tickets are available at St. Joseph Church office, Our Lady of Mercy Church office, or call 410-5746.

Celebration of North State Wines on tap

The 12th annual Celebration of North State Wines will be held 5:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday at Mercy Oaks' Golden Umbrella Campus, 100 Mercy Oaks Drive, Redding.

The event will include heavy appetizers, 14 regional wines to sample, creative food and wine pairings, silent and live auctions, live music and dancing.

Tickets, which are $55, are available at Shasta.com, Shasta Creations, Tri Counties Bank in Palo Cedro and Palo Cedro Feed.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Palo Cedro Community Park.

For more information, call 547-2727.

Dinner to benefit St. John's

St. John's Catholic Church will host a St. Patrick's Rigatoni Dinner 5 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the church, 5603 Shasta Ave., in Dunsmuir.

It will be all-you-can-eat rigatoni. Proceeds will benefit church-related functions

Takeout will be made available.

Cost is $15 for adults and $8 for kids 12 years or younger.

For more information, call 235-2639.

'As You Like It' coming to college theater

Shakespeare's comedy "As You Like It" will be offered 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, at the Shasta College Theatre, Shasta College's main campus, Redding.

The play follows heroine Rosalind as she flees persecution in her uncle's court, accompanied by her cousin, Celia, to find safety and love in the Forest of Arden.

The play explores themes of love and nature.

For more information, visit www.shastacollege.edu/theatre.

Riverfront Playhouse to stage 'Our Town'

The play "Our Town" will be staged 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday at Riverfront Playhouse, 1620 East Cypress Ave., Redding.

Thornton Wilder's 1938 three-act play tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 through the everyday lives of its citizens.

Tickets are $15 to $25.

For more information, call 221-1028 or visit http://riverfrontplayhouse.net.

Easter Bunny hops into town

The Easter Bunny will meet with kids 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Mt. Shasta Mall, 900 Dana Drive, Redding.

Admission is free. There is a cost for photos.

For more information, call 223-3575 or visit www.mtshastamall.com.

Ball set for electricians

The Electricians' Ball will be held 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at Red Lion Hotel, 1830 Hilltop Drive, Redding.

The event will include a salmon or prime rib dinner prepared by Chef Kim Miller, wines, and music by the Linda Bott Jazz Ensemble.

Proceeds from the ball will benefit the trade school for instructor training, curriculum development and scholarships.

Tickets, which are $50, are available at Shastabe.com/events or call 221-5556.

Pretty in Pink Prom set for Saturday

Nor-Cal Think Pink "Pretty in Pink Prom" will be held 7 p.m. Saturday at the Red Lion Hotel, 1830 Hilltop Drive, Redding.

The event will include appetizers, cocktails, raffle drawings, door prizes and dancing.

The goal of the event is to raise funds to expand Nor-Cal Think Pink's mission of saving lives through early detection with breast cancer educational outreach throughout the year in Northern California.

In addition to fundraising, the "Pretty In Pink Prom" will be an educational platform packaged in a fun night celebrating survivors, honoring lost loved ones and thanking volunteers.

Dress code is formal attire. Pink is encouraged, but not required.

Tickets are $40 or $75 for a couple.

For more information, visit www.NorCalThinkPink.org.

Pilgrim church hosting Piano Voce

Redding Performing Arts Society's "Piano Voce  Love and Legends" will be presented 7:30 p.m. Friday at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 2850 Foothill Blvd., Redding.

The program has been described as unabashedly romantic and includes music grounded in folklore and history.

Piano duet partners Annette Gurnee Hull and Nancy Correll will perform Dvorak's "Legends, Volume 1." They are not specifically connected to folktales, but are saud ti have echoes of ballads, wartime marches and love stories.

The pianists also will perform a work by Debussy, "Premiere Suite d'orchestre." It's thought to have been written between 1882 and 1884 while he was a student at the Conservatoire de Paris. The two manuscripts of the work include the complete work for four-hand piano, and an orchestrated version, but missing the third movement. They were first published in 2008, and performed in the orchestral version in 2012.

PianoVoce also will feature baritone Carl McGahan. He will perform the love songs of Vaughan-Williams' "House of Life."

Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.

Pianists to perform benefit concert

Piano Artists in Concert, a benefit for the Cascade Theatre, will be held 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Cascade Theatre, 1731 Market St., Redding.

Pianist, composer and master teacher Duane Hampton will bring together his students  pianists and composers  to perform.

A Champagne reception will follow the concert.

For more information, call 243-8877 or visit www.cascadetheatre.org.

'Captive' to play at Neighborhood Church

The film "Captive" will be shown 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at Neighborhood Church, 777 Loma Vista Drive, Redding.

The drama is based on a true story.

Tickets are $10, and groups sales available.

Proceeds will benefit the Good News Rescue Mission.

For more information, call 242-5920.

Children's Cinema available at library

Children's Cinema will open 4 p.m. Fridays at the Redding Library, 1100 Parkview Ave., Redding.

It will feature a variety of children's films and free popcorn. All ages are welcome.

For more information, call 245-7253 or visit www.shastalibraries.org.

Flower Power exhibit open

North Valley Art League's "Flower Power" exhibit has opened at the Carter House Gallery, 48 Quartz Hill Road, Redding.

It features floral paintings by North State artists.

The exhibits continues through March 26.

For more information, call 243-1023 or visit www.nval.org.

King's artwork on display

Judith King's "Faces and Figures" exhibit is open this weekend at the North Valley Art League's Carter House Gallery, 48 Quartz Hill Road, Redding.

The exhibit will be open through March 26 at the Carter House Gallery, 48 Quartz Hill Road, Redding.

For more information, call 243-1023 or visit www.nval.org.

Museum offering tours Saturday

Behrens-Eaton Museum will offer tours 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Behrens-Eaton Museum, 1520 West St., Redding.

The museum reflects a Victorian home of the early 1900s. Four generations of the Behrens Eaton family lived there from 1898 until Judge Richard Eaton's death in 2003.

Admission is free, but donations are accepted.

For more information, call 241-3454.
SHARE Sharon Kay Turman It's appears Kay Turman's Scooby-Doo-inspired "Mystery Machine" van will be sold at auction.

By Jim Schultz of the Redding Record Searchlight

As law enforcement officials continue to look for her, a $50,000 bench warrant was issued Thursday for a 51-year-old Redding woman who allegedly led officers and deputies on a high-speed chase in a "Scooby-Doo" "Mystery Machine" van.

Shasta County Superior Court Judge Cara Beatty issued the bench warrant after Sharon Kay Turman failed to appear in court Thursday morning on unrelated misdemeanor petty theft and shoplifting cases.

Turman, whose March 6 flight from law enforcement in her minivan became an Internet and social media sensation, remains at large.

Redding Police have said Turman, who was on supervised release and suspected of violating her probation, was spotted by officers in her 1994 Town and Country minivan at California and Shasta streets in downtown Redding.

But she took off in the van when officers tried to pull her over.

Officers said she drove at high speeds on South Market Street without much concern for motorists.

A California Highway Patrol helicopter and sheriff's deputies became involved in the pursuit, which ended after law enforcement lost sight of the "Mystery Machine" in the area of Buenaventura Boulevard and Highway 273, Icely said.

A Redding police officer in the area notified other law enforcement officials that Turman was in the area of South Bonnyview and Highway 273, where again she proceeded without concern for other motorists, police said.

She then drove through the intersection against a red light and nearly hit four other vehicles, police said.

The minivan was later spotted at the end of Hill Drive just north of Anderson, and reportedly went south on Highway 273 toward Anderson, where she continued through the city of Anderson and onto Interstate 5, police said.

Turman was reported to be driving over 100 mph when deputies ended their pursuit, somewhere near Bownman Road in Tehama County.

The CHP helicopter kept surveillance of Turman's van as she continued west toward Highway 36, where she was spotted abandoning the vehicle in northwestern Tehama County. Her whereabouts were unknown Sunday afternoon, police said.

Her minivan has been impounded and a spokeswoman for J&L Towing in Cottonwood said Thursday the business has had many telephone calls from people wanting to buy it.

She said the van will "probably" be auctioned off through a lien sale, adding that it won't be demolished.
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By Damon Arthur of the Redding Record Searchlight

After being criticized earlier this month by a North State congressman who claimed Klamath River dam removal negotiations were being held in secret, federal and state officials are holding a public meeting on the issue next week.

PacifiCorps, California, Oregon and federal officials plan to meet at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the California EPA building in Sacramento to discuss a proposed agreement to remove four dams on the Klamath River.

A spokesman for Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, who earlier this month accused the agencies of holding secret meetings, said the congressman was relieved the issues were being aired in public. But LaMalfa doesn't want the federal government involved in the process, said Kevin Eastman, a spokesman for LaMalfa.

Nancy Vogel, a spokeswoman for the California Natural Resources Agency, said the state and other parties were happy to hold meetings open to the public.

"We welcome Rep. LaMalfa's help in solving problems in the Klamath Basin, and inviting the public to participate in our continued discussions is the right thing to do," Vogel said in an email.

An earlier agreement to remove the dams failed when it didn't receive congressional approval by the end of 2015. But the states, the U.S. Department of the Interior and PacifiCorp, which owns the dams, reached an agreement in principle in February to take them out without approval from Congress.

Instead, the agencies plan to seek a permit to remove the dams through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

While the public will have an opportunity to speak during the meeting, Siskiyou County Supervisor Grace Bennett said she is unhappy the meeting is being held in Sacramento rather than closer to Siskiyou County.

"It's typical to have it as far away as possible," she said.

Bennett said she and Supervisor Brandon Criss plan to speak at the meeting. While dam removal advocates say taking out the structures would be good for fish and wildlife, Bennett said it will have the opposite effect.

Because the water will no longer be available in the reservoirs behind the dams, the stream will run low during the late summer and early fall, harming fish, Bennett said. Also, removing the dams will fill the river with sediment, she said.

Bennett said for the past 10 years she has been asking for Siskiyou County to be removed as a party to the original agreement. She said she will ask again when she attends the meeting.

LaMalfa also criticized dam removal advocates for requiring those participating in dam removal negotiations to sign confidentiality agreements.

But Vogel said confidentiality requirements are routine when negotiating such agreements.

"There is nothing untoward or unorthodox about parties to a legal settlement gathering to talk and negotiate. Courts encourage such discussions and the agreements they produce," Vogel said.

If you go

What: Meeting to discuss Klamath River dam removal.

When: 1 p.m. Thursday.

Where: California EPA Building, 1001 I St., Sacramento.
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By Nathan Solis of the Redding Record Searchlight

A planned development project to build a 166-lot neighborhood east of Redding has been revived after several years of inactivity.

The proposed location for the 715-acre site of the Tierra Robles Planned Development would be located between the unincorporated communities of Bella Vista and Palo Cedro, about five miles east of the city of Redding.

A revised study from the developer suggests the formation of a community service district and the construction of an on-site wastewater treatment facility, which would alleviate the need to pump sewage to a Palo Cedro facility.

The plan would require a zone amendment for the area zoned a rural residential with a 5-acre or 3-acre minimum, to residential parcels ranging from 1.38 acres to 6.81 acres in size, and six open-space parcels totaling 190.5 acres, with an average residential lot size at 2.85 acres.

Water was a concern for residents in the area when the county received letters in 2012 during the public comment period. Those same neighbors still feel providing water to the proposed Tierra Robles neighborhood would put a strain on the local water company.

Local residents Gerald and Susan Hayler said they have resorted to altering their shower schedules to use less water and wash their bed sheets every two weeks. The couple was aware of drought issues when they moved to their home located on a 5-acre plot in 2006.

"How could they justify 166 new homes for the area with the water shortage?" Gerald Hayler asks.

Developer Shasta Red LLC has added design guidelines to the revised plan, including lot landscaping criteria for maximum water use per residence and grey water diverter system, with the inclusion of solar design in new homes.

Public bikeways and pedestrian trails are also mentioned in the plans, but domestic and fire suppression water would be provided by the Bella Vista Water District.

Bella Vista Water District manager David Coxie said his agency will be submitting comments on the project in the next few weeks as they review the revised plan.

In 2012, the Bella Vista Water District found an initial study from the developer as inaccurate when discussing available water supply, and listed a number of comments that needed to be addressed by the developer.

The Bella Vista Water District is on a drought contingency plan stage 3, with severe water shortage allotments and water restrictions, according to its website.

Currently, the Shasta County Department of Resource Management Planning Division is receiving comments on the revised plan until March 25. Those comments from agencies and members of the public will be considered in the Environmental Impact Report.

Kent Hector, senior planner, said the revised project does not warrant an additional scoping meeting as one was held in 2012 and comments made during that period are still on record. There has been no meeting scheduled as of yet to discuss the development project.

The developer of the project and its associated company, Beverly Hills-based Geringer Capital, did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight West Valley High School junior Scotti Murphy (left) types on a typewriter while classmate Kayla Warner shows her exhibit Thursday at West Valley High School. They joined other juniors at the school in taking part in a World War II Museum.

SHARE Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight West Valley junior Kaitlyn Mussmann (center) shows off her project on the Battle of Stalingrad on Thursday at the school in Cottonwood.

By Alayna Shulman of the Redding Record Searchlight

The lessons of sacrifice and everyday heroism came to life Thursday at West Valley High School, where a few hundred juniors displayed their projects on different aspects of "The Big One" for the school's second World War II Museum project.

Crystal Jackson, a history teacher at West Valley, said the museum is meant to honor the sacrifices made by soldiers, real-life Rosies-the-Riveter and more, but also to celebrate their bravery.

"It was the last big war where we saw average American citizens rise up and just become heroes," Jackson said. "I want them to see individuals could rise up and be successful in preserving democracy."

Part of honoring them is keeping their stories alive. Jackson said World War II isn't as well-known among kids today because there's so much else that's happened since.

"We want them to understand the sacrifice," she said.

The museum included visits from real-life veterans and current servicemembers, and more than 80 student displays on everything from the more widely known subjects such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor, concentration and internment camps to more obscure topics, such as the Death March of Bataan.

Sydney Sims and Tara George, both 17, learned about the torture of American and Filipino troops by enemy Japan in 1942, when soldiers were forced to march across the Philippines and were subjected to abuse and even death.

Both teens said they had never heard of the march before researching it for the project. But, after learning of the horrors that happened, they wanted to honor those who had died.

"The brutality was what got to me the most," George said.

Sims said she's learned a lot through the project, including that the death march was an important turning point in the war akin to Pearl Harbor.

"The march is what really ticked us off the most," she said of America.
<p>FILE - In this file photo taken Monday, June 23, 2014, militants from the Islamic State parade in a commandeered Iraqi security forces armored vehicle on a main street in Mosul, Iraq. The Islamic state group has accelerated killings of former policemen and army officers, apparently fearing they might join a potential internal Sunni uprising against its rule. (AP Photo, File)</p>

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By Ian Duncan, The Baltimore Sun

BALTIMORE  Days after the United States acknowledged conducting warfare over computer networks for the first time, Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter took the stage at a major information security conference in San Francisco.

The use of cyberweapons against the self-declared Islamic State had turned the conference audiences online world into the newest battlefield, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the future of the Internet. So it was not surprising that Carter was asked about the new campaign.

Well, Im not going to be very public about the details of it, he said.

Carters stance drew laughter in the conference hall. But after a decade of classified commando raids and drone strikes, the reluctance to talk about the cybercampaign means the country is again heading into a new field of warfare with only limited public debate.

Randall R. Dipert, a philosopher who was among the first to weigh the ethics of cyberwarfare, says the secrecy is just unbelievable.

He compares the deployment of cyberweapons to the development of nuclear weapons after World War II.

It was entirely out in the open what these weapons were capable of, the side effects and everything, said Dipert, a professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo. By comparison we cant discuss cyberweapons because they just havent told us what they have or what their real policies are.

Military officials have acknowledged using computer code to disrupt the Islamic States communications. But they say they cant reveal more for fear of tipping off the enemy.

The campaign against the Islamic State is being run out of U.S. Cyber Command, an organization established at Fort Meade six years ago to lead the fight on the Internet.

The command is led by Adm. Michael S. Rogers, who also leads the National Security Agency. At the San Francisco event  the RSA Conference  Rogers said he aims to have a force of some 6,000 personnel fully ready to launch cyberattacks and defend American networks by September 2018.

The announcement of cyberattacks against the Islamic State comes before the new command has reached even initial combat readiness.

Its our view that we need all the capacity we can get, Rogers said. We cant wait for it to be perfect.

Cyberweapons are a new kind of armament that differ in significant ways from bullets and bombs. They are pieces of computer code designed to stop a target from working properly, inserted into enemy systems by military hackers.

They are typically weapons of finesse, rather than brute force, that require attackers to probe enemy defenses for holes through which they can be slipped.

Officials say those features make cyberweapons hard to talk about. If adversaries know whats coming, they can easily change their own code to blunt the attack.

Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., says congressional oversight of the campaign will be important, but the secrecy makes sense.

I dont worry too much that North Korea is going to watch an F-35 and develop one in a period of six months, said Himes, a member of the House Intelligence Committee and its cybersecurity subcommittee. Software is different.

The public announcement of the campaign against the Islamic State was a departure for the Defense Department. The United States still hasnt acknowledged responsibility for Stuxnet, the computer worm that disrupted the Iranian nuclear program, or an alleged follow-up plan to lay the groundwork for a cyberattack against Iran if nuclear negotiations collapsed.

Carter offered some explanation of what the military hopes in deploying these kinds of weapons against the Islamic State in a goodwill swing up the West Coast last week.

They hold the potential, he told the audience at a breakfast in Seattle on Thursday, to black these guys out. Make them doubt their communications. Make it impossible for them to dominate and tyrannize the population.

Military ethicists and lawyers have been debating how to use cyberweaponry for years.

Because the targets are computers and enemy communication systems, some analysts argue that theyre mostly safe to use.

Others see the potential for the weapons to proliferate and damage systems beyond their intended targets and say their use should be strictly controlled.

Were starting to see some international agreements that are going to be helpful, but there are so many other problems, said Neil C. Rowe a computer scientist at the Naval Postgraduate School. Im more skeptical than some people about the benefits.

In an early paper on the ethics of cyberwar, Rowe wrote that while bullets are likely to reach their intended targets, the same cant be said of computer code weapons.

If you execute cyberattack software against a cybertarget, the odds are good that it will not work, he wrote.

Worse, if the attack knocks the target system offline, it can be hard for the attacker to know precisely what damage it caused. And while activist groups can raise questions when a drone strike causes civilian casualties, its harder to assess the damage when a cyberweapon goes astray.

Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says the Islamic States uncertainty about whether theyve been attacked will be an advantage for U.S. hacking forces.

Frankly, theyre going to experience some friction thats associated with us and some friction thats just associated with the normal course of events in dealing in the information age, he told reporters at the Pentagon last week.

And frankly, we dont want them to know the difference.

One of the biggest concerns of military ethicists is the potential for cyberweapons to cause collateral damage. It can be hard to tell military computers from civilian ones, and even military systems rely on commercially available software that might have to be subverted to carry out an attack.

An attack on the Ukrainian power grid in December revealed the potential. It hit three utility companies, knocking out power to some 225,000 customers. Power is back, up but U.S. investigators reported in late February that there were still problems on the grid.

U.S. officials have long been concerned about the potential for a similar strike against the United States. Rogers, the Cyber Command leader, ranked it as one of his top three threats.

Seven weeks ago it was the Ukraine. That isnt the last were going to see of this, he said. That worries me.



2016 The Baltimore Sun

Visit The Baltimore Sun at www.baltimoresun.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Bernie Sanders is the most successful Jewish candidate for the presidency ever. It's a rare sign of the health of our republic that no one seems to much care or even notice. Least of all, Sanders himself. Which prompted Anderson Cooper in a recent Democratic debate to ask Sanders whether he was intentionally keeping his Judaism under wraps.

"No," answered Sanders: "I am very proud to be Jewish." He then explained that the Holocaust had wiped out his father's family. And that he remembered as a child seeing neighbors with concentration camp numbers tattooed on their arms. Being Jewish, he declared, "is an essential part of who I am as a human being."

A fascinating answer, irrelevant to presidential politics but quite revealing about the state of Jewish identity in contemporary America.

Think about it. There are several alternate ways American Jews commonly explain the role Judaism plays in their lives.

(1) Practice: Judaism as embedded in their life through religious practice or the transmission of Jewish culture by way of teaching or scholarship. Think Joe Lieberman or the neighborhood rabbi.

(2) Tikkun: Seeing Judaism as an expression of the prophetic ideal of social justice. Love thy neighbor, clothe the naked, walk with God, beat swords into plowshares. As ritual and practice have fallen away over the generations, this has become the core identity of liberal Judaism. Its central mission is nothing less than to repair the world ("Tikkun olam").

Which, incidentally, is the answer to the perennial question, "Why is it that Jews vote overwhelmingly Democratic?" Because, for the majority of Jews, the social ideals of liberalism are the most tangible expressions of their prophetic Jewish faith.

When Sanders was asked about his Jewish identity, I was sure his answer would be some variation of Tikkun. On the stump, he plays the Old Testament prophet railing against the powerful and denouncing their treatment of the widow and the orphan. Yet Sanders gave an entirely different answer.

(3) The Holocaust. What a strange reply  yet it doesn't seem so to us because it has become increasingly common for American Jews to locate their identity in the Holocaust.

For example, it's become a growing emphasis in Jewish pedagogy from the Sunday schools to Holocaust studies programs in the various universities. Additionally, Jewish organizations organize visits for young people to the concentration camps of Europe.

The memories created are indelible. And deeply valuable. Indeed, though my own family was largely spared, the Holocaust forms an ineradicable element of my own Jewish consciousness. But I worry about the balance. As Jewish practice, learning and knowledge diminish over time, my concern is that Holocaust memory is emerging as the dominant feature of Jewishness in America.

I worry that a people with a 3,000-year history of creative genius, enriched by intimate relations with every culture from Paris to Patagonia, should be placing such weight on martyrdom  and indeed, for this generation, martyrdom once removed.

I'm not criticizing Sanders. I credit him with sincerity and authenticity. But it is precisely that sincerity and authenticity  and the implications for future generations  that so concern me. Sanders is 74, but I suspect a growing number of young Jews would give an answer similar to his.

We must of course remain dedicated to keeping alive the memory and the truth of the Holocaust, particularly when they are under assault from so many quarters. Which is why, though I initially opposed having a Holocaust museum as the sole representation of the Jewish experience in the center of Washington, I came to see the virtue of having so sacred yet vulnerable a legacy placed at the monumental core of  and thus entrusted to the protection of  the most tolerant and open nation on earth.

Nonetheless, there must be balance. It would be a tragedy for American Jews to make the Holocaust the principal legacy bequeathed to their children. After all, the Jewish people are living through a miraculous age: the rebirth of Jewish sovereignty, the revival of Hebrew (a cultural resurrection unique in human history), the flowering of a new Hebraic culture radiating throughout the Jewish world.

Memory is sacred, but victimhood cannot be the foundation stone of Jewish identity. Traditional Judaism has 613 commandments. The philosopher Emil Fackenheim famously said that the 614th is to deny Hitler any posthumous victories. The reduction of Jewish identity to victimhood would be one such victory. It must not be permitted.

Charles Krauthammer's email address is letters@charleskrauthammer.com. He writes for The Washington Post Writers Group.
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Many coastal city officials are considering spending millions  in some cases billions  of taxpayer dollars preparing for an impending flood caused by rising sea levels.

For example, in 2013, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a $20 billion, 20-year plan to protect the city from rising sea levels.

The concerns are being driven in part by recent studies predicting the coming floods, such as two new reports that claim that seas are rising faster than at any other point in the last 28 centuries. They contend that if human-caused carbon emissions continue at the current rate, the oceans could rise by as much as 4 feet by 2100.

That conclusion is tame compared to a 2015 study by NASA's former lead climate scientist, James Hansen, and others, who boldly predicted that sea levels could rise by at least 10 feet in 50 years.

But notice there's a 500 percent variance between the two predictions if we extrapolate so that both use the same end point. Given all the other important public policy challenges facing cities, such as providing good public education, safe communities and infrastructure improvements, shouldn't city officials demand a little more scientific consensus on the magnitude of the threat?

They won't get it.

And the reason is that such claims are not based on observed scientific data, but man-made computer models, which have overpredicted climate warming for decades.

For example, John Christy of the University of Alabama at Huntsville and the state's climatologist, stated in congressional testimony that climate models have predicted 2.5 times more global warming than has actually been observed by satellites and weather balloons.

And Roy Spenser, a former senior scientist for climate studies at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, notes that 95 percent of the climate models have overpredicted actual warming.

It's like believing Uncle Harry's frequent predictions of an imminent global economic collapse, not because he's ever been right, but because he's wrongly predicted it so often.

Yes, sea levels are rising, and have been since the end of the ice age some 11,700 years ago. But the observed sea level rise averages between eight and 10 inches over 100 years  which is a long way from 4 feet, not to mention 10.

The fact is that climate models are astonishingly unreliable, as even many climate scientists who support modeling concede.

As Mark Maslin and Patrick Austin, climate scientists at University College London, explained in the journal Nature in 2012: "Why do models have a limited capability to predict the future? First of all, they are not reality. This is perhaps an obvious point, but it is regularly ignored. By their very nature, models cannot capture all of the factors involved in a natural system, and those that they do capture are often incompletely understood."

And remember, these are climate-model defenders.

Don't misunderstand me: Rising sea levels can pose a threat to humans and property, as Hurricane Sandy amply demonstrated. Coastal city officials should be weighing the risks and costs of an effective response. But the public policy challenge is to accurately assess the nature and seriousness of the threat and act accordingly.

With respect to sea levels, the current threat comes primarily from humans moving closer to the sea, rather than the sea moving closer to humans.

People are willing to pay big bucks to live right on the ocean; but that means damage totals  in lives and money  can rise significantly during major storms and sea surges.

If past observed sea level trends continue, the ocean certainly could pose a significant threat to humans and property  in several hundred years. Is that worth spending billions of dollars now, when there are so many other important city priorities?

Merrill Matthews is a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation in Metropolitan Dallas. He holds a doctorate in Humanities from the University of Texas at Dallas.
With the Marina City buildings rising in 1962, the 50,000 strong St. Patrick's Day extravaganza is led by Illinois Atty. Gen. William G. Clark (second from left), Mayor Richard J. Daley, Lord Mayor Robert Briscoe of Dublin and Stephen M. Bailey. (Chicago Tribune archive)

A tradition celebrating its 60th year in 2022, the Chicago River is dyed green the Saturday before each St. Patricks Day  unless the holiday falls on a Saturday.

The dyeing process starts at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 12, and stretches from Orleans Street almost three quarters of a mile east to Columbus Drive. Its a much wider area than pre-COVID years.

How the tradition began

Mayor Richard J. Daley is credited not only with reviving Chicagos St. Patricks Day parade, but also proposing the idea of greening part of Lake Michigan to celebrate the holiday. It was his boyhood friend and Chicago Plumbers Union business manager Stephen M. Bailey who suggested dyeing the Chicago River instead. The Chicago River would run green for the first time in 1962 (the same year the photo below was taken), one year after Savannah, Ga., unsuccessfully tried to dye its river green for the Irish holiday.

The first year of river-dyeing, the boat crew used an oil-based Air Force dye that kept the river green for nearly a month and caused an outcry from environmentalists. So a vegetable dye was substituted.

(Chicago Tribune Archives)

City workers use vegetable dye to turn the Chicago River green for St. Patrick's Day in 1976. (Mario Petitti/Chicago Tribune)

The first person entrusted with turning the river green was William J. Barry, a Chicago port employee who died in 1985. Mike Butler assumed the role in the early 1970s.

Bill was from Bridgeport, Butler told the Tribune in 1995. The mayor trusted him. Billd do anything for the mayor. Even though he was a little afraid of water, he went out there. Thats how much he loved the mayor.

Butler led the volunteer crew for more than 40 years. He died in 2016, but the annual dyeing of the Chicago River for St. Patricks Day is still a family reunion for the Butler and Rowan clans, the two families responsible for the tradition of turning the murky water into a bright Ghostbusters Slimer green.

Its not the easiest job in the world. Its messy. It can be dangerous at times. You go back and forth in the water, and you could hit something and that could tip over the boat.  Mike Butler, crew captain, in 1995

Mike Butler, who was in charge of dying the Chicago River green for St. Patrick's Day for more than 40 years, died July 12, 2016. He was 81. (Chuck Berman / Chicago Tribune)

How the Chicago River is dyed green

According to Tom Rowan, head of the crew

Prep work: Early in the morning, the crew arrives at a city boat slip on the North Branch of the river. Everyone wears clothes and shoes they dont mind getting dirty and a white paper smock over their clothes.

The washer machine  if youre not careful, the next load of clothes will come out with a green tinge to them.  Mike Butler in 1995

On the water: The crew hops aboard two small motorboats donated by volunteers. The larger boat, at approximately 18 feet, has a crew of four. The smaller boat, a 12-footer, has two people.

Therere times when theres ice in the river, and thats when you worry. You hit a chunk of ice  hell, the bow of that boat, it wasnt made to be an ice-breaker.  Mike Butler, crew captain, in 1995

A 10 a.m. start: The larger boat is responsible for dyeing the river, which begins when it arrives under the Michigan Avenue bridge near Wacker Drive.

Its a ritual of the parade. A lot of people figure it wouldnt even be right if they didnt see the green river.  Mel Loftus, St. Patrick's Day parade grand marshal in 1995

Kitchen secret: Three men use flour sifters to dump about 40 pounds of an environmentally friendly orange powder into the river. The fourth drives the boat. The formula for the powder, which turns the water bright green when it hits, is top-secret.

I dont know how you can write about this, but your bodily functions change for a day afterward. (The orange powder) makes everything green.  Mike Butler, crew captain, in 1995

Powder spread: The smaller boat chases the larger boat and churns up the water, which helps disperse the powder across the river. Traveling the river between Wabash Avenue and Columbus Drive, the large boat snakes across the waterway dumping powder.

We feel very much like we are the chosen. They applaud us. People tip their hats to you. You feel like youre king for a day.  Mike Butler, crew captain, in 1995

Green sheen: It takes about 45 minutes for the river to turn completely green. Depending on which direction the wind is blowing, the water can stay green for up to a few days.

If you drank it  except for the pollution in the river water  it wouldnt hurt you. Its just food coloring.  Mel Loftus, St. Patrick's Day parade grand marshal in 1995

That one time the river was dyed blue

A crew dyed the Chicago River blue in 2016 to celebrate the World Series champion Cubs on the day of the teams victory parade and celebration.

Watch a time-lapse video of the Chicago River being dyed blue for the Cubs World Series celebration on Nov. 4, 2016. (WGN-TV) (Chicago Tribune)

Sources: As told to the Chicago Tribune by Tom Rowan and Michael Butler, whose families have been involved in dyeing the Chicago River since 1962; illustrations by Rick Tuma; Chicago St. Patricks Day Parade Committee; Choose Chicago; Tribune reporting and archives
An International Policy Network report in 2010 found that seven per cent of drugs bought from wholesale traders were substandard, and 3.6 per cent of the drugs from traders contained no active ingredient whatsoever, says Bhupesh Bhandari.

Dinesh Thakur, the whistleblower whose intervention led Ranbaxy to admit that it had falsified data while seeking the approval of the United States Food and Drug Administration, and pay penalty of $500 million to close the case, has taken the Indian drug regulators to court, accusing them of failing to enforce drug safety rules.

Mr Thakur spent much of 2015 to file more than 100 public information requests on how the central and state authorities had responded to cases where the rules had been broken.



The responses showed that they had not adequately investigated the issues, which made him take the health ministry, Drugs Consultative Committee and Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation to the Supreme Court.

The matter is listed for Friday on the Supreme Court cause list.



The suit would not result in penalties but clear the way for a framework for recalls and a commission to enquire improper approvals.

More interesting was the response by a senior Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation officer who said that whistleblowers were welcome but their intentions should be genuine and nationalistic.

There was nothing left to the imagination; this was not yet another attempt to deflect a charge by using a highly emotive issue.

If you talk to Indian drug makers, they will privately agree with this view and insist it is a ploy to harm the prospects of India-made generic medicine in the world market.

It cannot be denied that the Indian pharmaceutical industry has caused much heartburn to Big Pharma with its inexpensive medicine and has had to face roadblocks in the past.

It also cannot be denied that perceptions are vital in the pharmaceutical business.

Any untoward observation can hurt. After the Ranbaxy controversy broke out, Mumbais Jaslok Hospital had asked its doctors not to prescribe medicine made by the company to its patients.

Apollo Pharmacy suspended procurement from Ranbaxy. Then the government had to intervene and come out with a statement that it considered all medicine made by Ranbaxy, and others, perfectly safe for consumption.

Apart from the potential damage to perception, the industry is worried that Mr Thakurs activism may go the clinical trial way, where NGOs took the matter to the courts, resulting in no approvals from the government for a period of three years.

Indeed, the issue that Mr Thakur is trying to highlight is fairly well known: there are substandard and spurious drugs out in the market, thanks to inadequate regulation.

An International Policy Network report in 2010 found that seven per cent of drugs bought from wholesale traders were substandard, and 3.6 per cent of the drugs from traders contained no active ingredient whatsoever.

Some of the spurious drugs contained chalk or talcum powder mixed with a pain reliever to trick and defraud the patient.

As many as 92 per cent of pharmacists said they have been offered substandard or spurious drugs for cheaper prices.

None of this would have been possible if the regulators had been strict.

This systemic rot is well known and well documented. Mr Thakur himself had talked about the inadequacy of Indian regulation, vis-a-vis the US, in a blog in July 2013.

The frequency of reporting adverse events in India is significantly lower compared to the US, he wrote. He had also busted the myth that the Indian drug makers are in sync with the US FDA.

According to the Drug Controller General of India, he wrote, there are 169 manufacturing facilities approved by US FDA, 160 by European regulators and approximately 1,300 by the World Health Organization. Overall, the DCGI estimates there to be 8,000 units across the country. Industry estimates put that number at as high as 20,000.

None of the industrys apprehensions takes away the need for tighter regulation - the point that Mr Thakur wants to make.

To be fair, some steps have been taken in that direction, and notifications and guidelines to reduce personal contact have been issued. But a long distance still needs to be covered.

Unfortunately, resistance comes from the politically strong small-scale lobby which is not in favour of tighter regulation for obvious reasons.

The Indian drug industry has a long tail - a few big players are followed by a very large number of mid-scale and small players.

They have ensured that there is never enough political support for better regulation.

Resistance also comes from the states. At the moment, both the Centre and the states approve drugs.

For effective control, there has to be a unified approver. But the states are unwilling to give up this power.

There has been some reform here and some products have been reserved for the centre, but this is a fight that will take long to resolve.

There is also merit in the industrys suggestion that India should join the Pharmaceutical Inspection Convention, based in Switzerland, which will help the country upgrade its regulatory processes.
Trump said that he has been endorsed by Disney workers -- where several people lost their job due to H-1B visa workers.

Republican presidential front- runner Donald Trump on Friday for the first time acknowledged that he uses the much sought after H-1B visas at his own businesses but sought to end the programme which he claimed was 'very unfair' to American workers as it took away their jobs.

The last Republican presidential debate in Miami began with all the four White House aspirants slamming the H-1B visa system -- used to employ highly-skilled foreign workers and popular among Indian techies, with Florida Senator Marco Rubio even naming Tata and India as part of his anti-H-1B rhetoric.

"I know the H-1B very well. And it's something that I frankly use and I shouldn't be allowed to use it. We shouldn't have it.

"Very, very bad for workers. It's very important to say, well, I'm a businessman and I have to do what I have to do," Trump said while responding to a question on foreign workers, in particular H-1B visas.

"When it's sitting there waiting for you, but it's very bad.

"It's very bad for business, it's very bad for our workers and it's unfair for our workers. We should end it," he said.

The real estate tycoon's properties are spread over in Virginia, Illinois, Florida, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, California, Connecticut and Hawaii in the US and in Canada, Turkey, Panama, South Korea, the Philippines, India and Uruguay.

IT professionals from India and major Indian IT companies are major beneficiary of H-1B, a non-immigrant visa in the US which allows US employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in speciality occupations.

Rubio said it is illegal under the H-1B programme to use it to replace American workers.

"Under that programme, you have to prove not only that you're not replacing Americans, but that you've tried to hire Americans.

"If a company is caught abusing that process, they should never be allowed to use it again," he said.

The second problem with the current structure of the programme people perhaps do not understand is a lot of these companies are not directly hiring employees from abroad, he pointed out.

"They are hiring a consulting company like Tata, for example, out of India.

"That company then hoards up all of these visas. They hire workers. Disney or some other company hires this company," Rubio said.

"What they're basically doing is they are insourcing and outsourcing.

"They are bringing in workers from abroad that are not direct employees of a Disney or someone else, they're employees of this consulting business," he said.

"What I argue is that no consulting business such as that should be allowed to hoard up all of these visas, that the visas should only be available for companies to use to directly hire workers and that we should be stricter in how he enforce it," he said.

"It is illegal now, it is a violation of the law now to use that programme to replace Americans.

"If a company is caught doing that, whether it be Disney or anyone else, they should be barred from using the programme in the future," Rubio said.

Image: US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses the crowd during a campaign event in Atkinson, New Hampshire. Phoptograph: Gretchen Ertl/Reuters
Sources said Mallya has also been asked to furnish documents related to his personal finances

The Enforcement Directorate(ED), on Friday, issued summons for appearance to liquor baron Vijay Mallya besides questioning a senior executive of Kingfisher airlines as part of its money laundering probe in the alleged default in payment of Rs 900 crore dues to IDBI bank.

Official sources said Mallya has been summoned to appear before investigators of the ED in Mumbai on March 18.

"The summons have been issued to Mallya under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in connection with the IDBI case," they said.

Sources said Mallya has also been asked to furnish documents related to his personal finances.

The summons were issued on a day when A Raghunathan, a former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the grounded Kingfisher Airlines, appeared before ED investigators at its office in the Ballard Pier area in Mumbai.

"We had summoned Raghunathan and he appeared before us for questioning this morning.

"His questioning is important to throw light on various financial transactions, as many of them are in his personal domain," said an ED official.

The ED had issued summons to over half a dozen officials of the IDBI bank and Vijay Mallya-owned Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) under provisions of the PMLA wherein all the individuals have been asked to submit details about their personal finances and Income Tax Returns (ITRs) of last five years to the investigators.

According to the official, in his statement to the SFIO--recorded last month-- Raghunathan has put the blame on Mallya for the financial crisis that felled KFA and said he worked as per the directions from the latter.

Apart from Raghunathan, summons have also been issued to former chairman and managing director of the bank, Yogesh Agarwal and other senior executive members and officials of both the organisations.

Photograph: PTI
'Muslims eat beef, some Hindus and poor people also eat, so why should we stop them from eating?'

Bhimrao Dhonde, the Bharatiya Janata Party legislator from Ashti, Beed, Maharashtra, has criticised the beef ban implemented by the state government led by his party.

Speaking in the Maharashtra assembly on Thursday, March 10, Dhonde said the beef ban, which was implemented in the state last year, needs to be withdrawn as it has led to farmer distress.

Dhonde, image, left, spoke to Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com why he wants the controversial ban rolled back.

Why did you make the statement in the state assembly against the beef ban?

The (farming) system works this way. Farmers use the bull for farming. When the bull attains 10 years of age, a farmer sells that bull (to the slaughter house) and whatever money he earns from the sale, he buys a young bull.

Farmers do that because an old bull is of no use in farming.

Moreover, I feel it is not right to decide what people must eat. I don't think it is right.

Muslims eat beef, some Hindus and poor people (also eat beef), so why should we stop them from eating (what they want)?

Is there any link between farmers committing suicide and their inability to sell bulls after the beef ban was imposed in Maharashtra?

That is one of the reasons. A farmer has only two assets with him. One is land, the other is animals. He has only these two properties. If he cannot sell the animal, how will he get the money?

When the Maharashtra government brought in this law, they had argued that farmers are forced to sell their bulls because of their helplessness.

Yes, that is true. (But) when they are old, what will we do with the bull?

Today, the food of the bull has become very expensive. If there is an old bull and he is not working, then a farmer now has to feed him, which is a regular expense.

Every day he has to shell out Rs 200 to support that old unproductive bull.

A bull is useful for a farmer for 10 years and after that, when he becomes old, it is of no use in farming.

Once the bull attains 10 years of age if you tell the farmer that he has to keep the bull in his house and feed him, then the farmer will surely face difficulty.

An unproductive bull can live for another seven years. So, where will the farmer get the money to feed this bull?

Another important point is -- where will the farmer buy a new bull from? He can only buy a new bull after he sells his old bull. This is a circle which has been going on for centuries.

How much money is needed by a farmer to maintain an old bull?

Due to the drought situation now, it will take at least Rs 100 per day to maintain an old bull. It is expensive to buy grass and water.

But there are government gaushalas (cow shelters).

Where are they? The shelters the government has will only run till June, then they will shut down. Even here, there are very few gaushalas. They are run by some sansthas (organisations) . Moreover, they don't take bulls, they only take cows.

Do you think the government should build more gaushalas?

It is not possible to keep bulls in gaushalas. Every farmer owns a bull. Take any village in Maharashtra, there are approximately 700 bulls in every village. For that you have to construct gaushalas in every village, which is not possible.

Can't the farmers opt for buffaloes for farming instead of bulls?

Farming can only be done with bulls and not with buffaloes. In some places, people do farming with the help of buffaloes. But 95 per cent of the farming is done by bulls.

As an MLA, do farmers come and tell you about the problem posed by the beef ban?

I am a farmer myself. One of my cousins, who is a farmer, said he had a bull worth Rs 1 lakh (Rs 100,000) and now people are not willing to pay more than Rs 20,000 (for it). He said he made a loss of Rs 80,000.

He told me he wants to sell the old bull and get a new one. He is now asking whether our government will compensate him for his loss.

When this law was passed, why didn't you oppose it?

This law is 15 years old. The bill had been sent to the President in the 1990s for his approval, but it was only approved by him last year.

You are a BJP MLA. Did you raise this issue in your party?

I spoke in the assembly, I say this everywhere. I was not in the BJP earlier, I was in the Congress.

So is it the Congressman in you speaking against this law which has been brought in by the BJP?

No, this is a business issue and farmers don't belong to any party. Farmers only ask me what to do with the old bulls? The poor people say they get beef for Rs 150 and mutton for Rs 600 per kg. So how will a poor man eat mutton?

Should the Maharashtra government withdraw the beef ban?

They have to take it back. If you want to save farmers and give protein to poor people, then you have to take back this bill.

I want gau hatya kanoon (cow slaughter law). I am against gau vansh (cow progeny slaughter). The cow is different and the bull is different. The cow is good. It is pure and useful. But what do you do with a bull (when it is old)?

One reads that so many gaushalas are being launched, even the Vishwa Hindu Parishad is working to build more gaushalas.

The VHP is working at two or three places, but there are bulls in every village.

Every farmer has a bull and the population of tractor farmers is not more than five percent in Maharashtra.

Farming runs on bulls, but old bulls cannot do farming. Only young bulls can work in farms and now if you cannot sell old bulls, then what will you do with them?

How many farmers use tractors for farming?

I cannot give you the exact figures. But if you consider Maharashtra's population as 11 crore (100 million), then six crore (60 million) people are involved in farming.

Now if you say that there are 10 percent of tractor farmers in Maharashtra, then their population will be around 60 lakhs (6 million). But the rest of the farmer population (5.40 crore/54 million) is dependent on bulls for farming.

So once the bulls become old, do the farmers set them loose to roam in villages as they can't afford to maintain them?

No, they are not doing that. Farmers are taking care of their bulls. Farmers love their bulls. He will not allow his bull to roam freely in villages because he can go and destroy others' farms.

But it is not possible to take care of old bulls and therefore, I am saying that the ban must be withdrawn.

Are you not afraid of going against your party's stand?

I am not against the party. I am talking for farmers and poor people. I am a farmer by profession. I have studied BA LLB, but my base is that of a farmer. My entire family is in farming and I own a lot of animals too.

My base is that of bulls and whichever party you are in, it has to work for the people.

But there are gaushalas run by the government, you can sell your bulls there.

Where are they? There are no gaushalas run by the government. Only organisations owned by Jains are running gaushalas and they take care of cows, not bulls.

Are you not afraid that you could be expelled from your party for speaking against the beef ban?

No. Because I am speaking for the rights of the people.
IMAGE: Workers make final arrangements for the three-day World Cultural Festival organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living Foundation in New Delhi. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/PTI

'Why did they not raise their voice against the pollution in the Yamuna earlier? Why were they quiet for so long against construction and encroachment on the flood plains?'

Mahesh Girri was a close aide of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar before he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The BJP, it was said, gave Girri, below, left, a Lok Sabha ticket from the East Delhi consistuency at the Art Of Living founder's behest. Girri won the seat in the 2014 election.

Girri -- who worked on an Art Of Living project, Meri Dilli Meri Yamuna to cleanse the Yamuna river in 2010 -- spoke to Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com about why the World Cultural Festival 2016 must be held on the banks of the Yamuna and why the event is important to India.

What will India achieve by the World Cultural Festival 2016?

This is to showcase our cultural heritage like yoga, dance and music. This is our cultural legacy. It has a standing across the world.

Unique concepts of unity in diversity, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The World is One Family), come from our ancient texts.

We want to represent to the whole world how rich Indian culture is. Hence, we are holding this programme in which 155 countries are going to participate. There will be representatives of other cultures too from other parts of the world.

All of us will send the message of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.

Why did you select the Yamuna?

Sanskriti (culture) and rivers are closely interlinked. They have deep inter-personal relations.

If you see the Kumbh Mela, it is held near a river. Any religious function is held near a river, therefore this is happening at the Yamuna.

In 2010 we (Art Of Living) started a movement, Meri Dilli, Meri Yamuna. After that movement there was a sensitivity attached that we need to reform the river.

We reformed 11, 12 rivers in Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra. We had created awareness for the Yamuna and therefore we are holding this event on the Yamuna.

While working on Meri Dilli Meri Yamuna, you must have become aware of the issues. What problems does the Yamuna face? And how will this programme benefit the river?

Firstly, the Supreme Court has said the Yamuna is no longer a river, it has become a dirty drain. There is zero per cent oxygen in the river. There are 1,587 nullahs emptying into the Yamuna and it no longer remains a river.

To regain the Yamuna (to its origins) we want to create social awareness, hence this programme.

What do you want to say to those who say this event will be an environmental disaster?

Why did they not raise their voice against the pollution in the Yamuna earlier? Why were they quiet for so long against construction and encroachment on the flood plains, which destroyed them?

There are small time activists raising their voice against the event, but their allegations are baseless.

You can see the before and after scene of which we have a video. You can check out what was the situation before the (construction) began, what the situation is now, and what the situation will be later.

The activists say the government bent rules for this event.

These are just allegations. We have taken permission for all work that were are doing.

It is said the government did not give permission at first, then the Art Of Living reapplied and the rules were bent.

The first time they applied, it was rejected. Then they re-applied as per rules and regulations. Therefore, they got the permission.

Why was it essential to involve the Indian Army?

The pontoon bridge that has been built by the army is because the people attending the event are citizens of India.

The expertise that is needed to build the bridge is not with any organisation, but with the army.

The army was involved to ensure there is no stampede at the event.

Critics allege that the Art Of Living has become the art of partying.

From day one, the Art Of Living has been saying life must be celebrated. We must have no doubts in life and must be of full confidence.

Celebrate your life with joy, peace and enthusiasm.

Our Vedas too say this and that is what Art Of Living is saying.

Those who talk of partying wear vulgarity spectacles and therefore they see this angle only.

Art Of Living is doing good work and therefore it has spread across 155 countries.

It is alleged that Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is eyeing the Nobel Peace Prize, which is why he is organising this event.

His work does not need awards and certificates. The last time he got the Padma Vibhushan, he rejected it.

This time he was given the Padma Vibhushan again, at a time when the 'award wapsi' protests were going on across the country. Therefore, he said if he did not accept the award, it will send a wrong message.

He accepted the award out of respect for the country. If he needed an award, why would he have rejected the award the first time?

But I am talking of the Nobel Prize.

The country's honour is bigger than the Nobel Peace Prize. Nobel toh dur ki baat hai (The Nobel is a distant matter). First he has to be given samman at home.

He has said he will go to jail, but will not pay the Rs 5 crore (Rs 50 million) fine levied by the National Green Tribunal.

He tweeted that, but now he has clarified that he will listen to the court.

You check (the facts) again. (Note: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's last tweet was that he was unhappy with the NGT verdict and will appeal against it).
Major arterial roads in south and east Delhi are expected to witness severe traffic snarls for the next three days in view of the 'World Culture Festival', events hosted by the Radha Soami Satsang Beas, and more than 20,000 weddings scheduled in the city on Friday.

The roads identified include the Ring Road stretch in south Delhi, Noida Link Road, NH-24, areas near Akshardham, Mayur Vihar, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, Asfram Chowk, Aurobindo Marg, Mahipalpur Chowk and Mehrauli-Gurgaon road -- all considered major arteries and intersections in south and east Delhi.

Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Muktesh Chander, who is charting out the traffic plan for the three-day cultural extravaganza organised by the Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living Foundation, visited the venue on Thursday and took stock of the arrangements.

"Organisers have made provisions for parking on the Yamuna Bank. The space is limited and so, parking will be on a first-come-first-served basis," a senior traffic official said.

"People should preferably take public transport to commute and avoid the Noida Link Road, NH-24 and the Ring Road stretch from the point of intersection with Bhairon Marg till the mouth of the DND Flyway," the official said, adding, congestion can be expected on these stretches between 12 noon and 11 pm.

The official further said, those approaching from the trans-Yamuna side towards central Delhi, should use the ITO Road as Akshardham and NH-24 will be congested.

Commuters from Noida heading towards Delhi should take the DND flyover as traffic on the Noida Link Road is expected to be heavy during the event, he said.

Around 1,700 traffic personnel have been deployed for the event.

"For an event by the Radha Soami Satsang Beas, also to be organised from March 11 to 13, at south Delhi's Fatehpur Beri area, traffic will be heavy near Bhati Mines, Andheria More, Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, especially the stretch between Lado Sarai and Khanpur, and the road near IIT-Delhi," the senior official said.

In view of the large number of marriage programmes scheduled on Friday, special arrangements will be made near Ashram Chowk and other south Delhi areas that include Mehrauli and Chhatarpur, the official said.

Representative Image
'The Senators were playing safe, not angering either the pro-India lobby or the pro-Pakistan lobby, but perhaps more importantly, the military-industrial complex -- the most powerful lobby of all -- which the majority of Senators are beholden to in terms of largesse to their campaign coffers.'

Aziz Haniffa/Rediff.com reports from Washington, DC.

IMAGE: 'Pakistan doesn't need F-16s to counter terrorism,' says foreign and defence policy analyst Michael Rubin, 'it needs F-16s to mount attacks against India.'

Notwithstanding a chorus of influential US Senators, scholars and policy wonks in leading think-tanks voicing strong opposition to the Obama administration's decision to provide Pakistan eight F-16 fighter jets, when it came to a vote on a resolution aimed at blocking the sale, the full Senate pushed it to the backburner by a vote of 71-24.

Citing a provision in the 1976 Arms Export Control Act, Senator Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican, attempted to win Senate approval of his Resolution of Disapproval on the sale. However, the Senate voted overwhelmingly to table Senator Paul's Resolution of Disapproval.

In the US, to 'table' usually means to postpone or suspend consideration of a resolution, legislation or a pending motion -- which essentially means shelving it -- unlike in the United Kingdom or Commonwealth countries and the rest of the English-speaking world, where 'tabling' vis-a-vis parliamentary procedure means the opposite -- to begin consideration or reconsideration of a piece of legislation, or a resolution as introduced by Paul or any other such proposal.

The Senate's decision on Paul's resolution came despite a passionate appeal by Senator Mark Warner, the Virginia Democrat and co-chair of the US Senate India Caucus.

The vote by the Senate to table the Resolution of Disapproval to block the sales of the F-16s was a victory for the Obama administration -- not to mention Islamabad -- which had announced on February 12 that it had approved the $700 million sale of the aircraft as well as radar and other equipment to Pakistan.

In his intervention on the Senate floor, Senator Warner warned, 'If we move forward with these sales without putting some markers down, I think we potentially not only do damage to holding Pakistan's feet to the fire in terms of the threat of terrorists in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the region, but also potentially could do damage to one of the most important relationships our country has, and that is the strategic relationship between the United States and India.'

'This relationship has been one of enormous growing importance,' Senator Warner pointed out. 'India has been a valuable and strategic partner of the United States and is a tremendous ally in promoting global peace and security.'

'That has not always been the case," Senator Warner recalled. 'Relations between our two nations have been steadily improving over the past decade, ranging from approvals of the civilian nuclear agreement to frequent coordination between our militaries and at this point, over a $100 billion in bilateral trade.'

'Prime Minister Modi in India has made a personal commitment to improving the ties between the United States and India. The prime minister will come back to the United States at the end of this month (to attend the Nuclear Security Summit),' he added.

'Nowhere is the potential for our strategic relationship greater than in our bilateral defence relationship, which again, has seen great progress over the last decade,' Senator Warner argued and noted, 'Last year our two nations signed the framework that will advance military-to-military exchanges.'

'We're also proceeding with joint development of defence technology which seeks to increase defence sales and create a cooperative technology and industrial relationship that can promote both the capability in the United States and in India,' he said.

'So I viewed with some concern last month when the administration announced the sale of these eight F-16s to Pakistan,' Senator Warner said. 'And again I want to commend the leadership of the Foreign Relations Committee for making very clear that even if this sale should go forward, the financing of this sale is still subject to further American review.'

'What brings me to support Senator Paul's resolution is the fact that as recently as January of this year, Pakistani-based terrorists claimed responsibility for an attack against an Indian military base at Pathankot. It resulted in the killing of Indian military forces and a great tragedy.'

'So far Pakistan has refused to share intelligence or to turn over those suspects to the Indian government,' Senator Warner informed his Senate colleagues.

'With those kind of actions, I cannot go ahead and continue this policy where we continue to, in effect, give Pakistan a pass, whether it is actions in the region vis-a-vis Afghanistan or within their own country but also in terms of their unwillingness to meet India even halfway in terms of trying to bring a greater stability to one of the regions that could potentially be a tinderbox in terms of the border regions between India and Pakistan.'

'So I will be supporting Senator Paul's resolution. I hope that the government in Pakistan hears the concern of this Senator and other Senators. I hope they will act aggressively in terms of bringing the justice those terrorists who invade Indian space and attacked the Indian Air Force base showing that kind of responsible behaviour might lead at least this Senator taking a different view in terms of future military sales,' he added.

By tabling the resolution, the Senators were playing safe, not angering either the pro-India lobby or the pro-Pakistan lobby, but perhaps more importantly, the military-industrial complex -- the most powerful lobby of all -- which the majority of Senators are beholden to in terms of largesse to their campaign coffers -- that frowns upon any effort to torpedo foreign military sales which yields massive profits to their shareholders.

Last month, Secretary of State John F Kerry, in declaring the administration's intent to push forward with the F16 sales despite India's protests -- including Foreign Secretary Dr S Jaishankar summoning US Ambassador to India Richard Verma and expressing New Delhi's deep disappointment over Washington's decision -- argued that these fighter aircraft 'have been a critical part of the Pakistani fight against the terrorists in the western part of that country, and have been effective in that fight.'

'We don't want to do things that upset the balance,' Kerry said, and maintained during a Congressional hearing that 'Pakistan is engaged legitimately in a very tough fight against identifiable terrorists in their country.'

During that hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Representative Eliot Engel of New and the ranking Democrat on the panel, said, 'I'm concerned that Pakistan continues to play a double game, fighting terrorism that has a direct impact inside Pakistan, and supporting it in places like India and Afghanistan, where Pakistan believes such a policy furthers its national interests.'

US Congressman Dr Amerish 'Ami' Bera, the California Democrat and the only Indian-American member of the US Congress, questioned Kerry during the hearing about the administration's decision to sell Pakistan these fighter aircraft and emphasised the importance of ensuring Pakistan is cracking down on terrorists in the country before a sale can be made.

'Pakistan must prove it is taking substantive steps to go after all terrorist groups in the country before we move forward with the sale of F16s,' Dr Bera said.

'So far,' he pointed out, 'Pakistan has not shown willingness to go after groups like the Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Tayiba, which is why I cannot support a sale at this time.'

'Furthermore, in the event that we do proceed with a sale,' Dr Bera added, 'US taxpayers should not subsidise the cost of the F16s. If Pakistan wants to buy the planes they should pay for them.'

Earlier, in a formal notification to Congress which coincided with a published federal notification, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency wrote to House Speaker Paul Ryan that '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.'

'This sale 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,' the notification in the Federal Register noted. 'Pakistan will have no difficulty absorbing these additional aircraft into its air force.'

The the Defence Security Cooperation Agency in its notification said 'this sale involves the release of sensitive technology to Pakistan,' pointing out that 'the F-l 6C/D Block 50/52 weapon system uses the F-16 airframe and features advanced avionics and systems.'

It contains the Pratt and Whitney F-100-PW-229 engine, AN/APG-68V(9) radar, digital flight control system, external electronic warfare equipment, Advanced Identification Friend or Foe (AIFF), LINK-16 datalink, and software computer programmes, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency added.

'If a technologically advanced adversary were to obtain knowledge of the specific hardware or software source code in this proposed sale,' the federal notification acknowledged, 'the information could be used to develop countermeasures which might reduce weapon system effectiveness or be used in the development of systems with similar or advanced capabilities.'

Justifying the sale, the notification argued, 'The benefits to be derived from this sale in the furtherance of the US foreign policy and national security objectives outweigh the potential damage that could result if the sensitive technology were revealed to unauthorised persons.'

Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's adviser on foreign affairs who was in Washington last week to co-chair the US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue with Kerry, told the Defence Writers Group that Pakistan had initially requested 18 F-16s, but because of 'financing problems' it had decided to go with buying eight fighter aircraft.

'In the last five years the Pakistan air force has been saving US assistance to be able to finance these F-16s,' Aziz said. 'That is why, the administration has recommended that these should be sold because it is a very critical part of our counter terrorism operation.'

Acknowledging that the aircraft would continue to be used in Pakistan's tribal regions, Aziz said, 'This is part of our fleet and for the last two, three years they have extensively been used in tribal areas. Right now the specialised need is the counter-terrorism operation, for which we are heavily dependent on F-16s.

'The simple fact is that Pakistan doesn't need F-16s to counter terrorism,' Michael Rubin, a foreign and defence policy analyst at the neo-conservative American Enterprise Institute wrote, 'it needs F-16s to mount attacks against India.'

'The best strategy to help Pakistan counter terrorism would instead be some tough love, withdrawing military assistance and augmenting India's qualitative military edge until such a time as Pakistani authorities -- and especially Pakistan's intelligence service (the ISI) -- stops supporting the Taliban, Lashkar-e Tayiba, and a host of other terrorist groups,' Rubin noted.

'There's a shell game going on in which Pakistan demands aid because of the threat posed by Islamist radicals,' Rubin said, 'but then the ISI supports many of those same radicals in order to win a greater payoff.'

'It's time to stop rewarding bad behaviour, stop providing Pakistan with weaponry it could use against India, and start holding its feet to the fire instead,' Rubin said, and added, 'At the very least, Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is right to suggest that Congress should hold hearings before the sale of F-16s to Pakistan goes through.'
Five Central Reserve Police Force men, including two officers, were on Friday injured in an Improvised Explosive Device blast in Chhattisgarh's Naxal violence affected Sukma district.

The incident occurred in the jungles of Banda-Konta when a patrol party of 217th battalion had set out to provide security for an under construction road between Murliguda and Banda, Sukma Additional Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh told PTI.

Two officers of Deputy Commandant rank -- S Niwas and Prabhat Tripathi -- and three other men were injured in the blast suspected to be from an improvised explosive device hidden beneath the dirt track by the Naxals, officials said.

Additional forces have been sent and the injured have been evacuated to Bhadrachalam and subsequently will be air lifted for the state capital here for medical care, they said.

The team ventured out from the Murliguda paramilitary camp for patrolling at around 9 am. When they reached just about 500 meters away from the camp, the personnel inadvertently stepped over a pressure IED connection triggering the blast, the ASP said.
One of the two 220 MW units of Kakrapar Atomic Power Station in Gujarats Surat district was shut down on Friday after leakage of heavy water and a temporary emergency situation was declared but there was no radioactive leak and all workers are safe.

According to officials, the leakage of heavy water that is used in cooling off the nuclear reactor core was detected around 9 am and it was fixed in some time and the temporary emergency was lifted shortly afterwards.

Surat District Collector Rajendra Kumar said there was no leakage of radiation at the plant and the situation was under control.

The incident took place on a day when Japan marks the fifth anniversary of Fukushima nuclear disaster caused by a monster tsunami.

KAPS site director L K Jain said in a statement that the radiation levels in and outside the plant are normal.

Unit-1 of KAPS, which was operating at its rated power, was shut down at about 9 am today. Consequent to a small leak in Primary Heat Transport system, the reactor was shut down as intended as per the design provisions. All safety systems are working as intended, the statement said.

The radioactivity/radiation levels in the plant premises and outside are normal. KAPS 1 and 2 consists of two Units of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors of 220 MW each, Jain added.

The KAPS, located on the border of Surat and Tapi districts near Vyara town of Tapi, is run by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd.

The director of the plant informed me that unit-1 has been shut down following a problem in the primary heat transmission system. There was some leakage of heavy water that is used in cooling the reactor core. At present, the situation is under control, Rajendra Kumar said.

According to KAPS website, the power station has two generation units of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors that were commissioned during early 90s.

The problem was detected in the morning and it has been fixed as of now. The plant also declared temporary emergency, which has been lifted after some time. As of now, there is no emergency and things are under control. We are told that Unit-1 will take some time to start functioning again, Kumar added.

Meanwhile, neighbouring Tapi district administration also swung into action and sought details from plant officials after learning about the leakage.

Tapi District Collector B C Patni also confirmed that there was no report of radiation leakage.

The problem occurred in Unit-1 of the plant at around 9 am. As per the reports received from the site director, all the employees are working in the plant and no internal or external radiation leak took place. The leakage of liquid has been fixed, said Patni.

Image used for representational purpose only.
Donald Trump on Friday stuck to his controversial remarks of "Islam hates us", drawing flak from his Republican rivals as they engaged in a show of civility in their latest face-off, with one of them warning the presidential frontrunner of consequences of such statements.

Trump clarified that not all Muslims fall into this category but said he means "a lot of them".

"I mean a lot of them. I mean a lot of them," Trump said when asked if he meant all 1.6 billion Muslims when he said "Islam hates us".

"I've been watching the debate. They're talking about radical Islamic terrorism or radical Islam. There's something going on that maybe you don't know about, maybe a lot of other people don't know about, but there's tremendous hatred.

"And I will stick with exactly what I said," Trump said. "In large mosques, all over the Middle East, you have people chanting "death to the USA". Now, that does not sound

like a friendly act to me," Trump said in response to a question at the last Republican presidential debate in Miami, Florida -- which goes for primary elections on Tuesday.

The exchange, though charged up, remained mostly respectful -- in stark contrast to the no holds barred face-off that it had become in the past few days.

Trump's bitter presidential rival Senator Marco Rubio warned about consequences of such a controversial statement. "I know that a lot of people find appeal in the things Donald says because he says what people wish they could say. The problem is, presidents can't just say anything they want. It has consequences, here and around the world," he said.

The US already has had consequences of airplanes flying into the WorldTradeCenter, the Pentagon and could have been the White House, Rubio added. "There have been a lot of problems. Now you can say what you want, and you can be politically correct if you want. I don't want to be so politically correct. I like to solve problems. We have a serious, serious problem of hate," he said.

Rubio said two days ago he met a couple who were on furlough because they are missionaries in Bangladesh. "It's a very tough place to be a missionary. It's Muslim. And their safety and security very much relies upon friendly Muslims that live along side them, that may not convert, but protect them and certainly look out for them.

"And their mission field really are Muslims that are looking to convert to Christianity as well," he said.They tell me that today they have a very hostile environment in which to operate in because the news is coming out that in America, leading political figures are saying that America doesn't like Muslims. So this is a real impact. There's no doubt that radical Islam is a danger in the world," Rubio said.

Image: Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump listens during the Republican US presidential candidates debate sponsored by CNN at the University of Miami in Miami, Florida. Photograph: Carlo Allegri/Reuters
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a Public Interest Litigation seeking quashing of criminal prosecution, suspension and other action taken against the Gujarat cops in the 2004 alleged fake encounter killing of Ishrat Jahan in view of the recent testimony of jailed Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative David Headley.

"What is the purpose of article 32. You cannot file such a case under it. If you wish, you can go to the high court under article 226 of the constitution," a bench comprising Justices P C Ghose and Amitava Roy said minutes after lawyer M L Sharma started arguments in the case.

However, the bench clarified that it was not dismissing the petition on merits when Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought a clarification on this issue.

"Any person having locus can approach the appropriate authority," the bench said paving way for the affected Gujarat policemen including then DIG D G Vanzara to move the court for their exoneration in the politically sensitive case.

The plea seeking quashing of action taken against the Gujarat cops refers to the statement of Headley, the Pakistani-American terrorist, recorded before a Mumbai court that Jahan was a Lashkar operative.

The Gujarat police personnel, including ex-cop Vanzara, are facing trial in a Mumbai court for their alleged role in the encounter.

The plea, which cited the recent statements recorded by Headley, who allegedly conspired with LeT in plotting the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, said the facts are now undisputed that all four persons killed by the Gujarat police, including Ishrat Jahan, were terrorists.

"The judicial proceeding and statement of David Headley stated via video conference and recorded in the special court at Mumbai that four persons, including Ishrat Jahan who were killed in June 2004 by the Gujarat police, were part of LeT terrorist organisation belonging to Pakistan and they were assigned to kill then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi," it said.

The plea had sought a direction to close criminal proceedings and action taken in FIRs lodged by the CBI against the Gujarat police personnel and others, saying it was unconstitutional within the judicial facts and evidences of Headley.

It had also sought a direction from the court declaring that killing of a terrorist is not an offence under Indian law and proper compensation be paid to the state police personnel in the interest of justice.

It also wanted initiation of suo motu perjury/contempt proceedings against the then home minister and the CBI director for concealing true facts before the Supreme Court and the Gujarat high court and for filing a false affidavit pertaining to facts about the case.
Federal authorities in the United States have seized two valuable artefacts stolen from India valued at about $450,000 (Rs 3 crore) from the premier auction house Christie's, just days before a scheduled auction of the items as part of planned festivities to celebrate Asia week.

Special agents with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations along with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office seized the two stolen Indian statues in New York, believed to be from the 8th and 10th centuries AD.

The artefacts were recovered from Christie's auction house following an international investigation with assistance from the Indian government and Interpol.

The seizure comes just days before a planned March 15 auction of the items as part of the 'Asia Week New York' festivities. Christie's had included the two artefacts in the auction entitled 'The Lahiri Collection: Indian and Himalayan Art, Ancient and Modern.'

The artefacts are a buff sandstone stele of Rishabhanata, believed to be from Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh belonging to the 10th century AD. It depicts a stele carved with the first Jain Tirthankara and is valued at approximately $150,000 (over Rs 1 crore).

The second artifact is a buff sandstone panel depicting Revanta and his entourage from India in the 8th Century AD, depicting a very rare representation of the equestrian deity, Revanta, and valued at approximately $300,000 (over Rs 2 crore).

According to the ongoing investigation, the Sandstone of Rishbhanata appears to have been sold to London-based Brandon Lynch Ltd between 2006 and 2007. The Panel of Revanta, according to images provided by the source dealer, appeared to have contained an "orphan fragment," a piece perfectly broken off to be sold by the smugglers after the sale of the main part of the sculpture.

"This seizure at the beginning of an international event as well recognised as Asia Week New York sends two important messages: First and foremost, it demonstrates that we are committed to protecting cultural heritage around the world and second, it demonstrates that we are monitoring the market to protect prospective buyers as well," said Angel M Melendez, special agent in charge of HSI New York.

HSI special agents were able to determine that both of these artefacts had come from a specific smuggler and supplier of illicit cultural property in India.

"Every year, fine art collectors from around the world flock to New York for Asia Week, where they spent a reported $360 million last year on Asian antiquities and art," said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R Vance, Jr.

"With high demand from all corners of the globe, collectors must be certain of provenance before purchasing. I urge dealers and auction houses to take every necessary precaution to avoid facilitating the sale of cultural heritage stolen from other civilisations," he said.

Over the past four years, the Manhattan DA's Office and HSI New York have partnered on Operation Hidden Idol, focusing on activities surrounding the illicit cultural property trade in New York.

The investigation has also identified Subhash Kapoor, who is currently in custody in India awaiting trial for allegedly looting tens of millions of dollars' worth of rare antiquities from several nations.

The trails of looted artefacts have been traced all around the world. Within the past 12 months, four domestic museums and one major collector have partnered with HSI to surrender illicit cultural property stemming from Kapoor. To date, federal authorities have netted in excess of 2,500 artefacts worth over an estimated $100 million.

Since 2007, more than 8,000 artefacts have been returned to 30 countries, including paintings from France, Germany, Poland and Austria; 15th to 18th century manuscripts from Italy and Peru; as well as cultural artefacts from China, Cambodia and Iraq.
UNHCR concerned over restrictions on freedom of movement for displaced Iraqis in camps

Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Publication Date 11 March 2016 Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UNHCR concerned over restrictions on freedom of movement for displaced Iraqis in camps, 11 March 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2c9e74.html [accessed 22 October 2022]

The UN Refugee Agency is concerned about a rising trend of newly-displaced Iraqis being forcibly transferred to camps where restrictions on their freedom of movement are imposed in a manner disproportionate to any legitimate concern, including those related to security. While recognizing the responsibility of authorities to undertake security screening of people fleeing territory controlled by extremist groups, we urge the government to set up clear procedures and facilities for this purpose that are separate from camps established to provide shelter and other humanitarian assistance to displaced Iraqis.

Nazrawa camp, in Kirkuk Governorate, was opened by UNHCR in November 2015 for internally displaced Iraqis seeking safety from conflict and severe human rights abuses, thanks to flexible funding from over ten donor countries. This was a response to a long-standing request by the Kirkuk authorities for more support from the humanitarian community in their efforts to provide protection and assistance to large numbers of internally-displaced Iraqis (currently nearly 400,000 in the governorate). Approximately 2,000 displaced Iraqis are currently residing in Nazrawa camp. However, authorities have progressively imposed movement restrictions on residents of the camp and since 22 February 2016 all residents have been confined to the camp, irrespective of whether or not they have completed security screening procedures.

Instances of forcible relocation of Iraqis into camps, as well as disproportionate restrictions on their freedom of movement, have also been recorded by protection partners elsewhere in Iraq. In Garmawa camp in northern Iraq, Iraqis who were forcibly relocated to the camp from villages in Tilkaif District in 2015 continue to face restrictions on their freedom of movement. Similar concerns are also emerging in Salah Al Din and Anbar Governorates.

UNHCR is concerned about this developing trend as freedom of movement is key to displaced people being able to exercise other rights, such as access to work, food, healthcare and legal assistance. With the prospect of further displacement as military operations against extremist groups escalate, it is becoming increasingly urgent for the authorities to ensure both that IDPs are granted access to safety in a timely manner, and that camps maintain their humanitarian character.

In addition to nearly one million Iraqis displaced since 2006-7, there are more than 3.3 million persons in Iraq who have been displaced since January 2014. Displaced persons in Iraq continue to face challenges, including exposure to violence, disproportionate restrictions on access to safety and freedom of movement, forced encampment, and constrained access to basic services.
South Sudan fighting forces thousands to flee to CAR, Uganda and DR Congo

Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Publication Date 11 March 2016 Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), South Sudan fighting forces thousands to flee to CAR, Uganda and DR Congo, 11 March 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2ca3a4.html [accessed 22 October 2022]

Fighting in previously peaceful areas of South Sudan's Western Equatoria state continues to force thousands of people to flee into the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda and even the volatile Central African Republic.

We hope to gain access next week to an estimated 7,000 South Sudanese refugees living in desperate conditions in Bambouti, which is located in a difficult to reach area in the easternmost part of Central African Republic.

A four-truck convoy carrying UNHCR and WFP food and non-food humanitarian aid, is scheduled to leave Bangui on Saturday for Bambouti and arrive there on March 21. An inter-agency needs assessment team will follow on Monday, travelling by plane and helicopter. They will carry some emergency relief items, including medicine and nutritional biscuits.

The nearest UNHCR field office is at Zemio, 320 kms to the west, but we have been in contact with local officials in Bambouti and with a small group of the refugees, who made their way by road to the Central African Republic town of Obo, almost 110kms from Bambouti.

They told UNHCR that the new arrivals in eastern CAR are in urgent need of assistance, including shelter, food, water, health care as well as security. Many are staying with host families but most are in makeshift shelters. More than 80 percent of the refugees are women and children.

The refugees first started arriving in Bambouti in December to escape fighting and rising tension between members of a local armed group and government forces in the South Sudan towns of Source Yubu and Ezo. Some had also fled fighting in Tambura.

The group of refugees in Obo said they expected more people to cross into CAR, where three years of conflict have displaced some 900,000 people. They said the road to Bambouti and South Sudan was passable by heavy truck but in poor condition. They paid truck drivers cash to bring them to Obo.

The new arrivals in Bambouti outnumber the local population of about 1,500 people and this is putting a strain on food and water resources. Health is also an issue, including malaria, diarrhoea, malnutrition and scabies. There is just one midwife and a medical assistant in Bambouti, while the health clinic lacks medicine and equipment. The local school has been closed since 2002.

The new fighting in Western Equatoria has since late 2015 also forced more than 11,000 people to cross into Democratic Republic of the Congo and seek shelter in the towns of Doruma, Bangalu, Gangala, Duru and Bitma, Haut Uele province after fleeing fighting between government forces and the Arrow Boys, a local armed group, near the South Sudan town of Yambio.

The new arrivals, mainly women and children (with 30 percent aged three or less) tell of human rights abuses, including killings, rape and forced recruitment. Many said they had lost husbands. Most of the new arrivals told UNHCR they were from Western Equatoria's Ezo and Nzara counties.

But conditions in Doruma and elsewhere are inadequate, with many people sleeping in the grounds of a church because of a lack of shelter materials. Sanitation and hygiene facilities are in short supply. Many were sleeping in the open. A UNHCR team has been registering the refugees and assessing their needs.

In Uganda, more than 14,000 South Sudanese refugees, the vast majority of whom are women and children under the age of 18, have been registered since the start of the year. Many of the new arrivals are fleeing from Western Equatoria, often having walked for days, and are tired and hungry.

Arrival figures are up on late 2015. The number of new arrivals slowed slightly in mid-February, coinciding with the holding of the presidential and general elections on February 18. Numbers have gradually begun to rise again over the last 10 days.

The majority of new arrivals are being hosted in a newly opened settlement in Adjumani, West Nile district, with smaller numbers residing in settlements in Arua and Kiryandongo.
Controversial Ruling by Moldova's Constitutional Court Reintroduces Direct Presidential Elections

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Mihai Popsoi Publication Date 8 March 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 46 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Controversial Ruling by Moldova's Constitutional Court Reintroduces Direct Presidential Elections, 8 March 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 46, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2e0fa4.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Link to original story on Jamestown website

A game changing Constitutional Court decision, announced on a Friday afternoon (March 4) before a four-day holiday weekend, took much of the Moldovan political establishment, expert community and the broader public by surprise. Voters will now be able to elect the country's president directly. The ruling turned back the clock to the year 2000, canceling amendments to the Constitution approved over a decade and a half ago that empowered the national legislature to elect the head of state. The Court cited procedural violations during the Constitutional reform of 2000 as grounds for its decision (Constcourt.md, March 4). Namely, at that time, the parliament adopted a modified version of the amendments that had been approved by the Constitutional Court. Hence, the Court's authority to sign off on draft Constitutional amendments was partially infringed upon. This time around, it was the Court that completely sidelined the parliament by, effectively, reintroducing direct presidential elections with no input from the legislature whatsoever. Even though the decision is highly popular-89 percent of Moldovans support direct presidential elections (Iri.org, September 29-October 21, 2015; Realitatea, November 10, 2015)-the ruling is controversial as it further undermines the legitimacy of the Constitutional Court in light of extreme judicial activism during the past several years. Furthermore, the political implications of this decision go far beyond what anybody can reasonably predict-likely to result in both planned and unintended consequences.

Commenting on the latest ruling, a former chairman of the Constitutional Court, Victor Puscas, expressed disbelief, while constitutional expert Alexandru Arsene called it an outright abuse of power (Europalibera.org, March 4). Whereas, another former Constitutional Court judge and leading scholar Nicolae Osmochescu welcomed the decision, but he struggled to answer what kind of system Moldova has now, saying that the public should care less about the purely academic discussions regarding parliamentary versus presidential systems (Europalibera.org, March 4). Court Chairman Alexandru Tanase, on the other hand, explained on a primetime political talk show that the country remains a parliamentary republic despite direct presidential elections, since the president does not gain any new powers (Agora.md, March 4). Romanian political analyst Sorin Ionita's reaction probably best encapsulates the event: "the Constitutional Court has taken a mind-boggling decision of such magnitude and creativity that it is unprecedented in Europe" (Independent.md, March 4).

Even so, most leading politicians cautiously welcomed the momentous decision. Many jumped at the opportunity to claim it as their own victory. Liberal-Democrats, who had originally submitted the case for constitutional review, heralded the ruling as a fulfillment of their campaign promise (Agora.md, March 4). Lib-Dems may also benefit by having their party leader, former prime minister Vlad Filat, released from pre-trial detention if he decides to run for president, which will give him immunity for the time of the campaign, provided that he is not convicted before then. Socialists are probably the biggest winners, as their leader, Igor Dodon, is the default frontrunner in the looming presidential race; Our Party leader Renato Usatii, the actual frontrunner according to polling data, is ineligible on account of being under the age of 40. To add insult to injury, Usatii and his party stand to lose the most since if early parliamentary elections were called-which is now no longer in the cards-Our Party would have likely won a plurality of seats in the next parliament. Curiously, Dodon initially welcomed the ruling as a vindication of protesters' demands (Deschide.md, March 4). However, the next day, his fellow colleague, Socialist parliamentarian Bogdan Tirdea, questioned the Constitutional Court's decision, calling it an anti-constitutional coup. Tirdea wondered what would now stop the Court from striking down other articles from the Constitution, such as that on the country's military neutrality (Noi.md, March 5).

Another leading contender for the would-be presidential race, Andrei Nastase, the leader of the Civic Action Platform Party, welcomed the decision, claiming it as a success of the civic movement he had helped mobilize, which has collected about 500,000 signatures for a referendum on that particular issue (Independent.md, March 4). Democrats, in the words of Parliamentary Speaker Andrian Candu, conveniently presented the decision as evidence for the lack of state capture (Realitatea.md, March 4). Yet, his colleague Dumitru Diacov questioned the legitimacy of the new ruling. Diacov, the honorary chairman of the Democratic Party, served as speaker of parliament in 2000 and had mastermind the constitutional reform that originally replaced direct presidential elections with an election by the legislature. Another strong presidential candidate Maia Sandu welcomed the news, but emphasized the lack of trust toward Moldovan state institutions, including the Court (Agora.md, March 5). Ironically, only the Communists and the Liberals voiced immediate concerns about the ruling. Both parties lack a feasible candidate for the race. Communists express concern about the legitimacy of the ruling, whereas the Liberals say they worry that voters could be manipulated and corrupted (Pcrm.md, March 5; Independent.md, March 4).

Apart from the aforementioned candidates, Constitutional Court Chairman Alexandru Tanase is a wildcard in the presidential race. Even though he has denied having any intention to enter the race, he has until fall, when elections are likely to take place, to change his mind (ProTV, March 4; Publika.md, March 5). If supported by the political machine of the ruling coalition's "gray eminence," Vlad Plahotniuc (see EDM, January 12, 14, 15), Tanase could be a formidable opponent, provided that Plahotniuc does not run himself.

One thing is certain, the Court ruling completely changes the political agenda in Moldova by avoiding the risk of early parliamentary elections. Moreover, it undermines the momentum built up by the opposition over the course of the past year through mass protests calling for amending the Constitution in the parliament or via a referendum. In light of how the decision to reinstate direct presidential elections was made, but also depending on how the campaign goes and who is elected Moldova's next head of state, direct popular legitimacy can be both a blessing and a curse. The country is likely to face a destabilizing power struggle between the legislature and the new president, particularly if the presumed frontrunner, the pro-Russian Igor Dodon, frames his campaign as a referendum on Moldova's pro-European course.

Finally, if Moldova's recent political history is any indication, Speaker Candu's hopes for an election of a "visionary president" may be futile (Candu.md, March 5). Also, his attempts at downplaying concerns over state capture are disingenuous. If anything, a thorough analysis of developments in Moldova stimulates more not fewer questions of that nature.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Russia's Newest Balkan Games

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Stephen Blank Publication Date 9 March 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 47 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Russia's Newest Balkan Games, 9 March 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 47, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2e1534.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Experts have long known that the Balkans are a political battleground between Russia and the West. And this chronic non-military conflict has only intensified with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and intervention in Syria. Clearly, Moscow regards both democracy and European integration-the two key issues in the Balkans-as dangerous to Russian interests. The recent announcement of impending elections in Serbia and Macedonia will almost certainly lead to an intensification of Russian as well as Western efforts to influence the outcome. Serbia is arguably the easiest place for Russia to block Westernization of the Balkans, and Macedonia is now a prime regional battleground in the heated debates over issues of refugees and energy.

The first signs of this increased Russian pressure are already visible. For example, in mid-February, Moscow denounced the newest logistics support agreement reached between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Serbia as an attempt to draw Belgrade into the Alliance's orbit; Russia has insisted that Serbia hew to its stated neutrality (TASS, February 18). Although it does not seek NATO membership, the Serbian government has nevertheless been committed, since 2014, to join the European Union. But Serbian authorities clearly face many domestic obstacles to this goal. Consequently, Belgrade's policies have to constantly balance between Brussels and Moscow. Thus, Serbia has eschewed EU's sanctions on Russia and has had to, once again, openly declare its commitment to neutrality to pacify Moscow (Corriere della Sera, December 10, 2014; Politika, February 29).

Even so, in Serbia, Russia possesses many instruments of leverage that it is now deploying to block Belgrade's drift toward Europe. And these instruments go beyond just the popular mythology of fraternal or religious brotherhood. For instance, Russia, through Gazprom, owns 51 percent of Serbian oil reserves, which makes it impossible to know for sure how much oil Serbia actually possesses (B92, January 6, 2015). Serbia's armed forces are also looking to buy Russian air defenses and advanced MiG-29 warplanes. Moreover, the two states will hold joint military exercises during the first quarter of 2016 (TASS, February 2; B92, February 4).

In the domestic political sphere, the opposition, extra-parliamentary Serbian People's Party (SPP), which was formed in 2014, is clearly pro-Russian and opposes Serbia's entry into the EU (Vecernij Novosti, December 31, 2014; Srpskanarodnapartija.rs, accessed March 9). Earlier this month, the SPP declared it would join the ruling Serb Progressive Party's electoral list in the upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for April 24. In its announcement, the SPP called for Serbia to develop closer institutional ties with Russia on the model of Belgrade's cooperation with the EU (B92, March 2).

On his visit to Moscow, this week (March 8-10) President Tomislav Nikolic called for further increasing Russo-Serbian trade, which is largely connected to energy, and also cited the religious ties linking the two countries. He also hyperbolically claimed that, if not for Russia, the Islamic State would already be in control of Serbia (TASS, March 8).

The German government and Serbian non-governmental organizations like the Center for Euro-Atlantic Studies point to a "synergy" of Russian and Serbian anti-European interests, who wish to preserve their sources of corrupt income free from EU scrutiny and outside of any democratic accountability (Politika, February 29; Spiegel, November 17, 2014). Moreover, they discern evidence of mounting Russian pressure on Serbian media outlets. Notably, reports have highlighted Russian interests in Serbian TV and other media outlets being bankrolled by Kremlin-connected oligarch Konstantin Malofeev, whom the United Nations has accused of helping to finance Russia's invasion of Ukraine (Slobodnaevropa.org, February 14). Malofeev was already named by the Belgrade edition of Pravda, in 2014, as an agent of the Russian government (Pravda-Belgrade, December 3, 2014).

In Macedonia, there are also grounds for concern regarding the country's upcoming snap parliamentary elections. Originally scheduled for April 24, these elections are part of an EU-brokered deal to end street protests against the government of Nikola Gruevski. But the Macedonian opposition Socialist Party, led by Zoran Zaev, demanded a postponement (until June 5), accusing the current caretaker government of failing to ensure a democratic contest, despite Washington and Brussels' support for the elections. This delay leaves Macedonia without a functioning administration in the midst of a difficult political situation and human calamity caused by thousands of refugees and migrants who remain bottled up in Serbia and Macedonia because Austria, Hungary and other Western countries continue to block their entry. In connection to this issue, German intelligence has reported a surreptitious Russo-Greek plan to mass 100,000 refugees on Greece's border with Macedonia to destabilize the latter (a Greek aim) and the Balkans as a whole (a Russian aim). German intelligence has specifically singled out Malofeev for his role in this and other plots involving pro-Russian Greeks (Balkananalysis.com, March 8)

Macedonia has long been a battleground for competing Russian and Western influence. In 2015, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov even floated rumors that Bulgaria and Albania might try to partition Macedonia-a transparent ploy to destabilize the pro-Western government in Skopje (Novinite.com, May 20, 2015). Postponement of Macedonia's elections will, therefore, only benefit Moscow. Indeed, General Phillip Breedlove, the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe (SACEUR) has indicated that Russia actively seeks to aggravate the European refugee crisis by its ongoing bombing in Syria (Deutsche Welle, February 22; Russia-insider.com, February 22). As a frontline state meeting this human wave, Macedonia cannot afford months of political uncertainty and incapacity in the face of this difficult predicament.

The wide spectrum of instruments of Russian pressure on the Balkans is readily visible: in energy, arms sales, bilateral military-military connections, religious affiliation, business links, and the acquisition of media ties with which to influence domestic political parties, some of which are already receiving money or other types of assistance from Moscow. Russia's support for Serbia's position on Kosovo and the opening of an RT office in Belgrade, in 2015, exemplify these efforts to leverage influence on Serbian nationalist parties and the population (Balkaninsight.com, October 27, 2014; Newsweek, January 6, 2015). Much of the evidence concerning the linked nature of these manifestations of political warfare clearly lie below the surface, but there is enough out in the open to show that Moscow will continue to contest the Balkans and seek every means possible to destabilize this vulnerable region and, thereby, Europe. Therefore, when discussing Russia's efforts to undermine Europe, one cannot omit the Balkans, which remain a key to Moscow's overall foreign policy strategy.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Cossack Patrols in Stavropol Receive Stronger Policing Powers

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Valery Dzutsati Publication Date 9 March 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 47 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Cossack Patrols in Stavropol Receive Stronger Policing Powers, 9 March 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 47, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2e1a54.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

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The government of Stavropol region is set to expand the powers of Cossack patrols in the region. According to new legislation proposed by the regional council, citizens who disobey Cossack patrols now will be subject to fines. Meanwhile, Cossack leaders say that citizens already do not disobey Cossack patrols, given that the Cossacks patrol alongside the local police. Back in July 2014, legislation was introduced giving the existing voluntary people's patrols (dobrovolnaya narodnaya druzhina) the right to fine people who disobeyed them. These voluntary people's patrols are a shadow of those of the Soviet period: today, civilians are much less willing to serve in them and there are far fewer large government enterprises where the bosses can order employees to carry out their "voluntary" duty. Now, the government wants to expand the right to fine people who disobey the Cossack patrols. Indeed, the Russian government seems to celebrate the Cossacks as defenders of the motherland. The government also provides resources to the Cossacks, which means they can afford to serve in the "voluntary" patrols to help the police (Kavkazskaya Politika, February 27, 2016).

The history of Cossacks in the North Caucasus is quite complex. In Tsarist Russia, the government used the Cossacks to instill fear and obedience in the local population of the North Caucasus. Cossack settlers were militarized agriculturalists who were supported by the Russian government. Because they provided for themselves and their families, the Cossacks were cheaper for the Russian government to sustain than the regular military forces. Many of the Terek and Kuban Cossacks came from Ukraine and settled the region on the orders of the Russian Tsar. After the 1917 revolution, the Cossacks turned out to be supportive of the Tsarist regime and thus were targeted by the Bolsheviks, who used the locals' resentment against them. Much of the Cossack estate was destroyed physically, but after the Cossacks were smashed (Kavkazskaya Politika, January 24), the Bolsheviks turned against the local North Caucasians.

Over the past two or three decades, "de-Cossackization" in the North Caucasus has been reversed. Now, the authorities are attempting to revive the Cossacks and rebrand them as defenders of the Russian state in the North Caucasus, rather than as a separate ethnic group. The government consistently deprives Cossack societies in the North Caucasus of their rights, such as the right to elect their own leaders. Instead, the government provides incentives for the Cossacks to become informal Russian soldiers. Cossacks have fought on Russia's behalf in various regional wars in the post-Soviet space-the latest example being the conflict in Ukraine (Mk.ru, May 15, 2014). Cossacks were ideal soldiers for irregular, "hybrid" warfare, especially with weaker states like Georgia, Moldova and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. However, in Ukraine, the Cossack forces were eventually relegated to secondary roles because they were no match for the better organized and larger fighting forces of Ukraine (Big-rostov.ru, June 9, 2014).

Modern-day Cossacks may not be good soldiers in large-scale wars, but Moscow still regards them as an important part of the grand strategy of keeping the ethnic-Russian population in the North Caucasus. Ethnic Russians have been leaving the region over the past 50 years, at least since the 1970s; yet, the government is hoping to reverse the tide by installing militarized Cossack militias across the region. The lawfulness of this move is dubious, but the rationale of the Russian government is quite straightforward. Regular police forces are not "Russian" enough, because members of any nationality can serve in them. Cossacks are supposed to be Christian Orthodox and Russian-speaking. Cossacks are thus much more preferred by the ethnic Russians and the government of Russia than the regular police force.

In return for serving the (ethnic-Russian) public and the interests of the Russian government, they receive parcels of land in the region. The exchange somewhat resembles the relationship between the Tsarist government and the Cossacks in the past. The difference is that capitalism sometimes wins out and businesses rather than Cossacks receive the land, thwarting the Cossacks' aspirations (Kavkazskaya Politika, January 28).

The expansion of Cossack rights in Stavropol is turning the region into Russia's "frontier" in the North Caucasus. It is unclear, however, what the long-term consequences of the move will be. If the government grants Cossacks special privileges, other social groups can also claim such rights. In response to the government policy of "Cossackization," the North Caucasian republics have created their own "Cossacks," who are often neither Russian-speaking nor Russian Orthodox. It is also unclear what the future of the Cossack forces will be. If Moscow drops its policy of territorial expansion and engaging in demographic competition with its own citizens in the North Caucasus, the Cossacks could go out of business. That time, however, has not yet come.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
The Economic and Geopolitical Implications of Iran and Azerbaijan's Recent Engagement

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Zaur Shiriyev Publication Date 9 March 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 47 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, The Economic and Geopolitical Implications of Iran and Azerbaijan's Recent Engagement, 9 March 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 47, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2e1f84.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

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On February 23, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited Tehran, where he met with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani. Notably, the two presidents signed 11 memoranda of understanding (MoU) across several areas of cooperation, including energy, the economy and transport (IRNA, February 23). But the timing of the visit seems to hold particular importance as well: following the lifting of international sanctions on Iran, all three South Caucasus countries want to benefit from this new regional economic environment though intensive cooperation. And this is clearly also true for Azerbaijan. So although few details are publicly available regarding the newly signed MoUs between Iran and Azerbaijan, reports of these agreements nevertheless reveal the contours of Baku's cooperation with Tehran, as well as how regional competition is playing out in this regard.

One key bilateral accord signed by Aliyev and Rouhani was the framework agreement on coordination of railway networks, which deals with the completion of the North-South transport corridor linking Astara (Azerbaijan) with Rasht and Qazvin (Iran). This railway will ultimately connect Iran and Azerbaijan with Russia. For Azerbaijan, the economic benefits are one key factor. According to estimates, the transit distance and delivery times of goods will be three times lower, and the price of delivery through this corridor will become more competitive (Trend, February 29). But it is also important to note the geopolitical significance of this agreement; the North-South transport corridor essentially undermines any possible economic argument for building railway links between Iran and Armenia. The overall cost of the proposed Iranian-Armenian railroad project is close to Armenia's entire annual state budget (see EDM, February 2, 2015). The North-South transport corridor not only bypasses Armenia but also connects with Russia, thereby eliminating the possibility of reopening the Russian-Georgian railway though Abkhazia, which Moscow has pushed for. The latter route would create competition for the new east-west railway line from Baku to the Turkish city of Kars, running through Tbilisi (the BTK railroad).

During President Aliyev's visit to Tehran, another important agreement was signed on the construction and operation of hydroelectric power plants. However, in public, the emphasis was placed on the other aspect of energy cooperation, namely the agreement to develop a bilateral "oil swap" mechanism (Presstv.ir, February 27). In fact, this type of oil swap between Iran and Azerbaijan has only worked once, during the 2008 Russian-Georgian war. When Baku's westward export route (the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline-BTC) was temporarily closed, Azerbaijan exported crude oil through Iran's port in Neka, on the Caspian Sea; in exchange Iran supplied oil to Azerbaijan's foreign customers via the Persian Gulf. However, setting up a new oil swap mechanism offers little benefit to Baku in the longer term, given there are currently no obstacles to Azerbaijan's exports to the West. Nevertheless, one Azerbaijani official has suggested that one possible "oil swap" agreement could involve supplying Iran with gasoline and, in exchange, buying naphtha and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the Islamic Republic (Reuters, February 23).

However, beyond the oil swap deal, there are a number of more promising aspects. The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) reached several MoUs with the National Iranian Oil Company and the Tehran-based Ghadir Investment Company, outlining the scope of joint exploration in the Caspian. The Iranian North Drilling Company (NDC), which specializes in the implementation of projects in the Caspian Sea, subsequently declared its interest as well (Azernews.az, February 25). This is important because the NDC is conducting drilling activities in the offshore Sardar-e Jangal oil and gas field. Discovered in 2012, the Sardar-e Jangal field is situated between Azerbaijani and Turkmenistani territorial waters, not in the Iranian zone (IranOilGas Network, January 27, 2015; Eurasianet.org, June 19, 2012). Regardless, Iran has been using its political and military muscle to explore this new oil and gas field, which might contain 10 billion barrels of crude oil potential. Along with Sardar-e Jangal, Iran and Azerbaijan are also in dispute over ownership of the Araz-Alov-Sharg fields, following a confrontation in 2001. Since then, there have been several unsuccessful attempts to reach a solution. Tehran sees those fields as disputed and closed for exploration pending the resolution on the legal status of the Caspian Sea. Therefore, the ball is in Iran's court; it needs to redraw its "red line" on linking the exploration of disputed oil and gas fields and reaching an ownership agreement with Azerbaijan. Without such an agreement on ownership, it suits Tehran to agree to a joint venture, which will effectively help legalize Iran's claims to these two fields. For Azerbaijan, given its current economic struggles and its need for additional gas supplies (see EDM, January 22, February 1, March 4), this kind of cooperation offers substantial benefits.

Looking at the broader regional context of the Azerbaijani president's visit to Iran, two important developments play to Russian interests even more than Iran's. On the one hand, Russia is using the Azerbaijani-Iranian transport talks as a pretext to propose a trilateral meeting of their foreign ministers (APA, February 29). This type of trilateral ministerial-level format is something of a Turkish foreign policy trademark in the region. Thus given the current standoff in Russian-Turkish relations, coupled with Tehran's own anxiety toward Ankara, this development appears to be a joint initiative by Moscow and Tehran, potentially aimed at weakening Turkey's active diplomacy in the South Caucasus. Baku has little room for maneuver in this respect.

On the other hand, Azerbaijan's position on the Syrian intervention is becoming an important question. Until now, Baku showed no urgency to join any of the antiterrorist coalitions operating in the region-including those headed by Saudi Arabia and supported by Turkey. During President Aliyev's visit to Iran, the Syrian question was also discussed. A day later, Putin and Aliyev talked about the Syrian issue by telephone (News.az, February 25). All this suggests that Tehran and Moscow are both hoping that Baku will not align itself with the Saudi-Turkish position or, at worst, will take a position of non-interference.

The Azerbaijani head of state's recent visit to Iran and the resulting new MoUs promise to bring economic benefits in the near future. However, the developments before and after the visit demonstrate that wider state interests are in play. Clearly, both Tehran and Moscow are seeking to use economic projects to strengthen their political ambitions in the region.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Wilayat Khorasan Stumbles in Afghanistan

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Nathaniel Barr Publication Date 3 March 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Terrorism Monitor Volume: 15 Issue: 5 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Wilayat Khorasan Stumbles in Afghanistan, 3 March 2016, Terrorism Monitor Volume: 15 Issue: 5, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2e3c74.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

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January marks a year since Islamic State announced its official expansion into Afghanistan. On January 26, 2015, Abu Muhammed al-Adnani, Islamic State's chief spokesperson, released an audio statement in which he declared the establishment of Wilayat Khorasan, a branch of the group "encompassing Afghanistan, Pakistan and other nearby lands" (Jihadology, January 26, 2015). Since then, Wilayat Khorasan has pursued a campaign of expansion and consolidation in the region, with most of its activity centering in eastern and southeastern Afghanistan. The group, however, has experienced several setbacks on the battlefield that have raising questions about the group's staying power and future prospects in Afghanistan.

Collapse of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan

The most crushing defeat that Wilayat Khorasan suffered in recent months was the annihilation of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), which had pledged allegiance to Islamic State in August 2015. The IMU's decision to join Islamic State marked a break from the group's historic relationship with the Afghan Taliban.

In the 1990s, the Taliban provided the IMU with access to training camps in Afghanistan in exchange for a pledge of allegiance to Mullah Muhammed Omar. The IMU also contributed several hundred fighters to the Taliban's ongoing conflict with the Northern Alliance (Carnegie, August 12, 2014). The relationship between the Taliban and the IMU continued beyond 9/11. Starting around 2010, the IMU collaborated closely with the Taliban in northern Afghanistan, facilitating the Taliban's expansion into ethnic Uzbek areas (Eurasia Daily Monitor, April 26, 2013).

However, declaration of the Caliphate by Islamic State was a game-changer for the IMU. The group began to express support for the Islamic State in September 2014. Then, in August 2015 following a period of flirtation, the IMU released a video in which its emir, Uthman Ghazi, pledged allegiance to Islamic State and announced that the IMU would serve under the command of Wilayat Khorasan.

The IMU's pledge of allegiance was received with great enthusiasm. In late August, the media wing of Wilayat al-Furat, also known as Wilayat Euphrates, produced an Uzbek-language video praising the IMU and calling upon Central Asian Muslims to join the Islamic State (Jihadology, August 21, 2015).

The excitement was short-lived. In August 2015, small skirmishes erupted between the IMU and the Taliban in Zabul province, where Ghazi and his supporters had settled. The Taliban then issued an ultimatum to the IMU: renounce the pledge of allegiance to Islamic State or leave Afghanistan (Afghan Islamic Press, September 2, 2015). Several IMU fighters realigned with the Taliban following this ultimatum, according to one press report, but a core group of IMU members, led by Ghazi, defied the Taliban and remained in Zabul (Afghan Islamic Press, November 28, 2015).

The conflict between the two groups escalated quickly. The Taliban launched an offensive in Zabul, attacking the IMU as well as Mansoor Dadullah, a Taliban splinter group commander who opposed the appointment of Mullah Akhtar Mansour as Mullah Omar's successor. Contrary to several news reports, Dadullah never joined Islamic State and remained loyal to the Taliban worldview. However, he maintained an alliance with the IMU in Zabul that pre-dated the latter group's pledge of allegiance to the Islamic State.

The IMU stood no chance against the Taliban onslaught. In mid-November 2015, an IMU member posted a desperate audio message on Facebook in which he explained that the Taliban had killed hundreds of IMU fighters in Zabul and had laid siege to remaining IMU militants. The fighter concluded his message: "This might be our last appearance on the Internet." [1]

That prediction proved prophetic. On December 9, an Islamic State supporter posted an Arabic-language statement on his Twitter account detailing the IMU's demise at the hands of the Taliban. According to this statement, the Taliban killed the remaining IMU fighters in Zabul, as well as Dadullah and 45 of his relatives. The statement also reported that the Taliban had captured Ghazi, though other reports claimed that Ghazi was killed (SITE Intelligence, December 11, 2015).

Regardless of Ghazi's fate, it was clear the Taliban had brought a decisive end to the IMU. As the Islamic State supporter noted in his statement: "The Taliban achieved in 24 hours what the Americans were unable to do in 14 years."

Troubles in Nangarhar

The IMU's collapse in Zabul is not the only battlefield setback Wilayat Khorasan has experienced in Afghanistan. In recent months, Taliban militants, Afghan security forces, and local militias have chipped away at Wilayat Khorasan-held territory in Nangarhar province along the Pakistani border in eastern Afghanistan, where the group had hoped to establish a base of operations.

Wilayat Khorasan initially appeared to be on a steady upward trajectory in Nangarhar, with Islamic State reportedly killing Taliban shadow governors from three districts in Nangarhar in May 2015, facilitating the group's growth in the province (Pajhwok, May 17, 2015). By the following month, Wilayat Khorasan held territory in at least six districts in Nangarhar and began disseminating Islamic State propaganda to local populations and destroying poppy fields - signs that the group was looking to consolidate its control in the province (Reuters, June 29, 2015).

In July 2015, however, U.S. drone strikes killed several Wilayat Khorasan leaders in Nangarhar, including former Pakistani Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid (Dawn, July 9, 2015). Several months later, a provincial parliament member from established a local militia intended to combat Wilayat Khorasan, although the militia itself has been mired in controversy because of its involvement in extra-judicial killings (AFP, December 27, 2015).

The biggest threat to Wilayat Khorasan, however, has come from the Taliban. In October 2015, the Taliban established a special forces unit, comprised of highly skilled and experienced militants, to combat the Islamic State (BBC, December 18, 2015). After taking on the IMU in Zabul, the unit went on the offensive in Nangarhar, reversing many of the gains Islamic State had made earlier in the year.

Wilayat Khorasan's biggest defeat came in early January 2016, when Taliban forces drove Islamic State out of two districts in Nangarhar (Voice of America, January 5, 2016). According to U.S. military officials, by late January, the group had been "pushed back to the southern parts of Nangarhar province." [2] In mid-February, Wilayat Khorasan suffered another major loss in Nangarhar, as Afghan army and police units backed by U.S. airstrikes drove the group out of its stronghold in Achin district (Wall Street Journal, February 21, 2016).

Conclusion

Despite its recent losses in Zabul and Nangarhar, Wilayat Khorasan remains active in Afghanistan. Recent estimates indicate that there are approximately 7,000-8,500 Islamic State members in Afghanistan (RUSI, February 5, 2016), including about 1,000 fighters still in Nangarhar (New York Times, January 31, 2016); the group has demonstrated an ability to carry out terrorist attacks in urban areas, including Nangarhar's capital of Jalalabad.

However, Wilayat Khorasan's recent defeats make it clear that the Taliban poses a serious obstacle to the Islamic State's expansion in Afghanistan. Unless Wilayat Khorasan can either co-opt or overpower Taliban forces in Nangarhar and other provinces, the group risks becoming strategically irrelevant.

Nathaniel Barr is the research manager at Valens Global, a consulting firm that focuses on violent non-state actors.

Notes:

[1] Message posted on the 'Afghan Shine' Facebook page, November 14, 2015.

[2] See Department of Defense Press Briefing by Gen. Shoffner via Teleconference from Afghanistan, January 19, 2016.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
AQIM's Resurgence: Responding to Islamic State

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Jacob Zenn & Dario Cristiani Publication Date 3 March 2016 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, AQIM's Resurgence: Responding to Islamic State, 3 March 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2e4214.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

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Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and its allied militant groups have undergone something of an operational revival since late 2015, expanding their area of operations and mounting high-profile attacks in Burkina Faso and Mali. Local and regional concerns play a role in these, but a more significant factor is the growing rivalry with Islamic State in northwest Africa and further afield.

Ouagadougou and Bamako Hotel Attacks

Recent high-profile attacks by AQIM and their affiliates in Burkina Faso and have shifted the threat level in the Sahel region to bear more similarities with the security situation in littoral West Africa. On January 15, 2016, at least three heavily armed gunmen stormed the Cappuccino Cafe and Splendid Hotel in the heart of Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, killing around 30 people, most of whom were foreigners. Burkinabe and international security forces finally intervened to end the siege, freeing about 176 hostages. Just two days later, on January 17, AQIM claimed responsibility for the attack and released a list of those involved, one of whom was named Ahmed al-Fulani. The fighter's name suggests he comes from West Africa's most transnational ethnic group, the Fulani, a group AQIM has been courting in order to expand its influence across the region. (Sidwaya [Ouagadougou], January 16, 2016, Jeune Afrique, January 19). A few weeks later, AQIM also claimed responsibility for an attack against the UN MISMUNA forces in Timbuktu. On February, 5, militants launched an attack against the old La Palmeraie Hotel, located between the airport and the administrative area of the city in the south, which is home to Nigerian policemen working with MINUSMA (Studio Tamani, February 7).

Two months prior to these attacks, on November 20, 2015, gunmen stormed the Radisson Blu Hotel in the Malian capital, Bamako. As with the Ouagadougou attack, the operation was carried out by a relatively small group - just three gunmen armed with assault rifles and grenades. The attackers broke through a security barrier at dawn and opened fire, shouting Allahu Akbar (Jeune Afrique, November 20, 2015; Reuters, November 20, 2015). The attack reportedly killed 27 people. The target, the Radisson Blu Hotel, was considered one of the safest places in Bamako. Indeed, the Malian capital as a whole had been considered safe from the types of attacks that have struck the country's north (Timbuktu and Kidal), and other West African cities in Niger (Arlit and Agadez), Nigeria (Kano and Abuja), and Chad (N'djamena).

Bolstering Local Alliances

Malian authorities have highlighted the role played in the Bamako attack by local accomplices (Journal Du Mali, November 24, 2015), raising fears that sleeper cells remain present in the Malian capital (Jeune Afrique, November 20, 2015). Al-Mourabitun - the group supposedly led by Mokhtar Belmokhtar, though his status following an air strike last year remains unclear (see Militant Leadership Monitor's August 2015 issue) - claimed responsibility for the Bamako attack on November 22. It also condemned France for its role in the region.

Two weeks later on December 4, AQIM leader Abdel Malek Droukdel also claimed the Bamako attack, calling it the first "joint act" between al-Mourabitun and AQIM. A second statement from al-Mourabitun later that day day confirmed the group was "united" with AQIM, an unexpected claim as Belmokhtar had previously feuded with Droukdel (Al-Akhbar, [Nouakchott], November 20); however, possible evidence that the al-Mourabitun leader was indeed killed in an airstrike in Libya.

The AQIM-Sahara Branch, the Fulani-led Macina Liberation Front (FLM), and Ansar Dine also all claimed the Bamako attack, suggesting multiple allied local groups are integrated within AQIM. Further, when AQIM named the three militants "martyred" in the attack, the list included two brothers with the name "al-Fulani," just like the Ouagadogou attacker.

In August 2015, a smaller-scale hotel attack in Mali, saw militants target the Byblos hotel in Sevare, central Mali. Twelve people (five soldiers, five militants, and two foreigners) were killed after Malian troops intervened (AFP, August 11, 2015). Although the targets, which were UN personnel staying at the hotel, are more consistent with AQIM-Sahara Branch and Ansar Dine operations, al-Mourabitun claimed responsibility, saying the attack's "executor" was from the Songhai tribe of southern Mali. The Malian government, however, believed the FLM was behind the attack (L'Indicateur du Renouveau [Bamako], August 13, 2015).

Earlier still, in March 2015 in the first major terrorist attack in Bamako, militants killed five people at a nightclub, including two foreigners. Nine other people were wounded in the attack, which was claimed by al-Mourabitun. Again, the network behind the operation appears to have been made up of AQIM and AQIM-Sahara Branch, al-Mourabitun, and more local elements, such as Ansar Dine and FLM.

Wider Strategic Imperatives

The AQIM affiliates behind the recent wave of attacks in West Africa likely have multiple motivations ranging from the local to the global, but the incidents come at a time of high-profile Islamic State attacks on several cities around the world, both of sophisticated (Paris in November 2015) and unsophisticated (Jakarta and Istanbul in January 2016) nature.

The Radisson Blu attack in Bamako, for example, came just 10 days after the Islamic State attack in Paris and, whether intended or not, shifted the focus from Paris back to the threat of AQIM in northwest Africa and the Francophone space; Air France staff at the Radisson Blu were reportedly among the attackers' primary targets (ICG, November 20). In addition, the attack on the Radisson Blu coincided with an ongoing and regionally supported peace process between the Malian government and the secular Tuareg National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), which Ansar Dine leader Ag Ghaly labeled a "platter of shame" in a October 29, 2015, video. Other local-level operations carried out by AQIM include the killing of tribal leaders labeled "traitors" by the group for cooperating with Malian security forces. AQIM has also released videos of its militants intervening in tribal meetings near Timbuktu to encourage opposition to France.

Similarly, the attack at the Cappuccino Cafe and Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou on January 15, 2016, coincided with the end of a "tacit peace" that the regime of Burkina Faso's deposed president Blaise Compaore had achieved with AQIM (Limes [Rome] January 20). It also occurred two days after the Islamic State attack in Jakarta and thereby stole the media limelight away from the group's first ever attack in southeast Asia.

It is unlikely that AQIM's attacks in Bamako and Ouagadogou are timed to respond directly to the Islamic State's attacks in Paris and Jakarta, especially considering the amount of preparation AQIM would have needed to execute the operations. However, AQIM and other al-Qaeda affiliates are conscious that Islamic State intentionally carries out attention-grabbing attacks in multiple regions of the world. This prompts al-Qaeda affiliates to match Islamic State with high-profile attacks of their own, as seen in Bamako and Ougadougou.

This ideological and political rivalry with Islamic State is an important influence on the recent AQIM attacks in northwest Africa, a region characterized by weak states incapable of adequately tackling the security challenges they face. The targeting of luxury hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners - as well as the targeting of the foreigners - damages the economies of the countries in the region, reducing tourism and spooking potential investors.

Rivalry with Islamic State

In recent months AQIM-Sahara Branch released videos of two hostages, a South African and a Swedish citizen kidnapped in 2012, while AQIM and al-Mourabitun announced the kidnappings in Timbuktu of a Swiss citizen and an Australian couple (both in January 2016), as well as a Romanian laborer (kidnapped in April 2015) in northern Burkina Faso (20min.ch [Zurich], January 10, ABC, January 17, Jurnalul [Bucharest], August 30, 2015). These kidnappings are unlike AQIM's past abductions, however. The group is moving southwards in search of operations that score propaganda victories. The value of such kidnappings is in the additional international attention they provide to AQIM in its rivalry with Islamic State, as opposed to the millions of dollars earned through earlier operations.

The shift comes as a result of AQIM's relatively newfound competion against a powerful brand. An affiliation with Islamic State can benefit local, smaller groups such as the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), in search of jihadist legitimacy. MUJAO's leaders, Walid Abou Adnan Sahraoui and Hamadou Kehiry, pledged allegiance to Islamic State leader Abubakr al-Baghdadi last year (Al-Akhbar [Nouakchott], May 13; Jeune Afrique, May 14). Similarly, Abubakr Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram (now Islamic State in West Africa Province), pledged his allegiance to al-Baghdadi in March 2015 to much fanfare from Islamic State supporters in Africa and the Middle East. This move by militant groups towards Islamic State loyalty has impacted regional recruitment dynamics. AQIM and allied militants fear a rising and unfettered Islamic State can attract more young militants via the ideological pull of al-Baghdadi's announcement of the Caliphate and the Islamic State social media recruitment campaign that comes with it.

Another development worth noting is AQIM's adoption of themes and stylistic features popular in Islamic State videos that had been previously absent from AQIM's past propaganda material. This includes AQIM-Sahara Branch's newfound focus on conquering Rome, the casting of a British-accented "Jihadi John"-style militant in videos, and the use of distinctive Islamic State production techniques, such as the nasheed (Islamic chants) overlaying its films (Le Monde [Paris], January 18). However, Islamic State also follows AQIM's operations and propaganda in Northwest Africa. Following the attacks in Bamako and Ougadougou, Islamic State heavily promoted its own video series focusing on the Maghreb region and calling on Muslims in the area to join the organization's ranks.

Organizational differences remain between the two groups. Consistent with its vertical organizational structure, key decisions by Islamic State affiliates are directed from Raqqa by Islamic State's "core" that dictates strategic priorities. In contrast, al-Qaeda is organized more horizontally, allowing its affiliates like AQIM and AQIM-Sahara Branch, allies such as al-Mourabitun, and local franchises such as Ansar Dine and FLM considerable freedom to set their own agendas. Islamic State meanwhile avoids relying on local fighters to guide its operations, but encourages militants to migrate to Syria and Iraq; Libya and, to a lesser extent, Nigeria, now also feature as "migration" destinations in Islamic State propaganda. Islamic State also appoints emirs from the Middle East to oversee local operations in West Africa - among them, the unnamed Libyan emir for Boko Haram who Abdulbakar Shekau, the local Boko Haram leader, refers to only as the wali, or governor. (See Militant Leadership Monitor's December 2015 issue). All things considered, the two strains of militancy maintain significant cultural and ideological influences and similar long-term strategic aims.

Conclusion

AQIM's process of adapting and responding to Islamic State should be seen as a "normalization" of AQIM of sorts. Since the rise of Islamic State, AQIM has become more sensitive to what happens on the global stage. This indicates a significant change, as AQIM had been peculiarly localized in its priorities, even after its 2007 rebranding as a part of al-Qaeda.

AQIM's recent operational revival comes in response to a number of factors. While local priorities play a role, increasing competition with Islamic State is the key driver behind AQIM's adapted rhetoric and operations and the group has consequently translated its strategic communications and resources into high-profile attacks on international targets in cities where it had previously lain dormant.

Jacob Zenn is a Fellow on African and Eurasian Affairs for The Jamestown Foundation. Dario Cristiani is an adjunct professor in international affairs at Vesalius College in Brussels and a senior analyst at the Global Governance Institute.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Chechens Fighting in Syria Increasingly Joining Forces With Islamic State

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Mairbek Vatchagaev Publication Date 3 March 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 43 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Chechens Fighting in Syria Increasingly Joining Forces With Islamic State, 3 March 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 43, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2e6a64.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

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Chechen militants in Syria have been going through organizational changes since last summer. The position of the Chechen militants in the Middle East was especially damaged by a conflict within the Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar group and the difficult situation inside the Junud al-Sham group. Those militant organizations have been led, respectively, by Salahudin Shishani (Paizulla Margoshvili) and Muslim Shishani (Murad Margoshvili). Both men are ethnic Chechens from Georgia's Pankisi Gorge.

In the summer of 2015, Amir Salahudin left Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar, one of the best known groups comprised of citizens of countries of the former Soviet Union (Infochechen.com, June 6, 2015), and formed another group, Jaish al-Usrah. The new group again tried to recruit members from the Caucasus. The former Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar brigade, which no longer had Chechens or Amir Salahudin, allied itself with the al-Nusra Front and lost the high status it had enjoyed in Syria when it was led by Chechen commanders (Justpaste.it, June 2015).

Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar once had 1,500 to 2,000 militants, while Amir Salahudin's current group has only of about 200 members-those militants who decided to stay with him to the end. Many of Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar's militants left the group after Amir Salahudin was removed as its commander and joined the so-called Islamic State. The rest of the group became an al-Nusra Front affiliate, which Salahudin had not agreed with (Kavkazsky Uzel, October 3, 2015).

Amir Salahudin still wears the Caucasus Emirate's logo on his clothes, which means he remains faithful to the organization. He still considers himself to be the Caucasus Emirate's representative in Syria. Even though the Caucasus Emirate has been significantly transformed in the North Caucasus, Amir Salahudin can claim partial credit for the fact that it still exists. Salahudin's group in Syria is bigger than all the militants in the underground movement of the North Caucasus put together.

Salahudin's group is currently fighting in the region north of Aleppo, including areas along the Syrian-Turkish border populated by Syrian Turkmen. The presence of Salahudin's forces in the area may explain why it has been heavily bombed by Russian warplanes. It is also the area where the Turkish Air Force downed a Russian military jet last November (Onkavkaz.com, November 26, 2015). If this presumption is true, it means that the Russian military in Syria is deliberately going after forces associated with the Caucasus militants, including in areas where amirs Salahudin, Muslim, Abu Jihad, Abu Bakr, Abdulkhakim and others operate (Eadaily.com, January 28).

The Russian military does not care whether the militants are allied with the Islamic State, al-Nusra Front or the Free Syrian Army: Moscow's primary objective appears to be to strike the Chechens and the North Caucasians in general. Russian forces have carried out strikes in Latakia, where there are no Islamic State forces, but where Chechen groups operate. The Chechens are not strategic allies for the Syrian Turkmen, who are prepared to ally with anyone who helps them fight Bashar al-Assad and the Kurdish groups. Thus, Russia's attempt to efface the small Turkmen minority in Syria simply because some Chechen groups are in the area is unjustified.

The dire situation of the Chechen militants in Syria can be seen in a video address by the well-known Chechen amir, Muslim Shishani, posted to the Internet in early January. In the Russian-language address, Muslim Shishani appealed to Sham's mujahedeen for help (YouTube, January 13). The fact that he chose to deliver the appeal in Russian signaled that his primary audience was citizens of former Soviet states. He reprimanded those who had not helped him for several months, saying that the militants under his command had suffered significantly. Many people apparently left his group. Although Muslim Shishani claimed that he could not sustain his group and hence had sent them away, many Chechens from his group in fact joined the Islamic State. His address had many interesting details, but its primary message was that he urgently needed assistance.

The main problem of the Chechen commanders in Syria is that the North Caucasian militants in their groups have been defecting to the Islamic State. The groups led by these Chechen commanders' no longer have thousands of militants, as they did back in 2014. Today, the Chechen groups operating in Syria rarely have even several hundred members, and half of the members are not North Caucasians, but rather members of local tribes. Apart from the ordinary militants who have switched their allegiances to Islamic State commander Umar Shishani (Tarkhan Batirashvili, from the Pankisi Gorge, in Georgia), some militant commanders who were allied with Salahudin and Muslim Abdulkhakim have also pledged loyalty to the Islamic State. For example, Amir Al Bara, the commander of a small Chechen group, is now fighting together with his men under the command of the Islamic State (Chechensinsyria.com, February 10).

Thus, it appears that the Chechen groups in Syria are currently in a period of crisis and transition. First of all, they need more potent allies who can finance them. The Chechen groups' attempts to stay independent of larger groups like the Free Syrian Army, al-Nusra Front and Islamic State have put the independent Chechen militants on the verge of going out of business. This means the Chechen groups will likely soon align themselves with the larger groups, which have the resources to support them.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
The Meaning of Russia's Naval Deployments in the Mediterranean

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Stephen Blank Publication Date 4 March 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 44 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, The Meaning of Russia's Naval Deployments in the Mediterranean, 4 March 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 44, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2e7414.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

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Russian ships equipped with the advanced sea-launched Kalibr cruise missile will now be perpetually present in the Mediterranean Sea as part of Moscow's naval operations connected to the mission in Syria. This is according to Admiral Aleksandr Vitko, the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet (BSF) (RIA Novosti, February 19).

Russia's growing presence in the Mediterranean dates back to 2013-i.e., well before the annexation of Crimea or Moscow's intervention in Syria-with the decision to create a permanent Mediterranean Squadron out of the BSF forces (RIA Novosti, March 11, 2013; see EDM, March 7, 2013). Since then, Russia has steadily augmented both that squadron's capability and that of its navy in general, including the BSF. This overall strengthening of the navy in critical areas like the Mediterranean is a general principle of Russian defense policy. For example, in the Pacific, one can observe not just the increase in conventional and nuclear naval capabilities, but also a level of activities that approaches that of the Cold War (Sputnik News, April 16, 2015). This steady expansion of capabilities pertains to both surface vessels and to submarines, the latter of which particularly raise concerns in the United States.

In February 2014, just prior to the invasion of Ukraine, Russia announced its intention to strengthen the Mediterranean Squadron by adding stealthy Varshavyanka-class submarines. The stated purpose of those deployments was to "thwart any threat to Russia's borders or security" (RIA Novosti, February 20, 2014). Given the mission and the situation in the theater at that time, this explanation could only mean thwarting "threats" from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Accordingly, since then, Moscow has built what Admiral Mark Ferguson, the commander-in-chief of NATO's Allied Joint Force command, calls an "Arc of Steel," which includes advanced air defenses, cruise missiles, new platforms, space, cyber and "hybrid warfare" systems, as well as submarines (Defense.gov, October 6, 2015). Notably, Russia has signed agreements with Cyprus about entering its waters and using its territory as a base. And Moscow also seeks similar access to Egyptian and Libyan ports (Russia-direct.org, March 4, 2015).

More recently, Russia has announced that its Kirov-class battle cruisers, the Pyotr Velikii and the Admiral Nakhimov, will receive hypersonic anti-ship 3M22 Zircon missiles as well as longer-range land-attack Kalibr cruise missiles, upgraded air defenses, and a naval variant of the S-400 anti-air missile by 2022 (The National Interest, February 19). And these are not the only ships receiving these capabilities. As noted above, Moscow also revealed last month that Buryan-M small missile corvettes equipped with the Kalibr cruise missile will be permanently deployed in the Mediterranean. The sea-launched Kalibr, which Russia fired in combat for the first time last October (see EDM, October 8, 2015), can penetrate complex air defenses and hit targets at supersonic speed from some 2,000 kilometers away. The Buryan-M cruise missile-armed corvettes will reportedly be tasked with supporting Russian anti-terrorist operations in Syria (RIA Novosti, February 19, 25; RT, February 20).

What can be concluded from these and similar announcements pertaining to Russian forces in the wider Mediterranean region? It is already well known that Moscow operates four naval and air bases in Syria and has been given free rein by the Syrian authorities to enlarge and upgrade the naval base at Tartus. Moreover, Russian ground forces, though their exact number is not known, are operating in Syria, along with naval and air forces (see EDM, October 6, 2015; October 22, 2015; November 10, 2015). Thus, Moscow has constructed the foundation-if not something more-for a long-term presence of combined-arms forces. And these units and command structure, while based in Syria, possess formidable capabilities, especially when added to Russian forces already present in the Caucasus and Black Sea, to strike throughout the Middle East and put NATO member Turkey in a vise.

Furthermore, it is also clear that Moscow wants to have regular access to, if not permanent bases throughout the Middle East, as the Soviet Union's Mediterranean Eskadra did in its heyday, in 1967-1971, when it had a base in Alexandria as well as in Syria. Thus, a major mission of the Russian Navy in the Middle East and the Mediterranean is power projection and the use of the fleet on behalf of state interests. More crudely stated, Russia is building a capability for permanent gunboat diplomacy missions in the region; indeed, it has already deployed its fleet for that purpose in 2011, to deter Turkish threats to Cyprus (see EDM, December 12, 2011).

Finally, and in line with the evidence presented above, it also seems quite clear that while Russia's new Mediterranean Squadron will have major missions in the Middle East and off the coast of the Levant, it is primarily configured to keep NATO forces out of the region. In effect, given the construction of anti-air and anti-ship missile systems, air defenses at air bases, as well as shore-based artillery, Moscow is unmistakably building anti-access, area denial (A2/AD) capabilities in Syria that will be used to keep the North Atlantic Alliance at bay and outside of firing range of Russian assets. Presumably, over the long term, Moscow will seek to expand its military influence beyond the Eastern Mediterranean, perhaps in the direction of the Aegean Sea or even further westwards to deny NATO forces access there as well. This would emulate the classic pattern of Moscow's sea-denial capabilities and missions familiar to students of Soviet naval practice and literature.

If Russia is successful in this endeavor, it would represent a strong challenge to the US and its regional and NATO allies in the Mediterranean-not least Israel and Turkey-as well as to the Balkans, and the Caucasus. Thus, an irresolute and reticent US posture in Syria and the Middle East could give rise, in tandem with intensifying Russian defense programs, to a much more far-reaching strategic transformation to the entire region.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Kadyrov at Loggerheads With Chechen Diaspora in Europe

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Mairbek Vatchagaev Publication Date 4 March 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 44 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Kadyrov at Loggerheads With Chechen Diaspora in Europe, 4 March 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 44, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2e7d8a.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

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Ramzan Kadyrov has repeatedly voiced discontent with the actions of Chechens who reside in Europe. During the first years of his rule in Chechnya, he managed to convince many of the former leaders of Ichkeria to switch sides and move back to Grozny. This guaranteed that they would not work against him in the future (Lenta.ru, August 15, 2008). Those who did not return to Chechnya soon learned that the republic's pro-Moscow ruler could reach them even in Europe: Kadyrov's own former commander, Umar Israilov, was assassinated in Vienna in 2008 (Novayagazeta.ru, June 3, 2011). Kadyrov even managed to open Chechen Republic representative offices to various European countries (Gazeta.ru, September 11, 2009).

However, the Chechen authorities did not succeed in enticing all the supporters of Chechen independence back to the republic. For example, Ahmed Zakaev, the former minister of culture in the government of Aslan Maskhadov, is one of the most active pro-independence Chechen politicians in Europe. Zakaev's activities caused a recent rise in tensions between Kadyrov and the Chechen diaspora in Europe. Kadyrov has been trying to lure Zakaev back to Chechnya for the past ten years. Last month, Chechnya's governor paid an unexpected visit to Ahmed Zakaev's brothers and sisters in the Chechen town of Urus-Martan (Onkavkaz.com, February 6). The intention of the visit was to show that members of Zakaev's family live in Chechnya and no one persecutes them. Zakaev's relatives themselves spoke before cameras about their life in Chechnya and invited him back to the republic. Zakaev, however, rejected the offer and called the televised appeal of his relatives a piece of propaganda. Zakaev said the government had put pressure on his family to condemn his political views (Regnum, February 8).

In response to Zakaev's refusal to return, Chechen TV prepared and broadcast a 47-minute-long program that featured the members of his Chinkhoi clan. The clan members read excerpts from Zakaev's statements at a mosque and expressed their "indignation" over his behavior and attitude toward Kadyrov's policies in Chechnya. The clan members practically cursed him and expressed regret that he is a member of their community (YouTube, February 8).

Zakaev's activities were not the only cause of contention between the Chechen diaspora in Europe and Kadyrov. Last December, Chechens in multiple European countries unexpectedly staged small-scale protests against Kadyrov's policies in Chechnya. The protests were unusually critical of Chechnya's governor: in particular, the protesters condemned Kadyrov's practice of humiliating individuals who criticize the republican government via social media (Kavkazsky Uzel, December 23, 2015). The Chechen protesters in Europe did not hide their faces out of fear of retribution by the Chechen authorities, but criticized Kadyrov openly.

This was a new development for the Chechen diaspora in Europe. Demonstrations were held in Austria, Norway, and Finland. The authorities in Grozny found no better response to the critics than to threaten their relatives who live in Chechnya. Kadyrov personally spoke on Chechen TV, asking the republican Ministry of Interior to find all the relatives of those who protested in Vienna, Oslo and Helsinki (Kavkazsky Uzel, January 2). Kadyrov's threats produced another wave of protests, which strongly condemned his actions (Openrussia.org, January 25). Some Chechen protesters even published their own personal messages criticizing Kadyrov (YouTube, February 25).

In response to the protests in Europe, Kadyrov said he would not allow the European Chechens who fled Chechnya to disrupt peace in the republic. Kadyrov asserted that Chechens in Europe were trying to conduct subversive activities against their homeland (Rg.ru, March 1). On March 1, Kadyrov held a meeting with the Chechen police and explained his position regarding the Chechen diaspora in Europe more extensively. According to Kadyrov, "they fled in the first days of the war, and now, sitting in Vienna, Paris or London, are trying to please their masters, expressing some kind of threats against Chechnya, shouting at rallies with their miserable donkey voices something about Chechnya and its people. There will be no return to Ichkerian lawlessness. Chechnya has begun a new life in union with Russia. And we will not allow anyone, especially those buffoons, to interfere with this life" (Grozny-inform.ru, March 1).

The level of influence of the Chechen pro-independence politicians in Europe is negligible in Chechnya, yet Grozny is quite sensitive to what they say because the Chechen authorities cannot become accustomed to the fact that Chechens somewhere could say something publicly against Ramzan Kadyrov. The outflow of migrants from Chechnya and Russia to Europe shows that the situation in the republic is far from acceptable, and people continue to leave. The Chechen Republic was the only territory of the Russian Federation that issued more Russian foreign travel passports in 2015 than in the previous year: the Chechen authorities issued 18 percent more passports than in 2014, while the issuance of passports in the rest of the country fell by 50-70 percent (Rbc.ru, February 26).

It appears that a new generation of young pro-independence Chechen activists is forming in Europe, and evidently they are prepared to engage in public protests despite pressure by Kadyrov's government in Chechnya and his henchmen in Europe. This means that the idea of Ichkeria has been revived and there will be fresh standoffs between Grozny and the Chechens in Europe.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Will "Core of the Leadership" Xi Jinping Rule for 15 Years Or More?

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Willy Lam Publication Date 7 March 2016 Citation / Document Symbol China Brief Volume: 16 Issue: 5 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Will "Core of the Leadership" Xi Jinping Rule for 15 Years Or More?, 7 March 2016, China Brief Volume: 16 Issue: 5, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2ebe24.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

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In December 2015, Chinese President, Communist Party Secretary and Central Military Commission Chairman Xi Jinping took on the additional title of "Core of the Leadership" (""). This is just one of several recent signs indicating that a Maoist-style personality cult is being built around the 62-year-old leader. Within China's party-state apparatus, the President and General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has issued new instructions on cadres' professing "absolute loyalty" to the leadership. While visiting the party's three most important mouthpieces, Xi called upon journalists to "remain in a high degree of unison with the party central authorities in thought, politics and action." While some of Beijing's observers have wondered whether a new ideological campaign is beginning 50 years after Mao Zedong kicked off the disastrous Cultural Revolution (see China Brief, February 4), others have focused on a question that is of more practical significance for China's overall development: whether Xi's personality cult is geared toward prolonging his rule from the usual 10-15 years. This issue has assumed added importance as preparations for the 19th Party Congress next year-one of whose major tasks is to induct younger-generation leaders to the Politburo and the Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC)-will begin shortly.

Last week, the propaganda apparatus circulated Xi's instructions that all cadres study an article written by Mao Zedong entitled "The Work Methods of Party Committees." In the 1949 piece, the Great Helmsman urged cadres to cleave closely to the banzhangliterally "head of the class" or generally speaking, "the boss"-and "don't make [groundless] comments behind his back" (People's Daily, February 26; Cable TV [Hong Kong], February 26). [1] This echoed Xi's earlier dictums that, at least according to his detractors, were aimed at imposing uniformity of thinking among cadres. Last year several senior officials, including the former Party Secretary of Hebei province Zhou Benshen and former Governor of Sichuan province Wei Hong, were detained for investigations for wangyi (), "making groundless criticisms," and of "being disloyal" to the top leadership (Caixin.com, February 4; News.China.com, January 10). Given Xi's new status as "core of the leadership," these cadres were in effect disciplined for failing to profess fealty to Xi. After all, infractions such as wangyi and disloyalty-which were only recently inserted into the Party's list of disciplinary violations-have been interpreted as overly vague and subject to the arbitrary interpretations of the top leadership (Apple Daily [Hong Kong], November 2, 2015; BBC Chinese, October 20, 2015).

During his inspection tour of the People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television (CCTV), Xi seemed to be merely echoing the CCP's traditional propaganda policies when he asked editors and commentators to "love the Party and protect the Party" through "materializing the party's will, reflecting the Party's views, and safeguarding the Party's authority" (People's Daily, February 20). However, in light of the larger-than-life status that Xi has assumed, an equals mark may well have been drawn between the Party and Xi. As respected Beijing-based historian Zhang Lifan noted regarding Xi's tour of the three news institutions, "Xi's message is 'I'm the only big boss, and you must serve me well'" (Ming Pao [Hong Kong], February 20). Xi's demigod-like status in the Maoist mold was illustrated by the marvelous qualities now being ascribed to him. A young female journalist on CCTV's staff described shaking Xi's hand, as "full of flesh and particularly warm." The journalist reportedly did not wash her hand for the rest of the day (VOA Chinese, February 28; Eastday.com [Shanghai], February 28).

The most significant political fallout of Xi's one-upmanship is that he could discard the well-established party tradition of a top leader holding power for no more than ten years. [2] As a result of Deng Xiaoping's institutional reforms in the early 1980s, the Chinese Constitution stipulated that a premier or state president cannot serve for more than a decade. The CCP Charter, however, sets no tenure limits for positions such as CCP General Secretary or the heads of powerful organs such as the Central Military Commission, merely stating that no one can enjoy life tenure and that cadres "with age and health issues" should retire. Moreover, the concept of "core of the leadership" seems to imply a special status, meaning Xi would follow a different set of rules and not be bound by fixed terms of office.

Since late 2015 these developments have increased speculation that Xi would serve at least until the 21st Party Congress of 2027, when he will be 74 years old (Ming Pao, February 15; Radio Free Asia, February 8). In a country that respects old age, recent leaders, including Deng and former President Jiang Zemin, have remained influential well into their eighties.

The clearest indication of Xi's desire to stay in power for an additional 15 years or more is whether the supreme leader is eagerly grooming Sixth-Generation officials (a reference to cadres born in the 1960s) for promotion to the PBSC at the 19th Party Congress. At the 18th Party Congress four years ago, only two Sixth-Generation rising stars made it to the ordinary Politburo. They are Guangdong province Party Secretary Hu Chunhua (born 1963) and Chongqing municipality Party Secretary Sun Zhengcai (b. 1963). Hu, a former first secretary of the Communist Youth League (CYL), is a protege of former President Hu Jintao, who heads the CYL Faction in CCP politics. Sun, a former minister of agriculture, is considered close to former Premier Wen Jiabao. If Xi were sticking to traditional norms, he would promote Hu (unrelated to Hu Jintao) and Sun to the PBSC at the 19th Party Congress in preparation for their assuming the top posts of general secretary and premier at the 20th Party Congress slated for 2022.

It is not a secret, however, that Xi wants to buck the tradition of having his predecessor pick the next general secretary. This tradition of the "cross-generation designation of successors" goes back to the 14th Party Congress of 1992, when Deng Xiaoping handpicked Hu Jintao as the successor of Jiang Zemin. Similarly, Jiang nominated Xi as former President Hu's successor at the 17th Party Congress of 2007. Xi is said to be particularly dead-set against Hu Chunhua, a standard-bearer of the rival CYL Faction, succeeding himself (Chinadigitaltimes.net, January 15; Radio Free Asia, August 17, 2015). Meanwhile, Xi is grooming his own Sixth-Generation cadres for top party slots. The fact that almost all of these neophytes seem to lack the stature and experience to make the PBSC next year does not seem to worry Xi. In fact, this could become a convenient pretext for delaying the leadership turnover process for five years. In other words, the PBSC to be endorsed at the 19th Party Congress will still be dominated by Fifth-Generation leaders (a reference to top cadres born in the 1950s) such as Xi and Premier Li Keqiang. The up-and-coming stars affiliated with Xi may only be inducted to the PBSC at the 20th Party Congress. After training them for five years, the Fifth-Generation "leadership core" may officially hand over the baton in 2027.

So far, most Sixth-Generation cadres close to Xi who have enjoyed the limelight consist of the General Secretary's personal aides and former secretaries. Take, for example, Ding Xuexiang (b. 1962), a capable administrator who was Xi's right-hand man when the latter served as Party Secretary of Shanghai in 2007. Ding, a mechanical engineer by training, became Director of Xi Jinping's Office and Vice-Director of the CCP Central General Office (CCPCGO) in mid-2013. In January 2016, Ding was promoted Executive Vice-Director of the CCPCGO. This was an indication that he might take over the CCPCGO and become a Politburo member at the 19th Party Congress. The incumbent CCPCGO Director, Li Zhanshu, who is also a Politburo member, will likely be inducted into the PBSC next year (Hong Kong Economic Journal, February 15; Chinaelections.com, August 24, 2015).

Equally dramatic has been the rise of Zhong Shaojun (b. 1968), who was a senior cadre in the Organization Department of Zhejiang when Xi was Party Secretary of the province from 2002 to 2007. Zhong moved with Xi to Shanghai-and then to the Zhongnanhai CCP leadership compound when Xi was promoted to the PBSC in 2007-as Xi's personal aide. In 2013, Zhong, who had had no military experience, was parachuted into the People's Liberation Army hierarchy as Director of the Office of the CMC Chairman and Deputy Director of the CMC General Office (CMCGO). Zhong played a pivotal role in helping his boss chase down "corrupt tigers," particularly cronies of the two disgraced CMC vice-chairmen, Generals Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong. Zhong is slated to become Director of the CMCGO-an office that has gained influence during the Chinese military's ambitious restructuring during the past few months-at the 19th Party Congress (South China Morning Post, March 11, 2015; Reuters, April 17, 2014).

Other Sixth-Generation officials with rosy promotion prospects include Li Shuli (b. 1964), who was Xi's assistant when the latter was president of the Central Party School from 2007 to 2012. Li, whose current position is Head of the Disciplinary Inspection Bureau of the Beijing municipal party committee, may be given a top post in the ideological and propaganda establishment. Then there are the Party Secretary of Guizhou Chen Min'er (b. 1960) and Governor of Zhejiang Province Li Qiang (b. 1959). Both were troubleshooters for Xi when he was Zhejiang party boss. Chen and Li Qiang have a reasonably good chance of making the ordinary Politburo at the 19th Party Congress (Apple Daily, February 2; Radio Free Asia, September 8, 2015).

Indeed, while former Presidents Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao both managed to build up huge personal cliques-the Shanghai Faction and the CYL Faction respectively-the so-called Xi Jinping clique is only at its embryonic stage (China Brief, February 15, 2013). This is one more reason why "core leader" Xi finds it necessary to stay for at least three five-year terms so as to build up his own coterie of successors and followers, part of whose job will be to safeguard what most observers predict will be a controversial legacy. That this may constitute a body blow to the institutional reforms that Deng introduced in order to prevent the return of Maoist norms is apparently of little concern to Xi, whose ambition seems to be to become a Mao Zedong of the 21st Century.

Dr. Willy Wo-Lap Lam is a Senior Fellow at The Jamestown Foundation. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Center for China Studies, the History Department and the Program of Master's in Global Political Economy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is the author of five books on China, including "Chinese Politics in the Xi Jinping Era: Renaissance, Reform, or Retrogression?," which is available for purchase now.

Notes:

Mao Zedong, "," Mao Zedong's Selected Works, People's Press, 1967, pp. 1330-1334. Available online at .

Former President Jiang Zemin served as General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1989 to 2002, and as Central Military Commission chairman from 1989 to 2004. However, Jiang rose to the Chinese Communist Party's apex in exceptional circumstances: he replaced incumbent general secretary Zhao Ziyang immediately after the Tiananmen Square massacre of June 1989.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Russia Is Giving up on Its Tragediesand on Itself

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Pavel K. Baev Publication Date 7 March 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 45 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Russia Is Giving up on Its Tragediesand on Itself, 7 March 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 45, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2ec314.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Link to original story on Jamestown website

President Vladimir Putin's approval rating is regularly accepted as a proxy measure for the level of Russia's internal cohesion. And his support remains on a sky-high plateau, where it has stood since the explosion of jingoism caused by the annexation of Crimea in March 2014 (Levada.ru, February 26). However, powerful and divisive forces are eroding this purported cohesion, turning Russian society into a disillusioned and apathetic crowd-resembling the nation that failed, 99 years ago, to turn the dethroning of Tsar Nicolas II into a lasting liberating moment. Nikita Khrushchev's criticism of Josef Stalin's "personality cult," 60 years ago, at the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), was another failed example at liberating the country from autocracy. The burden of responsibility for the crimes of totalitarianism proved too heavy (Gazeta.ru, February 25). Stalin's grave on Red Square was covered with flowers last Saturday (March 5), on the day of his death; and many Russians still cherish or long for a "firm hand," no matter the millions of destroyed lives such authoritarian leadership has historically produced (Slon.ru, March 4).

This urge to escape from the apparent dead end of the present by reliving the "glorious" past translates into a desire to ignore the disasters that mark Russia's current decline. On February 25, an explosion in the Severnaya coal mine, in Vorkuta, left four people dead and 26 stranded some 800 meters below the surface; another explosion, three days later, killed six rescue workers and condemned to death the miners in the inaccessible shaft (Novaya Gazeta, February 28). Putin held a business-like meeting with the head of the Industrial Supervision Service and dispatched Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich to meet with the aggrieved relatives, who knew all too well about the orders to keep working despite the dangerously high concentration of methane in the mine (Moscow Echo, March 4). Putin expressed no public condolences, and the official media barely covered the tragedy, focusing instead on the Syrian ceasefire and the migrant riots on the Greek-Macedonian border (Forbes.ru, March 2).

This propaganda trick of not reporting bad domestic news answers the preference of many Russians not to hear them. The crash of a Sukhoi Su-25 bomber a week ago was barely mentioned in the media and did not invite any questions about the long series of deadly accidents in the Air Force (Kommersant, February 29). Explosions in the oil drilling rigs are also routinely bracketed out, as are most urban fires. Illustratively, a gas explosion that destroyed a house in Yaroslavl in mid-February made it into the news cycle only because the supplier charged the affected inhabitants the full monthly price for deliveries (Rbc.ru, March 4). Most recently, the horrible crime perpetrated by a 38-year-old Uzbekistani nanny (who turned out to be mentally unstable), who killed and beheaded a four-year-old girl and went to a Moscow metro station with the child's decapitated head in order to protest against the intervention in Syria, shocked Russians in the capital city. Yet this news was not covered by any of the main national TV channels (Kommersant, March 1; Moskovsky Komsomolets, March 3). It was certainly not the macabre nature of the murder that discomfited the state-controlled media into silence. After all Russian TV stayed for weeks on the fictitious story about the kidnapping and rape of a Russian girl in Berlin, pushing German authorities to open an official investigation into this "black propaganda" coming out of Moscow (Novaya Gazeta, February 9).

Such Russian manipulations of public opinion may be more or less successful, but they add to the general trend of declining domestic self-confidence and growing pessimism. Presumably, Russians do not need a signal from Moody's about the further downgrading of Russia's credit rating to see the unfolding economic crisis (Polit.ru, March 5). Most families have had to cut their expenses and dip into their savings, and they still cannot balance their budgets (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, March 3). Every visit to a supermarket brings new irritation: the quality of food deteriorates due to the contraction of imports by more than a third, while prices keep growing because domestic agricultural production is stagnant (Moscow Echo, March 5). Individual survival strategies now have a time horizon of only about a year. But even for the majority of those who have recently fallen out of the middle class, protests are perceived not only as useless but also too risky (Open Russia, March 3).

Little hope remains that the government will come up with a meaningful anti-crisis policy, while anger is deepening against bureaucratic predation and corruption, which effectively cancels out the residual "patriotic" mobilization within society directed against Russia's ostensible external enemies (Gazeta.ru, March 4). The liberal opposition has tried to harness this anger. The anti-regime movement gained new energy from the march in Moscow in memory of Boris Nemtsov, who was murdered a year ago (Novaya Gazeta, February 29). The attention of like-minded Russians has now been focused on the staged trial of Ukrainian soldier and politician Nadezhda Savchenko, who is accused of war crimes based on blatantly fabricated evidence (Ezhednevny Zhurnal, March 4). She was denied the opportunity to make a closing statement in this phony trial. So instead, she published it online, rejecting the Russian totalitarian regime's right to judge her fight for Ukrainian independence and expressing sympathy to all "honest, kind and decent people" in Russia (New Times, March 4).

Every word uttered by the defiant Savchenko and every flower laid along the bridge where Nemtsov took his last breath of chilly Moscow air chip away at Putin's monolithic police state and public support. He has no way of knowing when these cracks in the facade will suddenly connect and cause his system to collapse. But his courtiers realize there is growing disappointment among those who wistfully remember the "firmness" of the Soviet past as well as a growing disillusionment among those who gained a modicum of success in the post-Communist years of petro-prosperity. Support for the regime stems primarily from the worries in most social groups that any alternative would be worse. This fear of change in the situation of progressive deterioration amounts to giving up on the attempts to pull Russia out of the violent quagmire it is sinking into. Opposition leaders-like Alexei Navalny or Mikhail Kasyanov-who try to convince Russians to shoulder the responsibility for their country, have to fight not only under severe duress but also against apathy and resignation. Putin encourages these feelings, but as a result, he is presiding over a protracted disaster, which accelerates with his every attempt to assert control.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Dagestani Authorities Are in Denial About Terrorist Attacks in the Republic

Publisher Amnesty International Author Valery Dzutsati Publication Date 7 March 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 45 Cite as Amnesty International, Dagestani Authorities Are in Denial About Terrorist Attacks in the Republic, 7 March 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 45, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2ec7e4.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Link to original story on Jamestown website

On February 15, a suicide bomber blew his car and himself up near the Jimikent police checkpoint, in Derbent district, in southern Dagestan. Initially, the news reports suggested that the attack killed two police officers and two civilians. Five other people were injured and several cars destroyed (Moskovsky Komsomolets, February 15). Later, the authorities said the two police officers were the only fatalities in the attack (Kavkazsky Uzel, February 20).

Even though armed attacks are not uncommon in Dagestan, suicide bomber attacks had not occurred in the republic for several years, so the attack in Derbent district was unusual. Yet, surprisingly, the Dagestani authorities did not designate the suicide bomb attack at the Jimikent checkpoint as a terrorist act. Following the attack, Dagestan's governor, Ramazan Abdulatipov, said: "First of all, I want to say that law enforcement agencies do not qualify the crime as a terrorist act, because there are no political demands, no statements in regard to this incident. It is clear that this crime was directed against law enforcement officers who were on duty at the post. In any case, it is a tragedy. When I was at the scene yesterday morning, there were two dead police officers-one from Mordovia and the other from Dagestan." In contrast, Chechnya's governor, Ramzan Kadyrov said, via Instagram, that the attack was a terrorist act (Eadaily.com, February 17).

Rasul Kadiev, a well-known Dagestani lawyer and avid blogger, noted that Abdulatipov's definition of a terrorist act does not coincide with how terrorism is defined in the Russian Criminal Code. "Of course, the victims should be glad that they are victims of a mere assassination attempt on law enforcement officials rather than victims of a terrorist act," Kadiev sarcastically noted (Kavkazskaya Politika, February 17).

The authorities' motivation for downplaying the significance of the attack was apparent from Abdulatipov's own statement: "The main thing is to signal to Dagestan and to Russia that these [attacks] are isolated echoes of that terrible period in the past history of Dagestan. It will not continue because the Dagestanis know these killers, Dagestanis are fighting them, and Dagestanis are not afraid of them. It is very important to stress this today" (Novoe Delo, February 20).

Abdulatipov's reassurances and attempt to imply that the government controls everything and the public should stay calm are hardly reassuring. In fact, it appears that the same "Yuzhnaya" ("Southern") group that staged the suicide bomb attack had earlier attacked people in the city of Derbent. The authorities also did not qualify the attack at Derbent's historical Naryn-Kala fortress as a terrorist act (Kavkazskaya Politika, February 17), so it is hard to see how suppressing information about terrorist attacks helps the government to fight the terrorist threat. Authorities claimed they intercepted two members of the same group who traveled to Moscow to carry out attacks there, but other sources said the two suspects settled in Moscow a year ago-long before the "Yuzhnaya" group became known to the public (Kavkazsky Uzel, February 20).

The "Yuzhnaya" group is associated with the terrorist group the Islamic State, and Dagestani experts say that its attacks are a worrying sign. A Moscow-based Dagestani social scientist, Akhmet Yarlykapov, told the Novoe Delo newspaper that terrorist attacks by groups affiliated with the Islamic State indicate that the insurgency in the North Caucasus has established ties with terrorist networks outside the country and started receiving funding from them. Yarlykapov dismissed the connection between the latest attacks in Dagestan and Russia's military campaign in Syria, saying that the Islamists would have started a violent campaign in the republic in any case. According to another Moscow-based Dagestani expert, Ruslan Kurbanov, the worsening security situation in southern Dagestan is related to the region's history. Southern Dagestan was relatively quiet earlier, when northern and central Dagestan experienced a large insurgency connected to social protests. Now, the southerners are "catching up" with the rest of the republic, Kurbanov said (Novoe Delo, February 20).

According to official estimates, about 900 Dagestanis are fighting in the ranks of various groups of militants in the Middle East. Some of them moved abroad with their families, including young children. According to the Federal Security Service (FSB) 7,000 Russian citizens and citizens of other countries of the former Soviet Union are fighting in the Middle Eastern conflict. The Dagestani police are still trying to come up with an answer as to how these people became influenced by Islamist ideology and turned to Islamic radicals in the Middle East (Kavkazsky Uzel, December 10, 2015).

While the governor of Dagestan claims the security situation in the republic is continually improving, recent attacks undermine the authorities' reassurances. Unless the government dramatically improves the economy and pursues political reforms, such as providing a greater voice to the people in the republic, it is hard to see how the situation will improve there in the long run.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
UN and African Union condemn ambush on peacekeepers in Darfur

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 10 March 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UN and African Union condemn ambush on peacekeepers in Darfur, 10 March 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2f01340b.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

10 March 2016 - The United Nations and the African Union have condemned Wednesday's attack by an unknown armed group that killed one South African peacekeeper and injured another in Sudan's Darfur region.

In a joint statement issued today by their spokespeople, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and AU Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma also expressed their sincere condolences to the family of the fallen peacekeeper and to the Government of South Africa, wishing the wounded a full and speedy recovery.

"The Chairperson and the Secretary-General call on the parties to the conflict in Darfur to respect the integrity of the peacekeeping force. They urge the Sudanese authorities to investigate the attack promptly and bring the perpetrators to justice," the statement added.

The attack took place 40 kilometres southwest of Kutum, North Darfur, while the peacekeepers from the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) were travelling from Kutum to Djarido.

In a statement issued to the press, the UN Security Council condemned the attack "in the strongest terms," and called on the Sudanese Government to swiftly conduct a full investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice.

It also underlined that attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law.
UN rights chief calls on EU to adopt more 'humane' measures on migration

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 10 March 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UN rights chief calls on EU to adopt more 'humane' measures on migration, 10 March 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2f02740b.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

10 March 2016 - The United Nations human rights chief today reiterated his profound concern about the situation faced by refugees and migrants "in extreme vulnerability," and urged the European Union to adopt a more humane set of measures on migration at a summit next week.

"In the first two months of this year, more than 400 people have died trying to reach Europe - due partly to the lack of viable avenues of entry," Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein told the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

"I acknowledge the generosity with which Germany welcomed around a million people last year, and the efforts of Greece, throughout 2015, to take a humane approach, avoiding detention and pushbacks at sea. But today, in violation of the fundamental principles of solidarity, human dignity, and human rights, the race to repel these people is picking up momentum," he warned, as he presented his annual report.

The High Commissioner said the EU's draft arrangement with Turkey - discussed earlier this week - raises a number of very serious issues, which he intends to address during a visit to Brussels before a two-day EU Summit beginning on 17 March.

"Among my concerns is the potential for collective and arbitrary expulsions, which are illegal. Border restrictions which do not permit determination of the circumstances of each individual violate international and European law," he stressed. "I urge the EU to adopt a much more rights-compliant and humane set of measures on migration at next week's summit. International guarantees protecting human rights may not be side-stepped or diluted."

The High Commissioner's speech, which outlined concerns about almost 60 countries and human rights topics, highlighted the risk of cosmetic "human rights window-dressing" with no real implementation on the ground.

"The ratification of treaties and agreements, and acceptance of recommendations stemming from UN human rights mechanisms, are not in themselves human rights achievements. There needs to be follow-up and real change to bring greater freedoms and dignity to the people," he insisted.

High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein addresses the 31st regular session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferre

He also made a plea for better financing, noting that to respond to all requests for assistance from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), $217 million more would be required on top of the regular budget, while the expected extra-budgetary cost plan is $130 million.

"The gap between those two numbers represents people that we cannot help; field offices that we cannot open; facts that we cannot establish; and victims that we cannot assist or represent. Programmes which will not show law-enforcement personnel how they can interrogate people without using torture; and other programmes which could have helped judges, prison wardens, development officials, legislators, policy makers and many others integrate international human rights law into their work," he explained, adding that the cost of not doing that work is "bitterly high."

Turning to the allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse committed by UN peacekeepers, particularly in the Central African Republic, the High Commissioner said only Member States can act to end impunity for criminal offences that have been committed by their nationals who work for the UN, as the Organization cannot exercise criminal jurisdiction.

"Member States also have responsibility for investigating and prosecuting UN civilian personnel in peacekeeping environments where the judicial system is unable to do so," he underlined. "For States whose laws do not allow them to prosecute their nationals for offences committed in other countries, the UN, ten years ago, proposed a draft convention. That draft convention is still there. You, the Member States, should now adopt it."

He added that every time the UN announces allegations before the press - together with the nationality of the military or civilian staff concerned - he would like also to see the ambassadors of their countries assume their responsibilities and join the press conference.
Tajik restrictions on opposition, civil society, media 'eroding' rights, says UN expert

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 10 March 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Tajik restrictions on opposition, civil society, media 'eroding' rights, says UN expert, 10 March 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2f0c340b.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

10 March 2016 - An independent United Nations human rights expert today voiced concern over the increasing Government restrictions on opposition parties, civil society and the media over the past year in Tajikistan.

"The people of Tajikistan enjoy fundamental protections under their Constitution and human rights law, but those protections are eroding as the Government punishes dissent, limits access to alternative voices in the media and online, and shrinks the space for civil society," David Kaye, Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, said at the end of a week-long official visit to the Central Asian country.

The expert voiced particular concern over the recent ban of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) and the prosecution of at least 13 of its leaders in secret trials.

"The Government accuses the IRPT and its members of serious crimes, but it has refused to give public access to the trial and evidence," Mr. Kaye said, urging the Government to release all persons detained on political grounds and ensure due process and a fair trial.

He also drew attention to the attacks on members of Group 24 and other independent politicians. Criminal cases have also been brought against lawyers defending opposition leaders, and other critical voices also reported harassment.

During his visit, the expert received numerous reports from journalists of pressure to refrain from covering issues of public interest, especially those related to the political environment. The Government raised its national security concerns, which are grounds of concern for any government, he said.

"Yet banning peaceful political opposition forces and harassing lawyers, journalists and activists undermine security and generate tensions and long-term instability," he pointed out.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have also reported a deterioration of the space for their work. "New amendments to the Law on Public Association pertaining to foreign funds place a burden on many NGOs," Mr. Kaye said.

On the blocking of websites and networks, including mobile services, the Special Rapporteur underscored that these measures are disproportionate and incompatible with international standards, urging Parliament to consider adopting legislation that would impose restrictions on the Government's ability to block the Internet and mobile communications.

"Tajikistan maintains a very good and open dialogue with various human rights mechanisms," he said, underlining his intention to work further with the Tajik Government to improve the legal and political environment for fundamental rights.

Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.
Malaysia: End unprecedented crackdown on hundreds of critics

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 11 March 2016 Related Document(s) Critical Crackdown: Freedom Of Expression Under Attack In Malaysia Cite as Amnesty International, Malaysia: End unprecedented crackdown on hundreds of critics, 11 March 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2f2894.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

As we mark World Day Against Cyber Censorship, Malaysia is spiralling into a dark era of repression. Over the past two years, the government has launched an unprecedented crackdown to silence, harass and lock up hundreds of critics.

Critical Crackdown: Freedom of expression under attack in Malaysia shows how the use of the Sedition Act - which gives authorities sweeping powers to target those who oppose them - has skyrocketed since the Barisan Nasional coalition government narrowly won the 2013 general elections, with around 170 sedition cases in that period.

In 2015 alone, at least 91 individuals were arrested, charged or investigated for sedition - almost five times as many as during the law's first 50 years of existence.

"Speaking out in Malaysia is becoming increasingly dangerous. The government has responded to challenges to its authority in the worst possible way, by tightening repression and targeting scores of perceived critics," said Josef Benedict, Amnesty International's South East Asia Deputy Campaigns Director.

"The Sedition Act has no place in a modern, rights-respecting society - it is a severely repressive law that has become the authorities' weapon of choice when lashing out at any opposition.

"The numbers speak for themselves - the staggering rise in sedition cases over the past years highlight the rapidly shrinking space for freedom of expression."

Targeting activists

Malaysian authorities have cast a wide net of repression in their use of the Sedition Act, targeting a range of individuals including rights activists, journalists, lawyers and opposition politicians.

The briefing is released ahead of the trial hearing on 28 January of the cartoonist Zunar, who could face a long period in prison on sedition charges relating to a series of tweets he made which were critical of the government.

Another recent casualty of the Act, student activist Khalid Ismath, had three sedition charges levelled against him in October 2015 simply for a Facebook post denouncing the Malaysian police for abuse of power. Khalid Ismath is currently awaiting trial.

Chilling effect on debate

The threat of arrest has had a chilling effect on public debate and freedom of expression in Malaysia, not least for independent media. Susan Loone, a journalist arrested on sedition charges in 2014 for an article criticising the police, told Amnesty International that her colleagues sometimes self-censor to avoid harassment by authorities.

But Susan Loone herself remains defiant: "If writing the truth, asking questions, taking a minister to task or making a powerful figure accountable are seditious, then let us all be seditious."

The Sedition Act is a colonial-era relic, first introduced during British rule of Malaysia in 1948 to combat the independence movement. Those found guilty can face three years in prison, be fined up to 5,000 Malaysian Ringgit (USD1,300) - or both - for their first offence. Those convicted for a subsequent offence can face up to five years in jail.

In 2012, Prime Minister Najib Razak vowed to repeal the law, but the government has not only reneged on that promise but actually strengthened and widened the scope of the Sedition Act.

An amendment to the Act rushed through parliament in April 2015 after less than a day's debate added criticism of religion to the list of sedition offences; reduced the discretion of judges in sentencing, requiring them to impose prison sentences of between three and seven years; and also brought electronic media and sharing on social media under the Act.

Tool for repression

"It is deeply worrying that Malaysia's authorities are moving to make the Sedition Act an even more potent tool for repression, rather than repealing it as they have promised," said Josef Benedict.

"The Internet and social media have become invaluable to many activists around Malaysia, something the authorities are moving swiftly to repress."

Amnesty International calls on the Malaysian authorities to urgently repeal the Sedition Act, and to quash the convictions against any individuals sentenced under the act simply for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and ensure that they are immediately and unconditionally released.

The organization also urges Malaysia to review and amend all other laws which restrict the right to freedom of expression, and bring them into strict compliance with international human rights law and standards.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Russia: Brazen assault on journalists and human rights defenders in North Caucasus illustrates official failures

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 10 March 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Russia: Brazen assault on journalists and human rights defenders in North Caucasus illustrates official failures, 10 March 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2f3144.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The violent assault on human rights defenders (HRDs) and journalists in the Russian Republic of Ingushetia is further evidence of the authorities' abject failure to protect those who work to safeguard human rights, said Amnesty International today.

Human rights defenders from the Joint Mobile Group (JMG) in the Russian North Caucasus, along with journalists from Russian, Swedish and Norwegian media, were beaten up and had their vehicle set ablaze on Wednesday evening.

"This is the latest and most brazen in a series of attacks on the JMG and journalists in the Russian North Caucasus. So far these attacks have been answered simply with verbal condemnation rather than effective prosecutions," said Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia.

"This is an opportunity for the authorities to demonstrate that their words can be backed by deeds, by bringing to justice not only those who carried out this crime but also those who may have ordered it."

Russian law contains specific provisions for punishing anyone convicted of using violence or destroying property in order to obstruct the work of journalists. However, these provisions are not being applied to this attack, which is being investigated only as "hooliganism" - reflected in Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov's description of the attack as "absolute hooliganism".

The journalists and HRDs were attacked as they were travelling near the administrative border between Ingushetia and their destination, neighbouring Chechnya.

Their minibus was intercepted by a group of some 20 masked men, travelling in four cars. The men physically assaulted the journalists and HRDs, dragging them from the minibus and beating them up. Eight people were injured and had to seek treatment in hospital.

The attackers, who were armed with batons, warned the group never to come to Chechnya, calling them "terrorists" and "defenders of terrorists". They also smashed the minibus and set it on fire, damaging equipment and belongings left within the vehicle.

About an hour later, the JMG office in Ingushetia was damaged by at least five armed masked men, suggesting both attacks were co-ordinated. A surveillance camera showed men smashing down a door and breaking into the premises. No JMG members were present in the building at the time

BACKGROUND

The JMG was set up in 2009, after the murder of the Chechen human rights defender, Natalia Estemirova. The group investigates human rights violations committed by Chechen officials and others.

The JMG's founder, Igor Kaliapin, says the group and its members are routinely described in the Chechen press as "enemies of the state", "terrorists" and as agents of Western security services.

In February, three Russian journalists were unlawfully detained by police officers in the Chechen capital, Grozny. They were later released, but their equipment was confiscated and their photographic materials were destroyed. Days later, a JMG staff member narrowly avoided abduction by Chechen police by alerting his colleagues.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Mexico: Prosecution of marines over enforced disappearance must signal policy change

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 10 March 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Mexico: Prosecution of marines over enforced disappearance must signal policy change, 10 March 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2f3604.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The prosecution of five Mexican marines accused of the enforced disappearance of a man who was found dead weeks after his arrest in 2013 is a long awaited positive step that must herald a new official approach to tackling Mexico's relentless wave of disappearances, said Amnesty International.

"These arrests bring a ray of hope to the relatives of Armando del Bosque Villarreal and to the families of the tens of thousands of people whose whereabouts are still unknown across Mexico to finally obtain truth, justice and reparations," said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

"The Mexican authorities must urgently build on this positive move and ensure adequate investigations into the more than 27,000 cases of people who have been disappeared or gone missing in recent years. Brining those responsible to justice is the only way to stop this monumental human rights crisis."

Armando del Bosque Villarreal, 33, was forcibly disappeared in August 2013, after marines stopped his car and arrested him in the town of Colombia in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon.

The officials took Armando to the Navy's provisional compound on the outskirts of town. When his father went to ask about him, the Captain in charge said he was being questioned but an hour later, he denied the man was being held there.

On 3 October 2013, Armando's dead body was found with gunshot wounds some two kilometres away from the Navy base.

The investigation into Armando's enforced disappearance was marred with excessive delays despite the dogged determination of his father and a local human rights defender.

The Mexican authorities must urgently build on this positive move and ensure adequate investigations into the more than 27,000 cases of people who have been disappeared or gone missing in recent years

Erika Guevara-Rosas

"The apparent involvement of a Navy Captain in Armando's enforced disappearance is yet another illustration of the need to find and punish those responsible all the way up the chain of command," said Erika Guevara-Rosas.

According to official figures, the whereabouts of more than 27,000 people remain unknown, most of them have been forcibly disappeared since President Enrique Pena Nieto took office in 2012.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
No way out: How Syrians are struggling to find an exit

Publisher IRIN Author Eleonora Vio Publication Date 11 March 2016 Cite as IRIN, No way out: How Syrians are struggling to find an exit, 11 March 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2f4014.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Over the last five years, close to 4.8 million Syrians have fled the conflict in their country by crossing into Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. But as the war drags on, neighbours are sealing their borders. Forced from their homes by airstrikes and fighting on multiple fronts, the vast majority of Syrian asylum seekers now have no legal escape route.

Earlier this week, EU leaders reached a hard-won deal with Turkey aimed at ending a migration crisis that has been building since last year, and that in recent weeks has seen tens of thousands of migrants and refugees stranded in Greece. But the agreement turns a blind eye to the fact that even larger numbers of asylum seekers are stranded back in Syria, unable to reach safety.

Syrians hoping to apply for asylum in Europe first have to physically get there. EU member states closed their embassies in Syria at the start of the conflict, and even embassies and consulates in neighbouring countries have been reluctant to process visa and asylum applications.

When Syria's war erupted in March 2011, it was initially relatively easy for most refugees to leave the country. Those without the means to fly poured out in waves of tens of thousands across land borders into Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. But one by one, these exits have been restricted or closed off entirely.

Jordan closed its borders to the vast majority of Syrians in September 2014, but many are still arriving there. The numbers stranded at crossing points near Rukban and Hadalat have been growing steadily since January and have now reached more than 37,000.

Edgar Mwakaba/IRIN

Lebanon was a popular way station. It had always been easy to cross the Lebanese border, and from there Syrian refugees with the money could either fly or seek passage by boat to Turkey  seen as the best gateway for illegal migration to Europe due to its proximity to Greece and the fact you didn't need a visa to get there.

But Lebanon ended its open-door policy for Syrians in January 2015 when it introduced new regulations requiring them to apply for difficult-to-obtain visas or a Lebanese sponsor before being admitted. And then in January 2016, the Turkish government began to require visas for Syrians arriving by land or sea, effectively cutting off Lebanon as a route to Europe.

Other options are bleak. The heavily militarised and UN-patrolled border with Israel leads to the contested Golan Heights. Asylum seekers cannot cross. Iraq, particularly the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, saw an influx of Syrian refugees in 2013. The borders are now mostly closed to asylum seekers. Egypt, the other main aerial route out, closed its doors to Syrians without visas in July 2013.

As "No Entry" signs were erected elsewhere, the perilous overland option through Syria's northern border to Turkey became increasingly popular.

Lindsey Snell/IRIN Syrians at an illegal crossing point in northern Aleppo Province talk about their attempts to cross into Turkey

But Turkey, long the most generous host country in terms of the sheer numbers of Syrians it has taken in, closed its last two official border crossing points to almost all asylum seekers in March 2015. And in recent months, it has implemented further border controls aimed at not just cracking down on smugglers of goods and people, but also at preventing Kurdish fighters and militants from so-called Islamic State crossing its border with Syria.

Now, the only remaining paths out  for those who can afford it  involve difficult and dangerous illegal crossings overland into Turkey, usually with the help of people smugglers.

Running the gauntlet

Their house destroyed by shelling, Ahmad, a 26-year-old taxi driver from Aleppo, and his wife Amani, paid smugglers $650 in total for two attempts to get them and their two children out of Aleppo and into Turkey using one such route, skirting the northeastern edge of Syria's Latakia Province before crossing illegally into the Turkish border town of Yayladagi.

"We never thought about leaving Aleppo," Ahmad told IRIN. "But when the regime and the Russian-led offensive started escalating, we realised that staying would mean simply dying."

It didn't take them long to get rid of their few remaining possessions. They used money sent by Amani's mother, who works as a cleaner in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, to pay a smuggler $400 and then travelled by bus to an informal camp in Latakia. They waited there until nightfall and then set off on foot through the wooded, hilly terrain preferred by smugglers because of the cover it provides from Turkish border guards.

"My children were very scared because of some shooting in the distance and, as they lost their shoes in the mud, I abandoned all my bags and helped them face the hard road ahead," recalled Ahmad.

They made it as far as Guvecci  a small border village inside Turkey  before they were surrounded by Turkish police and taken to a military base with hundreds of other Syrians. Women and children were kept in one room, men in another. There was "no food, no water and not even a blanket to warm ourselves with," said Ahmad.

"A man was bleeding after being shot by the police and no one helped him," the young Syrian added.

The following morning, despite everything they'd been through, they were sent back to Syria.

Eleonora Vio/IRIN Ahmad and Amani with their two children and Amani's mother, Umm Abdu, at her home in Gaziantep

The family refused to give up. The second time, they paid their smugglers a lot less, $250, but things didn't go smoothly. Ahmad described the whole experience as "like an action movie".

The large group they joined was split in two before they started walking. One group was shot at and intercepted by Turkish police, but Ahmad and Amani's contingent reached Guvecci, where they were handed over to a Turkish smuggler and taken to Yayladagi, then Hatay, and finally to Gaziantep, where they were reunited with Amani's mother.

Turkish crackdown

Advocacy groups, including Human Rights Watch, have been warning about the lack of legal routes out of Syria for several months.

"Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey have essentially sealed their borders with Syria, leaving civilians who can pay with no choice but to use smugglers to escape, and forcing those who can't to stay put and risk their lives under increasingly hostile skies, including in extremely dangerous border areas near Turkey," Gerry Simpson, a senior refugee researcher with HRW, told IRIN.

Ege Seckin, an analyst with the IHS think tank, said the Turkish government had reportedly authorised border guards to open fire on people attempting to cross the border last March.

"The government's rationale for that is very clear  they don't want Kurdish militants to be going back and forth in the context of an insurgency inside Turkey," he said, adding that the crackdown, which includes trenches and fences along some sections of the border, had made the work of smugglers much riskier. As a result, they've started demanding higher fees than many Syrians can afford.

Noting that the border smuggling trade had dropped dramatically since late 2015, Seckin told IRIN: "You can cross, but it comes at a cost, and it is very risky."

Last month, Amnesty International reported that Syrian hospitals in Azaz, a border town northwest of Aleppo, were treating an average of two people a day who had been shot attempting to cross into Turkey. In one case, a 10-year-old was shot in the head.

"We are all hearing the reports about shooting incidents [at the border]," said Metin Corabatr, president of the Research Centre on Asylum and Migration, a Turkish think tank. "The officials explain it is clashes between security forces and smugglers, but the point is that really there is no mechanism of verifying the situation. The UN doesn't have any presence on the border area."

The Turkish government did not respond to IRIN's requests for comment, but Turkey's official line is that its border remains open to those fleeing violence in Syria. In early February, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "If they reached our door and have no other choice, if necessary, we have to and will let our brothers in."

In practice, it has admitted only a fraction of the more than 85,000 Syrians displaced from their homes during the month of February, prior to a fragile "cessation of hostilities". The largest displacement took place in Aleppo, where Russian airstrikes and advances by pro-regime ground forces sent tens of thousands of residents to the Turkish border. Approximately 70,000 people are now staying at eight camps in the Azaz area, near the Bab al-Salameh crossing.

Turkey said it had allowed 10,000 of them to cross, but Amnesty International contests this claim and NGO sources working on the border told IRIN that only critical medical cases had been allowed in.

"The majority came to the border because it is safe and they hoped to cross to Turkey," said Sharvan Ibesh of Syrian NGO Bihar, which has a presence near the border. "The majority of people in north Aleppo had many relatives who had crossed into Turkey already, so they imagined if they crossed the border, they could [reunite with their] relatives. But unfortunately this didn't happen."

Long-term displacement

Conditions at the camps, which doubled in population during February, are now cramped, with three or four families sharing the same tent in freezing conditions and a lack of adequate medical facilities.

"We believe people have the right to seek refuge and safety, however we don't see them being allowed into Turkey," Filip Lozinski, who is managing the Norwegian Refugee Council's aid response in northwest Syria, told IRIN. "Now we're preparing for being able to provide necessary [ongoing] services in these camps because it looks like there's not going to be any short-term solution."

In early February, Turkey temporarily opened the border near Yayladagi to allow ethnic Turkmen to flee Syrian regime advances in Latakia. More than 7,000 crossed the border before it was closed again.

"If you are neither a Turkmen nor a severely injured person, your only chance to leave Syria is crossing into Turkey illegally," said Umm Abdu, Ahmad's mother-in-law.

Turkey has registered 2.7 million Syrians as living in the country under its temporary protection (the government does not recognise them as refugees). But many Syrians don't register with the authorities and this week's EU deal could see tens of thousands more refugees forced back to Turkey from Greece.

Lebanon demanded that UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency, stop new registrations of Syrian refugees in May 2015, but at last count it was hosting more than 1.1 million. A further 637,000 are registered in Jordan.

Rights groups and aid agencies acknowledge that neighbouring countries have borne the brunt of the spill-over from Syria's protracted civil war, but insist those trying to flee the conflict must have a safe way out.

"Access to safety is paramount and all countries must share responsibility," UNHCR spokesman Andreas Needham told IRIN.

"Countries in the region and beyond must continue to allow access to asylum for people fleeing Syria, and not forcibly return those who are desperately seeking safety."

But with the EU poised to begin returning refugees to Turkey and no sign of any legal routes out of Syria emerging, civilians fleeing the war are increasingly trapped.
EU/Turkey: Mass, Fast-Track Returns Threaten Rights

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 8 March 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, EU/Turkey: Mass, Fast-Track Returns Threaten Rights, 8 March 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2f8bf4.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The European Union outline deal with Turkey announced on March 8, 2016, contradicts EU principles guaranteeing the right to seek asylum and against collective expulsions. EU and Turkish leaders meeting in Brussels announced an agreement in principle to stem migration and refugee flows from Turkey to Greece, including massive returns of all "irregular migrants" crossing into the Greek islands from Turkey.

"A fundamental contradiction lies at the heart of the EU-Turkey deal taking shape," said Bill Frelick, refugee rights director at Human Rights Watch. "The parties failed to say how individual needs for international protection would be fairly assessed during the rapid-fire mass expulsions they agreed would take place."

The agreement also says that every Syrian readmitted by Turkey would be offset by a Syrian resettled from Turkey to EU member states. This promise rests on an extremely weak foundation: by mid-January, fewer than 800 refugees had been resettled in Europe under a 2015 commitment by EU governments to resettle 22,500 refugees from various regions by the end of 2017.

Turkey cannot be regarded as a safe country of asylum for refugees from Syria, or for refugees from Iraq, Afghanistan, and other non-European countries, according to a question-and-answer document published by Human Rights Watch in advance of the summit. Turkey has ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention but is the only country in the world to apply a geographical limitation so that only Europeans can get refugee status there. It does not provide effective protection for refugees and has repeatedly pushed asylum seekers back to Syria.

"It is knowingly short-sighted for EU leaders to close their borders without considering the impact on Turkey's borders with Syria," said Frelick. "As EU and Turkish leaders were meeting in Brussels to agree on ways to stop 'irregular' migration to Greece, Turkey's border remained closed to tens of thousands of Syrian asylum seekers fleeing the military offensive in Aleppo, exposing them to grave danger."

The agreement includes a commitment for the EU to cooperate with Turkey in endeavors to establish so-called "safe areas" inside Syria. Human Rights Watch has warned that "the current situation in northern Syria makes clear that any 'safe zone' would be safe in name only and would put the lives of displaced people in danger."

The March 8, 2016 agreement has been touted as "a breakthrough" that will stop irregular boat migration in the Aegean Sea. An average of 2,500 people have made the crossing every day since a previous EU-Turkey agreement was struck in November 2015. The 12-hour meeting that began on March 7, 2016, ended with a broad political agreement, but leaders said the details would be determined at another summit scheduled for March 17. The EU is expected to double its aid package, to 6 billion, for health care, education, and other basic services for more than two million Syrian refugees already in Turkey, and ramp up political concessions to Turkey, such as easing visa restrictions for Turkish nationals and reviving talks on Turkish accession to the EU, in exchange for stepped-up efforts to curb migration and refugee flows to Europe.

Human Rights Watch is deeply concerned regarding the deteriorating human rights situation in Turkey and urges the EU to address urgently these issues with Ankara.

"Refugees should not be used as bargaining chips," Frelick said. "The integrity of the EU's asylum system, indeed the integrity of European values, is at stake."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Iraq: ISIS Bombings Kill Over 200 In 2 Weeks

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 9 March 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Iraq: ISIS Bombings Kill Over 200 In 2 Weeks, 9 March 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2f9984.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The Islamic State has killed more than 200 people in Iraq, the great majority of them civilians, in bombings over the two weeks since February 25, 2016. Intentional killing of civilians is a war crime, and the widespread nature of the attacks may amount to crimes against humanity.

The most recent large attack was with an explosives-rigged fuel tanker at a checkpoint north of the city of al-Hilla, capital of Babylon governorate, on March 6, killing at least 60 and wounding more than 70, mostly civilians. The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, claimed responsibility. Hospital and security officials told Reuters that the dead included 23 police officers and other security personnel. Under the laws of war, police officers not participating in fighting are normally considered civilians and should not be targeted for attack.

"This latest string of mass killings demonstrates the utter contempt of ISIS for civilian lives," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director. "The military victories seem to have increased the danger to civilians throughout the country."

After Iraqi security forces retook the cities of Baiji, in October 2015, and Ramadi, in December, and Kurdish Peshmerga captured the city of Sinjar in November, ISIS stepped up attacks targeting civilians in areas beyond the front line. The United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq reported 410 civilians killed in Iraq in February 2016.

On February 25, a suicide bomber blew himself up near the Great Prophet husseiniyya, a Shia place of worship, in Baghdad's Shu'la neighborhood, killing at least 31, the website Kitabat.com reported.

One victim was Amir Muhsin Kazhim, who was cleaning the streets nearby. His nephew Sa'd Abu Haider told Human Rights Watch that his uncle had spent four days in the A'dham hospital before succumbing to his wounds. "Amir was 40 years old, married, with two sons and one daughter, all of school age," his nephew said. "He cleaned the streets as a municipal worker, which cost him his life that Thursday."

On February 28, two bombs set off at the Muraidi Market in Baghdad's eastern Sadr city killed 73 people and injured more than 112, the Associated Press reported.

On February 29, a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a mourning tent in Muqdadiya, killing 40, of whom six were security officials, and injuring 37 others, Reuters and 3robanews.com reported. Sunni-Shia relations in Muqdadiya have been tense after a twin bombing on January 11 that killed 25 people and set off a string of reprisals against local Sunnis by Shia militias.

Deliberately targeting civilians is a war crime, and anyone involved in preparing, ordering, or carrying out such a crime could be held accountable, including in countries outside Iraq, Human Rights Watch said. Certain crimes, such as murder, that are committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack on a civilian population - meaning the crimes are committed as the policy of the state, or of an organization such as a militia - are considered crimes against humanity.

Certain categories of the most serious crimes that violate international law, such as war crimes, are subject to "universal jurisdiction," which refers to the legal authority of the domestic judicial system of a state to investigate and prosecute certain crimes, even if they were not committed on its territory, by one of its nationals or against one of its nationals. Whether cases under universal jurisdiction can be pursued in a particular country depends on its domestic laws.

Human Rights Watch has repeatedly urged Iraq to become a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to allow for possible prosecution of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity by all parties to the conflict. The Iraqi authorities could give the court jurisdiction over serious crimes committed in Iraq since the day the ICC treaty entered into force, on July 1, 2002.

Iraqi criminal law contains no provisions for these crimes. Members of ISIS have been prosecuted under article 4 of the 2005 counterterrorism law, which is overly broad. If given a mandate, the ICC can only step in to investigate serious crimes under international law if the national authorities are unwilling or unable to do so.

"The need to hold those responsible for these massive attacks accountable is one more reason Iraq should join the International Criminal Court," Stork said.

A human rights activist in Muqdadiya told Human Rights Watch that Shia militia forces on February 29 raided the local prison, looking for Sunni co-conspirators in the bombing; another activist in Baghdad said Shia militia forces were carrying out hundreds of arrests there following the Shu'la and Sadr city bombings.

"Security forces should bring those responsible for the deadly bombings to justice," Stork said. "But arbitrary arrests and abuses during interrogation of suspects only add to the injustice done."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Indonesia: Don't Censor LGBT Speech

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 9 March 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Indonesia: Don't Censor LGBT Speech, 9 March 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e2f9f14.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The Indonesian government should reject a parliamentary committee proposal to censor media related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the Information and Communication Ministry. The proposal follows a spate of anti-LGBT rhetoric from senior government officials that discriminatory standards should be enshrined into law.

"The proposed broad censorship of LGBT content marks a new low in the official assault on Indonesia's LGBT community," said Phelim Kine, deputy Asia director. "Access to information about sexual orientation and gender identity is a basic right that the government should defend, not deny."

The Indonesian government should stop seeking to censor and silence the LGBT community, and Internet and mobile app companies should resist such government actions. The Internet has been a transformative space for human rights activists by offering sanctuary and access to crucial information for LGBT people. Internet companies have a responsibility to defend their users' rights to access information by rejecting government moves to undermine those rights.

On March 3, 2016, Indonesia's Parliamentary Commission for Defense, Foreign Affairs and Information, or Commission I, recommended "measures for the [Indonesian Broadcasting Commission, or KPI] to tighten controls over broadcasting LGBT-related content, as well as sanctioning strict punishment for violation of LGBT content delivery." Specifically, Commission I recommended that the Information and Communication Ministry and KPI should close online sites that "promote and propagate" LGBT content and draft the necessary regulations to support its actions. The ministry has publicly indicated its intent to comply with these recommendations.

On February 12, the ministry asked messaging app companies to remove content that does not "respect the culture and local wisdom of the country where they have large numbers of users."

One Japanese mobile messaging app company, LINE, honored the call by removing LGBT-themed cellphone "stickers" from its service. The company had previously included images designed by Indonesia's transgender community.

On February 17, the ministry issued an overly broad ban on the social media website Tumblr for hosting "pornographic content" that included non-pornographic LGBT-related information. The ministry later stated that it would instead reach out to Tumblr and Yahoo!, which owns Tumblr, to ask it to "self-censor" banned content.

On February 23, the ministry announced guidelines barring broadcasters from showing men wearing "feminine dress" or speaking in a feminine manner. These directives coincide with statements by the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) and Indonesian Broadcasting Commission endorsing censorship of LGBT-related content in public broadcasts.

The Information and Communication Ministry should end these regressive developments, which violate the rights to freedom of expression and non-discrimination under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The proposed actions are also contrary to article 28 of the Indonesian constitution.

"The Indonesian government should protect, not restrict, the public's rights to free expression and access to information," Kine said. "The communications ministry should loudly reject any proposal to censor LGBT information to signal that the government stands up for universal rights against discrimination."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
UNHCR: 6 steps towards solving the refugee situation in Europe

Ahead of a meeting of heads of state or government of the European Union (EU) with Turkey on 7 March in Brussels, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has today issued recommendations aimed at helping States solve the refugee situation in Europe.

"We are running out of time, and strong leadership and vision are urgently needed from European leaders to deal with what is, in our view, a situation that can still be managed if properly addressed," said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. "This is as much a crisis of European solidarity as it is a refugee crisis. The collective failure to implement the measures agreed by EU Member States in the past has led to the current escalation in the crisis," he added.

The situation is quickly deteriorating with some 30,000 people now in Greece, almost a third of whom are in Idomeni just near the border with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Although the Greek authorities and military have ramped up their response, thousands are sleeping in the open without adequate reception, services, aid or information. With tensions mounting, the situation could escalate quickly into a full-blown crisis. UNHCR is supporting the Greek Government's efforts by deploying staff, helping coordinate the response and providing emergency shelter, technical support and information to refugees and migrants.

"The participation of all EU Member States in a solution is critical to managing it effectively," Mr. Grandi said. "It should not just be left to the entry countries of Greece and Italy, and those such as Austria, Germany and Sweden, who welcomed so many."

High Commissioner Grandi has proposed a plan to EU Member States to manage and stabilize the refugee situation. The plan includes six key points, intended as broad guidance:

1. Implement fully the so-called "hot spot" approach and relocation of asylum seekers out of Greece and Italy and, at the same time, return individuals who don't qualify for refugee protection, including under existing readmission agreements.

2. Step up support to Greece to handle the humanitarian emergency, including for refugee status determination, relocation, and return or readmission.

3. Ensure compliance with all the EU laws and directives on asylum among Member States.

4. Make available more safe, legal ways for refugees to travel to Europe under managed programmes - for example humanitarian admission programmes, private sponsorships, family reunion, student scholarships and labour mobility schemes - so that refugees do not resort to smugglers and traffickers to find safety

5. Safe-guard individuals at risk, including systems to protect unaccompanied and separated children, measures to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence, enhancing search and rescue operations at sea, saving lives by cracking down on smuggling, and countering xenophobia and racism targeted at refugees and migrants.

6. Develop Europe-wide systems of responsibility for asylum-seekers, including the creation of registration centres in main countries of arrival, and setting up a system for asylum requests to be distributed in an equitable way across EU Member States.

UNHCR's proposals make clear that equitable sharing of responsibility is key to bringing about a managed and orderly solution, and that EU Member States would need to agree a system of percentages of asylum-seekers for each Member State to take.

"Europe has successfully dealt with large-scale refugee movements in the past, during the Balkans Wars for example, and can deal with this one, provided it acts in a spirit of solidarity and responsibility sharing," said High Commissioner Grandi. "There is really no other option than working together to solve this."

According to a recent UNHCR survey of Syrians and Afghans arriving in Greece, the vast majority cited conflict or violence as their main reason for leaving their country. UNHCR is continually calling on governments with influence to address the root causes that are driving so many people from their homes.
Turkey and Russia: History Fuels Rancor

Publisher EurasiaNet Author Dorian Jones and Elizabeth Owen Publication Date 29 February 2016 Other Languages / Attachments Russian Cite as EurasiaNet, Turkey and Russia: History Fuels Rancor, 29 February 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e300044.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

A long history of mutual enmity is exacerbating tension between Turkey and Russia. Leaders in both countries are apt to view their current hostilities through the prism of a bitterly contested imperial past.

"There is a good old, nasty feeling between those countries," observed Turkish historian Ayhan Aktar of Istanbul's Bilgi University. "There have been over the centuries several military encounters, [and] Turkey lost all of them. And then there was the Cold War against [the] Soviet Union, but for Turks it was always the Russians."

Over the past 500 years, Russians and Turks have fought 12 wars, the first in 1568 over the Astrakhan khanate, located where the Volga River flows into the Caspian Sea. The last was during World War I, a conflict that hastened the collapse of both empires.

Now, the bad blood produced by past conflicts is again bubbling to the surface, catalyzed by Turkey's November shoot-down of a Russian military jet that was on a mission targeting Ankara-backed Syrian rebels. The Kremlin's recent decision to deploy some of Russia's most sophisticated fighters and bombers to a Russian military base in Armenia, a country with which Ankara has no diplomatic relations, has significantly raised tension.

In Turkey, nearly every military and political mishap is now blamed on Moscow - from the defeat of Syrian rebels backed by Turkey to the February 21 expulsion of a senior Turkish diplomat from Bulgaria, a country which Tsarist Russia liberated from Ottoman control.

In a 26-city survey conducted by Istanbul's Kadir Has University last December, 64.7 percent of 1,000 respondents named Russia as the biggest threat to Turkey.

Meanwhile, Russian officials, pro-government media and analysts tend to believe Turkey's hostility toward Russia's military actions in Syria, a former Ottoman province, is rooted in Ankara's "imperial ambitions." Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova did not hide the contempt that many Russian policymakers have for Turkey's geopolitical aspirations when she said recently that Turkey should remember that the Ottoman Empire once ranked as "the sick man of Europe."

Russian officials refer to that label, created by Tsar Nicholas I, "to remind Turkey of its vulnerability and relative weakness compared to Russia," and to underline the difference between "an aspiring regional power" and "a 'great power,' if no longer a superpower," said Princeton University's Associate Professor of Near East Studies Michael A. Reynolds, author of "Shattered Empires: The Clash and Collapse of the Ottoman and Russian Empires: 1908-1918."

But, Reynolds noted, Russia's own insecurities also play a role in shaping Moscow's "contempt for Turkey." Less developed than Europe, Tsarist Russia's defeats of the Ottoman Empire, as well as Persia, and its takeover of the Caucasus and Central Asia, "served to reassure many Tsarist officials that they represented an advanced European civilization and not a backward and weak 'Asiatic' civilization."

That viewpoint lives on today. Russian President Vladimir Putin's December remark that the Turks "are not separating themselves [from Russia] just by tomatoes," in reference to the fruit-and-vegetable boycott Moscow imposed after the shoot-down incident, was a "disparaging reference to the Turks as a nation of vegetable peddlers," Reynolds said.

Relying on old patterns to explain present-day developments around or in Syria runs a risk for both powers, cautioned Montana State University history professor James Meyer.

"The risk is that people in Russia would allow themselves to be persuaded that 'neo-Ottomanism' is real, while in Turkey people would similarly come to see Russian actions in the region simply through the prism of Russian aggression," wrote Meyer, author of "Turks Across Empires: Marketing Muslim Identity in the Russian-Ottoman Borderlands."

It is Turkey's policy toward its Kurdish minority that ultimately could pose a major policy challenge. Pro-government Turkish media is awash with reports that Moscow is providing military assistance to the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or PYD. Heightening emotions in Ankara, Turkish officials claim the PYD has connections to Turkey's rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Turkish security forces are currently waging a destructive, wide-ranging campaign against the PKK across Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast.

The big fear now muttered in government circles and their media outlets is that Moscow will end up supporting the PKK as well, warned political consultant Atilla Yesilada of Global Source Partners.

There is a historical basis for such concerns. In the years leading up to World War I, the Tsarist government extensively backed Kurdish rebels in Anatolia, said historian Reynolds. And during the Cold War, the Soviet government was "often supportive of anti-Turkish Kurdish groups" as a way "to destabilize NATO's southern flank."

Both Reynolds and Meyer questioned whether Russian policymakers were placing too much emphasis on history. Both experts maintained that Turkey's stance on Syria was not influenced heavily by Ottoman "fantasies." Instead, Turkey's position was shaped primarily by present-day interests - especially a desire to maintain firm control over its own predominantly Kurdish southeastern regions.

Ironically, it was not that long ago that Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, seemed ready to forge strong strategic ties rooted in energy exports. More broadly, following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the two countries experienced a rapid rise in trade and social contacts.

"That historical context of  wars between the two empires and all that, well, that was all forgotten for the last 25 years, with a lot of Turks marrying Russians," Kadir Has's international relations expert Soli Ozel commented. "There are Russians living in Turkey, Turks living in Russia  and I really feel very saddened by the fact that what was built up over [the] last 25 years  is now also being destroyed by Putin."

Clinging to memories of better bilateral times, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu predicted on February 23 that Russian tourists would not "give up on Turkey." Despite the official Russian boycott on charter vacations in Turkey, he said they (Russian tourists) will "find a way and come."

In a video interview with Pravda.ru, one Russian historian echoed Ozel's dismay. "For most of the population, those 12 Russo-Turkish wars  [are] far-off history that no one takes as relevant for today," said Moscow State University's Oleg Airapetov.

Hopes of any rapprochement in the near future seem unlikely. Humiliated by the shoot-down incident, "Putin seems to really want to hurt Erdogan," said one Turkey-based Western diplomat, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the topic.

On February 23, the European Union's foreign policy boss, Federica Mogherini, warned that "a hot war" between Russia and Turkey over Syria was possible.

Meyer is among those analysts who believe it is crucial for present-day Russian and Turkish policymakers to maintain a levelheaded view of the past. "Once people - particularly those in positions of influence - actually begin to believe that conflict is deriving from age-old rivalries, rather than more malleable sets of present-day interests  conflict begins to appear inevitable," Meyer said.

Copyright notice: All EurasiaNet material  Open Society Institute
Kyrgyzstan: Self-Styled Moral Guardians Operating with Impunity

Publisher EurasiaNet Author Anna Lelik Publication Date 1 March 2016 Other Languages / Attachments Russian Cite as EurasiaNet, Kyrgyzstan: Self-Styled Moral Guardians Operating with Impunity, 1 March 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e300804.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

A video now circulating on social media platforms in Kyrgyzstan is highlighting a persistent and problematic trend - the intimidation of Kyrgyz women by self-styled conservative patriots, both at home and abroad.

In the footage, reportedly filmed at a nightclub outside the Russian capital, Moscow, two Kyrgyz women are seen being shoved and insulted by a group of male compatriots indignant at them for consorting with non-Kyrgyz men. Desperate to avoid the grilling, one of the women attempts to shield her face. "Why are you so shy to show your face to the camera, and yet not shy to go to the restaurant with an Azerbaijani?" one person in the group of men can be heard saying.

One of the women explains that she was consistently disappointed by the behavior of Kyrgyz men, and that was why she had begun to date other nationalities. "My boyfriend was Kyrgyz. He started dating a Russian girl and now they live together in my apartment," the woman says.

The video provides rare documentary confirmation of a widely reported trend, in which aggressive bullying behavior is justified by perpetrators as action intended to uphold traditional values.

A Kyrgyz Interior Ministry spokesman for the agency's Moscow representative office told 24.kg news website that authorities were still trying to identify the individuals appearing in the video.

"First of all, we need to identify the women from the video, the place where the incident happened and the date [when the incident occurred]. After that, there is a chance we can find the creators of the video. It is too early to say what penalty the attackers could face," the spokesman said.

Police say they need to receive a complaint from the women harassed in the video before they can proceed with an investigation. No progress has yet been reported. Social media users have been quicker off the mark, however, managing to locate the nightclub in question and demanding immediate action.

"Let's get to them [the police]. We cannot tolerate this anymore," wrote one Facebook user Jamilya Kirgizalieva. "The guys who did this can be identified through CCTV footage. Judging by the video, this is taking place at Soho nightclub in [the town of] Kolomna, in the Moscow region. Let's track down these morons. The Interior Ministry has representatives in Moscow. They should quickly go and make sure the footage is not deleted."

Remarks posted on Facebook by the head of the Kyrgyz Interior Ministry representative office in Moscow, Askat Aliev, raised questions about the willingness of Kyrgyz authorities to pursue the case. While condemning the actions of self-styled patriots, he added that he also deplored the "modern lifestyle of Kyrgyz women."

"Over the last 10 years, because of migration and many other factors, young Kyrgyz women are not getting a decent education, are not graduating from high schools and universities, so these young women are not learning about all the good and bad things in life," Aliev said. "So when they come to Russia in search of work, they cannot resist all the challenges they encounter, and they become the playthings of Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek and Caucasian men, who take advantage them."

This is no isolated case.

Attacks by self-styled, nationalist-motivated vigilantes on Kyrgyz women dating non-ethnic Kyrgyz are commonplace, in both Kyrgyzstan and Russia, where hundreds of thousands of Kyrgyz have moved in search of work. Those engaging in bullying behavior rarely face justice.

The relatively low incomes earned by Kyrgyz migrant laborers in Russia and the often bigger salaries of international workers inside Kyrgyzstan is a sore point. It is commonly perceived that foreign men wave their money at desperate Kyrgyz women only to then take advantage of them.

In December 2014, a group called Kyrk Choro (Forty Knights) mounted a raid on a karaoke bar, claiming that the young Kyrgyz waitresses working there were providing sexual services to the mainly Chinese clientele.

Speaking to EurasiaNet.org, Kyrk Choro member Baktybek Nuraly uulu argued that bullying Kyrgyz women was ultimately aimed at protecting them. "I am against the idea of our young women dating other men, especially in Russia," Nuraly uulu told EurasiaNet.org. "Very often in Russia, their rights are being abused, and when they contact the Kyrgyz Embassy there, they don't get any help."

Nuraly uulu admitted that his fellow self-styled patriots should avoid using violence against women, but said it was important to see the deeper social problems at play. "In one way, I understand these guys. They work in Russia too, their rights are being violated and they themselves are being humiliated. So they vent their rage on our girls, who date the men of other ethnicities," he said.

Bubusara Ryskulova - the head of the Sezim center in Bishkek, a facility for women subjected to domestic abuse - said that the violence registered in these cases of harassment stems from the patriarchal values that continue to dominate Kyrgyz family life. "The age of attackers is usually between 20 and 30. During perestroika [the late Soviet period], they were kids or teens, when they were witnesses to chaos and a lack of moral principles or culture," Ryskulova told EurasiaNet.org.

The broader problem of violence against women causes much anxiety among local and international advocacy groups. Human Rights Watch in October urged the government to take more action to address violence against women, and expressed concerns over the slow or non-existent reactions of the police to reports of abuse.

In 2015, three similar cases only received media attention as a result of footage of the incidents being posted online. The real numbers of such attacks is unknown, especially since police are typically reluctant to pursue investigations.

One video showing a woman being undressed, beaten and insulted by a group of men for "sleeping with Uzbeks" was sent to local media outlet by an Internet user, who demanded that police take action. In July, police managed to identify the woman, but the probe appears to have ended with that.

A month later, another video appeared showing a group of men beating a woman and an ethnic Uzbek man. Law-enforcement authorities never reported about any success in finding attackers.

The most egregious case involved the rape in September in Moscow of a 20-year old Kyrgyz woman by a fellow national, who identified himself as the member of a patriotic group. The attacker filmed the rape and then used the footage to blackmail his victim. On this occasion, the woman quickly contacted the police, leading to the arrest of the attacker.

Copyright notice: All EurasiaNet material  Open Society Institute
Afghan Prison's Training Scheme Gives Female Inmates Hope

Publisher Institute for War and Peace Reporting Publication Date 10 March 2016 Citation / Document Symbol ARR 539 Cite as Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Afghan Prison's Training Scheme Gives Female Inmates Hope, 10 March 2016, ARR 539, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56e302ed4.html [accessed 22 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Shogofa has been in Baghlan prison for the last six years, serving a 20-year sentence for murder. But the 30-year-old mother-of-five is upbeat about her future. Although she had no marketable skills before arriving in jail, she has since learned both tailoring and carpet-weaving and is managing to help support her family while still inside prison.

"I earn 50 US dollars for sewing clothing for male and female prisoners," she told IWPR. "And when I am released, I will not need money from my husband. The profession I learned will allow me to improve my life and that of my family."

Inmates at Baghlan prison in north-eastern Afghanistan say that a job training scheme is not only helping them financially but also serving to reduce tensions inside the institution.

According to Afghan law, prisons must offer a range of services to prisoners including education and training facilities.

Provision across the country is patchy, but staff at Baghlan say they are proud that female inmates there can learn rug-making, tailoring, embroidery and bead weaving. Not only that, but they are allowed to sell what they produce and keep half the profits.

Ghulam Ali Khan, director of the women's section of Baghlan prison, said, "The prison management takes 50 per cent of the proceeds of these products, which is spent buying raw materials for the prisoners and on training costs."

Baghlan prison director Abdul Aleem Kohistani said that his administration provided inmates with all the equipment they required for carpet weaving, sewing and beadwork.

The female officers then sold the products and prisoners were handed their share of the profits.

Inmates were also kept occupied, which improved the general atmosphere in the jail.

"When prisoners get involved working with handicrafts, they are less angry and are also provided with extra financial support," Kohistani said.

Andisha Mashal, legal advisor to the department of women's affairs of Baghlan province, agreed that education and vocational training was very effective in reducing tensions within prisons.

"Most often, when prisoners are idle, they start arguing with each other," she said. "If they are busy with work, they do not make trouble with each other that could lead to violence."

(See also Afghanistan: Female Prisoners Complain of Bullying).

Marwa, an inmate in her 20s, recounted how previously, left with nothing to occupy their time, the prisoners would fight and torment each other.

"The ones without jobs would make fun of other prisoners or humiliate them, and I was one of those bullied by them, they insulted and humiliated me," Marwa recounted. "However, it is good now that they are also kept busy with work during the day."

Marwa, like many other inmates, was imprisoned for running away from home, an action defined as a "moral crime". This semi-legal category also includes women accused of sexual misconduct, leaving their home or refusing to get married. These are not offences in the written criminal code, but it is common for courts to impose custodial sentences.

She said that she was certain that the weaving and beadwork skills she had learnt would make a real difference to her future.

"I have faith in myself now that, after I am released from prison, I will be able to help my family financially through carpet weaving and embroidery work," Marwa added.

Marzia was also imprisoned two years ago after running away from home.

She said that until she arrived at Baghlan, she had no skills beyond the ability to do basic domestic chores.

Once at the prison, however, she was given the opportunity to learn carpet weaving.

"I am happy that I've spent most of my time in prison on education and weaving carpets. I don't feel that the days drag on here and the money is a great help. After I get out, back to my normal life, I will be able to make a living with my handmade crafts."

According to Article 28 of Afghanistan's prisoner's law, detention centres must provide inmates access to a employment opportunities, as well as education and vocational skills training. They should also have use of a library, a place of worship and have the opportunity to engage in cultural and recreational activities.

At Baghlan, the prisoners can sign up for two-hour sessions on literacy and numeracy three times a week, organised by the department of education.

Graduates of the course, aimed at teaching reading and counting skills within six months, are issued certificates. The department of education also pays the salaries of the instructors and provides all the study materials, including books, notebooks and pens.

Ghulam Qadir Jamshid, head of literacy at Baghlan's department of education, said that his office was reaching out to all adults across the province who could not read or write.

"This is why our activities also extend to the male and female prisons," he said, adding,

"Most crimes and mistakes are rooted in ignorance; when the prisoners learn to read, they study books. In the light of knowledge, they can change the course of their lives."

Shafeeqa Sepehr, head of women's rights section of Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said that the prison's vocational training was satisfactory.

However, she said the administration had to do much more.

"If we take into consideration Article 28 of the prisoners' law, apart from the trainings, education and facilitating professional works, nothing else - for instance, an equipped library, recreation grounds and cultural activities - is arranged for the prisoners. The AIHRC has tried many times to have these provisions implemented, but no action has yet been taken in this area."

Baghlan provincial council member Noor Zia Aymaq also said that while current provision was important, it did not go far enough.

"Education and vocational training work very well in a number of aspects," he said. "Employment takes prisoners' minds off their problems and they don't get violent with each other. Besides that, they also get an income from their work from which they can finance their basic needs."

However, he also said that prisoners had complained during his visits about the lack of a proper library or any recreational facilities.

Kohistani acknowledged that the facilities mandated by the law were not provided to inmates in his prison.

"Baghlan prison does not enjoy good resources or facilities. In order to make these available, the prison administration has made many requests to the relevant institutions, but has yet to receive a positive response from any of them."

Nonetheless, prisoners say that even the current scheme is helping make their time inside pass more smoothly.

Sahar Gul, serving a three-year prison term for adultery, told IWPR that she came from a poor family and that when she arrived at the prison she lacked the funds to buy even basic necessities.

"In the beginning, I had days of great suffering," she continued. "However, after I learned bead weaving and tailoring in the prison, I managed to stand on my own two feet.

"Now, since I am busy with work during the day, I also do not feel the hardship of prison as deeply as before."

Copyright notice:  Institute for War & Peace Reporting
Coach Valentine's legacy honored with park rededication Friday

Under new policies adopted in December by the city's parks board, the name change will stand for at least 50 years.
Movies at the library

A free showing of a 1977 teen comedy movie about switched identities will begin at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Mockingbird Branch of the Abilene Public Library, 1326 N. Mockingbird Lane.

A free showing of a PG-rated fantasy movie will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the main Abilene Public Library, 202 Cedar St.

A free showing of part of the PBS documentary series "Latino Americans" will begin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Mockingbird Branch of the Abilene Public Library, 1326 N. Mockingbird Lane.

A free showing of a G-rated animated movie will begin at 3 p.m. March 19 at the Abilene Public Library, 202 Cedar St. Popcorn and lemonade will be provided while supplies last.

Card game tournament

A Yu-Gi-Oh! card game tournament for beginners 13 and older will begin at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Mockingbird Branch of the Abilene Public Library, 1326 N. Mockingbird Lane. Tutorials and learning decks will be provided.

Art film

A showing of the film "The Rothko Conspiracy" will begin at noon Wednesday at the Center for Contemporary Arts, 220 Cypress St. A discussion will follow. Participants are invited to bring a lunch.

St. Patrick's Day

Keep Abilene Beautiful will present its "#GoGreenAbilene" St. Patrick's Day celebration from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday at The Mill Winery, 239 Locust St. Admission is free, with drink tickets provided to the first 100 participants.

Art reception

A reception for the art exhibit "Edge" will take place from 6-8 p.m. March 19 at Studio 13, 909 N. 13th St. The exhibit will run through March 31.

'Steppin' Out for Memories'

The Alzheimer's Association  North Central Texas Chapter will conduct its 10th annual "Steppin' Out for Memories" dinner and auction at 6:30 p.m. March 19 at the Taylor County Expo Center. The theme is "Route 66." Jody Nix will perform. Tickets are $75. For tickets, or for more information, call 325-672-2907.

Texas Gun & Knife Show

The Texas Gun & Knife show will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 19 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 20 at the Abilene Civic Center, 1100 N. Sixth St. Admission is $5. For more information, go to www.texasgunandknifeshows.com.
"Yesu Azali Awa"

The director of the children's choir at First Christian Church, Carol Wilson, said each of the words distinctly and then asked, "What does it mean?"

Without a moment's hesitation, the dozen or so children answered in unison, "It means, 'Jesus Is Here,'" excited to know the answer.

And then they sang "Yesu Azali Awa" in Lingala, the native language of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The reason for the Congo emphasis is that the president of the Disciples of Christ in the Congo, Eliki Bonanga, will be a guest at the church on Sunday. First Christian Church is a member of the Disciples of Christ denomination.

Bonanga will speak during the 11 a.m. worship service and then be special guest at CongoFest in the activity building after the service. The public is invited to both. There is no charge for the CongoFest, but the children of the church will operate a marketplace, with huts set up to sell Congo-inspired, handmade goods like musical instruments, decorative masks, and utensils.

All the work began sometime back, with Sunday afternoons set aside for music rehearsals and the making of goods for the marketplace. And it hasn't just been a project for Wilson and the children to carry out.

"The parents have been awesome," Wilson said, in volunteering for shifts to make marketplace goods.

First Christian Church has had a long connection with the Congo, starting with longtime member Mike McDonald. He has worked with the Disciples of Christ Division of Overseas Ministries for years in helping with the building of a hospital in Bolenge, DRC.

The Abilene church also is the home church of Dan Owen, who at one time helped Congolese villagers up and down the Congo River install radios for the better communication. His son, David Owen, now works in the Congo for Disciples Global Ministries, sponsored by the Disciples of Christ denomination.

The Disciples in the Congo number more than 800,000, which is about 300,000 more Disciples than there are in the United States and Canada, according to the 2014 "Yearbook and Directory" of the Disciples of Christ in the United States and Canada.

Through global connections, and connections with the Owen families, First Christian in Abilene helped finance a new surgical wing for a hospital in Bolenge in the DRC and are helping build a permanent school building in Besenge.

Proceeds from the CongoFest marketplace will go toward the school building project. Already, the children have sent $1,318 to the project through donations, T-shirt sales, and serving food at a local restaurant.

The push to get the president of the Disciples of Christ in the Congo to Abilene came last summer when the Don and Carol Wilson attended the general assembly of the denomination in Columbus, Ohio. Bonanga attended the conference and the Wilsons invited him to Abilene. Don Wilson is pastor of First Christian Church.

Carol Wilson, who leads a creative arts team for children at First Christian, got Bonanga to teach her some Christmas songs for an original play that Wilson wrote, titled, "A Congo Connection Christmas." The play was presented for the congregation in December 2015.

During a recent rehearsal of music for Sunday's CongoFest, the children eagerly followed Wilson's interpretive motions throughout "Yesu Azali Awa." When directed, they picked up authentic musical instruments of the Congo, shaking, plucking, or banging on them as directed.

After the rehearsal, they moved to "Joseph's Carpentry Room" to work on more crafts to sell on Sunday. Jake Althof picked up a rain stick, a handmade tubular shaped instrument with rubber coverings on each end. The tube was filled with pebbles, so that a distinctive sound was made when it was tilted.

"It's supposed to sound like rain," Althof explained, and is used in plays to create a rainfall effect.

Other decorations being crafted by the children included ceremonial masks, bookmarks and door hangings. One table in the room was set aside for a messy papier mache project to create bowls and water jugs.

"How many of you know what we're doing yet?" asked Angel Rodriguez, mother of three of the children and children's worship director at the church. She got the answer she hoped for  even if it didn't seem obvious.

"I do! I do!" the children responded in unison, before plunging their hands into the papier mache mess.

IF YOU GO

What: CongoFest

When Sunday; worship 11 a.m.; CongoFest immediately following

Where: First Christian Church, 1420 N. Third St.

Admission: Free, public invited

Details: The president of the Disciples of Christ Community in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eliki Bonanga, will be guest speaker for the morning worship. Immediately following the service, a CongoFest, complete with a marketplace of Congo-inspired goods made by the children of the church will be open in the activity building. Samplings of traditional Congo food will be served.


BALLINGER  I must confess to a moment of brief panic.

Just a few minutes earlier, Mechele Ussery, the head librarian at the Carnegie Library of Ballinger, had said to me, "That's an Apollo helmet. You might-can try it on."

When I was five years-old, I had a toy version of a helmet like this. Five-year-old Ronny would shove that thing on no matter how much it squeezed his noggin.

Not much has changed in the intervening years. Somehow I missed the part where Ussery added, "My husband couldn't do it."

The library is featuring an exhibit of NASA artifacts for the next few weeks on loan from the Johnson Space Center. You know how much of a freak I am over space stuff; I had to check it out. You can too, the exhibit runs until March 23.

The space helmet looked more like a fishbowl than anything else. The back had a padded section to presumably soften the blow if your head whacked it during liftoff. Everything else was glass.

I had to tilt my head slightly to get my nose past the edge, but once on it felt all right, if not a little claustrophobic. Inside it was a bit stuffy, and my voice sounded like it was coming from the bottom of an empty mayonnaise jar, which I guess is about as true a description of the experience as anything.

Naturally, it was a moment that required a selfie. Once that itch was scratched, I went to take it off.

Uh-oh.

My chin, which went in like butter, now stuck out like bricks. Thoughts flashed through my mind; the first a calculation of the bill to replace an astronaut helmet after I ran headfirst into the nearest immovable object.

Then I pondered being stuck like this for days, weeks, maybe years. Forced to eat my meals through a straw, my lips never to touch a barbecued rib again. Oh, the humanity!

It was at this point I realized that if I simply turn my head sideways, the damn thing will just slip right off. No fuss, no muss, bring on the ribs.

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." That's a quote from Hamlet familiar to many since it appears at the start of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." I only mention it because the irony here is the NASA exhibit sits in the library's Shakespeare Room.

At the center rests a 1/150th scale model of the Enterprise. No, not the starship, the space shuttle as it was mounted on the back of a 747 transporter.

Enterprise was the first shuttle, though it never went into space. It was a trainer for NASA for understanding how these new craft would perform during re-entry.

The space shuttle flew as a giant glider during its returns to Earth. Enterprise had a special cover called a tail cone, instead of the engine nozzles later orbiters would use. Eventually that cone came off and simulated nozzles were attached to more accurately mimic re-entry flight.

The tail cone on the model comes off too, and Ussery removed it to show off the nozzles, then went to put it back on.

Uh-oh.

"Oh dear, now I can't get it," she said, gingerly turning it one way, then another, until suddenly it slid back on, easy-peasy.

I joined her in a sigh of relief. "I thought I'd have to call my husband," she muttered.

Nearby was a model of the Columbia orbiter attached to the external tank and booster rockets. I had a bittersweet thought; I'd photographed Columbia at Dyess Air Force Base in March 2001 when it stopped there on its way to Florida. Two years later, the orbiter was destroyed over Texas upon re-entry, having been damaged during liftoff.

Around the room are beautiful prints from the Apollo 12 moon mission. Joining them is a picture of Rudolf Hoffman, who worked with NASA's chimpanzee missions which tested the effects of space travel, with one of his "crew" in his arms.

His widow Jo loaned the photograph, along with other items like a graphic illustrating the craft the chimpanzees flew in. Ussery pointed to the cockpit area on the diagram, then flipped it over to read the name of the chimp.

"He trained 40 chimpanzees, and they only let one go into space," she said. "This one's name was Bonnie."

Hmm, that's my mom's name. Best to keep that to myself.

Vacuum-packed astronaut food looked about as appetizing as you'd imagine. There was shrimp cocktail, tomatoes and artichokes, and even a waffle that still felt whole inside it's package. I'd never thought to eat shrimp cocktail through a straw, I imagine it's an acquired taste, but I'm sure the dining room view made up for it.

The glove was what really got me, though. My wife will attest to my mania over finding the perfect gloves for newspaper photography.

The NASA garment had me at "rubberized fingertips." They probably spent five figures fitting five fingers, but I'd say it was money well-spent.

It's unlikely I'll find a pair at Army Surplus, though. Sigh, my search continues.

It's all for the best, I suppose. I don't think those gloves work with barbecue, either.
Police line

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Incident reports released Thursday by the Abilene Police Department:

Theft, 1100 block of Harmony Drive, Thursday

Police said someone stole $1,800 in cash and a $75 bicycle from a man's room.

Burglary, 4400 block of Ridgway Road, Wednesday

Police said someone stole $4,000 in cash, $1,000 in firearms and a $450 camera from a home.

Theft, 1900 block of Marshall Street, Wednesday

Police said someone stole a $225 gun from an unlocked safe.

Fraud, 3000 block of Legends Trail, Wednesday

Police said someone used a woman's Social Security number for the past six years.

Theft, 300 block of North Judge Ely Boulevard, Sunday

Police said someone stole $700 from a business.

Burglary vehicle, 3500 block of Curry Lane, Sunday

Police said someone stole a $400 firearm from a pickup parked in an apartment complex parking lot.
More than 200 influential and powerful leaders from the Abilene community gathered Thursday afternoon at McMurry University  and they were all women.

McMurry's third annual Women's Leadership Luncheon took place in the Garrison Campus Center's Mabee Room, where tables were decorated with small Southwest Airlines planes featuring McMurry logos, packages of Southwest Airlines pretzels, McMurry luggage tags, and event programs folded as paper airplanes in honor of this year's keynote speaker, Ginger Hardage.

Hardage retired in December as senior vice president of culture and communications at Southwest Airlines. She oversaw internal and external communications for the nation's largest carrier in terms of originating domestic passengers, with more than 120 million passengers a year.

The Women's Leadership Luncheon benefits the Dr. Sandra S. Harper Women's Leadership Scholarship, which is awarded annually during the event. The luncheon was established by female leaders in the Abilene area in honor of the inauguration of Sandra Harper as McMurry's 12th president and the first female president of a local university.

The event recognizes the accomplishments of outstanding women in leadership positions. Among those in attendance were the 16 McMurry students vying for the $5,000 Harper scholarship.

The Harper scholarship is awarded to a female student who has excelled in the classroom and who has distinguished herself through service on campus and in the Abilene community.

'You are a major key to our success,' said Taylor Russell, the 2015 scholarship recipient, as she commented briefly on how the scholarship affected her life. 'You are a major key to my success, and I appreciate your desire to benefit young women. Thank you for believing in us.'

Russell will graduate in May and plans to continue her education to become a dentist.

The 2016-17 scholarship recipient, Michaela Rummel, a junior music education major from Abilene, has served as a tutor in the university's Academic Enrichment Center, as secretary of the Pi Delta Phi social club, as a member of a local worship band, and as a youth sponsor at her church.

'Young leaders who will impact our world are coming out of this university,' said Betty Hukill, event chairwoman and executive director of the Paramount Theatre.

Crediting the Abilene community and the individual and organizational sponsors of the event, Hukill said the $25,000 raised in sponsorships has served to fully endow the scholarship. An additional $2,300 was raised during a raffle for two round-trip tickets provided by Southwest Airlines.

Hardage compared the people-centric strategy of Southwest Airlines to the success of Abilene's female leaders in their lives and careers. She also commended McMurry faculty and staff for their reinforcement among students of the power of relationships.

'We sometimes don't know the impact and importance we have on the people around us,' Hardage said, noting the importance of having employees who fulfill the mission and values of a company.

Hardage related the story of a passenger who was unable to provide a proper pet carrier for his small dog.

'One of our pilots saw the need and paid for the equipment,' Hardage said. 'The family of that passenger later told us he was their estranged brother and had been homeless. 'He would have never returned to us without his most valued possession  his pet  if it had not been for the kind act of your pilot.''

Hardage grew up near Coleman and is a graduate of Mozelle High School. She also is a graduate of Texas Tech University.

Before beginning her career at Southwest Airlines in 1990, Hardage held a variety of marketing and public relations positions at Maxus Energy Corp., Diamond Shamrock Corp., and the Life Insurance Company of the Southwest.

PRWeek named Hardage to its Top 50 Power List from 2011 to 2014 and previously named her as one of the 'most powerful women in public relations.'

At Thursday's event, Hukill reminded attendees of the possibilities that can be accomplished by their support of the scholarship and their support of women as community leaders.

'Now pick up your program and let it fly,' Hukill said of the paper airplanes adorning each table.
Cathie Adams wants voters to not be afraid about attending the Taylor County Republican Party's precinct convention March 19.

"We are only as strong as our grassroots as a party," said Adams, a candidate for vice chair of the Republican Party's state organization. "You can have good people that are chairman (or) vice chairman, even our executive committee which is your board of directors. But if we are not engaged with the grassroots and empowering them, it's a very weak body."

Participation in the process means people can help put their most important issues to work and be part of the political process, most particularly in building the party's platform.

"Being involved in that is a responsibility if you really care about the issues that motivate you to go vote," she said, noting that she and running mate Jared Woodfill want to "shine lights" on the party's planks, then make sure grassroots-level constituents are informed when related bills are filed by legislators.

"Then the people will be in control of those bills and those legislators," she said. "Right now, they elect good people but they don't really know what they're doing in Austin. We want to shine light on that process so that people cannot only know but have a say."

Though currently a candidate for vice chairman of the Texas Republican Party, Adams, 66, has already been the party's state chairperson. Though her time as chair was short, Adams said that in the months she served, she was "very happy" with her accomplishments, which included paying down around half the debt she inherited as party chair and putting on an $800,000 state convention.

If one has not participated in a precinct convention before, Adams said they should not fear being part of the process.

"You're going to probably have half of the people this election cycle who are brand new to the process," she said, noting that she also encouraged newcomers to seek to attend the state convention in Dallas May 12-14 as delegates.

The election that will determine whether Adams and Woodfill are elected vice chair and chair, respectively, is scheduled for Friday, May 13.

"That will be the day the delegates will meet in their senatorial district caucuses," she said. "In that senatorial district, they will elect their committee man and their committee woman, a man and a woman from each senate district. That's the board of directors for the party. They will also elect their chairman and their vice chairman."

The next day, delegates to the state convention will meet in their congressional caucus, Adams said.

"And in that caucus they will elect their delegates to the national convention, three delegates and three alternates," she said. "They will also elect their committee man and committee woman to represent them."
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The defense attorney for jailed rights lawyer Li Heping discovered he was relieved of duty when he visited his client in detention, Feb. 18, 2016.

The relatives and defense lawyers of 19 human rights lawyers currently facing subversion charges have written to China's parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), calling for an independent inquiry into breaches of legal process in the handling of their cases.

"The relevant authorities have brought charges such as 'incitement to subvert state power' against them in situations where there has been no breach of the law," the letter, signed by more than 140 lawyers and relatives, said.

"They have prevented them from seeing lawyers and not allowed them to communicate with lawyers or family members," it said.

"For this reason, we call on the NPC to set up an independent inquiry into the July 9 crackdown, and take immediate measures to correct these injustices and to prevent the trampling of the constitution and [Chinese] law," it said.

At least 317 lawyers, law firm staff, human right activists and family members have been detained, questioned, summoned or forbidden to leave the country since police began a nationwide operation targeting the legal profession on the night of July 9, 2015, according to figures compiled by a Hong Kong-based rights group.

While many have since been released, 19 have been formally arrested, mostly on subversion-related charges, the Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group (CHRLCG) said in a statement on its website.

Residential surveillance

Earlier this week, the authorities extended the six-month period of "residential surveillance" for detained Changsha rights lawyer Xie Yang, his lawyer told RFA.

In cases involving subversion charges, a law passed last year allows up to six months' "residential surveillance" at a secret location with no visits from lawyers or relatives.

Now, that period has been extended by police for an unknown length of time, and Xie is still denied a meeting with a lawyer, his defense attorney Zhang Zhongshi told RFA.

"I think that this 'extension' is just an excuse," Zhang said. "I think one reason for it is that they lack evidence, and the other is that they want to prevent him from seeing a lawyer."

A lawyer for prominent rights attorney Wang Quanzhang said his "residential surveillance" had also been extended.

"The bottom line is that they won't let him see a lawyer," Wang's lawyer Cheng Hai said. "He was under criminal detention for a month, then under formal arrest for two months, which should have been enough for them to wrap up the case."

"But he has been detained since last August, which is eight months, and with this one-month extension, that will be nine months," Cheng said.

"It's a clear indication that they are having problems finding evidence that proves the material facts of the case."

They didnt inform me

Similar treatment has been meted out to lawyer Li Heping, his wife Wang Xiaoling said, although the exact length of the extension remains unclear.

"They didn't inform me; I had to go and ask," Wang said. "I think this is a breach of the rules, and it's also a failure to take their duties seriously."

"They should be able to produce a written document in a case where the charges are so serious," she said.

Rights lawyer Lin Qilei, who signed the letter to the NPC, said the ruling Chinese Communist Party continues to deviate from accepted judicial processes.

"After the initial six-months of residential surveillance is up, the police should be done with their investigations, but instead they are just extending them," Lin said. "And each time they extend the detention, they are refusing to allow visits from lawyers."

"These are strong-arm tactics which they are using to persecute these people," he said.

The letter comes after a group of 12 countries issued a strong criticism of China at the United Nations over its human rights record, calling for the immediate release of the lawyers.

"We are concerned about China's deteriorating human rights record, notably the arrests and ongoing detention of rights activists, civil society leaders and lawyers," U.S. ambassador Keith Harper told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday.

Little faith in Xi Jinping

CHRLCG spokesman Kit Chan welcomed the criticisms, saying people now have little faith in President Xi Jinping's promises to rule the country by law.

"This sort of international concern and attention is extremely important, particularly on the subject of the legal profession and those who practice law professionally," Chan said.

"Xi Jinping has promised many times in public that China will be ruled by law, and if he is sincere about those promises, he needs to listen to the calls coming from experts in the field and also from the international community," he said.

Harper, who was speaking on behalf of Australia, Britain, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States, agreed that the Chinese authorities are in breach of their own laws.

"These actions are in contravention of China's own laws, and international commitments," Harper told the Council.

He called on Beijing "to release all rights activists, civil society leaders and lawyers detained for peacefully exercising their freedom of expression or for lawfully practicing their profession."

He also hit out at the growing use of televised "confessions" on state television, saying they interfered with judicial process.

"These actions run contrary to fair trial guarantees enshrined in China's laws, and counter to the rights and freedoms set out in the universal declaration of human rights," Harper said.



Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Yu gives an interview in Hong Kong, March 20, 2014. AFP Locking up critics

Last month, U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said China appeared to be locking up government critics regardless of whether they had committed a crime, and demanded it release those detained "immediately and without conditions."

After the detention of top rights attorney Wang Yu, her husband Bao Longjun, and their colleagues at the Beijing Fengrui Law Firm on the night of July 9, 2015, police launched a nationwide operation targeting hundreds rights lawyers and activists nationwide.

Wang is being charged with the more serious charge of "subversion of state power," while Bao's arrest is for the lesser charge of "incitement to subvert state power."

Incitement to subvert state power carries a maximum jail term of five years in less serious cases, and a minimum jail term of five years in cases deemed more serious, or where the suspect is regarded as a "ringleader."

"Subversion of state power" carries a minimum jail term of 10 years in cases where the person is judged to have played a leading role. Jailed Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo is currently serving a 13-year sentence for "incitement to subvert state power."

The activists arrested alongside the lawyers are typically people who participated in activities like staging small protests, complaining to the government about abuses, or helping human rights groups gather information, usually in their local community, according to the New York-based Human Rights Watch.

China's National People's Congress, which runs from March 5-15 in Beijing, rarely debates and never opposes government policy, typically voting new laws through by near-unanimous margins.

Reported by Xin Lin for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Wen Yuqing for the Cantonese Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
Examples of some of the titles sold by Causeway Bay Books are shown in an undated file photo.

Two of the five Hong Kong booksellers who disappeared from their shop that sold racy titles about Chinas political elite returned to mainland China this month after briefly visiting the former British colony while they were on bail, local media reported.

Cheung Chi Ping, business manager of Causeway Bay Books, entered Hong Kong on March 6, two days after his colleague Lui Bo, the bookstores general manager, but they apparently stayed only a few hours in the city before going back to China.

Both were granted bail by Chinese authorities, allowing them to travel to Hong Kong, according to a statement from Hong Kong police.

Causeway Bay Books store manager Lee Bo, 65, went missing from his workplace in Hong Kong on Dec. 30, while four of his associates, publisher Gui Minhai, general manager Lui Bo (also spelled Lui Por), and colleagues Cheung Chi-ping and Lam Wing-kei have all been detained under opaque circumstances since.

Hong Kong politicians and rights activists say they are highly skeptical that any of the men are acting from their own free will, however.



"Of course this tale has been concocted by the [ruling] Chinese Communist Party," League of Social Democrats deputy chairman Raphael Wong told RFA's Chinese Service. "They are still spinning yarns ... and they are twisting words to fill in the holes in their story."

The five managers and staff of the now-closed store have all appeared in television interviews filmed in China in recent weeks, with four confessing to running an 'illegal' bookselling business, and a fifth, a British passport holder, saying he is willing to sever all ties with the UK.

Chinese authorities are thought to have targeted Causeway Bay Books because it sold gossipy political books about Chinese leaders. A U.S.-based Chinese writer who uses the pen name Xi Nuo told the BBC that one of his books Xi Jinping and His Lovers might have triggered the booksellers disappearance.

Don't forget

While their reappearance is comforting, it doesnt mean their case should be forgotten, Wong said.

"They are safe, and we are not supposed to worry about them, nor to put them under any pressure," Wong said. "Something of the sort has happened to business people in the past."



"The whole point is to make it clear to the people of Hong Kong that mainland police are entirely capable of carrying out illegal law enforcement activities in Hong Kong," he added. "This is unacceptable."



Bei Ling, chairman of the writers' group Independent Chinese PEN Center, told Hong Kong's Apple Daily that Cheung and Lui's only purpose in returning to Hong Kong was to get their missing persons cases dropped.



Bei said both men's families are currently in Shenzhen.



On Feb. 29, Hong Kong police working through Interpol met with Lee Bo after the British foreign secretary Philip Hammond said U.K. intelligence showed he had been "involuntarily removed" from Hong Kong, which is a separate jurisdiction under the terms of its 1997 handover to China.



Lee, whose departure from the city didn't show up in official records, told Hong Kong officers he was assisting mainland police with an investigation, and that he hadn't been abducted.

He also requested that police drop the missing person case filed by his relatives.

Relatives concerned



Lee's U.K.-based daughter Angela said she had had no fresh news of her father, but that she is "extremely worried" after seeing his televised "confession."



She told RFA she didn't believe the account given by her father, saying that he is likely under duress, because he previously sent her regular e-mails and often gave media interviews before his detention.



Gui, Lee and Lam have remained in China since the missing persons cases were filed.



Reported by Xin Lin for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Hai Nan for the Cantonese Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
North Korean workers on the West Pyongyang railway protest against the United Nations Security Council's resolution to hit the country with economic sanctions, March 6, 2016.

Kim Jong Uns thirst for hard currency is outstripping his desire to get North Koreans to labor longer and harder as workers buy their way out of the regimes latest campaign to increase production, sources inside the country said.

If you pay three Chinese yuan or half a U.S. dollar, you can officially take one day off, a source from Yanggang province told RFA's Korean Service.

The North Korean regime periodically declares speed battles that are designed to get people to work longer and harder. During these battles North Koreans are expected to work for the duration of the battle without a day off.

The latest campaign called the battle of 70 days comes after the U.N. imposed new, sweeping sanctions on the secretive country after it exploded a nuclear device and launched a long-range ballistic missile.

Under current conditions when U.S. imperialism and its followers are desperate to squeeze our socialist system, the devotion of all party members is a protest boasting of our strength, reported NK News, quoting a letter adopted by the country's Politburo.

Devotion can be purchased, however.

People with money are being exempted by buying their way out, the source in Yanggang told RFA.

At the rate of three Chinese yuan per day, paying 210 yuan (U.S. $32) would allow a worker to skip the entire battle of 70 days.

And foreign currency buys more time off than North Korean money, since it takes twice as much North Korean won to get the same time off.

This will further drop value of North Korean currency, which is already devalued so much, the source said.

While confirming the payment scheme, a Hamgyong province source said it doesnt completely exempt people from work.

It is true that you can take a day off by paying three Chinese yuan, the source explained. But you do not get exempted from social duty and you still have to complete social duty such as the purchase of construction material and scrap iron.

While three Chinese yuan doesnt sound like a lot, this is a couple of months' pay for the average North Korean.

It is not easy to earn that much even working at the local street market all day, said the Hamgyong province source. Poor people can only pay to take one or two days off just in case of emergency.

Reported by Sunghui Moon for RFA's Korean Service. Translated by Ahreum Jung. Written in English by Brooks Boliek.
Myanmars military on Friday nominated the chief minister of Yangon region as its candidate in the upcoming parliamentary vote to determine the countrys top leaders, which could pose a threat to Aung San Suu Kyis reform plans for the developing democracy.



Military deputies nominated retired Lieutenant General Myint Swe, the 64-year-old chief minister of Yangon region, who ordered a crackdown on anti-government protests led by monks in 2007, when a military junta ruled the country.



He is currently on the U.S. governments list of sanctioned individuals for his actions under the military government, which was in power for a half-century until 2011.



I think they nominated Myint Swe because he has administrative experience as the chief minister of Yangon region for the last five years, political commentator Yan Myo Thein told RFAs Myanmar Service. Also, they might think he can work competitively with the president and other vice president over the coming five years.



The nomination of Myint Swe is a big challenge for the National League for Democracy (NLD), which swept general elections last November, because he will advocate for and protect the interests of the armed forces, he said.



The NLD government needs to think about this and prepare, he said.



NLD chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi has made reform and national reconciliation between Myanmars armed ethnic groups and the national military priorities under the new government led by her party.



Zagana, a popular comedian and former political prisoner, said the military nominated Myint Swe because it believes he will form a good relationship between the armed forces and the civilian sector, particularly with businesspeople.



Because Myint Swe controls the 30,000-acre Yangon New City Project, he can protect the interests of businessmen involved in the project better than any other military leader can, he said.



The controversial expansion project to build seven satellite towns on the outskirts of Myanmars commercial capital Yangon has undergone several delays and met with opposition after officials cancelled an initial multibillion-dollar contract awarded to Chinese investors in 2014 to develop tens of thousands of acres south of the city.



The incoming NLD-led government will likely decide whether or not to push ahead with the project.



He knows many top military leaders business interests, including those of former Senior General Than Shwe and others, and has a huge connection to businessmen, Zagana said, referring to the military strongman who was chairman of Myanmars State Peace and Development Council from 1992 to 2011.



The military has interests in several businesses throughout the country ranging from property to mining sites through two large holding companies it controls.



Not reform-minded



But not everyone believes Myint Swe will be good for business in the commercial capital Yangon or for the country as a vice president.



According to my experience in Yangons regional parliament, we could see that Myint Swe, who was nominated as vice president by the military, has little intention to [work towards] reform, said former independent member of parliament (MP) Nyo Nyo Thin.



We can see his attitude if we examine city projects in Yangon within last five years, she said, pointing out that few businesspeople could get permission for projects from the regional government, and that Myint Swe was not close to the media.



It is a good question as to why Myint Swe was nominated as vice president even though our country needs reforms, she said.



Nyo Nyo Thin also noted that Myint Swe was responsible for a crackdown on protesters in Yangon, who supported a student movement last year against a controversial national education law.



The current government believes that the crackdown by men wearing red armbands was done according to the law, but everybody knew it was not, she said. I am worried that we would see such things around the country [if Myint Swe became vice president].



Myint Swe is one of three candidates who have been put forward by the lower and upper houses, and military deputies, who control a quarter of the seats in parliament, for an upcoming vote that will determine who will become president and the two vice presidents.



The NLD, which holds the majority of seats in both houses, on Thursday nominated Htin Kyaw, a long-time aide to Aung San Suu Kyi as its presidential candidate and Henry Van Thio, an ethnic Chin NLD deputy in parliaments upper house, as a vice presidential candidate.



NLD candidates confirmed



Also on Friday, the lower house of parliament voted to confirm Htin Kyaw, a close adviser of Aung San Suu Kyi.



Under Myanmars indirect political system, whoever gets the most votes becomes president, while the two runners-up are appointed vice presidents.



It is believed that Htin Kyaw will be elected president when the combined, NLD-dominated houses cast votes for the three nominees next week.



NLD party leaders will issue directions tonight or tomorrow night to their lawmakers about how to vote, said NLD deputy Aung Kyi Nyunt.



But some deputies from other parties say the process may not go according to the NLDs plans.



Htin Kyaw will definitely become president, but the first vice president could be from the military if the [ruling] union Solidarity and Development party [USDP] and military MPs vote for it, said Khin Saw Wai, a lawmaker from the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party.



Ye Tun, a former MP from the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party, said deputies from the armed forces-backed USDP and military lawmakers could derail the NLDs plan for Htin Kyaw to become president and Van Thoi to become vice president.



The USDPs lawmakers and military MPs can destroy the NLDs plan, he said, by voting so that Henry Van Thoi would become president and Htin Kyaw would become vice president.



Its not because they like Henry Van Thio, but because they want to disrupt the NLDs plan, he said.



After the voting, the president will appoint a new cabinet, which will take over from current President Thein Seins administration on April 1.



Aung San Suu Kyi, who is barred from becoming president under the constitution which forbids anyone with foreign relatives from holding the nations highest office, has said she will occupy a position above the president.



Reported by Thinn Thiri and Wai Mar Tun for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
MORIA, Greece -- At the height of the refugee crisis last autumn, migrants plucked tomatoes and zucchinis out of farmer Vaggelis Grigorious vegetable patch. They sawed branches off heritage olive trees for firewood and turned stolen farming tarps into tents, says retired builder Giorgios Kolaras.

They even cut the pomegranates from the trees before they were ripe, says handyman Michaelis Bapukash.



The people of Moria, a quaint farming village a 15-minute walk from the registration center for migrants who cross from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos, regarded these transgressions with gentle understanding.

They never caused real trouble, Bapukash says. They did it out of hunger.



But at the villages main watering hole, residents are beginning to wonder whether their hospitality has gone too far. As European countries block migrants travel to wealthier nations, Morias residents fear they may be saddled with thousands of stateless people marooned in their olive groves.



It will be the law of the jungle. And eventually we will be forced out, says Litsa Chroni. She runs a kafeneion, a uniquely Greek institution serving coffee, ouzo, and small plates of seafood and vegetables.



Chroni named Kafeneion Giota after her mother-in-law, but it is a haven for the towns men. In early March, four wooden backgammon boards were stacked in a corner, and customers carried a worn green felt board to tables for card games accompanied by slices of grilled octopus.



When only a trickle of migrants reached the island, the Greek government built a registration center in a decommissioned military base near Moria. In the summer and fall of 2015, the trickle became a torrent; sometimes, more than 200 crowded rubber dinghies landed daily on the pebbly beaches of Lesbos. Greek antismuggling laws prohibited migrants from riding public transportation, and so they walked through Moria village to reach the registration center.



For a long time, they were greeted by the residents of Moria with open arms. Chroni, taking a cigarette break before the busy evening hours, says that in the summer she paid the water bill for an improvised public shower for migrants, run by connecting a hose from a kitchen faucet to the sidewalk. She provided shampoo, as well, and invited women into her home to bathe in privacy.

PHOTO GALLERY: The Migrants Next Door (click to expand)

Bapukash, the handyman, drinks coffee in the fading light outside. He says he was inspired to give migrants shoes because his grandfather made the identical sea crossing from Turkey to Lesbos in a forced population exchange in 1922.

When a local carpenter lost his hand in a work accident, it was widely said to be divine retribution for his attack on Syrian migrants resting in the shade of one of the villages two churches, Kafeneion Giota customer Panagiotis Bourekas, 65, recalls. The carpenter could not be reached for comment.

Still, the disorder was dizzying. The Moria center, declared a so-called frontline "hotspot" by the European Union, was quickly overcrowded with lines of migrants waiting days to be issued papers. Chronis husband, Theodor Trakellis, ordinarily a traffic cop, said he was assigned to police the reception center. Photographs from the time show Greek police using tear gas and batons to maintain order.



It was like hell, Trakellis says. So many people were waiting and we were so few.



These days, the village is calm. Fewer migrants risked the crossing from Turkey over the winter, although about 1,000 migrants continue to arrive daily. UN buses carry them to the Moria registration center, saving them the walk through the village. There are about 5,000 beds for migrants at five sites around the island, says Marios Andriotis, a spokesman for the Lesbos municipality. In addition, dozens of volunteers including Americans, Britons, and Germans run a 77-tent encampment just outside the Moria registration center, where migrants get dry clothes, spots in waterproof tents, and three meals a day.



In the relative quiet, Moria returned to its rhythms. Olive farmers picked the last of their harvest from the trees while sheep grazed in the grass below. Men and women carried plastic bags bulging with xorta, a wild herb they pick and boil as a side dish, flavored with lemon and olive oil.



Patrons at Kafeneion Giota twirled prayer beads, a nod to the influence of the four centuries of Ottoman rule of Greece, and listened to the music of the late Stelios Kazantzidis, a national icon who described the pain of Greeks forced to move abroad for work in the 1950s and '60s.

Changing policy in other European countries threatens to upset that balance again, however. Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, and Croatia this week closed their borders to migrants traveling to Western Europe. More than 40,000 migrants are now stranded in Greece, including about 4,000 on Lesbos. To avoid a bottleneck on the mainland, Athens has limited ferry tickets for migrants leaving Lesbos. Turkeys European Union affairs minister, Volkan Bozkir, said on March 10 that under a deal proposed to EU leaders earlier in the week, Turkey would not take back migrants already on Greek islands.

WATCH: The Village On The Front Line Of The Migrant Crisis

The Lesbos municipality says it is preparing contingency plans in case migrants are stuck on the island.

We have the capacity to accommodate 5,000 to 6,000 refugees, says spokesman Andriotis. Its a very dangerous situation right now. We hope the refugees will be able to depart as soon as possible.

At Kafeneion Giota, people are jittery.

Chroni, the owner who used to give migrants free showers, says she worried in a Twitter post about foreigners walking the village -- and was swiftly denounced.

I got nasty replies saying, Teach your children not to be racists, she says. But my priority is to protect my kids.



Neither Chroni nor her customers say they supported the anti-immigrant neo-fascist group Golden Dawn, although on Lesbos the party nearly doubled its share of the vote to 7.8 percent during national elections in September 2015.

We will not allow Greece or any other country to be turned into a warehouse of souls."

Trakellis, the traffic cop, says he feels abandoned by Europe.

We accepted 25,000 people a day in the summer in our village, and there are whole countries complaining about accepting a few thousand, he says.

Concerns in Moria echo those in Athens.

"We will not allow Greece or any other country to be turned into a warehouse of souls," Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said after meeting EU Council President Donald Tusk in late February.

While Trakellis shouts, retired builder Kolaras sits quietly at a table near the door, peeling a white turnip with a paring knife. His thumb is bandaged, injured from pruning an olive tree.

Kolaras, 67, says Greeces economic crisis has reduced construction work in Moria and raised the costs of farming. A lack of jobs has banished a generation of the villages people. Even the towns clattering motorcycles are driven by white-haired riders. A local papers headlines alternated between reports of a migrant emergency and efforts to alleviate poverty among Greeks.

Pakistani peddler Amjad Ali honks a rubber horn and squeezes into the doorway, holding a black plastic crate bulging with flashlights, lanterns, rope, sponges, and work gloves. He was a migrant to the island seven years ago, before the influx. Chroni bought a flashlight and three knives.

This guy -- we know him for many years, and we like him, says Kolaras. But it would be unfortunate to have more people like him. We are not a strong economy like Germany, and we dont have jobs for ourselves."

Volunteers from the tent camp acknowledge a change in the mood.

We were more of a transit camp. Now, people may be staying indefinitely, says Daniel Song, a native of Sacramento, California, who sits at an outside table drinking beer; he says Giota has good WiFi.

Songs drinking companions are two Iranians who will likely be stuck in Greece or deported because they are not eligible for asylum. They decline to speak to RFE/RL, saying they are trying to take a break from their predicament.

Kolaras finishes peeling his turnip and chats with three friends.

I wish the war would end, he says of the conflict in Syria, which hits the five-year mark next week and has fueled the refugee crisis, in addition to killing more than 250,000 people. I wish the migrants could come here as tourists. It would be better for them, and for us.
WASHINGTON - The mystery surrounding Mikhail Lesin, the former Russian press minister who died in Washington after suffering blunt force trauma to the head, deepened as news reports said police were investigating whether Lesin had been assaulted outside his hotel.

Meanwhile, a Russian business executive who said he was a close friend told the Kommersant newspaper that Lesin had been drinking heavily in the days before his body was found in the Dupont Circle Hotel on the morning of November 5.

In Moscow, Russias prosecutor general said March 11 that a formal request had been made to Washington seeking details on the investigation.

Lesin, 59, had served as press minister for President Vladimir Putin between 1999 and 2004, during which time he headed the Kremlin-controlled media giant Gazprom Media and helped set up Russia Today, the English-language news network now known as RT.

In 2013, he became head of Gazprom-Media Holding, but resigned the following year, reportedly citing family reasons.

In 2014, a U.S. senator asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate whether Lesin used illicit funds to purchase several multimillion dollar homes in the Los Angeles area, but it was unclear whether any investigation was ever opened.

Just two days before his body was found on November 5, Lesin was on the guest list to attend a lavish dinner at Washingtons Ritz Carlton hotel, honoring Russian billionaire and philanthropist Pyotr Aven and Susan Lehrman, a Washington socialite, investor, and patron of the arts.

But he never attended the event.

After his body was discovered in his hotel room, Washington city police indicated that they were not treating his death as a homicide investigation, and an official at the citys homicide branch indicated to RFE/RL that it was being handled by the branch's natural-death unit.

However, on March 10, more than four months after the body was found, the city medical examiners office released its finding, saying that Lesin died of blunt force trauma to the head, and to other parts of his upper and lower body.

The New York Times on March 11 quoted an unnamed law enforcement official as saying that those injuries were the result of what the paper described as "some sort of altercation" that occurred before Lesin returned to his hotel room.

Reuters also quoted an unnamed police official as saying that investigators were looking into whether Lesin had been attacked outside the hotel.

The police department said in a statement March 11 that it was continuing to actively investigate the death.

In an interview with the Russian newspaper Kommersant, Sergei Vasilyev, who heads a media advertising group called Vi that was co-founded by Lesin, said that Lesin had checked into the Dupont Circle Hotel on November 2.

Vasilyev was quoted as saying that Lesin was drunk at the time, and on November 3, went out to buy more alcohol.

On the evening of November 4, Vasilyev said, a hotel security guard went to Lesins room to pay a visit to the guest who hadnt left his room.

The guard found Lesin nearly passed out on the floor, and when he tried to move Lesin to a bed, Lesin resisted, so the guard left him on the floor, Vasilyev was quoted as saying.

The source for Vasilyevs information wasnt immediately clear, and no one answered the phone at his companys Moscow headquarters late March 11.

Aleksei Venediktov, nother well-known friend of Lesin who heads the Moscow radio station Ekho Moskvy, told the Russian newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets that Lesin had had a room at another posh Washington hotel: the Four Seasons.

But this was a second or back-up room, evidently used for some sort of other meetings and other business, Venediktov was quoted as saying.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Baku says that Azerbaijani human rights activists Leyla Yunus and her husband, Arif Yunus, are not permitted to travel abroad to receive medical treatment.

The Court of Appeals in Baku ruled on March 11 that the couple cannot travel to Germany due to their suspended prison terms.

Leyla Yunus and Arif Yunus were sentenced to 8 1/2 and seven years in prison, respectively, in August after a court found them guilty of economic crimes.

The sentencings were denounced as a travesty of justice by the two defendants and by international human rights groups.

In November and December, they were released on health grounds and their imprisonment sentences were reduced to suspended sentences.

Leyla Yunus, 60, the founding director of the unregistered Peace and Democracy Institute in Baku, and her husband, Arif Yunus, 61, who worked for the organization, say they need urgent medical treatment in Germany.
Chechnyas human rights ombudsman thinks he might know who is responsible for the brutal attack on journalists and rights activists who were trying to enter the Russian region earlier this week -- one of the rights representatives himself.

About 20 masked men attacked the group, which included Swedish Radio correspondent Maria Persson Lofgren and Norwegian reporter Oystein Windstad and two activists from the Russian rights group the Committee to Prevent Torture, as they were traveling to Chechnya from neighboring Ingushetia on March 9.

The committee said the men stopped the minibus, used clubs to attack the group, called them terrorists, and set fire to the minibus.

Nurdi Nukhazhiyev, the Chechen ombudsman, now says that it was a planned act and suggested partial responsibility for it lies with the head of the committee, Igor Kalyapin.

In an interview with the independent Russian Dozhd TV channel, Nukhazhiyev speculated that Kalyapin -- who was not traveling with the group -- may have seen an upside to the 2009 killing of Chechen rights activist Natalya Estemirova.

Self-promotion is the most important thing. What happened after the murder of Natalya Estemirova from [rights group] Memorial? Memorial blossomed, received awards, honors. Unfortunately, that's what happened. This is my opinion, Nukhazhiyev said.

Estemirova was kidnapped in Grozny and found shot dead in Ingushetia. At the time, she had been investigating torture, abductions, and extrajudicial executions in Chechnya. Memorial says Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya's strongman leader, had threatened Estemirova months before her death.

Nukhazhiyev told Dozhd that neither Chechnya nor Ingushetia would benefit from the March 9 attack, even though Chechen authorities have repeatedly referred to independent journalists as "enemies of the people" and Kadyrov has publicly vilified the Committee to Prevent Torture.

"Why make threats against someone and then carry them out? To arouse suspicion, criticism? What would be the point? Nukhazhiyev asked, suggesting that Kadyrov had merely been defending himself against unfair attacks by the media.

Moreover, according to the ombudsman, Kadyrov doesnt even have the levers at his disposal to carry out such an attack.

"Let the people in Moscow ask their subordinates why they didnt provide free passage and safety [for the group]? That's a question for them. So why are all these questions being addressed to the head of the Chechen Republic? Nukhazhiyev said.

He added that he would "persistently, competently, consistently" look into the attack, if anybody asked him to do so.

Kadyrov is accused of using abductions and torture to rule Chechnya since he was put at the helm of the republic in 2007.

The Height Of Cynicism

Kalyapin called Nukhazhiyevs comments delusional and said they made no sense.

"Its the height of cynicism. I dont know how he could bring himself to say that, in 2009, after Estemirovas murder and the evacuation of all its staff from Chechnya, Memorial blossomed," Kalyapin told Dozhd.

Kalyapin added that he wont ask Nukhazhiyev to investigate the attack, saying that the ombudsman protects Kadyrovs image and that it would be "naive to expect objectivity from him.

Prominent human rights activist Svetlana Gannushkina sarcastically called Nukhazhiyev the "ombudsman for the rights of one person," a reference to Kadyrov, on her Facebook page. She added that she didnt want to comment on his interview because of [her] disgust.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said the March 9 attack "was enabled by the government's inaction in the face of overt hostility to the press."
Police in Russia's North Caucasus region of Daghestan have killed two gunmen.

Police say the gunmen were killed during a special operation near the village of Orota in the central district of Khundzakh on March 11.

The special operation continued as security forces searched for possible armed individuals in the area.

No casualties among security forces and local residents were reported.

Daghestan is beset by deadly violence linked to an Islamist insurgency that is rooted in two post-Soviet separatist wars in neighboring Chechnya.

Organized crime, business turf wars, political disputes, and clan rivalry also contribute to the bloodshed.

Moderate Muslims, journalists, police, and government officials are regularly targeted in attacks.

Based on reporting by Interfax and TASS
Is it real or is it parody?

Chechnya's human rights ombudsman said a group of journalists and human rights activists brutally assaulted en route from Ingushetia this week may have staged the attack themselves.

Meanwhile, the head of the Russian Skating Union said that the reason Russian athletes keep getting busted for doping was because "other athletes" were dosing them with performance-enhancing drugs.

It's all real -- trust me. My imagination isn't good enough to make this kind of stuff up.

And what it shows, yet again, is that Vladimir Putin's regime appears utterly incapable of taking responsibility for anything.

The buck always stops elsewhere.

Victims are responsible for their misfortunes. Everything is somebody else's fault.

The economy is crashing because of a foreign plot. Doping scandals are a conspiracy against Russian sports. Journalists beat themselves up to discredit the authorities.

This is nothing new, of course.

But all the dog-ate-my-homework explanations for the regime's mishaps are becoming increasingly surreal, increasingly bizarre, and ridiculously implausible.

And this is pretty odd when you consider the myth that Putin and company are supposed to be the masters of the universe, they are supposed to be in complete control of everything.

But with their over-the-top rationalizations and conspiracy mongering, they are tacitly admitting that they are actually in control of nothing.

Keep telling me what you think on The Power Vertical's Twitter feed and on our Facebook page.
Unidentified gunmen have kidnapped eight government employees in Pakistan's troubled northwest while they were heading to inspect a dam under construction, officials said.

The incident took place on March 10 in the Toi Khula area of South Waziristan, a tribal district along the Afghan border. The gunmen took the workers to an unknown location.

Zafrul Islam, the top government official in South Waziristan, told AFP that the director of the Chao Tangi dam project, two geologists, and other technical staff were among those kidnapped.

A search operation was launched to locate the abductors. No group has claimed responsibility.

South Waziristan has been home to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The Taliban blew up a girls school there in February because it is opposes female education.

Pakistan's army stepped up its offensive against militants in the region last year after the Taliban's massacre of 153 people, mostly children, at an army-run school in Peshawar.

Based on reporting by AFP, Dawn.com, and BBC
Russia's Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika has made an official request to Washington for information concerning the death of former Russian press minister and presidential adviser Mikhail Lesin.

Chaika's spokesman, Saak Karapetian, said on March 11 that the request was sent to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch in accordance with a U.S.-Russian agreement on mutual assistance in criminal inquiries.

The statement comes a day after officials in Washington said Lesin, who was found dead in a hotel room in the U.S. capital on November 5, died of "blunt force injuries to the head," a determination suggesting the former ally of President Vladimir Putin may have been murdered.

The office of the city's chief medical examiner said in a statement released to RFE/RL on March 10 that other contributing factors to Lesin's death were "blunt force injuries" to his neck, torso, and upper and lower extremities.

The New York Times quoted an unnamed official as saying that those injuries were the result of what the newspaper described as "some sort of altercation" that occurred before Lesin, 59, returned to his room at Washington's Dupont Circle Hotel.

The medical examiner's office said the case was still pending and had no further comment.

A spokesman for the Washington police department, Dustin Sternbeck, said the case remains an active investigation but would not say if the medical examiners ruling means a crime may have been committed.

"Were not willing to close off anything at this point," Sternbeck told The Washington Post.

The FBI also had no immediate comment about the medical examiner's statement.

At the time of Lesin's death, Kremlin-funded media quoted family members as saying the millionaire and longtime adviser to Putin died of a heart attack.

The amount of time medical officials have taken to release a final coroner's report has since led to speculation about the exact cause of his death.

As Putins press minister between 1999 and 2004, Lesin headed the Kremlin-controlled media giant Gazprom Media and helped set up Russia Today, the English-language news network now known as RT.

In 2013, he became head of Gazprom-Media Holding but resigned the following year, reportedly citing family reasons.

In 2014, a U.S. senator asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate whether Lesin used illicit funds to purchase several multimillion-dollar homes in the Los Angeles area.

Public property registries indicate that a corporation known as Dastel purchased a 1,208-square-meter Beverly Hills home in August 2011 for $13.8 million and a 985-square-meter Brentwood home for $9 million in 2012.

Documents submitted in California Superior Court and obtained by RFE/RL show that Lesin was the sole owner of Dastel, which was incorporated in California in July 2011.

There was no answer at the California phone number listed for Dastel Corporation in public records.

Other public records and court documents show that two additional expensive properties in the Los Angeles area are linked to Lesin's immediate family.

Lesins son, Anton Lessine, is a successful financier of several well-known Hollywood films, including projects featuring Woody Allen, John Turturro, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Brad Pitt.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a Facebook post on March 11 that the Russian Embassy in Washington has made multiple requests for information about the investigation into Lesin's death but has received no answer.

With reporting by RFE/RL correspondent Mike Eckel, The New York Times, and The Washington Post
Military assertiveness abroad and economic stagnation at home.

A leader in power for a decade and a half -- and bolstered by an often cartoonish personality cult.

A political system reduced to a series of empty rituals.

Russia in 2016? Well, sure. But this could also describe the Soviet Union of the late 1970s.

History doesn't repeat itself, but as Mark Twain famously said, it sure does rhyme.

So what, if anything, do the 1970s really teach us about where Russia is going today?

On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, we address this question. Joining me are Mark Galeotti, a professor at New York University, an expert on Russia's security services, and author of the blog In Moscow's Shadows, and Moscow-based journalist Anna Arutunyan, author of the book The Putin Mystique: Inside Russia's Personality Cult.

Enjoy...

Listen to or download the podcast above or subscribe to The Power Vertical Podcast on iTunes.
Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic says he has received assurances from Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow will continue to back Belgrade's claim to Kosovo.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and is now recognized as an independent state by some 110 countries.

"Putin said clearly that Serbia can count on Russia everywhere that Serbia is defending its territorial integrity and independence, especially in Kosovo," Nikolic said after meeting with Putin in Moscow on March 10.

Serbia relies on Moscow's support in its diplomatic fight to prevent Kosovo, populated mainly by ethnic Albanians, from joining the United Nations.

Putin and Nikolic also discussed Serbia's recent agreement to allow NATO personnel to maintain a presence in the country.

Nikolic said the deal was mostly to enable the troops to destroy weapon stockpiles. He said Russia was not alarmed by the deal and "Putin said he understands what we signed."

Nikolic's visit came as Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic seeks reforms that will put the Balkan country on the path to joining the European Union.

Nikolic is an openly pro-Russian leader who frequently speaks out against closer ties to NATO and the EU.

Based on reporting by dpa, Interfax, and TASS
Energy facilities throughout Ukraine were targeted by a new wave of Russian strikes on October 22, while Kyiv's air defense shot down several missiles above the Ukrainian capital.

Local officials said power stations were hit in the regions of Odesa, Kirovohrad, and Lutsk, while other regions reported problems with electricity.

"Another rocket attack from terrorists who are fighting against civilian infrastructure and people," the Ukrainian president's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, wrote on the Telegram app.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that air defense shot down several rockets that were flying in the direction of the capital.

"Several rockets flying towards Kyiv were shot down in the region by air defense forces. Thanks to our defenders!" Klitschko said, while local police chief Andriy Nyebytov posted a photograph of a column of smoke rising from a forest where he said the missile debris had landed.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told a government meeting that from October 10 to October 20, Russian strikes damaged more than 400 facilities in 16 regions of Ukraine, including dozens of energy installations.

"The Russian Amy has identified our energy sector as one of the key targets for its attacks," Shmyhal said on October 21.

"Russian propagandists and officials speak openly about the purpose of all these attacks: Ukraine, according to them, should be left without water, without light, without heat," he said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces shelled Russian positions in the occupied and illegally seized southern Kherson region, targeting Moscow's resupply routes across the Dnieper River in apparent preparation for a full assault on Kherson city, one of the first urban areas occupied by Russia at the start of the invasion.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, Russian protests, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiys office said 88 settlements in the southern Kherson region and 551 settlements in the northeastern Kharkiv region have been de-occupied, while the Ukrainian forces' counteroffensive in the Kherson region moves ahead.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of Zelenskiys office, reported the data on Telegram, broadcasting results since the Ukrainian military launched the counteroffensive several weeks ago in the Kherson direction and before that in the Kharkiv direction.

Zelenskiy added in his nightly video address on October 21 that the Ukrainian forces had shown good results in capturing Russian arms in Kherson.

Ukraine is trying to drive Russian forces in Kherson back east across the Dnieper. Russian soldiers on the western bank, where the city of Kherson is located, are reportedly close to being cut off from supply lines and reinforcements.

Natalya Humenyuk, a spokesperson for Ukraines southern operational command, said the Ukrainian military struck the Antonivskiy Bridge over the Dnieper in the city of Kherson during an overnight curfew Russia-installed officials put in place to avoid civilian casualties.

We do not attack civilians and settlements," Humenyuk told Ukrainian television.



Ukrainian strikes made the Antonivskiy Bridge inoperable, prompting Russian authorities to set up ferry crossings and pontoon bridges to relocate civilians and transport supplies.

Russia has sent in thousands of recently mobilized troops to reinforce the defense of Kherson, the General Staff said earlier on October 21.

"Up to 2,000 mobilized Russians arrived in the temporarily captured Kherson region to replenish losses and strengthen units on the contact line," the Ukrainian General Staff said in a statement.

"At the same time, the occupation authorities issued an order to prepare for the evacuation of the so-called 'banking institutions' and Russian medical workers and teachers," the statement said.



Russian-installed officials are trying to evacuate up to 60,000 people from Kherson for their safety and to allow the military to build fortifications.

Zelenskiy again on October 21 urged the West to warn Russia not to blow up a dam at the Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant on the Dnieper River as this could flood settlements in the direction of Kherson.

Zelenskiy said Russian forces had planted explosives inside the dam, which holds back an enormous reservoir, and were planning to blow it up.

"Now everyone in the world must act powerfully and quickly to prevent a new Russian terrorist attack. Destroying the dam would mean a large-scale disaster," he said in his nightly address.

Zelenskiy's chief of staff Andriy Yermak tweeted that Moscow's "nuclear blackmail" had failed to intimidate Ukraine and its allies, so now the Russians "are trying to scare everyone by blowing up" the dam.

"Ukraine will not succumb to peace by coercion.... They won't break us. We will hit back even harder," Yermak wrote.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, on a visit to Australia, also warned that the use of a nuclear weapon by Russia in the war in Ukraine would be considered an "act of hostility against humanity."

"Russia's act of threatening the use of nuclear weapons is a serious threat to the peace and security of the international community and absolutely unacceptable," Kishida said on October 22.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, and BBC
MOSCOW -- Russian judges are often said to lack independence, issuing rulings based on instructions phoned in from the Kremlin or powerful people in the regions.



One prankster decided to put that idea to the test -- and says he found it to be all too true.



Sergei Davydov, a resident of the Ural Mountains region of Perm, claims he has prompted several judges there to change their verdicts by phoning them, posing as a senior judge or a law enforcement officer, and requesting they rule in a specific way.



Davydovs claim would support allegations of widespread political interference in the courts -- a phenomenon known in the country since Soviet times as telephone justice. It is one of the most formidable obstacles to development of the rule of law, which is seen as crucial to Russias future well-being.



In an interview with the independent Russian station TV Rain station on March 10, Davydov described how the idea came about.

He said that a former judge who quit in disgust at practices in the justice system told him about how the court decisions are sometimes made, and he decided to see for himself.



We tried, and in principle everything worked out; theres nothing hard about it, he told TV Rain.



Davydov said he didnt record the first call because he assumed it wouldnt work, but found to his surprise that it did.



He said he subsequently tricked a judge into letting him off the hook when he faced a small fine in a case brought against him following an argument he had with a court bailiff. After he made the call, he said, the judge found a loophole in the law and the case was dropped.



TV Rain aired the recording of a conversation in which Davydov called a judge, presented himself as Igor Chelombitsky, the chairman of Perm regions council of judges, and made a "personal" request to the lower-level judge to rule in favor of a defendants appeal in a criminal case.



In the recording, however, the judge hesitates, saying, I cant see you over the phone. I know you by face.

The prankster protests that there is only 10 minutes before the court hearing. The recording fades out, and it is unclear how it ends.



Davydovs activities first came to light in 2014. In an interview with regional news agency ura.ru that year, he said he had influenced the decisions of 18 judges.

The TV Rain interview came a day after a district court in Perm banned the broadcast and distribution of audio recordings made by Davydov between October 2012 and February 2013 and circulated on social networks.



The court said the contents of phone recordings are slanderous and discredit the honor of judges, regional media reported.

Davydov was found guilty of interfering in court decisions in June 2014 and fined 180,000 rubles ($2,570 at todays exchange rate), but says he fell under an amnesty enacted by President Vladimir Putin last year.



Davydov is not facing further prosecution at the moment, while he says that the recordings are still available online.
A car has exploded near a mosque in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region of Ingushetia.

Local officials say the explosion occurred early in the afternoon of March 11, right after Friday Prayers in Ingushetia's largest city, Nazran.

One person was hospitalized with injuries.

No more details were provided.

Violence is common in Russia's North Caucasus region, which includes Ingushetia, Daghestan, Chechnya, and Kabardino-Balkaria.

Islamic militants and criminal groups routinely target religious clerics preaching traditional moderate Islam, Russian military personnel, and local officials.

Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax
Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak will meet with Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh on March 14 in Tehran to discuss how an oil-output freeze might apply to Iran, officials say.

Tehran has rejected a proposal by Russia and Saudi Arabia to freeze production at January levels, arguing that its output has been artificially depressed by international economic sanctions that had not yet been lifted in January.

However, OPEC sources told Reuters that Iran might be willing to freeze its output at around 4 million barrels a day, the level that prevailed before sanctions were imposed. Iran's current output is just under 3 million barrels a day.

Under the freeze plan, other OPEC members and major producers like Russia which have not been held back by sanctions would maintain production at the near-record levels they were pumping in January.

OPEC has previously allowed exemptions from agreements on output restraint, most notably for Iraq when it was under sanctions.

Other items on the agenda for Novak's visit to Tehran are joint nuclear power, desalinization, and railway projects, Russia's embassy in Tehran said.

Based on reporting by Reuters, TASS, and RIA Novosti
Russia says the first delivery of its S-300 missile-defense system to Iran will take place in August or September this year.

The comment on March 11 by Sergei Chemezov, the head of Russia's industrial conglomerate Rostec, comes amid reports the deal has run into difficulties.

Unidentified Russian officials told the Kommersant newspaper on March 9 that problems with payment issues had arisen.

The Russian daily said the contract, sealed last November, requires Iran to pay some $1 billion in several installments and anticipated the first delivery to be made in February.

The report in Kommersant came after a Kuwaiti daily quoted a high-level source as saying Moscow had decided to suspend shipments.

Both Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, and a spokesperson for Russian arms exporter Rosoboroneksport declined to comment on the Kuwaiti report, Kommersant reported.

Israel and the United States fear the missiles could be used to protect Iranian nuclear sites from air strikes.

Based on reporting by The Moscow Times and Reuters
WASHINGTON -- On November 3, 2015, hundreds of guests gathered at the swanky Ritz-Carlton hotel in the U.S. capital for a dinner honoring Russian billionaire and philanthropist Pyotr Aven and Susan Lehrman, a Washington socialite, investor, and patron of the arts.

On the guest list that evening, RFE/RL has confirmed, was Mikhail Lesin, a former Russian press minister, Kremlin adviser, and central player in President Vladimir Putin's consolidation of state control over the media.

Lesin never showed up. And less than 48 hours later, on November 5, his battered body was discovered in his 9th-floor suite at Washington's Dupont Circle Hotel.

His death sparked months of fervent speculation about what -- or who -- might have killed the former Kremlin insider, what he was doing in Washington, and the wall of silence that both city and federal authorities had erected around the matter.

Exactly who invited Lesin to the dinner, organized by the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Center's Kennan Institute, could not be immediately established. The research center, which focuses on the study of Russia and the former Soviet Union, said he was slated to sit at the table of one of the event's sponsors but declined to say which.

Lesin's empty seat at the dinner is among a scant handful of details about his final days that have emerged in the four months since his death, which has spawned theories that he was killed for spilling Kremlin secrets to the U.S. government -- or even that he entered witness protection.

The chief city medical examiner in Washington on March 10 shed new light on the circumstances surrounding Lesin's death, saying he died of "blunt-force injuries to the head."

This has fueled further speculation about foul play and contradicts initial reports by Kremlin-funded media that quoted an unidentified family member as saying that Lesin had died of a heart attack.

Here are answers to five questions about Lesin's death.

Was Lesin Murdered?

The March 10 joint statement by the District of Columbia's chief medical examiner and police department says his "manner of death" is "undetermined." The statement says that in addition to the "blunt-force injuries to the head" that caused Lesin's death, he also suffered "blunt-force injuries" to his neck, torso, and upper and lower extremities." The statement gives no indication how these injuries were sustained.

The New York Times on March 11 quoted an unidentified official as saying that the injuries to his neck, torso, arms, and legs were the result of what the paper described as "some sort of altercation" that occurred before he returned to his hotel room.

There were no obvious signs of foul play in the room, but surveillance video showed that Lesin appeared "disheveled" upon his return to the hotel, the Times quoted a law enforcement official as saying.

Why Did Police Launch A Homicide Investigation?

Days after Lesin's death, local police said detectives from its homicide branch were investigating the case. A source at the homicide branch indicated to RFE/RL in November, however, that it was being handled by the branch's natural-death unit. The Washington Post has descried this unit as "assigned to investigate deaths that are not suspected homicides."

It was not immediately clear whether the natural-death unit continues to handle the investigation, which police described in the March 10 statement as "active." Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck told The Washington Post that "we're not willing to close off anything at this point."

Why Did It Take So Long To Release Autopsy Results?

In the weeks prior to the March 10 release of the cause of death in Lesin's case, the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner told RFE/RL that in 90 percent of cases the office handles, the coroner's report is released within 90 days of death. Lesin's death was among the 10 percent of cases falling under the "more complex" category that can take longer than 90 days, the medical examiner's chief of staff, Beverly Fields, told RFE/RL. She did not elaborate on what made this case more "complex."

Was Lesin Being Investigated By U.S. Authorities?

This remains unclear. U.S. Senator Roger Wicker asked the Justice Department in August 2014 to investigate whether Lesin, who is seen as the mastermind behind the Kremlin-funded RT network, used dirty money to purchase pricey California real estate. Wicker wrote in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder that the fact "that a Russian public servant could have amassed the considerable funds required to acquire and maintain" such expensive assets abroad "raises serious questions."

In December 2014, U.S. Assistant Attorney General Peter Kadzik said that Wicker's request was referred to the Justice Department's criminal division and the FBI, neither of which have confirmed whether a formal investigation was opened.

Wicker's call for an investigation has driven speculation that Lesin may have been in Washington to discuss the matter of his California real-estate holdings with federal investigators. So far, no clear evidence has emerged that this was the case. This, however, has not stemmed speculation that Lesin may have been in Washington to cut a deal with the feds -- and that the former Kremlin insider may have been killed to prevent him from revealing intimate details about the workings of Putin's government.

Lesin, for his part, denied that he owned the California real estate in question. He told the Russian edition of Forbes magazine that the properties were owned by his children.

His denial was belied by corporate documents filed in California Superior Court showing that Lesin was the sole shareholder of a corporation known as Dastel. The company, according to public records, purchased a 1,208-square-meter Beverly Hills home in August 2011 for $13.8 million and a 985-square-meter home in Brentwood for $9 million in 2012.

So What Was Lesin Doing In The United States?

Lesin stepped down as head of state-controlled Russian broadcasting giant Gazprom-Media in December 2014 for what he described as family reasons. Prior to his resignation, had spent time living in California -- specifically in Beverly Hills -- for several years prior to his death, according to his friends and U.S. court documents.

His son, Anton Lessine, is a successful financier of several, well-known Hollywood films -- including projects featuring Woody Allen and John Turturro, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Brad Pitt. His U.S.-based daughter, Yekaterina Lesina, has worked for RT, which U.S. officials have called a "propaganda bullhorn" for Putin's government.

RT's editor in chief, Margarita Simonyan, wrote days after Lesin's death that he had invited her to quit her job and come to Los Angeles to write screenplays. "I'll be your producer," she quoted Lesin as saying.

The California Superior Court documents indicate Lesin was in the United States on a tourist visa. Why he was in Washington at the time of his death remains unclear.

With reporting by Mike Eckel
Russian authorities have launched investigations against an activist of Russia's Parnas opposition party, Natalya Pelevina.

The Russian Investigative Committee's spokesman, Vladimir Markin, said on March 11 that investigators had found documents in Pelevina's house proving she received $35,000 from the U.S.-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

According to Markin, the money was used "to discredit law enforcement agencies that investigated the mass disturbances on Bolotnaya Square on May 6, 2012."

The protest on Bolotnaya Square called for greater democracy in Russia on the eve of Putin's inauguration for a third term as president.

Russian authorities declared the NED as "undesirable" in July under a law that Moscow says is needed to prevent foreign organizations from being used to undermine Russian security. The NED is largely funded by the U.S. Congress.

The Parnas party, led by former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, openly positions itself as the Kremlins opponent.

Its co-chairman, Russia's former Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov, was shot dead near the Kremlin on February 27, 2015.

Based on reporting by rapsinews.ru and Interfax
A Russian banker accused in the United States of participating in a spy ring has pleaded guilty to conspiracy.

Yevgeny Buryakov pleaded guilty on March 11 to conspiring with others to act as an agent of a foreign government without registering with the U.S. government.

The guilty plea was announced by the U.S. assistant attorney general for national security, John P. Carlin.

Prosecutors said that from 2012 through January 2015 he teamed up with diplomats to gather sensitive economic intelligence on potential U.S. sanctions against Russian banks and on U.S. efforts to develop alternative energy resources.

Buryakov had previously pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and other charges alleging he purposely failed to register as a foreign agent.

He allegedly was seeking to conceal his true role as a covert operative embedded at a Manhattan branch of Vneshekonombank (VEB).

He remains behind bars until sentencing, which is scheduled for May 25.

Based on reporting by AP and Interfax


The Serbian government has declared a state of emergency amid fears that heavy rains will cause widespread flooding and force thousands to leave their homes.

Authorities evacuated some 120 people in southwestern Serbia earlier this week after rivers overflowed, flooding hundreds of homes and farms.

The government said on March 10 the state of emergency was "a preemptive measure to ease and speed up actions of all state bodies" to protect human lives and property.

In 2014 the heaviest rainfall in more than a century caused floods that swept away roads, bridges, and homes. More than 50 people died and damage was estimated at 1.5 billion euros ($1.67 billion).

Critics said the damage then would not have been so great if Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and state-owned utilities had reacted in a timely manner to meteorologists' warnings of heavy rain.

"This time we are declaring a state of emergency preventatively," Serbia's interior minister, Nebojsa Stefanovic, told B92 TV.

He said the army and police will be deployed to help strengthen dams with sandbags and evacuate people if needed.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP
U.S. news media are reporting that the Obama administration will publicly blame Iranian hackers for a 2013 cyberattack against a small dam in New York state.

The Justice Department has prepared an indictment against the hackers and a public announcement could come as soon as next week, Reuters and CNN reported on March 10.

U.S. officials believe the hackers gained access only to some back-office systems, not the operational system of the Bowman Avenue Dam, a flood-control system 50 kilometers north of New York City.

The attack was not considered sophisticated, but "we obviously take seriously all such malicious activity in cyberspace," U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

"We are going to continue to use all the tools at our disposal to prevent, deter, detect, counter, and mitigate that kind of activity."

The Obama administration has grown increasingly concerned about the threat of foreign states hacking U.S. infrastructure since it determined that a cyberattack was the cause of a December power outage in Ukraine that affected nearly a quarter million customers.

Based on reporting by Reuters and CNN
U.S. senators have questioned the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, which they called an "uncertain ally" of the United States, but in the end they upheld the deal.

The Senate voted 71-24 against a resolution that would have blocked the $700 million deal with Lockhead Martin Corp.

Senator Rand Paul, the resolution's sponsor and a former GOP presidential candidate, got a sympathetic response in dubbing Pakistan a "frenemy" of the United States, however, coaxing Republican leaders to agree to bar U.S. financing for the deal.

"Though the government of Pakistan has been considered America's ally in the fight on terrorism, Pakistan's behavior would suggest otherwise," Paul said.

"While we give them billions of dollars in aid, we are simultaneously aware of their intelligence and military apparatus assisting the Afghan Taliban."

The United States has been striving to get Pakistan to use its influence to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table in peace talks with the Afghan government.

While providing a locale for the talks in Islamabad, Pakistan has not succeeded in influencing the Taliban to join them, to the frustration of Washington and Kabul.

Moreover, Washington has openly accused Pakistan's intelligence agency, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), of supporting the Haqqani network, a Taliban faction that is a U.S.-declared terrorist group. The ISI has denied the allegations.

That Senator Paul's resolution to block the jet sale secured support from nearly a quarter of the Senate shows how fractured the relationship between the two countries has become.

The Obama administration last month approved the F-16 sale to Pakistan, yet several allied Democrats, including Senators Chris Murphy, Mark Warner, and Joe Manchin voted to block the sale.

India has also vigorously protested the sale of such sophisticated warplanes to its nuclear-armed rival.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker urged his colleagues to allow the sale to proceed, however, even though Pakistan has been what he called "duplicitous" with the United States.

Corker said rejecting the sale would have publicly embarrassed Islamabad and led Pakistan to buy fighters from Russia or France.

The sale also gives the U.S. leverage with Islamabad, Corker said, as the deal provides the F-16s with 30 years of maintenance, which Corker said could be withdrawn at any time. That would leave Pakistan without the parts and expertise to keep the high-tech aircraft in the air.

But Corker and other supporters of the deal agreed to bar U.S. financing to help Pakistan pay for the fighters.

"Prohibiting a taxpayer subsidy sends a much-needed message to Pakistan that it needs to change its behavior," Corker said. "But preventing the purchase of U.S. aircraft would do more harm than good by paving the way for countries like Russia and China to sell to Pakistan while also inhibiting greater cooperation on counterterrorism."

With reporting by AP and Reuters
A father and daughter duo walked away from a plane crash on Sunday without injury while returning home from a college visit to URI. Above, the plane lands with a parachute attached.
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A budget amendment is expected to be approved today that will provide financial support to young Virginians who leave the foster care system at age 18 without a permanent family.

Members of the House and Senate agreed to include $1.9 million in new funding for the Fostering Futures program, an federal initiative that 30 other states and Washington, D.C., have already joined. An additional $2.1 million that the state already spends on foster youth who age out will be diverted into Fostering Futures. If the amendment is approved, Virginia will be eligible for about $4 million in a matching federal grant.

The program would allow foster children who turn 18 after July 1 to continue receiving financial and case management support until they turn 21, as long as theyre enrolled in school or working. If they want to continue living with their foster families, the funding would funnel through their foster parents, or they can live on their own.

Advocates have tried to get the General Assembly to approve the legislation for several years.

One of the measures patrons, Sen. Barbara A. Favola, D-Arlington, said she was absolutely thrilled that conference committee members included it.

This will make such a big difference for our most vulnerable kids, Favola said.

Virginia has the highest rate of youth aging out of care in the nation, according to Voices for Virginias Children, an advocacy group that has pushed for Fostering Futures legislation since 2012. More than 5,375 youth aged out of Virginias foster care system without families between 2008 and 2015.

Studies show foster children who leave the system at 18 without a permanent family or safety net face hardships at a much higher rate than their peers, including homelessness, drug addiction, early pregnancies and unemployment, according to the group.

Amy Woolard, senior policy attorney for Voices for Virginias Children, said the Fostering Futures initiative has been her biggest project yet with the organization. She spent hours in meetings with lawmakers over the past several years trying to show the need for a safety net.

This is an effort that spans across the political divide, Woolard said. These arent just child advocates who have been coming out in support  these have been business owners and parents and nurses and counselors.

Woolard and other proponents of the measure say making sure young adults have stable housing and money for bills and food saves taxpayers money in the long run on health care and incarceration, and productive adults contribute to society with their taxes.

Fewer than 3 percent of Americas foster youth who do not get adopted graduate with a four-year college degree, Favola said.

So many foster youth want to go on for higher education and they just cant afford to, she said.
Gil Harrington does not want to believe that Jesse L. Matthew Jr. was doomed to become the predator who abducted and murdered her 20-year-old daughter, Morgan.

Nine days after Matthew, 34, was sentenced to four life terms for the murders of Morgan Harrington and University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, Harrington went to the General Assembly Building on Friday to praise legislative progress on multiple fronts in the effort to prevent sexual violence, support victims and prosecute perpetrators.

The hope is Jesse Matthew was not destined to become a serial rapist and murderer, Harrington said. He chose that.

She made her remarks after appearing at a news conference touting the passage of three bills that were part of Gov. Terry McAuliffes Task Force on Combating Campus Sexual Violence.

You need to prosecute, you need to investigate, you need to prevent, and you need to educate, Harrington said.

Those bills, introduced by Del. Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, require high school family life curricula to educate students on dating violence and other forms of sexual assault; train law enforcement on handling investigations involving sexual trauma; and tighten requirements for retaining physical evidence from sexual assault investigations, which was incorporated with similar bills under House Bill 1160, carried by Del. Robert B. Bell, R-Albemarle.

By teaching students what is ... a healthy, safe relationship and what is not, we can reduce the level of sexual assault, Filler-Corn said.

Harrington is convinced that legislative advances in recent years  requiring the external reporting of felony sexual assault, requiring DNA samples from people convicted of first-degree misdemeanors, and using DNA testing for familial relationships  would have prevented Matthew from killing her daughter in 2009 and Graham in 2014.

If they had been in place in 2009, Morgan and Hannah would be alive, she said at the news conference.

The bills Filler-Corn carried were among 21 recommendations of a state task force formed by McAuliffe and led by Attorney General Mark R. Herring, who cited two of them in a statement praising progress made in the General Assembly session.

Herring said the task forces work has made Virginia a national leader in tackling this issue head-on.

Secretary of Education Anne Holton said in a statement Friday that legislation adopted in this session will make our campuses safer and our students more secure.

In addition to bills carried by Filler-Corn, the Attorney Generals Office credited legislation introduced by Del. Jimmie Massie, R-Henrico, to expand participation in meetings of college or university sexual assault response teams, and encourage agreements between higher education institutions and local law enforcement agencies in preventing and responding to sexual assault.

Filler-Corn and other advocates say prevention has to begin with education long before students reach college campuses. House Bill 659, awaiting McAuliffes signature, would require high school curricula to educate students, regardless of gender, in prevention of dating and sexual violence, sexual harassment and domestic abuse.

If the first time were talking about sexual assault is at college orientation, it is way too late, said Annie Clark, executive director of End Rape on Campus, a national advocacy group.

Advocates also emphasized the importance of how law enforcement officers treat victims in the investigation of sexual assault and violence. House Bill 1102, also on the governors desk, would require the Department of Criminal Justice Services to provide curricula and training for trauma-informed sexual assault investigation.

Law enforcement has been hungry for this, said Aviva Kurash of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

So have victims and their families. Harrington said Charlottesville police initially faulted Morgan for wearing a mini-skirt the night of her abduction.

That rankled, she said. Still does.
By Stephen J. Farnsworth and Stephen P. Hanna

The 2016 Virginia Republican Primary results demonstrate the #NeverTrump GOP movement gearing up after Super Tuesday probably is doomed.

Unlike those participating in many of the earlier states in the nomination calendar  and many of the other states that also voted on Super Tuesday  Virginias Republican voters are a highly diverse group with something of an identity crisis. Consider the range of Virginia Republicans: national security conservatives concentrated in Hampton Roads and near the Pentagon and Quantico; evangelical conservatives who populate the states rural heartland; libertarians found in the exurbs of northern Virginia and Richmond; and more centrist Republicans  who care more about winning elections than ideological purity  who are particularly likely to call Fairfax or suburban Richmond home. Still others casting ballots last week were non-Republicans who chose to vote in a GOP contest in Virginia, a state that does not register voters by party.

From time to time, the state partys deep disagreements have gained national attention, most notably in the tea party-fueled rejection of U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantors bid for a Republican renomination two years ago. Even away from the national headlines, however, the Virginia Republicans have fought over how strongly to emphasize a conservative social agenda that wins nominations but tends to hobble statewide candidates in general elections.

On Super Tuesday, Virginians did not offer a definitive answer in the multi-candidate field. Donald Trump finished first, favored by just under 35 percent of the voters, with Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida securing second place with 32 percent. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas finished third with roughly 17 percent support.

These results show clearer patterns when we consider candidate match-ups through cartograms, which size the states political jurisdictions by the total number of votes cast in the 2016 Republican primary to reflect more accurately its political geography. After all, people vote; acres do not.

The two cartograms that accompany this column compare Trumps support with that of his two closest challengers in the Old Dominion: Rubio and Cruz. Turning first to the head-to-head comparison with Rubio, we see that Trump had a huge advantage in the Republican-dominated counties along the Interstate 81 corridor and along the North Carolina border, jurisdictions that contain large numbers of evangelical conservatives. Hampton Roads and the military-rich counties of Stafford, Spotsylvania and King George were also Trump territory, though generally by smaller margins.

Rubios biggest advantages were found in the populous suburbs of Washington, D.C., and Richmond. His large margins in those counties in some of the independent cities dotting the state (like Charlottesville) contain many GOP voters more concerned with a general election victory in November than a vigorous airing of political grievances today. Rubios pockets of suburban strength  including the swing counties of Prince William and Loudoun  suggest he might be a stronger general election candidate than Trump. But Rubios generally poor performance elsewhere in highly diverse Virginia does not augur well for his ability to consolidate the anti-Trump vote in the weeks ahead.

The prospects for the anti-Trump movement organizing successfully behind Cruz are even bleaker. Trump beat him almost everywhere in the state by a large margin. Cruz managed to beat the front-runner in only one Virginia jurisdiction: Lynchburg City. Elsewhere  that is, in more than 130 other Virginia cities and counties  Cruz failed to win over all that many evangelical conservatives, all that many military conservatives or all that many of any other kind of Republican primary voter.

Rubio spent a lot of time in Virginia leading up to Super Tuesday, and it showed in his second-place finish. Cruz didnt spend much time here and the results reflected that as well. But Trump also divided his time among a number of Super Tuesday states and still managed to score well across the wide range of Republican primary voters who call Virginia home. In this highly pivotal state that looks a lot like America, neither of Trumps chief rivals made much of a case for themselves as the dominant voice of a #NeverTrump movement in a divided party.
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COVID-19 drove a dramatic increase in the number of women who died from pregnancy or childbirth complications in the U.S. last year, a crisis that has disproportionately claimed Black and Hispanic women as victims. A government report released Wednesday lays out grim trends across the country for expectant mothers and their newborn babies. It finds that pregnancy-related deaths have spiked nearly 80 percent since 2018, with COVID-19 being a factor in a quarter of the 1,178 deaths reported last year. The percentage of preterm and low birthweight babies also went up last year, after holding steady for years. And more pregnant or postpartum women are reporting symptoms of depression.
St. Patrick's Day has long celebrated the roots of 34.2 million Americans with Irish ancestry. But did you know that in 2014, there were 18 people killed in drunk driving crashes on St. Patrick's Day?

Tragically, March 17 has become one of the nation's deadliest holidays. If your plans for celebrating this year involve alcohol, the Roanoke County Police Department has some advise for you: Don't drink and drive. Law enforcement throughout the Roanoke Valley will be utilizing saturation patrols and checkpoints to crack down on drunk drivers and keep the streets safe for everyone.

Also, keep an eye out for pedestrians who have had too much to drink; walking while intoxicated can also be deadly. The lack of attention and coordination of a drunk pedestrian puts him at risk of getting hit by a vehicle; a fact seen too often in the Roanoke Valley.

The Roanoke County Police Department will be utilizing the No Refusal program from March 11 through 19 in an effort to crack down on drinking and driving during St. Patrick's Day. The No Refusal program simply means that if a driver refuses to submit to a breath test after being arrested for driving under the influence, then the officer will apply for a search warrant with the magistrate. If the magistrate is satisfied with the probable cause for the arrest, a search warrant will be issued and medical staff at the sheriff's office will draw a blood sample which will be submitted to the Department of Forensic Science for a toxicology test.

The Roanoke County Police Department will utilize all legal means to insure that impaired drivers are held accountable for such a potentially deadly offense during St. Patrick's Day.

No matter how you plan to get home, remember: Drive sober or get pulled over.

Submitted by Tim Wyatt
Richard Moon, Roanoke County Public Schools art coordinator, shares photos from the March 8 reception for the Youth Art Month show at the Jefferson Center.

The show is organized by the Southwest Virginia Art Education Association.

Students from Roanoke County, Roanoke, Botetourt County, Community School and Hope Tree academy will have work displayed at the Jefferson Center for the month of March (Youth Art Month).

For photos of Roanoke County students at the reception, see the photo gallery, or for a different view, click here.
RICHMOND  A bill that would allow local candidates to be identified as Rs and Ds on the ballot for the first time in state history squeaked through the House of Delegates on Thursday after stumbling the day before.

SB 767, sponsored by Sen. David Suetterlein, R-Roanoke County, had to be resuscitated after dying in a close vote when it first came up on the House floor.

Supporters were able to flip a handful of votes on the second try after amending the bill to make it absolutely clear the measure wont overrule any local charters that bar partisan nominations in elections for local office.

The bill remained closely contested, though, and edged through on a 50-45 vote.

I do not think partisan politics should be brought into the local level, Del. Riley Ingram, a Republican and former Hopewell City Council member, said during the floor debate Wednesday. I think this bill would just create more problems.

Others argued these candidates are already seeking out partisan party nominations and the bill merely allows that reality to be reflected on the ballot.

Anyone who thinks that not putting a D or an R or whatever behind the name stops it from being partisan is not listening to the real world, said Del. Mark Dudenhefer, R-Stafford.

Virginia has long been wary of the idea of adding party markers to election ballots. Candidates for state office have only had the option since 2001. Local candidates have never been able to list themselves by party on the ballot.

Some worried SB 767 doesnt do enough to protect the ability of localities to choose how their elections are conducted.

Some 23 cities and at least 95 towns dont have charter provisions barring party-affiliated elections, according to the Virginia Municipal League, which opposes the bill.

Those communities can ask for charter revisions, but that takes General Assembly approval. In 2013, Salem sought a charter amendment to require that its City Council elections be nonpartisan. The request cleared the Senate but died in the House of Delegates.

One of the things Im very passionate about is independence in local government, because in the end I think its the most important level of government, said Salem Mayor Randy Foley, who opposes SB 767. The issues we discuss are for the betterment of our community. Theres no need for party labels.

Foley and other Salem City Council candidates have long held to the tradition of running as independents. Adding party flags to the ballot, he worried, will only open the door to new partisan polarization and shift greater influence to the political parties.

What I cant get anybody to tell me is how this improves governance in any way, shape or form at the local level, he said. This is purely to the benefit of the parties. Theres no other way to look at it.

Suetterlein, whose district includes Salem, said his bill doesnt preclude anyone from running as an independent or increase the number of elections where partisan backing is allowed.

For example, elected school board candidates will still run without party nominations, as required by a separate state law.

This doesnt make any more offices partisan.  It simply adds transparency to the ballot so the voters can see who has been nominated by a party, Suetterlein said.

He pointed out that last year taxpayers paid for 24 local primaries but werent able to see those results noted on the final general election ballot.

Del. Greg Habeeb, R-Salem, described the measure as an issue of transparency and accountability, since party nominees are granted a more direct path to the ballot than independents.

The parties have certain statutory privileges, said Habeeb, who supported the bill. If were going to give them that, the world ought to know that these candidates are being put forward by those parties and they ought to be held accountable for that.

SB 767 is now heading to Gov. Terry McAuliffes desk. Hell have until next month to act on it. Foley said he hoped the governor will oppose the measure. A spokesman for McAuliffe said only that it will be reviewed when it arrives.
Two Southwest Virginia lawmakers claimed Friday that Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed a bill to extend tax credits aimed at propping up the states coal industry as retaliation for their refusal to go along with a quid pro quo deal involving a vacancy on the Supreme Court of Virginia.

Sen. Bill Carrico, R-Grayson, said he had been told Thursday that McAuliffe would consider supporting the coal tax credits if Carrico broke with Republicans in the election of a Supreme Court justice. Sen. Ben Chafin, R-Russell, said he had received a similar message, which he saw as a threat.

Carrico said he saw the proposal, which he said was communicated to him through Senate leaders, as an attempt by the governor to thwart my legislative powers.

I will not bend. I will not bow. I will not break to his political corrupt ways, Carrico said.

The legislature voted Thursday to elect Court of Appeals Judge Stephen McCullough, ending a long-running feud with McAuliffe and preventing the governor from reappointing his pick for the court, former Fairfax Circuit Judge Jane Marum Roush.

McAuliffe said he vetoed extensions of tax credits for coal-related companies because they are costing the state money and are not having their intended effect of saving coal jobs. Representatives of coal-dependent regions have pressed to preserve the credits.

The remarks by the two GOP senators drew a swift rebuke from Senate Minority Leader Richard Saslaw, D-Fairfax, who said deal-making has long been part of the legislative process. He also suggested Carrico had decided that the vote on the Supreme Court justice was more important than the region he represents.

My region comes first, Saslaw said. Not my caucus. My region.

Since 1998, the governor said, the credits for coal-related companies have cost the state roughly $610 million as the number of coal jobs plummeted from 11,100 to 2,900.

The decision I wouldve made wouldve been my constituents first, Saslaw said. Not what my caucus wants.

McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy said the governors office did not offer any deal directly.

A lot of senators said a lot of things over there, Coy said. But not from this office.

Coy noted that Senate Republicans had offered a lower judgeship as a bargaining chip in trying to win Democratic support in the Supreme Court fight.

The histrionics aside, the governor vetoed that bill two years in a row because its a bad bill, Coy said.

The legislation, which supporters say would help coal miners and their families, had passed the Senate and the House of Delegates by veto-proof margins.

In a written statement, Del. Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, said he was deeply disappointed with the veto and linked it to what he called the Obama-Clinton-McAuliffe war on coal.

Coal production provides mining jobs in Southwest, railroad jobs throughout the state and jobs at the port in Hampton Roads, said Kilgore, who sponsored a bill in the House to extend the credits. The governor is directly responsible for the job losses that will stem from his veto.

McAuliffe vetoed similar legislation last year. He said Friday that hes confident he has the votes to sustain his veto in the closely divided Senate.

I like to say Im able to count, McAuliffe said. And Ive counted.

The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission found in 2012 that the coal tax credits have been largely ineffective.

McAuliffe said he cant support wasteful programs, but insisted hell do everything he can to help coal-dependent regions.

I wish Id had that $610 million to let me loose down there to build new, 21st-century manufacturing jobs in renewable energy and other things, McAuliffe said. Let me tell you, Id have that economy humming with $610 million. This program just hasnt worked. And Ive got to protect taxpayer dollars.
The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill Thursday targeting the heroin and opioid epidemic by steering drug policy more toward a public health approach.

If the bipartisan legislation passes in the House, it would authorize more than $300 million over five years in federal grants to state and local programs aimed at providing treatment for addicts and expanding prevention efforts. The Senate voted 94-1 in favor of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. President Barack Obama has supported the bill.

Its really important that we make better strides against drug abuse and drug overdoses and have more prevention and more services to those with a drug addiction problem, said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a co-sponsor of the bill.

Kaine has been active in searching for solutions to help combat the rise in opioid overdoses and deaths in Virginia and nationwide.

Under the states Revive program, Kaine was among the first group of Virginians to be trained in August 2014 in how to administer a drug that counteracts the effects of a heroin overdose.

The heroin scourge has been a particularly rude awakening for Virginia. According to the Attorney Generals Office, 728 people died from heroin and prescription drug overdoses in 2014, surpassing for the first time the number of people killed in car crashes.

In the past five years, fatal overdoses have increased by 57 percent, and nearly 3,000 Virginians have died. A January report from the state Department of Health projected the number of heroin overdoses to increase from 239 in 2014 to 325 in 2015.

State Attorney General Mark Herring hailed the federal bill as a big step forward in addressing what has become a national epidemic of prescription drug and heroin abuse and overdose.

If anything cried out for bipartisan action, he said, it is this all hands on deck moment, and my only regret is that these resources come too late for thousands of families in Virginia and throughout the country who have already lost a loved one to addiction.

The legislation authorizes the expansion of prescription drug monitoring programs and increased availability of Naloxone, a drug that counters the effects of heroin overdoses, to first responders such as police and firefighters.

Grant money also could be used to develop drug treatment programs aimed at diverting addicts from jail and to help hospitals, clinics and pharmacies safely dispose of unwanted prescription medication.

Kaine contributed an amendment, co-sponsored by Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; Pat Toomey, R-Pa.; and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, that authorizes Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D prescription plans to utilize a patient review and restriction tool.

The lock-in measure helps identify people at risk of addiction and restricts them to one pharmacy and one provider to prevent patients from filling multiple prescriptions from more than one doctor.

The abuse of prescription opioids and heroin is very tightly connected, Kaine said. Its the drug addiction that came out of the medicine cabinet.

Senate Republicans blocked an amendment that would have injected $600 million in emergency funding to the bill. The move means Congress will have to find additional money to support the programs authorized in the bill.

The weakness of the bill is we authorized these programs, and these programs have a price tag, Kaine said.

Another bill associated with drug abuse that Kaine introduced in November is slated to be marked up by members of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee next week.

The Co-prescribing Saving Lives Act encourages physicians to co-prescribe Nalxone alongside opioid prescriptions and would make the treatment more widely available in federal health settings, including Veterans Affairs hospitals and federally qualified health centers.
Jim Jenkins, 35, of Salem, Va., passed away on Friday, March 4, 2016.Anyone who met Jim was immediately warmed by his huge heart and lively spirit. Ironically, it was an enlarged heart from decades of sleep apnea that took him without warning.Jim was a teacher with a specific passion for loving the students who didn't know they were lovable because he had been one of those students himself. In the last few years, he found his calling at HopeTree Academy working as a Social Studies and Theatre Teacher. He had a Master's in Learning and Organizational Change from Belmont University, and his dreams included public speaking to share all the wisdom he gained from decades of passionate teaching. He loved seeing a student finally have that moment of "I got it!" learning that makes them feel capable, valuable, and eager to learn more. His boundless creativity and non-judgmental approach to kids allowed him to see them as they were and help them see their own value.As a father and a husband, he brought magic and games and stories into every moment: He was our Superhero. As a son, son-in-law, brother, and uncle, he shared his larger than life comforting voice, his passion for quality debate leading to growth, and his tenderness  the hugs only he could give that wrapped you in safety and acceptance.He had so much creative energy it was always flowing into online communities, his gaming passions, and artwork he shared with everyone. He was a celebrated Toastmaster, led students to high ranks in speech and debate (after reaching them himself as a student), and taught so many children the joy of theatre: of expressing themselves truly and deeply in all ways. One of his newest projects was creating a blog to help us all learn more about our brains, behavior, and feelings - all while researching new recipes to cook for his family, making his daughter toys from polymer clay, and singing us to sleep at night.He is missed deeply by too many to name, but leaves behind his wife, Julie DePauw Jenkins; his daughter, Virginia Jenkins; his parents, Jim and Terri Jenkins; and his sister, Denise, husband, Tyler, and daughters, Calista and Nadya.Jim continued giving after passing away through organ donation. A memorial will be held in Akron, Ohio. His wife implores you to send written memories of Jim to share with his daughter as she grows. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Jim Jenkins Memorial Fund at Wells Fargo Bank (account number ending in 3676) for the care and education of his daughter. Please mail written memories or donations to Wells Fargo, c/o Dora Hamm, 14 West Main Street, Salem, VA 24153.
THE DEFAMATION case brought by Rotherhams three MPs over claims they knew about widespread child sex abuse in the town before it was exposed in the press has been given a trial date.

Sarah Champion, Kevin Barron and John Healey sued Yorkshire MEP Jane Collins last year over a speech she gave at the 2014 UKIP party conference in which they claim she suggested they knew many of the details of what was happening.

Cllr Caven Vines, UKIP councillor for Rotherham, is also being sued over claims he repeated the allegations in a TV interview.

The trial will start on May 16 at the Royal Courts of Justice in London and has been listed up to three days.

Both Ms Collins, who stood as a Parliamentary candidate for Rotherham in 2015, and Cllr Vines, who unsuccessfully tried to have the case against him kicked out last week, deny defaming the three MPs.
The Diamond Producers Association (DPA) has announced that Sally Morrison, Managing Director of Marketing, will leave the organisation in May to pursue another professional opportunity. To ensure continuity of momentum in the DPAs US marketing activities, Michael Pace will join the organisation at the end of March as Interim Managing Director of Marketing, until a permanent replacement to Sally has been identified.

Michael brings a wealth of experience in luxury and consumer marketing, having spent 13 years with the World Gold Council, following roles at Diageo and Unilever. He will report to Jean-Marc Lieberherr, Chief Executive of the DPA, and work alongside David Lamb, former Managing Director of the World Gold Council, who is providing strategic marketing support to the organisation.

Jean-Marc Lieberherr said: I am very grateful to Sally for her significant contribution to the marketing direction of the DPA, and would like to wish her every success for the future.

In Michael and David, we have two outstanding marketers, who will work with the Board and me to achieve the goals weve set for the DPA. We look forward to sharing with the trade an update on our marketing plans at the upcoming JCK Show.



Theodor Lisovoy, Rough&Polished, Moscow




Zimbabwes main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, has called for an impeachment of President Robert Mugabe as he is no longer in full and effective control of the country.

This follows revelations by Mugabe (92) last week that diamonds worth about $15 billion were mined in Marange since 2009, but the country only received close to $2 billion in revenue during the period.

The MDC holds Mugabe and his entire Zanu PF regime solely and wholly responsible for the mess in Marange. We have stated it before, and we repeat it here and now, Mugabe is no longer in full and effective control of the country, the opposition said.

in order to save Zimbabwe from a complete and irretrievable breakdown, the MDC calls upon parliamentarians, across the political divide, to do the patriotic and honourable thing of immediately impeaching Mugabe.

However, calls for an impeachment plan would likely hit a cul-de-sac as Mugabes Zanu-PF party had a majority in Parliament.

MDC said revelations that billions worth of diamonds from Marange had not been accounted for was astounding and startling, to say the least.

The MDC is extremely concerned with the opaqueness surrounding the diamond mining activities at Marange in Manicaland province, the opposition said.

It is more than apparent that right from the outset, the manner in which mining licences were awarded to the various mining companies at Marange/Chiadzwa lacked transparency and accountability. There was no public tender system that was instituted before the afore-mentioned diamond mining licences were awarded. Everything was done secretively and as a result, it was always going to be very difficult to enforce transparency and good corporate governance consistent with international best practice.

Zimbabwe recently cancelled all licences that had been granted to various mining companies in Marange, except the wholly-owned Marange Resources.

No rocket science is needed to appreciate the fact that there has been serious illicit financial flows from Zimbabwe emanating from the opaque and shadowy diamond mining operations in Chiadzwa over the years, MDC concluded.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




Apple Inc. (AAPL) has sent out invites for an event to be held at Apple's headquarters on March 21, with a teasing tag "Let us loop you in."

Apple rumor mill has been predicting two major products to be launched at the event. The first is a smaller 4-inch iPhone called iPhone 5SE (special edition) that will replace the iPhone 5S as Apple's entry-level model, however, will come with almost similar power and features as its bigger counterparts iPhone 6S and 6S Plus.

Rumor mill also expects a successor to the 9.7-inch iPad Air 2 to be launched during the event. Software updates for Apple Watch, Apple TV and iOS can also be expected.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
The 12th time was apparently the charm for the Republican presidential hopefuls, who finally managed to square off in a debate that was relatively light on hostility and strong on issues.

Facing off Thursday evening at the University of Miami, the remaining four GOP candidates largely avoided the toxic rhetoric and personal attacks that have permeated most of the other debates.

Business mogul Donald Trump - whose controversial brand of acerbic campaigning has won praise from some and condemnation from others - was on his best behavior.

Leading in the polls and having won a majority of state contests to date, he preached a message of unity within the party in an effort to heal some of the rifts that have developed.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz - probably the only other man with enough delegates in the bank to mathematically have a chance to clinch the nomination - repeatedly pointed to himself as someone who could recognize problems and offer solutions.

He took a few minor shots at Trump, but he generally didn't want to rock the boat.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio was obviously the partisan crowd's favorite, and he had arguably his best showing to date.

Failure to win his home state next week likely would spell the end of his run.

Ohio Governor John Kasich continued to hammer away at his experience and ability to get things done in bi-partisan fashion while running the Buckeye State.

Trump came into Thursday's debate with 458 delegates, followed by Cruz (359), Rubio (151) and Kasich (54).

There are 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the Republican nomination.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leads the Democratic contest with 760 delegates, while Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has 546.

Clinton also has 461 so-called super delegates pledged to her campaign, and Sanders has 25 - so she holds an unofficial lead of 1,221 to 571.

There are 2,383 delegates needed to clinch the Democratic nomination.

Next up is the Republican contests in the District of Columbia (19 delegates), Guam (nine) and Wyoming (29), while the Democrats compete in the Northern Mariana Islands (11).

The stakes get higher on Tuesday with dual races in Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
Computacenter plc (CCC.L), a provider of IT infrastructure and services, reported Friday that its fiscal 2015 profit before tax climbed 66 percent to 126.8 million pounds from 76.4 million pounds a year ago.

Earnings per share were 82.1 pence, 105.3 percent higher than 40 pence last year.

Adjusted profit before tax was 86.9 million pounds, compared to 81.1 million pounds a year ago. Adjusted earnings per share were 53.4 pence, compared to 44.1 pence.

Annual revenue declined 1.6 percent to 3.06 billion pounds from prior year's 3.11 billion pounds. Adjusted revenue edged down 0.3 percent to 3.05 billion pounds.

Further, the company announced a second interim dividend for 2015 of 15.0 pence per share, in lieu of a final dividend for 2015. The total dividend per share for 2015 will be 21.4 pence per share,

Looking ahead, for fiscal 2016, the company said it expects the first half profit to be below that reported for the same period in 2015.

Mike Norris, Chief Executive, said, "The UK will have a more challenging year, particularly in the first half.... we expect 2016 to be a year of further progress."

The Company remains committed to long-term earnings per share growth through increased profitability and prudent use of cash generation.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
German commercial vehicles maker Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nurnberg or MAN SE (MAGOF.PK) reported Friday a decline in fiscal 2015 profit, reflecting weak sales revenues. Orders also declined from last year. Looking ahead to fiscal 2016, the company expects significantly higher operating profit and operating return on sales, while sales will be slightly lower than last year.

For fiscal 2015, profit attributable to shareholders declined to 140 million euros from 254 million euros last year. Earnings per share were 0.95 euro, compared to 1.73 euros a year ago.

The weak results mainly reflected the absence of prior year gain from discontinued operations. On a continuing operations basis, earnings per share were 1.02 euros, higher than last year's 0.88 euro.

Profit before tax also plunged to 95 million euros from 242 million euros last year. Operating profit fell to 92 million euros from last year's 384 million euros. Restructuring expenses and difficult market environment in Brazil weighed on operating profit, the company said.

Sales revenue declined 4 percent to 13.70 billion euros from 14.29 billion euros last year.

The Commercial Vehicles area recorded sales revenue of 10 billion euros. MAN Truck & Bus generated year-on-year growth of 7 percent, with unit sales up by 8 percent to 79,222 vehicles. MAN Latin America's sales revenue declined and unit sales almost halved.

Order intake was also down 6 percent to 14.4 billion euros, with 4 percent drop in the Commercial Vehicles business area. MAN Truck & Bus received 9 percent more orders, while order intake at MAN Latin America declined by more than half. In the Power Engineering business area, order intake decreased 13 percent.

The company noted that the European commercial vehicles market recovered, while the situation in other regions, especially Brazil, and in the Power Engineering business area remains tense. Russia and Brazil continue to be of great concern.

For fiscal 2016, MAN SE expects unit sales in the Commercial Vehicles segment to be same as last year, while sales revenue will fall slightly short of the prior-year figure. Operating profit and operating return on sales on a reported as well as adjusted basis will be up significantly year-on-year.

In the Power Engineering business area, the company expects slightly higher order intake in 2016, while sales revenue will be noticeably lower than the previous year. Operating profit and operating return on sales will be significantly lower as strong competitive pressure will continue to weigh on the strained in 2016.

In Germany, MAN SE shares were trading at 94.25 euros, up 0.74 percent.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Crude oil prices rose further Friday, after the International Energy Agency said prices have bottomed due to lower output from the US and other non-OPEC producers.

WTI crude oil for April was up 81 cents to $38.64 a barrel, the highest since December.

Non-OPEC output will fall by 750,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2016, compared to its previous estimate of 600,000 bpd, the IEA said in its monthly report.

The Labor Department will release its report on export and import prices for February at 8:30 am ET.

Economists expect import prices to have declined by 0.8 percent month-over-month, while export prices may have fallen by a more modest 0.5 percent.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, a start-up that has adopted Elon Musk's ambitious project of high-speed transportation system, has signed a deal with the Slovakian government to start the first Hyperloop transportation track in Europe.

The company is looking forward to build a three-country Hyperloop system, connecting three major cities in Austria, Hungary and Slovakia.

"Slovakia is a technological leader in the automotive, material science, and energy industries, many of the areas that are integral to the Hyperloop system," HTT CEO Dirk Ahlborn, said in a statement. "Having a European Hyperloop presence will incentivize collaboration and innovation within Slovakia and throughout Europe."

Hyperloop Test Technologies, a crowd-funded company, is currently building a full-scale model on five miles land in California's Quay Valley for testing purposes.

Musk had unveiled plans for the $6 billion Hyperloop system in 2013. He had published a 57-page plan on both Tesla Motors' and SpaceX's blogs, allowing interested parties to use the design. The conceptual Hyperloop route runs from the Los Angeles region to the San Francisco Bay Area, and the system seeks to help travelers cover the distance in 35 minutes.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
The Swiss stock market turned in a strong performance Friday, bouncing back from yesterday's decline. Today's upward move was designated primarily as a correction of the losses of the previous day after the European Central Bank announced a massive stimulus program. Financial stocks were among the best performers at the end of the trading week.

The Swiss market initially reacted positively to yesterday's extensive stimulus program from the ECB, but reversed on comments from Mario Draghi which suggested that rates had reached a bottom.

The Swiss Market Index increased 1.33 percent Friday and finished at 7,998.43. The SMI ended the trading week with a slight gain of 0.2 percent. The Swiss Leader Index climbed 1.69 percent and the Swiss Performance Index added 1.37 percent.

Financial stocks shined the brightest Friday, both in Switzerland and across Europe. The ECB's proposal to pay banks for lending to companies drove bank shares higher. Credit Suisse leaped 5.4 percent and UBS advanced 3.3 percent. Julius Baer also finished higher by 3.0 percent.

Insurance stocks also turned in a solid performance. Swiss Re climbed 2.2 percent and Zurich Insurance gained 3.1 percent. Baloise advanced 2.8 percent and Swiss Life added 3.1 percent.

Shares of Transocean increased 4.5 percent, receiving a boost from rising crude oil prices. LafargeHolcim and Geberit both gained 2.9 percent each. Geberit will present annual results next Tuesday. Aryzta rose 0.8 percent. It will report results next week Monday.

The index heavyweights all finished the day in the green. Roche gained 0.6 percent and Novartis increased 1.0 percent. Shares of Nestle also finished higher by 0.8 percent.

Swatch was one of the few losers of the session, finishing with a loss of 3.1 percent. CEO Nick Hayek expressed optimism on the company's prospects at yesterday's press conference. However, U.S. bank Bernstein has expressed concerns that growth expectations for 2016 are too optimistic.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
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Millennial Moms Review: 2022 Acura MDX is pretty close to the perfect family car

I dont know if perfect is attainable, especially considering weve got the world of options when it comes to modern vehicles. Were spoiled and, as such, we have very specific needs and wants. Driving-wise, the 2022 Acura MDX is one of my favourite ...
A first-of-its-kind journey along India and Pakistan border

What binds the two most talked about nations - India and Pakistan together? What makes the
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Social Media Websites Overlook Freedom of Expression with Deletion of Pro-Resistance Pages

Is Saudi Arabia behind the removal of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's Fan Pages?



Photo of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah courtesy: awdnews.com



(BEIRUT) - Instagram users are complaining of the rising crackdown on pro-resistance fan pages. Access has been lost to the official page of Lebanon's Hezbollah Secretary General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, without any previous notice.

Recently, an Instagram page, highly popular for sharing materials from Hezbollah's vantage point, was deleted for the fourth time in a row.

Earlier, Facebook imposed unjust restrictions on users who posted Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's pictures and sayings, by suspending the user's account for a period of one week and if the user defied the American social networking website, his/her account would be deleted for good.

Social media experts castigate Facebook and Instagram for trampling the inalienable rights, namely freedom of expression, by citing empty slogans such as "promoting hatred". In reality, the allure of Saudi financial aid explains Facebook's biased behavior.

Five years after the beginning of the Syrian conflict, Facebook remains the key social networking website, connecting the Saudi-backed militants through a fertile ground for their malicious activities of spreading ethnic and religious hatred/ This, in spite of the fact that Facebook opted to side with al Qaeda-inspired rebels.

Furthermore, as the Saudi-led aggression is raging in Yemen, Facebook promises radical Saudi users a widening of the vicious Sunni-Shia schism. Facebook's deliberate indifference towards dangerous Wahhabi users evinces the bias of its managers.

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Tuition freeze helps reduce inflation burden on college students

Inflation on gas and groceries is affecting college students, as data, similar to the BLS CPI, from the Kansas State University Economics Club shows.
Duterte-Cayetano to amend Juvenile Justice Law, rescue children from crime and disorder

Press Release

February 2, 2016

MAKATI CITY  Presidential aspirant Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and his running mate Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano today pushed for the amendment of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, whose loopholes they said are being exploited by crime and drug syndicates to use children for illegal activities.

"Sobra na ang gulo kaya sobra na ang hirap ng tao. In many cases, drug traffickers use minors as couriers, a modus operandi made rather convenient by the law. Often times, these guys just go scot-free and grow up with no sense of accountability," Duterte said.

"It's time to bring back order and keep our kids off the streets as we wage an all-out war against organized crime," he added.

The tandem said the minimum age of criminal liability should be lowered from 15 to 12 years old, noting that moral autonomy usually develops as early as age 10. For repeat offenders, they said a new provision should be inserted so that those above 15 but below 18, who were subjected to a diversion program and are not first-time violators, shall be treated as adult offenders.

Cayetano clarified, however, that minors would be placed in separate detention facilities and given the same rehabilitation, reintegration, and after-care services to ensure their normal growth. He said tough anti-crime measures must go hand in hand with restorative justice when it comes to children in conflict with the law (CCIL).

"Sa kamay na bakal na pupuksa sa krimen, may kamay na aaruga sa nais magbago at magbalik loob sa batas. Ito ang tatak Duterte-Cayetano," the senator said.

The duo is also studying the possibility of aggravating the punishment for adults who try to exploit minors and use them in carrying out their criminal activities.

Our goal in pushing for these amendments is to end the disorder in the streets. Through this, we reduce the number of crimes committed by minors and protect them from notorious criminals and syndicates who take advantage of their vulnerabilities, Cayetano said.
The ideal teacher

By Fr. ROY CIMAGALA , roycimagala@gmail.com

February 5, 2016

I SUPPOSE among the first things that come to mind when we think of how a good and ideal teacher should be are that he is competent, does continuing study and research on his subject, prepares his classes well, delivers them fluently, keeps good relation with his students and colleagues, submits grades punctually, etc.

Those are indeed excellent qualities but they are not enough. In fact, they simply are peripherals and can be dangerous and counterproductive if they are not inspired by the proper spirit of love. Without the latter, the other qualities would be at the mercy of other spirits not proper to us.

These otherwise good qualities would simply be conditioned and dependent on purely human desires and intentions that, no matter how well-founded, will always bear the marks of human frailties and vulnerabilities, and later of self-interest if not sheer malice.

Having the proper spirit is fundamental and indispensable for a teacher to be a good one. He should not only be a master of the subject he teaches, but he also should manage to inspire love for God and for others.

That is the proper spirit to have. A good teacher manages to relate the things he teaches, no matter how technical and mundane, to God and to others. He should inspire the students to love God and others more through the things he teaches.

Failure in this crucial point would expose the things taught and learned to the dynamics of merely worldly values that are very vulnerable to being used and exploited by evil spirits.

This is actually what is taking place these days. We have quite progressed in terms of knowledge. Our sciences and technologies are practically bursting with new developments and possibilities. We are having an overload. But without charity inspiring them, they can easily be misused and abused. Lets remember what St. Paul said once: Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. (1 Cor 8,1)

A good and ideal teacher, lets reiterate it, always manages to relate the things taught to God and to inspire his students to love God and others through these things. The lessons he teaches are not merely technical things, or intellectual or theoretical affairs. He manages to link them to the abiding providential action of God.

In other words, while he is most rigorous in the technical and intellectual aspects of the lessons taught, his teaching is such that piety is not impaired or forgotten, but in fact, is fostered. He does not leave piety behind in his teaching. He does not think that the inputs of faith, hope and charity would be a hindrance in his teaching.

This is also another point to be overcome. Many people think that things of faith, hope and charity, the requirements of piety and all the other virtues are a drag to teaching. Well, not at all! On the contrary, they enrich their teaching, grounding and orienting them properly, and infusing them with prudence and other virtues.

The worldly lessons they transmit can acquire an eternal value. They cease to be simply practical and beneficial in a purely worldly way. They become vehicles for ones sanctification which, in the end, is the only thing necessary in this life. What does it profit a man, Christ says, if he gains the whole world but loses his soul? (Mt 16,26)

If we realize this point on what really would make for an ideal teacher, then we can discover what the real problem is, what the real handicap is in the area of education all over the world today.

Its the secularization of education, an education with hardly any relation to God. And if there is, that relation is mostly formalistic and ornamental. Even so-called Catholic schools can be accused of this. Cases in this area have sprouted all over the place, provoking the Vatican to act.

We need to see to it that the teachers in schools are not only technically competent, but also, and more importantly, spiritually healthy. We need to see to it that they know how to relate things to God and how to teach things in such a way that the love for God and for others increases. There has to be a way of measuring this, no matter how imperfect.
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Menen, Belgium -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/11/2016 -- Filip Elgers has already built a domestic loom himself that is reminiscent of the looms used for hundreds of years in homes all over the world to produce fabrics and textiles. Now, Mr. Elgers wants to make adjustments to this loom so that his model can easily produce some of the more difficult-to-weave fabrics such as terry cloth. In order to raise funds for the necessary adjustments to his loom, he has launched a Kickstarter campaign.



According to Mr. Elgers, "It is very common for large, advanced machinery to be used in today's weaving industry. However, before the Industrial Revolution, many people still wove at home on wooden looms. Even today, many people rely on wooden looms to produce fabric that they use or sell. There has been no evolution whatsoever in the design of the home loom in more than 200 years. Home weavers are still working on the same looms that were used in the 18th century."



Mr. Elgers has created a prototype of his loom in wood which he hopes to convert to an aluminum KNEX-like device. This means that anyone will be able to set it up with the help of a manual. His overall intention is to have an automated loom that is as cheap and readily available as possible to assist those who rely on weaving to make a living.



As seen at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/terryloom/domestic-weaving-device-aluminium, the Kickstarter campaign offers pledge levels from 1 to 150, with a number of prizes such as various woven and handmade pieces including a silk pillow. For the specific prizes associated with each pledge level, visit the Kickstarter page.



About Filip Elgers' Weaving Device

Filip Elgers is a home weaver who has created a prototype for an automated home loom that could revolutionize weaving for millions of people who still rely on old-fashioned machines. Mr. Elgers has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund this project.



Contact:

Contact Person: Filip Elgers

Company: Conversion of wooden domestic loom with use of alu-profiles

Address: Menen, West-Flanders, Belgium

Email: filip.elgers@telenet.be

Phone: 0032 0497 38 75 68

Website: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/terryloom/domestic-weaving-device-aluminium
Deerfield Beach, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/11/2016 -- Global and China Cephalexin Market 2016-2021 Market Research Report



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New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/11/2016 -- Integrated circuits are set of electronic circuits in which all the active and passive electronic components are fabricated on a single chip. Different active components include operational amplifiers (op-amp) and batteries among others. Passive components are capacitors, resistors and inductors. Continuous development of production processes and design of ICs lead to cost reduction of electronic equipments.. Additionally, these ICs increase the reliability as different components are fabricated on a single silicon chip and thus reducing the size of circuit board.



Integrated circuits can be classified on the basis of circuit technology, design style, circuit size and design type. Technologies used in manufacturing ICs are complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), n-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS), bi-polar junction transistor (BJT) and BiCMOS among others. Different design styles are standard cell, field programmable gate array (FPGA) and gate array. On the basis of size ICS can be categorized as circuit size includes very large scale integration (VLSI), large scale integration (LSI), medium scale integration (MSI), small scale integration (SSI), and giga scale integration (GSI). The design types available are analog, digital and mixed-signal.



Analog integrated circuits are those ICs which performs functions of amplification, demodulation and active filtering. In an analog IC current and voltage vary continuously with time. These ICs are consists of electronic components that allows them to communicate and connect with the microprocessor. They are widely deployed in most of the electronic products as these ICs consume less power while maintaining their functionality. Integrated circuits have widespread applications in computers, mobile phones and electronic digital home appliances such as digital camera. These circuits offer various advantages such as low power consumption and low cost for implementation. They reduce the size and complexity of an electronic circuit and provide high speed of operation. Due to these advantages ICs are used in televisions, portable devices such as laptops, microwaves, play stations, cameras, computers and cell phones. Additionally, they are used in data processing and switching telephone circuits. Analog ICs are used in LED Lighting systems due to their less power consumption capability.



Need of power management in electronic product and increasing demand of ICs in automotive sector is supporting the growth of market. However, imbalance in demand and supply of analog IC is affecting the market growth. Moreover, rapid technological advancement and increasing applications of analog ICs in LED lighting system offers potential opportunity for the market.



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Analog integrated circuit market can be segmented on the basis of category, type of analog ICs and end-users. Analog ICs are categorized into radio frequency IC and linear ICs. Different types of analog ICs available are operational amplifiers, sensors and power management circuits. Analog ICs have widespread application across various industries such as electronic industry, automotive sector, telecommunication industry, healthcare and semiconductor industry among others.



Request TOC (table of content), Figures and Tables of the Report: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/4799



Some of the key players in analog ICs market are Analog Devices Inc., Qualcomm Inc., STMicroelectronics NV, Infineon Technologies AG, Caterpillar Inc., Texas Instruments Inc, EPOS Development Ltd., Linear Technology Corp., Intel Corp., LG Electronics, NXP Semiconductors, Maxim Integrated products, ON Semiconductor, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Renesas Electronics Corp., Cummins Inc., Kohler Co. and Skyworks Solutions Inc among others.



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1) Report segments the market on the basis of types, application, products, technology, etc (as applicable)

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Europe

Asia

RoW

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New Market Research Report: Future of the Egyptian Defense Industry

Fast Market Research announces the availability of the new Strategic Defence Intelligence report, "Future of the Egyptian Defense Industry - Market Attractiveness, Competitive Landscape and Forecasts to 2020", on their comprehensive research portal
Rockledge, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/11/2016 -- USA Quick Quotes now provides the tools and resources for riders to find the cheapest California motorcycle insurance available. Finding the right insurance can be a challenge. Without researching what every insurer has to offer, it's hard to know whether the coverage is good enough or comes at a reasonable cost.



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With USA Quick Quotes, people can find motorcycle insurance coverage to protect them against these liabilities, while saving more on a policy than was previously possible. The site also makes it simple to search many insurers and find quotes fast. Motorcycle insurance is often a challenge to work into an individual's budget. These tools now make it easier to see long-term savings and have the peace-of-mind of complete coverage.



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The Next Einstein Forum (NEF) has an ambition that is bound to win hearts and minds with its simple optimism. The forum, a group of scientists, policymakers and business representatives, wants a leader in the field of science to emerge from Africa with the kind of far-reaching impact that Albert Einstein had.

The official launch of the forum took place this week in Dakar, Senegal, and was billed as the first gathering of African scientists in Africa. Tolu Oni, one of the NEF research fellows, said: You know something is a good idea when you cant believe this hasnt happened already.

You know something is a good idea when you cant believe this hasnt happened already. Tolu Oni, NEF

There was certainly a whiff of fresh air about this science conference. More than half of the nearly 1,000 delegates were under the age of 42. It was the first conference I have attended where a panel on data science for Africa featured a tenured mathematics professor and a cosmologist  both in their 20s.

As if that was not enough, Thierry Zomahoun, the president of the South Africa-based African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, where the idea for the event originated, spent five years as a street kid in Benin.

So far, so bracing.

The grand ambition though will need outcomes and ideas that are feasible. Here is where the Einstein project will have its work cut out, because, amid all the buzz, some important conversations were missing on the panels.

First there is the investment pipeline. Many recognised that a good education in mathematics is at the heart of a more scientifically literate society, and this means investing in the related subjects early. Given the diversity of languages and low educational budgets on the continent, however, a revolutionary combination of creative teaching and careful budgeting around delivering education will be required to meet this goal.

The panel meant to address this issue most directly ended up discussing a neat little box of tools on coding instead of how to bring about the change. There were also calls to simplify maths  a big ask that went largely unchallenged.

On a number of occasions it was noted that, to achieve research leadership, Africa needs a critical mass of scholars, not a lone genius like Einstein. Similarly, none of the governments talking about their commitments to research worried that national agenda setting might undermine the autonomy and productivity of their research talent.

Leszek Borysiewicz, the vice-chancellor of the United Kingdoms Cambridge University, made a valiant attempt to raise concerns about the lack of intellectual property laws in Africa. It is the continents bustling markets that are the hotbed of innovation, but there was no reflection about how this can be harnessed into business opportunities.

However, this was just the first in a series of forums. Rwanda has agreed to host the next meeting in 2018 and funders are already lining up around the fellowships, scholarships and research chairs planned by then.

Zomahoun insists that the New Einstein Forum is not an event, its a movement. And movements need passion  they are not known for granular road maps.

The organisers helped pay for SciDev.Net to travel to the meeting.
HARTSVILLE, S.C.  Nearly 400 students from Thornwell School for the Arts marched down Carolina Avenue on Wednesday morning, headed for the Carmike Cinema Twin move theater and accompanied by the Hartsville Police Department.

The departments community outreach division, known as Hartsville Safe Communities, treated the students to a showing of Zootopia, a new animated movie from Disney, along with popcorn and drinks. The exciting event marked one of the first relationship-building activities for Hartsville Police Officer Jaye Gullett, the citys new community liaison officer. The movie brought excellent themes to the children, she said, and the event offered quality time to engage with the citys youth.

We had an awesome time. The movie was an excellent opportunity for the children to learn that with hard work and dedication, you can accomplish just about anything, Gullett said. Children are very impressionable. These are the formative years. Its important that theyre exposed to positive, friendly, engaging police officers. The exposure that they have right now will affect they way they feel about policing later.

Students filled both of Carmike Cinemas theaters Wednesday, and more visited Thursday for a second viewing. The movies themes also aligned with the ethical pathway of the PULSE Comer School Development Program at the school.

Thornwell Principal Dr. Lilkenya Jenkins said the school is thankful for the Hartsville Police Departments initiative to build positive relationships with students.

It was a great opportunity. Our students were really excited about the movie, but they were also excited to be able to speak one-on-one with the police officers, Jenkins said. A lot of our children say they want to become police officers, so it was great to be able to make that connection. We are definitely looking forward to that continued partnership with the city.

The Hartsville Police Departments Hartsville Safe Communities program is led by Lt. Tenyonde Richardson. For more information, please visit www.hartsvillesc.gov.

For more information about Darlington County School District, please visit www.darlington.k12.sc.us.
The INEOS Intrepid left the Marcus Hook terminal near Philadelphia bound for Rafnes in Norway carrying a 27,500 cu m cargo of US shale gas ethane.

INEOS said it was the first time shale gas had ever been shipped to Europe.

The INEOS Intrepid is one of four 27,500 cu m Dragon class ethane multi-gas carriers that will form part of a fleet of eight ethane carriers.

This is an important day for INEOS and Europe. We know that shale gas economics revitalised US manufacturing and for the first time Europe can access this important energy and raw material source too, said Jim Ratcliffe chairman and founder of INEOS.

INEOS has built large ethane storage tanks in Rafnes, Norway and Grangemouth in Scotland to receive the exports from the US to be used in its cracker plants at both locations.
The nationwide supply-side reform, not just in Hebei province, is also expected to boost the country's imports, offering greater activities to dry bulk seaborne trade, DNB Markets said in a recent research note.

The northern Hebei province, which churns out nearly a quarter of China's steel output, has banned new projects until it reaches a target of producing 200 million tonnes per year, it was reported.

The province also has plans to cut cement production capacity by two-thirds or some 60 million tonnes.

However the flip side of such drastic measures to cut industrial capacity would lead to the province losing some RMB180bn ($27.7bn) in revenue and laying off more than one million workers in the next two years, reports said.

Global dry bulk shipping trade is currently suffering from oversupply of vessel tonnage suppressing freight rates. The level of imports to China, one of the largest growing economies in the world, is seen as a major contributing factor to the health of dry bulk shipping.
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Maury Polse, who ran what was probably the smallest tour boat operation in the West and was a familiar figure at San Franciscos Fishermans Wharf, died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack Feb. 28 at his home in Lafayette. He was 65.

Mr. Polse was the executive in charge of Dixie Charters Inc., and also the captain, engineer and deckhand aboard the 32-foot fishing boat Dixie, the flagship of the firm. The boat once belonged to Joseph DiMaggio.

The Dixie was not only the smallest boat offering bay tours, but it was one of the oldest. The boat had been built 92 years ago at the long-gone Genoa Boat Works in the days when Fishermans Wharf was a major center of the Italian American fishing fleet.

Mr. Polse, who admired old boats and the bay in equal fashion, enjoyed telling how he bought the Dixie, sight unseen, only to discover that it had sunk to the bottom of a slough near the San Joaquin River.

He raised the boat, repaired it, and in 1994 got the idea of using it to take tourists on rides around the bay.

He got a captains license, became an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church, and later made an arrangement with an East Bay funeral home, so he could scatter ashes of the departed outside the Golden Gate. He could carry only six passengers and charged $15 a head.

I can carry em, marry em and bury em, Mr. Polse liked to say.

He cut a colorful figure on the Jefferson Street sidewalk next to his boat, where he marketed his services. He wore a battered marine engineers cap, carried a megaphone, and called out a pitchmans spiel: Step right up, ladies and gentlemen. Ride aboard the finest boat on the finest bay in the world. Youll laugh, youll cry, youll kiss your 15 bucks good-bye.

He offered a money-back guarantee, and tourists seemed to enjoy riding around Alcatraz or under the Golden Gate Bridge in a fish boat and listening to Capt. Maurys tall tales.

For a time, Mr. Polse also ran an amphibious vessel that could operate on land or the water, but that part of the business didnt work out.

Though friends said he was from a prosperous East Bay family, Mr. Polse seemed uninterested in conventional business. Instead, he concentrated on his boat operations and, in his spare time, was an accomplished guitarist, poet and storyteller.

He was a romantic, said Robert Schultz, who was his friend for 50 years. He was the kind of guy people liked to have around, with a sunny personality. He could light up a room.

Mr. Polse was born in Hayward in 1950, grew up in Oakland, and attended Skyline High School and Laney College.

He is survived by his wife, Frannie; sons Aaron, David and Jacob; and a sister, Linda.

Funeral services have been held.

Carl Nolte is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cnolte@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carlnoltesf
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A man in his 60s was killed Friday morning in a hit-and-run crash near the Broadway Tunnel in San Francisco, police said.

Police located the man, who was not identified, just before 6 a.m. in the road on Broadway just west of Powell Street after someone went to the Central Police Station on Vallejo Street to report a body in the street, said Officer Albie Esparza, a spokesman for the San Francisco Police Department.
Police identified the suspect charged Thursday with spray-painting racist graffiti on a San Leandro school district building earlier this week.

Cody Sisson, 21, was charged with felony vandalism and held without bail a day after he was taken into custody, police said.

School district employees discovered the racist graffiti Monday, the red and white symbols and words sprayed on the doors of a building on Juniper Street.

Sisson had been stopped by police at 2:30 a.m. Saturday for riding a bicycle without a headlight, which investigators later determined was within the time-frame of the vandalism.

After reviewing home surveillance footage, canvassing the neighborhood and sending physical evidence for laboratory analysis, investigators identified Sisson, of San Leandro, as a suspect.

He was located and and detained Wednesday on the 1200 block of Manor Street at 4 p.m. Sisson had been riding a bicycle recently spray painted red and white, the same colors used in the graffiti, police said.

Without a doubt, it was extremely disturbing to know that this occurred in our town  something that we, as San Leandrans, refuse to allow in this community, said police Lt. Robert McManus. Our department is bothered that it occurred here, but relieved that we quickly identified and arrested the suspect responsible for this unacceptable crime.

Sisson is scheduled to appear in Alameda County Superior Court Friday.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
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The cost of retrieving a towed vehicle in San Francisco will drop by $111.25  to $380  under an agreement reached Thursday between the Board of Supervisors and the Metropolitan Transportation Agency. But drivers wont want to get towed twice, because the fee shoots right back up the second time around.

The deal, which does not affect the additional cost of the underlying parking ticket, will bring the cost of being towed down to a level last seen in 2011. And for the first time, there will be an amnesty program so that low-income people may retrieve their vehicles for $294.

The issue of tow charges arose because the MTA needs the supervisors to sign off on a $65.4 million, five-year contract extension with tow company AutoReturn. The supervisors said they wouldnt approve the contract until the MTA submitted a plan to reduce the tow charges substantially. The cost had nearly tripled over the last decade.

MTA had proposed reducing the charges by $22.50, but the supervisors said that was too little.

The minimum cost of being towed is currently $491.25, not including the cost of a ticket, which normally runs between $68 and $100. If drivers dont retrieve their car for several days, the cost can quickly add up to thousands of dollars because of storage fees.

The reduction will be primarily in the administrative fee  now $266  the city charges drivers who are towed, and will cost the MTA around $3.5 million a year. Under the deal between the supervisors and the MTA, that fee will be reduced only once  it shoots back up for subsequent tows.

The administrative fee helps fund a variety of expenses not related to towing, including part of MTA Director Ed Reiskins salary. And it is a big part of the reason San Franciscos tow charges are so high: In New York it costs $185 to retrieve a car, in Los Angles is costs $276 and in Chicago the price is $170. San Franciscos new fee structure will place the total cost below Oakland, where the fees add up to $434.

The deal marks a major success for critics of the tow fees who say the charges are unduly burdensome for poor people, who risk losing their cars because they cant pay the fees.

The low-income discount will apply to anyone who qualifies for a public-benefit program, such as Medi-Cal, low-income housing, the Healthy San Francisco program or the Section 8 housing voucher program. They will also have 48 hours to retrieve their vehicle before storage costs kick in. Currently, those costs begin accruing after four hours.

Supervisor John Avalos called the deal a victory for working families.

I wish we could do more. But I am feeling really good about the changes, he said. One mistake could cost cost you the ability to pay for your rent. We wanted to minimize the impact of that mistake.

Elisa Della-Piana, legal director for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights in San Francisco, said its really exciting to see some progress on this. I know how hard it is to come back from fees once they have been imposed and I am thrilled this kind of proposal is under consideration.

The deal was negotiated between supervisors Avalos, Jane Kim and Aaron Peskin and MTA representatives. The MTA board still has to OK the deal at its meeting Tuesday. If it does, the changes and the AutoReturn contract will return to the Board of Supervisors for a vote.

Supervisor Scott Wiener has warned that reducing the tow charges will mean less funding for Muni. MTA representatives previously said it could impact their ability to provide free Muni travel for youth and seniors. They now say it wont.

Whether that money will be back filled through the citys general fund is yet to be decided, but Wiener said he would introduce such legislation.

MTA spokesman Paul Rose said the proposal aims to lessen the burden on drivers who are towed and, if approved, we will determine how this impacts other services within our budget in the coming weeks.

Avalos said he favored imposing a higher fee on new developments  legislation that the Board of Supervisors has passed but which Mayor Ed Lee said he would veto.

Emily Green is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: egreen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @emilytgreen
The Obama administration argued on Thursday that no single corporation  even one as successful as Apple  should be allowed to flout the rule of law by refusing to cooperate with law enforcement.

In a filing in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, the Justice Department said Apple should be compelled to help the FBI break into the iPhone used by a gunman in the San Bernardino mass shooting last year. The company should not be allowed to hide behind what prosecutors said were diversionary tactics in the court of public opinion, the filing said.

Apple and its supporters try to alarm the court by invoking bigger debates over privacy and national security, the Justice Department said. Apple desperately wants  desperately needs  this case not to be about one isolated iPhone.

The governments filing was a point-by-point rebuttal of a motion that Apple filed two weeks ago opposing a federal court order requiring it to break into the iPhone used by Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the San Bernardino attackers. Apple had argued that the court order violated the companys First and Fifth Amendment rights, and said the governments request oversteps the All Writs Act.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

In the filing Thursday, prosecutors argued that they have sought a modest step in the case and that the courts, the executive branch and Congress share the power to decide how best to balance between public safety and privacy.

Privacy

ISPs may face

tighter rules

The federal government is proposing privacy rules that would make Internet service providers such as cable and phone companies ask your permission in some instances before using and sharing your data.

Using customer information could help ISPs make more money from targeted digital advertising, when advertisers are able to show you ads that they think will appeal to your specific interests.

The Federal Communications Commissions rules are likely to face criticism and possible lawsuits from Internet service providers.

The rules affect only companies that connect you to the Internet like Comcast, Verizon and Sprint. They do not apply to Internet companies that have huge advertising businesses based on customer data, like Facebook or Google. Those companies are regulated by the Federal Trade Commission.

FCC officials say their rules wouldnt prohibit targeted advertising. But the aim is that in many, if not most, cases, your Internet provider would have to get your permission before sharing your personal data with advertisers.

The agency says you would only have to opt out, a less stringent requirement, if you were a customer of Verizon Fios, for example, and Verizon wanted to market Verizon Wireless services to you. But Verizon also owns a big digital ad business in AOL  if it wants to share data it collects from you with AOL, it needs your permission.

Privacy watchdogs applauded the FCCs effort.

Its a major step forward for the U.S., which has lagged behind other countries when it comes to protecting consumer privacy rights, said Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, in a statement.

Berin Szoka, the president of TechFreedom, a think tank that often criticizes telecoms regulation, says the rules are a bad idea. The FCC loudly denounces certain privacy and business practices that sound bad, despite having little or no evidence that they dont offer any consumer benefits that should be weighed against potential harms.

Recalls

Salmonella

in pistachios?

Pistachios sold under the brands of Wonderful, Paramount Farms and Trader Joes have been recalled nationwide because they may be contaminated with salmonella.

Health officials in nine states were investigating 11 cases of salmonella linked to pistachios from Wonderful Pistachios in Kern County. The nuts are sold nationwide and in Canada.

Two people have been hospitalized related to the outbreak, but no deaths have been reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The recalled pistachios can be identified by a lot code number on the lower back or bottom panel of the package. A list of those numbers is available on the CDC website.

Glass in

Nestle foods?

Nestle USA says it is voluntarily recalling a limited number of DiGiorno, Lean Cuisine and Stouffers products because of the possibility they might contain small pieces of glass.

It said Thursday that the source of the glass is spinach that is a common ingredient in all three brands. No injuries have been reported.

The voluntary recall includes some DiGiorno pizzas, Lean Cuisine pizzas, paninis and raviolis, and Stouffers lasagnas and souffles.

Restaurants

Lawsuit over

ad slogans

One restaurant chain that made its name off fresh bakery products is suing another, alleging trademark infringement over what it calls a confusingly similar advertising slogan.

Great Harvest Bread Co. filed suit Thursday in federal court in Charlotte, N.C., against Panera Bread. The suit claims the company received a trademark in October 2014 for its mantra, Bread. The Way it ought to be.

The lawsuit says Panera debuted its Food as it should be advertising campaign eight months later, intentionally causing confusion.

Chronicle News Services
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A homeless couple is facing animal cruelty charges after Contra Costa County Sheriffs deputies discovered 19 severely neglected dogs in the back of a U-Haul in Bay Point last month, officials said Thursday.

Deputies arrested Bomon Jeong, 45, and Linda Espinoza, 67, on suspicion of animal cruelty after initially investigating a parking issue, said Jimmy Lee, a sheriffs office spokesman.

The couple parked the U-Haul in a residential neighborhood at Crivello Avenue and Pullman Avenue on Feb. 28, and deputies arrived at 11:15 a.m. to check on them. Soon, they called Contra Costa County Animal Services Department.

When they got a glimpse into the back of the van, they automatically knew it was an animal cruelty and neglect case, said Steve Burdo, an animal services spokesman.

Inside, a pack of Lhasa Apsos, along with two chihuahuas, one pit bull and one German Shepherd were found in crates  some stuffed together in a single kennel. Authorities smelled a powerful odor of ammonia in the trailer: the result of the animals living in their own waste, Burdo said.

All of the animals, which ranged in age from 2 to 16 years, had matting and skin problems. The more serious cases had severe scarring, abrasions, tumors, malnutrition and labored breathing.

Two animals were in such bad shape that they had to be euthanized, Burdo said.

What the conditions of the animals really revealed was that there was a lot of neglect, Burdo said. It was a pretty wild scene.

Ten of the remaining animals have been transferred to a rescue partner in Nevada. There were seven animals left at the Martinez shelter until Wolfie, a Lhasa Apso, was adopted Thursday morning, Burdo said.

Three dogs at the shelter are being treated for injuries and are undergoing temperament assessments, but the other three are up for adoption.

Wed love to find homes for the remaining six animals, he said.

As for the owners, Espinoza was released on bail. Jeong remains in a county jail.

Anyone interested in adopting the dogs can call the shelter at (925) 335-8300.
A San Francisco police watchdog group found that officers wrongly arrested an attorney from the Public Defenders Office last year at the Hall of Justice, though it was unclear whether any of them faced discipline over the incident.

Public Defender Jeff Adachi released the results of the investigation by the Office of Citizen Complaints on Friday and said Deputy Public Defender Jami Tillotson acted courageously in defending the rights of her clients by trying to stop officers from photographing them in a hallway.

It is contempt for the poor that results in routine disrespect of public defenders, Adachi said in a statement. In the face of this contempt, Jami never wavered in her duty to her client. Thats because the right to counsel is a shield to protect ordinary citizens from intimidation.

The dustup began Jan. 30, 2015, as Tillotson was standing outside a courtroom with her client and his co-defendant when five police officers began attempting to take pictures of the men she was defending without any explanation, Adachi said shortly after the incident.

Police said the officers, led by a plainclothes sergeant, were investigating a burglary case in which Tillotsons client and the other man were considered persons of interest. Tillotson was handcuffed to a bench and cited for misdemeanor resisting or delaying arrest because she obstructed a police investigation, officials said.

Officer Carlos Manfredi, a police spokesman, declined to comment, saying, This is a personnel matter.

The confrontation was caught on video, which Adachi posted to YouTube, and viewed more than 1.5 million times.

Tillotson filed a complaint with the Office of Citizen Complaints soon after the incident, and Police Chief Greg Suhr apologized for any distress Ms. Tillotson suffered as a result of her detention, but he stood by the actions of Sgt. Brian Stansbury who he said had reasonable suspicion to take the pictures and a right to do so in a public area.

The Office of Citizen Complaints found that two of Tillotsons allegations had merit, including the interfering with the right to counsel and conduct reflecting discredit on the department in the case of an officer who made inappropriate comments to the media following the incident, Adachis office said in a statement.

Several other allegations were dismissed, Adachi said.

Even with the offices findings, Tillotson said she was frustrated by the lack of transparency as it was unclear whether any of the officers were disciplined.

It is discouraging that even a year later in my very public case where the allegations were sustained, there has still been no response on whether the officers faced discipline or if there were any changes made in policy or training, she said in a statement.

Tillotson went on to say the lack of information from the office only served to undercut their credibility with those they are meant to serve.

As a public defender, my clients would frequently tell me they didnt want to file an OCC complaint even in the most egregious of circumstances because they felt it was a waste of time, she said. This is particularly true in cases where someone is violently or unlawfully arrested, but never charged. It means their ordeals will never be heard in court and they will never really know what, if anything, happens to the officers involved.

Kale Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kwilliams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfkale
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AUSTIN  This was supposed to be the final battle, the showdown that would settle bragging rights for breakfast tacos once and for all, Austin vs. San Antonio, mano a mano, tortilla a tortilla.

Only it wasnt.

Instead, it was a forfeit, as San Antonio chef and restaurateur Johnny Hernandez, who organized the taco throwdown, could find not one single Austin chef to accept his challenge of a taco cook-off.

Nobody. Nadie.

Yep, Austin shrank like a yellow-bellied coward. And the ones who were interested in competing were from San Antonio but living in Austin.

So Fridays event became just another taco love-in, with Michael and Carino Cortez of the famed San Antonio Cortez restaurant family and Diana Barrios Trevino of the Barrios restaurant family in town to cook with Hernandez at the event during SXSW Interactive in Austin at the S.A.-promoting Casa San Antonio.

We wanted to allow them to feel an advantage, and they didnt show up. I was hoping to get a nice group of Austin restaurateurs, Hernandez said. Were going to see who among us three, who has the best  in Austin. Thats the best we can do, I guess.

So the competitors were barbacoa tacos and lengua tacos from Hernandez; machacado tacos and chorizo with beans from Barrios; and beans, chorizo, potatoes, avocados, queso fresco and salsa verde from the Cortez family. Not a weak taco in the bunch.

The judges from Food & Wine magazine, Food Network, Mouth.com, Food.com and Texas Monthly gave the nod for traditional tacos to Barrios, modern tacos to Cortez and Chefs Choice to Hernandez.

Our guess is that Austin chefs knew they had no real chance of winning. Everyone assumed that.

In fact, while sharing an Uber this morning, the driver asked this reporter where I was from, and when I said San Antonio, he told the other passenger: Oh, San Antonio! If you want want great Mexican food, thats where you need to go.

Need we say more?

Fridays event turned into a celebration of San Antonio, its traditions and its glorious homestyle cooking in a location that became San Antonio on Sixth Street.

It continued the peace love and tacos vibe from Thursday, when San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor and Austin Mayor Steve Adler signed the Interstate 35 Taco Accord, exchanged breakfast tacos and proclaimed an end to the hostilities. Taylor brought an assortment from her favorite joint, Mittman Fine Foods, while Adler brought tacos from Juan in a Million during Thursdays Breakfast Taco Summit.

The Austin tacos on Thursday included a good filling but were wrapped in store-bought tortillas. (Ay, por favor!) On Friday, San Antonios tacos were all made in house and represented the city admirably.

All the tacos were incredible, said judge Arthur Bovino of Mouth.com. The freshness of the ingredients and how they all came together.

With so much love and aromas of great food in the air, the atmosphere was gracious and generous.

Dont talk bad about Austins tacos, said event emcee Janet Holliday. Talk much better about San Antonio tacos.

But we all know the truth. Theres no substitute for tacos hecho en San Antonio.

Later in the afternoon, Austins mayor tweeted out a note that he took President Barack Obama, who came to town to speak at SXSW, to Torchys Tacos. Adler claimed it wasnt a violation of the taco peace accord signed Thursday.

Taylor, who was in Houston, was unavailable for comment on the fragile peace.

etijerina@express-news.net

@etij
GREENWICH  Barbara Heins, a journalist who currently runs a website covering news in Greenwich, has been named as the new executive assistant to First Selectman Peter Tesei.

Heins is working as the local editor for Patch. She will succeed Michael Rosen, who served in the position for three and a half years before he resigned in December to become the Assistant Town Manager in Bedford, Mass.

Heins will begin the new job March 28. Salary information was not immediately available.

Tesei said in a statement, As a longtime Greenwich resident and journalist, Barbara possesses a wealth of experience, institutional knowledge and familiarity with the towns governmental processes and diverse neighborhoods. Those assets make her a valuable addition to my staff as we continue our work to grow Greenwichs valued reputation as a premier town to work, live and raise a family.

Heins has worked in journalism for 35 years, and she began working for Patch in 2010. Previously she was an editor at The Advocate and a feature writer at Greenwich Time. She has also worked in public relations.

Working as a journalist, I have been a witness to the inner workings of town government and the daily activities in Greenwich for many years. I believe it is a natural extension to use my organizational and communication skills by becoming a participant in the governmental process in the town I have called home for more than 30 years, she said.

She said she wanted to continue to make Greenwich an attractive and desirable community.

"As evidenced by the 2014 University of Connecticut Resident Satisfaction Survey, a majority of residents are extremely satisfied with the level of service they receive by the dedicated town of Greenwich employees. I look forward to being a member of the team as the town continues to improve upon and grow all of its services for all residents, she wrote in an e-mail.

Heins will handle communications for the first selectman, and she will work as liaison with other town officials and local residents. She also will also take on social media responsibilities for the town and oversee administration for the office.

The search for the position screened 31 applicants. A field of five top finalists was then considered.

Heins has a degree from St. Bonaventure University in western New York state.

Robert.Marchant@scni.com
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Colonie

Dr. Syed Haqqie, an immigrant from Pakistan and a devout Muslim who rose to the highest ranks as a teacher and kidney disease specialist at Albany Medical Center and whose military service and tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan as a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves were honored at the White House, died Friday morning of an apparent heart attack. He was 71.

He was stricken while driving at 4:45 a.m. with his wife, Azra, to Albany International Airport for a flight to Oklahoma City to visit their son, Naseem. She was not injured in the single-vehicle minor crash on Old Niskayuna Road, but Haqqie could not be revived by paramedics. He was pronounced dead a short while later at Albany Memorial Hospital.

He had no known health problems, worked out at a gym, took the stairs at work and was considered fit.

As news of his sudden death spread among a network of doctors and nurses whom he had worked alongside during a typical 14-hour workday on Thursday, Haqqie was mourned by the Muslim community, fellow physicians and military colleagues as a humble, peaceful man of extraordinary intellectual gifts, boundless devotion to his patients and an uncommon compassion that transcended boundaries.

"If there was a category for a Muslim saint, I would have nominated Shamim," said Turab Jafri, also a Pakistani immigrant and Haqqie's closest friend since both arrived in Albany nearly 40 years ago. Shamim was Haqqie's middle name and it was how friends and close colleagues addressed him.

It did not matter to their long friendship that Haqqie was Sunni and Jafri was Shia, the two major denominations of Islam that have clashed over an ancient schism. Haqqie was a frequent guest at Jafri's Shia mosque, Al-Fatemah Islamic Center in Latham. "Nobody cared he was Sunni," said Jafri, owner of Jafri Oriental Rugs on Wolf Road in Colonie. The men's wives are also close friends and their children attended school together in the North Colonie district.

"I'm still numb," Jafri said. "We're all fighting for this worldly stuff and he was never into that. He was a modest man who cared for all people. I could write a book on him. I would often ask my wife, 'Why can't I be more like Shamim?'"

Even when Haqqie was racially profiled at airports and pulled aside for special interrogation  quickly ended when he mentioned he was an Army Reserve colonel returning from a military deployment  it did not faze him. "He'd laugh about it and said, 'They did this to Joe Biden, so who am I to complain?'" Jafri recalled.

"Dr. Haqqie always had an attitude of positivity and happiness," said Abdual-Rahman Yaki, imam of the Islamic Center of the Capital District in Colonie, where the Haqqies have been members and where he was a strong supporter of youth programs. "He talked about respecting our differences within and without the mosque."

When Haqqie returned from a recent trip to Pakistan as a visiting medical professor, he brought back traditional Pakistani garb for the imam and said, "Pray for me when you wear this."

At Albany Med, Haqqie was a beloved caregiver and teacher to two generations of patients and medical students. "He has been an extraordinary influence in the department of medicine and was also our conscience," said Dr. Raymond Smith, vice chairman in the department of medicine for education at Albany Med, who knew Haqqie for nearly 40 years.

Haqqie may have been the only nephrologist twice awarded a coveted attending physician of the year prize in a vote by internal medicine residents.

"Medical residents and students looked up to him and he always found time to do the teaching part of his job, no matter how hard he was working," Smith said.

Haqqie was the catalyst for restarting a fellowship in nephrology at Albany Med in 2015 after a 30-year hiatus, the same fellowship that brought him to Albany four decades earlier. "It was a very big deal and it showed that teaching was No. 1 on his list," Smith said.

"He was the soul of the kidney department," said Dr. Donald McGoldrick, retired professor of medicine and chief of nephrology at Albany Medical Center. He forged a friendship with Haqqie beginning in 1978 when Haqqie worked as his first nephrology fellow at Albany Med. The position required Haqqie to work with veterans at the Stratton VA Hospital across the street.

"He was an all-around, outstanding doctor, a fabulous clinician and a great human being," McGoldrick said. "Whenever a friend of mine would end up at Albany Med with a kidney problem, I'd say, 'Be sure to get Shamim. He's the best.' "

McGoldrick and his wife and the Haqqies were good friends and socialized together, including on Christmas Eve, when the McGoldricks invited them to their house. The Haqqies invited the McGoldricks to their mosque for a festive dinner to break the Ramadan fast and for other occasions.

"This is the man Donald Trump should have met," McGoldrick said. "He was true blue, a man who understood we're all humans and that we all try to rise to the best that is in us."

McGoldrick recently wrote his memoir and included a chapter on his friendship with Haqqie, whom he described with a Gaelic term, anam cara, which means soulmate.

As a researcher, Haqqie was known internationally as an expert on glomerulonephritis, or inflammation of the kidney, and he authored dozens of scholarly articles  freely giving co-author credits to residents and other medical colleagues.

"He made significant contributions to our understanding of glomerulonephritis," said Dr. Aris Asif, chief of kidney diseases at Albany Med. "His passion for teaching, training and developing hundreds of physicians into kidney experts was unmatched."

Haqqie won nearly every medical award offered at Albany Med, but his greatest achievement was his devotion to his patients.

He introduced Asif at a medical lecture Thursday night after seeing patients throughout the day and checking them late into the night. "To the last day on this planet, he was there for his patients," Asif said.

Haqqie used vacation weeks for military service, including two tours in Iraq, one in Afghanistan and more than a dozen humanitarian medical missions to Haiti, Ecuador, Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala and other countries.

"He was one of the greatest physicians I ever worked with because of his medical gifts and the type of person he was," said Dr. Patrick Caulfield, a family practice physician in Ravena and retired reservist who joined the Army Reserves with Haqqie in 1988. The two served on several missions together before Haqqie retired two years ago after 22 years of service.

"He was a great role model for Muslims and in educating our troops about Islam. He was never overbearing about it," Caulfield said. "He led by example and he was able to cross over so many boundaries effortlessly."

Haqqie was instrumental in getting a small area at Albany Med designated a mosque so that devout Muslims had a place where they could offer prayers five times a day without disturbing others.

When Haqqie returned from a 2005 tour of duty in Iraq, where he served as chief of internal medicine in the intensive care unit at the hospital in Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad  a notorious prison known for torture that became a stain on the U.S. military  Haqqie gave a grand rounds presentation for medical staff at Albany Medical Center to a packed audience.

Haqqie said he informed the team that he would treat anyone brought to him without asking where they were from.

He treated with the same compassionate and professional care about 60 percent insurgents, 20 percent civilians and 20 percent U.S. military personnel. Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the highest-ranking military commander in Iraq, visited Haqqie in the prison hospital.

"Many people came down to Shamim after that grand rounds and said, 'You make me proud to be an American,'" McGoldrick said.

Syed Shamim Haqqie grew up in a prominent family in Pakistan and his brother was a high-ranking political figure. He graduated from Liaquat Medical College in Karachi and spent several years in England as a nephrology resident at Victoria Hospital in Romford, before winning the fellowship at Albany Med and the VA Hospital in 1977.

"He was very proud of his military service and his medical career," said Azra Haqqie, his wife of 35 years, who works as a Times Union editorial staff member and writes frequently about faith and values. The couple was profiled extensively in a 2008 book by the late Times Union reporter Christopher Ringwald, "A Day Apart," which examined the significance of the Sabbath in Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

The two wed in Pakistan in 1980. "He was very proud to be a Muslim and an American. He always believed you can be both," she said.

"He was the most kind, gentle and generous person I've ever known," said his daughter, Dr. Nadia Hesham, an ophthalmologist who lives in New York City with her husband, Dr. Khalid Hesham. She graduated from Albany Medical College and said her father inspired her to become a doctor.

In addition to his wife, daughter and son-in-law, Haqqie is survived by his son, Naseem Haqqie, an engineer in Oklahoma City and his wife, Dr. Hania Ali; his mother-in-law, Anees Hosain, of Cohoes, two sisters in Canada and a brother in Pakistan.

According to Islamic tradition, the imam and family members will wash Haqqie's body and cover it with a simple white shroud in preparation for a prompt burial.

There will be a funeral service at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Islamic Center of the Capital District, 21 N. Lansing Road, Colonie, followed by burial at 1:30 p.m. at a nearby cemetery, Evergreen Memorial Park, 2150 Central Ave., Colonie.

pgrondahl@timesunion.com  518-454-5623  @PaulGrondahl
STAMFORD  A Stamford High School student has accused two classmates of a bathroom sexual assault in a civil lawsuit that also names school administrators and the district.

The lawsuit, filed last month in state Superior Court in Stamford, says the then-16-year-old Stamford High special-education student was assaulted in February 2014 by a male and female classmate who forced him into a bathroom, locked the door, pinned him to the floor, removed his pants and assaulted him.

They brought me past the security guard, through the cafeteria, the boy told Hearst Connecticut Media. I asked (the security guard) to help me. He thought they were just messing around.

It is the latest scandal to rock Stamford High School, which is trying to shake off the stigma of the past year in which a teacher was convicted of having sex with a student and several administrators left or were removed from their jobs for not reporting the information to police or the states child protective services agency in a timely manner.

In addition to suing the juvenile pair and their parents, the suit also names as defendants former Superintendent Winifred Hamilton, former Stamford High Principal Donna Valentine and former Stamford High Assistant Principal Angela Thomas-Graves and Barbara Boller, Stamford Highs psychologist.

Boller, Valentine and Thomas-Graves are all accused of failing to properly notify the parents of the boy in question, as well as failing to notify police and the states child protection agency.

The complainant is not being identified, as the lawuit says he is the victim of a sex crime. The male and female acquaintances are similarly not being identified, as they were juveniles at the time of the incident.

Locked in

The boy described the horrifying incident in an earlier interview with Hearst at the office of his attorney, Griff Trow.

He said the students had been sitting eating lunch with two acquaintances, the male and the female student. After a while, he said, they both started getting sexually active, touching and biting each other. The student claimed the pair then tried to involve him.

The pair, the student said, decided to go somewhere private, and dragged him along to a boys bathroom on the fifth floor.

Because there were rarely security officers or other authorities in that area of the school, the boy said students called it the rape hallway.

Once inside the bathroom, the male and female acquaintances locked the door behind them, he said, but not before a friend of his had followed.

I was trying to hide in the stalls, locking the stalls, the student said. His friend, he said, tried to help him stay away from the pair.

My friend was helping pull (me into the next stall), the (other) two were pulling me by my legs, he said. They pinned me down in an open area of the bathroom. The girl had pinned me by my chest and arms."

The boy said that while he was pinned, the male student pulled down his pants.

I screamed for help," he said. The female (student) covered my mouth.

The boy said he struggled until a passing custodian heard the noise and unlocked the door to investigate.

I quickly put on my pants and ran when the janitor opened the door, he said. The first thing on my mind was to get away.

I was late for my English class, he recalled. My teacher asked why I was late. I just said I was walking around. I was embarrassed. I was just very upset with myself that I couldnt protect myself more.

Case under seal

The boy said he filled out an incident report with Stamford Highs school resource officer, a police officer assigned to the school.

The two juveniles were arrested in a timely manner and charged with sexual assault, Lt. Diedrich Hohn of the Stamford Police Department said Thursday.

The details of the criminal case against the pair is under seal, as they were tried in juvenile court.

Trow, the attorney for the boy, said that the two alleged perpetrators are not serving prison time.

I believe there was some kind of plea bargain, he said.

It was unclear as of Thursday whether the accused students or their parents had gotten lawyers.

Lawyers for the city representing district officials did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.

A spokeswoman for the schools said it was district policy not to comment on pending litigation.

The lawsuit comes as Stamford High struggles to regain community trust.

School officials learned that a teacher had been having sex with a student for most of the 2013-14 school year but did not report it to required authorities until the last day of school.

The fallout from that led to Valentines ouster in January. Thomas-Graves, the administrator who oversaw the schools special education students, was transferred to the districts adult education program.

The district superintendent, Hamilton, retired early from the district in December, citing a loss of public trust in the district following several cases of teacher misconduct.
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Honolulu chef and food sustainability advocate Ed Kenney clearly likes to keep busy: Hes about to open his fourth restaurant, Mahina & Suns, joining the well-received Town, Kaimuki Superette and Mud Hen Water, and serves on the board of Mao Organic Farm and other nonprofits. Still, it took a very specific kind of culinary temptation to lure him into filming the new PBS documentary series, Family Ingredients, two episodes of which will screen Sunday in San Francisco as part of CAAMFest 2016.

It was never on my radar to be in front of the camera, explains Kenney, calling from Honolulu. (Executive producer) Heather Haunani Giugni was hounding me for a couple years to do a food/travel/ genealogy show on Hawaiis multiethnic cultures, and I told her I dont want to be on TV, its not my thing.

But Giugni was persistent. After a few years she came back and said, Were going to Japan with chef Alan Wong and youre going to eat at Jiros of Jiro Dreams of Sushi, and I thought, OK I guess I can suck up my pride and do it just this once, Kenney says, laughing.

The concept of the half-hour show also appealed to him: Take a prominent chef here in Hawaii, find out what their favorite childhood food is and trace it back to its origins, Kenney explains.

In the case of Wong, a co-founder of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement, viewers learn he was raised in Japan by a single mother who had a hard time putting food on the table, Kenney notes. Wongs favorite food, not surprisingly, was an inexpensive one: tamago gake gohan, or raw egg on hot rice.

So in addition to eating at Jiros famous sushi nook in Tokyo, Kenney and Wong met with a farmer north of the capital who made the dish. He showed us how his family made it, and they had grown the rice and the soybeans for the soy sauce and raised the chickens that made the eggs.

Although Bay Area viewers will have to wait to see that pilot episode on PBS, the 2:30 p.m. Sunday screening at the Roxie screening will feature two others from the original six episodes of the 2014-15 series, which won a regional Emmy in Hawaii before being picked up nationally.

In Pipikaula and Carne Seca, the Hawaiian and Spanish words for dried beef, Kenney travels with Hawaiian musician and artist Kuana Torres Kahele to Waimea on the Big Island, and also to San Francisco, where they meet chef Traci Des Jardins at her Arguello restaurant in the Presidio, and Sonomas Rancho Petaluma Adobe.

Kahele grew up on the Big Island riding horses, and thats a whole part of Hawaii that people dont often know about, Kenney says. They think surfing and sandy beaches, but he was drying beef into pipikaula with his grandmother. We went to Kahua Ranch, where his grandfather has ties, and we traced it back to Northern California, which at the time was Mexican.

Des Jardins, Kenney discovers in the episode, has Mexican lineage and grew up on a ranch in summer and ate machaca, Mexican dried beef, which has a parallel to Hawaiian pipikaula. We try to speculate about how these things ended up in Hawaii and how they originated it.

The other episode screening Sunday hits much closer to home for Kenney, since it investigates the origins of poi the first solid food his mother gave him as a babyand looks at contemporary uses of the taro-based staple.

Director Ty Sanga includes scenes of Kenney with his mother, Beverly Noa, a famous Waikiki hula dancer from the 1950s to 70s, and follows Kenney to Hanalei Valley, Kauai, where his fatherEdward Kamanaloha Kenney Jr., also a well-known Waikiki entertainerwas raised. There Kenney digs in the traditional wetland taro patches that give the valley its green sheen. The cinematography is just outstanding, he notes.

Kenney, Giugni and producer Dan Nakasone will attend the Sundays screening at CAAMFestthe annual film festival of the Center for Asian American Mediawhich will also give Kenney a chance to dig into his favorite San Francisco restaurant. I go straight to Nopa from the airport and its 11:30 at night and theyre still cooking, he marvels.

Family Ingredients: Two episodes, 75 minutes, 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 13, at the Roxie, 3117 16th St., San Francisco. $14, $13 students and seniors. http://caamfest.com

Former Chronicle Travel Editor Jeanne Cooper writes frequently about Hawaii for The Chronicle and SFGate.
LOS ANGELES  Keith Emerson, founder and keyboardist of the progressive-rock band Emerson, Lake and Palmer, has died, his partner announced Friday. He was 71.

Mari Kawaguchi said she found Emerson dead early Friday at their condominium in Santa Monica. The Santa Monica Police Department said the cause appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Keith was a gentle soul whose love for music and passion for his performance as a keyboard player will remain unmatched for many years to come, his former bandmate, drummer Carl Palmer, said in a statement. He was a pioneer and an innovator.

Mr. Emerson, Palmer and vocalist/guitarist Greg Lake were giants of progressive rock in the 1970s, recording six platinum-selling albums. They and other hit groups such as Pink Floyd, the Moody Blues and Genesis stepped away from rocks emphasis on short songs with dance beats, instead creating albums with ornate pieces full of complicated rhythms, intricate chords and time signature changes. The orchestrations drew on classical and jazz styles and sometimes wedded traditional rock instruments with full orchestras.

Mr. Emerson, Lake and Palmers 1973 album Brain Salad Surgery included a nearly 30-minute composition called Karn Evil 9 that featured a Moog synthesizer and the eerie, carnival-like lyric: Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends.

A musical prodigy, Mr. Emerson was born in Todmorden, Yorkshire, in England. By his late teens, he was playing in blues and jazz clubs in London. He helped form one of the first progressive rock groups, the Nice, before hooking up with Lake and Palmer in 1970 and debuting with them at the Isle of Wight Festival.

Although it filled stadiums, ELP also was ridiculed as the embodiment of the pomposity and self-indulgence that rock supposedly stood against.

ELP broke up in 1979, reunited in 1991, later disbanded again and reunited one last time for a 2010 tour.

Throughout, Mr. Emerson continued to compose and perform, sometimes solo and other times with various musicians, including Lake.

Mr. Emerson never considered himself a rock or pop icon and his true musical devotion lay elsewhere.

At home, he listened to either classical or jazz. We never listened to rock, Kawaguchi said.
WASHINGTON  Months after being sent to prison for a fraud conviction, Iowa businessman Clarence Rice began experiencing severe stomach pains that required extended hospital visits. Then came the diagnosis of bile duct cancer  and, with it, the painful acceptance that hed have just months to live.

His one hope for freedom was a federal program that permits the early release of certain aging and ailing prisoners. But prison officials denied his request on the grounds that he hadnt served enough of his sentence. Rice died in January 2013 at the age of 64, after a year in custody.

It was such a painful experience  so painful and difficult, recalled his daughter, Allison Rice, still shaken by the memories of her fathers gaunt and jaundiced face and her final visit with him.

Now, the U.S. Sentencing Commission, the independent panel that sets sentencing policy, is weighing changes to the Bureau of Prisons compassionate release program that can free prisoners for extraordinary and compelling reasons.

The issue is important, since prison officials have described prisoners 50 and older as their fastest-growing demographic, up by 25 percent from 2009 to 2013.

Yet even though studies show that the elderly are far less likely to reoffend after release, prison officials have struggled to define who should be considered. The result: inmates have sometimes died behind bars even after theyve been found to meet the criteria for release.

There are people who are currently in prison who ought to see a reduction in sentence because circumstances have changed that make their continued incarceration inhumane and unnecessary, said Mary Price, general counsel for Families Against Mandatory Minimums, an advocacy group that is proposing change.

Advocates who want to open consideration to a broader swath of inmates hope the review process can bring clarity and consistency to a program thats long lacked it.

The Justice Department, which already reworked the eligibility requirements in 2013, has created a working group to examine additional changes to current policy.

But department officials have also urged caution. Changing the eligibility requirements dramatically could have unintended consequences, such as forcing the prison system to release fraudster Bernie Madoff or spies Robert Hanssen and Aldrich Ames, they warn.

More than a third of inmates 50 and older have serious criminal histories, and relatively few are seriously ill, federal officials say. The government estimates that about 97 percent of their older inmates are healthy and can care for themselves, and less than 1 percent requires the most serious level of medical care.

The commission is responsible for developing the criteria that prisons and courts use to determine which prisoners should be considered. Judges can order a sentencing reduction based on a request from prison officials for extraordinary and compelling reasons.

Broadly speaking, the privilege is intended for inmates with terminal illnesses as well as elderly inmates who have served a significant portion of their sentences and are deemed harmless to society.
ELM GROVE, La.  The death toll climbed to three and 1,000 people were forced to leave their homes Thursday as a second round of unusually heavy rain hit an already inundated northern Louisiana. The southern part of the state was bracing for heavy rain later in the day.

State officials said a 6-year-old girl was among those killed during two days of severe weather that has left roads covered in water and sent people fleeing their homes.

Sixteen Louisiana parishes have declared a state of emergency, and the National Guard was sent in to help.

Guard spokesman Rebekah Malone said the Guard has evacuated 361 people from homes in Bossier, Ouachita and Morehouse parishes since Wednesday morning, using trucks that can travel though water 20 to 30 inches deep.

Guardsman have also evacuated 70 dogs, 16 chickens and even a guinea pig.

In Bossier City  across the Red River from Shreveport  some 3,500 homes were under a mandatory evacuation as a precaution because a bayou was approaching the top of its levee. National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Hansford said Thursday morning that the bayou may top the levee or be breached. One weather spotter just north of Monroe reported more than 18 inches of rain since Tuesday night, he said.

Dozens of people were at a Red Cross shelter at the Bossier Civic Center in northwest Louisiana.

About 50 people are in the shelter now, and more are on the way from the area south of Bossier City, where several subdivisions were cut off by high water, shelter manager Colleen Morgan said.

Lt. Bill Davis of the Bossier Parish Sheriffs Office said the road leading to an area just south of Bossier City is blocked by water in both directions. Authorities were using high-water vehicles to bring out about 1,000 people.

Rescuers were working out of a staging area along Highway 71 in Bossier Parish on Thursday. Using boats and trucks high enough to drive through the water, they went through the community evacuating people from their homes.
MIAMI  Vote for home-state Gov. John Kasich in Tuesdays Ohio primary, not for Marco Rubio, Republicans are being urged ... by Marco Rubio. Its all part of the extraordinary tactics Donald Trumps presidential foes are resorting to in last-ditch efforts to block the partys front-runner.

If you want to stop Trump in Ohio, Kasichs the only guy who can beat him there, Rubio spokesman Alex Conant said Friday in an interview.

In turn, Florida Sen. Rubio is hoping to win in his home state on Tuesday, and so split the days two big delegate prizes and keeping them out of Trumps hands.

While only Kasich can take on Trump in Ohio, Marco is the only guy who can beat him in Florida, Conant said.

Polls suggest Kasich has a better chance in his state than Rubio has in Florida, but its important to both of them  and to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the other man in a four-corner fight  to keep Trump from sweeping the two big states and taking a big step toward sewing up the Republican nomination.

Trump, for his part, showed off his latest success Friday, introducing a significant new ally at a news conference at his Palm Beach resort. Standing at Trumps side, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson endorsed his former GOP rival and warned that a failure to rally behind him would fracture the party in an irreparable way.

Carson said he and Trump had buried the hatchet after months of political wrangling, describing the front-runner as a very cerebral person.

Rubio, fighting for his political life, said it is Trump who could destroy the party given the many Republicans who vow never to support the New York real estate mogul.

I certainly think it would fracture it, Rubio said of a Trump nomination on CBS This Morning. There is a very significant number of Republicans that will never vote for him. And you cant win unless the partys united.

There are signs some Ohio Republicans are already embracing the idea the Rubio camp is now pushing.

Tom Grossmann, a county commissioner and former GOP chairman in Warren County north of Cincinnati, is one Rubio supporter thinking about gong for Kasich.

I believe Marco Rubio has the best chance of unifying the party and winning in November, he said Friday. I dont think he has any chance of winning in Ohio.

The fresh signs of GOP disarray followed a surprisingly civil debate Thursday night.

A restrained Trump used the latest presidential debate to send a none-too-subtle message to Republicans still wary of his insurgent candidacy: Be smart and unify. Cruz and Rubio toned down their rhetoric, too, concluding that all-out attacks against Trump didnt work.

The candidates now charge out of Miami with four days left to make their final arguments before next weeks all-important big-state presidential primaries.

In all, 367 Republican delegates are at stake Tuesday in Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and the Northern Mariana Islands, a delegate haul that could go a long way toward determining the GOP nominee.
Buy five Egg McMuffins, get the sixth free?

Something similar may soon be coming to McDonalds. The franchise announced it will debut a rewards program, which will be featured in McDonalds existing smartphone app, later this year or in early 2017, according to Nations Restaurant News. In some markets, McDonald's already offers a reward system for its McCafe beverages.

Related: McDonald's Is Trying Out All-Day Breakfast

The new, expanded rewards program will encourage customers to buy breakfast food items, which McDonalds has been pushing since adding to selections such as the Chicken McGriddle and offering the menu all day.

Its possible that the update serves as a strategy for McDonald's to keep up with competitors, including Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks. Both already offer loyalty programs.

Were working on a customer-designed loyalty program that we think will be as good as there is out there in the marketplace, McDonalds USA president Mike Andres says, according to TIME.

Related: Some Taiwanese Religious Groups Are Boycotting McDonald's After Seeing its New Ad

Andrews said rewards will more than likely be earned based on number of visits to the restaurant each month. Once enough points are racked up, customers will have a limited time to claim the reward.

Related:

McDonald's Plans to Roll Out a Rewards Program For Customers

Taco Bell Joins Breakfast Wars With New $1 Menu

McDonald's Comes to Borat's Home Country of Kazakhstan



Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
With the amount of plastic the world generates each year  more than 220 million tons, by one count  the discovery of a bacterium that can eat certain types of plastic holds the hope of dealing with the global plastic waste issue.

Japanese researchers recently found a new species of bacteria, Ideonella sakaiensis 201-F6, that can break down polyethylene terephthalate  or PET plastic  which is commonly used to make water bottles, food containers and material for clothing. The researchers' findings were recently published in the journal Science.

The bacterium was able to degrade a thin film of PET, researchers discovered. Two enzymes can then break down PET into simpler components, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) reported.

"We are surprised at the presence of this bacterium that degrades and assimilates PET, whose commercial production was initiated only [a little more than] 60 years ago, meaning that during such a short time the 201-F6 have evolved an efficient system to metabolize PET," AAAS quoted Shosuke Yoshida of Keio University as saying.

The downside of the new bacterium, Fast Company pointed out, is that it works slowly. Although it was able to break down a thin film of PET, it took six weeks under lab conditions for that to happen.

Kohei Oda, one of the authors of the study, told the Christian Science Monitor that this is just the start of figuring out how the bacterium can help solve the plastic waste problem.

"We hope this bacterium could be applied to solve the severe problems by the wasted PET materials in nature," Oda wrote in an email to the newspaper. But "this is just the initiation for application."

Another item worth mentioning, however, is that PET plastic makes up only one-sixth of the world's produced plastic, according to the Guardian. Not only will more work need to be done with the bacterium, but it won't affect other types of plastic  but it's a start.
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WESTPORT  The newly constructed contemporary house at 33 Edgewater Hillside defies explanation. The marketing material sums it up best with the phrase Connecticut beach house meets New York penthouse. Someone referred to it as waterfront Zen and Manhattan chic  the house is clearly both.

Built in 2015 by Fairfield-based Conners Development, the house sits on a quarter-acre parcel in the Compo Beach area of Westport, with easy access to Mill Pond and has panoramic views of Long Island Sound from almost every room, as well as its glass balcony/deck off the great room and a glass rooftop terrace.

The house was designed to take advantage of local attributes of light, water views and breezes in such a way that the contemporary design is a reflection of this environment as much on the exterior as the interior, said award-winning architect David Preusch in his design statement.

At first glance the house has a boxy, rectangular shape, which sounds ordinary, but there is nothing ordinary about the structure or its features. The boxy appearance is a reminder that the architect, builder and interior designers thought outside the box to arrive at this cutting-edge design and create this ultra-modern masterpiece.

More Information WESTPORT NEWS House of the Week TYPE: Contemporary ADDRESS: 33 Edgewater Hillside PRICE: $3,300,000 NUMBER OF ROOMS: 10 FEATURES: water community, panoramic water views, FEMA compliant, new construction, glass balcony/deck, glass rooftop terrace, 0.25-acre property, located on a private cul-de-sac, convenient to town and train, extra insulation, tank-less hot water, bluestone patios, exterior lighting, gas log fireplace, LED lighting, Thermopane insulated windows, audio system, zoned gas heat and air conditioning, professionally landscaped, irrigation system, homeowners' association, walking distance to Compo Beach and Longshore Club Park, attached two-car garage, four bedrooms all en suite, four full and one half baths SCHOOLS: Greens Farms Elementary, Bedford Middle, Staples High ASSESSMENT: New construction, not set TAX RATE: 18.07 mills TAXES: Not set ASSOCIATION FEE: $340 See More Collapse

Designers Nadia Dawkins and Sue Bell, of RelativeDesign, collaborated with the architect and builder from inception to completion. They said the house is an uncommon build for this beach community and was designed for family living and weekend retreats. They linked the interior design and the natural exterior environment with an unexpected play on textures utilized in our choice of tile, glass, metal and high gloss surfaces.

The house and its amenities are like works of art. It has a custom floating staircase from the ground level to the main living level on the second floor. A wall in the great room is made of long, thin, rectangular stone tiles from floor to ceiling. Those tiles complement the long, thin, rectangular gas fireplace, a shape repeated in the transoms in the floor-to-ceiling windows along the front facade. The team also gave this 3,650-square-foot house clean lines, 10-foot ceilings in the great room and the master suite, and state-of-the-art fixtures.

Outside, the exterior lighting is also artistically designed and the front facade of the house, its landscaping and hardscaping combine to create a dramatic look. It has a bluestone patio, crushed stone driveway lined in Belgium block, and quarried stone walls in the same long, thin configuration as awaits viewers inside.

The front entrance is wide with French doors into the foyer. It and the mudroom and laundry room have polished white marble floors. Three other rooms  the family room and two en suite bedrooms  have hardwood floors. The family room also has a dry bar with a granite counter, beverage refrigerator, glass shelving and seagrass wallcovering.

One bedrooms bath has a wall of textured white ceramic tiles that suggest undulating waves. Both baths on this level have natural wood vanities.

Upstairs, on the main living level, there is an open floor plan that includes the sitting area, larger dining area, kitchen and smaller casual breakfast area. Two sets of French doors lead to the balcony/deck, which has glass panels that dont obstruct the water views. Another door leads to the rooftop terrace.

The chef-grade kitchen would please any environmentalist because it preserves natural resources. Instead of natural stone counters and wood cabinets the kitchen has Caesarestone counters, the cabinets are acrylic, and the backsplash resembles marble but is actually man-made, eco-friendly Neolith, which does not scratch or stain and therefore requires much less maintenance than granite or marble. The kitchen also contains Miele and Sub-Zero appliances including a six-burner dual-fuel range. The center island houses a beverage refrigerator, microwave drawer and prep sink.

There are two en suite bedrooms on this level. The master suite has a sitting area, walk-in closet and spa-like bath with heated floor, over-sized shower, water closet and decorative marble backsplash.

In the backyard there is a bluestone patio.

For more information or to set up an appointment to see the house, contact Floria Polverari of the Vanderblue Team, an affiliate of Higgins Group Real Estate at 203-615-3170 or Floria@Vanderblue.com.
Thirteen years ago, in 2003, the choreographer Bill T. Jones recorded an oral history of his 95-year-old mother-in-law, a Jewish activist and nurse who joined the resistance in German-occupied Vichy, France, during World War II. In an attentive, patient, cumulatively moving transformation of that source material into an 80-minute work of narrated dance, Analogy/Dora: Tramontane received its West Coast premiere Thursday, March 10, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater.

Although the piece certainly addresses its share of horrors and dehumanizing degradations, Analogy is no gruesome catalog of Nazi atrocities. Rather it is a story, like millions of others from that war, of circumstance and character yielding unheralded acts of endurance, resourcefulness and courageous moral calculus.

Dora Amelan, in the oral history extracts voiced by the performers, describes her life and work in a succinct, self-effacing way. Yes, she was saving children and what adults she and her comrades could in the stark, euphemistically named assigned residences where Jews were held before a possible deportation to a German extermination camp. But she freely admits to defeat and exhaustion, to feeling numb and needing time away in Nice.

Heroism and endurance arent always or even often writ large, Analogy reminds us. They are instead the qualities that emerge when people bond together, when despite the suffering, collective will and combustive bursts of energy and joy are created by a community.

From beginning to end, the piece embodies that conviction. An eloquent nine-member ensemble cast, clad in trousers and jerseys in a muted color palette, shares equally the spoken and choreographic tasks. At various times, with fixed or handheld mikes, dancers speak Jones and Doras oral history lines. In repeated feats of communal ingenuity, they use simple geometric panels to build bedrooms and bunkers, inviting doorways and bomb sites.

The choreography is all of a piece, with lots of unison dancing, daisy chains and interdependent tableaux. Even when they are separated and spread across the stage, the dancers seem interlocked, flexing their arms like disembodied machines, extending an extravagant long leg or overtaken by full-body shiverings that register as deep sympathetic vibrations. Carlo Antonio Villanueva has the closest thing to a breakout role, in several ebullient turns as a young, German-speaking Marcel Marceau.

Like Dora herself, much of the dance grammar and language of Analogy is simple and straightforward. The clarity allows her own familys episodes of separation and loss to play off against the larger canvas to telling effect. One of the most affecting scenes is one of the quietest, when Doras younger sister is in the hospital after a botched operation. Her bowed head and plaintive, futilely extended arms are heartbreaking, all the more so as one tiny emblem of the engulfing misery around her.

Analogy, whose full title refers to the harsh mountainous terrain of the French Pyrenees, plays out across a wide musical landscape. Nick Hallett and Emily Manzo expertly combine Schubert lieder, World War II-era French songs and some of Halletts own rawly combative music. The scalding white heat and occasional long shadows and silhouettes of Robert Wierzels lighting design are perfectly judged.

Gratifying as it is, this piece is only part of the story. Two additional panels of a proposed Analogy triptych will premiere elsewhere this summer. Heres hoping they make their way to the Bay Area.

Steven Winn is the former culture critic for The San Francisco Chronicle.

Analogy/Dora: Tramontane: Oral history dance piece. Conceived and directed by Bill T. Jones. Through Sunday, March 13. $30-$40. Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 700 Howard St., S.F. (415) 978-2787. www.ybca.org.

To view a preview trailer of the performance, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIW7EADjreM.
Absent the nasty, puerile tone of the previous Republican presidential debate, Donald Trump didnt feel compelled to again defend the size of his manhood at Thursdays much more substantive throw down in Florida.

Instead, with a comfortable lead in the polls, the front-runner cut the insults, barely raised his voice and encouraged the GOP to embrace these millions of people that now for the first time ever love the Republican Party. And unify. Be smart and unify.

But the gentler tone of the debate enabled the billionaire developer who has never held public office to continue to avoid describing with much specificity the policies hed pursue as president. He also repeated untruths about several other positions.

Get beyond rhetoric

Meanwhile, his opponents desperately challenged him to provide something beyond platitudes on issues like trade, where Trump has proposed a 45 percent tariff on goods imported from China if, the New York developer said, they dont behave.

Weve got to get beyond rhetoric of China bad, and actually get to how do you solve the problem, said Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Because this solution would hurt jobs and hurt hard-working taxpayers in America.

The stakes are high as Republican voters in two swing states that will be pivotal in the general election  Ohio and Florida  will cast ballots Tuesday. Voters in North Carolina, which leans Republican in general elections, and solidly Democratic Illinois also will vote.

If Trump wins Florida, where he leads in the polls, not only would Sen. Marco Rubio likely slink out of the race after the ignominy of losing his home state, Trump would snag all of its 99 delegates in the winner-take-all contest, making stopping him difficult.

The campaign of Ohio Gov. John Kasich  which has yet to win any of the 24 GOP caucuses or primaries  faces a similar existential crisis if Kasich loses his home state Tuesday. But he maintains a slight lead there.

Despite their desperate circumstances, the tone was much more civil Thursday than at last weeks debate. Then Rubio made a winking allusion to Trumps small hands that led Trump to respond with an anatomical reference previously unheard at a presidential debate.

Instead, Trumps offstage problems over the past two days followed him to the debate, starting with how he didnt back off telling CNN in an interview this week that I think Islam hates us.

When CNNs debate moderator Jake Tapper pressed Trump about whether he meant all 1.6 billion Muslims, Trump  who has proposed banning Muslims from entering the U.S.  replied, I mean a lot of them.

Trump didnt budge when Rubio asked if he would include the thousands of Muslim Americans who have defended the country while serving in the military.

I dont want to be so politically correct, Trump replied. I like to solve problems. We have a serious, serious problem of hate.

Speaking of problems of hate, an ongoing series of violent events at Trump rallies escalated when a white Trump supporter sucker-punched an African American protester at a rally this week in Fayetteville, N.C., as law enforcement officers were escorting the activist from the arena.

Might have to kill him

The Trump supporter who was caught on video throwing the punch, John McGraw, was charged with assault. McGraw was unapologetic Thursday, telling TVs Inside Edition that We dont know who he is, but we know hes not acting like an American. Yes, he deserved it. The next time we see him, we might have to kill him.

Trump has contributed to the tone of these confrontations with comments hes made at rallies when protesters have disrupted them, which happens often. Tapper pointed out that Trump has said things like Id like to punch him in the face, and in the good ol days, theyd have ripped him out of that seat so fast, and knock the crap out of him, would, you?

Trump replied: We have some protesters who are bad dudes, they have done bad things. And if theyve got to be taken out, to be honest, I mean, we have to run something.

The civil, virtually insult-free tone of Thursdays debate was a boon to Trump, enabling him to remain vague without much fear of being called out:

Still no explanation on how Mexico will pay for the wall: Trump estimates it will cost $10 billion to build, half as much as other estimates. When pressed  which he wasnt Thursday  Trump alludes to the nations $50 billion trade deficit with Mexico. But that deficit is based on individuals and companies making investments and buying products, not the Mexican government.

Earlier this week, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bob Woodward asked Trump how he would force a sovereign country to pay for the wall. If they say no, Woodward asked Trump during an interview on MSNBC, would you be willing to go to war to make sure we get the money to pay for this wall? Trump didnt respond directly.

Trump is not entirely self-funding his campaign: Trump repeated something he often says to demonstrate his independence from lobbyists and the donor class: Im self-funding my campaign... I dont want anybodys money.

Nevertheless, hes getting it. Federal campaign records show that Trump has raised $7.5 million from people through January. Hes also loaned himself $17.5 million. His campaign has spent nearly $24 million through January, according to campaign finance documents.

Polls say Trump would lose: Cruz said if Trump wins the GOP nomination, it would ensure that Democrat Hillary Clinton becomes president. Trump countered, I beat Hillary in many of the polls that have been taken. Clinton beats Trump by 6 points in an average of major polls compiled by RealClearPolitics.com.

In other tidbits from Thursdays debate:

Kasich was content to go down smiling: Kasich provided the most substantive responses through much of the debate and didnt attack anyone. But trailing badly in the polls except in his home state, he acknowledged that sometimes being positive isnt all that interesting , but its very interesting to my family, my children and so many supporters that I meet all across the country and I will continue to run a positive campaign.

Rubio gets serious, stops the sophomoric attacks: Rubio was more deft at attacking Trump for his lack of policy specifics, particularly on Social Security. Trump criticized Democrats for doing nothing to shore up the system, then said virtually the same thing: I want to leave Social Security as is. Rubio provided some details, including saying hed gradually raise the retirement age for future generations until it hit 70.
BEIRUT  Syrias main, Western-backed opposition groups said Friday they will attend the U.N.-sponsored indirect peace talks with the Damascus government in Geneva, starting in two days time, amid renewed efforts by the international community to end the deadly five-year conflict.

The civil war has killed more than 250,000 people and displaced millions of Syrians from their homes. In the latest violence, Syrian state media reported that the extremist Islamic State group killed Syrian poet Mohammad Bashir al-Ani and his son, Eyas, in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, which is contested between the government and Islamic State. The 56-year-old al-Ani was one of the most prominent poets in eastern Syria.

The opposition groups, assembled under an umbrella known as the High Negotiations Committee, said in a statement that their participation in the Geneva talks starting Monday comes in response to sincere international efforts to end Syrias war.

The decision to go came after violence dropped following a truce brokered by Russia and the United States. That cease-fire went into effect on Feb. 27, and the government and militants allowed dozens of trucks carrying aid to enter besieged areas.

The HNC said it still seeks a full lifting of siege on rebel-held areas, as well as the release of hundreds of detainees including women and children.

The opposition team in Geneva will press for a transitional governing body with full executive powers and a pluralist government in which President Bashar Assad and his associates will have no role, the HNC statement said. It also insisted on Syrias unity and the restructuring of the countrys security agencies.

But the umbrellas chief, Riad Hijab, played down expectations ahead of the Geneva talks.

We are not going to test the intentions of the (Syrian) regime, he said. We know what crimes they are committing.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem is scheduled to hold a news conference on Saturday, but it was not clear if he is going to announce when the governments team will head to Geneva.

In Turkey, HNC member George Sabra said the opposition is convinced the Syrian government and its chief backers Russia and Iran still aim for a military solution to the crisis.

Honestly, our confidence for these negotiations to stop the suffering for Syria or the Syrian people to succeed is weak, Sabra said.

The first round of Geneva talks collapsed on Feb. 3 during a wide government offensive against insurgents.

In several areas in northern Syria, hundreds of people came out on the streets after Friday prayers, carrying the oppositions flag and calling for the downfall of Assads government, according to opposition monitoring groups the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees.

Syrias civil war has devastated the country and given space for the emergence of radical militant groups such as the Islamic State and al Qaedas branch in Syria  the Al Nustra Front. Those groups and other militant factions are not part of the cease-fire or international negotiations.
1 Missile tests: Irans Foreign Ministry insisted on Thursday that the missile tests carried out by the countrys Revolutionary Guard this week do not violate Tehrans nuclear deal with world powers or a U.N. Security Council resolution. According to ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari, the missiles were conventional defensive instruments and they were merely for legitimate defense, the official IRNA news agency reported. Irans Revolutionary Guard test-launched two ballistic missiles on Wednesday emblazoned with the phrase Israel must be wiped out in Hebrew  a show of power by the Shiite nation, long an opponent of Israel.

2 Biden visits Jordan: Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday told U.S. troops who are training the Jordanian military that Islamic State extremists are already on their heels but defeating them will take a long time. Biden also told the U.S. military instructors that Islamic State militants dont pose an existential threat to the United States. In the capital of Amman, Biden met with King Abdullah II, a key Western military ally. Washington has scaled up military aid to Jordan in recent months in line with the kingdoms central role in the fight against Islamic State, which controls large areas of neighboring Syria and Iraq.
Here is some stuff in the news today...Hot damn! This campaign advertisement featuring Shonda Rhimes, and the stars of three of her hugely successful showsViola Davis fromKerry Washington fromand Ellen Pompeo fromendorsing Hillary Clinton is pretty fucking cool. I can't even imagine how jazzed Clinton must be!In other endorsement news, Dr. Ben Carson has endorsed Donald Trump. Sure.On the other hand: "The AFL-CIO, the largest U.S. federation of labor unions, will launch digital attack ads targeting Republican front-runner Donald Trump next week as part of a multi-pronged effort to derail the New York billionaire's bid for the White House and dampen union workers' enthusiasm for him. Officials at the AFL-CIO, an umbrella group of 56 unions representing 12.5 million workers, told Reuters the ads will depict Trump as anti-union, and will appear on Facebook and Twitter. ...'Donald Trump has tapped into the very real and understandable anger of working people. But while he says he's with America's working people, when you look close, it's just hot air,' AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka told Reuters. 'Donald Trump is nothing but a house of cards, and once we educate people, the house of cards comes crashing down,' he said."[Content Note: War; displacement; descriptions of rape, murder, and violence] The United Nations Office of Human Rights has published an incredibly difficult but equally important report on the vast scope of brutal human rights violations in South Sudan, in which a civil war between government and opposition forces has been waging since 2013. Women and children are especially singled out for vicious abuse and sexual violence, and UN investigators found that the South Sudanese army have allowed their affiliated militias "to rape women in lieu of wages while fighting rebels. ...According to the UN report, militias operated under a 'do what you can and take what you can' agreement that allowed them to rape and abduct women and girls as a form of payment. They also raided cattle and stole personal property, it added. The scale and type of sexual violence committed in South Sudan constitute some of the most horrendous human rights abuses in the world, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said." And still the world continues to refuse to meaningfully intervene.[CN: War on agency] In Indiana, the state legislature is attempting to pass another abortion restriction so extreme that even some Republicans are objecting : "Under HB 1337, which both chambers of the legislature passed this week, women would be prohibited from seeking an abortion if they discover their fetus has genetic abnormalities. ...According to a Planned Parenthood statement, the legislation is 'particularly cruel in that it's designed to shame and demean a woman who is facing tragic circumstances with a lethal fetal anomaly.' Essentially, a grieving pregnant woman grappling with the news that her unborn child won't survive outside the womb would be required to receive information dissuading her from ending the doomed pregnancy. ...'The bill does nothing to save innocent lives. There's no education, there's no funding. It's just penalties,' Rep. Sharon Negele, a Republican who has sponsored anti-abortion legislation in the past, said this week at a hearing regarding HB 1337." When Sharon Negele says you've gone too far, you have truly derailed.[CN: War on agency] Meanwhile, in Utah: "A Utah bill requiring doctors to administer anesthesia to a fetus at 20 weeks' gestation or later during an abortion procedure now heads to the governor's desk , after Republicans on Thursday pushed through the measure during the legislative session's final hours. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Curt Bramble (R-Provo), hinges on the unsubstantiated notion that a fetus at 20 weeks' gestation feels pain, despite an exhaustive scientific review saying that's simply not the case. SB 234 passed in the house in a 56-13 party line vote, after clearing the state senate this month over Democratic opposition. Republicans control both chambers of the Utah legislature."[CN: Fat hatred; video may autoplay at link] Fucking hell: "A new commercial that is part of Lane Bryant's body positive campaign may never get a chance to air. A representative for the clothing company tells it has been rejected by multiple TV networks including NBC and ABC. ...In a statement toa representative for NBC said, 'As part of the normal advertising standards process, we reviewed a rough cut of the ad and asked for minor edits to comply with broadcast indecency guidelines. The ad was not rejected and we welcome the updated creative.'" Um, okay. Let me guess: These "indecency" issues with fat female bodies would definitely not be a problem with thin female bodies.[CN: Holocaust survival] Yisrael Kristal, an Auschwitz survivor, is now the world's oldest known man , at age 112 and 178 days. "As he received his Guinness World Records certificate, Mr Kristal said he did not know the 'secret for long life' and that he believed everything was 'determined from above.' 'There have been smarter, stronger, and better looking men then me who are no longer alive,' he added. 'All that is left for us to do is to keep on working as hard as we can and rebuild what is lost.'" Blub. This Incredibly Deep Space View Could Solve One of the Mysteries of Our Universe ." COOL.And finally! Baby aardvark ! That last picture is THE BEST.
During that trip and subsequently, Hillary Clinton played a leading role in creating the links between the White House and leaders on the ground that would be so important in subsequent years.



Her visits to the Falls and Shankill Roads in Belfast to meet working-class women from both communities were especially important. She helped empower key women at a time in the conflict when women's voices were hardly heard. She played a major role in setting the groundwork for the formation of parties such as the Women's Coalition, which was to play an essential role in cross-community bridge building in the vital years when the peace process was being bedded down.



...Then, of course, there were the meetings in Washington, usually around St. Patrick's Day, and the White House "Irish night," which became a fixture at Hillary's insistence.



The boost to the peace process of a First Lady of the United States welcoming party leaders of whatever stripe to the White House had to be seen in person to be believed.



When perhaps the most famous woman in the world spent an extraordinary amount of time just listening to the perspectives from the various parties, it was bound to have an impact.



Progressive Unionist Party Leader David Ervine, tragically now deceased, described her as the most knowledgeable person on the issue he had met in Washington. John Hume, the SDLP leader and Nobel Peace laureate who was a frequent visitor and friend, agreed. They were sitting together in a smoky hotel bar in Washington, D.C. after an economic conference on Northern Ireland, another Clinton initiative, and Hillary had just knocked them dead with a spirited contribution on peace and economic strategy.



...Hillary used the example of her peace efforts in Northern Ireland on her future global travels. Soon after being named Secretary of State she met with a small group of Irish-American leaders and spoke of her hopes that Irish Americans would meet and give advice to other diaspora leaders such as Pakistani and Indian Americans, revealing to them how the Irish diaspora helped end the conflict in Northern Ireland.



As Secretary of State, Hillary convened several diaspora conferences and used Ireland as an example of peace brokering in her bestselling memoir, Hard Choices. She also included Northern Ireland on her final travel trip as Secretary of State and received an overwhelming reception from party leaders on all sides when she spoke at a luncheon sponsored by the American Ireland Fund at the Titanic Quarter in Belfast. She promised to stay involved and she has.

[Content Note: War.]Back in January, I wrote a piece about the metrics I use to assess presidential candidates, and I said I'm looking for, among other things, someone "who understands that diplomacy and negotiation are huge parts of the president's job, and who is a solid diplomat and negotiator."This morning, Aphra_Behn pointed me to this article about the crucial role Hillary Clinton played in the Irish peace process.There's much more at the link, and I encourage you to read the whole thing.That piece reminds me a lot of the account written last summer by former US ambassador to Hungary Eleni Kounalakis of Clinton's deft diplomacy in Hungary. I highly recommend reading that piece, too, because it's a remarkable snapshot of how Clinton, faced with a last-minute potential diplomatic crisis, was able to successfully and effectively pivot, and all because she listened to the ambassador's concerns.That's the kind of president I want to have.
WASHINGTON: Apple has accused the U.S. Justice Department of trying to "smear" the company with "desperate" and "unsubstantiated" claims.

It followed the Justice Department's latest court filing over its demand that Apple create software to unlock an iPhone used by an attacker in a mass shooting last year, BBC reported.

The department said that Apple's stance was "corrosive" of institutions trying to protect "liberty and rights".

It also claims Apple helped the Chinese government with iPhone security.

Apple's general counsel Bruce Sewell said: "The tone of the brief reads like an indictment."

He said: "Everybody should beware because it seems like disagreeing with the Department of Justice means you must be evil and anti-American, nothing could be further from the truth."

Prosecutors claim Apple's own data shows that China demanded information from Apple regarding more than 4,000 iPhones in the first half of 2015, and Apple produced data 74 percent of the time.

But Sewell said the new filing relies on thinly sourced reports to inaccurately suggest that Apple had colluded with the Chinese government to undermine iPhone buyers' security.

The US government has been fighting Apple over access to information on the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino killers, Rizwan Farook, in December. Apple says the demands violate the company's rights.

The Department of Justice claimed in its court filing that Apple had attacked the FBI investigation as "shoddy", and tried to portray itself as a "guardian of Americans' privacy".

This "rhetoric is not only false, but also corrosive of the very institutions that are best able to safeguard our liberty and our rights: The courts, the Fourth Amendment, longstanding precedent and venerable laws, and the democratically elected branches of government," the DoJ said.

In February, the FBI obtained a court order to force Apple to write new software that would allow the government to break into the phone. The FBI wants the software to bypass auto-erase functions on the phone.

Apple has argued that the government is asking for a "back door" that could be exploited by the government and criminals.

The tech giant has filed its own court request that the ruling be overturned, arguing that the order violated the company's constitutional rights.

"This case is about the Department of Justice and the FBI seeking through the courts a dangerous power that Congress and the American people have withheld," Apple said.

The iPhone maker has received support for other tech giants including Google, Microsoft and Facebook.

The FBI said Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, were inspired by Islamic State militants when they killed 14 people at a party on December 2.

The couple later died in a shootout with police and the FBI said it wants to read the data on Farook's work phone to investigate any links with militant groups.

A hearing into the case is scheduled for March 22 in a California federal court. Apple chief executive Tim Cook has said he was willing to take the case to the Supreme Court.

Read Also: Samsung Already Working on its Next Big Release The Galaxy A9 Pro

The Best 4k TV's of 2016
KOZHIKODE, KERALA: A 22-year-old migrant worker from Bengal won a 1 crore Kerala government lottery just three days after coming to the city looking for work.

Mofijul Rahana Sheikh, hailing from Lakshmipur of Malda district in West Bengal, purchased the 'Karunya' lottery ticket on March 4, the day he arrived in Kozhikode, for 50 from a vendor at nearby Vellimadakunnu, police said.

He won the 1 crore prize in the draw held the next day.

Yesterday, he went to a police station and sought protection, fearing that other migrant workers in his group might attack him and take away the ticket.

Police then took him to a bank, where he opened an account and submitted the ticket.

Read More:

National Highways Soon to be Adorned with Shopping Malls, Food Court & Service Centres

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India Unveils New Norms For Hydrocarbons Licensing, Pricing
NEW DELHI: Big bang reforms will not be the operating template for India and the process will be a 'slow and tedious one', says a Morgan Stanley report.

The global financial services major said that the recently announced Budget for 2016-17 has proved once again that major reform initiatives will not be the operating template for the country.

"Reforms in India will be a slow and tedious process, requiring the buy-in of the opposition and the bureaucracy," it said.

Since the beginning of this year, Indian markets have seen heavy volatility largely owing to high fluctuations in global markets led by the Shanghai Composite and domestic events such as the Union Budget, it said.

The Indian equity markets have seen extreme weakness due to various negative factors, including global economic slowdown fears, falling crude prices, worries related to Chinese economy and muted quarterly earnings.

Experts said domestic woes, including ballooning NPAs reported by banks and weak quarterly numbers in various other sectors, also added to the market weakness recently.

Meanwhile, the index slumped to its lowest level in 21 months, when the Sensex crashed 807 points to drop below the 23,000-mark on February 11, this year.

"Moreover, what was evident once again this year, is that while India may be in a relatively better position based on external macro indicators compared to 2013, the correlations with global markets always rise disproportionately during periods of heightened uncertainty in other parts of the world," the report added.

Read Also: Physically Strong Women Who Broke All the Stereotypes in Their Field

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Renegade judiciary:

On March 8, 2016, the Federal Court of Canada issued a Decision in the CSA vs. P.S. Knight case which alters the common and historic understanding of the ownership of Federal and provincial law.

The Court ruled that text submitted to government by non-government parties for inclusion within legislation remains the private intellectual property of the originator or copyright assignment holder for that text, provided that the drafting of that text was not conducted under the direction of government.

As most legislation includes text voluntarily drafted by interested parties and their representatives, the text covered by the Court ruling represents the majority of Federal and provincial legislation in Canada.

[...]

Beyond PS Knight's interests, the Ruling means that every publication which quotes from legislation that incorporates the contributions of citizens, lobbyists, etc. is now violating the private property rights of those persons who had contributed to that legislation.

Every legal publishing house in Canada is affected. Carswell Publishers, LexisNexis, Thompson Reuters, Evan Ross, Martins -all of these extensively quote from domestic law in their commentaries on domestic law.
Vancouver Observer, March 10th - Homeless Saskatchewan man given one-way bus ticket hopes for new life in B.C.

Two homeless Saskatchewan men who say they were given one-way bus tickets to British Columbia have arrived in Vancouver.

Charles Neil-Curly, 23, has been homeless for about five months and living in a North Battleford, Sask. shelter, but he says the province cut his funding, forcing him to find somewhere else to go.

Neil-Curly says he asked for a ticket to B.C. and was on a bus later that night with his friend from the shelter, 21-year-old Jeremy Roy.

The pair reportedly received the tickets from a worker with the provincial government and Saskatchewan Social Services Minister Donna Harpauer says the case is being reviewed by her department.

Workers from a local shelter were on hand to welcome Neil-Curly and Roy when they arrived at the Vancouver bus station Wednesday, offering them a place to stay.
San Mateo, CA (94402)

Today

Cloudy early then partly cloudy and windy this afternoon. High 64F. Winds WNW at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 52F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
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context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948

/var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0728578)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0cee668)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0728578)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0cee668)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f07335c0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0cee668)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0cee668)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612eff1bb98)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0c7e338)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0c7e338)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
It sounds like a drag... GEDDIT? So what's the point? As you can see, the actual act of vaping is much the same as smoking  suck and blow, suck and blow  so for someone who likes to punctuate their day with a cigarette, the experience is rather similar. However, e-cigarettes are presented as cheaper, less dangerous and perhaps more socially acceptable than the old-fashioned gasper. In fact, some of their fiercest advocates are former smokers who switched as a way to kick their habit or transition to something less risky. But are they actually less dangerous for you?

There really isn't enough information to know for sure yet. They are so new that it hasn't been possible to gauge their long-term health effects. Some researchers worry that e-cigarettes containing nicotine could be dangerous because the drug is being sprayed into the lungs rather than absorbed through a patch or lozenge. This is why the National Health and Medical Research Council is funding research at the moment to find out how safe e-cigarettes are and if they can help you quit. However, last year a British government study found e-cigarettes slashed health risks of smoking by almost 95 per cent. It also found the devices could help smokers quit but that the evidence here was still a bit scant. Quit Victoria director Sarah White says electronic cigarettes are likely to be less harmful than cigarettes but they are not harmless. She says there is also evidence to suggest vaping can cause inflammation of the lungs, which can lead to breathing problems.

What's the price difference? I'm on the scrounge for a good reason, man. Apart from, you know, dying. E-cigarettes are certainly cheaper and can be purchased at a fraction of the cost of tobacco cigarettes. A pack of 20 of the most popular brand of smokes costs $25, and the average smoker consumed about 18 cigarettes per day in 2011. That ends up setting someone back about $675 a month. If a smoker switched to vaping and kept up that same pace, the liquid would cost between about $50 and $105 each month, depending on the fillings used. This figure does not include the initial purchase of the device and charger, which can cost up to $100 for a high quality device. So... can e-cigarettes help you quit smoking? There is still not enough conclusive evidence (noticing a trend here?) and the studies so far have been contradictory. At the moment, the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the Word Health Organisation do not recognise e-cigarettes as a quitting aid.

As a result, most doctors would be reluctant to prescribe the device and would most likely encourage other quitting aids. How many people are still smoking? In Australia, about 2.6 million people are daily smokers, Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show. This is still a lot, but the number and the proportion of smokers is dropping. About 17 per cent of men were smokers last year, compared with 27 per cent 20 years ago. And among women, 12 per cent of women smoke, down from 20 per cent in 1995. Smoking rates have steadily been decreasing in Australia Credit:Australian Bureau of Statistics Smoking's popularity has dropped off most dramatically among younger Australians in recent years. In 1995, about six out of every 20 people aged between 18 and 24 were smokers, but now it stands at about three in 20.

Among smokers, e-cigarettes are growing in popularity. In Australia, 6.6 per cent of current and former smokers admitted to using the devices in 2013, up from 0.6 per cent in 2010. And separate surveys show younger smokers were more likely to have tried e-cigarettes. Is vaping reducing smoking rates? That's hard to say. In the United States the number of teens smoking increased in 2014 for the first time in years  and vaping was behind the increase. It seems that teenagers there are jumping straight into vaping, although one teen interviewed by the New York Times said he had used e-cigarettes to beat his former smoking habit. This trend hasn't been demonstrated in Australia  but vaping isn't as easy to access here. So younger people are ditching tobacco for these hipster fake cigarettes. That seems safer so what's the problem? There's a fear that e-cigarettes are not an alternative to traditional cigarettes but the gateway drug.
Brussels: The European Union aims to rehouse thousands of asylum-seekers from Greece in the coming months, officials said as EU ministers wrestled with concerns about the legality of a new plan to force migrants back to Turkey.

Dimitris Avramopoulos, the member of the executive European Commission who handles migration, told reporters at a meeting of national interior ministers on Thursday that at least 6000 people a month should be relocated to other member states under a scheme which has moved only about 900 hundred people so far.

The camp in the Greek village of Idomeni on the Greek side of the border between Greece and Macedonia on Thursday. Credit:AP

Mr Avramopoulos noted a recent acceleration in relocations under the system which has divided EU governments as some refuse to take in refugees, most of whom are from Syria and Iraq, though he acknowledged the target was ambitious.
"The slave women have different rules in terms of covering themselves. It's like a wife, although unlike wives there is no limitation on the number you can have. If you are with her and have a child with her, and she becomes a Muslim, she can become your wife." Civilians hold white flags as they emerge from their houses after clashes between Iraqi security forces and IS terrorists near Ramadi on Wednesday. Credit:AP The defectors described how new IS recruits learn Islamic law and are indoctrinated with extremist Takfiri ideology  a belief system that declares any Muslim who does not adhere to a rigid interpretation of Sunnism is an apostate who should be killed. According to the defectors, Syrians who join IS are rewarded with jobs that, for young men, open a coveted door to marriage. Young women are given money  in scarce supply in Syria  that allows families to eat. Foreign fighters receive additional rewards: wives, sexual slaves, and sometimes homes and cars. Peshmerga Kurdish soldier Hujam Surchi was beheaded by IS jihadists in a Mosul street in February 2015. Defectors feel guilty about taking part in beheadings.

"If you do not fight for IS, you die from hunger as they would not feed or support you, or let you work," said one defector using the name 'Abu Jamal'. "Eventually, you either fight for them or die. If you fight for them, they pay $US200 per month and also supply all your needs. You do not need to spend any money. Two hundred dollars is a lot more than a high-ranking judge can make in Syria. When I joined, they told me I need to go to fight in Ramadi for a year and then I will be free to go anywhere in the caliphate. They also give you a free house, furniture, all your needs  even the money to purchase slave girls." Abu Jamal defected during his first year. A man and baby flee after clashes between IS and Iraqi Security forces at a village outside Ramadi on Wednesday. Credit:Osama Sami Some IS recruits joined the organisation in an attempt to absolve themselves from what they considered past sins. "Some people join IS in order to become 'martyrs' so that their past sins are forgiven," said a defector. "[One said] 'I am from Saudi Arabia. I was very rich and I had committed most of the sins. I thought that I had to do something big to be forgiven, so I left everything behind to fight here to cleanse my soul.'"

Argesh, 2, in Athens last week after his Yazidi family fled the IS-held city of Mosul, hoping to reach Germany. IS is one of the forces pushing Iraqis and Syrians to seek refugee in Europe. Credit:AP At the time of the interviews in late 2015, the defectors were living in Turkey in hiding, fearing retribution from IS. They include 12 men and one woman including IS commanders, regular soldiers, a prison guard, and a 14-year-old child groomed to be a suicide bomber. Some of their accounts, contained in a report published in the academic journal Perspectives on Terrorism, are the most recent of life inside IS by defectors. The report's authors expect to publish a book of interviews with at least 27 Syrian and European defectors this year.The interviews took place in secret locations in Turkey amid an atmosphere where an IS agent posing as a defector had recently murdered and beheaded two journalists researching life under IS in the city of Raqqa. Yazidi Kurdish women protest against Islamic State in Dohuk, Iraq, last year. Credit:AP The research was conducted by Anne Speckhard, director of the International Centre for the Study of Violent Extremism and an adjunct associate professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and Ahmet Yayla, a former chief of counter-terrorism with the Turkish National Police and now Chairman of the Department of Sociology at Harran University in Turkey.

"The current idea being sold by IS is the caliphate and alternative-world governance," Dr Speckhard said, explaining reasons why recruits join IS. Defectors say IS rewards and terrorises its own fighters to ensure compliance and kills them if caught defecting. Credit:AP "If you're not happy with your life, if you're off track in your life in any way, and you start logging on to the internet and getting into the ISIS world, they're offering you an alternative reality and a different conception of your place in this reality. If you're Muslim, you'll be honoured, you'll have an important place, you'll have significance, purpose, honour, adventure, romance, sex, money." Dr Speckhard said during an interview in New York that she had spoken with 500 terrorists and extremists of many colours during her academic career. She has advised the US and British governments and met with Australia's government to discuss terrorism. Iraqi Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi's convoy tours the front line in the Samarra desert, Iraq, earlier this month. Credit:AP

"[Inspiration] used to be the virgins in paradise," Dr Speckhard said. "Now, it's sex. You'll get a partner; you'll get a sex slave. For a young man, that's a powerful motivator. You'll get a job. If you're in Molenbeek, in Brussels, and you're facing 30 percent unemployment and a lot of marginalisation and discrimination, come here, you'll be very respected as a Muslim, you'll have a high social status, you'll be given a job, and you'll be able to marry, and be sexually gratified." A child soldier, using the pseudonym 'Abu Shujaa', revealed children were given drugs before launching suicide attacks. Dr Speckhard told of another child soldier who said "they wanted to make me a button". According to Dr Speckhard, the 14-year-old child was told, "You push the button, you won't feel a thing, and then you'll be straight in paradise." Men loyal to Libyan armed forces prepare to fight Islamic State west of Benghazi, Libya, on Monday. Credit:AP A former IS commander described battlefield use of amphetamines. "There were loud sounds of explosions all around me and I was very scared," said 'Abu Said'. "This guy from IS, he looked at me and realised that I was scared He gave me a tablet. I swallowed it. I became a different man  as if I am a hero. I went forward, and said, 'No, I want to die!' It gave me so much power. I felt as if I am indestructible and unbeatable."

Smoke billows behind an Islamic State street sign during clashes between the terrorist group and Iraqi security forces in Sadiyah, north of Baghdad, in 2014. Credit:AP Communities under IS control are patrolled by groups of women who have been appointed 'morality police' or 'hisba'. A hisba comprising Western women who carry AK-47s are perceived to have more power and authority than regular hisba. "If there is a woman with no niqab and no socks, or if a colourful garment under the niqab is showing, [the morality police] take her to court and she receives a sentence from ten to 40 lashes," said 'Abu Walid'. Iraqi soldiers help civilians flee their village outside Ramadi after clashes with IS on Wednesday. Credit:AP The defectors denied claims by pro-Assad and Russian-backed groups that women take part in 'jihad al-nikah', an alleged practice where women offer themselves as 'temporary wives' to IS fighters  effectively acting as prostitutes.

"We heard about jihad al-nikah," said 'Abu Nisar'. "Muslim girls coming and giving their body as prostitutes for the mujahideen? It is absolutely not true." Pro al-Qaeda and Islamic State demonstrators in Mosul in 2014. IS has since taken over Mosul. Credit:AP Defectors said Syrian fighters rarely came into contact with Western recruits but it was understood Westerners received more incentives to fight than locals including the promise of homes, wives, female slaves, and cars. Foreign fighters came from many countries, according to those interviewed: the US, Britain, Germany, France, Russia, China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, China, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. This building was damaged in clashes between Libyan armed forces and Islamic State group militants west of Benghazi, Libya. Credit:AP

Russians  many who said they were former Russian soldiers who had converted to Islam  were treated with suspicion while Saudis had a reputation for brutality. "The worst of IS are the Saudi fighters," said Abu Jamal. "They are very brutal and violent." Dr Anne Speckhard, director of the International Centre for the Study of Violent Extremism and an adjunct associate professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University in Washington, interviewed the IS defectors. The defectors grew disillusioned with IS for several reasons. One claimed he was angry that a fighter was not punished for a rape. "In 2014, I realised that Daesh were liars," said 'Abu Walid'. "For instance, there was an IS guy who raped a woman, but got away with it."
Many six-year-old girls dream of becoming a princess or a celebrity.

But Narelle Hargreaves' wish during her first year of school was to help children for the rest of her life.

2016 Canberra Citizen of the Year, Narelle Hargreaves. Credit:Jay Cronan

"I remember going home when I was in Year One and saying to my parents that I wanted to be a school teacher, and that never changed," Ms Hargreaves said.

"I just liked being in the presence of other children."
"The thing I couldn't understand was the definition is 30 to 40 years out of date," he said. "It essentially means you have to stop taking the drug and when you get deformed come back and we will pay you." After being contacted by Fairfax Media on Friday, AMP said it was reviewing its definition of severe rheumatoid arthritis. Zurich said: "we review our definitions regularly and are applying the lens of this week's industry news to ensure our definitions are up-to-date". Zurich policies also allow the use of "other tests" where definitions have been superseded. Nationals senator John Williams wants better scrutiny of the big banks. Credit:Eddie Jim Nationals Senator John Williams, who spearheaded a senate inquiry into CBA's financial planning scandal in 2014 and who has expanded the terms of reference of a senate inquiry to life insurance, said the country needed a royal commission into the finance sector. "The more I go on, the further the case builds," he said. Medical classifications relating to rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease which impacts 1 per cent of the population, have not required a patient to be "deformed" by the condition since at least 1987.

Illustration: Ron Tandberg Cabrini Medical Centre rheumatologist, associate professor Stephen Hall, said he had been battling the issues surrounding insurance companies and rheumatoid arthritis for 30 years, and estimated that 50 of his patients had been disadvantaged by outdated definitions in insurance policies. "The issue is that the insurers' definitions are derived from actuarial tables that are now 50 years old," he told Fairfax Media. "Fifty years ago we had no drugs that were capable of preventing damage. The expression of the disease has modified and it means that deformity doesn't always occur." Dr Hall said that identifying deformities in patients was "very much dependent on the competency of the doctor". While some were obvious, others that could be identified by a rheumatologist may not be identified by a less specialised doctor hired by an insurance company. And as many as 50 per cent of patients with rheumatoid arthritis would not have the "positive rheumatoid factor" in their blood required by insurers, he said.

'Clinically correct' The Australian Rheumatology Association said it was "aware of patients' concerns" about the definition of rheumatoid arthritis in certain insurance policies and said it would work with "insurance associations, regulators, or the government to assist in resolving the issues". Sydney-based Associate Professor David Champion described as "antiquated" the definitions used in a current policy sent to him by Fairfax Media. A spokesperson for CommInsure said its current definition for rheumatoid arthritis was "clinically correct". "However we have found that some customers have had difficulty meeting this definition, as treatment can mean that they have temporary improvements in their symptoms." But Dr Hall said the current definition "disenfranchised 50 per cent of people who would otherwise qualify". Another medical practitioner said: "the issue in question is not that it is incorrect, but that it is overly onerous on the claimant to prove".

Mr Gill's claim was rejected by CommInsure in 2011, despite him seeing more than five specialists who all diagnosed him with the disease. They included Dr Champion, who said in his medical note about Mr Gill that: "my view is this (the insurer's policy) would be extremely unreasonable and inappropriate and that the insurer's policy should enter the 21st century." Extreme pain Mr Gill was a director with Cisco Systems with responsibility for Australia and New Zealand when he developed the "silent disease". He was made redundant in August 2011. The condition hit him hard. "I was taking a lot of drugs when I was also trying to lodge claims," he said. "I was battling extreme bouts of pain, restricted movement and taking 40 milligrams of morphine and other strong drugs, so they were attacking me at my weakest."
Young entrepreneurs Patrick Ale and David Milstein, who 11 years ago established premium beverage company Red Island, have outmuscled developers, paying a speculated $9 million for a major Glen Iris development site.

At 4 Paran Place, near the corner of Malvern Road and High Street, abutting the Glen Iris train station, the property is currently a collection of modest, low-rise, commercial shops and factories with an internal area totaling 2200 square metres.

This year's Property Industry Foundation Charity Sailing Challenge will be hosted at the Royal Brighton Yacht Club. Credit:Steb Fisher

Across 2606 square metres, the land offered extraordinary high-density, mixed-use redevelopment potential, with buildings of 10 levels a possibility, according to sources.

Instead  in what must be considered a win for locals  the parcel will be rebuilt as a low-rise craft brewery and sophisticated restaurant.
Myer has announced its first store closure since unveiling plans to cut its store footprint by up to 20 per cent as part of its $600 million turnaround strategy.

The closure will put up to 100 jobs at risk, but Myer's decision to keep the store open until January next year is expected to reduce the total job losses through natural attrition and some "redeployment".

Myer is closing its Brookside store in Queensland, putting up to 100 jobs at risk. Credit:Pat Scala

In September, Myer revealed it would focus its investment on premium or flagship stores in the network, which accounted for just 23 of the 67 stores at that time.

The remaining 44 stores were categorised mainstream or community and analysts expected these stores would be downsized or closed in the course of Myer's five-year transformation plan.
London: Tesco, Britain's biggest retailer, has pledged to give all leftover food from its stores to charity.

In the announcement on Friday, its said that by the end of 2017, not a single unsold tomato or carrot would be thrown away.

Tesco, the UK's largest supermarket chain, has pledged to give all its leftover stock to charity. Credit:Simon Dawson

"We believe no food that could be eaten should be wasted  that's why we have committed that no surplus food should go to waste from our stores," said Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis, who is trying to improve the supermarket chain's image after an accounting scandal.

Some 55,400 tonnes of food were thrown away at Tesco stores and distribution centres in Britain last year, of which around 30,000 tonnes could otherwise have been eaten, equivalent to around 70 million meals, it said.
Many of the country's biggest superannuation funds are re-negotiating deals with their life insurance providers to offer the early release of death benefits to members with a life expectancy of two years.

Most insurance offered through superannuation allows death benefit payouts only for those members expected to pass away within a year. To date there are only a handful super providers in the market offering payouts for two-year life expectancies: industry funds AustralianSuper, Cbus, and REST Industry Super, and the Westpac-owned BT Financial Group through its BT Retail Wrap and Asgard platforms.

Bet your life: Insurance payouts for the terminally ill are being renegotiated. Credit:Tribune

Over the past six months a raft of other industry and retail funds have been in discussions about updating their policies to also offer payouts for terminally ill customers expected to live two years.

A spokesman for hospitality industry fund Hostplus told Fairfax Media a new deal had been finalised this week, with its life insurance provider Metlife, to allow terminally ill members with a life expectancy of less than two years to access their payout. The new arrangement was made effective from March 9.
Sir Ken Adam, who has died aged 95, was a German-born British production designer (Dr Strangelove, James Bond, The Madness of King George), and a dual Oscar winner (1975, 1994).

Nana Vasconcelos, who has died aged 71, was a Brazilian Latin jazz percussionist, vocalist and berimbau player, notable for his work as a solo artist on over two dozen albums, and as a backing musician with Pat Metheny, Don Cherry and Milton Nascimento.

Michael White, a Scottish film and theatre producer (Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Rocky Horror Picture Show), a Tony award winner (1971) and the subject of The Last Impresario, has died aged 80.

Kathryn Naomi Trosper, an American actress and the last surviving cast member of the 1941 film Citizen Kane, in which she played a photographer, has died aged 100.

Thomas Rea was an American dermatologist whose discoveries led to treatments that allowed patients with Hansen's disease  leprosy  to live without stigma, has died aged 86.
Unions, lawyers and academics are calling on Federal Parliament to enable all Australian workers to discuss their pay with colleagues, in a bid to address the gender pay gap.

Australian employers are able to include "gag clauses" in employment contracts that can see workers punished or sacked for talking about their pay.

A Greens-initiated bill, currently before a Senate inquiry, would amend the Fair Work Act to allow workers to discuss their pay if they chose to, without negative repercussions. In the explanation to the bill, it is argued "when pay is set in secret by individual negotiation, women are at a disadvantage".



According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), there is a 19.1 per cent gap between female and male pay in terms of full-time base salary. This rises to 24 per cent when total remuneration is considered. The pay gap is much smaller in the public sector (12.2 per cent), where pay is largely set through collective agreements, as opposed to the private sector (21.3 per cent) where there is a greater tendency towards individual deals.

In a submission to the inquiry, Melbourne University human resources professor Michelle Brown and her colleague Leanne Griffin, said greater pay transparency would encourage employers to make "merit-based" pay decisions.
Would-be Liberal National Party candidates have less than two weeks to nominate for the seat of Brisbane, in another possible pointer to an early federal election.

On Wednesday, sitting MP Teresa Gambaro announced her decision to retire at the next election, which led to a stinging rebuke from LNP sources who said a new candidate would not have time to build name recognition in the campaign.

The LNP issued a statement on Friday morning calling for Brisbane nominations.

"The party is seeking a candidate who shares the LNP's values, is committed to the people of the electorate, and working as a member of the Turnbull government to secure a prosperous future for Australia," it said.
Each year on August 16, a throng of faithful mourners gather in Melbourne cemetery to commemorate the death of their idol: Elvis Presley. They are dressed in leather jackets, some with their hair greased back, most with large bunches of flowers, striking sultry poses in worship of the American star. It was 1985 when photographer Polixeni Papapetrou first encountered this annual ritual and was drawn to document the near-religious-scale cult.

Her series Elvis Immortal, which charts these earnest pilgrims over a 15 year period in black and white square format, is on show at Ararat Regional art gallery, Victoria.

Three young men with floral tribute on the 14th anniversary of Elvis's death. Elvis Memorial Melbourne 1991, from the series Elvis Immortal. Credit:Polixeni Papapetrou

Papapetrou, whose photography explores the relationship between history, contemporary culture and identity, initially befriended the Elvis fans, and was invited in to their homes  some of which were replicas of Graceland  where she documented their dometic shrines, collections of artefacts and impersonation performances.

Elvis Immortal is a fascinating study of fandom and the emergence of the popular cult. Her photographs are respectful to the fans, yet also acknowledge the pathos of their worship.
Wheat, iron ore and tender beef may be the better known Australian exports sweeping the world.

But our much-loved Nippers program has joined the list, with Australian life savers helping to set up the program in one Israeli city and planning to expand it across the Middle East nation this year.

Israeli lifeguards have come to Australia to train and take their skills back to Israel. Credit:James Brickwood

Australian businessman Steve Rubner and his wife, who spend half the year in Israel, witnessed a spate of shocking drownings on Israel's beaches in 2013.

Rubner, a surf life saving club member, saw an opportunity to impart some Australian water safety knowledge using a bottom-up approach.
The most senior member of staff at a Sydney council spent more than $400,000 a year on corporate credit cards, received twice monthly payments for no known work and once had his $70,000 annual super "top-up" hand-delivered in cash, a corruption inquiry has been told.

The allegations against Botany Bay Council's former general manager, Peter Fitzgerald, count among a series aired during an extraordinary 30 minutes of testimony before the Independent Commission Against Corruption late on Friday.

Council's former chief financial officer, Gary Goodman, the inquiry's principal person of interest in the alleged theft of more than $4.2 million in council funds using fake invoices since 2009, began his long-awaited evidence an hour after the ICAC hearing was scheduled to finish sitting for the week.

He agreed decisions by senior staff at the council went unquestioned for two decades.
Locals watch the Neguams Dance Troup perform for the Recognise team on Mer Island in the Torres Strait. The team has spent two weeks traveling between islands promoting the campaign to gain recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the Australian Constitution. Credit:Janie Barrett Still, the welcomes afforded the Recognise team were universally warm. Kundu drums greet them on the beach. There are dances and feasts of turtle meat, crayfish and mackerel and prayers and hymns and traditional songs and blessings from island pastors. The Anglican church rules but on islands where charismatic Christianity has taken hold ceremonies and speeches went long and holy rolling. William Bero, who worked closely with Eddie Mabo preparing the documents for his successful land ownership claim in the High Court, on Mer Island in the Torres Strait. Credit:Janie Barrett About 8000 islanders live in Torres Strait. Most who attend the meetings are grey. Teenagers are absent, away at Thursday Island, Cairns and Charters Towers high schools. Apart from fishing, employment opportunity is sparse and explains the 40,000 Islander diaspora scattered around Australia

Rose says Torres Strait Islanders possess a powerful sense of self and confidence in their own culture. William Bero escorts the Recognise team to the hall on Mer Island in the Torres Strait. Credit:Janie Barrett "One of the really interesting things for me is that people have said to me 'we're already recognised, we were recognised in the 1967 referendum, we were recognised when the border with Papua New Guinea was negotiated, we were recognised when people refer to indigenous people they also refer to Torres Strait Islanders. We know who we are, where we are. So recognition is something we can offer the rest of Australia rather than the other way around'," he says. On Erub, Dabad's great great great great granddaughter Maryanne Sebasio, has a painting of her forbearer in her lounge and believes the Constitution should recognise her. Charles Prouse and Nioka Tyson from the Recognise team address a meeting on Mer Island in the Torres Strait. Credit:Janie Barrett

"The first nations are the one thing that makes Australia different to all other countries in the world," she says. "Those old laws were made because Queensland was worried about Kanaka labour. The Big Men down south made the law to help Queensland join the new nation but 115 years later things are very different." The past seeps through the present in Torres Strait in a manner long gone around Australia. The Neguams Dance Troup on Mer Island in the Torres Strait. Credit:Janie Barrett The Queensland government kept the world at bay for many years but Islanders could not be denied and they played pivotal roles in achieving change for first nation Australians. When discovered by European eyes in 1606 by the Spanish commander Luis Baez de Torres, they were fiercely independent and warring. Torres was attacked at Yam Island. Two centuries later, William Bligh's ships were attacked at Erub. By the 1860s, beche-de mer and pearling ships trailblazed for the missionaries whose conversions ensured peace broke out. The strait became an exotic paradise reflected in Ion Idriess's boys own books. One, The Drums of Mer, published in 1933 portrayed the large wooden drums as cathedrals of island culture and many ended up rotting in storerooms beneath the Museum of Victoria.

Eddie Mabo's daughter, Celuia Mabo, is comforted by William Bero, centre, and Evan Noah, at the grave of her father. Credit:Janie Barrett Years of trading with passing peoples made Torres Strait Islanders master negotiators. Some 30 years before the pivotal 1966 Wave Hill walk-off in the Northern Territory, Islanders staged a nine-month maritime strike and gained control over their own wages and improved conditions for pearl divers. It was unprecedented but showed Torres Strait islander mettle. Then, during World War II, more than 700 Islanders - almost the entire male population - were recruited to the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion. No other Australians volunteered at such a rate. When war ended, the men stayed ashore and Islanders muscle kept Queensland trains running. Fisherman Harry Ghee with his crayfish catch on Erub Island in the Torres Strait. Credit:Janie Barrett Then there was the politics.

Moa Island's Elia Ware was the Torres Strait Islander representative on the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders which led the successful 1967 referendum campaign and his daughter Isobel Stephen links that victory for her people with the proposed referendum: "It's about all of us, not just one of us. It is about time  since 1967, 50 years later. We're well overdue." Eddie Mabo's daughter, Celuia Mabo, who lives in Brisbane, becomes emotional at the grave of her father. Credit:Janie Barrett In the 1970s, independence movements convulsed the strait as independence loomed for PNG. Erub's George Mye fought for land and sea rights but it was the men from Mer Island, Eddie Mabo and four others, who initiated legal moves to establish traditional land-ownership. In 1992 the High Court ruled terra nullius was rubbish and the Mabo ruling opened the way for land claims across Australia. Mabo is revered, especially on his home island, and the Recognise team were taken to his grave site - shifted to Torres Strait in 1995 three years after his death when the original was desecrated in Townsville. Sunrise on Erub Island in the Torres Strait. Credit:Janie Barrett

They watched his youngest daughter Celuia up from Brisbane weep for her father but the family does not wish her to talk about the referendum. But she speaks for many saying she aches to return to her island home. "My kids are growing up without the culture," she says. "I need to return. We all do." The Queensland Government took over the islands from the London Missionary Society in 1904 and kept them segregated from the outside world and the people under the control of the Chief Protector of Aboriginal Affairs. The Recognise team arrives on Mer Island in the Torres Strait. Credit:Janie Barrett One of the most notorious was Pat Killoran. He ran the Department of Native Affairs for four decades, many years under Joh Bjelke Petersen. Killoran was known as the "King of Thursday Island". "But we called that bastard the lolly man," Mer man William Bero recalls. "He would throw boiled sweets in the dirt and us boys would have to fight in the dust for the lollies. What a bastard. So demeaning for us kids when you think of it now." Island girls had other fears: each year on visits Killoran would chose the prettiest to take to Cairns where he ensured they had public service jobs when he finished with them. Killoran resigned in 1986 as scandal threatened.

Waier and Dawar Islands, along with Mer Island, are the three Islands that form the Murray Island group in the Torres Strait. Mer Island was the home of Eddie Mabo. Credit:Janie Barrett Bero, an orphan, was raise by the Mabo family and when Eddie Mabo wrote his letters in longhand in his Townsville home to initiate the court case, it was his adopted son who turned them into office English ("I knew White man stuff, I worked in the old CES") and typed them up. "The referendum is a fine thing in itself for my people," Bero says. "But we already had our own Big Law. The High Court recognised it when it overturned terra nullius. I'd like that recognised too in the Australian Constitution." Artist Florence Gutchem on Erub Island in the Torres Strait. Credit:Janie Barrett While same sex marriage has shifted the focus to another minority, the Torres Strait and Aborigine recognition referendum remains mooted for 2017.
The Australian government has been urged to divert money from its vaunted submarine program into a better plan to save the Great Barrier Reef

Coral reef expert Professor Terry Hughes on Thursday delivered a damning report card on the country's efforts to protect arguably its most valuable natural asset.

Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt was not aware of Mr Weiss' political links, a spokesman said. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The James Cook University researcher gave Australia an A- for the control of fishing, a C for preventing damaging run-off reaching the reef and an F- for Australia's commitment to mitigating climate change.

"The Australian government has plans to buy 12 submarines. If we only bought 10, we could have a much better management plan for the Great Barrier Reef than we currently have," he said.
Space tourism could be a reality for the average person sooner rather than later, Australia's first professional astronaut says.

Aerospace engineer Andy Thomas told a World Science Festival crowd in Brisbane out of this world flights, while still extremely expensive, could soon be within reach.

Andy Thomas, astronaut on the space shuttle.

"They won't be cheap," Dr Thomas said on Friday.

"But I assure you that there are people out there who can afford to buy a seat on some of these flights."
The threatened hooded plover has been thrown a lifeline with dogs to be banned from a key breeding ground  the Mornington Peninsula National Park.

From November this year dogs will be banned from the entire park  dog walking is currently permitted in 14.5 kilometres of the 42-kilometre national park coastline.

A hooded plover in Mornington Peninsula National Park. Credit:Geoff Gates

The ban follows failed efforts to mitigate the impact of dogs on the hooded plover population.

The government said tougher dog rules introduced in 2013 had been unsuccessful with only five chicks fledging (reaching wing-feather age) from a total of 245 eggs during two breeding seasons.
Workplaces riddled with obstacles to women that range from putdowns and exclusions to threats and physical harassment. Barriers to entry and advancement both explicit and implicit. It's a story that's been told about the police force and defence force in recent years.

But Victoria's fire agencies have remained immune from the critique despite a stunningly low rate of female workers - less than 4 per cent of the two major fire agencies, the Metropolitan Fire Brigade and the Country Fire Authority.

"I could fit them all in my office," says the CFA's new chief executive Lucinda Nolan.

All that may be about to change as the slow burn of an Equal Opportunity Commission inquiry meets the flashfire of this week's conflict between the United Firefighters Union and the government and its fire agencies, including the union's extraordinary legal bid to block affirmative action in MFB recruitment.
A $540.5 million pokies legal victory against Tatts Group has helped boost Victoria's mid-year budget surplus.

The state government is spruiking a $1.5 billion surplus in the six months to December, but it includes the Tatts windfall and an increase in property tax income. The results were contained in the mid-year financial report, released on Friday.

A $540.5 million legal victory against Tatts has helped deliver a mid-year budget surplus in Victoria. Credit:John Woudstra

Treasurer Tim Pallas said the performance of Victoria's economy had exceeded his expectations. He told reporters Victoria had delivered a strong surplus and budget.

"What that means is that the economy is performing well," he said.
A Chinese waiter accused of luring a 64-year-old disabled pensioner - who he claimed was a feared criminal known as 'Scar Lin' - to his death in a Chinatown car park at lunchtime has been found not guilty of murder.

Fai Sing (Simon) Yiu, 59, claimed he was acting in self defence because his victim, Alan Wong, was a loan shark and feared member of the 14K Triad Society based in Hong Kong.

The Crown case against Mr Yiu was that he had owed Mr Wong $24,000 and killed him in October 2014 to get rid of the debt.

Crown prosecutor Sharn Coombes told a Supreme Court jury there was no evidence to prove Mr Wong, a loving, caring father of three, had been a senior crime gang figure.
A South African shark-spotting program's representatives say their simple technique could be effectively trialled on West Australian beaches immediately, despite the state government dismissing the initiative.

Shark Spotters project manager Sarah Waries and colleague Monwabisi Sikweyiya were flown to Australia through a crowdfunding campaign to review whether the technique, which has been used around Cape Town since 2004, is suitable for WA beaches.

A shark spotter at Koegel Bay in South Africa. Credit:Sean Geer

"It can be trailed immediately, it's not a system that requires any kind of special equipment," Ms Waries said.

"It can be started tomorrow with the right people involved."
One of Western Australia's worst pedophiles has again been denied release from prison because his GPS tracking device will not work in the area he wants to live.

Michael Alexander McGarry, 54, was declared a dangerous sex offender in 2009 after repeatedly abusing young girls.

An example of a GPS tracker used on convicted pedophiles. Credit:Nine News Perth

He was released soon after on a strict supervision order, but returned to prison days later when he breached a condition of his release.

The WA Supreme Court heard during McGarry's fourth annual review that he had been taking anti-libidinal medication for several months.
Beijing: Australia has joined the US, Japan and nine European nations in condemning China's deteriorating human rights record at the United Nations Human Rights Council, saying China had violated its own laws and international commitments.

In a joint statement delivered on Thursday in Geneva, the countries expressed concern over the ongoing crackdown on human rights activists and lawyers operating in the mainland, where many individuals have not been granted access to legal counsel or visits from their family.

Reports on wealth linked to Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing had already been published. Credit:AP

The statement also highlighted the case of five Hong Kong publishers and booksellers critical of China's leadership who went missing in Hong Kong and Thailand, only to reappear in detention in the mainland. The cases have troubled international observers who fear the disappearances are evidence of China's security apparatus operating covertly outside the mainland.
Washington: Former Russian press minister Mikhail Lesin, who was found dead in a Washington hotel room last year, died of blunt-force injuries to the head, US authorities said on Thursday.

Mr Lesin who once headed state-controlled media giant Gazprom-Media, also had blunt-force injuries to the neck, torso, arms and legs, the US capital's chief medical examiner and the Metropolitan Police Department said in a brief statement.

The cause of the death of former Russian press minister Mikhail Lesin in a hotel was blunt-force injuries, Washington's chief medical examiner and police say. Credit:AP

According to a police incident report, Mr Lesin, who was press minister from 1999 to 2004 under President Vladimir Putin, was found unconscious on November 5 on the floor of the Doyle Washington Hotel by someone who went into his room to check on him. An ambulance was called and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Russia's RT television quoted family members at the time as saying he had died of a heart attack.
Islamabad: A little-known alliance of hundreds of lawyers in Pakistan is behind the rise in prosecutions for blasphemy, a crime punishable by death that goes to the heart of an ideological clash between reformers and religious conservatives.

The group, whose name translates as 'The Movement for the Finality of the Prophethood', offers free legal advice to complainants and has packed courtrooms with representatives, a tactic critics say is designed to help it gain convictions.

Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry, leader of the Khatm-e-Nubuwwat Lawyers' Forum, a conservative alliance of lawyers offering free legal advice for anyone filing a blasphemy case, in Pakistan. Credit:Reuters

The stated mission of the Khatm-e-Nubuwwat Lawyers' Forum and its leader Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry is uncompromising: to use its expertise and influence to ensure that anyone insulting Islam or the Prophet Mohammad is charged, tried and executed.
You'd think Americans were blessed that Trump's assault on national politics coincides with the maturation of a relatively new journalistic pursuit  fact-checking. But that Trump surges onward in the primaries is proof that the US indeed might have entered a new political dimension, a parallel universe in which old political sensibilities and conventions, and notions of tradition and elites are becoming redundant. A Donald Trump supporter holds a "Trump" sign before Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks in Mississippi on Monday. Credit:AP Fact checkers struggle to keep up. Marvelling at Trump's economy with the truth, Politico.com sought to correct Trump's own self-portrait: Trump didn't write the "No. 1 selling business book of all time". As best can be estimated, Trump's The Art of the Deal sold maybe 1 million; Stephen Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People sold more than 25 million. Trump is of German descent, not Swedish.

He's probably not worth the $US10 billion he claims  more likely the $US4 billion estimated by Forbes; or even the $US2.9 billion estimated by Bloomberg. Central to Trump's lies is how they are told. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the Trump National Golf Club. Credit:AP Attempting to get to the bottom of one of his most outrageous utterances  that "thousands and thousands" of Arabs held rooftop parties in New Jersey, across the Hudson River from the World Trade Centre, to cheer the September 11 attacks  Washington Post fact checker Glenn Kessler threw up his hands while writing of efforts by a TV reporter to nail the lie while interviewing Trump. "This exchange demonstrated the folly of trying to fact-check Donald Trump," Kessler wrote. After 12 years in the business of winnowing truth from falsehood, Factcheck.org claims that Trump is utterly in a league of his own  "he stands out not only for the sheer number of his factually false claims, but also for his brazen refusals to admit error when proven wrong".

A secret service agent stands on the stage before a scheduled news conference by Donald Trump in Florida. Credit:AP Trump had the nerve to demand an apology from the fact checkers who debunked the "US Muslims celebrate 9/11" lie. Usually, Factcheck.org honours the lie of the year. But such was Trump's performance in 2015 that, for the first time, they recognised the liar above any particularly egregious untruth, bestowing on Trump the title King of Whoppers. It's not really his meat: Donald Trump-branded steak is shown prior to a news conference this week. Credit:AP One of the more memorable descriptions of the Trump style of political speech came from commentator George Will  "think of a drunk with a bullhorn, reading aloud James Joyce's Finnegans Wake underwater".

In the Lingua Franca column in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Lucy Ferriss also resorts to Irish literature for her reference point: "As with the claim that Molly Bloom's soliloquy is the longest sentence in the English language, calling Donald Trump's explosion of language a sentence, stretched the meaning of the word 'sentence'." An analysis commissioned by The Boston Globe found that Trump speaks to voters as if they are fourth-graders. A dissection of candidate speeches by Professor Mark Yoffe Liberman, of the University of Pennsylvania, for Thinkprogress.org, found that Trump's favourite word is "I"; his fourth most favoured word is "Trump", and when he ventures beyond one-syllable favourite words, he opts for simple two-syllable words, like "very" and "China"  "his only three-syllable favourite word is 'Mexico'". Taking up a challenge by Slate.com to diagram a 285-word sentence uttered by Trump, Ferriss describes just a portion of it as carrying "a compound noun clause modified by an adverbial clause as its predicate; moreover, it drags along an adjectival clause that has no fewer than five sub-clauses hanging from it, just one of them carrying two noun clauses in the object position, followed by a whole architecture of complex adverbial clauses". Ferriss concludes: "This is not fancy syntactical footwork on Trump's part. It's just bad rhetoric." But where Ferriss sees madness in Trump's method, Professor Stanley Fish, of Florida International University, detects the language of the 16th century French philosopher Michel de Montaigne , who he describes as "one of the smartest men who ever lived".

Acknowledging that Trump does everything that a politician ought not do  disparage war heroes, ridicule the disabled, demean women, flaunt his wealth  Fish describes the Trump style: "There are no formal preambles; he just jumps in with a topic, that he then abandons within seconds. He never quite manages to make a point because on the way to it something else had occurred to him. He offers asides [often jibes at his rivals] that become the main path, but only till another aside diverts the path again. He interrupts himself to say something about his hair, or his hotels, or his apartment houses. He tells you that he went to [prestigious American business school] Wharton School. He reads from the polls. He recalls conversations with friends. He beats up on the press. And he does all these things in no particular order and with an apparent unconcern with either the coherence or relevance of what he's saying." But if Trump is not Forrest Gump, who is he and what's his game? Describing what Montaigne called as his "minute-to-minute" method, Fish explains the philosopher's objective in the Huffington Post: "The idea is to enter into a relationship of fellowship, not mastery, with your audience. You're not a superior intelligence leading your auditors by the nose; you're testifying to a shared experience; you're telling it like it is just as you see it." Trump is incoherent, his scattergun streams of verbiage interrupted by half phrases that hang without meaning or relevance. But more outlandish than anything he might say, is the willingness with which his audiences swallow it all  without so much as a glass of water. It's impossible to follow him, if you are looking for precise, policy-specific meaning; but maybe it's the balm effect of his speeches that rallies audiences looking for a gut reaction to all that is wrong in the lives and their worlds.
GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM)  Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), announces that all existing pedestrian crossings, speed bumps, and main intersections, will be painted starting on Saturday, March 12.

Every weekend including Sundays, the aforementioned road pavement markings will be applied until complete. These works will be carried out between 8.00AM to 5.00PM.

The listed areas of all scheduled paint works are as follows:

PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS

 Kruythoff Roundabout

 Intersection Wellington Road/Welfare Road

 Intersection Wrigley Street/Wellington Road

 Welfare Road area Tropicana Casino

 Welfare Road Area Taste Factory

 Welfare Road Area Royal Palm Hotel

 Simpson Bay Bridge twice

 Airport Boulevard Area Simpson Bay Police Sub Station

 Causeway Bridge West

 Causeway Bridge East

 Charles Leopold Bell Primary School

 Orange Grove Area Seven Day Adventist primary School

 Elder Drive Area Leonard Conner School

 Sister Modesta Road up to Sister Regina School

 Old Simpson Bay Road Area to Sister Regina School

 Orange Grove Road

 Union Road Area Doctors Office

SPEED BUMPS

 Charles Leopold Bell Primary School

 Orange Grove Area Seven Day Adventist Primary School

 Elder Drive Area Leonard Conner School

 Sister Modesta Road near Sister Regina School

 Old Simpson Bay Road Area to Sister Regina School

 Orange Grove Road

 Sister Modesta

 Sister Patientia

INTERSECTIONS'

 Welfare Road Area Tropicana Casino

 Airport Boulevard Area Simpson Bay Police Sub Station

 Billy Folly/Welfare Road

 Airport Rd/Father Boradorij

 Arlette Peter/Union Road

 Former Midas

Motorists and pedestrians, should be alert of the works that are taking place in the aforementioned area.

Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconveniences this may cause.
GREAT BAY(DCOMM):--- Minister Hon. Ingrid Arrindell of the Ministry Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT), on Thursday said she was very pleased that CNN Travel carried a story where SXM Airport ranked second for plane-spotting in the world.

On March 2, a column on CNN Travel (www.cnn.com) website titled, Latest in aviation, Plane-spotting 101: A beginners guide to commercial jets, written by Karla Cripps; the writer pointed out that plane-spotting has become a more alluring hobby than ever.

Under the section, Top airports for plane-spotting, the five airports identified as favorites are: London Heathrow, United Kingdom; Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten, Caribbean; Hong Kong International; Los Angeles International; and Toulouse, France.

CNN.com is among the worlds leaders in online news and information delivery. Staffed 24 hours, seven days a week by a dedicated staff in CNNs world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, and in bureaus worldwide, CNN.com relies heavily on CNNs global team of almost 4,000 news professionals.

CNN.com features the latest multimedia technologies, from live video streaming to audio packages to searchable archives of news features and background information. The site is updated continuously throughout the day.

Destination Sint Maarten receiving publicity on CNN Travel with respect to our airport and place-spotting is a great plus for us as millions of potential travelers around the world will read about us on the world-wide-web.

This form of publicity goes a long way in promoting our destination, is priceless, and is very much welcomed, Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs Ingrid Arrindell said on Thursday.
Three other suspects released from detention in Octopus Investigation but returned to prison on other cases.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The judge of instruction extended the pretrial detention of MP Silvio Master on Friday morning confirmed Spokesman for the Attorney Generals Office Norman Serphos.

So far there is no update on the three other suspects namely Eddie Fleming, Rogielo Koieman, and W.B as soon as that information becomes available The judge of instruction released the three other suspects that were arrested in the Octopus investigation, they are Eddie Fleming, Fleming remains a suspect in the Octopus case, but returned to prison for the hard drugs that was found in his home they day his house was searched while his wife D.F remains a suspect in the cocaine investigation.

Rogielio Koieman, was also released by the judge of instruction on Octopus case but he too had to be sent back to prison for a conviction he had in The Netherlands. Spokesman for the Attorney General Office said the Prosecution in the Netherlands requested that St. Maarten execute the verdict that was handed down in the case in the Netherlands against Koieman. Also released is the fourth suspect W.B who also remains a suspect but he too had to return to Pointe Blanche Prison since he was already serving time in an earlier conviction.

WB, EF and RK were released today regarding the investigation "Octopus", BUT:

WB was allready a prisoner in the Point Blanche prison and will remain there for his earlier conviction. EF was arrested today for the harddrugs that were found in his home during his arrest. RK returned to Point Blanche prison today regarding an earlier conviction in the Netherlands. The Prosecutor in the Netherlands has requested to execute the verdict in that earlier case..

Even though MP Silvio Matser was placed on his second term of pretrial detention the articles under which he was charged namely article 244 in the penal code for election fraud and article 279 in the penal code for being part of a criminal organization is not on the list for which of offences for which a parliamentarian can be suspended.

The first ten days while Matser was in custody is considered the period of garde a vue while the second pretrial which was extended on Friday is the detention provisoire on which a parliamentarian can be suspended if the crime for which he is charged is on the list if the crimes that allows the parliament to immediately suspend the MP. However, in this case the two articles are not on that list therefore MP Matser will resume his duties in parliament the moment he is released from custody.

This is the second time MP Matser manage to dodge the bullet when it comes to being suspended from parliament seen that he was involved in two criminal cases.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The government of St. Maarten who did not have a balanced budget over the past five years have paid Clean St. Maarten a total of NAF. 55,857,649.66 for the collection of garbage and other cleaning.

SMN News managed to obtain the figures from the department of finance now that garbage contracts are being issued to various companies.

While Clean St. Maarten is only one of the four companies that were awarded with garbage collection contracts and cleaning contracts for the the Dutch side of the island, there is always overflowing garbage bins since garbage sometimes are not picked up for weeks. The insanity conditions contributed to several illnesses that braced the country while it is a gross eye sore for visitors that comes to the island.

Hopefully, those persons that won the bids this year and is expected to start their garbage collection on April 1st will not only collect the huge checks from government but they will do what is necessary to provide jobs for the people St. Maarten and also ensure that their equipment are in working condition, workers that carry out the most unhealthy jobs are properly paid while they have all the necessary health benefits in place for their workers.
RE-ISSUED: IDdriven Launches With Subscription-Based IDaaS Solution That Delivers Ease of Use With Fast Deployment

SACRAMENTO, CA  (Marketwired)  03/10/16  (OTCQB: IDDR), developer of the new breed of Identity and Access Management solutions, today launched with the general availability of the companys premier Identity as a Service (IDaaS) solution. (This news release, originally dated Feb. 17, is being re-issued subsequent to the Companys March 4, ticker symbol change.) This new offering is an easy-to-implement and cost-effective way for companies of all sizes to secure and manage digital access points. IDdriven has also launched the worldwide , to deliver industry-leading Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions across the globe.

Co-founded by Arend Verweij, CEO, Remy de Vries, CTO, and Geurt van Wijk, COO, IDdrivens executive team represents several decades of experience and success in the IAM space, leading to the creation of a forward-thinking digital identity solution rooted in the understanding that businesses need a simple, scalable, and cost-effective solution to secure end user access points. The IDdriven Partner Network, which includes , aims to bring added value and services to customers. By partnering with premier VARs and MSPs, IDdriven is able to extend its products to businesses of all sizes on a global level.

According to a recent report, the IAM market is expected to reach more than $18 billion by 2019. The adoption of the cloud is the primary driver of this exponential growth, creating the need for a secure solution that can scale quickly, in on-premise environments and across cloud applications, without the additional costs of installation and unnecessary hardware. Given the mass migration to cloud applications, another recent report businesses can save up to thirty-five percent on the annual cost by implementing a SaaS IAM solution.

IDdriven is subscription-based, so that businesses of all sizes can secure digital access, cost-effectively. IDdriven integrates seamlessly with your existing Management systems, to add new functionality while getting the most out of existing investments.

With a robust and secure back-end running an efficient and easy-to-use UI, IDdriven was specifically designed to be accessible to all users, regardless of experience level.

Provides the ability to manage the identities and access rights of employees based on their company role and precise location, anywhere in the world  on all devices.

Employees roles continually grow and change with their company. IDdrivens unique self-service feature gives added flexibility, without risking , by enabling employees to request access to applications from your central service desk.

My team and I spent 24 months engineering a product that we felt encompassed and addressed all of the technical elements currently missing from IDaaS solutions on the market, said Arend Verweij, CEO of IDdriven. This is reflected in the core features and delivery of IDdriven. We offer scalable pricing, access control based on company role and location, along with analytics and reporting on use and threats. These features, among others, give our company a massive competitive edge in a crowded marketplace.

At Oxford Computer Group, we specialize in working with businesses to implement custom IAM solutions, said Hugh Simpson, CEO of Oxford Computer Group. After evaluating the IDdriven solution, I really feel that this company is going to be an industry leader in the area of digital identity. With cost-effective pricing, and zone- and role-based access control, that no other provider currently has, were expecting IDdriven to be a key solution component this year.

To learn more about IDdrivens product offerings and its vision for the future of IDaaS solutions, visit:

IDdriven is at the forefront of the new breed of Identity Management and Access Governance solutions. Taking the complexity and upfront costs out of implementation, IDdriven is trusted to protect a companys most vulnerable assets. Founded in 2013, IDdriven is headquartered in Sacramento, California. To learn more, visit: .

415.226.7773

Rachel Fukaya

Barokas PR

831-229-5761
Turn Announces Key Hires, Growth and New Investment

REDWOOD CITY, CA  (Marketwired)  03/10/16  Turn, the independent omnichannel ad tech company, today announced significant new hires and corporate news. Seasoned Google executive Allison Young has joined the company as head of North American sales; and Yahoo platform operations executive Mike Kiernan has joined as senior director of business operations. In these new positions they will help lead Turns growth with top brand and agency customers.

The company also announced that its current investors have provided $15 million in new funding for the company. The funds will be used to implement CEO Bruce Falcks strategic vision for 2016 and beyond. Turn has raised a total of $152.5 million.

Jeff Crowe, managing partner, Norwest Venture Partners, said: We are excited to have Bruces vision and leadership keeping Turn at the forefront of the programmatic tidal wave that is disrupting the world of marketing. The team is enhancing Turns position as a key partner for the worlds top brands and agencies across all facets of the business, including strategy, technology, and customer success.

Bruce Falck, CEO, Turn, said: We are in a great position as the only independent choice for media, data and analytics for major advertisers. Our investors see our potential and we keep attracting major talent, such as Allison and Mike, who are going to be key to building the new Turn.

Turn has also now achieved significant new customer growth and platform scale metrics, including:

Agency and brand-direct business is up 44% year-over-year.

More than 50% growth in number of customers using both Turns demand side platform (DSP) and data management platform (DMP).

Total ad opportunities available to advertisers exceed 3 trillion monthly, or more than 100 billion on a daily basis.

Ad opportunities to reach mobile devices across all channels up by 34%, as Turn becomes a largely mobile platform.

Mobile app ad opportunities increased by 45% and mobile web by 22%.

Turn delivers real-time insights that transform the way leading media agencies and enterprises make marketing decisions. The Turn platform enables anonymous audience planning, data centralization, omnichannel cross-device advertising, and advanced analytics, along with point-and-click access to more than 150 integrated technology partners. Turn works with the worlds top brands and agencies, including American Express, DirecTV, eBay, Experian, HP, Kia, Kraft, LOreal USA, Progressive Insurance, Thomas Cook, and Zales. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Turn offers its products and services worldwide. For more information, visit or follow @turnplatform.

Leslie Lee

646-213-9734
Dataguise Announces New Sensitive Data Monitoring Solution That Accelerates Breach Detection With Precise, Real-Time Alerts

SAN FRANCISCO, CA  (Marketwired)  03/10/16  , a technology leader in secure business execution, today announced DgSecure Monitor for the monitoring, detection, and alerting of potential breaches of sensitive data across the enterprise and the cloud. DgSecure Monitor keeps track of who is doing what to an enterprises sensitive data, and delivers real-time, policy-based alerts whenever unauthorized access or unusual access behavior occurs. Unlike traditional IT monitoring solutions for firewalls, networks, or applications that can produce an unmanageable amount of alerts and result in months of analysis before a potential breach is spotted, DgSecure Monitor is focused solely on safeguarding the sensitive data an organization truly cares about  cutting through the clutter to detect real threats in just minutes.

According to Gartner, Inc. in its January 2016 report, Shift Cybersecurity Investment to Detection and Response, The disparity between the speed of compromise and the speed of detection is one of the starkest failures discovered in breach investigations. Indeed, a 2015 study by the Ponemon Institute found that malicious attacks can take an average of 256 days to identify while data breaches caused by human error take an average of 158 days to identify. DgSecure Monitor is the first real-time monitoring solution focused on sensitive data elements with comprehensive support for big data platforms and databases in the cloud, as well as traditional on-premise data repositories.

In order to precisely monitor access and activities associated with sensitive data such as email addresses, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, or other confidential or personally identifiable information (PII), enterprises must know where that data lives and moves at any given time  a growing challenge in the era of big data and cloud computing. Thats why DgSecure Monitor is tightly integrated as part of the Dataguise DgSecure data-centric security platform, a highly automated, out-of-the-box solution that offers around-the-clock detection, protection (via masking or encryption), and monitoring of sensitive data across the extended enterprise. While it can be used standalone to monitor declared sensitive data, DgSecure Monitor works harmoniously and continuously in real time with DgSecure Detect to discover and monitor sensitive data from the moment its created, even when the enterprise may not realize its there.

Whether sensitive data is protected or not, DgSecure Monitor makes it easy to create focused data security governance policies using built-in or custom templates. It then analyzes actions taken on sensitive data by people, systems, and devices in real time. If a policy violation occurs, an alert is generated. DgSecure Monitor also uses machine learning and behavioral analytics to generate alerts whenever user actions deviate from the typical behavioral profile  which is crucial to detecting threats from stolen insider credentials. No coding is required, so enterprises can quickly and easily get a handle on their most sensitive data for reduced risk.

Traditional IT monitoring solutions form a necessary layer of security, but the sheer volume of security data can make breach detection a costly and long, drawn-out analytical process, said JT Sison, vice president of marketing at Dataguise. DgSecure Monitor focuses precisely on safeguarding the data that matters most  the sensitive, personal, and confidential information that if exposed could lead to financial, legal, and brand damages. Dataguise is the one company to give you trusted, actionable information on your most valuable data.

Dataguise also announced today that it was awarded United States Patent number 9,268,947 on February 23, 2016 for its method and system for providing a global view of sensitive information across an enterprise. While the DgSecure platform has always had task-based alerts that notify users whenever discovery, masking, encryption, or reporting processes are completed, the user-behavior-based alerts of DgSecure Monitor make a revolutionary advancement and meet a fundamental need in the protection of sensitive data today.

As more businesses transform into data-driven enterprises, they will need to think differently about how information is protected and made available for business consumption, and make that process as easy as possible, said Manmeet Singh, CEO, Dataguise. Unfortunately, many enterprises lack a solution that unifies sensitive data detection and protection with access monitoring. Dataguise provides the first solution of its kind to detect, protect, and monitor sensitive data wherever its located, enabling organizations to extract the full value of all their data while meeting the most rigorous data privacy mandates.

Dataguise CEO Manmeet Singh will unveil DgSecure Monitor today at 10:45 a.m. during a workshop at the Structure Data 2016 conference in San Francisco entitled, Monitoring Real Threats to Sensitive Data in Real Time. Dataguise will have data security experts on hand in booth #5 to hold one-on-one discussions and answer questions.

DgSecure Monitor will become generally available in the second quarter of 2016. The initial platforms supported by DgSecure Monitor will include Hadoop, Cassandra, Amazon S3, and Blob Storage. Platform support will be expanded as part of the technology roadmap throughout 2016 and beyond.

@Dataguise Intros DgSecure Monitor for Sensitive Data Breach Detection in Minutes, Not Months

:

Follow Dataguise on Twitter at:

Follow Dataguise on LinkedIn at:

Follow Dataguise on Facebook at:

Contact Dataguise directly at:

Dataguise is the leader in secure business execution, delivering data-centric security solutions that detect and protect an enterprises sensitive data, no matter where it lives or who needs to leverage it. Dataguise solutions free the enterprise from traditional security constraints to support the data-driven organization and maximize the business value of information. DgSecure by Dataguise makes data security painless, delivering a powerful solution that provides the highest level of protection without the need for programming. The company is proud to secure the data of many Fortune 500 companies committed to responsible data stewardship. To learn more about how Dataguise is spearheading the secure data revolution, visit: .

Joe Austin

The Ventana Group

(818) 332-6166
Vaporcade(R) and V-MODA Join Forces to Bring World Class Wireless Sound and Timeless Design to the Vaping Community via Custom Headphones

Posted by Publisher Hardware

LOS ANGELES, CA  (Marketwired)  03/10/16  , Founder of , officially announced today that Vaporcade would be collaborating with V-MODA to deliver the first truly exceptional headphone experience, engineered specifically for the global vaping community. Recognized by true audiophiles as the finest headphone technology available, V-MODA products and vision are the perfect complement for Vaporcades commitment to innovation.

V-MODA headphones offer the ultimate hands-free music experience while combining convenience and practicality. V-MODAs signature sound features deep bass with smooth mids and highs creating a lush soundscape. Crossfade products have won 29 editors choice awards to date and are also worn by more than 40% of Top 100 Djs, as polled by DJ Mag. The Crossfade Wireless went through years of precise engineering to design and tune wireless electronics while keeping the iconic V-MODA materials and shapes. Memory foam ear cushions and ultimate ergonomics isolate the user from outside noise, while a refined version of the flagship 50mm dual-diaphragm driver provides unparalleled clarity and high-definition sound for #1 trusted sound and crystal clear communication along with the incorporated mic.

With the recent launch of Vaporcades  the worlds first and only cellular vaping device, the launch of  the industrys highly anticipated and only maintenance-free, cartridge-based mod, and on all Vaporcade products, the collaboration with V-MODA confirms that Vaporcade is not only changing the vaping landscape forever, but also adding the most progressive headphone technology on the market thanks to V-MODA Crossfade Wireless. Utilizing the phones dual internal batteries, advanced suite of applications, and state of the art user interface, the user will create their own unique vaping experience. With the addition of V-MODA headphones to Jupiters advanced audio, the perfect vaping experience just got better.

Vaping is about the tactile experience the touch, the smell, the taste, and now were adding resonance. Cameron continued, My adventures in the film industry have naturally made me into a discerning audiophile. V-MODA Bluetooth headphones, by far, are the best in the world and weve tried them all. Vaporcade is striving to enhance the vaping world by adding an unequivocal auditory experience for our customers to indulge in while they experience our products.

To learn more about Vaporcade !

Inventors, scientists, engineers, intellectual property specialists, and business titans have come together to create a company unlike anything else in the vaping industry. Their mission is nothing short of transforming the marketplace and taking the illness, the toxicity, and even the stink out of enjoying a refreshing, flavorful smoke. Vaping is the future, and Vaporcade is an opportunity to strive toward that future with great products, a premier experience, and a unified community. Whether one is a casual e-cigarette consumer or a dedicated cloud-chaser, solidarity ensures that all of us are moving forward from the perils of tobacco.

Engage with us here: , , , , and .

Designed in Milano, V-MODAs verve is to amplify an authentic music lifestyle via timeless products forged by unparalleled quality, fashion-forward design and an unequivocal passion for music and materials. Led by Chief Visionary Officer and professional musician Val Kolton, V-MODA blends analog renaissance age inspiration, Italian design and the charisma of classic Hollywood. V-MODA Crossfade products have won 29+ editors choice awards and have become essential gear for the worlds top professional DJs. The global brand is also the #1 ranked headphone brand on Amazon based on customers feedback (Source: ).

Visit V-MODA.com, follow us at , on Twitter and on Instagram ().

Contact:

Jed Wallace

Street Relations, Inc.

(310) 403-0559
Software analytics and risk awareness demand surges as CAST grows

New York, NYMarch 10, 2016  [CAST](http://www.castsoftware.com/), the leader in software analysis and measurement, today announced its results for 2015, extending its three year double-digit growth streak. The uptick was driven by a number of high-profile US client wins and increased [awareness of software quality measures](http://www.castsoftware.com/glossary/software-quality) among IT professionals and executive boards.

Its thrilling to see awareness rising and CAST performing strongly, said Vincent Delaroche, CEO and founder of CAST. A growing number of organisations are recognising the importance of measuring their software business and taking steps to ensure their business-critical systems are not exposed to unnecessary software weaknesses, he added.

In 2015 the firm won a number of new clients such as Broadridge, HP, Health Net, ING, the U.S. Department of State and Department of Agriculture. CAST expects continued increase in demand for analytics and risk prevention, and solid revenue growth to accelerate in 2016 as sales channels become more effective and partnerships with influential consulting firms such as the Boston Consulting Group and Gartner Consulting bear fruit.

In September 2015 the [Consortium for IT Software Quality](http://it-cisq.org/) (CISQ) standards for structural quality were ratified. With these standards becoming de rigueur in IT, CASTs position as a front runner in structural quality standards will propel the firm to meet this demand.

Last year also saw CAST release a number of product updates, including the latest version of its benchmarking application, Appmarq, version 8.0 of its Application Intelligence Platform (AIP) and the worlds most advanced software flaw detection engine, the Application Engineering Dashboard.

About CAST

CAST is the world leader in software analysis and measurement, with unique technology resulting from $130 million in R&D investment. CAST introduces fact-based transparency into application development and sourcing to transform it into a management discipline. More than 250 companies across all industry sectors and geographies rely on CAST to prevent business disruption while reducing hard IT costs and software risk. CAST is an integral part of software delivery and maintenance at the worlds leading IT service providers. Founded in 1990, CAST is listed on Euronext (CAS) and serves IT intensive enterprises worldwide with offices in North America, Europe and India.

For more information about CAST:

Web: http://www.castsoftware.com

Blog: http://blog.castsoftware.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/onquality
imbus en francais: French internet presence provides facts about the company, TestBench and career opportunities

The business location in the Tunisian city Sousse was established in 2014. The team there supports the colleagues at the headquarter in Germany in the further development of the TestBench, which is a professional test management solution for all phases of the test process. In addition to that, imbus Tunisia offers French user support for the tool.

The French web-site is specifically intended for users from the Maghreb region. Everybody, who aspires a career at imbus Tunisia himself, can get informed about current vacancies and the working life at imbus, too.
Light Readings Gigabit Cities Live 2016 Event Comes to Charlotte, N.C. in April

NEW YORK, NY  (Marketwired)  03/11/16  Light Reading (), the market-leading online community for the global communications sector, announced today that its annual event will open in Charlotte, N.C. this spring. The one-day conference, which is the largest independent event in the US focusing on the rapidly growing gigabit broadband phenomenon, will take place on Tuesday, April 5, 2016 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in downtown Charlotte.

Broadband infrastructure is now the driving force behind urban development, growth and innovation. Only months after the FCC declared 25 Mbit/s the new defining threshold for broadband, there are now dozens of cities with gigabit-per-second Internet speeds, and dozens, if not hundreds, more planning gigabit rollouts. The White House has also formed a Broadband Opportunities Council and introduced new funding initiatives to drive further investment, including $160 million for smart city research tied to high-speed broadband infrastructure.

Gigabit Cities Live examines the business case for deploying gigabit speeds in the last mile, the major challenges that must be overcome, the likely time frames for service rollouts and the monetization opportunities for the services and applications running across these urban hyper-networks. Gigabit Cities Live is the only industry event that will bring together all constituents to objectively explore the gigabit network economy.

Gigabit Cities Live will be led by two conference co-chairs  Alan Breznick, Light Readings Cable/Video Practice Leader, and Mari Silbey, Senior Editor for Cable/Video at Light Reading. The event will feature speakers from companies, organizations and government agencies across the gigabit ecosystem, including Adtran, AT&T, the City of Charlotte, Comcast, Commscope, Cox Communications, Charlotte Hearts Gigabit, EPB, the Federal Communications Commission, Fibrant, Google Fiber, LinkNYC, MCNC, North Carolina Next Generation Networks, US Ignite, and VeEx.

The lineup of Gigabit Cities Live keynotes and prime speakers features:

Gigi Sohn, Counselor to the Chairman, Federal Communications Commission

Jeff Stovall, Chief Information Officer, City of Charlotte

Venessa Harrison, President, AT&T North Carolina

Robert Howald, VP of Network Architecture, Comcast

Michael Slinger, Director, Fiber Cities Team, Google Fiber

Jeff Finkelstein, Executive Director of Strategic Architecture, Cox Communications

Jane Nickles, Director, Information Technology, City of Greensboro

Jean Davis, President and CEO, MCNC

Dennis Newman, Program Director, North Carolina Next Generation Network

Colman Keane, Director, Fiber Optic Technology, EPB

Joe Kochan, COO, US Ignite

Gigabit Cities Live will tackle everything from choosing between public and private fiber network builds to creating gigabit states to powering next-gen broadband service to developing smarter cities, Breznick said. We have assembled a stellar group of speakers to address the main forces shaping the growing gigabit broadband phenomenon and the implications of those developments.

So far, Gigabit Cities Live event sponsors include: Diamond Sponsor Adtran; Platinum Sponsor Commscope; Gold Sponsor VeEx; and Cocktail Sponsor Charlotte Hearts Gigabit; as well as Supporting Partners Bailantyne Corporate Park, Charlotte Regional Collaborative for a Global Economy, North Carolina Technology Association, Packard Place, and the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce.

To register for Gigabit Cities Live, please visit: . Registration is free for verified employees of cable operators, telcos, fiber providers, ISPs, other service providers, financial & educational institutions, utilities and government agencies.

Light Reading () helps the global communications industry make informed decisions. The site is the definitive source for next-generation communications analysis for more than 450,000 users each month, leading the media sector in terms of traffic, content and reputation. Light Reading also produces live events for executives charged with monetizing cable, New IP, optical, Ethernet, mobile, gigabit cities, security, virtualization, components, communications drones, next-gen analytics, Internet of Things and wireline networks.

Contact:

Julie Muroff

646-757-4684
Walt Bayliss Releases Hydravid Cloud Upgrade, Free WordPress Plugin Download

Walt Bayliss, founder and CEO of the popular Hydravid video distribution app, has announced the release of a new cloud-based upgrade to their software service called Hydravid Cloud. The development of the upgrade was implemented over the past year, following increasing demand by users, as well as industry experts in YouTube marketing and promotion.

A full list of changes to the Hydravid video distribution app can be found on the company website:

 http://hydravid.link

Hydravid Cloud has multiple new features designed to make life easier for both digital marketers and YouTube celebrities alike, the most notable of which is the implementation of a cloud-based distribution structure. Previous versions of Hydravid were designed based on desktop and local distribution centers. The implementation of cloud-based distribution is expected to enhance performance, usability, and productivity.

Other key features reported include the delivery of faster nodes of traffic, as well as higher social performance profiles.

The changes in the video distribution service were bought about due to demands of the marketing and online video development community for greater productivity. As part of an ongoing effort to improve the user experience for Hydravid, customers can expect to see additional regular updates both now and in the future.

Bayliss, founder and CEO, had this to say about the recent release:

Online video traffic is currently 55% of all consumer Internet traffic and is predicted to be 69% by 2017. Its just growing and growing, but video marketing takes time. Lots of time and effort. But its not really the making that takes the time. Its the distribution. With the recent advances in video making software, we can be distributing out quality videos faster and easier than ever before.

Industry veteran, Allen Walker, The Mysterious Marketer, further commented on the new upgrade release:

In todays digital marketing world, everything is going to the cloud. The use of computers and phones, with their limited working memory, make for slow work. Professionals involved in the field of video distribution, including best-selling authors, public speakers, and YouTube celebrities need a faster way to get the word out about their new public releases. So I think the upgrade is a timely one.

The company release of a free WordPress plugin, for the purposes of automating website image delivery, for both users and event participants was also reported. Customers and company followers interested in learning more about the free plugin can do so directly on the release website at:

 http://imagepress.link

New customers can also visit the company website to purchase or upgrade to the latest version of Hydravid Cloud.
Snom launches Applications Development platform  Snom io

Posted by Publisher Telecommunication

Snom Technology AG, the world?s leading brand of IP Business Telephones launched an industry changing platform today that will enable thousands of developers to create fully integrated applications into Snom?s io ready IP business telephones which enable the telephone to host personal, business, video, IoT, vertical and PBX applications. These new capabilities empower developers, integrators and solution providers to create and globally distribute the right application solutions for people at work that deliver very specific capabilities directly on their desktop telephone.

?Snom io? means ?Snom Innovation-Output? explained Nadahl Shocair Group CEO of Snom Technology AG, ?It empowers developers to create and integrate applications on the Snom telephones. This is a world first and a huge leap forward for the business telecommunications industry. It will enable businesses to utilise more sophisticated and specific functions for their people, allowing them to configure their desktop telephones around the way they work. This delivers efficiency, cost reduction and increased employee performance and, therefore, empowering and improving the way people work and interact with the world around them.?

Visit the Snom.io website.

A full-blown demo of Snom io and its capabilities will be demonstrated at Snom?s prominent exhibit at CeBIT 2016 ? Hall 13 in Hanover, Germany.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Berlin Germany, Snom is a German multinational corporation and the worlds first and leading brand of professional and enterprise VoIP telephones. Snom operates wholly owned subsidiaries and branches in the United States, United Kingdom France, Italy, Spain and Taiwan.

Snoms German engineering is globally renowned for robust, high quality and feature-rich business telephones that are designed exclusively for the trained and certified professional IT and PBX installer. All of Snoms products are universally compatible with the leading PBX platforms operating under the SIP standard with millions of end-point installations globally. Snom products are sold through distributors to over 25,000 Snom Resellers and Integrators around the world.

For more information, please visit www.snom.com
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IHSAA football sectionals roundup: Scores, stats and more

It's the best time of year: The Indiana high school football state tournament. Sectionals get going tonight. We'll have you covered all night long.
Oak Creek to host outdoor 2022 World Cup watch party

A partnership between Morans Pub in South Milwaukee and the city of Oak Creek will offer residents food, drinks, music and games on Nov. 25.
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Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Swansea City news | Ospreys news | InYourArea
Six NASA researchers have received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, including one focused on planetary protection.

NASA can claim six recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers this year  an award considered among the highest for early-career researchers.

President Barack Obama announced 105 new award winners on Feb. 18, includingsix researchers from NASA or NASA-affiliated universities. Their research explores planetary protection, nanodevices, self-healing metals and more.

The award is the highest given by the U.S. government for early-career scientists and engineers, and the following winners were lauded by NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden as "some of the best and brightest talent in our agency and our university partners."

Dr. James Benardini  planetary protection; NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Dr. Jin-Woo Han  nanodevices and nanoelectronics; NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California.

Dr. Michele Manuel  self-healing metals; University of Florida, Gainesville.

Dr. Andrew Molthan  cloud microphysics; NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Dr. Colleen Mouw  oceanography and public health; Michigan Technological University, Houghton.

Dr. Vikram Shyam  technical innovation in fundamental aeronautics; NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

PECASE winners will receive the award later this year in Washington. While the date of the ceremony has not yet been announced, the complete list of the winners was made available in a White House statement.

President Bill Clinton established the awards in 1996, and they are coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

"These early-career scientists are leading the way in our efforts to confront and understand challenges from climate change to our health and wellness," Obama said in thestatement. "We congratulate these accomplished individuals and encourage them to continue to serve as an example of the incredible promise and ingenuity of the American people."

Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
The first part of the two-phase ExoMars mission successfully blasted off atop a Russian Proton rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday (March 14) at 5:31 a.m. EST (0931 GMT).

The launch sent the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Schiaparelli landing demonstrator on a seven-month journey to Mars. Upon arrival, TGO will begin searching the Martian air for methane (a possible sign of life) from orbit, while Schiaparelli will descend to the surface, to test out landing technologies for the second part of ExoMars  a life-hunting rover that's slated to blast off in 2018.

Learn more about ExoMars  which is led by the European Space Agency (ESA), with Roscosmos, the Russian federal space agency, serving as a partner  and the upcoming launch in Space.com's complete coverage below. [Gallery: The ExoMars Missions]

Video

Infographics and Multimedia

Story Coverage

Monday, March 14

Liftoff! European Mission to Mars Launches to Hunt for Signs of Life

The first phase of the European-Russian ExoMars mission successfully launched toward the Red Planet atop a Proton-M rocket on March 14, 2016, despite an overcast sky. The two instruments on board are now on their way to Mars.

Sunday, March 13

The Science of ExoMars: New Mission to Hunt for Mars Life

If the European-led ExoMars mission successfully launches into space tomorrow (March 14) as planned, scientists will have two intrepid new scouts in their search for life on the Red Planet.

Wild Ride to Mars: Inside ExoMars' Schiaparelli Lander Prototype

The ExoMars mission launching Monday (March 14) will pack an orbiter as well as an ambitious Mars lander prototype that will make the challenging descent to a controlled landing on Mars.

Friday, March 11

ExoMars Spacecraft Roll Out to Launchpad for Monday's Liftoff (Photos)

The next robotic mission to Mars has rolled out to the launchpad ahead of its planned Monday (March 14) liftoff.

Thursday, March 10

ExoMars Spacecraft Mated with Rocket Ahead of Monday's Launch (Photos)

Two European Mars spacecraft have been mated to the rocket that will blast them toward the Red Planet on Monday (March 14).

NASA Rover on Mars May Have Ringside Seat to Europe's ExoMars Mission

The European Space Agency's ExoMars 2016 mission is set to launch on March 14 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. When it arrives at the Red Planet in October, NASA's Opportunity rover may be in the right place at the right time.

Wednesday, March 9

Red Planet Triumphs and Defeats: A History of Mars Missions

Despite a decade of successes, more than half of all attempted Mars missions have failed. Here's a brief look at the troubled history of exploring the Red Planet.

Tuesday, March 8

European-Russian Mission to Mars Launches Next Week

The first part of the two-phase, joint European-Russian ExoMars mission is scheduled to blast off atop a Russian Proton rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kakakhstan on March 14.

2015

Mars Rover Prototype Practices on Earth for Stressful Moments (Video)

A prototype of Europe's first Mars rover practiced for some of the most stressful moments after arriving on the planet  getting the rover off its landing platform shortly after it arrives on the Martian surface.

ExoMars Mission Will Arrive on Time, Despite Hiccup

The ExoMars launch date has been pushed back by a couple of months. Instead of launching in January 2016, the European mission will launch the following March  but still get to Mars at nearly the same time. How is this possible?

2014

Orion Launch: Why the World Needs More Than One Mars Effort

What is so important about Mars, in particular, that ESA supports not one but two missions and wants to send humans to the Red Planet?

Four Potential Mars Landing Sites Revealed for Europe's ExoMars Rover

European space officials are eyeing four possible landing sites on Mars for a life-seeking rover set to launch toward the Red Planet in 2018.

2013

Robotic Mars Landing Module Named 'Schiaparelli' to Honor 19th-Century Astronomer

The ESA's Martian lander will bear the name of the Italian astronomer that once provided detailed maps of the Red Planet's surface. Meet the new Schiaparelli.

Europe's ExoMars May End Russia's Bad Luck on Mars

Officials in charge of Europe's ExoMars rover, part of a joint Mars exploration project with Russia, say they are confident the life-seeking robot will reach the Red Planet's surface despite Russia's record of star-crossed Mars missions.

European Space Ball Could Bring Mars Samples to Earth (Video)

Though no Mars sample-return mission is firmly on the books, the European Space Agency has supported the development of a proof-of-concept container built to keep Martian samples safe as they journey from their home world to Earth.

European Mars Rover Prototype Takes Big Test Drive in Chile Desert

A prototype of Europe's planned ExoMars rover, dubbed Bridget by its control team, spent several days working in Chile as part of the Sample Field Acquisition Experiment with a Rover (SAFER) trial between Oct. 7 and 13.

Europe's 2016 Mars Mission Enters Final Construction Phase

Europe's next mission to Mars has passed a key milestone to enter its final construction phase in pursuit of a planned 2016 launch toward the Red Planet.

Russia and Europe Team Up for Mars Missions

Russian and European space officials signed a deal to launch a Red Planet orbiter in 2016 and a rover in 2018 as part of the ExoMars program.

2012

When Exploring Other Planets, International Cooperation Is Key

Though 2012 has been a rough year for international cooperation in planetary exploration, space agencies around the globe should remain committed to working together, a prominent researcher says.

Europe OKs Funding for Mars Mission with Russia

The ruling council of the European Space Agency (ESA) on March 15 agreed to continue funding a Mars telecommunications orbiter and atmospheric gas analyzer mission for launch in 2016, which along with an entry, descent and landing module will be launched on a Russian Proton rocket donated by the Russian space agency.

Big NASA Budget Cuts to Slash Mars Missions, Experts Say

Funding cuts will probably force NASA to withdraw from the European-led ExoMars missions.

Is NASA Pulling Out of Europe's Mars Exploration Missions?

NASA is close to announcing its intention to pull out of the European-led ExoMars mission, according to reports.

2011

Robot Mars Lander Gets Experiments for 2016 Mission

NASA and the European Space Agency have picked the experiments for a new Mars lander that will launch toward the Red Planet in 2016.

2010

Better Mars Atmosphere Maps to Come From New Mission

An instrument on an upcoming mission to orbit will make daily maps of the Red Planet's atmosphere.

New Mars Orbiter Will Be a Super-Sniffer

Instruments supporting a joint mission Mars in 2016 have been selected by NASA and the European Space Agency.

Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
Pluto as seen by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015. The dwarf planet was named by 11-year-old English girl Venetia Burney in 1930.

When we think of people who have made a contribution of scientific or historical import, we usually do not think of kids. Yet this column celebrates the accomplishments of two very young people who made quite a mark.

Sunday (March 13) marks the 86th anniversary of the discovery of Pluto, which was once considered the ninth and most distant planet, but was reclassified as a "dwarf planet" by the International Astronomical Union in 2006.

One of the two youngsters played a significant role in the christening of that newly discovered (in 1930) heavenly body. [Photos of Pluto and Its Moons]

The girl who named Pluto

Venetia Burney at age 11, when she suggested the name "Pluto" for the newly discovered ninth planet in 1930. (Image credit: NASA/Venetia Burney Phair (via the BBC))

The privilege of naming this newfound object presumably belonged to Lowell Observatory, which is located in Flagstaff, Arizona.

American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, the person who first spied Pluto in photographs captured at Lowell, urged the director of the observatory, Vesto M. Slipher, to suggest a name before someone else did.

And suggestions did indeed soon pour in from all quarters; the seemingly endless list of nominated names included Cronus, Odin, Persephone, Erebus, Atlas, Prometheus and Minerva. One young couple even wrote to Tombaugh asking that the planet be named after their newborn child.

But it was an 11-year old English girl by the name of Venetia Burney who first suggested "Pluto," during breakfast with her mother and her grandfather, Falconer Madan, Librarian of the Bodleian Library of the University of Oxford.

"My grandfather wondered what it should be called," Venetia recalled in "Naming Pluto," a 2008 documentary. "We all wondered, and then I said, 'Why not call it Pluto?' And the whole thing stemmed from that."

Mr. Madan passed the idea along to his friend Herbert Hall Turner, professor of astronomy at Oxford. Mr. Turner immediately fired off a telegram to Flagstaff:

"Naming new planet, please consider PLUTO, suggested by small girl Venetia Burney for dark and gloomy planet."

Scientists at the Lowell Observatory voted unanimously for Pluto, partly because its first two letters could also be interpreted as an homage to Percival Lowell, and on May 24, 1930, the new planet received its official name. In addition, Slipher suggested interlocking the letters "P" and "L" as the official symbol for Pluto.

The name was well received. Walt Disney used it for Mickey Mouse's dog, and it provided the name for Element 94 in the periodic table, plutonium, which was first identified in 1941.

Venetia Phair, as she became known after her marriage, died April 30, 2009, in her home in Banstead, in the county of Surrey, England. She was 90 years old. But her legacy, and her name, live on: In 1987, the asteroid 6235 Burney was named in Venetia's honor, as was a dust-measuring instrument on board NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, which performed the first-ever flyby of Pluto on July 14, 2015. [Destination Pluto: NASA's New Horizons Mission in Pictures]

1927: A banner year for a boy and Alaska

Interestingly, at about the same time that Venetia named Pluto, another youngster used his imagination and knowledge of the night sky to come up with the design of a flag that would be adopted by a U.S. state.

Space.com skywatching columnist Joe Rao models a T-shirt showing the Alaskan flag's stellar design. (Image credit: Joe Rao)

If you step outside around midnight this week, you'll find the Big Dipper  arguably the leading star group in our hemisphere of the sky  almost directly overhead. The two outer stars of the Dipper's bowl, Dubhe and Merak, appear to point almost directly to Polaris, the North Star. And today, this is the stellar configuration that is rendered on the flag of Alaska, the largest U.S. state.

It was a 13-year-old schoolboy from a small village on the south shore of the Alaska Peninsula, Benny Benson, who suggested the design, via an American Legion contest in 1926. (Alaska was a territory, not a state, at the time.) Accompanying the winning entry was Benson's explanation:

"The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaska flower. The North Star is for the future state of Alaska, the most northerly of the Union. The Dipper is for the Great Bear, symbolizing strength."

By May of 1927, the flag design was unanimously adopted by the two houses of the Alaskan territorial legislature. The flag was flown for the first time on July 9, 1927; during the ceremony in Seward, Benny got a watch emblazoned with the flag's emblem, as well as a $1,000 educational scholarship, according to a brief biography published on the University of Alaska's website.

"Since the year 1927 was only four years after Native Alaskans received citizenship and the right to vote, this event became a source of great pride to native Alaskans," the biography reads. "Natives throughout the state hailed Benny as a hero for winning the contest."

On Jan. 3, 1959, Alaska was granted statehood, fulfilling young Benson's prophecy. He died on July 2, 1972 at the age of 58.

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, the Farmer's Almanac and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, N.Y. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
A new Mars mission launching Monday (March 14) aims to kick off a new European program of exploration  and reboot Russian dreams of working at the Red Planet.

Russia hasn't had any sort of Mars success since 1989, when the Soviet Union's Fobos 2 mission obtained orbital observations prior to a failed landing. The European Space Agency (ESA) has operated the Mars Express orbiter since 2003, but it hasn't mounted a successful surface mission on the Red Planet yet. (Mars Express carried a lander named Beagle 2, which never phoned home to its controllers after touching down.)

Monday's launch  which is scheduled to take place from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 5:31 a.m. EDT (0931 GMT)  aims to change all of that. The liftoff will initiate the first part of ExoMars, a two-phase Red Planet exploration program led by ESA, with Russia's federal space agency, Roscosmos, serving as a partner. [Gallery: The ExoMars Missions]

On Monday, a Russian Proton rocket will blast the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and a small lander named Schiaparelli on a seven-month journey to Mars. TGO will hunt for methane (a possible sign of life on Mars) from orbit, while Schiaparelli will head to the Red Planet's surface, to test out entry, descent and landing technologies for the second part of the ExoMars mission  a life-hunting rover that will lift off in 2018.

ExoMars 2016 spacecraft composite underwent encapsulation within the launcher fairing at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on March 2, 2016. (Image credit: B. Bethge/ESA)

"Establishing if life ever existed on Mars is one of the outstanding scientific questions of our time," ESA officials wrote in an ExoMars mission description.

"To address this important goal, ESA has established the ExoMars program to investigate the Martian environment and to demonstrate new technologies paving the way for a future Mars sample-return mission in the 2020s," they added.

The European Space Agency's ExoMars project involves an orbiter, lander and rover, launched on two separate Proton rockets (infographic) (Image credit: by Karl Tate, Infographics Artist)

Rocky road to Mars

Getting to Mars is hard, as the history of space exploration shows. For example, NASA suffered some high-profile failures in the 1990s, such as the Mars Climate Orbiter and the Mars Polar Lander, which launched in 1998 and 1999, respectively. (NASA's 2016 InSight mission was also just delayed by two years because of an instrument problem; the new launch date is May 5, 2018.)

ESA had its issues with Beagle 2, and also delayed the launch of the first part of ExoMars by a few months due to issues with the Schiaparelli lander.

But the Soviet Union/Russia have had the rockiest road to Mars. The vast majority of Soviet Red Planet missions failed; the nation achieved just a few successes in the 1970s and 1980s.

And neither of the two Mars missions mounted by Russia (which was born out of the Soviet Union's 1991 collapse) even got out of Earth orbit. Mars 96 failed in 1996, and Phobos-Grunt bit the dust shortly after lifting off in November 2011.

"The Russian program has had its heart broken over the past 30 years, essentially again and again," journalist Jim Oberg, an expert on Russian space activities, told Space.com. "That, plus their own budgetary constraints continuing to squeeze their own science budget year after year, gives a whole lot of serious problems over there."

Stepping stone?

High-profile failures make it difficult to attract and retain young Russian talent for Mars programs, Oberg said. Plus, research-and-development budgets are suffering due to money constraints and an emphasis on building something operational. This leaves an aging workforce that has difficulty building anything beyond 1980s technology, he said.

Oberg praised the reliability of Russian rockets, long a source of pride for the nation. But spacecraft provide a different type of prestige. ExoMars, Oberg said, could serve as a stepping stone, helping Russia build up excitement about, and expertise for, interplanetary probes again.

"This is not just to rebuild their confidence, but to actually earn new confidence in that kind of challenge," Oberg said. "They've had nothing [successful] in this century, and that's a burden they have to go out from under."

Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace, or Space.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
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Nothing reveals Merkel's hypocrisy more than her handling of the Balkan Route closure. With only a few hundred migrants a day now reaching Germany, Merkel is perhaps the greatest profiteer of the border closures. But it is the result of policies imposed by her political adversaries. Not only that, but these policies were originally supposed to receive the European stamp of approval at Monday's summit. For the summit's closing document, Tusk proposed the following statement in reference to the Balkan Route: "This route is now closed." The sentence is a statement of fact, but Merkel nevertheless refused to sign on. Doing so would have been a public admission of failure.

The result was a tenacious battle over terminology. When EU member state ambassadors assembled on Sunday afternoon to prepare the summit, the German representative Reinhard Silberberg protested. But Tusk's cabinet chief Piotr Serafin remained firm, Silberberg communicated in a classified cable to Berlin that evening. The countries affected along the Balkan Route, he wrote, "expect a clear indication of support from the  European Council."

Higher Powers

When European heads of state and government arrived in Brussels on Monday, the quarrel had not yet been resolved. Before he entered the Council building, French President Francois Hollande said: "This route is closed." Later, an argument erupted between Faymann and Merkel. A rift could only be avoided by way of compromise. The final document ultimately stated: "Irregular flows of migrants along the Western Balkan route have now come to an end." It makes it sound as though higher powers stopped the migrants in their path.

The price for the cosmetic improvement was high. In return, Eastern European member states received the guarantee that no further demands that they accept refugees -- neither from Greece nor from Turkey -- will be made. For Merkel, that is not a positive result.

She continues to insist that border closures cannot solve the refugee crisis, instead placing her hopes on the deal with Turkey. To take part in the negotiations, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu arrived in Brussels on Sunday evening for a meeting with Merkel and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of Europe.

The meeting itself was unusual enough, with many EU countries unimpressed by Merkel's diplomatic offensive. But when it became known that the Turks had presented a completely new proposal during the confidential meeting, rumors began making the rounds that Merkel was trying to hoodwink the other EU member states.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy only learned of the Turkish paper after he landed at the Brussels airport. When it was distributed at the beginning of the summit, Luxembourgian Prime Minister Xavier Bettel took a photo of it with his smartphone and sent it to his aides so they could quickly examine it.

The mood was tense when the leaders gathered for a late lunch at 3 p.m. Most made it clear that they would be unable to agree to a deal without having first perused the Turkish proposal in detail. Before long, many began to suspect that the paper had actually been authored by Merkel's chief advisor on European affairs, Uwe Corsepius -- and not by the Turks. Merkel vehemently denied the allegations. But the incident serves to demonstrate just how deep mistrust of the Germans has become.

Open Rupture

For Merkel, the new plan presented by Turkey was a coup. For the first time, Ankara agreed to reaccept refugees who had fled across the Aegean to Greece. In return, the EU would agree to take Syrians from Turkey -- initially in accordance with a complicated formula but ultimately a fixed quota. In addition, Turkey is to receive an additional 3 billion ($3.35 billion), relaxed visa requirements -- as early as June, if possible -- and a commitment to accelerating Turkey's long dormant EU accession negotiations.

It is unclear whether the plan will ever be implemented. For that to happen, Merkel needs the confidence of her European partners -- confidence that she has spent the past several months eroding. French President Holland only refrained from rejecting the Turkish proposal outright at the Brussels summit because he wanted to prevent an open rupture with Merkel.

For France, though, lifting Turkish visa requirements as early as this summer is out of the question. "We won't be able to push that through here," says one Hollande advisor. Thus far, Turkey has only fulfilled half of the 72 conditions demanded by Brussels for the lifting of visa requirements. Ankara, for example, still stubbornly refuses to recognize passports from Cyprus, which is an EU member state. Furthermore, only travelers with biometric passports are allowed to enter the EU without a visa. Turkey, though, has yet to produce travel documents that fulfill the EU's strict criteria.

Paris is not the only place where resistance to visa relaxation can be found. "We cannot exchange a refugee wave for a visa wave," says Andreas Scheuer, general secretary of the CSU. "Otherwise we'll go from the frying pan into the fire."

"My fraction is very skeptical of complete visa freedom for Turkish citizens," adds Manfred Weber, head of the conservative European People's Party group in European Parliament. "There will be no refugee rebate."

The acceleration of Turkish accession negotiations is even more controversial than the visa issue. Cyprus is categorically opposed to the opening of additional negotiation chapters. The northern part of the Mediterranean island has been occupied by the Turks since 1974, and they don't recognize the Republic of Cyprus as a sovereign country. Even aside from that, the approach to Turkey comes at an awkward moment. On the Friday before the Brussels summit, the Turkish government raided the editorial offices of the opposition paper Zaman and took over control.

'We Can't Trust Turkey'

The core element of Turkey's proposal is also legally questionable. It would be a violation of European and international law to simply send migrants back to Turkey after they had made it across the Aegean. Asylum-seekers may only be sent back to countries where a fair asylum hearing is guaranteed. German Justice Minister Heiko Maas told SPIEGEL this week that "we don't yet consider Turkey to be a safe country of origin nor a safe third country for asylum-seekers." The solution currently looks to be that of Greece declaring Turkey to be a safe third country. Then, most refugees could be sent back.

Many of Germany's EU partners would love to see Merkel fail . They see the border closures along the Balkan Route as tangible policy results and Merkel's diplomatic dance with Turkey as delusional. "We can't trust Turkey," says a source close to Hollande.

Still, one has to give Merkel credit for her attempt to make Europe more humane. She believed that if Germany accepted refugees, other countries would be infected by the generosity bug. Her policy hinged on a belief that humanitarianism could be contagious. It is a nice idea, and perhaps not totally absurd. Even if half of the Syrian population had made its way to Europe, could not the EU's population of 500 million have handled it?

One significant problem with Merkel's refugee policy was the timing of the crisis. When she opened Germany's borders to the refugees trapped in Budapest last September, she was at the zenith of her power. But in Europe, her austerity demands had turned many countries against her -- and here she was imposing her refugee principles, a curious mixture of Protestant parsonage and German sensibility, on the Continent.

Merkel failed to realize soon enough just how little Europe was willing to accept. The price for her policies is not just the rise of a new right-wing populist party in Germany and a German society that is more divided and disgruntled than it has been in years. She also created a Europe that is no longer united.

By Julia Amalia Heyer, Peter Muller, Ralf Neukirch, Christoph Pauly, Rene Pfister and Christoph Schult
Neither Angela Merkel, nor EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini nor European Council President Donald Tusk has dared to explicitly criticize the Turkish president. Instead, they proffered only the mildest of condemnations. But when Europe tiptoes on eggshells like that, it jeopardizes its credibility. What right will it still have to criticize limits to the freedom of the press in countries like Hungary -- or in Putin's "managed democracy"?

Unsavory Deals

So-called realpolitik is often cited to justify these kinds of unsavory deals -- the idea that you sometimes have to do morally disagreeable things for the sake of a higher cause. But there are some real-world consequences. For Turkey, this means weakening an opposition that is resisting Erdogan's aspirations to omnipotence. The EU is now paving the way for the president to change his country's constitution and weaken Turkey's democratic institutions. Erdogan has also reignited the conflict with the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The army, in its battle against Kurdish militants, has put entire cities in the southeast under curfew and left many homes in ruins. The president is destabilizing his own country and the broader region.






Retro Greys, a throwback to the pilot, a young Derek and Meredith; an even younger surgical love child, Katie Brice and an episode filled with just the right ingredients for wonderful. My Next Life, written by the very capable William Harper, directed by Chandra Wilson, appeared in season twelve like a hot toddy on a cold night; a rich episode which though not the best has easily risen up as one of my favourites of recent times. Strong, funny and heartbreaking dialogue, antagonistic surgical cases, amusing human stories, outstanding music. This was not a mover-shaker episode, there was no high drama but then sometimes even the functional mid seasons can have their own quiet engaging impact.



Meredith came face to face with her first surgical patient as an intern; a precocious teenager turned even more sassy adult suffering a predisposition to aneurisms and chat back. She was on point, a perfect obstruction in Meredith and Amelias conflict.



OH my God. They still let you be a doctor here?



We have a dichotomy between patients. In crude terms - a patient who you might expect would bleed out doesnt under Amelias care; a patient who really shouldnt bleed out does under Merediths. The unravelling story helps us to understand that while we can try to control a situation we must accept that we cannot control everything. Meredith could not control Amelia or the situation with Katie any more than she could control the bleeding. In a genius piece of retro story telling this was a subtle step in the road to their reconciliation and an even larger step out of Dereks shadow for Amelia. Despite being dead and therefore dead television Derek is allowed to live within the show more so than any other dearly departed characterswhich is a shame (*sighs* missing Mark).



Finally we know something substantial about the rift between Hunt and Riggs. It seems less than we might expect a lot of fuss over something which though devastating can hardly explain such passionate hate. But then there is a parallel story between Amelia, Penny and Meredith - death and the misattributed blame game. It is important that this is a perceived fault rather than an actual fault for Riggs. There is something we must always remember in this showthere are never bad guys in Greys Anatomy. Not ever. There is not the criminality of How to Get Away with Murder and Greys certainly doesnt have the moral flexibility of Scandal. Light cheating* aside every character is presented as rather clean. Even Owens aggression is illustrated as symptomatic of PTSD rather than part of his innate character. Therefore it doesnt surprise me that Riggs crime is, simply, to be the one that survived. Or at least the one that didnt go missing. In case you missed it, there is a big story waiting in the wings for Megan to show up, radicalised or tortured or merely living happily across the other side of the country with a husband and two point five kids. Lets not forget Megan is a doctor and new characters who are doctors are more likely to stick around. Merediths questioning of Riggs provided an immense moment for Martin Henderson who more than proved his credentials for this show with an outstanding piece of acting, including a nice piece of fidgety hands (kudos Wilson). Hes a keeper.



I dont go asking about your dead husband, do I?





(Before you all jump on me - no cheating is light cheating. I merely refer to cheating as a device the show uses frequently but not terribly seriously. You can read about it here)



Richard is on the war path to protect his long lost daughter. Its very sweet actually and provides characteristic light relief in between dying patients. It also provided Shonda with her once a season shirt off moment. Richard and Maggie sneaking off to dinner was a nice touch.



I like that you are looking out for me.



Arizona has her mojo back. The point, and finally after three episodes we have a point for Arizona, is that she is back to her pre-Callie self. Perhaps I wouldnt use the word slutty myself - maybe thats a cultural thing - but Arizona can finally have some fun. It has taken a while but thats allowed a lovely friendships to develop between her and her wing man.



The thing about being my wingman is you cant also be my dad.



I notice too that the writers have reinforced her sexuality with the viewer. Arizona fans were probably in no doubt but the writers clearly wanted to make their point. Capshaw has provided the show with yet another baby bump to hide and I suspect that now we have established her game is back on Arizonas storyline will remain behind a surgical table or tablet. By developing Arizona independent of Callie the writers are allowing us to see both women stand on their own thus creating clear space for the writers to eventually diverge or converge this couple.



Jo continues to whine and moan and simper through the show. Her presence moving from largely irrelevant to down right annoying. Theres no excuse for letting this character flag and flail. Alex deserves better and Justin Chambers, who has done a superlative job this season most certainly deserves better. Chambers grown-up sensitivity, and calm presence in the show continues to add gravitas to his character while Alexs relationship with Jo is devalued to a point even the fellow residents acknowledge



Jo, you already did. If you wanted it youd be wearing it.



ThereStephanie nailed it. Jo decided she didnt want the ring but didnt want to get rid of the ring. She wants Alex to keep it in the drawer. I struggle to imagine that this is a sign of a healthy relationship. Im rather bored of saying this and youre probably bored of reading but the writers really need to give me a reason to believe in this one dimensional character.



My Next Life was full of the bits we love about Greys, rich, funny, heartbreaking, weaving the characters together yet allowing them to follow their path. A cracking mid-season episode.





About the Author - Brouhaha Maxine (aka Brouhaha) is a fan of Greys Anatomy and writes episode reviews and occasional articles. Her other TV favourites include Foyle's War, Criminal Minds, Bones, TBBT, Broadchurch, Catastrophe and despite her better judgement Madam Secretary. In real life she's a mum, self-employed and can often be found arguing about politics or current affairs, attempting to write fiction and buying hair products. Got a question - go to Tumblr ask! All Reviews) Recent Reviews
STAMFORD  A city man who was drunk when he struck a 50-year-old man on the West Side and fled the scene last July will spend the next year in jail.

Terrell Culver, 44, had previously pleaded guilty to second-degree assault with a motor vehicle and driving while under the influence under a plea agreement.

During his sentencing, Culver, of Rose Park Avenue, told Judge Richard Comerford he spent many sleepless nights thinking about how irresponsible he acted just past midnight on July 10, 2015. Culver said he has kept the man, a North Salem, N.Y. resident who suffered a broken arm and leg in the accident, in his most sincere prayers.

I made a big mistake, a big mistake. I wish I could change everything from that night, said Culver, who has been sitting in jail for nearly eight months since his arrest the night of the accident.

Culver was also originally charged with leaving the scene of an accident, but the charge was dropped under the plea agreement.

Comerford said despite Culvers sincerity, some jail time would be required.

We cannot have things like this happening in our society, said Comerford, who said he hopes Culver will receive counseling to help with his long history of drug abuse.

But Comerford gave Culver credit for his remorse and sentenced him to one year in jail. Culver faced up to two years in jail under the plea agreement.

Culver was also given a four-year suspended sentence and three years probation. If Culver violates his probation, he could serve all or part of the suspended sentence.

Welsh said Comerfords sentence was appropriate considering the nature of the victims injuries.

George Bellantoni said his client suffered fractures to his right arm and right leg as well as cuts and bruises to his face and head in the hit-and-run, which kept him in the hospital for nearly a week.

A patron of the nearby strip club where the accident occurred helped lead to Culvers arrest.

After striking the man on Richmond Hill Avenue, Culver briefly stopped his car. The strip club patron was able to get out his phone and take a picture of the Mazda Protege before Culver drove away. The picture captured the license plate of the car, which officers were able to quickly track down.

Culver appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the traffic stop, a police report of the arrest said. Culver also failed the sobriety tests administered at the scene.

Prosecutor Susan Campbell said she hoped Culver learned his lesson about driving while intoxicated.
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STAMFORD  After internal elections this week, both political parties in the city have new leaders.

Josh Fedeli, a managing partner at Stamford-based marketing agency SquareWheel, was chosen to lead the Democrats, while the GOP voted for Fritz Blau, a controller at Helicopter Flight Services in New Jersey, as its new chairman.

Fedeli, 41, was the only member of the Democratic City Committee to express interest in replacing former Chairman John Mallozzi as party leader. Mallozzi announced weeks ago he was planning to step down to pursue other interests.

The party is here to support Democratic candidates and thats what I intend to do, Fedeli said Thursday. He said he planned to take advantage of increased enthusiasm in a presidential election year to try to recruit new volunteers and voters.

Party leaders are supposed to recruit candidates, keep the party unified and serve as the go-to person for any issues that may arise within the party.

There are nearly 23,000 Democrats, just over 12,000 Republicans and close to 21,000 unaffiliated voters in Stamford.

Bringing people together

Members of the Stamford GOP, meanwhile, put aside their differences this week to unanimously give Blau their endorsement for the leadership role.

Blau, 49, said Thursday he was asked by several party members to take over for Eva Maldonado, who did not seek re-election to the position she had held since 2014. No one else pursued the position.

Eva Maldonado worked her tail off, Blau said of his predecessor.

Stamford Republicans have in recent years been divided on a number of issues. Most recently, infighting resulted in numerous candidates being nominated by party members to go up against the partys chosen candidate for a Board of Finance position.

Blau said he expects the party to become more united in the future, noting the citys GOP has many like-minded individuals.

I tend to be the kind of person who brings people together, said Blau, a Waterside resident.

A member of the Republican Town Committee for more than 10 years, Blau comes from a politically involved family. His mother served as first selectman of Haddam decades ago. Although he has never held a public office, Blau has run for seats on the state Legislature.

Blau said his goal is to get more people involved in the party.

Last weeks RTC election resulted in a few new faces on the committee, but Blau said there are still a few vacancies.

I would say Id like to reach out to more people to let them know what being a Republican is all about and see if we can grow our party, he said.

ktorres@scni.com; 203-964-2265
STAMFORD  The story of a poor Polish nun who became a symbol for the mercy of Jesus Christ is the inspiration for a dramatic play that incorporates the story of present-day Catholics searching for faith.

Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, who was born in 1905, was living a humble life in a convent in 1930s when she began a diary that recorded her religious revelations. She died in 1938 and was canonized by Pope John Paul in 2000.
To the editor,

I am thankful that Gov. Dannel P. Malloys recent budget proposal follows through on promises lawmakers made to public charter school students. If this proposal goes through, it will mean students who are happy and thriving in their current charter school are able to stay there for the next grade. This is personal to me because my daughter attends the Stamford Charter School for Excellence (SCSE), where she is excelling.

Still, the proposal does not go far enough. Charter school kids in Connecticut receive much less funding than other students just like them who attend traditional district schools. Its unfair that my daughter and her classmates are receiving thousands of dollars less than other public school kids.

SCSE has made a huge difference for my daughter. When she started there, she struggled with reading and needed individualized attention from her teachers. Because of the schools strong commitment to their students, my daughter is now reading at a first-grade level.

Parents like me need the opportunity to choose the type of education their child will receive. And when they choose a different option, children should not be penalized when that choice is a public charter school. All children should be treated fairly, whether they attend a charter, district, or magnet school. My daughters learning needs are no different than her peers. There is no reason she should be funded differently.

Melissa Asare

Stamford
More than 20 years before "The People v. O.J. Simpson" became the FX miniseries of the moment, drawing Americans back to controversial courtroom drama, the high-profile murder case pinned O.J. Simpson to the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman in an eight-month televised trial.

When Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lance Ito made the controversial decision to allow cameras into the courtroom, the double-murder trial became an early show of reality television with every move made by the lawyers, witnesses, the judge and defendant up for national scrutiny and, for better or worse, ensuing fame.
With the continuing growth of the specialty food industry, David Hack saw an opening.

I realized there was an opportunity in the marketplace, the Weston resident said. My wife was looking for Luna bars (a nutrition bar aimed at women). She said, I have to buy individual bars at Whole Foods. Cant I just buy a whole box? I dont understand.
B rexit campaigners have seized on official figures showing the UKs goods trade deficit with the European Union reaching a record high of 8.1 billion.

With three months to go before the referendum vote, the trade figures have become politically charged as statistics are scoured by both sides to bolster their case.

Out campaigner Ukip MP Douglas Carswell tweeted that the figures show [the] absurdity of the idea [that the] EU would impose post-Brexit tariffs to restrict cross-Channel trade from which they gain.

Brexit campaign group Leave.EU added: We have the trade leverage, its more in their interest than ours to create a free trade agreement.

Office for National Statistics figures for January showed goods exports to EU countries broadly unchanged at 10.9 billion, while imports from Europe jumped 700 million to 18.9 billion, thanks to higher drugs imports.

Imports rose from the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden, offset by falling imports from Germany and Ireland.

But economists said that claims that the EU was reliant on the UK based on the record trade deficit were wide of the mark.

Kallum Pickering, UK economist at Berenberg, stressed that the UKs exports as a share of GDP stood at 30%, of which around half goes to the EU. In contrast, less than 5% of the EUs exports as a share of its GDP end up in the UK.

They are much more important for us than they are for them, he added.

EU referendum: Should the UK vote to stay or leave?

European imports have also been swollen by the weakness of the euro since the European Central Bank launched its money-printing programme in January last year.

ECB president Mario Draghi extended the stimulus on Thursday with a broad range of measures, including effectively paying banks to boost their lending in the wider economy, lifting banking shares across Europe.

The ONS figures showed that the overall goods trade gap narrowed slightly to 10.3 billion, although the UK is still leaning on the dominant services sector for the bulk of its growth.

TODO: define component type apester

The overall trade deficit, including services, narrowed to 3.5 billion, less of an improvement than City economists hoped for. In the three months to January as a whole, exports volumes fell 2.1% while imports slipped 1.1%.

Builders also started the year on a weak note, the ONS said, with output unexpectedly falling 0.2% in January.

But in the final quarter of 2015 construction output grew 0.3%, which was much bigger than the 0.4% decline originally estimated by number-crunchers.
" Queen Backs Brexit. My first reaction when I read this headline in the Sun on Wednesday morning was to think: What stinkers, what absolute howling cads, to print this stuff. If a distinguished old lady, after a good lunch, is not allowed to let off steam about the European Union, what is the world coming to? And if the royal family can not speak freely at their own table, without some gutter journalist repeating their words, then the world has surely gone to Hell in a handcart.

I then drew myself up and recognised that this was a ripe case of the pot calling the kettle black. I myself, in my pushing younger days, sat beside the late Queen Mother at a dinner table and later blabbed our conversation. Of the many bad things I have done in my life, this is one for which I feel particular shame, even though the words I quoted were harmless  it was a rather jolly conversation about T S Eliots lugubrious manner at a poetry reading, giving her, the king and the little princesses the giggles.

I have since tried to draw attention to myself in many ways, by writing books and making broadcasts, but I know that if anyone has ever heard of me it is as the rotter who blabbed about the poor old Queen Mother.

So, I recognise what any of us gutter journalists would have done had we been present when the Queen was having a robust exchange of views with Nick Clegg about the European question. Wed have blabbed. In a sense we would not be worthy off the name of journalists if we had not blabbed. That is our job.

The reason it is a rotten trick to quote the Queens private conversations is quite simple. She can not respond as you and I would if we were quoted in the newspaper. She can not say, You are quoting me out of context  though you can be sure that this is precisely what the Sun has done. She is obliged, as a constitutional monarch, to be above politics  and that means something quite specific.

It is not true to say, as has been said often in the past 48 hours, that the Queen never reveals a political opinion. One of the distinguished things that marks her career as head of state and head of the Commonwealth over 63 years is that she has always robustly defended the rights of African people to self-government.

During the Macmillan years she scandalised much white, racist opinion by dancing with Kwame Nkruma before he became the first Prime Minister of an independent Ghana  showing her solidarity with the idea of Ghanaian independence. She resisted Margaret Thatchers views on South Africa, and sided with the Commonwealth in her wish to impose sanctions on the apartheid regime. Much more recently, during the Scottish referendum debate, she quietly expressed the hope that people would think carefully before they voted  she wanted to maintain the Union.

Compared with any of her predecessors she has been remarkably restrained in her expression of political views. Just think of what her grandfather George V had to say about House of Lords reform (agin it!) or the Labour Party (ditto!). Think of Edward VIIs optimistic but disastrous espousal of Entente Cordiale, leading to our fighting alongside France in the First World War. Think of Queen Victoria, making no secret of her views about everything from the future of Ireland to the composition of the Cabinet.

It is understandable that Eurosceptic journalists and MPs, having heard some of Her Majestys views in 2011 about Europe going in the wrong direction, should not have been able to resist twisting this conversation into the position where Queen Backs Brexit!

'She was not saying that she wanted to leave the EU. Nor would she ever say so  as the Brexit brigade knows perfectly well'

Apart from the general unfairness of quoting the Queens private conversations, this also breaks the rules of good journalism. Let us assume that, as the Sun insists, the Queen did indeed make some criticisms of the European Union over five years ago. Who has not done so? Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande themselves probably inveigh against the EU every day of their lives. This does not mean that they want to leave it, any more than someone, in the discreet surroundings of their own hearth, venturing criticism of their husband, necessarily wants a divorce.

The Queen made her alleged remarks five years before a referendum had been called. She was not saying that she wanted to leave the EU. Nor would she ever say so  as the Brexit brigade knows perfectly well. That is what makes their use of her so-called opinions so unfair. She might or might not have views about Brexit. Perhaps, like over a third of the voters, she thinks there are things to be said on both sides. As a constitutional monarch she would never make a public statement on a matter of such importance.

Whichever way you intend to vote in the referendum this strange story will, however, have reminded you of one rather remarkable fact about the United Kingdom. It remains a kingdom. Leave to the enthusiasts the esoteric debates about British sovereignty, and reflect on the fact that we have one very great asset that no one else in Europe has  we have the British sovereign. And the Sun would not have attracted so much attention by disclosing the views of anyone else.

What she thinks still matters enormously. And she will have conveyed what she thinks to all her Prime Ministers (Edward Heath was dismayed when we joined the EEC, as it was then, by the Queen asking: What about New Zealand and Australia and Canada?). If the rest of us are allowed to ask questions about the EU, then surely our head of state is allowed to do so. This does not make her a leading light of the Brexit campaign, and anyone expecting her to appear on the platform alongside Boris, George Galloway and Nigel Farage will, one suspects, be disappointed.
C rate Brewery has taken over a classic canal boat which sits on the River Lea right outside its brewery bar in Hackney Wick, and turned it into the capitals first craft beer cruiser.

Named The Alfred Leroy after a famous 70s pub landlord and boat operator, it will take drinkers on regular two-hour mini cruises down the river every weekend throughout the spring and summer.

It will travel past the Olympic Stadium and up to Tottenham Lock, passing Springfield Park and Warwick Reservoir before making its return to the brewery.

While on board, passengers will be able to enjoy Crates range of beers  including lager, golden pale, IPA, best and best stout  alongside its own-made cider and kombucha, a fermented tea drink which can be sipped straight or spiked with booze and a range of cocktails.

Crafty cruise: Beers and cocktails will be served aboard The Alfred Leroy

It will also serve food in the form of charcuterie, Neals Yard cheeses and local breads from E5 Bakehouse.

Two hour cruises cost 40 per person, including a charcuterie and cheese board and two cocktails.

The best craft beer pubs in London 1 /26 The best craft beer pubs in London The Old Red Cow Smithfield A hefty range of interesting beers spans two bars at this Long Lane pub, with significantly more keg than cask on offer. Should the 10-15 on tap not suffice, there are countless more available in bottle. Decent pub grub also features, while the wine list is notably excellent by craft beer pub standards. theoldredcow.com The Queens Head Kings Cross Tucked away around the corner from the station, just off Grays Inn Road, this charming old pub does more than just good beer. On top of three rotating, interestingly stocked hand pumps and more taps it also offers more than 12 whiskies, several ciders, serves platters of cheeses and cured meats, and has board games galore. queensheadlondon.com The Earl of Essex Islington Around 18 beers feature at this pub near the Regents Canal, including many from local London breweries such as Beavertown and Redemption. The pub food menu, which comes with recommended beer pairings, is also decent. Theres a small but sweet beer garden to boot. earlofessex.net Crown and Anchor Brixton Set almost equal distance between Stockwell, Brixton and Oval, this pub offers 20-odd beers on keg and cask. The beers are eclectic, but south London brews feature particularly prominently. Its fairly bustling of an evening, and youll also find a decent roast dinner. crownandanchorbrixton.co.uk The Understudy South Bank This relative newcomer from the National Theatre is the South Banks best pub bar none. Its package includes in excess of 10 beers on tap, a tank of brewery fresh Meantime lager, a decent spirit, wine and cocktail offering, and some pretty sweet views over the Thames to boot. nationaltheatre.org.uk Cock Tavern Hackney Central Originally the home of Howling Hops brewery (before they outgrew the space and launched their own tank bar), this Hackney Central boozer is now home to Maregade Brew Co.. As well as serving their brews, it also specialises in great beer generally. More than 20 lines of it in fact, including a fair bit of Howling Hops stuff. Be aware that its cash only. thecocktavern.co.uk Old Fountain Old Street Theres usually upwards of 15 craft beers on the taps at this comfy (unless its rammed) Old Street boozer, and it has the added bonus of a rather nice terrace. A decent number of the beers available tend to be London brews, with Five Points, Hammerton and Kernel among the regulars. Looking for another point of difference? It has a fish tank. oldfountain.co.uk The Southampton Arms Kentish Town This pub set about equal distance between Gospel Oak, Tufnell Park and Kentish Town stations has resisted going too craft despite stocking around 20 varieties just that  it still feels like a local boozer. Theres a particular prevalence of brews from Londons smaller breweries as well as those from around the UK, while fans of craft cider are also well catered for with five or six on tap at all times. thesouthamptonarms.co.uk The Harp Covent Garden This characterful but cramped old pub a stones throw from Charing Cross station offers a rotating selection of 20 or so brews, main focusing on real ales. And as a regular CAMRA award winner, you can rest assured theyre in good condition. Only problem? It gets absolutely rammed. harpcoventgarden.com Mother Kellys Bethnal Green This Paradise Row beer bar from the team behind The Queens Head in Kings Cross has over 23 numbered taps which correspond to a changing selection of brews  like a Chinese restaurant for beer. Its inspired by a New York taproom, so dont expect a cosy pub  but if the weathers nice, you can count on an outdoor barbecue and plenty of atmosphere on the terrace. motherkellys.co.uk The Lyric Soho The best thing about this characterful pub near Piccadilly Circus is the way it merges the music, fun and frivolity youd expect from a Soho boozer with a surprisingly stunning selection of beers  theres never far off 20 on tap. Oh, and there are open fires. lyricsoho.co.uk Hack and Hop City The latest pub from the team behind The Dean Swift and The Old Red Cow (also in this list), this decent-sized venue just off Fleet Street has more than a decent beer list  more than 20 split between cask and keg. Theres also a gastropub-style food menu, though thats not what brings most people in. thehackandhop.com The White Horse Parsons Green This west London institution  affectionately(ish) known as The Sloaney Pony due to its location and clientele  serves a lot of great British beer, but really comes into its own when it comes to foreign imports  particularly from Belgium, Germany and the USA. Options include Pilsner Urquell tank beer alongside eight hand pumps and around 10 taps, plus more than 130 bottles. The gastropub food is good quality and it boasts a particularly sizeable beer garden along with a calendar packed with beer festivals. whitehorsesw6.com Euston Tap Euston Housed in a teeny stone building just in front of Euston station which was built in 1870 as a form of passenger information kiosk, the Euston Tap is not blessed when it comes to space. Neither is it in any way comfy. However, it does stock an impressive range of beers  20 keg, 8 cask and 150 by bottle, to be exact. Those with an affection for apples should also check out sister site Cider Tap across the road. eustontap.com Dean Swift Bermondsey A rotating selection of more than 15 cask and keg beers are almost always available at The Dean Swift. What makes the place particularly great is that despite this great beer selection, and some very good Sunday roasts served upstairs, it maintains a real local boozer vibe. thedeanswift.com The Fox Haggerston This east London longtimer offers a regularly-changing selection of between 15 and 20 beers on tap at all times, plus some very decent booze-absorbing pizzas. Brews from London makers such as Kernel, Beavertown and Pressure Drop tend to get top billing alongside plenty of international offers. Theres a beer garden out back, too. Cask Pub & Kitchen Pimlico Theres a constantly changing selection of 25 beers on tap at this tucked-away Pimlico pub, not to mention multiple fridges full of interesting bottles. Its the original from the group behind the Craft Beer Co chain, and we reckon its still the best. caskpubandkitchen.com Craft Beer Co Various locations The original Clerkenwell branch of this mini-chain was one of the first proponents of craft beer in London. Its still going strong, while there are now also sites in Brixton, Islington, Clapham, Covent Garden and the City. The Islington branch, which comes with a large beer garden and comfier seating, is a favourite. thecraftbeerco.com BrewDog Various locations Youll no these guys. They do beer for punks, apparently. Whatever you make of BrewDogs marketing gimmicks, they make some bloody good beer. Find it at their bars in Camden, Clapham Junction, Clerkenwell, Angel, Shepherds Bush, Shoreditch and Soho, along with plenty of guest beers from other brewers. The Shepherds Bush branch usually has the biggest selection of beers, totalling more than 30. brewdog.com Draft House Various locations The Draft House group is far removed from the kind of minimalist, vaguely uncomfortable craft beer pub where its all about beer. Expect quirky design, good music and burgers, hot dogs and pub staples served throughout the day. Find sites in Battersea, Fitzrovia, Hammersmith, Tower Bridge, the City and Bethnal Green. drafthouse.co.uk

From Monday to Friday the boat will be moored outside the brewery where it will offer extra drinking space, and it is also available to be booked for private functions.

Watch our video above to see The Alred Leoroy in action. Visit alfredleroy.co.uk.

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Review at a glance









D ont believe critics who tell you this tale of the supernatural is scary (at no point will Robert Eggerss low-budget debut make your armpits melt). To suggest otherwise would be like raving about Deadpools cameo in the forthcoming epic Batman v Superman. (Just to be clear, Deadpool will NOT be appearing in Batman v Superman). But heres the thing. It doesnt matter.

In 17th-century New England an English couple and their five children, recently exiled from a settlement thanks to their fanatical beliefs, are trying to scratch a living from a patch of land adjoining a tangled wood. One day the baby of the family disappears. Was it snatched by a witch? And might wickedness lurk within, as well as without, the family home?

The script creates characters we ache for. Puritan patriarch William (Ralph Ineson) isnt as tyrannical as he seems. Nor is his wife Katherine (Kate Dickie) as flinty. Their disappointment in America (and each other) is subtly conveyed, as is their ambivalence towards their eldest child Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy). The scapegoat of the family, Thomasin is actually in charge of the clans goat (if youve ever had a face-off with a feisty goat, youll salute the impeccable turn here by Black Philip). Everyone is a victim. Everyone has reason to kick back.

The mostly British cast is formidable but Eggers deserves special praise for finding Taylor-Joy. Somehow she creates the illusion that she comes of North Yorkshire stock though she was actually born in Miami and her first language is Spanish. Like Rooms Brie Larson (whose first language is French), the pale 19-year-old is almost unnaturally convincing, not so much an actress as an honest-to-goodness changeling.

A star is born: Anya Taylor-Joy

Eggerss visual assurance too is astounding. The period details are spot-on, while various tableaux suggest this director has learned all the right lessons from Stanley Kubricks Barry Lyndon and Neil Jordans The Company of Wolves. Theres also, right at the end, a unique special effect.

The Witchs climax, in fact, is altogether sublime, not to mention controversial. Imagine a movie set in the Middle Ages in which Jews murder Christian infants and the heroine tacitly endorses the slayings. Whether viewed as anti-Christian or anti-Semitic (or both), said movie would definitely be dangerous. Aware that gender, as much as faith, remains a burning issue, Eggers makes our hearts swell and our brains sweat. Its scary that we would expect him to do more.

Cert 15, 93 mins

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N ot long into his enforced exile in Britain in 2001 Alexander Litvinenko received chilling news from a former colleague in Moscows security apparatus.

In the course of the conversation, Litvinenko later recalled, Shebalin said you have been sentenced to extrajudicial elimination; after the publication of this book you will definitely be killed.

On November 1, 2006, he was poisoned by a cup of tea in the Pine Bar in the Millennium Hotel in Mayfair. Three weeks later he died in agony in University College Hospital and the photos of his listless body the day before his death went viral on global media.

The story of the death and times of Alexander Litvinenko is one of the most extraordinary fables of our time  a tale of greed, power, mafia skulduggery in Russia and the world, and bloody-minded heroism.

There is something of the diary of a murder foretold in Luke Hardings brilliant account of the killing and its continuing resonance. By the time he faded from this world, Litvinenko knew who had killed him, and how, and that it most likely had been done under the influence and knowledge, if not direct orders, of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Litvinenko had been an intelligence officer and analyst, working with the KGBs successor the FSB, though he had not been a spy as such. He then turned critic of the Yeltsin and Putin regimes, and what he saw as the burgeoning Russian mafia state. So he was forced to flee.

He was murdered by the administration of a nuclear toxin, polonium-210, lethal in microscopic doses, and virtually undetectable  only in the hands of the Laurel and Hardy assassins sent to London this turned out to be far from the case. Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun would make Tintins pals the Thompson twins look like super sleuths. They failed in the first attempt to administer the polonium, and had to make a return visit with a fresh supply of the liquid, a tricky by-product of Russias nuclear and chemical weapons industry. Once identified by the dying mans doctors, the trail of polonium across London was plainer than Hansel and Gretels breadcrumb trail.

Lugovoi was a former colleague of Litvinenko  and he has since been rewarded by Putin with office and decorations. The hapless Kovtun is now broke  there is not even a credit card to his name  hubristic dreams of becoming an international porn star, along with a former wife, in tatters. Both are at large, with no chance of extradition.

This extraordinarily pacy book  I downed it in two sessions  by the Guardians former Moscow correspondent is one of the best political thrillers I have come across in years. It is also a wonderful guide to criminality and power in todays Russia  Boris Godunov pals up with the Cosa Nostra, as it were.

More book reviews 1 /24 More book reviews Recovery by Russell Brand Will Russells brand of self-help prove quite so addictive? By Nicholas Lezard. Read review A Life in Questions by Jeremy Paxman Paxo refuses to answer all the really good questions, says David Sexton. Read review Politics: Between: The Extremes by Nick Clegg The basis of this book makes it impossible not to warm to Clegg, says Melanie McDonagh. Read review Serious Sweet by A L Kennedy Thank heavens for London in this tale of self-obsessed lovers. Read review The Last Royal Rebel: The Life and Death of James, Duke of Monmouth by Anna Keay Born a kings b****** and destined for a traitors death. Read review Man Up: Boys, Men and Breaking the Male Rules by Rebecca Asher Getting to the bottom of why boys will be boys. Read review The Course of Love by Alain de Botton A philosophical novel that does run smooth, says Johanna Thomas-Corr. Read review The Tree Climbers Guide: Adventures in the Urban Canopy by Jack Cooke How I gave this book a proper test and ended up with a broken ankle. Read review Reader, I Married Him: Stories Inspired by Jane Eyre Brontes classic tale in the imaginations of other writers, says Claire Harman. Read review Moranifesto by Caitlin Moran Caitlin comes clean about politics  the world according to our funniest feminist. By Rosamund Urwin. Read review Spark Joy An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying by Marie Kondo Theres no messing wih Marie, says Katie Law. Read review Cockfosters Stories by Helen Simpson After 50, a womans life gets better not worse. By Katie Law. Read review Stalins Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess by Andrew Lownie Joker in the spying pack. By Richard Bassett. Read review Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin The darkness that lies at the heart of the novel is offset by a lightness of touch, says Mark Sanderson. Read review Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink by Elvis Costello Elvis proves not quite so lyrical on the page, says Nick Curtis. Read review The Importance of Elsewhere: Philip Larkins Photographs by Richard Bradford His poetry paints better pictures than any camera, says David Sexton. Read review Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith Morality wins out over macabre murders, says Melanie McDonagh. Read review The Grownup by Gillian Flynn Calling all Flynnies: the con girl whos like gone girl. Read review

The story hinges on two questions: what had Litvinenko done to be murdered, and how directly was Putin involved? The first is easy to answer. Litvinenko had exposed continuously the direct mafia links between the circles in which Putin moved first in St Petersburg and then in the Kremlin  moreover, the book referred to in the death sentence, Blowing Up Russia, claimed state security had blown up flats in Moscow to trigger the first Chechnya war.

The answer to the second question is not so clear. Putin knew about the murder, and wanted Litvinenko brought down. But the jury is out on whether a direct order was given.

Putin and his view of the world, his relations to business, criminality, confrontation with Nato, Ukraine, Georgia, Crimea and now Syria, haunt this whole story. The broad international landscape is handled deftly, but leaves hanging the biggest question of all  the future for Vladimir Putin and his version of the Russian myth.

In a way, he seems to be a victim of Machiavellian fate, as much driven by the crazy cats cradle system of crime and governance in Russia today as its driver.

12.99, Amazon, Buy it now
R ecently I saw my father pick up the Saturday Times magazine. He flicked straight to Caitlin Morans column, pored over it, then put the magazine down without reading another word. He was later so effusive in his praise that I started to suspect shes his favourite journalist. Thanks, Pa.

I have been a Moran fan since childhood, when I read The Chronicles of Narmo, the very funny, semi-autobiographical novel she wrote aged 16. But then Im her target market. Dad isnt. That she appeals to us both is testament to the way she not only makes you laugh but makes you think too.

Moran is, of course, more than just a feted columnist. Shes a Twitter queen (556k followers), gurning champion and publishing cash-cow. Her 2011 memoir-cum-polemic How to Be a Woman not only brought new disciples to feminism it spawned a string of imitations trying to piggyback on her success.

Shes now hoping to open politics up to a new audience. At the start of her career she admits she was afraid to write on the subject because politics... was for serious adult men, in suits, who knew people in parliament, or had been politicians themselves, or wanted to be politicians in the future (its not hard to see how she developed that view, looking at her fellow Times columnists). That changed when she had her daughters.

So Moranifesto is  in theory at least  an anthology of her political writing. And when she writes on politics Moran is predictably brilliant. Attacks on champagne socialists are trying to shame people who have empathy... people who could personally pay for an open return ticket to Manchester that costs 329 since privatisation but recognise that other people cant and that ... maybe society would function better if rail travel were cheaper.

On austerity she writes powerfully about the damage to her childhood library, which now has weepingly few books. And on Margaret Thatcher she has the perfect riposte for those who argue that her childhood hatred of the former PM is ironic because Moran  who grew up on a council estate, the eldest of eight  is really a child of Thatcher: But look around. How many others like me made it out? How many ascended into the world of boys from Eton and Cambridge and the Home Counties, at ease with walking into big rooms, and making things happen?

Her eventual manifesto is full of great ideas. And I couldnt help but smile when she dismisses Katie Hopkins as a terrifying iceberg-eyed bitch-cyborg, now turned rent-an-outrage Right-wing commentator on late-night shows.

More book reviews 1 /24 More book reviews Recovery by Russell Brand Will Russells brand of self-help prove quite so addictive? By Nicholas Lezard. Read review A Life in Questions by Jeremy Paxman Paxo refuses to answer all the really good questions, says David Sexton. Read review Politics: Between: The Extremes by Nick Clegg The basis of this book makes it impossible not to warm to Clegg, says Melanie McDonagh. Read review Serious Sweet by A L Kennedy Thank heavens for London in this tale of self-obsessed lovers. Read review The Last Royal Rebel: The Life and Death of James, Duke of Monmouth by Anna Keay Born a kings b****** and destined for a traitors death. Read review Man Up: Boys, Men and Breaking the Male Rules by Rebecca Asher Getting to the bottom of why boys will be boys. Read review The Course of Love by Alain de Botton A philosophical novel that does run smooth, says Johanna Thomas-Corr. Read review The Tree Climbers Guide: Adventures in the Urban Canopy by Jack Cooke How I gave this book a proper test and ended up with a broken ankle. Read review Reader, I Married Him: Stories Inspired by Jane Eyre Brontes classic tale in the imaginations of other writers, says Claire Harman. Read review Moranifesto by Caitlin Moran Caitlin comes clean about politics  the world according to our funniest feminist. By Rosamund Urwin. Read review Spark Joy An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying by Marie Kondo Theres no messing wih Marie, says Katie Law. Read review Cockfosters Stories by Helen Simpson After 50, a womans life gets better not worse. By Katie Law. Read review Stalins Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess by Andrew Lownie Joker in the spying pack. By Richard Bassett. Read review Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin The darkness that lies at the heart of the novel is offset by a lightness of touch, says Mark Sanderson. Read review Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink by Elvis Costello Elvis proves not quite so lyrical on the page, says Nick Curtis. Read review The Importance of Elsewhere: Philip Larkins Photographs by Richard Bradford His poetry paints better pictures than any camera, says David Sexton. Read review Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith Morality wins out over macabre murders, says Melanie McDonagh. Read review The Grownup by Gillian Flynn Calling all Flynnies: the con girl whos like gone girl. Read review

But what Moranifesto would have benefited from is more of an edit. Its a puzzle why some columns have made it into this book at all. What have the parts about bacon or Bowie got to do with politics? Surely those could have been left for a Moran cultural anthology (Id buy it!)?

Whats also odd is that the columns have only been half-updated. So a piece on making feminism a team sport begins: Do you know what the problem with feminists is, in 2016? She wrote this back in 2013. But that date is all thats been changed. It goes on to state that Sheryl Sandbergs Lean In came out this year when it was published in 2013. Later there is a list of countries with female leaders that includes Malawi, which hasnt had a female president since May 2014.

This is a problem of assuming journalism translates immediately into book form, but why not either update it or present it as writing from a specific moment?

These are niggles. Reading Moranifesto I thought how much Id like to live in the world Moran is arguing for  a kinder, fairer, more equal place. When you look at the mess the ass hats (her term) currently in charge have made of it, that may be no surprise.

13.60, Amazon, Buy it now
H ome is

Ebury Street. I think of it as Victoria, but I am told it is Belgravia. I am somewhat peripatetic and have lived in almost every borough of Central London.

First thing you do when you come back to London?

I get flattened by our dog Teddy  actually Theodora, a Cockapoo  and then compulsively unpack so that I feel ready to return to the fray.

Best meal youve had?

At The River Cafe. But it would be invidious to highlight any specific dishes from such a great catalogue.

If you could buy any building in London and live there, which would it be?

Cambridge House on Piccadilly. It has great proportions and light. I love living in Central London because the more you can walk, the more you see and understand. It is amazing how many Londoners do not look up above the ground floor of buildings.

Earliest London memory?

Coming up as a nine-year-old from Somerset to sit the entrance exam for Christs Hospital school. I remember looking at Buckingham Palace from the top of the Hilton and meeting Bob Monkhouse in the street.

What would you do as Mayor for the day?

Remind London that it was made great by immigration and sort out our parking restrictions  theyre a mess.

Favourite club?

The Garrick  I leave the city behind and am transported to another era in magnificent surroundings, meeting friends as well as people I wouldnt normally encounter.

Best place for a nightcap?

The Fumoir bar at Claridges: elegant, sexy and evocative of all great hotels.

Best thing a London cabbie has ever said to you?

The Wolseley, Mr King? It was the third time in three weeks I had hailed the same cabbie  what are the chances?

Last play you saw?

Yen at the Royal Court. Anna Jordan is a brilliant writer and this was an extraordinary production. I went with my daughter Hannah who is championing women playwrights and has just finished directing her excellent production of Dry Land at the Jermyn Street Theatre.

Most romantic thing someones done for you?

My wife Lauren buying me a first edition of Hemingways The Sun Also Rises  long story as to why but it involves the early days of our relationship and the creation of The Beaumont .

Favourite shops?

Heywood Hill for books, DR Harris the pharmacist, Paul Smith for accessories, Volpe for shirts, and Turnbull & Asser for ties. But I so miss Connolly and can't wait for the return.

Who do you call when you want to have fun?

Anya Hindmarch [and her husband James Seymour]  never predictable, always fun.

Best piece of advice youve been given?

Never agree to do something in the future that you wouldnt be happy doing today.

Last album you bought?

Musica Selecta by the Estonian composer Arvo Part. Im a sucker for the minimalists. Part has haunted my life for as long as I can remember, along with American composers John Adams and Philip Glass.

Biggest extravagance?

My car, a 1973 Bristol that I have driven for over 30 years, followed by buying art for The Beaumont hotel.

What are you up to now?

Chris [Corbin] and I have just opened our new restaurant Bellanger in Islington and have been humbled by the welcome.

Whos your hero?

Peter Langan. He was a genius who opened my eyes to what restaurants could be.

What do you collect?

Parking tickets and books.

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C ity firms are to pay for more armed police in the Square Mile amid growing fears of a Paris-style terror attack in Britain.

An extra 1.6 million a year will be raised for anti-terror measures to protect the capitals financial centre. The money will go towards:

Increasing the number of armed officers in the Square Mile by about a quarter to prevent and respond to a marauding terror strike.

Counter-terrorism security advisers to brief businesses, community groups and other organisations on protective security, contingency plans and responses to attacks, hostile reconnaissance, searches, evacuation and suspect packages, post room security, telephone bomb threats, staff screening and cyber security.

Further developing Project Servator  where uniformed police go into an area and undercover officers and CCTV operators seek to spot unusual behaviour by individuals which marks them out as carrying out hostile reconnaissance of buildings.

Just days ago, Britains top anti-terror officer warned that the UK, and other countries, face the threat of an enormous and spectacular terror attack as Islamic State seeks to wage war on western lifestyles.

Mark Rowley, assistant commissioner at Scotland Yard, said extremists had shifted their focus from being narrowly on police and military as symbols of the state to something much broader. A peer, transport expert Lord Bradshaw, also warned in Parliament this week of the threat of a bomb-laden drone being flown into the Palace of Westminster in coming years.

IS is believed to be plotting to send recruits with a paramilitary mindset into Europe after teaching them how to handle automatic weapons in Syria. So where previously fanatics had been encouraged to carry out lone-wolf attacks, IS is now also trying to cause carnage on a larger scale in western capitals, as happened in Paris when 130 people were killed in November.

The City  which was targeted by the IRA during the Troubles  as well as Parliament, shopping centres and other public venues are seen as potential targets. The money will come from the first rise for nine years in the business rate premium levied on City businesses. The rate will increase from 0.4p in the pound to 0.5p.

Announcing the extra funding, Roger Chadwick, chairman of the City of London Corporations finance committee, said: We are determined to ensure that the Citys police officers have the resources that they need to combat the threat of terrorism on our streets  particularly following the Paris attacks last year.

This decision will strengthen the Citys armed response teams and support the crucial role that they would play on behalf of the public in the event of a terrorist attack.

City of London Police Commissioner Ian Dyson said: The terrorist threat continues to develop and adapt and working with the City of London Corporation we continually look to ensure we have the right skills and capabilities to protect the Square Mile.

This extra investment will ensure that we can continue to protect the people, businesses and buildings of the Square Mile against terrorism.

The City force, which has about 800 officers, is also seeking instant emergency powers to close roads in the City if there is intelligence of a potential terror attack such as a suicide bomber.

The anti-terrorism traffic regulation order, the first in Britain, is one of the most significant powers sought for the Square Mile since ring of steel checkpoints, blanket CCTV and number plate recognition readers were introduced after IRA bombings in the Eighties and Nineties.

The Metropolitan Police is also training 600 more firearms officers and armed patrols around London are being doubled.
A mentally ill patient who admitted battering his elderly mother to death with a bottle should never have been allowed out on day release, his family say.

Gilbert Corette killed 81-year-old Marie Elcie Florise Corette and also attacked his sister Patricia after being allowed out of Lewisham Hospital's Ladywell Unit on July 8 last year.

The 44-year-old, who has autism spectrum disorder and a major depressive disorder with psychotic features, had been referred there by his family on February 15 last year and then further detained under the Mental Health Act.

His condition appeared to improve enough for an escorted leave on May 12 with unaccompanied leave on May 25 and July 7 before being allowed out again on the day of the killing.

That morning, the London Ambulance Service and police were called to the family house in Lochaber Road where they found Florise Corette and her daughter both suffering from head injuries. The 81-year-old died later that day.

During his subsequent arrest, Corette told them he had become angry after his family insisted he should go back to the hospital.

At an Old Bailey hearing today, Corette of Manor Avenue, Brockley, pleaded not guilty to his mother's murder but guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility.

He also admitted causing grievous bodily harm "unlawfully and maliciously" to his 51-year-old sister.

In a statement released today, his family said: "Our mother should have never died this way. Over the past months we watched and listened in disbelief as we became more aware of the details behind this tragedy.

"We conclude that due to Gilbert's mental health problems, he should never have been granted unsupervised leave that day from the NHS Psychiatric Unit where he was residing.

"Our mother would not have died and would still be with us today.

"Now the trial has ended I hope we can begin to move forward in our grieving. We also hope that Gilbert receives the help and support he needs to cope with what has happened."

Prosecutor Edward Brown QC said the Crown accepted the pleas after careful consideration in light of "unanimous" conclusions of psychiatric reports.

He added: "Also importantly, the family of the deceased have been consulted and, in all the circumstances, these pleas tendered are accepted."

Doctors had already recommended Corette be handed a hospital order with a restriction order, Mr Brown said.

Judge Charles Wide adjourned sentencing until April 7 to hear from one of the psychiatrists in court.

Detective Inspector Simon Deefholts, the investigating officer for the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: "This is a tragic case. Put simply Gilbert Corette lost control of his senses, ultimately killing his mother and leaving his sister with very serious injuries.

"Subsequent psychiatric reports have determined that at the time he was suffering an abnormality of mind that impaired his ability to form rational judgements and exercise self-control."

A spokeswoman for South London and Maudsley NHS Trust said: We offer our deepest and sincere condolences to the family in this tragic case. We have carried out a thorough internal investigation into the care and treatment of Mr Gilbert Corette. We will share the findings of the investigation with the family once all legal proceedings have concluded."
T his is the terrifying moment a woman was brutally attacked by a stranger and left lying unconscious in south London.

CCTV footage, broadcast on BBCs Crimewatch on Thursday evening, shows one of the three violent attacks on lone women in Peckham and Deptford being investigated by the Metropolitan Police.

The release of the shocking footage comes as the Met increased the reward to track down the attacker to up to 20,000.

The 30-year-old female victim shown in the footage was walking in Hanover Park between 6.15am and 6.45am on December 13 when she was attacked from behind.

She was assaulted to the point of unconsciousness and was found lying in the street by a passer-by.

Police are linking the attack to two other assaults on women which occurred in the same area.

The first attack happened between 1.15am and 2.15am on December 4 in Commercial Way, with the 31-year-old victim sustaining a head injury.

The most recent attack happened at about 5am on New Years Day in Creekside, with an 18-year-old woman sustaining serious injuries to her head and face.

Detectives said the level of violence appears to have increased each time and they cannot rule out a sexual motive for the attacks.

Detective chief inspector Zena Marshall said the man caught on CCTV has not yet been identified and appealed to the public to help find him.

She said: Anyone watching it [the CCTV] cannot fail to be shocked by its brutality, and therefore understand the need to catch the person responsible.

I would urge anyone with any information on who the attacker may be, or anyone with any information about the attacks, to come forward and help our investigation.

Anyone with information on any of the attacks should call the Mets investigation team on 020 8217 6541 or via 101. Information can also be given to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A teenager was shot at from a car which drove past him in south London last night, police say.

Officers were called at 11.55pm to Church Lane near Tooting Bec Common after reports that gunshots had been fired.

Scotland Yard said it is believed the shots were fired at an 18-year-old man but they apparently missed him.

The man was not injured in the incident.

An investigation has been launched by the Met's Trident gang unit and police appealed for witnesses.

A Met Police spokesman said: Enquiries established that an 18-year-old male was walking in Church Lane near to the roundabout with Rectory Road and it is believed shots were fired at him from an unidentified passing car.

No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information should call police on 020 8785 8580 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A top doctor today sounded an alert over the huge stress placed on the NHS by older women having babies.

Three women aged 55 or older were revealed to be simultaneously receiving inpatient maternity care at St Thomas Hospital in Lambeth after travelling abroad for IVF.

Thousands of British women go to foreign clinics each year as they are too old for free fertility treatment on the NHS.

Paid-for fertility treatment abroad tends to be cheaper and easier to access for older women than in private UK clinics.

Consultant obstetrician Dr Daghni Rajasingam, of Guys and St Thomas NHS Trust, said a huge burden was placed on the NHS when these women returned home to give birth.

Many cases were high-risk as they involved multiple births and required prolonged care for mother and child.

Addressing a City Hall inquiry, Dr Rajasingam  London spokeswoman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists  said: Currently we have three people occupying inpatient care who are 55 or more.

The reason this is important is because these women have had in-vitro fertilisation, often abroad as our regulations in this country are tight. They often have huge co- morbidities (disorders) that are ignored. They come back, then we have no option but to provide maternity care.

That is a huge stress on my particular service. These are long stays. Their babies tend to be born pre-term. They tend to have more significant perinatal complications. They have significantly more maternal complications as well. They are a high-risk population.

NHS guidelines recommend three free cycles of IVF for women under 40, one cycle for those aged 40 to 42 and nothing for those who are older.

However, a postcode lottery means every London borough except Camden offers only one free cycle, according to campaign group Fertility Fairness.

Changes in society have seen a 30 per cent rise in the number of women aged 35 or older giving birth in UK cities in the last decade. More than a third of the 1,931 births in England to women aged 45 or over in 2014 were in London.

Dr Rajasingam told the Standard: Im not making a judgment on when women should have their children.

Older womens pregnancies are more complicated, take up more resources and outcomes are poorer. The women have problems getting pregnant and through pregnancy. Early and mid-term miscarriages are more common.

Susan Seenan, the chief executive of Infertility Network UK, said women were driven abroad by cheaper IVF deals and the willingness of some foreign clinics to implant two or three embryos at a time. This increased the chances of having a baby but also the multiple birth risk.

Ms Seenan said: The reason we have regulations in this country is to avoid issues like that.

Celebrities who have turned to fertility treatment include Friends star Courteney Cox and Rod Stewarts wife Penny Lancaster  aged 39 and 40 when they had their IVF babies.

The London Assembly inquiry into maternity services was told relentless pressure meant medics dont have time to stop and think. More than 127,000 babies a year are born in London but only a third of the citys 23 maternity units provide good, safe care, the Care Quality Commission told Assembly members.

Sean OSullivan, the Royal College of Midwives head of health and social policy, said the rate of births to older women was more of a public health issue in the capital than smoking and obesity.

London has the highest birth rate for women over 40 of anywhere in England, he said.
T ens of thousands of people face travel misery on Boat Race day after Network Rail scheduled engineering work that will close neighbouring train stations.

Trains will not call at four stations along the route of the historic clash between Oxford and Cambridge, which falls this year on March 27 - Easter Sunday.

More than a quarter of a million people are expected to attend the annual event as Oxford look to beat their rivals for the seventh time in nine years.

But trains will not be stopping at stations including Putney, Barnes, Chiswick and Barnes Bridge on the day when spectators will line the river to watch rowers complete the four and a quarter mile race from Putney to Mortlake.

Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race 2016 explainer

Councillor Mike Ryder, who represents the Thamesfield ward, told the Standard: I know train companies have to do engineering work on weekends and holiday periods when fewer people are around  but if they think that applies on Boat Race weekend in Putney with 250,000 spectators their maths must be worse than mine.

Trains will not stopping at: Putney Barnes Barnes Bridge Chiswick The line between Clapham Junction and Barnes will be closed for the entire Easter weekend

A four day project to replace Fairfield Street Bridge near Wandsworth Town station means all lines between Clapham Junction and Barnes will be closed from Good Friday until Easter Monday.

Spectators who had planned to travel between Clapham Junction and Barnes by train will have to travel using rail replacement buses or Tube where possible.

Network Rail and South West Trains are advising passengers to avoid Clapham Junction station over the weekend, particularly on race day.

A Boat Race spokesperson said: The Boat Race organisers were made aware of the engineering works in February.

Once a final plan was in place, South West Trains notified us and we are working with their team to make sure anyone travelling to The Cancer Research UK Boat Races are aware of the replacement service ahead of the event.

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A Network Rail spokesman said: We are improving the railway for passengers but to do that we have to make changes to train services over Easter.

Spectators gathering to watch last year's Boat Race / Ben Hoskins/Getty Images

"From new track to new signals, this work will play an important part in increasing the reliability of the railway.

London's Chiswick RNLI lifeboat crew help rescue 60 university boat race spectators

We have been working closely with South West Trains to ensure spectators are aware of alternative travel arrangements so that they can continue to enjoy the boat race.

"We have also contacted the organisers of the event to make them aware of alternative travel arrangements for spectators.
T he Duke and Duchess of Cambridge today visited the central London headquarters of a youth charity that tackles problems facing troubled young people.

The royal couple listened at the Barbican offices of XLP to the stories of teenagers who have benefited from the programme after their lives were blighted by issues like knife crime, mental health problems and gang violence.

One former gang member Sephton Henry, who flourished after having a mentor and now uses his experiences to lecture police, teachers, probation officers and others about gang culture, gave a chilling account of his former life.

The 27-year-old said: "I spent 18, 19 years homeless, sleeping on sofas, been in prison seven different times - I've been shot at, stabbed, been bricked, bottled, run over."

The Duchess of Cambridge wore a red outfit by bespoke label Eponine London / PA

The former gang member, from Greenwich, described the approach of his mentor, Ethan Bernard, 34, who joined him on stage: "Most people judge and punish instead of discipline and guide, Ethan showed me hope and didn't judge, showed you can actually change."

The mentor said about the young man he helped: "It was a challenge I really wanted to accept having gone through many of the similar issues."

Kate William visit youth mentoring project

During the event William and Kate, who wore a red outfit by bespoke label Eponine London, heard an original song, Heaven Help Me, by mentee Basia Bozzao, 20, from south-east London who talked movingly about her battle with mental health issues.

Afterwards they were presented with a CD of the song and XLP chief executive Patrick Regan told them he hoped to hear it "blasting out from Kensington Palace".

Mr Regan, 42, set up XLP in 1996 after doing youth work in a school and seeing the issues young people face.

XLP now works in more than 75 schools in London helping young people who are facing emotional, behavioural and relationship challenges.

Additional reporting by PA
T he mother of murdered London teenager Stephen Lawrence today claimed racism is still "quite rife" in British society.

Baroness Doreen Lawrence, whose 18-year-old son was killed in racist attack in Eltham 23 years ago, said she feared people had moved on from the issue even though it hasn't been resolved.

"I feel that people have taken a step back and think 'oh we've done that now so we can move on'," she told an audience at the Southbank Centre's Women of the World festival.

"No we haven't. You know I think if you speak to a lot of black people, a lot of young black men out on the street, racism is still there and is quite rife.

"So I feel that we need to make sure that we don't lose what we've gained."

Stabbed to death: Stephen Lawrence / Metropolitan Police/Getty

She said people need to make sure the issue of racism is "always on the agenda".

Baroness Lawrence said often people look to her as an individual to speak up, and she said: "But I need other voices around me. I need other support. Because just one person just can't ... and our young children are growing up and they need to also understand what it is for them."

She also told the crowd that she would like to see the day when people do not address each other by race but instead "just as people".

Mr Lawrence was stabbed to death by a gang of white youths in Eltham, south east London, in 1993. In 2012, Gary Dobson and David Norris were convicted of his murder, almost 19 years after he was killed.

The original investigation into the murder came under criticism by a public inquiry, which branded the Metropolitan Police institutionally racist.

Additional reporting by PA
P atrick Regan OBE has dedicated 20 years to helping save young people from falling victim to knife crime. He has seen a lot of death in that time, and says that if he can save just one life, all the work has been worth it.

His charity XLP is currently working with 1,500 schoolchildren on some of Londons toughest estates, encouraging them to reject gangs and criminality.

Its 200 volunteers include mentors who provide a vital lifeline for those in most need of support.

If we dont intervene it will cost us so much more, Mr Regan said. There are court costs, prison costs. If we can get there earlier, keep a kid in school, keep a kid out of prison, then we can slowly change things.

The 42-year-old said he was inspired to start the scheme when he was a youth worker at a south-east London church.

A school approached him for help after a stabbing, and on his first day there, a pupil came in wearing a bullet-proof vest.

When I asked him what that was for, he told me, I could be dead by Thursday, said Mr Regan. Six weeks later he was stabbed in the neck.

The pupil survived, but after that incident, XLP  the eXceL Project  was born.

It works on 26 London estates. A team goes to each one once a week, sets up a mobile youth centre in the form of a double-decker bus, and encourages young people to come and talk to youth workers, many of whom live locally.

A handful of children at each location have a mentor provided by the charity,  but Mr Regan said more are needed: We have found kids generally mistrust institutions  the police, social workers, politicians, the media.

If you dont trust anyone, you become scared of everyone. A mentor who speak to kids in a way they havent been spoken to before can change that.

Ive been to various parts of the world to see how they tackle knife crime. Universally, the one thing that can change a persons life is having this one person who has consistently been there. Everywhere Ive gone Ive heard the same thing  I had this one person who was there for me. It gives a sense of belonging and value.

He added: I was once sat with the mother of a 14-year-old who was stabbed to death. She said if I could stop just one mum from going through the hell that she was, all the mentoring, all the projects, all the money, would be worth it.

Just giving up a couple of hours a week to become a mentor could save so much heartache.

For more information visit xlp.org.uk.
A one-year-old boy who died after being hit by a car outside a Kensington hotel has been named as Konstantin Fadeev.

The toddler, aged 22 months, was being pushed in a buggy by an elderly female relative in Hyde Park Gate when he was knocked down on Monday.

Police said the boy was pronounced dead just before 10pm, almost four hours after the incident.

Today, Konstantin was formally identified and police added a post-mortem examination will be carried out in due course.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the collision to call the Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 020 8543 5157.
L ondon Tory MEP Syed Kamall has today revealed he is joining the campaign for a Leave vote.

In an exclusive interview with the Standard, the senior Conservative said he is backing Brexit because EU rules unfairly stop talented immigrants coming to the UK from outside Europe.

People should be treated equally whether they are from Austria or Australia, from Croatia or the Caribbean, from India or Italy, he said. Sadly, thats not possible within the EU.

Mr Kamall said there were deep uncertainties about where a Remain vote would lead, saying the European Commission is quietly planning further political integration, including a European Army.

But the former business consultant admitted leaving the EU could mean some displacement of jobs and trade out of the City of London.

I have really struggled with it, said Mr Kamall, who played a role as go-between for the Prime Minister and Brussels power brokers at last months summit. The MEP is chairman of the 71-strong Conservatives and Reformists group, the third largest group in the European Parliament.

A second-generation immigrant whose father came to Britain from Guyana in the Fifties, Mr Kamall said the deciding factor was the inequality created by EU free movement rights.

Ive always wanted a fair immigration policy, where people are treated equally whether they are from an EU country or elsewhere, he said. Under free movement, Poles and Hungarians are free to work in the UK, which has led the Government to tighten requirements on people from non-EU countries.

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Mr Kamall revealed a conversation with a senior minister from one of the eastern EU states that made clear EU immigration could soar after the referendum.

Speaking of George Osbornes plan for a National Living Wage of 9 by 2020, the minister exclaimed: You do realise our minimum wage is about 2 an hour. Please dont do that, we will lose even more talented people.

Mr Kamall said he had become worried about the uncertainty of staying in. The EU will change a lot in five to 10 years  you cant be certain what staying in will look like, he said.

He predicted Britain will come under irresistible pressure to surrender the pound once all 27 other countries have signed up to the euro.

He did not believe European Parliament leaders would try to water down Mr Camerons deal, but said gaps in the agreement, such as how much benefits for EU migrants will be cut by, meant the public will be voting on faith.

He said there was a split in the financial services industry over whether Brexit would damage the City of London, and conceded: On balance there might be some displacement  it would depend what the details of an EU-UK relationship looked like.
A doctor who treated a sick passenger on an easyJet flight was rewarded with a free coffee  but was told to pay for a KitKat.

Retired GP Edward Southall was travelling from Gatwick to Thessaloniki in Greece in January when a female passenger became seriously ill.

Dr Southall said a crew member made an announcement asking if there was a doctor or nurse on board and he immediately offered to help.

He told the Independent the elderly woman was very pale and sweating and appeared breathless and distressed.

After being provided with an emergency medical kit, Dr Southall said he was able to assess her condition.

He said: I explained to the crew that I felt it was possible to monitor her for a while and continue to Greece without diverting to another airport.

Fortunately she gradually showed improvement in her colour and breathing. After about an hour she was able to have some sleep and I was free to rest for the remainder of the journey.

When the catering trolley was brought along, Dr Southall said he asked for a coffee and a KitKat and was told while he could have the drink for free, but would have to pay for the chocolate biscuit.

Dr Southall said following the journey, he contacted the airline and said his actions saved the company thousands of pounds by avoiding the plane being diverted to another airport.

He said after his initial email was ignored, he was eventually responded to and given one free piece of hold luggage  worth about 20  one way on another easyJet flight.

He told the Independent: I do not care about free KitKats or hold luggage. It is the principle of how much our goodwill saved them.

A spokesman for the airline said: easyJet is grateful for the help Dr Southall provided to our crew and to the many doctors and medical professionals who assist passengers onboard each year.

We are sorry we didnt get this right on this occasion and would like to offer Dr Southall a free flight as a gesture of goodwill.
P rivate firms are compiling detailed personal profiles of ordinary citizens using methods that are just as intrusive as those deployed by Britains intelligence agencies, the former head of MI5 has warned.

Baron Evans of Weardale said the companies were using open source material to learn an awful lot about what you do on a daily basis and who you associate with to an extent that would be very surprising to most of the public.

Lord Evans, who served as director general of the Security Service until 2013, added that the firms had really effective and powerful investigative capabilities but faced only limited legal controls that were much weaker than those applied to the intelligence agencies.

His comments came during a debate on security and freedom organised by Bristol University on Londons HMS Belfast.

On the increasing ability of private firms to compile profiles of ordinary citizens, Lord Evans, who is now a director of HSBC bank, said: Open source is really interesting. If you look at what can be done today with open source in comparison with secret intelligence, the gap is closing.

There are some technologies out there, there are some companies that offer really effective and powerful investigative capabilities through open source which tell you an awful lot - a lot more than one would realise by clever looking and using various technologies to support that.

The legal protections on that are very limited  but if you add it all together it's much more intrusive than you might realise. There a lot of companies out there who could tell you an awful lot about what you do on a daily basis and who you associate with etc in a way that would be very surprising and the accountability of that is much and in a way it's probably just as intrusive as some of the covert and authorised techniques that appear under the legislation.

On the issue of encryption used by technology companies to protect their customers privacy, Lord Evans said: If you weaken encryption in a systemic sense then . the downside is lots of other people get in as well.

Personally, I don't support that as a way of addressing this problem and in so far as that was a route that was taken by signals intelligence agencies in the revelation under Snowden and so on, I don't think that was the right way to go.

He suggested, however, that internet firms were failing in their moral duty to assist in the fight against terrorism and crime and contrasted their approach with the way in which banks sought to prevent their systems being misused.

I'm director of a bank. I spend most of my time trying to ensure that criminals cannot open accounts, process their money through the bank - money launderers, terrorists etc. If we fail in that we are subject to very severe opprobrium and huge fines because we should not be enabling our profitable bank to be used by a bad actor, he said.

I cannot understand why if you are a big profitable global bank there is a moral requirement to ensure that your system is not being abused by bad actors, but if you are a big profitable telecommunications company you say oh it would be terrible if we helped the authorities. It just seems complete double standards."

Lord Evans also warned that some methods used previously by intelligence agencies to weaken encryption in a systemic sense had not been the right way to go when trying to find information on the internet, despite the complete double standards of technology firms who allow their networks to be used by extremists.

On the row between Apple and the FBI over a demand that the firm instals software on the phone of San Bernardino killer Syed Farook that will allow access to its contents, Lord Evans said he believed that tech companies could be persuaded in future to use a key to help law enforcers on a collaborative legal basis.

He warned, however, that intelligence agencies should not degrade the strength of encryption and said that some practices exposed by the whistleblower Edward Snowden had been misguided.
A worker for charity Mencap has been suspended after a photo appeared to show her smoking a cigarette next to a disabled man in a wheelchair with bags piled on top of him.

The photo shows the elderly man with three large bags piled in front of his face while the carer appears to be chatting on the phone.

It was published on Facebook by Charlotte Shaw this week with the comment: One of your staff in the Leicestershire area smoking whilst on the phone in Leicester shoving all of her shopping bags on top of him with no care in the world.

She added: I don't think she should be able to work with vulnerable people who need care.

The charity responded almost immediately to say it would take action.

Mencaps Regional Director of Services, Steve Baker, said: We are appalled by what is happening in the picture.

After seeing it we immediately took action, and have suspended the support worker in question and reported the issue to the relevant local authority safeguarding team.

We take the wellbeing of the people we support extremely seriously, and we expect and train our staff to deliver high quality care and support services. What we see here would fall well below that standard.

Our priority now, as always, is ensuring that we offer the highest quality of care to our beneficiaries so they live the lives they choose.
T he mother of a London student who has been revealed as an Islamic State fighter today told how her son had been radicalised in prison.

Fasil Towalde, who was killed while fighting in Syria, was a good Christian boy until he fell in with a gang and converted to Islam, his family said.

The 21-year-olds involvement with the terror group emerged after his name appeared on leaked IS recruitment forms. They include details of 16 British fighters who travelled from the UK to Syria.

The files are part of a cache of documents leaked to UK, German and Syrian opposition media and said to list 22,000 names. German interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said the files appeared to be genuine.

Towalde, from Camden, disappeared in late 2013. His mother, Himan Haile, called the police after three days of no contact from him.

In a tearful interview, she said her son had been raised a Christian and grew up in London after the family fled violence in their native Eritrea.

Fasil was not too much good, not too much bad. In my home he was a nice boy, Mrs Haile said.

He was arrested during the London riots and later fell in with a gang and converted to Islam in prison, she added. I am Christian, I go to church. My child is a church boy. The bad thing is Islam, she said.

The IS records show Towalde crossed from Turkey into northern Syria on December 28, 2013.

On his registration form, which consists of 23 questions, he wrote his mothers first name and her address. Eleven months later he was killed as IS forces fought Kurdish troops for control of Kobane in Syria.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Mrs Haile said: He died for what? I dont know. Every day I cry, in the morning, in the night.

Of the 16 British jihadists whose files were leaked, at least five are believed to have been killed in the past three years.

The new details on IS recruits came as evidence emerged suggesting exiled radical preacher Omar Bakri Muhammad has been recruiting fighters from the UK for IS.

Jihadists from Cardiff named Bakri, dubbed the Tottenham Ayatollah before being banished from the UK in 2005, as their referee. They included Reyaad Khan, 21, killed last September in Raqqa in the first targeted UK drone attack on a British citizen.
H ome Secretary Theresa May came under fire from the Government spending watchdog today for failing to tackle fundamental weaknesses that are letting crime bosses hold on to hundreds of millions of pounds in illegal gains.

In a highly critical report, the National Audit Office said five out of six reforms promised two years ago by the Home Office for ensuring that criminal Mr Bigs repay their illicit profits had yet to be fully implemented.

The auditors said the disappointing lack of action meant that money was not being seized and warned of a series of new problems that threaten to make the situation even worse in future.

These include a drop in the number of specialist financial investigators employed to find criminals profits and a decline in the use of restraint powers under which the assets of suspects are frozen to stop them being sent abroad or hidden with associates.

The warning came as the auditors disclosed that the total value of confiscation order debts has risen by 158 million to 1.61 billion. Of this, an estimated 300 million is overseas. Ten orders alone account for 285 million of debt, of which only five per cent is now deemed to be collectable.

MPs reacted by warning that depress- ingly little progress was being achieved and that the Home Office and other agencies involved had serious questions to answer on performance.

The findings follow a similarly critical report by the auditors in 2013. Ministers responded by pledging six improve- ments, including better use of data and stronger enforcement, to increase sums recovered from offenders.

The auditors warn, however, that while confiscation order repayments rose 16 per cent last year to 155 million, the system has not been transformed.

To address the problems, the auditors make five recommendations. These include seeking Foreign Office help to recover illicit profits held overseas and the consideration of legal changes to make it harder for offenders to hide gains using other peoples names.

Their report concludes: Many of the fundamental weaknesses in the system identified two years ago remain. This is a disappointing result.

All the criminal justice bodies invol- ved will need to show more determination and urgency to address the deeper systemic problems surrounding the management of confiscation orders.

MP Meg Hillier, who chairs the Commons public accounts committee, said she and her colleagues would be summoning those responsible to explain their performance. She added: The findings of this report fly in the face of the adage that crime doesnt pay.
A councillor has walked free from court after a very stupid tweet aimed at London Mayor candidate Sadiq Khan was not deemed grossly offensive.

James Buckley, 61, who sits on Rugby Borough Council, posted a message on Twitter comparing Mr Khans constituency office with a corner shop.

He was suspended from his local Conservative group and described the fallout as four months of hell after the tweet was picked up by the press.

Legal proceedings were launched against him under the Communications Act.

Mr Buckley told the court he sent the tweet as he was bored while his wife was shopping in Tooting, south London, one Saturday afternoon last October.

He told magistrates he was trying to compare Mr Khans slightly run down office on Balham High Road with plush offices used by Mayor of London Boris Johnson.

Mr Khan is Labours mayoral candidate to replace to Mr Johnson.

Mr Buckley said: I just did it trying to be stupidly funny, disastrously."

His defence solicitor Mohammad Farooq said the tweet was deleted 10 minutes after it was posted.

The 61-year-old added there was no racially abusive undertone to the remark and sent a letter to Mr Khan to apologise for any offence the message may have caused.

Magistrate Irene Stark said: "We all agree it was a very stupid thing to do and you admitted this yourself by deleting it.

"We do not believe that this was grossly offensive."

He was cleared of one charge of sending an offensive message at Leamington Spa Magistrates' Court on Friday.

Speaking after the verdict, Mr Buckley said he was pleased at the ruling.

He added: "Why was this case brought to court?"
A three-year-old girl is the only witness to a brutal gang rape of her mother and death of her baby brother.

A 28-year-old woman was attacked by two men on a bus in the country's Utter Pradesh district while the toddler hid in a corner.

According to the Times of India, the men forced alcohol down the womans throat before they raped her so that she wouldnt remember the attack.

However, the toddler reportedly saw what happened and has spoken to police.

The attack took place on Monday night at a bus station in Shishgarh, about 50 kilometres from Bareilly.

The bus conductor Ishwari Prasad and helper Shiv Kumar have been arrested and charged with gang rape and culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

There are conflicting reports as to how the womans two-week old son died on the bus.

The Times of India reported the baby was flung to the ground while the Indian Express said the boy dropped to the ground from his mothers lap.

Superintendent of Police, Yamuna Prasad, told The Indian Express: Her child had been sick for sometime and she went to visit her sister to meet a tantrik [a healer].

She was returning to Rampur when she met the two accused at the bus station. She was allegedly raped inside the bus at the bus station. Later, she found her child dead.
I dris Elba posed for pictures with his proud mum as he collected his OBE at Buckingham Palace on Friday.

The Luther star said that he was flying the East End flag ahead of receiving the honour from the Duke of Cambridge.

Tweeting the official British Monachy account, the actor said: Made my *Mum very happy today!!

Ahead of the ceremony, Elba, 43, posted a snap of himself looking dapper in a blue suit as he headed to the Palace.

He captioned it: Flying the East End flag at Buckingham Palace today!!! OBE Day..... How does the boy look? Feeling Proppa...:).

BAFTAs 2016 - red carpet 1 /40 BAFTAs 2016 - red carpet Kate Winslet poses for the cameras before heading inside Dave Benett Alicia Vikander ahead of the ceremony Dave Benett Cate Blanchett Best actress nominee Cate Blanchett walks the red carpet Dave Benett Julianne Moore poses on the red carpet Dave Benett Best Actor nominee Eddie Redmayne and wife Hannah Bagshawe Dave Benett Nominee Idris Elba heads inside Dave Benett Carol star Rooney Mara, who is nominated for Best Supporting Actress Dave Benett Olga Kurylenko wears a white embellished gown Dave Benett Domnall Gleeson looks dapper in a black tux Dave Benett Rising Star nominee Bel Powley is bright in a multi-coloured gown Dave Benett Dakota Johnson matched the carpet at the awards Dave Benett Steve Jobs co-stars Kate Winslet and Michael Fassbender Dave Benett Rebel Wilson Dave Benett John Boyega looks dapper ahead of the ceremony Dave Benett Saoirse Ronan arrives at the awards Dave Benett Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw Dave Benett Leonardo DiCaprio and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Dave Benett Best actress nominee Kate Winslet in black Dave Benett Sacha Baron Cohen and wife Isla Fisher Dave Benett Matt Smith is suited and booted Dave Benett Best Actor nominee Bryan Cranston Dave Benett Angela Bassett Dave Benett Laura Haddock Dave Benett Gemma Chan Dave Benett Julie Walters Dave Benett Dree Hemingway Dave Benett Emilia Clarke Dave Benett Lily Donaldson Dave Benett Stefanie Powers Dave Benett Laura Whitmore Dave Benett

Elba, who was nominated for a Bafta and a Golden Globe this year for his role in Beasts of No Nation, has been given the OBE for Services to Drama.

Blur frontman Damon Albarn was also honoured as was Denis Law, who received a CBE for services to football and charity.

TODO: define component type brightcove

Other honourees included former chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee Sir Jonathan Day, who will receive a knighthood for public service, and Dr Iain Douglas-Hamilton, founder and CEO of Save the Elephants
C hannel 4s period drama Indian Summers is back for a second series  and its going head-to-head with ITVs Doctor Thorne, from master of the genre Julian Fellowes.

But while Fellowes series is based on classic literature, meaning anyone can find out what will happen, Indian Summers is promising big plot twists for Series 2.

The show follows wealthy British socialites in 1930s Simla, India, with the new run set three years after the end of Series 1.

Dont get too attached to anyone though  series creator Paul Rutman has revealed that a character he loves will die in the new episodes.

Speaking to the Express, Rutman spoke about the story having a real price.

I think if youre telling a big story its important you dont hang on to everyone who you love, and actually its part of the pain, part of the passage of time, part of a real cost, he said.

There is a real price to be paid in the story, rather than strangers and extras who get hurt in our stories.

Best TV dramas 2016 1 /38 Best TV dramas 2016 The Missing The addictive and twisty second series of the BBC's crime anthology series BBC/New Pictures/Robert Viglasky Dark Angel Joanne Froggatt stared as Victorian mass murderer Mary Ann Cotton in this ITV drama ITV Close to the Enemy Stephen Poliakoff's post-war drama thriller BBC/Little Island Pictures Ordinary Lies The BBC anthology drama returns with more twisted tales BBC/Red Productions/Adrian Rogers The Night Of Riz Ahmed stars in HBO's critically acclaimed crime mini-series HBO Cold Feet The classic ITV comedy-drama returns - and it's just as good as it ever was ITV Victoria ITV have given Poldark some stiff competition with this period drama about a young Queen Victoria ITV Poldark The BBC's hit drama returns with more brooding, and less naked scything BBC/Robert Viglasky One of Us The BBC kept everyone guessing with this claustrophobic four-part whodunit Ripper Street The fan-favourite Victorian police drama returned for Series 4 BBC/Tiger Aspect 2016/Bernard Walsh The Secret Agent Toby Jones led the cast in the BBC's Joseph Conrad adaptation BBC/World Productions/Mark Mainz/Matt Burlem The Living and the Dead The BBC's gothic romance debuted in full on iPlayer BBC Preacher AMC's adaptation of Garth Ennis' cult comic book is available week-by-week on Amazon Prime Amazon / AMC Versailles A raunchy royal romp around the court of King Louis XIV, spicing up Wednesdays on BBC Two Canal +/ BBC Locked Up The Spanish prison drama came to the UK thanks to Channel 4's Walter Presents series Channel 4 / Global Series Peaky Blinders The Birmingham-set gangster thriller was more popular than ever in its third series BBC/Caryn Mandabach Productions Ltd/Tiger Aspect/Robert Viglasky The A Word The BBC gave us a nuanced and emotional take on autism BBC/Fifty Fathoms Marcella Anna Friel stars in ITV's British take on the Scandi-noir thriller ITV Grantchester James Norton is back as the crime-solving vicar ITV / Lovely Day Stag The comedy-thriller from the team behind The Wrong Mans is both hilarious and chilling BBC/Des Willie/Hal Shinnie/Matt Burlem Vinyl Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger present a glossy drama about the Seventies music industry HBO American Crime Story: The People vs OJ Simpson Cuba Gooding Jr leads an all-star cast in a dramatic re-telling of the 'trial of century' BBC/Fox Happy Valley Sarah Lancashire returned as Sgt Catherine Cawood for a second series of the gritty crime thriller BBC/Red Productions/Ben Blackall The X Files Mulder and Scully return for a brand new set of mysteries War and Peace The BBC's epic adaptation of the Russian literary classic BBC/Mitch Jenkins Call the Midwife The BBC period drama moved into the Sixties for Series 5 BBC/Neal Street Productions/Sophie Mutevelian Dickensian Charles Dickens' most famous characters collide in this historical soap BBC Jericho ITV's British western set in the wilds of Yorkshire Silent Witness The hugely popular detective drama returns for a 19th series

We bring someone who I love, we love, right to the centre of it and see them die because of something that goes on.

Think of it as training for when Game of Thrones returns and inevitably kills all of your favourite characters.

Channel 4, Sunday, 9pm
Any Nebraskan, from the Panhandle to the Missouri River, and all places in-between, might want to consider the environment when thinking about their choice for president.

Agricultural manufacturing has long been the number one industry in our state. We rank fourth in the country in total agricultural receipts, according to the USDA. Our top five agricultural products are cattle and calves, corn for grain, soybeans, hogs and wheat.

If youre new around here, or maybe youve forgotten, its worth remembering that the agriculture industry is long-term dependent on keeping our environment as pristine as possible. That means protecting our land, air and water for use in growing the crops that we feed to our livestock, which also need those three elements to survive.

Conservatives in Nebraska might object, saying that of course the farmers and ranchers know this  they are out in the elements every day. They live it. Theyre the stewards that the land needs and no one else, particularly the state and federal governments, need interfere.

Theyre partially right. I believe that most Nebraska farmers and ranchers want to keep their land free from pollution and wouldnt intentionally do anything to spoil the lifeblood of their livelihood. But they cant always control everything around them. Thats why we have our local Natural Resource Districts, why we have the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, and why we have the Environmental Protection Agency.

A farmer in western Nebraska has very little say over what happens to the water as it travels to him from mountains and reservoirs hundreds of miles away, across state lines. He trusts that the government agencies he funds with his tax dollars are monitoring and protecting that water as it travels to him.

Which leads me back to choosing our presidential candidate. During the March 3 Republican presidential debate, moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News pressed front-runner Donald Trump to specifically outline his tax cut proposals.

Mr. Trump, Wallace said, your proposed tax cut would add $10 trillion to the nations debt over 10 years, even if the economy grows the way that you say it will. You insist that you could make up for a good deal of that, you say, by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse...Like what? And please be specific.

Trump responded by saying he would eliminate Common Core from the Department of Education to bring education locally. He added that he would decimate the Department of Environmental Protection.

We are going to get rid of it in almost every form, Trump said. Were going to have little tidbits left but were going to take a tremendous amount out.

Aside from the fact that Trumps numbers didnt get him remotely close to the amount he said he could save the country, consider where he was standing. That debate was held in Detroit, Michigan, a little more than an hour away from Flint, Michigan, the site of one of our largest environmental and infrastructure failures in recent years.

Three days later the Democrats held their debate in that very city, Flint, where, as Ive written about before, residents are experiencing a complete failure of their government to protect them.

Children have been poisoned by lead in their drinking water, causing irreversible damage to their brains and neurosystems. Adults who showered with the contaminated water have broken out in full-body rashes and watched as their hair fell out. Would-be mothers have had miscarriages that they believe are the result of the poisoned water.

Its the canary in the coal mine for what could happen elsewhere in the U.S.

And the leading GOP candidate wants to get rid of the EPA in almost every form.

When I said the situation in Flint would be a litmus test for the presidential candidates this is exactly what I meant.

Some have accused the Democrats of politicizing the crisis. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton responded by pointing out that she helped put together a $500,000 initiative involving her daughter Chelsea Clinton and Flint Mayor Karen Weaver to hire local youth to deliver water, install filters and help the community deal with the water crisis, according to NPR. Bernie Sanders pointed to his record of standing for those who are hurting, who have no money. But the Republicans have said very little about Flint, the environment or global warming.

Why dont todays Republicans care about the environment or climate change? Why cant they even talk about it? And how many of them invoke former President Ronald Reagans name at the drop of a hat, without considering what he actually did as president? In the 1980s, Reagan was concerned about the shrinking ozone layer. He encouraged skeptics to develop a plan. But that was a long time ago.

During the CNN Democratic debate on Sunday, Anderson Cooper asked Sen. Bernie Sanders what he thought about fracking.

No I do not support fracking, he said.

Cooper pressed him, saying that there are a number of Democratic governors throughout the country who say fracking is safe and good for their economies. But Sanders didnt waver.

I happen to be a member of the environmental committee, he said. I have talked to scientists all over the world and what they are telling me, if we dont get our act together this planet could be 5 to 10 degrees warmer by the end of this century. Cataclysmic problems for this planet. This is a national crisis and I talk to scientists who tell me that fracking is doing terrible things to water systems all over this country. We have got to be bold now, weve got to transform our energy system to energy efficiency and sustainable energy. Weve got to do it yesterday.

People like to pick and choose which science they want to believe. Much like the GMO conspiracy theorists on the far left are likely to believe in climate change, climate change deniers on the right are likely to assert that GMOs are safe. Either you trust scientists or you dont. You cant have it both ways.

When it comes to our environment, and the future of the planet, Sanders is right. We need to believe our scientists, and we need to do something about what theyre telling us. If its not already too late.
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Thursday, 10 March 2016 23:53:33 (GMT+3) | Sao Paulo

Brazil exported 31,900 mt of hot dip galvanized products (HDG) to the US in February, 20 percent less than in January, at an average FOB price reduced by 8.1 percent to $512/mt.





According to the countrys ministry of development, industry and foreign trade, MDIC, CSN shipped to the US in February 19,100 mt of HDG at $523/mt FOB, while Usiminas shipped 12,900 mt at $495/mt FOB, price deals probably closed in December 2015.





A source from a major exporter told SteelOrbis that he is still exporting the product to the US, with less than 4.75mm in thickness, at $590/mt, FOB conditions, stable since last month.





Other main destination of the Brazilian HDG in February was Argentina, 18,500 mt at $605/mt FOB, while smaller tonnages were shipped to Asian countries.


Gunther Dauwen, director of the European Free Alliance of regional parties (EFA), says President Klaus Iohannis, as member of an ethnic minority, should be more responsive to the minorities' requests. Dauwen participated on Thursday in a rally of Szeklers - a Hungarian-speaking ethnic minority of Transylvania - in Targu Mures, where 4,000 people commemorated Szekler martyrs.

"The Romanian Government must observe the minorities' rights and consider their requests, to guarantee freedom, equality and prosperity to all people. The new 'nomenklatura' [editor's note: Communist elite] in Bucharest does not observe these rights. There can be no freedom if the most basic rights are not observed, and requests of autonomy are incriminated, including by banning Szekler symbols. All these occur while the incumbent President is Klaus Iohannis, who - as a member of an [ethnic] minority, should be more responsive to these problems," Dauwen said. His mentioning the President prompted the crowd to hoot.Also speaking in favour of Szekler autonomy was Laszlo Tokes, now representing Hungary in the European Parliament. The Romanian-born pastor, famous for his role in starting the anti-Communist revolution of 1989 in Romania, was recently stripped by President Iohannis of the 'Star of Romania' National Order, following a final court decision. Tokes accused the Hungarian Democrat Union of Romania (UDMR) of failing to achieve the ethnic Hungarians' goal of autonomy. He has been a member and honorary chairman of UDMR, until choosing to join more radical political groups, then to make use of his Hungarian citizenship."Our autonomy programme not only was not fulfilled, but it seems ever more farther. I am reading with consternation that for UDMR leaders in Targu Mures the Szekler freedom day, I quote, 'cannot be regarded as a political event,' so we are not participating as representatives of a political organization, but as private individuals," Tokes said.The crowd showed hostility during the speech of Zsolt Biro, leader of the Hungarian Civic Party (of Romania), who recently signed a collaboration protocol with the UDMR.Other speakers urged the attendance to follow the path to autonomy and fight for their ideals.An authorized march followed, with traffic blocked by authorities to avoid a repeat of the 2014 confrontation with gendarmes on a similar occasion. Thursday's protest ended without incidents, after a petition for autonomy was submitted to the Mures County Prefecture. AGERPRES
Some 3,000 concrete proposals aimed at simplifying bureaucracy were recorded in the two weeks that have passed since the launch of the platform MaiSimplu.gov.ro, informs a Friday's release from Ministry for Public Consultation and Civic Dialogue (MCPDC).

The most popular proposals were: complete elimination or merging payments for ID issue; interconnection of databases for eliminating, within the communication between public institutions, of criminal records; replacing the obligation to purchase the tax stamp with a more accessible payment system; inter-operability of databases of the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) with those of Romanian Police / Ministry of the Interior (MAI), so that offenders no longer have to send themselves and keep proof of paying the traffic fine; reducing the steps required for registering a car. The most often mentioned institutions, both by the citizens, as well as by commercial companies were the ANAF and the MAI.

The initiators of the platform also centralize in ministries the proposals for simplifying bureaucracy and proposed procedures, as they result from analyzes specialists institutions. The MaiSimplu.gov.ro platform was launched on February 24, at the initiative of the Prime Minister's Chancellery and the MCPDC. Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos and Deputy Prime Minister Vasile Dancu convened for Tuesday, March 15, the inter-ministerial working committee of representatives of state institutions with representation at the level of secretaries of state, and will announce subsequently the solutions identified for each reported issue, both in the medium as well as in long term.

Agerpres
BEIJING  China's labor protections are coming under fire from high places as economic restructuring pits officials concerned about social stability against a lobby arguing inflexible policies are stifling job creation and suppressing wages.

Company executives, especially at foreign or private firms, have long been critical of labor contract legislation and minimum wage laws that make it difficult for owners of an ailing business to turn it around or find willing buyers.

Now policymakers anxious to modernize China's slowing economy and slash overcapacity in heavy industry are making similar noises.

The export powerhouse province of Guangdong, a trillion-dollar economy that often leads the way on market reforms, said on Tuesday it would scrap scheduled rises to the local minimum wage in 2016, and keep it at 2015 levels - slightly over 1,500 yuan ($230) per month - through 2018.

On the same day, the official Xinhua media service highlighted comments by finance minister Lou Jiwei, who criticized China's Labour Contract Law in a speech during the annual meeting of parliament.

The law dates to 2008, when China had a reputation for sweatshops staffed by underpaid workers, an embarrassment for a ruling party that monopolized power in the name of socialism.

The law fixed a 40-hour work week for most employees, regulated maternity leave, and required businesses to be able to prove their case for sacking employees for incompetence or criminality or face heavy penalties.

Chinese wages have since shot up at double-digit rates, and some think the labor protections are hampering an economic transformation that will benefit workers in the long run.

"For enterprises and employees, the extent of protection afforded by the Labor Contract Law is unbalanced," Lou said, adding it encouraged companies to moves jobs from China to other countries.

"Who eventually bears the costs? The working class who the law was intended to protect," Lou said.

Labour activists say the protections are still needed, and businesses often break labor law with impunity, especially if they have local government connections.

The Xinhua article was circulated in both Chinese and English with supportive comments from regulators, exciting speculation that changes to the law could be afoot.

The timing could suit Beijing, which aims to reduce overcapacity in several industries, laying off an estimated 6 million workers at state-owned firms in the process.

It wants to do so without a spike in unemployment or crimping domestic consumption, but strong labor protections make companies unwilling to create new jobs or pay much for the jobs they do create.

OFFICIAL INTERFERENCE

Danny Lau, who owns a factory in Dongguan city in Guangdong, said he expected the government would soon "consolidate and streamline" the contract law to lower costs for manufacturers.

That would be welcome news to businesses exasperated by official interference in their operations.

"We have these government bureaucrats who show up at our facility arbitrarily, and they say, 'Let's look at your payroll'," said Ravin Gandhi, CEO of GMM Nonstick Coatings, which runs an office in Dongguan.

"And they say, 'Thirty percent of your facility workforce is going to get a pay raise. These people here are going to get 15 percent.' They don't look at your profitability, nothing."

As a result, GMM opened its next facility in India, which Gandhi said was 40 percent cheaper than China, even allowing for inferior infrastructure.

"Of course I'm going to take my foot off the gas pedal (in China)," he said. "I'll put those dollars in India."

When Reuters visited a printing factory in Chongqing in January, the boss was interrupted mid-interview by local officials, who had come to make sure he had paid salaries before the Lunar New Year holidays.

"(Last year) they called us into a meeting and said, 'You can't lay off employees'," he added afterward.

Many economists say China has posted lackluster business activity and investment figures - while official unemployment stays below 5 percent - precisely because companies saddled with high wage bills and low profit margins can't cut debt or invest to improve their business.

"It's better to support workers than supporting loss-making firms," Li Yining, an economist at Peking University, said on the sidelines of the annual parliament meeting on Sunday.

"Because workers will take up new jobs after training, once their lives are secure."

Local officials have reason to be cautious about diluting protections, however, as a rise in worker protests in their patch can be both physically dangerous and career limiting.

Cui Ernan, labor analyst at Gavekal Dragonomics, said the government might even increase labor benefits to calm agitated workforces, particularly in regions with heavy lay-offs from coal and steel.

"Recent labor strikes at the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016 are at historical highs," she noted. ($1 = 6.5138 Chinese yuan renminbi)
The stepchild of the commodities world is finally getting investors' attention.

Agriculture prices are heading for the longest rally in four years, as adverse weather and rising demand finally help to reduce the outlook for global gluts of food supplies. Sugar and soybeans reached their 2016 highs on Friday.

Corn, cattle and wheat were on pace for weekly gains. Monsanto headed for the biggest weekly rally since 2012, and Tyson Foods Inc. touched an all-time high.

While copper, gold and oil have benefited from rebound in the past month that prompted Australia & New Zealand Banking Group on Friday to say that the worst was likely over for commodities, farm goods had lagged behind. That changed this week as the U.S. government cut its outlook for global wheat supplies, while dryness across global growing regions threatens sugar and cocoa crops. Investors poured almost $14.8 million into exchange-traded funds tracking agriculture and livestock over the past week, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

"A lot of equity markets around the world have increased, and that is bringing insight into the idea that economies are doing better around the world," said James Cordier, the founder of Optionsellers.com in Tampa, Fla. "The middle class, globally, is still doing quite well and it grows everyday, and the need for cocoa, sugar, coffee is starting to mirror that."

Shares of agriculture-related companies rose. CF Industries Holdings Inc., the largest U.S. producer of nitrogen fertilizer, on Friday climbed as much as 8.9 percent, the most since August. Monsanto, the world's largest seed producer, closed Friday at $90.95, an increase of 5.9 percent this week, the biggest gain since November 2012. Tyson, the largest U.S. meat processor, reached the highest since data begins in 1984.

Wheat futures in Chicago, which fell on Friday, are still heading for the biggest weekly gain since October. World inventories will be 237.6 million metric tons, down from 238.9 million tons estimated in February, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday in Washington. The agency reduced harvest expectations for India and Australia.

Raw sugar traded in New York headed for a third straight weekly gain. The International Sugar Organization is forecasting that production will fall short of demand amid weather-driven crop concerns.

Dryness in Thailand, the world's second-largest exporter, "has become fairly widespread across the cane belt," Gaithersburg, Md.-based MDA Weather Services said Thursday in a report.
Updated at 6 p.m. with closing share price

Troubled Peabody Energy Corp.s shares doubled in value this week and its bonds rose to highs not seen since last month despite the specter of bankruptcy.

The moves come after it emerged that Franklin Resources Inc. was pushing the largest coal miner in the United States to restructure its $6.4 billion of debt in court, people told Bloomberg last week. The company had previously said in a filing that one of its lenders was urging a reorganization.

With the coal market experiencing its worst downturn in decades, investors are concerned that Peabody might be under pressure to file for bankruptcy. Yet the recent rally suggests a change in sentiment.

The companys $650 million of 6.5 percent senior unsecured notes maturing in September 2020 rose 2 cents to trade at 6.2 cents on the dollar at 10:08 a.m. in New York Friday, the highest since Feb. 5, according to Trace, the bond-price reporting system of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

In addition, its $1 billion of 10 percent notes due 2022 jumped to the highest level in the past month on Friday, trading at 8.375 cents on the dollar at 11:55 a.m., according to Trace.

Peabody shares also rose sharply this week, closing at $6.55, up from $2.44 on March 2 when it was revealed that Franklin pushing for a debt reorganization.

Junk bonds in general are rallying. High-yield funds have experienced inflows for four straight weeks, with $1.8 billion poring in during the week ended March 9 following a record $5 billion in the previous week.
Aisha Sultan Aisha Sultan is home and family editor for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Aisha Sultan Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Its easy to become cynical about politics.

For one thing, theres the corrosive influence of big money in choosing who governs us. The Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court opened the floodgates for limitless political spending, which has exploded in recent federal elections.

And that influence is concentrated in a few hands: Of more than $1 billion that has been spent by super PACs, nearly 60 percent of the money came from just 195 individuals and their spouses, according to a 2015 Brennan Center report.

We see candidates spending the majority of their time fundraising and assume they are beholden to those interests once elected. Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump openly talks about attempting to buy influence through donating to politicians on both sides of the aisle throughout his business career.

Its no surprise that a recent Pew survey found that elected officials are seen as less honest and more selfish than ordinary Americans.

Money aside, others may see little difference among their candidate choices or dislike all of them.

Politicians are seen flip-flopping their positions, some within 24 hours. A recent Republican debate featured plenty of name calling and shouting. Theres been violence against protesters, even screams and shouts at those silently watching a Trump rally.

How many parents would tolerate our children behaving this way?

Its not surprising the parental instinct to shield our children from hateful rhetoric has prompted many to limit their kids exposure to this particularly nasty election cycle.

But disengagement is the wrong approach. We have to find a different point of entry.

The airwaves are dominated by a handful of high-profile races, but theres democracy unfolding in the details. Census data shows there are more than 500,000 elected officials in America. Local races  from school boards to statehouse to city councils  impact our lives.

Its easy to meet local candidates and find one whose values reflect your own. Go meet some candidates whose ambitions are guided by principles and a genuine desire to serve.

Teach your children that being a public servant can still be a noble endeavor.

When children hear us complain about how crooked politicians are or how corrupt the system is, they absorb the idea that its better to be disengaged from the political system.

Its not.

Its better for our democracy to have informed and engaged citizens.

As parents, our civic duty goes beyond showing up at the ballot box every few years. It includes raising a generation of citizens who believe they can have a voice and effect change in our government.

In an election year that could have completely alienated my children because of the hateful rhetoric being broadcast, they are excited about watching their aunt, my sister, run for district judge in Houston. They are learning how democracy works  warts and all.

Ive seen my children and their cousins become invested in her campaign.

Weve watched her work 12- to 14-hour days without a break for months, demonstrating the amount of sheer determination and drive it takes to sustain a campaign. Weve seen her build coalitions, reaching out to many different groups getting endorsements, and yes, even raising money. Convincing others to support you takes believing in yourself.

My children are learning what it means to donate your time or money to a candidate you can believe in and how much effort it takes to get one unregistered citizen registered to vote. Being engaged means following up with friends to make sure they either voted or have a way to vote on Election Day.

They have learned that there are people who dont vote because they cant get the time off of work on Election Day or because they lack transportation or dont know where or how to.

Experiencing a local race from the inside took me back to my freshman year of college, when I was finally old enough to cast a ballot. It was a presidential election year, and I had that enthusiasm of a freshly minted voter.

Years of a bitter partisan gridlock had worn down that enthusiasm.

On Super Tuesday, it was reignited by the spark of other citizens.

There was the man who has been eligible to vote for more than 30 years and cast his ballot for the first time. Texts arrived from childhood friends who felt so proud when they voted for someone they knew personally. My brother-in-law posted pictures of a Vietnam veteran and his daughter who had voted.

He wants you to know that you have no excuse for not getting out to vote. Many have sacrificed for the right to vote, my brother-in-law wrote. There were pictures of young Air Force ROTC cadets who were just old enough to cast their ballots.

There were the people who lined up around buildings and waited for hours for a chance to have their voice heard.

My mother told me that she had to pull over while driving home after voting for her daughter. Overcome by emotion, she broke down and cried.

In the ugliest election cycle of my adult life, there have been times when Ive felt more discouraged about the political process than I could ever imagine. But remarkably, its also this same election cycle in which Ive felt incredibly hopeful and proud.

We infect our children with our attitude toward the political process. And if we want better leaders, we stand to benefit from encouraging our brightest and best to want to solve our nations challenges. The more hopeful and involved our children see us, the better future we are building for our country.

Its one way to eventually get the government we deserve.
Tony Messenger Tony Messenger is the metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Tony Messenger Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

When they came for the gays, did you speak up?

For nearly 40 hours this week, the eight Democrats in the Missouri Senate did.

Republicans were pushing one of their misplaced priorities, a constitutional amendment that if passed by voters would enshrine discrimination against gays and lesbians into the very document that exists to protect those rights. One by one, and two by two, the outnumbered members of the minority party took their turns holding the floor for nearly two full days.

Then the hammer was brought down by the president pro tem of the Senate, Ron Richard, R-Joplin, and the sponsor of Senate Joint Resolution No. 39, Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake Saint Louis. They broke their own rules to cut off debate and pass their resolution of hate.

Thats not what they call it, of course. Republicans pitch SJR 39 as a religious freedom bill, and to the extent that it seeks to protect clergy from being punished by the government for their refusal to perform same-sex weddings, it is. Except that when you consider that in a country with a First Amendment that has forever protected religious freedom, its inconceivable that Missouris government would ever consider forcing clergy to perform same-sex weddings if it violated their religious tradition.

It hasnt happened. It wont happen. It simply cant happen.

But that hasnt stopped Missouri Republicans from presenting this charade to a sliver of their most religiously fervent voters and using it as a straw man that allows them to do what the amendment actually intends: allow private businesses to discriminate against gay people.

Heres the dirty little secret: Thats already legal in Missouri. For years the Legislature has refused to join 28 other states in passing a nondiscrimination act that protects gays and lesbians from discrimination in employment, housing, transportation or other areas of life.

So, should SJR 39 become law, Missouri will be a place that not only refuses to protect gays from discrimination but also creates a specific protected class for bakers, photographers and florists who refuse to provide their business services to gay people. The party of so-called tort reform creates a special path to court for those who choose to discriminate.

Get ready for the fallout, Missouri. If SJR 39 becomes law, the economic consequences could be devastating. Thats what Indiana civic and corporate leaders found out last year when the legislature there passed a similar proposal. The calls for boycott came quickly. Conventions were canceled. The NCAA threatened to leave. Indiana lost millions of dollars of economic activity, and then corporate leaders belatedly spoke up and convinced the legislature to backtrack, at least somewhat.

So where are those corporate leaders in Missouri?

Too many of them are on the sidelines.

When they come for the St. Louis economy, will they speak up then?

During the debate over SJR 39, at least one major St. Louis corporation was using its megaphone to speak out. Monsanto Co. urged the Senate to drop the resolution.

We call on other businesses and the ag community to join us in speaking out against discrimination in Missouri and around the world. #SJR39, the company tweeted from its Twitter account. Its lobbyist was working the halls against the resolution and the phones seeking more corporate leaders to speak up.

When it comes down to it, those corporate leaders  especially those who remained silent or worked quietly behind the scenes as SJR 39 passed  share some of the blame for this legislative state of affairs.

Look at the campaign finance records of Richard and Onder. Beyond their top donor (in both cases, St. Louis mega-donor Rex Sinquefield), much of their support comes from St. Louis businesses.

Theres Ameren Missouri and Anheuser-Busch, Express Scripts and Laclede Gas, Centene and Emerson. All are among the top cumulative donors to both Richard and Onder since 2014. In Missouri politics, these companies have real power, and of course they support the party that has all of it in the GOP-controlled Legislature.

But eventually, that support has consequences. Thats why Monsantos Steve Mizell, executive vice president of human resources, is encouraging other civic leaders in St. Louis to speak up now, to stop SJR 39 before it makes it to the states ballot.

We think making St. Louis an inclusive place to attract top talent is valuable for us and our civic colleagues, Mizell said. On Thursday, the company announced it was joining the Human Rights Campaigns coalition pushing for a federal equality law that would protect gays from discrimination. As one of the larger, more prominent companies in the region, we hope that well have an influence on this debate.

The clock is ticking, St. Louis. If every major St. Louis corporation used its megaphone, and directed its lobbyists to fight SJR 39, it could be stopped in a heartbeat.

Missouri Republicans are coming for your neighbors, for your employees, for your sons and daughters. Who will speak for them, if not you?

Walker Moskop of the Post-Dispatch contributed data reporting for this column.
NEW FLORENCE, Mo.  Barefoot and in a bathrobe, Julie Nordman grabbed a portable phone and raced to the attic to hide. She called 911 and whispered about the nightmare playing out in her garage as her husband struggled with an armed intruder Tuesday morning.

The dispatcher tried to keep Nordman calm, but her mind raced.

Im praying, Nordman said. Im thinking hes going to shoot my husband and come up and get me. Im thinking, Is it going to hurt?

She kept praying: Please, Randy, be OK.

I know hes a fighter, Nordman told herself. Hes going to beat this.

In a Post-Dispatch interview about Tuesdays life-or-death struggle, Julie Nordman explained that the attic had no door to shut, no way to lock herself in, and she had no clue what was happening in the garage to her husband. It fell quiet. She tried to escape out an attic window, but it was stuck.

Suddenly, she heard a pop. She looked out the attic window to the east and could see Interstate 70. She saw a police car racing toward her house, then saw it pass her driveway and keep driving. She whispered to the dispatcher that the officer needed to turn around.

From her vantage point, Julie Nordman, 54, then saw the intruder run across her property, jump into a ditch and hide in a culvert.

Minutes later, police found her husband, Randy Nordman, 49, in the kitchen, dead of a gunshot wound. The alleged killer, Pablo Antonio Serrano-Vitorino, was captured early Wednesday after a 17-hour manhunt, hiding in a ditch about 800 feet from the Nordmans home.

Police say Serrano-Vitorino, 40, had encountered the Nordman home while fleeing a quadruple murder in Kansas City, Kan. Serrano-Vitorino abandoned his truck along I-70. The Nordman home is just off the highway.

Julie Nordman speculates that Serrano-Vitorino had confronted her husband while trying to steal keys to one of their vehicles.

Missouri victim in bi-state murders was machinist, RC car enthusiast Pablo Antonio Serrano-Vitorino surrendered when officers found him lying in a muddy spot near I-70. He was armed, but no one was hurt during the arrest.

In an interview Thursday, Julie Nordman mourned her husband as a well-liked man, a workaholic who would arrive home each night from his machinist job to spend hours building a track for radio-control race car enthusiasts on their 32 acres on Tree Farm Road.

He loved Harley motorcycles and would visit a dirt track every Friday night with his father.

She said she plans to continue her husbands dream of opening the track for RC cars. Its called Empire of Dirt RC Park & Campground. The scheduled opening day was to be April 9. Friends have established a GoFundMe page in Randy Nordmans name to help complete that project.

Randy Nordman was stepfather to Julies two sons and daughter. Her daughter especially considered Randy her dad, Julie Nordman said.

I want to make sure everybody knows that he would have done anything for anybody, Julie Nordman said. He was a good man, always smiling and happy. He could relate to anybody. He had long hair and he was a biker, but he could talk Farmall tractors all day long with these old dudes around here.

Randy and Julie Nordman met through a biker dating website and, at their wedding in 2007, rode off on a Harley. His black motorcycle helmet read Just. Hers said Married.

Fatal struggle for gun

Tuesday morning started off in the typical way. Julie was still asleep at 7 a.m. while Randy started his morning routine before heading to work.

The routine went like this: Out to the yard to feed the barn cats. Feed the dogs. Leave dog treats on the counter. Bag up his lunch. Kiss his wife. Drive off in his truck for his machinist job in Wentzville.

But the routine was interrupted when Julie Nordman heard sounds from a distance.

I was in bed asleep and I heard dogs barking, I heard a scuffle and Randy say, What are you doing?

She grabbed her robe to go investigate, then heard her husband shout, Julie!

I knew he meant business, she says. I looked out the window and saw him wrestling with a guy over a gun.

Murder suspect charged in Missouri after bi-state slayings Pablo Antonio Serrano-Vitorino surrendered when officers found him lying in a muddy spot near I-70.

It was a long gun, a rifle, and Randy and the stranger both had a grip on the barrel. Thats when she retreated to the attic.

Julie Nordman said she believes her husband saved her life that day by alerting her and struggling with the intruder. During the struggle, the magazine dislodged from the rifle Serrano-Vitorino was carrying.

After the murder, police took Julie Nordman to her sister Deanna Dunns home in OFallon, Mo. On Wednesday night, Julie Nordman, her daughter and Dunn returned to her home in New Florence to spend the night. She didnt get much sleep. She was jittery, she said, and jumped at the sound of a screen door slamming.

Im terrified right now, she said. It keeps playing in my mind like a tape. I see the gun. I see my husband wrestling over it. It plays over and over in my mind.

She and Dunn say they are outraged the more they learn about the background of Serrano-Vitorino. He is a Mexican citizen who was deported from California in 2004 and re-entered the United States illegally some time later. He had three encounters with law enforcement in Kansas and Kansas City but was released each time.

Our family wants to know why he was allowed to stay in this country, Dunn said. Why was this mistake made? Who allowed him to be here?

Dunn said the mistake has cost five people their lives and shattered the lives of the relatives who are left behind.

Julie Nordman knows the case is bound to play out in the national immigration debate.

She has a slew of questions, too, and police have provided few answers. Howd he get a gun? Why did he target my husband? Why everything?
PINE LAWN  Pine Lawn's police department may be disbanded and could be taken over by the North County Police Cooperative, a city alderman said Thursday night.

Though nothing is final, a decision could be made as soon as Friday night at a special meeting at city hall or voted on Monday night at the regular board meeting, said Alderman Chester Brown.

I think this is kind of urgent," Brown said. "It's the money situation. The former mayor vowed to leave us in bad shape before he went to jail and he did just that.

The former mayor, Sylvester Caldwell, was sent to prison last summer on corruption charges linked to bribing a towing company and a convenience store. In January, Steven Blakeney, a former Pine Lawn police lieutenant, was found guilty in federal court of conspiring with others to falsely arrest a mayoral candidate.

Pine Lawn officials have been meeting for months with other departments about the possibility of consolidation. Brown said they've received bids from Velda City, Northwoods, St. Louis County and the North County Police Cooperative. There also were informal talks with Normandy. He said officials are leaning toward the cooperative.

Tim Swope, chief of the cooperative, said Friday that Pine Lawn has eight officers and he would plan to seek applications for 10 spots.

The Police Cooperative started last summer as an extension of the Vinita Park police. It also patrols Wellston, after that city disbanded its department, and Vinita Terrace. It took over Charlack in October. Supporters see it as a way to combine resources and a way for some smaller, fractured communities to afford effective policing.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Earlier versions of this story carried incorrect numbers of police now on the Pine Lawn force and openings expected.
JEFFERSON CITY  Missouri Senate Republicans closed a contentious week at the Capitol by giving final approval to a measure that Democrats argue would enshrine discrimination against gay people into the state's constitution.

The measure now moves to the House. If it passes there, Missouri voters will be asked if churches, wedding vendors and "religious organizations" should be granted greater legal protections if they oppose same-sex marriage.

By putting the measure on the ballot instead of passing a bill, Republicans avoid the possible veto pen of Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon. The question would be posed to an electorate that in 2004 approved a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage with more than 70 percent of the vote.

Nixon would get to decide, however, whether to put the question on the August or November ballots.

Despite Republican super majorities in the House, Democratic opponents said Thursday night the fight over the proposal has just begun.

Senate Minority Leader Joe Keaveny, D-St. Louis, said a series of procedural snafus during debate on the measure could lay the groundwork for a possible court challenge before the bill makes the ballot.

Democrats  and three Republican senators  angrily said Thursday that at the end of the Democrats' 37-hour filibuster, Democrats weren't recognized to speak on the floor, which could've extended debate.

Instead, the Republican majority moved to previous question, a rare parliamentary maneuver used to sidestep a filibuster and force a vote on the underlying bill. Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard of Joplin said the move was the only option given that the two sides couldn't reach a compromise.

Sen. Jason Holsman, D-Kansas City, said upon voter approval, a court battle could be waged on the grounds that the measure violates the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which addresses equal protection under the law.

But before that, Holsman said that he is confident voters would reject the measure if properly informed about "what it would actually do."

Holsman asked the Senate to conceive of a state that allows its florists and bakers to post signs in their shop windows saying "No Gays Allowed."

Sen. Scott Sifton, D-Affton, said that the broad definition of a "religious organization" could mean widespread discrimination of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people  far beyond their wedding day.

The definition includes corporations, schools, colleges, charities, social service providers, hospitals, hospices and other entities as long as they have some religious tie. The proposal states that "the state shall not impose a penalty on a religious organization" if "the organization believes or acts in accordance with a sincere religious belief concerning marriage between two persons of the same sex."

Republican Sen. Bob Onder of Lake Saint Louis, the bill sponsor, disputes claims the measure could lead to widespread denial of services.

He has said the intent is to make sure people aren't "commandeered" into participating in same-sex marriages. Onder cited a case in Oregon where bakery owners were ordered to pay damages to a lesbian couple that the owners declined to bake a wedding cake for.

He also says that there's a looming possibility that governments could threaten tax privileges churches enjoy if they oppose same-sex marriage. Onder has said, too, that local nondiscrimination ordinances would remain in effect, minus the religious exemptions.

Opponents say that clergy already don't have to participate in same-sex marriages. For businesses, they say anyone involved in commerce should sell goods or services to everyone without exception. They also say Missouri's image among businesses and progressive-minded people could take a hit because of national backlash.

The bottom line, Senate Majority Leader Mike Kehoe said in a statement, is that the measure "will ensure people of faith can freely exercise religious liberties in a pluralistic nation."

The measure is Senate Joint Resolution 39.
Illinois State Sen. Sam McCann will provide additional information about his campaign expenses to answer a state officials preliminary finding of insufficient reporting, a campaign spokesman said.

McCann, a Republican from Plainview who faces a well-financed challenge in Tuesdays primary, called the complaint against him with the Illinois State Election Board frivolous and clearly politically motivated, the spokesman said.

McCann is challenged by Bryce Benton, an Illinois state trooper from Springfield, for the party nomination in the 50th Senate District, which covers all or part of eight counties from Godfrey north to Springfield and west to the Mississippi River. No Democrat has filed for the seat.

Gov. Bruce Rauner supports Benton, and a political action committee in Chicago that supports Republican Rauners agenda has been flooding the district airwaves with anti-McCann TV ads. Rauner objected to McCanns vote in a major legislative battle last August siding with public employee unions. McCann is the only GOP incumbent opposed by Rauner in the primary.

On Feb. 16, Kirk Million, of Jacksonville, a founder of a Tea Party club there, complained to the state board that McCanns campaign committee disbursed $46,600 for general expenditures from September 2014 to March 2015 without providing detail. Million said the campaign also paid McCann $38,300 for mileage reimbursements, representing 42,365 miles of travel in nine months.

The board has the matter on its agenda for Monday in Springfield. On March 7, according to a report released by Millions lawyer, a board hearing officer found the complaint to be on justifiable grounds and recommended the board set a public hearing if McCann does not provide additional information for campaign expenses.

All available evidence points to slopping bookkeeping as the primary source of insufficient reporting... wrote hearing officer John Levin.

Million declined to discuss the case, said his lawyer, Dan Fultz of Springfield. Fultz said Million endorsed McCann in 2012, but now Kirk is very angry about Sams positions and wants him out.

Fultz said Million is not paying for his work and declined to say who will, other than to say it wont be Chicago broadcaster Dan Proft or his Liberty Principles PAC, which has been financing the attack ads against McCann.

In a statement, McCann said Millions complaint is clearly an orchestrated smear campaign. It says his campaign will be sure to answer and address any and all questions, if any, posed by the board at the meeting Monday.

A statement released by Bentons campaign said McCann is having a terrible, horrible, no good very bad week  just days before the March 15 primary.
JEFFERSON CITY  Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, denounced the Republican-led Legislature on Friday for not making public education a priority.

"I'm deeply troubled by this trend that's developed ... a repeated failure to prioritize education and the cynical effort to hide it," Nixon told reporters Friday.

His harsh comments come just a day after the Missouri House signed off on a $27.1 billion budget for the 2017 year that begins July 1. That budget falls short of Nixon's recommendations both for higher education institutions based on performance funding and the Foundation Formula, which funds K-12 public schools.

In part, this is due to the House basing its budget on a lower revenue growth estimate -- 3.1 percent -- than Nixon's projection -- 4.1 percent. To make up for the difference, House Budget Leader Tom Flanigan, R-Carthage, plans to implement a surplus revenue fund, where money will be funneled if the state exceeds the House's projection. Dan Haug, Nixon's budget director, estimates the state will not reach the governor's estimate until about three days before the budget year ends.

Nixon recommended in January a $55.6 million increase for public higher education institutions based on performance funding, which would allow universities to freeze tuition. The budget approved Thursday by the House would give those institutions, excluding the University of Missouri System, a piece of about $9.4 million in performance funding in the surplus revenue fund. That means universities won't receive that money unless the state exceeds the House's estimate.

The budget "zeros out performance funding and students will be left picking up the tab for higher tuition and fees," Nixon said. "It's bad for students (and) terrible for the economy."

The governor also recommended an $85 million increase for the Foundation Formula, which would leave the the formula about $424 million underfunded. The House's budget funnels an about $71 million increase to the formula.

The formula, which should have been fully funded in 2012, has been woefully underfunded for years. To combat this problem, lawmakers are moving forward with a proposal that would make it easier to fund the formula by capping spending growth. That change would reduce the amount needed to fund the formula to about $140 million from more than $500 million.

When the formula first was created in 2005, it contained a 5 percent cap meant to limit the growth of the state adequacy target  the minimum amount the state is supposed to assure is available per student in state and local funding. That cap was removed by lawmakers in 2009, in part because they were expecting a significant increase in new gaming revenues that did not pan out.

A few years later, the implications of this change became clear as the target began to grow virtually unchecked. That growth made it all the more difficult to fully fund the formula.

Nixon condemned the plan Friday, calling it "step backwards" that he could not support.

He also vilified the House's $30 million proposal to restart a cost sharing program meant to offset some of the transportation department's funding woes. The program would allow the department to split the cost of transportation system projects with local communities. The department suspended its cost-share program in 2014 as its construction budget continued to decline.

That program is housing in the surplus revenue fund, meaning the department only could access those funds if the state reaches Nixon's revenue estimate.

Legislative leaders have noted this program would not fix all the monetary problems facing the department, but they say it could help. Republican House Speaker Todd Richardson previously has said he'd rather find money within the budget for the department than increasing the state's 17-cent-per-gallon gas tax for the first time in 20 years. Nixon supports a gas tax increase.

The state has "always funded transportation through dedicated transportation and user fees, not general revenue," Nixon said, adding that relying on general revenue for transportation leaves "less money for public schools and other needed services.

The 13 budget bills have been sent to the Senate for further debate. Nixon implored the Senate to restore the education cuts before lawmakers must complete the budget May 6.

"Underfunding schools, increasing college tuition, weakening the Foundation Formula and taking money from school kids and using it to fund potholes -- that's not what you do if public education is a top priority," Nixon said.

The bills are House Bills 2001-2013.
JEFFERSON CITY  A bid to ban red-light cameras in Missouri appears to be gaining traction in the Missouri Legislature.

A House committee Wednesday endorsed legislation that would prohibit the cameras, which became a growing and controversial source of revenue for some cities until court action began chipping away at their prevalence.

The measure, sponsored by state Rep. Bryan Spencer, R-Wentzville, comes six months after the Missouri Supreme Court struck down red-light camera laws in St. Louis, Moline Acres and St. Peters.

The courts decision found legal problems with each of the local ordinances, but the ruling did not specifically ban the cameras.

After the court ruling, St. Louis stopped issuing tickets, dismissed all pending cases and offered refunds to people who had recently paid tickets.

Spencer, who carried similar legislation in 2014 and 2015, said the cameras are more about raising cash than keeping the roads safe.

The predatorial taxation through citation is a real big concern, Spencer said. Its time to quit feeding off of the citizens.

Tickets from red-light camera violations typically cost $100.

A handful of cities and law enforcement organizations continue to oppose the ban, including the Missouri Police Chiefs Association and the Missouri Fraternal Order of Police.

And, a company that cities have contracted with to manufacture and install the cameras continues to have a presence in the Capitol corridors.

Tempe, Ariz.-based American Traffic Solutions Inc. has a team of eight lobbyists registered to do business in Jefferson City, including prominent governmental relations guru Bill Gamble.

As part of a compromise, Spencer said a ban on license plate readers  which help identify the owner of vehicles  was axed from his legislation. The removal of that provision comes after lawsuits claimed that issuing tickets to the owners of cars instead of drivers violated Missouri law covering moving violations.

But, Spencer said, It still does what it needs to do.

Even if the measure makes it through the legislative process and on to Gov. Jay Nixons desk, Spencer said more changes are likely needed in order to fully fix the states red light camera laws.

Well look at this more next year, Spencer said.

The legislation is House Bill 1945. (Kurt Erickson)

HE SAID IT: At some point in time we have to move on and do the business of the people of Missouri. Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard, R-Joplin, after Republicans ended a 37-hour Democratic filibuster against a proposal creating religious protections for those objecting to gay marriage.

HOT LINKS:

This report was compiled by Post-Dispatch political reporter Kevin McDermott.
CLAYTON  A St. Louis County judge on Thursday refused to force a topless Delmar Loop bar to cease operations.

Judge Joseph Walsh III allowed that while a substantial change in the type of business occupying 6655 Delmar Boulevard had occurred, the establishment can nonetheless continue to operate under previously issued city permits and licenses.

The club, Social House II, opened its doors for customers last Friday with a female wait staff naked above the waist, their breasts covered in body paint.

Lawyers for the club stipulated Thursday that nipples are covered by pasties.

Walsh issued his decision at the conclusion of a free-wheeling hearing that included pithy give-and-take between the bench and Albert Watkins, the attorney representing Social House II owner John Racanelli and his corporate entity, Ramo Inc.

Momentarily waving off pictorial exhibits offered by Watkins to illustrate the state of Social House II undress, the judge confessed, I told my wife I wasnt going to look at these things.

But in delivering his verdict, Walsh took note of the city liquor license, plus business and occupancy permits issued to Ramo when the corporation opened the Market House Pub at the Delmar Boulevard address in 2010.

He then ruled that those permits, renewed by Ramo every year since, still stand  despite the Market House Pubs closing in January.

The judge acknowledged that a deviation has occurred in the family-friendly atmosphere extolled by Ramo in applying for city licenses six years ago. But ultimately, Walsh said, the corporation conducting business at 6655 Delmar Boulevard is one and the same.

I dont see a change in ownership Nothing has changed between 2010 and 2016 except the (doing business under) name, Walsh told lawyers for University City.

Walsh told Watkins that the Social House II environment is likely not in step with Midwestern sensibilities or evangelical values. He ruled the club is nonetheless operating within the confines of state decency statutes.

The University City code does not prohibit the operation of nude or partly nude establishments  a situation the City Council has promised to address.

University City attorney Kathryn Forster said after the hearing that the municipality will seek a permanent injunction to close down the club that has prompted widespread criticism from residents, elected officials and business owners.

Social House II and the city will square off again Friday afternoon when the City Council is set to take action on a resolution passed earlier this week to revoke the bars liquor license.
ST. LOUIS  The city revoked Tropical Liqueurs liquor license Thursday after neighbors near the Soulard bar complained of noise, litter, drug activity and other disturbances.

The citys excise commissioners office terminated the liquor license effective April 9 because of testimony that urination, littering, noise, street congestion, harassment, parking problems and illegal drug activity occur near the bar.

Billy Thompson, co-owner of the bar at 1800 South Tenth Street, said he was baffled by the move.

The bar management says it has cleaned up litter, stopped playing music on the patio past 11 p.m., hired extra security for Friday and Saturday nights, stopped allowing takeout drinks and changed the closing time to midnight despite having a 1:30 a.m. license, all to appease the upset neighbors.

Honestly, were a little confused, just simply because weve done everything that the neighbors have asked of us, even when it was a detriment to our business, Thompson said. Weve done everything we possibly can.

Billy Tomber, who led a protest against the bar, said he thinks Tropical Liqueurs has failed to operate with courtesy for neighbors, who have awakened past midnight to bottles being dumped into the trash and found their driveways and alleys blocked by the cars of bar patrons.

For a while, the bar also sold drinks to go, and Tomber said it that contributed to parties in the street.

They were just so out of touch with the neighbors, Tomber said. Did they make enough changes, did they make them quickly enough, did they reinvent how they did business? Absolutely not.

Both Tomber and Alderman Jack Coatar, who said hes seen fights and illegal parking at the bar, said its been frustrating and slow to get the bar to improve the situation.

Every step theyve taken has been at the behest of me and the neighbors begging them to do so, said Coatar, whose ward includes Soulard.

Thirty owners of properties within 500 feet of the bar had signed a petition against Tropical Liqueurs, and the excise commissioners office held a hearing on Feb. 26.

Thomas Yarbrough, the hearing officer, said in the citys decision that bar management failed to prove that renewing its license wouldnt be detrimental to the area.

Thompson said Tropical Liqueurs is weighing all of our options.

Absolutely, we want to stay in St. Louis, he said.

The bar has 30 days to appeal the decision in court.Kristen Taketa @Kristen_Taketa on Twitter ktaketa@post-dispatch.com
LONDON MARKET CLOSE: FTSE 100 ends higher; Mordaunt makes UK PM tilt

Friday, October 21, 2022 - 17:22

The pound regained some poise on Friday afternoon but remained in precarious territory, after falling below the $1.11 mark in afternoon trade.

The pound was quoted at $1.1203 at the close on Friday, down versus $1.1294 at the London equities close on Thursday. It hit an intraday low of $1.1063 not long after midday.

Sterling was hurt by continued political uncertainty. Speculation about who will join Penny Mordaunt in throwing their hats in the ring in the race for Number 10 continues. Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, one-time neighbours at Number 10 and 11 Downing Street - but now bitter rivals - have pockets of support from Tory MPs.

Adding to the pressure on sterling, disappointing UK retail sales data showed a bigger-than-expected decline in September, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Retail sales fell 6.9% annually in September, with the decline accelerating from a 5.6% fall in August. It also was worse than FXStreet-cited market consensus, which had expected a fall of just 5%.

The pound had initially found some support on Thursday after Liz Truss called an end to her disastrous tenure as prime minister - poking above $1.13 - but has since been dragged lower.

The FTSE 100 index closed up 25.82 points, or 0.4%, at 6,969.73 - closing out the week up 1.6%.

The FTSE 250 lost 182.38 points, or 1.1%, at 17,206.55, but still managed to gain 1.0% this week, and the AIM All-Share ended down 1.04 points, or 0.1% at 785.40 - but advanced 0.8% over the past five days.

The Cboe UK 100 closed up 0.4% at 696.31, the Cboe UK 250 ended down 1.0% at 14,694.15, and the Cboe Small Companies lost 0.3% at 12,240.46.

In European equities on Friday, the CAC 40 in Paris lost 0.9%, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt gave back 0.3%.

The Tories have begun to declare their allegiances in the party's second leadership contest of the year as speculation mounts over who will seek to replace Truss at the helm of the party.

Supporters of Johnson are backing the former prime minister to make an extraordinary political comeback, while ex-chancellor Sunak and Commons Leader Mordaunt also have the public support of several MPs.

Mordaunt become the first to declare her candidacy, with a pledge to re-unite the bitterly divided party.

The leader of the House  who finished third in the last leadership election  said she had been encouraged by the support she had received from fellow Conservative MPs.

There has also been no declaration yet from Sunak, who did not answer questions from reporters as he left his home on Friday morning.

Whoever does win will face an immediate test, choosing whether to go ahead with the planned Halloween statement setting out how the government intends to get the public finances back on track, Downing Street has said.

Work is continuing in Whitehall, led by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, in preparation for the medium-term fiscal plan to be announced on October 31 along with an updated set of economic forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility.

However, a Number 10 spokeswoman said it would be up to Liz Truss's successor to decide whether to proceed with that approach and with the same timetable.

In London, blue chip miners helped push FTSE 100 higher. Glencore gained 3.6%, Anglo American 3.1%, Antofagasta 2.7%, and Rio Tinto added 1.6%.

Retailers, however, were showing weakness after the disappointing UK retail sales data. A profit warning from Adidas did nothing to help the mood either.

JD Sports closed down 6.1%, Frasers 4.0%, Burberry 2.2%, and Next shed 2.9%.

On Thursday, Adidas lowered annual guidance as it struggles with "deteriorating traffic" in China and high inventory levels.

The sports apparel maker said it has needed to turn to "higher clearance activity" to try and shift stock.

It lost 9.0% in Frankfurt.

Deliveroo gained 3.6%.

The London-based online food delivery service said gross transaction values rose 8.3% annually in the third quarter to 1.70 billion from 1.57 billion, though orders fell by 1.1% to 72.8 million from 73.6 million.

Deliveroo said the decline in orders was due to a difficult consumer environment. With economic data on Friday showing that UK consumer confidence remains near record lows, this seems unlikely to change anytime soon.

InterContinental Hotels gave back 2.2% but reported strong revenue growth in the third quarter to September 30, saying that high global employment levels are boosting occupancy levels.

Revenue per available room, or RevPAR, rose 28% year-on-year and now exceeds its pre-pandemic level, being up 2.7% on the third quarter of 2019.

In the third quarter of 2022, the average daily rate increased by 13% compared to a year ago and was up 11% on 2019.

Chief Financial Officer & Head of Strategy Paul Edgecliffe-Johnson will leave the company in six months time to become CFO of Flutter Entertainment in the first half of 2023.

IHG has started the process of finding a new CFO.

The euro stood at $0.9802 Friday evening, down against $0.9822 at the close on Thursday.

Against the yen, the dollar was trading at JP148.03, compared to JP149.77 late Thursday. The yen was staging a fightback after the open on Wall Street, after nearly hitting JP152 during the Asia session.

Stocks in New York opened higher on Friday, with the DJIA up 1.1%, the S&P 500 index up 0.9%, and the Nasdaq Composite was 0.6% higher.

Brent oil was quoted at $92.84 a barrel late Friday, down from $93.29 late Thursday. Gold was quoted at $1,643.70 an ounce Friday, up against $1,641.90 from Thursday.

In the international economics events calendar next week, Monday will be dominated by a slew of composite PMIs, with Japan overnight followed by Germany, eurozone and the UK in the morning then the US in the afternoon. A quiet Tuesday will be headlined by a US house price index.

On Wednesday, there is Chinese GDP, retail sales and industrial production overnight, then on Thursday attention will be on the European Central Bank interest rate decision at 1315 BST. Friday will be headlined by a Bank of Japan rate decision.

In the local corporate calendar on Monday, there are half-year results from Dr Martens, while education publishing firm Pearson will issue a third quarter update.

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National intelligence services (like the CIA and MI6) continue to find themselves relying more and more on civilian sources for the best data and analysis. A recent example was revealed because of all the anxiety over the huge numbers of illegal migrants trying to get into Europe and other Western countries, many of them by boat. Turns out that the best tool for reducing the use of ships for smuggling was an Israeli firm that built a business on creating a database of normal, and abnormal (and usually illegal) behavior by ships at sea for shipping and maritime insurance companies.

This data was easier to collect since the 1990s when all larger ships were required to use the AIS (Automated Identification System) which is essentially an automatic radio beacon (transponder) that, when it receives a signal from a nearby AIS equipped ship, responds with the ship's identity, course, and speed. This is meant to enable AIS ships to avoid collisions with each other. An AIS activity database makes it possible to identify patterns of normal and abnormal behavior. The abnormal behavior, like arriving outside a port and waiting for several days to enter, is what smugglers are often forced to do to avoid arrest. Same thing with travelling outside the most efficient (in terms of fuel used and weather encountered) routes. With enough of this data and a thorough analysis it is very difficult for seagoing criminals to escape detection. Now that navies and coast guards are increasing using this maritime BI (Business Intelligence) tool to more quickly shut down the criminal gangs making over a billion dollars a year from all this people smuggling.

AIS is also used to send ships important traffic and weather information. AIS is one of two ship tracking systems required, by law, for most ocean going ships. INMARSAT (International Maritime Satellite) is a more elaborate and longer range system. It enables shipping companies to keep track of their vessels no matter where they are on the planet. INMARSAT uses a system of satellites, which transmit AIS-like signals to anywhere on the oceans. It only costs a few cents to send an INMARSAT signal to one of your ships and a few cents more to receive a reply. Shipping companies have found the INMARSAT a useful business tool as well as a safety feature.

These two systems are now required by law (international agreements) for all sea going vessels greater than 300-tons. The technology has worked, and the U.S. Navy has found them particularly useful in counter-terror operations. Coast Guards the world over have also found the systems a big help. But apparently pirates in some areas have gained access to the systems (via bribes or theft) and a large number of pirate attacks appear to have been helped by technology meant just to safeguard ships at sea. Iran, and other nations involved in smuggling, learned how to have INMARSAT send a false signal, concealing where the ship actually is. This can work for a while but a nation with lots of recon satellites, warships, and cooperation from most of the worlds shipping can get around this.

The use of AIS data is part of a trend in dual-use intelligence tools that depend on OSINT (Open Source Intelligence). While the U.S. intelligence community long resisted recognizing the importance of OSINT, especially after the Cold War ended in 1991, the enthusiastic acceptance of Internet-based OSINT by so many individual military personnel and commercial information gatherers has led to enthusiastic official government acceptance of what many intelligence professionals now consider a crucial tool and one that can only grow in usefulness.

The Internet has made OSINT a really, really huge source of useful intelligence. It's not just the millions of gigabytes of information that is placed on the net but the even more voluminous masses of message board postings, blogs, emails, and IMs (instant messaging) that reveal what the culture is currently thinking. It was corporate intelligence practitioners who alerted the government intel people to the growing usefulness of Internet based data. Even before the Internet became a major factor in the late 1990s corporations had developed a keen interest in gathering intel on competitors, new markets, and all manner of things that might affect them. The Internet has made this a much more useful and affordable exercise, especially since corporations are less likely to break the law when gathering intel, or have access to the powerful legal tools available to government investigators and analysts.

For years corporate intel specialists were concerned that government agencies, especially the CIA, were not taking sufficient advantage of OSINT. Part of the problem was cultural. The intelligence agencies have always been proud of their special intel tools, like spy satellites, electronic listening stations, and spy networks. Most of these things are unique to government intelligence operations. People who use this stuff tend to look down on a bunch of geeks who simply troll the web. Even when the geeks keep coming up with valuable stuff, they don't get any respect. That began to change after September 11, 2001, when many intelligence specialists, who were reservists, were called to active duty. Many of these men and women worked in BI (Business Intelligence, sometimes called corporate spying) and brought with them a respectful attitude towards OSINT and spectacular (to the government intel people) ability to use it.

Before long many junior members of the intel agencies were using OSINT more frequently. Then it was pointed out that there was growing evidence that some foreign countries were exploiting OSINT (especially the Internet) more effectively than the United States. No foreign intel agency will admit to this, but there are indications that some nations are mining the Internet quite intensively and effectively. Data mining is a heavily used commercial tool that the U.S. intel agencies have used, but now they have adopted the corporate techniques of plowing through vast quantities of unclassified data and often finding gold.

An example of this official acceptance occurred in 2012, when the U.S. Army issued a manual, Army Techniques Publication 2-22.9, which detailed how to use open source (mainly searching the Internet) intelligence most effectively. This was the kind of OSINT troops had been using for over a decade. The publication of ATP 22.9 was a way for the senior army leadership to say, "message received and understood." ATP 22.9, despite all the useful tips it contains, won't go far in helping the many soldiers already using the Internet, but it will be useful in convincing their bosses that a lot of useful stuff can be obtained from the Internet.

The government and military intel community has the money and software chops to screen and analyze huge quantities of data on the Internet, both text and pictures. Despite all these resources the intel behemoths continue to get overtaken by civilian amateurs. A large factor in this was the appearance of Google Earth and other commercial satellite photo sources. This revolutionized military intelligence and the way news on military affairs is developed and spread. Case in point was details on the transformation of the Chinese armed forces and the activities of the North Korean military. Both China and North Korea have long been very secretive about military affairs. But the appearance of Google Earth (originally as Earth View) a decade ago changed everything. By putting so much satellite photography at the disposal of so many people, in such an easy- to- use fashion, unexpected discoveries were made.

People soon discovered that if they had a high-speed Internet connection, they could use Google Earth to find satellite photos of all sorts of interesting stuff. This was especially true of the "Forbidden Kingdoms" (China, Russia, North Korea, and a few others). While the CIA and the military has had access to satellite photos of these countries since the 1960s, little of it was shown to the public. Now that so many people can examine these lower resolution civilian satellite images amazing new discoveries are being made. Many of these commercial satellite photos cover vast stretches of the Forbidden Kingdoms that previously were only scrutinized by a few intel agencies. But the greater number of civilians found things that were newsworthy and never reported before. Things like new military bases, test sites for new weapons, and the new weapons themselves. The open discussion of these findings, most of them already known to the large national intel agencies, brought forth insights and analysis that was often superior to what the much smaller number of professional analysts were capable of. Another example of the wisdom of the crowd.

Technically, the countries in question can request that Google not show these classified military facilities. But in making that request, they point out where the classified operation is. So far, a lot of this stuff is just there to find. And users find it. This is called "crowdsourcing" (where large numbers of people accomplish impressive feats of research or analysis because they can quickly mobilize and get to the task via the Internet). The U.S. military will not say that they appreciate the work done via crowdsourcing, but individual analysts and intelligence officials have made it known, unofficially, that crowdsourcing is another useful tool that unexpectedly came their way via the Internet.
Russia is developing and testing military grade Cyber War weapons on real targets, and finding out what works and what needs improvement. The problems with this is that most of the testing is conducted on weaker neighbors Russia is not getting along with. For example in late 2015 a large part of western Ukraine suffered a power blackout. Some 1.4 million homes and businesses went dark for several hours because of a computer virus (BlackEnergy) believed to be Russian and deliberately deployed against Ukraine to disrupt a power plants and the electrical distribution system. From the beginning Ukraine suspected that this was a Cyber War attack that was carried out by Russia as it was the kind of attack that had no monetary reward but was the sort of thing one nation would use on an enemy in wartime. Russia denied any involvement but the Russians always say that even when there is a pile of evidence proving otherwise.

NATO Cyber War advisers immediately went to work helping Ukraine sort out how the attack was carried out and how to protect against future attacks. The investigation concluded that the attacker had first got access to the networks of three small energy companies using spear-fishing attacks (official looking emails that had an attachment which, when opened, secretly installed software that gave the attackers access to the company network.) After that several other specialized bits of malware (hacker software) were used to map the compromised networks and then carry out crippling attacks. NATO Cyber War investigators found clear evidence of a professional style attack on the energy company networks including careful reconnaissance of the target network to see what items had to be disabled to cause the most damage. The NATO experts gave Ukraine a long list of changes that would have to be made to government and corporate networks associated with all utility (power, water, and so on) and industrial networks.

The forerunner of this Ukraine attacks hit tiny Estonia (population 1.3 million) as early as 2007. In response Estonia, a member of NATO, made a lot of changes and in 2015 formed a Cyber War militia. All this because Russia keeps threatening another major Cyber War offensive. Despite its small size Estonia is the most technically advanced (on a per-capita basis) nation in East Europe and was able to recruit several hundred skilled volunteers who are hard at work pooling their knowledge and skills to better handle more Cyber War aggression from Russia. Ukraine, despite being the largest East European nation is much less well prepared form another Russian Cyber War attack.

Estonia borders Russia and is a member of NATO. That last bit makes Russia reluctant to come in with tanks to take over like they did twice in the 1940s. Instead Russia made a major effort to crush Estonia via major Internet based attacks in 2007. Estonia survived that invasion but admitted that this sort of Russian aggression caused great financial damage. In the wake of these Russian Cyber War attacks Estonia demanded that the UN and NATO declare this sort of thing terrorism and dealt with accordingly. NATO tried to be helpful, but that wasnt enough. The UN was even less helpful as the UN has a hard time getting anything done when Russia is involved because Russia is one of the handful of founding members that has a veto over such decisions.

NATO did make an effort and in 2008 established a Cyber Defense Center in Estonia. This was the most tangible NATO response to Estonian calls for NATO to declare Cyber War on Russia. NATO agreed to discuss the issue but never took any action against Russia. The Cyber Defense Center was a consolation prize and studies Cyber War techniques and incidents and attempts to coordinate efforts by other NATO members to create Cyber War defenses and offensive weapons. NATO say that this appears to have deterred Russia from making another Cyber War attack. The Estonians are not so sure as Russia went ahead and invaded Georgia (a nation of four million in the Caucasus) in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014 and still makes very public threats against Estonia. But the Cyber Defense Center in Estonia has proved to be a valuable resource for other nations looking to improve their Cyber War defenses, especially against Russia.

Cyber Wars have actually been going on since the late 1990s and they are getting worse. It started in the 1990s as individuals attacked the web sites in other nations because of diplomatic disputes. This was usually stirred up by some international incident. India and Pakistan went at it several times, and Arabs and Israelis have been trashing each others web sites for years. The Arabs backed off at first, mainly because the Israeli hackers are much more effective. But in the last few years the Arabs have acquired more skills and are back at it. Chinese and Taiwanese hackers go at each other periodically, and in 2001, Chinese and American hackers clashed because of a collision off the Chinese coast between an American reconnaissance aircraft and a Chinese fighter. That was just the beginning for China, which now regularly makes major hacking attacks on the U.S. and other NATO members.

Since 2005 these Cyber Wars have escalated from web site defacing and shutting down sites with massive amounts of junk traffic (DDOS attacks), to elaborate espionage efforts against American military networks. The attackers are believed to be Chinese, and some American military commanders are calling for a more active defense (namely, a counterattack) to deal with the matter.

The Russian attacks against Estonia were the result of Estonia moving a statue, honoring Russian World War II soldiers, from the center of the capital, to a military cemetery in the countryside. The Estonians always saw the statue as a reminder of half a century of Russian occupation and oppression. Russia saw the statue move as an insult to the efforts of Russian soldiers to liberate Estonia and enable the Russians to occupy the place for half a century. The basic problem here is that most Russians don't see their Soviet era ancestors as evil people, despite the millions of Russians and non-Russians killed by the Soviet secret police. The Russians are very proud of their defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, ignoring the fact that the Soviet government was just biding its time before it launched its own invasion of Germany and Europe in general. All this means little to anyone from outside East Europe, but for any nations neighboring Russia these Russian resentments have to be carefully monitored.

While many Russians would have backed a military attack on Estonia to retaliate for the insult by an ungrateful neighbor, this approach was seen as imprudent. Estonia is part of NATO and an attack on one NATO member is considered an attack on all. It's because of this Russian threat that Estonia was so eager to get into NATO. The Russians, however, believe that massive Cyber War attacks will not trigger a NATO response. They were so sure of this that some of the early DDOS attacks were easily traced back to computers owned by the Russian government. When that got out, the attacks stopped for a few days, and then resumed from what appear to be illegal botnets. Maybe some legal botnets as well. Russian language message boards were full of useful information on how to join the holy war against evil Estonia. There's no indication that any Russians are afraid of a visit from the Russian cyber-police for any damage they might do to Estonia. And the damage has been significant, amounting to millions of dollars. While no one has been injured, Estonia is insisting that this attack, by Russia, should trigger the mutual defense provisions of the NATO treaty. It didn't, but it was a reminder to all that Cyber War is very real except when it comes time to fight back.
In February 2016 France revealed that it had at least fifteen special operations troops in Libya and they had been there since the end of 2015. The French troops were operating from an air base outside the eastern city of Benghazi and were working alongside British and American special operations forces and some other specialists from all three countries. While there were less than 200 foreign troops involved all the Islamic terrorist groups in Libya (and some of the less religious ones) see this presence of foreign troops tantamount to a Western (and non-Moslem) invasion of Libya. Most Libyans dont care. The air base is controlled by the elected Libyan government that is recognized by the UN and on the verge of getting the majority of armed groups in the country to recognize one government and unite against the violent and unwelcome presence of ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant).

The Western commandos are mainly training their Libyan counterparts as well as helping to establish a more efficient intelligence network so that Western warplanes can carry out more strikes on ISIL. Few Libyans object to anything that will hurt ISIL. The French said their troops had carried out four missions so far but nothing was said of how many, if any, the American and British had engaged in. Back in 2013 Islamic terrorist groups tried to conquer Benghazi but failed. Despite that there are still some Islamic terror groups which refuse to leave the city and fight to the death when pressed over the issue.

The internationally recognized government set up shop in the small port city of Tobruk (1,600 kilometers east of Tripoli) after encountering hostility from militias loyal to the pre-June 2014 elections government. Many other government offices moved as well and are finding space where they can. The rebel governments in Tripoli and the Tobruk eventually negotiated a merger deal in late 2015. Most Libyans are fed up with the continuing violence. The 2011 rebellion against Kadaffi left over 30,000 dead but the infighting since then has killed nearly as many. Most major factions agree on peace but Islamic terrorist groups in Tripoli and Benghazi, aided by tribal factions that want more power and money, continue to fight.

Many Libyans are calling for foreign intervention. So has neighbor Egypt. So far the most NATO nations will do is an occasional air strike and a small but growing special operations presence. The main justification this is the growing presence of ISIL in Libya, where the locals were unable to form a national government after the 2011 revolution.
The UN has announced that joint operations with the Congo army in North and South Kivu provinces will resume. However, the joint operations disagreement is still a source of political friction. For the government, the suspension was a political affront. For UN peacekeepers it was a difficult decision to make but one that had to be made. There is solid evidence that two key Congolese generals commanding forces and operations in the region either participated in, encouraged or condoned war crimes. However, in January the UN decided that protecting civilians in eastern Congo took precedence over putting pressure on the government to reform the military. There is also a possibility that the two generals are not involved in joint operations. If true, then the UN made its point to the government. UN forces in eastern Congo are currently supporting the army operations against the Ugandan ADF rebels and the Rwandan FDLR.

March 8, 2016: The U.S. announced more sanctions against the LRA (Lords Resistance Army) and its leader Joseph Kony. Since early January 2016, the Ugandan LRA rebels have kidnapped 217 people in the CAR (Central African Republic). That is almost twice as many kidnappings and abductions attributed to the LRA in the whole of 2015. It is assumed that many of the abductees have been forced to serve as rebel fighters. The women become supply bearers and sex slaves.

March 7, 2016: Diplomats are trying to help Uganda resolve its post-election impasse. President Museveni claimed he won the February 18 election with over 60 percent of the vote. The opposition (FDC) contends the election was unfair and rigged. The FDC has made four demands. It wants an independent (preferably international) audit and examination of the presidential election ballot count. It wants its leaders to be able to travel around the country without the restrictions currently imposed by Museveni. Currently, FDC presidential candidate Kizza Besigye is being denied freedom of movement. He is essentially under house arrest. The FDC also wants the government to remove all security forces from its party headquarters in Kampala. Finally, it wants the government to release all members of the FDC who have been detained by security forces. The last demand is for release of approximately 300 FDC supporters who were arrested nation-wide.

In CAR fighting over the weekend left at least a dozen people dead. This was mostly about Christian and Moslem groups feuding with each other over past disputes.

March 6, 2016: Over 250,000 Burundians have fled their country since trouble began in April 2015. That was the month Perre Nkurunziza decided to run for a prohibited third term as president. He subsequently passed amendments and legislation to permit him to seek a third term and won it in Burundis July 2015 election. However, since then the country has teetered on the brink of civil war.

March 5, 2016: According to the UN since 2002 approximately 30,600 foreign fighters who were operating in Congo have been repatriated to their countries of origin. Most (25,623, of the 30,600) were members of the radical Rwandan Hutu rebel FDLR. The UN estimates FDLR has about 2,000 fighters still in Congo. Former members of the FDLR tell media the figure is more like 4,500.

March 4, 2016: The Congo government conviction of six political activists on charges of attempting to incite revolt has been upheld by an appeals court. However, the activists, who were originally sentenced to two years in jail, will now only serve six months in prison. All of the activists belong to the Struggle for Change (Lucha) coalition.

March 1, 2016: Burundian opposition groups are renewing efforts to pressure the African Union (AU) into deploying a peacekeeping force to Burundi. In December 3015 the AU Peace and Security Council decided to create the African Prevention and Protection Mission in Burundi (MAPROBU). However, president Nkurunzizas government announced that it would militarily resist the peacekeepers and the AU decided it would not deploy force. Meanwhile, a UN team is in Burundi investigating allegations of arbitrary murders and extra-judicial executions.

February 29, 2016: Rebels believed to belong to the Ugandan ADF murdered at least 12 people in the village of Mamabio (Congo, North Kivu province). The attackers also plundered a health clinic.

February 26, 2016: Rwandan security forces have arrested Seraphin Mirindi on the Rwanda-Congo border. Mirindi is a former senior commander of the Congolese rebel M23 group.

February 23, 2016: Burundian president Nkurunziza announced that his government will hold new talks with the opposition. His statement came after a meeting with UN officials. The talks will be part of an effort to peacefully resolve Burundis continuing crisis. Nkurunziza reportedly told the UN that he will end press restrictions. He will also begin freeing some 2,000 political prisoners. Opposition leaders have made freeing political prisoners a key demand.

February 22, 2016: The European Union announced that it will not send election observers to monitor election in the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville). The election is scheduled to be held March 20. The EU stated that the governments election commission is not prepared to conduct a transparent (ie, legitimate) vote. The EU decision is a political slap at President Denis Sassou Nguesso.
The growing number of American Special Forces troops operating in Somalia are there for several different jobs. One is training Somali forces, another is carrying out raids and reconnaissance with (or without) Somali forces along and lastly, and perhaps most importantly the U.S. troops are there to evaluate, up close and often in combat, how effective the Somali soldiers and police are. These assessments have not been reassuring. That is largely because endemic corruption continues to cripple the security forces and assist al Shabaab recruiting. The Special Forces men have seen this before in other parts of the world but Somalia appears to be the worst case.

Because of the corruption related problems the 22,000 peacekeepers, 20,000 Somali soldiers and over 10,000 pro government militiamen have not been able to eradicate Islamic terrorists like al Shabaab or unruly clan leaders and warlords. Violence has been greatly reduced over the last few years but al Shabaab continues to stage high profile (likely to make the international or regional news) attacks, especially in the capital (Mogadishu). Corrupt government officials and clan leaders help keep the violence going by tolerating all manner of illegal activity as long as the bribe is large enough. Fortunately the neighbors (especially Ethiopia and Kenya) are tired of all this Somali lawlessness as neighboring countries have been victims of it for as long as anyone can remember. The UN agrees that something should be done but so far no one has been able to come up with a plan that will quickly bring long-term peace, or at least do that as quickly as the neighbors and donor nations demand. This the major reason why foreign aid for Somalia is declining, largely because of the corruption and violence against aid workers. Aid in 2015 was half of what it was in 2014 and the decline continues.

Relations between Somalis and their neighbors have never been good and they are getting worse. While the UN and foreign aid groups urge peaceful means to bring peace to Somalia that has not worked after more than two decades of efforts. Historically force is the only thing that has worked in Somalia. British 19th century colonial administrators learned that the best way to deal with violent Somalis was to "shoot on sight, shoot first, shoot to kill, keep shooting." Not unexpectedly, post-colonial Somalia proved unable to govern itself. Britain administered Somalia from 1884 to 1960 and after much effort imposed more peace, prosperity and unity that the region had known for some time. That lasted about two decades and then the usual bad habits began tearing Somalia apart again. The tribal rivalries kept the pot boiling and even the rise of a "clean government" party (the Islamic Courts) after 2001, based on installing a religious dictatorship, backfired and turned into al Shabaab. That caused even more Somalis to flee their homeland and led to even more problems as Somali refugees throughout Africa and worldwide acquired a reputation for violence and criminal behavior.

Meanwhile al Shabaab still has a lot of popular support. The majority of Somalis oppose Islamic terrorism but a significant minority (up to 20 percent) support or tolerate groups like al Shabaab. The main reason for the support is desperation for a solution to the poverty, corruption, factionalism and chaos that make Somalia such a dangerous place to live in. Many Somalis tolerate corruption because it makes it possible to obtain enough cash to flee the country and settle somewhere else. Al Shabaab is still attracting recruits and is still a dangerous factor in Somali life. Then again al Shabaab is part of the problems that bother most Somalis. It has long been recognized that the biggest barrier to effective national government and peace is the corruption. In this department Somalia is unique. Somalia one of the two (along with North Korea) most corrupt nations in the world. Corruption in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index is measured on a 1 (most corrupt) to 100 (not corrupt) scale. The two most corrupt nations have a rating of 8 (North Korea and Somalia) and the least corrupt is 91 (Denmark). African nations are the most corrupt, followed by Middle Eastern ones. What is happening in Somalia is happening throughout Africa and for the same reasons. But Somalia is the worst case and thus the most difficult challenge.

There is progress, just not a lot of it and it comes slowly and at great cost. Thus the economy continues to grow and some refugees who fled the country (mainly to Kenya) are returning. The Somali Army continues to grow and perform better. Most of the soldiers have been trained by foreign experts and the defense budget is largely paid for by foreign aid. This makes it possible to at least try to deal with the corruption. Traditional bad habits, like officers stealing money to pay and feed their troops and blaming it all on someone else, are easier to expose and deal with when foreign donors are providing the cash. If soldiers actually get paid regularly being in the army is an attractive career, especially since over 60 percent of younger (under 35 years old) Somali men are unemployed or underemployed (not earning enough to support a family adequately). Yet the American Special Forces observers are finding that the corrupt practices are remarkably persistent.

Meanwhile the Special Forces teams are also finding that al Shabaab has corruption problems as well. However an even bigger issue with the enemy is the increasingly violent dispute within al Shabaab over the desire of many members (most of them foreigners) to join ISIL (al Qaeda in Iraq and the Levant). Violent factionalism within al Shabaab is nothing new. After 2010 al Shabaab began having serious problems with factional disputes. For that and several other reasons the group is constantly losing members. Over half of those who join al Shabaab eventually (after a few months or years) quit. Some later rejoin but then leave again because al Shabaab members keep encountering a corrupt and inefficient organization that proclaims itself as the only hope. Moreover a major attraction for most Somali recruits is regular pay (up to several hundred dollars a month) which is offered deliberately because otherwise the group would be dominated by foreigners willing to work for less (or nothing). Al Shabaab often ran into financial difficulties and could not pay many of their men for months at a time. At that point many would quit and often did so with the permission of their leaders. Al Shabaab had learned that deserters were more likely to inform on the Islamic terrorist group. But allowing departure (and often helping the former followers get home) made the former members less likely to talk and some even returned. This is in sharp contrast with ISIL, which threatens execution of those caught trying to desert.

Secrets Revealed

The March 9 commando raid west of the capital revealed the extent of the American effort to train Somali soldiers as commandos. The raid was carried out by over a dozen Somali commandos accompanied by a smaller number of American Special Forces troops who were there to observe and advise and did not use their weapons. The Americans did not suffer any casualties either and it is unclear if the Somalis did. Al Shabaab claims that the attackers were white soldiers who were repulsed at little cost to the Islamic terrorists. Al Shabaab always tries to spin defeats like this. Nevertheless the raid was a success for the Somalis because a night time operation involving helicopters is one of the most difficult situations commandos encounter. The Somali commandos wanted to take their target alive but killing him was an acceptable alternative. American officials made a point of stating that the U.S. commandos along with the Somalis were armed but did not open fire. That means the S0malis can take credit for all the fighting. This raid ends years of efforts to train Somalis to carry out these complex commando operations. The problem is that few Somalis have been trained to this high level of skill and reliability.

The CIA and American Special Forces have been in Somalia for over a decade. In 2014 the U.S. admitted that it has had personnel in Somalia since 2007 and that in 2014 there were 120 Americans in Somalia. This was no secret as since 2005 there were reports of an American compound in Mogadishu and occasionally there were reports of American Special Forces or CIA personnel carrying out intelligence missions. The U.S. would never admit there were American operatives stationed in Somalia but would acknowledge the occasional military action. No details of the special operations training program for Somalis was released.

Coming Home

Kenya revealed that since 2014 over 60,000 Somalis returned from Kenya as part of a Kenyan program to persuade Somali refugees to voluntarily return home. Kenya offered inducements it hoped would persuade at least 100,000 to go back by the end of 2015. That did not happen. This is a big step back from the original plan to expel all (over 600,000) legal and illegal Somali refugees in the country. The expulsion threat came in response to ever more horrendous al Shabaab attacks inside Kenya, including an April 2015 al Shabaab massacre of 148 Christian students at a university. The UN promised to help with refugee camp security and moving more of the refugees back to Somalia but strongly opposed expulsion. Nevertheless the UN has promised to get 50,000 Somali refugees to leave Kenya in 2016. That seems unlikely because in January only about 1,200 left. In Somalia politicians and al Shabaab agree that Kenya should stop mistreating Somalis in Kenya if only because this mistreatment is used by al Shabaab for recruiting. The Kenyan government recognizes this problem and talks about curbing violence against Somalis in Kenya but controlling popular hatred of and hostility towards murderous Somalis is difficult. This is particularly true because of the recent al Shabaab terror attacks in Kenya and the centuries of Somalis raiding into Kenya. Its an old problem that does not lend itself to quick or easy solutions. Meanwhile the UN has to cut food supplies to all the refugees in Kenya (mostly Somali but some from Sudan) because not enough donors could be found. There is only so much donor money out there and many donors seek areas where they believe their money will do the most good. Long term refugees (as with the Somalis in Kenya) are not seen as the best use of donor funds. Currently the UN spends about $115 million a year to feed the refugees in northern Kenya. Nearly half that money comes from the United States. Refugee officials continue having problems maintaining security in the Somali refugee camps and a growing number of foreign aid organizations are withdrawing from some camps because of the chronic violence.

March 9, 2016: In Awdhegle (50 kilometers west of Mogadishu) Somali commandos in American helicopters landed outside the town at night and sought to capture a senior al Shabaab leader known to be in the town. The al Shabaab sentries were alert and the commandos encountered resistance. After a brief firefight in which at least ten al Shabaab men were killed, the Somali commandos withdrew. Apparently the Somalis had informants in the town because they knew which house the target was staying in and were pretty sure the next day that the target had been killed during the firefight. The al Shabaab men in the town also believed there were local government informants and were seen arresting suspects the next day.

In Mogadishu al Shabaab used a suicide car bomber to attack a police station and killed three policemen.

March 7, 2016: Outside the central Somali town of Beledweyne al Shabaab set off a bomb near the airport that wounded two peacekeepers and four civilians. Another bomb was found and disabled.

An Australian warship on anti-piracy patrol stopped and searched a fishing boat 300 kilometers off the coast of Oman and found over 2,000 weapons, most of them AK-47s. It was unclear if the weapons (which seemed to be from Iran) were headed for Somalia or to Shia rebels in Yemen.

March 6, 2016: In the southeast (Lower Shabelle region) soldiers and peacekeepers found and arrested a wanted al Shabaab leader who controlled many of the al Shabaab operations in the area.

March 5, 2016: Outside the town of Raso (200 kilometers north of Mogadishu) a newly built al Shabaab training camp was hit with an air attack using missiles and smart bombs that left most of the 200 or more al Shabaab men in the camp dead. The Somalis apparently had informants in the area because there is cell phone service available and many of the locals have cell phones. Al Shabaab denied that it had suffered 150 dead but refused to discuss details of their losses. Some locals used their cell phones to talk with journalists. Calling into radio talk and news shows is very popular in Somalia and the news here was that al Shabaab suffered heavy losses but none of the locals could give a precise number because getting too close to the bombed out camp ran the risk of being seized by al Shabaab as a spy. Al Shabaab knows many Somalis hate them and that cell phones make that hatred very dangerous. Efforts to get cell phone service shut down in areas where al Shabaab operates have been partially successful but when they do succeed the locals hate them even more. The Americans apparently used F-15E fighter-bombers and Reaper UAVs for the attack and Reapers carried a lot of earlier surveillance of the camp to confirm target details. Reapers tend to come around after such an attack to collect data on the aftereffects. This air strike spotlights a large increase in American air attacks in Somalia. Only 41 Islamic terrorists were killed by air attacks in Somalia during 2015, and that was an increase from four dead in 2011, the first year the United States undertook such attacks. The Raso attack was carried out partly because intelligence indicated that the men being trained there were going to be used during March for major attacks on security forces, peacekeepers and American operations in Somalia.

March 2, 2016: In central Somalia (Mudug region) soldiers found and fired on a group of al Shabaab men preparing to attack a village. The brief firefight left six Islamic terrorists dead and five wounded.

March 1, 2016: Some 20 kilometers north of Mogadishu an al Shabaab roadside bomb killed five soldiers and wounded eight others.

February 28, 2016: In the central Somalia town of Baidoa two al Shabaab suicide bombers left at least 36 dead.

February 26, 2016: In Mogadishu al Shabaab used a suicide car bomb and gunmen to attack a heavily guarded hotel. The attack failed to get into the hotel but left 14 dead, most of them civilians.

February 25, 2016: In Mogadishu al Shabaab fired at least eight mortar shells towards the Presidential Palace but missed and killed five civilians and wounded seven others in nearby residential areas. There was a similar attack in January.

February 23, 2016: In Mogadishu police found and arrested a much sought local al Shabaab leader. This arrest was made possible by the growing number of sweep operations in the city which make it difficult for al Shabaab members, especially known ones, to just slip away. So far this year several hundred al Shabaab members have been arrested in Mogadishu.
By Sam Forgione

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Many bond investors who benefited from the recent rally in battered energy debt prices are maintaining or seeking to add to their holdings, viewing the rally as the start of a longer-lasting uptrend rather than a blip.

Fund managers including MacKay Shields, Thornburg Investment Management and BlueBay Asset Management said they had increased their positions or initiated new ones in recent months after energy bond prices cheapened in 2015. Most of these fund managers had less exposure to energy debt at the end of last year than the indexes they compare their funds against.

They said energy debt remained attractive even after the latest rally. Many favored bonds of pipeline operators, saying excessive pessimism has sunk their prices to distressed levels.

"Bad things in energy are already priced in," said Andrew Susser, head of high yield at MacKay Shields in New York, which oversees $89 billion in assets. "Midstream bonds seem awfully cheap," he said. The midstream oil and gas industry sector includes companies that transport product via pipelines.

U.S. crude prices slid about 76 percent from June 20, 2014 to $26.05 a barrel by Feb. 11, 2016, nearly a 13-year low. Over the same period, the BofA Merrill Lynch U.S. High Yield Energy Index tumbled about 46 percent.

Since then, U.S. crude has risen about 44 percent, settling at $37.84 on Thursday. Over the same period, the high-yield energy index was up 20 percent.

Pipelines remain fundamental to the energy sector, which helps protect revenues of companies operating them, said Lon Erickson, portfolio manager of the roughly $4 billion Thornburg Limited Term Income Fund .

Erickson said the fund had some exposure to midstream company Williams Cos (NYSE: WMB), while other funds held Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI) bonds.

He said oil producers began signaling steeper cuts in capital spending after oil prices slipped below $30 a barrel, which could cut output enough to eventually boost oil prices.

"The reality of this price environment is setting in and really causing people to take a look at their businesses," Erickson said. "It is a lot more interesting a place to be looking at today than it was even six months ago."

Lydia Chaumont, institutional portfolio manager for convertible bonds at BlueBay Asset Management in London, said she also believes more-balanced supply and demand could lift oil prices by year end. Chaumont said she was looking to add to positions in higher-quality energy companies.

These investors are optimistic despite lingering fears among ratings agencies. Moody's Investors Service downgraded 71 oil and gas companies between December and February and still has around 92 companies on review for downgrade globally.

DEFAULTS "NOT THE END OF THE WORLD"

Investors said energy assets could remain solid investments even if companies default on payments or file for bankruptcy.

Christian Busken, director of real assets at investment advisory firm Fund Evaluation Group in Cincinnati, said he was recommending clients invest in private equity funds that buy energy assets out of bankruptcy.

"All the things that are happening in the energy markets are setting the stage for higher prices down the road," Busken said, noting capex cuts. He said private equity funds buying assets of bankrupt energy companies stood to benefit once commodity prices recovered.

Midstream companies' credit quality could deteriorate as a result of lower volumes as exploration and production (E&P) companies produce less oil and gas, said Steve Wood, managing director of the Americas oil and gas team at Moody's in New York.

However, he said he saw less risk of midstream companies defaulting than E&P or oil services companies because their businesses are not as directly affected by low oil prices.

A default can halt a company from further degrading its value by paying junior creditors or continuing to make capital expenditures, Susser of MacKay Shields said.

"A default is not the end of the world," he said.

(Reporting by Sam Forgione; Editing by Jennifer Ablan and David Gregorio)
(Updated - March 11, 2016 10:55 AM EST)

General Motors (NYSE: GM) announced that it is acquiring Cruise Automation to add Cruises deep software talent and rapid development capability to further accelerate GMs development of autonomous vehicle technology.

(UPDATE - According to Fortune , GM was said to pay over $1 billion for Cruise Automation.)

Fully autonomous vehicles can bring our customers enormous benefits in terms of greater convenience, lower cost and improved safety for their daily mobility needs, said GM President Dan Ammann.

Cruise will operate as an independent unit within GMs recently formed Autonomous Vehicle Development Team led by Doug Parks, GM vice president of autonomous technology and vehicle execution, and will continue to be based in San Francisco. Founded in 2013, Cruise has moved quickly to develop and test autonomous vehicle technology in San Franciscos challenging city environment.

GM's commitment to autonomous vehicles is inspiring, deliberate, and completely in line with our vision to make transportation safer and more accessible, said Kyle Vogt, founder of Cruise Automation. We are excited to be partnering with GM and believe this is a ground-breaking and necessary step toward rapidly commercializing autonomous vehicle technology.

According to Mark Reuss, GM executive vice president, Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain, Cruise provides our company with a unique technology advantage that is unmatched in our industry. We intend to invest significantly to further grow the talent base and capabilities already established by the Cruise team.

The acquisition of Cruise is GMs latest step toward its goal of redefining the future of personal mobility. Since the beginning of the year, GM has entered into a strategic alliance with ride-sharing company Lyft; formed Maven, its personal mobility brand for car-sharing fleets in many U.S. cities, and established a separate unit for autonomous vehicle development.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the second quarter.
Harte Hanks (NYSE: HHS), a leader in developing customer relationships, experiences and defining interaction-led marketing, today announced it has entered into a new credit agreement and is taking actions designed to enhance the Company's financial flexibility.

The Company closed a new $110 million, five-year senior secured credit facility with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. This facility consists of a $65 million (maximum) revolving credit facility and a $45 million term loan facility. The new credit facility replaces the Company's existing credit facilities set to expire in August 2016. The terms of the new credit facility will be disclosed in filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

To further enhance the Company's financial flexibility, the Company will also discontinue payment of dividends. The previously declared first quarter cash dividend of 8.5 cents per share will be paid on March 15, 2016, as previously announced.

Chief Executive Officer Karen Puckett said, "After receiving interest from a number of financial institutions, we were pleased to select Wells Fargo as our credit partner as we pursue our goal of increasing shareholder value and continuing on our path of establishing ourselves as the solution for organizations looking for an enhanced customer journey that drives brand engagement and marketing returns. The steps we have taken today will result in additional cash on our balance sheet to invest in the business as well as reduced principal loan payments. We are well positioned to support our future product and strategy initiatives and improve execution and performance while we continue to generate positive adjusted operating income and cash flow."
International Game Technology PLC (NYSE: IGT) announced that its subsidiary, IGT Global Solutions Corporation, has signed a Gaming System and Related Services Agreement (Agreement) with the North Carolina Education Lottery (NCEL) to provide a new draw-based central system, new lottery terminals, as well as player self-service vending machines, a multifaceted communications network, and ongoing services. The Agreement, with an initial term of 10+ years from "Go-Live" on April 1, 2017 until June 30, 2027, allows for a five-year extension option until June 30, 2032, and is the result of a competitive procurement. The NCEL has been a valued IGT customer since the NCEL launched the lottery in 2006.

"We are grateful to be aligned with the NCEL in innovating its business and achieving consecutive years of record success, and we welcome the opportunity to support the NCEL in ushering in its next exciting chapter," said Michael Chambrello, IGT CEO, North America Lottery. "We look forward to furthering our partnership, helping to increase contributions to education, and bringing the greatest value to North Carolinians as we help the NCEL reach and exceed its next set of strategic goals."

"The Education Lottery's partnership with IGT during its first 10 years of operations is one of the major reasons it has succeeded in increasing both sales and earnings every year," said Alice Garland, Executive Director of the NCEL. "With our new partnership, the lottery will get the systems and equipment it needs to work more effectively and efficiently for its players, its retail partners and the good cause it serves. By working together, the next 10 years can be as successful as the first."

Under the terms of the Agreement, IGT will provide the NCEL with industry-leading tools including components of IGT's Aurora platform. Aurora Open Retail (f/k/a NEOS), a new retail solution software architecture, will enable the NCEL to support multiple types of retailer solution devices in an efficient manner, improving time to market. Additionally, the NCEL will receive Aurora Navigator (f/k/a NVISION) back-office applications for lottery personnel who will have the ability to customize the look and feel of the interface to meet their exact needs, help them better manage their business, and enhance productivity.

The NCEL will also receive IGT's Altura Flex draw-based lottery terminal which features a highly-configurable platform derived from the successful Altura GT1200 product, and a smaller footprint. A new reader for play slips is designed to reduce maintenance cycles and improve throughput. A high-resolution wide-screen retailer display will enhance the ease of use and productivity of retailers.

Moreover, the Gemini Touch, IGT's new self-service lottery vending machine, provides fully customizable screens, allowing the NCEL to showcase its brand identity and creatively display content that is unique and inviting. Up to 28 instant-ticket games are supported and the number of draw games is configurable based on the NCEL's needs.

The latest ES MultiMedia digital advertising display solution will be provided to stimulate increased brand awareness, winner awareness, and player recognition of jackpots and game activities, directly at the point-of-sale. The communications network will be replaced with a combination of VSAT technology and the IGT-patented Dual Comm Inside, offering the highest network availability in the lottery industry.

IGT will maintain its primary data center to be co-located with the NCEL's new facility in Raleigh, providing services to the NCEL including installation and maintenance of the new central system, terminals, and communications network; retailer training; and field services. IGT will continue to provide backup data center services from its Data Center of the Americas facility located in Austin, Texas.
The US Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA-CVM) released in the Federal Register a preliminary finding of no significant impact (FONSI) on Oxitec's self-limiting OX513A Aedes aegypti mosquito for an investigational trial in the Florida Keys. The finding agrees with the draft environmental assessment (EA) submitted by Oxitec, Ltd., a subsidiary of Intrexon Corporation (NYSE: XON), that concludes a field trial of the Company's genetically engineered (GE) OX513A mosquitoes in Key Haven, Florida, will not result in a significant impact on the environment. This follows an FDA-led evaluation of potential impacts on health and the environment of the proposed trial.

Oxitec's Chief Executive Officer Hadyn Parry said, "We are pleased that the FDA-led team has released this preliminary FONSI. The Aedes aegypti mosquito represents a significant threat to human health, and in many countries has been spreading Zika, dengue and chikungunya viruses. This mosquito is non-native to the US and difficult to control, with the best available methods only able to reduce the population by up to 50%, which is simply not enough. We look forward to this proposed trial and the potential to protect people from Aedes aegypti and the diseases it spreads."

The purpose of the proposed trial is to determine the efficacy of Oxitec's self-limiting mosquitoes for the control of the local population of Aedes aegypti in Key Haven, Monroe County, Florida.

Oxitec's self-limiting mosquitoes have been genetically engineered so that their offspring die before reaching adulthood. Male Oxitec mosquitoes, which do not bite or spread disease, are released to mate with wild female Aedes aegypti so that their offspring die, reducing the population. Efficacy trials in Brazil, Panama, and the Cayman Islands have tested this approach, and in these trials the population of Aedes aegypti was reduced by more than 90% - an exceptional level of control compared to conventional methods, such as insecticides.

The FDA review team consisted of experts from the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The FDA led an extensive review of evidence from trials in urban environments performed in Brazil, Panama and the Cayman Islands since 2009, and data from numerous safety studies, site inspections and independent experts.
MUNDELEIN, Ill., March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- MacLean-Fogg Component Solutions was named a GM Supplier of the Year by General Motors during its 24th annual Supplier of the Year awards ceremony held Thursday, March 10 at Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan. General Motors recognized 110 of its best suppliers from 17 countries that have consistently exceeded GM's expectations, created outstanding value, or brought new innovations to the company. The announcement represented the most suppliers General Motors has recognized since debuting the Supplier of the Year event in 1992. This is the first time in MacLean-Fogg Component Solutions' history we have received this award.

"We are focused on building positive supplier relationships, bringing new, customer-centric innovations to GM, and being the OEM of choice among suppliers," said Steve Kiefer, GM Vice President, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. "The companies we recognize not only have brought innovation, they delivered it with the quality our customers deserve."

GM's 2015 supplier recognition represents a nearly 40 percent increase in the number of suppliers honored compared to 79 recipients in 2014. More than half of the suppliers are repeat winners from 2014. Winning suppliers were chosen by a global team of GM purchasing, engineering, quality, manufacturing, and logistics executives and selected based on performance criteria in Product Purchasing, Indirect Purchasing, Customer Care and Aftersales, and Logistics.

Duncan MacLean, President of MacLean-Fogg, stated, "We are honored to receive this recognition from such a strong company as General Motors. It is a testament to the hard work of many MacLean-Fogg employees working with their counterparts at General Motors that have enabled MacLean-Fogg to earn this recognition. Receiving this award is confirmation that our focus on LEAN manufacturing, quality and innovation is being valued by General Motors. We look forward to continuing our relationship with General Motors as they continue to value their supplier partnerships."

About MacLean-Fogg Component SolutionsMacLean-Fogg Component Solutions, a MacLean-Fogg Company division, is a leading supplier of innovative fasteners, engineered components, engineered plastics and linkage and suspension products serving many diverse industries. Visit http://macleanfoggcs.com. MacLean-Fogg Company is a worldwide enterprise currently operating 40 global manufacturing facilities across 6 continents with annual sales in excess of one billion (USD) and a workforce of over 4,000 providing engineered metal and plastic components to diverse markets including automotive, heavy duty truck and electrical power transmission and distribution. Visit http://www.macleanfogg.com.

About General MotorsGeneral Motors Co. and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120201/CG45787LOGO Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150921/268796LOGO

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/general-motors-recognizes-maclean-fogg-component-solutions-as-a-2015-supplier-of-the-year-winner-300234771.html

SOURCE MacLean-Fogg Component Solutions
SAN ANTONIO, TX -- (Marketwired) -- 03/11/16 -- Harte Hanks (NYSE: HHS), a leader in developing customer relationships, experiences and defining interaction-led marketing, today announced it has entered into a new credit agreement and is taking actions designed to enhance the Company's financial flexibility.

The Company closed a new $110 million, five-year senior secured credit facility with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. This facility consists of a $65 million (maximum) revolving credit facility and a $45 million term loan facility. The new credit facility replaces the Company's existing credit facilities set to expire in August 2016. The terms of the new credit facility will be disclosed in filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

To further enhance the Company's financial flexibility, the Company will also discontinue payment of dividends. The previously declared first quarter cash dividend of 8.5 cents per share will be paid on March 15, 2016, as previously announced.

Chief Executive Officer Karen Puckett said, "After receiving interest from a number of financial institutions, we were pleased to select Wells Fargo as our credit partner as we pursue our goal of increasing shareholder value and continuing on our path of establishing ourselves as the solution for organizations looking for an enhanced customer journey that drives brand engagement and marketing returns. The steps we have taken today will result in additional cash on our balance sheet to invest in the business as well as reduced principal loan payments. We are well positioned to support our future product and strategy initiatives and improve execution and performance while we continue to generate positive adjusted operating income and cash flow."

About Harte Hanks:

Harte Hanks partners with clients to deliver relevant, connected and quality customer interactions. Our approach starts with discovery and learning, which leads to customer journey mapping, creative and content development, analytics and data management, and ends with execution and support in a variety of digital and traditional channels. We do something powerful: we produce engaging and memorable customer interactions to drive business results for our clients, which is why Harte Hanks is famous for developing better customer relationships, experiences and defining interaction-led marketing. For more information, visit the Harte Hanks website at www.hartehanks.com, call (800) 456-9748, email [email protected] or follow us on Twitter @hartehanks or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HarteHanks.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

Our press release and related earnings conference call contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of U.S. federal securities laws. All such statements are qualified by this cautionary note, provided pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements other than historical facts are forward-looking and may be identified by words such as "may," "will," "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "estimates," "seeks," "could," "intends," or words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements are based on current information, expectations and estimates and involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that are difficult to predict and that could cause actual results to vary materially from what is expressed in or indicated by the forward-looking statements. In that event, our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity could be materially adversely affected and investors in our securities could lose part or all of their investments. These risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors include: (a) local, national and international economic and business conditions, including (i) market conditions that may adversely impact marketing expenditures and (ii) the impact of economic uncertainty in the United States and elsewhere on the financial condition, marketing expenditures and activities of our clients and prospects; (b) the demand for our products and services by clients and prospective clients, including (i) the willingness of existing clients to maintain or increase their spending on products and services that are or remain profitable for us, and (ii) our ability to predict changes in client needs and preferences; (c) economic and other business factors that impact the industry verticals we serve, including competition and consolidation of current and prospective clients, vendors and partners in these verticals; (d) our ability to manage and timely adjust our capacity, workforce and cost structure to effectively serve our clients; (e) our ability to improve our processes and to provide new products and services in a timely and cost-effective manner though development, license or acquisition; (f) our ability to protect our data centers against security breaches and other interruptions and to protect sensitive personal information of our clients and their customers; (g) our ability to respond to increasing concern, regulation and legal action over consumer privacy issues, including changing requirements for collection, processing and use of information; (h) the impact privacy and other regulations, including restrictions on unsolicited marketing communications and other consumer protection laws; (i) fluctuations in fuel prices, paper prices, postal rates and postal delivery schedules; (j) the number of shares, if any, that we may repurchase in connection with our repurchase program; (k) unanticipated developments regarding litigation or other contingent liabilities; and (l) the ability to integrate and successfully leverage newly-acquired service offerings as anticipated; and (m) our ability to maintain business performance and strategic focus during a period of leadership transition; and (n) other factors discussed from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014. The forward-looking statements in this press release and our related earnings conference call are made only as of the date hereof and we undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statement, even if new information becomes available or other events occur in the future.

As used herein, "Harte Hanks" refers to Harte Hanks, Inc. and/or its applicable operating subsidiaries, as the context may require. Harte Hanks' logo and name are trademarks of Harte Hanks.

Source: Harte Hanks, Inc.
Ahmed Aboul Gheit sits beside an unoccupied seat for the Libyan foreign minister, at the opening of an emergency meeting among the Arab League foreign ministers, held to discuss issues about Libya, at the headquarters in Cairo March 2, 2011. REUTERS/Amr

CAIRO (Reuters) - The Arab League chose former Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Thursday as its new secretary-general, after diplomats said the vote was delayed for hours due to Qatari reservations.

Aboul Gheit served as Egypt's foreign minister during the final seven years of Hosni Mubarak's rule, leaving his post in 2011, following the mass protests that toppled the aging ruler.

The 22-member organization voted unanimously in favor of Aboul Gheit after much debate. He will replace Nabil El-Araby, who served as Egypt's foreign minister under a transitional government formed after the 2011 uprising.

El-Araby said last month that he would not seek another term as secretary-general after his current one ends in July.

Qatar welcomed Mubarak's fall and supported Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, who was elected in 2012 and overthrown a year later by the army after protests against his rule.

The debate over Araby's successor follows Morocco's announcement last month that it would not host the 2016 Arab League meeting as scheduled, saying it wanted to avoid giving a false impression of unity in the Arab world.

The Arab League has recently been a forum for predominantly Sunni Muslim countries led by Saudi Arabia to air grievances with regional Shi'ite power Iran.

The two regional powers are backing different sides in Syria's civil war and different factions in neighboring Lebanon.

(Reporting by Amina Ismail and Mostafa Hashem; Editing by Dominic Evans)
Passengers sit outside the Kuwait Airways terminal area at the Kuwait International Airport, in this March 18, 2012 file picture. To match KUWAIT-AIRWAYS/ REUTERS/Stephanie McGehee

By Nadia Saleem

DUBAI (Reuters) - Kuwait Airways' overhaul may be management's last chance to save it, as the slump in oil prices means the government cannot go on funding its losses at a time when it is struggling even to pay public sector salaries, industry experts say.

Once a prominent symbol of Kuwait's prosperity, the airline is now under real pressure to turn a profit, the 61-year old flag carrier having lost money in each year bar one since Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

And to some the airline's plight is indicative of the wider challenges faced by one of the world's richest countries per head of population as it now struggles to live within its means as low oil prices cause the government to run a budget deficit.

And a habit of relying on the state for jobs and cradle-to-grave welfare means Kuwait faces an uphill task in convincing citizens that the state urgently needs to reduce spending, speed up privatisations and encourage the private sector.

"The government can't go on for very long continuing to fund the airline," said Kuwait economist Jassim Al Sadoun, head of the Al Shall consultancy.

"With low oil prices, it might take them a year or two to realise they dont have enough funds, especially because of their involvement in regional conflict," he said, referring to Kuwait's involvement in Saudi-led operations in Yemen.

Which means securing a lasting future for the airline is now a much more urgent challenge for the management, led by chairwoman and former chief executive Rasha al-Roumi.

Following Al-Roumi's appointment as chief executive in December 2013 the airline placed its first significant aircraft order since the invasion, after parliament agreed to convert the airline into an independent corporation, freeing it from having to first gain approvals for such deals from state auditors.

Al-Roumi has since sought to make the business more efficient with staff cuts and a rationalisation of routes and the airline will be rebranded with a new look by June.

Kuwait has also agreed to pay off the airline's losses, fund its fleet renewal programme worth nearly $8 billion and inject $4 billion of capital.

But economists say that could be the last lifeline thrown.

Kuwait's emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, last month called for budget cuts and better management of spending in public entities.

The country expects revenues of 7.4 billion dinars in this fiscal year, which would cover only 71 percent of state salaries and associated costs.

As a result pressure is growing to push ahead with long-planned privatisations, including that of the airline.

"Kuwait's government will have to pay attention now to its bleeding points, and Kuwait Airways is one of them," Marwan Boodai, chairman of budding rival Jazeera Airways , said in an interview.

Kuwait Airways has been embroiled in political haggling over stalled privatisation plans since 2008. But the pride attached to a national carrier and its status as one of Kuwaits largest employers has so far frustrated any moves to sell it off.

"The government doesn't have a vision for the airline ... Even if it does privatise it, it will continue its interference without a corporate plan for the airline," said Will Horton, an analyst at Australian aviation consultancy CAPA.

PRIVATISATION DELAYS

Kuwait's parliament first approved a plan to privatise Kuwait Airways in 2008 with a two-year deadline. But it has since gone through various proposals to change the structure, with no new timetable set.

The original plans called for a strategic investor to purchase 35 percent. Kuwaiti budget carrier Jazeera Airways and logistics firm Agility both expressed interest.

Opposition from some members of parliament prompted government approval last year of a new privatisation structure whereby the government will retain 75 percent, leaving no room for a strategic investor.

Sadoun said the government has two routes to take with the airline; either to privatise it or to follow the example of the UAE and Qatar by establishing Kuwait as a travel hub between East and West.

But a hub plan could prove costly and take many years to achieve, due in part to many bureaucratic hurdles.

However, the airline's latest restructuring plan that dates back to 2013 when Al-Roumi took over as CEO, still gives it a fighting chance as it leases its first new aircraft in 15 years, according to airline officials.

As part of the turnaround she has also shed 1,350 jobs and plans to cut another 1,000 from the remaining 5,800.

Al-Roumi declined to comment for this article.

But with a gradual reduction in losses and a slowly renewing fleet, some in the industry say Kuwait Airways is at last heading towards becoming a commercially viable airline.

"(Kuwait Airways) has a changed model and I'm sure it will rapidly progress under the leadership," Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said in January.

Critics warn that may simply be a reprieve until a significant private partner is brought in.

"Governments should look at the privatisation option to stop the bleeding  if they stop annual losses, that's an achievement. And it's a good time for them to look at getting rid of such businesses," Boodai said.

(This version of the story has been refiled to remove inactive link to related content.)

(Additional reporting by Tim Hepher, William Maclean; Editing by Greg Mahlich)
A piece of debris found by a South African family off the Mozambique coast in December 2015, which authorities will examine to see if it is from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, is pictured in this handout photo released to Reuters March 11, 2016.

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A South African teenager has found debris which will be sent to Australia for testing as part of the investigation into the disappearance of a Malaysian Airlines plane two years ago, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) said on Friday.

Liam Lotter, 18, told South Africa's East Coast radio he found the piece of debris on a beach in Mozambique while on holiday in December and his family took it back to their home in South Africa.

He said that after a suspected part of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was found in Mozambique last week his family made the connection with his find.

That white, meter-long chunk of metal is being tested by officials in Australia, with help from Malaysian authorities and representatives of manufacturer Boeing Co (NYSE: BA). South African authorities plan to hand over the debris found by Lotter to the same Australian team.

"We are arranging for collection of the part, which will then be sent to Australia as they are the ones appointed by Malaysia to identify parts found," SACAA spokesman Kabelo Ledwaba told Reuters.

Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014, with 239 passengers and crew on board, shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing. It is believed to have crashed in the Indian Ocean.

A piece of the plane's wing was washed up on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion in July 2015.

(Reporting by Joe Brock and George Sargent; editing by Andrew Roche)
The logo of U.S. manufacturer Pratt & Whitney is seen on an engine of Swiss airline's new Bombardier CS100 passenger jet at Zurich airport near the town of Kloten June 18, 2015. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

By Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The selection of Pratt & Whitney to build the engines for the new Northrop Grumman Corp (NYSE: NOC) B-21 bomber should help Pratt lower the cost of its F135 engines that power the Lockheed Martin Corp (NYSE: LMT) F-35 fighter jet, a top Air Force general said Thursday.

Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan, who runs the $391 billion F-35 program, told reporters that lessons learned from the F135 engine program, any commonality between the engines, and greater engine production could help drive down costs on both programs.

"I would expect that Pratts prices on the F135 ought to come down as a result of the work theyre going to be doing on the long-range strike (bomber)," he said after speaking at an event hosted by U.S. defense consultant Jim McAleese.

The Air Force last week named Pratt, a unit of United Technologies Corp (NYSE: UTX), as the enginemaker for the new bomber, but gave no details about the actual engines.

Bogdan said the bomber decision could lead to an increase in F135 engine cores, which could lead to price reductions later.

"There's spillover things that happen if you have two engines that are common," Bogdan said. "There's another source of investment to improve engine manufacturing now."

He said he knew little about the B-21 bomber program, which remains classified, and did not explicitly confirm that F135 engine cores would be used for the new bomber.

Pratt spokesman Matthew Bates declined comment when asked if the the new bomber engine would use F135 engine cores.

He said Pratt had lowered the cost of the F135 engines in every contract with the Pentagon, and remained committed to further reductions.

Bogdan said he hoped to finalize by the end of the month a preliminary agreement with Pratt for 167 F135 engines, under two contracts valued at more than $3 billion combined. Bogdan last month said the cost of those engines would drop by 3 percent to 4 percent in each of the contracts.

He said the program also hoped to reach agreement in principle with Lockheed for a ninth batch of F-35 jets by the end of March, and a 10th batch of jets about a month later. The airframe deals are worth around $16 billion combined, he said.

Bogdan said the F-35 program was continuing to drive down costs, but software challenges with the F-35's automated logistics system meant the Air Force could miss its Aug. 1 target date for an initial combat capability by 45 to 60 days.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Andrew Hay)
A Wellington Uber driver has been suspended from working amid claims he hit on a 15-year-old girl.

Another woman has come forward after an Uber driver was stood down amid claims that he "hit on" a 15-year-old girl.

Police confirmed the girl told them late on Thursday that the driver had asked for her number, mentioned he was finishing work soon, and suggested they hang out.

* Do you know this driver? Email news@dompost.co.nz.

She did not want to lay an official complaint, but police still spoke to the driver, who apologised and said he did not mean to cause any offence.

READ MORE:

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* Uber set to face tighter rules, but not in-car cameras

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* Passengers focus of Uber crackdown

* Mum who gave birth in taxi names baby Uber

Uber, an international app-based ride-hailing service, had also been notified.

A spokeswoman said the company was looking into the incident and it had removed the driver from Uber "while we investigate further".

She refused to say whether the driver had been subject to other complaints, citing "rider and driver privacy".

"We take rider and driver feedback seriously and will investigate if we receive a report of inappropriate behaviour."

Uber does not give customers' numbers to drivers. It anonymises riders' and drivers' numbers so neither has the other's personal contact details.

A friend of the 15-year-old posted about the incident on Facebook, saying the driver "forced" her to give him her number "to the point she thought he wouldn't let her out if she didn't".

He called her repeatedly and said he was "off clock and could come in", the friend said.

The posting drew replies from hundreds of people, at least four of whom claimed they had also been harassed by the same driver. One claimed to have reported him previously to Uber.

One claimed he told them he was "horny" and regularly contacted her, demanding they "hang out".

A 21-year-old complained to the company after getting a ride with the same driver from Wellington Railway Station to Mt Victoria on New Year's Eve.

She said she had given the driver the benefit of the doubt but had decided to complain to the company, and downgrade her rating of him, after seeing similar stories posted by other young women online.

"I didn't realise he was a serial creeper," the woman said.

"My first impression was that he was a clean-cut guy. He was wearing a collared shirt and cologne and was super chatty but not in a creepy way."

But his mood turned frosty after repeated attempts to get her phone number were rejected.

She then asked him if he tried to get the number of every young woman who rode in his car. "He said no  you're special."

Once she was dropped off, she got a male friend to come out and told the driver the man was her boyfriend.

She and her friend then stood outside the apartment block as the driver, who looked annoyed, sat there before driving past them, then back again before leaving.

"He was abusing his position and you kind of felt trapped in the car," she said.

New Zealand Taxi Federation executive director Roger Heale said every passenger should feel safe when paying for a ride.

The fact the complaint was made public via social media showed "a failure in the system and highlights the need for clear, prescriptive regulation on all operators in New Zealand".

A police spokeswoman could not comment on other Uber incidents, but said people should contact police if there had been any.

Uber drivers were subject to the same licensing rules as taxi drivers and other passenger services, she said.

NZTA did not have details of complaints it had received about Uber, which operated in effect as a booking agent for individual drivers, who were seen as private hire services.

"As such, the drivers are all required to hold passenger endorsements on their drivers licences, are subject to driving hour limits and are required to keep logbooks that record their driving hours."

The driver could not be reached for comment.



WHAT IS UBER?

 A service that allows people to use an app to book a ride from motorists who are not taxi drivers.

 Taxi companies are not fans as Uber does not have to adhere to usual taxi regulations, so cars don't have security cameras or drivers registered with the Approved Taxi Organisation.
Locals used to drink from Waimairi Stream in Fendalton; now it is dry and littered with rubbish.



Several inner-city Christchurch streams have vanished, leaving dead eels and puddles of stagnant water in the middle of an affluent suburb.

Low water levels have afflicted many of Canterbury's waterways in recent months, which the regional council attributes to dry weather.

Critics are adamant that is not the case, and fear it may signal the beginning of the end for Christchurch's waterways.

CHARLIE MITCHELL/FAIRFAX NZ Waimairi Stream doesn't have "a teaspoon of water" in it.

The Waimairi and Wai-iti streams, which run through Fendalton and feed the Avon River, have dried up.

Both streams were once teeming with trout, crayfish and long-fin eels; Waimairi Stream was so pure residents reportedly drank from it.

READ MORE:

* In search of Wardell, the vanishing lake

* Bureaucracy, not weather, behind the case of disappearing Lake Wardell

* More rivers in Canterbury unsafe to swim in

CHARLIE MITCHELL/FAIRFAX NZ When stormwater overflows cause water to return, it is grey, sludgy, and dirty.

Now they are completely empty, save for the discarded beer bottles, plastic bags and an occasional puddle of stagnant water, which attract swarms of mosquitos.

Stormwater run-offs occasionally bring water back, but it is grey, sludgy, and filled with rubbish.

Local man Peter Keller has walked past Waimairi stream regularly for 15 years, and said he had never seen it disappear before.



"This year it has just got lower and lower and lower... Now it's just completely stopped.



"It's never been like that, ever. Something is definitely wrong. Really wrong."



Do you live near a waterway which has dried up? Email charlie.mitchell@fairfaxmedia.co.nz



About a kilometre away, Clyde Rd resident Kristina Pickford says the same about the Wai-iti stream, which runs through her property.



She has the support of more than 30 neighbours - some who had lived there for nearly 50 years, and had never seen it dry up completely - to push authorities for a solution.



"It's been consistently dry since November. Just metres from our place it's really, really silted up with stagnant water. There's thousands and thousands of mosquitos."



She was less concerned about the dead stream then what it signified for the future of the city's waterways.



"The fact that 75 per cent of the streams which feed the Avon are in this area... I am genuinely concerned about what the Avon River will be looking like in 10 years. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a trickle."

For advocacy group Fish and Game, the depletion of Canterbury's waterways was becoming more pronounced.

North Canterbury regional manager Rodd Cullinane had visited Waimairi Stream and found dead eels on the shingle.

"There's not a teaspoon of water in it," he said.

"We've seen dramatic drops in other rivers as well, like we've never seen before."

He blamed increasing amounts of irrigation, a practice that altered the way waterways were supplied and replenished.

"We don't believe [Environment Canterbury] at all. We are absolutely positive that it's linked to the massive draw-off of irrigation in in-land Canterbury."

Environment Canterbury (ECan) surface water science manager Tim Davie said irrigation did lead to lower water levels, but in this case, low rainfall was the primary cause.

"The lack of rainfall over the past two years, particularly over the winters, is the dominant factor. Waimairi Stream has gone dry in the past after periods of dry weather."

He said ECan was monitoring irrigation consents to ensure no-one was exceeding their allotment.

"We are making sure that nobody is irrigating from ground water or surface water in excess of their consented limits and we continue to monitor flows in Waimairi Stream and other streams in the region."
Neither a rap nor bible verse could sway Environment Minister Nick Smith to consider making waterways swimmable.

Smith visited Palmerston North on Thursday as part the Government's nationwide fresh water consultation, the night before a new five-year plan to clean up the Manawatu River was due to be released.

As the meeting turned over to the public for questions, a range were posed of the minister ranging from swimmable waterways and the Shannon wastewater treatment plant, to a protest rap, and a reading of a few verses from the book of Genesis.

Smith fielded several questions on why the Government was not aiming for swimmable waterways.

Each time, he responded that it simply was not "practical".

"I do not think a legal requirement for every water body in New Zealand to be swimmable is practical."

Smith said not every waterway was one that needed to be, or had ever previously been swimmable.

"Our ambition is for a lot more areas to be swimmable... but we want to be practical."

In his opening presentation, Smith said the country had an abundance of freshwater, but had been careless.

Progress was now being held back by "fractious points of view", with some criticising farmers and others criticising environmentalists.

"That kind of name calling does not get us anywhere."

The Government wanted to improve the environment, but Smith made it clear that there had to be considerations for the economy.

It would take time to make improvements, he said.

"Those looking for instant solution are going to be disappointed...we need to be looking for progressive gains."

He said New Zealand's waterways were "pretty good" by international standards.

The fresh water document includes changes for the stock in waterways issue.

Smith said one set of rules was required as leaving it up to regional councils was a "potpourri mess".

The Government was looking at instant fines of $100 per animal up to $2000.
James William Eddington was sentenced to 9 years in prison, 5 without parole, for charges relating to two robberies during which he discharged a rifle at police.

A Timaru man who fired a rifle at police when they caught up with him for two armed robberies has been jailed for nine years.

James William Eddington, a 29-year-old freezing worker, was sentenced by Justice Rachel Dunningham in the High Court at Christchurch on seven charges transferred from Timaru.

The judge said she was not satisfied that an open-ended term of preventive detention was necessary "at this point", but she imposed a five-year non-parole term.

She also gave him the first-strike warning under the system that imposes heavier sentences on repeat violent offenders and noted that an extended supervision order would be able to be imposed on his release.

About 4.40pm on February 18, 2015, Eddington and an associate parked near Highfield Mall and Timaru and Eddington went into the NZ PostShop, armed with a knife and with his T-shirt pulled up partially covering his face as he approached the counter.

He pulled out the knife and demanded money from the 15-year-old staff member. Staff hid at the back of the shop and another staff member then approached Eddington. He demanded money again and tried to get behind the counter by repeatedly shoulder-charging the door.

While staff prepared the money, he walked around the shop with his knife and made the five customers kneel.

He ordered a staff member to open the safe, but she was unable to do so. He left the shop with $2385 in cash.

About 7pm the same day, he and his associate parked beside a service station in Fairlie where Eddington went inside with a .22 rifle with telescopic sights and a silencer and demanded cash and tobacco from the only staff member. He made the only customer kneel and put his hands up. He got $260 from the cash register, and tobacco, before telling another customer to leave when she had entered the shop area. He pointed the rifle at the customer and shop assistant before leaving.

Police set up a cordon and stopped the car near Pleasant Point where Eddington got out and fired a shot towards the armed police from a range of about 90m. He was found on farmland soon after, with the rifle and stolen property. He told police he would have shot the police dog and the officers.

An officer and a doctor who was treating him were assaulted at the police station. He tried to stab the doctor with a pair of scissors he snatched, but failed.

The co-offender who had remained in the car, 23-year-old Dionysia Keen, was dealt with separately and jailed for two years and nine months.

Justice Dunningham said a health assessor had noted Eddington was prone to return to destructive habits of substance abuse when life became difficult. He had complex rehabilitation needs but the report writers said his prospects were "not irredeemably bleak".

Prosecutor Andrew McRae said the Crown sought a sentence of preventive detention or a stern prison term with a starting point of 11 to 12 years before adjustments were made for other factors such as his guilty pleas.

Health assessors identified Eddington as being a high risk of reoffending unless he undertook rehabilitative intervention.

He had been jailed for five years and four months in 2009 for wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. He had then talked of getting himself off drugs and alcohol, and had done two programmes, but had reverted to his previous behaviour as soon as he was released from prison.

Defence counsel Rupert Glover said Eddington would engage in treatment. His family was in court to support him. He pointed out that the psychologist and psychiatrist had spoken of "conditional optimism" that if Eddington engaged in treatment, there could be a carefully planned return to the community with a low risk of further offending. He argued that a finite prison term would mean faster access to treatment for Eddington, instead of the delays that often took place on preventive detention.

Justice Dunningham said Eddington's intoxicated and highly volatile mental state during the offending was concerning. Although there had been no physical injuries, a significant amount of emotional trauma had been inflicted on the victims. The second robbery involved a loaded firearm.

She noted he had shown remorse and had sent letters of apology to the victims and the court, but his lack of effort to change in the past "warrants scepticism".

Eddington had pleaded guilty to two charges of armed robbery, two of assault, using a firearm against a police officer, unlawful possession of a firearm, and drink-driving.

Eddington was disqualified for six months for the drink-driving.
The area around Hole in the Wall, off Coromandel, lies in the busy shipping route between the ports of Auckland and Tauranga.

A captain threaded a cruise ship through a dangerous gap between rocks, seemingly so his passengers could get a better "tourist experience".

The incident, through an area called Hole in the Wall off Coromandel, which lies in the busy shipping route between the ports of Auckland and Tauranga, came to light thanks to a coastal navigation safety review carried out by Maritime NZ.

It highlighted specific risk areas in Hauraki Gulf, Colville Channel off Coromandel, and Cook Strait, which it described as "one of the more unpredictable waters in the world".

It was prompted by an expected increase in the number of ships visiting New Zealand, a trend toward larger ships, and technology changes in navigational aids, Maritime NZ said.

It found coastal shipping was largely well-managed and there was a "sound framework in place to manage the movement of ships around the New Zealand coast, with procedures in place to assess risk and adjust safety measures if required".

The Hole in the Wall, off Coromandel between "Sunk Rock" and "Old Man Rock", is identified by Maritime NZ and Environment Waikato as being unsafe for vessels weighing more than 500 gross tonnes.

But a "large" cruise ship in 2014 tracked through the gap.

While the ship's name or weight is not in the report, large cruise ships visiting New Zealand have been more than 120,000 tonnes  more than 24 times the recommended safe limit.

"There may be a temptation for cruise ships to take this route to enhance the tourist experience," the report said.

The decision to use the unsafe gap prompted a letter from Maritime NZ to the shipping company, which responded that it would not take the passage again "except in strict compliance with local requirements".

Maritime NZ spokesman Steve Rendle said the ship came within 500 metres of rocks on one side and 600m on the other. While it was an "unusual" route fo the ship to take, it was not a breach of rules.

"It is fair to say the vessel was not in danger at any time," Rendle said.

Coromandel MP Scott Simpson welcomed the focus on the area, especially in light of the Rena grounding.

"There's an obvious concern following the Rena, which highlights concerns about coastal navigation in large vessels," Simpson said.

The report also highlighted an issue on a Panama-flagged bulk carrier that came from Fiji to Wellington, where it was found in 2013 to have a compasss eight degrees out. Maritime rules allow a deviation of up to five degrees.

It highlighted three areas of New Zealand which needed monitoring to see if more needed to be done to lessen risks.

Cook Strait, which had gale force winds 107 days per year and heavy swells, had New Zealand's highest volume of traffic when passenger ferries were included.

Yet, the Colville area  which the Hole in the Wall was in  is identified in a graph of risk as about twice as dangerous as Cook Strait, which came second.

Port representatives around New Zealand were "unanimous in their concern about logging ships", the report said.

"At one port it was observed that recently a log ship headed out into a storm when most of the crew must have been exhausted from lashing logs."

A change to maritime rules, which comes into effect in March next year, means Maritime NZ will have more power in stopping tired crew from leaving port.

Shipping Federation executive director Annabel Young said a growing economy as well as increasing numbers of cruise ships were the reasons shipping was forecast to increase.

"The report paints a picture of exhausted workers on international voyages making mistakes as they move around the New Zealand coast, going from port to port."

The report made it clear that some foreign ships may not have "working radios, an accurate compass, up-to date charts or up to date navigational information", she said.
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Simon Bridges

National MP

simonbridges.co.nz

Happy New Year to you all. Is it getting too late to say that?

While the holidays seem like a distant memory now, it was great to spend some quality time with the family and Natalies parents during the New Year period.

In late-January I was incredibly lucky to be able to accept an invitation from Antarctica New Zealand to spend a week at Scott Base. It was a great opportunity to learn more about the work being carried out down there by New Zealand scientists, especially research relevant to my Associate Climate Change portfolio.

Parliament began sitting on February 9, starting with the Prime Ministers statement, which outlined the Governments plans for the year ahead. We have a busy work programme for 2016 as we continue to build a fast-growing economy that will create jobs and raise incomes for New Zealanders.

Its also been great to get back to work in the electorate  getting out and about meeting constituents, local businesses and community organisations. In the last two months theres been the Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon, A&P Show, Tauranga Airshow, BMX NZ national qualifiers, and school visits, to name a few.

Last week I was excited to launch the Electric Vehicle charging station at Bayfair Shopping Centre, the first of its kind in the Bay of Plenty. New Zealand is one of the most EV-ready countries in the world, and I think we are going to see a whole lot more of them on our roads in coming years.
Brian Rogers

Rogers Rabbits

www.sunlive.co.nz

This week the Rabbit performed a spectacular flip-flop on the flag. I know, I declared early in the process that we should retain Old Jack and the triple stars that are actually four.



That was before the emergence of a bunch of tossers jumping on the anti-change bandwagon and turning the whole saga into a political-personal vendetta.



After months of doggedly backing Old Jack, I finally succumbed to the mounting irritation created by the nasty side of the anti-change brigade and those who have attempted to turn the simple concept of choosing a flag, into character assassination.



So it was a sort of protest vote that I was ticked off enough to tick the box for a new flag. I get the feeling a lot of others out there are also sick of the politicising of the project. Objecting because they perceive the flag to be John Keys, therefore theyll bitch on till the cows come home. That sort of mindless petty politicking is the main reason I flip-flopped and ticked my support for change. Not to support PM Key, nor because the alternate flag knocks my socks off. But because the idiot protesters drove me to it. I simply dont care which flag the PM likes or dislikes. But I strongly object to protesters threatening, stealing, vandalising and general behaving like muppets to try to bully their way. I disassociate from that team.



Check the numbers



A few other considerations weighed in at the last minute, too. A well-presented article on the economic benefits to the nation of a flag change made perfect sense. If those numbers are right, it makes the grandiose spend-up on the campaign look like a half reasonable investment, after all.



Very little has been published on the gains in trade from a clearer national identity that a new flag should bring. It could be billions.



Those sort of tangible benefits have been lost in the woolly claptrap surrounding the flag debate. Benefits to trade and overseas earnings benefit all New Zealanders, increasing standards of living, employment and the countrys wealth and wellbeing. If a new flag can do that, Im sure the old diggers who fought and died under the Union Jack wouldve given their blessing.



And speaking of dying for the flag, it was pointed out by a wise old bugger this week that the English, milking our fervour for the Union Jack and fond thoughts of the Motherland, used Kiwis misplaced sense of loyalty to send them to slaughter in the trenches. Then once the wars were over, Blighty turned her back on the colonies and jumped into bed with the Europeans. So much for loyalty.



But hey, all that is history and what matters now, is whether the majority want a change or not. Thankfully it will all be over soon, and the best thing we can do is agree to get behind whichever rag wins, and strive for some national unity under it.



Language ticking off



A side issue emerging from the referendum is the OTT attention to political correctness.



Again, the PC-driven bureaucracy offers the flag referendum instructions not only in English and Maori, but in 24 different languagesincluding a couple Ive never even heard of.



Now I will apologise to my Burmese, Farsi and Tagalog friends, but if you cant understand enough English to satisfactorily understand how to vote (pick a flag, tick it) you should not be taking part in any election or referendum. It is simply nuts to expect anyone without a grasp of the nations language to know the first thing about the issues and debate that has been underway.



Learn the language or stay away. If you dont learn the lingo, you cannot comprehend the discussion.



As a foreigner in the dark, you cant possibly hold a sensible view on issues, particularly anything as patriotic as a choosing a national flag.



Nitpickers



Meanwhile, regular RR correspondent Tyler T. Taarse has messaged the Rabbit Hotline on the issue of the flogged flagand calling out the nitpicker who decided it was necessary to specify which flag would be flown there.



Says Tyler: Regardless of your or my opinion on the NZ flag, I was stunned to read that a resource consent specified what flag could be flown on Taurangas flagpole. I can understand that in a greatly regulated society such as ours a consent might have been needed for the actual erection of this pole, but for flying a specific flaghmmm?

As far as Im aware there are currently no rules surrounding what colour undies Rogers might choose to hang on his washing line, but maybe there should be when it comes to their shape and decency?



Anyway this got me thinking that if Tauranga has a silly rule demonstrated by a silly resource consent over which flag can fly, what other silly rules might we have?

I also thought what kind of nitpicking jobsworth decided to include a specific flag in the resource consent in the first place?



Good question, Tyler. I suspect the Elizabeth St flagpole rule was intended to avoid pressure from any other group wanting to fly their particular flag, (such as the Tagalog crew) the easy answer was to stipulate the national flag and fair enough.



Remember, the flag debate was not heard of, at the time of Taurangas roundabout flag installation. However silly rules abound everywhere, some were a good idea by well intentioned lawmakers of the time.



So wed like to hear from readers, tell us the silliest rules youve ever heard.

The internet is awash with strange laws and urban myths.



Heres some doozies



Some of course are old laws that have long since been scrapped, but there are still some doozies.



In the UK its illegal to die in Parliament House. Karate films were banned in Iraq in 1979. Its rumoured that In Canada, by law, one out of every five songs on the radio must be sung by a Canadian; and in British Columbia it is illegal to kill a Sasquatch or Bigfoot if one is ever found.



In some states of Australia it is still illegal to hurt a homing pigeon. And fair enough, too. Why should Bigfoot get all the protection?



Apparently its illegal to be in possession of more than 50kg of potatoes in Western Australia. Thats a law from 1946 and is being re-peeled.



Many countries have laws forbidding the disruption of weddings and funerals.

Its reported that in Paraguay, dueling is legal just as long as both parties are registered blood donors. I guess the wedding didnt work out?



The interweb also reckons that in New Zealand its illegal to fly with a rooster in a hot air balloon. I guess that law was intended to reduce cock-ups. At RR headquarters we dont believe that story. Were going to take our rooster and do a fly-by of the Police station to see if they arrest us.



Send us your silly rules to brian@thesun.co.nz



Like Rogers Rabbits blog on Facebook.




Police are appealing for information that will lead to the whereabouts of Taneti Karaitiana.

Karaitiana has a warrant to arrest for multiple charges including kidnapping and sexual violation.
One person has been charged in relation to alleged cruelty to bobby calves, following investigations sparked by footage of calves being kicked and thrown released by animal rights groups last year.

Now the Ministry for Primary Industries has filed charges against an individual at the Huntly District Court under the Animal Welfare Act, in relation to an investigation into animal welfare offences involving bobby calves.
At first it was 24 tonnes, last year it was 80 tonnes  but now Good Neighbours Food Rescue is distributing more than 150 tonnes of food, which would otherwise go to waste, to Bay of Plenty charities.

The Food Rescue concept is simple  as many as 60 volunteers collect food from a variety of sources including supermarkets, cafes, markets and manufacturers that is good enough to eat, but not to sell, to redistribute to Bay charities for good use.
The police officer who suffered a hand injury during the incident at Onepu Springs Road in the Bay of Plenty has now been discharged from hospital.

The other officer, who suffered a head injury, remains in Waikato Hospital where his condition is stable.
Counties Manukau Police have launched a homicide inquiry following an alleged shooting in Papakura early this morning.

A 26-year-old male died in Middlemore Hospital overnight and a 27-year-old male remains in a serious but stable condition.

Police have arrested and charged a 28-year-old male with murder and he will appear in Papakura District Court on Monday.

The firearm allegedly used in the shooting has been recovered.

"We are not looking for anyone else.

"We will not be releasing the name of the victim until next-of-kin have been notified."

Source: New Zealand Police.
Indications at the ITB Tourism Fair in Berlin are that German tourist numbers could be up by more than five per cent

Information about Andalucia at the ITB in Berlin. SALVADOR SALAS

The President of the Junta de Andalucia, Susana Diaz, attended the opening day of the ITB this week and appeared delighted at the prospects for German tourism in the region this year.

Last year, the number of visitors from Germany rose by nearly five per cent, but so far there has been a 12 per cent increase on bookings compared with this time last year, and although the prospective figures differ depending on who you talk to, major tour operators such as FTI and TSS Group have increased their capacity for Spanish destinations because of the growth in demand.

Diaz pointed out that last year the German market had not performed very well in Spain as a whole or even in destinations which are the choice of one-third of German visitors to Andalucia, such as the Costa del Sol and Malaga city. She stressed the importance of maintaining the overall visitor numbers, especially as Germans are the third nationality in the world in terms of holiday spending.

We have come to the ITB with two things in mind: to discover new trends and products which are popular with German tourists and to promote Andalucia as a holiday destination par excellence. We offer a very extensive variety of different facilities and this is what visitors require, so we have the potential for enormous growth, she explained.

Last year, 1.2 million German tourists came to Andalucia, which was 4.8 per cent more than in 2014. Of these, 800,721 stayed in hotels, which was an increase of 3.1 per cent. There were 3.8 million overnight stays by German visitors, and that was a slight rise of 0.6 per cent but was in contrast to the decrease which was experienced in Spain as a whole. The average length of stay was 11.3 days last year, which was similar to the figure for 2014 but was 2.6 per cent higher than the national average.

Germans also tend to be loyal to Andalucia, and that bodes well for tourism this year. I am convinced that the figures this year will be higher than last year. Germany is a great ally in terms of tourism and a key market towards our aim of achieving 30 million tourists during this legislature, said the regional president.

In order to fulfil that objective, Diaz explained that work is needed to improve air connections, the Achilles heel in this market, in which the strong dependence on package holidays makes airlines more conservative. Despite this, she stressed that there is a need for more direct flights between German airports and Malaga, Seville and Almeria.

The tourism authorities also plan to take advantage of a 40 per cent drop in bookings to Turkey to attract more visitors to the region, and they are to invest two million euros on an intensive marketing campaign and about 50 promotional activities, focusing not only on beaches but golf, health and cruises.

We want the figures, which are already good, to become extraordinary, she stressed.

SUR deutsche Ausgabe, SUR in Englishs sister newspaper, also had a presence at the fair, distributing a tourism magazine that they had compiled for the occasion.
Sandra Warren, author of We Bought A WWII Bomber: The Willis Connection, will speak at a meeting of the Floyd County Historical Society at the Jacksonville Center for the Arts on Saturday, March 12 at 10 a.m.

During WWII, to help fund the war effort, junior high and senior high students at South High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan took part in the Buy a Bomber program raising over $375,000 selling War Bonds and Defense Loan Stamps and bought a B-17 Bomber. They christened the bomber, The Spirit of South High, after which it flew off never to be heard from again, until now. This is an extraordinary tale of how students were able to raise so much money and the incredible spirit that led alumni, seventy-two years later, to solve the mystery of what happened to the bomber?

On October 1, 1944 a B-17 Bomber crashed in Meadows of Dan, Va on farmer Bud Goads pig lot. Recent findings revealed that bomber had a fascinating pre-history connecting it to a Michigan high school and the Buy a Bomber program. Come hear the story and discover what role residents of Willis, Virginia played in the aftermath of that crash.

Warren will be available to answer questions and to sign books. The meeting Saturday will be held on the second floor. An elevator is available. Refreshments will be served.

Visit www.floydhistoricalsociety.org or call 540-745-3247.
police crop.jpg

Syracuse police officers came to the February arraignment of Quashar Neil, accused of firing at an officer during an attempted murder in November. Police Chief Frank Fowler is at the far left, partially obscured by a court officer.

(Douglass Dowty | ddowty@syracuse.com)

Quashar Neil

Syracuse, NY -- Last month, defense lawyer Mark Blum suggested police were "swaying" a judge's decision not to release his client on bail.

Today, Blum accused Syracuse police of threatening to kill Quashar Neil during a month-long manhunt. Neil is accused of firing a gun at officers during a November police chase near Henninger High School.

Neil is accused of firing at a civilian near the high school, then firing at pursuing officers. Two women are accused of helping cover his tracks. He's also facing charges of witness intimidation.

Blum said police made threats to Neil's family during the search for the suspect.

"Police were stopping by his house on a daily basis," Blum said today. "They threatened to kill him if seen."

Neil eventually turned himself in to police days before Christmas.

Prosecutor Melinda McGunnigle disputed that police threatened to kill Neil. She said if the judge set any amount of bail, it should be $1 million.

Blum said his client's family could afford $50,000 bail.

County Court Judge Anthony Aloi said he'd heard nothing to change his mind that Neil should remain in jail with no bail. He did not address Blum's accusation against police.

A Syracuse police spokesman said the department would not respond to what the lawyer said.

It's not the first time Blum has criticized police in Neil's case. The police union offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to Neil's capture. Blum demanded the reward money after convincing his client to turn himself in a few days before Christmas. Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler refused to give the lawyer the reward, calling the demand "nonsense."

The chief was among about 20 officers who packed one side of the courtroom in February for Neil's arraignment.

That's what prompted Blum's comment that he hoped their presence wasn't a factor in the judge's decisions. The judge strongly disputed Blum's suggestion, saying he was not intimidated by police in his courtroom.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- More than a dozen people safely escaped a blaze that engulfed three Syracuse homes early Friday morning.

The Syracuse Fire Department rushed to 110 S. Carbon St. at 5:48 a.m. after callers reported the home was on fire. When firefighters arrived, they discovered the blaze had spread to two neighboring homes.

By 6 a.m., flames were engulfing 110 S. Carbon St. and 112 S. Carbon St. -- lighting the dark morning sky with an amber glow. Thick white smoke curled from the homes and filled the street.

Leannah Jones, who lives across the street from 110 S. Carbon St., leaned against the railing of her front porch and watched as firefighters doused the flames with water and foam. The glow of the blaze caught Jones' attention.

"Seeing light in my window woke me up," Jones said.

Jones said she got up to investigate the source of the glow and saw 110 S. Carbon St. going up in flames. She called 911 and headed outside.

Syracuse First Deputy Fire Chief Kent Young said the fire spread to homes on either side, 112 S. Carbon St. and 108 S. Carbon St.

Firefighters quickly knew residents had escaped from 112 S. Carbon St. But the flames and smoke consuming 110 S. Carbon St. prevented firefighters from immediately searching the home, Young said. It was unclear if anyone lived in 108 S. Carbon St.

The flames were out around 7 a.m., allowing firefighters to enter the home. Firefighters searched the home and confirmed everyone had escaped, Young said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The American Red Cross of Central New York is assisting two families. Temporary shelter and vouchers for food, clothing and transportation were provided to four adults and 10 children, said Dan Hartman, regional communications program manager for the Red Cross.

Firefighters worked as a steady drizzle fell and temperatures hovered around 37 degrees.

With the fires out and the sun rising, the dozens of neighbors who watched firefighters fight the blaze left the street and returned to their homes. Firefighters remained on scene to put out hot spots and investigate the cause of the blaze.

The Syracuse Police Department and Rural/Metro Ambulance also responded to the scene.

The house at 110 S. Carbon St. is two-bedroom home owned by a limited liability corporation, 121 Pond Street LLC, according to Onondaga County real estate records.

The house at 112 S. Carbon St. is a two-family, five-bedroom home owned by Eric and Lauren Castaldo, of Poughkeepsie, according to county records.

The home at 108 S. Carbon St. is a one-family home owned by Lynn Musenga, of 123 Spring St., Syracuse, county records show.
East-Syracuse Minoa graduate Christopher Steinberger is ready to share his feature-length film debut with the world.

"Iris," filmed in Central New York with local actors, will premiere on Friday, April 22, at the Palace Theatre in Eastwood. Doors open at 6 p.m.; showtime begins at 7 p.m.

Tickets are on sale for $10 through irismovie.brownpapertickets.com. Additional fees may apply.

The movie is an action thriller starring Michelle Hunter as a scarlet-haired thief named Charlotte, who steals powerful technology from her engineer ex-boyfriend Carson (Patrick Kelly). Chaos ensues when it ends up in the wrong hands, and she reluctantly reunites with him to get it back -- but it won't be easy.

"Don't play hero," a tagline warns.

Steinberger revealed the sexy and dangerous-looking trailer in January, previewing several fight scenes, impressive special effects and a slick style. Quick shots of scenes filmed in Minoa and around Syracuse can also be seen.

Steinberger, who graduated from ESM in 2012, used $7,000 from Kickstarter to fund the project for his own production company, launched two years ago as Watchworks Studios. He wrote and directed the movie, co-producing it with Megan Piechowicz.

His previous credits include an award-winning distracted driving PSA and work as a production assistant for "Adult World," filmed in Syracuse in 2012 with stars Emma Roberts, Evan Peters and John Cusack.

"Iris" also stars Josef Ritter and Nathan Faudree, who recently portrayed former Syracuse Mayor Lee Alexander in the locally-produced movie "King Lee." Backstories for each character can be seen in six short films available on YouTube.

Here's a brief video explaining Watchworks Studios' inception:
BSM partners with Cyprus university

Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) and the University of Nicosia have signed a co-operation agreement granting the Universitys maritime academy full access to BSMs maritime training centre in Limassol.

This partnership also represents a significant contribution to Cyprus' Blue Growth programme - an initiative aimed at stimulating growth, jobs and competitiveness in the marine and maritime sectors, BSM said. The maritime academy will begin admitting students in September, 2016, offering three degree programmes in marine science, marine engineering and marine electrical engineering. "This agreement enables us to offer specialised degree programmes for merchant marine officers, explained Dr Nicos Peristianis, President of the Council of the University of Nicosia. Aspiring officers now have access to high level education and training, as well as being able to develop their skills in line with technological developments, supporting the essential role they play for the shipping industry." Capt Norbert Aschmann, BSM CEO, added:BSM has a long and proud tradition in Cyprus and is committed to the development of Cyprus as a major global maritime hub. The opportunity to partner with the University of Nicosia will ensure that our excellent training facilities not only provide career development internally for our own personnel, but also benefit the next generation of seafarers who will undergo their academic training through the Maritime Academy. Over the years, BSM has made considerable investment into building a world class training facility on the island to support the professional development of its own seafarers, as well as the local maritime community; which continues this year with the installation of advanced Kongsberg full mission bridge and engine simulators,he said.




ClassNKs Ueda steps down

Current executive vice president, Koichi Fujiwara, has been appointed as Chairman and President, as well as a representative director of classification society ClassNK, effective 7th March, 2016.

He replaces Noboru Ueda who has stepped down. Executive vice presidents, Yasushi Nakamura and Tetsuya Kinoshita, will continue in their present roles, joined by Junichiro Iida as managing director.



Another executive vice president, Tetsushi Agata, has been appointed as an executive auditor, as part of ClassNKs aim to strengthen its auditing system.



Fujiwara said: Following the recent downturn of the shipping and shipbuilding markets, the business environment surrounding ClassNK has become even more challenging. Under our new executive team, we will work to ensure stable operations and further enhance our corporate governance as required of an independent third-party organisation so that the society can continue contributing to the development of the maritime industry in the long term.



Fujiwara holds a Master of Naval Architecture from the University of Tokyo, and served in Japans Ministry of Transportation (now Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism). He joined ClassNK in 2007, and was appointed managing director in 2010, followed by executive vice president in 2011.




GAC appoints new Chevron shipping rep

Jessy Karam-Castillo has been appointed to the role of GACs dedicated alliance representative for the Chevron Shipping account, based in Houston.

Her appointment comes after the retirement of Chris Steibelt, after 29 years with the GAC Group, most recently based at Chevrons HQ in San Ramon, California.

Karam-Castillo has been with GAC for 18 years, and has held a number of roles in Lebanon and the US, most recently as hub business manager at GACs global hub services in Houston.

Karely Martinez, previously senior hub co-ordinator, has taken over as hub business manager, global hub services. She brings four years experience to the role and has a Bachelor of Science in Maritime Administration. Ronald Lichtenecker, global hub services managing director, said: GAC is grateful for the contributions Chris has made to develop our relationship with Chevron. It was important for the company to promote both Jessy and Karely from within to maintain our long-term commitment to our customers globally. They will continue to be an important part of our Americas region in delivering world-class support and performance.




Iran sanctions reinsurance update

The International Group of P&I Clubs said that it was still working on a fall-back reinsurance protection to cover the default risk of using US domiciled insurers for any Iranian shipping interests.

Last month, the IG said it was seeking both interim and long term solutions to the continued application of US primary sanctions to US domiciled reinsurers participating in the Group's reinsurance arrangements. This week, the IG circulated its member P&I Clubs that it had now obtained US authorities approval, and the Group's brokers are currently placing corresponding reinsurance cover outside the US markets. Due to reinsurers' compliance procedures, it is taking some time to put this cover in place but it is hoped that this will be completed shortly. Once it is in place, clubs will then be able to confirm cover for non-certificated as well as certificated liabilities towards, or incurred by, Iranian interests (other than SDN's or liabilities arising out of prohibited trades). The fall-back cover will have a lower limit and more restrictive terms than the main Group reinsurance programme and should only be seen as a short term solution, the IG warned. It said that it would continue to engage with the US authorities to secure a comprehensive long term insurance solution to meet all shipowners' needs. Source- Skuld.




Markets- Delays boost VLCCs

Extensive delays in Far East discharge ports has reduced available tonnage dramatically and with volumes out of the MEG exceeding the most optimistic expectations, this has played firmly into the owners hands.

As a result, rates sharply rebounded on the major VLCC routes with the momentum continuing upward, Fearnleys said in its weekly report. March stems were still being worked this week in the MEG and with April stem-confirmations just around the corner, this trend may well continue. West Africa/East was also affected and charterers negotiated tonnage well into April to secure vessels. Suezmaxes saw steady fixing last week with rates going sideways for West Africa/Uk-Cont-Med voyages. But by the middle of this week, we were experiencing a market which was gaining more momentum after several vessels disappeared under the radar. The rates have gone up by 2.5-5 points for TD20 voyages. It seemed that Suezmaxes benefited from the firming of VLCC rates and the firm fixing activity in Med/Black Sea. It will be interesting to see if the rates hold up in the week to come, as the current fixing window for end-month cargoes out of Black Sea are coming to an end, Fearnleys said. Aframax owners encountered another flat market this week fixing at WS92.5 cross N Sea and WS70 out of the Baltic. There is still quite a lot of available tonnage that will need to be absorbed before this market will firm rate wise. However, going forward to the end of the third week of March, loadings could prove to be a bit more interesting from an owners perspective. In the Med and Black Sea, the market has gone through the roof, due to lack of tonnage for early third week loadings. WS120 was fixed out of the Black Sea and its just a question of time before we see the same levels in the Med. Going forward this market will remain strong, Fearnleys concluded. Only a few MRs appeared on brokers charter lists this week. These included Cargill fixing the 2013-built Leopard Sea for six months at $17,750 per day. Petrobras reportedly came into the market and took the 1998-built Portman for three years at $17,600 per day and the 1999-built Chiltern for two years at $17,750 per day. Koch was said to have taken the 2007-built Nord Observer and Papilion for 12 months at $16,750 per day and the 2003-built Boraq for the same period at $17,500 per day. CCI became active again in fixing the 2006-built Advance II and Reliance II for 12 months each at $17,250 per day. In the secondhand market the 1999-built Aframaxes Great White and Pacific London were reported sold for what one broker remarked was the remarkable price of $15 mill each to Soechi and Kakra, respectively. An even older Aframax, the 1995-built Kassos, was thought sold to Arya for $8.3 mill. The 2003-built VLCC Damavand was thought committed to undisclosed interests for $37 mill. Another dirty trader, the 2001-built 39,551 dwt Searambler was reported as sold to UAE buyers at $11 mill. In what is effectively an in-house deal, dAmico Tankers (Ireland) is to purchase the 2003-built, 40,081 dwt Cielo di Milano from dAmico Shipping Italia for $14 mill. This purchase adds to our fleet a unit that we know very well, and that allows us to engage it on a specific trade route that meets perfectly with its technical features, Marco Fiori, dAmico International Shipping CEO, said. Leaving the fleet was the 1989-built MR Martha Petrol reported sold to Bangladesh breakers for $250 per ldt. In a dearth of newbuildings, Lundqvist was said to have ordered a fourth Aframax at Sumitomo for $52 mill for October, 2018 delivery and Fairfield-Maxwell contracting a third MR at Onomichi for June, 2019 delivery.




UAE logistics group Tristar has confirmed the purchase of Emirates Ship Investment Company (ESHIPS) from Egon Oldendorff for $90 mill.

ESHIPS operates five chemical tankers and two small LPG carriers, which are on a long-term timecharters to an oil major.

This acquisition is a perfect fit to our longer-term plans to diversify revenue and make shipowning an integral part of our strategy to build a fully integrated liquid logistics business, Tristar CEO Eugene Mayne, said in a statement.

In 2013, Tristar signed a contract for six MR newbuildings with Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, which will be chartered out to oil majors when they are delivered this year, Splash 24/7 also reported.
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SHARE Jeffrey Mobley (Marion County Jail)

By Paul Ivice, Special to Treasure Coast Newspapers

FORT PIERCE  The former youth minister of a Stuart church pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges of coercing an underage girl into explicit sexual activity last year and then distributing photos of her on the Internet.

Jeffrey Bryan Mobley, 24, was youth minister at The Grace Place for about two years until he moved to Ocala in December 2014 with his new wife. Mobley came to the church in 2013 from Findlay, Ohio.

Mobley told U.S. Chief Magistrate Frank Lynch Jr. Thursday morning he was changing his plea to guilty on six charges  four related to creating depictions on his cellphone of the 14-year-old girl in sexually explicit activity from Aug. 4 through Sept. 18 and two for distributing onto the Internet depictions of a minor engaged in sexual conduct in February and July.

Mobley has been held without bond since his arrest in October in Ocala.

His sentencing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. May 9 by U.S. District Judge Jose Martinez.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carmen Lineberger told Lynch that Mobley could be sentenced to 15 to 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the four charges of coercing a minor into engaging in sexual activity, and a minimum-mandatory sentence of five years plus a $250,000 fine for the two distribution charges.

Prosecutors also are seeking forfeiture of Mobley's cellphone and computer, and may seek an undetermined amount of restitution for the victim.

The Martin County Sheriff's Office was alerted to the case in September by the 14-year-old girl's mother, records show, nine months after Mobley quit his youth pastor position at The Grace Place.

The mother read the girl's journal of that day, which "detailed events of Mobley picking her up from school and taking her off campus without the parent's knowledge," according to the criminal complaint.

The girl also discussed "going to a motel room and drinking beer with Mobley."

Detectives discovered Mobley and the girl were using a Twitter account and "direct messages" to exchange nude pictures with each other. Mobley also emailed the girl videos of the two having sex at his home, according to the complaint.
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Brent Sykes, 30, 2700 block of Birmingham Drive, Stuart; hit-and-run  failure to stop/remain at crash involving injuries or other serious bodily injuries.

Nelson Echazabal, 51, 300 block of Solida Drive, Port St. Lucie; fleeing/attempting to elude an officer; warrant for violation of probation, burglary of a dwelling/occupied conveyance.

Michael Konsevitch, 20, New York City; out-of-county warrant, Broward County, grand theft.

Michael Mccue, 28, Boynton Beach; warrants for violation of probation, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, possession of buprenorphine, possession of amphetamine.

Justin Hampton, 25, 1700 block of Palermo Road, Port St. Lucie; battery; warrant for violation of probation, battery, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.

Cody Pyke, 25, 4100 block of U.S. 1, Fort Pierce; warrants for violation of probation, criminal use of personal I.D., fraudulent use of a credit card.

William Harmon, 29, Mill Valley, California; warrants for petty theft, fraudulent use of a credit card, grand theft, grand theft of a controlled substance.

Gerald Alexander, 60, 2800 block of Avenue E, Fort Pierce; warrant for court order to revoke bond, new arrest, possession with intent to sell heroin, possession with intent to sell cocaine, possession with intent to sell marijuana.

Amber Pressler, 27, 100 block of Oneida Way, Fort Pierce; warrant for failure to appear, giving false information or identification, dealing in stolen property, court order for pretrial detention and termination of pretrial supervision.

Derick Durant, 45, 1100 block of Beach Court, Fort Pierce; burglary of an unoccupied dwelling; larceny/grand theft.

Michael Rivera, 27, 1500 block of Coply Street, Port St. Lucie; warrant for court order to revoke bond, possession of 20 grams or less of marijuana, possession of hydrocodone, driving while license suspended.

Larry Wamley, 39, 300 block of 14th Street, Fort Pierce; larceny/grand theft; out-of-county warrant, Broward County, violation of probation, grand theft of a motor vehicle.

Michael Feagan, 26, 300 block of Preston Court, Fort Pierce; robbery by sudden snatching without firearm or weapon.

John Battle, 59, 200 block of Brazilian Circle, Port St. Lucie; warrant for violation of probation, grand theft, criminal use of personal I.D. information.

Jessica Leddington, 45, 1600 block of Emerald Terrace, Fort Pierce; battery by a personal detained in prison or jail facility.

Deadrick Johnson, 34, 1600 block of Port St. Lucie Boulevard, Port St. Lucie; warrant for court order to revoke bond, new arrest, possession of 20 grams or less of marijuana, driving with license suspended.

Patrick Hurley, 30, 500 block of Banks Terrace, Port St. Lucie; warrant for court order to revoke bond, new arrest, resisting an officer with violence, battery on an officer, criminal mischief.

Joseph Gavin, 32, Jupiter; readmit, resisting officer with violence, battery on an officer, driving with suspended, prior conviction, operating a motorcycle without a proper license.

Jason Cooper, 40, Trenton; hold, Okeechobee County, bond revocation, petty theft, contempt failure to appear, contempt failure to appear, release on own recognizance, failure to appear, docket sounding, petty theft, one prior.

Amber Pressler, 100 block of Oneida Way, Fort Pierce; warrant for failure to appear, giving false ownership or I.D. information to a secondhand dealer, dealing in stolen property.
The Lake Point property as seen Jan. 7 along Kanner Highway east of Lake Okeechobee in western Martin County. (ERIC HASERT/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS)

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By Tyler Treadway of TCPalm

MARTIN COUNTY  Before it became a protracted court case with allegations of official misconduct, backroom deals and broken contracts, Lake Point was a proposed water project designed to help clean the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon.

Setting all the legal he-said, she-said aside for a moment  a moment when more than 4 billion gallons of water are pouring through the St. Lucie Lock and Dam each day  the underlying question is: If it was online today, would the Lake Point project help reduce Lake Okeechobee discharges and local rainwater runoff into the St. Lucie?

Let's start with the gist of the original proposal:

In 2008, Lake Point Restoration agreed to give about 2,000 acres  about a third the size of the city of Stuart  just east of Lake Okeechobee on the south side of the C-44 (St. Lucie) Canal to the South Florida Water Management District. But first, the company wanted to be allowed to mine rock there for 20 years.

After that, in 2028, the district would convert the mining pits into reservoirs and stormwater treatment areas to store and clean water from the canal before it reaches the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon.

The project would be used in conjunction with the C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area, a massive $600 million-plus facility already under construction that's set to start storing and cleaning water from the canal in 2020.

"With the C-44 project underway, we weren't looking for another project in that basin," said Jeff Kivett, the water district's chief Everglades restoration engineer. (Editor's note: Since being interviewed for this story, Kivett left the water district to take a job with a northern California engineering firm.) "But when the Lake Point people came to us with their plan, and because they said they would do the dirty work on the project, it became interesting."

Besides donating the land for the project, which Lake Point's website says is worth more than $60 million, the company would contribute $17.4 million toward construction of the storage lakes and stormwater treatment areas, said water district spokesman Randy Smith.

With a total estimated cost of $30.4 million to build the project, that would leave $13 million for the district to pay for building structures and pumps to move water onto and off the site, Kivett said.

Bottom line

The Lake Point project was designed to store and clean about 12.4 billion gallons of water  enough to cover Stuart with nearly 7 feet of water  and keep up to 6.2 metric tons of phosphorus  about the weight of an African bull elephant  out of the estuary a year, Kivett said.

That's about 15 percent of the water that typically drains off farmland along the C-44 Canal and into the St. Lucie River each year, according to water district data from 1995 to 2005.

But this is no typical year. Since Lake O discharges began Jan. 30, a total of about 190 billion gallons of water, slightly less than half of it from the lake and the rest from local runoff into the C-44 Canal, has poured through the St. Lucie Lock and Dam.

So the Lake Point project's capacity for an entire year is about 6 percent of the canal flow in the past six weeks.

The C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area, which is scheduled to go into full operation in 2020, is designed to divert and clean not quite 53 billion gallons of water a year. That's about 65 percent of the canal's flow on a typical year. But it's just a tad more than a third of the water that's poured down the canal in the past month and a half.

The bottom line: The combination of the C-44 project and the Lake Point project could handle a lot of the water coming out of the canal on a "typical" year. During a rainy year with lots of Lake O discharges? Not so much.

Cost-effective?

Based on a $13 million cost to taxpayers to hold back 12.4 billion gallons of water over an assumed 50-year life span for the facility, it would cost $185.71 for every 1 million gallons of water stored and cleaned. That figure compares very favorably to the numbers in the district auditor's report on dispersed water management, which put the storage cost at $515.08 per million gallons for projects like the C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area that require taxpayer money to buy land.

Still, Lake Point would be "a very good deal, absolutely cost-effective," Kivett said. The district and Lake Point officials "agree that the project would be good for the environment and good for South Florida in terms of water storage and water supply," said company attorney Ethan J. Loeb.

Despite the lawsuit, Lake Point still intends for its land to "become a public works project" and is building the reservoir as the mining operation proceeds, Loeb said. "You have to dig holes to build reservoirs."

Loaded question

Asked if the Lake Point project would work, Martin County Commissioner Sarah Heard replied, "That's a loaded question."

The more appropriate question, according to Heard, is: Will the project ever happen?

"So much rock is going to be mined out of that place that turning it into a water project would be a tall order," she said. "They're more interested in getting as much rock out of there as they can, not in doing a restoration project the way the district would do."

Plus, the agreement between Lake Point, the water district and the county has lots of loopholes allowing the developer to back out at any time over the 20 years of mining, Heard said.

For example, a clause in the agreement would enable Lake Point to keep 1,800 acres designated for the project if authorities halt the mining operation for more than 120 days.

"There are just too many unanswered questions about the project," Heard said. "There's been no analysis of whether the project would work. So my answer is: No, it won't work."

Click here to view the timeline in a new window.
By Paul Ivice, Special to Treasure Coast Newspapers

FORT PIERCE  The owner and an employee of the company that fumigated the Palm City home in which 10-year-old Peyton McCaughey was poisoned pleaded guilty Thursday to a charge of using chemicals improperly.

Grenale Williams, 53, the owner of Sunland Pest Control Services Inc., the West Palm Beach subcontractor that performed the fumigation on the three-bedroom home in the 1400 block of Naomi Street where the McCaughey family lived, and Canarie Deon Curry, 40, who was a pest technician with Sunland, told U.S. District Judge Jose Martinez they were guilty of the misdemeanor charge.

Although Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jodi Mazer told Martinez federal guidelines called for a sentence of almost five years, the negotiated agreement caps the sentence at one year because the charge is a misdemeanor.

Williams, the sole owner and president of Sunland Pest Control, which he dissolved in October, pleaded guilty on behalf of the corporation to improper use of chemicals and making false statements to investigators.

Mazer said Sunland Pest Control could be fined up to $500,000 on each count.

Sentencing in the case is set for May 11.

Sunland failed to have two people trained in the use of restricted-use pesticides; failed to properly aerate the fumigated space, including opening the garage door; and failed to conduct a required clearance of air in the home with an approved and properly calibrated detection device, Mazer said.

Through the investigation by Florida's Department of Agriculture into the fumigation at the McCaughey home determined Sunland Pest Control used the restricted-use pesticide Zythor instead of Vikane, which it had been directed by Terminix to use, Mazer said the outcome would have been the same regardless of which chemical was used.

Court documents show Sunland Pest Control's access to Vikane had been suspended by Dow Chemical because of debts owed.

Peyton is undergoing intense physical therapy to regain motor skills he lost after exposure to chemicals used to fumigate his family's home for termites, according to a civil lawsuit his parents, Carl and Lori Ann McCaughey, filed in September against Terminix International Co. and Sunland Pest Control.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, speaks during a news conference at the Mar-A-Lago Club where former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson announced he is endorsing Trump, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Palm Beach. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

By Bartholomew Sullivan, bartholomew.sullivan@tcpalm.com

WASHINGTON  It's too soon to tell whether free-spending opponents of a Donald Trump Republican nomination have succeeded in derailing the billionaire reality TV star.

Massive television advertising campaigns by groups such as the American Future Fund, Our Principles PAC and Club for Growth Action are spending millions in Florida's six major media markets before the March 15 primary to question the real estate mogul's temperament, judgment and increasingly authoritarian campaigning style.

MORE | Florida primary: How to vote, find results

Similar efforts are underway in Illinois and Ohio, which with Florida are considered the critical and defining battlegrounds of this campaign season. If Trump wins both Florida and Ohio, it's likely he will win the party's nomination.

"Donald Trump entrusted convicts to help run his company," one American Future Fund ad running in Florida says, citing Trump's past business associates with "Mafia ties" and embezzlement convictions. "Who would he entrust to run the country?"

The group, which plans to spend $2.75 million for anti-Trump messaging in Florida alone, also opposes Ohio Gov. John Kasich for permitting an expansion of that state's Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act and attacked Texas Sen. Ted Cruz over his position on ethanol in Iowa. It is not technically affiliated with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's campaign.

American Future Fund has been around since 2008 and supported Mitt Romney in 2012. It spent $295,582 in 2015 and $60,000 just last week for television advertising opposing Trump, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Our Principles PAC is spending $1 million on ads like one that suggests Trump University, currently being sued for fraud, was a "scam." Another ad says Trump is a racist xenophobe. The group, created Jan. 14 to focus resources and take on Trump, had spent $4.39 million through last week in its anti-Trump campaign, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks the influence of money on public policy.

On just one day last week, Our Principles spent $447,353 on direct mail and $32,745 on opposition research against Trump, FEC records show.

BACKLASH

The assault on the Republican frontrunner hasn't let up since the party's 2008 and 2012 nominees  Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Romney  made high-profile appeals March 3 urging voters to reject Trump. Some polling indicated the post-Super Tuesday Romney speech actually helped Trump by making it clear his opposition is centered in the country club establishment wing of an increasingly fragmented GOP.

Others pointed out Romney's attack was ill-advised since he had eagerly sought Trump's endorsement four years before denouncing him as a "fraud" and "phony."

Some Trump supporters said they welcomed the attacks by what they refer to as the party's "oligarchs."

Martin County Republican Party Chairman Don Pickard said the local party office received "12 or 13 calls in the first hour" after Romney's speech "with people just ranting and raving" about the "quote 'establishment' " trying to end Trump's run.

Pickard said there are a lot of negative, anti-Trump ads on television on the Treasure Coast that seem to be effective, but he wondered about the "backlash" they might produce. One indication that Trump remains popular: It's hard to keep a table for campaign fliers and bumper stickers at the headquarters stocked with Trump material, he said.

As chairman, he can't express who he'll support.

St. Lucie County GOP Chairman Bill Paterson said Friday the anti-Trump campaign is having the opposite effect than was intended and has made some voters "furious."

"It's getting the electorate more angry, thinking 'you're telling us you're smarter than us and we don't know who we're supporting.' It's having a boomerang effect. The people I'm talking to are more emboldened now."

Paterson, who was in the Miami audience for Thursday night's GOP debate, said every time he turns on the Fox News Channel, he sees a commercial showing a darkened portrait of a scowling Trump.

THE ESTABLISHMENT

Trump himself made the case against his detractors in a Twitter post: "We cannot let the failing REPUBLICAN ESTABLISHMENT, who could not stop Obama (twice) ruin the MOVEMENT with millions of $'s in false ads!" he wrote on @realDonaldTrump.

"What the Republican establishment certainly does not understand is that doing things in the traditional way that all these guys have used for decades, if not generations , does not work on Donald Trump," said Tampa-based Republican strategist Chris Ingram. "They would be better off having a monkey in a room throwing spaghetti at a wall and seeing what sticks and directing their strategy on Donald Trump accordingly because the Old School way of politics does not work with Donald Trump."

The Center for Public Integrity, a Washington-based good-government group, reported that in the week since Romney's speech, 7,000 attack ads aimed at Trump have aired across the country with a major focus being Florida's markets, with 2,683 ads on either national cable by local TV stations.

Supporters of the anti-Trump campaign suggested even after Trump's March 8 victory in Michigan it appeared to be having an effect in turning some late voters against him. The strategy is to help Rubio win Florida's 99 winner-take-all delegates and help Kasich win Ohio's 66 delegates and deprive Trump of the 1,237 delegates required to secure the nomination. As part of that strategy, Rubio Friday asked his Ohio supporters not to vote for him but for Kasich.

OPEN CONVENTION

If no one has 1,237 delegates by the time of the Cleveland convention in July, the GOP would go into the mayhem of a brokered convention  a raw, behind-closed-doors brawl between party leaders. From that, these strategists say, a possible consensus candidate  perhaps not one of the current candidates  might emerge.

While early attacks on Trump by outside groups tended to focus on his lack of ideological conviction  that he was insufficiently conservative  the new ads focus on his impact on working people's lives, and may hit him "where it just might hurt," New Republic political reporter Laura Reston wrote. Those ads, about Trump University victims and his use of eminent domain to take a widow's house in Atlantic City to build a casino parking lot, tend to dampen Trump's appeal as a "champion of the working class," she wrote.

Florida's is a closed primary, meaning only registered Republicans and Democrats can vote, and only for candidates in their own party. Four years ago, 1.6 million Republican voters chose between the four remaining candidates; five had withdrawn but won votes. More than a million voters availed themselves of the March 5-12 early voting period suggesting the late barrage of attack ads may fall on the ears of voters who can't be swayed.

OTHER PACS

Club for Growth Action, a super political action committee associated with the low-taxes advocacy group, is spending $2 million on cable and broadcast advertising in Illinois. Club for Growth itself is planning to spend $1 million in Florida. Trump has said the organization went after him after he declined to give it a $1 million donation. Last week he denounced it as "dishonest" and "bad for America" on Twitter.

Club for Growth Action spent $24,000 March 3-4 with a California firm for Internet ad placement and production costs opposing Trump, FEC records show.

Besides the outside groups lining up against Trump, the main independent super PACs supporting the candidates still standing also have gotten into Trump-bashing.

The one backing Rubio, Conservative Solutions, recently began running an ad in Florida praising Rubio's foreign policy expertise  he's chairman of the Foreign Relations subcommittee dealing with the Western Hemisphere and Human Rights  and ridiculing Trump's praise of Russia's Vladimir Putin. Records show Conservative Solutions spent $216,231 for "media placement" opposing Trump on a single day last week.

New Day for America, the super PAC supporting Kasich, bleeps out an offensive word Trump used in a recent speech and quotes Kasich saying he doesn't "call names." It's running in Ohio.

MORE | What's at stake in Florida's March 15 primary?

Not everyone is beating up on Trump. Keep the Promise I, the super PAC supporting Cruz, spent $60,750 on a Beverly Hills media firm's video production last week. Its purpose: defeating Rubio.

Bartholomew Sullivan, a veteran Washington reporter, heads Treasure Coast Newspapers' D.C. news bureau.
FILE PHOTO Eric Menger (right), Airport Director at Vero Beach Regional Airport, and his wife, Kelly, board the 50-seat Bombardier CRJ 200 passenger jet for the first flight of Elite Airways commercial service in Vero Beach in December.

By Colleen Wixon of TCPalm

VERO BEACH  Elite Airways is adding Fridays and Mondays to its Vero-to-Newark flight schedule to meet this month's demand, but for a limited time.

The additional flights, which begin Friday, continue only through April 1, according to the airline. The Maine-based airline could expand service permanently as demand grows, Elite CEO John Pearsall said. The airline also is considering adding destinations over the summer.

In December, Elite became the first commercial airline in decades to offer passenger service from the Vero Beach Regional Airport, beginning Sunday and Thursday flights to Newark Liberty International Airport. Community response has exceeded expectations, Pearsall said. Last month, Elite added Thursday and Sunday round-trip flights to Naples Municipal Airport, starting at $59 each way.

On Feb. 27, Elite began nonstop service from Naples to Newark on Saturdays, and Monday and Friday round-trip service to Portland, Maine, with a stop in Melbourne. Flights between Vero Beach and Naples also were added.

Most of the Sunday and Thursday flights from Vero to Newark are nearly sold out through the end of the month, warranting the extra flights, Pearsall said. March is a busy month for family spring-break travel, he said.

"There has been an increased demand, especially during the spring-break season," Pearsall said.

Indian River County public schools are on spring break March 21-25. New York City public schools go on spring break next month, but schools are closed on Good Friday, March 25. St. Edward's School is on spring break this week, but also is closed for Easter break. Colleges such as New York University are on spring break next week, but City University of New York campuses have spring break in April.

The new Friday and Monday flights follow the Sunday and Thursday schedules, leaving Vero Beach at 9 a.m. Return flights from Newark to Vero Beach depart at 12:15 p.m., arriving at 3:45 p.m.

Fares start at $149 each way, increasing in cost as seats are sold.
<p>The Vero Beach Power Plant, as seen from the northeast. Both Vero Beach and Fort Pierce are members of the Florida Municipal Power Agency. (FILE PHOTO)</p>

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By Colleen Wixon of TCPalm

VERO BEACH  There's no amount of money the city of Vero Beach could pay to buy its way out of the Florida Municipal Power Agency.

"What we're looking for is the price where we are no longer doing any business with the FMPA," said City Manager Jim O'Connor. "I have not seen that number."

In fact, there isn't one.

Contract terms and the city's obligations to investment projects make it nearly impossible to calculate an exit price, an FMPA spokesman said.

FMPA officials told state lawmakers last month it would cost Vero Beach $46.1 million to leave the co-op, leaving state Rep. Debbie Mayfield, R-Vero Beach, with the impression her unsuccessful attempt to regulate the agency had produced an exit cost for the city.

"I believe that we were able to bring FMPA to the table" to provide an exit cost, Mayfield told Treasure Coast Newspapers.

In reality, that number  which FMPA already had given the city in 2014  is only a part of what Vero Beach needs to leave the municipal electric co-op, and covers just one of the four FMPA power-plant projects the city invested in years ago as it tried to reduce electric costs. The city no longer buys electricity from that project.

The city gets about one-third of its power from three other FMPA projects  the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant and the Stanton I and II coal-generation plants in Orlando  and is contractually obligated to these projects until they cease operations or another municipality buys out Vero's shares.

"In those three (projects), there is no exit option," FMPA spokesman Mark McCain said. "How can you give an exit price when there is no exit option?"

Vero Beach has tried for years to break free of the electric co-op it joined almost 40 years ago. FMPA's premise is that member cities jointly own power plants and invest in power resources, resulting in lower electric bills for those cities. However, Vero Beach's customers  including the more than 60 percent who live outside the city limits  are charged higher rates than those of their neighbors on Florida Power & Light Co.'s electric grid.

Vero Beach purchases most of its power from Orlando Utilities Commission, which agreed in 2012 to assume Vero's FMPA shares. The deal  which would have cost the city more than $50 million and required FPL to spend about $30 million to cover the power Orlando Utilities would take from the city  was fraught with legal issues over bonds and contract terms. The deal eventually fell through.

Vero Beach shouldn't have been surprised at its continuing obligation to FMPA, McCain said. Member cities knew they were signing up for long-term financial obligations when they joined the FMPA, McCain said.

"Once you signed up, you were committed to it. You couldn't back out, leaving other cities holding the bag," McCain said.

That hasn't stopped Vero Beach or its customers in Indian River Shores and unincorporated Indian River County from trying to leave. FPL has offered to buy the city's electric system and, most recently, the Indian River Shores portion of the system. Vero Beach's commitments to the FMPA project have all but extinguished the idea of FPL buying the entire system.

FPL's $13 million offer for the Shores portion of the Vero system fell well below Vero Beach's $64.5 million price estimate.

No municipality ever has left FMPA, McCain said.

Staff writer Isadora Rangel contributed to this report.
<p>The Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute of Florida. (FILE PHOTO)</p>

By Nicole Rodriguez of TCPalm

PORT ST. LUCIE  Scientists and researchers vacated the defunct Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute of Florida in October, but the 107,000-square-foot facility still stores a gold-mine of laboratory equipment.

Who gets what  whether it's the city or state  still is being hashed out in court and combed through by receiver Michael Imber.

"We're going through the books and records, trying to identify all of the assets of the estate," Imber said Tuesday of VGTI's collateral and intellectual property.

Operating the building until it eventually is turned over to Port St. Lucie also is Imber's responsibility. Imber, who began his receivership early last month, said it's unclear how long his services will be needed. The city plans to pay $500,000 for his work.

On Tuesday, Imber plans to file a detailed inventory  a requirement by the court as part of the city's breach-of-contract suit against VGTI, he said. A judge ultimately will determine which equipment belongs to whom.

City-owned equipment and other items in the building have been appraised at $1.65 million, said Interim City Attorneys John Fumero and Azlina Goldstein Siegal in an email Thursday.

Representatives from the Florida Department of Opportunity  which invested $60 million on the failed venture  remained largely mum on their plans for state-owned equipment.

"DEO is involved in ongoing litigation with VGTI," said DEO press secretary Morgan L. McCord in an email Wednesday while declining to provide additional details.

For their part, city officials have yet to discuss selling off the equipment, Fumero and Goldstein Siegal said.

The city or state must give the receiver 30 days notice if it chooses to auction off property from the VGTI building, Imber said.

The legal battle over VGTI started when the city sued VGTI in early May, seeking to block the biotech-research institute from moving out of the city and to force it to make good on a $2.6 million mortgage payment that was due May 1. That legal action came nearly two weeks after VGTI asked the city for a $21 million bailout. Once VGTI announced its closure, the city amended the lawsuit, asking for a receiver to supervise the biotech's departure.

VGTI closed its doors Oct. 1, and Port St. Lucie paid $1 million on Nov. 1  the biotech's second mortgage payment due that year.

The city in 2010 borrowed $64 million for an incentive package to build and furnish VGTI's facility. VGTI was required to repay the money over 30 years with interest. In the event it couldn't cover the cost, the city was responsible. With interest, the total owed is $130 million.

Others bills are mounting, too.

The city this year was required to pay the legal fees of TD Bank, VGTI's mortgage holder, to the tune of approximately $213,550, according to city documents.

Costs for the city's outside legal representation since June in the case are about $472,000, city officials said.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally Wednesday, March 9, 2016, in Fayetteville, N.C. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

This is the seventh presidential primary Republicans have held since I moved to Indian River County. In local landslides, county voters went with the eventual GOP nominee five times. In the sixth, it selected a nominee four years ahead of his time.

This year is an anomaly. Florida's front-runner has little in common with past county picks George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, George W. Bush or Mitt Romney.

Indian River County is Bush Country. Presidential relatives lived here. Bush presidential candidates never received less than 63 percent of the vote here in a primary. Jeb Bush never received less than 56 percent of the vote in his three gubernatorial races, including the one he lost to Lawton Chiles in 1994.

I'll bet many absentee ballots are for Jeb Bush, who withdrew from the race Feb. 20, after ballots were sent out. One is from Carole Jean Jordan, Indian River County tax collector. She's old friends with Jeb Bush, having served as head of the Florida GOP during his second term as governor.

"He would have been a great president," said Jordan, noting his supporters were "in mourning" the day he left the race. "He's just a really good guy  so caring  so considerate."

His departure, Jordan said, left her and many other Bush supporters without a favorite candidate.

"There's people all over the place," she said. "Primaries are tough because they're so personal."

The dynamics of this year's race  party outsider Donald Trump generally has about 40 percent of GOP voters' support compared to 60 percent for a group of splintered candidates  has thrown party leaders into a dither.

"I've never experienced the different factors like in this campaign," said Tom Lockwood, chairman of Indian River County's Republican Party the past 25 years.

Jordan agreed.

"Everyone's just shaking their heads," she said of many Republicans she's seen in Tallahassee while on tax collector business. "They really don't know where it's going."

Especially if Trump cannot garner enough delegates in primaries to clinch the nomination at the GOP convention in July. Trump has never held office and has been disdained by many party insiders.

"These are uncharted waters," said Lockwood, adding he doesn't have a favorite. "I don't know what to expect."

Nor do I. Four years ago, without naming anyone, I said the GOP's best choice was clear cut, based on some critical credentials:

"If something bad happened, what kind of person would you want your child or grandchild to live with? If you had enough money, who would you entrust to run your household, to budget for expenses and invest your money?

"If you had to pick a stranger to help, how would you find one? Would you evaluate this person via resume, word-of-mouth, etc.? To me, a vetted resume  backed up by references and other sources I find on my own  has been one of the most useful tools in determining who will perform effectively in the future."

Is there such a person in the GOP race now? The past candidate who best fits this mold, Mitt Romney, is sitting on the sidelines after losing to Barack Obama in 2012.

Meantime, Trump's two main challengers, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, are what GOP insiders criticized Obama for being eight years ago: a first-term senator. The remaining candidate, John Kasich, is the only governor left in the race. And he was chairman of the House Budget Committee the last time Congress balanced the federal budget.

This year, without Bush, Indian River County Republicans are terribly divided. Trump stands to benefit the most.

Lockwood said about 100 of every 101 inquiries to local GOP headquarters request stickers, buttons and more for Trump. Only Cruz and former candidate Ben Carson had stocked local GOP headquarters with paraphernalia as of earlier in the week. There was nothing for Rubio or Kasich.

In the countryside outside of Tallahassee, Jordan said, Trump signs are plentiful. Some folks, unable to get official signs, have created their own. That's amazing, she said, noting how difficult it can be to get people to put political signs in their yards.

Despite all his negatives, Trump has tapped into the frustration of the GOP middle class. His celebrity status has provided hope. He seems like the outsider, the candidate who can't be bought by special interests; the one who doesn't pander just to get re-elected.

Will Trump really be etched in the list of Indian River County victors with the likes of Bush, Dole and Romney?

Past winners

The following candidates won (and were runners up in) past Republican presidential primaries in Indian River County:

1988: George H.W. Bush, 63 percent (Bob Dole, 23.6 percent)

1992: George H.W. Bush, 67.5 percent (Pat Buchanan, 32.5 percent)

1996: Bob Dole, 58.2 percent (Steve Forbes, 23.3 percent)

2000: George W. Bush, 72.6 percent (John McCain, 21.3 percent)

2004: No GOP primary

2008: Mitt Romney, 34.76 percent (John McCain, 34.62 percent)

2012: Mitt Romney, 54 percent (Newt Gingrich, 27.4 percent)
Rendering of All Aboard Florida's brightline train. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/ALL ABOARD FLORIDA)

The Treasure Coast is well on its way to becoming the Noise Coast.

Many residents agree that All Aboard Florida will diminish our quality of life. The addition of 32 daily passenger trains  with no train stops planned for our region  bodes ill for our three-county area.

However, we're rapidly approaching the point where local officials  not just All Aboard Florida  may be culpable for the diminution of our quality of life.

No local governments on the Treasure Coast have requested quiet zones, according to Brightline/All Aboard Florida President Michael Reininger. Quiet zones are federally regulated safety improvements at rail crossings that eliminate the need for trains to sound their horns.

Unless Treasure Coast officials actively pursue quiet zones, our region will be the lone stretch of the 235-mile rail line where trains must sound their horns. If you live or work near a rail crossing and are irritated today by the 10 to 12 daily horn blasts from Florida East Coast freight trains, multiply that by four to get a sense of what's coming your way.

If and when this occurs, don't blame All Aboard Florida. The onus for this blunder will lay squarely at the feet of elected officials.

Treasure Coast officials have raised two main objections to quiet zones: cost and liability. The facts, as I understand them, now render both objections null and void.

The cost for quiet zones can vary from $30,000 per crossing to more than $1 million, depending on the number of crossings and the safety improvements required, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. Local officials looked at these numbers and balked  and rightfully so.

However, the cost of quiet zones has become a moot point.

The work All Aboard Florida has planned at rail crossings north of West Palm Beach will exceed quiet-zone standards, according to Reininger.

"We actually think there won't be any costs here (for quiet zones)," said Reininger, who recently visited Treasure Coast Newspapers. "The safety modifications that substitute for the horn are effectively going to be installed as a consequence of our investment. All those gates, all those medians, all those physical features that qualify an intersection for a quiet zone are going to be there."

This revelation  if accurate  eviscerates the counties' financial objection to quiet zones.

What about liability? Does it shift from the railroad to local governments after quiet zones are installed?

"No," Reininger said. "There is no transference of liability as a consequence (of installing quiet zones)."

I was skeptical. Some local governments across the country that installed quiet zones were required to sign indemnification agreements with railroads, holding the latter harmless for accidents occurring in quiet zones.

I asked All Aboard Florida to clarify the issue.

"It is not the intent of All Aboard Florida or Florida East Coast Railway to require municipalities to sign an indemnification agreement focused on participation in quiet zones," said an All Aboard Florida spokeswoman.

What is the position of the Federal Railroad Administration?

"If a municipality establishes a quiet zone meeting FRA requirements ... it does not shift liability from the railroad to the municipality," said Matthew Lehner, public affairs director for FRA.

One Treasure Coast official  Martin County Sheriff William Snyder  is breaking with the status quo on the subject of quiet zones.

"I support quiet zones to improve our quality of life," Snyder said.

Any other elected officials willing to elevate common sense over pigheadedness?

Officials in Indian River and Martin counties are clinging to the ephemeral hope they can stop All Aboard Florida through litigation. Apparently, their commitment to this dubious strategy prevents them from moving on parallel tracks  pun intended  and requesting quiet zones.

The two issues are not mutually exclusive.

Treasure Coast officials may be hesitant to take Reininger at his word. He is, after all, president of BBPR: The Big, Bad Passenger Railroad. My advice: Put Reininger's words to the test. Find out for yourselves if rail crossings throughout our region will be constructed to quiet-zone standards, whether All Aboard Florida will be shouldering these costs and whether there will be no transfer of liability to local governments for accidents and fatalities that occur in quiet zones.

If your inquiry confirms the veracity of these statements, proceed post haste to request quiet zones. Please don't wait until 50 trains a day are blaring their horns at every grade crossing on the Treasure Coast.
Opera on Thursday announced that new version of its desktop browser will have ad blocking built in.

Users can block ads in other browsers, but only through add-on programs called extensions. With ad blocking built in, Operas Web engine can perform the task better than extensions.

People care about speed in a Web browser, so when youre developing a browser you always have to think about speed, said Krystian Kolondra, senior vice president for global engineering at Opera.

While working on the next version of the browser, Operas developers asked themselves what they could do to give it a speed boost.

We noticed that most of the time that is spent loading a page is spent loading advertising, Kolondra told TechNewsWorld.

Faster Than Extensions

Although using extensions to block advertising can have a positive impact on performance, Operas developers discovered that by blocking ads at the Web engine level, they could load Web pages an average of 40 percent faster than with an ad-blocking extension.

Thats possible because the extension is running inside the browser, while our ad blocker is working at the network level, Kolondra explained.

Ad blockers have gained popularity in recent months, particularly in the mobile world.

Both Samsung and Apple have announced support for ad blockers in their mobile browsers.

Meanwhile, in Europe, mobile operator Three last month announced that it would start blocking ads at the network level for its units in the UK and Italy. If successful, the initiative could be expanded to other Three markets around the world.

Mobile is a huge problem, especially mobile Web, said Gavin Dunaway, senior editor for AdMonsters content team.

If a provider doesnt have a mobile-optimized site, its a terrible experience for users, because you force them to download a bunch of stuff that sucks away their data, he told TechNewsWorld.

Uncertain Impact

Because Opera has such a small share of the worldwide browser market  less than 2 percent  it remains to be seen how much of an impact this upcoming version of the browser will have on advertising.

If Opera were the dominant browser, it would be a different story, said Greg Sterling, vice president of strategy and insight at the Local Search Association. But Opera is a very small player at this point.

Its signfiicant, though, in that it represents momentum in favor of ad blocking, he told TechNewsWorld. Its yet another company getting on the ad-blocking bandwagon.

It will take some time before the full impact of Operas move can be determined, said Bryan Yeager, a senior analyst with eMarketer.

If we see over the next few months this has been something that attracts more users to Opera and its share increases, then there may be some legs to this  and maybe the ad industry should take note, he told TechNewsWorld.

Opera is being pretty opportunistic in latching onto this trend around ad blocking and providing some differntiation from the extension-based approach, Yeager added.

Undermining Internet Economy

Does Opera feel its undermining the Internet economy by building ad blocking into the code of its browser?

We understand that advertising is necessary for the economy of the Internet, Kolondra said. Internet services could never be free without ads.

However, we ask ourselves why some sites with ads only see a marginal difference in page-loading speed, while some load 90 percent faster when we disable the ads, he continued.

If the ads were better  more relevant to users, lighter so they dont slow down page loading  then we wouldnt have the problem that we have right now, Kolondra maintained.

There are more reasons for using an ad blocker than faster page loading, noted Ben Williams, communications and operations manager for Eyeo, maker of AdBlock Plus.

People use ad blockers because they are concerned about their privacy and their security, he told TechNewsWorld.

There are lots of reasons for using ad blockers, but the message to the online ad industry is you need to do something better, said Williams. If ads didnt take so much time to load, if they werent so intrusive, if they were more upfront about the tracking thats going on, then maybe people wouldnt feel the need to download an ad blocker on every device that they have.
Asus ZenFone Zoom is the best imaging-centric smartphone that the Taiwanese electronics company has launched to date

Made of glass as well synthetic and prismatic lenses, Zoom's camera module is meticulously configured in a dual-prism periscope arrangement to maximize incoming light and capture the best possible photo quality

But perhaps the most talked-about imaging feature of this device is its three-times lossless optical zoom replete with optical image stabilization

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TechPinas Smartphone Technical Specs Table (TSTST) Name Asus Zenfone Zoom Philippines Type Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen), Phablet Price Category High-end Dimensions 158.9 x 78.8 x 12 mm Weight 185 grams Available Colors Black (Italian Leather, Aluminum Frame) Operating System Android 5.0 Lollipop with Zen UI Display 5.5 inches (~403 ppi pixel density), 1080 x 1920 pixels, IPS+, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, Gorilla Glass 4 Processor Quad Core 64-bit 2.5 GHz Intel Atom Z3590 chipset with PowerVR G6430 GPU RAM 4 GB of RAM Internal Storage 128 GB of ROM, expandable via microSD card slot Camera Main: 13 MegaPixels, 4208 x 3120 pixels, autofocus, Dual Tone LED flash

Front: 5 MegaPixels Video Capture Full HD 1080p 30 frames per second for main camera, HD for front camera (TBC) Audio and Video Playback MP3, WAV, eAAC+, FLAC, MP4, H.264 Ports microUSB v2.0, 3.5 mm audio jack Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP, EDR, 3G HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps, HSPA+; LTE Cat4, NFC GPS Yes, with GLONASS and A-GPS FM Radio Yes Sensors Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Proximity Gyroscope Network 2G GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 and SIM 2, 3G HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100, 4G LTE 700 / 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 / 2600 (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 17, 18, 19, 20, 28, 29), TD-LTE 1900 / 2300 / 2500 / 2600 (Bands 38, 39, 40, 41) SIM Card Type Single microSIM Battery Non-removable 3,000 mAh Li-Po battery Uptime TBD Value-Added Features Zen UI, PixelMaster camera, Optical Zoom, OIS, Fast Charging Announcement Philippines, January 16, 2016 ~ ZenFestival 2016, Cebu City Availability January 2016 Price Official SRP: Php 26,995









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. It is Asus' landmark attempt at combining the ease-of-use and svelte form factor of a full touchscreen Android handset and the great imaging capabilities of a point-and-shoot digicam --Flaunting a gorgeous body made using real metal and genuine Italian leather, ZenFone Zoom is the worlds thinnest smartphone with arear camera and an innovative. Since Nokia's decline, very few handset companies have dedicated their resources to crafting a cameraphone having these unique and complicated hardware capabilities.For those who've been asking me how well the three-times optical zoom feature of my Asus ZenFone Zoom works, here are some full frame and center-zoomed sample shots that I've taken using the device. I'll let the quality of each photo speak for itself.What do you think about these photos, guys? Let me know your thoughts via our comments section below. As I've said, the ZenFone Zoom is Asus' maiden effort in this specific category so I'm sure that the company can learn a lot from consumer feedback in crafting follow-up devices.
After it was reported yesterday that Facebook will be introducing more VR content inside its social media platform, it seems that an increasing number of media companies are starting to embrace virtual reality. One organization utilizing the technology is the USA Today network, which has just announced that it's making a VR news show called VRtually There.

Accessed through either a dedicated page on the USA Today website or via its VR stories app, USA Today owner Gannett Co. Inc. claims that VRtually There will be "the first branded news experience presented in VR."

Set to begin sometime in spring, the show will have a "true network approach," and feature segments on a range of topics, including politics, sports, technology and finance. The show's running time and how often it will air has yet to be decided.

"VR provides a unique opportunity to tell the stories of news in new and different ways," Niko Chauls, director of applied technologies for the USA Today Network, said in an interview. "The technology provides for a level of immersion and experiential storytelling like nothing else."

Chauls said that the content will initially be designed for smartphone-powered headsets, such as the Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard, but it will eventually be available for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

Some of the content shown on VRtually There will also be available in a non-VR format on the company's websites, mobile apps, and social media posts. The ultimate goal, according to Chauls, is to create a virtual reality news program that can be broadcast in real-time.

"Over time we want to get to be able to offer VR in a live streaming capacity," he said. "That's not something we're able to do right off the bat [...] It's a challenge facing everybody in the news industry."

USA Today already uses virtual reality for a number of news items with its VR Stories page and app. Even though VR is in its infancy, it seems most companies expect the platform to revolutionize the way we consume content.
In less than a week, European Space Agency's ExoMars is set to launch. It was a project originally supported by NASA but withdrawn because of budget constraints. Now, NASA announced that its InSight mission, wherein its lander was grounded just three months before launch to Mars in 2015, will make it to the Red Planet, after all.

Rumors swirled that the mission could be cancelled but NASA announced that it would not be scrapped. Instead, the InSight mission, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is set to launch on May 5, 2018 with its planned landing on Mars on Nov. 26, 2018.

This trails an announcement on December 2015 that the launch will not happen this year because of technical problems, including a vacuum leak in the spacecraft's primary science equipment.

"The science goals of InSight are compelling, and the NASA and CNES plans to overcome the technical challenges are sound," says John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

"The quest to understand the interior of Mars has been a longstanding goal of planetary scientists for decades. We're excited to be back on the path for a launch, now in 2018," he added.

Fixing Bugs

The Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS), the science instrument that experienced a technical problem in December 2015, will be rebuilt and reconstructed as well as undergo qualifications of its vacuum enclosure. This will be carried out by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboraboty (JPL).

The Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology built SEIS as they received support from the European Space Agency's PRODEX program and the Swiss Space Office.

The French Space Agency (CNES) is responsible for the lander's integration and testing. Regular interim reviews are scheduled to take place in the next six months to monitor the technical progress and continued feasibility.

InSight: NASA's Discovery Program Mission

The goal of the InSight mission is to launch a single geophysical lander on Mars to study its interior. It aims to shed light on the processes that shaped and created the rocky planets of the solar system, including Earth, billions of years ago.

The lander will drill deep beneath the surface of the Red Planet to detect pieces of information about the processes involved in terrestrial planet formation. It will also measure the planet's vital signs including temperature, seismology and precision tracking.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Womens underrepresentation in high-paying IT and engineering jobs  which likely contributes to the gender wage gap  could be traced back to high school subject choices, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Melbourne found that girls are less likely to choose one of the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) than boys, despite many of them testing better in these areas.

In their report titled Gendered Selection of STEM Subjects for Matriculation, authors Moshe Justman and Susan Mendez sought to find out what role high school subject selection plays in driving both career paths and the wage gap. They followed about 58,000 students in seventh grade in 2008 and examined their STEM subject choices before their high school graduation in 2013.

Results showed that given the chance to choose, girls in general were less likely to take subjects such as specialist mathematics, information technology or physics.

We found that girls simply arent doing the subjects required in order to launch a career in the highly paid engineering or IT industries, Mendez says.

Even girls performing well at math emerged less likely to select the said subjects than their equally skilled male counterparts. Those who did choose the subjects, however, outperformed the boys on average.

This might as well debunk the popular belief that girls do not pick these subjects because they lack the necessary smarts in math, added Mendez.

According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2015 of the World Economic Forum, the gender wage gap remains huge, with women around the world still paid just above half the average male wage.

In the United States alone, women hold less than one-quarter of all STEM jobs  a figure that is still quite higher than in the United Kingdom, where women comprise less than 15 percent of all people in the industry.

The gap is attributed to women not studying STEM subjects, as well as motherhood and family affecting womens career choices. Mothers are believed to suffer a so-called motherhood penalty, where they are perceived to be less committed and competent in their work.

A separate study on wage gap demonstrated that college graduates from poor families benefit less from their college degree  through wages  than their wealthier peers.

Photo: Maryland GovPics | Flickr

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Men and women differ in a lot of ways including how they report pain. Women are 1.38 times more likely than men to report neck pain because of cervical degenerative disc disease (DDD), a new study found.

Researchers from the Loyola Medicine's Pain Management Center presented the results of their study at the American Academy of Pain Management annual meeting in Palm Springs, California. The study sheds light on the possible differences of how men and women experience pain.

Meda Raghavendra and Joseph Holtman, from the Loyola University Medical Center and the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, studied more than 3,300 patients who were under treatment at the center between 2012 and 2014. About 61 percent of the patients were women.

Based on their findings, they found that 133 patients suffer from cervical DDD. This disease is a common cause of neck pain and it is frequently felt as a stiff neck.

Of the 133 patients, 91 are women and they are more likely to report neck pain than men regardless of age and cigarette smoking. About 4.5 percent of women reported neck pain compared to just 3.3 percent of men. Men suffering from cervical DDD are three times more likely to be obese.

Women may report neck pain more than men because of hormonal differences and because men are less willing to report pain.

A similar study was conducted by the team but it focused more on lumbosacral pain or lower back pain. They also gathered data from patients being treated at the center and found that 12 percent of women and 11 percent of men reported lower back pain or lumbosacral DDD. Though the prevalence is slightly higher in women, this difference was not statistically significant.

What Is Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease?

This condition is usually a result of aging. It involves the degeneration of the discs particularly in the moving sections of the spine like the cervical and lumbar areas. In some people, however, the degeneration or aging of the discs occurs more rapidly or prematurely.

Common signs and symptoms include neck pain when sitting upright or moving the head. It can be reduced by lying down or reclining. Some people may experience burning, tingling, numbness and pain in the areas affected. Headaches can also result from this condition.

Photo: Ramsha Darbha | Flickr

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Does anyone remember that time in 2014 when Internet ladies showed no chill and made the mug shot of Jeremy Meeks go viral, with some people even suggesting he should be a model? The "hot felon" was sentenced to 27 months in prison in July 2015 but he was released on the morning of March 9.

He also followed the Internet's advice to become a model.

Meeks announced on his official Instagram account that he is ready to face the next phase of his life with a career in modeling. Apparently, White Cross Management is giving Meeks his second chance and his agent Jim Jordan is helping him weigh his options with different agencies.

"We're in talks with a lot of different agencies. There's [sic] movies on the table. We have a lot of different things happening," Jordan revealed.

Meeks was arrested in 2014 and was found guilty of possession of firearms. He must have been in his best behavior while in prison, because not only were the other prisoners good to him, but he also served only a year out of the 27-month sentence.

It does seem like he really is planning to make his family's life better by putting his good looks and physique to his advantage.

Meeks is indeed going ahead with his plan to model but everyone who follows him on Instagram knows what the 32-year-old is really looking forward to upon his release: spending time with his three kids. How else would anyone interpret an official Instagram account filled with photos of Meeks and his family and with majority of the photos captioned with a countdown to the day he finally reunites with his children?

These were the best days. Spending time with my son @jmeeksofficialjr I'll be home soon #37 days! A photo posted by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on Feb 1, 2016 at 3:43am PST

Looking forward to my time on the lake with my kids A photo posted by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on Mar 8, 2016 at 11:29am PST

Let us just hope that Meeks really uses his new opportunity to improve himself and become a better example to his kids.

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Spraying traditional insecticides to eliminate mosquitoes has had no impact on cutting off dengue, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). With this, questions have emerged about how officials might help in stopping the current spread of Zika virus, which is also a mosquito-borne infection.

Marie-Paule Kieny, Assistant Director-General of WHO, said at a meeting on Wednesday that there is no sufficient evidence that traditional ways of fighting dengue have had any impact on dengue cases. The same challenges might apply to Zika, she said.

In particular, Kieny said using insecticides and other methods to reduce populations of mosquitoes have not been able to stop the insects from transmitting dengue. What's more, it is uncertain whether or not the same methods would work to fight off Zika.

"Certainly it is worth continuing to try to use this method for the lack of other interventions, but what the scientists said is that there is an urgent need to also put in place studies to evaluate whether it has a benefit or not," said Kieny.

Meanwhile, Jorge Kalil, the Butantan Institute Director in Sao Paulo, Brazil, said everything that was done in the country to control mosquitoes "apparently did not work."

"The problem right now is it's very difficult to fight the (mosquito), there are billions and billions of insects," said Kalil, who attended the three-day Zika research meeting.

Kalil suggested that Brazilian officials may try a more targeted approach, which will involve greater participation from individuals and villages. He was also hopeful that the coming winter season might help reduce the populations of mosquitoes.

Authorities in Brazil have tried to fight against mosquitoes for years. The techniques include sending off insecticide-sprayers into rural areas or dispatching advisers to help citizens identify and clear out breeding places in residences.

Kieny mentioned another possible issue: other mosquito species aside from Aedes aegypti could spread out Zika. A previous study has shown that other mosquito species can become carriers of the virus. However, it is unclear if the vector mosquitoes could transmit it and infect humans.

The three-day meeting talked about whether or not methods such as using genetically modified mosquitoes might be necessary to stop the Zika virus outbreak, but "extreme rigor" must be practiced when it comes to evaluating such tools, Kieny said.

Photo : I. Wood/ITU Pictures | Flickr

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The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a fine to central California's Westlands Water District for misleading investors.

The Westlands Water District is the country's biggest agricultural water delivery agency, serving Kings and Fresno counties in California. The rare fine was the result of its financial health overstatement when it sold $77 million bonds in October 2012. The Westlands Water District agreed to pay the $125,000 fine.

It was only the second time that the SEC issued this type of financial penalty to a municipal-bond issuer. Westlands Water District general manager Thomas Birmingham will pay a separate $50,000 penalty. Louie David Ciapponi, Westlands Water District former treasurer, will pay a separate $20,000 fine.

According to the federal regulators, the executives of the Westlands Water District were anticipating that the current drought and water shortage would affect the district's income. This scenario would make the bond issue less appealing to potential investors.

Instead of increasing their water rates, the Westlands Water District resorted to an improper accounting method to come up with a more prosperous front.

The Westlands Water District reclassified its $9.8 million of assets as income to show that it has surpassed the desired debt service coverage ratio of 1.25 to 1 each year for the last five years. The SEC said that for reclassifications, the water district's debt coverage ratio should have been 0.11, not 1.25 in 2010.

"[The water district's actions] left investors in the dark about Westlands Water District's true financial condition," said Andrew J. Ceresney, the SEC's enforcement division director.

Westlands Water District provides water for irrigation to 700 farms in San Joaquin Valley. The water provided to 1,000 square miles makes the area the leading producer of vegetables, nuts and fruits in the United States.

According to the SEC, Birmingham once joked of executing "a little Enron accounting" during a board meeting at the Westlands Water District to reach their desired ratio. Enron Corporation is a defunct Houston-based company that closed due to bankruptcy in 2001 following an accounting scandal.

Prior to Enron's bankruptcy, the company had around 20,000 staff members and was one of the leading natural gas, communications, electricity and pulp and paper firms in the world.

Photo: Harold Litwiler | Flickr

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Canon makes a comeback into the entry-level SLR digital camera with its new and updated EOS Rebel T6 device.

Two years ago, the company released the previous model, the Rebel T5, but the snapper fared rather poorly against rivals such as the Pentax K-50 and Nikon D3300.

With the T6, Canon resisted the temptation to increase the pixel number. This means that the Rebel T6 packs an 18-megapixel APS-C image sensor. It is a tad disappointing that Canon's on-sensor phase detection focus system that is found on the T6s and T6i did not make the transition into the entry-level model.

Photographers will have to settle for contrast detection for autofocus when doing Live View mode shooting.

Owners of the T5 model will recognize the AF system when they capture images through the T6's viewfinder. Canon embedded a cross-type sensor for autofocus, which is rather precise and reliable. The cross-type is backed by a nine-point autofocus system that displays on the viewfinder.

The newly released camera does sport the AI Servo mode, which enables you to search for focus by keeping the shutter button semi-pressed. Should you go to a sporting event, know that burst shooting is available at three frames per second.

The native range of the sensor goes from ISO 100 to ISO 6400. Like the T5, an extra ISO 12800 exists. Just like its previous variant, the T6 can shoot video in 1,080p resolution.

An important improvement to the the Rebel T6 is that instead of the 3-inch rear LCD present in the T5, the new camera packs a 920k-dot resolution LCD, double the one from its predecessor. What is more, Wi-Fi and NFC were also added to the new camera model.

This makes it very user-friendly and allows for vacation photos or family portraits to be quickly uploaded to a smartphone or shared via social networks.

The firmware got updated as well. Foodies can rejoice, as the camera now has a scene setting specially tailored to capture meals. Food Mode tweaks the settings of the T6 so you get the best image out of a delicious meal.

For photography enthusiasts, Canon offers a White Balance setting dubbed White Priority. This shifts the warmer tone of images typically captured under incandescent lighting to a more neutral tone.

Should you be interested in purchasing a Canon Rebel T6, you need to wait until April when it hits store shelves.

The entry-level DSLR comes with a decent but not spectacular lens, the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II. The price point of the camera is $549.99 and Canon lists an estimated ship date of March 27 for preorders.

We look forward to seeing what the new version of Rebel can do and if retailers will include it in the Black Friday offer, as it happened with the Rebel T5.

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Wonderful Pistachios of Lost Hills in California voluntarily recalls some of its pistachio products due to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 11 people and prompted two to be hospitalized.

The announcement was made on Wednesday and includes pistachios sold under the brand names Trader Joe's, Paramount Farms and Wonderful. The products were sold throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Peru.

Details Of Products Contaminated With Salmonella

For the Trader Joe's products, the affected batch are those that have a "Best If Used By" date of Oct. 27 to Nov. 4. The specific product variants include Dry Roasted & Unsalted with UPC 0007 9990, Dry Roasted & Salted with UPC 0007 9983 and 50 Percent Less Salt Roasted & Salted with UPC 0011 1348.

All products come in 16-ounce plastic bags and information are found at the back, bottom part of the plastic.

In January, it can be recalled that Trader Joe's was also involved with a separate salmonella contamination risk for its raw cashew pieces.

Paramount Farms only have one product included in this recall. This is the Roasted Salted Inshell Pistachios with a code date and Lot No. Oct. 27(1509123280901), Nov. 5 (1510123332401). These information are found on the side box.

A total of 19 products from Wonderful Pistachios are included in this recall. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration have released a complete list of these affected pistachio variants.

Reports Of Sickened People

The beginning dates of illness of the affected consumers range from Dec. 12, 2015 to Feb. 9 of this year. These individuals are said to be aged nine to 69 years old, with a median age of 31.

About 73 percent of the patients are males.

No reports of death have been received by any of the concerned authorities so far.

Public Advice By Health Authorities

The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) recommends the public to not eat the pistachios if they have already bought one. The agency also advices retailers to stop selling the affected products.

Trader Joe's advises the same and reports that it has removed the affected pistachios from its store shelves. The company also asks its consumers to discard or return the pistachios to any of its branches for a full refund.

"We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience," the company statement reads.

Efforts Made, Efforts On The Way

Investigations made by different collaborating teams from the state, local government and federal authorities indicate that the salmonella outbreak is most likely due to the pistachios.

The officials have interviewed the sickened people, who detailed the food items they have eaten and other exposures to possible causes during the week of illness onset.

Eight of the nine people (89 percent) surveyed said that they ate pistachios before the week of illness. The CDC considers this proportion significantly higher than the results of another interview with healthy people, where 12 percent reported eating pistachios a week before the survey.

The investigative team also asked about the brand of pistachios eaten and 63 percent reported Wonderful brand.

Laboratory testing results from Paramount Farms products reveal Salmonella Montevideo strain in its raw pistachios.

"This investigation is ongoing, and we will update the public when more information becomes available," says the CDC.

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Patients diagnosed with a specific form of breast cancer may have a new treatment option to look out for, as it shows promise in shrinking tumors. The drug duo trastuzumab (Herceptin ) and lapatinib (Tyverb ), when used after diagnosis and before other treatments, can shrink breast cancer tumors in just 11 days.

About a quarter of women diagnosed with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 or HER2-positive breast cancer saw their tumors shrink or disappear after using the drugs, according to the results of a clinical trial conducted by researchers from the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London.

"This has ground-breaking potential because it allows us to identify a group of patients who, within 11 days, have had their tumors disappear with anti-HER2 therapy alone and who potentially may not require subsequent chemotherapy," said Nigel Bundred, surgical oncology professor at the University of Manchester. "This offers the opportunity to tailor treatment for each individual woman."

The clinical trial involved 257 women newly diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer in England between November 2010 and September 2015. They were treated with the drug combination or nothing for 11 days after diagnosis and before any treatment, such as surgery or chemotherapy, was initiated.

The trial consisted of two parts. For part one, 130 women were grouped into three: one group received trastuzumab only, the second received lapatinib only and the last received no treatment at all after diagnosis.

The initial finding showed the medicines both have efficacy against the tumor. As a result, the researchers changed the second part of the trial, where 127 women were divided into three groups and were each given trastuzumab only, a combination of trastuzumab and lapatinib, and nothing.

The researchers then took samples of tumor tissues from the women's first biopsy and analyzed the levels of Ki67 protein, an indicator of tumor cell spread. They also took into consideration the rise in apoptosis or programmed cell death.

Findings of the second part revealed that 87 percent of women who took the drug duo have gone through biological changes where the number of cancer cells decreased. In about 11 percent of those women, no active cancer cells were found. Seventeen percent had tumor cells that decreased to less than 5 millimeters in diameter.

The results of the clinical trial suggest that medical experts can assess patients' pathological response as early as 11 days in comparison to previous trials that were able to do so only after several months. However, the researchers said they still need to confirm what they called an astonishing breakthrough in cancer treatment.

"Clearly these results need further confirmation, but I suspect the excitement from seeing the speed of disappearance of the tumors will mean that several trials will attempt to confirm these results," said Professor Judith Bliss, lead researcher from the ICR.

The EPHOS-B clinical trial was presented at the 10th European Breast Cancer Conference on March 10.

Photo : Ed Uthman | Flickr

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Now here's another compelling reason to religiously brush one's teeth: researchers have found that periodontitis or gum disease speeds up cognitive decline in people with early-stage Alzheimer's disease by six times.

Periodontitis is common among the elderly and can become worse during old age as people struggle to maintain good oral hygiene. Bad bacteria in the gums are linked to increased levels of inflammation in the body, in turn associated with increased mental decline in Alzheimer's patients.

The joint research from King's College London and the University of Southampton followed 59 individuals with mild to moderate Alzheimer's for six months, assessing their dental health. The six-fold rise in cognitive decline, as well as an increased in inflammation levels, was detected in those with gum disease at the beginning of the study.

Since it was a small study, the authors advice conducting a bigger one to investigate the mechanisms by which gum disease may lead to decreased cognition. A growing body of research, however, supports the link between decreased cognitive states and inflammation, suggesting the benefits of gum disease treatment to Alzheimer's and dementia cases.

"These are very interesting results which build on previous work we have done that shows that chronic inflammatory conditions have a detrimental effect on disease progression in people with Alzheimer's disease," says senior author and University of Southampton professor Clive Holmes.

The findings were published in the journal PLOS ONE.

Gum disease is prevalent both in the United States and the United Kingdom, particularly among older segments. It is deemed a major cause of tooth loss  a UK study found that 40 percent of adults ages 65 to 74  half of which reporting periodontitis beforehand  retained less than 21 of their original teeth.

Bacteria and viruses are a close target in probing Alzheimer's.

A team of 31 experts suggested the disease could be rooted in the herpes virus or chlamydia, while researchers from Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial College London believed that bacterial and viral infections in the brain often exhibited symptoms similar to those of Alzheimer's.

Dementia, the most common form of which is Alzheimer's, covers various degenerative conditions that lead to gradual brain function loss, including memory, thinking and reasoning. Its causes remain largely unknown, although scientists point to genetic, lifestyle and environment as likely factors to consider.

Photo: Patrick Doheny | Flickr

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Uber has a secret hotline that riders can call in the event of an emergency, which isn't really a secret anymore at this point.

The number is 800-353-8237, with the last four digits spelling out "UBER." Both riders and drivers can take advantage of the service, and when they dial it, their call will be put through to a customer service representative (CSR) of Uber. Once it has been confirmed that it's a real emergency, they will then be transferred to 911.

Uber has been testing the hotline in 22 cities since October. While it's meant as the number to call when an emergency happens, it's originally planned for non-911 crises. In other words, the ride-hail company urges the passengers and drivers to not treat the hotline as a replacement for 911.

"In the United States, 911 is the panic button, and is the panic button we want people to use. It would be a stretch to say we could do better," Joe Sullivan, chief security officer at Uber, said in a press conference in light of the Kalamazoo incident.

The sort of emergencies that Uber has in mind is when a rider leaves behind medicine or an apparatus for their health such as an insulin pump.

This development is a response to the questions of a panic button in the wake of the shooting in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where 45-year-old suspect Jason Dalton allegedly shot eight people, leaving two in critical conditions and six dead.

"We are horrified and heartbroken at the senseless violence in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Our hearts and prayers are with the families of the victims of this devastating crime and those recovering from injuries. We have reached out to the police to help with their investigation in any way that we can," Sullivan says.

What this provides for everyone who uses Uber, whether for a source of income or a means to get around, is a way to take extra preventative measures when something seems amiss. That means that they don't have to stay completely dependent on the company's current system.

It's also worth mentioning that Kalamazoo is not included in the pilot program of the hotline, and the number to call Uber isn't even on the app itself. The only way for people to contact Uber outside of the selected 22 cities is through email, which is obviously is not an efficient method to report an emergency.

Unfortunate occurrences during an Uber ride are nothing new. Leaked data even revealed that thousands of rape and sexual assault complaints flood the company's CSR department, which was later confirmed to be five and 170 claims respectively.

The car service also implemented tighter driver screenings and more thorough background checks when an Uber passenger in India was raped.

Quartz first reported the secret safety hotline, and it tried to get in touch with Uber about whether the company's safety policies will be updated in the wake of the Kalamazoo shooting. However, it's still waiting for an official response.

One last thing: it seems a bit odd for Uber to keep the number a secret from the public, as the whole point of the hotline is for their safety. This led to speculations that Uber in fact doesn't want to be easily accessible.

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At about three times the speed of a bullet train and about half the speed of a speeding bullet, the hyperloop concept for mass transit has found a new firing range.

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies announced on Thursday that it has secured space in Slovakia. From there, the company will settle on a route to run its hyperloop concept, "which later is planned to be connected to Austria and Hungary," said the company.

For those who haven't heard of hyperloop technology, and for those unsure, it is what they think it is and it is exactly what it sounds like.

Much like the tube shuttling deposits and deposit slips between cars and teller, the concept of hyperloop technology is based on the same principles of pneumatic mass transfer. But instead of sending container to and from via a sealed tube, a couple of startups are researching and developing means to move people in the same manner.

The tube could move people and goods at speeds of up to 760 mph, which is about 8 mph shy of the sound barrier.

"A transportation system of this kind would redefine the concept of commuting and boost cross-border cooperation in Europe," said Vazil Hudak, the Slovak Republic's minister of economy.

Elon Musk, the genius behind Tesla Motors' electric cars and private spaceflight firm SpaceX, first proposed the idea of hyperloop technology back in 2013. Musk has had his hands full with commercializing space and revolutionizing the automobile industry, so he urged someone else to take up the hyperloop concept.

"The Hyperloop (or something similar) is, in my opinion, the right solution for the specific case of high traffic city pairs that are less than about 1500 km or 900 miles apart," Musk reasoned back in 2013.

For distances greater than 900 miles, supersonic air travel would be more feasible, he said. Hyperloop technology would be the fifth form of transport "after planes, trains, cars and boats."

About three years later, progress continues to be made in making hyperloop transport a reality. But still, these efforts still face challenges such fleshing out designs and having a regulatory framework on their feet.

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From Google to Tesla, General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and reportedly Apple ... the race to develop a self-driving vehicle is on, full speed ahead.

But who's leading it? Well, having launched its Self-Driving Car Project back in 2009, Google seems to be well ahead of its aforementioned competition in autonomous vehicle development. While the world's most-valuable company's monthly accident reports, regular blog posts and interviews with the media about its continued activity in autonomy show how entrenched it is in developing the technology, there's another factor backing up the idea that Google is leading the race  public records.

Upon gathering data from the California Department of Motor Vehicles, The Atlantic unearthed that out of the 11 companies with test permits for self-driving cars in the state, Google is above and beyond its competition with 73 permits, as of March 1. The manufacturer with the next-most test permits for autonomous vehicles in California? Well, that would be Tesla with eight.

That's significant, considering Tesla CEO Elon Musk told Fortune this past December that his company would have fully-autonomous cars ready to hit the road in 2018, two years ahead of Google's and other automakers' targeted year of 2020.

"I think we have all the pieces, and it's just about refining those pieces, putting them in place, and making sure they work across a huge number of environments - and then we're done," Musk told Fortune just three months ago.

If he's going to make good on that promise, perhaps Tesla should pick up the number of test permits it has in the state. That is, unless the company is privy to something about autonomy that the public isn't.

Regardless, it's pretty eye-popping to see how many test permits Google has stacked up against its competition, with companies such as Cruise Automation (seven permits), Mercedes-Benz (five permits) and Volkswagen, Bosch, Nissan, Delphi and Ford each touting two permits in all trailing Google.

And with its 73 test permits, Google also boasts 230 approved human drivers in California. That's not even counting the testing that the company has going on in Texas and Washington.

A wild card in the race for a self-driving car at this point? Apple, as the company which has done the best job at keeping a low profile about its reported development in the autonomous space thus far.

Still, Google is leading for now. And it should be interesting to see what Chris Urmson, director of Google's Self-Driving Project, has to say Tuesday, when he testifies before Congress, alongside other automakers, about the steps being taken to develop a safe and effective autonomous vehicle.

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Child rebuked for extensive use of phone cuts his finger in a fit of rage

Many incidents have come to the fore where people have gone to the extreme lengths to do anything for their devices. For example, a recent incident where a man went on to sell his 18-month-old daughter to buy an iPhone or the woman who jumped into a freezing lake to retrieve her iPhone.

However, in a recent shocking episode a 11-year-old boy from Suzhou, China hacked off his finger after his dad rebuked him for spending all his time on the phone.

The child was depressed with his father who was continuously shouting at him for his extensive use of smartphone. The childs parents disapproved his habit of being glued to the phone all the time, as they believed that he was setting a bad example for his 6-year-old brother.

On that fateful day, the father scolded the son after his mother complained him. After the verbal fight intensified, the child in a fit of anger snatched a knife and hacked off his left index finger. The injured child was rushed to the hospital with his severed finger where doctors again attached the finger. Howevrer, it will take at least a week for the doctors to be certain that the operation was a success.

The parents were naturally greatly shocked by the incident, as they did not anticipate their child to respond in this manner. This incident has left the parents more to worry about than their sons extensive use of the phone. One hopes that this unfortunate episode would make the young one accept the fact that causing harm to oneself is not the right way to react for not being allowed to be glued to the phone all the time.
Snoopy the flying drone can hack your phone

Now a days flying drones are a regular feature in our skies but what happens when one of these flying drones is actually hacking into our smartphone or laptop unknown to us and stealing vital personal and banking information. This is what a drone named Snoopy can do.

Named Snoopy, the hacking drone was demonstrated by its creator, Glenn Wilkinson at conference in Edinburgh, Scotland on Wednesday. The drone targets mobile users with Wi-Fi running on their device, seeking an open connection. Once the drone zeros in on such open connection it disguises itself as a recognised network and connects to the victims smartphone.

Once connected, Snoopy can steal information such as geo data, passwords and banking information, or even any photos or files stored on your phone.

It is relatively simple software used by criminals worldwide  and it highlights an important point that we must make sure devices dont constantly search for Wi-Fi when it is not necessary or we cant be certain of what it is we are connecting to, Wilkinson said. The concerning thing is that it is increasingly the case that every device we carry emits unique signatures  and even pacemakers come with Wi-Fi today, what a bad idea!

Earlier in August, 2015, David Jordan from Aerial Assault unveiled a similar hacking drone running on Kali Linux at the Defcon hacking conference in Las Vegas.

Like Snoopy, Aerial Assault too was capable of hacking into a victims smartphone or laptop using the software tools capable of penetration testing in Kali Linux. Aerial Assault is available and retails at $2500.00
Ex military man and ex-Anonymous member discusses involvement with global online hacktivist group Anonymous

We all know Anonymous. While some of us respect it for its vision of a better Internet full of freedom, there are skeptics who say that Anonymous are a bunch of skiddies. What does it feel to be a Anonymous member? How do Anonymous work? These are some important questions which even the die hard critics of Anonymous would like answers to.

A Houston area man who is also a ex-military man spoke to Click 2 Houston about his involvement with the global hacktivist group Anonymous and why he severed all ties with the elusive organization. Mike Jones claims he is one of the original members of Anonymous and has been at the forefront of several cyber attacks on government institutions, large corporations and terrorist groups.

We were looking for new ways, new ways of thinking, Jones said.

When asked why he joined Anonymous, Jones said that the initial idea behind the formation of the group was injustice. Jones said that after 9/11 WTC terror attacks, the US government became overly overly intrusive into the average Americans citizens life.

After 9-11 there was a swing of taking peoples civil liberties. There was a knockdown of peoples rights and there was a fight for gaining that back, Jones said. We kind of got together, put our heads together and labeled ourselves, basically, freedom fighters. They were aimed at people and organizations that we felt were on the wrong side of the law to begin with.

While you use the words freedom fighters, others out there use the word, criminal. Do you consider yourself a criminal? Channel 2s Robert Arnold asked.

No, I dont, Jones said.

You have broken laws that are on the books. Is that not correct or do you disagree with that? asked Arnold.

I dont disagree, but at the time those laws werent created. They used us as a way to form new laws, Jones said.

Jones is also a ex-military man. I went into military intelligence after 9-11, said Jones. There was definitely an intelligence gap, and thats where I wanted to be.

Jones said he joined Anonymous after he left the Navy and spent his time mostly looking for vulnerabilities in corporate websites. Looking at systems for vulnerabilities is something that helps all of us, Jones said.

Why should you be allowed to, I guess, to just poke around in the dark and see if you can get in? asked Arnold.

The way I look at it is, either I can test it or the Chinese can. Would you rather me test it or someone from China or North Korea test it? said Jones.

Jones told Arnold that he left Anonymous for three reasons. The first was seeing friends sent to prison under, what at the time, were newly created cyber-laws.

They held us to almost a terrorist level. Matter of fact they called it cyber-terrorism, Jones said. I think that made a lot of us feel like less than citizens. When I look at my kids, jail is not somewhere I want to be.

The second reason is Jones said he feels like the original intent of Anonymous has become diluted.

The idea is disappearing. Guys are buying Anonymous masks at Party City, theyre running through the streets and starting fires with the Anonymous mask on, thats not who we are, said Jones. The idea was a pure idea and it was not physical or life-threatening.

The third reason was his professional life. He felt that being an Anonymous member may have ruined a successful career in private sector.

Out of the three, this one seems to be the most valid reason for Jones leaving Anonymous as after leaving the military, many private-sector companies were hiring people with his particular skill set.

Hiring people like me to defend against what we know is out there. Its there, the threat is real, said Jones. They only way really to know their vulnerabilities and the threat to their companies was to find people like me, that were already there, that were willing to work for an honest paycheck, but also keep their head in the underground.
German court rules that Facebook like button is breaking the law

Facebook like buttons on commercial websites break German law if users are not warned that their personal data is being shared, a court ruled on Wednesday. This ruling issued by Dusseldorf district court may come as a dampener for Facebook which has just launched its reaction buttons instead of Likes.

The ruling came in the matter of a shopping website using the Facebook Like button on its website. The court banned has banned it from using the Like function on its pages if it did not first warn customers their data was being recorded. The retailer will now be forced to warn users that liking the site on Facebook grants permission for the company to log their IP address.

The Fashion ID site, run by the Peek & Cloppenburg brand, was warned that it could be fined 250,000 euros ($275,000) for every breach of the order, seen by AFP.

However, the ruling may have a far reaching impact on the way Facebook Likes are incorporated by websites operating in Germany. A mere link to a data protection statement at the foot of the website does not constitute an indication that data are being or are about to be processed, the court said. The ruling may have implications in other European countries as well.

Fashion ID was taken to court by consumer organization Verbraucherzentrale who accused the site of failing to adhere to Germanys data protection laws.

A Facebook spokesman responded to Wednesdays ruling, This case is specific to a particular website and the way they have sought consent from their users in the past. The Like button, like many other features that are used to enhance websites, is an accepted, legal and important part of the Internet, and this ruling does not change that.
The first fastest ever hydrogen-powered car is here and it is awesome

Italian automaker Pininfarina unveiled a beautifully sleek hydrogen-powered car at the Geneva Motor Show, and its the fastest of its kind to-date.

Cars that run on hydrogen are becoming more popular by automakers. While Pininfarina certainly is not the first automaker to explore the creation of hydrogen cars  Toyota, Audi, and Honda are known brands that are investing into the technology as well. Similarly, less mainstream automakers are interested in the technology as well, like Welsh firm Riversimple. However, Pininfarina is the first one to create a hydrogen-powered vehicle that is this fast.

The car, called the H2 Speed, makes it the first high performance hydrogen car that can reach up to 299 km/h (over 180 mph top speed) and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h (62 miles per hour) in just 3.4 seconds with emissions consisting of just steam, as with all fuel cell-powered vehicles.

The car comes with two electric motors and a hydrogen fuel cell. It is equipped with the ability to regenerate energy from braking. And it just refuels in three minutes!

The H2 speed is still in its concept stages and has undergone track testing by GreenGT, a Franco-Swiss company that makes clean propulsion systems.

If the car sounds too good to be true, maybe it is. The company hasnt released the cars range, which is an important make-or-break factor for hydrogen cars. word yet on whether we can expect to see the car on the market or if it will stay in concept mode.

Its definitely a car that combines form and function in one framework, but the company has yet to release the cars range, which could be the make or break factor for this particular model. Also, there is no word yet on whether we can expect to see the car on the market or if it will stay in concept mode.

Costs, of course, are always a factor, and it doesnt make sense to widely produce a super-expensive car that most wont be able to afford. However, as time passes, the cost of manufacturing such devices goes down, which will in turn increase the chances to see such cars available for commercial scales.
A spelling error stopped a hack from committing a billion dollar bank robbery

A spelling mistake in an online bank transfer instruction became the source of resistance as it prevented nearly $1 billion robbery last month, Bangladesh central bank and the New York Fed, banking officials said.

However, the unknown hackers were still able to get away with about $US80 million by breaking through the banks internal security. They then took that information to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where they made more than dozens of payment transfer to entities in the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

The Fed allowed four requests to go through totaling $81 million to the Philippines. However, the fifth for $US20 million, to a Sri Lankan non-profit organisation didnt made it because the hackers misspelled the name of the NGO as foundation as fandation.

Deutsche Bank, which was conducting the transfer, asked the Bangladesh central bank about the mistake, leading to a realization that something was amiss. Meanwhile, the abundant number of transfer requests to the New York Fed also raised suspicions, and the American wing also contacted the Bangladeshi bank.

Once alerted, officials put a stop to the the remaining transfers, which amounted to nearly $850 million. The $81 million theft is still one of the largest ever, but if all the transfers had gone through, it would have go on to become the largest known banks in history.

According to one official, the money saved added up to between $850 million and $870 million.

In order to recover some of the funds that were lost, the Bangladesh government plans to sue the Federal Reserve, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

The Fed had the responsibility to keep the money safe, Shamim Ahamad, the press minister at the American Bangladesh Embassy, told Vice. We are suspecting that Chinese hackers have done it.

The countrys finance minister, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, had even stronger words, according to the Dhaka Tribune. The fault that caused the hacking was in the Federal Reserve of United States, so we will file a case in the international court against the US Fed, he said.

Meanwhile, the Fed is basically shrugging. To date, there is no evidence of any attempt to penetrate Federal Reserve systems in connection with the payments in question, said a spokesperson said in a statement. There is no evidence that any Fed systems were compromised.

Last year, Russian hackers reportedly got away with up to $1 billion from 100 banks using malware.
Keith Emerson, one of the founding members of progressive rock group Emerson, Lake and Palmer, has died in what police are treating as a suspected suicide.

The keyboardist died at the age of 71 at his home in Santa Monica, Los Angeles on Thursday night, the band confirmed.

Sergeant Erika Aklufi said an investigation was looking in whether he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Bandmate Carl Palmer said he is "deeply saddened" and paid tribute to his "brother-in-music".
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The Venezuelan government celebrated on Friday the arrival in the country of the last five crew members of the Emtrasur aircraft that had been held in Argentina since June 6. | Read More
Sanjay Dutt Next Film With Telugu Director

Maverick filmmaker Puri Jagannadh, who is currently busy with shooting of his latest film Rogue on the streets of Kolkata, is all set to direct another Hindi film. This time he has roped Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt. Puri narrated the story to the actor and Dutt loved it and immediately said yes.



Puri confirmed the news but refused to talk about the story. Puri confirmed that this film will be his next after 'Rogue'. As per sources the film will be an action story. Puri made debut to Bollywood with 'Buddha Hoga Tera Baap' but still he have to deliver a commercially successful film in the industry.Puri is busy with Rogue movie and this time he is working with a complete new team.











News Posted: 10 March, 2016








Telangana Assembly session till March 29

Hyderabad, March 11 (INN): The budget session of Telangana State Legislative Assembly, which began here on Thursday, will continue till March 29.



The decision was taken during the meeting of Assembly's Business Advisory Committee which met here on Friday under the chairmanship of Speaker S. Madhusudan Chary. The meeting was also attened by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Legislative Affairs Minister T. Harish Rao, Leader of Opposition K. Jana Reddy, TDP MLA S. Venkata Veeraiah, MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi, BJP floor leader Dr. K. Lakshman, CPI MLA Sunnam Rajaiah and CPI MLA Ravinder Kumar.



The opposition members demanded that the duration of budget session be increased to facilitate detailed discussions on various public issues. However, the State Government urged them to cooperate in passing the Appropriation Bill by March 29. However, they were assured that after passing the Appropriation Bill, the BAC would meet again to take a decision continuance of budget session.



As per the BAC decisions, there will be no sittings on March 15, 23, 24 and 25th. The reply on Governor's Address would be given on March 14 while discussions on General Budget would be held from March 16th to 19th.



The State Government is likely to introduce three Bills during the budget session.









News Posted: 11 March, 2016








Ex-TDP MLAs meet KCR

Hyderabad, March 11 (INN): All 12 MLAs, who have merged with TRS from TDP, called on Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao at his camp office on Friday.



Jubilee Hills MLA Maganti Gopinath and Serilingampally MLA A. Gandhi formally joined the TRS on the occasion. KCR offered them pink 'khandwas' to formally induct them into the party. During the meeting, KCR reportedly assured them of all assistance in the development of their constituencies.



Speaking to media persons later, Gandhi said that the MLAs have quit TDP and joined the TRS on the agenda of development of their constituencies. Gopinath said although he loves TDP, he was more concerned about the development of Hyderabad as a global city which could be achieved only by TRS. He said he was quite impressed with the performance of the Chief Minister in developing Telangana State.









News Posted: 11 March, 2016








Thailands long awaited and much anticipated Business Collateral Act B.E. 2558 (2015) (Act), was published in the Royal Thai Government Gazette on 5 November 2015 and will come into force on 1 July 2016.

The objective of this Act is to help boost Thailands economic growth and will provide business operators, especially SMEs, greater access to sources of investment for their businesses.

Under the Thai Civil and Commercial Code (CCC), the only security capable of being given by a borrower was by way of a pledge or mortgage. Even then, only land and buildings could be mortgaged. Until now, it has been illegal to mortgage, or pledge, certain types of moveable assets such as raw materials, work in progress, or unregistered machinery.

Additionally, it has been necessary for a borrower, or a pledgor, to deliver the pledged property to the lender to create a valid and binding pledge.

A floating charge was an alien concept. Such constraints have long been recognised as limiting lending abilities and impacting negatively on the potential for growth of business in Thailand.

Until Now Under the Act, the limitation on the type of assets that can be given as collateral is eliminated. It is now possible to have a business, a right of claim, moveable property of the security provider used in operating businesses such as machinery, inventories or raw materials, real property, intellectual property or any other assets as specified in the ministerial regulation as collateral.

The Act creates a new form of contract known as a business collateral contract between a borrower, or security provider, who agrees to provide pre-agreed assets, and a lender, or a security receiver, who in turn lends money against those assets.

A Major Shift?

While the BCA represents a major shift in the legal framework of secured transactions in Thailand, there are still a number of issues which need to be clarified in practice. Ultimately, whether the BCA proves to be helpful to Thai borrowers will depend on the extent to which it is relied upon by parties seeking to extend and obtain credit.

Below is a summary of the key provisions under the Act:

A security provider can either be an individual or a legal entity. However, under the Act, security receivers must be a financial institution (or any person specified in the ministerial regulation).

A security provider retains the right to possess, use, exchange, dispose, transfer or mortgage the collateral, including using it in manufacturing process, provided the security provider cannot pledge the collateral under the Act further, otherwise the pledge will be voidable.

A business collateral contact must be made in writing and registered centrally.A new office known as the Business Collateral Registration Office is to be established in the Department of Business Development of the Ministry of Commerce which will be responsible for the registration of security, including the amendment and cancellation of the registration records as well as making those records public.

A security receiver has a preferential right to debt payments from the collateral before other creditors regardless of whether the collateral is transferred/assigned to a third party or not.In cases of enforcement of a business which is registered as collateral, enforcement action must be undertaken by a security enforcer, who is required to be licensed.

The Act also sets out the methods of enforcement for assets and business given as collateral, which differ from the CCC. In the event the collateral under the Act is also mortgaged, the mortgagee is permitted to enforce the mortgage under the procedure under the Act.

In case a security provider is a third party and not the debtor and if the proceeds realised from the enforcement are insufficient, the creditor can bring a claim for the shortfall from the debtor, but cannot claim for a shortfall from the security provider and any agreement to the contrary shall be void.

Source: Thailands New Business Collateral Act  Lexology
After nearly five years of searching, a village in Quang Binh is finally getting answers about the fate of 13 children



A Ruc mother in Quang Binh Province holds up photos of her two children. She claims a local center sent them out of the country without her consent.

The Italian International Adoption Commission has pledged to cooperate with Vietnamese authorities in reviewing accusations from an ethnic minority community that a welfare and education center conned them out of 13 of their children.

Without their knowledge, the families claimed, their children were sent abroad for adoption back in 2006.

The accusations were initially dismissed by local authorities.

Last year, a UNICEF-commissioned report brought their allegations to light once again. The report cites a Danish anthropologist working in the area as saying that the children had been adopted by American and Italian couples.

Late last year, Quang Binh Provincial authorities issued an apology to the Ruc parents.

Since then, the Italian Embassy has reviewed specific information regarding five of these children and has confirmed that four are in Italy.

The US Embassy has refused to confirm or deny these allegations, citing privacy rights.

The fate of the other nine remains a mystery, for now.

Last week, Italian officials said that the adoptions were conducted in a legitimate fashion.

"We emphasize that the dossiers on the thirteen children, whose names we got only in December 2010, have been thoroughly investigated," said Daniela Bacchetta, vice president of the Italian Commission for International Adoption. "Even today, they appear to be flawless."

Despite her confidence in the legitimacy of the adoptions, Bacchetta said the case remains open.

"Should the outcome of the investigation carried out by the Vietnamese authorities confirm the assumptions of irregularities, we would agree on the steps to take with the Vietnamese Central Authority," she said.

Earlier this month, Thanh Nien Weekly reported that the birthparents of 13 Ruc children in the north-central province of Quang Binh had come forward and claimed that they had been deceived by the employees of a provincial assistance center.

The parents, most of whom are impoverished and illiterate, claimed that representatives from the center had offered to educate and care for their children in a nearby town.

As a result, they turned them over in early 2006.

Six months later, they claimed, the kids were gone and no one would tell them where they were.

The center director Le Thi Thu Ha recently told Vietnamese media sources that all 13 children were turned over to an Italian adoption agency.

The Sai Gon Giai Phong newspaper quoted Ha as saying that all of the children were being brought up in Italy, mostly around the southern city of Naples.

The Italian 5

Dr. Peter Bille Larsen worked in Quang Binh in the late 1990s. In 2008, he says, he alerted Vietnamese authorities and embassies of the parents' complaints.

Larsen, familiar with the Ruc community, helped deliver specific information and documents regarding five children to Vietnamese authorities in 2008.

The Italian authorities reviewed these recently, and confirmed that four were living in Italy. The fifth, they say, must be somewhere else.

The UNICEF report released last November claimed that some of the children had also been adopted by American couples. Larsen also said that American adoption agencies were operating in the region in 2006, though he could not confirm whether or not the children were in the US.

In 2008, the US and Vietnam agreed not to renew their bilateral adoption agreement.

However, US embassy officials could not confirm nor deny that any of the thirteen children had been adopted by American couples.

"Due to privacy rights, we are not able to release information about US citizen adoptive parents or adoptees from the Quang Binh Province," a US State Department official said.

Lorenzo Angeloni, the Italian Ambassador to Vietnam, confirmed that the Italian Commission for International Adoption (CAI) is conducting its own assessment of the issue.

Ambassador Angeloni said that five Ruc children were processed by the Italian organization.

"CAI is well aware of the investigations regarding five children belonging to the Ruc minority (please note that only five children were adopted through Italian organization[s]) and is conducting assessment on the matter," he wrote in an email.

Bacchetta claimed that only four children were adopted by Italian parents and that all related procedures were conducted with "flawless, comprehensive and conclusive" documents.

"No trace of the fifth child could be found and hence he was not adopted by any Italian couple," she said.

Asked to clarify a possible contradiction between her and Angeloni's statements about the number of children adopted, Bacchetta said: "I confirm my previous statements [ ... ] Ambassador Angeloni's statement had a more general approach, based on our comments to the UNICEF/ISS draft, without the update I have thoroughly explained."

Bacchetta said the Italian authorities were surprised by the figure, thirteen.

"Only after reading the report drafted by the International Social Service on behalf of UNICEF did we learn that the procedures that allegedly caused concern involved 13 children," she said.

However, Larsen questioned this assessment.

He said documentation sent to Italian authorities included official letters by the social authorities saying the children would be returned to families "upon improved conditions."

"The so-called letters giving all rights to the center, on the contrary, were handwritten, undated (except for the year 2005) - and signed by illiterate parents," he said.

He said testimonies from birthparents have revealed a lack of parental consent. They discovered that their children were adopted after approaching the center, and in some cases, birthdate change.

"How this can be considered flawless is still a mystery or is this really representative of businessas-usual in the adoption system? I hope not."

Larsen said that from 2008, authorities had been encouraged to undertake thorough investigations of all suspected Ruc cases (estimated then to be around 13) as well as others undertaken in the province. He said countries with active adoption agencies in the province, including both the US and Italy, have been encouraged to investigate all adoption cases undertaken in the province.

"There is a risk and concern that the Ruc may not have been the only parents experiencing such kinds of irregularities. We will soon learn about the true extent of these practices in the concerned center and province from a more comprehensive investigation," he said.
A long-running case under which the competition regulator accused Flight Centre Travel Group of fixing the prices of international flights will be heard by the High Court.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission had refunded $11 million in penalties and Flight Centre's legal costs last year after the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia unanimously overturned a 2013 judgment against the travel group.

Flight Centre says it is "disappointed" the ACCC has continued to pursue the long-running case. Credit: Fairfax Media

However, on Friday, the High Court granted special leave to appeal, in a move that "disappointed" Flight Centre.

"We are not in the business of attempting to make airfares more expensive and we will continue to fight to be able to seek access to all fares to ensure the millions of customers that we serve are not forced to pay more for their flights," Flight Centre managing director Graham Turner said.
Coca-Cola in Australia has disclosed the names of 14 health professionals to whom it has given money as part of its support for scientific research and health partnerships.

From 2010 to 2015, Coca-Cola paid a total of $132,700.60 to experts including Louise Burke, head of sports nutrition at the Australian Institute of Sport, Peter Clifton, professor of nutrition at the University of South Australia, and Paul Nestel, a cardiologist at the Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute.

The disclosure of funding is part of a global transparency roll-out by the soft-drinks company it promised in August last year. The commitment to disclose all monies Coca-Cola pays to health researchers and what it calls "wellbeing partners" came about after The New York Times exposed that Coke funded the Global Energy Balance Network. The GEBN said that health policy combating obesity should focus on exercise rather than controlling dietary intake.
Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the country to improve its nuclear attack capability after watching a ballistic missile launch test, the official KCNA news agency reports.

The report on Friday did not say when the test took place, but it is thought to have been referring to North Korea's launch of two short-range missiles on Thursday. The missiles flew 500km before splashing into the sea.

"Dear comrade Kim Jong-un said work ... must be strengthened to improve nuclear attack capability and issued combat tasks to continue nuclear explosion tests to assess the power of newly developed nuclear warheads and tests to improve nuclear attack capability," KCNA said.
Palm Beach: Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump won another high-profile endorsement on Friday when Ben Carson became the second former Republican candidate to back him in the race for the White House.

"We buried the hatchet. That was political stuff," Mr Carson said during a joint appearance with the billionaire businessman at a news conference at Mr Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club resort Palm Beach, Florida.

"I have found in talking with him that there's a lot more alignment, philosophically and spiritually than I ever thought that there was," he added.
"Still they don't get it. Things change. You failed. You failed the community, you failed the parents, you failed the students. Your mismanagement in these schools caused the governments to do this auditing so move on and let us do these changes. They did not like it." However, the new constitutions were lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, despite a letter to principals from the new committee urging them to delay. Now the school will push forward without the financial backing of the federation, despite owing AFIC a debt of $2.1 million, according to the Commonwealth. This debt relates to a surplus of running costs over the past three years which AFIC had absorbed and written off in prior years. But despite the current situation, Mr Berjaoui said he was confident the federation would write off the debt.

ACT education minister Shane Rattenbury has given the school about two weeks to prove it is financially viable in order to keep its registration until the end of the year. In a letter to Mr Berjaoui and the school's principal Susan Christiansen, Mr Rattenbury said while it was his preference that the school remain open in the long term, he was also legally responsible for ensuring it was able to meet its operating costs. The school is also recruiting a new board which will be selected by an independent panel, Mr Berjaoui said. Meanwhile another Canberra Islamic school appears poised to make a move on the beleaguered school. Mr Berjaoui said representatives from the Taqwa School crashed a meeting of about 150 parents and stakeholders at the Islamic School of Canberra on Thursday night to "interfere" with discussions about its future.

"They tried to bully people, they said 'the only way is you give it to us, don't listen to AFIC, don't listen to anyone, we'll talk to the minister, we'll help you but we have to be in control'. People who know them know they have an agenda," he said. The Taqwa School, located in Spence, is in its second year of operation and hosts 65 students from kindergarten to year four. But founding chair of the Taqwa School board, Hassan Warso vehemently denies they went to the meeting intent on a takeover. He said they were invited and attended to "assist in any shape or form". "We went to save the school from closing in line with what the community wants," Mr Warso said.

"We have no intention of taking over, only if it works out that way for the good of the community. Our only intention when we went to the meeting is we want the school to belong to the community. We are Robin Hood. We want to save the school." Mr Warso said he was "not well placed" to outline their strategy on assisting the other school. "We hope to find a solution. We will talk to AFIC about how to transition the school to the community," he said. Mr Rattenbury said he had not had any discussions with the Taqwa School regarding the closure of the Islamic School of Canberra. Andrew Wrigley, executive director of the Association of Independent Schools of the ACT, said the Islamic School of Canberra may need to reinvent its funding structure in order to survive.
Finance people dearly love an acronym. Maybe the most well-known is the BRIC group of countries that were, and maybe still are, expected to drive global growth. BRIC, as if you didn't know, stands for Brazil, Russia, India and China.

A newer acronym on the block is 'FANG stocks'. No, there's no canine or vampire-related overtones -- the so-called FANG stocks have been the stand-out performers on the US market of late. And, of course, FANG stands for Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google. (Google has changed its corporate moniker to Alphabet recently, but FANA doesn't quite have the same ring.)

Now the FANG stocks have quite a bit in common. They are, almost undisputably, the winners of the internet era.

Some weren't around during the tech crash in 1999, but all of them have carved out winning market positions in highly valued (and profitable) sectors of the economy. Facebook is social networking. Amazon is online retail and, latterly, cloud computing. Netflix is so far ahead in online streaming that it's hard to isolate a strong second placed player, and Google is to online advertising what Bunnings is to hardware -- huge, dominant and seeing off all-comers.
Jobs at Clive Palmer's controversial Yabulu nickel refinery in northern Queensland were in limbo late Friday as workers awaited a clear commitment they would be rehired.

On Thursday, the voluntary administrator to the refinery revealed it had sent letters to the 550 workers at the refinery saying that unless they were rehired, they would be out of a job by 5pm Friday.

Earlier this month 237 employees at Clive Palmer's Queensland Nickel were sacked, and it has also emerged the company had not set aside the statutory superannuation provisions for any of its employees since November. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Separately, on Friday, the new manager of the refinery, Queensland Nickel Sales Pty Ltd, received its environmental licence to operate the plant, although it has yet to receive a separate hazards licence from Queensland's Workplace Health and Safety regulator.

Queensland Environment Minister Steven Miles said this licence approval was a "straightforward and administrative process", while also criticising Mr Palmer for not coming out and giving a clear statement on either the status of the jobs at the refinery or the future operations of the plant.
Self-indulgent, a do-nothing, a hypocrite, and a bloke with no ticker. A quick trawl of media offerings this week  where these unkind words loomed large  would have left Malcolm Turnbull in no doubt about what political commentators and pundits think of him and his government. The electorate appears to have reassessed its opinions, too, with one poll showing voter satisfaction with Mr Turnbull's performance down five points to 48 per cent. This is still well ahead of Labor leader Bill Shorten, whose satisfaction rating has risen three points to 28. On a two-party preferred basis, however, Labor is now tied with the Coalition on 50 per cent.

For politicians, the uncertainty of continued popularity or success is an occupational hazard, and Mr Turnbull will doubtless take this dip in fortunes in his stride. But if anyone had sought to predict back in September where and when the incoming prime minister might stumble, few would have cited caution and inactivity.

On the eve of his successful challenge against Tony Abbott, Mr Turnbull promised a new style of leadership which respected people's intelligence and which was capable of making "tough calls and tough decisions". In his first major economic address as on November 5, he announced that all options for tax reform were "back on the table"  including an increase in the GST  and that the government would take a reform package to the next election which would not only raise the revenue needed for budget repair but ensure the tax burden was shared fairly across the community.

Despite Mr Turnbull's hopes for a sensible and adult "conversation", the intrusion of self-interest and bloody-mindedness was not long in coming. Some of shrillest voices ranged against changes to the GST, negative gearing, and superannuation concessions have been from the government's own backbench, although the usual vested interests have been loudly insistent as well. There's little doubt some of this intransigence within the Coalition is motivated by ideology as well as animus toward Mr Turnbull. Indeed, the most prominent defender of the status quo has been Tony Abbott, apparently still in denial about the reasons his party room rejected him.
Billy Brownless and his ex-wife Nicky. Credit:Scott Barbour Brownless said he found out "three or four months ago" when, acting on a hunch that something was going on, he "did some investigation". We were left to conjure our own images of testing kits, private investigators with long lenses, mobile-phone tracking apps or whatever other methods a cuckold might stoop to in the modern age. Brownless admitted to feeling enraged when he discovered their affair, making giant fists to illustrate his point (rather convincingly, it must be said). "You're headless, you're angry," he said. "I shot off a couple of texts to Garry and Nicky that you wouldn't want to repeat on this show, I can tell ya," The friendship between Garry Lyon and Billy Brownless is all but over. Credit:Craig Sillitoe That was followed by embarrassment, he added, "because blokes aren't good at talking about it". Then he spoke to one mate; sometime after that, of course, this very private matter became a huge public news event.

Brownless talked about the sense of betrayal he felt, but reiterated his belief that the affair stretched back a matter of months, not years as had been suggested in some circles. Surely that meant, as Newman put it, "it's not that great a travesty, is it?" Billy Brownless and daughters Lucy Brownless and Ruby Brownless. Credit:Scott Barbour We were left to conjure our own images of testing kits, PIs with long lenses, mobile-phone tracking apps or whatever other means a cuckold might stoop to in the modern age. "By law it's not," said Brownless. "But morally it's wrong in all aspects. It's just wrong. We're brought up, we know our right from wrong ... You know, you don't touch a man's wallet. You don't touch his wife." That last line was almost whispered, but it spoke volumes. It laid bare an uncomfortable truth about this whole messy business.

The women in this saga are not portrayed, or understood by the men at its centre, as actors with their own will and desires. They are simply chattels to be fought over, impediments to the free congress of men. Women are seen as the spoils  and as the spoilers  of mateship. There was nothing surprising in that, though it was a little disappointing that with all the commentary that's been devoted to this chauvinistic attitude The Footy Show still didn't think it worth the effort to include a female perspective. There was still one last twist in this tale, though. Newman launched an attack on the "despicable" realm of social media where rumours were circulating, rumours that he wouldn't deign to address, he suggested, because they were beneath contempt. "I wouldn't even offend you to say what the rumours are," Newman ranted, "except to say there's a rumour  that Garry is seeing your daughter Lucy and that's been an ongoing relationship."

(There goes the boast about not having double standards.) "Yep," murmured Brownless. "And that has just manifested itself into, it just gets worse and worse, the stories and the rumours, and I want you to answer that rumour." It may have been the most bumbling Dorothy Dixer in history, but Brownless told Newman he was "glad you asked me". It was, he said: "the worst rumour I've heard. That's the one that hurts the most. Lucy's a 20-year-old girl and it's just totally incorrect, unfounded, not true, bullshit, and that's the one that hurts the most."

Voice cracking, he pleaded with "whoever's peddling it out there" to "please stop". Newman wanted to go further, saying that "we've only touched on the rumours", which were "disgraceful". He was nudging at something else, but Brayshaw jumped over the top to stop him going there. We won't either, because they are either very serious or very slanderous, and in neither case they should be treated lightly. What to make of all this? Personally, I think Brownless was brave to open up about his feelings in such a public forum (yes, he's done it before, talking on Fox Footy about his marriage breakdown, but this was at a whole other level). I think The Footy Show did the right thing, too, in addressing upfront what would otherwise have become an elephant in the room. They also handled the issue of Lyon's mental health with reasonable delicacy  Newman revealing that Lyon had been in trouble for at least 18 months, Brayshaw railing against suggestions his condition was a cover-up  and they offered an avenue of reconciliation. He and Lyon would make up, Brownless felt sure, over a couple of beers "when the time is right". Flip it, though, and you get a very different reading.
French house music pioneers St Germain will help West Aussies bid farewell to summer with an African-inspired disco-funk set on the sunny shores of Fremantle on Saturday.

A hero of France's dance explosion of the 1990s and recording under the name of St Germain, Parisian producer Ludovic Navarre will headline the Sundown Sessions concert among the pristine sands and clear blue water of Port Beach.

Sundown Sessions will be held at pristine Port Beach and features a cracking line-up.

He plans to play some European and African mixes he's been working on, plus several new Blues samples, backed by a tight eight-piece band .

St Germain headlines a Sundown Sessions that has secured one of the most sublime line-ups yet.
The victim: Killarney the koala, who is thought to have been killed by a mountain lion in Los Angeles Zoo. Credit:Los Angeles Zoo/Facebook Sometime between the night of March 2 and the morning of March 3, the predator visited the koala enclosure, Lewis thinks. That's where it probably found Killarney, 14, the oldest koala in the exhibit, on the ground, unprotected from the elevation the trees provide. Koalas live to be 12 to 15 years old, Lewis said. "She was very individual," Lewis said of the koala, who had no offspring and hailed from Australia. "At night, for whatever reason, it was typical for her to walk around. The other koalas were up in the trees."

There was no blood trail in the enclosure, and no fur to indicate a violent attack, he said. The koalas were kept in an open enclosure surrounded by an 2.5-metre high wall. "He had to jump down into the enclosure and jump back out with the koala," Lewis said of the predator. "It's a pretty good feat in itself. It was a pretty quick snatch." Employees noticed something was amiss the following morning when they conducted a koala head count. There were only 10, when there should have been 11. Killarney weighed seven kilograms and arrived at the zoo in May 2010. She was born on December 17, 2001, Lewis said. "Unfortunately, these types of incidents happen when we have a zoo in such close proximity to one of the largest urban parks in the country," Barbara Romero, deputy mayor for City Services, said in a statement.

"We are investigating the circumstances of the koala's disappearance, but in the meantime, we are taking action to ensure that all of our animals are safe. The koalas have been removed from their public habitats for now, and other animals are being moved to their night quarters when the zoo closes," she said. If P-22 was behind the attack, it wouldn't be a complete surprise, National Park Service official Kate Kuykendall told KNBC-TV. "This wouldn't be an example of him behaving aggressively or abnormally," she said. "Whether it's exotic pets or exotic animals, or our own domestic pets, we need to make sure they're in safe enclosures or brought in at night." LA City Councilman Mitch O'Farrell took a different tack. In a statement released to local media outlets, he suggested it was time for P-22 to find a new home. "Regardless of what predator killed the koala, this tragedy just emphasises the need to contemplate relocating P-22 to a safer, more remote wild area where he has adequate space to roam without the possibility of human interaction," O'Farrell said.

"P-22 is maturing, will continue to wander and runs the risk of a fatal freeway crossing as he searches for a mate. As much as we love P-22 at Griffith Park, we know the park is not ultimately suitable for him. We should consider resettling him in the environment he needs," he said. P-22 has become somewhat of a mascot for Griffith Park, with his majestic image captured in front of the Hollywood sign by a National Geographic wildlife photographer. Last year, the mountain lion caused an only-in-Los Angeles scene - complete with TV news trucks lining the street - when he padded out of Griffith Park and took refuge in the crawl space under a Los Feliz home. He eventually wandered back into the park. State and federal wildlife experts are investigating an uptick in reports over the past year of mountain lions feasting on pets, hobby animals and livestock in and around the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreational Area. Genetic testing from UCLA and UC Davis showed that P-22 was probably born in the Santa Monica Mountains and then crossed the 405 and 101 freeways to make Griffith Park his home in 2012.
The minister responsible for fixing the federal government's scandal-plagued vocational loans scheme says he does not favour a Commonwealth takeover of vocational education and training.

Fairfax Media last month revealed a leaked federal government proposal to take over responsibility for funding TAFEs from the state and territories, a move which drew howls of criticism from state governments. Education and Training Minister Simon Birmingham has strongly advocated a Commonwealth takeover.

Minister for Vocational Education and Skills Scott Ryan says he instinctively likes diversity. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

But Scott Ryan, appointed Minister for Vocational Education and Skills in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's most recent reshuffle, said there were strong arguments to maintain the current system.

"It's a matter for COAG and that is in essence above my pay grade - it's a matter for the prime minister and premiers and chief ministers - but my personal inclination has not usually been that a federal takeover ensures better outcomes," Senator Ryan told Fairfax Media.
Pals in waiting

There are a few anxious old pals of James Packer around Sydney wondering if they will make it onto the guest list of the billionaire casino mogul's third wedding to Mariah Carey. Indeed PS hears Packer's former best man David Gyngell, the former Channel Nine boss, has found himself out of a job with rumours swirling that Best Man duties this time around will go to the late Kerry Packer's old poker buddy and some time Aspen social fixture Ben Tilley, who has carved out quite a cosy spot in Packer's inner sphere over the past couple of years. While the remaining Sydney contingent expected at the top secret wedding will be greatly reduced compared to the money bag's last trip down the aisle in 2007 when plane loads of Aussies made their way to Antibes for Packer's marriage to Erica Baxter. The make-up of James Packer's current circle has certainly changed in the intervening years, with the likes of Hollywood hell-raiser Brett Ratner and his corporate right-hand man Rob Rankin said to rank among his current set of besties, along with his buddy-on-demand Karl Stefanovic.

James Packer and Mariah Carey. Credit:Steve Granitz

Dragon spectacular promised

The 2016 production of Turandot for Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour is shaping up as the biggest and most ambitious to date with two huge feature pieces dominating the over-water stage set to be unveiled next week. A giant 9m high and 60m long dragon incorporating the Great Wall of China and an 18m high pagoda will tower over the stage and set the scene for one of the world's most famous arias - Nessum Dorma - in what organisers promise will be one of the most spectacular productions of Turandot ever staged.
In its 2014 September issue, Vogue declared Joan Smalls, Cara Delevingne, Karlie Kloss as "The Instagirls", the IT women changing the fashion world one like at a time.

Since then, all three have gone from strength to strength, landing contracts and followers, and generally subverting the way in which fashionland operates.

Kiernan Shipka, Zendaya and Willow Smith are all dark lips and game faces on the cover of W magazine.

So, it is in this recent history that one must treat any glossy magazine's announcement of a triad of powerful women with a degree of reverence.

In a cover story called "Teen Dreams", W magazine has crowned Kiernan Shipka, Zendaya and Willow Smith as the three celebrities under 20 who are set to do big things. Here's what you need to know about each of them.
A Sydney law firm has launched a class action on behalf of people who as children and adolescents were prescribed the anti-depressant drug Paroxetine.

Drayton Sher Lawyers has called for expressions of interest from people who were prescribed the drug, commonly known as Aropax in Australia, when they were 18 or younger.

Paroxetine was once the most commonly used anti-depressant in Australia.

Solicitor Tony Nikolic said hundreds of people had indicated they would join the class action, which he expects to file in the Federal Court at the end of May.

Paroxetine was a commonly-prescribed anti-depressant more than a decade ago and for a time was the most commonly used anti-depressant in Australia.
The driver who hit and injured TV and radio personality Glenn Wheeler has avoided jail and instead been given a seven-month suspended sentence.

Deborah Levy, 60, was on Friday sentenced, having pleaded guilty in in October to negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm and driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

Guilty: Deborah Levy, who hit and injured Glenn Wheeler was sentenced on Friday. Credit:Chris Lane

The Channel Seven and 2GB radio host suffered serious head and leg injuries and was placed in an induced coma. He has since undergone treatment and rehabilitation at St George Hospital and Liverpool Brain Injury Unit before returning home in December.

His 2GB colleague, drive host Ben Fordham, described the sentenced as "piss weak" and "utterly inadequate"
Daniel Morcombe's killer will remain behind bars for at least another 15 years after Australia's highest court refused his application to appeal his murder conviction.

Brett Peter Cowan has now exhausted all his legal avenues for appeal, after the High Court deemed there to be insufficient grounds to overturn the conviction.

Outside court on Friday morning, Daniel's mother Denise could not hold back her tears, as both her and husband Bruce expressed relief their countless years of court hearings in their fight for justice for their son were finally over.

"I'm just glad it's all over now and we can get on with our life," Mrs Morcombe said.
A worried father bolted shut his 17-year-old daughter's bedroom window after discovering she had been climbing down the downpipe to have sex with her former school principal, a court has heard.

No longer able to "do the early morning thing", the girl and her former principal, who was 53 at the time, decided to meet during her free periods at school.

Two out of three Court of Appeal judges disagree with 53-year-old teacher's claim that his convictions over sexual relationship with 17-year-old girl were 'unsafe and unsatisfactory'. Credit:Getty Images

The girl would sit in a bathroom until she received a text message from the former principal telling her he was waiting for her.

She would then climb the school fence to meet the man she had a "schoolgirl crush" on in his car.
An international student accused of raping six women he met online has been ordered to stand trial.

Adel Nafady, 28, has been charged with 41 offences, including 21 rapes against six women and the assault of another who had been in the country for just two days before she was allegedly attacked.

Adel Nafady has been ordered to stand trial on rape charges. Credit:Scott Barbour

One charge in relation to the theft of cash from one alleged victim was dropped

Mr Nafady appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday, where he was ordered to stand trial. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
A bikie gang member who believed that his partner was having an affair, has had his jail sentence extended by three years after he threatened to kill her with a home-made pen pistol, choked her and used a pillow to try to suffocate her.

Mark Natoli, 31, was originally jailed for just five months and given an 18-month community corrections order (CCO) but the Director of Public Prosecutions appealed, describing the sentence as manifestly inadequate.

Mark Natoli faces an extra three years in prison for subjecting woman to terrifying, nine-hour ordeal where, amid 'furious abuse and violence', he threatened her with a home-made pen pistol. Credit:Getty Images

Court of Appeal Justices Robert Osborn, Simon Whelan and David Beach on Friday agreed, and re-sentenced Natoli to 3 years in jail with a non-parole period of 2 years.

"In our view, her Honour [the sentencing judge] gave too much weight to the importance of rehabilitation in the circumstances of this case," the appeal judges said.
The future of aspiring firefighters, including hundreds of women, is in the balance with last-minute legal action casting doubt over exam results under a new recruitment regime.

The Metropolitan Fire Brigade and the United Firefighters Union faced off in the Federal Court on Friday over the union's bid to block contentious changes to selection criteria encouraging more female recruits.

Close to half of the 634 candidates sitting their first written exams in Melbourne on Sunday are women.

The hard line from the UFU's state and national secretary Peter Marshall has been criticised by a large firefighters' union in NSW that split from Mr Marshall's union in 2010.

Darin Sullivan, president of the Fire Brigade Employees Union, said his union strongly supported having more women firefighters.
Back in 1978, Telecom (the old Telstra) gave us a peek into the future of the iPhone with its "Touchfone" float featuring a push-button telephone, a step ahead from the rotary-dial model. Michelle Payne ensures the Moomba monarch crown fits perfectly on brother Stevie. Credit:Justin McManus The prevalence of big-budget corporate floats dwindled in the late 1980s and 1990s, switching to a community focus, the arts and the city's diversity. Nowadays, the parade's creative director, Darryl Cordell, oversees six large floats, three mini-floats, four trailers and other components featuring 1800 performers and participants. The ''Touchfone'' float of Telecom, the former Telstra, circa 1978.

In a Yarraville workshop that is in lockdown and off limits to the media in the days before the parade, 25 people have been working for 13 weeks to finish the floats in the biggest arts and crafts muster with foam rubber, steel, timber and plywood. Harnessing people power, the parade has floats designed by Melburnians who took part in a design workshop last year. A ''float'' with a difference in 1966 during an anti-Vietnam War protest. Of the 575 designs submitted, the final six were chosen and will travel from the Shrine of Remembrance to Linlithgow Avenue. Throughout Moomba's history, one "float" stood out and that was in 1966 when Prime Minister Harold Holt announced an increase in troops for the Vietnam War.

Birdman Rally competitor Anthony Pyke is pumped for his flying mission. Credit:Pat Scala University of Melbourne students staged a protest and one woman carried on a stretcher was splashed with red paint and her sheet said: "Remember the dead." Apart from that, Moomba has been a lively celebration held on the Labour Day public holiday. Jenny Rixon will use her superhero strength as Batwoman in the Birdman Rally. Credit:Pat Scala And it was not some frivolous money-drainer because when The Sullivans actor Paul Cronin was crowned King in 1980 and the cast were the "royal family", disaster struck and the parade was nearly called off.

Actor Lorraine Bayly was due to be the king's consort and when her character, Grace Sullivan, was killed off in a bomb blast in a London air raid, Moomba's general manager Alan Murphy considered "calling off the procession as a mark of respect" to the much-loved cast member. Mr Cronin's daughter, Jules, was relieved that the festival went ahead, telling Fairfax Media: "I loved it when my dad was King of Moomba because I was a kid who had front-row seats to everything and unlimited tickets on every ride. I had a lot of friends that week! I was part of the royal family." Jenny Rixon, a 57-year-old grandmother who has dreamt of flying, is bracing herself for her first dive into the Yarra River as a Birdman Rally contestant. Well, she flew down from Sydney to take the plunge and it's for a good cause: to raise money for and awareness of Batten disease, a disorder of the nervous system that begins in childhood. Dressing as a "Bat" for Batten, this Batwoman who is the manager of the Batten Disease Support and Research Association entered in the "Penguin" category that does not require a flying machine.

They belong to the gung-ho "Hawks" and their DIY inventions. Decades ago, there were dozens of daredevils who did impressive belly flops but this year, only three Hawks are entered along with nine Penguins. Ms Rixon is not afraid of what may lurk in the Yarra, saying: "I will try to block my nose and hope for the best." 10 facts about Moomba A Queen of Moomba, appointed from a beauty pageant competition, ruled solo from 1955-1966. A king was coronated in 1967 and that was British actor Robert Morley, who accepted the crown at a ceremony while wearing no socks or shoes.

In 1969, Italian baritone Tito Gobbi was appointed king but renounced the title after receiving racist letters and one threatening that he would be pelted with eggs. He later reclaimed the crown and proceeded as king.

Tragedy struck in 1972 when an RMIT student who helped design the Tower of London float was crushed to death when trying to climb aboard the five-tonne structure.

In 1974 when the US sitcom The Partridge Family created a heart-throb out of David Cassidy, he was a guest of Moomba. Up to 30,000 fans went to his concert at the MCG and 30 were treated for heat exhaustion and "hysteria".

Mickey Mouse was controversially appointed King of Moomba in 1977 and was hit with a pie in the face during the parade.
Melbourne teenager Numan Haider had undergone a degree of radicalisation in the days before he stabbed two police officers, a leading counter-terrorism researcher has told an inquest.

Professor Greg Barton said Haider's attendance at the controversial Al-Furqan Islamic centre and a visit to a similar centre in Bankstown, in Sydney's south-west, and a run-in with police and postings he made

on Facebook five days before he attacked officers with a knife suggested the 18-year-old had been radicalised in the second half of 2014.

The coroner said Numan Haider had been radicalised before the attack.

But under questioning from Arushan Pillay, the lawyer representing the Haider family, Professor Barton acknowledged the teen was also under pressure to satisfy his parents' hope for him to study, and this and a break-up with his fiancee and the despair at having a passport application refused could have contributed to his snap.

"I don't think its an either-or case," Professor Barton told the Coroners Court on Friday. "My conclusion is that a degree of radicalisation has occurred."
'Amy' was a joyful little girl before she was killed by her mother.

The researchers, from the Monash University Filicide Project, noted an "undue proportion of deaths" in the outer Melbourne municipality of Wyndham, according to their submission to the Victorian Royal Commission on Family Violence.

When researchers were compiling data for the first national study on filicide, due to be released this year, something caught their attention. Or rather, somewhere.

Monash researchers, who are completing the national survey in partnership with the Australian Institute of Criminology, thought perhaps Wyndham's high death rate was related to a relative lack of available health and welfare services. While there had been "strong suburban development in the area, [it] had not been matched by the provision of services", Monash Filicide Project co-director Thea Brown says.

The City of Wyndham.

Wyndham may also help explain why Australia  where an estimated 25 children a year die at the hands of their parents  has a relatively high filicide rate compared to similar nations like England, a fact that Brown finds "alarming".

"It may be, because we're a country with a lot of migration and rapidly growing urban areas, that we're more prone to have suburban areas without many services," she says.

Still, the story is not as simple as services preventing deaths. An earlier Filicide Project survey of 57 Victorian filicides committed between 2000 and 2009, found most perpetrators had been in contact with health, welfare or justice services in the year leading up to the murder, though the type of service differed depending on whether the perpetrator was a mother, father or stepfather.
An embattled private training company has been accused of setting up a charity to lure vulnerable students into courses with free food and laptops.

It is alleged that RTO Services Group also reaped generous tax benefits through its charity, Brighter Horizons.

John Campbell, a former student.

Former Aspire College student John Campbell said the campus' free pies and sausage rolls attracted disadvantaged students, including many who were homeless and addicted to drugs.

"People came because they were poor and disadvantaged  they would come for a couple of hours for free meals ... and then disappear," he said.
They've been a huge hit around the world, and now Perth is getting its own cat cafe.

The Cat Cafe Purrth in Subiaco will be a place for people to enjoy a coffee while playing with rescue kittens from the Cat Haven.

Chris Mewburn and Terps Platritis are opening Perth's first Cat Cafe. Credit:Stephanie Garnaut

Founders Chris Mewburn and Terps Platritis want to combine their two main interests: rescuing cats and making people happy.

The 25-year-old couple are architects by trade, but have run charity events supporting youth suicide prevention.
Berlin: Russia is trying to destabilise Germany by fuelling tensions over migrants, using the country's "easily-influenced" Russian-German population, its spy chiefs have warned.

Hans-Georg Maassen, head of Germany's internal intelligence agency, and Guido Muller, No. 2 in its foreign service counterpart, warned that Moscow could exploit the "high mobilisation potential" of the country's Russian community of about 2 million.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva earlier this month. Credit:AP

They told politicians the population is easily persuaded to demonstrate, citing recent protests by thousands of Germans of Russian descent at Chancellor Angela Merkel's home over the alleged rape of a 13-year-old Russian-German girl, Bild newspaper reported. Russian state media reported that migrants had taken the girl and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused German police of a cover-up. But it emerged the teenager had fabricated the attack and had spent the night at a friend's house.

German spy chiefs told their parliament's supervisory committee they are now checking organisations representing the Russian-speaking community.
Washington: Trade and jobs have become decisive hot-button issues of the US election campaign, but when the four candidates vying for the Republican nomination assembled for their 12th debate in Miami , it was as though the Kool-Aid had been spiked with sedatives.

The stakes were huge. New York billionaire Donald Trump has declared he will win the Florida primary on March 15  to come second or worse would take the wind from his sails. Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Ohio Governor John Kasich came to Miami fully aware that to stay in this race they needed to lift their games  and they did.

But seemingly in response to the last week's debate, which went into the gutter when Trump responded to a penis-size jibe from Rubio, Thursday's debate was shockingly well-mannered  no insults, no school-yard name calling; no yelling over each other, no mention of body parts or bodily functions.
The showdown of the year is taking place at the Belasco Theatre, where David Harrower's knockout play Blackbird is receiving its Broadway premiere. In each corner, an estimable actor gives the performance of a lifetime: Emmy winner Jeff Daniels in one, three-time Oscar nominee Michelle Williams in the other. When the lights come up after 90 thrilling and utterly shocking minutes, neither is left standing.

The Olivier Award-winning Blackbird made its New York debut in 2007 in a production of Manhattan Theatre Club. This version reunites Daniels with his original director, Joe Mantello, but this is no mere remounting. While it's been nine years, this disquieting drama remains powerful as ever.

After coming across his photo in a trade magazine, Una (Williams) has finally found Ray (Daniels). Fifteen years earlier, when he was 40 and she 12, they made a three-month "mistake" that left her traumatized and him behind bars. Ray subsequently remade his life, changing his name and moving towns. Una has been forced to relive the experience regularly ever since. The events that simultaneously bond and ruin them rear their ugly head as Una and Ray duke it out in a battle that isn't even about revenge. It's about truth.

Jeff Daniels as Ray in Joe Mantello's production of David Harrower's Blackbird.

( Brigitte Lacombe)

In the garbage-strewn break room of Ray's workplace (designed with perfectly bland anonymity by Scott Pask), the pair excruciatingly reexamine the night that destroyed their lives as Harrower probes at the dark, uncomfortable questions of abuse and absolution. What really traumatized Una? Was it the adolescent tryst she had with a man who treated her like an adult? Or the psychological victim-shaming that followed at the hands of her family and friends? When it comes to Ray, who now goes by Peter and lives with an older woman, we're made to wonder, just as Una does, precisely what his motives were. All of this leads up to Una and Ray facing the ultimate question: Is forgiveness possible?

Blackbird is a difficult play to watch, one that provokes both tears and audible gasps as secrets are revealed and shocks dispatched. As much as Harrower lets us see the complexities of Ray and Una, it's Daniels and Williams who let us into the raw, emotional nakedness of their characters. Their performances are so revealing that we very much forget we are watching a play.

One of Hollywood's great portrayers of the American everyman, Daniels manages a remarkable feat, drawing our sympathy despite an inherent belief that Ray's actions are entirely unforgiveable. With his hangdog expression and silver hair glistening beneath Brian MacDevitt's fluorescent lighting, Daniels turns in an extraordinarily provocative performance as a man who refuses to see himself as an offender. . Williams' take on Una is equally fascinating, delivering her lines with a childlike coquettishness that's enhanced by Ann Roth's excellent costume choice: a flimsy, hypersexual kewpie-doll dress. We quickly come to realize that her Una is a marked woman, a girl who has never advanced past her age from the night that scarred her. This heartbreaking case of arrested development burns itself into our brains as Williams delivers a monologue so mesmerizing that our stomachs cannot be kept from turning. Her performance is simply astonishing.

Michelle Williams as Una in Blackbird, a play by David Harrower.

( Brigitte Lacombe)

Mantello's directorial hand is a bit too visible at points; particularly during Una's aria, where the lights dim and sound designer Fitz Patton provides a slow rumble underneath Williams' dialogue to draw suspense (it would work just as effectively without). However, the overall way in which Mantello builds tension from the most basic of theatrical elements  two actors communicating and living in the moment  is particularly breathtaking.

By the time the play ends, Daniels and Williams look as though they've been run over by a bulldozer. As the audience files out of the theater, we realize we feel the same. This is one unforgettable night at the theater.
Subaru 2015 Share The Love Event Totals Nearly $20 Million in Charitable Donations







CHERRY HILL, N.J., March 9, 2016; Subaru of America Inc. has announced it donated nearly $20 million to national and local charities during its 2015 Share the Love event, a record total in the eight-year history of the campaign. Held at the end of each year, Subaru donates $250 for every new Subaru vehicle sold or leased to the customers choice of one of several national or local charities. In total, Subaru has donated nearly $70 million to charitable organizations through this initiative over the past eight years.

This year the Subaru Share the Love event donated to four national chartable partners, including the ASPCA, Make-A-Wish, Meals on Wheels America and the National Park Foundation. Additionally, local Subaru retailers supported a local charity from their own community, adding over 630 additional causes to the Share the Love campaign.

In November 2015, Subaru pledged to donate $15 million for this years event, but due to another year of record sales, the company added an additional $3.5 million for a total of $18.5m. In addition to Subaru of Americas donation, local retailers also contributed over $690,000 via matching of hometown charity donations, resulting in a combined donation total of $19,190,428 to national and local charities.

Subaru drivers, retailers and employees share a passion for making a difference in our communities, and nowhere is that more evident than through the Share the Love program, said Alan Bethke, vice president of marketing, Subaru of America, Inc. In the eighth year of this terrific event, we are proud to have reached nearly $70 million in donations to national and local organizations that are making a tremendous impact in communities throughout the country.

About Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 620 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. For additional information visit media.subaru.com.
Car Question? Get Straight Answers From The Auto Lab Saturday March 12 8A-10A







March 12, 2016

Car Question or Opinion? Call Toll Free 888-692-7234

Auto Lab is a 27 year old interactive automotive-focused New York area radio call-in show hosted by Professor Harold Wolchok. Each week a cadre of experienced hands-on automotive experts are in-studio with advice for the New York area's 12 million people, providing listeners with honest, practical and street-smart car repair and buying advice.

Auto Lab is also about the automotive industry, its history, and its culture, presenting the ideas and advice of leading college faculty, authors, and automotive practitioners in a relaxed, conversational interactive format.

8 to 9 am on WMCA Radio Listen Live on WMCA Radio

9 to 10 am on WNYM Radio Listen on WNYM Radio

After listening to the first hour on WMCA, you will need to close that window and click the link to listen to the second hour on WNYM.

Listeners can hear the past 18 years of archived Auto Lab shows as simulcast on www.theautochannel.com.

Listen - Auto Lab Page (Includes Audio-on-Demand Archives, Auto Programs at Community College Database, Guests Pictures

March 12, 2016 - Car Question? Straight Answers From These In-Studio Auto Lab Experts

Harold Bendell- Major Auto

Fred Bordoff-Bronx Community College, CUNY

Tim Cacace-Master Mechanix

Audra Fordin-Great Bear Auto Repairs & What Women "Auto" Know

David Goldsmith - Urban Classics Auto Repairs

Joanne Porcelli, Esq

Michael Porcelli - Central Avenue Auto Repairs & I-CAR

Nicholas Prague- MTA and Rockland Community College, SUNY

March 12, 2016 - Correspondent Reports - Car Reviews, Opinion and Other Automotive News and Information

Robert Erskine, Senior European Correspondent, Suffolk England

FIRST VW NOW EMISSIONS CAMERAS

Robert Sinclair-AAA Northeast

NATIONAL AVERAGE JUMPS NINE CENTS

Sharon Sudol & John Russell, Senior Correspondents

"2016 MAZDA MX-5 Miata
In Brief: Redsky; Sky Betting & Gaming; Leeds Apprentice Recruitment Fair

LEARNING and development specialist Redsky Learning has added three new organisations to its portfolio.

The Leeds-based business has been selected to provide bespoke training solutions to HSS Hire, the national supplier of equipment and tool hire, fashion label Pretty Green, and The Medical Protection Society.

In order to support this business growth, Redsky Learning has appointed three staff members, Lucy Dennis, Jane Hanworth and Lisa Neil.

Diane Coolican, managing director of Redsky Learning, said: We extremely pleased to be working such reputable organisations, supporting their learning and development goals with our bespoke programmes. Each of these businesses has a unique goal and organisational culture, and we are proud to be working alongside them to inspire their staff and enable teams to work more effectively to deliver even better results.

We are also delighted to be able to strengthen our team with three new appointments and their experience and knowledge in the sector will allow us to further expand our commitment to learning and development.

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A GRADUATE software academy launched by Leeds-based online gambling company Sky Betting & Gaming is open for applicants.

The academy programme represents a 1.5m investment and will see around 25 graduates join the company in July.

The programme will last for 12 months and starts with a 14 week intensive course where graduates will improve their general business skills.

For the remaining nine months participants will go through a number of different rotational placements within the Bet, Gaming, Data and International divisions.

Andy Burton, Sky Betting & Gamings CTO, said: Im delighted that our software academy has now launched. Like many other tech companies in the region we are finding recruiting the right people increasingly difficult. By investing in graduates now we hope to play our part in ensuring theres a pipeline of tech talent in Yorkshire. I look forward to welcoming the first grads in the summer.

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THIS years Leeds Apprentice Recruitment Fair is to be held for the first time in the citys first direct arena.

More than 90 organisations will be out in force at the arena on Monday from 5pm-8pm offering a range of apprenticeship opportunities in sectors including financial services, leisure, travel and tourism, science, sports, arts, media, publishing and agricultural, horticulture and animal care.

Amongst those employers set to feature in the event will be Volkswagen, British Gas, CILEx Law School, Yorkshire Water, Leeds Grand Theatre, Superdrug, Yorkshire Ambulance, Lloyds Bank, Leeds & York NHS and BT.

More than 1,700 people attended last years event at Leeds Town Hall.
Appointments: KPMG; York BID; Roberts Mart

PROFESSIONAL services firm KPMG has appointed Michael Allen and Nicole Brock to boost its public sector practice in the North.

Mr Allen joins the firms Leeds office as a partner, heading up the firms management consulting healthcare practice across the North and Ms Brock, who has been with KPMG since 2008, will lead the development and growth of the firms northern public sector practice.

Mr Allen, whose previous role at EY saw him lead a national team responsible for the delivery of hospital-based performance improvement and cost reduction programmes, has more than 20 years experience in the sector.

He has also held a number of roles within the NHS, including three years as assistant director of operations at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, where he was responsible for a combined budget of 120m and more than 900 employees.

At KPMG, Allen will maintain his focus on healthcare and work closely with clients to improve the quality, access and performance of their operations.

With more than 15 years experience, Ms Brock has led complex public sector management consulting projects with a particular focus on performance improvement and cost reduction. In her new role, areas of focus will include working with local government and healthcare organisations to address fiscal challenges, as well as supporting integration and reform across health and social care.

Chris Hearld, North region chairman at KPMG, said: The public sector, specifically healthcare organisations, face a number of sizeable challenges in relation to cost reduction and performance improvement. This is a growing market for our firm and with a deep understanding of our clients needs both Nicole and Michael are well-placed to lead the expansion of their respective areas in the North.

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ANDREW LOWSON has taken up the role of executive director at York Business Improvement District ( YORK BID).

Previously managing director of PapaKata based in York, Mr Lowson has experience of both the private and public sectors including with Halcrow, Yorkshire Forward and Newcastle Airport.

This appointment follows the successful vote in favour of the BID in December 2015, which saw 76% of businesses in the BID area vote in favour of establishing a new company to help develop the city centre over the next five years.

Adam Sinclair, chairman of the BID Company, said: We are delighted to have someone of Andrews calibre taking up this important new role for the city. The position attracted a high number of quality candidates but the board was impressed with Andrews passion for York and his emphasis on delivery and getting things done. We cant wait for him to get started, there is important work to be done.

:::

A TRIO of managerial appointments are among 16 new jobs created by Roberts Mart & Co as a result of its multi-million pound investment at the companys Leeds-based production facility to meet the growing demand for its high performance packaging films.

Production manager Mark Sarjantson, assistant technical manager Jince Joy and quality manager Paul Melia all join the successful family-run firm, which also announced promotions for John Ambler, moving from process engineer manager to extrusion production manager and Tony Rymer, who takes on the role of print technical manager after seven years as shift manager.

Roberts Marts managing director, William Roberts, said: The company is growing rapidly. These new appointments and the changes to our managerial team will drive the business forward and help it remain at the forefront of the flexible packaging industry.

The business also announced a 2m investment in new equipment. This latest increase in capital expenditure takes Roberts Marts overall investment to just over 17.5m over the last 10 years.
Authorities warn about rainbow fentanyl Victims often arent aware theyre taking it

The Ventura County Office of Education and state health officials have issued a warning to schools and families about rainbow fentanyl, a form of the potentially fatal synthetic opioid that comes in bright colors. Rainbow fentanyl can be found in...

Cancer support community to host remembrance event Cancer Support Community Valley/Ventura/Santa Barbara invites family members and friends of those who have died from cancer to attend the second annual Evening of Remembrance from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thurs., Nov. 3 at Cancer Support Communitys Garden of Hope,...

Grant advances CSUCI research Cal State Channel Islands assistant professor of computer science Scott Feister and assistant professor of mathematics Alona Kryshchenko recently received $112,480 from the National Science Foundation to continue a grant to support their research project, Enhancing Laser Based Ion Sources...

Healthcare agency recommends flu shots The Ventura County Health Care Agency offers options for the community to receive flu shots through its Ambulatory Care Clinic system, public health clinics and pop-up clinics. Although seasonal influenza viruses are detected year-round in the United States, they are...
You leave a place like this, if you can. I know, because East St. Louis is my hometown.

Growing up around 10th Street and Summit Avenue, I always knew I would leave. I simply didnt know whether it would be in the back of a police car, a coroners wagon, or my mothers used Pontiac.

Those were the odds in a place thats been called the most dangerous city in America.

Every day was a gamble. In a town where drivers navigate 89 blocks of crumbling, pot hole-laden avenues, and dodge open manholes where thieves have swiped cast-iron covers, everything is a calculated risk.

There is no way to know now, but Maurice Richards probably thought like that, too. On Wednesday night, a hit-and-run driver killed the 11-year-old boy as he crossed State Street, the citys main thoroughfare. As he lay bleeding, critically injured on the asphalt in the middle of a four-lane street, motorists simply steered around himavoiding his body like another open manhole.

Situated along the easterly edge of the Mississippi River, in the shadow of the Gateway Arch, East St. Louis is a city without shoes, let alone any bootstraps. Condemned homes, abandoned commercial structures, and empty, weed-strewn lots tell the story of a place that long ago fell on its knees and never got up.

The average per-capita income is less than $13,000. A mere 1 percent of its residents reported working a full-time job year-round last year. A third of adults have no high school diploma, and over the past five years, enrollment at East St. Louis Senior High took a 25 percent nosedive. The old downtown shopping district is a ghost town now. Of the buildings still standing, most are boarded up, waiting for a savior that wants no part of it.

Theres the strip mall where a police officer was shot in the face and a youth center that was the scene of a triple homicide a few years ago.

There was no crosswalk, no stoplight to regulate the traffic where Maurice was hit. In fact, there are no working traffic lights anywhere in the city. Wracked with poverty and perpetually on the brink of bankruptcy, the city cant afford to maintain them. All the signals are dark, and some have stop signs fastened to their poles, including the one on the closest corner where Maurice couldve crossed safely.

Compounding the tragedy, Maurice was almost hit by a second car when a good Samaritan stepped in. But by the time someone stopped, blocked off the roadway, and called 911 for help, it was too latetoo late for the woman who covered his body with her own and prayed. It was too late to save him.

It must be said that there is no hospital in East St. Louis. Kenneth Hall Regional, formerly known as St. Marys, closed almost five years ago. An ambulance took Maurice across the bridge to Cardinal Glennon Childrens Hospital in St. Louis10 miles from the scene of the accidentwhere he died from his injuries an hour later.

The truth is no one knows how long the boy was in the street. Witnesses said his bloody clothes were drenched from the rain.

Senseless act and, well, as citizens of this city we have to do better because no one will protect it like us, Detective Jason Hicks said. So if you were one of the ones that saw the young man lying in the street and went around him, you know its not right.

Its not right that a driver struck and killed a young boy in the middle of the street and kept going. Its not right that he was left there to die in the dark. Its not right that his four sisters and brother will never hear him call their names again. But its also not right that there isnt a single working traffic light in the city and that the nearest emergency room is 10 miles away in another state.

It wasnt always this way.

Once a jewel town in the nations Rust Belt, in the early 20th century, this was a bustling manufacturing hub, an epicenter of commerce that boasted the second-largest hog market in the world. There were hotels and nice restaurants. Glorious century-old churches and lively shopping districts were commonplace. There were two major city parks with swimming pools, and a world-class public library used to sit near 9th and State Street. It was once said that if you couldnt find a job in East St. Louis, you couldnt find a job anywhere.

Thats all gone now. Times have changed. The city of just over 20,000 people doesnt even have a grocery store.

Over the years, working-class whites and blacks both fled the city in droves for nearby suburbs, leaving behind chemical brownfields and a flailing tax base unable to support the most basic public services. Now infant morbidity and mortality rates here are among the worst in the country. The citys public schools, those that are not already closed and boarded up, are often no better than warehouses and are under constant threat of state takeover. In 1989, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development deemed East St. Louis the most distressed small city in America.

The citizens need to come together and try to get who did this and get justice for that young man, Detective Hicks told a reporter.

We dont yet know who was behind the wheel of the vehicle that killed that child. We do know, however, that what happened on State Street was decades in the making.

Someone should come forward for Maurice. Someone should come forward for East St. Louis.
Yeah, a candidate for president of the United States encouraging mob violence at his own rallies is pretty despicable. But for my money, maximum despicability this week was attained not by Donald Trump but by Bobby Jindal, who destroyed the state of Louisiana.

You probably know the story in its broad outlines. When he was governor, Jindal kept cutting taxes and cutting taxes and cutting taxes. On the rich, that is. And to some extent for the middle class, but it was the wealthy who really made out.

When Jindal became governor in 2008, the state had a surplus of around $1 billion. Why? Because the states hard-working, nose-to-the-grindstone 1 percenters produced waterfalls of wealth that trickled down to the whole of the people, just the way conservatives say its supposed to work? No. Louisiana had a surplus because of the evil federal governmentthat is, all the assistance money, the kind many Republicans vote against when its for blue states, that came in after Katrina. So Jindal had Monopoly money, courtesy of the very entity he and all Republicans make their careers by demonizing.

What did he do with it? More money to LSU, to offset tuition increases, maybe? Build hospitals and highways to beat the band, like the old Kingfish did? Anything in the way of far-sighted public investment? Nope. Tax cuts. Loads of them. Oh, and what we call tax expenditures, tootax credits that a government hands out to both individuals and businesses.

The surplus fizzled quickly. Undeterred, in 2013, Jindal proposed getting rid of the states income tax entirely, replacing it with sales taxes, which hit the poor much harder than anyone else, since poor people spend a far bigger percentage of their income just buying stuff. Then oil prices plummeted, which is the one thing that happened that isnt Jindals fault; but developments like that are why states have rainy-day funds, which Louisiana has shot through. By 2015, the old surplus had become a $1.6 trillion deficit. The people at the top were happy, still paying far less in taxes than they had been, but the only thing trickling down to everyone else were the whopping budget cuts to state services.

Why did all this happen? In part, of course, because Jindal, like so many of the rest of them, is an ideologue who drinks the Kool-Aid of supply-side economic theory. And in part because he was intent on running for president, and to run for president as a Republican governor, you have to have amassed a record of off-the-charts tax cuts. Its the cover charge. You dont even get in the door unless youve done that.

So Jindal ran, and humiliated himself, as anyone with half a brain knew he was going to do, frittering away even more money from those stupid enough to have written him a check. And hes not governor anymore. And what is Louisiana left with? The biggest financial crisis in the country by far. Sam Brownbacks Kansas was, and still is, bad. Ditto Scott Walkers Wisconsin. But Louisiana takes the dubious gold.

The state agency that investigates child abuse already has one-third fewer employees than before all this madness started. And higher education is a nightmare. State funding of higher ed is down a barely believable 44 percent.

And now comes the real whopper. How is the state trying to make up the money? By raising the sales tax! Itll go up, albeit only for a while, from four cents to five. So heres the GOP message to the poor people of Louisiana: We threw this party for the rich people. It ran a little over-budget. And now you have to pay for it! Why you? Well, because we cant ask the rich to pay. Because then wed be breaking the cardinal rule of Republican politics. And lets face it, a lot of you are black, and you dont vote for us anyway. And those of you who are white, well, yeah, were making you pay, but remember, Jesus and guns and gay people and all that. Were all that stands between you and the deviants.

I swear to God, Trump may be a proto-fascist, but I can mount a serious argument that this is worse. OK, maybe I cant. When I stop to think about the possibility of a national goon squad going into homes and breaking up families and sending the abuela and the elder daughter back to Guatemala, I guess I cant. But by cracky this is close. Destroying a states public institutions so that a few thousand rich people could keep more of their money certainly counts as immoral in my book. Hell, not my book. THE book, that one Im sure so many Louisianans cherish.

And Trump, whatever other malignancy he might visit upon the nation, probably wouldnt be this heartless. Once he gets the undesirables as he defines them thrown out, hed probably not push for the kinds of tax cuts that all the other Republicans would, including the man who remains seemingly his only serious rival, Ted Cruz. So this is the choice todays Republican Party gives usbetween neo-fascist cultural politics and reactionary, ruinous fiscal politics. And a creepily big chunk of the country wants both.
Aggies looking to start the next "it" company or invent the next can't-live-without gadget got an opportunity Thursday to pitch their ideas to a man who knows the ins and outs of entrepreneurship.

Max Levchin, who co-founded PayPal and Affirm, helped start Yelp and served on the Yahoo! board of directors, visited Texas A&M, where he hosted an open discussion at the H.R. Bright building. There, students and faculty were given 10 minutes each to pitch a startup company or product to Levchin and his team, receiving feedback, advice and a chance to network with other companies.

"The best startups, the really big stuff that changes the world, come from an elaborate search process," Levchin said.

Some students and professors pitched thoroughly researched ideas, while others had nearly developed and half-funded prototypes. Among the ideas presented was a mobile phone app called Phresh -- which would prevent the waste of food by tracking grocery purchases and food expiration dates -- and a system known as Epic One, which could potentially prevent credit card fraud through the use of a cryptogram. A group of faculty members working with the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station proposed a catheter application for dialysis patients that would decrease the risk of infection.

Levchin had advice for a group known as Dactize, who pitched an idea for a glovelike device that video game users can wear to make touchscreen games more akin to traditional console gaming.

The group's director of technology, Stephen Aldriedge, explained to Levchin that he and his team would like to license their idea to developers, who could then create the device with their own take on it.

Levchin questioned the need for such a device for hard-core gamers, reminding the team of the 1990s Power Glove. He cautioned Dactize to remember while there is a need to improve gameplay on a touchscreen device, don't become too attached to a particular model.

"The controller issue is real, though," Levchin said. "I think this is a good idea."

Levchin encouraged most to pursue their ideas, and advised some to adjust their plans or team up with an existing company, as there are already similar products out there. After the open discussions, Levchin met and spoke with faculty, sharing thoughts and strategies on burgeoning fields of studies and other areas of potential for students.

Levchin is traveling through the state on a university tour. He spoke at Rice University earlier in the week, stopped by A&M on Thursday and heads to the University of Texas in Austin today.

Levchin said TAMU was on his list of schools to visit in Texas because of the type of student body it hosts.

"I try to find schools that are slightly less prominent than places like Stanford or Berkley," he said. "You find people here who are truly more interested in making real connections than more artificial relationships."

Levchin spent the first part of his A&M visit exchanging notes with engineering professor Nancy Amato, where the two discussed how to encourage students at early stages of their college paths to pursue careers in computer engineering and technology. Levchin told a panel of local media members that he wants to see an increase of women in technological careers and would like to see more female role models in engineering.

"The few hobby horses I chase are on college campuses, like the subject of women and technology," he said. "I have a daughter, so that subject is important to me."

An immigrant to the United States from the former Soviet Union, Levchin stressed that another passion is to demolish barriers for immigrants who earn college degrees in the United States. Many people study in America on a visa, he said, and are forced to leave the country immediately after finishing their degree -- a system he says exports intellectual progression to competing nations at the expense of the United States.

"Once you have someone so well-qualified to work in Silicon Valley, it's crazy to say to them, 'Don't get used to this place,'" Levchin said.

Levchin will be speaking at South by Southwest in Austin on Saturday, where he will talk about revolutionizing consumer finance and his company Affirm.
While speaking at Texas A&M University's third annual Campus Climate Conference, former ambassador Ryan Crocker weighed in on the tone of the current presidential election as well as the international impact that it is having.

"I would imagine in our long and checkered history there have been other times when presidential debates have been maybe even this uncivil, but if so, it was well before the age of instant electronic media, and unless you were right there in the room you probably didn't even know about it," Crocker said.

The current dean and executive professor at the George Bush School of Government and Public Service also contrasted the approach of current candidates with the empathetic and relationship-focused tone set by President George H.W. Bush when he took office.

He said that it was largely thanks to the relationships with other world leaders that Bush had proactively built that he was able to navigate some of the more challenging international conflicts he encountered during his time in the oval office.

Regardless of who wins the presidency in November, Crocker said the toll the campaign thus far has taken on international perceptions of the U.S. will probably be an obstacle that the new president will be asked to face.

"I'm afraid that however the rest of this campaign and the election goes, the new president -- in addition to dealing with a very messy world -- is going to have the further challenge of having to deal with international perceptions of this country and this society," Crocker said.

While onlookers from other nations may have first been amused by the spectacle that candidates like Donald Trump have produced, Crocker said for many it is no longer a laughing matter.

"As with so many things in my life, I tend to look at events and developments from an international perspective," Crocker said, noting that he has several friends from around the world. "Foreign audiences are scared. They are scared. If you're an Arab Muslim, the prospect of a president who is openly anti-Muslim is terrifying."

Beyond the presidency, Crocker added the deepening schism and increasingly uncivil tone that has formed in both American politics and culture are equally, if not more, worrisome in his eyes.

"The current political phenomenon with the nastier the conversation, the more popular the candidate -- that worries me about American society," Crocker said. "A lot of people are cheering on the most outrageous statements by the candidates because they want to hear them. I kind of worry about us as much as I worry about individual candidates, that this is sadly really popular in some quarters."

With an uncertain global political climate, Crocker said this divide will only serve as a further handicap to the United States' ability to deal with situations that may arise in the years to come.

"Who knows what crises internationally will lie in front of us?" Crocker said. "I can simply tell you that they're going to be there, and they're going to be big, and if we have to deal with them the way that we're currently divided, it is not going to go well for us."
The first annual Miss Crooked Road and Miss Golden Leaf Scholarship pageant was held last Saturday at Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville.

Jaclyn Oakes was crowned Miss Crooked Road from a field of six contestants. She will represent this area in the 2016 Miss Virginia Pageant to be held June 19-25 in Roanoke.

Oakes, 21, is the daughter of Kenneth and Andrea Oakes of Staunton. She is a senior biology major at Randolph Macon College and will receive a $500 cash scholarship. She will also be offered an $18,000 scholarship from Liberty University, a $20,000 scholarship from Ferrum College, a $750 scholarship from Patrick Henry Community College and an in-kind scholarship from Averett University.

Kasia Luzynski was selected Miss Golden Leaf 2016 at this local preliminary to the Miss America Pageant.

Luzynski , 22, is the daughter of Thomas and Terri Luzynski of Roanoke. She is an honor graduate of Elon University, earning her bachelors degree in exercise science. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in physical therapy at Shenandoah University.

Luzynski will receive a $500 cash scholarship and will be offered an $18,000 scholarship from Liberty University, a $20,000 scholarship from Ferrum College, a $750 scholarship from Patrick Henry Community College and an in-kind scholarship from Averett University.

Miss Crooked Roads Outstanding Teen was also selected during Saturday nights pageant finale. Jessalyn Hayes, 17, was crowned the winner. She is the daughter of Lori Hayes of Rocky Mount and the granddaughter of Lionel and Judith Williams of Moneta.

She will receive her entry fee paid to the Miss Virginias Outstanding Teen Pageant to be held this June in Roanoke and will be offered an $18,000 scholarship from Liberty University and a $20,000 scholarship from Ferrum College.

Ashley Kendrick was named first runner-up and was appointed as Miss Golden Leafs Outstanding Teen. She is a 15-year-old student at Patrick County High School and the daughter of Denise and Freddie Kendrick of Woolwine. She will compete in the Miss Virginias Outstanding Teen Pageant this June in Roanoke and will be offered an $18,000 scholarship from Liberty University and a $20,000 scholarship from Ferrum College.

The mistress of ceremonies for the evening was Courtney Garrett, Miss Virginia 2014, who was first runner-up to Miss America 2015 and is currently in law school at Liberty University.

The pageants were directed by Luci Cobbs Thomas of Martinsville and Carol Jones of Danville.

The Miss Crooked Road and Miss Golden Leaf Scholarship Pageants are non-profit organizations run by local volunteers. For more information, check out each pageants Facebook page or the Miss Virginia website at www.missva.org.
The only moisture the Henderson County Water District had when it began was probably tears of frustration.

As it was forming, the water district had planned to get its water from the Henderson Water Utility. After about 1,900 customers had been signed up, state approval had been obtained, and construction bids had been awarded, it was only then HWU indicated it wasnt happy with the terms of the proposed agreement with the water district.

The result was a bitter controversy in the spring of 1966.

But lets start at the beginning. On Aug. 29, 1964, a petition signed by 186 landowners was presented to County Judge Richard Staples, asking for the formation of a county water district. That was followed by public hearings to document the need.

Staples appointed a three-member board on Oct. 24, according to the following days Gleaner. The three were David C. House (who continued on the board for decades), Trafford Book, and William Shields, who was later replaced by A.F. Sinkhorn.

HWUs promise to the water district came in The Gleaner of March 14, 1965. The board of the Henderson Water Utility voted to furnish water to the new district if agreement can be reached on the cost.

The city had a fairly new water treatment plant at that point, with a capacity of 6 million gallons per day, and the citys usage was only about 2.6 million gallons per day.

Water district officials forged ahead with that preliminary agreement in hand. Plans for the distribution system were approved by the Kentucky Department of Health, according to The Gleaner of Nov. 19, 1965. Costs of the distribution system were expected to be about $2.2 million.

State approval allowed the water district to ask for bids, which were opened Dec. 21, 1965. CFW Construction Co. of Fayetteville, Tennessee, was the low bidder for the main contract at $1.36 million, although it was going to use cement-asbestos pipe. Globe Industrial Builders of Henderson won the contract to build five water tanks for $90,820.

Thats when trouble began stirring the waters. A Gleaner editorial of Feb. 13, 1966, outlined the demands both HWU and the water district were making in the proposed contract. The water district wanted the agreement to run for 40 years, and HWU was agreeing to do that, but it had some restrictions.

One of the main ones was to install cast iron pipe within five miles of the city limits, because thats the type of pipe the city system used. But the real sticking point was the right to buy the system within that five-mile area anytime it wished.

The water district people said they couldnt agree to that because thats where most of their prospective customers lived, and that language in the agreement would make it nearly impossible to sell the bonds financing the project.

Another editorial appeared three days later severely criticizing HWU, which was pleading empty pockets to the water districts need for a water supply contract. It seems the city had received federal grants to extend water and sewer lines into newly annexed portions of the city, but for some reason had not been enforcing an ordinance requiring residents to tap onto those lines.

HWU had a moral obligation to county residents, and a more serious financial obligation to city residents, but it can fulfill neither, the editorial said.

The impasse had grown so serious that the Henderson Chamber of Commerce attempted to mediate, according to The Gleaner of March 2, 1966. It outlined a series of possible concessions both sides should consider.

The chamber committee concluded by recommending further exploration of the idea of the city water and sewer system being expanded throughout the entire county.

But an article that appeared March 11 flatly said, The possibility of supplying county residents with water, after more than a year of planning, still remains remote.

A few days later the city rejected the latest proposal from the water district, saying acceptance would seriously deter HWUs ability to grow by tying it to a substandard type of pipe, and without the ability to acquire the pipe system in newly annexed areas.

That prompted an immediate response printed in The Gleaner of March 16 from County Attorney Carl Melton, who had been acting as legal counsel for the water district. He accused HWU of refusing to honor its previous commitment to provide water to the district.

In all probability, it will mean that we will build our own filtration plant, using water from the Green River, he said.

HWU replied that its vote of March 13, 1965, was meant as a basis upon which to work out (the water districts) other plans, and in no way was meant to constitute a binding offer, according to the March 17 Gleaner.

Tempers apparently cooled over the next six weeks and the two sides began moving toward a compromise. The Gleaner of April 27 carried a story saying that an agreement was in the works.

That story also said HWU had hired an engineering firm to lay plans for a major extension of water and sewer lines into areas newly added to the city limits. Those lines, it was stressed, would include fire hydrants  the lack of which The Gleaner had criticized.

An agreement was finally reached May 6, 1966. The water district conceded HWUs ability to take over some areas around the city, and HWU agreed to a 40-year contract at a price of 25 cents per 1,000 gallons. That price would be re-examined every five years, however.

(The current price, by the way, for water from the downtown treatment plant, is a little more than $2.45 per 1,000 gallons.)

I think it will work out well for both parties, said Melton.

It will be no hardship for the water district and it should give the city protection on future expansion.

100 years ago

The Dixie Flyer passenger train derailed as it was pulling into Union Station, according to The Gleaner of March 4, 1916. Fireman R.T. Johnson, 30, of Nashville, apparently tried to jump free of the locomotive but instead was killed when he was crushed underneath it.

The train had been running about an hour late. No passengers were harmed, although some were pretty badly shaken up.

75 years ago

A federal grand jury in Louisville indicted Felix B. Anderson, 48, for embezzling from the Corydon Deposit Bank, according to The Gleaner of March 7, 1941. Anderson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year and a day in prison, according to the March 18 issue.

The thefts, which totaled $13,875, took place between 1934 and 1939.

25 years ago

The state Department of Parks approved two new positions at Audubon State Park, according to The Gleaner of March 12, 1991, which resulted in a full-time naturalist and a curator for the museum. Virginia Smith was the parks first part-time naturalist in 1952 and in early May 1953 King Benson was named the first naturalist in a full-time position, but apparently it had been many years since the position had been full-time.

Frank Boyett can be found on Facebook or on Twitter at @BoyettFrank.
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By Gleaner Staff

Police have determined there was no credibility to a rumored bomb threat reported at Henderson County High School.

Officer Robert Gipson, the school resource officer at HCHS, was advised of a rumored bomb threat Thursday, according to a news release.

He immediately began investigating the rumor and found no credible threat, police said. The students remained in class and were not evacuated.

"We appreciate the support that we have received from school administration and students today," said Officer Jennifer Richmond, HPD's public information officer. "The safety of all students and staff is our top priority when an incident such as this is reported."
Burlington builds a big lead early on Friday

Burlington's Dimitri Donald helped the Grayhounds build a 17-7 lead before Fort Madison stormed back to win, 28-24 on Friday at Fort Madison
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NORWALK -- Mayor Harry Rilling and his wife, Lucia, visited Smart Cycles to discuss the bicycle business in Norwalk on Wednesday afternoon as part of the mayor's spotlight on small businesses. Alex Stanek, owner of Smart Cycles, gave them a tour of the facility and talked shop.

"The great thing about a bike is that they're just done right and traditionally, it's a simple machine," Stanek said. "And we don't sell bikes that our vendors are pushing, we buy what we know what our customers want and we cater to their needs."

Smart Cycles, located at 303 Strawberry Hill Ave., sells and repairs bicycles. Smart Cycles first opened in 1992 and its store location was originally just down the street on Westport Ave.

"We've always been a 'do a lot of everything' shop where we deal with little baby tricycles all the way up to $25,000 custom road bikes," Stanek said. "Those are all interests of ours -- the business model is to be viable and profitable, but we like selling little kids bikes to little kids. It's diversifying the offerings just to be complete, which covers you in case road bikes aren't selling one year so you can pick it up in another category."

Giant brand bicycles are the biggest brand at Smart Cycles and some even come with electric motors that have been donated and used by EMT and police forces for covering special events.

"I know that (Smart Cycles) has worked with (Officer) Hector Delgado and donated bikes to inner city kids on a regular basis," Mayor Rilling said. "But the EMT uses the bikes pretty much for special events like the Oyster Festival and the SoNo Arts Festival where maybe you can't get a car in there but they have on board a basic kit that you carry with you for basic life support."

Casual bicycles and hybrid bicycles, like cruisers, are the biggest sellers at Smart Cycles.

Stanek is also a co-owner of il Massimo, a custom Italian bicycle that sells handmade traditional road frames all over the world

"It's a very high end boutique bicycle that Antonio Mondonico, a legendary Italian (bicycle) frame builder, who we became friends with through his American importer many years ago. He'd actually come through the store here and would do sizing tours to custom make a bicycle frame for a customer. Then he'd go back to Italy and build that bike and send it to us unpainted ... and at the end of the day, we would hand this person this beautiful, handmade custom Italian bike," Stanek said. "So Antonio retired and we were kinda at a loss as it's a real niche item, but a great item nonetheless, so his son who had been his right-hand man for 15 years was also in the same situation, so we got together and put together this line of bikes that we are the only importers in this country. But we sell globally."

The il Massimo bicycles can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $25,000, depending on what the client wants customized.

Smart Cycles employs two full-time employees with one seasonal full-time employee. They will hire part-time staff depending on how busy they are at the shop.

"The bike industry is in a complete upheaval and has been for a while," Stanek said. "We are down like 30 percent of what we used to be. We cruised right through the financial crisis almost unscathed and then out of nowhere it was just off the cliff."

Stanek was born and raised in Stamford. He has been working at bicycle shops since he was 12 years old. He worked for Different Spokes in Stamford and came to Norwalk when it moved its store location to Norwalk. Different Spokes closed in the summer of 1991.

"It was pretty much right there and then that I said 'this is what I'm going to do. I am going to open a store,'" Stanek said. "I saw the money coming in, but I didn't know really where it was going. At a young age I saw that this would be a viable business that I was interested in. So I pooled my resources and within seven months of Different Spokes closing, I was able to open Smart Cycles ... I did it on very little money, lots of energy and zero fear. But nowadays, those feelings have definitely shifted."

Smart Cycles has a high repair percentage based on their revenue. According to Stanek, the average in the industry is around 6 percent of gross revenue and Smart Cycle's is around 22 percent.

"We've always had a good reputation for repairs and we are not afraid of doing the little job that people need. To us, a flat tire is just as, if not more, important than installing some high end (gear) set." Stanek said. "A simple tune up on a bike is just like getting an oil change on your car, it's just something you have to do. They are not expensive and most people can get away with one or two tune ups a year."
NORWALK  ConnCANs Director of Research and Policy Yamuna Menon visited the SoNo Public Library to present A Deeper Look at K-12 State Assessments  a presentation for parents on when and what their childs test scores mean. The presentation focused on the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) which was given to the classes of 2014-15 Connecticut Public Schools.

All kids should have the same access to the great educational opportunities that I have had regardless of economic status or race, said Menon. And the SBAC gives us a good baseline for gaining new information about how our students are doing over time and where we need to improve.

The SBAC is a computer adaptive assessment test that is helping to move schools away from paper and pencil testing and is taken by kids in third to eighth grades. Computer adaptive means that as the students are taking the SBAC and answering the questions, the assessment is responsive and will tailor the questions to better accommodate the students knowledge and skill sets.

Assessments play an important role in the broader picture of how we understand how students are doing overall in the state, both at the school and district level, said Menon.

The SBAC is very new and is a transition from other state tests that have been around for decades. Up until 2015, Connecticut was using the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) which was an annual assessment that was used in the public schools fourth, sixth and eighth grades and the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) was later added for 10th-grade students.

The Common Core State Standards Initiative was adopted by Connecticut in 2010, which is a set of standards in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics that are aligned with teachings that give students a better chance at college and a career.

The Common Core really raised the bar in terms of the skill and the content that kids needed to learn for the 21st-century work force and economy, said Menon. And the SBAC is aligned with these Common Core raised standards ... The idea (behind this) is how are kids doing on this assessment but also how is this assessment helping us understand how kids are getting college and career ready? This is important because, for example, by 2018, 65 percent of all jobs in the state will require some form of post-secondary training and that number rises as the years progress ... And we want to have standards and high expectations to ensure that kids have the tools they need to succeed.

SBAC features a performance report for each individual student which is sent to their homes by the district. The results include both scale scores and individual scores for both ELA and mathematics that are measured on four different levels: Level 1 does not meet the standards; Level 2 is approaching the standards; Level 3 is meeting the standards and Level 4 is exceeding the standards. The scoress scale range is from 2201 to 2701. For the 2014-2015 school year, Norwalk was just about on par with the states average for the SBAC scores.

There are also subcategories for both the ELA and Mathematics assessment results, where the individual student can receive further critique for areas of improvement. For ELA, the subcategories the students are rated upon are reading, writing, listening, and research/inquiry. For Mathematics, its concepts and procedures, problem solving and modeling and data analysis and communicating reasoning.

Menon joined ConnCAN directly after finishing graduates school in 2011 and comes from a family of educators. She studied at John Hopkins University and UCONN School of Law.

(ConnCAN) provides multiple campaigns, resources and research to address the quality of education, as opposed to just one method because its very complex and involves everything from teacher quality to early childhood education, said Toni Williams, community organizer for ConnCAN. But what we Like to do is provide resources and support to our parents and community peers.

ConnCANs office in Norwalk is located at 13 N. Main St.
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NORWALK  Fairfield County's Giving Day broke a record for amount of money raised for area non-profit organizations -- again.

The $1,246,964.09 raised on Thursday surpassed last year's collection of $1,066,091, it was announced Friday by the event's organizer Fairfield County's Community Foundation (FCCF).

"I can't tell you how exciting I am," Juanita James, CEO and president of Norwalk-based FCCF, told The Hour on Friday. "The nonprofits are so excited and appreciative. It's high-energy stuff."

Giving Day is a 24-hour online fundraising event in which participating area nonprofits receive donations via the website FCGives.org. It started at 12:00 a.m. Thursday and continued until 11:59 p.m. Thursday. A total of 15,311 donors gave to more than 400 local non-profit organizations. The nonprofits came from a wide variety of categories, such as arts, animal welfare, human services, youth development, hunger relief, education and housing.

Bank of America again was the main sponsor of the event.

"Fairfield County Giving Day provided an easy way for every member of the community to make an impact where they live," Bill Tommins, southern Connecticut market president, Bank of America, said in a release. "The tremendous support provided by residents of Fairfield County will enable our nonprofits to continue the great work they already do throughout the area."

Supporters donated as little as $10 to their nonprofit of choice. The average-sized gift was $73.87.

Curtain Call, a nonprofit theater in Stamford, raised the most money with $62,617. Wildlife in Crisis, a Weston-based wildlife rehabilitator, raised $46,550.

CT Coalition for Achievement Now ($39,950) and New Canaan Mounted Troop ($12,320) were the top performing first-time organizations.

"Fairfield County's Community Foundation is honored and grateful to partner with community members, nonprofit organizations and businesses that are philanthropic, socially conscience champions," James said in a release. "With these partners and our community of generous donors, we were able to make a huge impact on Giving Day 2016 for the people and places served by our important nonprofit sector. Remember, together we thrive."
To the Editor:

In reference to the issue of allowing a private (for profit) company to install, operate and maintain a zip line at Cranbury Park here in Norwalk, I say what??

I dont live in that area of Norwalk but am disturbed by the whole scenario of our local government doing whatever they want despite an outcry by so many of their constituents! At first when I read about the possibility of actually allowing a zip line to be constructed right here in town, I thought, thats crazy but wow, cool. Then the reality set in. All Norwalk taxpayers pay taxes that maintain our public parks. That money keeps our parks safe, clean and inviting; a sanctuary, a refuge from a hectic day. One can just sit and muse on nature and relax. Granted Cranbury Park is huge but so what. It is still a public park owned by the residents of Norwalk, a place to enjoy nature with your family, a place to get fresh air and exercise. (Our tax dollars at work for us).

Cranbury Park has been host to many beautiful romantic weddings. What an inviting, tranquil environment to solidify ones love for another. Chaos will ensue with a permanent amusement park atmosphere. I wouldnt want to be married there if this comes to pass! Residents can also rent out space for a private party, hike trails, cross country ski and participate in one day events for all sorts of occasions. But ...

What if all that tranquility is suddenly disrupted by hundreds of people coming in and enjoying the amusement park it apparently is destined to become, that is if our elected officials allow this to happen. Peace and quiet, our sanctuary for wildlife and families will be GONE! Oh the traffic! Is that what the residents of Norwalk really want our town to become?

An amusement park destination in a residential area? When you think of zip-line fun, you think of going to ski areas where you ride the ski lift to the summit and zip down through the tree tops to the base. With that comes that magnificent view of the mountains. These rides are part of a ski area attraction. They arent disturbing area homeowners, robbing them of their right to a peaceful environment.

We are a shoreline beach community with plenty of activities available to everyone at the beach and along the river. Just walk around the Maritime Aquarium along the shore and follow the pathways along the nature walks. Go down to Veterans Park and relax watching the boats go by. Spend a day at Calf Pasture Beach or Shady Beach and enjoy what Norwalk already has to offer. Dont spoil Norwalk with this insanity.

Please rethink the idea of allowing a zip-line tour to be constructed here in Norwalk at Cranbury Park. There already is plenty to see and do in existing commercial areas of Norwalk. Dont do this to a tranquil park in a residential neighborhood! Dont destroy the character of Cranbury Park. Listen to the residents who voted you in to represent their voices in government.

474 voices have opposed this idea on a petition presented to the committee. It sounds like their voices have not been heard! And what exactly is the Master Plan for Cranbury Park? You state in The Hour that it is an adventure playground. Who came up with that term? Allowing a private outside company to come in and put in this zip line is crazy! Its not right on so many levels.

Please DO NOT move forward with this insane proposal to ruin Cranbury Park with chaos, traffic, and destruction of a beautiful, tranquil public park. Travis Simms, in your role as parks committee chairman, in view of this public outcry, is it possible to put this question to the voters in a special election or on the ballot in November? Please listen to the people!

Barbara Macdonald

Norwalk
Phillies win pivotal NLCS Game 3 behind Segura's clutch hit

Kyle Schwarber hit a leadoff homer in the first inning and Jean Segura's two-run single led the Phillies over the Padres in Game 3.
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post  Thu, March 10, 2016

In an effort to stop forest fires and haze from becoming an annual problem during the dry season in Indonesia, a Riau-based initiative called the Fire Free Village Program (FFVP) is being scaled up to include more villages collaborating to prevent land and forest fires.



Designed and launch in 2015 by APRIL Group, the program consists of a five-pronged approach to preventing fires: community incentives to not clear land with fire, identifying community fire crew leaders, education in sustainable agricultural alternatives, air quality monitoring and community awareness campaigns.



The program is executed in collaboration with the provincial government, law enforcement authorities, local communities and non-governmental organizations with incentives program rewards villages that are successful in maintaining fire-free areas by not using fire as agricultural tool. Villages that participate in the project and remain fire-free are rewarded with infrastructure grants.



With the long term objective of influencing behavior change in relation to the use of fire in agricultural practice, part of the Fire Free Village Program is to support communities with alternative, sustainable agriculture with mechanized land preparation, agricultural machinery and training.



'This private-initiated program help our cause to make Riau free of forest fire and haze,' said Arsyadjuliandi Rachman, Riau's interim governor at the program's launch in 2015.

Emphasizing on collaboration on fire prevention efforts in addition to the overall fire detection and suppression, the program reflects the view that fire prevention is the most effective long-term solution to the fire and haze issue.



'The program is about collaboration in forest fire prevention. Along with the government, civil society groups and the community, we will work together to address the root cause of land and forest fires,' said Tony Wenas, Managing Director of APRIL Group Indonesia Operations.



Partnering with APRIL to roll out the program in Riau are two local NGOs: Rumah Pohon and Blue Green. Building on a pilot fire-prevention program in 2014, nine villages from fire-prone areas were initially chosen to participate in this project have committed to a zero burn policy.



All nine villages are located in the periphery of the group's plantation in the town of Kerinci in Pelalawan regency, where it operates a mill.

In anticipation of this year's dry season, the Fire Free Village Program is now expanded to 20 villages from the original nine and supported by a new complementary community awareness initiative called Fire Aware Community (FAC), rolled out across another 55 villages, further contributing to efforts to prevent forest fires in Riau Province.



The new FAC component is designed as an entry-level phase to engage with communities and provide a background on fire management and fire prevention. It will provide seasonal support for fire suppression, as well as a broader communication strategy with specific community groups.



APRIL also pledged an additional US$1 million on top of the company's existing investment in fire suppression capability to support the program's expansion. This equates to an investment of approximately US$30,000 per Fire Free Village Programme participant and US$5,000 per Fire Aware Community village.



Root cause prevention



The extension acknowledges the success of the 2015 program, which effectively engaged with nine local communities to reduced burned areas by 90 percent from 2014 to 2015. Effective collaboration and coordination between community leaders, government, businesses and NGOs is key in the success of the program's execution.

In particular, the 2015 program contributed to a significant reduction in fires surrounding the Kampar Peninsula. This has been credited to a combination of factors ' early detection, active suppression and a focus on root-cause prevention through the FFVP.



Commenting on APRIL Group's fire-prevention program, Kuala Panduk village chief Tomjon said the initiative also offered economic and environmental benefits. "Farmers can develop land without using fire and get information about better ways of farming," Tomjon said.



Meanwhile, Dede Kunaifi from Rumah Pohon said that the project encouraged greater awareness of the dangers of fire and haze, as well as their adverse impacts on health and livelihoods. "By collaborating with like-minded stakeholders, we hope to see a win-win and lasting solution on the ground," Dede said. (+)
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Linkedin Daniel Leonard (The Jakarta Post) Ambon  Fri, March 11, 2016

Five Thai fishing boat captains and three Indonesians were sentenced Thursday to three years in jail for human trafficking in connection with slavery in the seafood industry.



The suspects were arrested in the remote island village of Benjina last May after the abuse was revealed by The Associated Press in a report two months earlier. The men were tried separately in Tual, an island in southeastern Maluku province.



The three-judge panel also ordered the defendants to pay fines of about US$12,250 each or serve two more months in jail. In addition, the Thai captains ' Youngyut Nitiwongchaeron, Boonsom Jaika, Surachai Maneephong, Hatsaphon Phaetjakreng and Somchit Korraneesuk ' have to pay a total of $67,800 in compensation to their crew members.



"They all have been proven guilty of violating the anti-human trafficking law," said Edi Toto Purba, who led the panel. "They deserve the jail sentences as well as the fine."



He gave one week for the prosecutors, who had sought heavier sentences, as well as the defendants to appeal the verdict. Indonesian prosecutors had demanded prison sentences of up to 4 1/2 years for the five Thais and Indonesian Hermanwir Martino, and 3 1/2-year sentences for two other Indonesians, Yopi Hanorsian and Muklis Ohoitenan. They also demanded compensation ranging from $3,750 to $26,000 for the crew members.



Thirteen fishermen from Myanmar testified under protection of Indonesia's Witness and Victim Protection Agency. They told the court they had been tortured, forced to work up to 24 hours a day and not paid. They also said they were locked in a prison-like cell in a compound owned by fishing company Pusaka Benjina Resources, which has since been shut down. Martino and Ohoitenan worked for the company, and Hanorsian was known as the "enforcer" among the fishermen, who accused him of beating and torturing them in front of an Indonesian flag until they collapsed.



Some workers were angered by the outcome.



"They should be sentenced more because they tortured many fishermen for years. It's not fair for us," said Win Ko Naing, 26, who was enslaved in Benjina for almost six years. He has been following the case closely from Myanmar, but did not testify at the trial.



"They will never pay us compensation because they know how to get away from punishment," he added. "I will never forget what they did to many people over many years. Three years imprisonment is too easy for them. "



The AP investigation found that thousands of poor migrant fishermen, mostly from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, were recruited in Thailand and brought to Indonesia using fake travel documents where they were subjected to brutal labor abuses. Some had been enslaved for years or decades. The AP found some men locked in a cage and saw others calling out for help over the railing of their trawler. A company graveyard with dozens of bodies buried under fake names was also located. The Indonesian government carried out a dramatic rescue in Benjina in April, just over a week after the report ran.



More than 2,000 men were freed and sent home last year as a result of the investigation, which traced slave-caught seafood to some of the most well-known US grocery stores and pet food brands, including Wal-Mart, Sysco, Kroger, Fancy Feast, Meow Mix and Iams. In addition, US congressional hearings have been held, legislation has been changed, more than a dozen people have been arrested and multi-million dollar seafood cargo ships have been seized.(+)



____



Associated Press writers Ali Kotarumalos in Jakarta, Indonesia and Esther Htusan in Naypyidaw, Myanmar contributed to this report.
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Linkedin Arientha Primanita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, March 21, 2016

A controversial bill on alcohol prohibition poses a serious threat to public health and safety as it will lead to rising consumption of illegal alcohol, like the oplosan (bootleg liquor) that recently killed the people who drank it, according to a study revealed on Friday.

The alcohol prohibition initiative did not reflect care in the creation of public policy, according to the study entitled "Health and Social Cost of Alcohol Prohibition: The Potential Risk of Rising Counterfeit Alcohol", which had been conducted by a non-profit think tank called the Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS).

The rise of bootleg alcohol, which caused hundreds of deaths and injuries across the country, should be highlighted as an impact of alcohol trade barriers, excessive taxes and several local prohibitions, said CIPS researcher Rofi Uddarojat.

The World Health Organization estimated that illegal alcohol consumption in Indonesia is five times greater than legal alcohol consumption.

The House of Representatives (DPR) had included an alcohol prohibition bill among 40 bills for the 2016 National Legislation Program (prolegnas), their top priorities for endorsement this year.

"If the DPR passes the bill on alcohol prohibition, producers and consumers will be forced to go underground. A ban will also strengthen organized crime syndicates producing deadly counterfeit alcohol, Rofi said in a press statement to thejakartapost.com on Friday.

Therefore, the CIPS strongly urged the DPR to reject the bill as it was feared approval could result in dangerous risks and threats to public health and a rise in criminal activity.

Those mostly at risk of death and injury from alcohol poisoning are low-income consumers who cannot afford legal alcoholic drinks. At least 215 people had died and 144 injured by drinking oplosan from 2013 to March 2016, data compiled by the CIPS said.

In a recent case, four people died in Cirebon, West Java on Wednesday after consuming oplosan. The four people were among 14 people who drank a concoction of local wine mixed with gasoline and diesel fuel. Moreover, 26 people also died from drinking oplosan in Yogyakarta in February.

That showed cases like this would probably happen if alcohol sales and consumption were banned, according to the study.

Jakarta Police recorded a 58 percent increase on the amount of confiscated illegal alcohol between 2014 to 2015, according to the data gathered in the study.

The increase coincided during the ban of beer sales in small retail shops and a 150 percent rise of import taxes on alcoholic beverages implemented last year.

The study suggested government should concentrate instead on shifting people from drinking dangerous alcohol to safer legal alcohol products by having regulated alcohol more accessible at cheaper prices and more available in shops, Rofi said.

An alcohol ban should not have been a government priority as alcohol consumption in Indonesia is low compared to that in other countries, such as Vietnam or Malaysia, the CIPS said.

Indonesians consumed 0.1 liters of legal alcohol per capita, lower than the illegal alcohol consumption of 0.5 liters per capita. (rin)
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Linkedin Brian Rohan (The Jakarta Post) Cairo  Fri, March 11, 2016

The Arab League's 22 members picked a veteran Egyptian diplomat to head the body in a late-night session on Thursday. Ahmed Aboul-Gheit was the only contender for the post.

The appointment came at a critical time for the Middle East, with Syria marking the fifth anniversary of its devastating civil war, regional proxy wars between Saudi Arabia and Iran on full display, and the battle against the Islamic State group raging in several Arab countries.

Egypt's Aboul-Gheit, a former ambassador to the United Nations and veteran diplomat under autocrat Hosni Mubarak, had been widely expected to win approval from the league members. It is a long-held protocol that Egypt, as host of the Arab League, traditionally nominates the chief. The league has been almost exclusively led by Egyptians.

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa announced the decision after some last-minute wrangling over the appointment, saying Aboul-Gheit would "serve a five-year term effective July 1" as secretary-general.

Diplomats said earlier that Qatar and Sudan had opposed the choice of Aboul-Gheit, with Egypt and Saudi Arabia lobbying them to accept the choice. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to brief journalists.

The secretary-general can be elected by obtaining a minimum two-thirds majority of member states, but the group prefers to have unanimous agreement.

Divisions have weakened the Arab League since the 2011 uprisings that toppled three longtime autocratic rulers but also sparked three civil wars.

But despite its waning influence, a strong leadership might help shore up a Saudi-led Sunni front against Iran at a time of ongoing military involvement by the Saudis and other Gulf Arab countries in Yemen and Syria.

Past league chairmen have included pan-Arab nationalists such as Amr Moussa and the outgoing head, Nabil Elaraby. Aboul-Gheit appears to mark a shift as he is known to be a pragmatic diplomat with strong enmity for political Islam factions like the Muslim Brotherhood, the parent organization of Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.

Aboul-Gheit was the last foreign minister under Mubarak, who was toppled in Egypt's 2011 uprising. He was replaced after Mubarak's ouster and kept a low profile while many of Mubarak loyalists were sent to courts for trials in corruption-linked cases. (bbn)
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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post)  Fri, March 11, 2016

The 2016 Bali Process on people smuggling, human trafficking and other transnational crimes to be held on Mar. 22-23 in Bali will produce a new document detailing an emergency response mechanism for people smuggling and human trafficking in the region, an official said on Thursday.



Foreign Ministry director of international security and disarmament Andi Rahmiyanto said that the drafting of the declaration was in response to the humanitarian crisis that occurred in May-June last year where a sudden influx of irregular migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh were stranded in the Andaman Sea.



Though many of the migrants were able to be rescued and sheltered in Indonesia, Andi admitted that the government and the region were not prepared with an adequate response at the time.



"There are concrete steps that we will propose during the meeting, but they still need to be thoroughly discussed with participating countries," he said. "Participants at the Bali Process will discuss the drafting of a mechanism for emergency responses to people smuggling and illegal trafficking in the region."



Of the 47 member countries and three international organizations that have been invited, over half have confirmed their attendance at the regional meeting that will be co-chaired by Indonesia and Australia.



Indonesia has long been a transit point for asylum seekers aiming for Australia.



Andi said that the Indonesian government had prepared a number of recommendations, including a call for the strengthening of the authority of the steering group, which consisted of Indonesia, Australia, Thailand, New Zealand, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).



"We want, for example with the case last year, for at least the steering group to be able to meet on an on-call basis to hold an emergency meeting in the face of a crisis," he added.



Alternatively, Andi suggested, the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management could be given more authority to handle humanitarian crises in addition to responding to natural disasters.



He said that the document produced in Bali would also be submitted to the high-level refugee summit at the UN General Assembly in New York in September, an initiative of US President Barack Obama.



In addition to discussing regional issues, Andi said there would be several delegates attending from Europe, including ministerial and other high-level officials, including from The Netherlands and Poland. The conference will also be an opportunity to exchange information on migrant issues between the two regions, he added.



A senior officials meeting on the first day of the conference will be chaired by director general for multilateral affairs Hasan Kleib while the ministerial meeting on the second day will be co-chaired by Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.



The sixth Bali Regional Ministerial Conference on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons, and Related Transnational Crime (BRMC), or commonly referred to as the Bali Process, was initiated by Indonesia and has been running since 2002. (+)
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Linkedin Anggi M. Lubis (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

After the influx of Rohingya refugees and the Benjina slavery case coming to light last year, the sixth Bali Process international forum is expected to result in an emergency response mechanism for dealing with irregular migration and closer attention being paid to trans-boundary crimes in the region.



Foreign Ministry director for international security and disarmament Andi Rachmianto said that unlike the previous five meetings, the sixth Bali Process would result in a ministerial declaration, which would include a mechanism for responding to the unexpected mass arrival of irregular migrants.



He said work on the declaration could be traced back to May 2015, when Indonesia welcomed 1,800 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh, and Malaysia accepted another 1,000. 'We had a humanitarian crisis last year. This year the meeting's outcome will be different from the previous ones, to anticipate issues like those in the Andaman Sea.'



Besides the refugee issue, Andi said transnational crime would also receive greater focus at this year's meeting.



The bigger focus on transnational crime issues is due to the Benjina slavery case, which has brought more attention to crimes related to people smuggling and trafficking.



Foreign media exposed the alleged slavery practices in Benjina, Maluku, with Thai-based company Pusaka Benjina Raya suspected of having tricked workers of various nationalities into forced labor. More than 1,000 workers have been freed following the report.



The Bali Process ' cochaired by Indonesia and Australia ' was started in 2002 to facilitate discussion on people smuggling, human trafficking and related transnational crime.



Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi and her Australian counterpart will lead the meeting on March 23.



Involved in the forum are 47 countries and three international organizations ' the International Organization of Migration, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. More than half of the countries have confirmed their physical attendance, said Andi.



The forum itself comes at a sensitive time when the two countries' policies on asylum seeker treatment are receiving international attention.



Amnesty International, in its annual report published late last month, highlighted how Australia was one of at least 30 countries that 'illegally forced refugees to return to countries where they would be in danger'. Amnesty International argued in its report that Australia's boat 'turnbacks' policy has acted as an example, leading other countries in the region to force asylum seeker boats back to sea.



Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, meanwhile, were among countries that initially pushed vessels back from their shores and prevented thousands of desperate people from disembarking.



'Following international criticism, Indonesia and Malaysia permitted people to land and accommodated them on a temporary basis,' the report said.



Responding to criticism suggesting the Bali Process fell short in addressing ongoing refugee issues in the region, Andi said Indonesia maintained its position that a comprehensive solution was needed involving origin countries, transit countries and destination countries, emphasizing that a solution should encapsulate border sharing issues and collective responsibility.



Joseph Roy Benedict, deputy director of campaigns for Amnesty International's South East Asia and Pacific Office, said that the region needed to adopt a refugees mechanism and all countries needed to ratify the international convention on refugees.
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Linkedin Ganug Nugroho Adi (The Jakarta Post) Surakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

The Surakarta administration has postponed a plan to restore a century-old bunker as a tourist attraction because of a lack of funds.



The 16-meter by 24-meter bunker was discovered in 2012 within the Surakarta City Hall compound by the Central Java Cultural Heritage Preservation Center (BPCB).



The administration allocated Rp 15 million for the bunker's excavation, which was completed in 2013. Since then, though, the bunker has been left untouched, and its two rooms, separated by thick walls, are now filled with puddles of water and copious trash.



Surakarta City Planning Agency (DTRK) Agus Djoko Witiarso said the agency could not go on with its plan, as it was still waiting for the budget to approved by the municipal legislature.



'We don't have the funds to start the revitalization. We will propose a budget of Rp 1.5 billion [US$114, 942] for the bunker's revitalization in the revised regional budget this year,' he said.



Agus said that once approved, the money would go first to determining the original purpose of the building through a thorough study, as well as to the creation of detailed engineering designs (DED).



The revitalization project itself, he said, would be conducted in 2017.



'A thorough study is needed to revitalize the bunker. We plan to turn it into a historical tourist destination,' Agus said, adding that a team of cultural heritage experts would take part in the research.



Agus said that the administration had planned to turn the bunker into a gallery displaying historical photographs and paintings of the city hall.



'When we have enough information, the bunker will also serve as a gallery to display pictures featuring similar structures across Indonesia,' he said.



BPCB protection, development and utilization division head Gutomo meanwhile said that based on the results of the agency's study, the bunker had previously been used as storage and as a defense shelter.



'The bunker is a legacy from the Dutch. The City Hall complex was previously used by high-ranking officers of the Dutch colonial government as offices and as a residence,' Gutomo explained, adding that most buildings built during the Dutch era had bunkers for defensive purposes.



The bunker is thought to have been built during the governor-generalship of Herman Willem Daendels between 1890 and 1900.



DTRK cultural heritage preservation division head Mufti Raharjo said that in the past, the area above the structure was a park used to conceal the existence of the bunker.



'The bunker was certainly a secret hideaway, camouflaged by the park beneath which it lay,' Mufti said, adding that the existence of the bunker had long been an open secret, especially among local people.



Before the bunker was unearthed, the area surrounding the subterranean structure was used as a children's playground.
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Linkedin Rendi A. Witular (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

China and Russia are no longer sitting on the fence in their attempts to wield greater influence over Indonesia's defense industry after South Korea takes a strong lead in the race to pioneer joint production of advanced military hardware.



The House of Representatives ratified last week a defense agreement with China that was previously struck between the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono administration and its Chinese counterpart in Beijing in 2007.



Under the ratified agreement, made as a legal umbrella for future defense deals, Indonesia and China agreed to take their defense cooperation to a higher level by agreeing to put in place joint defense research, technology transfer and production.



A clause on the secrecy and protection of intellectual property rights in defense technology was also inserted in the agreement, which emphasizes the importance of both countries to adhere to the highest standards of confidentiality.



While Indonesia's acquisition of military equipment from China is still by far smaller than that ordered from the US, Russia, Europe and South Korea, the ratification will serve as a springboard for China to play a greater role.



What is of particular interest for Indonesia in the deal with China is to secure the much-needed technology to develop its own short- and long-range guided missiles, a field in which China is proven to have the edge.



Since 2013, Indonesia and China have been locked in negotiations for the planned joint production of C-705 antiship missiles for the Indonesian Navy. However, the absence of a ratified agreement for the cooperation is cited among the many issues hampering the development.



The ratified agreement came amid all-time high relations between Indonesia, under President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, and China. And it is very likely that many defense deals currently in the pipeline will materialize sooner rather than later.



Concurrently, Russia has also intensified talks with Indonesia, as indicated by the visit of Russian Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev last month and Jokowi's planned visit to Russia in the first half of this year.



During Patrushev's visit, Russia, whose military hardware already serves as the backbone of the Indonesian Air Force, convinced the government to buy its weaponry systems, including more Sukhoi SU-35 jet fighters, helicopters, Kilo-class submarines and Club S guided missiles; the two sides also agreed to greater transfer of technology.



Indonesia's hedging of China and Russia may stem from previous bitter experiences, specifically the arms embargo slapped on the country by the US and its allies, who alleged that the Indonesian Military (TNI) had masterminded a string of bloody reprisals and attacks as East Timor wrenched itself free from the nation.



Although the embargo was lifted in 2006, many policymakers are disinclined to buy more US arms over concerns a ban could be re-imposed. The biggest arms deal with the US after 2006 was the US donation of 24 used-F16 jet fighters in 2011, with Indonesia paying US$460 million for the planes' refurbishment.



But one staunch US ally, South Korea, seems to be capitalizing on Indonesia's defense needs, particularly after the enactment of the 2012 Defense Industry Law requiring Indonesia to prioritize the purchase of foreign military hardware using technology that can be shared for joint production.



South Korea is the first country to grant Indonesia transfer of technology for the construction of billions of dollars worth of submarines and jet fighters.



The deal has positioned South Korea at the very top of Indonesia's list of strategic defense partners, putting it in prime position for the future provision of advanced defense systems.



Regional peers and rivals will, by following the deal's development closely, look to ascertain whether Indonesia is in fact able to pull the project off.



The deal, however, is not without problems. The joint production of the Chang Bogo, a variant of diesel-electric attack submarines originally developed by Germany, is likely to be delayed and Indonesia may not receive the promised technology.



Indonesia bought the three submarines in 2012 for more than $1 billion. Under the contract, two submarines would be built in South Korea in cooperation with state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL, while the third would be built at PT PAL's facilities in Surabaya, East Java.



News emerged late last month that Indonesia had for various reasons pushed back deadlines to construct the submarines at its shipyards.



Reports have also emerged that Indonesian technicians have not received sufficient training in South Korea to enable them to do the job, with their South Korean counterparts attempting to teach only by demonstration, rather than by allowing the Indonesian technicians to practice.



Concerns are rife that the joint production will remain on paper only, as Indonesia's technicians and infrastructure will have the ability only to assemble while all parts and most of the workers are likely to be imported from South Korea.



Transparency is also lacking on the part of the Defense Ministry, primarily in terms of the definition and scope of joint production and technology transfer in the submarine contract.



It remains unclear as to whether Germany, as the original developer of the submarine, has allowed South Korea to share the technology with Indonesia.



Another noted cooperation deal with South Korea is the joint project for the production of the KF-X/IF-X jet fighter, which is expected to be semi-stealth and able to outmaneuver the US-made F-16.



Indonesia has contributed $1.5 billion, or 20 percent of the needed funds to develop the aircraft, which is scheduled to be in production by 2025.



According to officials, South Korea is willing to transfer 100 percent of the technology, but no details have emerged on the specific role Indonesia will play in the planned production.



But despite several drawbacks in the cooperation, South Korea has taught Indonesia a valuable lesson ' a lesson that indeed poses a risk to South Korea when it comes to the transfer of its military technology to the China-leaning Indonesia.



The commitment to South Korea to protect its defense technology from falling to the hands of a third country will be a test of Indonesia's credibility.



Learning from the drawbacks in South Korea deals, Indonesia should have all the capital now to stand in good stead when forging joint-production agreements with China and Russia.

_________________________________



The author is a staff writer at The Jakarta Post.
A bunny doll sits with its egg friends. Actor Benedict Cumberbatch may melt many of his fans' hearts with his memorable performance and looks, but, thanks to the creativity of a chocolatier, he may literally melt in their mouth as well. (Shutterstock)" height="426" border="0" width="639">

Actor Benedict Cumberbatch may melt many of his fans' hearts with his memorable performances and dashing looks, but thanks to the creativity of a chocolatier, he may literally melt in their mouths as well.

Dubbed Chocolate Cumberbunny, 400 grams of Belgian chocolate shaped like a mini rabbit with Cumberbatch's face on it, complete with the favorite fictional detective's identifiable hairline and bow tie, is the latest creation by Jen Lindsey-Clark, a chocolatier from the UK-based Chocolatician. Available in three different flavors (milk chocolate with gold luster dust, dark chocolate with bronze luster dust, and white chocolate with 22 carats bow tie); the delicacy is hand-glazed and edible with a starting price of 50 pound sterling (US$71).
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Fri, March 11, 2016

Enviromental activists have condemned the killing and butchering of a Sumatran tiger by residents of Silantom Tonga village in North Tapanuli regency, North Sumatra.



Activists from the Sumatra Rainforest Institute, Scorpion, the Indonesian Species Conservation Program and the Orangutan Information Center on Thursday flocked to the North Sumatra Police headquarters in Medan to urge the force to thoroughly investigate the mistreatment of the tiger.



A spokesperson for the groups, Panut Hadisiswoyo, said they had called on the police to take tough action against the police officer reported to have shot the tiger dead after it wandered into Silantom Tonga.



'This was a barbaric act and a violation of law,' Panut said after meeting officers from the North Sumatra Police's special crime directorate.



When tigers wandered into villages, he went on, they should not be killed, but shooed away back into the jungle.



'Ironically, it was a police officer ' who should be aware that the Sumatran tiger is a protected animal ' who shot the tiger,' he said.



Directorate head Adj. Sr. Comr. Robin Simatupang said the force would begin investigation upon reception of complete reports from the North Tapanuli Police..



The 1.5-meter female tiger weighing 80 kilograms was shot dead by an officer from the Pangaribuan Police on Monday, at the request of local people who had alerted the police after the beast wandered into the village.



The villagers then dismembered and butchered the carcass, distributing the meat to local households to be eaten.



Such practices are locally referred to as binda, a tradition whereby any wild animals encountered are slaughtered and eaten.



Anthropologist and noted Batak cultural figure Bungaran Simanjuntak of Medan State University insisted that eating wild animals, especially protected ones, was not a Batak tradition.



If certain Batak communities ate tiger meat, he said, it might mean they were related to a certain cult or local tradition.



'For a long time now, we Bataks have shunned eating the meat of Sumatran tigers,' Bungaran said.



Animals traditionally eaten by the Batak people as part of certain traditions included buffalo, swine, cows and goats, he said.

_____________________________________



'Ironically, it was a police officer ' who should be aware that the Sumatran tiger is a protected animal' who shot the tiger.'



Bungaran added that although the killing of the tiger was intolerable, he did not want to rush to blame the denizens of Silantom Tonga.



'It's possible that they didn't realize that the Sumatran tiger was a protected species,' he suggested.



To prevent similar incidents from reoccurring, he urged authorities to inform villagers of which species were endangered and should not be eaten.



North Sumatra Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) protection section head Joko Iswanto said the agency would summon 50 residents of Silantom Tonga for questioning.



Questioning, Joko said, would be carried out in stages, starting from village leaders to local community figures. 'We will announce later whether they are guilty or not,' he said.



'We have noted 50 names allegedly involved in the distribution of the tiger meat,' he added.



BKSDA data show that the population of Sumatran tigers in North Sumatra is sharply decreasing as a result of conflict with humans.



In 2014 a Sumatran tiger was speared to death by people in Toba Samosir regency, while last year, a 5-year-old tiger almost died after having its leg amputated. The leg was decaying after being caught in a trap set by residents in Batu Madinding subdistrict, Batang Natal district, Mandailing Natal regency.



The Wildlife Conservation Society Indonesia Program (WCSIP) has recorded a decrease in the population of Sumatran tigers from 150 in the 1990s to 100 as of today; the majority live in and around Mount Leuser National Park, which straddles the border between North Sumatra and Aceh.
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post  Fri, March 11, 2016

Urbanites here have an extraordinary tolerance for noise. Roaring vehicles and blaring tunes in malls and weddings are the order of the day that few complain about. To avoid condemnation, even fewer would publicly complain about the disruption of the otherwise quiet hours by noise coming from mosques and religious gatherings ' except when those making the noise are followers of a minority faith.



Vice President Jusuf Kalla has again reminded everyone that when it comes to loudspeakers, public interest is much more important than the religious Brownie-points anyone might hope to collect through a blaring recital of Koranic verses. Muslims believe listeners of the recitals gain pahala (divine rewards) even if they hear the verses by chance and even if they don't understand Arabic. But Kalla, in another controversial statement, confirms the resentment of anyone grumbling over a loss of sleep when awakened by predawn recitals.



What was new was Kalla's call to limit such recitals to a maximum of 30 minutes with the volume of the amplifiers turned down. As chairman of the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI) on Wednesday Kalla said in Palu, Central Sulawesi, that mosque administrators should consider the presence of infants, sick people and those who must awake early for work after returning home late at night. 'They will go to the office with sleepy eyes,' Kalla said.



Of course we support his call, in which Kalla also said mosque administrators should stay alert against potential campaigns by preachers intent on spreading extreme messages to congregations.



His earlier appeals have been blasted by those alleging Kalla, a businessman and senior politician with the title of haji, has little sensitivity for religious devotion. However, Kalla was obviously referring to the competition between loudspeakers of different mosques that are often located close to one another in cities and deliver unnecessarily loud and long recitals, in addition to the mandatory call to prayer.



Kalla said, 'Every kilometer, or even half-kilometer, there is a mosque,' which would be the similar case in Christian-majority cities like Manado in North Sulawesi. In the case of Muslim-dominated areas, religious gatherings often involve the broadcasting of taped recitals and taped sermons, apart from the live sermons that even incite intolerance among neighbors of different faiths.



Cities do have rules against noise disturbance, but inhabitants rarely bring up the issue in these overtly religious days. People fear being bullied for being less devote because the bullies and those controlling those loudspeakers may resent criticism of their power ' maybe a bit like high-tempered motorists using their horns as weapons.



Religious leaders differ as to whether Kalla's call should translate into rules over the broadcasts from mosques, claiming such religious practices are protected by the Constitution. But many among the faithful actually do appreciate the difference between the call to prayers, which is mandatory and helpful to know the time of prayers, and the annoying additions of the many sources of noise to which they are exposed.



As Kalla said, mosques should be not only places of worship but also places that strengthen social cohesion among followers.
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Linkedin Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post)  Fri, March 11, 2016

A panel of judges at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Thursday handed down a six-year prison sentence to Alex Usman, the former head of the West Jakarta Education Agency's infrastructure section, for his involvement in a graft case relating to the procurement of uninterruptible power supply (UPS) devices.



Presiding judge Sutardjo said Alex had abused his authority to enter the UPS procurement project into the revised 2014 city budget at a cost of Rp 6 billion (US$459,506), in exchange for a 7 percent kickback from the contractor from the Rp 300 billion allocated for the project.



Along with the former head of the Central Jakarta Education Agency, Zainal Soleman, Alex, the judges said, had caused state losses of Rp 81.4 billion. The judges, however, did not order Alex to repay the state losses, as he was not considered to have personally stolen money from the state.



'We sentence him to six years in prison and Rp 500 million in fines, or an additional six months' jail time,' Sutardjo said as quoted by kompas.com.



The punishment is lighter than the seven-year sentence sought by state prosecutors.



The judges considered Alex's cooperative and polite conduct during the trial as a mitigating factor. 'It is the first time he has been involved in a crime, and he has family members who depend on him,' Sutardjo said.



The judges also noted that Alex had initiated the UPS procurement in good faith, having heard from representatives of a number of schools that the schools' power supply was inadequate. However, Sutardjo said, Alex should have gone through the correct procedures to procure the devices, instead of reaching an 'informal agreement' with city councillors.



Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama appeared as a witness in the trial, insisting he had known nothing of the project. The governor claimed to have felt duped when it came to his attention that certain parties had attempted to discreetly slide components into the budget; as such, he said, he had subsequently introduced an electronic budgeting system, known as e-budgeting, amendable only by select registered officials.



During the hearing, Alex's lawyer produced a UPS document bearing the governor's signature, but Ahok maintained he had known nothing of the procurement.



Besides Alex and Zainal, the case has also implicated Fahmi Zulfikar, a Hanura Party councillor and member of the council's Commission E overseeing public welfare, and M. Firmansyah, a Democratic Party councillor during the 2009 to 2014 period. Both have been named suspects by the National Police.



Speaking after the verdict hearing, Alex said he would not file an appeal against his sentence, as he believed that the judges had made a 'wise decision'.



'After discussing with my lawyers, I have decided to accept the verdict,' he said.






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Linkedin Hans Nicholas Jong (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

Efforts to repair the environmental damage to peatland areas are under threat as the government's plan to restore over the next five years 2 million hectares of peatland damaged by forest fires is being challenged by the private sector that is in control of concession areas.



The newly established Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) said on Thursday it expected the private sector to restore the peatland that had been damaged in its areas.



'From the 600,000 hectares of peatland [targeted to be restored this year], I targeted half of it to be carried out by companies with their own money in their concessions,' BRG head Nazir Foead said at his office in Menteng, Central Jakarta.



He argued that the private sector, i.e. concession holders, was responsible for making sure that concessions were free from fires.



'It's not that the government is begging for companies [to help us], but what we're talking about is the notion that concessions and companies are fully responsible for protecting their areas,' said Nazir.



Speaking about the other half of the targeted areas, the agency chief said the restoration projects would be carried out by the government. It will cover protected forest areas, conservation zones and peatland areas that are managed by small farmers.



'For the other half, we will do the restoration work by using the state budget, funding from donors and financial aid from companies,' Nazir said. 'But if companies wanted to provide financial aid, I will ask them whether they have restored peatland in their concessions first. If not, then don't help us. Work on [restoring] your concessions first.'



In pursuit of the restoration target, the agency had met and discussed with the related private sector, including the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association (Gapki) and members of the Indonesian Palm Oil Pledge (IPOP), a partnership of palm oil companies, regarding the matter.



'We've agreed that peatland that is still in good condition must be protected. But in terms of peatland that have been cultivated, we still have to discuss that,' Nazir said. 'But in general, all [companies that I've talked to] said that they were ready to support this restoration agenda.'



Gapki chairman Joko Supriyono, however, asked the government to focus on restoring peatland still owned by the government, such as peatland in conservation areas, instead of pursuing the private sector's commitment.



'The areas that need to be restored are those in protected areas. So if peatland is in a protected area, but damaged, that should be the priority [of the government]. If peatland has been converted to plantation, don't meddle with it,' he told The Jakarta Post.



Joko said that if a concession had been granted by the government to the private sector, then the concession should be cultivated.



'If the peatland is in a concession, why restore it? It's for cultivation anyway. Restoration is not our concern,' he said.



Joko added that the government had no right to force companies to restore damaged peatland in their concessions.



'If peatland is in a concession, then it must have been taken care of by the company. So [the full authority over] the peatland should be given to the company because it is the one that has the resources [to manage and cultivate it],' he said.



The IPOP, which is an agreement among leading palm oil producers Asian Agri, Astra Agro Lestari, Cargill, Golden Agri-Resources, Musim Mas, Wilmar and Musim Mas, as part of their commitment to sustainability practices, said members of the partnership would support the BRG in its work.



'We will support the BRG to the extent of our capabilities,' IPOP executive director Nurdiana Darus told the Post.



However, IPOP members have not decided on what kind of support that they could give, according to Nurdiana.



'We want to work with the BRG to find solutions that are most fitting for businesses, as well as people surrounding the businesses. So we can't say yet what we want to do. We are still waiting for another dialogue with Pak Nazir,' Nurdiana said.

______________________________________

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Linkedin Anggi M. Lubis (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi is set to travel to Ramallah this weekend to inaugurate an honorary consul in Palestine, fulfilling Indonesia's commitment to create better relations and deliver unwavering support for the Palestinians' struggle for independence.



Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir said Retno was scheduled to visit Jordan to discuss a number of bilateral issues on Saturday and would head straight to Palestine to inaugurate the new consul the next day.



President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, who chose the Palestinian issue as a major plank of his foreign policy platform for his 2014 presidential election campaign, has repeatedly promised to open an Indonesian office in Ramallah in support of Palestinian independence. The plan, which was considered by his predecessors as well, is expected to finally materialize on March 13 during Retno's visit to Ramallah.



Jokowi ' in his opening statement during the fifth extraordinary Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit held in Jakarta earlier this week ' announced Maha Abou Susheh, a Palestinian, as the honorary consul.



Susheh's main duty is expected to be to implement efforts to enhance economic, social and cultural cooperation, as well as to maintain the climate for investments and tourism between Indonesia and Palestine and also to give protection to Indonesian citizens when needed.



'[Susheh] is a renowned businesswomen, having been mentioned in the Arabian Forbes as one of the most influential figures in the region and has chaired the Palestinian business forum,' Arrmanatha said.



Other names were recommended by local authorities and applications were sent to the Indonesian government before Susheh was chosen to represent Indonesia in Ramallah.



Although not many Indonesians have been residing in Palestine, it is estimated that 50,000 Indonesians travel to the country as tourists every year.



Indonesia has hopes Retno's trip would be successful. An attempt to reach Ramallah by an Indonesian minister failed in 2012 when the then foreign minister Marty Natalegawa was refused entry by Israel as the occupying power in the territory.



Along with 12 members of the Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Committee on Palestine, such as Malaysia, Cuba and Bangladesh, Marty was denied entry as Israel refused to issue passes for countries with which it did not have diplomatic relations and that did not acknowledged it as a country.



This time, Arrmanatha said, his ministry hoped for a successful visit, saying that the visit has been thoroughly planned and coordinated with Palestine and Jordan.



When asked by The Jakarta Post whether the ministry had got a green light from Israel for the visit, Arrmanatha did not clearly specify, only saying that: 'It has been planned and coordinated with all relevant parties, meaning that there is a plan that makes it possible to enter [Ramallah].'



Indonesia has no diplomatic ties with Israel, despite having trade and tourism contacts with the country.



As a Muslim-majority country and a founding member of the anticolonialism forum, the Asian-African Conference, Indonesia ' with strong public bias toward the Middle East country ' has consistently maintained support for Palestine's independence.



Indonesia currently has an embassy for Palestine installed in Amman, Jordan. It was established in 1989 when the two countries signed a joint statement a year after Palestine declared its independence.
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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi will travel to Ramallah, Palestine on Mar. 13 to inaugurate the Indonesian honorary consulate and Maha Abu-Shusheh as consul.



Minister Retno will also conduct bilateral meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir said on Thursday.



Retno's main purpose for the visit is to inaugurate the honorary consulate and consul, who has been appointed by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, Arrmanatha added.



During his opening statement at the recent Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Summit, the President announced that the Palestinian businesswoman Abu-Shusheh will head the consulate.



"She is a very accomplished businesswoman in Palestine and has been named among the Top 50 most influential businesswomen in the Middle East by Forbes Arabia," Arrmanatha told reporters during a press conference in Jakarta.



He reinstated that the diplomatic representative's presence in Palestine was a form of political support from Indonesia for a two-state solution with Israel.



Arrmanatha said Abu-Shusheh will lead efforts in strengthening economic and social relations between Indonesia and Palestine, including in the protection of Indonesians abroad.



He said though there were not many Indonesians living in Palestine, with only eight people officially listed, around 50,000 Indonesians visited the region every year.



Arrmanatha said that the consulate will also aim to strengthen economic relations between the two countries. Indonesian and Palestinian trade in 2015 stood at US$ 3.67 million, with Indonesia recording a surplus of $3.34 million, he added, a rise from 2014 with recorded trade worth $1.02 million and a surplus of $808,000.



The spokesman also noted that Retno will be in Ramallah following an official working visit to Jordan the previous day.



Born in 1962 in Ramallah, Abu-Shusheh is also president of the board of directors of the Palestinian Association for the Preservation of Architectural Heritage (Riwaq) and chairwoman of the Palestinian Shippers Council, which represents Palestinian importers and exporters, as well as a member of Palestinian Trade Center. (bbn)(+)
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Linkedin Mike Corder (The Jakarta Post) Maastricht, Netherlands  Fri, March 11, 2016

The painting was labeled as the work of an unknown artist from Europe's "Continental School," dated somewhere in the 19th century. It had a presale estimate of $500-$800 when it went to auction in New Jersey last year.



French art dealer Bertrand Gautier thought the small oil-on-panel painting of three figures was older. And he thought he knew exactly who had painted it: Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn.



Unfortunately for Gautier and his partner Bertrand Talabardon, another dealer had the same hunch. In a few minutes of phone bidding, the price shot up, and in the end the Paris gallery owners paid just over $1 million, including the buyer's premium.



On Thursday, the painting, restored and now considered a genuine Rembrandt dating from 1624-1625, hung in pride of place at the entrance to the gallery's stand at the prestigious TEFAF art fair in the southern Dutch city of Maastricht.



"This is a great discovery. It really is absolutely fascinating. This is the very beginning of Rembrandt, more or less the first picture he ever painted," said Prof. Christopher Brown, an expert in Dutch art at Oxford University.



It was painted when Rembrandt was just 18 or 19, at the start of his career, when he had finished his education in Amsterdam and moved back to his home town of Leiden.



"The drawing is slightly crude, the colors are very vivid," Brown said. "It's the beginning, the absolute beginning."



The picture is part of a series depicting the five senses. It has been titled "The Unconscious Patient (Sense of Smell)" and shows a woman holding a handkerchief, presumably containing smelling salts, under the nose of a young man who has fainted after a surgeon has performed a blood-letting.



Three of the "sense" paintings were already known, and with the rediscovery of the sense of smell, only "taste" is missing.



Part of the reason the painting was not earlier positively identified as a Rembrandt was an 18th-century attempt to make it look more like ... a Rembrandt, Gautier told The Associated Press.



"They knew it was a Rembrandt, but they didn't think it looked enough like a Rembrandt," he said. In an effort to add a bit more drama to the lighting, they enlarged the painting and made it darker around its edges. "They 'Rembrandtized' what was already a Rembrandt."



"Today we can see it is ridiculous, but every era understands an artist in its own way," he added. "Today, we have the good fortune to be able to place it in its historical context."



After buying the painting at auction in New Jersey and setting the art world abuzz at the prospect that a "new," Rembrandt had emerged, Gautier and Talabardon had it restored and fitted a frame that, when closed, shows only the part of the panel painted by Rembrandt but, when opened, shows the later additions to the work.



The restoration turned up another surprise ' the earliest known signature by Rembrandt, a monogram of the letters "RF" or "RHF," believed to stand for Rembrandt Harmensz fecit, meaning, made by Rembrandt ' Rembrandt's full name is Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn.



"It's nice that the monogram's there," Brown said. "It confirms what your eyes tell you."



Ernst van de Wetering, a renowned expert on Rembrandt's work, said in a telephone interview he also has no doubt it is a genuine Rembrandt and part of the series depicting the senses.



The painting drew plenty of admiring glances Thursday at the fair's invitation-only opening, but any potential buyers at the fair will have been disappointed ' the Rembrandt has already been sold to the privately owned Leiden Collection in New York, which already owns two of the other "sense" paintings. Gautier declined to say how much he sold the painting for. (kes)(+)
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Linkedin Arif Gunawan Sulistiyono (The Jakarta Post)  Mon, March 21, 2016

Despite slow progress on the construction of new smelters due to weak commodity markets, the government insists it will not relax rules that prohibit the export of raw minerals in 2017.

"We are still referring to the 2009 law [on mineral and coal mining]. As long as it is not revised, the policy will still be implemented as stated in the law," Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said explained in Jakarta on Thursday.

Low commodity prices are giving mining companies headaches about their cash flow and hampering their ability to invest in the construction of smelters. Processing facilities will be needed if companies wish to continue exporting in 2017.

However, the government has refused to extend the deadline again.

According to the law, unprocessed exports are no longer permitted five years after the law entered force in 2009. However, due to the price decline in global commodity markets that hit the industry, mineral exporters were unable to meet the deadline.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyonos administration then issued government and ministerial regulations in 2014 extending the deadline to 2017 for companies with a demonstrated commitment to establish processing facilities.

Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) chairman Rosan Perkasa Roeslani asked the government to relax the law, pointing out that the weak commodity markets had hampered mining companies financial performance.

"Smelters are not cheap. We need to give them [businessmen] time to negotiate," he said.

However, Sudirman refuted that argument on the grounds that several companies had managed to finish their smelters despite the harsh market environment. "There are those who have finished constructing; if the government relaxes the rules, it will cause negative effects. We will consult with the House of Representatives on the current condition," he explained. (ags)
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Linkedin Yuliasri Perdani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

Twelve contemporary artists retell and reinvent Indonesian history in the ongoing Historia Docet Historia Vitae Magistra art exhibition at D Gallerie in Jakarta.

In 1961, master sculptor Edhi Sunarso created the Welcome Statue at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, figuring a man and a woman gesturing to welcome participants of the 1962 Asian Games.

Five decades later at the Historia Docet exhibition, Edhi's grandchild, Ahdiyat Nur Hartarta, presents three images, reimagining the monument if it had been built under different regimes.



In a late-capitalist country, the woman is holding shopping bags, while under a fundamentalist Islamic regime, the statues have their heads cut off.



The most thought-provoking image is perhaps Welcome to Indonesia, in which Ahdiyat draws the statues brandishing a hammer and sickle.



'I didn't only observe the monument and the history behind it; I also listened to the stories from the sculptor, my grandfather,' Ahdiyat said.



'[The statues] spark a romantic memory, but at the same time present an ideological contradiction.'



Presented by France's Martell Cognac, the bi-annual art exhibition is running for a month until March 17 at D Gallerie in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.



Like Ahdiyat, many artists participating in the exhibition make powerful yet provocative statements about Indonesia's past.



Welcoming visitors in the entrance hall of the venue is a collection of old black-and-white photos.



The photos, compiled by artist Agan Harahap, show the behavior of Dutch settlers during the archipelago's colonial era.



A white woman in a swimsuit, with a broad smile, poses with a hog. Two nude women run carelessly on the beach. Two white children, under the supervision of what appears to be a local maid, play in a muddy rice field.



The photos, titled Vakantie in Indonesie (Vacation in Indonesia), is Agan's 'revenge' against the Dutch colonists.



'I remember a workshop on the emergence of photography in Indonesia. It was mentioned the Dutch often photographed our Indonesian ancestors in an exploitative way,' Agan explained.



Jakarta-based artist Saleh Husein recounts racial segregation in colonial-era Indonesia through his acrylic painting, Inverted Conversation.

It takes us to the Societeit Simpang Club in Surabaya, a club for the Dutch elite, with a warning posted at the entrance: 'Locals and dogs are prohibited from entering'. The painting captures the moment when Hamid Algadri, the son of the sultan of Pontianak, was evicted from the club.



The brief yet traumatizing Japanese occupation is highlighted in two works.



On a table, Bandung-based artist Meicy Sitorus has placed a book of photography entitled Nona Djawa (Javanese Maidens), which takes a close look at the lives of jugun ianfu (former Japanese military sexual slaves) and their families 72 years after the traumatic era.



Meanwhile, Mahardika Yudha presents a video installation that features the Japanese regime's version of the Indonesian national anthem, Indonesia Raya (Great Indonesia).



Artists Octora, Theresia Agustina Sitompul and Yudha 'Fehung' Kusuma Putera use clothes as their artistic medium.



On a wall, Octora has attached a translucent military jacket to suggest how a military uniform hides the fragile side of human beings. In Domestic Print, Theresia uses carbon sheets to print the clothes and toys of her and her children.



Yudha meanwhile parodies displacement in his work Seniman Senen Hidup Lagi! (Senen Artists Live Again!), for which he photographed garment sellers at Pasar Senen, Jakarta, wearing the important secondhand clothes they sell.



In the background, Yudha attaches the sceneries of countries from which the clothes may have originated; a castle backdrop for a man wearing suit and tie, a snowy mountain backdrop for a man in a ski jacket.



Curator Chabib Duta Hapsoro said the artists' creative way of using historical archives could help the public to better understand Indonesian history.



'The artists show their subjectivity in order to destabilize the singular and fixed interpretations that have prevented the public from gaining better understanding about an event,' Chabib said.



' Photos by JP/Yuliasri Perdani
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Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

US-based technology and manufacturing firm Honeywell plans to tap into Indonesia's robust infrastructure development, especially of airports and railways, that is aligned with President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's vision for the coming years.



The company acknowledges Jokowi's ambitious program to execute infrastructure construction worth more than US$400 billion from 2015 to 2020 to spur economic growth in the country and therefore make the nation with Southeast Asia's largest economy one of the 10 top countries for the firm globally.



'We know that Indonesia needs new bridges and railways, that infrastructure is something the government is discussing,' Honeywell Indonesia president director Alex J. Pollack said on Thursday.



He has referring to the government's target to build as many as 49 new dams over the course of five years, as well as 1,000 kilometers of new toll roads, among other projects.



With the development, the company aimed to provide advanced technology for the country's infrastructure projects, including for its airports.



The firm boasted about its smart airport technology, claiming that it would be able to improve the efficiency and safety for the airports, as its technology would enable air traffic controllers to handle the number of aircraft landing in an hour with improved traffic management.



'With growth of 11 percent in the numbers of passengers annually and as the Soekarno Hatta International Airport already has to manage 22 million passengers currently, we think it will need an advanced technology and integrated system,' Pollack said.



The company also cited Jokowi's policy to waive advanced visa requirements for 90 countries, which was expected to increase foreign tourist numbers, as the government aimed to attract 20 million foreign tourists by 2019.



The company would look to work with related companies such as state airport operator Angkasa Pura (AP) I and Angkasa Pura II, as it aims to get the technology applied in the country's busiest airports such as Soekarno Hatta and Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, as well as in six to 25 other major airports in Indonesia.



Honeywell International last year booked $15.2 billion in revenues globally from its aerospace business, a decrease from $15.6 billion in 2014.



The company set the revenue growth to be double the gross domestic product (GDP) growth this year. The government itself aimed for 5.3 percent economic growth for 2016, as the country scored merely 4.79 percent last year.



It currently runs an aerospace manufacturing facility in Bintan, Riau, which had started to operate in 2005. It has also supported an existing maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) facility for aircraft owned by national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia and the largest low-cost carrier, Lion Air Group.



Honeywell is also seeking involvement in railway projects in Indonesia, as it recently worked with the Transportation Ministry on radar scanner technology for automatic detection and warnings at railway crossings.



It recently wrapped up the technology's trial at the Bintaro railway crossing, Jakarta, and the company expected to follow that up with installation of the products.



The company would also try to get involved in the country's mass rapid transit (MRT) project, currently under construction in Jakarta, as it would want to apply its safety scanner system, which would also support Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan's aim to have a safer transportation system.



The ministry allocated Rp 12.5 trillion ($957.8 million) for transportation safety and security improvement this year.

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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

Indonesia is to participate in a major Indian major cultural festival in New Delhi in an attempt to seduce the growing middle-class in the South Asian nation into visiting the archipelago.



The three-day festival, organized by international spiritualist NGO The Art of Living, will last from March 11 to 13. As one of the biggest stages in the world, it will attract around 3.5 million participants from around the globe. It is expected that more than 36,000 artists will come to demonstrate their musical skills; thousands of them will play 50 different musical instruments at the same time to create an alluring rhythm and harmony.



'We hope the World Culture Festival can encourage better understanding between people of different religions, nationalities and backgrounds by exposing their diverse cultures, dancing, music, arts and also yoga,' Sri Ravi Shankar, the founder of Art of Living, said in a press release.



To take part in the major event, 27 professional Indonesian dancers from iKreasindo, a cultural angklung workshop, will work with 80 artists from the Art of Living to present a joint angklung and dance performance entitled 'Cendrawasih Menebar Pesona,' accompanied by the traditional Betawi folk song 'Jali-Jali'.



The government hopes that through this performance, Indonesia will be able to expose its culture to the world and attract more foreign tourists, especially Indians, to Indonesia.



Home to the world's second-largest population, India ranks 7th on the list of major markets for Indonesian tourism.



In 2015, the number of Indian tourists coming to the archipelago rose to 271,252, a 15 percent increase from the previous year. This year, the Tourism Ministry expects at least 350,000 Indian tourists to visit popular destinations such as Bali, Jakarta and Batam.



The lack of direct flights, however, hampers the flows of tourists from India to Indonesia.



'We are now depending on Malindo Air and Singapore Airlines, because there still aren't any direct flights from India to Indonesia. With Garuda opening direct flights in August, we expect more Indians tourists to come to Indonesia,' said Vinsensius Jemadu, the director of Asia-Pasific Tourism Promotions.



This August, Garuda Indonesia is to launch direct flights from Jakarta to Mumbai; the flights will run three times a week. Besides Garuda, the Tourism Ministry also plans to work together with AirAsia to begin direct flights from India to Indonesia.



Another government effort to increase the number of foreign tourists from India is to promote Indonesia's tourist destinations by organizing a visit of media, tour operators, hoteliers and wedding organizers to major cities in India including Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Calcutta and Hyderabad.



Besides India, the government is also striving to lure visitors from other countries, especially Singapore, Malaysia, China, Australia and Japan, in order to reach its target of hosting 12 million foreign tourists in 2016 and 20 million in 2019.



The ministry recorded 9.73 million foreign tourist arrivals last year, short of the 10 million target, with the sector disrupted by haze and volcanic eruptions for a good part of the year.(win)

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Linkedin Ina Parlina and Ganug Nugroho Adi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Surakarta, Central Java  Fri, March 11, 2016

President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo only smiled and waved to a group of journalists at the State Palace seeking comments on the birth of his first grandchild on Thursday.



The news had broken earlier in the morning while Jokowi was inaugurating an integrated regional logistics center in Cilincing, North Jakarta, when the President's youngest son Kaesang Pangarep posted on his Twitter account that he was now an uncle.



Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung and presidential spokesperson Johan Budi immediately extended their best wishes to the President and the First Lady.



'We hope he will be a person who makes his parents and the nation proud,' Johan said.



In the evening, Jokowi flew to Surakarta at around 7:30 p.m. to visit his grandson and will continue on to tour at least three spots in the royal city and neighboring areas in Karanganyar regency in Central Java.



The President is scheduled to give a public lecture at Sebelas Maret University (UNS) in Surakarta on Friday morning and will visit Gondang Dam in Karanganyar later in the afternoon before returning to Jakarta on Saturday.



Jokowi's grandson ' weighing 3.09 kilograms and measuring 48.5 centimeters long ' was born at 9:28 a.m. at PKU Muhammadiyah Hospital in Surakarta through a caesarian operation.



'Thanks to God, our first grandchild has been born healthy. Mother and baby are healthy,' First Lady Iriana told a press conference at the hospital.



'Born through caesarian. Safe and healthy. That's all,' hospital director Mardiyatmo added.



The baby's father and Jokowi's first son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, said the birthing process of his son was very fast.



Gibran, a catering businessman, said the baby was now in a recovery room under the supervision of an obstetrician.



Starting his business after graduating in 2010 from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Insearch, Gibran married the 2009 Miss Surkarta Selvi Ananda in June last year in the city where his father served as mayor from 2005 to 2012 prior to his victory in the Jakarta gubernatorial election.



Gibran reportedly refused to join the family's furniture business and started his own. He opened his first Markobar Martabak, a restaurant serving traditional pancakes, in Cikini, Jakarta, two months ago.



Before their marriage, the media-shy Gibran kept his relationship with Selvi private. They met at the pageant, where Gibran served as a jury member.



Jokowi's grandson has not yet been named.



But in December, during a traditional Javanese mitoni (baby shower) for his daughter-in-law, who was seven months pregnant at the time, Jokowi told reporters that the name of the baby was already in his pocket.



Dressed in traditional blue Javanese attire, President Jokowi, First Lady Iriana and their three children personally greeted guests arriving at the event. Selvi was dressed in a yellow kebaya (a traditional Javanese blouse).



Jokowi and Iriana have three children: sons Gibran and Kaesang and daughter Kahiyang Ayu. And they now have a grandson.
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Linkedin Shannon Teoh (The Jakarta Post) Kuala Lumpur  Fri, March 11, 2016

Malaysian government has sacked Mahathir Mohamad as adviser to state oil company Petronas, exactly a week after the long-serving former premier brought together a broad alliance dedicated to removing Prime Minister Najib Razak from power.

The Prime Minister's Office said in a brief statement Friday evening that the Cabinet discussed the actions of Mahathir, "particularly in launching the so-called 'Citizen's Declaration' with opposition leaders last week" and decided that since he was "no longer supporting the current Government, he should no longer hold any position related to the Government".

"The declaration aims to topple the democratically-elected Government led by the Prime Minister, and is therefore against the law and the Federal Constitution. Therefore, the Cabinet today agreed unanimously to terminate the appointment of Tun Mahathir as advisor to Petronas," the statement said.

Mahathir's group - now known as the "Save Malaysia" movement - comprises opposition figures and civil society leaders as well as Umno rebels including suspended Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin, as well as opposition stalwarts jailed during the former strongman's 22-year rule, such Lim Kit Siang and Mohamed Sabu.

Jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim also expressed support for the alliance despite having been sacked as deputy prime minister by Mahathir in 1998 before he was incarcerated for abuse of power and on a sodomy conviction that was subsequently overturned.

The 45 members inked an agreement last Friday to cooperate in ousting Najib over allegations of graft involving US$700 million linked to 1MDB that ended up in his personal accounts.

The PM has denied the claims and removed critics such as Tan Sri Muhyiddin, and Mahathir's son Mukhriz from government positions.
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Linkedin Elena Becatoros and George Jahn (The Jakarta Post) Idomeni, Greece  Fri, March 11, 2016

Desperate migrants and refugees piled up Thursday in fetid fields of mud at a closed border crossing as officials warned that a well-trodden route to Europe used by hundreds of thousands in the past year was no longer available.

With the closure of the migrant trail through the Balkans from Greece to more prosperous countries, concern also mounted that people desperate for sanctuary or jobs in Europe are already turning to smugglers to find other pathways.

Government ministers and experts say that Albania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania could become alternate tracks, and officials Spain are in contact with Algeria and Morocco to try to stop new routes from opening there.

At the same time, the flow continued to the Greek islands by boat from Turkey, either by those who have not heard the Greece-Macedonia crossings are no longer open, or by others who hope the closure is temporary.

Some didn't make it. Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said five people, including a 3-month-old, drowned when their speedboat sank Thursday off Turkey's western coast en route to the Greek island of Lesbos. Nine people were rescued from the boat, which was carrying Afghans and Iranians, the agency said.

NATO stepped up its operations to try to stop the smugglers, deploying five ships in the Aegean Sea, with plans to send more in the coming days to monitor the area near the Greek island of Lesbos and areas farther south, said Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of the alliance.

Meanwhile, Greek police said 81 economic migrants from Pakistan and north Africa who had entered the country illegally were deported back to Turkey.

Nearly 42,000 people are stranded in Greece, including 14,000 camped in the mud near the Idomeni crossing with Macedonia. Nearly three days of rain finally ended, but that did little to lift the misery for those staying in donated pup tents in nearby fields and along railway tracks.

Long lines formed for sandwiches, tea and soup at the Idomeni camp, which long ago surpassed its capacity. Others warmed themselves at fires using what dry wood they could find, or they poured oil on sodden logs to get them to burn.

The fields have grown increasingly fetid, with pools of water and deep mud that sucks the shoes off children. People dragged their muddy tents to new locations, looking for a dry patch of ground.

Many people who have spent days at the camp in chilly temperatures were coughing heavily.

A crowd formed at a truck of donated goods, with men tossing bags of diapers, toilet paper, bottled water, yogurt and prepared meals to the cheering crowd. Dozens of packaged meals ended up falling to the ground, with cooked pasta and yogurt splattering in the mud.

Some people gave up and boarded buses for refugee camps in and around Athens.

"May God take his revenge on them ' everyone who did this to us ' from whatever country they come from," said Raife al-Baltajy, a Syrian from near Aleppo, as she waited for a bus with her family. "May god take his vengeance out on them. Isn't it sinful? Are we animals? Or are we human beings?"

She said she had been living in Syria for four years under the shelling, but traveled to Turkey, then to the Greek island of Lesbos, where she took a ferry to the mainland and on to Idomeni.

"Under this rain, in the cold. Who wants to protect us?" she said.

Government health experts say there is no sign yet of infectious disease at the camp, but they have been urging people to move to nearby army-built shelters. Authorities say about 70 children at the camp have received treatment in the past three days for fever and diarrhea.

Almaz Moho, a Syrian Kurd who traveled from Aleppo with her three daughters, one of them an infant born in Istanbul, said they came to Idomeni "because they said the borders are open," but found out otherwise.

"And they're unsettling the children, between the filth, the dust, under the pouring rain, with little food and soaked clothes," she said. "Where do you want us to go? Where do they want us to go? We have no homes."

As European Union interior ministers met in Brussels on the crisis, Austria urged migrants to give up hope of moving on.

"The Balkan route is closed," Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner told reporters. "The biggest problem is that these refugees still have hopes and expectations, and these hopes are being constantly fed."

Germany was critical, despite the benefits of having to cope with a big drop in migrant flows due to the border closures that were prompted by Austria's decision to impose a cap on refugee numbers.

That "brings us fewer refugees, but on the other hand puts Greece in a very difficult situation. And this situation is not durable and sustainable," Mikl-Leitner said.

More than 1 million people have come to Europe in the past year, most of them by boat from Turkey to Greece, fleeing war, persecution or abysmal poverty. Once taken to the Greek mainland from their island arrival points, most headed to the Macedonian border, then onward to Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia, before moving on to Austria and other prosperous EU nations.

Passage through those nations began being restricted last month, and on Monday, countries along the Balkan route decided to allow entry only to people with valid EU visas. But even as those countries shut their borders, others braced for an influx of people taking alternate routes ' and risking new dangers ' in their search for a new life.

EU and Turkish leaders agreed Monday to the broad outlines of a deal that would see people arriving in Greece having fled war or poverty be sent back to Turkey unless they apply for asylum. For every person sent back, the EU would take in one Syrian refugee, thus trying to discourage them from the dangerous sea journeys, often arranged by unscrupulous smugglers.

But that complex and unclear agreement remained a concern for many, including human rights officials who questioned its legality.

"This agreement will dramatically reduce the legal entry points into the Union, forcing desperate refugees to look for other routes," warned Guy Verhofstadt, the leader of the liberal ALDE bloc in the European Parliament. He said people will again try crossing the Mediterranean, or go through Bulgaria and Albania.

Officials in Serbia said about 150 people are arriving each day via a dangerous trek through Bulgaria, with frequent reports of robberies and beatings by locals.

"This will be a major win for smuggling groups," said Tuesday Reitano of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, referring to the EU-Turkey deal. "The effects are already visible."

Groups of 50 or more already are reported to have been smuggled through Albania, Reitano said. Clandestine routes are opening again in Hungary, where authorities report more people are breaching the razor-wire fence on its southern border.

Italy fears many may head west to Albania and use boats to cross the Adriatic Sea.

Frontex, the EU's border agency, said contingency plans are underway for any big shifts in migrant movements, with the organization's deputy executive director, Berndt Korne, naming Albania, the western Greek coast and Montenegro as possibilities.

Once spring arrives and the weather improves, people also could turn back to the dangerous route across the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy. Thousands have died off the Italian island of Lampedusa in recent years on that crossing. (bbn)

Jahn reported from Vienna. Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Lorne Cook in Brussels and David Rising in Berlin contributed to this report. (bbn)
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Linkedin Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

A lawsuit challenging a Jakarta gubernatorial permit for the construction of artificial islets F, I and K off the city's northern coast kicked off at the Jakarta State Administrative Court on Thursday with a panel of judges reading out the petition.



In the 38-page petition, a copy of which was made available to The Jakarta Post, fishermen, rights activists and environmentalists claim that the Jakarta governor violated various regulations in issuing the permits and demanded that the court revoke them immediately.



The petitioners believe that the reclamation was carried out without obtaining a preliminary environmental permit as regulated by Law No. 32/2009 on environmental management and protection.



The Jakarta administration is also accused of violating the basic rights of coastal fishermen ' as the most affected parties in the artificial islet development projects ' to access and manage natural resources in the area. The petitioners said the fishermen's needs were not being taken into account during the construction.



'Based on Constitutional Court decision No. 3/PUU-VIII/2010, fishermen have a constitutional right to coastal and small island areas,' the petition claims.



On Oct. 22 last year, the city administration issued construction licenses to city-owned PT Jakarta Propertindo for Islet F and to PT Jaladri Eka Paksi for Islet I, and on Nov. 17 to PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol for Islet K. The three islets are part of the 17 man-made islets planned to be built off the city's northern coast.



Recently, Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama announced that he was considering evicting fishermen from the shoreline of North Jakarta and relocating them to the Thousands Islands, saying that they would get better catches in the regency.



The idea, however, has been strongly opposed by the fishermen, who believe that moving to the Thousands Islands would pose problems for them as the deeper sea would make it harder for them to catch fish or clams with tools as basic as those used by many Muara Angke fishermen, let alone the tougher competition with the islands' fisherfolk.



The reclamation projects are also being conducted while the bylaw regulating the islets has yet to be passed by the city council.



During Thursday's hearing, the petitioners also claimed that the city administration lacked the authority to issue the permits as the Jakarta coast was a strategic national area and any permit should be issued by the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry as a representative of central government.



'Furthermore, in 2003 the ministry issued Ministerial Decree No. 14/2003 on the environment and impropriety of the northern Jakarta coast reclamation project because it had the potential to harm the area's maritime ecosystem,' Martin Hadiwinata, one of the petitioners, told the court.



The petition says that more fish would die as a result of environmental degradation, including the occurrence of harmful algal blooms.



'With so many violations committed in the project and damage that it could bring to the fishermen and the ecosystem, the judges should revoke or postpone the implementation of the islet construction permits,' Tigor Hutapea, a lawyer from the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation representing the fishermen, told the Post after the hearing.



Separately, Haratua Purba from the Jakarta administration's legal bureau, said he would refute all of the arguments in the next hearing slated for March 17.



'I can't share the details of our response. Every argument will be countered next week,' he said.



Aside from the petition against the permits for three islets, a hearing on a petition also filed by fishermen against Islet G and the trial is ongoing. In last week's hearing, a law expert witness said it was the central government that had the authority to issue such permits.
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Linkedin Grace D. Amianti (The Jakarta Post)  Fri, March 11, 2016

With hopes high for the future of Indonesia's creative economy, multifinance firms are expected to extend their financial support for the country's creative minds planning to start or expand businesses in the booming sector.



Last year, the country's multifinance firms secured approval from the Financial Services Authority (OJK) to expand their business into several new sectors, including the creative economy, branching out from the automotive and heavy equipment financing sectors.



According to OJK data, multifinance firms disbursed a total of Rp 4.7 trillion (US$357.1 million) in the final quarter of last year to finance small creative businesses. OJK director of supervision for financing firms Andra Sabta said that the regulator expected multifinance firms to channel more funds this year.



'The total amount was disbursed by 10 of the 200 member companies of the Indonesian Financing

Firms Association [APPI],' he said recently.



'If some of the members were able to disburse that amount in just three months, I am sure all firms will be able to disburse at least Rp 6-7 trillion this year.'



Of the total Rp 4.7 trillion disbursed to the creative economy, financing for culinary businesses, handicrafts and software and publishing were the top-three recipients, respectively, according to APPI data submitted to the OJK.



President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has repeatedly emphasized the importance of the creative industry to Indonesia's economy and reiterated the commitment of his government to boost the multi-million dollar sector, claiming that technology and culture-based creative industries were the future.



Last September, the OJK and the Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf) gave their official endorsement for multifinance firms to start venturing into the creative economy sector.



Sixteen creative economy subsectors are overseen by Bekraf, including advertising, culinary arts, fashion, music and film. The agency has claimed that the sector contributed Rp 642 trillion, or 7 percent, to the country's GDP last year.



Andra said he was convinced that multifinance firms would be confident abut branching out into the creative economy, which has been growing significantly, unlike the automotive and heavy equipment sectors, which were heavily hit last year by a global commodity prices slump.



OJK data show that the country's multifinance industry, which deals mainly in vehicle and heavy equipment financing, booked Rp 425.7 trillion in total assets as of last year, growing only 1.25 percent year-on-year on the back of a nationwide drop in automotive sales.



Andra said the OJK was discussing with the government and business groups on to offer incentives, such as expanding the National Interest Account (NIA), to support the industry and its exports.



The NIA is a government policy introduced in the first economic stimulus package last year to push penetration to non-traditional export destinations that, despite being commercially non-viable, may help boost shipments.



Andra said state financing firm Indonesia Eximbank, also known as LPEI, had been appointed as the NIA carrier and already had funds in the pipeline to be disbursed as export financing for creative economy products through joint-financing with multifinance firms.



On Tuesday, the APPI signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indonesian Handicraft Producers and Exporters Association (ASEPHI) to help expand financing into the handicraft industry.



APPI chairman Suwandi Wiratno agreed that there would be more financing disbursed by multifinance companies to the creative economy sector this year, given the progress shown by sector players.



'Culinary arts, as well as small enterprises in food and beverages, have good prospects. For instance, the recent boom in food trucks has contributed to the culinary subsector, which is the biggest receiver of financing from us,' he said.



'JP/Grace D. Amianti

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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

The Indonesian Air Force declared on Wednesday that none of its airbases had been sold to private parties. It refuted allegations made by a House of Representatives (DPR) legislator that a plot of land belonging to it had been acquired by a foreign airline for commercial purposes.



'It's not true,' Air Force chief of staff Air Marshal Agus Supriatna said on Wednesday.



Air Force spokesperson Air Comr Dwi Badarmanto said the force's property formed part of the state's defenses and should not be sold to anybody.



Dwi acknowledged, however, that the Air Force had leased a 20-hectare plot of land at the Halim Perdanakusuma airbase for use as a public airport to assist the already crowded Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng, Banten, in hosting a huge number of commercial flights.



House legislator Fahri Hamzah claimed via Twitter on Sunday that an airbase had been bought by a foreign airline. He did not mention which airbase, but was likely referring to Halim Perdanakusuma.
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

The country's second-largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, said on Thursday it would not issue any edict condemning members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community as was done earlier by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).



Muhammadiyah's secretary-general, Abdul Mukti, said Muhammadiyah considered LGBT expression immoral, but that publicly condemning people affiliated with those identities and orientations would not help them return to normalcy.



'Muhammadiyah only recognizes relationships between men and women united in marriage who are not related by blood,' Mukti told The Jakarta Post.



He said approaches using edicts or verbal theological condemnation in public would not be effective in dealing with the LGBT issue.



'That's why we think dialogue is an alternative solution ' to avoid unproductive arguments in public,' Mukti said, adding that Muhammadiyah would provide counseling for LGBT people who wanted to seek 'help'.



He said people who had chosen LGBT as their sexual lifestyle tended to use the examples of people in their neighborhood such as close friends or public figures and idols to justify their decisions.



In addition to the MUI and NU campaigns, a joint interfaith forum comprising NGOs representing Islam, Catholicism, Buddhism and Confucianism also stepped up campaign in late February to condemn LGBT people and any campaigns related to them.



Both MUI and NU have demanded the prosecution of LGBT people and campaigners, but the interfaith forum claimed that that proposal was unnecessary because LGBT people should be embraced with affection to enable guiding them back to normalcy.
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Linkedin Grace D. Amianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

The Financial Services Authority (OJK) is preparing a regulation that will provide details of the necessary steps to be taken to salvage ailing banks and prevent the crisis from spreading further.



The regulation will be a follow-up of the financial system crisis prevention and mitigation bill (PPKSK) currently being deliberated at the House of Representatives.



An OJK commissioner Nelson Tampubolon said under the regulation the banks' shareholders will be required to provide extra capital to support a 'bail-in scheme' in times of crisis.



To ensure the shareholders have extra funds, Nelson said, the OJK would require conversion of certain assets in their banks into equities that could be injected into the banks' core capital.



Currently, there is an OJK regulation that requires shareholders of troubled banks to convert their own assets in their banks, for instance, subordinated loans, into equities.



With the new regulation, he said, the agency would expand the requirement in which shareholders of troubled banks ensure that they could convert assets owned by third parties as well, such as bilateral loans and debt papers.



To ensure such a mechanism, the OJK will require any debt paper issuance by banks in the future to include an agreement clause in which investors buying the debt papers agree that shareholders of the banks could convert the assets into equities during times of crisis.



'After a bank converts all of its subordinated loans into equities and it still has issues in its capital, it will have to take the next step [of converting third party assets],' Nelson said in Jakarta recently.



He added that the upcoming regulation would list the type of debt papers allowed to be converted into equities. The rule would also include further steps that should be taken by bank owners if capital problems still exist, including through seeking new investors, he said.



Meanwhile, during the deliberation of the financial system crisis prevention and mitigation bill, the government and the legislators still differed on the funding options stipulated in chapters 49 and 50.



Chapter 49 stipulates that several funding options will be made available to assist the Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS) in handling any collapsed banks. The funding options include the bank's own capital through a bail-in scheme, Bank Indonesia's assets, the LPS' assets, banking industry contributions through premiums paid to the LPS and, finally, the state budget.



Those options are listed sequentially, meaning that the state budget is a last resort for use only when other options are insufficient to meet the LPS' financing needs.



Nelson added that large lenders categorized as domestic systemically important banks (DSIB), popularly known as 'too-big-to-fail banks', already had sufficient capital as required by the international Basel III regulation, with their capital adequacy ratio (CAR) hovering around 16 percent to 17 percent.



The DSIB is a term used to describe banks that are so important that their insolvency could impact the whole economy. These banks typically have broad business networks and operate subsidiaries in various financial sectors.



' Tassia Sipahutar contributed to the story

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Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, March 21, 2016

Indonesian banks have yet to include social sustainability and environment responsibility in their policies or to publicly explain how these two issues are taken into consideration when making their corporate decisions, a report has said.

According to Responsibank Indonesias ranking guide report for 2015, only two of 12 banks, BNI and Danamon, in the survey apply sustainability principles such as climate change, human rights, biodiversity and labor rights.

Other banks are yet to consider these aspects in their core business, such as in disbursing loans and investment, said Victoria Fanggidae, a researcher at Perkumpulan Prakarsa in Jakarta on Thursday, adding that the other banks were Mandiri, BCA, BNI, BRI, CIMB-Niaga, OCBC-NISP, Panin Bank, HSBC, Citibank and Mitsubishi-UFJ.

Those 10 banks tended to report social and environmental activities that they were financing, she said, but not as an integral part of their decision making, such as in loan disbursement and investment, in a bid to create sustainable financial industry.

National banks, she continued, generally scored better in operational scope such as good corporate governance (GCG), as this was underlined by the Financial Services Authority (OJK) regulations. "These themes include taxes and corruption as well as transparency and accountability," she said.

The strict GCG regulations mean banks pay more attention to complying with them rather than to sustainability aspects. This was disappointing as the world has moved to sustainable economics and finance, according to Victoria.

In September 2015 the UN endorsed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which should be implemented globally. The OJK has published a sustainable financial roadmap as a guide for banks in drafting loan and investment policies that carry sustainable and responsibility paradigms.

National banks like Mandiri, BCA, BRI and BNI are still far behind multinational banks such as HSBC, Citibank and Mitsubishi. HSBC got the highest score, 37.8 percent on a scale of 0-100 percent, while Indonesias top scorer Bank Danamon only attained 10.98 percent.

Bank Danamon managed to surpass BNI in the report since the state-owned bank did not clearly elaborate its form of lending and investment. On the other hand, Danamon clearly outlined black-listed clients such as those who harm the environment.

"But on certain information such as climate change and human rights, BNI has published information related to this, while Danamon does not report these topics," said Victoria.

A banking expert from the Indonesia Banking School, Samasta Pradhana, added that Indonesia was too late in implementing green banking and green financing. China already had a roadmap for a mandatory sustainable banking policy since 2007, Brazil in 2009, Bangladesh in 2011, Colombia and Nigeria in 2012.

"Indonesia is equivalent to Mongolia, which recently created a framework of sustainable banking in 2014," he said, adding that the regulator must draft a clear legal basis to encourage bankers in implementing green banking and financing.

The Responsibank coalition consists of seven NGOs; Perkumpulan Prakarsa, the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID), Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia, Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) and Transformation for Justice (TuK). (ags)
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya & Erika Anindita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

Political parties need to think of the reasons why a prominent figure like Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama has opted to seek reelection as an independent candidate rather than wait on the possibility of earning a nomination from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which has hinted at throwing its support behind him, political experts say.



Political parties have to sort issues out internally so that they can drive democracy in this country, said Siti Zuhro, a senior political analyst with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).



She said that the phenomenon of independent candidacies was further indication of public dissatisfaction in regard to the performance of members of the House of Representatives and regional legislative councils (DPRD).



Ahok is the latest figure to declare himself an independent candidate in the Jakarta gubernatorial election in 2017. In the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial election, noted economist Faisal Basri and retired general Hendardji Soepandji also ran as independent candidates.



Ahok announced his decision on Monday and picked Jakarta Financial and Asset Management Board (BPKAD) head Heru Budi Hartono as his deputy candidate after his one-week deadline to pledge support was ignored by the PDI-P.



Ahok has said that he cannot shoulder the Rp 100 billion (US$7.66 million) in costs that are incurred running as a party-backed candidate.



PDI-P politician Prasetio Edi Marsudi, who is also Jakarta City Council speaker, criticized Ahok, saying that Ahok's move was part of an effort to weaken political parties.



Meanwhile, dean of the School of Law at Bung Karno University, Daniel Panda, agreed that the Ahok's move was a loss for political parties, particularly the PDI-P, but warned the party against continuously criticizing the Jakarta governor as doing so could have negative effects.



"If the PDIP persists to fight against Ahok I am sure it will affect the party's performance in the 2017 legislative election because Ahok is so popular, regardless of people's background," Daniel said at a discussion on Thursday.



Ansy Lema, executive director of the Liberation Institute, echoed Daniel's sentiments, saying that political parties had become unpopular due to the behavior of their politicians.



"The weakening of political parties is caused by the members of political parties involved in corruption. In addition, they are also not democratic, they practice autocratic politics," Ansy said.



Ansy advised political parties to nominate credible candidates so that they could compete against Ahok in the 2017 gubernatorial election.



Rambe Kamaruzzaman, chairman of House of Representatives Commission II overseeing political issues, said the emergence of independent candidates was nothing to be concerned about.



He cited an article of the Regional Elections Law stipulating that candidate pairs are individuals supported by a group of people. (bbn)(+)
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Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

Following a study that predicted that Indonesia would struggle to provide coal for its power stations in the near future, the government will facilitate negotiations between coal miners and electricity companies to set a coal price that is economically feasible for both parties.



Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said stated on Thursday that the set coal price should allow for companies to continue exploration but at the same time be economically feasible for electricity companies wanting to buy the coal for their power plants.



'The government should also play a role here. There will be a discussion process between [state-owned electricity company] PLN, the Indonesian Coal Mining Association [APBI] and IPPs [independent power producers] that use coal and we will then find a solution,' he said following a meeting with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin).



The government has continuously pushed to expedite a number of power plant projects under its ambitious 35,000 megawatt (MW) program, which is aimed at supporting the country's economic growth.



Coal is expected to fulfil 66 percent of primary energy sources for the country's power plants by 2024, which is equivalent to 361 gigawatt hours (GWh) output by coal-fired power plants.



However, a study conducted by APBI in cooperation with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Indonesia revealed that the country's coal-fired power plants would not be able to provide the expected 20,000 MW for the next 25 to 30 years, based on current commodity prices.



The study, which surveyed 25 coal-mining companies, also showed coal-producer earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization had dropped by 60 percent to US$2.6 billion in 2014 from $6.5 billion in 2011. It is expected to decrease by 16 percent in 2015.



Government data suggests that Indonesia had around 32.2 billion tons of coal reserves in 2014. However, the study showed that with coal prices declining throughout last year, only between 7.3 and 8.3 billion tons of that coal is economically viable to mine. The preliminary projection indicates that these reserves will be depleted by 2033-2036, forcing the country to start importing coal by 2030.



'Mining requires funds. If the price of coal is $50, while it costs $60 to mine, then the coal will automatically not be mined. It is as if we have a decrease in reserves,' APBI chairman Pandu P. Sjahrir said recently.



Coal prices have steadily declined over the past few years, amid oversupply and declining demand from major coal importer China.



Australia's Newcastle coal price, an Asian benchmark, dropped to $53 per ton from a 2016 peak of $55.05 on March 1, as estimated by Reuters. Meanwhile, Indonesia's coal reference price (HBA) this month has actually risen to $51.62 from February's $50.92.



The report from the study recommended that the government set up a cost-based pricing system for coal, which would prevent the electricity prices from increasing.



'Based on our analysis, the government will have to pay some type of cost of insurance, which would be around 1 percent of the basic rate for new steam power plants, which will start operating in 2019, and 3 percent from the basic rates of power plants that had been built before,' APBI chaiman Pandu P. Sjahrir said.



The basic electricity rates for steam power plants that start operations in 2019 is around Rp 1,400 per kilowatt hour (kWh). If the cost of insurance is implemented, then the government will have to buy it for around Rp 1,414 per kWh.

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Linkedin Stefani Ribka (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

The National Police have welcomed the government's decision to add Army Special Forces (Kopassus) reinforcements to the existing 2,500 joint personnel involved in Operation Tinombala, which aims to hunt down terrorist leader Santoso alias Abu Wardah in Central Sulawesi.



'If necessary, personnel should be added or replaced,' National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti told reporters on the sidelines of an event at police headquarters on Thursday.



Operation Tinombala currently comprises 2,500 personnel from the police and military (TNI), including Kopassus and the Raiders. The operation, beginning on Jan. 10 and ending on Mar. 9, has been extended to May 10, as the team has as yet failed to apprehend the main target, Santoso.



Santoso has been a fugitive for more than five years. He is the leader of the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) and is known for his propagation of violent jihad against Christians and the police.



On Wednesday, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan told the media that he would send more Kopassus members to join the operation in Poso, Central Sulawesi.



'Starting next week, we'll begin sending additional Kopassus personnel to the operation,' Luhut said during a field visit to provincial capital Palu as quoted by local media.



On Thursday, the police also dismissed Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Idham Azis, replacing him with Brig. Gen. Rudy Sufahriadi, a former member of the Densus 88 counterterrorism unit, which has previously worked in Poso.



Rudy said he did not plan to overhaul the operation's strategy, but would lead from the front.



'I don't plan to change strategy. I shall lead the hunt for Santoso in person. I won't stay in Palu ' I'll lead [the operation] wherever [Santoso] is,' he told reporters.



The province's mountainous, forested geography, he noted, rendered the operation difficult.



While the joint force has yet to arrest Santoso, it has succeeded in cornering the group of armed civilians, forcing them to move to Central Lore from the Mount Biru and coastal Poso areas.



In addition, Operational Tinombala personnel have shot dead one MIT partisan and split the group in two; with other members having reportedly abandoned the group, it now numbers between 15 and 30 members, from an initial 45. Two members are reportedly Uighurs from western China, while three others are women from Bima, West Nusa Tenggara.



Terrorism expert Al Chaidar lauded the government move to boost the team, with the MIT reportedly having appealed to some 120 sympathizers in Bima in West Nusa Tenggara to join the soi-disant jihad.



'Though they're few in number, they're agile, as they've been living in the forest for years, learning how to dig caves and other survival skills. They can hide in the jungle canopy and create secret caves all over the place,' Chaidar said over the phone.



Santoso first learned jungle survival skills in Mindanao, the Philippines, in the 1980s, during his time as a follower of the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), group cofounded by terrorist convict Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, who is now serving 15 years in prison for organizing terrorist training camps. Santoso broke away to form his own group in 2007.



Chaidar was optimistic that reinforcements from Kopassus would help the team work more effectively, bolstering its previous achievements in tracking and cornering the group and shooting dead one member.



'What's vital is that we have to move faster than them,' he concluded.

________________________________________

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Linkedin Arientha Primanita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, March 21, 2016

The Jakarta Police have arrested a man on suspicion of running a prostitution ring involving teenage girls out of a coffee shop in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta.

The suspect, who has been identified as Torik Sulistyo, 50, has allegedly been running a prostitution business exploiting teenage girls for two years under the disguise of a coffee shop, Jakarta Police chief Cmr. Sri Bhayangkari said on Friday.

Torik is said to have charge clients between Rp 300,000 ($23) and Rp 400,000 and took more than half for himself, Sri said.

Jagakarsa Police learned of the prostitution ring from locals who had grown suspicious of activities at Toriks coffee shop, with residents often seeing young girls meet with adult men there.

"He used the coffee shop as a cover," Sri said as quoted by kompas.com.

Police officers raided the coffee shop in Cimpedak, Jagakarsa subdistrict, on Thursday, arresting Torik as he was allegedly waiting for customers for two 15-year-old girls.

Torik also allegedly provided a room in his shop for customers and permitted them to take the girls outside the premises.

According to the police, Torik admitted to sexually exploiting 15 girls aged 15 to 16 years old.

Besides exploiting the girls, Torik is also alleged to have engaged in sexual activity with nine girls, Sri said.

Police confiscated in the raid a memory card containing photos, condoms and Rp 700,000.

Torik has been charged under the 2014 Child Protection Law, which carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison and a Rp 200 million fine. (rin)
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

Police are in pursuit of those responsible for the theft of cables, the jackets of which were disposed of in the waterways of high-security areas in Jakarta.



The cable jackets, which filled 20 trucks, were initially believed by Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama to be part of a plan to sabotage the city's flood mitigation efforts.



Police believe that the thieves worked in groups. "We want to arrest the thieves immediately. We know what they look like,' Jakarta Police special crimes division head Mujiono told journalists at City Hall on Thursday.



The thieves are said to have pealed off the jackets of the stolen cables inside the underground waterways. The cable jackets were found by Jakarta Water Management Agency workers tasked with monitoring flooding in the city.



Police believe the used cables installed inside the underground waterways are owned by state-owned electricity company PLN and state-owned telecommunication company Telkom.



The officers took the remaining piles of cables found 3 meters below the ground to be examined to determine the owners of the cables.



Police officers found several items while carrying out a search in the waterways, including headlamps, saws, handspikes, tarpaulin, raffia and small hammers suspected to be used by the thieves to dig and rip open the cable reels. Other items found were shorts, underwear, spoons and food packets.



"From our investigation and based on information from witnesses, we conclude that the cable jackets were left by the thieves,' Mujiono added. (bbn)(+)
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

Head of Industry and Trade unit of Jakarta Police special crime unit Adj. Sr. Comr. Agung Marlianto said Thursday the police found a factory that bleached tons of pepper and coriander to be sold to several traditional markets in Greater Jakarta and beyond.

The police only identified the owner of the business by the initial E and said the factory, called MMJ, had operated since 2008 and employed 26 workers.

The company made Rp 100 million in monthly profits and distributed the pepper and coriander to traditional markets across Greater Jakarta, Cirebon in West Java, Central Java and Lampung.

The police said they had questioned E and planned to soon name him a suspect pending the official results of tests being conducted at the National Police forensics lab.

MMJ sold the bleached coriander for Rp 12,000 (88 US cents) per kilogram, 'super pepper' for Rp 110,000 per kilogram and second-grade pepper for Rp 105,000 per kilogram.

Police raided MMJ's warehouse in the Kosambi warehouse complex in Tangerang on Monday and found the workers mixing pepper with hydrogen peroxide and sodium bicarbonate. They found the coriander mixed with hydrogen peroxide as well.

The police seized two sewing machines, six brooms, three scales, four metric tons of coriander, 1.25 tons of super pepper, 1.25 tons of second-grade pepper, 8.8 tons of pepper, 30 jerry cans of hydrogen peroxide, 14 kilograms of sodium bicarbonate, 10 electric fans, 30 pails, 15 scoops and 100 pepper sacks with the name of the company written on them, as well as 50 sacks for coriander.

Dentists usually use hydrogen peroxide to bleach teeth. Meanwhile, chefs use sodium bicarbonate as baking soda in their cakes.

'We received information from local residents. We sent samples of the pepper to the National Police forensics lab to be examined,' detective Agung said.

Hydrogen peroxide is banned as a food ingredient, while sodium bicarbonate is legal as a baking soda. The suspect used an over-the-limit amount of hydrogen peroxide to make the pepper look whiter, the police said.

The police said the suspect might be charged with under the 2014 law on plantations, which stipulated that a person who tampered with plantation produce with some ingredients that could harm people's health or the environment is subject to a maximum of five years in prison and a maximum fine of Rp 5 billion.

The police said the factory mixed 500 kilograms of pepper with 20 kilograms of hydrogen peroxide and 800 grams of sodium bicarbonate. Meanwhile 250 kilograms of coriander were mixed with 20 kilograms of hydrogen peroxide.

Both mixed pepper and coriander were dried for two days with electric fans.

'We warn people to buy the organic one even if it looks dirty,' Agung said.

Hernani, an expert from the Agriculture Ministry, said at the Jakarta Police station that the mixed pepper was harmful to human health. (rez)(+)
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

Political parties have challenged Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama to prove his claim that political parties asked him for Rp 100 billion (US$7.65 million) in exchange for supporting him in Jakarta's 2017 gubernatorial election.

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Muhammad Yamin slammed Ahok for the statement, saying that he was only aiming to weaken the image of political parties.

"The PDI-P never asks for any money from candidates. That would be unfair. We have a good relationship [with Ahok] but now he claims he does not want to join a political party because there is a payment," Yamin said to journalists in Jakarta on Friday.

Yamin slammed Ahok for being ungrateful and forgetting that the PDI-P and Gerindra had helped him to become deputy governor when he was paired with then governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

"Ahok is a governor because of the PDI-P," Yamin said.

Ahok took the capital's top post following Jokowi's victory in the 2014 presidential election.

Ahok said on Thursday that he did not have enough money to run in the 2017 gubernatorial election with political parties' support. He went on to explain that it required a lot amount of money to shift party machines so that all party officials in a region worked to support a candidate.

"If two parties support you and they ask for funding for their political machines, Rp 100 billion might not be enough to run for Jakarta governor," he said on Thursday as quoted by kompas.com.

Ahok announced on Monday that he would run as an independent candidate in next year's election, paired with Jakarta Financial and Asset Management Board (BPKAD) head Heru Budi Hartono. Ahok solely relies on the support of Teman Ahok (Friends of Ahok), a group that helps him gather the copies of citizen identity cards needed to meet the requirements set by the Jakarta General Election Commission.

Golkar secretary-general Idrus Marham also challenged the former East Belitung regent to back up his words.

"Ahok should say which party [then] I don't think it would be a problem. Then everything would be transparent for future improvements," he said Friday as quoted by kompas.com.

Golkar has never asked for money from its regional leadership candidates, Idrus said. [And] even if they had, the money would be used for campaigns and not for party's treasury.

Gerindra deputy chairman Fadli Zon defended his party also, saying it never asked for a political dowry when lending support to Jokowi and Ahok during the 2012 Jakarta election.

He too challenged Ahok to show proof if there was indeed a request by a political party for Rp 100 billion.

"He better prove it. That is an outrageous number," he said, adding that nowhere inside or outside of Jakarta had Gerindra made a dowry a requirement for candidacy support. (rin)
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Linkedin Prima Wirayani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

State construction companies PT Pembangunan Perumahan (PT PP) and PT Wijaya Karya (Wika) both managed to benefit from government infrastructure projects last year, but analysts predict quite differing outlooks for the pair.



PT PP booked revenue of Rp 14.22 trillion (US$1.09 billion) last year, a 14.4 percent increase year-on-year (yoy). Its costs climbed 12.22 percent yoy to Rp 12.21 trillion allowing the publicly listed company's net profits to jump 38.79 percent to Rp 740.33 billion.



Previously, PT PP president director Bambang Triwibowo said his firm had targeted net profits of Rp 730 billion in 2015.



PT Capital Asset Management analyst Desmon Silitonga said on Thursday the assets revaluation carried out by the company last year had helped its profits to increase despite its revenue growing just in line with that of the industry.



'The moderate revenue growth was caused by delays in the kicks off of government projects,' he said over the phone.



The firm's financial report published by the Indonesia Stock Exchange on Thursday shows PT PP gained Rp 1.23 trillion from asset revaluations last year.



Desmon said the firm delivered an outstanding financial performance last year and projected that it would continue this year.



'The government's infrastructure projects will support PT PP further in the coming years,' he said, stating that the firm's comprehensive business units ' which include property, infrastructure, precast construction and EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) ' would also help.



Private projects, which contributed to 42.96 percent of PT PP's order book of Rp 56.94 trillion last year, would be profitable for the company as they involved lower payment lags compared to government projects, Desmon said.



Meanwhile, Wika recorded relatively flat profits last year although its revenue also went up 9.31 percent yoy to Rp 13.62 trillion. The firm's net profits rose by only 2.78 percent last year to Rp 625.04 billion caused by a 8.42 percent jump in its costs, to Rp 11.97 trillion.



Mandiri Sekuritas analyst Aditya Sastrawinata expressed a not-so-optimistic outlook for Wika's performance this year. He projected the publicly listed company would see its loan ratio increase significantly because the firm would start funding the high-speed rail project connecting Jakarta with Bandung in West Java.



The project, worth around $5.5 billion, kicked off on Jan. 21 and trains are expected to start operating by 2019.



Wika leads a consortium of state-run companies that owns 60 percent of PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC), the project constructor. The remaining 40 percent share is owned by China Railway International Co Ltd.



'Wika's loan ratio will increase significantly, especially if it doesn't get a state capital injection (PMN),' he wrote in a research note.



Wika planned to get Rp 4 trillion of PMN in the 2016 state budget, but allocations have been frozen by the House of Representatives.



The situation has led Mandiri Sekuritas to weigh in more on other state-owned construction companies with less exposure to high-risk projects and capital injection overhang, such as PT Adhi Karya and PT Waskita Karya, Aditya added.

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Linkedin Firlie Ganinduto (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

Protracted debate over the planned development of the gas-rich Abadi field in Masela block, Maluku, is truly unwarranted. The country could lose huge investment needed to accelerate economic development if the government fails to quickly approve the project as proposed by its investors.



The Abadi gas field development is not a new project, having been under way since 1998 when the government awarded the block to Japan's INPEX (65 percent interest) as operator and its partner Royal Dutch Shell (35 percent).



This was followed by significant investment made by the two investors to finance a series of surveys, testing and exploratory drilling activities, leading to the approval of the plan of development (POD) by the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry for a proposed floating LNG (FLNG) plant with a capacity of 2.5 million tons per annum (MTPA).



The principles of the Abadi gas field project in the Arafura Sea in South Maluku have been thoroughly discussed with the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKKMigas) and approved by the ministry, both of which have worked professionally using professional structure and support systems.



But as further drilling activities discovered much larger gas reserves of 10.7 trillion cubic feet, INPEX and SKKMigas agreed to revise the POD.



The revised POD with a proposed 7.5 MTPA FLNG scheme was submitted to the ministry last September. Initially, Minister Sudirman Said declared that a decision over the Masela block POD approval would be made on Oct. 10, 2015. Such a target date was set with an understanding that time is of the essence for a huge capital investment project such as Abadi, which will compete with other gas projects overseas that are projected to come on stream within the next several years. The development of Masela had initially been due for completion by 2018, but under the revised plan, completion is now scheduled for 2024.



Unfortunately, however, the strong investment commitment was completely frustrated by unnecessary and unauthorized intervention by Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Rizal Ramli, who only joined the Cabinet last August, as he insisted on OLNG plant even though a two-year study by Inpex and Shell concluded that FLNG is the most commercially feasible scheme for the Masela block development.



According to INPEX, the FLNG scheme requires less development and lower construction cost (US$14.8 billion for an offshore plant as opposed to up to $22.3 billion for onshore plant), thus generating an extra $9 billion in revenue for the government during the project's lifetime, with speedier construction as OLNG requires a lengthy land acquisition process. FLNG will also result in lower environmental impact as the environmental conditions in the Abadi field are desirable for operating an FLNG. In addition, the proposed FLNG will also create momentum for Indonesia to develop a modern maritime industry.



The conclusion of the INPEX study has been confirmed by Poten & Partners, an international consultant hired by the government to provide an independent assessment. But political maneuvering by Minister Rizal has continued to delay approval of the Masela project.



It is a pity that there is an element in the government that has no authority, mobilizes opinion and turns the decision-making process into political noise. Almost six months have passed without any progress in what is seen as a very important gas development project for the country. Politicizing a decision has sparked uncertainty.



Given the current extremely low oil prices, it should be obvious that INPEX and Shell cannot wait any longer for the POD approval, while doing nothing. During this low oil price condition, many oil and gas firms have delayed their investment, undermining the government's hard work to maintain the already declining production rate due to aging fields.



It would be better if all government institutions had the same view and carried out prudent practices consistently, as have been performed by SKKMigas and the directorate general of oil and gas of the ministry.



Investors such as INPEX are concerned that if non prudent and off-track practices, as experienced by the Japanese oil and gas firm during interaction with the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister continue, the good investment climate that is being built by the government will be badly affected.



Now Indonesia is faced with a serious risk that a huge capital investment opportunity will be lost permanently merely due to ill-thought intervention from a member of the Cabinet. This also means that an opportunity to spur economic growth in the southern part of Maluku province, long dubbed as one of the most impoverished regions in the country, will be lost permanently.

__________________________________________



The writer, president of Duta Firza oil and gas holding company, is head of the permanent committee for institutional relations and regulations for oil and gas, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin). The views expressed are his own.
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Linkedin Tassia Sipahutar (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

Indonesia is eyeing to take over the role of its neighboring countries as Southeast Asia's main logistics hub as the country launched on Thursday its first-ever bonded logistics centers (PLB) that will ease the flow of basic materials in and out of the country.



As many as 11 centers were simultaneously inaugurated by President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo in a ceremony that took place at a center operated by PT Cipta Krida Bahari in Cakung, North Jakarta.



In his speech, Jokowi said Indonesia, as the biggest economy in the region, had the potential to replace Singapore and Malaysia as Southeast Asia's logistics centers.



'This kind of logistics centers must be established on every island and in every province [in Indonesia],' the former furniture businessman told the audience.



'I hope that PLB businesspeople can soon bring overseas inventories into the country.'



Among government officials attending the ceremony were Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro, Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara and the Finance Ministry's director general of taxation, Ken Dwijugiasteadi.



The 11 centers ' located in Jakarta (Cakung, Sunter), Banten (Merak), East Kalimantan (Balikpapan), West Java (Cibitung, Karawang, Cikarang and Subang) and Bali (Benoa and Denpasar) ' are operated by various companies, including automotive firm PT Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia, integrated explosive services provider PT Dahana and oil and gas services provider PT Petrosea.



The newly inaugurated centers will function as warehouses for imported goods, such as automotive spare parts, heavy equipment and oil and gas equipment.



According to a 2015 finance minister regulation (PMK), the goods can be stored at the centers for up to three years and will be temporarily exempted from import duty and import-related taxes during that period.



Their establishment is part of the government's second policy package ' issued in September ' that aims to slash logistics costs with their close proximity to several industrial areas, namely Cikarang, Cibitung in West Java and Balikpapan in East Kalimantan.



The centers are also expected to reduce dwelling time at ports, which is supposed to eventually jack up the country's business competitiveness in Southeast Asia.



At present, Indonesia ranks 109th on the World Bank's ease of doing business list, having risen by one notch only from last year's position. Singapore continues to top the list, while Malaysia sits at the 18th position.



The two neighbors fare better, as well, in terms of port dwelling time, with Singapore's at 1.5 days and Malaysia's at three days.



Indonesia's average dwelling time, on the other hand, reaches 4.3 days, as revealed by data from state-owned port operator Pelindo II.



'How can we compete with Malaysia and Singapore if our dwelling time remains higher than theirs? Our people are not less smart. Insha Allah [God willing], we will see dwelling time fall to three [days] around these months,' Jokowi said.



The President reiterated his seriousness to deal with the matter, adding that heads would roll again if the target could not be achieved.



His remarks were a reminder of last year's Cabinet reshuffle when he replaced then trade minister Rachmat Gobel with Thomas Lembong, a move reportedly triggered by the high dwelling time.



Bambang said that the government was planning the establishment of 50 more bonded logistics centers across the archipelago in 2017.



'Hopefully we will become Southeast Asia's logistics hub within the next two to three years.'



Meanwhile, Cipta Krida Bahari president director Iman Sjafei said that the government's decision to establish the logistics centers, which he claimed as a breakthrough, seemed to have triggered 'psy-war' (psychological warfare) between Indonesia and Singapore.



'My client told me that Singapore had reduced its logistics-related fees to compete with Indonesia,' he said, adding that the PLB's presence domestically could save his customer up to US$4 billion in storage and handling expenses.



Cipta Krida, a subsidiary of investment firm PT ABM Investama, plans to open new centers in Balikpapan, Samarinda in East Kalimantan, Surabaya in East Java and Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan.



'The process is ongoing. We have not decided on the goods to store yet. It will be up to our clients' demands,' Iman said.

-----------------

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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Moscow  Fri, March 11, 2016

The foreign ministers of China and Russia are opposing the possible deployment of an advanced American missile-defense system in South Korea.

Amid escalating tensions over North Korea's nuclear arsenal, Washington and Seoul last week began formal talks on deploying the sophisticated THAAD system.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a news conference Friday after meeting with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that putting the system in South Korea would "inflict direct harm to the strategic security interests of China and Russia."

Lavrov said deploying the system would be an overreaction.

"The plans, which the US has been nursing together with the Republic of Korea, exceed any conceivable threats that may come from North Korea, even taking Pyongyang's current actions into account," he said.
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

The directorate general of taxation is planning to deploy its officers to the lowest level of neighborhood (RT) and community units (RW) to hunt down delinquent taxpayers in a bid to double tax revenues from individuals this year.



The tax officers will be tasked with identifying houses or other properties and eventually working to find out who owns them. For that purpose, the tax officers will work together with the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), the National Police and the Finance Ministry, an official said.



'At every community and neighborhood unit, the officers will trace the owner of the building or house,' second tax regulation director John Hutagaol said on Thursday.



John, said the inspections would be carried out for data collection, not illegal spying.



Tax analyst Darussalam agreed with the tax office's plan to deploy its officers to RT/RW. 'Before doing the inspection, the tax office should have valid data on who are considered delinquent taxpayers,' he said.



The government has been working to boost its tax revenues this year after it failed to meet its tax revenue target in 2015. Slow economic growth and some other factors were to blame for the failure, which forced tax chief Sigit Pramudito to leave his post.



In a bid to avoid the same mistake, the government is determined to target individual taxpayers this year rather than corporations, which are highly affected by economic conditions.



Tax office chief Ken Dwijugiasteadi has aimed to double the revenues from individual taxpayers to Rp 18 trillion this year.



Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro, meanwhile, said the move to expand inspections of delinquent taxpayers would involve more than 4,500 tax officers.



He said the inspections would be implemented if the government's plan to get extra revenues through its proposed tax amnesty bill was turned down by the House of Representatives.



'If the tax amnesty bill is rejected, we will intensify inspections,' Bambang said early this week.



The proposed bill, which offers a tax rate of between just 1 percent and 3 percent, is expected to lure in billion of US dollars kept abroad by wealthy Indonesians.



Bambang estimates that around Rp 2.7 quadrillion (US$195 billion) worth of assets are kept overseas by wealthy Indonesians and Rp 1.4 quadrillion worth of domestic assets have not been properly reported.



Bambang said the contribution of individual taxpayers was infinitesimally small compared with the contributions from non-oil tax revenues, which reached Rp 1.011 quadrillion.



Meanwhile, House Commission XI deputy chairman Jon Erizal said the House was still waiting for the government to initiate the deliberation of the tax amnesty bill.



'We are still waiting for an official letter from the government. Only then can we proceed,' Jon said.



Aside from deploying more than 4,500 officers, the tax office has made several transformations to boost its tax revenues, most notably by putting the office on a par with the ministry's power and increasing the office's funding, which currently stands at Rp 4.9 trillion (US$377 million), 0.53 percent of tax revenue actualization.



John of the tax office said his office would also intensify coordination with regional tax offices, namely through mapping, profiling and benchmarking.



'The regional tax offices will have to trace stock mutations and tax revenue ratios in the region,' he said.



Higher than last year's target of Rp 1.29 quadrillion, this year the government has set the tax revenue target at Rp 1.36 quadrillion ' making up 74 percent of the state revenue target of Rp 1.82 quadrillion.



John said that a rapid economic growth in Indonesia was one of the methods to achieve this target. 'One percent of economic growth could boost the tax revenues by 1.5 percent.'



The government estimates economic growth of 5.3 percent this year ' higher than last year's actual growth of 4.79 percent. However, John said the estimated number would not suffice to boost tax revenues, which are supposed to plug the state finances after a budget deficit. 'We have to put considerable effort into increasing tax revenues.'



Economist and Bank Mandiri commissioner Aviliani said the government should cut the target amid Indonesia's economic slowdown. She said the decline in commodity prices, the weak rupiah and a drop in exports were the main reasons.



'The government should focus more on increasing the number of taxpayers instead of aiming for a high tax revenue target,' Aviliani said.

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Linkedin Dewanti A. Wardhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

Following Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama's announcement of his choice of deputy candidate, the Teman Ahok (Friends of Ahok) supporter group is seeking to minimize the possible loopholes within the governor's risky independent candidacy by calling on all supporters to fill in the support forms again.



Teman Ahok had begun collecting copies of ID cards to support the governor's run for a second term independently. Thus far, they have collected 784,977 ID cards. The forms filled in by supporters, however, did not included a deputy governor candidate, as Ahok only recently chose civil servant Heru Budi Hartono as his running mate.



Teman Ahok cofounder Singgih Widyastomo, a graduate of Pamulang University in South Tangerang, said that volunteers would therefore reverify the ID cards and forms collected to make sure no supporters had any objection to Ahok's choice of deputy and to avoid any legal loopholes.



'We want to minimize the possibility of any legal problems that may occur in the future in any attempt to foil Pak Ahok's candidacy,' Singgih told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.



Previously, gubernatorial hopeful Yusril Ihza Mahendra, a former law and human rights minister and a seasoned state administrative law expert, claimed that the ID cards and forms collected for Ahok were not valid, as a deputy governor candidate had not been included.



A 2015 General Elections Commission regulation on regional leader candidacy stipulates in all articles concerning independent candidates that the candidates are a 'pair'.



Starting next Tuesday, Singgih said, Teman Ahok would mobilize 300 volunteers to 267 subdistricts across the city to reverify the documents door-to-door. The volunteers would also help supporters to fill in new forms, which now include Heru's name as Ahok's deputy. Those who reject Ahok's choice of deputy may withdraw their support, he said.



Heru, currently head of the Jakarta Financial and Asset Management Board, is an echelon II official at the Jakarta administration. He is also a commissioner in two city-owned firms, lender Bank DKI and beverage manufacturer PT Delta Djakarta. Delta's main brand is Anker beer. The 51-year-old received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Krisnadwipayana University in East Jakarta.



Teman Ahok also encouraged supporters to reverify documents on their own by visiting booths in shopping centers or sending newly completed forms to the community's headquarters.



Singgih said that volunteers were currently sorting out documents per subdistrict in order to begin reverifying documents next week.



Independent gubernatorial candidates in Jakarta must collect roughly 532,000 ID cards, about 6.5 percent of the city's population. ID cards and forms must be submitted to the Jakarta General Elections Commission by Aug. 16 at the latest, which means Teman Ahok has five months to reverify.



Ahok said that he completely relied on residents for his candidacy, but was optimistic that he would receive enough support as he believed he had brought 'real changes to Jakarta that residents can see'.



'If Jakarta residents want me to run for a second term, I'm sure they will visit Teman Ahok headquarters to reverify or submit their ID cards and forms,' Ahok said Thursday.



However, not all are eager to return for a second time to reverify their documents. For example, Shela Mustika, who submitted her support last year, said that she would not visit a booth to reverify her documents.



'They should have thought of this before collecting ID cards. I don't have a lot of free time so I don't think I will reverify my documents,' she said.



In contrast, Noriko Adhyanti, who submitted her ID card and form last week, said that she would return to the booths to reverify her documents if it would help Ahok's candidacy. 'I will return to the shopping center where I submitted my documents if it can help Ahok. I support Ahok and I want him to run for governor again,' she said.

____________________________________

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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, March 11, 2016

Human rights watchdogs have voiced their objections to what they claim as efforts by security authorities to sacrifice civil liberties in the name of national security in the draft revision to the Terrorism Law.



The government has to ensure that it upholds the principles of human rights in its efforts to secure the country, said Setara Institute deputy chairman Bonar Tigor Naipospos.



Security officials should always protect citizens' human rights, without exception or discrimination, Bonar said.



"Even though they are terrorist suspects, the legal process should still refer to the prevailing laws," Bonar told thejakartapost.com recently.



The current bill emphasizes preemptive measures that would enable officials to take action against terrorist suspects.



Among the controversial points is Article 28 of the bill, which grants police the authority to extend a detention period from seven days up to 30 days for people linked to a terrorist act, despite having yet to be named a suspect.



According to Bonar, the extension period has the potential to violate law and human rights principles, as the Criminal Code (KUHP) states that a person who is arrested with preliminary evidence can only be detained for one day or 24 hours.



Meanwhile, Article 31 allows the police to wiretap people suspected of having links to terrorist networks, by only attaining permits from the Communications and Information Ministry. Bonar said the article was irrelevant as only state courts had the formal authority to declare the legitimacy of surveillance.



"Surveillance also has the potential to increase subjectivism and abuse of power," Bonar said.



Meanwhile, Setara Institute researcher Aminudin Syarif said the broader definition of a threat of violence in the draft revision also had the potential to spark overcriminalization.



"Accountability of the officials regarding this point is important for us to monitor their counterterrorism efforts," Aminudin said.



Separately, Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) executive director Rafendi Djamin said the government had the right to curb the civil liberties of its citizens during civil emergency status, which gives the state jurisdiction to conduct surveillance for security purposes.



Preemptive measures such as surveillance, a broader definition of a threat of violence, including arrest or interrogation based on reasonable suspicions are all susceptible to abuse of power, leading to violations of even non-tradable rights such as civil liberties, Rafendi said.



"[However] there should be laws that uphold human right principles. There is no excuse that can be made or justification regarding this," Rafendi said. (bbn)(+)
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post  Fri, March 11, 2016

Your comments on Indonesia's unwavering support for Palestine's struggle for independence during the recent Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) conference in Jakarta:

Indonesia with a 250 million population will stand as a leader in the Islamic world. It is also the leader of Southeast Asia. Indonesia has strong bargaining power and a strategic position in international affairs.



AripJogja



The first thing they should ask Palestinians to do is stop firing rockets into Israeli territory. Then sit down and negotiate a peace treaty with Israel.



Loh Taun



The Palestinians have acknowledged Israel's right to exist time and time again. Those having problem in acknowledging the right to exist are the Israelis about a state of Palestine.



Alba2000

__________________________________

Topic of the day



Ban on products from Israeli settlement



The Islamic world has called on Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries and the international community to ban products from Israeli settlements to put pressure on Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian land. What do you think?



Send your thoughts by email, SMS, Twitter or Facebook. Include your name and city.
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Linkedin Sophia Tareen and Jill Colvin (The Jakarta Post) Chicago, United States  Fri, March 11, 2016

As Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump attempts to unify a fractured party around his candidacy, images of his supporters attacking protesters and allegations that he's inciting violence are raising new questions about the divisive nature of his campaign.

Trump had to answer questions at Thursday night's debate about video that showed a white supporter punching a black protester at a rally this week in North Carolina. The supporter was charged with assault Thursday.

"It's not the America they portray on TV," 26-year-old Rakeem Jones said a day after being punched.

It was the latest in a series of scuffles at his often heated rallies, where protesters frequently clash with supporters and security. Last year, video captured Trump supporters physically assaulting Mercutio Southall Jr., an African-American activist, at a rally in Alabama.

At past events, Trump has said he'd like to punch a protester in the face and promised to pay supporters' legal fees if they get into trouble. He's spoken fondly of the "good old days" when police could rough protesters up without fear of backlash.

Trump on Thursday rejected the idea that he was responsible for the incidents and said some of the protesters at his rallies "are bad dudes and have done bad things."

And he defended his supporters: "People come with tremendous passion and love for the country," he said. "When they see what's going on in this country, they have anger that's unbelievable."

Security experts say Trump is playing with fire by not calming uncivil behavior and assault. "I would go so far as to say that I find that abhorrent," security consultant Stan Kephart, a former police chief in Arizona and California. "To me, he's pressing the line. He's doing things that you would see a showman do."

The role of law enforcement in these situations is not simple.

"We respect folks' First Amendment rights to free speech. We're not there to police the protesters," said Robert K. Hoback, a spokesman for the Secret Service, commenting on reports that Secret Service agents escorted protesters out of a recent Trump event in Georgia. He said they only act on threats to the "protectee."

Trump will hold rallies on Friday in two states that vote Tuesday. One is at the University of Illinois at Chicago, a civil and immigrant rights organizing hub with large minority student populations.

Dozens of faculty and staff petitioned university administrators to cancel the rally, citing concerns it would create a "hostile and physically dangerous environment" for students. Chicago police plan a heavy presence.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, student activists and longtime Chicago organizers are all planning to protest outside the venue over what they called Trump's disparaging comments, particularly about Muslims and Mexicans.

"We're not going to let Donald Trump take us back to the 1950s," said Gutierrez, a Chicago Democrat. "We've worked too hard."

Members of Black Lives Matter Chicago, which has held largely peaceful protests following a police-involved shooting in Chicago, also planned to participate.

"People can expect to see a very visible police presence," police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.

___

Colvin reported from Fayetteville, North Carolina. Associated Press writers Allen G. Breed and Sara Burnett contributed to this report.
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post United Nations  Fri, March 11, 2016

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling on Iran to "act with moderation" after the country's Revolutionary Guard carried out missile tests this week.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard test-launched two ballistic missiles on Wednesday emblazoned with the phrase "Israel must be wiped out" in Hebrew ' a show of power by the Shiite nation. Iran's foreign ministry says the launch does not violate the nuclear deal with world powers.

A Security Council resolution last year removing sanctions previously imposed on Iran also called on Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to deliver a nuclear weapon.

Ban spokesman Stephane Dujarric says the Secretary-General is calling on Iran to "act with moderation, caution and the good sense not to increase tensions through any hasty actions." (bbn)
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Linkedin Rizal Harahap (The Jakarta Post) Pekanbaru  Fri, March 11, 2016

A group of citizens in Riau have filed a lawsuit against the central government with the Pekanbaru District Court, demanding serious action be taken against the forest and land fires that result in annual haze crises.



The group consists of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment's (Walhi) Riau chapter, the Malay Community Forum, Siku Keluang Cultural House and the Working Network of Riau Forests.



They accuse the President, the environment and forestry minister, the agriculture minister, the health minister, the head of the National Land Agency and the Riau governor of failing to protect citizens' rights.



'Forest fires have been going on for 18 years. For too long, the people of Riau have been forced to breathe in polluted air because of haze from forest fires,' Walhi Riau chairman Riko Kurniawan said on Thursday.



'The country is failing to protect its citizens. We demand the country immediately solve this issue.'



In its lawsuit, the group demands better management of natural resources, especially in the forestry and plantation sectors, which are widely blamed for many of the fires.



It also called on the government to revise all policies related to peatland management in order to make forest fire prevention efforts more effective.



'We're not asking the government to pay compensation ' we just want it to improve its management and its policies to stop forest fires happening again in the future,' Riko explained.



The submission of the lawsuit was turned into something of an event, with cultural performances and a long march by residents playing traditional Malay instruments.



The group's legal representative, Indra Jaya, said he hoped the judge appointed to try the case would have a background in environmental issues.



The Riau provincial administration has declared a state of emergency over forest and land fires, which every year send choking smog across swathes of the country and into neighboring nations, pushing average daily greenhouse gas emissions above those of the US.



The fires are often set by plantation companies and smallholders to clear land, and were particularly bad in 2015 because of a prolonged dry season caused by the El NiAo weather pattern.



Earlier this week, Bukit Barisan military commander Maj. Gen. Lodewyk Pusung deployed military personnel to areas where hot spots had been detected.



'We must prevent new hot spots from spreading, so we're deploying personnel to monitor locations prone to fires. We don't care if the land belongs to local people or to corporations,' he said.



Lodewyk said that his team was equipped with sharp bullets and had been given permission to take tough action during patrolling.



'If we find anyone burning the land, we will shoot him or her in the legs so they can't escape,' he said, expressing disappointment that slash-and-burn practices were still rampant in Riau.



Since early February, a total of 300 hectares of peatland on the eastern coast of Riau have been burned, and hot spots have also been detected in conservation areas in Bengkalis and Siak regencies.



Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) division II head Supartono said that around 70 hectare of land within wildlife and biosphere reserves had been burned.



'People are still clearing land within conservation territory. The BKSDA, together with forest police officers, will continue to track them down to forestall the emergence of new hot spots,' he said.
A switch to a valet parking firm for management of the garage at the Seward Park Cooperative has touched off controversy at one of the Lower East Sides largest residential complexes. The contentious debate found its way on to NY1 yesterday, and has ignited accusations of gentrification.

Earlier this month, the board of directors voted to contract with Icon Parking to convert an underground garage and surface parking lot to a valet operation. The 380 residents with assigned spaces would now hand over their keys to an Icon employee to park their cars. Co-op management said the new system would help whittle down the parking waiting list (which includes 670 names). Apartment owners typically wait more than a decade for parking privileges. At the same time, Icon was preparing to accept single-day and hourly customers.

Last night, Board President David Pass was scheduled to brief Community Board 3s land use committee about the changes. As the meeting got underway, Chairperson MyPhuong Chung announced that the presentation had been cancelled. But Chung said she had researched the situation and determined that the cooperative required a special permit from the Department of City Planning to increase the number of parking spots in the garage. The parking facility, she said, appears to be non-compliant. She also indicated permits are required from the Department of Buildings and Department of Consumer Affairs.

This morning we spoke with Frank Durant, general manager of the Seward Park Co-op, about the permit issues. He said the garage has not surpassed the numbers of cars allowed in its current Certificate of Occupancy (418 vehicles). He said the city has not imposed any violations for operations in the garage. Single-day customers wont be admitted, he added, until Icon is certain all of the appropriate permits are in hand.

Earlier this week, a group of residents opposed to the changes held a meeting to express their outrage with the board of directors. NY1 was there. One longtime cooperator battling the board is Don West, the president of the 7th Precinct Community Council. In an interview yesterday, he told us its wrong to lock people out of the garage and to take their parking spots. He called the new system draconian. West said the board acted without consulting residents, or even giving them sufficient information about the decision.

Another resident involved in the protests is Karen Blatt. Shes a member of Community Board 3 and a local district leader, but emphasized to us that she is speaking out only as an individual. In a recent email to the office of City Council member Margaret Chin, Blatt wrote, The lack of transparency with which the Board of Directors instituted this valet system is astounding. Many of the garage parkers have been in the community for decades, they are primarily elderly, low-income, minorities and observant Jews. Many of them see this as a form of gentrification and harassment because they are the ones that are inconvenienced by this change.

In a letter to the Manhattan Borough President, the board detailed its reasons for making the switch. It cited escalating property taxes and pressures to raise monthly maintenance fees. Earning additional revenue from the garage, the board argued, would lead to a net financial benefit of approximately $500,000 per year. It also touted the added benefit to our neighbors of hourly/daily options for parking.

Durant said hes concerned about the negative turn the debate has taken in recent days. The board president, he told us, felt threatened last night at the community board meeting, causing him to cancel the scheduled appearance.

Monthly parking at the Seward Park Co-op costs $215 indoors and $178 outdoors. The complex opened in 1960 as a limited equity co-op, but the apartments are now subject to the free market. New residents today are paying upwards of $1 million for a 2-bedroom apartment. There are natural tensions between the newer residents and long-term cooperators, many of whom are living on fixed incomes.

UPDATE 3/11 This morning we heard from Don West, who took issue with Frank Durants assertion that the board president felt threatened at the community board meeting. West was not at the meeting, but said he spoke with residents who did attend. West pointed out that Durant wasnt present, either, and is in no position to know whether threats were made. West said hes confident no one acted inappropriately toward Seward park Co-op board members. Durant, for his part, told us he received a report from board members following the meeting.

On another point, CB3s MyPhuong Chung contacted us with a clarification of her comments from the other evening. She said the Department of City Planning informed her that a special permit is required; its not a conclusion she reached on her own. Chung said she recommended to the cooperative that it contact the Department of Buildings and Department of Consumer Affairs for permits. She said it would be up to those agencies to determine whether permits are required. Chung said she did not state that the current garage might be non-compliant, but indicated that the proposed increase in parking spaces might be non-compliant.

CB3 District Manager Susan Stetzer told us the community board is working with local elected officials and city agencies to determine whether complaints received about the garage warrant city violations and to find out what additional permits are required. Dealing with these issues are the extent of the community boards involvement in the Seward Park controversy.
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Booked Out: Tax laws lined up to target Phuket Airbnb rentals, unregistered hotels

PHUKET: Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada has assembled a task force to investigate the scourge of illegal hotels on the island, with more than three of every four hotels in Phuket believed to be operating illegally.

tourismpropertyeconomicspatong

By Tanyaluk Sakoot

Friday 11 March 2016, 12:44PM

Officials are targeting the slew of low-key illegal accommodation venues in Phuket. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot

Non-registered hotels offering rooms for rent is a worrying issue, and for this I am not working with the Phuket office of Tourism Authority Thailand (TAT), Gov Chomroen told The Phuket News this week.

Only the Revenue Department, the Tourism Business and Guide Registration and some other officials are involved, Gov Chamroen said, though declined to identify specifically which officials.

The committee is to conduct in-depth investigations. They will report their findings directly to me by the end of March, and we will consider what action to take then, he added.

Confirmation that the Revenue Department will be among those spearheading the purge concurs with the strategy proposed by Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul in Bangkok last Friday (Mar 4).

In response to the Thai Hotels Association (THA) calling for legal action to be taken against operators offering accommodation on the global rental portal Airbnb, Minister Kobkarn said that those profiting by illegally renting out accommodation to tourists would be brought to heel by enforcement of tax laws.

Tax payment is a key issue to consider in the Airbnb situation because the website, accommodation owners and tenants should pay the same tax as hotel operators in Thailand, she said.

THA President Surapong Techaruvichit said that owners who rent their condo units, resort homes and shared rooms on a daily basis using the Airbnb website should be considered in violation of the Hotel Act, as they rent their accommodations for less than 30 days and lack a hotel licence.

Ms Kobkarn agreed. We dont want to set any barrier to doing business, as long as it is fair and legitimate, she said, but added that offering a daily rental without a hotel licence is illegal.

However, Ms Kobkarn made it clear that the Airbnb problem would be a focus after the ministry resolved existing problems surrounding tour agent nominees. (See story here).

As of Wednesday (Mar 9), Airbnb boasted more than 300 listings for Phuket alone, from B300 to B35,000 or more per night, while travel giant Agoda listed 2,413 venues in Phuket offering accommodation.

Those numbers fly in the face of the Phuket TAT office, which marks only 376 registered hotels on the island. If the Agoda listings are accurate, about 84 per cent of all accommodation offered in Phuket is illegal.

TAT Phuket chief Anoma Wongyai publicly recognised the problem in September last year, when she revealed that her office knew of 93,750 rooms available in 1,800 hotels in Phuket  but that only 376 venues were registered.

Speaking to The Phuket News from the global travel trade show ITB in Berlin, Ms Anoma on Wednesday said she was aware that Governor Chamroen was tackling the issue.

This is a pressing issue that needs to be remedied quickly, she said. Bringing these hotels under registration will only improve Phukets tourism industry, and prevent cost-cutting price wars.

Ms Anoma declined to comment further, but added, I can talk more about this after March 14, when I get back.

Bhuritt Maswongssa, President of the Phuket chapter of the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) and also speaking to The Phuket News from ITB Berlin, supported move to bring unregistered hotels into the fold.

Phuket has an oversupply of accommodation, and this is adding extra pressure on the legal hotels, he said.

In this market, it is the buyers who determine the room rates, and this downward pressure will affect economic growth. Hotels are more likely to lay off staff, which in turn directly affects families, he said.

The government must recognise this issue and it must act quickly, before tourism in Phuket begins to fail, Mr Bhuritt warned.

Mr Bhuritt also confirmed that Phuket TCT chapter and the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA), of which he is also Vice President, were not invited to join task force formed by Governor Chamroen.
Four arrested in Phuket backyard shack heroin raid

PHUKET: Police arrested four men yesterday (Mar 10) after a raid on a shack behind a house in Phukets Pa Khlok subdistrict netted 40.2 grams of heroin.

drugscrimepolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Friday 11 March 2016, 11:08AM

The heroin raid followed a tip-off by undercover officers. Photo: Thalang Police

The heroin raid followed a tip-off by undercover officers. Photo: Thalang Police

The heroin raid followed a tip-off by undercover officers. Photo: Thalang Police

The heroin raid followed a tip-off by undercover officers. Photo: Thalang Police

The heroin raid followed a tip-off by undercover officers. Photo: Thalang Police

Police estimate the drugs had a street value of about B100,000.

Capt Suchart Luecha of the Thalang Police led the raid, carried out at 6:40pm, after a tip off from undercover officers.

Before the raid, we learned that the house belonged to Sanong Ngankhang 46, Capt Suchart said.

Mr Sanong was arrested on drug charges and released from prison three years ago, he added.

When police raided the site, they found Sanong along with Somchai Chuanchit, 51, Wisarut Dujpajack, 28, and Jaturong Naksarn, 25, on the premises.

We searched them and the area around the shack and found in total 40.2 grams of heroin in small containers as well as drug-taking paraphernalia, Capt Suchart said.

Police also seized other items such as bamboo bongs, straws and plastic bags.

At first all of them admitted to taking the drug, but denied that the drugs found belonged to them, Capt Suchart said.

But later after they all tested positive for the drug, they admitted that the drugs found belonged to Sanong, he added.

All four men were taken to Thalang Police Station, where they were charged with illegal possession of Category 1 (heroin) with intent to sell.
PM orders water map to combat drought

BANGKOK: A map of catchment areas nationwide will be drawn as part of long-term measures to battle perennial drought.

natural-resourcescultureeconomicsanimalsagriculture

By Bangkok Post

Friday 11 March 2016, 10:01AM

around a pond dug up for them by local administration authorities. It is the last reserve for the monkeys. Photo: Bangkok Post / Krit Promsaka na Sakolnakorn

Suthep Noipairoj, chief of the Royal Irrigation Department (RID), said Thursday (Mar 10) that Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha had instructed the department to conduct a survey of national water sources so the database can be used to aid water management to cope with severe drought.

Water source locations will be pinpointed to compile a database on water volume. Water distribution systems will also be installed in catchment areas where residents are unable to gain access to water.

The survey will be carried out by the RID and the Water Resources Department, he said.

Information on water sources from the government's 10-year-water-management plan will also be incorporated in the survey.

Some measures might be adjusted to improve water distribution systems so they can cover more drought-stricken areas.

Mr Suthep also insisted there will be enough tap water to last until July.

He confirmed the RID will not discharge water for off-season rice farming as there is insufficient water reserves to do so.

Despite government warnings about water shortages, about three million rai of farmland along the Chao Phraya River basin is being used for off-season rice farming.

Almost two million rai has yet to be harvested and it is feared about 400,000 rai of crops could be damaged due to a lack of water.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, in association with the Interior, Agriculture and Cooperatives, and Culture ministries plans a campaign encouraging people to sprinkle and not throw water during the Songkran festival in order to save water.

Tourism Authority of Thailand governor, Yuthasak Supasorn, admitted it would be impossible to stop water-throwing but the authorities should appeal to people to splash water sensibly rather than let it go to waste. Many tourists visit Thailand during the period because they want to celebrate the festival.

Sanpech Supabowornsthian, president of the Thai Hotels Associations eastern chapter, agreed with the campaign but said it would be difficult to stop water-throwing since it is a key element of the festival.

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How to watch and what to know about South Dakota State at North Dakota

SDSU
Ronnie Ruse

rusevero@grinnell.edu

With the renovation of the ARH and Carnegie buildings into the new Humanities and Social Studies Complex, the Grinnell College Bookstore will be one of the first buildings torn down in the construction process and will not be housed in the new HSSC building. Although the plans are not finalized, the College plans to move the bookstore to a temporary location downtown during construction.

Sites on campus are limited so were considering alternative spaces that are in town but walkable from campus, Director of Media Relations Lisa Lacher wrote in an email to the S&B.

SGA also played a considerable role in the renovation process. Vice President for Academic Affairs Emma Lange 16 sits on both the Building Projects Committee and the ARH/Carnegie Planning Committee as a representative for the student body.

I would argue that Grinnell has had much more involvement [from students] than a typical college would in doing one of these building projects, Lange said.

Previously the College held open campus forums where students, faculty and staff could listen to ideas from architecture firms and provide feedback.

However, some student employees expressed frustration at how the administration handled the bookstores renovation. According to Caleigh Ryan 17, a student employee at the College Bookstore, student employees at the bookstore were not part of the decision making process.

If theres a really good reason the administration has for wanting to move the bookstore off campus I dont know it, because there has just been no dialogue about this whatsoever, Ryan said. Higher-ups at the bookstore have been consulted, but I dont think any students were, which is kind of aggravating, because when it comes down to it we are the ones who will make or break the bookstore.

Moving the bookstore to an off-campus location also raises questions about how the store will be able to make ends meet.

We get so much business in that 10-minute gap between classes. Professors who work in the ARH will just pop in to buy something, students will run inside to grab something, Ryan said.

The bookstore currently faces competition from used bookstores and online shipping companies like Amazon, and the biggest advantage it has over the competition is the convenience of its on-campus location.

With the bookstore off-campus, students wont go there hardly ever, Ryan said. And when theres so many other appealing options for textbook buying, moving the bookstore off-campus is just going to make students much, much less likely to buy from us.

Lange believes the increasing use of digital textbooks and other online resources may have played a role in the decision to move the bookstore off campus.

It was never planned to be in the new building. I think the future of print books and the institution of print bookstores on campus [has] been changing quite a bit, Lange said.

In addition to a temporary downtown location, a new permanent location for the bookstore is being planned in the neighborhood between downtown Grinnell and the campus, an area named the Zone of Confluence.

We are committed to securing the best possible temporary location for the bookstore to move to this summer, Lacher wrote. As we move forward with developing a comprehensive plan for the Zone of Confluence, one of our primary goals will be to identify a prime site for the permanent bookstore.
Peter Sills

sillspet@grinnell.edu

This week, an out-of-town visitor in the form of Minneapolis Six Appeal Vocal Band graced the Grinnell College community. Comprised of Andrew Berkowitz, Michael Brookens, Nathan Hickey, Reuben Hushagen, Trey Jones and Jordan Roll, Six Appeal is a professional six-part a cappella group that has toured the United States nationally. The group is renowned for its ability to create a full instrumental rock sound using only their voices.

As soon as the group entered onto the red carpet of Herrick that evening, they were greeted by the booming applause of a packed house. Brookens and Berkowitz loosened up the crowd with a comedic bit that which intersected Brookens instinct for comedic timing with Berkowitzs vast variety of sound effects. Although the performers appeared relaxed and nonchalant on the surface, it soon became clear their show was anything but cursory.

Our show used to be wed say stuff whenever, Berkowitz said in interview after the show. Now we figure out whos going to say what when. Its like a loose script.

Although Six Appeal does not play instruments, the band is beyond just an a cappella group. The songs combined a dance routine, hair-raising harmonies, vocal percussion and realistic evocations of guitar, trumpet and horn riffs.

[Through] trial and error, weve figured out what wild movements we can put into the song. We want to insert interesting, entertaining moments, Berkowitz said.

Berkowitz was not always into a cappella and did not start singing until his freshman year of college. As effortless as his dancing seems, Berkowitz attests that it does not always come easily to him and that it still requires a lot of practice.

We started with a step touch and grew into more complicated formations and now we have choreographed songs, Berkowitz said. [The creative process] usually starts with somebody messing around with rhythm and then we follow.

Performances of Happy by Pharrell and I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor moved the audience to sing and clap along. They also invited a student to join them on stage for their rendition of Everything by Michael Buble. Between songs, Brookens joked with the audience and promoted Six Appeals albums, Plan A and Ugly Sweater Party.

Plan A came around because we did this full time for a few years and we realized that there was no plan B, Berkowitz said of the album title, referencing how he dropped out of college to pursue music. [Performing] was the plan A so we wanted to show our dedication to it with the album.

The tremendous size of the groups musical repertoire and their constant performing reflects this dedication.

Our total repertoire is 60 or 70 songs. We want to drastically increase that by next year, learn new music faster, Berkowitz said. Weve been doing [gigs] for five years. Last year was our best. We did 200 shows. Last year we got through our 48th state. It is really interesting to see the variety of towns, peoples and accents. Our favorite thing to do is figure out the local delicacy. Our agency told us they were surprised we made it this far.

Audience members were astonished by the bands talent and polish.

Theyre so well-practiced. Great shoes, too, like a Barbershop quartet, said Jenny Dong 16.

Editors Note: Jenny Dong is the Business Manager for the S&B.
Julia Schafer

schaferj@grinnell.edu

Grinnell College is known as the tiny liberal arts college in the middle of cornfields. Its part of the charm of Grinnell; you might even say it grows on you. But underneath the expanses of agricultural productivity lies a very real problem for Iowas water bodies: subsurface drainage, otherwise known as tile drainage, which has been essential for Iowas agricultural productivity but increases the delivery of harmful nitrogen to Iowas water bodies, creating harmful consequences for the health of Iowas water.

Keegan Kult, an environmental scientist with the Iowa Soybean Association, gave a talk on Monday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the Drake Community Library about different technologies that are being developed to reduce the nitrogen load coming from the drainage of agricultural fields in the Midwest.

The event was organized by Mindy Sieck, Watershed Coordinator for the Poweshiek Soil and Water Conservation District. Sieck spoke briefly about the importance of the implementation of conservation drainage practices, especially for Iowas many impaired waterways.

Tile drainage is widely considered to be an effective practice: it reduces surface runoff and the risk of excessive water stress, increasing infiltration and reducing soil compaction. But as Kult pointed out, there are still issues with nutrient retention.

Now were starting to discover some side effects of tile drainage and one of those big issues being the impacts on dissolved nutrients like nitrogen, Kult said. Were looking at ways of increasing their environmental performance.

A lot of public utilities get drinking water from Iowas stream, surface or shallow wells. However, recently Iowa water has contained greater than the maximum acceptable nitrogen level of 10 parts per million. In 2008, the Hypoxia Action Plan, largely in response to the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico, required states to create nutrient reduction plans. Iowa was the first to do so.

The Iowa Soybean Association has been working on these problems. Over the last year they sampled over 250 tiles around Iowa to understand the scope of these issues and the need for conservation.

We had some very high [nitrogen levels], Kult said. But this means that there are great locations for these conservation drainage practices to be implemented.

Kult focused heavily on two types of practices recommended by the Iowa Nutrient Reduction strategy: bioreactors and saturated buffers.

Kult says the common practice of using cover crops will create a lot of benefits, but he added that were still missing out on reducing a lot of nitrogen. Bioreactors and saturated buffers have the potential to significantly reduce the nitrate levels in the water before it reaches creeks and streams.

Denitrifying bioreactors redirect a portion of tile flow through an underground pit of woodchips to remove nitrates from water. They are typically located at the edge of the field near the tile outlets into the stream and can only be used to drain large areas of 30 to 100 acres. Bioreactors can be expensive to install, sometimes ringing up at 12,000 dollars.

Saturated buffers also intercept tile drainage prior to discharging to surface waters via a structure that redirects water and redistributes the water into the soil of the streamside buffer. This increases the shallow groundwater level and naturally reduces nitrogen levels.

[Saturated buffers are] pretty simple when you get them out there, Kult said, and cost around 4,000 dollars to install. The Iowa Soybean Associations data indicates that these technologies have been extremely successful in nutrient reduction.

Im glad Ive gotten to spend quite a bit of time working with these conservation drainage practices and I think they show a lot of potential to help us get where we want to get in Agriculture in terms of environmental performance, Kult said.

Anyone interested in water monitoring and water quality issues on campus and in the local community can contact the student group Iowater at iowater@grinnell.edu and get involved.
Steve Yang, Features Editor

yangstev17@grinnell.edu

At 1132 Broad Street youll find The Motel Five, nicknamed both for its five fourth-year residents and its location across from the Carriage House Bed and Breakfast: Amelia Meals/Horse Greenberg, Yishi Yeesh (aka Claire) Liang, Phoebe Pheebs or Bup-Bup Mogharei, Claire Claire Graebner and Elizabeth Betty/Beeja/Claire Allen (all 16). Painted in a warm shamrock green, its residents have done their best to make the home a loving and warm place, worthy of its spring-y name.

Our motto is well leave the light on for you, Mogharei said.

Also, because we cant turn it off, Greenberg added.

Theres a lot more to The Motel Five, however, than a cheesy moniker: between a tradition of house nudity, a ghost named Yeagas and a generally high noise level, the houses personality is so layered that Liang described it as Parfait House.

We buck tradition, Greenberg said.

Traditions bucked include clothing or solitude, for example. Allen explained that due to the lack of curtains, none of them can be naked as often as theyd like, as their nudity is for themselves. When they first discovered the house, the group expected to have curtains and to be able to rumble.

When we were second-years we all lived in Cleveland [except Graebner], and there was an ad for free hangers, Allen said. There was a sign above the door  that read, only eager lovers in the Rumble Room. I knew in that moment, that was the house I want to live in.

The Rumble Room is currently filled with suitcases and shoes.

We need to remove the baggage in order to rumble, Liang added regarding the symbolic nature of the suitcases.

These get-togethers can draw in all sorts of company, both wanted and less wanted. In regards to the former, residents noted that there have been a lot of Frenchmen in the house, to the point where it is almost a tradition. Also sometimes referred to as La Cabana Cinco or Le Chateau Cinq 1132 Broad has hosted a Fresh Flutes party, which utilizes the instruments of the Colleges premier flute ensemble for more alcohol-related purposes.

Its perhaps the best flute ensemble in the nation. I dont know. I havent listened to that many, Graebner said.

In the future, the house plans to host a karaoke party, after noting that they have all the equipment necessary in order to execute every step of the plan.

We have unlimited lyric videos on YouTube and were really good at singing, Liang said.

But in the moment, there are more urgent concerns to attend to. Like the ghost baby Yeagas, for example. Yeagas has certainly left their mark on the house, from strange appearances to a little eyelash printed on the bottom of a cup.

When we moved in my room had tiny baby handprints on the window, Mogharei said. So that, combined with random drippings from different faucets and Yeagas giving us strange dreams, tells us that  

Also, the other night, I felt a small hand as I was falling asleep, Allen finished. That was creepy.

It is unconfirmed whether the small hand belonged to Yeagas or Liang.

The baby hasnt been disturbed by the considerable amount of hair everywhere in the house, not to mention the constant shouting and yelling that is required due to The Motel Fives poor acoustics.

Elizabeths hair is in everything. I pulled it out of my underwear at home, Mogharei said. Were a hairy house.

Phoebe apparently has really bad hearing. Yishi often gasps really loudly, making me think shes having a heart attack. But its just her getting her grade, Allen said.

Our common volume is shout, Greenberg said, especially in reference to the upstairs. She is a resident of the first floor.

Hair and hairy situations aside, 1132 Broads current residents never doubted that they would one day live in the house, as a chance encounter brought them together and nothing could split them apart after that. Living off campus creates new opportunities for self-discovery and independence. In the space of their living room, a new culture can be created and treats can be handed out for Halloween in comfort.

Were the Scooby Gang, our house is unofficially known as the Mystery Machine because it is green and mysterious, Liang said.

Some comforts must be forgone in exchange for others, of course, like the free toilet paper that living on campus provides.

I like being able to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night not encountering strangers, Mogharei said. But I dont like pooping in our house because then I have to use toilet paper.

Aspirations for the future of the house include raising a surrogate baby that isnt Liang, hosting more parties, getting more gifts (like a box of Spam from Bryce Lew 19) and hosting more friends. Just like the layers of the house, however, its guests are expected to continue being similarly unpredictable.

When we throw a party, you never know whos gonna show up, Graebner noted.

Editors Note: Yishi Liang is an Editor-in-Chief of the S&B.
Yishi Liang, Editor-in-Chief

liangyis@grinnell.edu

Police are currently investigating the shooting of Mohamedtaha Omar, 23, Adam Kamel Mekki, 20, and Muhannad Adam Tairab, 17, in Fort Wayne, Ind. According to The Washington Post, the three men were shot execution style in late February. Grinnells African and Caribbean Student Union (ACSU) held a vigil for the victims on Tuesday, March 8, in JRC Lobby.

The victims were all members of Fort Waynes diaspora community from the eastern Sahali region in Africa. They were found in a single home and their deaths have been ruled a homicide. Some reports say that the three were Muslim, but according to the Associated Press, Omar and Tairab were Muslim and Mekki was Christian.

At the vigil, attendees shared a moment of silence for the three men and ended with a collective singing of Amazing Grace. Zina Ibrahim 17 initially approached ACSU with the idea of having an event of some kind to address killings and the broader issue of violence toward marginalized groups.

We were talking about what we wanted, either a vigil or a fishbowl discussion, about how [the] media tries to cover certain things and ignores issues, especially related crimes committed against minorities, Ibrahim said. So what we wanted to do was just raise awareness to this issue and also hopefully lead further discussion about what we can do as individuals to make a difference and to change the way people perceive crimes against minorities.

Some online responses call for these murders to be considered hate crimes by the authorities and the media, given the victims African and/or Muslim identities, the manner in which they were murdered and the fact that all three victims were killed in the same location at the same time. In addition, the hashtag #OurThreeBoys is being used in conjunction with #BlackLivesMatter in regard to these murders. Members of ACSU hope that bringing attention to these tragedies will spark a larger discussion on Grinnells campus.

Zina bringing up this  this vigil and this idea, was definitely great because weve recently been trying to collaborate with a lot of different organizations on campus so it definitely also did bring to light a lot of issues that are happening even in our own country that we dont really realize when were in Grinnell. So its definitely important to address these issues, especially of intersectionality  issues that can not only affect people based on race but can also affect people based on religion, said Geneva Guadalupe 17, ACSU President.
Yishi Liang, Editor-in-Chief & Nora Coghlan, News Editor

liangyis@grinnell.edu & coghlann17@grinnell.edu

Since Feb. 24, five Clery reports have been issued to the Grinnell community, detailing two instances of indecent exposure, two of students being filmed in the shower and one of assault and intimidation of a student outside Bucksbaum. A forum was held on Thursday, March 10, in response to these events to inform students about safety measures being taken and take suggestions for further action.

Obviously this is an issue thats of great concern to the community and the goal is for all the people who are deeply involved in our response as a community to give you information about whats happening and how were responding and what you can do as well, said President Raynard Kington during the forum.

Since these incidents, several measures have been taken to increase security on campus. Grinnell police will be patrolling the campus and additional security forces from an independent company have been hired to patrol campus loggias from 8:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. each day. Grinnell Police Chief Dennis Reilly stressed that students need to be aware of their environment, and if they suspect suspicious activity they should immediately contact the Grinnell Police Department (GPD).

Be aware of your surroundings. If you see something that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up at the very least its a phone call to security.  I would prefer that you call 911 if you think its a true emergency, Reilly said during the forum.

GPD is currently investigating all incidents and has one person of interest in mind that they believe to be involved in the indecent exposure incidents in the South Campus loggia. The suspect is not a member of the Grinnell College community.

That person was issued a no trespassing order, so if they are found on campus, they would be arrested for trespass[ing] and were trying to build the case to be able to charge them, Reilly said.

Although this person of interest is forbidden from Grinnells campus, the GPD is unable to release any information about the identity of the suspect, including photos.

I think its difficult because a lot of you wont know who that person is because theyre not associated with the Grinnell community, Reilly said in interview after the forum. For that particular guy [an image cannot be released] because that is still an active ongoing investigation and he is only what I will describe as a person of interest. He has not been charged with anything, so hes an innocent person at this point, so to speak.

There are no suspects in the instances of students being filmed in showers or in the assault of the student outside of Bucksbaum. GPD has yet to announce if they believe the assailant is a part of the campus or greater Grinnell community.

The police department is not going to focus their attention solely on the Grinnell College community. I think that would be shortsighted on our part. Our minds are open and were going to take the investigation wherever it points us, Reilly said during the forum.

Additionally, according to Jim Reische, Vice President of Communications, the race of any perpetuators would not be included in Clery reports as this could potentially be a vehicle for profiling and is not as helpful for identifying suspects.

While many measures have been taken to increase safety, students at the forum felt that even more steps could be taken to ensure that all members of the community feel safe. Suggestions from the audience included increasing security outside of Main Hall during public events, hiring added security past 7 p.m., adding more blue lights on campus, offering self defense classes for students and even providing students with pepper spray.

Perhaps the most debated potential safety measure was the suggestion to place cameras in and around campus loggias. According to Kington and SGA President Dan Davis, several students have already requested placing cameras around campus.

We have talked about possibly getting temporary cameras for the loggias at least, but we did not want to act upon that before seeing what the student body felt, Davis said during the forum.

Those leading the discussion stressed that the cameras would only be a temporary measure, but the administration would decide when to put up cameras and when to take them down.

It would be a college policy, and we havent started, [but] there have been a number of people who have suggested it already. We didnt do it because we felt that was a pretty significant step, Kington said. If we were to do it wed have a discussion about when to stop it but ultimately the administration would have to chose when to stop it just as we would have to chose when to start it, but we wouldnt do it arbitrarily.

Several students expressed concern that these cameras would be used to monitor student behavior and would infringe on student privacy. Still, Davis and Dean of Students Sarah Moschenross insisted that camera footage would only be used if Clery incidents occurred. However, if other illegal activity is caught on tape, administrators are required to take action.

If there happens to be a Clery incident outside of Cleveland and we are accessing footage and there happens to be a kid smoking a bong in the middle of the loggia, then that will be addressed, as we have become aware of it, but we will not be accessing that footage just willy-nilly because we feel like it might be a safety precaution, Davis said in interview after the forum.

If in the course that a crime was happening and we access that footage to review the crime footage,  we see other crimes happening we have to, we would have to consult with other administration how to handle that but we cant in good faith ignore illegal behavior, Moschenross added.

Despite all the instances of violence on campus, Reilly wanted to stress that Grinnell is a safe community.

One thing I highlight in that report is crimes against persons in Grinnell [are] extremely low. Our biggest issue in Grinnell are property crimes, Reilly said. Grinnell is a safe community, but just like every other community in this country there are blips on the radar that come up every once in a while that we need to address, we need to be aware of.  What Im here to reinforce is that were serious about it, were concerned about it, were looking into it, but lets try and keep some level heads here.
WASHINGTONThe president of the United States stood in front of an intricate floral display in a grand White House room lavishly outfitted with fancy draperies and fine china.

And he thanked the people of Cape Breton for offering to accept Americas Donald Trump refugees.

Barack Obama also warned potentially unruly state dinner guests about Justin Trudeaus past as a bar bouncer, mocked his own struggle to pronounce Mississauga, and mused about ending the evening of black-tie opulence with a Canadian double-double.

Obamas jovial toast at Thursdays dinner underscored the strikingly informal tone of a day steeped in pomp and age-old ritual but punctuated by displays of breezy familiarity.

Were actually closer than friends. Were like siblings, really, Trudeau said in a toast much longer and generally more serious than Obamas.

We became the stay-at-home type, Trudeau continued. You grew to be a little more rebellious.

The first gathering of the day, 12 hours earlier, was a South Lawn welcome ceremony that featured a military honour guard and herald trumpeters. In addition to praising Trudeau and Canada, Obama bragged about his Chicago Blackhawks holding the Stanley Cup.

And then someone in the hundreds-strong crowd of flag-holding supporters shouted a somewhat nonsensical rejoinder: Raptors! There was laughter.

The four-course dinner in the East Room was attended by Trudeaus mother, Margaret Trudeau, who received a standing ovation, and Obama daughters Malia and Sasha, coming to their first such gathering; corporate leaders such as the chief executives of Boeing and Xerox; Canadian ministers and Obama cabinet secretaries; and celebrities including Mike Myers, Michael J. Fox, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Sandra Oh, and the commissioners of the NHL and NBA, Gary Bettman and Adam Silver.

Im just so proud to be Canadian and American, the pomp and the ceremony of it all, Myers said. When I lived in Canada, Pierre Trudeau was my prime minister for 14 years and he was my hero . . . now Im thrilled to have his son as my prime minister.

The lucky recipients of Washingtons most coveted ticket arrived to hors doeuvres including smoked-duck poutine, among other fine finger foods. They were then served courses of Alaskan halibut, apricot salad, baby lamb chops and cake accented with maple syrup.

They retired after dinner from the East Room to the State Dining Room, where they were to be entertained by California singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles and a youth choir.

Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, were greeted at the front door of the White House by the Obamas. The president pronounced them spiffy. Gregoire-Trudeau wore a purple dress designed by Torontos Lucian Matis, Michelle Obama had a strapless black dress with a floral design. The men, as usual, wore tuxedos.

Toronto was also represented in the Trudeaus gifts for the Obamas  or, at least, for their dogs. Sunny and Bo received all-weather boots made at the Muttluks factory on Midland Ave. And Obama began his toast by giving a shout-out to his brother-in-law from Burlington and his assistant, Marvin Nicholson, a Toronto native who went to high school in Victoria, B.C. Then he struggled to discuss a pre-presidency visit to Mississauga, which came out something like Missus-agwa.

This is always tough, he said, trying at least twice.

Trudeau offered gentle words for the Obamas daughters, the offspring of a political leader, like him. And he thanked Obama for his work on climate change and on the bilateral relationship.

Both of them made Justin Bieber jokes. Obama declared Trudeau the most popular Canadian named Justin. Trudeau said it suits a Canadian to create a hit song, Sorry.

Not long after the brass-and-string ensemble performed a rendition of Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On, Obama added a poke at a third polarizing figure from Canada: Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz.

Where else, he asked, could a boy born in Calgary run for president of the United States?

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Faced with a reporter asking questions about his credit repair companies and assets, Calgary businessman Sheldon Wolf struck back.

He secretly purchased a web domain in the reporters name, created a website, and invited anyone with information to dish about the reporter or his family. Over the last week, the same IP address is now associated with four URLs in the names of two Star journalists, and three URLs using versions of the Toronto Stars name.

The focus of this site is to produce news and information that is only of public interest regarding David Bruser and/or the Toronto Star, read the first line of one website, under a large photo of the reporter taken from a university website, until the website was abruptly taken down last Monday.

If you have a story or an issue about his conduct (good or bad) that you would like posted please contact us, the original website stated. A form was provided to contribute information.

The Star asked Wolf and his lawyer, Peter Downard, a series of questions over the past few days, including this one: It is my belief that Mr. Wolfs intention was to smear Mr. Bruser, and that one of his intentions was to suggest Mr. Bruser was guilty of some sort of untoward behaviour. Would Mr. Wolf like to explain why he did this?

In response, Downard told the Star Thursday that Mr. Wolf has had no interest in obtaining private information about you or Mr. Bruser or your families.

Since January, Bruser, a member of the Stars investigative team, had been looking into allegations that Wolfs companies were promising to repair peoples bad credit, but mainly delivering more debt. Bruser had contacted Wolf and asked him questions, both by phone and through an exchange of emails. The story was published on Wednesday.

In the days leading up to publication, the Star learned that Wolf had decided to create a website in the reporters name. The Star was told he did send an email at one point to his 70-member sales staff with Brusers home address.

The site said it was the unofficial information page for the reporter. At one point, the site stated that it was the information website where we analyze the career and family of David Bruser  Website coming.

There was initially no way to tell who was behind the site, though the Star has since been able to confirm it was Wolf.

Over the weekend, the website remained a largely dormant site, populated with news stories the reporter had done previously. The Star used various online resources to track the websites ownership, but while there were clear hints that Wolf was behind the site, there was no definitive tie (various reverse-IP lookups on the Star-related URLs show that the IP is shared with more than 20 names that appear to be related to Sheldon Wolfs companies).

Monday, the Star complained to the company that registered the site, Sibername. The manager of Sibername passed on the Stars complaint to Wolf. Wolf responded to Sibername and Sibername sent Wolfs letter to the Star. The letter confirmed that he was behind the website.

The letter from Wolf, which you can read below, suggested that Wolf would release control of the website if certain terms were met. The Star had asked Wolf if he was suggesting he would get rid of the site if the Star ends its investigation. Wolf did not respond to this question.

In his responses on behalf of Wolf, lawyer Downard said his client took issue with the Stars questionable tactics, which included an examination of personal assets of Wolf such as his house and cars.

In the course of Mr. Brusers and your inquiries, Mr. Wolf came to believe that you intended to publish a personal attack on him, Downard wrote, adding that the front page article entitled The Loan Wolf shows that he was right.

Downard also said the Star is a powerful media outlet owned by a billion dollar public consortium and that there is a clear public interest in criticism of the manner in which you in fact carry out your work.

Downard took issue with the Stars undercover reporting (speaking to Wolfs company to see what his employees were offering debt-ridden Canadians) and sending a copy of the deed to Wolfs home to Wolf. The Stars investigation found a $1.4 million Canada Revenue Agency lien on his home dating back to 2012 and the Star asked Wolf about it. Downard said sending information on Wolfs home to Wolf smacks of an attempt to intimidate and bully.

Sheldon Wolf letter

Letter from Sheldon Wolf, holder of domain davidbruser.com, to M. Bulent Turkoglu, director of operations for Sibername, which registered the website. The Star had raised an issue with the use of personal information and photos of Bruser. The Star had offered to buy the website domain name for a nominal amount ($10).

MB Turkoglu,

Thank you for your inquiry into our new website. Our response is a follows:

1. Any such pictures in question will be removed forthwith, until such time as we can receive proper clearance from our legal counsel.

2. The acquisition of the domain was done legally and in good faith and will ONLY be used for ethical accurate and informational purposes.

3. Any other such information currently posted on the website is without a question done in accordance with the laws of Canada.

4. This website is strictly a Public interest website and in compliance with the laws of Canada. Only matters of Public Interest will be posted!

5. The author of your complaint Mr. Donovan has made an offer to purchase our domain and is frustrated because we have NOT accepted his very low bid.

6. It is my view that rather than negotiating in good faith they are attempting to scare you into thinking that you have broken Canadian laws.

7. Should you be in breach of ANY law in Canada, I would be very curious as to what if any specific laws have been violated. Should Mr. Donovan be legitimately interested in acquiring this Premium website for David Bruser; he should consider increasing his minimum bid to us and perhaps he can offer me some reasonable terms. Both Mr. Bruser and Mr. Donovan are very aware of what my terms are and I am very sure that they will find me very easy to deal with once they bring forth a reasonable proposal. Either way we will be meeting with our corporate lawyers and insuring that our website is compliant and within the proper publication laws in Canada.

Have a great evening,

Sheldon H. Wolf

President/Director

Bus. 403-279-3646

Fax. 403-301-5380

By Tuesday morning, the website was scrubbed clean. Later in the day, Wolf purchased another web domain name, this one in the name of a Star editor (kevin-donovan.com). Sheldonwolf.com was also purchased at the same time. Also purchased this week, and on the same IP address as Wolfs companies, are three websites using the Toronto Stars name. There is no information currently on any of the sites.

Kevin Donovan can be reached at (416) 312-3503 or kdonovan@thestar.ca

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Until Thursday, Ellis Kirkland was known for her success: a Harvard graduate celebrated for decades of work in the venerable worlds of architecture and international trade.

Now shes in police custody, arrested after she was named in connection with the stabbing of the doorman at her Rosedale apartment, prompting a citywide manhunt that ended dramatically at the top of a downtown tower.

After a four-hour negotiation, officers from the Toronto police Emergency Task Force rappelled from the top of the Town Inn Suites on Church St. and swung onto the 27th floor balcony, where a woman  later confirmed by police to be Kirkland  had dangled her legs over the edge and appeared ready to jump.

As of Thursday night, the 67-year-old stabbing victim was in life-threatening condition and had undergone surgery, police said. They did not confirm his identity but said he was stabbed multiple times with a large kitchen knife.

The saga began Thursday at around 7:30 a.m., when police received a call about a stabbing at 120 Rosedale Valley Rd., a midrise apartment building with long balconies on the side of a leafy hill. Joseph Glazner, who lives one floor above Kirkland in the building, identified the victim as Mark Markandu, the overnight guard and doorman.

Glazner said that he was speaking with another building employee when Markandu went to help Kirkland move boxes. The doorman came back moments later holding his hip and bleeding (near) his kidney on the lower right side, Glazner said. He said Markandu claimed he was stabbed six times.

Mark was stunned, Glazner said. It seemed surreal.

The Star could not independently verify Glazners story.

Hours later, Toronto police released an image of Kirkland, warning the public that she had allegedly stabbed a man, that her whereabouts were unknown and that she was considered armed and dangerous.

At the Rosedale apartment building, police tape blocked off the main entrance, and mounds of clothing were marked as police evidence on the floor of the lobby. The street where Kirkland lives winds through a valley on the southern edge of Rosedale  one of the citys wealthiest neighbourhoods, dotted by impressive mansions and stately homes that back onto a ravine that slopes into the Don Valley. Building residents who were walking dogs or leaving to go shopping said they were gobsmacked by the news that police were looking for Kirkland.

Ive been here for 10 years and shes always been fabulous, said Andy Body, adding that Kirkland was usually very well-dressed, wore nice jewelry and showed a great sense of humour.

Meanwhile, a few blocks to the south, police cruisers and Emergency Task Force SUVs massed at the corner of Church St. and Charles St., which was cordoned off by long ribbons of police tape for much of the day. The cops were responding to a call about a person in crisis, who had entered the hotel and residence tower at 620 Church St., said Const. Jenn Sidhu, who was on the scene to update the media.

Twenty-seven storeys up, a dark-haired woman could be seen peering over the edge of a balcony as a police negotiator spoke with her from one floor below. She appeared every few minutes, and even dangled her legs over the edge, prompting gasps from those who could see her.

Four hours after police were called to the scene, at around 3:30 p.m., two uniformed ETF officers rappelled down from the roof of the tower and swung onto the balcony. Moments later the woman, later confirmed to be Kirkland by Const. Craig Brister, was driven away in a police cruiser to be processed at 53 Division. Kirkland lay in the back seat of the cruiser, hidden under a jacket.

Paul Nadeau, who worked for six years as a negotiator with the Durham Regional Police Service, said the incident appeared consistent with typical police protocol for negotiating with a barricaded individual.

To contain somebody and prevent them from wandering out into the public where they can commit violent acts is paramount, he said. Rappelling into a balcony would indicate (police) may have had concerns that the balcony would be used later on as a possible escape or suicide.

Kirklands ex-husband, well-known architect Michael Kirkland, told the Star on Thursday that he received several phone calls from friends and family about the incidents on Thursday. You could say she had emotional range, but she wasnt violent in any way, he said.

Born in Malta and educated at Harvard University, Kirkland co-founded, with her ex-husband, the Kirkland Partnership, a well-regarded architecture firm that has done work on waterfront projects in China and around the world. She became the first female president of the Ontario Association of Architects.

According to her LinkedIn profile, the 60-year-old has been a vice-president at the NATO Association of Canada  an education and support group for the international organization with an executive that has included former Senator Hugh Segal and former foreign minister Bill Graham  since 1999, and has written and researched extensively on global development. In 2003 she founded the NATO Paxbuild Economic Platform, whose aim is to foster growth and prosperity in post-conflict zones, failed states and areas affected by natural disasters.

Profiled in the Star in 2005, Kirkland said: I just want to help others to rebuild their world . . . This, for me, has meaning.

Sasha Josipovicz said he met Kirkland in the early 1980s, when he was helping out at the Toronto architecture firm where Kirkland worked.

She was a really determined and hard-working person, Josipovicz said, describing how she once became so exhausted chasing a business deal in China that she had to be carried off the plane when she returned to Toronto.

We were jokingly calling her the Maltese Falcon in the 1980s, because she was genuinely flying high, based on her own merit, said Josipovicz.

According to the 2005 Star profile, Kirkland was a cancer survivor. Glazner, Kirklands neighbour, said that both her second husband and her father had died in recent years.

That was pretty upsetting for her because she felt very alone, he said.

She struck me as a very intense, intellectual person who cared a lot about the building . . . My sense was that she is a compassionate woman and this is completely out of character, which says that something went on in her head.

Police couldnt confirm Thursday night whether Kirkland is facing criminal charges. There was no information about a future appearance in court.

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Standing in front of 50 teenagers, Asma Ali has an unenviable task ahead: to get them to talk about their feelings.

Ali, a therapist, eases them in slowly. How are you feeling today? Happy? A few kids sitting around tables raise their hands. Nervous? A few others nod.

The gentle probing is the first step in getting the students, who attend middle school in Islamic and public schools in Mississauga, to engage in a more difficult discussion about bullying, exclusion, and the effect that anti-Muslim sentiments have on them.

When Ali asks the tough questions  How is Islam perceived by people around you?  she gets tough answers from the crowd: Oppressing, Dangerous, and My friends think ISIS represents Islam, the children say.

Its this reality that led Farrah Marfatia, the principal of Maingate Islamic Academy in Mississauga to work with community partners to launch a pilot project, an art therapy workshop, to give students positive and artistic outlets to express their feelings.

We want to give kids the tools, so that they are able to say, I feel deeply emotional, or disturbed by this experience, and the way I am going to release my emotion is in a positive way, said Marfatia, who said students are given the option of using visual art, poetry, music and creative writing to express themselves. She said she came up with the idea after a discussion with students last year about terrorism, and was troubled that they expressed feeling frustrated and powerless.

Across North America and Europe, there is increasing evidence that Muslim kids are facing anti-Muslim sentiments in school from students and in some cases, teachers. With terrorism in the spotlight and polarizing rhetoric in the political sphere, young Muslims report feeling under attack. In Canada hard data is difficult to find but anecdotes abound, says Amira Elghawaby, communications director with the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

Children and young adults are exposed to media 24/7, and we all know that stories about Islam and Muslims are often negative for a variety of reasons, said Elghawaby, who says a number of incidents from schools have been reported to the civil rights group over the past year. Among them were two students who had their hijabs pulled off by a teacher, and students who have been taunted for requesting religious accommodation, she said.

What we dont know for sure is how this is impacting young Canadian Muslims, she said.

Yasmine Elbagoury, 13, who attended the art therapy session from a local public school, said shes experienced such sentiments first hand.

Elbagoury said she was shocked when her best friend recently told her they couldnt be friends because she was Arab. She told me that her family doesnt want her to interact with these people, she said. I think this kind of event, where kids can openly talk about stereotypes of people, would be good for everyone.

Marfatia says her hope is that the workshop can be replicated across the GTA. In the meantime, staff at the school will be sending postcards featuring some of the student art to politicians and school boards across the region.

The postcard is going to read: What it feels like to be Muslim today. There might be darker images, and there might be hopeful images, she said. We want the kids to feel that something was done. That their artistic expression didnt just end here.

In their own words

Izzah Badar, 13, Grade 7

I have been trying to start wearing a hijab, and I dont wear it all the time. But when I do, and I go to the mall, I get a lot of mean looks and people start questioning you. When I didnt wear it, people dont judge you and are nicer, said Badar, who said shes started painting to deal with her feelings. I think its hard to be Muslim now, especially when you hear Donald Trump say things and all these political issues going on with Muslims. And I think it will be harder as we get older too.

Yasmine Elbagoury, 13, Grade 8

I feel like everyone tries to hide their identity and the fact that you are Muslim. It kind of happens naturally. I think its because people have a hard to time changing the views others have about Muslims  so its easier to not bring it up.

Read more about:

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The announcement that the Toronto District School Board is set to cut more than 100 teaching jobs is just the latest disheartening news for new teachers looking to get break into the profession. It caps a series of trends and policy decisions that have made becoming a teacher one of the most difficult career aspirations to fulfil. And if we dont change things soon, we risk permanently losing the energy, passion, and new ideas of an entire generation of young people from ever entering into our classrooms.

So what happened? The first thing is demographics. The student-age population in Ontario has been in free fall for over a decade. From 2004 to 2014, total enrolment in Ontario public schools decreased by over 126,000. This has meant a loss of thousands of teachers across the province. Indeed, declining student enrolment is cited as the main factor behind the job cuts at the TDSB.

But the second issue, which has compounded the problem, is that during this time we have been training far more teachers than could ever hope to be employed. During that same 10-year period, the number of newly licensed teachers in Ontario exceeded the number of retirements by over 6,500 per year.

These two factors combined have led to scores of teachers simply exiting the profession, taking all of their talent and training with them. As one frustrated teacher recently told the Ontario College of Teachers, I am a highly qualified individual who is excited to start teaching and I can't get on any supply lists. I received a letter of recommendation from the principal. I also upgraded my qualifications so I can teach K-12. I have not even been granted an interview. The job market is inundated with teachers.

But to add insult to injury, the Ontario government decided to make it even harder for new teachers to enter the profession with the introduction in 2012 of Regulation 274, which put in place a series of hoops that new teachers must jump through before ever having any hope of getting a full-time job. Under this Byzantine system, new teachers must first get on a school boards supply teaching list, which is ranked by seniority. Then they have to get a certain number of supply teaching days to get on another list, for those eligible to fill short-term vacancies. But this list is also ranked by seniority and only teachers at the top can be considered for the job, so basically new teachers have to just get in line and wait. And then, if they have waited long enough to be at the top of that list, they can finally be considered for one of the few full-time jobs that exist.

This puts new teachers in a precarious financial situation, which is why from 2008 to 2014, the number of first-year teachers who held other jobs to help supplement their income increased from 6 per cent to 56 per cent. But this puts those teachers in a catch-22, as any time taken away from the classroom to help supplement their incomes reduces their ability to accrue seniority, and thus their chances of ever getting a full-time job.

While repealing Regulation 274 would go a long way to addressing the problem, we should also look at limiting the number of new teachers we certify each year. Currently, if someone is not accepted into a teacher education program at an Ontario university, they can still obtain a license by attending a U.S. border college or international university that has received a permit from Ontario. A former deputy minister of education once remarked that he liked these programs because they trained more teachers while not costing the government anything. But it should be clear that we no longer need additional streams of teachers beyond what our own universities currently produce.

Between all of the training (six years of university) and waiting currently required, someone who leaves high school hoping to become a teacher is looking at close to a decade before that is a possibility. This is a real problem if we want the teaching profession to consist of people from diverse backgrounds. While much has been made of the Ontario governments recent pledge to provide free tuition to students from low-income households, it is highly unlikely that these students will be able to afford to wait so long before securing a full-time job. The government should take note, because if teaching ceases to be an attractive profession to our young people, the long-term consequences for the province will be dire.

Sachin Maharaj is a PhD student in educational policy at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto and is a teacher in the Toronto District School Board.

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Random thoughts from a Brit in the North West. Sometimes serious, sometimes not. Quite often curmudgeonly.
Search Jim Cramer's "Mad Money" trading recommendations using our exclusive "Mad Money" Stock Screener.

Stop following the herd and chasing the markets higher, Jim Cramer cautioned his Mad Money viewers Thursday after a strong open on Wall Street turned south on European woes, only to recover most of its losses by the end of the day.

Cramer reminded viewers that what happens in Europe doesn't affect most U.S. stocks, unless there are large systemic risks. A few weeks ago the markets were fretting over rumors of European bank failures, rumors the ultimately proved false. The smart money was buying those dips and not selling into them.

Cramer reiterated that investors should never buy into a strong market opening, as there will always be a better time to buy. He added that investors should also ask themselves why the markets are heading higher. If there is little news, or the news doesn't make sense, then following the herd is even more of a fool's game.

Wait for lower prices, Cramer urged.

Dollar General's Value

There's an insatiable demand for value in America, Cramer told viewers. We've seen it in McDonald's (MCD) , we've seen it in Ross Stores (ROST) and TJX Stores (TJX) , and now we're seeing it again with Dollar General (DG) .

Dollar General reported a terrific quarter, Cramer noted, one with earnings, revenue and margins all heading higher. That was coupled with a dividend boost, a stock buyback and an expansion plan to add 900 new stores to Dollar General's already sizable footprint. All of this great news propelled shares up 11% to a new all-time high.

Cramer said Dollar General is simply giving customers more of what they want. The company even noted that by offering national brands in smaller sizes, and smaller price points, customers are more willing to try a product. Once they've sampled them, more customers are then willing to upgrade to larger sizes.

That's why Cramer told investors to be on the lookout for value, because the market is rewarding it.



Hot Consumer Stocks

After years of lagging the markets, the consumer packaged goods stocks are now "killing it," Cramer told viewers. Case in point: Campbell Soup (CPB) , General Mills (GIS) and Hormel Foods (HRL) , all of which are flirting with all-times highs.

Cramer said all three of these companies have gotten wise to the trend towards natural and organic foods and have been responding to consumer demand by buying up natural and organic brands.

Campbell now offers everything from organic baby foods to healthy snacks, while General Mills bought up Annie's for $820 million. The cereal maker has also pledged to remove all artificial colors and flavors from their cereals. Hormel has also been in acquisition mode, recently snapping up Applegate Farms.

When they last reported earnings, all three companies posted better-than-expected results. With Campbell and General Mills now trading at 20 times earnings, and Hormel even higher at 26 times earnings, Cramer advised waiting for a pullback before buying into any of these great food makers.

Executive Decision: Aaron Levie

For his "Executive Decision" segment, Cramer spoke with Aaron Levie, chairman and CEO of Box (BOX) , the enterprise storage and collaboration provider that just delivered a strong quarter with a 36% increase in sales and robust guidance.

Levie said Box added 3,000 new customers in its most recent quarter and delivered $85 million in revenues. The revenue also included several large deals with companies including Home Depot (HD) and General Electric (GE) .

Levie said that in the past, companies managed all of their content and processes in their own data centers, having to maintain their own servers and software. Now, with Box, companies see productivity gains from having all of their content in the cloud on a single platform, which Box manages.

Levie attributed Box's success to its head start in the cloud computing space. He said Box has been in the business for 11 years and has experience and technology that others can't match.

Cramer said Box is an interesting story investors need to consider.

Lightning Round

In the Lightning Round, Cramer was bullish on International Business Machines (IBM) , Medtronic (MDT) , Edwards Lifesciences (EW) , WW Grainger (GWW) , Salesforce.com (CRM) , Skyworks Solutions (SWKS) , Ford Motor (F) , Intel (INTC) and Allergan (AGN) .

Cramer was bearish on Cheniere Energy (LNG) , Veeva Systems (VEEV) and Mylan Laboratories (MYL) .

Am I Diversified?

In the "Am I Diversified?" segment, Cramer spoke with callers and responded to tweets sent via Twitter to @JimCramer to see if investors' portfolios have what it takes for today's markets.

The first portfolio included Walt Disney (DIS) , Dollar Tree (DLTR) , Six Flags (SIX) , Alcoa (AA) and Hormel.

Cramer identified two of a kind with Disney and Six Flags both being in the entertainment space. He suggested selling Six Flags and adding a drug maker.

The second portfolio's top holdings included Home Depot, Netflix (NFLX) , Apple (AAPL) , Nike (NKE) and Schlumberger (SLB) .

Cramer said this portfolio was properly diversified.

To watch replays of Cramer's video segments, visit the Mad Money page on CNBC.

To sign up for Jim Cramer's free Booyah! newsletter with all of his latest articles and videos please click here.

At the time of publication, Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS had a position in AGN and AAPL.
Pitting Kimberly-Clark (KMB) against Procter & Gamble (PG) is like comparing David against Goliath.

But that doesn't mean Goliath will lose.

Which one belongs in your dividend portfolio? At about 3% yields, both P&G and KMB are both lucrative propositions, but P&G is a better long-term income choice.

Kimberly-Clark is largely a personal care business entity, churning out $1 billion in profits from a less than $20 billion top-line every year. P&G is a multi-faceted beast with over $75 billion in revenues and $7 billion in bottom-line figures.

It hasn't been the best of years for either company. P&G's revenue declined 3% (three-year average). Kimberly-Clark revenues declined 1.5%.



These slumps are understandable, in light of tailwinds facing consumer goods. Industry-wide revenues has fallen 3.9% over the past three years. The iShares US Consumer Goods ETF (IYK) has posted a year-to-date market return of -1.33%.

What's worried P&G investors has been the recent double-digit decline in net income. P&G had a particularly bad 2015, as the company's shares lost nearly 13%, the first negative return year since 2009. Kimberly-Clark, on the hand, delivered a respectable 10% gain, its fifth straight year of double digit gains.

As a dividend investor, finding a solid, dependable yield scenario should be your number one priority. On the dividend/earnings payout ratio, Procter & Gamble's 73.4% is a tad high (and has been on an upward trend since 2008) compared to Kimberly-Clark's 60.3%. Kimberly Clark's payout ratio, however, went up to sky-high levels, pushing analysts to question its sustainability in 2015.

P&G boasts of 59 years of uninterrupted dividend growth, but Kimberly-Clark also has a fabulous track record of 43 years of dividend growth. The four-year dividend growth (CAGR) for both P&G and Kimberly Clark's shares are in the 5%-6% range.

However, the acid test for dividend safety is the dividend/free cash flow (FCF) ratio. The dividend/FCF ratio offers some evidence of whether a company will cover its dividend payouts.

On this metric, P&G scores high because dividend payments rarely crossed the 50% mark over the last five years (as well as trailing 12-months).

Kimberly Clark, however, doesn't look so hot, whereby dividends paid as a share of FCF are high (over 100%), if you take 2015 as an example. Unless Kimberly-Clark is able to boost its FCF engine, growing dividends may eat into its slim $619 million cash pile. P&G has a far bigger cash chest of $14.28 billion, capable of bankrolling dividends for a longer period of time.

While weighing the pros and cons, investors must account for Procter & Gamble's slow growth. Sales have consistently dropped and earnings per share (EPS) growth is projected at just 6.10% per year for the next half-decade. But then, Kimberly-Clark isn't growing at a scorching pace either, with a five-year EPS growth outlook of 7.15% per year.

At this time, P&G is a smarter option than Kimberly-Clark. Despite its recent sluggish performance, P&G offers reassurance because of its core DNA (balance sheet ballast, classic pedigree and acknowledged dividend safety).

P&G has also cuts costs and make some important, fundamental changes to address its changing markets.

If you'd like to learn about a group of high-quality, high-yield income opportunities that are far too ignored by most investors, I urge you to check out this free presentation: 11% Yields and No Taxes. Inside, you'll learn about one of the greatest gifts to income investors in the last century, and how you can begin taking advantage of it today for your portfolio. Click here now to learn more.

This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.
Real estate mogul Donald Trump came armed with endorsements, new and not so new, and he didn't hesitate to remind his audience about them.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz, in second place, just wanted to prove he's the best Republican man for the role of anti-Trump. Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Ohio Governor John Kasich simply needed to prove they were still viable candidates.

The stakes were arguably highest for Rubio since Thursday night's GOP debate, held at the University of Miami, was in his home state of Florida. Its widely viewed as a make-or-break contest for a candidate who has to date won only in Minnesota and Puerto Rico, is next Tuesday.

The only person on the stage with as much at risk may have been Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee chairman whose party is grappling with a growing rift over Trump's candidacy, which pundits have speculated may lead to a brokered convention.

"This party is going to support the nominee, whoever that is, 100%," Priebus said before the debate began. "Can we just agree that any of these four gentlemen would be a world better than Hillary Clinton or a socialist, Bernie Sanders?"

Trump, meanwhile, acknowledged his lack of support from some parts of the Republican Party while seeking to present his candidacy as an asset.

"Frankly the Republican establishment, or whatever you want to call it, should embrace what's happening," he said, describing his campaign as drawing people in their 50s, 60s and 70s who have never voted before and are doing so now "out of enthusiasm, for love."

Cruz wasn't feeling the love, directing several barbs -- though subtler than in recent debates -- at the candidate who's besting him. Trump is "right about the problems, but his solutions don't work," Cruz said.

Rubio also adopted a more statesman-like tone, or reverted to it, foregoing earlier potshots about Trump's hand size and on-camera makeup.

As for Trump's popularity, despite frequently incendiary remarks, Rubio conceded that he understands it. "He says what people wish they could say," Rubio noted, but presidents can't do that. "What they say has consequences."

Whose arguments did you buy into? Tell us in the poll below.
Will Donald Trump come out ahead in what he has said will be a "nicer, softer, lighter" showing at tonight's Republican presidential debate? We're about to find out.

The billionaire real estate magnate will meet fellow GOP White House contenders Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Marco Rubio and Governor John Kasich for his party's latest presidential showdown. The event, hosted by CNN, The Washington Times and Salem Media Group, will kick off at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time at the University of Miami.

This is the final time the candidates will debate ahead of a number of important primaries, including winner-take-all contests slated for March 15 in Florida, Illinois and Ohio.

Who do you think will win tonight's showdown? Will Trump come out ahead? Or will Cruz, Rubio or Kasich take the cake?
To borrow a phrase from the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield: The European Union "don't get no respect." So-called Euroskeptics in U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative party are pushing for Britain's exit ("Brexit") from the 28-member European Union, in a referendum slated for June 23, citing rules from Brussels that supposedly infringe on Britain's sovereignty.

And on Thursday, as European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi unveiled a new stimulus package for the EU, investors expressed disappointment at the mildness of the ECB's measures by pushing down European stocks. Germany's DAX fell 2.3%, France's CAC 40 dropped 1.7% and Britain's FTSE 100 lost 1.8%. The S&P 500 scratched out a 0.02% gain.

We think these concerns are overblown and European equities are getting unfairly punished. Fact is, the Continent is home to healthy and well-managed global giants that not only pay high dividends, but also are poised for significant growth this year. The investment herd's undue pessimism over Europe presents growth opportunities for you. Indeed, European stocks on Friday started to rise, as the merits of the ECB's moves finally sunk in.

Our favorite European blue-chip right now is Unilever PLC (UL) . This stock offers growth, income and value, an investment "trifecta" that looks particularly appealing in these uncertain times.

To be sure, the global economy faces several risks this year, but one of the best "defensive growth" havens is consumer goods -- and one of the most attractive stocks in this sector now is the diversified behemoth Unilever.

With a market cap of $130 billion and dual headquarters in London and Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Unilever wields a portfolio of ubiquitous household labels that are sold in more than 170 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, North America and Western Europe. Analysts estimate that one out of every two individuals on the planet uses Unilever's consumer products.

One of the best ways to build wealth is to invest in a company that dominates its respective market, boasts a global footprint and makes quality products that people need in good times or bad. Unilever fits the bill on all counts. The company's stable of everyday items encompasses an enormous range of categories, including dressings and spreads; ice cream and beverages; personal care; and home care.

Unilever's brands include blockbuster sellers such as Hellmann's mayonnaise, Lipton tea, Knorr soups, Lux and Dove soaps, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Klondike, Slim Fast, Popsicle, Ragu, and Sure and Degree antiperspirants.

As the North American recovery continues and Europe begins to regain its footing, the company is aggressively pushing its iconic products into emerging markets, where increasingly affluent middle class consumers associate Unilever products with the good life in the West. Certain emerging markets, especially in Asia, are struggling with onerous banking sector debt and slowing growth, but demand for famous brand consumer staples in developing nations is a multiyear growth trend that's recession resistant.

Coveted brands and cost efficiencies, combined with rising consumer spending, will put Unilever in a uniquely strong position this year in the consumer goods sector. The company's prospects are further enhanced this year by the steps it has taken to improve efficiency, by streamlining operations and outsourcing generic administrative functions that are more cheaply handled in developing countries.

Unilever's stock is up 3.5% year to date, compared with a 1.4% decline for the S&P 500. Unilever shares have a trailing-12-month price-to-earnings ratio of 23.2, which is low compared with the P/Es of U.S.-based competitors Procter & Gamble (PG) (27.1), Kimberly-Clark (KMB) (48.1), and with the industry (25.48).

With Unilever now trading at about $44.62, the median 12-month price target from analysts who cover the stock is $48.67. That suggests shares could gain 8.3% over the next year. While you're waiting for your capital appreciation, the stock's dividend yield of 3.7% will provide you with steady income that's quite attractive in this era of 1% CDs.

As we've just explained, Unilever is a rare bargain right now. We've also found a small-cap biotech "rocket stock" that's about to take off. UCLA researchers are stunned by a Nobel Prize-winning cancer breakthrough that's proven in clinical trials to eliminate lethal forms of cancer with a single dose. One small company owns the patent to this life-saving treatment. Now trading at about $5 a share, the stock of this innovative company is projected to surge 2,700% on an imminent FDA announcement. To download the full report, click here.

John Persinos is editorial manager and investment analyst at Investing Daily. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.
A more subdued, purposeful Donald Trump used very different tactics in the 12th Republican presidential debate Thursday, leaving many viewers in awe of a decorum not displayed in previous showdowns. But you shouldn't be surprised by the new, reformed Donald -- he's just closing the deal.

Trump is the author of 1987 best-selling business book The Art of the Deal, which on the campaign trail he has called his favorite book second only to the Bible. Throughout the course of his White House bid, Trump has been careful to make sure voters know as much, promising to solve some of the country's toughest problems -- entitlement programs, international trade, and foreign policy -- by making deals and negotiating.

At Thursday's debate, he suggested his business savvy may by the key to Israel and Palestine reaching peace, saying he "would love to give it a shot" and calling the prospect of an agreement "the toughest negotiation there probably is of any kind."

But on Thursday, his attention was largely focused on closing another sort of deal: that for the Republican nomination.

He appeared to have moved on to step nine of his 11-step formula: deliver the goods. (Or at least make an attempt, because try as he may, The Donald is still pretty policy-lite).

"You can't con people, at least not for long," he warns in The Art of the Deal. "You can create excitement, you can do wonderful promotion and get all kinds of press, you can throw in a little hyperbole. But if you don't deliver the goods, people will eventually catch on."

Thursday marked a notable attempt by Trump to appear and sound presidential. He dodged numerous opportunities to confront his rivals and spun some of his most significant contradictions with the Republican Party -- his use of foreign visas and donations to politicians from both parties -- into evidence he truly understands the system.

He looked out of his league when discussing Cuba and again proved puzzlingly complementary to some of the world's more deplorable authoritarian dictators, but all in all, Trump more or less held his own.

In his closing statement, he called for unity. "I just say embrace these millions of people that now for the first time ever love the Republican Party," he said. "And unify. Be smart and unify."

The whole thing felt like a big, long -- albeit reluctant -- handshake with the GOP.

Much of Trump's campaign has followed his Art of the Deal formula.

At last week's highly contentious debate and in the days leading up to it, Trump appeared to be employing step eight of his 11-step approach: fight back. "In most cases, I'm very easy to get along with. I'm very good to people who are good to me," he writes. "But when people treat me badly or unfairly or try to take advantage of me, my general attitude, all my life, has been to fight back very hard."

And fight back he has, launching insults at his competitors, detractors and even his party on numerous occasions along the way.

His presidential bid itself is the epitome of his first step to deal-making success: think big. "To me it's very simple: if you're going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big."

The book provides insight into the method to his madness in at times appearing all over the map in his policy platforms as well, whether it is reversing course on health care or launching attacks from one day to the next on Mexicans, Muslims or Arizona Senator John McCain.

"I never get attached to one deal or one approach," he writes.

The Art of the Deal also provides insight into Trump's way with the media ("The point is if you are a little different, a little outrageous, or if you do things that are bold or controversial, the press is going to write about you."), his unwavering confidence ("The worst thing you can possibly do in a deal is seem desperate to make it. That makes the other guy smell blood and then you're dead.") and his cost-conscious campaign ("I believe in spending what you have to. But I also believe in not spending more than you should.").

"Deals are my art form," Trump declares in the book. And today, America is seeing his art in action.
Over the past 40 years, snack and beverage maker PepsiCo Inc. (PEP) shares have delivered positive annual returns on 31 occasions. More importantly, on 22 instances since 1975 it's out-performed the S&P 500 benchmark.

And if you look at total returns (which includes dividends), PepsiCo's shares have remarkably out-performed the S&P total returns index in the three-year, five-year, 10-year and 15-year periods.

Below, we explore in deeper detail why PepsiCo's high-yield stock belongs in your dividend portfolio.

A well-diversified company, PepsiCo under the leadership of Indra Nooyi has transformed from mere soft drinks to healthy alternatives, snacks and a whole lot more.

With products available in over 200 countries and territories, the PepsiCo portfolio, including Pepsi, Lay's, Mountain Dew, Cheetos, Fritos, Tropicana and Quaker offers an ensemble of powerful billion-dollar consumer brands.

Diversification is the mantra at PepsiCo. At the time of Nooyi's joining, this is how the company looked: PepsiCo International was the largest revenue generator (37%), closely followed by Frito-Lay North America (31%), PepsiCo Beverages North America (27%) and Quaker Foods North America (5%). In terms of operating profits, Quaker was 8%, PepsiCo International was 27%, PepsiCo Beverages NA (29%) and Frito Lay (36%).

In 2015, Frito Lay accounted for 23.4% sales and 45% of operating profits. Importantly, Latin America, Europe Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, Middle East & North Africa accounted for 40% of 2015 sales and 20% of operating profits. Two segments -- Europe Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, Middle East & North Africa -- are billion-dollar operating profit engines today.

It's impressive how PepsiCo has navigated through significant macro challenges, including slowing growth and recessions, geopolitical instability, regulatory changes, shifting consumer behavior, changing retail environment and growing environmental consciousness. This stock should be a reliable income generator for years to come.

2015 was a good year for PepsiCo, as Nooyi led the company to meet all its financial targets like organic revenue growth, core operating margin improvement, productivity savings of $1 billion, share repurchases of $5 billion and dividends of $4 billion. For 2016, PepsiCo expects organic revenue growth of about 4% (it was 5% in 2015). The company also projects more than $7 billion in free cash flows.

PepsiCo has always managed to keep its shareholders happy. In 2015, it returned more than $9 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases. The company, which offers a dividend yield of 2.79%, is increasing its dividend per share for the 44th consecutive year, beginning with the June 2016 payment. Shareholders can expect $7 billion through a combination of dividends ($4 billion) and share buybacks ($3 billion) in 2016. Typically, PepsiCo has paid $3 billion-to-$4 billion in dividends annually (2011-2015), making this stock a must for your long-term retirement strategy.

Besides potential for dividend growth (payout ratio is 60.3%), there's a solid safety net as the amount paid as a proportion of free-cash-flow has been about 49%-to-57% in the last five years.

At a valuation of about 19.96 times forward earnings and a price-to-growth (PEG) ratio of 3.33, the company's shares trade at a discount when compared to its rival Coca-Cola Co. (nearly 22.06 times P/E and 10.60 PEG) and at par with the much smaller Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Inc. (19.68 times P/E and nearly 2.67 PEG).

In fact, on both valuation metrics, PepsiCo shares are at a discount to the industry as well. The consensus forecast among investment analysts covering PepsiCo is that the stock will outperform the market.

You see Jim Cramer on TV. Now, see where he invests his money and why PepsiCo stock is a core holding of his multimillion-dollar portfolio. Want to be alerted before Jim Cramer buys or sells PEP? Learn more now.

If you'd like to learn about a group of high-quality, high-yield income opportunities that are far too ignored by most investors, I urge you to check out this free presentation: 11% Yields and No Taxes. Inside, you'll learn about one of the greatest gifts to income investors in the last century, and how you can begin taking advantage of it today for your portfolio. Click here now to learn more.

This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.
Updated from 11:52 am EST.

Galena Biopharmaundefined isn't the target of a federal criminal investigation that has already led to the arrests of two Alabama doctors, charged with allegedly running a fraudulent pill mill and taking kickbacks to prescribe painkillers.

A criminal probe into Galena was first disclosed in the company's 10-K annual report filed Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. According to Galena, the investigation is focused on Abstral, a rapidly dissolving tablet containing the powerful narcotic painkiller fentanyl.

On Friday at 1:57 pm EST, Galena issued a statement correcting its 10-K. The company said the word "not" was omitted erroneously from its disclosure about the federal criminal investigation into painkiller sales.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey are, however investigating Galena for the way it marketed and promoted Abstral, the company said.

Galena began selling Abstral tablets in 2013, but divested the painkiller business in November.

Dr. John Patrick Couch and Dr. Xiulu Ruan, operators of a pain management practice in Mobile, Ala., were among the highest prescribers of Abstral, according to Galena.

In an indictment unsealed last May, federal prosecutors in Mobile allege the two pain doctors wrote 277,982 prescriptions for controlled narcotic painkillers between January 2011 and May 2015. Couch and Ruan also allegedly received kickbacks from medical firms in exchange for writing prescriptions, according to the indictment.

In November, Couch and Ruan pleaded not guilty to 19 criminal counts of drug and fraud charges. The trial in federal court is expected to start later this year.

"We have received a trial subpoena for documents in connection with that investigation and we have been in contact with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Alabama, which is handling the criminal trial, and are cooperating in the production of documents. We are not a target or subject of that investigation," Galena says in its newly corrected statement.

In February, a former sales employee of Insys Therapeutics (INSY) pleaded guilty to violating the federal anti-kickback statute in the same criminal case involving Couch and Ruan, according to Insys. Couch and Ruan were also among the highest prescribers of Insys' fentanyl spray product, Subsys.

In early January, Galena raised $22 million through the sale of stock and warrants to investors. In the SEC document related to the January stock offering, Galena said it did not "believe" it was a target or subject of the federal painkiller fraud investigation in Alabama.

Separately, the SEC is still investigating Galena for hiring outside firms in 2014 to promote its stock while insiders made millions of dollars selling company shares. That scheme cost Galena CEO Mark Ahn his job. In February, Galena and its directors agreed to pay $15 million to settle a class-action shareholder lawsuit related to the stock promotion.

Adam Feuerstein writes regularly for TheStreet. In keeping with company editorial policy, he doesn't own or short individual stocks, although he owns stock in TheStreet. He also doesn't invest in hedge funds or other private investment partnerships. Feuerstein appreciates your feedback; click here to send him an email.
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Kinross Gold Corp. (KGC) stock is down 1.16% to $2.98 in mid-afternoon trading on Friday as gold prices fall.

Gold prices are dropping as U.S. stocks increase, which reduces the precious metal's appeal as a safe-haven investment, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Gold prices have risen about 18% so far this year due to market volatility.

"I don't think it's the end of a rally. I think it's a reason for a small pullback," George Gero, managing director at RBC Capital Markets Global Futures, told the Journal.

Gold for April delivery is declining 1.01% to $1,260 per ounce on the COMEX this afternoon.

Based in Toronto, Kinross is a gold mining company that operates in the U.S., Brazil, Chile, Ghana and Mauritania.

Separately, recently, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author.

TheStreet Ratings rates this stock as a "sell" with a ratings score of D. This is driven by several weaknesses, which we believe should have a greater impact than any strengths, and could make it more difficult for investors to achieve positive results compared to most of the stocks we cover. The area that we feel has been the company's primary weakness has been its disappointing return on equity.

You can view the full analysis from the report here: KGC
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Rescuers transport residents by boat as they evacuate the Golden Meadows subdivision due to rising floodwaters in Bossier Parish, La., Thursday, March 10, 2016. (Henrietta Wildsmith/The Shreveport Times via AP)
Yousif Shikhmous, migrant from Syria holding his baby named Merkkel in an improvised camp on the border line between Macedonia and Serbia near the northern Macedonian village of Tabanovce, Friday, March 11, 2016. About 1,500 refugees remain stranded at the Macedonian border with Serbia as the borders on the Balkan migrant route are closing. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
In this Feb. 2, 2016 photo, area residents gather around an aerial photograph of Fentress Naval Auxiliary Landing Field during a meeting at a school, in Chesapeake, Va. The military is beginning to check whether chemicals from its firefighting foam may have contaminated groundwater at hundreds of sites nationwide, according to the Defense Department. The Navy started handing out bottled water in January to people who work at Fentress. (Steve Earley/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)
The front of the former Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove and present day Horsham Air Guard Station is photographed, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Horsham, Pa. The military is checking whether chemicals from firefighting foam might have contaminated groundwater at hundreds of sites nationwide and potentially tainted drinking water, the Defense Department said. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, left, speaks with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., as Republicans and Democrats remain at an impasse over filling the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia last month, during a business meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 10, 2016. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the Mar-A-Lago Club where former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson announced he is endorsing Trump, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has called on Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez to condemn a suspected anti-Semitic murder of a Jewish businessman by a Muslim attacker in the country and for the authorities to swiftly investigate this incident and prosecute the perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law.

54 year-old David Fremd was stabbed various times in the back when he was about to cross the street in the city of Paysandu, near the border of Argentina.

The man, who was a member of the local Jewish community, later died in hospital.His son, who was with him and tried to defend him, was also injured.

Abdullah Omar, the perpetrator who has a criminal record, shouted Allah akbar while attacking Fremd. He was immediately arrested and was due to be brought to court on Thursday.

From what we have learned from the Uruguayan Jewish community, and given the nature of the incident, this attack appears to be a clear case of anti-Semitism, said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO.

President Vazquez must ensure the security and well-being of the Jewish community of Uruguay, as many may feel highly vulnerable in the wake of such a horror,Greenblatt said. We express strong solidarity with the Uruguayan Jewish community in the aftermath of this horrific attack.

A recent ADL poll in 100 countries found that 33 percent of those surveyed in Uruguay harbor anti-Semitic attitudes.

Around 15,000 Jews live in the country, mostly in the capital Montevideo.

More than 400 Jewish community leaders from around the world are expected to gather in Buenos Aires next week, as the World Jewish Congress (WJC) holds a special session of its Plenary Assembly, the organizations highest decision-making body.

Argentinas President Mauricio Macri will deliver a keynote speech at the opening event of the assembly, and Paraguays President Horacio Cartes will be awarded the Latin American Jewish Congress Shalom Prize for his support for Israel.

(Source: EJP)
Following reports Netsource decided to close down, which would result in some 300 frum women losing their source of income, the Histadrut national labor federation dropped it suit against Netsource.

YWN-ISRAEL reported earlier that the company has begun informing employees that it will be shutting down. The closure is reportedly in response to the Histadruts decision to file suit against Netsource, alleging the company is in violation of labor law concerning conditions for employees. It appears the labor federation is preparing to take its case to a labor court in the hope of preventing Netsource from continuing to fire employees.

However, as was reported earlier, officials close to Hillel Yaakobson explain nothing has changed and the business is being closed as was announced. Yaakobson indicated the decision was final and nothing done by the Histadrut would result in retracting the decision.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Cabinet ministers on Thursday, 1 Rosh Chodesh Adar-II were polled by phone regarding a planned trip to the United States next week by Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon. Minister of Agriculture Uri Ariel announced he will vote against it, explaining we are at war and the ministers place is here at home. Ariel explains he has no doubt the purpose of the trip is significant but he will nonetheless oppose it.

Ariel added for those who have not taken notice, terrorists are trying to kill innocent people daily, insisting now is not the time for Yaalon to travel but to remain in Israel to address the ongoing Palestinian terror.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
If there was still anyone with any doubt regarding the strained relationship between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US President Barak Obama, the US Presidents interview granted to The Atlantic Magazine adds a measure of clarity based on six hours of interviews with the American leader. President Obama spoke with correspondent Jeffrey Goldberg, who writes the Israeli leader was speaking in an arrogant tone.

In reference to a meeting between the two that took place in the Oval Office a number of years ago in which there was a sharp confrontation between the two. Goldberg writes PM Netanyahu was lecturing the US leader on the threats facing Israel until Obama cut him off and said Bibi, you have to understand something. Im the African American son of a single mother, and I live here, in this house. I live in the White House. I managed to get elected president of the United States. You think I dont understand what youre talking about, but I do.

Obama admitted that his Secretary of Defense during his first term, Leon Panetta, questioned why Israel should be permitted to maintain its qualitative military edge over allied Arab nations, to which President Obama explained failing to do so would be a moral failing for him as president. He added that despite Panettas viewpoint, this was never the case during his first or second term as Israel maintains its upper hand, granted access to Americas most sophisticated weaponry.

Obama explained his 2009 address in Cairo, which brought Israel to its heels. The president explained he was seeking to mend US relations with Muslims worldwide. The president stated Lets all stop pretending that the cause of the Middle Easts problems is Israel. The US leader explains he was hoping to trigger discussion that would lead to new Mideast realities and statehood for the PA (Palestinian Authority).

Regarding Iran, Mr. Obama said that if he saw evidence that Tehran was about to build an atomic bomb, an attack would have been ordered but this was not the case. Goldberg quotes the US leader saying I actually would have if I saw a break out.

Goldberg explained that while Obama wanted to prevent Iran from building a bomb, Netanyahu wanted to prevent Iran from possessing the capabilities to build one.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Bchasdei Hashem no one was killed or injured in a bomb attack against a vehicle traveling in the Southern Hebron Hills near Yishuv Otniel on Friday morning, 2 Rosh Chodesh Adar-II. The driver explains she saw a lone Arab male on the side of the road and then heard a powerful explosion.

She adds I knew it was a bomb of some type from the sound of the blast. There was damage to the guardrail and the vehicle as pieces of shrapnel entered the engine area. BH there were no injuries.

The driver continued to Otniel and then reported the incident.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo: Media Resource Group)
LINCOLN  It's a new twist on a familiar theme.

A panel of state lawmakers has shifted its focus back to Nebraska's nine-year-old property tax credit fund in an effort to satisfy farmers and ranchers' calls for lower tax bills.

That pool of money, which uses state funds to offset what property owners have to pay, has steadily risen to $204 million a year since it was created in 2007.

On Thursday, ahead of a four-day weekend, members of the Legislature's Revenue Committee discussed boosting the share of those credits that enter the pockets of agricultural landowners versus those with commercial or residential property.

Currently agricultural landowners receive about $82 million of the credits each year. Changes being considered could boost that figure $20 million to $30 million.

Committee Chairman Mike Gloor of Grand Island said renewed focus on the property tax credit fund is reasonable.

"Clearly it's still the simplest, most effective way to get money back to taxpayers," Gloor said.

The idea for ag-specific credits has surfaced as the committee considered rewrites to a piece of Gov. Pete Ricketts' property tax plan. Committee members had rejected original components of the bill (LB958) and other possible changes, saying they were either too complicated or had unintended consequences.

Boosting agricultural land credits is more simple and could essentially happen through two approaches: setting aside additional state money or steering more of the existing credits toward farmers and ranchers.

The first option would require finding or raising additional money  such as by upping the cigarette tax, something Gloor has proposed.

The second option would involve recalculating the way property tax credits are distributed.

Agricultural land is currently taxed at 75 percent of its actual value, and credits are based on that lower, taxable value. Using the higher, full value of farms and ranches for determining property tax credits would boost the amount of credits agland owners receive.

Either approach could require a new public hearing in the coming weeks.

Revenue Committee members will continue their discussions Tuesday.
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times

It is a complaint that a number of teachers have had of late  large class sizes. Some state categorically that a class size should never exceed 25 students. It is interesting to note that the issue is not only a matter of contemporary discussion, but is the subject of debate among Rishonim. The debate centers on how one understands the Talmudic passage in Bava Basra (21a).

RAMBAM VERSUS ROSH

The Rambam (Hilchos Talmud Torah 2:5) indeed writes that there should not be a class larger than 25 students unless an assistant is also procured. Once the class size reaches 40, it should be split into two classes.

The Rosh, however, disagrees with the Rambams reading and allows a class to reach up to 40 students. The halachos are discussed in Yore Deah 245, where the Mechaber rules like the Rambam.

The position of the Rosh is that from 40 students to 50 students an assistant should be procured. If the class size reaches above 50, however, the class should be divided into two.

A PRACTICAL THIRD POSITION

The Gilyon Maharsha (YD 245:15) cites the Emunas Shmuel that nowadays the hearts have shrunk and the figure of 25 is too large for a teacher to handle and the maximum size should even be less.

HOW WE RULE

The Tashbatz (1361-1444) rules like the Rambam as normative halacha.

Rav Moshe Feinstein ztl Igros Moshe (YD II #29) writes, as a matter of course, that nowadays the halacha is unequivocally like the Rambam and Shulchan Aruch that the limit is, in fact, 25 per class. This is also the view of the Piskei Din Rabaniim (Volume IX page 10)

The Shach seems to understand the issue as depending upon the nature of the student as well as the abilities of the teacher.

The Maharsha cites a fascinating hint in the posuk to this, where it states, Ko sevarchu es bnei Yisroel  thus shall you bless the children of Israel. The gematriah of the word ko is 25. The implication is that the children of Israel shall be blessed when we do not exceed class sizes of 25.

Interestingly enough in Israel, the Misrad Hachinuch has set certain guidelines that the minimum to open a class is twenty students and that a class can hold up to 40 students.

What does the scientific research say? Overwhelmingly study after study reports that all other factors being the same class size is perhaps the most important method of improving both long term and short term educational results.

GRADE LEVEL

In his book entitled HaKatan vHilchosav (Vol. I 3:32), Rabbi Boruch Rakovsky writes that the classes should be divided by age (or grade) level and not be mixed classes. The purpose of this is so that a uniform standard can be achieved. A ninth grade student cannot write at the level of an eleventh or twelfth grade student and they should not be mixed.

THE PROBLEM

So what is the problem? The problem is that it is also the absolute most expensive way of improving educational results. Think about it. Lets assume, for arguments sake, that a classroom teacher makes $50,000 for a full day of work. And lets assume that a particular grade in one school has 80 children. If they 80 students are divided into three classes of 27, 27, and 26 kids each the shared cost of the teachers salary alone is $1875 per child. However, if the 80 kids are divided into 4 classes of 20 the shared cost of the teachers salary alone is $2500 per child. The cost of the additional classroom is also not negligible.

Often, administrators are well aware of these extra costs and do put pressure on the principals to keep the classes larger.

What does New York City do?

The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) reports on class size twice a year with a preliminary report in November and an updated report in mid-February. This year, for elementary schools the class size average is 25.1, for middle schools it is 26.9 and for high schools it is 26.5.

The United Federation of Teachers in New York City actually has included a limitation on class size of 25 students per grade within their contracts. This, however, seems to be ignored by the city. Indeed, it has been ignored for a number of years already.

CLASS SIZE LIMITS ARE A COMMUNITY OBLIGATION

Going back to the Gemorah in Bava Basra, we learn that Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Gamla had instituted the community obligation to pay for and appoint teachers. The class limit of 25, according to most meforshim, defines the parameters of the community obligation.

Yet we still see that quite often Yeshivos do not adhere to the class size discussed in the Poskim. They are hampered by the fact that most of our communities are not structured in the manner that Rabbi Yehoshua Ban Gamla had arranged. Consequently, the funding to make this happen is quite often not there. Does the Yeshiva administration have the same obligation in this regard? Are they permitted to squeeze a 26th child or a 27th child in the classroom? It would seem that the adminstrators should still follow these guidelines.

Since the halacha seems to have been established in accordance with the Rambam and not the Rosh (notwithstanding the Misrad HaChinuch), this author would like to suggest that it only be done when one can follow the guidelines of the Shach. It should also not be done without input from an outside source who is not pressured by the financial considerations and yet understanding of the difficulties that a school faces.

The addition of just one or two more students can seriously undermine the education that the other students receive. This is the surveyed view of both teachers and students.

The author can be reached at [email protected]
For the likes of Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and Benjamin Disraeli, becoming an Honorary Freeman was a way for the Square Mile to pay its highest possible tribute.

It is the Citys award for the contribution they have paid to public life. In more recent times it has been bestowed on JK Rowling, Mary Berry and Dame Judi Dench.

But for ordinary folk like me there is a way to become part of this proud heritage and join this elite band  if only to discover some of the perks it bestows.

One is patrimony, which requires you to be the son or daughter of a Freeman  a test most of us are unlikely to pass.

Ruth becomes a Freeman of the City of London last month following in the footsteps of JK Rowling, Mary Berry and Dame Judi Dench

Another is the grim-sounding servitude, where you apprentice yourself to a guildsman. No thank you.

Finally, and this is the route I took, redemption, where you are nominated by two existing Freemen and, of course, pay a fee.

And so it was that when I received my Freedom, on a grey day last month, I was following in the footsteps of members of guilds or Livery Companies dating back to 1237.

The Freedom of the City of London today is largely symbolic, but Murray Craig, the clerk of the Chamberlains Court who performed my ceremony, tells me it used to be almost literally a licence to make money.

Back in the 13th century, the term Freeman meant what it said  someone who was not the property of a feudal lord but was at liberty to earn money and to own land.

Up until the 19th century, Freedom of the City gave members of a Guild or Livery  in my case the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers  the right to carry out their trade in the Square Mile.

The cartel-busting, free trade-loving Victorians did away with all those closed shops.

Even now, though, my framed Freedom certificate is accompanied by a small, red cardboard envelope, which people used to use to carry a copy around, like a driving licence, to prove their credentials.

So, in theory, I could still set up my printing press in the Square Mile, or these days, more likely my website.

In return for their trade privileges, Freemen had to sell good quality goods  no mouldering meat or hard bread, so the guilds also acted as an early version of trading standards.

The court room in which the ceremonies are performed is full of memorabilia, including the Freedom certificate presented to Princess Diana and a letter from Lord Nelson.

The grateful hero wrote from the Battle of the Nile to thank the Lord Mayor for making him a Freeman, sending the sword of the defeated French admiral, Armand Blanquet, as a token of esteem.

In the corner of the room is a model sheep  a reference to the piece of information most people associate with Freemen  the right to drive their sheep over London Bridge.

T HIS is not a myth. Freemen can in fact still do this, albeit only once a year in a charity event that is organised by the Worshipful Company of Woolmen.

Barbara Windsor, who was made a Freeman in 2010, last year herded her flock across the bridge as part of an effort to raise 40,000 for charity.

In the past, this was quite an important privilege, says Andrew Buckingham of the City of London Corporation.

The point was not so much that you could take your sheep over the bridge, but that you did not pay the toll, meaning you would see a much bigger profit margin when you got them to Smithfield Meat Market or the Wool Exchange for sale.

And it wasnt just sheep: you could take cattle, pigs, hens and geese. Sheep were the most important animals, however, because in the past the cloth and wool trade was a key industry for the English economy.

Apart from that, Freemen had a number of dubious privileges, including the right to be hanged with a silk rope if they committed murder or treason  much preferable, naturally, to the type of rough ordinary rope used to hang criminals of lower social status.

Freemen were allowed to traipse the City with their sword drawn, to defend themselves from pickpockets, and they were exempt from the press gangs because their skills were considered too valuable for them to be put to sea.

None of these, mercifully, need apply today, but Ive heard of one privilege which could come in handy after a boozy City dinner  Freemen, apparently, are allowed to be drunk and disorderly without fear of arrest.

Its actually better than that, says Andrew Buckingham. You can be drunk and disorderly and granted a safe passage home.

Im not a drinker, but if I did get tiddly, would a watchman have to call me an Uber, or pour me into a black cab? Would he have to pay the fare, too?

Well, maybe in theory. I dont know if there is much or any truth in these things, or if they are just myths.

There is a serious side. As well as the certificate, Murray Craig hands me a small red book entitled Rules For The Conduct Of Life, written in the 18th Century by Lord Mayor John Barnard for apprentices who became Freemen.

It gives timeless advice on subjects such as how to be helpful without meddling, and how to manage a big workload that could come in handy when Im facing multiple deadlines.

From having been a licence to make money, one of the most important functions these days of the Guilds and Livery Companies is to give it away.

The Stationers Foundation, for instance, raises money for education, including Saturday schools for disadvantaged children in the capital and the Stationers Crown Woods Academy in South-East London.

It also supports the charities of the Lord Mayor and Corporation of London, along with the Royal Marines.

One tradition that does still exist is that Liverymen can vote for the election of the Lord Mayor of the City of London. Not Boris Johnson, who is of course Mayor of London, but Jeffrey Evans, who became the 688th person to wear the red robes, frilly blouse and plumed hat in November.

Even in the distant past, the City was seen as a place apart from the rest of the country.

William the Conqueror decided not to live up to his name and try to vanquish it  he took the measure of the wily financiers in situ and instead decided to come to an accommodation with the vaste and fierce populace.

Even then, it seems, those in charge were as wary of upsetting the City as our politicians often are today.

William granted the Square Mile a charter in 1067 making it the longest continuous democratic commune in the world, something the Occupy protesters might have reflected upon.

The Freedom of the City might seem like a piece of outdated flummery.

To me, though, it is a reminder that the Square Mile is not only about greed and skulduggery  and sadly, in my career so far, I have written thousands of words about that. There is also a much nobler tradition of pride in ones job, ones skills and in doing business properly.

The City has been the beating heart of commerce for centuries and has played a huge role in the creation of modern Britain, making us the open, innovative global trading nation we are today.
The battle for the London Stock Exchange intensified yesterday as its German suitor strengthened its hand by raising a potential war chest of nearly 800million.

LSE Group  one of the three pillars of the City of London  is in talks about a proposed 20billion merger with Deutsche Boerse that would hand control to its Frankfurt rival.

But the owner of the New York Stock Exchange  American giant Intercontinental Exchange Group  is thought to be considering a counterbid.

LSE Group  one of the three pillars of the City of London  is in talks about a proposed 20billion merger with Deutsche Boerse that would hand control to its Frankfurt rival

In a move that was seen as an attempt to bolster its bid, Deutsche Boerse yesterday agreed to sell its US options exchange operator International Securities Exchange for 770million to Nasdaq.

Analysts at brokerage Equinet said the deal gave the Germans additional cash to increase its offer for LSE Group in the event of a takeover battle for the British institution.

Deutsche Boerse wants to create a European trading powerhouse to compete with its US rivals.

But it is feared that the merger with LSE Group will see London cede control and jobs to Frankfurt, given that Deutsche shareholders will control 54.4 per cent of the combined company.

There will be dual headquarters in London and Frankfurt and the board will have equal representatives from Deutsche and LSE.

But as well as having a controlling stake, Deutsche boss Carsten Kengeter has been lined up to be chief executive.

LSE Group boss Xavier Rolet has added to the concerns of those opposed to the deal by offering to retire to ensure it goes through.
Pub chain JD Wetherspoon saw its profits dip in the first half amid increasing staff costs and warned that high taxes for the industry and a rise in the minimum wage weighed on the groups outlook.

Wetherspoon's chairman Tim Martin lamented the continuing tax disparity between supermarkets and pubs as he also revealed the group paid 333million in tax in the first half, an increase of 9.4 per cent on the same period a year earlier.

Martin also joined the lines of European Union sceptics as he said he was in favour of a 'Brexit' following this June's key referendum on EU membership.

Falling profits: JD Wetherspoon said margins at its pubs had been hit by higher staff costs and high taxes

'All major powers should be permanently retained by national parliaments with a free vote for everyone, a free press, free courts, freedom of speech and religion, and with the church playing a symbolic role only in the constitution,' he said.

Wetherspoon reported a 3.9 per cent fall in pretax profits to 36million for the six months to the end of January after its costs increased by 7.5 per cent to 740.8million.

PUBS ADJUDICATOR UNDER ATTACK FOR LINKS TO LARGE PUB FIRMS The Government has come under attack for appointing a pub adjudicator with links to large pub companies. Liberal Democrat MP Greg Mulholland warned in the Commons that the Government risks making a 'laughing stock' of the new role given to Paul Newby, and questioned the appointment process as "extremely dubious". Business minister Anna Soubry strongly defended Mr Newby after announcing he is to be the country's first adjudicator governing the relationship between large pub-owning businesses and their tied tenants in England and Wales. But Mr Mulholland said the chartered surveyor's background as a director for property valuer Fleurets, working on behalf of pub companies or 'pubcos' Enterprise Inns, Marston's Brewery and Punch Taverns, results in a 'clear conflict of interest.' Steve Kemp, national officer of the GMB union, said: 'This appointment is the mother of all stitch-ups. 'An adjudicator is someone who needs to be impartial and without baggage, not closely linked to the pub companies as Mr Newby is, as a director of Fleurets. 'The Government has failed miserably at the first hurdle and GMB calls on ministers to appoint somebody much more suitable to the job.' Ms Soubry said: 'He has a wealth of experience in arbitration and is sensitive to the challenges that the pub industry faces. 'The pubs code will ensure the 12,000 tied tenants of the six largest pub-owning companies can secure a fair deal and a better livelihood.'

This was despite its revenues rising by 6.2 per cent to 790.3million, with like-for-like sales 3.7 per cent higher and total sales up 5.7 per cent during the period.

In the first six weeks of its second half, Wetherspoon said its like-for-like sales increased by 3.7 percent and total sales were up 5.7 percent it said on Friday.

In morning trade, Wetherspoon's shares added 6.25p to 698.25p.

Wetherspoon, which runs almost 1,000 pubs in the UK, had already warned earlier this year that its profits would come in lower amid rising staff costs.

Mr Martin said: As previously highlighted, the biggest danger to the pub industry is the continuing tax disparity between supermarkets and pubs.

There is a growing realisation among politicians, the media and the public that pubs are overtaxed and that a level tax playing field will create more jobs and taxes for the country.'

He added that while the pubs group expected a reasonable outcome for the full year, with the Governement's new National Living Wage adding to cost pressures, its forecasts remained uncertain and there was still potential downside pressure moving through the year.

Wetherspoon, which employs 37,000 staff, said it had raised wages by an overall 13 per cent since October 2014.

In his Summer Budget in July last year, Chancellor George Osborne announced the introduction of the National Living Wage, which will beset at 7.20 an hour for over 25s from this April, rising to 9 an hour by 2020.

EU view: Wetherspoon's chairman Tim Martin said he was in favour of a 'Brexit' following this June's key referendum on EU membership

Anna Barnfather, equity researcher at broker Panmure Gordon, said the challenge faced by Wetherspoon was its limited ability to put prices up due to its one brand strategy and focus on value.

She said: This high volume/value proposition is losing traction with consumers and has made the business more labour and capital intensive and contributed to the dilution in margins.

With the Living Wage adding to the cost pressures, visibility on forecasts remains uncertain and we believe there is still potential downside pressure moving through the year.

Analysts at Numis shared the same view. [] the company is not able to put prices up or make productivity improvements to offset all the higher costs, and further cost pressures are inevitable, they said.

Wetherspoon has opened 5 pubs so far this year and plans to open a further 15, down from 24 last year. It said it also planned to complete the sale of 20 leasehold pubs, which went on the market in July last year, and dispose of a further 34.

This latest batch of pub sales, which were put on the market in November 2015, is expected to net the company 38million. It has sold two so far and expects more will be sold in the remainder of the year.

Rival Marston, which owns Pitcher & Piano, has been more upbeat.

Earlier this year it said sales over the key Christmas period jumped 5 per cent, which included taking 3million at the tills on Christmas Day for the first time.
The wheels came off at Tandem Group this week, as the mobility equipment maker revealed it might have been underpaying import duties.

The company is investigating several import duty classification codes used for certain Pro Rider and ESC products and discussing them with Her Majesty's Revenues & Customs.

The company is obtaining specialist advice but said it is not currently possible to accurately quantify the extent of any underpaid duty, if any; however, should any additional duty be due, the company will seek recovery of any underpayments and other losses from the sellers of Pro Rider and ESC in accordance with the agreements entered into at the time of purchase.

Underpaid tax: Designer, developer and distributor of sports and leisure products such as bicycles, Tandem Group revealed it might have been underpaying import duties

The issue with the HMRC was just one setback revealed in the company's bleak trading update. It also considers the mid-tier independent cycle market to be saturated and highly competitive, and as it does not have a large promotion cycles contract in 2016, its bicycles and mobility division is expected to have a bumpy ride this year.

The shares backtracked around 36 per cent this week.

Also taking a licking was cash-strapped collectibles firm Stanley Gibbons, which is close to closing an emergency fund-raising deal.

Shares started the week at 37.75p but had fallen to around 23.25p on Friday after the philatelists favourite revealed it was on the cusp of issuing shares at 10p a pop to raise around 13million.

Another company on the fund-raising trail was car dealer Vertu Motors, which placed 56 million shares at 62.5p each, raising around 35million to top up its war chest.

The share issue came hot on the heels of a pre-close trading update that revealed results for the year to the end of February will be ahead of market expectations once the numbers are totted up. Shares reversed around 9 per cent this week.

Things were not particularly AbFab for Abcam, the life science research tools provider, as it fell almost a quid on the week to around 587p.

Gloom: Collectibles firm Stanley Gibbons is close to closing an emergency fund-raising deal

Half-year results revealed a fall in pretax profit to 20.9million from 22million the year before, while chief operating officer Jim Warwick announced his intention to retire from Abcam by the end of the year.

Irish zinc-lead exploration firm Minco had some good news from m'learned friends, as the legal claim against it and two of its directors was dismissed by the English High Court.

The claim had been made by John Bennington Sears of Maidenhead, and Sippdeal Trustees of Manchester, claiming damages for alleged misrepresentation. The shares shot up almost 50 per cent on the week.

If an Irish company listed in London but focused on exploration in Canada is confusing to you, it might be wise to avoid trying to get your head around Telit Communications, an Israeli company listed in London that has its headquarters in Italy.

Monday's results were well-received, and the machine-to-machine wireless communication company allayed fears in some quarters about cash conversion.

In the medium term Telit is targeting gross research & development as a percentage of group revenue of 14 per cent, while for sales & marketing the target is 14 per cent and for general & administration costs it is 6 per cent.

As the group continues to scale-up, these costs will form a smaller and smaller proportion of revenues, whereupon the firm reckons it will start to generate 'significant' free cash flows.

We started with bicycles, but we'll finish with London buses  not always a good combination.

Investors clambered on board the Proxama bandwagon as the digital proximity marketing specialist saw its market value rise by around two-fifths as it announced it had joined forces with Google to provide live travel updates and advertising on London buses via Google's popular Chrome browser.

Passengers can use the service to see real-time route updates and status, as well as set a reminder notification as they approach their chosen stop, according to their exact location on the bus route.
Facts: A prospective lender client was considering a high-dollar commercial loan to be documented by a single promissory note secured by several mortgages in several states, including Indiana. In the event of a default under the note, the lawsuit to enforce the note  the action to obtain the judgment under the note  would not be in Indiana.

Issues: The lender generally wanted to know whether the Indiana mortgage would be enforceable. Since Indiana law requires mortgages to be foreclosed in the county where the mortgaged real estate is located (Ind. Code 32-30-10-3), one of my first questions was how, if at all, could the Indiana mortgage be foreclosed, given that the action on the note would be pursued in a different state? My next thought concerned how any Indiana foreclosure action would be impacted by the promissory note case in the other state?

Statutes: I reviewed several Indiana statutes for answers, including I.C. 32-30-10 (Mortgage Foreclosure Actions) and I.C. 32-29 (Mortgages). According to my research, there are no statutes directly on point. None of the statutes contemplate what to do when there are multiple mortgages in different states securing a single note, although from experience I understand that a debt can be secured by multiple mortgages. Generally, the structure appeared to be sound. The enforcement of a default was the trickier matter. Other than I.C. 32-30-10-3 mentioned above, the only other instructive Indiana statute was I.C. 32-30-10-10, which says in pertinent part:

A plaintiff may not:

(1) proceed to foreclose the mortgagees mortgage:

(A) While the plaintiff is prosecuting any other action for the same debt or matter that is secured by the mortgage; [or]

(B) While the plaintiff is seeking to obtain execution of any judgment in any other action

(2) Prosecute any other action for the same matter while the plaintiff is foreclosing the mortgagees mortgage or prosecuting a judgment of foreclosure.

What I think this statute says is that a lender cannot, in one suit, pursue a judgment under the promissory note while at the same time, in a separate suit, foreclose the mortgage securing the note. The two actions must occur simultaneously within the same case, or they must be done sequentially  with the note action first to establish the debt to be foreclosed. Having said this, as noted below, Indiana case law either interpreting or applying Section 10 is extremely limited. Further, its frankly unclear to me what the words matter or same matter mean in Section 10.

Case law: The good news is that there are five Indiana Supreme Court cases that deal with the concepts in Section 10, and one of those cases actually cites to an older version of the statute. The bad news is that all of the five cases are from the 1800s. Assuming the 21st Century courts follow the 19th Century decisions, a lender should be able to obtain a judgment on a note without abandoning its mortgage lien on the mortgaged premises. In other words, recovery of a judgment on a debt is not a bar to a subsequent action to foreclose the mortgage. Moreover, a lender, holding a judgment on a debt, may proceed to foreclose the mortgage without going through the judgment execution process.

Conclusions: Indiana law appears to be settled that there can be two suits  one on the note and one on the mortgage  as long as the two suits are not pending at the same time. This principle seems to be supported by the Setree opinion, which I discussed last year - Full Faith And Credit: Indiana Foreclosures Die Was Cast By Kentucky Judgment. Referring back to the original issues above, my opinion is that the Indiana mortgage generally should be enforceable but that the Indiana foreclosure action cannot be commenced until after the entry of the out-of-state judgment on the promissory note. The unresolved question in my mind is whether the post-judgment Indiana foreclosure action could be prosecuted simultaneously with foreclosure actions in other states.

If you are aware of any case law to the contrary or have litigated these matters previously, please post a comment or email me at john.waller@woodenmclaughlin.com. Id be curious as to any thoughts or input.

Now, back to March Madness.




1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand.

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike.
Part of the 24 members of the Pelepele Dance Group.

MBABANE  Alliance Francaise in collaboration with Pelepele cultural dance group will host a dance competition during the Francophonie festival.



This will be the first time for the annual festival to host a dance competition which will see the winner join the renowned Pelepele dance group.

Confirming the details was Public Relations of Tall Tree, Vusi Dlamini who are responsible for the event management. We want to involve the youth as well in all art forms and Pelepele has toured overseas and given the theatrical dance genre in Swaziland, a platform to be recognised.

We encourage all individual dance crews and groups of less than ten people to come join the dance competition, said Dlamini. Registration fee will cost E150 and there will also be a cash prize of E 1 000 to be won by the winning team .



The annual six-day festival is set to start on Monday March 14, 2016 till March 19, the Francophonie Festival is an event purposed for the celebration of cultural diversity among the different nations globally.

It is an international event celebrated in all the countries recognising the French language, and this year it will be celebrated for the third time in the kingdom. This is an all age accommodating event which comes with a surprise package of performances by local artists and during the event, people will get to know more about the Francophonie event, added Dlamini.
MANZINI  Twenty two cleanest premises were yesterday officially recognised and awarded by the Municipal Council of Manzini.



The businesses were urged to display the awards conspicuously in their businesses so that customers were able to identify them.

To those who did not win, council says this is no time to despair but work harder towards the improvement of hygiene in their premises.

The Municipal Council of Manzini recently conducted an intense health inspection of all premises in the city; including businesses, churches and residences.

The objective was to rate these in terms of cleanliness. Similar awards will be held this time next year, Manzini City Council Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mathokoza Thwala said.
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By Patrick Donachie

Community Board 11 has alerted the mayors office about several Bayside businesses that it suspects are engaged in illegal and unlicensed activities.

Chairwoman Christine Haider made the announcement at the boards monthly meeting Monday night at Middle School 158. Susan Seinfeld, the boards district manager, later said that the suspected businesses were primarily spas and massage parlors.

Though Seinfeld did not comment on specific businesses, she said the board had forwarded as many as 12 addresses to the mayors office. She also said the community informed board members about what addresses should be forwarded.

The community was suspicious by the look of the locations, she said. Several times people have come up to us.

On another front, Seinfeld said that area day-care centers were mostly licensed and legal, despite increased attention on the issue in the community and city. According to Seinfeld, Bayside residents often alert the board when they notice a day-care center in a private residence. Centers are allowable in private homes, provided the center is licensed.

We look them up to make sure theyre duly licensed, she said. We havent wound up with a problem with day care.

A representative for the mayor also spoke briefly at the meeting, encouraging board members and citizens to be on the lookout for suspect businesses and illegal day-care centers.

During the meeting, Capt. William McBride from the 111th Precinct reported that while there had been an increase in grand larcenies this year due to identity theft and credit card fraud, he disputed the assertion that there had been a spike in instances of tire theft. He attributed that perception to increased attention on social media.

The community board debated the renewal of a previously granted variance permitting the Staples supply store at 209-30 Northern Blvd. to operate. A resident who lived near the store complained about the frequency of deliveries conducted throughout the night in the rear parking lot. The variance was approved for recommendation with conditions, with the board requesting that late-night deliveries be discontinued.

The board tabled the decision about a new Italian fusion restaurant at 189-11 Northern Blvd., with Haider saying she would be uncomfortable approving the variance without more information about hours of operation, the number of seats the restaurant would have and whether it would operate with a full liquor license.

Finally, the owners of the Helms Bros. shop at 207-22 Northern Blvd. applied to renew their variance with an amendment permitting an auto showroom with parking for customers and emloyees in the rear. Board member Henry Euler said he would be voting against the variance because of what he called a glut of similar shops in the area.

This particular block is saturated with auto, he said. Theres going to be more traffic.

The motion eventually passed with a vote of 18-11 with conditions. At the conclusion of the night, the board held elections. Haider, First Vice Chair Laura James, Second Vice Chair Ocelia Claro and Third Vice Chair Eileen Miller all retained their posts.
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By Gabriel Rom

Former state Comptroller Alan Hevesi still enjoys a good debate.

Speaking at the Central Queens Y in Forest Hills, Hevesi, who was jailed for corruption in 2011, gave a lively, and at times combative, hour and a half talk on the state of American politics.

The 75-year-old ex-lawmaker, who began a 35-year political career as Forest Hills assemblyman opened his remarks by making it clear that substantive, often complex, debates on national issues have been dropped this election cycle, while juvenile showmanship rule the airwaves.

We arent having debates and debating is part of politics, he said at the Monday lecture.

From FDRs court-packing scheme to Trumans steel-seizure, Hevesi enumerated the powers of the president and the limits of those powers.

Because of the U.S. Supreme Courts ability to check the president, Antonin Scalias death stood out to Hevesi, noting that the late chief justice was brilliant, funny and extremely self-confident. The audience, mostly older and mostly Democrat, murmured in quiet disapproval.

Because of the importance of the ninth judge, the election is now not just about the president but the tenor of American law for the next two decades, he said.

As the lecture continued, Hevesi goaded the audience to engage with him.

Youre all I get since Im retired, he said.

The audience seemed more keen to argue with his political beliefs than with his political past as the only mention of Hevesis extensive legal problems came from Hevesi himself.

Hevesi said his political allegiance was with fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton, he believed she would ultimately win the presidency in a landslide. Explaining his past with Clinton, Hevesi said that when I got into my trouble, which no one has mentioned because you are all very polite, Hillary stood by me.

Hevesi resigned as state comptroller in December 2006. A plea deal spared him time behind bars for having a state driver chauffeur his ailing wife. Clinton was the U.S. senator from New York.

In October 2010, he pleaded guilty to investing $250 million in pension funds with the private equity firm Markstone Capital Partners in exchange for $1 million in gifts, campaign donations and paid trips to Italy and Israel.

He went on to make a case for increased regulation of guns while he probed the audience to consider their abortion beliefs more carefully.

He really shouldnt be talking about this, a woman muttered.

What is he, a doctor? another said.

Hevesi contended that the point of having such uncomfortable discussions was to raise issues that werent being debated.

I dont know what better defines the complexity and intricacy of lawmaking more than the abortion questionand itll never go away, Hevesi retorted.

Upbeat throughout, Hevesi expressed confidence in the resiliency of the American political system.

Understand that even with all this ugliness, on January 20, the new president is inaugurated, and the former president who controls the worlds strongest military will shake his hand and go off as a private citizen. Where else does that happen?

When asked after the debate whether he had any aspirations to rejoin political life, Hevesi shook his head no.

Id rather hug my grandkids.
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By Madina Toure

Two Jamaica-raised baristas at the newly opened Starbucks in Jamaica, David Merrick and Nigel Armstrong, who met barely a month ago but have already branded themselves the dynamic duo, are excited the store will offer job training for youth in the community.

Starbucks held a preview opening for its new store at 89-02 Sutphin Blvd. Monday, the first of at least 15 stores that will open throughout the United States to hire and train youth in diverse and urban communities. The store officially opened Tuesday at 6 a.m.

The store includes an onsite classroom space available to local nonprofit organizations to provide job training and skills building programs for young people in the area.

It is part of the chains goal of hiring 10,000 opportunity youth, 16- to 24-year-old individuals who are not in school and not employed.

Merrick, 23, who volunteers for LIFE Camp founded by Erica Ford, said the initiative will give kids an alternative study spot to the library and keep them occupied.

Honestly, I feel like its a good thing because as a kid, you kind of dont learn whats going on at a young age, he said. So this is definitely a way to get kids at 16 and 17 off the streets and actually introducing them into the workforce and the work environment.

For Armstrong, 20, the store will be a home away from home for kids in the area.

I know theyre going to have a lot of youth coming in and out of here, so to make that connection with them is going to be really big, he said. I feel like theyre going to be looking to us for guidance. I feel like its going to be really big for us and for the youth.

Alisha Wrencher, the store manager, who has worked for Starbucks for 18 years and was born and raised in Jamaica, handpicked all 17 employees, who range in age from 16 to 36 and hail from Brooklyn, parts of Queens and Jamaica in the Caribbean.

I know how much this store can do to create a brighter future for our opportunity youth and am honored that Starbucks chose me to lead this new store, Wrencher said.

Borough President Katz, who has launched the Jamaica Now Action Plan to revitalize Jamaica, praised the selection of the borough as the beta site.

We understand that this is a prototype for the rest of the nation, but just to be clear: It started in Queens, Katz said, her words met with applause from the crowd.

Starbucks has partnered with the Queens Community House, Queens Connects lead agency, and YMCAs Y Roads Centers, which will be utilizing a dedicated training space within the store specially created by the Starbucks design studio.

The Jamaica store is the first in a nationwide initiative Starbucks announced last year to deepen investments in at least 15 similar U.S. communities by 2018 by opening stores with the goal of creating new jobs and engaging local women and minority-owned vendors and suppliers. The next location will be in the West Florissant neighborhood of Ferguson, Mo.

One of the things that weve learned over the time is that we cant do it alone, said Rodney Hines, director of community investments for Starbucks retail operations.

Candice Cadogan, a Brooklyn-born barista raised in Cambria Heights, and Jermaine Slater, a newly promoted shift superviser who was born in Jamaica in the Caribbean and raised in Jamaica, led a coffee tasting for Guatemala Finca Monte David, one of their small batch Reserve coffees.
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By Merle Exit

About five years ago, filmmaker Dan Hendrick was jammed into Broad Channels American Legion Hall with hundreds of residents, and could not believe what he was hearing.

At that meeting Hendrick, who is married to City Councilman Jimmy Van Brammer (D-Sunnyside), listened to community leaders discuss a proposal to add more runways to JFK Airport by expanding into Jamaica Bay.

The residents were furious, Hendrick said. Who in their right mind would expand an airport into a wildlife refuge? Why are we always the last to know? Why cant they just leave the bay alone?

So Hendrick, armed with indignation and a small crew of filmmakers set out to tell Jamaica Bays story.

On March 17, Saving Jamaica Bay will have its premiere as part of the sixth annual Queens World Film Festival. The screening will take place at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria.

I suppose this film means to stand up for Jamaica Bay, Hendrick said. Jamaica Bay has no place in the pantheon of great national parks. It has been dumped on, filled in, exploited and benignly neglected for decades. The bay is cleaner than it has been in generations, but there is so much more to do.

Roughly the size of Manhattan, 18,000 acres, Jamaica Bay includes islands, meadowlands and even two freshwater ponds. Protected from the Atlantic Ocean by the Rockaway Peninsula, Jamaica Bay is home to more than 325 species of birds, 50 species of butterflies and 100 species of finfish.

Not long after that meeting in Broad Channel, Hendrick and director David Sigal began working on the film.

We began filming in 2011 and finished all post-production in January 2016  so about five years, Hendrick said. I keep joking with everyone that finishing this film was like getting a college degree. It took as long and it cost as much.

Back when Hendrick worked as a newspaper reporter covering the area, he fell in love with Jamaica Bay and the people living on the water.

He was so enamored of the place that in 2006 he published Jamaica Bay, an Images of America book, detailing the history and people of the area.

So many people stepped up and helped us make this film  they contributed their time, their money, their family photos and videos and their opinions, Hendrick said. The reason we had such a helpful network of people is because of all the roots I put down as a reporter. And doing a book on the bay helped understand how it has changed dramatically over time. That was the first local history book devoted to the bay, just as Saving Jamaica Bay is the first full-length documentary about this very special place.

Narrated by Susan Sarandon, the opening trailer of the movie begins Jamaica Bay. Its a place youve probably never heard of. For more than a century its where New Yorkers put the things they didnt want. But make no mistake, Jamaica Bay is alive.

Hendrick, Sigal and members of the crew will be on hand for a post-screening discussion at the Museum of the Moving Image.

There Hendrick hopes to continue his mission to save Jamaica Bay.

Itd say it comes down to two words  educate and inspire. I cant tell you how many people Ive met in recent years who never heard of Jamaica Bay. And not only people living far away  people right here in New York City, Hendrick said. We want to show people what the bay is, who the people are and what challenges are ahead. And second, we want to inspire. Jamaica Bay faces so many challenges, especially after Hurricane Sandy. The more people who care about the bay, and are inspired by what they see, the better off the bay will be.

For Sigal, the future of the bay comes down to one question.

Can the bay be saved? Sigal asked. Its going to take a massive effort.
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By Bill Parry

A documentary about the murder of Julio Rivera, and the effect it had on Jackson Heights LGBT community, makes its world premiere Thursday at PS 69. It is the same school, at 77-02 37th Ave., where the notorious murder took place 25 years ago.

Filmmaker Richard Shpuntoff, who was born and raised in Jackson Heights, will screen Julio of Jackson Heights at 8 p.m. and host a discussion session with members of the Rivera family; Alan Sack, Julios friend and ex-lover who led the organizing efforts to find Julios murderers; and Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights), who played such a key role in the rise of the neighborhoods LGBT organizations.

Shpuntoff photographed and filmed the first 20 years of the Queens Pride Parade and in 2007, he decided to make the film.

The very first Queens Pride Parade seemed truly unbelievable at the time, Shpuntoff said. We arent talking about 50 or 100 years ago. This was just 25 years ago when gay men were afraid to come out and March in Queens, afraid for their lives.

Rivera was a gay Latino man living and working in Jackson Heights when he was set upon by a three-man hunting party from a skinhead gang, a tragic incident that sparked the coming out of New Yorks largest and until then mostly closeted LGBT community, Shpuntoff explained.

The police were not doing a proper investigation, which was the norm back then, he said. The murder of Julio Rivera was, unfortunately, not the first gay bashing murder in the neighborhood by any means. There had actually been a number of murders of gay men in similar circumstances during the 80s.

What was different was the communitys reaction. They formed organizations, such as Ed Sedarbaums Queens Gay and Lesbians United and Dromms Queens Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee, and real political traction began.

Weve come a long, Dromm said. If not for Julio, I dont know that the Queens movement would have gotten as far as it has.

Shpuntoff lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina now but he has been watching recent events in Jackson Heights where three high-profile attacks against the LGBT community have occurred since late November. The vicious beating of a transgender woman Nov. 29 led to several rallies in the community.

Unfortunately, we still have this kind of violence in Jackson Heights despite the progress we have made, but now the victims are largely trans women of color, Shpuntoff said. What is different today is the response, and this is a big change. When Julio was murdered in 1990, there was no public response. Zero. Not from the police, not from the politicians, not from the media. It took months of constant pressure to get the police to run a serious investigation. After Julio, whether you are talking about Edgar Garzon or the more recent cases of attacks on transgender women, the community now rallies in support on every level.

The suspect wanted in the trangender attack was tracked down by the NYPD in Knoxville, Tenn. He was arrested and returned to Queens, where he was charged with two counts of assault last month.

One of the things I aimed for the film to show is the work  the level of commitment and sacrifice  that is needed to change things for the better, Shpuntoff said. And I dont think this is any different today, even with social media, because you can post as much as you want on the Internet, but ultimately it is about getting people to come out on the streets and make their demands.

The world premiere of Julio of Jackson Heights is part of the 6th annual Queens World Film Festival which kicks off Tuesday at the Museum of Moving Image and three other venues where 143 films from 23 countries will be screened over six days. This year 29 of the filmmakers are from Queens.

For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.queen sworl dfilm festi val.com
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By Lenore Skenazy

One hundred years ago in Brownsville, Brooklyn, our modern era began. In a squat building that no longer exists, a pretty and soft-spoken mom named Margaret opened an office where women could get something theyd never been allowed to obtain before.

Birth control.

The place wasnt called Planned Parenthood in 1916.

It didnt really have a name, says Sabrina Jones, author of an upcoming graphic novel, Our Lady of Birth Control: A Cartoonists Encounter with Margaret Sanger.

Back then, the idea of preventing unwanted pregnancies was so new and controversial, even Sanger herself didnt expect to provide family planning to anyone other than families.

At the time, Brownsvilles population was predominantly Eastern European and Italian, so Sanger made her fliers in Italian, Yiddish, and English.

She assumed the clients would be mothers married with lots of children. Publicly, she never offered birth control to unmarried peoplethat was too far, says Jones.

Sanger didnt even seem like a revolutionary. Delicate and poised, she had three children of her own and had, for a while, been living a quiet suburban life up in Hastings. Her husband, a draftsman, worked for the architect Stanford White. Hed urged young Margaret Higgins to marry him while she was still in nursing school, because he was afraid that shed fall in love with a doctor.

Sanger complied, but soon grew restless. As Jones put it, She wanted a wider world. Wilder, too.

So in 1911 she moved to the Village and was soon mingling (and more) with the socialists and revolutionaries she met. Her new comrade, anarchist Emma Goldman, was probably the person who introduced her to birth control, and did so with an economic argument: Why is it that poor people, who cant afford more children, always have more of them, while the upper classes dont?

The wealthy had something the poor did not, and that something was contraception. Back then, family planning was still dicey and pricey.

Condoms were very expensive, says Jones. They were made out of sheep gut. People washed them and reused them.

Poor women rarely even knew about these. For them, the only birth control was abortion. Sanger worked as a nurse in the slums, where desperate women begged her to tell them the secret: How could they avoid having kids they couldnt feed, or the abortions they despised?

Legally, she wasnt allowed to tell them. Nobody was. Discussing birth control was against the law, as was dispensing it. When she finally decided to open her clinic, it was an act of civil disobedience, Jones says. Sanger went a step further and actually alerted the district attorney to her deed, because she wanted to go to court and get those laws thrown out.

The road to that goal was fraught with protest, prison, and a nearly lethal hunger strike on the part of Sangers sister. But in the end, the law cracked, and finally doctors were legally allowed to tell their clients about condoms.

Jones graphic novel tells that whole story along with the reason she felt compelled to write it. She woke up one morning, turned on the radio, and I heard the story of a young woman testifying before Congress about the need for contraceptive coverage in student health plans.

That woman, Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke, was immediately lambasted by Conservative Rush Limbaugh, who called her a slut and a prostitute.

She wants to be paid to have sex! Limbaugh told his listeners. Shes having so much sex she cant afford the contraception!

I was horrified that in 2012 a woman could still be shamed for advocating birth control, says Jones. When I came of age, birth control was a done deal that had achieved near universal acceptance. All the battles were about abortion.

Realizing Sangers crusade was back in the crosshairs, Jones reached for her drawing boardliterally. Creating social justice comics is her standard M.O.

Her topics range from army recruitment wiles to Walt Whitman. My favorite is her book about mass incarcerationa graphic novel version of Marc Mauers Race to Incarcerate, which tells the story of how America came to imprison a bigger chunk of its population than any other country, including China and Iran. It is stunning in its clarity. Reading it feels like a punch in the gut.

Graphic novels have a way of making problems present in a way that simple paragraphs (like these!) cannot. Margaret Sanger had her clinic, Jones has her paintbrush, but they share the same mission: Freedom to live and to love.
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By Gabriel Rom

The 100th Precinct in Queens is reeling from two tragedies in as many weeks.

Capt. Matthew Hanrahan, a 22-year veteran of the NYPD, died Tuesday, after suffering a heart attack in late February.

He served as the executive officer for the 100th Precinct which covers the Rockaway peninsula.

Hanrahans death comes just two weeks after Police Officer Vincent Harrison, 25, of the 100th Precinct died in a car crash in New Jersey.

Few officers were as dedicated to Rockaway as Capt. Matthew Hanrahan, said state Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Howard Beach).

With both the 100th and 101st Precincts, Capt. Hanrahan served our community with honor and distinction. Today I join our police officers and families across Rockaway in mourning his passing. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.

After Harrisons death, Goldfeder said the twin tragedies encourage us to remember the quiet, fragile humanity of the men and women in blue who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe.
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By Bill Parry

A Corona man was arrested and charged with attempted murder Friday in a subway shoving incident over the weekend, according to the NYPD.

George Puatt, 38, was tracked down by detectives from the 115th Precinct, after he was caught on surveillance cameras rushing out of the 103rd Street-Corona Plaza station Saturday. Puatt allegedly pushed a 17-year-old victim off the Manhattan-bound platform, according to police.

The motorman spotted the victim and slammed on the brakes as the teenager was able to squeeze herself between the platform and the wheels of the train, according to the NYPD.

The victim was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center with only minor injuries to her ribs, according to police.

Puatt, a resident of 42nd Avenue in Corona, is awaiting arraignment on charges of second-degree attempted murder.

It was great to hear that the suspected Corona subway-pusher was arrested, state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) said. I want to applaud the police for the investigation that led to the quick arrest of the suspect.

Noting that more than 100 people are struck by subway trains each year, and dozens of those individuals are killed, Peralta introduced a bill in the state Senate earlier this year that would direct the MTA to improve subway riders security. His legislation is currently in the Transportation Committee.

My proposal would require the MTA to examine all viable options to make our subway transit system safer for its riders, including one to study the feasibility of installing sliding doors on subway platforms, Peralta said. The MTA should also look at the possibility of installing more security cameras and making sure that ones that are in place are operational.
Airport development adding to economy, jobs in the region

Pittsburgh may always be known as the Steel City, but a wave of new industries are popping up near its airport to redefine business in the region.
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LONDON (AP)  Anheuser-Busch InBev has agreed to sell SABMiller's stake in China's Snow Breweries for $1.6 billion to ease regulatory concerns about the merger of the world's two biggest beermakers.

AB InBev says it agreed to sell SABMiller's 49 percent stake in Snow to China Resources Beer Co., which owns the rest of China's largest brewer. The deal is contingent on the completion of AB InBev's 69 billion pound ($106 billion) takeover of SABMiller.

The sale will ease concerns that AB InBev, which is already China's third largest brewer, would have a stranglehold on the lucrative Chinese market.

AB InBev, which makes Budweiser and Corona among other brands, says the sale is part of an effort to "proactively address regulatory considerations," surrounding its merger with SABMiller.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Yellow police tape

The death of a 34-year-old woman in Bryson late last year has been ruled accidental, the Jacksboro Herald-Gazette reported Thursday.

Elizabeth Eanes likely was killed in December as a result of the toxic effects of methamphetamine with a significant contributing factor of possible hypothermia, the newspaper reported.

Eanes was reported missing from her Bryson home on Dec. 29 after no one had seen her since Dec. 27, the date of a strong winter storm.

Her body was found on Dec. 30 and sent to the Dallas County Medical Examiners Office.
SHARE Times Record News file About 5,000 festivalgoers will descend on downtown Wichita Falls Saturday donning a bit of green for the St. Patrick's Day Downtown Street Festival. Times Record News file It will be hard to rain on anyone's parade Saturday during the St. Patrick's Day Downtown Street Festival, which touts a luck-o'-the-Irish seven bands on the outdoor stage and inside the Iron Horse Pub. Also look for an expanded children's area with sidewalk chalk, a bubble station and bounce house, to name a few. Times Record News file While bands rock the outdoor stage at Saturday's St. Patrick's Day Downtown Street Festival, other festivities will offer ample distraction, such as the St. Patrick's Day Downtown Dash 5K (starting at the Downtown Farmers Market), food trucks, specialty vendors and children's events, such as a bubble station and bounce house. Ian Moore, once hailed as the next Stevie Ray Vaughan, can play a mean guitar, which hell do at the St. Patricks Day Downtown Street Festival March 12. Hell be at the St. Paddys Fest with his band Lossy Coils. Contributed image Related Coverage Celtic Aire delivers reels, jigs and Beyonce

By Lana Sweeten-Shults of the Times Record News

A wee celebration will be going on this weekend, thanks to the St. Patrick's Day Downtown Street Festival.

The festival makes its return from 3 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Saturday at Eighth Street and Indiana Avenue with a slew of bands aiming to whip crowds into a celebratory frenzy.

Count on the luck o' the Irish when seven bands rock the festival, some of them on the outdoor stage and others inside the Iron Horse Pub.

Headliner Ian Moore will bring some musical relevance to the event.

Moore, the onetime Austin guitarist who critics and fans heralded as the next great guitar god after Stevie Ray Vaughan, did a little world hopping when he was growing up. He lived in Berkeley, California, as well as Mexico and India, moves necessitated by his father's job as a linguistics and Eastern studies scholar.

His debut album in 1992 produced three Top 20 Modern Rock hits, including "Harlem." And he has opened shows for the Rolling Stones, ZZ Top and Bob Dylan. He also made a cameo in Dwight Yoakam's garage band in the film "Sling Blade."

Moore said he, never did want to be a Stevie Ray Vaughan II.

"I never was a guitar hero in my mind," he told the Times Record News in an interview in 2000, and has focused on just playing records he likes.

He will be at Saturday's St. Paddy's Fest with his five-piece touring band, the Lossy Coils.

"At the risk of sounding arrogant, it's a pretty unique band. We have what I think are some really smart songs, and there's a lot of interesting instrumentation and instrument play," he said in a March 4, 2016, Times Record News article. "The song structures come from years and years of studying great songwriters like the Kinks and Big Star and Leonard Cohen."

Also expect a set by the Dirty River Boys on the outdoor stage, as well as Bigloo and Shannon Folk.

The Dirty River Boys, named after the Rio Grande, near their hometown of El Paso, are known for their hard-driving, roots-acoustic sound. The guys have opened for the likes of Willie Nelson and have played the legendary Gruene Hall.

The band's latest CD is a self-titled offering.

"We let all of our influences show," Dirty River Boy Marco Gutierrez said in a news release. "So we really have trouble saying 'This is rock' or 'This is country' or whatever. And we're not Texas country, either, even though we get thrown in there. Americana is really what it is, because it's a melting pot of music."

Bigloo, meanwhile, is reuniting at the St. Paddy's event after an eight-year hiatus. One of Wichita Falls' stalwart bands, the group made up its name at the last minute before a gig, when one of the band members saw an Igloo cooler sitting on the ground and thought, 'Bigloo.' The band formed in 1996 and has played at popular club Antone's in Austin, along with the Gypsy Tea Room in the Dallas area. The group will deliver a big dose of fan-favorite songs at the festival, which marks the band's 20th anniversary.

As for purely Irish music concerns, Celtic Aire doesn't hail from Ireland, but the Air Force musical ensemble does love the genre.

The group's five members, who also are part of the Air Force Band's Singing Sergeants, dole out Irish reels and jigs, pub songs and Celtic versions of pop songs, such as Beyonce's "Single Ladies" gone rogue  and brogue.

The outdoor stage won't be the only place to catch a bonny tune or two.

"We'll have three bands inside the Iron Horse Pub  Texas Blues Runners, Shannon Folk and AA Bottom," Downtown Wichita Falls Development Assistant Director Jeanette VanDonge said.

Returning to the St. Patrick's Day Festival stage after a few years' absence will be Shannon Folk, the one band performing on both the outdoor and indoor stages. The group first performed at the event in 2003. Band members are friends of Iron Horse Pub co-owner and Tipperary, Ireland, native Daniel Ahern. The band hails from Killaloe in County Clare, right across the River Shannon from Tipperary.

True to its name, Shannon Folk specializes in traditional Irish folk music  the kind about great battles and great loves. The band, which formed in 1967 when groups such as the Dubliners became popular, includes everything from "The Wearing of the Green" to the "Mountains of Mourne" on its repertoire.

"I love Texas music  I love Reckless Kelly. With Irish music, there are lots of connections there between the two," Shannon Folk's John Grimes told the Times Record News in 2008.

Texas Blues Runners and AA Bottom are both rocking bluesy bands with roots in Wichita Falls.

AA Bottom has shared the stage with the likes of Joe Ely, Eric Johnson, Ted Nugent, Loverboy, Three Dog Night, Miranda Lambert, Kevin Fowler and Willie Nelson, to name a few. The Texas Blues Runner, a group that plays "scorching original Texas blues" was formed in 2008 by Steve Crane, Charlie Rouzer, Mike O'Neill and Jesse Andrade.

Besides all the music, VanDonge said not to forget the St. Patrick's Day Downtown Dash, which begins before the gates open at 3 p.m. The 5K run gets going at 10 a.m. at the Downtown Farmers Market, Eighth and Ohio, and runners get a discount ticket to the festival and a T-shirt. Runners are encouraged to dress as St. Patrick's Day festive as possible.

"And what's new for this year is a kids area. We're offering them free stuff.  We'll have juggling, a bubble station, sidewalk chalk," Van VanDongue said.

Other children's features, such as a bounce house, will have a cost.

Also, look for food trucks to provide plenty of eats and specialty vendors to sell their wares.

Proceeds from the festival, helmed by Downtown Wichita Falls Development Inc., go toward the development of downtown.

"Part of the proceeds will go into the Zales (building) preservation. We're hoping it will be completed in April and ready to unveil."

VanDonge said the St. Patrick's Day Downtown Street Festival, an Iron Horse Pub event that was adopted by DWFD in 2006, is probably the largest fundraiser for the organization.

The group expects anywhere from 4,000 to 5,000 people to attend.

IF YOU GO



What: St. Patrick's Day Downtown Street Festival

Where: Downtown Wichita Falls, centered on Eighth Street and Indiana Avenue

When: 3-10:30 p.m. Saturday

Admission:$12 in advance; $10 in advance for students/military; $15 day-of admission; free for those 12 and younger.

Etc.:Presale tickets are available at the Sheppard Air Force Base ITT office, Market Street, United Supermarkets, the 8th St. Coffee House, the Iron Horse Pub, Downtown Wichita Falls Development office and online at downtownproud.com.

Information: 322-4525 or downtownproud.com



SCHEDULE



Outdoor Stage

3 p.m.: Gates open

3:15 p.m.: Celtic Aire

4:40 p.m.: Shannon Folk

6:10 p.m.: Dirty River Boys

7:40 p.m.: Bigloo

9 p.m.: Ian Moore and the Lossy Coils



Inside the Iron Horse Pub

6 p.m.: Texas Blues Runners

8:30 p.m.: Shannon Folk

10 p.m.: AA Bottom
SHARE Thomas

By Patrick Johnston, patrick.johnston@timesrecordnews.com

A Wichita Falls man scheduled to enter a guilty plea at the Wichita County Courthouse Thursday morning was arrested on a new charge.

Court documents reveal that Christopher Alan Thomas, 49, was facing 15 counts of possession of child pornography from a 2013 case.

He had agreed to a plea bargain for 10 years in prison for 14 counts to run concurrently, and 10 years community supervision on the final count, according to court documents.

However, Thomas was arrested when he arrived at the courthouse and charged with indecency with a child by sexual contact. Fifteen arrest warrants were issued Thursday for the child pornography charges, court documents show.

Details on the new charge will be released once Thomas has been read his rights by the magistrate and his bail set.

According to the arrest affidavits for the original charges:

On Jan. 10, 2013, United Regional Healthcare System contacted the Wichita Falls Police Department about an employee, identified as Thomas.

Hospital officials told officers Thomas was found manipulating an image on his work computer that they believed to be child pornography.

The computer was turned over to police and submitted to the North Texas Regional Computer Forensics Lab. During their investigation, multiple images of child pornography were found on the computer.

On Jan. 20, 2014, detectives reviewed the report and a warrant was issued for Thomas' arrest.
History is a set of lies agreed upon. The Dude
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By Patrick Johnston, patrick.johnston@timesrecordnews.com

One man is accused of throwing hot grease on another during an altercation at a Burkburnett home last week.

According to an arrest affidavit:

About 7:21 p.m. on March 5, Burkburnett police were called to the 200 block of West First Street to investigate a fight where one person had been burned.

When they arrived, officers saw a man standing outside the residence screaming with what appeared to be severe burns all over his body.

They spoke with Trentin Dail McReynolds, 43,  who also had burns on the right side of his neck, his right forearm and blood dripping from his right hand.

McReynolds told the officers he and the other man had been having issues for some time and the man had assaulted him multiple times in the past.

When asked about the incident that night, McReynolds said he was cooking when the man attempted to attack him from behind.

He said the man grabbed him, so he threw a pan of hot grease over his right shoulder onto the man. McReynolds said he was only protecting himself and the man was lucky he did not kill him.

A woman at the house confirmed the man had grabbed McReynolds and McReynolds threw the hot grease on him.

Burkburnett paramedics arrived on scene to treat the burns until an ambulance arrived to take both men to the emergency room at United Regional Health Care System in Wichita Falls.

The man was later transported to Parkland Hospitals burn unit in Dallas via helicopter.

McReynolds was booked into the Wichita County Jail early Thursday morning and charged with aggravated assault family violence.

He remained in Wichita County Jail Thursday afternoon in lieu of $10,000 bail.
Times Record News-File Photo The old Ohio Street Bridge over the Wichita River looks quain andn idyllic seen from the distance.

SHARE Times Record News-File Photo Ohio Street Bridge A marker tells the history of the old Ohio Street Bridge over the Wichita River. History buffs are trying to save and restore the century-old bridge, which has been closed to traffic/

By Ted Buss, Special to the Times Record News

Believe it or not, there is a common thread between California's Golden Gate Bridge and the modest 105-year-old steel structure that spans the winding Wichita River.

The Golden Gate was built in 1937 for the purpose of linking San Francisco in the south to its neighbors in Marin County near Sausalito in the north. Before '37, a ferry was used to transport travelers back and forth across the Pacific Ocean bay.

In 1911, the second link of the Ohio Street Bridge system was built near present day Berend's Landing. In a sense, it was a mirror image of the original structure that went up in 1886 but no longer exists. The first link was ruled unsafe for travel and was dismantled in 1972.

The purpose of the original bridge was to allow cowboys and Native Americans, farmers and drummers to venture from the north to trade in a budding young city to the south called Wichita Falls. As traffic grew and congestion clogged the bridge, the second span came about in 1911.

Before the bridges were constructed, the only way to cross the Wichita River was by ferry, just as it was before the Golden Gate. The difference being that the Golden Gate is 1.7 miles long and the Ohio Street Bridge is a mere 270 feet.

Now, just as the 1886 original, the remaining century-old link to Wichita County's infancy is weathering and badly in need of renewal. Unlike its predecessor, there is a dedicated effort to save this noble piece of North Texas history. Its location is the site where Comanche tribal members ventured down from Oklahoma and settled for weeks along the river's banks.

A $96,000 bridge enhancement grant application to the Texas Department of Transportation was rejected four years ago. However, it only served as incentive to move forward with stronger grant appeals to save the landmark and advance it as a significant recreational link to each side of the Wichita River.

"Not only is the historical significance of this bridge important, but it can be a wonderful part of our future," said Mark Beauchamp, current Wichita Falls traffic superintendent and newly-elected Wichita County Commissioner, Pct. 1.

"It is in line for funding and there are many people eager to save it. I believe we will get it done, and I believe the bridge will return to its original luster and become a center point for our area. It can become part of the trail system toward Sheppard, and I can see the potential for coffee shops, restaurants and small businesses around it some day."

History needs it and future generations will appreciate it. However, the city of Wichita Falls and Wichita County do not have the funds or grant money to save the structure. Ways and means continue to be an ongoing process among a large group of historians, civic and political leaders.

"The bottom line is to get a plan design completed, we need $80,000 to $100,000 to get 80 percent of the process started," said John Burrus, director of aviation, traffic and transportation. "Much of this deals with putting together a stronger grant application, and we have qualified people working on just that thing now."

Streams and Valleys and the Hotter'N Hell Hundred have both taken notice. Part of the initiative is to continue assembling volunteer groups to clean up the river, and make it compatible with a renewed bridge.

"It isn't easy," said Sandy Fleming, director of Streams and Valleys. "Groups do come and clean it up but then we have a big rain and it pushes debris back down river. It takes a continued effort."

"It's the same story," Burrus said. "We have to urge and educate people not to trash the river. I know we can do it and one day make the bridge a major part of our trail system both into downtown and toward Sheppard AFB."

Because environmental issues may be involved, it is possible the bridge could be lifted from its original foundation and taken aside to rebuild. All the support structures can be restored in place.

"I just don't see the city and county letting this bridge go away," Beauchamp said. "Its history is just too near and dear to our hearts. I see great opportunities for biking and jogging and assorted small businesses. It was once a central hub and can and will be again."

Burrus agreed. "We know what it is going to take, and one day we'll hit a home run."
FILE - In this Oct. 30, 2009 file photo, al-Shabab fighters sit on a truck as they patrol in Mogadishu, Somalia. Somalia's intelligence service cooperated with the U.S. in airstrikes that killed more than 150 al-Shabab members on Saturday, an intelligence official said Tuesday, March 8, 2016. The airstrikes targeted a forested military training camp run by the Islamic extremists 200 kilometers (124 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu, the official said, adding that the camp was al-Shabab's main planning base. He said Somali officials helped the U.S. to pinpoint the location of the militants' training base but did not give details. (AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor, File)

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By Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The United States carried out an aircraft and drone attack at Raso, Somalia, Saturday that killed a claimed 150 members of the militia group al-Shabab.

Administration officials said the strike was conducted in anticipation of an al-Shabab assault on American interests or the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia, which the United States finances and advises.

Americans should be troubled by the deadly attack for several reasons.

n Although the Pentagon claims there weren't any civilian casualties and that all of the victims were Islamic militants, that is hard to believe. The U.S. military acknowledged that the attack on the al-Shabab training camp occurred during a graduation ceremony. Were any civilians in attendance? Who knows?

n The assault is the latest U.S. military strike in a decades-long failed effort to install a sustainable government after the collapse of authority in Somalia in 1991. The collapse triggered a humanitarian crisis that led to many deaths from hunger and disease. The East African country now has an unelected government, protected by 21,500 foreign troops including U.S. Special Operations forces, that is under constant attack by al-Shabab.

n The effort to prop up Somalia has cost American taxpayers a lot of money, including the millions of dollars needed to maintain what has become a major U.S. military base in neighboring Djibouti, the former French Somaliland.

n Finally, and perhaps what should be the biggest concern for Americans, is that such a major attack on al-Shabab militants risks provoking a revenge assault on the United States. It would be foolish for the United States to imagine that such an attack could not occur.

If these concerns are sound, the next questions have to be, first, why was Saturday's attack carried out, and, second, why is the U.S. still involved in an expensive, unsuccessful effort in Somalia?
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$80,000 in survivor benefits stolen, authorities allege

ALBANY  A Glenmont woman is accused of stealing nearly $80,000 in Social Security survivor benefits by lying about her son's custody arrangements.

Tammy A. Grumme, 41, was arraigned Friday and charged with submitting false statements to the Social Security Administration from March 2011 to May 2013, according to U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and SSA Office of the Inspector General Special Agent-In-Charge Edward J. Ryan.

Authorities say Grumme falsely claimed her minor son, a surviving child, lived with her and that she was his caregiver. But in January 2011, an Albany County Court Judge awarded primary physical custody and sole decision-making authority of the boy to his grandparents.

An indictment alleges that based on the court order, Grumme's collection of nearly $80,000 in benefits for her and her son was fraudulent.

If convicted, Grumme faces up to 10 years in prison, a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of up to 3 years, and a $250,000 fine.

She was detained pending a trial scheduled for May 10 before U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Scullin Jr.

Bethany Bump

Woman charged in rifle incident

EAST GREENBUSH  Police arrested a town woman who allegedly stood with a rifle on the front porch of a house Wednesday morning.

Town police said a caller said Alicia A. Phelan, 40, was acting depressed and might need some help.

Police said Phelan appeared at the front door with a rifle. Police drew their weapons and Phelan went back into the house.

Police told Phelan to come out and said at one point Phelan fired a shot in the home. Ten minutes later she walked out and put the gun on a porch railing. She was charged with reckless endangerment, menacing a police officer, discharging a firearm in a restricted area and criminal possession of a weapon. Phelan was jailed pending a court date Monday.

 J.p. Lawrence

Man arrested in Feb. 21 wreck

EAST GREENBUSH  Town police arrested a Rensselaer man last week who fled a crash on Feb. 21.

Matthew Hallenbeck, 26, allegedly crashed a car at around 4 a.m. at Third Avenue Extension. Residents said a car flew off the road, broke a utility pole and caught fire. Neighbors said they saw two people leave the car and walk away.

Clinton Heights firefighters kept the fire from spreading to a home.

Three weeks after the crash, police identified and arrested Hallenbeck based on footage from residential security cameras. Hallenbeck was charged with reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, speeding and other charges, police said.

 J.p. Lawrence

Robbery charged in Dollar General heist

SCHENECTADY  A suspect in Thursday afternoon's robbery of the Dollar General at 1008 State St. has been arrested, city detectives said Friday.

Roberto Valentin, 45, began to try to steal merchandise and when an employee saw him and tried to stop him, Valentin struck the employee, threw her to the ground and fled, police said.

Valentin was arrested a short time later and charged with robbery and petit larceny. The store clerk was not injured.

 Staff report

Three accused of break-in attempt

SCHENECTADY  Three people are accused of trying to break in to at a Lenox Road home Thursday, city police said.

Christian Fernandez, 19, of Schenectady is charged with burglary and criminal mischief, and teen boys ages 15 and 16 were also charged. Fernandez was arraigned and jailed on $15,000 bail, The 16-year-old was also arraigned and jailed. The 15-year-old was referred to Family Court.

 Staff report

Moreau man, 22, facing heroin counts

SARATOGA SPRINGS  A 22-year-old Moreau man was arrested on drug charges, accused of selling heroin and "what he purported to be heroin" in and around Saratoga Springs late last year, city police said.

James F. Hall is charged with criminal sale and possession of a controlled substance and manufacture/sell/possess an imitation controlled substance. Hall was arraigned, but further information was unavailable.

 Staff report

Cop injured in chase in South Troy

TROY  A Troy police officer was hospitalized Wednesday for an injury sustained during the chase and capture of a parole absconder.

Police were trying to arrest Emmanuel Rivera, a parolee with a lengthy and sometimes violent criminal history, about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the area of Second and Madison streets when he led officers through alleys and yards. During the pursuit, an officer sustained a shoulder injury.

The injury was treated and the officer was released, but is unable to return to duty for some time, police say.

Rivera was jailed on a parole violation, and is facing more charges related to the pursuit, as well as another incident involving a parole officer earlier in the week.

 Bethany Bump
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LOS ANGELES (AP)  Officials believe P-22, a wild mountain lion that prowls Griffith Park, made a meal of a koala found mauled to death at the Los Angeles Zoo.

John Lewis, the zoo's director, said this week that workers found the koala's body outside its pen March 3.
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.
When Gov. Andrew Cuomo increased the goal for what percentage of state contract work should be fulfilled by minority- and women-owned businesses to 30 percent in 2014, women in the construction industry celebrated.

But the 30 percent mark also comes with a challenge: Minority- and women-owned business enterprises need to be found. So the Capital District Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction is holding its first showcase to get women-owned businesses in front of local contractors and state agencies on Tuesday.

"When (Cuomo) upped it, he upped it to 30 percent, and he's really trying to hit that number ... we were ecstatic," said Eileen Venn, owner of Mechanical Testing Inc. in Saratoga Springs and a board member of the local chapter of NAWIC. But she said she's also heard that number has been a big reach for big contractors.

"They're really struggling to meet these requirements, and there's a lot of frustration there," Venn said.

More Information Enterprise showcase What: New York State Women Business Enterprise Showcase presented by the Capital District Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction When: From 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday Where: The Century House, 997 New Loudon Road, Latham Cost: $40, includes appetizers and open bar; payment can be taken at door See More Collapse

The state has a database of certified MWBEs, which is searchable by field, but isn't always the most user-friendly, Venn said. The state has also held events for MWBEs to get them more exposure, but NAWIC's will be in a more intimate format. The group expects at least 20 exhibitors who have undergone the state's vigorous MWBE certification process, and some additional vendors.

"We're trying to get people that are not so well known out there so that contractors will have a list of availability. They can go online. They can go on and find out who is certified with the state of New York, but sometimes meeting someone face-to-face, checking on what they do and getting to hear a little bit more about them, I think that's really important," said Bobbie Young, president of RBM-Guardian Fire Projection Inc. in Albany and a founding member of the local chapter of the women in construction group, which started in 1979. "I've been doing this for a long time. ... It's been my experience that it's nice to meet someone and give your name and tell them who you are."

In 2011, about 10 percent of state contract work (measured in dollars) was done by MWBEs. By the end of 2014, that number had risen to just more than 25 percent (higher than Cuomo's then-goal of 20 percent). That's more than $1.9 billion in state work for MWBEs, the highest in the country.

The increased opportunities meant more business owners seeking MWBE certification, with 2,123 firms added between January 2011 and January 2014.

"I've seen such growth. When I started, this program was not in place," said Young, who started her company in 1975. "What I saw then, and what I see now is amazing, and it's helped a lot of women. Especially today, there seems to be a lot of single women with families (in the business), and I think it's helped them to some degree because they're able to run their own business, and at the same time, they're able to provide for their families."

The state aggressively audits all contract work to make sure that MWBEs were involved.

But the problem with reaching the 30 percent goal isn't always because of not knowing who's out there. Instead, the challenge may be that a lot of MWBEs tend to be smaller companies that won't be doing a large share of the work.

"I don't know if it's because a lot of us are smaller subs ... We would be less than 1 percent of the project," said Venn, whose company works on jobs that range in value from $300 to $600,000. "Would I help their minority goal using me? A little bit, but not much. That's the tough part  to find someone to do a significant piece of the project. They might use 25 percent of minority contractors, but it may only be 10 percent of the project because we're all small."

LeChase Construction, which is headquartered in Rochester but has a Schenectady office, has partnered with The Norwood Company to take on the Schenectady project, Rivers Casino & Resort at Mohawk Harbor, a $330 million investment. LeChase will be at the NAWIC showcase on Tuesday.

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Tom Porter, vice president and general counsel for LeChase, said 30 percent is an ambitious goal, so they have to be proactive about trying to connect with MWBEs.

"It takes creativity; it takes effort; it takes cost; and it takes commitment," Porter said. "And we believe our company is stepping forward with all of those ingredients to make our best efforts to meet that goal."

Some of the ways LeChase is doing that is having staff dedicated to MWBE outreach. They have conversations with MWBEs, as well, to see if they can stretch to work outside of their usual geographic region or have the capacity to provide additional services outside of their typical range to meet the needs of the project.

Porter said the company recently held its own showcase in the Capital Region specifically to introduce subcontractors who will be working with them on the casino project to MWBE businesses and foster those relationships.

"Thirty percent of a large number is also a large number, so you may need to use many, many smaller firms to get there, and that's not the typical way construction would work. In a private market, you would tend to subcontract to bigger firms," he said. "To try to figure out how to get enough participation in a large project, it's still very challenging and takes a lot of effort."

Find stories about working women regularly in Women@Work magazine. Not a member of Women@Work? Sign up at TUWomenatwork.com.
The Colombian feature "Embrace of the Serpent" is in varying parts an anti-colonial screed, a celebration of the noble savage and a mystical trip down the river into self-knowledge. Shot in bracing black-and-white, it nevertheless unfolds like a troubling fever dream, a response that South American rivers seem to bring out in imaginative filmmakers.

Director Ciro Guerra is enraged by the depradations to his homeland caused by the European rubber trade, even as he laments of the cost of imperialism to its perpetrators who, in his view, have sold their souls for things that aren't worth having.

The movie interweaves two river voyages by Western explorers  loosely based on real people  separated in time but linked in that both were led by the same native, a shaman named Karamakate who believes himself to be the last of his tribe. Both men are searching for a rare plant, here called yakruna, that creates profound visions in those who consume it.

The earlier trip involves German ethnologist Theodor Koch-Grunberg, who in the first two decades of the 20th century visited and described the tribes he encountered. The other Westerner is an American based on botanist Richard Evans Schultes, who specialized in hallucinogenic plants and knows the work of Koch-Grunberg.

More Information *** Review "Embrace of the Serpent" Rated: Not rated Length: 125 minutes **** Excellent *** Good ** Fair * Poor See More Collapse

Only with the greatest reluctance does the young Karakamate (Nilbio Torres), who despises the whites for their cruelty and inability to recognize the wisdom of nature, agree to help Koch-Grunberg (Jan Bijvoet).

Accompanying the German is a native guide (Yauenku Miguee) who earns Karakamate's scorn because of his loyalty to the foreigner, but makes the case that not all Europeans are malicious.

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By the time Karamakate (now played by Antonio Bolivar) agrees to accompany the American (Brionne Davis), he is an old man who senses that his powers are fading  his memories are unclear, and he can no longer interpret pictograms from long ago.

As both voyages unfold, stops along the way mean hard lessons will be learned. We see the horrific cruelty of working conditions on the rubber plantations; in another, a mission school for native children is shown as a hellhole.

The film largely maintains its haunting, visionary sensibility, conveying glimmers and hints of a different way of knowing the world. The double time frame helps make the case. It's quite moving to see the contrast between the two Karakamates, who are the movie's center. Showing him in his declining years broadens and complicates what in a lesser filmmaker's hands would have been a conventional portrayal of the uncorrupted aboriginal man.
Albany

The gears of legislative discipline tend to grind slowly.

Consider the case of state Asssemblyman Vito Lopez, the Brooklyn Democrat who was first accused of sexually harassing his female aides in December 2011. While those charges, submitted by two women to the office of former Speaker Sheldon Silver, were never passed along to the chamber's Committee on Ethics and Guidance, a second set of allegations from two more women landed seven months later. The committee's August 2012 report concluded that Lopez had been engaged in "an escalating course of conduct with respect to multiple female staff members since at least 2010."

Even after sanctions were imposed against him, Lopez continued to haunt the chamber until May 2013, when a scathing report from the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics prompted his resignation. Silver apologized for bungling the initial set of allegations against Lopez and seeking a confidential settlement with the initial complainants. (Lopez died in November at age 74.)

Contrast that with the case of Assemblywoman Angela Wozniak, a Cheektowaga Republican who on Wednesday was sanctioned by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie just 14 months after being sworn in as a state lawmaker, and eight months after the Ethics Committee learned of allegations that she had sexually harassed legislative aide Elias Farah.

The Ethics Committee's letter to Heastie, dated Tuesday, concluded that Wozniak showed "incredibly poor judgment" by engaging in a monthlong affair with the aide last June. While both told investigators  an outside firm hired by the Assembly  that the relationship began consensually, Farah said he attempted to break it off despite Wozniak's pursuit. The lawmaker claimed the relationship remained consensual until it ended with her confession to her husband.

While the committee said there was insufficient evidence to conclude that the relationship at any point constituted "quid pro quo sexual harassment," it unanimously agreed Wozniak's subsequent actions and those of her attorney amounted to retaliation against Farah (who was not named in the report). Those included her lawyer confirming the aide's identity to a reporter and Wozniak's statements "tarnishing his reputation to the person who had recommended him."

The sanctions against Wozniak include a letter of admonition, an order that she "cease publicizing details of the investigation" and further disparaging Farah, and a requirement that she attend sexual harassment training. The Assembly will find a new position for the aide (with his pay coming out of Wozniak's staff budget), and will bar interns from Wozniak's office.

In a statement, Wozniak's attorney Steven M. Cohen of Amherst said the legislator was "pleased and not at all surprised that she was cleared ... of any and all charges of for sexual harassment, sexual quid pro quo or causing a sexually hostile work environment."

Cohen said Wozniak "continued to represent and advocate for her constituents without interruption throughout the investigation and looks forward to continuing to do so without distraction now that the matter is closed."

On Thursday, Wozniak appeared in a brief video apologizing to her family and constituents for the affair while repeating her attorney's statements about the limited scope of the committee's conclusions about her conduct.

The assemblywoman arrived in the chamber last year to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of Democrat Dennis Gabryszak in January 2014 following the revelation that he was the target of sexual harassment allegations from a half-dozen female staffers in his office. The Assembly's Ethics Committee dropped its investigation several months later, noting that it would be unable to impose sanctions because he had resigned.

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In December, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics released a report on the allegations against Gabryzak, and concluded that sufficient evidence existed that he both harassed his female staffers and used public resources to aid his campaign. In February  more than two years after his resignation  JCOPE levied a $100,000 fine against him. He still faces lawsuits from his former workers.

Gabryszak's road to punishment was shorter than the disciplinary path of former Assemblyman Micah Kellner, who was sanctioned for sexual harassment first in December 2013 as a result of allegations that stretched back to 2009. The Manhattan Democrat was disciplined again a year later on charges that his behavior in 2012 and 2013 contributed to a hostile work environment. Kellner did not seek re-election in 2014, but fought the second set of sanctions until his appeal was denied by a hearing officer last April.

It remains to be seen if the speed of the chamber's response in Wozniak's case was a result of rather straightforward charges against her or a sign the Assembly has turned a corner on the way it handles ethical allegations, especially when they concern sexual harassment.

Heastie's spokesman Michael Whyland (who also worked for Silver during the Lopez controversy) declined to address the question of whether the case was emblematic of a change.

"We strive to ensure a safe and respectful work environment," he said in an email.

cseiler@timesunion.com  518-454-5619  @CaseySeiler
It's now 35 years since a corkscrew-shaped bacterium was identified as the cause of Lyme disease. But we still have no safe and effective vaccine, no reliable diagnostic test and no adequate therapy.

What we do have is tens of thousands of lives annually devastated by significant health, personal and financial costs.

The National Institutes of Health, the leading funding body for biomedical research in this country, should scale up research funding for Lyme disease. In its absence, nonprofit organizations like ours have taken up the challenge, while hundreds of thousands suffer in misery from a spring fever that for some may not end.

Lyme disease, first described more than 40 years ago, now infects more than 320,000 Americans each year, and has been identified in every state. Transmitted by black-legged tick bites that peak in the warm months, Lyme disease is now the country's most common illness spread by a bug bite. Symptoms range from skin rashes to fatigue and joint pain, and for most people, a few weeks of antibiotics are enough to clear the infection. However, researchers at the Lyme Disease Clinical Research Center at Johns Hopkins University have shown that about 10 percent to 20 percent of those infected progress to chronic multi-organ illness, such as severe musculoskeletal pain, cardiac failure and neural impairment, including memory and cognitive loss.

Although the causes of post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, or PTLDS, are unknown, its devastating toll is well-documented. It's a condition that can mean months and even years of disability, with a tremendous impact on school attendance and employment. Researchers at the Centre for Infectious Disease Control in the Netherlands calculated more than nine years of healthy life lost in people with persistent Lyme disease. Recently, it was estimated that health care costs for Lyme disease patients exceed $1 billion per year, according Dr. John Aucott of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Early diagnosis, then, should be key to reducing this health and economic burden. What complicates the treatment of all Lyme disease patients, however, is the lack of a definitive diagnostic test. The standard blood test detects antibodies that recognize the Lyme bacteria, which is called Borrelia burgdorferi. This test is laborious and lacks sensitivity, correctly identifying only 29 percent to 40 percent of patients who have a skin rash commonly associated with tick bites. Furthermore, at least 20 percent of patients do not even develop a skin rash.

Not only is Lyme disease difficult to diagnose, we also don't understand why some people fail treatment, and for these patients, we have no effective therapy or ways to predict disease course. One of us is a neurologist with decades of clinical experience in treating patients with neurological complications of Lyme disease. Many patients have varying symptoms that mimic different neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's disease. Often, there are ambiguous diagnostic test results that can lead to potentially wrong treatment. Such confusion is a hallmark of PTLDS diagnosis and treatment, and it frustrates the efforts of doctors caring for these patients. Without clear diagnostic and therapy guidelines, patients are often dismissed as malingering or as hypochondriacs.

Last year, the National Institutes of Health spent $24 million on Lyme disease research, but it's not enough. It spent almost twice as much for research on West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne virus, which had less than 2,000 reported U.S. cases and a 6 percent fatality rate. Hepatitis C virus infection is now a curable disease, yet received $96 million in funding.

Of course, we should not pit infectious diseases against each other in a competition for research dollars. Instead, we need to increase research on all infectious diseases, because it's an important investment that protects our country's health, productivity and security. Infectious diseases like Lyme infect anyone  young, old, military, civilian, sick or healthy.

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We already have the research and medical infrastructure ready to work toward understanding and curing them, and with additional funding, we will be on our way to better diagnosis and treatment.

The National Institutes of Health should increase funding to study Lyme disease. As the number of infected and disabled grows, it simply makes sense.

Harriet O. Kotsoris, M.D., and Mayla Hsu, Ph.D., are at Global Lyme Alliance, a nonprofit that raises funds for research on Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. They are based in Greenwich, Conn., at: Globallymealliance.org. They wrote this for the Hartford Courant.
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If theres one thing Sticky Fingers are good at, besides making great tunes, its stirring controversy and making headlines. Sometimes they dont even have to try, like when they sold out a tour without even announcing it.

Theyve also managed to have a few run-ins with Johnny Law over the years. Like when their frontman was tackled by a security guard after being mistaken for a fan or when the cops decided to raid their backstage area.

Considering their reputation, it comes as no surprise their fans are always on their toes whenever the band are being a little elusive and thats definitely one way of describing their social media activity over the last couple of days.

Earlier this week the band shared a photo of what appeared to be guitarist Seamus Coyle under arrest by two NSW police officers. In the photo, Coyle is on the ground with a cigarette still in his mouth as the two coppers keep him on the ground with their knees.

The image was posted without explanation and captioned with just a single word: Pathetic. Many fans expressed outrage at the apparent display of police brutality, whilst others poked fun at the fact that Coyle still had a cigarette in his mouth.

Other still, however, pointed out the fact that the coppers were, well, a little too scruffy-looking. With visible stubble, long hair, Doc Martens, and according to one fan, epaulettes that are in the wrong position, many fans were doubtful these were actual police officers.

Sticky Fingers followed up the post with a meme depicting Coyle and the hashtag #FreeSeamus, kicking off a wave of speculation about just what is going on in the Sticky Fingers camp. Many believed the meme related to Coyles apparent arrest.

He would be out on bail. This is a publicity stunt, one fan wrote. Other fans were agreement, such as one follower who commented, Smells like a publicity stunt Cops in previous pic dont look like real cops. Others on the case think they have the whole thing figured out.

The lead up to their new video clip/song I reckon, wrote Gold Coast fan Kait Foote. And there may be something to that, seeing as the band have been busy posting behind the scenes snaps and clips on their Instagram account for a couple days now.

It remains to be seen just what the arrest photo has to do with the bands new music video, but youve gotta hand it to Sticky Fingers, they sure know how to drum up publicity, no matter what they happen to be up to.
The situation surrounding Brisbanes iconic Tivoli theatre has locals understandably concerned about the future of the Queensland capitals vibrant live music scene.

Situated in the Fortitude Valley, the beating heart of Brisbane music, the Tivoli regularly hosts local and international acts and is a much-loved landmark of the local industry.

However, the site is now facing potential redevelopment, prompting punters and industry members alike to call for heritage listing or potential buyers interested in retaining it as a music venue.

We love The Tivoli and are proud of the business we built in a relatively short time. However my mum now needs care and my four sisters all have families, so its time for us to move on, said co-owner John ORourke.

Scott Hutchinson, chairman of Hutchinson Builders, could just be the buyer punters have been praying for. As the AAP reports, Hutchinson, a live music enthusiast, has lodged a tender that would spare The Tivoli from redevelopment.

Im just heavily interested in music in Brisbane  I love it, he told AAP. I dont have horses or fast cars or boats or planes or anything. Going out in Brisbane is my thing.

Mr Hutchinson said the loss of the Tivoli would be a tragedy, describing it as one more nail in Brisbanes coffin and slamming the states impending lockout laws as absolute stupidity.

So what are the odds Hutchinsons tender will actually be succesful? Our offer is going to be well above valuation, he told the AAP, so theres reason to be hopeful.

[include_post id=434475]

Weve tried to find someone to take it on over the last four years but no one wanted to do it and we couldnt get anyone to buy it, ORourke recently told The Courier Mail. Weve tried to sell it to people in the music industry, some of the biggest names, but they werent interested.

The sites potential redevelopment has angered many in the Brisbane music community. All I am trying to do is do the right thing for my father on his death bed who asked me to look after the family and Im getting panned for doing the right thing, ORourke said.

We are not a conglomerate. We are a family with bills to pay. Were quite happy to sell it to the council or government. Were quite happy to see it continue but we need someone to come along and want to continue it.
TONIGHT A RATHER BRILLIANT KANSAS CITY INSIDERS CRITICIZE PAT GRAY FOR HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE SAME OLD TIRED TAX CAMPAIGN THAT'S DESTROYING CIVIC LIFE!!!

"We have a group of usual suspect consultants like Pat Gray who have dominated all of the consulting contracts for the city's elite and they aren't even trying to work in the best interests of the taxpayers. Even worse, they're using the same old fear-based marketing with every campaign. A victory against these consultants would be a victory for the city. Every defeat helps bring hopefully newer and more talented people into the limelight.

Yet again another tax confronts Kansas City as a life or death choice thanks to lazy marketing on behalf of one of Kansas City's top consultants.To wit . . .Here's the money quote . . .And now . . .Notice a common and kinda lazy theme over the past few years when it comes to work from Pat Gray and company . . .Ansymbol dominates thecampaign.And then let's remember . . .Theusing the same medical imagery.Finally . . .Thebefore this one uses the EKG theme was well . . .A look at this thematic laziness is important if only because it demonstrates a real lack of consideration for communicating with Kansas City taxpayers and no creativity among the local elite.Among communications, marketing and PR programs at surrounding universities so many newbies are taught to approach every issue creatively and attempt innovation . . . In practice, Kansas City civic marketing is completely dominated by just a few people who churn out one campaign after the next and barely bother to change their logo.
Craig Glazer: 'Live From Vegas, Tim Gaither' Stanfords This Weekend

TKC Note: Here's our pal Craig talking his weekend plans . . .In the late 90's we had a young comic work hard in Westport and later he toured as an opening act for 'Blue Collar' stars like Ron White. Tim Gaither moved to LA about 9 years back to get a bigger career. Recently he completed a special 'Live From Las Vegas Tim Gaither' that will be on Comedy Central. Tim has worked hard the past couple years to move up in the comedy world. He's always been popular here in KC.In fact Russell Peters is on the show introducing Gaither. Nice.Tim also did a series called 'Man Up Stand Up' and was a regular on Bob and Tom's tv series and radio shows. He made the finals of HBO's 21. Tim is no longer the 'Blue Collar' kid he has moved on to the mainstream of a new style..his own. You can see Tim this weekend at Stanfords Friday and Saturday at Stanfords Overland Park, Rosana Square.Sunday will be the second special at 8pm of First Ladies of Comedy with five area female comics on stage. The ladies had a great first show several weeks ago also on Sunday.Next week its the 'female' version of 'Larry the Cable Guy' in Janet Williams from CMT the Tennessee Tramp. Then BET and Comedy Central's Mike Smith. Jeff Richards will kick off April the only comic to star on both Saturday Night Live and MAD TV. Followed by Comedy Super star Carlos Mencia, 'Mind of Mencia' movies including the Heartbreak Kid.For tickets online go toyou can get dinner and show packages as well. You can also call the club for reservations show and dinner as well, 913 400 7500.Stanfords also has opened the 'Second Room' for area comics to perform next to the big room at the club. Shows are at 9pm and 1030 with five area talents doing their thing. Admission to their shows is free. You can see tomorrows names today.############
Consumer Watchdog is a (fiercely) independent consumer rights and advocacy organisation campaigning on behalf of the consumers of Botswana, helping them to know their rights and to stand up against abuse. Contact us at watchdog@bes.bw, call us on +267 3904582 or find us on Facebook by searching for Consumer Watchdog Botswana. Everything we do for the consumers of Botswana has always been and always will be entirely free.
The rhetoric against billionaire Rex has been crafted by a cadre of big money corporate welfare recipients, international conglomerate law firms, millionaire consultants and well funded politicos. This isn't some grassroots movement against an evil money man but one group of rich people ranting against another rich guy who doesn't agree with them and isn't aboard their City Hall gravy train.

KC Biz Journal: A vote for the earnings tax is a vote for KCs future

"Kansas City voters must not let the city lose its momentum by wiping out 40 percent of the citys general fund simply because Rex Sinquefield and his supporters find distasteful a tax clearly supported by a sizable majority."

WITH VOTER TURNOUT HOVERING AT AROUND 8% OVER THE LAST FEW ELECTIONS . . . NONE OF THE KANSAS CITY POLITICAL DWEEBS CAN TOUT A SIZABLE MAJORITY OF ANYTHING!!!

Kansas City Mayor Sly and so many civic boosters like to play the nice guy but the reality is that one of their most effective talking points focuses on stirring up public sentiment against the only rich guy standing in their way.It's a good argument but here's the only problem . . .It's not big deal how much they slap around Rex, I'm sure his mattresses full of $100 bills will make it all better. But so far, nobody in Kansas City has bothered to point out this hypocritical charade.Generally, we like the KC Biz Journal despite their penchant to be just a bit too upbeat about the fortunes of local companies.However, their latest editorial repeats a constant talking point of earnings tax critics and finds a convenient bad guy in the Scrooge McDuck caricature they cleverly promote . . .Opening line . . .TKC Fact Check . . .Nowadays, most local Democracy is nothing more than bad theater for a very limited audience.In other words, people are voting with their feet first . . . And that's why Kansas City population has remained stagnant overall and downright desolate in some parts of the urban core whilst the suburbs and the Northland continue to boom.You decide . . .
While they probably had a chance to change clothes by now . . . Police said the suspects are described as three black males - two who were wearing black hoodies and the third wearing a Kansas City Royals blue hoodie.

Grainy footage of a hoddie crew that robbed 5 different low rent locations throughout Kansas City this week probably won't help track down suspects. Still,As always, even though we know most locals won't . . . Anybody with info in encouraged to call theAnd yes, our TKC blog community is betting that it's gonna be a rough weekend.
"A man was carjacked in the area of East 102nd Street and Wheeling Avenue, which is several miles southeast of where he was found. He told police the suspects dropped him off and then shot him."
It was the best and worst of times for Latinos in Kansas City this week.Here are some of the highlights . . .is off to a strong start for his Missouri District 19 House Rep. run . . . He faces a tough challenge againstbut at the outset of "the race" Mr. Mannny seems to be the busiest of all the candidates. If Mr. Abarca plans to win the election, he'll have to keep up the momentum and his hustle.Manny Abarca is known primarily for his neighborhood and school preservation efforts in Northeast . . . This is important given that he has a real record of neighborhood work beyond so many other candidates aligned with "social justice" that mainly consist of angry tweets.Speaking of . . .Earlier in the week Kansas City's Democrat elite and Latino power players gathered to support Hillary on the Westside . . .The bar room meetup was well attended and one of the more enthusiastic local pro-Hillary gatherings so far. This local bit of mini-persuasion might signal that Team Hillary is a bit more sophisticated at luring Latino voters whilst Bernie Sanders could suffer from the typical East Coast dilemma --And set for a Kansas City comeback this weekend . . .is scheduled for another local fundraiser where his relatively unknown brand of model minority ethnic charm hopes to topple longtime Democratic Party candidate for everything -- Judy Baker.These are all important moves that could shape the future of Latino representation in Kansas City and throughout Missouri.Still, thanks to MSM and hacks like Mary Sanchez . . . Instead of a comprehensive look at Latinos participating in local Democracy and the discourse . . . The only thing most people will remember about this week isStill, the struggle of these Latinos to earn influence and gain office without delving into identity politics continues despite some public perception challenges amid an increasingly divided and divisive electorate during this election season.You decide . . .
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TOKYO -- Five years after Japans monstrous earthquake-tsunami killed 15,894 people and derailed the global auto industry for months, the country and its carmakers still are cleaning up.



Authorities are still trying to move thousands of evacuees into permanent housing and racing to decommission the leaky Fukushima nuclear plant knocked out by the waves.



The auto companies, meanwhile, are still preparing their supply chains and manufacturing footprints for when the next quake strikes. And the next quake is a question of when, not if.



Indeed, the March 11, 2011, disaster could be small potatoes compared with quakes expected to hit Tokyo and Japans industrial heartland someday. Nightmare scenarios for those quakes predict tens of thousands dead, another devastating tsunami and hundreds of thousands of buildings destroyed.



Homes, health



Even as Japan prepares for future calamities, it is still digging out from the last one. Some 180,000 refugees still are displaced by either earthquake or tsunami damage or radiation contamination from the stricken nuclear plant.



The good news: Their numbers are down from 470,000 immediately after the disaster. But housing reconstruction wont be completely finished until March 2019, the governments Reconstruction Agency says. About 59 percent is finished now.



Decommissioning the nuclear plant likely will take decades. On the plus side, the government says the average air-radiation dose has fallen 65 percent since November 2011 in the narrow contamination strip extending northwest from the plant. Radiation doses there as of November 2015 are on par with other major cities including Paris, Shanghai, Singapore and New York, the government maintains.



Radiation



Measuring the health impact of the radiation is still a bit fuzzy. Some workers doing cleanup inside the plant are expected to develop cancer from heavy exposure. But doctors spearheading the public health response at FukushimaMedicalUniversity say there has been little impact on other populations.



Screening for thyroid cancer -- a disease clearly linked to radiation exposure -- shows little variance from normal levels, they say. The latency period for this cancer can be five years, though, meaning cases may be just starting to pop up.



At the carmakers, change and recovery is also a work in progress.



They are still working to strengthen office and factory buildings in Japan, better track their sourcing of parts and implement plans that will keep their businesses running in the next emergency.



The frailty of the system was exposed just last month, when Toyota had to halt vehicle assembly in Japan for six days. An explosion at a steel supplier torpedoed supply of critical components for engines, transmissions and chassis systems.



The plants came back online with help from alternate suppliers. But there was still a hiccup despite vows by Toyota and other Japanese automakers to implement more double sourcing of parts.



Our learning process is ongoing, Toyota spokesman Nick Maxfield said.



In 2013, Toyota completed a survey of suppliers to pinpoint weak links and update a database known as Rescue.



Rescue holds information on thousands of parts stored at 650,000 supplier sites, helping the automaker bypass bottlenecks when one supplier is knocked out of commission.



Communities



Toyota also has rolled out recovery plans for the communities and regions around its factories and offices. The theory is that if those communities can better survive and recover from disaster, Toyota also can recover more quickly.



Around its Tahara plant, on the oceanfront just south of Nagoya, Toyota signed a disaster aid agreement last year with the City of Tahara. It commits the two sides to working together on disaster rescue, shelter for evacuees, provision of water and food and the supply of emergency vehicles, among other measures.



In northern Japan, in the Tohoku region hit by the 2011 earthquake, Toyota also established a smart-grid electricity system that connects local houses, municipal power plants and local businesses in a mutually supporting grid that should mitigate future blackouts caused by natural disasters.



The system, dubbed F-Grid, began operations in October.



F-Grid members send unused power back to the grid for other members to use. Also on tap is a fleet of Toyota Prius plug-in hybrids to act as mobile field generators. As a further backup, Toyota has created a bank of stationary hybrid-vehicle batteries and solar power generators for emergency power.



Reinforcements



Nissan Motor Co. has responded by building tsunami shelters and reviewing evacuation sites at offices and plants in coastal areas. It also is reinforcing buildings to resist quake damage.



Nissan also has begun its own simulations of earthquake damage at supplier locations and for the Tokyo region.



Honda is among the companies reinforcing walls and foundations at nearly all buildings across Japan to withstand a stronger level of shaking.



It learned the hard way in 2011, when the tremors trashed the companys global r&d center in Tochigi prefecture, just north of Tokyo. Its sprawling third-floor body design unit was devastated as plaster panels, insulation, air ducts and electric cables crashed from the ceiling. One person died and 30 were injured when the quake toppled a wall at the centers cafeteria.



Honda also has established a shadow global headquarters at its r&d and design studio in Wako, just outside Tokyo, as a backup if the headquarters in downtown Tokyo suffers damage or power failure. The company also has created data backup centers at different sites to ensure information isnt lost when the lights go out.



Aside from double sourcing components, Honda is even asking some suppliers to hold extra inventory of key parts.



BCP



Across Japan, the new buzzword is BCP, short for business continuity plan. All carmakers have one now, coupled with rigorous new disaster-training manuals and emergency drills.



Greater visibility into the supply chain is key.



Subaru maker Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., for example, has been operating its own database that tracks all parts at every manufacturing site through the Tier 2 supplier level. In use since 2013, Fuji Heavy updates the list twice a year.



Mitsubishi Motors Corp. is still in the middle of reinforcing its facilities to withstand stronger earthquakes. It also has started work on a BCP for its operations everywhere in the country. It also will complete a plan for suppliers this year.



What we have to tackle from now on is to make improvements in terms of training for initial action to cope with disaster, Mitsubishi spokesman Tetsuji Inoue said.



Safer areas?



Last year, Mazda Motor Corp. started a cloud-based database that automatically calculates the impact any quake will have on Mazdas production, by running the quake information against the data on file about suppliers parts and manufacturing sites.



Hiroshima, Mazdas home, and western Japan in general is traditionally a more seismically quiet region. Yet Mazda is readying for a temblor in the Nankai trench just south of the coast there.



Japanese scientists say there is a 70 percent chance of a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hitting the Tokyo region in the next 30 years. Unfortunately, the stretch from Nagoya to Tokyo is the backbone of Japans auto industry.



It contains the world headquarters of Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Suzuki, Mitsubishi and Subaru, plus the bulk of their manufacturing operations and those of their suppliers.



It also is the area likely to bear the brunt of the shaking, when the next big one hits.
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LEAK : Marion shutting off water at 5pm The City of Marion has a major water line break on Main Street near the intersection with Chapel Hill Road. Crews are on site and working on...

Tourism Commission meets Tuesday Marion Tourism Commission will meet Tuesday, October 18, 2022 at 8:30 am at the Welcome Center.

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MARION WATER UPDATE: Boil Advisory Wednesday Late Tuesday night crews were still working to repair the broken water line on South Main Street in Marion. The problem was expected to be r...
Via MSF's Ebola blog: Fighting Ebola: The real heroes of West Africa. Read the whole post. Excerpt:

All over West Africa, Ebola survivors returned to work in treatment centres to help care for the sickest patients inside the red zone despite traumatic memories of their own experiences with the disease and with little known about immunity and reinfection.

At a community level, we are beginning to see Ebola survivors suffer debilitating fatigue, body pains and both visual and hearing loss. They have formed their own support groups and survivor networks in remote parts of the country where national and international aid cannot reach:

A.B has been deaf since birth. She came to MSFs Ebola management centre in Magburaka with two small children, having already lost her husband and another child in the village. She was admitted to the red zone and watched both children die. Back in her village over 50 people had been infected and only nine survived. After returning she had no way of supporting herself, but the village donated a plot of land for the survivors who pooled their resources to buy seeds and contributed labour with a hope to splitting the produce if it grows.

Survivors often experience stigma and isolation when returning home but we witnessed distant family members and altruistic neighbours adopting Ebola orphans such as ten-year-old M.N, who became sick when both his parents contracted the disease.

M.N was the only one in the family to survive and returned home to his six siblings. The eldest brother quit school to care for the other children and in the spirit of ecumenicalism that is typical of Sierra Leonean culture, M.N attends the Seventh Day Adventist School, whilst his 13- year-old sister attends a Christian school, and the other siblings a Sierra Leone Muslim Brotherhood School.

The people of Sierra Leone have demonstrated inspiring levels of tolerance, collaborating with foreign partners who have been heavily involved in the response to Ebola. Their tolerance, together with a profound degree of altruism, has provided essential support for Ebola patients and survivors, especially in remote areas of the country where no other forms of aid exist.

These local communities provide a valuable and often under utilised resource that international organisations should consider embracing in the future.

In the fight against Ebola we have been given an important opportunity to reflect on what we can learn from the cultural responses of West Africans.

In the Western world, where the individual is often prioritised above the community and material assets prized above all else, how would we respond to an epidemic in our homes, communities and hospitals?

Would we show such strength and altruistic behaviours to our patients and neighbours?
News Oct 21st, 2022 at 12:40

Spending on IT this year by the UK travel sector is projected to hit 1.98 billion, the highest level seen in data analysed covering the last 15 years...
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India, Bangladesh sign $2 billion Line of Credit

Published: March 11, 2016

India has signed the second line of credit (LOC) agreement extending 2 billion dollars in development financing to Bangladesh for undertaking various development projects.

This credit line will be provided through Export Import Bank of India (Exim Bank), Indias external lending arm. It is Exim Banks biggest ever LOC facility given to another country.

The development financing will be used in the infrastructural projects like power sector, road transportation, railways, shipping, information and communication technology (ICT) and social sector projects like health and technical education.

Background

The financing deal comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2015 had announced new credit line to Bangladesh during his official visit to Dhaka. It follows Indias earlier 1 billion dollar in assistance provided to Bangladesh in 2011 for infrastructure development.

Month: Current Affairs - March, 2016

Topics: Current Affairs 2016  Exim Bank  India-Bangladesh  infrastructure  National  Social Sector

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S Nihal Singh

WHATEVER the future holds for the European Union (EU), the refugees flooding European shores have one winner, Turkey. And even as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is relishing his moment of triumph, the EU is beseeching him to come to its aid in stemming the endless flow of Syrian (and other) refugees using Turkey as a launching pad to make it to the nearby Greek islands and hence into the sought-after EU.

In a sense, the ultimate outcome of the refugee crisis will determine German Chancellor Angela Merkels future for taking in 1.1 million refugees last year and the determination of other EU members to erect barriers to negate the Schengen visa-free credo. With the exception of Germany and Sweden and Austria up to a point, most member states have refused to share the burden, leaving the groups solidarity in tatters.

Ms Merkel has been twice to Turkey to plead with President Erdogan to help her and the EU out of the dilemma facing them with a sweetener of more than $3 billion. And Ankara has been using the opportunity to extract concessions such as visa-free travel in the EU for Turks and the speeding up of the process of Turkeys accession to the EU. According to the latest agreement hammered out, all non-Syrian refugees will be returned to Turkey on the condition that the EU will take one refugee living in a Turkish camp for each returned, in addition to giving a further bounty.

After more than a decade as Prime Minister, Mr Erdogan had himself elected President with a view to converting the system into an executive presidency, but his party, the AKP, lost its majority in the next elections. In a new election held subsequently, with the AKP launching an offensive against its Kurdish population and raising the decibel level of nationalist rhetoric, Mr Erdogans party regained its majority.

President Erdogan, meanwhile, has been clearing the decks. He seems to be modelling himself on Kemal Atatuk, who had built a modern secular Turkey on the ruins of the Ottoman empire. But he gave a religious twist to the AKP with the support of the Fetullah Gulen movement named after a cleric living in self-exile in the US. It was well known that the Gulens had penetrated the administration and the judiciary in Turkey.

President Erdogan and Gulen fell out in 2013 after the movement had helped out senior ministers on corruption charges. A purge of Gulenists followed. Indeed, there have been many twists and turns in Mr Erdogans progress towards assuming the airs of a new Ataturk. At one time, he was a peacemaker with the Kurdish party, the PKK, giving them linguistic concessions and his administration parleying with their leader Abdullah Ocalan in prison on a Turkish island. Such approaches were abandoned, perhaps for electoral reasons, and a tentative ceasefire was abrogated. Turkish Kurds represent up to 15 per cent of the population and their fellow brothers, the Syrian Kurds, the YPD, are the main ground fighting force of Americans in Syria.

There is little doubt that President Erdogan sees himself as a fitting heir to Ataturk. The twist lies in converting a secular model into a religious one (his wife covers her head) in keeping with his support base in Anatolia, men who prospered in the days of the economic boom and came to constitute the new middle class moving into urban centres. Mr Erdogan has moved into a new 1,100-room palace on the outskirts of Ankara built on the Ottoman model. A palace of the last Ottoman ruler in Istanbul has been taken over by the President as his residence there.

Although constitutionally the Turkish system remains parliamentary, Mr Erdogan is in effect the executive president and the man he appointed Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, follows his orders to the minutest detail. He had retired his previous colleague, Mr Abdullah Gul, his predecessor in office, apparently because he was too moderate for his taste.

By all accounts, President Erdogan is consolidating his position by curbing the media. His latest coup has been against the largest selling paper Zaman, linked to the Gulen movement, and a number of journalists are in prison or facing charges. It was at the same time Mr Erdogan who succeeded in getting rid of the armys traditional control over the political process in the name of Ataturk, although a show trial of a number of military officials yielded little.

In his quest for greater control, President Erdogan is still seeking a constitutional amendment which will give him the formal powers he is already enjoying. His bold step of taking over Zaman newspaper was probably determined by the EUs present supplicant attitude on the refugee issue. The recent agreement at the EU-Turkish summit has still to be firmed up and doubts have been raised over its validity in complying with international treaties.

Although few leaders are voicing their opposition to Turkey eventually joining the EU at this delicate point in the relationship, many would object to the taking in a country of about 80 million of mostly Muslims in the group. And indeed the whole concept of a liberal democratic basis of member states would be called into question by Mr Erdogans intolerance of dissent.

Outside of problems posed by Turkey, the EU itself is undergoing a serious crisis in the attitude of some member states, in particular Hungary and now Poland, whose leaders see themselves as crusaders and opponents of at least some democratic norms. And the EU will take long to get over the shame in refusing to share with Germany and Sweden the burden of taking in Syrian refugees. With the setting up of border fences, many states are jeopardising the great success of visa-free travel across much of Europe.

President Erdogan believes that his extravagant dreams are about to be fulfilled. What the future holds remains to be determined but history teaches us that events have a way of upsetting the best-laid plans.
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 10

A 25-year-old MSc student allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at a private hostel in south Delhi's Ber Sarai today.

The deceased has been identified as Dushyant Dikshit, a native of Dhaneta village in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district.

The police said the boys in the adjoining rooms of the hostel claimed he was a Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student. The initial police probe has revealed that he had completed a project from the JNU last year.

According to the police, a detailed enquiry was conducted and it came to light that he was a student of MSc in Bareilly's Invertis University. For further details, the police contacted Invertis Universitys assistant professor Dr Nitesh Poddar.

Poddar had given Dushyant the reference of JNUs assistant professor Dr RK Brojen Singh for the completion of his project. Brojen is associated with JNU's School of Computational and Integrative Sciences.

Dushyant completed his project between January and July 2015. The police said as per JNU, he was not enrolled as their student. The JNU administration told the investigating team that such projects were conducted directly by the faculty.

Poddar and Brojen know each other since their student days of MSc (Physics) at Jamia Millia Islamia.

A call was made to the police control room at 9:40 am today. The caller claimed that a student had committed suicide at Guardian Hostel in Ber Sarai.

A team from Vasant Vihar police station and the PCR unit reached at the spot i.e. room number 602 on the fourth floor of the hostel.

Dushyant was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his room. A suicide note has been recovered which mentions family issues. Further facts are being verified, said a police officer. The police have ruled out foul play and no FIR has been filed in the case.

Currently, a team from Vasant Vihar police station is conducting a probe under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
Tribune News Service

Hisar, March 11

A team of the Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) today visited Hansi town and adjoining Dhani Pal village to assess the damage and hear grievances of the victims of the arson and violence during the recent Jat agitation.

The team members, including Registrar (law and legal) SC Goyal and DSP Dhiraj Setia, met the family of Mintu, who was killed in firing by arsonists at Dhani Pal village.

The team members called the panchayat members and villagers to the Rest House in Hansi town. The victims said the police had failed to protect them as the arsonists went on torching and looting their properties.

Mintus uncle and a former sarpanch of Lalpura village said that Mintu was the only breadwinner of the family. He is survived by his wife, a four-month-old son and a widow sister.

Residents of Dhani Pal village said their houses had been badly damaged and the assailants set the household items on fire. We are still unable to return to our houses and taking shelter in houses of relatives in other villages, said Dharam Pal, a victim, while interacting with the team members.

Village sarpanch Ramesh Kumar said he apprised the team about the situation in the village. The situation is peaceful now and all communities have been making efforts to restore harmony and brotherhood. The commission has assured that they would recommend to the state government to provide compensation to victims, he said. The Registrar said they would recommend the state government to take action on the basis of the report.
Jalandhar, March 13

In protest against their meeting with the education minister not having been arranged by the administration as per their February 28 rally demands, the SSA/RMSA teachers will hold protest across the state on March 13.

With all teachers, headmasters and lab attendants participating in the march, union members said a meeting of theirs with the education minister be arranged within the coming week. The unions demand that the process of their regularisation be initiated by the state government regarding which the government is yet to release a notification. They also said the cuts in the salaries of RMSA employees had also not been taken back. They said their protest would be intensified of the government refuses to relent to their demands.TNS
New Delhi, March 11

The government has initiated a probe into the alleged dumping of a chemical from Thailand, used in textiles and packaging industry in the domestic market.

The move is aimed at safeguarding domestic players from cheap imports of Flexible Slabstock Polyol.

The Directorate-General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD), an arm of the Commerce Ministry, has begun investigations into the matter.

In a notification, the DGAD has said that it has found sufficient prima facie evidence of dumping of the product from Thailand.

The authority hereby initiates an investigation into the alleged dumping, and consequent injury to the domestic industry...to determine the existence, degree and effect of any alleged dumping and to recommend the amount of anti-dumping duty, which if levied would be adequate to remove the injury to the domestic industry, it said.

The period of investigation is from October 2014 to September 2015. However, for the purpose of analysing injury, the data of 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 would also be considered.

After the probe, DGAD, if needed, will recommend an anti-dumping duty and the Finance Ministry will impose it.

Manali Petrochemicals Ltd has filed the application before the DGAD alleging dumping of the chemical.

Countries initiate an anti-dumping probe to determine whether their domestic industries have been hurt because of surge in cheap imports of any product. As a counter measure, they impose duties under the multilateral regime of the WTO.

The duty is aimed at ensuring fair trading practices and creating a level-playing field for domestic producers vis-a- vis foreign producers and exporters resorting to dumping of goods at below-cost rates.  PTI
New Delhi, March 11

India's first three women fighter pilots have been advised by the IAF to put off motherhood for the next four years to not to adversely impact their ongoing training process.

However, IAF sources clarified that the advisory is not legally binding  it is only to ensure that their training does not get affected.

The three women pilots will be commissioned into the fighter stream on June 18 this year after successful completion of the initial training.

Thereafter, they would undergo advanced training for one year and would enter a fighter cockpit by June 2017.

"Continuous training is required for a minimum of five years for fighter pilots, men or women, to become combat ready. The three women are about to complete one year of training," the sources said, adding that pregnancy means that the entire training schedule gets disturbed.

"It is not just the cost but the time also that gets affected. Even young fighter pilots are advised not to think about marriage till a particular age," they said.

Bhawana Kanth, Mohana Singh and Avani Chaturvedi are the trainees who qualified for the fighter stream after it was thrown open to women in October 2015.

They will go to Bidar in Karnataka in June 2016 for their stage-III training for a year on Hawk advanced jet trainers, before they get to fly supersonic warplanes.

"They are not combat-ready even when they finish their Hawk training. They do multiple flying on various fighter jets also before being declared combat ready," sources said.

Six female cadets were competing to become fighter pilots after the government, in a landmark move, approved an IAF plan in October to induct them as fighter pilots.

However, only three female trainees were selected for the fighter stream.  PTI
Beirut, March 11

Syrias war has killed more than a quarter of a million people, uprooted over half the population and left much of the country in ruins since it erupted five years ago.

The fighting has left more than 2,70,000 people dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, which relies on a large network of doctors and activist sources across the country.

Among those killed are around 80,000 civilians, including 13,500 children.

Far more people are feared dead, however, with an unknown number killed in detention at the hands of the government, rebels or jihadists.

UN investigators in February accused the regime of extermination in its jails and detention centres.

Handicap International, a French non-governmental organisation, said earlier this month that one million people had been wounded in the war.

And a Syrian aid group in January denounced the incessant bombing of medical facilities in the country, where it said 177 hospitals had been destroyed and nearly 700 health workers killed since 2011.

In January, the United Nations said that 13.5 million people out of a pre-conflict population of 23 million had been forced from their homes.

The charity Save the Children said this month that at least 2,50,000 children are living under siege, with many forced to eat animal feed or leaves to survive.

An estimated 4,80,000 people are living under siege, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

About 4.7 million Syrians have fled to neighbouring countries.

It is the biggest population of refugees for a single conflict in a generation, Antonio Guterres, then chief of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), said in 2015.

Most of the refugees are in neighbouring countries, notably Turkey, which has become the biggest host country with more than 2.7 million on its soil, according to UNHCR.

It is followed by Lebanon with over one million. More than two thirds of these live in extreme poverty, according to the UN.

Over 6,30,000 people have taken refuge in Jordan, according to UNHCR.  AFP
Rekanti (Vayikra 19:4) You should know that there is a power within the sense of vision to cause both good and bad. That is why the evil...

Sefer Chasidim (1170) Why do the spirits attack on Erev Shabbos? Because at that time there are no spirits in Gehinnom i.e. no spirits of ...

I would like to start a discussion of the nature and validity of questions in the Orthodox world. This is a spin-off of the discussion rega...

Important!! email - yadmoshe@gmail.com
Cairo: The Arab League on Friday formally branded Lebanons militant Hezbollah group a terrorist organisation, a move that raises concerns of deepening divisions among Arab countries and ramps up the pressure on the Shiite group, which is fighting on the side of President Bashar Assad in Syria. The decision came during a foreign ministers' meeting of the Arab League at the organisation's seat in Cairo, the Egyptian state MENA news agency reported. AFP

Buddhist monk mistaken for Muslim, attacked in US

San Francisco: In a hate attack, a Buddhist monk, 66, was assaulted in the US with the attacker apparently mistaking him for a Muslim. Kozen Sampson, a Buddhist monk, said he was attacked during a visit to Hood River in Oregon state. The brown robe-clad Sampson's car door was kicked into his head by a man who abused him and then fled on foot, according to the Hood River Police Department. PTI

Obama hits out at Cameron, Sarkozy over Libya

Washington: In a rare rebuke of two of Washingtons closest allies, President Barack Obama has hit out at British Prime Minister David Cameron and former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy over their roles in Libya after the fall of the Kadhafi regime. Cameron became distracted and Sarkozy wanted to promote his country during the 2011 NATO-led intervention in Libya, Obama said. PTI

IS expanding in Libya, fuelling arms race

United Nations: The Islamic State has significantly expanded its control over Libya, fuelling demand by the countrys warring parties for more arms to confront the threat, UN experts have told the Security Council. IS has recruited men from local tribes, offering them protection and benefits but it has also enlisted military officers from the ex-regime of Muammar Gaddafi, said a report. aFP
Freightliner Inspriation autonomous truck at its rollout last Spring. Photo: Stephane Babcock

Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx announced in a March 11 blog post that DOT will hold two public hearings, one in Washington, D.C., and one in California, to get input on how to best integrate the safe operation of automated vehicles.

The first hearing will take place April 8th in Washington; a date for the California event has not been announced.

The feedback from these meetings will help the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration provide manufacturers with the rules of the road for how we expect automated vehicles to operate safely, Foxx wrote.

He also advised that NHTSA is continuing to take other key steps to support the development of new technologies, including working with local and state leaders on model state policy so that we have some overarching safety principles nationwide, and determining what new regulatory tools and authorities may be needed to meet their safety mission in a time of rapidly changing technology.

In addition, NHTSA has released a Volpe Center report prepared for DOT that identifies potential barriers and challenges for the certification of automated vehicles using existing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

Foxx said that the FMVSS may have to adjust for this new era. The report found that for cars with traditional designs and controls, there are only minimal federal regulatory hurdles; however, there may be greater obstacles for vehicle manufacturers that design cars without controls for human drivers, such as a steering wheel or brake pedals.

The Volpe Center report underscores the need for the actions were taking, he continued. It confirms that we need to establish clear expectations for safe deployment, and tells us that NHTSA has more work to do to ensure the safety of new innovations. We look forward to learning more from stakeholders as we start that work.

Foxxs blog post does not specifically mention autonomous commercial vehicles.

However, the Volpe report examines numerous autonomous vehicle concepts, including truck platooning and various types of light- and heavy-duty driverless delivery vehicles along with a riderless delivery motorcycle.
(By Tsem Rinpoche)

Dear friends around the world,

I have presented here for all you stunning pictures of paintings depicting the life and activities of Lord Buddha. Each painting has a easy to remember description below it. You can also download these photos here to share with friends and loved ones. Just by seeing these beautiful photos really soothe the mind and you feel more calm afterwards.

We are blessed to see these stunning photos.

Tsem Rinpoche

To download all of the pictures in one convenient .Zip file, please click below on the link:

Buddhas Biography

Religious Figure (c. 600 BCE  c. 300 BCE)

Synopsis

Siddhartha Gautama, who would one day become known as Buddha (enlightened one or the awakened), lived in Nepal during the 6th to 4th century B.C. While scholars agree that he did in fact live, the events of his life are still debated. According to the most widely known story of his life, after experimenting with different teachings for years, and finding none of them acceptable, Gautama spent a fateful night in deep meditation. During his meditation, all of the answers he had been seeking became clear, and achieved full awareness, thereby becoming Buddha.

Early Years

The Buddha, or enlightened one, was born Siddhartha (which means he who achieves his aim) Gautama to a large clan called the Shakyas in Lumbini, (today, modern Nepal) in the 6th century B.C. His father was king who ruled the tribe, known to be economically poor and on the outskirts geographically. His mother died seven days after giving birth to him, but a holy man prophesized great things for the young Siddhartha: He would either be a great king or military leader or he would be a great spiritual leader. To keep his son from witnessing the miseries and suffering of the world, Siddharthas father raised him in opulence in a palace built just for the boy and sheltered him from knowledge of religion and human hardship. According to custom, he married at the age of 16, but his life of total seclusion continued for another 13 years.

Beyond the Palace Walls

The prince reached his late 20s with little experience of the world outside the walls of his opulent palaces, but one day he ventured out beyond the palace walls and was quickly confronted with the realities of human frailty: He saw a very old man, and Siddharthas charioteer explained that all people grow old. Questions about all he had not experienced led him to take more journeys of exploration, and on these subsequent trips he encountered a diseased man, a decaying corpse and an ascetic. The charioteer explained that the ascetic had renounced the world to seek release from the human fear of death and suffering. Siddhartha was overcome by these sights, and the next day, at age 29, he left his kingdom, wife and son to lead an ascetic life, and determine a way to relieve the universal suffering that he now understood to be one of the defining traits of humanity.

The Ascetic Life and Enlightenment

For the next six years, Siddhartha lived an ascetic life and partook in its practices, studying and meditating using the words of various religious teachers as his guide. He practiced his new way of life with a group of five ascetics, and his dedication to his quest was so stunning that the five ascetics became Siddharthas followers. When answers to his questions did not appear, however, he redoubled his efforts, enduring pain, fasting nearly to starvation, and refusing water.

Whatever he tried, Siddhartha could not reach the level of satisfaction he sought, until one day when a young girl offered him a bowl of rice. As he accepted it, he suddenly realized that corporeal austerity was not the means to achieve inner liberation, and that living under harsh physical constraints was not helping him achieve spiritual release. So he had his rice, drank water and bathed in the river. The five ascetics decided that Siddhartha had given up the ascetic life and would now follow the ways of the flesh, and they promptly left him. From then on, however, Siddhartha encouraged people to follow a path of balance instead of one characterized by extremism. He called this path the Middle Way.

The Buddha Emerges

That night, Siddhartha sat under the Bodhi tree, vowing to not get up until the truths he sought came to him, and he meditated until the sun came up the next day. He remained there for several days, purifying his mind, seeing his entire life, and previous lives, in his thoughts. During this time, he had to overcome the threats of Mara, an evil demon, who challenged his right to become the Buddha. When Mara attempted to claim the enlightened state as his own, Siddhartha touched his hand to the ground and asked the Earth to bear witness to his enlightenment, which it did, banishing Mara. And soon a picture began to form in his mind of all that occurred in the universe, and Siddhartha finally saw the answer to the questions of suffering that he had been seeking for so many years. In that moment of pure enlightenment, Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha (he who is awake).

Armed with his new knowledge, the Buddha was initially hesitant to teach, because what he now knew could not be communicated to others in words. According to legend, it was then the king of gods, Brahma, who convinced Buddha to teach, and he got up from his spot under the Bodhi tree and set out to do just that.

About 100 miles away, he came across the five ascetics he had practiced with for so long, who had abandoned him on the eve of his enlightenment. To them and others who had gathered, he preached his first sermon (henceforth known as Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dharma), in which he explained the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, which became the pillars of Buddhism. The ascetics then became his first disciples and formed the foundation of the Sangha, or community of monks. Women were admitted to the Sangha, and all barriers of class, race, sex and previous background were ignored, with only the desire to reach enlightenment through the banishment of suffering and spiritual emptiness considered.

For the remainder of his 80 years, Buddha traveled, preaching the Dharma (the name given to the teachings of the Buddha) in an effort to lead others to and along the path of enlightenment. When he died, it is said that he told his disciples that they should follow no leader.

The Buddha is undoubtedly one of the most influential figures in world history, and his teachings have affected everything from a variety of other faiths (as many find their origins in the words of the Buddha) to literature to philosophy, both within India and to the farthest reaches of the Western world.





Sources:

1) https://www.facebook.com/tathgatbuddha/photos

2) http://www.biography.com/people/buddha-9230587#the-buddha-emerges

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House Speaker Jeff Hickman and Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman announced Thursday that neither the House nor Senate will vote on separate measures that would create Education Savings Accounts (ESAs).

HB 2949, authored by Rep. Jason Nelson (R-Oklahoma City), would create the Education Savings Account Program and allow for the specific re-direction of funds from public schools for eligible students leaving public schools for other educational options. SB 609, authored by Sen. Clark Jolley (R-Edmond), would create the Oklahoma Education Empowerment Scholarship Savings Program to provide an education empowerment scholarship and savings card for qualified expenditures to support the education of qualified students in the state. The State Department of Education would calculate the amount required to fund the education empowerment scholarship savings cards for eligible students and transfer the amount to the office of the State Treasurer to administer.

The focus of this effort has been, first and foremost, to find solutions for the children who desperately need better opportunities and to know someone cares, Hickman (R-Fairview) said in a statement. The desire to improve student outcomes and empower parents without harming our public schools will be the goal we continue to work toward in the future.

Hickman and Bingman said both chambers will engage members to continue working on the issue.

I appreciate Senator Jolleys efforts on SB 609, Bingman (R-Sapulpa) said in a statement. Hes worked tirelessly on this issue for years and deserves credit for his efforts regardless of where you stand on the issue. This conversation is an important one that shouldnt be forced by legislative deadlines. Its my hope that further work and conversation on this issue would result in a compromise solution.

Governor Mary Fallin said she hopes to work with the House and Senate to develop legislation on ESAs in a news release.

I appreciate legislative leaders for continuing the conversation on Education Savings Accounts, Fallin said in a statement. Its important to give low-income parents the ability to determine the best educational opportunities for their children. All students learn differently and should have the opportunity to attend a school that offers the best learning environment for each student to be successful...

Sand Springs Superintendent Lloyd Snow said the bills would take funding from public schools to their detriment.

Its a bad policy that takes public funding we desperately need more of from public schools, Snow said. Ninety percent of kids in Oklahoma go to public schools...Im an advocate and supporter of public education. I think its the cornerstone of our democracy.
OKLAHOMA CITY  Accompanied by Bible readings and constitutional fervor, the Oklahoma House of Representatives voted Thursday to remove license and training requirements for handguns carried openly.

Rep. Jeff Coody said his House Bill 3098 acknowledges rights granted by God and the U.S. Constitution. Rep. John Bennett, R-Sapulpa, backed Coody by reading a selection of Bible verses he said empowers believers to defend themselves.

Coody argued that the Second Amendment, which he called the most important amendment in the Bill of Rights, could not be infringed upon, nor could a persons right to self-defense.

Is it a good idea to let anyone carry a gun, even if they dont know how to use it or even where the safety is? asked Rep. Emily Virgin, D-Norman.

The key word is let,  said Coody. Somehow weve gotten the idea that the government has to give us permission to exercise our freedoms. That is totally antithetical to me.

The bill excludes felons from open carry, but not people under protective order. This caused some concern, even among gun-rights supporters, and may be addressed when the bill reaches the Senate.

Rep. Mike Brown, D-Tahlequah, noted that the state requires people to learn to drive to obtain a drivers license, and asked why a person shouldnt be required to learn how to operate a gun before carrying one in public.

Because driving is privilege, replied Coody. The Second Amendment is a constitutional right.

But what about my safety? Brown asked. Doesnt the government have a responsibility to protect me?

No, replied Coody.

Bennett and Coody said more guns means less crime, but Rep. Cory Williams, D-Stillwater, disputed the assertion and said rapes in Oklahoma are at a 10-year high since the states concealed-carry law was passed.

The House spent two hours on HB 3098, which was scaled back to include only openly carried firearms. Originally, it would have removed license and training requirements for concealed weapons as well.

Coody said he agreed to modify the bill because the original version would have cost the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, which issues gun licenses, 15 to 18 percent of its revenue.

Coody said far fewer people would choose to carry openly than concealed.

The bill passed 73-15, with 13 members not voting.

Also Thursday:

A vote on an Internet sales tax measure, HB 2531, was held open a half hour while the requisite 51 votes for passage were rounded up. Votes normally take no more than 10 minutes and usually less.

The bill, by Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, is intended to give the state Oklahoma Tax Commission greater authority to collect sales and use taxes on Internet sales. In most cases, the payment of those taxes is now essentially voluntary.

Opponents say attempts to collect those taxes amount to a tax increase. Caldwell and others maintain the bill is an attempt to enforce an existing tax, and that non-compliance is putting brick-and-mortar merchants at a disadvantage.

Attempts such as Caldwells have been backed by most business organizations and many state leaders.

HB 2531 passed 51-39, with 11 members not voting.

A bill sought by the Tulsa Metropolitan Utility Authority survived broad opposition to pass 59-36.

HB 2446, by Rep. Terry ODonnell, R-Catoosa, specifies that protection of the states water resources is a compelling state interest.

The bill is in response to State Question 777, the so-called Right to Farm Act, which the TMUA fears could be misinterpreted in a way that is detrimental to water quality in northeastern Oklahoma.

SQ 777 would prohibit state and local governments from interfering in accepted agricultural operations, except in cases of compelling state interest.

Supporters  principally the Oklahoma Farm Bureau  say SQ 777 is needed to prevent animal rights and environmental groups from interfering with production agriculture.

Opponents say the state question is really meant to protect large-scale intensive feeding operations from scrutiny and regulation.
A high-profile quadruple-murder trial will continue into a third week, a Tulsa County judge told jurors at the end of testimony Thursday.

District Judge Kurt Glassco said he expects testimony in James Poores trial to conclude Friday evening.

But since jurors are not allowed to leave during deliberations until they reach a verdict, Glassco told them he would rather they begin Monday to avoid staying late into the night.

Poore, 35, faces four counts of first-degree murder and two counts of armed robbery in the shootings of 23-year-old twin sisters Rebeika Powell and Kayetie Powell Melchor; Misty Nunley, 33; and Julie Jackson, 55.

Facing the same charges is James Poores 42-year-old brother, Cedric Poore, who will be tried later.

The women were found dead Jan. 7, 2013, in the Fairmont Terrace apartment of Rebeika Powell, where her sister and Nunley were staying and Jackson was a neighbor. Each had gunshot wounds to their head and their hands tied behind their backs.

Thursdays testimony focused mostly on forensic evidence, involving bullet casings and DNA taken from items found at the murder scene.

District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler told jurors in opening statements that the casings found at the murder scene were the first clue that starts (police) on the trail to James Poore.

Although prosecutors say the murder weapon was never recovered, a comparison of those casings to others witnesses have associated with James Poore led police to believe they came from the same gun.

Jerek Brown, who supervises firearms examinations at the Tulsa Police Departments forensic lab, explained to jurors that the casings, which separate from the bullets when a gun is fired, can sustain markings unique to the characteristics of the gun.

Some firearms leave more unique markings on casings than others, and the casings Brown examined had a pattern of markings that were so unique they were extremely easy evidence to conclude they could have come from only one gun, he said.

Brown testified that he was asked to compare casings from the quadruple-murder scene to those gathered at two other locations.

One location is where a woman who testified Wednesday said she was robbed and shot by James Poore two days before the quadruple homicide.

The other location is the backyard of the Poore brothers mothers house, where multiple family members and friends have testified they shot guns to celebrate New Years a week before the quadruple homicide.

James Poores attorney, Wes Johnson, has indicated that he plans to call an expert witness to testify that it cannot be scientifically proven that only one gun could have fired the casings when that gun is not available to be tested.

A Tulsa Police DNA analyst, Kelli Borycki, testified about the results of testing DNA found on cigarettes taken from the bedroom where the victims were found.

Borycki said the results from a single cigarette, which police have testified appeared to have been stubbed out on a table in the bedroom where the victims were found, were initially inconclusive in excluding the DNA of James Poore and Jamila Jones, his girlfriend at the time.

Borycki said that since those results indicated one of the possible matches was a male, she proceeded to conduct another test that is available only for paternal lineages.

As a result, James Poores DNA could not be excluded as a match, Borycki testified.

Johnson told jurors in his opening statement that the timing when the cigarette was left there was significant because his client, who was living with Jones in an apartment two floors below, had frequently visited one of the women who lived there.

A Tulsa police detective testified last week that there was still ash surrounding the cigarette butt when he arrived to investigate, indicating that little time had passed since it was smoked.

That cigarette was a focus of attorneys examination of Jones, who said she visited with Rebeika Powell the day of the homicide in the bedroom where the victims were found.

Jones at first testified she remembered seeing the cigarette stubbed out on the table in the bedroom, but then she later denied seeing it.

Johnson repeatedly asked Borycki whether she could estimate a time when the cigarette was left there, to which she said she could not.

Prosecutors 22nd witness, a phone records custodian with T-Mobile, is expected to continue testifying Friday morning.
OKLAHOMA CITY  Two controversial education voucher bills were not considered by state lawmakers by Thursdays deadline.

Left on the table as the deadline passed for legislation to get out of its chamber of origin were House Bill 2949 by Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City, and Senate Bill 609, a holdover from last year by Sen. Clark Jolley.

The measures creating so-called education savings accounts would have allowed public dollars to follow students to private or religious schools.

Gov. Mary Fallin had expressed support for the concept in her State of the State address to lawmakers to start the legislative session.

I appreciate legislative leaders for continuing the conversation on education savings accounts, Fallin said. Its important to give low-income parents the ability to determine the best educational opportunities for their children.

All students learn differently and should have the opportunity to attend a school that offers the best learning environment for each student to be successful. I look forward to working with the House and Senate to develop effective legislation on ESAs.

Late Thursday, House Speaker Jeff Hickman, R-Fairview, and Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa, announced the measures would not be heard.

The conversation should not be forced by legislative deadlines, Bingman said.

The state is in a revenue failure, requiring state-appropriated agencies, including public schools, to cut budgets. Meanwhile, the state expects to have about $1.3 billion less in crafting the fiscal year 2017 budget.

I think a lot of concern would be the economy, Bingman said, and the environment is not conducive to passing education savings account legislation.

Bingman said he didnt think Jolley had the votes to get his measure approved in the Senate.

He said a working group would be put together on the issue.

Personally, I do not support the ESAs, Bingman said. I think it is our job to fund public education. I do like competition. I think it is difficult in this environment to even be talking about them.

Nelson said he was disappointed none of the proposals was taken up by the deadline but he would continue to fight for improved education opportunities for children.

Unfortunately, the misinformation campaign from the educational establishment continues, he said.

Education savings accounts would give more opportunities to parents and their children, Nelson said.

While others think maintaining the status quo is to be preferred, I strongly disagree and will continue to fight because each child deserves a shot at a good education regardless of geography and family income, Nelson said.

Oklahoma State School Boards Association Executive Director Shawn Hime said he was glad lawmakers chose not to move forward with the divisive bills.

Budget cuts and the teacher shortage crisis demand that the state, business and education leaders work together with parents on a long-term funding solution for public schools, Hime said.

Senate Minority Leader John Sparks, D-Norman, said the decision not to hear the bills was a great win for public education.

Those bills would do nothing to improve the quality of education in Oklahoma, Sparks said. Instead, they would just divert public money to private institutions to subsidize the education of kids that were already going to private schools. Instead of continuing this conversation about how we need to avoid public schools because they are not functioning, the conversation needs to change to what can we do to provide the resources to our schools to provide excellent education.

The Tulsa Regional Chamber commended lawmakers for abandoning the implementation of a voucher system in Oklahoma.

Our states dire financial situation has already strained public schools to the breaking point. ESAs would have simply made a bad situation worse, said Mike Neal, president and CEO of the Tulsa Regional Chamber.

The Chamber looks forward to working with school district administrators and our legislative partners to find real solutions for funding common education and ensuring we can attract and retain talented teachers in our state. Investing in our public schools  not further stripping them of resources  will enable a prosperous future for all Oklahomans, Neal said.
The City Council on Thursday got an update on Tulsas water system, focusing on the policies and safety measures in place that prevent Tulsa from having lead poisoning problems seen in Flint, Michigan.

Clayton Edwards, director of the citys Water and Sewer Department, said Tulsa does not have an issue with lead simply because it follows correct procedures.

Really, the issue with Flint water is they did not have the appropriate or efficient corrosion-control program when they switched to Flint River water, Edwards said. There was a number of failures on all levels from the local level, the state level and even the federal level.

Edwards said Tulsa has not had an issue with lead or copper in the water since strict regulations were enacted in 1992.

Since then, we have been in compliance with lead and copper, Edwards said. We are supposed to sample every three years; in fact, we are supposed to sample again this year. Our lead content in the water is substantially below any action limits from the lead and copper rule.

Jo Brown, Tulsas water quality assurance manager, said Tulsas system is protected firstly by having a relatively clean water source.

The reason some communities have issues is because their source has problems, such as unwanted minerals, that Tulsas Spavinaw line doesnt have, she said.

Lead and copper issues, like those in Flint, come from putting corrosive, or acidic, water through older water systems with a lot of lead pipes, Edwards said.

Brown said daily testing on acidity keeps Tulsa officials alert to any of the communitys limited number of lead pipes in the system.

As an added protection against corrosive water, Brown said water treatment in Tulsa includes a substance that calcifies the inside of pipes throughout the system.

If we control our pH, then what happens is, it helps us form a barrier in our system  it lines our pipes, Brown said. If people have fixtures that are copper or brass  if there is any plumbing in the homes, it forms a barrier.

Edwards said Tulsas programs are efficient procedures followed by most communities in the nation to provide safety from pipes present in older communities.

The main source of lead is in lead piping in the plumbing of older homes, Edwards said. The trick is to make sure you have an effective corrosion-control program.
OKLAHOMA CITY  The Oklahoma Senate on Thursday passed an optional education deregulation bill that critics say could result in lower pay for teachers.

Senate Bill 1187, by Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond, passed by a vote of 25-20 and heads to the House. It takes 25 votes for a measure to pass in the Senate.

Jolley said the measure would provide schools with flexibility.

The measure would let local districts, teachers and the State Board of Education decide if the district has to abide by certain regulations, such as the minimum salary schedule; participate in the Teachers Retirement System; and provide health insurance, among other things.

Jolley said that under the measure, schools that opted to do so and received permission would be able to hire adjunct and retired teachers without having to pay them the minimum salary schedule or participate in the retirement system.

Locally elected schools boards, teachers and the State Board of Education would have to approve the plan, Jolley said.

Everybody sits at the table to agree to this, Jolley said. It is not forced upon anybody without them having a voice in the process.

Sen. J.J. Dossett, D-Owasso, is a former teacher and the most recent addition to the Senate after winning a special election.

It concerns me that it is possible we could, according to this piece of legislation, pay full-time teachers less than what is required to be paid, Dossett said.

Jolley said that decision would be up to the local district, teachers and the State Board of Education. The bill is not designed to get around the minimum teacher salary schedule, Jolley said, but to allow for more options.

Jolley said administrators are concerned that red tape and regulations are getting in the way of educating students. The bill attempts to address those concerns, he said.

Oklahoma Education Association President Alicia Priest said she was disappointed that the measure passed in the Senate.

Passage of this bill will hurt students because it fails to hold all schools to the highest standards, Priest said in a statement. Instead, it allows for shortcuts that weaken our education system all because our state refuses to properly fund our schools.

Sen. Ron Sharp, R-Shawnee, a former teacher, questioned the type of adjunct teachers such a proposal would attract and questioned whether they would be effective in the classroom.

In rural Oklahoma, the adjunct instructor hired by the district might have only a high school education, be paid a fraction of the salary and be assigned to teach Advanced Placement English, Sharp said.

This is going to upset the entire apple cart of public education, Sharp said.

Sen. Stephanie Bice, R-Edmond, debated for the measure.

This bill gives that local control back to the very people that are most invested in their community and schools, and that is the parents and the children and the residents of that district, Bice said. It is perplexing to me to understand why there is so much opposition to this particular piece of legislation.

Dossett said the state needs to quit trying to find ways around properly funding education. He said the measure provides the opportunity to de-professionalize teachers.

Whenever you hear the term empowerment and flexibility, that means we dont have the money and it is up to you to figure it out, said Senate Minority Leader John Sparks, D-Norman.
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP)  The Latest on Nancy Reagan's funeral (all times local):

12:25 p.m.

President Obama is taking heat from some conservatives for skipping Nancy Reagan's funeral Friday, opting instead to speak at a tech festival in Austin, Texas.

Michelle Obama is attending the funeral.

But Barack Obama is hardly the first president to miss a former first lady's funeral.

President Jimmy Carter did not attend Mamie Eisenhower's funeral in 1979 but his wife, Rosalynn Carter, did. President Ronald Reagan did not attend Bess Truman's funeral in 1982 but Nancy Reagan went.

President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, did not attend Pat Nixon's funeral in 1993 and President George W. Bush did not attend Lady Bird Johnson's funeral in 2007. His wife, Laura, and his mother, Barbara Bush, attended. When Betty Ford died in 2011, Obama did not attend but his wife did.

Watch live:

12:05 p.m.

Former first lady Nancy Reagan's children are recounting memories at their mother's funeral at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Daughter Patti Davis described to mourners Friday how Nancy Reagan was adamant about reuniting with her husband, who died in 2004.

Davis described her parents as "two halves of a circle," recalling a long-ago memory of seeing the two of them sitting on a Southern California beach at sunset in what she called an impenetrable "island for two."

Son Ron Prescott Reagan told the guests there likely would not have been a President Ronald Reagan without Nancy Reagan, saying she had an absolute belief in him, as well as provided guidance and a refuge.

___

11:45 a.m.

Mourners at Nancy Reagan's funeral are hearing prayers, music and reminiscences of the former first lady.

A diverse group of guests is attending Friday's funeral at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Among mourners are former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, as well as first lady Michelle Obama. Also present are presidential candidate and former first lady Hillary Clinton and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Former Reagan administration official James Baker has recounted the first meeting of then-Nancy Davis and Ronald Reagan, and later her devastation when her husband was wounded in an assassination attempt.

Veteran television journalists Diane Sawyer and Tom Brokaw also have given recollections of Nancy Reagan.

___

11:20 a.m.

Mourners at the funeral of Nancy Reagan have heard former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney read an adoring letter written by Ronald Reagan to his wife on their first Christmas in the White House in 1981.

The letter said she filled his entire life with "warmth and love."

The funeral at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, began Friday with service members carrying the casket in front of mourners and a prayer by the Rev. Stuart A. Kenworthy, vicar of the Washington National Cathedral.

A local high school choir sang "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," and Nancy Reagan's niece Anne Peterson read from Proverbs.

A thousand guests were invited to the funeral at the hilltop library northwest of Los Angeles where the former first lady will be buried next to her husband Friday night.

___

11:05 a.m.

Former first lady Nancy Reagan's funeral has begun at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Friday's program began with military service members bringing the casket in front of guests and a prayer by the Rev. Stuart A. Kenworthy, vicar of the Washington National Cathedral.

A local high school choir is singing "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."

Nancy Reagan's remains will be buried at the library alongside her late husband, who died in 2004.

The casket will be lowered into the tomb beside the former president, the moment watched over by senior library staff. Ronald Reagan's headstone was removed to add Nancy Reagan's name and will be restored after the burial.

___

10:10 a.m.

A diverse group of mourners is arriving for Nancy Reagan's funeral at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Early arrivals Friday include former Reagan administration official Ed Meese, Katie Couric, Larry King, Mike Love of the Beach Boys, television writer and producer Norman Lear and Steve Ford, son of President Gerald Ford.

Also on hand are actress Bo Derek, actor Tom Selleck and singer Johnny Mathis. Mathis became friends with Nancy Reagan and often visited her home in the Bel Air area of Los Angeles, where she died Sunday at age 94. Mathis says he and the former first lady enjoyed singing together.

The funeral begins at 11 a.m. and concludes with burial next to the casket of Ronald Reagan, who died in 2004.

___

9:35 a.m.

Guests are arriving for Nancy Reagan's funeral at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

About 1,000 relatives, dignitaries and friends are expected for Friday's memorial, which begins at 11 a.m. PST and will conclude with burial of the former first lady next to her husband, who died in 2004.

The funeral will be held outdoors under tents at the hilltop library northwest of Los Angeles.

Rain is in the forecast, but its timing is uncertain. Clouds are building over the nearby mountains, the wind is picking up and the temperature is dropping but rain hasn't started.

___

12:13 a.m.

Nancy Reagan will be buried alongside her husband on a Southern California hilltop.

Former President George W. Bush, Michelle Obama and three former first ladies, and a long list of other celebrities and dignitaries are set to attend Friday's funeral at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley.

Ronald Reagan's Chief of Staff James A. Baker, newsman Tom Brokaw and Nancy Reagan's two children are set to speak at the ceremony.

Current first lady Michelle Obama plans to be in attendance at the funeral, as do former first ladies Rosalynn Carter, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush.

The ceremony comes after two days of public viewing at the library, and sunny skies could give way to clouds and possibly rain before the proceedings are done.
Enough is enough. The Oklahoma Legislature should immediately drop the silly notion of vouchers and turn their attention to serious matters facing our state. An earlier 3 percent cut was devastating; the additional 4 percent cut recently announced is almost intolerable.

Despite predictions otherwise, the voucher program will further devastate school budgets. It will withdraw dollars and send them to private schools and other private education entities. Its disingenuous to pretend schools will be held harmless or even enjoy a financial boost because of vouchers. Rather, it will have an impact on the overall funding for Oklahoma schools, and obligations will still exist.

Estimates show that at full implementation, this voucher program as proposed will cost Oklahoma schools $363 per student. Furthermore, voucher students will be funded first and off the top. This will be a financial burden to every single school district in the state.

In Indiana, proponents similarly argued vouchers would save schools money. Yet last year, the Indiana Department of Education reported the program cost more than $40 million despite an income eligibility cap and other restrictions.

The truth is that vouchers are an entitlement program  ironic when proponents pitch themselves as in favor of competition. Vouchers dont facilitate competition; they stack the deck.

Private schools can control costs through a variety of measures, including limiting enrollment and selecting students, to ensure they achieve maximum budget efficiency. Public schools have no such control; theyre bound by law to serve children who live in their boundaries.

Vouchers will not pay the full tuition for a private school education, so only students who can afford a private school education will be financially able to take advantage of the program. Statistics from other voucher programs show they disproportionately aid white and higher-income students  not disadvantaged or minority children. Thats hardly an even playing field on which to compete.

Public schools must account for every dime of taxpayer money and are scrutinized based on how the money is spent. Not so with vouchers. Why the double standard? Public schools welcome financial transparency because its what taxpayers deserve.

The insinuation that Oklahoma students and families lack choice is folly. Oklahoma has many opportunities for public school choice that help meet the needs of individual students while still ensuring transparency for finances and student achievement. The chief example is Oklahomas career and technology education programs. More than 80,000 students participate in CareerTech programs on an annual basis. Our state also has a liberal open transfer policy, and more than 40,000 students transfer to another district every year. More than 11,000 students transfer to different schools within their districts. The two urban districts offer a strong choice of publicly supported charter schools, and last year, the legislature approved a broad expansion of the charter school law.

My decades spent in education have taught me what parents really want is strong public schools, and poll results have backed that up.

Our lawmakers seem to understand our teachers are significantly underpaid relative to other states and the critical nature of their work. So I ask lawmakers to consider this: What message does it send to educators and children that youre incentivizing families to leave public schools even as you choose to severely underfund them? Is that a message of hope, encouragement and confidence our educators and students deserve?

We have a moral imperative to support those who are working tirelessly to provide a quality education experience in Oklahoma.

The clear choice is simple. Vouchers are bad for Oklahoma, and an affront to the great teachers in this state. Enough is enough. Lets solve problems without creating new ones.
It's Divali time so at TV6 over the next few days, we bring you some of the interesting aspe
Mondays Four Corners features a report on Africas trophy hunting industry.

Safari: Paying to Kill comes from Canal Plus.

Theyre the big game animals that symbolise Africa  lions, rhinos and elephants. And theyre top of the list for the big game hunters with deep pockets who travel to Africa to hunt and kill.

Its all about the size. The bigger the horns, the bigger the animal, the better it is. Taxidermist

For $22,000, you can shoot a lion, $120,000 will get you a rhinoceros. Some safari hunts even let you choose the size and colour of the animal, right out of a catalogue.

A lot of hunters are collectors, theyve hunted everything, now they want to add something new, something excitingIts like a dress, no woman likes to wear the same dress for three years. They like to change. Game breeder

Business is booming.

Its a huge business. A lot of farmers are leaving cattle-breeding to start breeding game, because its a buoyant market. Its better than the stock market! Hunting Guide

Even the taxidermists are doing well thanks to their wealthy clients.

These guys have massive houses. They build their own showrooms. This (one is for) a Russian client and he bought a new house for his trophies. Taxidermist

Some animals are bred specifically to be hunted.

In order to satisfy lion hunters demands, lions are bred like chickens often in legal but deplorable conditions Reporter

This film takes you on a journey into the auction rooms and animal warehouses where these prized creatures are bought and sold. And into the darker world of illegal hunting where lions are tranquilised or partly domesticated to make them easier to shoot.

Monday 14th March at 8.30pm EDT.
A Keeping Up Appearances prequel with a young Hyacinth Bucket, one-off revivals of Are You Being Served?, Porridge and Up Pompeii and a Live performance of Mrs Browns Boys are part of a BBC sitcom season to celebrate 60 years since Hancocks Half Hour debuted.

All but Mrs Browns Boys will feature new casts.

There will also be recreations of lost sitcoms: Hancocks Half Hour The New Neighbour, featuring Kevin McNally as Tony Hancock and Robin Sebastian as Kenneth Williams; Steptoe and Son A Winters Tale, and Till Death Us Do Part A Womans Place is in the Home filmed before live audiences.

Shane Allen, Controller of BBC Comedy Commissioning, says: The British sitcom is a huge part of our national identity and cultural heritage. This season is about celebrating the BBCs rich legacy at a time when British comedy is as popular as ever. Classic comedy is evergreen, as we know from the eight million people who watch Still Open All Hours; our audiences have deep affection and nostalgia for iconic shows. Alongside the celebration of key comedies through homage, rediscovery and revivals involving established and new talent, well also be making a raft of new sitcoms to complement them, and boost the BBCs commitment to nurturing the hits of tomorrow.

Charlotte Moore, Controller of BBC Channels and iPlayer, says: Comedy has such a wonderful, rich tradition on the BBC, and Im committed to continuing that across all the channels. The landmark sitcom season will celebrate our very British sense of humour by reimagining hits of the past and giving a platform for new talent.

Its not yet clear when any of the sitcom season will screen in Australia.

The sitcom season will kick off this summer on BBC One with a special live episode of Brendan O Carrolls multi-award-winning comedy phenomenon Mrs Browns Boys. Mammys back and anything could happen! The show will be filmed in front of a live studio audience in Pacific Quay, Glasgow.

BBC One will also mark our enduring affection for all the great comedy characters we have met over the 60 years by enlisting the biggest names in British comedy writing and performing to revisit much-loved classics including Are You Being Served? Porridge, Up Pompeii! and a special prequel to Keeping Up Appearances.

Are You Being Served? will pick up where Jeremy Lloyd and David Crofts classic comedy left off and a new script written by the award-winning Derren Litten (Benidorm, The Catherine Tate Show) will bring Grace Brothers back to life with a brand new all-star cast. Its 1988 and Young Mr Grace is determined to drag Grace Brothers into, well, 1988, but he has a problem on his hands. Mr Humphries, Captain Peacock, Mr Rumbold and Mrs Slocombe all seem to be stuck in another era. A new member of staff, Mr Conway, joins the team  but will he help shake things up or will he just put a pussy among the pigeons?

The new cast, which has already been announced, includes Bafta-award-winning Jason Watkins (The Lost Honour Of Christopher Jefferies), who will play the role of Mr Humphries; Sherrie Hewson (Benidorm, Coronation Street), who will play Mrs Slocombe; John Challis (Only Fools And Horses), who will play Captain Peacock; Roy Barraclough (Coronation Street), who will play Mr Grainger; Arthur Smith (comedian and writer), who will play Mr Harmon; Justin Edwards (The Thick Of It), who will play Mr Rumbold; and Niky Wardley (The Catherine Tate Show), who will play Miss Brahms.

As well as the original favourites, there will be some new characters joining the show. They are Mathew Horne (Gavin & Stacey), who will play Young Mr Grace, the original Young Mr Graces grandson; Jorgie Porter (Hollyoaks), who will play Miss Croft; and newcomer Kayode Ewumi, who will play the character Mr Conway.

It is a BBC In-house production and will be produced by James Farrell (Mrs Browns Boys, Flat TV) and directed by Dewi Humphreys (Vicar Of Dibley, My Family, Still Open All Hours). The executive producer is Stephen McCrum (Josh, Bluestone 42, Mrs Browns Boys).

Porridge, the classic prison sitcom, returns nearly 40 years after Norman Stanley Fletcher served his time. The legendary Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, who created the 1970s series, will write the one-off special episode, which sees Fletchs grandson, also known as Fletch, imprisoned for a series of cyber-crimes. Fletch finds himself beholden to prison bad boy Richie Weeks and forced to use his hacking skills to get Weeks off the hook. The problem being that wily prison officer Meekie has got his beady eye on Fletch  he knows a wrong un when he sees one.

It is a BBC In-house production and will be produced by Richard Webb (Stewart Lees Comedy Vehicle, The Kennedys, House Of Fools) and directed by Dominic Brigstocke (Tracey Ullmans Show, Im Alan Partridge, Green Wing). The executive producer is Gregor Sharp (The Rack Pack, Boomers, Count Arthur Strong).

The comedy sitcom Up Pompeii!, which ran from 1969 to 1970, will also return with a new script written by Paul Minett and Brian Leveson, who also wrote the revival Further Up Pompeii in 1991.

Keeping Up Appearances, the popular 1990s classic sitcom featuring Britains favourite social climber Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced Bouquet) has since become BBCs most popular TV export around the world. For the forthcoming sitcom season, the original creator Roy Clarke will write a special one-off prequel called Young Hyacinth. In the programme, set in the late 1950s, Hyacinth has an instinctive urge to take charge once she, her sisters and her father are left by their mother, Daddys wife (dont ask for the marriage certificate). As the elder of the sisters, her style is bossy and fussy, but Daisy, Violet and Rose all know how much worse things would be without her. Hyacinth is an alpha female. Get used to it.

It is a BBC In-house production and will be produced by Sarah Hitchcock and directed by Sandy Johnson (Jonathan Creek, Benidorm, Cradle To Grave). It will be executive produced by Gareth Edwards (That Mitchell And Webb Look, Still Open All Hours).

Furthermore, on BBC One, there will be a new comedy panel show called We Love Sitcom hosted by comedian and actor Ben Miller. Produced by Phil McIntyre Television, it will look at the different generations of sitcoms and feature familiar faces from the comedy world.

Over on BBC Two, there will be the launch of five brand new sitcom pilots from the very best of comedy talent both on- and off-screen. The New On Two sitcoms will include Home From Home and Motherland.

Home From Home is about a family man, played by comedian Johnny Vegas, who has long cherished the dream of buying a lodge in the Lake District. When he finally achieves his ambition, the years of scrimping and saving all feel worth it, but thats until he meets the neighbours. Just be careful what you wish for! Home From Home is written by Chris Fewtrell and Simon Crowther and will also star Joanna Page, Emilia Fox and Adam James. It is a BBC In-house production and will be produced by Rebecca Papworth and executive produced by Gregor Sharp.

Motherland is a show all about navigating the trials and traumas of middle-class motherhood, and is written by Graham Linehan, Sharon Horgan, Helen Linehan and Holly Walsh. It is a co-production between Merman and Delightful Industries and will be produced by Richard Boden and directed by Graham Linehan.

Further details on the New On Two strand will be announced in due course.

On BBC Four, there will be recreations of three classic Lost Sitcoms. The scripts for these shows still exist but the original recordings have vanished from the archives. The Lost Sitcoms are Hancocks Half Hour The New Neighbour, written by Galton and Simpson featuring Kevin McNally as Tony Hancock and Robin Sebastian as Kenneth Williams; Steptoe and Son A Winters Tale, also written by Galton and Simpson; and Till Death Us Do Part A Womans Place is in the Home, written by Johnny Speight. Each sitcom will be recreated with a brand new cast and filmed in a theatrical-style presentation in front of a studio audience. The Lost Sitcoms are a BBC In-house production and will be produced by Owen Bell and executive produced by Steven Canny.

Also on BBC Four, British Sitcom: 60 Years Of Laughing At Ourselves will celebrate British sitcom and take a look at the social and political context from which our favourite sitcoms grew. The film will also show clips from the nations most loved sitcoms and provide insight from those who made them, including Steve Coogan, James Corden and Richard Curtis. It will be produced and directed by Breid McLoone and executive produced by Steven Canny.

The landmark comedy sitcom season will air across BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four in the summer.
Country

Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Canada Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cuba, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Dominican Republic Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Haiti, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Jamaica Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Mexico, United Mexican States Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu US Virgin Islands Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
Udaku Special

Tanzanias superstar Diamond Platnumz is the biological father of Latifah Dangote, DNA tests conducted on Diamond, Zari Hassan and Latifah have confirmed.Tanzanias Amani newspaper reports that the Bongo Fleva giant bowed to pressure from sections of fans and critics who claimed there could be a possibility that he did not sire Latifah Dangote.In a bid to put the confusion to bed, Diamond Platnumz, Zari Hassan and Latifah Dangote traveled to South Africa to conduct the DNA test on baby Tifah  ostensibly a faraway land that no Tanzanian paparazzi or snoops would get scoop.An insider who is very close with the Utanipenda star shared exclusive details of what transpired in South Africa.Diamond and his family (Zari and Tifah) recently traveled to South Africa to conduct DNA test on baby Tifah, said the source.He (Diamond) was bothered and disturbed by the constant persecution by fans who wanted a DNA test on baby Tifah. He was confused; he was in a dilemma. In a bid to clear the paternity issue, he asked Zari to accompany him to South Africa so that they could conduct DNA test on the baby before he leaves for the United States, revealed the source.The DNA tests confirmed Nasib Abdul Juma (Diamond Platnumz) to be the biological father of Latifah Dangote. Diamond shed a lot of tearsIt hurt him the more when some quotas referred to Ivan Ssemwanga (Zaris ex-husband) as the little ones father. Others claimed that Tifah was sired by a Tanzanian tycoon. A lot was said, added the source.Diamonds mother Sanura Kasim Sandra was shocked by the news as all through she had her doubts about her granddaughters paternity  doubts that were cultivated in her by social media discussions which largely claimed that her son Diamond was taking care of someone elses child.People talked a lot, created a lot of lies. I was not worried nonetheless. All through I knew the baby is mine; though just to make myself happier and more peaceful, I decided to conduct a DNA test on Tifah, said Diamond.Tifah is my daughter, completely! I am extremely overjoyed by the results (DNA). Thats why I am now freer, happier and having a good time. When you happen to visit my office, you will notice I have hung framed photos of Tifah everywhere. I am not worried at all. I can now courageously face my critics, affirmed Diamond Platnumz.It (crying) is not an issue. What did you expect me to do after getting results that I dearly needed, especially at a time when sections of the society constantly claimed that I wasnt my daughters biological father?Diamond says he embraced DNA testing of his child  a practice that he says is not popular among Tanzanians  because he wanted to be a hundred percent sure of his status as a father.Diamond Platnumz and Zari Hassan welcomed Baby Latifah Dangote in August 6, 2015.credit; citizentv
8:04 a.m., March 11, 2016--University of Delaware senior Jessica Ade expected to grab a quick lunch with her colleagues from Christiana Care Health Systems Family Medicine Department before listening to the keynote address of the Delaware IDeAs 2016 symposium.

That was until Gov. Jack Markell sat down next to Ade  an intern in the department  while on a lunch break during his tour of the symposium at Clayton Hall. Between bites of his sandwich, Markell asked the staff about some of the health issues they confront while doing outreach among Delaware residents.

The group talked about teen pregnancy, infant mortality and the ways a womans health before she gets pregnant can affect her odds of a healthy delivery. It was a brief  but powerful  example of how biomedical research is impacting health in Delaware.

People dont usually understand the kind of work were doing, said Carla Aponte, coordinator of the Health Ambassador program, which works to promote pre-pregnancy health in women and improve birth outcomes in Wilmington. He talked. He asked questions. He listened.

That was the goal of the inaugural Delaware IDeAs 2016 meeting  to spread the message about biomedical research and find more ways to collaborate on basic, clinical and translational research opportunities across the region.

It was organized by the Delaware CTR ACCEL, Delaware INBRE, the states seven COBRE programs and Delaware Bio.

The idea is to get people talking and see what everyone is doing and see what facilities are available, said Dr. Julia Barthold, associate chief in the Division of Urology at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children and Nemours co-principal investigator for the Delaware CTR ACCEL. One thing we want is for these researchers to get in conversations and realize the potential synergy.

More than 300 researchers from academia, medicine and industry, along with students and others, came out for the workshops, poster sessions and networking opportunities. Poster presenters took turns describing their research and answering questions from an engaged audience.

More than two dozen people from the Medical College of South Carolina  a partner in the Delaware CTR  and half a dozen colleagues from CTR programs around the country also were among the conference attendees, said Stuart Binder-Macleod, principal investigator and program director of the Delaware CTR ACCEL program and Edward L. Ratledge Professor of Physical Therapy at UD. Several from the South Carolina contingent also presented.

Just the level of interaction and enthusiasm was really heartwarming, Binder-Macleod said. It reinforced what we already know  Delaware is a great place to be doing biomedical research. We have great individuals here, and the spirit of cooperation was clearly evidenced at this meeting.

Dr. Krishna White, an adolescent medicine physician at Nemours, was one of the poster presenters. She received an ACCEL Community Engaged Research (ACE) award this year from Delaware CTR ACCEL and is looking at understanding parents knowledge and attitudes about long-acting reversible contraception, such as the birth control implant.

White admits its a challenge to integrate research given the demands of her practice and the population she serves, but its worth it. Presenting at the IDeAs meeting gave her additional connections for finding families who may participate in her study. This is helping my clinical practice, she said.

CTR ACCEL, Delaware INBRE and the COBREs are funded through the National Institutes of Health Institute Development Award program, or IDeA, which supports faculty development and research infrastructure improvements in the 23 states and Puerto Rico that have historically received lower levels of funding.

The IDeA programs are focused on expanding Delawares biomedical research capabilities, enhancing diversity, addressing state-specific health diseases and creating an economic impact.

We love this industry. Anything that contributes to saving lives and improving lives and adds high-paying jobs, thats a win-win, Markell said. What we have in Delaware is the potential to come together  institutions, state government, higher education, hospitals, health care  and roll up our sleeves and figure it all out. The question is whether we will make it happen.

Steven J. Stanhope, principal investigator of the Delaware INBRE program and professor of mechanical engineering and kinesiology and applied physiology, said work is already beginning to plan for next years IDeA meeting. We want to make this bigger and even more impactful in showing how we are making the most of the NIH funding, Stanhope said.

Charles G. Riordan, deputy provost for research and scholarship at UD, told the audience that the Delaware IDeA program, with its unique capabilities, has the potential to address challenges beyond the First State.

We can change the future of health care, he said.

Article by Kelly Bothum

Photos by Lane McLaughlin
9:28 a.m., March 11, 2016--For the Record provides information about recent professional activities of University of Delaware faculty, staff, students and alumni.

Recent books, media, presentations and publications include the following:

Books

Jennifer Scanlon, who earned her masters degree in English at UD in 1982 and now is interim dean for academic affairs and professor of gender, sexuality and women's studies at Bowdoin College, has written Until There Is Justice: The Life of Anna Arnold Hedgeman, published by Oxford University Press. The book was reviewed on Feb. 23 in The New York Times, which called it a long overdue biography of Hedgeman, who was a powerful activist for African-American and feminist civil rights and equal opportunity.

Media

Sheryl Kline, chair of the Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management, and William Sullivan, managing director of the Marriott Courtyard Newark-University of Delaware campus hotel, were featured in a Delaware Business Now article about the lodging module, which combines classroom instruction with real-world experience. The story cited the Marriott Hospitality and Tourism Center and the Advanced Learning Interactive Classroom Environment (ALICE).

Presentations

Ralph Ferretti, director of the School of Education, gave a presentation on A Pragma-Dialectical Approach to Argumentation: Implications for Assessment and Instruction at the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey, on Feb. 19.

Roberta Golinkoff, Unidel H. Rodney Sharp Chair in Human Services, Education and Public Policy, was invited to attend and present her research on childrens learning and play at the White House Summer Learning Conference in Washington, D.C. An Ultimate Block Party will be held on the White House lawn in June.

Joseph Henderson, researcher in the School of Education, gave an invited, digital talk to a research consortium on Sociocultural and Geographic Issues in Climate Change Education Research, Practice, and Policy for the Sustainability Research Education Institute at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada on Feb. 5. He also served on a panel of experts on WXXI News Connections radio show. The shows topic was How Should Climate Change Be Taught in High Schools? During the show, Henderson discussed his research on climate change education and the work of the MADE CLEAR project. With Chrystalla Mouza, associate professor of educational technology, and Andrea Drewes, doctoral student in education, Henderson also presented Conceptual Mobility: Tracing Climate Change Across Educational Contexts at the Mobility, Multiplicity and Multimodality: Theoretical Innovation in Educational Ethnography conference at the University of Pennsylvania.

Jim Hiebert, Robert J. Barkley Professor in the School of Education, gave an invited presentation on Improving the Teaching of Undergraduate Mathematics Courses at the Critical Issues in Mathematics Education conference held at Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, Berkeley, California.

William Lewis, associate professor of literacy education, and his undergraduate researcher Sean Krazit presented How to Leverage Graphic Novels to Teach Close Analytic Reading of Literary Texts at the annual Delaware Festival of Words at the Appoquinimink School District.

Marcia Shirilla, a doctoral student in education, presented Academic Collaborations with Practitioners to Enhance Student Learning: A Win-Win-Win for Everyone! with R. Stiefvater at the Academy of Leisure Sciences Teaching Institute in Greenville, North Carolina.

Andrea Drewes, doctoral student in education, Kathryn Scantlebury, director of the Center for Secondary Teacher Education, Elizabeth Soslau, assistant professor education, and Jennifer Gallo Fox, assistant professor of human development and family studies, presented Evaluating Coteaching as a Model for Student Teaching Using Quantitative Measures at the 68th American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education annual meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Publications

Amanda Jansen, associate professor of mathematics education, along with co-author E. Thanheiser published Inviting Prospective Teachers to Share Rough Draft Mathematical Thinking in the Journal of Mathematics Teacher Educator, 4(2).

Erica Litke, assistant professor of mathematics education, published What Does It Mean to be Ranked a High or Low Value-Added Teacher? Observing Differences in Instructional Quality Across Districts with co-authors D. Blazar and J. Barmore in American Educational Research Journal.

Chrystalla Mouza, associate professor of educational technology, and coauthors M. Herring, P. Mishra, and M. Koehler published a book chapter titled Developing and Assessing TPACK Among Pre-Service Teachers: A Synthesis of Research in the Handbook of Technological Pedagogical Content knowledge for Educators (2nd edition).

Elizabeth Soslau, assistant professor of education, published The Dangerous Message Teacher Candidates Infer: If the Edtpa Does Not Assess It, I Dont Have To Do It with co-authors Stephanie Kotch-Jester and Ann Jornlin in Teachers College Record.

Philip Goldstein, professor emeritus of English, University of Delaware-Wilmington, has published an essay titled "Philosophical Postmodernism: From Adorno and Derrida to Foucault" in The Edinburgh Companion to Critical Theory, ed. Stuart Sims, Edinburgh UP: Edinburgh, Scotland, 2016: 145-61.

Peter Weil, associate professor emeritus of anthropology, has published Ephemera: Typewriters on Parade in Etcetera, Journal of the Early Typewriter Collectors Association, No. 112, Spring 2016, pp. 13-18.

To submit information to be included in For the Record, write to publicaffairs@udel.edu.
At a glance

Having scored his first Croatia goal in a friendly against Italy in August 2006, Luka Modric has been an established presence in the national team for the best part of a decade, during which he has gone from Dinamo Zagreb to Tottenham, and then on to Real Madrid for a reported fee of 30m  a record for a Croatian player. Ante Cacic's midfield would be unimaginable without Modric, with whom everything begins and ends.

EURO pedigree

Some great performances at UEFA EURO 2008 earned Modric  then 22  a place in the official Team of the Tournament, and he was a key man for Croatia at UEFA EURO 2012, sparkling particularly brightly in the 1-0 loss to eventual winners Spain which cost his side a place in the knockout phase.

What he offers

Croatias EURO star: Luka Modric

Importance for Croatia

Tireless on the pitch, out wide or in midfield, he is as busy in defence as in attack. His technique and ball control have led the 30-year-old to be nicknamed the 'Croatian Cruyff' in honour of the Dutch great of ages past. Croatia have a world-class midfield with Ivan Rakitic, Mateo Kovacic and Ivan Perisic, but the playmaker is the undisputed star.

International career

Debut: Croatia 3-2 Argentina (1 March 2006, friendly)

Appearances: 87

Goals: 10

EURO final tournament (Croatia record)

Appearances: 6 (Darijo Srna, 8)

Goals: 1 (Mario Mandzukic and Davor Suker, 3)

Record: W3 D2* L1

*Includes penalty shoot-out defeat by Turkey in UEFA EURO 2008 quarter-finals
2016 highlights: Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United

De Gea keeps United alive

Liverpool will be delighted to have beaten old rivals Manchester United 2-0 in Thursday's opening leg, but the Reds are far from safe yet  largely due to the heroics of United goalkeeper David de Gea. The Spanish international made a string of saves, most thrillingly from Coutinho in the second half, to give his side a fighting chance next week, providing some of his outfield colleagues up the performance levels.

Highlights: Watch Bakambu double for Villarreal

Villarreal's strong foundations

This was the Spanish side's fifth win out of five at home in the UEFA Europa League this season, and their fifth clean sheet. Only Atletico Madrid have a better defensive record in Spain and it does not seem to matter who Marcelino selects  only Victor Ruiz is ever-present at the back in Europe this season  the wall of yellow stands firm. Try as they might, Leverkusen could not put them out of shape. Scoring two next week will be a tall order.

Highlights: Dortmund 3-0 Tottenham

How good is Marco Reus?

After his first-leg strike helped to see off Porto in the last round, Marco Reus's two goals in Dortmund's 3-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur have left Thomas Tuchel's side with one foot in the quarter-finals. Both strikes showcased the 26-year-old's excellent technique; arriving at the back post, the Germany international hammered an unstoppable volley past Hugo Lloris for his first, before rounding off a free-flowing team move with a half-volleyed finish for number two. "The nicest thing was to help the team with my two goals," said Reus.

First-leg highlights: Shakhtar 3 Anderlecht 1

Alex who?

January's loss of Alex Teixeira (scorer of 25 goals in the first half of the campaign) to China was expected to severely blunt Shakhtar Donetsk's strike force  it seems to have had the opposite effect. Five games into 2016 and the Pitmen have already managed 13 goals, shared between eight different players. The absence of a dominant target man has added a dimension to their play. As Anderlecht discovered.

First-leg highlights: Basel 0 Sevilla 0

Three in a row on for Sevilla

Sevilla ended up looking very comfortable at Basel, despite having lost all four of their European away games this season  a 0-0 draw taking them a step closer to an unprecedented third successive triumph. Basel, though, should not be underestimated in next week's rematch; they have lost just once in six away fixtures in Europe in 2015/16, and have scored in all of those matches. The prospect of playing in the 18 May final as hosts will also help to give Urs Fischer's side some edge.

Highlights: Sparta Praha 1-1 Lazio

Lazio still a class act

Underwhelming in Serie A and out of the Italian Cup, Stefano Pioli's Lazio have attracted the wrong kind of attention, rumblings in the Italian media suggesting defeat at Sparta Praha might have led to sweeping changes. The Biancocelesti showed a good deal of class to come from behind and earn a draw against a side on a four-game winning streak in this competition. Terrific at home in Europe all season, a continental trophy and a place in next season's UEFA Champions League would silence most of their critics.
Representatives of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and the National Security Council of Turkey have signed the document on security and defense cooperation between the states.

This is reported by the press service of the National Security and Defense Council.

"First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleh Hladkovsky and Secretary-General of the National Security Council of the Republic of Turkey Seyfullah Hacimuftuoglu signed the protocol on cooperation between the National Security and Defense Council and the Turkish National Security Secretariat to enhance cooperation in security and defense field," reads the report.

As the press service of the National Security and Defense Council informs, the protocol was signed following the results of the fifth meeting of the high-level Strategic Council between Ukraine and the Republic of Turkey, which was held under the chairmanship of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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The militants launched 47 attacks on the ATO troops in eastern Ukraine over the past day. The Kremlins mercenaries often use tanks and mortars, banned by the Minsk Agreements.

This is reported by the ATO press center.

"The tensest and most dangerous situation was observed in Avdiyivka [18km north of Donetsk], where the terrorists used mortars and tanks to shell Ukrainian troops over the past day," reads the statement.

The militants also used grenade launchers and heavy machine guns to launch attacks on the ATO positions near Zaitseve (67km north-north-east of Donetsk).

The Ukrainian forces came under fire from heavy machine guns, grenade launchers and small arms outside Opytne (11.5km north-west of Donetsk) and Pisky (12km north-west of Donetsk).

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Vinnytsia volunteers have sent almost 8 tonnes of humanitarian aid to the servicemen in eastern Ukraine.

The Fifth TV Channel reported this.

We had been gathering it across the whole region during three days. Traditionally, weve sent vegetables, fruits and meat products, instant soups and pastries. And also clothes, medicines and hygiene products, according to the report.

In addition, the volunteers sent thermal imaging units and generators for the Ukrainian servicemen, and children drew pictures. The humanitarian aid will be delivered to 11 centers in Donbas, according to the report.

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Roads can be constructed in Ukraine for decent money by using the latest technologies and local materials. The Carpathian regional road renovation program has demonstrated such examples to Ukravtodor state road agency.

Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Andriy Pivovarsky told the officials of the Ivano-Frankivsk region during his working visit there.

"The experiment of the Carpathian regional program has showed several important lessons for Ukravtodor. First, we can build inexpensive roads equal to the European costs. To achieve we need to organize an open tender. Second, even Ukrainian companies have the technical capabilities to utilize high-quality technology in road construction, which has just appeared in Europe. Third, we can make entirely use local materials," said Andriy Pyvovarsky.

As a note, the Carpathian regional program for renovating roads has funds of UAH 800 mln. The costs of the road construction from Lviv to Ivano-Frankivsk reach almost UAH 450 mln.
The Trilateral Contact Group on the settlement of conflict in Donbas will gather today, March 11, in Minsk.

Press secretary of Ukraines representative and former president Leonid Kuchma, Darka Olifer, made a relevant posting on her Facebook page.

On Friday, March 11, in Minsk a meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group will be held, Olifer wrote.

As a reminder, the previous meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group took place on March 2. Two documents were signed regarding the normalization of the situation in Donbas along a contact line.

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| By Chris Zang

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, JD, gave those assembled for the University of Maryland, Baltimore's (UMB) Womens History Month presentation on March 10 many examples of great female role models.

The six female programmers in Aberdeen who formed ENIAC, the world's first electronic digital computer and the basis for our smartphones and laptops today. Francis Harper, who refused to give up her trolley seat in Philadelphia in 1858. Hattie Caraway, the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate in 1932. Marylands own Barbara Mikulski, the longest-serving woman in the history of the U.S. Congress and a whopping 4-foot-11 mighty force whom Rawlings-Blake is proud to call a mentor and a role model.

But as she told the 150 people assembled at Westminster Hall, Rawlings-Blake didnt have to look to the history books or to Congress to find her inspiration. She found it in her own home.

Her late father, Howard Pete Rawlings, PhD, MS, was an influential member of the Maryland General Assembly. Her mom, Nina Rawlings, MD, is a retired pediatrician.

School of Law Dean Donald Tobin, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and UMB President Jay Perman chat during UMB's women's history event.

A smiling Rawlings-Blake recounted, I just had this strong urge to be an elected official. And then I started to think back on my life and all of the functions my dad would take me to and all the people he introduced me to and then I thought maybe it was subtle brain-washing, she said as those in the crowd laughed. It was good because I thought I had made the decision on my own.

He took her to see people like state Sen. Verda Welcome and many other elected African-American women he revered. Dad saw them as his role models. Without knowing it, I realized later in life, I saw them as the possibilities for my own future. I saw in them what I could become, Rawlings-Blake said.

Her mother, one of the first African-American women to be admitted to the University of Maryland School of Medicine, was an excellent doctor and she could have focused on making as much money as she could. Dont get me wrong. I dont have anything against making money and I plan to make a whole lot soon, said the mayor, whose term ends in December.

She gave her time and talent and ensured that our community had accessible health care regardless of your ability to pay. She ran a community health center for years in the basement of our home. She was a force; she led by example. I had friends who wanted to stay in my moms pediatric practice well into their 20s. Im so blessed to still have her in my life.

I learned from both parents that governing could be and must be a force for good. I learned to be strong and be my own person.

She learned her lessons well. Welcomed home as a 1995 alumna of the University of Maryland School of Law by UMB President Jay A. Perman, MD, Rawlings-Blake was the youngest person ever elected to the Baltimore City Council at the age of 25 in 1995. She served as City Council president from January 2007 to February 2010 before becoming mayor. She was elected secretary of the Democratic National Committee in 2012 and in 2015 she became the first African-American woman and the first Baltimorean to be elected as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

In answering questions after her 22-minute presentation, Rawlings-Blake said she never second-guessed her decision to enter public service and she urged those assembled to contribute as well.

Everyone has a role to play. I want to encourage all of you. Not everyone has to run for elected office, she said, but I urge you to find a way to serve. Maybe its being a mentor to our young people, who are desperate for role models. I took for granted what I had at home, meeting people of influence and building relationships. Many children today are going home to empty houses or to mothers who are addicted and unable to provide the support that is needed. Be a mentor and share with them the importance of college and higher education.

Bearing a great degree from a great law school, which hosted the UMB Womens History Month event, Rawlings-Blake says she is excited about her future. Im extremely blessed to have a lot of options. While I will miss being mayor, Im bursting with excitement about whats next for me.

Perman thanked the mayor, with whom he co-chairs the UniverCity Partnership, an effort to redevelop and revitalize Baltimore Citys Westside. And he thanked the attendees from across UMB, many who brought donations to Pauls Place as part of the event.

I want to thank all of you not only for celebrating womens history, but for helping to secure womens future, for commemorating the heroic women who have brought us to this moment in time, he said. A moment when women are better represented in business, government, and the judiciary than ever before  especially in this city and state. A moment as women steadily gain power and safeguard the significant progress for which theyve fought. And as we reframe fundamental issues of womens rights as issues of human rights.
| By Karen Robinson

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) community will discuss the proposed strategic partnership with the University of Maryland, College Park at a public town hall meeting hosted by UMB President Jay A. Perman, MD, on Friday, March 11, at noon. Media are welcome to attend. The meeting will be held at the UMB Southern Management Corporation Campus Center at 621 W. Lombard St. in Baltimore.

Invitees include community members and leaders as well as faculty, staff, and students of UMB. Ill answer questions and solicit opinions on this critical bill, which has far-reaching implications for our University and for Baltimore City, Perman said of the meeting.

The proposed legislation establishing the strategic partnership could have unintended consequences harmful to UMB and the city we call home, Perman wrote in a letter to the University community. We must be assured that this legislation in no way dilutes the ability of UMBs people to execute our critical missions with fidelity and authority.

UMB already has an established partnership with College Park called MPowering the State, Perman noted in his letter. In its four years, the collaboration has garnered $71 million in joint research funding between the two universities, as well as more than 70 joint faculty appointments. The partnership also has generated 1,407 joint inventions, 209 technology licenses, and 41 startup companies.

Keeping UMB leadership in Baltimore, Perman wrote, is key: Should College Park become the de facto headquarters for this one University of Maryland, the city of Baltimore would undoubtedly suffer. As one of the citys most powerful anchor institutions, UMB must use its influence and assets to benefit Baltimore.

FOR MEDIA: For more information or to attend, please contact Alex Likowski at 410-706-3801, 410-292-3925, or alikowski@umaryland.edu.
Syrian psychiatrist Nahla, 34, listens to a patient in her office at the UNHCR-funded hospital where she works in central Damascus, Syria.  UNHCR/A.McConnell

DAMASCUS, March 11 (UNHCR) - Al-Sahira's world is falling apart. Two years ago, the 48-year-old lost three of her 14 children when their house in Aleppo was partially destroyed by shelling. The displaced family sought safety in Damascus, but then tragedy struck again last month when shrapnel took the life of her 13-year-old son Zakariya.

Sitting in a psychiatrist's office in a central Damascus hospital, Al-Sahira* struggles to stop her hands from shaking as she describes the mental anguish the bereavements have inflicted on her.

"I don't know how I have coped. I spend a lot of time just sitting at home and looking at pictures of my dead children," she says. "I feel that I must speak to someone and tell them what I've been through."

Nahla, a 34-year-old psychiatrist from Qalamoun, 90 kilometres north of the capital, says Al-Sahira's suffering is part of a dramatic increase in psychological trauma affecting Syrians after five years of conflict.

"The crisis has had a deep psychological effect on people, but this is a perfectly normal reaction to an abnormal situation," says Nahla, who heads up the mental health and psychosocial support department of the UNHCR-funded Poly-Clinic, run by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.

While there are no verifiable figures on the increase in mental health disorders among Syrians since the outbreak of the conflict, Nahla estimates that the number of people requiring treatment has roughly trebled. Of the 400-500 patients that her department treats each month, the most common conditions they encounter are depression (23 per cent), anxiety (18 per cent) and post-traumatic stress disorder (13 per cent).

Compounding the increase in suffering has been a corresponding drop in the number of practicing psychiatrists inside Syria. Figures from the Association of Psychiatrists in Syria show that there are currently just 70 qualified psychiatrists across the country - less than half the number before the crisis began.

Several of Nahla's former colleagues have left the country, but it was the outbreak of conflict that convinced her to stay. "Before the crisis I wanted to move abroad and specialize in child psychiatry, but I changed my mind and stayed to be with my family and help my country. Syria has given me a lot, and I had something to repay," she says.

For those like Nahla that remained, that decision was not without cost. Like many of her colleagues, she has lost family members and been displaced from her home by the fighting. The work also takes a psychological toll on the medical practitioners themselves.

"No one is unaffected by what's happening in Syria. After five years, most of the staff members also suffer from psychological issues. We try to support each other and organize team-based interventions," she explains.

For patients such as Al-Sahira, while medication may be required to address specific conditions such as depression, equally important is the opportunity to share her experiences with a trained professional and begin the process of recovery.

"We can't take away the pain of people like Al-Sahira that have lost children, but we can listen without judgment and try to reconnect them with their families and social networks. Without this kind of help they would suffer far more and their conditions would worsen," Nahla says.

The only positive impact of the crisis that Nahla has witnessed is the removal of the stigma surrounding mental illness, with people that previously would never have come to her now seeking help. She says the biggest challenge is ensuring that Syrians do not become inured to what is going on around them.

"After five years of war, people are starting to get used to it. I'm constantly working to try to make sure they don't become accustomed to this situation. There is nothing normal about what is happening in conflict impacted communities in Syria."

By Charlie Dunmore in Damascus, Syria

*Name changed for protection reasons
The UN Refugee Agency is concerned about a rising trend of newly-displaced Iraqis being forcibly transferred to camps where restrictions on their freedom of movement are imposed in a manner disproportionate to any legitimate concern, including those related to security. While recognizing the responsibility of authorities to undertake security screening of people fleeing territory controlled by extremist groups, we urge the government to set up clear procedures and facilities for this purpose that are separate from camps established to provide shelter and other humanitarian assistance to displaced Iraqis.

Nazrawa camp, in Kirkuk Governorate, was opened by UNHCR in November 2015 for internally displaced Iraqis seeking safety from conflict and severe human rights abuses, thanks to flexible funding from over ten donor countries. This was a response to a long-standing request by the Kirkuk authorities for more support from the humanitarian community in their efforts to provide protection and assistance to large numbers of internally-displaced Iraqis (currently nearly 400,000 in the governorate). Approximately 2,000 displaced Iraqis are currently residing in Nazrawa camp. However, authorities have progressively imposed movement restrictions on residents of the camp and since 22 February 2016 all residents have been confined to the camp, irrespective of whether or not they have completed security screening procedures.

Instances of forcible relocation of Iraqis into camps, as well as disproportionate restrictions on their freedom of movement, have also been recorded by protection partners elsewhere in Iraq. In Garmawa camp in northern Iraq, Iraqis who were forcibly relocated to the camp from villages in Tilkaif District in 2015 continue to face restrictions on their freedom of movement. Similar concerns are also emerging in Salah Al Din and Anbar Governorates.

UNHCR is concerned about this developing trend as freedom of movement is key to displaced people being able to exercise other rights, such as access to work, food, healthcare and legal assistance. With the prospect of further displacement as military operations against extremist groups escalate, it is becoming increasingly urgent for the authorities to ensure both that IDPs are granted access to safety in a timely manner, and that camps maintain their humanitarian character.

In addition to nearly one million Iraqis displaced since 2006-7, there are more than 3.3 million persons in Iraq who have been displaced since January 2014. Displaced persons in Iraq continue to face challenges, including exposure to violence, disproportionate restrictions on access to safety and freedom of movement, forced encampment, and constrained access to basic services.

Media contacts:
Fighting in previously peaceful areas of South Sudan's Western Equatoria state continues to force thousands of people to flee into the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda and even the volatile Central African Republic.

We hope to gain access next week to an estimated 7,000 South Sudanese refugees living in desperate conditions in Bambouti, which is located in a difficult to reach area in the easternmost part of Central African Republic.

A four-truck convoy carrying UNHCR and WFP food and non-food humanitarian aid, is scheduled to leave Bangui on Saturday for Bambouti and arrive there on March 21. An inter-agency needs assessment team will follow on Monday, travelling by plane and helicopter. They will carry some emergency relief items, including medicine and nutritional biscuits.

The nearest UNHCR field office is at Zemio, 320 kms to the west, but we have been in contact with local officials in Bambouti and with a small group of the refugees, who made their way by road to the Central African Republic town of Obo, almost 110kms from Bambouti.

They told UNHCR that the new arrivals in eastern CAR are in urgent need of assistance, including shelter, food, water, health care as well as security. Many are staying with host families but most are in makeshift shelters. More than 80 percent of the refugees are women and children.

The refugees first started arriving in Bambouti in December to escape fighting and rising tension between members of a local armed group and government forces in the South Sudan towns of Source Yubu and Ezo. Some had also fled fighting in Tambura.

The group of refugees in Obo said they expected more people to cross into CAR, where three years of conflict have displaced some 900,000 people. They said the road to Bambouti and South Sudan was passable by heavy truck but in poor condition. They paid truck drivers cash to bring them to Obo.

The new arrivals in Bambouti outnumber the local population of about 1,500 people and this is putting a strain on food and water resources. Health is also an issue, including malaria, diarrhoea, malnutrition and scabies. There is just one midwife and a medical assistant in Bambouti, while the health clinic lacks medicine and equipment. The local school has been closed since 2002.

The new fighting in Western Equatoria has since late 2015 also forced more than 11,000 people to cross into Democratic Republic of the Congo and seek shelter in the towns of Doruma, Bangalu, Gangala, Duru and Bitma, Haut Uele province after fleeing fighting between government forces and the Arrow Boys, a local armed group, near the South Sudan town of Yambio.

The new arrivals, mainly women and children (with 30 percent aged three or less) tell of human rights abuses, including killings, rape and forced recruitment. Many said they had lost husbands. Most of the new arrivals told UNHCR they were from Western Equatoria's Ezo and Nzara counties.

But conditions in Doruma and elsewhere are inadequate, with many people sleeping in the grounds of a church because of a lack of shelter materials. Sanitation and hygiene facilities are in short supply. Many were sleeping in the open. A UNHCR team has been registering the refugees and assessing their needs.

In Uganda, more than 14,000 South Sudanese refugees, the vast majority of whom are women and children under the age of 18, have been registered since the start of the year. Many of the new arrivals are fleeing from Western Equatoria, often having walked for days, and are tired and hungry.

Arrival figures are up on late 2015. The number of new arrivals slowed slightly in mid-February, coinciding with the holding of the presidential and general elections on February 18. Numbers have gradually begun to rise again over the last 10 days.

The majority of new arrivals are being hosted in a newly opened settlement in Adjumani, West Nile district, with smaller numbers residing in settlements in Arua and Kiryandongo.

Media contacts:
Johnny Mhanna performing at the Schauspielhaus in Vienna in "Die Schutzbefohlenen" ("The Proteges") based on a play by Austrian Nobel Prize Laureate Elfriede Jelinek. It Is considered to be a masterpiece of contemporary drama about flight, exile and emigration. Credit: UNHCR/Mark Henley  UNHCR/Mark Henley

VIENNA, Austria, March 11 (UNHCR) - Johnny Mhanna was only eight years old when his Aunt took him to the theatre in Damascus in 1999. It was the beginning of a lifelong passion for drama and acting.

"I can't forget that day", he said. "The minute I entered the theatre I smelled perfume, the same perfume that I still smell in every theatre worldwide. For me, it is the smell of freedom."

Sitting in the auditorium of the Schauspielhaus, one of Vienna's leading experimental theatres, the 24-year-old Syrian laughed: "Of course, I now smell it here too."

After a risky escape from Lebanon and an anxious time since he arrived in Vienna in August 2015, he has just learned that he has been granted asylum in Austria - a happy end to years of uncertainty.

Johnny, who grew up in a Syrian Christian family, studied drama and French literature, and dreamed of Hollywood.

His dreams and plans began to fade when the country descended into civil war in 2011. Johnny's father, a businessman, was arrested and was found dead after three days in prison. By 2012, the threat of military service loomed.

"To be on the safe side, I left three months before I was supposed to turn up at the army barracks," he said. Shortly before Christmas 2012, Johnny left Damascus and crossed the border into Lebanon.

"My grandmother on my mother's side is from Lebanon, so I could always relate to the country and its culture," he said. "But the first year was hard, even though they speak the same language, but with a different accent."

To earn enough to live, Johnny took casual jobs in cafes and bars. He soon established contacts in the local theatre and film world. He performed in commercials, stage plays, two feature films, eight short movies and two television series.

At the beginning of 2015, however, life in Beirut became impossible. The Lebanese government imposed visa restrictions on Syrian refugees, which included the requirement for a Lebanese sponsor. Those registered as refugees with UNHCR could stay only if they pledged not to work. Johnny was able to renew his status, but how could he survive without a work permit?

"I signed the paper pledging not to work in Lebanon, but if the police had caught me the fine would have been 3 million Lebanese pounds, almost 2,000 dollars. And I couldn't find a Lebanese sponsor. What to do?"

Johnny Mhanna, (with moustache) in rehearsal for the theatre play 'Outsiders' about diverse people trapped on a Metro train, with a script that evolved out of rehearsals.  UNHCR/Mark Henley

In August 2015, Johnny decided to set off on the dangerous journey to Europe, hoping to reach Vienna where two of his uncles lived.

For the second time, he set out to begin a new life. "It's really hard, but once you decide to leave, you can't look back," he said. "Once you buy the ticket for the trip to Turkey, you should forget your past."

With 45 other refugees, he reached the Greek island of Lesvos after a harrowing journey of more than two-and-a-half hours across the Aegean Sea in a rubber dinghy. Once in Mytilini, the capital of Lesbos, Johnny got a message from his aunt in Vienna on WhatsApp. She passed on an ad for a Viennese theatre which said "looking for refugees with experience in theatre production".

"I said to myself, how many refugees are there with theatre experience - one, two, three, four, five? Not too many. I'll have a good chance."

Before leaving Lebanon, Johnny was sure he would have to give up acting for a few years in Austria because he did not speak German. Once he arrived at the initial reception centre, however, things turned out differently.

Within days he was chosen by the artists' collective "Die schweigende Mehrheit sagt Ja" ("The silent majority says yes") to perform in "Die Schutzbefohlenen" ("The Proteges"), based on a play by Austrian Nobel Prize winner Elfriede Jelinek. She wrote the drama after a group of refugees sought asylum in Votivkirche, a church in Vienna in November 2012.

The ensemble was made up of refugees with six professional Austrian actors. Among the refugees Johnny was the only one with experience as an actor. Only a month after he had travelled more than 2,000 kilometres from Beirut as a refugee, he was on stage for the production's September 12 premiere. It received a special prize at Austria's prestigious Nestroy theatre awards.

He is full of praise for the Austrian people. "I was very rarely treated as the stereotype refugee. What I really love here in Austria is how much people respect one another. The six Austrian actors are now very good friends, amazing people. They don't abandon you after an evening at the theatre."

While on tour with the artists' collective, Johnny decided to follow up the message his Aunt had sent him and went to an audition for "Outsiders", an experimental play in which 13 people from different backgrounds are stranded in a subway train when it breaks down. Johnny plays two parts, one a tourist who is transformed into a bug and the other a teenager from Tyrol with a heavy Austrian accent.

The director, Jakub Kavin, was impressed by Johnny's attitude: "It was a great gift for me to work with a Syrian professional actor," he said. "Right from the beginning he was totally focused and concentrated."

Johnny is looking forward to a new life in Austria. "It's beautiful to learn new languages and to meet new people," he said. "I just love the idea of working as a professional actor in three different countries."

Naturally, Johnny misses his friends and family in Damascus and Beirut, especially his mother who still lives in Damascus. He hopes the war in Syria will end sooner or later, but cannot imagine living there again. Too much has happened.

"Once the war is over, I might teach Austrian actors Arabic and send them to Syria to act," he said with a smile.

By Henriette Schroeder in Vienna
Displaced Iraqis walk back to their temporary shelter in Garmawa camp carrying fresh vegetables.  UNHCR / R. Hussein

GENEVA, March 11 (UNHCR) - The UN Refugee Agency is concerned about a rising trend of newly-displaced Iraqis being forcibly transferred to camps where restrictions on their freedom of movement are imposed in a manner disproportionate to any legitimate concern, including those related to security.

"While recognizing the responsibility of authorities to undertake security screening of people fleeing territory controlled by extremist groups, we urge the government to set up clear procedures and facilities for this purpose that are separate from camps established to provide shelter and other humanitarian assistance to displaced Iraqis," UNHCR spokeswoman Ariane Rummery told a news briefing in Geneva on Friday (March 11).

Nazrawa camp, in Kirkuk Governorate, was opened by UNHCR in November 2015 for internally displaced Iraqis seeking safety from conflict and severe human rights abuses, thanks to flexible funding from over ten donor countries.

It was opened in response to a long-standing request by the Kirkuk authorities for more support from the humanitarian community in their efforts to provide protection and assistance to large numbers of internally-displaced persons, or IDPs, in the governorate - currently numbering nearly 400,000.

Approximately 2,000 displaced Iraqis are currently residing in Nazrawa camp. However, authorities have progressively imposed movement restrictions on residents of the camp. Since February 22 all residents have been confined to the camp, irrespective of whether or not they have completed security screening procedures.

Instances of forcible relocation of Iraqis into camps, as well as disproportionate restrictions on their freedom of movement, have also been recorded by protection partners elsewhere in Iraq.

In Garmawa camp in northern Iraq, Iraqis who were forcibly relocated to the camp from villages in Tilkaif District in 2015 continue to face restrictions on their freedom of movement. Similar concerns are also emerging in Salah Al Din and Anbar Governorates.

"We are concerned about this developing trend as freedom of movement is key to displaced people being able to exercise other rights, such as access to work, food, healthcare and legal assistance," Rummery told reporters.

"With the prospect of further displacement as military operations against extremist groups escalate, it is becoming increasingly urgent for the authorities to ensure both that IDPs are granted access to safety in a timely manner, and that camps maintain their humanitarian character," she added.

In addition to nearly one million Iraqis displaced since 2006-7, there are more than 3.3 million people in Iraq who have been displaced since January 2014. The displaced in Iraq continue to face challenges, including exposure to violence, disproportionate restrictions on access to safety and freedom of movement, forced encampment, and constrained access to basic services.
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Three to Receive UW Honorary Degrees

The University of Wyoming will confer its highest award, the honorary doctoral degree, upon three individuals who will be recognized during UW commencement ceremonies in May.

They are Tom Bell, award-winning writer and conservationist; Don King, statistician and entrepreneur; and John McPhee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and teacher.

UW alumni, current or former trustees and faculty are eligible to nominate, for honorary degrees, individuals who embody the universitys high ideals; exemplify the values of excellence, service and integrity; and have distinguished accomplishments in their professions or contributions to the sciences, arts, humanities, public service and service to humanity. Submissions are referred to a joint committee, headed by UW President Dick McGinity, and nominees who receive votes from two-thirds of the committee are recommended for approval.

Bell grew up on a ranch near Lander during the Great Depression and served in World War II. Awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action in 1944, he was severely wounded during a mission over Austria by a burst of flak that nearly killed him and caused the loss of his right eye, for which he received the Purple Heart.

Bell earned a bachelors degree and then a masters degree in wildlife conservation and game management, both from UW. He worked for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and taught science in Lander schools. He founded the Wyoming Outdoor Council in 1967 and the High Country News in 1970.

Among the awards Bell has received are the Shikar-Safari Club International Award, Wyoming Conservationist of the Year, the U.S. Department of the Interior Conservation Award, the Daughters of the American Revolution National Conservation Award, the National Wildlife Federations Award for Conservationist of the Year, and the Wilderness Society Lifetime Service Award.

Tom Bell is a decorated American hero, a stalwart proponent of democratic society, a role model to thousands of young people, a scientific and critical thinker, and a humble rancher and writer who has dedicated his life to making Wyoming the best it can be, wrote Emilene Ostlind, communications coordinator for UWs Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. His exemplary military and civil accomplishments have won dozens of national recognitions, and he has, without question, made outstanding contributions to the lives of Wyoming citizens.

King was born in Cheyenne during the Great Depression to a family that had a large sheep-breeding operation in Laramie and Albany counties. He studied statistics at UW, receiving his bachelors and masters degrees.

In 1961, he co-founded Westat Inc., which has become one of the worlds leading private-sector statistical survey research organizations. He served as a high-level executive in a series of connected companies and became president of King Research Inc., which achieved prominence for information system evaluations. In 1997, he retired from the business world to concentrate on writing, lecturing and service.

Among the awards he has received are the Award of Merit from the American Society for Information Science and Technology; honorary fellow for the National Federation of Abstracting and Information Services; Pioneer of Science Information from the Chemical Heritage Foundation; and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Research Libraries.

I am confident in saying that no other individual has contributed as much across all lines of government and private information clearinghouses, depositories, special libraries, public libraries, academic libraries, and public and private databases, as Don King, wrote Vernon Palmour, of Cody, former senior vice president with King Research Inc.

McPhee is a graduate of Princeton University, where he teaches nonfiction writing, and is known as one of the pioneers of creative nonfiction. The author of more than 30 books and collections, he is a four-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in general nonfiction and won the award in 1999 for his collection, Annals of the Former World.

One of the books in that collection is Rising from the Plains, a portrait of the family of the late David Love, UW alumnus and pre-eminent geologist of the Rocky Mountain West.

John McPhee may not have put Wyoming on the map, but he did put the map into words by surveying geology, history and biography to coalesce the land and its people, wrote Eric Sandeen, director of the Wyoming Institute for Humanities Research, and UW English Professor Eric Nye. In doing so, he has applied the skills, honed over a 50-year career of writing of the highest quality, to the widest of audiences.
Wyoming Business Tips for March 20-26

A weekly look at Wyoming business questions from the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (WSBDC), part of WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz, a collection of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming.

By Brett Housholder, Wyoming Entrepreneur Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) program manager

I attended the recent GRO-Biz Conference and Idea Expo, and made some great contacts with contracting staff from government agencies. It sounds like Ill have an opportunity to work with some of them, but I dont know what I should do now that the conference is over. Where do I start so they dont forget about me? Brent, Evanston

One of the best aspects of our annual GRO-Biz Conference and Idea Expo is the matchmaking component that allows business owners to sit down, one on one, with contracting staff from federal and state agencies to discuss how their businesses can sell to the government.

In an economic environment that is unpredictable, many businesses are exploring the option of selling to the government because it can be steady, dependable work that can help supplement a companys private-sector revenue.

However, after getting energized by learning about opportunities to expand their businesses through government contracting, many business owners return to their offices unsure of how to get started and, more important, how to make sure the government agencies they visited with dont forget about them.

A great rule of thumb, after a networking event, is to follow up with anybody you spoke with during the event, just to remind them of who you are, what you do and what you specifically discussed at the event.

During these conferences, people will have dozens of conversations with many folks, so remembering the specific details of each conversation can be a challenge. Do not be afraid to remind them of what you discussed with them, and let them know that you are happy to provide them with any further information about your business they may need.

Speaking of further information, we have written in the past about Capabilities Statements, the document format that government agencies prefer when a company markets to them. If you did not have one of those with you to hand out at the event, a follow-up email is a great way to get that document to them. Simply attach this single-page document with relevant information about your business to a follow-up email to make an impression after your conversation at the event.

The PTAC is happy to help you create an effective Capabilities Statement as well as determine the best way to reach out to your target agencies after you meet them at an event. One of the things we always challenge our attendees to do after the annual conference is to keep up with the momentum. Events like this are a great way to get energized about expanding your business, especially during times when the private sector is slowing down. Its important to keep the conversation going after the event ends.

A blog version of this article and an opportunity to post comments are available at http://wyen.biz/blog1/.

The WSBDC is a partnership of the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Wyoming Business Council and the University of Wyoming. To ask a question, call 1-800-348-5194, email wsbdc@uwyo.edu, or write 1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3922, Laramie, WY, 82071-3922.
A blog about life under, and resisting, a dictatorship
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Kossan Rubber Industries, a Kuala Lumpur-based glove manufacturer, is preparing for a share buyback program following a bounce in the Malaysian ringgit that sent the shares of the company to its lower level from a record high in December. Shares of the latex products exporter rallied in the stock market after the buyback news.

Lim Kuang Sia, chief executive officer and founder of Kossan Rubber, said Bloomberg in an interview that the 35% drop in the company's shares pushed Kossan to plan a share buyback program. He also advised long-term investors to split up the share because of its present low value. He continued that the glove producer, which is aiming for acquisitions, also anticipates reporting a record profit in 2016.

Investors are curious regarding the solidifying Malaysian ringgit, which could burden exporters, but Lim says they are wrong. According to him, business is moving in a usual trend and that the company has a command for buybacks. Kossan Rubber along with its peers like Malaysian Pacific Industries and Top Glove were the stock market superstars in 2015 as the ringgit dropped to a record low in a 17-year period, making their products cheaper for foreign buyers and thereby enhancing their sales in the international market.

However, the recent rebound in Malaysian ringgit led investors of these export companies to shed their shareholdings in the company. Kossan is the biggest loser in this race for foreign markets. The company's 2015 profit swelled 40% to 203.3 million ringgit while profit at Top Glove climbed 55% to 280.1 million ringgit. In 2015, the currency dropped 19% hurt by poor oil prices and weakening of Chinese yuan. But, ringgit managed to climb 3.9% in 2016.

INDUSTRY TODAY quoted a report from Transparency Market Research, which stated that disposal glove industry across the globe stood at a value of $5.21 billion in 2012. In addition, the industry is anticipated to reach US$7.85 billion within 2019.

Meanwhile, in connection with the Agreed Export Tonnage Scheme, rubber exporters in Indonesia has pledged to reduce their rubber exports until August 2016. According to Karyanto Suprih, director general of foreign trade, the main target of the scheme, which is approved by the International Tripartite Rubber Council's (ITRC) member nations, is to bolster the rubber market by reducing the supply to the global market, as reported by ANTARANEWS.

The supply reduction will start from March 1 to August 31, 2016. As per terms of the scheme, Thailand will trim its rubber export by 324,005 tons while Indonesia and Malaysia will reduce their supply by 238,736 tons and 52,259 tons respectively. The overall supply reduction by the ITRC member nations sums up to 615,000 tons during the reduction period.

Malaysia is the third largest exporter of rubber products in the world. The recent surge in the ringgit has nailed the export sector of the country, which is battling for the overseas market along with Thailand and Indonesia.
The Indian Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare has announced on Tuesday cutting the royalty fees for genetically modified cotton seeds by 70%. The cutting has been announced ahead of the warning made by Monsanto Co., the world's largest seed company, on pulling its biotech crop genes from the country.

The move appears following complaints from local seed companies have accused Mahyco Monsato Biotech (India) (MMB) for charging high royalties. MMB is a joint venture concern of Monsanto Co. with India's Mahyco.

The complaint has prompted India's farm ministry forming a committee to submit recommendations upon probe. The recommendations are now being reflected with the government move, reports Reuters.
Facebook announced its latest acquisition, the popular face-swapping app MSQRD owned by the company Masquerade. The terms and details of the acquisition deal are not disclosed by both the companies.

MSQRD is one of the most popular apps in the App Store, with an average rating of 5 stars. The app provides playful and funny animated filters to apply directly on selfies. The Masquerade's app has a wide range of filters and effects, such as Iron Man helmet worn by Mark Zuckerberg in Facebook's announcement of the new acquisition. Users can also play with their selfies to enhance and alter their appearances using cartoon filters, celebrity masks, stickers, doodles, text, and other effects.

In a blog post, Masquerade's CEO Eugene Nevgen expressed the company's excitement in joining forces with the social media giant Facebook. "Within Facebook, we're going to be able to reach people at a scale like never before. For starters, we'll be able to bring our technology to Facebook's audience of nearly 1.6 billion people. This is a scale of audience we never imagined was possible," Nevgen wrote.

Face-altering apps like MSQRD gained popularity around last year when instant messaging app Snapchat added live filters called lenses, as reported by BBC. The face-swap filter, which has become a favorite, was not something the social media Facebook has in its service before. In 2013, Facebook offered to take over Snapchat for $3 billion, but the instant messaging app rejected the offer.

Ever since MSQRD was founded last year, the Belarus-based company was often considered as a rival to Snapchat. And now, with the Masquerade's app within the social media company, Facebook can integrate the face-swap filters directly to the social media. "Masquerade has great technology to help us bring even more creative tools to Facebook, and help extend this work to video," Facebook said in a statement.

Even though is likely that MSQRD's filters and effects will be adopted and used as Facebook's built-in filters, the app will also stay running independently. Users can choose to use the service from Facebook or directly from the MSQRD app. According to Tech Insider, the app's founders, including the CEO Eugene Nevgen, Sergey Gonchar, and Eugene Zatepyakin, will work from Facebook's London office.

Facebook's Masquerade acquisition will bring new innovations and changes for the social media giant. Face-swapping apps have been widely popular since last year as more similar apps emerged and more filters and effects are created. MSQRD will still be operating as a standalone app while its filters will most likely be incorporated in Facebook.
Honest Company Inc., where actress Jessica Alba is the co-founder, recently came under attack over allegations of harsh chemical ingredients usage the company claimed it never used. The latest report shows that the company's detergent indeed contained sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), a chemical that the company blamed for causing skin irritation.

The two lab tests initiated by The Wall Street Journal and conducted by Impact Analytical and Chemir, a division of EAG Inc., show a significant amount of SLS in Honest's detergent. Honest's liquid laundry detergent is one of the company's first and most popular products. SLS itself is a common chemical ingredient found in most toothpaste, shampoo, body wash, hand wash, and even dish soap.

The company has reacted to the allegations with a statement, as reported by The Huffington Post, "The Wall Street Journal has been reckless in the preparation of this article, refused multiple requests to share data on which they apparently relied and has substituted junk science for credible journalism. We stand behind our laundry detergent and take very seriously the responsibility we have to our consumers to create safe and effective products."

As a response, the company also provided The Wall Street Journal with a certificate from its manufacturer Earth Friendly Products, showing that the product contains to SLS. The manufacturer's chemical supplier, Trichromatic West Inc., said that the certificate wasn't based on any testing. It further said that it did not need to test for SLS because none of the chemicals were used in the manufacturing process. However, scientists also told the Wall Street Journal that SCS actually contains a mixture of various cleaning agents, including SLS.

Honest Company has been challenging other companies with its products, guaranteed to not contain such harsh chemicals found in many other mainstream products. SLS is one of many chemicals Honest claims to avoid, and substitute it with sodium coco sulfate (SCS) derived from coconuts as a safer alternative. Jessica Alba herself said that she started the company after she had an allergic reaction to a popular brand of laundry detergent that contains SLS.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Honest Company has recently changed the claim in its website from "Honestly free of" to "Honestly made without" the harsh chemicals. The company, which has raised $222 million in private funding, was also previously criticized for its sunscreen which was called ineffective at preventing sunburn.

Jessica Alba's Honest Company strongly denied that their products, especially the laundry detergent, were made using the chemicals SLS, which the company claimed to never use. Two test labs commissioned by The Wall Street Journal confirmed that the detergent product indeed contains a significant amount of SLS. The company has been promoting products with safer ingredients without harsh chemicals.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has charted a business plan for its Fiat dealers. The new business plan helps Fiat dealers reduce operational costs and restore faith in the brand. FCA advised dealers to close down money losing stand-alone dealership outlets.

New plan for dealers also aims at attracting more number of customers towards Fiat brand. FCA is also advising Fiat dealers to run dealership with Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram dealerships so that consolidation will reduce costs of running dealership outlets. Majority of Fiat dealers also operate Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram nearby.

USA Today reports that dealers as part of the new business plan will also be allowed to display Fiat cars at those other stores. Gualberto Ranieri, spokesperson at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, said the new plan would save costs on running dealership outlets. Upon implementation, the new plan is expected to save $180,000 annually at a dealer showroom, which sells 15 new Fiat a month.



Dealers can save significantly in third-party vendor expenses. FCA is also focusing on simplifying the Fiat lineup. The Automobile major is also planning to reduce the number Fiat trim levels so that price overlap among nameplates can also be limited.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) further adds that dealers are also advised by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to close down standalone dealership outlets. FCA's CEO Sergio Marchionne is keen on promoting the struggling Fiat brand in the US market by changing strategy for dealers. The automobile major has also given more control over the brand to dealers. Fiat showrooms are now allowed to sell Chrysler, Ram, Jeep and Dodge brands as well. If Fiat dealers want to continue their showrooms as separate outlets for Fiat, the will get financial subsidy of $1,000 as rent assistance for every car sold.



Latest business strategy as viewed by several dealers attending a recent meeting in Detroit, that it's a significant reversal in Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne's plan for the Fiat brand. Fiat is known for small, fuel-efficient cars with a European flare. US dealers were earlier asked to present a detailed business plan on how to run separate showrooms.

With 200 retail outlets across the US, Fiat sold 42,410 vehicles in 2015 giving an average of 18 per month at an outlet. If a dealer closes down his retail outlet as advised by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, he wouldn't get any reimbursement. FCA is also promising that Alfa Romeo brand cars will soon be rolled out. Majority of dealers have already started combining their back-office operations to reduce costs, as reported by Market Watch.



At a time, when gasoline prices were high, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles introduced Fiat brand. The demand for small cars was very good when gasoline prices were ruling high. With gasoline prices hovering lower, US consumers are going for crossovers and SUVs.
Chicago Transport Authority (CTA) has awarded $1.3 billion rail cars contract for the city's "L" urban rail system to a unit of China's CRRC Corp. on Wednesday. The deal aims a monumental overhaul replacing about half of its fleet and has been recognized as the largest car purchase in CTA's history.

CRR Corp. has bagged the second Chinese deal in the US in just 18 months after CNR Corp. has won the $567 million deal to supply trains for Boston's subway system. Under the deal, CSR Sifang America JV, will supply 846 units of 7000-series rail cars to CTA.

Chinese state-owned rail car manufacturing company CRRC Qingdao Sifang and CSR America are the other partners of CSR. CSR has quoted the lowest rate in the bid, reports Bloomberg citing a CSR statement furnished in its website on Thursday, as the source.

The last batch of CTA rail tracks are of 5000-series and have been designed in the past decade and built by Bombardier Transportation, which lost this year's bid. The new cars have been planned to replace 2600 cars produced in 1980s, according to a report published in the Chicago Tribune.
The Cupertino-based company is sending out press invite to event in company's headquarted on March 21. The company only provided a tagline "Let us loop you in," in the invitation.

Venture Beat reported that Apple is rumored to unveil a 4-inch iPhone 5se at the event. The phone will be a spiritual successor to the iPhone 5c. In the meantime Apple is also said to have a 9.7-inch iPad Pro in the works as a smaller counterpart to its existing 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

There is also other rumor regarding the event. That includes the new MacBooks and Apple Watch. However, Venture Beat did not speculate further, but expecting the event which to be kicked off at 11 a.m. PST.

Senior editor at CNET Scott Stein said the event is important for Apple to make people get their focus back on Apple's product instead of its legal battle with FBI. He said in his column, "For Apple, the event is a chance to refocus the public on its specialty -- hardware -- amid high-profile struggles on multiple fronts. Its stock has languished as iPhone sales growth appears to have peaked, and the company is engaged in a public battle with the US government over security, privacy and encryption."

Scott Stein mentioned that in the midst of ongoing encryption case between Apple and federal government, customers can look forward to the new hardware from the company.

Since December last year, Apple was engaged in a battle with FBI. As the federal agency requested to unlock Apple's encrypted data in iPhone 5C which was used by islamic terrorists couple in last December's San Bernardino attack.

FBI requested Apple to unlock the encryption on the iPhone 5C used by one of perpetrators, Syed Rizwan Farook. As the iPhone contained important evidence related to mass murder in San Bernardino. Federal judge issued a court order demanding Apple to help the investigation, but Apple refused to comply, citing unlocking the data will threaten data security for Apple's customers.

In the latest development of the issue,USA Today reported that Apple still refuse to comply to the court order. In regard to Apple refusal, U.S. Department of Justice was filing another brief accusing Apple to intentionally blocking the investigation of law enforcement agency.

Amidst the legal dispute with Department of Justice, Apple prepared its press event, taglined as "Let us loop you in." There are many rumors regarding the products to be launched in the event. Beside the smaller iPad, Apple will try to break the big screen phablet market dominaton, by introducing smaller iPhone.

There are two highly anticipated products to be seen in the March 21 event. Apple is rumored to introduce smaller screen products, the 9.7" iPad and 4" iPhone 5se.
It's not a good start of the year for South Africa's mining industry as more mining sites shut down their operations. The country's mining output dropped by 4.5% year-on-year in January said Statistics South Africa. Slow economic growth has increased worries of the nation's credit rating could be slashed to sub-investment grade and demoralize investors concerned regarding how President Jacob Zuma handles the economy.

Compared to last year's estimated 1.3%, the Treasury claimed that South Africa's economy can grow by 0.9% this year, which could be the lowest growth rate since the country surfaced from the 2009 recession, according to Reuters Africa.

"The mining and manufacturing sectors collectively make up about half of South Africa's (gross domestic product), so this contraction in output is a very worrying sign," Capital Economics analysts said in a note.

South Africa's factory output declined 2.5% from a year before, the biggest decline so far since July 2014 that prompts a month long strike in the vehicle and car parts industry shutting down production, as reported by Bloomberg.

According to Jeffrey Schultz, an economist at BNP Paribas Securities, the information reflects a "combination of weak global demand dynamics, particularly from China, and the ongoing structural growth constraints that we have domestically. Effectively, the manufacturing sector is operating at recessionary levels."

The biggest recorded negative growth rate came from copper with -43.8%, followed by iron ore and diamond at -26.3% and -16.1% respectively. From October last year to January this year, mining output reduced to 0.6% quarter-on-quarter.

Gold emerged as an important positive contributor sharing 3.1% points, Global Mining News reported.

Year 2016 might not be a good year for South Africa's mining and manufacturing output. Gold and diamond mines started to shut down their operations. Investors are worried the way President Jacob Zuma is governing the country's economic situation.
Cloud-based startup Optimizely has decided to lay off 10 percent of its employees across all the departments. Optimizely is the latest startup to cut down jobs and many startups to follow the suit. Based on recent round of finance, Otpimizely was valued at $585 million.

Set up in 2009, San Francisco-based Optimizely has received over $146 million investments including $58 million round in 2015. Top-tier venture capital firms such as Andreessen Horowitz and Benchmark Capital have invested in Optimizely. Several startups have started laying off employees and Instacart, Mixpanel and Zenefits were few among them.

Venture Beat reports that Optimizely has sent an e-mail to its employees about the layoff decision. As part of this 40 of total 400 employees will lose jobs. Optimizely's co-founder and Chief Executive Dan Siroker keen on making the startup a profitable one without any funding support further.



Dan Siroker said in the e-mail: "While it is sad to see fellow Optinauts move on, it is the right thing to do for Optimizely in order for us to accelerate our journey to Controlling Our Own Destiny."

Employees of several Silicon Valley-based startups will have to face turbulent situation in the days to come as Optimizely is not the last one to layoff. Moreover, the valuations of startups constrict across the technology industry. The recent round of financing in October 2015, Otpimizely was valued at $585 million, according to Pitchbook, a research firm. Optimizely saved 26 percent costs in the past six months, as reported by Forbes.



Elaborating about company's future plans in the e-mail addressed to employees, Siroker said: "Over the last six months, we have collectively saved over $1.4mln by more wisely investing our resources and we have also become more productive as measured by the revenue per Optinaut, which has grown 26 percent."

Optimizely made it easier that anyone can do website A/B testing. It even surpassed Adobe to become most adopted website optimization platform in the world. Right from its inception, it managed to double revenues every year consistently. Optimizely has adopted in August 2015 the goal of Controlling Our Own Destiny. Towards this objective, it's taking some bold measures and structural changes to business including 10 percent reduction in workforce, as said by Dan Siroker in Optimizely Blog.



Siroker further elaborated that public cloud companies collectively lost $28 billion in market value on 5 February. Some of the market value recovered so far, but there's shift in the market as it has validated approach that Optimizely adopted in August 2015.

Optimizely is a firm that makes customer-experience optimization software for companies. The Optimizely platform technology provides businesses with the ability to conduct A/B testing, in which two versions of a page can be compared for performance
China will continue to implement its stringent anti-pollution efforts despite slowing down economy. China is keen on pursuing economy growth, while maintaining high standards in environment protection. China is keen on strengthening local governments' role in controlling pollution.



China's Environment Minister Chen Jining said Chin would continue its restructuring measures to stimulate economy growth. Moving away from heavily polluting companies, Chinese government wants to create more space for good companies with technology innovation. Chinese government has also observed that lack of commitment from local government in enforcing environmental laws to control pollution as these're more focused on economy growth.

CNBC reports that China was focusing mostly on economy growth without much attention to environment. This continued for decades. Recently, Chinese government has changed its focus and has decided to move away from an economy that dependent on heavy industry to more sustainable economy based on domestic consumption and services.



Chen Jining said: "We need to hold the local governments accountable. Only if we hold them accountable for environmental responsibilities will the enterprises be more law-abiding."

Yahoo Finance further adds that China had been used to equate development factor with GDP and production only. Chen says Chinese government believes how valuable nature is. Chinese government is in the process of striking a balance between environment protection and economy development. China has decided not to go for economy development at the expense of environment.



Chen said: "Only when those polluters bow out of the market will it be possible to set aside some development space for good companies to focus on innovation and improving product quality, and to avoid the phenomenon of 'bad money driving out good in our development."

Chin is world's largest commodity consuming nation and also coal consumption is highest in the world. Coal consumption is slowing down in China for the past two years. China is also investing in renewable energy. However, China approved over 200 new coal-fired power plants in 2015 alone. In March 2015, Chinese government has empowered local governments to give permits. Economists opine that the surge in coal-based power plants is an example of how government's keen on prop up GDP, as reported by ABC News.

China recorded 6.9 percent growth rate in gross domestic product (GDP) for 2015. Chinese government has set a target of 6.5 percent to seven percent GDP growth rate for 2016. Environmental pollution has become a cause of worry when economy started slowing down. China's wealthy citizens are expressing their concerns over environmental pollution.
It's a battle for the cheapest breakfast menu and Taco Bell is offering a breakfast menu that only costs a dollar. The Mexican-style fast food chain launched its nationwide offer starting Thursday. It replaces McDonald's phased out "Dollar Menu and More", where Taco Bell customers can order 10 breakfast items for a dollar each.

In 2014, Taco Bell starts offering breakfast and targets to overcome McDonald's with new value menus as the food industry continues to find ways to drive customers back to the drive-thru. The company seeks to vary its dollar menu with bacon, being the only fast food chain that offers bacon in its morning value menu on some of its items.

The breakfast dollar menu will be an endless addition to Taco Bell's choices. The offer remains on the "dollar cravings" on its regular menu, where customers can order specific food items sold for $1, according to USA Today.

'While dollar menus disappear across America, Taco Bell is continuing to reinvent breakfast with delicious and unique menu items only Taco Bell can provide, with 10 items for $1 each,' Marisa Thalberg, Chief Marketing Officer for Taco Bell Corp, said in a statement on Thursday.

The $1 morning value meal includes a number of new additional food items like the Sausage Flatbread Quesadilla, Breakfast Soft Taco and breakfast bowl filled with seasoned breakfast potatoes. Grilled breakfast burrito can also be ordered, as reported by Mail Online.

Other additional food items that joins the breakfast menu includes Hash Brown, Cinnabon DelightsTM 2 Pack and Mountain Dew KickstartTM Orange Citrus. The $1 Morning Value Menu's introduction exhibits the brand's strong support to interrupt America's breakfast routines by introducing classic breakfast flavors with eccentricity at a price that customers can still manage to pay for, Street Insider reports.

The launching of the new menu is an expansion of the company's lasting pledge of delivering quality food at great value. The release is advocated by the brand's notification in late 2015 on serving cage-free eggs by December 31, 2016.
German engineering and electronics company Robert Bosch GmbH is launching its own "Internet of Things" (IoT), enabling a cloud computing network to connect its wide range of products via the internet. By doing that, Bosch is establishing itself as a competitive and modern manufacturer even compared to its U.S. technology rivals.

According to Reuters, Bosch, as well as other traditional German industrial companies like itself, are aiming to transform their companies from manufacturers of equipment to service providers using data generated by their machines. With its engineering expertise, Bosch also expects to have an advantage in making the IoT. With the new innovation, objects will be enabled to communicate with each other as a development of smartcars and smarthomes, as well as intelligent manufacturing.

In a statement, Bosch CEO Volkmar Denner revealed that his company plans to invest $550.7 million annually in new technologies, especially the ones that would support its IoT program. Currently, the company employs about 3,000 software engineers to work on projects related to the IoT.

Bosch has been devoting a lot of its resources to develop an advanced technology in order to support its IoT software suite. The company claims to already have five million devices connected to the platform. CloudPro quoted the statement made by Denner regarding the innovation. "As of today, we offer all the ace cards for the connected world from a single source," Denner stated at the Bosch Connected conference in Berlin. "The Bosch IoT Cloud is the final piece of the puzzle that completes our software expertise. We are now a full service provider for connectivity and the IoT," he noted.

The Bosch IoT cloud is located near the company's headquarters in Stuttgart. As for now, the cloud service will only be used for in-house purposes before being available as a service for other companies starting in 2017, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. The company also plans to launch other data centers in other countries around the world.

Other competitors in the engineering and electronics sectors, including the U.S.-based General Electric Co. and business software provider SAP SE are also working to reach a similar goal in the IoT technology. Bosch is the first foreign company to join the U.S.-based Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) as the company continues its efforts to bridge the relationship and initiatives between German and the U.S.

With the initiative to launch its own IoT cloud technology, Bosch can now connect its products via the Internet, establishing the company as one of the world's prominent and modern manufacturer. The company is investing a lot of money and efforts to master the IoT and software technology.
Treasure Department released a monthly budget on Thursday. According to the report, budget deficit increased slightly than last year. Both Obama administration and Congress forecasted this year's deficit to increase by more than 20% from last year.

The government ran a $193 billion budget deficit in February.This year, there is a 0,1% increase from last year's $192.6 billion deficit.

U.S. Treasury Department reported in this budget year, the deficit stands at $353 billion, down 8.7% from the same period in 2015. However, ABC News predicted the improvement will not last. The President Obama administration and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) are forecasting full year deficit will be higher than last year 's $439.1 billion.

Congress expected the deficit to increase by 24% in this year to $544 billion. While Obama administration is more pessimistic with $616 billion deficit forecast, the worsening deficit is expected to be mounting over the next decade, driven by rising costs in Social Security and Medicare, as millions of people will retire in the next decade.

In 2016, budget year began October 1 wherein the government collected $1.25 trillion in revenue and spend a total of $1.6 trillion. The revenue collected was a 5.3% increase, while spending is up 1.9% from last year.

Meanwhile Wall Street Journal reported that over the 12-month period ended in February, the U.S. deficit was currently steady at $405 billion. That number is at 2.2% of the the country's GDP, and a reduction from last year's $495 billion 12-month deficit which equal to 2.8% of GDP.

In December, Congress has approved budget package to increase spending by $1.14 trillion this year, and provide $680 billion tax cuts over the next decade. The agreement was achieved as a compromise between Obama administration and Congress. That included to increase domestic and military spending, as well as establishing permanent tax cuts for business investment.

Concerning the deal, Defense Secretary Ash Carter asked Congress to stick to December's bipartisan agreement. Secretary Carter worried that reopening the deal would create inefficiencies as his department needs stability to plan its spending levels. Thus, preparing itself for the complex challenges it faces around the world.

"We've got to come together in Washington and break the gridlock for such important functions as funding the federal government," Carter said in an event hosted by Microsoft Corp on Thursday as quoted by Reuters. "We can't go in every fiscal year with chaos and continuing resolutions. That's a money waster ... because it causes us to manage inefficiently."

As Treasure Department published the government budget report in February, the government will continue to implement fiscal package agreement in December. However, both Obama administration and Congress predicted this year's deficit to be higher than last year by at least 24%.
Former La Colonia Chiques gang member Javier Alfaro attends Bible study at The Potter's Hand Ministries in the La Colonia neighborhood of Oxnard.

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Saving souls from street

By Karen Quincy Loberg

Kloberg@Venturacountystar.Com

When Javier Alfaro was 12 years old he became a member of La Colonia Chiques and he remained one until the day he died in 2005.

Then doctors revived him.

A fourth heart attack, which struck while he was in prison for possession of narcotics, rendered him clinically dead. That's when Alfaro said he heard the voice of Jesus telling him he was going back. He awoke with a new mission. A mission to love, not just his "homies" but his enemies. That day the gang elder began his transition. He had never told anyone he loved him or her, but God wanted that to change.

Alfaro had been a Boy Scout until 1977 and says he even marched with Cesar Chavez. But with his parents working long hours in the fields, he felt overlooked among his nine siblings.

When he joined La Colonia Chiques, a violent gang in mid-Oxnard, he felt a sense of familial support for the first time. "I counted to them; I loved my homies," he said.

By 16, his life was violent. He was selling and using heroin and was a felon at 17. Alfaro spent years in and out of prison before having the heart attack that saved his life.

Once immersed in Christianity, Alfaro sought forgiveness from the people he had harmed. "Some accepted it; some told me to go to hell." He went back to his homeboys and told them he loved them. As he gained his confidence as an evangelist, he let the Chiques know that Jesus was there for them, waiting. God had love for them like no one else.

Alfaro found others on a similar mission at Victory Outreach Oxnard and The Potter's Hand Ministries in a La Colonia church. The former gang members  both Chiques and their rivals  work in groups, walking the streets to spread their experience with God.

With giant blue gang star tattoos on his head and skull tattoos creeping over his collar line, the 44-year-old Alfaro strikes an imposing presence. But now instead of wielding a foot-long blade, he searches for souls with his Bible.

The converts approach ominous-looking men in tightly packed groups on the sidewalk and share their stories of religious transformation. Sometimes the men will bow their heads to pray with them.

Except for the tattoos, Alfaro's life has no resemblance to the one he lived before. The pacemaker implanted while he was incarcerated helps motor the man who still fervently walks through La Colonia.

"Nobody can say that gang members can't change," Alfaro said. "They can. I did. They can."
ANTHONY PLASCENCIA/THE STAR Rain falls along the Simi Valley Arroyo Creek last month.

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By John Scheibe of the Ventura County Star

Get ready for another blast of rain this weekend with anywhere from an inch to two inches falling on Ventura County starting Friday afternoon.

"Rainfall amounts will vary by location," Stuart Seto, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard said on Thursday afternoon.

Friday's storm could drop snow levels from 5,500 feet to 4,500 feet by nightfall, with anywhere from four to six inches of snow falling, Seto said.

Overnight lows from Friday to Saturday are expected to be in the low 50s to high 40s. The daytime highs on Saturday and Sunday will be in the mid 60s.

Friday's storm will also bring gusty winds with a chance of thunder storms.

The National Weather Service is also issuing a high-surf advisory beginning at 4 p.m. Friday through midnight on Sunday. Waves could reach 7 to 10 feet this weekend, the weather service said. They also said the high-surf advisory might be extended past Sunday should the severe weather continue into Monday.

This storm is expected to move out of the area by Saturday morning with a second one arriving Sunday. That storm could linger until Monday, Seto said, though meteorologists are still unsure how far south it will reach.

"Right now it looks as if we're on the southern end of that storm," Seto said, noting forecasters could not say on Thursday how much rain if any that storm would bring to Ventura County.

The coming storms follow two others that left an inch or more of rain across the county last Saturday and Sunday.

While February brought little or no rain to Southern California, forecasters expect March will be a much wetter month, Seto said.

For example, Camarillo has already received close to 1.5 inches of rain this month. Still, Ventura County is about 7.7 inches short of where it should be on average for the current rainy season, Seto said.

Forecasters had hoped that a strong El Nino would bring more rain as California finds itself in one of its worst droughts in history.

Seto said the state could still get a lot of rain this season.

"How much rain still remains to be seen," he said.
SHARE FILE PHOTO Bruce Stenslie is president and CEO of the Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County

By Wendy Leung of the Ventura County Star

Growth and development in the Conejo Valley and Ventura County will be discussed during a breakfast at California Lutheran University on March 18.

The event, hosted by Rotary Club of Thousand Oaks and CLU, will feature a panel of experts including two keynote speakers  Bruce Stenslie, president of the Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County, and Matthew Fienup, economist for the Center for Economic Research and Forecasting.

Pre-registration for the 2016 Economic Outlook Forecast Breakfast is $45; $55 at the door. The event is 7 to 9 a.m. at the Lundring Event Center, 130 Overton Court, Thousand Oaks.

To register, visit www.thousandoaksrotary.org.
TROY HARVEY/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Andrea Diaz (from left), Chelsea Fisher, Nikki Graham, Danielle Fischer and Candise Navarro stand at the intersection of South Victoria Avenue and Telephone Road on Wednesday, waving signs to spread awareness of human trafficking.

SHARE TROY HARVEY/SPECIAL TO THE STAR A large group marches along South Victoria Avenue on Wednesday, waving signs to spread awareness of human trafficking. TROY HARVEY/SPECIAL TO THE STAR A Soroptimist event to discuss human trafficking and sexual slavery in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties draws a crowd to the Ventura County Government Center on Wednesday. TROY HARVEY/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Shannon Sergey, the founder and president of Forever Found, discusses human trafficking during a Soroptimist event Wednesday at the Ventura County Government Center. TROY HARVEY/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Laurie McGee waves at cars at the intersection of South Victoria Avenue and Telephone Road during a march Wednesday to help spread awareness of human trafficking.

By Claudia Boyd-Barrett, Special to The Star

Human trafficking and sexual slavery are not the kinds of problems most people associate with California's Central Coast.

But according to law enforcement and other experts gathered for a discussion on the topic Wednesday, these criminal activities are happening right here in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

Detective Judith Porter was assigned to be a human trafficking investigator at the Ventura County Sheriff's Office Special Crimes Unit 18 months ago. Since then, the department has investigated more than 10 human trafficking cases, up from just one before her assignment, she said.

"That's not because there (was) no human trafficking going on here, it's because of education," she said. "Our community here in Ventura County is just now starting to get educated on the topic."

For the past nine years, local members of the service organization Soroptimist International have organized an annual event to raise community awareness about human trafficking. That awareness is now growing, and local agencies are stepping up efforts to address the problem, officials said at Wednesday's event, held at the Ventura County Government Center.

"It's not just a global issue, it's a local issue," said Debbie Gohlke, organizer and member of the Soroptimist International chapter in Oxnard. "We want citizens to take action and advocate and help eradicate and stop human trafficking from coming through Ventura County."

The event began with a march along streets next to the Government Center, where about 50 participants held up signs at passing motorists, calling for an end to human trafficking. The march was followed by a panel discussion featuring Porter, two officials with the Santa Barbara District Attorney's Office and the founder of local nonprofit Forever Found, which fights human trafficking both here and overseas.

Human trafficking is the world's fastest growing criminal enterprise, according to the California Department of Justice. Estimates vary, but the Global Slavery Index  an annual report put out by the Walk Free Foundation  puts the number of enslaved people around the world at almost 36 million, including 60,000 people in the United States.

Although human trafficking can take various forms  including forced labor, debt bondage and prostitution of adults  Wednesday's discussion focused primarily on sex trafficking of minors. A majority of these victims are girls and American citizens, the speakers said.

Exactly how big the problem is locally is hard to quantify because the crime is underreported, said Megan Riker-Rheinschild, facilitator of the recently formed Santa Barbara Human Trafficking Task Force. However, research by the task force has identified widespread advertising of underage girls for sex online, and a prevalence of human trafficking victims among girls in the juvenile justice system, she said.

A two-week analysis of classified advertisements on one Internet site that's a popular marketing tool for traffickers identified 111 unduplicated postings involving girls that appeared to be under 18 in the Santa Barbara area, she said.

"We were likely just scratching the surface," Riker-Rheinschild said.

Although trafficking victims can come from all walks of life, Porter said many victims in Ventura County are from group homes and that many of the perpetrators are believed to be women.

Porter urged community members to be on the lookout for suspicious activity and to report it.

"If something doesn't seem right, we want to know about it," she said.
JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR Falling rain makes a unique pattern on a glass window in a parking structure near downtown Oxnard on Friday afternoon, March 11, 2016. 03/11/2016 Oxnard, CA

SHARE JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR Falling rain makes a unique pattern on a glass window in a parking structure near downtown Oxnard on Friday afternoon, March 11, 2016. 03/11/2016 Oxnard, CA JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR Ophelia Reyes runs back to the rain after returning a cellular phone to someone who dropped it during a recent rainstorm in downtown Oxnard and throughout Ventura County on Friday afternoon, March 11, 2016. 03/11/2016, Oxnard, CA JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR Richard Aliano, Port Hueneme, waits for a bus to go home during a recent rainstorm in downtown Oxnard and throughout Ventura County on Friday afternoon, March 11, 2016. Aliano said he came to downtown Oxnard to look at thrift stores. 03/11/2016, Oxnard, CA CHUCK KIRMAN/THE STAR Motorists on Harbor Boulevard pass a flooded area at Gonzales Road. 03/11/2016 Oxnard, CA

By Megan Diskin of the Ventura County Star

A fast-moving rain storm brought about a half an inch of rain to most areas of Ventura County on Friday, causing flooding and minor traffic accidents on major roadways.

The raindrops arrived about noon and lasted for a few hours, which is just what meteorologist Bill Forwood had predicted Friday morning. But the county didn't receive as much rain as the National Weather Service forecaster said was expected: three-quarters of an inch.

Most cities reported about a half an inch or slightly more of rain, according to the Ventura County Watershed Protection District. Fillmore received 0.53 of an inch, Moorpark received 0.56 of an inch, Ojai received 0.54 of an inch, Santa Paula received 0.58 of an inch and both Simi Valley and Oxnard received 0.52 of an inch, the district reported.

Ventura and Port Hueneme just barely missed the half-inch mark with 0.49 of an inch and 0.47 of an inch, respectively. Thousand Oaks and Camarillo each slightly less than 0.35 of an inch, the district reported.

Although Thousand Oaks and Camarillo got the least amount of rain, the moisture was still enough to cause problems on the cities' roadways.

As the storm was making its way out of the region about 2:30 p.m., the California Highway Patrol reported flooding at the intersections of Center School Road and Fairway Drive and Potrero Road and Lewis Road near Camarillo, the CHP reported. County roads crews responded to the areas to help mitigate the flooding, officials said

About 30 minutes earlier, CHP officers within Camarillo's city limits responded to a vehicle that had veered off the northbound Highway 101 on-ramp at Flynn Road and crashed into a tree.

On the southbound side of the freeway, north of the Lindero Canyon Road exit in the Westlake Village area, a vehicle rolled onto its side, slowing traffic in the area, CHP reported.

During a heavy downpour about 1 p.m. in Simi Valley, a car hit the center divider of westbound Highway 118 near the Yosemite Avenue exit after it started to hydroplane, according to CHP.

No major injuries were reported in any of the crashes.

While Simi Valley was being doused by the storm, motorists on Highway 101 north of Ventura near Solimar Beach were getting some relief from its effects. By then Caltrans crews had cleared mud and debris that had fallen onto the northbound side of the freeway, allowing the roadway to fully reopen. One lane was shut down while they worked, CHP said.

A late December fire charred some 1,200 acres in the Solimar area. The debris flow was the only problem to arise as the storm passed through Friday, despite the weather service issuing a flash-flood warning for the Solimar burn area.

"Everything weathered the storm fine out here," said Dennis Chenoweth, president of the Solimar Beach Colony homeowners association.

Residences in the Camarillo Springs burn area also fared well, officials said.

Hours after the storm passed, the Ventura County Environmental Health Division advised people to stay out of the ocean for 72 hours because runoff possibly carrying disease-causing bacteria might have flown into the sea via storm drains, rivers, channels and creeks.

Big waves moved in as the storm moved out Friday. A high-surf advisory went into effect, and forecasters warned that waves could reach 10 feet Friday and Saturday nights. The advisory remained in effect until midnight Sunday.

Light rain could fall in the northern areas of the county Sunday through Monday, but forecasters were still uncertain how much rain, if any, that storm could bring.

No rain was expected Saturday, but cool weather was forecast with temperatures expected to reach the 60s.

A high-pressure system was forecast to move into the area by next week, bringing above-normal temperatures Tuesday through Friday. The county could get another chance at rain next weekend, forecasters said.

Staff writer John Scheibe contributed to this report.
Family and close friends gather for a graveside service for Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Friday, March 11, 2016 in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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Mourners from the top ranks of Washington and Hollywood paid final tribute to Nancy Reagan on Friday, recalling at her funeral how the former first lady and her husband made up "two halves of a circle," with a legendary love that seemed to inspire everyone they met.

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CAMARILLO

Meeting provides info for volunteers

Canine Adoption and Rescue League will have a volunteer orientation meeting from 12:30-2 p.m. Saturday at Pet Smart, 2530 Las Posas Road.

Before attending the meeting, interested people should fill out an application online at www.carldogs.org.

MOORPARK

Magic show benefits area charities

The 33rd Annual Rotary Creates Magic Show will be at 7:30 p.m. March 19 at the High Street Arts Center, 45 E. High St.

Magician Paul Dwork will perform.

Proceeds benefit local charities through the Camarillo Rotary Foundation.

Tickets cost $35. For more information, email paul@magicmagicmagic.com or call Merlin's Magic at 388-7669.

OXNARD

Choruses will present concert

Gold Coast Concert Chorus, joined by the Ventura College Chorus, will present "Poetry in Song" at 2 p.m. Saturday at St. John's Lutheran Church, 1500 North C St.

Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors and $5 for children under age 5.

For more information, email tickets@goldcoastchorus.org or call Sandy at 616-7269.

Fundraiser supports college scholarships

The Brigham Young University Contemporary Dance Theatre will host a performance titled "Celebrate Life Through Dance," featuring everything from tap to hip hop at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way.

All proceeds from the event will go toward scholarships for area students planning to attend the Brigham Young University campuses in Provo, Utah; Rexburg, Idaho; and Laie, Hawaii.

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at http://tix.byu.edu. Groups of 10 or more may purchase tickets for $12 each using discount code: GROUP.

THOUSAND OAKS

Support group helps with arthritis

The Conejo Valley Arthritis Support Group will meet from 12:15-2 p.m. Saturday at the Goebel Senior Center, 1385 E. Janss Road.

Guest speaker Frank Wood will speak on medications for arthritis.

For more information, call Barbara Collins at 376-3510.

PTA will hold cardiac screening event

Conejo Council PTA, in partnership with the Thousand Oaks Teen Center and Heartfelt Cardiac Project, will have a cardiac screening from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 19 at the Thousand Oaks Teen Center, 1375 E Janss Road.

Parents interested in having their children tested should make a reservation at www.heartfeltcardiacprojects.org/schedule-a-screening.

For more information, contact Adonna Ebrahimi at donnaebrahimi@yahoo.com or 750-5144.

VENTURA

Public welcome to make donations

The Ventura Downtown Lions will host "The Lions Eyes across California" from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 19 at the Montalvo Square Shopping Center on Victoria Ave.

Lions asks the public to recycle their old eyeglasses. The Lions will also accept hearing aids, cellphones and food donations for FOOD Share.

For more information, email Kevin E. Seelos at kaseelos@sbcglobal.net.
STAR FILE PHOTO The front entrance to the Ventura County Medical Examiners Office in Ventura.

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By Cheri Carlson of the Ventura County Star

State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson this week called on the California medical board to investigate past practices of the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office.

Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, met with staff from the medical board earlier this week regarding what she called "serious concern" about allegations that postmortem exams were performed by an unlicensed assistant.

Last month, District Attorney Greg Totten said the practice was highly inappropriate. In February, the DA's Office released a 50-page report detailing the results of an eight-month investigation into the medical examiner's office.

Prosecutors said they found five cases  four men and one woman  in which a supervising investigator with no medical license conducted postmortem exams.

The Star earlier reported that four of those exams were conducted while then-Chief Medical Examiner Jon Smith was on vacation in May 2015. Public records show Smith, traveling in Florida and abroad, emailed directions to Chavez.

Prosecutors said, however, that there was insufficient evidence to warrant criminal charges because the law was unclear. The DA's office and county supervisors have called for a state review of autopsy standards.

On Thursday, Jackson sent a letter to the Medical Board of California, urging the agency to investigate the allegations described in the report.

"These allegations raise a number of questions and concerns as to the reliability of the medical examiner's work, the integrity of his office, and its ability to produce accurate and reliable cause of death determinations," Jackson's letter said.

"They have also caused undue emotional distress for the families involved, causing them to question the processes and protocols used in the examination of their loved ones."

Jackson also asked the board to advise the Legislature whether changes are needed "to ensure autopsies meet the highest level of professional care and respect."

Medical board spokeswoman Cassandra Hockenson said Thursday that the agency is aware of the issue and appreciated Jackson reaching out to the board.

"There is an ongoing confidential investigation at this time," Hockenson said, adding that the board does not discuss ongoing investigations.

She said the agency also will look into whether any laws need clarification or any new laws may be needed. Those decisions would be made by the board, which likely will take up the issue at an upcoming meeting.

Smith remains fully licensed as a physician in California.

He was terminated at the end of August, and county supervisors appointed a new chief medical examiner in November. The office also has added a policy requiring that only state-licensed physicians with training in forensic pathology may perform exams to determine cause of death.

Linda Lloyd's son was one of the men examined while Smith was away, and she has met with Jackson's staff in Oxnard, hoping the senator would take up the issue.

"I don't think his body was treated right," said Lloyd, of Santa Paula. "I don't want another family to go through what I went through."

Jackson, an attorney and chair of the senate Judiciary Committee, said she will continue to look into the issues and plans to meet with various groups, including medical examiner associations.

There are a variety of different aspects of this, Jackson said of the issues. One of the questions relates to whether an autopsy is a medical procedure, she said. "Frankly, the law is not clear on it."

There also are questions about standard of care and that is where the medical board is doing its investigation, Jackson said. "No one should face concerns about the manner and professionalism with which a loved one's body is examined after death," Jackson said.

Lloyd's daughter, Jackie Allen, said she supports her mom trying to make sure the same thing won't happen again. Hearing about the circumstances under which her brother's body was examined was heartbreaking, she said.

"It is tearing my mother up," she said.
SHARE Fernandez CONTRIBUTED PHOTO A still from Karen Castillo Farfan's film, "Daughters of Femicide: The Juarez Uprise," a trailer from which will be shown Saturday and Sunday at the second Latina Film Festival at the Museum of Ventura County in downtown Ventura. In this still, Kevin touches a mural depicting his mother, a victim of femicide in Juarez, Mexico. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO A still from Karen Castillo Farfan's film, "Daughters of Femicide: The Juarez Uprise," a trailer from which will be shown Saturday and Sunday at the second Latina Film Festival at the Museum of Ventura County in downtown Ventura. This father, a main character in the film, claims government officials of Juarez, Mexico, are deliberately minimizing truths about the ongoing femicide cases in Juarez. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Filmmaker Karen Castillo Farfan directed "Daughters of Femicide: The Juarez Uprise." A trailer for the film will be shown both Saturday and Sunday at the second Latina Film Festival at the Museum of Ventura County in downtown Ventura.

By Claudia Boyd-Barrett, Special to The Star

For all the talk about diversity in Hollywood these days, the lack of prominent Latina filmmakers is rarely mentioned in the debate.

But at the Museum of Ventura County this weekend, Latina filmmakers will take center stage.

On Saturday and Sunday the museum is hosting its second Latina Film Festival. The unique event features three short films, a feature-length movie and two movie trailers, all directed, written or produced by Latinas.

IF YOU GO

What: Second Latina Film Festival

When: 7 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday

Where: Museum of Ventura County, 100 E. Main St., Ventura

Cost: $15 Saturday, includes a dessert bar; $5 Sunday.

Information: 653-0323

Doreen Villanueva, who is chairwoman of the festival, said the idea for the event came from a committee of women who advise the museum on ways to bring in more Latino art and functions. The women realized that Latinas in particular are underrepresented, especially when it comes to film.

"There are a lot of Latinas that either are producing, directing, writing or doing the screenplay or the editing. I think a lot of them are out there and wanting a venue," she said.

"There's a lot of Latino film festivals, but there aren't very many Latina film festivals  It's just time to open those doors for women who have the talent."

The idea proved popular. During the museum's first Latina Film Festival in 2014, tickets sold out, Villanueva said. This time the festival committee is trying to make the event more streamlined by selecting a smaller number of films and not offering prizes, she said.

Short films to be screened Saturday include "The Unique Ladies," about a women's car club in San Diego, directed by Gloria Moran; "On The Tracks," a story about women empowering other women, directed by Dulce Stein; and a trailer for "Daughters of Femicide: The Juarez Uprise," a documentary highlighting violence against women and directed by Karen Castillo Farfan.

On Sunday, a repeat screening of the "Daughters of Femicide" trailer will be followed by a full-length feature, "Homebound," written and directed by Fanny Veliz. The film tells the story of an ambitious man who leaves a successful corporate job in Los Angeles to return to his small hometown of El Campo in South Texas. He discovers his father, Gilberto, is dying of cancer, causing him to rethink his idea of personal happiness.

The festival will also pay tribute Saturday to Latina actor, writer and producer Evelina Fernandez, a film industry and theater powerhouse who has starred in numerous movies and theater productions, won two Nosotros Golden Eagle Awards and founded the Latino Theater Company. As part of the tribute, festival organizers will show one of Fernandez's short films.

"She's been involved in the Latina community for a long time, and we look at women who are effective and have been really working hard to honor them and encourage them to keep working hard," Villanueva said.

Castillo Farfan, a former visual journalism student at Brooks Institute who also participated in the 2014 film festival, applauded the idea of highlighting Latina filmmakers and said she's been inspired by the quality of the work she's seen. The film industry is still dominated by white males, she said, yet audiences benefit from exposure to a wider variety of cultures and world views.

"I think by opening ourselves as an audience to receive films from multiple cultures, from multiple backgrounds, we are exposing ourselves to things we would probably never get to see," she said. "It's opening an opportunity to learn about that culture, to learn about that life and to expand on your own point of view."
CHUCK KIRMAN/THE STAR Lynne Miller prepares a vaccine as Javier Velazquez holds Nikka, his pit bull, at a free pet vaccine, microchip and license clinic Thursday for the homeless community. Flea control products, leashes, toys and other items were also distributed. Catholic Charities hosted the clinic.

SHARE CHUCK KIRMAN/THE STAR Karen Hernandez gives support to Maxsamus, her mastiff and pit bull mix, as the dog receives a vaccine and microchip at a free pet clinic for the homeless community on Thursday. Flea control products, leashes, toys and other items were also distributed. Catholic Charities hosted the clinic. CHUCK KIRMAN/THE STAR Lynne Miller scans for a microchip as Javier Velazquez holds Nikka, his pit bull, at a free pet vaccine, microchip and license clinic Thursday for the homeless community. Flea control products, leashes, toys and other items were also distributed. Catholic Charities hosted the clinic. CHUCK KIRMAN/THE STAR People and their pets wait in line outside a free pet vaccine, microchip and license clinic Thursday for the homeless community. Flea control products, leashes, toys and other items were also distributed. Catholic Charities hosted the clinic. CHUCK KIRMAN/THE STAR License inspector Daisy Capellupo (right), from Ventura County Animal Services, collects information and raises awareness about the need to vaccinate, microchip and license pets during an event for the homeless Thursday at Catholic Charities.

By Alicia Doyle, Special to The Star

Pets belonging to Ventura County's homeless received free vaccinations and licenses Thursday, and as the owner of a service dog needing shots, Danna Aten expressed her gratitude at the charitable effort.

"I have PTSD and ADHD and she's my constant companion," Aten said of Memi, a 5-year-old purebred Labrador that she adopted from a Somis animal shelter when the dog was 8 months old.

Aten, who is staying at a hotel in Ventura while working at a nursing job in Oxnard, stopped by Catholic Charities in Ventura so Memi could be vaccinated. In all, Ventura County Animal Services vaccinated 28 dogs and licensed 27 of them.

"I'm working, and every bit counts for me  and the hotel's taking all my money," Aten said. "It's important to have dogs healthy because when they're not healthy they can spread diseases. When you have a pet it's like having a child."

This was the first time Catholic Charities in Ventura hosted such an event. Food Pantry Coordinator Rick Raine estimates that 25 percent of homeless people own pets  and most, if not all, cannot afford health care for the animals.

"There's a special bond that goes on between the homeless and their pets  they'll feed their pets before they themselves will eat," Raine said. "They take very good care of them, but because they're low-income or no-income, it's hard for them to get the other services: licensing, shots and the things other people do with their animals that they can't afford."

For a homeless person, a pet might be the closest living thing they have, Raine said.

Additionally, he noted, "Not only is it companionship, it's protection."

Animal Services also provided free microchips and gave out dog treats and toys in addition to supplying the free vaccinations and licenses.

"I know a lot of homeless people do have pets and might not be able to afford medical care, and if I can provide at least the core vaccines so they don't get sick, then their pets are healthier," said Heather Skogerson, managing veterinarian with Animal Services. "We need to provide rabies shots, and if they can't afford it, then we need to provide it for them as a public health precaution."

Pets play an important role in people's lives, whether or not those people are homeless, Skogerson added.

"They love their animals and the animals help them  it's a symbiotic relationship," she said. "People who have pets live longer, and it gives them someone to love who loves them back. For a homeless person, I believe that it gives them purpose. It gives them someone to love. It's a companion."

A homeless woman who gave her name only as Mary brought Bella, whom Mary described as "half poodle and half human."

"Bella's my life  I probably wouldn't be alive if I didn't have her," Mary said. "What they're doing here today is excellent. Getting shots for Bella is very expensive. There are some low-cost clinics but they still cost $10 per shot, and Bella needs four."

Keith Corbin brought Cocomojo, an Australian shepherd and blue nosed pit that he's owned for four years.

"Tags and shots are like $80  it can be really expensive," Corbin said. "She's my baby, I love her more than most people, so it's great that they're doing this."

If animals in the community are healthy, the community is healthy, said Pat Esseff, director of Catholic Charities.

"For these individuals, they are taking good care of somebody important to them," Esseff said. "If I was on the street, I'd have a dog  not just for protection, but for comfort, for warmth."
JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Shawn Terris of Ventura speaks to U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley in a roundtable event for women veterans in Camarillo. Terris served in the Marine Corps.

SHARE JUAN CARLO/THE STAR U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley walks into a roundtable event for women veterans at the Camarillo Public Library. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Mary Bandini, VFW Post commander from Simi Valley, said people still struggle to accept that women serve as machine gunners. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Josette Wingo of Camarillo served in the Navy during World War II. She wrote a book, "Mother Was A Gunner's Mate." JUAN CARLO/THE STAR U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley talks at a roundtable event for women veterans.

By Tom Kisken of the Ventura County Star

They feel invisible.

Eight women veterans talked about glass ceilings, sexual assault in the military, sexism and other inequities in a Camarillo roundtable Thursday.

They talked most of all about a society that doesn't always seem to get that an estimated 2 million women served the country, many in combat.

Mary Bandini, of Simi Valley, was in the Air Force, serving tours in Bosnia and Qatar. She was a machine-gunner.

When people see the bumper sticker that identifies her as a veteran, they run across a parking lot and offer their hand. To her husband. Who didn't serve.

"He says, 'You're talking to the wrong person," she said. When people realize the woman is the vet, too often they turn around and walk away.

"It's happened so many times," said Bandini, commander of VFW Post 10049 in Simi Valley.

The roundtable was hosted by U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Westlake Village. The women gathered included Josette Wingo of Camarillo. She's 92 and served in the Navy during World War II through a program called Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services.

Wingo wrote a book, "Mother Was A Gunner's Mate." She's mother.

The veterans talked of the identity crisis created by a society that doesn't see them for who they are, despite their service. Because of that, women don't come forward as veterans and don't use  often don't know  of the services available in health care, colleges and elsewhere.

Danielle Hanne serves in the California National Guard and works for a organization called U.S. Veterans Initiative. She said federal and state organizations don't do enough to help people transition to civilian life.

"There's no bridge and there's supposed to be," she said.

The women spoke about sexual assaults and whether investigations should be handled by the military or outside. One woman noted victims can seek help and treatment from the federal VA.

"How many women know that?" said Brownley who introduced legislation aimed at lowering the frightening rate of suicide among women veterans. That bill passed the House of Representatives last month.

Some women become isolated and lost in a "dark place" after assault and other trauma, Brownley said.

"God forbid they come home and we lose them," she said.

They talked about networking with events that bring women together and connect them to veterans services. They talked about the need to tell their stories about service and civilian life.

Bandini tried to explain why people look at her and have a hard time seeing the machine-gunner.

"I think it's the ingrained gender biases that have been around for decades ... forever," she said.
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We the people are going to have to save ourselves from Donald Trump, because politicians don't seem up to the task.

For the big-haired billionaire it was another week, another romp. In winning three of the four states up for grabs Tuesday, Trump again demonstrated his rivals' weaknesses. Ted Cruz, whose core supporters are staunch conservatives and evangelicals, should have won Mississippi. John Kasich, the sitting governor of Ohio, should have won next-door Michigan. And Marco Rubio ... well, he should have competed somewhere.

Cruz did manage to win Idaho, bolstering his claim to be the only plausible anti-Trump candidate left in the field. But Trump has now won primaries in the Northeast, South, West and Midwest. Exit polling showed he had strength among conservatives and moderates. If he were not so unsuitable for the presidency, at this point he'd be called the presumptive Republican nominee.

Fumbling efforts by the GOP establishment to halt Trump's march to power seem too little, too late. Mitt Romney's never-Trump salvo may have been intended to influence voters in Michigan, where Romney grew up and his father was a popular governor. If so, it was a humiliating failure.

One problem was that after forcefully stating why Republicans should not vote for Trump, Romney refused to say whom they should choose instead. There's an old saying in politics: "You can't beat somebody with nobody." There is no way the establishment will derail Trump without settling on, and backing to the hilt, a viable alternative.

This will likely be remembered as the week when the establishment finally gave up on Rubio. He was always the fair-haired boy of party insiders, but not, alas, of the voters; he has managed to win only Minnesota and Puerto Rico and routinely finishes third or fourth.

Rubio acknowledged this week that he rues his decision to go after Trump with playground insults. He is right to be remorseful, because that ploy probably cost him any chance at the nomination. His grand display of juvenile behavior reinforced the notion that he is too young and unformed to be president. Trump, who knows how to find the jugular, started calling him "Little Marco." It stuck.

Rubio is trying desperately to win his home state of Florida next Tuesday, and a new Washington Post-Univision News poll shows him within striking distance; Trump leads Rubio 38 percent to 31 percent. Kasich, meanwhile, is gaining on Trump in Ohio; a recent Fox News poll showed the governor with a small lead.

If Trump wins those states, the Rubio and Kasich candidacies are effectively over. More important, the winner-take-all haul of delegates  and Trump is also leading in Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina, the other three states that vote Tuesday  would increase the possibility that Trump could win the nomination outright, rather than at a contested convention.

Put me down as extremely skeptical that the party will try to deny Trump the nomination if he comes to the convention with anywhere near the required majority of delegates. To do so would require a fortitude and a willingness to stand up to Trump's bullying that the establishment has not shown thus far.

The low point came at last week's debate when Trump's opponents all described him as unfit for the presidency  then meekly pledged to support him if he is the nominee.

Stopping Trump would require party leaders to swallow hard and support Cruz, who is right to portray himself as the only realistic alternative. Cruz has, after all, won seven states. He is widely disliked by party leaders, many of whom believe he would almost surely lose in November  and potentially bring down some GOP Senate and House candidates with him. But if the party does not agree on someone else, Donald J. Trump will be the standard-bearer of a political organization that calls itself the "Party of Lincoln."

Can Republicans really stomach such a thing? The GOP allowed Trump to get this far and seems powerless to stop him. In November, it appears voters will have to do the job.

Eugene Robinson's email address is eugenerobinson@washpost.com. He writes for The Washington Post Writers Group.
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To everyone

If you want a full night's sleep, you had best go to bed an hour earlier tonight. Daylight saving time starts at 2 a.m. Sunday, which quickly becomes 3 a.m. You won't get that hour back until Nov. 6.

To sloganeers

Now that daylight saving time has been starting earlier for a few years, isn't it time to retire the first half of the "spring forward, fall back" memory jogger? After all, spring doesn't start until a week from Sunday. Anyone want to consider "March forward, fall back"?

To supervisors

Approval of a Laura's Law program provides parents of mentally ill adults with hope of eventually getting needed care for their children. A pilot program that would allow 20 people to get help begins July 1. It is too bad state legislators did not provide a funding source when they enacted, way back in 2002, the statewide law allowing counties to set up such programs.

To Republicans

The death of Nancy Reagan at age 94 turns the extraordinary life of the former first lady and actress into legacy. As a reviewer noted of her role in the 1950 film "The Next Voice Your Hear": "Nancy Davis is considered the next 'perfect wife' type." It was a role she accepted in March 1952 when she married Ronald Reagan and one she played to perfection for the rest of her life.

To park lovers

You are able to enjoy the splendor of the outdoor wonders of national parks because of legislation signed into law 100 years ago by President Woodrow Wilson. Ventura County is lucky to be the home of Channel Islands National Park. Celebrate this centennial by taking a stroll through the Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center on Spinnaker Drive in the Ventura Harbor to marvel at the sumptuous marine life and stunning beauty of the islands in the Santa Barbara Channel.

To Ventura

Your city's first workshop on the way to crafting the 2016-17 fiscal year budget brought good news  finishing the current fiscal year with $9 million more than expected. While a pleasant surprise, much work needs to be done to restore the city to full financial health.

To Thousand Oaks

The quiet opening in January of the Conejo Creek Grill has piqued interest. The revamped and renamed lunchroom of the Goebel Adult Community Center has seen an increase in patronage. That comes from the fact that hot meals, once frozen entrees, are now cooked from scratch. Seniors who opt for the federally funded lunch program can continue getting their meals at the grill for a suggested donation of $3.

To builders

Dwindling vacancy rates and higher rents are squeezing renters. A report from rent analyst Dyer Sheehan Group puts Ventura County's rental vacancy rate at 2.7 percent, with the cities of Fillmore and Santa Paula having a zero vacancy rate. Average apartment rents jumped to $1,759 per month. If this is not enough incentive to build more rental units, consider a report from New York University's Furman Center real estate think tank and the bank Capital One: Nationwide, 37 percent of all households rent, the highest percentage since the mid-1960s.

To spellers

Congratulations to Haley Jeffers of Las Colinas Middle School in Camarillo. The seventh-grader continued a family tradition by winning the Ventura County Spelling Bee. Her brother, Brian, won the bee in 2012. She comes from a long line of great spellers. Her mother and uncle also won spelling bees when they were young.

To the Irish

Thursday is St. Patrick's Day, a time to celebrate all things Irish, sometimes with the silliness of a glass of green beer in hand. Slainte to you from Pa O'Ventura: "May the road rise up to meet you / May the wind be always at your back / May the sun shine warm upon your face."


Circular 19 should be amended to be in line with the Law on Investment_Photo: Le Toan

By Nguyen Vu Thang - Legal counsel for Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV). The views expressed by the author here do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of BIDV.

While Circular 19  in comparison with previous regulations  has undoubtedly facilitated direct investment activities into Vietnam by certain means, namely, allowing foreign investors to open direct investment capital accounts (DICAs) in foreign currencies as well as in Vietnamese dong, after more than a year in effect the regulation has revealed uncertainties which may cause difficulties for foreign investors carrying out investment activities in Vietnam. This article will examine a notable legal difficulty that foreign investors who are legally deemed residents face when investing in enterprises with foreign directly invested capital (FDIEs).

General view on DICAs and Circular 19

Under the Ordinance on Foreign Exchange Control 2005, as amended in 2013 (FXC Ordinance), an FDIE or a foreign investor participating in a business co-operation contract must open a DICA at a licensed credit institution. At present, the opening and use of DICAs are primarily governed by Circular 19.

It is noteworthy that under Circular 19 foreign investors are defined as non-residents (organisations or individuals) conducting FDI activities in Vietnam in the form of direct investment as stipulated in the current laws on investment. Under this circular, FDIE means an enterprise in which a foreign investor(s) contribute(s) capital for the establishment and management of the enterprise and to conduct investment activities in Vietnam.

Right of foreign residents to invest in Vietnam

According to Article 4.2 of the FXC Ordinance, residents are defined as including, among other groups, foreigners who are permitted to reside in Vietnam for 12 months or more (herein referred to as foreign residents). Article 4.5 of Circular No.32/2013/TT-NHNN, as amended in 2015 (Circular 32), further provides that residents are permitted to contribute capital in foreign currency remittances in order to implement their foreign investment projects in Vietnam.

In practice, there are quite a few circumstances where foreign residents may have to transfer capital to a target FIDE with a DICA in accordance with Circular 19. For example, given that A is a foreigner who has been residing and investing in Vietnam for a certain number of years, A is qualified as a foreign resident. One day, A and two other investors who are qualified as foreign investors in accordance with Circular 19 may wish to establish a new enterprise to implement an investment project in Vietnam. Since the enterprise intended to be established is an FDIE in accordance with Circular 19, such an enterprise must open a DICA, and As contribution capital must be transferred to that DICA. Although As contribution capital should be allowed on the basis of the above-mentioned provision of Circular 32, A is facing trouble in making such a transfer as further explained below.

Legal difficulty for foreign residents to transfer capital to DICAs

It has been noted that the DICAs of enterprises are only permitted to be used for receiving certain types of allowable revenues, which are listed by Articles 7.1 and 8.1 of Circular 19, including, among others, capital contributions in a foreign currency or Vietnamese dong from foreign investors and from Vietnamese investors in the FDIEs.

The problem with foreign residents in general, and investor A in particular, is rooted in how Circular 19 interprets foreign investors. As the definition of foreign investors under Circular 19 includes solely non-residents, foreign residents apparently fall out of this definition. Also, it is not even reasonably persuasive to deem foreign residents as Vietnamese investors. For such reasons, it appears that capital contributions by foreign residents are currently not expressly recognised by Article 7.1 and 8.1 of Circular 19 as allowable payments into enterprises DICAs.

Generally, in Vietnam, when someone does something that has not yet been specifically stipulated by law, such a person is exposed to numerous legal risks and burdens. Hence, although Article 7.1.(dd) of Circular 19 broadly provides that DICAs may be used for receiving lawful revenues in foreign currency relevant to FDI activities in Vietnam other than types of revenues previously mentioned from articles 7.1.(a) to 7.1.(d), this article, if not further interpreted, is of very little applicability in practice.

Furthermore, according to Article 24.2.(h) of Decree No.96/2014/ND-CP (Decree 96), organisations or individuals that remit money to serve foreign investment activities in Vietnam in non-compliance with the laws and regulations may be subject to fines varying from VND40 million to 80 million ($1,792 to $3,585).

Given the uncertainty within Circular 19, and to avoid the risk of falling foul of the legal penalties stipulated by Decree 96, credit institutions tend to be reluctant to process the requests of foreign residents transferring capital to enterprises DICAs. Investor A in the above-mentioned case is not an exception.

Definition of foreign investors under LoI may be a good alternative

In contrast to Circular 19, the Law on Investment 2014 (LoI) provides a different definition of foreign investor, which does not differentiate between residents and non-residents. Under the LoI, foreign investor means any individual with a foreign nationality, or an organisation established in accordance with foreign laws and conducting business activities in Vietnam (Article 3.14 of the LoI). In my opinion, for the ultimate purpose of synchronising the laws and regulations, the definition of foreign investor and other relevant contents of Circular 19 should be amended to be compliant with the LoI. By doing so, foreign residents will be included in the governing scope of Circular 19 and the above-said matter in relation with enterprises DICAs will be clarified.

Conclusion

In short, despite the fact that the right of foreign residents to carry out investment activities in Vietnam has been recognised under Circular 32, they are, in practice, currently barred from contributing capital to enterprises DICAs due to the uncertainty created by Circular 19 through its definition of foreign investor. Hopefully, Circular 19 will be soon amended to be consistent with the LoI and the matter will be clarified.
The General Department of Vietnam Customs has issued an administrative warning and removed Huynh Thanh Tam, head of the customs department of An Giang Province, from his position for his oversight in office that resulted in wrongdoings regarding value-added tax (VAT) refunding.

During the time Tam took office, over 40 officials and public servants working at the customs department were investigated and arrested for their misconduct.

As a case in point, many customs officers in An Giang were found abetting several businesses to cheat and appropriate hundreds of billions of dong (VND100 billion = US$4.48 million) from the national budget.

They have been probed by the Ministry of Public Security and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Police.

Police reports showed that Le Dung, director of a company based in Ho Chi Minh City, colluded with customs officers at Khanh Binh Border Gate in An Giang to create fake export documents in order to benefit from VAT refunds.

The officers would approve necessary paperwork and were paid sums equal to 0.3 percent of the money illegally gained from the firm in return.

Between November 2012 and April 2013, Dung issued 120 false documents stating that his firm had exported goods worth nearly VND447 billion ($20 million).

A total of 46 suspects were arrested for being involved in the scam, of whom 30 were employees at the An Giang customs department.

In a similar case, directors of two Vietnamese firms were discovered bribing several officers at the customs department in order to have their counterfeited paperwork approved.

The companies prepared many such documents showing that the total value of their exports was VND2.329 trillion ($104.47 million) and were given VND223 billion ($10 million) in tax refund.

Fifteen customs officers were detained by police for abusing their powers that caused serious consequences in this case.

Tran Quoc Hoan, deputy chief inspector at the General Department of Vietnam Customs, has been appointed as Tams replacement, according to a Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper source.

Tam was supposed to be seconded to the General Department of Vietnam Customs. However, he has requested to work in his hometown due to old age and is expected to assume the post of deputy director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade.

The former customs official is considered for the position because he was not directly involved in the said violations, while his capacity could still be needed somewhere in the province, Vo Anh Kiet, deputy secretary of the An Giang Party Committee, explained.
Answering the reporters question related to the deaths of two Vietnamese citizens in Angola on March 3 and March 5, Ms. Hang revealed that Dang Quoc Nghia was robbed and killed by two native employees in Luanda capital on March 3, while Nguyen Viet Hau was murdered in Ugie province on March 5.

Right after that, the Vietnamese Embassy in Angola immediately contacted with Angolan authorities to investigate the case, she said, adding that the investigation is underway and suspects are being traced.

The Embassy has also closely worked with the Vietnamese community in Angola to support the bereaved families, she affirmed.

Responding to reporters question on March 9, she revealed that on the morning of March 8, a fishing boat coded KH 96440 TS of central Khanh Hoa province with five fishermen on board sank 41 nautical miles southeast of Linh Con Island in Viet Nams Hoang Sa archipelago.

After being notified of the incident, the Consular Department sent a diplomatic note to the Chinese Embassy in Ha Noi, and required the Vietnamese Embassy in China to immediately inform Chinese relevant agencies to investigate and and search for the fishermen.

Vietnamese agencies are also working closely to clarify the incident and closely follow the case to save the five fishermen, she added.
The FSIS gave permission to 23 local eligible exporters to export their catfish to the US market on March 1. - Photo qdfeed.com

According to the National Agro, Forestry, Fisheries Quality Assurance Department (Nafiqad) of the Viet Nam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), there were 23 eligible catfish exporters of Viet Nam, who could ship their products to the United States (US). These products would be shipped under the inspection programme of the US for Siluriformes fish, including catfish.

On February 4, Nafiqad sent a list of Viet Nam's 45 enterprises who have registered to export tra catfish to the US, according to requirement of the FSIS.

The FSIS gave permission to 23 local eligible exporters to export their catfish to the US market on March 1.

On March 7, Nafiqad had also proposed to the FSIS to grant export licences to 22 other local tra catfish exporters. The 22 local exporters need to complete all procedures to the department.

The 23 local eligible catfish exporters should actively check its systems of managing quality and food hygiene and safety to ensure quality of catfish exports which meet the US standards, Nafiqad was quoted in the Hai quan newspaper.

They could co-operate with the Nafiqad to remove the obstacles during inspections of their quality management systems, the department said.

The US released a list on March 1 of eligible catfish exporters of Viet Nam, China, Myanmar and Thailand, who could ship their products to that country.

From March 2016, all Siluriformes fish, including catfish, were put under the regulatory jurisdiction of FSIS and would no longer be regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The March 2016 date under the inspection programme for Siluriformes fish is the start of an 18-month transitional implementation period for both domestic and international producers.
The head of Mozambique's Civil Aviation Institute, Comandante Joao Abreu, shows a piece of debris found on a beach that could be from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, in Maputo, March 3, 2016.- Photo source: REUTERS/Grant Lee Neuenburg

KUALA LUMPUR: A piece of debris found in Mozambique arrived in Malaysia on Thursday (Mar 10) for initial investigations into whether it came from missing flight MH370 before being taken to Australia for deeper analysis, officials said.

Department of Civil Aviation chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman confirmed to AFP that the one-metre long (three-foot) object was in Malaysia.

He declined to provide further details but Malaysia's transport minister told local media it would be passed along to Australia, which is leading a huge Indian Ocean search for the missing aircraft.

"We will send it to Australia for further examinations," Liow Tiong Lai was quoted as saying.

Liow has previously said there is a "high probability" the piece of debris came from a Boeing 777. The debris could provide fresh clues into the mystery of the Malaysia Airlines flight, a Boeing 777.

Australian Transport Minister Darren Chester said last week the debris would be analysed there by Malaysian and Australian officials and specialists, including from Boeing, to determine its origin.

Mozambican authorities on Monday had handed over the debris to Malaysian experts after it was found washed up on a sandbar by an American amateur investigator. Tuesday marked the second anniversary of the plane's disappearance.

MH370 was carrying 239 passengers and crew when it vanished on March 8, 2014 on an overnight flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Last July, a wing fragment was found washed ashore on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion and later confirmed to be from the plane.

More possible MH370 debris in the same area was found on Sunday and authorities are studying it. But the search has been unable to pinpoint an actual crash site, which could help to solve the baffling mystery.
Export procedures arre carried out at the Tan Thanh border gate in nothern Lang Son Province. Enterprises still lack information about customs laws and related commercial laws. - VNA Photo

Many delegates said that the review only worked on custom procedures, but without checking other specialised documents.

Pham Thi Thanh Hien, former Deputy Director of the General Department of Viet Nam Customs's International Cooperation Department, praised the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)'s review of the regulations of Vietnamese law and EVFTA commitments to propose adjustments as needed.

Hien said the commitments to EVFTA not only referred to customs, but also trade.

"Therefore, there should be participation by relevant agencies such as the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Ministry of Finance," Hien said at the conference held yesterday in Ha Noi by VCCI.

According to Pham Thanh Binh, an expert on customs, the main obstacle to the current clearance of goods by customs was specialised tests performed, as these accounted for 72 per cent of the time it took customs to clear goods.

Binh said that specialised testing procedures are implemented with every shipment at the time of customs clearance of goods. "This is the main reason leading to long clearance times," Binh said.

EVFTA requires that the Vietnamese Government ensure safeguards against fraud and other damaging activities. However, many agricultural products receive their specialised inspection results only after they have been consumed, Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, director of the WTO and Integration Centre under the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), said at the conference.

"It shows that we haven't complied with the commitments towards EVFTA", said Trang.

To solve these problems, Trang suggested boosting administrative reforms to comply with the commitments to EVFTA, as well as to benefit Vietnamese companies.

Lack of information online

Viet Nam currently doesn't have a website that announces the laws on customs and other related commercial laws, Hien said at the conference.

Curently, enterprises found it very difficult to access an official website that provides information about regulations on customs and trade. They have to visit individual agency websites such as the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to search for information, she said.

She suggested building a website to publish the latest information on customs and trade to help firms easily check updated local laws and regulations.

In addition, there is a need of training courses for public employees to improve their skills and experience, said Nguyen Hong Anh, a lecturer from the Foreign Trade University.

Anh said that the Government should have documents that specify the responsibilities of customs officers.

The EVFTA was signed by Viet Nam and the European Union in December 2015. It is one of two new trade agreements which are forecast to have a great impact on the country's legal regulations and the economy.

The agreement is expected to come into effect in 2018.


Japans auto brand Mazda is setting up shop ahead of the ASEAN zero tariff on auto imports, effective from 2018

The project was mentioned in a message from Thaco chairman Tran Ba Duong, which was sent to employees in early February 2016 following their return to work after the Lunar New Year holiday.

As part of a co-operative deal with Japans Mazda Company, the project will aim to manufacture and assemble 100,000 Mazda vehicles per year, with an annual capacity of 50,000 vehicles in the first phase. It will be based in the Chu Lai-Truong Hai automotive engineering complex in the central province of Quang Nam.

Although the project details as well as capital contribution ratios of Thaco and Mazda are currently withheld, Duong could reveal that the project is scheduled to begin operation in 2018.

2018 is also the year that auto import duty from ASEAN will plunge to zero per cent, and the door will be left totally open to imported car brands from the bloc, Duong said, adding that it might take about 18 months to finish construction.

To prepare for the fresh co-operative project between Thaco and Mazda, a handful of Mazdas satellite businesses have already come to the Chu Lai-Truong Hai complex seeking investment opportunities. Most recently, 46 businesses that supply parts for Mazda came to Chu Lai-Truong Hai complex in mid-February.

We expect to draw more and more of Mazdas satellite firms to Vietnam to help form a strong supporting industry system for Mazda cars here in Vietnam, Duong said.

Thaco currently engages in the assembly and distribution of cars for three brands  Kia, Mazda, and Peugeot. The cars are assembled at its existing facility also based in the Chu Lai-Truong Hai complex.

While explaining the plan to build a new factory for Mazda automobiles, Duong said the existing factory could only meet the demand for car assembly and manufacturing for two years more at most before facing overload.

While using the new plant to turn out 50,000 Mazda cars per year in the first phase, Thaco is considering using their existing plant to assemble Peugeot vehicles rather than leave it unused.

Last year, as many as 20,359 Mazda cars were sold in Vietnam, a 116 per cent jump on year. In January 2016 alone, 2,873 Mazda cars were sold by Thaco, a 62 per cent on-year rise, setting the first-ever January sales record since Mazda cars appeared on the Vietnamese market in 2012.
Citi supporting Vietnam in connecting the global dots Vietnam is considered by US group Citi as an attractive market. Ramachandran A.S., Citi country officer, talked to VIRs Linh Le about the groups efforts to utilise its global experience in the Southeast Asian nation, and its priorities moving forward.

Radisson Hotel Group spearheading hospitality growth in Asia-Pacific With travel restrictions easing, air traffic increasing, and leisure and business travel bookings on the rise, Radisson Hotel Group is optimistic about the outlook for the hospitality industry in Asia-Pacific.

Secrets of the most special securities company in Vietnam Techcom Securities (TCBS) leadership, with cutting-edge vision and execution muscle, has changed the course of the company over the last nine years since Nguyen Xuan Minh became chairman of the Board of Directors. VIRs Tuan Khanh sat together with Minh and talked about his path, vision, and success story.

Promoting gender equality & enhancing women's economic empowerment Vietnarn's national strategy on gender equality for the 2021-2030 period sets a target that by 2025, 60 per cent of state management ageneies and local governments at all levels will have female key leaders.
Rubio is all in, but some donors say he should quit now
The woman who was supposedly revealed to have had an affair with opposition leader Kem Sokha was questioned by the Ministry of Interiors anti-terrorism department on Friday.

The 25-year-old hairdressers real name is Kum Chandaraty, but she has admitted to having set up the Facebook account with the name Mom Srey, which was linked to salacious audio recordings circulated online last week.

She was called to appear at the anti-terrorism department in a court order issued after opposition activist Thy Sovanntha filed a defamation complaint.

Try Chhoun, a lawyer for Chandaraty, told reporters that her client had denied the accusation of defaming Kem Sokha, the deputy president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).

The questioning this morning took more than three hours until now, said Chhoun. The questioning lasted very long and touched at every issue related to the complaint. My client has denied all the allegations.

Chhoun said her client would continue to follow the courts orders.

Lieutenant General Y Sok Khy, director of the anti-terrorism department, confirmed to reporters that Chandaraty did cooperate well with the authorities, but declined to elaborate on the details of the interview.

His department would also likely have questions for Kem Sokha, Lt. Gen. Sok Khy said, adding that did not necessarily mean the politician would be summoned.

The recordings surfaced on Monday last week on social media, and are purported to contain the voices of Kem Sokha and the woman called Mom Srey, who were allegedly involved in an an affair. It was also alleged in the recordings that Sovanntha was having an affair with Kem Sokha, hence the legal complaint.

The case has raised accusations of a politically motivated smear campaign. Kem Sokha, who is acting president of the CNRP, has said he would not argue, not respond, and not reply to the recordings.

In an exclusive interview with VOA Khmer on Wednesday, Chandaraty denied the allegations, and said her Facebook account under the name Mom Srey was hacked a long time ago. She claimed that the voice in the recordings was not hers.

Observers noted that it was unusual for anti-terror officials to conduct questioning in a defamation case. Ou Virak, head of local think tank Future Forum, told VOA Khmer that the court itself would usually conduct the questioning in such a case.

The court should also have investigated the veracity of the audio recordings, and probed who was attempting to blackmail the opposition leader with lurid allegations, he said.

One thing that I am so sorry about is that they should have investigated to find out who taped the audio or who exaggerated this issue, Virak said, adding that even if the recordings were genuine, the perpetrator should be punished. If the recordings are false, then authorities should investigate whether there could be criminal case to answer, he said.

There is a violation of the law, so it needs to be investigated. It is not related to terrorism at all, Virak added. I think this issue is getting messy, it involves many things.

Ny Sokha, head of monitoring at local human rights group Adhoc, which is providing legal support to Chandaraty, told VOA Khmer he was monitoring closely the irregular way authorities were handling the case.

This case is strange, said Ny Sokha. Strange, because it is just a defamation case, but the court delegated the investigation to department of anti-terrorism, which works on significant cases. Normally, the court just investigates and questions on its own.

By way of explanation for his departments involvement, Lt. Gen. Sok Khy told reporters: Number one: this is the department of anti-terrorism and anti-cross-border crime, and has a duty as judiciary police. Secondly, we are ordered by the prosecutors and we work under the police commissioner.

He said his department would investigate all issues relevant to the case, including the audio recordings.

Actually, the final result will be sent to the court at the end, because I am working on the orders of the court, said Lt. Gen Sok Khy.

It is not the first time allegations have been made about Kem Sokha having extra-marital affairs. In 2013, a few months before the national elections of that year, a middle-aged woman came forward claiming to have had relations with the opposition leader.

The woman and her mother filed a complaint at court over the affair, but the case disappeared after the elections, at which the CNRP made significant gains against the ruling party.
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday acknowledged that there were problems with healthcare provision in Cambodia, but fell short of admitting that the countrys health system was deficient.

Speaking during the closing ceremony of the Ministry of Healths annual conference, the premier focused on the attitudes of doctors towards patients. He appealed to doctors to adjust their attitudes and reflect on their own morals, which he said was the main issue casting the healthcare sector in a negative light.

We acknowledged the shortcomings and the use of bad words by some doctors, but not in terms of the healthcare sector as a whole, Hun Sen said. Therefore, we must change that attitude. It is easy to stop using rough language compared to addressing the shortage of medicine, which is a harder issue.

Hun Sen insisted, however, that there was only a problem with a small number of doctors. He also ordered healthcare institutions to treat people without discrimination, regardless the patients income.

Hun Sens comments come after harsh criticism and public discussions in relation to the confidence of the Cambodian people in the healthcare sector. Some have questioned the ethics of Cambodian doctors, who often impose high costs on patients for treatments.

Quach Mengly, a Cambodian-American medical doctor and businessman, praised the prime ministers statement and said some progress was being made. But the long-term critic of healthcare provision in Cambodia told VOA Khmer that much more work needed to be done.

This is just a starting point of a wake-up call. Hence, we cant expect anything special to happen anytime soon, he said. However, we still have the belief that there will be a change of attitude from those who serve in the healthcare sector. At least it comes from the mouth of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who acknowledges the shortcomings.

A lack of confidence in domestic health services means wealthy Cambodians usually go overseas for treatment, visiting hospitals in Thailand, Vietnam or Singapore, where Hun Sen himself received a checkup recently, according to a post on his Facebook page.

In his speech, Hun Sen pointed to the lack of specialized doctors in Cambodia, which he said was the reason many people go overseas for treatment. He ordered the Ministry of Health to include specialized doctors under the age of 35 in the category of government officials.

We really need specialized doctors. Due to this lack [of specialized doctors] we often send patients for treatment overseas, he said.

Mengly countered that only deep and effective reforms in the healthcare sector would attract Cambodians to be get treatment domestically.

Like I said, we have just started to reform. So I dont think that it could change the peoples mentality for them to return home for treatment anytime soon, he said. However, if the reform keeps on, I believe that there will be much progress and new development in the sector. At that point, we dont need to force them to return. They will return by themselves.
Despite his blunt criticism of Vietnam for taking American jobs, Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump is nonetheless sowing inspiration half a world away.

Trumps unexpected Southeast Asian fan base reckons his anti-China rhetoric would somehow stop "Beijing expansionism" in the South China Sea, where Vietnam has overlapping territorial claims with the world's most populous nation.

Listener Nguyen Dinh Thieu told VOAs Vietnamese service that he hoped the billionaire would take military and economic measures to weaken China, "calm the disputed waters" and "bring back islands" allegedly taken from Vietnam.

Many Vietnamese nationals are interested in the U.S. foreign policy position regarding the disputed, resource-rich sea lanes, according to Nguyen Manh Hung, a George Mason University professor of international affairs.

The majority of Vietnamese are frustrated with Chinas aggressive moves, so it is not surprising to see they support a U.S. presidential candidate who takes a harsh and intolerant stance against China, said Hung, an expert on U.S.-Vietnamese relations.

While the New York real estate mogul's notoriously controversial campaign rhetoric might appeal to some Vietnamese citizens, it has ruffled feathers in Beijing.

Chinas Foreign Ministry called the reality television stars opinions about Sino-U.S. relations "disturbances," shortly after Trump told CNN that China had "gotten rich off" the U.S. and rebuilt itself with the money and "jobs it sucked out of the United States."

'Shocking' comments

Hanoi hasn't commented on Trumps vows to bring jobs back from China and other Asian nations, including Vietnam, but the state-controlled Thanh Nien daily newspaper called his comments shocking.

In a country where a majority of people traditionally back Democratic candidates, whom they view as more left-leaning, Nguyen Manh Ha, an independent parliamentary candidate, said the broad spectrum of views about Trump bode well for increased pluralization in a single-party system.

"Those who detest China support Trump," said the social activist. "But there are others who think it would be a disaster if he becomes U.S. president because of his appalling statements."

Ha hoped future Vietnamese candidates would similarly have a chance for open and live debates to outline social and economic policies, engaging voters in the electoral process.

Professor Nguyen Ngoc Bich, chairman of the National Congress of Vietnamese in the United States, said the current American presidential election campaign grabs the attention of some parts of society in Vietnam where selection of officials has been criticized by rights groups.

Some understand that democracy should bring the country forward, just like what happened in Myanmar, Bich said.
A Russian national has pleaded guilty to conspiring to spy for Russian intelligence in the United States, the Department of Justice said in a release Friday.

Evgeny Buryakov pleaded guilty to covertly working as a Russian agent in the United States without notifying the Attorney General, said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin.

Buryakov was accused of posing as an employee of a Russian bank in New York City to gain information for Moscow's foreign intelligence agency, known as the SVR.

"More than two decades after the end of the Cold War, Russian spies still seek to operate in our midst under the cover of secrecy," said U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara who likened it to a "plotline for a Cold War-era movie."

Buryakov will be sentenced on May 25, 2016. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Buryakov's arrest in January 2015, after he held multiple secret meetings with an undercover FBI agent that Buryakov believed to be an energy company analyst.

Prosecutors say Buryakov conspired with two other Russian men to gather U.S. economic intelligence, including details about U.S. sanctions against Moscow. He is also accused of trying to recruit New York residents as intelligence contacts.

The undercover agent supplied Buryakov with binders of energy data that also contained concealed microphones, allowing the FBI to eavesdrop on conversations between Buryakov and his handlers at the Russian intelligence agency.

The documents say recordings of those conversations "make clear" that Buryakov was getting orders from the SVR and transmitting information back to Moscow.

His alleged partners, Igor Sporyshev and Victor Podobnyy, were not arrested because they had diplomatic immunity. Sporyshev is a former Russian trade representative and Podobnyy was an attache to the Russian mission to the United Nations. Both have left the United States.

Federal prosecutors have compared this case to the high-profile arrest of 10 Russian intelligence agents in New York in 2010. Those agents pled guilty and were deported to Russia as part of a prisoner swap.
"Myu's paintings safely and finally back in Australia."

The final paintings by Bali Nine ringleader Myuran Sukumaran have arrived back in Australia, almost a year after his execution in Indonesia.





The delivery of the death row artworks was announced on social media on Friday afternoon by Sukumaran's mentor and friend, Sydney artist Ben Quilty.





The Archibald winner posted a photo of wooden boxes and wrapped canvases to Facebook and Twitter with the caption: "Myu's paintings safely and finally back in Australia."





It comes more than 10 months after Sukumaran and fellow convicted Bali Nine drug smuggler, Andrew Chan, were executed by firing squad on Indonesia's Nusakambangan island on April 29 last year.





The western Sydney pair were arrested in 2005 for attempting to smuggle heroin out of Bali and spent the next decade in Kerobokan Prison.





They were dubbed the "godfather" and the "enforcer" of the nine-person drug syndicate.





"Self portrait after our new arrivals, A bad sleep

last night", by Myuran Sukumaran, 05/25/2015 One of Sukumaran's lawyers reached out to Quilty in 2012 after his imprisoned client expressed a desire to learn how to paint. One of Sukumaran's lawyers reached out to Quilty in 2012 after his imprisoned client expressed a desire to learn how to paint.





With the artist's guidance, Sukumaran began teaching classes to rehabilitate other inmates.





He was awarded an associate degree in fine arts from Curtin University just months before his death.





Some of his most haunting works are believed to be among the cargo, including one of the Indonesian flag dripping with blood and a self-portrait with a gaping hole in his chest where his heart should be.





The oil painting was transported off the island, still wet, by his lawyer Julian McMahon during a three-hour visit at Besi Prison just days before Sukumaran's death.





A month earlier, Sukumaran revealed a painting of Indonesian President Joko Widodo with the inscription "people can change" after his final plea for clemency was denied.





The 34-year-old's paintings became noticeably darker as his execution date drew near.





It is not yet known whether they will be exhibited.







Artist Ben Quilty faces his reflection for Self Portrait on Paper exhibition

Ben Quilty ARCHIBALD Prize-winning artist Ben Quilty has created a piece for the Bouddi Foundations Self Portrait on Paper exhibition, which asked 24 of Australias most highly regarded artists to distil themselves on to a single sheet of white paper.



What he discovered? If you truly turn the mirror on yourself, then you are forced to face the reflection.



Quiltys piece, titled simply Self Portrait 2016, shows the madness, reflects a sort of intensity spilling over from the hectic start to his year  travelling to refugee camps with World Vision, an experience he said was incredibly moving.



Though, he said, last year was worse.



Quiltys friendship and mentor relationship with Bali Nine member Myuran Sukumaran lasted for three years until the convicted drug smuggler was executed in April last year.



Over those years, Quilty saw Sukumaran confront his own self-portraits and harness the power of looking inward.



Young people, and Myuran in the most extreme sense, have a very meaningful experience of the world right in front of them, he said.



He had a bigger life experience than anyone I ever met.



I quite often find people are afraid to look, but the most interesting things happen at home, the things that make what it is to be a human in 2016 as opposed to any other time in history.



Click here to read the full article (+ paintings)



Source: dailytelegraph.com.au, March 11, 2016



ARCHIBALD Prize-winning artist Ben Quilty has created a piece for the Bouddi Foundations Self Portrait on Paper exhibition, which asked 24 of Australias most highly regarded artists to distil themselves on to a single sheet of white paper.What he discovered? If you truly turn the mirror on yourself, then you are forced to face the reflection.Quiltys piece, titled simply, shows the madness, reflects a sort of intensity spilling over from the hectic start to his year  travelling to refugee camps with World Vision, an experience he said was incredibly moving.Though, he said, last year was worse.Quiltys friendship and mentor relationship with Bali Nine member Myuran Sukumaran lasted for three years until the convicted drug smuggler was executed in April last year.Over those years, Quilty saw Sukumaran confront his own self-portraits and harness the power of looking inward.Young people, and Myuran in the most extreme sense, have a very meaningful experience of the world right in front of them, he said.He had a bigger life experience than anyone I ever met.I quite often find people are afraid to look, but the most interesting things happen at home, the things that make what it is to be a human in 2016 as opposed to any other time in history.Source: dailytelegraph.com.au, March 11, 2016
Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, one of Africa's longest-ruling leaders, said Friday he will quit politics in 2018 following the end of his current term.

Speaking to leaders of the ruling MPLA party in the capital, Luanda, dos Santos said, "I have taken the decision to leave active politics in 2018."

Dos Santos, who has led Angola since 1979, has hinted at retiring before but always remained in office.

A spokesman for the opposition UNITA party said Friday that the party will believe dos Santos is stepping down when they see it.

The president is nearing the end of a five-year term that began when his party won the August 2012 general election. Last year, he announced the next elections will take place in August 2017.

In his speech Friday, dos Santos did not say why he intends to retire, and did not name a potential successor.

The 73-year-old president is Africa's second-longest ruling leader, after President Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea.

Under his rule, Angola has become the second-largest crude oil producer in Africa and achieved stability after the end of a 27-year civil war.

But critics accuse him of using oil wealth to amass huge fortunes for himself, his allies and his family, while letting the majority of Angolans live in poverty.
The four remaining Republican presidential candidates wrapped up their final debate Thursday night before a weekend of campaigning in the crucial states of Ohio and Florida. The delegate-rich states vote along with Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina next Tuesday in contests that could give Donald Trump an insurmountable advantage for the nomination or give new life to the candidacies of his challengers, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Ohio Governor John Kasich.

Here are three things to look for heading into Tuesdays vote:



Home state must-wins



Both Marco Rubio and John Kasich have staked their candidacies on votes in their home states of Florida and Ohio.



Rubios polling numbers in Florida do not look promising. He trails Donald Trump in all voter surveys by an average of 15 points.



There is not any evidence he can win anywhere, Republican strategist John Feehery said of Rubio. Its kind of a remarkable thing how well Trump is doing and how poorly Rubio is doing. Having the establishment support you in the primary process is kind of the kiss of death.



Bill Gallston, a senior fellow in government studies at the Brookings Institution, thinks John Kasich might have a better shot at beating Trump on his home ground if he can change the minds of less-committed Trump supporters.



Surveys do suggest that about 20 percent of his supporters might change their minds, said Gallston. That could be very significant in a state like Ohio where a number of recent surveys indicate that he leads Ohio Governor John Kasich by a very narrow margin.



A Trump victory over Rubio and Kasich could reset the campaign to a two-man race with Ted Cruz.

Broader appeal for Cruz?



The Texas senator could appeal to Trump voters who are looking for an anti-establishment candidate to fight for their interests in Washington. Cruz continues to do well in smaller states with conservative voters and he stands to benefit the most if Rubio and Kasich drop out of the race. He has long argued that he is the only candidate who can effectively take on Donald Trump.



Surveys indicate that Ted Cruz would do well in that head to head confrontation. He might even beat him in the majority of states, said Gallston.

But his moment to challenge Trump could come too late if Trump wins in Florida and Ohio on Tuesday and builds a significant delegate lead.

Delegate counts



Two of the states voting on Tuesday are winner-take-all, meaning the candidate who scores the majority of the vote collects all of that states delegates for the nomination. Illinois also votes on Tuesday and rewards the winner with the majority of its delegates.



Even if Trumps challengers do well on Tuesday, most analysts see very difficult paths ahead for Cruz, Rubio or Kasich to win the delegates needed for the nomination. Their last hope is to amass enough delegates to take the competition to the Republican convention in Cleveland this summer.



John Hudak, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said Tuesdays vote may end those hopes.



Theres a pretty strong possibility we dont have a contested convention because Donald Trump wins the nomination outright. I think the idea of a contested convention is much more wishful thinking on the part of Republicans, than it is necessarily a reflection of the reality of polling.
In Myanmars lower house of parliament Friday Htin Kyaw, an unelected retired bureaucrat from the National League for Democracy (NLD), trounced the countrys incumbent vice president, Sai Mauk Kham, in first-round balloting to move a step closer to the presidency.

Htin Kyaw outpaced Sai Mauk Kham, 274 to 29, in first-round balloting.

It was the latest exercise in democracy as Aung San Suu Kyis party prepares to take the reins of government from President Thein Sein in a ceremony on March 30 that will end decades of military dominance.

The Nobel laureate led lawmakers in voting Friday for her handpicked candidate. He is virtually assured of becoming president next week, when both houses of parliament meet to choose the head of state and two vice presidents.

Htin Kyaw was rarely a newsmaker prior to this week. Until now, his biggest claim to fame was perhaps being the first person sent abroad by Yangon University, to study computer science in 1971.

Aung San Suu Kyis proxy for the presidency, however, is well known in the NLD inner circle. He is on the partys executive committee and is married to lawmaker Su Su Lwin, daughter of an NLD co-founder.

But most lawmakers and observers are disappointed she could not find a way around the constitutional prohibition against anyone becoming president who has children with foreign citizenship, as she does.

I really feel a little bit sorry for her, said foreign affairs ministry trainee Khin Thidar Zin after she watched Tuesdays parliamentary voting from the upper observation deck. But I hope [Htin Kyaw] will be a kind president for the citizens of Myanmar.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who has declared she will retain ultimate power, and her handpicked president will not have totally free hands to run Myanmar, as the military automatically holds one-quarter of the parliamentary seats and will control several key ministries.

The armys candidate for president, General Myint Swe, who is the Yangon regional chief minister, will almost certainly lose next weeks parliamentary vote, but is guaranteed one of the two vice presidential posts.

The 64-year-old confidant of former dictator Than Shwe, who remains influential in the army, led military intelligence from 2004 to 2006. After retiring from military service in 2010, Myint Swe ran for parliament in a general election, and observers say his selection is an ominous sign for the upcoming civilian government. Myint Swe is believed to have been behind the 2007 saffron revolution crackdown and is also suspected of orchestrating violent arrests of activists in Rangoon during outgoing President Thein Seins rule.

Lawmakers of the NLD, which swept last Novembers general election, are hopeful this is a win-win situation that will appease the generals who have kept a grip on power for more than half a century.

Even though we are not a democratic country we are moving very fast toward a country where democracy flowers, NLD lawmaker Zaw Thein told VOA.

With just weeks to go before the change of government, lawmakers from the Union Solidarity and Development Party, who until recently were dominant, seem to be gracefully accepting their new minority status.

This is a choice of citizens. I have to accept the result of the vote of elected members of parliament who are representing citizens, USDP lawmaker Ko Ko Naing told VOA after Fridays lower-house vote. Based on what Ive learned about Htin Kyaws biography I believe he could be a qualified leader who can run the country well."

A combined session of both parliamentary houses next Tuesday, including the militarys appointed members who met on their own this week, is scheduled to select the president, with the second- and third-place finishers becoming vice presidents.

The NLDs Henry Van Thio is likely to capture more votes than the militarys nominee for the first vice president spot. Aung San Suu Kyi told NLD lawmakers Monday evening she chose the Christian lawmaker, an ethnic Chin, for national reconciliation.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a Buddhist-dominated country of more than 55 million people that has been afflicted with nearly constant civil war since the end of British colonial rule in 1948.

Since a nominally civilian government was installed in 2011 there has been progress in brokering peace deals with various groups. But low-intensity conflicts continue between the Myanmar army and a number of armed groups.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday told American troops training the Jordanian military that it would take a long time to defeat the Islamic State jihadist group.

We are going to defeat ISIL," the vice president said, using an acronym for Islamic State in speaking to troops at a training center outside Zarqa, northeast of Jordans capital, Amman. "They are already on their heels." But he added, "Its going to take a long time.

As part of the increasing military cooperation between the nations, the U.S. last week gave Jordan eight Black Hawk helicopters to boost border protection, with eight more to come.

The vice president earlier held talks at the royal palace with King Abdullah II, a key Western military ally whose country has been a member of the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

The palace said in a statement that the Jordanian king stressed the need to support the Iraqi governments efforts in fighting against Daesh, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

Biden and Abdullah reportedly also discussed the conflict in neighboring Syria and the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The palace said the king called for an end to Israeli violations of Christian and Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.

Biden is completing a regional tour that has also taken him to Israel, the Palestinian territories and the United Arab Emirates. He has held discussions on peace efforts that would establish a two-state solution between the Palestinians and Israelis.

Syrian refugees

Syrias five-year conflict has seen more than 270,000 people killed and millions more displaced by violence.

The kingdom says it is hosting 1.4 million Syrian refugees, which is 20 percent of its population and more than twice the 600,000 figure given by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

Bidens wife, Jill, on Thursday visited the Zaatari refugee camp in northern Jordan, which provides shelter to nearly 80,000 Syrian refugees.
A widening corruption probe has turned key lawmakers from Brazil's largest party against leftist President Dilma Rousseff, threatening to split her coalition and increasing chances of her impeachment in Congress this year.

The Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, known as the PMDB, is the main ally of the ruling Workers' Party. Its leader, Michel Temer, is Rousseff's vice president.

But a growing number of legislators from the fractious party, which accommodates centrist and center-right politicians, say it is time to abandon a president they see as paralyzed by political gridlock and unable to lead Brazil out of an intense economic recession.

"This is a very delicate moment," said the party's vice president, Senator Valdir Raupp, who no longer wants to support Rousseff's coalition. "The country needs a change of course now."

What little patience some PMDB lawmakers still had for the coalition has frayed amid an investigation into the ruling party's founder, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and new allegations money from a far-reaching corruption scandal helped fund Rousseff's 2014 re-election.

At its biennial convention Saturday, the PMDB will loosen its alliance with the administration, which has been roiled by the ongoing kickback scandal around state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA.

While avoiding an outright break with Rousseff, PMDB officials say they will vote on measures intended to give individual party lawmakers more freedom to rebel against Rousseff initiatives and ultimately vote in favor of ousting the president, who faces impeachment proceedings because of accounting irregularities in the government budget.

Raupp said the party's more anti-Rousseff factions will table a motion to leave the coalition outright, but a second motion to declare independence from the government will most likely prevail.

If PMDB legislators do end up voting to impeach Rousseff, one benefit for the party, which plans to field its own candidate in the 2018 presidential election, is that Temer would become president.

Many within the party believe the impeachment drive could come to a vote in both chambers of Congress after it passes a committee in the lower house next month.

Rousseff has denied any wrongdoing and dismissed the impeachment efforts as baseless.

PMDB Congressman Darcisio Perondi, a staunch opponent of the Workers' Party, said the desire to bolt from the Rousseff coalition has spread to colleagues in the Senate, previously a chamber considered more favorable for Rousseff.

"The economy is in a meltdown," he said.

Lawmakers are being pressured by failing businesses and the loss of jobs in their states. They say constituents want new policies to restore growth to an economy that shrank 3.8 percent in 2015.

The graft investigation surrounding Petrobras has deepened Brazil's political crisis in recent weeks and boosted the country's stock market and currency as investors bet on the prospects of a change of government and more business-friendly policies.

At the convention, the PMDB is expected to reconfirm Temer as its leader, a sign it is not ready, despite its rebelliousness, to relinquish its share of power in Rousseff's government. In addition to the vice presidency, it holds six cabinet posts.

"It is going to be a noisy convention," said PMDB whip in the lower house of Congress, Leonardo Picciani, who represents a Rio de Janeiro faction that came out in support of Rousseff last year in return for two cabinet ministries.

"But in practical terms, a far as staying in the government or leaving, nothing will be decided yet," he told Reuters.

PMDB support for an immediate departure from Rousseff's coalition could gather more force if there is a massive turnout in a nationwide protest for Rousseff's impeachment called for Sunday by opposition parties.

"The streets of Brazil will be decisive," said Perondi, the PMDB Congressman.
A woman who allegedly had an affair with Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha was questioned Friday by the Ministry of Interiors anti-terrorism department.

The 25-year-old hairdressers name is Kum Chandaraty, but she has admitted to having set up a Facebook account with the name Mon Srey, which has been linked to salacious audio recordings circulated online last week.

Chandaraty was called to appear at the anti-terrorism department in a court order issued after opposition activist Thy Sovanntha filed a defamation complaint.

Try Chhoun, a lawyer for Chandaraty, told reporters that her client denied defaming Kem Sokha, the deputy president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).

The questioning this morning took more than three hours" and "touched at every issue related to the complaint," Chhoun said. "My client has denied all the allegations.

Chhoun said her client would continue to follow the courts orders.

No details

Lieutenant General Y Sok Khy, director of the anti-terrorism department, confirmed to reporters that Chandaraty did cooperate well with the authorities, but he declined to elaborate on the details of the interview.

His said his department would also likely have questions for Kem Sokha. But that does not necessarily mean the politician will be summoned, he said.

The recordings surfaced two weeks ago on social media and are purported to contain the voices of Kem Sokha and Mon Srey, who were allegedly involved in an affair. It was also alleged in the recordings that Sovanntha was having an affair with Kem Sokha, which spurred the legal complaint.

The case has raised accusations of a politically motivated smear campaign. Kem Sokha, who is acting president of the CNRP, has said he will not argue, not respond and not reply to the recordings.

In an exclusive interview with VOA Khmer on Wednesday, Chandaraty denied the allegations and said her Facebook account under the name Mon Srey had been hacked a long time ago. She said the voice on the recordings was not hers.

Observers noted that it was unusual for anti-terror officials to conduct questioning in a defamation case. Ou Virak, head of local think tank Future Forum, told the VOA Khmer service that the court itself would usually conduct the questioning in such a case.

'Getting messy'

The court should also have investigated the authenticity of the audio recordings and tried to find out who may have been attempting to blackmail the opposition leader with lurid allegations, he said.

One thing that I am so sorry about is that they should have investigated to find out who taped the audio or who exaggerated this issue, Virak said, adding that even if the recordings were genuine, the perpetrator should be punished. If the recordings are false, then authorities should investigate that, he said.

There is a violation of the law, so it needs to be investigated. It is not related to terrorism at all, Virak added. I think this issue is getting messy. It involves many things.

Ny Sokha, head of monitoring at the local human rights group Adhoc, which is providing legal support to Chandaraty, told VOA Khmer he was monitoring what he said was the irregular way authorities were handling the case.

This case is strange, said Ny Sokha. Strange, because it is just a defamation case, but the court delegated the investigation to the department of anti-terrorism, which works on significant cases. Normally, the court just investigates and questions on its own.

By way of explanation for his departments involvement, Sok Khy told reporters: Number one, this is the department of anti-terrorism and anti-cross-border crime, and has a duty as judiciary police. Secondly, we are ordered by the prosecutors and we work under the police commissioner.

He said his department would investigate all issues relevant to the case, including the audio recordings.

Actually, the final result will be sent to the court at the end, because I am working on the orders of the court, Sok Khy said.

Earlier allegations

It is not the first time allegations have been made about Kem Sokha having extramarital affairs. In 2013, a few months before the national elections that year, a middle-aged woman came forward claiming to have had relations with the opposition leader.

The woman and her mother filed a complaint at court over the affair, but the case disappeared after the elections, in which the CNRP made significant gains against the ruling party.
In Cameroon, a book published March 7 by an imprisoned former government minister has sparked heated debate. The book's author, along with some fellow politicians and rights activists, say the government is using its crackdown on corruption as a pretext to target potential political rivals of longtime President Paul Biya.

At least two dozen former government officials have been arrested in Cameroon in the past eight years, including several ex-ministers and heads of state-owned corporations.

Ex-Health Minister Urbain Olanguena Awono said in his book, titled Mensonges dEtat (or Lies of the State), that he and other detainees are prisoners of conscience.

Other detainees have recently published letters in local media saying their arrests and long detentions are politically motivated.

The roundup has become known locally as Operation Sparrowhawk, referring to a predator that hunts and eats other smaller birds.

But Cameroon's government spokesman, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, said at a news conference Thursday that people have been erroneously accusing the government of witch hunting, abuse of legal procedures and political persecution, whereas the president is simply asking those arrested to account for public funds.

Biya is not and never will be afraid of political competition to the level that he arrests his opponents, Bakary said, adding that detained officials were plotting to challenge state authority.

Embezzlement charges

Awono is serving a 20-year jail sentence. He was arrested and convicted of corruption and embezzlement in 2008, the same year Biya changed the constitution to allow him to run for two more terms in office.

Local press had reported at the time that Awono and his senior staff were plotting to oust Biya.

Awono's defense counsel, Barrister Andrew Litumbe, denied the allegation.

"Paul Biya is like  I cannot even term him a dictator. He is a super dictator," Litumbe said.

Last year, Cameroon's justice minister, Laurent Esso, said $4 million of public funds had been recovered so far, though he did not give further details. The state estimates as much as $152 million in public funds has been stolen.

Cameroonian law states that corruption suspects can be detained and have travel documents seized while investigations are ongoing.

Supra president

At least four corruption detainees have died in prison. Family members told VOA they did not receive proper medical attention.

Only 15 of the at least two dozen ex-officials arrested since 2008 have been charged, according to human rights activist Robert Mbile.

"It is in rare countries like Cameroon where you find a president who is the head of the armed forces, the judiciary, the government and everything," Mbile asid. "So he is a supra, a supra president. He appoints the judges, even the constitutional council he has to lord on it. Biya has been taking care only of his chair and nothing else. The interest of the people is nothing to him."

The government counters that lengthy judicial processes and difficulties tracing embezzled funds in foreign banks have made investigations long and cumbersome.

Biya's mandate ends in 2018, but his supporters have been calling publicly on the 83-year-old leader to organize elections sooner and run again.
The European Union on Thursday called upon member states to take up to 6,000 migrants a month from Greece and Italy.

European Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said EU nations had taken in fewer than 900 migrants from an overburdened Greece and Italy out of an initial 160,000 they had agreed to relocate. He said some countries had not relocated a single migrant, but he added that a drive to change that was under way.

"And the very first results are positive," Avramopoulos said. "We believe at the end we will achieve this goal. Because let me be very clear: If relocation does not work, the whole system will collapse."

The commissioner spoke at talks in Brussels as EU interior ministers hashed out details of a draft deal with Turkey to tackle the regions growing migrant crisis.

EU and Turkish leaders hope to finalize a deal next week that would see undocumented migrants returned to Turkey for screening. For each person returned, the EU would agree to take in one Syrian refugee who qualifies for resettlement.

Visa-free travel

Ankara also wants visa-free travel for its citizens in Europe, more financial aid in handling the migrants and expedited accession talks with the EU.

The draft agreement has raised a number of concerns, including fears voiced by U.N. human rights chief Zeid Raad Al Hussein that it may see illegal collective expulsions of migrants from Greece to Turkey.

Asked about human rights concerns, Avramopoulos said the EU must qualify Turkey as so-called safe country for returning migrants.

What we do with Turkey right now is in compliance with the European Unions legislation and the international law, Avramopoulos said.

Several EU ministers attending the Brussels talks expressed caution about doing business with Turkey. Austrias interior minister noted that Turkeys visa liberalization demands came just days after the country seized a major opposition newspaper, and she raised questions about the EU's values.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Emperor Akihito led a five-year commemoration service Friday for victims of the massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami that set off one of the world's worst nuclear disasters.

Bells rang out in Tokyo and people across Japan bowed their heads in a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m., the exact time the 9.0-magnitude quake struck offshore. The quake generated a series of tidal waves, some as high a 17 meters, that devastated much of the islands eastern coastline and killed nearly 20,000 people.

The two leaders bowed in front of a stage full of flowers in a Tokyo ceremony with 1,200 people in attendance, including survivors from the stricken area.

"In the past, our nation suffered countless disasters that could be described as national crises, but overcame them each time with determination and hope. I vow once again that we will follow hand in hand in the footsteps of our forefathers and continue to move forward," Abe said.

Radiation levels

The tsunami disabled the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, causing the worst nuclear disaster since the 1986 meltdown at the Chernobyl plant in Ukraine. Three of the Fukushima's reactors were breached, causing a nuclear meltdown that emitted large amounts of radiation across the surrounding area, contaminating water, food and the air.

More than 600,000 people were evacuated from nearby towns. Some 10 percent of the residents still live in temporary housing across the Fukushima prefecture.

"Efforts are being made to improve the situation, but my heart aches at the thought that there are still people who cannot return home," said Emperor Akihito at Fridays ceremony.

Lasting damage

Cleanup of the Fukushima plant is ongoing and has been slowed by malfunctioning robots that must be used in the damaged buildings where high radiation levels make it too dangerous for humans to operate.

The environmental group Greenpeace says the Fukushima disaster was responsible for the single largest release of radioactivity into the ocean and has damaged the genetic DNA of wildlife in the affected area.

Some researchers are also reporting a dramatic rise in thyroid cancer among children in the Fukushima prefecture, although the Japanese government disputes this claim.

Japan has spent billions of dollars in assistance and in decontamination and reconstruction efforts.

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries recently claimed that 74 percent of affected farmland in east and northeastern Japan has recovered and is no longer contaminated with radiation.

However, in the hardest-hit Fukushima region, the farmland restoration rate was only 33 percent.

Decontamination efforts

Abe promised Thursday to increase decontamination efforts to end most of the evacuation orders still affecting 100,000 Fukushima residents, and allow them to return to their homes.

Some environmental organizations, such as Greenpeace, oppose this plan. They argue that radiation levels are still high in the forest areas that cover 70 percent of Fukushima, and that radiation continues to leak into the underground water supply and out into the Pacific Ocean.

Lifting these evacuations, Greenpeace said, would benefit Abes political supporter, Tokyo Electric, by ending its obligation to provide compensation, at the cost of potentially exposing residents to increased risks.

"They lost everything and theyre going to lose even the small amount of compensation that Tokyo Electric is reluctantly paying," said Shaun Burnie, a nuclear specialist with Greenpeace.

Nuclear legacy

Japans reliance on nuclear power remains a divisive issue five years after the tsunami caused the Fukushima disaster.

Supporters like Abe say resource-poor Japan needs nuclear power to remain economically competitive and to reduce carbon emissions related to global warming.

Japan initially shut down all the countrys nuclear plants after the meltdown, forcing energy companies to turn to more expensive fossil fuels.

Abe and utility companies have been pushing to get reactors back in operation. However, a Japanese court this week ordered the shutdown of two nuclear reactors previously declared safe under post-disaster safety rules.

Anti-nuclear sentiment in Japan still runs high. Opponents include former Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who held office during the Fukushima disaster.

At one point during the meltdown, the Japanese government was considering evacuating 50 million people, which, Kan said, "would have been like a losing a huge war."

Opponents say the enduring lesson of the man-made nuclear disaster is that the danger of decades of widespread radioactive contamination far outweigh the benefits offered by nuclear energy.

If any good has come from this tragedy, they say, it is the increased public support for developing alternative renewable, clean energy sources such as wind, solar and geothermal power.

"The 21st century will be one based upon renewable energy. And that is a suitable homage and testament to the many people in Japan who are still continuing to suffer from the Fukushima nuclear accident five years on and will continue to suffer for a decade ahead," said Burnie.
While North Koreas recent claim that it has miniaturized nuclear warheads drew skepticism in the United States, there is growing concern in Washington that Pyongyang could transfer nuclear technology or materials to other countries.

Analysts say there may be mixed assessments of how advanced Pyongyangs nuclear program is, but there appears to be little doubt that the country is expanding its nuclear stockpile. Nuclear experts at Johns Hopkins Universitys School of Advanced International Studies estimate that North Korea currently has between 10 and 16 nuclear weapons and it could possess as many as 100 weapons by 2020.

Leon Panetta, a former CIA director and former U.S. defense secretary, said Pyongyangs nuclear transfer is a very real concern.

What happened with a nuclear reactor that was built in Syria was largely done through technology from North Korea, Panetta told VOA this week, referring to a secret nuclear reactor in Syria bombed by Israel in 2007.

Proliferation concern

Former Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair warned Pyongyang could be more tempted to sell its nuclear materials or technology to earn cash amid increased sanctions. Last week, the U.N. Security Council adopted a new resolution expanding sanctions against North Korea in response to Pyongyangs recent nuclear test and long-range missile launch.

I think they have more motivation now to increase their supply of hard currency any way they can, and the sale of nuclear materials, precursor materials or parts of weapons is certainly a possibility that has occurred to them, Blair told VOA Thursday.

Given the danger such an attempt could pose, Pyongyang will face military consequences if it tried to sell nuclear materials, the retired Navy admiral said.

In an apparent response to the sanctions, Pyongyang has ramped up nuclear rhetoric. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country has nuclear warheads to mount on ballistic missiles, according to the Norths state media on Wednesday.

The nuclear warheads have been standardized to be fit for ballistic missiles by miniaturizing them, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim as saying.

State media repeatedly made that claim, but Kims comments marked his first mention of the claim.

Blair said it is uncertain if Pyongyang has such a capability, adding its a logical next step in the countrys nuclear development program.

Nuclear ICBM

U.S. military analysts say Washingtons primary concern is whether Pyongyang has the capability to fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that could reach the U.S. mainland.

Admiral William Gortney, commander of the U.S. Northern Command, told a Senate committee Thursday it was prudent to assume Pyongyang had the ability to miniaturize a nuclear warhead and mount it on an ICBM that could reach the U.S.

U.S. officials say Pyongyang has not demonstrated the capability.

Blair said there is little chance that North Korea will use a nuclear weapon against the U.S. or its allies, even if Pyongyang had such a capability.

The retaliation would devastate North Korea and it would be end of this regime, he said.

On Friday, KCNA said Kim ordered his country to conduct more nuclear tests.
Public execution in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi government appears to be preparing to execute four prisoners convicted in the Specialized Criminal Court, raising fears for three juveniles who were sentenced to death there for attending protests.





Reports in Saudi government-affiliated media suggest that the authorities are preparing to execute four people whose death sentences have been upheld in the secretive SCC. The reports say the killings will complete the mass execution of 47 prisoners in January this year, which saw several political protestors executed  including at least one juvenile, Ali al-Ribh. Following the killings, UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond faced criticism, after claiming that the 47 prisoners executed were terrorists.





While details of the four in line for execution remain unclear, the reports will raise fears for three juveniles who are awaiting execution after their sentences  handed down in relation to political protests  were upheld in the SCC last year. Ali al-Nimr, Dawood al-Marhoon and Abdullah al-Zaher were arrested in the wake of protests in the countrys eastern Province in 2012. All were tortured into confessions that were used to convict them in largely secret trial proceedings. Ahead of January's mass execution, reports in state-affiliated media outlets had suggested that 52 prisoners would be killed, leading to fears that the three juveniles would be among them.





News of the latest planned executions follows a Saudi appearance this week at the UNs Human Rights Council, in which Saudi official Bandar al Ali claimed his government promoted human rights, and fights torture in all its physical and moral manifestations.





Research last year by human rights organization Reprieve found that, of those facing execution in Saudi Arabia, some 72% were convicted of non-violent crimes  including drug offences and political protest  while police torture was reported to be common.





Commenting, Maya Foa, head of the death penalty team at Reprieve, said: These reports are deeply worrying. January's mass execution included political protestors and juveniles - these prisoners weren't 'terrorists', but ordinary people who lost their lives for the so-called 'crime' of speaking out against the Saudi regime. It would be appalling if the Saudis now executed three further juveniles who were brutally tortured into 'confessing'. The British government and others must look beyond the Saudi propaganda machine, and do all they can to prevent January's outrages from being repeated."

Reports of the impending executions can be seen in Okaz, here.

Philip Hammond's remarks on the mass execution in January can be seen here, while further detail on Ali al-Ribh's case is available here.

A transcript of Mr al Ali's remarks are available on request, while a video of his speech is available here.

Reprieve's research into the death penalty in Saudi Arabia is available on the Reprieve website, here.

Source: Reprieve, March 11, 2016




Hong Kong leaders say they want their city to play a vital role in Chinas plan for a 21st century new Silk Road over land and sea, linking Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

In an interview with VOA this week, Regina Ip, legislator and chair of the Beijing friendly New Peoples Party, said Hong Kongs ties to mainland China and its neighbors make it an ideal gateway for the Silk Road strategy.

We have a lot of overseas Chinese associations in Hong Kong. You know in the Philippines, 99 percent of the Chinese are [originally from Chinas Fujian province], and we have one million Fujianese in Hong Kong," she said. "So we are well connected with Asian business communities, as well as with overseas Chinese.

She also echoed comments by Hong Kong Chief Executive C.Y. Leung, who in January predicted Hong Kong will be a super-connector city, linking Chinese companies with outbound investment opportunities across Asia.

"The financing need for these infrastructure projects as they get underway will far exceed the funds provided by AIIB or the Silk Road Fund, so Hong Kong could contribute enormously as a fundraising platform, said Ip.

A huge endeavor



Chinas so-called One Belt, One Road strategy encompasses 65 nations and 4.4 billion people, with plans for massive investments in ports, infrastructure, roads and railways along the old Silk Road. Beijing hopes the plan will help rid China of excess capacity, and boost the profits of Chinese companies amidst the countrys economic slowdown.

Last year China invested more than $13 billion in 49 countries along the route, up 36.7 percent from the year before. As part of Chinas plan for further investment through its Silk Road strategy, Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau will form a Big Bay area, linking maritime routes and serving as a financing hub.

Raymond Yeung, a senior economist with ANZ bank, said, You do need a market to support the fundraising and bond issuance to some extent. So probably Hong Kong can perform that role.

As the worlds leading offshore Chinese currency financial center, Hong Kong could benefit from Beijings Silk Road plans; the One Belt, One Road strategy could also allow Hong Kong exporters to more easily shift manufacturing facilities from mainland China to other Asian countries along the Silk Road, where labor costs are cheaper.

Trade and investment

Chinas promotion of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and creation of a Silk Road Fund aims to speed investment in countries along the corridor.

Signs of that investment are already visible. In February a cargo train traveled from China to Iran for the first time.

Chinas belt and road strategy is a long term play, and it will take time to get large infrastructure projects off the ground," said Ben Simpfendorfer, a managing director of Silk Road Associates. "It will also be unevenly felt throughout the region, so you will see deals in Kazakhstan or Pakistan, but it will take longer to see deals in the Philippines or Vietnam.

Over the next ten years, annual trade between China and nations along the Silk Road is estimated to reach more than $2.5 trillion.
India has ruled out participating in joint patrols in the South China Sea proposed by the United States. Experts say that India wants to focus on containing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean and despite a growing strategic partnership, it remains wary of being part of a military alliance with Washington.



The proposal that the navies of Japan, Australia and India could join the U.S. in preserving freedom of navigation in the contested waters of South China Sea was voiced recently by chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Harry B. Harris.



But within days, Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar said, "As of now, India has never taken part in any joint patrol; we only do joint exercises. The question of joint patrol does not arise.

Indian naval spokesman D.K. Sharma underscored Indias position that it only participates in military operations that take place under the United Nations flag.

The biggest example in contemporary times is the Gulf of Aden patrols. From 2008 onwards when piracy has infested the Gulf of Aden and North Aegean Sea, India has not joined hands with any NATO or any other construct, said Sharma.



Wary of Chinas push in South China Sea, where maritime and territorial disputes are festering, India has shed its traditional diffidence and been vocal in calling for freedom of navigation and maritime security in the disputed waters.



At the same time, strategic experts say that New Delhi wants to be seen as a neutral player in an area where it is not directly involved.





Wary of provoking China

Manoj Joshi at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi says India is concerned about the potential ramifications in the Indian Ocean if its ships take part in U.S.-led patrols in waters close to China.



India is worried that if we do joint patrols with the U.S, the Chinese could do it to us with Pakistan. That is really the worry -- the US navy can operate globally, but India is not that powerful and that same thing could be turned on its head as far as we are concerned, says Joshi.



Beijings bid to expand its presence in the Indian Ocean remains a huge concern for India and has partly prompted its growing defense partnership with Washington.



Overriding Chinese objections, last year India invited Japan back into annual naval exercises held with the U.S. for the first time in eight years.



Planned exercises



This year, the three countries are scheduled to hold naval drills in waters off the northern Philippines near the South China Sea  a move that is likely to irk Beijing.

But for the time being, joint exercises is as far as India is willing to go. If India and the U.S. have not contemplated similar kind of patrol in Indian Ocean, what could justify India and U.S. patrolling waters of South China Sea? asks Chintamani Mahapatra, a foreign policy professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.



Indias decades-long border dispute in the Himalayas with Beijing where their armies face off is also likely to hold New Delhi back from wading into the contentious waters of South China Sea.

We have a long border and it is just us and them on that border. We will certainly stand firm in our position, but we dont want to provoke, says Jayadeva Ranade, a China specialist at Indias National Security Advisory Board.
India's National Green Tribunal, the country's top environment court, has fined a non-profit organization hundreds of thousands of dollars, just hours before the opening of the group's world cultural festival being staged on the banks of New Delhi's Yamuna River.

The $740,000 fine stems from concerns the sprawling construction for the festival will irreparably damage the Yamuna's floodplains.

The Art of Living Foundation, the organizer of the festival, is set to pay $37,900 immediately and the rest will be paid over the next three weeks.

A crowd of 3.5 million people is expected to attend the festival, which opens Friday.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, one of India's best-known spiritual gurus and the leader of the Art of Living, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the three-day event.
By multiple accounts, Islamic State (IS) militants are getting stronger in Libya, where, according to U.S. intelligence, their ranks have doubled to about 6,500.



With Libyan politicians unable to form a unity government, some analysts say local militias are the best hope for stopping the radical Islamists, who recently secured a stronghold in the coastal city of Sirte.

In Libya there are many such forces who oppose ISIS, but these forces and a coalition of convenience can be made, and the Libyan nation can be rebuilt by bringing together these main fighting forces to work together against ISIS," said Middle East researcher and analyst Jason Pack, using a common acronym for IS, which also goes by ISIL and Daesh.

Saying Libyan militias can act as the ground troops needed to retake IS-held territories, he also cautioned that such a coalition would first need training and weapons before it could launch a Western-airpower-backed attack on Sirte.

The cleansing of Benghazi and Ajdabiya of Jihadist cells of both ISIS and Ansar al Sharia is a breakthrough, and the momentum of these gains needs to be carried forward and hopefully reach a new militia coalition that can launch an attack on Sirte, Pack added.

Brookings Institution military expert Michael OHanlon also advocates a regional coalition approach, saying IS militants are already entrenched in Libya and therefore too strong for any one local group to face alone.

Realistically we have to help certain Libyan groups that we believe we can work with to get stronger in certain parts of Libya, then pressure ISIS the ground, with U.S. pressure from the air, he said.



Ambassador questions idea

But Ibrahim Al Dabashi, Libyan Ambassador to the UN, noted that such move could complicate the situation.

I would like to warn against any attempt to bolster the capabilities of Libyan militias based on the assumption that, if equipped, they will fight ISIS in Sirte," he said, adding that these militias are the same ones that withdrew from battling IS in Sirte once before. "Such an attempt would [would only lead to] more complications of the Libyan crisis.

President Barack Obama has backed the idea, saying our strong preference, as has always been the case, is to train Libyans to fight."

"Theres a whole bunch of constituencies who are hardened fighters and dont ascribe to ISIS or their perverted ideology," he said. "But they have to be organized and cant be fighting each other.

Martin Kobler, head of the U.N. Support Mission in Libya, warned last week that if IS militants continue to exploit Libya's political and security vacuum, they could expand to neighboring countries.



It is very important to limit the expansion of the Islamic State because this adds to the already difficult situation; they are expanding to the East, to the West but also to the South, Kobler told the U.N. Security Council, adding that the IS organization has bridgeheads in Niger and Chad. Should those IS militants team up with sympathizers in those neighboring countries, "it would be very difficult to redress.

Intelligence officials say the organizations immediate goal is to carve out a new caliphate in Libya.



The U.S. plans to defeat IS in Libya currently depend on persuading parliamentarians to end their divisions to create a government.



James Clapper, U.S. Director of National Intelligence, explained the crucial need for a unity government in Libya.



We would like nothing better than to have a government in place in Libya whom we could work with and from whom we would gain consent for engaging militarily in Libya.
Syrias crisis will be among the focal points for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is traveling to Saudi Arabia and France.



Kerrys talks with senior government officials in Saudi Arabia Friday and Saturday will come as the U.N. makes plans to resume substantive proximity talks between the Syrian regime and opposition about a political transition in the country.



However, the opposition High Negotiations Committee has been sending mixed signals on whether it intends to return to the talks in Geneva Monday. The group has cited concerns about what it says are Syrian government violations of a cessation of hostilities that took effect in late February.



The U.S. and Saudi Arabia are among the 17 nations that are part of the International Syria Support Group, which has been backing plans for a political transition.



The State Department said Yemen will be another focal point for Kerry while in Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen.



From Hafar al Batin, Saudi Arabia, Kerry travels to Paris.

The State Department says he will discuss bilateral, regional and global issues with his French, British, German and Italian counterparts, as well as EU High Representative Federica Mogherini.
Macedonia's president says his country has been forced to pay for the actions of the European Union in the current migrant crisis, arguing that the influx has cost Macedonia $28 million so far.

In an interview published Friday in the German newspaper Bild, Gjorge Ivanov said Macedonia is fed up with the situation after having to declare a national crisis. He complained that the European Union has not contributed "a cent" to Macedonia's expenses and said the trade bloc has "completely lost sight" of security concerns as it struggles to accommodate millions of Syrians, Afghans, and Iraqis fleeing violence and economic insecurity at home.

He said his country had confiscated some 9,000 forged or stolen passports from the migrants and complained that Germany has declined to share information on biometric information technology or militant Islamists.

In terms of humanitarian concerns, he said, Germany has done very well, but in terms of security, it has "completely failed."

Borders closed



On Thursday, Austria endorsed the decision by Macedonia and three other Balkan countries to close their borders this week to almost all migrants.

Vienna called for the migrants' path to remain closed indefinitely.

Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said her government supports the action to restrict immigrants trying to cross the Balkans to northern Europe. This week's action by Macedonia, Slovenia, Serbia and Croatia applies to all migrants except those planning to seek asylum in those four countries.

Meanwhile, Turkish news agencies said five migrants, including a three-month-old infant, have drowned off Turkey's western coast after a boat taking them to Greece sank on the way to the island of Lesbos.

Nine people were reported rescued from the boat, which was carrying Afghan and Iranian migrants. Two are still missing.

Repatriation plan



In the face of U.N. opposition, the European Union and Turkey are working to finalize a plan to return to Turkey all migrants arriving in Greece from there.

U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said such a plan would be illegal. "I urge the EU to adopt a much more rights-compliant and humane set of measures on migration" at a summit scheduled to begin March 17, Al Hussein told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva Thursday.

"International guarantees protecting human rights may not be side-stepped or diluted," he added. "Any returns of people must be in conformity with international human-rights standards. Arbitrary and prolonged detention must be avoided."

Turkey



After months of disagreements among the 28 EU nations, EU leaders said this week they will give Turkey more than $3 billion to help with the costs of hosting nearly three million Syrian refugees. In exchange for Turkey's help in stemming migration flows to Europe, the deal would include easing European visa requirements for Turks and a promise to speed up talks about Ankara's application to join the Union.

The situation near the Greek-Macedonian border has been described this week as dire. Authorities said nearly 36,000 migrants and refugees were stranded in a muddy, unhygienic camp near the Idomeni border crossing into Macedonia. Others are stuck in Macedonia near the Serbian border, in a "no-man's-land" between the two countries' frontiers.
A German man was arrested outside the US Embassy in Berlin Friday morning after attacking security staff and falsely claiming he had a bomb.

The 23-year old man attempted to bring a suitcase into the embassy but was turned away. After punching security staff, he was arrested and told police he had left a bomb inside the suitcase at the front entrance.

The area around the embassy was cleared and a police search of the suitcase found only "personal items."

A police spokesman called the man "psychologically disturbed" but did not have any details on the man's identity.
Htin Kyaw, confirmed Friday as presidential nominee for Myanmars National League for Democracy (NLD), is a close aide to party leader Aung San Suu Kyi whos believed likely to win the countrys top office and govern on her behalf.

Htin Kyaw, 70, was at the democracy activists side when she was freed from house arrest in 2010. He has had a senior role with the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation, a charity founded in tribute to Aung San Suu Kyis mother.

He previously had served in national government, rising to deputy director of its foreign economic relations department. He retired in 1992.

Described as honest, soft spoken and loyal, Htin Kyaw has deep roots with the NLD. His late father, Min Thu Wun, was a noted scholar, writer and poet whod won a seat for the party in 1990. Htin is married to Daw Su Su Lwin, whose father was an NLD party founder and official and who herself represents the party as a member of parliament.

In a June 2015 interview, Daw Su Su Lwin said that before the countrys end of military rule in 2012, her family frequently had been subjected to surveillance and her husband once held in prison for roughly three months without any charges.

The interview was published in The PIE News, website of Professionals in International Education.

Htin Kyaw, born in 1946, earned a masters degree from the Yangon Institute of Economics in 1968, then was graduated from the University of Londons Institute of Computer Science. He also studied in the United States in 1987, at the Arthur D. Little School of Management in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
U.S. President Barack Obama says technology can help the government and private companies to join forces to solve the country's hardest problems.

Obama, speaking Friday at a music-and-technology festival in Austin, Texas, said there is no problem that can't be solved if government agencies, the private sector and non-profit companies work together. The key to making that happen, he said, is technology.

Obama's appearance at the annual South by Southwest Festival, a mecca for innovators and startup operations, is the first time a sitting president has delivered the festival's keynote address.

WATCH: Obama discusses visit to South by Southwest Festival



Government engagement

Obama said he has been trying to develop ways that the government can be a part of the positive change that technology can bring about. He said online technology has simplified the process of applying for student aid, accessing health care information, and applying for immigration services. The president also cited a partnership between the government and a private company that created an online "diaper bank" for low-income families with small children.

When asked about the debate between Apple and the FBI on unlocking the iPhone used by the San Bernardino shooter, Obama said he could not comment on the specific case. However, he said there must be a balance between privacy and security concerns. He cautioned those who would take an absolutist view on the topic, saying if technology is so secure that there is no key or door to access the data, then "how do we disrupt a terrorist plot?"

Controversies

Obama's appearance is creating a stir. Gun enthusiasts are holding a rally near the site where the president spoke. This year's festival is the first one since Texas' "open carry" law went into effect earlier this year. The measure makes it lawful for citizens to carry a range of different firearms in public, as long as they are carried in a holster.

The group, Open Carry Texas, said on its Facebook page that its members simply want to exercise their right to carry a weapon and distribute literature about their stance on gun laws.

But firearms, concealed or otherwise, are outlawed at the festival itself  so Open Carry participants were limited to a small gathering on the grounds of the state Capitol building.

WATCH: Obama addresses South by Southwest Festival

Skipping Reagan funeral

Also controversial is Obama's decision to keep his engagement at the festival rather than attend the funeral of former first lady Nancy Reagan, who died Sunday at age 94.

First lady Michelle Obama is attending the service in Simi Valley, California, instead, along with a number of past and present public officials from both sides of the aisle.
The recently retired Foreign Affairs secretary of the Philippines says the countrys position on the South China Sea dispute should continue well into the next administration, which will be determined in May elections.

Three days after he left his post, former secretary Albert del Rosario told reporters Friday that the Philippines should remain independent, being principled in a manner adhering to rule of law.

The next administration should consider staying the course because apparently the people have approved of the foreign policy that we have embraced, he said.

In his speech at a luncheon, del Rosario said the results of a recent survey showed three of the top four issues Filipinos feel the current administration handled well fell under his department. One of them was on promoting and defending the countrys maritime sovereignty.

The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam all have competing claims in the South China Sea, while China has said it has indisputable sovereignty over almost all of the sea and its islands. Among the five claimants, the Philippines, led by del Rosario for the past five years, has been the most vocal in opposing Chinas claim.

Excessive claims

Manila has challenged the legality of what it calls Beijings excessive claims to the resource-rich, heavily traveled sea. In 2013 it filed an arbitration case under the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, questioning the lawfulness of the claim and seeking clarification on whether disputed formations in the sea were rocks or islands.

China rejects the case, saying it opted out of participating in arbitration when it signed on to the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.

In the past two years, China has developed seven formations, most of which are listed in the Philippines case, turning them into artificial islands. At least three can support military craft and defense hardware.

The 76-year-old Del Rosario, who cited health issues for retiring three months before of the end of President Benigno Aquinos term, said such moves have seriously heightened tensions and further highlight the urgency of an early promulgation of the [arbitration tribunals] decision.

Aquino is stepping down at the end of June. Presidential candidate Mar Roxas, whom Aquino picked as his partys successor, is looking to continue the current policy.

Opposition candidate Jejomar Binay has taken a softer stance toward China, although he has also said he will defend the Philippines sovereignty. But he has said joint exploration in the disputed sea between the two countries would help the Philippines tap into China's economic might.
New Delhi/Mumbai: Liquor baron Vijay Mallya on Friday dismissed claims that he had fled the country even as British liquor giant Diageo said it has paid $40 million out of $75 million as part of their deal.

I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish, Mr Mallya tweeted on Friday. He, however, did not disclose his location.

Maintaining that he will comply with the law, Mr Mallya tweeted: As an Indian MP, I fully respect (the law) and will comply with it. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media.

Accusing the media of spreading lies in an attempt to increase its viewership ratings, the founder of defunct Kingfisher Airlines said: Once a media witch hunt starts, it escalates into a raging fire where truth and facts are burnt to ashes. Let media bosses not forget help, favours, accommodation that I have provided over several years which are documented. Now lies to gain TRP?.

Meanwhile, Diageo on said it will "review" the Debt Recovery Tribunal's order freezing $75-million payout to him as part of their agreement for stepping down as chairman of United Spirits and for entering into a non-compete pact.

Staking its claim on this payout deal stuck by Mr Mallya in a sweetheart deal with Diageo, top lender State Bank of India had approached the Tribunal in Bengaluru. The Tribunal earlier this week barred the beleaguered businessman from accessing this exit payment till the loan default case with the state-run bank was settled.
Members of ICANN, the U.S.-based nonprofit agency that has managed oversight of the international Internet since its creation, agreed upon a final framework agreement that would shift oversight to a global body.



Meeting in Morocco this week, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, approved a plan to transfer technical oversight of the Web to an international team of stakeholders. The plan now goes before the U.S. Department of Commerce for final approval.



The controversial plan has been a priority for the Obama administration, and has earned support from a number of high-tech firms such as Google, Facebook and Verizon. Critics worry that ceding control of the Internet to an international group  which could include nations such as China, Russia and Iran  could lead to less freedom and more surveillance online.

Nonprofit



Under the proposal, ICANN would remain a private, not-for-profit firm that would remain involved in Internet governance. Any proposed major changes would be voted on by an advisory group comprised of representatives from various nations, businesses and researchers.



The global Internet community has validated the multi-stakeholder model, by coming together to build a comprehensive transition package that we believe meets the requirements set out by the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration), and we are confident that the United States Government will agree, said ICANN President and CEO Fadi Chehade.



ICANN was founded in 1998 as an independent agency to maintain the technical foundations and structure of the then-rapidly expanding Internet. It was founded in the U.S. largely because the Web was first developed there, and still remains the global leader in Internet development.

Snowden revelations



However, the 2013 revelations by Edward Snowden of comprehensive U.S. surveillance of the Web created friction in the international community and spurred a more global approach to the Webs governance.



The Commerce Department has until later this fall to either agree to the proposal or submit another plan.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the country to improve its nuclear attack capability after watching a recent ballistic missile launch test, the country's state media reports.

North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim saying he wanted "more nuclear explosion tests to estimate the destructive power of the newly produced nuclear warheads and other tests to bolster up the nuclear attack capability."

It says Kim declared that the DPRK would make its enemies "regret their misjudgment" and "reckless action."

On Thursday, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles that traveled about 500 kilometers before falling into the water off the country's east coast.

The missile tests were likely in response to massive military drills by South Korea and the United States, which Pyongyang has called a preparation for invasion.

Following the tests, Pyongyang said it will "liquidate" all remaining South Korean assets on its territory, referring to two abandoned joint projects: the Kaesong industrial complex and the Mount Kumgang tourism resort, both inside North Korean borders.

The North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea also said it is nullifying all agreements with South Korea on economic cooperation and exchange programs, and threatened military and economic actions against the South Korean government.
Radical Islam, foreign policy and trade were among a range of issues tackled in a mostly civil discourse by the last four Republican presidential candidates in their final debate before next Tuesday's key primary and caucus contests.

In a lengthy discussion of the threat posed by radicalized Muslims, U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stood behind his claim that "a lot of" Muslims hate Americans and said he would consider sending up to 30,000 U.S. ground troops to fight Islamic State militants in the Middle East.

Trump was questioned about a statement he had made in an interview this week that "Islam hates us." When asked during the debate whether he was referring to all Muslims, Trump replied, "I mean a lot of them." He said he is not interested in avoiding such statements in the interest of being "politically correct."

Rival Marco Rubio replied sharply, "I'm not interested in being politically correct. I'm interested in being correct." The Florida Senator said the only way to deal with radical Islam is to ally with non-radical people of Muslim faith. And he warned that "Presidents can't just say anything they want, because it has consequences around the world."

Texas Senator Ted Cruz criticized what he called Trump's simplistic solutions on trade and on violent extremism, saying "The answer is not to simply yell 'China bad; Muslim bad.'"

Relations with Cuba also drew sparks, with Rubio and Cruz condemning the warming diplomatic relationship between Washington and Havana.

Rubio listed the conditions under which he would have approved strengthening those ties: "Cuba has free elections. Cuba stops putting people into jail for speaking out. Cuba has freedom of the press." Only under those conditions and several others, including Cuba ending cooperation with Chinese and Russian espionage, he said, should the United States have a relationship with Cuba.

Ohio Governor John Kasich, trailing in the polls, did not engage readily in the bickering but did manage to make a stand on climate change legislation. He said he believes human activity contributes to climate change, but he maintained that it is possible to have strict environmental rules that do not damage the economy.

Rubio answered that no law passed in Congress could change the weather.

This was the final debate among Republican candidates before a day of important state primaries and caucuses next Tuesday. Rubio's home state, Florida, and Kasich's home state, Ohio, are two of the biggest primaries that day, along with North Carolina, Illinois, and Missouri.

Those five primaries and one caucus -- including in such major states as Florida, Illinois and Ohio -- could give front-runner Donald Trump a solid and insurmountable lead in the delegate count.

If Rubio loses to Trump in his home state, it would be a huge embarrassment and could mean the end of his campaign. Polls going into Thursday's debate showed Trump on top in Florida, followed by Rubio and Cruz.

Polls also have Trump beating Kasich in Ohio.

Thursday's discussion of domestic issues was unusually subdued compared to earlier matches, with all four candidates generally agreeing on the economy, trade, immigration and education.

All four candidates agreed overall on the need for immigration reform and to curb programs they said allow foreign workers into the U.S. to take jobs from Americans.

One side note from Thursday: retired neurosurgeon and onetime Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson is set to endorse Trump, a rival who once mocked him. Trump said he and Carson met Thursday and that Carson would endorse him on Friday.

Another former rival of Trump, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, earlier announced his endorsement of the billionaire businessman.
A group of U.S. senators is proposing legislation to try to reunite Korean Americans with their families in North Korea.

The move comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and North Korea over Pyongyangs recent nuclear test and long-range missile launch.

Senator Mark Kirk, an Illinois Republican, along with Senators Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, and Cory Gardner, a Colorado Republican, introduced a bill Wednesday to push the U.S. to take action on reunions between family members in the U.S. and North Korea, who were separated during the Korean War six decades ago.

The bill would require the U.S. to consult with South Korea about opportunities for reunions. It also would call for the U.S. special representative on North Korea policy to meet with the Korean Americans every six months to brief them on the reunion efforts.

Time is running out for these reunifications to happen and more families will have no knowledge of their loved ones whereabouts, Kirk, a longtime advocate for the families, told VOA Thursday through email.

'Voice and hope'

We need to make sure that there is an official channel to assist in the reunification of Korean Americans. This bipartisan bill gives a voice and hope to the thousands of families seeking reunification, he said.

The U.S. State Department refused to comment on the bill. As a matter of policy, the department does not comment on pending legislation, a department official told VOA Friday through email.

The divided Korean American families have been working to raise awareness of the issue since 2000. In 2008, they organized the National Coalition on the Divided Families, a group of representatives from 13 states, to launch a campaign seeking support from the U.S.

It is estimated that about 100,000 Korean Americans have relatives in North Korea. Some have met privately with relatives, but no meetings have been arranged through the U.S. government.

The two Koreas have arranged 20 rounds of face-to-face reunions since 2000 through government channels. Nearly 20,000 people from both sides have participated. The last round of inter-Korean reunions was held in October 2015.
The Earth's atmosphere has layers like a cake, and it follows that forecasting the weather is more accurate if information is coming from a lot of sources and from all of those layers. That is why we have weather satellites, high-flying drones and weather balloons all operating at different altitudes.

Scientists at Oklahoma State University are developing new drones that will help forecasters operate at all different levels and should increase the quality of computer models that are tracking local weather patterns.

Atmospheric measurements provided by radar, weather balloons and towers are good for forecasting a few days ahead, but not so good at predicting dynamic, hour-to-hour weather changes.

Speaking via Skype, aerospace engineer Jamey Jacob says that can be extremely important in places prone to sudden, violent storms.

Oklahoma is a really good example because even that we are already a very weather-dynamic state, Oklahoma only has two balloon launches a day, one at dawn and one at dusk, from a single location in the state and that is where all the weather forecasting information comes from. So that data is really sparse and it's difficult for meteorologists that are developing these forecasting models to get very good idea about how that weather is changing from these very limited number of data points," said Jacob.

Small weather drones



Scientists at Oklahoma State University  where Jacob is director of the Unmanned Systems Research Institute  are developing small, affordable weather drones that can spend hours in the air taking measurements from many points.

The goal  as Oklahoma University meteorology professor Phillip Chilson explained via Skype  is to give researchers an inexpensive way to better understand storm physics and improve the accuracy of computer model-based forecasting.

Part of what is going to drive the price down is the scope of the measurements. Whereas some of these larger platforms are focusing on almost transoceanic flights or things of this variety, we are really focusing on the lower atmosphere and so our platforms can by design be much smaller, he said.

'Atlas'



The spherical drone called Atlas can fly, hover, roll on the ground and take to the air again, which makes it ideal for flying in stormy weather. In addition to taking measurements, it can send real-time video of storms, and help search and rescue missions.

Our real goal is to try to develop systems that really, I do not want to say replace but there may be that possibility of replacing weather balloons, but currently augmenting them, so increasing the capabilities, said Jacob.

Researchers say there are still many engineering challenges to be met, such as how to make the weather drones automatically stay away from other air traffic. They expect a drone capable of sampling the lower atmosphere may be available in about two years.
The global human rights watchdog Amnesty International has accused South Sudan military forces of suffocating 60 men and boys in a shipping container.

In a report released Thursday, the London-based organization called for the perpetrators to be prosecuted.

Amnesty International says that in October 2015, government soldiers rounded up more than 60 men and boys in Leer, a town in the northern Unity state, and locked them in a shipping container on the grounds of a Catholic church.

The report is based on nearly two dozen eyewitnesses who saw the victims forced into the container with their hands tied.

"Witnesses described hearing the detainees crying and screaming in distress and banging on the walls of the shipping container, which they said had no windows or other form of ventilation," the report said.

They said soldiers opened the container to remove the bodies of some of the men who'd suffocated, but then locked the doors again with the rest of the people inside. After 24 hours, all but one of the detainees were dead.

Temperatures in Unity state regularly top 40 degrees Celsius.

The victims were "not fighters" said Amnesty, but were "cattle keepers, traders and students," according to relatives.

The government has denied the killings, but Amnesty reports that the witnesses said "civilian and military officials had direct knowledge that the detainees were in distress and dying but did nothing to help them."

This massacre is being blamed on government forces, but reports from the African Union, Human Rights Watch and others say both sides in this civil war have committed crimes against humanity.
Taliban militants have shot dead a Pakistani military officer in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

Officials say Lieutenant Colonel Tariq Ghafoor was returning from a mosque after Friday afternoon prayers when gunmen ambushed him.

A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban claimed the militant group was behind the deadly ambush in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The anti-state extremist outfit insists it wants to oust the "un-Islamic" governance system in the country and has killed thousands of Pakistanis in terrorist attacks.

Government officials kidnapped



The violence came a day after unknown gunmen kidnapped eight government officials in the restive South Waziristan tribal region near the province.

No one has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping that occurred in an area that has been a militant stronghold. Officials say the abductees are employees of the development department for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Pakistani security forces on Friday arrested more than 20 tribal leaders and elders under a collective responsibility punishment to pressure them to help authorities locate and free the kidnapped men.

The semi-autonomous tribal belt bordering Afghanistan consists of seven districts, including South Waziristan, and is governed by a set of colonial-era laws called Frontier Crimes Regulations, or FCR.

The controversial FCR allows authorities to arrest and detain relatives, tribesmen and neighbors of suspects for years without trial for a crime committed in their area.
The Taliban is fracturing in Afghanistan's Helmand province, a known Taliban stronghold, a U.S. general in Kabul said Thursday.

General Wilson Shoffner told reporters via telephone that the U.S. is seeing an "emergence of three separate Taliban groups" in northern Helmand, and that all three factions are largely not loyal to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour.

The splintering over the last few months "may provide opportunities for reconciliation" with the Afghan government, Shoffner said, or it may provide a chance for Islamic State-Khorasan fighters to try to infiltrate the different Taliban groups.

"That is a potential outcome, [but] we're seeing that primarily more in the east than we are in Helmand," the general said.

Islamic State has designated Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of Iran as its so-called "Khorasan" province.

The U.S. continues to watch the different Taliban groups in Helmand "closely."

"It will be very interesting to see where the revenue goes amongst those three groups and where their loyalties lie," the general said.

A recent spike in fighting is expected to decrease later this month because of the start of the poppy harvesting season. The U.S. military estimates that more than half of the Taliban's income comes from poppies, which produce the highly addictive opium narcotic.

IS weakening in Afghanistan

Islamic State-Khorasan attempted to recruit and spread propaganda in Helmand in 2015, but the Taliban successfully stopped most of those attempts, according to Shoffner.

The group is contained in one district in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province. Last month, Islamic State-Khorasan was in four or five districts in the province.

Nangarhar province is on the border with Pakistan, and many pledging allegiance to Islamic State-Khorasan are former members of the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP.

Shoffner estimated that current numbers of Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan are "probably on the lower end" of between 1,000 and 3,000.

Reasons for the decrease include a "substantially increased" number of U.S. airstrikes against the group and conflicts with the Taliban over revenue streams and ideology.

The White House gave the U.S. military legal authority to target Islamic State in Afghanistan in January.

Shoffner added that the group's brutal tactics have "backfired on them" and are seen as extremely unpopular with citizens in Nangarhar.
Mourners filed quietly past the casket of former first lady Nancy Reagan on Thursday for a second day at her husband's presidential library in

Southern California ahead of a funeral to be attended by current

first lady Michelle Obama.

Reagan's flower-bedecked, dark wood casket stood on a blue carpet, surrounded by an honor guard in an entrance hall of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, north of Los Angeles, as members of the public paid final their respects.

"It was very emotional. It was a beautiful time gone by and I think she's kind of the last of all of that," said Kathy Sprinkel, 56, who works nearby.

Mourners walked past a bronze statue of Ronald Regan and two 12-foot-tall portraits of the former first lady, dressed in a floor-length red gown, before entering the room where she lie in repose.

More than 3,100 members attended the first day of public visitation on Wednesday, library spokeswoman Melissa Giller said. Another 2,000 people were expected by the end of the day on Thursday.

Private funeral services have been scheduled for Friday and the White House has said that Michelle Obama would attend.

Nancy Reagan, a one-time actress who was fiercely protective of her husband throughout his Hollywood career, eight years in the White House, an assassination attempt and his struggle with Alzheimer's disease, died on Sunday at age 94.

She was one of the most influential first ladies in U.S. history during her Republican husband's presidency from 1981 to 1989.

Ronald Reagan died in 2004 after a long struggle with Alzheimer's, the progressive brain disorder that destroys memory.

President Obama, a Democrat, and his wife, Michelle, have said Nancy Reagan redefined the role of first lady.
The Oregon Coast Aquarium is home to hundreds of aquatic species ... including two that arrived unexpectedly after a trip across the Pacific, trapped in the hull of a derelict fishing boat.

Their story began five years ago, on March 11, when Japan was shaken by the largest earthquake ever to hit the island nation. The quake and resulting tsunami left more than 15,000 people dead, and crippled several nuclear reactors.

As the waters rolled back out to sea, so did millions of tons of debris. It began washing up on West Coast beaches in 2012 and a trickle is still coming in; some of the bigger pieces of flotsam  fish and other marine life from Japanese waters.

Marine life washed in from Japanese waters



Last April, staff from the Oregon Coast Aquarium rescued more than a dozen yellowtail jacks and one striped beakfish from a half-sunk, fiberglass wreck coated in seaweed. It was the front half of a roughly 15-meter-long commercial fishing vessel.

The long-distance hitchhikers were kept in quarantine for six months before being judged safe and suitable to display in the Newport aquarium. Assistant curator Evonne Mochon Collura said DNA testing positively identified the adult fish as native to East Asian waters.

"We don't know how old they are," she said. "We don't know how long they were in the hull. It's possible they got washed into the boat hull when they were small."

They probably survived by nibbling on sea life that grew inside the hulk and whatever else washed in.

Foreign fish



The beakfish shares its tank with a second beakfish that was pulled up in a crab pot two months before the drifting boat hull showed up off of Newport.

The other new arrivals are in the much larger "Open Sea" tank. The 11 yellowtail jacks that came through the quarantine period look like big silver torpedoes with deeply forked yellow tails. They swim in a tight school around the tank, which also holds numerous sharks. But Mochon Collura said with a smile that the sharks are well fed by the aquarium staff to curb their appetite for the foreign fish.

Watching for aquatic invaders

While the beakfish and jacks are thrilling visitors to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, they are invasive species. So government agencies and marine biologists up and down the West Coast continue to watch out for more tsunami debris and hitchhikers.

John Chapman, a marine expert at Oregon State University, said Pacific Northwest coastal waters are probably too cold for these refugees to reproduce. But there are lots of other potential invasive species that worry him, including sea stars, seaweeds and parasites that could displace native species.

"Yeah, there are real bad characters in that debris," he said.

Fortunately, the volume of suspected tsunami debris washing up on Pacific Northwest shores has tailed off in past year. What's left out there is getting harder to distinguish from all of the other trash in the ocean. Chapman said it appears the region has lucked out.



Observers remain vigilant



However, he acknowledged, sometimes it takes a long time for an invader to become established. So the marine scientists will keep vigilant.

One of the main methods of surveillance is to lower metal or plastic discs in the water to see what grows on them. They generally sit out for one to three months before being hauled up and scrutinized for unwelcome critters and organisms.

Hundreds of these so-called fouling panels have been deployed along the coast from California to Alaska. In addition, trained observers are making periodic checks for sea life thats out of place on the undersides of coastal docks and pilings.

The Japanese government donated $3 million to support debris dispersal modeling and coastal monitoring around the Pacific Rim.
The Bill lays down a regulatory framework to protect core biometric information of Aadhaar cardholders from any unauthorised disclosure or sharing.

New Delhi: The Aadhar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill 2016 was passed in the Lok Sabha on Friday after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley moved the key bill for consideration.

The bill is aimed at giving statutory backing for transferring government subsidies and benefits to targeted people.

It also lays down a regulatory framework to protect core biometric information of Aadhaar cardholders from any unauthorised disclosure or sharing.

The bill is the key to the government's plan to plug leakages in disbursal of subsidies and other services and in ensuring that these reach intended beneficiaries.

Speaking on the Bill, Jaitley said the primary focus of the bill is to make presentation of Aadhar card mandatory for entitlement of government subsidies.

He said that by linking of Aadhaar number with various schemes, which comes under subsidy, the government has so far saved Rs 15,000 crore.

Allaying apprehension of the Opposition members regarding disclosure of privacy by making Aadhaar mandatory, the Finance Minister said the government has taken care of these issues and data of the concerned persons will not be shared and any unauthorized disclosure of the Aadhaar data will be liable of punishment.

Earlier, Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, objected to the bill being introduced as a money bill, saying the Congress is ready to cooperate on the bill, but it should not come as a money bill. In response, Jaitley said the bill is substantially different from what the opposition are talking about.

He said the substance of the bill is that whoever gets subsidies, will have to produce Aadhaar.

The bill seeks to provide for good governance, efficient, transparent, and targeted delivery of subsidies, benefits and services, the expenditure for which is incurred from the Consolidated Fund of India to individuals residing in India through assigning of unique identity numbers.
A new United Nations report accuses South Sudanese soldiers and affiliated militias of using mass rape as a weapon of terror and of employing a scorched earth policy against the civilian population.

The report, which was launched by U.N. Human Rights Office in Geneva, calls the scale and type of sexual violence committed primarily by government SPLA (Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army) and allied militias one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world.

During the period of the report from April to September 2015, the U.N. recorded 1,300 reported rapes in oil-rich Unity State alone.

The report says sexual assaults are carried out with extreme brutality. It finds girls and women of all ages are subjected to multiple gang rapes. Some are then killed, while others are abducted and held in sexual slavery as so-called wives for soldiers in barracks.

Rape as wages



U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville tells VOA that youth militia allied to the government are being allowed to rape women in lieu of wages.

It seems they are not being paid, that they are being given carte blanche to rape and to steal cattle. Basically those are the two bits of war bounty they get  the women and the cattle. It is really an unbelievable picture and nothing is being done apparently by the government to stop it.

Colville says the government received the report one week ago and has more or less denied some of the worst allegations.

He says the prevalence of rape and the deliberate and systematic way in which it is being carried out indicates that rape is being used as a weapon of war and as a means of terrorizing the civilian population.

Town, villages destroyed

That policy seems to be working, he says, as more than two million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes since South Sudans civil war began in December 2013. He says government forces and the militias have been systematically destroying the towns and villages abandoned by the people across southern and central Unity State.

Massive destruction when, you know, one group captures another groups town  destroyed three-quarters sometimes or more of the buildings and, what appears to be a sort of concerted effort to employ a scorched-earth policy, so they do not come back, said Colville.

Colville says these horrific violations could likely amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, given how widespread and systematic they are. He warns the deliberate targeting of civilians for killing, rape and pillage will continue until people are held accountable and punished for the crimes they commit.

At least 60 men suffocated by government forces

In a separate report Thursday, human rights group Amnesty International accused South Sudanese government forces deliberately suffocated at least 60 men and boys in a shipping container in Unity State in October. The rights group says war crimes have continued in South Sudan despite a peace deal signed in August 2015.

Amnesty International says South Sudanese government forces took dozens of men and some boys to the grounds of the former Comboni Catholic Church compound in Leer town and loaded them into a shipping container overnight. Witnesses told Amnesty that only one boy survived.

We have multiple witness accounts who could hear these people banging on the walls, shouting, screaming, said Michelle Kagari, Amnestys deputy regional director for eastern Africa.

Witnesses told Amnesty that the containers lacked air holes or vents. The group says evidence indicates that government forces stationed outside the container decided to keep the detainees locked inside even after some had died.

The act of leaving men in a container clearly in distress, having knowledge of their distress, having the ability to do something about that distress, and allowing the men to eventually die of suffocation, that act is a war crime, irrespective of the status of the people, said Kagari.

Amnesty International researchers visited the location where witnesses said the bodies were dumped, and were able to identify human remains.

Official reply



In an interview with VOA, South Sudans presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny denied government involvement in these atrocities. Our forces did not commit or did not kill any civilians in October," he said.

"However," Wek added, "we do condemn anyone who kills civilians in the strongest terms possible. But in this case, our forces did not commit any atrocities in Unity state. In Unity State, there are a number of militias that are actually operating, who are actually having the same military particulars as the army, and we strongly condemn them if they have killed these civilians.

South Sudans warring parties agreed to a peace agreement in August 2015, to stem the violence that broke out in December 2013. However, fighting, killings, abductions, sexual violence and attacks on civilian property have continued to engulf several parts of the country.
Scientists are making new discoveries about the Zika virus almost daily, and the more they learn, the more frightening the virus becomes.

Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Thursday that "there is nothing about Zika control that is quick or easy. The only only thing quick is the mosquito bite that can give it to you."

Since the World Health Organization declared the Zika virus a public health emergency, scientists have linked it to paralysis and brain infections in adults, but the virus has saved its most horrifying outcome for developing fetuses.

A study at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore showed that Zika infects and kills the very cells that form the developing brain.

Another study, this one at the University of California-Los Angeles in conjunction with researchers at the Fiocruz Institute in Brazil, "found a strong link between Zika and adverse pregnancy outcomes, which havent been documented before, according to Dr. Karin Nielsen, the senior author of the study at the UCLA School of Medicine.

Nielsen was quoted in a university press release as saying, We saw problems with the fetus or the pregnancy at eight weeks, 22 weeks, 25 weeks, and we saw problems at 35 weeks. Even if the fetus isnt affected, the virus appears to damage the placenta, which can lead to fetal death."

High attack rate

This study showed abnormalities in 29 percent of the fetuses of women who tested positive for the Zika virus and who had ultrasound examinations. Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, told VOA this high attack rate is very concerning.

"We're almost certain that there are going to be lesser degrees or more subtle abnormalities that may not be picked up on Doppler ultrasound, so I think that the actual incidence of deleterious effects on the fetus is going to be considerably higher than just 29 percent," Fauci said.

"These abnormalities could affect even babies who at first appear normal, including problems with vision, hearing, heart function and a host of other things not related to microcephaly," he said.

Fauci's advice offers little hope, especially for poor women in Latin America and the Caribbean. "Don't get infected," he said, "Get a vaccine to prevent infection. Thats the best way to do it."

Of course, right now, there is no vaccine. And even though work is progressing rapidly, it will be two to three years before one might be available.

"Then you do vector control, mosquito control to prevent people from getting infected," Fauci said.

No funds from Congress

Another issue is money. Congress has not yet provided additional funds to continue the research or to advance the work of the CDC to protect U.S. citizens as the virus makes its way north.

Frieden recently visited Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. He said he expected hundreds of thousands of people on the island to be infected by year's end, including thousands of pregnant women.

The lack of funds, Frieden said, is interfering with the CDC's ability to "mount a robust response and interfering with our ability to keep Americans from other threats." To fund the Zika program, the CDC has reallocated money from other programs.

At that news conference, which Fauci also attended, he said the NIH had shifted funds from research on a vaccine against HIV and other areas to the work on Zika, but he warned that if funds weren't approved, even work on a Zika vaccine would slow down.
Disgruntled former Zanu PF officials and supporters have lambasted President Robert Mugabe, accusing him of abandoning the principles of Zimbabwes liberation struggle and turning the party into a family dynasty.

Scores of supporters and officials, who left the party in different circumstances with the majority being forced to leave for failing to toe the party line, say they will never go back to the ruling party because Mr. Mugabe has almost turned it into a private property as he no longer entertains any internal opposition.

They also claim that Mr. Mugabe has surrounded himself with friends and relatives, who are now running the party like some personal property. They say close associates are misleading the 92 year-old Zimbabwean leader, who has been in power since the country attained independence from British rule in 1980.

Some of the disgruntled former Zanu PF members claim that they feel short-changed by the nonagenarian leader, who now wants to be hero-worshipped.

Retired Colonel Kudzai Mbudzi, who is the partys former Masvingo provincial commissar, claims that many party officials and supporters are now leaving the ruling party in large numbers as they feel that they have been abandoned by the Zanu PF leadership.

Zanu PF has short-changed the broad spectrum of the Zimbabwean people especially political-economic issues. The party had enjoyed the peoples support since the liberation struggle but now the prevarication of Zanu PF led by Mugabe  We did not know that the now reactionary Zanu PF was all about individual aggrandizement, its no longer anything to do with the revolution, and we feel greatly short-changed from the broadly expected objectives of the liberation struggle.

His colleagues also claim that Zanu PF is no longer adhering to the principles set during its formation. They argue that the party has been turned into a family business following the coming in of the First Lady Grace Mugabe into politics.

Cecilia Gono of Gutu district, the home of the late Vice President Simon Vengesai Muzenda, says the first family is no longer accepting divergent views as it is now victimizing dissenting voices.

The reason why we left the party is because it is no longer adhering to the standards set during the liberation war. The standards are now first family-based and if you have divergent views you are deemed an enemy of the family and you get victimised just like what leaders like Mavhaire, Bhasikiti and several others were treated.

The former ruling party members say the recent purges of those who express views that are deemed negative to the status quo have actually turned Zanu PF into a monstrous party.

They claim that the principles of democracy like freedom of expression and association are no longer respected by Mr. Mugabe and his party as his close associates are descending heavily on all those suspected of crossing his path.

Some youths are also claiming that the ruling party is now ill-treating them after they were used for perpetrating violence against opposition party supporters.

Some claim that they have not even been given a piece of land following the controversial land reforms adopted by the ruling party in 2000.

Peter Zano, is among such people, who claims that they were promised heaven on earth by party officials when they joined Zanu PF. However, he claims that most of them never benefited anything from the ruling party.

Zanu Intially we were promised a lot of things, everything. They said they will give us jobs, land but we never got anything. If you look at the land reform program it did not benefit us the youths, they took all the sugarcane farms and we didnt get anything except those young people with strong links.

"The top brass only benefited in all empowerment program, we could not continue with such a party where the elite only benefit at the expense of the masses, that is not democracy.
Thousands of Zimbabweans on Wednesday staged a street march to remember abducted political activist Itai Dzamara, whose Occupy Africa Unity Square group, has been calling for the resignation of President Robert Mugabe.

Dzamara was allegedly abducted by state security agents a year ago near his home and has not been found by police and other law enforcing agents.

The government has repeatedly said it is looking for Dzamara. Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been appealing for information on the whereabouts of the father of two, whose wife, Sheffra, is now struggling to raise their family.

The High Court ordered the state to search for the political activist and make fornightly reports to relevant authorities.

Opposition politicians, including Movement for Democratic Change founding president Morgan Tsvangirai attended the event. He told the gathering that Zimbabwe should play a key role in looking for the pro-democracy activist.

However, some political groups were conspicuous by their absence at the street march. Did they boycott the event?

For perspective, Studio 7 reached Zanu PF member Effort Nkomo and Bekezela Maduma of Zimbabwe People First led by former Vice President Joice Mujuru.

Nkomo said his party is against any form of abuse against Zimbabweans.
New Delhi: Finance Ministry and Reserve Bank officials will meet on March 18 to decide on the borrowing calendar of the government for April-September period of the next fiscal. In the Budget, the government has pegged gross market borrowing at Rs 6 lakh crore, up from Rs 5.8 lakh crore in the ongoing fiscal.

Gross borrowing includes repayments of past loans and interests. "The market borrowing calendar for the first half of next fiscal would be decided on March 18. RBI and Finance Ministry will a call on whether to front load the borrowing in such a manner that it is non-disruptive," a source said.

As per the Budget, the net borrowings from market in next fiscal would be Rs 4.2 lakh crore, down from Rs 4.4 lakh crore in the current fiscal. The government borrows from markets to meet its fiscal deficit, which is the difference between revenue receipts plus Non-debt Capital Receipts and the total expenditure.

It issues Treasury Bills, bonds and dated securities to finance the deficit. The Budget has pegged fiscal deficit for 2016-17 at 3.5 per cent of GDP or nearly Rs 5.34 lakh crore.
The good news: Sheldon Cooper proves himself to not only be amenable to compromise, but even more generous with his money than we previously thought.

The bad news: This evolution comes in a story line that begins with a major flaw.

The Application Deterioration picks up with Sheldon, Leonard, and new partner Howard preparing to file a patent for their superfluid helium project. They meet with a university attorney, who tells them everything looks good, pending a further investigation by his colleagues, and the trio begins thinking about how theyre going to spend all the cold hard cash theyll reap from their work. Leonard, for instance, is going to splurge on the best sinus irrigator money can buy. Dream big, L. Hofstadter!

Unfortunately, further input from the attorney is like a needle scratch on those plans: Because Sheldon and Howard are university employees, and their research was done at the university, the university owns the majority of the rights  and profits. Theyll get 25 percent to share, while Caltech is in line for 75 percent.

This university has been paying your salaries for over ten years, the lawyer says. Do you think we do that out of the goodness of our hearts?

Leonard: Well, until you just said that mean thing, kind of.

The scenario is even worse for Howard. Hes not a Caltech employee  hes on loan from NASA  so he isnt entitled to any share of the profits. Insert your favorite fail noise here. Im partial to the Price Is Right horn.

Things work out for Howard in the end  more on that in a minute  but theres a major hole in this plot. Does anyone believe that Sheldon Cooper, the most rule-lovin, detail-oriented, attention-payin man whos ever signed an employment contract, would not be aware that he does not own all of his work product at the university, and that he doesnt stand to keep a majority of the profits should one of his projects make a profit?

Yeah, me neither.

Later in the episode, Sheldons love of contracts  and not just his love of reading and signing them, but actually writing them himself  becomes the solution to the Howard aspect of the patent problem. When it becomes obvious Sheldon and Leonard can either settle for 25 percent or not patent their idea at all, they go with option A. They also believe Howards input deserves a share of the rewards, so they agree to cut him in for a third of their 25 percent. Sheldon is even more excited about the need for him to write up a contract cementing this partnership than he is about the potential to add to his bank account. And thats because Sheldon Cooper loves him some contracts. Theres the Roommate Agreement with Leonard, his Relationship Agreement with Amy  both featuring many specific sections and codicils  and in season sixs The Contractual Obligation Implement, one of the major plotlines involves Leonard and Sheldon being obligated to serve on a university committee because it was stipulated in their contracts. So, again: They were aware of that relatively minor aspect of their employment, but not one that would rob them of full ownership and profits from their work?

Not buying it.

As mentioned, the story does have a happy ending: Sheldon and Leonard do the right thing and include Howard in the mix, something he did not assume they would do. And theres an even happier ending, one that leaves Sheldon looking like the least petty, most generous member of the group. When Bernadette finds out Howard is about to sign on for a partnership that includes Sheldon, she wants him to rethink it. Sheldon is always driving him crazy, she says. Why would this project be any different? Howard goes along with her concerns, despite the fact that he hadnt even assumed that he should get a cut of the project, and the Wolowitzes present these concerns to Sheldon. Penny suggests they add a clause to the partnership contract that stipulates Sheldon cant poke fun at Howard, his profession, his height, his hair, his duds, or the fact that he inexplicably doesnt hate Ghost Rider.

Sheldon agrees, partially because it makes him so happy that he gets to make edits to the contract. (Oh, baby, its addendum time! is the exact phrase he uses, I believe.) He also includes a very special surprise addition to the agreement: 25 percent of his share of any profits will go into a separate scholarship fund for Howard and Bernadettes first child, because Sheldon thinks education is more important than money. Adds Sheldon, The very fact that you needed a written guarantee of respect made me realize how dismissive Ive been of your contributions.

And then: Now, I just hope this scholarship can rescue your child from the subpar education and menial life of an engineer.

Hey, he hadnt signed the contract yet.

Are Howie and Bernie grateful? Yes. Should they feel like asses after being so haughty and entitled because Sheldon likes to poke at Howard (as he does nearly everyone)? Yes.

In the episodes other story line, Raj panics and asks Penny, Bernie, and Amy for advice when ex-girlfriend Emily leaves a belated Valentines Day gift on his doorstep. Raj worries what it means, but when he opens it and sees that its a $500 antique sextant, his friends clear it up for him  Emily wants him back. He claims he doesnt want that, and when hes driving over to Emilys to return the gift, he gets a call from Claire, the writer he really likes who had recently reunited with her ex.

Remember when Raj had selective mutism and couldnt even talk to women? That might have served him well in this instance, because he talks too much, telling Claire (whos boyfriend-free again) all about his dilemma with Emily. Claire warns that Emily is manipulating him into getting back together, and that sets off a series of ridiculous phone calls between Raj and Emily and then Raj and Claire, in which he ping pongs between the two women  one of whom is, as Claire points out, textbook manipulating him.

Raj jokingly asks if he could get a PDF of that textbook; he desperately needs it. Instead, against the better judgment of every other woman in his life, he goes to Emilys apartment. And the last thing we see before the cut to Chuck Lorres vanity card: Raj in bed, post-coitus, as Sheldon would say, with Emily.

THEOR-EMS:
By now, Katie has fully channeled her inner Sarah Connor. The only hitch? Sarah Connor benefited from knowing how her failure to rise up would incite the apocalypse. Katies taking a leap of faith that the only way to save her family and humankind is by beating back the Hosts and their civil liaisons with unrecoverable force.

At least Will sees that clearly now. Katie spells it out for him as they argue in their yard, within earshot of impressionable Bram. Much to the relief of all Colony viewers, Will finally calls out his wife on her alliance with Broussard and the Resistance, and vents his exasperation with cleaning up after your messes. Each blames the other for being complicit for the deaths of countless Phyllises and Rachels. Theyre at loggerheads over ideology, which is never healthy for a married couple already taxed by extenuating circumstances.

After all, Katie doesnt quite find the time to update Will about creepy Lindseys adventures in babysitting with Grace, whos all but indoctrinated into magical thinking about their looming otherworldly overseers. Plus, Brams plotting some kind of mysterious urban exploration, and its not as if the Yonks going to book alt-country bands by itself. So when Katie assures Eckharts sidekick, Morgan (hey there, Thora Birch!), that 17 years of motherhood and ten years running my own business qualifies her as battle-ready, folks better recognize.

Besides, whos Morgan to second-guess Katie on sight? Shes fairly slight-looking at first blush herself, and is prone to lame wisecracks about G.I. Joe gallows humor. Then theres BB (Victor Rasuk, of the underrated How to Make It in America). Hes a tech nerd (or so his glasses and slacker tee would suggest) whos amped to detonate a bomb underneath the wall, despite zero experience engineering live explosives. If I were Broussard and Katie, Id be vetting this group even more suspiciously than theyve interrogated me. But with Occupation forces having thinned out the Resistances herd, you take what you can get, even if it means a trio of Millennials spying on Homeland Security via a prototype bumblebee drone.

Likewise, Snyders out of options to contain further anarchy and avoid a demotion courtesy of the Pacific Coasts chief minister, whos set to arrive any day. So what choice does he have but to trust Will and Beaus supposed intel about insurgents operating outside the colony? Hell grant them access through the tunnel into downtown, but not without a chaperone. Fortunately for them, Lagarzas something of a dunderhead and doesnt even blink when a pair of alleged rebels purportedly pop off on Will and Beau before successfully escaping. As a bonus, their chrome-domed colleague cant infer that theyd staged the gunshots and planted evidence to support their theory. (Though as I mentioned last week, no one should be surprised if Lagarzas just playing dumb.)

Works for Will. Now he can pull off his defining act of heroism by clearing a path for Katie and the kids to rendezvous with Beau downtown and dart off to freedom in Beaus cozy Big Bear cabin. And who wouldnt want a roommate like Beau? Not to mention Wills gonna reunite with them in a sec, just as soon as he rescues Charlie. And hes right: On the surface, his plan seems saner than Katies, but shes not wrong about the lack of guarantee that their life on the other side will feel safe or familiar.

If only anyone had much time to reason. The minister, apparently code-named (or just named?) Hyperion, is hours from arriving on the metro lines that still operate to shuttle VIPs in and out of L.A. Katies heeded Broussards advice about points of no return, absorbed Wills lecture about family priorities, and made her choice: resistance 4-eva. Whether BB constructs a bomb that gently nudges the ministers train off the tracks or blows it to bits, Broussards new gang is headed underground. And unwilling to go down without a fight, Snyder expertly manipulates his potential adversary, Nolan, into helping him maintain the status quo (so long, Charlotte). Although, theres one thing that none of them predicted: When BBs bomb goes boom, among its casualties would be one half of Daft Punk  or rather, the alien cyborg who (presumably) is the chief minister. Oy. No wonder Katies having trouble compartmentalizing.

Apart From All That:
the real estate

The Only Reason We Got It Was That I Lied

The Only Reason We Got It Was That I Lied
Photo: Getty Images

In news that ensnares a small period drama about monks in the larger history of superhero franchises, Jon Bernthal recently revealed that he and Tom Holland helped each other tape auditions for the second season of Daredevil (as well as a possible spinoff) and Spider-Man (as well as Captain America: Civil War) while shooting the 13th-century-set Pilgrimage in Ireland. During this independent movie that we did in Ireland we were constantly making tapes for Marvel  just acting together, Bernthal told the New York Daily News. Bernthal is just one of Hollands several super-pals, as he also got help from his In the Heart of the Sea co-star Chris Hemsworth, who put in a good word for the fellow sailor at the studio. Luckily, Hollands debut has been well received, at least by Guardians of the Galaxys James Gunn, who tweeted that the newcomer is the best Spidey/Peter Parker ever by a county mile. Break out the still lives and Calvinism, because were entering the Golden Age of Holland.
Look how lovable she is! Photo: Tina Rowden/Fox

As Sleepy Hollow settles into what may be its last season, one missing plot point grows more nagging: the lack of any kind of relationship for Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie). The audience has seen Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) through three relationships. Jenny Mills (Lyndie Greenwood) is now involved with Joe Corbin (Zach Appelman). This seasons two main villains, the Hidden One (Peter Mensah) and Pandora (Shannyn Sossamon), are a couple of some kind. Weve even seen monsters and evil gods with romantic partners. But three seasons in, Abbie remains loveless.

During the shows first season, Abbie was the antithesis to the Strong Black Woman stereotype. She admitted when she didnt know something, freely showed emotions, and frequently expressed her humanity. But over the past two seasons, shes devolved into the dehumanizing stereotype of black womanhood: the Mammy. Her character is now more of a desexed caretaker, constantly making sacrifices so others can have a better life. She has subjected herself to Purgatory so Crane could be with his wife; jumped through some kind of supernatural portal to end up in a mythical cave in order to save her sister and mankind; confronted literal ghosts of her pasts in order to quell monsters. How many more sacrifices does she need to make before the show allows her to give and receive affectionate love? Both Abbie and Nicole Beharie deserve better.

There have been references to Abbies off-screen relationships, which occurred before Crane arrived in her life so the two could unite as Witnesses meant to save the world from a biblical apocalypse. Officer Andy Brooks (John Cho) had such strong, unrequited feelings for her that he gave his soul to the devil to protect her from the approaching biblical apocalypse. Detective Luke Morales (Nicholas Gonzalez) was an old flame whose jealousy of Crane provided occasional comedic relief. Morales disappeared after the first season, and we havent seen Brooks since the second. In the third season, new FBI Director Daniel Reynolds (Lance Gross) has made it clear he still harbors feelings for Abbie from whatever previous relationship they had. In her onscreen life, there was Nick Hawley (Matt Barr), a bootleg Indiana Jones whod previously had a relationship with Jenny, Abbies sister. While Jenny sent Hawley smoky glances and reminded him of past romps, Hawley was crushing on Abbie. Luckily, the show veered away from a story line that would pit the two sisters against each other over a man. But hes yet another character with feelings for Abbie who conveniently disappears from the show.

In none of these situations do we get to see what it is about Abbie that makes these men unable to let go of their feelings for her. The audience knows Abbie as a witty, funny, and smart law-enforcement agent who puts the greater good above herself, but how does that translate into her intimate relationships? What about her makes a man strike a deal with the devil to protect her? Its unclear because the audience hasnt been allowed to see Abbie as a woman in lust or love. Weve seen Abbie acknowledge previous relationships, usually as shes rejecting them from her current life in order to stand by Crane. She was clearly attracted to Morales and Reynolds at some point, but other than professional proximity, theres no real exploration of her attraction to these men.

Meanwhile, we see the entire courtship of three of Ichabod Cranes relationships. Weve watched him steal his late wife Katrina (Katia Winter) from his best friend Abraham Van Brunt (Neil Jackson). Weve seen Crane and Betsy Ross (Nikki Reed) give in to temptation as they spy for America. And weve watched Crane try to learn how to date in the 21st century with Zoe Corinth (Maya Kazan). We get to see him be affectionate, tender, and passionate with these women from his past, but get no similar flashbacks of Abbies past relationships with Morales or Reynolds. Its a glaring imbalance, one that fans have long been attuned to.

There have been some comparisons between Sleepy Hollow and the original run of The X-Files, and its possible the showrunners are aiming for more of a Mulder and Scully, extreme-slow-burn relationship between the two. They may want to rethink that, given the tenuous fate of Sleepy Hollow. And regardless, part of the will they, wont they formula of television couples still includes the appearance of romantic obstacles. Sleepy Hollows sister show, Bones, gave its protagonists, Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz), various relationships before they finally consummated their own. By the time Bones third season had ended, Brennan had had onscreen relationships with a former professor and one of Booths FBI colleagues. She had also made it clear she was a sexual being in other ways. Booth had been involved with an ex-girlfriend, a lawyer, and Brennans boss, Camille Saroyan (Tamara Taylor). Although it was obvious that Brennan and Booth would eventually end up together, it didnt stop the showrunners from creating full lives for the characters, complete with sexual relationships for each.

The chemistry of Ichabbie remains strong, but so far it seems Abbie is doomed to vigorous hand-holding and kissing Cranes head as he lies unconscious in her lap. Whether or not the showrunners give the Ichabbie shippers what they want, its time for Abbie to get some.
Have we talked about how adorable Mathew Baynton is? I dont want you to think this burgeoning celebrity crush is swaying my reviews, but if you didnt swoon at least a little bit when Jamie finally met Frankie, I have to question whether or not you have a heart at all. On the other hand, have we talked about how terrifying Mathew Baynton is? Ariel is getting darker and more unpredictable by the minute, and if you werent at least a little bit crushed when Ariel kidnapped Frankie, I would have to imagine there is a ball of literal ice where your heart should be.

While Bayntons impressive dual performance as both the protagonist and Big Bad of You, Me and the Apocalypse has anchored the show thus far, its Kyle Soller as Scotty who steals the show in this episode, even as he juggles at least one story line that has worn a little thin.

First, as always, a check in at the bunker: Spike made it inside, but hes covered with blood.

Its the day that Operation Saviour (yes, with the u  although it is launching from Washington, D.C., the show spells it this way) is launching as humanitys last-ditch effort to save itself. Scotty is so heartbroken about Gaines abandoning him that hes almost unable to concentrate on the task at hand, and then U.S. Marshal Tess Carter apprehends him for placing a fake 9-1-1 call. While in jail, an interaction with a Russian cellmate leads Scotty to realize that there is a fatal error in the Operation Saviour missiles coding. He knows if he doesnt get back to the Pentagon soon, the mission will fail, but Tess wont let him leave unless he gives up his sisters location. Scotty is loath to turn Rhonda in  shes on her way to the hospital to see her husband, Rajesh, for the last time  but he knows this is humanitys last hope.

The back and forth between Rhonda and the law has come to be my least favorite aspect of YMATA. Tesss single-minded pursuit of Rhonda seems to come only out of story requirements, rather than any specific characteristics shes demonstrated. And with messiahs, murderers, and the honest-to-God Apocalypse all in the mix, this cat-and-mouse game just feels small. Even so, I was rooting for Rhonda, who was unfortunately captured at the exact moment before she could reunite with Rajesh.

Even though hes the hero of the hour for spotting the flaw in the coding, Scotty is distraught over his betrayal. Gaines extends an olive branch by arranging for Rhonda and Rajesh to get a moment to say good-bye before Rhonda goes back to prison. Gaines and Scotty seem to reconcile, but its bittersweet.

In Malta, Celine and Jude are investigating claims that the Messiah  or rather, messiahs, a couple named Arless and Ruth who go by Ruthless  live on an island from which none of their disciples have returned. In order to get to this island, though, Celine and Jude will have to get married, a prospect which neither of them actually seem to hate. They do get married, and the kiss is intense  all these episodes of mounting sexual tension between them did not disappoint. Once on the island, they realize that Ruthless arent messiahs; theyre just the leaders of a free-love swingers society. No ones returned because theyre having too much fun in what appears to be a very unclean pool.

Celine and Jude make their giggly escape, but will have to camp on the dock overnight to wait for the ferry. Celine notices a billboard with the exact four horses that Frankie described to her, and thinks it may be a sign that God approves of her and Jude breaking their vows. When Jude asks for a sign of his own and fireworks appear overhead, they give in to their attraction and spend the night together.

Back in England, Jamie and Ariel are both on the hunt for Frankie and Layla/Hawkwind. Ariel and Suttons assistant, Larsson, set out to kidnap Frankie, but Ariel manages to ditch her on the side of the road so he can keep Frankie as a bargaining chip for himself. Somewhat less violently, Jamie asks around to see if anyone has seen Frankie or Layla. Luckily, someone recognizes her as having been arrested that morning, so Jamie and Dave head to the courthouse.

Frankie immediately spots Jamie and recognizes him as her dad. As I mentioned above, it is heart-meltingly adorable. Jamie bails Layla  who is now going by Sophie Colton  out of jail, and Layla takes Jamie and Dave back to the houseboat where she and Frankie have been living. Once there, Jamie lays out what he knows, and she tells Frankie to play outside with Dave while she explains the truth.

Laylas real name is Hawkwind, and she grew up on the commune with Ariel. She ran away with him as soon as she turned 18, but Ariel always had a chip on his shoulder about Jamie, whom their mother always talked about as being the Messiah. To combat these feelings of jealousy, Ariel created a game he called Doofus, in which he remotely messed with Jamies life. He changed Jamies exam results and sent him fake rejection letters from universities. He realized Jamie didnt have a girlfriend, so he created Layla, then arranged for a meet-cute with Hawkwind. When Hawkwind actually fell in love with Jamie and realized she preferred being Layla, she broke up with Ariel, but Ariel showed up on their honeymoon and threatened them both. Having recently learned she was pregnant, Hawkwind decided to run away to protect both Jamie and the baby.

When they get back to the houseboat, they find Dave knocked out and Frankie gone. He was taken by Ariel, who informs Sutton hell need a plus one in the bunker  hes bringing Hawkwind too.

Oh, and we still dont know if Operation Saviour is going to work. I guess thats a pretty big deal, too.

At this point, knowing that the show has already aired in the U.K., its proving a challenge to not just binge the whole thing. The bigger You, Me and the Apocalypse gets, the more I enjoy it. I cant wait to see what happens once Rhonda is extracted from this back-and-forth with Tess and brought back into the family fold. With only three episodes left, it seems loose ends are finally being tied up  but its gotten so fun that Im not sure if Ill be ready to let go.
As part of their agreement Diageo agreed to pay Mallya, USD 75 million for stepping down as Chairman of United Spirits and for entering into a non-compete pact.

London/New Delhi: Caught in the controversy surrounding flamboyant businessman Vijay Mallya, British liquor giant Diageo on Friday said it will "review" the Debt Recovery Tribunal's order freezing USD 75 million payout to him out of which has already paid USD 40 million.

Mallya has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks after a sweetheart deal he inked with Diageo, the current controlling owner of United Spirits, under which he is getting Rs 515 crore (USD 75 million) to exit from the board of the company founded by his family and taken to the top by him.

Staking its claim on this payout deal stuck by Mallya in a sweetheart deal with Diageo, top lender SBI had approached the Tribunal that earlier this week barred the beleaguered businessman from accessing this exit payment till the loan default case with the state-run bank was settled.

Allowing SBI's plea, DRT in its interim order also restrained Diageo from disbursing the money for now and set March 28 as the next date of hearing. A Diageo spokesperson, however, said that the initial payment of USD 40 million has already been made to Mallya. "We understand that the Debt Recovery Tribunal is in the process of issuing an interim order which we will review once the full details are available," the spokesperson said in an e-mailed response.

When asked if Diageo had made any payments to Mallya, the spokesperson said referred to the company's London Stock Exchange filing stating that "Diageo paid USD 40m immediately on signing on 25 February 2016".

As part of their agreement Diageo agreed to pay Mallya, USD 75 million for stepping down as Chairman of United Spirits and for entering into a non-compete pact. "Diageo will pay US40 million of this amount immediately with the balance being payable in equal installments over five years. Diageo's payment obligations are subject to Dr Mallya's ongoing compliance with the terms of today's agreement," the company had said.

Mallya, who left India last week ahead of the pleas by lenders, regulators and investigative agencies seeking orders at various forums to restrain him from going abroad over alleged loan defaults of over Rs 9,000 crore, however remained defiant and said today he is not an "absconder" and will comply with "the law of the land".

Mallya, often referred to as 'King of Good Times' for his flamboyance and lavish lifestyle, also termed as "rubbish" the claims of that he has fled from India, saying he keeps travelling frequently to and from the country as an "international businessman". He also hit out at the media for what he called a TRP-driven "witch-hunt".

Grounding of Kingfisher Airlines in 2012, under huge financial stress, led to one-by-one unravelling of Mallya's huge business empire that once consisted of beer, spirits, fertilisers, engineering and aviation businesses along with huge real estate assets.

Amid reports that he has moved to his country house in UK, Mallya unleashed a series of tweets early this morning, without disclosing his location, even as summons were issued for him by the Enforcement Directorate in Mumbai and white- collar fraud detection agency SFIO also stepped up its probe.
The rider was the adjustment will be provided in the spectrum price those players will shell out in the auction to procure the airwaves.

New Delhi: Adjustment of one-time entry fee paid by telecom companies whose licences were quashed by the Supreme Court against the spectrum price they paid in 2012-13 deprived national exchequer of Rs 5,476.3 crore, a CAG report tabled in Parliament said today.

"Set-off of the non-refundable entry fee of Rs 5,476.30 crore paid by licensees in 2008 whose licences were declared illegal and quashed by the Supreme Court against the auction price payable for spectrum in 1800 MHz/800 MHz held in November 2012/March 2013 deprived the government of the revenue to that extent," the audit report on communication and IT sector stated today.

The government in 2012 decided to adjust the licence fee paid by companies whose permits were quashed in the 2G case. The rider was the adjustment will be provided in the spectrum price those players will shell out in the auction to procure the airwaves.

The major beneficiaries of this scheme are Telewings Communications (now Telenor), Videocon Telecom and Sistema Shyam Teleservices. The report further said the government continued to allocate wireless frequencies in spectrum band of 3.3-3.4 Ghz without auction free of cost despite recommendation from regulator TRAI in violation of the apex court judgment that said spectrum should be allocated through auction.

CAG added that the continued allocation "administratively, free of cost resulted in significant loss to the public exchequer by way of non-realisation of one-time charges which the government would have realised had they auctioned the spectrum".

"This was despite recommendation of TRAI to auction the spectrum in the 3.3-3.4 GHz band, which also violated the intent and spirit of the Supreme Court judgment," the report said.
The U.S. Navy will pay L-3 Communications, Wacos largest industrial employer, more than $22 million to keep four Hornet fighter jets in peak condition, even as the Department of Defense has instructed Boeing to ramp up production of the new Super Hornet models.

L-3 Platform Integration, the unit operating at Texas State Technical College airport with about 1,600 employees, will provide administrative and support work for depot-level maintenance of the aircraft. Actual hands-on work will take place at an L-3 facility in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada.

In the long term, as the L-3 plant in Canada reaches capacity, our Waco facility plans to provide additional aircraft capacity, company spokesman Lance Martin said.

The Waco operation can satisfy the contract without hiring new employees but may need to add staffers as the program grows, Martin said.

L-3 is honored to be selected by the U.S. Navy to conduct F/A-18 A/B/C/D life-extension and depot maintenance support work to help increase the Navys number of ready-for-tasking aircraft, said Mark Von Schwarz, president of L-3s Aerospace Systems business segment.

He said L-3s expertise and historic relationship with the U.S. Navy will help a longtime valued customer achieve its goals.

L-3 also performs maintenance and repair work on F/A-18 aircraft for customers in Canada, Australia, Finland, Spain and Switzerland.

Earmarking funds

The Navy is earmarking $14 million toward its contract with L-3 almost immediately and will provide additional funding as the program expands.

L-3 occupies several large hangars on the edge of the TSTC airport, where it modifies military and commercial aircraft. It has gained an international reputation customizing the interiors of aircraft flown by foreign heads of state and dignitaries.

Employment in Waco peaked at more than 2,000 people but has slipped in the wake of defense department budget cuts because of sequestration that began in 2013.

The F/A-18 Hornet is a twin-engine supersonic strike fighter. It saw its first combat action during the 1986 bombing of Libya and later participated in the 1991 Gulf War and 2003 Iraq War. It provided the baseline design for the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, a larger redesign.

Since 1986, it has been used by the Blue Angels, the U.S. Navys flight demonstration squadron.

It was reported this week that the U.S. Navy has sought more F/A-18 Super Hornets by funding two aircraft in fiscal year 2017 to replace combat losses and another 14 in 2018 to maintain capacity as older Hornet units wear out. The Navy reportedly is concerned about a shortfall in structurally sound strike fighters and will keep the Super Hornet factory in St. Louis, Missouri, open and in production, though it has been plagued by slumping foreign sales.

Trade journals suggest Boeing is counting on the Navy to continue using Super Hornet variants, including the EA-18G Growler electronic attack jet, as it attempts to attract 24 orders per year to keep the line viable. The Navy has budgeted $185 million in its wartime budget for jets in 2017 and includes $1.3 billion in its 2018 projects.

Martin, the company spokesman, said L-3 is hiring and has positions available in engineering and program management.

An industry report this week said the U.S. Navy is absorbing a $7 billion reduction in fiscal year 2017 funding. The service reportedly is reducing the number of ships its buying while adding more aircraft, and uniformed personnel also are being cut, up to 6,400 sailors below previous forecasts.

Martin said upgrades and maintenance to P-3 anti-submarine and surveillance planes and C-130 transport planes remain a big part of business at L-3 in Waco.
A handful of Robinson residents hope to gather enough signatures during the next 60 days to prompt a vote in the November election that could allow expanded alcohol sales in the city.

Donna Hartstack said she picked up 15 sheets with 10 signature spaces per page from City Hall on Thursday. She needs to get 1,060 signatures from registered voters by May 9 to get the measure on the ballot. Residents who sign show support for a referendum to allow the sale of mixed beverages in restaurants by food and beverage license holders only.

This petition will not, has nothing to do with, bars or liquor stores. They will not be allowed into our community, not by this petition, Hartstack said.

A group of residents set up a Facebook page  Robinson Petition Drive 2016  in hopes of informing their neighbors and finding volunteers to help collect the required signatures.

Heather Dudley, who has lived in the city most of her life, said Robinson has a lot of great potential. Its a good community, and residents care about their town, Dudley said.

Legalizing the sale of mixed beverages in restaurants by food and beverage certificate holders will allow the city to open its doors to more development possibilities and growth, she said. Some corporate restaurants wont move to an area where they cant sell mixed beverages, and there is a lot of vacant property begging for development that cant be ignored, Dudley said.

Hartstack said approval of the ballot measure would ease the tax burden and broaden the tax base by expanding possibilities for companies wanting to move to Robinson. She said it may take some time after the ballot measure is approved to see a difference, but shes sure it will help.

It will give our city an opportunity to market Robinson more effectively because currently we cannot get chain restaurants or hotels because most of them have a bar or sell mixed drinks, Hartstack said.

An increased tax revenue could potentially allow the city to spend more money improving roads and infrastructure and bring jobs to the area, she said.

Theres a lot of benefits to our community if we pass this, she said.

But first, she said, she has to get enough signatures to get the topic on the ballot.

Hartstack said supporters plan to hold signing events throughout the city.

Cities across the state have adopted a combination of allowances pertaining to the sale of alcohol and liquor. Some cities allow the sale of beer and wine only, and some only allow sales in restaurants.

In November, Bellmead residents chose to expand their options. Voters approved two alcohol-related measures. Proposition 1 allowed liquor to be sold by the glass, including mixed beverages for on-site consumption in restaurants and bars. Proposition 2 allowed liquor to be sold in stores, then consumed off-site.

Other measures

A handful of other McLennan County cities over the years have voted on alcohol-related measures.

Crawford residents in May 2014 approved the sale of beer and wine for off-premises consumption only. Leroy residents in November 2011 passed a measure to allow the sale of all alcoholic beverages except mixed beverages. In November 2009, Hewitt residents approved the sale of beer and wine for off-premises consumption only.

The states Alcoholic Beverage Code allows for alcohol sales to be decided countywide, in a city or in individual justice of the peace precincts.

McLennan County, like most counties in the state, is not considered completely wet. It has a patchwork of city laws governing alcohol sales.

As of November 2015, there are 53 completely wet counties in Texas, and seven completely dry counties, according to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Two decades ago, there were 53 completely dry counties.

Dudley said she doesnt find the task of collecting so many signatures daunting because shes heard so many positive comments about the petition from other residents. She said Robinson is a small town, and neighbors are close. This measure wont change that, she said.

Were not seeking out allowance of liquor stores and bars, Dudley said. I dont think anybody really wants that in our community.

The group is seeking volunteers to help with door-to-door foot work, assist at signing events and spread the word. Hartstack said anyone with questions can email her at hartsrfree@hot.rr.com.

Mayor Bert Echterling did not return calls for comment.
At least one federal agency called upon to assist Waco and McLennan County law enforcement officials after the Twin Peaks shootout has completed its task.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has traced the histories of 151 firearms recovered from the restaurant grounds and seized from bikers vehicles May 17 after nine people were killed, two dozen wounded and 177 jailed on engaging in organized criminal activity charges.

Senior Special Agent Nicole Strong, an ATF spokeswoman, said Thursday that the ATF was asked to perform firearms traces but is leaving any investigative decisions up to the Waco Police Department and the McLennan County District Attorneys Office.

We have completed the firearms traces, Strong said. It is essentially tracking the life of the firearms, from the point it was manufactured, to who the first purchaser was  which is normally a licensed firearms dealer  to who the next purchaser was all the way down to the final purchase. How many times did it get bought and sold? We are complete with our end of it and, obviously, the investigation is a question for Waco PD. They just asked us to trace the guns.

Strong said the guns were shipped to a lab in California for the ATFs role in the investigation.

The main goal was to see who the legal purchaser was, she said. We wanted to know if a gun went from a manufacturer to John Smith and that is the last known purchase, and then that gun ends up in the hands of one of the people in the Twin Peaks shooting who was in prohibited possession. We want to know how it went from a legal possession to an illegal possessor.

Houston attorney Paul Looney, who represents Cody Ledbetter, a member of the Cossacks motorcycle group, has asked a Waco appeals court to order 19th State District Judge Ralph Strother to set a speedy trial date for Ledbetter.

He said the news that the ATF has finished its trace work is meaningless to his client because he did not have a weapon that day.

I dont think it matters much, Looney said. There wasnt ever a weapon that anybody thought that my client had from the very beginning. Law enforcement knows my client didnt have a weapon, so it doesnt help my client a bit.

District Attorney Abel Reyna did not return phone messages left at his office. His first assistant, Michael Jarrett, has said that it could be up to a year before analysis of evidence from the case is finished and that his office is not ready to go to trial.

It just perplexes me that they went and arrested everybody and indicted everybody and then chose to throw the evidence together later, Looney said Thursday. That is just not the way we do things in America. In America, we get our evidence together, then we follow it with an arrest and indictment. This is my first experience with arrest them first and figure out the evidence later. If that is the reason they are delaying my clients trial, that is just unconscionable.

Looney said he and his client, who is free on bond, are waiting for the 10th Court of Appeals to rule on his application for writ of mandamus, which asks the court to order Strother to give Ledbetter a trial date.

I dont know how they can ignore that request, but in this case, the unbelievable seems to be the routine, Looney said.

The term of the grand jury that returned indictments against 106 bikers was extended through March to continue the Twin Peaks investigation. The grand jury is set to return March 23 to consider the remaining cases.
An intermediate appellate court in Waco has denied a petition from a biker indicted in the Twin Peaks shootout to order a state district judge to set a speedy trial in his case.

The 10th Court of Appeals opinion, written by Justice Rex D. Davis, rejected a petition for writ of mandamus filed by Cody Ledbetter, a member of the Cossacks motorcycle group. The petition asked the higher court to order 19th State District Judge Ralph Strother to set a quick trial date for Ledbetter, which Strother previously had denied.

Chief Justice Tom Gray and Justice Al Scoggins joined Davis in the opinion, which includes a note that says Gray would request a response from the state.

Im going to appeal it to the Court of Criminal Appeals. They are wrong, Houston attorney Paul Looney said Friday, who represents Ledbetter. They dont have a right to not give me my trial.

Ledbetter, of Waco, was one of 106 bikers indicted in November on first-degree felony engaging in organized criminal activity charges, with underlying offenses of murder and aggravated assault. Prosecutors say those indicted are members of criminal street gangs who attended the May 17 meeting of a biker coalition at Twin Peaks as a show of force.

Nine bikers were killed, some shot by police, and about two dozen more were injured.

Looney unsuccessfully argued at a hearing in January that the indictment against Ledbetter should be quashed because the language in the charging instrument is overly vague and not specific enough to inform defendants what they are accused of doing.

Looney then asked Strother to move Ledbetter to the front of his trial docket because Looney said Ledbetter is ready to go to trial while others arent and the delay is causing Ledbetter serious and long-standing harm.

I filed the petition to get Judge Strother to set a trial date and then we get to argue whether or not it was quick, Looney said last month after he filed the request.

The bottom line is the law says that when a defendant requests a trial, one of a speedy nature, he has the right to go ahead of others who are not making a similar request. That is a right. It is not something where he has to get lucky to get a speedy trial date. He has a right to a speedy trial date.

Looney has characterized Ledbetter as a crime victim and said his indictment and wait for trial are preventing him from applying for state crime victim compensation because he witnessed his stepfather, Daniel Diesel Boyett, get killed in the shootout at Twin Peaks.

McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna did not return phone messages left at his office Friday.

Prosecutors have argued that the DAs office is not ready to go to trial in any of the biker cases because evidence is still being evaluated and analyzed by a variety of local, state and federal agencies.
When explaining the Lone Star States consistent economic success in recent years, pundits and politicians talk about our pro-business environment, fiscal conservatism and common-sense approach to government regulation. Certainly, these elements all play their part. But we shouldnt overlook the most important factor  it takes Texans to make Texas companies strong. Their skills and productivity are the foundations upon which our prosperity is built.

Sadly, todays labor laws arent working as hard for them as these employees are for their companies, their families and their communities. For too long, federal statutes have equated employees with unions  and ceded workers fundamental rights to the labor organizations claiming to represent them.

This might have made sense in the 1930s and 40s, but much has changed in the employment market in more than half a century. Business is more global, companies are more technology-centric and opportunity is more diverse than at any time in history.

Unions have, in many cases, struggled to adapt  and employees have found other means to make their voices heard. Now, as labor organizations are ramping up recruitment efforts in our state and fighting to maintain their influence in Washington, the interests of their members and potential members have fallen by the wayside. Thats why Congress must pass the Employee Rights Act.

Employees should be able to make the choice of whether to join a union, remain with a union or leave a union. Under the current, outdated system, however, independent decision-making is often compromised and unionization treated as a foregone conclusion.

For example, certifying unions using public card checks rather than secret ballot votes  the gold standard in our democracy  leaves the integrity of the process in question. Unionizing a workplace without the backing of a majority of affected employees undermines the organizations mandate and workers right to self-determination. These shortcomings would be remedied by the Employee Rights Act.

The bill also would increase accountability by union leaders to members. No longer would unions function like the Hotel California  as an organization a workplace can never leave. Reopening the union question whenever more than 50 percent of the workforce turns over will be essential in compelling unions to continually earn employees loyalty.

In surveys, union members overwhelmingly favor the eight provisions in the Employee Rights Act. The right for employees to withhold personal information, such as home address, from union organizers, received 79 percent support. The requirement that unions receive prior approval from members before spending their dues on politics received 81 percent support.

These responses reveal serious misgivings about unions behavior from within their own ranks. And despite our states right-to-work laws and our current low rate of unionization, Texas employees and businesses will be increasingly exposed to the problems of union leaders unfettered by employees input and oversight.

Employees have every right to benefit from collective bargaining and other union benefits. The Employee Rights Act would do nothing to restrict their choices. But by guaranteeing them greater transparency, enhanced accountability and strong democratic processes, we will ensure employees are treated as the valuable asset they are and enable them to keep driving Texas businesses and economy forward.

Bill Hammond is the CEO of the Texas Association of Business, which advocates for new employment opportunities, a predictable regulatory environment and low taxation.
One thing weve noticed about lawsuit abuse: Politicians are utterly against it till theyre for it. Exhibit A: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who successfully pressed for the full and reliably conservative U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear a voter ID case that a three-judge panel of the very same court decided just last August  a ruling Paxton himself praised back then as a victory.

Apparently, someone informed him the ruling was not a victory.

We see this as further reason for Americans frustration with federal courts. Consider the spectacle: A U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled last summer that Texas controversial voter ID law violated the Voting Rights Act, yet diplomatically fashioned the ruling in such a way that it dismissed a lower court finding that our state-sanctioned photo ID amounted to an updated poll tax because of the expense and difficulty in obtaining it.

Indeed, the court generously noted (and correctly) that, since passage of the Texas voter ID law in 2011, Republican legislators had passed a law to defray or eliminate costs originally viewed as onerous to poor people diligently trying to obtain required birth records  something lawmakers had promised to do back in 2011 when they approved the law. (Yes, folks, thats right  the crux of the argument has nothing at all to do with actually showing a photo ID at the polls.)

No wonder Paxton was grateful in August. Had the court found legislators in 2011 acted to intentionally discriminate, Texas might have wound up back on a list requiring that all our voting laws pass federal muster first.

Now, mere months after a ruling from a conservative court geared toward ensuring photo IDs are accessible to all  poor people and people of color included  but that also got state leaders off the hot seat by ruling they had not deliberately discriminated, Paxton has prevailed on the full appeals court to pass judgment on the very same law, possibly to ensure it remains in effect during the 2016 general election.

Those who defend this law will be heartened, given that the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals is generally seen as a fiercely ideological court favoring Republican policies. Paxton cheered the 15-judge courts commitment to reconsider the case, calling it a strong step forward in our efforts to defend the states voter ID laws. Matt Angle, director of the Lone Star Project, labeled it an effort to suppress and weaken the voting strength of Texas citizens. To us, it just seems the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals doesnt have enough to keep it busy these days.

In August, we urged state leaders to accept the original ruling and expand the sorts of acceptable ID suggested by this conservative court, at last allowing Texas Republicans to begin repairing frayed relations with minorities, particularly those fast changing state demographics. Instead, this fight grinds destructively onward.
The UK topped the list of countries availing e-tourist visa facilities in February this year with 27.86 per cent.

New Delhi: As many as 1,17,210 people arrived in India on e-Tourist visa in February as compared to 24,985 during the same month last year, registering a growth of 369.1 per cent.

The UK continues to occupy the top slot, followed by the US and France amongst the countries availing e-tourist visa facility, Ministry of Tourism said in a release on March 11. With effect from February 26 this year, the e-tourist visa facility was extended for citizens of 37 more nations, taking the total to 150 countries.

The UK topped the list of countries availing e-tourist visa facilities in February this year with 27.86 per cent, followed by US (13.85 per cent), France (8.08 per cent), Russia (6.21 per cent), Germany (4.92 per cent) and China (4.91 per cent). The share of Canada was 4.21 per cent, while that of Australia was 3.64 per cent, Korea 2.15 per cent and Ukraine two per cent, it said.
Deepika Padukone, who is in the midst of shooting her Hollywood project xXx: The Return of Xander Cage with Vin Diesel, isnt quite happy with her hair and make-up team. The actor sent a distress call to her team back home  make-up artiste Daniel Bauer and hairstylist Gabriel Georgiou. While Daniel is trying to accommodate Dippys schedule since he has prior commitments, Gabriel is already on his way to be by the actress side.

So, why didnt the two head out with Deepika in the first place? Apparently, when she left for Canada in the first week of February, Deepika was told that she neednt get her team, since the filmmakers would ensure that she had a team to look into all her needs.

When contacted, Gabriel who was sorting out last minute work before flying out to Toronto said, I had heard about the possibility sometime ago. I had a lot of requests these past few weeks, but didnt commit to anyone until I knew for sure what was happening with Deepikas film. For now, I have a project due in April, so I will come back for that and head back to Toronto after wrapping it up.

Some of the working stills from the sets of xXx have surfaced on the Internet. Gabriels thoughts on those? I have seen her look but I cant make a judgment by looking at one or two stills. It all depends on the brief and the character of the film.

Having said that, he has little idea about the project right now. I havent been told much about the look, all I know is that we first shoot in Dominican Republic and then Toronto, as far as I know. It looks like we will be filming till approximately the end of May.

As someone who has worked closely with Dippy, we ask Gabriel if she is ready to take on the international audience.

I think she is more than ready! Ive been telling her that she is ready for Hollywood. I dont think she is under pressure. She is a hard worker and a great actress. Whatever she does, she does it well. This being her first Hollywood film, she obviously wants to look her best. Her Hollywood debut is exciting for the both of us.
Mumbai: After delivering hits in romance and comedy genre, actor Varun Dhawan says he found the fight sequences in his next film 'Dishoom' quite difficult to shoot.

The 28-year-old 'Badlapur' actor will be in forthcoming action adventure alongside John Abraham and Jacqueline Fernandez, directed by his brother Rohit Dhawan.

It was not easy to shoot action part. As I am new to all this. Through action we are trying to push the boundaries and do something new. Once the trailer and look of the film is out we hope people like action sequences in it, Varun told PTI.

Directed by Varuns brother Rohit Dhawan, Dishoom is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. The audience will get to see adventure and high octane action sequences in the film. Varun Dhawan and John Abraham will be sharing screen space for the first time ever.
One month ago today, WarbirdsNews published a story about a Viet Nam War combat veteran F-100D Super Sabre under restoration at the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, Georgia. We are now happy to update that article with news that the freshly rebuilt fuselage of 56-2995 has just been mated with its new set of wings. As mentioned in the previous article (HERE), the wings have come from another F-100D, 56-2928. Museum employees and volunteers performed the work this morning, and amongst them was retired Air Force General Rick Goddard, who flew almost 200 combat missions in 56-2995 during their time with the 309th TFS operating from Tuy Hoa Air Base in South Viet Nam.

Now that 56-2995 has successfully re-acquired a set of wings, the restoration team will install her undercarriage and wheel the fighter back inside to continue the restoration. WarbirdsNews wishes to express our sincere thanks to Aaron Robinson who sent in the news this afternoon along with these fascinating images. Aaron Robinson, alongside General Goddard, has been the driving force behind this restoration, and we are sure it will be a fabulous representation of their efforts when complete. We look forwards to reporting further on this important project!
Rapper and actor Bow Wow has alleged that his ex-girlfriend Keyshia Cole threw eggs at two cars that were parked outside his house to take revenge for breaking up with him.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift star revealed that one of his exes had egged the two cars on Wednesday  which happened to be his 29th birthday  but that the cars actually belonged to his friend.

While Keyshia told TMZ.com that she didnt do it and called Bow Wow a snitch on Twitter for calling her out, he is reportedly planning to prove it with security footage.
The former managing director of China's Hanlong Mining, Steven Xiao, has been sentenced to eight years and three months jail for insider trading following a five-year long investigation by the corporate watchdog.

The sentence handed down in the New South Wales Supreme Court on Friday is the largest ever in Australia for insider trading. It also marks the end of one of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission's biggest investigations.

Steven Xiao was extradited to Australia in October 2014 facing charges relating to more than 100 illegal trades in miners Sundance and Bannerman.

Xiao's sentence marks yet another development in the Hanlong Mining saga that has led to several arrests in Australia. At the same time the company has been linked to one of the biggest corruption cases in China's history.

Last year, the billionaire founder of Hanlong parent Sichuan Hanlong Group, Liu Han, was executed in China after being found guilty of a suite of crimes including murder, running illegal casinos and selling firearms while he was head of one of the country's largest mafia outfits.
To many it may seem implausible, even dead-wrong, that super funds lend their stock  the shares they own on our behalf that is  to hedge funds so those hedge funds can promptly "short" it, selling stock they don't even own to drive down the share price for a quick profit.

For those not au fait with short-selling, or "shorting", it is pretty much the opposite of buying shares, waiting for them to go up and selling them for a profit.

Illustration: Michael Mucci.

With shorting, you sell the shares then buy them back for a profit when the share price falls.

In order to "short" a stock, however, you first have to borrow it from somebody.
The union movement has launched an eleventh-hour bid to convince the Greens to back out of a deal with the Turnbull government over Senate voting changes that will likely sweep aside the crossbench micro parties.

Robocalls warning that the proposed reforms would give the Coalition control of the Senate and endanger the rights of workers are being made to residences in eastern states.

They claim the situation would be "worse than last time" when the Howard government used its majority to introduce the widely-reviled WorkChoices laws.

The robocalls, funded by the CFMEU, encourage people to call Greens leader Richard Di Natale to register their disgust - even supplying his office number.
A Perth father has joined calls for a royal commission into banking practices after the Commonwealth Bank trapped his son in a loan nearly triple what he needed, complete with punishing conditions.

Brian Borshoff, of Floreat, said his 20-year-old son went into the CBA for a $5500 loan for his first car and walked out with a $15,000 loan at 17.8 per cent interest.

Commonwealth Bank has been expanding quickly in the housing investor market, where bank growth is capped at 10 per cent per year. Credit:Glenn Hunt

Cancellation, early repayment or paying off more than the agreed monthly sum on the four-year contract was forbidden - meaning the total to be paid back is over $25,000 over four years.

The CBA staffer also offered insurance on the $5500 car at an annual premium of $1450 through the bank's insurance division CommInsure -the young man, however, declined and found a deal elsewhere for $900.
The mere presence of the virus does not prove it is what caused the disease.

Paris, France: The Zika virus, already linked to brain damage in babies, can also cause a serious brain infection in adult victims, French researchers warned Thursday.

The Zika virus was found in the spinal fluid of an 81-year-old man who was admitted in January to a hospital near Paris shortly after returning from a month-long cruise.

The man semi-comatose, with a high fever and partial paralysis -- was diagnosed with meningoencephalitis, an inflammation of the brain and its membrane, the team wrote in New England Journal of Medicine.

"It is the first case of its kind to be reported, to our knowledge," Guillaume Carteaux, co-author of the paper and specialist at the hospital which treated him, said.

The mere presence of the virus does not prove it is what caused the disease.

But Carteaux said that "other infectious causes, either viral or bacterial, have been ruled out" in this case.

The patient, who was reported to have been in good health during his cruise around New Caledonia, Vanuato, the Solomon Islands and New Zealand, has since partially recovered.

"Clinicians should be aware that (Zika virus) may be associated with meningoencephalitis," the team wrote.

On Wednesday, a different French team linked the virus sweeping Latin America and the Caribbean to paralysis-causing myelitis.

They reported that a 15-year-old girl diagnosed on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe with acute myelitis in January had high levels of Zika in her cerebrospinal fluid, blood and urine.

Myelitis is an inflammation of the spinal cord. It can affect limb movement and cause paralysis by interrupting communication between the spinal cord and the rest of the body.



No Vaccine

The mosquito-borne Zika virus usually causes mild symptoms in adults, with a low fever, headaches and joint pain.

Its quick spread has caused alarm due to an observed association with microcephaly, which deforms the brains of unborn babies, and Guillain-Barre, a rare condition in which the body's immune system attacks a part of the nervous system that controls muscle strength.

Brazil has been hardest hit by the Zika outbreak, with some 1.5 million people infected and 745 confirmed cases of microcephaly in children born to women infected with the virus while pregnant.

According to the World Health Organization, 41 countries or territories have reported transmission of Zika within their borders since last year, and nine have reported an increase in Guillain-Barre cases.

A rise in microcephaly and other baby malformations has so far "only been reported in Brazil and French Polynesia", according to the WHO.

There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika.

The WHO is next week set to convene a meeting of the world's top experts on vector control to determine if a range of radical new methods could also be safely and efficiently used against the Aedes aegypti mosquitos carrying Zika.

Such methods could, according to experts, include releasing genetically modified mosquitos, releasing large numbers of sterilised male mosquitos to halt reproduction, or infecting mosquitos with a bacteria that prevents their eggs from hatching and reduces their ability to transmit the virus.

The WHO on Tuesday advised pregnant women not to travel to areas affected by the Zika outbreak.
Balinese people traditionally only used organic materials leaving no waste behind. But today paradise is lost, the tourists grumble and the resort island is swamped with rubbish. Warungs (small restaurants) serve soft drink in plastic bags to save people the hassle of returning empty bottles. Even canang sari - the daily offerings Balinese Hindus place in temples or small shrines in houses to thank the Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa - often contain plastic wrapped lollies. Much of the rubbish in Bali is not collected. Some plastic is burnt, acrid fumes choking sweaty afternoons. Some is simply dumped in rivers. "In Bali we generate 680 cubic metres of plastic a day. That's about a 14-storey building," Isabel says in the TED talk. "And when it comes to plastic bags less than five percent get recycled."

It's a dream that has sustained the sisters - who founded the campaign Bye Bye Plastic Bags - for three years now. It has fuelled their quest for a million signatures, made them persevere with beach clean-ups and school presentations and even led to a modified food strike. Their remarkable journey has taken them to London, where they were invited to give a TED talk last September, and to the office of Bali governor Made Mangku Pastika, whom they now count as a friend. The sisters have inspired Bye Bye Plastic Bag campaigns all over the world. But perhaps most importantly, as Melati says in the TED talk, "along the way, we have learned kids can do things. We can make things happen".

Melati and Isabel dream of a day plastic bags will be contraband in Bali. "We want people to arrive on the Island of Gods and there will be no plastic bags," Melati says. "Everyone who enters our home would know no plastic bags could be taken in or out."

Balinese sisters Melati and Isabel Wijsen. Credit:Made Nambi

Three years ago Melati and Isabel, then aged 10 and 12, were inspired by a class on people such as Mahatma Gandhi and Princess Di at the Green School in Bali. "We sat on the couch brainstorming - 'What can we do as kids on the island of Bali?" They knew rubbish was a big problem in Bali but it seemed insurmountable. And then they learned Rwanda banned polyethylene bags in 2008. "If one of the poorest countries does that, Bali should get on its game," Melati says. "We don't have to wait until we are older to make a difference."

Melati and Isabel formed Bye Bye Plastic Bags with their best friends. They gave talks at schools across Bali and held beach clean-up days. But it was a challenge for them to get the attention of the government. "Being kids, we thought if we get one million signatures, they cannot ignore us, they will have no choice," Melati says. But, as Isabel points out drolly in the TED talk: "Who would have guessed one million signatures is, like, a thousand times a thousand?" At first it was fun. They would go to shopping malls and events and the signatures mounted fast. But on other days they slowed to a trickle. "It was tough," says Melati and Isabel's mother, Elvira. "We calculated it would take one person seven years. They got stuck a little bit. We needed to have an idea out of the box."

That idea was the Ngurah Rai International Airport. Someone mentioned the airport handles 16 million arrivals and departures a year. Tourists were the perfect target for the petition as it's hard to escape the plastic fouling once picturesque rice fields and forests when holidaying in Bali. Remarkably, the commercial manager of the airport allowed the children to collect signatures at the departure gates behind customs - an area normally inaccessible for those without boarding passports. "He said: 'I can't believe I'm letting you do this'," Melati recalls. The access has since been revoked amid tightened airport security. But they were fun days, that helped swell the number of signatures on the petition to 100,000.

Last year a study of 192 countries led by the University of Georgia found Indonesia was the second largest source of plastic rubbish in the ocean after China. Indonesians living within 50 kilometres of the coast generated 3.22 million tonnes of mismanaged plastic waste in 2010 - 10 per cent of the world total. Twenty kilograms of plastic was found in the stomach of a giraffe at Surabaya Zoo, who died in 2012 after losing his appetite. On February 21 - National Waste Awareness Day - Indonesian retailers in some cities began charging at least 200 Rupiah (two cents) for plastic bags. Although 23 cities were slated to participate in the pilot including Jakarta and Denpasar, all but seven said they were not ready. As is often the case in Indonesia, it was a case of two steps forward one step backwards. Just days after the policy was implemented, Jakarta withdrew from the pilot. Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja said ordering retailers to use biodegradable plastic bags was sufficient to reduce waste. Although some argue the equivalent of two cents is insufficient, Melati believes even a small levy will lead to behavioural change.
But as Brazil reels from graft scandals and its worst economic crisis in decades, the heroic narrative surrounding Mr Lula, 70, is coming under intense strain. Senators Fatima Bezerra, left front, and Vanessa Graziotin embrace Mr Lula after a breakfast with senators of the government's allied base in Brasilia on Wednesday. Credit:AP Instead of symbolising Brazil's triumphs, he is emerging as an emblem of the scandal-plagued political establishment. "I simply feel deceived," said Carla Martins, 65, a manicurist who sells baked snacks on the street in Rio de Janeiro to make ends meet. "What hurts the most is that he's the one the Brazilian people hoped for." His brief detention for questioning this week was seen as pivotal.

"It is difficult to convey the symbolism of this gesture," said Jairo Nicolau, a professor of political science at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. "Lula is still the biggest leader in Brazil." His targeting hurts Ms Rousseff, his political protege and successor. She was narrowly re-elected in 2014 with his support but is facing impeachment proceedings and an investigation by an electoral court. Mr Lula is far from alone in facing legal problems. He is the founder and face of the Workers' Party, the leftist movement that has governed Brazil since 2003. It came to power vowing to represent the masses and stamp out the corruption and impunity that had long characterised the country's ruling classes. Now, Ms Rousseff, is fighting to remain in office, fending off impeachment proceedings on charges of using money from state banks to cover budget shortfalls. Lula confidants are in jail on charges of cashing in from billions in bribes surrounding the state-controlled oil company, Petrobras. And investigators are looking into whether proceeds from the scheme were used to finance his and Ms Rousseff's presidential campaigns. "It's true that the lower classes have more love for Lula because he invested in programs they benefit from," said Dayse Gomes, 24, a student in Rio de Janeiro who aspires to be a social worker. "But Lula can't hide behind those achievements, proclaiming that he's so well-behaved. I'm certain that he's guilty. All of our politicians are corrupt regardless of their party. That is our largest problem in Brazil."

The federal investigators who questioned Mr Lula on March 4 are looking into a country estate used by him and his family, as well as a seaside apartment. They allege that Mr Lula hid his ownership of the properties and that construction companies caught up in the scandal did extensive work on them in return for political favours. Mr Lula denies the charges. In a video interview released on YouTube, Mr Lula's attorney, Cristiano Martins, said the ex-president's family acquired a share of a building being constructed by a housing co-operative but chose not to buy the seaside apartment after the construction firm OAS took over the cooperative's properties. Prosecutors however allege 7138 families had contributed to the co-operative's fund to construct the complex, but the money has disappeared amid an "organised criminal" operation that left "suffering and anxiety" behind. Investigators are also examining $US8 million in speaking fees and donations that Mr Lula and his Lula Institute received from construction companies embroiled in the scandal. On Wednesday, Sao Paulo state prosecutors filed charges against Mr Lula, his wife and one of their sons in a separate case that also involves executives from OAS, one of the main companies involved in the Petrobras scandal. A judge has to approve the charges.

Charges were also filed against OAS's former chief executive and the former treasurer of Lula's Workers' Party  both of whom have received jail sentences in the Petrobras scandal. Several of the people prosecuted in relation to the scandal have agreed to co-operate with the investigation in return for shorter sentences. The allegations against Mr Lula have roiled his supporters, who say Brazil's rich and powerful are seeking to destroy his reputation and a potential shot at a third presidential mandate. An emotional and combative speech by the former president on March 4 has deepened the divide. "This is the class struggle, yes. This theme is not over," Leonardo Boff, a left-wing writer and proponent of Catholic "liberation theology," wrote on a pro-government website.

Conservative, white, upper-class Brazilians  many of whom loathe the Workers' Party and have played a big role in antigovernment demonstrations  have responded with equal vitriol. Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians  many from more privileged classes  took to city streets nationwide several times last year to protest corruption and call for Ms Rousseff's impeachment and Ms Lula's imprisonment. More protests are planned for Sunday. "Lula manipulates and deludes the people," said Giuliana Campanari, 43, director of a Sao Paulo advertising agency and a protest regular. She said his Workers' Party is motivated by greed, not ideology. "They are vermin. They finished off the country," she said. Some commentators criticise the heightened rhetoric and worsening polarisation. "This climate of hysteria is reciprocal. It contaminates both sides of the debate," popular broadcaster Ricardo Boechat said in a radio commentary.
Te Papa said they came to New Zealand via a circuitous route, passing through the hands of various British collectors before they were bequeathed to Wellington's Dominion Museum in 1912. (Photo: AFP)

Wellington: Traditional Hawaiian garments gifted to Captain James Cook before he was killed in the islands more than two centuries ago were handed back to indigenous people of the US Pacific state Friday at a ceremony in Wellington.

Described a "priceless" by New Zealand's national museum Te Papa, the mahiole (feathered helmet) and 'ahu 'ula (feathered cloak) were given to Cook in 1779 during the famous British explorer's last voyage.

Such items were normally reserved for royalty with the feathers of 20,000 birds needed for the cloak alone a mark of Hawaiian chief Kalani'opu'u's esteem for Cook.

Te Papa said they came to New Zealand via a circuitous route, passing through the hands of various British collectors before they were bequeathed to Wellington's Dominion Museum in 1912.

Talks about returning them to Hawaii began in 2013, culminating in an agreement to give them to Honolulu's Bishop Museum on a long-term loan of at least 10 years.

The handover took place at a ceremony at Te Papa featuring Hawaiian and New Zealand Maori indigenous rituals.

"I'm grateful to witness the return of these cultural heirlooms... it is a cause for celebration and it will be a source of inspiration, reflection and discussion," Kamana'opono Crabbe from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs said.

Cook was on a voyage seeking the fabled Northwest Passage and decided to spend the winter in Hawaii, according to an account on the State Library of New South Wales.

When his expedition first arrived in Kealakekua Bay it was greeted warmly and Kalani'opu'u gave Cook the royal garments.

But tensions soon arose and Cook was killed in a skirmish with the islanders on February 14, 1779.
New Delhi: With more than 20,000 weddings scheduled along with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's World Cultural Festival and event hosted by Radha Soami Satsang Beas, Delhi is expected to witness massive traffic jams on Friday.

The roads identified include the Ring Road stretch in south Delhi, Noida Link Road, NH-24, areas near Akshardham, Mayur Vihar, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, Asfram Chowk, Aurobindo Marg, Mahipalpur Chowk and Mehrauli-Gurgaon road - all considered major arteries and intersections in south and east Delhi.

Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Muktesh Chander, who is charting out the traffic plan for the three-day cultural extravaganza organised by the Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living Foundation, visited the venue on Thursday and took stock of the arrangements.

"Organisers have made provisions for parking on the Yamuna Bank. The space is limited and so, parking will be on a first-come-first-served basis," a senior traffic official said.

"People should preferably take public transport to commute and avoid the Noida Link Road, NH-24 and the Ring Road stretch from the point of intersection with Bhairon Marg till the mouth of the DND Flyway," the official said, adding, congestion can be expected on these stretches between 12 noon and 11 pm.

The official further said, those approaching from the trans-Yamuna side towards central Delhi, should use the ITO Road as Akshardham and NH-24 will be congested.

Commuters from Noida heading towards Delhi should take the DND flyover as traffic on the Noida Link Road is expected to be heavy during the event, he said.

Around 1,700 traffic personnel have been deployed for the event.

"For an event by the Radha Soami Satsang Beas, also to be organised from March 11 to 13, at south Delhi's Fatehpur Beri area, traffic will be heavy near Bhati Mines, Andheria More, Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, especially the stretch between Lado Sarai and Khanpur, and the road near IIT-Delhi," the senior official said.

In view of the large number of marriage programmes scheduled today, special arrangements will be made near Ashram Chowk and other south Delhi areas that include Mehrauli and Chhatarpur, the official said.

Delhi Police today also tweeted a traffic advisory.
According to sources, initially it was an argument over some personal issue between a junior male cabin attendant and the second senior female cabin crew after which there was a heated exchange of words. (Representational image)

New Delhi: An altercation broke out on Thursday between two flight attendants  a female and a male  inside the cabin of a Thiruvananthapuram-bound Air India flight with 158 passengers including MPs and bureaucrats on board, delaying its departure by two hours and leading to their suspension. Taking a serious note of the incident, Air India suspended the crew members, pending enquiry, the airline said. The incident took place on Thursday evening when the flight was readying for Kochi for departure with Thiruvana-nthapuram being the final destination. We have suspended the two cabin crew members for delaying the flight. We will not tolerate any indiscipline at the airline, Air India Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani said here. The airline deeply regrets the inconvenience caused to its passengers, he added. According to sources, initially it was an argument over some personal issue between a junior male cabin attendant and the second senior female cabin crew after which there was a heated exchange of words.

However, it turned into heated exchange of words, forcing the commander to intervene. But when they refused to relent, the operations in-charge decided to offload both of them and deploy new crew in their place, the sources said. Air India on its part said that there was minor altercation.
by Adrian Gibson

THIS week, the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) finds itself at the centre of yet another public relations disaster where apparent claims of medical malpractice are being levelled against the facility by an American man.

Admittedly, I am no fan of PMH as I see it as a horrid mess where the unprofessional attitudes of certain staff members, the unkempt and dilapidated wards and long wait times leave much to be desired.

However, in no way does this column affirm the particular story told by American Jake Beiersdorf in a now controversial interview on US television station Fox-9 that referenced his nightmarish experience at PMH which began in January when he came to The Bahamas to work at an annual poker tournament. According to Mr Beiersdorf, days after his arrival, he began to feel excruciating pain in his lower right side and was rushed to PMH.

There, Mr Beiersdorf alleged that he was made to wait for 14 hours in a filthy room before doctors told him the pain was coming from his appendix. He said doctors gave him anaesthesia and operated. Mr Beiersdorf alleges that when he woke, he found an incision more than a foot long, from his breastbone to the top of his groin, that ran vertically through the centre of his body.

He said he was also surprised by the look of the incision. Mr Beiersdorf alleged that doctors told him the large incision was needed because his appendix burst and they needed to clean out his insides. He also claimed that doctors gave him about 13 loosely sewn, superficial epidermal stitches for an incision he later found out required around 45 staples. He also alleged that he spent four days in a disgusting room with about 15 people and his bedding was never changed.

Following his hospital stay, Mr Beiersdorf said he spent five days in his hotel room and returned to the hospital to get discharge papers and have his bandages changed in a room he now describes as a storage closet.

Whats more, Mr Beiersdorf claims that on his return to his home state of Minnesota, he went from the airport to the emergency room at Fairview Southdale Hospital where doctors operated on him to determine what happened to his body in The Bahamas. He claimed that doctors there told him that his appendix was still inside him and that his organ was healthy and subsequently removed by American doctors. He also claimed that his Minnesota doctors told him that he had not been properly stitched in The Bahamas and added around 40 staples.

Whether Mr Beiersdorfs account is true or not, it does not bode well for PMH or The Bahamas, particularly since we have been flaunting the new stem cell legislation and seeking to promote the country as a place that would cater to medical tourists.

I have spoken to several senior officials at PMH. Many of the doctors are irate. Two high-level sources spoke to me on condition of anonymity and revealed certain facts that leads me to believe that the doctors and staff at PMH, who handled this operation, did in fact follow all medical protocols and offer the most credible story in this affair.

Both officials told me that Mr Beiresdorf entered the hospital complaining of abdominal pain and that doctors were informed that he had been experiencing such issues for two days beforehand.

The appendix was black like tar and the abscess on the appendix was ruptured. Poisonous fluids had entered the stomach cavity. The patient was suffering from acute appendicitis. Once he was operated on, the staples that held his abdomen together were temporary because doctors had to wash his internal organs with a solution every five hours to ensure that he would live, to ensure that the infection didnt spread and that we cleared that cavity. He agreed to the surgery, he even signed a waiver. He had a perforated appendix and pus was in his belly, one of the officials said.

When the patient was discharged, he was stitched. After a few days, the wound was closed with sutures. For very sick people, sometimes we dont even staple the wound, sometimes we stuff it and leave it open. We have his appendix at PMH. The problem with this story is that Fox-9 didnt fact check the allegations. They just went on a patients statement and we wonder if they even called the hospital in Minnesota with regard to the second operation before running their story. We have the appendix. This is simple: we can just do DNA testing and prove it, one of the sources said.

The patient was not in a closet. He was in a small room that is set aside for dressing changes. His story could have been a good story about the inadequacies and challenges at PMH, his story could have given the fight to better PMH more weight, but the additional add-ins have totally thrown things off, it has totally misrepresented what happened! It is disparaging medical professionals and to our country."

I am told that Mr Beieresdorfs procedure was supervised by Dr Delton Farquharson. Both of my sources swear to Dr Farquharsons experience and professionalism.

PMH is an ancient institution built in 1955. Except for various extensions and upgrades, it is functionally similar to the way it was when it served a smaller, less ill and less violent populace. Notwithstanding the change in medical service needs, the institution has not kept up. The infrastructure is inadequate, there is insufficient space and inadequate equipment. Despite this, consecutive governments appear to expect this archaic institution to serve the needs of a country of nearly 400,000 citizens and millions of visitors. Our governments have adopted a short-sighted view relative to healthcare and though the National Health Insurance plan may have benefits, such a plan cannot effectively work when the infrastructure, staff and training is not in place.

Any healthcare initiative must address the demands at PMH in order for that facility to meet the needs of the public. Even the most recently added Critical Care Block was modified to reduce the number of clinical beds available to patients with inconsiderate big wigs choosing to convert an entire floor into posh administrative office spaces.

There is no question that the emergency room should be replaced with a facility big enough and organised in such a way to cope with the trauma heart disease, chronic non-communicable diseases, infectious disease, maternity and paediatric issues that face a very busy national hospital.

Services at PMH should be outsourced. The services that could be easily outsourced include the clinics, dialysis and some other diagnostic services that could be off site. The morgue, which serves as a coroners office, should not be on-site. The blood-bank at PMH should be downsized to become a satellite of a national blood bank that is situated elsewhere.

Overall, many of the wards at PMH are inadequate. The facilities they offer are pitiable, bathrooms are usually not operational and the ambience totally off-putting. It is difficult to appreciate the quality of that care in a general environment that conjures up a feeling of squalour. These wards ought to be systematically replaced. Many of the upgrades are decades overdue.

The attention to staff training and re-training as well as failures to modernise telecommunications, information technology and record keeping are all examples of a facility that continues to function in the 20th century though we are two decades into the 21st century. Whats more, the facility remains lop-sided relative to staffing, serving as an employment agency of sorts to persons working menial jobs or in minor supporting roles whilst being challenged due to understaffing of nurses and top-class physicians. As it stands, PMH has one consultant radiologist. The ratio of support staff (parking lot attendants, auxiliaries, etc) to clinical staff is excessive when compared to virtually every other hospital in the developed world. The Sanigest Internacional report, commissioned by the government, says as much.

There are people waiting in lines for X-rays, laboratory tests, surgery, clinics, delivery of babies, to use bathrooms and in emergency room queues at the PMH. Further, the parking is inadequate and suggests that we have not adjusted the care delivered at PMH to the demands of 2015. When prisoners or criminals enter the emergency room or evade custody, there is pandemonium. Why is there no lock up unit at PMH? Criminals in shackles lie side-by-side with innocent civilians.

I am told that there is a problem with retaining the best nurses as many of them leave for better paying, less stressful jobs in the private sector. I cannot blame them for pursuing their interests. However, in a recent visit to PMH Accident and Emergency with my 82-year-old grandfather, some of the worst nurses in the world must have been on duty at that time. They simply were unprofessional, uncaring, belligerent and, if I had the power to, I would have fired several of them on the spot. I would not trust certain nurses and so-called healthcare professionals with a piece of cardboard.

That said, I must credit physicians such as Dr Darius Unwala and Dr Gabarone. These two men are two bright stars at PMH. Give both of them pay raises. Dr Unwala is a caring, down-to-earth physician who, as he tells me, does it because he loves people. I cannot find enough superlatives to describe and the great job he does. If only some of the nurses and certain wayward doctors could take a page out of their book.

I think that the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) must also be revamped and become more effective at decentralising the decision-making from government and the Ministry of Health. This would likely allow the PHA and the institutions it runs to become more like private entities. There remains too much government influence in the PHA.

I would advise any government looking to improve the facilities at PMH to act on plans (that already exist) and gradually build a new hospital on site by building a hospital of several floors.

_________________________________________________________

First published in the The Tribune under the byline, Young Man's View, here

View Adrian Gibson's archive here

____________________________________________________

The views expressed are those of the author, and not necessarily those of WeblogBahamas.com (which has no corporate view) or its Authors.
Vijayawada: APs farming community has objected to the construction of new irrigation projects (barrages) on Godavari river in Telangana state. They plan to approach government authorities and also the River Management Board.

According to AP Reorganisation Act, the construction of new projects on the Godavari river should be taken up after getting the permission from Central Water Commission.

As per reports, the Telangana government has proposed new barrages on Godavari river at Tupakulagudem, Medigadda, Annaram and Ellampalli along with Dammugudem. It is planned that the water would be shifted from Godavari river with lift irrigation system from 200 meters depth.

The 500 TMC feet water would be supplied for nearly 40 lakh acres in the limits of Medak, Nalgonda, Karimnagar and Nizamabad districts. The water iversification for Nizamsagar and Sriramsagar projects is also part of the plan. The Telangana government proposed the projects with an attached cost of Rs 30,000 crore.

The proposed new barrages may trigger controversy between Andhra and Telangana over rights regarding the utilisation of excess Godavari water. As per reports, nearly 50,000 cusecs to 120,000 cusecs of water flows into the Godavari every day during the highest flood movement from June to August.

In normal conditions water flow can go down to 20,000 cusecs during the period from August to November.

According to APs Polavaram plans, nearly 50,000 regular water reserves are required for the project. But the new projects in Telangana may challenge this availability.

If all the projects are completed, nearly 500 TMC feet water would be shifted to upstream areas of Polavaram in Telangana state, says former minister Vadde Shobanadreswara Rao and Kris-hna Delta Rytanga Sama-kya president Erneni Nagendranath.

They said that even the AP Reorganisation Act clearly mentioned on future projects on Godavari that any new project would need permission from Central Water Resources Department.

However, Telangana government did not follow the rules while the AP government remained silent, they observed. They said that they wish to approach the Supreme Court on the matter.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 11, 2016 | 06:09 AM | PADUCAH, KY

The McCracken County Sheriffs Department is asking for the public's assistance in locating a Paducah man on outstanding warrants.

On February 29, detectives were conducting surveillance on a home on Clinton Road. A vehicle pulled into the driveway for a few moments and then left down Clinton Road, as the driver apparently observed a marked sheriffs department cruiser and fled the area.

The vehicle collided with a bridge rail and came to rest in a yard on Clinton Road. Inside the vehicle, deputies recovered cellphones and a 9mm handgun with the serial number ground off. The driver has since been positively identified as 25-year-old Nathan Bledsoe of Paducah.

Bledsoe is wanted on outstanding warrants out of Caldwell and Christian Counties. McCracken County Sheriffs deputies have since obtained a warrant for the arrest of Bledsoe for the events of February 29.

Bledsoe is a black male, 6 feet 3 inches in height, and 210 pounds. He is known to have family in LaCenter in Ballard County.

Anyone with any information on Bledsoe is asked to contact the McCracken County Sheriffs Department (270-443-4719) or their local law enforcement agency.
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Field and grass fires have been burning in Graves, McCracken, Calloway Counties
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Mar. 11, 2016 | WICKLIFFE, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 11, 2016 | 03:42 PM | WICKLIFFE, KY

Charges of official misconduct in the second degree were dismissed Friday in Ballard District Court against two former employees of the Ballard County Jail.



The charges against former Ballard County Jailer, 70-year-old John M. Horn, of Wickliffe, and his assistant, 45-year-old Monica Galloway of Bardwell, were dismissed after it was revealed the indictments against both, which were misdemeanors, were filed by Ballard Commonwealth Attorney Mike Stacy more than one year after the events which led to the charges. The statute of limitations for misdemeanors in Kentucky is one year. Horn and Galloway were facing potential imprisonment of up to 90 days and fines of up to $250.00.



Special prosecutor Jeff Edwards, the Marshall County Attorney, moved to dismiss the charges after Friday mornings arraignment of Horn and Galloway, with Special Judge Randall Hutchens of Calloway District Court granting the motion.



The charges against Horn and Galloway had been brought by a Ballard County Grand Jury on January 29 for events which allegedly occurred during the 2013 calendar year. They stemmed from findings in an audit performed by then-Kentucky Auditor Adam Edelen, that faulted record keeping at the Jail. The case was investigated by the Kentucky Attorney Generals office.



Paducah attorney Andrew T. Coiner, who presented Galloway, said it was encouraging to know that Stacy and Edwards recognized the flaw in the indictment and dismissed the charges. He said he was confident a jury would have acquitted both employees.



It is important to note that all funds were accounted for in the audit, said Coiner. Neither Horn nor Galloway were accused of theft.



Stacy said that Horn and Galloway will not face additional charges based on audits of the Ballard County Fiscal Court.
Hyderabad: Counting on Central grants and loans from financial institutions, AP finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu on Thursday presented the states annual Budget for financial year 2016-17 featuring an overall outlay of Rs 1,35,689 crore and estimated revenue deficit of Rs 4,868 crore.

Planned expenditure was put at Rs 49,134 crore and non-planned at Rs 86,555 crore. Rs 1,500 crore was earmarked for APs new capital. Budget allocation for social security pensions and waiver of farm loans was reduced compared to previous year.

Mr Ramakrishnudu took 2 hours and 5 minutes to complete his 57 page Budget speech. The state government allotted Rs 1,500 crore for building the capital city Amaravati and Rs 3,660 crore for the Polavaram project.

For the construction of capital city the Centre had released Rs 1,850 crore to the state government. Of this, Rs 850 crore is for construction of government buildings like Assembly, Secretariat, High Court, Raj Bhavan and others and Rs 1,000 crore for development of infrastructure in capital city. The state government hasnt spent these funds, and has allotted Rs 1500 crore in the Budget.

Revenue from Centre:

Central taxes share: Rs 24,637cr

Grants in aid: Rs 26,849 cr

Revenue from state
By The Associated Press Mar. 10, 2016 | 09:28 PM | FRANKFORT, KY

Kentucky Democrats are trying to speed up the results of Tuesday's special House elections so the newest members can vote on a proposed state budget next week.

Democrats have 50 members and Republicans have 46. It takes 51 votes to pass a budget. Democrats won three of the four special elections on Tuesday, giving them 53 members.

The State Board of Elections is scheduled to certify the results at 1 p.m. on Tuesday. The new members can be sworn in immediately after that. But House Speaker Greg Stumbo said the House hopes to vote on the budget at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

Stumbo has asked Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, who leads the State Board of Elections, to certify the results on Friday. Grimes has yet to respond to Stumbo's request.
Rita Redmond was a true lady who felt that every pupil had something to gift to the world
Actors Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart will reunite to star in Harold Pinter's No Man's Land in the UK.

The play arrives following a run in New York in 2014 and opens at the Sheffield Lyceum on 3 August. It will then tour the UK before arriving in the West End at Wyndham's Theatre on 8 September for 14 weeks.

The duo starred together in Samuel Beckett's surreal piece Waiting for Godot which ran at the theatre Royal Haymarket in 2014, and then transferred to New York where it ran in rep with No Man's Land.

The play follows two ageing writers Hirst and Spooner who meet in a pub in Hampstead and get increasingly drunk as the evening wears on. Sean Mathias directs the production which received positive reviews on Broadway, including four stars from the New York Times. McKellen plays Spooner, while Stewart plays Hirst.

McKellen said: "Playing Spooner to Patrick's Hirst on Broadway was a constant joy, which is why I am delighted to be back with him in the West End."

Stewart added: "I saw the original production of No Man's Land three times in one week at Wyndham's Theatre. I made a promise to myself that one day I would play Spooner or Hirst but to be doing it back at Wyndham's with Ian McKellen was a fantasy I never entertained."

The first production of No Man's Land opened at the National Theatre (when it was based at the Old Vic Theatre) in 1975 and starred Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud. It then transferred to Wyndham's Theatre.

In the West End, there will be over 100 tickets per performance priced at 20 or less. Other venues in the tour include Theatre Royal, Newcastle, Theatre Royal, Brighton and New Theatre, Cardiff.

No Man's Land runs at the Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield between 3 and 13 August before touring the UK. It arrives in the West End at Wyndham's Theatre for a 14 week season from 8 September.

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After ten years working at the forefront of WhatsOnStage, Michael Coveney has announced he will step down as a theatre critic for the site this April.

Coveney commented: "The tenth anniversary of my appointment at WhatsOnStage looms in early April, and I've felt for some time that this would be the right moment to take a step back from the reviewing hurly-burly while I'm still enjoying the job so much and WhatsOnStage goes from strength to strength. I'm delighted that my colleagues, Chief Operating Officer Sita McIntosh and Managing Editor Daisy Bowie-Sell, have invited me to remain associated with the company and I shall be contributing articles on an occasional basis in the future. Meanwhile, I shall be continuing to write books and to go to the theatre, happy that WhatsOnStage has become such an important hub for new critical writing around the country."

WhatsOnStage's Chief Operating Officer Sita McIntosh said: "Michael has been a brilliant friend and collaborator over many years, and we are honoured to have had him lead our reviewing team for the past decade. We will greatly miss his experience and expertise with his daily reviews and column, but look forward to continuing our association with him for many years to come."

Coveney began working for WhatsOnStage in 2006 and has since reviewed countless productions up and down the country. One of the UK's most respected drama critics, he has been writing about theatre for four decades and has written several books including a recent biography of Maggie Smith and critical biographies of Mike Leigh and Andrew Lloyd Webber. He has worked as editor of Plays and Players, and as staff critic on the Financial Times, Observer and Daily Mail.

The company will appoint his successor shortly.
The BJP-led government was allotting permits to migrants and depriving the "sons of the soil" of new permits, the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena said in a statement. (Photo: PTI)

Mumbai: MNS general-secretary Shalini Thackeray along with party workers on Friday staged a protest at the RTO office in suburban Andheri against the "faulty process of allotment of new auto permits" in the Mumbai region.

The BJP-led government was allotting permits to migrants and depriving the "sons of the soil" of new permits, the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena said in a statement.

Shalini Thackeray also met Regional Transport Officer M B Jadhav and demanded modification of rules so that Marathis get preference, it said.

The state government's directive that the person seeking auto license must be domiciled in Maharashtra, know Marathi, and must not have a criminal record was not being implemented properly, the party alleged.

"The last date for accepting the license application was January 7, 2016. However, the process of issuing new permits started immediately after five days...how did the RTO verify so many applications within five days?" it quoted Shalini Thackeray as saying.

She also said that only 5 per cent of the permits went to women, which was too little. The party also opposed the hike in permit fee, the statement said.

Claiming that 70 per cent of new autorickshaw permits were given to non-Marathis, MNS chief Raj Thackeray had threatened on Wednesday that his partymen would set on fire such autos if they were seen plying on roads.
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Jule Styne, Don Black and Jack Rosenthal are all heavyweight theatre names. It's surprising then that their 1978 musical Bar Mitzvah Boy never really took off. The adaptation of Rosenthal's TV play ran for 77 performances at Her Majesty's Theatre and is only just receiving its first London revival, here in a revised version with a book from David Thompson.

It's the story of a 13 year-old boy from Willesden as he approaches his Bar Mitzvah. At its heart it's a simple coming of age tale, which humorously caricatures the hustle and bustle of a big family event and the quiet reservations of the boy at its centre. It's about a very Jewish ceremony, but it clearly has a lesson or two - about family values, love and taking a step back to consider what traditions actually mean - that is accessible to all. It's a show with a very big heart.

Part of the problem with the book, is that very little actually happens. And what does happen is pretty predictable. The first half feels very stretched out and though Stewart Nicholls' production has a good pace, it ultimately feels padded. But there's no doubting Styne and Black's tunes, which occasionally introduce a klezmer sound. With the winning "This Time Tomorrow" and "The Sun Shines Out of Your Eyes" leading the pack, the songs are most definitely the best thing of the evening.

They are also sung by an excellent cast here, including the young lead Adam Bregman who is great as the bright, outspoken and slightly petulant Eliot Green. Sue Kelvin and Robert Maskell are also pitch perfect as Eliot's distracted parents, so concerned with the event of the Bar Mitzvah, they haven't thought to ask their boy how he's feeling.

It's an intimate staging, which, with a slightly sketchy set that hides part of the excellent live band behind an odd curtain at the back, feels a little rough around the edges. But the sheer joy of the music and the enthusiasm of the performers shine through.

Bar Mitzvah Boy runs Upstairs at the Gatehouse until 10 April and then at the Radlett Centre on 16 and 17 April.
Shortly after showing Tottenham what they missed out on in the Europa League last night, Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang revealed that he very nearly joined the Premier League side back in 2012.

The Gabon international opened talks over a move to Harry Redknapps mob but subsequently walked away after negotiations became- in his words  a bit weird.

In fact, Aubameyang, who was playing for Saint-Etienne at the time, reckons things got so awkward that its now put him off signing for Spurs altogether.

In the end everything became a bit weird, I didnt really like the way things were done. If Spurs ever came back in me for me, Id say no.

How weird, you ask?

This weird
While Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad charged the Government with not confiscating Mr Mallyas passport and also not arresting him even as several agencies were interrogating him, Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha echoed similar sentiments.

New Delhi: Even as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley claimed in Parliament on Thursday that banks are going to take every possible action to recover the loan amount (Rs 9,000 crore inclusive of interest) from the beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya, main Opposition the Congress launched an all-out attack on the NDA Government, accusing it of allowing him to leave the country. Congress MPs led by party president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi staged a walkout from Lok Sabha over the issue.

While Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad charged the Government with not confiscating Mr Mallyas passport and also not arresting him even as several agencies were interrogating him, Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha echoed similar sentiments.

Meanwhile while speaking on the controversial issue in both the Houses, Mr Jaitley said that the banks have been asked to recover every penny that is due, adding that the first banking facility was given to Mallya and his companies in September 2004 which were renewed in February 2008.

On Ghulam Nabi Azad's contention that the present government had failed to bring back Lalit Modi, Jaitley said it was during the UPA rule that the former IPL chief had left the country. Meanwhile, according to agency reports, Mr Mallya, is believed to be at his country home in an English village about an hours drive north of London.

The UB Group chairman and Rajya Sabha member is thought to have driven to his Ladywalk estate in the village of Tiwen near St Albans in Hertfordshire from his London home near Baker Street area earlier this week. A Supreme Court notice for him to return to India is expected to be served to him via the Indian High Commission in London some time this week, sources said.
New Delhi: Terming cyber crime as the biggest challenge for the country, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said the cyber space is increasingly being used to radicalise young minds.

"Cyber crime is the biggest challenge these days with development and access to technology across the globe. Cyber space is increasingly being used to radicalise young minds," he said addressing a security meet organised by ASSOCHAM here.

Singh expressed deep concern over the exponential growth in the figures of cyber crime. Earlier, the crime used to originate from land, water and air but now it emanates from cyber space too.

"In the 20th century, the dimension of space was added to it. But now a days, cyber crime is showing exponential growth in its number, which is a matter of serious concern," he said.

The Home Minister said that in view of the reach of mobile phones and internet across the globe, including the far-flung areas, the main problem with cyber crime is its detection and prosecution, as it is faceless and borderless.

Singh said an expert group has been constituted in the Home Ministry to prepare a roadmap for effectively tackling cyber crimes in the country.

It has recommended setting up of an Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to fight cyber crimes, he said.

"With increasing inter-connectivity in the world, the challenges will come and we must find ways to tackle these challenges and address the security loopholes in the networks," he said.

US Ambassador to India Richard Verma said India and the US have forged a strong partnership in the last few years and credit goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama "for deepening, broadening and strengthening security partnership".

"The US has the maximum number of military exercises with India, more than any other country in the world," he said.

Appreciating India's leadership in cyber domain, Verma said there is a need to do more in cyber world where both the countries stand now.

"We have a cyber security dialogue. Cyber defence, cyber security are key priority areas," he said.

The Ambassador said that in the spheres of homeland security, the US was working closely with Indian agencies. "Not only we have homeland dialogue, our training has been incredible, we have tactical partnership and we need to share the best technology, best practices," he said.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/03/2016 (2416 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Devon Cluniss shockingly short stint as Winnipeg police chief is ending just as as it began. In controversy.

Im not just referring to Clunis choosing to announce his retirement the day before a police budget that could reportedly see as many as 80 job losses and denying his decision to leave had anything to do with that.

Of course, the rank-and-file are unlikely to believe that, anymore than I do. But thats how its ending.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Chief Devon Clunis shakes Mayor Brian Bowmans hand Thursday.

Much as it began in October 2012 with another surprise and an issue Clunis could have avoided with better decision-making.

Mere days after he was promoted to chief, the then-48-year-old police veteran granted an interview to Winnipeg-based Christian Week in which he told them he believed God had chosen him for the job, when it was really a demigod of sorts  then-city CAO Phil Sheegl, with the blessing of pal and the mayor at the time, Sam Katz.

Thats not what turned Cluniss debut interview with Christian Week into a media-storm disaster, though. It was what he added after he naively said he was tired of the city being labelled the murder capital of Canada.

What would happen if we all just truly  Im talking about all religious stripes here  started praying for the peace of this city and then started putting some action behind that? I believe something phenomenal is going to happen in out city. I truly believe it is coming.

Clunis never backed down from what he said, but he quickly backed away from the religious part of it, and the controversy faded. Yet, the message of community caring and involvement would become a centrepiece of his mission to deal with crime and the social conditions that often create it.

Still, Clunis seemed to have learned a lesson from it, which also defined how he handled the job. Be careful about being too open and honest with the media.

The most obvious example of Clunis saying he was transparent, but not acting it, involved a police-involved tragedy. It was the case of the Westwood mother dealing with postpartum depression who drowned her two children in a bathtub, then drowned herself in the Assiniboine River. That was in July 2013, less than a year into his job. But by August, the Free Press reported what Clunis and the police service hadnt. That, after the mother called 911, and two officers arrived, the cops hadnt found the children in the upstairs bathroom. It was the grandmother who later searched for her grandchildren and found them.

Yes, there was a delay, Clunis acknowledged, without being able to say whether the children could have been saved if police had searched and found them.

The irony was the other delay in the case. The five months it took for Clunis to do what he should have done when it happened.

I remember, as he walked into the police media briefing room to have that confessional interview, his remarking that there were those who thought he shouldnt be doing it. My sense of that was it represented the advice of his offices legal adviser. But Clunis finally made the right decision.

Over his term doing what Ive long said is the hardest job in the city, Clunis undoubtedly made many more good decisions than questionable ones.

His biggest and most obvious asset was the way he reached out to the community, the people of the street and the neighbourhoods. The way he listened may have been his greatest gift. And the way he truly and demonstrably cared. But Clunis didnt merely listen and care, he tried to do something about it.

I recall doing some street work and listening of my own in the crime-plagued West End and asking people if things had improved in recent years. They said it had and they credited police being more involved. Imagine if Clunis had taken a couple of reporters with him to those same streets and asked the same question, and how that would have gone over with the public and police. Instead, he held those stiff community forums and dropped by elementary school classrooms, usually without the media knowing.

To his credit, though, Clunis seemed to connect with and care deeply about the indigenous community, particularly the missing and murdered file and most notably with the resources and backing he and Deputy Chief Danny Smyth gave the Tina Fontaine homicide investigation.

But it ended as it began. In controversy. With the WPS acknowledging the RCMP has interviewed several unnamed Winnipeg police officers around alleged civic corruption involving the construction of the new police headquarters, and the Mounties relying on information from two police informants to whom Cluniss investigators appear not to have given much credence or time.

One might fairly wonder whether the scandal and the RCMP probe had anything to do with the decision by Clunis to leave his post so soon.

But on Thursday, Clunis wasnt answering questions about how his officers handled the whistleblowers the Mounties took seriously.

It ended as it began in another way, too. With Clunis saying what he had said when he was appointed.

That he wanted to make a difference. And he did.

The police service is better than when he inherited it. Unfortunately for Winnipeg, Clunis was just getting started.

When he stopped.

gordon.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca
The summons has been issued to Mallya under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. (Photo: PTI)

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday issued summons for appearance to liquor baron Vijay Mallya besides questioning a senior executive of Kingfisher airlines as part of its money-laundering probe in the alleged default in payment of Rs 900 crore dues to IDBI bank.

Official sources said Mallya has been summoned to appear before investigators of the ED here on March 18.

"The summons have been issued to Mallya under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in connection with the IDBI case," they said.

The sources said Mallya has also been asked to furnish documents related to his personal finances.

The summons were issued on a day when A Raghunathan, a former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the grounded Kingfisher Airlines, appeared before ED investigators at its office in the Ballard Pier area here.

"We had summoned Raghunathan and he appeared before us for questioning this morning.

"His questioning is important to throw light on various financial transactions, as many of them are in his personal domain," said an ED official.

The ED had issued summons to over half a dozen officials of the IDBI bank and Vijay Mallya-owned Kingfisher Airlines(KFA) under provisions of the PMLA wherein all the individuals have been asked to submit details about their personal finances and Income Tax Returns (ITRs) of last five years to the investigators.

According to the official, in his statement to the SFIO--recorded last month--, Raghunathan has put the blame on Mallya for the financial crisis that felled KFA and said he worked as per the directions from the latter.

Apart from Raghunathan, summons have also been issued to former Chairman and Managing Director of the bank, Yogesh Agarwal and other senior executive members and officials of both the organisations.

The ED recently registered a money laundering case against Mallya and others based on a CBI FIR registered last year. The agency is also investigating the overall financial structure of Kingfisher Airlines and will look into any payment of kickbacks.

The ED has pressed charges under various sections of the PMLA against Mallya and others named in the CBI complaint.

The CBI had booked Mallya, director of Kingfisher Airlines, the company, Raghunathan and unknown officials of IDBI Bank in its FIR alleging that the loan was sanctioned in violation of norms regarding credit limits.

The ED is looking into the "proceeds of crime" that would have been generated using the slush funds of the alleged loan fraud and it is also probing if some of this amount was sent abroad illegally, they said.

The Attorney General had informed the Supreme Court on Wednesday that he has been informed by CBI that that Mallya has left the country on March 2.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/03/2016 (2416 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In the wake of the removal of respected indigenous elder Joseph Meconse from Portage Place several weeks ago, the mall, along with the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ and several indigenous leaders, has rolled out several new initiatives in the spirit of reconcilliation  including additional security measures.

Bear Paw Security will work with the malls current contractor to provide services that consider and promote indigenous culture and traditions.

Meconse has been formally recognized and honoured as Portage Places Ogichidaa  an amabassor and liaison  a role hes unofficially played for a long time in Portage Places food court.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS National Chief Assembly of First Nations Perry Bellegarde (centre): 'This is reconciliation in action'

Long-term goals include exploring the possibility of offering indigenous-led social programs and services near Portage Place. As well, the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ will emphasize indigenous culture as part of its summer arts programming, including a concert series at the mall. The BIZ plans to announce further initiatives later in the year.

The BIZ facilitated a sit-down meeting with Meconse, Lisa Meeches (Manito Ahbee Festival), Damon Johnston (Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg) and Portage Place general manager David Stone to work on a series of short-term and long-term goals to make the mall more inclusive, safe and culturally sensitive.

Today, some of those ideas were shared at a news conference in the malls Edmonton Court. The event was kicked off by a traditional pipe ceremony led by First Nations spiritual adviser Sheryl Blacksmith. Assembly of First Nations national Chief Perry Bellegarde, regional vice-chief Kevin Hart and Manitoba Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Minister Eric Robinson were in attendance.

Bellegarde praised the efforts.

This is reconciliation in action, he said. Lets keep working together.

JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Buffalo Red Thunder drum at a ceremony today at Portage Place honouring elder Joseph Meconse (background, in red).

jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @JenZoratti
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 10/03/2016 (2417 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Words from the past are again haunting star NDP candidate Wab Kinew.

This time, its not rap lyrics, but personal tweets that the 34-year-old Kinew posted between seven and four years ago, which run the gamut from misogynistic to homophobic to ironic.

But the tweet drawing the most criticism  posted by Kinew in 2012  involves the plight of young children on Attawapiskat First Nations, located near James Bay, who at the time were being subjected to dilapidated school conditions and a housing crisis.

Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press files Wab Kinew announced he will seek the Fort Rouge NDP nomination with Premier Greg Selinger last month.

On Oct. 17, 2012, Kinew tweeted: Riding in my limo back to my king sized sweet feeling really bad for those kids in Attawapiskat. #haha #terrible #inative

At the time, Kinew was serving as director of indigenous inclusion at the University of Winnipeg. Although one source close to Kinew has described the Attawapiskat tweet as satire, the joke was lost on political foes.

Althea Guiboche, a Liberal candidate for Point Douglas  widely known in Manitoba as the Bannock Lady, who has spent years distributing food to the homeless and needy  called the tweet unacceptable.

And it was around the time (Attawapiskat chief) Theresa Spence was fasting for those terrible conditions on her reserve, Guiboche said. She was fasting because the schools doors were full of gaps, the children werent clothed, the water was no good, the sewage system was leaking.

All kinds of terrible conditions and thats his tweet, in his limo, riding home to his king-sized suite. Hes looked up to as a leader. For him to be saying things like this, thats rubbing their faces in their own poverty. Its terrible.

NDP leader questions tweets authenticity, Kinew declines to comment

The tweets came to light after Winnipeg political consultant Dave Shorr  a former provincial Liberal party media director and former executive director of Manitoba Forward, a public policy think tank  decided to mine Kinews Twitter account after the former rapper came under fire last week for lyrics that were homophobic and degrading to women.

The tweets included:

 No UFC this weekend, but I did see a 300 pound chick working some nice GnP last night #RezMoms (March 2011)

 In response to a tweet Trying to come up with original questions about H1N1, Kinew replied, Is it true you can get it from kissing fat chicks? (Oct. 09)

 Is going to wrestling class.Because jiu-jitsu wasnt gay enough (June 09)

 Nothin better than grappling with other large sweaty men for two hours. Wait, no..I mean to say pussy! Theres nothing better than pussy (July 09)

A past tweet from Wab Kinew.

Shorr said it took him five minutes to scan Kinews Twitter history, and he wonders if the NDP did the same.

When I first read Wabs apology (for the rap lyrics) in his book I took it at face value, Shorr said. But when I listened to the lyrics of his songs and saw his tweet, my perspective changed. Hearing his music, Wab rapped about the scatological rape of women which I found to be disgusting. He tweeted a joke from a limousine with the hashtag #HaHa about kids living in third-world conditions in Attawapiskat.

When a reporter approached Premier Greg Selinger on Tuesday at the Legislature to ask about his candidates tweets, he questioned their authenticity.

You have to wonder whether theyre his, Selinger said. I have to say, thats not his way of communicating. Hes pretty clear about where hes coming from.

Later, on behalf of the premier, the NDP released the following statement: We stand with Wab Kinew and are proud he is part of our NDP team. He has taken ownership over the words he has said and used in the past which have been hurtful and has accepted responsibility for them.

We are proud that he is running to be the next MLA for Fort Rouge because Wabs actions show that change is possible and that we can fight for the vision of Manitoba that we all hold in our hearts  one that is inclusive, loving and safe.

When reached by phone Wednesday, Kinew refused to comment on the record about the tweets in question without approval of NDP headquarters, which was not provided.

What is satirical about that?: rival candidate

Within hours of Shorr retweeting the Kinew tweets on Monday, several were deleted. The Attawapiskat tweet was still active on Thursday.

Audrey Gordon, the Conservative candidate running against Kinew and Liberal leader Rana Bokhari in Fort Rouge, said Kinews tweets are cause for dismissal from the race.

These are not lyrics that you fit into a melody or rhyme, Gordon said. These are tweets. These are coming from his heart, his values and his principles. He (Kinew) has to own his words. He needs to explain.

Addressing the Attawapiskat tweet in particular, Gordon scoffed at the suggestion of satire.

Oh, my goodness, said Gordon, who works with the kidney dialysis program with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. Why would you be that way about your own people? What is satirical about that?

Kinew has repeatedly apologized for his rap lyrics, explaining that he has grown. Critics say the tweets over a prolonged period of time make them suspect.

For the case of this individual, who was touted as a star candidate, I find it sort of interesting that the NDP didnt do a better job of vetting, said Michelle Rempel, a Calgary-based MP who was born and raised in Winnipeg. And that means going through a persons twitter history, right?

But its not just these tweets. Theres a bit of a pattern here, added Rempel, who was one of the first politicians to respond to Kinews tweets on-line. Theres a history of (rap lyrics). Then theres a history of these tweets over a period of time  and they range the gamut from all levels of inappropriateness. This is about judgment.

The Liberal party will hold press conference tomorrow at 11 a.m. with northern and indigenous caucus to address the tweets.

randy.turner@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @randyturner15
"No shots fired, no one hurt," was the most important outcome of an eight-hour, armed Thursday night standoff in Winona, said deputy Winona police chief Tom Williams on Friday.

Lee William Arnold, 32, held law enforcement officers at bay as he holed up in his apartment on the 450 block of East Sarnia, challenging police to a shootout if they dared come closer.

"He said, 'The only way I'm coming out of here is if I'm dead," Williams said.

"We proved him wrong."

The incident began at a local fast food restaurant Thursday afternoon when a woman companion came up $3 short on cash when it was time to pay for her order, Williams said. Arnold became enraged, raced out of the drive-through, ran a red light on Mankato Avenue, and weaved in and out of traffic at high speed.

The woman fearing for her life and safety, pulled out her cellphone to call 911, Williams said, at which point he told her, "You're calling the cops. I have a gun in my pocket."

She called anyway. It was about 5 p.m.

Arnold abruptly pulled to the curb, ordered her out of the car and pushed her through the door. He then sped off.

The woman was uninjured.

She told police she believed Arnold had a gun in his possession, and described a .38-caliber revolver she said he had held to her head during an argument about a month ago, Williams said.

Arnold then barricaded himself in his apartment, telling police over the telephone, "If you come get me, we're going to get in a shoot-out and be on television in Minneapolis."

Police established a perimeter from Hamilton to Franklin streets and evacuated Arnold's apartment building and the two apartment buildings adjacent to it. The Emergency Response Team was deployed and police settled in to negotiate.

While negotiators kept Arnold talking, police obtained a search warrant for Arnold's apartment. About 12:30 a.m., ERT members positioned themselves near the apartment door and fired tear gas inside, Williams said.

Arnold retreated into the bathroom and more tear gas was deployed. The door was breached, with more gas and a flash-bang stun grenade. Arnold was forced to leave the bathroom, but continued to resist until disabled by a Taser, Williams said.

He was arrested and taken to Winona Health for evaluation. Found unharmed, he was taken to the Winona County Jail.

He faces pending charges of making threats of violence, stalking and domestic assault.

Williams said that a toy replica .38-caliber revolver was found in the apartment. No officers were injured in the incident. The Winona County Sheriff's Department, Goodview Police Department, and the Minnesota State Patrol assisted Winona police. The Winona Fire Department and Winona Area Ambulance Service were also on scene as a precaution.

Arnold has no record in Winona County, but multiple charges and convictions in Olmsted County and other Minnesota counties for domestic assault, assault, drunken driving, obstructing the legal process, driving after revocation and damage to property, according to court records.
A New Lisbon Correctional Institute nurse is charged with having a sexual relationship with, and smuggling contraband to, prisoners at the facility.

April J. Stokes, 36, Elroy, is charged with two counts of sexual assault by correctional staff and three counts of delivering illegal articles to an inmate. The sexual assault charges carry a sentence of up to 40 years in prison for each count and the delivery charges carry a charge of up to three years and six months in jail each.

According to the criminal complaint, the New Lisbon Police Department received a call in October from the New Lisbon Correctional Facility about a report of an employee having sexual relations with prisoners and bringing them contraband.

Police interviewed numerous staff members and were told Stokes seemed to be inappropriately close with inmates and that prisoners would spend more time in the health services unit than seemed necessary  even when doctors were not there.

Three different prisoners spoke to police during the investigation about their relationship with Stokes.

One prisoner stated Stokes brought him money and cigarettes, in addition to a cell phone he was using to talk to Stokes.

Another inmate said he had been exchanging letters with Stokes. He claimed she would use a fake name when sending the letters. The letters contained sexual descriptions about what they could do together and said Stokes would never forget their first encounter.

A third inmate talked to Stokes 12 times on the recorded phone line. They discussed their sexual relationship, and Stokes wrote about the size of his male anatomy. The prisoner said he had sexual touching with Stokes, including him receiving oral copulation.

When interviewed by investigators, Stokes said she had been in a relationship with two of the prisoners, but said she never did anything physically beyond hugs and kisses. She admitted to sending letters using a fake name and bringing in cell phones and tobacco to the prison.

She also admitted to sending one of the prisoners a video of her sexually gratifying herself.

Stokes is due in Juneau County Court at 9 a.m. April 6 for her initial appearance. She is not currently in the Juneau County jail.
New Delhi: Kanhaiya Kumar on Thursday said he had faced serious attack but did not want any police action in the matter.

In his statement, Kumar said, I faced the serious attack on me at the administrative block, JNU. The boy expressed his feelings by slapping me, and I want to know the reason for his anger. I do not know who has used him to do so. But we wont get provoked by any sort of violence. At any cost we will save the culture of JNU, and we dont want any police intervention in the campus.

Read: JNU students are opportunists, allege BJP leaders

JNUSU vice-president Shehla Rashid said the real responsibility lies with the government which did nothing to stop the vilification of a premier educational institute, its students and teachers. JNUSU strongly condemns the attack on comrade Kanhaiya and the endless slander campaigns against him which are creating an atmosphere of hostility for the JNU community, she said.

Read: Kanhaiya Kumar is attacked by outsider on JNU campus

Mr Kumar is a member of the AISF, the students wing of the CPI. The Delhi police had slapped sedition charges on Mr Kumar for allegedly raising anti-national slogans during an event on the JNU campus some time ago.

The attack took place around 6.30 pm on Thursday when Kumar, along with about 200 students, were busy attending a session by Prof. Badri Narayan on Dalits and Hindutva Agenda of Nation Making in the administrative block of the campus.

Witnesses claimed that while the meeting was in progress the youth, on the pretext of an interaction with Mr Kumar, took him to a corner. He then called Kumar a traitor who betrayed the nation and slapped him. Before he could attack again, the JNU students rushed towards him. The assailant then tried to flee but was caught and handed over to campus security. Preliminary investigations revealed that the assailant is a student of a private university in Ghaziabad.

It may be recalled that a group of lawyers had earlier allegedly assaulted Mr Kumar when he was being produced in the Patiala House courts. The JNUSU president, rapidly emerging as enemy number one of the ultra-right-wing and fringe elements of the BJP, has been receiving constant threats.

While the police recently arrested a Purvanchal Sena member, Adarsh Sharma, for offering a reward of Rs 11 lakh to anyone who shoots Kanhaiya, the BJP suspended a youth wing leader after he announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for anyone who cuts off Kanhaiyas tongue.
YouTube: the perfect ice-breaker

Sir Martyn Poliakoff explains why he loves making videos of chemistry.

It looks as if he walked into the barber and said: Give me an Einstein  and make it wild!

There are many intellectual comments on Sir Martyn Poliakoffs YouTube channel, Periodic Videos, but the one above is one of his favourites.

Where scientists are concerned, Sir Martyn Poliakoff is rated one of the best. He regularly rubs shoulders with Nobel Prize winners and has been knighted as a Commander of the British Empire, for his contribution to science. He is the foreign secretary of the Royal Society and has a job description that originates from 1663. It states: To enjoy mutual intelligence and affairs with all manner of strangers and foreigners.

Poliakoff, however, has shortened this to: sort of an ambassador for science. He also has awarded himself the title of Research Professor. However, he willingly admits, it means nothing. I just made it up.

But what Poliakoff is most famous for  except for the fact that he holds a Guinness World Record for having the smallest Periodic Table in the world engraved on one of his hair  is for his YouTube videos on the Periodic Table.

Together with video journalist, Brady Haran, Poliakoff has made a series of 180 videos on each element of the Periodic Table (one for each of the 118 elements, as well as an introductory video and a trailer). These videos have 718 274 subscribers on YouTube, and have made him a major star among young and old, from all walks of life, and have inspired a large number of people into following science as a career.

I got an email from a Brazilian, who said that he was a physics graduate, but now working in finance and that he had realised that this was a big mistake and that he would like to come and do a Ph.D. at Nottingham.

Poliakoff forwarded this message on to the universitys physics department, and not long afterwards ran into the ex-banker in the canteen.

He came up to me, and said look, Im here, doing a Ph.D., said Poliakoff.

In a different message, a janitor at a high school in the US contacted Poliakoff and said that while he had never taken chemistry at school, he had liked Poliakoffs videos so much, that he has given it to his schools science department, and told them to use it.

This is one of my favourite comments, said Poliakoff. I feel that if the janitor is telling the science teachers what to do, then it is good.

Poliakoff however, is foremost a scientist, and academic and a teacher. His research is mainly on Green Chemistry, which are cleaner approaches to making chemicals and materials, and he works on finding cleaner solvents.

However, he feels that it is important to share his love for science, and found that YouTube is a great medium for it.

I think it (his science work and YouTube videos) compliments each other. We make some videos about our research papers, and we sometimes get questions from high school pupils about our research papers, he says.

It (producing the YouTube videos) doesnt really take that much of my time, from doing research, and it is enormously useful in my role as foreign secretary of the royal society. It often helps as an ice breaker with sometimes rather serious scientists from around the world.
Let maths solve the problem

The DST/NRF Centre of Excellence in Mathematical and Statistical Sciences is leading the charge.

South Africa is not in a strong position when it comes to mathematical expertise.

The Centre, inaugurated in 2014 under the directorship of Professor Fazal Mahomed, was established to bring together Mathematical and Statistical Sciences researchers from institutions across South Africa in order to focus on advancing disciplinary and cross-disciplinary research as well as to develop national capacity in these scarce fields.

The Centre currently involves 14 institutions from across the country.

We can hopefully advance research in the areas that we represent in the country and acquire more PhDs, thereby obtaining a critical mass of researchers in the Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, says Mahomed.

The average number of PhDs in Statistics departments at institutions in the country currently lies at a dangerous level.

We need to drastically develop more statisticians as well as more mathematical scientists in general, adds Mahomed.

Since its inception, the Centre has launched various programmes and workshops to attract more academics and postgraduate students to the mathematical sciences, while also being concerned with increasing the skills of mathematics educators.

Mathematics education is fundamental. If our kids in school do not have a good basis in mathematics, we are in serious trouble. We need to interrogate how mathematics is taught or else our children will always have to play catch-up, he explains.

The Centre specialises in pure and applied mathematics as well as statistics and computer science.

The Centre also looks for opportunities to network with experts across the globe to work on real world challenges that the country and local industry face - such as rhino poaching, climate change and dealing with the expected big data of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA)- with the added aim of inspiring younger mathematical scientists to become actively involved in these projects.

It is very exciting to work as a mathematical scientist at the moment, especially in South Africa, says Mahomed.

However, we need many more mathematical scientists to become involved in climate change issues and to focus on working on the mathematical models that arise nationally to help solve our problems.

Inspired in his mathematical thinking by his grandfather and father at a pre-school age, Mahomed himself has built a distinguished career as a mathematician, publishing widely and serving as a supervisor to a number of postgraduate students.

Mathematics is the backbone of science and therefore development and the future of the country relies heavily on increasing the mathematical ability of our people, he says.

Mathematics is becoming increasingly important in the world, especially for a developing country such as South Africa and the Centre will play a very important role in developing our country in the next few years.
Mumbai: Making light of MNS chief Raj Thackeray's threat to burn the new autorickshaws whose permits have gone to 'outsiders', Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said his government was duty-bound to protect all such auto drivers.

"Anyone meeting the stipulated conditions will get permits and it is the government's duty to protect those who get these permits," Fadnavis said at a meet-the-press at the state legislature complex here.

"Our government doesn't work for a company but for the common man," Fadnavis said, in an apparent reply to Raj's allegation that Bajaj Auto was set to make a huge profit from the sale of auto-rickshaws to new permit-holders.

"There is no compulsion to buy auto from a particular company," Fadnavis said.

"People search for their place in politics. At such a time, these statements are made," Fadnavis said.

He also claimed that media gives the MNS chief "ten times more publicity" than he deserves.

On concerns expressed by Shiv Sena MLA Arjun Khotkar and other legislators about upkeep of livetstock during drought, Fadnavis said: "If the state government feels that drought- affected farmers need to sell their livestock, nothing can be worse.

"We have started fodder camps in the drought-affected areas," he said.

"Beef ban is a constitutional decision. This is a right decision," he said, referring to the criticism that due to the ban on slaughter of bulls (in addition to cows), animals can not be sold-off during the drought.

The Chief Minister said the state cabinet had approved a policy to regularise illegal constructions on a mass scale in the state's urban belts.

It would apply to construction undertaken till December 31, 2015, he said. "This is a very comprehensive measure and will benefit the middle class," he said.

"I feel the Court will broadly agree with this policy," he said.
Mumbai: Rajiv Gandhis assassination was no less than a blunder, confided LTTEs chief political strategist and negotiator Anton Balasingham in a new book To end a civil war by Mark Salter.

Though the terrorist groups leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran and intelligence chief Pottu Amman laid off the groups involvement in the most talked of assassination of the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi; however, later on, they admitted the truth before Balasingham.

Balasingham shared the covert information with Norways former special envoy to Sri Lanka, Erik Solheim.

Perhaps most controversially, in terms of official LTTE policies, Balasingham conceded that the killing of Rajiv Gandhi was the biggest mistake the LTTE had ever made, said Solheim, as quoted in the book.

The book, which runs into 549-pages, gives a comprehensive insight into the plight of the then strife-torn Sri Lanka. Further, it also throws considerable light on how Rajiv Gandhis assassination was the biggest blunder undertaken by LTTE.

"Gandhis assassination was committed out of sheer vengeance by the groups chief Prabhakaran. The macabre killings of Tamils by Indian troops when they were deployed in Sri Lanka in 1987-90 was the most pertinent reason behind Gandhis assassination. The leaders conviction in the probability of Rajiv Gandhi sending troops to Sri Lanka if Congress came to power in India further consolidated his motives," reads the book.

LTTE has never officially conceded to Rajiv Gandhis assassination by a woman suicide bomber.

The book also gives an insight into Balasinghams emotional upheaval immediately after the assassination. According to the book, Bala in his last days, when he was putting up at London, made special efforts for repentance; his affinity for India made him apologise for his misdeeds.

Besides, the Norwegian envoy said that when Balasingham was asked about LTTEs alleged involvement in the assassination case, the Lankan political strategist blurted out the truth without any hesitation.

As mentioned in the book, Balasingham warned the envoy of the terror group and suggested him that one should not belittle the power of the organisation as they are capable of undue profanity.

Balasingham was very frank with us, including admitting to the LTTE's mistakes, added the envoy.
Hernando de Soto to receive 2016 Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Prize

Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto, president of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy (ILD), headquartered in Lima, Peru, will receive the 2016 Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Prize at the 13th annual conference sponsored by the William & Mary Property Rights Project in October in The Hague.

Thomas Jefferson founded William & Mary Law School, which is the oldest law school in the United States. The school is presenting the conference in cooperation with the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies of Leiden Law School.

Past recipients of the prize have included former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who served on the court from 1981 to 2006; Richard E. Pipes, Baird Professor of History, Emeritus, at Harvard University, and former member of President Ronald Reagan's National Security Council; Frank I. Michelman, Walmsley University Professor, Emeritus, at Harvard University; and Richard A. Epstein, Tisch Professor at New York University Law School.

De Soto is the author of The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else (Basic Books, 2000), The Other Path: The Economic Answer to Terrorism (Basic Books, 2002), which includes a new updated preface, "The Other Path after Ten Years," and Swiss Human Rights Book Volume 1: Realizing Property Rights (2006), co-authored with Francis Cheneval. The prize is named in honor of Toby Prince Brigham and Gideon Kanner for their lifelong contributions to protecting private property rights and is presented annually at the Brigham-Kanner Conference to a scholar, practitioner or jurist whose work affirms the fundamental importance of property rights to individual liberty.

"Hernando de Soto is known the world over for his tireless advocacy of property rights reform as a tool to alleviate global poverty," said William & Mary President Taylor Reveley. "His work challenges us to think deeply about the relationship of property rights to the human condition, and he joins a roster of luminaries, including Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, recognized by the William & Mary Property Rights Project."

De Soto's work in developing national economies and establishing private property rights has earned him praise around the world. Time magazine named him one of the five leading Latin American innovators of the century in 1999, and included him among its list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2004. Forbes Magazine in 2002 listed de Soto as one of the 15 people "who will reinvent your future." Former U.S. President Bill Clinton called him "probably the world's most important living economist," and described the ILD's work as the "most promising anti-poverty initiative in the world."

William & Mary Law School Dean Davison M. Douglas said that the 2016 event promises to be truly special. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to honor Hernando De Soto with the Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Prize. We are especially pleased to be able to present him with the prize in The Hague. This is our second international property rights conference, having previously convened in Beijing in 2011. Property rights are a global issue, and our 2016 gathering will call attention to the importance of these rights around the world."

About Hernando de Soto

De Soto began advocating for property rights in his home country of Peru in the 1980s. He asserts that no nation can develop a strong market economy without first establishing firm property rights for all its people. In looking to the native Peruvians and other indigent citizens, de Soto saw the root of their economic struggles and, as he wrote in his book, The Mystery of Capital: "They have houses but not titles; crops but not deeds; businesses but not statutes of incorporation." He worked closely with Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori to help his impoverished fellow citizens unlock their economic potential through the establishment of a land title program.

After de Soto's success in Peru, other developing nations reached out for his assistance. He has worked closely with the heads of state from Haiti, Mexico, Egypt, the Philippines, and many other nations. Throughout his long career, he has asserted in his writings and advocacy efforts that poor citizens in developing nations lack formal legal title to their property and are thus working with "dead capital." Due to their lack of title, they cannot obtain bank loans to further their businesses, nor can they effectively sell their products in the national economy. He and his colleagues at the ILD estimated that the amount of dead capital in untitled assets held by the poor around the world totals "at least 9.3 trillion"  a sum of money that could provide an incredible boost to the world economy, if unlocked.

Today, de Soto continues to fight poverty and to push for the development of economies through property rights. In 2014, he responded to French economist Thomas Piketty's analysis and critique of modern forms of capital that contribute to inequalities in wealth distribution by arguing that the importance of capital should not be diminished but rather legally recognized even among the poor in developing nations. In 2015, de Soto served as a moderator at Richard Branson's Block Chain Summit to discuss how the world could benefit from the technology behind Bitcoin digital currency.

De Soto has received numerous international recognitions and honors, including, for example, the Adam Smith Award (Association of Private Enterprise Education), BearingPoint, Inc.-Forbes Magazine Compass Award for Strategic Direction, the CARE Canada Award for Outstanding Development Thinking, The Economist magazine's Innovation Award, the Freedom Prize (Max Schmidheiny Foundation), and the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty (Cato Institute).

To request a brochure about the 2016 conference, please contact the William & Mary Property Rights Project at lsdevl@wm.edu or call (757) 221-3796.
It might be recalled that the leopard was captured with great difficulty from Vibgyor School in South East Bengaluru after a five-hour long operation which left a tiger conservationist and scientist, Sanjay Gubbi, seriously injured. (Representational image)

Bengaluru: In a first of its kind case, the Bengaluru rural police have booked and recorded statements of senior forest officials over the recent leopard escape from Bannerghatta Biological Park(BBP), fixing responsibility on forest officials for dereliction of duty and negligence.

Bannerghatta police station witnessed high drama on Thursday when the BBP Executive Director, Santhosh Kumar, Assistant Conservator of Forest, and the Range Forest Officer were summoned by the police for recording their statements on a complaint lodged by an environmentalist over the leopard escape on February 15. It might be recalled that the leopard was captured with great difficulty from Vibgyor School in South East Bengaluru after a five-hour long operation which left a tiger conservationist and scientist, Sanjay Gubbi, seriously injured.

According to the police, the complaint by an environmentalist, Mohan Raj, was lodged on March 7 at Bannerghatta police station alleging that it was due to sheer negligence that the leopard, which was captured after a grueling operation, was allowed to escape right under the nose of forest officials. The police registered an FIR under IPC section 289  Negligent conduct with respect to an animal- and subsequently issued summon notices to the three senior forest officials.

Mr Santhosh Kumar along with the ACF and the RFO arrived with their advocate on Thursday afternoon at the police station.

I was given a notice on Tuesday that a case had been filed against me, ACF and RFO. We had sent an officer on Wednesday, but police insisted that I come in person. We went to the station at 1 pm, and initially they made us wait till the computer operator arrived. Finally, at 2.30 pm, they started to record my statement. But each time, they made glaring mistakes, and they had to redo the whole process. That is when I started to realize that they were deliberately harassing us,he said.

Finally, when the statement was recorded, they said I had to wait until the Sub-Inspector came and at 6 pm, when I told them I had to leave, the policemen gheraoed my car. It was only after I called my senior officials they let me go from the station, said Mr Santhosh Kumar, Executive Director, BBP.

The IFS association has called for a meeting at Aranya Bhavan on Saturday, and will take up the matter with the Forest Minister and the Home Minister.




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Mumbai: Maharashtra Legislative Council Chairman Ramraje Nimbalkar on Friday directed that a joint committee of members of both Houses of Legislature, as proposed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, study the draft legislation to ban dance bars.

Nimbalkar's direction came in the Upper House after Fadnavis called for a strong law against dance bars that would stand the scrutiny in courts.

During the calling attention motion, Leader of Opposition Dhananjay Munde raised the issue of dance bars and said that former state Home Minister R R Patil had managed to prevent dance bars from conducting business for 10 years.

"Now, what happened in one year that the Supreme Court suddenly ordered that dance bars could start business once again? While we honour the SC's judgement, it is our right to frame a law banning their (dance bars') operations," he said.

"Will the government bring out a legislation before the 15th of this month?" Munde sought to know.

Responding, Fadnavis said after courts had struck down the (earlier) state government's law banning dance bars, the Advocate General was consulted, who drafted a new law which was rejected by the (then) state government.

Instead, the (earlier) government drafted a new law which was once again sent to the AG, who termed it amateurish and one that looks like government doing moral policing.

This law was once again challenged by dance bar association in courts, he pointed out.

Fadnavis said that while a regulatory Act is required for liquor prohibition, a strong law, that would stand the scrutiny of courts, is required to ban dance bars.

"We had put 22 conditions before the Supreme Court. Out of these the SC had struck down seven, but after we contested strongly, the SC agreed on six of our conditions," he said.

Fadnavis said his government's intention is that the dance bars should not re-start.

"We have readied a draft law that has included suggestions from all stakeholders. I request that a committee of members of both Houses should be formed which would study the draft law in the next 3-5 days," he said.

"We cannot go by emotions...please do not doubt our intentions. Bringing in a strong law will be a true tribute to R R Patil," he said.

Following the Chief Minister's statement, Nimbalkar said the committee can study the draft legislation in the coming week and a law can be passed the week after.
Policemen review security arrangements on the eve of the three-day World Peace Festival organised by spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday asked Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living (AOL) foundation to pay Rs 25 lakh today and granted three weeks' time to pay the remaining Rs 4.75 crore of the fine.

If the Art of Living fails to pay up, then the NGT would attach the grant Rs 2.5 crore which Culture Ministry is supposed to pay to AOL, it said.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also clarified that the amount of Rs 5 crore be treated as environmental compensation and not as penalty.

When the counsel appearing for AOL submitted that the statement refusing to pay was made in a context that it will be difficult to pay as the foundation is a charitable trust, the bench said adherence to the rule of law is not only the duty of government but citizens also.

"Certainly adherence to the rule of law is the duty of not only the government but citizens also. The rule of law is a very foundation of administration of justice.

"If the rule of law is hurt, it will affect the justice dispensation system. This controversy loses its significance by the stand taken by the Foundation. We do not wish to go into the merits of the controversy," the bench said and fixed April 4 as the next date of hearing.

Read: Sri Sri event: Centre assures damage control in case of harm to environment

Earlier in the day, AOL told the green court that it needs 4 weeks time to deposit Rs 5 crore fine and to comply with all tribunal directions.

Art of Living it is a charitable organisation and is difficult to generate Rs 5 crore in a short period, Sri Sris team told NGT.

Art of Living wanted to use the Rs 5 crore penalty towards the creation of a biodiversity park, as ordered by the court earlier this week.

NGT also took strong objection to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's earlier refusal to pay fine, says when a person of that stature makes such statements, it hits rule of law.

The order of the tribunal came on a plea by environmentalactivists seeking stay on AOL's World Cultural Festival here from today to March 13, alleging that they have not deposited Rs 5 crore fine.

The petition has alleged that AOL has not taken mandatory permissions from competent authorities like fire department, police and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).

Read: Venkaiah Naidu backs Sri Sris event, says should not be politicised

During the hearing in the NGT, where CRPF and Delhi police personnel were deployed after some Rashtrawadi Shiv Sena members threatened to hold demonstration, AOL also moved an application seeking four weeks time to deposit the fine and comply with all the directions of the tribunal.

The tribunal also pulled up Ministry of Water Resources for not doing anything to protect river Yamuna from pollution despite directions.

"What have you done? Have you inspected the river? Despite directions you have not checked pollution in the river," the bench said.

During the hearing, a member of Ojaswi Party was also thrown out of the court room for disturbing the proceedings with the NGT issuing a show cause notice to him for contempt of court.

Read: Opposition creates uproar in Rajya Sabha, calls for Sri Sri to be sent to jail

On Thursday, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar sounded defiant saying he would rather go to jail than pay the Rs 5-crore fine imposed by the National Green Tribunal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to attend the cultural extravaganza starting today on the Yamuna flood plains. President Pranab Mukherjee had earlier cancelled plans to attend the valedictory session on Sunday. The NGT bench, headed by its chief Swatantar Kumar, had sternly asked Art of Living Foundation to deposit the penalty by Friday, failing which the law will take its own course.

In a separate development, Zimbabwes state-controlled ZBC TV confirmed that President Robert Mugabe, who was to be one of the guests of honour, has called off his engagement at the festival.

The Supreme Court refused to entertain a plea seeking its direction to stop the three-day mega-event as a bench headed by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur asked the petitioner, Bhartiya Kishan Majdoor Samiti, to approach the NGT.

Read: Art of Living fest today: Sri Sri wont pay Rs 5 crore fine, ready for jail

Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu came out in support of world cultural festival being organised by Art of Living on Yamuna flood plains and dismissed controversies surrounding the event, saying it should not be politicised.

In a series of tweets, Naidu said it is an event to celebrate cultural diversity and "will bring glory to India".

The Urban Development questioned the criticism over army building pontoon bridges for the event, saying there have been instances when the army has helped out during major congregations like Kumbh under previous governments.

"Unnecessary fuss abt army building pontoon bridge. In earlier regimes, several instances like Kumbh Mela, Sankranti in Nashik, Army did the same," Naidu said on Twitter.

Read: 20,000 weddings, Sri Sri fest to clog Delhi roads, massive traffic jam in the offing

He noted that 36,000 artistes participating in one event is in itself a record. "It's a cultural event to celebrate diversity. Let's celebrate and join d festival," he tweeted.

"World Culture Festival by Art of Living will bring glory to India. Let's not politicise this," he said in another tweet.

The AOL has drawn a lot of criticism over the possible environmental damage the event, likely to be attended by over 3.5 million people, will cause to the Yamuna. On Wednesday the NGT imposed a fine of Rs 5 crores on AOL for violating several environmental norms, and penalised and reprimanded the Delhi Development Authority and the Delhi Pollution Control Board for not applying their mind and failing to perform their functions.

We have not done anything wrong. We have been taintless and will remain so. We are law-abiding citizens. We will go to jail but not pay a penny, said spiritual guru Ravi Shankar on Thursday, reiterating: Not a single tree has been felled, and just four have been pruned. He said: It was unreasonable to ask to shift the venue just two weeks before the event.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said his government would have suggested some environmentally suitable venue for the gala event had AOL approached it earlier.

The Delhi police, which has been monitoring the security situation at the venue closely, prepared a fresh status report under the supervision of special commissioner (law and order) Deepak Mishra and decided to heighten its deployment to around 6,000 personnel by roping in all 11 police districts and several specialised units.

Red-flagging some shortcomings, the Delhi police said a lack of direction boards, no fencing on the path leading to the venue, especially from Gates 10 and 11, which are to be open to the public, and inadequate CCTV cameras were some shortcomings listed in the status report.

Special commissioner of police (traffic) Muktesh Chander, who is charting out the traffic plan for the event, also visited the venue on Thursday to take stock of the arrangements and advised people to take public transport while avoiding the Noida Link Road, NH-24 and the Ring Road stretch from the point of intersection with Bhairon Marg till the mouth of the DND Flyway.

Dismissing reports that the culture ministry had given Rs 2.25 crores to AOL for the event, Union minister Mahesh Sharma clarified that the government has not extended any financial support for the event but Rs 2.25 crores was given to the Art of Living Foundation as part of routine grants to organisations promoting art and culture.
European Commission clears EDF, CGN partnership

11 March 2016

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The European Commission has announced its approval of the partnership between EDF and China General Nuclear (CGN) for the development, construction and operation of three new nuclear power plants in the UK. The partnership complies with EU merger regulations, it said.

Under the Strategic Investment Agreement signed last October, CGN agreed to take a 33.5% stake in the Hinkley Point C project in Somerset, as well as for the joint development of new nuclear power plants at Sizewell in Suffolk and Bradwell in Essex. The Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C plants will be based on France's EPR reactor technology, while the new plant at Bradwell will feature CGN's Hualong One design. The partnership is to be implemented through three joint ventures respectively responsible for development, construction and operation of the plants.

The European Commission (EC) has now announced that the planned partnership meets EU merger regulations.

Competition in the UK's wholesale electricity market "will not be hindered by the transaction given the moderate market share of EDF, the very limited market shares of CGN in this market and the presence of other competitors", the EC said.

It also considered the "vertical link" between CGN's reactor supply activities and the future joint ventures' activities in generation and wholesale supply of electricity. EDF also owns other sites considered suitable for building new nuclear power plants. The EC said it raised no concerns on these points "in view of the presence of other players on these markets".

"As regards the other nuclear-related markets where CGN and other Chinese State-owned companies are active (such as instrumentation and control systems, nuclear construction services, etc) and which are upstream to the joint ventures' activities, the commission found that the parties would not have the ability to shut competitors out of these markets," the EC said. It added, "The transaction only concerns the UK market and CGN and other Chinese State-owned companies are barely active in these markets in the European Economic Area and have moderate market shares globally."

EDF Energy said it welcomed the EC's decision. The approval is "a positive step for the Hinkley Point C project" and "shows that the robust agreements underpinning the project continue to pass independent scrutiny," the company said.

In a 3 March joint statement from the British and French governments, they "welcomed the major progress made in recent months with a view to confirming the project to build two EPR reactors on the Hinkley Point site". The statement noted the "significant milestones" of the signing of the framework agreement between EDF and CGN and the state aid approval by the EC of the methodology underpinning the waste transfer contract between EDF Energy and the UK government.

"EDF is currently devoted to preparing all the necessary elements for the announcement of a final investment decision for Hinkley Point C in the near future, with the full support of the French government," the statement said.

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US regulatory structure no hindrance to new technology

11 March 2016

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The USA's nuclear regulatory structure will not hinder the implementation of new advanced reactor technology, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) chairman Stephen Burns told the regulator's annual public conference this week.

NRC chairman Stephen Burns addresses RIC 2016 (Image: NRC)



"While the benefits [of small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced reactors] are not for the NRC to tout, we can work well to ensure that the public trusts us to do the right thing when these new ideas and new applications come to us for review and possible licensing," Burns said in his introductory comments to the NRC's 28th annual Regulatory Information Conference (RIC), held in Bethesda, Maryland earlier this week.

He went on to add that within its current framework the regulator has been working with NuScale in preparation for an expected design certification application for the company's SMR by the end of the year. An early site permit from the Tennessee Valley Authority is expected later this spring, he said.

The NRC's 2017 budget proposal includes $5 million for developing regulatory infrastructure for advanced non-light water reactor technologies, Burns noted. "This is an arena in which we can exhibit our regulatory craftsmanship - assessing risk, balancing risk and regulation, setting boundaries without stifling innovation," he said.

Burns said that the regulator must ensure adequate and effective regulation while using its resources as well as possible. He pointed to Project Aim - the NRC's program to improve efficiency and efficacy while streamlining processes and limiting costs through the most responsible and effective use of NRC resources - as a key part of the agency's future work.

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The Solar Dynamics Observatory is in the middle of "eclipse season" as it orbits 22,000 miles above the earth.

Wednesdays solar eclipse was seen over the Pacific Ocean but it wasnt the only one seen this week. If you happened to be in the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), a 6,600-pound spacecraft orbiting more than 22,000 miles above the earth, you would see a daily eclipse for 3 weeks. The SDO is currently in the midst of what is known at NASA as eclipse season, which runs from Feb. 19 and through March 12.

At the beginning of the 3-week period, the eclipse lasts only a few minutes, but by the beginning of March the daily occurrence lasts for 72 minutes. On March 12 the eclipse will be only a few minutes, and then everything will return to normal.

According to NASA, eclipse season happens because the earth passes between the SDO and the sun. The SDO was launched 6 years ago, on Feb. 11, 2010. It is the first mission launched as part of NASAs Living With a Star (LWS) Program, which is designed to understand the causes of solar variability and the impact of that variability on Earth. SDOs design is to help Earths scientists understand the influence of the sun on earth, and the space near earth, through the study of the solar atmosphere.

SDO is studying how solar activity is created, including how weather in space results from that activity. It is a semi-autonomous, sun-pointing spacecraft that allows nearly continuous observations of the Sun. A continuous science data downlink send its observations to earth at a rate of 130 Megabits per second. The SDO has an inclined geosynchronous orbit, which was chosen to allow continuous observation of the sun. Except during eclipse season, that is.

Photo credit: NASA
Cow (illustration)

By: Mahesh Sarin

Environmental health officials in the United Kingdom, has warned owners of convenience stores to stop selling cow urine as it is not fit for human consumption.

Cow urine was found to be displayed for sale alongside food at convenience stores in London, against the advice of health officials.

The cow urine is used in religious ceremonies even though it is illegal to sell it for human consumption. The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health has warned against selling the cow urine where food was present.

All bottles were labeled that the urine must be used for religious purposes only. One store was caught displaying the bottles next to bread.

An employee of one store selling cow urine said that Hindus buy it when a baby is born, and they keep it in the house for good luck.
Sources said NIA also informed the court that they were awaiting the reply on letters rogatory (LR) issued to Republic of Sudan for collection of relevant evidence in the case (Representational image)

New Delhi: The NIA on Friday told a Delhi court that it has sought assistance from the US and UAE for evidence related to social media and other chat messengers used by arrested suspected ISIS operative Mohamed Naser Packeer.

In a plea filed before district judge Amarnath seeking extension of period of detention of Naser beyond 90 days from the date of his arrest, National Investigation Agency (NIA) said it has sent Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) to both the countries in this regard.

"On January 13, 2016, NIA has sent MLAT to USA and UAE requesting them to provide the evidence regarding social media and other chat/messengers services used by accused Mohamed Naser. Reply in this regard is still awaited," the agency said in the plea moved during an in-camera proceeding.

Sources said NIA also informed the court that they were awaiting the reply on letters rogatory (LR) issued to Republic of Sudan for collection of relevant evidence in the case.

They said the agency told the court that during the probe, it was found that there was a larger conspiracy by the ISIS operators in India and abroad for recruitment of resident and non-resident Indians and identity of such associates were being ascertained.

The court allowed the NIA's plea and extended the period of investigation against Naser in the case by one month.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu-based Naser, who was deported from Sudan and was arrested in the case on December 11 last year, on Friday moved a bail application through his counsel M S Khan.

The court has asked NIA to file its response on the bail plea on April 8.

Naser, currently in judicial custody, sought bail on the ground that the NIA has failed to file a charge sheet against him within 90 days period from the date of his arrest.

In its plea, NIA claimed that during interrogation, Naser had disclosed names and mobile numbers of some active members and sympathisers of ISIS and identity of such associates were being ascertained.
Ewe Better Look Out!  Spring Arrives With Launch of the Wrexham Sheep Trail This Month

This article is old - Published: Friday, Mar 11th, 2016

Ewe wont believe your eyes! Wrexhams popular flock of colourful sheep are returning to the County Borough  and this time theyre bringing some new friends to join them!

Visitors to Wrexham Town Centre wouldnt have failed to miss the five new additions to the hillside on St Giles Way back in September, as the 2015 Tour of Britain Cycle race made its way through town.

After a month out grazing (and with one or two going walkabout to explore the wonders of the town), the familiar and much loved Wrexham Sheep are making a return to Wrexham next month and this time  there will be more of them.

Throughout the Winter, businesses from across the County Borough have partnered with the Wrexham Destination Partnership, Wrexham County Borough Council and the Oriel Wrexham to sponsor and design their own sheep model which will form part of a 20-strong flock of new additions to the Wrexham Sheep family this April.

Added to that familiar faces such as Doris from Borras, Jack Mary Ann, Wheely Good Sheep and Blessing, a new trail will be established to encourage people to visit the sheep in their new homes.

Since going for a hike up Dinas Bran last year, Champion has developed a taste for travel and over the past few months has been visiting some of Wrexhams top tourist attractions  including Chirk Castle, the Aqueduct and even a bit of Motor Safari.

Speaking about the new trail, Joe Bickerton, project manager at the Destination Wrexham Partnership said: Whilst it may be easy to focus on the theft of a few of our sheep last year, the support and desire from a number of local businesses and members of the public to bring back the much-loved sheep has been brilliant.

Initially wed hoped to re-establish the five sheep we had back in September, however after generous sponsorship, we now have 20 new sheep ready to go out around the County Borough as part of an exciting new adventure trail this Spring. We really hope that this trail attracts new visitors to places in Wrexham and gets people talking and taking some great photos with the sheep too!

All the new sheep have been sponsored by local businesses and will be displayed on the business sites / private property, which should hopefully stop the sheep from sneaking off and having a nose around Wrexham.

Some of the locations the sheep will be displayed include Erddig, Bellis Brothers, The Holt Lodge, The Plassey, Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Caffi Wylfa, Jolly Good Van Hire, Chirk Castle, Customer Whisperers, Willington Lodge Bed & Breakfast; The Tyn Y Capel, Minera, Techniquest Glyndwr, Offa Community Council, St Giles Parish Church and Communities First Wrexham (displayed at Ty Mawr Country Park and a location in Caia Park)

One lucky sheep will also be able to graze on top of the Creative Industries Building at Glyndwr University!

Ellie Ashby, an artist at the Oriel Wrexham studio has been working with nominated community groups and primary schools in Wrexham to design and paint the sheep in preparation for the grand unveiling later this month.

Ellie added: Over the last few months, Ive worked with some great primary schools, scout groups and community organisations to design and paint the sheep for the trail. The designs which have been submitted are really colourful and reflect some of Wrexhams most iconic landscapes and we really cant wait to see them all together in March.

All 20 sheep (plus a few old faces) will be unveiled on Chester Street in Wrexham Town Centre at midday on Saturday 26th March, before going out to their new homes around Wrexham after Easter. A new visitor map will outline the trail and visitors will be able to pick this up from the Wrexham Tourist Information Centre, Oriel Wrexham and various outlets around the County Borough from early April.

Visitors to the launch event on 26th March can also take advantage of some culinary treats on Chester Street from the tourism & event management students at Glyndwr University as part of the Wrexham Food Festival launch.

The students will also be inviting Wrexham families to submit their favourite family recipes as they create a book of the best which will launch at the food festival on 14/15th May this year. Therefore, if you have a favourite family recipe that you wish to share, please bring it along together with a short paragraph explaining why your family love it!

Finally, visitors to town that day can also try a 135ft climb to the top of St Giles Parish Church Tower  as their programme of tower climbs launches on the same day at 11.00am and 1.00pm. Pre-booking for these tower climbs is essential by calling the Wrexham Tourist Information Centre on 01978 292051 or by emailing tic@wrexham.gov.uk

*Pictured  staff and children at Rhosddu School decorating their sheep
Welsh Air Ambulance Service To Get New Helicopters

This article is old - Published: Friday, Mar 11th, 2016

Wales Air Ambulance are to introduce a brand new fleet of custom-made aircraft which will significantly enhance its operations, the charity has announced.

Three new helicopters will be launched in January 2017 after a competitive tender process which drew international interest for Wales.

Helicopter operator Bond, a Babcock International Group company, secured the winning bid to lease three Airbus H145 aircraft. The company currently supplies the charity with three EC135 models.

Wales Air Ambulance Charity will become only the third HEMS (helicopter emergency medical service) operation in the UK to use the new H145 aircraft. Equipped for night flights, the upgrade to H145s will move the charity a step closer to its goal of providing a 24-hour air ambulance service.

The new aircraft will also have a larger cabin and more powerful engines, meaning there is extra room for treatments in-flight and the helicopters can fly for longer without refueling.

For the first time, the air ambulance crew will be able to send critical information about patients to medics waiting at hospitals via an on-board high-speed internet connection.

Angela Hughes, chief executive of the Wales Air Ambulance Charity, said: Our new lease of helicopters will help us continue to provide one of the most modern HEMS services in Europe.

It is hugely exciting that the Wales Air Ambulance Charity has had such interest from around the world. It demonstrates that what we are doing is truly pioneering, and we continue to lead the way in developing an advanced air ambulance service.

Crucially, though, it is what the people of Wales are doing which is making all the difference. It is thanks to their support that we have been able to secure such advanced aircraft for Wales, and we need their help to keep the new helicopters in the air.

She added: Our new contract with Bond is fantastic news for the charity and a great way to mark our 15th year providing lifesaving emergency care.

The new deal will see Bond provide pilots, engineers and three brand-new custom-configured aircraft.

Wales Air Ambulance Charity will continue to operate its fleet of EC135 helicopters until the new aircraft begin operating next year.

Tim Shattock, Bond managing director, said: This new contract will allow the Wales Air Ambulance Charity to bring a truly landmark air ambulance service for everyone in Wales. As part of Babcock, and through working closely with the charity we have been able to offer a really innovative service, bringing new aircraft, new technologies and new ways of working to this critical and lifesaving service.

I am pleased we will continue to provide the Wales Air Ambulance Charity with the vital operations that are so important for the people of Wales.

The three aircraft will operate from Wales Air Ambulance Charity bases in Welshpool, Caernarfon and its new headquarters in Llanelli.
Work Begins on Modern 4.9m Primary School in Wrexham

This article is old - Published: Friday, Mar 11th, 2016

Work has officially begun developing a new 4.9 million primary school in Wrexham.

The school will replace the existing Gwenfro Community Primary School in Caia Park and has been jointly funded by the local authority and, Welsh Government through its 21st Century Schools and Education Programme.

Back in December Wrexham.com reported that Caia Park is set to benefit from two state of the art, modern primary developments which will replace existing Hafod y Wern and Gwenfro schools. The total investment into new schools for the area is 10 million.

The plans follow the amalgamation of juniors and infants sections of both schools. The creation of new schools means there is no transition stage between primary and juniors which can sometimes be a concern for young children.

The Deputy Mayor of Wrexham, Cllr John Pritchard performed the official turf cutting at the site. The Deputy Mayor was accompanied by Senior Councillors, officers of Wrexham Council and representatives from the North Wales-based contractors Wynne Construction.

Chair of Governors, Darren Jacks, said: This is a great day for the school. Pupils and staff are all looking forward to learning and teaching in an environment that is modern and equipped for the 21st Century.

Cllr Michael Williams, Lead Member for Childrens Services and Education, said: One of our Council Priorities is to ensure that all children and young people have positive aspirations, learn and achieve their potential. We are grateful to the Welsh Government for their support in this project.

The Council and Welsh Government is match funding the project through the 21st Century Schools and Education Programme. The Programme aims to transform the learning experience of students, ensuring they are taught in classrooms with the technologies and facilities needed to deliver a 21st Century curriculum.

Minister for Education and Skills, Huw Lewis said: We are determined to provide our learners with modern facilities in inspiring surroundings that encourage them to fulfil their potential. Thats why we are investing 2.5 million in this development in Wrexham as part the first wave of our 1.4billion 21st Century Schools and Education programme which is transforming schools and colleges across Wales.

This construction is good news for the local community and it will provide numerous employment opportunities. I wish all involved in the official turf cutting ceremony all the very best for an enjoyable day.

Chris Wynne of Wynne Construction, added: We are delighted to have won this contract with Wrexham County Borough Council which further strengthens our education portfolio. In addition, the project will provide a welcome boost to the local economy, not only securing existing jobs through our local-based supply chain, but also creating a number of new employment and apprenticeship opportunities. We look forward to working in partnership with the key stakeholders to maximise the benefits for the community.

Both schools are expected to be completed and open by 2017.
Mumbai: An autorickshaw was allegedly set on fire by unidentified people in suburban Andheri here, with police suspecting it to be a handiwork of a 'prominent' political party.



The incident took place late Thursday night on Char Bungalow Road in Andheri (West), police said.



"Around 11.30 pm last night, local people alerted police that an auto parked on Char Bunglow Road was set on fire by unidentified people," a senior police officer said.



The incident happened a day after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray directed his party workers to burn down autorickshaws with new permits, alleging that 70 per cent of these permits were given to non-Marathis.



The burnt vehicle was an old one, police said, adding that nobody was injured in the incident.



"We suspect that the burning of the vehicle is a handiwork of workers of a prominent political party," police said.



Sleuths of Amboli police station are probing the case, they said.
In the last week of February, the 3,200 workers of Barcelonas public Metro system (TMB) went on strike for two non-consecutive days, demanding more job stability and pay rises. An assembly of workers held four days before the strike unanimously rejected the TMBs offer to slowly convert 600 workers' temporary, part-time contracts into permanent ones and a meagre one percent pay rise, after a four-year wage freeze.

As in previous years, the action was timed to coincide with the Barcelona Mobile World Congress (MWC), an event that attracts tens of thousands to the city every year and brings millions of euros to the citys coffers.

From the start, the Metro workers faced threats from the citys Podemos-backed mayor, Ada Colau, a leader of Barcelona en Comu, a coalition including Podemos, the United Left-Greens (ICV) and various community movements. The anarcho-syndicalist General Confederaton of Labor (CGT), promoted by various pseudo-left groups as a radical alternative to the social-democratic UGT and Stalinist CCOO unions, capitulated to her demands without a fight.

Once the strike was announced, Colau called on the unions to withdraw the strike threat as a precondition for negotiations, insisting it was not in the general public interest and that budgetary constraints meant that the city could not make a better offer.

She then sought to neuter the strike by setting legally-mandated minimum services of 50 percent of the normal number Metro trains running during rush hour, and 30 percent for the rest of the day. On the second strike day, Colau then upped the rush-hour minimum to 65 percent and 45 percent in off-peak hoursencouraged by the supine response of the CGT, which had scaled back its demands after the first strike day.

Colau was a leading representative of what Podemos dubbed the Mayors of Change. Her record exposes claims that the election of Podemos officials to office offers anything to working people.

Various pseudo-left groups have been trying to promote illusions in Colau. The Morenoite organisation Corriente Roja (Red Current) begs, Ada Colau, now is when you have to fulfill your promises of transparency and social justice.

El Militante, the former Spanish section of the International Marxist Tendency declared, comrades of Barcelona en Comu, this is not the way  Colau and Barcelona en Comu have to think over their position in this conflict.

Oscar Blanco from the Pabloite Anticapitalistas, a founding faction within Podemos, claimed in Viento Sur that The same as it happened in Greece with the signing of the third memorandum, the same moral criticisms (they have sold us out) are proliferating  However, theories of betrayal do not serve to explain anything and what we must try to understand are correlations of forces and the strategic hypothesis.

What is the strategic hypothesis? Blanco answers us explaining that the main challenge is to exploit these tensions [between workers and governments] creatively, prompting municipalities of change beyond the constraints under which they are attached.

What is plainly evident is that Podemos and its forces, if they are given the opportunity, will attack the working class every bit as harshly as did the Syriza government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Greece.

The protestations of Corriente Roja, El Militante and Anticapitalistas are the height of cynicism and hypocrisy. Colau is a bourgeois politician who protects the interests of the ruling elite. Her reactionary role in the Metro strike exposes all these organizations, who claimed she represented an alternative and assisted her rise.

Colau made her name as the spokesperson for the anti-evictions movement, Platform for People Affected by Mortgages (PAH), which developed after the collapse of Spains housing boom and the mass evictions that followed of those unable to pay their mortgages. The PAH channelled social anger behind a petition, the Legislative Initiative for Decent Housing (ILP) to pressure the right-wing Popular Party (PP) government to change eviction legislation.

Following the failure of the petition in 2013 the WSWS warned that it was ...proof of the bankruptcy of the perspective of pressure politics pursued by organisations like the PAH, which became the next port of call for many of the leaders of the Indignados (15M) and Democracia Real Ya! The no-politics perspective they imposed on these movements was responsible for their collapse, and they perpetrated a similar exercise on the budding anti-evictions movement. Colau, a veteran of the G8 protest movement, insisted the PAH was as an independent, apolitical and plural organisation.

Colau then helped create Barcelona en Comu and was adopted by Podemos in its attempts to get elected in last Mays local elections. One of Colaus first actions was to extend the MWC contract. She made no mention of the weeks-long strike by Telefonica agency workers and renewed Catalan government contracts with the mobile operator.

Colau has since joined forces with Yanis Varoufakis, who played a key role as Finance Minister within the Syriza government in imposing the brutal austerity measures on the Greek population. The Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25) he leads peddles illusions in the EU, claiming it aims to democratize and humanize the EU institutions.

Colaus role has been recognized by the ruling elite. Both the pro-PSOE El Pais and the right-wing El Espanol published fawning articles recently titled The Unstoppable Rise of Ada Colau. They said she plays a central part in Podemos and predict she will become president of Catalonia.

Colaus unstoppable rise has a broader significance. It vividly illustrates what workers in Spain would face should a left government involving Podemos comes to power over the next few weeks. Since Decembers elections Spain attempts to form a new administration have collapsed and Podemos has been calling for a Government of Change led by the Socialist Party (PSOE) that includes itself, the IU and smaller nationalist parties. Such a government, like the Syriza government in Greece, would only carry out more attacks against the workers.
Seeking to appeal to Hispanic voters prior to the March 15 Florida Democratic Party presidential primary, Senator Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton postured as defenders of undocumented immigrants in Wednesdays debate in Miami.

Confronted by a Spanish-speaking audience member who, through tears, asked what they would do to prevent the deportation of her family members, who she said were hardworking men in the field, the candidates declared they would do everything in their power to protect the woman and her family.

But any look at the candidates records reveals the cynicism of these claims. Clinton was a central figure in the Obama administration as it presided over a mass deportation policy that saw undocumented immigrants deported at the fastest rate in American history.

Sanders, for his part, is a staunch economic nationalist, whobefore his presidential aspirations forced him to use more guarded languagemade a regular practice of scapegoating Mexican workers for the lowering of US workers wages.

Both candidates are intimately tied to the Obama administration, referring to the man known as the deporter-in-chief as their personal friend. Sanders said Obama had done a great job as president, while adding that he disagreed on the deportation of children.

The debate, co-hosted by Spanish language television network Univision, could hardly have come at a more inconvenient time for the two Democratic Party candidates to posture as defenders of immigrant rights.

On Sunday, a senior official in the White Houses Justice Department declared that he saw nothing wrong with the White Houses current policy of forcing three-year-old children to appear in deportation hearings without a lawyer or guardian, arguing that they could learn immigration law to do so.

Ive taught immigration law literally to 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds, said immigration judge Jack H. Weil. They get it. Its not the most efficient, but it can be done.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch failed to repudiate these comments in a congressional hearing Wednesday. While noting she was puzzled by Weils statements, she defended the White Houses policy by declaring, The current law does not provide the right to counsel for children in deportation hearings.

Just a few hours before the debate, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson issued a statement in which he boasted that since the beginning of the year US Immigration and Customs Enforcement had arrested 336 people in raids at their homes as part of Operation Border Guardian.

He stated bluntly, The focus of this operation are those who came here illegally as unaccompanied children. He further noted that the raids were at my direction. Given that Johnson reports to the White House, his statement made clear that the raids were the deliberate policy of the Obama administration.

During the debate, Moderator Jorge Ramos called out Clinton for her support for the White Houses line on immigration by playing a video clip of a 2014 interview in which she refused to say she would not deport children, instead declaring that she would give them due process, a phrase interpreted by the White House to mean allowing children to represent themselves in court.

When Ramos pressed Clinton on these claims, she declared, I will not deport children.

In fact, Clinton flatly contradicted her posture as a friend of undocumented immigrants in her unapologetic support for a crackdown on the border. She declared, Well, I think both of us, both Senator Sanders and I, voted numerous times to enhance border security along our border. We increased the number of border security agents. We did vote for money to build a fence... And the result is that we have the most secure border weve ever had. These measures have led migrants to seek ever more dangerous border crossing paths, leading to hundreds of deaths every year.

Clinton played a central role in the 2009 coup that overthrew President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras, setting the stage for a brutal crackdown that has led countless thousands of children and adults to flee the country, including to the United States. In her autobiography, Clinton unapologetically defended her role, declaring, We strategized on a plan to restore order in Honduras which would render the question of Zelaya moot. No one questioned Clinton for her role in that political crime, even as she denounced Sanders for comments favorable to left-wing political movements in Latin America, including Cuba.

Both Sanders and Clinton spoke in favor of comprehensive immigration reform. They did not clarify of the actual content of such measures, but the proposals previously put forward by the White House and congressional Democrats include vast spending increases for militarized border security, while making it easier to deport criminals and national security and public safety threats.

Such proposals have been tied to plans to create a provisional legal status for undocumented immigrants, which, according to a White House fact sheet, would require that they come forward and register, submit biometric data, pass criminal background and national security checks, and pay fees and penaltiesin effect forcing them to admit to the crime of entering the United States, before they would be granted provisional legal status, without welfare or other federal benefits.

Later on in the debate, moderator Maria Elena Salinas of Univision called out Sanders for scapegoating immigrants as the cause of falling wages in the United States, playing a 2007 clip in which Sanders declared, If wages are going down, I dont know why we need millions of people to be coming into this country who will work for lower wages than American workers and drive wages down even lower than they are right now.

Seeking to defend himself, Sanders voiced his support for the Obama administrations Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA), tweaks to its program of mass deportation that would provide a temporary reprieve for undocumented immigrants, providing they register with the government. But even these measures, reactionary as they are, have been blocked by right-wing judges, giving the Obama administration a pretense to keep its deportation program in place.

In an interview last July, Sanders specifically opposed a policy of open borders, calling it a Koch brothers proposal a right-wing proposal, which says essentially there is no United States.

Sanders position on immigration is closely aligned with his economic nationalism, which has become more and more of a dominant theme of his campaign in recent weeks, particularly prior to the Michigan primary this week. He has focused his criticisms of Clinton on her support for free trade agreements, rather than on the profit interests of the corporations themselves.

Behind their rhetoric, both Sanders and Clinton support of the interests of big business, which is divided between the benefits of having a super-exploited caste of immigrant workers that can be terrorized by the threat of deportation into working for poverty wages, and creating a guest worker program in which immigrant workers can be turned into low-wage, second-class citizens within the framework of a legal process.

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Normally, local elections receive little attention. But on Sunday evening when the results of the Hesse municipal elections were announced it created headlines. The strong performance of Alternative for Germany (AfD) was regarded as a political sensation. The xenophobic party, which advocates extreme right-wing positions on many issues, had won 13.2 percent of the vote on its first outing.

The other establishment partiesthe Social Democratic Party (SPD), Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Greensrecorded significant losses. The CDU slipped from 33.7 to 28.2 percent and the SPD from 31.5 to 28.0 percent. The loss of votes by the Greens was even more significant. In their Hesse stronghold they had won 18.3 percent five years ago. In the current vote their percentage fell to 11.6 percent, behind the AfD.

Many editorials quickly spoke of a political shift to the right by the general population. It was claimed that the election results show that many voters demand a tougher approach on refugee policy and a stronger securing of the national borders. The Hesse election was hyped as a political barometer for the upcoming regional elections, which take place in three states on Sunday.

Under these conditions a closer look at the Hesse municipal election is called for.

First of all, only a trend result was announced on Sunday that relies on just sixty percent of the ballots, and indeed on those on which a single party list had been checked. But Hesse election law allows so-called cumulating and vote-splitting. This means a voter can give a candidate more votes (cumulate) or vote for candidates from different parties (vote-splitting). Since this was the first time the AfD participated in the election, and their candidates were largely unknown, they did better than average on the party list vote and their totals will be significantly lower in the final result.

According to an election analysis by Forsa, the proportion of right-wing voters in relation to the number of eligible voters is not above average. In the past, the German National Party (NPD), the Republicans, the German Peoples Union (DVU) and other right-wing parties have achieved a similar number of votes to those of the AfD. Forsa also ascribes the good performance of the AfD to the low turnout, which was less than 48 percent. More than 70 percent of voters went to the polls at the last general election.

Secondly, one has to address the question: Who or what is the AfD? It is often referred to as a right-wing citizens movement or a party of angry citizens. In truth, it is an initiative stemming from right-wing CDU and Free Democratic Party (FDP) circles, who, together with employers, economists and representatives of business organizations, want to push the political establishment in a right-wing direction. Here, its close relationship with the media plays an important role. In other words: The AfD is a party created from above within the social elite, not a movement from below.

In Hesse, it was clearly evident how much the party is connected to the extreme right-wing of the CDU, which is closely linked to the person of Alfred Dreggers, who headed the CDU in Hesse between 1967 and 1982 and because of his Nazi past was also called the steel helmet faction of the CDU.

A typical AfD representative is Alexander Gauland, who during his 40 years CDU membership was office manager and speechwriter for the CDU right-winger and later Hesse state premier Walter Wallmann. Three years ago, he was one of the founding members of the AfD. Today he is the deputy party leader and state chairman of the AfD in Brandenburg.

The AfD leader in Hesse is Albrecht Glaser. He too was for decades a CDU local politician and city treasurer in Frankfurt. During his studies in the early sixties he was a leading member of the right-wing Allemannia Heidelberg fraternity and later became national spokesman of these right-wing German student fraternities. After 42 years of CDU membership, he resigned in spring 2013 and became one of the first members of the AfD.

Glasers deputy as AfD state leader is Peter Munch, for many years a member of the right-wing Republicans, and holder of a sizeable number of prominent positions during this time, as the Frankfurt Allgemeine Zeitung reported.

Martin Hohmann, who sat in the Bundestag (federal parliament) for the Hesse CDU since the late nineties, and delivered an anti-Semitic speech on the anniversary of German reunification in October 2003, for which he was expelled from the CDU two years later, headed the AfD slate in Fulda as a non-party candidate.

Although many AfD local and district associations are still being established, by their own account, and therefore presented different demands, the broad outlines of the AfD election campaign were quite clear. The party presented a repulsive mixture of economic liberalism and calls for tax reductions, cutting bureaucracy and dismantling state services along with racist slogans against foreign infiltration and refugees.

On one of its official posters could be seen: Black-Red-Gold is colourful enough! (A reference to the colours of the German flag.) The party programme contains the following: Immigration into the welfare system should be strictly prohibited.

While it calls generally for social protection for those on low incomes, it explicitly states that a legally guaranteed, all-encompassing minimum wage cannot afford this protection. Like all right-wing parties, the AfD claims to be strongly committed to the defence of the family in the traditional sense.

At municipal elections, no detailed reports on voter backgrounds are provided. Therefore, it is not easy to determine from where the votes for the AfD came. But it is striking that in large cities like Wiesbaden, which is not among the social hot-spots, but as a state capital has a large proportion of civil servants and a wide layer of administrative officials, the AfD recorded above average support and achieved its best result with 16.2 percent.

The percentage of votes for the AfD was also very high in the affluent suburbs of the big cities, where the Greens have their strongholds. For example, they scored nearly 12 percent in Frankfurt and 12.2 percent in Kassel. In Giessen, the location of Hesses initial reception centre for refugees, the AfD received more than fifteen percent of the vote.

There are strong indications that the AfD explicitly planned to shift the mood in a right-wing conservative direction in better-off middle class layers, and has found a certain resonance there.

The media campaign presenting the events in Cologne on New Years Eve as robberies and sexual assaults in order to produce a pogrom atmosphere against foreigners was aimed in the same direction, strengthening the AfD.

All the establishment parties have moved sharply to the right on refugee policy, supporting government policies or criticizing them from the right. During the Hesse election campaign, the second asylum package was adopted by the Bundestag, largely abolishing the fundamental right to asylum. In close cooperation with Turkey and Greece, the EUs external borders are being hermetically sealed. At the same time the accelerated deportation of refugees from so-called safe countries of origin was decided, family reunification drastically reduced and support for refugees cut.

The Left Party also supports these anti-foreigner policies. Since the chair of the partys parliamentary group, Sahra Wagenknecht, joined in the incitement against refugees and the call for a strong state with the words, Those who abuse [our] hospitality, have forfeited the right to hospitality, other leaders of the Left Party have expressed similar views.

It is precisely these politics that strengthen the AfD. It is no coincidence that of all people the deputy chairman of the right-wing party, Alexander Gauland, has supported Wagenknecht. He said, Mrs Wagenknecht has brought the situation beautifully to the point, and repeated her call: Those who come voluntarily to us, must behave like a guest. If they do not want to or cannot do this, behaving violently and disrespectfully towards their hosts, then they must immediately leave Germany.

This all-party coalition against refugees has strengthened the AfD. This is the secret of the Hesse election.
Washington has stepped up threats of new sanctions and retaliation against Iran after its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps carried out a second day of missile tests Wednesday.

The Obama administration has indicated that it will raise the missile tests before the United Nations Security Council, while Vice President Joe Biden, on a state visit to Israel, declared that Washington and Tel Aviv were united in the belief that a nuclear-armed Iran is an absolutely unacceptable threat to Israel, adding that the US would act, not only if Iran broke the nuclear deal, but in response to their conventional activity outside of the deal ... wherever we can find it.

Leading the denunciations, and demonstrating once again her determination to run to the right of the Obama administration, particularly on foreign policy, Democratic presidential front-runner and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton issued an immediate call for the imposition of new sanctions against Iran.

Describing herself as deeply concerned by the tests, Clinton declared: Iran should face sanctions for these activities and the international community must demonstrate that Iran's threats toward Israel will not be tolerated.

Clinton has long taken a hard-line and militarist position in relation to Iran. During her unsuccessful run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, she threatened that as president she would totally obliterate Iran, a country of over 77 million people, if it attacked Israel.

Last year, speaking before the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank with close ties to the Democratic Party, Clinton vowed that as president she would not hesitate to take military action if Iran attempts to obtain a nuclear weapon and laid out a detailed strategy for confronting Iran across the Middle East.

In her statement Wednesday, Clinton added, As president, I will continue to stand with Israel against such threats. Her campaign has been the first to accept an invitation to address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the right-wing Zionist lobby, later this month.

Clintons statement placed her in alliance with Congressional Republicans who opposed the nuclear agreement and are now furiously demanding new sanctions over the missile tests.

The reality is that the Iranian missile tests in no way violate the UN Security Council resolution that was the basis for the nuclear deal reached between the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the council: the US, Russia, China, Britain and France; plus Germany) and Iran last July.

The agreement involves a curtailment of Irans nuclear programwhich the Iranian government has always insisted was intended for peaceful purposesand an intrusive inspections regime in return for the lifting of international sanctions.

UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which codifies the deal, states that Iran is called upon not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology.

Irans position is that it is not now, nor was it ever, developing nuclear weapons, and therefore has never designed ballistic missiles to deliver such weapons.

State Department spokesman John Kirby on Tuesday acknowledged that the missile tests are not a violation of the Iran deal itself, but added that Washington would not turn a blind eye to them and would employ both unilateral and multilateral tools to address them.

Last January, just one day after the nuclear deal went into effect, the US Treasury Department imposed a new set of unilateral US sanctions against Iran over a test launch of a ballistic missile carried out on October 11.

Iranian officials have defended the ballistic missile tests as a defensive measure aimed at deterring aggression by the US and its allies, principally nuclear-armed Israel, together with Saudi Arabia and the other despotic Persian Gulf oil sheikdoms.

The US military has effectively encircled Iran, with large deployments of troops in Afghanistan, on its eastern border, in Iraq on its western border and to the south in Qatar and Bahrain. Meanwhile, the US Navys Fifth Fleet has been deployed within sight of Irans coastline in the Persian Gulf.

We are always ready to defend the country against any aggressor. Iran will not turn into Yemen, Iraq or Syria, said Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh, the head of the Aerospace Division of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in response to the Western denunciations of the missile tests.

Hajizadeh warned that the missile program was the target of infiltration and sabotage, just as the nuclear programhit with the assassination of Iranian scientists and the Stuxnet cyber attackbefore it. He added, that another danger was that the enemy might influence political officials through ballyhoo.

The missile tests have underscored divisions within Irans bourgeois-clerical state between so-called hardliners, who opposed the nuclear deal and are hostile to the drive to open up Irans economy to Western capital, and forces around Irans current President Hassan Rouhani, who are eager to cement commercial deals with Europe and the transnational corporations, while seeking to reach a closer alignment with Washington.

While the US ruling establishment sees the deal as means of deepening these divisions, weakening the Iranian state and ultimately bringing about some form of regime change, it continues to pursue more direct methods, with continuing US military threats, the ongoing intervention in Iraq and Syria and the massive arming of Israel and Saudi Arabia.

In the midst of the missile controversy, President Barack Obama signed an executive order renewing for another year the state of National Emergency in relation to Iran.

Despite the historic deal to ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program, certain actions and policies of the Government of Iran continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, Obama wrote in a statement announcing the extension.

Meanwhile, citing unnamed US officials, CNN reported Thursday that the Obama administration is preparing to publicly indict Iran for an alleged cyber attack against a dam in New York in 2013. An indictment being prepared by the Justice Department reportedly claims that Iranian hackers were responsible for the incident, which in no way interfered with the dams operations, and that they worked for the Iranian government.

The US government itself was directly responsible for far more serious cyber attacks carried out in league with Israel. In 2009 and 2010, US and Israeli agents used a malicious computer bug called Stuxnet to attack the Iranian nuclear facility at Natanz, causing high-speed centrifuges to spin out of control and self-destruct. According to a 2012 report in the New York Times, Obama personally authorized and oversaw these attacks, meeting with the US intelligence officials who organized them in the White House situation room.
Nearly 7,000 workers have lost their jobs on northern Minnesotas Iron Range in the past year as a result of the collapse of the global steel industry, according to state government data. Among these are 1,990 direct layoffs from mining companies and another 4,700 from firms that directly supply or contract with the iron mining industry.

More than 2,300 of the unemployed are currently without benefits, after the Minnesota legislature adjourned for its winter recess in December without approving an extension.

The Iron Range (or Mesabi Range) is a belt of small cities and towns that follows a 120-mile stretch of ore deposits in remote northern Minnesota, near the Canadian border. Taconite ore is sent via train to large ore freighters at harbors in and near Duluth, Minnesota, at the head of Lake Superior. The freighters carry the ore to steel mills in Milwaukee, Chicago, Gary, Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Buffalo.

U.S. Steel, based in Pittsburgh, has handed out layoff notices to 700 iron miners at its Minntac facility near Virginia, Minnesota, and 412 at its Keetac mine in Keewatin. The cuts are part of a nationwide cost-cutting campaign launched by the largest US-based steelmaker in the past two years that has resulted in thousands of job losses. On March 8, the company announced it would idle its Lorain, Ohio, steel mill, putting another 300 workers out of work, after laying off a similar number last year.

Last November, Cliffs Natural Resources announced it would suspend operations at its North Shore Mine facility at Babbitt, Minnesota, as well as its connecting rail system and port at Silver Bay, north of Duluth. The closure meant 500 layoffs.

Magnetation, a firm that reprocesses discarded ore tailings, has shuttered three of its four Iron Range facilities and scaled back operations at its fourth, a plant in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. In nearby Nashwauk, Essar Steel has indefinitely scrapped plans to construct a $1.8 billion facility that had been anticipated to create 350 permanent jobs.

The closures are having a devastating impact on the regional economy. According to one 2012 study at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, iron mining accounts for roughly one third of all economic activity in northeastern Minnesota, and 5 percent of the states economy overall.

Like parts of Australia, Brazil, and other regions that produce such basic commodities, the Iron Range rebounded from the 2008-2009 economic crisis due to heavy government expenditures on infrastructure in China, and the promotion of easy cash for financial speculators by the US Federal Reserve and other central banks. These policies created a boom in iron ore and other commodities, and employment on the Iron Range actually increased between 2010 and 2014, as it did in neighboring North Dakota, due to surging oil prices.

The rapid slowdown in Chinas economy has created a situation of overcapacity in both iron ore mining and steel milling. Global ore prices have, in recent months, fallen below $50 per ton, lows not seen since 2009, and down from 2011 highs of $200 per ton. Exacerbating the problem, the oil industryone of the largest consumers of steel productsis also in free fall.

True to form, the United Steelworkers (USW) and politicians in the Democratic Party (officially named the Democratic Farmer Labor party in Minnesota, or DFL) have responded by blaming China for illegal dumping of finished steel products on the US market.

We are going to push on the issue of restricting foreign steel imports, Minnesota governor Mark Dayton, a Democrat, recently told reporters.

Democratic congressman Rick Nolan, who represents the Iron Range, has called for new tariffs on steel imports, without which our jobs, our economy and our national security are being put at enormous risk.

Minnesotas iron ore and steel workers can compete with anybody in the world on a level playing field, said Democratic senator Al Franken. But the industry has been shaken by foreign competitors who are flooding American markets with illegally dumped steel.

On February 26, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders delivered the same message at a campaign rally in Hibbing, the largest town on the Iron Range. I do understand what is going on here on the Iron Range with the loss of many, many hundreds of good paying jobs because cheap Chinese steel is being dumped in the United States, and together we are going to end that, he said, while wearing a United Steelworkers Local 1938 jacket.

Franken and Nolan have joined with the states other Democratic US senator, Amy Klobuchar, in pushing legislation that would make it easier for US corporations to claim that Chinese competitors are dumping and beef up customs inspections of steel shipments.

The Obama administration has responded by imposing an order on customs officials requiring cash deposits be placed for duties on certain steel imports from China, as well as Russia, Brazil, Japan, India, Korea and Britain.

No serious observer can claim that such measures will reverse the collapse of the steel industry. They are a nationalist and right-wing diversion aimed at keeping workers lined up behind the USW and the Democratic Party, and to pit them against workers in China and elsewhere. The USW is, in fact, complicit with US Steel and ArcelorMittal in the attack on steelworkers wages, benefits and working conditions. It substitutes attacks on Chinese workers for any serious defense of the American steelworkers it nominally represents, refusing to call coordinated strike action even as layoffs mount.

In reality, the layoffs among iron miners and steelworkers do not prove that US workers are in competition against workers in China or anywhere else, but just the opposite. Like every other commodity, steel is the product of social labor carried out on a global scale. But though steel is an essential component of modern society, the steel industry is the plaything of powerful financial interests who view it as a source of profitor loss. The falling price of steel foretells social misery spreading among workers not just in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota, but in China and the world over.

In late February, the Chinese government announced a staggering 500,000 layoffs in its steel industry, and a further 1.3 million in the attendant coal industry, as the government of President Xi Jinping cuts back on capacity in heavy industry.

In Australia, the mining industry has shed 2,300 jobs so far in 2016. On March 1, it was announced that iron mining giant Rio Tinto would lay off a further 500-700 miners in its West Australian operations. In Mexico, ArcelorMittal and other steel firms last summer announced layoffs of some 10,000 workers. More than 7,000 jobs have been lost in Europes steel industry in the last year. In all of these countries, unions and politicians are demanding protective measures to target foreign imports in order to protect the profits of their corporations.

On Saturday, March 5, more than 3,500 workers at the ArcelorMittal plant in the port city of Lazaro Cardenas in Michoacan, Mexico, went on strike against the worlds largest steelmaker, in part against layoffs.

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Jaipur: Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh will consider replacing its khaki-coloured knickers with trousers at the annual meeting of Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha, the highest decision-making body of the outfit, beginning Friday.

Several proposals have come up for change in Ganvesh (uniform) and this will be discussed in the annual meeting of ABPS. This will be about replacing knickers with full pants. Several proposals regarding its colour are also there but the colour will not be khakhi, Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh of RSS, Manmohan Vaidya said at a press briefing ahead of the meeting.

He said that the issue was debated in 2010 but since there was no consensus, it was deferred for five years, adding that the discussion on the matter resumed last year.

Mr Vaidya said representatives from all over the country will discuss progress in their respective areas of work, innovations, achievements and experience at the three-day meeting, conducted every year in March.

The RSS leader added 92 training programmes will be conducted in the country this year, in which 15,000-20,000 participants will take part at different levels.

All these things will be discussed in the meeting, he said.
The Sri Lankan government has announced that it will commence work this month on its so-called Western Region Megapolis Project (WRMP). Touting it as a flagship project, the government aims to merge the Colombo, Gampaha and Kaluthara districts and create a cluster of towns and cities with new infrastructure to attract foreign investment.

The project involves clearing land for the development of financial districts, shopping complexes, hotels, condominiums and leisure parks, as well as improved harbour and airport infrastructure. Thousands of workers and lower income residents will be forced out to make way for the project.

WRMP minister Champika Ranawaka told the media on March 1 that the project will start in parts of Colombo and 23 townships and include minimising road congestion and flooding problems, as well as new parks.

The WRMP is more ambitious than the project initiated by former President Mahinda Rajapakse, who promised to convert Colombo into a major South Asian commercial and tourist hub. The Urban Development Authority (UDA) was brought under the control of the defence ministry secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapakse, the presidents brother, who employed military methods to clear land ear-marked for investors.

The UDA demolished hundreds of shanties, small houses and small businesses and started to evict 60,000 people. Protests against evictions were suppressed using the military and police (see: Thousands of Colombo slum dwellers rounded up by Sri Lankan military).

The Rajapakse governments plan was mainly concentrated on Colombo. The WRMP, which is being unveiled under conditions of a deepening global economic crisis, includes three districts with a combined population of six million, the majority of them poor. According to the latest estimates, the grandiose project, which requires $US40 billion for new infrastructure, will be completed in three phases between 2016 and 2030. Colombo city will function as its epicenter.

The WRMP is a desperate attempt by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to attract international investors to take advantage of Sri Lankas cheap labour and low taxes.

Wickremesinghe claims he developed the plan in 2004 on the advice of Singapores Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. The Singapore autocrat used police-state methods to convert the small island state into major international commercial, industrial and financial centre. Sirisena and Wickremesinghe are resorting to similar measures to suppress opposition to the WRMP by workers, students and poor peasants.

Officially launching the project on January 29, Wickremesinghe declared: [T]he world is supporting us today. We have to utilise the foreign aid and attract more investments by grabbing this opportunity.

Wickremesinghes boast of world support follows the ousting of Rajapakse in a US-backed regime-change operation in the January 2015 presidential election. Washington was hostile to Rajapakse as a result of his economic and political ties with Beijing. The US, along with India, Japan and the European Union, has provided political backing for the new government.

Sirisena and Wickremesinghe, who was installed as prime minister, rapidly shifted foreign policy away from China and toward the US. Previous multi-billion investment agreements with Beijing for construction of the Colombo Port City Project have been scaled down to satisfy US and India, although the government is still seeking Chinese investment in other ventures.

WRMP minister Champika Ranawaka told the state-run Daily News on January 29 the Megapolis project was based on economic prosperity, social justice, environmental sustainability and peoples quality of life. The government, he admitted, had to deal with the issues concerning slum dwellers. He said in Colombo alone there were 68,000 families and over 100,000 in the Western Province.

The country needs to have proper housing and social mobilisation programs to transform the lives of these slum dwellers to live a quality life in dignity, Ranawaka said.

This is a lie. Social mobilisation is simply another name for the eviction and relocation of the poor. Like the former Rajapakse administration, Ranawaka cynically claimed there would be dwellings provided for those evicted. The government, however, has no plans to build the required number of homes.

The benefits are much greater and have a positive impact on a much larger community than those who are negatively impacted initially, Ranawaka said, citing the Mahaweli Agricultural Project. This scheme, which displaced thousands of poor farmers, was forcibly imposed by the United National Party government of President J.R. Jayawardene during the 1980s.

Sirisena, Wickremesinghe and their parties previously exploited the anger of shanty dwellers who were evicted under Rajapakse, but the present governments political agenda and class hostility toward the poor is no different.

Ranawaka told a recent meeting that Sri Lankas shanty dwellers were mostly drug addicts, drug peddlers or alcoholics or underworld thugs. The Rajapakse government similarly slandered Colombo slum-dwellers as a social evil.

In recent weeks, UDA officials have ruthlessly moved against Colombo shanty dwellers in line with the governments megapolis project.

On February 12, UDA officers demolished small huts in Colombos coastline suburbsfrom Wellawatta to Galkissa. Four days later, the UDA sent workers with backhoes to demolish about 250 makeshift huts at Thotalanga in Colombo, where hundreds of poor are living.

When residents opposed the UDAs destructive operations and blocked local highways, the government mobilised special task force police to attack them. The Thotalanga shanty-dwellers refused to leave and are now living in plastic-covered sheds. Last week, they were threatened by a UDA project directora military brigadierwho declared they had two weeks to vacate the area.

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[2 August 2013]

Sri Lanka: Evicted Colombo shanty dwellers face desperate situation

[9 May 2015]
Idomeni, Lesbos, Calais  every day one sees pictures that for decades one could not have imagined in Europe: refugees, including families with small children, living in improvised tents and burrows, drowning in rain and mud, lacking medication and food. And again and again: closed borders, barbed wire and heavily armed police who attack desperate refugees with tear gas and batons.

Large sections of the population look on these brutal scenes with horror and disgust, but the official political debate on the refugee crisis takes place within a narrow spectrum ranging from the right to the ultra-right. In politics and in the media, the only voices allowed are those arguing for unrestrained nationalism and the sealing-off of Europes internal borders, or those who, in the name of a European solution, support the militarization of the EUs external borders and a dirty deal with the Turkish government.

Compassion for refugees, hospitality, aid, the right to protection and asylum are all banished from the official discourse, which concentrates exclusively on the most efficient way to deter, criminalise and get rid of refugees. The large majority of the European population who, according to every poll conducted, sympathises with refugees and the untold numbers who have donated their savings and their free time to help them go unrepresented in newspaper columns and on talk shows.

In the German federal states holding elections on Sunday, the Greens, the Social Democrats and, indirectly, the Left Party are promoting the policies of Angela Merkel, who advocates hermetically sealing off the EUs external borders. The only opposition comes from the right wing of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the extreme right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), which want to close off the German borders.

The arguments in Germany resemble those in Great Britain, where voters in the Brexit referendum on whether Britain should leave the European Union, are faced with two equally right-wing alternatives: to support the reactionary institutions of the European Union or endorse a British independence that removes all obstacles to the intensified exploitation of the working class and more ruthlessly chokes off immigration into the country.

The restriction of the public debate to right-wing positions, adhered to by the entire media and all established parties, serves a political purpose: to prevent the defence of and support for refugees from joining up with the fight against the capitalist system, which has nothing to offer to wide layers of the population but social misery, repression and war. Those incensed by the racist agitation and arson attacks of the ultra-right are to be directed into the political channels of a government policy that is just as reactionary and which has provided fertile ground for the growth of the extreme right.

The brutal mistreatment of refugees is the culmination of a rightward turn in European politics that has developed over a period of years. The actions taken against refugees are the sharpest expression of this shift to the right so far, but not its cause. The real cause is the deepening crisis of international capitalism and the accompanying sharp social polarization. As was the case in the 1930s, the ruling elites react to this crisis by stirring up nationalism and xenophobia, building up the state apparatus and pursuing their international economic and political interests through the means of war.

In 2008, when the criminal machinations of speculators brought the world financial system to the brink of collapse, the governments of Europe, like those throughout the world, pumped trillions in public funds into failing banks to rescue the fortunes of the rich. When, as a consequence, some weaker European countries almost collapsed under their debts, threatening the stability of the Euro, the EU and the German government insisted that the working class bear the cost. They made an example of Greece, forcing its population into bitter poverty.

In 2014, Germany and the EU supported the right-wing coup in Kiev and provoked a confrontation with Russia which has continued to intensify. This coincided with the escalation of the war in Syria. After the US and its European allies destroyed first Afghanistan and then Iraq and Libya, the Syrian conflict has now developed into a war involving great and regional powers, threatening to plunge the world into a third world war.

The victims of these wars who attempt to escape certain death by fleeing to Europe are treated worse than animals. One sees what the ruling elites of Europe are capable of. What began with austerity dictates in Greece and other countries finds its continuation in the inhumane treatment of refugees, and is a signal of what workers and youth can expect in the future. Historical experience shows that agitation against foreigners and members of different religions (then it was Jews, today Muslims) serves as the prelude to the oppression of the entire working class.

Under these conditions, the defence of refugees, opposition to war and militarism and the fight against capitalism are inseparable. Only an independent movement of the working class, basing itself on an international socialist program, can prevent Europes regression into nationalism, barbarism and war.

This requires not only opposition to the extreme right, but also, and above all, a relentless political fight against the influence of pseudo-left tendencies that lull workers and youth with left phrases to secure and support the social assaults, the build-up of the state, and the war policies of the ruling elite.

The experience with Syriza in Greece has shown what such parties are capable of. The Tsipras government was brought to power at the beginning of 2015 because it promised an end to the brutal austerity measures of the EU. Since that time, Syriza has drastically sharpened austerity policies and taken on the role of the border police and prison guards for the EU.

The Left Party in Germany, Podemos in Spain and numerous other parties that promoted Syriza and support it to this day play no other role. They do not speak for the working class, but for affluent layers of the middle class who do not want to overthrow capitalism, but rather seek to preserve it at any cost.

There is massive opposition in Europe to the devastating effects of austerity measures, to the attacks on refugees and democratic rights and against militarism and war. But this opposition lacks a perspective and a political leadership. The International Committee of the Fourth International and its sections fight for the unification of the European working class based on a socialist program, for the United Socialist States of Europe.
6 years, 7 months ago QPD

Ashley M Stroot (31) 1325 S 36th for Expired Registration at 18/Maine on 3/10/16. Released on NTA.

Shawn D Steinkuhler (21) 3618 Greenfield Rd for Fighting at 829 Spruce on 2/19/16. He was located at his residence on 3/10/16 and released on NTA.

April L Missel (36) 2707 Maine St for Improper Display of Registration at 30/Maine on 3/9/16. Released on NTA.

Nicholas R Jenkins (17) 3616 Biscayne for Expired Registration at 12/Jefferson on 3/9/16. Released on PTC.

Casey D Johnson (20) 838 S 18th for Loud Muffler at 30-33/Broadway on 3/9/16. Released on PTC.

Jason A Quincy (36) 921 Kentucky for Violation of Order of Protection and Criminal Damage at 1440 N 24th on 3/10/16. Lodged.

Steven E Gates (40) 633 1/2 Spring for Domestic Battery at 633  Spring on 3/10/16. Lodged.

Amanda J Evans (31) 716 Ohio for Retail Theft that occurred at 620 Broadway on 3/2/16. Evans was located on 3/10/16 at the Hotel Elkton and lodged. 131/101

Chalee R. Boling, 19, Quincy for Driving While Suspended and Expired Registration at 8/Broadway on 3/9/16. Released on NTA.

Robert S Brenner (37) of Quincy for Domestic Battery at 2107 S 23rd on 3/10/16. Lodged

Billy J Markert (32) of Quincy for FTA Drug Paraphernalia at ACJ. Lodged

Anthony W. Jones, 52, 200 Maine #422 for FTA - Failure to Register as a Sex Offender and two FTA traffic warrants at his residence on 03-10-16. Lodged

Morgan S. L. Elsie, 20, 1715 N. 4th for Speeding and Operation of an Uninsured Motor Vehicle at 36th & Lindell on 03-10-16. NTA

Michelle M. Pepin, 41, 2902 N. 11th for Speeding & Operation of an Uninsured Motor Vehicle at 36th & Lindell on 03-10-16. NTA

Roxann J. Hasting, 35, of 513 Grant Drive for Permitting an Unauthorized Person to Drive & Leaving the Scene of an Accident/Property Damage at 1111 S. 8th on 02-20-16. NTA

Lynn W. Sprick, 74, of 740 Hilltop for Disobeying a Stop Sign at 7th & Vermont on 03-09-16. PTC

Kiley J. Turnbaugh, an employee of IL/MO Welding, 400 Gardner Expressway, stated that sometime between 1730 hours on 02-29-16 and 0630 hours on 03-01-16, an unknown suspect threw a beer bottle at a window on the north side of the business, causing it to break.

Candy J. VanFleet 421 Oak reported her 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan had multiple tires damaged by an unknown suspect while parked in front of her residence sometime between 1810 hours on 02-29-16 and 0510 hours on 03-01-16.

Stephanie A. Chandler, an employee of the Quincy Public Schools, reported on 02-19-16 that she was driving a school bus eastbound on College at 9th, when the driver of a white passenger car turned onto College in front of the bus and struck the bus at that time. The driver of the vehicle, a white male, got out of his vehicle to inspect the damage to his vehicle, and then fled the scene in his vehicle. Witnesses described the suspect vehicle as a white Ford Escort wagon.

Gerald L. Moore, 301 N. 8th #111 reported losing a plastic sleeve w/ numerous ID cards at Sav-A-Lot, 837 Jefferson on 02-25-16 between 1330 - 1500 hours.

Amanda L. Peoples of 2609 Lexi Lane stated she had money stolen from her while staying at 713 Washington on 02-15-16.

Sawyer W Wassell (21) Palmyra, MO for No Valid Registration and No Insurance at 3/Broadway on 3/9/16. NTA

Rachelle A Hessling (27) 922 Cherry St for Sale of Tobacco to a Minor at 923 N 12th on 3/8/16. NTA

Robert S Taylor (26) 1101 Adams St for Sale of Tobacco to a Minor at 4727 State St on 3/8/16. NTA

Mary K Sandlin (50) Liberty, IL for Sale of Tobacco to a Minor at 4830 Broadway St on 3/8/16. NTA

Hafed Mohammed Musleh (31) 1001 N 5th Apt 2 for Sale of Tobacco to a Minor at 1001 N 5th on 3/8/16. NTA

Chayla L Smith (24) Ursa, IL for Sale of Tobacco to a Minor at 432 S 36th St on 3/8/16. NTA

Todd E Dugal (51) 1503 Chestnut for Expired Registration at 12/Lind on 3/9/16. PTC

Alexis D Kaufman (24) 2100 S 8th for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and FTA-Obstructing ID. Located at 5/State on 3/9/16 and lodged.

Timothy O Perkins (45) 2321 Monroe for Domestic Battery that occurred at 2321 Monroe on 3/9/16. Lodged

Robert W Eyler Jr (46) 1431 N 10th for Phone Harassment on 10/9/15 and Fleeing to Elude Peace Officer, Driving While License Suspended, Failure to Signal, Disobey Stop Sign, Expired Registration and Squealing Tires on 10/15/15. Located on 3/9/16 and lodged.

Michael N Randall (22) 1509 N 3rd for FTA-Flight on Foot. Located on 3/9/16 at 1509 N 3rd and lodged.

Micah S Milsap (23) 429 N 8th St Apt E for Obstructing Justice and Driving While License Suspended at 9/Washington-Jefferson on 3/9/16. Lodged
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking direction to use 'Bharat' instead of 'India' by the Union Government and states, stating that it was not right to bring all kinds of emotional issues to the court.

Chief Justice of India, Justice T.S. Thakur, while dismissing the plea, told the petitioner not to bring all kinds of emotional issues to the court in the name of public interest.

Justice Thakur also said that those who want to call the nation as India will call it India, and those who want to call it Bharat will call it Bharat.

The apex court had last year in April issued notices to the central and state governments seeking their response to a PIL seeking to use 'Bharat' instead of 'India' for all 'official and unofficial purposes'.

The PIL, filed by a petitioner identified as Niranjan Bhatwal, also sought to restrain the use of 'India' for governmental purposes.
BELLE GLADE, Fla. (AP) - Authorities say two people were killed and another was severely injured in a crash involving a car and two semitrailers.

The Palm Beach Post reports that the crash occurred early Thursday morning on State Road 80, near Belle Glade.

The Florida Highway Patrol reports that a car pulled out in front of one semi and got T-boned. The semi then went over a grassy median and collided with a second semi coming from the other direction.

The driver of the car and the first semi both died. The second semi's driver was taken to a West Palm Beach hospital in serious condition.
The estimated crop production this year was more even though there was greater effect of drought on crops this year, says govt. (Photo: Representational Image)

New Delhi: Increasing crop productivity is not the only solution to prevent farmers' suicides but schemes like Prime Minister's Crop Insurance scheme could deter them from taking the extreme step, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said in Rajya Sabha.

Listing a number of steps taken by the government including setting up a nationwide e-mandi on April 14 to help farmers sell their produce at the best rates, Singh said the government believes that farmers' welfare would improve if there was a hike in the net income from the farms, along with increasing the productivity of crops.

"With this end in view, besides enabling higher productivity, the approach of the government is also to reduce cost of cultivation and ensure realisation of remunerative prices to farmers for their produce," the Union Minister said.

During Question Hour, he said the major initiatives in this direction include Soil Health Card scheme, promotion of neem-coated urea, implementation of Paramaparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana.

Singh claimed the Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana has addressed all shortcomings in the earlier schemes and would be available to the farmers at very low rates.

The minister also informed the House that the per hectare productivity of most agricultural crops cultivated in India was less compared to China and many countries in Europe and America.

He said the government is implementing several schemes through the state governments to increase the production and productivity and improve the income levels of farmers.

The estimated crop production this year was more even though there was greater effect of drought on crops this year.

On steps to help double the farm income by 2022, the Minister said government is consulting with states to change their crop marketing laws and 11 states have sent in 200 suggestions in this regard.

He said a country-wide e-mandi is being set up on April 14 to help farmers sell their produce at the best rates. Most states except Punjab have agreed to change their laws in this regard.

Minister of State for Agriculture Sanjiv Baliyan said in order to enhance production and productivity of various agricultural crops in the country, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) carries out research programmes in different crops.

He asserted that the government has also taken a number of steps like initiating Joint Liability Group to promote small farmers as the size of farming plots was now getting smaller primarily due to division of families.
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Going abroad? You have a chance to learn about Israels groundbreaking scientists. Ben Gurion International Airport unveiled this week the first exhibition of its kind, initiated by by the Science Ministry, showcasing 60 Israeli developments and discoveries that influenced the world.

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The exhibit is set to run for one year on a wall stretching from passport control to the duty-free area, which 8 million people pass through annually.

Ministers Akunis and Katz with Rona Ramon near the picture of the late Ilan Ramon (Photo: Kobi Gideon, Israel GPO)

The purpose of the exhibition is both public diplomacy and making science accessible to Israelis. A recent Ministry of Science survey painted a worrying picture regarding the Israeli public's familiarity with scientific topics and central figures. The survey showed that 43 percent of Israelis do not know that former president Chaim Weizmann was originally a chemist, and about half of Israelis cant name a single Israeli scientist who won a Nobel Prize.

In order to make science more accessible, the ministry initiated, in cooperation with the Israeli Young Academy, the exhibit presents science in Israel and the prominent people. The exhibit features about 60 discoveries and developments in Israel selected for their innovation and their direct or indirect influence of the lives of millions of people worldwide. The committee that chose the discoveries was composed of representatives from the Israeli Youth Academy and the Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Science.

(Photo: Kobi Gideon/GPO)

Alongside well-known developments such as cherry tomatoes, USB flash drives, PillCam, Copaxone (used to treat multiple sclerosis), a robot for back surgeries, the Mobileye system for preventing accidents, and Intels chips, all developed in Israel, there are also important, lesser-known contributions: A method to activate immune cells in cancer treatment, technology for early diagnosis of diseases via ones breath, drugs to treat Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, the discovery of fungal species in the Dead Sea, the development of strains of seedless cotton, the development of algae for healing heart tissue, detecting the shape of bacteria's self-organization, development of muon detectors that were used in the particle accelerator at CERN, the Venus satellite for environmental monitoring, and more.

(Photo: Kobi Gideon, Israeli GPO)

A large part of the exhibition is devoted to eight winners of the Nobel Prize from Israel, the three Israeli winners of the Turing Award in computer sciences, and the winner of the Fields Medal, the equivalent to the Nobel Prize in mathematics. The exhibit begins with photographs of Israeli-linked historical figures who contributed to science, such as Chaim Weizman, agronomist Aharon Aharonson, Maimonides, Albert Einstein, and others. It also displays developments from various branches of science: medicine, agriculture, environmental science, archeology, chemistry, social sciences, exact sciences, and more.

(Photo: Kobi Gideon, Israeli GPO)

Science Minister Ofir Akunis said: "The exhibition is an incredible public diplomacy asset for Israel. We present the tremendous contribution of science and technology in Israel to the world and humanity as a whole. We have much to be proud of. Israel is a trailblazer and leader in innovation. The whole world watches in amazement and appreciation our mighty achievements, and so they should be displayed at Israels entry and exit gates. "
New Delhi: Levelling serious charges against the earlier Congress-led UPA government, home minister Rajnath Singh accused it on Thursday of hatching a deep conspiracy to frame Narendra Modi, then Gujarat CM, in the Ishrat Jahan case by allegedly altering an affidavit on the matter.

Replying to a call attention motion on the alleged change in the affidavit on the Ishrat case, the home minister said the previous government had done a flip-flop on Ishrat Jahans links with terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT).Unfortunately, I have to say that there was a flip-flop by the UPA government in the Ishrat Jahan case, he said.

Without naming his predecessors in the home ministry in the UPA government, Mr Singh accused them of giving colour to terrorism by coining the term saffron terror.

Amid protests and slogan shouting by Congress MPs who trooped into the Well of the House, Mr Singh charged that the erstwhile Congress-led government of coining terms like saffron terror and Hindu terror.

Colour, creed and religion should not be associated with terrorism. Terror has no colour... The seculars gave colour to terrorism. Selective secularism cannot be accepted by the country, the home minister said.

He said the recent statement by LeT terrorist David Headley before a Mumbai court reaffirmed the first affidavit filed by the UPA government on August 6, 2009 before the Gujarat high court which said Ishrat had links with LeT.
As terror attacks continue to strike Israel, Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum said on Tuesday that "the real culprits are the settlers in Israel who agitate the nations of the world in the country and throughout the world, which causes serious hatred of Israel and the severe wave of attacks."

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Rabbi Teitelbaum, also known as the Satmar Rebbe, and his brother lead the world's largest Hasidic movement, landed in Israel on Tuesday and spoke sharply to his followers, at his grandson's bar mitzvah in Jerusalem. The city had which suffered a serious attack shortly before that, alongside two other attacks that night. "In recent months, the blood of Israel is spilling like water," he said. "We cry every day for those dead and wounded. "





Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum

The rabbi also addressed the growing numbers of ultra-Orthodox recruits in the IDF. "It is true that there is no coercion," he said, "but via soft words there is an increase in recruits to the IDF, which is a source of evil , and especially when the young men are not as strong spirituality. What is new is that no one here screams out loud that there is a prohibition to enlist in the IDF, which is is a place of destruction."

The anti-Zionist rabbi attacked in his speech all the ultra-Orthodox political parties that participate in state institutions, are partners in the government, and enjoy its budgets. "You are always hearing about what's happening here in Israel, and especially the conscription law, there there are agreements with the government," he said. "We will stand firm so that the yeshivas will not be destroyed. "

"The agreements  there are some who say they are good, some say they are bad, and they need a lawyer to teach them, but the reality is that since that law there has been a rise in ultra-Orthodox recruits. One should know that the main sin in enlistment is

those who go there will not return (i.e. will become alienated from religion - KN)."
Hamas has been digging tunnels on the border of Egypt that are big enough to permit vehicles the size of trucks to go through, according to Egyptian security officials.

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The tunnels connect the Gaza Strip with the Sinai Peninsula, and are being built in order to compensate for the tunnels which were flooded or blocked by the Egyptians.

Hamas tunnel during Operation Protective Edge (Photo: Reuters)

These enormous tunnels, some of which stretch for over three kilometers, are designed to traverse the security zone Egypt set up between the border with Gaza and the Sinai. This security zone  which ranges between half a kilometer and a kilometer in length on the Egyptian side  has been cleared out of any buildings or people. The area has also been flooded in order to block the existing shafts into the tunnels.

Hamas tunnel exposed from the Egyptian side

These tunnels are meant to transfer fighters and weapons, as well as building materials and other imports in an effort by Hamas to break the economic siege imposed on the Strip, Egyptian officials said.

Israeli security officials don't know of any tunnels that large crossing into Israel. However, if they do exist, Israel will have to take into account the possibility of the existence of tunnels that are over three kilometers in length, which will make them harder to find.





Hamas tunnel dug after Operation Protective Edge (Photo: Reuters)

Israel estimates that the recent increase in the number of tunnel collapses in Gaza in the past several months is due to the increased difficulty in obtaining materials to structurally support the tunnels  principally wood and cement. To replace these materials, Hamas is using fiberglass, which is also illegal to import into the Strip. Hamas still tries to smuggle it in, even though the material can't support the same amount of weight as cement, and collapses.

The Egyptian government also notes another worrying phenomenon regarding the relations between Hamas and the terrorist organizations in the Sinai: it turns out that Hamas has become a weapons exporter to Egypt. In the past several months, several types of weapons were found by Egyptian security forces which bear the markings of being manufactured by the Hamas military wing.

Amongst the weapons found were solar water heaters filled with explosive materials, which are one of the deadliest weapons ISIS in Sinai uses against the Egyptian military. The solar water heaters are used as IEDs with the ability to take out a tank. A few years ago, Hamas used one of these IEDs and disabled an Israeli tank.

The Egyptian government also claims that ISIS shoots Hamas-made rockets at Egyptian military bases in the peninsula.

Weapons cache discovered in a tunnel in Gaza (Photo: IDF Spokespersons Unit)

Hamas also ships weapons from the Gaza Strip to elements affiliated with global Islamic Jihad which is active in Sinai. These are weapons which were smuggled into Gaza either by the Iranians or from Libya, which then ended up in the hands of the jihadists.

At present, there is a new reason to worry  the export of weapons made in the Strip in industrial quantaties is a new phenomenon which indicates a new level of institutionalization of the weapons manufacturing process in the Gaza Strip
IDF forces raided the Islamic Jihad-affiliated channel Falasteen Al-Yom based in al-Bireh near Ramallah on Thursday night, confiscating equipment, but it continues to broadcast from its offices in the Gaza Strip.

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They also arrested the director of the station in the West Bank, Farouk Alian, at his home in Bir Zeit. Alian was arrested in the past because of his activities with Islamic Jihad. The channel is considered to be one of the most popular TV channels among Palestinians.

Since the current wave of terror began about six months ago, Falastin al-Yom has been encouraging and inciting Palestinians to carry out attacks and to confront Israeli security forces, as well as glorifying terrorists who carried out attacks.

Falsteen al-Yom's station being raided by IDF forces

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During the raid, two employees who were there at the same time were arrested - one of them is a cameraman and the other is a technician. The channel's technical services are provided by Palestinian production company Trans Media, which provides technical services to many channels in the West Bank  both international and Palestinian.

IDF forces outside Falasteen al-Yom's station in al-Bireh

Falasteen al-Yom has reporters and cameramen in the West Bank, but its headquarters are in the Gaza Strip and therefore it is able to continue broadcasting.

The IDF spokesman said that "a joint operation of the IDF and the Civil Administration led to the seizure of transmitters and technical equipment from Falasteen al-Yom station. This is a station that is affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization and is an illegal entity. The place was issued a closing order due to its radio station broadcasting incitement."

The Shin Bet said that "the closure of the channel illustrates the many efforts being made to thwart incitement to terrorism, which serves the interests of terrorist organizations to expand the circle of potential terrorists."
The casket of Taylor Force, the American tourist who was murdered in Tuesday's terrorist attack in Jaffa, was placed in Ben Gurion Airport on Friday morning.

There, a memorial service was held before the US Embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission William Grant, former MK Dov Lipman, friends, and the crowd that came to pay their respects.

Taylor Force's remains will be flown to New York and from there to his family in Texas.

A statement from Force's family read: "Please pass on our profound appreciation to the people and government of Israel for being so compassionate and considerate during the worst time in our lives. Taylor was our entire world, and knowing that Israel mourns with us is comforting."
MONTEVIDEO - A convert to Islam who fatally stabbed a Jewish man in Uruguay and claimed Allah was responsible acted alone and had no ties to foreign militant networks, the Uruguayan government said on Thursday.

Interior Minister Eduardo Bonomi said the government drew its conclusion after security agents scoured the computer of 36-year-old Carlos Peralta and searched his home for signs he might have links to outside groups.

"No links arise with other people inside or outside the country, nor with any group," Bonomi said.
US President Barak Obama believed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could have negotiated a two-state solution with the Palestinians, but he is "too fearful and politically paralyzed to do so," journalist Jeffrey Goldberg wrote in an article in The Atlantic published on Thursday

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Goldberg's article, titled "The Obama Doctrine," explores the American president's foreign relations policies since coming into office in 2009. The article is based, among other things, on an interview the senior journalist did with Obama.

The president, Goldberg writes, "has not had much patience for Netanyahu and other Middle Eastern leaders who question his understanding of the region."

Obama had no patience for Netayahu's lectures (Photo: EPA)

In a meeting between Obama and Netanyahu at the White House in May 2011, Obama, Goldberg writes, felt Netanyahu was acting condescendingly when the Israeli prime minister launched into a lecture about the dangers of the Middle East. The president also thought Netanyahu was avoiding the topic at hand - peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

"Bibi, you have to understand something," Obama interrupted Netanyahu's lecture. "Im the African American son of a single mother, and I live here, in this house. I live in the White House. I managed to get elected president of the United States. You think I dont understand what youre talking about, but I do."

Goldberg also reminded Obama of an interview in 2012, in which the US president said he would not allow Iran obtain nuclear weapons and declared: "Im the president of the United States, I dont bluff."

Shortly after that interview, Goldberg talked to Israel's defense minister at the time, Ehud Barak, who said the very claim by Obama that he doesn't bluff was a bluff in itself.

Obama, on his part, insists he would have attacked Iran's nuclear facilities "If I saw them break out."

"Now, the argument that cant be resolved, because its entirely situational, was what constitutes them getting (the bomb). This was the argument I was having with Bibi Netanyahu," Obama told Goldberg.

"Look, 20 years from now, Im still going to be around, God willing. If Iran has a nuclear weapon, its my name on this," the president told Goldberg. "I think its fair to say that in addition to our profound national-security interests, I have a personal interest in locking this down."

Goldberg also tells of a conversation he had with Leon Panetta, who was Obama's first Secretary of Defense. Panetta told Goldberg that in the beginning of his first term, the new president sought to reexamine why the US should maintain Israel's qualitative military edge. Despite that, the military aid the US has been providing Israel has only increased throughout Obama's time in office.
The family of Fuad Abu Rajab Tamimi, the terrorist who carried out an attack against policemen in Jerusalem last Tuesday , were deported from East Jerusalem to the West Bank.

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Immediately after the attack, in which Tamimi was killed after wounding two policemen - one of them seriously, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan ordered to examine the legal status of the terrorist's family, living in Issawiya in East Jerusalem.

Tamimi's parents, it turned out, applied for family unification, but this request has not been approved, which meant the family were actually illegal aliens in Israel.

Fuad Abu Rajab Tamimi, the terrorist whos family was deported.

That being the case, the family's expulsion from Israel is not considered a punishment whose legality is questionable but rather the implementation of existing law, and so the action was carried out.

Erdan stated that "whoever is here illegally will be expelled. We will continue to strongly fight terrorism on all fronts."

This instance does not in any way signal the future prospect of Israel approving the deportation of terrorists' families, but does show the government's desire to carry out deportations.

A similar incident occurred last month, when Interior Minister Aryeh Deri signed an order canceling the residency permit of Riad Zwid, father of terrorist Alaa Zwid, who ran over two soldiers last October. Riad was living in Umm al-Fahm at the time.
The IsraeliPalestinian debate took center stage at the Republican presidential debate in Miami on Thursday night, with Donald Trump defending his stance on Israel.

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Florida Senator Marco Rubio attacked the New York billionaire, saying that "The policy Donald has outlinedI don't know if he realizesis an anti-Israeli policy."

Rubio also criticized Trump's previous statements that he would maintain neutrality between the sides in the conflict if elected, calling the tactic "anti-Israeli" and asserting, "There is no peace deal possible with the Palestinians at this moment."

Republican Debate

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Trump countered, "I've made massive contributions to Israel. I have a lot of - I have tremendous love for Israel. I happen to have a son-in-law and a daughter and two grandchildren that are Jewish."

He went on to say, "I'm pro-Israel, but I would like to at least have the other side think I'm somewhat neutral as to them, so that we can maybe get a deal done."

"I have friends, Israelis, non-Israelis, people from New York City that happen to be Jewish and love Israel," said Trump. "Every single one of them wants to see if we could ever have peace in Israel. And some believe it's possible. It may not be, but it would be a priority if I become president."

Trump added that an agreement between the two sides was likely to be "the toughest negotiation of all time."

Rubio and Texas Senator Ted Cruz attacked Trump for his statement before the debate that Muslims bear "tremendous hatred" towards America, asserting that negotiations must be held with moderate Muslims. They both objected to Trump's suggestions to deport the families of terrorists and to deny Muslims entrance to the US.

"I don't want to be so politically correct," replied Trump, "We have a serious, serious problem of hate. We have a law that doesn't allow waterboarding. They have no laws. They drown 40, 50, 60 people at a time. We better expand our laws or we're being a bunch of suckers, and they are laughing at us."

Rubio replied, "I'm not interested in being politically correct. I'm interested in being correct. And if we capture any of these terrorists alive, they're not going to have the right to remain silent. And they're not going to go to a courtroom in Manhattan. They're going to go to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and we will find out everything they know and we'll do so legally."

The race for the Republican nomination for US president has so far been a spectacle, but it calmed down for the CNN-hosted debate, which was considerably more civil than the four candidates' previous encounters.

Trump remarked 30 minutes into the debate, "I cannot believe how civil it's been up here." After its conclusion, the candidate commented, "I found this to be a very elegant evening."
A Twitter battle erupted on Wednesday night between Ofir Gendelman, the Arabic-language spokesman of the Prime Ministers Office, and the operators of Fatah's official Twitter account.

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Gendelman on Wednesday published a screenshot of a drawing posted on Fatah's feed that included text glorifying Bashar Masalha, the terrorist who carried out the stabbing attack in Jaffa last Tuesday.

PMO's Arabic-language spokesman' tweet condemning Fatah

The drawing depicts a hand holding a knife over a map of Israel with the writing "Bashar Masalha, heroic martyr". Gendelman tweeted that "President Abbas's Fatah organization praises a terrorist who murdered an American tourist and injured 11 civilians in Jaffa."

Fatah's tweet response

Fatah fought back by tweeting back: "When you and your failing government end your occupation of the Palestinian state, the violence will end and peace will come. This is the solution that is before you."

The Fatah account also tweeted that Palestinian actions are acts of self-defense for the sake of dignity, freedom and an end to occupation. The tweets demanded that Gendelman and the IDF leave Palestinian land.

A few minutes later, Fatah posted a combative tweet stating: "If you do accept the two-state solution and ending the occupation  the young people's resistance will continue. We have no other option."

The authors of this tweet added the drawing that Gendelman originally posted.
WASHINGTON - The US-led coalition conducted 14 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on Thursday in its latest round of daily attacks on the militant group, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement.

In Iraq, 13 strikes were staged near seven cities, including Ramadi, Sinjar and Hit, according to the statement released on Friday. The operations hit five Islamic State tactical units and destroyed or damaged a dozen fighting positions as well as various weapons and supply targets, it said.

One strike near Mar'a, Syria, hit another of the militant group's tactical units, the statement said.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The second round of seat-sharing talks among the UDF allies remained inconclusive on Thursday with the Congress rejecting the KC(M) demand to allot it three more seats. The AICC is likely to announce the Congress candidates list by March 22 after Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran meet the AICC leadership in Delhi on March 19.

Senior Congress leader A. K. Antony has asked the UDF leadership to complete the seat-sharing talks before March 15. Mr Sudheeran told reporters that factionalism would not be allowed in the party. The first meeting of the state election committee will be held on March 16.

Mr Sudheeran has called party meetings on March 15 and 16. On the first day, KPCC office-bearers, former presidents, DCC presidents, ministers, parliamentary party leaders and spokespersons would attend the meeting. If any leader speaks against the candidature, it would be dealt with seriously, said Mr Sudheeran.

At the UDF meeting, KC(M) chairman K.M. Mani told the Congress leaders that they can swap Alathur, Thaliparamba and Perambra seats which was rejected. Angamaly would not be given to KC (Jacob). KC (J) leader Anoop Jacob and chairman Johnny Nelloor told reporters that they were disappointed with the talks.
BEIRUT - Syria's opposition said on Friday it would attend peace talks that were set for March 14, but downplayed the chances of reaching agreement with the Syrian government.

A statement from the High Negotiations Committee said it would focus on the establishment of an interim governing body with full executive powers, and would insist on Syria's territorial integrity.

It also said the Syrian government was preparing a military air and ground escalation in the "coming period", without elaborating.
These are insecure times in the nations capital - especially for restaurants. While several have had to close their doors as fewer Israeli pedestrians are venturing out at night, Rova 5 has decided to buck the trend, opening up recently in spanking new premises in the building that was once called Beit Hamehandess, and later housed the restaurant Spaghettim. The entire compound at the foot of Hillel Street bordering the Nahalat Shiva restaurant district is undergoing extensive renovation; Rova 5 is the first to complete its work and open its doors.

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The interior of the bistro is striking: a huge glass etching over the long, handsome bar dominates, while green plants cascading from the ceiling compete for the eyes attention. A second-story loft adds to the sense of spaciousness; it is nice that there is a comfortable distance between tables. The contemporary pop music playing in the background seems geared to a younger crowd; indeed, a DJ is in attendance on Thursday nights.

As befits an establishment boasting a well-stocked bar, there are no fewer than seven specialty cocktails. Although there are separate English and Hebrew menus for both food and alcohol, the waiter has to read off the cocktails from a handwritten list. As the waiter enumerated them in good English, he told us that the cocktail named Lavender was the one of the most popular: a blend of gin, lavender syrup and lemon that was heavy on exotic garnishes: sprigs of mint, a slice of lemon, star of anise and coarsely ground multi-colored Szechuan pepper. It was a bracing drink, with a pleasantly mellow finish.

We also ordered another cocktail with an intriguing name: Coriander: rum, lemon juice, peach syrup, orange flavoring and coriander, with the same garnishes as the Lavender, minus the pepper. Refreshingly sweet and tart, this unusual drink has a coriander aftertaste that perks up the taste buds,

Regrettably, our first choice of appetizer -- the goat cheese in a crispy coating -- was not available the night we were there; in its stead, we ordered the fried cauliflower in an aioli laced with capers and chives. The al dente vegetable was fried to crispy perfection, enhanced nicely by the complex aioli and the garnishes of sprigs of dill and thin slices of radish. The Rova 5 version of this common Israeli dish raises it to unexpected levels.

Photo: Moranka

Our second appetizer was the shrimp in a butter sauce seasoned with lemon, garlic, parsley and chili peppers, and garnished with sprigs of baby pea. A generous portion of translucent shrimp was bathed in the rich sauce, to which the thin slices of red pepper added just the right amount of heat. As a whole, the dish was reminiscent of Louisiana-style shrimp BBQ; it was a most pleasant surprise to find it replicated in Israel.

Photo: Moranka

For our salad course we chose the multi-colored tomato salad with mozzarella Fresca, dressed with a fig balsamic vinegar. The chunks of red, green and yellow tomato and dollops of soft white cheese lay atop a layer of basil oil and were decorated with drizzles of the syrupy fruit vinegar and torn basil leaves. The juxtaposition of the acid tomatoes, sweet balsamic, earthy basil and chilled cheese made for a wonderful interplay of flavors.

Photo: Moranka

The beef filet was unavailable, but it was no sacrifice to order the prime rib: a 300-gram slab of well-marbled steak smothered in a smoky bordelaise sauce. The juicy, chewy and flavorful meat in the savory sauce was accompanied by a nice selection of grilled vegetables -- Portobello mushroom and Jerusalem artichoke prominent among them -- adorned with a delicate carrot cream. The prime rib also came with light, buttery mashed potatoes and a green salad dressed with balsamic vinegar.

There are several tempting pasta dishes on the menu which, like many of the appetizers, make for excellent vegetarian alternatives. We chose the vegan risotto with seared asparagus, fresh shimeji mushrooms and shallots in a coconut cream and chili pepper sauce. This hearty dish in its Asian-inspired sauce was delicious and satisfying.

Photo: Moranka

There is a limited wine list featuring international and Israeli vintages, including some available by the glass, as well as five domestic and imported beers on tap.

Desserts are also missing from any printed menu: as was the case with the cocktails, the dessert menu is recited verbally by the waiter; similarly, we again listed to his recommendations.

Choice number was the hazelnut panna cotta with Italian meringue, mango cream and hazelnut streusel, garnished with dehydrated passion flower -- all these ingredients creating a beautiful tableau on the plate. The smooth panna cotta tasted like supercharged Nutella, and it paired nicely with the fluffy meringue, mango mousse and crunchy streusel.

Photo: Moranka

The presentation of the second dessert was equally impressive: a large wedge of American-style cheesecake with white chocolate streusel, cream of strawberry and fresh strawberries. So rich, it is a challenge to finish; take some of it home as a sweet reminder of a memorable meal.

Rova 5, which is open from noon til midnight seven days a week, offers business lunches at very attractive prices Sundays-Thursdays until 5pm.

It is a bold move to open a new restaurant in Jerusalem these days; but if the quality of the food is the measure of success, it should be around for many years to come.

Rova 5

Not kosher

Hillel Street 37, Jerusalem
With Palestinian terrorism continuing to run rampant, Israel's Bank Leumi and Bank Hapoalim reported on Wednesday that American Palestinian organizations filed a lawsuit in the US Federal Court in Washington, DC, against the banks and several Israeli companies, organizations and businessmen.

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The suit alleges that the defendants support Israeli settlements "in a manner injurious to the Palestinians and their property rights."

The plaintiffsactivists in Palestinian organizations who hold American citizenshipallege that the banks carried out financial transfers that included support to communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as support to the IDF, thus benefitting the companies and businessmen.

Bank Leumi (Photo: Jeremy Feldman)

Among the defendants are Africa Israel, Danya Cebus Construction, HP, Volvo, Motorola, Israel Chemicals, and Ahava

The cumulative amount claimed against all the defendants is approximately $34 billion, but the lawsuit does not include an explanation of the calculation method or a legal reference.

Bank Leumi wrote in a letter sent Wednesday morning to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange that "the lawsuit does not include any explanation whatsoever or formula that serves as the legal or financial basis for the lawsuit's amount, and no explanation for the connection between the plaintiffs and the astronomical amount of this claim."

Bank Leumi also pointed out that "the lawsuit does not include a breakdown of the amount claimed from the bank."
CAIRO - The Saudi delegation at the Arab League stormed out of a meeting after Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari defended the Shi'ite Hashd Shaabi militia grouping, an Iraqi foreign ministry source told Reuters on Friday.

Tensions between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslim powers have been on the rise as sectarian wars rage in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, and the Arab League has become a forum for predominantly Sunni countries, led by Saudi Arabia, to air grievances with regional Shi'ite power Iran.

"The Saudi delegation withdrew from the meeting hall after the speech of Foreign Minister Al-Jaafari who rejected speaking against Hashd Shaabi and other resistance groups," the source said, declining to be named.

"In his speech he said that Hashd Shaabi and Hezbollah have preserved the dignity of the Arabs and those who call them terrorists are the terrorists," he said.

A Saudi foreign ministry spokesman could not be reached for comment.
Arab League foreign ministers on Friday declared Lebanon's Shi'ite movement Hezbollah a terrorist group, after Sunni-dominated Gulf monarchies adopted the same stance.

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Nearly all members of the pan-Arab body supported the decision, but not Lebanon and Iraq which expressed "reservations", the bloc said in a statement read out at a news conference by Bahraini diplomat Wahid Mubarak Sayar.

Arab League meeting in Cairo (Archive photo: EPA)

The announcement was made at a Cairo summit that raised a number of divisions between member states. On one side of the division is the Sunni axis led by Saudi Arabia, and on the other the Shi'ite-Alawite axis led by Iran, which funds Assad's regime in Syria as well as Hezbollah.

The decision caused much controversy among member states. The Saudi delegation stormed out of the meeting after Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari defended Hezbollah and the group's secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah.

The ambassador referred to Nasrallah as "an Arab hero who defends values and principles," adding that Hezbollah and Shi'ite militias in Iraq are a source of pride and respect among Arabs. "I only described Hezbollah as a resistant movement and rejected accusations against the Popular Mobilization Forces (a Shiite Iraqi group) and other resistant movements," al-Jaafari told the state daily Al-Ahram.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, born a Maronite Christian and known to be linked to Hezbollah, said that Lebanon is opposed to defining Hezbollah as a terrorist organization because it is contrary to the Arab Convention on the Suppression of terrorism, "in which Hezbollah is a central Lebanese component." Lebanon and Iraq abstained from the vote.

The league's decision also reflects deep regional divisions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic relations with Iran earlier this year after protesters angry over the kingdom's execution of influential Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr set fire to the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and another diplomatic mission in Iran.

In addition to diplomatic pressures, Saudi Arabia has just finished a three-week long counter-terrorism drill dubbed "Northern Thunder" that included 20 participating countries, in what observers say was a show of force by the kingdom against its foes. It also sent a strategic message to Iran, and extremist Sunni groups like al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

The kingdom has taken other punitive measures against Lebanon, including cutting $4 billion in aid to Lebanese security forces and urging its citizens to leave Lebanon -- a blow to the tiny nation's tourism industry -- in retaliation for Lebanon's siding with Iran amid the Sunni kingdom's spat with the Shiite power.

The GCC's and Arab League's decisions underline the steep price that Hezbollah's very public and bloody foray into Syria's civil war has had. Once lauded in the Arab world as a heroic resistance movement that stood up to Israel, Hezbollah has seen its popularity plummet among Sunni Muslims because of its staunch support for Assad.

In Lebanon, the main political divide pits a Sunni-led coalition against another led by the Shiite Hezbollah movement, which includes both political and military wings. The Mediterranean country has weathered a string of militant attacks in recent years linked to the war in neighboring Syria.

Lebanon's Foreign Ministry Gibran Bassil, speaking to reporters after the meeting in Cairo, said labeling Hezbollah as a terrorist organization goes against the Arab treaty for combating terrorism, which distinguishes between terrorism and resistance. He said Lebanon asked that the word "terrorist" be struck from the records of the meeting as if did not happen.

"Hezbollah is a Lebanese party that enjoys broad representation in the parliament and Cabinet ... Naturally we cannot accept that Hezbollah be described as a terrorist organization," he said.

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah. On its main evening newscast, the group's Al-Manar TV reported on al-Jaafari's speech at the Arab League meeting without commenting on the league designation against Hezbollah.

Hours before the GCC decision, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah delivered a televised speech in which he harshly criticized Saudi Arabia for its punitive measures against Lebanon.

He repeated his accusations that the kingdom was directly responsible for some car bombings in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, and denounced Saudi "massacres" in Yemen, where the kingdom is leading a U.S.-backed coalition of Arab states targeting Iran-supported Shiite rebels.

"Who gives Saudi Arabia the right to punish Lebanon and its army and Lebanese people living in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf just because Hezbollah is speaking out? We urge Riyadh to settle accounts with Hezbollah and not all the Lebanese," he said.

He also accused Saudi Arabia of seeking to cause strife between Sunnis and Shiites everywhere in the world and said its execution of al-Nimr in January came in that context.

Earlier this week, Israeli Arab parties Balad and Hadash, who are part of the Joint Arab List, slammed Gulf Cooperation Council decision to label Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. "Hezbollah fights against Israeli attacks on Lebanon, and this decision only serves the interests of Israel and the US," a Balad spokesperson said.
A cyberattack on a small dam in the New York City suburbs was a "shot across the bow" of the United States and should be met with tougher sanctions against Iran, US Sen. Charles Schumer said Friday.

In 2013, hackers accessed the control system at the Bowman Avenue Dam, a small flood-control structure. The intrusion prompted a federal investigation. "Now it looks clear that the Iranians did it," Schumer said. "What were they doing? They were sending a shot across our bow. They were saying that we can damage, seriously damage, our critical infrastructure and put the lives and property of people at risk." Schumer confirmed that a federal indictment is expected in the case as soon as next month. It wasn't clear whether the indictment from the US attorney's office in Manhattan would charge specific people within the Iranian government or publicly name Iran as being behind the attack.
2016 AFR/ANG Teen Summits Now Open

Air Force Services Activity Child and Youth Programs (AFSVA CYP) is pleased to announce the 2016 Air Force Reserve (AFR) and Air National Guard (ANG) Teen Leadership Summits! Each summit will allow teens the opportunity to explore and develop their leadership skills, build self-confidence and form lasting friendships.



The Classic Teen Leadership Summit is scheduled for Jul 17 - 22 in Dahlonega, Georgia. The Adventure Teen Leadership Summit is scheduled for Aug 9 - 14 in Estes Park, Colorado. Eligible applicants include teen dependents, 14-18 years old, of AFR and ANG members.



Interested teens must complete the electronic application form at http://georgia4h.org/AFRANGTeenSummit/

Completed forms are due no later than May 1. A panel of judges representing members of the AFR, ANG and AFSVA CYP staff will review the applications and make selections for these camps. Final selections will be announced no later than Jun 1.



AFSVA CYP is also accepting applications for adult chaperones with military affiliation to perform leadership duties and assist with camp oversight. AFSVA/SVPY will fund the adult chaperones' TDY costs. Interested adult chaperons must complete the Adult Leader Application Package located at http://georgia4h.org/AFRANGTeenSummit/

Adult chaperone packages are due no later than May 2.



If you have any questions, please contact my POCs, Ms. Payal Mehta @ DSN 969-7517, payal.mehta@us.af.mil or Ms. Penny Dale @ DSN 969 7251, penny.dale.1.ctr@us.af.mil.


MyVector - not just another tool

MyVector, an Information Technology platform that supports mentorship, is not just another Air Force tool. It is a way to change our Air Force culture to be a more mentor-centric environment.



MyVector rolled out on July 10, 2015 and since that time more than 120,000 users have registered. Out of those registered users, 13,000 are Citizen Airmen; that is almost 20 percent of the total Air Force Reserve strength.



We would like everyone to consider registering on MyVector, said Lt. Gen. James Jackson, Air Force Reserve Command commander. When we all actively participate and engage with one another, we will start to see the profound benefits of this very important program.



The program offers a variety of tools to regular Air Force, Reserve, Guard, civilians, and even sister service members.



The first tool that users will see, after they have created an account, is Mentoring Connections. Here members can establish a mentor relationship either through Direct Connect or Find a Mentor. A direct connection can be made with anyone as long as they are registered in MyVector.



Direct Connect is for people who have already established a mentor relationship or they have an individual in mind. MyVector provides a platform to connect and interact, said Maj. Holly Chadwick, Chief, Reserve Development Integration, AF/REPP. People can use Find a Mentor if they dont have a mentor; they can select the characteristics that are most important to them and the system will find potential mentors registered in MyVector who meet those qualities.



The next tool is See My Experience; this gives members a look at their duty history. They can also review their experience summary, education and training summary and export their entire record.



This section gives a really good overview of your career history and experience, said Chadwick. Its not just a list of jobs youve had, it breaks them out into different functional experiences and at what organizational level you had them.



Plan My Career is another tool listed in MyVector; this capability allows members to view and update their career plan, assignment preferences and intent.



Within the Plan My Career tool, users will find their Career Pyramid. The Career Pyramid provides an interactive view of an individuals career field. The pyramid has three sides: jobs, education and skills.



According to the user guide, the job side of the pyramid illustrates the different job buckets available in a specific career field. A person can view the details of the job by right-clicking on the icon.



The education and training side of the pyramid displays different levels and types of education such as; professional military education, traditional education and acquisition or skill level training.



An individuals history is reflected in green. Members can right-click the box to view details such as career field statistics and individual accomplishments.



The skills side of the pyramid is split into two sections. The left side contains the individuals skills and the right side displays the most common skills obtained in that specific career field. When a common skill is highlighted in green that means that the individual has attained that particular skill.



Whether youre military or civilian, everyone can benefit from the Bullet Tracker tool. Members can record their accomplishments throughout each reporting period in this section of MyVector. In addition to keeping everything organized, a person can share their bullets with their mentor.



The bullet tracker is an easy way to keep all of your information over the year in one single place, said Chadwick. When your annual report comes due, its really easy to export, and then you can just hand all of your accomplishments to your supervisor.



The Join Discussions section is a place where people can go to pose questions, talk about their career fields or give feedback on a variety of topics. Members can join groups, start groups and communicate within those groups.



Currently, there are more than 300 different discussions groups in MyVector. The groups range from broad topics such as furthering your education to career field specific groups created by career field managers. Groups are both public and private. Private groups require an individual request access from the group creator.



Whether you want to be mentored or you want to mentor, come into MyVector; it has so many different capabilities, said Capt. Thomas McNitt, Chief, Force Development Information Technology Branch, AF/A1DI. Successful mentoring should help build a better Air Force by fostering the development of our younger Airmen, so its important for people to jump onboard.



Right now the only way to access the program is through the Air Force portal with an authorized Common Access Card through a CAC-enabled computer. However, in fiscal year 2016 an upgrade will allow participants to access the program from any computer, which would make a big difference to the Reserve community.



Air Force senior leaders are encouraging everyone to logon and create a MyVector account.



This program can assist you no matter what your participating status is, said Jackson. We want to establish an environment where anyone can mentor or be mentored at anytime, anywhere.




Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Friday constituted a joint committee to frame guidelines to resolve the dispute over division of electricity employees between AP and TS.

The court on Thursday had sought acceptance from both the states for constituting a committee headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court along with five representatives from each state to frame the guidelines that would enable the court to resolve the dispute and dispose the cases.

A division Bench comprising acting Chief Justice Dilip B. Bhosale and Justice P. Naveen Rao was hearing a batch of writ petitions by employees working in TS Genco and TSSPDCL, challenging their allocation to AP based on their place of birth.

When the case came up for hearing on Friday, the A-Gs of both the states informed the court that the governments were prepared for the committee and placed the names of five officials to be part of the committee.

The Bench told the 10 officers of the committee to start preparing guidelines for distribution of employees by March 31 by when it would finalise, in consultation with the Chief Justice of India, the retired judge who would head the committee.

After the guidelines are framed by the officers of the committee, the retired judge will review and place them before the court which will pass final orders for smooth distribution of employees of power utilities among the two states.

The A-Gs said that both the states will bear the salary and expenses of the committee head  52 per cent by AP and 48 per cent by Telangana.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Dilip B. Bhosale and Justice S.V. Bhatt of the Hyderabad High Court on Friday directed the CID of TS and AP to submit status reports of the investigation into the Akshaya Gold fraud.

The bench was dealing with a PIL by the AP Akshaya Gold Customers and Agents Welfare Association, represented by V.S.S. Purnachandra Rao, urging the court to appoint a committee headed by a retired judge of the HC on the lines of Agri Gold company and provide solace to the aggrieved depositors.

The bench asked the CID authorities to find out how many directors were changed in the Board of the company, their term and their role in the fraud. S. Sharath Kumar, special counsel for TS, said that eight cases were registered against the company in the state and three directors arrested so far.

He said the probing agency was making efforts to find out the properties owned by the firm in the state. Krishna Prakash, special counsel for AP, submitted that 20 cases were registered and the company has changed hands four times.

Counsel for Akshaya Gold Dhanunjay, said that even after payment, several landholders have not transferred their lands in the name of the company.

Asking why the company paid huge sums to landholders without the lands being transferred, the court asked the CID why no case was registered against the landowners. While asking the authorities submit status reports, the bench adjourned the case to March 24.
The department says that it has been serving notices for non-metered connections for the past one month, warning consumers that if they dont get meters installed, a penalty of double the charges would be imposed from the next billing cycle. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: Out of the 8.7 lakh water connections in the city, only 1.6 lakh are metered. While Water Boards software shows that the meters for the rest are either under repair or locked, authorities say that most connections in the GHMC non-core area dont have meters. With no meters, the water board is naturally struggling to quantify the water used by consumers.

The department says that it has been serving notices for non-metered connections for the past one month, warning consumers that if they dont get meters installed, a penalty of double the charges would be imposed from the next billing cycle. Out of the 8.7 lakh water connections in the city, over 30,000 are commercial. Of the remaining 8.4 lakh, 1.4 are slum connections for which the board does not insist on meters. For the remaining 7 lakh connections, only 1.6 lakh are metered. A recent survey done by the board identified lakhs of meters that showed under repair or locked.

P. S. Suryanarayana, director of revenue, Water Board said, Most households in the erstwhile MCH have meters. The non-core area, especially the merged municipalities, dont have meters. These households, until recently, had never been inspected. As per Section 36 of the Water Board Act, 1989, every owner or occupier having a water connection from the Water Board shall provide at his own cost a water meter and attach the same to the service pipe. As required under Rule 27 of the Water Supply Rules, the consumer is required to get the meter fixed. If the meter installed is found to be defunct or defective the owner should get it repaired and re-installed by the competent authority (Water Board). Failure to fix the defective meter within the prescribed time will attract double the normal rates as per Rule 28 of the Act.

Water bills to be hiked

With Transco increasing the electricity rates, water bills too are likely to be hiked. Currently the Water Board is paying Rs 65 crore towards electricity per month.

Water Board has a deficient budget of Rs 14 crore per year as it spends around Rs 114 crore while its revenue is Rs 100 crore. The recent Rs 450 crore waiver by the state government to defaulters will burden the Water Board as the state will not be compensating the Board. Meanwhile, the yearly budget allocations by the state either goes towards new network laying or for repaying Hudco, the World Bank and other loans.

Interestingly, of the amount waived by the state government, Rs 80 crore was from Asmangarh and Rs 10 crore from SR Nagar, the areas of highest usage. Around 38 per cent of the water supplied to the city does not generate any revenue. Non-revenue water supply is especially prevalent in divisions 1 (Charminar), 2 (Asman Garh) and 3 (Mehdipatnam - south of the Musi) where the Water Board loses around Rs 30 crore a month.

A senior official of the Board, The board suffers three types of losses: Physical loss (leakages, valve repair or pipeline burst); Commercial loss  illegal connections; and non revenue water supply  unbilled, unauthorised connections. A few houses do not pay according to the water consumed. If the usage is of 30 units, they will pay the bill for only 10 units. So far the Water Board has not cracked down on such connections. Non-revenue water supply in other parts of the city is between 25- 38 per cent. The Water Board collects around Rs 90 crore from bills, but if the non-revenue water supply is checked, this can go up by another Rs 30-35 crore.
New Delhi: A day after Lok Sabha witnessed an action-packed participation of several lawmakers in the calling attention motion on alleged alteration of the affidavit relating to Ishrat Jahan case, the matter again resurfaced in the Lower House on Friday when the Congress, alleging gross injustice for being disallowed to put across their views, sought permission from Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to allow at least one of its MPs to put across the partys point of view on the matter. The request of the main Opposition party was however, disallowed by the Speaker.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said for want of the Oppositions participation, the discussion was biased and saw baseless allegations against the erstwhile UPA government and its leadership and projected a one-sided story. Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy later dismissed the Congress charge.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravishankar during the opening day of the three-day long World Culture Festival on the banks of Yamuna River in New Delhi on Friday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing Sri Sri Ravi Shankars World Culture Festival on the banks of the Yamuna on Friday evening, described the mega-event as the Kumbh Mela of art. In the backdrop of the debate on nationalism across the country, Mr Modi said we have to be proud of our heritage, our country, and went on to add: If we curse ourselves, the world wont look at us.

Read: Event organisers asked to videograph every activity

Earlier, President Pranab Mukherjee had decided a few days ago to skip the controversial event. Nepals deputy prime minister was among several foreign dignitaries who attended Fridays show. But Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe earlier pulled citing some shortcomings in the security and protocol arrangements.

The Opposition criticised the holding of the mega-show, with CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury accusing AOL of brazenly evading NGT orders and deplored that the event was being patronised by the Prime Minister himself.

Also read: Traffic nightmare in Delhi as rain, Sri Sri event choke roads

This, he added, does not augur well for the country. JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav attacked the Centre for patronising the mega-show, calling it an unnecessary event which will bring nothing for 90 per cent of our population.

Supporting the controversial festival, Union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu tweeted that it will bring glory to India and felt that an unnecessary fuss was being created over the Army building pontoon bridges. He felt this so-called glorious show should not be politicised.

In his brief speech at the event, the PM heaped praise on Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and said the guru had contributed to the world image of India. Praising and congratulating Ravi Shankar and AOL for spreading out in 150 countries, Mr Modi said: The world can be connected with human values.

The PM spoke of Indias cultural diversity and said that not only the economy, India can be linked to the world through its culture.

Also read: Foreign nationals, including 80 from Pakistan, participate in Art of Living fest

The Prime Minister, recalling a function that was organised for him by Art of Living in Mongolia, said when the Mongolians had waved the Indian tricolour, it was inspiring and a proud moment.

Earlier, Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, under attack from several quarters for drastically tampering with the Yamuna rivers flood plains, tried to justify the extravaganza by saying that hurdles are created when great things are done Responding to people calling the event his private party, Ravi Shankar said: Someone said it is my private party.

I say it is true because the world is my family. When one needs nothing for himself, then he belongs to entire society. His response was greeted with thunderous applause from his followers. Under attack for damaging the environment, the guru talked of his love for nature and concern for the environment. He also talked about global peace and unity in diversity.

Ravi Shankars show was mega in every aspect. Despite the heavy rain, hail and traffic snarls, the show was a full house, with lakhs attending it. Nearly 35,000 artistes from different countries performed on a stage built over seven acres of land.

World is my family, says Sri Sri

Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended Sri Sri Ravi Shankars World Culture Festival on the banks of the Yamuna on Friday evening, supporting the controversial festival, Union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu tweeted that it will bring glory to India and felt that an unnecessary fuss was being created over the Army building pontoon bridges.

He felt this so-called glorious show should not be politicised. In his brief speech at the event, the PM heaped praise on Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and said the guru had contributed to the world image of India. Praising and congratulating Ravi Shankar and AOL for spreading out in 150 countries, Mr Modi said: The world can be connected with human values.

The PM spoke of Indias cultural diversity and said that not only the economy, India can be linked to the world through its culture. Mr Modi, recalling a function that was organised for him by Art of Living in Mongolia, said when the Mongolians had waved the Indian Tricolour, it was inspiring and a proud moment. Earlier, Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, under attack from several quarters for drastically tampering with the Yamuna rivers floodplains, tried to justify the extravaganza by saying that hurdles are created when great things are done.

Responding to people calling the event his private party, Ravi Shankar said: Someone said it is my private party. I say it is true because the world is my family. When one needs nothing for himself, then he belongs to entire society. His response was greeted with thunderous applause from his followers.
As a homeowner, you probably already know that you should be working to maintain your home. But, chances are, you Read More
Bengaluru: Her soft voice and ready smile completely belie Shehla Rashid's fiery nature. Born and raised in Kashmir, politics and violence have been an inextricable part of existence for the 27-year-old, who is vice-president of the JNU Students Union. She addressed journalists at an event organised by the Journalists' Study Centre and took on a barrage of questions.

Students have always been at the forefront of the opposition, she told Deccan Chronicle on the sidelines. Agreeing that the BJP government is targetting educational institutions, she said, Students ask questions and our government can't stand it. The BJP government is obsessed with wiping out opposition, by buying out media houses and blacking out news. Modi never addresses press conferences or gives interviews. Why hasnt he spoken about the Dadri lynching, Ghar Wapsi or the Love Jihad? This is a particularly dangerous governments one that is working toward a perverted, Hindi-Hindu rashtriya notion of India."

Comparing what she calls the "politics of hatred" with colonial policies, she said, "They do these things so that we don't ask questions about scams like Vyapam. The government sanctioned a huge corporate debt write-off and as soon as people began to question it, the JNU incident happened. They want people to do away with questions on economic issues, like employment, education and healthcare. It's not just the BJP government either - its neo-liberal agenda was pushed by the Congress government as well. It has distorted our country's development goals and no attention is paid to literacy, healthcare or rising pollution levels."

Calling the current government "dangerous", Shehla said, "We have a government that is anti-poor, anti-Dalit, anti-student and anti-thinking. We will expose them." Asserting that this is more than just a way to garner votes for the CPI-M, of which she is a part, she said, "JNU has been known for a broader fight, one that is focussed on saving the ideals of democracy, which have been enshrined in the Preamble of the Constitution."

Things came to a head, Shehla explained, when the government appointed BJP member Gajendra Chauhan as the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Film and Television Institute, resulting in a 111-day strike by the students. "Before that, people were too afraid to speak out against the government," she said. "It is the students who have led the opposition to a government that is scary, has terrorised people and is obsessed with wiping out any form of opposition, dissent and questioning."

Asked whether JNU has a bias against the right, to which she said, "We condemn the excesses committed by the Left, as we have done in the past as well. During the Emergency, for instance, the JNU student president was arrested and our hostels were raided. We have never been silent."

She said later that no matter how much resistance the students face, they will continue to fight for what they believe in. "Our anti-rape protest after the Jyoti Singh rape and murder was the final nail in the coffin for the Congress government," she said.

There was no question of stopping the slogans being raised on the night of February 9, Shehla insisted. "We are not a censor board," she declared. "Other groups, the ABVP included, have raised extremely provocative slogans on a number of occasions. There are people with all kinds of opinions and we don't attempt to stop them. Why should we? Our only job as the JNU Students' Union is to ensure that there is no violence."

On February 9, Shehla, along with leaders from other student organisations on campus arrived at Afzal Guru gathering and asked the participants, whom she said were not from JNU, to tone down their protest. "Still, violence didn't seem likely at the time, so we left. I cannot speak for anything that happened after that, because the ABVP blocked the road and it did result in a physical confrontation."
Chinese troops often transgress into Indian territory as both countries have different perceptions of the line of actual control (LAC) demarcation in J&K and Arunachal sectors which they have never mutually agreed upon. (Representational image)

New Delhi: Despite joint tactical exercises with China in Ladakh, Chinese transgressions havent ended. A report from Leh said Chinese PLA troops, in a fresh transgression in Ladakh, entered 6 km deep inside Indian territory near the Pangong lake area earlier this week.

At least 11 PLA personnel led by a colonel-rank officer entered in four vehicles across Indias Thakung border post on March 8, and were countered and engaged by an ITBP patrol, after which they retreated.

Chinese PLA troops entered almost 6 km deep inside Indian territory near the scenic Pangong lake area this week leading to a stand-off between security personnel of the two sides.

Chinese troops often transgress into Indian territory as both countries have different perceptions of the line of actual control (LAC) demarcation in J&K and Arunachal sectors which they have never mutually agreed upon. The government says this is the main reasons why transgressions occur as both sides patrol up to their respective perception of the border.

The incident reportedly occurred on March 8 when a platoon of at least 11 PLA men led by a colonel crossed over the LAC at Finger VIII Sirjap-I area, close to Pangong lake. The Chinese soldiers entered in four vehicles  two light, one medium and one heavy  from across the Thakung border post of India and reached 5.5 km deep inside Indian territory, sources were cited by news agencies as saying.

Apparently, the Chinese soldiers were soon countered and engaged by a patrol of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police(ITBP) and they were locked in eye-to-eye ball confrontation for a few hours after which the situation got defused and the other side retreated. The Chinese platoon was reportedly led by a Colonel-rank officer and included two Majors.

According to reports, the Chinese side was well equipped while the ITBP men were also carrying weapons and equipment for a long range patrol of the area.

The situation along the banks of the 90 sq km Pangong lake, two-third of which is under Chinese control, has always remained volatile with Chinese troops being intercepted by Indian Army patrol several times after the three-week long stand-off in the Depsang plains of Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) in May, 2013.

China has also managed to construct a road up to Finger-IV area, which also falls under Sirijap area and is five-km deep into the LAC, the de-facto border.

Just a few weeks ago, India and China had taken their defence cooperation to a whole new level despite irritants in ties, with the two nations conducting joint tactical exercises in Jammu and Kashmir for the first time. The exercises had been conducted in eastern Ladakh by the border troops of the two armies and were part of efforts to enhance interaction between the border-guarding forces of the two sides. China has illegally occupied the Aksai Chin area of eastern J&K, which comprises huge swathes of land of thousands of kilometres. Chinese troops are also involved in projects in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and China is also building an economic corridor linking itself to Pakistan through PoK despite Indian protests.

India had earlier signed a Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) recently with China a few years ago to eliminate the possibility of any sudden military conflagration along the LAC. As per this agreement, the border patrols of the two sides were not to tail each other when they come face-to-face while patrolling the LAC.
THAT THERE MAY BE A FAIRER SOCIETY IN GHANA - ONE IN WHICH ALL THE PEOPLE, NOT JUST A POWERFUL AND GREEDY FEW, BENEFIT FROM THE NATION'S WEALTH!
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NAFSO (National Fisheries Solidarity Movement), which organizes fishermen to lobby the government to defend their rights and to bring about good environmental practice in coastal areas. NAFSO has helped a fishing community to take legal action against a proposal to build a five-star hotel on a mangrove where fish spawn."We are not against hotels, because they bring tourism and income. But 3,000 families and 15,000 fishermen use this lagoon and all of them could be affected by the developments. Only 200 would be employed by the hotel. The lagoon is our mother, and we must protect her." Jude Preman Fernando, local fisherman. At the present situation we are continuing our campaign with small scale fishermen to urge the government to take legal action against Destructive Fishing Practices around the coastal areas of Sri Lanka.For The More Details :pradeeplaksirifernando@gmail.com
"We should always remember that the danger to societies from security services is not that they will spontaneously decide to embrace [Stasi style] mustache twirling and jackboots to bear us bodily into dark places, but that the slowly shifting foundation of policy will make it such that mustaches and jackboots are discovered to prove an operational advantage toward a necessary purpose. ~ Edward Snowden





"America: just a nation of two hundred million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns and no qualms about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable." ~ Hunter S. Thompson



"Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws." ~ Mayer Rothschild



"News is what somebody does not want you to print. All the rest is advertising." ~ LACUNA



"What matters in journalism isn't politics, which are as universal and inescapable as breathing. What matters -- along with a fundamentally adversarial attitude toward government, without which "journalism" is simply public relations -- is integrity, transparency, evidence, coherence, and principle. These are the principles on which we should evaluate the quality of journalism, and their absence is why some journalists are so desperate to get you to focus on something else." ~ Barry Eisler



"There is no inverse relationship between freedom and security. Less of one does not lead to more of the other. People with no rights are not safe from terrorist attack." ~ Molly Ivins



"The brain of our species is, as we know, made up largely of potassium, phosphorus, propaganda, and politics, with the result that how not to understand what should be clearer is becoming easier and easier for all of us." ~ James Thurber



"The highest patriotism is not a blind acceptance of official policy, but a love of one's country deep enough to call her to a higher plane....When you hold up your arm and swear to uphold the Constitution, you dont say, 'Except in wartime.'" -- George McGovern



"Ill believe that corporations are people when Texas executes one." ~ Bill Moyers






New Delhi: The committee set up by Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice Chancellor to probe into the February 9 anti-India sloganeering issue is expected to submit its recommendations on Friday.

Terming the act by protesting JNU students as vague, the university authorities had then maintained that any talk about disintegration of nation cannot be 'national'. Talking to PTI, the authorities had said that the committee headed by Chief Proctor of JNU will look into the matter.

A group of students organised a programme and termed the hanging of the Parliament attack convict as judicial killing. The student organisers of the event pasted posters across the campus inviting the students to gather for a protest march against judicial killing of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhatt and in solidarity with struggle of Kashmiri migrants, at varsity's Sabarmati dhaba yesterday.

Later, JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on sedition charges for participating in a JNU event held to commemorate the death anniversary of terrorist Afzal Guru. He was recently released on six-month interim bail.

JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, facing sedition charges for allegedly raising "anti-India" slogans are under 14 days judicial custody.

A case against Khalid and Bhattacharya were arrested under the same charges on February 12 after the event held on the university campus against the execution of Afzal Guru. He allegedly shouted anti-India slogans at the event.
New Delhi: A day after National Green Tribunal gave its nod, the World Culture Festival being organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art Of Living (AoL) foundation will commence from Friday.

While delivering its order, the green tribunal imosed a fibe of Rs 5 crore fine on AoL, which is supposed to be paid by today 5 pm. However, noted spiritual guru Sri Sri has said that they will not pay any fine, rather he is ready to go to jail.

The NGT has maintained that if the AoL foundation fails to give initial environmental compensation of Rs 5 crore for holding its mega event on Yamuna flood plains, law will take its own course if it fails to do so.

NGT Chairperson Swatantar Kumar said, "If there is any breach of any condition, the matter will be taken up as and when required and law will take its own course."

However, Sri Sri's comments that he would not pay the fine has triggered speculation about the course likely to be adopted by AoL.

Meanwhile, PM Narendra Modi on Thursday confirmed his participation at the upcoming mega global event here in which tens of thousands of people are expected to attend.

The three-day event will be held from March 11-13 on the west bank of Yamuna to celebrate 35 years of the foundation.

President Pranab Mukherjee, who was scheduled to deliver the valedictory address at Sri Sri Ravi Shankars WCF commencing in Delhi from March 11, on Monday decided to distance itself from the event.

Speaking exclusively to NDTV, Sri Sri said, The President had sent a beautiful message for the World Culture Festival. He has expressed his inability to attend the event because he has to attend a program in Allahabad.
The Centre's decision to set upuniversity at Anantapur is the first of its kind for this district after the state was bifurcated into two.(Representational image)

Anantapur: The Centre's decision to set up Andhra Pradesh's new central university at Anantapur is the first of its kind for this district after the state was bifurcated into two.

Many other institutions including Urdu University, IIT and several others were in the reckoning but the centre announced the setting up of Central Varsity at Anantapur.

Five of the seven national-level educational institutions allotted to Andhra Pradesh planned to function from the coming academic session and funds were allotted to majority of them.

But, slow process raised doubts about formal running of the varsity at temporary shelter from the coming academic year following controversies at Hyderabad Central University and further JNU Delhi.

Suicide of Rohit Vemula had resulted in tension for many weeks at Hyderabad Central Varsity. This was followed by JNU issue. Hyderabad was accommodating students of both the states AP and Telangana even after two years of bifurcation.

With the centre giving the green signal, the Central University is expected to commence from the coming academic year.

Anantapur district authorities have already chalked out suitable land at three different locations in different parts of the district. Land was formally okayed at Reddipalli in B.K. Samudram mandal in the district, about 15 km away from headquarters.

The prison department had nearly 1,000 acre land closer to open air prison and 350 acres of land was identified for the purpose as the prison authorities had also expressed consent to allot land for the varsity. Classes were to begin during 2015-16 at the temporary shelter but did not.

Jawaharlal Nehru Technological College of Engineering, Anantapur, was identified as suitable location to run the varsity temporarily till completion of pucca buildings for the varsity at proposed lands. It was also proposed to conduct classes of both engineering and central varsity classes in shift system.

Hostels were also to be allotted for the students at JNTUA campus, sources said. Another location was also identified near Reddipalli.

Anantapur joint collector B. Lakshmikantham said the district administration was ready to provide all necessary assistance to begin academic sessions from the coming year including allotment of land for construction.
New Delhi: The controversial event on the floodplains of Yamuna opened today with Prime Minister Narendra Modi heaping praise on Sri Sri Ravi Shankar saying he had "introduced" India to the world but made no reference to the raging row over environmental concerns surrounding it.

The three-day cultural extravaganza attended by thousands of people and delegates from a number of countries saw the Prime Minister telling Indians to be proud of their cultural heritage.

"India has the cultural heritage and richness which the whole world is looking for. We can fulfil those needs... But it can only happen, if we take pride in our heritage. If we keep cursing it, then why the world will look at us," he said while praising Ravi Shankar's efforts in this regard.

Modi spent three hours at the event but did not make any reference in his brief speech to the controversy triggered by environmental activists accusing Ravi Shankar's Art of Living Foundation of destroying the river bed by erecting massive structures as lakhs of people are expected to participate.

With controversies dogging the event, President Pranab Mukherjee pulled out of the valedictory session on Sunday. Former French Prime Minister Dominique Villepin, Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa, UAE's Cultural Minister Al Nahayan were among the foreign dignitaries, who were present on the occasion.

But several others including Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, Sri Lankan President Maitripala Sirisena and Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah kept away.

Uncertainty had clouded the event with the National Green Tribunal posing tough questions to various government agencies on how the event was being allowed but later pleaded helplessness in enforcing a ban on it.

Nevertheless, it imposed a fine of Rs 5 crore on AOL but Ravi Shankar was defiant saying he would go to jail than pay the fine. Today, AOL's counsel changed tack in the NGT saying it was an NGO and not in a position to pay the amount in a short time following which the NGT asked them to pay Rs 25 lakh today and the rest in next three weeks time.

In his address, Ravi Shankar took a dig at his critics for describing the World Cultural Festival as his "private party" saying "obstacles" do come when something great is done. He made no reference to the troubles AOL faced with the NGT.

Ravi Shankar also told his detractors that it was in our DNA to "care for and love" nature and protect environment.

Rains threatened to play spoilsport but the event went ahead as per schedule amid colourful cultural performances by artists from across the world and addresses by foreign dignitaries
New Delhi: Mexican Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz-Massieu Salinas arrived on Friday in New Delhi on a two-day visit during which she will hold discussions on various issues with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

According to External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup, the "meeting will result in a comprehensive review of the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including political ties, commercial and trade relations, and cooperation in financial, technical and other areas.

Swarup had on Thursday said that India and Mexico share historical links and strong cultural and people-to-people ties.

Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi and the president of Mexico (Enrique Pena Nieto) had met on September 28, 2015, in New York on the sidelines of the UNGA, he said.

Mexico is Latin America's second largest economy and its largest trading nation. It is also the world's 14th largest economy.

It is therefore natural trade and commerce are one of the main drivers in our bilateral relationship, Swarup said.

Our current trade is approximately USD 6.25 billion. Mexico also has one of the world's largest hydrocarbon reserves, ranking among the top 10 oil-producing countries.

Mexico also has the world's fourth largest shale oil reserves.

India is the third largest importer of crude oil from Mexico. Hence, energy ties are also expected to be discussed during this visit, the spokesman said.
New Delhi: The Union government has said that it has no intention to criminalise marital rape in India.

Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi said in Parliament in a written reply that it is difficult to apply the concept of marital rape in India.

"It is considered that the concept of marital rape, as understood internationally, cannot be suitably applied in the Indian context due to various factors like level of education/ illiteracy, poverty, myriad social customs and values, religious beliefs, mindset of the society to treat the marriage as a sacrament etc," said Maneka in her reply.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday attend the World Culture Festival being organised by the spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living foundation, which is mired in a controversy over its attempt to hold the event on the fragile banks of Yamina river.

According to reports, PM Modi yesterday confirmed his participation at the mega global event here in which tens of thousands of people are expected to attend.

The three-day festival will kick off from today and people from more than 100 countries are expected to attend the event.

Modi's decision to attend the festival, confirmed by the government, has been criticised by some sections of the society as the mega event could potentially destroy the sensitive floodplains of the river, a reported in India Today said.

Meanwhile, the National Green Tribunal yesterday ordered the organisers to pay Rs 5 crore as fine to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for violating environmental norms.

The fine was imposed after it came to light that the organisers did not give sufficient details of the event being held on the Yamuna banks.

The Art of Living has been accused of destroying the fragile ecosystem of the river by felling trees and making a concrete structure for the event.

A massive stage, covering seven acres of land, has been built on the riverbed for the event.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the spiritual guru who heads the Art of Living, said the structures are temporary and would be dismantled after the event.

The spiritual guru also refused to pay fine and instead expressed his willingness to go to jail, claiming that he has done nothing wrong.
New Delhi: Congress member Shashi Tharoor today blamed the BJP for using its "brute majority" in Lok Sabha to thwart his second attempt in three months to introduce a private member's bill to decriminalise homosexuality.

Tharoor said it was "religious bigotry" of the ruling party that had disallowed discussion on his private bill to amend the "colonial era" section 377 of the IPC which criminalises homosexuality, adding that Parliament was a place for open deliberations on all issues.

He used the opportunity to voice his anguish while moving another bill on the Rights of Transgender Persons when the House was transacting Private Members' Business.

A few minutes before, the Lok Sabha, for the second time in three months, voted against the introduction of Tharoor's Indian Penal Code (Amendment) Bill 2016 to amend Section 377 of the IPC.

Expressing anguish at the rejection of his bill at the introduction stage, Tharoor said it was "a low in the proud annals of Indian democracy" where "brute majority prevailed over the rights of a member" to bring the measure.

The Congress member regretted that the House was not allowed to deliberate on a law which was framed by the British rulers on the principles of Victorian morality.

In effect, the bill aims to decriminalise sexual intercourse in private between consenting adults, irrespective of their sexuality or gender by restricting the applicability of the section.

As Tharoor sought to introduce the private member's bill, BJP members negated the motion but the Congress member insisted on a division of House.

58 out of 73 members present voted against introduction of the Bill, while 14 favoured it. One member abstained from voting.

The Supreme Court in December 2013 overturned a verdict of the Delhi High Court that had set aside Section 377 of the IPC asking the government to take a view on the controversial subject of decriminalising homosexuality.

The Delhi High Court in 2009 ruled that Section 377 was unconstitutional.

Tharoor's previous attempt to introduce a similar bill in the Lok Sabha on December 18 too was voted out. Tharoor had then said he would make another attempt to introduce the bill.

While extending support to the Transgender Bill which was already approved by the Rajya Sabha, Tharoor said Indian culture and tradition has several references to transgenders and there was a pressing need to treat them with dignity.
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today said social media was bringing change in society, but apprehensions of its misuse were also increasing.

"Large scale changes are taking place in the society through social media. Using this medium people are touching new avenues of economic growth. Apprehensions of its misuse are also increasing," Akhilesh said while addressing Facebook's 'Boost your Business' programme.

While terming social media as a strong medium to project their products at international level for small entrepreneurs, he said, "Social media platforms like Facebook should be used for the development of the state".

The CM said more than 1,500 business pages have been created on Facebook for small entrepreneurs.

After hosting a series of successful events and outreach activities in cities like Kannauj, Kanpur, Allahabad and Varanasi, Facebook's 'Boost Your Business' program has reached its last leg, Lucknow.

Under its initiative of increasing investment in small businesses in India, Facebook's 'Boost your Business' has been live in Uttar Pradesh for the past six weeks.
New Delhi: In a breather for the Art of Living (AOL) Foundation, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday granted the organisation run by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar three weeks' time to pay in full Rs 5 crore fine imposed on it for organising the World Culture Festival on the flood plain of river Yamuna.

The AOL has deposited Rs 25 lakhs today and the balance Rs 4.75 crores will be paid within three weeks.

The AOL had earlier been directed by the NGT to submit the fine with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) by 5 pm today.

Hearing an application filed by the AOL, the tribunal accepted its undertaking that it will not be able to pay the full fine by 5 pm today.

In its application, the AOL had said that it is a charitable organisation and it is difficult for it to generate Rs 5 crores in a short period.

The AOL agreed to deposit Rs 25 lakhs today itself and the balance amount within the stipulated time when asked by the NGT if a part of the penalty could be paid today as it environment compensation.

How much money can you deposit today? It's not a penalty but environment compensation, the NGT asked the AOL.

The AOL had earlier said that the amount required to be paid by it should not be taken as penalty but as environment compensation for biodiversity park to be built on the site of the festival.

The NGT had earlier today said that if the AOL failed to pay Rs 25 lakhs today, then the grant of Rs 2.5 crore released to the foundation by the Culture Ministry will be attached.

NGT warns AOL

The NGT today took a strong exception to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's remarks made yesterday that he will not pay the fine and was ready to go to jail.

Is it correct you made a statement that you will not pay the Rs 5 crore fine and rather go to jail? the NGT asked.

Do not make the tribunal a subject of controversy, it said, warning, If anybody hurts the image of the tribunal, we will take it to a logical conclusion as per rule of law.

When a person of that stature (Ravi Shankar) makes such statements, it hits rule of law, the tribunal said.

The NGT had imposed the fine on AOL on Wednesday while giving it the permission to hold the mega festival on the Yamuna flood plain.

On Thursday morning, the NGT had said that if the AOL fails to submit the fine of Rs 5 crore with the Delhi Development Authority by 4 pm, it may cancel the permission.

However, the tribunal, in the evening, had extended the deadline for AOL to pay the fine till 5 pm today.

It may be noted that the event will kick-off at 5 pm today with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the inauguration.

Meanwhile, the tribunal pulled up the Ministry of Water Resources for not doing anything to protect Yamuna from pollution despite several directions.

It said all authorities have to ensure no pollution is spread in the Yamuna.

Separately, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh also spoke on the AOL controversy today, saying, There is no controversy. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is known for resolving controversial issues.

Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu also tweeted, World Culture Festival by Art of Living will bring glory to India. let's not politicise this (sic).
Imphal: After Arunachal Pradesh, it is now the turn of Manipur`s Congress Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh to face dissidence - with over 25 party legislators up in arms.

In the 2012 assembly polls, the Congress bagged 42 seats in the 60-member house, a record in Manipur.

The dissidents in the Congress have served an ultimatum to Ibobi Singh, asking them to either induct them in the ministry or face the music.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has summoned Ibobi Singh to New Delhi for discussions.

For months, the dissidents had been demanding a major reshuffle so that they could be inducted after dropping the present ministers.

This time the dissidents are understood to have hinted they may join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) if their demands were not conceded.

Said state BJP president Thounaojam Chaoba: "We have a long list of the Congress members who are seeking admission to the party. We may come out with the detailed list soon."

Ibobi Singh has been in power for 14 long years, and Congress dissidents say the wind in the state now favours the BJP.

A dissident told IANS: "At the time of installing the last ministry, Ibobi Singh assured us that the present ministers will be in power for two and a half years, after which new faces will be inducted.

"This time, we may look for greener pastures. There is no charm remaining merely as legislators."

Sonia Gandhi has reportedly taken a serious note of the demands of the dissidents, whose number is said to be increasing.

Most of them are camping in New Delhi seeking an audience with her.

A senior Manipur minister, however, told IANS that a major reshuffle was easier said than done.

According to him, there were some tribal ministers who cannot be replaced. Besides, there were 11 ministers excluding the chief minister, and it will be no easy task to select new ministers.

Manipur goes to the polls in February 2017.
Pakistan`s Senate on Friday passed a bill that criminalises for the first time sexual assault against minors, child pornography and trafficking.

The amendment to the penal code, which will go into force after being ratified by the president, also raises the age of criminal responsibility from seven to 10 years of age.

Under the revised legislation, sexual assaults will now be punishable by up to seven years in prison. Previously, only rape was criminalised.

Likewise, child pornography, which was previously not mentioned in the law, will be be punishable by seven years in prison and a fine of 700,000 rupees ($7000).

Pakistan last August was rocked by a major paedophilia scandal when it was revealed that hundreds of pornographic videos of children from the village of Hussain Khanwala in Punjab province had been created and were being circulated.

About 20 arrests were made, but only the acts of rape and sodomy were punishable by law.

The new amendment also criminalises child trafficking within Pakistan. Previously traffickers were only liable for punishment if they removed children from the country.

"This is a very important step to realise the obligations of Pakistan" under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Sara Coleman, chief of child protection at UNICEF, told AFP.

"Now we have to turn our attention to the law`s implementation," said Valerie Khan, the director of Group Development Pakistan, a local NGO which advocates legal reforms.

She also called for the "establishment of a national commission on child rights, which is essential to monitor and coordinate the implementation of the law."

cnp/ia/ds


Colombo: Six people were killed in two incidents of apparently gang-related violence in Sri Lanka on Friday, police said, despite a tough crackdown ordered last week.

Five were found burned to death in a van on a remote stretch of road outside Colombo, their bodies too charred to be easily identified.

"This looks like some kind of revenge attack," a senior police official told AFP.

"An investigation is under way to identify the victims. We suspect this has something to do with gang rivalry."

In a separate incident, gunmen burst into a home in the island`s south and opened fire, killing a woman and wounding her husband, police said.

No arrests have yet been made over the deaths, which come days after President Maithripala Sirisena drafted in the military to help tackle a surge in gang-related shootings.

Security forces have been asked to conduct joint operations with the police to dismantle crime networks responsible for drug smuggling and extortion rackets.

Police have also re-introduced road blocks, a common sight during the decades-long Tamil separatist war that ended in May 2009.
New Delhi: Bollywood actor Anupam Kher, whohad criticised those behind a recent flashpoint event at JNU, on Friday alleged that the university has refused to screen his film "Buddha in a traffic" even as varsity authorities denied having received any such request.

Accusing the university of "stifling freedom of speech and expression", Kher said that he was told that the university cannot allow the film to be screened owing to the present atmosphere at the campus.

"Why are only certain people allowed to exercise their freedom of expression at JNU? They should practice what they are preaching. If they're talking about freedom of speech and expression, then they should follow it also," he said.

The university officials refuted the allegations saying no request from Kher has been received by them for screening of any film.

"We have not received any verbal or written request from Anupam Kher for screening of the film so there is no question of we having denied it," a senior university official told PTI, adding, "I am not sure if he had sent any request to any specific school but nothing has come to the administration".

The students' union of the university which organises film screenings frequently also denied having being approached by Kher. The controversial film 'Aligarh' was also screened at the varsity recently.

Directed by Vivek Agnihotri, the 2014 film called "Buddha Stuck In A Traffic Jam" also stars Arunoday Singh, Mahi Gill, Pallavi Joshi, besides Kher.

Kher, a Padmabhushan awardee, made the comments after the film's director Vivek Agnihotri took to Twitter saying that the varsity did not give permission to screen the film.

The veteran actor said he plays a professor who transforms the minds of students and incites them to become the change. He said it talks about the relationship between students and the teacher and the politics within.

Kher said that the film, which was made two years ago and was waiting for producers, depicts the atmosphere that is prevalent in JNU today.

"All kind of films are shown in JNU, it's a film which is very relevant considering what is happening in JNU since a month. I am sure there are many students who would like to see it...it is not a controversial film," Kher said.

"The filmmakers didn't have the budget of Rs 5-6 crore to market the film so they decided to take the film across institutions and organisations to raise an awareness," he said.

At a recent event in Kolkata, Kher had attacked JNU and its students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar for allegedly raising "anti-national" slogans at an event on February 9 to mark the hanging of Parliament attacks convict Afzal Guru.
Hyderabad: Congress on Friday urged the ruling TRS and opposition parties in Telangana to let a member from departed party MLA R Venkata Reddy's family be elected unopposed from his Palair Assembly seat in Khammam district.

Venkata Reddy passed away recently due to lung cancer.

The state Legislative Assembly today passed a motion, moved by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, condoling the senior Congress MLA's death.

Hailing the services of Venkata Reddy, Rao said he had sanctioned more than Rs 80 lakhs for the former's medical treatment.

Speaking on the motion, Congress member Puvvada Ajay Kumar appealed to Rao and the opposition parties (TDP, BJP, Left and YSR Congress) to let a family member of Venkata Reddy be elected unopposed, as per a tradition in the past.

Referring to the ruling TRS, he said strength in the Assembly is not a problem for the party since 12 members from TDP, who switched loyalties to TRS, have now been recognised as members of the ruling party.

Noting that TRS has been on a winning spree (a series of elections, including bypolls, civic body elections in Hyderabad and elsewhere), the Congress MLA said the ruling party has nothing to prove afresh (by letting a family member of Venkat Reddy be elected without a contest).

Meanwhile, speaking on the condolence motion, members of all parties paid rich tributes to the departed leader.

They hailed him as a leader who championed the cause of agriculture, rural masses and the tribals in his native Khammam district.

Venkata Reddy, a five-time MLA, served as a minister when YS Rajasekhara Reddy, K Rosaiah and N Kiran Kumar Reddy were Chief Ministers in the earlier undivided Andhra Pradesh.
Kolkata: Ahead of the high voltage West Bengal Assembly Elections, chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee on Friday released party's manifesto in five different languages and expressed hope that Singur farmers will get back their land once the legal battle is over.

Addressing a press conference here during the manifesto's release function, the state chief minister said, "We promise less and do more work."

"Our party believes in policies which are necessarily people-friendly, industry-friendly and farmer-friendly, and which serve the aspirations of all people, irrespective of caste, creed and religion," Banerjee added.

She further said, "We have been maligned, conspired against by some parties."

Attacking the 'understanding' between the Left and Congress for upcoming assembly polls, TMC supremo said, "It's an unethical alliance. When I left the Congress and formed Trinamool, I claimed that the flag of Congress had been sold to the CPI-M. My allegation has been proved now."

Sensing that CPIM is trying hard to wrest the Singur assembly seat from them by raising the land return issue, the CM said, "I hope that these farmers would get back their land once the legal battle over Singur land acquisition is over," as per Economic Times.

The manifesto which has also been uploaded on All India Trinamool Congress' (AITC) official twitter handle reads: The ideology of Trinamool Congress is fundamentally pro-people  a Government of the people, by the people and for the people. As a result, the central idea behind its governance has been development. And it has been eminently successful in bringing about the development of West Bengal over the last five years, a development in all sectors of governance."

"The State is now one of the top performers in India in many aspects. Some of its schemes have won recognition at prominent international forums as well, besides being recognised as the best in India. Trinamool Congress believes in policies which are necessarily people-friendly, industry-friendly and farmer-friendly, and which serve the aspirations of all people, irrespective of caste, creed and religion, it added.

As per some AITC tweets, apart from two other languages, the manifesto was also released in English, Bangla and Hindi.

TMC's another tweet said that the party is soon going to upload the Urdu version of the manifesto.

#BengalPolls Here is the #Manifesto2016 in English, Bengali, Hindi & Al Chiki. We will upload the Urdu version soon https://t.co/xvIFPy0YP3  AITC (@AITCofficial) March 11, 2016

West Bengal is slated to hold the seven-phase polls from April 4 to May 5. Counting of votes will be held on May 19.
Damascus: Syria`s civil war, which has killed more than 270,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes, erupted in 2011 when government forces turned their weapons on protesters demanding political change.

The following are 10 key dates in the brutal conflict:-

March 15: Unprecedented protests inspired by the Arab Spring erupt, demanding reform after 40 years of iron-fisted rule by President Bashar al-Assad`s family.

- Security forces crack down on protesters in Damascus and Daraa, known as "the cradle of the uprising", where 100 people are reportedly killed on March 23.

- The regime claims it is cracking down on "an armed rebellion" by radical Islamists, while Britain, France and the United States denounce the repression.

- Protests spread, with demonstrators calling for Assad`s ouster.

- July 17: Moderate rebels from the Free Syrian Army declare that the battle for Damascus has begun, but the government holds its ground.

- July 19: Rebels launch an offensive in the northern city of Aleppo, which has since been divided between rebel-held neighbourhoods in the east and regime-held districts in the west.

- April 30: Hassan Nasrallah, chief of the powerful Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, acknowledges that his troops are fighting in Syria in support of Assad.

- August 21: Hundreds of people are killed in chemical weapons attacks targeting rebel bastions near Damascus. The West accuses Assad`s regime.

- In September, the United States and Russia agree on a plan to eliminate Syria`s chemical weapons, narrowly heading off US strikes.

- January 14: The jihadist Islamic State group, which emerged in Syria in 2013, seizes Raqa, the first provincial capital to fall out of regime control.

- June 29: IS declares the establishment of an Islamic "caliphate". It later claims numerous murders, including of Western hostages.

- May 9: Syrian troops recapture the Old City of Homs, after a two-year siege and near-daily bombardment. Rebels withdraw.

- January 26: Kurdish forces backed by US-led air strikes drive IS out of the flashpoint town of Kobane on the Turkish border, after months of fierce fighting.

- March 28: Syria`s Al-Qaeda affiliate, Al-Nusra Front, backed by rebel allies, seizes most of the northwestern city of Idlib, the second provincial capital after Raqa to fall out of government hands.

- In May Assad says that such setbacks do not mean the conflict is lost, but in July he acknowledges the shrinking ranks of his army.

- September 30: Russia launches air strikes on Syria, saying it is targeting "terrorists" including IS, but it faces accusations of hitting non-jihadist rebels and civilians as it seeks to bolster Assad.

- February 27: An unprecedented "cessation of hostilities" comes into force. It applies to combat zones between Russian-backed regime forces and non-jihadist rebels, but does not apply to the more than half of the country`s territory that is controlled by extremist groups.
At least 57 people were killed on Friday as Yemeni pro-government forces gained ground around third city Taez which has been under rebel siege for several months, officials said.

The loyalists backed by warplanes of a Saudi-led military coalition took back areas in the western and southern suburbs of the city, said governor Ali al-Maamari.

They "reopened key roads that the Huthis (Iran-backed Shiite rebels) had been blocking for nine months," said the governor, who lives in exile in Saudi Arabia.

That should allow for humanitarian and medical aid to reach about 200,000 besieged inhabitants, he said.

Loyalist military sources said clashes between pro-government forces and air strikes had killed at least 57 people on Friday, 37 of them rebels, six civilians and the rest loyalist fighters.

Earlier a source in the army`s 35th brigade confirmed that loyalists had seized Al-Misrakh area to the south of Taez city after heavy fighting that led to several deaths in the past few days.

Dozens of military vehicles carried rebel fighters out of the western suburb of Taez towards the city of Hodeida on the Red Sea, witnesses said.

The coastal city remains under the control of the insurgents and their allies, army units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Taez is located between the rebel-held capital Sanaa and the southern port city of Aden, which loyalists took back from the Huthis in July.

In November, forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi announced a major offensive to try to break the siege on Taez.

More than 6,100 people have died -- half of them civilians -- since the Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes on Yemen in March 2015, according to the United Nations.


Cairo: The Arab League on Friday declared Iran ally Hezbollah a "terrorist" group, after Gulf monarchies adopted the same stance over the Lebanese Shiite movement`s support for the regime in Syria`s war.

The move reflects the worsening tensions between Shiite Iran and the six-nation Sunni-dominated Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), of which regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia is a key member.

It comes a month after Riyadh cut ties with Tehran following demonstrations in which its embassy and a consulate were torched, in the wake of the Saudi execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.

Friday`s decision was endorsed by the majority of foreign ministers of the pan-Arab body except for Lebanon and Iraq which expressed "reservations", said Bahraini diplomat Wahid Mubarak Sayar.

"The resolution of the League`s council (of foreign ministers) includes the designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist group," he said reading from a statement at the Cairo headquarters of the League.

But Sayar said Algeria had some "observations" about the decision, although he did not elaborate.

He said the resolution denounced "Iranian interference" in the "internal affairs" of Arab countries, including Sunni-ruled but majority Shiite Bahrain where it allegedly "supports terrorism".

In January, GCC member Bahrain said it had dismantled a "terror" cell allegedly linked to Iran`s Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah.

Saudi Arabia and fellow Gulf nations also accuse Iran of supporting Shiite rebels in Yemen, as well as attempting to destabilise their own regimes.

They also denounce its alliance with the Syrian regime and Hezbollah while support rebels who have been fighting since 2011 to topple the Damascus government and President Bashar al-Assad.

Iraq refused to endorse the decision, with Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari rejecting Hezbollah being labelled as a "terrorist" group -- prompting the Saudi delegation to leave the room in protest.

Later in remarks to Egypt`s CBC Extra television, Jaafari praised Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah for "facing up to terrorism and Israel with courage".On March 2, the GCC -- which also includes Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates -- declared Hezbollah a "terrorist" group.

It was the latest step taken by Gulf states against Hezbollah, which has lawmakers in Lebanon`s parliament.

It came days after Saudi Arabia in February halted a $3 billion programme for military supplies to Lebanon in protest against Hezbollah.

Announcing the funding cut, a Saudi official said at the time that the kingdom noticed "hostile Lebanese positions resulting from the stranglehold of Hezbollah on the state".

After that announcement, Saudi Arabia urged its nationals to leave Lebanon and avoid travelling there, with Qatar and Kuwait later issuing similar advisories.

The United Arab Emirates banned its citizens from travelling to Lebanon.

Iran`s Revolutionary Guards created Hezbollah (Party of God) in the 1980s. Funded by Iran, it is the only side not to have put down weapons after Lebanon`s civil war from 1975 to 1990.

The United States, Canada and Australia have listed Hezbollah as a "terrorist" group. The European Union has also blacklisted its military wing.
San Francisco: In a hate-fuelled attack, a 66-year-old Buddhist monk was assaulted in the US with the attacker apparently mistaking him for a Muslim.

Kozen Sampson, a Buddhist monk, said he was attacked during a visit to Hood River in Oregon state.

The brown robe-clad Sampson's car door was kicked into his head by a man who abused him and then fled on foot, according to the Hood River Police Department.

Police described the assailant as a white male with brown hair. Investigators are probing the incident that took place on February 29 as a possible hate crime.

Sampson told the New York Daily News he suffered a small cut, some memory loss and was "stunned for a minute or two" after the man attacked him on his trip to take his dogs to obedience training.

"I know that that was an angry thought that this person had, but Muslims have to deal with this every day," said Sampson.

"Could you imagine living with such anger? Our hope is that we can find a way that people can release this anger and fear," he said.

"It's really not about me. It's about loving kindness and taking care of all of our people," Sampson said.

He said the man, who seemingly thought he was Muslim based on his clothing, attacked him for no reason.

"I pulled over, someone ran up and yelled. I turned around, they kicked the door, hit me in the side of the face and knocked my head into the frame of the car," Sampson was quoted as saying by KATU-TV. He said the man also abused Muslims.

But instead of anger and hatred towards that man, Sampson said he only feels forgiveness and compassion.

"I don't know the Islamic faith well, but I do know that Muslims are our brothers and sisters and I would encourage everyone to just take a hard look at how supportive are you of all God's children," Sampson said.
Wellington: Traditional Hawaiian garments gifted to Captain James Cook before he was killed in the islands more than two centuries ago were handed back to indigenous people of the US Pacific state Friday at a ceremony in Wellington.

Described a "priceless" by New Zealand`s national museum Te Papa, the mahiole (feathered helmet) and `ahu `ula (feathered cloak) were given to Cook in 1779 during the famous British explorer`s last voyage.

Such items were normally reserved for royalty -- with the feathers of 20,000 birds needed for the cloak alone -- a mark of Hawaiian chief Kalani`opu`u`s esteem for Cook.

Te Papa said they came to New Zealand via a circuitous route, passing through the hands of various British collectors before they were bequeathed to Wellington`s Dominion Museum in 1912.

Talks about returning them to Hawaii began in 2013, culminating in an agreement to give them to Honolulu`s Bishop Museum on a long-term loan of at least 10 years.

The handover took place at a ceremony at Te Papa featuring Hawaiian and New Zealand Maori indigenous rituals.

"I`m grateful to witness the return of these cultural heirlooms... it is a cause for celebration and it will be a source of inspiration, reflection and discussion," Kamana`opono Crabbe from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs said.

Cook was on a voyage seeking the fabled Northwest Passage and decided to spend the winter in Hawaii, according to an account on the State Library of New South Wales.

When his expedition first arrived in Kealakekua Bay it was greeted warmly and Kalani`opu`u gave Cook the royal garments.

But tensions soon arose and Cook was killed in a skirmish with the islanders on February 14, 1779.
Singapore: A 37-year-old Indian woman has been jailed for seven weeks in Singapore for falsely implicating her maid, also from India, in a theft case to prevent her from returning home.

Desai Asti Amit, who works here as pre-school teacher, was not happy with 23-year-old Kimei Dangmei's who started work for the family last April, Deputy Public Prosecutor James Low told the court.

She refused to let homesick Kimei return home to India in August. On August 20, Desai returned home from work and saw her son and Kimei at the playground.

That was when Desai planted a gold pendant and a metal prayer cup in the maid's luggage, The Straits Times reported today.

However, Kimei ran away and sought help from a welfare organisation the next day and went?on to her employment agency.

Desai and her husband brought the Kimei's luggage to the maid agency where it was inspected with the gold pendant and the cup falling out of the bag.

Police was called and told that Kimei had stolen the pendant.

Kimei was remanded for a day at a police station before being released on police bail.

On September 7, when giving a further statement to the police, Desai admitted to framing Kimei and pleaded guilty to giving false information to the police.

Defence lawyer Louis Joseph said lodging the police report and seeing the maid being arrested had pricked Desai's conscience.

District Judge Adam Nakhoda said Desai had multiple opportunities to tell the truth but persisted with her lie until she was called by the police.

The Judge called Desai's action spiteful and jailed her for seven weeks yesterday. Kimei has since returned home to India.
Ramallah: Israeli forces raided the West Bank offices of Palestine Today television overnight and arrested its manager over allegations of inciting violence, Israel's Shin Bet internal security agency said today.

The operation targeting the station's Ramallah offices was the latest attempt to silence Palestinian broadcasters Israel believes are fuelling a five-month wave of violence.

The Shin Bet charged that the channel "broadcasts on behalf of the Islamic Jihad" militant group and said it had closed it in a joint operation with the army.

"The channel served the Islamic Jihad as a central means to incite the West Bank population, calling for terror attacks against Israel and its citizens. Incitement was broadcast on the television station as well as the Internet," it said in a statement.

Israeli forces arrested Palestine Today manager, Farooq Aliat, 34, of Bir Zeit, north of Ramallah, "an Islamic Jihad operative who had been imprisoned in Israel for his activities," it added.

Cameraman Mohammed Amr and technician Shabib Shabib were also arrested, the Palestinian Journalists Union said.

An army spokeswoman said technical equipment and transmitters were confiscated from the Ramallah offices, which were ordered shut.

The channel continues to broadcast from the Hamas- controlled Gaza Strip.

Islamic Jihad denounced the "Israeli aggression against the nationalist media of the resistance," calling the raid "another episode in the long saga of oppression by the occupation."

A wave of violence has killed 188 Palestinians, 28 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese since October 1, according to an AFP count.
Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has ordered further nuclear tests, state media said Friday, as military tensions surge on the Korean peninsula with South Korean and US forces engaged in large-scale joint exercises condemned by Pyongyang.

Since the joint drills began Monday, the North has issued daily warnings and statements, talking up its nuclear strike capabilities and threatening to turn Seoul and Washington into "flames and ashes."

Just days after he was photographed posing in front of what state media described as a miniaturised nuclear warhead, Kim said the weapon required further testing.

Overseeing a ballistic missile launch on Thursday, Kim ordered "more nuclear explosion tests to estimate the destructive power of the newly produced nuclear warheads," the North`s official KCNA news agency said.

Experts are divided as to just how far the North may have gone in shrinking warheads to a size capable of fitting on a ballistic missile -- a major step forward in strike capability that would present a heightened threat to South Korea, other countries in the region and, eventually, the US mainland.According to KCNA, Thursday`s launch of two short-range ballistic missiles, which traversed the eastern part of the country before falling into the East Sea (Sea of Japan), was part of a nuclear strike exercise.

The aim was to simulate conditions for "exploding nuclear warheads from the preset altitude above targets in the ports under enemy control," the agency said.

Watching the exercise, Kim reiterated an earlier threat to launch an immediate nuclear attack if the "sabre-rattling" South Korea-US drills should harm "even a single tree or a blade of grass" on North Korean territory.

"I will issue a prompt order to launch attack with all military strike means," he said.

Military tensions on the divided Korean peninsula have been on the rise since the North carried out its fourth nuclear test in January, followed by a long-range rocket launch last month.

South Korea and the United States responded by scaling up their annual joint drills, which Pyongyang has always condemned as provocative rehearsals for invasion.The North`s anger has been fuelled this year by reports that the drills included a "decapitation strike" scenario in which the North Korean leadership and command structure is taken out at the start of any conflict.

In light of such drills, "our self-defensive countermeasures should adopt a more preemptive and offensive mode," Kim said.

The UN Security Council responded to the North`s latest nuclear test and rocket launch by adopting tough, new sanctions, which Pyongyang condemned as a "gangster-like" provocation orchestrated by the United States.

Reacting to Kim`s call for more nuclear tests, South Korea on Friday said the North Korean leader was being "rash" and displaying his ignorance of international opinion.

"The international community is imposing strong and comprehensive sanctions and this only goes to prove why they are necessary," said Unification Ministry Spokesperson Jeong Joon-Hee.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday voiced grave concern over the growing tensions, and urged North Korea to avoid any further "destabilising acts."

Kim, however, chose to highlight the need for a diversified nuclear strike force, capable of delivering warheads from the ground, air, sea and underwater.

The North has conducted a number of what is says were successful tests of a submarine launched ballistic missile.

Outside experts have questioned the results of those tests, suggesting Pyongyang had gone little further than a "pop-up" test from a submerged platform.
West Bengal will be deployed with 900 flying squads to look over expenses borne by candidates. (Photo: PTI)

Kolkata: Nearly 900 'flying squads', each equipped with a GPS-fitted vehicle, is being deployed in West Bengal by the Election Commission to monitor poll related expenses of candidates.

"For each of the 294 Assembly constituencies, we will have three 'flying squads' headed by an executive magistrate and police officials to keep vigil on attempts to influence voters using money," a top EC official said.

Each of the flying squads has a GPS-fitted car so that their movements can be tracked by EC, he said.

"The squads have been asked to take photos and videos if they notice any violation and send it to us as soon as possible. This saves time and we get all records and evidence quickly," the official said.

In each of the districts, an election expenditure monitoring cell has been established with a 24/7 call centre where the flying squads submit reports.

No Assembly constituency in West Bengal has been found to be 'expenditure-sensitive' by the poll watchdog. But, the EC is doing a vulnerability mapping exercise to find areas where chances of violations are high.

"We then give special focus to those areas. The 'flying squad' cannot avoid those areas as their movements are tracked by us," officials said.

For greater transparency, candidates have been asked to open a separate bank account for their poll expenses so that it can be easily monitored. The limit of poll-related expenditure per candidate is Rs 28 lakh.
Washington: In a rare public rebuke of two of Washington's closest allies, President Barack Obama has hit out at British Prime Minister David Cameron and former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy over their roles in Libya after the fall of the Kadhafi regime.

Cameron became "distracted" and Sarkozy wanted to promote his country during the 2011 NATO-led military intervention in Libya, Obama said in an interview with The Atlantic magazine published today.

British daily The Independent today slammed Obama's comments as "an unprecedented attack on a British leader by a serving US president," while The Times called the criticism "extraordinary."

In the extensive interview, Obama discussed the conditions surrounding the British and French-led bombing campaign that led to the fall of Moamer Kadhafi's regime.

Obama said when he considered what went wrong in Libya, "there's room for criticism because I had more faith in the Europeans, given Libya's proximity, being invested in the follow-up."

Cameron stopped paying attention soon after the military operation, he said, becoming "distracted by a range of other things."

Despite the criticism, a US National Security Council spokesman insisted that Cameron remained a "close partner" of Obama's.

"Prime Minister Cameron has been as close a partner as the president has had, and we deeply value the UK's contributions on our shared national security and foreign policy objectives which reflect our special and essential relationship," Edward Price told British media.

"With respect to Libya, the president has long said that all of us -- including the United States -- could have done more in the aftermath of the Libyan intervention."

US ambassador to Britain Matthew Barzun also tweeted that relations between the two countries remained "special," a term that Britain has been desperate to re-emphasize since Winston Churchill coined it 70 years ago.

"Our relationship is essential. It is special. True yesterday, true today and will be true tomorrow," he wrote.
Manila: The Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf terrorist group threatened to kill four hostages within a month if an unspecified ransom amount is not paid to it, the media reported on Friday.

In the video posted on Facebook, the hostages appear on their knees before a group of heavily armed men, EFE news reported.

John Ridsdel and Robert Hall (Canadians), Kjartan Sekkingsta and Filipina Marites Flor who is Hall`s partner were kidnapped last September from a hotel complex in Samal Island.

"I am a Canadian citizen being held by the Abu Sayyaf Group for ransom, the amount is, I do not know what it is. But the Canadian government has got to get us out of here fast," said Robert Hall in the video, the authenticity of which is yet to be confirmed by the authorities.

"Follow the negotiation, try to meet their demands within 30 days or we are all dead," said the Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad, adding it was their last message before execution.

One of the insurgent group`s members said the video was recorded last Tuesday, on March 8, and the families of the hostages and the authorities had until April 8 to pay the ransom amount.

Although the rebels did not specify a ransom amount in the video, last November they had asked for $63 million for the three Westerners, without mentioning the amount required to free the Filipina.

Abu Sayyaf, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, with 400 armed men, was formed in 1991 by a group of former fighters of the Afghan war against the Soviet Union.

Since then, the group has conducted the bloodiest attacks and numerous kidnappings in the Philippines.

Islamic separatist conflict in southern Philippines, over the last four decades, has left between 100,000 and 150,000 dead.
Vatican City: Many words, little action: three years after Pope Francis`s election, victims of priest sex abuse are bitter and disappointed, accusing the Church of having failed to punish guilty clerics and end a culture of complacency on the issue.

The recent Australian Royal Commission hearings of Vatican number three George Pell and a preliminary criminal probe into accusations that Lyon`s archbishop, Philippe Barbarin, covered up for a paedophile priest has put the question of Church complicity in abuse back at the top of the Vatican agenda.

Francis came to power promising a crackdown on cover-ups and a zero tolerance approach to abuse itself.

But victims still feel they are not been listened to, that bishops are still failing to hand criminal priests over to the appropriate authorities and that a conspiracy of silence remains the order of the day, right up to the top of the Vatican hierarchy.

The growing discontent with Francis`s record on ridding the Church of the taint of paedophilia is in sharp contrast with how he has performed in other areas.

As he prepares to celebrate Sunday`s third anniversary of his election, the Argentinian pontiff boasts genuine star status around the world thanks to his charismatic, simple style, his defence of the world`s poor and efforts to reform the Church and bring it closer to ordinary believers.

But despite an encouraging start, Francis has failed to definitively draw a line under decades of abuse which ruined the lives of tens of thousands of young Catholics and badly tarnished the standing of the Church in the eyes of believers and broader society.

Francis has made it clear bishops who cover up for abusers have no place in the Church and has put in place legal structures enabling paedophile priests to be tried under Vatican law. He also established his own advisory panel on the issue.

But the panel is now disintegrating with one prominent member, Peter Saunders, recently telling AFP he felt betrayed by Francis and that he had been tricked into taking part in what he described as a whitewashing exercise.

Francis won plaudits for meeting with victims in Rome and in Philadelphia during last year`s visit to the United States. But more recently he has come under fire for declining to repeat the gesture in Mexico or for the group that travelled from Australia to listen to Pell give evidence to the Royal Commission.

With the Oscar-winning film "Spotlight" further increasing public awareness of the abuse issue, "there is a real risk of this issue becoming the thorn in the foot of this papacy," said Marco Politi, one of Francis`s biographers and a leading Vatican expert.

Politi said the "decisive test" of whether the Vatican hierarchy was serious about addressing the problem was whether Church authorities were truly willing to hand priests over to the criminal authorities. "Outside of cases where the judicial system gives them no option, the majority of bishoprics don`t want to talk about that."

Ignazio Ingrao, Vatican correspondent for Italian weekly Panorama, said many local dioceses remained "incapable of moving beyond the secrecy mentality and the reflex of burying scandals." He also noted that the Vatican`s ability to handle cases brought to its attention was severely compromised by staff shortages.

"I don`t doubt Francis`s desire to create a zero tolerance culture," he added. "He has made it clear that the religious authorities must cooperate with civilian ones."

Direct to the point of bluntness on other issues, Francis seems to have a "gut-level hesitation" when it comes to tackling the abuse issue, possibly fuelled by a belief that it is something he does not fully understand, suggested American Vatican expert John Allen in a column for www.cruxnow.com.

Andrea Tornielli, who writes for the website Vatican Insider and knows Francis well, says he does not detect any reticence to speak about the subject or when it comes to sanctioning offenders.

"The pope has spoken unequivocally, referring to diabolic sacrifices. He is trying to change the mentality," Tornielli told AFP. "One can very well understand the criticism levelled at him by victims and those close to them. But the most important task he has to accomplish is to create the conditions so that cover-ups do not happen ever again."
London: Prime Minister David Cameron stands accused of unleashing "Project Fear" to try and keep Britain in the EU at a June referendum -- but experts say both camps are resorting to negative campaign tactics to win support.

Cameron`s old friend and nemesis Boris Johnson, who came out for Brexit in a surprise snub to the premier last month, has led the attacks with a string of well-crafted broadsides accusing the "Remain" camp of scaremongering.

"The agents of Project Fear -- and they seem to be everywhere -- have warned us that leaving the EU would jeopardise police, judicial and intelligence cooperation," Johnson wrote in the Daily Telegraph shortly after announcing he would support the "Leave" camp.

"In every case, the message is that Brexit is simply too scary -- and the reality is that these threats are so wildly exaggerated as to be nonsense."

Another leading anti-EU figure, Cameron`s welfare minister Iain Duncan Smith, accused the other side of "spin, smears and threats".

But neither side is innocent of the charge of negative campaigning, according to observers ahead of the June 23 referendum.

"The reality is that so far, this campaign has largely been Project Fear meets Project Fear," said Raoul Ruparel, co-director of think-tank Open Europe.

"This also suggests that the campaign will predominantly be fought on the issue of risk.""Project Fear" has its roots in the last referendum, which left Britain`s government facing a battle to preserve the status quo with the 2014 Scottish independence vote.

The nickname was coined as a joke by a senior figure in the, ultimately successful, campaign to keep Scotland in Britain to describe his own side.

It was then co-opted by pro-independence activists frustrated by what they said was unionist negativity.

During the EU referendum, outers have attached the "Project Fear" label to official claims that migrant camps in northern France could move to England and big companies could quit Britain after a Brexit.

Such claims have been backed up by European leaders -- French President Francois Hollande has warned of the "consequences" of leaving the EU, while German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said a Europe without Britain would be "more volatile".

Ruparel says "Project Fear" can also be associated with warnings from the "Leave" camp about Britain`s supposed lack of control over its borders -- even though it is outside the EU`s Schengen free movement area.

Duncan Smith and other pro-Brexiters have suggested that Britain would be more vulnerable to the kind of jihadist attacks seen in Paris last November if it stayed in the EU.

"With thousands of Islamist terrorists exploiting the migrant crisis, we would be far safer outside the EU," Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) wrote on Twitter Wednesday.

All sides reject any suggestion of negative campaigning. Johnson calls his camp "Project Hope", while Cameron insists he is running "Project Fact".

"Today I just want to present you with the facts so you can make up your own mind," the premier said in a trade speech Thursday which stressed the positive case for staying in the EU.Opinion polls indicate that the race is finely balanced. "Remain" is on 51 percent and "Leave" on 49 percent, according to a poll of polls by the What UK Thinks research project.

And many people have yet to make up their minds -- while figures vary, most pollsters put the figure somewhere around 20 percent.

Caitlin Milazzo, assistant politics professor at Nottingham University and an expert on political campaigning, said that "a lot of people who decide at the last minute decide to go with the status quo".

For many voters, particularly those who are undecided, the decision will come down to a question of risk -- hence the importance for both sides of stressing the pitfalls associated with the other side.

"The instinctive pulse of the nation is to see Brexit as a risky option," said Matthew Goodwin, politics professor at Kent University and an expert on euroscepticism.

"Somewhere between now and June 23, the Leave camp has some obstacles to overcome."
Dharamsala: A group of lawmakers from the Baltic states have urged China to resume a dialogue with the Dalai Lama`s envoys for meaningful autonomy for Tibet, according to the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) based here.

There has been no real improvement in the human rights situation in Tibet under Chinese rule, the CTA said on Friday, citing a statement by members of parliament (MPs) of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The MPs said that they, together with Tibetan supporters from the three Baltic States, are deeply concerned over the wave of self-immolation protests in and outside Tibet.

"Therefore, we are calling upon the Chinese government to begin an immediate and meaningful dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the CTA, both of whom embrace meaningful autonomy for Tibet within the People`s Republic of China," the MPs were cited as saying on Thursday by the CTA.

Since 2009, they said, at least 143 Tibetans have resorted to self-immolation to express their grievances under the repressive policies of the Chinese government.

The members of parliament said they are willing to assist resumption of a meaningful dialogue between the Chinese government and the Tibetan leadership-in-exile to help find a peaceful and sustainable solution.

Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians, they said, share a similar history and fate with Tibetans, regarding their cultural, social and political struggle.

"We have the motivation and experience to facilitate the Chinese-Tibetan dialogue," they added.

The Tibetan leadership remains firmly committed to non-violence and strongly believes that the only way to resolve the issue of Tibet is through dialogue, Lobsang Sangay, the elected leader of the Tibetan people, said here on Thursday, marked as the 57th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day.

The Dalai Lama`s envoys and the Chinese have held nine rounds of talks since 2002 to resolve the Tibetan issue but no major breakthrough has been achieved so far.

The last talks were held in Beijing in January 2010.

The Dalai Lama has lived in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959.
Nairobi: The many ways people have died during South Sudan`s two-year civil war are well-documented, but the number killed is unknown.

Men, women and children have been shot, speared, burned, castrated, hung, drowned, run over, suffocated, starved and blown up, their corpses abandoned where they fell, bulldozed into mass graves or, in at least one case, eaten in ritual cannibalism.

But the UN has stuck to a guesstimate of 10,000 dead since the early months of the war, even as the killing escalated and spread across the country.

A year into the war, in November 2014, the International Crisis Group (ICG) which has closely tracked the fighting, told AFP at least 50,000 had died.

This month, the UN finally caught up, quoting the same figure but over a two-year span.

Sudan expert Eric Reeves, a professor at Smith College in the US, said failure to count the dead was a failure of morality.

"If we give up on establishing mortality estimates we are, in one way or another, saying that the lives don`t really count," he told AFP.

Aid workers and officials who did not want to speak on the record said the true figure might be as high as 300,000 -- a figure comparable to the number killed in Syria during five years of fighting."The level and intensity of violence has been above and beyond what we have seen almost anywhere else," said one worker for an international aid agency which operates in multiple conflict zones, and who asked not to be named. Over 30 aid workers have been killed since war broke out in December 2013.

The minimum figure of 50,000 is of those killed in direct conflict, but if those killed as a consequence of war are included the numbers skyrocket.

That would include starvation from aid blockades, such as the 40,000 people the UN warned last month were in "catastrophic" conditions -- potentially famine, if the areas were not too dangerous to gather the data needed to declare it -- as well as documented atrocities such as civilians suffocated in shipping containers.

It would also include those who died due to lack of healthcare following the targeted destruction of hospitals.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned of "far-reaching consequences for hundreds of thousands of people" with six of its clinics and hospitals attacked, looted or torched -- sometimes repeatedly.

In terms of health, easily preventable and treatable malaria has become the biggest killer, according to World Health Organization (WHO) morbidity statistics. The UN says recent malaria levels are "unprecedented" with numbers doubling, even quadrupling in some areas, from previous years.

Multiple armed forces have carried out ethnic massacres, and these are no low-level bush war skirmishes.

Battles have been fought with modern weaponry, including helicopter gunships, rocket launchers, heavy artillery and amphibious tanks able to hunt down rebels into once isolated swamps. State capitals have been razed.

Some figures are clearly documented: 2.3 million people forced from their homes, 6.1 million in need of emergency food aid, 15,000 child soldiers recruited, 200,000 civilians sheltering inside UN `Protection of Civilians` camps, or the $1.21 billion the UN needs in funding. But deaths go largely unrecorded. "We`ve lost count," UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said this month although no one -- including the 14,000-strong UN peacekeeping force -- ever kept a tally.

Counting the dead in war zones is tricky but not impossible, and the handful of reports that have been done indicate staggering levels of killing.

A UN Development Programme (UNDP) survey -- based on over 1,500 interviews across the country -- reported 63 percent had a close family member killed.

Other indicators showed 18 percent had a child abducted, 14 percent were tortured, 33 percent had a relative "disappear", 55 percent had their home destroyed, and 48 percent had been sick without medicine.

In the worst battle zones, the figures are even higher.

Questionnaires conducted by the South Sudan Law Society (SSLS) in the UN peacekeeping base in the north-eastern town of Malakal -- home to 47,000 people fleeing conflict -- found the number with a relative killed was 77 percent.

The UN survey also found 41 percent showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

"These rates are comparable to those found in post-genocide Rwanda, post-genocide Cambodia," the report read.Another UN study in the northern Unity region, described its findings as "shocking": almost three-quarters of deaths recorded were from violence.

Of the 10,553 deaths examined, 7,165 of those were from violence, plus a further 829 people who drowned in swamplands, where many hide from fighting.

"Documenting the impact of war is also important for recovery processes, including accountability, reconciliation and healing," the January report read.

Analysts say the failure to clarify a clear toll dishonours victims, contributes to South Sudan`s suffering staying off the international radar and enables impunity for the killers.

As war drags on, despite an August peace deal, the evidence of those killed is rotting away.

Human Rights Watch, which documented mass graves in the eastern town of Bor in January 2014, warned that, "evidence is literally disappearing into unmarked graves."
Naypyidaw: A trusted aide of Myanmar`s Aung San Suu Kyi was a step closer to becoming the country`s first civilian leader in generations after sailing through a parliamentary vote Friday, while the still-powerful military put forward a hardline retired general as its vice president nominee.

Htin Kyaw, a respected writer who helps run Suu Kyi`s charitable foundation, was seen as the top choice to act as a proxy for the democracy veteran who is barred from the office by a junta-scripted charter.

One further vote of approval is needed in the combined houses dominated by Suu Kyi loyalists before Htin Kyaw can officially be anointed leader of the nation that has been run by the military for decades.

His parliamentary confirmation comes as the military put forward their own candidate, Yangon chief minister Myint Swe, a retired army general seen as an ally of former strongman Than Shwe.

The decision is likely to prove controversial in a country still burdened by the legacy of nearly 50 years of rule by the military, which retains significant influence including a quarter of the parliament`s seats.

Suu Kyi is beloved by many in Myanmar and the uncontested figurehead of the country`s long democracy struggle, but months of negotiations have failed to convince the military to change a charter clause that blocks her from top office.

She has nevertheless vowed to rule "above" the next president as she strives to meet the soaring expectations of millions of voters who handed her National League for Democracy party a thundering election win in November. The combined houses are expected to vote between three candidates next week, with a new president set to replace outgoing President Thein Sein at the end of March.

With the NLD dominating both houses, Htin Kyaw is likely clinch the top post with a comfortable lead.

The NLD`s other candidate is from the upper house, ethnic Chin MP Henry Van Thio. Both he and Myint Swe would then become vice presidents.

Even the state-backed Global New Light of Myanmar, which normally shies away from coverage of Suu Kyi and her party, on Friday said Htin Kyaw "is favoured to ascend to the presidency absent any irregularities in the process".Suu Kyi and her party, on Friday said Htin Kyaw "is favoured to ascend to the presidency absent any irregularities in the process".

Though he did not run in November`s polls, Htin Kyaw is a close and trusted confidante.Htin Kyaw is a close and trusted confidante.

He sometimes drove for the democracy activist during her brief moments of freedom from house arrest, and was at her side when she was finally freed in 2010.

Htin Kyaw commands significant respect in Myanmar, partly because his father was a legendary writer and early member of the NLD. He is married to sitting NLD MP Su Su Lwin, whose late father was the party`s respected spokesman.

"We are going to see our first ever civilian president. He is endowed with presidential qualifications and has worked alongside Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for democracy. He is a deserving one," Tin Thit, a lower house NLD lawmaker told AFP. Daw means auntie and is a term of respect.

Suu Kyi was first to cast her ballot in the lower house vote that saw Htin Kyaw win support from across the party spectrum.

Barred from top political office because she married and had children with a foreigner, she has not outlined what her future role will be.

Some have suggested she could mimic India`s Sonia Gandhi, who wielded huge influence over her Congress party`s administration despite having no official government role.
United Nations: The UN Security Council convened a meeting on sexual abuse by peacekeepers where a draft resolution, pushed by the US for strong action against perpetrators of such misconduct, has triggered debate among several council members.

The draft resolution, which was circulated to the 15-nation council last week, would require repatriation of whole peacekeeping contingents where there is credible evidence of patterns of sexual exploitation and abuse, Xinhua quoted diplomats as saying on Thursday.

Egypt`s UN Ambassador Amr Abdellatif Aboulatta said his country "strongly opposes collective punishment against forces that are making the ultimate sacrifice to implement mandates in very difficult conditions", and the cases of sexual abuse should not be used as "a tool to attack troop-contributing countries".

Aboulatta also said the body within the UN in charge of examining issues of conduct and discipline in the framework of peacekeeping operations is the General Assembly, which represents 193 member states as well as troop-contributing countries and would examine the issue from "a broader angle".

Russia`s Deputy UN Ambassador Petr Iliichev said "the draft resolution is far from ideal" since the document, which was expected to focus on military and police personnel in peacekeeping operations, does not include UN civilian personnel.

The draft resolution came after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon presented his 2015 report on measures of preventing sexual exploitation and abuse in the UN system.

The report said the total number of allegations of such misconduct recorded last year was 99, with 69 of them taking place in countries where peacekeeping operations are deployed.

According to the report, at least 22 children were sexually abused by peacekeepers.

US Ambassador Samantha Power argued that the council does have a role to play in overseeing discussions on curbing sexual abuse and exploitations by peacekeepers, because "it is this council that sends peacekeepers into conflict areas".

"The Security Council cannot have responsibility for protecting civilians against all threats, from all forces, except those whom we directly oversee," she added.

As for repatriation of a whole contingent for sexual exploitation and abuse, Power said it sends a clear message that there will be consequences for failing to address this serious problem.

The draft resolution is first-ever of its kind being discussed in the most powerful body of the UN.

The last time the Security Council adopted a document on prevention of sexual abuse was a presidential statement in 2005, almost 11 years ago.

The statement said the council would consider including relevant provisions for prevention, monitoring, investigation and reporting of misconduct cases in its resolutions establishing new mandates or renewing existing mandates.
MILAN (Reuters) - Italian bank Banca Popolare di Milano (BPM) is still working to seal a merger with rival Banco Popolare but no significant development is expected in the short term, a BPM board member said on Thursday. A tie-up between BPM and Banco Popolare would be the first in a long-awaited wave of mergers among Italian cooperative banks following a landmark reform of the sector which the government hoped would make it less fragmented. But talks between the two banks have stalled because the European Central Bank raised objections related to governance issues and possible additional capital needed to support the sale of bad debts, sources have said. The chief executives of the two banks met with ECB officials in Frankfurt on Wednesday and BPM CEO Giuseppe Castagna on Thursday informed a management board meeting about progress. "We keep working," a BPM board member said after the meeting, speaking on condition of anonymity. "In the very short term there is nothing ... hopefully we'll keep working until a solution is found." A second board member said talks were taking longer than expected and said bad loan management was one of the sticking points in getting a green light from the ECB. A tie-up would create a bank with nearly 18 billion euros net in problem loans. Sources have said the ECB has asked the two banks to sell their bad loans more quickly than planned but this risks blowing a hole in their capital if they are forced to sell at a loss and the two banks want to avoid tapping investors for cash. A source close to the matter said both banks and the ECB were determined to reach a positive outcome and that the need for a cash call had never been explicitly mentioned by the ECB during meetings. "All three parties do not want to give up," the source said. BPM, Banco Popolare and the ECB declined to comment. (Reporting by Andrea Mandala; writing by Valentina Za. Editing by Jane Merriman)
By Naomi Tajitsu TOKYO (Reuters) - Replacing potentially lethal Takata Corp <7312.T> air bags in a mass recall is more challenging and time-consuming than expected as rival parts suppliers struggle to make bag inflators that replicate the originals fitted by the Japanese firm. The recalls so far cover tens of millions of cars made by more than a dozen automakers - and spanning some 170 model variants in the United States alone. It's rare in a product recall to have alternative suppliers make the replacement parts. But the unprecedented scale of the Takata recalls, where defective air bags have been linked to 10 deaths, has prompted several automakers to source replacement inflators from Takata's rivals. The recalls highlight the interdependence between Takata, its rivals and automakers facing delays for replacement parts. "Automakers are very reliant on Takata to produce replacement inflators and to cooperate with ... (rival) companies making Takata-designed inflators," said Scott Upham, CEO of Valient Market Research. For now, Takata, which the Wall Street Journal reported has hired restructuring lawyers, remains integral to the process. "In the near term, Takata will be kept afloat until all the replacement parts are produced," Upham said. For the ongoing recall, alternative suppliers including Autoliv , ZF-TRW and Daicel Corp <4202.T> have to fashion replacement inflators from similar sized designs in their own product portfolios, and adapt them to Takata's original design to fit the air bag module - the casing containing the air bag. Inflators, made of stainless steel or aluminum, are not a one-size-fits-all product. They come in basic disk or tubular shapes: 'hamburgers' for driver and front passenger seats, and 'hot dogs' for rear seats, according to an engineer at a major air bag supplier. 'Hamburger' inflators resemble burger cartons with pinched edges that can measure up to around 10 cms (3.9 inches) on each side. The size, dimensions and the amount of propellant needed to activate the inflator can vary according to vehicle model. "We need to look at the space between the instrument panel and the steering wheel, and make sure we can fit it," said the engineer, who didn't want to be named as he is not authorized to speak to the media. "That's complicated because we're trying to fit into an existing space that Takata designed with its (automaker) customer, and we may have to change our design to do this." SLOW PROGRESS Takata said it has "dramatically increased" output of replacement inflators and is "working closely" with other inflator makers to supply replacement kits. But it remains under pressure from automakers and regulators to speed up a recall that is now in its eighth year. The range of recalled models means more inflator designs have to be modified, tested to calibrate their propellant force, and manufactured to fit each different model. In some cases these models date back as far as 2000, and parts makers have to re-tool to replicate obsolete designs. "We're having to produce a similar inflator which performs the same way in the module as the original did," said an executive at a major parts supplier, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue. "We're having to take a (design and testing) process which usually takes 2-3 years and speed it up to a matter of months." Thomas Jonsson, spokesman for Autoliv, the world's leading air bag supplier, told Reuters: "We're seeing our deliveries of up to 20 million inflators being dragged out longer than expected." "Since we don't have products off the shelf that are identical to the original inflators, there's a design phase and a validation phase for each different product." A spokesman for Honda Motor Co <7267.T> said its announcement last month that repairs on 2.2 million recalled air bags would begin this summer was indicative of the slow pace of procuring replacement parts. And there may be more recalls to come, adding to the pressure for replacements. U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) chief Mark Rosekind told Reuters on Thursday that more testing was ongoing to look at potential safety issues with unrecalled inflators. "That might create a new decision point" about whether testing data supports another (recall) expansion, he said. "We can probably expect there will be an expansion - the question is going to be how large," he said. He said NHTSA is also keeping an eye on quality assurance issues of replacement Takata inflators. INCREASED OUTPUT Since last year, parts suppliers have boosted replacement inflator capacity, and by mid this year should produce around 5 million replacements each month, according to Valient. Honda said it is sourcing most replacement inflators from suppliers other than Takata, and Nissan Motor Co <7201.T> said it also is securing some replacements from rival suppliers. Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T>, which recalled 11.8 million air bags last year alone, says it switched to Daicel for around a quarter of the replacement inflators it needs, with Autoliv providing some others and Takata the remainder. A spokesman for Daicel said production was "going as planned" and there were no delays. (Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu, with additional reporting by David Shepardson in WASHINGTON; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)
Patna: Opposition BJP on Friday objected to the shouting of Bihar Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav at a party MLA for asking a supplementary question while he was replying to a query by another member in the Assembly.

During the Question Hour, Yadav got angry when BJP legislator Vijay Sinha asked a supplementary question while he was replying to a query of JD(U)'s Virendra Kumar Singh on primary health centre.

Yadav, the elder son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, shouted at Sinha as to why he was "interfering" when he was answering a question raised by another member.

BJP MLA and former Leader of Opposition Nand Kishore Yadav took objection to it and said, "The minister should know that a query in the Assembly is a property of the House and every member had a right to ask a supplementary question which he cannot prohibit."

As he urged Speaker Vijay Chaudhary to "make this clear" to Yadav about who is a "first timer", some RJD and Congress members intervened favouring the minister.

Lalit Yadav of RJD and Congress Legislature Party leader Sadanand Singh said the BJP MLA was speaking without the permission of the Chair and it is against the rule.

The health minister, who was not present to take questions related to his department last week, drawing criticism from NDA members, answered the questions on Friday.

Labour Minister Vijay Prakash sat by the side of Tej Pratap to help him in answering the questions. Principal Secretary Health R K Mahajan, who was OSD of Lalu Prasad when he was the Railway Minister, was present in officers' gallery throughout the Question Hour to assist the minister.

On some occasion, Tej Pratap Yadav received praise from opposition members for agreeing to demands of recruiting doctors or taking action against officials not performing duty carefully, to which he responded by smiling.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China aims to pass its first soil pollution law next year hoping to tackle a "serious" problem that so far lacks dedicated legislation, a senior Chinese official said on Thursday. China's government declared war on pollution in 2014 in a bid to head off rising public anger over the environmental costs of rapid growth. It is under particular pressure to reduce the risk of contaminated crops entering the food chain, with farming on 3.3 million hectares (8.15 million acres) across China already being banned indefinitely. There have been repeated food scandals, especially rice, a staple for hundreds of millions in China, being contaminated with heavy metals like lead and cadmium. "Looking at the results of soil pollution surveys from relevant departments of the State Council, our country's soil pollution situation is generally speaking serious and it's not easy to be optimistic. Some areas are seriously polluted," said Yuan Si, deputy head of parliament's Environmental Protection and Resources Conservation Committee. The problem directly affects food and water safety and whether or not the country is able to develop in a sustainable way, Yuan told reporters on the sidelines of China's annual meeting of parliament. "The basis for our country's soil pollution prevention work is weak. There are no specialized laws, meaning government bodies lack a legal basis for effective supervision, so it really needs legislation to resolve," he added. China already has air and water pollution laws, but it is a "blank slate" for soil pollution, Yuan added. The soil pollution law has been through 10 drafts already and will be submitted to parliament's Standing Committee in 2017 to be put on the legislative agenda, he said. Agriculture Minister Han Changfu, speaking on Monday, said about 1 percent of polluted land was seriously polluted. People who were consulted on a draft of the legislation previously told Reuters in 2014 that it will allow the state to decide who is responsible for contaminated land, as well as creating new financing mechanisms to pay for the clean-up. Such mechanisms are expected to involve the establishment of dedicated new funds for cleaning up, as well as subsidy and loan facilities to help cover treatment costs. It is not clear if those provisions remain in the current draft of the law. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by David Stanway in BEIJING; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China will be able to project "substantial offensive military power" from artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea's disputed Spratly Islands within months, the director of U.S. national intelligence said. In a Feb. 23 letter to John McCain, chair of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, James Clapper said Chinese land reclamation and construction work in the Spratlys had established infrastructure needed "to project military capabilities in the South China Sea beyond that which is required for point defense of its outposts." "Based on the pace and scope of construction at these outposts, China will be able to deploy a range of offensive and defensive military capabilities and support increased PLAN and CCG presence beginning in 2016," Clapper said in the letter released this week, using acronyms for the Chinese navy and coastguard. "Once these facilities are completed by the end of 2016 or early 2017, China will have significant capacity to quickly project substantial offensive military power to the region," Clapper added. The United States has voiced concerns about China's assertive pursuit of territory in the South China Sea. The sea is one of the world's busiest trade routes and regional countries have rival claims, creating a potential flashpoint. Asked about Clapper's comments on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China has merely been exercising its right of self-defense. "China has made appropriate and reasonable defense deployment construction that is within the range of China's sovereignty," Hong told a regular news briefing in Beijing. "China urges the relevant country to not talk excitedly with wild gestures on this issue." Visiting Washington in September, Chinese President Xi Jinping responded to U.S. worries by saying that China had no intention to militarize its outposts in the Spratlys. Beijing has said their military roles will be defensive, but the head of the U.S. Pacific Command said last month China was "clearly militarizing" the South China Sea with the aim of achieving East Asian hegemony. The text of Clapper's letter in response to questions from McCain was published on the news portal of the U.S. Naval Institute. U.S. officials confirmed the content. Clapper said that while the United States had yet to observe deployment of significant Chinese military capabilities in the Spratlys, it had built facilities able to support them, including modern fighter aircraft. China had already installed military radars at Cuarteron and Fiery Cross reefs, and the infrastructure could also allow for the deployment of surface-to-air missiles, coastal defense cruise missiles and an increased presence of warships, he said. The United States had not seen Chinese air force activity in the Spratlys, but warships had stopped at its outposts including a guided-missile frigate and a guided-missile destroyer in December and January, Clapper said. He said tank-landing ships had been employed widely in construction work and the landing of civil aircraft at Fiery Cross in January showed the airstrip there was operational and able to accommodate all Chinese military aircraft. Clapper said China continued its land reclamation in the Spratlys after Aug. 5, when its foreign minister claimed that it had been halted. While there was no evidence that China has plans for any significant additional land reclamation in the Spratlys, Clapper said there was sufficient reef area in the Spratlys for it to reclaim more than 1,000 additional acres (400 hectares). The Pentagon has said that Beijing has sought to bolster its claim to nearly all of the South China Sea with island building projects in the Spratlys that have reclaimed more than 2,900 acres (1,170 hectares) of land since 2013. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom; addtional reportng by Mark Hosenball and Jess Macy Yu in Beijing; Editing by Alan Crosby and Ben Blanchard)
Rumble

This video shows the incredible behaviour of a caring mother elephant on high alert, quickly stopping her adorable baby which was curiously straying away from her towards a vehicle full of safari tourists. Going on safari in the Kruger National Park is a life changing experience. Driving around multiple tarred roads, slowly scanning a massive area of wilderness is all part of the thrill. You never know what will be around the next corner or what animal will suddenly appear from the bush onto the road. Its an exciting experience and one of the must-see animals for most tourists are elephants. Not only are they the largest land mammals on our planet and fairly intimidating, elephants are also one of the most intelligent and emotionally intelligent animals that roam this planet. Seeing these giants in the wild is always a sight to remember. The video shows an incredible moment filmed in the Kruger National Park when a safari vehicle full of tourists found a large elephant cow and her adorable calf next to the road. The safari vehicle stopped and it looked like the mother elephant and her baby wanted to cross the road. The baby elephant was the cutest thing alive in the wild right at that moment. While the elephant cow remained focussed on crossing the road, her baby took notice of the safari vehicle and curiously started straying away from its mother towards the vehicle. The caring mother elephant immediately went into high alert and quickly took her trunk and stopped her baby from going any closer to the safari vehicle. The mother elephant gently used her trunk to guide her baby back and into the right direction. It was incredible to see how quickly the elephant cow became protective over her baby. The elephant calf listened to its mother and in a well-behaved manner, walking on the opposite side of its mother, continued to focus and follow its mother as it should. This is crucial for the survival of the calf in the wild. The gestation period of an elephant is twenty-two months, so it is very understandable that an elephant calf is seen as a huge investment and there will always be a mother around, ready to protect her calf from any potential danger. Even though the tourists were not a direct threat, the mother elephant knows all to well that there are humans that still pose a danger for them in the wild. The mother of such a small calf is definitely not something to mess with at all and its best never to get too close to a mother and her calf.
By Lisa Maria Garza

DALLAS (Reuters) - A slow-moving storm dumped more rain on the waterlogged U.S. South on Thursday after heavy downpours killed at least four people this week, prompting evacuations and rescues from inundated areas.

Three people died over the past two days in northern Louisiana, deluged with some of the heaviest rainfall. Two men and a 6-year-old child were killed after either ignoring flood warnings or entering treacherous areas without signs, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals said.

A 30-year-old man drowned on Tuesday as he tried to drive across a flooded area in southeastern Oklahoma, the National Weather Service said.

Forecasters at the NWS received reports of 10 to 15 inches (25-38 cm) of rain in northeastern Texas, parts of Arkansas and Louisiana over a day and a half.

Particularly hard hit was Monroe, Louisiana, with more than 17 inches (43 cm), said Bob Oravec, lead forecaster with the NWS Weather Prediction Center.

As the system moves east, flooding is a concern in areas of Mississippi, western Tennessee and Alabama, along with Louisiana, he said.

"It's going to continue to be a pretty high-impact storm," Oravec said, noting that rains could linger into Saturday.

Videos on social media showed fish swimming on flooded sidewalks near the University of Louisiana-Monroe campus.

The Louisiana National Guard soldiers said it had helped rescue more than 360 people stranded in their homes and on roads by high waters since Wednesday. The guard also said it retrieved 70 dogs, 16 chickens and a guinea pig.

The governors of Louisiana and Mississippi declared a state of emergency in affected regions, and many schools and state government offices were set to be closed through Friday.

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson declared 11 counties as disaster areas.

People in as many as 3,500 homes in Bossier City, Louisiana, were told to evacuate, the Shreveport Times reported.

The National Weather Service issued a flash-flood watch for parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee.

Authorities in central Texas are searching for a rancher who disappeared on Wednesday night while attempting to wrangle cattle from rising floodwaters in Falls County, the Waco Tribune reported.

(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins in Winston-Salem, N.C., Jim Forsyth in San Antonio, Letitia Stein in Tampa, Fla., and Jon Herskovitz in Austin, TX; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn, Alistair Bell and Peter Cooney)
(Reuters) - A slow-moving storm is expected to dump more rain on the waterlogged U.S. South, forecasters said on Thursday, after heavy rains killed several people and prompted evacuations and rescues from inundated areas. Three people died in northern Louisiana, deluged with some of the heaviest rainfall. Two men and a 6-year-old child were killed after either ignoring flood warnings or entering treacherous areas without signs, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals said. Forecasters at the National Weather Service received reports of 10 to 15 inches of rain falling in northeastern Texas, parts of Arkansas and Louisiana over a day and a half. Particularly hard hit was Monroe, Louisiana, with more than 17 inches, said Bob Oravec, lead forecaster with the the NWS Weather Prediction Center. As the system moves east, flooding is a concern in areas of Mississippi, western Tennessee and Alabama, along with Louisiana, he said. "It's going to continue to be a pretty high impact storm," Oravec said, noting that rains could linger into Saturday. People in as many as 3,500 homes in Bossier City, Louisiana were told to evacuate, the Shreveport Times reported. Louisiana National Guard soldiers and law enforcement helped to rescue people stranded in their homes and on roads by high waters, authorities said. Louisiana's governor has declared a state of emergency in affected regions, and many schools were closed. State government offices in three dozen parishes were shuttered through Friday. The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch stretching from the Gulf of Mexico coast of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi north into the southern parts of Illinois. A 30-year-old man drowned on Tuesday as he tried to drive across a flooded area in southeastern Oklahoma, according to the National Weather Service. (Reporting by Colleen Jenkins in Winston-Salem, N.C., Jim Forsyth in San Antonio, Letitia Stein in Tampa, Fla. and Jon Herskovitz in Austin, TX; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Alistair Bell)
By Mark Hosenball, Arshad Mohammed and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Foreign diplomats are expressing alarm to U.S. government officials about what they say are inflammatory and insulting public statements by Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, according to senior U.S. officials. Officials from Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia have complained in recent private conversations, mostly about the xenophobic nature of Trump's statements, said three U.S. officials, who all declined to be identified. "As the (Trump) rhetoric has continued, and in some cases amped up, so, too, have concerns by certain leaders around the world," said one of the officials. The three officials declined to disclose a full list of countries whose diplomats have complained, but two said they included at least India, South Korea, Japan and Mexico. U.S. officials said it was highly unusual for foreign diplomats to express concern, even privately, about candidates in the midst of a presidential campaign. U.S. allies in particular usually don't want to be seen as meddling in domestic politics, mindful that they will have to work with whoever wins. Senior leaders in several countries -- including Britain, Mexico, France, and Canada -- have already made public comments criticizing Trump's positions. German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel branded him a threat to peace and prosperity in an interview published on Sunday. Trump's campaign did not respond to requests for comment on the private diplomatic complaints. Japan's embassy declined to comment. The Indian and South Korean embassies did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for the Mexican government would not confirm any private complaints but noted that its top diplomat, Claudia Ruiz Massieu, said last week that Trump's policies and comments were "ignorant and racist" and that his plan to build a border wall to stop illegal immigration was "absurd." The foreign officials have been particularly disturbed by the anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim themes that the billionaire real estate mogul has pushed, according to the U.S. officials. European and Middle Eastern government representatives have expressed dismay to U.S. officials about anti-Muslim declarations by Trump that they say are being used in recruiting pitches by the Islamic State and other violent jihadist groups. On Dec. 7, Trumps campaign issued a written statement saying that he was calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on. Trump subsequently said in television interviews that American Muslims traveling abroad would be allowed to return to the country, as would Muslim members of the U.S. military or Muslim athletes coming to compete in the United States. There are also concerns abroad that the United States would become more insular under Trump, who has pledged to tear up international trade agreements and push allies to take a bigger role in tackling Middle East conflicts. European diplomats are constantly asking about Trump's rise with disbelief and, now, growing panic," said a senior NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "With the EU facing an existential crisis, there's more than the usual anxiety about the U.S. turning inward when Europe needs U.S. support more than ever." Another of the senior U.S. officials said the complaints are coming mostly from mid-to-low ranking diplomats  described as working level - rather than from the most senior officials. "The responses have ranged from amusement to befuddlement to curiosity," the official said. "In some cases, we've heard expressions of alarm, but those have been more in response to the anti-immigrant and anti-refugee sentiment as well as the general sense of xenophobia. More than a hundred Republican foreign policy veterans pledged this week to oppose Trump, saying in an open letter that his proposals would undermine U.S. security. "A LOT OF QUESTIONS" On Tuesday, General Philip Breedlove, the United States' top military commander in Europe, said that the U.S. elections were stirring concerns among America's allies. I get a lot of questions from our European counterparts on our election process this time in general," said Breedlove, who did not mention Trump by name. "And I think they see a very different sort of public discussion than they have in the past. While not confirming the content of private diplomatic contacts, some foreign officials acknowledged their governments' concerns about Trump. A British official noted that in January, Prime Minister David Cameron said: "What Donald Trump says is, in my view, not only wrong, but actually it makes the work we need to do to confront and defeat the extremists more difficult." A Chinese official referred to a statement last week from China's foreign ministry spokeswoman. Asked whether China was concerned about Trump's proposal to place high tariffs on Chinese goods, Hua Chunyin declined to comment on specific candidates. But she said "I want to stress" that China and the United States have "major responsibilities" in maintaining international political and economic stability. Representatives of other countries publicly attacked by Trump, including Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam either had no comment or did not respond to requests for comments. Several American foreign policy experts said foreign diplomats have complained to them as well. "All foreign diplomats Ive talked to are amazed at the Trump phenomenon and worried about it, especially in the Middle East and Europe, said Elliott Abrams, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank who handled Middle East affairs at the National Security Council from 2001 to 2009 under then-President George W. Bush. (Reporting by Mark Hosenball; additional reporting by Jonathan Landay, Phil Stewart, David Brunnstrom, and Emily Flitter; editing by Stuart Grudgings.)
A former aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin died from blunt force trauma to the head in a Washington hotel room, an autopsy has shown.

Blunt force injuries to the neck, torso, arms and legs also contributed to Mikhail Lesin's death, the District of Columbia's Medical Examiner's Office said.

Russian media had previously cited relatives when reporting he had suffered a heart attack.

The 57-year-old, who died on 5 November, was a media adviser to Mr Putin and helped found the English-language news service Russia Today.

Police were called to Mr Lesin's room at the Dupont Circle Hotel after concerns about his welfare.

He was found unresponsive on the floor and pronounced dead at the scene.

A US law enforcement source told the Reuters news agency the investigation into Mr Lesin's death was being led by Washington DC police.

They are investigating whether Mr Lesin was brutally assaulted before he returned to the hotel.

When police first investigated the room where his body was found, they did not find any damage or evidence indicating foul play.

A spokesman for the Russian Embassy in the US said officials have requested information on the investigation for several months.

Press secretary Yury Melnik said: "No substantial information has been provided. With regard to the document that has been released to the public today, we expect the American side to provide us with relevant official explanation."

Mr Lesin pressed to establish the Russia Today satellite TV channel, later renamed RT, once saying Russia "must do propaganda for ourselves, otherwise we'll always look like bears".

He served as Russian press minister from 1999 to 2004 and presidential media adviser from 2004 to 2009, according to RT.

He later became head of Gazprom-Media, Russia's largest media holding company, in 2013 but resigned the following year.
BERLIN (Reuters) - The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) is set to storm into three state parliaments by winning up to 18 percent in Sunday's regional elections, a poll showed, in what would be a big setback for Chancellor Angela Merkel and her open-door refugee policy. The elections in the states of Saxony-Anhalt, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate are the first in Germany since the refugee crisis began and will give voters a chance to punish or reward parties for their role in or response to the influx of more than a million migrants last year. The poll for broadcaster ZDF showed the AfD would probably win 18 percent of the vote in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, up one point from the same survey last week, putting it on course to be the third biggest political force there after Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and the far-left Linke. Eleven percent of voters in the industrial heartland region of Baden-Wuerttemberg are poised to vote for the right-wing AfD while the Greens are set to be the strongest performer there with 32 percent, followed by the CDU on 29 percent - down one point compared with the same poll last week. In the wine-growing region of Rhineland-Palatinate 9 percent are set to give their vote to the AfD in a move that would make it the third biggest party there. The Social Democrats (SPD) - the junior coalition partner to Merkel's CDU at the federal level - are set to remain the biggest party in Rhineland-Palatinate with 36 percent, with the CDU close on its heels at 35 percent. The AfD is already represented in five of Germany's 16 regional parliaments but the party, which was originally founded as an anti-euro party in 2013, is not yet present in any of the state assemblies that will be elected on Sunday. The three states have a combined population of some 17 million, around a fifth of Germany's 81 million. The AfD, which has used slogans such as "Secure the borders! Stop the asylum chaos!" has benefitted from growing concerns among Germans about migrant numbers and the country's ability to integrate vast numbers of people with different cultures. The party, whose leader stirred controversy by suggesting that migrants trying to enter Germany illegally should be shot if necessary, has eaten away at support for the established parties in Germany and could make it harder for them to form stable coalition governments. (Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Dominic Evans)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has arrived with his family in Washington for his official U.S. visit, the seventh by a Canadian prime minister and the first in 19 years.

Here's how to watch the events live and follow the visit.

CBCNews.ca and CBC News Network will have live coverage of these events:

- Wednesday: Trudeau's arrival in Washington, now concluded. You can follow updates from an invite-only event tonight in the live blog below.

- Thursday: Official White House welcome with U.S. President Barack Obama at 9 a.m. ET, followed by the leaders' joint press conference at 11:40 a.m. ET. At 1 p.m. ET, Trudeau will attend a lunch hosted by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, with speeches.

- Thursday evening: The Trudeaus are greeted by the Obamas upon arrival for the state dinner at 7 p.m. ET., followed by opening remarks and toasts.

- Friday: Trudeau speaks at a Canada2020 event at American University at 12 p.m. ET

For more news and photos from Trudeau's visit check out the live blog below. Can't see the live blog? Follow it here.

CBC News Network's Power & Politics with Rosemary Barton is broadcasting live from Washington Wednesday to Friday at 5 p.m. ET on CBC News Network. CBC's The National with Peter Mansbridge will also be live from Washington on CBC-TV and CBC News Network. And listen to CBC Radio's The House with host Chris Hall on Saturday at 9 a.m.  or subscribe to the House midweek podcast to get a preview now.
Hyderabad: The Telangana government is set to present its Budget (2016-17) on Monday, with nearly half of the planned expenditure of Rs 52,000 crore of last years Budget still unspent. The government hadnt released funds due to financial constraints.

Now, some departments are trying to rush through the spending in the 15 days of this fiscal remaining. Last year, the government had presented a jumbo Budget of over Rs 1.15 lakh-crore with plan expenditure of Rs 52,000 crore. However, till February, the spending was only Rs 27,000 crore and is expected to touch Rs 30,000 by March-end.

While the plan Budget covers welfare schemes, major component of non-plan Budget goes towards payment of salaries to staff and pensions. The results of last years Budget are crucial for TRS government to assess its performance since it was the first full-fledged Budget presented by it after the state was formed in June 2014. The first Budget (2014-15) was presented for 10-month period.

Though the finance department has been conducting quarterly and half-yearly reviews to assess the income and expenditure patterns, it could not ensure various departments meeting targets on expenditure. For instance, the Minority welfare department was allotted Rs 1,100 crore, but only Rs 513 crore was spent.

Even when the total Budget of Rs 1.15 lakh crore, including plan and non-plan expenditure, is taken into account, only Rs 80,000 crore was spent till February. Another Rs 10,000 crore is expected to be spent in March, meaning that nearly Rs 25,000 crore would be unspent.

In its hurry to meet the budgetary targets, the government, since mid-February, is issuing tens of Budget Release Orders (BROs) every day, which in a way would remain only on paper to adjust financial statements but not serve the intended purpose. These BROs were put on public domain till mid-February but the government has blocked the GOs website abruptly since then for obvious reasons. With this, it became difficult to track the Budget spendings.

Sources said the meagre spending was on account of government not earning the targetted revenues through taxes, non-taxes and not getting expected grants from the Centre. The government planned to earn Rs 13,500 crore through sale of lands and BRS/LRS schemes, but earned less than Rs 500 crore. While Rs 2,200 crore was allotted for food subsidy, only Rs 1,500 crore was spent. Rs 11,216 crore was allotted for education, but Rs 7,000 crore was spent.
Enda Kenny is stepping down as Ireland's Prime Minister after failing to form a government following last month's inconclusive general election.

His Fine Gael/Labour coalition will continue as a caretaker government as political parties remain in deadlock .

On the first day of the 32nd Irish parliament (Dail), Mr Kenny and three other candidates - Fianna Fail's Micheal Martin, Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams and Richard Boyd-Barrett of Anti-Austerity Alliance/People Before Profit - failed to win enough support to be the next Taoiseach.

Mr Kenny then travelled to Aras an Uachtarain, the official residence of Irish President Michael D Higgins, to tender his resignation.

"Let me assure the Irish people that a government remains in place," he said.

"I and my cabinet colleagues will continue to work hard in the best interests of the country and all the people."

Mr Kenny won the support of 57 deputies - far short of the 80 needed in the 158-seat chamber.

He will carry on as caretaker PM, as coalition talks continue to form a new government.

No party has anywhere near a majority, and ministers concede it may be weeks, possibly months, before a minority government or power-sharing alliance is agreed.

Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, the two largest parties, are under pressure to set aside their age-old rivalry to form a grand coalition.

Sinn Fein, the third largest party, says it will not prop up either party.

Mr Kenny called for politicians to boost efforts to forge a "lasting and durable government".

But Mr Martin said: "The people didn't vote for Fianna Fail and Fine Gael - I think we must acknowledge that."

In the election on 26 February, Fine Gael won 50 seats, Fianna Fail got 44, and Sinn Fein 23.
By Jeff Mason and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House has ruled out an encounter between President Barack Obama and revolutionary leader Fidel Castro in Cuba this month and is confident the Cuban government will not create obstacles to a meeting between Obama and dissidents in Havana, a top adviser said on Wednesday. Despite the goal of improving ties between former Cold War foes, deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said Obama would not use his trip to meet Cuba's demands that he shutter Radio and TV Marti, U.S. broadcasters created to transmit anti-communist programing to the island nation. Obama plans to hold talks with Cuban President Raul Castro during his historic March 20-22 visit but will not meet with Castro's brother, a legendary figure who took power in a 1959 revolution and led Cuba for 49 years. "We've had no discussion about that meeting taking place, and we certainly wouldn't seek it," Rhodes, who was one of the negotiators in secret talks that led to a thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations, told Reuters in an interview. Asked if a meeting was ruled out, Rhodes said: "Yes." A meeting with the elder Castro could overshadow a trip that is meant to focus on the future of the U.S.-Cuba relationship rather than its troubled past. Castro, 89, stepped down from power after a series of health problems and rarely leaves his Havana home, though he occasionally meets visiting dignitaries. The White House has said previously it did not expect a Fidel Castro meeting to occur but did not say it was ruled out. The administration made clear when it set up Obama's trip that he would meet with anti-government dissidents in Havana despite the Cuban leadership's objections to what it sees as meddling in the country's internal affairs. Rhodes said the list of participants had not been finalized and the meeting would take place in a U.S. facility, which suggests the U.S. embassy or ambassador's residence. That meeting would take place after official events with Raul Castro. Cuban dissidents in the past have reported being detained in their homes or picked up by police en route to major international events such as summits or papal visits, but Rhodes said he did not anticipate that happening for Obama's trip. "We haven't worked out the logistics, but ... they have not suggested that they will throw up those types of obstacles," he said, adding the United States would be watching whether Cuba detained or harassed activists in connection with the visit. Two of Cuba's most prominent dissidents, Berta Soler and Jose Daniel Ferrer, were detained on Tuesday, according to dissident groups. Susan Rice, Obama's national security adviser, on Wednesday met with Cuban-American activists and U.S. human rights advocates and told them Obama would meet Cuban "independent civil society" representatives chosen by his aides, the White House said. OUTSTANDING DIFFERENCES Obama's Republican critics have accused him of playing down human rights concerns in order to pursue rapprochement with Cuba, which began in December 2014 and is now seen as a major piece of his foreign policy legacy. The Cuban government has done little to reciprocate for a series of U.S. measures that eased restrictions on U.S.-Cuba travel and trade. It is unclear whether it will make any large gestures during Obama's visit, the first by a sitting U.S. president since 1928. Rhodes countered that the outreach to Cuba was aimed at helping the local population while opening up commercial opportunities for Americans. The administration plans to roll out further measures next week to chip away at decades-old restrictions to commerce. Obama also wants to lift the embargo on Cuba, which is only possible through congressional action. Republican leaders in Congress oppose such a move. Other differences remain. The Obama administration is not considering returning the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay to the Cuban government, and Rhodes said it would not make changes to the Radio and TV Marti broadcasters at this time. Both issues are irritants that the Cubans consider obstacles to full normalization with Washington. "The Cubans don't like Radio Marti and TV Marti for sure," Rhodes said. "There's only so much you can get to." The U.S. government launched Radio Marti in 1983 and later added TV Marti to transmit anti-communist news and information into Cuba, where the government has a monopoly on the media. A decision on whether to put an end to a U.S. program that encourages Cuban doctors and nurses on overseas assignments to defect was not tied to the trip either, Rhodes said. (Additional reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Andrew Hay)
A Canadian Armed Forces member based in Petawawa, Ont., is suspected of sexual misconduct toward a military colleague while deployed in Jamaica in November 2015, the Defence Department confirmed in a statement on Wednesday.

"The alleged victim of the inappropriate sexual behaviour was offered counselling, emotional support and other services," the department said.

The member suspected of sexual misconduct has been reassigned to other duties as the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service determines whether charges will be laid, the department said.

The allegation comes just one month after the Forces released its first progress report detailing efforts to address "inappropriate sexual behaviour" in the military.

A new sexual misconduct response centre was formed in response to last year's damning report that documented how sexual harassment was "endemic" in the military.

Gen. Jonathan Vance, chief of the defence staff, said in February that the centre dealt with 64 allegations of sexual assault and 44 reports of sexual harassment in five months.

Allegation taken 'very seriously'

The latest "potential instance of sexual misconduct" occurred while a Canadian Special Operations Forces Command was in Jamaica as part of Exercise Tropical Dagger in November, the department said.

No other details about the accusation were released  including the names, genders or ranks of the people involved  but the department said the case is being taken "very seriously."

"Harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour of any kind is an abhorrent behaviour that has no place in the Canadian Armed Forces. Our institution's culture of personal and professional respect is non-negotiable," the statement said.

"The Canadian Armed Forces has an obligation to ensure a respectful, healthy professional environment for all of its members. Operationally, our continued success depends on unwavering trust and cohesion among our members, regardless of circumstance, ethnicity, gender, background or sexual orientation."

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By Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - Russian warplanes were said to have launched heavy strikes on the Islamic State-held city of Palmyra on Thursday in what may be a prelude to a Syrian government bid to recapture the historic site lost to the jihadist group last May. Dozens of Islamic State fighters were killed or wounded in the strikes that followed similarly heavy air raids in the Palmyra area on Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported. The attacks add to the pressure on a group that is losing ground to a separate, U.S.-backed campaign by Syrian militia in the northeast, and whose military commander was declared probably dead by U.S. officials on Tuesday. The group's tactics in Syria appear to reflect the strains, as it turns to suicide missions seemingly aimed at causing maximum casualties rather than sustainable territorial gains. Islamic State is not included in a cessation of hostilities agreement that has brought about a lull in the war raging in western Syria between rebels aiming to topple President Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian army backed by the Russian air force. Military operations against Islamic State in central and eastern Syria are continuing as both Damascus and its allies on one hand, and the United States and its allies on the other, seek to degrade Islamic State's self-declared "caliphate" that stretches into Iraq. The Observatory said Russian war planes carried out 150 raids in the Palmyra area on Wednesday, followed by further attacks on Thursday. "If they take Tadmur (Palmyra) and Qarayatain, the regime would have taken back a big geographic area of Syria," said Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman. The loss of Qaraytain and Palmyra and the surrounding desert would reduce Islamic State's hold to about 20 percent of Syria. Qarayatain is 100 km (60 miles) southwest of Palmyra. After capturing Palmyra, Islamic State blew up some of its ancient monuments in what the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO called a war crime. Islamic State however appears well-entrenched in Palmyra, and while recovering the city would be a big boost for Damascus, its priority may be elsewhere for now, including the border with Turkey where it has been fighting rebels despite the truce. FINANCES UNDER STRAIN The momentum has turned against Islamic State since its rapid advances two years ago following the capture of the Iraqi city of Mosul. Its finances are also under strain, with fighters' pay cut by up to a half. In what would be another major blow to Islamic State, U.S. officials said on Tuesday that its "minister of war", Abu Omar al-Shishani, was likely killed in a U.S. air strike near the town of al-Shadadi in northeastern Syria. The militant, also known as Omar the Chechen, had a reputation as a close military adviser to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The Pentagon believes Shishani was sent to bolster Islamic State troops after they suffered setbacks at the hands of U.S.-allied militias including the Kurdish YPG. The Observatory, which says it gathers its information from sources on all sides of the war, said on Thursday that Shishani was badly wounded but still alive and being treated somewhere in the group's Syrian stronghold of Raqqa province. Recent Islamic State attacks have included suicide car bombings in the government-held cities of Damascus and Homs, and a determined but ultimately unsuccessful effort to sever the government's only land supply route to Aleppo. Dozens of its fighters were also killed in a Feb. 27 attack on the YPG-held town of Tel Abyad at the Turkish border. A YPG official sent Reuters a list of the names of 72 IS fighters he said had been sent there on a suicide mission. The official said Shishani's death, if true, would not be that significant because Islamic State "is being broken by the YPG and Syria Democratic Forces with or without him". "It doesn't change the equation at all as far as we are concerned." (Additional reporting by Omar Fahmy in Cairo; editing by Giles Elgood)
By Jeff Mason and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House has ruled out an encounter between President Barack Obama and revolutionary leader Fidel Castro in Cuba this month and is confident the government will not create obstacles to a meeting between Obama and dissidents in Havana, a top adviser said on Wednesday. Despite the goal of improving ties between former Cold War foes, deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said Obama would not use his trip to meet Cuba's demands that he shutter Radio and TV Marti, U.S. broadcasters created to transmit anti-communist programming to the island nation. Obama plans to hold talks with Cuban President Raul Castro during his historic March 20-22 visit but will not meet with Castro's brother, a legendary figure who took power in a 1959 revolution and led Cuba for 49 years. "We've had no discussion about that meeting taking place, and we certainly wouldn't seek it," Rhodes, who was one of the negotiators in secret talks that led to a thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations, told Reuters in an interview. Asked if a meeting was ruled out, Rhodes said: "Yes." A meeting with the elder Castro could overshadow a trip that is meant to focus on the future of the U.S.-Cuba relationship rather than its troubled past. Castro, 89, stepped down from power after a series of health problems and rarely leaves his Havana home, though he occasionally meets visiting dignitaries. The White House has said previously it did not expect a Fidel Castro meeting to occur but did not say it was ruled out. The administration made clear when it set up Obama's trip that he would meet with anti-government dissidents in Havana despite the Cuban leadership's objections to what it sees as meddling in the country's internal affairs. Rhodes said the list of participants had not been finalized and the meeting would take place in a U.S. facility, which suggests the U.S. embassy or ambassador's residence. That meeting would take place after official events with Raul Castro. Cuban dissidents in the past have reported being detained in their homes or picked up by police en route to major international events such as summits or papal visits, but Rhodes said he did not anticipate that happening for Obama's trip. "We haven't worked out the logistics, but ... they have not suggested that they will throw up those types of obstacles," he said, adding the United States would be watching whether Cuba detained or harassed activists in connection with the visit. Two of Cuba's most prominent dissidents, Berta Soler and Jose Daniel Ferrer, were detained on Tuesday, according to dissident groups. OUTSTANDING DIFFERENCES Obama's Republican critics have accused him of playing down human rights concerns in order to pursue rapprochement with Cuba, which began in December 2014 and is now seen as a major piece of his foreign policy legacy. The Cuban government has done little to reciprocate for a series of U.S. measures that eased restrictions on U.S.-Cuba travel and trade. It is unclear whether it will make any large gestures during Obama's visit, the first by a sitting U.S. president since 1928. Rhodes countered that the outreach to Cuba was aimed at helping the local population while opening up commercial opportunities for Americans. The administration plans to roll out further measures next week to chip away at decades-old restrictions to commerce. Obama also wants to lift the embargo on Cuba, which is only possible through congressional action. Republican leaders in Congress oppose such a move. Other differences remain. The Obama administration is not considering returning the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay to the Cuban government, and Rhodes said it would not make changes to the Radio and TV Marti broadcasters at this time. Both issues are irritants that the Cubans consider obstacles to full normalization with Washington. "The Cubans don't like Radio Marti and TV Marti for sure," Rhodes said. "There's only so much you can get to." The U.S. government launched Radio Marti in 1983 and later added TV Marti to transmit anti-communist news and information into Cuba, where the government has a monopoly on the media. A decision on whether to put an end to a U.S. program that encourages Cuban doctors and nurses on overseas assignments to defect was not tied to the trip either, Rhodes said. (Additional reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Andrew Hay)
Sitaram Yechurys praise for Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhis speech in the Lok Sabha that rattled Prime Minister Narendra Modi could easily be mistaken for Opposition solidarity to battle the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. But when seen in the context of other developments, it assumes significance over and beyond just being a casual remark of appreciation. A week or so before Mr Yechury said that, both he and Mr Gandhi  along with other leaders  went to Jawaharlal Nehru University to show their support to the students. And now comes an understanding between the two parties in West Bengal, where both have been sworn enemies for decades.

In Bengal and more so in Kerala, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Congress are political rivals, often fighting for the same space. In the rest of the country, barring in a few pockets, the CPM counts for very little. Yet, in Parliament the two have rarely come together until recently, when both find themselves on the same side against the dominant political force, the BJP.

Yet, such is the long history of antipathy towards each other that even while they ponder over electoral arrangements, they remain coy about openly declaring any intention to cohabit. Take West Bengal for instance. They both want to fight Trinamul Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, who at this moment looks unbeatable. It would make sense to form some sort of front or have an informal arrangement so that there are minimal triangular contests.

The Left in Bengal says it is a tactical understanding and little more. The sickle and hammer cant become one with the hand, a CPM leader is quoted as saying. The Congress is a bit more accommodating, offering to support Left candidates. Even Mr Yechury, assuming he wants to, will not be able to override the reluctance of his West Bengal unit to coming too close to the Congress.

Why this coyness? When it is becoming clear that a national front is the need of the hour and a formalised arrangement in West Bengal will go a long way on putting up a strong anti-Trinamul front, why shouldnt both join hands and declare their relationship? More so since it is obvious that Mr Yechury will be fully supportive.

Local imperatives, one might argue, prevent such intimacy. But that only explains part of the conundrum. To fully unravel this problem, one has to look at history, more specifically, the history of the CPM. Ever since it emerged as the more potent political force after the split in the Communist Party in 1964, the CPM has consistently moved away from the Congress.

At the time, the Congress was the only political force on the national stage, the Jana Sangh counted for nothing and regional parties were not born. The Communist Party of India was strong but gradually, not the least because of lack of leadership, began fading away. Many of the younger leaders, such as Jyoti Basu, P. Sundarayya, Harkishan Singh Surjeet, etc., moved to the CPM. The atmosphere at the time was very hostile to the CPM, many of its cadre were arrested in Bengal and Kerala by the Congress.

Being anti-Congress at the time made sense. The Congress regarded the rising CPM as an enemy. But anti-Congressism gradually became an ideological position of the CPM, which guided many of its actions. The CPM stood on the side of the Janata Party against the Congress in 1977  understandable, since the much-hated Indira Gandhi had to be defeated. But, the CPM also came out in support of V.P. Singh in 1989, when the latter fought the Congress.

Singhs Janata Dal got just 143 seats but managed to form a minority government with the help of the BJP on the right and the CPM on the Left. For the CPM mandarins of the time, the communalist BJP was more acceptable than the secular Congress!

In Uttar Pradesh, the CPM continued to latch on to Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, fondly estimating him to be some kind of secular, progressive leader long after it became clear that he wasnt. Since the Indian Left has never really taken cognisance of  or really understood  the caste factor, it could not understand the rise of Mayawati, who ought to have been the natural ally for a party that claims to represent the poorest of the poor. These are more than episodic historical blunders of the kind that prevented the CPM from agreeing to let Jyoti Basu become the Prime Minister in 1995.

Finally, the CPM agreed to support the Manmohan Singh government in 2004. This was the Left Fronts apogee, with 59 seats in Parliament, the highest ever. The CPMs attitude towards its own ally during those years of United Progressive Alliance deserves a book of its own; suffice it to say that it couldnt get out of its mentality of fighting with the Congress all the time.

Mr Yechury, who is now the general secretary, has a more nuanced understanding of the situation compared to some of his more hidebound predecessors. He understands that 2016 is not the same as the 1960s or 1970s. He is more amenable not just towards the Congress but is also more open to participating in fronts that are driven by the political needs of the hour.

He will have a tough task convincing all his colleagues, but eventually, he will steer the party towards a pragmatic line. Neither side may rush into each others arms, but the old hostility will be diluted, even made irrelevant. There is no other option.

Ms Banerjee has decimated the CPM in West Bengal and will continue her assault on it. There is no guarantee it will emerge victorious in Kerala. On the national level, the CPM  and the Left in general  has little to offer. This does not suggest that there is no need for a good, strong Left party. However, if the CPM wishes to be that, it has to shed most of its old ideological baggage and move forward. Or will the comrades make one more historical blunder?
By Will Dunham (Reuters) - Nancy Reagan, the former actress who was fiercely protective of husband Ronald Reagan through a Hollywood career, eight years in the White House, an assassination attempt and her husband's Alzheimer's disease, died on Sunday at age 94. The cause of death was congestive heart failure, said a spokeswoman for the Reagan presidential library. She died at her Los Angeles home. "She is once again with the man she loved," her stepson Michael Reagan wrote on Twitter. Reagan became one of the most influential first ladies in U.S. history during her Republican husband's presidency from 1981 to 1989. Her husband, who affectionately called her "Mommy" while she called him "Ronnie," died in 2004 after a long struggle with Alzheimer's, the progressive brain disorder that destroys memory. As news of Nancy Reagan's death spread, tributes poured in from Washington to Hollywood. "Nancy Reagan was totally devoted to President Reagan, and we take comfort that they will be reunited once more," former first lady Barbara Bush said in a statement on behalf of herself and her husband, former President George H. W. Bush. "George and I send our prayers and condolences to her family." The Hollywood glitterati weighed in on social media, many of them grieving the passing of an icon they remembered having grown up in the Reagan era. "I sat near #Nancy Reagan once and felt like a teenager seeing one of my idols. She was a BOSS," wrote actress Elizabeth Banks of "The Hunger Games" fame. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who like Ronald Reagan rode his Hollywood fame to the governor's office in California, said on Twitter that Nancy Reagan was "one of my heroes." Republican candidates for the 2016 presidential nomination, from businessman Donald Trump to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, also conveyed their sympathies. The ghost of Ronald Reagan, who remains deeply popular among Republican voters, has hovered over the campaign as in previous years, with party candidates vying to claim the mantle of Reagan's legacy. A Republican debate in September took place at the Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley, California, with an Air Force One jet providing a memorable backdrop. Nancy Reagan will be buried next to her husband at that library. The public would have a chance to pay their respects prior to the funeral service, with details to come shortly. Nancy Davis was a Hollywood actress during the 1940s and 1950s and married Reagan, a prominent film actor, in 1952. She then served as first lady of California during her husband's stint as California governor from 1967 to 1975 before moving into the White House after his decisive victory over incumbent Democratic President Jimmy Carter in 1980. Her most publicized project as first lady was the "Just Say No" anti-drug campaign. After her husband developed Alzheimer's disease, she became an advocate for discovering a cure. She was diminutive and publicly soft-spoken, but Nancy Reagan's strong will, high-tone tastes and clout with her husband made her a controversial figure during his presidency. As Reagan's wife, political partner and adviser, she became one of America's most potent first ladies, alongside the likes of Franklin Roosevelt's wife, Eleanor, Woodrow Wilson's wife, Edith, and Bill Clinton's wife, Hillary. "I see the first lady as another means to keep a president from becoming isolated," she said in 1985. "I talk to people. They tell me things. And if something is about to become a problem, I'm not above calling a staff person and asking about it. I'm a woman who loves her husband and I make no apologies for looking out for his personal and political welfare." Tiny and frail in her later years, Reagan devoted her time to caring for her ailing husband at their home in Los Angeles' exclusive Bel Air enclave. She was always a stickler for protocol and detail and stoically presided over the former president's weeklong funeral and celebration of his life in June 2004. 'I FORGOT TO DUCK' One of her most trying times as first lady came when John Hinckley stepped out of a crowd outside a Washington hotel on March 30, 1981, and fired six shots toward the president, striking him in the chest. A .22-caliber bullet punctured his lung and nearly entered his heart. "Honey, I forgot to duck," he told her at the hospital. Some critics lambasted Nancy Reagan as a meddlesome "dragon lady," derided her anti-drug campaign and ridiculed her for consulting an astrologer to schedule presidential events. President Reagan called this view of his wife "despicable fiction," saying in 1987: "The idea that she is involved in governmental decisions and so forth and all of this, and being a kind of dragon lady - there is nothing to that." The reputation was established during her husband's time as California governor and followed her to Washington. She was first accused of being a vacuous spendthrift interested chiefly in renovating and buying new china for the White House, lavish entertaining, her designer wardrobe and the like, then portrayed as a cunning manipulator of policy and people. Advocates of the latter view saw her influence as virtually unlimited in such matters as the dumping of presidential advisers, efforts to get a nuclear arms accord with the Soviet Union and her husband's decision to seek a second term in 1984. Some Reagan-watchers said reports of Mrs. Reagan's influence were exaggerated and that it was merely the protective concern of a loving wife. She frequently clashed with President Reagan's chief of staff, Donald Regan, who lambasted her in a 1988 "tell-all" book after he was ousted from the White House during the chaos of the Iran-Contra scandal in 1987. Regan disclosed that she had used astrology to decide the timing of presidential speeches and trips, and even her husband's 1985 cancer surgery. "Virtually every move and decision the Reagans made during my time as White House chief of staff was cleared in advance by a woman in San Francisco who drew up horoscopes to make certain that the planets were in a favorable alignment for the enterprise," Regan wrote. James Baker, who served as White House chief of staff during Reagan's first term, took a different view, telling PBS in 2011: "If there was one person who was indispensable to Ronald Reagan's political success, it was Nancy Reagan." In a statement in Sunday, Baker said Nancy Reagan was "her husband's closest adviser, his constant protector, and most importantly the love of his life." Nancy Reagan acknowledged she had the ear of her husband. "In most good marriages that I know of, the woman is her husband's closest friend and adviser," she wrote in her 1989 memoir, "My Turn." "... But however the first lady fits in, she has a unique and important role to play in looking after her husband. And it's only natural that she'll let him know what she thinks. I always did that for Ronnie and I always will." Ronald Reagan was known for penning innumerable letters to his wife. In one, he stated: "I more than love you, I'm not whole without you. You are life itself to me. When you are gone I'm waiting for you to return so I can start living again." 'RONNIE'S LONG JOURNEY' The former president's Alzheimer's struggle made Mrs. Reagan a campaigner for broader human embryonic stem cell research, a stand that put her at odds with many Republicans. "Ronnie's long journey has finally taken him to a distant place where I can no longer reach him. Because of this, I'm determined to do whatever I can to save other families from this pain," she said before his death in 2004. Some critics dismissed her "Just Say No" efforts as simplistic but she became America's most visible anti-drug crusader at a time when the crack cocaine epidemic was raging. In 1988, she addressed the U.N. General Assembly, saying the United States must do more with tougher law enforcement and anti-drug education efforts and should stop blaming the poor nations that produce most of the narcotics used by Americans. "We will not get anywhere if we place a heavier burden of action on foreign governments than on America's own mayors, judges and legislators. You see, the cocaine cartel does not begin in Medellin, Colombia. It begins in the streets of New York, Miami, Los Angeles and every American city where crack is bought and sold," she told the General Assembly. After leaving the White House, she created the Nancy Reagan Foundation to continue her anti-drug campaign. The organization helped develop the Nancy Reagan Afterschool Program in 1994 aimed at drug prevention and life skills for youth. Mrs. Reagan had her left breast surgically removed in October 1987 after a cancerous tumor was discovered. She was born Anne Frances Robbins into a crumbling marriage in New York on July 6, 1921. Her car-salesman father deserted the family soon after, and her mother, actress Edith Luckett Robbins, resumed her show business career two years later. In 1929, her mother married Loyal Davis, a neurosurgeon. Nancy came to adore him, even taking his name, and the doctor was believed to have had considerable influence on his eventual son-in-law's shift from Democrat to Republican years later. After graduation from elite Smith College, she worked as a nurse's aide, then began a stage career in New York. Starting in 1949, she had an eight-year career in films including one - "Hellcats of the Navy" (1957) - co-starring with Ronald Reagan. She often took supporting roles but had starring roles like one in the 1953 B-movie "Donovan's Brain" about a scientist who kept the brain of a dead millionaire alive in a tank. Ronald Reagan divorced another actress, Jane Wyman, in 1948. They had a daughter, Maureen, and adopted a son, Michael. At the time, Ronald Reagan headed the Screen Actors Guild. Davis was stunned when an industry newspaper published a list of communist sympathizers and her name was included (it turned out to be a reference to another actress of the same name). She sought out her future husband for assistance. During the early years of the Cold War, Hollywood blacklisted - refused to employ - numerous people accused of holding communist views, ruining many careers and lives. Ronald and Nancy Reagan got married in 1952 and had two children together - Patti Davis, an actress, and Ron Jr., who pursued careers in ballet and television. She is also survived by her brother, Richard, according to the Reagan presidential library. (Reporting and writing by Will Dunham in Washington; Additional reporting by Joseph Ax, Karen Brooks, Megan Cassella; Editing by Bill Trott, Diane Craft, Jeffrey Benkoe and Howard Goller)
Apple said the government request would create a "back door" to phones that could be abused by criminals and governments.

The US Justice Department on Thursday said Apple Inc's rhetoric was "false" in a high-profile fight over the government's bid to unlock an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters.

Last month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation obtained a court order requiring Apple to write new software and take other measures to disable passcode protection and allow access to shooter Rizwan Farook's iPhone.

Apple has not complied. It said the government request would create a "back door" to phones that could be abused by criminals and governments, and that Congress has not given the Justice Department legal authority to make such a demand.

Apple has also attacked the FBI investigation as "shoddy" and portrayed itself as "the primary guardian of Americans' privacy," federal prosecutors said in a court filing on Thursday.

The company's "rhetoric is not only false, but also corrosive of the very institutions that are best able to safeguard our liberty and our rights: the courts, the Fourth Amendment, longstanding precedent and venerable laws, and the democratically elected branches of government," the prosecutors added.

The government said Apple "deliberately raised technological barriers" to prevent execution of a warrant.Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Justice Department's new filing.

The FBI says Islamist militants inspired Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, when they shot and killed 14 people on Dec. 2 at a holiday party. The couple later died in a shootout with police and the FBI said it wants to read the data on Farook's work phone to investigate any links with militant groups.

Tech industry leaders including Google, Facebook and Microsoft and more than two dozen other companies filed legal briefs last week supporting Apple. The Justice Department received support from law enforcement groups and six relatives of San Bernardino victims.

A hearing in the case is scheduled for March 22 in a Riverside, California federal court. Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook has said he is willing to take the case to the Supreme Court.

The Justice Department also objected to claims made by Apple and other tech companies that the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act of 1994 limits when companies could be forced to comply with orders for intercepting communications.

"CALEA did not deprive this Court of its power to issue the Order," the filing reads. "Congress's intent in passing CALEA was not to weaken existing judicial powers," it said.

Prosecutors also criticized claims by Apple that developing the new software code would be burdensome for the company. They noted Apple "grosses hundreds of billions of dollars a year" and would only need ask a handful of its 100,000 employees to work on the project for "perhaps as little as two weeks."

The Justice Department has repeatedly attempted to frame the Apple case as one that is not about undermining encryption and that the court order narrowly targets a "non-encryption barrier" on one iPhone.

But Thursday's filing noted that asking for decryption services "would not be novel, either." It cited an 1807 case holding that a clerk working for Aaron Burr, then a former US vice president, could be forced to decode a letter penned by Burr if doing so did not lead to self-incrimination.

Similar issues were raised in another case this week, in which the government sought to overturn a ruling protecting Apple from unlocking an iPhone in a New York drug case.

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DALLAS, Texas and ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 9, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and the GBTA Foundation, the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), recently presented the distinguished Certificate in Meeting Management (CMM) to 17 more meeting and travel professionals, bringing the total number of holders to 1,087 worldwide. This class participated in the program held October 1  4, 2015, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

"The CMM Program has become THE business standard of excellence for meeting and travel professionals since its inception three decades ago," said Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI. "Congratulations to each of these leaders on their momentous achievement."

MPI and GBTA are currently accepting applications for two CMM programs scheduled later this year in Las Vegas (May 6  9) and Norfolk, Virginia (August 25  28). Each program is limited to only 50 participants so interested applicants are encouraged to apply early. Note, the deadline to submit an application for the upcoming Las Vegas program at the Aria Resort & Casino is April 5, 2016.

In addition, the MPI Foundation has CMM Program scholarship opportunities available for MPI members. Scholarships are awarded for up to $2,000 and must be used toward program fees. Last year, the MPI Foundation awarded 31 CMM Program scholarships to MPI members. To apply for a scholarship, visit www.mpiweb.org/foundation/grantsandscholarships. For more information on the CMM Program, please visit www.mpiweb.org/CMM. To learn more about the MPI Academy's various professional development offerings, check out www.mpiweb.org/mpi-academy.

MPI and GBTA commend the following 17 professionals from the Dominican Republic class on obtaining the CMM designation.

Sherri Beck/Jack Morton Worldwide

Norma Christina Bock/UNIVERSITY / MYW

Cori Brown, CMP, CMM /Opus Agency

Rochelle Rupnick/Milwaukee Area Technical College

Virginia Williams Fountain/North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives

Deanna Kay Griffith/Time Warner Cable Media

Monica Grinage Cooper, CMP/International Facility Management Association

Catherine Jones/Edventives Group

Jessica M. Lamb/Young Presidents' Organization, Inc.

Kristina Nichols/MassMutual Financial Group

Davide Odella/The National Stadium in Warsaw

Connie Pronschinske/Ashley Furniture Ind

Falon Veit Scott/Evolution Event Solutions

Cynnamon Spain/CCS, LLC

Jessie States/Meeting Professionals International

Sandra M. Totti/Innovation DMC, Inc.

Lisa Volpi/Netflix

About MPI

Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is the largest and most vibrant global meeting and event industry association. The organization provides innovative and relevant education, networking opportunities and business exchanges, and acts as a prominent voice for the promotion and growth of the industry. MPI membership is comprised of approximately 18,500 members belonging to more than 80 chapters and clubs in 22 countries. For additional information or to join, visit www.mpiweb.org.

About the GBTA Foundation

Collectively, GBTA's 7,000-plus members manage more than $345 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA provides its growing network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts with world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media. The Foundation was established in 1997 to support GBTA's members and the industry as a whole. As the leading education and research foundation in the business travel industry, the GBTA Foundation seeks to fund initiatives to advance the business travel profession. The GBTA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information, see gbta.org and gbta.org/foundation.
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Sanoma Corporation, Stock Exchange Release, 11 March 2016 at 15:00 CET+1

Sanoma has today closed the transaction related to the companys remaining Russian assets. As announced on 30 December 2015, the transaction included Sanomas 50 % stake in Fashion Press, the remaining operations in United Press and the 50 % stake in Mondadori Independent Media.

The transaction is a part of Sanomas strategic plan announced in 2013 to redesign its consumer media operations and completes Sanomas exit from the Russian media market.

Additional information

Head of BU Russia & CLO, Sanoma Legal Affairs, Merja Karhapaa, tel. +358 40 582 1538

Sanoma.com

Sanoma is an inspiring, relevant and trusted consumer media and learning company. Ever since its formation in 1889, the company has held creativity and independent thinking at its core in order to deliver high-quality content in new and different ways.

Sanomas consumer media business provides consumers with engaging and personalised content through cross-media brands that touch their lives. Sanomas close relationships with its consumers enable the company to offer unique value-added marketing solutions to its business partners.

Sanoma Learnings learning solutions enable teachers to excel at developing the talents of every child, creating opportunities for children to advance their prospects in life.

With operating companies in Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland and Sweden, Sanoma realised net sales of more than EUR 1.7 billion in 2015. The company employed over 6,000 employees.
HAMPTON, Va., March 11, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As referenced in Cancer Incidence in Appalachia (20042011), higher cancer incidence rates persist in a number of regions (including the Appalachia region) and appear to be caused by a convergence of multiple contributing factors. More specifically, geographic variations in cancer occurrence reflect differences in socioeconomic factors related to population demographics, health care access and utilization, and preventive screening behaviors as well as differences in environmental exposures and, in some instances, tobacco use. As a result, some populations and gender groups experience higher mortality and lower survival rates from cancer and generally do not possess the same overall health status.



SelfMade Health Network is a member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Consortium of National Networks to Impact Populations Experiencing Tobacco-Related and Cancer Health Disparities. The consortium of national networks advances commercial tobacco use prevention and cancer prevention in populations experiencing tobacco-related and cancer health disparities. Specifically, the SelfMade Health Network focuses on those populations with low socioeconomic status characteristics residing in rural, urban, and frontier regions. The SelfMade Health Network recently selected the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Public Health in coordination with the Kentucky Cancer Program and the Kentucky Cancer Consortium as the newly designated Regional Resource Lead Organization (RRLO) to address lung cancer disparities in the Appalachia. Specifically, the UK-based RRLO team along with the Kentucky Cancer Program at the University of Louisville will lead efforts to increase early lung cancer screening, treatment, and survivorship. It also will lead strategic efforts to enhance tobacco cessation support chiefly among male populations, including uninsured, low-income employees and/or unemployed adult tobacco users residing in primarily rural and medically underserved areas.



"We are excited about this opportunity to address lung cancer disparities in Southern Kentucky with a particular focus on worksites with predominantly male employees," said RRLO Principal Investigator Dr. Jennifer Knight, who is an assistant professor in UK College of Public Health Department of Health Management and Policy. "With the existing partnerships within the Kentucky Cancer Program, Kentucky Cancer Consortium, and UK College of Public Health, we are well-poised to make a difference by working with communities to develop, implement, and evaluate tailored interventions to positively impact the health of Southern Kentuckians."



This project contributes to the UK College of Public Health's deep commitment to remedying the dramatic health disparities that burden Kentucky communities. "With among the highest rates of tobacco-related illnesses, including cancer, in the U.S., Kentucky must be a leader in the elimination of this deadly and costly disease that causes the suffering of so many," said Dr. Nancy Schoenberg, Associate Dean for Research in the UK College of Public Health. "Dr. Knight's partnerships and extensive community outreach will help foster a cultural shift toward health promotion. The UK College of Public Health is honored to be associated with this important program, one poised to make a difference in promoting health equity."



The SelfMade Health Network RRLO's primary role is to advance Healthy People 2020 Objectives from a geographic and culturally relevant perspective to eliminate health disparities across counties and subsequently states. The UK-based RRLO team will serve as the "Community Resource Hub" leading efforts targeting eight Kentucky counties, including Clay, Ohio, Warren, McCracken, Christian, Perry, Jackson, and Casey counties. This project will involve the coordinated efforts of the Kentucky Cancer Program East based at UK and the Kentucky Cancer Program West based at the University of Louisville to most effectively reach the target population in each county.



"We are honored that a well-respected institution with a rich history and reputation such as the University of Kentucky along with other organizations have committed to promoting cross-sector collaboration as we strive to address disparities. We look forward to creating a multi-generational shift among vulnerable, underserved and low-resourced populations resulting in the prevention of costly, life-altering and serious complications associated with Cancers and tobacco use," said Dwana "Dee" Calhoun, MS, Director of the SelfMade Health Network.



Additional information about national and regional initiatives are posted on the SelfMade Health Network website at: www.selfmadehealth.org/mobilize/national-regional-initiatives

SelfMade Health Network is a national network of dedicated organizations, businesses, service agencies, academic institutions and communities seeking to conquer tobacco-related health disparities and expand the promotion of cancer prevention, screening, treatment and survivorship in vulnerable populations. It is our mission to educate, empower and mobilize regions, networks, communities and systems leading to a healthier world, workforce and generation free of preventable lung, colorectal and breast cancers. For more information, please visit www.selfmadehealth.org or follow us Twitter at @SelfMadeHealth. Individuals and organizations interested in joining SelfMade Health Network or subscribing to its communications may email us at info@selfmadehealth.org.
As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ
United Nations: India has termed as "abhorrent and repugnant" the instances of sexual abuse and exploitation by UN peacekeepers and asked the international community to send a strong message that the malaise will be addressed collectively.

"We have contributed our troops because we see peacekeeping as a shining example of the international community's commitment to collective security. So, to us, it is very worrisome that the protectors are now being widely perceived as predators," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said.

He said India has a policy of zero tolerance on sexual exploitation and abuse cases and there is no hesitation or reluctance in its approach to deal with the problem.

"It would be immoral if there was so. There are aberrations that have taken place in United Nations peacekeeping, these are abhorrent and repugnant. This is particularly so, given the confidence that has been reposed in blue helmets and in this organisation," he said at a Security Council meeting on 'UN Peacekeeping Operations: Sexual Exploitation and Abuse'.

Akbaruddin stressed that the international community needs to send a message that it is together in addressing the problem and the issue is not being tackled as a command issue.

"Regaining our collective reputation as exemplars of universal idealism is too important a matter to be confined to a few. It requires participation of all, not least, troop contributing countries," he said.

Sharing UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's "distress" over the issue, Akbaruddin said as a country which has provided peacekeepers to 48 of the 68 UN peacekeeping operations and has contributed the largest cumulative troops, India is "deeply disturbed by this rising phenomenon".

"The malaise that we are confronting is not one merely of enforcing compliance but of setting norms. What we are venturing into, is emphasising on values of universal application.

"The approach and cures that are being mentioned require a format that is more broad-based and more inclusive than merely being addressed as a matter of peace and security," he said.

"Yes that may be difficult and yes that may be frustrating and slow but if the medium is the message then the message we ought to convey can be only through a more inclusive format. Anything less will be, in our view, not conveying the same message," he said.

The Secretary-General's report on allegations of sexual abuse against UN personnel, made public last week, lists for the first time the names of the countries of alleged perpetrators, a measure meant to end impunity by increasing transparency.

The report shows an increase in the number of new allegations in 2015, with 69 of the total 99 allegations lodged against UN personnel serving in peace operations.
Washington: In a rare public rebuke of two of Washingtons closest allies, President Barack Obama has hit out at British Prime Minister David Cameron and former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy over their roles in Libya after the fall of the Kadhafi regime.

Cameron became distracted and Sarkozy wanted to promote his country during the 2011 NATO-led military intervention in Libya, Obama said in an interview with The Atlantic magazine published on Friday.

British daily The Independent on Friday slammed Obamas comments as an unprecedented attack on a British leader by a serving US president, while The Times called the criticism extraordinary.

In the extensive interview, Obama discussed the conditions surrounding the British and French-led bombing campaign that led to the fall of Moamer Kadhafis regime.

Obama said when he considered what went wrong in Libya, theres room for criticism because I had more faith in the Europeans, given Libyas proximity, being invested in the follow-up.

Cameron stopped paying attention soon after the military operation, he said, becoming distracted by a range of other things.

British Press hits out at Obama

The British press on Friday accused President Barack Obama of launching an unprecedented verbal attack on British Prime Minister David Cameron in a magazine interview.

In a lengthy interview with The Atlantic, Obama faults Cameron and other European allies for shortcomings in dealing with Libya after the 2011 ouster of longtime dictator Col. Moammar Gadhafi. The Times newspaper said Obamas criticism was extraordinary and said Obama was blaming Cameron for the Libya mess.
Bakri's involvement in directly recruiting for ISIS was not previously known, however, his own son Mohammed is said to have died in Aleppo province in the north of Syria last October. (Representational Image)

London: A radical Islamic State preacher who was banished from the UK has been recruiting British fighters for the dreaded terror outfit, a media report said on Friday.

Syria-born Omar Bakri Mohammad, who was banished from the UK in 2005, was named as a sponsor by British jihadists trying to induct into Islamic State, according to information released in one the biggest leaks of terrorist data in history.

Fighters from Cardiff named 58-year-old Bakri as their "referee", including Reyaad Khan, 21, who was killed last September alongside another fighter in Raqqa, in the first targeted UK drone attack on a British citizen.

The documents also name individuals previously not known to be fighting in Syria, including a teenager arrested in the London riots, a teacher and a Christian convert.

The mother of Fasil Towalde from north London, who left for Syria without telling her, said yesterday that he was a "good church boy" who had fallen in with a "bad gang".

Himan Haile confirmed her son's identity in a tearful interview in which she said he had been raised a Christian and grew up in London after the family fled violence in their native Eritrea.

"Fasil was not too much good, not too much bad. In my home he was a nice boy," Haile was quoted as saying by 'The Telegraph'.

He was arrested during the London riots and later fell in with a gang and converted to Islam in prison, she added. Bakri moved to the UK in 1986 and created the al-Qaeda-inspired al-Muhajiroun.

He later fled to Lebanon and was handed a 12-year sentence by a Lebanese court for terror offences last year.

Bakri's involvement in directly recruiting for ISIS was not previously known, however, his own son Mohammed is said to have died in Aleppo province in the north of Syria last October.
In a lengthy interview with The Atlantic, Obama faults Cameron and other European allies for shortcomings in dealing with Libya after the 2011 ouster of longtime dictator Col. Moammar Gadhafi. (Photo: AP)

London: The British press on Friday accused President Barack Obama of launching an unprecedented verbal attack on British Prime Minister David Cameron in a magazine interview.

In a lengthy interview with The Atlantic, Obama faults Cameron and other European allies for shortcomings in dealing with Libya after the 2011 ouster of longtime dictator Col. Moammar Gadhafi.

The Times newspaper said Obama's criticism was "extraordinary" and said Obama was blaming Cameron for the "Libya mess."

The Independent front page headline says "Obama savages Cameron over Libya."

In the magazine interview, Obama said Cameron had been "distracted" by other issues after Gadhafi's fall.

Britain and other European nations had joined the US in military action there to prevent a massacre of civilians. Obama told the magazine he had expected European nations to take a more active role in helping Libya during its reconstruction.

"When I go back and I ask myself what went wrong there's room for criticism, because I had more faith in the Europeans, given Libya's proximity, being invested in the follow-up," he said.

Obama also criticized former French President Nicolas Sarkozy for taking too much credit for France's military role.

Libya has since descended into chaos and emerged as a potential safe haven for ISIS extremists.

US officials have tried to squelch the controversy by telling British media that the United States places a high priority on Britain's support.

"Prime Minister Cameron has been as close a partner as the president has had, and we deeply value the UK's contributions on our shared national security and foreign policy objectives which reflect our special and essential relationship," spokesman Edward Price told ITV News.

The two countries have long been close allies with a so-called "special relationship" exemplified by the close cooperation between Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt during World War II.

Ties between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher were also exceptionally close near the end of the Cold War, and President George W. Bush relied on Tony Blair to back the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announced a new credit line of credit to Bangladesh during his Dhaka visit in June last year. (Photo: AFP)

Dhaka: India has signed an agreement extending $2 billion in development financing to Bangladesh, the Indian government's external lending arm said on Thursday, in the agency's biggest ever credit facility to another country.

The deal, signed on Wednesday in Dhaka, came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of the new credit line to Bangladesh during his Dhaka visit in June last year. It follows India's $1 billion in assistance provided to Bangladesh in 2011 for infrastructure development.

The credit line would be used to finance development in the power sector, railways, road transportation, information and communication technology, shipping, health and technical education sectors, the Exim Bank said it a statement.

During Modi's visit, the two countries signed a land boundary agreement, more than four decades after the neighbours first tried to resolve the complex territorial disputes.

Exim Bank is also in the process of extending $1.60 billion in buyer's credit to an India-Bangladesh joint venture to build a 1,320 megawatt thermal power plant project in Bangladesh.
The amendment to the penal code, which will go into force after being ratified by the president, also raises the age of criminal responsibility from seven to 10 years of age. (Representational Image)

Islamabad: Pakistan's Senate on Friday passed a bill that criminalises for the first time sexual assault against minors, child pornography and trafficking.

The amendment to the penal code, which will go into force after being ratified by the president, also raises the age of criminal responsibility from seven to 10 years of age.

Under the revised legislation, sexual assaults will now be punishable by up to seven years in prison. Previously, only rape was criminalised.

Likewise, child pornography, which was previously not mentioned in the law, will be be punishable by seven years in prison and a fine of 700,000 rupees ($7000).

Pakistan last August was rocked by a major paedophilia scandal when it was revealed that hundreds of pornographic videos of children from the village of Hussain Khanwala in Punjab province had been created and were being circulated.

About 20 arrests were made, but only the acts of rape and sodomy were punishable by law.

The new amendment also criminalises child trafficking within Pakistan. Previously traffickers were only liable for punishment if they removed children from the country.

"This is a very important step to realise the obligations of Pakistan" under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Sara Coleman, chief of child protection at UNICEF, said.

"Now we have to turn our attention to the law's implementation," said Valerie Khan, the director of Group Development Pakistan, a local NGO which advocates legal reforms.

She also called for the "establishment of a national commission on child rights, which is essential to monitor and coordinate the implementation of the law."
The signing ceremony for the grant, which includes a 67 million dollars package, took place the day Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and army chief General Raheel Sharif were attending the closing ceremony of the multi-nation 'Thunder of the North' military exercise in Saudi Arabia,reports Dawn. (Photo: AP)

Islamabad: Saudi Arabia has extended a financial and economic assistance of 122 million dollars to Pakistan which is the highest amount Riyadh has officially given to Islamabad in the last five years.

The signing ceremony for the grant, which includes a 67 million dollars package, took place the day Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and army chief General Raheel Sharif were attending the closing ceremony of the multi-nation 'Thunder of the North' military exercise in Saudi Arabia,reports Dawn.

Pakistan is a member of the military alliance of Muslim countries that Saudi Arabia formed late last year to fight terrorism.

The new assistance, though insignificant, can indicate improved economic ties between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, experts said.

Economic Affairs Division (EAD) Secretary Tariq Bajwa and Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD )Yousaf Ibrahim al Bassam signed five grant agreements valuing $67 million and a loan agreement of $55 million, according to EAD. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar witnessed the signing ceremony.

However, the commitments were more than $348 million and the rest of the amount could not be disbursed due to multiple reasons.
Obama is Skipping Nancy Reagan Funeral. Like Cheney he has better things to do like appoint a new SCJudge to replace another funeral he missed going to for Scalia. Quite remarkably, Obama is going into the breach of Dallas where Kennedy was assassinated in 1961. That was another funneral he missed going to. Anyway, ol Nancy will be sticking around, plenty of time to go see the ol bitch. I mean that in a nice way.President Barack Obama will not attend Nancy Reagans funeral this Friday, keeping his originally scheduled appearance as a keynote speaker at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive festival.The president will not attend Mrs. Reagans funeral, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Tuesday. The president is actually traveling in Texas on Friday.The SXSW Interactive Festival is an annual symposium for digital startups and emerging technologies that takes place each year in Austin, Texas, concurrently with a film and music festival.The president courted outrage just a few weeks ago, when he did not attend the funeral of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. He also did not attend the funeral of First Lady Betty Ford in 2011.
Sao Paulo (AFP) - Brazilian prosecutors requested the arrest of powerful former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Thursday, deepening the crisis engulfing his protege and successor Dilma Rousseff.

A day after charging the once wildly popular Lula with money laundering, Sao Paulo state prosecutors asked that he be placed in preventive custody, according to a court document seen by AFP, in the latest twist in a massive corruption scandal that has upended Brazilian politics.

It is now up to a Sao Paulo judge to decide whether to accept the charges, which Lula denies, and whether to jail him pending trial.

Lula's legal woes have only amplified Rousseff's.

The leftist president was already facing an impeachment drive, a bruising recession, the spiraling scandal at state oil company Petrobras and a probe into alleged violations of electoral law in her reelection campaign last year.

Prosecutors accused Lula of "violating public order" by calling his supporters to hold mass protests last Friday, after investigators hauled him in for questioning in the sprawling graft investigation centered on Petrobras.

"It has been demonstrated that because of his status as an ex-president he is able to place himself above the law," said the document, an annex to the charge sheet filed with the court.

The ruling Workers' Party, which Lula co-founded, condemned the request.

"It would be nonsense, a disgrace for any judge to accept this request," said party leader Rui Falcao.

The former president's foundation, the Lula Institute, accused the prosecution of "a sad attempt to use its office for political ends."

- Minister Lula? -

The arrest request came against the backdrop of speculation that Rousseff could name Lula to a heavyweight ministerial post.

Some Rousseff allies argued such a move would both leverage the ex-president's charisma for the embattled administration and protect him from criminal charges in ordinary court.

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Under Brazilian law, cabinet ministers can only be tried before the Supreme Court.

"What team wouldn't want to line up Pele on the field?" Minister Ricardo Berzoini told journalists, equating Lula with the legendary Brazilian footballer.

Lula, a former steelworker and labor leader, led Brazil through a watershed economic boom from 2003 to 2011.

An icon of the Latin American left, he rolled out pro-poor programs credited with helping lift millions from poverty.

But his administration was also haunted by scandals.

Now he is charged with hiding ownership of a luxury triplex apartment at a seaside resort in Sao Paulo state.

Prosecutors said they had documents and two dozen witnesses indicating Lula and his family are the apartment's real owners.

- Opposition protests Sunday -

The state allegations come on top of a separate, much broader federal probe called Operation Car Wash into a massive corruption scheme centered on Petrobras, the largest company in Brazil.

Petrobras executives allegedly took bribes to give contracts to big construction firms and other contractors, who then massively overbilled the oil company.

Some of the extra cash -- estimated by Petrobras to total at least $2 billion -- allegedly went to politicians and party coffers.

The scandal has already seen a Who's Who of Brazilian politicians and businessmen face charges, but Lula is the highest-profile figure yet.

Car Wash prosecutors say they suspect the triplex apartment in question was given to him as a bribe by OAS, one of the companies accused in the scandal.

Rousseff faces multiple problems of her own.

Congress is mulling impeachment proceedings over alleged illegalities in the government budget. Meanwhile, the Supreme Electoral Court is considering a case that could result in judges invalidating her 2014 reelection.

So far, she has managed to fight off impeachment, but the opposition has been fired up by the case against Lula and hopes nationwide protests scheduled for Sunday will send a powerful message to Congress.

Analysts say Rousseff could also be in prosecutors' sights.

She has not been formally accused, but was chairman of Petrobras during much of the period in question.
By Nelson Acosta HAVANA (Reuters) - The European Union and Cuba signed an agreement in Havana on Friday to establish normal relations, bringing the Communist-run island further into the international fold and paving the way for full economic cooperation with the 28-member bloc. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini witnessed the signing of the pact, which will replace a policy imposed by Europe 20 years ago that pushed for changes to Cuba's one-party political system. "This accord opens a new chapter in the history of relations between the European Union and Cuba," Mogherini said, shortly after EU negotiator Christian Leffler and Cuban deputy foreign minister Abelardo Moreno signed the deal. Rodriguez said the two sides would soon meet to revive a human rights dialogue they started in Brussels last year. The pact adds to Cuba's rapidly thawing relations with the West since its 2014 detente with the United States and the renegotiation of debt with creditors from the Paris Club of wealthy nations in December. It comes just days before a visit to Havana by President Barack Obama on March 20, the first by a U.S. president since the victory of Cuba's 1959 revolution. Days after the visit, rock group the Rolling Stones will play on the island for the first time, and electronic music act Major Lazer this week entertained 400,000 young Cubans on Havana's sea front, the largest ever show by U.S. artists on the island. Despite the warming relations, Washington retains an economic embargo against Cuba, making it harder for European companies with U.S. business interests to operate on the Caribbean's largest island. Mogherini railed against those sanctions. "The U.S. embargo is totally obsolete," she said. "The blockade is a measure that belongs to another century. Now the priorities are dialogue and cooperation." Europe's unilateral "common position," in place since 1996, sought to make Cuba adopt a pluralistic democracy to unlock aid and commerce. Cuba has always rejected pressure to change its political model. After ex-leader Fidel Castro handed power to his brother Raul in 2006, Cuba cautiously began to open to private enterprise without major political change. The establishment of ties with Washington has led to a surge of visitors to the island, previously out of bounds for most Americans. The EU deal, which sets parameters for commerce and aid, must now be ratified by EU governments and Cuba. The political dialogue and cooperation agreement took two years to negotiate. The European Union has similar agreements with all other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. (Reporting by Nelson Acosta and Marc Frank; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Bernadette Baum)
Palm Beach (United States) (AFP) - Donald Trump called on Republicans to amass behind him to propel him into the White House, as he looks to tighten his grip on the party nomination at next week's latest "Super Tuesday."

The brash billionaire, who has never held elected office, issued the rallying call Friday at his swank Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, where he unveiled his latest campaign weapon: Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon who quit the presidential race last week.

Carson, who clashed with Trump earlier in the campaign when he briefly threatened the real-estate mogul's frontrunner status, said the pair had "buried the hatchet" and insisted that Trump's public persona is nothing like the man away from the cameras.

"There are two different Donald Trumps," said Carson, who was mercilessly taunted on the campaign trail by Trump, who notoriously likened his "pathological temper" to that of a child molester.

"There's the one you see on the stage and there's the one who's very cerebral, sits there, you can have a very good conversation with him, and that's the Donald Trump that you're going to start seeing more and more of right now."

Trump, who has rattled US politics and the Republican establishment with his shock emergence as the man to beat, stunned observers as he led his rivals in a show of unflappable civility at a debate Thursday night in Miami after weeks of below-the-belt attacks.

Gone were the bluster, insults and red-faced ranting that have defined the Trump campaign so far. In their place was dignified debating, all thoughtful nods and waiting one's turn -- prompting the New York Times to ask, tongue-in-cheek: "When and why did an alien gain control of Donald Trump's body?"

Trump closed the debate with rivals Ted Cruz, John Kasich and Marco Rubio by calling for the party to unite to emerge victorious in the November general election, and doubled down on the theme on Friday.

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"When I said embrace, I was saying the Republican Party should come together and embrace these millions of people going down and voting," the frontrunner told supporters. "The Republican Party should grab this, and we will have a victory like the Republican Party has never had before," he added, to cheers.

Floridians vote Tuesday -- dubbed by US media "Super Tuesday 3" -- along with residents of Ohio and Illinois. All three big states are winner-take-all in the Republican delegate race, the first such contests in the 2016 election cycle.

Eager to avoid a schism, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus, insisted Thursday that the party would support the chosen nominee "100 percent," although party heavyweights have trained their big guns on Trump to discredit him.

Trump, who has labeled Mexican migrants rapists and drug traffickers and said he would ban Muslims entering the United States, also said it was "time to end the debates" and hinted he may not do the next one.

- Knockout blow for Rubio? -

However civilized Thursday's debate, Trump's rallies are known for being rambunctious affairs, and that seeped over into violence on Wednesday night in North Carolina when a 78-year-old white man in a cowboy hat punched a black protester in the face.

John McGraw, who later said that next time "we might have to kill him," was charged with assault, battery and disorderly conduct for the sucker-punch.

The incident drew a sharp rebuke from Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton and rival Bernie Sanders, but Trump on Friday blamed protesters who frequently attempt to disrupt his rallies for causing trouble and pointed the finger at media for giving disproportionate air time to the disruption.

Good publicity or not, Trump has all the momentum. Carson was the latest former White House hopeful to endorse him, after New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Trump has been picking off his opponents one by one in the race and he is aiming to deliver a knockout blow against Rubio on the senator's home turf in Florida, a crown jewel in the nominations race.

Rubio was championed by party grandees as the best mainstream hope of derailing Trump, but he has performed dreadfully in several recent primary contests and Cruz, the ultra-conservative Texas senator, currently holds the title as prime challenger to Trump.

Many in the party see next Tuesday's votes as the last best chance to derail the insurgent candidacy of the billionaire real estate mogul, who has so far won 15 of 24 primary races.
(Reuters) - A Minnesota city condemned a local Joe's Crab Shack restaurant on Friday for displaying a "racist" photograph from the 1800s that showed a black man being hanged.

Two African-American diners this week saw the image from a hanging in Texas dating from around 1895. It was embedded in a table with a bubble placed near the person about to be hanged that read, "All I said was 'I don't like gumbo!'," TwinCities.com reported.

One of the diners complained to local media about the photo.

"The City of Roseville was shocked and saddened to learn of the racist imagery being openly displayed at the Roseville location of national restaurant chain Joes Crab Shack," the city said in a statement on its website.

"This type of display is wholly unacceptable and unwelcome in the City of Roseville," it said.

Bob Merritt, chief executive of Ignite Restaurant Group , the restaurant chain's parent company, said the company understands the photo was offensive and not in line with its values.

"We take this matter very seriously, and the photo in question was immediately removed. We are ensuring this photo does not appear in any of our other restaurants. We sincerely apologize," he said in a statement.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas; Editing by Tom Brown)
By Colleen Jenkins

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Reuters) - A 78-year-old white man accused of punching a black protester in the face during a rally in North Carolina for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has been arrested on an assault charge, a local sheriff's office said on Thursday.

Rakeem Jones, 26, was being escorted from the rally on Wednesday night by sheriff's deputies in Fayetteville when John McGraw hit him, the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office said.

Video of the incident recorded by bystanders showed deputies pinning Jones to the ground, prompting social media criticism on why swift action was taken against him instead of his assailant.

"He had no right to put his hands on me," Jones said in a telephone interview.

McGraw also was charged with disorderly conduct and communicating threats. Detectives added the latter charge after seeing video of McGraw saying he enjoyed hitting "that loudmouth" and threatening next time "to kill him," the sheriff's office said.

The office said it would conduct an internal investigation, adding that deputies accompanying Jones did not see the assault.

Sheriff Earl Moose Butler called the attack cowardly.

Regardless of political affiliation, speech, race, national origin, color, gender, bad reputation, prior acts or political demonstration, no other citizen has the right to assault another person or to act in such a way as this defendant did," Butler said.

Asked about the incident during the Republican debate Thursday night, Trump said he did not condone violence but said that some protesters "are bad dudes."

Trump's campaign rallies are boisterous, with the billionaire businessman often pausing to scold protesters and ask security officers to take them away. At a rally last month in Nevada, he said of a protester: "I'd like to punch him in the face."

Trump is the front-runner to be his party's nominee for the Nov. 8 presidential election.

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His hour-long speech in the packed North Carolina arena was interrupted at least 16 times, according to a Reuters reporter who attended.

A friend of Jones, Ronnie C. Rouse, said they attended the event to observe, not protest, and were told to leave after an exchange with another man who Rouse said used a racial slur.

Jones, who works for an inventory company and as a tutor, said the punch came out of nowhere.

"The whole arena cheered as I was being escorted out and even more so after I got hit," he said, adding his right eye was swollen and bruised.

(Additional reporting by Ginger Gibson and Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Frances Kerry, Peter Cooney and Leslie Adler)
Washington (AFP) - The White House praised British Prime Minister David Cameron as a "partner and ally" on Friday, seeking to extinguish a diplomatic flap after comments by President Barack Obama on the 2011 Libya intervention were seen as a public rebuke.

Obama was also critical of former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy when discussing the two European allies' roles in Libya during an interview with The Atlantic magazine.

In the article published Thursday, Obama said Cameron became "distracted" and Sarkozy wanted to promote his country amid the fall of Moamer Kadhafi's regime.

British daily The Independent on Friday slammed Obama's comments as "an unprecedented attack on a British leader by a serving US president," while The Times called the criticism "extraordinary."

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama "values deeply the special relationship between the United States and our allies in the UK."

Earnest called Cameron "a particularly effective interlocutor" and a "partner and ally."

He noted that the leaders have an "effective working relationship" allowing the two countries to collaborate on security issues including the fight against the Islamic State group.

In the extensive interview with The Atlantic, Obama discussed the British and French-led bombing campaign that led to the fall of Kadhafi's regime.

Obama said when he considered what went wrong in Libya, "there's room for criticism because I had more faith in the Europeans, given Libya's proximity, being invested in the follow-up."

Cameron stopped paying attention soon after the military operation, he said, becoming "distracted by a range of other things."

Since Kadhafi's downfall, Libya has descended into near-anarchy, ruled by rival militias vying for power while the Islamic State group grows in influence.

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Earnest said it was not the first time Obama mentioned shortcomings in the international community's response to Libya, with the US bearing responsibility as well.

He added: "More broadly, the argument the president is making (in the Atlantic piece) is that the US cannot and should not put ourselves in a position to be the world policeman."

US ambassador to Britain Matthew Barzun tweeted that relations between the two countries remained "special," a term that Britain has been desperate to re-emphasize since Winston Churchill coined it 70 years ago.

"Our relationship is essential. It is special. True yesterday, true today and will be true tomorrow," he wrote.

- 'Storm in teacup' -

Contacted by AFP, a spokesman for Cameron said: "We agree that there are still many difficult challenges in Libya.

"But as the prime minister has said many times before, coming to the aid of innocent civilians who were being tortured and killed by their leader was the right thing to do."

The spokesman said Britain supported peace efforts in Libya, "but ultimately a positive outcome for Libya is not just up to the international community.

"This process needs to be led by the Libyan people."

Britain's former ambassador to Washington Christopher Meyer played down the spat, saying on Twitter that it was a "storm in a diplomatic teacup."

A British government spokeswoman later stressed there was "a regular dialogue between the White House and the prime minister," that the relationship remained "special and central" and that it would take lessons from the criticisms.

Obama was also critical of France, saying that during the bombing campaign Sarkozy wanted to "trumpet the flights he was taking in the air campaign, despite the fact that we had wiped out all the air defenses and essentially set up the entire infrastructure" for the operation.

Earnest did not mention Sarkozy in his remarks Friday.

Both Cameron and Sarkozy faced strong criticism domestically for the chaos that ensued in Libya following the NATO-led military intervention.
top 10 reasons libertarians are not nice to you-Christopher Cantwell7. Weve already had this discussion a hundred timesIf you had ever bothered to study the works of any of the great libertarian theorists, you wouldnt be asking us the questions you are asking. You ask Who will build the roads? or What about defense? you tell us There is no such thing as utopia and a lot of other really tired arguments. It shows us that you havent taken so much as 10 minutes out of your miserable life to even make the slightest effort to understand what we are proposing.In the meantime, we are always staying tuned to the propaganda you consume so that we can counter it. We write thoughtful articles, and make informative videos, and produce compelling audio content that explains in great detail what exactly it is your politicians and propagandists are saying, and why it is wrong.You dont pay any attention to any of that content because its not coming from your team, and everyone on your team repeats the same propaganda. So every time we get into a political argument, we already know what youre going to say as soon as we know which team youre on. We already know what the proper response to your propaganda is, and we already know that you are going to act irrationally when we respond. This is extraordinarily frustrating, because weve actually put a great deal of effort into this, and these repetitive arguments are tiring, especially when they yield no results.6. All those what ifs youre so concerned about, theyre called choices.The nice thing about freedom is, people get to make their own decisions. Were not entirely sure why this bothers you so much. Every time you ask us What if X? we have a thousand different answers we can give you, if you dont like the first one, were happy to give you another. The whole point is, you get to decide for yourself what suits you best in a market environment.You have become so used to the State being the arbiter of all things, that you seem to panic at every uncertainty. The funny part about this is, the State hasnt provided you with any certainty at all. Theres absolute chaos in the world, governments have murdered over 260 million of their own citizens in the last century, not including war, and youre still freaking out about speed limits.5. I cant teach you economics in 140 characters or lessThe nice thing about the internet is, it allows us to communicate with many people very quickly. The downside is that this instant gratification has led people to believe answers will just be fed to them without any effort. If you really think that youre qualified to walk into a voting booth and decide who will run the world and how, then you should have the common decency to study economics first.All these discussions were having really boil down to economics. Your politicians and propagandists feed off of your prejudices and religious ideas and emotions because thats the easiest way to manipulate you into acting against your own best interests. These tactics allow them to operate in a soundbite world and oversimplify matters. For us to explain to you whats wrong with those soundbites actually requires some understanding of how human beings respond to incentives in a market environment. We produce thousands of pages of text, and countless hours of audio and video explaining these things. The best we can hope for in a tweet is to link you to some of it and hope you read/listen/watch, but you never do, do you?4. We actually are smarter than youThe Triple Nine Society, an organization whose membership is reserved for people with IQs in the top one tenth of one percent, even more discriminating than Mensa, did a survey on the politics of its members. The results dont surprise us. Members overwhelmingly supported legalizing all drugs, prostitution, and gambling. They supported gun rights, and free markets. They opposed government involvement in medicine, and income taxes.Government is a scam, and like other scams it relies on the gullibility of its victims. Were not falling for it, but you are, and your support of that system harms us. Your stupidity literally hurts.3. Our moral superiority is justifiedWe know that you have some pretty twisted ideas on morality that stem from religious doctrines and other ancient texts, but logically speaking, morality should be consistent. If your moral platform cant be applied universally, then it really doesnt make a great deal of sense.Thats why your politicians, religious leaders, and propagandists are always getting caught doing things that go against the words they speak. Priests get caught having gay sex, socialists acquire vast amounts of wealth, family values candidates get caught cheating on their wives, gun control advocates murder millions of people. Their moral platforms are inconsistent, this makes them rather meaningless, and so there is no reason for them to adhere thereto.Our moral platform is basically just the non initiation of force. As long as we dont rob, assault, kidnap, and murder, were perfectly within our moral code. This is pretty easy for most people, since violence doesnt appeal to us, and so we rarely end up looking like hypocrites.2. Were not asking for muchIf you want to have people threaten you all the time and tell you what to do, thats your business. We dont recommend it or anything, but really youre more than welcome to submit to someone elses authority in the absence of the State. We might talk to you about the virtues of freedom, but were honestly not trying to force you to be free. All were saying is you have no right to force us under the same authority.By contrast, you want to take our property, force us into wars, educate our children, and control our business and personal relationships. You have some really weird idea in your head that this notion of government makes that okay, but there is no other circumstance in which you would consider that socially acceptable. We dont believe in government, so we look at this like any other lunatic trying to do these things to us.Seriously, what the ****? Just leave me alone.
Washington (AFP) - A former aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin found dead in a Washington hotel suffered blunt force injuries to the head, not a heart attack as initially claimed, the US capital's chief medical examiner said.

Mikhail Lesin, 57, a former press minister accused of curtailing media freedoms in Putin's Russia, also suffered injuries to his neck, torso and upper and lower extremities, the chief medical examiner said.

Putin's spokesman said in response Friday that the Kremlin expected the United States to provide "detailed official information" about Lesin's murky death on November 5.

The official findings -- made public more than four months after his death -- contradict previous Russian state media reports, citing his family, that said Lesin died of a heart attack.

They also would appear to indicate that he was killed.

The New York Times said Lesin's injuries were the result of "some sort of altercation" that took place before he returned to the Dupont Circle Hotel where he was staying.

Lesin's sudden death triggered a host of conspiracy theories in Russia, but Washington police cautioned it was too early to jump to conclusions and stressed that the medical examiner had concluded that the manner of death was "undetermined."

"We cannot definitively state that foul play was a factor as that would be speculation at this point in the investigation," said police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, adding that the investigation was ongoing.

Lesin helped launch the Russian English-language television network RT and allegedly amassed millions of dollars in assets in Europe and the United States while working for the government, including $28 million in real estate in Los Angeles.

Moscow, whose relations with Washington have plummeted over Ukraine and Syria, voiced irritation at the handling of the case.

"We have not received any detailed information through the channels established to deal with these situations," Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.

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Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, told AFP that Moscow was still waiting for the US State Department to release information related to Lesin's death.

Russia's Prosecutor General Yury Chaika has sent the United States Department of Justice a request to release documents related to his death, an official from his office was quoted as saying by state news agency RIA Novosti.

Lesin was Russia's minister of press, television and radio between 1999 and 2004, and later served as a Kremlin aide.

In 2013, he became head of Gazprom-Media Holding, the media arm of state energy giant Gazprom, and oversaw Russia's top liberal radio station Echo of Moscow.

Lesin resigned a year later, citing family reasons.

In 2014, Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi called for a probe into Lesin on suspicion of money laundering and corruption.

"That a Russian public servant could have amassed the considerable funds required to acquire and maintain these assets in Europe and the United States raises serious questions," Wicker wrote.
Contractor Willfully Exposed Workers to Potential Cave-In

D.S. Meyer Enterprise LLC has been fined $52,500 for the violation

OSHA has issued five serious violations and one willful violation to D.S. Meyer Enterprises LLC of Waldwick, New Jersey, according to a news release.

OSHA was notified of an imminent danger created by unprotected trench hazards as workers repaired an underground water line on Jan. 19, 2016. A willful violation was given for allowing the worker to be exposed to a cave-in hazard. Serious citations were given for failing to ensure that workers in the trench wore hard hats, exposing workers to a spoil pile containing rocks and asphalt just inches from the open trench, and use of an improper ladder for accessing the trench.

"Despite knowing cave-in protection was required, D.S. Meyer Enterprises chose instead to willfully expose workers in that trench to life-threatening conditions," said Kris Hoffman, director of OSHA's Parsippany Area Office. "The fatality rate for excavation work is 112 percent higher than the rate for general construction. Trench protection systems are more than a required OSHA safety standard; they are a matter of life and death."
OIG Audit Finds Deficiencies in DOT IT Systems' Resilience

The DOT agencies have not all effectively tested their plans to ensure they will work in the event of a disruption, the audit found, with OIG reporting that the Federal Aviation Administration did not conduct annual contingency plan testing for certain high-impact systems as required.

A new audit by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Inspector General's office examined the disaster recovery plans for DOT agencies' information systems. With more than 450 information systems currently used by the department, including systems for air traffic control and communication, effective disaster recovery planning is critical to maintain the systems for these agencies during an unexpected event, according to the OIG, which found that the disaster recovery plans for the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration were not in compliance with DOT policy.

In addition, the DOT agencies have not all effectively tested their plans to ensure they will work in the event of a disruption, the audit found, with OIG reporting that the Federal Aviation Administration did not conduct annual contingency plan testing for certain high-impact systems as required and FAA, FMCSA, PHMSA, and FRA did not conduct required functional disaster recovery testing.

The auditors made nine recommendations to improve the effectiveness of IT systems' contingency planning and testing. The department concurred with all nine of the recommendations, and the Inspector General's office reported that it considers all of them resolved but open pending completion of planned actions.

The audit found that the systems could be vulnerable to disruptions such as power outages, hardware disk drive failure, equipment destruction, or fire.

The catalyst for the audit was an FAA contract employee who deliberately set fire to critical equipment at FAA's Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center in September 2014, which was the second time since May 2014 that a fire at a Chicago area air traffic control facility resulted in delays and cancellations of hundreds of flights in and out of O'Hare and Midway international airports.
A judge will on Friday deliver his verdict on whether the Belgian branch of the controversial Church of Scientology should be banned over fraud and extortion allegations. Eleven members of the church and two affiliated bodies have been charged with fraud, extortion, running a criminal organisation and violating the right to privacy, all of which the US-based church denies. Judge Yves Regimont is due to start reading out his judgement at 0800 GMT at the Palace of Justice in Brussels but it could take several hours for the final verdict to emerge. The case was the subject of a seven-week trial that ended last December. Federal prosecutor Christophe Caliman asked the court during the trial to completely dissolve the Belgian branch of the Church of Scientology and for it to face a fine. He did not ask for its assets to be confiscated, leaving that to the judge's discretion. The prosecutor also asked for suspended prison terms of six to 20 months for the 11 accused. Scientology's defence team said the charges were nothing more than an attempt to blacken its reputation. "You can't explain an investigation this long and of such relentlessness against people who were only trying to peacefully practise their religion in Belgium," Eric Roux, the spokesman for the group in Brussels, told AFP in December. - European scrutiny - The Belgian authorities launched a first investigation in 1997 after several former Scientology members complained about its practices. A second probe followed in 2008 when an employment agency charged that the church had made bogus job offers so as to draw in and recruit new members. Championed by superstar members such as Hollywood actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta, Scientology stirs up sharp divisions -- critics decry it as a cult and a scam, while supporters say it offers much-needed spiritual support in a fast-changing world. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Church of Scientology was founded in 1954 by American science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. It is recognised as a religion in the United States and in other countries such as Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden, and claims a worldwide membership of 12 million. But it has come under repeated scrutiny by authorities in several European countries, particularly in Germany. Several German regions have mulled a ban on Scientology, while Berlin initially banned the cast of the Cruise Nazi-era movie "Valkyrie" from filming at historical locations but later relented. A court in Spain in 2007 annulled a decision by the justice ministry to strike it from the country's register of officially recognised religions.
The awarding of France's top honour to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, which sparked a storm of criticism, was done at the royal's request, a French magazine reported this week. Causette, a monthly women's magazine, published an exchange of emails between French diplomats ahead of the awarding of the Legion d'Honneur on March 7. President Francois Hollande awarded the honour to Prince Mohammed, who is also Saudi interior minister, during a visit to the Gulf nation. Saudi Arabia is regularly criticised by international watchdogs for human rights violations and there was harsh criticism of Nayef's award on social media, particularly over its use of the death penalty, with people using the hashtag "#honte" (#shame) on Twitter. According to one of the emails published by the magazine, Prince Mohammed requested the award "at a time in which he seeks to boost his international stature". "I know some are raising questions about honouring the prince... certainly the kingdom does not have a good reputation," reads the email attributed to France's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, addressed to advisors in the presidency and foreign ministry. "No reason not to do it: It must be discreet concerning the media, without covering it up," said the foreign ministry's North Africa/Middle East director. He said that if questioned why the award should be given, the government "should respond '(for the) fight against Daesh and economic partnership'. Of course, let's add, for good measure, elements about human rights." Daesh is another term for the Islamic State jihadist group. The decision to go ahead with the Legion d'Honneur was taken hours later when Hollande gave the green light, other emails showed. The award was given just two days later. France did not initially announce the news, which was first revealed by Saudi press agency SPA. Jean-Marc Ayrault, the newly appointed foreign minister, told France Inter radio in the wake of the controversy that it was "a diplomatic tradition -- and I could tell you about many Legions d'Honneur that have been given". France has close ties to Saudi Arabia, has sold billions of euros worth of weapons to Riyadh, and sees the kingdom as crucial to intelligence sharing about jihadist groups. But critics point out that Saudi Arabia has spent decades funding the spread of its hardline Wahhabist teachings across the world, which is widely seen as underpinning the very jihadist threat that France is trying to defeat. In 2015, Saudi Arabia executed 153 people, according to an AFP tally. Seventy-one people have been executed so far this year.
Japan paused on Friday to mark five years since an offshore earthquake spawned a monster tsunami that left about 18,500 people dead or missing along its northeastern coast and sparked the worst nuclear disaster in a quarter century. Emperor Akihito, Empress Michiko, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other participants at a national ceremony in Tokyo bowed their heads along with residents across the affected region at 2:46 pm (0546 GMT) -- the exact moment on March 11, 2011 the magnitude 9.0 quake struck under the Pacific Ocean. The massive earthquake unleashed a giant wall of water that swallowed schools and entire neighbourhoods, with unforgettable images of panicked residents fleeing to higher ground and vehicles and ships bobbing in the swirling waters of flooded towns. The waves also swamped power supplies at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, causing reactor meltdowns that released radiation in the most dangerous nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. In the northern city of Sendai in Miyagi prefecture -- the region that suffered the most deaths -- survivors and bereaved relatives gathered at a Buddhist statue built for the repose of victims' souls in front of a huge breakwater at Arahama beach where massive waves crashed ashore five years ago. Some joined hands in prayer, while a woman threw a bouquet of flowers into the sea. Police and firefighters were seen combing beaches along the Pacific coast in continuing efforts to find evidence of victims, including bones, as many families say they still cannot abandon hope of seeing their loved ones again. Besides the number of people killed in the quake and tsunami, about 3,400 deaths from causes such as illness and suicide have been linked to the aftermath of the tragedy. In remarks at the solemn event in Tokyo inside the National Theatre, 82-year-old Akihito spoke of those who were forced to evacuate after the disaster because of nuclear contamination. "I feel pain in my heart when I think of people who still could not return home," he said. The crisis forced tens of thousands of residents near the stricken plant to flee their homes, farms and fishing boats.Some areas remain uninhabitable, though in others residents have been cleared to return. As night fell in Sendai, residents gathered at a park where thousands of candles were arranged on the ground to form the Japanese-language phrase "toward the future light". - 'Cold shutdown' - The situation remains fragile in Fukushima prefecture, where the nuclear plant suffered explosions that spread radioactive material into the surrounding countryside and ocean. Authorities have since brought the reactors to a state of "cold shutdown" and dispatched work crews to cleanse affected houses, sweep streets and shave topsoil in "decontamination" efforts. Tokyo Electric Power, the operator of the shuttered plant, admits it has only made small steps in what is likely to be a four-decade battle to decommission the crippled reactors. Japan's entire stable of reactors was shuttered in the disaster's aftermath but Abe and utility companies have been pushing to get as many as possible back in operation -- despite public opposition and legal hurdles -- saying they are essential to power the world's third-largest economy. Only this week, a court temporarily ordered the shutdown of two reactors previously declared safe under new rules, demonstrating the ongoing battles over Japan's energy policy. Abe, along with other political and business leaders, has frequently visited the disaster-struck region. "Whenever I go to affected areas, I feel that the disaster is ongoing," the prime minister said at the Tokyo event, acknowledging the enormity of what remains to be done. "But step by step, reconstruction is steadily making progress," added Abe, who the day before said the nation "cannot do without" nuclear power even as he vowed to reduce dependence on it. On Friday night more than 200 people joined an anti-nuclear demonstration in front of Abe's office, chanting against reactor restarts. "I had never imagined nuclear power plants could be dangerous until the Fukushima accident," said 19-year-old student Shiori Hoshino. Despite rebuilding in the devastated region, many young families have moved away, accelerating its depopulation amid the broader greying of society, while those who have evacuated want to return but wonder if they ever can. "I hope people will remember us, that lives of evacuees are still difficult in many ways, including financially," said 39-year-old Kazuko Nihei, who moved to Tokyo from Fukushima with her two daughters, at a memorial event in the capital.
The Sarawak state election this time around will be largely devoid of national issues usually taken up by Pakatan Harapan to draw the votes, say observers. "They (the opposition) had Taib in past elections as their punching bag to draw the votes," said political analyst Prof James Chin, who heads the Asia Institute of the University of Tasmania, referring to former chief minister Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud. "Now that he's gone, they have lost a key issue, Chin (pic, right) said of Taib, the state's chief minister of 33 years often accused of corruption and nepotism. Taib, who stepped down in February 2014, is now the Sarawak governor. Chin said the opposition would find it hard trying to chip away the enormous popularity of Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem. "The opposition have nothing dirty on him. PKR and DAP have suddenly found themselves on their back foot." PKR state chief, Baru Bian, recently admitted that the opposition had lost another key issue when Adenan swept popular nationalist issues from right under them. "It's now tough for the opposition to win the election," he recently told The Malaysian Insider. "Fighting for the rights of the Sarawakians under the MA63 (Malaysia Agreement of 1963), these are our issues. "These are opposition issues we raised a long time ago," Baru said of issues such as the demand to increase oil royalty and regain state autonomy, which are being aggressively fought for by Adenan. "These issues were raised in the last state election (in 2011) and in the 13th general election. "Adenan became chief minister, talked about it and had a go at it. "Now it is the problem for us as we have nothing (anymore) and people are singing praises of him. People seemed to have forgotten that we raised these issues," the Ba Kelalan assemblyman said. It's the local issues that would dominate, Adenan's chief political secretary, Abdullah Saidol, told The Malaysian Insider. "It will be bread-and-butter issues, particularly in the rural areas where two-thirds of the seats are. "They will be asking; 'where is my road, where is my electricity, why I still don't have piped fresh water'. "In the urban areas, they would probably be asking other things," said Abdullah. What about national issues, such as the RM2.6 billion "donation" involving Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the 1MDB fiasco, and the Umno turmoil? "Yea, they talked about them and even discussed the issues but I think they couldn't care less what happens to Najib or Mahathir is trying to do to Najib, added Abdullah, also the assemblyman for Semop, referring to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's campaign to oust Najib. "Nobody in the rural areas particularly cares about all the politics going on in the peninsula. These people would be more keen on how to lead better lives, have better basic infrastructure, better schools, better health services," he added, giving examples of issues close to the heart of Sarawakians such as the native customary rights (NCR) land. But he said the NCR land issue could probably dominate only in Iban-majority constituencies and not elsewhere. Baru said the issue of religion would not be widespread as it was thought to be, and would be confined to conservative areas like the Kelabit Highlands, in his constituency. Chin said it was probably too early to tell what major issues would be at the coming campaign. "Wait as we get close (to the election). The Chinese areas will be interesting."  March 11, 2016.
By Hnin Yadana Zaw and Antoni Slodkowski NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (Reuters) - Myanmar's military nominated a former junta stalwart who remains on a U.S. sanctions list as its choice for vice president on Friday, pointing to battles ahead for National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her hand-picked president. Myanmar's first democratically elected government for more than 50 years faces a formidable challenge delivering the reform and economic growth demanded by the electorate while working alongside a military that retains much political power. The lower house of parliament voted on Friday to confirm Htin Kyaw, a close friend and confidant of Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, as its presidential candidate. That brought the top office a step closer for the man expected to rule as her proxy. Across town in the capital of Naypyitaw, military MPs met behind closed doors and nominated retired general Myint Swe as their candidate. He was head of the feared military intelligence under former junta leader Than Shwe. When Than Shwe ordered a crackdown on anti-junta protests led by Buddhist monks in 2007, known as the Saffron Revolution, Myint Swe was the head of special operations in Yangon. "We held a meeting to decide the vice presidential candidate. There was no one who disagreed on the proposal," one of the 166 military lawmakers, who under the constitution hold a quarter of seats in parliament, told Reuters. In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby said the nomination of candidates was an important step in the democratic transition in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. But he noted "structural and systemic flaws in Burma's constitution, which includes the reservation of 25 percent of parliamentary seats for the military, which in part allows for the Burmese military to ensure that one of its nominees will either be president or vice president." Suu Kyi has said she planned to form a government of reconciliation to help bridge the deep divisions in Myanmar after nearly 50 years of military rule. "We will hold on the national reconciliation policy no matter what the military decides," said Zaw Myint Maung of the NLD. "We will try to work with the military for national reconciliation." RIFT WITH MILITARY But a rift between Suu Kyi and the military widened in the run-up to the presidential nominations. Sources in her camp say she became frustrated with military intransigence on issues ranging from amending the constitution that bars her from the presidency to minor formalities such as the location of the handover of power. The military has declined to comment on negotiations with the NLD. Some in Suu Kyi's party said the choice of Myint Swe went against the spirit of reconciliation. "Aung San Suu Kyi tried really hard to negotiate with them for national reconciliation," said one senior NLD official. "They don't trust us. It's their final shot to protect themselves and their interests." While Than Shwe disappeared from public life after handing over power to a semi-civilian government in 2011, Myint Swe's nomination will fuel the suspicions of many in Myanmar that the former junta leader still holds considerable sway. "Myint Swe is very close to former senior military officials, especially former supremo Than Shwe," said political analyst Yan Myo Thein. "His nomination may mean Than Shwe is still influencing behind the scenes." Myint Swe is listed on the U.S. Treasury Department list of sanctioned individuals due to his role in the former military government. He was considered as a vice presidential candidate in 2012 but was barred from the job because his son-in-law was an Australian citizen - the same provision that prevents Suu Kyi from becoming president. The junta-drafted 2008 constitution bars officials whose parents, spouse, children or their spouses are citizens of other countries from becoming president, a clause widely seen as aimed specifically at the NLD leader. Myint Swe's son-in-law has since given up his Australian citizenship, official sources told Reuters on Friday. VOTE A FORMALITY The vote in the lower house on Friday for Suu Kyi's presidential nominee was never in doubt, given the NLD's outright majority in the upper and lower houses of parliament. Suu Kyi, wearing a blue dress and white sash, was the first NLD lawmaker to cast her ballot. NLD dominance makes Htin Kyaw a near-certainty to become the first head of state who is not a serving or former senior general since the army seized power in 1962. The two houses will come together to vote on the presidency next week. Flouting the ban on her presidency, Suu Kyi has said she would run the country through a proxy. Under Myanmar's indirect system for electing a president, three candidates are nominated - one by the lower house, one by the upper house, and one by the military bloc in parliament. The two losing nominees becoming vice presidents. The other vice president is expected to be the NLD's nomination from the upper house. He is Henry Van Thio, a member of the Chin ethnic group from the country's northwest. The president picks the cabinet that will take over from President Thein Sein's outgoing government on April 1, with the exception of the heads of the home, defence and border security ministries who will be appointed by the armed forces chief. (Additional reporting by Aung Hla Tun in Yangon, and Washington Newsroom; Writing by Simon Webb; Editing by Alex Richardson, Grant McCool)
This, to my mind is an example of one of the most immoral but legal aspect of your legislative process.





The land was set to be handed over due to last-minute language added to a must-pass military spending bill.
By Tom Perry and Tom Miles BEIRUT/GENEVA (Reuters) - The Syrian opposition said on Wednesday there had been fewer breaches of a truce agreement by the government and its allies in the past day as a U.N. envoy unveiled plans to resume peace talks next week. The "cessation of hostilities agreement" brokered by the United States and Russia has slowed the war considerably despite accusations of violations on all sides, preparing the ground for talks which the United Nations plans to convene in Geneva. The talks will coincide with the fifth anniversary of a conflict that began with protests against President Bashar al-Assad before descending into a multi-sided war that has drawn in foreign governments and allowed the growth of Islamic State. U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura said he planned to launch substantive peace talks on Monday, focusing on issues of Syria's future governance, elections within 18 months, and a new constitution. While the opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) has yet to declare whether it will attend, spokesman Salem al-Muslat said it was positive that the talks would "start ... with discussion of the matter of political transition". He said the HNC would announce its decision very soon. The Syrian government, its position strengthened by more than five months of Russian air strikes, has also yet to say whether it will attend. There was no immediate response from Damascus to de Mistura's remarks. The Syrian foreign minister is due to give a news conference on Saturday at noon (1000 GMT). Peace talks convened in Geneva two years ago collapsed as the sides' were unable to agree an agenda: Damascus wanted a focus on fighting terrorism - the term it uses for the rebellion - while the opposition wanted talks on transitional government. TALKS ABORTED De Mistura aborted a previous attempt to hold talks on Feb. 3 and urged countries in the International Syria Support Group, led by the United States and Russia, to do more preparatory work. The result was the cessation of hostilities which Western governments say has largely held since it came into effect on Feb. 27. It has been accompanied by more aid deliveries to opposition areas besieged by government forces, though fighting has continued in some important areas of northwestern Syria. Rebel groups fighting to topple Assad had initially said they would support a two-week halt to the fighting. De Mistura said on Wednesday however that it was an "open-ended concept". The next round of talks would not run beyond March 24. There would then be a break of a week or 10 days before resuming. Asked if the talks could be delayed further from an original start date of March 7, de Mistura said the format gave him a lot of flexibility. Jan Egeland, who chairs the Syria humanitarian task force, said the United Nations had delivered aid to 10 of 18 besieged areas across the country in the last four weeks, and was working to overcome obstacles and reach remaining areas. The truce agreement, accepted by Assad's government and many of his enemies, was the first of its kind in a war that has killed more than 250,000 people and caused a major refugee crisis. The agreement has not been directly signed by the warring parties and is less binding than a formal ceasefire. It does not cover Islamic State or the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, whose fighters are deployed in western Syria in close proximity to rebel groups that have agreed to cease fire. Russia says it has recorded opposition violations including supplies of weapons via Turkey to rebels in Syria. FEWER VIOLATIONS Muslat of the HNC said: "The violations of the truce were great at the start, but yesterday they were much fewer. There are perhaps some positive matters that we are seeing." Speaking to Reuters, he said a government blockade of the Damascus suburb of Daraya must be lifted in order to "pave the way to the start of negotiations". He added this was not a condition for the attending talks but a humanitarian requirement. Despite the relative success of the cessation of hostilities, the peace talks face great challenges, including the question of Assad's future. The opposition says Assad must be removed from power at the start of a transition, while some of his Western enemies have backed away from that position, saying he must go at some point. Russia has said that the matter should not be predetermined and Syrians should be left to choose. Assad has meanwhile ruled out anything that contravene the constitution, including the idea of a transitional governing body sought by the opposition. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-JubeIr reiterated his government's tough line on Assad, who has also been boosted by Iranian military support. Saudi Arabia, which is in conflict with Iran across the region, has been a major sponsor of the Syrian insurgency. "The choice for Bashar al-Assad is to either leave through a political process or the Syrian people will continue to fight until militarily they oust him," Jubeir said. (Additional reporting by Lisa Barrington in Beirut and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneval; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Giles Elgood)
Turkey's controversial draft deal with the European Union to help ease the migrant crisis will respect international law, Ankara insisted Friday, following serious criticism from the United Nations and rights groups. EU and Turkish leaders agreed on Monday to a tentative proposal including the return of migrants landing in Greece and a 'one-for-one' swap of Syrian refugees. But the deal quickly came under fire, with the UN's top officials on refugees and human rights questioning whether expelling migrants en masse from Greece to Turkey would be legal. A Turkish official speaking on condition of anonymity insisted the plan, which still has to be approved at an EU summit late next week, would respect international law. "It is important for us that the agreement is compatible with international law on migrants," the official said. "It is out of the question for us to do something against international law." EU leaders had hoped the mooted deal with Turkey could help stem the flood of migrants streaming through the bloc in search of a better life, many fleeing the war in Syria. The flow of people has claimed a terrible toll, with hundreds of migrants dying already this year as they made the perilous sea crossing from Turkey to the Greek islands. The Turkish official said Ankara wanted to do "whatever is required on a legal ground" to stop the risky migrant journeys. - Deal not certain - "We need to form the legal basis very well. We are working on this," the official said. In return for its help with the migrants, Turkey has demanded six billion euros ($6.6 billion) in aid, visa-free access for Turkish citizens to Europe's passport-free Schengen zone and a speeding up of Ankara's efforts to join the EU. Ankara has rejected suggestions it had "begged" the EU for money, while Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu congratulated himself on having driven a hard bargain, in comments to local media. EU approval for the deal is not a given -- Cyprus has said it has serious reservations about speeding up Turkey's application to join the bloc, while the Austrian interior minister said she was "extremely critical" of the deal. "I am seriously wondering whether we are taking ourselves and our values seriously or if we are throwing them overboard," Johanna Mikl-Leitner said on Thursday. As well as the legality of the plans, questions have been raised over the desirability of doing a deal with a country that critics say has had a shaky human rights record, not least regarding the media and its Kurdish minority. -- 'Paying for EU's mistakes -- Only a few days before Monday's summit, Turkish police raided the offices of daily newspaper Zaman to impose a court order placing it under administration, dispersing protesters with tear gas and water cannon. The Turkish official said Turkey and Greece were "very determined" to comply with the agreement "without using force incompatible with human rights." "The aim is a complete halt of crossings via the Aegean," the official said. The migrant crisis -- Europe's worst since World War II -- has exposed sharp divisions in the EU. With the ink on Monday's draft agreement barely dry, a string of Balkan nations shut their borders on Tuesday and Wednesday, closing off the main route to wealthy northern Europe trodden by hundreds of thousands of migrants in the last two years. Athens and Berlin blasted Balkan countries for the move, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying the closures were "neither sustainable nor lasting." But their reactions flew in the face of the response of EU President Donald Tusk, who welcomed the Balkan route closure as part of a collective response from the bloc. Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov on Friday angrily accused the EU of failing to anticipate the massive influx via Turkey and then dithering in the face of the historic refugee wave. The border closures by Macedonia and other Balkan nations effectively stopped the refugee influx to northern Europe but left tens of thousands stranded in Greece. "In the refugee crisis, we are now paying for the EU's mistakes, we have already spent 25 million euros ($28 million) of our taxpayers' money and had to declare a national crisis," he told Germany's Bild newspaper. "And what did we get from Europe in return? Nothing! Not a cent! Instead, we, as a non-EU country, are now forced to protect Europe from an EU country, namely Greece," which he charged had been simply waving through refugees arriving from Turkey.
Policy & Funding

U.S. Education Department Makes Push for $1.1 Billion in CTE Funding

The United States Department of Education is looking to re-up a $1.1 billion investment in career and technical education. Education Secretary John B. King Jr. this week called for Congress to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, a piece of bipartisan Bush-era legislation that funds CTE in middle schools, high schools and post-secondary institutions.

According to information released by ED, the administration's priorities for the reauthorization include alignment with the needs of the current labor market; greater collaboration between schools, post-secondary institutions and employers; improved "academic and employment" outcomes for students; and increased state and local involvement.

"We've come a long way from what we used to refer to as vocational education," said Acting U.S. Education Secretary John B. King Jr. in a prepared statement. "Today, every job that leads to a secure future requires critical thinking, problem solving and creativity, as well as some postsecondary education or training. The best career and technical education programs help students prepare for this future once they graduate from high school. Career and technical education is not just about preparing some students for successful lives and careers, it's about giving all students the tools to shape our future."

Reauthorization of Perkins has been in the works for several years. In 2012, the Congressional Research Service released a report for Congress detailing potential issues involved with reauthorization, which included measures of performance, competing priorities for CTE and the need for greater innovation in CTE programs. The full report can be viewed on wi.gov.

The U.S. Department of Education also announced a new competition called the Career Technical Education (CTE) Makeover Challenge. It calls of high school educators to submit proposals for makerspaces in their schools, either new spaces or renovations of existing spaces, and describe how the new design would impact students. Further information about the competition can be found at ctemakeoverchallenge.com.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China will be able to project "substantial offensive military power" from artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea's disputed Spratly Islands within months, the director of U.S. national intelligence said. In a Feb. 23 letter to John McCain, chair of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, James Clapper said Chinese land reclamation and construction work in the Spratlys had established infrastructure needed "to project military capabilities in the South China Sea beyond that which is required for point defence of its outposts." "Based on the pace and scope of construction at these outposts, China will be able to deploy a range of offensive and defensive military capabilities and support increased PLAN and CCG presence beginning in 2016," Clapper said in the letter released this week, using acronyms for the Chinese navy and coastguard. "Once these facilities are completed by the end of 2016 or early 2017, China will have significant capacity to quickly project substantial offensive military power to the region," Clapper added. The United States has voiced concerns about China's assertive pursuit of territory in the South China Sea. The sea is one of the world's busiest trade routes and regional countries have rival claims, creating a potential flashpoint. Visiting Washington in September, Chinese President Xi Jinping responded to U.S. worries by saying that China had no intention to militarize its outposts in the Spratlys. Beijing has said their military roles will be defensive, but the head of the U.S. Pacific Command said last month China was "clearly militarising" the South China Sea with the aim of achieving East Asian hegemony. The text of Clapper's letter in response to questions from McCain was published on the news portal of the U.S. Naval Institute. U.S. officials confirmed the content. Clapper said that while the United States had yet to observe deployment of significant Chinese military capabilities in the Spratlys, it had built facilities able to support them, including modern fighter aircraft. China had already installed military radars at Cuarteron and Fiery Cross Reefs, and the infrastructure could also allow for the deployment surface-to-air missiles, coastal defence cruise missiles and an increased presence of warships, he said. The United States had not seen Chinese air force activity in the Spratlys, but warships had stopped at its outposts including a guided-missile frigate and a guided-missile destroyer in December and January, Clapper said. He said tank-landing ships had been employed widely in construction work and the landing of civil aircraft at Fiery Cross Reef in January showed the airstrip there was operational and able to accommodate all Chinese military aircraft. Clapper said China continued its land reclamation in the Spratlys after Aug. 5, when its foreign minister claimed that it had been halted. While there was no evidence that China has plans for any significant additional land reclamation in the Spratlys, Clapper said there was sufficient reef area in the Spratlys for it to reclaim more than 1,000 additional acres (400 hectares). The Pentagon has said that Beijing has sought to bolster its claim to nearly all of the South China Sea with island building projects in the Spratlys that have reclaimed more than 2,900 acres (1,170 hectares) of land since 2013. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom; addtional reportng by Mark Hosenball; Editing by Alan Crosby)
By Dasha Afanasieva and Melih Aslan DIDIM, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkey's coastguard intercepted dozens of mostly Syrian migrants in coves along the Aegean coast on Wednesday as they continued to attempt perilous sea crossings to Greece despite Ankara's efforts to stem the flow under a deal with the European Union. A group of 42 people, more than a dozen of them children, sat inside a coastguard compound, some lying under blankets, in the seaside resort of Didim after being detained. Scores more waited among boulders by the beach, watched by armed police, as a bus came to take them away. "We're afraid of staying here and afraid of staying in Syria ... We're fleeing to the country that will take us. We want safety, someone to care for us," said Sameeha Abdullah, one of the group near the beach, who fled Syria's civil war. Just offshore, a coastguard boat approached what appeared to be a small vessel carrying more migrants. Some officials fear a scramble to cross to the nearby Greek islands, despite increased NATO-backed sea patrols in the Aegean, before the tentative agreement with the EU comes into full force. Under the draft deal struck on Monday, Turkey agreed to take back all irregular migrants in exchange for more funding, an earlier introduction of visa-free travel to Europe for Turks, and a speeding up of Ankara's long-stalled EU membership talks. The aim, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and EU leaders have said, is to discourage illegal migrants and break the business model of human smugglers who have fuelled Europe's largest migration crisis since World War Two. The message, they say, is simple: try to cross illegally and get sent straight back. But in a shabby sea-front hotel in Didim, off whose coast 25 migrants drowned on Sunday when their boat capsized, few had heard of the deal. A group of migrants from the Iraqi city of Mosul, stuck because they could not afford to pay the smugglers, said they were still determined to leave. "Even if they catch me, what am I going to do here? I may as well die trying," said Hussein, 45, who said his three sons were killed by Islamic State militants in Iraq. The hotelier, who gave his name as Enes, said a group of 20 Syrians, whom he collectively charged 500 lira (121) for the night, had left yesterday for Europe. But he was sure more would come. "Even if Europe gave Turkey hundreds of billions for refugees, Syrians still wouldn't stay. Most of their family is there so they're joining them," he said. LEGALITY QUESTIONED Turkey has no intention of sending refugees back to conflict zones and sees no legal hurdles to implementing the deal, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday, after meetings with Belgian officials in Ankara. EU and Turkish officials are scrambling to finalise the deal before their next summit on March 17-18, and Cavusoglu said the bloc had largely accepted Turkey's terms. But the United Nations and human rights groups have warned that blanket returns without considering individual asylum cases could be illegal. And it remains far from clear that the message will get through to desperate families who see smuggling as their surest route into Europe as its borders close. Even as groups of migrants were detained on the beaches, more arrived by taxi in Didim, a popular holiday resort with yachts bobbing in its marina. Some carried bags, children in tow, and headed for the town's small hotels, which like in other parts of the Aegean coast, have been profiting from migrant business in the tourism low season. "The markets, the hotels, the restaurants - everyone was smiling. Because of the refugees we eat bread," said the manager of one hostel. The hostel is in Basmane, a run-down neighbourhood of Izmir, the main city on the Turkish Aegean coast and long a stopover for migrants trying to reach Europe during the Iraq wars and Arab Spring uprisings. NEW GROUPS ARRIVING More than a million people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond have flooded into the EU since early 2015, most crossing the Aegean from Turkey to Greece in small boats, then heading north through the Balkans to Germany. Border shutdowns further north have blocked the 'Balkans corridor', leaving tens of thousands of migrants trapped in Greece. Macedonia has closed its border to illegal migrants after Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia announced tight new restrictions on migrant entry. Rights group Amnesty International called the proposed mass return of migrants under the EU deal with Turkey a "death blow to the right to seek asylum". Relief charity Doctors without Borders said it was cynical and inhumane. But Davutoglu insisted the preliminary deal would not stop Syrian refugees legitimately seeking shelter in Europe. He and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras signed an amendment to the countries' readmission agreement late on Tuesday to make returning third country nationals easier. "The aim here is to discourage irregular migration and ... to recognise those Syrians in our camps who the EU will accept - though we will not force anyone to go against their will - on legal routes," he said after a meeting with Tsipras in Izmir. Under the tentative deal with Ankara, the EU would admit one refugee directly from Turkey for each Syrian it took back from the Greek Aegean islands. Those who attempted the sea route illegally would be returned and go to the back of the queue. With new groups of migrants from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere continuing to arrive along Turkey's coast in the hope of crossing to Greece, that message appears for now not to be getting through, to the frustration of some local residents. "Whatever's necessary should be done. The refugees should be gathered in one spot in my opinion. Everything should be done to ensure everyone's comfort, peace and welfare," said Armagan Gulcicek, an Izmir resident in a street full of cafes and stores popular with migrants, some of them selling life jackets. "Lets put an end to this nonsense." (Additional reporting by Umit Bektas and Mehmet Emin Caliskan in Didim, Kole Casule in Skopje; Writing by Nick Tattersall; editing by David Stamp)
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece and its international lenders resumed talks on Wednesday on its fiscal and reform progress, rekindling Athens' hopes that its first bailout review may be concluded before the end of April, with the big issue of pensions high on the agenda. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who has a fragile majority in parliament, wants to conclude the review swiftly so he can begin talks on debt relief and hope that will convince Greeks that their sacrifices are paying off after six years of austerity. European Union and International Monetary Fund inspectors set the agenda of the talks with Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos before meeting Labour Minister George Katrougalos to discuss pension reforms, including concessions offered by Tsipras to protesting farmers and self-employed professionals. A government official said the lenders did not demand cuts in standard pensions during the talks on Wednesday, which were preliminary, but "showed a tough stance on the issue of supplementary pensions and were concerned about their viablity". Pension issues would be revisited this week, while income tax reforms would be discussed on Thursday. The mission was seen staying in Athens about ten days, the official said. The review was interrupted in early February due to differences among the institutions over the estimated size of a fiscal gap by 2018, but also disagreements with Athens on the depth of the pension reform and the management of bad loans. Athens has pledged to cut pension spending by 1 percent of GDP this year and reach a primary surplus of 3.5 percent by 2018. It was not clear if the lenders had reached a consensus on the projected fiscal gap which could force Athens to cut pensions further, despite its pre-election promises. Euro zone finance ministers acknowledged this week that a debate on debt relief was coming up soon, but Greece should first implement pension and tax reforms, set up an independent revenue agency and deal with non-performing loans. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said he expected the review would be completed by early May. "It's positive that there is an end date for the bailout review, but also a date for the start of the negotiation on debt relief," a second government official told Reuters. (Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Louise Ireland)
By Maher Chmaytelli BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi asked political blocs in parliament and "influential social figures" to nominate technocrats as candidates for ministerial positions in a new cabinet he plans to form, state TV reported on Friday. A year and a half into his four-year term, Abadi is trying to challenge a system of patronage which has become entrenched in Iraq over the last decade, paralysing politics and allowing corruption to flourish. But he faces pressure from two sides as some of the country's powerful political factions resist any reduction of their influence while others, notably the prominent Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, threaten to bring down his government unless he presses ahead faster. Al-Iraqia news channel, which announced Abadi's move on Friday, said an independent committee of experts will review the names put forward and then select a list of names from those candidates for him to choose his ministers. Abadi said last month that he wanted to replace his ministers with technocrats to tackle the system of patronage that encourages graft by distributing government jobs and contracts along political, ethnic and sectarian lines. The political system adopted after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003 was initially meant to allow the nation's Sunni Arab, Kurdish and other minorities to have ministers and take part in the government alongside parties that represent the Shi'ite majority, to which Abadi belongs. Corruption is eating away at Baghdad's resources even as it struggles with falling revenue due to rock-bottom oil prices and high spending due to the costs of the war against Islamic State. In a speech on Wednesday, Abadi said that he would announce ministerial changes soon and that the cabinet would be made of "competent professionals" who reflect the nations ethnic and sectarian makeup. Abadi's media office on Thursday said the prime minister had sent a document to political parties that contains the criteria along which he will be choosing his ministers. Sadr urged Abadi to form a cabinet where the political parties are not represented. "I want the prime minister to continue his reform plan with no fear of political pressure," Sadr said in a pre-recorded speech aired on screens in Baghdad's central Tahrir Square, where tens of thousands of his supporters rallied on Friday. It was not immediately clear whether Sadr had recorded his speech before or after the state television announcement on Abadi's call. Some Sadr supporters at the demonstration were sceptical of the prime minister's ability to deliver on his reform pledge. "I don't think Abadi can do the reforms he promised," said Ammar Salman, a 37-year-old taxi driver, carrying the red, white and black Iraqi flag. "The political blocs won't let him." The cleric's supporters have held regular demonstrations demanding reforms to tackle corruption. Sadr, heir to a Shi'ite clerical dynasty persecuted under Saddam Hussein, said on Feb. 12 that Abadi had 45 days to deliver on his pledge of a technocrat cabinet or face a no-confidence vote in parliament. However, the Sadrist bloc, called al-Ahrar, accounts for only 34 of parliaments 328 members and he may not be able to vote down Abadi should the other political parties approve a new cabinet. (Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli and Saif Hameed.; Editing by Dominic Evans)
Right wingers must be the most hypocritical people on the planet. When Britain, France, Egypt and the Arab League sought U.S. support to prevent an onslaught of murder against those rising up against the Libyan government, the President agreed to help them with intelligence and logistics. The Republicans immediately responded by whining that the President was "leading from behind". The Republicans wanted the U.S. to take a leading role in the operation. Britain, France and Egypt did not live up to the commitments that they made. The hypocritical Republicans are being their usual revisionist tools. The President is correct again.
Hollywood stars and political luminaries past and present were among 1,000 guests who gathered for the funeral of former First Lady Nancy Reagan on Friday.

The actress-turned-political wife was laid to rest alongside her husband, former US President Ronald Reagan, at his library in Simi Valley, California.

The private service took place a day after thousands of members of the public, some in tears, paid their respects at the coffin of Mrs Reagan.

She died last Sunday of heart failure, aged 94, at her home in the Bel Air suburb of Los Angeles.

Four US first ladies attended the memorial: Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton - who is now campaigning for US president - Laura Bush and Rosalynn Carter.

:: Nancy Reagan: Ronald's Guardian And Soulmate

Mrs Clinton caused controversy when she told MSNBC ahead of the service that Mrs Reagan had helped start a "national conversation" back in the 1980s about the HIV/AIDS crisis.

She later apologised and said she "misspoke" after furious critics charged the Reagans with largely ignoring the spread of the disease as thousands of Americans died.

Former President George W Bush accompanied his wife to Mrs Reagan's funeral.

But President Barack Obama upset conservatives by skipping the event for a speaking engagement at the SXSW music festival in Texas.

Mr T, who was involved with Mrs Reagan's Just Say No anti-drug campaign in the 1980s, joined mourners.

The actor, best known for pitying fools on television series The A-Team, wrote on Twitter: "I will Never Forget her."

Magnum P.I. star Tom Selleck, actress Bo Derek and Oscar winner Anjelica Huston were among other celebrities on the invite list.

Relatives of every US president dating back to John Kennedy were also at the funeral.

Movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger showed up, along with the man who succeeded him as California Governor, Jerry Brown.

Other politicians at the service crossed the ideological spectrum, from Newt Gingrich to Nancy Pelosi.

Story continues

Mrs Reagan's two children, Patti Davis and Ronald Prescott Reagan, spoke at the service.

James Baker, who served in the Reagan administration, and former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw praised the Reagans' love story.

"They were as close to being one person as it is possible for any two people to be," Mr Baker said.

Reagan left the presidency in 1989 after two terms.

He was buried at the library site after his death in 2004.
TUNIS (Reuters) - The Tunisian military said it killed three militants on Thursday in an operation to clear them out of a border town where more than 50 people died on Monday in an attack the government blamed on Islamic State. Monday's attack on Ben Guerdan, when around 50 militants stormed through the town assaulting army and police posts, reinforced fears about spillover from jihadist camps in neighbouring Libya. "Security and army units killed three terrorists, arrested another and seized five Kalashnikov rifles in Ben Guerdan on Thursday," the army said in statement. Since the 2011 revolt against autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has seen a growing threat from Islamist militancy at home and from over the border. Tunisians trained in jihadist camps in Libya carried out two attacks last year on foreign tourists in Tunisia. Islamic State's increasing foothold in Libya is worrying its North African neighbours and Western governments. U.S. forces have launched air strikes against the group in Libya, and Western military advisers are helping Tunisia better protect its frontier. (Reporting by Tarek Amara; writing by Patrick Markey; editing by Andrew Roche)
KKR has agreed to buy into seeds provider Advanta Enterprises in a deal which values the business at about $2.25bn.
European private equity firm CVC Capital Partners is said to be eyeing an exit of Dutch HR software company Raet which c
April 19, 1976  March 9, 2016

Mark D. Dempsey died at OHSU at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 9.

Mark was born at Albany General Hospital to Chung Cha and Robert L. Dempsey of Albany. Mark attended St Marys Catholic School and South Albany High School. Mark was in the Boy Scouts of America Troop 99 and obtained the rank of Eagle Scout and an addition three palms and the Religious Service Award. The project he chose for his Eagle Project was the Boat Ramp at Waverly Lake in Albany working with Dave Clark, then Director of Parks. He was a member of St Marys Church and served as an altar boy, acolyte. Mark was also a member of the Knights of Columbus.

Mark attended Carroll College in Helena, Montana, and graduated in 2000. After graduation Mark returned to Albany and worked for the State of Oregon in the Historical Homes Preservation Program. He also worked for FEMA during the Katrina storm as a Logistic Coordinator in Washington, D.C., until 2006. He was first diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) at OHSU at the age of 30.

Mark then remained in Albany and worked at several local businesses in Albany and lastly as a cook at JPs in downtown Albany before it was closed. Mark loved to cook and would often cook for his friends just as a treat. He loved conversation and laughter and just being with friends. Mark would drop what he was doing at any time and help a friend if he could, if not he gave moral support.

In 2013 Mark returned to OHSU due to the escalation of the CHF and was place on the LVAD program (Left Ventricular Assist Device) Returning to Albany again, Mark remained as active as he could with family and friends. In the years since 2013 he made many trips to Portland to see doctors and check the progress of his living with an assist device. Mark was an advocate for the program and made some public interviews on radio and TV as well as the Albany Democrat-Herald. Mark always tried to promote the Organ Donator Program and the Heart Foundation. He would sometime visit the nurses at the cardiovascular units of the hospital, just to say hi but would talk to anyone about the LVAD.

Mark was an outgoing guy, with a big heart! All his friends and those that knew him will truly miss him. Mark was visited by many friends on the day before his passing and received his last rights (Catholic). Mark died at OHSU Hospital just 40 day short of his 40th birthday. He was surrounded by his parents and family and friends. He passed peacefully.

Mark was the youngest son or Robert and Kim Dempsey of Kailua Kona, Hawaii/ Albany He had one brother, Robert, sister-in-law Gayla, nephew Robert Jr., and niece Taylor, all of Kailua Kona, Hawaii.

Memorial Contributions may be made to OHSU Cardiovascular Institute. A private family ceremony will take place in Kona.

AAsum-Dufour Funeral Home is handling arrangements (www.aasum-dufour.com).
Published On Mar 11, 2016 04:32 PM By Nabeel

Mitsubishi has inaugurated a new 3S dealership in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu. This announcement was made by Hindustan Motor Financial Corporation Ltd. (HMFCL), the manufacturer and marketer of Mitsubishi brand vehicles in India. Named Xpress Mitsubishi, this 3S facility is located in the picturesque Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, and is designed to be a boutique dealership that would provide its customers luxury and superior service quality.

Xpress Mitsubishi was inaugurated by MLA Nainar Nagenthran, MLA from Tirunelveli district in the presence of the Deputy Mayor of the district, P. Jeganathan, along with top officials of HMFCL. The dealership is strategically located in Tirunelveli on a highway bordering the two great southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

As of now, the dealership will host the Pajero Sport in both its manual and automatic avatars. The car is powered by a 2.5-litre DI-Diesel turbocharged engine, which produces 178PS along with 350Nm and 400Nm torque in the 4X2 AT and 4X4 MT variants, respectively. It is the first diesel SUV in the UV4 segment to provide Paddle Shifters. The SUV also features exclusive Super Select 4WD with Invecs-II electronic controlled system, providing a unique driving experience and GPS Navigation.

The toughest competition to the Pajero Sport is provided by the Toyota Fortuner and the Ford Endeavour. While the Fortuner has been in India for quite some time without changes, the Endeavour has recently undergone a major makeover, which makes it one of the best off-road offerings in India. Do read about the Endeavour and Fortuner rivalry in detail and how the Pajero Sport measures up to them.

Also Read: Mitsubishi India Introduces Limited Edition Pajero Sport
Published On Mar 11, 2016 By Abhishek for Maruti Vitara Brezza 2016-2020

Watch First Drive of Maruti Vitara Brezza

Phases are a part of life and they apply for everything, be it fashion, technology or, like in this instance, cars. All you need is something that kindles the fire, and the rest simply follows. In this case, it was the Ford EcoSport that started it all. The first of its kind in the country, it kick-started the compact SUV segment, which every manufacturer wants to dominate now. Maruti Suzuki decided to get into action as well, and showed us the all-new Vitara Brezza. With the Brezza, Indias largest carmaker finally has a compact SUV; a model that Maruti's otherwise comprehensive line-up sorely lacked.

The Brezza is an extremely important car for Maruti for various reasons. For starters, it has to battle the Ford EcoSport and the Mahindra TUV300 right off the bat. Secondly, Maruti has put immense effort and thought behind it. Let us elaborate on that. The Vitara Brezza is the first Maruti to be designed and developed entirely in India. That also gives it an advantage of as much as 98% localization, which is a huge boost when it comes to the pricing of the car and the spares. Then there is the design, which Maruti had to get right. The car had to be the perfect blend of compact size and SUV looks. We decided to take the all-new Brezza for a spin to tell you what its like under the skin.

Exteriors

Designing a proportionate sub 4-metre SUV is clearly a task in itself. With the restriction in length, it is fairly easy to blow the width and height out of proportion and have an abnormal-looking oddity on hand. Maruti, yet again has proved that it knows its way around Indian rules, better than anyone else. The Brezza is amongst the most proportionate compact SUVs in the market.

Is it designed well? To kick things off, it looks bigger in flesh than in pictures. For people wanting an SUV for the price of a premium hatch, the most important criteria, i.e size, is ticked pronto. The use of colours, straight lines and curves are well thought of, which makes the Brezza stand out. There are three dual-tone paint combos to choose from as well. One can opt for a red Brezza with a black roof or blue or yellow ones with white roofs. Our favourite of the lot is the blue/white combo which definitely turns a lot of heads. That said, we think the red/black combo is going to fly off the shelves a lot more!

If it hasnt been said enough, the design on the Brezza is unlike anything weve seen in recent Marutis. In fact, it is possibly the first time that Maruti has ever styled anything to look so aggressive. The large grille up front instantly reminds you of the XA Alpha concept that the Brezza owes its ancestry to. The toothy elements are underlined by a big slab of chrome that connects the two projector headlamps. The LED light guides in the headlamps look super cool, especially when lit up in the dark. The bumper drips aggression too, with a large airdam and a faux skidplate finished in matte silver. Little details like the placement of the turn indicators in a separate pod in the bumper and the blacked-out surround for the fog lamp complete the front profile.

The first thing the friendly Maruti salesman will try and sell to you about the Brezza is its floating roof. This concept debuted with the Swift, and Maruti has been using it for its offerings ever since. The A-pillar and a portion of the C-pillar are blacked out, creating the illusion of the roof floating over the car. This is particularly noticeable with the white roof.

The silhouette shows off two prominent character lines: one connecting the two headlamps and the other curving along the wheelbase. The Brezza also gets squared out wheel arches and the customary black cladding along the length of the car. The 16-inch alloys fill the wheel-well nicely. While we love the gunmetal grey shade on the wheels, we wish they were a better design. Also, simple rounded wheel arches with a bit of added flare would have made the Brezza look much more aggressive.

Unlike its contemporaries, the Brezza does not get a spare wheel slapped onto its boot. What you get instead is a simple hatch that opens upwards. The hatch door on the TUV300 and the Ford EcoSport open sideways, which can be a pure menace in parking lots. Maruti gets brownie points for thinking this through. The tail-lamps get a simple cluster with an L-shaped LED that switches on when the pilot lamps are turned on. The compact SUV gets a large slab of chrome on the boot as well, with Vitara Brezza embossing.

The design is extremely cohesive on the Brezza. Nothing looks out of place. Well, except for the wheels, maybe. In a segment where looks precede everything else, Maruti has made sure it got the basics right. The looks will definitely be a key selling point for the Brezza.

Interiors

Step inside the Brezza and you do get that sense of friendly familiarity. Theres that sense of Ive been here before, and nothing feels complex or out of place. Someone sitting in the EcoSport, for example, is instantly puzzled by the plethora of buttons on the centre console. In that sense, the Brezza is welcoming and not intimidating at all. The layout is clean and it wouldnt take long for you to get familiar with whats what.

The quality of materials on the inside isnt the best. It is a notch lower than the EcoSport, but a notch higher than the TUV300. Theres plenty of hard plastics on the lower half of the dash, and a lot of part sharing from cheaper Marutis that lets the package down. For example, the power window switches are from a decade-old Swift, the steering is the same unit you find in an S-Cross, and the touchscreen infotainment system is shared with the Baleno and the Ciaz. Even smaller bits like the StartStop button, ORVM adjustment buttons and the reverse parking sensor buttons are shared with other models. That said, everything is strictly functional and none of these features will give you a reason to complain. Like they say, why reinvent the wheel?

The cabin of the Brezza is engulfed in a sea of black. What we particularly like is the dull silver accent that runs across the length of the dashboard. It manages to break the monotony of dull black nicely. The layout is simple and clean, with the 7" touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto being the centre piece. The screen is paired with 4 speakers and a pair of tweeters. Audio quality is at acceptable levels and most wont feel the need for an upgrade.

The other party trick is the instrument cluster that gets mood lighting. While this feature is gimmicky, it does bring out the kid in you at times. You can select between five colours of illumination (red, orange, blue, white and yellow) for the tachometer and the speedo dials, and even control the brightness. A comprehensive MID is sandwiched between the two metres and reads out information like the time, temperature, fuel, trip distance, etc. The cluster does stand out when you compare it to the TUVs (rather boring) monochrome display.

The steering wheel, like we said, is a straight lift from the S-Cross parts-bin and can be adjusted for rake. The steering is good to hold and precise to use, but more on that later. It also gets controls for controlling the volume, accepting or rejecting calls, as well as cruise control!

The drivers seat is a nice place to be. You sit nice and high, and get a good view of the road. The seat is comfortable and provides really good levels of support. After a long drive, we had no reason to complain. Side-bolstering and cushioning are just the right amount. The height adjust has a healthy travel too  shorter drivers will have no problems finding a comfortable driving position.

We think its the ergonomics where the Brezza scores really high. Once on the move, you quickly realize how everything falls to hand really easily. Lets take the example of the automatic climate control interface. The largest button on the unit is Auto  the button that starts it up and regulates the temperature. It is little touches like this that make you feel at home in the Maruti. The aircon itself, like all Marutis, is an absolute chiller. It managed to keep the cabin at a cool 20 C on a sultry, sunny day in Pune. Its key to note that the Brezza does not get rear AC vents. However, we believe it shouldnt be too much of a bother. The aircon is powerful enough to cool the rear half of the cabin in a matter of minutes.

The rear bench is accommodating too, and is perched slightly higher than the front row, so you get place to slide your feet underneath the front seat. Legroom is fairly generous: two six-footers can sit back to back. The scooped-out front seats liberate that extra bit of legroom. If you are a six-footer, you will find yourself a bit too close to the roof when seated at the back. The Brezza isnt as wide as the TUV300, as a result of which, seating three abreast is a slight problem compared to the Mahindra.

Lastly, there are plenty of storage spaces for your knick-knacks too. There are two gloveboxes (of which one is chilled), bottle holders in each door, space in the front armrest, and an under-seat tray as well. The boot is rated at 328 litres. The squarish bay and the low loading bay make it easy to throw luggage into the Brezza. The rear seats get a 60:40 split, in case you need more space for the luggage.

The Brezzas cabin, then, is pure function, with some cool quotients thrown in. Nothing groundbreaking; nothing to complain about. Its a simple contemporary layout that just works. Thats about it.

Engine and Performance

Powering the Brezza is the tried-and-tried (and tried and tested again and again) DDiS engine which now powers so many cars that we have lost count. Called the DDiS 200, the Fiat-sourced engine puts out 90PS @ 4000 rpm and 200Nm from 1750 rpm. Now Maruti has made sure that the oil burner performs well in the Brezza, and it does. With just about 1200 kg to haul, the Brezza feels quite nippy off the line. In-gear acceleration is also quite strong, which makes overtaking an easy affair. But fall anywhere lower than 1500 rpm and the renowned turbo lag does bog you down a bit. Other than that, the oil burners characteristic drone does filter into the cabin when you slot the 5-speed gearbox into lower gears.

At a 100 km/h, though, the engine is pretty silent and just ticking over at about 2100 rpm. Munching miles shouldnt be a problem in the Brezza. But just as an option, can we also have that 1.6 litre DDiS unit, Maruti?

Ride and Handling

Any vehicle with SUV traits is expected to be comfy  thanks to the long travel suspension  and a little woozy around the corners. The Brezza is anything but that. Around town at slow speeds, the 16-inch wheels absorb almost everything well, but then the moment you are hit by ugly concrete joints and crater-like potholes, the Brezza demonstrates quite a bit of uneasiness. It feels quite stiff and the jolts do manage to filter into the cabin when the surface starts getting bad. We didnt quite understand the reason for such a stiff set-up.

Of course, the stiffness does help at high speeds, when you are really motoring. The Brezza takes corners just like a hatchback, and is quite entertaining as well. The steering feels a tad heavy at slow speeds, but connects quite well as the speeds get higher. Also, its a little vague at dead centre, but nothing to complain about.

Verdict

The Vitara Brezza is an applause-worthy effort from Maruti. It may not be as radical or in your face as the Ford EcoSport, but still looks funky enough to grab eyeballs. The best part is that you can customize it to suit your tastes too! Its got plenty of features and the smart seating arrangement gives it an edge in terms of convenience as well. Thanks to the tried and tested Fiat engine, the Brezza offers decent performance and very good efficiency too.

With introductory prices starting at Rs. 6.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the base LDi variant, it is considerably cheaper than the EcoSport. In fact, even the other variants  including the top ZDi+ variant  seem to be good value. While we shall put the car to the test during the full review, Maruti can expect to have its cash registers ringing with its brand-new offering!
Home buying season is just around the corner, so we thought it would be fun to take a look at the words people use when theyre looking to finance a new house.

We found out there is a huge difference in the way different people end up searching for the same thing, and that these differences vary from state to state. Why is this important? Because your credit union could be leaving a lot of money on the table by not using the right words.

Lets take a look.

HOME EQUITY LINE OF CREDIT vs. HELOC

For example, you have some equity in your home and youre looking for some credit. Do you search for a Home Equity Line of Credit or for a HELOC online?

It depends.

In general, more people are searching for the keyword Home Equity Line of Credit but if youre a credit union in Colorado, you may want to consider leading with the term HELOC on your web pages and outbound communications because that term is relatively popular in the Centennial State.

How about if you need money to buy a house? Are you looking for a Home Loan or a Home Mortgage online? The keyword Home Loan gets about double the number of searches of the keyword Home Mortgage. However, midwestern states seem to prefer the keyword Home Mortgage while northwestern states prefer the keyword Home Loan.

Taking a closer look at the keywords related to Home Loan and Home Mortgage, respectively, also brings up an interesting point. Keywords related to Home Loan have the term equity in them, e.g. Equity Loan and Home Equity. Whereas the keyword, Home Mortgage has related keywords with the term rates in them, e.g. Mortgage Rates and Home Mortgage Rates.

This means that even though the keyword Home Loan may have more search traffic related to it, you might want to go with a keyword like Home Mortgage because you know exactly what the people using that term are looking for online.

This research is powerful because getting into the minds of your members and prospective members is the first step toward marketing to them successfully.

MORTGAGE CALCULATOR vs. LOAN CALCULATOR

Lets say that you want to figure out what your payments will be based on different loan balances. Are you looking for a Mortgage Calculator or a Loan Calculator online? A couple million people are searching for a Mortgage Calculator every month, while less than half a million people search for a loan calculator monthly.

Which one do you want on your website and marketing materials?

The related keywords tell a story here, as well. A Loan Calculator seems to be highly associated with auto loans. Related keywords include terms like Auto Calculator and Auto Loan Calculator. Whereas a Mortgage Calculator gets quadruple the search volume and is highly associated with a mortgage loan.

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

If youre like us and you think that figuring out what people are searching for will help you show up when theyre looking AND help you sell to them in your marketing collateral, then weve got something great for you. Were putting all of our research on home buying searches together on one page, to serve as a living resource for financial institution marketers.

Click on the image above and let us know what you think in the comments below.
Further restrictions on the use of antibiotics in farm animals are in the pipeline, following a vote by MEPs on new rules for veterinary medicines.

In particular, the MEPs are calling for a ban on the collective and preventive treatment of animals, as part of a drive to counter antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

The fight against antibiotic resistance must start on farms, said French MEP Francoise Grossetete, who has led on the subject.

We wish to prohibit the purely preventive use of antibiotics, restrict collective treatment to very specific cases, prohibit the veterinary use of antibiotics that are critically important for human medicine and put an end to online sales.

The MEPs also insisted that veterinary medicines must not be used to improve livestock performance or compensate for poor animal husbandry.

And any prophylactic use of antimicrobials  where they are used as a preventive measure in the absence of clinical signs of infection  should be limited to single animals and must be fully justified by a veterinarian.

See also: Reduction targets for antibiotics on farm nonsensical

This is likely to be especially problematic for the poultry sector, where whole flocks are often treated as a strategic measure, to avoid having to use stronger medication later on.

The draft regulation also calls for improved recording of on-farm use of antibiotics. Currently, data is collected by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate based on product sales, which tends to overestimate the actual usage levels.

And, to encourage the development of new antimicrobials, the MEPs also suggested increasing levels of commercial protection for new active substances.

But EU farming body Copa-Cogeca expressed its concern at the direction of travel.

Banning the use of certain antibiotics could lead to animal welfare problems, as in some places or for some species, these are the only authorised antibiotics, said secretary-general Pekka Pesonen.

He also believed banning the prophylactic use of antibiotics was not justified. We realise that there needs to be specific requirements for food-producing animals compared to pets, but the correct use of prophylaxis is a good veterinary practice.

We also have concerns about the online ban on antibiotics and prescription-only veterinary medicines. Online sales offer some advantages in terms of availability and the cost of medicines.

The vote taken by the European parliament followed a first reading of the EU Commission proposal. It now has to be considered by the council of ministers. The MEPs said they were keen to reach agreement with the council without having to hold a second reading.

This could see the introduction of new rules as early as next year.
Defra secretary Liz Truss has rejected calls for a plan B to give farmers certainty in the event that the UK votes to leave the European Union.

Ms Truss was speaking to Farmers Weekly as the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) warned of risks to agricultural investment and jobs should ministers fail to plan for an EU exit after the in-out referendum on 23 June.

Trade was the biggest benefit of EU membership, which gave farmers access to a market of 500 million consumers on their doorstep, said Ms Truss. But any exit process would not be solely dependent on the UK government, she added.

See also: Farm jobs at risk without plan B for EU exit

It is dependent on negotiations with the other 27 member states about what the terms of exit will be. So we simply dont know how much Britain would have to pay into the pot  we dont know what the level of tariffs would be on an industry like agriculture.

Even so, the CLA said ministers must be ready to give immediate commitments to farmers and rural businesses after the referendum on key issues vital to the continued health of the rural economy.

But Ms Truss said she could give no guarantees about future agricultural policy if the UK left the EU.

If the government was to produce [a plan B], a lot of it would be speculating about a future we just dont know about, she said.

Critical elements

A CLA report published this week sets out what the association describes as critical elements that the government should plan for  whatever the outcome of the referendum. It calls for reassurances on EU trade, direct payments, regulations and access to labour.

CLA president Ross Murray said: Whatever your views on the future of the UKs relationship with the EU, it is clear that the rural economy has been shaped by agricultural and environmental policies drawn up at EU level since we joined.

Through the single market, Europe is an important destination for our products. The EU manages vital direct land management payments to farmers, and workers from the EU are critical to our agricultural labour force.

For more than 40 years, the EU had provided the regulatory framework that governed the way UK farming businesses operated, said Mr Murray.

CAP payments

It was also the basis of significant investment decisions. Farmers needed certainty and answers. Most urgently, farmers needed confirmation that CAP payments would continue until the end of the budget period in 2020.

If the UK votes to leave, there are immediate commitments that will need to be made by government to ensure the continued health of farming.

Acknowledging that the government may not wish to reveal its plans before polling day, Mr Murray said it was critical to know that the right plans were being formed.

Failure to plan for Brexit will put rural jobs and investment in the rural economy at serious risk, he added.

The CLA would not advocate a position on whether the UK should leave or remain in the EU, said Mr Murray, but farmers needed more information to decide how to vote.
Well-known broiler farmer David Speller has been described as the Doctor Doolittle of farming for his work detecting patterns in the noise made by broilers.

In a pun-ridden  but otherwise informative feature  the Daily Mail visited Mr Spellers poultry farm to find out more about new technology that listens to birds to determine discomfort.

See also: More on precision poultry farming

The article compares Mr Speller to fictional character Dr Dolittle, and says he has identified 11 types of chicken chatter.

Analysis of these recordings is a promising new method for discovering if conditions are not optimal in a poultry shed.

The technology is part of ongoing research by Leuven University, and promises to offer early detection of disease, discomfort or stress.

Mr Speller told the Daily Mail: Were trying to get some degree of individual animal monitoring, shed by shed, and we are having to learn how we can extract individual vocalisation.

Its a learning process because each batch of chicks is slightly different to the one before, but its all designed to improve what we do.

In the future, robots could move around vast chicken sheds to collect sounds from individual animals.

While the Daily Mail poked some fun at the subject, it was its sister paper, the Metro, that won the punfest with: Farmer can tell his hens give a cluck.
A Response to City Council on the Sleeping Ban Vote by Steve Schnaar

A satirical letter to City Council after they voted 5-2 to continue criminalizing the mere act of sleeping outside (as distinct from camping), knowing full well there is no legal alternative for the majority of homeless people.

Dear Council Members,



I was at part of your meeting the other night regarding the criminalization of sleeping, and I noticed some of you struggling with the age-old problem of how to be oppressive and still feel good about yourselves.



One amongst you, Ms. Comstock, avoided this dilemma by following the advice of the Emperor from Star Wars to, "let the hate flow through you." Congratulations Pamela on completing your journey to the dark side, and letting us all know by flipping the bird to citizens of your City, mere hours after having condemned another Council member as an embarrassment to the entire Council for having rented a non-permitted bedroom out at their house.



To those of you who prefaced your voting with nice words about helping the homeless and finding better solutions, I feel for your struggle. For most humans, it is in fact quite difficult to be cruel, and requires some initial work to make the target of one's actions somehow deserving of their suffering, or part of an "other" group less important than one's own. This is an important and valuable part of any oppression, and as I see some of you still struggling with it, I wanted to offer my support.



As a student of world religions and philosophy, I know that our great prophets and sages have generally praised a universal love and concern for, as Jesus put it, "the least among us". This could pose a major obstacle to anyone wanting to feel good about their oppressive actions. However it turns out that this simplistic translation of the original Greek might not be wholly accurate. I wanted to share with you a different translation of Matthew 25, prepared by a theologian and scholar who also was a politician.



May these words help to calm and soothe you as you lie comfortably in your dry warm bed this weekend, while the cold rain falls on the unhoused:



"Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and while you did not give me food, you did say nice words about there being a better way to resolve hunger. I was thirsty, and while you blocked access to the well, it was only because wells are not a viable solution to providing water to thirsty people. I was a stranger, and while you did not welcome me, you praised a program that might welcome a small percentage of those in need, as funding allows. I was naked and you did not clothe me, and in fact you made a law further punishing nakedness, but only to avoid the appearance of being too tolerant of the unclothed. I was in prison and you did not visit me, and on the contrary you toasted my imprisonment, but at the same time you expressed nice-sounding sentiments about liberty and justice and living in a free country."



Best regards,



Steve Schnaar
WASHINGTON, March 10, 2016  Two conservation groups filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today over its failure to protect the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act. Center for Food Safety, the Center for Biological Diversity and allies formally petitioned the Service in August 2014 to protect the monarch as a threatened species following a 90 percent population decline over the preceding two decades. In December 2014 the Service determined that protection may be warranted, triggering an official review of the butterflys status that, by law, must be completed within 12 months. More than a year later, however, the Service has failed to issue a final decision on whether to protect the charismatic orange and black butterfly under the Act. Todays lawsuit requests that the court set a deadline for that decision.

Protecting monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act is essential to their survival, and further agency delay is unlawful and irresponsible, said George Kimbrell, Center for Food Safety senior attorney and counsel in the case.The threats the monarch is facing are so large in scale that the butterfly needs the effective protection of the Endangered Species Act if were really serious about saving this amazing migratory wonder for future generations, said Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at Center for Biological Diversity.While monarch numbers increased this past year due to favorable weather conditions, the long-term outlook remains bleak. Analysis of the past 22 years of population data shows a statistically significant trend: Monarchs are declining by 9 percent per year on average, and the four years with the fewest monarchs ever recorded have all come since 2010. While this years winter count is better than the record lows of the previous three years, it still represents a decline of 78 percent from the known population highs of the mid-1990s and is well below the population size needed for recovery. Monarchs require a much larger population to be resilient to severe weather events and other threats. A single winter storm in 2002 killed an estimated 500 million monarchs  more than three times the size of the entire current population.The butterflys dramatic decline has been driven in large part by the widespread planting of genetically engineered crops in the Midwest, where most monarchs are born. The vast majority of genetically engineered crops are made to be resistant to Monsantos Roundup herbicide, which is a potent killer of milkweed, the monarch caterpillars only food source. The dramatic surge in Roundup use and Roundup Ready crops has virtually wiped out milkweed plants in midwestern corn and soybean fields. It is estimated that in the past 20 years these once-common butterflies may have lost more than 165 million acres of habitat  an area about the size of Texas  including nearly a third of their summer breeding grounds.Monarchs are also threatened by global climate change, drought and heat waves, other pesticides, disease and predation, urban sprawl and logging on their Mexican wintering grounds.In response to the initial positive finding the Service issued on the groups petition, more than half a million comments have been submitted to the agency in support of Endangered Species Act protection for the butterfly. In the past year, more than 50 members of Congress, 40 leading monarch scientists and ecologists, and more than 200 organizations and businesses have sent letters to the agency urging federal protection for the monarch.Photo available for free media use with appropriate credit. Please credit Tierra Curry / Center for Biological Diversity###Center for Food Safety is a nonprofit, public interest organization with over 750,000 members nationwide dedicated to protecting our food, farms, and environment.The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 990,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.Center for Biological Diversity
"Dov Bear: Worth reading, now more than ever!" [ Reb Yudel "That DovBear just loves posting hyperlinks to stuff that many folks don't walk to talk about." [ Shira "...he's trying to show that there are other facets to Orthodox Judaism. That we don't all think one way and vote one way. And he's occasionally entertaining when he's not being mean-spirited" [ PsychoToddler ]"...I often find out new things from Dovie" [ Chayyei Sarah "DovBear has an interesting post on the subject."[ Gil Student "Dovie is my best friend. I love Dovie. I love him so much that I'm able to complain about him and bother him whenever I darn feel like it." [ RenReb "DovBear: A man with his Hashkafas in the right place. That is, assuming you think the right place is bashing Chassidim, superstition, the Zohar, spirituality and kugel. Which I do." [ Godol Hador "Dov Bear has fantastic attributes - candor, loyalty, truth, courage, a razor-sharp mind, and he flatters no one" [ Lazer Brody "DovBear does have a nice blog and I am a daily visitor, but don't tell him I said so"[ Jack "DovBear is simply... entertaining."[ Ezzie "He's witty. He's funny. He appreciates the ridiculous in life, and has no qualms about telling you when he thinks that you're being a moron" [ Cara " I'm pretty sure [DovBear] is a really great guy who just wants to be able to ask questions and talk about things without the fear of someone claiming he's off the derech or on his way there." [ Chaviva "DovBear is an awesome blogger..." [ Hadassah "...notwithstanding his misguided politics, I am amused by the postings of DovBear." [ MoChassid "He's a despicable person of the lowest order." [ Yehupitz Said something about me? Let me know by email
Press release: Joe Williams for Congress (20th District-CA)

For immediate release: 3/10/16Peace and Freedom Party candidate Joe Williams achieves ballot status!I am pleased to announce that I am now officially on the ballot as a candidate for the 20th District Congressional seat being vacated by Sam Farr. This was achieved solely through a successful crowd-funding campaign. I asked this community if they wanted an independent, progressive, socialist supporter of 'political revolution' in this race and I am honored that the answer was affirmative. 20th District voters now have the opportunity to send an authentic grassroots candidate to the House of Representatives.My work in the community currently encompasses direct patient care at a busy local hospital, where I am also an elected union steward for SEIU-UHW. I am a founding member of Opposing Militarism, a program of the Resource Center for Nonviolence, where we do counseling work for the national GI Rights Hotline and also make truth-in-recruitment presentations at local schools. I have been continuously elected to the Santa Cruz County Peace & Freedom Party Central Committee since 2004.Along with numerous others across the country I consider myself a "Bernie Candidate'. As a life-long peace activist, I have serious disagreements with Sanders' foreign policy positions, but I am supporting him in his battle against Hillary Clinton and will be championing his domestic policy proposals. No more corporate Democrats!I welcome your support for my campaign!Joe Williams831-262-3074'Joe Williams for Congress'SEIU-UHWGI Rights HotlineThe National Network Opposing the Militarization of YouthPeace and Freedom Party Summary Platform
Radio Spots Focus on Puerto Rico Crisis Ahead of Sunshine State Presidential Primary communications [at] jubileeusa.org) by Greg Williams

Radio Spots Focus on Puerto Rico Crisis Ahead of Sunshine State Presidential Primary



A religious development organization is running radio spots focused on resolving Puerto Rico's debt crisis on 238 stations across Florida. The ads air in Spanish and English continuously ahead of the state's March 15th presidential primary. More than 1 million Puerto Ricans live in Florida and their turnout could sway important presidential contests.



"There are counties in Florida that decide presidential races," noted Eric LeCompte, head of Jubilee USA, the organization airing the radio placements in Florida. "The turnout of Puerto Ricans living in Florida could decide not only who wins the primaries but also who wins in November."



Both parties held debates in Miami this week - the Democratic debate was hosted by the Spanish language Univision network.



Florida Senator Marco Rubio won Puerto Rico's March 6 Republican primary. The election itself highlighted the island's economic troubles. Partly due to lack of funds, officials reduced the number of polling locations for the territory's GOP primary from 3,226 in 2012 to just 110 in 2016. Roughly, 25,000 voters participated this year, compared to approximately 130,000 in 2012.



Puerto Rico owes $72 billion in debt and is cutting education, health, law enforcement and pension funding to pay its debt. Congress is debating solutions to the crisis ahead of a March 31 House deadline set by Speaker Paul Ryan.



"The people of Puerto Rico are American citizens and they should have the rights as citizens living on the mainland," stated LeCompte. "Puerto Ricans are voting in key swing states and will make their voices heard."



Democratic candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton and former Republican candidate and Florida Governor Jeb Bush support giving Puerto Rico access to Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection. Senator Rubio opposes Chapter 9, while fellow Republicans Donald Trump, Senator Ted Cruz and Governor John Kasich have not addressed the island's crisis in detail.



Jubilee USA Network is an alliance of more than 75 US organizations and 550 faith communities working with 50 Jubilee global partners. Jubilee USA builds an economy that serves, protects and promotes the participation of the most vulnerable. Jubilee USA has won critical global financial reforms and more than $130 billion in debt relief to benefit the world's poorest people.


Collegiate Choir to Perform Spring Concert Tour

Collegiate Choir 2016

Feb. 29, 2016

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. The Collegiate Choir from Illinois Wesleyan University will present a freewill concert at 8 p.m. March 22 at Wesley United Methodist Church, 502 E. Front St., Bloomington.

The March 22 concert is the final stop of the 2016 spring concert tour. The tour itinerary includes performances in Illinois, Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska.

The Illinois Wesleyan University Collegiate Choir has established a long history of excellence through its on-campus performances, annual tours and recordings. The choir also sponsors the IWU Choral Commission Series, which in its 65-year history has added many significant works to the choral repertoire and resulted in a number of important world premieres at Illinois Wesleyan.

The 48-voice choir is composed of student musicians representing the School of Music and other areas of the University, and is dedicated to the performance of the finest sacred and secular choral music spanning six centuries and a variety of languages. Students in the choir are selected by audition and maintain a rigorous rehearsal schedule in preparation for their concert tour and other engagements throughout the year.

The choir is under the direction of Dr. J. Scott Ferguson, Director of Choral Activities at Illinois Wesleyan. The Collegiate Choir has received acclaim for the breath-taking beauty and skill of the voices, the superb repertoire, and the awesome musicality. Programs have been called wonderfully well-selected, versatile, interesting, and musical. An Estonian conductor praised the choirs clear intonation, beautiful and sound harmony, multifarious strokes, and broad dynamic scale. A renowned Czech conductor noted, I was overwhelmed by the great intonation, precise rhythm, beautiful work with dynamics, and incredible stylistic interpretation of compositions from all style periods and genres.

This years tour program includes literature from the Renaissance and Contemporary eras. The choir will begin the first half of the program with three Renaissance motets, including the pictorial Ascendente Jesus in naviculam by Melchior Vulpius followed by a French chanson, an English madrigal, and a German part song, also from the Renaissance. The first half will close with three sacred compositions: Nunc dimittis by Gustav Holst, Evermore by Philip Lawson and Cantate Domino by Jozef Swider.

The choir will begin the second half of the program with selections from Urmas Sisasks collection Gloria Patri. The final section of the program will include Exultate Deo byFrancis Poulenc, Ejszaka and Reggel by Gyorgy Ligeti, Shall I Compare Thee by Nils Lindberg, and Prima serie dei cori di Michelangelo Buonarroti il Giovane by Luigi Dallapiccola, which includes Il Coro delle Malmaritate (Chorus of the Unhappily Married Women) and Il Coro dei Malammogliati (Chorus of the Unhappily Married Men).
Fifth Annual German Undergraduate Research Conference

March 11, 2016

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. Illinois Wesleyan University will host the fifth annual German Undergraduate Research Conference April 1-2 with most sessions in State Farm Hall and The Ames Library. It is the only undergraduate research conference in the nation that takes place entirely in German, with poster and oral presentations by undergraduates from IWU and 11 other participating institutions.

Kristopher Imbrigotta, visiting assistant professor of German studies at the University of Puget Sound, will present Saturdays keynote address.

Illinois Wesleyan students presenting include: Kristen Andersen 17, Hilary Doyle, Nancy Guzman 16, Elizabeth Sanders 16, Sophia Staerz 19, Niyant Vora 19 and Michaela Wilson 16. Students from Carleton College, the University of Chicago, Dartmouth, Knox College, Macalester College, Marian University, North Central College, University of North Texas, University of Notre Dame, Pomona College and Worcester Polytechnic Institute will also attend.

The conference is designed to provide an outlet for students from any field of research within German Studies to present their research to their peers and to receive feedback in an academic setting. Presenting at the conference provides students with valuable communication experience relevant to any field of post-graduate work or study being considered, according to Adam Woodis, visiting assistant professor of German.

The German Undergraduate Research Conference is supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Re-Centering the Humanities grant, Student Senate, Isaac Funk Endowed Professorship, held by Marina Balina, and the IWU Presidents Office.
Donworth a Big Threat in Big Cap: Bettors might dismiss Donworth in the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap (GI) on Saturday. After all, he faded to third in the San Antonio (GII) and the race this weekend will be one furlong longer. He deserves another look though.

Trained by Doug ONeil and owned by Reddam Racing, Donworths new connections spent $550,000 last fall at a Keeneland auction to buy the colt. With that kind of money comes expectations.

Donworth ran well enough in his first start off the bench last month in the San Antonio. He simply faded a bit, and sometimes the scenario where a horse sets the pace and becomes tired gives handicappers the wrong idea of distance limitations.

His 4-year-old stakes debut came after a long break and promise shown in his initial races last year.

One year ago, Donworth had a crazy-trip maiden win at Gulfstream Park. His win was noticed by more than a few racing fans, and some even called him a monster after the race. It is far easier for handicappers to notice a troubled trip when it involves a horse needing to find room rather than pace issues, and therefore Donworth received attention for the victory.

Donworth then ran in the Lexington Stakes (GIII), a late-April Keeneland race containing at least a few noteworthy 3-year-old horses just below the top level. The son of Tiznow did not embarrass himself, running a credible second to Divining Rod.

In Donworths next performance, the Sir Barton in May at Pimlico, the effort on paper appears less than stellar at first glance. This time, he never made a direct impact and finished third. The comments reveal though another troubled trip where Donworth was rank in the early stages (meaning he wanted to go and the jockey tugged back), and also raced wide on the far turn.

The following month, Donworth won by 11 lengths in an ungraded 50k stakes race at Delaware Park. He went on the bench for the rest of the year, which can be interpreted as either Donworth needing time to mature or a minor physical problem.

A recent article in the L.A. Times shows Donworth had a chip in his knee. The problem did not deter the connections from buying the horse, and in fact, Paul Reddam was willing to spend up to $800,000 to buy Donworth. When they received the colt for $550,000, Dennis ONeil (Dougs brother) called a happy Reddam to break the news.

Well, you must have screwed up this one, Reddam replied, as seen in the L.A. Times article. Obviously, you missed something.

With California Chrome gone in Dubai, the connections hope to take advantage of the older horse division in California. Saturdays race looks like a great opportunity for Donworth to rebound in his second start off the bench.

None of his opponents truly stand out, as the exceptional Shared Belief did in last years edition.

Attention will be given to the Todd Pletcher-trained General a Rod, if only because Pletcher trains him. He did win a Gulfstream optional claiming race on the slop in January by over seven lengths.

Of course, the wonderfully-named Effinex will take money off his runner-up finish in the Breeders Cup Classic (GI) and win in the Clark Handicap (GI). Will he become overbet?

Also, late closers Imperative, Hard Aces and Class Leader are candidates for the win if the pace collapses.

The Santa Anita Handicap is wide open without a true superstar, which is the kind of race bettors prefer. Effinex seems likely to go off as the betting favorite, making Donworth a possible value choice in terms of odds and win probability. There is still time for Donworth to turn into a monster as well, especially with only five races under his belt. Time will tell the story.

Santa Anita Handicap 2016 Post Positions & Odds

Race 10 4:30 PM PT

1 Point Piper 12-1 Van Dyke/Hollendorfer

2 Melatonin 20-1 Talamo/Hofmans

3 Donworth 3-1 Gutierrez/ONeill

4 General a Rod 4-1 Bejarano/Pletcher

5 Effinex 2-1 Smith/Jerkens

6 Cyrus Alexander 20-1 Garcia/Hollendorfer

7 Hard Aces 12-1 Lezcano/Sadler

8 Imperative 3-1 Gonzalez/Baltas

9 Class Leader 30-1 Desormeaux/Sadler
Top Class Action Lawsuits

Its on SaleorMaaaybe Not? J Crew got hit with a consumer fraud class action lawsuit this week, alleging the clothing retailer set an arbitrary valued at price for every item offered for sale on the J. Crew Factory store website. BUTof course theres a but prices depicted as original or regular are allegedly misleading because no items are ever sold at the valued at price, but rather always sold at a price lower than the valued at price. So that would make those prices the regular prices, no?

Filed by Joseph A. DAversa, individually and for all others similarly situated, the J Crew sale pricing lawsuit further claims the defendants state their advertised sale prices are only available for a limited time. However each sale is immediately followed by another, similar sale. Consequently, the prices on J. Crews factory website are not discounts at all, but in fact the regular prices of the items, the complaints states, in violation of federal regulations prohibiting the advertising of phantom price reductions.

The lawsuit claims violations of consumer protection statutes in several states, violations of the New York General Business Law, violations of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, breach of contract, breach of good faith and fair dealing, breach of express warranty, unjust enrichment and negligent misrepresentation.

Nasty, Negligent, and Not the First Time, Apparently. The Swedish Medical Center, in Denver, is facing a class action lawsuit alleging negligence regarding the hiring of an employee who, the three named plaintiffs Angelica Porras, Catherine Pecha and Gary Wolter, claim exposed themselves and other patients at the center to HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C.

Specifically, the Swedish Medical Center lawsuit claims the hospital negligently hired Rocky Allen, who has been indicted on two federal counts alleging he was caught stealing a syringe filled with fentanyl from an operating room. According to court documents, by the time the hospital hired Allen, he had been fired from four other hospitals. Further, he was court-martialed in 2011, when he was serving with the Navy in Afghanistan, for the theft of fentanyl. Court testimony revealed that he is carrying an undisclosed blood borne pathogen.

By the time Allen appeared on the doorstep of SMC in August 2015 looking for a job as a surgical technician, all the warning signs of what would later occur at SMC were present, the lawsuit states. Allen already had been terminated by numerous other hospitals for the exact conduct that has now exposed thousands of SMC patients at an increased risk of blood borne pathogens.

According to the complaint, despite having received negative test results for the three viruses, the three named plaintiffs were told that they remain at risk and should pursue continued blood testing.

The lawsuit claims the hospital negligently inflicted emotional distress and failed to properly supervise Allen after hiring him. The plaintiffs are seeking class-action status for anyone who had surgery at Swedish between August 17 and January 22. The hospital has offered free blood tests to 2,900 patients.

The named defendants are Swedish and its parent companies, Hospital Corp. of America and HealthONE of Denver Inc. The lawsuit also notes that another HealthONE hospital, Rose Medical Center, has experienced a drug-theft scandal. Yes, seem to remember that one.

Top Settlements

Wheelin & Dealin in the Worst Way? This is seriously uncoolMichael Mann, owner of Seattle-based Wheelchairs Plus, Inc., has been ordered to pony up $2.7 million to the Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who brought charges of consumer fraud against the company for overbilling Medicaid for some dodgy wheelchairs.

The facts, as reported, are that Mann billed the Medicaid program for 119 new wheelchairs, when in fact used wheelchairs were delivered to the disabled and poor across the state of Washington.

According to the allegations, between 2009 and 2012 Mann purchased used wheelchair parts from places including Craigslist and nursing home graveyards. He then assembled the mismatched parts into wheelchairs, painted them and sold them as new.

Fergusons office claims that Mann billed Medicaid as if these wheelchairs were new, unlawfully receiving $550,000 from the Medicaid program.

Wonder if there will be any new wheelchairs to replace the recycled ones?

OkThats a wrap folks! See you at the Bar!
           ,    rusi.org

   ,     .   ,         .

Land Forces



The land forces committed to Russias Syrian operation include:



A battalion tactical group of the 810th Marines Brigade (Sevastopol) which consists of the 542nd Marines Assault Battalion and the brigades command and control elements  approximately 580 men

162nd Separate Reconnaissance Battalion of the 7th Guards Air Assault Division (Novorossiysk)  approximately 320 men

Reconnaissance battalion of the 74th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (Yurga, Siberia)  approximately 440 men

A battalion tactical group of the 27th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (Moscow) consisting of two motor-rifle companies reinforced by one tank company  approximately 300 men

One Spetsnaz battalion probably of the 3rd Spetsnaz Brigade (Tolyatti, Saratov Province); it is possible that this battalion originates from the 22nd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade (Rostov-upon-Don)  230 men

A sniper team of the Senezh Brigade, SOF Command (Solnechnogorsk, Moscow Province)  unidentified number of men

Six 2A65 Msta-B towed howitzers from the howitzer battery of the 8th Artillery Regiment (Simferopol, Crimea)  seventy men

Eighteen 2A65 Msta-B howitzers from the howitzer battalion of the 120th Artillery Brigade (Kemerovo, Siberia)  270 men

Four 9A52 Smerch vehicles forming two MLRS batteries which might originate from the 439th Guards Rocket Artillery Brigade (Znamensk, Astrakhan Province)  5060 men

Six TOS-1A Solntsepek heavy flamethrower vehicles from one heavy flamethrower company of the 20th NRBC regiment (Nizhniy Novgorod)  thirty men

An electronic-warfare (EW) company with six R-330B UHF jamming stations, three R-378B HF jamming stations and six 1L29 SPR-2 Rtut-B radio-proximity-fuse jamming/initiation stations, most probably from the 64th Motor Rifle Brigade (Khabarovsk)  approximately sixty men

A long-range jamming (EW) company most likely of the 17th EW Brigade (Nizhneudinsk, Irkutsk Province) with one set (two vehicles) of 1RL257 Krasukha-4 aviation fire-control radar-jamming stations  approximately twenty men.



The overall size of the Russian forces land component in Syria appears to be approximately 2,400 men. There are signs that Russian artillery assets are already involved on an ad hoc basis in providing fire support for the Syrian army 4th Assault Corps operations near Aleppo and there are some reports of Russian artillery fire near Homs and Hama.

Air-Forces



The air-forces elements committed in Syria include:



Four Su-30SM heavy fighters of the 120th Mixed Air Regiment (Domna air base, Chita; all four aircraft positively identified with tail numbers 26, 27, 28, 29 red)

Four Su-34 bombers of the 47th Mixed Air Regiment (Buturlinovka, Voronezh Province; all four aircraft positively identified with tail numbers 21, 22, 25, 27 red)

Potentially between twenty-four and thirty Su-24M and Su-24M2 bombers (equivalent to the Tornado-GR) originating from the 2nd Guards Bomber Regiment (Shagol air base, Chelyabinsk; seven aircraft positively identified with tail numbers 04, 05, 08, 16, 25, 26, 27 white) and 277th Bomber Regiment (Khurba air base, Komsomolsk-upon-Amur; five aircraft positively identified with tail numbers 71, 72, 74, 75, 76 white)

Ten Su-25SM attack aircraft and two Su-25UB combat trainers of the 960th Attack Air Regiment (Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Krasnodar Province; all twelve aircraft positively identified  Su-25SM tail numbers 21, 22, 24, 29 red in brown-green-blue tri-colour camouflage scheme, and 25, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32 red in grey livery, and Su-25UB tail numbers 44, 53 red)

Twelve Mi-24PN gunship helicopters and two Mi-8AMTSh transport  air-support helicopters of the 113th Combat Helicopter Regiment (Novosibirsk; all fourteen helicopters positively identified  Mi-24PN tail numbers 03, 13, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 30, 34, 36, 37, 40 yellow, and Mi-8AMTSh tail numbers 212, 252 yellow)

Up to eight Mi-28N attack helicopters  most probably originating from the 2nd Squadron, 487th Helicopter Regiment (Budenovsk, Stavropol Province)

One Il-22M airborne command post/relay aircraft (registration number RA 75917) from the 144th AWACS Regiment (Ivanovo)

One or two Il-20M signals intelligence/jamming aircraft (tail numbers are not yet identified) of the 257th Mixed Air Regiment (Khabarovsk); there are some unconfirmed reports that one Il-20M aircraft has been operating from the Al-Takaddum air base near Baghdad in Iraq which might be one of the two aircraft deployed by the Russian Air-Space Forces to Syria

Six 96K6 Pantsyr-S1 (SA-22) vehicles forming one air-defence battery with logistics elements, probably originating from the 1537th Air Defence Regiment (Novorossiysk)  approximately ninety-five men

Airfield-logistics battalion  36080 men

Airfield-logistics company (helicopter)  90110 men

Communications and air-traffic-control battalion  24070 men.



The overall manpower of the Russian air component in Syria appears to be 1,200350 men, including 15080 pilots, 280 aviation technicians, 690760 men in aviation support and around 100 men in the air-defence battery. Air-traffic-control hardware and airfield support elements recently spotted aboard Russian ships in the Bosporus heading for Syria suggest that the Russian command might be considering the establishment of another air base in addition to the main Khmeimim air base which is adjacent to Bassel Al-Assad international airport. Although the majority of Russian air strikes originated from Khmeimim until recently, Il-20M, Il-22M and Mi-28 helicopters never used it as their operational base. However, there have been independent reports from both Russian and foreign sources referring to the presence of the Russian Il-20/Il-22 and Mi-28 in Syria. So these planes and helicopters most probably operate from unidentified alternative bases.



Elements of the air component started arriving in Syria in the second half of September and immediately began reconnaissance and familiarisation flights over Syria. It is noteworthy that during that period and until approximately 7 October, after the Russian deployment had been officially announced and Russian air strikes had begun, Russian aircraft flew with their national insignia painted over. This changed after 7 October when Russian insignia were restored on the combat jets. Meanwhile Russian helicopters continue to fly over Syria without any national insignia. A single Mi-8AMTSh 212 red is the only helicopter carrying the Russian Red Star insignia, thus being an exception to an otherwise common practice.

Naval Forces



As of 8 November, the Russian naval squadron operating near the Syrian coast consisted of the following combat ships:



Three ships of the 30th Division of surface combatants (Sevastopol, Black Sea Fleet) including the Slava-class/Project 1164 Moskva missile cruiser (hull number 121), the Krivak-class/ Project 1135 frigate Pytliviy (808) and Kashinclass/ Project 01090 destroyer Smetliviy (810)

One Nanuchka III-class/Project 12341 missile ship of the 166th Squadron of small missile ships (Novorossiysk, Black Sea Fleet), the Mirazh (617)

One Tarantul-III-class/Project 12411 missile boat of the 295th Squadron of missile boats (part of the 41st Brigade of missile boats, Sevastopol), R-109 (952)

One intelligence-gathering ship of the 72nd OSNAZ Squadron of intelligence-gathering ships (Baltiysk, Baltic Fleet), the Vasiliy Tatischev (SSV-231)

The 250th Squadron of surface ships (Makhachkala, Caspian Sea Flotilla) delivered the 3M14 Kalibr-NK cruise-missile strike from the Caspian Sea  four missile corvettes participated including one Project 11661K ship, the Dagestan (693); and three Project 21631 ships, the Grad Sviyazhsk (021), Uglich (022) and Velikiy Ustyug (023).



Naval forces (that is, their combat element, as the transport/supply element is discussed separately) are deployed near Syria with a dual role. Firstly, they are intended to deter potential Western interference in Russias Syrian enterprise. Secondly, they aim to provide additional signals intelligence (SIGINT) capabilities and powerful long-range air-defence coverage to prevent any establishment of a no-fly zone over the north of Syria. The Moskva cruiser, armed with S-300F Fort/SS-N-6 long-range air-defence system serves the latter purpose, while the Vasiliy Tatischev intelligence-gathering ship contributes to SIGINT-gathering operations, alongside Il-20M aircraft. The Moskva cruiser carries one S-300F battery capable of engaging six targets and has a capacity of sixty-four surface-to-air missiles. It is equivalent to the land-based S-300P/SA-10 system.

Transport Elements



The transport assets committed to the Syrian operation include:



At least three An-124 Condor heavy transport aircraft of the 566th Air Transport Regiment (Sescha air base, Bryansk; three aircraft have been positively identified with registration numbers RA-82035, RA-82039 and RA-82040)

Unidentified number of Il-76 Candid transport planes of the 12th Transport Air Division (Tver)

At least two Il-78 air tankers of the 8th Air Tanker Regiment (Tver)

Six amphibious ships of the 197th Brigade of amphibious ships (Sevastopol, Black Sea Fleet) including two Alligator-class/Project 1171, the Saratov (hull number 150) and Nikolay Filchenkov (152); and four Ropucha-class/Project 775, the Novocherkassk (142), Azov (151), Yamal (156) and Tsezar Kunikov (158)

One amphibious ship of the 121st Brigade of amphibious ships (Severomorsk, Northern Fleet), the Ropucha-class/Project 775 Aleksandr Otrakovskiy (031)

One amphibious ship of the 71st Brigade of amphibious ships (Baltiysk, Baltic Fleet), the Ropucha-class/Project 775 Korolev (130)

At least five to six transport ships of the 205th Squadron of auxiliary ships (Novorossiysk, Black Sea Fleet), the KIL-158 hulk ship, PM-56 repair ship (with voluminous holds); and ships recently bought by the Russian navy from foreign owners, including the already-identified Dvinitsa-50 (general cargo vessel, the former Alikan Deval registered in Turkey), Vologda-50 (general cargo vessel, the former Dadali, Turkey), Kazan-60 (general cargo/refrigerator vessel, the former Georgiy Agafonov, Ukraine which was bought by a suspicious Mongolian company, renamed Geo, then re-sold to the Russian navy) and Kyzyl-60 (unidentified previous name but the same type as Kazan-60)

One special transport ship of the 432nd Squadron of auxiliary ships (Severomorsk, Northern Fleet), the Yauza which is subordinated to the 12th GUMO, the nuclear-weapons directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD)

Seven and probably up to sixteen chartered cargo vessels including the Atlantic Prodigy (container ship, registered in Antigua and Barbuda); UCF6 (general cargo vessel, formerly the Zhejiang Hengyu 2 until 2014 which is now owned by the Russian company United Fleet and registered in Moldova); Kareem R (general cargo vessel, previously the Pioneer Kazakhstana, Cambodia); Transfair (general cargo vessel, previously the Captain Rashad, Panama); NS Concord (oil-products tanker owned by the Russian company Sovkomflot and registered in Liberia); Aleksandr Tkachenko (the roll on-roll off (RO-RO) ferry, which until recently served the ferry lane from mainland Russia to Crimea); and Novorossiysk RO-RO/passenger ship (previously the Ulusoy-1, then Soy-1 between July and November 2014, Palau)

Unidentified logistics and cargo-handling battalion (Tartus)  30050 men.



Delivery of cargo directly associated with the current Russian deployment to Syria started in ?? this year, when the frequency of Russian landing ships passing through the Turkish Straits almost doubled compared with the previous, normal level. It was carried out almost exclusively by sea until early September, when transport aircraft joined the operation. The naval part of Russias supply operation to Syria is unofficially referred to as the Syrian Express. It originates in the sea ports of Novorossyisk (Russia) and, surprisingly, Oktyabrsk (Ukraine), and terminates in Tartus and Latakia in Syria. The logistical requirements of the Russian forces in Syria (and possibly enhanced military supply efforts to President Bashar Al-Assads government) is so high that the Russian landing ships which operated the Syrian Express are now no longer sufficient. Therefore, the Russian navy has covertly bought eight to ten general-purpose cargo vessels from foreign owners and converted them into naval auxiliary transports (four of them are already positively identified and listed here). The commercial vessels involved in transportation of Russian military cargo to Syria switch off their automatic identification system (AIS) responders while approaching Syria or Novorossiysk as is common Russian practice. This is one of the tell-tale signs which allow outsiders to identify vessels participating in the Syrian Express.



The aerial part of the Russian supply operation is served by An-124 and Il-76 cargo planes departing from Krymsk and Mozdok air bases in southern Russia. Some loads are delivered by An-124 aircraft to Latakia, originating in Novosibirsk (Siberia). Tu-154 and Il-62M passenger planes operated by the Russian MoD are involved on an ad hoc basis in ferrying high-ranked officials between Russia and Syria. One notable example is Bashar Al-Assad himself who used a Russian MoD Il-62M aircraft to fly to Moscow for his snap visit in October and to return back to Syria afterwards.
- NNPC executive director in EFCC custody makes stunning revelations about Jonathan's administration

- Says he has no record of the monies issued to people who offered prayers against Boko Haram

- Promises to return the money to the EFCC from sales of his properties

Baba Kusa, the ex-NNPC executive director who made the stunning revelations about Goodluck Jonathan's sdministration.

Fresh revelations emanating from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have it that ex-president Goodluck Jonathan spent about N2.2billion on prayers to fight Boko Haram.

The Nation gathered from an executive director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Aminu Baba-Kusa, that the money was spent on prayers in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia to win the war against insurgency in the country.

This latest development is not part of the $2.1billion arms fund for which former National Security Adviser (NSA) Colonel Sambo Dasuki is being tried.

READ ALSO: Top Officials in Fayoses government arrested by DSS

The monies for the prayer, it was gathered, was disbursed through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), as proposed by Baba-Kusa.

Making this revelation was Baba-Kusa himself, in a statement of witness filed in the high court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where he, Dasuki and three others(Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited (owned by Baba-Kusa) and a former director of finance in ONSA, Shuaibu Salisu) are facing trials.

The NNPC director confessed that the money was spent on prayers to hasten the defeat of the insurgents, and that it was released in two tranches of N1,450,000,000 and N750,000,000, adding that the proposal was verbal.

Ex-president Goodluck Jonathan reportedly spent a huge amount of money on prayers to fight Boko Haram.

"I approached the former NSA and discussed Boko Haram problems and I suggested there is need for prayers and he considered and accepted in 2013 when he first came to office.

"I personally sponsored many people locally and some few to Saudi Arabia. Some monies were later paid into our companies, which we paid to some of the mallams.

"I then arranged to recover my personal expense which I put into our own businesses.

READ ALSO: Metuh loses suit against EFCC on fundamental human rights

"We have been spending a lot from our businesses and personal accounts. Money paid through UBA, First Bank and ECOBANK. For Acacia Holdings Limited(A/C 1017330319-UBA); ECOBANK(0122012650); and First Bank(Reliance Referral Hospitals Limited A/C 2022394057). The total amount is N2,200,000,000 from October 2014 to April 2015," Baba-Kusa confessed.

According to him, he may not be an expert, "but I used some of the mallams to organise in Abuja, Zaria, Kano, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Kaduna and Saudi Arabia covering 2013 to 2015.

Ex-president Jonathan and the former NSA, Sambo Dasuki are both in the eye of the storm over the arms procurement funds.

"I give them funds as required from time to time, ranging from N500,000 to N30million, depending on their needs, traveling, sadaqat and others for local expenses and travels to Saudi Arabia for Umrah and Hajj.

"I reminded the NSA many times before payments were made. We grew up together with the former NSA with common friends in ABU.

"Most of the payments in cash were meant to give out cash to people that have been organising prayers. Some transfers to Acacia to other banks were for logistics and also to some mallams in cash."

On how the prayer contract was arrived at, the suspect said: "The proposal made to the former NSA was not documented by him or myself. The verbal proposal to him was for prayers to overcome Boko Haram within the shortest possible time.

READ ALSO: Goodluck Jonathan beats Tinubu, Anan to prestigious prize

"The engagement for prayers by organising some people to be praying was not formally written down.

"There was no amount of money agreed on. I said to him, I will start organising, which he agreed and said he will see what he would give at a later time."

Baba-Kusa, who noted that he spent an estimate of over N700million from his own resources before asking for money from the ONSA, noted further that "some of these funds came from disposal of some of my land in Abuja. One in Maitama, one in Gudu and one in Guzape. The Maitama was a little over N200million; Guzape (N80m), Gudu(N18m)."

He added that he kept no records of the money he handed over to the various people they used, but assured the EFCC that he would refund the said cash if he is able to dispose off his landed properties.

"I am making efforts to dispose of my properties in Abuja which would be over the total amount of N2.2billion. If the sales go through and the amount from the sales is made in full, I will make full payment." he was quoted to have said.

The 19 charges against the five suspects read that, Baba-Kusa, Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited are alleged to have "between October 2014 and April 2015 in Abuja agreed to do an illegal act to wit: dishonestly receiving property to wit: an aggregate sum of N2,200,000,000 being part of the funds in the accounts of the Office of National Security Adviser and that the same act was fine in pursuance of the agreement among you and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Vol.4, LFN 2004."

Just yesterday, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, the Senate Majority Leader, stated that the former president should face trial if he instigated the sharing of $2.1billion given to Dasuki for the procurement of arms.

The Nation reports that Ndume expressed his opinion while speaking with journalists on Thursday, March 10, in Abuja.

The senator stressed that anybody who is involved in that blood money should be held responsible for the crime, while also lamenting that over 10,000 innocent people were slaughtered like chickens because the Nigerian army was not equipped and not well kitted.

Source: Legit.ng
As rich as the Nigerian culture is, it is filled with so many sentimental elements that prevents majority of the people from living satisfactory lives.

Not only do we cheat ourselves with the unreal ideologies, we also pass them on from generation to generation. These unreal ideologies confuse the younger generation by making them think it is the norm. They not only believe in these things, they work them into their personalities.

The world has grown past the era of myths and superstitious beliefs. Nigeria has inhibited her people in several ways because the culture hasnt given them the right to do certain things. Moreover, these things might not have been given any attention in other countries. These are misconceptions that should be trashed as they have had deleterious effects on life and would continue to do so unless checked.

Find below some of these misconceptions:

1. Family rites - You must deliver in your in-laws house

Some states in Nigeria have strong belief that every first born should be delivered in the native town of the unborn childs father. Not only is this ridiculous, they also put the lives of the laboring women in danger. Some even insist on naming the new born babies in the hometown of the father.

Do we really need to go through all that? Why stress the mother and child in order to fulfil some cultural belief? Do children born and named outside the country die if they arent taken to some town for christening?

2. Women should not be outspoken

The women are supposed to be quiet and submissive in Nigeria. Certain things are unspeakable; and in gatherings they are expected to comport themselves and not speak until they are allowed to. Asking a man out is not acceptable; you have to ignore the yearnings of your heart.

Speaking out will mean being defiant to the culture as our forefathers went through the same ordeal. That was then, this is a new era.

3. Not eligible for marriage after childbirth

It is widely believed that women who give birth outside marriage are considered second-hand goods. Presenting women like that to families automatically puts them to trials.

Not only are they taunted and mocked, they are condemned and considered ineligible. Should childbirth become a stigma again? Isnt it a good sign of productivity?

READ ALSO: 7 Reasons Why Women Leave Men They Love

4. Death rites

When people die in some parts of the country, the culture demands that the spouses especially women mourn the deaths for as long as possible. It is not in the cultures place to teach one emotion; and the culture shouldnt set rules for someone during this period.

Popular Nollywood actress being treated as a widow in a movie

More times than often, the culture inflicts more suffering on the bereaved families by asking certain things of them. Some shave the womens hair, prevents them from going out and wearing certain clothes. In extreme cases, the widow is expected to sleep in the same room with the corpse or drink the water used to bath the dead body in cases where shes accused of killing the deceased. Why not allow the law to take over instead of being mean?

5. You mustnt get married before your elder ones

This is another belief we have worked into the culture. Why do you have to wait for the people older than you in the family to get married before you present your partner? Some people have missed the opportunities of their lives by supposedly waiting for an older sister or to get married because the culture demands that.

What if she decides not to get married or has no suitors? Why do we have to live our lives based on someone elses standards?

READ ALSO: Benefits of being raised by a strong mother

6. Arranged marriages

Most times, the older ones have a way of hiding behind culture when they want to force their opinions on us. In many parts of the country, women dont have the right to choose their partners; instead, they are made to settle down with the choices made for them.

When questioned, they make references to them being forced into marriages when they were younger too. So you basically have to watch the love of your life get married to someone else because of the misconception caused by the cultural cliche.

7. Divorce

While it would be best to try and work things out in marriages, one doesnt need to stay in it if the union is pain-inflicting. Why endure an abusive relationship because the culture forbids you from doing so? Do you have to wait till your life is over before you start living? Why tie yourself to a marriage because of the children?

Wouldnt they grow and live their lives long after your demise? The culture shouldnt Lord a decision on us. They are simply basic rules we created as guides to healthy living. When they start to become burdensome, they should be changed.

Source: Legit.ng
- An explosion has reportedly started a fire at the Central Bank of Nigeria office in Calabar, Cross River state

- Many people are feared dead following the explosion

- The fire has been put out and the injured are receiving treatment

Emerging reports suggests that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) facility in Calabar, Cross River state is on fire. Many people are feared dead, with several others injured.

Sources say the explosion is said to be from one of the gas cylinders in the building.

CBN office in Calabar on fire

According to a source who spoke with The Trent, the explosion occurred at about 12:50 pm on Friday, March 11, 2016.

A resident named Gift Effiong said: I heard a loud explosion coming from CBN axis, the road is now blocked and motorists have been diverted to another route.

Another source told newsmen that the explosion was heard from within CBN and a fire started afterwards.

READ ALSO: Fire outbreak in UNILAG kills brother of Shehu Of Borno (photos)

It remains uncertain how many people have died from the fire incident, however, there are speculation that about 10 people were killed and over 30 injured in the incident.

Officials are yet give full details of the inferno, as rescue operations are still ongoing.

An ambulance at the Central Bank office in Calabar where an explosion has reportedly killed many

There were fire trucks in the premises of the bank and ambulances were coming in and out, conveying casualties.

Shattered glasses filled the CBN premises, as parts of the main bank building were damaged.

The Nation reports that men of the police, army, navy, civil defence and other paramilitary organizations were drafted to scene.

Relatives of staff could be seen crying at the gate of the bank. They demanded to see their relatives working in the bank.

Officials of the bank refused to comment, stating that they are too traumatized to speak.

Sources disclose that the fire has been put out and the injured are being treated. Many are feared dead.

The Commissioner of police, Henry Faidairo was on ground to inspect the scene.

Also available was the Acting Inspector General of police, Zone 6, Calabar, Baba-Adisa Bolanta.

Bolanta who also inspected the scene, said the explosion was suspected to be from gas within the central air-conditioning unit.

This is just an initial assessment, and it is not confirmed yet. It is when a final result has been given that we will confirm what really happened, he said.

Many people are feared dead following the fire at the CBN office in Calabar

Source: Legit.ng
- Executive director, Savannah Centre, Ambassador Omaki calls on President Muhammadu Buhari to hit the ground running

-Centre cautions that if care is not taken the huge expectations of the women and youths during the last general elections might soon turn to frustrations

-Centre supports Prof. Wole Soyinkas suggestion that Buharis government should immediately convene a national economic conference

An international centre for policy research, dialogue, advocacy and development, the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD) has reiterated the need for the President Buhari led-federal government to wake up from its slumber and get to work as soon as possible.

File photo of Ambassador Abdullahi Omaki

READ ALSO: Nationwide blackout: 9 power plants in Nigeria and their reduced mega watts

The executive director of the centre, Ambassador Abdullahi Omaki, in a press statement, on Tuesday, March 8, called on Buhari to promptly rise up to the challenges facing the country.

Expressing worries that close to 10 months after the commencement of the present government the huge expectations that were raised during elections are yet to receive adequate attention from the government, Ambassador Omaki said the centre is in support of Prof. Wole Soyinkas call for an immediate, all-inclusive national economic conference to ''discuss the nations priorities within available options.''

''The Savannah Centre however, remains worried and concerned about our state of the nation today. Ten months down the line of President Muhammadu Buharis led-federal government, the multitude of expectations that were raised prior to his election and inauguration, are yet to receive adequate attention from the government.

''The youth unemployment, a potential time-bomb for any nation remains worrying as no plan has been unveiled by the relevant ministry or government. Ditto the issue of pursing active diversification of the nations economy by focusing on the agricultural and solid minerals sector remains unseen as the two ministries appears unable to make prompt policy statements on what the nation must expect from the Ministries and time-lines,'' the statement read.

The centre also advised that the government not to wait until the massive support of youths and women during elections and ''their understandable expectations turn into frustration'' adding that the ruling party must make efforts to restructure and refurbish its manifesto and campaign promises in a way that will be transparent to the electorates.

Political parties, in particular, the ruling party must re-articulate and fine tune their manifesto and campaign promises as timely as possible and transparently inform the electorates as realities of the time entail.''

Meanwhile, the president in a recent interview with Al Jazeera has revealed that there are saboteurs in his government.

READ ALSO: Niger Delta is too important to be neglected  NDDC boss warns (photos)

Buhari defined the controversies surrounding the 2016 budget as unfortunate, saying those responsible for the shame will be punished.

Source: Legit.ng
- The federal government apologised for the hardship poor power imposed on Nigerians

- Alhaji Lai Mohammed in a statement revealed what caused the recent power problems

- Nigeri's power supply reduced from 5,074 MW to about 4,000MW

The federal government has revealed the cause of epileptic power supply in the country.

The minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement issued on March 11, in Abuja, published on the Facebook page of APC London, attributed the poor power supply to gas failure as well as sabotage and vandalization of the power infrastructure.

READ ALSO: Electricity supply drops below 2,000MW

Alhaji Lai Mohammed apologised for the hardship poor power caused Nigerians.

Source: UGC

The minister, who tendered an unreserved apology to Nigerians for the hardship caused by the development, said efforts are being made to resolve the situation and ensure a gradual improvement in the power situation.

There will be a decent improvement in the power situation from this weekend, thanks to ongoing remedial efforts that will double the current power supply to 4,000WM. Getting back to the 5,074MW all-time high that was reached earlier will take a few more weeks, he said.

Mohammed explained that the routine maintenance embarked upon by the Nigeria gas company affected the supply of gas to power stations, reducing power supply from an all-time high of 5,074 MW to about 4,000 MW, adding that a combination of unpleasant incidents further crashed the power supply to about half that figure.

The vandalization of the Forcados export pipelines forced oil companies to shut down, making it impossible for them to produce gas. Then, workers at the Ikeja Discos, who were protesting the disengagement of some of their colleagues after they failed the companys competency test, apparently colluded with the National Transmission Station in Osogbo to shut down transmission.

Finally, the unfortunate strike by the unions at the NNPC, over the restructuring of the Corporation, shut down the Itarogun Power Station, the biggest in the country. Due to these factors, only 13 out of the 24 power stations in the country are currently functioning. It is this same kind of unsavoury situation that has affected fuel supply and subjected Nigerians to untold hardship, Mohammed said.

He lamented a situation whereby some Nigerians, under the umbrella of different oil and gas unions or absolute vandalism, will always be sabotaging the nations power infrastructure.

READ ALSO: Buhari advised to take over Ministry of Power

The bitter truth is that for as along as these groups of Nigerians continue to sabotage the power infrastructure, Nigerians cannot enjoy a decent level of power supply. We therefore admonish all Nigerians who may be agitating for their rights in whatever form to refrain from any action that will further hurt the same people they claim to be protecting, Mohammed said.

Nigerians should be hopeful of an uninterrupted power supply as The Punch reports that Africas richest man and the president of Dangote Industries, Aliko Dangote, revealed that by 2018, his company should be able to generate about 12,000 megawatts of electricity for Nigeria. He made this known at the Nigerian Economic Summit which was organised by Economist Events in Lagos on March 7.

Meanwhile, power sector workers under the aegis of the National Union of Electricity Employees and Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies on Monday picketed the head office of the Ikeja Electric over the sacking of 400 workers of the company. The union last week Tuesday issued a seven-day ultimatum to the management of the company to recall the disengaged workers or face industrial action.

Source: Legit.ng
- On Saturday, March 5, Fulani herdsmen invaded Agatu LGA reportedly killing 300 people

- The death toll has been described as exaggerated by police

- A local woman said her son, a medical doctor, and her brother were killed during the attack

- She said the conflict between natives and herdsmen started long ago

- The minister of agriculture and rural development, Audu Ogbeh, a native of Idoma, said that no-one would drive the Idoma from their land

A herdsman escorting his cattle with AK47 riffle

A woman has told how her her son, a medical doctor, was killed in the conflict that engulfed the Agatu community in Benue state.

Kasuwa Gabriel, who spoke at the Agatu town hall meeting in Abuja on Friday, March 11, said the invasions by the herdsmen started in 2013.

On Saturday, March 5, some Fulani herdsmen invaded Agatu local government, an Idoma community in the north central Benue state.

The Fulani were reported to be bent on taking over the Agatu area. They were said to have indicated that the grass in the Agatu is good for their grazing animals.

Mrs Gabriel said that on that day she was out farming on her family's land when some herdsmen approached and pursued her and other women from the farmland.

I and the other women, we went back to tell our husbands that the Fulani people pursued us from the land, Gabriel said.

She said: My husband said why will that happen since we have never had problem with them, why are they wasting our crops?

Gabriel said the herdsmen, however, succeeded in overpowering the natives of the community, pursing them out of their homes.

She said the herdsmen also succeeded in killing her son who she managed to train as a medical doctor in a Nigerian university.

"My own brother who was living with me was also killed, she continued, speaking in Idoma dialect.

READ ALSO: Herdsmen attacks: FG plans 50,000 hectare grazing reserve in 6 months

Mrs Gabriel also said that she had no family members or relations and that the dress she was wearing at the meeting was given to her at an internally displaced camp in Otukpo, an area in Benue state.

Two other men from the Agatu community who spoke at the meeting said they were living off relief by good samaritans in Otukpo.

Also speaking, the chairman of Agatu network forum in Abuja, Chris Eneche, said it was important government takes adequate responsibility for those affected by the crisis in the area.

Eneche said compensation should be paid to immediate families, and there should be on the spot rehabilitation of schools, roads and various facilities destroyed by the herdsmen.

He also recommended the immediate relocation of the herdsmen from the affected communities, permanent military posts and rehabilitation of major roads for easy access by military personnel and relief material donated to those directly affected by the crisis.

The relief materials are coming, no doubt but you know what we call the Nigeria factor, the relief materials never get to these people who are displaced and need this items, Eneche said.

Also, the founder of the Brekete Family, a radio show in Abuja, Ahmed Isa, sympathizing with the Idoma people said it is difficult to understand why it took the Nigerian government a long time to act on the crisis in Agatu.

Isa, speaking in Pidgin English said: The thing wey dey happen for Agatu suppose chuck us for liver; I just dey wonder why it took the government so long to act on this.

He further encouraged a fundraising dinner for those affected and currently displaced by the massacre in the Agatu community.

He added that the accounts of the funds raised should be managed by those directly affected while the natives of Agatu and the Idoma people as a whole should be involved in supervising the use of the funds.

READ ALSO: Senate name those behind Agatu massacre

But a native of Idoma, Enyanatu Ifenne, said the crisis in the area must be handled immediately devoid of all political undertones.

Ifenne said: The crisis in Agatu is not a tribal war, it is not a religious war but a structural problem.

She said the structure of the Nigerian government system must redressed to meet the immediate needs of the people.

She said it is disheartening that when issues arise at the grassroots level it has to take the efforts of the state government or even the federal government to address such issues like the crisis in Agatu.

However, making an appearance, the minister of agriculture and rural development, Audu Ogbeh, who is also a native of Idoma said efforts are being made to ensure that the crisis is addressed.

I have told the president, we will move the cows to their states of origin, we have to grow the paddocks and move them, Ogbeh said.

The minister said he would meet with the inspector general of police, Solomon Arase, and the minister of internal affairs, Abdulrahman Dambazau, to ensure that measures are taken to prevent further attacks from the herdsmen.

Ogbeh said: Nobody is going to drive Idoma people out of Idoma land; we are hardworking, committed and hospitable people but nobody will drive us out of our land.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Senate has said that Boko Haram members are behind the March 5 killings in Agatu and not Fulani herdsmen.

The Senate in a resolution said the Boko Haram terrorists who parade themselves as herdsmen in these communities must be wiped out.

Source: Legit.ng
The Supervisory Board of Commerz Real AG has appointed two new members to the board of managing directors of the wholly-owned Commerzbank subsidiary.

Johannes Anschott (46), currently head of the Commerzbank branch for key accounts in Hamburg, is to join Commerz Real as of 1 April 2016, and as of 15...

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The new publication Property Market Trends, France Spring 2016 provides an in-depth assessment of the commercial real estate market in France and its future perspectives. On the rental market in Ile-de-France, the report identified several important trends. After a first half seeing take-up trending strongly downward, activity has been much

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M7 Real Estate has acquired a collective portfolio of 15 assets across three separate transactions in the Netherlands on behalf of its of its latest European investment fund M7 European Real Estate Investment Partners III. These transactions comprise the acquisition of the Frontier building in Delft, a fully let 10,000

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According to a Prague City Report by JLL, H2 2015 saw a further 1.45 billion of transactions to provide a full-year figure of 2.65 billion. This figure is 65% higher than the comparable 2014 figure, within 2% of the 2011 post-crisis high benchmark and ca. 8% below the 2007 country record.

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Vastned has appointed Alica van der Duin as Commercial Director. She will join the company on 1 April 2016. In her new role, she will be responsible for Vastned's Dutch property portfolio, including the commercial aspects of the portfolio, acquisitions and divestments. She will be working closely with the Dutch

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New research carried out by property consultancy JLL into the Welsh property market shows that Cardiff has the most acute shortage of Grade A office space of all the eight core UK regional markets. With 2015 being a record-breaking year for occupier and investor demand, the Welsh Government needs to

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A group of the Lomonosov Moscow State University scientists, together with their colleagues from the Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences and the King's College London, succeeded in sorting out the mechanism of Alzheimer's disease development and possibly distinguished its key trigger. Their article was published in Scientific Reports.

'Alzheimer's disease is a widespread degenerative damage of central nervous system leading to a loss of mental ability.'Until now it was considered incurable,' tells Vladimir Polshakov, the leading researcher, MSU Faculty of Fundamental Medicine. Though now scientists managed to distinguish the mechanism 'running' the disease development, so, a chance appeared to elaborate some new chemical compounds, that may work as an efficient cure.

Several hypotheses are dedicated to the Alzheimer's disease development. One of the most common is the so-called amyloid hypothesis.

Amyloids (to be precise, beta-amyloid peptides) are molecular constructions of a protein type and in its normal healthy state they provide a protection to the brain cells. They live fast, and having fulfilled their function they fall prey to the work of proteases, the cleaning enzymes that cut all the used protein elements into harmless 'slags' that are further reclaimed or removed from a body. However, according to the amyloid hypothesis, at some point something goes wrong, and the cells' protectors turn to be their killers. Moreover, those peptides start gathering, forming aggregations and hence getting out of the reach of proteases' cutting blades. Within the amyloid hypothesis this mechanism is more or less precisely described on the later stages of the disease, when the toxic aggregations appeared already and further, when the brain is covered with amyloid plaques. However, the early stage of a beta-amyloid transformation into harmful organic products is highly unexplored.

'We knew, for example, that a crucial role in initiation of such processes is played by ions of several transition metals, first of all -- zinc,' tells Vladimir Polshakov. 'Zinc actually conducts a number of useful and healthy functions in a brain, though in this case it was reasonably suspected as a 'pest', and particularly as an initiator of a cascade of processes, leading to theAlzheimer'sdisease. However, it remained unclear, what exactly happens during an interaction of zin? ions with peptide molecules, which amino acids bind zinc ions, and how such interaction stipulates a peptide aggregation. We set a goal to clarify at least some of those questions'.

Scientists studied various pathogenic beta-amyloid peptides, their so-called metal binding domains -- relatively short peptide regions, capable to bind metal ions. A number of experimental techniques were applied, including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, used to determine the structure of the forming molecular complexes. Some spectra requiring higher sensitivity were additionally measured in London. According to Polshakov, the choice of the studied pathogens was 'partly a luck'. One of the specimens was the product of so-called 'English mutation' -- peptide, different from a common beta-amyloid peptide only with one amino acid substitution. Using the NMR spectroscopy scientists managed to sort out chemical processes and structural changes while a peptide molecules interact with zinc ion and undergo further aggregation.

The second pathogen was an isomerized beta-amyloid peptide. It was not different from a normal one in its chemical composition, though one of its amino acid residues, aspartic acid, was in a form with a specific atomic positioning. Such isomerism happens spontaneously, without help of any enzymes, and is related to the ageing processes, another influential factor of the Alzheimer's disease. Fellow biologists from the Moscow's Institute of Molecular Biology showed recently, that administration of an isomerized peptide to transgenic mice led to an accelerated formation of amyloid plaques. With the presence of zinc ions, a metal binding domain of the isomerized peptide aggregated so fast that the forming structures were hard to detect. Though scientists managed to distinguish that despite all the differences in processes occurring to the 'English mutant' and isomerized peptide in presence of zinc ions, initial stages of these transformations were similar. The trigger happened to be the same -- a role of a pathogenic aggregation's seed was in both cases played by initially formed peptide dimers, i.e. two peptide molecules, connected to each other with help of zinc ion. Such dimers were also detected in normal human peptides, and the difference in all the studied forms could be explained by the speed of formation of corresponding dimer and its proneness to a further aggregation.

Based on their findings, researches proposed the mechanism of zinc-controlled transformation of a peptide-protector into a peptide-killer. That mechanism, scientists notice, explains multiple experimental data, not only gathered by the group, but also collected by their colleagues in other laboratories preoccupied with the Alzheimer's disease studies. Researchers also hope that thanks to a very certain targeting their discovery would help to produce new medicine capable to block beta-amyloid peptide aggregation stipulated by zinc ions.
Beyond the breakers, the ocean is like the Wild West. While not completely lawless, its vastness and remoteness make it hard to observe and more difficult to manage human activity.

Recently developed technology may change that. A navigational safety aid called AIS (Automatic Ship Identification Systems) -- which transmits publicly accessible data on the exact position of ocean-going vessels via satellite -- is not only useful for collision avoidance, but also has potential as a means of protecting ocean health. An international group of scientists explored exactly how the power of this information could be harnessed to intelligently manage sustainable futures for fish and fishermen across global oceans.

UC Santa Barbara's Douglas McCauley led the team that analyzed billions of vessel data points to answer two important questions: Is a new cohort of massive marine parks doing its job to stop illegal fishing? And can this data help back a planned United Nations treaty to better manage high seas biodiversity? Their results appear in the journal Science.

"The oceans are home to our planet's most spectacular wildlife, healthiest food and treasured ecosystems," said McCauley, an assistant professor in UCSB's Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology. "We need a new generation of smart observation tools to carefully manage the future of the ocean."

In the past five years, recognition of the diverse values of the ocean has fueled explosive global interest in setting up gigantic ocean parks, but little attention has been paid to how to protect them. In 2015, more of the ocean was protected in these massive parks than ever before.

"These new parks will be a game-changer for the oceans," McCauley said, "but only if they do what they promise." He contends that the new mega-park boundaries are too big to be enforced by boat or plane, but suggests that satellite observation could provide a solution.

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So the researchers took satellite-sourced AIS data for a test drive. They watched from thousands of miles away as Kiribati, one of the world's poorest countries, closed the waters around the Phoenix Islands to fishing on Jan. 1, 2015. Almost all fishing boats vacated this California-sized protected area right before it closed. One exception was reported to Kiribati, and officials interdicted and fined the vessel.

Last year, the United Nations committed to drawing up a new treaty to manage biodiversity in the 64 percent of global oceans in international waters. McCauley's team mapped out human use of the high seas in marine areas that lie beyond national boundaries, creating the world's first view of satellite-tracked fishing activity in the Pacific.

According to McCauley, the value of AIS data extends well beyond keeping track of where fishing takes place. He noted that this same data can be used to reduce collisions between whales and ships, to intelligently zone the ocean to keep wildlife safe and marine commerce flourishing, and to monitor the launch of seabed mining operations.

"Determining what is going on out there has previously been like assembling a puzzle in the dark," McCauley said. "But with this new data, it's like someone suddenly turned on the lights."

Nonetheless, the vessel-tracking data has its weaknesses. "The data is only as strong as the policy that backs it up," McCauley said. "Not enough vessels are using AIS transponders and nobody observes whether they are kept on and used properly."

The investigators argue that this poses a double threat to public safety and the environment. "We wouldn't allow airplane pilots to decide whether or not they keep their tracking systems on when landing at busy airports," said McCauley, who pointed out that most of the loopholes in this system could be closed with policy reform.

"For decades, we have been tracking other species -- from seabirds to sharks -- but now for the first time, we can understand our own ecology, and how and where we impact the oceans on a global scale," said co-author Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. "This is revolutionary information, both from a scientific and policy perspective."

The authors of the paper want to put the power of this new data in everyone's hands. To make that happen, a group called Global Fishing Watch aims to launch a tool that will allow anyone to make free use of AIS data on fishing.

McCauley suggests that in an increasingly crowded world, it is healthy and necessary to embrace smart tech like AIS. "With tools such as this, we stand a real chance of stopping activities that steal food and biodiversity from poor nations, of curbing social injustice at sea and of cooperatively managing a healthy future for our oceans," he said.
An estimated 3 million shipwrecks are scattered across the planet's oceans. Most maritime mishaps take place close to shore where hazards to navigation -- such as rocks, reefs, other submerged objects and vessel congestion -- are abundant. While there is a romantic association of shipwrecks and buried treasure, it is desirable to know where they are located for many other practical reasons. The ships may be of historical significance or, if the hard substrate of the ship has created a reef, of ecological significance. Modern-era shipwrecks are also commonly sources of pollution, leaking onboard fuel and corroded heavy metals. Nearshore shipwrecks can be navigational hazards themselves.

Researchers have found that shipwrecks near the coast can leave sediment plumes at the sea's surface that help reveal their location. Using data from the NASA/USGS Landsat 8 satellite, researchers have detected plumes extending as far as 4 kilometers (about 2.5 miles) downstream from shallow shipwreck sites. This discovery demonstrates for the first time how Landsat and Landsat-like satellites may be used to locate the watery graves of coastal shipwrecks.

A quarter of all shipwrecks may rest in the North Atlantic. In the narrow southern end of the North Sea, where the English coast is only 100 miles from the shores of Belgium and the Netherlands, World War II-era shipwrecks are plentiful. In this area, mines, submarines, other submersibles and warships targeted cargo ships sailing between Allied countries and Dutch and Belgian ports. The potential negative environmental impacts of these modern-era shipwrecks are substantial enough that the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly has recommended they be mapped and monitored.

While airborne lidar (which uses light pulses to measure distance) can be used to detect shipwrecks close to shore and multibeam echosounders and other sound-based methods can be used anywhere deep enough for a survey vessel to sail, the former method requires clear water and cost prohibits both methods from being used to conduct exhaustive coastal surveys.

A new study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science by authors Matthias Baeye and Michael Fettweis, from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences; Rory Quinn from Ulster University in Northern Ireland; and Samuel Deleu from Flemish Hydrography, Agency for Maritime and Coastal Services, aims to change things. The authors have found a way to use freely available Landsat satellite data to detect shipwrecks in sediment-laden coastal waters.

Their study, conducted in a coastal area off of the Belgium port of Zeebrugge, relied on a detailed multibeam echosounder survey of wreck sites, previously conducted by the Flemish government. This part of the Belgian coast is strewn with shipwrecks, in often sediment-laden waters.

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The researchers started with the known location of four fully submerged shipwrecks in their study site: the SS Sansip, which the authors explain was a 135 m (443 foot) U.S. Liberty ship that sank after striking a mine in December 1944; the SS Samvurn, a similar ship that met the same fate the very next month; as well as the SS Nippon, a ship that sank after a maritime collision in 1938; and the SS Neutron, a small 51 m (167 foot) steel cargo vessel that fell victim to an uncharted navigation hazard, presumed to be the SS Sansip.

Using 21 Landsat 8 images and tidal models, the researchers mapped sediment plumes extending from the wreck locations. They found that the two ships with substantial portions of their structure unburied created sediment plumes that could be traced downstream during ebb and flood tides.

The authors postulate that the exposed structure of these ships created scour pits that then fill with fine sediments (sand, clay, organic matter, etc.) during slack tides (the period of relatively still currents between ebb and flood tides). These scour pits then serve as sediment repositories from which sediments are re-suspended during flood and ebb tides. When these sediments reach the surface, they create their telltale plumes.

Uncharted shipwrecks could be located by using the researchers' methodology in reverse -- i.e., mapping sediment plumes during various tidal stages and then following the plumes upstream to their point of origin.

The study looked at shipwrecks in waters as deep as 15 m (50 feet); depth is an essential consideration as the re-suspended sediment plumes must reach the surface to be detected by optical satellites like Landsat.

Given that coastal waters are typically shallow, often sediment-laden, and where most shipwrecks occur, this new shipwreck detection method could prove useful for marine archaeologists.

The Landsat Program is a series of Earth observing satellite missions jointly managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey. Landsat satellites have been consistently gathering data about our planet since 1972. Landsat 8, designed with many evolutionary advances, launched in 2013.
The Secret Service Bureau was split into Home and Foreign Sections and Mansfield Cumming, a 50-year-old Royal Navy officer, was chosen to lead the latter.

He was an unusual choice, having neither intelligence experience nor linguistic skills. But he was recommended for the role due to special qualifications. He was, however, a workaholic and commenced his duties in October 1909, a week early. So it is no surprise that his diary entry for that first day stated that he 'went to the office and remained all day, but saw no one, nor was there anything to do there.'
The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) today determined that a U.S. industry is not materially injured or threatened with material injury by reason of imports of silicomanganese from Australia that the U.S. Department of Commerce has determined are sold in the United States at less than fair value.

All six Commissioners voted in the negative.

As a result of the USITCs negative determinations, no antidumping duties will be imposed.

The Commissions public report Silicomanganese from Australia (Investigation No. 731-TA-1269 (Final), USITC Publication 4600, April 2016) will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the investigation.

The report will be available by April 27, 2016; when available, it may be accessed on the USITC website at: http://pubapps.usitc.gov/applications/publogs/qry_publication_loglist.asp.



UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

Office of Industries

Washington, DC 20436

FACTUAL HIGHLIGHTS

Silicomanganese from Australia

Investigation No. 731-TA-1269 (Final)

Product Description: The scope of this investigation covers all forms, sizes and compositions of silicomanganese, except low-carbon silicomanganese, including silicomanganese briquettes, fines, and slag. Silicomanganese is properly classifiable under subheading 7202.30.0000 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). Low-carbon silicomanganese is excluded from the scope of this investigation. Low-carbon silicomanganese is classifiable under HTSUS subheading 7202.30.0000. The HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes. The written description of the scope is dispositive.

Status of Proceeding:

1. Type of investigation: Final antidumping.

2. Petitioner: Felman Production LLC, Letart, West Virginia.

3. Preliminary investigation instituted by the USITC: February 19, 2015.

4. USITC hearing: February 11, 2016.

5. USITC vote: March 11, 2016.

6. USITC views to the U.S. Department of Commerce: March 23, 2016.

U.S. Industry:

1. Number of producers in 2014: Two.

2. Location of producers plants: Ohio and West Virginia.

3. Employment of production and related workers in 2014: [1]

4. Apparent U.S. consumption in 2014: $464.7 million.

5. Ratio of the value of shipments of U.S. imports to total U.S. consumption in 2014: 1

Shipments of U.S. Imports:

1. From the subject country during 2014: 1

2. From other countries during 2014: 1

3. Leading sources during 2014: Georgia, South Africa and Australia (in terms of total value).
COMPANIES

Honest Co. rejects report on detergent

Honest Co., co-founded by Jessica Alba, is denying a news report that said its laundry detergent contained an ingredient that it promised its customers it would never use.

Alba helped found Honest about five years ago. It has grown rapidly, selling diapers, soap, lotion and cleaning products that it says are free of harsh chemicals. Late last year, it started selling lip gloss, blush and mascara under the brand Honest Beauty.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that it tested Honests detergent at two laboratories and found it contained sodium lauryl sulfate.

Honest said Friday that the detergent has no SLS but does contain sodium coco sulfate, an ingredient it says is a gentler alternative. It conducted rigorous testing and said the Journal is wrong and reckless.

The Journal said Friday that its report is accurate, fair and meets its standards.

Honest sells its products online and at Target, Whole Foods and other major stores around the country.

Target said Friday that it had no plans to remove the detergent from its store shelves. Whole Foods Market did not respond to a request for comment.

Honest also faces a class-action lawsuit brought by customers who say the companys sunscreen failed to protect them, causing sun burns, according to court documents. That case is pending.

 Associated Press

ENERGY

BP avoids suits citing U.S. drilling ban

BP will not have to face lawsuits from energy and oil-field-services companies over losses they blamed on the U.S. offshore drilling ban imposed after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

The court ruling eliminates one of the largest remaining categories of claims faced by London-based BP, which has paid more than $55.5 billion over the spill.

BP had denied liability for potentially billions of dollars in claims by companies that had to shut down drilling operations, sideline work crews and stall supply chains for months after the Obama administration halted deep-water drilling and slowed the issuing of permits for new wells after the largest offshore spill in U.S. history.

BP argued that federal law required such claims to be limited to economic losses that resulted from the spill itself, not from the action of a third party such as the federal government. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in New Orleans agreed, citing the Oil Pollution Act passed after the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska.

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Nick Bantocks Griffin and Sabine was published in 1991. I first encountered it in Brent Books, the glorious, now-vanished shop on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. It was right up front, on a big table full of new hardcovers. I picked it up, mistaking it for a childrens book. Hey, wait a minute, I thought as I flipped through it, this is definitely not for kids. I felt someones gaze and looked up. Stuart Brent himself was watching me. What do you think? he asked.

Its for grown-ups, I said.

He chuckled. Its different, isnt it? I got the feeling that he was enjoying watching readers try to figure it out, this odd book, this epistolary romance. Maybe he was also trying to ensure that we handled the book gently, as it was full of fragile envelopes and easily misplaced enclosures.

I had been waiting for such a book for a long time, and I bought it even though I was in art school and very broke. I was hungry for unusual books, artists books.

As bazillions of readers now know, Griffin and Sabine is the story of a lonely artist, Griffin Moss, who lives by himself in London and makes disquieting images for his own line of postcards. One day he receives a handmade card from a stranger, Sabine Strohem, who requests one of his goldfish/shattered-wine-glass postcards. She mentions casually that she approves of his decision to use the wine glass instead of the coffee cup he originally drew. How could she know? Griffin is perplexed and then astonished as Sabine reveals that she can see his drawings as he makes them. Sabine is an artist, too; she draws stamps for some tiny islands in the South Pacific. They fall in love through the post, trading strange images and life stories. There is a dark twist at the end, reality is called into question, and the story is left perfectly balanced between love and insanity. Its all very mysterious and satisfying. Hurrah!

From The Pharos Gate. (Nick Bantock)

Cue the revolution. Back in 1991, sitting on the El looking at my newly acquired book, I imagined that Griffin and Sabine would be the opening salvo in an invasion, that it would now be possible to publish sophisticated picture books meant for grown-ups and that artists would be allowed to venture away from material appropriate for kids into new forms, new combinations.

It took a long time and many more unusual books (most of them comics and graphic novels) to establish an audience, but we do now live in a publishing world that puts out a reasonable number of artists books, visual novels and other experiments on a somewhat regular basis. To a certain extent, Bantock made it safe for mainstream publishing to embrace visual narratives.

Griffin and Sabine led to five more books from Bantock featuring his post-crossed lovers. Things got kind of New Age-y there for a while, but Bantock managed to rescue the situation with self-deprecating humor, and the series rolled onward. It seemed to conclude twice, after the third and then the sixth book.

Now there is a seventh, The Pharos Gate. Chronologically, it fits between Book 3, The Golden Mean, and Book 4, The Gryphon. Its consistent with the previous books, both visually and tonally, as though everything really was made in 1991. Nothing much new is happening in The Pharos Gate, but we are given extra information about the perils that Griffin and Sabine encounter as they travel toward each other and finally meet. There is one moment of great beauty at the end that will be worth the price of admission for any reader who loves these characters.

One of the pleasures of this series is watching Bantock drawing in character. Griffins and Sabines personalities extend into the art they make for each other. Although the love letter seems to be a vanishing art, these books rejoice in the physicality and longing such letters embody. The books themselves are insistently physical, too, full of envelopes and notes, like wrapped presents on each page.

But the reader must make a few allowances. The world of Griffin and Sabine is not quite our world. There seem to be no telephones, and email is mentioned briefly in the fourth book only to be swiftly dismissed as a means of communication. These characters inhabit a realm of heightened emotion, sudden eruptions of malevolent creatures, implacable villains, exotic travel and fabulous stationery. In other words, this is the literary 19th century, magically manifesting itself in the present. Everything is extraordinary, Jungian, metaphysical. Their handwriting is exquisite, and money doesnt seem to be an issue for anyone. I cant imagine Griffin taking out the trash or Sabine washing dishes; daily life isnt possible for them, and they are never called upon to cope with happily (or unhappily) ever after.

But hey, why not just roll with it? Its no more and no less believable than Italo Calvinos worlds, or those of Jorge Luis Borges, George R.R. Martin, Margaret Atwood or Philip Pullman. These are enjoyable, lovely books that appeal to incurable romantics and people who like to open mail. How delightful it is to have this new one. Hurrah!

From The Pharos Gate. (Nick Bantock)

Audrey Niffenegger is the author, most recently, of Raven Girl.


Actor Henry Winkler poses for a portrait with his spider plant at his home on Feb. 8, 2016. This plant was smuggled out of Nazi Europe in 1939 when his family escaped. He cut a spring of that plant and has kept it with him, nurturing it and now preparing to give sprigs to his kids. (Emily Berl)

Everybody got a cutting.

Henry Winkler is jumping back to West 78th Street now, telling the story of a plant. Its not just the story of a plant, its likely the only story of a plant that includes an escape from Nazi Germany, the sitcom hero named the Fonz and the acclaimed Amazon series Transparent.

But lets get back to the story.

I grew up with a woman, Tanta Erma, Winkler explains.

Erma wasnt a blood relative. Almost all of Winklers extended family died during World War II. Harry and Ilse, his parents, somehow managed to escape. That was 1939. How close a call was it? Harrys brother, who decided to wait an extra day to get his dinner jacket back from the cleaners, did not get out.

In New York, a community of German exiles formed a kind of family. They were joined, a few years later, by Tanta Erma. She was older and became part of Winklers extended family, the neighborhood of German immigrants who helped found Congregation Habonim.

Erma had been smuggled out of Germany in a coffin.

And at her feet was this plant, Winkler says.

Henry Winkler is 70 now, with gray hair and grandchildren. But he still looks like he could throw on his leather jacket, pound the juke box and deliver a double-thumbed correctamundo!

On Happy Days, the smash sitcom that ran from 1974 to 1984, Winkler first met lifelong friend Ron Howard, who played Richie Cunningham, and introduced the world to the expression jump the shark, a reference to the 1977 story line during which his character literally did just that.

Winklers post-Fonzie career has been diverse, from executive producing MacGyver to a slew of small but memorable roles in The Waterboy and Scream and his turn as attorney Barry Zuckerkorn in Arrested Development.

And through the decades, from that boyhood apartment on West 78th Street in New York to his current home in Hollywood, Winkler has kept his precious spider plant. Today, it hangs outside the kitchen door in a thicket of bamboo.

The green-and-white leaves flow out of a small, brown pot. He feeds it unceremoniously with a thrust of the metal bowl he keeps on the narrow porch that hangs over the yard where his dogs roam.

Back in the mid-70s, after Winkler had found success, he headed back to New York for a few possessions. He grabbed a plastic pistol and holster he got in sixth grade and a pair of wooden, carved beavers from a trip to Switzerland as a teenager. Then he sliced off a sprig of the spider plant.

It was only instinctual, not intellectual, he says. I grew up with it, I heard the story, and I thought maybe its my responsibility to make sure it lives.

Years later, Jill Soloway, the creator of Transparent, the transgender comedy starring Jeffrey Tambor, heard Winkler reference the spider plant during an interview on the WTF With Marc Maron podcast. She invited him to visit the shows set. Winkler brought a clipping from the spider plant.

We didnt totally understand what he meant when he told the story, Soloway says now. The person in the casket with it. Was the person dead? No, the person was in the casket pretending to be dead. We asked him about his dad, his family, the personalities of his parents.

Winkler talked of it all. He told them how his father managed to smuggle the familys jewelry into the States. Harry melted chocolate over the precious items and didnt flinch when asked by the Nazis if he had any valuables. No. And then Harry proceeded to leave with the box of chocolates under his arm.

During its second season, Soloway wrote this into Transparent  with Winklers permission  as the show flashed back to 1930s Berlin.

And the plant? It didnt end up on the screen. But Soloway kept it as a symbol, watering it and keeping it in the writers room for inspiration.

Its kind of crazy we have it here, she says. Its a beautiful story.



A spider plant owned by actor Henry Winkler is pictured here at his home. (Emily Berl)

For Winkler, the plant is a symbol of grit and perseverance. It also links him to a difficult past.

He was born in 1945, six years after his parents escaped. And what he learned most from Harry and Ilse, he says, was how not to parent. As a boy, Winkler struggled in school and, at one point, his father gave him the nickname, dummer hund, or dumb dog. As a teenager, Winkler would go to summer school  every summer  to try to pass the same introductory geometry class. Finally, the summer after his class graduated, Winkler eked out a D-minus. He got his diploma in the mail.

It would be years before he would be diagnosed with dyslexia, a reading disorder.

Fifty-three years later, Winkler still gets angry about his struggle.

Here we are and after all this time, not one human being has ever said the word hypotenuse, he says. What were they thinking? Why did I have to be humiliated, worried, work so hard, feel so horrible and feel humiliated that I didnt walk with my class?

The answer, for Winkler, came in the mid-1970s. Thats when he was diagnosed.

It was like a miracle, recalls Howard, now a film director. Finally, an answer. It was such a relief to him, to actually understand this thing. That hed been struggling with his whole life. He was the first one who explained dyslexia to me.

None of this  the poor grades, the stumbling over scripts  had been his fault. Recognizing, though, does not mean forgiving. Winkler had tried to make peace with his father in his early 20s. Today, sitting in his living room nearly a half-century later, he slips into a thick, German accent.

Yeah, Im a terrible father, he says, recounting his fathers response. I gave you all this.

Howard, who still remembers Winkler entertaining his co-stars with that accent, knows that the comedy only masked the sadness. Now, when Howard considers his friend and the plant he has maintained for all these years, he imagines a deeper theme at play.

Those are the lost roots, Howard says. Hes a family man, and thats a significant vacuum in his mind and in his heart.

When he speaks at events on dyslexia, Winkler will share this frustration. He shows a photograph, taken on Feb. 13, 1980, at his commercial peak. In the frame, he is at the Smithsonian during a packed news conference to donate his Happy Days leather jacket.

In the photo, watching proudly, are his parents.

I will say, The short Germans are behind me,  Winkler says, and it gets a big laugh. And here I get serious. I say, I didnt need them to be proud then. I needed them to be there when I could not figure anything out. 

His parents died in the 1990s, but that hasnt dulled his emotions.

You know what I mourn, he says. I mourn when I hear other people say, My parents were my best friends. Im so grateful my parents are still alive. I think, I dont have the slightest idea how you can have that thought. 



Actor Henry Winkler poses for a portrait with his spider plant at his home on Feb. 8, 2016. (Emily Berl)

With the childhood wounds still raw, Winkler chose a path once thought unlikely for a man who used to stumble over his scripts. He decided to become a writer.

He has a partner, Lin Oliver, who works to flesh out the adventures of Hank Zipzer, the worlds best underachiever. Since 2003, the pair have published six of the books, which are aimed for children ages 8 to 12. The seventh, You Cant Drink a Meatball Through a Straw, is out this month.

The theme of my life, the theme of what I say to every child is, No matter how difficult it is for you to learn, it has nothing to do with how brilliant you are. And thats Hank. And the emotion is real. When he is really scared and cant figure it out and he hates his brain, I go back to being 8, to being in my room.

The difference here is that Hank embraces what makes him different. If he cant do it the right way, he simply does it his way. And because Winkler is pulling the strings, he can create a happy ending.

He is asked what that spider plant, which he clipped without much thought so long ago, means to him. This time, Winkler doesnt hesitate.

Life, tenacity and will.

Correction: An earlier version of this story said that Henry Winklers character on the television show Arrested Development was Barry Zuckerberg. His characters name was Barry Zuckerkorn.
Ken Adam stood in front of one of his futuristic designs at the exhibition James Bond  Berlin  Hollywood in 2002. (Jens Meyer/AP)

Ken Adam, an Oscar-winning movie production designer who gave Dr. Strangelove its cavernous War Room and James Bond villains their futuristic lairs, died March 10 at his home in London. He was 95.

His biographer, Christopher Frayling, confirmed the death but did not cite a cause.

In a career that spanned more than 70 films, Mr. Adam worked on some of the defining films of the Cold War, but he shared two Academy Awards for costume dramas: Barry Lyndon (1975) and The Madness of King George (1994).

He was revered for his indelible set artistry, no matter the era, but he mostly was remembered setting the visual style for seven Bond movies, one of the most popular film franchises of all time. He was behind the Fort Knox vaults of Goldfinger (1964), the volcano crater hideaway of You Only Live Twice (1967) and Bonds gadget-filled Aston Martin.

Bond gave me a chance to express the neurotic electronic world we are living in which, up to then, I hadnt seen in the cinema, unless you go back to Fritz Langs Metropolis,  Mr. Adam told the London Independent, referring to the silent German expressionist drama about a repressive future society. Everything I did was always tongue in cheek.

Ken Adam, the set designer for the early Bond films, looks on at the "For Your Eyes Only, Ian Fleming and James Bond" exhibition at the Imperial War Museum in London. (Matt Dunham/AP)

In one memorable Goldfinger scene, Bond is captured by the title villain and is forcibly held spread-eagle on a table as a laser beam inches toward his crotch. Do you expect me to talk? Bond, played by Sean Connery, asks fearfully.

No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die, replies Goldfinger, portrayed by Gert Frobe.

As Mr. Adam told the Los Angeles Times last year, laser technology was a new phenomenon and the beam was a prop. The table was, in fact, being sawed from underneath. Sean was absolutely terrified, Mr. Adam recalled.

In You Only Live Twice, the book by Bond creator Ian Fleming, the lair for terrorist Ernst Blofeld was a Japanese castle. But Mr. Adam and Bond film producer Albert Cubby Broccoli dismissed the castle as not that interesting for a film.

Instead, they helicoptered around Japan until spotting, as Mr. Adam recalled, this incredible volcanic area.

They agreed that it would be terrific fun to set Blofelds headquarters in an extinct volcano.

And I made a quick sketch and Cubby saw it and he said, If I give you a million dollars, do you think you can do it?  he told the London Daily Telegraph. It took months to create, but at the end he built a 110-foot-high volcano at Shepperton Studios, one of the biggest sets ever built in England.

A scene from the War Room in Dr. Strangelove. (AFI stills collection)

Mr. Adam was nearly undone by the stress. I broke out in eczema, he said, and started taking tranquilizers and so on.

In the art of production design, Mr. Adams work on Stanley Kubricks 1964 Dr. Strangelove is widely considered among the crafts highest achievements.

His enormous, expressionistic set evoked a bomb shelter with a circular, lamp-lit table in the middle, designed to suggest a poker table. It was here where Peter Sellers, playing the U.S. president (one of his three roles), famously chastised a tussling Air Force general and Russian ambassador: Gentlemen, you cant fight in here. This is the War Room!

Mr. Adams other memorable inventions included the winged automobile of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968); the torture chambers of The Ipcress File (1965), a first-rate espionage film starring Michael Caine; and the gothic home in Addams Family Values (1993).

Klaus Hugo Adam was born in Berlin on Feb. 5, 1921. His family, which was Jewish, fled with the Nazi rise in 1934 and settled in London.

As a young man, Mr. Adam became enraptured by German Expressionist silent films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) and Langs The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933).

They were so theatrical, these artists who dreamt up these fantastic dreamlike environments, and it struck a note with me, he told the Telegraph. He added that his mothers boarding house attracted a hodgepodge collection of people from all over Europe, and normally quite famous, you know, either as doctors or scientists or writers.

Among the visitors was Hungarian refugee Vincent Korda, a painter who won the Oscar for color art direction on The Thief of Bagdad (1940). Kordas older brothers Alexander and Zoltan were leading figures in the British and American film industries.

Vincent Korda urged Mr. Adam to study architecture, a background that would later prove useful for production design when he entered the film industry in the late 1940s as a draftsman.

He volunteered during World War II and was one of only a handful of German-born pilots to fly for the Royal Air Force. Later, his flying experience would inspire the ejector seat of 007s Aston Martin.

He was hired to assist veteran designer William Cameron Menzies (Gone With the Wind) on the Oscar-winning 1956 film Around the World in 80 Days.

Menzies was an experienced, brilliant designer, and I was a relative newcomer, Mr. Adam told the Times. Unfortunately, he was already drinking a lot at that time. But he inspired me and told me to forget my inhibitions and let myself go.

Mr. Adam caught the eye of Broccoli who, after hiring him for The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960), enlisted the set designer for Dr. No (1962), the first Bond film.

Sets created by Mr. Adam  like the interior of the British Secret Service headquarters and Dr. Nos base  created a template for the franchise that would follow. He continued to be instrumental in crafting the backdrops, props and torture devices that helped define the Bond world in Thunderball (1965), Diamonds are Forever (1971) and Moonraker (1979).

While Mr. Adams production design on Bond allowed his fantastical imagination to roam free, working with Kubrick was a more strained process.

I dont think I ever had such a close relationship with a director as I had with Stanley, he told the Telegraph. But he was extremely complicated himself. And in terms of design, he questioned every line I drew, and I found that nerve-destroying, to intellectually justify my lines. It became like a session in psychoanalysis.

They later reunited on Barry Lyndon, based on a William Makepeace Thackeray novel about an 18th-century Irish fortune-seeker. During shooting in Ireland, Mr. Adam was hospitalized because of the stress. The film, starring American actor Ryan ONeal, was an expensive flop. But it earned Mr. Adam his first Oscar, which he shared with Vernon Dixon and Roy Walker.

For The Madness of King George, he shared Oscar honors with Carolyn Scott.

Mr. Adam was knighted in 2003, a first for a production designer.

Survivors include his wife, Maria Letizia, whom he married in 1952.
Late last year, while attending an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, I came across a 3,000-year-old clay model of an ancient Egyptian granary. This was months after Republican Ben Carson, then still a presidential candidate, confirmed his belief that the pyramids of ancient Egypt may have been used to store grain  an idea universally discounted by Egyptologists. Here, miraculously preserved for thousands of years, was incontestable proof of what a real Egyptian granary may have looked like.

Anyone who loves art and follows politics will recognize this feeling: the sense that if only politicians knew more about art, they would know more about the world  and themselves. Many of the things that have baffled and astounded us in this bizarre political season  the strange gaffes, the weird spectacle, the shameless games with truth and illusion  are not particularly surprising if you spend much time at all in museums. What artists can imagine outstrips any of the accidental folly and tinsel theater of terrestrial politics.

Sometimes politicians inspire no thoughts of art at all. But then there are times when you are looking at a work of art and you realize it perfectly prefigures and more completely embodies a lesser phenomenon in the political spectrum. Here are five of those moments, five interconnections between what one finds in museums and what one finds on the gibbering screens of cable television, the chatter of pundits, the packaged rhetoric and messaging of the campaign trail, in all its vainglory.



The Treachery of Images (This is Not a Pipe) by Rene Francois Ghislain Magritte. (Heritage Image Partnership Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo)

Donald Trump: This Is Unbelievable

In 1928, Rene Magritte painted what remains probably his best-known work, The Treachery of Images, a rendering of a pipe above the words This is not a pipe. The painting is a favorite of college kids, a staple on dorm walls and often reproduced not only to illustrate accounts of surrealism, but also to introduce a fundamental idea about signs and what they signify. This is not a pipe is literally true, given that a painted image isnt the thing itself. But it also introduces layers of irony into what the image represents and what the painter is trying to do. The painting may not be an actual pipe, but it sure looks like a pipe, and one wonders whether Magritte is asking us to deny the reality right before eyes.

A painting that showed Republican front-runner Donald Trump with the words This is not a politician underneath it would pretty well sum up his campaign. He is not a politician, in the sense that he presents himself as an outsider, a businessman unsullied by the insider ways of Washington. But he is clearly an expert politician  and the first American presidential aspirant to master the media dynamics of the new reality-television political landscape. He is also the first serious political contender to successfully manipulate the kind of irony embedded in Magrittes painting.

Modern American irony is a complicated thing. On late-night television, it functions as a kind of sarcasm and knowingness, a cosmopolitan eye roll at the absurdity of life. But one also sees a darker American irony at work on social media, where people post comments that are not, word for word, racist, xenophobic or homophobic but are clearly meant that way. Everyone, to some degree, has mastered the dog whistle.

Meanwhile, the spectacle of self-contradiction  Trump says one thing today and the opposite tomorrow  becomes so familiar that gotcha videos juxtaposing his wildly incompatible claims have lost their impact. To overlook those contradictions requires that voters treat them rather like Magrittes claim about his pipe: Its true in a way, but its also not.

Political analysts have detected anger as the fundamental fuel of Trumps insurgent campaign. But it also represents the moment when the wink-and-nod irony of progressive urban enclaves arrived wholesale among conservative voters across the country.

They know full well that this is not a pipe, but theyre happy to vote for the pipe because its fun and empowering to participate in this hip new relationship to truth.



"Fragment from Homage to New York by Jean Tinguely. (MOMA N.Y/Art Resource)

Hillary Clinton: The Kinetic Machine

In New Yorks Museum of Modern Art is a curious contraption with several wheels, metal containers, axles and pipes and what may be a tattered flag hanging from an improvised flagpole. It looks a bit like some fanciful machine you might find being pushed around a candy-colored landscape in a Dr. Seuss book. It is called Fragment From Homage to New York, and it was made by the Swiss artist Jean Tinguely in 1960.

In the early 1960s, Tinguely explored what is known as kinetic sculpture, literally sculpture that moves. But he did it with a particularly sharp sense of the absurd and tragic, creating works that he said were self-constructing and self-destroying. The work in the MoMA collection is one of the remaining pieces of a larger machine that included a meteorological balloon, a bathtub, a piano and several motors, which were put into motion March 18, 1960, in a bizarre spectacle staged in the museums courtyard. Films of it can be found on YouTube.

If you have paid attention to politics over the past quarter-century and the dominant role played by Bill and Hillary Clinton during that period, the words self-constructing and self-destroying will have powerful resonance. Its not uncommon for commentators to speak of the Clinton machine, sometimes a sneering allusion to the networks of power and influence that governed inner-city politics a century ago, sometimes an admiring acknowledgment of the formidable power base they have built.

But what does that machine look like? Does it have the engineered perfection of a perfect minimalist object? The fetish finish sheen so beloved of Southern California artists in the 1960s and 70s?

In fact, the Clinton machine looks like one of Tinguelys contraptions, curiously chaotic, jangling and clanking in all directions. Often, like Tinguelys work, the political spectacle of the Clintons seems strikingly overwrought, dependent on a lot of moving parts to perform what should be a simple motion. The most striking example of that, this campaign season, came during a Hillary Clinton interview with Scott Pelley in which Clinton was asked whether she could say, as Jimmy Carter once did, that she would never lie to the American people. Her meandering and overly voluble temporizing was a perfect rhetorical analogue to Tinguelys mechanical circus.

When Tinguely set his Homage to New York in motion, it began to auto destruct as planned. But as it burst into flames, someone called the fire department, which shut down the performance, adding a new layer of irony to the show. A self-destructing machine had been robbed of its true destiny by an unwanted intervention. In a sense, it failed before it could fail.

That has been, for a generation, the most fascinating thing about the Clintons  their extraordinary will to power, their odd capacity to undermine their own success and the magnificent, mesmerizing spectacle of their resilience.



Andy Warhol's "Heinz Tomato Ketchup Box," "Brillo Box (Soap Pads)" and "Campbells Tomato Juice Box. (David Goldman/AP)

Jeb Bush: A Pop Art Implosion

More than any other politician in the race for his partys nomination, Jeb Bush received brutal scrutiny for his campaign logo. It spelled out his name  Jeb  in bold red letters, followed by an exclamation point. And it was the punctuation mark, so enthusiastic, so eager, so cravenly endearing, that brought on the pummeling.

All logos are reductive, but the bold color, the pithiness, the implication of first-name familiarity and, yes, the exclamation point made this the great pop-art image of the campaign. Although we associate pop art mainly with commercial imagery and Hollywood iconography  Coca-Cola, Brillo Boxes and Marilyn Monroe  it also borrowed heavily from political imagery, including depictions of Mao Zedong and the Kennedys.

Pop art played a complicated game with its borrowings, and one could never be quite sure when the perverse beauty it found in magazine ads hawking soap, soda or sex was meant as criticism of consumerist society and when the artists were simply reveling in the pure visual spectacle they found everywhere on display in the 1960s. Eventually, many pop artists created works that had the same sheen, the same pithiness, the same urgent perfection as the popular imagery they appropriated.

So the Jeb! logo emerged against the backdrop of more than a half-century of commerce among art and politics and visual representation. It was the Robert Indiana Love sculpture as political brand. And that was a problem. Bush was competing with candidates who specialized in presenting an unpackaged image, yet he came out of the starting gate with a pop-infused logo that reeked not just of marketing, but also a slippery insincerity. In purely visual terms, it looked old-fashioned, like something you find in a museum, where the wall text tells you, This is about the ironic appropriation and commercial exploitation of images.



A replica of the statue Laocoon and His Sons at the National Museum in Bogota. (William Fernando Martinez/AP)

Chris Christie: Rococo Suffering

After the Trojans brought a wooden horse into their city, the priest Laocoon warned them it was all a ruse: Either there are Greeks in hiding, concealed by the wood, he said, or it hides some other trick. They didnt heed his advice, just as voters in New Hampshire didnt heed Republican candidate Chris Christies advice to beware the Donald Trump.

But it was the agony that came later that connects Christie to one of the most famous statues of all time, the Laocoon group. The statue represents one of the most dramatic no good deed goes unpunished moments in ancient literature, from Virgils Aeneid, when Laocoon and his sons are devoured by a gigantic serpent at the behest of Poseidon, who sided with the Greeks against the Trojans.

The style is often referred to as Pergamene baroque  Pergamene for its stylistic connection to the artists of Pergamon, a Greek kingdom that emerged after the death of Alexander the Great, and baroque for the extremity of its emotion and the sinuousness of how it is presented.

If one wanted to capture all the ways this current campaign season breaks the rules, baroque wouldnt be a bad label. Its not just that emotions are running high, but also that all the old rules, boundaries and categories are being violated. Even today, many people will look at some of the extremes of late baroque architecture  for example, the 18th-century Rococo effusions of the Wieskirche in Bavaria, in which seemingly incidental ornament overwhelms structure and solidity  and think only one thing: They were crazy.

Christies endorsement of Trump was one of the great Rococo moments of the still-developing campaign, and when he appeared uncomfortable standing behind Trump at a campaign event, the videos went viral. His face was scrutinized for signs of internal pain, and the collective Poseidon took its revenge.

One of the most powerful things about the Laocoon is how it disconnects suffering from any kind of redeeming message or meaning. It is about the ugly politics of the Trojan War, the fickle Gods, the shifting alliances, the brute hatred animating everyone. Christies decision was entirely his own, and he must have been fully aware of the opprobrium it would inspire in many circles. But the whole spectacle of his suffering wasnt just baroque in its intensity  it shared the spirit of the Laocoon depiction of meaningless, amoral, unproductive agony.



A man walks past a painting of late Cuban revolutionary hero Ernesto "Che" Guevara in Havana. (Enrique De La Osa/Reuters)

Bernie Sanders: Wheres Che?

Bernie Sanders has never shied away from his self-definition as a democratic socialist, but its one of the strange visual quirks of the campaign that Sanders memes dont really exploit that. With Sanders, its the missing images that are most striking. Where is Sanders as Che Guevara? Where are the Shepard Fairey-style poster images of Sanders?

They do exist  on the Internet, everything exists, and images are made and repurposed so rapidly that it is almost impossible to track their provenance. What matters is how they circulate, and whether they gain traction, and the curious thing about Sanders is that the traditional visual vocabulary of socialism hasnt really attached itself to him. The Soviet-style propaganda-poster memes havent gathered much momentum.

This may have to do with the generational shift in the resonance of the word socialist. One of the creepiest images to emerge in President Obamas 2008 campaign was a picture of the candidates face covered in the lurid and messy Joker makeup from the flick The Dark Knight. Underneath Obamas face was the single word, and accusation: Socialism.

And yet Sanders, who has embraced the label, has been relatively immune to the visual mockery that might come with it. This may also be related to a larger gap between the optic richness of the Republican campaign and the relatively sedate visuals of the Democratic competition. Nothing the Democrats have produced can match the spectacle of Air Force One as a backdrop to the debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. Nothing has been quite so surreal as the confusion over entrances at the GOP debate in Manchester, N.H., in February. And neither Sanders nor Clinton has been as adept at creating clear, mental pictures of each other as has Trump when he mocks his opponents (the allusion to menstrual fluids, or the jibes at Clintons bathroom breaks).

But mainly, the disconnect between Sanderss embrace of socialism and the curious lack of socialist imagery is explained by the fading power of the old leftist visual vocabulary. Like the word itself, the images dont threaten the younger generation, who are listening to Sanders without the baggage that socialism once carried.

And so it is a visual absence that may matter most this campaign cycle: Sanders managed to put into circulation old ideas about social justice without animating the usual visual caricature those ideas would have attracted even eight years ago.
There are no people in the 10 artworks that constitute Elemental Perspectives: Land, Sea + Sky, and most of the pieces seem to depict a world beyond human awareness or influence. Of the four artists in the Adamson Gallery show, however, one is very concerned with what men do, and its not a pretty story.

The most ravishing of the pictures are five photographs by Carolyn Marks Blackwood, who frames squares of sea or sky. Red-orange dominates a picture in which the sun seems to singe the image from the bottom; in a less abstract (if still rather psychedelic) photo, coral tones are reflected on partly dark clouds amid a blue sky. More quietly, the elegant Blue Shift V pits azure swells against the silvery ripples also seen in two other water photos.

Shades of platinum gray are the only colors in compositions by Renate Aller and Robert Longo. Aller, like Blackwood, finds profoundly open spaces not far from Manhattan; her seascape offers an illusion of endlessness in monochromatic ocean that fades to bleached sky. Longo, another New Yorker, shows primordial forest, its mists and shadows pierced by sunbeams. These two pictures, while realistically detailed, are not photographs but illustrations that juggle naturalism and theatricality.

Also dramatic are two diptychs by Martin Usborne, each with a rustic scene on one side and a galgo (a Spanish greyhound) posed on the other. The London photographer is publicizing the plight of these sleek hunting dogs, who are often killed or discarded once theyre considered too old to be useful.

The shadowy forest and the sun-blasted ravine in these pictures, whose mood the artist modeled on Velazquezs paintings, provide visual rhymes for the dog portraits. They also depict the sorts of places where the animals are often abandoned. In Usbornes photos, natures serenity is unsettlingly paired with human cruelty.

Jenny Walton. "Match/Enemy," on view at CulturalDC's Flashpoint Gallery. (Jenny Walton)

Elemental Perspectives: Land, Sea + Sky On view through March 26 at Adamson Gallery, 1515 14th St. NW. 202-232-0707. adamsongallery.com .

#THISISWHYIMSINGLE

In the era of app-assisted courtship, its easy to meet guys. But that may not be such a good thing, according to the three female artists of #THISISWHYIMSINGLE at Flashpoint Gallery.

One of the trio, Seattles Jennifer Towner, doesnt directly address digital-age mating. Her commentary, distilled to phrases that are all much shorter than 140 characters, appears on T-shirts. Such self-mocking mottoes as Almost Desperate and Perimenopausal seem designed for women who soured on dating long ago.

Dafna Steinberg also uses text in her work, inspired by crude propositions from Tinder contacts. These come-ons are mostly unprintable, and their lust sometimes deflated by the D.C. artists snarky rejoinders. Steinberg incorporates screen shots of the exchanges into collages of idealized amorous images, some of them culled from the covers of romance novels. But the guys whose remarks are immortalized here would never make it as Harlequin heroes.

Inarticulate Romeos may fare better on OKCupid, which enables suitors to dispatch pictures of cartoon characters and cute animals. Jenny Walton makes watercolors of these stand-ins and groups them by whether the service identified the sender as match or (curiously) enemy. If that sounds rather bellicose, most of Waltons little paintings are gentle. The local artist may still be single, but at least she hasnt enlisted in Tinders battle of the sexes.

#THISISWHYIMSINGLE On view through March 19 at Flashpoint Gallery, 916 G St. NW. 202-315-1305. culturaldc.org/visual-arts/flashpoint-gallery.

Takefumi Hori. "Circle 39," 2015. Metallic leaf and mixed media on canvas. (Takefumi Hori/Long View Gallery)

Takefumi Hori

In pre-modern European art, gold signifies wealth; in Buddhist art, it symbolizes enlightenment. Takefumi Hori uses gold leaf, as well as its silver and copper counterparts, in ways that can appear both profligate and austere. But the name of his latest Long View Gallery show, Treasures, indicates a new concern with opulence.

The Brooklyn-based Japanese painter hasnt changed his technique or formats. He still makes minimalist yet heavily worked abstractions, generally featuring craggy circles or battered color fields. These are executed primarily in white and gold, atop partly visible layers of black and various metals.

What Hori has added recently are such luxuriant hues as scarlet, emerald and royal blue. Juxtaposed with the gold, these suggest felt or velvet backdrops for golden relics, whether the crowns and chalices of Europe or the sacred figurines of Asia. With little more than color and glimmer, the artist conjures pomp and circumstance.

Perhaps thats not what he has in mind. The show includes six smaller paintings that employ brighter, lighter contrasts such as aqua. These are pretty but lack the power of the larger pictures with bolder hues. It takes a rich color to stand up to gold.

Takefumi Hori: Treasures On view through March 20 at Long View Gallery, 1234 Ninth St. NW. 202-232-4788. longviewgallery.com.

Athena Tacha

After photographing such diverse locales as Ethiopia, Brazil and Namibia, Athena Tacha constructs collages from overlapping rectangular close-ups. The landscapes, titled Shapes of Fluidity at Marsha Mateyka Gallery, chronicle the usually long-term but occasionally sudden effects of wind, water, sandstorms and volcanic flows.

The D.C. artists pieced-together pictures, which are not melded with photo-editing software, focus tightly on geologic details. Images of Petra, the canyon city carved from Jordanian sandstone, show only texture and color. Occasionally, a recognizable detail neatly contrasts the near-abstract effect. In a field of Icelandic lava, for example, one sprig of greenery proves that the overwhelmingly gray photos were not shot in black-and-white.

Tacha uses a similar technique with three-dimensional natural objects, mostly derived from birds and aquatic mollusks. A flock of feathers seems ready to take to the air, expressing the idea of flight without the creature that can actually do it. Glued together, an assortment of limpet shells resembles a blossom, but one with hard-edged petals. Where Tachas collages offer unexpected views of real places, her witty sculptures allow organic relics to impersonate something else entirely.

Athena Tacha: Shapes of Fluidity: Photo-environments & Sculpture On view through March 19 at Marsha Mateyka Gallery, 2012 R St. NW. 202-328-0088. marshamateykagallery.com.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with rival Ted Cruz as they arrive onstage for the CNN debate at the University of Miami.

March 10, 2016 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with rival Ted Cruz as they arrive onstage for the CNN debate at the University of Miami. Carlo Allegri/Reuters

The four remaining candidates debated in Miami, five days before the winner-take-all GOP primary in Florida on March 15.

The four remaining candidates debated in Miami, five days before the winner-take-all GOP primary in Florida on March 15.

The four remaining candidates debated in Miami, five days before the winner-take-all GOP primary in Florida on March 15.

Thursday nights GOP debate certainly proved to be the most  to quote Donald Trump  elegant, but it belies the 11 preceding ones, not to mention the name-calling and sucker punches ever-present on the campaign trail. With readers flooding my email inbox with queries about how the GOP candidates stack up on issues that matter to them, specifically LGBT ones, its time to shift the focus away from what I call the 4Ms (Mexicans and Muslims, McCain and Megyn).

With not one question about gay issues Thursday, voters might think marriage equality and LGBT non-discrimination are non-issues to this years crop of Republican candidates. Dont be fooled by the silence. Anti-LGBT vitriol is very much on the map, Shannon Gilreath, a Wake Forest University law professor and expert on LGBT issues, said, but it hasnt figured very much in the debates.

Brandon Lorenz, a director at the Human Rights Campaign, agreed: In fact, the candidates have campaigned against LGBT equality over and over on the trail, notably by saying theyd appoint Supreme Court justices to overturn last years marriage equality ruling.

In other words, what were seeing on the debate stage is not whats playing out on the campaign trail. Which makes these candidate-themed questions even timelier:

Q: I recently learned that Donald Trumps embrace of anti-gay positions is as dishonest as most of his campaign. He was effusive when Elton John and David Furnish got married in 2005. Should this make me relieved that he probably wont do anything awful if elected, or enraged that he would cynically spew hate to curry favor with his bigoted base?  Robin W., San Francisco

A: The correct answer is B: Enraged. Youre right that Trump appeared to support same-sex marriage when Sir Elton married. At the time, he posted effusively: Im very happy for them. If two people dig each other, they dig each other. Good luck, Elton. Good luck, David. Have a great life . . .  More recently, however, Trump has opposed same-sex marriage, and last month said he would strongly consider appointing Supreme Court judges likely to overrule the Obergefell v. Hodges decision.

If real estate mogul Trump supported marriage equality and candidate Trump is stoking anti-gay fires, its hard to tell what a President Trump would do or say.

Late last year, Gregory Angelo, president of the Log Cabin Republicans (which advocates for LGBT rights) argued that Trump is actually the most pro-gay. Even this week, Angelo told me Trump has given more than $30,000 to LGBT charities since 2012. I know Angelo meant that to be a sign of Trumps gay-friendliness, but it turns out he made those donations out of obligation. The charities  the Gay Mens Health Crisis and Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network  were selected by Celebrity Apprentice contestants. No doubt shaken by Trumps recent statements on LGBT issues, the Log Cabin Republicans uploaded a video earlier this week asking: Where do you really stand on marriage equality, Mr. Trump?

Unfortunately, Trumps flip-flopping is the good news compared with Texas Sen. Ted Cruzs and Florida Sen. Marco Rubios consistent opposition to LGBT rights. Angelo called Rubio a grave concern to me, especially because he has assigned staffers to develop a strategic plan to overturn Obergefell. As for Cruz, Angelo doesnt mince words: Hes proactively taken steps to do harm to the LGBT community and our families.

Yes, I would say B: enraged, is the right answer.

Q: Among all the Republican candidates, isnt Gov. Kasich the most progressive when it comes to LGBT rights?  Name withheld

A: I suppose hes positive in his actual tone in the debates, Gilreath said, but if you look at his record and policies, hell slit your throat with a smile on his face. Its true that Ohio Gov. John Kasich has said he attended a friends same-sex wedding, and that hell accept the Supreme Courts ruling. But that doesnt make him LGBT-friendly. Kasich has also supported a Constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and as recently as last week reiterated his opposition to it. His gubernatorial record is clear: Because of him, HRCs Lorenz said, Ohio still lacks explicit nondiscrimination protections for LGBT Ohioans.

During a recent debate, Kasich even asked gays and lesbians to be tolerant if theyre turned away from a business. If you go to a photographer to take pictures at your wedding, and he says, Id rather not do it, Kasich said, find another photographer, dont sue them in court. Its hard to imagine asking any minority group to be so tolerant. How would you feel if you walked into a business and were told, We dont serve your kind here? James Esseks, director of the ACLUs LGBT and HIV Project, asked rhetorically. With friends like Kasich, who needs enemies?

In the end, civility is not only about language or the tone of your voice  but even more so, our deeds and actions.

Agree or disagree with my take on the GOP candidates? Let me know in the comments section below.

Join Petrow for an online chat Tuesday, March 22 at 1 p.m., at live.washingtonpost.com. Email questions to stevenpetrow@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @stevenpetrow.
Roberto Paolinelli, front row, second from left, and his students on a tour of the Acerbo Museum in Pescara, Italy. (Nancy Coviello)

Our readers share tales of their rambles around the world.

Who: Roberto Paolinelli of Sterling, Va., and his ceramics students at Casa Italiana Language School in the District: Denise Freeland of Alexandria; Barbara Gentile of McLean; Karen Hermansen of Herndon; and David Ciummo, Nancy Coviello, Carole Fournet and Carma Fauntleroy (author), all of the District.

Where, when, why: For more than a decade, Roberto has been teaching Italian Renaissance Castelli-style ceramic painting at the Casa Italiana School in the District. For several years, his students had been asking him to conduct a tour of the place in Italy where he grew up, trained and worked as a professional artist before retiring in Northern Virginia. After much badgering, he finally agreed to show students his home town of Pescara, Italy, for a week in October. Roberto and his brother, artist Albano Paolinelli, who still lives in Pescara, guided students to ceramics museums and artists workshops throughout the Pescara, Teramo and Chieti provinces in the Abruzzo region of Italy.

Ceramic ceiling tiles at the Church of San Donato in Abruzzo, Italy. (Nancy E. Coviello)

[Interested in sharing your own What a Trip story? Apply here.]

Highlights and high points: The ceiling of the Church of San Donato in Castelli comprises 780 polychrome ceramic tiles dating to the early 17th century and depicting coats of arms, human figures, animals and arabesque designs. The neck strain required to look at these tiles was well worth it. The Acerbo Museum in Loreto Aprutino displays stunning works by Francesco Antonio Grue (1686-1746), the all-time master of Castelli-style painting. In Pescara, the splendid collection of the Museo Paparella Treccia-Devlet presents pieces by leading family workshops of the Castelli style. Both museums inherited the collections of individuals passionate about preserving the historical majolica tradition of the region. A monumental nativity scene at the Istituto Statale dArte per la Ceramica, also in Castelli, boasts 54 larger-than-life ceramic statues in modernist style produced by the schools professors and students over a decade, starting in 1965. The assembly of biblical characters was featured in an international exhibition that traveled to Rome, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Tel Aviv before returning to the institute for permanent display.

Cultural connection or disconnect: Bittersweet was the recognition that the hand-painted ceramics industry, an economic staple of many Italian towns for centuries, is waning. Traditional artists and workshops are disappearing with the declining post-recession market for such historical craftsmanship and with modern commercial aesthetics and the departure of young adults for job opportunities in urban areas. All of us realized how precious and fleeting this moment in time was, and the experience is one we will always treasure.

Biggest laugh or cry: When a 

jet-lagged Roberto, who was acting as our interpreter, accidentally spoke English to our Italian hosts and Italian to his American students, we all laughed  including our Italian driver  more than a few times.

How unexpected: Many students in our group frequently travel to Italys world-renowned art and culture destinations, always finding locals who speak English in areas popular with tourists. That wasnt the case in Pescara, where Italians flock for seaside holidays, and in other parts of Abruzzo. At one highly recommended seafood restaurant, the staff of 

20-somethings even brought out electronic tablets to provide on-the-spot English translations of the daily menu items listed on the blackboard.

Fondest memento or memory: The countless ceramic masterpieces encountered in our travels with Roberto fostered a deeper appreciation of the Castelli style, its importance in the development and artistry of our own maestro, and the contribution he is making to preserve the Castelli tradition through teaching the art of ceramic decoration.

To tell us about your own trip, go to washingtonpost.com/travel and fill out the What a Trip form with your fondest memories, finest moments and favorite photos.


Mission Concepcion was built directly on bedrock and remains the most intact of the five San Antonio churches. Its frescos have aged well, too, and, with both Christian and indigenous symbolism, they highlight the missions blend of Spanish and Native American cultures. (Tracy Barnett/For The Washington Post)

Two weathered gravestones sit in a small, dusty rectangle in front of the grand Spanish church at the heart of the nations newest UNESCO World Heritage Site, the San Antonio Missions. Ive been to Mission San Jose many times  to attend the lively Mariachi Mass, to photograph its antique majesty, to reflect on the history of this place and its role in the settlement of the American Southwest. But this is the first time Ive thought of it as a cemetery.

Im seeing it through the eyes of two direct descendants of the missions original inhabitants, members of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation, whose ancestors inhabited this part of what is now Texas for thousands of years. Some 300 years ago, they helped to build these missions, and their descendants maintain a vital connection to them.

Last year the five missions, spread out over about 12 miles along the San Antonio River, received the coveted designation of World Heritage Site. Four of them are still active Catholic parishes, attended by some of the original Native American descendants; the fifth, Mission San Antonio de Valero, went on to become a military garrison  the legendary Alamo, now converted into a memorial to the battle fought there.





Ramon Vasquez, a straight-talking Texan with a dark ponytail, and the soft-spoken Jesus Jesse Reyes Jr., an anthropologist in a cowboy hat and bolo tie, are my guides today. Ramon, executive director of a nonprofit organization called the American Indians in Texas, has teamed up with Jesse to create Yanawana Mission Tours  named for the pre-Hispanic name for the San Antonio River  which offers an eye-opening perspective not just on the missions, but also on American history itself.

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Like most of the Tap Pilam people, Ramon and Jesse grew up with the missions as a fixture in their lives. One of Ramons most powerful childhood memories took place here at San Jose, when his family had come for Mass and he and his cousin were playing near the cemetery.

We were running around and jumping on things, the way little kids do, and we saw an elderly lady all dressed in black, tiny, he recalls. She came in here  he pointed to a stone building  and we decided we were going to follow her. She walked in there real slow, and we walked in and wed hide behind the little niches in the wall, and we followed her all the way in. They followed her from room to room, finally into one with no exit  and then she was gone.

After that, we just ran back and sat down next to our parents, he says, chuckling. And yes, he does believe in ghosts.

We pause at the two small graves, one a nameless stone block topped with an iron cross, the other, dated 1893, chiseled with the name Juan Huisar. Most tourists visit these sites because they make up the largest collection of Spanish colonial architecture north of the Rio Grande. But for the Tap Pilam and other Indian mission descendants, they are a vital link to their ancestors. Because all of these missions, including the Alamo, are actually cemeteries, as the dead were customarily laid to rest inside mission grounds.

Mission San Jose

Our tour begins at Mission San Jose, the largest of the missions and the most restored. It has some of the most elaborate stone carvings, including the stunning Rose Window, believed to have been created by Native American artist Pedro Huizar, an ancestor of the Huisar whose gravestone we saw. Huizar families still attend the church here and are very active in the community, Ramon tells me.

The giant wooden doors at the main entrance of the fortresslike complex open onto a large grassy commons. Its a world apart from the busy traffic and commerce that lie outside the stone walls. Around us, the interior walls are lined with the dwellings of the Native American families who once inhabited the missions, a series of small, interconnected rooms. A domed oven in front of one of them is a reminder that much of family life took place outdoors.



Mission San Jose is the largest of the missions and features some of the most elaborate stone carvings. It has been called the Queen of the Missions. (Tracy Barnett/For The Washington Post)

San Jose provides a strong foundation for understanding the Native American story, including exhibits and the short documentary Gente de Razon, or People of Reason, the Franciscans phrase for their goal of converting the natives into good Catholic Spanish citizens.

As we learn, the Spanish Franciscan priests who came here from Mexico encountered several groups of tribal peoples, including a variety of semi-nomadic tribes now known collectively as the Coahuiltecans, as well as roving bands of Comanches and Apaches who were known to prey on their neighbors. The Franciscans invited the Coahuiltecans to join forces in the 1700s, and together they created the church-based agrarian communities now known as the missions.

Each mission had its own ranch  this is where the cattle culture of the Southwest began. Indeed, there were cowboys in these parts before George Washington was born, my guides explain; the Spaniards brought the first cattle to the New World, and the first ranches were tended by the Native American mission inhabitants. Thus, as Jesse likes to point out, the first cowboys were Indians.

Ramon tells another story from those days:

One of the things we were known for here was running down deer, he says. Thats how agile and in shape our people were, so they would also use them to be couriers to the different missions. . . . They knew the terrain, and they could, with or without a horse, still maintain their agility and speed  they were just good.

Today, the Native American community commemorates those fleet warriors every September with the Spirit Run, in which the young men of the tribes begin at the Alamo and run 14 miles from mission to mission, being blessed at each one before continuing on their way.

Mission Concepcion

The imposing dome that rises above the South San Antonio neighborhood at Mission Concepcion has remained essentially unchanged since it was completed in 1755. We step inside the sanctuary, cool and dark after the Texas sun. The focal point of the narrow and relatively simple church is the altar, where a painting of Christ watches over his flock. Ramons focus, however, is on a detail that would escape most. He points upward at blue and reddish lines on the ceiling.

Part of our teachings is that theres two roads that we walk: The Red Road, most people know about, and then theres the Blue Road, he said. The Blue Road is the spiritual road that runs parallel to our Red Road. Im not going to try to interpret all of this, but it makes sense to me when I look at the colors.

Concepcions walls and frescoes are unusually intact, giving a rare glimpse into the artwork of the colonial period. The frescoes are an excellent example of the cultural blend of Spanish and Native American, using both Christian and indigenous symbolism. Off the sanctuary, for example, the ceiling of another room features a curious image: a mustachioed face surrounded by yellow rays.



Many of Mission Concepcions frescoes remain intact. (Tracy Barnett/For The Washington Post)

The sun, the moon, the stars were all considered faces of God for our people, Ramon explains. So when you look at things like this, you see the sun and moon and the balance of it and the interconnectedness to it. Here, the Spaniards were the masters. They were seen as superior, so the face of God had to be depicted as a Spaniard.

Most Coahuiltecans are said to have assimilated into the church, leaving their native traditions behind. The minority that continued to practice the old ceremonies were hunted down, beaten and humiliated by mission authorities.

But even those who joined the Spanish Catholic church maintained a connection with the pre-Columbian tradition  and sharing that history is an important part of Jesse and Ramons mission tour.

The natives mastered the guitar, the violin and the songs, and the Spanish said they sounded like birds, Ramon said. They became the best craftsmen, the best horseback riders, but every so often, they would leave the mission to conduct their mitotes, or ceremonies, which involved peyote and mezcal and the mountain laurel, and that would be used to make the connection to the spirit world.

Mission Espada

We drive to the southernmost mission, near the outer loop of the city, where a quiet, shady, older neighborhood surrounds the church and its grassy grounds.

This is where I learned to drive, where Father Roman used to take me out to practice, Ramon says fondly. My dad, hes going to be 76 years old this year. He celebrated his 40th birthday right over there in that hall. You see those people over there bringing food? Someone is going to have a party. So the people still use this space. The community is very much alive here. The families that have been coming to church here since 1731 are still coming to this church, just as they have done for 300 years.

Mission Espada, founded in 1690 near the town of Weches, Tex., and moved to its current location in 1731, is also the site where the acequia, or irrigation system, that was the lifeblood of the missions can still be seen at its finest. Each complex had a gravity-powered network of channels that carried water from the San Antonio River to agricultural fields. This masterwork of Spanish design and indigenous construction has remained operational since at least 1745, including an impressive double-arched aqueduct with a bulwark that lifts the watercourse over a creek and diverts floodwaters underneath. The water is still used to irrigate local crops.



Mission Espada was the only mission where bricks and tiles were made, a detail that can be seen in its shady archways. (Tracy Barnett/For The Washington Post)

As we enter the visitors center, two women and their children listen intently as a volunteer ranger explains the Spanish approach to colonization: to work with the native people, he says, instead of fighting them, as the English colonists did.

You know, everything they were saying in there, I never got any of that in my history lessons, one mother remarks.

Father David Garcia, director of the missions, says one of the most important aspects of the missions is telling that little-known story  and it begins with the Coahuiltecan peoples.

Their contributions are not just that they were nomadic Indians running around killing buffalo  they actually built these missions, he said in an interview at Mission Concepcion, where he leads the parish. At one point, there was an intersection between them and the Spanish where they worked together. That is a different story than the story on the East Coast, where they didnt work together, where [the Indians] were just pushed and pushed and pushed and eliminated and shot.

In the Southwest, there was at least an attempt, even though it wasnt perfect. But the fact remains that the Spanish made every effort to bring them in, to evangelize them, to teach them Spanish, to help them become part of the civilization of the Spanish  and that did not happen on the East Coast. And thats a huge difference.

Mission San Juan Capistrano

We end our tour at San Juan Capistrano, along a rural, isolated stretch of the San Antonio River. Nobody knows this mission better than Jesse. He attended the church as a child, and in 1999 he spent nearly two months camped out here, guarding the bones of his ancestors that were being prepared for reburial.

Archaeological excavations during the 1960s had unearthed the remains of more than 100 people at the missions. They were taken to a local university for research, where they were catalogued and archived and left to gather dust. Mission descendants fought for decades to bring the remains home to a proper burial ground. When they won that fight, the tribal elders chose Jesse, then 25, to stay with the remains through the reburial process.

According to Native American tradition, contact with the remains created a potentially dangerous intersection with the spirit world, Jesse says. It was scary, he recalls. My mom didnt want me to do it. But I felt there was a calling.

He shows us the small stone house where he held his long vigil. Nearby, he says, the elders set up tepees for all-night medicine (peyote) ceremonies, during which they prayed for the spirits of their people  those who had been taken from their resting places and were now being returned, and those who remain and keep their culture alive.

A spare white structure, long and lean, forms the church, absent the elaborate stone carvings, frescoes and other details that appear in the other missions. Indeed, I learn that this building was not meant to be a church; it was originally a granary, and a grander, more commodious church was planned across the way. But it was never completed.



Mission San Juan Capistrano, the most rural of the five missions in San Antonio, is the site of a demonstration farm and a nature trail that leads to the San Antonio River. (Tracy Barnett/For The Washington Post)

Jesse and Ramon lead us around the complex, through the modest visitors center, on to the chapel itself, simple and austere, and the unfinished church. To the right is the cemetery where the remains were reburied in 1999, this time with prayers from new generations of descendants and from tribal elders of many nations.

Ramon stops in front of a small National Park Service interpretive plaque mentioning the presence of the remains.

We asked at the time for a memorial to be put up in recognition of this, because how do you know what this is? he demands. I still see kids running in and out of here, jumping up and down. How do you protect this?

There should be an iron fence to protect the space from wandering tourists and children, Ramon says. He understands, however, that this is not a popular request in a national park that is now a World Heritage Site.

Id love for them to put a gate up there, he said. But instead, Im doing the next best thing. Im going to start the Mission Tours, with my brother here, Jesse, and the American Indians in Texas, and were going to have tours and talk about it and let the public know.

Tracy L. Barnett is a freelance writer based in Guadalajara, Mexico, and a former travel editor of the San Antonio Express-News.

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Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the San Antonio Missions were the first UNESCO World Heritage Site to be named in the United States in 20 years. The text has been updated to reflect that its the countrys newest World Heritage Site.
At first, David Collins thought it was his imagination.

The restroom on the Boeing 737-900 flying from Los Angeles to Atlanta seemed smaller than usual. I had to take a deep breath to access the slot for the used paper towels, he recalls.

Then he turned his professional eye on the lavatory. Collins is an expert witness for amusement park lawsuits, and he estimates that the restroom was only about 28 to 32 inches wide  roughly 20 percent smaller than the standard aircraft bathroom.

He was right. This summer, Boeing reportedly figured out a way to add as many as 14 extra seats to some of its aircraft by shrinking the size of its lavatories. But that is by no means the only unwelcome restroom change for the traveling public. With one or two exceptions, WCs are fast becoming an amenity-free wasteland for many travelers.

Vee Vik, a frequent flier and the founder of an e-commerce site that sells bathroom appliances, says the closet-size restrooms are part of a larger trend. Modern bathrooms arent just getting cramped. They also rely on self-cleaning technology and dont have to be maintained as frequently as the older bathrooms, he says. And customers seem to tolerate it, believing  perhaps inaccurately  that toilets arent as dirty or hazardous as once thought.

[Which airlines are most responsive to customer complaints? AirHelp ranks them.]

Any discussion of restrooms must start with the users, and there, standards seem to be slipping, says San Francisco-based market researcher Lee Caraher. People dont clean up after themselves as much as they used to, she says. I definitely notice it more today than I did a few years ago.

A recent survey by Clorox of cleaning professionals across a variety of industries showed they were often unaware of germ hot spots. For example, most cleaners incorrectly think that restroom handles harbor the most illness-causing germs and bacteria, particularly restroom door handles (65 percent), faucet handles (38 percent), and toilet or urinal handles (36 percent). Actually, trash cans have the highest concentrations of germs, according to the research.

Travelers are not happy. Dusty Prentiss, a retired engineer from San Francisco, sent me a complaint about a flight from San Francisco to Philadelphia during which the first-class restroom was closed because it was splattered with human waste and the flight attendants refused to clean up the mess. I would expect after paying a substantial premium for a first-class ticket that the facilities would be clean and orderly, he added.

Declaring an airplane restroom out of order isnt that unusual and may not have anything to do with cleanliness. Polly Barks, a writer who travels frequently to Russia, says shes been on flights with locked restrooms. The flight attendants report that its too expensive to dump in the U.S., she says. Rather than do that, they close the restrooms and the plane flies with fewer working lavatories.

Heather Zorzini, a veteran flight attendant, isnt surprised that complaints about airline bathrooms are proliferating. Even if most airplane restrooms remain the standard size, airlines are still trying to squeeze more passengers onto planes. The increased number of passengers crammed on board and fewer flight attendants certainly makes [bathrooms] dirtier, she says.

Not every part of the travel industry is letting its restrooms waste away or shrink, of course. Luxury hotels and cruise lines are upping their game, adding luxury amenities and keeping their restrooms squeaky clean. John Drabkowski, a travel agent who specializes in cruises, recently sailed on the Carnival Ecstasy and was impressed by the restrooms on board.

[Its time for Congress to stand up for air travelers]

The bathrooms were absolutely spotless and well maintained, he recalls. They were fully stocked with towels and toiletries, water pressure was adequate and consistent, and the rooms were fully lit.

Drabkowski says Carnival is bucking the trend because it relies on repeat customers, who simply would not put up with dirty restrooms. Its also worth noting that cruise lines are particularly obsessed with cleanliness, fearing they could be struck with the next big norovirus outbreak.

There are long- and short-term solutions to the problem. The latter involves traveling with antiseptic wipes, a recommendation made by several experts. If you suspect a toilet isnt well maintained, find another one or clean the one you need to use. On planes, a broken lavatory may render the first-class restrooms are for first-class passengers only rule void, in the interest of preventing accidents. (But do consult a flight attendant before pulling the curtain back and making a beeline for the restroom up front.)

When Collins, the expert witness, is in a tiny lavatory on a regional jet, he opens the door when he washes his hands, which gives him a little extra space.

More substantive change requires pushback. So if you encounter a restroom thats undersized or dirty or has run out of essential items, say something. In the long term, restrooms wont get better until travelers make a stink about them.

Elliott is a consumer advocate, journalist and co-founder of the advocacy group Travelers United. Email him at chris@elliott.org.

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THE DISTRICT

3 hurt in Southeast shooting incidents

Three people were shot and wounded in two separate incidents Thursday in Southeast Washington, according to D.C. police.

The second incident occurred about 1:30 a.m. in 400 block of Atlantic Street SE, near Washington Highlands. Police said a gunman approached the victim and shot him.

The victim was taken to a hospital and was reported to be conscious and breathing, police said.

No arrests were made.

Less than a half-hour earlier, shortly before 1 a.m., police said, two people were shot in the 4700 block of Benning Road SE. Police said both victims were conscious and breathing and taken to hospitals.

One was a man; police had no immediate information on the second victim.

 Peter Hermann

Police try to identify N.Y. Ave. shooters

Police are looking for help identifying the occupants of a newer-model, black BMW who fired at another car Tuesday on New York Avenue NE.

U.S. Park Police said that one car was struck by bullets.

Sgt. Anna Rose, a spokeswoman for the department, said no one was injured.

Police did not say what might have prompted the shooting.

The incident occurred about 2:30 p.m. in the eastbound lanes of the road, approaching the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. Police said the BMW was last seen heading east on U.S. Route 50.

New York Avenue is a main thoroughfare in and out of Washington and is usually crowded most of the day.

Police ask anyone with information to call 202-610-8737.

 Peter Hermann

VIRGINIA

Man charged in thefts during open houses

A 46-year-old Virginia man was charged with burglary after he went to several open houses pretending to be a potential buyer and stole $15,000 worth of items, Prince William County police said.

Erik David Johnson of Ashburn was arrested Tuesday after investigators searched his home and found evidence that connected him to the thefts, a police spokesman said. He was charged with four counts of burglary and four counts of larceny,police said Thursday.

Authorities said they believe that Johnson had attended open houses in the Gainesville area since August 2015. As part of his ruse, he gave false information while touring the homes, a police news release said, and stole jewelry, prescription medication and electronics.

He later tried to pawn the items at businesses in Loudoun County, authorities said. Detectives tied Johnson to the burglaries through pawnshop transactions, according to Officer Nathan Probus, a police spokesman.

Probus said investigators believe Johnson may have stolen from other homes. Additional charges are pending, he said.

 Victoria St. Martin
Arnold Mong and Josephine Yu, seniors at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Md., are among 40 national finalists for the Intel Science Talent Search in 2016. (Montgomery County Public Schools)

Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Md., has again produced a national finalist  actually, two of the 40 nationwide  for the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search competition that started Friday in Washington.

Arnold Mong and Josephine Yu, 17-year-old seniors in Blairs math-science-computer science magnet program, are vying for the competitions top honors with research projects that sound well beyond their years. Take Yus Lattice and Continuum Models of Solitons and Vortices in Bilayer Graphene, an investigation in theoretical physics.

Every day was exciting, the teenager said. Every day was learning something and creating something at the same time.

[Read about more Intel finalists: These teen scientists will give you faith in the future]

Blair has racked up 34 Intel finalists since 1999, more than any other school in the country. The Montgomery County high school ranks third nationally for total finalists since the pre-college science and math competition began in 1942.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, an elite magnet school in Fairfax County, has boasted 11 finalists since 1999, including this years finalist: 17-year-old Kunal Shroff. Students at the school worked on research projects using computer and mathematical modeling and human assistance robots. They investigated cancer and other health-care treatments, the impact of sonar in marine habitats and pollution in food sources.

Shroff  Jeffersons first Intel finalist since 2010  praised his school, classmates and teachers.

I would say Ive gotten a lot of good luck from them, and I want to do well for my sake and for theirs, Shroff said. I want to show people we can still compete in science.

His biology research focused on the toxic Huntingtin protein and explored the mechanism for how that protein causes cellular death. He found that the protein can lead to an abnormal genome  work that could be important in understanding Huntingtons disease.

Shroff says his interest stems from his great-grandfathers deteriorating condition as he suffered from Alzheimers disease. The older man did not recognize Shroff as a child and then stopped recognizing Shroffs father as his disease progressed.

The experiences touched off an interest in neurodegenerative diseases, which include Alzheimers and Huntingtons diseases, Shroff said.

I wanted to learn more about what it means, what does it physically mean, he said.

Shroff found a mentor in 2014 at Catholic University of America  and worked in the laboratory of assistant professor John S. Choy for two summers and the current school year. First he helped with Choys cancer research, working on a project that looked at how metabolism might affect the development of gene mutations.

Later Choy gave him the chance to explore his own interests, too  unusual for a high school student, Choy says, but Shroff showed he could work independently. I really am impressed at how he was committed, he said.

Choy recalls that early on he asked Shroff to write computer code for data analysis related to a research project, and the teenager came back a day later with code written. It did exactly what I needed, he said.

Shroff, of Great Falls, Va., says his parents  his mother is a dentist, his father a businessman  have been strongly supportive, and that at his school, research is part of the culture. TJ, as it is known, had eight Intel semifinalists this year.

In my opinion, all the research projects at TJ truly are remarkable, and Im just honored Intel has chosen my project to go all the way to the finals, he said.

The annual competition is a program of the Society for Science & the Public and includes finalists this year from 38 schools in 18 states.

At Montgomery Blair, Yu says she did much of her research last summer, when she worked with her mentor, Harsh Mathur, an associate professor in physics at Case Western Reserve University. She made a few trips to Cleveland and met weekly with him by Skype.

Yu developed a theoretical model to study two stacked sheets of graphene, a material that holds potential for use in electronics and biomedical applications. Graphene consists of a single layer of carbon atoms.

She worked really independently, Mathur said, recalling the time he gave her a book on computing used by graduate students and expected to have to explain the material and work with her. I got kind of busy, and the next thing I knew she had already mastered the chapters and written the code I was expecting to help her write.

Josephine Yu, of Potomac, says that while physics can be difficult, its kind of like a puzzle. If you look at it closely enough, or you look at it slowly enough, everything starts to make sense, and I really like that about it.

Yus father is a physicist at the National Institutes of Health, and her mother is an accountant. She says her interest in science deepened when she became part of Blairs magnet program. Physics has been a longtime interest, too.

Its always been in the back of my mind, she said.

What makes the Blair magnet program so successful might be a combination of talented students who put in a lot of work, teachers who press them to look beyond the scope of a typical class and an area that values academic performance and research, said Peter Ostrander, the programs coordinator.

Ostrander said the program does not track its Intel grand-prize winners  although it had one last year. There are so many talented students that to just keep track of a few doesnt do justice to the work of the others, he said.

The Blair magnet program, with 100 students in each high school grade, graduated its first class in 1989. Those involved do senior research projects, take eight classes a day rather than the typical seven, and go deep in specialized subjects. For example, students interested in biology may take genetics, biochemistry or physiology.

For many Blair students, science has long been a personal passion, as it has been for Intel finalist Arnold Mong, 17, the son of computer scientists.

His project in theoretical physics focused on special properties in entangled states of matter, and he designed a test that could potentially improve the encryption of data in communication by detecting whether transmitted data has been modified or intercepted.

Mongs work started last summer with his mentor O.W. Greenberg, a research professor in physics at the University of Maryland at College Park.

Greenberg described the teenager as hard-working and highly motivated. Hes one of the best students at his level Ive ever mentored in the 54 years I was at University of Maryland, Greenberg said.

Mong said he was looking forward to the many experiences that come with the annual Intel competition. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is expected to deliver a keynote address. Top honors  three first-place awards of $150,000 each and a total of more than $1 million in prizes  are expected to be announced Tuesday at an evening gala.

Mong said he did not think he would be in the running if not for Montgomery Blair. Its an honor more for the school than for myself, he said.
One of the bald eagles found dead in a farm field on Marylands Eastern Shore in February. A total of 13 were found. (Courtesy of the Maryland Natural Resources Police)

Federal wildlife officials said they are looking for suspects in the death of 13 bald eagles found on the Eastern Shore after a necropsy showed the birds did not die from natural causes or disease.

The update on the mysterious deaths of the birds came Thursday from a forensic lab of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Oregon, which is working on the case. There is a $25,000 reward being offered for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.

The death of the eagles drew national attention and it is the largest single die-off of bald eagles in the state in 30 years.

[Thirteen bald eagles were found dead on a Maryland farm]

The eagles were found Feb. 20 in Federalsburg, Md., by a man who said he was out looking for antlers that deer might have shed. He came across four dead eagles. When wildlife authorities arrived, they found nine more nearby. The eagles should no obvious signs of trauma, officials said.

The National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, is trying to figure out what killed 13 bald eagles from Maryland's Eastern Shore. They have ruled out diseases and are now focused on human causes. (Courtesy of National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory)

In a statement released Thursday, the federal wildlife agency said necropsy results showed the 13 eagles did not die of natural causes, including disease.

Our investigation is now focused on human causes and bringing to justice the person (s) responsible for the death of these eagles, the statement said.

Experts on bald eagles said they still believe the birds death involved some sort of pesticide or poison that may have been used to get rid of predators of livestock or rodents. If the animals died outdoors and the eagles ate their carcasses, the birds also could have gotten sick.

[How officials probe what killed the eagles]

Ed Clark, president and founder of the Wildlife Center of Virginia, said the latest finding from the federal wildlife officials is a declaration of the obvious.

If there was any type of natural occurrence you would not find that number of dead bodies in one spot, he said. Which means whatever killed them, killed them quickly and they didnt get very far.

Clark said a case two years ago in Wisconsin was considered high profile and hopefully sent a message on using pesticides on prey. Farmers in Wisconsin used an illegal pesticide to try to get rid of coyotes and wolves.

More than 70 wild animals, including at least two bald eagles, vultures, coyotes, owls and a bobcat were killed and the landowners were ordered to pay over $100,000 in restitution and fines, according to Clark who testified in the case.

In the latest Maryland case, wildlife officials said it is an important move that they have ruled out disease, including avian influenza, because of the high concentration of migratory birds and the large number of poultry farms in that area.

Federal and state officials said they will not put out more details because they believe it could compromise the investigation. The Maryland Natural Resources Police is also helping on the case.

Anyone with information is asked to call 410-228-2476.
State Sen. Jamie B. Raskin and Kathleen Matthews continue to collect endorsements in Marylands 8th Congressional District Democratic primary. Matthews is drawing many of hers from senior Democrats on Capitol Hill, while Raskin is securing his from key party constituencies in Montgomery County.

Another candidate, Joel Rubin, scored support from a big Hollywood name. Hint: Greed is good.

Four top members of the House Democratic Caucus stepped up on Monday for Matthews, the former WJLA-TV news anchor and Marriott International executive: Reps. Don Beyer (Va.), Joseph Crowley (N.Y.), Steve Israel (N.Y.) and John B. Larson (Conn.). Beyer is the incoming finance chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee; Crowley is caucus vice chair; and Larson is a former caucus chair.

Watching Kathleen for many years when she was a journalist, I know she understands the issues facing voters in the 8th District because she was out there every day talking to people and digging for answers, Beyer said in a statement.

[In field of Congressional candidates, this wine magnate is the richest]

The endorsements lengthen the list of Democratic congressional incumbents lined up with Matthews, among them Sens. Edward J. Markey (Mass.) and Barbara Boxer (Calif.) and Reps. Debbie Dingell (Minn.) and Anna G. Eshoo (Calif.). In Maryland, Matthews has been endorsed by Comptroller Peter Franchot and former Montgomery County executive Doug Duncan.

Raskin was endorsed this past week by the African American Democratic Club of Montgomery County (AADCMC) and the 8,000-member United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1994 MCGEO, which represents about 5,000 Montgomery government employees.

AADCMC President Laurie-Anne Sayles praised Raskins record of advocacy for progressive legislation, including an assault weapons ban, abolition of the death penalty and decriminalization of marijuana.

Raskin, whose Silver Spring-Takoma Park district is majority African American and Latino, told the group in a candidate questionnaire that if elected he would propose a national commission and comprehensive legislative strategy to liberate the American underclass from the interlocking problems of poor schools and health care, unemployment, mass incarceration and economic exploitation.

[Is Congress an entry-level political job? Maryland candidates debate]

He said he would seek major figures on the American left to co-chair the commission, such as civil rights icon and Algebra Project founder Robert Moses, former labor secretary Robert Reich, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.).

Raskin was selected over Will Jawando, the only African American in the nine-candidate field and a member of the AADCMC board.

Jawando said Friday that the groups vote wasnt representative of the membership of the club or the African American community. Many members, he said, were not aware that they could vote by proxy, as many Raskin supporters apparently did.

Sayles said the voting process was completely transparent and that everyone knew the rules.

Some people had better strategy than others, Sayles said.

Jawando has won endorsements from the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, former EPA administrator Lisa Jackson, former education secretary Arne Duncan, former NAACP director Benjamin Jealous and Montgomery County Council member Craig Rice (D-Upcounty).

MCGEOs support adds to Raskins roster of labor endorsements, including the National Education Association, UFCW Local 400, and the Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

We are excited to be supporting his campaign and will be using our local strength to get out a big vote on April 26th, MCGEO President Gino Renne said in a statement.

Raskin also has support from numerous Democratic elected officials, among them Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh, Rep. John Sarbanes (Md.) and state Sens. Richard S. Madaleno (Montgomery), Susan C. Lee (Montgomery), Karen S. Montgomery (Montgomery) and Ronald N. Young (Frederick).

Rubin, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for House affairs, who worked to help secure congressional approval of the Iran nuclear deal, has been endorsed by actor Michael Douglas. He has long been active in disarmament and nonproliferation issues. Rubin also has the support of the Council for a Livable World, an advocacy group that backs candidates with progressive outlooks on foreign policy.

Other candidates with endorsements are Maryland Del. Kumar P. Barve (Montgomery), who is supported by the UNITE HERE International Union, House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel), Majority Leader Anne R. Kaiser (D-Montgomery) and 20 other members of Marylands House of Delegates.

Del. Ana Sol-Gutierrez (D-Montgomery) has been endorsed by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and CASA in Action, the political arm of CASA of Maryland, the immigrant advocacy and assistance group.
Marcie Goldman and Rich Leotta watch the House Judiciary Committee in Annapolis weigh the ignition-lock bill named for their son, slain Montgomery Coutny Police Officer Noah Leotta, last week. (Ovetta Wiggins/TWP)

A long-sought bill to require more drunk drivers in Maryland to have Breathalyzers installed on the dashboards of their cars cleared a major hurdle on Friday when it received preliminary approval in the House of Delegates.

Del. Benjamin F. Kramer (D-Montgomery), the bill sponsor, said he was elated that the bill was moving forward after seven years of failed attempts.

This has been so long in the making, Kramer said. I really think we have made a significant step.

The bill, which received greater attention this year from the legislature after the highly-publicized death of Noah Leotta, a Montgomery County police officer who was killed by a drunk driver Dec. 3 while on DUI patrol, is expected to receive a final vote in the House next week. It will then be sent to the Senate for consideration.

The bill is expected to considered favorably in the Senate, where it has advanced in the past.

[Letting Noah go: Md. officers parents channel grief to fight drunken driving]

Advocates  led by Noah Leottas parents, Rich Leotta and Marcia Goldman -- mounted a strong effort to get the legislation passed this year. Rich Leotta, joined by Montgomery County police officials, testified before legislative committees over the past week imploring lawmakers to toughen drunk driving laws by lowering the threshold for those who are required to get Breathalyzers installed in their cars. If the device detects that a driver has been drinking when he or she blows into a tube, the ignition locks and the car will not start.

Under the bill, dubbed Noahs Law, motorists convicted of driving at or above the states legal blood alcohol limit of 0.08 percent would be required to breathe into a tube before they can try to start their vehicles. Under current law, ignition interlocks are placed on the cars of people convicted of driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.15 percent or higher.

If the bill is approved, Maryland would join about two dozen other states that mandate Breathalyzers, also known as ignition interlocks, for those convicted of driving at or above the legal blood-alcohol limit of 0.08 percent.

[Drunken-driving death of Montgomery officer fuels House committee passage of interlock bill]

Supporters of the measure raised concerns late last week about changes the House Judiciary Committee made to the bill before advancing it to the House floor. In past years, the bill has stalled in the committee. Advocates main concern was that the committee removed a provision that required ignition interlocks for suspected drunk drivers who refuse to take the alcohol breath test.

Kramer said earlier this week that he planned to take his battle to strengthen the bill to the House floor. Instead, late Thursday, the committee voted on amendments that basically brought the bill back to its original form.

Del. Joseph F. Vallario Jr. (D-Prince Georges), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee who has kept the measure from advancing for the last seven years, introduced the amendments on the House floor.

Under one amendment, drivers who refuse to take an alcohol breath test would receive a 270-day suspension of their license or go on the interlock for one year. Under current law, a driver would receive a 120-day license suspension.

If suspected drunk drivers decide to go to court and they are convicted, they would have to get a Breathalyzer.

Its a very good compromise, Kramer said. Its a big difference from where we were last week.

Also, on Friday, the House advanced a bill that would ban firearm possession on the campuses of public colleges and universities, with exceptions for police officers and security personnel. The bill is sponsored by Del. Ben Barnes (D-Prince Georges) and is part of a package of bills designed to make the states gun laws stronger. The bill is expected to receive final approval next week.

In the Senate, lawmakers voted 33-10 to merge the University of Maryland in College Park with the University of Maryland in Baltimore, requiring the University of Maryland headquarters to move to Baltimore. The two institutions will continue to have two separate presidents.
At one point, prosecutors said, 24-year-old David Alexander Battle II, a volunteer in the music program at a Manassas middle school, shared images of child pornography via webcam on a chat website.

On another occasion, authorities said, he pretended to be a teenage girl on another chat platform to solicit images of teenage boys. And when police searched his laptop, they found a cache of child pornography videos involving infants.

On Thursday, a federal jury convicted Battle, of Manassas, on child pornography charges, including four counts of production of child pornography, according to a Department of Justice press release.

David Alexander Battle II (Manassas City Police Department)

Battle, who volunteered at Grace E. Metz Middle School, also was charged with two counts of receipt of child pornography, one count of attempted coercion/enticement of a minor, and one count of distribution of child pornography.

Battle, of Manassas, was arrested on June 16, when Manassas City police investigators searched his home. Authorities said child pornography snapshots from an April 2015 chat led them to him.

During a search of his computer, investigators found two gigabytes of child pornography involving infants, according to a court document.

Authorities said Battle also pretended to be a 13- or 14-year-old girl on another chat site. On that site, he sent nude pictures of a girl to boys and then asked them to send pictures of themselves in return, the document said. In two instances, police said he personally knew the boys he solicited pictures from.
Richard Butler III, 34, is wanted by police. Authorities charged him with attempted first-degree murder, second-degree sex offense and arson, as well as other counts. (Prince Georges County Police Department)

Authorities are searching for a man who repeatedly stabbed his girlfriend in Upper Marlboro, Prince Georges County police said Thursday.

Richard Butler III, 34, of Landover is wanted by investigators, according to a department news release.

Butler confronted his girlfriend about 11 a.m. Monday. Authorities said they were outside a house in the 10000 block of Tyrone Drive when, at some point, he began stabbing her.

He later fled, police said. His girlfriend was seriously wounded, but investigators said she is expected to survive.

Butler is also wanted for attempting to sexually assault a young girl he knew at a Hyattsville apartment, the release said.

Authorities said the attempted assault happened last Friday, and Butler is also accused of throwing an incendiary device through the Hyattsville apartment window later that day.

Police said the incendiary device sparked a fire, but no one was hurt.

Butler is charged with attempted first-degree murder, second-degree sex offense, arson and several additional charges, according to the release.

Police ask that anyone with information on Butlers whereabouts to call 911. If you have information on either case, please call 301-772-4930 or Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS. Authorities said callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), text PGPD plus your message to CRIMES (274637) or go to www.pgcrimesolvers.com and submit a tip online.
Anna Currence, owner of the Richmond Museum District Bed and Breakfast, says the entire lodging industry suffers if people are allowed to operate unregulated bed and breakfasts by posting on Airbnb. (Fenit Nirappil/THE WASHINGTON POST)

When Anna Currence decided in 2007 to turn her Richmond fixer-upper into a bed-and-breakfast, she spent nearly six months getting permits from city hall, securing an alcohol license for wine and cheese nights, and even submitting floor plans to figure out the proper location for smoke detectors. She collected $7,000 in taxes last year from guests and paid $3,100 for insurance.

The same rules dont apply to her neighbors who rent out rooms on the online hosting platform Airbnb.

Thats why the lodging industry helped gut legislation that would have made Virginia among the first states in the nation to recognize the short-term rental industry and insulate it from efforts by local communities to ban it. Instead, the General Assembly essentially postponed debate until next year.

Every time we try to go up against an establishment industry of some type, theres tremendous pushback, said Del. Christopher Kilian Peace (R-Hanover), who carried the Airbnb-friendly bill in the House. They want the government to protect their market share.

Lawmakers amended the bills to require stricter tax collection and penalties for noncompliance, but the laws will not take effect unless revisited and approved again by the legislature in 2017. The bills also require a study of the short-term rental industry, mirroring the states approach to regulating the ride-booking industry.

Representatives of the hotel industry acknowledge that they cant stop the rise of Airbnb, and its unclear whether theyve lost revenue as a result. But they want a level playing field.

Airbnb is here to stay, said Eric Terry, president of the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association. Its something the consumer is interested in and wants to do. We welcome Airbnb, but we just think they should be subject to the same requirements that a bed-and-breakfast or a hotel has to go through.

[Hotels dont appear to be that scared of Airbnb  yet]

Thats been the focus of statehouse battles as Airbnb tries to establish uniform standards at the state level rather than deal with a hodgepodge of local regulations and negotiations. The company, based in San Francisco, has retained at least 33 lobbyists or firms in a dozen states, records show.

In Virginia, lawmakers introduced some of the most Airbnb-friendly bills in the country  proposals that would have legalized the business and established a statewide mechanism to collect taxes from guests.

Airbnb has already reached deals with several cities  including the District, San Francisco and Portland, Ore.  to collect local taxes on behalf of hosts, while guests pay state taxes in Florida and Illinois. The Virginia proposal was unique in creating a statewide system for Airbnb to collect and distribute taxes to local governments.

We were making an effort to put Virginia on the map as being proactive, welcoming and embracing the new economy, said Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-Fauquier), one of the sponsors and a candidate for lieutenant governor in 2017.

But local governments and hotel groups objected, saying the legislation would have hamstrung local laws and that it lacked teeth to enforce tax collections.

[Airbnb starts collecting taxes in more major jurisdictions]

They said their biggest concern was not people renting out spare rooms but owners of apartment complexes illegally listing every unit on home-sharing platforms, although Vogels and Peaces bills do not address that issue.

We recognize that people have personal property rights to do as they please with their own property, and we dont want to discourage that, but neighborhoods have property rights as well, said Neal Menkes, director of fiscal policy at the Virginia Municipal League.

Opponents of the Airbnb bill found a powerful ally in Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr. (R-James City), who represents the tourism-rich Williamsburg area and has interests in two hotels.

Currence, the ownere of the bed-and-breakfast, said shes not worried about competition from Airbnb but believes that her industry suffers when standards are lowered. Any bad press about Airbnb could hurt her business, she said.

Anytime the words B and B are in the press, and theres any bad connotation, its bad for all of us, said Currence, 66, a former Barnes and Noble executive.

McAuliffe hasnt weighed in on the issue and can still propose changes to the legislation.

Airbnb officials declined to be interviewed but expressed disappointment in the final bill. We were hopeful that the Governor would seize the opportunity for the Commonwealth to be a national leader when it comes to the role home sharing can play in generating more wealth for the common man, Airbnb spokesman Nick Papas said in a statement. We will continue to work with a number of other states who are excited to use home sharing to address economic inequality.

In Arizona and Wisconsin, bills have advanced in recent weeks to limit local restrictions on room rentals. The Louisiana State Legislature approved a bill to expand the states 4 percent sales tax to Airbnb rentals.

Matt Kiessling, who leads the short-term rental division of the Travel Technology Association, says that statewide successes are essential to the industrys stability.

This isnt going away, and states should be figuring out how to embrace it, he said.
Monuments to Confederate generals and a church line Monument Avenue in Richmond. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) vetoed a bill that would prevent communities from removing war memorials. (Jay Paul/Getty Images)

Gov. Terry McAuliffe on Thursday vetoed a bill that would have prohibited cities and counties from removing war memorials, including Civil War monuments that recall the Souths history of slavery.

Supporters of the bill say it would have protected the states historical record and legacy, warts and all, while opponents say it would have stymied local debate over how to treat painful symbols of the Confederacy and other wars.

These discussions are often difficult and complicated, McAuliffe (D) said in a statement. They are unique to each communitys specific history and the specific monument or memorial being discussed. This bill effectively ends these important conversations.

Sponsors do not have enough votes to override McAuliffes veto. The Republican-controlled legislature passed the bill mostly along party lines, by a margin of 82 to 16 in the House and 21 to 17 in the Senate.

The drumbeat to remove battle flags and memorials grew last summer after a white supremacist who had posed in photos with the Confederate flag, shot and killed nine worshipers at a historic African American church in Charleston, S.C.

The governor of that state, Nikki Haley (R), called for the flags removal from the capitol grounds, and McAuliffe (D) ordered it removed from specialty license plates.

In Virginia, Del. Charles D. Poindexter (R-Franklin) said his bill simply sought to clarify an existing state law that says localities cannot disturb or interfere with monuments.

He said he got the idea last fall when a judge hearing a Danville case over whether the Confederate flag should be removed from the grounds of a city-owned mansion said legal protections did not apply to memorials erected before 1998.

People come here, and they want to learn the history, Poindexter said. Its all our history. Its what it is. If we dont look at all of our history, were leaving out the good, the bad and the ugly.

As a boy, Poindexter said he attended memorials for men killed in World War II, whose bodies were brought back to the states years after the conflict ended, and developed a deep respect for soldiers who served in wartime.

But Mamie E. Locke (D-Hampton), chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, said personal experience gave her a very different feeling about Confederate war monuments.

Before moving to Virginia, Locke said, she had to walk by memorials to the Civil War every day while working for a state agency in Mississippi, and thats one of the reasons I quit, because I could not continue to do that.

Those things were paying homage to an institution that enslaved my ancestors, she said. Quite frankly, Confederate memorials were paying homage to individuals who fought a war to preserve that institution.

[At Confederate convention, removal of flag is a battle cry, not a defeat]

She does not advocate removing relics of the past, but said there should be equal effort made to erect monuments to African American heroes and history.

Edwin Ray, of the Virginia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which supported the bill, said his group is equally offended when the battle flag and other Civil War symbolism are used by hate groups.

Taking down monuments of unpopular wars is just rewriting history, and thats Taliban-type activity, said Ray, an Air Force veteran. We need to be able to remember our history as it was, not the way wed like it to be.

The bill prompted a tense debate on the Senate floor last week when several Republican lawmakers resisted the notion that Civil War memorials are synonymous with slavery.

Its about human beings who gave their last and fullest measure of devotion so that we could remain free and our principles would be the principles that we pass on to generations thereafter, Sen. William M. Stanley Jr. (R-Franklin) said.

Sen. A. Donald McEachin (D-Henrico), who is African American, took issue with that, saying not all soldiers fought to keep Americans free.

In the Civil War, people died to keep my ancestors enslaved, he said.
A woman reacts at the scene of a deadly shooting in Wilkinsburg, Pa. At least five people were killed and three injured when a back-yard barbecue was attacked in the Pittsburgh suburb Wednesday night.Two of those injured are in critical condition.

March 10, 2016 A woman reacts at the scene of a deadly shooting in Wilkinsburg, Pa. At least five people were killed and three injured when a back-yard barbecue was attacked in the Pittsburgh suburb Wednesday night.Two of those injured are in critical condition. Michael Henninger/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP

At least five people were killed and three injured when a gathering in a suburb was attacked Wednesday night.

At least five people were killed and three injured when a gathering in a suburb was attacked Wednesday night.

At least five people were killed and three injured when a gathering in a suburb was attacked Wednesday night.

PENNSYLVANIA

Search continues for suspects in shooting

Police in Pennsylvania are searching for a pair of attackers who they say opened fire at a backyard party in a Pittsburgh suburb Wednesday night, killing five people, including a pregnant woman. Authorities later ruled the death of the womans 8-month-old fetus a homicide and raised the number of fatalities to six.

No motive has been offered

by authorities investigating the mass shooting, which also injured three people, and no suspects have been identified. However, officials said it appeared to be a premeditated assault targeting specific people.

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said one attacker fired at people behind the house to drive them toward the home, right into the path of another attacker firing a rifle at them.

The Allegheny County police said that a 911 call came in shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday about a shooting at a home in Wilkinsburg, a small borough just east of Pittsburgh.

 Mark Berman

and Michael E. Miller

CHARITY

Wounded Warrior executives fired amid controversy

The board of the Wounded Warrior Project, one of the largest veteran support organizations in the country, has fired the nonprofit groups top executives, according to a statement released by a public relations firm on behalf of the embattled organization.

The departure of CEO Steven Nardizzi and Chief Operating Officer Al Giordano comes at a time when the organization is awash in controversy amid news reports accusing it of wasteful spending.

According to the groups tax forms obtained by CBS News, the organization spent $26 million on conferences and meetings in 2014, up from $1.7 million in 2010. The CBS report also talked to numerous former employees who accused the organization of making money off their injuries.

Thomas Gibbons-Neff
Whooping cranes being raised in captivity before being transferred to Louisiana is seen at the U.S. Geological Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

Welsh writer and filmmaker Iain Sinclair once said, The landscape is a refracted autobiography. As it disappears, you lose your sense of self. Maryland has an opportunity to draft the right memoir.

The Maryland legislature is debating a bill that protects open-space funding for all residents of the state. House Bill 1464, the Program Open Space Trust Fund of 2016, would restore full funding for Marylands premier green infrastructure program. We need to get behind it.

You might think that urban districts such as mine in Prince Georges County, bordering the nations capital, would be less concerned about open space than other pressing social and economic issues. But open space matters. Urban parks, fertile farmlands, expansive forests and beautiful bayside beaches are important to every resident. I cannot imagine my district without Greenbelt Park, Lanham Forest or Patuxent Research Refuge, all green spaces within easy reach.

We are blessed with a long-running state program that provides money for the purchase of conservation land throughout the state. Program Open Space provides public access to recreation and environmental protection. Funded through a one-half of 1 percent fee on real estate transactions, this program generates millions of dollars annually for the states greatest land acquisitions: public parks, playgrounds, forests and farmland.

Funding for Program Open Space is often diverted. Since the program began in 1969, more than $1 billion has been used for other purposes and never paid back. Last year alone, less than two-thirds of the funds collected leveraged open-space acquisition, with the remainder shifted to balance Marylands budget  even though demand for program participation exceeds available funding. Roughly $176 million worth of high-quality ecological, recreational, public access and community projects are waiting to be funded. The state has identified roughly $1.8 billion in needs-based priorities for acquisition, development and rehabilitation of park and recreational facilities. The Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation, the organization that preserves working farmland and forests, has more than $42 million in demand for farm easements on roughly 160 family farms that cannot be funded.

House Bill 1464 would prevent the bleeding by creating a lockbox. Any money borrowed would be repaid from general funds in equal increments over the next three years. Before the borrowing could begin, the governor would have to present a plan for repayment and for supporting existing open-space programs in the interim.

The broad benefits of our green infrastructure cannot be overestimated. Open space buffers the impact of growth by providing natural stormwater mitigation and wildlife habitat. Land preservation helps support an $8 billion agriculture industry in Maryland and $4 billion worth of forests and forest products . Our parks, forests and wildlife areas contribute $650 million annually to our economy in tourism and recreation and support more than 10,000 jobs.

The demand for open space is growing. Marylands population increased from 4 million to 6 million people in fewer than 50 years; we can expect 600,000 more people by 2030, many in my district. Where will they go to play, hike or show their children the natural world?

Our landscape is a body politic of forested mountains, city parks, rolling farm fields, a boundless Chesapeake Bay and white sandy beaches meeting the Atlantic. Regardless of our political affiliation, our income and our location within this beautiful state, we all need open space.

The writer, a Democrat, represents Prince Georges County in the Maryland House and is a member of the tri-state Chesapeake Bay Commission.
A 9-year-old girl, identified as Yeslin, breaks down in tears after telling a crowd of supporters how she and her family feel about their incarceration at the Berks Family Residential Center in Leesport, Pa. (Doug Kapustin/For The Washington Post)

The March 6 Politics & The Nation article Illegal-immigration war is stuck in a standoff with moms  highlighted concern over the Obama administrations willingness to detain children and their parents as a tool to deter other refugees. Beyond being inhumane, this policy also fails to meet its purported goals. Deterrence is ineffective, particularly among refugees.

Detention is harmful to childrens health. Research shows that even a few weeks of confinement can lead to negative long-term health and developmental outcomes. Last year, I visited the Berks County family detention center in Pennsylvania with a group of lawyers, social workers and pediatricians. The health professionals found that detained parents and children exhibited symptoms of various mental-health problems, including depression, anxiety and risk of suicide. Moreover, the mental-health services did not appear to use formal, evidence-based screening or monitoring tools.

Pennsylvanias decision to revoke the centers license was a step in the right direction. Now those children should be released to their relatives and allowed to argue their asylum cases outside the confines of detention.

Olga Byrne, New York

The writer is a senior associate

with Human Rights First.
Donald Trumps recent refusal on CNNs State of the Union to disavow Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke has reignited debates over the Klans role in national politics. Thats not surprising. Its long history has been marked by spectacular rises and falls, from its terrorist origins in the aftermath of the Civil War to its massive revival as a nativist movement in the 1920s and its refashioning as a brutal anti-civil-rights vigilante squad in the 1960s. Today, Klan chapters continue to recruit small and marginal memberships. While the KKKs white hoods, flowing robes and fiery crosses remain resonant symbols of racial terror and white supremacy, misconceptions abound. Here are five of the most pervasive myths.

1. The KKK is too weak to pose a real threat today.

When the KKK planned a rally outside the South Carolina statehouse in 2015, its opponents said there was nothing to fear. The Klan today is weak, poorly led, divided internally, Southern Poverty Law Center fellow Mark Potok told the Christian Science Monitor. Others have echoed that sentiment, calling the Klan weak, lonely and even a wannabe hate group.

Its true that todays Klan is really dozens of different, mostly disconnected groups. Last month, the Southern Poverty Law Centers Intelligence Project identified 190 active units spread across 31 distinct organizations. Membership in these groups is relatively small and factionalized, with overall participation estimated at fewer than 10,000. (At its peak in the 1920s, Klan membership exceeded 4 million.)

But this very marginalization can breed unpredictable acts of violence. Paradoxically, during periods when the KKK enjoyed a mass following, Klan violence was easier to police. Back then, leaders seeking to maintain their organizations had incentive to rein in unauthorized attacks by individual members. Today, the KKKs lack of an overarching structure can encourage plots by lone wolves or isolated cells. An increasing presence on the Internet exacerbates this tendency, with sympathizers such as alleged Charleston, S.C., church shooter Dylann Roof easily able to access materials promoting and encouraging terrorism in the name of white supremacy.

2. The KKKs primary support is in the rural South.

In pop culture, the Klan is portrayed as a primarily Southern phenomenon. Quentin Tarantino ridicules the KKK in Django Unchained, set in the Deep South. George Clooney scuffles with the Klan in the Mississippi-based O Brother, Where Art Thou? Atticus Finch sympathizes with  then later denounces  the group in Harper Lees Alabama-based books.

While the original KKK was a distinctly Southern movement, developed and led by Confederate veterans, the revived Klans 1920s heyday featured a national and predominantly urban base, with the Midwest, Southwest and Eastern Seaboard emerging as powerful Klan centers. Denver, Detroit and Philadelphia each boasted memberships greater than 20,000.

During the civil rights era, Klan activity again became concentrated in the South, and much of the KKKs most brutal violence took place against Southern civil rights forces. But the groups strongholds were not in rural locales. They were in and around cities such as Birmingham, Ala., Greensboro, N.C., Raleigh, N.C., and Jacksonville, Fla.

In the ensuing decades, the KKKs geographic reach has again broadened. Today, the Southern Poverty Law Centers comprehensive hate map locates active KKK units in 34 states, from New England to the West Coast.

3. The KKK operates largely in secret, hiding its members

identities.

The Klan is most notoriously associated with terrorist acts committed under the cover of darkness, with perpetrators identities concealed by hoods. Media accounts back up this stereotype. One British article offers a glimpse into secretive rituals. A History Channel documentary promises to get inside this secret society. Slate described the Klan as one of the most feared, secretive, and marginalized pockets of society around the world.

At times, KKK members have used hoods to protect themselves and create symbolic cachet. But more often, Klan groups have behaved like public organizations, trumpeting their presence and civic contributions. In 1925, KKK leaders showed off their burgeoning membership and political influence by organizing a Klan parade down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington. The event drew more than 40,000 unmasked members. During the 1960s, KKK outfits staged nightly street walks in Southern cities, with hundreds of members marching, unhidden, through local business districts to drum up attention for nearby rallies and to underscore members open presence in the community.

Such skewed civic-mindedness extended to a range of social events and charitable acts, from Klan church services, fish fries and turkey shoots to campaigns to deliver food and other necessities to the sick or needy. In the 1970s, David Duke upped the ante, exchanging robes for three-piece suits in an effort to enhance his groups respectability and appeal.

Todays self-styled KKK leaders claim to be opening new frontiers by, say, launching websites or organizing marches through local downtowns. In fact, these actions are part of a long lineage of checkered efforts by the Klan to achieve public legitimacy.

4. The KKK enjoyed public support from segregationist politicians in the civil-rights-era South.

In his 1963 inaugural speech, Alabama Gov. George Wallace famously delivered an impassioned defense, chanting, Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever! A year earlier, Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett announced that he was a segregationist and . . . proud of it.

But despite these bold proclamations, the alliance between Klansmen and politicians was very complicated. Like a number of his Jim Crow-era counterparts, Wallace tolerated the Klan, courted its memberships votes and at times leveraged KKK influence to shore up his segregationist flank. But segregationist politicians stopped short of publicly promoting lawlessness or otherwise validating the Klans brand of organized terrorism. Tellingly, when a journalist caught Wallace on film shaking hands with national Klan leader Robert Shelton during Wallaces 1968 presidential campaign, a member of the governors staff instructed an Alabama state trooper to grab the camera and destroy the film. Thats because the Klan polarized the Southern white electorate. While an overwhelming percentage supported segregation in the 1960s, a significant contingent was repelled by the KKKs violent extralegal means.

Politicians struggled to appeal to both camps. Before his 1964 election as North Carolina governor, centrist Dan K. Moore responded to state KKK leader Bob Joness endorsement by claiming not to know the nature of the Klan or its membership and saying he welcomed the support of all responsible groups.

Such balancing acts mirror Trumps recent failure to immediately disavow the support of longtime KKK leader Duke  Just so you understand, I dont know anything about David Duke, okay?  demonstrating how, as in 1964, todays candidates can seek advantage in tacit appeals to issues that resonate with the Klans worldview.

5. The KKKs damaging impact has been limited to its terrorist

activities.

Any account of the Klans disturbing legacy rightfully centers on the deadly acts of violence its members have perpetrated in the name of white supremacy.

But Klan vigilantism has harmed communities in less-direct and more broadly corrosive ways as well. Even today, 50 years after the height of the KKKs civil-rights-era violence, communities where the Klan once thrived exhibit higher rates of violent crime than neighboring areas. Such effects demonstrate the power of a movement that flouts established authority and weakens the bonds of respect and order within a community. That power disrupts the social fabric well beyond the presence of the KKK itself.

The KKKs durable influence also extends to electoral politics. The Klan has never recaptured the powerful voting bloc it built in the 1920s (at the time, its membership drove the outcomes of hundreds of local and state elections). But in a recent study, Rory McVeigh, Justin Farrell and I found that the KKK served as a major driver of the largest partisan shift of the past half-century  the Souths pronounced move toward the Republican Party. While support for Republican candidates has grown throughout the region, the increase has been significantly more pronounced in areas where the KKK was previously active. The Klan helped produce this effect by encouraging voters to move away from Democratic candidates, who increasingly supported civil rights reforms, and by pushing racial conflicts to the fore and more clearly aligning those issues with party platforms.

While this shift from blue to red may in itself not be problematic, the damaging effect of the Klans role resides in the divisive nature of that transition, which continues to be reflected in our polarized political system.

david.cunningham@wustl.edu

Five myths is a weekly feature challenging everything you think you know. You can check out previous myths, read more from Outlook or follow our updates on Facebook and Twitter.
THE OBAMA administration keeps betting that Vladimir Putin is genuinely interested in a diplomatic settlement in Ukraine. The case of Nadiya Savchenko offers powerful evidence to the contrary.

Ms. Savchenko, 34, is a Ukrainian army officer who served with the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq and later volunteered for a battalion that fought Russias invasion of her countrys eastern provinces in 2014. On June 17 of that year, she was captured by pro-Russian forces and transported across the border to Russia, where she reportedly endured interrogations, solitary confinement, and forced psychiatric evaluation,  according to the State Department. Now she is being subjected to a classic show trial, in violation of international law as well as Russias commitments under what is known as the Minsk 2 cease-fire agreement with Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Ms. Savchenko was brought before a court in the southern Russian city of Donetsk to face charges that she served as a spotter for a mortar attack that killed two Russian journalists and a number of fighters. The case is concocted: Not only was the artillery barrage a lawful combat operation, but also Ms. Savchenkos lawyers say they have video and cellphone evidence showing that she was captured before the incident took place. Ms. Savchenko herself is defiant. Though weakened by a hunger strike, she delivered a lecture to the court predicting a Ukrainian-style democratic uprising in Russia before directing a raised middle finger at the judge.

Ms. Savchenkos prosecution has inflamed public opinion in Ukraine, where she was elected to parliament and where protests demanding her release attract large crowds. That likely pleases Mr. Putin. The court case, like the continuing attacks by Russian-led forces in violation of the cease-fire, is calculated to destabilize the democratically elected, pro-Western government of Petro Poroshenko. The officers detention flies in the face of Minsk 2s requirement that both sides release imprisoned combatants.

Given Russias blatant violations, Mr. Poroshenko, who publicly assured Ukrainians that the peace deal would free Ms. Savchenko, finds it politically impossible to move forward with Ukraines obligations, including constitutional reforms. Moscow, in turn, trumpets Kievs noncompliance as a reason for Western governments to abandon their support for Mr. Poroshenko and to lift sanctions on Russia.

Fortunately, at least some European leaders see through these crude tactics. Five European Union governments have called for sanctions against Russian officials involved in what they describe as a fabricated case. So have 57 members of the European Parliament, who say Mr. Putin should be one of 29 people sanctioned. The United States so far has confined its response to statements by Vice President Biden and Secretary of State John F. Kerry, who both called for Ms. Savchenkos release this week.

Those words will have no impact on Mr. Putin unless they are linked to actions. The Obama administration should expand its own sanctions on Russia to include all those involved in the detention and prosecution of Ms. Savchenko, as well as other violations of the Minsk 2 agreement. There will be no chance of a settlement in Ukraine unless the costs to Russia of its policy of sabotage and subversion are substantially raised.
We the people are going to have to save ourselves from Donald Trump, because politicians dont seem up to the task.

For the big-haired billionaire, it was another week, another romp. In winning three of the four states up for grabs Tuesday, Trump demonstrated once again the weaknesses of his rivals. Ted Cruz, whose core support is among staunch conservatives and evangelical Christians, should have won Mississippi. John Kasich, the sitting governor of Ohio, should have won next-door Michigan. And Marco Rubio . . . well, he should have competed somewhere.

Cruz did manage to win Idaho, somewhat bolstering his claim to be the only plausible anti-Trump candidate left in the field. But Trump has now won primaries in the Northeast, the South, the West and the Midwest. Exit polling showed he had strength among both conservative and moderate voters. If he were not so dangerously unsuitable for the presidency, at this point hed be called the presumptive Republican nominee.

Fumbling efforts by whats left of the GOP establishment to halt Trumps march to power seem too little, too late. Mitt Romneys never-Trump salvo may have been intended to influence voters in Michigan, where Romney grew up and his father was a popular governor. If so, it was a humiliating failure.

One problem was that after forcefully stating why Republicans should not vote for Trump, Romney refused to say whom they should choose instead. Theres an old saying in politics: You cant beat somebody with nobody. There is no way the establishment will derail Trump without settling on, and backing to the hilt, a viable alternative.

This will likely be remembered as the week when the establishment finally gave up on Rubio. He was always the fair-haired boy of party insiders, but not, alas, of the voters; he has managed to win only two contests, in Minnesota and Puerto Rico, and routinely finishes third or even fourth.

Rubio acknowledged this week that he rues his decision to go after Trump with playground insults. He is right to be remorseful, because that ploy probably cost him any chance at the nomination. His grand display of juvenile behavior reinforced the notion that he is too young and unformed to be president. Trump, who knows how to find the jugular, started calling him Little Marco. It stuck.

Presidential contender Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) held a campaign rally in Ponte Vedra, Fla., where he talked about the Supreme Court, the University of Florida Gators and repealing Obamacare. ( / Reuters)

Rubio is trying desperately to win his home state of Florida on Tuesday, and a new Washington Post-Univision News poll shows him perhaps within striking distance; Trump leads with 38 percent, but Rubio is fairly close at 31 percent. Kasich, meanwhile, is gaining on Trump in Ohio; a recent Fox News poll even showed the governor with a small lead.

If Trump wins those states, the Rubio and Kasich candidacies are effectively over. More important, the winner-take-all haul of delegates  and Trump is also leading in Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina, the other three states that vote Tuesday  would increase the possibility that Trump could win the nomination outright, rather than have to fight for it at a contested party convention.

Put me down as extremely skeptical that the party will try to deny Trump the nomination if he comes to the convention with anywhere near the required majority of delegates. To do so would require a fortitude and a willingness to stand up to Trumps bullying that the establishment has not shown thus far.

The low point came at last weeks debate when Trumps opponents all described him as unfit for the presidency  then meekly pledged to support him if he is the nominee.

Stopping Trump, either before or during the convention, would require party leaders to swallow hard and support Cruz, who is right to portray himself as the only realistic alternative. Cruz has, after all, won seven states. He is widely disliked by party leaders, many of whom believe he would almost surely lose in the general election  and potentially bring down some GOP Senate and House candidates with him. But if the establishment does not agree on someone else, Donald Trump will be the standard-bearer of a political organization that calls itself the party of Lincoln.

Can Republicans really stomach such a thing? Do they watch those Trump rallies, with protesters being roughed up by angry mobs, and feel proud? Do they agree with his call to reinstitute torture? Do they really believe that Mexico will pay for the wall?

The GOP allowed Trump to get this far and seems powerless to stop him. In November, it appears, voters will have to do the job.

Read more from Eugene Robinsons archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. You can also join him Tuesdays at 1 p.m. for a live Q&A.
Julianne Malveaux, an economist and author, is the author, most recently, of Are We Better Off? Race, Obama, and Public Policy.

Somehow, in 1938, a letter from an unknown, 28-year-old black activist caught the attention of first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The writer was Pauli Murray, who had been denied admission to the University of North Carolina because of her race  and she was rightfully outraged. Perhaps it was the thoughtful passion of Murrays words that captivated the first lady, who plucked the letter out of thousands.

Can you, for one moment, put yourself in our place and imagine the feelings of resentment, the protest, the indignation, the outrage that would lie within you to realize that you, a human being, with the keen sensitivities of other human beings, were being set off in a corner, marked apart from your fellow human beings? Murray wrote. We cannot endure these conditions. Our whole being cries out against inequality and injustice.

Though the missive was addressed to Franklin D. Roosevelt, it was Eleanor Roosevelt who wrote back, somewhat tepidly but with a glimmer of encouragement: The South is changing, but dont push too fast. There is a great change in youth, for instance, and this is a hopeful sign.

So began a decades-long correspondence between Murray and the first lady. Murray was blunt and honest as she wrote to Roosevelt and implored her to reach out to her husband about race matters. She was not the only one bending the first ladys ear. Roosevelt also had relationships with the noted civil rights leaders Dorothy Height and Walter White . But Murray was an unknown. She dared raise her voice and lift her pen to challenge the first lady; she was a nimble activist, able to maintain the deference that allowed the connection to flourish.

"The Firebrand and the First Lady: Portrait of a Friendship: Pauli Murray, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Struggle for Social Justice" by Patricia Bell-Scott (Knopf)

[How history got the Rosa Parks story wrong]

Patricia Bell-Scott captures many of the nuances of this friendship in her thorough and engaging book, The Firebrand and the First Lady. She shares letters that the women exchanged, as well as details of their many meetings  at the White House and at Roosevelts homes in New York City and Hyde Park. She shows how the women influenced each others lives, with Roosevelt encouraging Murray toward caution and Murray pushing Roosevelt toward more aggressive action for racial justice.

Murrays voice was certainly one of those (along with the NAACPs White) who influenced Roosevelt to resign from the Daughters of the American Revolution after the organization refused to allow Marian Anderson to sing at Constitution Hall. Murray also pleaded with Roosevelt to have the president intervene when Odell Waller, a black sharecropper, was sentenced to death after killing his white landlord and employer who cheated him of wages, and some say threatened him. Though the first lady was swayed, ultimately FDR was not. Still, Murray sent a grateful dispatch to her friend: The magnificent effort you put forth in behalf of our delegation made us know you were bearing our burden with us and softened the steel which entered our souls.

This book is as much a portrait of a friendship as it is a window into Murrays world. Murray was quite an amazing individual. She was the first in her class at Howard University law school and the first African American to receive a doctor of judicial science degree from Yale Law School. She was also the first African American woman ordained as a minister in the Episcopal Church and was honored as an Episcopal saint in 2012. A Renaissance woman, teacher, leader and scholar, she made a difference. The author of States Laws on Race and Color (1950), Murray served on the 1961 Presidential Commission on the Status of Women and was a co-founder of the National Organization for Women. Murray coined the term Jane Crow to address the way discrimination particularly affected African American women. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg named her as an honorary co-author in a brief because of her work on gender discrimination.

Life for Murray was no crystal stair, and her personal challenges were myriad. Bell-Scott, a professor emerita at the University of Georgia, presents them compassionately. Murray had a history of mental illness; only close friends knew that she had a few short stints in psychiatric hospitals. Her mental-health issues  some perhaps related to a thyroid problem  did not diminish her brilliance, but she was concerned that people might discount her work because of them. Adding to her worries was the fact that she was gay, which until 1973 was classified as a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Association.

Bell-Scott treads gently through the issue of Murrays sexual orientation. In her 20s, Murray was arrested in male attire, using a mans name, in a gender-bending move that may have tainted her future efforts to engage as a leader in the African American womens community. Bell-Scott gingerly notes that Murray may have disclosed her challenges to Roosevelt, but she emphasizes that little could fracture the connection between the two women. Indeed, after one difficult period, Murray asked Roosevelt for respite at her country home, and Roosevelt was happy to oblige.

Roosevelt and Murray met for the last time in July 1962, just months before Roosevelts death. Bell-Scott includes a lovely photograph of the two women during that visit; sadly, it is one of the few images of Murray and Roosevelt in the book. Shortly thereafter, Murray sent Roosevelt a letter of birthday congratulations and reflections on their relationship. You have been one of my most important models  one who combines graciousness with moral principles, straightforwardness with kindliness, political shrewdness with idealism, courage with generosity, and most of all an outgoingness which never falters, no matter what the difficulties may be. Bell-Scott describes Murray as walking away carrying the candle Eleanor Roosevelt had lit in her heart.

Murray carried the candle into her later life, often speaking warmly about Roosevelt and her legacy. She was also more willing, as she grew older, to examine the openness and nerve required to embrace a new friend  and across such a wide barrier. Murray died in 1985 at age 74.

Amazement, annoyance, impatience, assistance, resistance, challenge, focus, concern and love flowed in the decades of correspondence between Murray and Roosevelt. There were so many times when these two women could have turned away from each other, severing a connection without acrimony, but with the simple assertion that things fall apart. Instead, through sheer determination, Murray and Roosevelt decided to be friends. Their lives were each the richer for it, and our lives are richer for the accounting of their friendship in this important book.
The March 8 obituary for Raymond Tomlinson, Credited with inventing email, selecting @,  said Mr. Tomlinson created the first email program for the Internet. His creation shows that technology created for one purpose often serves a different, unanticipated purpose.

The original Internet, ARPANET, was aimed at allowing researchers at universities to share their computer time with one another. Most of these universities had research contracts with the Defense Department and looked to the government to pay for their computers. The feds thought they could save money by hooking up the computers so that they could be shared across a network. The idea never took off. The people who controlled computers were reluctant to share computers with outsiders. But Mr. Tomlinson created an email program for the fledgling Internet, and that took off. Soon, almost all the traffic over ARPANET was email. The original purpose of time-sharing between computers was largely ignored.

Ken McLean, Arlington
Good countries can sometimes go bad. Donald Trumps supporters implicitly make this argument when they proclaim, Make America Great Again. And so do those who loathe Trump and see in him a dangerous populist response to the anger of frustrated middle-class voters.

The rise of Trump, love him or hate him, conveys an inescapable message: The United States political institutions are in decay, and voters are angry at a government that they perceive (correctly) to be broken. The danger is that Trumps responses would probably make the underlying governance problems worse  and increase polarization and dysfunction even more.

The evidence of Trump rage has been clear in nearly every primary and poll this year. Ron Fournier of the Atlantic summed up the basic message when he quoted a voter in Flint, Mich., about the catastrophic failure of that citys water system: What matters to me as an American, what should matter to all Americans, is that we learn from this: How do we change the way government works? How do we fix these systems?

Heres the puzzle: A country that is angry at government or Washington will have difficulty fixing problems that result from the breakdown of public services caused by underfunding, incompetence and the predominance of private special interests over the public interest. Whats needed isnt less government, but better government  which costs money and requires good leadership.

Americas political dysfunction is the subject of an important book called Political Order and Political Decay, published in 2014 by Francis Fukuyama, a Stanford University social theorist. Fukuyama became famous for asserting the triumph of liberal social order in his 1989 post-Cold War essay, The End of History? He has been trying ever since to sort out why that forecast proved so premature.

Fukuyama notes long-ago examples of thriving systems that grew rigid and failed to adapt to change, from the Han Dynasty in China to the Mamluks in Egypt to the Old Regime in France. He warns: Modern liberal democracies are no less subject to political decay than other types of regimes. Theorists imagine that democracies are self-correcting, but that doesnt happen if voters are poorly organized, or they fail to understand their own interests correctly.

Decay happens when agencies that are supposed to serve the public are captured by elites, or overmanaged by elected officials, or buffeted by what Robert Kagan calls adversarial legalism. Basically, Fukuyama makes an argument for competent, uncorrupted bureaucrats  public servants, as they were once known. His model of an agency shattered by conflicting political mandates and poor management is the U.S. Forest Service, which went from a gold standard mission of managing forest resources to a secondary (and misconceived) goal of preventing forest fires.

It would be one thing if the U.S. Forest Service were an isolated case of political decay, Fukuyama writes. Unfortunately, the overall quality of the American government has been deteriorating steadily for more than a generation.

The deep anti-government hostility of the modern Republican Party is part of the problem. Tax cuts have starved many government agencies of money and good people. Fukuyama notes that Medicare and Medicaid, which account for 22 percent of the federal budget, are managed by 0.2 percent of federal workers. As the federal workforce has dwindled, the number of contractors has exploded. Taxpayers suspect that its a con, and theyre right.

Congress meddles with the federal agencies rather than passing legislation to solve problems. Fukuyama notes that the Pentagon is mandated to send Congress nearly 500 reports a year. The United States is trapped in a bad equilibrium, Fukuyama writes. Congress mandates complex rules that reduce the governments autonomy and make decisions slow and expensive. The government then doesnt perform well, which confirms peoples original distrust.

An angry public watches as the rich get richer, the middle class stagnates and government does nothing. Middle-class prosperity and self-confidence have been the foundation of U.S. democracy. Yet the Pew Research Center estimates that the share of household income going to middle-class families fell from 62 percent in 1970 to 43 percent in 2014, while the share for upper-income families rose from 29 percent to 49 percent.

Trump gives an angry America someone to blame: Muslims, Mexicans, government bureaucrats, free-trade negotiators, politicians, journalists. But he doesnt begin to address the real problem of how to fix the United States political decay.

No one living in an established liberal democracy should . . . be complacent about the inevitability of its survival, warns Fukuyama. Or as Benjamin Franklin put it in 1787: A republic, if you can keep it.

Read more from David Ignatiuss archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
Del Quentin Wilber is a reporter for Bloomberg News and the author of Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan.

Quentin Roosevelt was a fighter pilot who was killed battling the Germans in World War I. What else can be said of a man, even a war hero, who died at the age of 20, nearly 100 years ago  a life too short to amount to much consequence, even if he was a son of a former U.S. president?

To me, the question is a personal one. As you can see from my byline, Quentin is my middle name, and it is a direct link of sorts to the daring pilot and his larger-than-life father. The name was given to my grandfather, and then my father and then me. Though the circumstances of the first bestowal are somewhat murky, family lore suggests that my great-great-grandfather had hunted with Theodore Roosevelt. (I have not been able to confirm this, and my grandfather was a teller of tall tales.) At the very least, my grandfather was given the middle name to recall the sacrifices of a son and a famous father.

Quentins death was greeted with grief by the American people, many of whom recalled his exploits as a youngster in his fathers White House; Im sure others received his name, especially during and right after World War I (a town in Pennsylvania even swapped its name from the too-German Bismarck to Quentin).

Eric Burns, a former NBC News correspondent, has taken on the difficult task of reconstructing the young mans life by placing it in the context of his overachieving and history-making father. His book, The Golden Lad, is at once fresh and illuminating, a fast-paced read that focuses on President Roosevelts private life and his role as a husband and father, and on a young man inspired by the Rough Rider to fight and die for his country. It is the kind of biography that more authors should embrace: concise and lively. I imagine this is how an arborist tells the broader story of a forest through the rings on a single tree.

"The Golden Lad: The Haunting Story of Quentin and Theodore Roosevelt" by Eric Burns (Pegasus)

The book, which relies extensively on the Roosevelts trove of correspondence (they were an epistolary clan, Burns writes), starts in 1897 with Roosevelt, then Navy secretary, agitating for combat in the Spanish-American War just as his youngest of six children, Quentin, was born. The boy turned out to be a lot like his father and, like Dad, was sickly as a child.

Roosevelt expected much from himself and his children, particularly his four sons. One of the first two letters Roosevelt wrote upon Quentins birth was sent to the headmaster at the prestigious Groton prep school, asking him to consider Quentin for admission. (To Roosevelts credit, he sent Quentin for a time to a public school near the White House.)

The elder Roosevelt wasnt just a war hero. He served as New York police commissioner, secretary of the Navy and governor of New York before being tapped in 1900 to run as vice president with President William McKinley. When an assassin killed McKinley in September 1901, Roosevelt became president and brought his family to the White House. There, the commander in chief played with his boys and was known for engaging in a bit of mischief himself; he earned an honorary spot in Quentins White House Gang of young boys, one of whom was the son of future president William Howard Taft, who at the time was secretary of war. Roosevelt took particular joy in exchanging playful and grotesque looks with Quentin and generally horsing around.

Quentin earned a reputation for roughhousing and causing trouble  whether breaking furniture or throwing snowballs at guards. Burns writes that Quentin once barged into a meeting between his father and the attorney general  with a large snake wrapped around his body. Roosevelt immediately sent the youngster, who also had snakes clutched in each hand, to entertain waiting congressmen.

At a social function, a haughty matron asked Quentin how he dealt with the more common boys at his public school, and the youths response surely made his father quite proud. I dont know what you mean, Quentin told her. My father says there are only four kinds of boys: good boys and bad boys and tall boys and short boys; thats all the kinds of boys there are.

In Burnss telling, Quentin was Roosevelts favorite child, and they shared a bond  whether in writing letters or engaging in pillow fights or other shenanigans. Quentin attended Groton, where he struggled with its strict rules, and then Harvard. When the nation entered World War I in 1917, he joined the nascent U.S. Air Corps, becoming a pilot (his three brothers fought with the Army). Their father, who had vocally called for Americas entry into the conflict, could not have been more pleased by his sons service.

In France, Quentin earned a reputation for being a solid officer, if a somewhat reckless pilot, perhaps not the best trait for an airman dodging bullets in a plane made of wood and fabric. Quentin shot down at least one German plane, perhaps two, but his own end came just four months after he was sent to the front lines. On July 14, 1918, he crashed and died, most likely after being shot down in a dogfight. His remains, along with those of an older brother, Theodore Jr., a top Army general who died in World War II, are interred at a U.S. military cemetery in France.

Burns writes that Quentins death sped the demise of his father, a man already weakened from a near-assassination and a torturous journey into the Amazon jungle. His sorrow, Burns writes, overwhelmed all other emotions, except perhaps his guilt. Roosevelt had pushed hard for the nations entry into the war. When he was asked to send an inspirational message to the people of France, he declined: I have no message for France; I have already given her the best I had. When he was approached to run for president in 1920, he demurred. I am indifferent to the subject. Since Quentins death, the world seems to have shut down upon me.

The former president had endured much loss in his life: his father and his brother; his first wife and his mother died on the same day. After heartbreak, he bulled ahead. But after Quentins death, Burns writes, the former Rough Rider could no longer find the courage or energy to charge the hill. At the age of 60, he died, just six months after Quentin was killed.

For Quentins death was not just another loss: it was the loss, Burns writes, the ultimate tragedy for Theodore Roosevelt, an occurrence that called into question everything for which he had stood in his life.
Correction: This review incorrectly says that Adolf Hitler dictated most of Mein Kampf. Recent scholarship indicates that he typed a good portion of the manuscript. The review also incorrectly says that Hitler spoke to a Benz dealer about getting a Mercedes after his release from prison in 1924. Mercedes and Benz did not merge until a few years later.

Andrew Nagorskis latest book, The Nazi Hunters, will be published in May.

In his two-volume biography of Adolf Hitler, the British historian Ian Kershaw wrote that 1924 was when, like a phoenix arising from the ashes, Hitler could begin his emergence as the absolute leader of a reorganized Nazi Party that would become the standard-bearer of the far right. In 1924, journalist Peter Ross Range examines what happened in that pivotal year.

Against the backdrop of the mountain of books about Hitler, the idea of zeroing in on one critical part of his story makes good sense. But it cannot be done as cleanly as the title 1924 implies. Range devotes more than a third of his book to prologue, particularly Hitlers failed beer hall putsch in November 1923 and his subsequent arrest. This set the stage for his trial in early 1924 and his imprisonment until the end of year, which allowed him to write Mein Kampf, his autobiographical screed that presented his twisted theories on race and conquest.

After the amateurish putsch  which led to a shootout, leaving 14 Nazis and four police officers dead  many observers were convinced that the upstart rabble-rouser from Munich was finished politically. But as Range points out in his lively account of the trial, Hitler quickly realized that prosecutor Hans Ehard provided him the perfect opportunity to shine when he called him the soul of the whole enterprise.

In his rambling but highly effective speeches in front of a sympathetic judge and spectators, Hitler both presented himself as the voice of all those who despised the Weimar Republic and demonstrated the hypocrisy of the Bavarian authorities who had cooperated with the Nazis before arresting them.

"1924: The Year That Made Hitler" by Peter Ross Range (Little, Brown)

In prison, Hitler, after jettisoning thoughts of suicide, once again took advantage of the obsequious behavior of his jailers. It was then that he resolved to go the political rather than the military route to bring down Germanys fragile democracy: Propaganda and votes, rather than more coups, became his weapons.

Range tells his story well, offering choice details. While in prison, Hitler pleaded with a Benz dealer for a discount on the new Mercedes he was set on buying after his release. But theres one questionable claim: Range insists that Hitler typed all of Mein Kampf himself, while historians such as Kershaw, John Toland and William Shirer have all reported that he dictated most of it.

More important, Range implies that Hitlers exit from prison led to his rapid political comeback. In fact, the Nazis performed miserably in elections as late as 1928. But then the Great Depression hit, and Hitler was positioned to take full advantage of it  yes, thanks to his preparatory work in prison.

In Hitlers case, the man made the times. But that would not have happened without the times offering him a new opportunity.
The effect of liberty to individuals is that they may do what they please; we ought to see what it will please them to do, before we risk congratulations.

 Edmund Burke

As the unthinkable becomes likely, the question arises: Who is really to blame for Donald Trump?

The proximate answer is a durable plurality in the Republican primary electorate, concentrated among non-college-educated whites but not limited to them. They are applying Trump like a wrecking ball against the old political order. And it clearly does not matter to them if their instrument is qualified, honest, stable, knowledgeable, ethical, consistent or honorable.

At the CNN debate in Miami, GOP candidates sparred over immigration, social security, how to talk about Muslims and more. Here are the key moments. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

But why has this group of voters cohered, while other elements of the Republican coalition have fractured?

Some blame compromised Republican leaders who have resolutely refused to do things  such as unilaterally overturning Obamacare  that they actually lack the constitutional power to do. Or maybe the establishment invited a backlash for insufficient toughness on illegal immigration  though it is hard to imagine why public urgency would spike just as the flow of illegal immigration has slowed to a trickle. Or maybe a parallel establishment of conservative talk radio, PACs and websites gains listeners, funds and clicks by inciting conservatives against Republicans.

[Get ready, Donald Trump: Youre about to run into a buzz saw]

Or maybe, as reform conservatives have argued, Republicans have not adequately responded to 25 years of economic dislocation and wage stagnation  challenges faced by blue-collar families that simply dont yield to a circa-1981 GOP agenda of tax cuts and deregulation.

The problem? All these same arguments were being made by the same people before Trump arrived on the scene. A new and unexpected development in U.S. politics has managed to confirm everything people already believed, suggesting that not much learning is taking place.

Whoever else might be implicated, it is necessary to say that Trump is to blame for Trump. The fact that he is appealing to understandable concerns does not make him a valid or responsible voice. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, for example, President George W. Bush could have chosen to blame Islam and stir up prejudice. He didnt. In the aftermath of the Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., attacks, Trump did, picking on a religious minority for self-serving political reasons.

In a dangerous world, fear is natural. Cynically exploiting fear is an art. And Trump is a Rembrandt of demagoguery.

But this does not release citizens from all responsibility. The theory that voters, like customers, are always right has little to do with the American form of government. The founders had little patience for pure democracy, which they found particularly vulnerable to demagogues. Men of factious tempers, of local prejudices, or of sinister designs, says Federalist 10, may, by intrigue, by corruption, or by other means, first obtain the suffrages, and then betray the interests, of the people. A representative government is designed to frustrate sinister majorities (or committed pluralities), by mediating public views through a chosen body of citizens, whose wisdom may best discern the true interest of their country.

[Charles Krauthammer: Donald Trump, defender of the Faith]

Trump is the guy your Founding Fathers warned you about. The question is not Why Trump now?  argues constitutional scholar Matthew J. Franck, but rather Why not a Trump before now? Perhaps some residual self-respect on the part of primary voters has driven them, up to now, to seek experience, knowledge of public policy, character, and responsibility in their candidates. The Trump phenomenon suggests that in a significant proportion of the (nominally) Republican electorate, this self-respect has decayed considerably.

With the theory of a presidential nominee as a wrecking ball, we have reached the culmination of the founders fears: Democracy is producing a genuine threat to the American form of self-government. Trump imagines leadership as pure act, freed from reflection and restraint. He has expressed disdain for religious and ethnic minorities. He has proposed restrictions on press freedom and threatened political enemies with retribution. He offers himself as the embodiment of the national will, driven by an intuitive vision of greatness. None of this is hidden.

The founders may not have imagined political parties as a check on public passions, but that is the role the GOP must now play  as important as any in its long history. It is late, but not too late. If he loses in Ohio and Florida on March 15, Trump may well be held below a majority of delegates at the Cleveland convention. And then this chosen body of citizens should play its perfectly legitimate role and give its nomination to a constructive and responsible leader.

Read more from Michael Gersons archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook .
Twice, in 2007 and 2010, I have walked out my front door and been confronted by a phalanx of police officers preparing to come in  courtesy of a search warrant. I was a probation officer for juveniles, some of whom had complained to me about having their homes raided after being arrested for possession and/or use of a gun. I also was the custodial grandparent of a juvenile arrested on the same charge.

The March 6 front-page article When the innocent are treated like criminals detailed the many mistakes made by police executing search warrants. I can find no fault with the police in my grandsons case. He foolishly got involved with the wrong crowd, though he had not hidden weapons in our home. The police were mannerly and operated with admirable restraint. Still, nothing prepares one for the feeling of violation, magnified significantly by innocence.

As a former Superior Court officer, I feel the most disturbing and discouraging aspect is the seemingly cavalier way in which judges acquiesce on questionable requests. It is unsettling to learn those we expect to uphold our Fourth Amendment rights are taking such a laissez-faire approach to their responsibilities. Chief Judge Lee F. Satterfields decision to decline to comment was a public disservice. He and the judges under his watch owe the public more than evasion. The D.C. Council can enact legislation that ensures any damage wrought by a wrongful search is redressed appropriately.

Gregory R. Adams, Washington
THE LATEST she said, he said dispute between Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) concerns the federal auto industry bailout. Ms. Clinton charges that, whereas she voted to save the auto industry, Mr. Sanders voted against the money that ended up saving the auto industry. Mr. Sanders replies that he absolutely did favor an auto bailout and voted for one, but what he opposed was a package of money that would also have rescued Wall Street.

The first point to make about this clash is that it represents, for Ms. Clinton, the wages of her past political responsibility. In September 2008, Ms. Clinton and Mr. Sanders were both U.S. senators deciding whether to vote for a $700 billion fund to prop up the rapidly collapsing U.S. financial system. Ms. Clinton voted yes, on the sound view that the likely alternative to this admittedly undeserved rescue of Wall Street would have been global calamity. Mr. Sanders voted no, demanding that Wall Street pay for its own bailout. As it happens, the bailout fund, known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), ended up costing far less than the initial headline figure suggested, and even made taxpayers some money; but, as was foreseeable at the time, that hasnt stopped the countrys political purists, left and right, from second-guessing and making political hay.

In that sense, Mr. Sanderss attacks on Ms. Clintons vote for TARP were exactly what Ms. Clinton knowingly risked when she nevertheless did the right thing, amid great uncertainty and under tremendous pressure.

Ms. Clinton is indeed being cute by accusing Mr. Sanders of opposing the money for the car companies. The record is clear that the senator from Vermont supported an auto bailout in principle and indeed voted for rescuing the industry through stand-alone legislation in late December 2008 (as did Ms. Clinton); that bill failed because of Republican opposition. In the last week of the George W. Bush administration, in January 2009, Congress voted to release the second half of the $700 billion bailout (it had been split into two tranches), with the understanding that the incoming Obama administration would use about $4 billion of it to keep Detroit going until a more comprehensive fix could be arranged. It was that measure that Mr. Sanders voted against, because he still couldnt countenance aid for the banks.

In short, Mr. Sanders favored an auto bailout  on his pure, unadulterated terms. In the real world  the world of compromise, uncertainty and unavoidable haste (the auto industry was nearing collapse in January 2009)  the available bailout was one that came appended to money for the financial sector. And Mr. Sanders voted no. In that sense, the Clinton campaign is quite right to say that, if everyone had voted as Mr. Sanders did, there would have been no auto rescue, at least not the one we got.

Indeed, the episode tends to illustrate rather well the essential differences between Mr. Sanderss approach to public policy and Ms. Clintons. The former preserved Mr. Sanderss ability to lob holier-than-thou attacks on the campaign trail. The latter helped save the country.
At the CNN debate in Miami, GOP candidates sparred over immigration, social security, how to talk about Muslims and more. Here are the key moments. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

At the CNN debate in Miami, GOP candidates sparred over immigration, social security, how to talk about Muslims and more. Here are the key moments. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

Through 12 Republican debates, there has been one consistent dynamic: Donald Trump has held center stage, literally and figuratively. He is the alpha politician who has fended off multiple opponents with cutting insults, timely interruptions and only an occasional exploration of the substance of policy.

Trump shared a debate stage Thursday night with his three remaining rivals, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, and he found a different way to control the evening: by deflection and adaptability.

Ahead in the race for the nomination, he adopted a more restrained and subdued demeanor, even passing up opportunities to strike back when his opponents tried to engage him. It was a strategy common to front-runners  play not to lose, avoid mistakes or eruptions, and force the opposition to change the dynamic.

For much of the evening, the four candidates carried on a generally civil discussion on the issues. They avoided the kinds of clashes that had created a downward spiral in their dialogue over the three previous debates.

Thursdays encounter, in particular, seemed a direct reaction to the universal criticism of their debate a week ago, a forum that took the GOP campaign into the gutter. But in the more subdued environment, Trump was challenged anew to move beyond generalities, and he still struggled to explain where he really stands on a range of issues, from education and trade policy to Social Security and the federal budget deficit to dealing with the Islamic State and Iran.

1 of 18 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  The Republican presidential candidates faced off during the CNN debate in Miami View Photos The four remaining candidates debated in Miami, five days before the winner-take-all GOP primary in Florida on March 15. Caption The four remaining candidates debated in Miami, five days before the winner-take-all GOP primary in Florida on March 15. March 10, 2016 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with rival Ted Cruz as they arrive onstage for the CNN debate at the University of Miami. Carlo Allegri/Reuters Wait 1 second to continue.

That Trump has certain skills as a candidate is without question. He can dominate a debate or a news cycle with relative ease. His ability to keep opponents at bay and off balance has been stellar. But there is much more to being president than that, which is why there are so many doubts about him among the electorate at large. What the debates have shown is that Trumps lack of depth on issues continues to be a key part of the story of his quest for the presidency.

Trump arrived at Thursdays debate at the University of Miami nearing what could be a key turning point in the Republican campaign. By Tuesday night, after a round of primaries in big states, he either will be seen in full command of the nomination process  virtually unstoppable  or facing competition that could carry on all the way to the floor of the GOP convention in Cleveland in July with no certain outcome.

The New York billionaire has gotten to this moment through the systematic destruction of his opponents. He is a ruthless attacker and a pitiless counterpuncher. He reads people and goes for the jugular. He delights in putting down his opponents and shows no mercy as he does so.

Three candidates in particular have threatened him, and he has lashed at each. He unnerved Jeb Bush by declaring the former Florida governor the low energy candidate. When he called Rubio Little Marco, the tag seemed almost instantly to diminish the politician in whom so many establishment Republicans had invested their hopes.

Playing Trumps game has proved foolhardy. Bush vacillated in his response to Trumps insults until his candidacy had little oxygen left. Rubio finally responded when his candidacy was in deep trouble. Goaded into a direct battle, Rubio went down to Trumps level of insults. He said this week he now regrets what he did. Rubios faint hopes of continuing depend on winning his home state on Tuesday, but he trails in the polls.

Lyin Ted is Trumps belittling shorthand for Cruz. The two seemed to share a bromance for months, until it was clear to each that the other represented a mortal threat to his hopes of becoming the nominee. Cruz, however, has shown more resilience in the face of Trumps attacks than Bush or Rubio, at least so far. He is second in states and delegates won.

Kasich has avoided attacking Trump and, in turn, has avoided being attacked. But can anyone beat Trump by trying to ignore him, as Kasich has done? Not likely. If the governor beats Trump in Ohio on Tuesday, hes likely to find himself under attack, and a new chapter in their relationship will begin to unfold.

But if Trumps rivals have failed to knock him down by playing his game of insult and attack, they also have struggled to capitalize on those limitations, which says something about both them and Trump. If the New York businessman ultimately is denied the nomination  or eventually the presidency, should he become the nominee  it could be as much his fault as anything else. After nine months as a politician, there is still a question as to how much he has grown as a candidate.

On Thursday, he was pressed to explain his opposition to the education policy known as Common Core. Education through Washington, D.C., he replied. When CNNs Jake Tapper pointed out that Common Core was developed by governors and the states and that the standards are voluntarily adopted by states and localities, Trump said, It has been taken over by Washington.

When Kasich was asked about Common Core, he offered a deeper description of what he has done in Ohio on a range of education issues. Cruz, who opposes Common Core, outlined a series of proposals to expand charter schools, home schools, school vouchers and the like. Its easy to talk about the problem, but you have to understand the solutions.

CNNs Dana Bash pressed Trump to explain how he would preserve the financial viability of Social Security without making adjustments in the retirement age, benefits or anything else. Trump said he would attack waste, fraud and abuse. When Bash told him that estimates suggest that would accomplish very little, Trump shifted his focus to the cost of U.S. military obligations overseas.

This time it was Rubio who suggested the front-runner has limited knowledge of the problems he wants to solve. The numbers dont add up, he said of Trumps proposal. The bottom line is, we cant just continue to tiptoe around this and throw out things like Im going to get at fraud and abuse.

Trump responded by claiming that changes in the governments bidding process would reap major dividends. Were going to go out to bid in virtually every different facet of our government, he said. Were going to save a fortune.

So it went through much of the debate  the most substantive discussion of any of the debates on an evening when Trumps rivals sought to undermine him on the substance rather than theatrics.

On foreign policy, Trump was told that he didnt understand that his Middle East policies were anti-Israel, even though he claimed that he was more pro-Israel than anyone else on the stage. He was accused of wanting to continue policies closer to those of President Obama and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton rather than change direction, as many Republicans are demanding.

Cruz delivered a cutting description of Trumps foreign policy philosophy as, China bad, Muslims bad.

It was an entirely different approach by Trumps opponents, and response by the New York billionaire. The criticisms produced few fireworks and probably muted headlines on Web pages all over the country.

Trump continued on a plane of generalities more than specifics. That has worked for him through the course of the nomination battle, but it leaves unanswered exactly what he would do as president.
Both Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders spoke passionately about the desire to stop deporting immigrants who entered the country illegally and to provide a path to citizenship at The Washington Post/Univision debate in Miami. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

Both Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders spoke passionately about the desire to stop deporting immigrants who entered the country illegally and to provide a path to citizenship at The Washington Post/Univision debate in Miami. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

Hillary Clintons pledge not to deport any illegal immigrants except violent criminals and terrorists represents a major break from President Obama, and it could vastly increase the number of people who would be allowed to stay in the country.

The declaration this week from the Democratic presidential front-runner drew praise from immigrant rights groups, which have largely given up hope on pushing legislation that would create a path to citizenship for the nations 11 million illegal immigrants. Many activists have sought in recent months to push Obama and his potential Democratic successors for stronger executive actions.

Clintons position, which she described during Wednesdays Washington Post-Univision debate, gives her an effective way to energize Hispanic voters, particularly in contrast to calls by Republican front-runner Donald Trump for mass deportations. But it was not clear Thursday whether, as president, she would be able to keep the promise.

The Supreme Court is expected to set an important marker testing the White Houses power in deciding how to enforce border laws when it rules on the constitutionality of Obamas program to grant work permits to millions of illegal immigrants. A ruling is expected as early as June.

Conservative critics of Obamas policies suggested that Clinton has opened the door to far greater leniency and lax enforcement.

1 of 8 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Clinton and Sanders square off during debate in Miami View Photos Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders traded pointed words during the Washington Post/Univision debate in Miami. Caption Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders traded pointed words during the Washington Post/Univision debate in Miami. March 9, 2016 Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders before the start of the Univision News and Washington Post Democratic debate at Miami Dade Colleges Kendall Campus in Miami. Melina Mara/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

This really is a breathtaking step toward open borders, said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which supports lower immigration levels. If you take that step, it needs to be put in front of the public: Do you think immigration laws are irrelevant unless the illegal immigrant has committed a violent offense or drug crime?

Advocates hailed Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, her rival for the Democratic nomination, who joined Clinton on Wednesday night in expressing a desire to break from Obamas policies.

The governments deportation policies have been a source of controversy for much of Obamas tenure.

In announcing a series of executive actions in November 2014, Obama said that his administration would no longer target illegal immigrants who have not committed other crimes, instead prioritizing the deportation of felons, not families.

The only exception, in new guidelines issued by the Department of Homeland Security, were immigrants who arrived illegally since Jan. 1, 2014, including a surge of tens of thousands of women and children who entered the United States after fleeing violence and corruption in Central America.

The administrations decision to deport those who do not qualify for political asylum has angered immigrant rights groups, especially after the Department of Homeland Security conducted a series of enforcement raids on women and children in January.

The fact that both [Clinton and Sanders] had the wherewithal to say we should not deport children, as a stark contrast to the Obama administration, and that both mentioned they agreed with the president on most things except on this was very powerful and very important, said Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center.

At The Washington Post/Univision debate in Miami, Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton panned Donald Trump, vowed to reform immigration and sparred over their respective records. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

Immigration lawyers said they believed Clintons pledge would be well within the law. Though the Supreme Court is reviewing Obamas work-permit program, Clintons action would be an administrative directive to broaden the DHS enforcement guidelines but would not necessarily add more work permits, the legal experts said.

I didnt hear anything troubling legally at all, said David Leopold, an immigration lawyer in Ohio who has worked on cases involving undocumented immigrants. He said the Obama administration has taken an overly rigid view of their own priorities.

What I heard Clinton say is I will not return children to violence,  Leopold said.

A White House spokesman declined to comment Thursday, citing past statements from the administration defending its policies. Obama aides have said their decision to deport those who recently crossed the border is aimed at discouraging a surge of additional undocumented immigrants and sending a message of deterrence to those considering making the dangerous journey north.

Clintons move to the left of Obama on immigration marks a rare moment in which she is seeking to distance herself from a president whose Cabinet she served. In recent months, she has tried to fire up African American voters to back her over Sanders by presenting herself as a guardian of Obamas legacy. In separating herself from Obama on deportations, she is seeking to galvanize the fast-growing Latino and Asian American voting blocs, which overwhelmingly supported Obama in 2008 and 2012 but have demonstrated frustration with the president over deportations.

Clinton had previously denounced the administrations enforcement raids. On Wednesday, she went further when she told Univision anchor Jorge Ramos: I would not deport children. I do not want to deport family members either, Jorge. I want to, as I said, prioritize who would be deported: violent criminals, people planning terrorist attacks, anybody who threatens us. Thats a relatively small universe.

Sanders said during the debate that he agreed with Obama on many issues but he is wrong on this issue of deportation. Sanders emphasized that the Central American nations were the most violent region in our hemisphere and that children from that region should be allowed to stay in the United States.

Ramos, a leading advocate for immigrant rights, told The Post in a Thursday interview that the willingness of the two Democratic presidential candidates to distance themselves from Obama on deportations was big, big news.

Ramos said the deportation of more than 2 million immigrants during Obamas tenure was a silent tragedy for many Hispanic families. He said his questioning at the debate reflected a shift in tactics for the immigrant rights community, which has long focused on a comprehensive legislative overhaul of border-control laws that includes a legal path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Disappointed by the high-profile failure of bipartisan efforts in Congress during the George W. Bush and Obama administrations, advocates said their priority is now focused on winning deportation protections for those already in the United States before figuring out a new legislative strategy to get them full legal status and, ultimately, citizenship.

Whoever the next president is, he or she cannot do anything [on comprehensive reform] without bipartisan support, Ramos said. That may not happen for many years. The next battle for many Latino organizations has to do with the deportations.

Supporters of the Obama administration have defended the presidents approach by suggesting that he needed to be tough on deportations in order to persuade Republicans, who have called for greater border security, to negotiate over a comprehensive bill.

But immigrant rights advocates said the evidence during Obamas tenure is that such an approach is foolhardy.

That is a failed strategy, Hincapie said. After seven, almost eight years, there is very little patience for that among immigrant communities.
Trump supporter Birgitt Peterson, center, of Yorkville, Ill., argues with protesters after the canceled Trump rally in Chicago. She later said her gesture was an attempt to make a point to protesters. Im not a Nazi, she told the New York Times.

March 11, 2016 Trump supporter Birgitt Peterson, center, of Yorkville, Ill., argues with protesters after the canceled Trump rally in Chicago. She later said her gesture was an attempt to make a point to protesters. Im not a Nazi, she told the New York Times. E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune

Protesters and supporters of Donald Trump clashed in sometimes-violent fashion here and in Chicago on Friday, the latest in an escalating series of confrontations that have come to define the front-runners rowdy campaign rallies even as he gets closer to securing the Republican nomination.

In the evening in Chicago, Trump canceled a rally at the University of Illinois at Chicago after brawls broke out at the event site.

Trumps camp issued a statement saying that for the safety of all the tens of thousands of people that have gathered in and around the arena, tonights rally will be postponed to another date. Thank you very much for your attendance and please go in peace.

Inside the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis earlier in the day, protesters interrupted Trump eight times, prompting catcalls and chants from the crowd as security officers removed them. Scores were injured or arrested in clashes between Trump supporters and critics outside the venue, where thousands had gathered in an overflow area to listen to the event over loudspeakers.

Trump is known for his massive, raucous rallies  part campaign events, part media spectacles, part populist exaltations for his most loyal supporters. But the events have also become suffused with the kind of hostility and even violence that are unknown to modern presidential campaigns.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trumps campaign canceled a campaign rally in Chicago on March 11, 2016, amid growing security concerns. (Victoria Walker/The Washington Post)

The candidate himself often seems to wink at, or even encourage, rough treatment of protesters.

Come on, get em out, police, please. Lets go! Trump shouted here on Friday, complaining that protesters could not be removed more quickly because nobody wants to hurt each other anymore.

In incidents around the country this month, local police officers and security personnel frequently have been unable to keep anti-Trump protesters safe when their largely peaceful, if noisy, demonstrations have been met with physical attacks. The confrontations have only grown as Trump events have become a regular destination for liberal demonstrators, who are increasingly organizing large contingents through social media.

The clashes almost always feature an uncomfortable racial component as well: Many of the protesters are black or Latino, while Trumps crowds are almost entirely non-Hispanic whites.

In Fayetteville, N.C., on Wednesday, local police were escorting a young black protester out of a Trump rally when an older white man suddenly punched him in the face  and the officers threw the victim to the ground rather than the assailant.

At a recent event in Louisville, a young black woman holding an anti-Trump sign was violently shoved by several white men while people around her called her a n----- and a c---. Security seemed unable to stop them.

And in Orlando, two protesters  one black and the other Latino  tussled with the crowd after shouting at the candidate a few feet away from his lectern. The audience, thousands strong, broke into chants as a man attempted to tackle them: USA! USA! USA!

At the March 10, 2016, debate in Miami, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was asked about fights at his events. Here are some examples of the physical altercations that have occurred at Trump rallies in recent months. (Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post)

The brawling has cast a shadow over Trump as he gets closer to becoming his partys standard-bearer. His detractors feel they are being censored through the threat of force, while his supporters  and the candidate himself  say protesters are intentionally stirring up trouble to characterize him negatively.

[Cheers, a punch, a slur: What its like in the crowd at a Trump rally]

On Wednesday, Rakeem Jones, 26, and several friends visited a large rally in Fayetteville at the Crown Center Coliseum to see the real estate mogul. They began shouting, Bigot! shortly after Trump took the stage. The next events happened in quick succession: First, Jones and his friends were led toward the exit by officers. As the officers and protesters moved along, a man slipped past security and punched Jones. Suddenly, Jones was pinned down by half a dozen police officers.

Trump had taken the stage just five minutes earlier. He made several comments and then proceeded as usual, underscoring the extent to which such disruptions have become routine.

Why are they allowed to do things that were not allowed to do? Really a disgrace, Trump said as Jones and his friends were led out.

The man arrested and charged in the assault on Jones, John McGraw of Linden, N.C., said in an interview with CBSs Inside Edition after the incident that you bet I liked it, and he justified hitting Jones because he might be a foreign terrorist.

We dont know if hes ISIS. We dont know who he is, but we know hes not acting like an American and cussing me . . . and sticking his face in my head, McGraw said, according to a video of the interview. He deserved it. The next time we see him, we might have to kill him. We dont know who he is. He might be with a terrorist organization.

When asked during Thursday nights GOP presidential debate whether he is creating a tone that encourages violence, Trump said, I truly hope not and I certainly do not condone it.

We have some protesters who are bad dudes, Trump added. They have done bad things. They are swinging. They are really dangerous, and they get in there and they start hitting people.

Trumps remarks Thursday stand in contrast to statements he has made during campaign rallies.

Get him out! Try not to hurt him. If you do, Ill defend you in court, he said earlier this month as a protester was escorted out of a rally in Warren, Mich.

You know what they used to do to guys like that when they were in a place like this? Theyd be carried out in a stretcher, folks, Trump said after a protester interrupted a Las Vegas rally in February.

Id like to punch him in the face, I tell ya, he added moments later.

Here in St. Louis, he said the protesters are so bad for our country, folks, you have no idea, you have no idea. They contribute nothing.

More than an hour before Trump was set to arrive in Chicago, tension was already high in the arena at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where several thousand protesters eager to denounce his message waited alongside several thousand Trump supporters eager to hear him speak. Outside, thousands more gathered. At first the altercations were verbal, with protesters yelling at supporters and vice versa. In an arena section dominated by protesters, a black man dramatically ripped a Trump campaign sign in half and then quietly held up the two pieces.

God! Why do you create fools? an exasperated Trump supporter said, as he watched a young Latino man yelling at a small group of Trump supporters and flashing his middle fingers.

The crowd was notified by a loud announcement that the rally had been postponed. The protesters immediately erupted into cheers and chants of We stopped Trump, while many Trump supporters stood stunned, many having waited hours to see the candidate. Soon, shoving matches broke out between the two groups, and police tried to break up one scuffle after another. Everyone moved outside, and the crowd grew in numbers and the altercations continued. Five people were arrested, a Chicago police spokesman said.

You cant even have a rally in a major city in this country anymore without violence or potential violence, Trump said in an interview on MSNBC. I didnt want to see the real violence, and thats why I decided to call it off.

[Trump followers defend the sucker punch: A poke on the beak]

These incidents, and the candidates own rhetoric, would almost certainly become an issue in the general election if he becomes the nominee. Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton said during an MSNBC interview this week that she is truly distraught and even appalled by a lot of what I see going on at Trump events.

You know, you dont make America great by, you know, dumping on everything that made America great, like freedom of speech and assembly and, you know, the right of people to protest, she said.

Trumps rivals for the Republican nomination on Friday criticized the front-runner for creating the environment that fueled such explosive confrontations.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) told Megyn Kelly of Fox News that Trump was finding out that his words have real consequences, before suggesting that the protesters share the blame. This is Chicago; protesters are an industry [in the city], he said.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), speaking in Rolling Meadows, Ill., took a harsher tone. Any candidate is responsible for the culture of a campaign. And when you have a campaign that disrespects the voters, when you have a campaign that affirmatively encourages violence, when you have a campaign that is facing allegations of physical violence against members of the press, you create an environment that only encourages this sort of nasty discord, he said.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich also blamed Trump for the turn of events. Tonight the seeds of division that Donald Trump has been sowing this whole campaign finally bore fruit, and it was ugly, Kasich said in a statement.

President Obama, for his part, noted that Republicans have allowed the race to devolve into fantasy and schoolyard taunts and selling stuff like its the Home Shopping Network.

Speaking at a Democratic fundraiser in Austin, Obama said: The notion is, Obama drove us crazy. What they really mean is their reaction to me was crazy, and now it has gotten out of hand.

In interviews, several protesters who have been assaulted during a Trump rally said they think that racial bias and a mob mentality are at play.

Im not going to say Donald Trump is responsible for this. But the undertone of his campaign is very racist, said Isaiah Griffin, 38, who attended the Fayetteville rally with Jones. Hes bringing out a lot of the things that America tries to sweep under the rug that we know are still here. Its racism.

Friend Ronnie Rouse, 32, added, Everybody wants to keep their Second Amendment right, but they dont want to let you keep your First.

Other presidential campaigns have certainly had their share of protesters and clashes, but the regularity and the hostility of incidents at Trump events around the country is striking. The conflicts come at a time of heightened racial tensions in many cities and protests centered on the Black Lives Matter movement against police shootings.

Kashiya Nwanguma, a student at the University of Louisville who is black, attended a Trump rally in Louisville this month, she says, to better understand the Trump phenomenon. She said in an interview this week that she suddenly felt the crowds attention turn to her after Trump saw the anti-Trump sign she was holding and asked that she be removed. Someone promptly snatched it out of her hand. Next, she was being roughly shoved by several white men.

I think a lot of it has to do with ignorance thats rooted in fear of the other, said Nwanguma, 21, when asked about the incident Thursday. None of the people who were attacking me even knew what was on my sign. I obviously stood out in the crowd based on my appearance.

One question that hangs over would-be protesters is whether the real estate mogul will be able to prevent instances of violence if they continue growing. He has often spoken dismissively about the incidents on the trail.

See, if I say, Go get them, I get in trouble with the press, the most dishonest human beings in the world, Trump said during the Louisville rally. If I say, Dont hurt them, then the press says, Well, Trump isnt as tough as he used to be. 

There were signs of the potential for chaos during a campaign rally in New Orleans, three days after the incident in Louisville, when dozens of protesters were escorted out of the New Orleans Lakefront Airport hangar.

Trump, struggling to be understood through a muffled sound system, shouted for security to get the protesters out.

As the demonstrators shouted, Black lives matter! another group of attendees began shouting, All lives matter! The latter has become a slogan for conservatives who reject the Black Lives Matter movement as identity politics. Several individuals began to shove one another, and one man, who held a sign that accused Trump of being associated with the Ku Klux Klan, attempted to bite a Trump supporter before he was led out.

The Trump campaign has not responded to requests for details on how it coordinates security at its events. Trump has a Secret Service detail, but protesters have largely been handled by local police officers or by members of Trumps staff. Campaign manager Corey Lewandowski has been spotted helping escort demonstrators out of events. The campaign also plays audio at the beginning asking supporters not to harm protesters.

In Fayetteville, local police were initially unable to locate McGraw, the man accused of assaulting Jones, in part because they rushed to tackle the protester instead. After video of the incident emerged on social media Thursday, the police department launched an investigation and charged McGraw, 78, with assault and disorderly conduct.

[Usually a ruthless attacker, Trump plays it safe at debate]

During an event Saturday at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, which was interrupted by protesters at least a dozen times, Trump looked on while a man in the crowd grabbed a young Latino man who was with a black man yelling at the stage. One of Trumps top campaign staffers, George Gigicos, was the first to reach the two protesters, with security officers directly behind him, according to video from the audience posted online.

As the incident unfolded, those in the crowd yelled things such as, Get em!, Get em out! and Beat their a--! Then there were chants of Trump! Trump! Trump! and then USA! USA! USA!

After the protesters were removed, Trump said: You know, we have a divided country, folks. We have a terrible president, who happens to be African American. . . . Im going to bring people together, you watch. Im going to bring people together.

UCF police spokeswoman Courtney Gilmartin said that nearly every officer was working that day, along with many officers from other agencies. As with all private events, she said, the officers inside the arena were working at the discretion of the campaign.

Many supporters say the altercations are unrelated to Trump. Katy Lollis of Fayetteville said before the North Carolina event that she is supporting Trump largely because he is self-funding his campaign and because she trusts his business record. Lollis, who is white, said she does not worry about his tone and does not think he is stoking racial tensions.

It doesnt give me pause, not for one second, because everyones so politically correct youre afraid to say anything anymore, and hes finally saying whats on peoples minds, she said. I dont think hes doing it in a way that hes trying to attack anybody. . . . I dont think that when hes saying that, I dont think its in a broad stroke. I dont think hes racist at all. I do not think so.

Alvin Bamberger, 75, one of the men who was identified shoving Nwanguma in videos that circulated online, later issued a written apology through the Korean War Veterans Association and said he overreacted after being pushed himself, according to radio station WSCH in Lawrence, Kan. He also said his actions were not based on her race.

I physically pushed a young woman down the aisle toward the exit, an action I sincerely regret. I have embarrassed myself, my family, and Veterans, he wrote. This was a very unfortunate incident and it is my sincere hope that I can be forgiven for my actions.

For her part, Nwanguma hesitated to say Trump bore responsibility for the incident.

I cant say that he caused it. Im not going to go on record saying he caused it. I will just say that there were racial slurs thrown at me by some in the crowd, Nwanguma said.

Protesting is an American tradition, she added later. When you dont believe in something, we have the right to say we dont believe in this. . . . No matter what all of the people around you believe, you should be able to go into a space . . . [and] not be attacked for having a different belief.

Jenna Johnson in Chicago and Mark Berman, Alice Crites, Sarah Larimer, Philip Rucker and David Weigel in Washington contributed to this report.
At the CNN debate in Miami, GOP candidates sparred over immigration, social security, how to talk about Muslims and more. Here are the key moments. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

At the CNN debate in Miami, GOP candidates sparred over immigration, social security, how to talk about Muslims and more. Here are the key moments. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

There was an unfamiliar buzz on the debate stage here Thursday night: the sound of Republican presidential candidates engaging in a sober discussion of policy, rather than savaging each other.

Their 12th debate took a markedly different tone as Donald Trumps remaining three rivals prepare for a crucial round of primaries next week that could represent their last chance of stopping him on his march to the GOP nomination.

While there were sharp exchanges, they were over Social Security, visa programs for foreign workers, how to fix the veterans health-care system, policy toward Cuba and the merits of free trade deals. No one mentioned Little Marco, Lyin Ted or the size of anyones hands.

Were all in this together, Trump said. Were going to come up with solutions. Were going to find the answers to things.

And, so far, I cannot believe how civil its been up here, the celebrity billionaire marveled.

1 of 18 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  The Republican presidential candidates faced off during the CNN debate in Miami View Photos The four remaining candidates debated in Miami, five days before the winner-take-all GOP primary in Florida on March 15. Caption The four remaining candidates debated in Miami, five days before the winner-take-all GOP primary in Florida on March 15. March 10, 2016 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with rival Ted Cruz as they arrive onstage for the CNN debate at the University of Miami. Carlo Allegri/Reuters Wait 1 second to continue.

That was because each of them has something to prove and little time to do it.

Trump sought to project a command of issues and a temperament that is suited to the Oval Office, rather than a reality show.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida was attempting to repair the damage that he has done to his reputation, and his presidential prospects, by baiting Trump with schoolyard taunts.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas portrayed himself as an outsider, like Trump  but one with greater intellectual depth.

And Gov. John Kasich of Ohio emphasized his blue-collar roots and his governing experience  the latter commodity being one that thus far has not found a market in this years discontented electorate.

Trumps opponents drew pointed yet substantive contrasts with the front-runner over his view that many Muslims around the world hate the United States. Cruz, Rubio and Kasich argued that Trumps rhetoric unnecessarily and dangerously alienates many peaceful followers of Islam, the worlds second-largest religion.

I know that a lot of people find appealing the things that Donald says because he says what people wish they could say, Rubio said. The problem is presidents cant just say whatever they want. They have consequences, here and around the world.

Trump countered that Rubio and other politicians espouse a political correctness and diplomatic tone that endangers Americans.

Marco talks about consequences, Trump said. Well, weve had a lot of consequences, including airplanes flying into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and could have been the White House. . . . You can be politically correct if you want. I dont want to be politically correct. I want to solve problems. And we have a problem of hate.

Rubio shot back: Im not interested in being politically correct. Im interested in being correct.

Kasich said radical Islam is the greatest threat to the United States.

They want to destroy everything were about, Kasich said. But he also noted that cultivating alliances of shared trust with such Muslim countries as Saudi Arabia and Jordan is critical to the U.S. mission of defeating Islamic State terrorists.

Cruz agreed. The answer is not simply to yell, China bad, Muslims bad. Youve got to understand the nature of the threats were facing and how you deal with them.

A clear difference emerged on Social Security, with Trump vowing not to tinker with the popular federal retirement program and other candidates arguing that the system requires a sweeping overhaul, including pushing back the retirement age, to avert a future debt crisis.

I will do everything within my power not to touch Social Security  to leave it the way it is, to make this country rich again, to bring back our jobs, to get rid of deficits, to get rid of waste, fraud and abuse, which is rampant in this country, Trump said.

Rubio said Trumps promise is unrealistic. The numbers dont add up, the senator said, a line he repeated again and again.

The bottom line is we cant just continue to tiptoe around this and throw out things like, Im going to get at fraud and abuse,  Rubio said. You still have hundreds of billions of dollars of deficit that youre going to have to make up. And heres the thing: If we do not do it, we will have a debt crisis.

Cruz sounded a similar call. Social Security right now is careening towards insolvency, and its irresponsible. And any politician that doesnt step forward and address it is not being a real leader.

Trump was challenged on the fact that even as he has railed against the effects of international trade and immigration, he has profited from hiring foreign workers and manufacturing clothing in China and Mexico.

Im a businessman. These are laws. These are regulations. These are rules. Were allowed to do it, Trump said. So I will take advantage of it; theyre the laws. But Im the one that knows how to change it. Nobody else on this dais knows how to change it like I do, believe me.

Cruz and Rubio, meanwhile, stressed the importance of distinguishing between trade deals that help the economy and U.S. workers and those that do not.

Were getting killed in international trade right now, Cruz said. And were getting killed because we have an administration that doesnt look out for American workers and jobs are going overseas. Were driving jobs overseas.

Trump so far has won GOP contests in 15 states. He has accumulated about 458 Republican delegates, which is 99 more than his closest rival, Cruz. To win the nomination, a candidate needs 1,237 delegates.

Some GOP leaders, including 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney, are vowing never to vote for the man who appears increasingly likely to be their partys standard-bearer in November. There is also more talk of a contested party convention in July, in which GOP leaders might engineer a way of awarding the nomination to someone else.

The billionaire mogul used his opening statement to send a message to those who would stand in his way: Join the movement.

One of the biggest political events anywhere in the world is happening right now with the Republican Party, Trump said. Millions and millions of people are going out to the polls and theyre voting. Theyre voting out of enthusiasm. Theyre voting out of love. . . . Frankly, the Republican establishment, or whatever you want to call it, should embrace whats happening.

Trump also took a more statesmanlike tone when he was asked about violence at his rallies, which has included protesters being roughed up.

I certainly do not condone that at all, he said.

There is some anger, Trump said of the supporters who show up to cheer him. Theres also great love for the country. Its a beautiful thing.

Kasich, however, suggested that the tone of Trumps rallies speaks to a larger problem. I worry about the violence at a rally, period, the Ohio governor said. The unity of this country really matters.

The race will reach what could be an inflection point next week, with primaries in five states, including closely watched Florida and Ohio.

They are must-win for home-state candidates Rubio and Kasich. And for the first time, delegates will be awarded on a winner-take-all basis, which means that if his rivals cannot curb Trumps momentum, he will accelerate on his path to the nomination.

Thursdays debate at the University of Miami, sponsored by CNN, The Washington Times and Salem Radio Network, was the last time they would all be on the same stage before the next round of primaries.

A field that numbered nearly 20 candidates in their first face-off in August  so many that the debate had to be split into a main event and an undercard  has shrunk to four.

Trump has led nearly without interruption since then, and he has set the pace and tone, to the dismay of an increasingly impotent Republican establishment.

Rubio tried to put the brakes on Trump, and to get under his skin, by adopting the billionaires own tactics. Starting at a debate in Houston on Feb. 25, he unleashed a barrage of personal insults. At one point, he made a joke about the size of Trumps hands that also suggested his genitalia are small.

But it backfired, as Rubio lost 18 of the next 20 contests.

At the end of the day, its not something Im entirely proud of, Rubio acknowledged Wednesday. My kids were embarrassed by it, and if I had to do it again, I wouldnt.

On Thursday night, the adults took a lesson from the kids.

David A. Fahrenthold in Washington contributed to this report.
Speaking during an appearance at SXSW, President Obama discussed the many problems that occurred during the rollout of the Affordable Care Acts website, HealthCare.gov. (Reuters)

Speaking during an appearance at SXSW, President Obama discussed the many problems that occurred during the rollout of the Affordable Care Acts website, HealthCare.gov. (Reuters)

For the past two years, President Obama has worked behind the scenes to coax high-tech entrepreneurs to join the federal government. He has made personal calls to candidates who were on the fence about leaving Silicon Valley, and at times he has even adopted the lingo of some former Google and Twitter executives who now work in the West Wing.

On Friday, Obama came to the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin to make a much more public pitch to high-tech entrepreneurs.

Its not enough to just focus on the cool next thing, Obama said in a keynote conversation with Texas Tribune Editor Evan Smith at SXSW. I will expect you to step up and get involved, because we need you.

So whatever your interests are, whatever your passions are, whatever your concerns are, we need you.

The event marked the public debut of an initiative his administration has pursued since its inception but with increased intensity since the troubled launch of HealthCare.gov in the fall of 2013. And how it unfolds over the next 10 months will determine whether the president can substantially change the way the government functions before handing over the reins to his successor.

President Obama will be at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin to encourage tech entrepreneurs to share their knowledge through public service. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg)

The botched rollout of the federal health insurance marketplace exposed myriad problems with the way federal officials commission and manage large technology projects. Obama and his top deputies are hoping to use their remaining time in office to prove that not only can the federal government close the gap between its operations and those in the private sector, but it also can provide the kind of user experience that Americans expect when they shop or run their own businesses.

Kristie Canegallo, the White House deputy chief of staff for implementation, said in an interview Thursday that the moment HealthCare.gov stumbled was an inflection point that prompted the administration to enlist more expertise from the outside and make updating federal technology a top priority. Mikey Dickerson, a site reliability engineer at Google who took a leave from his job to help fix HealthCare.gov, stayed on to head the U.S. Digital Service when it launched in August 2014.

And what we realized was that we could potentially build a SWAT team, a world-class technology office inside of the government that was helping across agencies, Obama said, adding that he wanted to institutionalize a way to constantly improve government services. Because an anti-government mentality grows if people feel frustrated because theyre not getting good service.

[In the wake of HealthCare.gov, Obama turns to Kristie Canegallo]

The administration has begun to overhaul technology procurement practices and has created two separate divisions to tackle some of the most difficult problems. The first, in the General Services Administration, is called 18F  named after the agencys location at 18th and F streets NW in Washington  and develops software in collaboration with specific agencies. The second is the U.S. Digital Service, which serves more of a consulting role on large, complex projects. The effort has won over some veteran federal employees but has encountered resistance from others.

The government has had success recruiting technical experts for limited tours of duty in the federal bureaucracy: There are more than 300 people who have already served in this capacity, including 140 in the U.S. Digital Service. But the governments security clearance requirements have been an impediment to attracting more talent. Ashkan Soltani, who was tapped to serve as a senior adviser to the presidents chief technology officer, Megan Smith, was recently denied a security clearance and returned to the private sector. Soltani had previously served as chief technologist at the Federal Trade Commission and as a consultant to The Washington Post during the reporting on classified documents leaked by former CIA employee Edward Snowden.

Christopher Soghoian, who served as the FTCs first in-house technologist between 2009 and 2010, praised entities such as 18F for helping ensure federal authorities were taking important, if belated, steps to safeguard citizens privacy when they interact with the government.

In an opening interview to kick off SXSW in Austin, Texas, President Obama lists 3 points to explain why he's at the event. (Reuters)

But Soghoian, who now works as the American Civil Liberties Unions principal technologist, said, This insistence of everyone getting a security clearance  its really destructive.

And Mirko Whitfield, who does international outreach for the conference and was in the audience, said he liked what Obama had to say but wondered if his call to action would have any effect. People are bombarded all the time with all these very dramatic messages  yeah, you can say it to everyone, but how do you get people to actually do that?

Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist, was an entrepreneur in residence (really, nerd in residence,  he explained in an email) at the Department of Veterans Affairs. He praised the administration for making such a dogged effort to shift the way the government approaches technology.

For the last seven years, a bunch of agencies have asked for my advice on tech development and innovation, and Ive gladly provided it, leading me to one big observation, Newmark said in an email. In Washington, the tech, itself, is relatively easy. Overcoming institutional inertia, thats really, really hard.

[Why Silicon Valley is the new revolving door for Obama staffers]

Several administration officials and outside experts interviewed over the past week echoed Newmarks sentiment.

To change the way the government spends $50 billion a year on technology, for example, the administration must retool a duplicative and sprawling contracting process that has existed for decades.

Anne Rung became the U.S. chief acquisitions officer at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in September 2014, and in an interview she rattled off a list of statistics that help explain whats wrong with the governments traditional buying approach. There are 3,200 separate federal procurement offices across the globe with very little collaboration among them; numerous agencies have together awarded more than 10,000 contracts and delivery orders for laptops and personal computers; and there are 400 people on staff at the Social Security Administration to operate its COBOL computing platform, which dates to the 1960s.

Speaking in Austin, Obama said the federal approach to buying things was adapted for the age when procurement was for buying boots or buying pencils or buying furniture as opposed to buying software.

A couple of months ago, the OMB instructed agencies that they could not sign any new contracts to order personal computers and instead must buy them through one of three existing contracts. Since then, some vendors have dropped their prices by as much as 50 percent. There are 40 individual agency contracts totaling $74 million a year for the purchase of the geospatial software Esri, but the administration just shifted over to a single, government-wide contract.

The White House has focused on the agencies that interact most directly with ordinary Americans. Digital Service teams are now embedded in VA, Homeland Security and the Pentagon, and they consult with the Social Security Administration and three other agencies.

In fact, U.S. Digital Service Deputy Director Haley Van Dyck uses Homeland Securitys biggest technical failures as the starting point for one of her groups major successes. After pursuing a decade-long, $1.2 billion project aimed at digitizing its records, applications and forms, by November contractors had not delivered a single viable product.

[After a decade and $1.2 billion, just one immigration form had made it online]

The Digital Service team embedded with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and within three months they had helped make the filing and processing of Form I-90  which allows for the renewal and replacement of a green card  electronic.

One of the hardest questions we face is: How do you change the culture in this incredibly risk-averse environment we practice in? Van Dyck said.

Mike DeBonis in Austin contributed to this report.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich is applauded by his supporters as he walks into a town hall meeting last month in Mount Pleasant, S.C. (Alex Holt/For The Washington Post)

They are the Coalition of the Formers  a band of ex-governors, ex-senators and ex-congressmen who were shining stars of the Republican Party in the 1990s and 2000s and who are now uniting around the long-shot presidential candidacy of John Kasich.

These fixtures of an earlier GOP establishment have rejected the celebrated candidate of todays younger Beltway insiders, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, in favor of the Ohio governor and former House Budget Committee leader who they say embodies the dealmaking bonhomie that has vanished in Washington.

For months, day after day, the Kasich campaign has trumpeted new endorsements  and the endorsers tend to have one thing in common: a former in their titles.

Maybe Im dating myself, but everybody I know is with Kasich, said Bill Weld, the governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997.

The Republican establishment is largely united in its desire to stop insurgent front-runner Donald Trump, but it remains divided on who would be the best candidate to do so. As Rubio, 44, recruited rising stars and generational peers such as South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Cory Gardner (Colo.) to his campaign, Kasich has attracted more sage figures turned off by todays polarized politics and no-time-to-wait politicians.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich campaigns Wednesday in Lisle, Ill. (Tannen Maury/European Pressphoto Agency)

Longtime GOP strategist Steven Schmidt characterized the establishment as split between This is the person qualified and prepared to be president vs. the Money Ball view of a winning candidate  someone with a computer-generated model of demographics and charisma.

So far in the presidential race, Republican voters have shown a preference for Rubio  he would be the model of demographics and charisma  over Kasich. With a few exceptions, Rubio has outperformed Kasich and enjoys a delegate lead, although both are far behind Trump.

There is a possibility, however, that Kasich outlasts Rubio. Both men face must-win contests Tuesday in their home states, and recent polls indicated Kasich in a better position to prevail in Ohio than Rubio is in Florida. Rubio also took the unusual step on Friday of encouraging his Ohio supporters to cast their votes for Kasich in that states primary, reasoning it increases the odds of stopping Trump.

A quintessential Kasich booster is Tom Ridge, whose public service resume is one of traditional dues-paying: assistant district attorney, congressman, Pennsylvania governor, homeland security secretary. He initially backed Jeb Bush but quickly switched his allegiance to Kasich after the former Florida governor quit the race.

I prefer performance to promise, Ridge said. I think Rubio has a lot of promise. . . . I have enormous respect for this young man and for the institution of the Senate. But there is no alternative to being personally and politically accountable for outcomes.

Like Ridge, some of Kasichs supporters served with him in the House in the 1990s. But they insist their endorsements are based on more than friendship. They see the Congress in Kasichs era  when, for instance, Kasich was an architect of bipartisan budget accords with President Bill Clinton  as profoundly different than the largely obstructionist Congress under President Obama, even considering the many politically motivated Clinton scandals and probes.

We remember the 90s as a period when government actually worked, said Peter Hoekstra, a former Michigan congressman who is backing Kasich. We balanced the budget, we reformed welfare, we cut taxes  all on a conservative agenda, but we did it with Republicans and Democrats coming together. America prospered.

John Kasich, left, chairman of the House Budget Committee, celebrates a compromise budget agreement with Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole and House Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1995. (Doug Mills/AP)

Hoekstra credits Kasich with those breakthroughs. John actually has a record of accomplishment, okay? he said. We dont know whether Marco Rubio has the capability to pull off that kind of leadership.

Idaho Gov. C.L. Butch Otter, another former House member, said of Kasich: I heard in reverent tones how people would speak about him. . . . You would hear people say, Kasich worked this out, Kasich did this and did that. 

Thinking about Kasichs backers, Benjamin L. Ginsberg, a GOP elections lawyer and Washington fixture, said they are people who remember an era of civility. Theres not a tea party guy on that list.

Rubio came up as a tea party darling, Ginsberg added. Of Kasichs backers, he said, Theyre all guys who were used to making deals.

Charles R. Black Jr., a D.C. lobbyist and Republican strategist, said a leading indicator of this sentiment came last summer, shortly after Kasich entered the race, when he got a call from a former Republican Senate leader.

Im friends with everyone, Black said. Trent Lott called and said, Im going with Kasich. He gets things done. Hes willing to do the hard work. He muscles people to get things done.

Lott, who represented Mississippi on Capitol Hill for 34 years, said that although he finds Rubio very attractive as a candidate, he decided to back Kasich because you better have a man or a woman that knows what the hell is going on in Washington.

Marco Rubio has quite a life story, and he is the most articulate of the bunch, and hes got a vision, Lott said. He really can impress you with that. I can see why Nikki Haley and some of the newer generation of leaders would be for Marco. I think, though, that Johns greater experience and longevity trumps that.

Rubios candidacy is built on the premise that Republicans want a new generation of leaders. As he said in a South Carolina speech last month, The children of the Reagan revolution are ready to assume the mantle of leadership.

Rubio has carved out prominent roles in his campaign for fellow generational revolutionaries who burst onto the scene with the 2010 tea party wave: Haley, 44; Gardner, 41; Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.), 50; and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (Utah), 48.

There is a new generation of leaders in the Republican Party, Gardner said. A new Republican brand is emerging that is about an optimistic vision for this country  that is somebody whos standing in front of the people and smiling instead of scowling.

Kasichs supporters almost uniformly say they admire Rubio but do not think he has yet put in the years or gained the governing experience to be president.

Rubio is the young, bright, Hispanic, passionate voice of the future, but hes not ready to be president, said Christine Todd Whitman, a former New Jersey governor and Environmental Protection Agency administrator. Weve just had seven years of on-the-job training, and I dont think its been a great success.

For Whitman and other old-guard figures backing Kasich, the pipe dream is a Kasich-Rubio ticket.

That would be the Democrats worst nightmare, Weld said. It would give you all Kasichs experience, Rubios youth, and they both have tremendous energy. Thats my end game.
1 of 15 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Where We Live | Williamsburg in Arlington County View Photos Tear-downs and rebuilds are transforming the housing landscape in this off-the-radar community. Caption Tear-downs and rebuilds are transforming the housing landscape in this off-the-radar community. Within a mile of the East Falls Church Metro stop on the Orange and Silver lines, Williamsburg in Arlington County has maintained its low-key, almost off-the-radar vibe. Evy Mages/For The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

When Johanna Braden returned from overseas in 1999, she and her husband, Thomas, who had been a defense attache, decided to move to the Williamsburg neighborhood of Arlington County because they thought the schools would be ideal for their two children.

After working as a nurse for 35 years, she opened Two the Moon, a gift shop in the Williamsburg Shopping Center, two years ago.

Through her store, she enjoys getting to know many neighbors and their families. Theres a small-town feel to the neighborhood, which sits on Arlingtons border with Fairfax County.

You know your neighbors, and therefore theyre sort of there for you, Johanna Braden said. People bring things over when youre sick.

[Seven Oaks-Evanswood is a familiar place despite its unfamiliar name]



Mansions and ramblers side by side: Within a mile of the East Falls Church Metro station, Williamsburg has maintained its low-key, almost off-the-radar vibe.

Williamsburg is made up of 1,100 households, mostly in single-family homes.

Many houses were built between 1955 and 1960, but the landscape began to change about 15 years ago.





Some houses that once attracted prospective buyers lost their appeal. People wanted more space. So the tear-downs began  people bought a house and replaced it with something bigger.

Some of the original homes were 1,000-square-foot ramblers with three small bedrooms, one bathroom, and a dining room, living room and kitchen on one level, said Jim Toronto, who has been working in real estate for more than 30 years and is the treasurer of the Williamsburg Civic Association.

The houses that replaced the original ones are as large as 3,000 to 4,000 square feet. Other homeowners have renovated or enlarged homes that were original to the neighborhood.

More recently, in the past 10 years, real estate companies have gotten into the act, buying original homes, tearing them down and building new ones on a speculative basis. The result is a neighborhood, like others around the Beltway, where original ramblers stand side by side with larger homes.

The Williamsburg Shopping Center  in walking distance for some, on Williamsburg Boulevard near Sycamore Street  meets residents needs with more than a dozen storefronts. Besides Bradens gift shop, a barbershop, a 7-Eleven, a CVS drugstore, a bank, two restaurants and a dry cleaner are among the businesses, some of which have been there for many years.

Just outside the civic associations boundaries is the Lee Harrison Shopping Center, where Harris Teeter, Starbucks, H&R Block and Chesapeake Bagel Bakery are among the businesses. A Safeway is across the street. One late Monday morning, a line stretched almost to the door at Starbucks.



Improvement projects underway: Williamsburg has a touch of Civil War history at Minors Hill, named for George Minor, at Powhatan Street and 35th Street North in Minor Hill Park. Union troops used the hill to their advantage by building an observation tower on the site. They also used hot-air balloons to keep an eye on Confederate troops in the area.

Adjacent to that park is another, Emily Sharp Park. And Tuckahoe Park, a larger green space with nature trails, lies just outside the boundaries of the Williamsburg Civic Association.

[KingsView Village boasts several shopping and recreation facilities nearby]

Williamsburg benefited from one of three street-improvement projects that were identified by residents and approved by the Arlington County Board in 2013. The county opted to spend $521,409 on the second phase of a project to improve parts of North Sycamore Street, reducing traffic lanes, adding bike lanes and creating ramps for disabled people at intersections.



Williamsburg maintains a low-key, almost off-the-radar vibe. (Evy Mages/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)

In 2007, residents of the nearby Arlington-East Falls Church Civic Association requested that Arlington County create a citizen task force for land-use recommendations for the area adjacent to the East Falls Church Metro station. The result was creation of the East Falls Church Area Plan, which recommends future mixed-use development projects and proposed limits on building heights.



Living there: Williamsburg is bordered roughly by the Fairfax County line to the northwest, North Kensington Street to the northeast, and 27th Street North, North Sycamore Street and North Trinidad Street to the south.

Thirty-nine homes have sold in Williamsburg in the past 12 months, according to Toronto, an agent with McEnearney Associates. They range from a three-bedroom, three-bath house that sold for $650,000 to a six-bedroom, five-bathroom house that went for $1.9 million. Seven properties are on the market, with prices ranging from $1.649 million for a six-bedroom, five-bath house to $2.095 million for six bedrooms and six bathrooms.



Schools: Nottingham and Tuckahoe elementary schools, Williamsburg Middle, and Yorktown High.



Transit: The closest Metro station is East Falls Church, on the Orange and Silver lines. Metro and Arlington Transit provide bus service. With Interstate 66 nearby, this is a car-oriented area.



Crime: In the past 12 months, according to Arlington police, the area had three burglaries  two residential and one commercial.
Gul Momina says she was held in a dark room with a muddy floor. Sayed Hussain says he did not kidnap her but instead responded to a text message from a girl he did not know who identified herself as Gul Momina. (Photo illustration/ iStock photos/Photo illustration/ iStock photos)

Gul Momina says she was only 15 when a man and his wife lured her from her home here in Afghanistans capital. They gave her a soda, she recalls. Then she blacked out.

When she woke, the teenager says, she found herself locked in a dark room with a muddy dirt floor. For the next 3 1/ 2 months, by her account, the man beat and raped her while insisting that she was now his third wife.

Sayed Hussain, who is accused of attacking Gul Momina, tells a far different story. He never kidnapped her, he says. Rather, he received a text message in the fall of 2014 from a girl he had never met who identified herself as Gul Momina and said she loved him. She claimed to be an orphan and vowed to kill herself in front of his house if he did not marry her, he says.

Now, efforts to determine who is telling the truth have escalated into another test for a fragile Afghan justice system struggling to balance modern legal principles with laws shaped by local custom, endemic corruption and various interpretations of Islamic doctrine.

[Afghans death a parable for countrys justice quandary: Courts or elders?]

In a recent interview at the home of one of her relatives, Gul Momina, now 16, said that after weeks of captivity in which she was repeatedly whipped with a water pipe and cable wire, she escaped and returned to her family. Sayed Hussain, his wife and his father were arrested.

Sayed Hussain, however, said in an interview at his home that he had legally married Gul Momina. And in October, judges cited the purported marriage in freeing him, even though Afghan law states that girls under 16 cannot marry.

Like many Afghans, neither Gul Momina nor Sayed Hussain has a last name.

Ali Farhang, a lawyer for Gul Mominas family who wants the Afghan Supreme Court to intervene, scoffed at the decision.

In this case, even a person who doesnt understand law could understand the truth, he said.

Since the fall of the Taliban government in 2001, the United States and other international donors have invested more than $1 billion in training judges and prosecutors, establishing new courts and helping draft a modern legal code for Afghanistan.

But Afghan lawyers and advocates of legal reform say the justice system remains stacked against women and undermined by bribery and the erratic application of laws. The situation is so bad, they say, that many qualified judges and lawyers are leaving the profession.

Everyone in the justice system has lost morale, said Abdul Subhan Misbah, the vice president of Afghanistans lawyers union.

[Afghanistans justice system is moving faster  maybe too fast]

Gul Mominas case provides an unusually revealing window onto the sorts of issues with which judges here must wrestle.

Before her alleged abduction, the teen said, she worked for Sayed Hussains wife as an embroiderer. In late 2014, she said, she got a call to pick up fabric.

They were drinking a soda, and they offered me a beverage, which was uncapped, she said.

The next thing she remembers is being locked in the muddy room. Sayed Hussains elderly father, who also lived at the house, was standing over her.

When I started crying and shouting, I want to go home, the father hit me with something on the back of my head, she said.

Gul Momina said Sayed Hussain began referring to her as his third wife. Another woman in the house, who told her she also had been abducted, was the supposed second wife. Under Afghan law, men are allowed up to four wives.

Meanwhile, Gul Mominas father was searching for his daughter.

I went to the 17 police districts of Kabul city and gave her picture to them, Mohammad Anwar said. I went to every single hospital.

After his daughter escaped, he said, she came home covered in bruises and unable to stand. But when they went to a police station, an officer slapped my daughter in front of my eyes telling her, Your condition is not that bad,  he said.

Other police officials investigated her claims, and Sayed Hussain, his wife and his father, Sayed Ishaq, were arrested in January 2015 and charged with abduction and assault. Sayed Hussain also was charged with rape.

But Sayed Hussain, a truck driver, says he and his family are the victims. He said that after he received the text message from an unknown number asking him to call, he had several phone conversations and meetings with Gul Momina and that she eventually proposed to him.

He denied that she ever did embroidery work for the family, saying he thinks she got his phone number from an ad for his trucking business.

When she proposed, he said, he insisted that she get permission from her father and brothers, as is customary in Islamic culture, but he said that Gul Momina told him she had no living relatives. Sayed Hussain said she claimed to be 19.

I told her I already have four wives, he said, adding that at the time he had only one. She said, I dont care if you have 10. I will be the eleventh.

Then, Sayed Hussain said, Gul Momina threatened that if he did not marry her, she would grab a knife and kill herself in front of my gate.

Twelve days after they first met, he said, they were married by a Shiite cleric. Both Sayed Hussain and his father denied they ever struck Gul Momina when she was in their home.

Asked why she had fled, Sayed Hussain said his family may have been too rigid for her. We are a strict family, he said, adding that about 20 people live in the same house. We dont let the women go out. . . . The women inside our house dont use cellphones.

Sayed Hussain spent nine months in prison. But in court, he produced a copy of a marriage certificate and a statement from the cleric who he said officiated the wedding.

Gul Momina denies that a wedding took place, but the judge dropped all charges against Sayed Hussains wife and father. Sayed Hussain was convicted of domestic abuse but was cleared of rape and kidnapping. After an appellate court upheld the verdict, he was released from prison in October.

Mohammad Anwar, outraged, is appealing the ruling to the Supreme Court. I will fight with every last drop of blood until I get justice, he said.

He and his attorney say they suspect that political pressure was brought to bear on the lower courts. According to Mohammad Anwar, a prominent member of Afghanistans National Assembly who belongs to the same Shiite sect as Sayed Hussains family called him recently, demanding that he return his daughter to her husband. The lawmaker says she knows nothing about the case.

Sayed Hussain and Sayed Ishaq said that while they were in prison, their relatives did try to negotiate with Gul Mominas family about what it would take for them to return her to him. But they deny having political connections.

Now I dont even want her back, Sayed Hussain said.

In a brief interview, one of the appellate court judges, Matiullah Amarkheli, defended the ruling, noting the marriage certificate and the testimony of the cleric. He referred further questions to the chief appellate judge, Shir Mohammad.

Mohammad also declined to comment but said that there is a difference between sharia law and Afghan law concerning the legal age for a girl to marry.

There are thousands of cases, he said. Why are you focusing on this one?

In Afghanistan, about 15 percent of girls are married before age 15, according to UNICEF. When underage girls in Afghanistan try to leave their husbands, some are prosecuted for attempted adultery, according to Jean Lieby, head of UNICEF Afghanistans child protection unit.

In this case, said Misbah, the lawyers union official, it appears that the lower courts decided to free Sayed Hussain on the basis of their interpretation of Islamic law  which generally sets puberty as the threshold age for marriage  instead of what the Afghan code specifies.

And, noted Misbah, whatever flaws exist in the justice system in Kabul, its way, way worse in rural areas.

Mohammad Sharif contributed to this report.

Read more:

Historic bid to become Afghanistans first female justice falls 9 votes short

In 2004, I met an Afghan girl sold into an abusive marriage at age 9. This month, I set out to find her.

Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Europes borders are slamming shut and leaders recently announced a preliminary deal under which everyone who crossed the sea to reach Greece would be sent back to Turkey. That hasnt stopped the flow of migrants streaming into Lesbos, yet. (Griff Witte,Jason Aldag/The Washington Post)

Europes borders are slamming shut and leaders recently announced a preliminary deal under which everyone who crossed the sea to reach Greece would be sent back to Turkey. That hasnt stopped the flow of migrants streaming into Lesbos, yet. (Griff Witte,Jason Aldag/The Washington Post)

To escape the whip-wielding Islamic State militants who control their home town, Ibrahim al-Saraj and his parents, sisters and brother hid in the back of a truck beneath a pile of rocks.

They slipped through barbed wire, slept in a forest, paid their lives savings to smugglers and clung with all their might to a rubber dinghy that pitched and rolled for five hours over dark and violent seas.

Then they landed on the Greek island of Lesbos, a little patch of palm-fringed paradise in the Aegean. But during their tortuous journey, the dreams that sustained them turned into a mirage.

Not only did the borders deeper in Europe slam shut, but the continents leaders announced Tuesday that everyone who crossed the sea to reach Greece would be sent back to Turkey. The edict applies even to those, like Saraj and his family, who are fleeing war.

They cant do that to us, said Saraj, a slight and habitually smiling 19-year-old Iraqi. The borders must open soon.





Yet there is no sign they will, even as the boats carrying asylum seekers to Lesbos continue to roll in as ceaselessly as the aqua-blue tides.

The extraordinary flows of people to Lesbos over the past year made it Europes main gateway for refugees, an Ellis Island for the 21st century. But now it is a gateway to nowhere.

The transformation can be seen on the faces of those setting foot on the island for the first time: People once cheered, believing that the worst part of their journeys was behind them and that a new life lay ahead. No one cheers now.

And if Europes leaders have their way, the flows will soon be reversed, with once-joyous arrivals replaced by potentially ugly scenes as people are rounded up for return voyages across the Aegean.

The island where hundreds of thousands of people glimpsed Europe for the first time could become, for some, their last fleeting image of a new life that never was.

Many say they will not go quietly.

If we die here, its better than going back, said Sahir Noh, an 18-year-old Iraqi from the minority Yazidi group who traveled to Greece with 28 family members. Islamic State militants killed 5,000 people in our community and kidnapped 6,000 more. So how can we live there? All we want is protection. Nothing else.

Europe insists that people will still be able to apply for protection  in Turkey.

The shifts in the continents stance  from open borders last fall to tightening controls in the winter to the shock announcement this week that people would be sent back  reflect a dramatic toughening of attitudes toward refugees continent-wide.

Much about the new policy has yet to be determined; the deal between European Union and Turkish leaders announced Tuesday is preliminary, with a summit next week identified as the moment to seal it.

But even before then, E.U. leaders have declared that the most popular route for migrants into Europe  the one that begins in Lesbos  is closed. To prove the point, border crossings across the Balkans snapped shut this week to anyone without a valid European passport or visa.

Hoping to add an extra edge of deterrence, E.U. leaders also said that those arriving in Greece by sea will be returned. They have not said when the policy will kick in.

And so far, the threat doesnt appear to be working.

The pace of boat arrivals on Lesbos actually increased after the announcement  more than 1,400 people came on Wednesday alone, the highest figure in more than a week and roughly half the number who arrived during all of last March. Once they are here, they join the tens of thousands of migrants who are effectively trapped in economically ravaged Greece and barred from continuing toward the more prosperous lands of Western Europe.

Authorities say the islands capacity  about 6,000  could be breached at any time as ferry service to the mainland is reduced in order to give Athens and other cities time to cope with a migrant backlog that wont clear.

[Europes new border fences are derailing migrants, but not stopping them]

Everyone can sense the gathering storm.

Its a very tense situation right now, said Marios Andriotios, an adviser to the islands mayor. Weve made all the preparations that we can. But we expect the number of arrivals will only rise. And we are facing the fact that a lot of the refugees will have to be accommodated on the island for a very long time.

Thats not what they want. Conditions at the islands two main camps have improved markedly in recent months, after a concerted effort by aid groups and the local government to improve facilities that fell well short of international standards . In the hillside camps, where redbud trees are coming into vibrant bloom, the toilets are now clean and functional; the meager canvas tents have been replaced by hard plastic housing.

But no one has any illusion that this is home.

Greece is a great country. Theres humanity here. But we cant stay here forever, said Noh, whose family paid smugglers $3,500 per person for the weeks-long journey out of the war zone that has consumed their native land.

The family had planned to go to Germany. But with the borders in between now closed, they fear they will be sent back to Turkey instead.

Many who arrive here, following the five-mile journey by sea, have only painful associations with Turkey: corrupt and abusive police, greedy smugglers, no jobs for refugees.

Mohammed Wali, an 18-year-old Kurd from Syria, said police intercepted him and his group as they pushed their boat into the Aegean on Turkeys shore. They took our phones. They took everything. And they beat us very badly, he said.

The group was released and succeeded in the next attempt to cross.

But Wali said he would rather return to Syria than go back to Turkey. Turkey is not a safe country  especially for Kurdish people, he said.

Europe has said that for every Syrian who is returned to Turkey from Greece, one Syrian refugee will be resettled in Europe. The deal is intended to reward those who patiently wait their turn, while discouraging people from paying smugglers for a perilous sea journey that has claimed more than 400 lives this year.

Its risky to try to manage this at sea, said Lt. Cmdr. Antonios Sofiadelis, a Greek Coast Guard commander whose crews rescue people from boats night and day off the coast of Lesbos. Its better to shift the management to land.

[Most of the refugees stuck in Greece are now women and children]

But human rights groups say the E.U.s plan is legally and ethically dubious. It has more to do, they say, with continental leaders trying to manage political pressure than it does with genuine concern for those fleeing conflicts on Europes doorstep.

What were seeing again and again is that people are not being put at the center of this debate. Instead, fear has taken over, said Panos Navrozidis, country director in Greece for the International Rescue Committee. The core values of the E.U. are really at stake here.

If Europe truly wanted to help refugees and control flows, advocates say, it would open up legal pathways for asylum seekers to reach the continent, including visas for education and family reunification. Otherwise, people will continue to take to the sea.

Even if the door closes, with the level of desperation people are feeling, a window will be found, said Boris Cheshirkov, the Lesbos-based spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the U.N.s refugee agency.

Sarajs case illustrates why. He and his family lived for nearly two years in a city under the medieval dictates of Islamic State occupation. Friends were kidnapped or killed. Saraj received 17 lashes one day for not being in the mosque at prayer time. (Its normal, he explained casually.) Had his family been caught fleeing, he said, they would have been put to death.

Reaching Europe was a chance at rebirth: a return to school, job prospects in his chosen field of electrical engineering and a reunion with his fiancee, who fled last year to Germany.

As he and his family wait in a Lesbos refugee camp for Europe to finalize its plans, they cling to a faint hope: that they will be the last people allowed in, rather than the first to be turned back.

Maybe they will let us cross, and then no one after, he said. I hope.

Karla Adam contributed to this report from London.

Read more

When Britain votes on the E.U., Western security could be on the line

European leaders strike deal to try to keep Britain in the E.U.

Spring could bring a fresh surge of refugees. But Europe isnt ready for them.

Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world
After peaceful demonstrations were met with violence in 2011, protesters took up arms against Syrian government forces. A brutal civil war followed with hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced. A fragile cease-fire has quieted some of the fighting, for now. (Liz Sly,Jason Aldag/The Washington Post)

After peaceful demonstrations were met with violence in 2011, protesters took up arms against Syrian government forces. A brutal civil war followed with hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced. A fragile cease-fire has quieted some of the fighting, for now. (Liz Sly,Jason Aldag/The Washington Post)

Scores of people staged rare rallies across Syria on Friday ahead of the fifth anniversary of their peaceful uprising that eventually descended into an apocalyptic civil war.

The unarmed protests in rebel-held areas took place under the cover of a partial cease-fire  backed by the United States and Russia  that has reduced violence and endured for nearly two weeks, despite violations and expectations of a swift collapse.

[Syrias cease-fire is working, at least for now]

Anti-government activists released photos and video showing crowds gathered in the al-Waer neighborhood of Homs, areas of the northwestern province of Idlib and other parts of the country. Many were seen waving pro-opposition flags and belting out revolutionary chants  Down with the regime!  in scenes reminiscent of the early days of the 2011 revolt, before President Bashar al-Assads military used lethal force to suppress the nonviolent, Arab Spring-inspired rallies.

Observers consider March 15 of that year the formal beginning of the revolt, with protests erupting in the capital, Damascus. Since then, all-out fighting that drew in regional and world powers has killed 250,000 people, uprooted millions  sending waves of Syrian refugees as far away as Europe, Canada, Australia and South America  and empowered extremist groups such as the Islamic State.

Protesters shout slogans and carry Free Syrian Army flags during an anti-government protest in the al-Sukari neighborhood of Aleppo on March 11. (Abdalrhman Ismail/Reuters)

[Syria is emptying]

Fridays rallies, signaling enduring defiance of Assad, came as the main opposition group announced that it would participate in U.N.-sponsored peace talks that are scheduled to begin in Geneva on Monday.

In a statement, the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee emphasized its desire to focus on a political transition during the proximity talks, which are to involve mediators shuttling between government and opposition representatives.

The Syrian government has not formally said whether it would participate in the talks, although almost all expectations are that it will.

We have decided to go to Geneva to speak to the United Nations for the Syrian people, who have shown in recent days that the spirit of freedom remains as strong as ever, HNC spokesman Salem al-Meslet said in a statement.

HNC officials this week have emphasized the oppositions long-running demand that Assad leave power and maintain no role in the countrys future. They also demand the release of detainees held in government jails and the delivery of humanitarian aid to hundreds of thousands of people in besieged communities across the country.

We will not accept Assad being imposed on Syria as Putins puppet, Meslet said in the statement, a reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin, an ally of the Syrian leader whose military began launching airstrikes against opposition fighters in late September.

The Russian-supported attacks have turned the tables in favor of Assads forces, dealing heavy blows to opposition forces near the strategic northern city of Aleppo. The assaults, also involving Shiite pro-government militiamen from Lebanon and Iran, throttled a brief round of U.N.-sponsored peace talks last month.

Russia and the United States brokered a cease-fire agreement that went into effect Feb. 27. That agreement does not include designated terrorists such as the Islamic State, and government and opposition groups have cited multiple violations.

The lull in fighting has helped the U.N. envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, coax the warring parties back to negotiations.


A man walks inside the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan on March 2. (Lorenzo Tugnoli/For The Washington Post)

The sprawling Azraq refugee camp east of Amman was designed with the benefit of hindsight.

Before it opened in 2014, most Syrian refugees who arrived in Jordan ended up in chaotic situations, either at the densely packed Zaatari camp or in informal urban arrangements. But the Azraq camps ordered design and planned construction promised something better.

Today, Syrian refugees who arrive in Jordan are taken to the camp, where they live in bare-bones homes and receive food and medical care.

Its another life, said Abdullah Ahmad, a 32-year-old who arrived just days ago after fleeing Islamic State-held territory near Aleppo, Syrias largest city. We hadnt even tasted the joys of life before we arrived here.



Abdullah Ahmad, 32, from Aleppo stands at Azraq refugee camp in Jordan, on March 2. (Lorenzo Tugnoli/For The Washington Post)

[The 5,000th baby was just born in this Syrian refugee camp]

Yet some visitors to the camp are likely to be struck by something else. Despite its size, tight security and the obvious amounts of money that have gone into building it, large parts of Azraq are essentially empty. According to the latest United Nations figures, fewer than 20,000 refugees live in the camp, even though it was designed to hold up to 100,000. Of Azraqs four residential villages, just two are occupied. Another planned village has not been constructed yet.

In a way, its hindsight that caused the problem.

When Azraq was proposed, it was based on the assumption that the flow of Syrians would continue in the same tumultuous way that created the need for the Zaatari camp.

It did not.

That doesnt mean fewer Syrians are trying to reach Jordan. While Azraq sits partly empty, tens of thousands of refugees sit on the border in a no mans land known as the Berm, a dusty, desolate patch of land barely inside Jordanian territory.

Jordanian authorities say these people are leaving Islamic State-controlled territory and need stringent security checks before they can enter Jordan.



Bashir, 23, pours tea for members of his family inside their tent on a farm where his family and other Syrian refugees work near Dier Alla, Jordan on February 29, 2016. (Lorenzo Tugnoli/For The Washington Post)

Hala Shamlawi, spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Jordan, one of the few groups with consistent access to the area, said that there have been several waves of arrivals since September 2013 and that it is unclear how long some have been there. Recent arrivals to Azraq describe having to wait for as long as five months.

Jordans refusal to take in these refugees may also be a sign of a broader problem. Long a country that has been willing to accept large numbers of refugees from the Syrian war, Jordan may finally be reaching its limit. Almost 700,000 Syrians are registered as refugees in Jordan, but the government estimates the total number in the country at considerably more than 1 million.

In a country of just 6.5 million, thats a significant proportion of the population, and many Jordanians are frustrated. They say that refugees push wages down and prices up and that they take up a substantial amount of government spending. And with Turkey and Europe slowly becoming more difficult and risky options for Syrians, there is a worry that letting masses of people through the border will only encourage more Syrians to view Jordan as their best bet.

Children play at the Zaatari camp in Jordan on March 1, 2016. (Photos by Lorenzo Tugnoli for The Washington Post)

[Europes new border fences are derailing migrants, but not stopping them]

Figures released recently by the Jordanian Border Guards with the U.N. refugee agency indicate that the number of refugees on the border had reached 26,000. But aid agencies are reluctant to talk about the situation at the Berm, concerned that their already limited access to the refugees in the area may be curtailed. With few exceptions, journalists are refused entry to the border area, which is technically classified as a military area.

The government had been reluctant to discuss the situation but has become more open. If you want to take the moral high ground on this issue, well get them all to an air base and were more than happy to relocate them to your country, King Abdullah II said in an interview with the BBC last month.

Nazmieh Azadeen Amoreh, a 57-year-old Syrian, arrived at Azraq from the Berm two weeks ago. When asked how many people are stuck on the border, she repeated, So many, so many, so many. She then added her own exaggerated guess: 10 million.

Often the families allowed through include women who are in the late stages of pregnancy.



Franjiah al-Ali, 33, holds her son Muhammed at a UN-run hospital in the Azraq refugee camp on March 2. (Lorenzo Tugnoli/For The Washington Post)

Franjiah al-Ali, a 33-year-old woman from Idlib, arrived at the camp less than a month ago and gave birth in Azraq two weeks later. She and her family had been stuck at the border for five months, she says, with the Jordanian military repeatedly telling them it was simply following a procedure. While her son, Muhammad, is healthy, staff at the hospital where the baby was born say that Ali was dangerously malnourished when she arrived. They saved my life, Ali said.

Compared with Zaatari, a bustling yet chaotic camp that is closer to the Syrian border, Azraq can seem lifeless. The camp was built in the middle of a desert, away from Jordanian towns. Syrians who live in Zaatari or outside the camps often set up their own businesses, but Azraq is run in a top-down system  food is generally bought from an on-site supermarket. Security is notably tighter in Azraq than in Zaatari.

Some Syrians eventually flee the camp, deciding to try their luck in cities. A considerable number are granted permits to leave the camp to visit a city. Many do not come back. Andrew Harper, the U.N. refugee agencys representative to Jordan, said that this in itself may be a security risk that the Jordanian government is not willing to accept. We may put up fences if that is the issue that allowed refugees to be able to come in, he said.



A view of the Zaatari camp seen March 1. (Lorenzo Tugnoli/For The Washington Post)

But for many new arrivals in the camp, its still better than what they escaped. Even in Azraq, Ahmad grimaces when he thinks of his time in Islamic State-controlled territory, where he was ordered to take a course on Islam after he was seen talking to a woman who wasnt a relative.

Ahmad said he and his family spent four months on the border after their escape from Aleppo. He doesnt know why he was allowed into Jordan, but hes glad he was. Now his family, including his wife and five children, is settling into life in Azraq.

I would like to thank the Jordanian people, he says. Long live the king.

Syrian refugees are pawns in a wider war

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
A long-range ballistic surface-to-surface missile is fired by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp in Iran (Omid Vahabzadeh/Fars News Agency via AP)

Iranian officials said Thursday that the Islamic Republic would continue its missile program and said a series of tests it conducted this week do not violate United Nations prohibitions.

Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, a senior commander for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps that runs Irans missile program, told state television that it has more missiles ready to launch, and they are for defensive purposes.

Irans missile program will not stop under any circumstances, Hajizadeh said. We are always ready to defend the country against any aggressor.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari said the missiles were conventional weapons, not designed to carry nuclear warheads, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency said.

The Islamic Republic of Iran will not compromise over its security and defensive power, he said, and will continue its completely defensive and legitimate missile program.

On Wednesday, the Revolutionary Guards fired two ballistic missiles, including one with graffiti saying Israel should be wiped off the earth written in Hebrew on it. Iranian officials said workers scribbled the words on the missile before its launch.

The Iranian tests have been criticized in Congress and prompted renewed calls for more sanctions against the country.

Iran sees it can violate U.N. missile sanctions with no consequence, it will violate this nuclear deal too, said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Edward R. Royce (R-Calif.).

[Biden: Iran under close watch amid reports of missile tests]

The State Department said it does not consider the missile tests a violation of the landmark nuclear agreement reached last year, which lifted international sanctions against Iran in exchange for scaling back its nuclear program. The agreement does not explicitly address missiles.

There had been a ban on missile testing, but it was lifted by the U.N. Security Council after the deal was finalized. In its place came a new resolution that calls upon Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology.

The resolutions language allows Iran to argue its ballistic missiles are not designed to carry nuclear warheads, said Kelsey Davenport, director of nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association. But the missiles exceed the standard range and weight internationally accepted as the definition for a nuclear capable missile  anything with a payload over 500 kilograms and a range of more than 300 kilometers. According to Hajizadeh, some of the missiles carried 24 warheads and one ton of TNT.

Tehran would be hard-pressed to prove that the missiles can only carry conventional payloads, Davenport said. Washington has a case for claiming a violation of the Security Council resolution.

Secretary of State John F. Kerry, who negotiated the nuclear deal, expressed his concerns over the missile launches in communications with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, said State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner on Thursday.

The United States has not confirmed the missile tests yet, Toner said, but if confirmed, Washington will take its concerns to the Security Council.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged restraint, said his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric.

In the current political atmosphere in the Middle East region, and so soon after the positive news of the lifting of sanctions against Iran, the secretary general calls on the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to act with moderation, caution and the good sense not to increase tensions through any hasty actions, Dujarric said.
In a recent two-year stretch, 126 FBI agents or employees were disciplined for offenses ranging from drinking and driving to sexual misconduct to misusing their government charge cards. Then their escapades  which represented just a fraction of the misconduct at the bureau  were broadcast for all their colleagues to see.

For years, the bureau has been sending out quarterly emails that describe, in fairly specific detail, individual incidents of employee misconduct and the penalties that followed. The tactic is now being embraced by other federal law enforcement agencies seeking to deter their workers from misbehaving.

A Secret Service spokesman said his agency publicizes individual malfeasance reports internally. Department of Justice Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz told the National Law Journal that last year he began posting short summaries of some investigations online. Officials at the Drug Enforcement Administration recently chatted with their counterparts at the FBI about the bureaus initiative and hoped to start sending their own quarterly misconduct email this year, a spokesman said.

[FBI agents under investigation in Oregon shooting]

Candice M. Will, an FBI assistant director who heads the Office of Professional Responsibility, said the email is not intended to be a shaming document. Its intended to be an instructive device. But she concedes that fear of having ones misdeeds publicized to co-workers could serve as a deterrent.

This, she said, is the most-read internal document.

There are pitfalls. The reports periodically make their way outside of the bureau, leading to embarrassing news stories. In 2011, CNN reported on a host of misdeeds detailed in leaked reports, including an employee threatening to release a sex tape he had made with his girlfriend and a supervisor watching porn in his office while satisfying himself. The network obtained more reports a few years later and broke news of a rash of sexting cases at the bureau.

The employees are not named in the reports, and Will said other information that could lead to their identities is removed. Some within the bureau bristle at the reports wide dissemination, while others say theyre glad to learn about the penalties for various types of wrongdoing, Will and other FBI officials said.

The Washington Post obtained two years worth of reports, running from 2013 into 2015, through a Freedom of Information Act request. The narrative section from each report was removed, leaving only a subject line and the discipline each employee received. Even those bare-bones accounts, though, seemed to indicate serious instances of wrongdoing.

One employee was fired for assault and battery, driving under the influence, misuse of position and failure to report. Another was let go for an improper relationship with a source, sexual misconduct, misuse of a government computer, unprofessional conduct and unauthorized disclosure.

[How an FBI agent who arrested drug addicts became one himself]

Sixteen employees were disciplined for drinking and driving, 12 for misusing their position, 18 for showing a lack of candor and 11 for misusing FBI databases or government computers. Bureau officials declined to provide more details on any of the incidents.

A bureau spokesman said the incidents represented only a representative sample of the employees disciplined during that period. Will said 351 complaints were investigated last year and 240 were substantiated in some way.

Reynaldo Tariche, an agent in the New York field office and president of the FBI Agents Association, said agents believe that any misconduct is not acceptable and should not occur, but he noted that the bureau has tens of thousands of employees and only a few hundred incidents of misconduct are reported each year.

Thats a pretty small percentage, he said.

Will said she started sending the emails years ago in hopes of educating bureau employees about the types of penalties that would come with misconduct. Real-life examples, she figured, would have a more serious impact than hypothetical training scenarios.

You read it, and it sticks to you, she said.

Will said she believes the program works. Even if misconduct does not drop quarter to quarter, employees and managers tell her the emails help keep them informed. And, she said, they help send the message that the FBI has high behavior standards.



I think if anyone had the impression you could get away with stuff here, Will said, this [disabuses] them of that notion.

Adam Goldman and Magda Jean-Louis contributed to this report.
Sergio Arellano Stark, a Chilean army general who led the Caravan of Death, a helicopter-borne killing squad that helped establish Augusto Pinochets iron grip on power in the 1970s, died March 9 in the capital city of Santiago. He was 94.

The cause was complications from Alzheimers disease, his family said.

Gen. Arellano was described as a principal instigator of the bloody Sept. 11, 1973, coup that deposed Salvador Allende, Chiles democratically elected Marxist president, and installed army general Pinochet as head of state.

Empowered by martial law, Gen. Arellano became a crucial enforcer of violent measures to ensure the juntas survival. Effective dissent was all but wiped out through repression, and Pinochet ruled as president for 17 years, a tenure darkened by human rights violations and corruption.

The Caravan of Death was the first and foremost death squad in the days after the coup, said Peter Kornbluh, director of the Chile documentation project at the Washington-based National Security Archive.

Retired Chilean army Gen. Sergio Arellano in 1997. (SANTIAGO LLANQUIN/Associated Press)

The intent, he added, was to eliminate the local civic and political leadership who had done nothing wrong other than participate in the democracy that Allende represented at the time, as well as to send a very forceful message to local military commanders that peaceful coexistence with the left in their communities would no longer be tolerated.

Leading the brutal spree of torture and extrajudicial killings, Gen. Arellano hopscotched from town to town in Puma helicopters with his handpicked retinue, methodically hunting down perceived dissidents and checking off names from a list as they were eliminated. The group was alleged to have killed or disappeared at least 75 Chileans, reportedly ranging in age from 16 to 85.

During Pinochets reign, an estimated 3,000 Chileans were killed or went missing, and thousands more endured torture, with most violations occurring in 1973, according to a government report on the atrocities.

On his ominous helicopter flights, Gen. Arellano visited military commanders in distant provinces, mainly the mining region of the arid north, an Allende stronghold. His mission was to root out officers deemed too soft on leftist activists and other alleged subversives.

The caravan descended from the sky with troops in battle fatigues brandishing weapons as if in combat. Their aggressiveness surprised some provincial military commanders, who had been prepared to greet them with military marches and other festivities befitting dignitaries.

Perhaps you dont realize that we are at war! Gen. Arellano snapped to one commanding officer, according to the late Chilean journalist Patricia Verdugos book about the Caravan of Death, loosely translated as In the Claws of the Puma.

Everyday enlisted soldiers were forced to participate in gruesome summary executions of prisoners who had been locked up on flimsy charges. Many civilians had surrendered voluntarily because they trusted local officials to protect them, Kornbluh said.

Throughout the northern region, in cities such as Calama, Antofagasta and Tocopilla, the death caravan orchestrated kidnappings, murders and mutilations. Bodies were sometimes tossed down mine shafts or left to decay in the parched Atacama Desert. The victims included lawyers, professors, journalists, doctors and labor leaders.

In 1978, two years after Gen. Arellanos retirement, Pinochet decreed a sweeping amnesty law protecting the military from prosecution for human rights crimes committed in the first five years of his dictatorship.

In an effort to circumvent the amnesty law, the Chilean supreme court made an exception in 1999 for victims whose bodies remained missing and whose cases could be considered unresolved kidnappings.

That decision opened the door for investigations into Pinochet and retired military officers including Gen. Arellano, both of whom were placed under house arrest.

A major break in the caravan case, according to Kornbluhs book The Pinochet File, was a public statement in 2001 by a retired military commander in the north at the time of the coup.

In an interview with a Chilean TV station, Gen. Joaquin Lagos Osorio said that Gen. Arellano had shown him paperwork in 1973 documenting his authority as Pinochets official delegate and his order to review and accelerate the judicial process.

Lagos also provided a vivid account of the death squad in action.

They cut eyes out with daggers. They broke their jaws and legs, Lagos said, adding that firing squads were used to inflict maximum pain instead of instant death. They shot them to pieces, first the legs, then the sexual organs, then the heart, all with machine guns. . . . They were no longer human bodies. I wanted to at least put the bodies back together again, to leave them more decent, but you couldnt.

Gen. Arellano had long denied responsibility for the killings, saying local military garrisons disobeyed his instructions.

In 2008, the Chilean supreme court ruled that he should serve six years in prison, citing his role in the deaths of four people in the town of San Javier. The sentence was suspended because of his rapidly deteriorating mental health.

Sergio Victor Arellano Stark was born in Santiago on June 10, 1921, and rose through the military ranks in the infantry. Following training at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., he was a military aide in the 1960s to President Eduardo Frei Montalva and served as a military attache in Spain.

After his army retirement, hastened by apparent conflicts with members of the regime, Gen. Arellano was involved in various business ventures. His wife, Raquel Iturriaga, predeceased him. They had two children. A complete list of survivors was not immediately available.

Pinochet died in 2006, at 91, still combating human rights charges and insisting his leadership had been a necessary bulwark against communism in the southern cone countries of South America. His defenders, overlooking the human toll, say that he salvaged the countrys battered economy and set Chile on a course of booming growth.
Europe

48-hour strike by junior doctors in England

Junior doctors (those below the rank of consultant) in England began a 48-hour strike at 8 a.m. on Wednesday. They are protesting the imposition of a new contract by the Conservative government that will remove unsocial hours payments and reduce the safeguards against junior doctors working excess hours. Further 48-hour strikes are planned for April 6 and April 26. They are offering emergency care during the strike periods.

According to the National Health Service (NHS) sources, 5,000 planned operations and procedures were cancelled and there was a disruption to clinics and appointments as a result of the walkout. Opinion polls show nearly two thirds of the population support the action of the doctors, seeing it as a defence of the NHS.

The junior doctors held picket lines at hospitals across the country in spite of poor weather conditions.

Rally by workers to lobby Glasgow City Council

Workers in Glasgow, Scotland, held a lobby of the City Council on Thursday to coincide with a meeting to debate the budget for the coming year. Council employees were joined by staff from Cordia, which operates as an arm-length company of Glasgow council, offering home care and other social services. They were complaining of chronic understaffing.

Strike on French railways

Rail workers employed by the French rail operator SNCF in the four unions CGT, CFDT, Sud and Unsa, came out on strike beginning Tuesday night at 7 p.m., returning to work Thursday morning at 8 a.m. It was the first time all four unions at SNCF came out on strike since June 2013.

The demands of the rail workers are for a pay increase, enhanced working conditions and a recruitment drive to end staff shortages.

The strike hit mainly long-distance trains, but the area around the French capital, Paris, was particularly hit with only around a third of trains running. The Eurostar service between Paris and London was affected, with around a fifth of services not running.

Rallies throughout France to protest employment changes

Around 140 marches and rallies took place all across France on Wednesday to protest proposals by the Socialist government of Francois Hollande to bring in changes to labour laws. The proposals will reduce overtime compensation and holiday pay as well as sweep away the 35-hour maximum workweek. They will make it easier for workers to be sacked and would introduce greater flexibility.

The marches were joined by workers and young people, including high school pupils in the union, FIDL. As many as 1,500 young people took place in the march in Paris, and several thousand marched through the southern port city of Marseille.

Glass workers at Georgian factory return to work

A month-long strike at a glass factory in Ksani near Tbilisi ended at the end of last week. Around 160 employees took part in the strike. They returned to work after being awarded a 7.5 percent pay rise, union facility premises in the factory and an agreement to negotiate a collective agreement.

Irish light rail staff may escalate their dispute

Staff working for the light railway system in the Irish capital of Dublin (LUAS) who have already been involved in a series of two-day strikes may escalate their action. LUAS employees have held a series of 48-hour strikes, with another one planned for next week on St. Patricks Day. They are seeking a substantial pay increase. LUAS management have only offered a pay rise of between 1 and 3 percent tied to increases in productivity.

Talks between the Services Industrial Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU) and LUAS management hosted by the Workplace Relations Commission broke down. According to the union, LUAS was only prepared to negotiate with revenue protection officers and revenue protection supervisors. The company refused to talk with drivers and traffic supervisors, even after SIPTU reduced its pay increase demand by around a half. Drivers and traffic supervisor staff are considering seeking a ballot for an all-out strike.

Strike at Irish chocolate manufacturer suspended

After two days of strikes, employees at the Cadbury chocolate production plant in Coolock, North Dublin, which took place at the end of last week, suspended their strike pending talks with management. The strike had been over plans by the plants owners, Mondelez International, to outsource 17 jobs in the stores division.

The workers are in the public sector Unite and SIPTU unions, which suspended the strike to allow talks with management brokered by Workplace Relations Commission.

Action by Irish primary school teachers against heavy workloads

Irish primary school teachers organised by the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) have voted by a 97 percent majority to refuse to do a range of duties, mainly of an administrative nature. They are taking the action to protest the heavy workload teachers are under, which often means they end up doing unpaid work. They are also protesting the ongoing ban on promotion.

Middle East

Rally of Palestinian teachers

Teachers in the West Bank who have been on strike for the last four weeks across the country held a rally on Monday outside the government offices of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah. Several thousand teachers attended the rally and march. They are on strike to demand higher wages, as promised in an agreement that was made by the PA in 2013 but never implemented.

Attempts by the police to block the march were swept aside by the numbers of teachers on the march. Some teachers have been detained by the PA security forces, which has been mounting checkpoints across the West Bank to prevent teachers from reaching planned rallies and demonstrations. The PA has threatened the teachers with legal action if they do not return to work.

Strike by Egyptian bus drivers in Alexandria

Bus drivers in Egypts second city, Alexandria, went on strike Sunday. Among their demands are a threefold increase to their bonuses. They are currently paid EGP150 (US$19), whereas management receive a EGP15,000 (US$1,900) bonus. They are demanding an end to 20 percent cuts in their salaries over the last several months and to be given 15 percent of fare takings.

The strike had a big impact in Alexandria, with big traffic jams resulting from their action.

Africa

Kenyan university staff prepare for strike

Members of the Kenyan University Academic Staff Union (UASU) were to strike today. Lecturers and support staff at state universities are demanding the university councils put forward proposals on wages and allowances.

A meeting for discussions on Tuesday at Nairobi University was boycotted by the University Councils Consultative Forum.

UASU and other unions involved are concerned that the public university vice chancellors are deliberately avoiding meeting the unions. According to the UASU secretary general, the government has instructed the University Councils Consultative Forum to come up with an offer to the unions so it can consider it in its budget, in two weeks.

Nigerian Ogun State workers walk out

Ogun State civil servants went out on strike on Monday in response to non-authorised deductions from their pay packets. On Tuesday, two strikers were arrested on the picket line outside the state governors office. Police were accused of ill treatment of workers even as representatives of the Trade Union Congress and the Nigerian Labour Congress were monitoring the picket lines.

The State government threatened that a no-work, no-pay rule will be implemented if workers refuse to return to work. Ogun State doctors and teachers embarked on a warning strike Monday, closing schools and hospitals, over unpaid arrears.

South African workers oppose casualisation

Community health workers across the northwest of South Africa are demanding permanent contracts and an end to casual labour.

Members of the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union working for the health authorities are joining other workers across South Africa to demand permanent contracts. They are opposing health authorities outsourcing labour to private contractors, which is a universally recognised means of privatising health care.

South African bus workers dispute

Services on the city of Tshwane bus route stopped when drivers went out on strike. Thirty-three women recruited under an equality programme were sacked when money for training female drivers was said have run out. The rest of the workers came out on strike to demand their reinstatement.

South Africa Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) said the bus company was not abiding by the Employment Equity Act. The company , A Re Yeng, holds the franchise for the city of Tshwane bus transport system and says the strike is the result of a union recognition dispute.

SAMWU and the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU), which are in conflict for membership numbers, deny the companys claim. The company won a court ruling to declare the strike illegal, which the unions are ignoring.
In the immediate aftermath of the special summit involving European Union (EU) member states and Turkey last Monday in Brussels, a ruthless policy of sealing the borders against refugees is being initiated. Since Wednesday, the Balkan route has been completely shut to refugees, Hungary has declared a state of emergency and deployed its army on the border, and Bulgaria has put its military on alert to use force against refugees.

With the agreement between the EU and Turkey, the European powers are energetically pressing ahead with the outsourcing of the deterrence of refugees, trampling on fundamental rights enshrined in international law to protect refugees. For years, the EU distanced itself from the concept of a fortress Europe. Now, the protection of the external borders has been elevated to a moral principle, while refugees are being treated like a hostile invading army and deterred by warships, barbed wire fences and soldiers.

On Tuesday, the Slovenian government declared that it would only accept people with valid travel documents. Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia followed suit, as a result of which no refugee can any longer pass through the Balkan route. EU Council President Donald Tusk noted on Wednesday on Twitter that the closure of the Balkan route was by no means a decision taken solely by the government in Ljubljana, but had been supported by all 28 EU member states.

Tusk referred to the summits concluding statement, which said, An end has been put to the irregular flow of migrants along the west Balkan route. He thereby exposed the false press reports claiming that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had successfully fought against the closure of the Balkan route. This was supported by an interview with Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner with Germanys Die Welt, in which she declared, The closure of the Balkan route is taking place according to plan, and the clock will not be turned back.

The closure of borders in the West Balkans will have catastrophic consequences for refugees, who will now be confined to Greece. More than 14,000 refugees are now waiting to continue their journey in temporary refugee camps at Idomeni on the Greek-Macedonian border. Days of heavy rain have transformed their camp into a swamp, and the small two-man tents, in which six-member families have to suffer, are full of water. The hygienic conditions are horrific. Hundreds of refugees, including many children, are suffering from colds and diarrhoea, doctors from a hospital near Idomeni have reported.

According to the official count, 36,000 refugees are currently stuck in Greece. The country, pushed to the economic and social breaking point due to the austerity dictates of the EU, has capacity for only 25,000. According to Greeces crisis management centre, around 7,300 refugees are in emergency camps on the Greek islands, around 9,400 in Athens and more than 18,000 in camps in northern Greece.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias expects that by the end of the month up to 150,000 refugees will be stranded in Greece. So far this year, 131,847 refugees have been registered crossing the Aegean Sea, and at least 347 have drowned during the crossing. The latest 25 died in a boat which sank practically at the same time as the talks were taking place in Brussels.

However, the mounting humanitarian crisis has been met with utter indifference by the political elite in the EU. Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz responded to a question from the Suddeutsche Zeitung last week on whether the pictures from the camps should act as a deterrent: I have said previously that we had to expect such pictureseven though one cannot feel good about it when one sees such pictures. But, he added, there are only two ways. We allow the people through, or we stop them.

Deal with Turkey

The first place where they are to be stopped is in Turkey. This is at least the intention of the dirty deal made by the EU heads of government with Ankara. The details are to be finalised at another summit next week.

According to the agreement, Turkey will in the future accept the return of refugees who make it across the Aegean Sea to Greece or across the land borders with Greece or Bulgaria. In line with a one-to-one principle, the EU will accept a Syrian refugee registered in a camp in Turkey under a resettlement programme for every Syrian refugee deported. This will involve only hand-picked refugees, since it is the EU itself who will choose them.

In addition, the EU will increase its financial aid to the Turkish government from 3 billion to 6 billion, which is to be paid by 2018. In addition, Turkey is pushing for the elimination of visa requirements for its citizens to travel within the EU, as well as the opening of further chapters in negotiations to join the bloc.

After hours of talks, Tusk and German Chancellor Merkel spoke of a breakthrough. Merkel opined that it is a qualitatively new proposal which can help us move forward on the issue of how we combat illegality. It had been, according to Merkel, possible to map out a perspective to return to orderly relations.

Regardless of the fact that the alleged illegality of the flood of refugees is the result solely of the EUs policy of sealing the borders, which declares refugees to be illegal immigrants, the orderly relations will consist of the EU making Turkey the border guard, assuming responsibility for the dirty work of deterring refugees.

Although there are some reservations within the EU about this cynical deceit, these are related only to the question of whether the concessions demanded by Turkey are too great. The French government has expressed reservations about visa-free travel, and the Cyprus government has demanded the recognition by Turkey of the Greek-Cypriot government in Nicosia before negotiations on joining the EU can proceed.

But not a word was mentioned about how Turkey is trampling basic democratic rights underfoot. Immediately prior to the summit, the government violently brought the critical newspaper Zaman under its control, as well as the Cihan news agency. A demonstration on the occasion of International Womens Day was brutally suppressed by the police. In the countrys east, the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is conducting a bloody war against the suppressed Kurdish minority.

Already prior to the summit, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere made clear that the EU would overlook violations of human rights. We cannot be the arbitrator on human rights for the entire world, de Maiziere told the Passauer Neue Presse. He was thus defending in advance the crimes and violations of law which will be committed by the EU in its attacks on refugees.

As in a bad film, where a doorman with a dubious past is made to appear even more threatening, the EU is outsourcing the deterrence of refugees to a state which employs extreme brutality against refugees and pays no attention to international norms concerning the protection of refugees.

The deputy director of the international charity Amnesty International, Gauri van Gulik, protested against the agreement, stating, Using Turkey as a safe third country is absurd. Many refugees still live in terrible conditions, some have been deported back to Syria and security forces have even shot at Syrians trying to cross the border.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu made clear during his flight back from the summit that Turkey would immediately deport the refugees taken back from Greece. We will send non-Syrians intercepted in the Aegean Sea back to their home countries, Davutoglu said. We will bring the Syrians to camps.

Turkey is currently negotiating repatriation agreements with 14 states. There can be no doubt that Turkish authorities will ruthlessly deport Afghans, Iraqis, Yemenis, Somalis and Eritreans. Refugees from the Kurdish regions of Syria and Iraq must have the additional fear of being pursued by Turkish security forces as terrorists.

Turkey has to date only ratified the Geneva refugee convention with a geographical reservation, so as to recognise only those refugees from Europe. By contrast, the 2.7 million refugees living in Turkey from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq are tolerated merely as guests. Moreover, Syrian refugees are simply turned away at the border.

But since Turkey has neither fully implemented the Geneva refugee convention nor the ban on repatriating people in search of protection, Turkey can, purely in legal terms, not be declared a secure third country. This would not only violate the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), but even the European Unions own lax asylum regulations. This is the conclusion reached by a number of legal reports conducted by groups such as ProAsyl, Human Rights Watch and Statewatch.

But European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has simply ignored such legal considerations. He was cited in Britains Guardian as saying that deporting refugees to Turkey was legal because Greece had declared Turkey to be a safe third country. The Greek government was compelled to take this action above all under the pressure of the German interior minister, de Maiziere.

According to Merkel, the 6 billion promised to Turkey is to be spent on supporting the conditions of refugees. In fact, Turkey is focused on building deportation camps with the assistance of the EU. Markus Ederer, the state secretary in Germanys foreign affairs department, confirmed in response to a question from the Greens in parliament that the EU was paying Turkey for the construction and equipping of centres for the reception and repatriation of those from third countries. The EU is thus in practice financing the deportation of refugees back into war zones.

There is no work for adults, no school for childrenthis is the daily norm for many Syrian refugee families in Turkey, according to a report from Bavarian state radio based on the findings of Turkish migration researcher Murat Erdogan. Some refugee families send their children to work in order that there is enough money to survive. And those who want to send their children to school often fail because of the bureaucracy. In reality, only 70,000 Syrian children are integrated into the Turkish education system, so only 8 percent, stated Erdogan.

According to a report by the British Independent, Syrian refugees are systematically shot at by Turkish border police. The government in Ankara does not even deny such crimes, but dismisses them as a necessity for self-defence. T he Independent cited a senior government official as saying, In certain cases, the border patrol has no option but to fire warning shots because they often come under attack from smugglers and terrorist groups on the Syrian side.

Amnesty International reported in December that at the hospital in Azaz near the Turkish border, an average of two refugees per day arrived with bullet wounds caused by Turkish border guards. Among the arrivals were a ten-year-old girl and one-year-old baby who were essentially executed with head shots. Orthopaedic doctor Ali al-Saloum from Azaz hospital confirmed this report to the Independent. It used to be much rarer, he said. And when it did happen it was people being shot in the leg or the arm. But people started dying.

By shutting the Balkan route and with the repatriation agreement with Turkey, the EU has very consciously abandoned the remnants of the laws for the protection of refugees. Migration researcher Olaf Kleist told the Schwabischer Tageblatt that the EU had given Turkey a pay-off. This policy does not even aim in the most limited way to protect the refugees, Kleist said.

Kleist added that he feared that many refugees would pay with their lives as they seek alternative routes: The first alternative is probably the route across North Africa and the Mediterranean to Italy. A very dangerous route, not only because of the sea, but also the states in between, Egypt and Libya, a dictatorship and a failed state. In this case there is not only the concern of many deaths, but also because the deal now struck with Turkey will be the model for further migration prevention deals with North African states.
Ben Carson officially endorsed Republican frontrunner Donald Trump Friday morning in an appearance with Trump in Palm Beach, Fla.



Ive come to know Donald Trump over the last few years. He is actually a very intelligent man who cares deeply about America, he said. There are two different Donald Trumps. Theres the one you see on the stage, and theres the one whos very cerebral.

While introducing Carson, Trump said that having his support lends credence to what hes trying to do.

Everybody wanted his endorsement, and everybody loves him and truly, truly admires what hes done, he said.

Carson said that he never intended to get involved in the political process but heeded the call of the American people. He accused political operatives and parties of trying to thwart the will of the people.

I want the political process to play out in the way that it should play out, and I think the Republican Party, particularly, would be very wise not to adopt a Lets stop this guy and lets promote this guy policy, he continued. But rather start thinking about what are the things that are going to be helpful for America.

Ben Carson listens before announcing he will endorse Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. (Photo: Lynne Sladky/AP)



The retired neurosurgeon expressed concern about the fiscal cliff and said the country is destroying itself with hate, quoting Abraham Lincoln: A house divided against itself cannot stand.

Were failing to take a leadership position on the world stage, he said.

Carson, a Seventh-day Adventist, is a deeply religious man who believes that God has guided some of his lifes most important decisions. When asked if a higher power inspired him to endorse Trump, the former doctor said that the power of prayer and messages from his acquaintances dreams played a role.

I prayed about it a lot. I got a lot of indications  people calling me that I hadnt talked to in a long time saying, I had this dream about you and Donald Trump.

Story continues

Carson said he and Trump did not cut a deal regarding a position from him in a possible Trump administration. But they planned to discuss policies that would make America great again, he said.

The endorsement may come as a surprise to many of Carsons supporters, since the mild-mannered, deeply religious Carson is a vivid contrast to Trump in terms of style and values.

But a Carson adviser told Yahoo News Thursday that the retired neurosurgeon  who for a short time last fall led the field of Republican presidential candidates  sees Trump as the only candidate remaining who is not part of what he often called the political class.

Carson believes that the political establishment has ruined the country, and is throwing his support to Trump because the businessman and reality TV personality is best able to disrupt the status quo.

Carson was also angered by some of the tactics employed by Sen. Ted Cruz. For example, a number of Cruzs supporters tried to undermine Carson on the night of the Iowa caucuses Feb. 1 by telling voters that Carson was pulling out of the race.

Michael Walsh contributed to this report.

(Cover tile photo: Lynne Sladky/AP)
PALM BEACH, Fla.  Donald Trump formally won the endorsement of former rival Ben Carson  a potentially significant show of support as the Republican frontrunner seeks to unify the party behind his insurgent campaign for president.

The retired neurosurgeon joined Trump at a Friday morning press conference here at the real estate moguls Mar-a-Lago Club, praising him as a very intelligent man who cares deeply about America.

There are two different Donald Trumps, Carson said as he addressed reporters from a small stage inside an ornate ballroom here. Theres the one you see on the stage, and theres the one who is very cerebral, sits there and considers things very carefully; you can have a very good conversation with him. And thats the Donald Trump you are going to start seeing more and more of.

Asked later if he agreed with Carson that there are two sides of him, Trump at first said yes. I think there are two Donald Trumps. Theres the public version and people see that, and I dont know what they see exactly  but its probably different than the personal Donald Trump, the real estate mogul said. I am somebody thats a thinker.  I have my ideas and they are strong.

But pressed further on the subject a few minutes later, Trump reversed himself. I dont think there are two Donald Trumps, he said. I am who I am.

Carsons backing comes a week after the retired neurosurgeon suspended his own bid for the presidency, and it was announced as Trump tries to assume the role of the partys presumptive nominee and to appear more presidential. But though he has talked up his desire and ability to unify the party, its still unclear what steps Trump is actually taking to do that.

The GOP frontrunner said that he has been on the receiving end of phone calls from Republican leaders, including House Speaker Paul D. Ryan. But he repeatedly ignored a question from Yahoo News about whether he himself is personally doing any outreach to members of the party alarmed by the prospect that he could become the nominee or whether he believes that to be something he should be doing.

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At the same time, it was not clear whether Trump asked for Carsons endorsement or if it was offered. Carson ignored the question. When asked by Yahoo News if he had sought Carsons backing, Trump replied, Its something I wanted.

Donald Trump takes questions during a press conference with former rival Ben Carson, who endorsed him on Friday. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)



Carson, a first-time candidate, briefly led polls in early voting states like Iowa, thanks in part to his enormous popularity among evangelical voters. But he was unable to translate that support into actual wins, in spite of raising and spending tens of millions of dollars in campaign contributions, mostly from small donors.

Carsons support came two weeks after Trump won the backing of another former GOP rival, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Though exit polls suggest Trump is already doing well with evangelical voters, Carson could potentially help the real estate mogul further consolidate that vote away from Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who has stepped up his appeals to values voters as he seeks to cast himself as the clear Trump alternative in the race.

In many ways, Carsons endorsement of Trump was no surprise. Though the retired doctor said earlier this week that he was open to backing Trump or Cruz, Carson was angry at what he described as dirty tricks by the senator and his aides in Iowa. As voters there headed to caucus, Cruz aides and supporters had falsely spread word that Carson was suspending his campaign for the White House. The Carson campaign blamed those rumors for his disappointing fourth place finish in the state.

At first, Cruz tried to blame the media  citing a CNN report that said Carson was returning home to Florida after the Iowa caucuses. But he later apologized to Carson  both publicly and later in a private meeting inside a tiny closet at a South Carolina forum  though their relationship never recovered.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Carson said he had forgiven Cruz  because thats what a Christian should do, he told reporters. But he added that the Texas senator had not asked for his endorsement.

Carson shakes hands with Trump on Friday after announcing his endorsement of the Republican frontrunner. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)



Carson seemed to be more forgiving toward Trump, who at times had viciously attacked his GOP rival on the campaign trail. Last fall, when Carson briefly surpassed Trump as the GOP frontrunner in early polling, the real estate mogul seized on reports that Carson had exaggerated aspects of his personal biography, including a story that hed been offered a full scholarship to West Point. Carson also claimed he had been violent as a child growing up in Detroit  recalling an incident in which he had attempted to stab a boy  but friends and neighbors who knew him later discounted those stories, saying they had always known the soft-spoken doctor to be quiet and bookish.

Trump seized on those reports to suggest Carson was potentially unstable and had a pathological disease. You dont cure these people. You dont cure a child molester. Theres no cure for it. Pathological, theres no cure for that, Trump told CNN in November.

But on Friday, both made light of those attacks  with Carson saying it was just politics. Asked if he apologized for the things hed said, Trump dodged the question, instead lavishing Carson with praise as the one person he couldnt shake in the polls.

He suggested that Carson will play both a political and policy role in his campaign moving forward  but declined to be specific. Bens going to have a big part, Trump said, as Carson stood in the shadows of the stage, far away from the candidate. We want to keep that kind of talent.
The future Samsung Galaxy S8 should cut a different figure from the current Galaxy S7, seen here.

After presenting its new flagship smartphone at this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, the Samsung Galaxy S7 goes on sale worldwide on Friday, March 11, 2016.

Samsung kept things pretty classic for this 2016 upgrade to its flagship handset. The 5.1-inch Galaxy S7 and 5.5-inch Galaxy S7 edge (with rounded edges) are similar in design to the current S6 and S6 edge, but get improved processing performance of around 30% and 4GB of RAM. Both models run the latest version of the Android operating system, Android 6.0 (Marshmallow), with Samsung's TouchWiz interface.

Upgraded camera, fast autofocus

The real innovation in the Galaxy S7 (and S7 edge) comes in the camera. The main, rear-facing camera sees its pixel-count drop from 16 to 12 megapixels, in turn promising improved image quality, particularly in low-light conditions and with moving subjects. This is thanks to Dual Pixel technology, which sees the camera take two pictures at once and then fuse them into one final super-sharp image. A 5-megapixel, wide-angle, front-facing camera is also on hand for selfie fans.

The Galaxy S7and S7 edge are water-resistant handsets that mark the return of the microSD memory card slot, dropped from Samsung's S6. The smartphones also have a new "AlwaysOn" function to display certain information constantly onscreen (time, calendar, meetings, etc.) while keeping power use extremely low. In fact, Samsung promises over 10 hours of battery life.

Samsung is busy building a whole product ecosystem around its Galaxy S7, with current add-ons including the Gear S2 smartwatch, the Gear VR virtual reality headset and the new Gear 360 camera, which films 360-degree footage.

Not an essential upgrade for Samsung Galaxy S6 owners

In the end, the Samsung Galaxy S7 isn't necessarily the most stylish or the most innovative smartphone of the moment (check out the LG G5 with its modular design), but it's still in the running as one of the best smartphones on the market thanks to its performances and its camera.

So while upgrading from a Galaxy S6 to an S7 doesn't seem essential, this smartphone is sure to suit users looking to invest in a good-quality high-end handset.

Check out the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge in this promotional video: youtu.be/cyohHyQl-kc
Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImageMetallica drummer Lars Ulrich is co-hosting a screening of the upcoming film Everybody Wants Some with director Richard Linklater. The screening, which will be followed by a Q&A with Ulrich and Linklater, will be held this Tuesday, March 15, at the Alamo Drafthouse movie theater in San Francisco.

Everybody Wants Some, described as the "spiritual sequel" to Linklater's 1993 cult classic Dazed and Confused, will hit theaters on April 15.

A day after Everybody Wants Some is released, Ulrich and the rest of Metallica will serve as the official ambassadors for the 2016 Record Store Day, held April 16.

Metallica is also working on a new album, their first since 2008's Death Magnetic. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Ulrich reveals that the band hopes to have a "pretty in-your-face year."

"Obviously, we've gotta finish the new record now. But thankfully we're quite far along," the drummer says. "Hopefully we should be able to knock that on the head this spring, I would guess. So we will be gearing up and playing shows and doing all that fun stuff again soon."

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." ~~Thomas Jefferson

"Who will protect us from those who protect us?"

Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. ~ Thomas Jefferson



"None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free." ~~Goethe
Oct. 19

Richard Kramer, 40, of Elko pleaded guilty to DUI, proof of insurance required, driving without a valid license and expired registration, plate or title.

Nov. 2

Scott Wesley Granger, 32, of Elko pleaded no contest to driving without a valid license and fictitious or suspended or revoked registration, plate or title.

Nov. 16

Armando Angel Rosales, 23, of Elko pleaded no contest to driving without a valid license and tail lamps required.

Nov. 20

Alyssa Neomi Flores, 24, a transient, pleaded guilty to possession or use of drug paraphernalia and driving without a valid drivers license.

Dec. 2

Danell Joy Davis, 19, of Carlin pleaded guilty to DUI and speeding 16 to 20 miles over the limit.

Dec. 8

Jedidiah JV Truitt, 34, of Spring Creek pleaded guilty to battery.

Dec. 10

Clifford Thomas Brown, 35, of Elko was sentenced after previously pleading guilty to leaving the scene of an accident, resisting, delaying or obstructing a public officer and reckless driving  willful or wanton disregard of safety of persons or property.

Dec. 16

Juan Arellano-Rubio, 53, of Elko pleaded no contest to disturbing the peace, amended from battery.

Dec. 17

Faron James Eychner, 31, of Elko was sentenced after previously pleading guilty to malicious destruction of property less than $250.

Dec. 22

Rebecca Ann Benavides, 39, of Elko pleaded guilty to violation of domestic protective order.



Alyssa Laverne Gomes, 32, of Spring Creek pleaded guilty to malicious destruction of property less than $250.



James Mathew Ryan, 37, of Elko pleaded no contest to domestic battery.
ELKO  With the recommendation of the police chief, the City unanimously voted Tuesday to issue a retail liquor license to the owner of the upcoming business called Cowboys  the western themed bar will be in the location of the former Horseshoe Club.

The vote ratified the chief issuing a 60-day temporary retail liquor license and a regular liquor license.

Ms. Simpkins has no issues, her background is clean, and so I recommend approval in issuance of her regular retail (liquor license) as well, said Chief Ben Reed.

Its my understanding she intends to open that as a standard bar called Cowboys, he said, explaining the new business is not associated with the previous licensing, which included a sexually oriented business.

In a previous interview, Assistant City Manager Scott Wilkinson said the administrator of the new business can apply for a liquor license.

Reed told the council, last he spoke with her, Simpkins was making renovations and plans to open later in the month.

Police have given her recommendations on maintaining security and copies of the ordinance on liquor control.

According to Free Press Files, Reed filed a complaint against the bar in 2015 accusing the Horseshoe of pulling on police resources because of ongoing problems.

Police caught staff pouring drinks for intoxicated customers and serving alcohol to minors at a higher rate. Frequent fighting near the club was also a concern for law enforcement.

City council agreed with these concerns. On May 19, the board voted 4-0 to discontinue the Horseshoes liquor license.

With several attempts throughout the year, the license was not established again.

In October, the owners Debra Mensing and John Smuda attempted to rebrand the club.

However, after a unanimous decision was made, a December City Council meeting confirmed the establishment could not be operated in a manner that would allow it to sell liquor or be licensed as a sexually oriented business.
ELKO  Students, parents, siblings and burgeoning minds experienced the talent of the 33rd Elko County Science Fair through displays at the Convention Center.

The viewing of the entries concluded Thursday at 2 p.m. at 700 Moren Way, with the award recipients honored that night.

Weve got our Pre-K little girl, said Angela Temple, exploring the projects with her family.

We thought wed come down and show her how some of these are, she said. She walks a lot, but once in awhile one will catch her eye and shell stop and ask questions.

The projects dealing with gummi bears caught the eye of her daughter Sierra.

Temple applauded the fair as a good learning tool for young children.

In fact, this years science fair had a hands-on element.

First place grand-prize winner Hannah Margolis, told the Free Press in an email, she helped to orchestrate outreach booths, where community members volunteered at interactive science kiosks for the students to gain another way to view the projects.

Margolis said the endeavor was widely successful.

To demonstrate biology, there was a BTB pH indicator experiment, a plant and animal cell comparison, and dissection microscopes.

The volunteers at this booth were Elko High School Teacher Brian Zeiszler and Margolis.

The Mu Alpha Theta honor society hosted math games run by Elko High School seniors Riley Cromie and Cierra Armijo.

In the field of geology, students explored rock and mineral identification with Great Basin College adjunct instructor Mira Kurka.

Professor Gary Hanington, of GBC, demonstrated engineering through light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and circuits.

Ecology  a branch of biology that seeks to understand the relations between living organisms and their environment  displayed the teeth and skulls of carnivores and herbivores. They were based on the skulls and community member Lois Ports was there to guide the students.

In the ever increasing and fascinating topic to students of all ages, GBCs Professor Laura Pike helped exhibit robotics with a robot to interact with the students.

According to Free Press files, there were 440 projects submitted, with more than 20 schools and organizations participating. The fair is open to students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

The students include Elko School District students and those who are home-schooled and attend private school.

The judging was on Monday and Tuesday. One hundred people from different professions gathered together to analyze the works.

Three grand-prize winners  Hannah Margolis, first place, Allie Smith, second place, and Peter Neff, third place  will go on to compete in the International Science and Engineering Fair in May in Phoenix.
So much for the party elites. So much for the super PACs. So much for the pollsters. So much for (many in) the media.

Donald Trumps and Bernie Sanders victories on Tuesday demonstrate dramatically how angry many voters are, and how dangerous it would be to try to thwart their candidates in the name of party unity or even victory in November.

Mitt Romneys attempt to organize a dump Trump movement ran into a blizzard of ballots in Michigan and Mississippi, despite the millions spent by a handful of super PACs advertising against the front-runner.

The big spenders were reportedly spurred on during a meeting at a posh resort where conservative opinion leaders met with superrich technology moguls looking for a way to derail Trumps progress toward the nomination. And some recent polls indicated that they might be having some success. The reality show hosts performance on Tuesday proved them wrong.

Nothing could be more calculated to infuriate the base of the billionaires support than a bunch of rich guys plotting his demise  especially rich technology guys whose companies have put a lot of non-college-educated white men out of work. Trump scored 18 points higher in Michigan among white men without college degrees compared to those who have them, and overall men gave him a 16-point lead over women.

Not only did almost 90 percent of Michigan Republican voters express dissatisfaction or anger with the government, almost 60 percent said they felt betrayed by politicians from the Republican Party. And those politicians are exactly the people trying to dump Trump. But they do so at their peril.

Political parties naturally protect their own self-interests, and both the Democrats and the Republicans have established rules to guard against the rank and file nominating someone who would have a hard time winning a general election. For the Democrats, it was the creation of the superdelegates, allowing elected and appointed party officials and donors to choose a candidate they think can win, regardless of the primary and caucus results.

For the Republicans, its something called Rule 40. It requires a candidate to win the majority of delegates in at least eight states in order for his or her name to be placed in nomination. Donald Trump is the only candidate with a prayer of meeting that requirement, and now there are rumblings among Republicans about changing that rule. One proposal would allow anyone who received one delegate to be deemed eligible for inclusion on the first ballot at the convention.

That would be a truly risky move. In this primary season, Trump has taken the lead in state after state by bringing in white voters who have previously felt disenfranchised. In a recent ABC News poll, he did especially well among Republicans who think whites are losing out because of rules favoring minorities. Just imagine how they would feel if yet more rules  these enacted by the party  managed to deprive their candidate of the nomination.

That is probably the most dangerous situation for the Republican Party, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam told The Washington Post. If he gets there with not a majority but close to a majority of the (delegates) and doesnt get the nomination, thatll be very difficult. He could say, Im going to ask all of my folks to sit this one out to show them how big we are. Who knows?

Democrats cannot rest easy either. Bernie Sanders attracts some of the same voters as Donald Trump. In Michigan, he trounced Hillary Clinton by 27 points among white men, and handily won the votes of those making between $30,000 and $99,999. At the moment he is losing both the elected delegates and the superdelegates, but if, as is likely, he picks up more states and accrues enough delegates that put him in striking distance of Clinton, then those superdelegates votes become problematic.

As it is, Clinton fails on the test of whether shes honest and trustworthy. Only 19 percent of Michigan Democrats said she embodied those virtues. A convention decided by power brokers would play into her image as someone who operates behind the scenes.

But compared to their rivals, the Democrats look trouble-free. Party members dont deride Clinton as a con artist unfit for the presidency. And she trumps Trump on the honesty question, and on every other attribute and issue, in a recent ABC poll, which also gave the Republican front-runner the highest unfavorability rating  67 percent  of any politician in recent memory.

Thats why the party elite want to find a way to sidetrack him. They should have thought of that a few months ago. Changing the rules now could do them more harm than good.
One hundred seventeen foreign policy and legal experts have signed an open letter refusing to support Donald Trump. The letter criticizes Trumps promise to kill the families of terrorists and to torture terrorism suspects if he is elected president.

The letter also warns that Trumps expansive view of how presidential power should be wielded against his detractors poses a distinct threat to civil liberty in the United States.

Trump has promised to change libel laws to punish publication of purposely negative stories, and has defended the dictator Vladimir Putin against charges of complicity in the murder of 34 Russian journalists.

Among those who signed the letter were Michael Chertoff and Michael Mukasey. Chertoff is the former director of the Department of Homeland Security and served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Mukasey is a former U.S. attorney general who served for 18 years as a U.S. district court judge.

A week earlier, Gen. Michael Hayden, the former director of both the CIA and the National Security Agency, told HBOs Bill Maher: I would be incredibly concerned if a President Trump governed in a way that was consistent with the language that candidate Trump expressed during the campaign. Hayden also suggested that military officers might refuse to follow unlawful orders given by a President Trump.

While Mukasey, Chertoff and Hayden may legitimately be criticized as hypocrites  having been serial violators of Americans civil liberties themselves  this certainly qualifies them as experts on the subject.

It could hardly have come as a surprise to Trump or his handlers that he would be asked the following question at last Thursdays Fox News debate: (W)hat would you do, as commander-in-chief, if the U.S. military refused to carry out those orders (to kill the families of terrorists and to torture terrorism suspects in violation of the Geneva Convention)?

They wont refuse. Trump shot back. Theyre not going to refuse me. Believe me.

But theyre illegal, an incredulous Bret Baier said to Trump, referring to the unlawful orders.

Trump dug his hole deeper and, in doing so, his answer became a political Rorschach test:

Im a leader. Im a leader. Ive always been a leader. Ive never had any problem leading people. If I say do it, theyre going to do it. Thats what leadership is all about.

Baier had asked Donald Trump about his willingness to follow the rule of law, which is the bedrock of any constitutional democracy. But Trumps answer reflected a stunning disconnect from this basic concept, focusing instead on his certitude that the illegal orders would be carried out. The legality of the underlying orders simply didnt enter into the equation. It wasnt a factor.

Trumps primitive understanding of political leadership is rooted in the concept of Das Fuhrerprinzip; a German phrase that roughly translates as The Leader Principle. It is an autocratic legal philosophy that found its zenith in the totalitarian bureaucracy of the Nazi Third Reich.

Werner Best, the Gestapos legal adviser, explained Das Fuhrerprinzip in the 1940 edition of his book Die Deutsche Polizei (The German Police). According to Best, any form of pre-existing law which governs the actions of the authorities is not regarded as law since (t)he will of the leaders, in whatever form ... administers law and therefore alters all valid law.

As long as the police carries out the will of the leadership, Best wrote, it is acting legally.

The day after the Fox News debate, Trumps campaign quickly backtracked from his insistence that the military will follow his illegal orders. The campaign issued a written statement that possessed a logical coherence uncharacteristic of Trumps typical verbalized thought process.

I will not order a military officer to disobey the law, the statement read. It is clear that as president I will be bound by laws just like all Americans and I will meet those responsibilities.

But just a day later Trump was at it again, making statements that he would follow the law, but would also seek to broaden, expand and open up those laws to allow him to do those things that are now illegal.

We are not the only ones to have compared Trumps success to the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany. Danielle Allen, a professor at Harvard, has made a similar comparison in a thoughtful Washington Post column.

But many intelligent people still discount such comparisons. They argue that Donald Trumps campaign promises are nothing more than pragmatic bluster that will be abandoned if he is elected president. Others argue that the U.S. is not Weimar Germany and that the checks and balances unique to our Constitution would prevent what happened in Germany from happening here.

Former U.S. Senator Jim Webb has said: If youre voting for Donald Trump, you may get something very good or very bad. Which begs a question all Trump supporters should ask themselves: Why gamble with something as precious as the Bill of Rights?

Even highly educated people can have bad political instincts. There is no reason for despair, professor Albert Einstein told the press, when asked to comment on the Nazis 1930 electoral victories that gave them only 18 percent of the popular vote.

Less than three years later  after the Nazis obtained a solid plurality of over 30 percent of the vote  Einstein was running for his life.
A man rides a motorbike in Duma, on the outskirts of Damascus. EFE

Spain will join the International Syria Support Group (ISSG)  a US and Russia-led alliance that is seeking a solution to the five-year-old civil war raging in the Arab country.

The invitation to join the body, created in October 2015 in Vienna, was extended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who wrote a letter to his Spanish counterpart, acting minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo.

By joining the global alliance, Spain will get to play a bigger role in the resolution of a conflict that is having a major impact on Europe

In consideration of the serious efforts that Spain and you personally are applying towards a political solution to the crisis in Syria, as well as the role and influence of your country in the Middle East and the Maghreb, and your traditional contacts with personalities of Syrian political life, I have the honor, as co-chairman of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), of inviting Spain to participate in its work, begins the letter.

By joining Germany, Italy, France, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, Russia, United States, the UN and the EU in their global alliance, Spain will get to play a bigger role in the resolution of a conflict that is having a major impact on Europe.

Also joining the group are the Netherlands, Australia and Japan.

Garcia-Margallo had petitioned for membership before US State Secretary John Kerry and two other officials, but the request required approval from other ISSG members, including some which were reticent to a new expansion.

Spains position in favor of letting the Syrian regime participate in peace talks, rather than demanding Syrian President Bashar Al-Assads resignation as some Western and Arab countries were doing, helped get its membership request approved.

Diplomatic sources said Spain could now become a privileged mediator.

The Spanish foreign minister had petitioned for membership before US State Secretary John Kerry

The Syrian president himself told EL PAIS in an exclusive interview on February 22 that he was aware that Spains position differs from that of other European countries.

Spain is against any adventurist solution in Syria. This is something we appreciate. They didnt support any military action against Syria, they said thats going to make it more complicated. They didnt talk about deposing the president or interfering in our national affairs. They said everything should happen through a political solution or political process. This is very good, he said.

Spanish membership of the ISSG comes at a decisive moment: since the night of February 26, a ceasefire has been in place that, according to the UN, is being generally respected by all sides  with the exception of the Islamic State and the Al-Nusra Front, the local branch of Al Qaeda.

Also, Thursday marked the beginning of preliminary consultations in Geneva prior to peace talks between Damascus and opposition groups. Negotiations will not last beyond March 24, according to a UN envoy.

Spain will not be present at these talks, but as a new member of ISSG, it will have first-hand information and, most crucially, will be able to make its voice heard on the subject of Syrias future.

English version by Susana Urra.
Ecuadorian citizens outside OGC headquarters in Madrid this week. Carlos Rosillo

Over the past three months Madrid-based package company OGC has left 5,000 Ecuadorians in Spain without their deliveries. The company closed on Tuesday without warning its 30 employees, who were surprised that documents had been destroyed and stored goods had disappeared. The owners had vanished, staff said. Some of the packaged goods were worth as much as 35,000, since the minimum weight for each shipment was 30 kilos.

All OGCs other Spanish branches  in Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona and Hospitalet de Llobregat  have also closed this week. The firm had another outlet in Brussels, which collected packages from across Europe before sending them to Spain for shipping to Ecuador, the only country to which it sent deliveries. An estimated 5,000 people have been affected by the events; 3,000 of them in Madrid.

Im desperate, Ive lost everything. I was sending my belongings in order to return to my country Jacqueline Alfaro, 45

Outside the OGC office in Madrid on Wednesday, Vicente Franco, 62, an unemployed Ecuadorian who has lived in Spain for the past 40 years, exchanged contact details with other compatriots affected by the closure. They made the trip down after hearing that the company had closed overnight without warning, leaving in limbo thousands of packages sent over the last three months  the maximum amount of time, according to their contracts, that the parcels would take to reach Ecuador.

Monica Piedra, 52, shipped a box of glassware on August 26 last year, but the package has still not arrived at its destination. Her 254 shipment weighed more than the required 30 kilos. Each shipment costs 4.50 a kilo and customers were obliged to specify that the objects were secondhand to avoid paying customs taxes in Ecuador, which is why many people lack receipts to prove they own the goods.

The flow of people asking for explanations at OGC headquarters has been constant. A young man arrived crying because he had lost everything. No one was answering his calls. He said he had been swindled out of 35,000 and pinned the blame on the owners of the company, brothers Oscar and Edward Z..

Victor Bustan, 40, went to the OGC offices after receiving a WhatsApp message from his brother-in-law who had read about the closure on Facebook. Those affected by the scandal have created a group to share information and begin taking legal action. The bills for my packages amounted to around 4,000, to which you also need to add 2,000 in shipping costs.

OGC's warehouse in Villaverde, Madrid, under police guard. Jaime Villanueva

Victor had sent aluminum windows, ceramics, and two hydro-massage showers for the house he is building in Loja, a city in the south of Ecuador.

Im desperate, Ive lost everything, said Jacqueline Alfaro, 45. I was sending my belongings in order to return to my country. Between October and February, she had made six shipments. She paid more than 2,610 for shipping but cannot quantify the value of the objects.

Many of those affected suspect the closure was premeditated. In January many customers began receiving telephone calls offering them promotions to send packages to Ecuador. The following month, the company signed agreements committing to deliver shipments by a certain date in order to calm nervous customers who had still not received packages sent as far back as August.

The firms 90 workers say they are also victims of the closure: they have not been paid in three months and nobody warned them that they would no longer be able to work. This week 25 of them, most of whom worked in Madrid, met with the UGT labor union, which helped them file a complaint in order to retrieve the wages owed to them.

One of the workers highlighted that they were only contracted to work four hours a day, but in reality worked almost 20, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays included. We only had one day off a week. They gave us a monthly paycheck of 700 and another 1,300 under the table, he said.

One employee says that five trucks arrived at the storehouse over the weekend to take away the most valuable objects, such as TVs and washing machines

Accompanied by colleagues, this employee spent Saturday at the warehouse that OGC rented in Madrid's Villaverde district. They were able to enter because they had keys. When they went inside, to their surprise, they discovered that all the computers had been removed and all the documentation had been destroyed. It was then that they filed the first complaint. Everything became clear on Monday when nobody appeared to open up the offices. They tried to get in contact with their bosses but to no avail. Another employee says that between Saturday and Sunday, five trucks arrived at the storehouse to take away the most valuable objects, such as televisions and washing machines.

The Ecuadorian Embassy is working with the victims to try to find a solution and has published a list of guidelines for those affected to follow. They say that the majority of packages sent back home from Spain by Ecuadorians are shipped through an agreement between the embassy and the Spanish post office. These shipments carry no costs for those who order them, but are slower than those undertaken by private companies.

The Ecuadorian embassy also noted that as the company was founded in Madrid it will be governed by Spanish laws.

Those affected could take years to get back their belongings, official sources have warned. A similar process occurred in 2011 when Vicza, a delivery firm that also specialized in sending packages to Ecuador, closed its offices. The victims of that case have yet to recover their shipments.

English version by Anne-Gaelle Sy.
Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy at the European Council meeting of March 7. A. JOCARD (AFP)

Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will go to the European Council on March 17 to defend a position that most of Spanish Congress radically rejects.

Except for his own Popular Party (PP), all other congressional groups  227 deputies out of a total of 350  feel that the European Unions deal with Turkey to expel refugees is illegal.

Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias said on Twitter that he felt ashamed of an EU that systematically violates human rights

Rajoy, who signed the agreement on Monday, has refused to appear before his own Congress to explain the deal and negotiate a common Spanish position on the subject of refugees.

Instead, he will send a state secretary to do the explaining, as he claims that an acting government is not subject to parliamentary control. Following an inconclusive election on December 20, Spain has yet to name a new prime minister, and could face a fresh vote in June if no progress is made in the coming weeks.

Other parties are now seeking ways to force Rajoy to come before them ahead of the European Council date.

EU commitments to Turkey F.G. / M.G. The European summit on March 7 yielded the following commitments: - To return to Turkey all new illegal immigrants (including refugees) who travel from there to Greece. The EU will cover the expenses. - For every Syrian citizen who is readmitted to Turkey, the EU will resettle another Syrian from the refugee camps located on Turkish territory. - To allow Turkish citizens to enter the EU without visas as early as June 2016. - To speed up the release of 3 billion that the EU promised Turkey to deal with the Syrian refugees, and to decide on Turkeys demand for a further 3 billion. - To speed up negotiations for Turkish EU membership.

This is the first time that a vast majority of Congress has rejected a deal subscribed to by the EU government.

Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez said the European deal with Turkey was immoral and possibly even illegal.

We have a week to change this agreement. The European Council of March 17 and 18 cannot approve this pact of shame, he said.

But options are few, as Rajoy has no plans to appear in Congress before those dates, nor will the chamber have a chance to vote on initiatives like the one put forward by the Socialist Party, amending the whole of the EU-Turkey agreement.

The opposition feels that Rajoy has no right to go to the Council without first reaching domestic consensus, as he would be overstepping his own role as acting executive official. The deal, say critics, involves future budget increases and political decisions outside Rajoys current legal mandate.

Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias said on Twitter that he felt ashamed of an EU that systematically violates human rights. The deal, he said, breaks asylum laws.

Ciudadanos representative Miguel Angel Gutierrez described the agreement as a symptom of weakness because it was akin to subcontracting the problem to Turkey, a country that is moving in an autocratic direction.

English version by Susana Urra.
Former Brazil president Lula da Silva with two senators on Wednesday. Eraldo Peres (AP)

More information La Fiscalia pide prision preventiva para Lula da Silva

Sao Paulo prosecutors want former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to be held in preventive detention in connection with criminal charges filed against him on Wednesday.

Prosecutors said the former Workers Party (PT) leader is a flight risk and that he could place obstacles in the way of the investigation into allegations of money laundering and misrepresentation of assets.

The PT president, Rui Falcao, on Thursday called the request for preventive detention a media stunt.

Workers Party president Rui Falcao called the request for preventive detention a media stunt

It follows the line of what this prosecutor and his colleagues are doing: denouncing president Lula without proof, he said.

But prosecutors argue that they fear the ex-leader will mobilize his violent support network and intimidate witnesses involved in the corruption probe.

The prosecution has also attacked current president Dilma Rousseff, another PT member, for trying to protect Lula, turning him into a citizen above the law.

Rumors abound that Rousseff is allegedly planning to offer her political mentor a government position. This would grant him special legal protection meaning he could only be tried by the Federal Supreme Court, not by the lower courts, which would save him from the ongoing probe.

In the event of a trial and an adverse conviction, Lula da Silva could face a 13-year prison term

But part of public opinion would view this move as a confession of guilt by Lula, who is accused of secretly owning a luxury apartment on the coast that is named in Operation Lava Jato, a major investigation into corruption at state oil company Petrobras.

A judge must now decide whether to accept the preventive detention request or not. In the event of a trial and an adverse conviction, Lula da Silva could face a 13-year prison term.

English version by Susana Urra.
The tower of Matrera Castle, before and after its restoration.

Has a restored ruin lost its charm? The work carried out on the Castle of Matrera, in Villamartin (Cadiz), has been harshly criticized by experts on historical heritage sites.

Built in the ninth century, the castle bears the designation of an Asset of Cultural Interest.

The landscape and the historical aspects of the site have been perverted, says Carlos Morenes, vice-president of Hispania Nostra, a non-profit that works to defend Spains natural and cultural heritage.

The Andalusian governments heritage department says it has received no complaints to date

Scholars are particularly critical of the restoration work on the tower, which has been raised back to its original height by adding a smooth, white, modern-looking wall.

The work has been compared with the 2012 restoration of the Ecce Homo of Borja by Cecilia Gimenez, notes Morenes, alluding to an elderly ladys botched restoration of a religious painting that became an international joke.

The infamous restoration of the Ecce Homo of Borja drew thousands of visitors from all over the world. Gorka Lejarcegi

It brings shame to Spain, he adds. The international press has called it the worst restoration in the world. Restoration legislation making it mandatory to clearly distinguish the original parts from the new has been taken to extremes, and the area has been damaged with this huge white thing. It goes against all existing regulations, including the Andalusian heritage law.

In 2014, his association had included the Castle of Matrera on its red list in order to draw attention to its state of dereliction.

Whats the problem?

But the architect in charge of the restoration says he is surprised at all the commotion.

Its not the first intervention of this kind, so I dont know what all the hoopla is about, says Carlos Quevedo, who worked under the aegis of the Andalusian department of culture.

Quevedo explains that besides buttressing the walls, workers restored the towers volume using leftovers from original building material, then covering it with a layer of whitewash to distinguish the old parts from the new.

It is a similar facing to the original one that used to cover the tower, he adds.

The municipal archeologist, Jose Maria Gutierrez, also supports the restoration work and says it meets all requirements of contemporary regulations.

Meanwhile, the Andalusian governments heritage department says it has received no complaints to date.

English version by Susana Urra.
Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria speaks to the press on Friday. SAMUEL SANCHEZ

In the face of opposition from all other parties, acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has backed down on his intention to sign up to a European Union deal with Turkey to expel refugees. As was explained on Friday afternoon by acting Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, after the weekly Cabinet meeting, the Popular Party (PP) will instead seek political consensus on the issue before taking a position.

News had broken earlier that Rajoy was to go to the European Council on March 17 to defend a position that most of Spanish Congress radically rejects. Apart from his own party, all other congressional groups  227 deputies out of a total of 350  feel that the deal is illegal.

Apart from the Popular Party, all other congressional groups  227 deputies out of a total of 350  feel that the deal is illegal

After apparently signing up to the deal on Monday, Rajoy refused to appear before his own Congress to explain it and negotiate a common Spanish position on the subject of refugees.

But by Friday afternoon the PP had changed its tune. Rajoy and the government would, Saenz de Santamaria explained, negotiate an agreement with other parties  despite the outright rejection of the plan expressed by the leader of the main opposition Socialist Party (PSOE), Pedro Sanchez.

EU commitments to Turkey F. G. / M. G. The European summit on March 7 yielded the following commitments: - To return to Turkey all new illegal immigrants (including refugees) who travel from there to Greece. The EU will cover the expenses. - For every Syrian citizen who is readmitted to Turkey, the EU will resettle another Syrian from the refugee camps located on Turkish territory. - To allow Turkish citizens to enter the EU without visas as early as June 2016. - To speed up the release of 3 billion that the EU promised Turkey to deal with the Syrian refugees, and to decide on Turkeys demand for a further 3 billion. - To speed up negotiations for Turkish EU membership.

Saenz de Santamaria was also at pains to explain the complicated situation in which the acting government finds itself over this deal, which was negotiated at a meeting of heads of state and prime ministers on March 7 in Brussels, and accepted unanimously by the 28 EU member states.

The meeting, the acting deputy PM explained, was informal; nothing was signed there; and the EU institutions and member states will still have time to work and define the announced deals.

The controversy comes from the plan to return all refugees or asylum seekers who enter Europe illegally to their countries or to Turkey.

Saenz de Santamaria added that the administration knows that it is an acting government, and that it needs the consensus of Congress in order to take an official position on such a controversial issue.

The deputy PM announced the intention of the Rajoy administration to find and work toward the path to achieve consensus over the coming days

The deputy PM announced the intention of the Rajoy administration to find and work toward the path to achieve that consensus over the coming days, although she later called for more time to debate the issue with other countries.

The European Council meeting that will deal with this informal pact has been set for this coming Thursday.

Before the climbdown, Rajoy had been planning to send a state secretary to the meeting, after claiming that an acting government is not subject to parliamentary control. Following an inconclusive election on December 20, Spain has yet to name a new prime minister, and could face a fresh vote in June if no progress between the parties is made in the coming weeks.

English version by Simon Hunter and Susana Urra.
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I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

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An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

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The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

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

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Karabakh rebuffs attempted Azerbaijani incursion: Armenian forces suffer no causalities

The Defense Ministry of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic says its forces repulsed another Azerbaijani attempt to infiltrate the border yesterday. According to the report, the incident took place at 11:20 p.m. in the southeastern direction of the frontline. The advanced units of the NKR Defense Army timely spotted the advancement of an Azerbaijani reconnaissance-sabotage group and threw the latter back to its positions, inflicting at least two losses on the enemy, the NKR Defense Ministrys press service says. The Ministry says that Armenian forces suffered no causalities. The NKR Defense Ministry also says that in the period of March 10-11, Azerbaijani troops fired more than 5500 shots at Armenian positions using firearms of different calibers, including mortars and grenade launchers. In addition, the enemy made use of reactive rocket propelled howitzers. The Ministry condemns Azerbaijans continuing aggression along the Line of Contact, describing the recent incident as unprecedented since the signing of the 1994 ceasefire. The only conclusion to be drawn from such a proactive raid is that the adversary wants to destabilize the situation in the conflict zone, a licentious tactics which is fraught with unpredictable aftermaths, the NKR Defense Ministry said adding that its advanced units resorted to corresponding actions to suppress the enemys aggressive activity.
Traders cannot afford to travel to Turkey

Discounts are likely to be announced in Malatia fair in Yerevan on the first and fifteenth days of every month in order to increase sales, one of the salespeople of the fair told A1+. The offer was made by the director but a final decision still needs to be reached. I liked the offer and I think it will work. It suggests that an item which is sold at AMD 15 000 can be bought at AMD 10 000 on these days, said Artur. As a result of a protest staged by some 400 traders in February, the administration reduced the rent of pavilions by AMD 20 000. Once I paid AMD 145 000 and now I shall pay AMD 120 000, said Artur who sells shoes, sandals and boots of Armenian make. Traders selling clothes encounter more problems as they import clothes from Turkey. They cannot go to Turkey to bring new goods and are forced to sell the remaining clothes almost at cost. We are all selling our goods at cost and can hardly support our families, Artur added. Although the administration has reduced the leasing fees, many vendors have left the fair since they are unable to afford rents.
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Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

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Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

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There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

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The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully

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STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN

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

Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments

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Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan

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Will Serzh Sargsyan and Galust Sahakyan be kept away from education system?

Representatives of the education system, including school principals and teachers, were involved in electoral fraud during the constitutional referendum in Armenia. Will the newly appointed Minister of Education and Science, Levon Mkrtchyan, punish these people? "Some of them had to pay fines in compliance with court rulings, but they must also receive stern reprimands. If you can help me to find these people, I shall be grateful to you, the minister said today addressing his words to media. However, Mr Mkrtchyan thinks we cannot keep schools away from electoral processes. We have a problem of human resources, especially in the regions, unfortunately, the potential is not so great in our country, he said. Still in February, Mr Mkrtchyan announced that the education system should be depoliticized, stressing that the boards of two universities  Yerevan State University and Armenian State Pedagogical University after Khachatur Abovyan - are headed by Serzh Sargsyan and Parliament Speaker Galust Sahakyan respectively. The Dashnak minister refrained from answering the question whether he would try to keep these people away from the aforesaid universities. It is common in foreign countries to see officials in the governing bodies of universities. This is the case in Great Britain. This is also one of the major demands of our international partners, they call for a radical changes in radically change the autonomy and governance system of the University, he said. The minister also dismissed reports about his business activities, particularly his connection with Inter Lotto Company. Many people know that my brother is a businessman and I have nothing to do with his business," he said.
President Truong Tan Sang and Speaker of Tanzanias National Assembly Job Ndugai. (Source: VNA)

During their meeting in Dar Es Salaam city on March 10th, President Truong Tan Sang congratulated Job Ndugai on his election as Tanzanias NA Speaker.



The Vietnamese leader expressed his belief that the chief legislator will make constructive contributions to further enhancing the friendship and traditional cooperation between the two countries.



The guest used the occasion to extend his congratulations to the Revolutionary Party of Tanzania over its successes, which, he said, demonstrate Tanzanian peoples confidence in the Partys leadership over the past half century as well as during the present cause of socio-economic development.



President Truong Tan Sang informed the Speaker about outcomes of his talks with President John Magufuli, during which the two sides agreed to focus their collaboration in agriculture, telecommunications and trade.



Job Ndugai affirmed that Tanzania always regards Vietnam as a close partner and voiced his hope for improved legislative ties through delegation exchanges.



President Truong Tan Sang conveyed Vietnamese NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hungs invitation to the Tanzanian top legislator to visit Vietnam at an early date. The Speaker accepted the invitation with pleasure.



While in Tanzania, the President visited the Vietnamese Embassys staff in the East African country.



Hailing the diplomats for their efforts to promote bilateral ties, the leader suggested them studying potential and strengths of Tanzania and other East African countries in order to help Vietnamese businesses expand their operation abroad, and vice versa.



Along with economic links, they should also help with information on potential collaboration in education, health care and national defence industry, he said.



He urged the staff to partner with Tanzanian ministries and agencies to accelerate the signing of trade agreements and prepare for the upcoming meeting of the two countries Inter-governmental Committee as well as the opening of the Tanzanian Embassy in Vietnam.



Tanzania is the first leg of President Truong Tan Sangs African and Middle East tour from March 9th-15th./.
Saigon Corner team and two jury members (in black). (Photo: vnexpress.net)



Food Truck Face Off, a culinary contest for mobile food vending trucks, took place in a square in the city of Palmerston North, New Zealand, on March 6th. This contest gathered 14 teams from around the country and attracted 10,000 attendees.





Each team brought dishes representing national cuisines such as the US, China, Thailand, India, Vietnam and the host New Zealand.

Overcoming rivals including important groups in New Zealand, the Saigon Corner team of a Vietnamese couple won the first prize worth NZD3,000.

"This is the first time the Food Truck Face Off has been organized in New Zealand. We decided to join the contest with the biggest desire of introducing pure Vietnamese cuisine to international friends," Mr. Vincent Pham, 32, owner of Saigon Corner restaurant, shared with VnExpress online newspaper.

Mr. Pham and his wife, Annie Nguyen, both have graduated in the restaurant and hotel management field and had worked for large hotels at home and abroad for many years.

Sharing a passion for food and seeing the potential in Palmerston North, with its large number of overseas Vietnamese students, they opened Saigon Corner restaurant nearly one year ago.

Dishes such as pho bo, bun bo, bread, Quang style noodle (my Quang), and broken rice with ribs attract many local people and international visitors as well, thanks to the two top criteria in their dishes: pure Vietnamese and good for health.

In addition to the restaurant, Saigon Corner also develops its reputation by selling mobile food. On the weekends or festivals, a stunning green truck will travel the roads to bring the famous street cuisine of Vietnam to many more customers.

At the Food Truck Face Off, Saigon Corner introduced numerous familiar dishes, but chose pho bo to enter the contest.

Two jury members, Mr. RayMcVinnie, a renowned culinary expert and a juryman of New Zealands Master Chef, and Lauren Bramley, a food blogger, especially praised the dish.

They were also impressed by the friendly service attitude and simple decoration with the statement "Eat healthily and think positively" of Saigon Corner.

Even after making every effort to prepare a delicious and clean Vietnamese dish to enter, winning the first prize of the contest was still a complete surprise and great pride for us," Mr. Pham said.

In addition to convincing victory selected by the jury, Saigon Corner also came second in the category of favourite team as selected by diners, and won NZD1,000.

Mr. Pham said he would use the prize money to expand and further develop the restaurant./.


Photo: VNA

Vietnamese Ambassador to France Nguyen Ngoc Son appreciated the initiative of the Vietnamese Students Association in France (UEVF) and considered it a meaningful activity to honor the beauty of Vietnamese women and maintain the national cultural tradition.

The Ambassador hoped the Vietnamese students in France would continue to unite and help each other in study and life, and then contribute to the cause of building the nation.

As many as 20 contestants from all parts of France were selected for the final round. Each of them had an individual beauty. However they are all beautiful, graceful, dynamic and modern Vietnamese girls.

In the final, Bui Thi Hong Duyen, 20 years old, from Da Nang city, first-year student in pharmaceuticals at the Catholic University of the West in Angers, France, was crowned the Miss of the contest. The two runners up were Lai Anh Nhat, 20, and Do Minh Hang, 24, from universities in Paris.



Besides, a special art program performed left a deep impression on the audience as well as reminding Vietnamese students of promoting their awareness and national pride while studying abroad./.
According to the Airports Corporation of Vietnam, after a fact-finding trip at the Phu Quoc airport, the Swedish partner decided to open a direct air route to the island in March under charter flights.



Phu Quoc has new direct air route from Sweden. (Photo: thesaigontimes.vn)




Vietnam's booth at 2015 ITB Berlin. (Photo: VNAT)

Vietnams delegation is led by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and some localities, tourism associations, and travel businesses. Vietnams booth at the event covers about 200 square meters and is designed with the main theme on cultural tourism and sea and islands tourism.Together with participating in the shared events at the show, Vietnams delegation hosted a cocktail night and a press briefing to introduce the countrys tourism with new destinations, tourism products and services. In addition, there will be a conference to promote sea tourism in the countrys central region through popular spots such as Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa), Lang Co (Thua Thien-Hue), Hoi An (Quang Nam) and Phan Thiet (Binh Thuan).On the sidelines, visitors will have opportunities to enjoy performances of Vietnams traditional music.The ITB Berlin is one of the world's largest travel trade shows. It provides unique opportunities for international businesses to meet, share experiences and cooperate, and also offer chances for visitors to study and choose their favorite destinations./.
It is not a bad thing for us, that the route known as the Goldene Strae or the Golden Road as we will get to know it- has escaped the attention of so many. It has been spared being overrun by hordes of tourists and as you will discover the
BEIJING, March 10, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Chinese PresidentXi Jinping joins a group deliberation of deputies from Qinghai Province to the annual session of the National People's Congress in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2016. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping called for greater environmental protection, poverty relief and development in the country's ethnic regions Thursday.

He made the remarks when joining national lawmakers from the northwestern province of Qinghai during the annual parliamentary session.

Xi listened to opinions from eight lawmakers on green development, medical reforms, equal access to education, ethnic unity and targeted poverty relief.

He called on authorities to adopt an overall and long-term view on environmental protection and promote green lifestyles.

"We should protect the environment like protecting our eyes and treat the environment the way we treat our lives," the president said.

He urged concerted efforts to tackle poverty and ensure the needy people in the rural and pasture regions are lifted out of poverty by 2020, the year when China's 13th Five-Year Plan draws to a close.

Poverty relief should be targeted and have an emphasis on education, to ensure the people will not return to poverty, he said.

More efforts shall be made to improve the infrastructure in the ethnic regions and develop industries with local characteristics and competitive edges, to enhance the regions' ability of self-development, he said.

Xi also emphasized respecting ethnic differences and cultural diversity.

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[ Editor: Jiaming ]
photo by KAKU GUO

Baikal: the very name fills Russian hearts with awe. And it is starting to attract pioneering tourists looking for an extreme wilderness experience.

Lake Baikal, located in the southern part of eastern Siberia in Russia, is an incredible natural wonder of the world that one can only hope to visit at least once in their lifetime. It's not just the oldest freshwater lake on Earth, at 20 to 25 million years old, it's also one of the largest and deepest, holding an astounding one-fifth of the world's freshwater.

In the winter, for about five months or from January to May, the lake freezes over but the water is so clear that, from the surface, you can see an astounding 130 feet below you. A photographic worthy natural phenomenon occurs around a very specific time of year, March.

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[ Editor: Xueying ]
Agrarian Policy and Food Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Pavlenko plans to pay an official visit to Israel on March 20-24, the minister told Interfax-Ukraine in the course of the 12th Annual Ukraine Investment Conference organized by Dragon Capital in Kyiv on Thursday.

"I plan an official visit on March 20-24, since there is considerable interest in the supply [of agricultural products], both by our side and by Israel," the minister said.

According to him, the State Veterinary and Phytosanitary Service has not confirmed the presence of salmonella in Ukrainian eggs exported to Israel and is ready to check every batch of export for this bacteria.

As reported, Israel's Agriculture Ministry in January 2016 conducted tests of eggs imported from the Ukraine and found Salmonella Enteritidis, after which it suspended eggs shipments from Ukraine.

In August 2015, PrJSC Berezan poultry farm (Kyiv region) and PJSC Avis agrofirm (Khmelnytsky region), which are under the control of Avangard agroholding, received a permit to export shell eggs to Israel.

KYIV. March 10 (Interfax-Ukraine)  Agrarian Policy and Food Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Pavlenko plans to pay an official visit to Israel on March 20-24, the minister told Interfax-Ukraine in the course of the 12th Annual Ukraine Investment Conference organized by Dragon Capital in Kyiv on Thursday.

"I plan an official visit on March 20-24, since there is considerable interest in the supply [of agricultural products], both by our side and by Israel," the minister said.

According to him, the State Veterinary and Phytosanitary Service has not confirmed the presence of salmonella in Ukrainian eggs exported to Israel and is ready to check every batch of export for this bacteria.

As reported, Israel's Agriculture Ministry in January 2016 conducted tests of eggs imported from the Ukraine and found Salmonella Enteritidis, after which it suspended eggs shipments from Ukraine.

In August 2015, PrJSC Berezan poultry farm (Kyiv region) and PJSC Avis agrofirm (Khmelnytsky region), which are under the control of Avangard agroholding, received a permit to export shell eggs to Israel.
A meeting of the group of countries members of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank chaired by the Netherlands will be held in Kyiv on June 3-5, 2016, the Ukrainian Finance Ministry reported in a press release.

The National Bank of Ukraine and the Finance Ministry will be in charge of the preparations for the event.

According to the report, such a meeting will be held for the first time in Ukraine. It is aimed at strengthening the coordination among member countries of the two international financial institutions, in particular in the key issues of the policies of the IMF and the World Bank.
Moody's Investors Service views as credit negative for 14 Russian issuers in the energy and mining sectors the recent placement on review for downgrade of the government of Russia's "Ba1" bond and issuer ratings, Moody's said in a press release on Thursday.

Although the sovereign rating review has no immediate impact on the ratings of these issuers as Moody's had already placed them on review for downgrade on January 22, 2016, their reviews will take account of the sovereign rating review, it said.

The companies concerned are Gazprom, Gazprom Neft, Rosneft, Rosneft International Holdings Limited, Lukoil, Novatek, Bashneft, Tatneft, Uranium One Inc, Norilsk Nickel, Alrosa, Holding Company Metalloinvest, Nord Gold N.V. and SUEK Plc.
Fitch Ratings has downgraded Ukraine-based DTEK Energy B.V.'s (DTEK) Long-term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to 'RD' (Restricted Default) from 'C', as Fitch understands from management that the company is in the payment default under several bank loans due to uncured expiry of the grace period on some bank debt, Fitch said on Thursday.

DTEK told Interfax-Ukraine that the company continues the negotiations on debt restructuring to foreign creditors with the involvement of one of the leading international consultants  Rotschild.

"The company is in permanent dialog with eurobond holders and bank-creditors. DTEK Energo is holding talks aimed at balancing the financial possibilities of the company to service credits. We hope to finish the negotiations in 2016," the company said in a press release.

DTEK managers are doing their best to increase the company's efficiency in the conditions of the unfavorable economic situation in Ukraine.

"This does not allow business to refinance loans, forces to look for solutions to restructure debts and hope for understanding and support of investors," Head of the corporate finance department at DTEK Dmytro Fedotov.

The company said that in H1 2015 it exchanged $200 million eurobonds to news $160 million bonds that will mature in March 2018. In H2 2015, the company hired Rothschild and Latham & Watkins to organize the debt restructuring process.

Fitch said that following a possible financial restructuring and once sufficient information is available, the 'RD' rating will be revised to reflect the appropriate IDR for the issuer's post-restructuring capital structure, risk profile and prospects in accordance with relevant criteria.

Fitch understands from the company that the grace period under most of DTEK's bank loan installments with a total principal amount of UAH 14.3 billion ($528 million) due in end-February 2016 has passed. The default on final bank loan maturities is quite close to the $50 million threshold under eurobond cross-default clause, and Fitch expects it might be breached in the coming months.

Fitch said that the company's cash position of UAH 937 million ($37 million) at 1 February 2016 was well below its short-term maturities of UAH 25 billion ($997 million) due in 2016.

DTEK continues to be exposed to high foreign currency fluctuations risk, as most of its debt is denominated in foreign currencies, i.e. U.S. dollar (58.2% of total debt at end-2015), euro (19%), rouble (17.6%). This contrasts with 6% of its revenue in U.S. dollar in 2015, while most of its remaining revenue is denominated in hryvnia.

DTEK was established in 2005 to manage the energy assets of the System Capital Management group, owned by businessman Rinat Akhmetov. DTEK is a vertically integrated company involved in the production and enrichment of coal, and the generation and sale of electricity.
Kyiv authorities plan in 2016 to raise about UAH 10 billion in investment, which is 5.9 times more compared to the previous year, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has stated.

"Last year we got UAH 1.7 billion of investment. Maybe someone will say this is not so much, but these are very important funds. This year we expect about UAH 10 billion of investment," Klitschko said at a meeting with representatives of the member companies of the American Chamber of Commerce in Kyiv.

According to him, in 2015 the Kyiv authorities worked to optimize and simplify procedures to attract investors to the city. In particular, the period of approval procedures for proposed investment projects was reduced from 500 to 90 days.

In addition, Klitschko said the city authorities managed to establish cooperation with international financial and donor organizations in the context of attracting grant funds for the development of the city, as well as created the InvestInKyiv web portal, which allows potential investors to get free access to projects and commercial proposals of the city.

The Kyiv mayor said there are many areas for the development of investment projects in the city, particularly in transport and infrastructure, medicine, energy and waste treatment.
Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) has said that the pension account of former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has been arrested again.

"In the course of the pre-trial investigation against Azarov, the PGO appealed again to the investigating judge of Kyiv's Pechersky District Court, who on February 24, 2016, ruled to arrest again the funds on the pension account of Ukraine's Prime Minister Mykola Azarov," the press service of the ministry said on Thursday.

As reported, on March 4, Kyiv's Appeals Court upheld the appeal by Azarov's defense team, saying that the ex-premier's pension could not be arrested, as the court of the first instance arrested not his funds, but his right to receive pension.

On March 10, Social Policy Minister Pavlo Rozenko said that Ukraine will not be paying pension to Azarov any more.
Ukrainian army records 47 strikes against its positions in Donbas in past 24 hours

Ukrainian military positions in Donbas have come under fire on 47 occasions in the past 24 hours, the press center of the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) in eastern Ukraine reported on its Facebook account on Friday morning.

In Donetsk region, the heaviest shelling continued in Avdiyivka, where six mortar strikes were recorded and a tank fired three times at 7:30 p.m., the press center said.

Ukrainian army checkpoints in the vicinity of Zaitseve came under sniper fire. Grenade launchers and large-caliber machine guns were used as well.

Illegal armed groups also fired large-caliber machine guns, grenade launchers and small arms against Ukrainian army positions in P i sky and Opytne on the outskirts of Donetsk.

Militants also used 120mm mortars and large-caliber machine guns against Ukrainian Armed Forces fortifications in the vicinity of Shyrokyne, near the city of Mariupol. Ukrainian military positions near Hnutove came under 82mm mortar fire.

Sabotage and reconnaissance groups were spotted moving near Troitske at around 11:00 p.m. Ukrainian servicemen opened fire, forcing the groups to retreat, the press center said.
Ukraine will regain control within 12 months over certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions occupied by illegal armed groups, Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"Ukraine will peacefully return Donbas within a year," Poroshenko said in an interview with the Turkish TV channel TRT World, the Ukrainian presidential administration wrote on its Twitter account on Thursday evening.

The president also noted that in contrast to Russia, Ukraine observes its obligations under the Minsk agreement. "Stage one of the Minsk agreement is the ceasefire. Ukraine complies with its obligations. Ukraine has withdrawn its heavy weapons, Russia has not," the statement reads.

As reported, Poroshenko was on an official visit to Turkey on March 9-10.
Canada's Defense Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan will visit Ukraine next week to discuss the prospects for cooperation between the Defense Ministries of the two countries, head of the press and communications department of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine Oksana Havryliuk said.

"The delegation of the National Defense Ministry of Canada lead by Minister of National Defense of Canada Harjit Singh Sajjan plan to visit Ukraine next week. The state and prospects of cooperation between the defense ministries of the two countries in the defense sector will be discussed during the visit," Havryliuk said a briefing in Kyiv on Friday.
The condition of Ukrainian citizen Nadia Savchenko, who is awaiting a court verdict in a Russian detention facility, is deteriorating and she is coming out of her dry hunger strike with heavy complications, her lawyer Nikolai Polozov said.

"Yesterday she was vomiting the water she was trying to drink. Besides that, her already shaken health is deteriorating. She is having an old problem with kidney stones, which was exacerbated by the stress caused by the hunger strike (especially dry). The high temperature which she has had for several days indicates a serious inflammation of the internal organs at the minimum," the lawyer for Savchenko said on Facebook on Friday morning.

He also said Savchenko is not letting Russian doctors examine her. Ukrainian doctors are still in Rostov-on-Don and have not received permission from the Russian authorities to meet with Savchenko and examine her.

"The minimal thing that now needs to be done for Nadia Savchenko is to conduct her medical evaluation [...] to evaluate the current and potential risks coming out of the dry hunger strike," Polozov said, reiterating that "this problem needs to be resolved urgently."

"In my subjective opinion, the situation is critical. Nadia's health and life are going fast. Time is running out," Polozov said.

Savchenko has been held in Russian custody since July 2014 after being kidnapped by Russia-backed separatists and illegally taken across the Ukrainian border.

Russian investigators claim Savchenko was at the base of the Aidar battalion near the village of Metalist in the Slovianoserbsk district of Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine on June 17, 2014, where she was conducting secret surveillance and correcting artillery fire targeting a checkpoint of militants from the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, as well as civilians sheltering there; among them were three journalists of Russia's VGTRK broadcaster. Two Russian reporters, namely Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin, were killed in the attack.

Savchenko denies all charges.

Kyiv and the global community have more than once called the 'Savchenko case' politically motivated and demanded her release.

The criminal case against Savchenko was tried by the Donetsk City Court in the Rostov region of Russia. During a hearing in the Donetsk City Court on December 17, 2015, Savchenko went on hunger strike until the end of the trial. On March 4, she declared a dry hunger strike, refusing to drink water, but ended it on March 10 before the sentencing, which is scheduled for March 21-22.
Some 75% of 166 businessmen polled by the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine have said that corruption remains the key problem for business, according to a survey on the investment climate in Ukraine, with participation of 166 Chamber members conducted by the Chamber.

"Corruption has long been a problem number one for conducting efficient and transparent business in Ukraine," the Chamber said in a press release issued on Thursday.

" To eradicate it, we need to hold open transparent tenders by independent auditors, change staff in the most problematic institutions as well as bring to justice corrupt individuals and reform public administration," Andy Hunder, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, said.

Ukrainian legal system (16%) and significant bureaucratization (9%) are also seen as problems by business community. To lessen bureaucratization, Chamber members suggest simplifying communication between business and administration, through the introduction of electronic services at all stages of the exchange of information, namely: automation registers, agencies, centralization of information and open sharing.

Some 39% of respondents preferred agriculture and banking and financial services each as the most promising areas for business growth in 2016.

However, business believes that agriculture requires the development of alternative instruments of financial support for small and medium farmers, further deregulation (to simplify the process of obtaining permits) and the introduction of agricultural land market.

Information technology, market consumer goods, banking and finance were also identified as promising.

KYIV. March 11 (Interfax-Ukraine)  Some 75% of 166 businessmen polled by the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine have said that corruption remains the key problem for business, according to a survey on the investment climate in Ukraine, with participation of 166 Chamber members conducted by the Chamber.

"Corruption has long been a problem number one for conducting efficient and transparent business in Ukraine," the Chamber said in a press release issued on Thursday.

" To eradicate it, we need to hold open transparent tenders by independent auditors, change staff in the most problematic institutions as well as bring to justice corrupt individuals and reform public administration," Andy Hunder, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, said.

Ukrainian legal system (16%) and significant bureaucratization (9%) are also seen as problems by business community. To lessen bureaucratization, Chamber members suggest simplifying communication between business and administration, through the introduction of electronic services at all stages of the exchange of information, namely: automation registers, agencies, centralization of information and open sharing.

Some 39% of respondents preferred agriculture and banking and financial services each as the most promising areas for business growth in 2016.

However, business believes that agriculture requires the development of alternative instruments of financial support for small and medium farmers, further deregulation (to simplify the process of obtaining permits) and the introduction of agricultural land market.

Information technology, market consumer goods, banking and finance were also identified as promising.
Poroshenko, Juncker agree on next steps for implementation of EU visa-free regime for Ukrainians

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko held a telephone conversation with President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday, press secretary of the Ukrainian head of state Sviatoslav Tseholko has said.

"The president had a telephone conversation with European Commission President Juncker," he wrote on his Twitter account on Friday.

Later, the Ukrainian president's press service reported that during the conversation, the sides agreed on the next steps for the implementation of the EU visa-free regime for Ukrainians.

In particular, the two officials discussed the changes in the Ukrainian legislation related to electronic declaration and welcomed the compromise in the negotiations between Ukraine and the European Commission on these amendments.

"Juncker said he hoped for a positive decision of the Verkhovna Rada concerning the legal settlement of the matter of e-declaration in compliance with EU standards, which will be a significant step forward on the path of the implementation of anti-corruption policy and will enable Ukraine to integrate into the European Union in a few years," the press service said.

Poroshenko and Juncker agreed to meet on March 17 during the Ukrainian president's next visit to Brussels.

E-declaration law No. 3755 is one of the four laws that Ukraine should introduce for the visa-free regime with the EU.

The Ukrainian president on February 26, 2016, signed three of them, the fourth, the e-declaration law, is still a subject of consultations with the European Commission.

The Ukrainian parliament's next plenary week will start on March 15.
Two letters of Ukrainian ombudsperson to Russian colleague to let Ukrainian doctors to Savchenko with no reply

Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Valeriya Lutkovska has reported that she sent to her Russian colleague Ella Pamfilova two letters asking to assist in permitting Ukrainian doctors to Ukrainian pilot and parliamentarian Nadia Savchenko detained in Russia , however no response so far.

"Unfortunately, I received no reply for two my letters to Pamfilova regarding providing permission to the Ukrainian doctors. I appreciate that on March 7 Nadia was visited by the representatives of Russian ombudsperson, though it is not enough. One more letter was sent on March 9 asking for help. Unfortunately, there is no answer so far," Lutkovska said on 112.Ukraine TV Channel on Friday.

According to her, "political solution" needed for such issue.
Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs calls on the public to refrain from attacking Russian diplomatic or consular missions, as this undermines Ukraine's authority on the international stage and poses a threat to Ukrainian diplomats in Russia.

"Further to the acts of vandalism committed to the property of the diplomatic mission and several consular services of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine strongly condemns such actions and points at the responsibility lying with the persons involved in these acts under the applicable laws of our state," the Ukrainian interior ministry said in the statement published on Friday.

The ministry recalled that protection of foreign diplomatic and consular agencies is in Ukraine's international commitments set forth in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963.

"Any infringement on their immunity is an infringement on the international authority and international legal commitments of our state," the ministry said.

In this regard, Ukraine's interior ministry calls on "the Ukrainian community to refrain from any actions that are provocative in nature and instead express its civic position by peaceful means only, in conformity with applicable laws of Ukraine".
The monitors are hampered in having access to the territories near the Ukrainian-Russian border in the part of Donbas that is uncontrolled by the Ukrainian authorities, Deputy Chief Monitor of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission, Alexander Hug, said.

There are some difficulties with access to the sections near the state border, which are uncontrolled by the Ukrainian government, he said, during a Skype conference in Kyiv on Friday. Hug noted that the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) frequently stops mission patrols, and informs someone by phone before letting them go.

Hug said that this access did not allow the paying of unannounced visits and hampered the overall monitoring.
On Monday, March 14, at 14.00, the press centre of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency will host a press conference "Power Abuse in Higher Education System: Forced Takeover or Deliberate Destruction of Universities". Participants include Vice-Rector of the Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics Natalia Lesna; Vice-Rector of the National Aviation University Yaroslav Kozachok; head of All-Ukrainian NGO "People's Rights" Vasyl Rossykhin; lawyer, human rights activist Iryna Khyzhniak; and deputy head of the Student Senate of the Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics Dmytro Stavytsky (8/5-A Reitarska Street). Accreditation by phone: (067) 577 4891, vlasta2004@rambler.ru
On Wednesday, March 16, at 12.30, the press centre of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency will host a press conference "Defense Ministry Names 'Yanukovych's Generals' as Managers of State Enterprises." Participants include Ukrainian Army General, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Ukraine's National Assembly Mykola Malomuzh; head of the legal department of People's Anti-Corruption Control All-Ukrainian NGO Anton Kovalchuk; first deputy head of Tekhvoenservis Concern of Ukraine's Defense Ministry Oleh Voroshylovsky; and director of Cherkasy Automobile Repair Factory, branch of Tekhvoenservis Concern, Leonid Stanchuk (8/5-A Reitarska Street). Registration requires press accreditation.
Ukrainian Business Forum to develop measures to overcome economic crisis will be held in Kyiv on March 18

KYIV. March 11 (Interfax-Ukraine) - A number of business organizations have initiated holding the All-Ukrainian Business Forum with a view to developing measures to overcome the social and economic crisis and prepare a strategy for the further development of Ukraine.

"The main task of our forum, to be held on March 18, is to find a way out of the current situation in Ukraine, summarize and create the programs and strategies that will enable the irreversibility of Ukraine's development as an acting member of the EU," Head of the Anti-Crisis Council, President of the Ukrainian League of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Anatoliy Kinakh said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine.

The organizers of the forum will also be the Federation of Employers of Ukraine, the Council of Entrepreneurs under the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and others.

The event will present an integrated and depoliticized analysis of the socio-economic situation prepared by the leading national analysts.

A plan of urgent measures to overcome the social and economic crisis will be worked out on the basis of proposals from businesses, analytical and expert organizations, and non-governmental organizations. The organizers hope this plan will form the basis of the government's activities for 2016-2017.
Thousands of tourists and astronomy enthusiasts flocked to Indonesia to catch the country's first solar eclipse in nearly 33 years - but Nasa has revealed an even more spectacular view.

The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) captured 13 stunning images capturing the shadow of the Moon marching across Earth's sunlit face.

They then turned this into a stunning animation to give a unique glimpse.

The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) captured 13 stunning images capturing the shadow of the Moon marching across Earth's sunlit face. In this, the only total solar eclipse of 2016, the shadow of the new Moon starts crossing the Indian Ocean and marches past Indonesia and Australia into the open waters and islands of Oceania (Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia) and the Pacific Ocean.

The animation above was assembled from 13 images acquired on March 9, 2016, by NASA's Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC), a four-megapixel charge-coupled device (CCD) and Cassegrain telescope on the DSCOVR satellite.

'What is unique for us is that being near the Sun-Earth line, we follow the complete passage of the lunar shadow from one edge of the Earth to the other,' said Adam Szabo, NASA's project scientist for DSCOVR.

'A geosynchronous satellite would have to be lucky to have the middle of an eclipse at noon local time for it. I am not aware of anybody ever capturing the full eclipse in one set of images or video.'

In the images, the shadow of the new Moon starts crossing the Indian Ocean and marches past Indonesia and Australia into the open waters and islands of Oceania (Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia) and the Pacific Ocean. Note how the shadow moves in the same direction as Earth rotates.

The bright spot in the center of each disk is sunglintthe reflection of sunlight directly back at the EPIC camera.

From its position about 1.6 million kilometers (1 million miles) from Earth and toward the Sun, DSCOVR maintains a constant view of the sunlit face of the planet.

EPIC acquires images using ten different spectral filtersfrom ultraviolet to near infraredto produce a variety of science products.

Natural-color images are generated by combining three separate monochrome exposures (red, green, and blue channels) taken in quick succession.

According to Szabo, the satellite normally collects images at all ten wavelengths about once every 108 minutes (with just one image at full resolution).

For this eclipse, the EPIC team collected full-resolution images every 20 minutes on just the red, green, and blue channels.

This allowed the satellite to collect 13 images spanning the entire four hours and twenty minutes of the eclipse.

In addition to the EPIC camera, DSCOVR carries the National Institute of Standards and Technology Advanced Radiometer (NISTAR), an instrument that measures how much solar energy is being radiated back into space from Earth.

In coming weeks, scientists will be analyzing NISTAR data to quantify how the eclipse changed the incoming and outgoing radiation for those few hours.

The shadow of the new Moon starts crossing the Indian Ocean and marches past Indonesia and Australia into the open waters and islands of Oceania (Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia) and the Pacific Ocean.

The bright spot in the center of each disk is sunglintthe reflection of sunlight directly back at the EPIC camera.

On Earth, the eclipse was also visible in parts of Australia and south-east Asia.

However, only some parts of the country got to see the sun totally eclipsed by the moon, which happened almost immediately after the sun rose.

Because the moon's shadow crossed the international date line, it appeared in the afternoon of the 8th in some regions, despite being visible from the morning of the 9th in others.

This combined photo shows the moon passing in front of the sun (top left to bottom right) during a total solar eclipse in the city of Ternate, in Indonesia's Maluku Islands, on March 9.

A partial solar eclipse is pictured above a cloud formation at dawn in Singapore on March 9. The eclipse was also visible around the region in Indonesia and Malaysia. However, only some parts of the country got to see the sun totally eclipsed by the moon, which happened almost immediately after the sun rose.

A solar eclipse happens when the moon casts a shadow on the earth as it passes between the earth and the sun.

At least twice a year, the orbits of the moon and Earth block the sun to cause a shadow on Earth.

Most eclipses are partial, but when the moon is in close to the earth, it results in a total eclipse.

The last total solar eclipse was in March 2015, and the one before that was in November 2012.

The total eclipse was visible within a roughly 62 to 93-mile (100-150km) wide path that started in the Indian Ocean and sliced across parts of Indonesia including Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi before ending in the northern Pacific Ocean.
Beijing calls for all parties to show restraint after the DPRK fires short-range missiles

The US Navy amphibious assault ships USS Bonhomme Richard, bottom, and USS Boxer, second from top, are underway with the Republic of Korea Navy Dokdo Amphibious Ready Group in the East Sea during exercise Ssang Yong 2016, March 8, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

China has urged all parties to stop "provocative actions" and maintain calm and restraint to prevent tension from escalating on the Korean Peninsula.

Earlier on Thursday, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea launched two short-range missiles and declared it would liquidate all of the Republic of Korea's assets in the DPRK, Xinhua reported.

It said it will also nullify all inter-Korean economic cooperation projects in response to Seoul's unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang, after the UN Security Council voted to adopt a tough resolution against Pyongyang earlier this month.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Thursday that "the US and the Republic of Korea have started large-scale joint military drills in the ROK, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has consistently responded fiercely" to what it perceives as threats.

"China expresses serious concern about the situation," he said.

Zhang Liangui, an expert in Korean studies at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said this is not the first time that the DPRK has decided to liquidate assets of the ROK, and the capital involved is "limited".

"So the decision is actually a symbolic move, serving as a protest," Zhang said.

He estimated that "it was unlikely that tension on the peninsula would lessen in the short term" because the US and its allies will continue to act in ways that prompt the DPRK to react militarily.

Shi Yongming, an Asia-Pacific studies researcher at the China Institute of International Relations, echoed Zhang, saying that the US and ROK are pressuring the DPRK militarily and politically.

At a time that the US and ROK are conducting drills on the peninsula, they also refuse to enter into negotiations unless the DPRK gives up its nuclear programs first, Shi said.

As a result, Pyongyang has no choice but to react militarily, including its recent short-range missile launches, Shi said.

"As the DPRK has no assurance that its security concerns will be addressed, it feels unsafe to engage in negotiations now about its nuclear programs," Shi added.

On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi talked by telephone with US Secretary of State John Kerry about issues including the situation on the peninsula.

Wang said the situation is "highly charged" and China's reasonable and legitimate strategic security concerns and interests must not be damaged.
We can together make the world a better and safe place to live in

We need to be honest with our souls' conscience and strive hard to always do the right things. Make good laws and respect them!!
President Xi Jinping meets deputies from various ethnic groups while attending a panel discussion with the Qinghai province delegation during the annual sessions of the top legislature and political advisory body in Beijing on Thursday. Huang Jingwen / Xinhua

President Xi Jinping said the local government is duty-bound to protect the ecological environment on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, especially in the Sanjiangyuan area, where the Yangtze, Yellow and Mekong rivers originate.

While joining a panel discussion on Thursday with lawmakers from Qinghai province, where Sanjiangyuan is located, Xi said that protecting the fragile ecology there is of utmost importance.

"The ecological environment has irreplaceable value," Xi told the deputies. "We should treat it as our lifeline and protect it like the apple of our eye."

Xi also urged local officials to try hard to lift people out of poverty and maintain ethnic unity.

Ethnic groups other than Han people, such as Tibetans and Hui people, constitute about half the population of Qinghai.

The Sanjiangyuan area, known as China's "Water Tower", provides about 40 billion cubic meters of water a year for the lower reaches and supports a population of 600 million.

China established the 366,000-sq-km Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve in August 2000. About 4,000 meters above sea level, the reserve covers more than 40 percent of Qinghai.

In December, the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms, headed by Xi, passed a bill to launch a national park in Sanjiangyuan, further increasing the area's importance as a national focus of environmental protection.

One of the world's most biologically diverse nature reserves, the area is home to more than 2,200 types of wild plants, 85 animal species and over 230 kinds of birds.

However, since the late 20th century, the source lakes have shrunk as a result of environmental damage caused by human activities and overgrazing.

Xi told the lawmakers that the ecological system is fragile there and the glaciers, lakes, rivers and wetlands in the region should be protected to guarantee that "rivers of clean water run eastward".

China has played an active role in making international rules related to climate change, and the Chinese government is fulfilling its obligations to environmental protection in a voluntary and proactive manner, Xi said.
(File Photo)

Thanks to the massive influx of gold from foreign countries in recent years, China's gold processing industry now ranks first in the world, according to a recently issued official report, China News Service reported on Thursday.

In 2014, China processed 886.09 tons of gold, accounting for 30 percent of the world's total, and making China the world leader in gold processing. This was despite a 24.68 percent decline from the previous year, according to the report, which was published by Ping An Bank.

In recent years, a large amount of gold from Switzerland, the United Kingdom, North America, South Africa, as well as other Asian countries has been brought into China. Although the center of the gold trade is currently still in the West, a significant trend of gold moving from west to east has emerged.

The report therefore suggests that China take advantage of the trend by building a gold logistics center in the Eastern Hemisphere.

In 2014, the volume of gold that entered Chinas gold market amounted to 2,106 tons, about 5 percent less than the volume that entered Switzerland, the worlds leader in physical gold transactions at 2,208.1 tons. However, China's gold exports only accounted for 13.17 percent of its supply in the same year, which means that more than 80 percent of the gold was stored in China3.94 times that of what Switzerland retained. Thus, it seems quite realistic for China to establish a new center for gold trade.

In addition to strong domestic demand, the report points out other advantages in China's quest to become the new center of the global gold market, including a modern logistics service system that is already in place.

(File Photo)
Tourists visit the ancient city of Sigiriya, some 170 km northeast of Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka, on March 8, 2016. The ruins of the capital built by the parricidal King Kassapa I (AD477-495) lie on the steep slopes and at the summit of a granite peak standing some 180m high. A series of galleries and staircases emerging from the mouth of a gigantic lion contructed of bricks and plaster provide access to the site. The ancient city of Sigiriya was inscribed as a world heritage site by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations (UNESCO) in 1982. (Xinhua/Li Peng)
Premier Li Keqiang tries an ethnic Uygur-style skullcap presented by NPC deputy Gulnur Memet (left) when Li attended a panel discussion between deputies from Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in Beijing on Thursday.[Photo by Wu Zhiyi/China Daily]

Premier reaffirms more backing for the region's infrastructure building

The central government has vowed to give more support to the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, as infrastructure construction there plays a vital role in national security and local development.

Premier Li Keqiang reaffirmed the additional support on Thursday during a meeting with deputies from Xinjiang to the annual session of the National People's Congress.

More policy support from the central government for infrastructure construction work in Xinjiang was the most commonly raised request by deputies during the two-hour, closed-door meeting with the premier.

Such requests included more support for building railways connecting southern Xinjiang to more regions around the country, building more electricity programs, and setting up a special fund to support Xinjiang in new types of enterprise.

Wu Gang, head of the New Energy Group of Xinjiang, said the region needs more funds from the central government as most State-owned enterprises there are short of capital and need more funding to support the nurturing of small environmentally friendly enterprises.

Such companies have been called for during China's economic transition.

Xinjiang achieved annual GDP growth of 8.8 percent last year, compared with the national figure of 6.9 percent. It is aiming for 7 percent growth this year.

The service sector still comprises less than half of the local economy, while 50.5 percent of national GDP growth was contributed by the sector last year.

The premier praised Xinjiang's stable economic performance last year.

He said that as the region has long relied on heavy industries and resources that rely on industries, such as oil-related ones, it is "quite something" that the region can maintain stable growth while the country is undergoing an economic transition.

He promised that more policy support will be given to Xinjiang in the next five years to maintain a good transportation system, water conservation projects and electricity programs, as regional development has high significance in maintaining national security.

While placing a heavy emphasis on infrastructure building, Li stressed that maintaining a stable, safe and harmonious society is the premise for economic development in XinjiangChina's largest provincial-level region by land area and the most ethnically diversified.

Xinjiang is home to 47 ethnic groups and more than 23 million people from such groups.

Gulnur Memet, a Xinjiang deputy who joined Thursday's discussion with the premier, met him six years ago when Li last visited the region in 2010.

As a teacher, she said she feels that support from the central government is vital to many key sectors in Xinjiang.
BEIJING, March 11 -- China has been unwavering in its commitment to seeing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and has continued to champion the resumption of the Six-Party Talks as the only way to ensure peace. A win-win outcome can only be reached through cooperation of all related parties.

China on Thursday urged all sides concerned to prevent any further escalation of the tension.

"Safeguarding peace and stability on the peninsula is in the common interests of all sides," said Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

China firmly opposes any thing that could fan tension on the peninsula and supports a political and diplomatic solution.

On the one hand, China has called upon the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to accept resolutions by the UN Security Council and cease destabilizing acts such as Thursday's missile launch.

On the other hand, China has called for all parties to return to the negotiating table.

China has proposed a "parallel-track approach" to address the issue, including the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and for the Korean armistice to be replaced with a peace treaty.

Given the current tension, flexible dialog such as three- or four-party talks that might facilitate gradual improvement toward the Six-Party Talks are also fully welcomed by China.

As its largest neighbor, China will not sit by and allow the stability of the Korean Peninsula to be upset, nor will it tolerate damage to China's security interests.

The threat of force could result in a coldwar-like mentality -- where no one trusts each other.

"Resolution 2270 not just sanctions; it also reiterates support for the Six-Party Talks and asks the parties to refrain from taking any actions that might aggravate tensions", Wang said adding that the sanctions were necessary, as maintaining stability is the pressing priority and only negotiation can lead to a fundamental solution.

The Six-Party Talks, involving China, the DPRK, the United States, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Japan, was designed to facilitate a peaceful solution to nuclear non-proliferation on the Korean Peninsula.

The talks were suspended in late 2008.

Reports on Thursday said the DPRK fired two short-range ballistic missiles days after South Korea and the United States started their largest ever military exercises.

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on the DPRK on March 2 that, in reality, cuts off the country from any means to develop its nuclear and missile programs.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi elaborated Chinas efforts in visa facilitation Tuesday. As more Chinese are expecting their passports to carry heavier weight, Wangs words were seen as good news for them.

China has reached arrangements with another 18 countries to facilitate easier travel in 2015. Chinese citizens now can visit 54 countries and regions without a visa or by obtaining a visa upon arrival, Wang told the reporters at a press conference held during the ongoing 4th Session of 12th National Peoples Congress, the countrys top legislative body.

It was not the first time that Mr. Wang tackled visa facilitation during theNPC press conference. Last year, the Foreign Ministry pledged to create more favorable conditions for Chinese nationals to travel abroad. These statements came as more Chinese citizens travel abroad and more enterprises test the water in overseas markets.

According to statistics, the number of mainland Chinese citizens traveling abroad has exceeded 120 million in 2015, maintaining annual growth byover 10 million.

At the same year, Chinas labor exported reached 1.03million and 1.71 million Chinese students studying abroad. Around 30,000 Chinese enterprises have set up branches in nearly 200 countries and regions.

To meet demand of the growing, the Chinese government has made efforts to ensure outbound Chinese tourists enjoy more convenience. As a result, the Chinese passport now carries more weight in the international community.

Thailand, Egypt as well as other 33 countries and regions now grant Chinese passport holders entry visa upon arrival and another 12 countriesallow ordinary Chinese citizens to enter their territoryexempting visa.

In 2015, China has signed 21 agreements with 18 countries, including Canada, the UK, Argentina and Ireland to facilitate mutual exchange. For example, China and Canada agreed to issue maximum 10-year-long multiple entry visasfor businessperson, touristsand family visitors, while China and the UK will issue the multiple entry visas, which will last for two years, for the citizens from each other country.

Besides, when AmericanPresident Barack Obama visited China in November, 2014, both sides agreed to signmultiple-entry visa arrangement valid for 10 years for people on business or sightseeing trips.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, during her Chinese visit in this February, said that the Australian government already started the pilot work of granting 10-year multiple-entry tourist visas to Chinese visitors, which is expected to be formally implemented in this year.

Meanwhile, it will be much easier for Chinese people to apply for an EU visa after the signing of the first agreement on the facilitation of personnel exchanges between China and the EU on February 29. Now 15 European visa centers in Chinese cities can process visa applications.

In addition, China will establish new consular agenciesor expand existing ones in 13 countries to better serve overseas Chinese nationals and enterprises.

The recently-released 2016 Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index, a global ranking of countries and regions according to the travel freedom that their citizens enjoy, shows that China was bumped up to No. 87 from No. 93 in the last year.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for supply-side structural reform and agricultural modernization, as legislators hailed the strategy expected to benefit farmers by improving their production efficiency and increasing the added-value of agriculture products.

"It is a tough battle to carry out the supply-side structural reform," said the president, whose suggestions stress increasing high-and-mid-end supply and cutting non-effective and low-end supply.

Xi made the remarks when joining a panel discussion on rural development of the NPC deputies from Central Chinas Hunan Province.

He also urged innovations in improving the livelihood of the people and optimizing policies on food security. He repeated that a strong China must be pillared by strong agriculture. The supply-side structural reform in agriculture is believed as an effective way to achieve the goal.

Also as a strategic priority in Chinas 13th Five Year Plan, the supply-side structural reform has been a key agenda during this years two sessions.

Xis remarks were echoed by the NPC deputies. Wu Donglan, a deputy from a village in Hunan Province, applauded the president for his proposals. He said that compared with the old days when farmers worked hard but gained little wealth, strategies like Internet Plus have accelerated the rural development.

Recent years have witnessed a stable growth of farmers income in China. As reported, per capita disposable income for Chinas farmers has increased to 11,422 yuan ($1,750) in 2015. Its growth was 0.7 percent higher than that of urban dwellers. At the same year, rural dwellers income from wages outnumbered that from household business operation for the first time.

But as the macro-economy is facing more pressure, roadblocks still lay ahead for rural Chinas development. On the one hand, it is difficult for the governments to raise grain prices at the moment; on the other hand, the number of migrant workers was no longer increasing as rapidly as it used to. In 2015, the number of migrant workers saw an increase of 0.4 percent, the lowest since the beginning of the 21st century.

As an effort to support further agricultural development, China has set to improve the effectiveness of agricultural supply, optimize resource allocation and improve output quality and efficiency.

Supply-side structural reform in agriculture should focus more on innovation and reforms. Technological innovation can bring about improved breeds whilst help reduce costs and improve efficiency, said Chen Xiwen, deputy director of the Central Rural Work Leading Group.

A scholar noted that a loofah is sold at three to four yuan, but healthcare insoles made of it is worth 10 yuan. Other agricultural products and cash crops can also have higher added-value after downstream processing.

When talking with lawmakers on Tuesday, Xi also emphasized that for a country with over 1.3 billion people, food security has always been a top priority concerning national economy and people's livelihood.

Agricultural infrastructure should be improved, he said, urging more efforts to protect arable land, support irrigation facility construction and agricultural mechanization, as well as upgrade agricultural technology and equipment.
(File Photo)

People's Daily published a commentary titled "Pull the North Korean nuclear issue back to the negotiating table" on March 11. The article gives an in-depth analysis of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's remarks on the North Korean nuclear issue on March 8. It points out in the article that China supports Resolution 2270 passed by the UN Security Council, warning the risks of hesitation and gambling on the DPRK nuclear issue. The article reiterates the importance of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through peaceful means by restarting the six-party talks.

The full text of the article is as follows:

At present, the situation on the Korean peninsula is sensitive and complex, with worrisome signal of further "estrangement" appearing. As the largest neighbor of the peninsula, China will not sit idly if the stability of the Korean Peninsula is severely undermined. China will not permit any unwarranted damage to its own security and interests.

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2270 on March 2 , imposing a series of sanctions against the North Korean nuclear and missile program, reiterated its support for the restarting of the six-party talks and the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula through peaceful means. China has its own interests and concerns on the peninsula, adhering to its bottom line of "denuclearization and stability. China supports and promotes a comprehensive and complete implementation of Security Council resolutions. It will not accept the nuclear and missile programs of the DPRK.

In fact, this resolution not only focuses on sanctions, but also reaffirms its support for the restarting of the six-party talks. It requires all parties not to take any actions that may exacerbate regional tensions. The international community should realize that it will be a disaster for all if tensions continue to escalate.

Presently, all parties should make accurate judgments of the overall situation, keep calm, show self-restraint and be cautious. No part should act recklessly or without regard of the consequences. As China has stressed repeatedly, sanctions are only means to achieve the end, maintaining stability is a priority, and negotiations are the key to denuclearization of the peninsula. By cutting DPRK's financial channels for nuclear and missile programs, the sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council aim at prompting North Korea to return to the negotiating table, promoting the denuclearization of the peninsula, and safeguarding the international non-proliferation regime.

To deal with the protracted Korean Peninsula nuclear problem, it will be risky to take a hesitative or gambling mindset. Any unnecessary action that strengthens military confrontation and any deployment of weapons beyond necessary defense need in the peninsula will make worsen the situation and add new difficulties to the resolution process.

Experience and lessons learned in history show that to any successful solution of a difficult problem would be a comprehensive one. Addressing part of the problem unilaterally cannot achieve a real breakthrough. The ultimate way to solve the peninsulas nuclear issue is getting back to the negotiation table.

As the host of the six-party talks, China has always held an objective and fair stance, and has actively explored feasible options to address the problem with all parties. China proposes to simultaneously start both the denuclearization talk and the peninsula peace agreement talk. Denuclearization is a firm objective of the international community, and meanwhile an armistice-to-peace conversion mechanism is a reasonable concern of the DPRK.

Advancing both talks in a step-by-step and comprehensive way can accommodate the concerns of all parties, clarify the goals of the dialogue and make a diplomatic breakthrough possible. As long as it helps to pull the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue back to the negotiating table, China is also open to other plans, such as tripartite, four or even five-party contacts.

We need take pragmatic and comprehensive measures to solve the peninsulas nuclear problem. All relevant countries should take into account the long-term common interests, maintain sufficient patience and concentration, show wisdom and courage, actively seek dialogue and negotiation, and express goodwill. Despite difficulties lying ahead, all parties must work together.

Only a denuclearized Korean peninsula can maintain long-term stability. Dialogue is the only solution to the existing problems and only cooperation leads to win-win situations. These constitute the common ground of all parties, common interests of all, and the cornerstone of peace.
Artificial intelligence market poised to skyrocket in near future.(File Photo)

With the combination of technical breakthroughs, application domain development and supportive governmental policies, analysts believe that the artificial intelligence market could be worth hundreds of billions of dollars in the future.

Total global investment in the field of artificial intelligence was more than 1.9 billion dollars in 2014, a growth of more than 50 percent from 2013. BBC forecasted that the market will continue its rapid growth. The global market size will reach 18.3 billion dollars (about 119 billion yuan) in 2020.

As of now, there are more than 900 enterprises in the field of artificial intelligence, mainly in North America and Western Europe. Several technology giants such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft and IBM have already stepped into the field.

In addition, some domestic enterprises are following the trend. Baidu has come up with the "Baidu Brain," Alibaba launched the first domestic artificial intelligence platform, DTPAI, and Tencent created the robotic copywriter, Dream Writer.

"With the technical support of big data, cloud computing and more, the booming development of artificial intelligence will revolutionize the way we work and live. We are optimistic about its excellent prospects, including biometrics, intelligent search, autopilot and more," said Qi Yanli, an analyst with Bohai Securities.

This article was edited and translated from  . Source: epaper.southcn.com
People volunteer to lead Quan Peng in the city. (Dnkb.com.cn/Liu Xing)

My freedom was deprived by fate. I have to get it back. 29-year-old Quan Peng, who comes from Gansu province in northwestern China, started his wheelchair trip in Beijing on Aug. 31, 2014. His destination is Sanya in Chinas southernmost province Hainan.

After 566 days and 2,800 kilometers, Quan Peng arrived in Fuzhou. This is the fifth province, as well as the 22nd city during my trip, said Quan.

At the age of 17, Quan Peng had a surgery to remove a tumor in his thoracic vertebra. Unfortunately Quan ended up with paraplegia due to his injured nerves. He came to Beijing and became a customer service officer and a vendor in his spare time. Now disabled people can also live a normal life.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 11

By Azad Hasanli - Trend:

Azerbaijani PASHA Bank plans to allocate additional 20 million Azerbaijani manats for the financing of the agricultural sector, head of the bank's board Taleh Kazimov told reporters March 11.

"The previous year was very successful for this project and we plan to continue its implementation," said Kazimov adding that more active work will begin from April-May.

The Bank finances the agricultural sector within the joint project with the World Bank (WB).

The agreement on a loan in the amount of $34.5 million for the Agricultural Competitiveness Improvement Project (ACIP) for Azerbaijan was signed between the WB and the Azerbaijani government in June 2014.

The purpose of the project is to facilitate the access of agricultural producers to markets by strengthening sanitary and phytosanitary services, enhancing selected value chains, and providing financial services to agribusiness enterprises.

Pasha Bank is a leading corporate bank in Azerbaijan. The bank, founded in 2007, renders a range of corporate banking services, including issuing of loans, operations in the securities market, asset management, and treasury services.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @AzadHasanli
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 11

By Elchin Mehdiyev, Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:

Oil will remain a dominant energy source at least until 2035, Azerbaijani Minister of Energy Natig Aliyev told reporters March 11.

He said that prices on global oil markets depend on many different factors: economy, politics, transportation, and so on.

"Some companies reduce operating costs," Aliyev said. "It means that in the future, production of oil will decline. Falling prices cannot last long, despite the experts' statements that it's all political games. Oil has its prime cost, and the market prices cannot be lower than this cost."

The minister went on to add that economic growth contributes to an increase in oil consumption in the world.

"Before 2035, electricity consumption in the world will increase by 35 percent, and oil will remain dominant source of energy," Aliyev said. "If the demand grows, the price will grow, accordingly. Today, costs for exploration, production and transportation of oil rise, which means that oil prices will also grow."
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 11

Trend:

Official exchange rate of manat, the Azerbaijani national currency, against the US dollar was set at 1.6411 manats for March 14, said the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) March 11.

The average rate of manat was set following the interbank transactions on the Azerbaijani currency market, said the CBA.

The State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) sold $68.4 million to 25 local banks through the auction held by CBA March 11.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 11



By Anakhanum Hidayatova - Trend:



Pakistan have always supported Azerbaijan's course regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Pakistan's ex-premier minister Shaukat Aziz told Trend March 11 in Baku.



"We have stood by Azerbaijan for many years," said Aziz.



Political relations between the two countries are at a high level, he noted adding that both countries have always supported each other in the international arena.



"Our position is totally in line with Azerbaijan's position," noted Aziz adding that Pakistan condemns Armenia's aggressive policy.



He noted that Pakistan is the first country, which adopted a resolution that strongly condemns the genocide against the civilian population of Khojaly, which was committed by Armenian armed forces, and called on the international community to force Armenia to fulfill the UN Security Council resolutions.



The Senate of Pakistan recognized the events committed in the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly as genocide on Feb. 1, 2012.



Aziz said that Pakistan unconditionally supports Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, and Islamabad has not still recognized Armenia as an independent state due to the occupation of Azerbaijani lands.



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.



On February 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops stationed in Khankendi committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly.



As many as 613 people were killed, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed as a result of the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. A total of 487 civilians became disabled as a result of the onslaught. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people remains unknown.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, March 11

Trend:

Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be resolved only by the parties of this conflict, but not international mediators, Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for Russian president, said.

He noted that Russia consistently works within international formats to assist in this conflict's settlement, TASS reported March 11.

But the final decisions, final initiatives can be put forward only by the parties of the conflict, Peskov added.

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, March 11

By Vagif Sharifov, Anakhanum Khidayatova - Trend:

Trend Agency has had an exclusive interview with the President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili, who earlier arrived in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to take part in the Fourth Global Baku Forum.

The interview with the president touched upon such important topics as the relations between Georgia and Azerbaijan, stability in the South Caucasus, as well as cooperation in economy, tourism, transportation and energy industry.

Priorities of the Georgian-Azerbaijani relations

Speaking about the relations between his country and Azerbaijan, President Margvelashvili said he is very happy to be in Baku and see the city develop so rapidly and dramatically.

"I am happy to see our Azerbaijani friends and I am very happy to see once again my good friend [President of Azerbaijan] Ilham Aliyev," he said.

President Margvelashvili described the relations between Georgia and Azerbaijan as perfect.

"We have a longstanding partnership, which I would call a strategic partnership," he said.

Margvelashvili noted that this partnership is determining the future of not only Georgia and Azerbaijan, but also the future of many other countries.

He said the Georgia-Azerbaijan partnership has turned into a relationship that is influencing the countries in Europe and Asia.

"The great example that we have shown of the relationships between the neighbors is influencing the future of the Caucasus, influencing the future of Europe, influencing the future of the Caspian Sea, as well as Asia," added the president.

He also said this relationship has only perfect perspectives in the future, adding that the countries' leaders have to build a great future on the great past.

Margvelashvili also said the two countries' joint contribution to strengthening of stability in the region was discussed at his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev.

"President Aliyev and I see the future the same way. We think that we should bring opportunities and we should show the Caucasus as a region of opportunities, because that is the reality that we have to develop," he said.

He added that the great project of the Silk Road shows that the Caucasian and the Caspian-Black sea cooperation is really a crucial part of this very important process, and a very important part of the relations on the Eurasian continent.

"And in this respect what we offer to our partners is the closest and most efficient route for the delivery of not only energy supplies, but there are also the transportation projects, logistical projects," he added.

"So, by doing so we both believe that we build security and stability," he said. "It is not only economic benefits that we envision in this process, but it is the security benefits as well."

He added that in today's world, it is very important that other countries, and maybe the countries in different regions, are interested in having a stable route of supplies and communications.

Margvelashvili said Georgia and Azerbaijan, by strengthening their relations, by strengthening this part of the Silk Road, are bringing more stability into the region, and are bringing interest of dozes of countries located to both the east and the west of the Caucasus.

"So, that is how we look at this," he added. "Of course, both of us understand the complications that are in the region, the complications that have actually become even more complicated during the recent two years."

"But the complications have to be overcome by the great example of partnership of our two nations," he said.

Relations in tourism sector

Margvelashvili further said he and President Ilham Aliyev have discussed the tourism opportunities.

He described the tourism opportunities between the two countries as very interesting.

"Because people come to Azerbaijan, people come to Caspian Sea, people come to Georgia, and people come to Black Sea, and both of these regions are very interesting," he said.

"Those regions could be packaged together and we could think about doing packaged programs and packaged projects that could be more easily advertised and could bring more tourists," added the president.

He said both Georgia and Azerbaijan have great opportunities for historical tourism, for tourism that is related with resorts and with healthcare.

"And if we package these together, I believe that those projects and those products would be even more interesting," he added. "So, we agreed today that we would engage our appropriate agencies to cooperate in this direction."

He also spoke about the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project and recalled that the project is going to be completed at the end of this year.

"We look at this project not only as an economic project, but also as a great opportunity to share with our Azerbaijani, Turkish and Georgian friends," added Margvelashvili.

He said Georgia's transportation and communication infrastructure is also being developed jointly.

Economic cooperation

Further speaking about the economic cooperation between Georgia and Azerbaijan, President Margvelashvili said Azerbaijani partners are actively investing in the country's development.

"We are actually very thankful for the very active role of SOCAR [State Oil Company of Azerbaijan] in development of Georgia," said the president.

"We are very excited with opening of opportunities of the free trade agreement that we have with Europe to our Azerbaijani investors," added the president. "So, there are great opportunities, which we have to utilize."

"Energy is one of the most interesting areas for investment," Margvelashvili further said.

He added that Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia are in this bridge of energy cooperation and they are very actively developing not only gas and oil cooperation, but also the cooperation in the exchange of electricity.

"Georgia has great opportunities in agriculture, in tourism, by the way also in energy, in hydro-energy production," said the president. "So, all those opportunities are there and we are jointly developing them."

He also said the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey (AGT) Power Bridge Project is a very interesting project and a very important project for Georgia.

"And it has been discussed for a while and we are much interested in the project. Still we are developing the feasibility study of this, but I believe that the strategic partnership between Georgia and Azerbaijan - the strategic partnership that has been reflected in many projects - will be continued in this project as well," President Margvelashvili said in conclusion.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 11

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received the Islamic Republic of Iran Border Guard Commander Qasem Rezaei March 11.

Recalling his recent visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran, the president said the visit produced wonderful results and stressed the importance of the fact that the two countries signed 12 documents on the bilateral cooperation.

President Aliyev said cooperation between the two countries covered all areas and was rapidly developing.

He pointed to the history of ties between the Azerbaijani and Iranian border services, adding that Rezaei's visit would give impetus to these relations.

The president said the two countries and nations were bound together by ties of history.

President Aliyev said Azerbaijan and Iran were jointly addressing international challenges, and underlined the significance of expanding the coordination of the activity of the two countries` border services and deepening their cooperation.

Rezaei hailed the importance of President Aliyev`s and Iranian President Hasan Rouhani`s supporting the development of relations between the border services.

He praised President Aliyev`s recent visit to Iran, saying fruitful discussions were held during the trip.

Rezaei said high-level reciprocal visits would give impetus to the expansion of cooperation between the border services of Azerbaijan and Iran.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 11

By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:

Today, the majority of migrants come to Europe from Syria and Iraq, Hungary's former prime minister Peter Medgyessy said March 11.

He made the remarks during the discussion on 'Radicalisation and migration as a global security challenge: how to progress to committed joint action' held as part of the 4th Global Baku Forum.

Medgyessy noted that the "Arab Spring" upset the balance in the region.

The former prime minister believes that it is possible to stop migration by ending wars, but it is not the final solution to the problem.

The number of migrants is increasing, therefore, these issues should be resolved on the ground, said Medgyessy.

Moldova's former president Petru Lucinschi, for his part, said that migrants mostly come from around 50 countries with severe living conditions.

It will be impossible to stop this process without taking measures, he said, adding that it is necessary to determine the countries of origin of migrants.

Lucinschi noted that international structures should be engaged in this process, since no country can cope with it by its own.

The UN was created to ensure the security of nations, said the former president. That time, all five members of the UN Security Council were partners, while now, each of them has its own position, he added.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 11

By Anakhanum Hidayatova - Trend:

The Fourth Global Baku Forum is a very good opportunity for finding solutions to the biggest global problems, Peter Medgyessy, Hungary's former prime minister, told Trend on March 11.

Medgyessy made this statement on the sidelines of the forum.

"All very important leaders of the world gathered at the forum," he said. "This forum is a good tradition. All participants show big interest to the event."

Medgyessy said that tolerant behavior of Azerbaijani people gives an opportunity to have a dialogue.

He said that the refugee crisis is a worldwide problem.

"If the flow of refugees from Syria, Libya, Afghanistan continues, in that case we have to find some solution together," Medgyessy said.

The Fourth Global Baku Forum titled "Towards a Multipolar World" is underway March 11.

The Forum has been organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center in partnership with the Interaction Council, the Club of Madrid, Library of Alexandria, the Club of Rome and World Academy of Science and Culture.

Over 300 delegates from 53 countries attend the forum.

The two-day forum focuses on topical issues such as the role of interreligious dialogue in conflict prevention, migration, multiculturalism, integration and global security. The forum's agenda also includes prospects for energy and global management issues.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 11

Trend:

Clients, who send or receive money via international money transfer systems get free mobile minutes as a gift from AccessBank.

During the campaign "Fast Transfers - Gift Minutes" the bank gives clients 10 free minutes from mobile operators Bakcell and Nar for each remittance of USD 500 and above, and 20 free minutes from mobile operators Azercell, Bakcell and Nar for remittances of USD 1,000 and above. The free minutes can be used anytime without limitations.

The campaign includes all international money transfer systems offered by the Bank: Western Union, Contact, Blizko, Forsaj, Lider, Monex, CMT and Privat Money. Customers may send and receive transfers in any currency offered by these systems - US Dollars, Euros or Rubles.

AccessBank was founded in 2002 by organizations such as the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank, EBRD, IFC, KfW, a German consulting company LFS Financial Systems (LFS) and AccessHolding. AccessBank - one of the leading banks of Azerbaijan, offers a full range of banking services and has an extensive branch network, which employs about 1,800 people.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 11

By Samir Ali - Trend:

The Sabail District Court of Baku has granted the request of the arrested former chairman of the International Bank of Azerbaijan, Jahangir Hajiyev, regarding exceeding the period of his detention at the Interior Ministry's Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, Hajiyev's lawyer said March 11.

Under a decision of the prosecutor general's office, the former chairman of the International Bank was transferred to the Interior Ministry's Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime for investigation purposes on Dec. 30, 2015, and was kept there until Jan. 21, 2016, which exceeds the period allowed by the law, according to the lawyer.

Judge Rauf Ahmadov delivered a verdict, which finds the decision of the prosecutor general's office as illegal, and the complaint lodged by the lawyer was granted.

Jahangir Hajiyev is charged under various articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, including misappropriation, abuse of office, fraud by causing huge damage, embezzlement through the abuse of office and bribing.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 11

Trend:

Azercell Telecom continues to introduce favorable campaigns for subscribers on the very eve of Novruz holiday. The company has launched a campaign of "Refill with present" for SimSim subscribers for the period from March 7, 2016 till March 5, 2017. The campaign offers SimSim subscribers a great chance to win 1,000 Azerbaijani manats on the daily basis, 10,000 manats every week and Super Prize - 25,000 manats every month. The total prize of the campaign is amounted to 1,027,000 manats.

It is very easy to join the campaign. You just need to top up at least 1 manat via scratch card or other refill methods (except Simkredit and Paycell) during the campaign period and send a blank text message to short number 5353 for free. Every subscriber topping up at least 1 manat and sending SMS to 5353 will get 20 points to participate in the lottery. Any subscriber activating Azercell number during the period will get a chance to send 5 more text messages for free to short number 5353.

Lottery participant may decline his/her participation by texting "STOP" to the short number. You can get information about total score by texting "XAL" to short number 5354 for free. Everyone can get information about terms of the lottery, schedule of draws and winners from www.hediyyelibalans.az. The participants may also receive various discounts from a chain store, as well.

Join "Refill with present from Azercell" campaign and get a chance to win 25,000 manats during this Novruz!

Azercell Telecom LLC was founded in 1996 and since the first years sustains a leading position in the market. Azercell introduced number of technological innovations in Azerbaijan: GSM technology, advance payment mobile services, M2M,MobilBank, GPRS/EDGE (mobile internet), 24/7 Customer Care, full-time operating Azercell Express offices, mobile e-service "ASAN imza" (ASAN signature) and others.

With 48,2% share of Azerbaijan's mobile market Azercell's network covers 99,8% of the country's population. In 2015, the number of Azercell's subscribers reached 4,5 million people.

In 2011 Azercell deployed 3G and in 2012 the fourth generation network - LTE in Azerbaijan. The Company is the leader of Azerbaijan's mobile communication industry and the biggest investor in the non-oil sector. Azercell is a part of TeliaSonera Group of Companies serving 186 million subscribers in 17 countries worldwide with 27,000 employees.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 11

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

The Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) doesn't plan to abandon the floating exchange rate, said the message from the bank March 11.

CBA denied the information about plans to abandon the floating exchange rate from March 18.

"No letter with such content was sent by the Central Bank to commercial banks," said the message. "The exchange rate of manat is set based on the demand and supply on the currency market in accordance with the floating exchange rate."

The CBA switched to the floating rate of manat on Dec.21, 2015 as a result of which the exchange rate of dollar and euro increased by 47.6 percent and 47.9 percent and stood at 1.55 and 1.685 manats, respectively.

The official exchange rate on March 11 is 1.6456 AZN/USD.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Anvar_Mammadov
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 11



By Azad Hasanli - Trend:



Currently, there are no sharp fluctuations of manat exchange rate in Azerbaijan, which would require urgent intrusion of the country's Central Bank (CBA), Natiq Amirov, Azerbaijani presidential aide on economic reforms, said March 11.



He made the remarks during the roundtable on AmCham Support to Economic Reforms.



Amirov said that the needs of the market will allow determining the objective rate of manat.



"In particular months, the import volume increases, for instance on the eve of holidays," he noted adding that with the growth of imports manat, of course, weakens, because the demand for dollars and euros increases.



The floating exchange rate policy serves to the fact that manat has to find its place [rate], added Amirov.



The CBA switched to the floating rate of manat on Dec.21, 2015 as a result of which the exchange rate of dollar and euro increased by 47.6 percent and 47.9 percent and stood at 1.55 and 1.685 manats, respectively.



The official exchange rate on March 11 is 1.6456 AZN/USD.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 11

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

The State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) sold $68.4 million to 25 local banks through the auction held by Azerbaijan's Central Bank (CBA) March 11, SOFAZ said March 11.

SOFAZ offered $200 million for sale through the auction.

Thus, SOFAZ will continue selling foreign currency through auctions in 2016.

The foreign currency is sold as part of SOFAZ's transfers to the Azerbaijani state budget, which are envisaged to stand at 7.615 billion Azerbaijani manats in 2016.

SOFAZ was established in 1999 with assets of $271 million.

As of January 1, 2016, SOFAZ assets reduced by 9.5 percent compared to 2014 ($37.1 billion) and were estimated at $33.57 billion.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 11

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Construction of Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey will start in 2016, the country hasn't abandoned its construction, Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources told Trend.

The plant's construction is expected to be completed in 2020, the ministry told Trend by telephone.

The project's cost nears $20 billion. The Akkuyu plant is projected to generate about 35 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year.

The intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Turkey on cooperation in the fields of construction and operation of the country's first nuclear power plant Akkuyu near the city of Mersin in southern Turkey was signed in 2010.

After the deterioration of relations between the two countries due to the SU-24 incident, Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a government decree on economic measures against Turkey. However such large projects as Turkish Stream and Akkuyu nuclear power plant were not reflected in the list of these measures.

Edited by SI

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Baku, Azerbaijan, March 11

By Elchin Mehdiyev, Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:

The Southern Gas Corridor project will become a new energy source for Europe, Azerbaijan's Energy Minister Natig Aliyev said March 11.

He made the remarks during the discussion 'The future of energy, the future of global governance' held as part of the 4th Global Baku Forum.

Europe considers the Caspian Sea region as a new source for delivering energy resources to its market, according to Aliyev.

"Azerbaijan's gas reserve is 2.5 trillion cubic meters," said the minister. "The Southern Gas Corridor, authored by Azerbaijan, is a very large project."

Technologies that were not used in the Caspian Sea region before, will be involved in the implementation of this project, according to Natig Aliyev.

The Southern Gas Corridor can also transport gas from Turkmenistan, Iran and Iraq to Europe in the future, therefore, this project is of great importance, he added.

The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority energy projects for EU. It envisages the transportation of gas from the Caspian Sea region to the European countries through Georgia and Turkey.

At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage.

As part of the Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz development, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline and Trans-Adriatic Pipeline.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 11

By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:

Oil production will in the future remain at a stable level in Azerbaijan, the country's minister of energy, Natig Aliyev told reporters March 11.

Aliyev said that Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR produces around 8.5 million tons of oil a year from the country's oil fields.

"This is a very stable level," he added. "I think it will remain stable in the future."

"Azerbaijan is supporting the production level," he further said. "Technical and geological work is regularly done to this end. Our priority is to maintain the oil production level."

Minister Aliyev added that Azerbaijan is also taking measures to increase the gas output levels.

"This work is conducted successfully. More than 25 billion cubic meters of gas will be produced at the Shah Deniz field only in the next two to three years," he added.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, March 11

By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend:

Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, state minister of the United Arab Emirates, director general of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), read a message from Turkmen government, issued March 11.

During the meeting, Al Jaber said that Arab companies are ready to expand the mutually beneficial cooperation with Turkmenistan.

He noted that Turkmenistan has all the conditions for doing business, including the favorable investment climate and sustainable economic growth.

At the meeting, the parties discussed the future cooperation in a number of promising areas, including the fuel and energy sector, oil refining, chemical industry and renewable energy sources.

In turn, Berdimuhamedov said that while implementing the long-term development programs, Turkmenistan focuses on the advanced world experience.

Noting that Turkmenistan remains committed to the mutually beneficial international cooperation, the president said his country attaches great importance to strengthening and developing the traditionally friendly dialogue with the UAE.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, March 11

By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend:

A seminar organized by the Central Bank of Turkmenistan (CBT) jointly with the Savings Banks Foundation for International Cooperation (SBFIC) of Germany began its work in the national tourist zone "Avaza" in Turkmenistan, according to the Turkmen newspaper "Neutral Turkmenistan" March 11.

The main objective of the seminar is to prepare professionals, who are able to solve issues on effective development of the banking system considering Turkmenistan's integration into the global economic space, according to the newspaper.

Consistent work has been recently carried out in Turkmenistan in line with priority tasks facing the domestic banks to expand the range of services, create a modern system of cash-free payments using IT technologies, increase volumes of lending and deposits of the country's population.

Much attention is paid to preparation of banks' financial statements in accordance with international standards, the article said.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, March 11

By Demir Azizov- Trend:

GM Uzbekistan, the former UzDaewooAuto, plans to start mass production and export of T-250 cars (Chevrolet Aveo) in late May-early June of 2016, said a statement of Uzavtosanoat company, which units Uzbekistan's automotive industry.

"T-250 will replace the Nexia model," said the statement.

Investment for mass production of the T-250 vehicles is $104.2 million, design capacity - 73,600 cars a year, according to Uzbekistan's republican investment program. GM Uzbekistan will itself provide the funding.

GM Uzbekistan, formerly known as UzDaewooAuto, was created in 1996 on a parity basis by Uzbekistan and South Korean Daewoo Motors.

In 2005, Uzbekistan acquired Daewoo's shares in UzDaewooAuto. In 2007, Uzavtoprom (Uzbek Association of Automotive Industry Enterprises) and the U.S.-based General Motors signed an agreement to establish the GM Uzbekistan with an authorized capital of $266.7 million.
Tehran, Iran, March 11

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Iran has the capacity to export worth $10 billion electricity per year in short term, Chairman of Iran Electrical Industry Syndicate Alireza Kolahi said.

In the long run, the country can materialize the export of worth $30 billion electric power a year, he added, SHANA news agency reported.

He went on to call for an investment of 150 trillion rials ($5 billion, for each dollar being worth about 30,000 rials), as well as paying a debt of 300 trillion rials by the Ministry of Energy which dates back to former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration.

Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian said in September the ministry owes 155 trillion rials for electricity and 50 trillion for hydroelectric power plants to the private sector and contract partners.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 10



By Emil Ilgar - Trend:

The US LNG at risk of shut-in, said Wood Mackenzie.

Contrary to mounting speculation over the impact of Russian action to protect market share, Wood Mackenzie's analysis reveals that other factors may be more influential.

These include US gas prices, which are forecast to rise from recent levels, the price of oil and the price of coal, which will determine European spot prices through coal-gas switching in the power sector, Wood Mackenzie's official website reported on March 9.

Stephen O'Rourke, Research Director of Global Gas Supply for Wood Mackenzie says with European LNG imports, including from the US, set to grow over the next five years, there is much speculation about Russia's likely response. "Will Russia's gas strategy mimic that of Saudi Arabia's oil strategy, will it seek to retain market share in Europe, pushing European gas prices to levels that force the shut-in of US LNG exports?"

The report asserts that US LNG export utilisation will be determined by multiple factors and a large proportion of export volumes will be under threat at times over the next five years.

Noel Tomnay, Head of Global Gas & LNG research for Wood Mackenzie says: "Our analysis shows that while Russia's export strategy is important, ultimately US LNG export utilisation will be influenced more by the price of other commodities: of US gas, oil and, particularly, of coal, which will determine European spot prices through coal-gas switching in the power sector."

O'Rourke explains the analysis: "Using our Global Gas Model, we explored the impact of three determinants on US LNG exports: Russia's gas export strategy; oil price; and coal price. This addressed questions such as what if coal prices remain low? What if oil prices don't rebound? What if Gazprom increases or decreases exports?"

O'Rourke explains the findings of the sensitivities: Should oil prices remain low, Russian oil-indexed contract gas will remain cheap and buyers will maximise their offtake of Russian gas.

"At low oil prices, customer choice rather than strategic Russian decision making would allow Russia to retain over 30% of the circa 490 billion cubic meters (bcm) European market and threaten US LNG export volumes. If coal prices also remain low, monthly European gas prices could fall to US$3.85/mmbtu, and utilisation of US LNG export capacity could average 85% between 2017-20."

So what if the oil price was to rise?

"Russia's share of the European market stands to decline to only 25% if the price of oil and Russian contract gas rise. Russia could elect to make more pipe gas available at spot prices and increase market share to as much as 35%, but in so doing European spot prices could fall towards US$3/mmbtu for longer periods."

Wood Mackenzie says that such a market share strategy could reduce US LNG export utilisation to some 40% and would send a strong signal to deter developers of future US LNG export projects. But while it could maximise profitability for Russia under some oil and coal price combinations, it seems an unrealistic outcome. "In addition to undermining existing contractual supply agreements, securing additional pipeline access for export volumes would require the tacit support of Ukraine and the EU, a dependence that appears politically challenging.," O'Rourke added.

Looking at the outcome of the sensitivities Tomnay offers says "Russia's export strategy will be a key determinant of US LNG export capacity utilisation, but the Russian pursuit of European market share to drive out US LNG from Europe seems either uneconomic and/or impractical under different external conditions. Instead other factors such as the price of US gas, oil and European coal prices will likely be greater determinants of US LNG export capacity utilisation. Subject to these factors alone, average utilisation of US LNG export capacity between 2017-20 could vary from 54-100%. For US LNG exporters, the best thing to happen would be for global coal prices to rise, or for US gas prices to stay low."
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 10

By Umid Niayesh - Trend:

Iran and Germany's engineering giant Siemens signed memorandum of understandings (MOU) early this month to strengthen their cooperation in order to modernize the energy infrastructure in Iran.

The deals include buying the technology to produce the class F turbines of Siemens with the trade name of SGT5-4000F as well as delivering F class gas turbines and generators for the Bandar Abbas power plant, in southern Iran.

While Deputy Head of Iran's Chamber of Commerce Pedram Soltani, said that the contract value reachs $3.5 billion, the company rejected to comment on the issue.

Siemens does not comment on the value details, Yashar Azad, a spokesman with the German company told Trend March 10.

Regarding Bandar Abbas power plant, Azad said that it is the first contract for the supply F class gas turbines under the term of license agreement.

"Siemens scope is to supply two F class Econopacs consisting of a gas turbine plus a generator," he said, adding the order volume here is in the higher double-digit million Euro range.

Azad further said that Siemens will supply the gas turbines and generators to Iranian industrial group MAPNA and the EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) will be performed by MAPNA itself.

"First unit will be shipped within the next few weeks," he added.

"The gas turbines for the Bandar Abbas power plant will be the first machines that we deliver but we expect orders for more machines in this calendar year," the spokesman noted.

Regarding the reports about transferring the technology for production of Class F gas turbines to the Islamic Republic, Azad said that a long-term technology license agreement was signed between Siemens and MAPNA for the local manufacturing of Siemens F class gas turbines by MAPNA in Iran.

"Under the terms of this agreement MAPNA will work with Siemens to deliver F class gas turbines and associated generators into the Iranian market and defined neighboring countries," he said.

"The first six gas turbines will be completely manufactured by Siemens and then we will gradually shift the value add to MAPNA," he added.

Azad further said that the license agreement is a real breakthrough for Siemens into the Iranian market that offers promising growth opportunities.
Iranian and Russian officials in a meeting here agreed on holding documents exhibitions and conferences as well as seminars for commemorating over 500 years of Iran-Russia relations, IRNA reported.

'Deputy Head of the Foreign Ministry's Center for International Education and Research and Director General of the ministry's documents and diplomacy history and his Russian counterpart Alexander Kuzentsov the two sides agreed on documentation cooperation and conducting joint studies in the field of diplomacy history,' Islamic Republic of Iran's Embassy's media diplomacy section said in a statement in Moscow on Thursday.

According to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the foreign ministries' document centers of the two countries, exhibitions on historical documents will be held in the two countries' capitals in the next Iranian year.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 11

By Emil Ilgar - Trend:

Russia will deliver S-300 air defense systems to Iran in August or September, the head of Russia's state-owned Rostec corporation, Sergei Chemezov said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

"I think we will deliver the S-300 by the end of the year... there are still court deliberations going on in Geneva. We agreed, they [Iran] promised that they would drop their claim once we make the first delivery. The first delivery will be in September or August," he said March 11.

He added that Iran said they need only an S-300 PMU-1.

"We suggested an Antey-2500, but they said no, give us the S-300. So, OK," said Chemezov.

Russia and Iran concluded a contract in 2007 for the supply of S-300 systems. But, after the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 1929, which provided for the imposition of sanctions on Iran, the realization of the contract was suspended.

Iran, in response, filed a claim against Russia at the International Court of Arbitration.

Currently, the parties are negotiating on the withdrawal of this lawsuit.

In April this year, Russia's President Vladimir Putin signed a decree removing the ban on the supply of these systems to Iran.

Russian state arms producer Almaz-Antey in June said it would supply Iran with a modernized version of the S-300, among the world's most capable air defense systems, once a commercial agreement was reached.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 11



By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend:



Iranian police have seized about 600 kilograms of narcotics within the past 11 months, which were to be trafficked into Azerbaijan, Commander of Iran's Border Police Brigadier-General Qasem Rezaei told Trend in Baku.



Rezaei added that as a result of special operations, some 50 traffickers were arrested, trying to transfer drugs from Iran's eastern borders to Azerbaijan.



The law enforcement forces of the Islamic Republic have seized over 400 tons of narcotics across the country, since March 2015, according to Rezaei.



Qasem Rezaei is in Baku at the official invitation of Azerbaijani State Border Service's (SBS) Chief, Border Troops Commander, Colonel general Elchin Guliyev to attend the ninth meeting of the border commanders of Iran and Azerbaijan discussing the issues of common threats along the borders, joint fight against drug trafficking, organized crimes as well as protecting the security of borders.



Elaborating on friendly ties between Tehran and Baku, the commander said that during the recent round of talks in Baku the sides have agreed on a range of issues to expand cooperation between the border services of both countries.



As part of his visit to Baku, Rezaei visited the Academy of Azerbaijan State Border Service on 10 March to discuss exchange of experience and education between the two countries.



He further expressed Iran's readiness to share the country's experiences in battle against drug trafficking.



Iranian commander also added that Azerbaijan has carried out proper measures to secure its borders.



Rezaei further said that the sides have also discussed solutions to remove difficulties that citizens of Iran and Azerbaijan face in the border crossings.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 10

By Anakhanum Khidayatova - Trend:

Georgia and Azerbaijan have perfect relations and today's meeting with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev proved it once again, Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili told reporters in Baku March 10.

"We will continue to develop our cooperation as an example of perfect good neighborhood," said the president.

Margvelashvili is attending the 4th Global Baku Forum titled "Towards a Multipolar World" that kicked off March 10.

The Forum has been organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center in partnership with the Interaction Council, the Club of Madrid, Library of Alexandria, the Club of Rome and World Academy of Science and Culture.

Over 300 delegates from 53 countries attend the forum.

The two-day forum will focus on topical issues such as the role of interreligious dialogue in conflict prevention, migration, multiculturalism, integration and global security. The forum's agenda also includes prospects for energy and global management issues.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum
Tens of thousands of Iraqis held a demonstration in the capital, Baghdad, Friday to call for Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to form a new cabinet of independent and professional ministers, Press TV reported.

Protesters, including supporters of prominent Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, gathered in central Baghdad's Tahrir (Liberation) Square. They said Abadi is giving in to the politicians by asking them to propose their nominees.

The demonstrators carried a banner, which read, "Your credit is about to finish," and was put on a frame in the form of gallows with ropes tied as hanging nooses dangling underneath. The banner was apparently aimed at Iraqi politicians in general without naming anyone.

"I don't think Abadi can do the reforms he promised," Ammar Salman, a 37-year-old taxi driver, said while carrying the national Iraqi flag. "The political blocs won't let him."





It is the third Friday in a row that Sadr's followers march along the streets of Baghdad, urging the prime minister to replace incumbent ministers with technocrats not linked to political parties.

Also on Friday, Sadr urged Abadi to press on with forming a new independent cabinet of technocrats irrespective of "political pressure" to stop the campaign against graft.

"I want the prime minister to continue his reform plan with no fear of political pressure," Sadr said in a pre-recorded speech aired during the demonstration in Baghdad.
US President Barack Obama has renewed an executive order that extends for another year a so-called "National Emergency" with regards to Iran, in place since 1995, Press TV reported.

Obama's move comes despite the recent nuclear deal that was reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries in July last year and went into effect in January.

The accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) puts limits on Tehran's peaceful nuclear program in exchange for removal of all nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

The executive order means non-nuclear US sanctions against Iran will remain in effect for at least another year.

"Despite the historic deal to ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program, certain actions and policies of the Government of Iran continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States," Obama wrote in a notice that was posted on the White House's official website.

The president noted that the "renewal, therefore, is distinct from the emergency renewal of November 2015."

Back then, Obama extended Washington's decades-old "state of emergency" with respect to Iran that has been in place since 1979 and keeps sanctions against the Islamic Republic in place for one more year.

On January 17, only a day after the landmark nuclear deal went into effect, the US Treasury Department imposed new sanctions on Iran for its test launch of ballistic missile on October 11, claiming that the test was a violation of the JCPOA.

Iran dismissed the allegations, with Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan saying the missile was a conventional weapon.

The state of emergency forms the basis for most US sanctions against other countries including Iran and Venezuela. A similar notice was issued for the latter last week that declared the South American country a threat to the US.

American presidents have declared about 53 states of emergency since Congress passed the National Emergencies Act in 1976.
The number of Syrian refugees in Turkey has reached 2,733,784, of which 282,815 refugees reside in 26 temporary refugee centers, said Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan on Thursday.

Akdogan said on his Twitter account that Turkey had shown its moral and conscientious stance by embracing Syrians.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, more than 250,000 people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to the UN.


Google is readying YouTube Gaming to take on Amazon's Twitch (Photo : Getty/Bloomberg)

The gaming war is on between Google and Amazon as the search giant is going for a new alternative to Twitch, which was bought by Amazon last year. YouTube recently rolled out YouTube Gaming, which is currently available in the U.S. and the U.K. but will eventually be made available in more countries.



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Twitch is a game streaming platform and Amazon is too eager to wait to cash it out, the recent revelation of Lumberyard is a proof. Google, on the other hand, is now focusing on its presents assets to maneuver game streaming features. YouTube Gaming was introduced as the strategy unfolded, and yesterday, YouTube announced that YouTube Gaming is soon coming to Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, Android Headlines reported.



YouTube Gaming will soon come to these four countries and where users will be able to watch live video game streams on their iPhone, Android phones, and desktops. Additionally, YouTube overall is undergoing few updates as well, comprising few tweaks on the Android platform including 60fps playback, DVR mode and the ability to change the quality of the video streams.



The Desktop version of YouTube is bringing extensive changes with a redo of design including removal of sidebars from the homepage, where a "Live" tab will be pinned up for easy access. However, the Live button will only open doors to top streams and games, this means the top spot is not reserved for everyone streaming a live YouTube broadcast.



If gaming is becoming an area of interest for Google, as YouTube Gaming has been unleashed as a formidable step, chances are that folks back at the Silicon Valley are also developing their own gaming engine to one-up Amazon Lumberyard, Unity3D, Autodesk Stingray and CryEngine. For now, the gaming war is centered on streaming and while Twitch broadcasters get to sell their brand t-shirts among other benefits, Adsense is also a very attractive offer for YouTube Gaming users.



YouTube Gaming is both an app and a website which brings live gameplays to YouTube users around the world. Over 25,000 games will get their own dedicated page, featuring streaming about a particular game title, Engadget reported. For now, Amazon has the lead with Twitch, but Google has promised that YouTube Gaming will soon launch in many more countries.



This video by Machinima points out some of the features that make YouTube Gaming different from Twitch.






First Condom Shop Opens In Bali (Photo : Getty Images)

China is certainly making its mark as a global leader when it comes to making condoms. In 2013, Guangzhou Daming United Rubber Products was recognized by the Guinness World Record for making the worlds thinnest male condom which measures 0.036 millimeter thin, beating Japanese competitor Okamoto by a mere 0.002 millimeter.



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Recently, a female condom made in China was approved by the World Health Organization and United Nations Population Fund which would allow global distribution of the brand O'lavie, reported China Daily.



The contraceptive device is the result of a collaboration among the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and Chinese research partners. The researchers tested the made-in-China female condoms in four countries.



The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands funded the cross-sector collaboration. In turn, PATH created the Protection Options for Women Product Development Partnership, tasked with coming up with a supply-and-demand model for the female condom. The Dahua Medical Apparatus Corp., based in Shanghai, got the production contract in 2008.



Dahua Medical Apparatur Vice President Chen Hongxuan disclosed that Africa accounted for a large share of overall sales volume of the female condom.



Mags Bersinka, research director at Maternal, Adolescent and Child Health, a government-supported group in South Africa, said that Olavie has a great potential to address the unmet needs and improve reproductive health not only of women, but also men and young people.



However, the female condom is relatively new compared to the male condom. According to Reproductive Health Exchange, a procurement and information service managed by the U.N. Population Fund, female condoms make up only about 0.2 percent of condom sales worldwide.



MTV reported that the female condom is disliked by women who have tried it with their male partners. One woman described trying it as interesting, but awful and traumatizing. All six women interviewed by MTV said the contraceptive felt like a foreign body was inside their genitals. One compared it to a Ziploc bag and another to a trash bag. Below is the video of their testimonies.






Massive Online Open Courses (MOOC) is just one of the online education startups where users can register to gain access to hundreds of online courses by different universities for free. (Photo : Getty Images)

Learning through online channels is growing in China, with over 1,000 online education startups established since 2014, according to an article by China Daily.



Entrepreneurs and venture capitalists come together in this popular field, where there is no geographical restrictions, a high degree of standardization, and maximum use of content.



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Massive Online Open Courses (MOOC) is just one of the online education startups where users can register to gain access to hundreds of online courses by different universities for free.



Just like offline classes, MOOC courses conduct examinations and assessments to test their students. Users must submit requirements, participate in video illustrations and discussions, ask questions, and take a final exam.



Once a student is done with his online course, he will receive an electronic certificate or pay for a paper copy, which will serve as his certification. This certificate is acknowledged by plenty of employers.



According to the Ministry of Education, MOOC "has enlarged the time and space of teaching, fired learners' interest, helped more people benefit from high-quality educational resources and accelerated reform in many aspects of teaching."



Since 2013, MOOC has gained increasing popularity among numerous academic institutions, such as Peking University and Tsinghua University, both of which have their own MOOC platforms.



The Ministry of Education, to encourage more universities to participate in MOOC, released a set of guidelines last April. It was targeted particularly toward academic institutes with certain strengths and focuses.



The ministry also encourages current MOOC platforms to share data and teaching resources to benefit all those who wish to learn.



MOOC first began in the United States. The year 2012 was hailed as "the first year of the MOOC era."



Aside from MOOC, there are also several other online education platforms operating in China despite it being in its infancy stage. There is Genshuixue.com, which helps students find the right tutor.



"[It's] where anyone with talent and knowledge can be teachers and anyone who wants to learn can find a model. Anyone with any requests for learning can find the optimized personalized solution," said Chen Xiangdong, CEO of Genshuixue.com.


The relocation and restructuring of uncompetitive state-owned companies were the result of China's re-organization to curb excessive production in the cement, steel, glass and coal industries. (Photo : Getty Images)

Millions of laidoff and relocated workers by state-owned enterprises get another chance at employment by gaining new skill sets, according to an article by China Daily.



"It's better than I expected and it is good to learn something else in my new position," shared Yang Hangmin, a 46-year-old blast-furnace worker who has been relocated to the human resources department of a privately owned decorating company.



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He was one of the 9,000 employees relocated by Hangzhou Iron and Steel Group. It's not the only state-owned company forced to relocate or lay off thousands of its workers. Longmay Mining Holding Group, a state-owned company that operates four mines in Heilongjiang Province, was also forced to relocate about 22,500 of its employees into different sectors, including timber, public service and agriculture.



The relocation and restructuring of these uncompetitive state-owned companies were the result of the government's re-organization efforts to curb excessive production, particularly in the cement, steel, glass and coal industries.



Although some people remain optimistic that these relocations can provide added skill sets and perspectives, the slowing economic growth in the country poses a serious threat to workers as more layoffs threaten to create a big impact on China.



According to Wang Yongqing, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the China National Democratic Construction Association, the relocation of workers in sectors completely unrelated to their original line of work is one of the most pressing problems that China experiences in its efforts to cut production.



"If the country wants to cut production within industries that have overcapacity, such as steel, by 30 percent, there will be 3 million people who need to be relocated," said Wang in an interview with China Daily.



"We need to deal with it very carefully because it is not only a problem of whether we are able to cut excessive production smoothly, but it is also related to the benefits of employees and to social stability," Wang added.



As a means to solve the relocation problem, the Chinese government plans to allocate 100 billion yuan ($15.3 billion) in the next two years to relocate employees from sectors dealing with overcapacity.


New York City ex-police officer Peter Liang sits in court during his trial in Brooklyn Supreme Court in New York City, Feb. 10, 2016. (Photo : Getty Images)

Peter Liang, the former New York Police Department (NYPD) officer who was convicted in February of second-degree manslaughter for the death of Akai Gurley, might be bringing in new attorneys to assist in his appeal, as reported by NBC News.



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The Chinese Action Network, the group that has raised the funds for Liang's legal expenses, posted on Facebook on Monday that it was postponing a march across the Brooklyn Bridge. The group claims to have consulted Paul Shechtman, who it said was Liang's new legal adviser.



The march would have happened three weeks after rallies for Liang that attracted thousands of supporters in over 30 cities in the U.S. It was supposed to start in Manhattan and end at the Kings County District Attorney's Office in downtown Brooklyn, where Liang was prosecuted.



Shechtman, a partner of Zuckerman Spaeder, was the director of criminal justice for the state of New York between 1995 and 1997, and has argued several times before federal and state appellate courts, according to information gathered from his law firm's website.



Another possible addition to Liang's legal team is Gabriel "Jack" Chin, a professor at the University of California Davis School of Law. Chin confirmed this with NBC News on Monday via email, writing, "Yes, I expect to be involved in the case."



According to a separate email that Chin sent, he confirmed that Shechtman is also part of the case.



Chin is a scholar of immigration law, race and law, and criminal procedure. He has worked with students to repeal anti-Asian alien laws in Kansas, New Mexico and Wyoming, according to his website.



Robert E. Brown, who has been representing Liang since Nov. 2015, said that they plan to file a motion to set aside Liang's guilty verdict for official misconduct and second-degree manslaughter.



He added that he and his supporters plan to send tens of thousands of letters to Danny Chun of State Supreme Court in Brooklyn to either drop Liang's charges or sentence him to probation.


'The Witcher 3' update: 'The Witcher 4's' development may not happen soon; Release date for 'Blood and Wine' DLC set on April!

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an action-RPG video game developed by CD Projekt RED for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC Platform. (Photo : Twitter/The Witcher 3)

New details for "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" will feature the possible release date for the "Blood and Wine" DLC and there might not be a "Witcher 4" anytime soon.



Several rumors are making rounds that the release date for "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's" latest DLC expansion "Blood and Wine" has been leaked online for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC platforms.



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According to the Polish video game website GRY Online, the "Blood and Wine" DLC expansion is set to launch on April 26. Previous reports stated that "Blood and Wine" DLC expansion could launch in the first quarter of this year and it looks like CD Projekt RED might intend to keep that promise, even though they have not made any comments regarding the rumored leaked launch date.



New features for "Blood and Wine" expansion on "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" include new sets of new weapons, armor and signs for Geralt to use. The level up requirement for the DLC is at level 40 and there will be two standard game endings with one secret ending. "Blood and Wine" DLC will also include a "Bone sword" for Geralt which is related to the Brotherhood of Wolf.



Different armor color changes are offered by NPCs for each setting such as Novigrad, Skellige and Touissant. Four new skills in Combat, Alchemy and Sign, 12 New General Skills, three Skill slots and one Mutagen slot. There is also a new combat animation for Geralt and a huge boss fight equivalent to the Kraken monster in "The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings".



New monsters will be featured in the "Blood and Wine" DLC such as Bruxas, Manticores and Stringas, as well as characters from the novels like the Dutchess of Touissant Anna Henriatta and the evil sorcerer Vilgefortz. Fringello Vigo will be returning to the DLC as one of Geralt's love interest.



In other news, it seems that developments for a possible "The Witcher 4" sequel may not happen anytime soon.



"The Witcher 3" writer Karolina Stachyra told Redbull Poland (translated via Reddit user gbursztynek) that a direct sequel after "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" is likely out of the question as the third instalment was meant to end the saga of Geralt's journey and they are sticking to it.



However, it is admitted that Geralt's story is not over as more narrative storyline may unfold in during the events of "Blood and Wine" expansion.



CD Projekt RED head Micha Kicinski claim that "The Witcher" game series will continue, but with a different perspective. He added that it is too soon to talk about a "Witcher 4" at the moment, but the brand itself will not be forgotten due to the impressive reception "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" received from fans and it will be unfair for them to end it soon. "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" will conclude Geralt's journey, but CD Projekt RED might focus the possible fourth instalment on a different character.



"The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" is currently available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.


Amazon recently opened its first brick-and-mortar bookshop last November in Seattle. Another bookstore in San Diego is scheduled to open this year. (Photo : Getty Images)

Due to rising rents, competition for online book retailers, and the changing reading habits of the Chinese people, physical bookstores in the country have either closed down or relocated to remote locations. In 2015, however, brick-and-mortar bookstores have started to make a comeback, according to an article by Shanghai Daily.



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In Shanghai, 10 new bookstores, primarily located in downtown areas, opened last year.



Online book seller Dangdang has also unveiled plans to establish 1,000 offline bookstores throughout the country within the next three years.



"Bookstores are coming back, but in a different form," said Sun Ganlu, vice chairman of the Shanghai Writers' Association, in an interview with Shanghai Daily. "After a very difficult period, bookstores have transformed themselves to stay in tune with the times." Sun also serves as the main curator of the book market and reading club in Sinan.



Bookstores are not only experiencing a revival in China. Amazon just opened its first brick-and-mortar bookshop last November in Seattle. Another bookstore in San Diego is scheduled to open this year. According to Amazon, the company still plans to open 400 more Amazon Books outlets.



It's a slow progress, with offline bookshop sales increasing by 3.2 percent in 2014, but fans of the printed word are optimistic that other areas in China will catch up with the trend.



If changing habits caused physical bookstores to close down, it's also changing habits that are causing more offline bookstores to pop up.



"Of course, I like the big discounts for books online," said Viktor Xu, a 31-year-old avid reader. "But after awhile, I realized I also missed the fun of rummaging through piles of books in a shop and finding interesting things to read. You can't really do that effectively online."



"You are so easily diverted by all that stuff that it's easy to lose the simple pleasure of spotting an intriguing cover on the shelves, flipping through the pages and realizing it is a book you want to take home and read," he added.


A navy officer of the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force stands in front of a P3 Orion at RAAF base Pearce in Perth, Australia, on April 4, 2014. (Photo : Getty Images)

Tokyo must not flare up tension in the South China Sea or align with other countries involved in territorial disputes with China, the Chinese ambassador said in an interview on Thursday.



Ambassador Cheng Yonghua made the remarks to the China Daily when asked about Japan's recent high-profile stances on maritime issues and its support for joint patrols in the South China Sea.



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"Japan is unilaterally standing against China on a basis of partiality, and it addresses any country having disputes with China as its 'pal' or 'brother' in an attempt to encircle China," Cheng said. "This is utterly wrong from the outset."



In response to Japan's reported stance supporting the U.S. "pivot to Asia" strategy, Cheng said "Japan is not even a contracting party in the relevant disputes."



"Freedom of navigation is also a false issue, and what the U.S. is doing in the sea is leading the situation to one of further tension," Cheng added. "Both Tokyo and Washington should clearly bear in mind the status quo and not produce tension."



Cheng also noted that "Japan has turned a blind eye" to a slew of historical facts, including China retaking islands illegally occupied by imperial Japan during World War II.



However, Cheng, who has been China's top envoy to Japan since 2010, said that Sino-Japanese ties have been improving, "but the momentum is still fragile" due to Japan's actions toward China.



Cheng's comments echoed that of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's remarks at a news conference on Tuesday. Wang described Japan's attitude toward China as "double-dealing" and urged Tokyo to think about "taking China as a friend or foe."



"China values ties with Japan," Cheng said, although adding that Tokyo's actions are "blurred and unclear."



"It is hoped that both countries will work on improving ties on a consistent and stable basis," he said.



Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party described China as a "threat" when it pushed to pass controversial new security bills in the past year. The bills were passed and will take effect by the end of March.



Cheng said that China is resolutely opposed to the Japanese government's tactics, saying that China's so-called threats are being overhyped and that the country is being used as an excuse to pass the security bills.



With the bills soon to take effect, Cheng said that China's concerns are "whether Japan will stay committed to the path of peaceful development" and "whether Japan's security measures will affect the security interests of its neighbors, particularly China."



"We hope that Japan will draw lessons from its past, further subscribe to peaceful development and build a peaceful and stable relationship with its Asian neighbors," Cheng added.


Area 51 still piques the interest of conspiracy theorists - Is it where extraterrestrials could be found?; Area 51 facility developing time travel, teleportation technology?

A witness claims recently to have come across a truck carrying what seems to be a flying saucer near the vicinity of Area 51. (Photo : Charlene Yazzle)

Area 51 is a United States Air Force facility located in the southern portion of Nevada in the west of the United States. The area has been the site for multiple activities, including lead and silver mining in the mid-19th century, an airfield during the World War 2 and a test facility for the Central Intelligence Agency's Project Aquatone in 1955.



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The earliest records of the location being called Area 51 dates back to CIA documents during the Vietnam War. However, the origins of the name remains unclear. It is accepted that the term Area 51 comes from the grid numbering system assigned by the Atomic Energy Commission in the area. While the AEC has not assigned a name for the location, Area 51 is adjacent to Area 15 hence the name.



Despite the decades long history, the public has not been privy to a lot of information about Area 51. Because of all the secrecy, conspiracy theories regarding the air force facility have been going around since the 1950s. Amongst the most popular speculations claims that Area 51 is a testing place for weather control technology. Others claim that time travel and teleportation technology are developed at the facility. Still many believe that Area 51 is the meeting place for a mysterious one world government organization.



After fifty long years, and with the advent of the internet, it is unsurprising how people are still very much enamored with the mysteries of Area 51. In fact, several news publications recently published what could be evidences of the most persistent theory surrounding Area 51 - extraterrestrials.



Just this week, Aubrey Sitterson from Geek.com wrote a convincing article supporting the claims that Area 51 is a hub for extraterrestrial activity. Sitterson argues that the facility is where research on captured alien technology takes place, given its close proximity to Route 375, otherwise known as the Extraterrestrial Highway.



Moreover, a recent report from Metro claims to have come across a witness of a truck carrying what seems to be a flying saucer near the vicinity of Area 51. Metro's witness, Charlene Yazzle, have since told a local news station the details about the encounter. According to Yazzle, the truck was heading south to the freeway and was escorted by black vehicles.



Watch the truth behind Area 51 (documentary):




In a rare meeting with local journalists, the Iranian charge d'affaires said that Iranian companies and investors were interested in Egypt

The Iranian charge d'affairs in Egypt, Mahmoud Mahmoudian, told a group of Egyptian journalists in a rare meeting on Wednesday that Tehran's disputes with Egypt could be solved easily by dialogue, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported.

In the meeting at his office in Heliopolis, Mahmoudian denied accusations that Iran wanted to spread Shiism in Egypt or in other Arab countries.

"Iran has not tried to spread Shiism among the 10 million Sunni Iranians who currently live in our country," Mahmoudian argued.

Speaking about Khaled Islambouli Street in Tehran, which is named after President Anwar El-Sadat's assassin, Mahmoudian said that it was a secondary matter and that Iranians typically still used the old name of the street, "the ministers' street."

Mahmoudian also told the Egyptian reporters that there were Iranian investors and companies that are willing to work in Egypt, which they consider a gateway to Africa.

Regarding Tehran's rocky relations with Saudi Arabia, the Iranian official said that his country was trying to rebuild a positive relation with Riyadh but claimed the kingdom did not want the same thing.

Mahmoudian also said that Iran had already apologised for and denounced the storming of the Saudi embassy and consulate in Tehran and Mashhad in January.

Earlier this year, a mob attacked both the Saudi embassy and the consulate in Tehran and Mashhad following the execution of Saudi Shiite Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr.

Mahmoudian also said that Iran was calling for a dialogue between Saudi officials and Houthis rebels, who Iran backs in Yemen.

Egypt officially severed its diplomatic relations with Iran following the country's Islamic revolution in 1979.

However, the relationship became warmer under former president Mohamed Morsi; the then-president paid a visit to Tehran in August 2012 to attend a Non-Aligned Movement summit and held talks with his Iranian counterpart at the time, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad then visited Cairo in February 2013.

In March 2013, the first commercial flights from Iran to Egypt in three decades began with Air Memphis.

Following Morsi's ouster in July 2013, the relationship has cooled.

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The new secretary-general of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, hailed Cairo's support for his nomination after initial objections from Qatar and Sudan.

The veteran Egyptian diplomat, who was foreign minister under Hosni Mubarak, said in press statements on Thursday that he was grateful for the responsibility and trust placed in him by Egypts current leadership.

I feel the responsibility placed on my behalf to work to raise the status of the Arab League and defend the interests of the Arab nation," Aboul-Gheit added.

The Arab League held an exceptional session on Thursday to vote on the successor of outgoing Secretary-General Nabil El-Arabi, after both Qatar and Sudan objected to Aboul-Gheits nomination. Aboul-Gheit won the position after mediation by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to convince the Qatari and Sudanese representatives.

Qatari Foreign Minister Mohamed Bin Abdel Rahman Al-Thani said in press statements that his country in the end supported Aboul-Gheits nomination despite our reservations about the candidate himself, in order to safeguard Arab cooperation.

An Arab diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity that Qatar's reservations were due to Aboul-Gheit's "hostile positions" towards the Gulf state.

Doha accused Aboul-Gheit of pushing Cairo in 2009 while he was foreign minister to boycott a Qatari-proposed Arab summit to discuss an Israeli offensive against the Palestinian Gaza Strip, diplomats told AFP.

According to the report, they also criticised him for adopting a soft approach towards Israel.

In 2012, Qatar rejected the nomination of Egyptian diplomat Mustafa El-Fekky; Cairo in response nominated El-Arabi, then Egypts foreign minister.

Aboul-Gheit, who will take office on 1 July, has been out of public life since March 2011 when he left his post as foreign minister.

He served as Egypt's foreign minister from 2004; prior to that he was the permanent representative of Egypt at the UN headquarters in New York.

The post of Arab League secretary-general is typically filled by an Egyptian diplomat.

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The Egyptian foreign ministry rejected Thursday's European Parliament resolution on the death of Giulio Regeni which criticised the human rights situation in the country, describing it as based on "undocumented media reports."

The resolution called on Egypt to enable a "swift, transparent and impartial joint investigation" into the murder of the Italian student, and said that the death occured in a context of "torture, death in custody and enforced disappearances across Egypt in recent years."

"It is unfortunate that ancient legislative institutions such as the European Parliament deal with accusations from undocumented media reports concerning Regeni's murder as evidence to build resolutions upon," ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement on Friday.

"Involving Regeni's case in a resolution which tackles the human rights records in Egypt is rejected, especially as the investigations are still being conducted by the Egyptian authorities in cooperation with their Italian counterparts," he added.

On Thursday, the European Parliament released a resolution calling on Cairo to "provide their Italian counterparts with all the documents and information necessary to enable a swift, transparent and impartial joint investigation and Egyptian authorities have to bring the perpetrators of the crime to justice as soon as possible."

The case of Regeni dates back to last month when his body was found by a Cairo highway with signs of torture.

Italian officials said that an autopsy conducted in Italy showed that the 28-year-old PhD student, who went missing on 225 January, was subject to "something inhuman, something animal."

Abu Zeid stated that "it has been proved by the Egyptian authorities that great majority of the forced disappearance case are suspects who are standing documented trials."

"The Egyptian government respects and considers human rights values, and torture is a crime which is stated in Egypt's constitution," he said.

"I hoped that the resolution would tackle the reaffirming of the strategic Egyptian-European relations and support Egypt's efforts in the fight against terrorism and support economic partnership between the European Union and Egypt, rather than issuing a resolution which suspects or undermines this relationship," he added.

Some Egyptian MPs have also criticised the EU resolution; Bahaa El-Din Abu Shoqa, head of the Wafd Party's parliamentary committee, and Salah Hassablah, a member of the In Support of Egypt majority bloc, both expressed concerns to Al-Ahram newspaper.

"The resolution is unrealistic as it pre-empts the investigations conducted by the specialised authorities," Abu Shoqa told Al-Ahram.

"It has not yet been proved that there is a dereliction from the Egyptian government, the investigations are still ongoing, and Egypt's judiciary will never cover up for anyone," he added.

Hassablah echoed his concerns, adding that Egypt knows that "hiding the evidence [around Regeni's death] will not be useful to it."



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The European Union parliament's resolution on the death of an Italian student in Egypt condemns the country's overall human rights record

Egypt's parliament has rejected all interference in its work and the country's domestic affairs in response to a resolution from the European Union (EU) parliament on Thursday that criticised Egypt's human rights record.

The House of Representatives issued a statement on Friday after the EU parliament's resolution, which was overwhelmingly passed on Thursday, over the death of Giulio Regeni, a 28-year Italian student who was in Egypt. The European lawmakers also demanded the Egyptian chamber review specific laws that it deemed to be repressive.

"[The Parliament] does not accept interference in Egyptian domestic affairsand urges it against employing a selective approach to dealing with human rights issues or the politicisation of some of the cases," the statement read.

"The legislative policy of the [Egyptian] parliament is that it is an internal affair and it is unacceptable for any entity to interfere with it," it added.

The assembly added that it appreciates long-time strategic ties with the European Union and its parliament, hailing its role in backing democracy and human rights.

However, it condemned what it described as the "politicisation" of some human rights issues and that they are being addressed with "double-standards" from parliaments that Egypt enjoys mutual ties and cooperation with.

The assembly said it is keen to provide "full, effective and transparent cooperation" with Italy over the killing of graduate student Giulio Regeni, whose body was found with signs of torture by a roadside on the outskirts of Cairo on 3 February after he disappeared in the capital on 25 January.

The assembly further urged against anticipating or influencing the results of the on going joint investigation by the Egyptians and Italians and said to wait for a judicial conclusion.

The parliament highlighted that the Egyptian government and the chamber respect and preserve human rights and vowed to hold the culprits behind Regeni's murder to account.

The resolution by the EU parliament said that Regeni's case "is not an isolated incident" but occurred within a pattern of "torture, death in custody and enforced disappearances across Egypt in recent years."

It called for the immediate and unconditional release of individuals it said have been unfairly detained and sentenced for merely exercising their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

The Egyptian parliament said in response that it does not accept interference in the country's judiciary and underlined that Egypt's judicial system is independent.

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The two foreign minister also discussed the challenges of forming a unity government in Libya

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his US counterpart John Kerry discussed on Friday recent developments in the region, namely the crisis in war-torn Syria, a ministry spokesman said.

In a telephone call from Kerry, the two senior diplomats discussed efforts by the United Nations Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura to start substantive peace talks, due by 14 March in Geneva, spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said.

They also discussed the challenges of forming a unity government in Libya under a United Nations-backed plan.

The United Nations is seeking to unite factions and militias that have battled for power since the downfall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 with the hope of restoring stability and quelling an Islamist militancy.

"Both sides agreed on the danger of the current situation [in Libya] and the need to have a government of national unity in Libya at the soonest," the spokesman added.

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South Sudan lets fighters rape women as payment, the UN rights office said Friday, describing the country as "one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world."

"The assessment team received information that the armed militias... who carry out attacks together with the SPLA (South Sudanese army) commit violations under an agreement of 'do what you can and take what you can,'" the rights office said in a new report.

"Most of the youth therefore also raided cattle, stole personal property, raped and abducted women and girls as a form of payment," the report added.

In a report, the UN human rights office painted a harrowing picture of civilians suspected of supporting the opposition, including children, being burned alive, suffocated in shipping containers, hanged from trees and cut to pieces.

UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein meanwhile warned that brutal rapes had been used systematically as "an instrument of terror and weapon of war."

"This is one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world," he said in a statement.

After gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan erupted into civil war in December 2013, setting off a cycle of retaliatory killings that have split the poverty-stricken, landlocked country along ethnic lines.

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President Bashar al-Assad's government has said its delegates will attend peace talks on the Syrian conflict due to start in Geneva next week, Russia's foreign ministry said on Friday.

Damascus has yet to publicly confirm it will be taking part in the talks.

Asked whether Russia, a close ally of Assad, was encouraging Damascus to attend, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: "They're not refusing."

"They said straight away that they are taking part, they're ready, they will be the first to arrive, wherever is needed," she said.

The Syrian foreign minister is expected to formally announce his government's position on the Geneva talks at a news conference in Damascus on Saturday.

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40 Egyptian, Middle Eastern and Western visual artists will take part in the event

The Key is the 2016 CARAVAN Travelling Exhibition of Contemporary Visual Art that will open in Cairo on 15 March at the Nile Art Gallery and run until 12 April.

This exhibition features the work of 40 Egyptian, Middle Eastern and Western visual artists using the theme of "the Key of Life"  (Ankh) the ancient Egyptian symbol of harmony. The organisers hope that choosing this theme could work as a message for a harmonious, peaceful and tolerant world.

According to its organisers the art works will be exhibited in London and New York City following the Cairo event.

CARAVAN Travelling Exhibition is an annual artistic event that is running for its third year, with a percentage of the proceeds to be directed to "Educate Me," a programme to support the education of underprivileged children in Egypt.

Programme

Opening: Tuesday, 15 March, 7pm

Nile Art Gallery, 16 Montazah St., Zamalek

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 Arab Women Film Festival which takes place in Helsingborg is organised by Malmo International Film Festival

The Palestinian feature film 3000 Nights will open the Arab Women Film Festival in Sweden this March.

The festival is organised by the Malmo International Film Festival (MIFF) 2016, and is held from 18 to 20 March in Malmo and Helsingborg. It aims to "raise important questions about Arab women," according to the organisers.

The film, directed by Mai Masri centres on a young, newlywed Palestinian school teacher who is jailed and sent to a top-security Israeli prison, where she eventually gives birth.

Its world premiere was in September 2015 at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). It then made its Arab world premiere in December as part of the Dubai International Film Festivals 12th edition where it participated in the Muhr Arab Feature Films Competition.

The Malmo and Helsingborg Arab women film festival is three days full of films by and about Arab women. The programme includes feature, documentary, and short films in addition to seminars and an Arab bazaar selling traditional crafts and sweets.

Among the films to be screened include Rock the Casbah from 2013, a French-Moroccan drama written and directed by Laila Marrakchi, starring late Egyptian star Omar El-Sharif, prominent Palestinian actress Haiam Abbas, andthe Lebanese actress and director Nadin Libky. It was screened at the Special Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.



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 loss of so much data could be pivotal for Islamic State, which has been coming under increased pressure on numerous fronts.

One analyst told VOA the Islamic State files, if they are verified, would be of "immense value" to Western governments.

A spokesman for Germany's Federal Criminal Police told The Associated Press, "We believe there is a high probability that these documents are genuine." Some terrorism experts, however, urged caution and said the IS files possibly were forgeries, since they contain inconsistencies and unusual phrasing.

A spokeswoman for British Prime Minister David Cameron, using an alternative name for Islamic State, told reporters Thursday: "What's important now is that the authorities can look at how this information can be used in the fight against Daesh. And if it can, then we welcome that."

Not all analysts are convinced the files are genuine, but if they are, they could help identify potential attackers and the networks of sympathizers that support them, and provide government investigators with insights into the terror group's structure and plans.

Sky News quoted a former counter-terrorism chief of Britain's MI-6 Secret Intelligence Service, Richard Barrett, who said the stolen IS files appear to be "an absolute gold mine of information of enormous significance."

Reports from Britain, Germany and Syria say the files contain information about jihadists from 51 countries, including 23 questions Islamic State recruits must answer before they can be accepted as members of the extremist organization.

Germany's interior minister, Thomas de Maiziere, said the revelation could help track down militants wherever they are working and lead to their prosecution.

Britain's Sky News said it acquired the information from a disillusioned Islamic State defector who told a reporter in Turkey that he stole a memory stick from the head of Islamic State's internal security. The files are believed to hold information about more than 22,000 of the group's members, recruits and sympathizers.

Counter-terrorism experts in Germany and other countries are studying tens of thousands of data files allegedly stolen from the Islamic State group. They are said to contain detailed personal information about terrorist recruits.

 'Pretty Comprehensive'

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the way in which the Islamic State files were acquired -- by a disaffected member of the group -- "is a good analogy" to the work of former U.S. intelligence worker Edward Snowden, who copied enormous quantities of secret documents from the National Security Agency and delivered them to the "whistleblower" group WikiLeaks three years ago.

"It's a pretty comprehensive list of foreign fighters" who have joined or tried to join Islamic State, Gartenstein-Ross said, "one that will be very useful in understanding the dynamics of their network, and one that's certainly going to be of immense value."

In terms of the type of data that was exposed, Gartenstein-Ross said, the Islamic State files are more the equivalent of "the OPM hack" -- the theft from U.S. government computers of personal data supplied by 21.5 million Americans, including some who had applied for government security clearances. The 2015 data breach at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management is still under investigation, U.S. officials have said.

Media reports said the stolen IS files came from a man calling himself Abu Hamed, said to be a former member of the Free Syrian Army. The FSA, which has been supported by Western and Arab governments in its fight against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was founded by officers and soldiers who deserted from the Damascus regime.

Abu Hamed said he abandoned the FSA and switched his allegiance to Islamic State, but eventually turned away from the terror group -- because, he said, it had departed from Islamist values and is now being led by Iraqis formerly loyal to that country's dictator Saddam Hussein.

Those who have seen the stolen data say much of it consists of enrollment forms with the names of Islamic State recruits, their supporters, telephone numbers and addresses and other information including their particular skills and personal references.

The recruits also were required to list their marital status, blood type and education level as well as "previous jihad experience" and their preferences for future jobs, either as fighter or suicide attacker ("martyr").

One Australian recruit is said to have written that he was willing to be a suicide attacker but that his short-sightedness and limited driving skills might be a factor. Another recruit who wrote that he suffered from severe headaches offered his services for an immediate suicide mission.

 Signs of 'Fraying'

The loss of so much data could be pivotal for Islamic State, which has been coming under increased pressure on numerous fronts.

The payoff for the U.S. and its coalition allies may not be immediate. But Islamic State's enemies, including countries like Iran, the Assad regime and rival groups like Jabhat al Nusra will be studying the data to map out Islamic State's operations and weak spots.

"We think about states of vulnerability in terms of information that states want to keep secret," Gartenstein-Ross told VOA. "Non-state actors -- especially when they're bureaucratic like [Islamic State], also have that same issue."

And while this Islamic State data breach is not the first suffered by the terror group, analysts and officials say it does lend more credence to the idea Islamic State may be succumbing to the pressure.

"Even within Mosul, which they still do control we've seen signs that they are fraying from within," Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters Wednesday. "The success weve had with our airstrikes, with our oil strikes (raids on IS-held oil facilities), is causing them great difficulty in paying their own people."

"That is causing desertions. It is causing loss of morale. It is causing there to be cases of insubordination," he added.

U.S. Army Colonel Steve Warren, spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State, said the information could identify and track down IS's foreign fighter networks.

Warren told the AP he was not able to verify the documents, but that he hoped they would be widely available to law-enforcement agencies.

"This would allow the law enforcement apparatus across the world to become much more engaged and begin to help do what we can to stem this flow of foreign fighters," Warren said. "So we're hopeful that it's accurate, and if so, we certainly plan to do everything we can to help."
North Korea on Thursday lambasted South Korea's decision to pursue its own sanctions against the North and vowed to liquidate South Korean assets in the Kaesong Industrial Complex and Mt. Kumgang.

"From this moment, we declare all the inter-Korean agreements on economic cooperation and exchange null and void," the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland said in a statement.

North Korea also said its troops are waiting for the final order to attack and warned that the Park Geun-hye government is "within the range of a primary attack" and warned South Korea will "pay an expensive price."
North Korea fired two short-range missiles into the East Sea on Thursday in a show of protest against the ongoing joint military drills between South Korea and the U.S., the Joint Chiefs of Staff here said.

The missiles are presumed to be Scuds.

The launches follow North Korea's claim on Wednesday that it has miniaturized a nuclear warhead so it can fit on a missile.

The missiles were fired at around 5:20 a.m. from North Hwanghae Province bordering South Korea, the JCS said. They appear to have traveled around 500 km.

Earlier this month, North Korea fired six rounds from a new 300-mm artillery battery into the East Sea, which is capable of hitting targets as far away as central South Korea.

The provocations appear to be protests against sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council and South Korea, as well as the ongoing South Korean-U.S. drills.

The military here is on heightened alert for potential North Korean provocations.

Meanwhile, Japan lodged a protest against North Korea's latest missile launches through its embassy in Beijing, and called a meeting of its National Security Council to look into other responses.


South Korea and the U.S. will stage special forces drills with Australia and New Zealand and the U.K. this year to boost deterrence against North Korea.

The drills will push the strategic boundaries in response to asymmetric threats from the North, the U.S. Forces Korea said Thursday.

Australia and New Zealand have sent more troops to the joint South Korea-U.S. drills every year, rising to 190 this year.

The underlying aim is to bring South Korea, Australia, Japan and the U.S. closer together to thwart China's military expansion in the Pacific.
Hong Kong refused entry to a North Korean vessel on Wednesday citing UN Security Council sanctions.

According to diplomatic sources on Thursday, Hong Kong authorities refused entry to the freighter Gold Star 3 as it was attempting to take on fuel and other goods.

UNSC Resolution 2270 adopted on March 2 bans 31 North Korean vessels owned by shipping company Ocean Maritime Management from foreign ports, including the Cambodian-registered Gold Star 3.

The ship remains on the high seas.

Other countries have also begun to turn away North Korean ships. The Philippines impounded a cargo ship last week and China refused entry to another one at a port in Shandong Province on Tuesday.


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An increasing number of pregnant women in Korea are canceling their international flights as the Zika virus spreads.

A total of 1,376 people, mostly pregnant women and their families, canceled their tickets going in February on the six Korean carriers, including 650 cancellations with Korean Air and 443 with Asiana. Bangkok flights suffered the greatest loss with 829 cancellations and Phuket was next with 415.

Korean airlines have waived the cancellation fee for pregnant women for tickets to destinations where Zika has been detected. They must present proof of pregnancy and the tickets must have been booked before Feb. 1 for departures before April 30.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believes it is only a matter of time until Zika lands in Korea because the latent period is up to 14 days and 80 percent of patients show no symptoms.

Experts warn that there are high chances that Zika will spread in Asia as yellow fever mosquitoes, which carry the virus, exist in southern China and Taiwan.

Since the first patient was confirmed in China on Wednesday, 12 more people have been found infected there. The Philippines has also seen infections, and though Hong Kong has not, it is home to Asian tiger mosquitoes, which also carry the virus.

Asian tiger mosquitoes are also found in Korea, but they are less likely to transmit the virus to humans than yellow fever mosquitoes. In Japan, a teenager who returned from a family vacation in Brazil was confirmed to have been infected on Feb. 25.


Mammootty's Rorschach hits all the right notes, except in the end | Movie Review
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#coronavirus-additional cases New COVID-19 cases under 30,000 for 4th consecutive day South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed below 30,000 for a fourth straight day Saturday with the daily death toll down to its 14-week low for a Saturday. The country reporte...

#BLACKPINK BLACKPINK to headline BST Hyde Park festival next year K-pop sensation BLACKPINK will headline British Summer Time (BST) Hyde Park in London next year, the group's agency and the festival announced Saturday. The four-member act will...
Christopher Nolan's always had a sharp eye for casting.

Whether it's selecting Heath Ledger for Joker or convincing Matt Damon to go completely undercover for Interstellar, he's always been able to tailor a role specifically to the right actor. It's been reported that Nolan has selected a complete unknown to lead Dunkirk, which is pretty interesting to say the least.

According to IMDB, Fionn Whitehead - the actor Nolan's cast alongside Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy and Kenneth Branagh - has only ONE credit to his name. Whether he's done a load of theatre or not, we're not sure. However, that's a pretty huge leap to go from complete obscurity to what's likely to be one of the biggest films of 2017.

Of course, casting unknowns in tentpole films seems to be the du jour thing now, what with the incredible success of Daisy Ridley in The Force Awakens. As for Dunkirk, production is underway with filming due to kick off in the summer. As we reported, Nolan is using actual warships for some of the battle scenes and is taking a decommissioned British warship from a naval museum in France for use in the film.

Dunkirk is scheduled for release on July 21st, 2017.

Via TheWrap






















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This is a polemical Catholic Royalist blog. It will also attempt to provide a window onto various events, situations and personalities not generally or favorably presented to the purview of the general public in the English speaking world. It also hopes to be a bridge for those who wish to cross over, unite and fight for the truth.Just remember, the Rhine still flows into the Tiber.Dedicated to the Immaculate and Sacred Hearts.
The European Parliament has condemned the deteriorating human rights record in Kazakhstan, citing the worsening climate for the media and free speech. MEPs are mostly concerned about the increasing pressure on independent media outlets, many of which are being shut down, as well as the detentions and criminal investigations of agency directors and journalists. Freedom of speech for independent media, bloggers and individual citizens is a universal value that cannot be bargained away, MEPs say, emphasizing that the Kazakh authorities should ensure that any measure to restrict access to internet resources is based on law.

Brussels said that the EU has a great interest in a sustainable relationship with Kazakhstan in terms of political and economic cooperation. However, deeper political and economic relations with the block must be based on shared values and correspond to an active and concrete engagement by Kazakhstan to conduct political and democratic reforms stemming from its international obligations and commitments.

The Parliament has likewise condemned the torture and assassination of an EU national Giulio Regeni in Egypt under suspicious circumstances as well as the worsening security and human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the case of Mr Regeni, who was pursuing a research project in Cairo, focusing on the development of independent trade unions in post-Mubarak and post-Morsi Egypt, the EU commented that it is not an isolated incident but occurred within a context of torture, death in custody and enforced disappearances across Egypt in recent years.

In the case of Congo, MEPs expressed their concerns regarding the deteriorating security situation since January 2015 when Congolese security and intelligence officials cracked down on peaceful activists and political leaders, who protested against President Joseph Kabilas amendment of the Constitution to enable him to stay in power. MEPs say that the Congolese government is responsible for preventing any deepening of the current political crisis or escalation of violence and to respect, protect and promote the civil and political rights of its citizens. The EU calls on the leadership of the Democratic Republic of Congo to comply with the constitution and guarantee democratic elections to be held in November this year.
China emerges as player in chemical M&A: report Updated: 2016-03-11 09:29 By PAUL WELITZKIN in New York(chinadaily.com.cn)

Faced with a maturing domestic market that will likely grow at a more measured pace, China's chemical companies could continue to be major participants in the industry's global merger-and-acquisition (M&A) scene, according to a new report from A.T. Kearney.

While North America is the largest market for chemical M&A activity, China is a close second, Kearney, a business management consultancy, said in a report released on Tuesday.

"Over the last 10 to 15 years, China has evolved into a major M&A player," Linus Hildebrandt, a Kearney principal for Asia Pacific, told China Daily. "Chinese companies will be on the hunt for targets with world-class technology in mature markets like Europe."

The Kearney report said that China has become one of the top acquiring countries, growing from 4 percent of volume in 2002 to 21 percent in 2015, just behind the US, with 22 percent. South Korea's share grew from 2 percent to 6 percent in the same period.

Two recent deals symbolize the Chinese ascent on the chemical takeover stage, according to Hildebrandt. In 2015, China National Chemical Corp (or ChemChina) agreed to buy into Italy's Pirelli SpA in a $7.7 billion acquisition.

The purchase will give ChemChina's tire-making division, China National Tire & Rubber, Pirelli's premium-tire technology and more access to the huge Chinese market for the Italian brand.

Last month, China National Chemical unveiled a nearly $43 billion offer for Swiss seed and pesticide company Syngenta AG to help transform it into a leading supplier of agrochemicals and pesticides.

Up until these purchases, Chinese acquisitions had been on the small- or mid-size level, Hildebrandt said. A few weeks before the Syngenta deal, ChemChina bought German industrial machinery maker KraussMaffei Group for about $1 billion.

Hildebrandt said the Chinese companies have developed a model for overseas acquisitions that will likely be used to integrate Pirelli and Syngenta.

"China generally keeps the existing management and allows the companies to operate independently," he said. "They are building upon their experience with smaller targets. It's not so much a takeover but more of a portfolio approach to management."

Kearney's fifth annual Chemicals Executive M&A Report noted that global chemical M&A deal values rose by 30 percent last year to $110 billion, and is predicting an all-time record spike in 2016.

With two mega-deals already announced  Dow Chemical Co and E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co's $130 million merger and ChemChina's bid for Syngenta  and potential large new transactions generated by emerging-market players, total chemical M&A values for 2016 could double last year's level, Kearney said.

Hildebrandt cited several factors for the rising level of chemical M&A: limited organic growth options, favorable feedstock prices, lower oil prices and portfolio optimization.

"Chinese chemical companies have limited growth opportunities domestically as the Chinese economy grows at rates below previous levels," he said. "This means Chinese companies will need to look outside of China. It's always cheaper to expand through acquisitions than it is by building a business."

Despite the size of the Syngenta deal, Hildebrandt expect Chinese companies to remain active M&A participants the rest of the year.

Samuel Feinstein, a partner at Apollo, an alternative investment manager controlling $162 billion of assets including chemical companies, told Kearney he expects to see a significant amount of corporate strategic transactions this year.

"The recently announced Dow-DuPont merger is clearly a sign of that. I also expect a meaningful number of non-core asset divestitures, like carve-out transactions. Carve-out transactions require a particular skill set to work through the inevitable challenges of carving an independent business out of another."

paulwelitzkin@chinadailyusa.com
China railcar giant to supply Chicago trains Updated: 2016-03-11 09:29 By HEZI JIANG in New York, ZHONG NAN in Beijing and XIE CHUANJIAO in Qingdao, Shandong(chinadaily.com.cn)

CSR Sifang America, a subsidiary of China Railway Rolling Stock Corp (CRRC), has been awarded a $1.3 billion contract to supply up to 846 new 7000-series railcars for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).

The company said on Wednesday that it will also build a new railcar assembly facility in the Windy City, representing an investment of $40 million, and will generate about 170 jobs.

"CSR Sifang America was selected because its proposal provided the best overall value for the Chicago Transit Authority, including technology, production schedule, creation of jobs in the US and price  CSR America's bid was $226 million lower than the competing bid from Bombardier Transportation," CTA spokesman Jeff Tolman told China Daily.

"With this agreement, CTA riders will get state-of-the-art rail cars and Chicago returns to our roots as the place where the next generation of rail cars are built, providing good jobs for our residents. That is a classic win-win for Chicago," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in the CTA statement.

In July 2014, Emanuel and the Chicago Federation of Labor announced a partnership to encourage the creation of US manufacturing jobs by working with CTA to include a "US employment" provision in the bids for the new cars.

"CSR Sifang America has proposed a facility for the southeast side of Chicago. The size and schedule of the facility have not yet been determined, but CSR Sifang America has pledged to invest up to $40 million," Tolman said.

The facility is expected to hire 170 locals, including mechanical engineers and electricians.

The prototype railcars are scheduled for delivery to the CTA in 2019 and are expected to be in service the following year. The base order of more than 400 railcars will arrive by 2024, with options for an additional 446 vehicles.

"This railcar purchase  the largest in CTA history  will give CTA one of the newest fleets in the United States," CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr said in the press release.

Once delivery of the new rail cars is complete, the average age of CTA rail cars will drop from 26 years to 13 years.

The new 7000-series railcars are projected to save the CTA about $7 million a year due to reduced maintenance costs and less use of power.

CRRC Qingdao Sifang said in a statement that the new vehicles, equipped with LED lighting, passenger information systems and air conditioners, will be able to tarvel at 112 kilometers per hour (70 mph).

Last year, another CRRC subsidiary was awarded a contract from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to design and manufacture 284 subway cars for Boston's transit system.

The 220,000-square-foot assembly facility has broken ground in Springfield, Massachusetts, and is expected to provide 150 jobs for local residents in manufacturing, engineering and administrative roles.

Wang Mengshu, a deputy to the National People's Congress and deputy chief engineer of China Railway Tunnel Group Ltd, hailed the Chicago deal as "another major breakthrough for the Chinese railway industry in the North American market".

Contact the writers at hezijiang@chinadailyusa.com.
China's aero-engine manufacturing set for take-off Updated: 2016-03-11 11:23 (Xinhua)

BEIJING - China has made up its mind to boost the domestic aero-engine industry as a state-level major project, targeting to relieve the nation from its lasting pain in the "heart of plane" and economic pressures.

The country listed aero-engine and gas turbine manufacturing as a major state-level project in the draft 13th Five-year plan (2016-2020) submitted to the national legislature.

"The aero-engine is the power plant of the aircraft and a powerful propeller for the country's domestic aviation industry," said Liu Daxiang, China's leading aero-engine expert and academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

"This move shows China's resolve to conquer the domestic aircraft industry."

China is seeking new growth drivers to offset downward pressure as the country continues its development under the "new normal."

The aircraft engine industry offers a chance for China to boost the economy while strengthening its defense manufacturing and pioneering technological innovation.

"It is highly anticipated aero-engines will help pioneer China's mid-and-long term development," Liu said.

China will continue supply-side structural reforms and foster new growth engines through innovation and entrepreneurship, according to a government work report delivered by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Fourth Session of the ongoing 12th National People's Congress.

The government will set up state-level innovation platforms this year, Li said.

The draft plan was presented to the ongoing annual parliamentary meetings for review. A few days before this, the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) posted a news on its website, releasing about the personnel appointment of a new state-owned aero-engine corporation, which is in preparation.

Industry insiders explain this move as the China aero-engine corporation has entered a substantial phase of establishment.

According to a strategy outline released by the AVIC, China plans to catch up or surpass their western peers in 20 years. The plan outlined three phases for development; First it will fill a vacancy, then it will catch up, and finally they plan to become equals.

"Strong growth engines push a nation to be more powerful. It is of great strategic significance and opportunity for China to boost the domestic aero-engine industry," said Liu.

The aero-engine project will be a major move for China, according to industry insiders. Requiring heavy investment and high risk over a long period, success requires strong leadership and coordination of several industries.

The aero-engine industry is often used to gauge a country's manufacturing level. It involves hundreds of different fields from precision manufacturing and material science to automatic controls.

In the past, it has been highly-monopolized by a few countries which have mastered the core technologies. Now it's up to Chinese professionals to crack the core technologies.

"The independent capacity of the aero-engine and gas turbine will surely boost China's aviation industry, as well as a strong engine for the economic transformation and upgrading," Liu said, adding he believes the country's choice will create a "strong heart" for homemade aircraft.
Cyber biz runs on mommy power Updated: 2016-03-11 08:11 By Meng Jing(China Daily Europe)

Billion-dollar startup mia.com, started by a new mother, symbolizes entrepreneurial spirit

Former stay-at-home mother Liu Nan, 32, clearly remembers the first day of her online baby products business on Taobao.com in 2011: Sales reached a stunning 60,000 yuan ($9,210; 8,407 euros).

In its second year, Miya Baobei (Chinese for sweet bud baby), her online shop on Taobao.com, rang up 13 million yuan in sales of products like diapers, baby formula, toys and garments.

That convinced a venture capital firm to invest 8 million yuan in March 2014 in Liu's mia.com, a Beijing-based cross-border e-commerce firm that has received four rounds of funding and is now valued at more than $1 billion.

Welcome to China's Internet-based businesses, a universe of entrepreneurial ideas, mushrooming startups and surging valuations.

Mia.com sources overseas branded baby and mom products, including health supplements for women, and resells them online, mostly to middle-class Chinese parents.

Liu Nan, founder of mia.com, says she was lucky to tap into the imported baby products sector before it became a big thing in China's e-commerce world. Provided to China Daily

"I'd say I was lucky to tap into the imported baby products sector before it became a big thing in China's e-commerce world," Liu says.

An increasing number of companies are jumping onto the online bandwagon of foreign baby products in anticipation of a baby boom with the scrapping of China's one-child policy late last year.

This has led to cutthroat competition and price wars. But Liu's mia.com has held onto its top spot despite the presence of China's e-commerce heavyweights such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and JD.com Inc.

"Unlike large e-commerce platforms, which see baby products as an important sector to boost their overall sales, we are dedicated to helping middle-class families access the best mom and baby products from abroad. That is the only thing we do," Liu says.

Being the mother of a 5-year-old girl not only helped Liu spot the business opportunity but also gives her an understanding of the products. She once teased a male competitor: "Everybody is discussing diapers as if you (men) really understand diapers, as if you had touched one before."

However, she says she is aware the company needs to evolve. "We need to transform ourselves from a company that is based on the dreams of a group of moms into a masculine firm that is able to bleed, fight and invade," she says.

According to mia.com, its sales surged to 2.5 billion yuan in 2015, up sevenfold from 2014. Liu predicts this year's sales will be around 6 billion yuan.

"The rapid development of the company raises the bar for management. When you think out of the startup box, you find that you need people with more experience and vision," she says.

At the start of 2015, 80 percent of mia.com's senior executive team were women. By November, 60 percent were men.

Beijing-based Internet consultancy Analysys International says the market for baby and mom products in China was valued at 2 trillion yuan in 2015, rising to 3 trillion yuan by 2018.
Growth focus Updated: 2016-03-11 08:08 By Andrew Moody(China Daily Europe)

Premier Li's assertion dispels negativity about Chinese economy and charts clear direction

The Chinese premier's insistence that China was not giving up on growth swept away much of this year's negative sentiment about the world's second-largest economy.

Li Keqiang made clear in his keynote speech delivering the Government Work Report to the National People's Congress in Beijing on March 5 that the country had no alternative but to "forge ahead".

"The next five years is an important period to overcome the middle-income trap and there will be many challenges and risks," he said.

"We have to focus on economic development without any hesitation and push ahead with development in a scientific way and deal with the challenges properly."

The premier set a target for 2016 growth of between 6.5 percent and 7 percent, using a band rather than a precise point for the first time in more than 20 years as the goal.

He also indicated that fiscal policy would be an important instrument to drive growth with the central budget deficit target being raised from 2.3 percent to 3 percent - the highest since the formation of the People's Republic of China in 1949 and deficits first being allowed in 1979.

The premier also placed major emphasis on supply-side structural reforms and, in particular, the biggest shake-up of China's state-owned enterprises since that of former premier Zhu Rongji in the 1990s.
Opening a window on rural China Updated: 2016-03-11 08:08 By Zhao Xu and Zhao Ruixue(China Daily Europe)



Feng Yuezhao, head of Fengjiacun village, stands in front of the 16-room buildings that were built in Zouping county, Shandong province, in 1987 to accommodate US academics.[Photo by Ju Chuanjiang / China Daily]

Zouping hosted important foreign academic exchanges in the 1980s and '90s, fostering connections with the world

For many years, Shi Changxiang, a chain-smoking county official from Shandong province in East China, was unaware that his tobacco addiction was regarded as a potential threat to the future of a hard-won research project between China and the United States.

The concerns were raised by Michel Oksenberg, an academic and senior member of the US National Security Council, who was deeply involved in the normalization of US-China relations during the Carter administration.

One of his initiatives was a cherished research project that allowed 87 American academics to visit Zouping county in Shandong between 1987 and 1991; sometimes the academics stayed for months to research issues ranging from local finance to the status of women, history to animal husbandry.

The smoking story was related by Guy Alitto, a professor of history at the University of Chicago and an active participant in the project: "It can be traced back to 1979, when late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping visited the US. During that visit, the two sides reached an agreement whereby the US National Academy of Sciences and Chinese institutions could exchange scholars for research programs every year. Then, in 1984, Oksenberg, on behalf of the Committee for Scholarly Exchange with the People's Republic of China, wrote to Deng requesting that China provide a rural site for academic research."
Treasuring a nation's roots Updated: 2016-03-11 08:11 By Yang Yang(China Daily Europe)



Xike village in Zhejiang is enveloped in a veil of mist. Photos by Lyu Jintian / For China Daily

Author and artist Feng Jicai has spent the past two decades investigating and trying to protect folk heritage, which is vanishing amid fast changes in Chinese society.

Among his recent books on folk culture is Heritage of 20 Ancient Villages from Beijing-based Culture and Art Publishing House.

The 74-year-old's interest in the country's ancient villages can be traced back to 2002, when he led a group of cultural experts to Hougou village in North China's Shanxi province.

The official study of ancient villages in China started in mid-2014, under the ministries of housing and urban-rural development, culture and finance, and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

"China is going through fast transformation, from an agricultural society to an industrial one. So we regard this heritage as our cultural wealth, which we must protect," Feng said at a recent ceremony to launch his book in Beijing.

"In the past, folk culture was inherited naturally from one generation to another, but not anymore. It is the responsibility of intellectuals like ourselves to think about it and act."

Feng's knowledge of ancient villages comes from his travels across the country, says Pu Jiao, deputy director of China's Traditional Village Protection and Development Research Center.

Feng says he expects about 1,500 more such villages will be added to the current list of 2,555 compiled after three rounds of data analysis. To qualify, the villages must not only have a long history and still exist, but also have unique architecture and cultural value.

Kaiyangbao village in Hebei province dates backs to 295 BC in the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).

In East China, Fujian's tulou, which are fortress-like residences built with soil, wood and rocks, present a unique style and local culture with their circular or square shapes. The tulou was added to UNESCO's World Heritage list in 2008.

In little over a year, information on more than 240 ancient villages in China has been archived.

"We want to set up a model for such archival works," says Feng. "We want the public to know about the ancient villages as well as our work through the new book."

In Heritage of 20 Ancient Villages, the locations are recorded both in text and through photos. It provides basic information about the villages, including when and why they were formed and the state they are in today. Photos show images of the villages and depict their cultural heritage, folklore, economy and residents.

"We try to record concrete and comprehensive information in a scientific way - not just the names of those villages - so that in the future when people want to learn about the villages they can do research based on our archives," Pu says.

"We don't have much time to talk about how to protect them because urbanization is happening so quickly. We have to first compete with time and excavators to record as much information as possible."

As Feng says, the book and archiving of materials on such villages isn't the work of a single generation. The process will continue.

"Even after the buildings are torn down, their cultural value will be noted one day," Pu says. "The archive is open. Anyone with valuable information on the villages can enrich it."

In choosing the 20 cases for the book, the research team tried to include a lot of geographical diversity, "so as to include unique villages with prominent characteristics that best represent the regional culture in different places", she says.

The 20 villages are scattered across 12 provinces and municipalities, including Hebei, Shanxi, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong provinces, the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, and Beijing and Chongqing.

One of the ancient villages that impressed Pu the most is Hougou in Shanxi.

The village is well preserved, and in terms of a general layout, it strictly follows the rules of feng shui. Formed during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the village has many Taoist and Buddhist temples with stone tablets. The architectural style is that of cave houses that often are built into hillsides.

"The drainage system built in ancient times is used even today. People still make a lot of cloth products by hand, such as pads for shoes and stuffed toys," Pu says.

Chinese civilization is rooted in rural life. Folklore and tangible and intangible cultural heritage were all born in the villages, she adds.

"If the ancient villages vanish, their cultural heritage will be gone. That will be a tremendous pity for our country. That's why we are trying to collect as much information about them as possible."

yangyangs@chinadaily.com.cn





Rooftops of traditional houses feature delicate brick carvings and calligraphy.
Switched on to digital trans-Pacific route Updated: 2016-03-11 08:09 By Jorge Heine(China Daily Europe)

Governments' agreement to look into laying fiber-optic cable from China to Chile good for Latin America

Rather than slowing down, globalization is morphing. As Digital Globalization: The New Era of Global Flows, a recent report from McKinsey Global Institute, tells us, digital flows are now more economically significant than trade in goods.

In an ever-more-connected world, cross-border bandwidth use has grown 45 times in the past decade. The fiber-optic cables that crisscross the world today are the modern-day equivalent of the 19th century railway tracks that made it possible to populate and develop vast swathes of the five continents.

Nowadays, 90 percent of Internet traffic circulates on these submarine cables that link continents, modern highways that allow us to communicate almost in real time. Over the past 25 years, a vast network of cables has been built across the oceans and along the coasts, with dramatic effects on the lives of people in all conditions.

Yet a look at a world map with the layout of fiber-optic cables shows an anomaly. Although they connect much of the world, not one directly links Asia with South America (or Latin America, for that matter). Over the past 15 years, trade and investment flows between Asia and Latin America have soared, and China has been at the center of it, accounting for about half of the nearly $500 billion worth of trade.

However, Internet communications between Latin American countries and China need to be routed through North America. At a time when South-South economic exchanges are more significant than North-South ones, this needs to change.

Pedro Huichalaf, the Chilean vice-minister of telecommunications, recently visited China and signed a preliminary agreement with Lin Nianxiu, his counterpart at the National Development Reform Commission. The agreement includes a commitment to a feasibility study on a trans-Pacific fiber-optic cable that would link China and Chile, perhaps from Qingdao to Valparaiso.

Chile is the country with the highest Internet penetration in Latin America (more than 70 percent, and a 127 percent mobile penetration rate) and is ideally positioned as a digital hub for the region.

China is making the transition from being the world's factory to that of a hub for these data flows, the driving force of the "fourth industrial revolution". It is now ranked seventh in the world in McKinsey's Connected Index, up from 25th a few years ago. So it is well-placed to drive such an ambitious project, which would entail laying 19,000 kilometers of fiber-optic cable across the Pacific Ocean.

Such a project would also give impetus to links between Asia and Latin America, at a time when the end of the commodities supercycle, and the flattening of trade in goods more generally, has put a dampener on trans-Pacific trade (global trade in goods as a share of world GDP declined from 26.6 percent in 2007 to 24.6 percent in 2014). As China prioritizes innovation and services as the drivers of its economy, Latin American countries should keep in mind the implications of this for their own way forward.

China's Belt and Road Initiative, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank are all projects that show China's commitment to infrastructure development in the global south. Highways, railways and maritime routes have been highlighted until now as likely centerpieces of their initial project portfolio. But as important as physical infrastructure projects are, we must also consider the imperatives of the new phase in globalization, with cross-border data flows as the main driver and digital infrastructure as its handmaiden.

By linking Asia and Latin America, such a trans-Pacific fiber-optic cable between China and Chile would do much to spur growth and development on both sides of the ocean.

The author is the Chilean ambassador to China. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

(China Daily European Weekly 03/11/2016 page13)
School that serves up butlers Updated: 2016-03-11 08:11 By Li Yang(China Daily Europe)

The number of wealthy Chinese keeps rising, prompting greater demand for highly trained domestic staff

"Can a newspaper really be ironed, and what for?" asks Pei Yuchen, an office clerk at a state-owned enterprise, after reading about a school for butlers in Chengdu in the southwestern province of Sichuan.

The 30-something's second question was: "Can a butler really make 1 million yuan ($152,000; 138,500 euros) a year?"

Vincenzo Matarrese, an Italian instructor and former bartender at a five-star hotel in Europe, teaches a trainee how to serve at the table. Provided to China Daily

Pei is considering quitting her job, which she describes as "boring and predictable", because she believes working as a butler for a wealthy family will not only fatten her purse, but also be an eye-opening experience.

Tang Yang, public relations manager of the International Butler Academy in Chengdu, says she often received phone calls from people such as Pei after the media reported the opening of the school, the first of its kind on the Chinese mainland, in July 2014.

The academy is affiliated with an academy based in the Netherlands run by a veteran butler, Robert Wennekes, who was born into a butlering family. Wennekes established the academy in 1999 in a 14th-century castle, after recognizing the great difficulty of finding high-quality, professional butlers for his clients.

As more billionaires appeared in China, Wennekes opened the Chengdu school in 2014, in cooperation with a local businesswoman in the real estate industry. "After mansions, cars, yachts, jets and bodyguards, wealthy Chinese families need butlers. Higher-end property projects are also in dire need of senior butlers to improve the quality of their services," says Pu Yan, the school's marketing director.

"The level of butler service directly indicates the taste of the masters. And China's new rich will pursue higher tastes of etiquette and higher-quality family life, which entails quality butler services."

The Chengdu school has two teaching sites - one in a luxury villa in Chengdu's suburbs, the other in a private club in a high-rise in an up-market residential community, with a grand view of the Jinjiang River.

Owned by Wennekes' Chinese business partner, the two sites provide a real-life household environment in which to instruct students.

After paying 40,000 yuan in tuition - enough to pay for eight years of college tuition in Sichuan - the trainee butlers receive six weeks' "intensive and professional" training from instructors from the United States, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands, in addition to three meals a day and a butler's suit.

The first few days of training are the most interesting, according to Vincenzo Matarrese, an Italian instructor and former bartender at a five-star hotel in Europe.

He says that in the first few days the Chinese students learn to become familiar with a whole range of Western etiquette and protocols, from personal grooming to setting tables and pouring wine. He displays different kinds of grapes on the table and explains the differences between various types of wines.

Liu Kecheng, former manager of a five-star hotel and now a travel consultant for wealthy Chengdu residents, attended the training sessions through his company's cooperation with the school.

"It was the first time I learned that it takes about two hours to clean a pair of shoes through 12 procedures. I realized how considerate, meticulous and good at handling multiple tasks a successful butler should be," Liu says.

Christopher Noble, an Ohioan who is director of training at the Chengdu school, graduated from the academy in the Netherlands in 2012. He says China is one of the first civilizations in history to have butlers, called guanjia, or "housekeeper".

"What we are reintroducing here already existed for hundreds of years," he says.

But the cultural differences between the West and China constitute a major obstacle for the instructors.

Noble has noticed that there are many differences between serving a Western employer and a Chinese one.

"Chinese businessmen and businesswomen tend to hold their household staff at arm's length. In the West, they give the butlers trust and the butlers are in the inner circle. Butlers sometimes even know more about their masters than the other family members do," he says. "I should know everything about you, and your personal life, not because I am nosy, but because the knowledge can help me better serve you."

Although the Chengdu academy instructs trainees in Western standards, most of the students have to adapt to the practical circumstances in their future Chinese principals' homes.

liyang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 03/11/2016 page21)
'You've got to be irrational sometimes' Updated: 2016-03-11 08:11 By Cecily Liu(China Daily Europe)

Entrepreneur building an international company that delivers food dispenses some advice

When William Shu founded a food-delivery company in England three years ago, he was the first driver. Now the firm has over 300 employees, over 5000 freelance drivers, thousands of partner restaurants in more than 12 countries and has raised $100 million from investors.

"It's rewarding to see the firm expanding from city to city," says Shu, 36, a Chinese-American. "It's stressful, time-consuming and extremely fun from an emotional perspective."



William Shu quit his investment banking job to start a food-delivery business in Europe. Provided to China Daily

Shu was speaking at the University of Oxford's Said Business School, where he gave a talk at the Oxford-China Forum on entrepreneurship. Dressed in jeans and a casual shirt, he resembles the typical technology startup personality. But things were not always this way.

Shu, who was born and raised in Connecticut to Chinese parents, had a traditional Chinese upbringing, where hard work is valued and a highly paid job is seen as the preferred career pathway. After graduating from Northwestern University in Chicago he landed an investment banking job at Morgan Stanley in New York.

"Back then, we were working 100 hours a week, and we ate dinner every day with a $25 stipend, and that was the highlight of our day," Shu says.

New York's food-delivery scene was every bit as good as Shu had expected, so when he was transferred to Morgan Stanley in London in 2008 the paucity of good food-delivery services surprised him.

"The hours were the same and I would end up having to walk to Burger King or Tesco, which was pretty depressing."

He began to think about starting a food-delivery company, but back in those days the logistics could not support it. Smartphones were not nearly as common as they are now, and smartphone applications were at a rudimentary stage of development, so real-time information could not be shared between customers, restaurants and drivers, meaning quick delivery could not be guaranteed.

The London food delivery scene was just taking off, with the help of delivery firms such as Just Eat, which was founded in Denmark in 2001 and expanded to London in 2006. Just Eat connects restaurants and customers, but Shu did not like the idea of restaurants delivering food themselves because of what he saw as inconsistent service.

He went back to study for an MBA at Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania, and when he graduated in 2012 he realized the timing was right for Deliveroo, which he founded in 2013 with a childhood friend, Greg Orlowski.

Central to Deliveroo's business model is the firm's network of drivers on motorcycles, who may be students or part-time workers. Deliveroo uses sophisticated technology algorithms to make sure restaurants and customers have real-time information of the location of the driver. This, the company says, results in consistent service and an average delivery time of 30 minutes.

The business charges restaurants 25 percent of the food's price as commission, a cost the restaurant, rather than the customer, covers, plus a charge of 2 pounds and 50 pence ($3.50). The business rapidly took off, and is now in partnership with 5,000 restaurants worldwide, including Dishoom, Ping Pong, Dirty Burger and even Michelin-starred Trishna in London.

Deliveroo is available in 30 UK cities and 20 cities elsewhere, mostly in Europe. The startup is now making forays into Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia. The secret to building up volume is to expand from neighborhood to neighborhood, as density matters to the customer experience, Shu says. "We don't have to go to an entire city straight away."

Shu says China and the US have big potential but business expansion is difficult. Common to both markets is their large populations, which means technology firms that want to grab market share are undercutting competitors' costs by constantly giving out discounts and offers. It creates a competitive market in terms of cost, but Shu believes it is unsustainable.

"The platform technology market enabled by smartphone applications like Uber and its Chinese equivalent Didi Kuaidi is new and emerged in recent years, so market players are still trying to work out how it works. In countries with big populations, Uber and Didi Kuaidi are trying to drive each other out through costs. This can't be the long-term solution, and we will wait to see what happens when the competition settles down before entering the market."

Despite the difficulty of bringing Deliveroo to China, Shu says his Chinese upbringing had a strong impact on him, and one obvious effect is his love for Chinese food. Chinese noodles and dumplings are his favorites. Perhaps the entrepreneurial spirit of Chinese people also influenced Shu to a certain extent, and he said the job is now very rewarding.

"It's rewarding to see you're doing something that changes the way people transact. You're also building a team of people around you."

His early banking career gave him the important tools of discipline and an analytical framework, but one crucial ingredient of the successful entrepreneur is to be irrational, he says.

"You've got to be irrational sometimes, because if you're rational all the time then what you end up doing is what other people have done already."

cecily.liu@mail.chinadailyuk.com

(China Daily European Weekly 03/11/2016 page29)
Complex VAT refund hurts UK tourism Updated: 2016-03-11 08:11 By Wang Mingjie(China Daily Europe)

Analysts and Chinese travelers complain of confusing fees, low exchange rates and long waiting times to get their money

Tourism experts and overseas visitors, including from China, have criticized the UK's tax-refund system for being too complex and time-consuming.

The system, in place since 1995, allows tourists from outside the European Union to claim back valued-added tax on any purchases made in the country upon departure. Yet critics argue that it threatens to hamper the United Kingdom's bid to become a major shopping destination.



Chinese tourists stand in a queue to get VAT refund at Heathrow Airport Terminal 3. Wang Mingjie / China Daily

"The poor VAT refund experience, as well as hidden fees, certainly decreases Chinese travelers' satisfaction about their UK travel and lowers the UK image as a destination," says Yang Jingjing, a lecturer on tourism development at the University of Surrey.

According to the rules, non-EU residents who buy goods in the UK can apply for a VAT refund when they leave the country. In theory, this involves filling out a form and presenting it with receipts to a refund booth, like those at the airport. In practice, however, the procedure can be time-consuming, proving an extra burden for passengers who already need to pass through lengthy security checks.

The complexities of the procedure, the number of companies that operate refund programs, and long lines at airport counters mean many tourists are either losing out or being charged what some say are exorbitant fees.

Chen Lizhi, a recent Chinese graduate of Loughborough University in the East Midlands, says she spent 4,000 pounds ($5,680; 5,170 euros) on luxury bags, clothes and skin care products during a London shopping trip, paying about 700 pounds in VAT.

"I ended up receiving a refund of just 368 pounds," she says. "I didn't expect there'd be an additional handling fee at the airport counter, as a big chunk had already been taken out at the time of the purchase. Also, the currency exchange rate at the refund desk is low compared with high-street rates.

"I may hesitate to shop again in London as the cost of getting a refund is too high."

To qualify for a VAT refund, tourists have to spend a minimum amount, which varies from retailer to retailer. At the point of sale, foreign customers can ask for a refund form and the retailer and/or the VAT refund operator will charge a service fee. Rates vary depending on the sum and the operator.

The main refund operators are Global Blue, Premier Tax Free, Tax Free Worldwide and Innova Tax Free, while companies such as Travelex, Moneycorp and International Currency Exchange act as agents to process the refunds and handle currency exchanges.

"I'm very confused by the different rates charged by the retailer and the VAT refund operators," says Qian Sujia, a frequent visitor to the UK from Hangzhou. "As a tourist, I can't do much, but I'd appreciate it if someone could provide a clear table for what will be charged."

Global Blue says the company does not share "refund tables" in any of its markets due to commercial sensitivity, adding that its services are optional and can be declined if travelers prefer not to pay its service fee.

"They can liaise directly with merchants and local authorities; however, this process is a very lengthy and complex one," the company said in a statement.

Selfridges, a popular store among Chinese visitors to London, would not comment on fees for VAT refunds, saying only that its tax-free shopping service is operated by Global Blue.

Harrods, another famous British department store, also declined to comment on fees, but says it is continuing to work with Global Blue to improve the tax-free process by providing a selection of options for receiving tax refunds, including cash in store for sales under 10,000 pounds and instant refunds via Harrods Rewards Cards or Alipay, the third-party payment system owned by Chinese technology company Alibaba.

Customers are also charged a fee at the airport counter for cash refunds. And although there is no fee for credit or debit cards, overseas visitors have complained they find it hard to chase refunds that fail to make it to their account in time once they return to their native country.

"I had the experience of not receiving money from a card refund, and I couldn't do much about it when I returned to China," Qian says. "Plus, non-UK credit and debit cards will also impose their own exchange rates."

Lei Yamin, a Chinese tourist from Zhejiang province, adds, "I was appalled that those who want a refund in sterling are asked to take out every single item they have purchased to be checked, while those who want a foreign currency don't. That is a clear indication that a sterling refund is discouraged, as the currency conversion rate at the refund booth is much lower than on the high street."

In response, Travelex said in a statement that it is reviewing its practices at airports to shorten wait times, and added that it is legally required to conduct random checks on people's goods at VAT refund counters.

However, Hugo Jenney, a partner at British law firm Stephenson Harwood, says the lack of clarity in the system is ripe for criticism, as it allows various parties to potentially exploit the naivety and lack of bargaining power of the average foreign tourist to the UK.

"It's fair to have certain charges, but whether they are clearly outlined to the buyers so they know what they are doing and what their choices are, or whether they are exploiting a muddy area in which they know the tourists will not complain is another matter," he says.

He adds that he was shocked by one report that a Chinese visitor had lost about 50 percent of her VAT refund, arguing that various participants are "profiteering" from the complexities of the system.

Such inefficiency would not be tolerated in many other markets, he says, and the reason it is in the UK is because there is no transparency, and perhaps also a lack of competition or interest in competitiveness, he says. Jenney says the system would benefit from some scrutiny from a body that can impose guidelines.

Yang at Surrey University agrees, adding that a hotline or online service should be set up to make sure Chinese tourists can track refunds once they depart the UK. Handling complaints may also require cooperation from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and tourism organizations, she says.

The office of David Gauke, financial secretary to the British Treasury, declined to comment when contacted by China Daily. However, the HMRC responded with a statement saying: "We're working on creating a digital VAT refund scheme for overseas shoppers. This will provide shoppers and retailers with a quicker and easier way to take advantage of the refund scheme." It did not reveal a time frame for its implementation, however.

"Shopping is a huge part of many tourists' visits to Britain," says Patricia Yates, director of VisitBritain, the UK's official tourism board. "A simple and slick VAT refund scheme would make us a more attractive destination for high-spending visitors, including the Chinese, who are some of our highest spenders."

Latest figures from VisitBritain show Chinese made 214,000 visits between January and September last year, up 37 percent on the same period in 2014. Each spent on average 2,688 pounds.

Tourism has become big business in the UK, with the number of people employed in the industry growing by almost 12 percent in the five years up to 2014, from 2.66 million to 2.97 million, according to VisitBritain.

David Higgins, general manager of China Links Travel, warns that if inbound clients from China are not able to see financial benefits from the VAT refund system "and are met with additional paperwork, then it could affect their overall decision of where to tour, especially if the process is much smoother in other European countries such as France and Italy".

wangmingjie@mail.chinadailyuk.com

(China Daily European Weekly 03/11/2016 page28)
China can lead world health efforts Updated: 2016-03-11 08:12 By Cecily Liu(China Daily Europe)

Country has increasingly equitable care that can provide a model for the developing world, public health expert Lincoln Chen says

China has the potential to be a leader in world advances through dialogue about strengthening healthcare equity and coverage, says Lincoln Chen, president of the China Medical Board.

With an increasingly universal healthcare insurance system domestically and growing international economic integration, sharing China's medical aid and national experiences would be a natural step for its leadership among developing countries, Chen tells China Daily.

"China started in the 1950s by sending medical teams to developing countries and China's health teams now cover almost 50 counties. China is also intellectually engaged in global health issues," he says.

Chen spoke at the Prince Mahidol Award Ceremony conference in Thailand in January, and says the 50 Chinese participants at the ceremony is testimony to China's growing international engagement in such discussions. Ten years ago, there were no Chinese participants. The Prince Mahidol Award Foundation was established in commemoration of the prince, known as "the father of modern medicine and public health of Thailand", the foundation website says.

China dispatched 55 medical teams with 3,600 workers to nearly 120 medical centers in recipient countries between 2010 and 2012, according to the Chinese government. They trained tens of thousands of local medical staff, which has relieved to some extent the shortage of medical services in recipient countries.

Over the same period, China spent 200 million yuan ($30.7 million; 27.9 million euros) to provide antimalaria medicines, H1N1 influenza vaccines and cholera vaccines free to other developing countries. It also held training in the prevention of infectious diseases.

"China is a global economic power and wants to contribute more, which shows it is taking up its responsibilities as a global power," Chen says.

Moreover, medical aid is relevant for China's leadership in regional integration projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative, through which China hopes to facilitate trade and investment exchanges between Europe and Asia through infrastructure investment.

"You cannot construct a high-speed road without seeing the health implications, whether it's patients' migration, epidemic disease control or penetration into backward regions," he says, referring to past cases of integration's health effects as examples.

One such example of the health impact of trade is the high risk of developing resistance against malaria drugs as Cambodians migrated into Thailand and Myanmar over recent decades. "There will be health implications of trade even if you don't consider health risks at the beginning."

Chen, who trained as a doctor at Harvard Medical School, spent his early career working in hospitals and on healthcare projects around the world before becoming president of the New York-based China Medical Board 10 years ago.

Established in 1914 with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, China Medical Board works with many Chinese medical schools to share experience, training and scholarship funding. It is the key organization that finances Peking Union Medical College.

Chen says China's current budget aid to developing countries, like African countries, is biased toward building hospitals and providing medical teams, but the training of doctors and sharing of experiences are equally valuable.

For example, when visiting dental and optician vocational training centers in rural Sichuan province, he realized such a model of training could be useful to other developing countries, and should be "more widely propagated".

Compared with developed countries, where dentists and opticians receive college degrees, the vocational training model in Sichuan recognizes that not all dentists and opticians have to be as highly educated as university graduates, as long as the vocational training gives them essential skills to perform their jobs.

Chen says China "will be looked to as a world leader in the meeting of the Sustainable Development Goals". The 17 goals were established by the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit on Sept 25, 2015, by world leaders, who adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Out of the 17 goals outlined, the first six directly address health disparities, primarily in developing countries, which are poverty reduction, hunger and food security, health, education, gender equality, and water and sanitation.

Perhaps this is of no surprise considering that China has made significant contributions to the UN Millennium Development Goals adopted in 2000, the forerunner of the Sustainable Development Goals, which mainly focused on growth and poverty reduction.

"I think the most important aspect of achieving efficiency and equity in healthcare coverage is to allow people to drive forward the agenda of their own countries. China respects the sovereignty of other countries, so the next step would be investing in the capacity of talented leaders in other countries," Chen says.

On top of providing aid and developing talent in other economies, China would also create many benefits if it can facilitate public health discussions among developing countries and use its influence to make developing countries' key concerns heard.

One such example of concern could be the health implications of the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement on developing economies, as TPP has a conservative stance on intellectual property protection that could lead to protective measures that reduce the accessibility of drugs to developing countries, he says.

Meanwhile, Chen says he is hopeful about China's healthcare reform, believing it can lead to increasingly more equitable universal coverage. "The current healthcare reform began in the '90s, covering such areas as insurance protection, primary healthcare, public health, pharmaceuticals, and reforms of major hospitals. The reforms are making some progress because the government gives priority to healthcare."

In more recent years, the Chinese government's proposed healthcare reform agenda has focused on increasing insurance coverage, improving primary care, and encouraging private sector provision of healthcare to complement public provision, all of which are focus points of China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020).

Chen says he sees one key challenge for China's reforms being the building of the primary care system. There is a shortage of qualified general practitioners and the pay incentives in this sector are insufficient, especially to motivate general practitioners to move to grassroots rural clinics.

"The big hospitals are flooded with patients, most of whom could have their conditions taken care of at lower levels. Primary care and big hospitals are two sides of the same coin that need to be smoothed out over the coming years."

Talking to doctors at hospitals has made Chen realize that they are often under heavy stress from the patient load, which can be as high as 50 patients in half a day.

"There are too many patients, with limited time for examinations and diagnosis, and doctor-patient communication can be poor. This then leads from the patients' perspective to lacking trust in doctors and hospitals. This is especially the case when they feel they are getting overcharged and have long wait times."

Chen sees China's increasing insurance coverage as encouraging, and especially the government's efforts to focus on extending coverage to rural citizens, ethnic groups and other low-income communities.

The Chinese government's method for channeling funding into primary healthcare by making insurance reimbursement for certain treatments available only at the primary level is also encouraging, Chen says. The policy means patients who bypass primary level clinics and receive treatment at big hospitals will need to pay more or higher prices.

Another key change that could dramatically lead to China's healthcare improvement is the development of a multidisciplinary approach to healthcare education, he says.

"Today China's medical schools focus strictly on the technicalities of diseases, but education needs to recognize that other factors like food, education and environment also affect public health."

This is particularly true as China is experiencing fewer risks in infectious diseases and more problems with illnesses that predominate in developed economies such as obesity, diabetes and cancer.

cecily.liu@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 03/11/2016 page32)
Career of student with fashion bent Updated: 2016-03-11 08:11 By Cecily Liu(China Daily Europe)

When Kong Jialin, 26, graduated two years ago with a degree in fine art from Central Saint Martin's, the renowned college in London, she aspired to have her own design brand.

Fate took her in another direction, and today Kong finds herself helping others - Chinese and British fashion designers - to take their wares to international markets.

"I realized that perhaps the market didn't just need another boutique brand, and by building a platform to gather like-minded designers I can drive forward a trend as well as help empower so many talented young designers," Kong says, sitting in her studio in hip Brick Lane, east London, a location that is home to independent designers, artists and musicians who aspire to challenge mainstream trends.

In her neat and cozy studio is a large bookshelf filled with art, design and fashion books. Contemporary artworks hang on the wall, and two big clothing racks with clothes of varied style, make and colors dominate the room.

Favotell is the company that Kong founded last year to channel her creative energy into. The name is a portmanteau of the words favorite and tell, consistent with the brand's idea of communicating one's favorite fashion collection with a wider audience.

The company started by collecting commissions from British and Chinese fashion designers to promote their brands internationally. She then expanded to creating online retailing through Favotell ecommerce outlets, which are to be launched this year.

The next step will be to use her knowledge and contacts in the Chinese fabric industry to help designers find reliable fabric material and production outlets, Kong says. She plans to open Favotell flagship stores in Shanghai and London in a year to sell the fashion collections of partner designers.

Despite Kong's young age and short career, she is a woman with big dreams, backed by a proactive attitude and efficient execution. So far, Favotell has held two promotional events for its partner designers, both featuring innovation and drawing in many visitors.

The London event was held in Gallery Different, a contemporary art space. She laid out the space using fashion and fine art concepts, and showcased the works of nine fashion designers and one artist.

The center of the gallery is decorated with a big, wooden house through which visitors can walk and see pieces of clothing on hangers. A big installation of a model wearing fashionable clothing was projected onto the wall, to compare and contrast the real clothing in the room.

"Apart from buyers and media, we had so many visitors who happened to be walking past the gallery and they all came in to see the works and were amazed by it," Kong says.

Favotell's Shanghai exhibition had even more fascinating origins. It was held over four days in December in a building Favotell now uses as its studio, located in Changle Road, which is dotted with small boutiques that have become a draw card for fashion designers in Shanghai.

The office space Kong rents as Favotell's studio is the old home of the Peking Opera star Zhou Xinfang (1895-1975). As most of Zhou's children live abroad, the space was rented out for commercial purposes, although occasionally those passing over this road still mistake it as a tourist attraction when they read the "Zhou Xinfang's home" plaque outside the building.

"Many visitors had been disappointed on realizing our place is not open to the public, so when we finally opened our studio for visitors we attracted a lot of attention in the neighborhood," Kong says.

Kong, who grew up in Shanghai, loved drawing in her childhood, and this eventually led to her studying fine art. After graduating from Central Saint Martin's, she could not decide whether to create her own brand.

"At that crucial moment, my mother said to me that the influence of an independent brand is quite small, so why not create a platform where I can achieve a lot more with collective efforts of like-minded people. That led me to a completely different future."

cecily.liu@mail.chinadailyuk.com
AIIB will do things a little differently Updated: 2016-03-11 08:09 By Gao Bei(China Daily Europe)

New infrastructure investment bank will learn from its established peers, but aims for added flexibility

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank began operations on Jan 16, with its 57 founding members witnessing its launch.

In his speech at the opening ceremony, President Xi Jinping said: "The founding of this bank proves once again that whenever there is a will, there is a way."

As a China-initiated multilateral bank, various sides questioned the bank when it was put forward. With support from the Chinese leadership, the government communicated with many countries on the foundation of the bank many times. Based on fairness and collaboration, the bank gradually won approval from some countries.

Twenty-one countries signed a preliminary agreement on Oct 24, 2014, to establish a new multilateral bank to finance infrastructure projects in Asia, and then in June last year, founding members signed the articles of agreement in Beijing, another important milestone. The articles took effect and the bank was officially established on Dec 29.

As a regional multilateral development bank, it has borrowed the mature experience of its peers. At the same time, the bank has incorporated some new things.

First, compared with its established peers, the AIIB is more open and inclusive. For example, it allows loan recipients to resort to global procurement for their products instead of restricting them to purchase only from its members. This practice will allow loan recipients to source the products that best suit them and maximize the benefits.

Second, the bank has reformed the bloated, overstaffed structures of existing development banks. For example, the AIIB does not have a permanent board of directors. It has only a few agencies outside China. It has only 500 to 600 staff members, which effectively reduces the bank's operational costs. Also, the bank has easier procedures for assessing and approving loans. This creates a simple framework and is highly efficient.

Third, the bank will have a more flexible investment model. Bank loans, equity investments and financial guarantees would be done at the same time, which can integrate market resources and take them into infrastructure construction at the largest scale. It would boost the bank's leverage effect, increasing infrastructure construction projects' attraction to private investors.

And last, while the bank shares common principles with other multilateral financial institutions in terms of transparency and social and environmental concerns, what is unique to the AIIB is that it is not obsessed with free-market policies. That is to say, the bank will not set privatization and the loosening of capital controls as conditions for countries to apply for loans.

The bank has received some criticism, but we believe different sides will come to an agreement through better communication.

The founding of the bank will benefit infrastructure construction investment in Asia, and promote regional communication and economic integration, but it is like to face many challenges.

The first is ratings pressure. Even though the bank has an accurate functional orientation, huge market potential, a high rate of paid-in capital and is supported by its shareholders, the rating agencies may lower its rating because they worry that the main shareholders lack experience in running multilateral financial institutions.

The second is whether the bank will insist on high standards during the process of managing projects, one of the biggest criticisms from the international community.

The third is the AIIB's collaboration with other multilateral financial institutions. Some say the foundation of the bank is a challenge to the existing international financial rules, and it will compete with its peers.

Even though questions and challenges may not disappear immediately, the Chinese government's determination regarding the bank can be seen from Xi's statement. The government's aims - such as to help member countries develop higher-quality, lower-cost infrastructure projects; welcome different kinds of cooperation from multilateral institutions, and take part in Belt and Road Initiative construction together - will be realized with the efforts of all member countries.

The author is a researcher with the Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
Making head and tail of eco-problems Updated: 2016-03-11 08:09 By Xin Laizhe(China Daily Europe)

Purple haze. For those who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s, the words bring back memories of the electrifying Jimi Hedrix and his more electrifying ways with the guitar. For many living in North China today, they may sound more like one of the stanzas in the song: Purple haze all in my eyes/Don't know if it's day or night/You got me blowin', blowin' my mind/Is it tomorrow, or just the end of time?

We are talking about smog. The smog that prompted the world media to pounce on China, blaming it for all that was wrong with emissions control.

When Beijing issued two red alerts for smog in succession in December, foreign media outlets made it out as it was the end of the world. Images of people in different types of masks were splashed across the foreign media, some even highlighting people wearing gas masks. Some Chinese media outlets too joined the fray, either enamored by their overseas counterparts or to genuinely portray the serious state of affairs.

Serious the condition was during those few days. There is no denying of it. Or else, the authorities wouldn't have ordered schools closed, construction halted, traffic restricted and production in seriously polluting industries suspended. But instead of appreciating the prompt action of the Chinese authorities, many media outlets focused on the inconvenience caused to the parents of school-going children and residents in general.

Ironically, had the authorities not imposed the emergency measures, the media would have decried its lackadaisical approach to the serious health hazard. A perfect situation of damned if you do, damned if you don't.

This is not to suggest China doesn't face a smog (and carbon emissions) problem, or for that matter environmental challenge. It does. And it admits it. We could differ with the way it intends to solve the problem or overcome the challenge. For example, the continued stress on urbanization could, to some extent, offset the gains of the environmental protection measures. We could even say the pace of implementing the eco-protection measures is not conducive to meeting the challenge.

But the history of environmental degradation is long. And contrary to popular belief, it did not start with reform and opening-up. Of course, the fast economic development of the past three decades or more aggravated it. That, however, is the price all countries have paid, continue to pay, and will pay in the future for economic development and prosperity. Moreover, it wouldn't be out of place to remind foreign critics eager to target China for all the wrong reasons that many of the country's polluting industries were producing goods (and still do) to satisfy the rest of the world's (especially the West's) consumption demand.

China is a country of more than 1.3 billion people. Its problems are different in nature and dimension than those of most other countries. It has to strike the right balance between environment protection and economic development, lest it leaves a large percentage of its population to the rigors of poverty and desperation.

This is exactly what the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) aims to do. Presenting the Government Work Report on the opening day of the National People's Congress' annual session on March 5, Premier Li Keqiang said China faces a tough battle to keep its economy growing by at least 6.5 percent every year over the next five years while creating more jobs and restructuring inefficient industries - which would include highly polluting industries.

Among the challenges China faces are tricky financial markets, slowing global trade and environmental degradation. And to improve the environment, the five-year plan aims to restrict total energy consumption to 5 billion tons of standard coal by 2020 and make water consumption more efficient.

China knows its environmental problems. It knows how to solve them, too. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been the largest investor in green energy.

Many consider Purple haze to be a psychedelic experience. Hendrix said it was a love song. Perspectives matter.

They do, especially when it comes to analyzing China's environmental problems.

The author is a writer with China Daily.
Aging population not necessarily a burden Updated: 2016-03-11 08:09 By Fu Jing(China Daily Europe)

The increase in life expectancy in China in the next five years can also be translated into huge business opportunities

China has proposed to increase people's life expectancy by a year by 2020 from 76.34 in 2015, although women on average live longer than men. The goal was one among many announced by Premier Li Keqiang for legislators to discuss and vote on at the ongoing annual session of National People's Congress, the top legislature.

This goal is highly achievable, and a reference to past data - included in the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) - may explain why.

In 1981, the life expectancy of the Chinese was 67.77 years. It took almost 20 years to increase that to 71.40 in 2000. In another 15 years it reached 76.34. And there is no reason why the average life expectancy in China cannot increase by one year in the next five years, especially because people are expected to become richer, healthier and more educated.

Of course, detractors will say a rise in life expectancy will increase China's aging population further. But an increase in life expectancy in the world's most populous country can also be translated into opportunities for China and the rest of the world.

The rising life expectancy would add more dimensions to policy dialogues at the governmental level. The high per capita income in the European Union, particularly in Western European countries, and in the United States, Canada, Japan and Singapore has helped people live longer than their Chinese counterparts. This is to say developed economies have experienced this demographic change before China.

China can learn from others' experience to cope with the expected change and take measures to ensure better livelihood for its people.

On the other hand, China can become an example for other developing countries, especially in Africa, when it comes to raising the average life expectancy of their people. This is important because the World Health Organization says African people will still be "young" in 2030, while the rest of the world's population will be rapidly aging.

China has also vowed to end absolute poverty by 2020, which will help further decrease the mortality rate at birth in rural regions and improve people's living standards. This could be another example for other developing countries to follow. China is willing to share its experiences with them.

The China Institute for Reform and Development in South China's Hainan province has taken the lead in throwing open the country's first health management college, in which foreign partners are welcome to participate.

In Belgium, the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce is seeking to bring European experiences to senior citizens' training programs in China, while a company in the United Kingdom is expected to announce its plan to expand healthcare services in China soon.

New breakthroughs in medicine and healthcare are vital to increasing the longevity of people. And Chinese investors may already have noticed the recent announcement by British scientists that they are close to finding cures for some types of cancer. Such developments will not only help the growth of pharmaceutical and medicare businesses, but also reduce patients' agonies.

The offer from European high-tech companies to provide solutions to air, water and soil pollution in China is also another example of how an increase in life expectancy means more than an aging population.

Also, as people live longer and get richer, they will travel more frequently, and by doing so they will help boost the profits of tourism companies across the world. Not only favorite tourist destinations like London, New York, Paris, Rome, Athens and Moscow, but also many offbeat and remote places have become part of Chinese tourists' itineraries.

So an aging population is not necessarily a burden for a country.

The author is China Daily chief correspondent in Brussels.



Contact the writer at fujing@chinadaily.com.cn
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On April 23 rd , 2016 we witnessed an overwhelming representation of well deserving individuals from fifty nations of the world. These ha...
Quote: "The Climate is Always Changing" Me: Good answer. LOL Me: Good answer. LOL

Most of Miami-Dade County is at an elevation of 1.5 meter or less. Most of the coast is at 1/2 meter.

As coastal cities are raising sidewalks, roads, new municipal buildings, infrastructure, etc. Rubio continues not to address the problem. He averts his eyes -- as if his home county was a decaying bird on the sidewalk, or as if the future of his children didn't matter. His stubborn denial is because he doesn't want to hurt business. Can business be conducted underwater? You can just pump so much water out of flooding hoods, and pump so much sand in to create beaches...soon the pumping will be over.Cities doing all the raising: What about the homes? What are the people in those homes going to do, live in water craters created by the raising of everything around them? If you have to step up to the sidewalk and road, then you have to step down to your home which will be in a gully. News Flash: Their fixes will make it worse for you. Enter your address for a FEMA Map.
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About Me africanelections www.africanelections.org contact us at africanelectionsproject AT gmail.com View my complete profile
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Hello from Johannesburg

I was amazed to find a website for Africans in Hungary .

Looks like you have quite a community there. Here in SA we have some three million Zimbabweans living in exile and not much sign of going home ... but in Hungary??? Hope to meet you on one of my trips to Europe; was in Steirmark Austria near the Hungarian border earlier this month. Every good wish for 2011. Geoff in Jo'burg



I'm impressed by

ANH

work but...



Interesting interview...



My comment to the interview with his excellency Mr. Adedotun Adenrele Adepoju CDA a.i--

B.Ayo Adams

click to read editor's mail

We must rise above tribalism & divide & rule of the colonialist who stole & looted our treasure & planted their puppets to lord it over us..they alone can decide on whosoever is performing & the one that is corrupt..but the most corrupt nations are the western countries that plunder the resources of other nations & make them poorer & aid the rulers to steal & keep such ill gotten wealth in their country..yemen,syria etc have killed more than gadhafi but its not A good investment for the west(this is laughable)because oil is not in these countries..when obasanjo annihilated the odi people in rivers state, they looked away because its in their favour & interest..one day!I think from what have been said, the Nigerian embassy here seem to be more concern about its nationals than we are for ourselves. Our complete disregard for the laws of Hungary isn't going to help Nigeria's image or going to promote what the Embassy is trying to showcase. So if the journalists could zoom-in more focus on Nigerians living, working and studying here in Hungary than scrutinizing the embassy and its every move, i think it would be of tremendous help to the embassy serving its nationals better and create more awareness about where we live . Taking the issues of illicit drugs and forged documents as typical examples.. there are so many cases of Nigerians been involved. But i am yet to read of it in e.news. So i think if only you and your journalists could write more about it and follow up on the stories i think it will make our nationals more aware of what to expect. I wouldn't say i am not impressed with your work but you need to be more of a two way street rather than a one way street . Keep up the good work... SylviaHe is an intelligent man. He spoke well on the issues! Thanks to Mr Hakeem Babalola for the interview it contains some expedient information..
Older Posts

Sometime around 2009-2010, Blogger had problems and lost the paragraphing for all my posts.



I am slowly going through them and restoring them.






An English bibliotaph of fifty years residence in Wales pontificates about politics (slightly off-message), films and trivia. Acting secretary of Aberavon and Neath Liberal Democrats. Candidate for Neath in the Westminster elections of 1997 & 2017 and the Welsh general election of 2016.
tim cook

As expected, the Department of Justice filed a legal response on Thursday to Apple's refusal to help the FBI unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters.

An hour after the DOJ brief was filed, Apple general counsel Bruce Sewell delivered a tense and angry response in a conference call with reporters.

Sewell called the DOJ response a "cheap shot" and said that its tone "reads like an indictment."

"In 30 years of practice I don't think I've ever seen a legal brief more intended to smear the other side," Sewell said.

While Sewell's comment isn't an official legal response, it certainly underscores that the battle between the two sides has become more heated and emotional as the debate drags on.

An Apple attorney actually advised that the company thought the battle was getting less heated after Sewell and FBI director James Comey testified before Congress earlier this month, but was disappointed when it saw the official DOJ legal response.

Of course, the DOJ brief had some severe language too, calling Apple's rhetoric "false" and "corrosive."

"Apples rhetoric is not only false, but also corrosive of the very institutions that are best able to safeguard our liberty and our rights: the courts, the Fourth Amendment, longstanding precedent and venerable laws, and the democratically elected branches of government," the brief reads.

On March 22, Apple and the FBI will meet at a hearing in federal court in Riverside, California.

Here's Sewell's full statement:

First, the tone of the brief reads like an indictment. We've all heard Director Comey and Attorney General Lynch thank Apple for its consistent help in working with law enforcement. Director Comey's own statement that "there are no demons here." Well, you certainly wouldn't conclude it from this brief. In 30 years of practice I don't think I've seen a legal brief that was more intended to smear the other side with false accusations and innuendo, and less intended to focus on the real merits of the case.

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For the first time we see an allegation that Apple has deliberately made changes to block law enforcement requests for access. This should be deeply offensive to everyone that reads it. An unsupported, unsubstantiated effort to vilify Apple rather than confront the issues in the case.

Or the ridiculous section on China where an AUSA, an officer of the court, uses unidentified Internet sources to raise the spectre that Apple has a different and sinister relationship with China. Of course that is not true, and the speculation is based on no substance at all.

To do this in a brief before a magistrate judge just shows the desperation that the Department of Justice now feels. We would never respond in kind, but imagine Apple asking a court if the FBI could be trusted "because there is this real question about whether J. Edgar Hoover ordered the assassination of Kennedy  see ConspiracyTheory.com as our supporting evidence."

We add security features to protect our customers from hackers and criminals. And the FBI should be supporting us in this because it keeps everyone safe. To suggest otherwise is demeaning. It cheapens the debate and it tries to mask the real and serious issues. I can only conclude that the DoJ is so desperate at this point that it has thrown all decorum to the winds....

We know there are great people in the DoJ and the FBI. We work shoulder to shoulder with them all the time. That's why this cheap shot brief surprises us so much. We help when we're asked to. We're honest about what we can and cannot do. Let's at least treat one another with respect and get this case before the American people in a responsible way. We are going before court to exercise our legal rights. Everyone should beware because it seems like disagreeing with the Department of Justice means you must be evil and anti-American. Nothing could be further from the truth.

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ArcelorMittal announces the terms of its c.USD 3bn[1] rights issue

11 March 2016 - 7 for 10 Rights issue of 1,262,351,531 new shares at a subscription price of EUR 2.20 per new share

Subscription price represents a 35.3% discount to the theoretical ex-rights price, based on the closing price of ArcelorMittal`s shares on Euronext Amsterdam on 10 March 2016

Mittal family trust entities have committed to exercise their Rights for new shares pro rata to their current shareholding of 37.38%

Record date for allocation of Rights is set at 14 March 2016 at 5:00 pm EST for shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the close of trading in each other market

Rights will be credited to clearing systems and to the accounts of shareholders directly registered in the European share register and the New York share register on 15 March 2016. Mailing of certificates evidencing Rights directly registered in the New York rights register will begin on 15 March 2016.

Rights exercise periods run from 15 March 2016, until:

5.00 pm EST on 29 March 2016 for Rights held via book entry in DTC or in the New York Rights register;

5.00 pm CET on 30 March 2016 for Rights held in the European clearing systems, other than for Rights traded on the Spanish stock exchanges and Rights held directly through the European Rights register, for which the deadline will be 12.00pm CET

ArcelorMittal SA ("ArcelorMittal" or the "Company") announces the terms of its c.USD 3bn rights issue, the principle of which was announced on 5 February 2016 (the "Offering"), following the adoption of enabling resolutions by the Extraordinary General Meeting of shareholders on 10 March 2016. The Offering is underwritten by a syndicate of banks led by Goldman Sachs International, BofA Merrill Lynch and Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank acting as Joint Global Coordinators and Joint Bookrunners. Barclays, BNP Paribas, Citigroup, J.P. Morgan and Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking are acting as Joint Bookrunners. ArcelorMittal intends to use the net proceeds from the exercise of Rights attributed in the Offering to reduce its indebtedness and to strengthen its balance sheet.

Story continues

Mittal family trust entities have committed, subject to customary conditions, to exercise the Rights allocated to them based on their current shareholding of 37.38%.

The Company and the Mittal family trust entities have agreed with the Underwriters to a 180-day lock-up following the settlement of the Offering, subject to certain exceptions.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking information and statements about ArcelorMittal and its subsidiaries. These statements include financial projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives and expectations with respect to future operations, products and services, and statements regarding future performance. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "target" or similar expressions. Although ArcelorMittal`s management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors and holders of ArcelorMittal`s securities are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of ArcelorMittal, that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include those discussed or identified in the filings with the Luxembourg supervisory authority for the financial sector (Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier - CSSF) and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") made or to be made by ArcelorMittal, including ArcelorMittal`s latest Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC, ArcelorMittal undertakes no obligation to publicly update its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.



For readers in the European Economic Area

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for, any securities of ArcelorMittal within the meaning of Luxembourg law and/or the laws of any other member state of the European Economic Area. This document does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of EC Directive 2003/71/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council dated 4 November 2003, as amended (the "Prospectus Directive"), which expression includes any relevant implementing measure in the member state concerned, and should not be the basis for any agreement or decision to invest. Any offering of securities or new admission will be based exclusively on a prospectus prepared for that purpose. Further, ArcelorMittal has not authorized any offer to the public of securities in any member state of the European Economic Area that has implemented the Prospectus Directive, other than Luxembourg, the Netherlands, France and Spain, (each, a "Relevant Member State"). With respect to each Relevant Member State, no action has been undertaken or will be undertaken to make an offer to the public of securities requiring publication of a prospectus in any Relevant Member State. For the offering of subscription rights in Luxembourg, the Netherlands, France and Spain, a securities prospectus will be produced, which is to be published following approval by the Luxembourg supervisory authority for the financial sector (Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier - CSSF) and after it has been passported into the Netherlands, France and Spain subsequent to notification having been given to the competent regulatory authorities in those jurisdictions. Any decision to purchase, subscribe for or otherwise acquire any subscription rights or new shares of the Company must be made only on the basis of the information in a securities prospectus (published in due course by the Company), which will be available for download on the internet site of ArcelorMittal (www.arcelormittal.com). Copies of the prospectus will then also be readily available upon request and free of charge at 24-26, boulevard d`Avranches, L-1160 Luxembourg, Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg.





In each Relevant Member State this communication is only addressed to, and directed at, qualified investors in that Relevant Member State within the meaning of the Prospectus Directive.





This press release contains regulated information within the meaning of the Transparency Directive 2004/109/EC and implementing laws and regulations, which must be made publicly available pursuant to Luxembourg law.





This press release contains advertising materials in connection with the Offer as referred to in the Market Abuse Directive 2003/6/EC and implementing laws and regulations.



For readers in the United Kingdom

This communication is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order") or (iii) high net worth companies, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). The subscription rights and new shares are only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe for, purchase or otherwise acquire such subscription rights or new shares will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.



For readers in the United States

ArcelorMittal has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus) with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") for the offering to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in that registration statement, the supplement to that prospectus ArcelorMittal and other documents ArcelorMittal has filed with the SEC for more complete information about ArcelorMittal and this offering. You may get these documents free of charge by visiting EDGAR on the SEC Web site at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, ArcelorMittal, any underwriter or any dealer participating in the offering will arrange to send you the prospectus after filing if you request it by writing or telephoning ArcelorMittal at ArcelorMittal USA LLC, 1 South Dearborn Street, 19th Floor, Chicago, IL 60603, Attention: Ms. Lisa M. Fortuna, Manager, Investor Relations, telephone number: (312) 899-3985.

The Banks, each of which are authorised in the United Kingdom by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, are each acting exclusively for the Company and for no-one else in connection with any transaction mentioned in this announcement and will not regard any other person (whether or not a recipient of this announcement) as a client in relation to any such transaction and will not be responsible to any other person for providing the protections afforded to their respective clients, or for advising any such person on the contents of this announcement or in connection with any transaction referred to in this announcement.

About ArcelorMittal

ArcelorMittal is the world`s leading steel and mining company, with a presence in 60 countries and an industrial footprint in 19 countries. Guided by a philosophy to produce safe, sustainable steel, we are the leading supplier of quality steel in the major global steel markets including automotive, construction, household appliances and packaging, with world-class research and development and outstanding distribution networks.

Through our core values of sustainability, quality and leadership, we operate responsibly with respect to the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees, contractors and the communities in which we operate.

For us, steel is the fabric of life, as it is at the heart of the modern world from railways to cars and washing machines. We are actively researching and producing steel-based technologies and solutions that make many of the products and components people use in their everyday lives more energy efficient.

We are one of the world`s five largest producers of iron ore and metallurgical coal and our mining business is an essential part of our growth strategy. With a geographically diversified portfolio of iron ore and coal assets, we are strategically positioned to serve our network of steel plants and the external global market. While our steel operations are important customers, our supply to the external market is increasing as we grow.

In 2015, ArcelorMittal had revenues of US$63.6 billion and crude steel production of 92.5 million tonnes, while own iron ore production reached 62.8 million tonnes.

ArcelorMittal is listed on the stock exchanges of New York (MT), Amsterdam (MT), Paris (MT), Luxembourg (MT) and on the Spanish stock exchanges of Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid and Valencia (MTS).



For more information about ArcelorMittal please visit: http://corporate.arcelormittal.com/



Contact information ArcelorMittal Investor Relations Europe +35247923198 Americas +13128993985 Retail +35247923198 SRI +442075431123 Bonds/Credit +33171921026 Contact information ArcelorMittal Corporate Communications



E-mail:



press@arcelormittal.com Phone: +442076297988 ArcelorMittal Corporate Communications Sophie Evans (head of media relations)

Paul Weigh +442032142882

+4420132142419 United Kingdom Maitland Consultancy +442073795151 France Image 7 Sylvie Dumaine / Anne-Charlotte Creach +33153707470











[1] The subscription price in euros has been set to generate gross proceeds in EUR equivalent to approximately USD 3bn i.e. EUR 2.78 bn, based on the currently published European Central Bank euro/USD exchange rate.







This announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients.



The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: ArcelorMittal S.A. via GlobeNewswire

HUG#1993601


Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, deeply unpopular because of a giant corruption scandal centered on state oil company Petrobras and her management of the country's worst recession in decades, faces impeachment in Congress (AFP Photo/Evaristo Sa)

Brasilia (AFP) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff dug in Friday against a swirling political crisis, rejecting calls to resign and closing ranks with her embattled predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

With money-laundering charges against Lula adding to the pressure on her administration, Rousseff vehemently defended her mentor.

She said she would even be proud to have him in her cabinet -- a move that could be used to protect the ex-president.

Rousseff is facing an impeachment drive, a bruising recession, a scandal at state oil company Petrobras, and a probe into alleged electoral violations.

But the leftist president said her opponents' calls for her to resign showed they lacked the evidence to remove her through impeachment.

"Resigning is a voluntary act. Those who want my resignation are recognizing that there's no real basis to request my exit from this position," Rousseff told a press conference.

"There's not the slightest possibility" that she will step down, she added.

She defended Lula, her once wildly popular predecessor.

"I would take great pride in having president Lula in my government because he is a person with experience and great political capability," she said.

Rousseff did not say whether she was really considering such a move, as media have been speculating.

Some of Rousseff's allies said that would leverage the ex-president's charisma for the embattled administration.

It would also protect him from criminal charges in ordinary court. Under Brazilian law, cabinet ministers can only be tried before the Supreme Court.

Some media reported, however, that Lula had refused a cabinet post.

- Corruption scandal -

The powerful former president was charged with money laundering on Wednesday over his alleged ownership of a luxury condo linked to dirty cash from the Petrobras scandal.

Prosecutors requested his arrest Thursday, calling for him to be remanded in custody pending trial.

Story continues

Rousseff called that demand "an unjust act that defies common sense."

Lula denies the charges.

A former steelworker and labor leader, Lula led Brazil through an economic boom from 2003 to 2011.

An icon of the Latin American left, he rolled out programs credited with helping lift millions from poverty.

But his administration was also haunted by scandals.

Now he is charged with hiding ownership of a luxury apartment at a seaside resort in Sao Paulo state.

State prosecutors said they had documents and two dozen witnesses indicating Lula and his family are the apartment's real owners.

Federal investigators are also carrying out a broader probe into a massive corruption scheme centered on Petrobras, Brazil's biggest company.

It is alleged that Petrobras executives took bribes to give contracts to big construction firms and other contractors, who then overbilled the oil company.

Petrobras estimates the scheme cost it at least $2 billion. Some of the cash allegedly went to politicians and party coffers.

Prosecutors say they suspect the seaside apartment was given to Lula as a bribe by OAS, one of the companies accused.

Rousseff faces multiple problems of her own.

Congress is mulling impeachment proceedings over alleged illegalities in the government budget. Meanwhile, the Supreme Electoral Court is considering a case that could result in judges invalidating her 2014 re-election.

So far, Rousseff has managed to fight off impeachment, but the opposition has been fired up by the case against Lula.

Analysts say Rousseff could also be in the prosecutors' sights in the Petrobras case. She has not been formally accused, but chaired the firm during much of the scandal-tainted period.

Government opponents have called for mass demonstrations against Rousseff on Sunday.

"I ask that there not be confrontations," Rousseff said.

"I call on people to be capable of demonstrating peacefully."
IQALUIT, NUNAVUT--(Marketwired - Mar 11, 2016) - The Government of Canada and the Government of Nunavut have signed a bilateral agreement that will allow Nunavut to expand the scope of its projects and programs related to sport participation. The agreement was signed by the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, federal Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, and the Honourable Joe Savikataaq, Minister of Community and Government Services, Government of Nunavut.

The agreement provides a total federal contribution of up to $1,006,900 to be matched by the Government of Nunavut over a period of four years. As well, Minister Qualtrough announced that an additional contribution of $100,000-to be matched by Nunavut-will be made to help defray costs associated with team travel to the 2016 Arctic Winter Games, which are taking place March 6 to 11 in Nuuk, Greenland.

Minister Qualtrough also took the opportunity to highlight the Government of Canada's commitment to supporting construction of recreational infrastructure that will allow more Nunavummiut to be active for life.

Quotes

"The Government of Canada is committed to working with the Government of Nunavut to provide funding that will increase sport participation in the territory and advance important priorities for sport and physical activity. Working together, we can make sport participation a part of the everyday lives of all Canadians from coast to coast to coast. This announcement is an important step in making this shared goal a reality."

-The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities

"The Government of Nunavut is pleased to partner with the Government of Canada on the Bilateral Agreement on Sport Participation, which will enhance access to introductory sport programming in Nunavut communities. It is this kind of partnership that will help us ensure our young people are developing the skills and attitudes to become active for life."

-The Honourable Joe Savikataaq, Minister of Community and Government Services

Story continues

Quick Facts

The major initiatives of the Canada-Nunavut bilateral agreement are:



Supporting the development of sport in Nunavut through several projects that strengthen physical literacy and children and youth participation that are compatible with the first three stages of Canadian Sport for Life (CS4L). Sport organizations and community groups are planning and delivering introductory and instructional clinics, camps and workshops in Nunavut communities. The short-term goal of this initiative is to provide children and youth with increased access to introductory sport and physical literacy programs. The long-term goal is to enhance communities' access to ongoing sport programming, as well as opportunities to participate in sport and be active for life.



Supporting innovative and creative activities, including the development and delivery of new ideas-for instance, the inter-community support program for youth from small, isolated communities with limited opportunity to measure their performance against their peers through camps, training sessions and competitions-which align with at least one of the objectives of increasing sport participation in Nunavut.



Supporting a portion of Team Nunavut's travel to the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG), which will be held in Toronto in 2017.





The term of the agreement is from April 1, 2015, to March 31, 2019. The additional contribution of $100,000 (to be matched by Nunavut) to assist with travel costs to the 2016 Arctic Winter Games in Nuuk, Greenland, is an amendment to the original agreement.





Associated Links

Canada.ca/Sport

Ministry of Community and Government Services

2016 Arctic Winter Games

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William Ackman, founder and CEO of hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management, speaks to the audience in New York, July 22, 2014. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman's plans for Valeant Pharmaceuticals seem to be at odds with those of the company's CEO, Mike Pearson.

Ackman said earlier this week that Valeant could sell part of its Bausch & Lomb unit to pay down part of the company's over $30 billion debt load. Valeant bought Bausch & Lomb for $8.7 billion back in 2013.

In a private meeting with employees six days before that, however, Pearson said selling Bausch & Lomb was not an option.

From Bloomberg's Robert Langreth:

One thing Pearson said he wouldn't do was pay off debt by selling one of its units, the vision-care business Bausch & Lomb. One of Valeant's biggest shareholders  billionaire investor Bill Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management LP  at a March 8 investor conference suggested doing just that. Ackman also raised the threat that if Valeant didn't turn things around, the management could be replaced.

That could be create some tension in Ackman and Pearson's relationship. Valeant is Ackman's biggest position, and he has been involved with Valeant since 2014. That was when he helped the company try to acquire its biggest target ever, Allergan Pharmaceuticals. Allergan slipped through the company's fingers, but Ackman stayed around, cheering on Valeant's acquisition-based growth model.

The barrage

It was this model, in part, that ultimately drew scrutiny to the company. Valeant spent an industry low of 3% of its revenue on research and development, and it often dramatically hiked the prices of the drugs it acquired. Politicians including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri have blasted the company for it.

Combine that anger with allegations of malfeasance from a short seller, the discovery of its close relationship with a mysterious specialty pharmacy called Philidor, and multiple investigations from the Securities and Exchange Commission and state attorney's offices and you have yourself the extreme stock plummet that Valeant has been experiencing since October.

Story continues

Valeant was forced to change its business model at the end of last year; it announced that it would no longer hike prices and instead depend on volume to generate revenue. At Pearson's private meeting with employees, he assured them that there were no more "shoes to drop" about the company.

"We're under a barrage of external government and media and everything else," he said, according to Bloomberg's report. "Everyone is nervous. The board is nervous. You guys are nervous. Everyone is making sure every 'i' is dotted, every 't' is crossed."

Michael Pearson

There are consequences

Pearson went on to say that in addition to a new deal Valeant had made with Walgreens, the company was also in negotiations with Express Scripts and CVS to ensure that those distribution channels were open to the company. Both pharmacies dropped Philidor, which distributed Valeant products near-exclusively, after troubling allegations surfaced about the distributor last fall.

When asked about the negotiations, the CEO of Express Scripts said they'd been talking to Valeant about "certain practices and behaviors" the company had demonstrated.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Valeant added three new independent board members. One is Stephen Fraidin, an M&A lawyer and vice chairman at Ackman's hedge fund, Pershing Square Management. Another is an individual Ackman nominated for Allergan's board. That Allergan nominee is connected to the third new board member, having worked with him in the University of North Carolina system.

Looks like we could have a good old fashion disagreement on our hands.

NOW WATCH: Paul Krugman gave us his top 3 investment tips





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Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images. As oil prices have collapsed, drilling and overall business are down in Williston, a shale boomtown in North Dakota.

The change in Williston, North Dakota, is palpable.



Yes, the shale oil-rich economy is still booming. Unemployment stands at 2.3 percent, well below the national average. Household median income is more than $83,000, well above the national average. And construction workers plug away on the city's much needed infrastructure projects.

But there's no denying that optimism, so prevalent here a year ago, is mixing with caution for many in this North Dakota boomtown that has come to symbolize America's energy revolution.

In the mid-2000s, a few pioneering drillers realized that hydraulic fracking would let them unlock crude in North Dakota's massive Bakken Shale play. Before long, the whole industry was scrambling to set up operations in the region. Thousands of out-of-state workers flooded in, looking to land a high-paying job. Nearly everyone seemed to be headed for Williston, the tiny town at the heart of the Bakken.

In 2007, Williston's population was just over 12,000. Today, it's nearly 31,000. And the town's economic expansion has experienced the same meteoric rise. Over that same period, 25,000 jobs were created. More than 1,300 businesses were launched. Restaurants and hotels were built. Hospitals and community centers were overhauled.

Read More Inside North Dakota's latest fracking problem



But with the price of oil now well off its 2014 highs of over $100 a barrel, many drillers have cut back on their Bakken positions, announcing layoffs, or pulling out of the state altogether. WTI crude oil prices recently were trading under $40 a barrel.

Continental Resources (CTLR), one of the companies that led the fracking revolution in the state, stopped completing wells in the third quarter of last year. Whiting Petroleum (WLL), one of the state's biggest producers, made the same announcement last month. They'll wait for oil prices to climb before they frack the wells. That means hundreds of wells won't produce any oil, and thousands workers will be without jobs.

Story continues

As drillers have left Williston, so have many of the men and women who came to the city looking for work. In 2014, the workforce in Williams County topped out at 43,000. That figure is down to 34,000. And it's the combination of lower oil prices and more modest growth that has some locals and oil watchers concerned that leaner times could be on the horizon.

"It is definitely a different mindset now," said Andy Njos.

Andy and his cousin Aaron Volesky started Dacotah West Crane Services in 2011. "Drillers have had to cut costs, and we have to figure out how to do jobs cheaper," Andy said.

The duo bought their first crane in Houston and took two weeks to drive the machinery 1,600 miles back to their home town of Williston.

They were the first among friends to cash in on the oil rush, but they would not be the last. Success came quickly. The cousins worked long hours, but couldn't keep up with the seemingly endless flow of work orders by themselves. They grew out of necessity.

In just a few years, they expanded their fleet to nine cranes, hired 25 workers, and built a new corporate headquarters.

In 2014, revenues at Dacotah West peaked with the price of oil. Since then, business is down 50 percent. Andy Njos shed overtime shifts, cut his staff to 10, and returned any equipment he did not own outright.

Read More North Dakota wakes up to hangover as oil swoons



"We've had to downsize. We had to restructure the company," said Njos. "We went from nine to four cranes."

Njos says his business is OK, thanks in no small part to how quickly he and his cousin scaled down overhead costs. He thinks 2016 will be a lean year in the Bakken.

"Right now it's kind of stagnant. It's, 'Wait until oil prices go up a little bit,'" he said. "Everyone's just trying to survive."

The cousins aren't the only business owners feeling the pinch. Marcus Jundt, a Minneapolis-based developer, opened the Williston Brewing Company in North Dakota in 2013. The restaurant has been a hit, with revenues cut in half. When times were good, every night was busy at his restaurant, and a two-hour wait for a table was not uncommon. But Jundt says his customer base took a steep drop last year.

"It varies week to week, but every week keeps getting worse," he said. "We don't know where the bottom is, but we're not there yet."

Jundt has had to lay off friends. His restaurant, like many other businesses in Williston, has had to cut wages. He says workers who aren't tied to Williston are leaving. Without the high paychecks to keep them rooted, and a national economy that's better than it was a few years ago, many out-of-state workers are leaving to find jobs closer to home.

"Since we opened this restaurant three years ago, 32 restaurants have opened up," said Jundt. "There are too many restaurants for the number of people we have. But I think you can say that about gas stations, apartment buildings, houses. Almost everything in town is overbuilt."

Hotels have also seen business decline. In January, the city's occupancy rate fell to 27 percent, compared with 62 percent in 2015. That's a dramatic shift from a few years ago, when parking lots were filled with men sleeping in their cars because they couldn't find a place to stay. Trailers without running water were fetching as much as $2,500 a month.

Capital Lodge  one of the Bakken's largest crew camps  now sits abandoned. The 1,100-bed temporary housing facility east of Williston cost $40 million to build. The camp went under after the county raised annual permitting fees, coupled with plummeting demand for beds.

While there are female oil workers, the crew camps have become known as "man camps."

Another "man camp" operator, Target Logistics, has 3,900 beds on 12 properties spread across the Bakken. Their occupancy hovers between 40 percent and 50 percent. Other camps in Williston, with names like "Black Gold" and "ATCO," have been abandoned or torn down.

Beyond the oil patch, agriculture is a big economic driver in North Dakota. Top agricultural products include wheat, cattle and calves and soybeans.

Despite all the challenges, many in Williston remain cautiously optimistic. The city has laid out a five-year, $1-billion infrastructure spending plan, including a new $250 million airport.

Shawn Wenko, who leads Williston Economic Development, says despite anticipated lower oil revenues, he doesn't expect wholesale changes to development plans.

"Do I believe 2016 is going to be a quiet year? Yes," Wenko wrote in an op-ed for the Grand Forks Herald last month. "But he oil and gas industry, as it has always done in the past, is going to recover from this."

Wenko says while some projects may be put on hold, he does expect them to be completed.

"We are at a crossroads in developing the future of the City of Williston. We can chose to dwell in the now or we can plan for the future," Wenko said.

And while construction on apartment complexes and hotels is slowing, developers are shifting focus to the region's more pressing pipeline needs.

"Right now, we don't have enough pipeline capacity to put [Bakken crude] in pipes and get it down to Cushing, Oklahoma," a major energy hub, said Patrick McGarry, a property consultant who moved to Williston six years ago.

Read More The Big Apple takes a bite out of solar energy



McGarry arrived with plans to build 40 homes. But he's had success helping others navigate the real estate market. He sees a big opportunity in developing the region's infrastructure.

This spring, construction is expected to begin on the $3.7 billion Dakota Access Pipeline. The project, headed by a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), received approval from regulators in Iowa on Thursday, ending the last major permitting hurdle for the pipeline. The plan has already been approved in North Dakota, South Dakota and Illinois.

When completed, the 1,100-mile pipeline will transport 450,000 to 570,000 barrels of Bakken crude oil to existing pipelines in Illinois every day. That's half of the 1 million barrels that is produced in the region daily. It also helps solve one of the biggest problems facing Bakken oil producers  getting their oil to out-of-state refiners. Currently, about half of the crude that leaves the Bakken travels to refiners by rail, which takes longer and is more costly.

"Right now, for example, it costs about $15 to ship oil from here to Albany, per barrel," said McGarry. "The discount should be about half because of the pipelines."



For McGarry, the changes taking place in Williston don't signal the end of success for America's biggest boomtown. Instead, they represent a change in the way success will be found by those willing to stick it out.

"I still think there's great opportunity here," he says. "I believe in the Bakken. I believe in Williston."





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What Does China's Declining Foreign Trade Signal?

(Continued from Prior Part)

Chinas exports and imports

According to the General Administration of Customs, Chinas exportsin US dollar termsfell sharply by 25.4% YoY (year-over-year) in Februarycompared to a decline of 11.2% in January. It was the largest decline since May 2009. Meanwhile, imports fell by 13.8% YoYcompared to an 18.8% drop in January. Its argued that the unexpected drop in foreign trade was mainly due to the change in the timing of the Lunar New Year celebration. It fell in February this year. Chinese firms wrapped up their business at the end of the January. Factories were closed and shipments were halted to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Chinas trade surplus fell drastically due to lower commodity prices and sluggish demand. It stood at $32.6 billion in Februarydown from $63.3 billion in January.

Februarys data clearly point to the slump in domestic and foreign demand. Chinas exports to South Korea and Taiwan have fallen sharply. Chinas shipments to major trading partners such as the US, Canada, Germany, and France fell by more than 20% in February. This showed that the yuan weakening by almost 6% against the US dollar since August 2015 hasnt provided the desired boost to Chinas exports.

Meanwhile, imports were impacted due to a contraction in Chinas industrial sector. China is a major importer of crude oil, copper, and iron ore. The prices of these commodities fell sharply. Most factories are already sitting on a large stock of commodities. This led to lower demand for these commodities. As a result, the imports of crude oil, copper, iron ore and other commodities fell. Read Chinas Trade Data: What Does It Mean for Metal Investors? for more information.

Reforms

The latest foreign trade data call for more stimulus measures from Chinese authorities. The 12th National Peoples Congress annual meeting will run until mid-March. Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang pledged to ensure that the economy grows 6.5% this year. He said that the government would use infrastructure spending, tax cuts, monetary policy, and a higher budget deficit to support the slowing economy.

Story continues

Impact on mutual funds and ETFs

Slowing exports and imports due to weak demand and the fall in commodity prices directly impacts the revenues and margins of Chinese ADRs (American depositary receipts) such as China Mobile (CHL), CNOOC (CEO), PetroChina (PTR), and China Petroleum & Chemical (SNP).

Investors can get exposure to China equity markets through China-focused mutual funds or ETFs. Mutual funds such as the Clough China Fund  Class A (CHNAX), the Guinness Atkinson China and Hong Kong Fund (ICHKX), the Eaton Vance Greater China Growth Fund  Class A (EVCGX) and ETFs such as the iShares China Large-Cap ETF (FXI) are invested in the Chinese companies mentioned above. As a result, their performance is also impacted negatively.

Continue to Next Part

Browse this series on Market Realist:
Donald Trump.

CNN debate moderator Jake Tapper confronted Donald Trump on Thursday night about Trump's recent claim that "Islam hates us."

"Last night you told CNN, quote, 'Islam hates us.' Did you mean all 1.6 billion Muslims?" Tapper asked the Republican presidential frontrunner.

"I mean a lot of them. I mean a lot of them," Trump replied as the audience applauded.

"Do you want to clarify the comment at all?" Tapper asked.

Trump said he wouldn't budge off his "Islam hates us" comment, which he gave during a Wednesday interview with CNN anchor Anderson Cooper.

"I will tell you there's something going on  that maybe you don't know about, and maybe a lot of people don't know about  but there's tremendous hatred," Trump told Tapper. "And I will stick with exactly what I said to Anderson Cooper."

The mogul sparked a national firestorm in December when he proposed that the US bar all Muslims tourists and immigrants from entering the US until the "hatred" in the religion is figured out. Trump announced his plan after the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California.

Trump also appeared open in November to opening some kind of database for Muslim Americans, but he later distanced himself from the idea.

"There's a tremendous hatred. And we have to be very vigilant," Trump told Cooper on Wednesday.

"We have to be very careful," he added. "And we can't allow people coming into this country who have this hatred of the United States and of people that are not Muslim."

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Geneva (AFP) - The mass expulsion of migrants from Greece to Turkey under a draft EU-Ankara deal to ease the migrant crisis would be "illegal," the UN warned Thursday, as some of the bloc's own ministers also criticised the plan.

While EU countries squabbled over how to cope with the continent's worst migration crisis since World War II, UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said the proposed deal with Turkey raised "a number of very serious concerns".

"Among my concerns is the potential for collective and arbitrary expulsions, which are illegal," he told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

EU leaders had hoped the mooted deal with Turkey -- due to be finalised at an EU summit on March 17-18 -- could stem the flood of migrants streaming through the bloc in search of a better life, many fleeing the war in Syria.

Underscoring yet again the human tragedy of the crisis, a fresh shipwreck off the Turkish coast claimed five lives including a baby as a boat full of migrants heading for Greece capsized.

The EU-Turkey plan drawn up on Monday would see Ankara take back all migrants landing in Greece, in a bid to reduce their incentive to get to Europe.

In return for every Syrian expelled from Greece, the EU would resettle one Syrian refugee from camps in Turkey -- which is hosting about 2.7 million people who have fled the conflict across the border.

In exchange for its cooperation, Turkey wants six billion euros ($6.6 billion) in aid, visa-free access to Europe's passport-free Schengen zone and a speeding up of its efforts to join the EU.

But some EU ministers have voiced opposition to the plan.

"I am extremely critical," said Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner on the sidelines of a ministerial meeting in Brussels.

"I am seriously wondering whether we are taking ourselves and our values seriously or if we are throwing them overboard," she said, in a reference to concerns over human rights violations in Turkey.

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- 'No future' for EU -

The migrant crisis has exposed sharp divisions in the 28-member bloc and the leaders of Greece and Germany blasted Balkan countries for slamming shut their borders.

The EU "has no future if it goes on like that," warned Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the closures were "neither sustainable nor lasting."

Their reactions flew in the face of the response of EU President Donald Tusk, who welcomed the Balkan route closure as part of a collective response from the bloc.

The strong words came after Slovenia and Croatia barred entry to transiting migrants from Wednesday and Serbia indicated it would follow suit.

EU member Slovenia said it would allow in only migrants wishing to claim asylum there or those seeking entry "on humanitarian grounds" and in accordance with Schengen rules.

The border closures have created a huge bottleneck on the Greece-Macedonia border.

European Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos on Thursday urged member states to speed up efforts to help relieve the burden, urging them to admit "at least 6,000" refugees a month from overstretched Greece and Italy.

Under a controversial scheme adopted in September, some 160,000 refugees are to be shared out across the bloc, but only 885 people have been relocated so far.

Slovenia on Thursday announced that it would begin accepting refugees from the scheme in April.

- Alternative routes -

Under pressure at home to reduce the influx, Merkel acknowledged that the western Balkan states' border actions "will obviously bring us fewer refugees, but they put Greece in a very difficult situation".

"If we do not manage to reach a deal with Turkey, then Greece cannot bear the burden for long," she told public radio MDR.

Her Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel noted that while some at home are "secretly pleased that the Balkan states... are doing Germany's dirty work", their actions would not help in the long term.

Merkel is battling to avoid leaving Greece in the lurch as the number of migrants stranded there is still steadily growing.

Meanwhile, Italy's interior minister Angelino Alfano voiced concern that migrants trapped in Greece would seek out alternative routes, such as travelling by sea to Albania and then to southern Italy.

But he added: "For now, there is no sign of such an enormous influx."

Spain's interior minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz worried that migrants might head to north Africa in order to reach Europe through Spain.

"We must not lower our guard," he warned.

Greek authorities said Thursday there were 41,973 asylum seekers in the country, including some 12,000 stuck at Idomeni on the closed Macedonian border.

Zeid said more than 400 people had died trying to reach Europe in the first two months of the year alone.
The corner stone of The New York Federal Reserve Bank is seen in New York's financial district March 25, 2015. The Federal Reserve should remain on track to raise interest rates later this year despite the U.S. economy's weak start to the year and a stock market sell-off this week, two Fed officials said on Thursday. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RTR4V0ES

By Jim Finkle

BOSTON (Reuters) - The perpetrators of a $100 million digital heist at Bangladesh's central bank had deep knowledge of the institution's internal workings, likely gained by spying on bank workers, security experts said.

Unknown hackers breached Bangladesh Bank in early February, stole credentials for payment transfers and then ordered transfers out of a Federal Reserve Bank of New York account held by Bangladesh Bank, according to Bangladesh Bank officials.

Bangladesh government officials blamed the Fed for the attack when they disclosed the loss. The New York Fed responded on Tuesday saying there was no evidence its systems were compromised in the attack, one of the biggest bank thefts in history.

The Fed said it followed normal procedures when responding to requests that appeared to be from Bangladesh Bank, which were made and authenticated over SWIFT. Belgian-based SWIFT, a member-owned cooperative that banks use for account transfer requests and other secure messages, declined to comment on specifics of the case.

Security experts said that to pull off the attack, cyber criminals had to first gather information about Bangladesh Bank's procedures for ordering transfers, so that the fraudulent requests would not raise red flags.

In addition to stealing credentials for processing transfers, the hackers likely spied on Bangladesh Bank staff to get a deep understanding of the central bank's operations, according to experts in banking fraud.

Kayvan Alikhani, a senior director with security firm RSA, said that in addition to user names and passwords for accessing SWIFT, the hackers likely needed to obtain cryptographic keys that authenticated the senders.

Such certificates can be copied and used by impostors if they are not properly secured, he said.

You are only as good as your weakest link when getting access to the SWIFT network and doing a transfer, Alikhani said.

In a round of robberies disclosed last year, a group dubbed the Carbanak gang hacked into a number of banks around the world, seized control of computers that access SWIFT, then ordered fraudulent transfers.

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They siphoned money through SWIFT after observing how bank employees crafted their messages so they could follow correct protocols, said Juan Guerrero, a researcher with Kaspersky Lab, which studied the campaign.

"The genius of the attacker in the Carbanak case is taking the time to learn directly from the victim and thus bypass fraud prevention measures through sheer mimicry, Guerrero told Reuters.

Another hacking method that could have been used is known as "social engineering," where attackers play on human psychology to manipulate victims.

They get that information by hacking email accounts of employees who process transfers, said Tom Kellermann, a former member of the World Bank's security team.

"They sit and watch regular communications to understand when somebody would be most receptive to a specially crafted social-engineering email instructing them to make the transfer," said Kellermann, now chief executive of investment firm Strategic Cyber Ventures.

(Reporting by Jim Finkle; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Phil Berlowitz)
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini addresses the audience, while Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla listens at the foreign ministry in Havana EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini addresses the audience, while Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla listens at the foreign ministry in Havana March 11, 2016. REUTERS/Enrique de la Osa

By Nelson Acosta

HAVANA (Reuters) - The European Union and Cuba signed an agreement in Havana on Friday to establish normal relations, bringing the Communist-run island further into the international fold and paving the way for full economic cooperation with the 28-member bloc.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini witnessed the signing of the pact, which will replace a policy imposed by Europe 20 years ago that pushed for changes to Cuba's one-party political system.

"This accord opens a new chapter in the history of relations between the European Union and Cuba," Mogherini said, shortly after EU negotiator Christian Leffler and Cuban deputy foreign minister Abelardo Moreno signed the deal.

Rodriguez said the two sides would soon meet to revive a human rights dialogue they started in Brussels last year.

The pact adds to Cuba's rapidly thawing relations with the West since its 2014 detente with the United States and the renegotiation of debt with creditors from the Paris Club of wealthy nations in December.

It comes just days before a visit to Havana by President Barack Obama on March 20, the first by a U.S. president since the victory of Cuba's 1959 revolution.

Days after the visit, rock group the Rolling Stones will play on the island for the first time, and electronic music act Major Lazer this week entertained 400,000 young Cubans on Havana's sea front, the largest ever show by U.S. artists on the island.

Despite the warming relations, Washington retains an economic embargo against Cuba, making it harder for European companies with U.S. business interests to operate on the Caribbean's largest island.

Mogherini railed against those sanctions.

"The U.S. embargo is totally obsolete," she said. "The blockade is a measure that belongs to another century. Now the priorities are dialogue and cooperation."

Europe's unilateral "common position," in place since 1996, sought to make Cuba adopt a pluralistic democracy to unlock aid and commerce. Cuba has always rejected pressure to change its political model.

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After ex-leader Fidel Castro handed power to his brother Raul in 2006, Cuba cautiously began to open to private enterprise without major political change.

The establishment of ties with Washington has led to a surge of visitors to the island, previously out of bounds for most Americans.

The EU deal, which sets parameters for commerce and aid, must now be ratified by EU governments and Cuba.

The political dialogue and cooperation agreement took two years to negotiate. The European Union has similar agreements with all other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

(Reporting by Nelson Acosta and Marc Frank; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Bernadette Baum)
File illustration picture of Norwegian banknotes and coins of different denominations, taken in Trondheim October 31, 2008. REUTERS/SCANPIX Gorm Kallestad/Files

By Joachim Dagenborg and Gwladys Fouche

OSLO (Reuters) - The ethics watchdog for Norway's $830-billion wealth fund will focus this year on identifying corruption in telecoms, arms and energy companies and expects to recommend that an increasing number of firms across all sectors be barred from investment.

By the end of this year, the fund which invests income from Norway's oil and gas production could add the first companies to its blacklist for emitting too much climate changing gas, said the chairman of its independent ethics panel, Johan H. Andresen.

The ethics panel will also look into allegations of human rights abuses in Qatar's building sector, Malaysia's electronics goods industry, and textile factories in some Asian countries, Andresen told Reuters.

The fund is the world's biggest sovereign wealth fund, owning 1.3 percent of all listed company equity on earth. As of the end of last year it owned shares in 9,050 firms worldwide.

It is forbidden by law from investing in firms that produce nuclear weapons or anti-personnel landmines, or are involved in serious and systematic human rights violations, among other ethical criteria.

Norway's parliament has set a new mandate from this year to restrict investment in companies that emit excessive climate changing gases. Andresen said his panel was still looking into the criteria for such judgements but its first recommendations on climate criteria could come by the end of the year.

Some 66 companies have so far been excluded from the wealth fund on ethics grounds, and two are under observation, including, since January, Brazil's state oil company Petrobras, under scrutiny for alleged corruption.

"Most of the corruption cases come from the industry studies within defence, telecoms and energy. Those three (sectors) seem to keep us very busy," Andresen, the council's chairman, said in an interview. "We will of course look into other companies, should we be made aware of them."

The Council on Ethics makes recommendations to the central bank on firms which may be in breach of the fund's ethics guidelines. It is now examining 14 corruption cases, including Petrobras.

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Based on the council's recommendations, the central bank board instructs the fund's management whether to exclude companies from the fund. The board can also put firms under observation to allow them to fix the problem. A key factor is the risk that an ethics breach will be repeated in future.

The risk of corruption increases in the energy, defence and telecoms sectors as they more often involve large contracts between parties that can withhold information based on internal national security directives, Andresen said.

"We were especially surprised with what we found in the arms industry. It seems that the absence of corruption was the exception and not the norm," said the 54-year-old Norwegian investor, owner of private investment vehicle Ferd.

Andresen declined to comment specifically on Petrobras, but speaking generally, he said: "Companies should aspire to be far better ... They should not try to guess what is the least amount of good behaviour that is expected."

Across all sectors, he expected the number and frequency of recommendations to the central bank's board to increase as the council concludes the different sector studies it has begun.

"We did recommend one company for exclusion last week, and there are others that we are working on right now. Some of these companies are quite large, so the (central) bank may decide to undertake some type of ownership interaction," he said.

TEXTILE, CONSTRUCTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Asked about the apparent irony in looking at climate change for a fund that earns nearly all its wealth from Norway's oil and gas industry, Andresen said: "We don't get involved in politics and therefore we don't question the criteria. Whichever criteria the politicians give us, we will use."

Andresen said the council would look at "a broad set of industries" including the oil and gas sector over climate change, and had not yet concluded which factors to analyse to determine what is acceptable.

"I don't think there is a reason to avoid looking at oil and gas companies. But they are not going to be the only ones by far," he said, speaking at the council's office in central Oslo.

"We think that there might be some exclusions towards the end of the year within the climate criterion."

Next month the council will receive a first report on the construction industry in Qatar. Construction companies working in neighbouring countries will be under review too, he said.

Also under scrutiny will be electronics goods manufacturers in Malaysia.

The council will look at workers rights in the Indian and Bangladeshi textile industries, after looking at Cambodia and Vietnam last year.

"In earlier studies of textile production facilities, we have been confronted with forced overtime, loss of bonus when legally sick, possible child labour, safety issues and the integrity of the construction of the (plant) building," he said.

Another target will be the environmental damage made by the chemical industry. The council is looking at "less than ten" companies in this field, he said.

The council, although independent, is collaborating closely with the fund, which has its own ethical targets, such as children's rights, human rights and water management. They are working together on the textile industry.

"They are focusing on the buyers' side, the big companies within the fund, while we engage with the smaller companies where the potential breach is happening on the ground," he said.

(Editing by Peter Graff)
(Adds details about cyber heist and investigation, background on companies)

By Jim Finkle and Serajul Quadir

March 10 (Reuters) - FireEye Inc's Mandiant forensics division is helping investigate a cyber heist at Bangladesh's central bank last month that netted more than $80 million, people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday.

The two sources said Silicon Valley-based FireEye, which has investigated some of the biggest cyber thefts on record, was brought in by World Informatix, a smaller firm that is advising Bangladesh Bank on the investigation.

World Informatix's website says it was founded by its chief executive, Rakesh Asthana, a former World Bank deputy chief information officer. Asthana recruited Mandiant to help with the probe, according to sources who asked not be identified due to the sensitive nature of the matter.

One of those sources, a senior official with the central bank, said the U.S. government has offered to help investigate how hackers stole funds from a Bangladesh Bank account at the New York Fed.

The source said that officials with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Department of Justice had held informal conversations with Bangladesh Bank about the case, one of the largest bank thefts in history.

Representatives with the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, Department of Justice and U.S. Treasury's Crimes Enforcement Network declined comment on the case, which became public this week, about a month after the funds were stolen.

The New York Fed has said little about what happened, except that its systems were not breached and that it has been working with the Bangladesh central bank on the investigation.

Any investigation by U.S. authorities is likely to focus on learning how cyber criminals penetrated the central bank's network, the flow of the looted funds around the world and whether any money can be recovered.

The hackers breached Bangladesh Bank's systems and stole its credentials for payment transfers, according to an account by two senior officials at the bank. The attackers then bombarded the New York Fed with nearly three dozen money-transfer requests over a weekend in early February.

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The Fed processed four of the requests, sending a total of $81 million to accounts in the Philippines. A fifth transfer of $20 million, to a non-profit in Sri Lanka, was stopped after a typo in the routing instructions raised suspicions, according to bank sources.

Bangladesh Bank has said it has recovered some of the stolen money, and is working with anti-money laundering authorities in the Philippines to try to recover the rest.

(Reporting by Jim Finkle in Boston and Serajul Quadir in Dhaka; additional reporting by Jeremy Wagstaff in Singapore, Brett Wolf in St. Louis and Jonathan Spicer in New York; editing by Jonathan Weber and Chizu Nomiyama)
Paris (AFP) - France will on Monday propose imposing European Union sanctions on any Libyan official obstructing the formation of a UN-backed unity government, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said.

"I do not exclude threatening them with sanctions. In any case, that is what I will propose to my foreign affairs colleagues on Monday in Brussels," Ayrault told the iTELE news channel.

"Now, we can wait no longer," he added, denouncing those who "put themselves in the way out of self-interest".

The sanctions would likely consist of travel bans to the EU and asset freezes, and target the speaker of Libya's internationally recognised parliament, Aguila Saleh, as well as Nuri Abu Sahmein of the Tripoli-based General National Congress and its head Khalifa Ghweil, a European diplomatic source said.

Libya has had rival parliaments and governments since 2014, after an Islamist-led militia alliance overran Tripoli and forced the internationally recognised administration to flee to the remote east of the oil-rich nation.

Extremists including the Islamic State group have exploited the chaos, raising fears of jihadists using the Libyan coast as a launch pad to infiltrate Europe and launch attacks.

Western countries have agreed that military action is needed to dislodge IS in Libya, but world powers want a national unity government installed to request help before formally intervening.

"It would not make sense to impose travel bans and asset freezes on more than two or three people, because you would end up with no one to negotiate with," added the Brussels-based source.

"But what is being proposed will be effective because Libyan politicians like to travel to Malta and Italy for shopping and medical treatment," the source added.

A UN-backed national unity government, headed by Fayez al-Sarraj, was proposed in January but rejected by the internationally recognised parliament.

The parliament, located in the remote eastern town of Tobruk, has since said it does support the unity government but was unable to hold a confidence vote on the line-up of a new administration because it lacked a quorum.

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"There is a prime minister, Mr Sarraj, who is capable of directing (a unity government). A majority of MPs say they are in favour but the parliament cannot find a consensus because of barriers," said Ayrault.

"We cannot continue with this situation that is a danger for Libyans, for the whole region... and for Europe," he added.

"We must fight Islamic State where it is trying to establish a foothold in Libya but before that a national unity government needs to be established."

France, backed by Britain, needs to build support for the sanctions amongst other EU members. Many countries are reticent to vote on sanctions that have not been proposed by the United Nations.

Ayrault is expected to bring up the sanctions during a meeting of foreign ministers in Paris, to be attended by the United States, Britain, Italy, Germany and the EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.
PARIS, March 11 (Reuters) - The French government failed to convince student organisations in talks on Friday of the merits of its labour reform plans, and the unions stepped out of the meetings making renewed calls for street protests next week.

Students and unions staged rallies across France on Wednesday, and more are scheduled for Saturday, Thursday and March 31.

Just over a year before presidential elections, Socialist President Francois Hollande, already deeply unpopular, has to find ways to tackle growing anger from left-wing youth organisations that would usually back him.

Hollande and his government have said they are willing to make some tweaks but want to stick to the main aspects of a reform that aims to loosen labour relations and make them open to negotiation at individual companies.

"We want that law to be withdrawn," William Martinet, the head of France's biggest student group Unef, which is close to the ruling Socialist party, said after talks with Prime Minister Manuel Valls and his labour and economy ministers.

He told reporters that Friday's talks had only strengthened the union's belief that protests were all that could be done to persuade the government to change its mind.

Unef has for decades been close to the Socialist party, and many of the party's top officials come from its ranks, some of whom are giving the union cash handouts to support its campaign.

Alexandre Leroy from students union FAGE, which says it represents 2,000 students associations, also called on students to take to the streets on Saturday.

"If nothing's done, we're heading to a dead-end," he said.

The government's reform plan aims at limiting the cost of laying off workers and puts most aspects of France's strictly codified rules on labour relations up for negotiation.

Initially due to be adopted in a cabinet meeting this week, the bill was postponed by two weeks after it triggered harsh criticism from within the Socialist party.

(Reporting by Ingrid Melander and Jean-Baptiste Vey; Editing by Louise Ireland)
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's central bank governor on Friday said there should be a limit to "unconventional" monetary policies globally after the European Central Bank (ECB) unleashed a bold package of easing measures.

"For Indonesia, this is an unconventional monetary policy and there should be a limit," Governor Agus Martowardojo told reporters.

The ECB on Thursday cut rates and expanded its asset purchasing programme.

Martowardojo said that the growth recovery in the Eurozone needs to be complemented by fiscal expansion as was proposed at the last G20 meeting.

Bank Indonesia is scheduled to decide on its own monetary policy on March 16-17.

(Reporting by Hidayat Setiaji; Writing by Gayatri Suroyo; Editing by Sam Holmes)
A companion to AfriClassical.com, a website on African Heritage in Classical Music.
Police secure the entrance to Leinster House on the first day of the Irish parliament (Dail) since a general election in Dublin, Ireland on March 10, 2016 (AFP Photo/Paul Faith)

Dublin (AFP) - Ireland's outgoing prime minister Enda Kenny resigned Thursday after losing a parliamentary vote to be renamed to his post, following an inconclusive general election in the eurozone nation last month.

After the vote Kenny formally submitted his resignation to the Irish president, but will remain in a caretaker role until the political deadlock is resolved and either he or a new Taoiseach, or prime minister, can be appointed.

"In accordance with the constitution, the government and the Taoiseach will continue to carry on their duties until successors have been appointed," a government statement read.

The February 26 election produced no clear winner but stripped his outgoing coalition of its majority, as voters expressed anger over continued austerity policies despite a return to economic growth.

Kenny's Fine Gael party won 50 seats and nearest rivals Fianna Fail have 44, while anti-austerity Sinn Fein -- long associated with the sectarian conflict in neighbouring Northern Ireland -- got 23.

In his bid to be re-appointed prime minister Kenny won the support of 57 deputies -- far short of the required majority of 80 in the 158-seat chamber. He got 94 votes against and five abstentions.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin's nomination for prime minister was also defeated, as was that of Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams.

Analysts have said the clearest option would be for Fine Gael and Fianna Fail to strike a deal together for a minority government or a coalition, but though the two are both centre-right parties they have deep divisions dating back to the 1920s civil war and any agreement between them would be politically difficult.

Ireland's economy surged by 7.8 percent last year -- by far the biggest growth in the European Union and higher than the 6.9-percent expansion seen in China, official data released earlier on Thursday showed.

"There appears to be no let-up in the Irish economic growth story, with all the signs that the 'Celtic Tiger' has been re-born," said Merrion stockbrokers analyst Alan McQuaid, in reference to Ireland's economic boom preceeding the financial crisis.
(Corrects to add "kernel" to product name in first and third paragraphs)

By Emily Chow

KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 (Reuters) - Malaysia should scrap export duty rates for processed palm kernel oil products to help its refining sector, which is losing market share to the world's biggest palm producer Indonesia, a Malaysian industry body said.

Malaysia's exports of refined, bleached, deodorised (RBD) palm kernel oil have fallen 26 percent in the past four years, D. Chandramohan, chairman of the Palm Oil Refiners Association Of Malaysia (PORAM), told Reuters.

"Removing its 5 percent export duty to zero duty would improve our export competitiveness," he said. RBD palm kernel oil is the only Malaysian processed oil product that still attracts a duty.

Refiners in Malaysia, the world's second-largest palm oil producer, say Indonesian rivals enjoy a price advantage as the country imposes a higher export levy on crude palm oil (CPO) than on refined palm products. This encourages CPO producers to sell to domestic refiners, keeping down their costs.

PORAM called last year for a common crude palm oil export duty plan with Indonesia, to help Malaysian refiners boost downstream margins and improve market share.

Malaysian shipments of palm oil products have fallen for five consecutive months since October, according to data from cargo surveyors.

Exports in February fell by 17-18 percent from a month ago, as consumer demand for the tropical oil from top consumers China and India waned. Palm oil is also losing market share to soyoil on a narrowing spread between the two oils, and as China favours importing cheaper soybeans to crush for domestic use.

Palm oil refiners face a further hurdle if proposals to impose import taxes on palm oil and its related products are implemented in France and Russia.

France's proposals would see an import tax on palm oil and palm kernel oil of 300 euros ($326) per tonne in 2017, rising to 900 euros per tonne by 2020. Russia's excise tax on palm oil could be introduced on July 1 and amount to around $200 per tonne.

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"If these two countries do it and we don't oppose it, other countries may follow suit. The basis for this is discriminatory," said Chandramohan.

($1 = 0.9203 euros)

(Editing by Richard Pullin)
BONSALL, CA--(Marketwired - Mar 10, 2016) - MARIJUANA COMPANY OF AMERICA ("MCOA" or the "Company") (OTC PINK: MCOA), an innovative cannabis marketing and distribution company, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a supply agreement with West Coast Collective ("WCC") on behalf of the Company's managed services clients.

Under the terms of the agreement, WCC will provide a wide range of products, including flower (bud), concentrates and finished products to MCOA'S managed services client, Kush Clinic, in Palm Desert, California. WCC is a Pre-ICO, Prop. D compliant medical marijuana dispensary licensed in the greater Los Angeles area.

MCOA's Strategic Advisory Board Member, Eddie Manolos, is one of the most accomplished pioneers in the Medical Marijuana industry. He is also on the management team of WCC. Regarding the new contract between the two companies, Mr. Manolos said, "there is a great deal of synergy between WCC and MCOA. The high quality products that we are currently developing will be a great fit for the brands and distribution model that MCOA is launching. Both companies have aspirations of being industry leaders and can accomplish this quicker by joining forces."

This is the first of many contracts MCOA will establish on behalf of its managed services clients in California and other states and countries. MCOA will continue to leverage the local, regional, national and international relationships that the management team has developed over nearly a decade of active participation in the legal cannabis industry. This contract will enable MCOA to meet the anticipated demand that will be generated upon full launch of the various MCOA programs and product lines, and ensure that it can provide its clients and patient members with a consistent supply of top quality products at competitive prices.

"Establishing this relationship with WCC and their veteran management team enables MCOA to focus on product distribution knowing that a professional, experienced team is producing and providing high quality, tested, MCOA branded products to our clients and patient members," said Mr. Steinberg, MCOA President.

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On behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Donald Steinberg"

Donald Steinberg

President & CEO

888-777-4362

www.MarijuanaCompanyofAmerica.com

About Marijuana Company of America Inc.

Marijuana Company of America ("MCOA") is a publicly traded company headquartered in Southern California. MCOA will distribute marijuana and products related to marijuana as well as CBD and hemp, using a variety of marketing approaches to distribute on a global basis

FORWARD-LOOKING DISCLAIMER

This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements and information, as defined within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is subject to the Safe Harbor created by those sections. This material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and subject to risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements by definition involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Marijuana Company of America, Inc. to be materially different from the statements made herein.

LEGAL DISCLOSURE

Marijuana Company of America Inc. provides management services that assist legal businesses to cultivate, sell, and distribute hemp and marijuana based products within the legal guidelines of individual states and international markets.

For more information, please visit the company's website at: www.MarijuanaCompanyofAmerica.com
Amadou -- nicknamed "the Phoenix" for his political comebacks -- challenged the incumbent Mahamadou Issoufou in Niger's 2016 presidential election (AFP Photo/ISSOUF SANOGO)

Niamey (AFP) - Niger opposition candidate Hama Amadou, held in jail since November on shadowy baby-trafficking charges, will take part in the run-off race against President Mahamadou Issoufou, his lawyers said Thursday.

The head of the country's national electoral commission (CENI) announced earlier that the elections would go ahead despite the withdrawal of the opposition coalition, known as COPA 2016.

The pullout was expected to include candidate Amadou, who has campaigned from behind bars throughout the race.

But his lawyer told AFP that Amadou never said he would withdraw.

"COPA has only said that they will suspend their participation in the process, but Hama will run in the election," his lawyer said.

COPA 2016 announced Tuesday they would withdraw from the race, which is widely expected to hand incumbent president Issoufou a second five-year term, describing the vote as "unfair".

The opposition has accused the government of fraud in the first round, claiming "unfair treatment between the two candidates" and complaining that the Constitutional Court has yet to officially confirm the first-round results.

The run-off vote -- the first-ever for the impoverished country -- is set for March 20, a date CENI chief Boube Ibrahim said had to be adhered to, citing "constitutional deadlines".

Amadou, a former prime minister, has been in jail since November on baby-trafficking charges he says are politically motivated.

He nonetheless came second in the first round on February 21 with nearly 18 percent of the vote, while Issoufou took 48 percent.

The government maintains the polls were "free and transparent" while the African Union, which sent observers, said it was generally satisfied with the organisation of the vote, despite logistical glitches and delays.

A total of 7.5 million people were eligible to vote in the country, which lies on the edge of the Sahara desert, where security is a growing concern after attacks by jihadists from neighbouring Nigeria, Mali and Libya.

Niger's Court of Cassation must rule on whether to go ahead with Amadou's baby-trafficking trial on March 23, three days after the run-off ballot.
(Changes 'he' to 'she' in final paragraph)

LONDON, March 11 (Reuters) - Norway's membership of the European Economic Area, which gives it access to EU markets without being part of the European Union, is valuable but should not be seen as a "free ride", its finance minister said in London on Friday.

Norway's relationship with the EU is seen as a model that Britain could follow if it decides to leave the bloc at a referendum in June.

"By and large this agreement has served us well," Finance Minister Siv Jensen said in a question and answer session following a speech at the London School of Economics, but he added that it was not a "free ride".

"You have to really raise your voice to get the attention needed at some of the negotiations," she said.

(Reporting by Kit Rees and Dhara Ranasinghe; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
Workers clean windows outside the Cape Town headquarters of Anglo-South African financial services company Old Mutual, March 7, 2016. Old Mutual said on Monday it was considering all options available to it under the strategic review announced in November. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

By Carolyn Cohn and Noor Zainab Hussain

LONDON (Reuters) - Anglo-South African financial services group Old Mutual (OML.L) will split into its four main businesses, and may list its emerging market and wealth management arms, it said on Friday.

Regulatory changes in Europe and South Africa have made the company, which started out in 1845 as a life insurance firm in Cape Town, more complex to run in its current form, it said.

"We have four very strong businesses ... there is little commonality and limited rationale for them to be combined into one group," chief executive Bruce Hemphill told a media call.

Speculation about a break-up and possible bid for its UK wealth management business had boosted Old Mutual shares earlier this week, but the company made no mention of any offers.

UBS analysts said that might disappoint shareholders.

At 1000 GMT, Old Mutual shares were down 1.3 percent at 182.6 pence.

Sky News reported last weekend that private equity firms had tabled a cash bid for Old Mutual Wealth, which analysts said would be worth 3-4 billion pounds.

The break-up of the four units - Old Mutual Emerging Markets, Nedbank Group (NEDJ.J) and OM Asset Management (OMAM.N) as well as Old Mutual Wealth - is expected to be largely completed by the end of 2018, the company said in a statement.

Hemphill, who joined Old Mutual in November, said one option would be separate listings for the company's emerging market and wealth arms, but decisions had not yet been taken and the company would consult shareholders and debtholders.

Old Mutual, which is listed in London and Johannesburg, will close its London head office to save 80 million pounds ($114 million) in costs, Hemphill said, without giving details on the number of jobs affected.

The company will cut its majority stake in Nedbank Group to a minority stake, possibly of around 15-20 percent, he added.

Old Mutual also reported a solvency capital ratio under new European rules of 135 percent, lower than many of the other major insurers that have reported earnings so far this year.

Story continues

Hemphill said the rules did not allow the company to recognise capital surpluses in some of its businesses.

The company said its pretax adjusted operating profit for 2015 rose 4 percent in reported currency terms to 1.7 billion pounds ($2.4 billion).

It announced a 2 percent rise in its total dividend to 8.9 pence per share but altered its dividend policy as a result of the break-up strategy, which Bernstein analysts said could result in a dividend cut next year.

(Additional reporting by Soumithri Mamidipudi in Bengaluru and Richa Naidu in London; Editing by Rachel Armstrong and Mark Potter)
john kasich

Ohio Gov. John Kasich is locked in a tight battle in his home state with Donald Trump, according to a new Fox News poll out on Wednesday.

The survey found Kasich beating Trump for the first time in Ohio since polls started being conducted in August.

Kasich garnered 34% of support among likely Republican-primary voters in the state, while Trump garnered 29% of the vote. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz clocked in at 19% support, while Florida Sen. Marco Rubio registered 9%.

Despite the good news, recent polling suggests that Kasich is still the likely underdog in his home state, which awards all 66 of its delegates to the first-place finisher when it votes next Tuesday.

Two other polls released earlier on Wednesday found Trump with a six-point lead over Kasich in the Buckeye State. The governor's campaign blasted out the Fox News poll results to reporters, saying that it was the first reliable survey conducted since last Thursday's Republican presidential debate.

The poll comes less than a week before the state holds its primary, and only days after the governor narrowly came in third place in Michigan, a state in which he told audiences in New Hampshire that he needed to perform well in.

Kasich's Ohio win could deprive Trump of key delegates on his march to the Republican presidential nomination. The Kasich campaign has been publicly gearing up for a possible fight for the nomination at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland later this year.

Ohio is a must-win state for Kasich, and even carries prime importance for Trump.

Kasich trails his Republican rivals by large margins in the delegate chase. He desperately needs a win to maintain validity in the race. For Trump, on the other hand, capturing 66 delegates would greatly increase his chances of securing the nomination before the convention.

Trump is campaigning hard in next week's winner-take-all primaries in Ohio and Florida, telling CNN's Anderson Cooper in a Wednesday interview that he wants to strike a "knockout" blow in both states.

Story continues

"I think if I win those two, I think it's over," Trump said of Ohio and Florida.

NOW WATCH: Anti-Trump voters are saying this 1964 political attack ad perfectly summarizes his campaign





More From Business Insider


cause yeah

The Russian Ministry of Defense has announced plans that it is seeking to buy five young and healthy dolphins, Russian news sources reported this week.

According to the Russian media company TASS, the defense ministry is willing to pay upwards of $25,000 for the dolphins. Specifically, the Kremlin is looking to buy two females and three males between three and five years of age.

The dolphins must also be between 2.3 and 2.7 meters long.

TASS notes that the Ministry of Defense has not specified the reasons it is looking to purchase the marine mammals.

However, an anonymous Russian military source told Russian media company RIA Novosti that the Kremlin wanted the dolphins to replenish the stocks of trained dolphins that Russia had seized from Ukraine in Crimea.

Russia seized control of Ukraine's military dolphin division in March 2014. The dolphin division was originally created by the Soviet Union, but passed into the control of Ukraine following the union's dissolution.

After the seizure of the dolphins in March 2014, RIA Novosti wrote that the "dolphins are trained to patrol open water and attack or attach buoys to items of military interest, such as mines on the sea floor or combat scuba divers trained to slip past enemy security perimeters, known as frogmen."

Russia's interest in acquiring new dolphins demonstrates the country's interest in perpetuating its dolphin program.

Ukraine, for its part, has been lobbying Russia to return the dolphins it seized in Crimea, stating that the dolphins did not have a choice of whether they wanted to be part of Russia or Ukraine during the Crimean referendum.

NOW WATCH: There is a life-size chocolate statue of Vladimir Putin  and he's the only one who's allowed to eat it





More From Business Insider


The conflict in South Sudan has been marked by rights violations and attacks on civilians

Fighters in South Sudan are allowed to rape women as payment, the UN rights office said Friday, describing the country as "one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world."

"The assessment team received information that the armed militias... who carry out attacks together with the SPLA (South Sudanese army) commit violations under an agreement of 'do what you can and take what you can,'" the rights office said in a new report.

"Most of the youth therefore also raided cattle, stole personal property, raped and abducted women and girls as a form of payment," the report added.

In the report, the UN human rights office painted a harrowing picture of civilians suspected of supporting the opposition, including children, being burned alive, suffocated in shipping containers, hanged from trees and cut to pieces.

UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein meanwhile warned that brutal rapes had been used systematically as "an instrument of terror and weapon of war."

Between April and September 2015, the UN found that more than 1,300 rapes were reported in South Sudan's Unity State alone. Even women inside UN protected camps were at risk when they went out to collect food or firewood, several of them were then raped or abducted and held in sexual slavery as wives for soldiers in barracks.

Al Hussein also said the number of rapes in the report was only a "snapshot of the real total", and that the massive use of rape as an instrument of war and terror had largely been off the international radar.

"The report contains harrowing accounts of civilians suspected of supporting the opposition, including children and the disabled, killed by being burned alive, suffocated in containers, shot, hanged from trees or cut to pieces," the UN human rights office said in a statement.

"This is one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world," Al Hussein said in a statement.

Story continues

After gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan erupted into civil war in December 2013, setting off a cycle of retaliatory killings that have split the poverty-stricken, landlocked country along ethnic lines.

NOW WATCH: IAN BREMMER: Greece is headed for a humanitarian disaster





More From Business Insider


thaad launcher

US ARMY MCGREGOR RANGE, New Mexico  The most advanced missile system on the planet can hunt and blast incoming missiles right out of the sky with a 100% success rate  and we got to spend a day with it.

Meet America's THAAD system.

THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) is a unique missile-defense system with unmatched precision, capable of countering threats around the world with its mobility and strategic battery-unit placement.

"It is the most technically advanced missile-defense system in the world," US Army Col. Alan Wiernicki, commander of the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, told Business Insider in an interview.

"Combatant commanders and our allies know this, which puts our THAAD Batteries in very high global demand," Wiernicki added.

And that demand seems poised to rise.

Deploying America's THAAD

On Wednesday,

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un claimed his country had developed miniaturized nuclear warheads, which can be mounted to long-range ballistic missiles.

obama south korea

The rogue regime's latest announcement is a follow-through pass to

last month's long-range-rocket launch and January's purported hydrogen-bomb test.

Negotiations to equip South Korea with THAAD have been ongoing since South Korean President Park Geun-hye's October 2015 visit to the White House.

As of yet, there has not been a formal move to deploy the missile system.

"The complexity of global-security challenges is increasingly causing combatant commanders to request more Army forces," US Army Capt. Gus Cunningham told Business Insider.

"With that said, THAAD is ready to respond to any request, at any time," Cunningham added.

If a THAAD battery were deployed to South Korea, depending on its exact location, nearly all incoming missiles from the North could be eliminated, as displayed by the following graphic from The Heritage Foundation.

Story continues

thaad range

Meanwhile, China is spooked over the potential THAAD assignment to South Korea.

Chinese Ambassador Qiu Guohong warned that basing the US-made THAAD missile system in South Korea would irreparably damage relations between the countries, The Chosunilbo reported.

THAAD deployment, Qiu said, "would break the strategic balance in the region and create a vicious cycle of Cold War-style confrontations and an arms race, which could escalate tensions."

During his most recent visit to Beijing, Secretary of State John Kerry explained that the US was "not hungry or anxious or looking for an opportunity to deploy THAAD," CNN reported.

"THAAD is a purely defensive weapon. It is purely capable of shooting down a ballistic missile it intercepts. And it is there for the protection of the United States," Kerry said.

"If we can get to denuclearization, there's no need to deploy THAAD," he added.

How THAAD's 'hit to kill' lethality works

Currently, there five THAAD batteries  each of approximately 100 soldiers  assigned to Ft. Bliss in El Paso, Texas.

One of those THAAD batteries was deployed to Guam in April 2013 in order to deter North Korean provocations and further defend the Pacific region.

Impressively, the THAAD interceptor does not carry a warhead. Instead, the interceptor missile uses pure kinetic energy to deliver "hit to kill" strikes to incoming ballistic threats inside or outside the atmosphere.

Each launcher carries up to eight missiles and can send multiple kill vehicles at once, depending on the severity of the threat.

Lockheed Martin's missile launcher is just one element of the four-part antimissile system. The graphic below shows the rest of the components needed for each enemy-target interception.

thaad amanda

THAAD's first line of defense is its radar system.

"We have one of the most powerful radars in the world," US Army Capt. Kyle Terza, a THAAD battery commander, told Business Insider.

Raytheon's AN/TPY-2 radar is used to detect, track, and discriminate ballistic missiles in the terminal (or descent) phase of flight.

The mobile radar is about the size of a bus and is so powerful that it can scan areas the size of entire countries, according to Raytheon.

thaad amanda raytheon

Once an enemy threat has been identified, THAAD's Fire Control and Communications (TFCC) support team kicks in. If there is a decision to engage the incoming missile, the launcher fires an interceptor to hunt for its target.

Here's what the launch looks like from far away:

While in flight, the interceptor will track its target and obliterate it in the sky.

The following infrared imagery shows THAAD demolishing the target:

By the end of 2016, the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is scheduled to deliver an additional 48 THAAD interceptors to the US military, bringing the total up to 155, according to a statement from the MDA's director, Vice Admiral J.D. Syring, given before the House Armed Service Committee.

According to the MDA, there are more than 6,300 ballistic missiles outside of US, NATO, Russian, and Chinese control.

While other US partners around the globe are interested in purchasing THAAD, the United Arab Emirates is the sole foreign buyer after signing a deal with the Department of Defense for $3.4 billion.

NOW WATCH: Meet America's THAAD: One of the world's most advanced missile-defense systems that has China spooked





More From Business Insider


Myanmar's next president Htin Kyaw (C) stands alongside Aung San Suu Kyi (R) at the lower house of parliament in Naypyidaw on March 11, 2016 (AFP Photo/Ye Aung Thu)

Naypyidaw (Myanmar) (AFP) - An aide of Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi was a step closer to becoming the country's first civilian leader in generations Friday after sailing through a parliamentary vote, while the military put forward a hardline retired general as its vice president nominee.

Htin Kyaw, a respected writer who helps run Suu Kyi's charitable foundation, was seen as the top choice to act as a proxy for the democracy veteran who is barred from the office by a junta-scripted charter.

One further vote of approval is needed in the combined houses dominated by Suu Kyi loyalists before Htin Kyaw can officially be anointed leader of the nation that has been run by the military for decades.

His parliamentary confirmation comes as the military put forward their own candidate, Yangon chief minister Myint Swe, a retired army general seen as an ally of former strongman Than Shwe.

The decision is likely to prove controversial in a country still burdened by the legacy of nearly 50 years of rule by the military, which retains significant influence including a quarter of the parliament's seats.

Suu Kyi is beloved by many in Myanmar and the uncontested figurehead of the country's long democracy struggle, but months of negotiations have failed to convince the military to change a charter clause that blocks her from top office.

She has nevertheless vowed to rule "above" the next president as she strives to meet the soaring expectations of millions of voters who handed her National League for Democracy party a thundering election win in November.

- 'Deserving' choice -

The combined houses are expected to vote between three candidates next week, with a new president set to replace outgoing President Thein Sein at the end of March.

With the NLD dominating both houses, Htin Kyaw is likely clinch the top post with a comfortable lead.

The NLD's other candidate is from the upper house, ethnic Chin MP Henry Van Thio. Both he and Myint Swe would then become vice presidents.

Story continues

Even the state-backed Global New Light of Myanmar, which normally shies away from coverage of Suu Kyi and her party, on Friday said Htin Kyaw "is favoured to ascend to the presidency absent any irregularities in the process".

Though he did not run in November's polls, Htin Kyaw is a close and trusted confidante.

He sometimes drove for the democracy activist during her brief moments of freedom from house arrest, and was at her side when she was finally freed in 2010.

Htin Kyaw commands significant respect in Myanmar, partly because his father was a legendary writer and early member of the NLD. He is married to sitting NLD MP Su Su Lwin, whose late father was the party's respected spokesman.

"We are going to see our first ever civilian president. He is endowed with presidential qualifications and has worked alongside Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for democracy. He is a deserving one," Tin Thit, a lower house NLD lawmaker told AFP. Daw means auntie and is a term of respect.

Suu Kyi was first to cast her ballot in the lower house vote that saw Htin Kyaw win support from across the party spectrum.

Barred from top political office because she married and had children with a foreigner, she has not outlined what her future role will be.

Some have suggested she could mimic India's Sonia Gandhi, who wielded huge influence over her Congress party's administration despite having no official government role.

Friday marked the second time Myanmar's military has chosen Myint Swe, who is linked to the deadly crackdown on monk-led democracy rallies in 2007, for the vice presidency.

He was first put forward under the former quasi-civilian government in 2012, but soon disqualified under the same charter clause that blocks Suu Kyi because his son-in-law was an Australian citizen.

A military spokesman declined to comment about whether this issue has been resolved.

Myanmar has seen dramatic reforms since the end of outright military rule in 2011.

But a new government will face steep challenges to improve the lives of the impoverished nation's 51 million people and end persistent civil wars in ethnic borderlands.

Relations with the military will be key and Suu Kyi has pledged a government of national reconciliation.

She held shock talks with Than Shwe last year, after which his grandson said the former iron-fisted ruler saw her as the country's "future leader".
Donald Trump has done what few politicians have been able to achieve in this century: He has brought disparate immigrant groups together to oppose him in what some think of as a new melting pot.

The concern now is, will the melting pot have a tragic meltdown?

The New York Times describes the passion and strength some Mexican immigrants are beginning to show against Trump and his hateful rhetoric. Their strategy as legal residents is to become citizens by the November election and help deny Trump the presidency. Federal data shows that naturalization applications rose 14 percent during the six months ending in January.

For Latinos, fear of deportation, separation from family and being treated as second or third class citizens is a powerful motivation.

Related: The Fight Against ISIS Now Includes Chemical Weapons

For Muslims, who have also been targeted and reviled by Trump, its even more: Fighting Trump, who represents a large and growing swath of the American electorate, is a matter of faith.

After a string of strong primary wins, its likely that Trump will be the Republican candidate for the 2016 presidential election. But what impact would his presidency have on U.S. homeland security?

The Paris attacks in November 2015, which were directed by ISIS, and the San Bernardino shooting a month later that was inspired by the terror group, illustrate the threat ISIS poses to U.S. homeland security, a danger that has become a major issue in U.S. foreign policy.

According to the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation, the year 2015 witnessed 15 terror plots or attacks in the U.S, more than any year since 2001. At least three more were uncovered in 2016. Almost every one of these plots and attacks was inspired by ISIS. There are also about a thousand open FBI investigations concerning ISIS-related cases, in all 50 states.

Related: ISIS Marches Towards Libyas Oil Crescent, Despite US Air Strikes

Trump has addressed the ISIS issue in many of his controversial statements. He has said that as president he would deport Syrian refugees and block any more from entering.

Story continues

In November 2015, he repeatedly pledged to bomb the hell out of ISIS. He called for the United States to kill the relatives and loved ones of terrorists. After the Paris and San Bernardino attacks, Trump called for greater surveillance of mosques and newly arrived Muslims. He has said that he would consider shutting down mosques at home.

Finally, in early December 2015, Trump called for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our countrys representatives can figure out what is going on. Trump recently said he would bring back waterboarding, a form of torture used by the CIA after 9/11. He also said he would use methods that go beyond waterboarding.

American Muslims and Homeland Security

The Muslim American community, which numbers close to 3 million, has recently been the subject of numerous Islamophobic incidents following the Paris attacks. These incidents include air travel profiling and attacks on mosques and Muslim individuals, including women wearing hijabs.

If Trump wins the presidency and implements an aggressive surveillance program aimed at mosques and Muslims in general, and if he goes so far as to shut down some mosques and start deporting Syrian refugees who were legally admitted to the U.S, the Muslim American community would suffer further alienation. This alienation could result in more frustration, more fuel for ISIS propaganda and more terror plots on U.S. soil.

Related: ISIS Finds a New Revenue Stream: Currency Manipulation

The reaction of Muslim Americans toward a Trump presidency would vary. On one hand, secular Muslim Americans for whom Islam is a cultural background rather than a religious commitment might be singled out for hateful assaults nevertheless. As a result, sentiments toward Islamic extremism could soften among some secular Muslims. Moderate religious Muslims could have similar experiences.

Those Muslim Americans who are more religiously extreme, yet not violent, could also embrace aspects of ISIS ideology, perhaps going a step further and supporting, aiding or even plotting attacks. Negative interactions with U.S. law enforcement or with U.S. society in general have nudged some notable leaders of radical Islam into more heinous violence.

Ethnically, Muslims living within U.S. borders are divided into three main groups: those with roots in South Asia, Africa or the Arab world. A study by George Washington Universitys program on extremism found that those who were seduced by ISIS in the U.S were from all three main ethnicities of the Muslim community. (A fourth ethnic background among ISIS supporters in the U.S. is white former Christians who converted to Islam, but they are not a major part of the Muslim American community.)

Among Arab-Americans  those who are first or second-generation immigrants in the United States radicalization often occurs in a way that is alien to average Westerners. Due to four centuries of Ottoman occupation of the Arab world, followed by several decades of Western colonization and then by several decades of brutal dictatorship colored by the ArabIsraeli conflict, many Arabs  even those who are well educated  chalk up most crises as pro-Israeli or sympathetic Western crusader conspiracies.

Related: Heres Who ISIS Would Vote for in the US Presidential Election

In mosques, schools and homes, the imams, teachers and parents feed Middle Eastern children conspiracy theories. War in Syria, a bad movie about the prophet Mohammed or an earthquake in Indonesia can surely be blamed on some groups wicked plans. In the Middle East, state TV, radio, Internet and social media also promote conspiracies. Some propaganda is promoted by authoritarian state actors, some by radical Islamists.

In the Middle East, dictators play the conspiracy theory card to discourage people from doing anything. When someone is consistently reminded that everything bad happening is because of overwhelming powers that are much stronger than ordinary citizens, he or she is left powerless. Radical Islam offers a solution where citizens can do something: terrorize those conspirators working against you. So, for some Arabs and Arab Americans, conspiracy is the shadow explanation for being personally soft on terror. It offers a type of relief valve for an otherwise upsetting view of the world.

Trumps rhetoric plays right into those conspiracy theories. Given the attention his comments have gotten, it is a sure bet that ISIS would intensify its propaganda campaign with spectacular recruiting videos targeting Muslim Americans, as it has done in other places where circumstances were ripe to exploit. This technique  seen across the Middle East, South Asia, Africa and Europe -- is how ISIS has gained a foothold, particularly in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Libya and Afghanistan. A dark imagination would predict this outcome in the U.S. as well, especially if a Trump presidency stirred up more anti-Muslim attacks and alienation.

As we mentioned in Who ISIS Would Vote for in the US Presidential Election, Trump wins hands-down for providing the rhetorical ammunition and news clips ISIS wants for its recruiting missions.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Defying Gravity: Decoding U.S. Steel Corporation's Current Rally

(Continued from Prior Part)

U.S. Steel Europe

U.S. Steel Corporations (X) Europe operations accounted for 28% of its consolidated shipments in fiscal 2015. In the last few years, Europe has not been a major contributor to U.S. Steels consolidated earnings.

While U.S. Steels US operations delivered handsome earnings in fiscal 2013, its European operations were sagging as Europe was still reeling under the economic slowdown.

Most profitable segment in 2015

However, things changed last year and U.S. Steels Europe operations accounted for 80% of the group consolidated EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) in fiscal 2015. More than the improved earnings from U.S. Steels Europe operations, it was the decline in the Tubular segments performance that increased the earnings contribution from Europe. Now, the question would be: Can Europe continue to deliver the goods for U.S. Steel?

Europe still weak

While the recent trade cases have buoyed the US steel industry, Europe is still weak. A major recovery in U.S. Steels Europe earnings looks elusive in the near-term. Earlier this year, Moodys changed its outlook for European steel industry to negative.

Like the US (VTI), Europe has also been hard hit by rising imports, especially from China. Note that ArcelorMittal (MT) gets almost half of its revenues from Europe. AK Steel (AKS) and Steel Dynamics (STLD) get the majority of their revenues from the US market.

Now, we are left with U.S. Steels Flat Rolled Segment. In the next part, well explore whether the Flat Rolled Segment could be U.S. Steels wild card this year.

Continue to Next Part

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Taipei, March 11 (CNA) Taiwan hopes to hold a new round of negotiations with Japan to discuss the issue of Japanese food imports to Taiwan, as it is moving toward lifting a ban on food imports from five Japanese prefectures that were affected by radiation fallout from the Fukushima Daiich nuclear power plant in 2011, a Taiwanese official said Friday.
BALTIMORE  When 16-year-old Kirsten White is in class and feels distracted, frustrated or angry, she looks at the tiles on the ceiling or the bricks on the walls and counts them.

It gives her the chance to pause and think before she acts.

I take a minute, and no one realizes it, the Annapolis teenager says. It calms me.

The mindfulness exercise is one of many shes learned and embraced in a residential program at Sheppard Pratt, a psychiatric hospital in Towson, where she has been living and going to school since November. The training has helped her cope with the burdens of her young life, which have included bullying, emotional problems and self-harm.

Mindfulness meditation is an ancient spiritual practice that was introduced into health care in the 1970s by a University of Massachusetts professor of medicine who believed it could help patients reduce stress. The practice continues to spread, with classes offered in offices, universities, hospitals and online to help promote relaxation and focus.

Now, as science begins to back up the benefits, mindfulness is being adopted in clinical settings to help providers and patients manage a host of disorders.

The idea is to focus intensely on the present, emptying the mind of outside influences, judgments or stressors, says Tess Carpenter, clinical director of residential programs at Sheppard Pratt.

Mindfulness is the core of the institutions Mann Residential Treatment Program, the behavioral training program launched in 2011 to help troubled teens tolerate distress and improve emotional and interpersonal responses in situations they find overwhelming.

The patients have diagnoses that include attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.

Carpenter calls mindfulness very abstract in nature and tough to teach. Research shows it doesnt work on everyone. Some people dont take to it, just as plenty of people dont get the benefits of yoga, which embraces similar themes.

Kirsten, whos in 10th grade, says she was one of those people. When a counselor proposed the therapy, she was hesitant. She ultimately decided to give it a try.

Students in the treatment center repeat the exercises daily while also participating in more traditional therapy.

Counselors have the teens stare at their thumbs, or blow up balloons and bat them in the air for a few minutes.

That teaches them to concentrate on an activity, Carpenter says, filtering out distractions. In the real world, it could snap them out of an overly emotional situation and give them a window of time to rethink their response.

Its using your wise mind, Carpenter said.

Dr. Carl Fulwiler, medical director and associate research director for the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, says theres now a critical mass of studies showing mindfulness exercises are effective in helping to control stress, pain, weight and depression.

There are some problems, such as anxiety disorders in which patients cant focus, where the practice hasnt been proved effective, Fulwiler says. Outside a clinical setting, mindfulness can be harmful  as when it brings up buried memories or repressed feelings.

But with pain, for example, mindfulness may reduce suffering by making the brain less sensitive to whats happening in the body, he says. In other cases, such as when people cope with stress by eating, drinking alcohol or taking drugs, mindfulness can help people become more aware and make different choices.

Its how we react to things that mindfulness can help, Fulwiler says. Its not a total panacea.

In a 2014 study of 47 mindfulness-based trials, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University said they found enough evidence of its benefits that doctors should be prepared to talk to patients about it. They also concluded that more study into who would benefit is warranted.

Fulwiler is looking at the benefits to minorities, who have not traditionally been included in studies. Hopkins researchers are examining the effects of mindfulness on Baltimores urban youth.

Fulwiler is using brain imaging to determine which patients would gain from mindfulness training. Several researchers have found the practice changes the brain.

In one study, published in January in the journal Biological Psychiatry, 35 adults who were experiencing the stress of unemployment were either taught mindfulness meditation or general relaxation techniques over three days.

Using brain scans, researchers found only mindfulness exercises caused an increase in activity in the part of the brain responsible for reactions to stress and cognition. By looking at blood samples, they discovered a reduction in a chemical that causes inflammation, which can harm the immune system and lead to disease. Those benefits seemed to endure for months.

Its that kind of science that is propelling mindfulness into the mainstream, says lead researcher J. David Creswell, associate professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

While counselors believe everyone has an innate ability to practice mindfulness, they say its not easy for many people to master. People are accustomed to letting their minds wander, suppressing unwanted experiences and running on autopilot.

Thats why the teens in the Sheppard Pratt program stay from six months to a year, Carpenter says. The Towson program focuses on teenagers and can accommodate up to 63 at a time.

Carpenters team is just starting to collect data on the outcomes for those who go through the program. But anecdotally, she says, they appear to be handling the real world as well as the therapy world. They are not returning to the program, or to the social service or criminal justice systems that initially referred many of them.

Other students are referred to the program by private psychiatrists or taken there by their parents.

Kirsten, whose newly red hair seems to reflect her growing confidence, now wants to become a counselor of some kind so she can help others change their path.

Ive been labeled and called names, she says. I want to teach others that they can have a different life.

Corey Johnson Jr., an 18-year-old from Germantown, says he no longer wants people to look at him as a negative influence. He went to Sheppard Pratt in December after handling his diagnoses of ADHD, PTSD and a mood disorder poorly.

Staff members now consider Johnson and Kirsten honors students for their level of dedication to improvement. The teens practice mindfulness daily at Sheppard Pratt and develop their skills in classes or activities with fellow students and when they go home on weekend passes.

Im working hard not to be defined by my past, Johnson said. I dont want to be the person who is in and out of residential treatment centers for the rest of my life and is viewed negatively. I want to be viewed positively.

Johnson, who is in 11th grade, wants to become a forensic scientist. He believes hes now better equipped to concentrate on reaching that goal.

He also believes that mindfulness has helped him better control his responses outside of class.

Instead of counting bricks, like Kristen, he often thinks of being with his older sisters.

I always notice my heart rate goes down and Im calmer, he says. This helps me have a different outlook on life. I get 60 seconds to think about my choices, and of course, I act differently.

In the past I reacted in the wrong way: impulsively.
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Best Western announced its first property in Kuching, Malaysia. The new-build Best Western Plus Kuching is scheduled to welcome its first guests in 2018, providing an exciting new midscale option for travelers to this emerging city.

Kuching is the capital and the most populous city in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia. Kuching is a major food destination for tourists and the main gateway for travelers visiting Sarawak and Borneo. Kuching Wetlands National Park is located about 30 kilometers (19 mi) from the city and there are many other tourist attractions in and around Kuching such as Bako National Park, Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), state assembly building, The Astana, Fort Margherita, Kuching Cat Museum, and Sarawak State Museum. The city has become one of the major industrial and commercial centers in East Malaysia.

Upon completion, the Best Western Plus Kuching will offer 200 contemporary rooms and suites, all equipped with flat-screen televisions and international satellite channels, mini-bars, comfortable beds and complimentary Wi-Fi.

Facilities at the new hotel will include a restaurant serving local and international cuisines, a swimming pool and meeting and event space.

Best Western Hotels & Resorts currently operates three hotels in Malaysia: Best Western i-City Shah Alam, Best Western Petaling Jaya, and Best Western Premier The Haven Ipoh. Additionally, Best Western is planning to expand significantly in the country in the coming years.
German mobile developer and publisher Wooga is mixing things up with a new midcore studio in its Berlin HQ, dubbed Black Anvil Games. It's currently working on its first title, a hex-based strategy game entitled Warlords, according to a VentureBeat report.

"We have decided to fully focus Wooga completely on casual games. We had a couple of midcore strategy game in development and have decided to start a new studio for these games," Wooga CEO Jens Begemann told VentureBeat.

The mobile game market is "maturing, consolidating, and getting more professional," according to Begemann. "All of those things are interrelated. Its more important to make multiple bets and have a portfolio. You have to be profitable as a company to finance new games. The quality is going up all the time, and it is very competitive. If you are a healthy company with a great team, you will be one of those remaining after this period of consolidation."

The studio comprises 40 employees and is headed up by ex-DICE man Wilhelm Oesterberg, who's worked for the company for five years now.

This isn't the first attempt at diversification for the company; it opened a Tokyo office in 2014, and earlier this year launched its first game out of that studio, a puzzle title aimed at the Japanese market.




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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



The following may apply:



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





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



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





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





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





6) The court is guided by credible evidence on which it will make its finding of facts
NORTHWOOD | Lovone Irene Reeder, 85, Northwood, died Tuesday, March 8, 2016, at the Muse-Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason City.

A celebration of her life will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 12, 2016, at the First Lutheran Church, 309 N. Ninth St., Northwood, with the Rev. Judy Converse officiating. Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday at the Conner Colonial Chapel, 1008 First Ave. S., Northwood. Following the visitation, cremation will be accorded, with graveside inurnment to be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Sunset Rest Cemetery in Northwood, with military graveside honors conducted by members of Our Buddies VFW Memorial Post 6779 of Northwood. Visitation will also be held one hour prior to the service on Saturday at the church.

The family would like to suggest that those wishing to give a memorial in her memory, may wish to consider memorials to Hospice of North Iowa, First Lutheran Church, or to the Northwood Public Library.

Lovone Irene (Bennett) Reeder was born on June 17, 1930, in Greensboro, Alabama, the daughter of Claude Hampton and Lena Irene (Southard) Bennett. Lovone was baptized in the Baptist faith. She was inducted into the United States Marines on February 15, 1952, in Indianapolis, Indiana, and served her country honorably and faithfully until her honorable discharge on November 13, 1952, in San Francisco, California.

She was united in marriage to Charles Reeder on August 15, 1959, in Las Vegas, Nevada. During her life, Lovone worked as a teller for Bank of America in Los Angeles, California, with her husband Charles, owned the Northwood Meat locker, and Charlie by the river restaurant in Northwood. Lovone also worked for Fallgatters Grocery Store in Northwood.

Lovone enjoyed golfing, playing cards, sewing, reading, bowling, traveling, and was able to travel to Europe twice, and visiting with family and friends.

She was a member of First Lutheran Church and the church circle in Northwood, and the VFW ladies Auxiliary in Northwood.

Those left to cherish her memory are her children, Dan (Terri) Bacon of Greenwood, South Carolina and Richie (Young Sook) Reeder of Colorado Springs, Colorado; her grandchildren, Maegan (David) McHugh of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Carson (Luke) Penney of Greenwood, South Carolina, and Heidi Reeder of Guttenberg, Iowa; her great-grandchildren, Evan Keel, and Anne Penney; several nieces, nephews, and other extended family members and friends.

Lovone was preceded in death by her parents, Claude and Irene Bennett; husband, Charles Reeder who died on June 24, 2004; daughter, Francis Doreen Zimmerman; brothers, James, John, and Robert Bennett; and her sister, Juanita Ammerman.

Conner Colonial Chapel, Northwood, IA: 641-324-1543
CARDIFF BY THE SEA, Calif., March 10, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MGN Online, America's #1 resource for Still and Animated News Graphics, is pleased to announce the signing of Western Communication's Newspaper assets, The Observer in La Grande, Oregon and the Baker City Herald in Baker City, Oregon, part of Western Communication's, Inc. family of publications. The Observer and Baker City Herald join MGN Online's News Image Hub to enhance their Newspapers visual appeal and digital web presence.



Newspapers now have an even greater need for News Imagery with increased online readership. Digital advertising and subscriptions are becoming a significant part of successful newspaper enterprises.



"As the Newspaper business model evolves, the services that MGN Online provides brings traditional print publications into the digital age," said Gill Davis, President and CEO of MGN Online. "Our high quality graphical images and photos instantly improve the look and feel of our print subscriber's publications."



The Newspaper Industry has been struggling for the past several years with digital migration and it has been difficult for the Print Media to establish a new business model. Now, more than ever, readers are expecting high quality images, photos and maps to illustrate the News and feature stories. Unlike print where a well written article would captivate readers, today's print consumers don't even engage unless they are first attracted visually.



MGN's Content has crossed over well to digital because of its TV Production Value roots. Television, unlike Newspapers, has always needed strong Visual Content to quickly provide the visual aid for a News Story. As the Newspapers new Media requirement does have a similar need to engage visually in order to stand out among the crowded News Media online, Newspapers are finding that the Visual Connection TV has always had, now must be utilized in the Print Media. In order to survive, Newspapers must adopt this visual approach to capture the attention of the next generation of News Consumers.



About Western Communications, Inc.

Western Communications, Inc. produces print publications and websites in Oregon and California. Its properties in Oregon include The Bulletin and Central Oregon Nickel Ads in Bend; Baker City Herald in Baker City; The Observer in La Grande; Redmond Spokesman in Redmond; and the Curry Coastal Pilot in Brookings. In California, they own The Daily Triplicate in Crescent City, and the Union Democrat in Sonora. Western Communications, Inc. was founded in 1953 and their headquarters are in Bend, Oregon.



About MGN Online

MGN Online is America's premier resource for Still and Animated News Graphics, with a wide-ranging client roster of Affiliates extending across Television, Radio, Newspaper, Web, Mobile and Multi-media platforms. MGN Online serves newscasts, webcasts, newspapers, web radio and other News and Information services 24/7 through its innovative content creation, storage and distribution facilities. MGN Online is a division of Multimedia Graphic Network Inc., founded in 1982 and based in Cardiff by the Sea, California.
MONTREAL, March 11, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This Sunday morning at two a.m., time will move forward by 1 hour to honor the annual daylight savings time tradition that signals the beginning of Spring for many people. But is this practice really a friend or a foe? While gaining that extra hour of daylight does have its perks, losing an hour of sleep can have more of an affect than just the mild inconvenience of cutting our weekend short.

There is some evidence to suggest that we don't really adapt to these changeswhether they're in the spring, or in the falland the repercussions are vast. The good news, there are natural remedies that can help get you back on track.

Some studies show increase in accidents, heart attacks, psychiatric disorders and even obesity!

How time change affect our sleep?

Humans are diurnal beingsmeaning that they're awake by dayand sleep at night. Sleep is initiated when your eyes sense a decrease in light (or an increase in darkness), which triggers the release of melatonin. While melatonin is the main sleep initiator, it is not the only chemical signal required for sleep. Cortisol is also a player, and its levels are related to the sleep-wake cycle. As a matter of fact, an increase in cortisol in the morning is what helps to wake you upnot surprisingly, during times of stress (when cortisol is high) it is very difficult for most people to fall asleep or get some restful sleep.

The levels of melatonin and cortisol cycle throughout the day, with cortisol peaking in the morning, and melatonin at night. This is known as your circadian rhythm, which naturally matches sunrise and sunset. With so much artificial light in big cities and even at home (think of the LED lights from your TV, or alarm clock etc.) your sleep pattern can be seriously affected. This is compounded further by the semi-annual stresses of daylight savings time.

What are the symptoms?

This is a no-brainer. If you can't fall sleep, can't get a restful sleep, or if your sleep isn't long enough, then fatigue ensues. This can drastically reduce your alertness, your reaction time, and can even affect your body temperature and mood. Unfortunately, sleep isn't something you can "bank" onmeaning that you cannot accumulate some for later, nor you can make it up later for lost sleep time.

Is the spring or fall time change the worse?

This actually depends on your lifestyle. Are you a night owl or are you a lark (early riser)? At least one study (BMC Physiology: Life's Extremes: Night Owl vs. Morning Lark) claims that night owls are more affected in the spring and larks in the fall. Ultimately, the real issue is that regardless of whether it's spring or fall, time changes affect all of us and most people have trouble adjustingsomething that can linger on for weeks at a time.

What can be done to help?

Many people experiencing sleeping problems (whether it's sleep initiating, or sleep maintenance insomnia) will go to their family physician for help. The conventional treatment is a short course (no more than two weeks) of sedative/hypnotics (usually benzodiazepines). However, these are not without its issues, such as rebound insomnia.

The first "natural" approach to sleeping problems involves relaxation techniques, good sleep hygieneabsolute darkness, and no television, telephone, or any other distractions before bedand no stimulants (e.g. coffee or tea) past noon. Aerobic exercises are a highly effective way to help you get a restful sleep at night, and even though you're spending energy you're also helping your body increasing its sense of wellbeing while decreasing fatigue.

For those of you who you truly require a sleeping aid, but prefer a "natural" alternative, some substances may be able to help when properly prescribed. When in doubt, always consult with a licensed naturopathic doctor or a qualified health care provider.

A.Vogel offers a wide range of herbal remedies that can help provide the rest you need without the groggy aftermath or dependency issues resulting in the use of some pharmaceutical products. Some herbal options to examine are; valerian, hops (not recommended in depression). Also passion flower and ziziphus have been proven to be very helpful.

co-written by Krista Halton and Rick Olazabal, BSc, BN

About Bioforce Canada / A.Vogel - The history of a successful brand

A.Vogel was founded in Basel, Switzerland in 1923 by the company's founder and namesake, Alfred Vogel, a phytotherapist, naturopath and a pioneer in natural health. From 1937 Alfred Vogel cultivated and harvested herbs to manufacture remedies from fresh, organic GMO free plants. Today, A.Vogel (Bioforce) has over 500 employees and operates in 30 countries. The company's headquarters remain in Switzerland with subsidiaries in Holland, France, Finland and Canada. A.Vogel's commitment to organic farming methods means they use their own, carefully selected seeds, knowing the history of each plant, and having full traceability.
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
Bronx prosecutors indicted 84 people yesterday on narcotics trafficking, murder, attempted murder, and weapons possession charges, saying that they were part of four gangs that distributed crack, heroin, and the powerful synthetic opiate Fentanyl in cities and towns around New England, and brought back guns to sow mayhem. The Bronx District Attorney's Office called it the largest gang prosecution in its history, in terms of the number of people charged.

The street crews, the Eden Boys, Miami Ave., UGZ and RGZ, are allegedly responsible for 22 shootings in the Bronx neighborhoods of Tremont, Fordham, and High Bridge. One accused member, Wilfred Lora, already incarcerated and facing weapons and drug possession and attempted murder charges, is being charged with 11 attempted murders.

His lawyer, Anthony Strazza, said he has not seen the indictment, but that Lora plans to plead not guilty at his arraignment next week.

"In cases like this, oftentimes the police and the DAs Office get their information from informants who later turn out to be unreliable, untrustworthy, incredible," he said. "So the indictment is filled with only allegations. It looks really bad, but whether or not they can actually prove that stuff is another story."

Of the 84 defendants, 58 are being charged as major traffickers, a formal designation for drug dealers managing more than $75,000 in controlled substances in a short timeframe, which can carry a sentence of 15 years to life in prison.

New Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, a former appeals judge ushered into office by the borough's Democratic Party machine in January without voter input, said in a statement that these are bad people.

"With reckless brutality, these four gangs battled on the streets of the Bronx over drug profits made in New England, or purely for the sake of violence, sometimes trapping innocent bystanders in the crossfire," she said.

The investigation began in November 2014, when police started looking into crews believed to be responsible for recent violence, according to a DA's Office release [pdf]. The federal Drug Enforcement Agency got involved the following February as intelligence turned up showing some crew members were spending time in the southeastern Massachusetts towns of Bourne and Wareham. Investigators say they found that the gangs had been moving heroin and cocaine up from the Bronx to the area from 2012 to late 2014, and further probing turned up an alleged crack and heroin selling operation in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Prosecutors claim the groups were making $10,000 a week selling crack in Manchester, four times what the same amount would go for in the Bronx, and buying guns there to carry home. They say they followed the supply chain to an organization moving kilos of drugs a week through the Bronx, and traced the business's tendrils to Manhattan and Bergen County, New Jersey.

Raids turned up nine kilos of coke, four kilos of heroin, two kilos of Fentanyl, half a kilo of Fentanyl-laced heroin, 12 pounds of cutting chemicals, $260,000 in cash, seven automobiles, and 889 grams of crack. Also, 15 guns, extended magazines, and heaps of ammo.

Police and federal agents arrested 31 of the suspects on Wednesday. 35 are already locked up on other charges, and 18 are still on the run.

The Bronx DA's Office would not provide a copy of the indictment.
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400 pounds of beautiful-looking marijuana was seized by the NYPD in a big Greenpoint drug bust this week. First 300 pounds of the mouth-watering weed was discovered in a container that two men allegedly picked up at ABF Freight on the banks of Newtown Creek in East Williamsburg on Wednesday. They then allegedly drove it to 234 Java Street in Greenpoint, where officers acting on a search warrant found another 100 pounds of herb that will never find a good home.

The marijuana was being transported as part of an alleged $10 million-per-year illegal drug operation, according to a statement from the NYPD's Criminal Enterprise Investigations Unit and Homeland Security, which are taking joint credit for the bust. Investigators say they followed two men, Philip Feng, 36, and Victor Bae, 35, from ABF Freight to the location in Greenpoint, at which point they were arrested.

Feng and Bae both face a range of charges, from criminal sale of marijuana to criminal possession of a weapon.

In addition to the 100 pounds of pot found inside the house, police say they found 1,100 packed containers of retail-ready marijuana, mushrooms, liquid THC, liquid PCP, and liquid HGH (growth hormone), with an approximate street value of $2.5M. Police also seized approximately $100,000 USC and a .22 North American Arms revolver.

And at long last the War on Drugs is over. Hug your last little illicit bag of marijuana tight tonight, everyone.
Is the MTA to blame for me leaving town for the second time in two weeks? It's certainly a factor, given that the latest weekend shenanigans have made getting to or from my apartment via subway a multi-hour ordeal. At that point, why not flee to Massachusetts, where my Boston friends like to pretend that the T is a complex and frustrating transit system in a Big City on par with New York's?

For those of you who are content to stay in one place for more than 10 days, tell me your secrets, and check out the changes slated for the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, A, C, D, E, F, N, and R trains this weekend:

1 trains aren't running in either direction between 14 St and South Ferry from 11:30 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday. Free shuttle buses will provide alternate service between Chambers St and South Ferry.

2 trains will run local in both directions between Chambers St and 34-St-Penn Station, from 11:30 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday.

3 trains will also run local in both directions between Chambers St and 34 St-Penn Station, from 6:30 a.m. to 12 midnight on Saturday and Sunday. 3 service will also replace the 4 in Brooklyn from 11:45 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday, operating to and from New Lots Av.

4 trains aren't running between New Lots Av/Crown Hts-Utica Av and Bowling Green, from 11:45 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday.

5 trains are not running at all from 4:30 a.m. on Saturday to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday. Free shuttle buses will operate between Eastchester-Dyre Av and E 180 St, stopping at Baychester Av, Gun Hill Rd, Pelham Pkwy, and Morris Park. And from 6:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, 5 trains won't run in either direction between E 180 St and Bowling Green. Shuttle trains will go between Eastchester-Dyre Av and E 180 St.

Pelham Bay Park-bound 6 trains will run express from 3 Av-138 St to Hunts Point Av from 11:45 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday.

Hudson Yards-bound 7 trains will run express from Mets-Willets Point to Queensboro Plaza from 3:45 a.m. on Saturday to 10 p.m. on Sunday.

A trains will run local in both directions between W 4 St-Wash Sq and 59 St-Columbus Circle, from 12:01 a.m. on Saturday to 5 a.m. on Monday. From 11:45 p.m. on Friday to 6:30 a.m. on Sunday and from 11:45 p.m. on Sunday to 5 a.m. on Monday, Brooklyn-bound A trains will run express from 145 St to 59 St-Columbus Circle. And A trains will be rerouted via the F line in both directions between W 4 St-Wash Sq and Jay St-MetroTech, from 11:45 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday.

C trains will also be rerouted via the F line in both directions between W 4 St-Wash Sq and Jay St-MetroTech, from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Also, Brooklyn-bound C trains will run express from 145 St to 59 St-Columbus Circle from 6:30 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Norwood-205 St-bound D trains will run express from 36 St to Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr from 11:45 p.m. on Friday to 6:30 a.m. on Sunday and from 11:45 p.m. on Sunday to 5 a.m. on Monday.

E trains will run local in both directions between Forest Hills-71 Av and 21 St-Queensbridge from 12:01 a.m. on Saturday to 5 a.m. on Monday. E trains will also be rerouted via the F line in both directions between 21 St-Queensbridge and W 4 St-Wash Sq from 11:45 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday, and free shuttle buses will run between Court Sq-23 St and 21 St-Queensbridge, stopping at Queens Plaza.

F trains will run local in both directions between Forest Hills-71 Av and 21 St-Queensbridge from 12:01 a.m. on Saturday to 5 a.m. on Monday. Also, Coney Island-Stillwell Av-bound F trains will run express from Smith-9 Sts to Church Av from 11:45 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday.

Astoria-Ditmars Blvd-bound N trains will run express from 59 St to Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr from 11:45 p.m. on Friday to 6:30 a.m. on Sunday and from 11:45 p.m. on Sunday to 5 a.m. on Monday.

R trains aren't running in either direction between 59 St and 36 St in Brooklyn from 11:45 p.m. on Friday to 6:30 a.m. on Sunday and from 11:45 p.m. on Sunday to 5 a.m. on Monday. And from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Forest Hills-71 Av-bound R trains will run express from 59 St to Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr.
After a month of searching, police finally made an arrest in the February hate crime stabbing that left a Hasidic man with a collapsed lung. And they found the suspect because he was already in police custody for allegedly stabbing two men in a Brooklyn park on Wednesday night.

On February 10th, police say that Yehuda Brikman, 25, was in front of 646 Empire Boulevard in Crown Heights when he was "stabbed on the left side of his back by an unknown person. When the victim turned around, he saw a male running on the street away from him."

Police released surveillance video and images (right) of the suspect and offered a $12,500 reward while the Anti-Defamation League offered a $5,000 reward. There were concerns the incident was connected to the stabbing of an off-duty Hatzolah worker in November.

Then, on March 9th, a jogger in Prospect Park was slashed by a man near East Drive and Lincoln Road. The jogger suffered defensive wounds as the suspect fled. NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said of the first stabbing in Prospect Park, "He went up and stabbed someone out of the blue with no real provocation for that, no argument." Then, a man in the park near Parkside and Ocean Avenues was stabbed in the stomach and robbed.

Keny Rochelin, 26, was soon found by police officers responding to the park stabbings, and the victims identified him as their attacker. For the Crown Heights stabbing, he was charged with attempted murder as a hate crime, aggravated harassment as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon.

Boyce explained, "Nothing was said. It was out of the blue, just like the first one was last night in the park. He went up and stabbed an individual in the back. That individual was wearing religious garb. He was a Hasidic male. So were charging it as a hate crime right now."

ADL New York Regional Director Evan Bernstein said, "We saw firsthand how this horrific crime shook the Crown Heights Jewish community to its core. We commend NYPD for diligently pursuing the party responsible for last months terrible stabbing."

Rochelin lives in a homeless shelter on the Upper West Side; his sister apparently lives near Prospect Park. NYPD Chief Steven Powers told NBC New York, "Unless he has the exact same shoes, the exact same clothing, we definitely got the right guy."
More New Yorkers died from heroin overdoses than homicide in 2014 and 2015, and in recent weeks a few politicians have spoken up in favor of Supervised-Injection Facilities (SIFs)clinical centers where heroin users can inject with clean supplies. The controversial centers are currently illegal in the US, but have been established in 66 cities worldwide. The Mayor of Ithacaa city that saw three heroin overdose deaths in a single week last yearunveiled a harm reduction plan last month that hinges on SIFs. And this week, Manhattan State Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal announced that she'll push for a State-funded SIF program.

"People need to become more educated and look more deeply into this crisis," Rosenthal told us on Friday. "It's the same thing as when the city started giving out free condoms. It didn't mean people would go out and start having sex, it meant that they were going to have sex with or without. It's just acknowledging the reality of a behavior, and trying to make it safer."

Indeed, SIFs operate on the assumption that heroin-related deaths are inevitable so long as addicts feel pressure to shoot up out of public viewoften in parks and public restroomsand scramble for access to clean needles. Users also run the risk of contracting Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS. At a SIF facility, the staff is trained to respond to an overdose. Information about detox programs is also readily available, although detox isn't mandatory for entry into a SIF.

"Like an alcoholic is always going to find place to drink, heroin addicts are always going to find place to use," Misty Lauer, a heroin user, told Gothamist last fall. "Why not give them a space where they can get positive influences by people in recovery, rather than keeping them on the street, where you know they're going to do what they do regardless?"

Last September we reported that a small group of nonprofits in New York City has already taken measures to combat the rise in heroin overdoses. At VOCAL NY and the CORNER Project, bathrooms have a steel countertop, syringe disposal boxes, and staff members on call. And the CORNER Project is one of several groups that maintains syringe exchange programs, where users can stock up on clean needles. At the City level, the anti-overdose drug Naloxone (aka Narcan) was recently made available at 300 Duane Reade and Walgreens stores without a prescription.

Rosenthal argues that access to Narcan, while crucial, isn't a comprehensive solution. "People overdose, they get Narcan, they stay in the emergency room for another hour and a half, and they're back on the street," she said. "I've spoken to EMTs who see the same people two or three times a week." Rosenthal envisions SIFs with on-site mental health services, where users could get help on a regular basis, not just in the case of an emergency.

Republican Senator Terrence Murphy, who co-chairs the Senate's Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Addiction, has already issued a harsh assessment of the plan. "We do not support supervised drug dens," he told the Post. Other politicians have argued that resources are better spent on detox and treatment centers.

But Department of Health Commissioner Mary Bassett was more receptive at a budget oversight hearing on Friday. "We've certainly been looking at SIFs," she said. "We will be interested in looking at [Rosenthal's] bill."
La tricolor, la de la estrella solitaria, la mas linda de todas. Distintos apelativos para hablar de la bandera nacional, la cual se oficializo en 1818. Pero, sabias que la bandera chilena actual no ha sido siempre la misma? Antes de nuestra bandera hubo dos mas. Conoce mas detalles sobre este tema. Durante la etapa de la Patria Vieja, por iniciativa de Jose Miguel Carrera, Chile tuvo su primera bandera, con tres franjas: azul, blanca y amarilla, que representaban la majestad, la ley y la fuerza, atributos del estado, segun el literato Camilo Henriquez o, segun otra teoria, el cielo, la nieve cordillerana y los campos de dorados trigales. Flameo por primera vez, el 4 de julio de 1812, bordada por Javiera Carrera, hermana de Jose Miguel, siendo ella quien inculco el ideal de la independencia, a sus hermanos menores. El 30 de septiembre fue al igual que la escarapela, oficialmente adoptada, aunque ningun decreto legalizo su uso. La vida de este simbolo se extinguio, luego
News

Taliban kill six Daesh members in raid in Afghan capital

The Daesh members killed in the raid on their hideout were involved in two major attacks in recent weeks, one on a city mosque and the other on a tutoring institute in which dozens of female students were killed, said the spokesman.
An insight into an expatriate's life in Thailand with an emphasis on photography, culture, personal observations as well as some of my philosophy.
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Accessories

In addition to free apps, the iRoar comes with an AC adapter (and two plug converters), a red microUSB cable (these are good, especially when using the asynchronous USB soundcard ability), and a slipcase/carry bag. I'm thrilled that the speaker includes a carry bag, which should at least help prevent scratches during transport; however, mine seemed to also have a little static charge to it, which is not ideal. Beyond these inclusions, a microSD card is a good thing to have.

There are also three other important Creative produced accessories that an iRoar owner may want to consider.

The Creative BT-W2 Bluetooth Audio Transceiver works with PCs, Macs, and the PS4, and its Bluetooth functionality is not exclusive to Creative products. The range is not great (less than 10 feet), and mic support is very model-specific. That said, I won't go on a trip without one along as the function and Bluetooth audio performance completely outdoes what laptops tend to have built-in. The tiny transceiver is plug-and-play for Windows and even has its own physical pairing button. (It's also good at remembering being paired. Almost too good.) One thing I would like to see in the iRoar or in a future Creative design is a built-in spot to store the BT-W2.

The Creative iRoar Mic is a rechargeable Bluetooth mic with specific applications for public address (like at a house party) and, surprisingly, for karaoke (also for house parties). In spite of having iRoar in the name, this mic works with a few different Creative products. There's enough there for its own review, which can be found here. One thing to note about the wireless mic is that it includes a 3.5mm mic jack, which the iRoar Speaker itself does not have

Lastly, the iRoar Rock subwoofer dock is something I've only seen at CES. I like the idea of having a cradle to park to the iRoar in, and one that accentuates the sound capability makes sense. (The dock takes over sub duties, which lets the iRoar's drivers focus completely on mids and highs.) I'd like to use the iRoar Rock and iRoar as a minimalist audio set-up in the master bedroom, which is currently the one room in my home and office that doesn't have multiple speakers and amps in it, but I'm going to have to investigate further when the iRoar Rock becomes available. I think this feature set is much more promising than the MegaStereo function. (That's where two iRoars, or an iRoar and another speaker, are linked together via a special cable as L and R stereo channels.)

One thing that the iRoar Rock brings to light is the iRoar Bluetooth Speaker's expansion port. This port, along with the aforementioned add-ons and SDK, suggest there may be more in line for the iRoar down the road. I don't just mean from Creative either. Creative has put together a DDK, including a docking PCB with schematics, which should let the community come up with some cool expansion hardware-based abilities.
THUMBS UP! To all of the schools, and volunteers, that participated in Read Across America, an event to mark the birthday of beloved childrens author Dr. Seuss. Schools across the region held special reading events, with invited guest readers, in order to show students the importance of reading as a lifelong activity. Its also a great time to honor Dr. Seuss, arguably one of our greatest American authors.

THUMBS UP! To Decatur Memorial Hospital and St. Marys Hospital for new da Vinci Surgical Systems. These systems allow surgeons to guide robotic hands that can bend and twist in ways the human hand cant. The result for patients is a smaller wound size and a faster recovery time. For example, in the past, removal of a cancerous prostate required a full week in the hospital. With the new surgical system, the patients can often be sent home as early as the next day.

THUMBS DOWN! To President Barack Obama for making an endorsement in a Chicago state House primary race. Obama announced this week he is endorsing Juliana Stratton for the Illinois House 5th District. Stratton is engaged in a primary battle with fellow Democrat Ken Dunkin. Dunkin is well known for opposing House Speaker Michael Madigan on several bills and has the backing of Gov. Bruce Rauner. Stratton is supported by Madigan. But its unseemly, and totally unnecessary, for the president to insert himself into an intra-party battle for a state House seat.

THUMBS UP! To Wegi Stewart, who was honored at the annual Partners in Education Partners Salute, this week. Stewart, the president of the Decatur Community Foundation, has devoted a lot of her career to promoting education in positions with the Richland Community College Foundation, the Decatur Memorial Hospital Foundation and other endeavors. Others recognized at the event include Consociate Dansig as the Outstanding Business honoree and Melissa Downs, school counselor at Garfield Montessori School, as Educator of the Year.

THUMBS UP! To the 15th Law Enforcement Torch Run Special Olympics Polar Plunge, which drew 389 participants to get wet to support Special Olympics athletes. Although the temperature on Saturday was on the cool side, the water in Lake Decatur was 43 degrees, not as bone-chilling as in past years. The plunge had raised $82,000 by the beginning of the Saturday event and was expected to exceed its goal of $86,000.

THUMBS UP! To the newly-formed Friends of Lincoln Trail Homestead State Park and Memorial, which began the process Saturday of cleaning up the area surrounding Abraham Lincolns first Illinois home. The group has organized two other clean up days, including one on Saturday, pointing toward the Lincoln Trail Homestead homecoming on May 21.
By Gayaneh Sargsyan

Six families were left homeless last December when a fire ripped through their wood cottages in Gougark, a community in Armenias northern Lori Province.

The fact that three of the families have received 100,000 AMD ($204) each in compensation from the government and the remaining three just 50,000 AMD each, has prompted the families to demand answers from the government.

Yesterday, they traveled to the Lori Provincial Government to ask Governor Artour Nalbandyan why the discrepancy.

One of those left homeless, whose family received 50,000 AMD, asked Nalbandyan what was the basis for such discrimination.

Governor Nalbandyan replied that he wasnt even aware that the families had even received any compensation.

Thais is the first Im hearing about any assistance, a surprised Nalbandyan replied.

The families told Nalbandyan they had filled out applications requesting government aid at the Gougark village municipality and had later received the assistance.

These are questions better asked of the community mayor rather than the provincial governor, noted Nalbandyan.

One of the Gougark residents again quoted the Gougark mayor who had told them that he knew nothing about the matter and that he had forwarded all pertinent information to the provincial governor.

Upon hearing this, Nalbandyan let off some steam.

People, I dont care what the community mayor says. You wrote your petitions with him and now hes telling you some fairytales about getting answers from me. Are you going to believe that? How should the provincial government know how many people lived in one of those cottages? We get such data from the village mayor. Did I know that at the time of the fire only three families were actually living in those homes?

An irate Nalbandyan went on to say that there are 113 communities in Lori Province and why should the provincial government know the total population of those communities.

So, whats the role of the village mayor if he isnt going to provide us with such information? bellowed Nalbandyan.

When the families asked what assistance they could expect in the future, Nalbandyan replied that nothing was clear until the source of fire was officially ascertained.

Nalbandyan did make an indirect reference to an incident that happened years ago when some cottages in the same area went up in flames and the government allocated funds for the families to buy apartments.

Let them find out exactly what happened. How are we to blame for being left homeless? complained Ofelya Yeganyan.

Youre culpable to the extent that those cottages burned down. The impression is that somebody came by and set fire to those huts and that you people arent to blame. No one came and set fire to those wood huts. Isnt that right? You should thank your lucky stars that no one was injured, Nalbandyan said.

Nalbandyan told the families that he had forwarded their data to the government and advised them to be patient. He promised to raise the issue when he meets with the prime minister on March 11.

Ofelya Yeganyan said the families were in limbo and that they couldnt stay with relatives forever.

Another homeless Gougark resident, Gohar Ayvazyan, told Hetq that her family is suffocating under various debts and expenses.

Were paying 60,000 drams just for rent and utilities. The money given us has gone to pay it all. My grandson is going to the army in two months. He has no home or residency. How will I see him off?

(The six families did receive 160,000 AMD each from the Gougark municipality to pay for temporary rental housing and 100,000 AMD each from Archbishop Sebouh Chouldjian, Primate of the Gougark Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church)
Cem Ozdemir (Head of the Alliance 90/The Greens): As a German citizen of Turkish origin, the Armenian genocide - carried out by the Ottoman Empire at a time when the German Reich was its close ally - has always moved me in particular.

On November 15, 2015,the Alliance 90/The Greens presented a resolution to the German Bundestag that would encourage the German state to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. The resolution was originally intended to be passed during the centennial anniversary of the Genocide, 2015. However, the ruling coalition postponed the resolution, agreeing to debate it by April 24, 2016. Cem Ozdemir,the head of the Alliance 90/The Greens, who was a strong supporter of the resolution, stated that he would agree to postponing it as long as the core parts of the resolution stayed intact when it would be reintroduced. This includes the acknowledgment that the massacres that took place in 1915 was in fact a genocide, that Germanys influence in these events would be mentioned, and that the intention of the resolution would be to fosterpositive Armenian-Turkish relations.

While the German government has had a history of supporting the recognition of the Armenian genocide, this resolution has garnered some criticism because of its timing. Due to the postponing of the resolution, the debates will now take place around the same time as the EU-Turkey summit. This summit, which started on March 7, is intended to negotiate how Turkey and the EU will respond to the influx of refugees into Europe; such as the increase in aid to Turkey, the ability to deport refugees that do not receive asylum in the EU to Turkey, and the ability to return refugees that are held in international waters to Turkey. Much of the criticism of said resolution revolves around the idea that the timing of it could anger Turkey, and may affect the summit.

The following is talk with Henriette Rytz, a foreign policy advisor to Cem Ozdemir, member of the German Bundestag and head of the German Green Party. Before joining his team, she worked as researcher at Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik / German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), a Berlin-based foreign policy think tank. Ms. Rytz holds a PhD in Political Science and an M.A. in International Relations from the Free University.

In 2005, the Bundesrat made a statement acknowledging the atrocities of the genocide without using the term genocide. Because of this, I would like to ask you what was the motivation behind launching this resolution now? Is it the actual word Genocide that is the most important thing of the resolution, or is it the list of demands stated in the resolution?

In 2005, the Bundestag, which is the popular chamber (not the Bundesrat, which is the chamber that represents the German Lander) passed a resolution commemorating the genocide of the Armenians. The word genocide was not mentioned in the body of the resolution but in the appendix servings as an explanatory statement (Begrundung). Ten years have passed, and Turkish civil society has become more open with regard to the Armenian genocide. With the murder of Hrant Dink in 2007, people took to the street and pledged to continue his fight for an open society which would not be in denial of its past. Since then, many discussions, events, commemorations, academic conferences addressing the Armenian genocide have taken place in Turkey. We therefore think that now is the right time to acknowledge what is consensus among historians and other experts  that the atrocities committed against the Armenians and other Christian minorities in the Ottoman Empire were a genocide.

However, labelling the events as genocide is not the only important message the resolution should contain. The resolution should also clearly recognize that Germany was co-responsible and that Germany should strive to improve Armenian-Turkish relations. These are the three points that Mr. Ozdemir and Mr. Kauder, the leader of the ruling CDU party faction, agreed upon at the end of the debate on February 25, 2016. Mr. Kauder promised that the Bundestag would soon pass a resolution containing these three core messages.

One of the main arguments for this resolution was the desire for the German government to acknowledge the genocide by the hundred-year anniversary of the genocide. However, it is now 2016, and the hundred-year anniversary is over. Thus, I would like to ask you about why is there a push for the resolution to be passed now?

We hoped that following the plenary debate on the hundredth anniversary of the genocide we would soon pass a joint resolution with the other party factions. However, the CDU/CSU and the SPD delayed any action on the issue. In fact, the heads of both factions stopped a joint resolution which we had negotiated with them in the fall. They were apparently afraid that their close relations with Ankara, which Germany needs in the refugee crisis, would be damaged. It is this failed attempt at a joint resolution that we introduced as our resolution (with exactly the same wording) in order to make the CDU/CSU and SPD decide whether they would really be willing to vote against their own resolution. This is the resolution that was debated on February 25, 2016. We did this now because we do not want to let the commemorative year end without a joint resolution.

There has been criticism about this resolution because of the upcoming EU-Turkish Pact negotiations. I was wondering if you could elaborate on how founded these accusations are? For example, how do you think this resolution, whether it passes or not, will affect the EU-Turkish Pact?

After the plenary debate on April 24, 2015, when speakers from all parties of the German Bundestag spoke unequivocally of genocide, as did the President of the Bundestag, Dr. Lammert, the reaction from the Turkish side was zero. It seems like they care much less about this issue than the CDU/CSU und SPD think they do.

The resolution presented a list of demands directed at the Turkish government. Please describe how the Bundestag intends to implement this demands if the resolution is passed.

The resolution was written in the spirit of reconciliation. Therefore the resolution aims to encourage the Turkish and Armenian governments to move towards each other, to talk about this difficult shared history, to support research on the issues, and to help find the families of the victim peace and a sense of relief. With this resolution, the Bundestag asks the German government to support this process of reconciliation as much as possible.

The German government seems to have hands off policy with Turkey mainly due to the flow of refugees from Turkey to Europe? However, this resolution seems to be a direct contradiction with this policy. Because of this, opposition political parties have stated that Ozdemir is trying to use this resolution and the Armenian Genocide as a partisan issue. What is the political gain of this resolution to Ozdemir and the Greens? How will it affect Turkish German relations if passed?

Representatives of the CDU/CSU have argued that the Green Party faction used this resolution as a partisan issue. However, our main goal has always been to pass a joint resolution. The fact that we do not have a joint resolution yet, is not our fault but that of the ruling party factions. As a matter of fact, we did have a draft joint resolution negotiated with the CDU/CSU and SPD  but which was stopped by the latter two, not by us.

The resolution was written in the spirit of reconciliation. Germany has a very difficult past. In fact, one important message of the resolution is that the Bundestag recognizes that Germany was co-responsible for the Armenian genocide. Germany has learned that a society, a country actually becomes stronger (and not weaker) when it deals openly with its past, no matter how difficult it may be. That is the message that we would like to send to Ankara.

Is this resolution in any way related to the refugee issue? If these negotiations fail, and Turkey does not stop the flow of refugees into Europe, the EU stated that they may be forced to close the border. Is it possible that this resolution is a political ploy to attempt to end these negotiations and to close said border?

The resolution has nothing to do with the ongoing negotiations with Turkey in the refugee debate. The timing of the debate was decided by the fact that we failed to reach an agreement with the CDU/CSU in negotiations over a joint resolution last fall and that we did not want to end the commemorative year without making another attempt at a joint resolution.

The following question was asked of Cem Ozdemir, head of the Green Party.

In March 2015, you visited the genocide memorial in Yerevan. Why did you visit the memorial the month before the hundred-year anniversary? What motivated you to do so? What were your impressions?

The fate of persecuted religious and ethnic minorities has been of utmost concern to me throughout my political career. As a German citizen of Turkish origin, the Armenian genocide - carried out by the Ottoman Empire at a time when the German Reich was its close ally - has always moved me in particular. I used to have long discussions with my friend Hrant Dink about how building an open society in Turkey requires dealing with this difficult past. His legacy reminds me how important it is to continue this work.

I have long wanted to travel to Armenian and visit the memorial. Doing so on the eve of the hundredth anniversary of the genocide and as a member of the German Bundestag, I wanted to encourage my colleagues in the Bundestag and the German government to recognize that it was genocide and that Germany was co-responsible.

The visit was deeply moving. Seeing Mount Ararat from the memorial site reminded me of how important it is to bring Armenia and Turkey closer together. Calling it genocide is one thing, bringing Armenia and Turkey closer together, through exchange and open borders, is a much greater challenge that still lies ahead of us.

Top Photo: Henriette Rytz, Cem Ozdemir

(Interview conducted by Katherine Berjikian, a Birthright Armenia volunteer now working at Hetq)
First responders told Bethany Olson her daughter, rear, would have died had she not been in a rear-facing car seat when Olson's car was T-boned in 2014. Her daughter just turned 3.
The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents approved new policies for faculty tenure and performance reviews on Thursday over the objections of professors who said the new rules will make it easier for administrators to deal with budget cuts by laying them off.

The nearly unanimous vote to adopt the policies brought to a close a major piece of the lengthy and controversial process of rewriting tenure rules that started last summer, when lawmakers stripped the protections from state law and widely expanded administrators power to fire faculty in the 2015-17 budget.

Under the new rules, UW officials will have the authority to discontinue academic programs and lay off tenured faculty for educational or financial reasons  such as if administrators decide other higher priority programs need funding. Professors could also face discipline, including firing, if they are found to be falling short of expectations under a new policy for post-tenure review.

With new statewide rules in place, the Regents next step is to approve more specific tenure policies for each UW System campus. The board is expected to act in April on a policy from UW-Madison that would give professors stronger protections; System president Ray Cross indicated the Regents could make changes to the proposal.

UW officials insist the new policies will preserve academic freedom and free speech, striking the right balance between protecting tenured faculty and giving chancellors the flexibility they need to get through tough times, according to Regent John Behling.

Previously, faculty could only be fired for just cause, or in the event of a campus-wide financial emergency.

Regent President Regina Millner said the policies will be a critical new tool for our chancellors, to help them better align their resources with the needs of the state without jeopardizing academic freedom or putting us at a competitive disadvantage.

Professors were far from satisfied with the new rules, however. The Regents voted down several policy amendments, supported by faculty, that would have given professors stronger protections from losing their jobs and more power in determining when layoffs could occur.

UW-Madison professor Dorothy Farrar-Edwards said she was bitterly disappointed by the new policy. Julie Schmid, executive director of the Association of American University Professors, said it could set a precedent for weakening tenure protections across the country.

The Board of Regents today voted to diminish tenure and academic freedom in the UW System, and with it to diminish the reputation of the system, and to undermine the Wisconsin Idea, Schmid said.

Regent Jose Vasquez, who opposed the policies, questioned why changes to tenure  which have drawn national attention to Wisconsin, and according to UW-Madison officials made it harder for the campus to recruit and retain top faculty  were necessary in the first place.

Ive never been convinced that we had a broken system, Vasquez said.

The financial challenges on UW campuses are the result of large state budget cuts to higher education funding, Vasquez said, and weakening tenure rules and laying off faculty will not solve the systems problems.

It wasnt tenure that caused the fiscal crisis, Vasquez said. The fiscal crisis that we have has been imposed on us.

Different philosophies

on display

Discussion of the new policies at times laid bare major differences in how the Regents  many of whom are appointees of Republican Gov. Scott Walker  believe the UW System should be managed.

Some saw decisions to close programs and dismiss faculty as analogous to companies in the private sector deciding to shift investment from one less-profitable product to another that is selling well.

The needs of Wisconsin change, Regent Jose Delgado said. We need resources in order to be able to invest in the needs.

After state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers, who is also a Regent, proposed creating a faculty committee that would weigh in on program closures, other Regents said no business would go through such a lengthy process.

Welcome to the 21st century, said Regent Margaret Farrow.

Vasquez and others pushed back against the idea of managing the UW System like a business, saying the job of a university is different from making widgets.

Many of the professors at the meeting agreed, saying UW institutions do more than simply grant degrees and produce graduates.

We are not running cash registers and (students) are not buying Pop Tarts, UW-Eau Claire professor Geoffrey Peterson said. What we do is far more complicated than that.

Campus policies

next step

Cross said the new policies were written broadly, to allow for each of the systems campuses to write rules that are tailored to their institutions needs.

What works precisely at Madison will be different than what works precisely at Superior, Cross said.

But campus policies will still have to be in line with the statewide rules passed Thursday, Cross said. The policy approved by faculty at UW-Madison, which offers stronger protections to professors, will likely face some critical changes to keep it compatible with the statewide rules, he said, such as noting more clearly that the campus chancellor has the final authority to decide on layoffs.

Noel Radomski, executive director of the Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education, said UW-Madisons policy could serve as a framework for rules at other campuses.

But, he noted, having each campus write tenure policies could lead to a future in which the rules vary by campus, and professors at UW-Madison enjoy greater protection than those at other schools.

Layoffs could come at struggling campuses

It remains to be seen whether and how UW System chancellors will use the authority the new policies gave them.

Radomski said its likely that chancellors at cash-strapped UW campuses  particularly those at regional campuses where declining enrollment has compounded the effect of state budget cuts  could look to close departments and dismiss faculty members.

The new uncertainty, and the new concern, is going to be: Are the enrollment and the fiscal problems going to trigger program discontinuation, and therefore trigger faculty layoffs? Radomski said.

If chancellors make layoffs under the policy, Schmid said, the AAUP could investigate and censure their campus.
Well be here every day of the gun deer season except Thanksgiving, from about 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., DNR's Julie Widholm said. Well collect CWD samples, age deer, accept deer carcass parts and scraps, and have equipment available to do e-registration.
In the mid-1950s, neurophysiologist Carl Wilhelm Sem-Jacobsen built his own EEG lab at Gaustad psychiatric hospital in Norway with copious funding from the Rockefeller, Ford, and other charitable foundations.

He soon took on multiple US government contracts from the Air Force, the Navy, and NASA for research using electrodes implanted in the brains of psych patients to carry out what many have said was unethical research on them.

It is widely believed today that Sem-Jacobsen was really doing his brain research, which continued for years, under the auspices of MKUltra.

Of particular note is the fact, admitted by the Norwegian government, that Sem-Jacobsen wrote a letter claiming this kind of questionable research would be easier to do in his country because he did not have to worry about lawsuits or patient consent like doctors in America do.

Carl Wilhelm Sem-Jacobsen

Still, the real question is, what exactly was the goal of Sem-Jacobsens brain research for the US government?

by Melissa Dykes
"Dr. Carson will bring his wisdom and insights to the Trump Campaign to, 'Make America Great Again!'"

"I stand behind Dr. Ben Carson on his decision. Dr. Carson is a man of integrity, intelligence, and he made his decision with prayerful consideration," Holderfeld announced shortly after Carson sent out his statement.

MIAMI - Once a rival for the Republican nomination himself, Dr. Ben Carson officially endorsed businessman Donald Trump for president Friday morning at a press conference.

Illinois Review asked Holderfeld - who is on next Tuesday's 15th CD GOP ballot as an alternate delegate for Dr. Carson - a couple of questions via Facebook.

"Politics is politics!" Holderfeld said. "Judy Baar Topinka once told me, 'There's blood on the floor in politics at the end of the day, you forgive and move on!' I was not privy to the behind the scenes details."

Then we asked if she is recommending that people not vote for her next Tuesday, but the Trump-affiliated delegates in her 15th Congressional District?

"I am an alternate delegate and if people vote for me, it will depend upon the delegates ability to attend the convention," she said. "People have a choice on who they would like to send to the RNC Convention."

Dr. Carson's released statement endorsing Trump reads:

Our country is at a crossroads and in the midst of a moral crisis. We must be careful not to continue our current path, which is littered with uncertainty at best and ruination at worst. We can make changes to our system and that change starts now with, We the People. We can have disagreements, but it is critical that we not allow those disagreements to divide us as a party or as a country. It is with that in mind that I endorse Donald Trump for President. I have known Donald for many years. He is a successful businessman who has built a recognizable global brand that no one can question. His experience as a businessman is exactly what we need to move our economic engine in the right direction and empower those who have been left out of the American dream for far too long.

With our support, I am sure that we can help restore America's values and faith. I know there will be some who want to underscore our differences and others will wish to return to statements he has made about me in the past, but that is politics. As a man of faith, all is forgiven and we have moved beyond the past, as the future is now. Join me in supporting and rallying around the only candidate the GOP has that can defeat Hillary Clinton in 2016 and return America to that shining city on a hill.

Illinois Review's earlier story on the Carson Delegates is available HERE.
ST LOUIS - After meeting privately with businessman Donald Trump Friday in St. Louis, conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly announced her endorsement of Trump.

The 91-year-old founder of Eagle Forum, which successfully stopped the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s, said that Trump promised her he would support the Republican National Committee platform. After speaking of him highly in the past, Schlafly joined former Governor Sarah Palin, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Dr. Ben Carson with her support.

I asked Donald Trump to support the Republican platform because this is the best and most conservative platform weve ever had. I gave him one of my copies of the 2012 platform. He endorses it and I believe he will stand by it. I am confident that Donald Trump will stand up against bad trade deals, reform bad immigration policies, and appoint constitutionalist judges like Antonin Scalia.
I got an last minute email the day before from Despina Batson asking for attendees on what appeared to be looking for young undecided voters. She is the director of Illinois College Republican Development. Stephanie Rhinesmith was also involved in helping to find people. She is chairman of the Illinois College Republican Federation. Ryan Schuring is the new Republican chapter chairman at North Central College, also brought a group.

Last night, I attended a live broadcast of "On the Record" with Greta Van Susteren on Fox News. It was an interview and town-hall with John Kasich. It was held at the Feinberg Theater at the Spertus Institute on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. You can watch a rebroadcast here .

Matt Foldi, president of the University of Chicago College Republicans brought 20 from his group. Jason Camlic and Carly Christine brought a number of Chicago Young Republicans from their network. I was one of the few "old" Young Republicans there.

Jillian Rose Bernas was selected to ask a question on this national broadcast. She is a CYR and is running for Illinois State Representative in the 4th.

Early in the day, Kasich held two town halls including one I attended in Palatine which was organized by Cook County GOP Chairman Aaron Del Mar. Del Mar is a Kasich delegate. There were over 1500 people at this event including a Bernie Sanders look a like which brought additional excitement to the event.

Later the evening, the 80 Cook County committeeman held their monthly meeting "recommending" John Kasich as their official choice as they are not allowed to "endorse." Ted Cruz came in second with Donald Trump in a distant 3rd. Each had a surrogate speak for them except for Marco Rubio who had no surrogate and also received zero votes among the 80 committeemen.

The presidential primary is Tuesday, March 25, 2016. Besides voting for your presidential pick, you should vote for their delegates too.
By India Today Web Desk: Alexander Fleming, the inventor of penicillin, died on March 11 in 1955. The Nobel Prize winning biologist is responsible for saving thousands of lives against fatal viral diseases.

Here are some facts about penicillin inventor Alexander Fleming:

1. World-renowned biologist Alexander Fleming used to work at a shipping office for four years before his elder brother Tom suggested him that he should pursue the study of medicine.

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2. Fleming had also served as an official in the London Scottish Regiment of the Volunteer Force since 1900. He was also a member of the rifle club at the medical school.

3. He earned a Gold Medal for his outstanding performance as a student of Bacteriology in 1908. This earned him a lecturer's position at St Mary's Hospital Medical School in London.

4. Fleming has served Royal Army Medical Corps as a captain during the First World War. He had worked in the battlefield hospitals at the Western Front in France.

5. At St. Mary's research department, Fleming became the assistant bacteriologist to Sir Almroth Wright, who was a pioneer in vaccine therapy and immunology.

6. During the World War, Fleming discovered that antiseptics were doing more bad than good to the soldiers. He explained how the antiseptics were killing more soldiers than infection itself as it was not healing the wound and was also destroying the beneficial agents.

7. He discovered lysozyme, an enzyme found in many human body fluids. This was the first step towards discovering the world's first anti-bacteria. Funny story, he first found the enzyme from the nasal mucus of a patient.

8. Later, he developed a mould of staphylococci, a Gram-positive bacteria, that could destroy many disease-causing bacteria. He identified the mould as being from the Penicillium genus.

9. After discovering penicillin, Fleming exclaimed, "When I woke up just after dawn on September 28, 1928, I certainly didn't plan to revolutionise all medicine by discovering the world's first antibiotic, or bacteria killer. But, I suppose that was exactly what I did."

10. This experiment led to the discovery of penicillin on March 7 in 1929. This discovery earned Fleming the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine along with Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain.

11. There is a popular myth about Fleming saving Winston Churchill 's life by administering penicillin when Churchill was injured at Carthage in Tunisia during the Second World War. It's not true. In fact, Fleming himself described the incident as "A wondrous fable" in his letter to friend and colleague Andre Gratia. It was Charles McMoran Wilson, the personal physician of Churchill, who saved the Prime Minister's life.

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Interested in General Knowledge and Current Affairs? Click here to stay informed and know what is happening around the world with our G.K. and Current Affairs section.

To get more updates on Current Affairs, send in your query by mail to education.intoday@gmail.com

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Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art Of Living (AOL) Foundation has time till Friday to deposit the Rs 5 crore "environmental compensation" imposed on it by the National Green Tribunal.

By Mail Today: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art Of Living (AOL) Foundation has time till Friday to deposit the Rs 5 crore "environmental compensation" imposed on it by the National Green Tribunal, the court said on Thursday. NGT made it clear that "the law will take its own course if it (AOL) fails to do so."

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) informed NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar that AOL had not paid the money. In its final judgment on a petition against AOL's World Culture Festival being held on Yamuna floodplain, NGT had asked the organisation to pay Rs 5 crore to restore the "damaged" river site. It was to hand over this amount to DDA "a day before the event", that is March 10.

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Mail Today could not independently verify if AOL had paid the amount till going to print. Repeated attempts to contact AOL spokespersons did not elicit any response.

Also read:

PM Modi to attend Sri Sri event, Art of Living yet to pay Rs 5 crore fine

Ulterior motives behind protest against Yamuna event, says Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sri Sri mega show: Manohar Parrikar explains why Army building Yamuna bridges, DDA defends permit



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According to the police, the motive behind the murder was a bitter divorce between Hema Upadhyay and her husband Chintan Upadhyay and a property dispute between them.

By India Today Web Desk: The Mumbai Police today filed chargesheet against all the accused in a double murder case, in which artist Hema Upadhyay and her lawyer Harish Bhambhani were found dead in Kandivali on December 12 last year.

According to the police, the motive behind the murder was a bitter divorce between Hema Upadhyay and her husband Chintan Upadhyay and a property dispute between them.

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The chargesheet contains statements of 60 witnesses, including that of an eyewitness who worked as an artist on the first floor of a workshop in Kandivali where Upadhyay and Bhambhani were allegedly murdered. Viscera reports in the chargesheet have concluded that the two had died of asphyxia due to smothering.

The chargesheet cites call records of Chintan Upadhyay and the rest of the accused. The messages exchanged between them, along with statements from some witnesses, will be able to substantiate that Chintan met the accused a few days before the murder.

Police is yet to get forensic reports on the electronic evidence in the case which will give clarity on the messages exchanged between Hema and Chintan.

On Saturday artist Chintan, along with other accused, Pradeep Rajbhar, Vijay Rajbhar and Shivkumar Rajbhar alias Sadhu were produced in the Borivali metropolitan magistrate court through video conferencing while one accused, who has been deemed to be a minor, was sent to juvenile court.

The bodies of Hema Upadhyay and her lawyer Harish Bhambhani, wrapped in plastic sheets, were found inside cardboard cartons dumped in a sewer in Kandivali on December 12, 2015.

ALSO READ

Bodies of Mumbai painter and her lawyer found in Mumbai drain

Mumbai double murder: Police claims Chintan Upadhyay provoked others to kill Hema

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By India Today Web Desk: With all the fabulous avatars Priyanka Chopra sports, especially the ones we have seen on her of late, we can't help but wonder the beauty products that go behind making her look like that. Obviously, no one's taking away from her good genes, but it would be foolish to not jump around in delight when the Bajirao Mastani actress lets you in on all her favourite beauty products.

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Also read: Priyanka Chopra: In this dress I feel like an award myself

She gave a rather detailed interview to The New York Times that included a roundup of her beauty bag, which would mean, details about her favourite lipstick, her brow pencil, and the likes, are all out in the open.

1. MAC lipsticks: Lady Danger, Candy Yum Yum, Ruby Woo, Russian Red, Studded Kiss

MAC Ruby Woo

2. Nars lipstick: Dolce Vita

Also read: Oscars 2016: Priyanka Chopra looks nothing short of stunning in a naked dress

3. Lip stains: Laura Mercier

4. Eyebrow pencil: Anastasia Beverly Hills

Anastasia Beverly Hills Perfect Brow Pencil

5. Mascara: YSL

6. Powber blush: Chanel in Rose Ecrin

--- ENDS ---
"I have been blamed by Republicans for a lot of things, but being blamed for their primaries and who they're selecting for their party (nominee) is novel," Obama told a news conference on Thursday.

By Reuters: He has been attacked over countless issues in partisan Washington, but U.S. President Barack Obama drew the line at this one: the idea that he is responsible for the rise of Donald Trump and the attendant Republican Party disarray.

"I have been blamed by Republicans for a lot of things, but being blamed for their primaries and who they're selecting for their party (nominee) is novel," Obama told a news conference on Thursday.

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"What I'm not going to do is to validate some notion that the Republican crack-up that's been taking place is ... a consequence of actions that I've taken," the Democratic president said.

Obama had been asked how he viewed being identified as the cause of Trump's ascent to front-runner in the Republican race to pick a presidential candidate for the Nov. 8 election. Obama seemed to relish the question, replying with both serious criticism of Republicans and some pointed mockery of Trump.

The New York billionaire is well ahead in the Republican race after the first six weeks of primary nominating contests but his bombastic style and statements on Muslims, immigrants and trade have dismayed many in the party establishment. Many party leaders worry Trump would lose to the eventual Democratic nominee in November's election to replace Obama.

Obama, whose White House tenure has been marked by steady resistance to most of his policies by Republicans in Congress, has said previously he regretted not being able to reduce the polarization between the two parties in Washington. But he scoffed on Thursday at the suggestion that his presidency had fueled the chaos among the Republicans.

Conservative news outlets on television, radio and the Internet had convinced the Republican political base for seven years that cooperation with him was a "betrayal" and that "maximalist absolutist" positions were advantageous, Obama said. He was holding a joint news conference with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

In a clear dig at Trump, Obama said he had not prompted critics to question his U.S. citizenship or birth in Hawaii. Before he launched his longshot presidential run last year, Trump was a high-profile leader of the so-called "birther" movement, which believed Obama was born abroad and not eligible to be president, until he produced his Hawaii birth certificate to put the issue to rest.

"What you're seeing within the Republican Party is, to some degree, all those efforts over a course of time creating an environment where somebody like a Donald Trump can thrive," Obama said. For good measure, he took a swipe at two of Trump's rivals for the Republican nomination, saying the real estate magnate's position on immigration was not much different from that of U.S. Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.

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Obama urged conservatives who were troubled by the party's position to "reflect on what it is about the politics they've engaged in that allows the circus we've been seeing to transpire."

Also read:



I think Islam hates us: Donald Trump

US Elections: Donald Trump wins Michigan in repudiation of Republican establishment

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By Mail Today: With Art of Living's World Culture Festival all set to be inaugurated on Friday, major traffic snarls may grip arterial roads in East Delhi. Four major roads - NH-24, Ring Road, Noida Link Road and DND Flyway are expected to witness heavy traffic. Delhi Traffic Police have imposed 13 major traffic diversions to avoid inconvenience to general commuters.

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Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Muktesh Chander, who is charting out the traffic plan for the event, visited the venue on Thursday to take stock of the arrangements. Organisers have made provisions for parking on Yamuna bank.

The space is limited hence parking will be on a first-come-firstserved basis, he said.

Traffic Advisory

11 March - 13 March 2016

Radha Soami Satsang Programme near Bhati Mines@dtptraffic pic.twitter.com/xgRiuLfKp2& Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) March 9, 2016

People should preferably take public transport to commute and avoid the Noida Link Road, NH-24 and the Ring Road stretch from the point of intersection with Bhairon Marg till the mouth of the DND Flyway, a traffic official said, adding that congestion can be expected on these stretches between 12 noon and 11pm.

The official further said, those approaching from the trans-Yamuna region towards central Delhi should use the ITO road as Akshardham and NH-24 will be congested. Commuters from Noida heading towards Delhi should take the DND Flyway as traffic on the Noida link road is expected to be heavy during the event, he added.

Meanwhile, security arrangements for the event on the western bank of Yamuna across DND Flyway were heightened on Thursday. All 11 police districts and several spe-cialised units were roped in amidst an uncertainty regarding the total footfall which the three day event would witness. Police are also charting out a traffic plan to make sure that arterial roads in the Capital are not clogged during the event.

Police again inspected the venue and prepared a status report that was submitted to a joint secretary-rank official in-charge of supervising the security arrangements, a senior official said. A lack of direction boards, no fencing on the path leading to the venue, especially from Gates numbers 10, 11, which are to be opened for general public and inadequate CCTV cameras are some of the shortcomings listed in the status report, the official said adding that the issues have been communicated to the organisers.

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The report contains dozens of photographs of the site for the event on the Yamuna floodplains and also highlights the absence of fencing and barricading on the pontoon bridges (floating bridges) constructed there despite several reminders to the organisers, the senior official said.

A meeting chaired by the Special Commissioner of Police (Law & Order) was held at the venue today and security for the event was further stepped up. Around 6,000 personnel from all 11 districts of Delhi Police and its specialised units like the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and Special Cell will be deployed at the World Culture Festival.

A special police control room would also be set up to ensure round-the-clock monitoring.

Also read:

Sri Sri mega show: Manohar Parrikar explains why Army building Yamuna bridges, DDA defends permit

Ulterior motives behind protest against Yamuna event, says Sri Sri Ravi Shankar



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Days after drama and controversies, the World Culture Festival being organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living foundation on the Yamuna riverbed in Delhi was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.

By India Today Web Desk: Days after drama and controversies, the World Culture Festival being organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living foundation on the Yamuna riverbed in Delhi was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.

Without naming anyone in particular, Modi said, "If you start criticising everything, why should world look at us." He said, "The World Culture Festival is like the Kumbh Mela of art and cultures." He added, "Through Art of Living, the world has got to know about India. I remember a reception by Art of Living family in Mongolia where Indian flag was waved."

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Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar responded to the controversies, saying, "Yes, this is a private party, because the entire world is my family... When you want to do something great, there will be obstacles."



The 3-day mega event was embroiled in controversy till the very last moment before the National Green Tribunal gave it a green signal. But not before the organisers submitted Rs 25 lakh, part of the Rs 5 crore fine imposed by the green tribunal. The court has given three weeks time to the Art of Living to pay the remaining sum. The organisers had told the NGT that they had spent Rs 25.63 crore for the event.

Just before the event began, heavy rain and hailstorm added to the disorder at the huge venue spreading across 1000 acres. All roads leading to the venue witnessed bumper-to-bumper traffic and with reports of hundreds of weddings in the city tonight, commuters are set to face a harrowing time.



"Traffic is heavy on Noida Link Road and NH-24 in the carriageway going towards Nizamuddin Khatta. Kindly avoid the stretch," said a tweet of the Delhi Traffic Police.

The event was surrounded by mutliple controversies. While the Opposition raised questions over the deployment of the Army to contruct pontoon bridges at the venue, several top invitees pulled out of the festival adding to the embarrassment for the organisers.

Earlier this week, President Pranab Mukherjee, who was to preside over the valedictory function, opted out. Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe decided to return home from New Delhi on Thursday. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Afghan CEO Abdullah Abdullah, have also decided to give the event a miss.

While the organisers expect 35 lakh people to attend the function, concerns have been raised by experts about the likely damage to the environment that may be caused by holding it on the flood plains of the already polluted Yamuna river.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the founder of Art of Living, however, has defended holding the event, saying that he would have received a red carpet welcome in any other country for holding such a culture fest.

Sri Sri also rejected claims that the event will disturb the ecological balance of Yamuna flood plains. "37,000 artists are going to perform, lakhs of people are going to attend. Which closed auditorium can host such a huge event?" Sri Sri said.

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"We will assure that the place will be as clean, as bio-diverse as it was before. In 2010, we launched a campaign 'meri Dilli, meri Yamuna', to clean the river. We removed tonnes of filth from the river. We have so much passion for Yamuna, how could anybody think we could damage the river?" he told India Today.



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The CBI was left red-faced when it accepted that issue of the look-out circular (LOC) for Vijay Mallya seeking detention of the beleaguered businessman was an error on their part.

By India Today Web Desk: The CBI was left red-faced when it accepted that issue of the look-out circular (LOC) for Vijay Mallya seeking detention of the beleaguered businessman was an error on their part.

The CBI is facing flak after questions were raised how the liquor baron was able to go abroad unhindered on March two that has triggered a political slugfest with the BJP and the Congress trading charges. It had changed the nature of look-out notice against Mallya within one month of issuance from seeking his detention while leaving the country to that of merely providing information about his travel plans.

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A CBI spokesperson today claimed Mallya was not found during searches on October 10, 2015 after which the agency wrote to BoI, saying it needs to be issued to ensure "his availability for questioning" in connection with Rs 900 crore loan default case involving IDBI bank.

She said that along with the covering letter, proforma for the circular was attached in which the column related to seeking the detention of an accused was wrongly "ticked" by a SP-level officer.

The agency claimed detention under the look-out circular was only possible on the strength of a non-bailable warrant against an accused which was not the case with Mallya.

It said on November 23, CBI's Mumbai office was informed by BoI about the "imminent arrival" of Mallya over phone.

It wanted to know what needs to be done to which the agency realised "corrective" measures were needed and told it not to detain him and asked to provide only his whereabouts and movements, the agency claimed.

A day after the look out circular was changed from seeking "detention" to "only providing information about his movements", Mallya arrived in India and appeared for questioning before CBI on December 9, 10 and 11, it said.

After opening of look-out circular, Mallya travelled abroad at least three times before his departure on March 2.

According to CBI manual, "Request for Lookout Notices should be sent only after obtaining approval of the Joint Director concerned. The necessity for continuing the Lookout Notice should be reviewed every six months."

CBI had registered a case against Mallya, Kingfisher Airlines, Chief Financial Officer of the airlines A Raghunathan, and unknown officials of IDBI Bank in its FIR alleging that Rs 900 crore IDBI loan was sanctioned in violation of norms regarding credit limits on the basis of complaint received from the bank.



Vijay Mallya is financial terrorist of India, Centre helped him to escape: Shiv Sena



Modi govt allowed Mallya to escape, says Rahul; Cong gave loans, Jaitley hits back



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JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar had earlier been penalised for misbehaving with a girl student and threatening her after she had objected to his "public indecency".

By Mail Today: Before being slapped with sedition charges allegedly for raising anti-India slogans on JNU campus on February 9, JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar had been penalised for misbehaving with a girl student and threatening her after she had objected to his "public indecency".

"I am dejected and pained to see how my JNU community has ganged up to create false revolutionary. I want to ask, do you really understand the meaning of a woman's dignity, Mr Kanhaiya? Unzipping your private part in public and urinating on road - are these your revolutionary tools to uphold women's dignity? I am shocked to see how a misogynist like Kanhaiya is being hailed as revolutionary," she said in an open letter that is circulating online.

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The incident had occurred on June 10, 2015, when the girl student asked Kanhaiya, who at the time was not the students' union president, to not urinate in the open inside the campus.

Following a complaint by her, the JNU administration held a proctorial inquiry that found Kanhaiya guilty.

"The university found Kanhaiya Kumar guilty of misbehaving with an ex-student (female) and threatening her. This act is serious in nature and unbecoming of a student of JNU and calls for strict disciplinary action against him (Kanhaiya).

Keeping his career prospects in mind, the vice-chancellor has taken a lenient view in the matter," said the office order issued on October 16, 2015 by the then chief proctor, Krishna Kumar.

"Kanhaiya is fined Rs 3,000 and also warned to be careful and not get involved in any such incidents in future. Otherwise, strict disciplinary action will be taken against him," the order said.

While an unsigned order was shared on social media by the girl, who accused Kanhaiya of being a false revolutionary making claims about upholding the dignity of women, the university administration confirmed in a statement that the letter was authentic and action was taken against the student leader.

The girl, who now teaches at Delhi University, alleged that Kanhaiya misbehaved with her when she objected and also called her a psychopath while threatening her with dire consequences.

Kumar was arrested on February 12 in connection with the February 9 event organised to protest the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru on his third death anniversary, during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.

Kumar was granted interim bail for six months by the Delhi High Court on Thursday on condition that he will cooperate in the ongoing investigation. He was released on Thursday.

Also watch: Kanhaiya guilty of misbehaving with a girl



Also read:

When Kanhaiya Kumar was fined for misbehaving with a woman on JNU campus

Kanhaiya Kumar slapped inside JNU by an outsider

Kanhaiya Kumar's remarks on security forces trigger fresh row, BJP youth wing files complaint



--- ENDS ---
The Opposition today raised the issue in Parliament and asked the government why the event is going on without his Art of Living paying Rs 5 crore fine.

The Art of Living foundation has time till Friday to give initial environmental compensation of Rs 5 crore for holding its event.

By India Today Web Desk: As Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's mega World Culture Festival started on the banks of Yamuna in New Delhi today, the Opposition raised the issue in Parliament and asked the government why the event is going on without his Art of Living (AOL) paying Rs 5 crore fine.

"Is he above the law? Is the government helpless? How are they allowing it to happen? How can he defy the order of the NGT (or National Green Tribunal)?" Janata Dal-United chief Sharad Yadav asked in Rajya Sabha.

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In a day of dramatic developments on Thursday, the NGT had set a deadline of 4 pm for Sri Sri to pay the fine to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for destroying the Yamuna floodplains. The spiritual guru refused to pay and said he would rather go to jail.

The AOL foundation, which had time till Friday to give the initial environmental compensation of Rs 5 crore for holding its event, today said the fine can be taken as restoration amount for a biodiversity park and not as penalty.



In a related development, the Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain a plea seeking to block the holding of three-day event which will have performances from artists of different countries.

The apex court also asked PIL petitioner Anil Kumar to approach the NGT as it was a specialised forum to address the issue and refused to hear the plea mentioned by a counsel in the post lunch sitting of the court.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the inaugural ceremony of the three-day event today. President Pranab Mukherjee, who was also invited, declined to attend earlier this week.

ALSO READ | World Culture Festival: Cops in top gear to control traffic mess

World Culture Festival: Art of Living yet to deposit fine imposed by NGT



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It's a little after midnight. Ganga Dhaba, which woke up at 4 pm from the excesses of the previous night, has just found a second wind. It usually does at this time. Steaming aloo paranthas and sloppily tossed chow mein are being trotted out to groups of various permutations of students, teachers and 'outsiders'. There is a discussion on films on one set of stone blocks that serve as stools; a heated debate on the Subaltern vs the Colonial on two others; and articulate examinations of what students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar has done right, and what he could have done better over the last week, in most other parts of this cornucopia of food, drink, mud, stone and opinions. Ganga Dhaba is the perfect entry point to better understanding Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), a Republic of Ideas that is home to a diverse, astute, exuberant, fashion-challenged and politically charged academic community.

In the eye of a storm stirred up by the fierce nationalism debate raging across the country over charges of sedition slapped on six students from the campus, JNU is perhaps being talked about more than it has been at any point in its 47-year history. Its Freedom Square, where Kanhaiya had delivered a stirring midnight speech on March 3 after being released on bail, is already the new Jantar Mantar. There are allegations that the university is a den of anti-national elements, who use the taxpayers' money to plot against the State. And there are counter-claims that it is simply fulfilling the functions that any such public institution must-of debate, discussion and dissent.

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These are, in fact, duties that JNU believes it has passionately executed right from its inception in 1969. That was a different time in India's history. The nation, independent for only 22 years, still high on the ideas laid down in the Constitution, was seeking an institution that would help resolve the growing communal and linguistic divides by bringing together students truly representative of real India. JNU was envisaged to allow a free exchange of ideas across the nation, to help future generations understand and empathise with each other.

The university was created through the JNU Act (1966), and the key people tasked with realising its grand vision were the university's first vice-chancellor G. Parthasarathi, a journalist-turned-diplomat who had served as India's permanent representative to the UN (1965-'69), and Moonis Raza, first officer on special duty and then JNU rector, who was already a scholar of international repute. A lot of JNU's secular and inclusive ideals come from them as they went about building the university along academic, architectural and structural principles that remain exclusive to it to this day.

These ideals continue to give JNU not just a stamp of excellence (the National Accreditation and Assessment Council has awarded the university a grade of 3.91 on a four-point scale, the highest in the country) but also its culture of critical thinking, dialogue, integration and asceticism. A large chunk of JNU students, professors, alumni and several prominent global academics believe it is this culture of questioning that has led the political class in general, and the ruling NDA in particular, to stereotype JNU and paint a target on its head.

The great equaliser

When Sachidanand Sinha was growing up in Bihar's Chhapra region, for example, the son of a professor and grandson of a schoolmaster, his dream of entering the world of academics was given a leg up by JNU's admission criteria. Sinha, now a professor at JNU's Centre for the Study of Regional Development, joined the university in 1977, boosted by the four extra marks he was granted as per the Regional Deprivation Index developed for students from backward areas.

Marks were also granted, as they are today, to women, Kashmiri migrants, students from low-income families, and children of defence personnel killed in service. As a result, studying in JNU is not having a discussion with your own class or region, but a dialogue with the nation. "When I entered JNU," Ayesha Kidwai, once a student and now a professor in the School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, says, "it was the first time I met India."

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This diversity not only serves as a great equaliser but also allows students and professors to constantly share personal histories, gather first-hand knowledge and, in research terms, study "primary data". If they hear about an incident in a remote village, say Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh, it's not just a place on the map for them. "We know people from that village, we have met its residents, and heard their stories. We're familiar with what it represents," Sinha says. "This is an experience that people in most other universities don't have." The deprivation points system was removed in 1984, but was reintroduced six years later. The suspension didn't last long enough to change an essential ingredient of JNU's character. The university, therefore, offers a lesson in Indian pluralism. An opportunity to discover oneself vis-a-vis the other. This experience of self-discovery gives JNU students the opportunity to be more aware, and consequently, more political.

The university election process, carried out in such an environment and conducted by the students, lets them congregate with different groups. Its impact is transitional and transformative, bringing those with similar political thinking closer together. A US presidential style debate format sharpens their argumentative nature, teaching them to speak with references rather than making blanket statements. It is no surprise that, along with civil servants, scholars and economists, a number of top politicians across party lines have come from JNU. This includes Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury from the CPI(M), Nirmala Sitharaman from the BJP, Ashutosh from the AAP,D.P. Tripathi from the NCP and Yogendra Yadav, now the founder of Swaraj Abhiyan.

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Political identity

Right from the early years, a majority of JNU professors and students were Leftists or liberals. The School of Social Sciences played a big part in this, with the courses it offered bringing with them an empathy for social movements. Various shades of red soon established a stronghold in JNU-Marxists, Leninists, Marxist-Leninists, Gandhians, Ambedkarites, Lohiaites and various such combinations. The Right was marginalised except for a while in the post-Mandal, pre-Mandir era in the early '90s and then in 2001. This Right, too, was a unique JNU variety, one that did not veer far away from the culture of diversity, debate and gender equality that the university celebrated. "The refrain, 'this is not how we do it in JNU' was always the most important," Kidwai says.

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Click here to Enlarge Graphic by Saurabh Singh

The political pie in JNU these days is divided between various Left groups, with the RSS-affiliate ABVP showing signs of a slight comeback. The most prominent party traditionally was the SFI, the CPI(M) student wing, which has been marginalised in recent times by the relatively harder AISA, affiliated to the CPI(ML) Liberation, a party that has long given up the original CPI(ML) tenets of "armed revolution". Kanhaiya, who belongs to the AISF, the oldest student organisation in India with links to CPI which calls for Left unity, was a surprise winner in last year's elections. So was the ABVP, which managed to win two posts for the first time since it had won the presidential elections back in 2001. The more radical ultra-Left group DSU, which does not participate in elections, and which another sedition accused Umar Khalid belongs to, is the smallest of all the parties with no real relevance to the campus.

JNU politics continues to be more about national issues than about local concerns such as mess halls or hostels that usually occupy other students' unions. Kanhaiya, who won primarily because of a fiery speech delivered in the presidential debate last September, speaks regularly about the RSS, the rise of communalism under the current NDA regime, and the failure of the Left to form an effective strategy against it. The latest controversy at JNU has already fulfilled Kanhaiya's primary mission-a united Left with other units including the rival AISA firmly standing behind him. He has since moved on to talking about a larger unity-between blue and red, or backwards and Left across India-and proclaimed in his March 3 speech that this would enable the two groups to form the Union government if they were to come together. Big words for a student leader, one might think, but big ideas are what JNU student politics has always been about. And Kanhaiya is not the only one. There are several others like him in JNU-just as cogent, just as clear about what their India should be.

"A unique experiment"

A fierce interaction between professors and scholars is another facet that was ingrained right from JNU's inception. Though the university started from the older 'down campus', the 1,019-acre area that it eventually moved to was constructed in a way that the hostels and staff quarters were always in close proximity to each other. Rather than keeping students and teachers in different silos, the architecture integrated them in a way that they crossed each other on the streets, exchanged pleasantries, and perhaps finished discussions that had ended prematurely in the classroom.

Professor S.K. Thorat, former student and professor, former head of the University Grants Commission and now chairman of the Indian Council of Social Science Research, describes JNU as a "unique experiment". He explains the reasons behind its rise as a top university in a relatively short time, listing a number of innovations brought to JNU in its early years as seminal to its success.

The university, he explains, runs through schools rather than departments, thus encouraging healthy inter-disciplinary crossover. This leads to an interaction between connected but otherwise diverse subjects such as sociology and history, geography and economics. Unlike most other institutions, JNU allows teachers to frame their own courses around common themes-some obscure and tailor-made for particular students-and its democratic system allows students the opportunity to be involved in the curriculum and the examination process. Further, individual centres function as autonomous units, connected to the parent schools, which are connected to the university's academic and executive councils. This bottom-up decision-making ensures that all the stakeholders are involved in the planning process.

Such measures, coupled with genuine diversity in the admission policy, a strong gender equality message underpinned by the GSCASH (Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment), and a grading system in which students are tested all year round, have made JNU a star performer. When Thorat was head of the UGC from 2006-2011, he applied similar models in several other institutions across the country. What has particularly helped carry the JNU culture forward is that a number of illustrious former students have returned to the university as teachers, carrying forward the baton passed to them by their professors. "A student enters JNU with a regional identity but leaves with a universal identity," Thorat says. "The identity of a citizen."

Of late, however, the culture has started to change somewhat and there are divisions visible along regional and linguistic lines-a trend that JNU has been trying to fight against.

Battle-lines drawn



The identity that Thorat speaks of is also a strongly political one-often misunderstood by the outside world. Right from the '70s, the golden era according to some JNU old-timers, the average student was described dismissively as a "jholawala". The stereotype was that he would be wearing a torn kurta, a pair of dirty trousers with ink stains on it, and would be fervently preaching Communism. A lot of JNU's ideals, however, are not hardcore Left but simply liberal. "The idea of a nation that constitutes the aspirations of all its citizens; that offers them social justice and equality, freedom of speech and the right to disagree, is not really a radical idea. It is part of the wider liberal democratic vision," says Neeladri Bhattacharya, a professor at the Centre for Historical Studies. To that extent, JNU stands for an India as envisaged by the national movement and as imagined by the Constitution.

But a stereotype has a power that intellectual debate does not. In the current context, where JNU students have been accused of chanting anti-national and pro-terrorism slogans, the fact that a slogan is anti-national is bound to capture the imagination more easily than a debate about it. And the symbols that define a stereotype-be it a kurta, jeans, beard, skull cap, turban, a poster, or even an entire institution-are easy to sell to the popular mind.

For the last month, JNU, which has been holding open nationalism teach-ins and fighting to protect its right to dissent-as a form of patriotism rather than a form of treason-has been asking people to engage with it, to understand it, and to not dismiss it without hearing its side of the argument. But large sections of the country, led by some of our top politicians and journalists, have been unwilling to look beyond their own definition of nationalism. And neither, for that matter, has JNU, which has refused to accept a classification of patriotism that pits the Self against the Other, or does not allow that the State be questioned. Things have reached a point where prominent BJP leaders such as Subramanian Swamy and Chandan Mitra have even called for the university to be either closed temporarily or shut down altogether.

A university whose students went to jail during the Emergency, rescued Sikhs during the 1984 riots in Delhi (many of them were hidden in Jhelum Hostel) and marched from Gangotri to Rishikesh during the Tehri dam agitation, sees the latest conflict as a battle for survival. To protect what it stands for, what it represents, a fight for its very existence. "And if that is not worth fighting for," asks a sociology student just as Ganga Dhaba gets ready to pull down its shutters, "then what is?"

Follow the writer on Twitter @_kunal_pradhan



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Here are some pictures capturing the budding friendship between the US President Barrack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, taken as they met for the White House state dinner on Thursday.

By Shreya Biswas: When the debonair United States President Barrack Obama welcomed the oh-so handsome Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau into the White House on Thursday, the temperature in social media amped up.

And it was not because of the joint statement they released about the US and Canada cutting methane emissions by 2025, or any other serious affairs they discussed.

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The Twitterati was more interested about the "bromance" budding between Trudeau and Obama that was captured in pictures.

Here are a few phonographs of the two leaders' day in the White House:

National Post columnist Robyn Urback shared this picture on Twitter with the comment, "I just wish someone would look at me the way Trudeau looks at Obama..."

*wink wink*

Source: Twitter Source: Twitter

Twitter user Taylor Trudon wrote about this picture, "my goal is to find someone who looks at me the way justin trudeau looks at obama".

What do you think about that killer stare, eh?

Source: Twitter

Obama is all smiles about whatever it is they are talking about.

Source: Reuters

Both the hot dads seem quite adept with handling babies.

President Obama has two daughters, Malia and Natasha, while Trudeau has three little ones: sons Xavier (8) and Hadrien (2), and daughter Ella-Grace (6).

Source: The White House Official Twitter page

Obama and Trudeau shared some sports trash talk, the US president hit the other ith, "Where's the Stanley Cup right now?".

The Stanley Cup, a championship trophy awarded to the National Hockey League playoff winner, is currently in "Obama's hometown" with the Chicago Blackhaws.

With Canada winning its Cup in 1993, Obama hit Trudeau where it would hurt. Ouch!

Source: Twitter

The Washington Post Social media producer Ryan Carey-Mahoney tweeted this picture and had this dialogue to add:

"I...I can't. Michelle will know."

"No one has to know, Barry. No one."

*ahem ahem*

Source: Twitter

Here's an official White House photo of the two leaders in the Oval Office prior to a joint press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House.

Source: The White House Official Photo

Proposing a toast, Trudeau seems to be sharing a special moment with Obama.

Source: AP

The men aside, First Lady Michelle Obama and the Candian prime minister's wife, Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, look nothing short of stunning.

Source: AP

At last, we must share this caricature done by cartoonist Bruce MacKinnon.

Says much about the two leaders' budding friendship, doesn't it?



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JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar was allegedly attacked inside the campus while he was attending a lecture on nationalism.

By Mail Today: JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar was allegedly attacked inside the campus while he was attending a lecture on nationalism at the administration block on Thursday.

According to police, the attacker was not from the university but came from outside. He has been identified as Vikas Chaudhary and hails from Ghaziabad. Students and teachers present at the time of the incident said that Kanhaiya was the attending lecture on nationalism at the administration block when he was called by the attacker for some interaction.

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Kanhaiya was asked for a dialogue and he went to talk to him, he started abusing him and later started hitting and slapping him. Students present at spot rushed to his rescue. The accused was held by security guards, an eye witness said.



The accused was taken to Vasant Vihar police station where he was questioned. Chaudhary told the cops that he wanted to "teach him a lesson" for his comments made on the Indian Army.

Students of JNU condemned the attack on Kanhaiya and blamed the political party for the attack because these attacks create an atmosphere of hostility inside the campus.

"Such attacks do not represent people's sentiments. The people of India stand with JNU. Attacks like these are the handiwork of RSS and its affiliated outfits. These do not represent the general mood of the people. The people have seen through BJP's attempts to undermine democracy and dissent," Rama Naga, General Secretary, JNUSU said.

This is the third alleged attack on Kanhaiya who waded into controversy after he was arrested by the Delhi Police for his alleged involvement in a February 9 event at the university campus that commemorated parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's hanging. The event saw some anti-national slogans being raised.

Kanhaiya was attacked earlier by lawyers outside the Patiala House court complex while the police was escorting him inside the court premises.

The same set of lawyers attacked him again at the same venue, a day later.

The students and teachers of the varsity had expressed apprehension about Kanhaiya's security after he was attacked by the group of lawyers in Patiala Court premises on February 17.

Delhi Police had asked the university and Kanhaiya to intimate Vasant Vihar police station about Kanhaiya's movements outside the campus as they fear attacks on him.

Watch full video here:

Also read:

Kanhaiya Kumar's remarks on security forces trigger fresh row, BJP youth wing files complaint

When Kanhaiya Kumar was fined for misbehaving with a woman on JNU campus



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The controversial three-day World Culture Festival being organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living began today at the banks of Yamuna in Delhi.

By India Today Web Desk: The three-day World Culture Festival being organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living began today at the banks of Yamuna in Delhi after days of controversy and uncertainty. Sri Sri's Art of Living earlier told the National Green Tribunal that it will need 4 weeks to arrange the Rs 5 crore fine imposed on it. | In pics

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Here are the LIVE updates:

PM Modi at the event

The World Culture Festival is like the Kumbh Mela of Art & Cultures.



India is so diverse and it has so much to contribute to the world .

I compliment Sri Sri for completing this mission of service since 35 yrs to over 150 countries.

We can't bad mouth our own culture.

Through Art of Living, the world has got to know about India. I remember a reception by 'Art of Living' family in Mongolia. Indian flags were waved.

We must be proud of cultural heritage of our country.



Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at Art of Living ceremony

I belong to you all.

The amount of love you give comes back to you in manifold.

People from Pakistan, Nepal. Argentina & others who have come here are giving such a strong message of Harmony to World.

So many youngsters have joined us, it is such a beautiful occasion.



When you plan to do something big, obstacles will come.



-Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will be attending the event on Sunday.

-PM Modi arrives to inaugurate Sri Sri's World Culture Festival, share stage with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar



-Heavy traffic reported at Delhi-Noida-Delhi Expressway, Nizamuddin, Mayur Vihar, Akhshardham, NH-24, Ashram, and adjoining areas.

-Less than an hour to go for the inauguration of the World Culture Festival and it has started raining in Delhi. The weather department has predicted widespread rain and thunderstorms this weekend.

-The NGT, however, has asked the foundation to deposit Rs 25 lakh today failing which the Rs 2.5 crore grant given by the Ministry of Culture will be freezed.

-The National Green Tribunal has accepted Art of Living's plea to give it a month's time to submit Rs 5 crore fine imposed on it.

-There is no controversy. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is known for resolving controversial issues, says Home Minister Rajnath Singh on World Culture Fest.

-The Art of Living moves application in NGT saying it needs 4 weeks time to deposit Rs 5 cr fine and to comply with all tribunal directions. AOL said Rs 5 crore fine will be taken as restoration amount for biodiversity park and not as penalty. The Art of Living foundation said that it is a charitable organisation and needs a month to collect the money.



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-Janata Dal United leader Sharad Yadav in Rajya Sabha raises the issue of World Culture Festival. " A fine of Rs 5 crore has been imposed. He (Sri Sri Ravi Shankar) says he will not pay the fine. He should be jailed. Is he above the law?" Yadav said.

-"World Culture Festival by Art of Living will bring glory to India. let's not politicise this," tweets Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu.

- Lakhs are expected to join the inauguration ceremony of the mega event which may lead to major traffic snarls in East Delhi and other arterial roads. Four major roads - NH-24, Ring Road, Noida Link Road and DND Flyway are expected to witness heavy traffic. Delhi Traffic Police have imposed 13 major traffic diversions to avoid inconvenience to general commuters.

Traffic Advisory

11 March - 13 March 2016

Radha Soami Satsang Programme near Bhati Mines@dtptraffic pic.twitter.com/xgRiuLfKp2& Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) March 9, 2016

- Massive security arrangement put in place for the culture fest. Around 6,000 personnel from all 11 districts of Delhi Police and its specialised units like the the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and Special Cell will be deployed. A dedicated police control room also set up.

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-At least 1,500 officials and a team of Eagle Commandos deployed at the venue on Yamuna river plain. Hundreds of securitymen guarding hotels where dignitaries and artists are staying across Delhi.

- The NGT had cleared the event with the condition that organisers must pay Rs 5 crore fine before the inauguration on March 11. The AOL is yet to pay the fine. "Have done nothing wrong. Will not pay the fine," Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had said yesterday.

ALSO READ | Is Sri Sri above law, why hasn't he paid Rs 5 crore fine, asks Opposition in Parliament

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Madonna, who shot up to fame after the film Premam, has said that though she likes to act in content-driven films, only commercial films give her the opportunities to act with big stars.

By India Today Web Desk: After the Malayalam film Premam, there is no stopping Madonna Sebastian. The character Celine, which was played by the actor, has won many hearts in Kerala and as well as in Tamil Nadu, where the film had a historic 200-day run.

ALSO READ: Ka Ka Po - Watch Vijay Sethupathi shake a leg in this peppy title track

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The actor, who is making her Tamil debut with Kadhalum Kadhandu Pogum, says that although she prefers being part of content-driven films that require her to perform subtly, she can't say no to masala films.

"Personally, I enjoy being part of films where I'm not just a pretty face and have a solid role. I like to perform subtly, express using my eyes and smile. Though commercial cinema doesn't offer you scope to do such things, I can't say no to masala films," Madonna told IANS.

She also said she can't turn down an offer to work with a star.

"It's in these masala films that you get to work with stars. How can I say no to working with them? My latest Tamil release Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum features Vijay Sethupathi who I really admire. I just couldn't miss an opportunity to work with him," she said.

"My next Malayalam release King Liar is with Dileep, who is a much bigger star. It's an out-and-out masala film," she added.

In Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum, which was released in cinemas on Friday, she plays a role of Yazhini, who works in the Information Technology world.

"It's a simple love story of a boy and a girl who, by the time they realise and fall in love, the film ends and they never get to live happily ever after. Still, this is a fun film and there's nothing tragic about the story," she said.

The film is the official remake of Korean entertainer My Dear Desperado. Madonna has seen the original and she feels the Nalan Kumarasamy-directed Tamil version is much better.

"Nalan has made it livelier, which makes the remake not a frame-to-frame copy of the original. The localisation of the content has worked very well and even those who have watched the Korean version will love the Tamil remake more," she said.

Talking about her co-star Vijay Sethupathi, she said: "It took time for both of us to get talking on the sets. I've learnt from him that it's important to match the wavelength of one's co-star while performing and his valuable input really benefited me."

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When asked about her debut film Premam, she said,"We knew Premam was a good film. However, none of us expected it to do so well. People still call me Celine wherever I go, which only shows how much they love me. Slowly, they are getting used to my real name," she said.

Not in a hurry to sign new projects, she will join the sets of Premam Telugu remake in next week.



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Several documents were recovered from the man who was held outside the PM's office in the Parliament. The man, who belongs to Unnao, is being interrogated by the Delhi Police.

Several documents were recovered from the 25-year-old who belongs to Kanpur. Photo: PTI

By India Today Web Desk: In a major security breach, a man managed to reach the prime minister's office in the Parliament today morning. The man named Pradeep Kumar was held from near the PM's cabin at around 7.00 am.

Several documents were recovered from the 25-year-old who belongs to Unnao in Uttar Pradesh.

He was taken to the Parliament Street Police Station for interrogation. Pradeep told the cops during quizzing that he drives an auto and wanted to meet the PM for a job.

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Security agencies are probing how the youth managed to breach the security at the highly protected Parliament building. CCTV images inside the complex are being scanned to check the man's movements.

Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha Speaker's office has asked for a report over the security breach.

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Rosy Lalnunsangi who was 20 weeks pregnant visited a doctor in the middle of last year, she was given a stark choice of opting between her life and the life of her twins. She was also diagnosed with breast cancer. However she found hope that she fight cancer without sacrificing her babies.

By Lipla Negi: When 42-year-old Rosy Lalnunsangi visited a doctor in the middle of last year, she was given a stark choice of opting between her life and the life of her twins. Lalnunsangi was 20 weeks pregnant

She had also been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her doctor in Mizoram told her that the normal practice was to terminate the pregnancy and proceed for chemotherapy. That was the safest option.

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The abortion seemed inevitable, but Lalnunsangi decided not to give up. Sad but strong, she sought a second opinion and found hope when doctors at a Delhi hospital told her that she can fight cancer without sacrificing her babies. Five months later, she is now a mother of healthy twin girls. Though the painful struggle with cancer is not over, this proud mother feels stronger than ever.

While most call it a miracle, in reality it was more a triumph of Lalnunsangi's will and the skills of the team of doctors at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi. It was a rare case, when a pregnant woman with breast cancer underwent chemotherapy and breast conservation surgery. The fact that she succeeded just makes it a rarest of rare case, giving hope to many others who might be forced to make a similar choice.

"Breast cancer and pregnancy is not common. One sees a case like this rarely in 30-40 years of practice," said Dr Ramesh Sarin, Senior Consultant Oncosurgery. When Lalnunsangi insisted that she won't give up her babies, a multidisciplinary board at the hospital consisting of medical oncologist, radio oncologist, surgical oncologist, gynaecologists and fetal medicine specialists decided it was best to do a surgery to remove the tumour followed by chemotherapy.

Along with chemotherapy, Lalnunsangi underwent breast conservation surgery in the form of Lumpectomy and Sentinel Node biopsy. According to Sarin, with the help of modern drugs women have a fighting chance to beat cancer without causing any harm to the fetus. "One can undergo the treatment and continue with normal, healthy pregnancy and delivery," she says.

"The formation of all the vital organs like heart, lungs and brain etc happens in the first trimester. And the patient was in her second trimester when she came to us. So it was safer to give her certain drugs that do not cause any side effects to the fetus," said Dr Shakti Bhan Khanna, Senior Consultant Gynaecology.

Doctors closely monitored the growth of the fetuses while the mother went through chemotherapy. At 36 weeks and 3 days, the doctors decided to deliver the babies by caesarean. "We stopped the chemo around 3-4 weeks before delivery because chemo lowers the blood count, making a patient more prone to infection," Sarin said.

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At present, Lalnunsangi is enjoying motherhood with her six-week-old twins who have been named Grace and Hannah. Her radiation therapy will start soon.

Also read: Use of paracetamol during pregnancy can increase the risk of asthma in babies



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This nine-year-old girl from Bhopal runs a library called Bal Pustakalay to educaSte and inculcate the habit of reading among all the children in her slum.

By India Today Web Desk: Meet Muskaan Ahirwar, this gritty nine-year-old is doing something which many might take years to achieve. She has taken up the responsibility to educate the children in her slum by running her own library.

Muskaan, a class 3 student calls her library Bal Pustakalaya which is located in a slum near Rajya Siksha Kendra in Bhopal.

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Everyday after she gets home from school at 4 pm, sets up the library outside her house and encourages all of them to come and read.

What started as small number of 25 books given by the State Education Board in December last year, has now grown up to 119 books.

Muskaan, who is known to be a pro-active and hard-working student was given the responsibility to manage the library by Rajya Shiksha Kendra.

Children of all ages eagerly wait for their turn to grab a book of their choice. Muskaan also keeps reading and discussion to make the entire practice more engaging.

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The North Korean leader was quoted in state media earlier in the week as saying his country had miniaturised nuclear warheads to mount on ballistic missiles.

By Reuters: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watched a ballistic missile launch test and ordered the country to improve its nuclear attack capability by conducting more tests, the official KCNA news agency reported on Friday.

The report did not say when the test took place but it was likely referring to North Korea's launch of two short-range missiles on Thursday that flew 500 km (300 miles) and splashed into the sea.

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"Dear comrade Kim Jong Un said work ... must be strengthened to improve nuclear attack capability and issued combat tasks to continue nuclear explosion tests to assess the power of newly developed nuclear warheads and tests to improve nuclear attack capability," KCNA said.

The North Korean leader was quoted in state media earlier in the week as saying his country had miniaturised nuclear warheads to mount on ballistic missiles.

Tensions have risen sharply on the Korean peninsula after the North conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and fired a long-range rocket last month leading to the U.N. Security Council to adopt a new sanctions resolution.

Conducting more nuclear tests would be in clear violation of U.N. sanctions which also ban ballistic missile tests, although Pyongyang has rejected them. North Korea has a large stockpile of short-range missiles and is developing long-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

South Korea's Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee said: "It's simply rash and thoughtless behaviour by someone who has no idea how the world works," when asked about Kim's comments.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Pyongyang to "cease destabilising acts," adding that Ban remained "gravely concerned" by the situation.

In China, North Korea's most important economic and diplomatic backer, the country's top newspaper, the People's Daily, urged all sides to be "patient and brave", show goodwill and resume the talks process.

South Korea said it did not believe that North Korea had successfully miniaturised a nuclear warhead or deployed a functioning intercontinental ballistic missile.

The U.S. Defence Department said this week it had seen no evidence that North Korea had succeeded in miniaturising a warhead.

However, Admiral Bill Gortney, the officer responsible for defending U.S. air space, told a U.S. Senate panel on Thursday it was "prudent" for him to assume North Korea could both miniaturise a warhead and put it on an ICBM that could target the United States.

"Intel community gives it a very low probability of success, but I do not believe the American people want (me) to base my readiness assessment on a low probability," he said.

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North Korea has issued nearly daily reports in recent days of Kim's instructions to fight South Korea and the United States as the two allies began large-scale military drills.

North Korea called the annual drills "nuclear war moves" and threatened to respond with an all-out offensive. Kim last week ordered his country to be ready to use nuclear weapons in the face of what he sees as growing threats from enemies.

The United States and South Korea remain technically at war with North Korea because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce instead of a peace agreement.

Also read:



North Korea has miniature nuclear warhead, says Kim Jong-Un



Kim Jong-Un poses beside possible nuclear warhead mock up



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The Jawaharlal Nehru University has debunked Anupam Kher's allegation that it blocked the screening of one of his films on the campus and challenged the actor to show proof of his accusations.

By India Today Web Desk: The Jawaharlal Nehru University has debunked Anupam Kher's allegation that it blocked the screening of one of his films on the campus and challenged the actor to show proof of his accusations.

"How can we block a film when we don't even know what it is about?" professor of film studies at JNU Ira Bhaskar told India Today TV. She said she had informed the filmmakers that the schedule for the current semester was full, and that they would consider screening the film in the next session.

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"This has nothing to do with Mr Kher or the contents of the film of which I am completely unaware of," Bhaskar said. She denied getting any email from Kher on the matter, an allegation made by the senior actor who said the filmmakers had been writing to JNU for two years to screen the film on the campus.

Directed by Vivek Agnihotri, the 2014 film called "Buddha Stuck In A Traffic Jam" also stars Arunoday Singh, Mahi Gill, Pallavi Joshi, besides Kher.

Earlier today, Kher had asked why the JNU is not screening his film on "contemporary social issues" as he accused the institution of double standards in exercising its freedom of expression.

"Why are only certain people allowed to exercise their freedom of expression at JNU?" Kher told India Today TV.

Kher said the film is based on the life in a campus like JNU. "Cinema is cinema. It is beyond political boundaries and ideologies," the senior actor said.

At a recent event in Kolkata, Kher had attacked JNU and its students union president Kanhaiya Kumar for allegedly raising "anti-national" slogans at an event to mark the hanging of Parliament attacks convict Afzal Guru.

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The setback to the river project came when the Punjab government stunned the opposition Congress and neighbouring Haryana by announcing that it will de-notify the land so that it is vested with its original owners.

With Punjab's decision to de-notify 5376 acre land acquired to construct the Punjab part of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal - the idea to connect two legendary rivers for water and shipping has gone to seed.

The setback to the river project came on Thursday when the Punjab government stunned the opposition Congress and neighbouring Haryana by announcing that it will de-notify the land so that it is vested with its original owners.

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While Haryana had completed the construction of the canal on its land, Punjab had already blocked the project in 2004 by passing Punjab Termination of Agreement Act 2004 declaring the earlier agreements as null and void. Haryana had moved the Supreme Court court in 2004 against Punjab government's decision.

"Any compromise on river waters would amount to signing the death warrant of every Punjabi. This must be confronted, fought and defeated. Anything is precisely what we are totally committed to achieving not a single drop of water would be allowed to flow out of Punjab as such a decision and action would be neither constitutionally nor legally tenable. In fact, an extremely critical and dangerous water crisis stares its population in the face. I would rather shed every drop of my blood than allow any drop of Punjab's river waters to flow out in violation of its rights," Parkash Singh Badal told the assembly while making the announcement.

Referring to the issue of SYL, Badal said that it was started in 1976 and first mention of its construction was made in the 1981 agreement. But surprisingly, much before that, the Congress chief ministers of Haryana and Punjab had already decided on it. Badal mentioned that Rs 1 crore was received by Punjab from Haryana on November 18, 1976.

The then chief minister of Punjab Giani Zail Singh wrote a DO letter on November 26, 1976 to his Haryana counterpart Banarsi Dass Gupta seeking consent to carry out construction of SYL Punjab Portion out of the Rs 1 crore which was offered by Haryana. Subsequently, in January 1, 1977 the Punjab government under Giani Zail Singh accorded the most important administrative approval to construct SYL Punjab portion. The conspiracy to rob Punjab of its river waters was abundantly clear in this correspondence.

Referring to the legal battle over the issue, the chief minister of Haryana filed a suit in the Supreme Court on April 30, 1979 for seeking a direction to construct SYL. Badal said that his government filed a suit in the Supreme Court challenging Section 78 of Reorganization Act in July 11, 1979. Constitutional experts were of the view that Punjab had a very strong case. Badal pointed out that only option for Haryana was that Punjab should withdraw this suit and the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi dismissed his government in Punjab during 1980. This was one of the reasons a suit was filed by Punjab.

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With regard to the agreement of 1981, Badal mentioned that this agreement was signed by the chief minister of Punjab Giani Zail Singh, Haryana CM Bhajan Lal and Rajasthan CM Shiv Charan Mathur in presence of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on December 31, 1981 for the construction of SYL and withdrawal of suits by Punjab and Haryana. Subsequently, the suit was withdrawn by the then Punjab Chief Minister Darbara Singh on February 12, 1982. Digging of SYL was started by Indira Gandhi at Kapoori on April 8, 1982. Captain Amrinder Singh gave advertisements with his photograph welcoming Indira Gandhi and the Shiromani Akali Dal launched a Morcha against digging of SYL and several Akalis were arrested and I led the first Jatha, added Badal.

Referring to the Punjab Settlement Rajiv-Longowal Accord Badal said it was signed on July 24, 1985 to decide the share of river waters of Punjab and construct SYL canal. The main emphasis of the accord was only on SYL. As per the accord, neither Army recruitment on merit was done and nor Chandigarh was transferred to Punjab as promised. No commission was set up to transfer Punjabi speaking areas to Punjab. SYL construction was started without determining whether Haryana was to get any water or not. It was a situation just putting a cart before the horse. Subsequently, Eradi Tribunal was constituted on April 2, 1986.

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Mentioning about the suit filed by Haryana in the Supreme Court in 1996 for the completion of SYL Badal said that the Supreme Court directed the Punjab government in its judgment on January 15, 2002 to either construct SYL within a year or hand over the work to GoI. Termination of Agreement Act 2004 was passed on July 12, 2004, which was supported by SAD in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. The Congress led GoI filed a Presidential Reference in Supreme Court within 10 days on July 22, 2004.

Badal said that his SAD-BJP alliance government filed a suit in Supreme Court challenging Section 78 of Reorganization Act, which was still pending.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Captain Amarinder Singh also said that Punjab did not have even a single drop of water to spare for others.

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"Where is the water?" he retorted when asked about his opposition to the SYL, while pointing out the rivers in Punjab had virtually gone dry and the flow of water since the days of Eradi Tribunal had also gone substantially down.

The Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, has taken exception to the statement made by his Punjab counterpart Parkash Singh Badal, to de-notify the land acquired for construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal as unfortunate.

"Badal's statement after the Supreme Court had begun hearing on the Presidential reference on the Presidential Reference on the Punjab Termination of Agreement Act, 2004, was disappointing and driven by purely political considerations," Manohar Lal Khattar said.

He said that one should refrain from commenting on anything which is sub judice. "I have great respect for Badal who is an experienced leader. Being the elder brother of Haryana, Punjab should protect the interests of the younger brother," the Chief Minister added.

Khattar said he was confident that Haryana would get every drop of its legitimate share of river waters. The SYL is the lifeline of Haryana farmers and the state government is committed to doing everything possible to make it carry Haryana's share of water at the earliest, he added.

Haryana is likely to discuss the issue on March 12 in the all-party meeting.

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The 91-year-old RSS is getting set to discuss whether it should drop its ubiquitous khaki shorts and replace it with trousers.

A large section of the RSS feels that the time has come to move on from the khaki shorts.

By India Today Web Desk: The 91-year-old RSS is getting set to discuss whether it should drop its ubiquitous khaki shorts and replace it with trousers. For decades, the ganvesh or uniform worn by RSS pracharaks has been a symbol of discipline and pride for the organisation. But as time moves, many youngsters have started feeling embarrassed at having to wear loose fitting khaki shorts.

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As the Sangh Parivar's highest decision-making body - Akhil Bharatiya Pratindhi Sabha - starts its three-day meeting in Nagpur, it's getting set to discuss whether the time has come to go in for a makeover. This afternoon there's likely to be a first round of deliberations in Nagpur on whether the change should be implemented right away or held back for a while.

RSS prachar pramukh Manmohan Vaidya confirmed that the issue is being discussed in Nagpur. He added, "It's too early to say whether a final decision will be taken or the issue will be put to vote. At the most it would be a gradual process. In the absence of unanimity, the topic may be put to rest for another five years."

A large section of the RSS feels that the time has come to move on from the khaki shorts but some old timers continue to hold out saying that there is no need to be swayed by fashion trends.

Suggestions have come for changing the trademark khaki to blue or grey, keeping in the mind sensibilities of the new generation, which RSS says is flocking to its shakhas. RSS sources said the issue has been discussed since last year's annual conference in Nagpur. RSS has allowed track pants in its shakhas for IT professionals.

The event will have over 1,200 representatives of its frontal organisations and will be inaugurated by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

All eyes will be on the conference in the backdrop of the current national debate over the alleged 'anti-nationalism' in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Sangh sources said that political happenings will be discussed and resolutions on socio-political issues will be adopted to give clarity of the thought to the larger saffron family, BJP, and the government. BJP leaders, including party chief Amit Shah, will attend the meeting.

RSS' reach has increased after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government took over in 2014, with the number of shakhas jumping to over 51,000 in 2015.

Vaidya said that the meet will also witness innovative work done by RSS units, which will be replicated across the country. During the last meet, RSS had focussed on Dalits, harmony in families and expanding its reach to all mandals and village levels.

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Among the key groups that will participate will be the Sangh's frontal bodies such as Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram, Bharatiya Majdoor Sangh, Vidya Bharati, Rashtra Sevika Samithi, Swadeshi Jagaran Manch and Bharat Vikas Parishad. Other groups with special focus such as Sakshama (that work for the blind), Seema Suraksha Parishat (committed to boosting confidence among people of border districts) and Poorva Sainika Parishat (working for retired soldiers) will be represented in the meet.

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By AP: A UN report describing sweeping crimes like children and the disabled being burned alive and fighters being allowed to rape women as payment shows South Sudan is facing "one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world," the UN human rights chief said Friday.

Zeid Raad al-Hussein lamented the crisis in the nearly 5-year-old country has been largely overlooked by the international community, and his office said attacks against civilians, forced disappearances, rape and other violations could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

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The UN report released Friday is the work of an assessment team deployed in South Sudan between October and January, and says "state actors" bear most responsibility for the crimes. It said Zeid recommends that the UN Security Council consider expanding sanctions already in place by imposing a "comprehensive arms embargo" on South Sudan and consider referring the matter to the International Criminal Court if other judicial avenues fail.

In scorching detail, the report cited cases of parents being forced to watch their children being raped, and said investigators had received information that some armed militias affiliated with government forces "raided cattle, stole personal property, raped and abducted women and girls" as a type of payment.

"The quantity of rapes and gang-rapes described in the report must only be a snapshot of the real total," Zeid said in a statement. "This is one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world, with massive use of rape as an instrument of terror and weapon of war, yet it has been more or less off the international radar."

The human rights situation has "dramatically deteriorated" since South Sudan erupted into civil war in December 2013, the report said. The crisis stemmed from a falling-out between President Salva Kiir and his deputy, Riek Machar, that boiled over into an armed rebellion. Tens of thousands have died and at least 2 million people have been displaced from their homes.

The 17-page report notes that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had already in May 2014 pointed to "reasonable grounds" to consider that crimes against humanity had been committed in South Sudan. In a sign that little has been done since then, the report said "the killings, sexual violence, displacement, destruction and looting that were the hallmarks of the conflict through 2014 continued unabated through 2015."

Recommendations in previous reports to the UN's Human Rights Council, a 47-member body currently in session in Geneva, "remain largely unimplemented," it said.

ALSO READ

An untold tale of Indian Army rescue in South Sudan



South Sudan commanders used child soldiers as cannon fodder

--- ENDS ---
Amid the suspense over Art of Living's mega culture fest on the banks of Yamuna in Delhi, a high-level team visited the venue of the event and issued strict guidelines for the organisers.

Artists rehearse on the eve of the three-day World Peace Festival being organised by Art of Living Foundation in New Delhi.

By India Today Web Desk: The National Green Tribunal has said that Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has time till today evening to pay Rs 5 crore fine for violating environmental norms. Refusing to pay the fine, Sri Sri said he is ready to go to jail and that Art of Living (AOL) will challenge the NGT's order in the Supreme Court.

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Amid the suspense over AOL's mega culture fest on the banks of Yamuna in Delhi, a high-level team visited the venue of the event and issued strict guidelines for the organisers.

Here are the directives issued by the top level team:

- A high-level team of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change along with representatives from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) visited the World Culture Fest site.

- On the basis of observations made by the team many directions on sewage management, solid waste management, noise level, sources of water and power for the event, operation of diesel gensets and other associated aspects including construction of pontoon bridges and river front development have been issued to organisers as well as to concerned governmental agencies.

- MCD, DDA, district administration, DJB, Irrigation and Flood Control Department, Delhi Police, PWD, Central Ground Water Authority and fire department have been issued directions along with the organisers.

- Committee also recommended DPCC to establish air quality monitors including noise level measurement during event and after the event at strategic locations to assess the impact.

- The event managers shall do videography of solid waste management and waste water management at the venue.

- Directions also issued to ensure compliance and forward a daily report to chairman of the DPCC.

DIRECTIONS ISSUED

Sewage management-

* Waste water from toilets and kitchens will be collected and transported through closed containers to sewage treatment plants.

* In no case waste water either from kitchen or toilet or any other source shall be disposed off directly or indirectly into the Yamuna.

Solid waste -

- Adequate number of litterbins.

- Waste to be transported in close containers.

- No litter should be disposed off in river or on the bank.

- Post event the entire area should be free from waste.

Air quality -

- For suppression of dust, water sprinkling on unpaved roads but avoid flooding.

- Diesel Generation Sets (DG Sets) to comply standards.

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Sources of water -

* Extraction of ground water in accordance with permission granted. Log book to be maintained for quantity of water extracted.

* Event manager shall not release any enzyme in the river or other water bodies.

Other aspects -

- DDA to ensure that after event, the entire area should be cordoned, fenced and no encroachment shall be permitted.

- DDA to take steps to maintain the greenery of the area and will develop a biodiversity park.

ALSO READ | World Culture Festival: Art of Living yet to deposit fine imposed by NGT



--- ENDS ---
She says she gets children. That she thinks like a child. That the 'connection' with children has forever been there, and will be there forever.

"Maybe it's to do with the fact that I had to face a lot of struggle in my childhood. It was an isolated phase of my life. My father was with the defence services so we frequently moved cities. So, by the time you found a friend and started relating to them, it was time to move," remembers Bangalore-based visual artist Nayantara Sarah Surendranath, who has done the illustrations for the children's book, A Pair of Twins.

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In Chandigarh this February on the invitation of Dikshant International School, this 26-year-old artist feels there is a need to reintroduce children to ancient Indian stories, not just to acquaint them with what is essentially theirs but also because there is a treasure of tales that this civilisation offers. "Sadly, many of us still tend to believe that children's literature coming from the west is in some way superior and has a greater impact on children's minds. That is not really true. Look at our enigmatic tales like Ramayana and Panchatantra. This obsession with everything western can be nauseating sometimes. All are references are so foreign, and we love to ignore the richness around us," laments the young artist.

Agreeing that well-produced children's literature is so expensive that many parents are forced to shy away from the buying the same, Surendranath feels the best way to make it accessible to a majority of children would be to have elaborate sections for children in district libraries, which are updated frequently. "Also, much needs to be done to make such sections attractive. How can you expect children to be attracted towards them when they are so drab and visually dull and unattractive?" she asks.

Insisting that parents will always have a major role to inculcate reading habits among children even if their wards study at world schools, this graduate from Srishti School of Art Design and Technology in Bangalore, says, "From a very early age, it is important that parents make their children understand that reading can be a lot of fun and the world of stories is beautiful."

Talk to her about how technology in the form of storytelling applications, interactive online sessions, augmentative reality and audio books has uplifted the story listening experience, and the designer asserts, "This is what I would love to explore more. Why restrict storytelling only to books? Let us not forget that books and applications are just mediums, the stories do not change. Then why this bias towards technology?"

As the conversation veers towards the present education system where students are seldom encouraged to read beyond the books prescribed in the literature classes or given a list of recommended reads by teachers, the artist says, "Frankly, I don't really blame the teachers. Just look at the elaborate syllabus that they need to finish. Where is the headspace? There are 50 students in one class, and everything moves at a breakneck speed. Sometimes I feel that we need to slow down a bit. Real learning takes place in silence, no? Why not have classes in school where children get to create what they want to, something which is not prescribed?" she asks.

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Agreeing that publishing houses seem to be ignoring literature aimed at pre-teens and teens, Surendranath feels that writers and publishers must get together to target this age group as this is the time when confusion reigns supreme in the youngsters' minds. "Their bodies change-they do not know what is happening. Parents still shy away from talking to their children about what is really happening to the latter, children tend to become introvert. This is where books can really help," she says.

--- ENDS ---
From inspiring women to reclaim their right to public spaces to speaking out against female genital mutilation, these women show what it takes to say no to injustice.

On January 19, 2016, as news of Rohith Vemula's suicide reached different corners of the world, a Dalit girl sitting in a cafe in New York City, decided it was time to use her words wisely and speak out against the rampant discrimination against her community. By 'coming out' as a Dalit, not only did she put an end to the years of shame she had harboured during her time in India, but also managed to inspire and encourage others to follow suit. Yashica Dutt is one of the many inspirational women who have been leading the fight for freedom of expression, currently considered to be at great threat in the country.

Not ones to follow a path carved out for them, a host of women in the country have been trailblazers for the fight in their own right. From Rasika Agashe, who stages some of the most horrific incidences of violence against women to a courageous group of women breaking the silence on female genital mutilation, these are women who are encouraging others to speak out about the injustices they face.

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Nisha Susan, one of the founders of The Ladies Finger, a new women's e-zine, aims to publish stories women want to read, while Mumbai trio Shilpa Phadke, Sameera Khan and Shilpa Ranade inspire women to claim their right to public spaces. And then there are women like Paromita Vohra and Rachita Taneja, whose fight goes beyond gender issues. While the former encourages talks of sex, love and desires on her website Agents of Ishq, Rachita Taneja and the team at Jhatkaa, founded by Deepa Gupta, work towards building grassroots citizen power across the country. Giving a voice to the repressed, India Today Woman speaks to these influencing women about their stories and what drives them.



AAREFA JOHARI, 29 INSIA DARIWALA, 42 SHAHEEDA TAVAWALLA-KIRTANE, 36 MARIYA TAHER, 33 PRIYA GOSWAMI, 27

Co-founders, Sahiyo, Mumbai

In 2014, a social worker, a researcher, two filmmakers and a journalist got together to fight the ritual of female genital mutilation (khatna), in the Bohra community, a sub-sect of Ismaili Shia Islam, and Sahiyo was born. "Each of us had been working on the topic of FGM for several years, speaking out, in our own ways, against the practice. As our collaboration grew, we realised the need for an organised, informed forum within the community that could help drive a movement to bring an end to the practice," says Mariya Taher, a Boston-based social worker. "Sahiyo is the Bohra Gujarati word for 'sahel iyo', or friends, and reflects the organisation's mission to engage in dialogue with the community to find a solution towards ending FGM," she adds.

Their first step was to find out through an online survey how widespread the practice is in the Bohra community across the world. Realising that not everyone was capable of talking about FGM out loud in the community, they also want to give women a platform to break their silence. They have been receiving countless submissions from women, many of whom remember the pain and trauma they faced after the unhygienic and brutal way in which they were circumcised. "They might choose to stay anonymous, but at least they are not living an inwardly anonymous life anymore," says Insia Dariwala, a Mumbai-based filmmaker and child rights activist.

In February, they launched the Each One Reach One (EORO) campaign along with another organisation Speak Out on FGM. Their aim is to not only break the silence around khatna but also trigger a debate with members of the community and the clergy. "The role of awareness and education to bring about this change may prove to be a far more powerful weapon," says Shaheeda Tavawalla-Kirtane, associate fellow in public health and policy at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), Mumbai.

Advice to fellow sisters When you can have debates, it means that ideas and new thoughts can be exchanged

By Moeena Halim

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SHILPA PHADKE, 44 SAMEERA KHAN, 47 SHILPA RANADE, 43

Co-Authors, Why Loiter? Women and Risk on Mumbai Streets, Mumbai

Women should not be censured for accessing public space but should instead be encouraged. That was the rationale behind penning down Why Loitter? Women and risk on Mumbai Streets, in 2011, by a sociologist, an independent journalist and a practising architect, all from Mumbai. The book found out that in reality, women have very little claim to public space especially for purposes of pleasure and just hanging out.

(From left) Shilpa Ranade, Sameera Khan and and Shilpa Phadke. Picture courtesy: Mandar Deodhar

Born as a result of a three-year research project, it looked at what facilitated or hindered that and how could it be improved. "We looked at issues of safety, comfort, attitudes, as well as material design of urban spaces and how that influenced women's access," says Shilpa Ranade, an architect and founding partner of the design collaborative DCOOP. The trio very strongly feels it's time for women to claim the city as their own. "Women in Mumbai may enjoy a greater access to public space, but they still remain far from being equal citizens. Women still have to manufacture a sense of purpose and respectability to negotiate public space on an everyday basis, and are at the final count, held personally responsible for their own safety," says Shilpa Phadke, a sociologist and Assistant Professor at the School of Media and Cultural Studies at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.

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They do not see feminism as a monolithic or homogenous movement. Sameera Khan, independent journalist and researcher, says, "There is a fair bit of misunderstanding about what feminism means or who feminists are, often reflected in terms of bra-burning or man hating, neither of which are accurate. However, feminism does seek to transform the status quo and challenges gendered hierarchies. We are excited to see young women today participate in feminist movements to expand their right to public space among other things."

Advice to fellow sisters Do something you love and never give up hope that another world is possible

By Saurav Bhanot

RACHITA TANEJA, 24

Senior campaigner, Jhatkaa, digital public mobilisation organisation, Bangalore

Technology is an important and influential weapon in today's digitally wired times, and if utilised constructively, it can be harnessed to bring about a social revolution. With this rationale, a group of young, enterprising women in 2014 started Jhatkaa, an online campaigning platform. With the aim of enabling people to act as the tipping point on issues of importance such as net neutrality, LGBTQ rights and Save the Western Ghats campaign, senior campaigner and one of the founding members of Jhatkaa, Rachita Taneja has been working tirelessly to bring about a change in the way people behave, react and participate in such campaigns.

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Picture courtesy: Nilotpal Baruah

Passionate about gender equality and environmentalism, the Bangalore-based activist is a member of 'Save the Internet Coalition' drive, and believes that the Internet should be a free and open space for all its users. An almost fiery sense of justice got inculcated in her as a child as she witnessed the hypervisible inequalities that exist in our society. "My childhood as a navy child started me on a path which has, for now, culminated in my doing public mobilisation at Jhatkaa," she adds.

"Through our work, for example, last year, we worked with the government to implement a report that aims to curb racism. We won our net neutrality campaign against differential pricing and early this year, we were able to mobilise citizens to participate in government's policy to curb air pollution from vehicles, and we won." Question her on challenges faced by women like her, and she says, "Whether we are talking about established NGOs, political parties, or student groups, women face many obstacles in breaking through this space. Because of this, I believe it is critical for young women to boldly speak up and take on leadership roles."

Advice to fellow sisters Teaching yourself to say no more often.

By Shelly Anand



PAROMITA VOHRA, 47

Writer and filmmaker, Mumbai

Dealing with gender issues and urban life, Paromita Vohra's documentaries have won major acclaim for their honest and real depiction of modern-day women and the issues they face in everyday life. Her documentary Partners in Crime released in 2011 and she also wrote the screenplay for the award-winning film Khamosh Paani.

Picture courtesy: Danesh Jassawala

"I think when you are a woman from a liberal, upper-middle class. the biggest problem of being in a man's world is that the problems are invisible. On the surface, there are equal opportunities and respect, but underneath, there is a whole structure that doesn't take women and their perspectives on life and politics seriously," she says.

Her determination to not get cowed down comes from her upbringing. "We were always told we must discover what we like to do and then do it well. We were encouraged, but not forced to try new experiences, articulate ourselves and to make friends wherever we went and to enjoy and learn from conversation. In retrospect, I see this was unusual, and not a very gendered upbringing, and I am grateful to my parents for giving me these skills," she adds. "The biggest challenge is how to find your own creative voice if you don't conform to the templates around you as a person, an artist or a thinker; to hold out and believe in yourself when everyone advises you to do things conventionally."

Advice to fellow sisters Don't cannibalise or dismiss work of other women. Build strong communities of work colleagues and help each other when needed.

By Saurav Bhanot

RASIKA AGASHE, 32

Theatre actor and director, Mumbai

Museum...of Species in Danger, a play directed by Rasika Agashe, grew from the question-Is the place of women restricted to a museum? Not satisfied with her participation in protest rallies and candle marches, she was driven to fighting women's issues on a larger scale after the Nirbhaya incident in Delhi in 2012.

Picture courtesy: Mandar Deodhar

The National School Drama (NSD) graduate believed staging women-centric monologues was the best way to keep the discussion going. While the idea was to perform mythological and literary pieces that discussed women and their position in the society, Agashe and the actors from her theatre company, Being Association began looking at real life incidences of violence against women. Their discussions soon became a means of catharsis as the actors began opening up about their own experiences. The play eventually became a combination of 12 fictional as well as non-fictional pieces, including cases of acid attack, rape and honour killing.

"Our main aim is to get people to start talking about the violence, abuse and discrimination they face. We need more discussions and women need to be vocal," she says. Since the first performance in 2013, the play has been staged several times across the country in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Patna, and most recently in Tripura. The open format play sees constant changes and when an actor is replaced, they encourage her to feed off her own experiences.

Advice to fellow sisters Speak out and talk to your family.

By Moeena Halim

MITA KAPUR, 50

Founder and CEO, Siyahi, a literary consultancy, Jaipur

Journalism can be a powerful drug if you decide to take it up for the right reasons, where every effort is amplified and every cause affected. Mita Kapur, wasn't exempted from the adage that goes 'once a journalist, always a journalist', which naturally widens ones perspective and spurs the urge to make a difference. A freelance journalist, author and literary consultant, Jaipur-based Mita Kapur has dedicated her life to her first love, writing and writers.

Picture courtesy: Purushottam Diwakar

Through her literary consultancy Siyahi, founded in 2007, she has helped a number of exceptional budding authors receive recognition and has also assisted institutions like IIT Bombay and governments like Bhutan in hosting their own literary festivals. This gives a powerful boost to literature in a country that appreciates it but offers meagre encouragement.

"Today, relationships for women might have changed in the urban setting but when I was younger, it was hard for a woman to continue working after marriage, especially in a small town like Jaipur. A woman's family and immediate surroundings have great influence over her self-esteem and confidence. It can make or break you," says Kapur, who left journalism after marriage and couraged to start working again after almost 12 years of being a homemaker. Siyahi works in conjunction with UNESCO and the Government of Rajasthan and has won the iCONGO Karamaveer Puruskar in 2008 for best literary consultancy in India.

Advice to fellow sisters Don't lose yourself in playing roles dictated by the society, it is not worth the regrets you will have to deal with later in life. Nothing is worth sacrificing your dreams, hold joy in whatever you do and always be honest to yourself.

By Karishma Goenka



NISHA SUSAN, 36

Writer, ex-journalist, founder, The Ladies Finger, Bangalore

After grabbing attention for her writing in Tehelka magazine that dealt with female issues ranging from women in hijab to online sex tapes, Nisha Susan moved onto founding The Ladies Finger, a feminist online magazine that's getting increasingly popular for talking about subjects regarding every aspect of a woman's life laced with tongue-in-cheek humour. She was also responsible for initiating the Pink Chaddi campaign in 2009 in protest against Pramod Muthalik of the Shri Ram Sena party in Mangalore, Karnataka.

Picture courtesy: Nilotpal Baruah

The Pink Chaddi campaign began in a fit of irritation at right-wing groups jockeying for power in Mangalore. "The Ram Sena and its threats about Valentine's Day or women were only the latest. Our Facebook group, Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women, was started as a sort of bitter joke. Overnight it grew into thousands and thousands of people." She discovered feminism and the possibilities the world examined via gender when she was still a teenager. "Feminism has always given me happiness, possibilities, even inner peace. At The Ladies Finger, it was a much more deliberate plan. We wanted to create a women's site which treated women as an equal consumer of news and opinion," she says.

Being a woman in a man's world and trying to raise your voice is not easy, and she says, "A man with a beard making the same, dull points is automatically assumed to be correct while a younger woman looking at different angles is at best assumed to be still getting there."

Advice to fellow sisters Make friends with older journalists and make friends outside far, far away from journalism. Both things will keep you sane.

By Saurav Bhanot



RICHA SINGH, 27

Richa Singh, President, Allahabad University Students' Union, Uttar Pradesh

In a first since Independence, Richa Singh was elected President of the Allahabad University Students' Union, in 2015. Before her, the only woman candidate who won the election was Kumari S K Nehru who held the post in 1927. "First they mocked us, then threatened us, but in the end, victory was ours," says Singh, who started her political career with a student group Friends' Club, in 2012.

Picture courtesy: M Zhazo

Originally from Aligarh, Singh, a research scholar at Allahabad University, founded the group a few years back as an alternative platform, keeping it independent of students' wings with affiliations to different political parties. "Friends' Club didn't have any political lineage. We fought for students' basic rights such as providing books, raising voices for poor, providing bus service around the campus besides urging administration to provide subsidised food rates. But that didn't solve our problems. We had to fight the election to demolish the rising anarchism in the University," she says.

Singh believes that being associated with politics and related issues allow students to present their voices to the government, which they are not used to. Being a woman and running the union has become a major task for her. "I have two years left for my PhD. I keep getting threats from the administration that I will be suspended but I would like to urge students, especially women, to come forward and become a part of the change," she says. Singh also came forward in expressing her solidarity with JNU students, who were allegedly arrested for raising anti-national slogans. "It's tough to be a woman in a nation where patriarchy is largely dominant. But these challenges help me grow as an individual."

Advice to fellow sisters Go ahead and break the shackles

By Shadab Nazmi

DEVANGANA KALITA, 26 SHAMBHAWI VIKRAM, 22 AVANTIKA TEWARI, 22

Co-founders, Pinjra Tod: Break the Hostel Locks, Delhi

Pinjra Tod, which means break the cage, is a movement against gender-discriminatory rules at hostels across Delhi campuses. A collective of about 20 women from Delhi University, Jamia Milia Islamia, Jawaharlal Nehru University and National Law University was pushed into action soon after Jamia Milia Islamia cancelled late-nights for residents of women's hostels last August.

Picture courtesy: Chandradeep Kumar

The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) recognised the act as one of gender discrimination and issued a notice to the university. "People have been protesting against this for decades and we need to make a change," says Devangana Kalita. In October 2015, they submitted a petition to the DCW at a Jan Sunwai (public hearing) at Jantar Mantar, bringing to their notice that the issue was a reality across Delhi's 20 registered universities.

"We created a Facebook page to mobilise students and asked them to share their experiences. We got an overwhelming response and within the first 10 days, we had stories of moral policing and restrictive hostel rules," she says. Some of the students have been ostracised by hostel administrations, but at the Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, the girls have managed to get their 6.30 pm deadline extended.

Advice to fellow sisters There are various pinjras that bind us in society. We must recognise these and fight them.

By Moeena Halim



YASHICA DUTT, 30

Founder, Documents of Dalit Discrimination website, US

Since it went live on January 19 this year, Yashica Dutt's Tumblr site Documents of Dalit Discrimination has provided a voice to members of the Dalit community the world over. Soon after Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula's suicide came to light, the New York-based journalist and copywriter decided to come out as a Dalit through an open letter that was published across several online platforms.

Growing up in Ajmer, Rajasthan, she had spent a lot of her time discussing ways to circumvent her identity and "pass as normal, upper castes" with her family. From agonising over strategies of survival during her time in India, the note she wrote in a coffee shop in Chelsea, New York, helped her gain a sense of ownership, belonging and pride in being Dalit. A flood of messages hit her inbox soon after the post went live. "I knew there were others out there who had felt the shame and discrimination that I did, but I didn't know that my story would resonate so strongly with people, who like me, struggled to deal with their Dalit identity," she says. That's what lead to the birth of her micro blogging site, which has 43 entries.

Although negative reactions and hate form a huge chunk of the response she receives, it is messages of support that keep her going. "I realised that I don't owe explanations to anyone, except to fellow Dalits, whose stories of discrimination need to be read, heard and remembered over and over again," she says.



Advice to fellow sisters Never stop learning and building ideas about the world around you

By Moeena Halim

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The goal of studying history is not to judge the past by modern standards. It is to learn where we came from, and how we arrived at where we are today.

Karl Marx once remarked that "Indian society has no history at all, at least no known history". That statement is now seen as an example of the wrongheaded, dismissive view of India taken by many Europeans during the colonial era. In a bizarre turn of events, however, some modern Indians seem intent on making Marx's statement into a reality by deleting significant periods of India's past from the history books.

Audrey Truschke

In the past week, a cadre of Hindu nationalists has unleashed a Twitter campaign to remove the Mughal Empire from Indian history books using the hashtag, #Remove MughalsFromBooks. Hindu nationalists have long pushed to saffronise Indian history and villainise the Mughals but this campaign is far more outlandish. The goal is to erase the Mughals from India's past altogether. #RemoveMughalsFromBooks, used over 35,000 times on Twitter in the last few weeks, is an explicit call for ignorance. The idea that we should or even could cut the Mughals out of India's history is so patently ludicrous that it is difficult to know where to begin. Mughal kings ruled parts of north and central India for over 300 years (1526-1858). Should Indian history books simply omit this entire period? Presumably that would raise a few eyebrows, even among elementary school children. Would Shivaji still be depicted as a great hero, even though he fought against unnamed opponents? When the history books picked up the narrative again in 1857 with the Sepoy Rebellion, would they remain mute about which empire was overthrown to establish the British Raj?

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Even beyond history books, the Mughals are embedded in modern Indian culture in ways that make the suggestion of forgetting them laughable. Films such as Mughal-e-Azam and Jodhaa Akbar would make little sense in a world without the Mughals. Mughlai cuisine would need to be reimagined or at least renamed. And then there is the topography of modern India. It is hard to visit Delhi and not notice Humayun's tomb, the Red Fort or the Jama Masjid. In a world sanitised of the Mughals, would Shah Jahan's Taj Mahal no longer be featured in the Incredible India campaign? Or perhaps everybody in the world could learn about the Mughals and their monuments, barring the Indians.

This absurd proposal also points to deeper issues. Some Indians, it seems, would rather forget about their own past than come to terms with it. This is an extraordinary development rooted in the misguided approach to history promulgated by right-wing Hindu nationalism.

Hindu nationalists approach India's past as a blank slate onto which we can write modern whims, and their narrative of choice is that India has always been a Hindu nation. The very existence of the Islamic Mughal Empire points up the fallacy of this idea. We arrive then at the proposed solution: purge the Mughals from Indian history entirely. Such methods make for fine mythology perhaps, but they fall well outside of the historian's commitment to reconstruct and understand the past.

In fact, one important reason for teaching the Mughal Empire is precisely that the historical record of cross-cultural relations in Mughal India undercuts the communal tensions Hindu nationalists incite and thrive on. For example, Mughal emperor Akbar hosted religious debates at his court in which Muslims, Hindus, Jains and European Christians hashed out their theological differences. Prince Dara Shikoh sponsored a translation of the Sanskrit Upanishads into Persian and also wrote the Confluence of Two Oceans, a treatise on the unity of Hindu and Muslim thought. Even Aurangzeb's reign offered promising moments, such as when he nearly doubled the number of Hindus in his administration, bringing the percentage to an all-time high in the history of the Mughal kingdom.

To be sure, there are plenty of discomforting aspects of the Mughal past that should also be taught, such as violent battle tactics, brutal wars of succession and temple destructions. But, the goal of studying history is not so much to judge the past by modern standards. Rather, historians reconstruct the past in order to learn about where we came from, what our ancestors did and how we arrived at where we are today. One's feelings about the Mughals do not alter their undeniably critical role in understanding India's past and present. Hindu nationalists do not want to understand India in all its richness and diversity, however. Rather, they wish to remake India entirely.

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The call to remove the Mughals from Indian history reveals the truth about Hindu nationalist ideology: it opposes history, period. They cannot stomach serious historical study because history investigates change over time, which contradicts the fictitious image of India as having an unchanging Hindu core. Aware of their soft underbelly, they want to halt even basic education. We should not allow politics to disempower Indians thus. If there ever was a moment to teach Mughal history, it is upon us now.

Audrey Truschke is Assistant Professor of South Asian History at Rutgers University and is the author of Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court.

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A photo of Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor's passionate kiss for Baaghi is doing the rounds of the internet today.

Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor will be seen together on the silver screen in Baaghi

By India Today Web Desk: Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor fans have been eagerly looking forward to their upcoming film Baaghi for quite some time now. The film will have Tiger on the silver screen for the second time, after the 2014 sleeper hit Heropanti, and is slated for an April 29 release. Shraddha was last seen on the big screen in the 2015 hit ABCD 2.

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ALSO SEE: Baaghi poster - Shraddha Kapoor and Tiger Shroff's call to the rebel in you

ALSO SEE: Tiger Shroff shares Shraddha Kapoor's first look from Baaghi

Right from the first day of the Baaghi shoot, Tiger and Shraddha have displayed exceptional chemistry, says director Sabbir Khan.

The latest from the Baaghi team is a photo of Tiger and Shraddha kissing in the rain. A ripped Tiger, in a black vest, and Shraddha, with his shirt wrapped around her, are seen sharing a kiss in the rain.

Shraddha Kapoor and Tiger Shroff's kiss in Baaghi

Director Sabbir Khan said, "We shot it sometime last year. Tiger and Shraddha share a great rapport, having known each other since their schooldays and were really comfortable with each other. I noticed the comfort they share during our reading sessions and decided to tap into it. They look amazing together."

The Baaghi unit has filmed two romantic sequences in Kerala and Thailand.

Talking about any kind of awkwardness between Tiger and Shraddha, Khan said, "Not at all! They are both thorough professionals. Thanks to the reading sessions, they knew the script well and we had a blast on the sets. They even helped each other during difficult scenes, be it action, dance or emotional ones."

In his debut film Heropanti, Tiger had locked lips with Kriti Sanon. "If I know him well, he'll do anything if the script demands it," said Sabbir.

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Here's all you need to know about the money laundering case against Vijay Mallya and his much-talked about escape from the country.

By Shreya Biswas: The king of good times is not having the best days.

Business tycoon and Rajya Sabha member, Vijay Mallya, is in trouble for his hush-hush escape from the country right around the time he is wanted by the Enforcement Directorate for money laundering.

Mallya, known for his extravagant lifestyle and Kingfisher brand of liquor, is in debt with 17 public sector banks for an estimated amount of Rs 9,091 crore, who have moved the Debt Recovery Tribunal against him.

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Upon the banks' plea, the Supreme Court has issued a notice to Mallya seeking the disclosure of his assets and seizure of his passport. Mallya has two weeks to reply to the notice.

Here's all you need to know about this 'mess' the liquor baron has sunk himself into:

What is the case against Vijay Mallya?

Mallya earned himself the tag of being a liquor baron after he turned United Spirits - the company known for Kingfisher beer - into India's biggest spirits maker.

But his airline service, the Kingfisher Airlines, did not match similar fortune.

Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines went out of operation in 2012 after it failed to pay salaries to its employees, and ended up with loans of more than Rs 9,000 crore to various banks.

In relations to an FIR filed by the CBI regarding these loans, the Enforcement Directorate registered a money laundering case against Mallya, for which he now faces an enquiry.

While the defunct airlines is being investigated for suspected diversion of funds and financial irregularities, the Debt Recovery Tribunal passed dropped another bomb on Monday.

The DRT has barred Mallya from accessing the severance package worth Rs 515 crore which he received from the British liquor company, Diageo, for selling them the United Spirits.

Was there no secured assets on these loans the banks lend him?

Attorney-GeneralMukul Rohatgi, representing the consortium of banks in Supreme Court, told the Bench of Justices Kurian Joseph and Rohinton Nariman on Tuesday that the loans were granted when Kingfisher Airlines was a brand with assets worth thousand crores.

But the assets, as it turns out, were as good until the company "crashed".

In 2010, when the brand value of Kingfisher was about Rs 3,500 crore, Mallya surrendered its goodwill and trademarks to the bank as security "in the event of non-payment of dues".

Presently, the brand value is said to have collapsed to Rs 6 crore, doing no good to the banks trying to sell off the trademark.

What is Mallya's side of the story?

The industrialisttook to Twittertoday to defend his sudden departure.

"I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish," Mallya tweeted.

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The 60-year-old went on a tweeting spree to explain himself: "As an Indian MP I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media."

"News reports that I must declare my assets. Does that mean that Banks did not know my assets or look at my Parliamentary disclosures?"

"Let media bosses not forget help, favours, accommodation that I have provided over several years which are documented. Now lies to gain TRP?"

Also, Mallya said in a statement on Sunday:

"After the closure of the airline, since April, 2013, banks and their assignees have recovered, in cash, an aggregate of Rs 1,244 crore from sale of pledged shares. In addition an aggregate of Rs 600 crore is lying deposited in the Karnataka High Court (since July 2013) and a further sum of Rs 650 crore belonging to United Breweries Holdings has been deposited in the Karnataka High Court since early 2014, being sums realised from the sale proceeds received by United Breweries Holdings from the sale of shares in United Spirits to Diageo Plc in July 2013,".

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"I have neither the intention nor any reason to abscond. I have been a non resident for almost 28 years and the RBI has acknowledged this in writing," he added.

Where is he now?

On March 2, Mallya left for London via Delhias a 'special passenger' on board the Jet Airways flight 9W-122 from Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Sources told Mail Today that Mallya waited in T-3's premium lounge for nearly 60 minutes before his flight and travelled with a female socialite, carrying as many as 11 bags.

He is expected to stay in a house near Madame Tussauds wax museum on Baker Street in London.



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The Sena further slammed both the opposition and the Centre and said that it was during the UPA regime that the loans were sanctioned and it is now during the NDA rule that the accused managed to escape.

The party in its editorial mouthpiece Saamana accused the Centre for allowing Mallya to flee to London.

By India Today Web Desk: Hitting out at the Centre for providing shield to business tycoon Vijay Mallya, who is facing the heat of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a huge money laundering case registered against him, the Shiv Sena today said 'Mallya is a financial terrorist of India'.

The party in its editorial mouthpiece Saamana also accused the Centre of allowing Mallya to flee to London. The newsletter read, "Iss desh ka aarthik aantanwadi hai jise kendra sarkar desh ke bahar bhagne diya (There is a financial terrorist in the country whom the Centre has allowed to flee the country)".

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The Sena further slammed both the opposition and the Centre and said that it was during the UPA regime that the loans were sanctioned and it is now during the NDA rule that the accused managed to escape.

"There are several politicians and officials who have have sought favours from Vijay Mallya. This is perhaps why such huge amount of loans were sanctioned to him. Now, he has fled the country with the help of these politicians," the Sena said.

Also speaking on the rising farmer suicides in the country, the Shiv Sena explained how defaulters like Vijay Mallya, who is indebted of Rs 9,000 crore, is roaming free whereas debt-ridden farmers across the country are committing suicides.

The party also said that the country had a different set of rules for people like Vijay Mallya and Lalit Modi.

"Those destroying the economy of the country are nothing but terrorists and anti-nationals," the editorial read.

Meanwhile, the Congress and the BJP are pointing fingers at one another over the escape of Mallya. While Congress alleged of criminal conspiracy saying Vijay Mallya was allowed to escape, the government hit back insisting that the loans were given to him during UPA rule.

"I did not flee from India"

However, the liquor baron today said that he is not an absconder and he did not flee from India. In a series of tweets, business tycoon Mallya defended his actions by saying that as a businessman he need to travel frequently. The 60-year-old liquor baron said as an Indian MP he fully respects and will comply with the law of the land.

Earlier, a consortium of 17 banks had moved the Supreme Court seeking its directions to prevent Mallya from leaving the country. The Enforcement Directorate had registered a case against 'The king of Good Times' on the basis of a CBI probe into an alleged wilful default of Rs 900-crore loan in conspiracy with IDBI Bank officials. It has sought the loan-sanction papers from the bank for further probe.

On Wednesday, Kingfisher employees staged a protest, demanding unpaid salaries and seeking the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



Watch video:

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Also read:

Vijay Mallya tweets: Not an absconder, didn't flee from India



Kingfisher employees stage protest against Vijay Mallya, seek PM intervention





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Vijay Mallya, who owes nearly Rs 9000 crore to banks in India, has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate to appear before it on March 18 in connection with a money laundering case.

By India Today Web Desk: Vijay Mallya, who fled the country earlier this month and is currently in London, has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to appear before it on March 18. The summon has been sent to Mallya in connection with a money laundering probe in the IDBI loan fraud case.

The Enforcement Directorate has also issued directive to all 17 banks to come up with all documents related to issuing of loan to Kingfisher Airlines, which was grounded in 2013 after it ran into huge debts.

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The former Kingfisher Airlines boss, who owes nearly Rs 9000 crore to banks in India, tweeted earlier today rubbishing reports about him fleeing from the country.

In a series of tweets, business tycoon Mallya defended his actions by saying that as a businessman he travels frequently.

"I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish," Mallya tweeted.

The 60-year-old liquor baron said that as an Indian lawmaker he fully respects and will comply with the law of the land. "As an Indian MP I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media," he said.

"News reports that I must declare my assets. Does that mean that Banks did not know my assets or look at my Parliamentary disclosures? Let media bosses not forget help, favours, accommodation that I have provided over several years which are documented. Now lies to gain TRP?" his tweets read.

Mallya's departure, possibly to London, also led to conflict in Parliament yesterday. While Congress alleged of criminal conspiracy saying Mallya was allowed to escape, the government hit back insisting that the loans were given to him during UPA rule.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told parliament yesterday that the government had instructed banks to go "all out" in their efforts to recover the money owed by Kingfisher, pointing to cases of "wilful default bordering on fraud".

Also Read:

Vijay Mallya tweets: Not an absconder, didn't flee from India

How Vijay Mallya flew to London via Delhi



Tale of two Bangaloreans: Joke on Sri Sri & Vijay Mallya goes viral on social media



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Liquor baron Vijay Mallya, once hailed as the king of good times, made a quiet exit to London via Delhi on March 2

By Ankur Sharma: Liquor baron Vijay Mallya, once hailed as the king of good times, made a quiet exit to London via Delhi on March 2. Mallya was a 'special passenger' on board the London-bound Jet Airways flight 9W-122 from Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Highly-placed sources told Mail Today Mallya was inside T-3's premium lounge for nearly 60 minutes before he flew out. It is interesting to note that Mallya, chairman of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines, chose to travel in a commercial flight and not one his private jets.

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Accompanied by a woman, Mallya travelled with as many as 11 bags, which official sources said, were equivalent to the luggage of seven passengers on an average. He, however, faced no hassle in getting clearance as Jet Airways had deployed executives to assist Mallya.

The business tycoon, now a defaulter of `9,000 crore to various banks, was seated on 1D in business class of the aircraft. Sources told Mail Today , there was one more passenger in the business class on that flight:

Mallya's female companion, a famous socialite whom the liquor baron has known for a long time.

According to sources, Mallya reached Delhi airport around 12 pm on March 2. He entered the airport with his female companion. Jet Airways staff was there to assist him and he was taken to the premium plaza lounge in T-3. "He was there for more than an hour. Jet Airways had deployed special staff for Mallya who attended to him. He used boarding gate number 1," sources said.

Sources said when he entered Terminal-3, Mallya looked tense. As he was carrying excess luggage, the airline had deployed loaders. "At the airport, Mallya and his female companion were served coffee and snacks. A number of people including some airport staffers had queued up to meet Mallya who was clearly the centre of attraction at the lounge," said the source. "Mallya tried to take a nap in the lounge, but couldn't, probably because he was tense. He walked very slowly when he was asked to proceed for boarding," sources said.

When Mail Today contacted Jet Airways, the airlines officials refused to come on record. According to sources, Mallya's tickets were booked a few hours before the flight.

"Mallya enjoyed every facility extended to a special guest. It is uncertain whether Customs checked his extra baggage or not," sources said.

"Mallya decided to take a commercial flight though he owns two private jets. It could be because if he had flown in a private jet, there would have been fresh controversy," a senior official said.

According to sources, there was no look-out notice on Mallya from the Immigration Bureau even though it had been asked to 'intimate' the government if he travelled abroad. When Mail Today contacted Mallya's UB group, the company did not respond to our queries.

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According to sources, in London, Mallya may stay in a house near Madame Tussauds wax museum on Baker Street. Mallya is being chased by almost every institution in the country - the banks, regulators and the judiciary - for `9,000 crore that he owes to the lenders.

Also read:

Vijay Mallya is financial terrorist of India, Centre helped him to escape: Shiv Sena



Vijay Mallya's secret house in London has famous neighbours

Congress asks why Vijay Mallya was not arrested before he fled to London



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Actor Aziz Ansari's recent trip to India was documented via video and an article in The New York Times.

Southern sojourn

Actor Aziz Ansari's recent trip to India was documented via video and an article in The New York Times. Over 2 lakh watched Ansari's visit to his hometown Thiruvananthapuram, where he drank coconut water, sampled prawns and translated Tamil slang words in English.

Two sisters from America got over a million views for their unique blend of Bharatnatyam and hip hop. Choreographers Poonam and Priyanka Shah from Chicago dance to remixes.

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Viral video

22 million laughed at Morgan Freeman's narration of the actions of tourists in Hollywood

Priyanka Chopra and Jimmy Fallon's chicken-wing eating contest wowed over 3 million

Actress Jennifer Garner reciting a bedtime story made over 2 million smile



Web lol

Flipped out

Almost three-and-a-half lakh people viewed Aakash Neeraj Mittal's interesting resume. Mittal, who wants to work for Flipkart, designed his CV as a product on sale on the website, describing himself as 'fliptastic'.

Source: Fluent Annual Survey. Published: Feb 2016

Smart sheet

Anti-Trump

Comedian Louis C.K. had mailed fans to talk about his new show Horace and Pete but instead delved into the dangers of electing Donald Trump as the next president.



Net fail

Tone deaf



The reboot of '90s TV show Full House called Fuller House has come under fire for cultural appropriation. It shows the family throwing an Indian-themed party complete with turbans, cows, put-on accents and a Bollywood dance group.

Follow the writer on Twitter @lkummi

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The Redmi 3S could be the variant that Xiaomi brings to India, but there's no confirmation from the company regarding the same.

By Saurabh Singh: Chinese company Xiaomi may be looking to launch a new variant of its affordable Redmi 3 phone. Touted as the Redmi 3S, Xiaomi may launch the phone on April 6, suggests a new report . The one and only differentiating aspect of the new variant seems to be the presence of a fingerprint scanner, which was missing out on the Redmi 3. The variant was spotted on Chinese certification website TENAA.

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The purported Redmi 3S comes with a 5-inch HD display with a 1280x720 pixels resolution. It is powered by a an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 processor coupled with 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal memory. It is backed by a 3,000mAh battery which is smaller than the one that you get on the original Redmi 3 (4,100mAh).

To recall, Xiaomi's vice president for global operations Hugo Barra had recently revealed that the Redmi 3 phone will not be coming to India anytime soon as the company wants to stick with its philosophy of trying to bring its products to India as soon as possible.

"It (the Redmi 3) is a really, really good device. But timing wise it would collide with Redmi Note 3. We really like to launch one device at a time, that's why we decided that we were going to bring the Redmi Note 3 to India , specifically the Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 (MSM8956) version and not bring the Redmi 3, at least for the time being," Hugo said. "It is best to just focus on one device for now, and kind of not bring the device even later because at that point it may not be (as relevant). There may be an opportunity later to maybe bring a newer version of that product," he added.

The Redmi 3S could be the variant that Xiaomi brings to India, but there's no confirmation from the company regarding the same.

The Redmi 3 was launched in China in January at a price of $106 which roughly translates to Rs.6,910. The Redmi 3S is expected to be priced at a good Rs 1,000 more than it.



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ARC Advisory Group will host its European Industry Forum (EIF) in Amsterdam (NL). The European Industry Forum is part of ARCs series of co...
The reconstruction of infrastructure in Donbas is being hampered by difficulties caused by ceasefire breaches and the slow demining process, Martin Sajdik, the special representative of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), told reporters in Minsk on Friday.

The agenda of today's meeting included issues such as rebuilding the infrastructure in southeastern Ukraine, environmental protection, with the negotiators also pointing out the problem related to the water payments system in the breakaway parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, said Sajdik, adding that there are also difficulties caused by violation of the ceasefire.

There are also demining difficulties, new minefields were discovered, some previously restored sites have been damaged, Sajdik said.

The situation in southeastern Ukraine is also been made more difficult by the imposition of duties on coal transportation across the frontline and the breakup of a single railroad management system.
(Baker & McKenzie, Milan) tells us about what appears to be the very first attempt to provide an overall legal framework for (almost) all those disruptive business that usually go under the definition of "sharing economy". This legislative proposal comes from a country where sharing indeed matters, ie Italy, but it is not so certain whether Italians really got what sharing services among EU Member States is about.

Here's what Revital writes:

However, some collaborative-based business models are still struggling to find proper acknowledgment in the current economic, social and - most importantly - legal scenario. Several legal key issues regarding rights and obligations of users and platforms have been raised, and just as many uncertainties remain that require consideration.

However, some collaborative-based business models are still struggling to find proper acknowledgment in the current economic, social and - most importantly - legal scenario. Several legal key issues regarding rights and obligations of users and platforms have been raised, and just as many uncertainties remain that require consideration.

After more than a year of negotiations and discussions, Italy is seeking to reach a compromise with a bill made public a few days ago and unofficially called the " Sharing Economy Act . The bill seems to be the first of its kind in Europe and tries to provide an overall legal framework to acknowledge and foster the sharing economy, instead of adapting existing laws to this relatively new business model. In the proposing MPs' intention, it sets forward tools aimed at guaranteeing transparency, "fair taxation" and compensation, as well as consumer protection.

own the assets generating value for the platform. Platforms operating as intermediaries in favour of professional operators are expressly excluded from the bill's scope of application -- which, according to some, would place services like UberBLACK out of the picture.

The bill provides for one of the first normative definitions of the phenomenon. "Sharing economy" is defined as an " economic system generated by the optimization and shared allocation of space, time, goods and services through digital platform s". A digital platform runs a sharing economy business (thus falling within the scope of the Sharing Economy Act) insofar as it facilitates a connection between users, even though it " may provide added value services " besides the connection itself. In order to be qualified as a sharing economy platform, users must

 "Sharing economy" and "sharing economy platforms" defined!  The bill provides for one of the first normative definitions of the phenomenon. "Sharing economy" is defined as an " economic system generated by the optimization and shared allocation of space, time, goods and services through digital platform s". A digital platform runs a sharing economy business (thus falling within the scope of the Sharing Economy Act) insofar as it facilitates a connection between users, even though it " may provide added value services " besides the connection itself. In order to be qualified as a sharing economy platform, users must

in Italy, the digital platform would need to register in a new "Electronic National Register of Sharing Economys Digital Platforms", accessible and open to the general public. In order to access that register, platforms would need to submit a "Company's Policy Document" for AGCM's review and approval. Among other things, that Document would include platform's contractual provisions with users, which shall not contain any of the prohibited clauses listed under Article 4(2) [such as those allowing platforms to establish mandatory fixed rates or an exclusive-supply relation with users, etc] . Ironically, digital platforms would [at least partially] cover the costs that AGCM might face due to its new monitoring duties via a tax up to the 0,08% of their [likely national] turnover, to be paid to AGCM.

Digital platforms operating without being registered in the above mentioned register would be ordered by AGCM to suspend their activity and fulfill their registration obligation. Should the platform not comply with the latter, AGCM might issue a fine which can reach 25% of the income originating from the period of activity carried out lacking registration.

 Sanctions  Digital platforms operating without being registered in the above mentioned register would be ordered by AGCM to suspend their activity and fulfill their registration obligation. Should the platform not comply with the latter, AGCM might issue a fine which can reach 25% of the income originating from the period of activity carried out lacking registration.
There was some expectation of a general change of behavior in the wake of the 2013 election of President Hassan Rouhani, and then again last year with the conclusion of the nuclear talks, and last month with the supposed victories for moderates and reformists in elections for the Iranian parliament and Assembly of Experts. But human rights activists, among others, have repeatedly called attention to deteriorating conditions in areas such as the application of the death penalty.

This issue was raised again on Thursday when Ahmad Shaheed, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran released a 21 page report in which he once again emphasized a recent surge in executions. According to the Associated Press, the report finds that 966 people were killed by the Iranian judiciary last year alone, although some other groups have made estimates that exceed 1,000. The total number of executions since Rouhani took office has exceeded 2,000.

Shaheed also noted that more than 500 of last years executions were for drug offences which do not rise to international standards for when the death penalty can be justified. Furthermore, over the 10 year period between 2005 and 2015, at least 73 juvenile offenders were executed, in clear violation of international law and the provisions of two human rights documents that the Islamic Republic has signed.

Shaheed and other human rights advocates have also called attention to persistent and sometimes worsening problems in the specific area of womens rights. Some optimistic observers of the Iranian political situation are hopeful that this will begin to improve following the election of several new female members of parliament. But even though the number of female members has doubled to more than 20, this is insufficient to hold much sway over the 290-member body, especially given the amount of opposition they will face from conservatives and hardliners, even if they do actively pursue womens rights issues.

Earlier this week, the virulence of some of that opposition was put on display when it was reported upon remarks made on video by newly reelected Urmia-district MP Nader Ghazipour, who derided representatives whom he described as pansies and said that the Iranian parliament is no place for donkeys and women. The Guardian notes that several female and some male representatives have filed a complaint against Ghazipour, and while the outcry prompted him to qualify his remarks somewhat, he has maintained an extremely defiant tone, saying for instance, If elections were held again right now, I would win twice as many votes.

The Guardian also points out that the journalist who released the footage of Ghazipours remarks was attacked and beaten in front of his wife and child by unknown assailants. And this is only one example of the personal retribution that is still visited upon people who appear to challenge the Iranian regimes restrictive view of gender roles.

On Thursday, News sources reported upon the case of Farnaz Lari, a female kickboxer who emigrated from Iran to Canada in 2010 and has had difficulty competing professionally since then as a result of obstacles put in her way by native home country. She claims that authorities never supported female competitors as they did male competitors, but when she left the Iranian team to compete for Canada, the Iranian team suspended her and refused to release her, citing her lack of loyalty.

Previous reports have indicated that this sort of career sabotage has been visited upon female government officials who stand up for reformist positions on womens rights. Such reports contribute to the perception that significant change is unlikely even in the wake of the election of more female members of parliament.
The missiles were said to be fired at targets in the southeast of Iran, approximately 1,400 kilometers away from their point of launch. The potential range for the most advanced of the three weapons is reportedly 2,000 kilometers, and on Wednesday the head of the IRGC boasted that most of the countrys missiles are capable of reaching Israel.

All three weapons are reportedly capable of carrying nuclear warheads, and it is this fact that makes their testing a clear violation of UN resolutions, although Iranian officials have defended themselves by saying that none of Irans ballistic missiles are designed for this purpose. The Iranians have also explicitly stated that they have no intention of abiding by foreign restrictions on the countrys ballistic missile program or its conventional weapon stockpiles.

This defiance was strongly reiterated on Thursday, when IRGC chief Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh told state media that Irans missile program will not stop under any circumstances. The Blaze also reports that Hossein Jaberi Ansari, a spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry said, The Islamic Republic of Iran will not compromise over its security and defensive power.

The Blaze also notes that the Israeli foreign ministry has used the ballistic missile tests as the basis for raising questions about Irans willingness to comply with the nuclear agreement. Other opponents of the Islamic Republic have raised similar concerns, as well as using the tests and subsequent IRGC comments to justify doubts about Tehrans overall trustworthiness.

Newsmax quotes former CIA and NSA director Michael Hayden as saying that these and other recent Iranian actions are indicative of the fact that nothing has noticeably changed in the countrys behavior or policies, even in spite of the optimism that arose in some Western policy circles as a result of the July 14 nuclear agreement.

Hayden acknowledged that Iranian missile technology is still some way off from posing a direct threat to the US, but he noted that with cooperation from anti-Western powers like North Korea, the Islamic Republic has steadily expanded its reach in the Middle Eastern region, in turn putting more and more pressure on Israel.

This has been accomplished not only through the continued growth of the Iranian ballistic missile program but also through the countrys leveraging of its conventional weapons development and its financing of regional terrorist groups. Iranian officials routinely make public claims about major advancements in their military technology and development. Although the plausibility of these claims tends to vary from one announcement to another, the announcements suggest the intention of intimidating adversaries and perhaps expanding upon existing operations in foreign territory.

Informed sources reported upon the latest such announcement on Thursday, indicating that Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, the head of the IRGCs naval forces, had headed a ceremony on that day to unveil new Iranian missile boats and to declare the countrys intention to greatly expand the strength and international reach of its navy. Fadavi claimed that Iran would begin domestic production in the forthcoming Iranian calendar year, which begins on March 21, on boats capable of traveling at 80 knots and equipped with anti-aircraft missiles and cannons.

At the same ceremony, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan reportedly said that this new line of naval vessels would engage in operations in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman and ultimately contribute to efforts to have a bigger presence in international waters.

These sorts of statements, along with the defiant ballistic missile tests, allow for some of Irans critics to argue that the nations confrontations with the West have only worsened since the conclusion of nuclear negotiations. Such claims go somewhat beyond Haydens remarks about unchanging behavior, and they also tend to align with similarly dire assessments of the domestic situation in Iran
Image above: A transformer fire on 7 March 2016 at Oconee Nuclear Power Plant in North Carolina shutdown the Unit One reactor and burned a critical power line causing a nuclear alert by Duke Energy Company. From ( http://www.wyff4.com/news/fire-at-oconee-nuclear-station/38371590 ).

500-1,000 times Hiroshima Radiation

Video above: Presentation by from 2013 by Hiroaki Koide, Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering produced by Cinema Forum Fukushima. From (







As for the scale of the [Fukushima] accident we simply dont know all the measuring equipment was destroyed at the time of the accident

The Japanese government has reported estimates [of] 1.510^16 Becquerels of Cs-137, which would make it a release of 168 times more radioactive material than the Hiroshima bombing. And this is only material released into the atmosphere

But I myself think the governments numbers are an underestimate. Various experts and institutes from around the world have offered several of their own estimates some two or three times higher than the governments numbers. According to these other estimates I think that the release of Cs-137 into the atmosphere could be around 500 times the Hiroshima bombing .

. What has been washed into the sea is likely not much different from the levels released into the atmosphere. Even today we are unable to prevent this release. And so if we combine the amount of Cs-137 released in the air and the ocean together , we get an estimate several hundred times the Hiroshima levels. And some estimates suggest the Fukushima accident could be as much as one-thousand Hiroshimas 

, we get an estimate several hundred times the Hiroshima levels. And some estimates suggest the Fukushima accident could be as much as  The amount released into the atmosphere from the explosion during the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear plant was 800 to 1000 times the Hiroshima levels. Put simply, these estimates place Fukushima on par with Chernobyl

[T]he radioactive material released from Fukushima has been dispersed across the globe  everyone on earth has been exposed to additional radiation An increase in cancer will be the result 

 to additional radiation An  Not a single nuclear expert or policy maker ever seriously considered the possibility of an accident like this I had been commenting on the possibility, referring to some results of simulations. But still I would have thought the kind of disaster that happened at Fukushima was some kind of impossible nightmareyet it actually happened. It was like the worse nightmare becoming a reality all those pronuclear people surely never gave it a moments thought. And so when it actually happened, no one had thought about, let alone built a system to deal with it.

.

SUBHEAD: Fukushima meltdown continues to release unmeasurable radiation. US 'woefully' prepared for such an event.On the five-year anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan, the U.S. has failed to learn from that accident and put in place the necessary prevention and evacuation guidelines, nuclear experts warn."Not only is there no Plan B for what to do if and when a Fukushima-style disaster happens in the U.S., there is no Plan A to prevent one either," said Cindy Folkers , radiation and health specialist at the anti-nuke advocacy organization Beyond Nuclear. Public health is woefully under-protected, she added.In the U.S., there are 30 GE boiling water reactors "identical in design to those at Fukushima" still in operation, the group said, noting that the GE model is the kind most vulnerable to risk. The reactors are known as Mark I and Mark II.Despite the risk, industry lobbyists have blockaded efforts by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to require installation of radiation filters that would improve public safety in the case of a power plant disaster."All of Fukushimas lessons warn against a nuclear industry that protects its profit margins over public safety margins," said Paul Gunter, director of Reactor Oversight at Beyond Nuclear."The Japanese concluded that Fukushima was a preventable tragedy resulting from collusion between industry, government, and regulator. But here in the U.S., the NRC has chosen to cave to industry financial concerns while gambling with public health."In a report published earlier this month, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) called the NRC's progress on nuclear safeguards "insufficient," stating that the commission "rejected or significantly weakened key common-sense recommendations made by its post-Fukushima task force and others to enhance nuclear safety and has yet to fully implement the reforms it did adopt.""Although the NRC and the nuclear industry have devoted considerable resources to address the post-Fukushima task force recommendations, they havent done all they should to protect the public from a similar disaster," said report author and UCS senior scientist Edwin Lyman."If the NRC is serious about protecting the public and plant workers, it should reconsider a number of recommendations it scrapped under pressure from plant owners and their supporters in Congress."Meanwhile, a separate nonprofit group, the Disaster Accountability Project, on Friday released a report which found that the 10-mile evacuation guidelines for a nuclear disaster in the U.S. have not been sufficiently updated to ensure public safety since the Fukushima accident.Investigators with the group found that emergency planning at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant in southern California, for example, are "dangerously inadequate," especially for communities in the surrounding areas, such as Santa Maria, Lompoc, and San Luis Obispo."It's not even on their radar," Disaster Accountability Project executive director Ben Smilowitz told the The groups released their findings to coincide with the March 11 anniversary of the 2011 accident , when an earthquake-triggered tsunami flooded the Fukushima plant and caused the meltdown of three reactors, in the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.As Beyond Nuclear noted, more than 32 million people in Japan have been exposed to radioactive fallout due to the meltdown, with cleanup costs topping $100 billion and counting, while Greenpeace Japan warned last week that there is " no end in sight " to the ecological impact in the region."The U.S. risks an American Fukushima, not just due to a variety of natural disasters, age-degraded equipment breakdowns, or operator errors, but also due to sabotage or attack," said the group's radioactive waste watchdog Kevin Kamps.11 March 2016(translation by Prof. Robert Stolz, transcription by Akiko Anson) (emphasis added by ENE News):March 2016As we learn in this wide-ranging and important interview [with Hiroaki Koide], the accident often referred to as 3/11 was enormous and in many ways unprecedented. The full scope of the disaster is still unknown, but is clearly on the scale of Chernobyl, placing up toof 1945.
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[March 10, 2016] Fitch Affirms Beatrice Community Hospital's (NE) Revs at 'BB+'; Outlook Stable

Fitch Ratings has affirmed the 'BB+' rating on the following Hospital Authority No. 1 Gage County, Nebraska bonds issued on behalf of Beatrice Community Hospital (BCH): --$30 million health care facilities revenue bonds, series 2010B. BCH also has $9.9 million in series 2015 direct placement bonds which are not rated by Fitch. The Rating Outlook is Stable. SECURITY

The bonds are secured by a pledge of gross revenues, a mortgage lien, and a debt service reserve fund. KEY RATING DRIVERS COMPLETION OF AMBULATORY EXPANSION: A $7.2 million medical office and ambulatory expansion project will be fully operational in the summer of 2016. Funded via operating cash flow, the project is on track to be completed on time and on budget. The new space will accommodate the re-located Women and Children's Clinic and the Infusion Center. CRITICAL ACCESS DESIGNATION: BCH's operating performance continues to be bolstered by the associated supplemental revenues afforded by its critical access hospital (CAH) designation. Further, BCH's rural location approximately 30 miles from the nearest competing hospital affords it a stable and leading market position, and a very limited competitive landscape. CONTINUED OPERATING IMPROVEMENT: BCH is continuing to deliver strong profitability and cash flow improvement that has contributed to a notable increase in liquidity. Operating margin of 3.8% and operating EBITDA margin of 16% comfortably surpass the medians for the below-investment-grade category. Days cash on hand (DCOH) improved to 155.8 days in fiscal 2015 (Sept. 30, 2015) from 135.3 days in fiscal 2014. Further increases to unrestricted cash balances in fiscal 2016 may be tempered by the final payments on the current expansion project, most of which is being funded in 2016. Fitch expects cash will remain in line with fiscal 2015 levels, which is an improvement from the 120 DCOH in fiscal 2012 after the hospital funded its equity contribution for the replacement facility. DEBT BURDEN EASED BY ENHANCED CASH FLOW: BCH'S debt metrics have continued to recover based on the healthy operating levels being generated at the hospital. Debt to capitalization improved to 48.6% in fiscal 2015 from 50.6% in 2014. Maximum annual debt service (MADS) decreased to 5.5% of total revenue in 2015 from 5.7% in 2014. This metric improved again in the first quarter of 2016 (1Q16) to 5% of revenue. The capital related ratios should continue to improve in the coming years as there are no additional debt plans. RATING SENSITIVITIES SUSTAINED OPERATING IMPROVEMENT: Fitch expects BCH to continue to rebuild its balance sheet in the coming years through consistently healthy operating cash flow levels. Upward rating movement would be considered should BCH sustain a financial cushion in excess of Fitch's 'BBB' category median ratios, and in line with other investment-grade critical access hospitals, which Fitch believes is necessary to offset the risks inherent to its small revenue base. CREDIT PROFILE

BCH is located in Beatrice, NE, approximately 40 miles south of Lincoln, NE. BCH is a CAH operating 25 acute-care beds. Other entities include two HUD housing projects for the elderly and a 45-unit congregate living facility. BCH is also an affiliate member of the Enhance Health Network which was founded in 2013 by a group of healthcare providers in NE to align geographically disperse members as they transition to value-based care. Except for one physician, BCH's active medical staff is all employed by the hospital. With the changes in care delivery models, management is planning to better prepare for population health and vlue-based care in the future by integrating the goals of the employed physicians with that of the hospital. To that end, management is beginning to shift more leadership roles to its medical staff to make the organization more physician-driven.



2015 OPERATING RESULTS

As a CAH with stable reimbursement streams, BCH's operating growth is dependent on its ability to deliver sustainable growth in clinical utilization. BCH's primary market of Gage County has been experiencing population declines but BCH has been able to maintain and increase utilization in certain clinical areas such as obstetrics, pediatrics and outpatient surgeries. Outpatient surgeries, driven partly by growth in orthopedics, increased 11.7% in fiscal 2015 to 1,536 from 1,375 surgeries in 2014. The growth has continued in 1Q16 with 414 surgeries as compared to 393 in 1Q15. BCH's operating EBITDA of $11 million in fiscal 2015 supported balance sheet growth but will be used to fund the remaining cost of the ambulatory expansion that the hospital is to complete in the summer of 2016. Although the hospital is only four years old, its ambulatory growth resulted in space constraints in certain departments. The Women and Children's Clinic and the Infusion Center, both currently on the second floor of the hospital, will be relocated to the new 17,500 square foot space, and additional parking will be added by the new entrance. BCH is also funding the capital purchase of a new electronic health record system for the clinics that is estimated to go live in October 2016. Other than these investments, the organization has no other significant capital needs at this time. Routine capital expenses in 2016 and 2017 are budgeted at approximately $1.5 million.

DEBT PROFILE

Total debt was $39.6 million in fiscal 2015, which was 100% fixed rate with no swaps. As of 2016, MADS is $3.7 million. DISCLOSURE

BCH covenants to provide audited annual financial statements 150 days after the year-end close to bondholders via the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board's Electronic Municipal Market Access system (EMMA). Annual disclosure consists of a balance sheet, income statement, medical staff, revenue sources, and utilization statistics. Fitch views as negative the lack of a provision for quarterly disclosure, but notes that BCH has consistently provided voluntary quarterly disclosure to bondholders via EMMA. Disclosure to Fitch has been timely and thorough, with excellent access to management. Additional information is available at 'www.fitchratings.com'. Applicable Criteria

Revenue-Supported Rating Criteria (pub. 16 Jun 2014)

https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=750012

U.S. Nonprofit Hospitals and Health Systems Rating Criteria (pub. 09 Jun 2015)

https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=866807 Additional Disclosures

Dodd-Frank Rating Information Disclosure Form

https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/press_releases/content/ridf_frame.cfm?pr_id=1000749

Solicitation Status

https://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=1000749

Endorsement Policy

https://www.fitchratings.com/jsp/creditdesk/PolicyRegulation.faces?context=2&detail=31 ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON (News - Alert) THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE 'WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM'. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE. FITCH MAY HAVE PROVIDED ANOTHER PERMISSIBLE SERVICE TO THE RATED ENTITY OR ITS RELATED THIRD PARTIES. DETAILS OF THIS SERVICE FOR RATINGS FOR WHICH THE LEAD ANALYST IS BASED IN AN EU-REGISTERED ENTITY CAN BE FOUND ON THE ENTITY SUMMARY PAGE FOR THIS ISSUER ON THE FITCH WEBSITE. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160310006406/en/

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[March 10, 2016] RetroSense Therapeutics to Present at the 8th Ocular Diseases Drug Discovery Conference

RetroSense Therapeutics, a privately-held biopharmaceutical company, today announced that Chief Executive Officer Sean Ainsworth will provide an overview of the Company's approach to vision restoration at the 8th Ocular Diseases Drug Discovery Conference at the Westin Hotel in San Diego, CA (News - Alert). The presentation, entitled Novel Optogenetic Approach to Vision Restoration in Retinal Degenerative Conditions, will take place at 2:45 p.m. PDT on Monday, March 21, 2016. RetroSense is developing optogenetic approaches to partial vision restoration in retinitis pigmentosa and potentially dry age-related macular degeneration. The Company's lead product, RST-001 is being developed as a first-in-class gene therapy application of optogenetics designed to restore vision to those affected by retinal degenerative conditions. RST-001, has been cleared by the FDA to advance into Phase I/II clinical studies. In addition, Ainsworth will join Dr. Zhuo-Hua Pan from the Ligon Research Center of Vision, Kresge Eye Institute at Wayne State University to discuss the latest developments on RST-001 at the Foundation Fighting Blindness' 9th Annual Michigan VisionWalk kick off meeting at noon on Saturday, March 19, 2016. This event is being held at the VistaTech Center in Livonia, MI.



About Optogenetics Optogenetics refers broadly to means of conferring light sensitivity to cells that were not previously, or natively light sensitive. By applying optogenetics to retinas in which rod and cone photoreceptors have degenerated, RetroSense is conferring new light sensitivity to the retina, with the expectation of improved or restored vision. RST-001 is expected to have application to all forms of Retinitis Pigmentosa, independent of causative gene or mutation.

About Retinitis Pigmentosa Retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic condition which leads to the progressive degeneration of rod and cone photoreceptors (cells found in the retina of the eye that sense light). Loss of these cells results in severe vision loss and blindness. About RetroSense Therapeutics RetroSense Therapeutics is a privately-held biotechnology company developing life-enhancing gene therapies designed to restore vision in patients suffering from blindness due to retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and advanced dry age-related macular degeneration (advanced dry-AMD (News - Alert)). There are currently no FDA approved drugs to improve or restore vision in patients with these retinal degenerative conditions. The Company's approach to using optogenetics in vision restoration is based on pioneering, proprietary research conducted at Wayne State University and Massachusetts General Hospital. RetroSense has worldwide exclusive rights to the relevant intellectual property from both institutions. RetroSense is led by a team of seasoned veterans with deep experience in taking products from the discovery stage through to the clinic. For more information about RetroSense, visit http://www.retro-sense.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160310006534/en/

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proxima

Avances. Una de cada cuatro innovaciones en las ciencias de la vida tiene raices israelies
Itongadol.- Few people realize that more than one out of every four of the medicines, treatments, and technologies in use today have Israeli roots.

Research in Israel is present in between 25% and 28% of the worlds successful biotech-based solutions, according to Ruti Alon, a General Partner at Pitango Venture Capital and chairperson of the upcoming IATI-Biomed Conference, set to take place in Tel Aviv in May. Many of the patents in pharmaceuticals that are now being used to treat cancer, heart problems, and much more were developed at Israeli institutions like Hebrew University or the Weizmann Institute,

All of the big pharma and health tech firms, from Merck to Pfizer to Sanofi, and many more, have R&D centers in Israel, and there are dozens, if not hundreds of start-ups that over the years have come up with unique solutions to some of the most pressing problems in biotech, said Alon.

Some of those solutions and patents are part of the main treatments in some of the worlds most devastating diseases.

Exelon, for example, is a treatment for Alzheimers that helps patients cope with the disease and remain independent longer. Marketed by Novartis, the drug is based on research that was conducted at Hebrew University. Doxil, sold by Johnson and Johnson, effectively helps treat numerous cancers, and it, too, was developed at Hebrew U, along with researchers at Hadassah Medical Center. And, of course, theres multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone, developed at the Weizmann Institute and marketed by Israels own Teva Pharmaceuticals.

Many of Israels biotech and life science solutions were first introduced to the world at the annual IATI-Biomed Conference, now in its 15th year.

Having been involved in life science investments for many years, I realized the value of what we have here, but finding ways to get the rest of the world to realize it proved challenging, said Alon. So we organized the conference in order to create a business card for the Israel biotech and life science industries.

If anyone would know the value of those industries, it would be Alon, one of the two general partners, along with founder Chemi Peres, of Pitango, one of Israels biggest venture capital funds (the firm has $1.6 billion under management and investments in over 180 companies). Pitango is also the biggest investor in life science companies in Israel, and currently has a dozen life science firms in its active portfolio.

Among them are BrainsGate, which has developed a device that enhances blood flow to patients brains for up to 24 hours, which can help millions of stroke victims around the world; AposTherapy, which has developed a nonsurgical, drug-free method to treat musculoskeletal abnormalities and injuries for athletes; and LifeBond, which is developing a line of biosurgical products for prevention of surgical leakage and bleeding.

Israels biotech and life science industries are indeed thriving, according to numbers from conference sponsor IATI, the Israel Advanced Tech Industries group. Currently there are about 1,380 active life sciences companies in Israel, most of them (66%) less than a decade old. Ninety-eight new life sciences start-ups were established in Israel on average in each of the last seven years.

About 100 of those start-ups will show off their technologies and developments at the conference, which will take place over three days (May 24-26) in Tel Aviv. Because there is so much to cover, said Alon, the conference will be split into nine tracks, with top experts from Israel and around the world presenting research and papers on areas like immunoncology, medical robotics, neurological disorders, health IT, and even genetic editing.

Its a new format for conferences like this, but we think industry members, as well as the many visitors from abroad, will find it easier to work with, as it will give them a greater opportunity to engage with the areas they are specifically interested in, said Alon.

Previous conferences have annually hosted over 6,000 industry senior executives, scientists, and engineers, including approximately 1,000 participants from over 45 countries.

An all-star line-up of speakers will include executives and experts from companies like Roche, Pfizer, IBM, Sanofi, Novartis, Mayo Clinic Ventures and Bristol Myers to present on issues like biotherapeutics, oncology, cardiology, pharmaceutical development, government approval and compliance, and much more.

Participants will be able to enjoy roundtable discussions, panel presentations, networking opportunities and product demonstrations, exploring innovation and trends that are shaping the future of healthcare systems and the life science ecosystem, said Alon.

And over the years, the conference has more than fulfilled its role of presenting Israels life science and biotech to the world.

A few years ago, we invited the CEO of Irish med-tech giant Covidien (now a part of Medtronic) to speak at the conference, said Alon. It was his first visit here, and he and his staff were quite surprised to see what Israel was doing in this area. They ended up buying four Israeli firms before they were acquired  and yes, the Medtronic people will be at the conference too, and it would not be surprising if they followed in Covidiens footsteps.
''He has a sensitivity to the limits of knowing truth 

together with courage to push those limits in many areas.''

 a reader
Proud to be a member of:

Jane Bloomfield: truth is stranger than fiction Jane is the author of the Lily Max children trilogy, published by Luncheon Sausage Books. Her 1st novel Lily Max: Satin, Scissors, Frock was a finalist in the New Zealand Children & Young Adult Book Awards & received a Storylines Notable Book Award. She has written this column-style blog since 2012. Her writing can also been found on Newsroom, The Spinoff & The Sapling online literary zines & has appeared in Little Treasures Magazine and Sunday Magazine. She lives with her family in Queenstown, New Zealand. View my complete profile
MATTOON (JG-TC) -- The City Council voted unanimously Thursday afternoon to renew the collective bargaining agreement with Police Benevolent and Protective Association Unit No. 35.

The three-year contract renewal is retroactively effective to May 1, 2014. Active employees on the payroll as of the execution date of this agreement will receive a 2 percent general wage increase effective May 1, 2014; a 2.5 percent increase effective May 1, 2015; and a 3 percent general wage increase effective May 1, 2016.

Now, the contract renewal will be presented to the police union for approval. The union has approximately 40 member police officers.

Thursday's vote on the contract renewal took place during a work session on the upcoming 2016-17 city budget proposal. City Administrator Kyle Gill said the city staff is still considering options for eliminating a $132,000 deficit. He said many of the cuts will likely be made by delaying purchases of needed vehicles and equipment.

Gill said he hopes that the budget proposal will be ready in time for a public hearing at the April 6 council meeting and then a final vote at the April 19 meeting.
MATTOON (JG-TC) -- Coles County nonprofit organizations are encouraged to send a list of their needs to the JG-TC for publication late this month.

Each group should include its full name, address and phone number; and a short list of items needed, such as food, cash, volunteers, paper goods and more. Lists should be emailed to Editor Penny Weaver at pweaver@jg-tc.com.

The information will be compiled and printed in the Saturday, March 26, edition of the newspaper. Contact Weaver via email or at 217-238-6863 with questions.
Zahn McClarnon doesnt mind exploring the darker side of human nature.

In fact, the 49-year-old former Omaha man finds doing so -- at least within the relatively safe confines of acting -- can be cathartic and therapeutic.

I dont mind going there, he said. I enjoy that process.

His darkest role yet, as a vengeful henchman for a North Dakota crime family in Season 2 of FXs Fargo television series, demonstrated some of the worst aspects of human nature.

His character, Hanzee Dent, is a troubled former Vietnam War tunnel rat who now serves the Gerhardt crime family of Fargo. In the series, Dent is responsible for nearly a dozen, often grisly murders, including a decapitation and numerous fatal shootings and stabbings.

This week, McClarnon plans to attend the Vision Maker Film Festival, a showcase of films by Native filmmakers being held at the Mary Reipma Ross Media Arts Center in Lincoln. McClarnon, who is Hunkpapa Lakota and Irish, plans to attend a screening of Mekko, in which he plays an evil homeless man who preys on other homeless Native people on the streets of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

With 15 years of sobriety behind him, McClarnon said his character in the film, Bill, reminded him of some of the worst days of his own life.

It helps me remember where I came from and how much I dont want to go back to that addiction, he said.

But McClarnons list of credits extends well beyond his most recent darker roles.

Fans of the Netflix series Longmire know him as Mathias, a reservation police officer often at odds with the shows main character, Wyoming sheriff Walt Longmire. McClarnon said he plans to travel from his home in Hollywood to Santa Fe, New Mexico, later this month to start filming the shows fifth season.

But hes tight-lipped about where the series will take his character, who was last seen possibly aiding Longmire.

I love being on that show, love it, he said.

His roles in Fargo and Longmire have propelled him to some extent into mainstream popular culture, a rare feat for most Native actors. He said people have finally started recognizing him when he returns home for holidays to Omaha, where he spent most of his teenage years.

He even credits his life in Omaha for his acting career. He said he auditioned and won a role in a play in Council Bluffs, his first true acting job.

I fell in love with acting, he said.

His work in the Omaha-area eventually helped him meet John Jackson, who has helped cast all of Omaha director Alexander Paynes movies. Jackson helped McClarnon get roles in Omaha television commercials and later introduced him to a talent agent in Los Angeles.

McClarnon said its difficult for Native actors to find roles, which has forced him to be less critical of the roles hes offered. Hes landed numerous roles in historical films and television shows, including the TNT miniseries Into the West, in which he played Running Fox, a forward-looking Lakota.

But while he admits to not being able to be picky about his roles, he said he also tries to avoid productions that depict Native people negatively or stereotypically. He cited the recent Netflix movie The Ridiculous 6 as an example of a film that negatively portrayed Native people.

He said he doesnt mind historic period pieces but prefers to see such films hire Native language and cultural advisers. He said most of the films and shows hes performed in have done so.

Were not doing John Ford movies anymore, he said. As an actor, I have input.

But hed also like to see Native people become more involved in writing, directing and producing films. Thats one of the reasons he chose to perform in Mekko, a film written and directed by Seminole and Muscogee filmmaker Sterlin Harjo.

I jump at the chance to work with someone like Sterlin, he said. As a community, we need to find more writers and directors.
I just returned after an intense week visiting my dear friend, Heide, who has cognitive basal degeneration, similar to Lou Gehrigs disease, watching her accelerating decline. She tells us through assisted communication that she wants to die today. Her pain is constant, sleep only possible through medical marijuana. She cannot physically end her life. She has family and friends nationwide who support her goal for death with dignity.

Heide and her spouse have done all the right things: painful studies to contribute to disease research; donating her brain to science; meeting with physicians when her words were still understandable so that all could agree her declining condition meets California requirements for end of life assistance. As Governor Jerry Brown said so eloquently when signing, despite his own misgivings and Jesuit training, "I am certain, however, that it would be a comfort to be able to consider the options afforded by this bill. And I wouldn't deny that right to others."

States need to step up and do the right thing for Heide and others like her. Your stalling tactics lengthen acute suffering for Nebraskans who support the option for dignity in death. My grief for Heides coming death is compounded by the judiciary committee's refusal to even allow LB1056 to be debated ("End-of-life bill stalls in committee," March 2). Keep your faith-based beliefs off my body, off Heides body, off anyones body. Legislators are obligated to represent our wide range of deeply held spiritual beliefs about end of life options. Those fearing euthanasia can address those issues privately with their own physicians now, before they lose their voice. My friends voice is gone forever, so I call out as her advocate for end-of-life choices for all Nebraskans with similarly devastating conditions.

Helen Moore, Lincoln
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has completed the third year of a five-year aerial survey of mule deer in the Pine Ridge of northwestern Nebraska.

The survey, which covers eight subunits with the most suitable mule deer habitat within the Pine Ridge deer management unit, indicated a decrease in the overall mule deer population, but an increase in the number of the species fawns. Commission employees counted 636 mule deer compared to 758 in 2015 and 862 in 2014. The count of 261 fawns is up 25 from 2015.

The survey, conducted from a contracted helicopter the morning and evening hours of Feb. 9-11, covered a total of 426 square miles. The Antelope Creek subunit, which borders Wyoming and South Dakota in the states northwestern-most corner, registered the highest mule deer density with 4.75 per square mile. The area near the Niobrara River in Sioux County followed with 3.27. Both of those densities exceed all those recorded in 2014, the first year of the survey, but are short of the 8.53 near Belmont and 5.15 in the Antelope Creek area last year. The density of all subunits combined came in 1.48 mule deer per square mile, a decline from 1.76 in 2015 and 2.01 in 2014.

This surveys goal is to build population trend data to assess population levels and guide management decisions. The use of a helicopter helps locate animals in the rugged terrain, but biologists conducting the survey said locating animals can be challenging if snow cover is spotty, such as it was this year.

The survey is also helping determine how the mule deer population responds to the prohibition of doe harvest, and is helping the Commissions goal of providing optimum hunting opportunities. The mule deer population has been a concern in the Pine Ridge and other areas of the American West experiencing declines despite quality habitat and harvest restrictions. In 2013, following a year of monumental drought, wildfires and disease, the Commission began prohibiting mule deer doe harvest portions of the Pine Ridge unit. In 2014 and 2015, the doe prohibition was expanded to the entire unit.

In addition to getting a count on mule deer, the surveyors recorded a significant increase in white-tailed deer from last year, steady numbers of elk and a slight decline of bighorn sheep.
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They use horses for much of the cattle cutting, but there were also some fancy four-wheelers in the garage. I spotted a very cute doggie resting in the shade. She had the nicest smile!





And then, feeling a little self-conscious, she yawned, and displayed perhaps the longest tongue I've ever seen on a dog.









Just down the road, a classic yaller dog trotted home, curled tail held high over his back. A good yaller dog is not too far from a dingo, if you ask me. Survival instincts keen and sharp; a coat that blends into dry grass, a yaller dog is a hunter, vigilant and crafty. Perhaps the ancestral dog.













And just down the driveway, a Pacific screech-owl pretends to nap. It's a real good bet that an owl who looks like he's sleeping is glaring at you from behind those heavy lids. And wishing hard that you'd bug off.









The more I thought about it, the more it bugged me. The black-bellied whistling duck is a cavity nester. It's a big duck, almost goose-sized. That's a whopping cavity! And every one of these ducks was born in a cavity.





Where do they find all those huge cavities for their nests?? And what are they all doing here? How can there be enough food in these sloughs for all those ducks? Sometimes nature just befuddles me.

And wading around with the whistling ducks and an amazed great blue heron was an enormous jabiru, nearly five feet tall.













In flight, with those pure-white primaries beating, they're magnificent. I expected their wings to be trimmed in black. Melanin strengthens feathers for the inevitable wear flight brings. That's why most white birds like terns, gulls, gannets, wood storks and snow geese have black-tipped primaries at least. Not the jabiru. Does it not make long-distance flights? How come no black? Always scratching my head. Especially in the Neotropics.

This is a fun shot. If you click on it to embiggen it, you'll find that three of these things are not like the others. Three of these things are not the same. Can you name all the birds in the photo?

** Answer at the bottom of the post. **





I'm just going to say right now that for some reason my photos in this post, viewed at normal size, look like crap. And when you click on them and see the larger version, you see that they are largely not crap. This is something I've been noticing about Blogger lately. If you like a photo, by all means click on it and see it how it's supposed to look. For instance, you can vaguely tell that the large birds in the photo above are some kind of craney storkey thing. Click on the photo and boom! Wood storks!

We watched the flocks for signs of danger, for the high whistled calls of the ducks and sudden explosions and rises. For there were peregrines about!





By now you're probably figuring out that birding in Costa Rica is just fun, fun, fun. Especially with the Science Chimp jumping around scratching her head and asking questions. Right, Mario? Heh.









**The flock consists of 19 wood storks, and from left a black vulture, a tiny high-soaring anhinga, and an osprey, heading the other way.

I am happy to report that, after 8 days away, my laptop has been returned by the excellent gentlemen of Elan Technologies, fitted with a new top case, keyboard, trackpad, and battery. No more will its swollen and aging battery impede progress on all fronts. Back in the blogging saddle! I took this time to write thank-you notes, 27 of them, to people who helped me withIt was like doing Christmas cards, and hand-writing a different letter to each recipient. Being that nice for five days was exhausting. :) I want to thank you all for the vote of confidence on old-fashioned prose posts, though; my photo-free post "Becalmed" has done better than most of my glitzier photo posts. Huh.On Day 4 of our Costa Rica expedition, we made a lunchtime stop at Hacienda Solimar, a working cattle ranch of epic propotions in the Guanacaste region of the northwest Pacific coast. On this enormous ranch, beautiful Brahma cattle are bred and raised, mostly for breeding stock.They are definitely a cut above the usual, even to my untrained eye. I'm guessing the red X's on these cows indicate they've been bred.On this day, the cowboys were separating calves from moms, and there was a lot of bellering going on, and dust rising in the air.Much as I love cattle and dogs, I had to admit we were here for birds, and Hacienda Solimar did not disappoint. A pair of rufous-naped wrens drinks from a coconut shell. Oh sweet scene, there in the dappled light.Good as the land birding is, the marshes of Solimar are stupendous. We were gobsmacked by throngs of black-bellied whistling ducks. Struggling to comprehend why there were so many, I kept asking Mario and Solimar guide Demetrio if they were massing for migration, enjoying a post-breeding break or what? No, they replied; they're always here in numbers. Well, that just didn't make sense to me.These endangered storks nest at Solimar, and we were privileged to see a nest, with three young, at a great distance, so as not to bother them. What a tree, what a nest, what amazing storks they are.And why not? Wherever there are huge flocks of shorebirds and waterfowl, the wandering peregrine will attend them. These two sparred playfully, thrilling us to bits.Look at that leg extension! Wow!!It always gets me when birds fly upside down. It never gets old.
Sao Paulo state prosecutors on Wednesday filed charges against former Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva [BBC profile] in connection with money laundering and misrepresentation of assets involving a luxury apartment in the beachfront city of Guaruja. Although the specific charges are unclear, federal investigators alleged [NYT report] that Lula da Silva acquired the property and that a construction company paid for improvements with funds that may have come from the giant graft scheme at Petrobras [corporate website]. Lula da Silva has denied the allegations while his supporters have condemned the charges as being part of a media conspiracy to oust current President Dilma Rousseff [BBC profile] and prevent Lula da Silva from running again in 2018. Lula da Silvas lawyer, Cristiano Zanin Martins, stated that the former president never concealed payments toward purchase of the property and that he decided against taking control of the same in 2015. He further accused the lead prosecutor Cassio Conserino of harboring his own personal political aspirations. The charges will be brought before a judge who will decide whether or not to accept them and proceed to trial.

Brazils political establishment has been in turmoil as many powerful politicians including former presidents have been recently brought to the center of embarrassing corruption investigations. Last week, Brazil Justice Minister Jose Eduardo Cardozo resigned amid pushback from the ruling Workers Party over his failure to reign in [JURIST report] the corruption investigation targeting public officials, including former president Lula da Silva. Also last week, Brazils Supreme Court unanimously authorized [JURIST report] the corruption charges against member of Congress Eduardo Cunha to proceed. Eduardo Cunha was implicated in the Petrobras scandal, and these charges are sure to affect the impeachment proceedings against President Rousseff. President Rousseff herself has been implicated in that very same scandal and has been at the center of impeachment proceedings [JURIST report] for months. More than 100 individuals and 50 politicians have been arrested in connection to the Petrobras scandal, including the chief of staff under Brazils former President Jose Dirceu and the former President Fernando Collor de Mellon [Britannica profile]. Lula da Silva himself was subpoenaed [JURIST report] by the prosecutors office in January as they investigated the possible money laundering scheme. In November Brazils highest court ordered [JURIST report] the arrest of Andre Esteves, the chief executive of the countrys largest investment bank, and that of Delcidio do Amaral, a powerful senator of the countrys ruling party, both accused of bribery and corruption affiliated with Petrobras.
The Dusseldorf district court [official website, in German] on Wednesday ruled [judgment, PDF, in German] against the use of Facebooks like button on an online shopping site, Peek & Cloppenburg (P&C) [retail website, in German], stating that proper consent from customers is required before transmission of their identities to Facebook. The court found [Reuters report] that P&C failed to observe appropriate standards for data transmission and violated Germanys data protection laws giving the retailer a commercial advantage. In announcing its ruling, the court stated that a mere link to a data protection statement at the foot of the website does not constitute an indication that data are being or are about to be processed. The suit arose out of a complaint from North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Association [advocacy website, in German] which alleged [press release, in German] that P&Cs Fashion ID website had transmitted user data before shoppers had decided whether to click on the like button. P&C faces a penalty of up to 250,000 (USD $275,400) or a six-month detention for a manager.

Facebook has faced numerous legal challenges across the globe. In January Germanys Federal Court of Justice [official website, in German] ruled [press release, in German] that Facebooks friend finder feature is unlawful [JURIST report]. In November Belgiums Court of First Instance ordered Facebook to cease all tracking [JURIST report] of users within the country who have not signed up for the social networking platform. In October the European Court of Justice [official website] ruled [JURIST report] that EU user data transferred to the US by various technology companies, including Facebook, is not sufficiently protected. In December 2014 Facebook failed to dismiss a lawsuit [JURIST report] that claimed it scanned users private messages for the names of websites for targeted advertising purposes. In May 2014 an Iranian judge ordered [JURIST report] Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to appear in court regarding allegation that certain Facebook apps violated user privacy.
[JURIST] The Missouri State Senate [official website] passed on Thursday a proposal [SJR 39 materials] to amend the state constitution to provide broader religious protections for individuals and businesses opposed to gay marriage. In a 23-7 vote, lawmakers passed the measure in the wake of a failed 37-hour filibuster by Democrats. The bill [text, PDF] seeks to protect religious organizations from being penalized for refusing to perform same-sex marriages when acting in accordance with a sincerely held religious belief concerning same-sex marriage. The bill would also ban the state from serving a penalty on individuals and business owners for declining to provide goods or services of expressional or artistic creation for a same-sex ceremony or reception for the same reasons. If this measure passes the legislature, it would be on the ballot for voter approval in either August or November, and would not need the governors approval [WP report].

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, as well as freedom of religious practice, remain controversial issues in the US. At least nineteen states have enacted some variety of religious freedom laws, most modeled after the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act [text] signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1993. Following the US Supreme Court [official website] ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges [JURIST report] in June, Kentucky clerk Kim Davis refused to issue [JURIST report] marriage licenses, arguing that her Christian faith should exempt her from issuing the licenses to same-sex couples. In June North Carolina lawmakers passed SB 2, a law that permits magistrates to refuse to perform same-sex marriages on religious grounds, overriding a veto [JURIST reports] by Governor Pat McCrory. Earleir this year, an Indiana legislative committee approved a bill [JURIST report] that would repeal the controversial religious freedom law passed last year. Last month the Georgia Senate passed [JURIST report] a bill similar to the Missouri Senate bill, which would give religious leaders the right to refuse to marry any couple if it is against their religion without facing penalties and bars the government from taking any adverse action against any person who acts in accordance with their religious views towards marriage.
North Koreas state-run news agency (KCNA) [official website] reported [text] Friday that Kim Jong-un watched a ballistic missile launch test, and ordered more tests, in order to improve the countrys nuclear attack capabilities. This test is believed to have taken place when North Korea launched [REUTERS report] two short-range missiles on Thursday that ended up in the Sea of Japan. To conduct these tests is in clear violation of United Nation [official website] sanctions, which ban ballistic missile tests. North Korea claims [USA TODAY report] to have miniaturized nuclear warheads that it can now mount to ballistic missiles. In response, the United States and South Korea have begun various military drills as well as increasing their cyber presence in defense of North Korean cyber attacks. Further, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon [official profile] asked [UN NEWS CENTRE report] for North Korea and Kim Jong-un to return to full compliance with relevant Security Council resolutions and cease destabilizing acts. The UN had recently adopted a resolution to impose new sanctions and tighten existing measures against North Korea.

The recent nuclear test in North Korea is cause for international concern due to the countrys human rights record and instability. In February, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called on [JURIST report] North Koreas government to stop violating international obligations after another missile launch was conducted. In January the US House of Representatives approved [JURIST report] legislation that would increase sanctions against North Korea for its continuation of nuclear testing. In November Japan and the EU circulated [JURIST report] a draft UN resolution condemning North Koreas human rights abuses and encouraging the UN Security Council to refer the country to the International Criminal Court, noting reports of torture, limits on freedom of mobility, restrictions on freedom of speech, restrictions on freedom of religion, privacy infringement, arbitrary imprisonment, prison camps and more. UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea Marzuki Darusman expressed deep concerns [JURIST report] regarding human rights violations in the country just a month earlier. In November 2014 Darusman said that there is enough evidence to hold Kim Jong-un responsible for massive human rights atrocities [JURIST report] committed in the country. In response to these concerns, the UN in June opened a new office [JURIST report] in Seoul to specifically monitor human rights in North Korea.
The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) [official website] on Friday released a report [text, download] describing a multitude of atrocious human rights violations taking place in South Sudan as part of the South Sudan Civil War [CFR backgrounder]. This report describes [OHCHR News report] in searing detail violations including a [g]overnment-operated scorched earth policy, and deliberate targeting of civilians for killing, rape and pillage. The report places majority blame on state officials for the crimes, stating that some allied forces have been allowed to rape women in lieu of wages. The report focuses on the shocking scale of sexual violence in the nation, where in a five month period last year, the UN recorded more than 1300 reports of rape in just one of South Sudans ten states. The report further relates that the majority of casualties during the conflict are civilian causalities that are the result of deliberate attacks on civilians and not actual combat operations. The report concluded by recommending the Human Rights Council continue to monitor developments and establish a dedicated mechanism to maintain accountability during the conflict. The report also calls on a new government to take effective action to stop current violations and abuses of the rights of children,and to prevent their recurrence, and to eliminate sexual and gender-based violence. The report further recommends that the UN Security Council consider expanding sanctions imposed on South Sudan and referring the matter to the International Criminal Court [official websites].

The conflict in South Sudan has taken more than 50,000 lives and has displaced over one and a half million people. Human Rights Watch [advocacy website] this week urged [JURIST report] the African Union to establish a hybrid court to prosecute members of the South Sudan government for war crimes committed in the Western Equatoria region. Last month the United Nations Mission in South Sudan strongly condemned [JURIST report] the violence that took place between Shilluk and Dinka youths at one of its Protection of Civilian sites in South Sudan. The OHCHR reported in January that shocking crimes have been committed [JURIST report] in the war-torn South Sudan.
Ben Carson urges us to get in touch with the kinder, gentler (but schizophrenic) Donald Trump.

Ben Carsons endorsement: He says there are two different Trumps, one of them more cerebral

Whatever. Defund Planned Parenthood, Defend It - at this point, what difference does it make?
Im happy to say that my art and technique has been included in this book by UK author/artist Gill Barron , the fairly famous Painter of Everything (shes well on her way to painting everything in the entire world, and doing a beautiful job of it, too).I have two step-by-step projects in the book, as well as several other finished paintings used as illustrations.The book is entitled Acrylic Secrets: 300 Tips and Techniques for Painting the Easy Way , and has been distributed worldwide by Readers Digest Books.Its now available on Amazon and you can order your copy here.
Thank you for your interest in my work!

Hi! I am Karen Tarlton and I love to paint! I have been painting a new painting everyday since 2008 and I post many of them here! My work is for sale in many galleries and online sites and sells quickly (many while still wet) so please inquire if there is one you are interested in!


Deuba may be surrounded by persons opposed to federalism, secularism in NC nucleus

The Office Bearer team of newly elected Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba could be dominated by those who either oppose federalism and secularism or have reservations over these agendas.
7 Nepali workers held in Kuwait

Seven Nepali migrant workers have been arrested on the charge of operating a local liquor factory in the Kuwaiti city of Salwa.
A glass half-full

The NC, the oldest democratic party of our country, is most undemocratic in its practices
Apple hits back at 'corrosive' claim by US government

It followed the DoJ's latest court filing over its demand Apple create software to unlock an iPhone used by an attacker in a mass shooting last year.
Chinese ambassador congratulates Deuba

Chinese ambassador to Nepal Wu Chuntai called on newly elected Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba at latters residence in Budhanilkantha in the Capital on Friday and congratulated him for being elected as NC new President.
DPM urges US investors to invest in road sector

Deputy Prime Minister Bijay Kumar Gachhadar on Thursday urged investors from the United States to invest in Nepals infrastructure sector, especially road.
Facebook post helps police thwart suicide attempt

In a strange incident of its sort, police have saved the life of a youth who apparently was about to take his own life after posting a suicide note on his Facebook wall.
Hackers Inc

Security breach in NT should remind govt agencies about the value of cyber security
IBN for materialising West Seti agreement

The Investment Board of Nepal has called on the concerned authorities to materialise a Joint Venture agreement between the Nepal Electricity Authority and Chinas CWE Investment Corporation for developing the 750MW West Seti Hydropower Project.
Morcha to submit memo to PM today

The Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha, an alliance of seven Madhes-based parties, has decided to submit a memorandum to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Friday to draw his attention to the delay in addressing their demands.
NC General Secretary Koirala and Chinese Ambassador Wu meet

Nepali Congress General Secretary Shashank Koirala and Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Wu Chuntai, on Friday held a meeting at former's residence at Maharajgunj.
PAC asks Supplies Ministry to clarify Birats exorbitant price

Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament on Friday wrote to the Ministry of Supplies seeking clarification for permitting Birat Petroleum to sell petrol at higher price.
South Sudan army 'suffocated 60 in container'

A rights group says it has evidence that South Sudan government forces deliberately suffocated more than 60 men and boys in a shipping container.
Times a-wasting

If Madhesi and Tharu grievances are not addressed soon, radical forces will move in
UN Human Rights chief urges govt to ensure transitional justice, investigate Tarai violence

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein has urged the Nepal government to conduct a full and independent investigation into recent violence in the Tarai region, and to ensure a credible transitional justice process in line with international standards.
US election 2016: Trump and Rubio row over Islam hate

Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio has attacked Donald Trump for saying that Islam "hates the US", in a televised debate in Miami.
Woman attacked with acid in Dang

Two unidentified persons have attacked a woman with acid at Ghorahi, Dang on Thursday night.
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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Mike Dunleavy the governor of the US state of Alaska is intending to introduce legislation that will repeal the two state boards which regu...
Trollfest '09

Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, How I sold out to da Man. Robbie Bell again performs: Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells and Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to Dancing with the Stars, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.



Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and Big Cat Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).



Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.



Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".



In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word jackass was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.



In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.



Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.



Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!



This is definitely a Beaver production.



Note: Security provided by INS.


We live in a world in which an authoritarian state, $-freeloader narcissistic U.S., controls the digital infrastructure, enjoys the dominant position in the world's technology platforms, controls the means of production for critical technologies, and harnesses a new wave of general purpose technologies, like biotech and new energy technologies, to transform the world society, economy and military, to continue feeding U.S.' parasitic needs. However, the really funny thing is that US smears China for exactly what US itself is.

Why didn't NATO (US) stop the real genocide and grave Human Rights violations (since 2014) in Ukraine?! And when Russia did, the NATO (US) attacked Russia. And what about the islamofascist Saudi dictator family's atrocities in Yemen - just to mention one from the Saudi pile?!





China is now not only outperforming the West technologically but also the capitalist country that has come the furthest in balancing greed for the good of the people. In contrast to communist dictatorships such as the Soviets, Mao's China, North Korea and others, modern China is more democratic than most Western countries. This is because, via a meritocratic system, political career is built from the bottom up, i.e. local politicians must show results in order to move forward, while together they later form a political communication link between Beijing and the people, which means that unlike dictatorships, it is the top that is most sensitive to grassroots dissatisfaction. And this is proven in several Western research projects which unilaterally show a popular support that is sky-high above, for example, the US. Peter Klevius art analysis: When kings possessed antidemocratic total power (as the Saudi islamofascist murderer and terrorist war criminal "king" still today), they could deliberately show off their personhood. However, when kingdom became art - not to say sign post - then a "good" king or queen became someone who like Elizabeth had to shut up and instead be filled with the content of "the eye of the beholder" - just like art, which is always excluded from its artist. My guess is that she could only really trust her husband - 'husband' is Swedish meaning 'hus' (house) and 'band' means ties like in 'bond'. However, her son Charles has an extremely poor record at that - which may be entertaining, especially for republicans.

US should be the "enemy" rather than modern China And when will Liz Truss declare the islamofascist "custodians of islam", the Saudi dictator family - who has murdered, tortured, terrorized and committed war crimes - an enemy? With the U.S. dollar as the world's main reserve currency - since 1971 criminally disconnected from its promised gold connection - and with the U.S. controlling global financial and monetary flow U.S. has raised massive debt while printing money - not "out of thin air" but out of the world. The U.S. economy hence rests on financial colonialism and imperialism, i.e. forcibly robbing its value from other countries. And when excess liquidity drives up global inflation, and the Fed raises interest rates and tightens monetary policy, it also widens its interest rate gap with other countries, while attracting international capital to the otherwise empty (and doomed) U.S. dollar. The Brits should blame US, the militant financial $-freeloader (since 1971) - not modern China, the peaceful tech and wealth building rescuer at home and around the world! Bank of England is a helpless pawn against the feds. At the very moment when especially UK but also the rest of the world needs China the most, then dangerous and militant (CIA steered?) Liz Truss declares China an "enemy". Hello! It's US that 2014 ignited the low scale Ukrainian civil war to a fullblown deadly genocide against Russians, and 2022 to a real proxy war via NATO threatening Russia for the ultimate purpose of attacking China. And it is the US' antidemokratic (decoupled from democratic institutions) Federal Reserve that is behind inflation and the fall of the pound and other financial problems outside US. US is the only country in the world that can survive heavy deficit by counterfeiting money. It's US that is the root of high inflation, energy costs, supply shortages etc. (because of modern China). The feds has since 1913 been the factual dictator of US, and when US became bankrupt after a costly Vietnam war and space (incl. military) program it 1971 unscrupulously cheated with the promised dollar connection to gold. US hence started a fullblown robbing of the world with the dollar as the world currency and now culminating in an untenable money printing that together with China's economic and tech rise threatens US criminal $-freeloading. US is a theocracy if measured by how much "in god we trust" is involved in policy and politics, and that the Supreme Court is 100% religious, in stark contrast to the huge number of Atheist people in US. This has also led to US using islamists against China.





How come that this US patriot shares Peter Klevius view on US?













Why trust Peter Klevius instead of BBC and other trolls? Because 1. Peter Klevius has a much higher IQ (beware of IQ-phobia) than most professors or world leaders 2. Peter Klevius has a long and clean life record when it comes to women, children, crimes, drugs etc. 3. Peter Klevius has no finacial or career ties to anything he writes about 3) Peter Klevius doesn't (sadly) know (20220326) a single Russian or Chinese, and has never visited the countries nor having any other connections 4) Peter Klevius groundbreaking scientific achievements (e.g. about evolution, consciousness, sex segregation, sociology, psychoanalysis etc.) can all be dated to publications, theses (and after 1998 also on the web) or correspondence with professors considered top of their game. Possibly all of them may also qualify as first of its kind - or at the very least certainly not copied from others - as others seem to do with Peter Klevius' works, without even giving him credit. 5. Peter Klevius had the most unprivileged start of life and adulthood - but also the most privileged when it comes to brain power, dopamin-serotonin balance and psychological stability - to an extent that he can't possibly believe in the psychological non sense excuse that "we're all a little mad".

US rape of the Maid of Finland



Peter Klevius to Boris Johnson: It was only half of the Brits who voted Brexit, and it was only half of the Ukrainians who voted for Ukrexit. However, in Ukraine it ended with civil war instigated by UK's ally $-freeloader rogue state US. You should really have kept your peaceful Huawei instead of being pushed to the militant F35!





US has already sunk below the surface but abuses the "West" as its snorkel. What most people don't realize is that by following US you step downwards in future development compared to China. Little Japan already showed the world how to beat the West in technology. China is more than ten times bigger. And when people - sooner or later - realize the difference, the backlash will be harsh. Peter Klevius asks: Which war (post WW2) has NOT been instigated by rogue state $-freeloader US? Korea, Vietnam, Serbia, Iraq, Georgia, Ukraine, Libya, Yemen, Syria etc.. US, which has also used nukes, biological wepons, and torture, tops by far the list of war criminals - and US allies are gravely complicit!

We're constantly told "not to incite hatred against muslims" when we're just criticizing sharia islam for its lack of Human Rights. However, when US/CIA not only incites hatred but also weaponizes it, no one in the West seems to care. Why?! How many more should suffer and die because of US senseless behavior when facing a future where its $-freeloading is coming home to roost because of China's success?





20220221: BBC main news hour at 13:00 today for the first time didn't mention Ukraine and Putin at all - while the worst shelling against Russian populated parts of Ukraine significantly escalated, leading to a peak of over 50,000 refugees fleeing to Russia to escape the genocide the $-freeloader (and now desperate because of China's growth and success) US iniitiated, agitated and assisted with weapons (together with its coerced, or just stupid/evil Western puppets) - while continuing spitting on Putin/Russia.





World economies (CIA World Factbook 2022): 1 China 2/3 US, EU 4 India 5 Japan 6 Germmany 7 Russia 8 Brazil 9 France 10 UK

Dear reader, stop supporting/aiding dangerous rogue state US! Otherwise US $-desperation (i.e. that it will lose its financial stealing hegemony because of China's growth) will lead to it deliberately starting a WW3. Except for human suffering and lower standard, it would be the great reset for $-freeloader US to stand in the ruins and continue being a stealing and ruling world dictator. No other country poses a similar threat.

Religion is segregation. Judaism: We are the chosen people! Christianity: Christ will forgive, you sinner! Islam: Everyone is born muslim, you infidel! Human Right is de-segregation, you human!

Peter Klevius wonders if you can spot the difference between the People's republic of China, the Congress' republic of US, and the Parliament's/government's "democracy" of UK. Hint, the clue is in the word 'people' and the fact that Chinese are more satisfied with their democracy than US and UK people. Moreover, can you spot the difference between modern China and Stalin's, Mao's, Castro's, Pol Pot's etc. Communist countries? And when it comes to unjust sentencing, spying, surveilling, detaining/torturing/killing people, US is definitely worse than China. Not to mention US global meddling, militarism and dictatorial fiat $-freeloading. A US that can't manufacture its own chips but tries to hinder China from it. And if you aren't on US sponsored IS-Uyghurs side - why spit on China?! And if you aren't on US sponsored IS-Uyghurs side - why spit on China?! Why is US calling anti-islamism "human rights violation"?! And when will US stop dealing with Saudi, NATO (e.g. Turkey) etc. Human Rights violators?!Btw, Peter Klevius suggests buying Chinese property stocks now. After all, there are more rural Chinese than the entire US population, waiting for getting urban after this temporary slow down.

Why doesn't Peter Klevius publish his groundbreaking science in Nature? Because he has no peers! Peer review, according to Google, is the evaluation of work by people with similar competence. Peter Klevius healthy mind and total lack of institutional/financial/political/career bias combined with extra high intelligence is unique in science - and it's precisely therefore his best scientific achievments can't be evaluated by peer-biased people but need a blog to be presented because 1) they would never be peer approved in Nature 2) they would never be produced in a "proper" form with painstaking efforts to squeeze in citations/references etc. that contribute nothing. Whom should Peter Klevius quote about EMAH/consciousness out-of SE Asia , or about hetersosexual attraction and sex segregation ? When I made my phd on sex segregated resistance against female football I was asked to quote feminists. I did, and after every quote I had to negate it. Alternatively it would have silenced the women's voices in my in-depth interviews re. thair experience about resistance. After all, it was feminists behind the 1921 ban against women's football in England, and it was the most powerful feminists in Sweden who for a decade opposed girls and women playing football after the Swedish FA had included it. So instead of me testing Nature, you test me - before "anti-feminism", "anti-out-of-Africa" and "anti-religion" are criminalized as "hate speech"! - In anthropology fossils usually get all kinds of nicknames before scientifically "baptized". However, precisely because Homo floresiensis (the definite proof that humans evolved in SE Asia) was the "missing link" that afropologists wanted to find in Africa (how could an allround mover and allround eater ever evolve on a continent?!) they needed to dismiss it at every level incl. continue calling it a "hobbit". And when it comes to EMAH/consciousness it's extremely simple - yet not "simplistic" at all. However, the culprit is what humans are most proud about, i.e. language. By giving something one doesn't comprehend but wants to put in a package, a name, will continue to contain its blurred definition. This is why EMAH only deals with 'now' and the body of past this now lands on. Of course this leads to everything having "consciousness". A brick "remembers" a stain of paint as long as it's there - and with some "therapeutical" investgation in a laboratory perhaps even longer. And a stain of paint on your skin is exactly the same. However, unlike the the brick you've also got a brain that may also be affected by the stain. This could be compared with a hollow brick where the paint has vanished from the outside but submerged so that when cutting the brick it "remembers" it and tells the cutting blade about it. And for more "sophistication" just add millions of differect colors unevenly spread. Our brain is no different from the rest of the body. If Frankenstein with tomorrow's tech had created an adult human body, then that body wouldn't be able to walk or talk etc. because it lacked the body program we've been programmed with by living.

The US-led climate hoax against China : $-freeloader US uses its hegemony to cover up the worst global threat, i.e. itself. And targets China which challenges its hegemony. A sustained and coordinated campaign aimed at undermining the credibility of China. China is already way more democratic than US - especially when considering that its infrastructure today is already where it inevitably will be tomorrow in a technologically lagging US. In other words, technology itself puts ever more distinction on our behavior - compare e.g. the shift from unmarked cash to marked card/online payments. And as an extra bonus China has extremely low criminality, better privacy law, and incredible record of improving poverty and welfare both home and abroad compared to US. Just consider how US has painted itself into a corner by the 1971 cheating that disconnected the dollar from US' own means, hence creating a situation with no other return than lowering its standard (i.e. stopping printing dollar that the rest of the world have had to pay for due to US' global financial empire tentacles) or a new war (which US is already brewing). Where US uses CIA meddling, sanctions and militarism, China has risen with honest manufacturing and trade.

Peter Klevius: Do note that my klevius.info is an experimental webmuseum made 2003 and deliberately hasn't been touched upon since 2007.

20211103: Why is BBC 4 news so silent about CIA's murder plot and ongoing extradition request against Julian Assange, but instead has plenty of news time to repeatedly tell listeners about some cricket player (muslim?) who 'was allegedly hurt' because of 'verbal abuse'?

$-freeloader US is the main driver of dangerous global militarism and state terror. It's also a many times bigger per capita polluter than China. Why is BBC repeating the lie that "China is the biggest polluter" when in fact it's one of the smallest?! And the only reason to not use per capita would be that China, unlike e.g. similar size Africa, has a single government. But even then China shines as the by far best led country. China is the technological future that we all have to walk - not led by the Chinese, but by technology. And because of US's desperation as its dollar-thieving (since 1971) is now threatened by China irresistibly passing them technologically and economically, China actually serves as a protected "soft landing model" for the future AI world (China's new privacy law, tech crackdown etc.) is exactly what most people want), while aggressive U.S. is a threat to peace and prosperity. Google is precisely the state link Chinese companies are accused of being, and US's "alliance" with "colored" and muslims is basically Sinophobia, i.e. the fear of losing control of those whom it has abused - it simply divides the world into good colored/religious and evil Chinese/Atheists (and evil whites who disagree). US-led "anti-communism" is not about communism or any belief that China would attack the rest of the world (as the US has done, after all). Almost everyone understands that today's China has nothing in common with Cuba, the Soviet Union, Pol Pot, and Mao's China.

Peter Klevius has collected US Google News China headlines for years and never seen them (algorithms) so extremely anti-China as now. US' (+its puppets) Taiwan lies in perspective: UN Resolution 2758 which was approved on October 25, 1971 states that "The representatives of the Government of the People's Republic of China are the only lawful representatives of China to the United Nations" and "decides to expel forthwith the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek (i.e. Taiwan) from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations and in all the organizations related to it." Again, U.S.-linked disinformation campaign against China is made up as it goes along. So how much of US' "anti-Communism" rant is actually Sinophobia spized with greed and fear of losing its parasitic world sucking position? Btw, the worst polluters on measure of culpability as weighted annual per capita greenhouse gas pollution taking relative per capita income into account include the Anglosphere countries US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland. Isn't it shameful that these hypocrites point finger at China?! And why is BBC so silent about the volcanic catastrophe on La Palma that not only keeps continuing but also is getting more vicious by the day?! Volcanos can at any moment start an abrupt iceage - and we are anyway already overdue to the next statistical iceage.

20210926 UK became even more a totalitarian right wing militaristic one party state when Labour cut off its left wing. And unlike China, UK has no meritocracy demand on MPs, nor has it any people's democracy even close to that of China (just consider how the Western, US steered, media told you Xi ordered less gaming for kids when in fact it was a broad demand from parent). And China forces its companies to use less energy - and the Sinophobic West of course spits on this environmental effort when some energy companies break the limits and can't deliver.





The West, not China, is the biggest emitter of pollution. What's not to like about China?! Best privacy law: least crimes: best high tech: best tech control: best poverty extermination: best manufacturer: best meritocratic democracy happiness: best trust in leadership, applauded by OIC for treatment of muslims, etc. And badly behaving $-freeloader and financial (and militaristic) global dictator U.S. jailed Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in a foreign country for her normal business in an other foreign country (whose prsidential candidate was murdered by US in a third foreign country) that US didn't happen to like as it didn't like the success of Chinese Huawei.

How $-freeloader US has robbed the world since 1971

China hating bigoted and hypocritical West (i.e. US+puppets) - which strangly calls itself "the international community" - worries about Taliban sharia while West's close ally, the islamofascist Saudi dictator family (behind 9/11 and most other islamic terror) has the most medieval form of sharia of any muslim country! Btw, most feminists are sharia muslims - and feminism ticks most fascism boxes . Peter Klevius to his readers: Never forget that fascism emerged in the very midst of what is now in anti-China rhetoric called "the international community" or the West. And the roots of Western fascism has never been treated but live on. Ask yourself, what if China had behaved like the murderous terror rogue state $-freeloader U.S.?!













Islamism wants islamic "human rights". Feminism wants women's "human rights". Peter Klevius wants Human Rights. Together with their close ally Saudi Arabia, US and its puppet UK have among the worst Human Rights records - yet they blame China and Russia instead. Fact correcting BBC's lies: Rogue state $-freeloader U.S. is also the by far much worse per capita greenhouse gas polluter than China.

Peter Klevius serious questions to you "out of Africa" believer! Ask yourself: How come that the oldest primates came from outside Africa; that the oldest great ape divergence happened outside Africa; that the oldest bi-pedals are from outside Africa; that the only australopithecines with a Homo skull lived as far from Africa you can get; that the oldest truly modern looking skull is from eastern China (and to Chris Stringer - its slightly archaic bun fits a very old age); that the oldest Africans are mongoloid; that the latest genetic mix that shaped the modern human happened in northern Asia and is traced to SE Asia; that the earliest sophisticated art (e.g. a drilled and polished perfect shiny stone bracelet from Siberia, perfect paintings and figurines) and tools (e.g. a perfect sewing needle, flutes etc) are found from Iberia to Sulawesi - but not in Africa so far; that the oldest round skulled Homo sapiens in sub-Saharan Africa is much younger than similar skulls in Eurasia; that we lack ancient enough DNA from Africa to use as evidence (although afropologists happily do), etc. etc.? Peter Klevius theory answers all these questions - and more.

Peter Klevius (the only serious anthropologist?!) to afropologists: If you honestly and with simple words would explain the essence of the out-of-Africa myth/hoax to a child s/he wouldn't believe a word of your story: A cold adapted (mongoloid phenotype) population P1 (Homo sapiens), which eats everything and has almost infinite time and skills to move anywhere on land - lives all over a southern "island" (Africa) that has an easily accessible bridge (Sinai) to an other "island" (Eurasia), but somehow cannot get out for hundreds of thousands of years. And when they tried they couldn't survive on places where their primitive relatives (Homo erectus) for 2 million years had thrived all over the places from the tropics to the northern cold. Then the kid would probably ask why you keep telling things that make no sense. And when you answer by saying that this now living population P2 on the warm island - but with features seen in all cold adapted populations P3 far north of the bridge - has the oldest DNA, then the kid would probably ask you if you have ever considered the possibility that those genes were aquired in the cold north far on the other side of the bridge. And your last resort to convince the child concists of some bone fragments that fit in a shoe box together with a decent pair of shoes - and there is no agreement about what they really are - and are the only thing we have between the chimp-like Lucy and the human-like erectus. And what would you answer when the kid then asks how a tiny Lucy-like (poor bipedalism) population A4 could possibly make it out of Africa all the way over the Wallace line to Flores as well as to the Philippines, long before Homo sapiens managed to do so? Peter Klevius suggests you and your kids learn from the best: Peter Klevius theory Speciation needs isolation over time and the best evolutionary lab has been SE Asian archipelago. Like all primates, carnivores, ungulates etc. we also came out of SE Asia with a new brain setup (due to island shrinking and mainland enlargement of this new brain setup), got coldadapted in the north and then spread all over the world while mixing with other Homo sapiens in a pattern easily recognizable.

Peter Klevius evolution formula.



U.S. main brain asset is East Asians - same with China... East-Asians (mostly Chinese) also took most gold medals in Tokyo Olympics. China won shared gold in the gold-medal race (39 golds - why are some excluding Hong Kong's gold).

Peter Klevius suggests taking the knee for Human Rights instead of for certain "races" based on skin color, religion - or sex.

The main threat against Taiwan is U.S. starting a war. But China just has to wait until the Taiwanese anyway want to rejoin because of Cnina's fast growing superior R&D, high tech, infrastructure, privacy law, economy etc.. For U.S. it's just the opposite. And West's hollow rant about "liberty" and "party-democracy" echoes back against China's democracy where the Chinese vote for truly merited individuals and against corruption. And Chinese hightech will, after some political delay come near you anyway - while in the meantime being called "assertive threat from CCP". And there's no more "Communism" in China's progress than there is Christianity in U.S' militaristic war mongering, criminal sanctions, $-freeloading, extrajudicial murders, unfair justice, torture, spying on everyone, use of islamists etc.. U.S. "Americans"! Payback time! When Peter Klevius bought his Japan made Citizen Eco Drive chronograph watch it cost ~ $240 in US and ~ $340 in EU. Those ~ $100 is what "American" (i.e. U.S. people - not all Americans) $-freeloaders owe to the rest of the world because of benefitting locally by money printing and pricing the main global reserve currency - but the end is near. $100 trillions - or more?!

Apoorva Mandavilli (New York Times): "Someday we will stop talking about the lab leak theory and maybe even admit its racist roots. But alas, that day is not yet here." Peter Klevius wonders what made her later delete it?! Fiat-money-world-$-freeloader-US' intention is not at all to clarify anything but instead to keep up hate against China. Would Fiat-money-world-$-freeloader-US and its UK puppet let Chinese inspect Fort Detrick and over 200 US bio-labs all over the world and UK's notorious military research at Porton Down, Salisbury. So while Chinese and "Chinese" looking people now are the most harrassed, BBC gives it no real attention while filling its news with BLM and "worries about islamophobia". Btw, if you poke any s.c. "free speech debate" you'll always find islamic efforts for "blasphemy" laws - and never laws against real blasphemy against basic negative Human Rights of 1948. When should islam pay for 1400 years of genocides? The West has abandoned Human Rights for the sake of sharia islam and is again becoming what it fought against - itself. Communistphobia (an "autoimmune" reaction now boosted by US' collapse and due aggression) led to Fascism, Nazism and WW2. Why do the worst (per capita and consumption) militant polluters and hypocrites (Fiat $-freeloader US, UK, Australia etc.) lie about China. the world's best source for cleaner tech?! Fiat $-freeloader US' influence behind Sinophobic attacks against China, the world's by far largest economy and future of tech, privacy law and Human Rights, and with less assaults, rapes and murders etc. than e.g. US and EU, while the "democratic West" turns sharia theocratic and militant. And why is islamism called "religion" and Confuzianism "propaganda"?! Peter Klevius: Why would religious precepts and Human Rights denial be more worthy of protection than political ones? After all, Human Rights are there to guide legislators and the Chinese trust their politicians much more than Westerners trust theirs. So there's a case to be made against anti-China hate propaganda which harmfully affects Chinese and "Chinese" looking people. The senseless flaw of monotheism: The pompous self-delusion of oneself as "god's" chosen individual while projecting one's "beliefs" on "god's" chosen "community" - which in turn projects a collectivist "belief" on its individuals. Freedom of thought doesn't mean freedom from law - and freedom of religion doesn't mean freedom from Human Rights. The only "ideology" that flawlessly fits negative Human Rights is Atheism (not believeing in any supremacist "god"). Lod/Lydda in Israel should be a warning that convinces anyone about the necessity to abandon racist and sexist monotheist religions and instead support the basic negative Human Rights of 1948 to guide legislation and behavior for a positive human future for all. https://negativehumanrights.blogspot.com/2021/05/negative-human-rights-for-positive.html









US declares Turkish murder and islamization of more than a million Armenians a genocide while UK declares China's de-islamization and education of backward Chinese Uyghurs a "genocide".



Joe Biden: "China will not become the leading country in the world, the wealthiest country in the world, and the most powerful country in the world on my watch! And history proves US is the dangerous one that wants to dictate and bully the world to keep its $-freeloader hegemony.

Xi Jinping: "China will never seek hegemony, no matter how strong it becomes." And he has the longest civilization to back it up with.



Peter Klevius warns the Brits about the danger posed by spy master Jeremy Fleming's delusional, dangerous and Sinophobic China "analysis" which, if followed, may lead to stagnation and even US initiated war. It's all about UK either chosing a dangerous puppet status under US decline and stagnation by supported US' populist riding on pre-existing anti-Chinese (and anti-mongoloid racism, compare e.g. footballer Son Heung-Min and BBC lacking to report hate crimes against Chinese etc) sentiments - or simply benefitting from China's success through cooperation. The "danger" of new Chibese surveillance tech becomes ok later on in the West. However, China has now better privacy protection than the West, and China's meritocratic political representation combined with the world's toughest anti-corruption, makes West look bleak in comparison. And unlike UK, China has a real written constituion that gives women the same rights as men without exeption - someting US is still lacking, as are UK's sharia courts.



20210416: US' puppet sidekick UK cowardly runs away when it cannot hide in the master's shadow anymore - leaving Afghanistan's women without protection against islamic evil.



Don't respect islam as long as islam doesn't respect Human Rights! And if you don't trust Peter Klevius (2001-) on this, then trust Council of Europe's (2019) basically similar criticism of islam's main worldly (except Gabriel) representative, Saudi based and steered OIC's Human Rights violating sharia declaration CDHRI! Moreover, the most pious muslims seem to be the ones furthest distancing themselves from Human Rights.



Peter Klevius to the women of Greenham Common: Aren't the Saudi allied and posturing "in cheat and global nUKes we trust" right wing Sinophobic Brexiters a bigger threat than Iran?



BBC is the world's main spreader of anti-Sinoist hate speech and populist Sinophobic propaganda on an industrial scale and therefore guilty of inciting crimes against humanity!



First spitting on China and then using China's reaction as an excuse for more spitting.



The original (negative) Human Rights (1948) means the individual is not to be imposed an action of another individual, group, government, religion etc. Negative Human Rights hence function as the guidance and guardian against unneccessarily restricting legislation. Sharia islam, i.e. in praxis Saudi based and steered OIC's notorious* sharia declaration, is the very opposite. However, UK and BBC seem to approve of islam's Human Rights violations while calling China's efforts to stifle them "human rights abuse". The original (negative) Human Rights (1948) means the individual is not to be imposed an action of another individual, group, government, religion etc. Negative Human Rights hence function as the guidance and guardian against unneccessarily restricting legislation. Sharia islam, i.e. in praxis Saudi based and steered OIC's notorious* sharia declaration, is the very opposite. However, UK and BBC seem to approve of islam's Human Rights violations while calling China's efforts to stifle them "human rights abuse". * Similarly criticized by Peter Klevius and the Council of Europe. Are both "islamophobes"?!

Global China for peace and wealth vs. "global UK" for more hate incitement, lies, threats, nukes, warmonger and miltarism under the shield of the militaristic world dictator and $-freeloader US. Compare this to UN's Resident Coordinator in China, Siddharth Chatterjee, who says "we stand in a unique position to cooperate with the Government of China and apply its successes of lifting hundreds of million people out of poverty globally. China has shown its firm belief in the principles of multilateralism. As I witnessed in Kenya, China's donations of personal protective equipment and other supplies played a critical role during the disruption in global supply chains in March 2020. And every day I am in China, I am inspired by what I see around me, what China has achieved and can achieve as a country."

But US/UK do their utmost to stop "assertive Chinese influence". And a Sinophobic parliament shouts "genocide" when China protects women's Human Rights.

Without a fair reason UK declares Chinese a "threat" while Brits and other "infidels" are constantly threatened by Human Rights violating islamism.

20210320: The world's master fake news troll farm BBC today still uses conspiracy theorist, warmonger and China hater Pompeo to smear China and spread anti-Sinoism - but nothing about islamist Human Rights violating atrocities (e.g. 50 children beheaded by islamists in Mocambique etc.), !? Btw, UK abducts proportionally many more children than China - and expose them to islamist child abuse. Peter Klevius feels truly ashamed of looking like a Westerner. Btw, how can you excuse US criminal behavior: First benefitting from monopolizing global web tech and then using this monopoly as a weapon against competitors?!

$-freeloader US and its UK puppet don't care about the wellbeing of Chinese but want only to damage China's success. Sinophobic UK parliament should just shut up talking about China and democracy. People living legally in their own state EU were robbed of their democracy by UK! And even UK nationals are just subjects, not citizens.



BBC, the world's worst war mongering and hate spreading propaganda troll farm, uses Chinese "Guantanamo"* prisoner fotage out of context as "evidence" of how "truthful" BBC is! * US detained muslim terrorist suspects outside US! BBC stereotypes whatever to fit "genocide" in China but doesn't mind US-UK-Australian torture and murder of civilians. Where China stands for tech and wealth development $-freeloader US + UK-Australia stand for spreadinng lies and militarist tensions. And why so silent about UK torture of Assange while declaring an Iranian spy suspect as "innocent" simply because she says so (Iran, like US, doesn't approve of double citizenship).



Uncritical democracy with islam inevitably means the death of Human Rights. Peter Klevius probably has some half of muslims on his side in saying so.



BBC welcomes Jo Johnson when he now says "China is authoritarian, almost neo-totalitarian regime". Peter Klevius wonders how that fits with a country which leadership is much more approved of than Western ones?! Even an idiot (but not BBC) can see that China's modern Communism has nothing to do with Maoism or Soviet Communism. The only criticism left the West can come up with is name calling. The welfare, progress and out of poverty success for Chinese people has nothing in common with "conventional Communism". On the contrary, it delivers exactly where s.c. "democracies" (one might even argue that China is closer to democracy than the West) often fail. "Democracies" are anyway one party states supported by at the most some half of the population compared to China's qualified majority. So China's "authoritarian" Communist "dictatorship" is as far you can get from the West's beloved Sunni islamist theocracy, steered by the murderous and war crimes committing Saudi dictator family. So why is China declared an enemy while Saudi is an ally! Moreover, China's new privacy law will protect the individual much better than any similar laws in in the West. Why? Because China's leadership thinks the individual's privacy is too important to fiddle with (read the draft). Something the West has given up (to US). And who was it that started smearing, lying, spreading rumours and conspiracy theories, military threats etc. against China in the forst place? Sinophobic racism from the West for the purpose of aiding the US $-freeloader.



Peter Klevius: Every muslim is responsible for muslims racism and sexism. So stop shouting "you're not a muslim" to a muslim who believes and knows the Koran by heart! Immigration is ok - if you criminalize anti-Human Rights sharia muslims (and their accompllices)!

In cheat we trust: UK decreases aid to Yemen while increasing weapons sale to the muslim Saudi dictator family and spending more on militarism. And BBC is more concerned about Uyghurs than Yemenites. And worries more about Buddhists who don't like to be attacked, raped, murdered etc. than about their radicalized muslim attackers.





Lord Palmerston, UK PM who supported the Confederacy in the US civil war, hoping a dissolution of the Union would weaken the US: "The Chinese are uncivilized and the British must attack China to show up their superiority as well as to demonstrate what a civilized nation could do."



US is now the worst global threat that only cooperating with China could mitigate - instead of being US' puppets. Peter Klevius: Why is US ordering 600 new nukes - i.e. the double of China's total?

Why is China the only NPT state to give an unqualified negative security assurance with its "no first use"?

Why isn't UK's parliament more interested in the real genocide in Yemen than the made up "genocide" in Xinjiang?!

Why is UK applauding the conviction of Syrian soldiers while UK soldiers go free from similar crimes against humanity.

Why isn't the real genocide that muslim Uyghurs have committed against non-muslim Uyghurs talked about?! When Dominic Raab visited Saudi Arabia he failed to raise the question of Saudi Human Rights abuses.However, in UN he lied about "China's industrial scale Human Rights abuses". He deliberately conflated unchecked BBC "reports" by East Turkestan jihadis with China's out of poverty and de-radicalization programs. And of course forgot to say sterilization was offered after three (3) children and with economical and educational incentives for muslim women tied at home by sharia.

The militant $-freeloader US' spread of misinfo about China has made Chinese the most hated ethnicity while sharia muslims are the most protected - and US' puppet UK's Dominic Raab keeps spitting Sinophobia while supporting anti-Human Rights islamism.



UK, which illegally still colonizes Chagos (but complains about China), in a secret ballot 'arranged' (helped by OIC) a sharia islamist to become leader of the International Criminal Court - i.e. someone who doesn't respect basic Human Rights! Should ICC now change to ICT (In Cheat we Trust)?

Peter Klevius (like e.g. most really intelligent Jews is an Atheist, not confined with "faith", politics, career, finance etc.): While the West accepts OIC's Human Rights violating sharia islamism, China defends Human Rights against islamism. And unlike US' constitution, China's constitution is fully aligned with women's rights in the 1948 Human Rights declaration. So to avoid the West turning into a full muslim theocracy (OIC sharia) fractioned in infighting, we better become Sinophils instead of Sinophobes! "Anti-democratic ommunism" is now the only (empty - the only difference is that MPs in China are under harder scrutiny) argument the West still swings.



Peter Klevius: SE Asia was the evolutionary laboratory that made human evolution possible. Africa doesn't tick a single box

20210127, BBC (fake) News: "We are memorizing 6 million Jews in Holocaust." Peter Klevius: So why not include the more than 6 million non-Jews?! See BBC's diabolically wild lies about Uighurs!





Many Afgan women's dream is to be treated like Uighur women in China. However, the criminal militaristic war mongering rogue state U.S. abandons them and instead declares islamist Uighur terrorists not terrorists anymore and accuses China's emancipation efforts for "genocide" and "human rights violation".



However, the criminal militaristic war mongering rogue state U.S. abandons them and instead declares islamist Uighur terrorists not terrorists anymore and accuses China's emancipation efforts for "genocide" and "human rights violation". The biggest scandal in anthropology: Afropologist John Hawks and faith creationists dismiss the hereto most important "missing link" in human evolution. How many have they brainwashed and kept misinformed?!



1990 islam officially and globally (via UN) rejected Human Rights (the Saudi based and steered OIC's sharia declaration witch gravely violates the most basic of Human Rights)!



If Atheist Chinese had reproduced like muslims, there'd be more s.c. "Mongoloids" than the whole world population today.

BBC is the world's biggest lying and faking propaganda troll - BBC's agenda has absolutely nothing to do with journalistic principles but is a mix of US pressure spiced with the worst of "Britishness" (UK cuts foreign aid from 0.7-0.5% and adds the same money to militarism) meeting in Saudi/OIC islamofascist sharia against basic Human Rights. BBC: UK has to aid Saudi war crimes and genocides cause else Russia and China would do it. UK's future is as a militaristic puppet for US (compare BBC's campaign against Johnson and Corbyn). Peter Klevius to BBC's Sinophobic muslim presenters in their ivory minaret: How many muslim women are detained in UK's sharia camps?



US secretary of state, Pompeo declares Islamic State Uighur jihadi not terrorists - so they can attack China and get support from US (as in Syria).









It's an irony that China now seems to offer the only defense of those very Human Rights it's accused of not following - while the West supports islamism that violates those Human Rights (compare Saudi based and steered OIC's global sharia declaration against Human Rights). Moreover, apostasy (i.e. leaving islam, which is the worst crime in islam) and the fact that the muslim man determines the faith for the children no matter who is the mother, together have to be added to any estimation of muslim population growth.

US' and its puppets' Sinophobia campaign rooted in UK's appalling opium wars against Chinese people



Why do Sinophobic BBC and UK parliament call it "deradicalization" in UK, US and Saudi Arabia, but "genocide" in China?! And why wasn't one-child policy against Atheist Han Chinese called "genocide" while Uighur muslims were allowed to have many children?! Btw, e.g. Sweden abducts many more children than China does in Xinjiang - and for extremely questionable reasons (read Peter Klevius' thesis Pathological Symbiosis and ask yourself why Sweden gets away with its Human Rights violations). Answer: It's all about U.S. being a lousy loser and therefore behaving appalingly badly with smear, threats, illegal sanctions, militaristic aggression etc! Btw, China is already number one in economy and most technology - and accelerating compared to US. So you stupid US puppets - take note! Shame on everyone who blinks Saudi based and steered OIC's anti-human rights sharia for all the world's muslims while spitting on China!

Should BBC and some politicians be put on a Nurenberg trial after this relentless and demonizing Sinophobia campaign and deliberate lies?

US is rottening fast and should therefore go for peace and cooperation! Despite using $-freeloading, sanctions, breaking treaties, murdering officials and politicians in other countries during state visits etc., hindering the use of tech previously used to monopolize US companies globally etc., US now wants to destroy Huawei and other Chinese companies, not for security but because US is inevitably losing the tech race. And no, it isn't the Chinese state support any more than US uses state support for force-feeding Apple, Google etc. and backed up by US state militaristic interventions, spying, interference, threats etc. globally. And China was the first to recognize the danger of Covid-19 - not "delaying" anything" but quite the contrary (see below)! BBC News' deliberately misleading and dangerous anti-China rant 20200706: "China ought to be our enemy! We can't do any business with China because of Hong Kong, and the sterilization of Uyghur muslims which some people (BBC and its cherry picked guests?!) think amounts to genocide". Peter Kleius: That Chinese muslims should follow the same laws as other Chinese, and that China uses similar deradicalization programmes proposed in the West, BBC thinks is "suppression". And volontary sterilization in the West BBC calls "genocide" in China. And Hong Kong's security law is similar to those in the West - and not as bad as US - and are definitely neccessary to keep "one nation" together under the immense pressure from US and its puppet regimes. 2020 4th of July: Peter Klevius wonders when US women will get the same rights as Chinese women - ERA is still lacking from US constitution? Article 2, Chinese constitution: Women shall enjoy equal rights with men in all aspects of political, economic, cultural, social and family life. Peter Klevius also wonders why aggressive and assertive US attacks peaceful China (every schism has US fingerprints) while siding with the war crimes committing murdeous islamofascist Saudi dictator family whose OIC sharia clearly denies eqaulity for women?! China is doing more good to more people than any other country today. Is this the reason?!



20200618: Why is the most cemtral witness, Inge Morelius (later aka Marelius) in the Swedish PM Palme's murder case, deleted by Google's search engine from

deleted by Google's search engine from Peter Klevius revealing murder analysis ?! 20200616: When China discovers Covid-19 with a European DNA profile on a cutting board for Norwegian salmon, the BBC thinks it's the communist party.

Why is BBC so quiet about Churchill's secret (until 2018) pact with Stalin in 1939 which would have divided Scandinavia between Russia and UK?! And US' NATO puppet Jens Stoltenberg repeats like a parrot his master's voice against China - while a civil war is going on inside NATO between Greece and Turkey. African Pygmy lives matter! Colonized and enslaved for more than 3,500 years by the Eurasian Bantu etc. intruders we now call Africans. It's a senseless irony that "Africans" (Bantus etc. newcomers) who enslaved and mixed with original Africans (Khoisan and especially Pygmies from whom they got their phenotype) and later were enslaved by muslim Arabs and their "African" collaborators now get a brain drop at the West African ports where islam exported slaves. Any old African genes come from Khoisan and Pygmies - and ultimately out of Asia - not Africa. "Out-of-Africa" and BLM are created by white idiots and only feed supremacism. Read "out-of-Africa" more dangerous than the Piltdown hoax

Peter Klevius 20200604: What if Floyd had been white or Chinese?! And the officers members of Nation of Islam? And how do we even know that any racism was involved? And what about a fair trial?

20200603: UK's Sinophobic right wing anti-EU migration Brexiters now want to import 3 million Chinese from Hong Kong!?

20200529: In its everyday Sinophobia rant BBC today managed in one sentence to accuse Chinese, China and Xi separately - and even missing the stock smear, i.e. the "communist party". However in a very near future China will develop and export a world leading ecosystem of non-US software, hardware, fintech, social media, telecom infrastructure etc. that everyone will long for. Stubborn and dumb stiff lipped Sinophobes will become Neanderthals in no time. Sadly few politicians understand how powerful Chinese tech development is. Japan did the same but wasn't hampered by Maoist communism and was ten times smaller. High IQ and an Atheist culture they both have in common.

The pro-Saudi and anti-China "party-within" UK's governing party is committing long term criminal harm to UK. China is the future and US is rottening with accelerating speed (the desperate sanctions against China tell it all). Only tech cooperation with China will benefit Brits and Americans. So why are UK politicians and BBC so eager to shoot their own PM and the Brits in the foot by being dictated by Pompeo, Trump and the Saudi dictator family, and boosted by a general Sinophobia racism? The "communist" scare mongering has no relevance because in practice China behaves in no way different than US - but is under constant smear and subversion attacks. And China's surveillance has actually developed less fast than that of US. US is a rogue state that murders and surveils in other countries (e.g. murdered top politician in Iran and surveilled Merkel - and you). And who likes ISIS and al-Qaeda etc. Uyghur jihadi terrorists anyway? Pompeo, Erdogan and Saudi steered islamofascists.



20200522: BBC and some right wing MPs call it a "draconian move" when China wants to stop foreign interference and people using Molotov cocktails. Really! So what about in UK?!



20200518: BBC again repeated the anti-China lie about "a silenced doctor" by inviting the former right wing and pro-Saudi (anti-)EU Research Group - now (anti-)China Research Group. How bad a journalist isn't Sarah Montague then when she didn't even try to question it - or is she muffled?! Eye dr. Li Wenliang wrongly spread out it could be SARS. It wasn't and just one hour later - and long before any police etc. had contacted him - he corrected his mistake (see fact check below).

$-freeloader US provoking China with war ships while simultaneously "leaking" "classified" rumours. Why?! Its Sinophobia is all about trying to stop China's success as the foremost spreader of wealth and high tech both in China and the world. It's not the leadership but China's success that US can't stand.



BBC sides with whoever Sinophobes - and would probably even have used Goebbels against China if he was still around. UK universities etc. are littered with dangerous Saudi (OIC) anti-Human Rights sharia jihad propaganda (incl. supprt of IS Utghur jihadi) - yet China has always been aggressively smeared all the way since UK's opium war attacks on China when it was declared "inferior" and "uncivilized". Today the problem seems to be that China is too superior and too civilized - but thankfully they have a "communist" party to blame, although the leadership has behaved better than most in the West. And when BBC talks about the "West" against China it actually means US spy organization Five Eyes (with the puppet states Australia, UK, Canada and NZ) and whoever other Sinophobes it can find elsewhere - like the Israel supporting and anti-muslim right wing Axel Springer, Europe's largest media (practically a monpoly) which is accused of e.g. censorship and interference in other countries (just like state media BBC).



Should China sue BBC and UK (not to mention US) and the far-right, anti-China and anti-muslim UK "think tank" the Jackson Society (with associated Sinophobic MPs and lords) - whose Sinophobia (disguised as "against communism" etc.) complements leftist and pro-sharia jihad muslims BBC which now so eagerly gives it a platform, as well as the closely connected US spy organization Five Eyes which has demonized China for years long before Huawei or Covid-19? The lies about China they have spread are indistinguishable from those of Pompeo and Trump. Is this baseless (compared to US/UK) hate mongering really conducive to the welfare of UK? And when China reacts to this massive Sinophobia campaign then BBC calls it "aggressive Chinese propaganda".



US "warns" about China "stealing" vaccine info because US knows that China now produces much better research than US.



BBC anti-China fake 20200506: "Hundreds if not thousands of people were likely to have been infected in Wuhan, at a time when Chinese officials said there were only a few dozen cases." Peter Klevius fact check: BBC deliberately conflates real time confirmed knowledge with calculations in retrospect.



US has made all the mistakes it accuses China for. Here's one from the top of the iceberg: Whistleblower Dr. Rick Bright, the director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, pressed for urgent access to funding, personnel and clinical specimens, including viruses, which he emphasized were all critically necessary to begin development of lifesaving medicines needed in the likely event that the virus spread outside of SE Asia. He was then cut out of critical meetings for raising early alarm about the virus and ousted from his position.



Chinese 5G much more reliable than US' Five Eyes, the world's most dangerous misinfo and conspiracy spreading US spy and smear organization (together with its puppet states UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) which "leaked" a 15-page dossier alleging "probing the possibility" the virus came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. As Peter Klevius has said before, it didn't come from bats to humans but from some other host animal. Fake news and anti-China propaganda videos are making false and unfounded claims about "delays" and "late" human to human transmission report. Again, it was only in retrospect anyone could have known the nature of early cases. Many weren't even connectded to the wet market and many weren't affected at all despite intimate contact. Moreover, the wrong early SARS diagnosis was corrected the very same day but spread by a "whistleblower" eye doctor (see fact check below). And despite being first affected China acted better than US etc. countries. 5eyes equals Nazi Goebbels in propaganda misinfo. Every single accusation so far has built on deliberate distortion of facts. And possble improvements in retrospect would have been exactly the same in even the best of Western countroes.



Peter Klevius to Chinese people: I'm not a racist - although I certainly look like one.



Origin of Sinophobia: The 19th century Opium Wars were triggered by UK's imposition of the opium trade upon China. Lord Palmerston regarded the Chinese as uncivilized and suggested that the British must attack China to show up their superiority as well as to demonstrate what a "civilized" nation could do. The resulting concession of Hong Kong compromised China's territorial sovereignty. There's also the background to South China Sea.



"God", "Allah", or whichever "monotheistic" idol is a pathetic fallacy and "monotheism" is a ridiculous and dangerous self-delusion because your "god" is used to defend the undefendable. There are equally many "gods" as there are individuals - and the collective "god" only functions as cherry picked confirmation of the individual's "god". However, the collective "god" may combine individual evil - never individual good, because that can only be achieved by (negative) Human Rights. After all, as Peter Klevius always has said, the only way of being fully human is to allow others full humanhood (what else could possibly unite all humans) - without religious impositions/exclusions.

Pentagon, islam - and China?!



Also check out Peter Klevius theory (1992) on "consciousness"/Thalamus - the only one that fits empirical evidence. And don't miss And don't miss Anthropologist Peter Klevius vs. Afropologist John Hawks - and how the British Piltdown hoax moved to Africa .

Peter Klevius asks for an independent international inquiry on BBC's racist Sinophobia and its support of sharia islamism - incl. how many victims and suffering it has caused because of its worldwide propaganda influence.

In the early 1990's US accused Japan of selling superior cars in US without buying crappy cars from US. And a congress woman warned for tech theft if selling US planes to Japan - but was told that those planes wouldn't even fly without Japanese high tech. At the same time EU was created to build a trade wall against Japanese products. However, Japan is more than ten times smaller than China - and isn't at the hotbed of different coronaviruses in SE Asia.



Dear reader, if you think Peter Klevius has a problem with self-assertion you're very wrong. Apart from it being connected to Peter Klevius criticism of citation cartels (see Demand for Resources, 1992:40-44) Peter Klevius main problem is your self-assertion.







Is this MP a clown?

Sinophobic BBC working hard for a Coup d'etat together with Saudi loving and China hating MPs against PM Boris Johnson.



Peter Klevius wonders why Sinophobic state media BBC (with Tom Tugendhat etc.) goes against the state (PM, MI6 etc.) in being so extremely worried about unfounded claims about China while having no problem with the threats posed by the worst of the worst, the islamofascist Saudi dictator family's influence over UK - and BBC?! goes against the state (PM, MI6 etc.) in being so extremely worried about unfounded claims about China while having no problem with the threats posed by the worst of the worst, the islamofascist Saudi dictator family's influence over UK - and BBC?!

20200417: BBC's Sinophobic muslim Razia Iqbal together with Tom Tugendhat arrange a pathetic propaganda theatre of BBC's 22:00 news hour for the most senseless and even childish smearing of China. And how can this clown (just listen to his laughter etc.!) be a leader of UK's foreign affairs committee?! Moreover, Razia Iqbal even uses Trump as an expert! Desperate...! arrange a pathetic propaganda theatre of BBC's 22:00 news hour for the most senseless and even childish smearing of China. And how can this clown (just listen to his laughter etc.!) be a leader of UK's foreign affairs committee?! Moreover, Razia Iqbal even uses Trump as an expert! Desperate...

20200416: State media BBC's Sinophobic Uganda rooted muslim Razia Iqbal lies about Chinese "racism" against Ugandans without telling that it was a local matter that was caused by some Africans linked to a cluster of cases in the Nigerian community in Guangzhou at a time when China had already curbed Covid-19. At least eight people diagnosed with the illness had spent time in the city's Yuexiu district, known as "Little Africa". Five were Nigerian nationals who faced widespread anger - not for being Africans but because of reports that they had broken a mandatory quarantine and been to eight restaurants and other public places instead of staying home. As a result, nearly 2,000 people they came into contact with had to be tested for Covid-19 or undergo quarantine. Guangzhou had confirmed 114 imported coronavirus cases  16 of which were Africans. The rest were returning Chinese nationals.

20200407a.m.: UK's best PM, Boris Johnson, is much shorter (same as Einstein and Klevius dad) than Trump - but also much more intelligent. It's OK to say so when Trump is white - and loves to play on height, right? 20200412: The reason the Chinese government wanted extra control of DNA results was the previous failed report (see below) which wrongly indicated SARS. However, British media (BBC etc.) blatantly lie about it and first accused Shi Zhengli's lab for spreading infected bats, while some weeks later making her a hero and accusing the government. And no, it didn't spread from bats - but possibly from civet cats. Suspected animals are now forbidden from the market.





Anthropologist Peter Klevius vs. Afropologist John Hawks - and how the British Piltdown hoax moved to Africa. And why would antelopes evolve in the very opposite direction to humans - at the same time?

UK/Matt Hancock (20200402): "We will work (against Covid19) with our friends and allies." Peter Klevius: That excludes the best, i.e. China, which you, on order from US, have declared an "unfriendly enemy"!



SINOPHOBIA RACISM. US tries to pull you away from Chinese high tech superiority so US can keep feeding you with its outdated tech and influence - just as it used to do with cars and wars. Your pick: US militarism with Saudi led islamofascism - or highspeed Chinatech towards Chinese democracy and global wealth. China is the very opposite to Cuba - and already, in practise, almost identical to Western governments. Excluding China only prolongs the democratic process - and even speeds up China's high tech inside its 1.4 billion market.



Peter Klevius fact check: "COVID-19 has a natural origin and there is no evidence that the virus was made in a laboratory or otherwise engineered" (Nature). China swiftly sequenced and shared the genome worldwide. China's remarkable response on all stages was praised by WHO (but not BBC) and is in line with its superior tech advances (Mao's China would never have made it). There isn't a trace of an alleged (by BBC etc. fakes) Chinese Covid19 reporting "delay" that wouldn't have been bigger in the West. And the reason is that

for China good reputation is all that matters - now when it has already won the tech competition. China's defense against West's smear campaign is called "propaganda" - in the West. Dear US, it's time to behave! You lost the tech war to little Japan long ago. Now you've lost it against big China. Get over it. So Peter Klevius advises: Do as Wall Street, shake hands instead of producing unfounded Sinophobic smear propaganda!

Covid19 timeline " (Nature). China swiftly sequenced and shared the genome worldwide. China's remarkable response on all stages was praised by WHO (but not BBC) and is in line with its superior tech advances (Mao's China would never have made it). There isn't a trace of an alleged (by BBC etc. fakes) Chinese Covid19 reporting "delay" that wouldn't have been bigger in the West. And the reason is thatfor China good reputation is all that matters - now when it has already won the tech competition. China's defense against West's smear campaign is called "propaganda" - in the West. Dear US, it's time to behave! You lost the tech war to little Japan long ago. Now you've lost it against big China. Get over it. So Peter Klevius advises: Do as Wall Street, shake hands instead of producing unfounded Sinophobic smear propaganda! 17 November 2019: A retrospectively confirmed case.

1 December 2019: The first known patient started experiencing symptoms but had not been to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market. No epidemiological link could be found between this case and later cases.

818 December 2019: Seven cases later diagnosed as COVID19 were documented; only two of them were linked with the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market.

18-29 December 2019: Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) that will eventually be used for viral genome sequencing is collected from patients.

25 December 2019: Wuhan Fifth Hospital gastroenterology director Lu Xiaohong reported suspected infection by hospital staff.

26 December 2019: Zhang Jixian identified a CT scan that showed a different pattern from other viral pneumonia.

27 December 2019: She reported to Jianghan district CCDC with four cases. During the following two days, the hospital received three similar cases, who all came from Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market. The hospital reported to the provincial and city CDC directly which initiated a field investigation with a retrospective search for pneumonia patients potentially linked to the market. They found additional such patients and on 30 December, health authorities from Hubei Province reported this cluster to CCDC who immediately sent experts to Wuhan to support the investigation. Samples from these patients were obtained for laboratory analyses.

30 December 2019: Wuhan Municipal Health Committee informed WHO, Weibo etc. about an "urgent notice on the treatment of pneumonia of unknown cause". There had been "a successive series of patients with unexplained pneumonia recently." However, a DNA report inaccurately indicated SARS on one patient. Late same day (17:43) ophthalmologist Li Wenliang WeChatted "There were 7 confirmed cases of SARS at Huanan Seafood Market." He included a patient's CT scan. At 18:42, he admitted that it wasn't proven SARS.

31 December 2019: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were alerted by China of an unexplained "cluster of 27 cases of pneumonia in Wuhan.

US worst nightmare is a democratic China - which wouldn't change China but make it even more like one-party "democracies" in the West - because that would mean losing US only argument. US deliberately seeks Sinophobic confrontational aggression against China - which hampers the development and peace of the world.

US island puppets against China and EU. US, who used to treat Japan as it now treats China, is now parasitizing on former enemy Japan in an (in vane) effort to keep China high tech down, and on the much tinier UK ally to trouble EU.



Something sinister is behind when Sinophobic far right extremist politicians so desperately risk future development in UK with false accusations of "possible risks in the future", skewed presentations, and unfounded demonization of Chinese high tech. And while Klevius is posting this, all in his machine is spied on and sent to US. And why is BBC constantly only hosting Sinophobic guests who also happen to be supporters of the islamofascist Saudi dictator family and happy to allow US spying on you via US companies? The only risk Huawei poses is that the Chinese state gets fed up and makes it illegal to sell Chinese top tech to UK. China is the future of high tech, so stepping off the bus means retardation. Btw, the two main accusations against China could easily be made against US/UK as well. China wants to trade and therefore doesn't want to risk reputation. US doesn't bother about its reputation. And when it comes to clean up muslim "communities" from islamofascist extremists there's really no other difference than in numbers. Moreover, NATO/Turkey uses extremist Uyghurs against civilians in e.g. Idlib - and hypocritically accuse China when these jihadi return.



Klevius to women: NATO makes a deal with the Taliban to continue sharia oppression of women, and NATO+IS=true because NATO is the main culprit behind the suffering in Idlib. Without the support from NATO the worst muslim terrorist group would never have survived. Like IS, NATO ally Hayat Tahrir al-Sham wants to create an islamic state. Turkey/NATO backs SNA well knowing that it's together with HTS. I.e. a NATO member state invades its neighbor, sides with terrorists and gets full support from NATO when its soldiers get killed while helping the terrorists. And what about Yemen?! It's truly pathetic that muslims seem more worried about islamofascism than the West!







Peter Klevius to climatists: Sinophobia is a threat to the environment, because China has the slowest population growth and is the the least per capita polluter of main economies (see table below) and the main producer of alternative and conventional super high tech! Moreover, China lacks the same proportion of natural resources as e.g. Sweden, Norway etc. (e.g. hydropower) but instead has to deal with the dust smog blowing from the Gobi desert and the extreme cold from the north. And China bears the manufacturing pollution for products other countries then consume and profit on.



NATO (Turkey supported by US/UK) is siding with the worst muslim terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (some 10,000 IS jihadi) against the people of Idlib while BBC News spreads misinfo propaganda against Syria, Russia and Iran - and nothing about the Saudi dictator family.

BBC (20200217) wants to stop Chinese tech because China opposes islamofascist Uyghurs. Klevius suggests the world should stop dealing with US/UK because of involvement in war crimes and genoscides against Shia muslims.

Why is Wikipedia allowed to spread polemical, tendentious and deliberately misleading info about islam? And not a word about islam's original supremacist enslavement, booty and humiliation ideology?! This misinfo is the most harmful of all!

From a true (negative) Human Rights, as well as from a historical perspective, original islam may rather be seen as original fascism. The oldest Koranic texts and the historically verified beginning of islam both emphasize supremacism as the main tenet (blamed/excused on "Allah"). Islam conserves racism, sexism and supremacism as pointed out by true muslims (aka "fundamentalists") reinforced through sharia (e.g. by Saudi based and steered OIC's world sharia which is heavily criticized both by Klevius and the Council of Europe etc.). Islamic (and therefore muslim) supremacism is easily distinguished as it doesn't approve of Human Rights equality.

And why does Wikipedia deliberately conflate the history of islam with the fairy tales of believers in islam?!

Sinophobia is racism but "islamophobia" is criticism of an ideology. "Islamophobia" shouters are directly responsible for islamic hate crimes based on Koranic texts and hitting children of "infidels".



The Saudi-US-UK axis of evil



Chinese eyes less intrusive than Five Eyes (US and its puppets) - because China prioritizes trade and reputation while US prioritizes global spying, meddling and military control. The Saudi loving US puppets Duncan Smith, Davis, Paterson, Green, Ellwood and Seely etc. produce baseless "security" arguments for Sinophobic MPs.

U.S. flu this season Feb. 2020: 19 million illnesses, 180,000 hospitalizations, and over 10,000 deaths (China has a third less common flu than US). 2019-nCoV, 6 Feb. 2020 (estim. total death rate 0.1-0.2%, i.e. same as common flu): 28,018 cases (not illnesses) and 563 deaths. Did the eye doctors SARS rant on social media delay response in China? It wasn't SARS but much closer to common flu - but without vaccine. Instead of assisting, US/UK/BBC did the utmost to smear China with it! Klevius warning to Finland (and the rest of the world): Don't be useful idiots in US' export of militarism! It will create tension and pull fire on you in a conflict. Four balancing power blocs is safer than one or two. Moreover, China will become the world's first true democracy thanks to AI. Don't let Sinophobia blind you. US is going down unless it starts cooperating instead of trying to rule the world. Non 5G iPhone sells well - in US - where there's no true 5G.

BBC's bigoted and hypocritical Pakistan rooted, Saudi raised and Cambridge schooled "muslim" (no veil, no Ramadan fasting, but yes to alcohol etc.) presenter Mishal Husain, like many Saudi/OIC supporters, represents the "security risk" between islam's "core" (OIC sharia) and "periphery" (e.g. "Euro-islam", "cultural islam" etc.).

Peter Klevius suggests cooperation instead of unfounded incl. religious) hate!

Klevius is ashamed over hateful, racist Western Sinophobia - and support of hateful sharia jihad. BBC's sharia supporting (?) muslim Mishal Husain now eagerly sides with Sinophobic extreme right wing politicians who support Saudi islamofascism but demonize China and Chinese (except if critcical of China). Sinophobes would treat China exactly the same if it copied US "democracy".



BBC today (20200129) forgot to tell about China already having isolated the virus for vaccine (and helped Australians to do so). However, BBC repeatedly lied that the death rate is 20%. Common flu and the new corona virus deaths (~2%) are extremely rare outside very vulnerable groups - who don't travel much.

BBC, who otherwise don't hesitate to spit on Trump, has no problem using his advisor when it comes to racist Sinophobia against Huawei. US is blackmailing UK so to hinder China's tech success and the "security issue" is actually US itself.

Niklas Arnberg, Swedish professor in virology: "Considerably higher mortality than ordinary flu." BBC: "Death toll rises as disease spreads from China."

Peter Klevius: Both are faking! Arnberg used overall death numbers although most (all?!) of these deaths have been people who could have died from ordinary flu as well. And do you really think BBC would ever have written similarly about the deadly camel flu from Saudi Arabia?!

Why is BBC spending so much more time on a 2019 flu from China than on the much deadlier 2019 camel flu from Saudi Arabia?!

Why is BBC only talking about Jewish victims - and why is BBC silent about the fact that most "anti-semites" (i.e. anti-Jews) are muslims? Holocaust: 6 million Jews and 11 million "others" were murdered by the German government for various discriminatory practices due to their ethnicity, Atheism, or LGBT+.

Hitler: "All character training must be derived from faith." Himmler: ""We believe in a God Almighty who stands above us; he has created the earth, the Fatherland, and he has sent us the Fuhrer. Any human being who does not believe in God should be considered arrogant, megalomaniacal, and stupid." Klevius (the Atheist "other"): That's a description of me by most Americans and muslims. Btw, why are muslim sex predators (compare Koran and sex slaves) from Pakistan called "Asians"?! And why have they been protected while Klevius has been muffled?!

Islam trumps LGBT rights in English schools - and hateful sexist and racist muslim supremacism defending BBC is silent as usual (e.g. about Parkfield Community School 2020). Klevius: Do you really support US/UK/BBC's disgusting racist Sinophobia madness - and their support and use of anti-Human Rights muslim islamism?! Wikipedia: In the Xinjiang riots Turkic speaking Uyghur muslims shouted/posted "kill the Han (Chinese) and Hui (Chinese speaking muslims)"!

Why is BBC so silent about Iran Air Flight 655 that was recklessly shot down by US over Iran territory killing 290 incl. 66 children?! Is it the new US puppet empire agenda? Did US aggression also cause the latest plane crash?



When BBC announces "the threats of 2020" the murders, terrorism and war crimes committing Saudi dictator family isn't included. As isn't US/UK militaristic meddling and proxy wars in Syria, Yemen, Iraq etc. However, China's peaceful trade and high tech manufacturing is!?



Saudi based and steered Human Rights violator OIC is the main legal guidance for the world's sharia muslims. BBC eagerly supports it by neglecting to criticize it while spitting on those who do. OIC's Cairo Declaration on "Human Rights" in Islam (CDHRI) is against freedom of religion - but abuses real Human Rights for the promotion of anti-Human Rights sharia islam. The CDHRI concludes in Articles 24 and 25 that all rights and freedoms mentioned are subject to the Islamic sharia, which is the declaration's sole source. OIC hence keeps the gate open for continued islamofascism in the "muslim world" - and as a convenient tool for meddling in "hostile states".



You believer in "islamophobia"! Doesn't it scare you that if Peter Klevius is right about islam but wouldn't say anything, then who would when you're doomed on the market if you do? If Marx had been called a "messenger" then Marxism would have been protected by freedom of religion, and critics called "Marxophobes". All "monotheist" religions make excuses not to fully accept Human Rights equality, but islam is by far the worst - not the least due to its origin and the fact that it's protected, unlike other threats to Human Rights. Whereas totalitarian Marxism used to be the enemy of the West, today US is on the totalitarian islamofascist side using it for Saudi gains against declared "enemies". It's truly a grim irony when BBC protects islamofascist terrorist groups by telling you that the suffering in Syria is due to the Syrian government and Russia. US could stop the muslim terrorist groups at any time - but doesn't because it wants the war and suffering to continue.





Peter Klevius fact/fake check: Why does Google (and BBC) lie and fake straight up your face about China ?! When searching for 'world's biggest per capita polluters' China comes up with extra big letters despite being When searching for 'world's biggest per capita polluters' China comes up with extra big letters despite being one of the least polluting of major economies (47th on a reliable polluters list). Moreover, China is not only the world leader for alternative technologies, but its pollution number also includes the biggest production of products exported and consumed all over the world outside China. Source: EDGAR and incl. all human activities leading to climate relevant emissions, except biomass/biofuel combustion (short-cycle carbon). US/UK (NATO) don't accept muslims like Uighur islamists (other than as proxy soldiers) - but demand China to accept them. NATO's Sinophobia is a threat to world peace, environment and prosperity. NATO is all about US monopolizing space for its own militarism and to block China's success? In 1990s Russia was proposed as a member of NATO but is now demonized by US/UK (and BBC) as the "main enemy" together with "the challenge from China" (sic). But NATO members are guilty of offensive wars, occupations, annexations, use of chemical weapons, use of islamist terrorists, foreign interventions, extrajudicial murderings in other countries - and use of similar muslim "re-education" camps as China (why not just criminalize original evil islam?!). NATO (US) threatens the free flow of tech and wealth, and provokes hate and defensive attitudes among Chinese - hence forcing China (world leader in tech) using its financial muscles more for defense (China can't be starved like USSR in 1980s) than environment. Btw, Chinese per capita GDP is 1/3 of US, and total GDP much bigger than US - and faster growing. A fraction of the effort given to demonize "islamophobic" islam criticim, would do wonders to reduce Sinophobic racism against Chinese. And stop using the "Communist threat". China is now a capitalist country similar to Western powers - except technologically much better (and the West copies everything China does in surveillance). Do you really think much would change if China would be fully democratic - except chaos caused by NATO? NATO (US/UK) would be equally Sinophobic. In fact, what is called "democracy" in the West functions quite similarly as the leadership in China. Media propaganda, lying politicians and empty promises combined with silencing the real issues (compare BBC's fake "news") - and therefore a truly democratic vote. Moreover, the only reason capitalist China has a non-democratic leadership for the moment is precisely its justified fear for leaving it vulnerable for what happened in the past when UK and US meddled and attacked with great suffering for the Chinese people. NATO should turn against the real evil, the islamofascist Saudi dictator family.

Peter Klevius Christmas greeting to BBC and Tesco: Ever thought about the possibility that muslim islamists don't like making Christmas cards but are encouraged by US/UK/BBC etc. to smear China. "We are foreign prisoners (muslims?) in Shanghai Qingpu prison China. Forced to work against our will (islamic Christophobia?). Please help us and notify human rights (ultimate bigotry if sharia muslims ask for HR) organisation (Saudi based and steered OIC?!)."



"British" nationalist hypocrisy: Get back control - and meddle, influence, intervene, spy and control all over the world.



More than half of muslims in UK are "islamophobes" (against sharia) - just like Peter Klevius, Council of Europe etc. - but opposite to BBC and many UK politicians (source: A survey of UKs muslim communities by Martyn Frampton, David Goodhart and Khalid Mahmood MP). (source: A survey of UKs muslim communities by Martyn Frampton, David Goodhart and Khalid Mahmood MP). BBC awards a white man who plays an odd sport few are interested in the title of "sports personality of the year 2019". Why?! Because cricket is a "british" colonial sports and also fits BBC's special interest in "asians" - but couldn't find a "british asian" good enough.

England voted (for the second time) against Merkels islam import from Turkey. Can islam be rehabilitated from its evil origin and deeds - and can unrehabilitated islam be allowed in public and private spheres? Why is Saudi based and steered OIC's Islamic State of Gambia accusing Aung San Suu Kyi for the consequences of islamofascism OIC's sharia protects - and why isn't the murderous islamofascist war criminal and genocide committing Saudi dictator "prince" accused of anything? And why is BBC's leading muslim extremist propaganda presenter Mishal Husain allowed to "present" an absolutely one-sided pro islamist picture for BBC's compulsory fee paying listeners? Peter Klevius fact/fake check: Why does Google lie and fake straight up your face?! When searching for 'world's biggest per capita polluters' China comes up with extra big letters despite being one of the least polluting of major economies (47th on a reliable polluters list). Moreover, China is not only the world leader for alternative technologies, but its pollution number also includes the biggest production of products exported and consumed all over the world outside China. Source: EDGAR and incl. all human activities leading to climate relevant emissions, except biomass/biofuel combustion (short-cycle carbon). US/UK (NATO) don't accept muslims like Uighur islamists (other than as proxy soldiers) - but demand China to accept them. NATO's Sinophobia is a threat to world peace, environment and prosperity.

NATO is all about US monopolizing space for its own militarism and to block China's success? In 1990s Russia was proposed as a member of NATO but is now demonized by US/UK (and BBC) as the "main enemy" together with "the challenge from China" (sic). But NATO members are guilty of offensive wars, occupations, annexations, use of chemical weapons, use of islamist terrorists, foreign interventions, extrajudicial murderings in other countries - and use of similar muslim "re-education" camps as China (why not just criminalize original evil islam?!). NATO (US) threatens the free flow of tech and wealth, and provokes hate and defensive attitudes among Chinese - hence forcing China (world leader in tech) using its financial muscles more for defense (China can't be starved like USSR in 1980s) than environment. Btw, Chinese per capita GDP is 1/3 of US, and total GDP much bigger than US - and faster growing. A fraction of the effort given to demonize "islamophobic" islam criticim, would do wonders to reduce Sinophobic racism against Chinese. And stop using the "Communist threat". China is now a capitalist country similar to Western powers - except technologically much better (and the West copies everything China does in surveillance). Do you really think much would change if China would be fully democratic - except chaos caused by NATO? NATO (US/UK) would be equally Sinophobic. In fact, what is called "democracy" in the West functions quite similarly as the leadership in China. Media propaganda, lying politicians and empty promises combined with silencing the real issues (compare BBC's fake "news") - and therefore a truly democratic vote. Moreover, the only reason capitalist China has a non-democratic leadership for the moment is precisely its justified fear for leaving it vulnerable for what happened in the past when UK and US meddled and attacked with great suffering for the Chinese people. NATO should turn against the real evil, the islamofascist Saudi dictator family.



DEMOCRACY DENIED: WARNING TO UK VOTERS ABOUT BBC's HUMANRIGHTSPHOBIA! WHO's RIGHT ON ISLAM - BBC OR THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE?

BBC undermines your most basic Human Rights. BBC's "islamophobia" propaganda machine (incl. Sayeeda Warsi) boosts OIC islam while neglecting Council of Europe's sharp ("islamophobic") criticism of OIC's world sharia (Cairo declaration). SO HOW COME THAT BBC IS ALLOWED TO MEDDLE IN THE VOTING PROCESS BY ATTACKING AND SMEARING THOSE CANDIDATES WHO SHARE THE VIEW OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE - not to mention the anti-fascist Universal Human Rights declaration of 1948?! And how come that racism against e.g. Polish people in UK is of no interest for BBC while the "problem" of "islamophobia" fills all BBC "news"?

Is BBC killing UK democracy and paving the way for islamofascism?BBC undermines your most basic Human Rights. BBC's "islamophobia" propaganda machine (incl. Sayeeda Warsi) boosts OIC islam while neglecting Council of Europe's sharp ("islamophobic") criticism of OIC's world sharia (Cairo declaration). SO HOW COME THAT BBC IS ALLOWED TO MEDDLE IN THE VOTING PROCESS BY ATTACKING AND SMEARING THOSE CANDIDATES WHO SHARE THE VIEW OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE - not to mention the anti-fascist Universal Human Rights declaration of 1948?! And how come that racism against e.g. Polish people in UK is of no interest for BBC while the "problem" of "islamophobia" fills all BBC "news"?

How Merkel paved the way for Brexit (Erdogan deal) and aided jihad in EU. NATO (US) with former fascist state Germany now sides with islamofascism - especially Erdogan's Ottoman aspirations - and supports Uyghur jihadism in hope of placing NATO (i.e. US) nukes between Russia and China. Peter Klevius wonders whether this ill-directed jihad propaganda will promote peace and safety?

The world bully U.S. thinks it owns and rules the world after having colonized it via dollar manipulation, infiltration, spying, meddling, sanctions and the unscrupulous use of militants and militarism. Thanks to the global dollar scam, Americans have been freeloaders on the rest of the world, the biggest per capita polluters and the U.S. by far the biggest threat to world peace via weapons built with money it stole from the world. Said by Peter Klevius who has been an anti-socialist all his life. Btw. the world's industrial revolution didn's start in England but in Sweden already in the late 17th century by inventor Christopher Polhem and capitalist Gabriel Stierncrona. Without Polhem's automation to get the rich Swedish iron ore from the mains, England had no chance to start real industrial production.







A nun's gear doesn't sign other women as "whores". However, what about a woman in an islamic "chastity" gear?



K.S. Lal (a giant among historians): Mahmud of Ghazni had marched into Hindustan again and again to wage jihad and spread the Muhammadan religion, to lay hold of its wealth, to destroy its temples, to enslave its people, sell them abroad and thereby earn profit, and to add to muslim numbers by converting the captives.

Is BBC 100% steered by muslims? Not only can you ever hear anything critical about islam and muslims - but all main channels are also occupied by sharia (OIC) supporting (i.e. against basic Human Rights equality) muslims. Nazir Afzal ('Moral maze', news, culture etc.), Mishal Husain (news, culture etc.), Samira Ahmed (news, culture etc.), Razia Iqbal (news, culture etc.). And they all keep cheating the public about it and instead pointing finger to "dumb and hateful xenophobes". Not a word about e.g. Council of Europe's harsh critcism (see below) of muslims biggest sharia organization, the Saudi based and steered OIC. Foreigners isn't the peoblem - sharia islam is!



BBC's muslims and their PC supporters also meddle in UK election by demonizing "islamophobia", i.e. trying to stop critcs of islamofascism.



Muslim child/youth fascism induced by an islam interpretation from family and strengthened by PC media, politicians etc.



Peter Klevius: Everyone - incl. every muslim who respects Human Rights - ought to make sure to vote for an "islamophobe"! BBC and Sayeeda Warsi will make their utmost to stop critics of islamofascism in the election. Don't be robbed of your democratic right. And of course you know that the only real problem with migration is islamofascism.

BBC's "man in Hong Kong" asked street terror leader Joshua Wong if they could possibly escalate violence. And they could. One day later they put a Chinese on fire in a murder attempt.

While US/UK aim for militarism and war, China aims for health and wealth.



One Atheism and three "monotheisms"







The Saudi Aramco and OIC scams



Peter Klevius: The Saudi Aramco sale is the biggest ripoff in the world. If there's any future in oil and you don't care about environment, then why buy what's at its peak when Venezuela's PDVSA is bigger and as low it can get?!

Are you an "islamophobe" if you don't like islamist Human Rights violations? Islam has (via OIC's sharia declaration) abandoned the most basic anti-fascist Human Rights from 1948. Islam is hence the only religion in doing so - not even the Catholics have needed to replace Human Rights with "Catholic human rights".



The seed for world fascism is dormant in Saudi based and steered OIC's world sharia - opposed by ECHR and Peter Klevius, but supported by Sayeeda Warsi.





Breakit instead of Brexit because what's the point of leaving one EU while still staying in an other called UK? England voted leave.



However, unfortunately BBC demonizes China on behalf of UK's relying on militarist meddling, weapons sales and islamofascist sharia finance. So you see the solution: Cut off sharia etc. islamofascist ties and open up for prospering with China - not the over-selfish game of spying and dying of US.



BBC boosts stupid nationalist "Britishness" with peculiar "sports" like cricket and rugby because the world has already "colonized" football and the English language is a global property.

Nigel Farage is like BBC against "islamophobia" and pro-Saudi - but Boris Johnson doesn't like letter boxes and was criticized by Theresa May for being critical against the Saudis while serving as her foreign minister. However, unfortunately BBC demonizes China on behalf of UK's relying on militarist meddling, weapons sales and islamofascist sharia finance. So you see the solution: Cut off sharia etc. islamofascist ties and open up for prospering with China - not the over-selfish game of spying and dying of US.BBC boosts stupid nationalist "Britishness" with peculiar "sports" like cricket and rugby because the world has already "colonized" football and the English language is a global property.Nigel Farage is like BBC against "islamophobia" and pro-Saudi - but Boris Johnson doesn't like letter boxes and was criticized by Theresa May for being critical against the Saudis while serving as her foreign minister.

China (laws against sharia islamofascism) and EU (Human Rights against sharia islamofascism) are now the only ones protecting basic (negative*) Human Rights. * Religious people and socialists don't like negative Human Rights simply because they prefer collectives ("communities") rather than individuals. That's why the web is full of misinfo about these rights. Read Peter Klevius definition instead if you want a deep view - or listen to Lauren Chen starting from 7:11 if you want it light The Saudi "custodian of islam" has some 1.5 billion "citizens" in the muslim world Ummah nation - and demands the world to bow them no matter what (as long they aren't Shia or so, of course). China, on the other hand, keeps its citizens and laws within its own borders. IS islam IS fascism and islam (even the archbishop agrees). So why is sharia fascism not separated from an "islam" that submits to basic Human Rights? As it stands now Saudi based and steered OIC's sharia (the 1990 Cairo declaration) still stands as the basic Human Rights violation via sharia muslims all over the world. And whereas China actively tries to erase sharia islamofascism, EU keeps promoting import of it while judicially telling us it's not right, yet doing nothing to stop it. Unlike the West, China hasn't aggressively meddled militaristically in other countries around the world, but rather being the world's foremost spreader of new technology and wealth. And whereas the West has eagerly supported Mohammed's totalitarian aims, China has, in practise, implemented in law most of the Human Rights advices that The Council of Europe has directed against OIC. Against this background West's Saudi backing and China smearing is deeply bigoted and hypocritical.



John le Carre: I'm depressed and ashamed of British nationalism. Nationalism needs enemies but today we really have no identifiable enemies except among ourselves.



North Atlantic (sic) Treaty Organization invades a country in Mideast and attacks (with chemical weapons) a people without a country. UK's Brexit business model: Sharia finance, weapons sale and militaristic meddling?UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (sic) and Global Neo-Imperialist and Militarist Meddling, Jeremy Hunt, 15 Oct. 2019: It's wrong to accuse Donald Trump - it's Americans isolationism because American taxpayers don't want to pay between 1/2 and 2/3 of the defense of Europe. And Turkey is very skilled at finding wedges and gaps between allies. UK should be EU's bridge to US.

Peter Klevius: No, EU should take care of its own defense - against whom? The Saudi dictator family who is the world's no 1 spender on weapons and islamic terror incitement and who hates EU's anti-sharia legislation? And UK taxpayers should not have to pay more for dangerous militarism. Militaristic meddling is a bad and dangerous business idea.

Read K.S. Lal (free online) on islam's evil spread!



A Google (i.e. U.S. web monopoly) search (20191006) reports 'islamists Hong Kong' "missing". Really! No islamists in Hong Kong? Peter Klevius also wonders if EU citizens in UK are UKongers and can peacefully demand the same rights as Joshua Wong violently demands (and eagerly broadcasted by BBC) for Hong Kongers?



Really! No islamists in Hong Kong? Peter Klevius also wonders if EU citizens in UK are UKongers and can peacefully demand the same rights as Joshua Wong violently demands (and eagerly broadcasted by BBC) for Hong Kongers? Peter Klevius cong r atulates Savid Javid for abandoning the islamofascist "islamophobia" smear. BBC s bigoted hypocrite Mishal Husain and others ought to follow!

BBC's Mark Mardell couldn't get a visa to China because of his extreme and hateful Sinophobia - but that didn't stop him/BBC from producing a fake anti-China program series while pretending to be there. Is Sinophobia really better than cooperation?

Are EU citizens in UK included in Tom Tugenhadt's "British people"?



Sinophobe Tom Tugendhat, chair of UK's Foreign Affairs Committee (who has studied islam and Arabic in Mideast) suggests that English speaking universities should consider banning Chinese students because "they might be used as leverage like Huawei". Peter Klevius wonders if one could be any more racist than this, and if he doesn't see any islamofascist sharia supremacist "leverage" at all? Btw, there are more than 50,000 Chinese muslims in Hong Kong. Peter Klevius wonders how many of them are "radical" ones and participate in BBC's lengthy anti-China propaganda "news" - while the world doesn't suffer from Chinese but from muslim violence and Human Rights violations?

US/UK destroyed the lives of millions of Chinese during some hundred years of evil militaristic meddling. BBC is now busy smearing China all the time while supporting Saudi islamofascism and violent Hong Kong demonstrators - but neglecting the mass of peaceful pro-China demonstrators. BBC also "worries" about Chinese "surveillance state" while the truth is China's technological superiority. US is much more insidious in its surveillance policies but lacks the techno - can't even produce a working 5G so far. US/UK follow exactly China but utilize the meantime to smear it. And who is really behind the Hong Kong riots? Someone who can't take China's success? But the Syria tactics won't work. US (and its UK puppet) wants to be able to meddle militarily near China - therefore its interest in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Tibet, Myanmar, Uyghur extremist muslims etc.

As Greta Thunberg is allegedly reported to the Swedish social authorities, Peter Klevius suggests that her parents read his thesis Pathological Symbiosis in LVU, Relevance, and Sex Segregated Emergence. Keeping in mind that Peter Klevius daughter was only 15 when she entered university and at 16 made her graduate paper about women in ancient times, it shouldn't be considered too sensitive for Greta either. Also read the attached email correspondence which clearly shows how democracy is manipulated. And why not consider Keeping in mind that Peter Klevius daughter was only 15 when she entered university and at 16 made her graduate paper about women in ancient times, it shouldn't be considered too sensitive for Greta either. Also read the attached email correspondence which clearly shows how democracy is manipulated. And why not consider Angels of Antichrist, the Social State vs the People (P. Klevius 1996) . And last but not least, Peter Klevius 1981/1992 Demand for Resources (original titel Resursbegar)

Peter Klevius and the Council of Europe share exactly the same "islamophobia". Council of Europe. Resolution 2253 (2019), Sharia, Saudi based and steered OIC's Cairo Declaration and the European Convention on Human Rights: Human Rights protect the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion as enshrined in Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The right to manifest ones religion, however, is a qualified right whose exercise, under Article 17 of the Convention, may not aim at the destruction of other Convention rights or freedoms.

Human Rights protect the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion as enshrined in Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights. People in UK-land (especially women) will loose their Human Rights after Brexit - while sharia prevails in UK, and UK citizens in EU are protected by the European Court of Human Rights. Brexit was meant to protect UK from muslim invasion via Turkey's proposed visa free deal with Merkel. Even the possibility of temporary membership in ECHR (in case of a deal) isn't enough - especially considering UK will be out of reach of the European Court of Justice.

US loosing the tech war - and starting a real one?



A muslim wants to criminalize Peter Klevius islamophobia. Really!



West's indulgence of islamofascism (sharia) has made its boasting against China about "democratic values" empty. The risk of you being stabbed, raped etc. by a hateful jihadi is created by your political leaders, BBC etc. - who also have arranged so it's not even called a hate crime.

Peter Klevius stands for these "stops" and due huge implications - all shame on him if you can prove him wrong (click links if you need to educate yourself before saying something stupid): Stop using Stop using the misleading 'gender' instead of sex (sociology)! Stop islam's abuse of Human Rights (jurisprudence)! Stop saying humans came "out of Africa" (anthropology)! Stop talking about "consciousness" when you don't know what you're talking about (philosophy/ai).

Peter Klevius: BBC supports the islamofascist Saudi dictator family's strategic use of supremacist islam which has spred muslim hate all over the world's streets, institutions etc. (and usually not correctly, if at all, reported by BBC which instead doesn't hesitate to give long coverage of "alternative news" that better suits its propaganda) - while muslim terrorist organizations keep it within muslim territories. So if true Salafists became the "gurdians of islam's holy places" then that would mean less muslim terror elsewhere. And less to cover up for BBC. How big a contributor to the suffering of islamic supremacist hate crimes has BBC's fake (and lack of) info been? Will we in the future see BBC in an international court accused of crimes against humanity? As it stands now the spill over effect of BBC's cynical support of proxy evil is stained in blood and rape etc. over innocent p
South Korea and the United States are in firm agreement that denuclearization should be the top priority in whatever talks may take place with North Korea, Seoul's new chief nuclear envoy said Thursday.



Kim Hong-kyun, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, also said upon arrival in Washington that the two allies share the view that it's not time to talk about dialogue with Pyongyang, but it's time to focus on sanctions.



"Both the South and the U.S. have the common position that in conducting any talks with North Korea, denuclearization is the highest priority," Kim told reporters.



China has proposed to pursue peace treaty talks with the North in tandem with denuclearization negotiations as a way to defuse heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula in the wake of Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests.



Signing a peace treaty, which would replace the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War, has been one of Pyongyang's long-running goals, but the U.S. and South Korea have demanded the North abandon its nuclear program first.



"The South and the U.S. are in agreement that now is the time to focus on sanctions, and it's not time to talk about dialogue," Kim said.



It is Kim's first visit to the U.S. since taking office last week as Seoul's chief nuclear envoy. He's scheduled to hold talks Friday with his U.S. counterpart, Amb. Sung Kim, special representative for North Korea policy, and other U.S. officials.



Kim said he plans to exchange assessments of the situation with U.S. officialsand discuss ways to get the North to change its behavior based on a common position to deal sternly with the North's nuclear development and provocations.



The envoy said he does not rule out the possibility of additional North Korean provocations.



Kim said his discussions will also include a new set of unilateral sanctions the U.S. is expected to impose on the North in the near future. (Yonhap)




South Korea has sent a letter to a sanctions panel under the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) to call for an "appropriate response" to North Korea's launch of two ballistic missiles earlier this week, a diplomatic source said Friday.



"Our government's letter was sent to the UNSC sanctions on Thursday (New York time)," a government source said on the condition of anonymity.



The communist state fired the missiles into the East Sea on Thursday morning in an apparent protest against the ongoing military drills between South Korea and the United States, which it denounced as a rehearsal for a northward invasion.



The Seoul government was expected to call for a probe into the North's latest provocation and stress that it was a violation of UNSC resolutions banning any launch using ballistic missile technology.



The U.S. is also expected to send a similar letter to the sanctions panel, the source said.



Sending a letter to the panel is considered to be a relatively lenient response to the North's latest provocation. But it is intended to call international attention to the North's violation of UNSC resolutions and is expected to help justify tougher sanctions should Pyongyang engage in another provocation in the future.



After the sanctions panel receives the letter, a group of experts will initiate an investigation into the North's provocation, the outcome of which will later be reported to the UNSC, Seoul officials explained.



In May, Seoul sent a letter to the panel to ask for an investigation into Pyongyang's ejection test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile. It also sent letters to the panel after the North fired a series of short-range ballistic missiles on several occasions in 2014. (Yonhap)




A group of La Crosse employers has hung a help-wanted sign in an unexpected spot: North Dakota.

An ad sponsored by the La Crosse Area Development Corp. ran in Sundays Bismarck Tribune touting manufacturing and health-care job opportunities in western Wisconsin.

The ad, the first of its kind for the nonprofit development agency, is aimed at attracting workers whove lost jobs as North Dakotas oil production has flagged.

Its just something were giving a try, said LADCO executive director James Hill. Were just trying to look at areas of the country where people might be taking a look around.

Gundersen Health System, one of two health-care providers included in the ad, had 221 job openings as of Friday, including spots for more than 35 physicians as well as nurses, therapists, clerical and other support roles.

Gundersen spokesman Chris Stauffer said its too soon to know whether the North Dakota ad has attracted interest as the organization is running other national ad campaigns in hopes of recruiting workers.

Joel Guberud is executive director of a newly formed trade group, The Upper Mississippi Manufacturers Association, which partnered with LADCO on the ad.

He said Coulee Region manufacturers  including companies such as Kwik Trip  struggle to find good workers.

As the baby boomers leave the workforce, there are not people to go in and take those jobs, Guberud said. We need people willing to come in at an entry level and work their way up.

But its not just factory jobs that are hard to fill, according to TUMMA.

Its the full gamut, Guberud said. Even pulling engineers in this part of the state is hard.  Were trying to get an awareness of the jobs out there.

The ad also touts the La Crosse Promise, which offers up to $50,000 in college scholarships to families who build or renovate homes in some of La Crosses core neighborhoods.

The theme  is a pretty good story, Hill said. An employment opportunity for you today and an educational opportunity for your kids tomorrow. For a lot of folks that would be a compelling thought.

The ad came as a surprise to Kim Schmidt, a public relations manager for the North Dakota Department of Commerce, which itself is running a campaign to recruit workers to the state with the nations lowest unemployment rate.

We need workforce as well, Schmidt said.

So why advertise in a state with 2.7 percent unemployment?

Consider the boom and bust cycle of the oil industry: During the first half of the decade, more than 61,000 people moved to the state that has a population of only 750,000 after advances in drilling techniques opened up new stores of crude oil  and lucrative jobs extracting it.

But the states oil production and the number of operational rigs dropped steeply last year as crude oil prices tumbled, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

North Dakota shed some 19,000 jobs last year, according to the states Workforce Intelligence Network, more than 40 percent of those in the mining sector. Construction, transportation and wholesale trade also saw significant job losses. But unlike Wisconsin, North Dakotas labor force has tracked closely with the number of jobs, suggesting workers could be leaving as jobs disappear.

Many of those oil field workers were transient and have moved on, said Wayde Sick, director of the Department of Commerce workforce division; others who moved their families to the state have found new jobs.

Meanwhile North Dakota is trying to attract workers to fill some 13,600 open jobs, many in health care and manufacturing.

We have the job opportunities, Sick said. Weve been blessed with the oil boom. Its slowed down, but there are still opportunities.
HOLMEN  A chili cook-off Sunday at the Holmen American Legion will feature 21 chefs and serve up proceeds to the Holmen Area Community Center project.

The cook-off has its roots in the Rotary Rock n Ribs contest organized by Laurie Tweten for last years inaugural Celebrate Onalaska celebration. One of the rib cook-off contestants suggested Tweten get a chili cook-off going and she got an enthusiastic response when she bounced the idea off another rib contest cooker.

She checked with her boss at the Holmen Edward Jones office and fellow Holmen Lions Club member Barry Ploessl, and he signed up to be the contests major sponsor. A big part of Ploessls enthusiasm for the chili cook-off is his support for the proposed community center, which aims to provide a place for youths and elders to gather.

I want to have things for my kids to do in the community. I am a little close to this issue. I know theres more trouble with kids at the high school than people know about, Ploessl said. And if you talk to the police officers, they will tell you one of their number one complaints is from senior citizens who are home alone.

Its a net positive for both populations. It gives young kids some vision and puts some spring in the step of our older citizens, Ploessl said. My goodness, were 10,000 people. Its time time to have some of these things that other communities have.

Ploessl also was enthusiastic about the chili cook-off idea because of Twetens runaway success with last years rib competition in Onalaska: If Lauries involved, well pack the place.

Tweten said she pictured getting eight or 10 entries for the chili cook-off, but she has 21 entries, include three barbecue specialists (Mike Brown of Sparta, Big Boar BBQ and Meat Mafia BBQ), restaurants (Ground Round, Features and Oles Pizza Co.), civic groups (Holmen Lions, Holmen Area Rotary, Holmen American Legion, Holmen Rod and Gun Club, Barre Lions and Holmen High Schools Interact chapter) and a number of other companies and individuals.

A panel of 10 judges, including six certified by the Kansas City Barbecue Society, will pick the top three entries, who will win $250, $150 and $100. Members of the public can try the chili entries and vote with their dollars (which will go to the community center) for their favorites, with the chili getting the most votes winning a Peoples Choice Award and $200.

In addition to the chili, the event will feature a bake sale, silent auction and a mini-cupcake bakeoff with entries from Midway Deli, Features in Holmen, Nibs Baking and Lauras Baking Delights.
La Crosse will invest nearly $200,000 into upgrades to the Doerflinger Building at the corner of Fourth and Main streets downtown.

La Crosse Common Council unanimously approved an agreement with Doerflingers Second Century, Inc., to provide a $98,810 grant and $94,000 loan of tax increment district (TID) six funds toward the $1.8 million project by Doerflingers owner Mike Keil and his new tenant Duluth Trading Co.

Having Duluth Trading Co. moving into this historically underutilized, iconic cornerstone of our downtown will be a benefit to us, said James Cherf, who represents downtown on the City Council.

We need to step up and remove barriers to this happening, he added.

The agreement guarantees that the project will have an assessed value of not less than $1.8 million through the life of TID 6, beginning in 2017. If it does not, the contract calls for a payment in lieu of taxes to make up the difference.

Keil also agrees to hire local subcontractors, workers and suppliers  within a 75-mile radius of the city  to provide work and construction materials, with at least 80 percent of the cost of the project going to pay La Crosse area businesses and residents.

This involves significant city money, so domestic entities need to enjoy the benefits of that investment, Cherf said. This isnt just city money. This is taxpayers money.

For the citys part, in addition to the grant and loan, it will provide assistance with any government-required permits or zoning changes.

Keil said the project would be good for the entire city, encouraging travelers  who typically dont stray too far from Interstate 90  to migrate downtown and partake in the areas restaurants, coffee shops and stores.

The exciting thing about Duluth Trading Co is that they will attract a lot of people to downtown who normally wouldnt visit here, Keil said.

Construction on the project has already begun.

Were just starting to frame up walls this week and the store is expected to be open early summer, Keil said.

The biggest change to the outside of the building will be the restoration of transom glass, bringing the building back to its original design.

Its exciting for me personally. This is like the last area to be restored, Keil said.

When he started restoring the building a decade ago, he focused on the stairway, upper floors and mechanical system.

This gives us the opportunity to restore those lower floors as well, Keil said.

Changes will also include a complete renovation of the first floor and much of the basement.

In other business, the council:

Approved the transfer of $243,000 to the 2015 Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department to offset a deficit after expenses associated with the removal of the emerald ash borer and upkeep of Myrick Center caused it to go over budget. The resolution passed after council member Martin Gaul introduced an amendment to take the money from the 2015 general expense carry-over funds, rather than the citys reserves. Gaul argued that taking money from reserves set a bad precedent.

Approved the implementation of a sewer connection fee for new users outside of La Crosse city limits. The fee is based off of a report from Trilogy Consulting LLC, which suggested new residences hoping to send sewage to the Isle la Plume Waste Water Treatment Facility be charged $730. Proponents of the fee say it will ask new users to chip in for state-of-the-art upgrades current rate-payers have supported. The fee will be based upon average flow rates and the value of the system used by newcomers. City staff will prepare a written policy for the application of the charges and present them to the council by June.

Approved $477,000 in pedestrian safety improvements for the Grandview Emerson Neighborhood Association. Among the changes is a lighted-crossing on the corner of La Crosse Street and Myrick Park Lane to facilitate walkers and bikers hoping to cross into Myrick Park. Proponents say the projects will prevent collisions like the one that killed Jing Gu, a UW-L student, in 2012.
HOLMEN  The parents of a Holmen High School sophomore who killed himself have started a campaign to raise awareness about cruel behavior.

Kevin Romanowski, 16, took his life Feb. 17 in his bedroom. In the weeks since, family, friends and classmates have honored his life and raised awareness of bullying.

Kevins mother, Connie Romanowski, met with the Holmen High School student body on March 3.

We also ask the student body to brainstorm on positive ways to improve your school and community, she told the students. In Kevins honor, I ask you to leave in silence.

It was amazing as the students walked out, Holmen High School Principal Bob Baer said. You could hear a pin drop in the hallways.

Holmen High School has formal verbal and written reporting systems to combat bullying. It also supports anonymous online reporting with a system called Sprigeo. The school investigated nearly three dozen bullying reports last school year, associate high school principal Wayne Sackett said.

We are constantly doing preventive measures to create a safe and comforting environment, district superintendent Kris Mueller said. But we also want to improve and make it a better environment.

Counselors were ready the day after Kevins death.

Connie said Kevin was always sensitive to other peoples emotions and was called a crybaby by classmates in elementary school at the Stanley-Boyd School District. As he grew older, Peter and Connie said, he shared less and less with them. They werent aware of recent issues of bullying or depression before their son took his life.

Kevin kept many things to himself, talking very little of things happening at school with us and his sister, Bridgett, Connie said in her statement to students. We will never know what took Kevin to that dark place that particular day where he felt his only option to end the bullying was to take his own life.

Connie shared with students feelings of disappointment with the district over its handling after the incident. She also said communication has opened up in the weeks since. The Romanowski family has been brainstorming with school leaders on the potential of updating bullying policies as well as creating new resources and programs to educate and help students.

On Feb. 22, the Monday after Kevins suicide, Holmen students, some parents and staff gathered in the school parking lot at 6 p.m. and released blue and white balloons. About 50 people waited somberly before quietly shuffling away after the last balloons had flown out of sight. Many students wrote messages on their balloons, including Rachael Molstad, a junior in the Holmen show choir for which Kevin was a member of the tech crew. Her message: Your show choir family is going to miss you.

Kevin was always smiling and having a blast during show choir, she said, singing and dancing backstage to the performances.

Logan Graff, another junior at Holmen High School, said he was one of Kevins best friends. They were both in show choir and on the wrestling team, and had long been close.

I knew Kevin since fourth grade, Logan said.

Graff said he knew Kevin had been bullied but didnt want to share details. He wrote about life being too short on the balloon he released to remember Kevin.

Molstad said she saw kids taunt Kevin and laugh at him at school.

But he always seemed happy during show choir, she said. He was always smiling. He was always dancing backstage.

Kevins mother has been outspoken on social media, speaking about bullying and sharing ways Holmen students have honored Kevins memory. One of her posts links to an online fundraiser asking for $1,000 to help promote awareness of teen suicide and bullying.

This is Bridgett's speech from this past weekend Holmen Show Choir Invitational...we're proud of you Bridgett!!! <3 Posted by Connie Romanowski on Thursday, March 10, 2016

Connie found Kevin and called 911, according to a La Crosse County Sheriffs Department report. Kevins father, Peter Romanowski, initially said the installation of the CAPX2020 power lines through the familys yard had made things stressful for the family. He was concerned the cats had been acting strange and wondered whether the power lines had affected his sons mood.

The Romanowskis have been in a dispute with Xcel Energy since 2013 over the CAPX2020 line and a buyout of their home. In an interview, they said they hoped to move to a new home soon.

Found in Kevins bedroom were a suicide note and two other notes written by Kevin, along with fluoxetine pills, the generic form of the antidepressant Prozac. During questioning Feb. 17, family said they hadnt noticed any signs of Kevin being depressed or suicidal, but that an uncle had recently died and Kevin had lost his job at Farm & Fleet. The sheriffs report also mentions a suicide threat, but redactions to the report make the circumstances unclear.

The report also redacted the majority of the the suicide note. The department said it contained passwords and the names of juveniles. The end of the note reads, Tell the school to take down my tooling. Bully thats why is written in the upper right corner.

The other notes spoke of a bullying incident Kevin experienced in eighth grade. In an interview, Kevins parent said he was taunted by another student at Holmen Middle School, resulting in a fight; because the bully threw no punches, they said, only Kevin was punished.

The next day, the family told sheriffs department investigator Mark Yehle they had spoken to one of Kevins female classmates, who said he told her a few days before his suicide he was depressed and was being bullied.

Yehle and another officer interviewed the student, who said kids made fun of Kevin. She identified three students, whose names were redacted, along with descriptions of their interactions with Kevin.

She told the officers students made fun of Kevins jean jacket, his watch and his personal hygiene. The report also mentions Twitter in relation to the bullying, but redactions make that section of the report unclear.

That same day, Feb. 18, the officers spoke with Baer, the principal. The three chose not to question students about the incident at the time, deciding the school would investigate the bullying and forward notes to the sheriffs department.

Baer and Mueller said district staff had spoken with dozens of students about bullying and will speak to more. They declined to comment further about the internal investigation.

Laurie Kessler, one of the high schools counselors, said that in the wake of Kevins suicide hundreds of students have reached out to counselors and staff to talk about their loss and grief, or ask questions. The day after Kevin took his life, Kessler said staff and teachers were ready to offer their support, provide access to resources and give referrals for professional mental health help if needed.

For some of the students, this is the first time they lost somebody their own age, Kessler said.

We were one big district family that just lost one of our family members, Mueller said. She sent out an email Feb. 25 to families about the loss of a student and ways the district works to create a safe environment.

Both Peter and Connie Romanowski shared their frustrations with the district in an interview Thursday. They said they wished the district had done more to combat bullying and that their goal is to improve the districts bullying policy and raise community awareness.

Every report of bullying is investigated and documented by the district, Sackett said. Bullying education is a part of the health curriculum, and the high school puts on programming on bullying throughout the year, especially during National Bullying Prevention Month in October.

Along with programs such as Respect Retreats and the Students Envisioning Equality through Diversity Skits group Mueller said the district is looking at more ways for students to report their concerns anonymously, as well as ways to help kids feel more comfortable telling an adult if something is wrong or a friend tells them something is wrong.

As part of conversations with the district, Connie said the family is hoping to help create more avenues for reporting bullying and form an anti-bullying group at the high school that will bring in speakers and work to protect students.

Connie and Peter said students have been speaking up about bullying they see at school and doing a lot to honor Kevins memory. Students in the show band wore blue rose tattoos on their arms in honor of Kevin at a competition in Marion, Iowa, last month and students have been wearing blue shirts and denim jackets  his iconic outfit  in remembrance of Kevin.

These kids have just been outstanding, Peter said of the students response.

But that wont bring their son back, and Connie said that when she closes her eyes she still sees the scene in the bedroom where she found Kevins body. Kevin was kind, gentle and caring, both parents said, a sensitive soul who was picked on because of how much he cared for others.

I just miss his smile and his hugs, Connie said. He was just such a good kid.
Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg stops short of suggesting that her rival for election to the state Supreme Court should recuse herself from the race, but she said Justice Rebecca Bradley was guilty of dereliction of duty when she left a high court session in the middle of arguments to deliver a political speech.

It sends a message that some things are more important than justice  and its money, state Appeals Court Judge Kloppenburg told the La Crosse Tribunes editorial board Friday.

Bradley, whom Gov. Scott Walker appointed to the Supreme Court in October to fill the vacancy left when Justice N. Patrick Crooks died the previous month, left about 15 minutes before oral arguments were completed on Feb. 24 to deliver a political speech at the annual meeting of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.

The organization is the largest business lobbying group and has spent heavily in previous Supreme Court contests.

It symbolizes big money in support of Walkers conservative initiatives, Kloppenburg said.

Oral arguments are too important to leave for any reason other than personal, she said.

Its also a matter of integrity, Kloppenburg said, questioning whether the parties get a fair shake if she leaves early.

Bradley spokeswoman Madison Wiberg has issued a statement saying that Bradley had reviewed briefs and did not have any other questions when she left the arguments.

Does that mean shes made up her mind before the arguments are done? Kloppenburg said.

Crooks had announced that he would not seek re-election, and Bradley, Kloppenburg and Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Joe Donald had announced campaigns before he died. Bradley and Kloppenburg advanced to the April 5 race during the Feb. 16 primary, when Bradley drew 44.7 percent of the vote and Kloppenburg, 43.2.

They remain nearly tied in a race in which partisan politics is a main issue.

Kloppenburg, the presiding judge for the District 4 Court of Appeals in Madison, insists that her career as an assistant attorney general for both Republican and Democratic governors have given her a reputation as an independent jurist who does not allow politics to sway her applications of the law.

By contrast, Bradley has risen in the judiciary as a Walker appointee, Kloppenburg said.

I owe my judicial career to experience, while she owes hers to Gov. Walker and politics, not qualifications, Kloppenburg said.

Being an appeals court judge has sharpened her skills in considering arguments, said Kloppenburg, who lost a bid to be elected to the Supreme Court to Justice David Prosser in 2011.

I will bring that focused and disciplined approach to bring other justices along  to reach clearer, shorter decisions, she said.

Bradley has faced a firestorm of criticism over the recent revelations that she wrote incendiary opinion pieces belittling gays and advancing other extreme conservative views as a college student.

Bradley has apologized for those writings and contends her views have changed and she applies the law without personal or political influences.

Anything is possible, Kloppenburg said, but her career has shown little evidence of a change from her extreme positions.

Kloppenburg herself encountered criticism this week after saying that President Abraham Lincoln had slaves.

I knew as soon as I answered that I had misspoken, she said.

Concerning the election, she said, My campaign is driven by hope  hope for what the court can be.

Kloppenburg and Bradley face off in the April 5 election for a 10-year term on the Supreme Court.
Suicide and bullying have a big impact on teens and young adults, local experts say.

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among young Wisconsin adults and teens, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. In La Crosse County, which has battled higher than usual suicide rates in recent years, teen suicide is relatively rare, County medical examiner Tim Candahl said, with about one teen suicide a year on average.

But there is no measure of suicidal thoughts or attempts, and La Crosse Area Family YMCA mental health director Sarah Johnson said many teens struggle with being taunted and targeted, and feeling isolated and hopeless. Even just one incident of bullying or suicidal ideation is one too many, she said.

My concern is any teen or human who feels so bad they think about dying, she said. It is common to have those thoughts, especially if a person is suffering from some depression.

Johnson has been in her new role for about a month. First a Gundersen Health System therapist who worked with adolescents, Johnson spent the past seven years in a collaborative role between Gundersen and the YMCA to revitalize the Ys Teen Center and add mental health components to its programs.

As mental health director, she will bring that perspective to the YMCA, she said. Despite some progress, mental illness still carries some stigma, and Johnson said her work will be to make conversations about mental health conversations more routine.

She said she stresses the importance of teaching youth to respect themselves and others. It is also important for teens to be able to go to an adult, a trusted contact person, if they are being bullied, feeling depressed or suicidal, or have a friend or classmate who says he or she is.

Jeff Reiland, a child and family therapist at Gundersen, provides resources for the health systems togetheragainstbullying.org website and is a member of the Coulee Region Compassion Task Force. Both bullying and suicide are serious issues for youths, who can perceive minor bumps in the road as end-of-the-world situations.

Reiland and other bullying groups warn there is not a direct link between bullying and suicide. While bullying can be one of many factors that contribute to suicidal thoughts, there is no direct correlation between the two.

But anytime a student is bullied or takes his or her own life is one too many times, Reiland said, and a suicide such as that of 16-year-old Kevin Romanowski, a sophomore at Holmen High School, should be a wake-up call for the community. Reiland said studies have started to link bullying with increased risks for both mental and physical health problems later in life.

Everyone should step back and ask what we can do to prevent this, he said.

Preventing bullying starts early, he said, with teaching kids compassion and empathy. Developing brains have more difficulty seeing the world from anothers perspective, with the parts of the brain associated with compassion developing in the 20s. Reinforcing empathy and compassion in children is important.

Bullying has a real impact, Reiland said. Names do hurt in the same way physical pain hurts.

Parents should watch out for behavior changes in their kids, Reiland said. With the rise of social media, parents look for changes in screen time or cell phone use.

Kids contemplating suicide tend to draw away from life and act with finality. Giving away possessions and talking about not being around anymore are warning signs.

All kids want to belong and feel connected, he said. If a child feels bullied, or they feel like they are on the outside, then they stop trying.

As a society we need to show much more compassion, he added. We can be pretty mean as people.
Artist Kim Vaughter added a new twist to toasting in the time-honored tradition to win the annual Oktoberfest button contest with a colorful rendition of two hands toasting pretzels

I wanted to go with the excitement and the energy of Oktoberfest  and twist that around, the Onalaska artist explained after her winning design was unveiled for a media sneak peek Thursday afternoon at the La Crosse Center.

So she replaced the clinking steins with bumping pretzels, said Vaughter, a 28-year-old native of Stevens Point, Wis.

This is really a very special part of Oktoberfest, she said. It is one of the things Ive enjoyed to go to.

Current Festmaster Chuck Roth helped Vaughter drop the curtain from the supersize version of the button.

Roth, sporting his lederhosen and festmaster sash, said one facet of Oktoberfest he relishes is chronicling it through the buttons and their imagery throughout the festivals 56 years.

The button is part of Oktoberfest history, said Kevin Buelow of La Crosse Festivals Inc. It is an iconic symbol of the festival.

The symbol includes this years theme of Family, Friends and Fun in a semi-circle on the top, then the toasting pretzels and a scrolled Oktoberfest on a background of the traditional maple leaf.

It will be reproduced in a variety of sizes and shapes, from buttons to banners and posters for the festival, which will take place Sept. 29 through Oct. 2, Buelow said.

The Big Reveal of the button occurred shortly after the press conference during the third annual Forks and Corks celebration in the centers ballroom.

Vaughter, who submitted a similar design last year, chose prismacolor markers and a tech pen to craft her artwork.

In using prismacolor markers, think of kids markers, she said, adding, but these blend better to get the highlights and shadows. And it uses the light of the paper. Its almost like water colors.

Vaughter, who earned a bachelors in fine arts at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, came to La Crosse for technical graphics training at Western Technical College.

Being a painter, I wanted to learn to use the technology, said Vaughter, who has a studio where she lives in Onalaska and a website at www.behance.net/kimvaughter

Vaughters artwork has been featured in several area shows, including at the Pump House Regional Arts Center in La Crosse, since she moved to the region, and she hopes to increase such presentations, she said.
The worst nuclear accident in history occurred five years ago at the Fukushima Daichi nuclear plant in Japan.

After an earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, three out of four reactors on the site melted down and a hydrogen explosion released deadly radiation into the atmosphere. Three former executives of Tokyo Electric Power Co., the owner of the Fukushima nuclear plant, were recently indicted for criminal negligence for failing to take action to prevent damage to the nuclear plant from a tsunami. Experts had warned Tepco about the dangers of an earthquake and a tsunami hitting the plant in June 2009.

Approximately 150,000 people were evacuated in response to the accident. It is estimated that about 700 square miles of land in Fukushima Prefecture have now been contaminated by high levels of radiation. But the Fukushima nuclear disaster is far from over.

The damaged reactors continue to leak radioactivity into the surrounding soil and sea. To minimize further radioactive releases, vast quantities of cooling water are needed. This contaminated cooling water is accumulating at the site and being discharged into the Pacific Ocean. Moreover, according to the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, failures in the makeshift cooling systems are occurring repeatedly. The damaged nuclear reactors and spent fuel ponds, containing vast amounts of radioactivity, are highly vulnerable to further earthquake, tsunami, typhoon or deliberate damage. Further catastrophic releases of radioactivity are possible at any time.

Nuclear proponents in the United States try to minimize the extent of the Fukushima catastrophe by claiming that no deaths have been attributed to radiation exposure. However, this ignores the social impact of the disaster. Official data from Fukushima show that between 2011 and 2015, nearly 2,000 people died from the effects of evacuations necessary to avoid high radiation exposures from the disaster. The mass evacuation uprooted entire communities, divided families and resulted in the loss of social support networks. These deaths were from ill health, poor physical conditions and suicides, especially among older people.

There is also great controversy over the amounts and longer-term health effects of radiation exposures from the Fukushima radioactive fallout. For example, in April 2014, the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation published its report on radiation exposure due to the nuclear accident and concluded that No discernible changes in future cancer rates and hereditary diseases are expected due to exposure to radiation as a result of the Fukushima nuclear accident. The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War responded with its own critique, suggesting that the UNSCEAR report was a systematic underestimation of the health and environmental effects of the disaster.

In particular, the total amount of radioactivity released by the disaster was underestimated by UNSCEAR because it only counted releases during the first weeks of the disaster and ignored all radioactive discharges to the ocean after April 30, 2011. Roughly 300 tons of highly contaminated water has been dumped into the Pacific Ocean every day for more than four years.

To focus on the lack of deaths from radiation exposure also serves to obscure the time lag between radiation exposure and deaths from cancer years later. New scientific research reported in The Ecologist from England indicates a 30-fold excess of thyroid cancer within four years after the disaster among over 400,000 young people below the age of 18 from the Fukushima area. Thyroid cancer is a frequent occurrence as a result of acute exposure to radioactive iodine 131, a product of nuclear fission. The authors of the study note that the incidence of thyroid cancer is high by comparison with the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 at the same time following exposure and warn that more cases are likely to emerge.

Naoto Kan, who was Japans prime minister when the Fukushima nuclear disaster began is now calling for the abolition of nuclear power. Kan compared the potential worst-case devastation that could be caused by a nuclear plant meltdown as tantamount only to a great world war. Nothing else has the same impact.
WASHINGTON  Tuesday in Michigan was brought to you by white working-class men and the people from little towns and small cities.

The outcome of a primary that shook the certainties in the Democratic presidential race while also ratifying the ongoing power of Donald Trumps coalition of discontent was determined by voters who dont trust trade deals and dont believe in the promises of the new economy.

Trump and Bernie Sanders are as different as two politicians can be, yet both served as megaphones for a loud cry of protest from the long-suffering and the ignored.

This years primaries can be seen as the end of 1980s conservatism in the Republican Party and 1990s moderation in the Democratic Party. The social compact that underwrote each partys consensus was broken by the long-term effects of working-class income decline and the severe dislocations let loose by the financial collapse of 2008. Economic change has affected regions, states and localities very differently. Few states were as traumatized as Michigan.

Thus did majorities in both parties in Michigan tell exit pollsters that trade takes away rather than creates U.S. jobs. The negative verdict among Republicans was 55 percent to 32 percent, as CNN reported; among Democrats, the figures were 57 percent to 30 percent. Both Trump and Sanders did far better with the critics of trade.

The political crisis  and this is what it is  is especially acute in the Republican Party. For all of their differences, Sanders and Hillary Clinton both support more regulation of Wall Street, more progressive taxes, and government measures to ease economic dislocation and to provide broader social benefits. Clintons program already acknowledges the need for Democrats to go beyond the political approach crafted by her husband, even if her Michigan defeat is an important warning sign that many in her party are still unpersuaded.

Moreover, both Democrats have embraced a multiracial America and courted African-Americans aggressively. Sanders ability to win a somewhat higher share of the black vote than he has so far contributed to his triumph.

By contrast, the Republican leadership is as chained as ever to the conservatism of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. The incantations about smaller government, less regulation, and lower taxes (especially for the wealthy) are as familiar as the sonorous tones of Gregorian chant.

Trump is a menace to the believers in free market doctrine because he pastes the conservative label on a package of views antithetical to it: He excoriates trade deals, attacks the pharmaceutical companies, pledges not to cut Social Security and Medicare and, in general, suggests that government itself  if led by him  can cure what ails the most angry (white) voters.

Once again, they responded. Trump managed only 27 percent among Michigan primary voters who graduated from college, but 46 percent among those who didnt. And the Trump constituency is very male: Men gave him 45 percent of their ballots, women only 29 percent.

The gender gap would pose an enormous problem for Trump if he became the GOP nominee: The most recent Washington Post-ABC News Poll showed Clinton leading Trump in a hypothetical matchup among registered voters by 50 percent to 41 percent, based on a 21-point lead among women; Trump led by five points among men.

But for now, facing a divided field, Trump has made his irate, masculine and ideologically polyglot constituency a real power in Republican politics. And Marco Rubio, the candidate who hews most closely to the establishment conservative line, finds himself isolated, his candidacy dependent on carrying his home state of Florida next week. Usually, presidential candidates can count on carrying their home states in primaries. That Rubio can harbor no such certainty speaks to the failure of his effort to be all things to all Republicans. He is bleeding more moderately conservative voters to John Kasich and the more ideologically and religiously fervent to Ted Cruz.

But the Michigan Revolt should leave the traditional powers in both parties uneasy and the economically better-off with an intimation of how profoundly their comfort contrasts with the social and economic pain experienced by so many of their fellow citizens.

Take a map of Michigan and draw a line across it at Grand Rapids. The vast majority of counties north of that line supported both Trump and Sanders.

Voters who are geographically and instinctively distant from the power centers and the great metropolises feel ignored and forgotten. Democratic republics do not thrive when so many of their citizens are so alienated.
A recent news item states the La Crosse Park Department is $243,000 over budget for the year.

One of the reasons given by park officials is that ash trees that were treated by the park department or boulevard trees that were treated by homeowners were dying of ash borer and had to be removed, in spite of the treatment. That treated trees are dying may well be true, but unfortunately it does not state all the facts.

Trees that are treated with the proper chemical, injected into the tree, in the labeled amount, are not attacked by the emerald ash borer. There is much scientific evidence and practical field observation to back up that statement. The pour on the ground chemical is not as reliably effective as injected chemicals, particularly when used on trees greater than 15 inches in diameter.

The trees in Riverside Park, treated pro-bono by a city contractor, as well as some homeowner-treated boulevard trees, were probably treated with this pour on the ground chemical, and therefore it is not surprising that they are exhibiting signs of the borer. I believe the news article that implies a broad-brush comment on the ineffectiveness of all ash borer treatments may lead some people to believe all treatments are equal and therefore ineffective. This is simply not true.

It is rare that the public record provides insights into a judicial candidates character, values and bias.

But in the last two weeks, we have learned of two acts revealing unworthy behaviors by Walker crony, Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley.

First, she skipped out on oral arguments in a pending case to give a speech to Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the industrial lobbying group. This tells us two things. First, she failed to do her job as a sitting justice. Oral arguments give litigants an opportunity to elaborate on issues, and the judges get to ask questions. Apparently, soliciting donations is more important to Bradley. Imagine her, if elected, ruling in favor of a consumers group and against industry? Or for that matter, against any Walker law?

The second behavior was a vicious letter venomously denouncing a minority group, a bias she has not disavowed until recently called out on it.

Ads proclaiming independence are commonplace but past acts are the best indicator of values and judgment. Bradleys new attack ad claiming Appeals Court Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg is pro-criminal is typical of misleading the public. JoAnne Kloppenburg has a long record of ruling on the law and she deserves our support.

In the past year, we have heard all the negative and just plain wrong things going on at the VA in Tomah. I think its time some of our local residents let our community know there is so much good there, also.

My husband, Ed, and I were headed to Branson, Mo., just after Christmas and we were in a very bad car accident. After being hospitalized in St. Louis, my husband was transferred to the Tomah VA by ambulance. We cannot thank the social workers on both ends for all they did to get him home as soon as possible. He spent a month at our local VA, healing from a fractured vertebrae and a fractured sternum.

The care he received was excellent. We are so lucky to have the caring staff that we have here in Tomah. They had him in rehab within a few days and taught him how to manage his personal care, not so easy when you are in one of those turtle-shell body casts. Any and all equipment he needed was provided.

He spent almost a month there until he was able to come home on a weekend pass, and now he is home permanently, still using a cane or walker.

We will always be very grateful for the great care from all the staff, the good food, always ready to answer all questions or concerns from family members.

My husband worked there for 34 years, a long time ago, and was very pleased with his care.

Domestic abuse can happen anywhere, to anyone. You may not realize it, but you know someone who has been affected by domestic abuse.

Domestic abuse is not about stress, depression, alcohol or drugs causing an abuser to be violent. Its not about an abuser losing control. It is a deliberate act by the abuser to control and intimidate the victim. Unfortunately, homicide is the ultimate form of power and control. Abusers kill because it is their final act of trying to control their victim.

Domestic abuse can only be addressed by all of us working together. This includes health-care providers, schools, the media, business leaders, faith communities, our legislators, law enforcement and domestic-abuse programs. Please, together we can save lives.
Mayor Paul Soglin sharpened criticism of the states Republican leadership Thursday in response to Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald blaming him for the pending closure of the citys Oscar Mayer headquarters.

Soglin blasted Fitzgerald, Gov. Scott Walker, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. for the states weak economic performance over the past five years compared with other states.

He pointed to a report from the Kauffman Foundation, which tracks entrepreneurial activity, showing Wisconsin ranked 50th in new business startups in 2015 and a quarterly jobs report released Wednesday showing Wisconsin ranked 36th in job creation from September 2014 through September 2015.

WMC has been writing the playbook and feeding it into the senators and governors office and all we have is failure, Soglin said at a news conference. Five years of Walker and five years of Fitzgerald and everything has gone downhill.

Soglin also chastised WMC, the states chamber of commerce, for saying it didnt have an inkling about the possibility that Oscar Mayer would close and WEDC for not contacting his office with information it obtained from WMC in June that other states were luring Kraft Heinz facilities out of Wisconsin. The Wisconsin State Journal reported that information last week based on emails WEDC released under the states Public Records Law.

How could you be in these businesses and not have an inkling? he asked. They knew Kraft Heinz was being wooed by other states with economic development packages. They did nothing. Someone has some explaining to do.

Soglin continued to defend his office not contacting WEDC prior to the surprise announcement in November of the Oscar Mayer closure. Soglins office contacted Oscar Mayer in March after the merger between parent company Kraft and Heinz was announced, and in July said assistance was available, but the company never showed interest. Soglin said he acted on instinct, but doesnt know if thats enough reason to contact the states job-retention agency.

In a statement Tuesday Fitzgerald said he was requesting records from Soglins office to learn more about what Soglin knew about the closure and why he didnt contact WEDC or his office.

Ultimately, the closure of the Oscar Mayer facility took place in the City of Madison under Mayor Soglins watch, Fitzgerald said. His misguided attempts to shift blame onto WEDC or other state business groups are no more than a smokescreen to disguise his offices culpability.

Soglin said Fitzgeralds statement was meant to cover up the vast economic failure that is Wisconsin over the last five years.

Fitzgeralds spokeswoman Myranda Tanck responded by saying Soglin would rather delay with a press conference than respond to the records request. Soglin said he would release responsive records within the next few days after completing a search.

Walker has touted the states economy in recent weeks, noting the state is one of 10 that has an unemployment rate lower than what it was before the last recession. Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick also noted that while there are fewer business startups, the state ranks in the top 10 for how long new businesses last.
The chief of staff for state Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, has been hired by the University of Wisconsin System to oversee the creation of independent charter schools in Madison and Milwaukee.

Gary Bennett, a former public school teacher, will begin April 1, according to the UW System.

He will establish and lead the new Office of Educational Opportunity, an entity proposed by Darling and other Republican legislators and approved last year as part of the states biennial budget process.

The office will have the ability to bypass local school boards and directly authorize new charter schools in districts with more than 25,000 students. Currently, thats just Madison and Milwaukee.

Charter schools are publicly funded schools that are granted considerable flexibility in how they operate. Families choose to attend them, often because the schools offer a particular focus or curriculum.

Supporters say the new charter-granting entity is needed to spur innovation, especially in the area of improving test scores for minority and low-income students. Opponents say independent charter schools drain sorely needed tax dollars from traditional public schools.

Under state rules, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is required to reduce a school districts funding by the same amount that is paid per student to an independent charter school, currently about $8,000.

Last year, Madison Superintendent Jennifer Cheatham blasted the proposed creation of the Office of Educational Opportunity. Thursday, she made it clear her stance hasnt changed.

My intent is to make this office obsolete  that our schools will be serving students so well that there isnt a need, she said.

Cheatham renewed her criticism Thursday of the Legislature.

As a district, were doing everything in our power to raise student achievement and close gaps, and were making progress, she said. It continues to be the case that every step of the way, the Legislature is putting up more barriers and making our jobs more difficult.

But Darling said Thursday the new charter-granting entity is needed precisely because Madison is failing too many children.

We need educational opportunities for children who are not given opportunities to succeed right now, she said.

In the past, the Madison School Board has had the ability to control whether a charter school proposal moves forward. While the district has never been overly enthusiastic about charter schools, it has authorized three: Wright Middle School, the bilingual Nuestro Mundo Community School and Badger Rock Middle School.

All three are in-district charter schools, meaning the School Board retains oversight and employs charter school staff. Going forward, there now also will be a separate track, wholly independent and outside of the districts control, for the creation of charter schools.

School Board member Ed Hughes, who harshly criticized the Republican proposal last year, said Thursday he hopes the district can establish a collaborative relationship with the new UW System office.

(The proposal) went forward, and weve got to live with it, he said. Time will tell what kind of interest there is in the community for creating charter schools.

In his new role, Bennett will earn $95,000 and report to UW System President Ray Cross as a special assistant to the president. Bennett declined comment Thursday.

Bennett taught second grade for three years in the Clark County School District in Las Vegas and earned a law degree from UW Law School, according to a resume provided by the UW System. Before joining Darlings staff in 2013, he was a policy adviser for state Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee.

Darling, whom Bennett listed as a reference, said hes a great fit for the job, calling him an education-reform activist with a national reputation. UW System said there were three other finalists for the job but declined to release their names Thursday.
Update, 10:32 a.m. March 11: University officials say students with information about the incident should contact UW-Madison housing official Kelly Giese at kelly.giese@housing.wisc.edu.

A group of people in a UW-Madison dorm room shouted stereotypical war cry sounds at a Ho-Chunk elder who had come to the campus for a healing ceremony Wednesday night, according to witnesses and university officials.

UW-Madison has launched an investigation into the incident, which happened during a ceremony at the Dejope residence hall recognizing Native American victims of sexual assault, spokeswoman Meredith McGlone said.

The Ho-Chunk elder had been singing traditional songs as part of the ceremony, which was held at an outdoor fire pit, when attendees said multiple people in a dorm room above them began shouting out of a window, drowning him out.

Emily Nelis, a junior and member of the Native American student organization Wunk Sheek, described the noises as really stereotypical, like you (hear) when they try to portray Natives in the old western movies.

They were basically heckling out of their window, said Lesley-Anne Pittard, who works at an education policy lab on campus and attended the event with several dozen others. She described the shouts as imitating stereotypical war cry sounds.

The ceremony continued, and participants soon notified staff members at Dejope, which takes its name from a Ho-Chunk word for the Madison area.

Officials had not yet identified the people involved in the incident, McGlone said, but believe since they were inside a dorm room that they are likely UW-Madison students. McGlone encouraged anyone with information about the incident to contact the UW Dean of Students office.

The campus Hate and Bias Incident Team is planning to send a message to students about the incident soon, McGlone said.

Disruptive and disorderly conduct can result in student discipline, McGlone said, but officials have not decided if the people involved in this incident will face sanctions.

Nelis said she would like to see them disciplined.

A lot of us were shocked, said Nelis, a member of the Bad River Ojibwe. Im absolutely disgusted with what happened.

She also hoped it would lead to a broader conversation about the experiences of Native American students at UW-Madison, who number in the dozens on the campus of nearly 30,000 undergraduates.

Students who interrupted Thursdays University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents meeting in a protest calling for changes to improve the climate for minority students on campuses made note of the incident at Dejope.

Its a good time for people in the university to wake up to these issues that are happening to our indigenous students, Nelis said.

Its a good time for people in the university to wake up to these issues that are happening to our indigenous students. Emily Nelis

member of the Native American

student organization Wunk Sheek
A flight attendant travels to London and Paris every month and rarely posts a single photograph on Facebook or Instagram.

A travel agent regularly posts enticing photos from every glamorous spot she goes.

Meanwhile, a man on a 590-day round-the-world trip posts a photo on Instagram every day  but is starting to wonder if he should.

All of our friends were excited with our plans before leaving, but I have a nagging feeling that some are getting jealous now about six months into our trip, says Neil Shigeoka. I try not to post too much at all and try to censor what I post, but every day it seems like we are seeing something wonderful and beautiful that I want to share.

To post or not to post?

That is the travelers dilemma.

After writing recently about the concept of being a Travel Bore  someone who cant stop bragging on social media about all of his or her trips  I received a deluge of mail that has shown there are two  or perhaps 10  sides to this issue.

If someone cant be happy for you, theyre not a true friend, wrote one.

I am a travel bore because I post pictures from Florida when its freezing in Michigan? Cry me a river, you babies, said another.

I dont consider my photos to be bragging, added a woman who sends dozens of photos to 25 friends every trip. I feel I am offering friends a glimpse of what life is like in other countries.

Asks another: If you are having such a great time on your trip, how do you even have time to post on Facebook? Shouldnt you be planning your surf lessons, volcano outings and luaus?

It turns out that many folks would rather see a friends travel pictures than endless posts on food, babies or sports.

You could have all types of bores on Facebook  the Look at my baby bores, the Photos of my dinner bores, the Training for my 10th triathlon bores, and the list goes on and on, says Shari Kalt, luxury travel adviser at Bee Kalt Travel in Royal Oak, Mich. People want to share their interests  and I dont think there is anything wrong with that. She even surveyed her Facebook friends, and I received an overwhelming positive response to wanting to see my (as) well as others travel photos.

Travel-themed posts actually are one of the least objectionable social media subjects amid a lot of crass, self-serving junk, says reader Ami Woods.

But others said that the more fortunate you are to travel a lot to exciting places, the more discreet you should be in what you post.

In one month I may travel to Paris, London and Amsterdam and make no mention of it on Facebook, says a Delta flight attendant named Lisa. I went to Rome four times last summer but posted just one picture collage. I do love my job but downplay my travel experiences significantly so I am not that person, the travel bore.

Researchers who study social media have looked at whether, in the words of President Theodore Roosevelt, comparison is the thief of joy.

It turns out that it is.

Mai-Ly Steers of the University of Houston and fellow researchers found that viewing of others Facebook highlight reels lead to a distorted social comparison and depression among those who frequently compared their lives with those of others.

A 2015 study at the University of British Columbia found that the posting of travel photos is a leading contributor to Facebook envy. Seeing photos of other peoples fantastic trips makes Facebook users so anxious and envious that it leads to a vicious cycle of jealousy and self-importance that causes users to post whatever they can to convince the world that their own lives are just as exciting.

University of Michigan researchers found that directly talking to others online did not predict a decline in well-being, but looking at Facebook posts did.

So why spend time looking at pictures of another persons vacation if it makes you feel irritated, envious or sad?

Most people are unaware of the impact it is having on them, says Ethan Kross, associate professor of psychology at the University of Michigan and director of the Emotions and Self Control Lab, which studies how worry and emotions impact daily life. Facebook users tend to curate the way they appear on the network and post fun events and times that everyone is happy. When people passively view other peoples walls it can increase feelings of envy and jealousy.

His advice for travelers? Reduce the amount of time spent passively scrolling through other peoples social media travel pictures and posts. Instead, use text-messaging, email or personal contact to directly communicate and exchange photos and information with friends and family who have expressed interest in your trip.

Of course, some say that social media cannot be blamed if sensitive viewers are bummed out by seeing photos of someone elses awesome vacations.

Its all in how you see travel pictures, says Lois Patterson of Canton, Mich. You can see the fun and beauty in the picture or just the green.

Adds reader Jeff Blaszczak, the whole point of Facebook is to see the good in my friends and families lives, he says.
MIAMI (AP)  Surprising even themselves, Donald Trump and his Republican rivals turned Thursdays presidential debate into a civil and detailed discussion of Social Security, trade and immigration that left Trump to shake his head and declare at the midpoint: So far, I cant believe how civil its been up here.

The candidates found plenty of areas of common ground. And often when they differed, they laid out their differences in even tones and without vitriol.

Were all in this together, said Trump, sounding more like a conciliator than a provocateur as he strives to unify the party behind his own candidacy. Were going to come up with solutions. Were going to find the answer things.

Not that it was all sweetness and light. Ted Cruz, eager to cement his position as the partys last best alternative to Trump, did have a firm counter to Trump, saying flatly at one point: His solutions dont work.

In a meaty discussion of Social Security, Cruz and Marco Rubio said theyd gradually raise the retirement age for younger workers to help stabilize the system and stave off financial disaster for the system.

Trump, in contrast, said hed do everything within my power not to touch Social Security, to leave it the way it is.

The billionaire businessman couldnt resist taking a dig at the Democrats, saying hed been watching them intensely on such issues even though its a very, very boring thing to watch  and that they werent doing anything on Social Security.

Cruz said the system was careening toward insolvency and it would be irresponsible not to address that. Rubio said Trumps plan to save the system by reducing wouldnt work. Eliminating all fraud and waste is not enough, he said. The numbers dont add up.

Each of the candidates had an urgent mission as the GOP debate gave them a last chance to put their case to a televised audience of millions before voters in Florida and four other states dish out delegates next Tuesday. Those elections will go a long way toward determining the outcome of the primary season.

Cruz was seeking to make it a two-man race with Trump. Rubio was out to save his flagging candidacy by energizing voters in his home state of Florida. John Kasich was hoping his above-the-fray strategy would finally pay off.

Trump, for his part, was itching to give his front-runners campaign a giant thrust toward the nomination by dominating his dwindling cast of rivals.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said in advance he was hoping for a more G-rated debate than the last Republican face-off, a week ago, when the candidates engaged in a two-hour brawl that featured shouting, insults and even sexual innuendo.

President Barack Obama, offering political commentary from the sidelines, said the party was going through a Republican crackup that had taken on the tone of a circus. He blamed the GOP itself for fostering the idea that cooperation or compromise somehow is a betrayal.

Trump told CNBC on Thursday that the imperative to win the GOP nomination had made him not necessarily as politically correct and even as nice as you would like to be as a person.

Earlier in the week, hed pledged a softer debate in Miami, but he also made his vow to finish what hed begun.

While Trump talks about showing a softer side, some of his rallies have had a harder edge, with the candidate at times seeming to encourage physical altercations with protesters. At a rally in Las Vegas, for example, he said hed like to punch a protester in the face. On Wednesday, a man was charged with assault for attacking a protester who was being escorted out of a Trump rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
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The L.A. City Attorney's office announced criminal charges against the owners of an Eagle Rock gas station earlier today, following damage caused to at least eight vehicles by diluted and low-grade gasoline, according to City News Service.

Akop Akopyan and Gloria Cubides , both 54-years-old, have been charged with six criminal counts of misrepresenting the grade and quality of previously branded 76 Gasoline station. The station, located at 1871 Colorado Boulevard, is no longer affiliated with the 76 Brand, according to KTLA.

An investigation into the gas station, its owners and its suppliers began after multiple customers reported car problems after fueling the then 76 station. After an independent mechanic affirmed that cars' malfunction was all caused by bad gas, the California Department of Weighs and Measures began running independent tests at the gas station itself.

According to a statement released by the City Attorney's office, the tested gasoline had heavy concentrations of water and sediment three separate times.

"Substandard gasoline puts drivers at risk of serious car malfunctions, or even accidents," Feuer said in a written statement. "We're going to hold any gas station or supplier that cuts corners and harms consumers accountable for their illegal practices."

If convicted, Akopyan and Cubides could face up to two years and six months in jail, along with $5,000 in fines.
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
Friday, March 11, 2016

Elder Abuse knows no geographic boundaries, as a recent story in the Brisbane, Australia Times showed. Australia's ageing population prey to abuse was published on February 24, 2016 and explains

The abuse of older people is likely to worsen as Australia's population ages and relatively wealthy baby boomers become vulnerable to mercenary family members and carers. The federal government is "appalled" at the extent of elder abuse and has asked the Australian Law Reform Commission to find ways to safeguard older Australians....

The article discusses the number of victims, risk factors, and perpetrators. Similar to the U.S., Australia doesn't have good data on elder abuse as far as how big a problem it is, "has to extrapolate from international research. "We say that it frequently is a form of family violence - because it happens within families - but the significant difference is that it's most often between generations," said Jenny Blakey from Seniors Rights Victoria. " The 4th annual national conference on elder abuse was held in Melbourne, Australia in late February. More information about the conference can be found here.

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/elder_law/2016/03/elder-abuse-in-australia.html
Thursday, March 10, 2016

Those of you who watched the Thursday night's debate heard about HB-1 Visas, Common Core, Social Security, etc. But lets focus on something else: eminent domain. The question for Property Profs Blog readerswho is more against eminent domain, Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio? You decide.

From Team Rubio:

The fundamental right to private property has been under assault for years through governments abuses of eminent domain. Eminent domain is the authority vested in government to force the sale of private property. While this authority can be a necessary evil in rare cases related to public development, such as the building of crucial infrastructure, its modern use far exceeds this limitation. Today, it is often wielded by crony capitalist politicians to benefit wealthy and powerful private developers.

Like the defense of other crucial rights, conservative efforts to defend private property are grounded deep in the history of our nation. In fact, abuses of this right were one of the catalysts for the American Revolution. As the first Continental Congress declared, [The colonists] are entitled to life, liberty and property: and they have never ceded to any foreign power . . . a right to dispose of either without their consent.

After being founded, in part, to protect these rights, our government has strayed far from this purpose. Compromise after compromise from elected officials in both parties has resulted in a government that believes it has the power to seize your property and sell it to rent-seeking private interests.

My guess is that some of the "crony capitalists" Rubio is at odds with have donated money to his campaign, but thats just my guess. Pfizer, the crony capitalist at the heart of Kelo gave $5,000 to Rubios Senate campaign in 2010, though to be fair, Pfizer gave $5,000 to everyone running in Florida's Senate race that year.

Rubios website is not the only place he has attacked the Fifth Amendment. Back when the candidates were going door-to-door in New Hampshire, Rubio blasted Trump for supporting eminent domain. Rubio said while in the Florida legislature, he helped to pass what has become model legislation for other states around the country, that actually passed both a law and a constitutional amendment that keeps developers like Donald Trump from using the power of eminent domain to take private property away from an owner and give it to another owner.

While in the Florida legislature, Rubio did in fact do what he said he did. Rubio sponsored the Florida legislation in 2006 (House Bill 1567 and House Joint Resolution 1569) that makes eminent domain less than helpful for developers. Under Florida law sponsored by Rubio (and signed into law by then-Governor Jeb Bush), localities must wait ten years before transferring land taken by eminent domain from one owner to another, thereby effectively making it a less-than helpful means for developers to acquire property.

If teams are being picked for a second Kelo showdown, Rubio is certainly on O'Connor's team, and really probably on Thomas' team.

Now from Cruz Corner:

Not to be out done, Cruz has also boasted about how much he dislikes eminent domain, though Cruz has done so through TV ads, instead of his campaign website.

Protecting private property rights is an important issue for many of the early primary states like South Carolina, Nevada, and Alaska, so the Cruz campaign cut another ad regarding eminent domain, using very young children, Donald Trump-like dolls, and doll houses. Needless to say, this ad caught the eye of many in reporters.

And then there was a third ad.

It's safe to say, Cruz, like Rubio, is also against using the Fifth Amendment to acquire private property for public use. Except, Cruz does have an exception his anti-eminent domain stance. That exception? Immigration. In July 2012, Cruz was asked about whether eminent domain could be used to take Texans' property for the purposes of building a wall between Texas and Mexico. The answer: a resounding yes because it was an issue of national security.

So you can decide--who stands stronger against eminent domain? Cruz or Rubio?

Tune in soon for a look at John Kasich's stance on the Fifth Amendment and then we will turn to the Dems.

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/property/2016/03/the-war-against-eminent-domain-rubio-v-cruz.html
. . . . Emperors and kings

Are but obeyed in their several provinces,

Nor can they raise the wind or rend the clouds;

But his domain that exceeds in this

Stretcheth as far as doth the mind of man.

A sound magician is a mighty god.



* * *



Cut is the branch that might have grown full straight,

And burned is Apollo's laurel bough,

That sometimes grew within this learned man.

Faustus is gone; regard his hellish fall,

Whose fiendful fortune may exhort the wise

Only to wonder at unlawful things,

Whose deepness doth entice such forward wits

To practise more than heavenly power permits.





Christopher Marlowe, "Dr. Faustus" (before 1593)


Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier

The board earmarked $1.54 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for the dredge, designed to keep channels open and supply sand to nourish eroding beaches up and down the York County coast and beyond.


This is Whats Trending Today ...

Presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton held their eighth debate on Wednesday night.

The two candidates met in Miami, Florida. Each is seeking the Democratic Partys presidential nomination.

The Washington Post newspaper and Spanish language television network Univision helped organize the debate.

The candidates talked a lot about immigration reform and U.S. policy toward Latin American countries.

But on social media, people debated something else: the color of Bernie Sanders suit.

People watching the debate on television could not agree on the color. Was it brown? Blue? Or black?

People on the Internet simply could not come to an agreement.



The clothing debate took over social media. It brought back memories of the 2015 The Dress debate. That started when a woman in Britain posted a photograph of a dress she liked on the blog Tumblr. She wondered if the dress had blue and black lines or white and gold lines.

Her Tumblr post went viral after the Buzzfeed website picked up the story and asked readers to vote on the color of the dress. The site received more than three million votes on the issue.

The trending hashtag #TheDress and the silly debate about its color divided people on social media.

Wednesday night, the color of the Vermont Senators suit did the same thing. In fact, his suit now even has its own Twitter handle, BerniesSuit.

Thankfully, a Sanders campaign worker tweeted about the true color of the suit. At first, the campaign staffer tweeted: the suit Senator Sanders is wearing tonight is blue.

But, minutes later, the staffer corrected himself. He wrote: the suit Senator Sanders is wearing tonight is black* *corrects for wrong color.

But, the staffers answer did not satisfy everyone on Twitter:

And thats Whats Trending Today.

Im Ashley Thompson.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

silly - adj. not serious, meaningful, or important

dress - n. a piece of clothing for a woman or a girl that has a top part that covers the upper body and a skirt that hangs down to cover the legs

handle - n (slang). a name or nickname


The longtime opposition leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, has apologized for not becoming the countrys next president.

She posted a letter on social media to supporters Thursday. She apologized for not fully fulfilling the peoples desire.

Myanmars parliament began the process of choosing a new president shortly after the posting.

Aung San Suu Kyi asked for continued support to reach the goal peacefully. Political experts said this is a request for patience and a promise that she will become president one day.

National legislature.

Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy won a large majority seats in parliament in a general election last November. But Myanmars constitution prevents the NLD leader from taking the presidential office because her sons are foreign citizens.

Later Thursday, the lower house of parliament, controlled by the NLD, chose party member Htin Kyaw as its nominee for vice president. Htin Kyaw is a close adviser to Aung San Suu Kyi.

The upper house, also controlled by the NLD, named Henry Van Hti Yu from Chin state as its nominee for vice president.

The process

Twenty-five percent of the Parliament is saved for lawmakers from the military. They are named, not elected. Those members met outside of parliament to choose their nominee for vice president.

The Parliament chooses a president among three nominated vice presidents. The vote is expected to take place March 18. The two nominees not chosen as president will be vice presidents.

Party instructions

Party sources have told VOA that NLD lawmakers will be told to vote for Htin Kyaw as president.

NLD lawmaker Zin Mar Aung said Htin Kyaw would be a good choice for president even though he is not well known. The lawmaker noted that the nominee spent part of his career as a bureaucrat in two ministries.

She told VOA, He is well experienced in how to run a bureaucratic mechanism. Thats perfect.

Recent history

The military ruled Myanmar for almost 50 years. In 2011, the government became partly civilian. The country held its first general election as a democracy last year. At that time, Aung San Suu Kyi said she would lead the government. She said she would be above the president.

That almost guarantees Htin Kyaw will be considered a puppet president. NLD lawmakers say the situation is unavoidable because of the constitution. They say it prevents the public favorite from becoming the official leader.

In that kind of situation, this scenario is the best one to move forward, declared lawmaker Zin Mar Aung.

The new government will take office on April 1.

Im Caty Weaver.

VOA correspondent Steve Herman in Bangkok reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted his report for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor.

Do you think Aung San Suu Kyi will someday be president of Myanmar? We want to hear from you! Post your thoughts in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

patience - n. the ability to wait for a long time without becoming annoyed or upset

bureaucrat  n. a person who is one of the people who run a government or big company and who does everything according to the rules of that government or company

puppet  n. a person or an organization that is controlled by another person or organization

scenario  n. a description of what could possibly happen


Five years after a deadly earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, recovery remains years away.

More than 16,000 people died in the disaster and more than 470,000 were displaced from their homes, says the Japanese Red Cross Society.

Over 2,500 people are still missing and presumed dead. After pressure from survivors, the Japanese Coast Guard began underwater searches for the missing.

In Fukushima, more than 100,000 families still cannot return home, says the Red Cross Society. This is because of radioactive contamination from the damaged Daiichi nuclear plant.

In Japan, the disaster is known as 3-1-1, marking the date five years ago.

It was really three disasters rolled into one.

It started with an earthquake devastating in itself, then the tsunami, and then the radiation from the nuclear plant, said Shioko Goto, a Japan expert at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.

Goto said the disaster showed the world, "Japanese resilience and Japanese unity.

But it also showed shortcomings. Among the most notable, the long time it took to stabilize the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant after it was flooded from the tsunami, Goto said. That process took eight months.

Another, Japans dependence on nuclear power, she said. The disaster forced Japan to close all of its nuclear power plants, leaving parts of the country without electricity.

Goto offered up one major difference from the last major Japanese disaster, the 1995 Kobe Earthquake. In 2011, social media was everywhere, she said.

Social media offered up plenty of unfounded rumors and fearmongering, Goto said.

But it also kept pressure on Japanese authorities to do more.

Chikara Yoshida lost his only son, a 43-year-old volunteer fireman, on March 11, 2011. He and his daughter posted a petition on Facebook to restart underwater searches. It drew over 28,000 signatures, according to the Associated Press.

The Japanese Coast Guard announced that it would resume searches this week.

There have also been complaints that reconstruction efforts in hard-hit northern Japanese communities have been too slow.

This week, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the government will respond.

There is no rebirth of Japan without the recovery of northern Japan, Abe said.

Tadateru Konoe, president of the Japanese Red Cross Society, said it is the elderly who are left behind in temporary housing. The young, found it easier to move on in search of new opportunities, he said.

As these temporary housing sites slowly empty, those who remain are left more vulnerable and more alone as their communities break up, Konoe said in a statement.

The Japanese economy continues to struggle, though economists differ on how much of the blame rests with the 2011 disaster.

The latest data shows that Japans economy declined by 1.1 percent over the last quarter of 2015.

One bright spot has been tourism. Japan reported that visits by foreign visitors increased 47 percent last year, reaching nearly 20 million.

Officials are hopeful of even more growth, with Tokyo ready to host the 2020 Summer Olympics.

I'm Kathleen Struck.

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

tsunami  n. a very high, large wave in the ocean that is usually caused by an earthquake under the sea and that can cause great destruction when it reaches land

displace  v. to force (people or animals) to leave the area where they live

presumed  v. to believe something is true, or has happened

devastating  adj. causing great damage or harm

resilience  n. the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens

stabilize  v. to become stable or back to normal

fearmongering  n. someone who spreads scary news, which is often false

resume  v. to continue

opportunity  n. chance to do something

vulnerable  adj. open to harm


Democratic and Republican lawmakers will join President Barack Obama on his trip to Cuba later in March.

Obama invited members of both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party to join him in Cuba.

Both Democrats and Republicans have accepted the invitation from the president. Patrick Leahy, the senates longest serving member and Jeff Flake, a Republican from Arizona, accepted the presidents invitation.

Flake and Leahy are part of a group of 46 senators going to Cuba.

Excited to do it, Flake said about the trip to Cuba. Im glad the president is going. This is a big deal. It will be good for the Cuban people.

One senator, Bill Nelson of Florida, did not accept the invitation. His state is home to many Cuban-Americans. Those Cuban-Americans blame Cuba for many human rights violations.

They invited me to go along, and I cannot go, Nelson said. I dont want any attendance by me as Floridas senior senator that would in any way be interpreted that you overlook the human rights abuses of [the] Castro [regime] in Cuba. Its not time for me to go.

Top members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee were invited, but will not attend. Republican Senator Bob Corker and Democratic Senator Ben Cardin will not travel to Cuba.

Senators not traveling with the president will be watching closely how the human rights issue will be handled.

Theres a lot of potential in Cuba, Cardin said. But they still are not doing what is necessary on human rights. But through U.S. involvement, we will be able to see greater change.

Obama's trip to Cuba will mark the first time a sitting U.S. president has visited the island in nearly 90 years.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Michael Bowman wrote this story for VOA News. Jim Dresbach adapted this story for Learning English and VOANews.com. Kathleen Struck was the editor.

What do you think of President Obamas upcoming trip to Cuba? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

interpret - v. to explain the meaning of; to understand

handle - v. to direct; to react to a situation or problem

potential - n. having the ability to become something in the future

overlook  v. to fail to see or notice something
New Delhi: Under fire over the flip-flop on Vijay Mallya's look-out circular (LOC), a red-faced CBI on Friday admitted that the notice seeking detention of the beleaguered businessman was issued to Bureau of Immigration because of an "inadvertent error" on its part.

The CBI is facing flak after questions were raised how the liquor baron was able to go abroad unhindered on 2 March that has triggered a political slugfest with the BJP and the Congress trading charges.

It had changed the nature of look-out notice against Mallya within one month of issuance from seeking his detention while leaving the country to that of merely providing information about his travel plans.

A CBI spokesperson on Friday claimed Mallya was not found during searches on 10 October, 2015 after which the agency wrote to BoI, saying it needs to be issued to ensure "his availability for questioning" in connection with Rs 900 crore loan default case involving IDBI bank.

She said that along with the covering letter, proforma for the circular was attached in which the column related to seeking the detention of an accused was wrongly "ticked" by a SP-level officer.

The agency claimed detention under the look-out circular was only possible on the strength of a non-bailable warrant against an accused which was not the case with Mallya.

It said on 23 November, CBI's Mumbai office was informed by BoI about the "imminent arrival" of Mallya over phone.

It wanted to know what needs to be done to which the agency realised "corrective" measures were needed and told it not to detain him and asked to provide only his whereabouts and movements, the agency claimed.

A day after the look out circular was changed from seeking "detention" to "only providing information about his movements", Mallya arrived in India and appeared for questioning before CBI on 9, 10 and 11 December, it said.

After opening of look-out circular, Mallya travelled abroad at least three times before his departure on 2 March.

According to CBI manual, "Request for Lookout Notices should be sent only after obtaining approval of the Joint Director concerned. The necessity for continuing the Lookout Notice should be reviewed every six months."

CBI had registered a case against Mallya, Kingfisher Airlines, Chief Financial Officer of the airlines A Raghunathan, and unknown officials of IDBI Bank in its FIR alleging that Rs 900 crore IDBI loan was sanctioned in violation of norms regarding credit limits on the basis of complaint received from the bank.

As questions centred around Mallya's departure, the man himself took to Twitter to explain that he did not flee from India and is not an absconder.

He said in his posts that he would comply with domestic laws.

The editor of Times Now needs to be in prison clothes and eat prison food for libel, deceit, slander and absolutely sensational lies.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 10, 2016

I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 10, 2016

As an Indian MP I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 10, 2016

Let media bosses not forget help, favours,accommodation that I have provided over several years which are documented. Now lies to gain TRP ?  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 10, 2016

News reports that I must declare my assets. Does that mean that Banks did not know my assets or look at my Parliamentary disclosures ?  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 11, 2016

Once a media witch hunt starts it escalates into a raging fire where truth and facts are burnt to ashes.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 11, 2016

India's financial crime-fighting agency, the Enforcement Directorate, has summoned Mallya for questioning on March 18, a senior agency official said later on Friday. A spokesman for Mallya's holding company, UB Group, declined to comment on the summons.

The self-styled "King of Good Times", who built his business around Kingfisher beer and co-owns a Formula 1 racing team, explained to his five million Twitter followers that he travels to and from India frequently, saying he was the target of "a raging fire" media witch hunt.

Mallya, also a member of parliament's upper house who was last seen in the chamber on 1 March, didn't disclose his current location in the social media posts. Two people familiar with his travel arrangements told Reuters Mallya flew first class to London on Jet Airways Flight 9W-122 the next day.

Indian TV reporters said they had traced Mallya to the Hertfordshire village of Tewin, north of London, where he is known to locals. The businessman's luxury home, called Ladywalk, cost 11.5 million pounds ($16.4 million) when bought in July 2015, property records show.

Commentators say the high-profile case is symptomatic of weak management at India's public sector banks - Mallya's lead creditor is State Bank of India. While a bill to modernise India's bankruptcy laws is now before parliament, the outdated legislation that is currently in force leads debt litigation to drag on for years.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told parliament on Thursday that the government had instructed banks to go "all out" in their efforts to recover the money owed by Kingfisher, pointing to cases of "wilful default bordering on fraud".

Banks ramped up their campaign to retrieve funds after Mallya quit as chairman of spirits maker United Spirits, a unit of Diageo Plc, last month. As part of that settlement, Diageo will pay Mallya $75 million over five years.

With inputs from agencies
Mumbai: Former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of long-grounded carrier Kingfisher Airlines, A Raghunathan today appeared before the Enforcement Directorate here for questioning in connection with its money laundering probe in the alleged default of over Rs 900 crore loan from IDBI bank.

The ED had issued summons to over half a dozen officials of the IDBI bank and Vijay Mallya-owned KFA under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) wherein all the individuals have been asked to submit details about their personal finances and Income Tax Returns (ITRs) of last five years to the investigators.

"We had summoned Raghunathan and he appeared before us for questioning this morning," said an ED official here. "His questioning is important to throw light on various financial transactions, as many of them are in his personal domain," he said.

According to the official, in his statement to the SFIO--recorded last month--, Raghunathan has blamed Mallya (for the financial crisis that befell KFA) and said he worked as per the directions from the latter.

Apart from Raghunathan, summons have also been issued to former Chairman and Managing Director of the bank, Yogesh Agarwal and other senior executive members and officials of both the organisations.

On Thursday, officials had indicated that the agency will question some important functionaries of the bank and the airlines before they decide on issuing summons to the main player and liquor baron Mallya in the case. The ED recently registered a money laundering case against Mallya and others based on a CBI FIR registered last year.

The agency is also investigating the overall financial structure of Kingfisher Airlines and if any possible kick backs were made. The ED has pressed charges under various sections of the PMLA against Mallya and others named in the CBI complaint.

The CBI had booked Mallya, director of Kingfisher Airlines, the company, Raghunathan and unknown officials of IDBI Bank in its FIR alleging that the loan was sanctioned in violation of norms regarding credit limits.

The ED is looking into the "proceeds of crime" that would have been generated using the slush funds of the alleged loan fraud and it is also probing if some of this amount was sent abroad illegally, they said. The Attorney General had yesterday informed the Supreme Court that Mallya has left the country a week ago.

PTI
Mumbai: Flaying the Centre over beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya leaving India in the middle of a massive loan default probe, NDA constituent Shiv Sena on Friday said those who raised hue and cry over former IPL chairman Lalit Modi "fleeing" the country should now answer how the liquor baron did so.

While poor farmers are driven to commit suicide when they fail to pay off loans obtained by staking their homes and

holdings for small loans ranging from Rs 25,000-50,000, the laws do not seem to apply to Modi and Mallya, Sena said.

"It seems that laws do not apply to Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya. Ruining the economy of the country is also a kind of terrorism and such people are traitors," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said.

Even a child would understand that Mallya would eventually leave the country, but it was surprising that the government did not anticipate it, the ruling alliance partner said.

"Vijay Mallya was given loans during the UPA government's tenure while he left the country during the NDA's tenure.

Politicians have been close to him. Mallya has given his services to people from a vast number of fields.

"Since he has given services to many, some allowed him to take loans, while others let the money drown. Then there are some who let him leave the country. People who were making a hue and cry over Lalit Modi leaving the country should now answer how did he do so," the Sena said.

A political slugfest has erupted over Mallya leaving India in the middle of a massive loan default probe with Rahul

Gandhi accusing the government of "helping" him, a charge rejected by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who raked up the Bofors case to remind him of Ottavio Quattrocchi's escape during Congress rule.

However, the beleaguered businessman, who is facing legal proceedings for alleged loan defaults by his group to

the tune of over Rs 9,000 crore, said he is not an absconder and will comply with the law of the land.

PTI
Under fire from the media, politicians and middle class, liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who owes Rs 9,000 crore to various banks, has reiterated that he is not an absconder but an international business man who travels to and from India frequently.

Mallya had left the country on 2 March, the day the State Bank of India filed a petition in the Bengaluru debt recovery tribunal seeking to impound his passport.

In a series of tweets, Mallya said he has not fled from India:

I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 10, 2016

As an Indian MP I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 10, 2016

He has also accused the media of carrying out a witch hunt:

As an Indian MP I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 10, 2016

Once a media witch hunt starts it escalates into a raging fire where truth and facts are burnt to ashes.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 11, 2016

The editor of Times Now needs to be in prison clothes and eat prison food for libel, deceit, slander and absolutely sensational lies.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 10, 2016

And also a veiled threat to the media:

Let media bosses not forget help, favours,accommodation that I have provided over several years which are documented. Now lies to gain TRP ?  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 10, 2016

The banks, who gave him loans after loans to keep his dying aircraft afloat, also came under fire:

News reports that I must declare my assets. Does that mean that Banks did not know my assets or look at my Parliamentary disclosures ?  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 11, 2016

It is the second time in as many weeks that Mallya is clarifying that he is not an absconder.

However, this time his clarification raises serious questions since this has come at a time when media reports have details about how he managed to fly out the country just a day after he attended the Rajya Sabha session.

A report in The Times of India on Friday says "the "wilful defaulter's" flight out of India (on 2 March) was in the lap of luxury". Giving out further details, the report citing a government official says that Mallya flew out in Jet Airways' Delhi-London flight 9W 122 on 2 March on a first class ticket. He was also accompanied by a woman and had seven huge baggages, the report says, which doesn't quite seem like a business trip.

Also if he is indeed not an absconder why did he not disclose his location in at least his tweets?

However, PTI had earlier reported that he may be in his country home in an English village about an hour's drive north of London.

The UB Group chairman and Rajya Sabha member is thought to have driven to his 'Ladywalk' estate in the village of Tiwen near St Albans in Hertfordshire from his London home near Baker Street area earlier this week, the report said.

This is likely to be true as he had only last month after his sweetheart deal with Diageo said that he wanted to move to the UK to be closer to his children.

"My statement as to my personal future after quitting Diageo/USL  that I want to spend more time in England closer to my children  has been grossly distorted and mis-portrayed.

I wish to reduce my business commitments gradually and devote more time to my family, and that my resignation from United Spirits was a step in this direction," he had said in the statement after the deal.

As part of the deal he resigned as chairman and director of United Spirits, the company he had sold to Diageo; agreed not to compete with Diageo in spirits business the world over for the next five years; and not to interfere in its Indian arm's business matters. Mallya was also to get a severance package of $75 million of which he may have already received $40 million as initial payment.

Even his tweet about the asset declaration in the Rajya Sabha has to be taken with a pinch of salt. A report in NDTV says the affidavit he filed in 2010, when he became the Rajya Sabha member for the second time, shows that he has no property and debt.

However, contrary to the declaration that he owns no property, PTI report says Mallya owns plush properties in California and the UK, has one of the biggest country homes on Queen Hoo Lane in the village of Tewin.

Moreover, attorney general Mukul Rohatgi had told the Supreme Court that abroad Mallya has assets, both movable and immovable, which are far excessive to loans secured by him here.

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered to issue notice for him to return to India with his passport. It is expected to be served to him via the Indian High Commission in London some time this week, the sources have told PTI.

However, the Indian mission has so far issued no statement on the timeline of the notice.

He likes to drop in at the local pubs during his visits there but has not been spotted around the village so far this week, choosing to stay inside his 30-acre estate guarded by customary iron gates that mark most sprawling country estates in English villages, the PTI report said.

With inputs from PTI
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday commuted the death sentence awarded to Ramchandra Karanjule, the former director of an orphanage in Navi Mumbai, for murdering an inmate and gangraping five mentally challenged girls at the premises.

A division bench of Justices R V More and Anuja Prabhudessai partly allowed the appeal filed by Karanjule challenging the death penalty awarded to him after he was convicted by a sessions court on charges of murder and gangrape and sentenced him to 10 years rigorous imprisonment.

"The applicant accused (Karanjule) is acquitted under section 302 (murder). He stands convicted under sections 376 (2)(c) and 376 (2)(g) (gang-rape) and sentenced to ten years rigorous imprisonment with fine of Rs 50,000 each," the high court said today.

A total of six convicts, including Karanjule, had approached the high court after the sessions court convicted them in March 2013 on various charges in a case of murder of an inmate and gangrape of five girls, including three minors, at an orphanage run by private trust 'Kalyani Mahila Bal Seva Sanstha' at Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai.

Apart from Karanjule, the others convicted by the HC are - Nanabhau Karanjule, Khandu Kasbe, (both acquaintances of Ramchandra Karanjule), and Sonali Badade (orphanage superintendent) and Parvati Mavale (caretaker). The high court, meanwhile, acquitted Prakash Khadke (acquaintance of Ramchandra Karanjule) from all charges.

The high court today upheld conviction under section 354 (molestation) and two-year sentence handed over to Nanabhau Karanjule. The HC convicted Khandu Kasbe under section 376 (2)(g) and sentenced him to ten years imprisonment along with Rs 50,000 fine.

The orphanage's superintendent, Sonali Badade, was acquitted by the HC under the charge of attempt to murder, but convicted on a lesser charge of causing hurt and sentenced to one year in jail along with Rs 2,000 fine.

Similarly, Parvati Mavale was convicted by the high court for causing hurt, under section 324 of IPC, and sentenced to one year in jail with Rs 2,000 fine. "The sentences shall run concurrently. The undergone period shall be considered in the sentence," the court said.

According to defence lawyers Niranjan Mundargi and Mahesh Vaswani, the lower court's order was perverse, bad in law and without application of mind. "There are errors apparent on the face of the said order and the same has caused grave miscarriage of justice to the appellant and deserves to be quashed and set aside," the appeal had said.

It further claimed that the lower court placed heavy reliance on the testimony of the complainant in the case which was not corroborated with any other evidence by the prosecution. The lower court, while awarding the maximum punishment of death to Ramchandra, had observed that he was a menace to the society and life imprisonment would be highly inadequate.

The prosecution's case was that 19 girls were allegedly gangraped by three of the accused. The statements of the 19 victims were recorded by a magistrate and of them, three had come before the court to testify against the accused.

The charge of murder was invoked against Karanjule after it came to light that one of the victims was suffering from jaundice and penumonia when she was gangraped. The victim subsequently died.

PTI
Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa said the Centre should not treat the International Maritime Boundary Line (ITBL) with Sri Lanka as a settled issue as the constitutionality of the 1974 and 1976

agreements have been challenged in the Supreme Court.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, she noted that Tamil Nadu fishermen who were in traditional waters of

the Palk Bay were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy on Thursday and that the right historically enjoyed by them to fish in these waters was now being repeatedly infringed upon by the Sri

Lankan Navy.

"I reiterate the government of Tamil Nadu's stand that the government of India should not treat the IMBL with Sri Lanka as a settled question as the constitutionality of 1974 and 1976 agreements have been challenged on extremely valid and legal grounds in the Supreme Court," she said.

The CM said the prayer before the apex court was to declare the 1974 and 1976 agreements along with the Executive Order of 1976 as null and void in the absence of required mandatory constitutional amendment and to restore Katchatheevu to India and restore traditional rights of the fishermen.

Noting that fishing boats and gear were not released by the island nation with the fishermen and suffered severe damage due to long periods of disuse and exposure to heavy monsoon, she said, "The poor fishermen will be subjected to a huge permanent loss with damage of their only means of livelihood".

"I request that the fishing boats and gear of our fishermen impounded in Sri Lanka be restored in a refurbished condition at the earliest, Jayalalithaa said.

She requested the PM to direct the officials concerned in the External Affairs Ministry to take "proactive" action through diplomatic channels for the immediate release of 72 fishermen and 78 fishing boats,along with a mechanised fishing boat that were apprehended by Sri Lankan Navy.
New Delhi: Alleging that JNU students are "opportunists", BJP leaders on Thursday charged leftist student parties in the university of being "anti-national".

During a discussion in the university, Rameshwar Chaurasia, ex BJP MLA from Bihar, said that "nationalist verses anti-national has become an issue of debate in the country today".

BJP leader Sandeep Mahapatra, who has been the president of the student union in the university said "the word 'aazadi' has been used a lot." He said "their slogans against hunger, feudality are only empty.

Dr Amit Singh, who is a faculty member of the university, stated "according a survey, sexual harassment in JNU is highest. We need to do positive criticism of the university."

The leaders were invited by the ABVP.

Dr Shiv Shakti, who is the editor of Kamal Sandesh said "JNU's image has been damaged to an irreparable extent because of these students."

"Calling them opportunists," he said, "they don't take a stand and are broken from within".

PTI
New Delhi: The second tranche of 25 secret files on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose will be released after the conclusion of Budget session of Parliament, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said on Friday.

"There is lot of curiosity among people about the life of Netaji. We are ready with the set of 25 secret files on Netaji that will be released after Parliament session," Sharma told reporters on the sidelines of an event to mark the culmination of 125th foundation year celebrations of National Archives of India (NAI).

The Budget session would conclude on 13 May subject to exigencies of business.

As many as hundred secret files were made public by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Netaji's 119th birth anniversary on 23 January.

NAI Deputy Director Sanjay Garg said National Archives is converting the second set of files into digital form for the public.

"We have received the second tranche of 25 files on Netaji from Culture Ministry. We are in the process of making their digitalised copy," he said.

The files released last month, comprised over 16,600 pages of historic documents, ranging from those from the British Raj to as late as 2007, an official had said.

NAI also opened a dedicated website to store all the declassified files related to Bose.

In October 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met the family members of Netaji and announced that the government would declassify the files relating to the leader whose disappearance 70 years ago remains a mystery.

While two commissions of inquiry had concluded that Netaji had died in a plane crash in Taipei on 18 August, 1945, a third probe panel, headed by Justice MK Mukherjee, had contested it and suggested that Bose was alive.

Meanwhile, Sharma also launched the emblem of NAI, besides releasing its commemorative coin of Rs 125 and a circulating coin of Rs 10 during the event.

A commemorative postal stamp of Rs 5 and a DVD containing private papers of Amiya Nath Bose, brother of Netaji, was also presented to the minister.

PTI
New Delhi: It seems polluting our natural resources would be completely acceptable to the national green watchdog -- the National Green Tribunal (NGT), if the polluter is ready to pay a fine for it.

That is the precedent NGT has set in the high decibel case of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar headed Art of Living (AOL) Foundation's World Culture Festival whose venue, the Yamuna floodplains, stand in danger of permanent damage because the NGT allowed the foundation to walk away with just a fine.

The AOL founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar by taking a U-turn on his earlier statement has given up the idea of going to jail and instead has paid Rs 25 lakh as part of the Rs 5 crore fine on Friday.

On the other hand, showing leniency towards the godmans global festival, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) besides allowing to pay in instalment, has also given a three-week period for paying the balance amount of the initial fine.

Probably, the green tribunal  the highest regulator on environmental issues keeping in mind that the show must go on forgot its own judgment of January 2015  Polluter Pays principle and allowed the foundation to go ahead with Pay and Pollute. This message has gone in public after the NGT allowed the AOL Foundation on 9 March to go ahead with the festival after paying an initial fine of Rs 5 crore.

Despite showing serious displeasure over the turn of events, the NGT allowed dilution of its order passed on 9 March. Hearing the appeal made by the Foundation, the principal bench of the tribunal headed by justice Swatanter Kumar on Friday allowed the AOL Foundation to pay Rs 25 lakh and the rest within three weeks. The original judgment had clearly asked the organiser of World Culture Festival (WCF) to pay Rs 5 crore before the commencement of the event (11 March).

The foundation appealed the tribunal today that they would be able to pay only Rs 25 lakh, as Rs 5 crore amount was too big for them to pay in one go.

What the NGT said on Friday?

The bench said that it was extremely distressed and it was unfortunate for a person (Sri Sri Ravi Shankar) of such eminence to make such a statement in public (that he would rather go to jail than pay fine).

What legal experts say?

The legal experts have taken a strong exception to the NGTs order of 9 March and subsequently that of Fridays where AOL Foundation has been allowed to go ahead with the show by paying only 5 percent of the initial fine of Rs 5 crore. According to experts, Technically the tribunal should have taken action on 11 February when the petition was filed. Instead, the NGT has violated its own earlier judgment, which has set a bad precedence in public life.

Advocate Ritwick Dutta, a counsel for the petitioners said, NGTs order has set a bad precedence. This order communicates the message of Pay & Pollute and thats what has happened in this case. AOL Foundation has been allowed to ahead with the mega-event by paying only Rs 25 lakh, and not even the full initial amount of Rs 5 crore! Here the message that has gone to public is very clear  those who have big pockets and right connections can flout the law and escape  be it Sri Sri Ravi Shankar or Vijay Mallya.

What an irony! In its earlier judgment of 13 January 2015, the tribunal clearly stated that no construction and no celebration of any kind should be allowed on the floodplains of River Yamuna. Here the point is if NGTs order was violated, why DDA  the implementing agency didnt stop the foundation from doing it. Second, the NGT in its order said that since the petitioners approached the tribunal late (11 February), the event cant be stopped. Based on its previous order, the tribunal could have taken cognizance and stopped it, rather than waiting for a citizen to come up with a PIL. The case dragged almost for a month thus giving time to the foundation to have a full-fledged construction. This is ridiculous, added Dutta.

Shehzad Poonawala, legal and social activist remarked, Im thoroughly disappointed by the lack of spine and conviction by the NGT in upholding its own order and principles of environment protection. It has allowed the Polluter pays principle to be inverted into a Pay and Pollute principle (very little of course). Moreover, relaxing the amount of fine and payment period! Whats worse is the convenient concessions granted to a law breaker, who happens to be a good friend of our PM! What message does it send to others? Break environmental guidelines, challenge the courts, be brazen and the tribunal/court will back off? Had the NGT and authorities acted in time, the event could have been stayed and shifted to a safer zone, and no controversy would have taken place.

What others say?

Though Im not a petitioner but as an activist I feel the tribunal should have acted on its own as its the NGT bench in 2015 banned all kinds of activities on Yamuna floodplains. But surprisingly it didnt. Its only after we moved a petition, whatever little we could do has taken place. We expected a strong action from NGT as its the apex court to ensure countrys environmental protection, an activist working on Yamuna issue said on condition of anonymity.

Badal Saroj, central committee member of CPM said, The opposition parties have raised this issue in the Parliament. But, right from the beginning I have been maintaining that justice Swatanter Kumar might have been vocal during the hearing of this case, but when it comes to issuing order and taking a bold stand, he fails. It happened this time again, even today. This is very unfortunate. The NGT should have taken a strong and uncompromising stand, as damaging ecological system and bio-diversity is not only national but a global issue.

What AOL Foundation says?

Advocate Akshama Nath, AOL Foundations counsel said, Weve paid Rs 25 lakh and we pleaded that the rest amount would be paid over a period of four weeks. But, the tribunal has given us three weeks period. The important point here is that NGT has mentioned that the amount is not penalty but for environment compensation for developing bio-diversity, which is also our objective.
Chennai: A video purportedly showing a farmer being allegedly beaten up by cops in Tamil Nadu over non-payment of loans has gone viral, prompting the National Human Rights Commission to take suo motu view of the incident.

The video which was aired by TV channels, shows few policemen allegedly attacking the farmer, identified as Balan of Thanjavur district. The incident also drew sharp reactions from farmers' bodies in the state.

"NHRC has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports that officials of a private bank with the assistance of police came to seize the tractor of a farmer and brutally attacked him and forcibly took him to a police vehicle, as they wanted to recover the money he had borrowed," the Commission said in a statement.

It observed that such a form of "forcible recovery" itself amounts to human rights violation.

NHRC said it approved the realisation of debt through lawful means but "totally disapproves the forcible recovery by torturing farmers."

Accordingly, notices have been issued to the Chief Secretary and DGP, Government of Tamil Nadu seeking reports within two weeks on the matter, NHRC said.

Quoting reports, NHRC said that "at least three police personnel were beating one Balan, a farmer."

He had availed a loan of Rs 3.80 lakh from a private bank in 2011 to buy a tractor. He had paid Rs 4,38,880 so far but the bank demanded a further payment of Rs 1.34 lakh and served a notice to him but Balan could not pay the remaining amount, NHRC said.

Balan was engaged in his farm land on the day of the incident when he was forcibly pulled down from the tractor and brutally beaten by the police, it said.

"It is in the common knowledge that private sector banks and financial institutions, in order to recover the loan advanced to individuals, particularly farmers, use police to brutalise the defaulters," Justice D Murugesan, Member, NHRC said.

"The intemperate attitude of the bank officials and the involvement of the police in such forcible recovery by torturing farmers and their servants is largely prevalent in different states of the country," he said.

Meanwhile, the farmers' bodies protested against the incident and petitioned the district collector seeking action on the matter.

PTI
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Opposition cornered the government and alleged that the Sri Sri event is paralysing New Delhi.

JDU questioned as to how Sri Sri was refusing to pay the fine and if he was above the law.

The Sri Sri issue was brought up by the Opposition in the House again, the Government defended the event and said that the Opposition should not politicise the even unecessarily. Jairam Ramesh brought up ecological destruction.

Aadhaar Bill to be passed as a money bill, which means that it cannot be amended in the Rajya Sabha. Congress demanded that a standing committe be put in place.

"If you criticize me, it is your freedom of speech. If I criticize you, it is my intolerance?" Arun Jaitley to Sitaram Yechury in Rajya Sabha

"Privacy not an absolute right, it is subject to a restriction that it can be restricted by a procedure established by law, " Arun Jaitley in Rajya Sabha. "Present law is completely different. It borrows UPA's idea (UID), but the privacy law is much more tightened.

"The only question is, can national security be the ground for sharing information? The answer is yes," Arun Jaitley cites US judgements while debating Aadhaar Bill in Rajya Sabha.

"Does your policy involve Pakistan and Hurriyat leaders holding talks with each other? Does it involve only exchange of shawls and saris between Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif?" he said.

"Talks are necessary between India and Pakistan. But it has to be strategic and process-driven," said Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia in Lok Sabha.

"On one hand, our soldiers are sacrificing their lives. Farmers are committing suicide. And you are giving lessons on nationalism?" he said. "Don't embarrass the country," he added.

"This government's Pakistan policy has been aptly described by Kapil Sibal. It is like an unguided missile which is a spectacle when it is fired but loses its course," said Scindia.

"Every individual must have the option to opt out of Aadhaar," he said.

"I believe that if you read this legislation in this current form, it makes it a mandatory proposition as opposed to a voluntary proposition," said Ramesh.

"I don't have an Aadhaar number. I don't need one," said Congress leader Jairam Ramesh. He added that he did not need it because he does not take the benefit of any subsidies.

A person should have the option to opt out of Aadhaar: Jairam Ramesh in RS

"My party wants Aadhaar to be confined to the targeting of subsidies," said Ramesh, as he said that Congress wants Clause 57 of the Aadhaar legislation to be dropped.

PM jumps from one vision to another: Rahul on govt's Pak policy "What is required is a coherent strategy. PM does not have that vision. He jumps from one vision to another," said Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on the Modi government's policy on Pakistan.

PM jumps from one vision to another: Rahul on govt's Pak policy "What is required is a coherent strategy. PM does not have that vision. He jumps from one vision to another," said Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on the Modi government's policy on Pakistan.

The NGT on Tuesday questioned the Centre as to why no environmental clearance is needed for constructing temporary structures on Yamuna plains as building of pontoon bridge by army for cultural festival comes under the scanner of NGT. This was during a hearing on pleas seeking the cancellation of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living three-day 'World Culture Festival' on the Yamuna flood plains to celebrate 35 years of the foundation.

A bench headed by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar heard the matter in which the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Uttar Pradesh and Delhi government made their submissions with regard to grant of permission to the festival.

On 3 March, DDA had submitted that it had granted conditional permission for organising the event and had no idea about the magnitude of the programme. The event later drew criticism after some activists petitioned the NGT, a quasi-judicial body on environmental issues, asking it to stop the event as it would have a deep impact on the Yamuna flood plains.

The DDA backed its decision to grant permission for the festival, while the Art of Living said it has fulfilled all conditions and taken requisite permissions for the event.

Well leave it as a beautiful bio-diversity park. As per my knowledge, not even a single tree has been cut down, we've only trimmed four trees. We want the Yamuna to be clean. We will not pollute the environment. We haven't cut a single tree, said Sri Sri Ravi Shankar reacting to the criticism over army men construction the pontoon bridge, reports DNA.

Meanwhile, a source close to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar told IANS said the Indian Army's decision to make pontoon bridges for the upcoming event was taken after Delhi Police expressed a fear of stampede at the venue, where around 30 lakh people are expected.

The source also said the Art of Living Foundation may not be charged for the bridges as there is no policy in place for it.

The defence minister has, however, directed the defence secretary to formulate a policy for the army's involvement in such events in future.

Earlier on Monday, President Pranab Mukherjee decided to pull out of a cultural extravaganza being organised by Art of Living guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar as a controversy raged over the event.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the event on Friday and the President was to attend the valedictory function on Sunday.

"The President cannot attend the function due to unavoidable circumstances," an official of the Rashtrapati Bhavan said on Monday.

The NGT will resume its hearing on Wenesday on holding of the festival.

The AOL Foundation expects 35 lakh people to attend the function, concerns have been raised by experts about the likely damage to the environment that may be caused by holding it on the flood plains of the already polluted river in east Delhi.

The AOL foundation, which is organising the function, will have yoga and meditation sessions, peace prayers by Sanskrit scholars and traditional cultural performances from around the world.

The three-day event will be held from 11-13 March.

With inputs from agencies
There is much to celebrate in the announcement about Hindustan Unilever agreeing to pay welfare compensation to its former workers in Kodaikanal. It is one of the few examples of the victory of an environmental campaign, particularly in a context where such concerns are often seen as pesky irritants interfering with the animal spirits of the economy.

However, the success of the 15-year old campaign also says a lot about how the approach of the national media as well as its target audience.

HULs thermometer factory at Kodaikanal was by no means the only noteworthy instance of an ecological issue which pitted underprivileged people against large industries or corporate houses. In Kerala itself, a village council took up a long-drawn fight with Coca Cola to protest over-exploitation and contamination of water in Palakkad.

In East Singhbhum in Jharkhand, the Uranium Corporation of India Ltds industrial establishment has led to deaths of several labourers and villagers, allegedly due to radiation and exposure to heavy metals. In Jammu and Kashmir, people living near industrial hubs with cement factories suffer respiratory tract infections allegedly due to the toxic fumes from the nearby factories.

Yet, none of them made for prime-time news on national media outlets.

In July 2015, along came Sofia Ashraf, who told us that Kodaikanal wont step down until you make amends now, and the issue soon become a top Twitter trend. Sofia Ashraf packaged a complex environmental dispute into a rap video of under three minutes. This was a format that lent itself well to clickbait and social media outrage. For people who would otherwise scarcely find the inclination to read about environment pollution and the lopsided nature of economic development, the video was a chance at instant karma.

As the soon as the video went viral, mercury poisoning in Kodaikanal suddenly became an unmissable news story. While the agitation had a long history which went back much earlier, there were now articles headlined Five things you need to know and Heres how social media reacted to the controversy. As we saw people like us mouthing a rap song and carry angry placards, an ecological issue became hashtag-worthy.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with Ashraf choosing to make a video about mercury poisoning in Kodainakal. In fact, it was wonderful that popular culture and a social media campaign helped secure justice for an underprivileged section of people who would otherwise have little influence over the powers that be. The problematic part was a large section of the media waking up to the issue only after it became viral on Twitter. Naturally, with the source of the outrage being a three minute music video rather than an impact assessment report or a detailed representation to a tribunal, much of the media coverage was simplistic and superficial too.

While social media has brought about a positive change for news media in many ways, this is one episode that brings out the flip-side to it. The selective outrage over Kodaikanal raises questions over whether it in fact democratises the discourse around issues that matter to people. In a country where only a small fraction of the people have access to the internet, the rise of the hashtag might actually serve to further deepen the divide between the urban national media and the nation whose voice it claims to represent.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea seeking to squash criminal prosecution, suspension and other actions taken against Gujarat Police personnel involved in Ishrat Jahan shootout case in view of Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Headley's statement.

Asking PIL petitioner ML Sharma that he should have approached the high court, the apex court bench headed by Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose said that the court could not pass any order under Article 32.

"What is the purpose of Article 32. You cannot file such a case under it. If you wish, you can go to the high court under Article 226 of the Constitution," a bench comprising Justices P C Ghose and Amitava Roy said minutes after lawyer M L Sharma started arguments in the case.

However, the bench clarified that it was not dismissing the petition on merits when Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought a clarification on this issue.

"Any person having locus can approach the appropriate authority," the bench said paving way for the affected Gujarat policemen including then DIG D G Vanzara to move the court for their exoneration in the politically sensitive case.

The plea seeking to quash action taken against Gujarat cops refers to the statement of Headley, the Pakistani-American terrorist, recorded before a Mumbai court that Jahan was a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative.

Gujarat Police personnel, including ex-cop Vanzara, are facing trial in a Mumbai court for their alleged role in the encounter.

The plea which cited the recent statements recorded by Headley, who allegedly conspired with LeT in plotting the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, said the facts are now undisputed that all four persons killed by Gujarat Police, including Ishrat Jahan, were terrorists.

"The judicial proceeding and statement of David Headley, who conspired with LeT in plotting the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, stated via video conference and recorded in the special court at Mumbai that four persons, including Ishrat Jahan who were killed in June 2004 by Gujarat Police, were part of LeT terrorist organisation belonging to Pakistan and they were assigned to kill then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi," it said.

The plea had sought a direction to close criminal proceedings and action taken in FIRs lodged by CBI against the Gujarat Police personnel and others, saying it was unconstitutional within the judicial facts and evidences of Headley.

It had also sought a direction from the court declaring that killing of a terrorist is not an offence under Indian law and proper compensation be paid to the state police personnel in the interest of justice.

It also wanted initiation of suo motu perjury/contempt proceedings against the then Home Minister and CBI Director for concealing true facts before the Supreme Court and the Gujarat High Court and for filing a false affidavit pertaining to facts about the case.

With inputs from agencies
It's unusual for the holder of a diplomatic passport and a Rajya Sabha MP to flee the country. But then Vijay Mallya is not an ordinary individual. Hes the man who owes Rs 9091.40 crore to public sector banks. The number of zeros in that sum may confuse any ordinary citizen.

Under fire from the media, banks, the investigating agencies and the politicians, the liquor baron on Friday in a series of tweets refuted allegations that he has made a hurried exit from India to avoid penal action.

Mallya posted: "As an Indian MP I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media."

In another tweet, he added: "I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish."

Amid the sordid drama, the only saving grace is that Mallyas term as Rajya Sabha MP is ending on 30 June this year, much before the time it will take for the Ethics Committee of Parliament  which apparently has now decided to take up the issue  to arrive at a conclusion on his membership.

Mallya's defiance  as reflected in his series of tweets including a thinly veiled threat against media: "Let media bosses not forget help, favours, accommodation that I have provided over several years which are documented. Now lies to gain TRP?"  and footage of his palatial England mansion beamed on news channels indicate that he continues to treat himself like the king of good times.

The tweet has gained huge traction, indicating that most would welcome it if the tycoon reveals the names of media bosses to whom he granted favours and who enjoyed his famed hospitality.

While going through Mallyas tweet I was reminded of a chance encounter with one of his former employees, an airhostess of his erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines. That interaction left a deep impression and made me wonder about the lives and living conditions of thousands of employees who worked for him and were left fighting for survival.

In the run up to the 2014 parliamentary elections, I was flying to Bangalore with a political leader on a chartered flight. My purpose was to cover his tour and see how his party's campaign was going on.

It was one of those spacious private jets. On board, the airhostess, in accord with usual practice served us refreshments. She seemed to be quite diligent and went on carrying her task with the smoothness of a thorough professional. She was impeccable in discharging her duties but her smile looked a bit forced and she had the appearance of someone ill at ease. One assumed she was in awe of the rather well-known dignitary on board.

After attending the rally in Bangalore, the politician left for couple more rallies in far-off locations on a smaller chopper. The helicopter had room for one less person than the earlier jet. I volunteered to stay back, saying that I would utilise my time in filing the report and would wait for him to return either at the airport or inside the jet which brought us to Bangalore.

After finishing my work, I reached airport slightly early and inside the airplane, I found the airhostess relaxing in passenger cabin.

My entry surprised her. She got up and rushed to her designated area. I told her that she could relax, there was still some time before the political leader would arrive.

"Have you been on this chartered aircraft for long", I asked her to initiate a conversation. "No, it's only second time," she replied.

"Where have you been before?" I asked. She kept quiet. "You seem to be quite experienced in your work, have you always been with chartered flights or have you worked with commercial airliners too," I asked again.

She kept quiet for a while, said something inaudible and remained silent for a while as if thinking whether to speak or not. Did I ask something awkward, I began to wonder.

All of a sudden she choked up and suddenly started crying. She had been temporarily hired by that chartered flight company, she said after regaining composure.

We were employed with Kingfisher, I and my husband, she said.

We were doing well as professionals. And then all of a sudden everything fell apart for us. You can't imagine what we have gone though. What wretched life we have been forced to lead for past few years, she said, trying to control her emotions.

I am quite senior in terms of experience and by industry standards my age is on the higher side. So no one would hire me and one job which I got after great effort was far below my expectations.

It was an entry-level job and guys and girls much junior to me in age and experience would boss over me. One man destroyed it all for me and hundreds of others like us. May God never forgive Mallya."

She regained control and requested me not to discuss her plight with anyone. Her outburst, it seemed, was a result of pent up anger, grief and insecurity.

As she left for her designated area, I recalled an interaction with Mallya way back in March 2003. I, along with other correspondents, had gone to Goa to see naval preparedness on board air-craft carrier on INS Virat.

LK Advani was the chief guest. Mallya landed there as part of a delegation of MPs, parliamentary consultative committee and standing committee on defence. He was the focus of attention. During a casual interaction with us he said he had gifted a yacht to his son on his birthday.

Banks have been lending money, deposited by millions of small investors, to Mallya despite the condition of his stressed assets. The system, which tolerates not even the slightest slip-up from an ordinary loanee, gave Mallya the longest rope to exploit it with.
New Delhi: A four-member expert committee set up by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to inspect the site on the Yamuna flood plain where the World Culture Festival is being organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living Foundation, has said it would require at least Rs 120 crore to restore the area to its original state.

The committee, in its report submitted to the green panel on 21 February, had stated that the area has been cleared of all natural vegetation and the event would leave a "permanent footprint" on the floodplains of the Yamuna.

"The site has been cleared of all natural vegetation and consolidated with machinery. It appears that the site has been raised with the help of JCBs (mechanical excavators). A gigantic stage made of steel rods is under preparation. A huge amount of debris and construction waste has been dumped into the Yamuna main channel," said the report.

The expert committee was headed by Water Resources Secretary Shashim Shekhar. He was assisted by Prof AK Gosain of IIT-Delhi, Prof CR Babu and Prof Brij Gopal.

"Not just the Yamuna flood plains, but the flood plains of all the major rivers are ecologically senitive areas. In the first place, the organisers should not have selected the site. They should have gone to Jawaharlal Nehru stadim," Professor Babu told IANS.

"They have levelled and flattened the plains. Because of this the the plains have got compacted. Today (Wednesday) there was rain, but there will be no recharging of water into the groundwater. The rain water should have gone to the groundwater, but since the plains got compacted, it wouldn't," he added.

According to Babu, it would require at least Rs 120 crore to restore the Yamuna flood plains in its original position.

"During the preparation for event, they have damaged the wetlands, the aquatic plants and flora and fauna. The flora and fauna in the wetlands can also make sewage water clean but it has been damaged," he said.

"According to the norms, no activities should take place within 100 metres from the water course. But they have violated that too," he added.

Babu further said: "The damage has already been done. There was no point stopping the event at the last moment. So, we recommended NGT to slap a fine of at least Rs.120 crore on AoL for restoration work and ask them to convert the place into a biodiversity park."

IANS
WHY DONT YOU READ THESE?
New Delhi: About 62,416 women died of cervical cancer in 2015-16 in the country, Union Health Minister J P Nadda informed the Lok Sabha on Friday.

"The estimated number of deaths due to cervical cancer accounts for 24 per cent of all anatomical sites of cancer in women in India. This is the largest proportion among all cancers in women in India.

"The estimated number of deaths due to cervical cancer for the year 2015-16 is 62,416," said Nadda citing the data

collected by National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR)- National Cancer Registry Programme of ICMR.

The central government supplements the efforts of the state government in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of

cancer, he said.

At present, National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke is

being implemented under National Health Mission for cancer-related awareness generation, and screening, early

detection and referral to an appropriate institution for treatment.

PTI
Patna: Bihar Education Minister Ashok Chaudhary on Friday promised strict action, including suspension of finance department officials, over delay in release of funds for payment of salaries to school teachers in the state.

"Strict action will be taken against errant officials, including stopping their salaries and suspension if they do

not mend their ways," he said.

Chaudhary said this while replying to a question by JD(U) MLC Sanjeev Kumar Singh in the Legislative Council that

payment of salaries of school teachers were delayed due to non-release of funds by finance department officials.

The minister said funds have been made available for payment of salaries to the school teachers up to March this

year.

But salaries were paid up to September or October last year in most of the districts as it took time to sort out

wages of the teachers following the government's decision to take contractual teachers on regular payroll, he said.

Delay in payment of salary to lakhs of school teachers had invited the ire of Bihar State Human Rights Commission

recently.

PTI
New Delhi: A political slugfest erupted on Thursday over liquor baron Vijay Mallya leaving India in the middle of a massive loan default probe with Rahul Gandhi accusing the government of "helping" him, a charge rejected by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who raked up the Bofors case to remind him of Ottavio Quattrocchi's escape during Congress rule.

As the controversy surrounding the beleaguered businessman's departure figured both inside and outside Parliament, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad raised the matter in Rajya Sabha and accused the

NDA government of "criminal consipracy" in allowing him to fly out of the country. Mallya left on 2 March.

When the issue was raised in Lok Sabha, junior Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy asserted Mallya is "no saint for us" and that he has "not been given a single penny" by the NDA government.

Outside Parliament, a combative Rahul asked how the government allowed Mallya, who owes over Rs 9,000 crore to

banks, to leave the country and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jaitley have failed to answer this question in their speeches.

The Congress vice president attacked the government, saying the entire country is questioning why it was "helping"

people like Mallya by allowing him to escape and not fulfilling its promises made to people for bringing back

black money and "giving Rs 15 lakh into every person's bank account".

He also hit out at the Modi government for bringing the "Fair and Lovely" tax amnesty scheme, saying it only helped

thieves, black marketeers and drug mafia to convert their black money into white.

"When a poor man steals, he is beaten up and thrown into jail. Someone who does not have food to eat and steals a roti is beaten up and put behind bars and a big businessmen who steals Rs 9,000 crore from country, you allow him to escape in First Class from the country. What is this happening?

"We simply asked that someone who stole Rs 9,000 crore from the country, how did he run away from the country. How

did you allow him to escape? This is the simple question and we neither got a reply to this from Modiji nor from Jaitley ji. The question is why did your government allow him to run away from the country," he told reporters.

Jaitley while rejecting Gandhi's charge told reporters that late Quattrocchi, a Bofors case accused, had fled the

country under the Congress government watch in 1993.

Raking up the Bofors case that had dogged Rajiv Gandhi government and the Congress for years, Jaitely said, "Rahul ji should remember that there is a basic difference in Mallya leaving (the country) and Quattrochi going out (of India). And let me explain him the difference.

"When the officials of Switzerland informed that Quattrochi was also among the beneficiaries of Bofors and

though the person who was heading the CBI investigation earlier K Madhavan wrote a letter that his passport should be impounded, the then government had not stopped him and within two days he left India. That was a criminal case."

Seeking to stress that there is a difference between the two cases, Jaitley also said that by the time he (Mallya

left), the banks had not initiated the legal process.

As Congress alleged that Mallya escaped despite 'Look Out Notice" by CBI, Jaitley said: "That day, there was no order of any agency to stop him (from leaving the country)". He said Mallya had left the country before the banks moved the Supreme Court for seizure of his passport.

PTI
New Delhi: Slamming Art of Living Foundation for "dodging" NGT orders with "sheer brazenness", CPI(M) today said it doesn't augur well for the country even as it accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "patronising" the outfit.

"The sheer brazenness with which Art of Living, patronised by PM himself, is dodging NGT orders doesn't augur well for the Indian Republic," CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury tweeted.

Accusing Union ministers of backing AOL, Yechury also sought to know from the government if such "misuse" of state machinery by the foundation will continue under "direct gaze" of the Centre.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had on Wednesday asked AOL to pay Rs 5 crore as environmental compensation while clearing decks for its three-day cultural extravaganza 'World Culture Festival' on the floodplains of Yamuna.

Environmentalists have alleged that the preparations for the event have destroyed ecology of the Yamuna floodplains.

AOL's founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, however, yesterday said he would rather go to jail than pay the compensation.

PTI
In the hammam of Indian politics, Bofors and Bhopal have become everybody's favourite fig-leaves. The moment a scandal erupts and the greed, complicity and incompetence of politicians are exposed in full grandeur in public, everybody rushes to hide their fronts and backs behind the Chaddhas, Andersons and Quattrocchis.

You can only laugh at them for deluding themselves. Politicians might shamelessly dance around in their new clothes, but people can see that by snatching each other's fig leaves, they are only exposing themselves.

Consider the case of Vijay Mallya. It is apparent that the liquor baron - a Rajya Sabha member elected with the support of the BJP, Janata Dal (Devegowda) and the Congress - has left the country even as a consortium of banks waits for him to recover the nearly Rs 9,000 crore loaned to his company.

The amount Mallya owes the banks isn't small. It is almost a fourth of the total money set aside for MNREGA this year by the Narendra Modi government. Since MNREGA envisages 100 days of employment to 52 million people, a rough estimate shows recovery of Mallya's debt alone can keep around 13 million villagers employed.

To be objective, Mallya did not get these loans in a single day. Several banks financed Kingfisher Airlines over the past decade, rolling out the red carpet without bothering about collaterals.

How Mallya got these loans from across the banking spectrum without pledging collaterals is in itself a major scam. Running an airlines is a risky business--it is like betting on a horse--and yet several banks willingly bankrolled Mallya's gamble.

To understand the magnitude of the risk, let us consider the case of Air India. Since 2007-08, when it was merged with Indian Airlines, the carrier has accumulated losses of more than Rs 44,000 crore. Every year, it adds around 5,000 crore to the net loss. Its total borrowings exceed 35,000 crore.

For whatever it is worth, Air India owns a fleet of aircrafts that can be sold off to recover liabilities, if the need arises. Yet, no banker in his right mind will readily give loans to Air India.

Yet, Kingfisher Airlines, with negligible assets of its own--the crafts were on lease--was financed to death by both public sector and private banks. Why? How? Under whose pressure? All this needs to be probed.

Mallya enjoyed patronage of every party. He got elected to Rajya Sabha from Karnataka twice; in 2002, with the support of the Congress and JDS and later with the help of JDS and BJP. On both occasions, he got more votes than other candidates who won on party tickets.

Now that he is threatening to name people who enjoyed his patronage, obviously you can sense fear among politicians. If Mallya starts singing, reputations of several politicians will be destroyed.

Obviously, politicians have started hiding behind the usual fig leaves. In parliament, when the Congress blamed the Modi government for letting Mallya slip away, finance minister Arun Jaitley pulled out the standard BJP reply: So, what about Quattrocchi?

This is identical to the BJP's defence of its role in the Lalit Modi scandal. "An Indian national (Lalit Modi) had asked Sushma ji for her help so that his wife could undergo treatment. Sushma ji talked to a British MP to request that the national be helped if Britains rules permit the same, Shah told ANI when the foreign minister was accused of helping the former IPL commissioner.

I cannot understand why such a big controversy is being created. This is not a matter of moral ground. This is not similar to [Bofors scandal accused Ottavio] Quattrocchi or [former Union Carbide Corporation CEO Warren] Anderson being allowed to escape India. Some people are trying to turn this into a political matter, but their expectations are useless," Shah argued.

In Mallya's case, there is no cancer plea, humanitarian ground or moral compulsion. There is growing evidence that the CBI let its guard down and helped Mallya leave India before his passport could be impounded.

Yet, the BJP continues to hide behind Quattrocchi and Anderson. It continues to justify its culpability by arguing that even the Congress is guilty of such misdeeds, a standard practice between the two parties for occupying the moral high ground when none exists.

Let this be clear. The Congress was guilty of too many lapses in both Bofors and Bhopal. It may even have been a beneficiary of kickbacks and quid-pro-quo. The BJP should ensure that all those who were guilty are indicted and sent to jail. So far, it has done nothing.

So, it is morally reprehensible to use both for claiming clean chits and certificates of propriety for itself.

Politicians should be ashamed of hiding behind the Bofors scam and Bhopal Gas Tragedy while claiming themselves holier-than-thou, especially because they have used them just as convenient tools to run down each other and fool people.

Next year, we would be celebrating 30 years of the Bofors scam. In 2019, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy would be 35-years old. During the past three decades, we have had governments of all hues, ideologies and parties, of all nature--coalition and single-party; several politicians have won and lost elections solely by talking about Bofors. So far, not a single person has been convicted in the case, not a penny has been recovered from the kickbacks paid--estimated to be around Rs 160 crore-- in the Rs 1500 crore gun deal.

Bhopal's case is even more shocking.

On December 2, 1984, when about 40 tonnes of methyl isocynate gas leaked out of the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal's Chhola area, according to official figures, 5,295 died, 4500 were permanently disabled and 42 suffered serious injuries. Thousands continue to be on medication because of the long-term effects of poisoning.

Yet, government after government has failed to bring the guilty to justice or ensure adequate compensation for the victims, who continue to fight a losing battle. Some of the politicians in power today, incidentally, had offered legal services to Union Carbide and helped its owners cheat victims.

Today, they hide behind the tragedy, revealing in public their ugly politics.
New Delhi: In a bid to encourage residents of the national capital for taking proper bills for their purchases, Delhi government today awarded 54 customers under the newly-launched 'Bill Banvao, Inaam Pao' scheme.

The scheme was launched on 18 January by the Department of Trade and Taxes with the aim to nab the traders who issue bills on the cancelled registration number (TIN) and evade tax. The winners were decided by a lottery and were given cash prizes five times of their bill amount for the month of February with the maximum cash prize of Rs 50,000 per person.

A total of 8,339 bills were uploaded during the month of February. 5,335 entries were held valid, almost triple the number of 1,679 valid entries last month, the officials claimed. To be considered for the award, the purchaser has to upload the bill on the department's website or via their app 'Bill Banvao Inaam Pao'.

The taxable value of the purchased goods should at least be Rs 100 and the bill has to be uploaded within seven days of purchase. "The jump in the number of entries is remarkable. We expect more people to take part in the competition as the word spreads and more people know about the scheme," said Sanjay Sharma, one of the three persons officiating the lottery draw.

"Through this scheme, we are trying to achieve two things: to encourage people to ask for bill during their purchase and to make it mandatory for the dealers to make the bill. So we are targeting both the customers and the shopkeepers through this scheme," he added. The officers will visit the shopkeepers on whose name the bills were issued and uploaded to authenticate the validity of the bills after which the winners will be given their cash prizes.

PTI
If you thought stupid statements like chowmein being the cause of rapes were made only in India, Indonesian mayor Arief R Wismansyah proved you wrong.

Tangerang mayor Wismansyah claimed at a pregnancy seminar that instant noodles and formula milk are "making babies gay", according to Telegraph.

"To create Indonesian children that are healthy smart and competitive, the most important thing is, from the beginning, to provide them adequate nutrition, especially breastfeeding," the report quoted him as saying.

But Wismansyah did not stop there. He also blamed the internet and social media for 'spreading' LGBT thoughts and views and came up with the profound advice for parents to keep up with technology so that they could control what their children saw online.

It's not just Wismansyah, though, who has such delusions about homosexuality and health. Indonesian Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said the LGBT movement was a threat because everyone was brainwashed, according to Daily Mail.

"(The LGBT movement) is dangerous as we can't see who our foes are, but out of the blue everyone is brainwashed - now the (LGBT) community is demanding more freedom, it really is a threat," Daily Mail quoted Ryamizard as saying.
Tel Aviv: Israeli police on Friday said 177 "illegal" Palestinian workers were arrested overnight, on the third day of a crackdown following a fatal terror attack.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the workers were detained because they entered Israel without permits, along with 26 people who were accused of driving them from the West Bank to Israel, Xinhua news agency reported.

Samri added that over the past 24 hours, police and paramilitary Border Police raided 341 construction sites, where most of the Palestinian workers are employed, and other places known as workers sleeping sites.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Israeli forces arrested 250 other Palestinians without permits in addition to 30 employers and people who accommodate them.

The massive crackdown was part of new measures that the Israeli government imposed in the wake of a stabbing attack in Jaffa, south of capital Tel Aviv on Tuesday, which claimed the life of Taylor Force, a 29-year-old US Student, the second American citizen who was killed in the ongoing violence between Israel and the Palestinians.

Force was stabbed to death by Bashar Massalha, a 22-year-old resident of the West Bank town Qalqilya who entered Israel without papers. He had wounded 11 others before police shot and killed him.

The incident occurred as US Vice President Joe Biden was visiting the nearby Peres Centre for Peace. His two-day visit, which ended on Thursday, triggered a spate of attacks.

IANS
Dharamsala: A group of lawmakers from the Baltic states have urged China to resume a dialogue with the Dalai Lama's envoys for meaningful autonomy for Tibet, according to the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) based in Dharamsala.

There has been no real improvement in the human rights situation in Tibet under Chinese rule, the CTA said on Friday, citing a statement by members of parliament (MPs) of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The MPs said that they, together with Tibetan supporters from the three Baltic States, are deeply concerned over the wave of self-immolation protests in and outside Tibet.

"Therefore, we are calling upon the Chinese government to begin an immediate and meaningful dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the CTA, both of whom embrace meaningful autonomy for Tibet within the People's Republic of China," the MPs were cited as saying on Thursday by the CTA.

Since 2009, they said, at least 143 Tibetans have resorted to self-immolation to express their grievances under the repressive policies of the Chinese government.

The members of parliament said they are willing to assist resumption of a meaningful dialogue between the Chinese government and the Tibetan leadership-in-exile to help find a peaceful and sustainable solution.

Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians, they said, share a similar history and fate with Tibetans, regarding their cultural, social and political struggle.

"We have the motivation and experience to facilitate the Chinese-Tibetan dialogue," they added.

The Tibetan leadership remains firmly committed to non-violence and strongly believes that the only way to resolve the issue of Tibet is through dialogue, Lobsang Sangay, the elected leader of the Tibetan people, said here on Thursday, marked as the 57th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day.

The Dalai Lama's envoys and the Chinese have held nine rounds of talks since 2002 to resolve the Tibetan issue but no major breakthrough has been achieved so far.

The last talks were held in Beijing in January 2010.

The Dalai Lama has lived in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959.

IANS
Beirut: Syria's main opposition body, the High Negotiations Committee, said Friday that it would attend indirect peace talks with the government in Geneva on 14 March.

In a statement distributed to reporters, the HNC said it would participate in the negotiations as part of its "commitment to international efforts to stop the bloodshed and find a political solution."

United Nations special envoy Staffan de Mistura said "substantive" talks would begin on 14 March in the Swiss city and would not last longer than 10 days.

A source close to the Syrian government confirmed earlier this week that its delegation would be attending.

In its statement, the HNC said its delegation would focus on the creation of a "transitional governance body with full executive powers".

It said President Bashar al-Assad "will have no place" in a future government.

The HNC said it was not setting "any preconditions to its participation in the talks," but insisted that parties should commit to international agreements on humanitarian issues.

HNC general coordinator Riad Hijab said the opposition was ready to "take advantage of every opportunity to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people."

More than 270,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict erupted with anti-government protests in 2011.

AFP
Tehran: Tehran and New Delhi can play a crucial role in fighting terrorism, Iran's secretary of Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei said.

"Iran and India can play a crucial role in fighting terrorism through strategic cooperation," Rezaei said in a meeting with Indian Ambassador to Iran Saurabh Kumar on Thursday.

He reiterated that both the countries are members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and they should adopt a new outlook in a bid to broaden their bilateral ties and pave the way for boosting cooperation.

The Indian ambassador said: "While strengthening the anti-terrorism dialogue, we should begin fight against terrorists."

He proposed that Iran and India should play an effective role in going to war on terrorism through strategic cooperation.

"We are also emphasizing that the economic, cultural and also independent relations between the two countries should be strengthened," Kumar said.

IANS
Washington: Donald Trump today stuck to his controversial remarks of "Islam hates us", drawing flak from his Republican rivals as they engaged in a show of civility in their latest face-off, with one of them warning the presidential frontrunner of consequences of such statements.

Trump clarified that not all Muslims fall into this category but said he means "a lot of them". "I mean a lot of them. I mean a lot of them," Trump said when asked if he meant all 1.6 billion Muslims when he said "Islam hates us".

"I've been watching the debate today. They're talking about radical Islamic terrorism or radical Islam. There's something going on that maybe you don't know about, maybe a lot of other people don't know about, but there's tremendous hatred. "And I will stick with exactly what I said," Trump said.

"In large mosques, all over the Middle East, you have people chanting "death to the USA". Now, that does not sound like a friendly act to me," Trump said in response to a question at the last Republican presidential debate in Miami, Florida - which goes for primary elections on Tuesday.

The exchange, though charged up, remained mostly respectful - in stark contrast to the no holds barred face-off that it had become in the past few days. Trump's bitter presidential rival Senator Marco Rubio warned about consequences of such a controversial statement.

"I know that a lot of people find appeal in the things Donald says because he says what people wish they could say. The problem is, presidents can't just say anything they want. It has consequences, here and around the world," he said.

The US already has had consequences of airplanes flying into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and could have been the White House, Rubio added. "There have been a lot of problems. Now you can say what you want, and you can be politically correct if you want. I don't want to be so politically correct. I like to solve problems. We have a serious, serious problem of hate," he said.

Rubio said two days ago he met a couple who were on furlough because they are missionaries in Bangladesh. "It's a very tough place to be a missionary. It's Muslim. And their safety and security very much relies upon friendly Muslims that live along side them, that may not convert, but protect them and certainly look out for them. "And their mission field really are Muslims that are looking to convert to Christianity as well," he said.

"They tell me that today they have a very hostile environment in which to operate in because the news is coming out that in America, leading political figures are saying that America doesn't like Muslims. So this is a real impact. There's no doubt that radical Islam is a danger in the world," Rubio said.

According to Rubio, Islam has a major problem on its hands. "It has a significant percentage of its adherents, particular in the Sunni faith but also in the Shia, who have been radicalised," he said.

"There is no doubt about that. It is also true if you look around the world at the challenges we face, we are going to have to work together with other -- with Muslims, who do not -- who are not radicals," he said.

Ohio Governor John Kasich said "radical Islam that is really, really serious, and poses the greatest threat to the US" today. "There isn't any question. That's why the whole world has to work together to make sure that we don't have proliferation of these weapons of mass destruction," he said.

Senator Ted Cruz, who is the only one having defeated Trump in more than half a dozen States, said focus needs to be on keeping the country safe. Trump said Ben Carson - the retired neurosurgeon and onetime Republican presidential candidate who once mocked him - is set to endorse him, in fresh boost to the aspirations of the tycoon for the top American post. 69-year-old Trump has stoked yet another controversy when he said he thinks "Islam hates us" and asserted that those having hatred against the US cannot be allowed to enter the country.

He made headlines in December when he called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the US "until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on."

PTI
Two intoxicated women blasted music from a "boom box" on board a Spirit Airlines flight from Baltimore to Los Angeles on Wednesday morning.

When passengers complained, the women held the boom box in the air.

But what played out so beautifully when John Cusack did it in Say Anything hit a sour note in real life high in the skies.

Spirit Airlines spokesman Paul Berry said several other customers asked the women to turn down the music, but they refused.
Johannesburg: A South African teenager has found debris that will be sent to Australia for testing as part of the investigation into the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines plane two years ago, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) says.

Liam Lotter, 18, told South Africa's East Coast radio on Friday he found the piece of debris on a beach in Mozambique while on holiday in December and his family took it back to their home in South Africa.

He said that after a suspected part of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was found in Mozambique last week, his family made the connection with his find.
Last summer, war refugees fleeing the Middle East started arriving in overwhelming numbers on the Greek islands after risking a perilous crossing of the Aegean Sea from nearby Turkey.



Some European vacationers dropped their holidays and started helping asylum-seekers. They were joined by hundreds of volunteers from across Europe. The refugees stuck on the Greek-Macedonia border have not had the same scale of support.

There are now an estimated 16,000 war refugees and migrants, most fleeing conflict in Syria and Iraq, trapped on Greeces border with Macedonia. The Macedonians have shut the border at Idomeni and conditions are worsening here by the day.

Even so, there are far fewer volunteers at Idomeni to help the refugees than last summer when European vacationers switched from being holiday-makers and became informal relief workers. They were joined by hundreds of mainly young Europeans from across the continent moved by media coverage of the plight of the asylum-seekers.

Maybe fatigue has set in with the prolonged refugee crisis - there are only a handful of non-Greek independent volunteers at Idomeni.

Among them is a group calling itself SolidariTea, made up of independent volunteers who met last summer on the Greek islands. And they have brought with them a battered 50-year-old mobile tea-maker once used by the East German army to cater to troops on field exercises.

WATCH - Volunteers painting nails of refugees at Idomeni

Bringing back humanity

Jana Rickardt, a 23-year-old volunteer from Germany, explained that her group aims to bring a semblance of normalcy into the lives of refugees.

We came down here to support refugees. We are from a group that drives down the Balkan route carrying donations and also this machine to make tea. We have transported food with us as well but the last days we are always giving out tea at night mainly because we think this creates a community. It is supposed to bring some humanity back to this place, Rickardt said.

The group gets the refugees to help make the tea - dispatching some to gather firewood and others to fetch water.

Tea-making isnt the only community-raising exercise the group of seven volunteers engages in. Two other female volunteers were busy painting the nails of some refugee children and women in garish colors, prompting laughter. Another two were helping refugee kids stitch together a banner. And yet another volunteer was dancing with some refugee children.

They believe part of the reason for the absence of large numbers of volunteers is that university classes are still sitting in European countries. Also, Idomeni is in a remote part of northern Greece with few hotels and facilities around. There are no trains or buses from the biggest city close by, Thessaloniki.

Raising awareness

The group is critical of the established NGOs, accusing them of being hidebound and too bureaucratic.

Ellen Muriel, a 22-year-old British volunteer and student at the University of Exeter, said that for support the group heavily relies on social media.

We basically set up like a Go-fund-me page and a website and a Facebook page and just sent it out to all our friends and family with our objective and what we wanted to do and we pay the transport, we pay for ourselves, the food we pay for ourselves, so the donations are purely for what we distribute, she said.

Muriel said it is inevitable that the big NGOs have to take on most of the burden but there is a wider point to what independent volunteers can contribute.

It is about raising awareness back home through what we are doing, like we keep updated, we write blogs, we put up photos so people can see where their money is going, Muriel said.

The group believes many more independent volunteers need to come.
Russian officials complain theyve been frustrated in repeated efforts to get information about the mysterious death of Mikhail Lesin, a former aide to President Vladimir Putin whose battered body was found in a Washington hotel room four months ago.

Senior Russian officials spoke out hours after authorities in the U.S. capital issued a brief statement explaining the Russian media magnate's death was caused by "blunt force trauma." The Russian Foreign Ministry's chief spokeswoman indicated a high-level diplomatic request was on the way to Washington.

News of developments in the Lesin case broke late Thursday when police in Washington and the office of the city's medical examiner said in a joint statement that his death was caused by head injuries, but that he also had suffered injuries to his neck, torso, arms and legs. The statement did not indicate what caused the blunt-force head injury, and it did not explain whether Lesin, who was in his late 50s, died by accident or was murdered.

In Moscow, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the Russian Embassy in Washington has received no "substantive information" about Lesin's death despite repeated inquiries through diplomatic channels, and was only aware of media reports about the autopsy.

Now, however, Zakharova wrote in a Facebook post, "Russian authorities will send a request to the Americans for international legal assistance."

Ongoing investigation

Authorities in Washington said their investigation was continuing, and they declined to answer reporters' questions about whether Lesin's death was caused by a criminal act. The State Department referred all questions about the case to law enforcement agencies.

Lesin was found dead in his room at a hotel in Washington's Dupont neighborhood on November 5, two days after he unexpectedly failed to appear at a gala dinner elsewhere in Washington. The New York Times quoted an unidentified official Friday as saying that Lesin's extensive injuries were the result of "some sort of altercation" that occurred before he returned to the hotel.

Focus of a probe

A former media adviser and press secretary to Putin, Lesin had helped launch the Kremlin-backed English-language news agency Russia Today, which says its mission is "to convey Russian positions to the international audience."

He became the chief of Gazprom-Media Holding beginning in 2013 but stepped down the following year, RadioFreeEurope/Radio Liberty reported Friday.

Leslin was the subject of a U.S. senator's request to the U.S. Justice Department in 2014 to investigate whether he broke U.S. laws against money laundering in buying several expensive homes in Los Angeles. The California homes were purchased in the name of a corporation controlled by Lesin.
Nadiya Savchenko's fight against Russia's justice system captures headlines, but it is her persistence in the face of discrimination in Ukraine to which many women relate.

The 34-year-old is Ukraine's only female military pilot and a veteran of Ukraine's mission to Iraq, with a military career spanning 13 years. When her 2014 request to deploy to the war zone was rejected, she joined a volunteer battalion.

She trained recruits and fought alongside men, yet was officially offered a non-combatant position of "morale officer," as related to activist Maria Berlinska by Savchenko's sister, Vera. Before Nadiya Savchenko could decline or accept, she was captured in battle by Russia-backed separatists and subsequently taken to Russia.

She is now facing a 23-year prison sentence in Russia and is hailed as a hero in Ukraine.

"She set an example of unbreakable will, both as a woman and an officer, by taking up arms to do what is every Ukrainian's duty: to protect our native land," said Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko before a crowd of Ukrainian female leaders at a ceremony dedicated to International Women's Day.

The recognition comes despite the fact that Ukraine's military regulations, supported by the country's labor regulations, ban women from professions associated with hard labor  including multiple military specializations and participation in active combat. Military education opportunities are also limited. Savchenko dealt with this reality in her military career.

She is now hailed as a female military pilot by the government, but in 2005  after serving in Ukraine's mission in Iraq  she had to personally lobby the minister of defense to be able to enroll in Ukraine's Air Force University in Kharkiv. Savchenko had dreamed of being a jetfighter pilot since childhood, but graduated as a helicopter navigator. She was twice expelled from the university.

Recognition, pay fall short

By many accounts, Savchenko was not treated as a man's equal in the military.

"Women's role in Ukraine is not recognized appropriately. This fact vividly highlights the inequality between men and women in the country," Iryna Troian, expert in Gender Studies at Ukraine's Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, told VOA.

Only a small fraction of the 14,000 women who served in Ukraine's armed forces in 2015  including almost 1,000 at the front lines  enjoy the same salary, benefits, recognition and prospects as men in equal roles, according to a recent study. The report, entitled The Invisible Battalion, highlights the lack of recognition of women in combat.

Existing regulations neither honor women who went through combat, nor provide incentives for women with invaluable combat experience to stay in the army, says activist Berlinska, one of the report's authors.

Berlinska trains drone operators and conducts aerial reconnaissance for the military in eastern Ukraine as a volunteer. A past run-in she had with the military was bitter.

She joined the army to work in aerial reconnaissance. Commanders did not mind, but offered to enlist her as a bookkeeper. "This meant accepting five to 10 times lesser salary," she told VOA.

Additional strain on women

Labor regulations that thwart and discriminate against women in the military based on their gender also govern employment rules in other spheres, Berlinska points out.

"In reality, women do hard physical labor just as men do, but are paid less," she said of the situation in Ukraine's labor force.

According to the IMF and the World Bank, in militarily- and economically-troubled Ukraine, an average monthly salary was roughly $147 in 2015. Yearly per capita income dropped to $2,108, as compared to $4,029 in 2013. This, among many other debilitating factors affecting the population in general, also undermines women's opportunities to participate in social and political life.

"Women occupying the same positions as men on average are paid 25 percent less," Iryna Troian of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy told VOA.

Some wartime problems touch virtually every Ukrainian citizen; others are most severe for women. According to La Strada Ukraine, an international women's rights center, many women suffered from violence and sexual abuse in the war zone; others suffered at the hands of men returning from the war.

Domestic violence is also widespread, according to La Strada.

"Currently, almost every woman in Ukraine performs acts of civil heroism to maintain households and provide for their children, especially women in the war-torn east," says Nina Potarskaya, director of Ukraine's NGO Center for Social and Labor Studies.

Underrepresented in politics

Increased participation by women in politics could advance gender equality and help address the plight of Ukrainian women. Political life, however, is where gender inequality is most striking in Ukraine, says The Global Gender Gap Report.

Women in leadership positions are no rarity in Ukraine's politics, as seen by former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Current Minister of Finance Natalia Jaresko is likely to take over the government, should Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk leave the cabinet over public discontent with the slow pace of reform and corruption.

Still, women hold only 47 seats in Ukraine's 450-member parliament.

Women are severely underrepresented in Ukraine's political life, according to a study by the National Democratic Institute (NDI), a U.S. non-profit organization.

"There is a widespread acceptance of women in leadership positions in Ukraine, but the law hasn't quite caught up with the public opinion," Laura Jewett, NDI's regional director for Eurasia, told VOA.

Jewett argues that gender quotas granting representation of women on party tickets can ensure change.

Quotas granting that women make up no less than 30 percent of a party ticket in parliamentary or local elections were embedded into various laws after Euromaidan, but they are not enforced, which effectively leaves women's participation at the discretion of party leaders.

"Ukraine is largely a patriarchal society," said Svitlana Zalishchuk, a reform and anti-corruption activist turned member of parliament.

Zalishchuk authored a bill suggesting financial incentives to political parties granting women representation on election tickets. She says that she never encountered discrimination, but suggests institutionalized sexism is a problem.

"Women have visibly less opportunities to break through in politics, and as a politician I see various mechanisms at play here," Zalishchuk told VOA.

Some high-ranking male officials might be interested in securing gender-based privileges for men, Oleg Marushchenko, director of the KRONA Gender Informational and Analytical Center in Ukraine, told VOA.

Yet despite challenges, Ukraine's progress is noticeable. For instance, Ukraine's first Rada in 1990 had only 11 female parliamentarians (2.3 percent). And Ukraine's national police is now trained to prevent gender-based violence. Multiple activists and politicians VOA spoke to are determined to continue pushing for change.

Yet for quicker progress, commitment from Ukraine's elite is crucial.

"Women are changing the dominant culture, but the change will come sooner if the country's leadership will show goodwill and enable women's advancement," Zalischuk said.
Ukraines war drags on and the country continues to suffer the worst crisis of its post-Soviet era, one that many Ukrainians say is a result of corruption that made them vulnerable to Russian aggression.

Two years after the Maidan Revolution sought to end corruption, many Ukrainians say they see improvements, but that the leadership has yet to make good on its promises to end graft and mismanagement.

Their war on corruption, like the one against Russian-backed separatists, carries on intermittently.

The goals of the revolution have yet to be fulfilled in the eyes of many Ukrainians. Sergii Leshchenko, a legislator who leads anti-corruption efforts in Ukraines parliament, said corruption remains the biggest security threat.

Because of corruption we lost the army; we lost part of the territory. Because of corruption, we elected a corrupt president who finished with bloodshed at Maidan, he told VOA.

No match for Russians

After the removal of President Viktor Yanukovych, Russian-backed forces swiftly overran eastern Ukraines Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and Moscow annexed the Crimean Peninsula. Ukraines armed forces, hollowed out by corruption and mismanagement, were no match for Russian power. That was 2014.

Ukraines defense minister, General Stepan Poltorak, believes things are different today.

In just one year-and-a-half, weve managed to remove over 200 different military officials and civil servants from the Ministry of Defense because of corruption, he said in a VOA interview.

A new system of electronic bidding has saved millions of dollars, more equipment has been purchased, and the military budget and manpower have doubled.

The country has changed. Our people have changed. They do not want to live as it was before, in the past, Poltorak said.

Change, however, is not coming fast enough for many. Residents in Izyum, a town of 56,000 people on the highway to the front line in Ukraines east, saw some fighting during the first days of the war against Russian separatists in 2014. Today, the main streets are riddled with potholes that residents see as a symbol of government negligence that threatens the countrys future two years after Maidan.

Opportune moment

Some residents say the government is missing an opportunity to improve confidence at a crucial time.

When they fix roads, it shows that financing is coming and the government is working. Then the government takes on an important meaning, said an Izyum resident who asked not to be named.

The town recently took down a Soviet-era bronze statue of Russian communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin. Residents say officials told them the expensive metal would be sold, but the residents told a reporter that officials never made public what they did with the money.

In Kyiv, street-level corruption has largely disappeared. Residents say traffic police no longer demand bribes, but the public perception is that corruption is still endemic, chiefly among the oligarchs who dominate business.

Honestly, I personally do not experience direct corruption, because I am not into any kind of big business relationships," said Yuriy Voloshyn, a Kyiv resident. "But at the same time, I think that for now the situation did not change much as a result of the acts of corruption, and all the foundations on which they are based are still happening.

Street vendors once were easy targets for corrupt police. In these two years, the vendors have stood up to them.

A vendor selling coffee out of a van said police harassment stopped two years ago. A sign on his van reminds police he pays his taxes, his business is legal, and he will not pay bribes. It tells police to go catch real criminals, and then includes the words, You are not going to break us.

At Kyivs international airport, signs promote a Ukraine Without Corruption. Unlike in some countries that rate higher than Ukraine on the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, there is no demand for bribes by border police. Uniformed customs officers, in a professional tone, ask travelers how much cash they are carrying, but there is no hint of any demand for illegal payments.

Much to do

Ukraine has come a long way in its fight against corruption, but there is still a long road ahead.

The Transparency International Corruption Index in 2015 rated Ukraine 130th out of 167 countries, the same as Nicaragua and only slightly better than Nigeria, which was 136th.

Two years after Maidan, there is a growing realization among Ukrainians that their future depends on actions, not just promises, to end corruption.

This month, the European Commission postponed a decision to grant visa-free status to Ukrainians because Ukraine has yet to enact the necessary anti-corruption measures.

The move was a disappointment for Ukrainians, but those interviewed by VOA said they expected it. Some, including anti-corruption crusaders like Olexiy Haran, a politics professor at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, even welcomed it as positive pressure to institute change.

If we are going to be like normal European countries, then definitely we need to demonstrate that we are going to live according to the law, he told VOA.
Third culture kids (TCKs) is a term used to refer to individuals who were raised in a cultural environment different from their parents for a significant part of their childhood. Many consequently struggle with the concept of identity and a sense of belonging.

Anastasia Lijadi of the University of Macau recently published her dissertation, titled Bloom where you are planted: Place identity construction of third culture kids, which won an award from the International Institute for Qualitative Methodology.

Macau Daily Times (MDT)  What prompted you to undertake this area of research?

Anastasia Lijadi (AL)  My children will grow up as TCKs  individuals who trailed behind their parents who hopped across the border. As a parent of TCKs in the making, and for many parents in a similar situation, I would like to know if we are making the right decision for the future of our children by continuing to live our high mobility lifestyle.

MDT  What is the state of the TCKs community in Macau?

AL  I dont have information on the numbers of TCKs in Macau, but I can estimate about 30 percent of students in English-speaking schools and international schools of Macau are TCKs. Most TCKs families here work with multinational organizations, though I also noticed that there are self-mobility families, or those who have moved in pursuit of a better life.

Living and growing up in numerous places has provided TCKs with benefits such as a high level of cross-cultural understanding and adaptability. However, even though the TCKs might know the common practices of many cultures they might not necessarily have internalized any one culture.

The challenges for TCKs in Macau are similar to those in other places, but what might be specific here is the state of the education system, as so far Macau only has English and Portuguese-speaking international schools.

MDT  Your research claims that TCKs have unique relationships with family and friends. What were your findings?

AL  In my research on the friendships and relationships of TCKs, I found that due to their high-mobility lifestyle, TCKs build strong bonds with their parents as they are often the only stable, constant and prominent figures in their lives as they travel to and from various places. TCKs find less stability in relationships with their siblings, who may have to leave to pursue education, career or family life elsewhere, and with peers and a society that are constantly changing.

On the other hand, the adult TCKs participants in my research mentioned that their parents did not understand their struggle and that they had nobody to confide in about their difficulties. [] From my research, I can point out several generational differences between TCKs, which also influence how they find meaning in their high-mobility lifestyles.

MDT  How much of your research was based on your interaction with TCKs in Macau?

AL  For my doctoral research I focused on the TCKs lifestyle in a few cities, including Macau, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Jakarta. Only 20 percent of my participants lived in Macau when I recruited them and half of them have since left.

Macau is a relatively new place for expatriate families and their TCKs, whereas Hong Kong, Singapore and Jakarta have been cultural melting pots for decades. Macau has recently been attracting many families from all over the world due to the opening up of the gaming industry in 2002.

MDT  How do you expect the TCK culture will develop in the future?

AL  I believe there will be more TCKs around the world as more people than ever are living abroad. In 2013, the United Nations reported that 232 million people, or 3.2 per cent of the worlds population, were international migrants. The growth in the past 13 years has been exponential compared to the 175 million recorded in 2000 and 154 million in 1990.

TCKs definitely have an influence the world. As Margaret Mead, the famous anthropologist said: Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world: indeed, its the only thing that ever has.

MDT  How would you like others to continue your research?

AL  I am curious to know if the findings from my dissertation can be extended to Cross Culture Kids (CCKs)  that is, those who interacted with fewer foreign cultures or lived in a different country for a significant period of time during their developmental years, such as those from the Macanese, Portuguese, and mainland Chinese communities in Macau.

Further studies are needed to understand how multiculturalism is integrated in school curriculums and how schools can assist TCKs adjust to their new environment. Daniel Beitler
Writer Angelo Lacuesta and poet Mookie Lacuesta discussed the state of affairs of Filipino literature yesterday during a talk included in the 5th Macau Literary Festival and held at the Old Court Building.

According to Mookie, the origins of the countrys literature are associated with its colonial history. English was already used in the Philippines as a medium of instruction in private schools in the 1900s during the period of American colonialism, with a wide array of English reading materials available, which helped Filipinos adapt to the language.

There is a very strong nationalistic sense of preserving whats our own background and not having any kind of colonial influence or presence. At the same time, America has proven to be our strongest ally, she said.

Angelo Lacuesta said that the story of the Filipinos is a story of the Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), mentioning the 25,000 to 30,000 OFWs in Macau.

Who writes their stories? Thats where the problem lies because there is such a great divide in our literature where English is a language of the middle and upper classes, while Filipino [Tagalog] is the language of the OFW.

The session also debated the case of Jose Rizals novel, Noli Me Tangere, which was originally written in Spanish. The novel, written during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines to further expose the biases of the ruling government, precipitated Rizals trips to Hong Kong and Macau in 1888. Staff reporter
Macanese architect Carlos Marreiros commented on the controversy surrounding the eventual construction of a skyscraper on Coloanes hill, saying that its time to have an integrated, low-level construction plan for the area.

Speaking with the Times on the sidelines of a British Business Association of Macau event held this week, Marreiros, who is also the director general of Albergue SCM, voiced his concerns over Coloanes urbanization.

I always agree that Coloane should be urbanized. Coloane should have an urbanization plan, but urbanizing Coloane doesnt mean that it will be full of high-rises. It should be integrated [] this is what our plan for Coloane should be.

Marreiros added that the government should quickly work out an urbanization scheme in Coloane and have a low-level construction plan, with a green approach. He believes that it is tough for the government to stop some previously promised projects.

It is important to state that some developers have already had their projects approved in the past, [and] some of these projects stem from the Portuguese time [] Macau SAR government cannot just refuse them, he said.

They are legal documents, so they must be respected, but the government of Macau has to work fast if they are to make a plan to defend Coloane, otherwise it will have to face other problems. Investors also have expectations, paying interest, and so on, so they need to develop the area, adds Marreiros.

Marreiros hopes that the issue, which is under discussion, can be solved to avoid ambiguous areas in the future.

Macau is an open society, therefore the opportunities must be on an even playing field for everybody.

Marreiros specified that urban intervention is a sensitive issue due to Macaus delicate urban profile, and recommended that all intervention be balanced, especially on the peninsula.

On the other hand, Macau is a 450-year old historical city, with part of it listed by UNESCO. Therefore, intervention in the urban tissue should be done very carefully, he explained.

The architect also mentioned that Cotai, the so-called white land, has not faced much of a battle with heritage, emphasizing that Macau peninsulas regulations are tough.

On the Macau peninsula, we have a lot of regulations around the practice of architecture because you have the legacy  heritage that must be maintained  not only for tourists but also for locals. Heritage is part of the past and present identity of the people of Macau, he added. Staff reporter
The Zhuhai City Intermediate Peoples Court has ruled that a mainland bank has to pay RMB3.47 million to a Macau resident, following the actions of a third party who had fraudulently used his bank card.

On Wednesday, the Court revealed that the bank that issued the card was unable to present plausible evidence in order to attest to the male victim, surnamed Hu, being responsible for what had happened. The bank believed that Hu had not secured his password carefully enough due to the abnormal nature of the transactions.

The complainant applied for his debit card in Zhuhai in 2007. Later, in 2014, he received five messages from the bank saying that a series of transactions, worth in total RMB3.47 million, had just been made. Within just six minutes, the five corresponding debits took place in Tianjin City while Hu was in Zhuhai with the debit card in his possession.

Since both the cardholder and the card were in Zhuhai at the time of the transactions, the court pointed out that a third party must have used a forged card to conduct the crime. Investigations are still ongoing to identify the criminals.
The Secretary for Administration and Justice, Sonia Chan and the HK Secretary for Justice, Rimsky Yuen, met yesterday morning in Macau to discuss the details of the judicial cooperation agreement in criminal matters between the two special regions.

According to a statement from the Government Information Bureau, the negotiation process made good progress. The two sides have discussed the principles, details and technical matters, with some issues awaiting further research and amendment.

Regarding the arrangements for the extradition of criminals between both SARs, Sonia Chan said during the meeting that such requests would be handled on a case-by-case basis once a cooperation agreement is in force. She added that such requests might be made retrospectively in relation to court sentences already handed down, and still valid but not yet imposed. The secretary added that the agreement on judicial cooperation with Hong Kong is being discussed separately from such cooperation with the mainland.

There are doubts as to whether the arrangement with Hong Kong could apply to the two high-profile businessmen Joseph Lau and Steven Lo.

Both Hong Kong developers were found guilty of corruption and money-laundering by Macaus Court of First Instance (TJB) and sentenced to five years and three months imprisonment. However, they have escaped arrest by avoiding travel to Macau.
Skygazers from around the U.S. caught a flight from Alaska to Hawaii for prime viewing of a total solar eclipse that unfolded over parts of Indonesia and the Indian and Pacific oceans.

A dozen eclipse enthusiasts were among the 181 passengers on the plane yesterday [Macau time] that departed Anchorage for Honolulu. The rare event occurs when the moon is close enough to Earth to completely block out the sun.

Joe Rao, an associate astronomer at the American Museum of Natural Historys Hayden Planetarium in New York, called Alaska Airlines last fall, explaining that the flight would be in the right place for the eclipse. The route was expected to encounter the darkest shadow of the moon as it passed over Earth.

Problem was, the plane would be passing by nearly a half-hour too soon.

The airline rescheduled the flight to depart 25 minutes later, and it rendezvoused with the eclipses sweet spot nearly 700 miles north of Honolulu. After the schedule tweak, Rao and a dozen other astronomy aficionados booked seats for the big show at 36,000 feet.

Rao, like other self-dubbed eclipse geeks, was thrilled about setting out to witness his 11th such spectacle.

It is an experience, he said of watching the sun turn into a giant black disk in the sky. Every fiber of you gets involved in those few moments when the sun is totally eclipsed.

The eclipse was expected to last just under two minutes in that location. The last total solar eclipse was in March 2015, and the one before that was in 2012.

Craig Small, a semiretired Hayden Planetarium astronomer, was viewing his 31st total eclipse. To mark each viewing, he carried a special eclipse flag made in 1972.

Also on board was Dan McGlaun, who brought 200 pairs of special filter glasses to distribute to other passengers. McGlaun, a project manager who runs eclipse2017.org, was excited about viewing his 12th total eclipse.

Its going to be amazing. It always is, he said before boarding. Its a universal reaction when you see an eclipse. You cheer, you scream, you cry. Rachel DOro, Anchorage, AP
Austrian Airlines will launch direct flights between Vienna and Hong Kong five times a week from September 5 onwards, a press release from the Austrian Trade Commission for Hong Kong, Macau and South China revealed, representing the latest addition in the airlines expansion into East Asia.

Passengers can now be transported onto a new direct flight onboard a Boeing 777 that will travel between Hong Kong and Vienna five times a week.

With 48 business class and 260 [economy] seats this will further increase the importance of Hong Kong as an Asia hub for Austrian companies in the region and will attract more Austrians to come to Asias world city, Hong Kong, the statement read.

Hong Kong currently has more than 230 Austrian companies operating in the South China city, and is home to more than 750 Austrians. The Austrian Trade Commission commented that they expect a strong increase in tourism exchange between the destinations.

They also believe that, due to Viennas central location in Europe and Hong Kongs strategic links to South East Asia, the route may become an important regional hub for the transfer of traffic.

The flight between Vienna and Hong Kong is an important point-to-

point route but also for transfer traffic into the CEE [Central and Eastern Europe] region, the statement said. About two-thirds of passengers will transfer at the Vienna hub and continue their journeys, flying particularly to Western and Eastern European destinations.

The announcement follows the airlines decision six months ago to commence direct flights between Vienna and Shanghai, which are due to begin next month, in addition to their existing destination in the Chinese capital. Elsewhere in Asia, Austrian Airlines already have flights to Bangkok, Tokyo, Astana, Male and Colombo.

The airline is part of the Lufthansa Group, Europes largest airline group, and is a member of the Star Alliance.

The Times contacted the Austrian Trade Commission for Hong Kong, Macau and South China to ask if they will target Macau residents as customers for the new route, however the commission advised that the flight had only just been announced and they were unaware of any such intentions at present. DB
The term third culture kids was coined by the American sociologist Ruth Hill Useem in the 1950s who used it largely to describe the children of American citizens living and working abroad. Today the term usually refers to adults who spent a significant portion of their developmental years outside of their parents culture.

It applies to those who have a tendency to mix their birth culture with the culture of the society in which they live, causing individuals to be confused about their own identity.

Where are you from? is often the question that TCKs find the most difficult to answer. According to numerous testimonies from TCKs they often simplify their response or omit parts of it, partly to avoid instigating confusion, but also because they may not be entirely sure themselves.

The number of people who identify as TCKs has increased exponentially in recent decades, riding the wave of globalization. What used to be a term normally reserved for the children of military and diplomatic personnel serving abroad, has now expanded to the children of business expatriates, teachers in international schools, and others who have simply followed employment opportunities or a better standard of living elsewhere.
"The trouble with life is the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent full of doubt." --Bertrand Russell Never be a spectator of unfairness or stupidity. The grave will supply plenty of time for silence.--Christopher Hitchens
The European Union Parliament condemned the deteriorating human rights record in Egypt citing the torture and assassination of an EU national, Giulio Regeni, in the country under suspicious circumstances.

In a non-binding resolution, the EP denounced the abduction, savage torture and killing of the Italian doctoral student researching on Egyptian trade unions.

He was last seen alive in public during the January 25 revolution anniversary before being found dead more than a week later on a roadside. Egyptian authorities have denied that their security forces played a role in it.

The EU parliament stressed that the case is not an isolated accident because it is set against a backdrop of growing suspicion around foreign visitors and also sends a chilling message to Europeans and beyond. It added that the murder is a wakeup call for the EU. Cairo doesnt seem to be surprised as a source at the foreign ministry said I cant say we are shocked, as we knew that it was coming.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi vowed that they wont accept easy truths as authorities described the murder as something inhuman, animal-like, an unacceptable violence.

Passing strongly worded statements or critical resolutions against Egypt have proved to be challenging in the European parliament but the statement released on Thursday underlined that the continued, high level of repression in Egypt proscribes any business as usual approach before calling for a review of relations.

EU Ambassador to Egypt, James Moran, lamented about the confusing details surrounding the murder.

The resolution called on EU member states to refrain from helping the North African country develop its security capabilities in the frame of the joint counterterrorism fight because it is short-sighted and delusional.
Militants of the Islamic State group fighting in Iraq fired rockets loaded with mustard gas on Bashir and Taza Khurmatu on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The chemical rockets triggered widespread anger among the civilian population who blocked the road between Kirkuk and Baghdad in protest demanding that the government carry out airstrikes.

Local officials said more than 200 people received medical care. Soran Jalal, head of Tazas civil defense office, said the rockets spread a garlicky smell and caused nausea and vomiting with some officials suspecting that it is chlorine as people also developed dermatological effects.

The contents of the rockets are yet to be officially confirmed but a senior security official said the gas was a light silver color and sometimes left some liquid where it landed.

Meanwhile, US warplanes struck targets in Mosul suspected to be storing chemical weapons. The mission is believed to have been initiated after Sulayman Dawud al-Bakkar, alias Abu Dawud, was captured last month. Pentagons spokesman Peter Cook said he is the emir of chemical and traditional weapons manufacturing and had provided the US with valuable information about the groups chemical activities and individuals involved. Abu Dawud also revealed chemical weapons facilities.

Cook said the interrogations resulted in multiple coalition airstrikes that have disrupted and degraded ISILs ability to produce chemical weapons and will continue to inform our operations in the future.

Substances such as phenyltrichlorosilane, classified by the U.N as a corrosive substance to human flesh and metal, and Polyolefins Polybond were found in a warehouse used by the extremist militants in Ramadi. The warehouse was not far from other warehouses in an industrial area.
After some delay, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, who served as Foreign Minister from July 2004 until the ousting of President Hosni Mubaraks government in 2011, was finally elected as Arab League Chief in replacement of Nabil El-Araby whose mandate will be ending on June 30.

A diplomatic source said Qatar opposed the nomination of Gheit without giving further information but it can be recalled that the Gulf State is a strong supporter of President Morsi and had been accused of trying to incite division and violence in Egypt after a military-backed coup detat led by Sisi toppled the government a year after it was elected. Doha had welcomed the end of Mubaraks regime.

Sudan was also against the choice, but Saudi Arabia and Egypt finally intervened to convince both Qatar and Sudan to change their minds.

The opposition to Gheits election as the Arab League Secretary General translates the divisions marring the Arab world body and brings back to minds Moroccos refusal to host the organizations annual summit this year. Rabat explained its decision by the Arab World disunity.
Not just a First World problem

I had fallen victim to the same myth about global cancer  thinking it was only a First World problem, Bhatt said. I started to look at the data and realized just how misguided that was.

She became passionate about the issue, finding a like-minded colleague in Franklin Huang, MD, PhD, another fellow in her program. I think we really connected because we felt this strong sense of need for equity in cancer care, said Huang, now an instructor in medicine at Harvard. We were surrounded by the most advanced treatments in the world, yet both of us knew there was a great distance between that and what less-fortunate people in the world suffer. We connected on day one, as we both believed deeply that that was wrong.

The two decided to form a nonprofit, called Global Oncology Inc., or GO, to build a community of people, both inside and outside academia, to tackle the issue and become advocates in the field. Bhatts travels to developing countries, such as Botswana and India, brought home the stark disparities in care and reinforced her determination to act.

When you go to these places, its heartbreaking, she said. You see women who come in with a mass of breast cancer that is out of control, causing their bodies to be misshapen.

While in Boston, she and her colleagues hosted the lone oncologist from Malawi, who serves a population of some 16 million. There are probably more oncologists in the San Francisco Bay Area than in the entire region of sub-Saharan Africa, she said.

Patient-friendly materials

When they asked him how they could help, they learned that many patients drop out of treatment because they dont understand the therapeutic process and what to expect from chemotherapy. Through GO, Bhatt and Huang worked with a design firm and colleagues in sub-Saharan Africa to develop patient-friendly materials with appealing visuals and simple messages about chemotherapy and its potential side effects, as well as a log that patients can use to chart their complications.

There are probably more oncologists in the San Francisco Bay Area than in the entire region of sub-Saharan Africa.

The materials have been expanded for use in Rwanda, Botswana and Haiti, where they are distributed in cancer wards. The feedback is that patients really appreciate them and share them with family members. Its something real that patients can touch and take home with them, Huang said.

The pair also worked with the National Cancer Institute  which has made fighting cancer worldwide a priority  to develop a map of cancer researchers and program managers, a first-of-its-kind resource to help spur collaboration among international experts in the field. The map includes more than 1,500 projects on six continents, with a search mechanism so individuals can readily connect with colleagues and share their collective knowledge.

This is an excellent initiative, and it really brings people together, said Ann Hsing, PhD, MPH, a professor of medicine, who is co-leader of the Stanford Cancer Institutes Population Sciences Program. If you want to work in this field, there is no easy way for people to find each other. This network will greatly facilitate that.

Relentless drive

There have been other successes as well. In 2013, while teaching classes on cancer and palliative care in Botswana, Bhatt discovered that patients in the southern African country had lost free access to Gleevec, an expensive, life-prolonging drug used to treat certain kinds of leukemia. Patients were being put on hydroxyurea, which might extend life for three to five years, compared with 20 to 30 years with Gleevec, she said. She and her colleagues persisted for months, lobbying the Ministry of Health, the drug manufacturer and other groups to restore access to the drug  an example of her relentless drive to gain more equitable treatment for patients.

Im obsessed. I cant stop, she said. This is so important, and there arent enough people doing it.

In 2014, Bhatt was recruited to Stanford on the strength of her research, which focuses on how changes in the microbiome are associated with cancer. Because of her international work, Michele Barry, MD, professor of medicine and director of the Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health, tapped her to lead the universitys global cancer effort.

Since her arrival, Bhatt has been scouring the campus, rallying people who have an interest in the field and an expertise and willingness to work on projects.

A national oncology program for Rwanda

Last summer, she introduced Sheth, a clinical assistant professor of medicine, to a Rwandan physician visiting Stanford for a global health training course. The Rwandan doctor, Francois Uwinkindi, MD, had previously led the countrys HIV/AIDS effort, but had recently been charged by his government to develop a national oncology program from scratch. Bhatt and Sheth met with him to see what they could do.

He said that because of huge service gaps, they had to prioritize all cases of cancer and put those people on the plane to Uganda or India, recalled Sheth, who was incredulous. We just send our patients across the street.  We felt we must do something about this.

She said his initial goals were to create a cancer registry to get a realistic view of how many people are suffering from the disease, and to build the countrys first radiation therapy center. The center is a huge undertaking; it means there has to be a stable electrical and water supply, as well as trained personnel to run the machinery, among other things, Sheth noted. She and Bhatt arranged meetings for Uwinkindi at Varian Medical Systems Inc. in Palo Alto, a pioneer in radiation therapy. They hope to travel to Rwanda later this year to get an up-front view of the challenges on the ground.

It is achievable. Rwanda is absolutely poised to do this, said Sheth. Its the only country in the region that is far enough ahead to consider these objectives. I stay up at night thinking, This is a big deal. It could happen. It could be overcome but requires serious efforts.

This is where a partnership with an academic institution is helpful, she added. With a dynamic person like Ami, she can mobilize a lot of people and be really instrumental in overcoming these challenges.

An international tumor board

In another effort, Bhatt has gathered together a team of clinicians, including a radiologist, a radiation oncologist, a pathologist and residents, to serve on Stanfords first international tumor board. Tumor boards are teams of clinicians from diverse subspecialties who meet regularly to discuss difficult cancer cases and decide on the best course of action.

The group would essentially serve as a consulting body for cases in developing countries, using an online platform developed by GO to upload imaging studies and connect with clinicians from distant locales  a system that Bhatt said throws a lifeline to nonspecialists in the developing world.

There are few universities that have the wealth of technical and engineering expertise and the multidisciplinary culture to contribute to solving this problem.

The idea would be to discuss cases via the Internet, review radiology and pathology images and other tests and come to a consensus on the best treatment options, trying to adapt them to the realities, said Eduardo Zambrano, MD, professor of pediatrics and of pathology, who has agreed to be part of the team.

An expert on bone, soft tissue and pediatric solid tumors, Zambrano serves on the musculoskeletal tumor board at Stanford, participating in reviews of both adult and pediatric cases. But he also has volunteered his expertise for years reading tumors slides and providing cancer diagnoses for very poor pediatric patients in Latin America.

He said the fledgling international tumor board would likely focus its initial efforts in Guatemala; one of the participating clinicians, pediatric oncologist Sandra Luna-Fineman, MD, a professor of pediatrics, is a native of the country and has been in contact with colleagues there.

Seeking help from population scientists

Bhatt also has been connecting with Stanford Cancer Institute faculty in population sciences who are trying to assess the extent of cancer in various parts of the world. Among the 56 countries in Africa, for instance, only a handful have high-quality cancer registries, large databases with patient histories, diagnoses, treatments and outcomes, said Hsing.

Providing reliable data on cancer and supporting research and prevention in the developing world are among the global populationwide initiatives of the Stanford Cancer Institute.

Bhatt said Stanford is in a unique position to lead this international effort.

There are few universities that have the wealth of technical and engineering expertise and the multidisciplinary culture to contribute to solving this problem, she said. Thats why I think this is the year of global oncology at Stanford. I think if we sprinkle a little water on it, it will grow.

There are so many places where we can make improvements, she added. We just need to start.
Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal during his visit to Annaba, 600km east of Algiers, said the country is not in bankruptcy despite the low global oil prices because the country has important assets that would enable it surpass the price crisis. Algerias economy is dependent on hydrocarbons but Sellal said the country could count on the expertise of its citizens who have already gained recognition abroad and can do the same in their country.

Algerias foreign reserves have depleted due to the low prices and the government had to suspend some development projects as it minimizes public expenses. The prime minister said the country can boast of its young executives and experts who can achieve miracles as its key assets while calling on citizens to uphold and sacrifice for the nations interests.

Elsewhere, Energy Minister Saleh Khebri told reporters on the sidelines of the 6th Show of Oil Equipment and Services that Algiers will support all decisions which allow recovering stability of the oil market.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Venezuela and Russia met in Doha at the beginning of the year to discuss the freezing of production by both OPEC and non-OPEC members in order to boost prices to recover. Khebri said even if this is not enough, freezing is a first step as it enables the two worlds biggest producers (Saudi and Russia) to sit on the same table and discuss in the interests of the producing countries. The market is reportedly oversupplied. He said they are ready to adhere to it if a deal is reached adding that Algiers is willing to reduce production if freezing is not sufficient. Iran had said that the freezing proposal is laughable as it plans on increasing production.
Frances Foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault backtracked from his predecessors statement of recognizing Palestine as a state if the peace talks that Paris is initiating between Israel and Palestine fails. Ayrault arrived in Cairo for a two-day working visit and in a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry stated that there is no pre-requisite because that would block everyone.

Ayrault admitted that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a vicious circle and behind the apparent status quo lies a rapid degradation of the situation on the ground. He said Paris is concerned about the frustration of the status quo in Palestinian territories because it could facilitate jihadist infiltration.

The last Israeli-Palestinian talks were suspended in April 2014 and the French minister acknowledged that the road to organizing a peace conference is difficult but nothing would be worse that not doing anything.

Ayraults predecessor, Laurent Fabius, stated in January that France would recognize a Palestinian state if the talks failed but Prime Minister Netanyahu reacted that such statements encourage Palestine to come and not compromise at talks. Israels fear would be dampened since Ayrault during the press conference shifted from Fabiuss statement saying that there is never anything automatic about the recognition. However, he did state that we shouldnt exclude anything, but I dont want to put this as a pre-requisite.

France is seeking the commitment of partners according to the minister to begin the process in summer with an international peace conference with the simple goal of mobilizing the international community around the only possible solution, that of two states.

Sameh Shoukry expressed Cairos appreciation of the initiative which guarantees the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. Egypt usually serves as a mediator in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Guinea and Rwanda are set to reinforce their bilateral relations as Rwandan President Paul Kagame visits the west-African nation.

According to a statement from the Presidents Office, the visit aimed to reinforce the already existing cordial relations between the two countries.

This state visit will serve as an important opportunity for our two countries in terms of defining lines of cooperation that would be profitable for our two countries, Rwandas envoy to Guinea-Conakry Stanislas Kamanzi said.

He said during Kagames visit, five bilateral cooperation agreements would be signed between the two nations.

The concerned domains include diplomacy, especially facilitation of visa acquisition to ease movement for citizens of both countries, governance, agriculture, digital economy, and culture.

Stanislas Kamanzi further said that both the government of Guinea and Rwanda will establish a common commission in charge of following up the implementation of cooperation agreements.

Rwanda is doing well with economic indicators, which are hailed by the two Bretton Woods institutions, namely the World Bank and the IMF.

According to observers, Paul Kagame has succeeded in creating appropriate conditions for investment, with a focus on the fight against corruption.

Guinea is a major producer of bauxite, an aluminium ore, but growth has been hamstrung by a slump in metals prices and a two-year Ebola epidemic that killed more than 2,500 people and has driven away some investors.
The Senegalese government has confiscated property worth $30 million belonging to the son of former President Abdoulaye Wade.

Karim Wade, former Minister of State for International Cooperation of Senegal, was sentenced in March 2015 to six years in prison for embezzling millions of dollars during his fathers 12-year rule.

According to local media, some of the amount emanated from two of the companies owned by the son of former President Abdoulaye Wade.

The companies specialise in airport services and six apartments in Senegal.

Reports quoted the state legal agent, Mr Antoine Diome, as saying that the former ministers 24 bank accounts opened in Monaco, with a total of 11 million Euros, were equally frozen.

Karim Wade was charged in 2013 with corruption after his fathers stunning election defeat to Macky Sall the previous year.

He was influential in the former government, holding several ministerial posts simultaneously, including minister for infrastructure and air transportation.

His large portfolio led to him being dubbed the minister of the earth and the sky and he was alleged to have acquired several foreign firms by illicit means.

Senegal had filed a complaint against him in France where the government believed he had invested in property but the case was dropped later because of a lack of substantial evidence.

About a dozen other former senior government officials were being held in jail, awaiting trial for similar offences.
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Like a lot of the patients who come to the Tufts Craniofacial Pain Center, the 30-something Ph.D. student was at her wit's end. Since high school, she'd suffered from three or four migraine headaches a year. Then she woke up one morning with a sharp pain in her cheek that never went away. She began having one or two migraine headaches a week and feared her condition might ruin her career in academia.

By the time she showed up at Tufts, the woman was anxious and depressed, says Egilius L.H. Spierings, a clinical professor in the Department of Diagnostic Sciences at the School of Dental Medicine.

"Generally, people have come through a good number of physicians and dentists before they ultimately end up here at the clinic," says Spierings, a neurologist who consults with the dentists on complex cases. "She had seen a lot of physicians and gotten a lot of different opinions. She was on a number of medications. That's the kind of thing that would make anyone irritable."

She underwent a complete work-up. Over the course of several months, the dentists ruled out any tooth-related problems, like abscesses, grinding and clenching of the teeth, or jaw misalignments. The clinic psychologists helped determine which came first, the patient's intractable pain or the depression and anxiety.

"Everybody here got involved with this patient," Spierings says. That approacha team of specialists from many disciplines working together to unravel the puzzle of seemingly intractable painis the guiding philosophy at the Craniofacial Pain Center.

The Tufts Craniofacial Pain Center, which was among the first pain programs to use this holistic approach, treats patients suffering from headaches, sleep problems and facial pain. The vast majority of patients are diagnosed with conditions like cervical or musculoskeletal problems or sleep apnea, according to Noshir Mehta, DG73, DI77, who served as the pain center's director from its founding in 1985 until 2012.

Approximately 1,500 new patients a year come through the doors of the Craniofacial Pain Center at One Kneeland Street, says Shuchi Dhadwal, DG10, DI14, the center's interim director. The center's team includes dentists, physicians and psychologists, and draws on the expertise of physical and occupational therapists. A current physiology fellow who spent six years as a Buddhist monk works with patients on mindfulness meditation.

Way Beyond Toothaches

Chronic pain affects 100 million American adults and costs the country roughly $600 billion annually, according to the U.S. Institute of Medicine. Orofacial painincluding headachesmay account for as much as 40 percent of that price tag, according to a 2014 study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA).

"Face pain is an elusive area," Spierings says. "Very few people or institutions really have a good understanding of it." And if the pain continues without relief, it takes on a psychological dimension, tooand can affect other people in a patient's life. Dhadwal says she became interested in pursuing pain as a specialtyshe received advanced training at Tufts in craniomandibular disordersbecause a close family member suffered from chronic pain. "It can be really stressful, not just for the patient but for the family members as well."

What bedevils both health-care providers and patients is pain's invisibilityyou can't see it on an X-ray or measure it with a blood test. That, along with its extraordinarily subjective nature, makes it a frustrating adversary.

"If you cut your arm, and you show it to someone, they will see the cut and they will believe you," Mehta says. "If you have pain, it's up to you to describe it. And it's up to me to believe you." The standard practice of asking patients to rate their pain on a scale of 0 to 10, for example, leaves a lot of leeway. "If you have a pain of 3, it might be the same as someone else's 7," Mehta says.

"That's the problem with chronic painyou have to believe the person who is giving you information, and how much you believe in your patient will lead you to treat the patient differently," Mehta says. "The good doctors in pain management will look at everything, but need to come into the conversation believing their patients are telling the truth."

Spierings, a physician, agrees. He holds a Ph.D. in pharmacology, but he is primarily a neurologist who specializes in migraine headaches. In the early 1980s, he did a fellowship in headache medicine under John Graham, a pioneer in the field, at Boston's Faulkner Hospital. "If you asked me what is the single most important thing that he taught me, I would say to listen to patients and to take as valuable what they tell you," says Spierings. "I think most of what I know about headache and face pain I learned from patients."

A New Way of Teaching About Pain

In addition to treating patients, the center's other mission is education. Predoctoral students rotate through the clinic, and there is a postgraduate program that leads to either a certificate or a master's degree in orofacial pain.

Because pain management transcends traditional boundaries in patient care, work in this field, both research and clinical, is among the most interprofessional of endeavors at the School of Dental Medicinea noteworthy model as collaborative health-care practice moves toward becoming the norm for the 21st century. "It's not just that I'm a dentist. We look at our patients from a global standpoint," says Mehta.

"In this environment, not only do the students get exposure to treating pain, but [also] how to collaborate with specialists outside their own field," Dhadwal says. And for patients, the advantage is that all the providers can be brought together when the patient is there.

For more than 15 years, the pain center has been sharing its expertise by hosting weekly rounds at the dental school to address specific cases or topics, such as managing pain in patients who have other physical or mental illnesses or using new technologies to measure and study pain.

Academics and health-care providers can call into the sessions from anywhere, either to share their own knowledge or to seek opinions about their patients. Two experts from Saudi Arabia called in this fall, says Ronald Kulich, a professor of oral pathology in the dental school's Department of Diagnostic Sciences, who hosts the sessions.

At a recent call-in, Chao Lu, DG10, an assistant professor in the Department of Diagnostic Sciences at the dental school, presented two cases that, at first glance, looked like temporomandibular joint disorder. Closer examination, however, revealed other possible causes.

In one case, a woman claimed her jaw misalignment and bruised left cheek resulted from a bad fall. But an MRI showed an injury more consistent with being hit or punched, information that could help the team offer intervention for domestic violence. In the other, a young girl had jaw pain typical of nighttime tooth grinding. But when one of the pain center's physicians noticed she had a slight rash, he ordered a blood test. The diagnosis turned out to be Lyme disease, caught early thanks to the interdisciplinary team at Tufts.

The pain center's collaborative approach also helped identify the source of the doctoral student's sudden, stabbing cheek pain. Spierings ordered a CT scan to see whether an ear, nose and throat problem could account for her discomfort. The scan revealed a tiny bone spur, "like a splinter in your nose," he says. "Once you have that, it causes inflammation, and you're stuck with it." A simple surgery took care of the problem, a solution that no single health-care provider had realized.

Explore further Study finds women suffer more neck pain than men
Nearly half of U.S. adults report they have experienced a major form of unfair treatment or discrimination, including being unfairly questioned or threatened by police, being fired or passed over for promotion or treated unfairly when receiving health care. These acts of discrimination are associated with higher reported stress levels and poorer reported health, according to the survey Stress in America: The Impact of Discrimination released today by the American Psychological Association (APA).

The survey, which was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of APA among 3,361 adults in August 2015, found that nearly seven in 10 adults in the U.S. report having experienced discrimination, and 61 percent said they experience day-to-day discrimination, such as being treated with less courtesy or respect, receiving poorer service than others, or being threatened or harassed.

Black adults are among the most likely to report experiencing some sort of discrimination. More than three in four black adults report experiencing day-to-day discrimination and nearly two in five black men say that police have unfairly stopped, searched, questioned, physically threatened or abused them. Black, Asian, Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska native adults report that race is the main reason they have experienced discrimination.

"It's clear that discrimination is widespread and impacts many people, whether it is due to race, ethnicity, age, disability, gender or sexual orientation," said Jaime Diaz-Granados, PhD, APA's executive director for education. "And when people frequently experience unfair treatment, it can contribute to increased stress and poorer health."

For many adults, even the anticipation of discrimination contributes to stress. Three in 10 Hispanic and black adults who report experiencing day-to-day discrimination at least once a week say that they feel they have to be very careful about their appearance to get good service or avoid harassment. This heightened state of vigilance among those experiencing discrimination also includes trying to prepare for insults from others before leaving home and taking care of what they say and how they say it.

The results from this year's Stress in America survey also suggest that there are significant disparities in the experience of stress itself, and that stress also may be associated with other health disparities. The nearly one-quarter (23 percent) of adults who report that their health is only "fair" or "poor" have a higher reported stress level on average than those who rate their stress as "very good" or "excellent."

Certain populations consistently struggle with stress more than others, such as Hispanic adults, who report the highest stress levels on average. Younger generations, women, adults with disabilities, and adults who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender also report higher average stress levels and are more likely than their counterparts to say that their stress has increased since last year.

"Stress takes a toll on our health, and nearly one-quarter of all adults say they don't always have access to the health care they need," said Cynthia Belar, PhD, APA's interim chief executive officer. "In particular, Hispanicswho reported the highest stress levelswere more likely to say they can't access a non-emergency doctor when they need one. This year's survey shows that certain subsets of our population are less healthy than others and are not receiving the same level of care as adults in general. This is an issue that must be addressed."

The report uncovered some good news about stress management related to discrimination. Despite their stress, the majority of adults (59 percent) who report experiencing discrimination feel that they have dealt quite well or very well with it and any resulting changes or problems.

In addition, many adults report having a positive outlook, and survey findings point to the strong impact of emotional support. Having someone they can ask for emotional support if they need it, such as talking about problems or helping them make a difficult decision, appears to improve the way that individuals view their ability to cope with discrimination. Adults who experienced discrimination and had emotional support were twice as likely to say that they coped quite or very well compared with those adults who experienced discrimination but did not have emotional support (65 percent vs. 37 percent of those who reported not having emotional support).

Since 2007, the survey has found that money and work are consistently the top two sources of significant stress (67 percent and 65 percent in 2015, respectively). This year, for the first time, the survey found that family responsibilities were the third most common stressor (54 percent), followed by personal health concerns (51 percent), health problems affecting their family (50 percent), and the economy (50 percent).

While average reported stress levels in the United States have increased slightly in the past two years (5.1 in 2015 and 4.9 in 2014 on a 10-point scale, where 1 is "little or no stress" and 10 is "a great deal of stress"), adults are more likely than in past years to report experiencing extreme stress (a rating of 8, 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale). Twenty-four percent of adults report these levels, compared with 18 percent in 2014. This represents the highest percentage reporting extreme stress since 2010.

Explore further Money tops Americans' list of stressors

More information: To read the full Stress in America report, visit To read the full Stress in America report, visit www.stressinamerica.org
Credit: George Hodan/Public Domain

Studies have shown that children with asthma are at higher risk for depression. Research also has shown an association between a parent or caregiver's depression and worsening symptoms in an asthmatic child.

Now researchers at the University at Buffalo and the University of Texas, Dallas are exploring this connection further: They are beginning a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study to determine whether treating a depressed caregiver will improve the child's asthma.

The findings could have major implications for the way children with asthma are treated. The researchers say the findings also eventually may reduce health disparities in child asthma because there is a higher percentage of depressed caregivers among children with asthma from minority and socio-economically disadvantaged groups.

The researchers are recruiting 200 families for the study through Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo (WCHOB) and UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. The study will involve screening caregivers of children with asthma for depression and offering treatment for those who are depressed. It builds on a previous pilot study that suggested a connection between caregiver depression and worsening asthma in children.

"We are hypothesizing that an improvement in the caregiver's depression will lead to a subsequent improvement in the child's asthma," said Bruce Miller, MD and Beatrice Wood, PhD, both professors of psychiatry and pediatrics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, co-founders and directors of the Center for Child and Family Asthma Studies at WCHOB, and principal investigators on the grant. Miller sees patients through UBMD Psychiatry.

Heather K. Lehman, MD, associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, is a co-investigator. She has been working with Miller and Wood for several years and is developing a collaborative research program to continue studies examining the interplay between depression and child asthma. She sees patients through UBMD Pediatrics. E. Sherwood Brown, MD PhD, professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center, is also principal investigator on this study.

Family stress and asthma

Miller and Wood have been working together on factors that affect asthma in children for more than 20 years. "We have continuously found associations between emotional stress and worsening asthma, and that family relational stress plays a key role," said Wood.

Early in his career, Miller developed a model for how depression affects the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for involuntary neural processes affecting the airways. He found that depression in asthmatic children alters their autonomic nervous system function, causing their already reactive airways to become even more dysregulated, resulting in worse airway function under stressful conditions. These seminal findings were published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in 2009.

Wood's research has demonstrated how family relationship patterns impact physical and emotional illness in children. A 2011 research paper co-authored by Wood and Miller showed that depression among parents of children with asthma was associated with negative parenting and also predicted child depression and worsening asthma.

Studies also have shown that in stressed families, children's asthma gets worse. "We have specifically shown that a negative family emotional climate predicts worse asthma disease activity," said Wood.

The current study will involve screening caregivers of children with asthma for depression. Those who meet criteria for clinical depression will be offered antidepressant medication. The child's asthma treatment plan will not be altered in order to determine the effect of treating caregiver depression to benefit the child's asthma.

Both caregiver and child will be followed monthly for a year to see if improvements in the caregiver's depression are followed by improvement in the child's asthma.

Treating the caregiver

A previous pilot study conducted by Brown at UT Southwestern Medical Center saw encouraging results. In that study, children who had been hospitalized with asthma improved when their parents, who screened positive for depression, were treated with antidepressants, even though the child's asthma treatment was not changed.

"When the parents' depression got better, the children's asthma got better," said Miller.

The purpose of the current study is to confirm these findings and better understand the mechanisms underlying the effect. "If a caregiver is depressed he or she may be less able to carry out the care of a child, especially a fragile child who is vulnerable with illness," Miller explained. "They may not be able to manage the child's medications or get the child to the doctor when necessary."

"At the same time," said Wood, "our previous studies have shown that depression in the parent cascades into negative parent-child relationships, child depression and worse asthma." She noted that Miller's 2009 study showed that depression in the child has a direct physiological effect on the child's asthma.

Explore further Asthma symptoms linked to increased stress, anxiety levels in teens
Patients with anorexia nervosa perceive physical touch in social interactions as less pleasurable than healthy people of the same age, reveals new research by University of Hertfordshire PhD student Laura Crucianelli. The cause of this reduced feeling of pleasantness may be a problem with a nerve system (called CT-afferents) specialised for perceiving pleasant touch.

The new research, conducted by a multi-institutional research lab (KatLab) which brings together researchers from the University of Hertfordshire, University College London and King's College London, is the first of its kind and examines a previously unexplored aspect of this condition.

Affecting mostly children and teenagers aged 10 to 19 years old, anorexia nervosa is a disorder characterised by restricted eating, fears of gaining weight, and body image distortions. It accounts for 74 per cent of all hospital admissions relating to eating disorders.

Although its origins are still unknown, patients with anorexia exhibit deficiencies in how they process social interactions, which may contribute to the onset and/or continuance of the disorder. The researchers wanted to explore whether these patients perceived CT-afferent touch as less pleasant during those interactions. Their study builds on previously established findings that these individuals report reduced experiences of pleasure, and is the first to demonstrate that this reduction could relate to a dysfunctional C Tactile afferent system.

Dr Paul Jenkinson from the School of Life and Medical Sciences at the University of Hertfordshire who co-supervised the research, comments: "Our previous research in healthy volunteers has demonstrated the importance of pleasant touch in creating a strong and healthy sense of body ownership. The current study takes this a step further and demonstrates how disorders like anorexia might be linked to a lack of pleasurable feelings coming from the body itself".

Dr Aikaterini Fotopoulou, who leads KatLab at UCL, added: "The understanding of anorexia has long been divided between scientists who believe the disorder is caused by abnormal biological mechanisms of eating and body perception and those who claim that it is caused by difficulties in social relations and emotions about the body. This study is the first step towards an integration of these views, suggesting that the ways we are touched by others may influence the biological mechanisms by which we form an emotional relation with our body."

More information: Laura Crucianelli et al. The perception of affective touch in anorexia nervosa, Psychiatry Research (2016). Journal information: Psychiatry Research Laura Crucianelli et al. The perception of affective touch in anorexia nervosa,(2016). DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.01.078
Michael Weil, PhD, and colleagues hope to understand how, when and with what outcomes the HZE ions of space radiation cause cancer. Credit: Colorado State University

NASA limits an astronaut's radiation exposures to doses that keep their added risk of fatal cancer below 3 percent. Unfortunately, that ceiling restricts the time an astronaut may spend in space, which in turn restricts the ability to perform longer missions, say a mission to Mars. Now a network of research laboratories seeks to understand the mechanisms and effects of space radiation with the goal of predicting and preventing radiation-induced cancers, both in space and at home. One of these laboratories is that of Michael Weil, PhD, investigator at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and professor in the Colorado State University Department of Environmental & Radiological Health Sciences, whose paper recently published in the journal Frontiers in Oncology describes attempts to personalize the assessment of radiation-induced cancer risk in astronauts.

"I have become a bit of a space aficionado, but I suspect the major impact of what we do is going to be for cancer patients," Weil says. This is because high-energy ions similar to the radiation experienced in space is being increasingly used in cancer treatments. Carbon ions are in use to treat cancer patients in Japan and Germany, and similar treatment facilities are in the planning stages in the United States. "The way carbon ions deposit energy is very suitable for hitting tumors while missing healthy tissue," Weil says. However, the same radiation used in cancer treatments presents a risk for the future development of new tumors.

On earth, discovering the cancer risk associated with radiation dose is generally done by noting levels of radiation exposure and later cancer development in large populations of people. For example, "Radiation epidemiologists know the radiation doses received by 120,000 survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings and their health outcomes. With this, we can estimate how much a given dose will increase cancer risk," Weil says.

But the calculation of cancer risk from space radiation is much different. First, space radiation is not the same as radiation on earth. "NASA is most concerned about galactic cosmic radiation and the worst component is HZE ions," Weil says. These ions, composed of atomic nuclei stripped of their electrons and moving through space at near light speed "can punch right through a couple meters of aluminum or right through an astronaut, leaving ionization tracks," Weil says. (The acronym HZE comes from high (h) atomic number (z) and energy (e)). Fortunately for everyone on earth, these HZE ions are deflected by the Earth's magnetosphere. However, the deflection of HZE ions also means that no epidemiological data exists that could ground risk calculations. Instead, determining the risk of HZE ions requires experimental models and technology.

"We don't have access to galactic cosmic radiation on earth, but we do have accelerators," Weil says. The NASA Space Radiation Laboratory on Long Island, NY can simulate the types of radiation found in space. NASA-funded researchers like Weil use the facility to irradiate mice or cultured human cells.

"How effective are these radiations at causing cancer?" Weil asks. "The answer is incredibly effective."

In addition to showing that HZE ions efficiently cause cancer, Weil and colleagues hope to understand how the timing of HZE ion delivery impacts risk.

"For example, maybe every morning when I wake up, I take 81 milligrams of aspirin because it's good for my heart. But if I take a year's dose all at once, that will cause problems." Weil says. We have good data on the effects of acute radiation exposures. However, while the accumulated dose an astronaut receives may be quite high, the dose is generally delivered over time, leading to a lower "dose-rate" and, potentially, less risk than if the same dose had been delivered over a shorter time. And, unfortunately, an accelerator is not capable of delivering low exposure over a protracted period.

"We don't have good experimental ways to approach this question," Weil says. He does, however, note that historical data from uranium miners who are at increased risk for lung cancer from occupational exposure to Radon gas provides clues to cancer risk with lower dose-rate exposures.

Another issue facing investigators is the difference between cancer incidence and cancer mortality.

"NASA is primarily concerned not just with how many cancers will be caused by space radiation, but with how many of these cancers will be fatal," Weil says. Cancer researchers know the incidence-to-fatality ratios of cancers experienced by earthbound populations - they can query a database for, say, the number of lung cancer cases and compare it to the number of lung cancer deaths. However, there is increasing evidence that not only are HZE ions especially good at causing cancer, but that the types of cancer they cause tend to be more aggressive than their counterparts on earth.

When Weil's group "hauled mice to an accelerator facility and irradiated them to produce liver tumors," more of these tumors than expected went on to metastasize to the lung, implying a more aggressive liver cancer. For NASA and potentially for earthling cancer patients, this means that risk assessments have to take into account not only the risk of developing cancer with HZE ion doses, but the higher percentage of these cancers that may be fatal.

The eventual goal of this work is twofold: To more accurately calculate cancer risk to spaceflight crews and provide a better understanding of how HZE ions cause cancer which, in turn, will lead to ways to mitigate this risk.

Ultimately you'd like to "develop a pill you can take that will prevent space radiation from causing cancer," Weil says. "To do that, you have to understand the mechanisms whereby radiation causes cancer."

And so, overall, the goal is to understand how, when and with what outcomes HZE ions cause cancer. In addition to allowing human beings to travel to Mars, solving these questions may make us healthier here at home.

Explore further Researchers study radiation risks for astronauts journeying to Mars
Nestled amid mountains in remote central Indonesia, Bone-Bone looks like any other rural hamlet in the archipelago, with a modest collection of houses, shops and mosques and people quietly going about their daily lives.

But it is an unlikely champion in the fight against smoking in one of the world's most tobacco-addicted countries, after it became the first village in Indonesia to impose a total ban on smoking.

"Thank you for not smoking, say no to cigarettes" reads a sign at the entrance to the settlement to Sulawesi, one of the archipelago's main islands, while another says "Please enjoy the scenery and fresh air in our village".

The move has inspired other villages around the country to follow suit and take the law into their own hands as the central government shows little sign of launching a determined, nationwide fight against tobacco.

Such bans are just a small step in a country where 30 percent of the adult population are smokers, and more than 200,000 die every year due to tobacco-related illnesses, according to public health experts in Indonesia.

More than two thirds of adult males use tobacco, the highest rate in the world, according to the World Health Organisation's Global Adult Tobacco Survey, although far fewer women smoke.

In recent decades, many countries in the developed world have launched campaigns to cut tobacco use, ramped up prices, restricted cigarette advertising and banned smoking in public places, leading to sharp falls in smoking rates.

While Indonesia is not alone among developing countries in lagging behind in efforts to tackle tobacco use, even by regional standards it fares poorly.

Tobacco adverts remain highly visible around Indonesia, on billboards and posters, it is the only country in Southeast Asia that still allows cigarette advertising on television, and the only one in the Asia-Pacific region not to have ratified a key UN treaty on tobacco control.

The domestic tobacco industry remains hugely lucrative and powerful, and it is common to see children smoking a sweet-tasting clove cigarettean extremely popular Indonesian speciality, which dominates the local market.

'I can save money'

But in Bone-Bone, it is a different story. Smoking has almost entirely disappeared among the population of around 800 inhabitants since the ban came into force a decade ago.

Rather than worries about villagers contracting cancer, economic concerns were what prompted then village head, Muhammad Idris, to implement the ban through a local bylaw.

He said that many poor families in the area could not afford to send their children to school because their fathers were spending too much on smoking, and the youngsters themselves got addicted to the costly habit at a young age.

While cigarettes are cheap by international standards in Indonesiawith a packet of a local brand costing around the equivalent of a dollara heavy habit can strongly impact the finances of poor families with meagre incomes.

"I went to college with 13 other students from this village, only six graduated, the rest dropped out because they spent their tuition money on cigarettes," Idris told AFP.

The ban was implemented in stages. In 2000, local authorities prohibited the sale of cigarettes in Bone-Bone, smoking in public places was forbidden from 2003, and then a full ban on both smoking and selling tobacco productsfor residents and visitorscame into force in 2006.

Punishments for those caught breaking the rules include community service, such as cleaning up mosques in the staunchly Muslim village and their neighbourhood, while some have even been forced to issue a public apology to the entire village through a loudspeaker.

Amir, a blacksmith and father of nine in Bone-Bone, was forced to end his 40-a-day habit by the ban, but has found himself much better off.

"I can save money, I can buy what my family needs andmost importantlyI can pay for my children's education," said Amir, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

About 10 villages across the country have followed Bone-Bone's example by imposing a smoking ban, a move made possible by the heavy decentralisation of power introduced in the archipelago after the end of authoritarian rule in 1998.

Government backsliding

But the numbers of people affected out of a population of 250 million remain tiny, there is little sign of an effective, national strategy to tackle the problem, while activists accuse the government of backsliding in the fight against tobacco.

In August, the industry ministry set a target for domestic producers to produce around 130 billion cigarettes a year over the coming four years, around fifty percent higher than the previous four-year target.

"The government want our people to smoke as many cigarettes as possible," said prominent tobacco control activist Kartono Muhammad.

Indonesia's health ministry has produced a roadmap to fight smoking but officials admit implementation has been poor, with a lack of coordination between different branches of the notoriously bloated and ineffective bureaucracy undermining efforts.

In the face of growing evidence that smoking is affecting Indonesians' health and making them poor, the tobacco industry remains defiant.

Ismanu Sumiran, chairman of the association of Indonesian cigarette producers, most of whose members produce clove cigarettes, insisted smoking rates were falling and that "kretek" cigarettes are part of local culture.

"Even before this country was formed, kreteks already existed and were used in traditional ceremonies," he told AFP.

 2016 AFP
Seasonal travellers enjoy flights to Kutaisi, Mestia

More domestic flights will offer tourists faster and more comfortable ways to travel from one part of Georgia to another during the warmer months.A direct flight from Natakhtari - a village near Tbilisi - to Kutaisi, Georgias second largest city in the countrys west, will launch on March 10.There will be two flights a week  every Monday and Thursday. Flights will be carried out by local airlines Service Air with a 17-seater plane.One-way ticket prices will be: For adults  50 GEL (about $ 20/ 18 ); For minors  35 GEL (about $ 14/ 13); For infants  free of charge.Meanwhile, flights from Kutaisi to Mestia - one of Georgias highest inhabited mountainous regions in the countrys west will also be launched. The flights will take place every Monday and Friday.One-way ticket prices will be: For adults  40 GEL (about $ 16/ 15); For minors  28 GEL (about $ 11/  11); For infants  free of charge.Currently, Service Air operates Natakhtari-Mestia direct flights four times a week: every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.One-way ticket prices are: For adults  65 GEL (about $ 26/ 24); For minors  45 GEL (about $ 18/  17); For infants  free of charge.In 2015, about 4,500 passengers benefited from this flight service, which reduced the 7-8 hour drive to Mestia to a comfortable 45 minutes.
Defence Ministry tightens policies on gambling and alcohol and introduces amended rules

By Messenger Staff

The Ministry of Defence of Georgia has introduced new, updated rules through which the members of Georgias Armed Forces (GAF) will be immediately dismissed if found under the influence of alcohol or engaged in gambling.No matter whether it will be a first time offence or not, if found under alcohol or engaged with gambling, he/she will be dismissed from the Army.The new rules apply when soldiers are found under alcohol on a military base, at work, or in a military uniform out of work. The Ministry said they do not restrict GAF members from drinking in their leisure time when they are dressed in civilian clothes.The Ministry also annulled administrative arrest for soldiers in case of violations, labeled it as a useless mechanism.In addition, in case of violating the rules, all GAF members will be equally punished, ignoring their ranks and titles.The Ministry rejected the outdated, Soviet-era forms of encouragement like hanging a soldiers photo on a special wall and other such outmoded behaviour..The fact that the Ministry restricted rules for alcohol and gambling was due to recent suicide attempts amongst soldiers committed suicide as they could not cover their debts at gambling facilities.The Ministry stressed that any improper activities of GAF representatives, including misbehavior while drunk, affected the Army image.The changes still need to be approved by the Government.The changes are welcomed, and the changes in terms of gambling should be introduced not only for soldiers.The number of suicides, especially amongst young Georgian people, is increasing from year to year. Despite the Governments continued promises that children will be restricted from accessing online gambling sites, as they often fail to repay their debts; this often leads them to commit either crime or suicide.The Government must find ways to somehow settle the issue.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DEMOCRAT PARTY? I can no longer remain in todays Demo Party that is now under the control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue and stoke anti-white racism, actively undermine our freedoms, are hostile to people of faith, demonize the police and protect criminals at the expense of law-abiding Americans, believe in open borders, weaponize the national security state to go after opponents.TULSI GABBARD
BARTIROMO: You are on the front lines, obviously, and your teams are on the front lines and youre seeing whats going and coming through the border. Whats your take on this most recent report? These people were in jail and they were released from jail and then they were convicted of murder.

ARPAIO: Well, you know, thats been out for a while, but I have more shocking statistics that nobody will talk about except Neil Cavuto. He did bring it out.

BARTIROMO: Tell us about it.

ARPAIO: They are my statistics. Ill tell you what it is, I also run the jails. We average about 9,000 people in the jails every day and every month they take statistics of those in our jails charged with all different crimes, here in this country illegally, 8,600 have been turned over to ICE for deportation and over 3000 keep coming back to the same jails that I run. Now, think of that. They keep coming back. One guy came back 20 times. So, whats going on? Are they going to the border and keep hopping the fence or keep coming across or are they let out on the streets of Maricopa County? I think-

BARTIROMO: What do you think is happening? How is it possible that they were that theyre coming back to your jails?

ARPAIO: Good question. Ive written to the Homeland Security secretary, to other officials. I get bureaucrat particular responses. I never get an answer, but I got the facts. Youre talking about a hundred, thats bad. But what about just in my jails, 39 percent keep coming back to the same jail and they are charged with many different crimes. So its very disgusting. Something has to be done about this illegal immigration problem.

BARTIROMO: Whats the answer though, sheriff? I mean, obviously, Donald Trump is talking about this wall that hes going to build. Is that going to be enough? Is that going to be the solution or is there something else? I mean, this is clearly the dividing issue right now within this country.

ARPAIO: Its very simple, you deport them. You get them out of our country. Why are they roaming the streets and keep coming back? They should be back in the country that they came from illegally. So, thats very simple. You deport them and then you try to do something at the border.

BARTIROMO: Yeah, but Dagen, is it that simple though, just to deport 11 million people? I mean, this is the whole argument that were having right now. How can you deport all the illegals in this country right now?

ARPAIO: Well, I tell you what, we did pretty good just my office, I think, they accused me of 100,000 people leaving because of our crackdown during the past years. But its very simple. You deport them and when you come across those here committing other crimes, you lock them up and send them back where they came from. And that can be done. So why should we surrender the greatest country in the world, we cant take care of this problem? So I support Trump and by the way, if you look at all the politicians here is what they say, We must secure the border. Then they say first, and then well look at the internal problem. No, what about talking about those here illegally already? Why say secure the border first, you know the border will never be completely secure. Ive been on both sides of that border as a top official. So, you cant surrender. I like what Trump says. I had

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

16 %

 wife in my tent city last night and she learned something about, she didnt like the tents. Her husband is here today in Phoenix, Im sure hell bad-mouth me, but thats OK.
GOP presidential contenders struck a more civil tone in their University of Miami debate than they did in Detroit, discussing foreign policy and trade positions while limiting the name-calling to Common Core.

Here are the statements we fact-checked by Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Donald Trump during the March 10 debate, hosted by CNN, Salem Media Group and the Washington Times.

Common Core still not a D.C. takeover

When CNN moderator Jake Tapper asked Donald Trump about what he specifically didnt like about the education standards, the billionaire repeated an oft-used criticism.

"Education through Washington, D.C., I dont want that," Trump said. But is that an accurate description of the Common Core State Standards?

The education benchmarks for English and math were unveiled in 2010 after state school officials, nonprofits, teachers, parents and experts settled on broad education goals.

Despite repeated criticisms of a supposed federal mandate for schools, Washington was not a player in that game. The only thing involved the federal government is that Obama has given states with education standards a leg up when applying for grant money.

Keep reading from PolitiFact here.

Photo credit Pedro Portal, Miami Herald
@PatriciaMazzei

Republican primary debates, turned topsy-turvy seven months ago from the moment Donald Trump first took the stage, regained a semblance of normalcy Thursday night at the University of Miami.

And the result was disorienting.

There were the four candidates, cordially fielding questions about trade, immigration and education  and overlooking chances to pound each other over their differences. When Marco Rubio failed to completely answer a question about Social Security, CNNs Dana Bash received an apology.

So far I cannot believe how civil its been up here, Trump quipped.

Trump shocked the political system to such an extent when he took the 2016 campaign by storm last summer that a return to a more traditional, issues-oriented debate felt like the start of a new presidential race.

Except, of course, it wasnt.

The debate in Coral Gables came five days before Floridas and Ohios primaries, contests so crucial that they could effectively end the candidacies of half the candidates  Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich  and leave a two-man competition between Trump and Ted Cruz.

But even though Rubio and Kasich may have been in their campaigns final throes, they showed little sense of desperation. Compare that to a week ago, when a mere seven minutes into the debate, Trump defended himself from recent attacks by bragging about his physical endowment.

More here.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon, who co-wrote the new $82.3 billion budget, predicts that Gov. Rick Scott could veto as much as $500 million in line-item spending.

"If I was a guessing man, I'd predict $500 million," Lee said.

That would be a new state record, exceeding the $461.4 million that Scott vetoed last year in the current budget.

Lee said the new budget, like the last one, is filled with hometown projects that could be irresistible veto targets, and he chuckled at how Senate staff members refer to them as "local funding initiatives."

"That sounds so much better than pork," Lee said. "There's a lot of local funding initiatives that really don't have a direct nexus to state government. I would suspect there's plenty of low-hanging fruit in there for him to pick off."

Here's what the lobbyists are saying: As Scott sharpens his veto knife, he will begin by taking aim at the projects championed by the 28 House Republicans who opposed a bill (HB 1325) creating a framework for spending the money Enterprise Florida did not receive.

A lot of important names are on that list: Reps. Richard Corcoran, Matt Hudson, Blaise Ingoglia, Debbie Mayfield, Jose Oliva, Chris Sprowls, Greg Steube and Carlos Trujillo, to name a few.




Can the Broward GOP get some presidential candidate love before the March 15 primary?

Doesnt look promising.

Sorting out who will speak has been a mighty challenge for Bob Sutton, chair of the Broward Republican Executive Committee. He's had to manage the various issues from competing campaigns.

Jeb Bush was initially scheduled as the keynote speaker but cancelled after dropping out of the race.

Sutton said he has no confirmation from Marco Rubio or Donald Trump. Rubios schedule for Saturday is jam-packed ending with a rally in Pensacola at 7 p.m. Trumps last event is a rally in Cleveland at 2 p.m., according to his schedule.

Both Rubio and Trump have high-profile surrogates who will speak: former presidential candidate Ben Carson who endorsed Trump Friday and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina who endorsed Rubio.

Sutton said about a day after he announced Scott as the keynote, the Trump campaign asked him to name New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as the keynote speaker. Sutton says he told the campaign that Christie could speak but not as the keynote.

I said weve already announced who the keynote speaker is, Sutton said. I have a sitting senator that is confirmed as our keynote speaker. I wasnt going to dump him.

(The Trump campaign request was previously reported by Beth Reinhard, former politics reporter for the Miami Herald who now works at the Wall Street Journal.)

Campaign spokespersons for Rubio and Trump didnt respond to emails from the Miami Herald about the event in recent days. The other two remaining GOP candidates, Ted Cruz and John Kasich, are not expected to attend.

Nearly all of the 360 guests at the Broward fundraising dinner have likely already voted or have made up their minds, but candidates often speak at Lincoln Day dinners for the free media exposure. Sutton said hes had inquiries from reporters in the U.S., Paris and the U.K.

Other speakers include U.S. Senate candidates Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis and Todd Wilcox.

Left-leaning Broward County has 240,000 registered Republicans -- the third largest in the state behind Miami-Dade and Hillsborough counties.

If we can get a 30% turnout it will make a big difference, Sutton said.

The event will be held at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina.

Presidential candidates have not held any major public events in Broward this cycle although Carson signed books at a Barnes and Noble in Fort Lauderdale. (Bush spoke at the Broward Workshop in 2014 about a year before he officially jumped into the race.)

About 41,000 Broward Republicans have voted so far, state records showed Friday.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam continues to be one of the state's most prolific fundraisers in the state, adding to speculation that the Republican from Polk County will make a run for governor in 2018 when Gov. Rick Scott will be unable to run for re-election because of term limits.

Just since December, Putnam raised over $1 million for a political action committee he runs called Florida Grown and has now raised just short of $4.3 million in the last 12 months, according to new campaign finance reports with the Florida Division of Elections.

Why all the money for Putnam, who because of term limits cannot seek re-election as Agriculture Commissioner?

"To advance the conservative causes of solid public policy for our state," Putnam said on Thursday.

Putnam has only spent $253,426 since Dec. 1, according to the new campaign finance reports.

Putnam's biggest donor has been Associated Industries of Florida, and a committee they run called The Voice of Florida Business PAC. Through those to vehicles, Putnam has collected $625,000 in the last 12 months - and $50,000 in just the last six days of February. Florida Power and Light has also been a big donor, giving Putnam's committee more than $250,000.

Putnam's fundraising since December has been only outdone by Scott's. Since December, Scott has raised $1.3 million for his Let's Get to Work political committee. But Scott's committee has also spent $1.6 million during that same period on, among other things, television ads and a bus tour promoting his legislative agenda.



Scott has reportedly been interested in running for the U.S. Senate in 2018, but has refused to say publicly if he is considering the race.
@MichaelAuslen

With House Speaker Steve Crisafullis term coming to a close, freshman House members are looking to the future.

Way into the future.

Backers of Rep. Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, to be the House speaker from 2020 to 2022 today took to Twitter to publicly air their support. With the support of most of the Republicans in his class, Sprowls, a former prosecutor, is leading in the speakership race. But Rep. Eric Eisnaugle, R-Orlando, the other freshman running for the two-year term as speaker has not conceded.

Reps. Chris Latvala of Clearwater, Mike Hill of Pensacola Beach and Danny Burgess of San Antonio took to Twitter to congratulate Sprowls on becoming speaker, although there has been no vote, digging in against Eisnaugle.

I first became friends with @ChrisSprowls in 2004. I am looking forward to calling him my Speaker. Well done my friend. #PinellasFirst  Chris Latvala (@ChrisLatvala) March 11, 2016

Couldn't be more proud to support my friend @ChrisSprowls. He will make a great, principled leader of the Florida House in 2021-22. #Sayfie  Mike Hill (@MikeHillfl) March 11, 2016
@PatriciaMazzei

Bernie Sanders doesn't endorse Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. But Maduro had some praise for the Democratic candidate anyway.

As part of a lengthy speech delivered on "Anti-Imperialism Day," Maduro expounded on the U.S. presidential race.

He made fun of Republican Donald Trump's hair and lambasted that "every day, he rants about the peoples of the world, threatens war and persecution."

"On the Democratic side, the debate between the Clinton clan -- accomplices in those policies against Venezuela, very arrogant, I have to say, very arrogant -- and an emerging candidate that has surged with a renewed, revolutionary message. I think he's the son of Jewish migrants to New York, raised in Brooklyn: Bernie Sanders."

Maduro's remarks came a day after Sanders, a democratic socialist, was asked in a Miami debate about his past praise for regimes in Nicaragua and Cuba. He said he rejects authoritarianism and has said his political ideology is closer to Scandinavian democratic socialism than to Latin American socialism.

"Obviously I think any student of politics understands that democratic socialism is not communism, is not authoritarianism," he told the Miami Herald on Wednesday.

Go to the 1:23:00 mark.
Got some ideas about economics, policy, science, art or whatever, and you can write? Let us know here , we're looking for contributors!
Pianist Reggie Thomas calls it a balancing act.

As an educator, he has a full slate of responsibilities at Northern Illinois University and is an education consultant at Jazz at Lincoln Center, arguably the most high-profile jazz institution in the country, to name just a few entries in his 25-year career teaching at the college level.

And he's also performer, at a such a level that he's been invited to play in the backing band at the Thelonious Monk Institute's International Jazz Competition, where the competitors often represent the best young voices.

"I'm a teacher, not because I can't be out there as a player ... but because I have a desire and a passion for teaching," he said in a phone interview recently.

"This is why you practice when you're young," he said. "That's when you have time."

He and all the other guest artists at the Buddy DeFranco Jazz Festival at the University of Montana work as teachers and performers, the kind of artist that UM Jazz Program director Rob Tapper aims for.

Thomas will be joined on stage and in clinics by Derrick Gardner on trumpet, Erica Von Kleist on flute and saxophone, Marlene Rosenberg on bass and Gary Hobbs on drums.

Gardner comes from a musical family. He and his trombonist sibling plays with the Jazz Prophets, a group that's rooted in the hard-bop of the 1960s with an eye to bring it into the present.

Von Kleist was in the first graduating class of Juilliard School's jazz program. As a gigging musician in New York City, she performed on innovative big-band albums by Darcy James Argue's Secret Society and on saxophonist Chris Potter's highly arranged record, "Song for Anyone."

A gig in the orchestra pit with the Alpine Theater Project convinced her to move to Whitefish, where she teaches and also travels for education gigs with Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Gary Hobbs has played with Stan Kenton's big band and teaches in Oregon.

Rosenberg, meanwhile, is Thomas' fellow faculty member at NIU and a return clinician for the UM festival.

***

Over the course of two days, 52 middle-school, high-school and college groups from Montana, Idaho and Washington will come to campus for the festival, up from about 36 last year. Tapper estimated that it'll be 850 students in total. In Montana, they're coming from "Libby all the way to Billings," he said.

The Jazz Program itself has grown since Tapper assumed the helm in 2012. They've added another big band, increasing the number to four. When there were only three big bands, Tapper said the third needed help from community members to fill its ranks. Now with four, they only have a few non-students participating.

There were only three small combos before, and now there are seven.

Regarding the festival, Tapper said he wants to keep it growing to bring in more students and offer a wider variety of clinics. That could require more space, but he doesn't believe it would be difficult to find more.

"We'll probably end up having to add more sites during the day," he said. "We're probably six groups from being completely full."

Further in the future, as festival participation increases, he'd like to bring in "really huge, big-name artists."

One on his wish list is the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, a Los Angeles-based big band that's been nominated for a Grammy Award.

That kind of booking, he said, "comes with a price tag," and would be dependent on raising money through the festival's public concerts and the year-round jazz concert series the program puts on.
Judy Paul lived her life helping dogs, and she died helping them, too.

Paul, a founder of the Montana Companion Animal Network, was driving two homeless puppies back to her home in Corvallis in September when her car collided with another vehicle that law enforcement investigators believe had failed to stop at a stop sign. She and one of the dogs died in the crash.

Before she passed, Paul had saved some 700 dogs, and the last one was with her in the wreck. Skywalker, a wiggly puppy that looks like a blond Lab and basset cross, now lives with Paul's friend, neighbor and fellow dog rescuer, Carrie Storrow.

This year, Storrow will accept the Ken Shughart Humanitarian Award from the Humane Society of Western Montana on behalf of the late Paul.

"Judy would be mortified, but tough," Storrow said. "She deserves it."

The Humane Society established the Shughart award in 1997 to memorialize former board member Ken Shughart and recognize a person who "strives to better the lives of animals." This year, it is honoring Paul at a dinner on Saturday, April 9, at the University of Montana. See myhswm.org for details.

"Judy's selflessness and compassion are certainly missed in our community," Emily Adamson of the Humane Society said in a statement. "We are happy we can honor her hard work in this way and hope it will encourage others to follow in Judy's footsteps."

This week, Storrow talked at her home in Corvallis about her dear friend, a fellow theater lover and pet lover. She did so with Skywalker, Bella and Stetson at her side, dogs she has a hunch remember Paul well, too.

Skywalker was just 12 weeks old at the time of the crash, and Storrow had one thought when she learned one of the two pups had lived.

"When I knew there was a survivor, all I knew is I had to have him," Storrow said.

***

Paul was a native Montanan, a woman from Bigfork, and Storrow met her when she first moved to the Bitterroot Valley in 2000. They met through community theater, the musical "Brigadoon" at the Hamilton Playhouse, and they shared a passion for plays, as well as saving animals.

Storrow is an actor, currently cast in "Working" by Studs Terkel. And Paul was an accomplished pianist who played in musicals and at church and, her friend said, all over the valley. The friends bonded over theater and then pets.

"Judy was on the board of the animal shelter in Hamilton, and next thing you know, so was I," Storrow said.

Paul was known all over the Bitterroot, and she rescued dogs from Montana, Utah and Idaho. She started a transitional home for pets, Dawg Gone Acres, a house with extra bedrooms for dogs inside and nearly 10 acres for them to run outdoors.

"She just wanted every dog to have a chance at a real life and a good home," Storrow said.

She knew some dogs wouldn't thrive in a shelter, even though kennels have improved over the years, Storrow said. So she set up her own home as a place where those pooches could live in a more comfortable environment until they found a permanent home.

Paul wouldn't let a dog go to just any home, either. She was picky in adopting out dogs she had rescued, making sure the pup was matched with just the right owner, Storrow said.

Sometimes, she would talk a prospective owner out of one dog and into another if she thought their lifestyles were more complementary.

When Storrow got the call that her longtime friend was receiving the Shughart Award, she figured it couldn't go to a more deserving person.

"Everything she did was out of love for the dogs, out of what was best for them," Storrow said. "She would go out of her way and do anything for a dog in need  or a friend. She was that kind of person."

***

In 2008, Paul, Storrow, Mary Gehl and Jan Schmidt started the Montana Companion Animal Network, a nonprofit "dedicated to saving dogs from overcrowded shelters and bringing them to safe places in western Montana," according to the Humane Society.

Paul made connections with other shelters, rescues and groups, including RezQ Dogs, based in Dodson.

"They're amazing. They're absolutely amazing," Storrow said. "But they don't have the resources for the adoptions. They end up with a lot of dogs and litters. That area is really tough."

The people who run RezQ had a relationship with Paul, and in September, they transported a couple of dogs to Missoula for Paul to take and adopt out. She was driving the two pups up the Bitterroot when she was struck by another vehicle.

"The other (dog) was there to make the trip with Judy," Storrow said, referring to the dog who died. "And Sky was there for me."

The founders dissolved MTCAN in 2015, and they are distributing its funds to other rescues.

At Paul's memorial, people brought dogs to honor her dream of no more homeless pets, and Storrow said the Shughart recognition is an important one for the late advocate's many friends. Paul was nearly 65 when she died.

"A lot of people need her to get the recognition for their own closure," Storrow said.
A family of four in Missoula can get Internet speeds of 60 megabits per second in their home. A 500-person Missoula County Public Schools building only has 100 mbps.

This week, MCPS trustees voted unanimously to approve a proposal to build a district-owned fiber network, which will create connections between each school.

Technology staff said Tuesdays decision will nix the painfully slow download speeds in classrooms, improve streaming video, conference calls, and software and digital textbook downloads  and save the district $3 million in operational costs over 20 years.

The district's current service contract sunsets June 30, and a request for proposals went out in December. There were seven submissions from companies across the nation, and a district committee launched an intensive two-phase evaluation process.

Five years ago, the district received only two submissions, one of which had to be disqualified. This time around, the companies came from Idaho, Colorado, Missouri, Virginia and Missoula. The evaluation committee recommended Virginia-based Wide Open Networks, which will serve as the district's "wide area network" service provider.

"It's one thing to talk about building projects that involve construction and designing buildings that engage local tradespeople," said director of technology and communications Hatton Littman. "But when you talk about engaging in services that include high-tech broadband infrastructure, the reality is the competitive market for those services expands beyond just Missoula and Montana."

A public school district has to follow state procurement guidelines, which stipulate these contracts "must be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder without regard to residency." MCPS also had to follow federal E-Rate guidelines, which dictate the total cost of ownership and price have to be the highest-weighted factors.

"We would not have self-inflicted this process on ourselves. This was daunting," Littman said, laughing. "I think we all learned a lot, and we all feel incredibly much more benefited as human beings and as professionals as a result of it. But it was onerous, and we followed guidelines both from USAC (Universal Service Administrative Co.) and E-Rate, as well as support and technical assistance provided by EducationSuperHighway."

The U.S. Department of Education recommends that schools have a minimum speed of 100 mbps, but the goal is 1 gigabit per second per 1,000 students by 2018.

***

MCPS upgraded each of its high schools to 1 gbps this school year and 300 mbps to its middle schools and four elementary schools. The remaining elementary schools operate on 100 mbps speeds.

Using capital funds for this project takes pressure off MCPS' general and technology funds, which were doling out $176,000 per year for connections between buildings and another $96,000 annually for Internet service.

After the E-Rate subsidy, MCPS would pay about $1.5 million over 20 years for its fiber network.

"What we would pay in five years for a service provider is equal to what we would pay to build our own fiber network," Littman said. "And that includes annual maintenance costs and equipment put on either end of the strands of fiber."

This proposal leaves out Mount Jumbo School and Seeley-Swan High School due to their distance. The committee is still evaluating options for those schools, Littman said, and will come back to the board March 22 with recommendations.

MCPS couldn't wait for a proposed Missoula citywide fiber network, Littman said.

"The reason we went through this onerous process was because the Missoula fiber network is not an entity. It's not real. It doesn't exist right now," she said. "It would be a great idea if it did. But we had to meet our needs ... with a sunsetting contract at the end of the school year. We could not wait on some sort of idea out in the future."

Wide Open Networks' proposal was the most aggressive build plan, she said, as well as being mostly underground rather than aerial.

A negotiated contract will be up for board approval on March 22.
U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke said the Department of Veterans Affairs is encumbered by so much bureaucracy that fulfilling its mission of taking care of veterans is a lot like "fighting a war, and you have to ask headquarters for a bullet."

As part of a tour across the state, Zinke visited the Neural Injury Center at the University of Montana on Thursday to hear about its work supporting students who are veterans.

The Neural Injury Center, which started in 2014, conducts assessments of student veterans to determine if they have a traumatic brain injury, which can affect their ability to succeed in school, among other issues. The center can then provide documentation, referrals and help with accommodations for the students.

We were founded with the mission to serve student vets, to see why their graduation rates were suffering a little bit, said UM professor Alex Santos, who will take over as the centers director this summer.

Sergej Michaud, a student veteran who attends UM, received a Purple Heart after being injured by an explosive device in Iraq in 2006.

Michaud said when he decided to go to school, representatives from the VA tried to convince him it wouldnt be a good idea in part because of his traumatic brain injury.

A lot of people dont understand that as veterans we like to take on obstacles, and well push through obstacles. Michaud said.

He said he has a grade-point average above 3.9, an accomplishment that came with only small accommodations like being given extra time to take tests.

Santos said the Neural Injury Center is hoping to become a Veterans Affairs research center so it can receive federal funding and expand its reach  screening more veterans and supporting VA centers across Montana.

Currently, there are no VA research centers in Montana or neighboring states.

Montana has about 100,000 veterans living in the state, and about 10,000 here in Missoula County, he said.

Zinke said efforts to help veterans are usually better at the local level because it's more personal.

Part of the problem with the VA is theres a sense of urgency here, theres a face behind it. By the time it gets up to the VA, the face has been stripped away, and its just a number, Zinke said.

Zinke is running for re-election to the U.S. House. The only other candidate who has filed for the race is Democrat Denise Juneau, Montana's superintendent of public instruction.

***

The congressman also toured the Neural Injury Centers lab to get a rundown of some of the tools used to do assessments.

Among them were a custom-built plate that allows the researchers to track a patients balance and weight distribution. The center recently built a newer model that is more mobile and can be sent to any treatment center in the state and plugged into a laptop, Santos said.

Zinke also tried on a set of goggles that can track eye movement.

While wearing the goggles, patients are asked to follow a laser dot with their eyes as it moves around on a wall, Santos said. The test is useful, he said, because coordination of eye movement is very intricate, and lapses in control can indicate brain trauma.

While the center didnt develop that headset, it did develop the process of using it to find traumatic brain injury and assess whether treatment is helping.

This machine is able, 100 times per second, to get the exact position of the eyes, he said. How can we provide any treatment if we cant gauge if the person is getting better or not?
My son asked me the other day whether he should sign the initiative to put Constitutional Initiative 116known as Marsys Lawon the ballot. My son just turned 18, and he and his sister get to vote for the first time. I am pleased he is interested enough to ask questions on things of this importance. To be honest, I had to do some research myself to decide if this merited a change to our Constitutiona big step, in my opinion.

You know me by now, and that I like to look at the history of an issue to fully understand it. Marsys Law is named after Marsy Nicholas, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 1983. One week after Marsy was killed, her mom and brother ran into the accused murdered in a grocery store after visiting Marsys grave. The family had not been informed he had been released from jail after posting bond. Of course, this was very painful for the family and they were upset nobody had told them he was released.

Thus, Marsys brother, Dr. Henry T. Nicholas, became a vocal proponent of crime victims rights and helped pass Proposition 9, the Victims Bill of Rights, in California in 2008. Proposition 9 has been called the strongest and most comprehensive constitutional victims rights law in the U.S. In 2012, Illinois passed Marsys Law, and Montana is among seven states where Marsys Law is currently being proposedthe others being Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Nevada, North Dakota and South Dakota.

The argument, quite persuasive, is that crime victims should have at least the same rights as do criminal defendants in our system of justice. It is impossible to argue against this idea. As always, the devil is in the details.

Marsys Law has numerous provisions I wholeheartedly support: treatment of victims with fairness and respect, victims to be free from intimidation, harassment, and abuse, reasonable protection from the accused, having the victims safety considered when setting bail, not disclosing information of the victims whereabouts, notification of all hearings, notification of any release or escape, and the right to be heard in all hearings involving the defendant.

I love hearing from victims in hearings and believe it is very helpful for the defendant to understand the impact their actions had on the victim. And of course victims should be notified of any and all proceedings concerning the defendant, and if a defendant is released.

Furthermore, the right to restitution, return of victim property, no unreasonable delay in the criminal proceeding, and the right to be informed of all proceedings, even post judgment, regarding the defendant and his case, are meritorious. The bottom line: these are all good ideas and worthy of pursuit. However, we must recognize two things. First, our county attorneys office does most of these things now, and two, particularly when victims move, carrying out these constitutional mandates will be difficult and could become quite expensive.

The one provision I do not support is 1(f), which states the victim has the right to refuse an interview, deposition, or other discovery request This flies in the face of our constitutional right of confrontation. When a defendant is on trial and his liberty is at stake, the defendant should certainly have the right to interview the alleged victim and find out exactly what the victims testimony will be at trial. This is the only way a defendant can access the case and decide whether he should go to trial or not.

In the end analysis, I told my son to sign the petition. This issue is worthy of debate. Crime victims' rights are worthy of protection. However, if CI-116 gets on the ballot and passes, I suspect section 1(f) would be struck down as unconstitutional.
Huckleberries to the Missoula Fire Department for sending another winning team to the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb competition in Seattle. Firefighters Andy Drobeck, Ben Brunsvold and Blake Meyers scaled 69 stories - wearing full gear, no less - in a combined total time of 36 minutes and 42 seconds. Drobeck bested 1,490 other competitors and Brunsvold came in second overall. Best of all, Missoulas firefighters have raised thousands of dollars for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. To learn more or make a donation, visit firefighterstairclimb.org. Fundraising will continue through the month of March.

Chokecherries to Montanas second-place ranking in a list of the most expensive states for vehicle insurance. Insure.com released its annual rankings this week and named Michigan as the most expensive state for auto insurance in the nation, with New Jersey, Louisiana and Oklahoma rounding out the top five behind Montana. The least expensive states? That would be Maine, Ohio, Wisconsin, our neighbor Idaho and New Hampshire, in that order.

Huckleberries to the Darby Community Public Library for hosting Perspectives on Islam as part of its Life-Long Learning Series. The presentation on Wednesday brought University of Montana Arabic language professor Samir Bitar to offer a well-rounded understanding of Muslims and Muslim society, according to the librarys calendar. Educational events such as this one should be welcomed as an opportunity for a smaller-size community to combat misinformation and learn more about a religion with which it may otherwise have little direct experience.

Chokecherries to the electrical outage that left Rattlesnake School and hundreds of Rattlesnake residents without power for several hours on Tuesday. According to NorthWestern Energy, a dead cottonwood tree fell on a power line serving nearly 900 residents, and power was restored shortly after 2 p.m.

Huckleberries to the 200 or so classrooms in western Montana who participated in this years Newspaper in Education with the Missoulian. Students wrote editorials and creative stories, drew editorial cartoons and weather illustrations, and even designed advertisements for local businesses. Grand prize winners were awarded $25 gift cards, and all participants gained a little first-hand knowledge of the unique role of newspapers.
BILLINGS  Montana Gov. Steve Bullock is being criticized for piggybacking campaign events onto government business trips in his state airplane.

At issue are a handful of campaign fundraisers branded as Women for Bullock events that capped business flights to Montana communities during the past month.

Criticism of the flights surfaced on social media after it was mentioned in a Feb. 10 Associated Press report that Bullock, a Democrat, was unavailable for comment because he was in Billings making peanut butter sandwiches for the homeless and attending a campaign fundraiser. Bullock had flown to Billings for those events, plus a TV interview and a meeting with a union official. Similar business trips capped by campaign fundraisers also took place in Bozeman and Missoula.

"Gov. Bullocks abuse of taxpayer dollars is beyond the pale," said Shane Scanlon, Montana GOP spokesman. "He justifies these taxpayer-funded flights as attending to an official state event, but the main priority is attending these campaign fundraisers.

The governor "should put in a full day's worth of work every now and then," Scanlon added. "It wouldn't hurt for him to drive the same roads the rest of us Montanans use  with his campaign paying for the travel cost  not living the high life flying on the taxpayers dime."

***

On Wednesday, the criticism bubbled up on the Missoulians opinion page, where Rep. Brad Tschida, R-Missoula, accused Bullock of holding campaign events at taxpayer expense.

Tschida said the cost of the Missoula trip was roughly $1,000. By car, Helena and Missoula are about 115 miles apart.

A check with the state Commissioner of Political Practices' Office Wednesday produced no official complaint against Bullock. In an email, Commissioner Jonathan Motl said he suspected the policy requiring the governor to travel with security was part of any decision to use a government plane or vehicle and beyond normal analysis of public resource use.

State law generally prohibits use of public resources for political purposes.

Bullocks legal advisers said there was nothing wrong with the governors use of the plane.

"Like the previous administration, Gov. Bullock uses the plane to serve the people of Montana in an efficient manner that adheres to the law," said Andy Huff, Bullocks chief legal counsel.

Bullock spokesman Tim Crowe said the Missoula trip, as well as trips to Bozeman and Billings, which included campaign events, were for official government business first and foremost.

I can tell you that this practice of utilizing a state resource, the state airplane, for government business is why its there, Crowe said. If there are events that are subsequent to that, for the purpose of the trip, those are subsequent. Thats been a practice before Gov. Bullock for sure.

Crowe said the Missoula trip involved an appearance at a funeral for a National Guard sergeant, a visit with a local Missoula businessman and a meeting with Missoulas mayor about a bridge needing repair. The visit was capped with a Women for Bullock fundraiser organized by the Friends of Steve Bullock, a campaign committee.

The Bozeman trip March 3 included an event with a women in business roundtable discussion group and a presentation about critical perspectives on leadership to honors students at Montana State University.

At the end of the Bozeman trip, another Women for Bullock fundraiser took place.

Invitations to the fundraisers in all three cities suggested contributions to Friends of Steve Bullock for $50 per guest, $300 per sponsor, $600 per co-host and $1,320 for patrons.

***

Current criticism of the governors plane use is similar to concerns expressed by Republican lawmakers on the Joint General Government Subcommittee in the 2015 Legislature.

Rep. Ryan Osmundson, chairman of the subcommittee, said his interest was piqued by Bullocks use of the plane to fly from Helena to Butte. The two communities are 67 miles apart by car. The governors plane costs about $1,650 an hour to operate, Osmundson said.

The subcommittee cut funding for the Beechcraft King Air plane and the pilots salary on a partisan vote. After looking at the governors flight records, as well as the programs costs dating back to fiscal year 2010, lawmakers restored funding for the plane. They reasoned the plane was necessary for long trips.

But the short flights aggravated some, including Tschida, author of the Missoulian op-ed. Tschida looked at a year of plane fights and found that out of 147 trips, 72 of the flights were for an hour or less.

Bullock isnt the first governor to be criticized for his plane use. Democrats in the Legislature challenged the plane funding of Republican Gov. Stan Stephens in the early 1990s, but like Republicans in 2015, they dropped the issue.

The governors chief of staff, Tracy Stone Manning, said the Billings Gazettes coverage of the governors plane use seemed like a hit piece, driven by Republican accusations. Stone Manning suggested the Gazette spend a few weeks researching the issue before publishing an article.

On Feb. 17, the Gazette filed requests under the state's public information laws concerning Bullocks Feb. 10 flight to Billings. The request was for all written and recorded conversations between Bullock and/or his staff with representatives of School District 2 and the Billings Golden K Kiwanis regarding the governors Feb. 10, 2016, appearance at Riverside School in Billings. The request was a first step in attempting to determine whether the official trip was planned before the campaign fundraiser.

The Gazette also requested information about who was on the plane for the Feb. 10 flight. The Gazette also requested information about the governor's Feb. 16 trip to Missoula. Also, the Gazette requested the governors schedule, which is not available to the public without a request.

Those requests have not yet been fulfilled.
BILLINGS  During a nine-month period, a Montana State Crime Lab technician is suspected of stealing drugs collected as evidence by law enforcement agencies from across the state.

Steve Brester is suspected of stealing prescription medications from lab evidence between September 2014 to June 2015. He was fired from the Missoula lab in June.

The thefts have forced prosecutors from around the state to drop drug charges in multiple cases, including two drug charges against Nicholas Ellis Allison, a Billings man who punched a police officer while being arrested.

During Allison's trial in Billings this week, State Crime Lab Administrator Phil Kinsey testified about the ongoing investigation into the lab being conducted by the state's Division of Criminal Investigation.

Allison was arrested last year at a Billings casino after customers reported he was behaving suspiciously. While he was being frisked, Allison was found to have a gun. He hit the officer in the head and tried to run away.

Allison was also found to be carrying drugs suspected to be oxycodone. Those drugs were later sent for identification to the State Crime Lab. Allison's drug evidence was one of as many as 6,000 various pieces of evidence handled by Brester during the nine months he spent at the lab.

The Montana Attorney General's office said Thursday at least 50 drug cases were affected across the state. Investigators say Brester  a former Missoula Police Department lieutenant  tampered only with drug cases.

In Allison's case, Yellowstone County Chief Deputy Attorney Juli Pierce dismissed two drug possession counts because of the evidence tampering.

Brester had stolen some of the oxycodone found on Allison at the time of his arrest.

Pierce attempted to prevent testimony about the tainted drug evidence and state investigation from being entered during trial. That motion was denied by Yellowstone County Judge Gregory Todd.

The Yellowstone County Attorney's Office became aware of the tampering in July 2015 after the State Crime Lab conducted a quality control audit.

Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito and Pierce were both unavailable for comment Thursday. However, Deputy Chief of Criminal Operations Ed Zink said the lab was forced to contact prosecutors from across the state about the tampering.

"We moved to dismiss counts that were affected," Zink said. "If all the evidence in a case was affected, we dismissed the entire case. If one count in a case was affected and the rest of the evidence was in tact, then we proceeded with the balance of the case."

Zink couldn't give an exact figure of the number of cases affected in Yellowstone County.

***

In court Wednesday, Allison's defense attorney, Daniel O.C. Ball, argued the whole case was tainted by the tampering. Allison was convicted of several felonies, including assaulting a police officer.

During the trial, Todd expressed his concern about the evidence tampering at the crime lab.

He said if a large portion of the cases Brester handled were tampered with, the justice system would be looking at a massive problem, something like the issues the lab faced in the past regarding the scientific accuracy of hair analysis. One of those cases led to a man being wrongly incarcerated for the rape of a 9-year-old girl.
HAMILTON  The Montana Office of Public Instruction on Thursday responded to comments made by U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke this week about a drop in Montana students test scores.

While in Hamilton on Monday, Zinke, R-Mont., told the Ravalli Republic that while Montana has improved its graduation rate, the test scores are down by 30 percent.

Emilie Ritter Saunders, communications director for OPI, said Montana students last year took a brand-new test aligned to more-rigorous standards in math and English/language arts.

Montana still operates under the broken federal education law known as No Child Left Behind  its that federal law that requires Montana to test students, Ritter Saunders said.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau, a Democrat who is running for Zinkes seat in the House, said she advocates moving away from high-stakes testing.

I have cut testing time for all students, and Montana is in the process of developing an accountability system that will work for our schools and students, Juneau said. "Montana schools are raising expectations and I know our students will rise to the challenge.

Public high school juniors will not be required to take the Smarter Balanced test this spring and instead will take the ACT for federal accountability purposes.

Montanas historically high graduation rate of 86 percent will provide a multimillion-dollar boost to the states economy, Ritter Saunders added.

More high school graduates means higher wages and more opportunities for Montanas young people, Ritter Saunders said. When Montana kids succeed, we all benefit.
Creative writing students, aspiring authors and professionals can get career advice Friday at a daylong conference called "Writing at Work."

The University of Montana Creative Writing Program has invited industry professionals for panels covering freelancing, translating those skills in business, screenwriting, publishing and getting started.

It's a "great place for people to learn where to go next if they want to make a career out of their writing," said Karin Schalm, coordinator for the creative writing program.

Schalm said there's a lot of writing talent in the area, yet frequent frustration from those who aren't sure what the next step is in their careers.

The panelists include a mix of UM graduates, outside professionals working at high levels in their fields, and some who qualify as both.

"Our screenwriting panel is exceptional," Schalm said.

"Writing for the Screen" will include insights from Dan Merchant who works as a director, producer and screenwriter and has credits on Syfy's zombie series "Z Nation" among other projects.

Screenwriter and poet Ken White co-wrote and co-produced "Winter in the Blood" and penned a number of scripts. He's working on a screenplay of "Perma Red," the acclaimed novel by Debra Magpie Earling. Schalm said the panel should offer a good view into both sides of the adaptation process, as Earling is acting as moderator.

Like many of the panelists, White earned a degree from UM before pursuing his craft.

Others include Caitlin Hofmeister, who studied in digital filmmaking at UM after getting an undergraduate degree in creative writing out of state. She now works here in Missoula on Hank Green's hit YouTube series, "SciShow" as a producer, director and sometimes a host.

Schalm said Hofmeister and others on the "Using Your Skills in Business" panel can offer tips on transitioning from a writing career into related creative fields.

A fellow panelist, Brian Morgan studied English and went on to found Missoula-based travel company Adventure Life, an example of a liberal arts graduate translating their passion into a successful business.

While the conference is targeted toward students, it is open to the public as a whole.

"We think this is such a great resource we wanted to open it up to the community of Missoula for free," she said.

The schedule of panels is:

Noon: Introductory remarks with Tim O'Leary, an entrepreneur and writer whose family foundation is sponsoring the conference.

12:10 p.m.: "Freelancing on the Web and in Print." Panel: Dan Brooks (Missoula Independent, New York Times magazine), Amanda Fortini (New York Times, New Yorker) and Dan Merchant (director, producer, writer). Moderator: David Gates (novelist, creative writing professor).

1:10 p.m.: "Using Your Skills in Business." Panel: Caitlin Hofmeister ("SciShow" producer, director), Brian Morgan (Adventure Life founder), Tim O'Leary (entrepreneur, writer) and Atsa So (editorial director at Submittable and fiction writer). Moderator: Judy Blunt (novelist, professor).

2:10 p.m.: "Writing for the Screen." Panel: Dan Merchant, Elwood Reid (executive producer and screenwriter) and Ken White (screenwriter, poet). Moderator: Debra Magpie Earling (novelist, professor).

3:10 p.m.: "Book Publications." Carl Adamshick (editor, writer and poet), Denise Shannon (literary agent) and Meg Storey (editor, writer). Moderator: Deirdre McNamer (novelist, professor).

4:10 p.m.: "Getting Started: Baby Steps." Panel: Alice Bolin (blogger, nonfiction writer), Dan Brooks, Amanda Fortini, Julia Maes (VidCon) and Caitlin Stainken (writer, Submittable employee). Moderator: Kevin Canty (novelist, professor).
The next president will have to set the direction of the fight against terrorism, define Americas role in the Syrian war, which has created a refugee crisis that is destabilizing Europe, and address the tensions between China and its neighbors that could turn into military conflict.

Yet few of the presidential candidates have offered much sense of how they would actually take on these critical problems, and none, other than Hillary Clinton, inspires any confidence in this arena. The truth is, foreign policy will very likely dominate the next administration, as it has dominated much of the Obama presidency.

Mrs. Clinton, a former secretary of state, is the most experienced in foreign affairs among the candidates and is strongly supported by much of the Democratic Partys centrist foreign policy establishment. She is likely to continue on President Obamas path, though there is a concern that she might be too willing to intervene militarily.

Senator Bernie Sanders, Mrs. Clintons Democratic rival, has repeatedly invoked the disastrous Iraq war, which he voted against, to deflect from the scant attention he has paid to foreign policy more broadly. While Mr. Sanders says the Islamic State, or ISIS, must be stopped, he has admitted he has no real solution to the threat. He talks vaguely of America having a support role in Syria while Saudi Arabia and Iran take the lead in sending ground troops against ISIS.
VILIFYING the National Rifle Associations tactics has long been standard practice among liberals. In October, Hillary Clinton compared dealing with the N.R.A. to negotiating with the Iranians or the Communists. In January, President Obama accused the gun lobby of holding Congress hostage. The New York Daily News recently called Wayne LaPierre, the N.R.A.s chief executive, a terrorist.

The passion underlying such condemnations may be understandable, especially in the wake of the horrific mass shootings that often prompt them. But this rhetoric does little to change the gun debate, and most likely reinforces gun owners worst fears about how liberals see them. Rather than demonize the N.R.A.s strategies, liberals should emulate them. The organization is, after all, the most effective civil rights group in the United States today.

Consider what the N.R.A. has accomplished. Just a few decades ago, even loyal conservatives rejected the idea that the Second Amendment protected an individual right to bear arms, as opposed to the states prerogative to raise militias. In 1990, the retired Supreme Court chief justice Warren Burger, a Nixon nominee, dismissed the idea as a fraud. Yet in 2008, the Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller ruled that the individual right to bear arms was no fraud, but a constitutional right.

How did the N.R.A. do it? It did not litigate Heller itself. But its efforts over three decades paved the way for the courts decision.
One result is new opportunity for human smugglers. With migrants starting to grow desperate for alternate routes, even with the chance of heightened physical risk and exploitation, smugglers are scoping out new paths into Europe and fanning out among asylum seekers in Greece promising help.

Migrants still want to go to the E.U., and there will be alternate routes looked for and offered by organized crime, said Wil van Gemert, the deputy director of Europol, the European Unions police agency. The difference, he added, is that they will operate more covertly, using difficult routes despite increased enforcement by countries trying to stop them.

In Greece, smugglers are peddling offers to take migrants clandestinely to Italy, either by boat from the Greek mainland or via a more precarious route walking through the mountainous terrain of Albania, where they can then cross the Adriatic Sea. Others are offering to take them on less guarded paths through Macedonian forests, or to Bulgaria to reach Serbia and beyond.

In the camp at Idomeni, at the border with Macedonia, where more than 13,000 migrants have been stuck in muddy conditions after Macedonia sealed its border, talk of smuggling is everywhere. Migrants point to the Hara Hotel and to gas stations along the highway to Idomeni as places where smugglers loiter and operate.
Stock buybacks are a boon for shareholders, right?

Thats been the spin, anyway, as hedge fund activists have pushed corporate managers to spend billions repurchasing shares in recent years.

But not all buybacks are created equal, and exhibit A is LPL Financial Holdings, a brokerage and investment advisory firm in Boston. LPL recently completed a $275 million stock buyback spree that was exceedingly costly, increased the companys debt and wound up primarily benefiting a powerful insider investor.

Shareholders typically like repurchase programs because a companys earnings per share rise as the number of its shares outstanding falls, often propelling its stock price. These purchases can also support a companys stock when the overall market is in decline.

Share buybacks are on a tear so far this year. Authorizations are up 41 percent through Feb. 11 from the same period last year, according to Birinyi Associates, a stock market research firm. Financial companies are among the bigger players in the buyback market right now.
A Butte district judge on Thursday sentenced a Butte man who admitted to raping a 12-year-old girl to the Montana State Prison for 100 years with 70 suspended.

Citing absolutely un-excusable conduct, Judge Brad Newman said William Thomas Spencer, 33, made a choice to take advantage of a child that warranted a significant sentence.

Spencer, who previously denied the charge of felony sexual intercourse without consent, pleaded guilty in early July 2015 as part of a plea deal with Butte-Silver Bow County prosecutors.

Authorities in Butte and Billings later learned that the girl had become pregnant after she woke up to Spencer having sex with her, court documents state. After the incident, she moved from the Mining City to another Montana city with her mother and Spencer, where she later delivered the baby.

The girl stated to investigators that she believed Spencer had mistaken her for her mother. In early August 2014, the girls grandmother reported to law enforcement in Butte that she suspected Spencer was the father of the girl's baby, according to court documents.

A genetic testing report requested by the grandmother using DNA from the girls baby and Spencers biological son could not exclude the baby and Spencers son from being of the same male lineage, according to court documents.

Chief Deputy County Attorney Samm Cox argued for a lengthy incarceration in light of the offense, the psychosexual offender evaluation, and the presentence investigation report.

Spencers defense attorney, Deirdre Caughlan, said her client was still struggling and that his use of the prescription medication Ambien significantly contributed to his conduct.

He knows it happened; he knows he fathered a child, she said.

Caughlan asked that her clients limited criminal history and his remorse be taken into consideration in avoiding a long prison term.

Spencer stood before the court and apologized.

I cant take it back, he said quietly as his eyes filled with tears.

Newman told Spencer that he would not be eligible for parole until he completed Phase 1 and 2 of sexual offender treatment at the state prison. A lengthy sentence, he said, was necessary to protect the victim and the public.

Spencer will be classified as a Tier 1 sex offender and be required to register as a sexual offender.

Newman said the victim lost her innocence because of Spencers actions.

This child will never be a child again, Newman said. There arent going to be any more victims.
Anaconda police arrested a former state addiction treatment doctor Thursday night following a hit-and-run incident east of Anaconda, authorities said.

Mark Jay Catalanello was found trying to hide in a culvert after he jumped from his truck at Highway 48 near the Warm Springs turn-off, said Anaconda Police Chief Tim Barkell.

Meanwhile, the doctor, who is facing a drug possession charge out of Silver Bow County, failed to appear before the adjudication panel of the Montana Board of Medical Examiners on Friday morning. The board revoked his medical license, meaning he can no longer practice medicine in Montana.

Anaconda law enforcement dispatchers received multiple calls starting at 5:51 p.m. Thursday stating that a black Chevy truck was involved in a two-vehicle collision near the intersection of Montana Highway 1 and Highway 43, Barkell said. The driver of the black Chevy truck, which turned out to be Catalanello, attempted to leave the scene of the crash. Witnesses followed the damaged black pickup truck which was sparking as it fled. A tire was left at scene, and the trucks axle was bent, according to Barkell.

Barkell said Montana Highway Patrol officers located the truck, which eventually stopped, at which point Catalanello "jumped out and was caught on foot."

Barkell said Catalanello was arrested and taken to a local hospital at 8:10 p.m. for a blood draw. Catalanello was booked in the Anaconda-Deer Lodge jail on charges of failing to stop at a stop sign; driving under the influence, second offense; obstructing a peace officer; and failing to report an accident. Catalanello has since been released on $1,940 bond.

Catalanello, who has a long history of drug abuse and felony drug arrests, came under fire last fall when staff at the Montana Chemical Dependency Center reported erratic behavior they suspected stemmed from Catalanellos illegal drug use. The board temporarily suspended Catalanellos license in October at an emergency meeting.

Catalanello worked for two state agencies at the time of his suspension, serving as a physician at the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs and medical director at MCDC in Butte.

The state Department of Public Health and Human Services placed Catalanello on paid administrative leave following his Sept. 29 suspension, and his last day working for the state was Oct. 19, 2015.

On Friday the Board of Medical Examiners unanimously voted in favor of a motion to permanently bar Catalanello from practicing medicine in Montana. The decision comes on the heels of Catalanellos arrest in Butte on March 4. On Tuesday he pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and possession of dangerous drugs.

Catalanello was arrested on March 4 after he allegedly yelled and screamed at police and the owner and bartender at the IT Club in Rocker. Butte-Silver Bow Undersheriff George Skuletich told The Montana Standard on Monday Catalanello was belligerent, angry and made vulgar comments.

Police responded to the Living Water Coffee Co. in Rocker earlier that evening where an employee reported that Catalanello yelled and screamed at her as he waited in the drive-through. Police located his 2016 Dodge Ram pickup truck at the nearby IT Club where they found him inside.

A man named Ron Kelley spoke on Catalanellos behalf at Fridays adjudication hearing over the objection of the boards attorney, Mike Fanning.

Kelley, who described himself as a friend of Catalanello, told the board via telephone that the doctor intended to be at Fridays hearing in Helena. Kelley said he had agreed to drive Catalanello to the hearing, but that didnt happen because Catalanello was involved in a severe car accident the night before.

Last night, about 5 or 6 p.m., he was in a severe car accident, and I could not bring him over there to stand before you today, Kelley told the board. My assumption is that he is in jail, and probably has a DUI, but Im not sure of that.

Kelley asked the board to consider a continued suspension of Catalanellos medical license rather than a full revocation, to give Catalanello time to treat his addiction.

He has an addiction problem, as you all know, Kelley told the board. Hes totally aware of his problem. Hes an addiction doctor. Its severe, and he knows it. I think the state of Montana needs every doctor we can get.

Fanning objected to Kelleys statement to the board, arguing that Kelley, who is not a lawyer, was inappropriately advocating on Catalanellos behalf.

I dont necessarily mind (Kelley) coming forward and explaining Dr. Catalanellos absence, but he cant advocate, Fanning said.

Fanning told the board that Catalanello requested a hearing to dispute the allegations against him but then failed to participate in the process in any meaningful way. Catalanello failed to show up at pre-trial hearing last month, which led to a cancellation of his trial set for Feb. 23.

The hearing examiner in the case recommended the board indefinitely suspend Catalanellos license, but Fanning said his recommendation was for full revocation. Fanning told the board it could take whichever action it deemed appropriate.

There was no discussion among the members of the adjudication panel on the motion to revoke Catalanellos license, and following a unanimous vote in favor, Catalanello is now barred from practicing medicine in Montana.

Fanning told the board that Catalanello is not barred from reapplying for a medical license in Montana in the future.

Attempts to locate Catalanello for comment have to date been unsuccessful.
This year is the 100th anniversary of the election of the first woman to the U.S. Congress. Jeannette Rankin, a Montana Republican, became the first woman to serve in the U.S. House.

The current holder of that seat, Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke, has teamed up with Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., to sponsor a bill honoring Rankin by renaming a USDA grant program the Jeannette Rankin Women and Minorities in STEM Fields Program.

Among the thousands of bills introduced this session, the 100 Years of Women in Congress Act, will not be nearly the most important or controversial. Yet HR4085 provides an opportunity to reflect on how our history affects where our state and nation are today.

Meng contacted Zinke about co-sponsoring the legislation to honor his states pioneering female politician, according to his staff. Meng represents a portion of New York City where Rankin once attended the New York School of Philanthropy, now part of Columbia University. Rankin also helped organize the New York Womens Suffrage Party.

SUFFRAGE CAMPAIGNS

Rankin campaigned successfully for womens suffrage in Montana in 1914 after working for womens right to vote in Washington state. Montanans elected her to the House in November 1916, the first general election in which Montana women voted. That was four years before ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteed all American women that right.

The bill notes that 108 women now serve in the U.S. Congress, more than at any other time in history. We note that there are 535 members of Congress, counting representatives and senators, which means that women account for only 20 percent of lawmakers, although they are about 50 percent of the nations population. Youve got a long way to go, sisters.

Rep. Jeannette Rankin was a pioneer in every sense of the word, both as a woman in national politics and as a women in STEM, Meng said in a joint press release with Zinke.

Its important to remember who blazed the trail before us and look to them as mentors and inspiration, Zinke said.

Meng found a link between Rankin and STEM (science, technology, engineer and math) in her studies at the University of Montana. Born in Missoula in 1880, Rankin earned a bachelor of science degree in biology at UM in 1902.

She later worked as a social worker in New York, advocating for women and children who had no vote  no say  in American government. But she found her true calling in politics, where she was an energetic campaigner and electrifying speaker.

WOMEN IN SCIENCE

Women still comprise a minority of the nations working scientists. The bill quotes U.S. Department of Labor Statistics data showing that only 16 percent of chemical engineers are women and only 12 percent of civil engineers are women.

The grant program that Zinke and Meng propose to rename makes research and extension grants  to increase participation by women and under-represented minorities from rural areas in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Grant priority is given to institutions doing continuing USDA programs.

This competitive grant program is relatively small. It awarded $400,000 nationwide last year in the form of grants for research on honeybees at the University of Maryland, a program to encourage women and minorities to pursue animal and food science studies at Tarleton State University in Texas and a girls STEM camp at the University of Tennessee.

STEM has been recognized by many Montana schools as a critical component of 21st-century learning. For example, Billings Public Schools launched a multi-year program to introduce a hands-on STEM curriculum in every one of its K-8 schools.

Its a multi-year program because the district doesnt have enough money or sufficient technology to upgrade its science education for all 10,000 students at the same time. The Project Lead the Way STEM initiative also depends on private donations and business partnerships to fund a substantial portion of the costs.

The good news is that, with strong community support and the hard work of the Foundation for Billings Public Schools, the STEM initiative is progressing. School kids are becoming excited about science, learning team problem solving and thinking like engineers.

In Montana where Rankin was the first of her gender to become a national lawmaker, she remains the only woman ever elected to Congress. This year, Zinkes re-election challenger is Denise Juneau, twice elected state superintendent of public instruction and termed out of that office at years end. History could be made in again in 2016.

-- The Billings Gazette
In the Bull Mountains, an hour or so northeast of Billings, two important forces in Montanas history  coal mining and ranching  are butting heads in a way that says a lot about possible paths for the states future.

Montanas Board of Environmental Review recently overturned a permit for the proposed expansion of a coal mine, saying the states Department of Environmental Quality had failed, among other things, to consider the long-term impacts of mining on water.

Coal mining has long been present in eastern and central Montana, though it has been highly controversial for the past half century and has never been sustainable over the long term. Ranching, on the other hand, has been a pillar of Montanas economy since before statehood and has proven sustainable. In our arid state, water is the lifeblood of family ranching operations that have been running cattle for generations. Quite simply, ranching in Montana cannot survive without clean, available watersomething to which mining millions of tons of coal poses a huge risk.

In the case of Signal Peak Energys application to expand its mining by 7,000 acres, the Board of Environmental Review decided in favor of clean water, which may bode well for the future of ranching in the Bull Mountains.

The coal industry is in a death spiral. Most analysts and many coal executives think it will never recover. Coal consumption in the U.S. is projected to drop by 20 percent or more in the coming decades. Leading coal corporations in the U.S. are in financial trouble, as evidenced by Arch Coal going bankrupt and Peabody Energy teetering on the brink of financial ruin.

Of those coal companies going belly-up, many are walking away from their obligations to clean up and reclaim the vast tracts of public and private land they have mined, leaving taxpayers with the tab for reclamation. Bankruptcies also often leave mine workers without the benefits they have worked their lives to earn (while protecting executive bonuses, naturally).

It would be naive to expect out-of-state coal companies on the brink of collapse to be committed to Montanas long-term well-being. This is particularly the case for Signal Peak, which is co-owned by Boich Companies and FirstEnergy (both from Ohio), and the Gunvor Group, a global commodity trader registered in Cyprus and headquartered in Switzerland.

Its hard to imagine Boich, FirstEnergy and Gunvor putting down roots in Montana or cleaning up lost water supplies in 50 years. In fact, Signal Peak has already started to cut production and lay off workers, and First Energy recently told investors that their one-third share in the mine is worth nothing (as in zero).

This is important in the context of the Board of Environmental Review decision because when Signal Peak packs its bags and leaves Montana, which is inevitable, unfortunately, the company wont take its water pollution with it. That will stay with us. DEQ already is looking the other way on repeated violations of the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act at the Signal Peak mine. In the past three years, the agency has sent 15 warning letters and reminder notices of violations to Signal Peak, but it has taken no formal enforcement action.

For ranchers whose families have been in Montana for generations, this kind of irresponsibility is unfathomable, and poses a huge risk to their futures.

The global decline of the coal industry makes it all the more urgent to hold offending companies accountable for damage to Montanas irreplaceable water. We must ensure that the people who live in Montanalike the generations of families that have earned their livelihood ranching in the Bull Mountainsdont have to live with a legacy of pollution while paying to clean up coal companies messes. Montana has seen this countless times before. Lets learn from past mistakes rather than repeat them.

The Board of Environmental Review remanded Signal Peaks expansion permit to DEQ for further review. We will follow this case closely to assure that Montanas water resources are not sacrificed so that out-of-state coal corporations can turn a fast profit before pulling up stakes.

-- Shiloh Hernandez works for the Western Environmental Law Center, which represents the Montana Environmental Information Center on coal mining matters. Derf Johnson works for the Montana Environmental Information Center. They both live in Helena.
An interview of Infrastructure Minister Andriy Pivovarsky for KyivPost

Infrastructure Minister Andriy Pivovarsky, in office since December 2014, seems like hes had enough.

In an interview with the Kyiv Post at his office at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Pivovarsky bemoaned parliaments failure to pass much-needed reform legislation.

He also is having doubts about his decision to withdraw his December resignation.

Much of Pivovarskys work at the ministry has focused on opening up access to key markets in the Middle East, Turkey and further afield. Improving Ukraines infrastructure -- decrepit and starved of investment in many places  would increase the nations ability to export grain, metals and manufactured goods to these key new markets.

A key minister in charge of the nations railways, air travel, ports, and postal system, Pivovarsky can tout achievements such as deregulating river transport and attracting investment to the countrys ports.

But without more help from parliament, his ideas for bringing investment into the nations sagging infrastructure are stagnating. Honestly, Im frustrated, Pivovarsky said. I dont know what they want any more.

Pyvovarsky will speak at the Kyiv Post Capturing New Markets Conference at the Hilton Kyiv on March 29.

Foreign trade

Pivovarsky said that Ukraine is making headway in reaching free-trade agreements with Turkey and Israel.

Given the relationship with the Russians, theyre excited about a free trade agreement with Ukraine, he said of Turkey, noting that Deputy Minister of Economic Development Nataliya Mykolska is currently in Turkey to help negotiate the deal.

Its in the making, its baking, he added. And well get there this year.

Pivovarsky also said that Turkey could serve as a future point on Ukraines much vaunted silk road trade route, by which it ships goods to east and south-east Asia without traversing Russia.

Roadblocks

Pivovarsky said river transport plays an outsized role in exports to Middle Eastern nations due to its relatively low cost and accessibility to Ukraines main ports. But the roads near the ports, the minister said, are horrible due to vehicles being overloaded with agricultural commodities, which kills the roads.

He added that the Infrastructure Ministry had submitted legislation for a dedicated road fund, but that it had stalled in parliament.

They tried to pass it once, and failed, he said.

Surprise! he added sarcastically.

Profit versus investment

Pivovarsky lauded his ministrys accomplishments in deregulating river transportation, getting rid of numerous local corrupt officials who demanded bribes for transit.

As a result of deregulation, we managed to improve efficiency significantly, he said.

But he complained that the grain traders who actually ship commodities from Ukraine to the Middle East are failing to invest in Ukrainian infrastructure enough to keep the momentum of modernization going.

Look guys, I saved you billions of hryvnias last year because you dont need to spend it on corrupt individuals, and you are always just complaining that the quality of the existing rolling stock in Ukrzalyznitsiya is not satisfactory, Pivovarsky said, talking of local exporters and plans to upgrade Ukrainian railways aging railcars and wagons.

The minister added that the country needs to somehow generate cash to buy new railcars in order to improve export efficiency. But, he said, exporters are often unwilling to invest further.

Theyre like, yeah, we understand. But we dont want to lose profits, and yadayadayada. Its an interesting game that youre playing, and were grateful for what you did last year, but we dont care anymore because now its about our profits, Pivovarsky said.

When asked about recent reports in the Ukrainian press that Saudi Arabia intended to invest up to $10 billion in Ukrainian agriculture and export infrastructure, Pivovarsky said that he had heard nothing of the kind.

That would be cool, though, he remarked.

Stick to the law

Pivovarsky went on to say that during his 14-month tenure as minister, he and his team had prepared a number of legislative packages aimed at streamlining export processes in order to allow Ukraine to take advantage of markets in the Near East.

We need to allow privatization of the state-owned stevedoring companies in Ukrainian ports, he said, adding that parliament has not yet allowed the process to go forward.

A separate law that would streamline internal water transport, Pivovarsky said, was submitted to parliament, but has not yet been passed, despite four attempts to do so.

Pretty much all we need to do is adopt a number of laws and stick to them, he said.

No improvements

But, the minister said, the chances of parliament acting are slimmer than ever.

Pivovarsky complained that since reversing his resignation in the aftermath of former Economy Ministers Aivaras Abromavicius quitting in February, parliamentarians have done nothing to improve the situation.

They all remember that I decided to come back, but there was also a list of conditions, he said. They always say, oh he came back. But theres a list of conditions. Have you fulfilled any of them?

He answered his own question: No.

Author: Josh Kovensky

   : http://www.kyivpost.com/article/content/business/pivovarsky-lawmakers-fail-on-steps-to-boost-exports-409736.html?utm_content=buffer519fe&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Angola's long serving president, JosA Eduardo dos Santos, said on Friday he intends to step down in 2018 but gave no reason for his decision. Angola, a member of OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) and Africa's second largest oil exporter after Nigeria, has been hit hard by the slump in global crude prices. Oil export revenues account for more than 90 percent of foreign exchange revenues. "I took the decision to leave active political activity in 2018," Dos Santos,

More details here...
This website contains information about some of the road races in the counties of Kerry, Limerick, Clare, Tipperary and Waterford in Munster, Ireland. For races in Cork, see the Running in Cork website which is the largest athletics website in Munster. That site also contains plenty of national and international news items as well.
(Weapons and Warfare) The Iran-Iraq War was one of the longest and deadliest in recent histories. Iran full of zeal after its revolution...
Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi []
Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes []
is a wonderous "hot dish" of nature, places and people.
Samsung has launched its Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones in South Africa, which will go on sale from 11 March 2016.

The new smartphones are the latest Android flagship devices from Samsung, with the versions going on sale in SA running on its Exynos 8 Octa 8890 processor  which has four 2.3GHz cores and four 1.6GHz cores.

Those who buy a Galaxy S7 before 20 March will also receive a free Samsung Gear VR headset.

The phone is available as a cash deal or on contract from the countrys major networks.

Samsung Galaxy S7 cash prices

Retailer Samsung Galaxy S7 32GB Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge 32GB MTN R13,799 R15,399 Cellucity R13,799 R15,699 Takealot R13,999 R15,999

Samsung Galaxy S7 contract prices

Contract prices from South Africas major operators are listed below. Cell C contracts were not available at the time of writing.

MTN

Contracts Galaxy S7 32GB Galaxy S7 Edge 32GB Data Minutes/Airtime SMS My MTNChoice 100 R599 R649 500MB 100 minutes 200 My MTNChoice 200 R709 R759 500MB 200 minutes 300 My MTNChoice 350 R829 R879 1GB 350 minutes 500 My MTNChoice + S R659 R709 2GB 100 minutes 100 My MTNChoice + M R929 R979 5GB 350/100 minutes 350 My MTNChoice + L R1,179 R1,229 7GB 500/100 minutes 500 MTN AnyTime TopUp 200 R609 R659 0 R210 25 My MTNChoice Flexi R200 R599 R649 0 R200 0

Vodacom

Contracts Galaxy S7 32GB Galaxy S7 Edge 32GB Data Minutes/Airtime SMS Vodacom Smart S R599 R699 200MB 75 200 Vodacom Smart M R709 R809 300MB 120 300 Vodacom Smart L R829 R979 500MB 250 500 Vodacom Smart XL R899 R999 800MB 400 800 Vodacom Red Advantage R1,099 R1,169 1GB 700 Limitless Vodacom Red Premium R1,599 R1,669 2GB 1,200 Limitless Vodacom Red VIP R1,999 R2,069 5GB Limitless Limitless Vodacom uChoose Smart S R619 R719 200MB 75 200 Vodacom uChoose Smart M R739 R839 300MB 120 300 Vodacom uChoose Smart L R879 R979 500MB 250 500 Vodacom uChoose Smart XL R969 R999 800MB 400 800 Vodacom uChoose Flexi 200 R599 R699 0 R200 0 Vodacom uChoose Flexi 350 R739 R839 0 R350 0 Vodacom uChoose Flexi 500 R829 R929 0 R500 0 Vodacom uChoose Flexi 750 R899 R999 0 R750 0 All Vodacom deals include 2GB bonus data per month for 3 months, 6 months free Deezer, and a wireless charger or D-Link Bluetooth speaker.

Telkom

Contracts Galaxy S7 32GB Galaxy S7 Edge 32GB Data Minutes SMS SmartPlan 50 R559 R629 500MB 50 5 for 50 SmartPlan 100 R599 R679 1GB 100 5 for 50 SmartPlan 250 R839 R899 500MB 250 Unlimited Unlimited Lite R1,119 R1,179 1GB on-net 800 Unlimited Completely Unlimited R1,699 R1,799 Unlimited (on-net) Unlimited Unlimited SmartPlans include unlimited Telkom mobile to Telkom mobile calls for 12 months. Unlimited Lite includes unlimited calls to Telkom landline, mobile, and Neotel numbers.

The specifications of the devices are summarised in the table below.

Specifications Samsung Galaxy S7 Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Dimensions 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9mm 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7mm Weight 152g 157g Operating system Android 6.0 Marshmallow Android 6.0 Marshmallow Display 5.1 QHD (1,440 x 2,560) 5.5 QHD (1,440 x 2,560) Rear camera 12MP with f/1.7 lens 12MP with f/1.7 lens Front camera 5MP with f/1.7 lens 5MP with f/1.7 lens Storage, internal 32GB 32GB Storage, expandable miroSD up to 200GB miroSD up to 200GB RAM 4GB 4GB Processor 2.3GHz + 1.6GHz Exynos 8 Octa 8890 2.3GHz + 1.6GHz Exynos 8 Octa 8890 Battery 3,000mAh 3,600mAh Cellular data LTE, HSPA+ LTE, HSPA+ IP Rating IP68 IP68

More on smartphones

Here are the smartphones which South Africas tech CEOs use

LG G5 launch date and prices for South Africa
An organiser of the ill-fated road trip to Masinga has denied reports that the trip served as a curtain raiser for the highly controversial Project X sex party.

One of the buses in the 24 fleet of matatus was involved in an accident which left one dead and two others injured. The accident sparked reports that the youths were on their way to a Project X -like party in Masinga.

The organiser of the trip, Branden Mukwana, and founder of Matatu Galore, an organisation aimed at appreciating the matatu culture, denied the links to Project X saying, This particular road trip had been planned since last year and it was in celebration of our organisations first anniversary.

He told Nairobi News that he was not even aware that there was a planned sex party until after the Masinga trip was linked to it.

The Sunday road trip to Masinga involved 24 matatus of different passenger capacity ferrying over 500 youths to the venue.














I am publishing 3-minute video commentaries to share my knowledge... these are sort of the transcripts of those videos with more helpful information. The transcripts won't match what I say because I look into the camera and speak, so I may sometimes deviate from my intended script, but it's all good :-) Oh, and all views expressed are my own.
Question -- What is the goal of this website? Why do we share different sources of information that sometimes conflicts or might even be considered disinformation?

Answer -- The primary goal of Nesaranews is to help all people become better truth-seekers in a real-time boots-on-the-ground fashion. This is for the purpose of learning to think critically, discovering the truth from withinnot just believing things blindly because it came from an "authority" or credible source. Instead of telling you what the truth is, we share information from many sources so that you can discern it for yourself. We focus on teaching you the tools to become your own authority on the truth, gaining self-mastery, sovereignty, and freedom in the process. We want each of you to become your own leaders and masters of personal discernment, and as such, all information should be vetted, analyzed and discerned at a personal level. We also encourage you to discuss your thoughts in the comments section of this site to engage in a group discernment process.





"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."  Aristotle

11
Deputy PM of Armenia and Head of Sharjah Heritage Institute discuss strengthening of Armenian-Emirati relations

Biden allows participation in U.S. presidential election in 2024

Secretary of Security Council of Armenia and representatives of AIISA discuss security issues

Pashinian's spouse: Yesterday at Elysee Palace I was received by dear Brigitte Macron

At least 15 people killed in bus-truck collision in India

Explosion at Uzbek Defense Ministry depot injures 16 people

Armenian NA Speaker receives Iranian FM: Tehran opposes obstacles on border with friendly Armenia

President Harutyunyan receives group of members of Union of Artsakh Reserve Officers NGO

Newspaper: Armenia restores diplomatic ties with Hungary?

China hit by 5.5 magnitude earthquake

Armenian Defense Ministry denies Azerbaijani report on shelling, calling it disinformation

Blinken: Moscow is not interested in stopping aggression against Ukraine

Japan and U.S. will hold joint military exercises

France withdraws from Energy Charter Treaty

CNN: White House is in talks with Elon Musk to create satellite Internet service Starlink in Iran

Baku outraged by Iran's statements and frightened by IRGC military exercises

Who are main beneficiaries of 'Zangezur' corridor?: Another anonymous article by 'Haykakan Zhamanak' newspaper

Ankara decides to stand up for Riyadh amid deteriorating relations between Saudi Arabia and U.S.

French Foreign Minister considers it vital to keep lines of communication with Russia open

Pentagon refuses to give details of conversation between Austin and Shoigu

Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin: Head of Caucasus Muslims Department again made slanderous and false statements

Erdogan denies using chemical weapons against Kurds and threatens those who dare to talk about it

Saudi Arabia and China will strengthen their ties in energy sector

Governor of Gegharkunik province receives representatives of OSCE fact-finding mission

Penny Mordaunt runs for Prime Minister of Great Britain

Sweden expects ratification of NATO membership application by Hungary and Turkey to be completed soon

European Union will allocate 1.5 billion euros per month to Kiev in 2023

An Israeli-built flight school opened in Greece

Russian Railways is negotiating with Azerbaijan and Iran to launch the Rasht-Astara route

Overchuk: Construction of road through Meghri, whose sovereignty is not in question, depends on Armenia's position

Armenian Defense Minister's working visit to India is over

Hungary will not agree to limit prices for imported gas

Iranian Foreign Minister: Iran considers Armenia one of most important transit countries

Naribekyan participates in meeting of secretaries general of PACE parliaments

Delegation from United Arab Emirates visits Armenia at invitation of head of MONKS: Two agreements signed

Dollar, euro drop in Armenia

Iran consul general in Armenias Kapan: We do not accept any change of borders

Baza: Mobile military registration and enlistment offices will be removed on Russian-Georgian border

Iranian Consul: Countries of region do not need presence of foreign armed forces

Armenia FM: Iran consulate general in Kapan will be important for regional security

Iranian Consul General advises Kapan residents not to worry anymore: Iran is here for Armenian people

FM reaffirms Armenia plan to open consulate general in Irans Tabriz

Turkey to open consulate in occupied Armenian Shushi city of Artsakh

Turkish Ministry of Finance: Ankara can buy Russian oil without Western funding

Armenia Security Council chief briefs European Parliament rapporteur on recent Azerbaijan military aggression

British bookmakers name favorite for post of prime minister

Erdogan: Armenia-Azerbaijan relations progress will contribute to Armenia-Turkey relations normalization

Iranian Consulate General opens in Kapan

Erdogan: Turkey is looking for alternative to American F-16 fighters

Iran consul general: We are here for Armenian people

Turkey FM slams OSCE decision to send needs assessment mission to Armenia

Peskov reacts to Erdogan's words about Putin's softening on Ukraine negotiations

European Parliament rapporteur on Armenia visits Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan

European Parliament rapporteur on Armenia to legislature speaker: Attack was from Azerbaijan, naturally

Armenia President to EEU PMs: We will manage to take another confident step by respecting mutual interests

EUSR Toivo Klaars exclusive interview with NEWS.am on EU Monitoring mission,Nagorno Karabakh future and violence videos

Explosions rock Ukraines Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia

President meets with newly formed Artsakh Public Council members

Armenia PM: We need understanding in price horizon, at least in medium term

Lawyer: 20 of fallen solders parents detained from Yerevan military pantheon are recognized as injured party

PM: Armenia trade with other EEU countries increased by 74%

France region to provide 300,000 to Armenias Syunik Province affected by Azerbaijan military aggression

Eurasian Intergovernmental Council extended meeting underway in Yerevan

MOD: Armenia did not fire at Azerbaijan positions, vehicle

MPs in Strasbourg, present threatening dangers: Armenia has powerful support in European Parliament

Years first snow falls in Armenias Shirak Province

World oil prices on the rise

Newspaper: Russia dismisses Armenia PM's news on Karabakh

Russia PM in Yerevan, to discuss with EEU colleagues single oil, natural gas markets formation

Newspaper: Why is Iran in hurry to open consulate in Armenias Syunik Province?

France, Spain, Portugal agree to build Barcelona-Marseille natural gas pipeline

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
YEREVAN. - The main obstacle for the mentally challenged people in Armenia continues to remain the societys negative treatment.

President of We CanNGO, Armine Sahakyan, told the aforementioned to Armenian News  NEWS.am correspondent.

It is mainly the treatment of the citizens that brings about other obstacles. It is because of this treatment that parents avoid taking their children to public venues, this resulting in their isolation from the society, Sahakyan said.

According to her, the NGOs dealing with the rights of mentally challenged citizens are having meetings with pupils in Armenian schools, talk with them and try to break the stereotypes regarding the mentally challenged.

We talk to pupils, show them the handicraft of the mentally challenged, but still this isnt an issue to be solved in a day. The work must start from kindergartens, and then the circle include schools and universities unless the desired day comes when the mentally challenged people are accepted as fully-fledged persons of the society and are even able to have a job. she said.

Sahakyan also noted that Yerevan is one of the cities, which is not very much adjusted to persons with disabilities, the visually impaired as well as those with hearing problems.
Women of Excellence Awards Thursday, March 17, 6:30 p.m. Miller-Ward Alumni House Free and open to everyone. Please RSVP.

From teachers to theater performers, the winners of this year's Women of Excellence Awards have something in common: extraordinary dedication to issues that affect women at Emory or in the larger community.

"These individuals have served as mentors, thought leaders and educators. They have gone above and beyond to make a difference in the work that they do," says Tiffany Del Valle, program coordinator of the Center for Women at Emory.

The Women of Excellence Awards are sponsored by the Center for Women at Emory and the Emory Alumni Association. They will be presented on Thursday, March 17, at 6:30 p.m. at the Miller-Ward Alumni House.

The award ceremony, formally known as the Unsung Heroines Awards, has expanded to honor individuals from all corners of the University in several new categories including Program of the Year, Public and Digital Scholarship, Mentorship, Excellence in Pedagogy, Leadership, Outstanding Alumna, and of course, Unsung Heroine.

In addition to the award winners, graduating women of excellence will be honored in a private pinning ceremony that evening, including undergraduate and graduate women.

We will also have a performance from the all-women a capella group, The Gathering, as well as a Year in Review presentation video," Del Valle says.

This event is free and open to everyone. Please RSVP. For more information, contact Tiffany Del Valle. You can also learn about past Unsung Heroines honorees.

2016 Women of Excellence Award Honorees

Mentorship Award

Kathryn Yount, Asa Griggs Candler Chair of Global Health

As a professor of sociology and global health, during her time at Emory, Kathyrn Yount has advised seven postdoctoral fellows. Her mentorship has encouraged students at all levels to pursue their passions in issues related to gender-based violence, maternal and child health, gender and the family, and qualitative and quantitative research methods.

She formed GROW! (Global Research on Women) in order to connect students, faculty and staff working on these issues and to publicly recognize the publications and accomplishments of GROW members. In this way, Yount has not only provided mentorship to her students, but has also created a supportive scholarly community.

Excellence in Teaching and Pedagogy Award

Amy Elkins 16G, PhD student, English

According to her many nomination letters, Amy Elkins has a reputation for being an excellent classroom teacher and a campus leader in humanistic education. Elkins successfully applied for a Center for Creativity and the Arts grant to fund tickets for her students to attend Atlantas High Museum of Art's recent Cezanne exhibit.

Moreover, she then combined this initiative with her successful grant from the Center for Faculty Development and Excellence for art supplies allowing her to supplement the class readings with craft workshops. This extra effort gave students hands-on experience with painting, sculpture and photography. She exemplifies excellence and passion through her teaching and is a role model to many.

Outstanding Leadership Award

Lynell Cadray, associate vice provost for equity and inclusion

Lynell Cadray has committed her entire career to advancing the causes of women. While working as dean of admission at the Emory Law School from (1994-2009), she mentored many women who had an interest in law school and becoming lawyers. She spent numerous hours working to develop programming specifically with the national Law School Admission Council to provide opportunities for underrepresented students and women to join a profession that was difficult to enter.

After leaving the Law School, Cadray began to work in the School of Nursing. There, she developed student leadership programming and developed academic assistance programs, writing programs and career based programs so that students would have the opportunity to develop skills beyond their academic and clinical training. She served as an advocate for underrepresented women pursuing degrees in nursing. She has impacted many people through her service at Emory and currently mentors at least nine students.

Unsung Heroine Award

Dabney Evans, director of the Center for Humanitarian Emergencies in the Rollins School of Public Health

An assistant professor of global health, Evans effectively led a team (GHI Brazil 2016 Team) to research intimate partner violence and health care provider interventions, and guiding them in grant-writing, scale-building, and project planning.

As the director of both the Institute of Human Rights and the Center for Humanitarian Emergencies, she contributes towards the continued global presence of Emory in key arenas of public health that affect women.

Program of the Year Award

"for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf," Troizel Carr and cast



From its inception more than 40 years ago, the Obie Awardwinning "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf" has excited, inspired and transformed audiences all over the country.

Directed Troizel Carr, an Emory College senior at the time and now a staff member, this adaptation was brought to life by a remarkable cast and crew, including Samantha Scott, Chelsea Jackson, Shala James, Zana Pouncey, Jasmine Walker, Dalyla McGee, Krystyna Jordan and Annelise Bonvillian. This cast did an excellent job of delivering their lines but also pulled the audience into their pain and their joy.

Award for Public and/or Digital Scholarship

Carol Anderson, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of African American Studies

Carol Anderson is chair of African American Studies and History and is a leading thinker of race in America. She served as one of the Center for Women Public Voices Fellows through the OpEd project and has been one of the most successful participants, including national media appearances.

On the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education she published an article interrogating the current race and class disparities in the education system. When 17-year-old Jordan Davis was killed under Floridas Stand Your Ground law, Anderson wrote a piece arguing that the assumption of white innocence has an immense toll on public safety. When instances of racial injustice occurred at the University of Missouri, Anderson penned a poignant piece historicizing the history of racial injustices at the institution. She epitomizes what it means to be a women of excellence in public scholarship.

Award for Outstanding Alumna

Barbara Bruner 56M

Barbara Bruner is a retired physician with a specialty in pediatrics. She served as director of the Pediatric Emergency Clinic and assistant chief of service in pediatrics at Grady Memorial Hospital. As a faculty member of Emory's School of Medicine,

Bruner was an inspiration and mentor to her students. A trailblazer from the start, she was the only female student in gross anatomy class at Emory. Despite initial judgment by her male classmates, she pursued her Emory medical degree, and says, I made the right choice.

As an alumna, Bruner has been devoted in her service to her alma mater. She served as president of the School of Medicine Alumni Board, as well as a member of the Emory Alumni Board, and remains active with Emory as a member of the Alumni Presidents Club and an emerita member of the Health Sciences faculty.
SRIHARIKOTA: India on Thursday successfully put into orbit its sixth navigation satellite called IRNSS-1F with its own rocket in a copy book style.

With this success, India moved closer towards joining a select group of nations possessing its own satellite-based navigation system.

Named as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), the system consists of a constellation of seven satellites, of which the sixth was put into orbit on Thursday.

Immediately after the 1,425-kg IRNSS-1F satellite was injected into space by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C32) rocket, scientists at the mission control centre clapped their hands in joy.

"The sixth navigation satellite has been put into orbit successfully. The seventh navigation satellite is expected to be launched some time next month," A.S. Kiran Kumar, ISRO chairman said soon after.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will raise the satellite to its home slot over the next couple of days.

The satellite, with a design life span of 12 years, has two payloads for navigation and ranging.

The navigation payload of IRNSS-1F will transmit navigation service signals to the users. This payload will be operating in L5-band and S-band. A highly accurate rubidium atomic clock is part of the navigation payload of the satellite.

The ranging payload of IRNSS-1F consists of a C-band transponder (automatic receivers and transmitters of radio signals) which facilitates accurate determination of the range of the satellite.

IRNSS-1F also carries Corner Cube Retro Reflectors for laser ranging.

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Taxi aggregator Ola announced appointment of former Vice President at Goldman Sachs, Sunil Shirguppi to handle new initiatives as Ola's Vice President-Engineering. His initiatives will primarily include working towards enhancing capabilities in data science and machine learning. "Sunil's experience in data sciences at Goldman Sachs and LinkedIn makes him a valuable addition to Ola. As an organization, we churn tons of valuable data every single day and this can be continuously used to build a superior experience for both drivers and consumers. Sunil's experience and expertise will help us scale Engineering capabilities at Ola to enable mobility for a billion Indians," said Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder Ola, Ankit Bhati. Sunil Shirguppi, Vice President-Engineering, Ola said: "Transportation has become a major part of our lives and Ola has made the experience seamless for both consumers and drivers in India like never before." "Data plays an important role in optimizing different aspects of a fast growing network like Ola's and I am excited to be a part of this new journey with a company that has redefined mobility in the country within a short span of time," added Sunil. In this role, Sunil will be working closely with Ankit Bhati in the areas that will impact the business significantly, including consumer analytics, behavioral analytics and other data platform capabilities. With over 15 years of experience in data sciences across global majors like Goldman Sachs, LinkedIn and Electronic Arts, Sunil is extremely passionate about building data science teams and implementing learning models into real time production environments. (ANI)
Amid continuing controversy over the holding of the World Culture Festival here, the volunteers, workers and performers on Thursday expressed both hope and uncertainty as they slogged to make the three-day event a success. Their mixed feelings were reflected well in the haze of brown dust -- evidently a result of the feverish construction work going on -- hanging over the venue along the Yamuna river bank on an otherwise bright day. A large number of Art of Living Foundation workers and security personnel were on the job struggling to put up a good show for the three-day extravaganza that begins on Friday. However, uncertainty over the fate of the show itself prevailed after Art of Living head Sri Sri Ravi Shankar refused to cough up the fine of Rs.five crore imposed on it by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). "We are not sure now what will happen," remarked one teacher from a singing and music school in southern Delhi, requesting anonymity as he faced the delicate task of explaining the exact status of the event to young performers and their parents. Organisers at the spot looked serious as teams of Delhi's fire brigade service visited the spot more than once. Fire brigade officials had earlier expressed the fear of electrical short circuit. "We will clear all necessary formalities and paper works. It will be a grand show and Delhiites will remember it for years," said Jeevan Thakur, a volunteer. Army personnel admitted, on condition of anonymity, that their being on the spot and helping organise the show, billed by opposition parties as "a private" affair, has run into controversy. "We are duty bound and doing our job. Do not drag us into politics and media debate," was the refrain. No seemed willing to say whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the grand inaugural show on Friday. Following allegations that the event will damage the Yamuna flood plain and complaints made to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), President Pranab Mukherjee decided not to attend the function. The long list of eminent people invited to attend the event includes Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, organisers said. The NGT fined Art of Living Rs.five crore for flouting various environmental regulations. The fine has to be paid latest by Friday. Police personnel looked busy as security perception was being gauged every hour. "Providing security is our job. We will provide security cover to all VIPs, participants and those who gather here. But Yamuna today demands awesome security arrangement," said one police official. Hundreds of workers were still on the job as they kept their fingers crossed waiting impatiently about the "final word" that the show is on. "We have faith in Guruji (Sri Sri Ravi Shankar). His intent is sacred and the show will be on," said a woman volunteer. A worker Magan Lal sat cross-legged as he greeted news persons. "Who told you the show would not take place? We have worked so hard". (Nirendra Dev can be contacted at nirendra.n@ians.in) --Indo-Asian News Service nd/kb/dg ( 518 Words) 2016-03-10-22:45:32 (IANS)
Asserting that the World Culture Festival by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living will bring glory to India, Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu said on Friday that the event must not be politicised as it celebrates diversity. "World Culture Festival by Art of Living will bring glory to India. let's not politicise this. 36000 artists participating in one event is in itself a record. Its a cultural event 2 celebrate diversity. Let's celebrate & join d festival," Naidu said in a series of tweets. Reiterating the government's stand on the involvement of the Indian Army in the construction for the event, he added that an 'unnecessary fuss' was being created about the Army building pontoon bridges for the mega festival. "Unnecessary fuss abt army building pontoon bridge. In earlier regimes, several instances like Kumbh Mela,Sankranti in Nashik, Army did the same," Naidu added. Earlier, Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad downplayed the Opposition's criticism over deployment of army for Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's event and said this was not for the first time that the Indian soldiers were deployed in a cultural event. "Allegations have been levelled that the Home Ministry is giving special assistance in organising Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's World Cultural event, but I would like to say this is not the first time Army is being deployed in a cultural event," Prasad told ANI. Meanwhile, the National Green Tribunal has warned the Art of Living (AOL) foundation that it has time till today to deposit a fine of Rs. five crore, failing which the law will take its own course. However, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be attending the three-day 'World Culture Festival' being organised by the Art of Living Foundation beginning today. Talking to ANI, he said that Prime Minister Modi would be attending the event and added that he has received a letter from President Pranab Mukherjee wishing good luck. (ANI)
Exiled leaders from Sindh, Balochistan, Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit-Baltistan staged a protest against Pakistan for its oppressive policies and human rights violations at the United Nations headquarters here. "In Pakistan, the oppressed nations - Sindhis, Baloch, and Pashtuns, people from Gilgit, Baltistan and from Pakistan occupied Kashmir - are facing one of the worst human rights atrocities," Lakhu Luhana, Chairman of World Sindhi Congress told ANI. "The purpose of this protest is to make UN and the international community aware of these human rights violations, and to request them to save us from these atrocities," he added. The protesters also submitted a petition in the United Nations office in Geneva demanding an end of atrocities by Pakistan. Meanwhile, exiled Baloch leader Mahran Marri said it the responsibility of the United Nations to take note of the human rights violations being faced by people in Punjabi dominated Pakistan. "We are standing united and appeal to the UN to take a note of the human rights violations in Pakistan," Marri told ANI. Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri, Secretary General of United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) said there are common issues and they would like to strengthen and send message to Pakistan government to change their attitude and respect the human rights of people. The activists from PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan also joined the protest and opposed the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) calling the multi-million dollar project as a design by Pakistan and China to exploit their resources. "The people of Gilgit have no placement in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) committee. The locals have no hope of getting any revenue with this project. We also don't have any expectations of establishment of an economic zone in the area," Senge Hasnan Sering, Director of Gilgit Baltistan National Congress told ANI. "The CPEC lane from Gilgit-Baltistan is only a strategic lane as similar to Karakoram highway, so it will not provide any economic benefit to the local people", Senge added. (ANI)
A day after the issue of his leaving India rocked the Parliament, the high profile businessman Vijay Mallya today clarified in a series of tweets that he has not left the country and would fully comply with the law of the land as he has faith on judiciary. Mr Mallya pointed out that as an International businessman he has to travel to and fro from India and slammed a TV channel for constantly projecting him as an absconder. "I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish," he tweeted. In another tweet the liquor baron said, " Let media bosses not forget help, favours, accommodation that I have provided over several years which are documented. Now lies to gain TRP ?". Responding to the cry for disclosure of his assets he said that it was all in public domain."News reports that I must declare my assets. Does that mean that Banks did not know my assets or look at my Parliamentary disclosures ?," Mr Mallya tweeted. "The editor of Times Now needs to be in prison clothes and eat prison food for libel, deceit, slander and absolutely sensational lies" he said.UNI DS NAZ0755 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0139-631398.Xml
Hardline Hurriyat Conference (HC) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani is recovering and has been shifted to general ward from Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in a hospital at Delhi. Hurriyat spokersperson Aiyaz Akbar in a statement from New Delhi said Mr Geelani is recovering and is feeling better now.He said the doctors of the Max Hospital had shifted him from the ICU to the general ward. The spokesperson said that Mr Geelani after good sleep during the night had his breakfast in the hospital. The 87-year-old separatist leader was admitted to hospital yesterday morning after he complained of chest pain. A team of three senior Hurriyat leaders also rushed from Srinagar to Delhi to remain with the ailing leader.Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah besides all separatist leaders, including chairman of moderate HC Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Mohammad Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmad Shah and Nayeem Ahmad Khan, have prayed for early recovery of Mr Geelani.Special prayers were held in different mosques and religious places in the Kashmir valley for Mr Geelani.UNI BAS SV VN1138 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-631471.Xml
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat would be here for two days this month after the crucial Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha. The visit of Mr Bhagwat seems crucial as he will visit the state capital after the end of the three days Pratinidhi Sabha meeting at Nagaur in Rajasthan from March 11. Organisation sources said here today that during his stay in the state capital on March 28-29, the RSS chief will inaugurate the new office of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh at Charbagh besides attending functions of Madhav Seveashram and Rashtradharam. The office of the Bharatiya Kishan Sangh would be named after late Rajju Bhaiyya. However, during his stay Mr Bhagwat is all set to meet the party functionaries and seek details of the programmes and other activities of the organisation in the state relating to next year's Assemby elections. He could also have a close door meeting on the coming polls in the state and about the proposed Ram Temple at Ayodhya.UNI MB ADG VN1212 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0138-631674.Xml
:The Jawharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) felicitated Padmashree K. Mathangi Ramakrishnan for her outstanding contribution and services for burn patients.A Jipmer release said here today, Dr Mathangi was felicitated in a programme 'JIPMER Sushruta Oration in Plastic Surgery' organised by Department of Plastic Surgery. It may be noted that Dr Karimpat Mathangi Ramakrishnan is an Indian pediatric plastic surgeon and a former head of the department of Burns, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Kilpauk Medical College, Chennai. Dr Mathangi is credited with several medical papers published in peer reviewed medical journals. She is a recipient of 'Sushruta; Gold Medal from Sushruta Society of India, Hari Om Ashram award from the Association of Surgeons of India and Lifetime Achievement award from the National Academy of Burns India. She was honoured Padma Shri by the Central Government in 2002. Tamil Nadu Government recently honoured Dr Mathangi Ramakrishnan with the Avvaiyar Award for the year 2014. Speaking on the occasion, Head of the Department of Plastic Surgery, Ravi kumar Chittoria, informed that JIPMER Sushruta Oration in Plastic Surgery was being organised every year for the last four years. Dean Academics, S.Mahadevan and Dean Research,Vishnu Bhatt, were among those present on the occasion. The JIPMER Director, S.C. Parija said that following Memorandum of Understanding signed between JIPMER and Mother Teresa College of Nursing, Pondicherry, last month, a large number of nursing students had participated in the Oration, as part of their training in JIPMER.UNI PAB KVV RSS 1305 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0414-631612.Xml
Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, accused-turned-approver in 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case, will be cross-examined before a special court here on March 22 for four days, Special Public Prosecutor Ujawal Nikam said. Headley will depose before a court through video-conferencing from an undisclosed location in the US. He will be cross-examined by lawyer of 26/11 plotter Abu Jundal. Headley was examined by the prosecution for almost one-week last month. Thereafter, defence advocate had urged the Maharashtra Control for organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court Judge G A Sanap that they also want to cross-examine Headley. The court had directed prosecution to talk to the US federal agency and make arrangement for cross-examination of Headley. UNI ST NV SV VN1330 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0171-631552.Xml
: The Puducherry Agriculturists Association, affiliated to the Communist Party of India has urged the administration to convert the Agricultural Labourers Welfare Association(ALWA) into a Welfare Board. A resolution to this effect was adopted at the 13th annual conference of ALWA held at Bahour near here yesterday. Resolutions urging the Centre to enhance the allocation in the Union Budget for the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme(NREGS), employment for 200 days in a year and hike in wages, provision of essential items like slippers, bed-sheets and mosquito-nets to the farm labourers, allocation of more funds to the welfare association and protection of agricultural lands, among those, were adopted at the conference. The CPI state-secretary R Viswanathan presided over the conference, inaugurated by Tamil Nadu state general-secretary Periyasamy. Representatives elected at different village and constituency-wise meetings attended the conference. The conference also elected a 43-member general-council and 15-member administrative-council. New office-bearers for the association was also elected at the conference.UNI PAB KVV RSS 1445 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0414-631744.Xml
Ruling alliance partner Shiv Sena today hit out at the Narendra Modi government over the apparent flight of fallen liquor baron Vijay Mallya from the country. An editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamna' said 'Vijay Mallya who owes Rs 9000 crore during the regime of UPA government and in NDA government rule fled from India.' It is surprising that government was not aware about his fleeing to the country. The edit said "Industrialist who woes Rs 9000 crore from several Nationalist banks, without repaying the loan to the banks fled from the country, it came into light when government pleader informed the Supreme Court that Mallya fled the country on March two.". "The question raised by the Supreme Court is how banks have given this much amount of loan to him, when a company was not repaying instalment of earlier loans. Now the government has to give reply to this question," it added. "Rich people leaves the country, when they are unable to repay the loan, while, poor commit suicide," it observed. "In Maharashtra, farmers commit suicide because they can not repay the loan. When a farmer wants loan from bank he has to mortgage house, farms. If they fail to repay loan, bank seizes their property. How, huge amount of loan was sanctioned to Mallya without any counter guarantee," the edit asked. UNI ST NV ADG VN1432/1450 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0094-631813.Xml
Ruling alliance partner Shiv Sena today hit out at the Narendra Modi government over the flew of fallen liquor baron Vijay Mallya from the country. An editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamna' said 'Vijay Mallya who owes Rs 9000 crore during the regime of UPA government and in NDA government rule fled from India.' It is surprising that government was not aware about his fleeing to the country. The edit said "Industrialist who woes Rs 9000 crore from several Nationalist banks, without repaying the loan to the banks fled from the country, it came into light when government pleader informed the Supreme Court that Mallya fled the country on March two.". "The question raised by the Supreme Court is how banks have given this much amount of loan to him, when a company was not repaying instalment of earlier loans. Now the government has to give reply to this question," it added. "Rich people leaves the country, when they are unable to repay the loan, while, poor commit suicide," it observed. "In Maharashtra, farmers commit suicide because they can not repay the loan. When a farmer wants loan from bank he has to mortgage house, farms. If they fail to repay loan, bank seizes their property. How, huge amount of loan was sanctioned to Mallya without any counter gurantee," the edit asked. UNI ST NV ADG VN1432 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0171-631548.Xml
Police here said that the incident occurred at Kharagpur village last night when Ajay Yadav(16) was attending the marriage in his neighbourhood. During the celebration, a bullet accidentally hit his chest resulting in his on the spot death.

Tension prevailed in the area and the family members of the deceased alleged that Ajay was murdered by their neighbour.

Police have registered an FIR and investigation was underway.UNI XC- MB SV VN1518

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Ambassador of Kingdom of Belgium in India Jan Luykx today asserted that his country has been exploring the possibility of investment in fruit processing sector of Tripura targeting neighboring markets. Talking to mediapersons after meeting Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Luykx said Tripura is his third state of northeast after visiting Meghalaya and Assam where they have been exploring investment opportunities. "During interaction, the Chief Minister explained to us the potential of investment in bamboo, rubber and fruit processing. We are also interested to explore the possibility in fruit processing," Luykx stated. He arrived here yesterday on a two-day visit accompanied by the counselor of economic affairs Antoine Delcourt, trade counselor for Flanders investment and trade Alexis Bossuyt and trade counselor for the Wallonia export and investment agency Christophe Van Overstraeten. Appreciating the 'Act East Policy' of the Narendra Modi led government, he pointed out that the Indian government's initiative to bring investment in the region and open up northeast for the east is definitely encouraging. "We also heard about opportunity in food processing sector and the visit is to get more details," he said, adding that Belgium already deals with India in Chemical and other sectors but if investment comes in northeast from Belgium the relation between two countries will be strengthened further. Mr Minister Sarkar highlighted that Tripura possesses ideally suited agro-climatic conditions for production of a large range of horticultural crops in the region but investment in the sector is still waiting. "The Queen and Kew varieties of pineapple, jampui oranges, lichis and cashew are some of the products of Tripura that are popular in the rest of the country because these are mostly organic in nature," Sarkar stated.Food processing has been identified as a major thrust area in Tripura by the state government and has been provided with state incentive package. A modern food processing Technology Park is being set up near Agartala, to give a boost to this sector and also, an agri-export zone for pineapple has been developed. The setting up of food processing units holds a vast potential in Tripura, he added. UNI BB PL SV RK1510 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0211-631595.Xml
India's Mahesh Mangaonkar entered the quarter finals of Sekisui squash Open, a PSA world tour event being held at Kriens in Switzerland. The fifth seeded Indian, put up a far improved show and ousted Spaniard Bernat Jaume 11-4, 11-7, 11-6. He is now ready to take on second seed Raphael Kandra of Germany in the last eight stage. Meanwhile, in the Women's squash week event, another PSA world tour fixture in Calgary, Canada, India's Sachika Ingale, coming into the main draw as a qualifier, won her first round match against Melina Turk of Canada. The Indian Squash Academy ward won 11-2, 11-8, 11-2 to make it to the quarterfinals in this 16-player draw.UNI VV ADB1643 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0414-632003.Xml
Colonel N N Joshi said vigilant Army troops during a routine road opening procedure, detected a suspicious object on roadside of the Srinagar-Baramulla National Highway 2 km from the Lasjan Bridge in the morning hours.

The area was cordoned off immediately on either side of the road and traffic stopped to avoid threat to the civilian lives.

The IED, planted in a pressure cooker, was recovered and destroyed in situ by the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) of the Army and Traffic was soon restored. The quantity of explosives used on such a busy stretch of an important road could have resulted in serious damage, he said. A major tragedy has thus been averted by thwarting the nefarious designs of militants who intended to spread terror by threatening lives of innocent people, the Colonel added. UNI BAS SB VN1652

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Next week, the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh will celebrate in a big way completion of its fourth year in the governance in the state with development as the key agenda. The government would hold a two-day Samajwadi Vikas Diwas programme from March 15, the day when Mr Akhilesh Yadav took reign of the state in 2012. The state information department has chalked out several programmes while the party has decided to hold programmes at the block and tehsil level to aware the people about the 'achievements' of the governments. Samajwadi Party spokesperson and UP minister Rajendra Choudhury said here today that the Samajwadi Vikas Diwas programme would be organised at the block level and would see participation of government officials, public representatives, people from different sections of the society and the common citizen. "The two-day programme also envisages to make the public aware about the various welfare schemes of the state government, so that more and more people stand to gain something tangible from these," he said. Mr Choudhury said,based on the principle of knowledge is power, the government aims to empower the people of the state giving them information about various welfare schemes pertaining to health, education, traffic, drinking water and power. "By providing holistic information about the infrastructure of different sectors, the state government plans to enhance the knowledge power of the citizens, so that more people could benefit from these schemes," he added. Pamplets and brochures would be circulated among the people in the far flung areas during the two days programme, officials said. The brochures will project 25 schemes of the state government starting with free irrigation for farmers and other sops for the rural populace. Besides it will contain Samajwadi Pension, Samajwadi Shravan Yatra, the Lucknow Metro, Lucknow-Agra expresssway to end with the tourism policy.UNI MB ADG VP1615 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-631699.Xml
The Lok Sabha passed the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill,2016. During the debate several members urged that the bill be sent to a parliament standing committee for detailed legislative scrutiny. While discussing the bill, members raised their concerns about allowing private agencies to use Aadhaar as a proof of identity for any purpose. This provision will enable private entities such as, airline, telecom, insurance, real estate etc. companies, to require Aadhaar as a proof of identity for availing their services. Members also pointed out that the penalty for unauthorized access to the central data base and tampering with such data stored in it has been brought down from Rs. one crore (as in the 2010 Bill) to Rs. ten lakh. You can find a comparison of the 2010 Aadhaar Bill and the 2016 Aadhaar Bill here. As per the Bill, information collected under Aadhaar may be disclosed in the interest of national security, or on the orders of a court. Members during the debate questioned the definition of 'national security' that the bill does not include. Members also questioned the UID authority's exclusive power to make complaints and raised their concerns about a possible conflict of interest that may arise. Under the Bill, the UID authority is responsible for the security and confidentiality of identity information and authentication records. There may be situations in which members or employees of the UID authority are responsible for a security breach. The bill was introduced as a money bill. Once a money bill is passed by the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha or Upper House can only discuss it and not make amendments. It also has to discuss the bill immediately as a money bill, if not discussed within 14 days of being tabled in the Rajya Sabha, it is "deemed passed". "Focus is primarily on the usage of money belonging to Consolidated Fund of India belonging to either the Centre or states," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said as Opposition demanded that the bill should be sent to a standing committee. Jaitley explained why the government has sought to present the Bill as a Money Bill, saying it differs from the one brought by the Congress-led UPA as "the prinicipal purpose is spending the money" for beneficiaries and not as a mere identification document. He said 97 per cent adults in the country were now covered by Aadhaar and promised that the government would not allow its misuse. Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 seeks to to provide for, as a good governance, efficient, transparent, and targeted delivery of subsidies, benefits and services, the expenditure for which is incurred from the Consolidated Fund of India, to individuals residing in India through assigning of unique identity numbers to such individuals. The government has introduced the bill as a money bill, which by definition contain provisions for imposition and abolition of taxes, for appropriation of moneys out of the Consolidated Fund. Such bills can only be introduced in Lok Sabha, and since the government lacks majority in Rajya Sabha, and hence this move by the government is widely seen as circumventing the Opposition. Aadhar has been often criticised by people for its privacy issues, and the NDA government has taken precautions in the bill to avoid the breach. The bill states that information stored in the Central Identities Data Repository will be secured and protected against access, use or disclosure. (ANI)
The principal opposition Congress staged a walk-out today in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly vis--vis a daylong strike by lakhs of employees under the banner of the Adhikari-Karmchari Sanyukt Morcha.Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Deputy Leader of the Opposition Bala Bachchan said, "The government is anti-employee. A lathi-charge was perpetrated on guest teachers and approximately a thousand employees are preparing to tender their resignations." In the wake of Mr Bachchan seeking a reply from the Treasury bench, Mr Jitu Patwari and several other sloganeering opposition members staged the walkout. Mr Kunwarji Kothar (ruling BJP) said that he was falsely implicated recently, by Congress members, in kidnapping of a child. He demanded a censure motion. At that juncture, Mr Girish Bhandari (Congress) and many other opposition members rose and began generating pandemonium. Tempers cooled following intervention by Speaker Sitasaran Sharma and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narottam Mishra.UNI GV-AC SB GC1802 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-632040.Xml
An Indian Army helicopter crash landed in the fields of Maili village of the district this morning. Two Army officers--Major Guriqbal Singh and Lt Col BS Chohan of Jalandhar-- were injured in the incident which occurred at 1145 hrs.According to police, the helicopter took off at 1100 hrs from Jalandhar to make surveillance of the area. A technical snag compelled the pilot to crash land. Four officers-- Commandant Aditya Verma, Deputy Commandant Ajit Singh, Major Guriqbal Singh and Lt Col BS Chohan-- were on board at the time of the mishap.On receiving information, Army choppers from Jalandhar rushed to the spot and carried the officers back.UNI XC NC SB GC1702 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0094-632155.Xml
As the articles of Gumnami Baba alias Bhagwanji are being opened at the district treasury here during the past couple of days, the baba's link with Subhash Chandra Bose is apparently getting boosted. Yesterday, speculation gained momentum that the Baba could be Netaji when inland letters and telegrams written by and received from Dr Pabitra Mohan Roy, a senior official of Bose's Indian National Army's intelligence wing, surfaced among the belongings of the Baba. In all, 197 items probed by Justice Mukherjee Commission were viewed yesterday while opening the two sealed boxes. Cross-checking and matching of items and inventories are underway for the past couple of days. Till now as many as 1,721 items from 24 boxes, excluding the items of two boxes opened yesterday, had been placed in the inventory made by the administrative committee, to be later handed over to the technical committee for chemical treatment, preservation and display. District magistrate Yogeshwar Ram Mishra, who is also monitoring the process, said here today that, the process of listing items will be completed over the next two days. He said that all the items would be kept at the Ram Katha museum. Sources here said that at least 50 inland letters, along with receipts of money orders and telegrams were seen yesterday along with 14 maps between 1949 to 1972. A hand-made map of Bangladesh mentioning Padma river and some other rivers was also found. A telegram dated March 31, 1985 sent by Dr P M Roy, reads, "Accept our pranaam on the day of Basanti Durga Puja." Another important find was a letter sent to the Prime Minister's office ,dated August 19, 1977, requesting to re-examine evidence submitted to the Khosla Commission and Shahnawaz Commission vis-a-vis the Taihoku plane crash. The letter was signed by Dr RC Mazumdar, the then vice-chancellor of Kolkata university, S K Mukherjee, Ashok Kumar Sarkar (chief editor of Anand Bazar Patrika), N D Majumdar, Praful Chandra Sen (ex-INA secretary) and ex-advocate general Anil Kumar Dutta. The list of inventory also mentions an overcoat. Besides a copy of the book Himalayan Blunder was also spotted. It had several portions of its text underlined and notings made on almost every second page. Some notings were termed as 'Imp' (important), while other as 'M Imp' (most important).More UNI MB RP1710 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-631546.Xml
The Prime Minister is scheduled to attend the concluding function of the centenary celebration of Patna High Court and dedicate the Digha-Sonepur rail-cum-bridge to the nation besides opening the new rail bridge in Munger .

Elaborate security arrangements have been made for his visit to Patna and Vaishali districts in the wake of a high security alert following intrusion of terrorists in Gujarat recently.

Police personnel conducted a rehearsal between Patna Airport and Patna High Court during the day ahead of the PM`s visit. Personnel of Special Protection Group(SPG) have taken over security arrangement of Mr Modi. MORE UNI DH-IS KK SB VN1747

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"The detention order issued against Vijay Mallya by CBI was an error by a lower level officer," said CBI.

The investigation agency also informed that Mallya had joined questioning on December 9, 2015 and 10 in New Delhi and on December 12 in Mumbai.

The agency was accused of changing the nature of lookout notice against Mallya within one month of issuance from seeking his detention while leaving the country to that merely providing information about his travel plans.

Mallya today rubbished claims that he had absconded from the country.

In a series of tweets, the liquor baron said he is an international businessman, who travels from India frequently, and added that he is not an absconder.

Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, yesterday accused the NDA Government of helping Mallya escape India.

The Supreme Court had on Wednesday brushed aside a plea by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to direct Mallya to appear personally before the court to force him to come back to India.

The case will be next heard on March 30.

The SBI, which leads a consortium of 17 lenders to King Fisher Airlines, declared Mallya wilful defaulter last month. Besides the SBI, United Bank of India (UBI) and Punjab National Bank (PNB) have also declared Mallya as wilful defaulter. (ANI)
Volleyball Federation of India(VFI) President Chaudhary Avadhesh Kumar has termed the Ramavtar Jakhar and K Murugan-led faction's decision to dissolve the VFI a 'joke' and call for fresh polls as 'unconstitutional and illegal'. "This was expected of Jakhar and Murugan. Since they couldn't find a lot of support in the VFI, they decided to dissolve the federation," Avadhesh Kumar said. The President further added that the meeting in Chennai itself was a staged one. "The members who attended the meeting have been suspended for three years. Further, I have heard from media and my sources that the crowd present in the meeting had nothing to do with VFI, and were only called to make it look like there was a lot of support for them. It was a pure gimmick, something that shouldn't be paid any heed to," he saidEarlier, the Jakhar-led faction dissolved the federation without even involving the governing bodies like the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) and Indian Olympic Association (IOA). "I hope that they have dissolved their own faction. As far as the VFI is concerned we are very much up and running and we have support from AVC and IOA. I have already written to IOA and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India about the stand taken by The Asian Volleyball Confederation on the ongoing matter in VFI,'' Avadhesh said.''Accordingly I have called the AGM in Dehradun on 15th April . A new pro Volleyball Federation will be made and that will have support of all the sporting bodies in India as well as in the World," he added.K Nandkumar, Interim Secretary General also termed that dissolution of house as no less than comic. "Its like opposition in the Parliament meeting illegally and deciding to dissolve the Parliament. It just sounds funny. Exercising the rights that they don't have."He has also retreated that as per the Asian Volleyball Confederation as well as the Constitution of the Federation any decision taken in an illegal and unconstitutional meeting is also illegal and does not have the binding or the support of AVC and VFI. UNI GAU TBA 2014 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0348-632769.Xml
The caste dispute over Kothapalli Gita (ST),YSRCP MP representing Araku Lok Sabha (ST) constituency has taken a new twist with the East Godavari Collector confirming the caste of her brother Kothapalli Vivekananda Kumar as Mala Christian- Backward Class-C category and not Valmiki, a scheduled tribe. The Collector H Arun Kumar gave an order to this effect yesterday advising Vivekananda Kumar to appeal to the state government against his order within 30 days from the date of publication of the order in AP state Gazette as per sec 7(3) of the (SCs, STs and BCs) regulation of community certificate Act of 16/93. Vivekananda Kumar is presently working as the Assistant Manager at the Divisional Office in Rajahmundry, of United India Insurance company Limited. He was appointed as the Development Officer in 1990 against the vacancy reserved for ST category by producing a community certificate dated August 27, 1985, issued by the then MRO Addateegala saying that he was the son of Jacob, a Valmiki of Thimmapuram village of Addateegala Mandal. The Chennai office of the Insurance Company referred the matter to the District Collector for verification. The Joint Collector conducted the enquiry and issued an order on October 30,1993 cancelled the ST certificate, clearly mentioning that he was a Mala Christian and comes under BC C category. Thereafter Vivekananda Kumar approached the High Court which gave a direction to the Collector to conduct a fresh enquiry and pass an appropriate order. Later, based on the recommendations of the district level Scrutiny Committee, the documents and reports filed by the field level officer- Sub collector Rampachodavaram, the District Collector gave his orders making it clear that Vivekananda Kumar belongs to Mala Christian community (BC-C)but not a Valmki (ST). His sister Kothapalli Gita was elected to Lok sabha in the 2014 elections from the Araku Lok Sabha (ST) constituency and one of the defeated candidate had challenged her election alleging that she was not an ST but only BC.UNI XR KNR VV ADB2053 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0414-632812.Xml
The guns, which would be installed in vital areas and strategic points, would be manufactured in India, in line with government's 'Make in India' initiative.

In 2015, the government had cleared a pending proposal to buy 145 howitzers from the US subsidiary of BAE Systems for USD 700 million.

Defence firm BAE Systems had last month announced Mahindra as its business partner for the deal for the supply of 145 M777 howitzers to the Indian army. (ANI)
Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang today briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) coalition's choice for the lone Rajya Sabha seat, which fell vacant due to demise of MP Khekiho Zhimomi last year.According to a release issued by the media cell of Chief Minister's Office (CMO) tonight said that Mr. Zeliang met Mr. Modi at his 7 Race Course Residence in New Delhi and told the Prime Minister that the election to fill up the vacancy has been scheduled for March 21 and the DAN coalition partners have chosen veteran regionalist and Secretary General of the Naga People's Front KG Kenye. The BJP, which is the pre-poll partner of the Naga Peoples Front (NPF) in DAN coalition, had also said there were three aspirants from the party, but had agreed in principle to go with the NPF and the Independent MLAs' choice. The NPF is an ally of the NDA at the Centre and we shall look forward to work together in the years to come for the betterment of the State and the nation, the Chief Minister assured the PM this morning when he, along with Nagaland Home Minister Y Patton, called on him at his 7 Race Course residence. The release said that the Prime Minister welcomed the selection and expressed his wishes to work together with the Nagas for the upliftment of the State and the region as a whole.Later in the day, Mr. Zeliang joined the Prime Minister at the World Culture Festival as Guest of Honour, where the PM was the Chief Guest. The Festival is being organized by the Art of Living foundation to commemorate its 35th Year in the service to humanity, and has been dubbed as a unique platform for spiritual and religious leaders, politicians, peace makers and artists to spread the message of global peace and harmony in diversity. Art of Living, founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, has a presence in 155 countries and is engaged in diverse humanitarian and service activities. The Co-chairs of the Reception Committee for the Festival are former CJI Justice RC Lahoti and Dr. Bouteos Boutros-Ghali, the 6th Secretary General of the United Nations and the Vice Chair is Prof. Ruud Lubbers, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, the release said. UNI AS CJ AS2234 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-632907.Xml
Rajarampuri police today arrested a man forraping a fifteen year-old minor girl after abducted her with lure to pay good wages for clean-up works in a building. In a press note today, police said that accused who was identified as Amit Machindra Waghela (36), resident of Sambhajinagar of the city , came at Rajendranagar area, a suburb of the city last evening and asked a woman, who was cleaning up with her fifteen year-old girl, that he wanted four women and four man for clean-up works in a building with assured Rs 200 as a wage per day. The woman succumbed to his bluff, went to call other woman and men for this work. He took away both of them to Morewadi by motorcycle.Later he gave some works to girl's relative boy in a building and then he took away the girl at Chitranagari area in Morewadi and raped the girl and decamped from the spot. Police found the girl near her home late last night, who was crying. After registering the complaint by the girl's mother, police swung in to action and arrested Amit this afternoon and booked him under IPC section363,376,506 and under state child sexual atrocity act section 4,8 and 12. The arrested accused will produce before the court tomorrow morning for police custody, police said and added that they were investigating further of the incident. UNI SSS CJ AS2321 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0171-632780.Xml
The fire was first spotted in a residential building at Ballygunge area, a police official said.

As many as three fire tender engines rushed to the spot and fire fighters fought for few hours to bring the blaze under control. However, no casualty was reported in the incident, a fire official said

"We have started an investigation to know the exact reason of the fire. But after primary investigation we are suspecting that the fire might have been started due to short-circuit," a senior fire brigade official said.UNI BM CJ RJ AN2300

-- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0214-632803.Xml
The Calcutta High Court today sought reports from the West Bengal government over the recent deworming drive-failure incident in the state. The High Court expressed severe annoyance to the incident where 200 children in three districts of West Bengal fell sick on Wednesday after being administered deworming tablets. A PIL was filed against the incident. The High Court in its response asked for a detailed report regarding the matter with answer to certain questions asked the report has been instructed to be submitted within 10 days. The court asked the government to clear few things, including who gave direction to hold the event, which medicine was provided to them, composition of the medicines, batch number of the medicines, Manufacture (MFG) date and Expiry date of the medicines, in the report Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Manjula Chellur also asked to take action if the report is not submitted before the deadline. Hundreds of schoolkids of four districts, including East Mindnapore, North and South 24 Parganas and Hooghly, fell sick, after having government-provided deworming tablet namely 'Albendazole' (It is a broad spectrum anthelmintic used for the treatment of a variety of parasitic worm infestations) and were admitted to several state-owned hospitals. UNI BM CJ RJ AS2322 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0214-632894.Xml
President Barack Obama said he hoped "cooler heads will prevail" and that the Republican-led Senate will act on his US Supreme Court nominee but top Republicans dug in their heels, defending their refusal to consider anyone Obama picks.Obama has narrowed to five his list of candidates to replace conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died on February 13. Obama's nominee could tip the nine-member court to the left for the first time in decades.The Republicans who control the Senate have vowed not to hold confirmation hearings or an up-or-down vote on anyone Obama picks, saying the choice should belong to the next president who takes office in January after the November 8 presidential election."My hope is that cooler heads will prevail and people will reflect on what's at stake here once a nomination is made," Obama said at a news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.The White House is interviewing five candidates, federal judges Sri Srinivasan, Jane Kelly, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Paul Watford and Merrick Garland, according to a source familiar with the process.Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, whose panel handles Supreme Court nominations, offered a lengthy defense of the Senate Republicans' stance.Grassley accused Democrats of a "charade" with feigned outrage over the Republican refusal to consider Obama's nominee simply to "score as many political points as possible.""Regardless of what some are willing to admit publicly, everybody knows any nominee submitted in the middle of this presidential campaign isn't getting confirmed. Everybody. The White House knows it. Senate Democrats know it. Republicans know it. Even the press knows it," Grassley told a committee hearing.Under the US Constitution, the president selects a Supreme Court nominee and the Senate confirms or rejects the nominee."I'm going to do my job," Obama said, promising an "eminently qualified" nominee."And it will then be up to Senate Republicans to decide whether they want to follow the Constitution and abide by the rules of fair play that ultimately undergird our democracy and that ensure that the Supreme Court does not just become one more extension of our polarized politics," Obama said.'SEE THE LIGHT'Denis McDonough, Obama's chief of staff, and other presidential aides met with Judiciary Committee Democrats at the White House on the nomination. Afterward, the Democratic senators predicted Republicans would buckle under public pressure and drop their "obstruction" once Obama names his nominee."We are optimistic that, soon enough, not only will the president nominate, but our Republican colleagues will see the light," said US Senator Chuck Schumer, forecasting that Obama's nominee will be confirmed with bipartisan support.Separately, one Republican senator indicated Senate Republicans would act on a nominee if they had a Republican president."If a conservative president's replacing a conservative justice, there's a little more accommodation to it," Wisconsin's Ron Johnson told a radio interviewer."President Obama's nominee would flip the court from a 5-4 conservative to a 5-4 liberal-controlled court. And that's the concern," Johnson added.THE GRASSLEY-KELLY CONNECTIONGrassley in 2013 spoke in favor of Kelly's nomination to the St Louis-based US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit. She was confirmed by a 96-0 Senate vote. Kelly, an Obama classmate at Harvard Law School, is based in Iowa and previously served as a federal public defender there.The Iowa senator rejected any notion he could be persuaded to drop his opposition if Obama were to nominate a candidate previously confirmed by him and other Republicans.He denounced the idea that the White House selection process was "guided by the raw political calculation of what they think will exert the most political pressure on me." Choosing someone like Kelly from Iowa would be an "obvious political ploy" that would fail, Grassley added.Senator Orrin Hatch, another Judiciary Committee Republican, said in an interview that Garland, whose previous nomination to the appellate court he backed, is "a fine man" who would be "a moderate choice" for the high court.But Hatch said he opposed acting even on Garland. "It isn't a question about the person in my opinion. It's a question about the timing ... and the atmosphere that we have around here, which is poisonous," Hatch said.Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid delivered his latest attack on Grassley, saying on the Senate floor that it was "a little strange, a little odd" that Grassley would not hold hearings even for Kelly, considering his past support.Iowa's Tom Miller, a Democrat, was among a group of attorneys general from 19 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico who sent a letter to Grassley and other Senate leaders urging them to act promptly on Obama's nominee. REUTERS DS PM0401 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0139-631377.Xml
Finnish volunteer militias on the Russian frontier, boar and elk hunters and the Swiss army's pensioner reserve won reprieve from tighter European gun control following last year's Islamist attacks on Paris.At a meeting of EU interior ministers in Brussels, officials accepted an array of objections and agreed to review draft plans that could have barred minors from owning firearms, restricted online weapons sales and, notably, banned private use of most semi-automatic rifles, like the Kalashnikovs used by Islamic State militants in the French capital in November.EU and French officials, who have pushed to block loopholes, stressed that after the return to the drafting table the new regulations were still on schedule to be agreed by governments in June before sending to EU lawmakers. Diplomats and officials said the review should secure exemptions for special interests.These include hunting associations, especially in central and northern Europe, which were concerned that a minimum age of 18 for gun ownership or a ban on sales over the Internet could hasten the demographic decline of their sport. Some governments argued that with fewer hunters, animal populations such as wild boar in the Baltic regions, could multiply out of control.And while there are standing exemptions for states' military reservists, there were concerns that tighter limits on infantry-style weaponry in private hands could disrupt security in countries like non-member Switzerland. Bound by EU gun laws and fiercely proud of its citizen army, many Swiss soldiers retain their service weapons in their homes after retirement.Finland, which long counted on military weaponry held by private volunteers to protect its edgy Russian border, was also vocal in resisting restrictions and its interior minister, Petteri Orpo, said he was satisfied the draft would be revised.REUTERS DS PM0521 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0139-631383.Xml
A convert to Islam who fatally stabbed a Jewish man in Uruguay and claimed Allah was responsible acted alone and had no ties to foreign militant networks, the Uruguayan government said.Interior Minister Eduardo Bonomi said the government drew its conclusion after security agents scoured the computer of 36-year-old Carlos Peralta and searched his home for signs he might have links to outside groups."No links arise with other people inside or outside the country, nor with any group," Bonomi said.Earlier yesterday, Judge Fabricio Cidade found Peralta guilty of knifing businessman David Fremd late on Tuesday in Paysandu, near the border with Argentina. The judge told the El Telegrafo newspaper that Peralta would be sent to a psychiatric hospital for tests ahead of sentencing."He consistently talked about the religious motivations but did not once recognize committing the crime," the judge told the local paper. "He said his actions were in the hands of Allah."Fremd, 54, was head of the Jewish Community of Paysandu.In the Uruguayan capital Montevideo, the Egyptian Center for Islamic Culture and Israeli Embassy condemned the attack.Stabbings have been on the rise in Israel, where violence escalated during a visit by US Vice President Joe Biden.In the occupied West Bank, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian who tried to stab them on Wednesday, the military said. The attacks came a day after an American tourist was killed in Tel Aviv by a Palestinian who went on a stabbing spree while Biden held meetings just blocks away.REUTERS DS PM0606 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0139-631388.Xml
US Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump came under fire from his rivals for saying Muslims hate the United States at a debate that was relatively free of the gut-punching attacks that have dominated past encounters.Trump, the front-runner who could tighten his grip on the Republican presidential nomination battle if he wins Florida and Ohio on Tuesday, defended his belief, as stated in television interviews, that followers of Islam "hate us.""We have a serious problem of hate. There is tremendous hate," Trump said.But Trump's rivals, US Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, US Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Ohio Governor John Kasich said the United States needs to maintain good relations with Muslim countries in the Middle East to help in the fight against Islamic State militants."We are going to have to work with people in the Muslim faith even as Islam faces a serious crisis within it," Rubio said.Kasich, looking to win his home state of Ohio on Tuesday in order to keep his candidacy going, said Middle Eastern allies in the Arab world are essential."The fact is if we're going to defeat ISIS, we're going to have to have those countries," he said, citing Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt.Trump said he would consider as many as 40,000 US troops on the ground in the region to help defeat Islamic State, saying he would complete the mission quickly and bring them home to focus on rebuilding the United States.The CNN-hosted debate took place at a crucial time, days before primary votes in Florida and Ohio that could catapult Trump even further despite an intense anti-Trump movement by establishment Republicans who are trying to deny him the party's presidential nomination.Both the Florida and Ohio Republican primaries award delegates on a winner-take-all basis, meaning that the winner of the popular vote is awarded the state's entire slate of delegates, making a victory in either state a big prize.So far, 25 states and Puerto Rico have held nominating contests, and Trump has amassed a solid lead in the delegate race. According to the Associated Press, Trump has 458 delegates, followed by Cruz at 359, Rubio at 151, and Kasich at 54.Clinching the Republican nomination requires 1,237 delegates.Trump yesterday appeared to try to appear more presidential He has pledged often in the past to do so but never has. Yesterday he modulated both the tone of his voice and the tenor of his remarks, which in prior debates have drawn sharp criticism for being vulgar."I would say this, we're all in this together. We're going to come up with solutions, we're going to find the answers to things, and so far I can't believe how civil it has been up here," Trump said.The two-hour debate included a sober discussion of pressing challenges from illegal immigration to reform of Social Security to free trade deals, a marked departure from the finger-pointing schoolyard taunts that the candidates have engaged in past debates.Trump insisted he would impose a tariff, as high as 45 per cent, on some imports from countries like China.Trump said his goal is to encourage production of goods on American soil."People will buy products from here," Trump said. "We'll build our factories here and we'll make our own products."But Cruz, looking to emerge as Trump's central challenger and consolidate the anti-Trump vote in the Republican Party, said the New York billionaire's tariff plan would only lead to higher prices for American consumers because the exporting country would increase its prices."A tariff is a tax on you, the American people," Cruz said.Trump said he would pause for a year or two the H1B federal visa program to reduce an influx of foreign workers into the United States.He acknowledged he has taken advantage of that visa program in order to bring in foreign workers to work at some of his own resort properties. He said he would also pause the issuance of Green Cards, which grant permanent residency, for these workers.Kasich emphasized the need to control the US southern border with Mexico to stem illegal immigration. He said he would offer a path to legal status, but not citizenship to the more than 11 million illegal immigrants in the country."We can't just have people walking in," Kasich said.Trump got a fresh injection of campaign momentum on Thursday with plans by rival Ben Carson, who is popular with conservatives, to endorse him.Trump said Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who dropped out of the race March 4 after failing to gain traction in early voting states, would endorse him today at an event in Florida.The endorsement could help Trump settle the nerves of those conservative voters who have doubts about whether he truly is one of them.REUTERS PS RK0931 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-631429.Xml
An article appearing in the Washington Post said Sharif thinks a moderate, progressive and liberal agenda can help fulfill his economic agenda. His present political policies are different from those he had in the 1990s.

The Express Tribune quotes the Washington Post article as further saying that Sharif has streamlined the country's path towards progress.

Citing the analysts and high officials in the government, the article points out that Sharif stunned the powerful clergy of Pakistan by raising the slogan of a more liberal Pakistan in his address to the international business community earlier.

The shift in his rhetoric reflects the influence of his daughter Maryam Nawaz on his thinking.

Sharif's earlier tenures reflected that Pakistan would enter a stale style of governance, but now, he and his party are challenging the religious community and forging a new path.(ANI)
Lawmakers voted 71 to 24 against an attempt introduced by Republican Senator Rand Paul to prevent the sale under legislation known as the Arms Control Act, reports Dawn.

President Barack Obama's administration announced on February 12 that it had approved the sale to Pakistan of the aircraft, as well as radars and other equipment. It drew immediate criticism from India and concern from some members of Congress.

Republican Senator Bob Corker said he would use his power as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to bar the use of any US funds for the deal.

Paul had called Pakistan 'an uncertain ally' and other lawmakers expressed concerns about Pakistan's nuclear program, commitment to fighting terrorist organisations and cooperation in the Afghanistan peace process.

The Senate debated the measure for an hour during which Senator Paul strongly urged other lawmakers to support his move.

The United States identified Pakistan as a key partner in its war against terror following the September 11, 2001, attacks and spent billions of dollars on military aid to help the country fight insurgents.(ANI)
President Bashar al-Assad's government has said its delegates will attend peace talks on the Syrian conflict due to start in Geneva next week, Russia's foreign ministry said today.Damascus has yet to publicly confirm it will be taking part in the talks.Asked whether Russia, a close ally of Assad, was encouraging Damascus to attend, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: "They're not refusing.""They said straight away that they are taking part, they're ready, they will be the first to arrive, wherever is needed," she said.The Syrian foreign minister is expected to formally announce his government's position on the Geneva talks at a news conference in Damascus tomorrow. REUTERS JW VP1539 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-631913.Xml
A Polish ruling party official denied suggestions that a shake-up of the country's constitutional court posed a threat to its democracy and dismissed a critical report on the reforms by a pan-European rights body as "non-binding".The Council of Europe's Venice Commission, an advisory panel on constitutional matters, is due to deliver an opinion later on Friday on the reforms, which have already come under fire from the European Union and rights groups.A leaked draft of the opinion said the reforms could endanger the rule of law, democracy and human rights in Poland - a verdict rejected by the leader of the country's ruling Law and Justice party (PiS), Jaroslaw Kaczynski, as "legally absurd"."(Poland's) democracy is in very good shape - there are demonstrations, meetings, protests," a senior PiS official, Beata Kempa, told public broadcaster TVP Info."We're not sending in police with bullets against people, they are allowed to express their views ... The Venice Commission's opinion is not binding. We can take it into account, (but) we don't have to take it into account."Since sweeping to power last October, the eurosceptic ruling party has enacted a law increasing the number of judges at the constitutional court required to make rulings and changing the order in which cases are heard.It has also rejected court appointments made by the previous government, defending the changes saying they are needed to reflect the new balance of power in Poland.Critics say the changes have paralysed the court's work, making it difficult for judges to review, let alone challenge, the government's legislation. The EU, which Poland joined in 2004, and the United States have also expressed concerns.Today's report is being closely watched by the European Commission, the EU executive, which is expected to decide later this month whether Warsaw's reforms breach EU rules and warrant punishment.This week the Polish constitutional court itself said the new rules affecting it were illegal, in a ruling rejected by the government."More and more, the head of the constitutional court reminds me of an ayatollah in Iran," Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski told state broadcaster Polskie Radio yesterday. REUTERS JW GC1615 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-631954.Xml
"Your exellency: you are not working," television presenter Azza al-Hemawy said, looking into the camera but addressing the Egyptian president. "Not one single issue has been solved since you took over."After years of hearing little but enthusiastic applause for Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and vilification of his enemies, the tens of millions of Egyptians who watch the country's pugnacious talk shows are suddenly being presented with the president's faults.The former military chief who overthrew the Muslim Brotherhood to take power in 2013 is facing the first sustained public criticism of his rule.State television, known for being fiercely loyal, launched an internal investigation on Wednesday into Hemawy for her remarks. But her comments were hardly isolated.After years of publicly lionising Sisi as the saviour of the nation, many of the country's most influential figures have emerged to blame the president for an economy in crisis, an Islamist insurgency raging in the Sinai peninsula and the brutality of an unreformed police force."Your state imprisons people for their thoughts and their novels," one of Egypt's most prominent newspaper editors, Ibrahim Eissa, wrote addressing the president on his paper's front page last month, after authorities jailed a young novelist for including a sex scene in a book."What happened exactly to make our nation turn around with you to the era of searching consciences, putting minds on trial and imprisoning writers and authors?"Eissa is no longstanding critic: he initially hailed Sisi's rise as "a day of joy, a day of victory, a day of dignity, a day of pride, the day Egypt and its people were victorious". As recently as three months ago he described Sisi as "the president with the most amount of popular backing in the world".Since then, it was not the media that had changed but the government's record, Eissa told Reuters at his office on Cairo's outskirts: "We aren't more critical; there are now more mistakes."MESSIAH STATUSSisi's rise nearly three years ago ended a divisive experiment with rule by the Brotherhood and two years of unrest that followed the fall of longserving autocrat Hosni Mubarak.A broad cross section of the public sincerely admired the stern general in dark sunglasses, who promised to restore stability to a country in chaos. Sweet shops could not sell cakes with his face on them fast enough. A year later he was elected with nearly 97 percent of the vote, winning ten million more votes than had been won by the man he toppled, Mohamed Mursi."Sisi came into power with huge levels of popularity," said H.A. Hellyer, non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington. "That was never going to last. This messiah status is unsustainable."In a rambling speech last month, Sisi appeared angry and unsure, complaining that Egyptians were focusing on his faults rather than his achievements.The speech was met by an unprecedented deluge of sarcastic comments from Egyptians on the Internet, with a popular description on social media even comparing him to Libya's eccentric deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi.Previously docile politicians have emerged in recent days to snipe.Mohamed Abu al-Ghar, a prominent secularist and former Sisi supporter, wrote a column last week accusing Sisi of presiding over a collapsed economy, a police force that "beats and tortures" and a government whose ministers are purely "ceremonial".Amr Moussa, a Mubarak-era foreign minister who led a committee to draft a new constitution after Sisi's takeover, told a news conference on Tuesday the charter was under threat from laws passed by Sisi.Hamdeen Sabahy, a leftist politician who first backed Sisi's crackdown on Islamists but ran against him in the 2014 election, launched an initiative in recent days to rally opposition groups and present a viable alternative, unthinkable a year ago."Egypt is experiencing the death of politics, dismissal of other points of views, a demonising of alternatives, a call for blind unity," he told Reuters. NATIONAL CONSENSUSAmong the subjects that were once ignored is human rights. Security forces killed hundreds of Islamists in one day after Sisi toppled Mursi. Thousands were arrested, and the crackdown expanded to include secular activists. But few complained until now, acknowledged Eissa, the newspaper editor."There was national consensus on ignoring human rights abuses if they happen to terrorists; let them burn. And many didn't care about oppressing activists," he said."Suddenly people realised it happened to them too. Incidents of average citizens dying in police custody sparked protests."Last month, more than 10,000 doctors protested against police brutality after policemen beat two doctors at a public hospital. It was the largest demonstration since authorities curbed the right to protest in late 2013.Some of the doctors compared the beatings to the 2010 death of Khaled Said, a youth whose killing in custody helped spark the revolt that brought down Mubarak."No one who is educated matters in this country," Momen Abdelazim, one of the doctors who was beaten, told Reuters. "I am seriously considering immigration, at least for the sake of my one-year-old daughter."A week after the demonstration, a policeman shot a driver in a busy Cairo street in a dispute over his fare. "FILLED WITH TERROR"But perhaps more damaging for Sisi's image has been the failure of the economy, despite his promises that life would get better now that he had ended the turmoil.Sisi hails the building a new branch of the Suez Canal in a single year as a key achievement. But the project, built with $8 billion borrowed from the public at the height of his popularity, has so far failed to boost the country's income.Meanwhile, imported commodities such as cooking oil have been in short supply at outlets that offer subsidised goods to the poor, because a foreign exchange crisis has made it harder for state importers to secure regular supplies.The government failed to replenish its stockpiles of rice, which is now mostly available only at the market price, far beyond what Egyptians are accustomed to paying.Businesses complain of rising prices, falling profits and uncertainty over the fate of Egypt's currency.Manufacturers, including General Motors, have been forced to pause production at times because of difficulties getting imported components that have piled up at ports. Small importers say they are being put out of business by regulations aimed at cutting the trade deficit.Public sector workers were furious in November when Sisi issued a new civil service law that would cut jobs. Thousands of bureaucrats, normally hesitant to oppose the government, attempted to protest and were stopped by police. Egypt's newly elected parliament repealed the law, a rare show of dissent from a body dominated by Sisi loyalists."This law filled seven million government employees and their families with terror," Eissa said. "The middle class suddenly thought this man whom we brought in, whom we love, is working against us." REUTERS JW VN1731 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-632182.Xml
Beirut (AFP) - Syria's civil war, which has killed more than 270,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes, erupted in 2011 when government forces turned their weapons on protesters demanding political change.

The following are 10 key dates in the brutal conflict:

- 2011: Revolt and repression -

- March 15: Unprecedented protests inspired by the Arab Spring erupt, demanding reform after 40 years of iron-fisted rule by President Bashar al-Assad's family.

- Security forces crack down on protesters in Damascus and Daraa, known as "the cradle of the uprising", where 100 people are reportedly killed on March 23.

- The regime claims it is cracking down on "an armed rebellion" by radical Islamists, while Britain, France and the United States denounce the repression.

- Protests spread, with demonstrators calling for Assad's ouster.

- 2012: All-out war -

- July 17: Moderate rebels from the Free Syrian Army declare that the battle for Damascus has begun, but the government holds its ground.

- July 19: Rebels launch an offensive in the northern city of Aleppo, which has since been divided between rebel-held neighbourhoods in the east and regime-held districts in the west.

- 2013: Hezbollah admits role -

- April 30: Hassan Nasrallah, chief of the powerful Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, acknowledges that his troops are fighting in Syria in support of Assad.

- 2013: Chemical attacks -

- August 21: Hundreds of people are killed in chemical weapons attacks targeting rebel bastions near Damascus. The West accuses Assad's regime.

- In September, the United States and Russia agree on a plan to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons, narrowly heading off US strikes.

- 2014: Rise of the jihadists -

- January 14: The jihadist Islamic State group, which emerged in Syria in 2013, seizes Raqa, the first provincial capital to fall out of regime control.

- June 29: IS declares the establishment of an Islamic "caliphate". It later claims numerous murders, including of Western hostages.

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- September 23: The US and Arab allies launch air strikes on IS in Syria.

- 2014: The fall of Homs -

- May 9: Syrian troops recapture the Old City of Homs, after a two-year siege and near-daily bombardment. Rebels withdraw.

- 2015: Kobane liberated -

- January 26: Kurdish forces backed by US-led air strikes drive IS out of the flashpoint town of Kobane on the Turkish border, after months of fierce fighting.

- 2015: Al-Nusra spreads -

- March 28: Syria's Al-Qaeda affiliate, Al-Nusra Front, backed by rebel allies, seizes most of the northwestern city of Idlib, the second provincial capital after Raqa to fall out of government hands.

- In May Assad says that such setbacks do not mean the conflict is lost, but in July he acknowledges the shrinking ranks of his army.

- 2015: Russia intervenes -

- September 30: Russia launches air strikes on Syria, saying it is targeting "terrorists" including IS, but it faces accusations of hitting non-jihadist rebels and civilians as it seeks to bolster Assad.

- 2016: Ceasefire -

- February 27: An unprecedented "cessation of hostilities" comes into force. It applies to combat zones between Russian-backed regime forces and non-jihadist rebels, but does not apply to the more than half of the country's territory that is controlled by extremist groups.
A protester at a Donald Trump rally on Wednesday was sucker-punched by a Trump supporter, who later bragged to a television reporter that the next step would be murder. On Thursday, reports surfaced that Trumps own campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, had assaulted a female reporter who was trying to ask his boss a question after a press conference Tuesday night, leaving her bruised and shaken.

This should not surprise anybody who has been paying attention to the Trump campaign. The billionaire GOP presidential frontrunner has not just been exploiting, but fomenting anger among his supporters. And while hes usually careful to step right up to the line of endorsing violence against the protesters who regularly interrupt his rallies, on more than a few occasions, he has crossed it.

Related: Thousands of Defense Jobs Could Be Lost if Trump Gets Elected

For example:

-- At a rally in Iowa early this year, Trump was warned in advance that there might be tomato-throwing protesters in attendance. So early in his remarks, he said, There may be somebody with tomatoes in the audience. So if you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously. Okay? Just knock the hell  I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees. I promise, I promise. It wont be so much cause the courts agree with us too.

-- When members of his audience get physical with protesters, Trump has even brought them up on stage to honor them.

-- At a late February rally, Trump said of one protester, Id like to punch him in the face, I tell ya. He added that in the old days protesters would have been carried out on stretchers. It was clear from the context that he felt a certain nostalgia for those times.

-- Last week, when one of his rallies in Michigan was interrupted by a protestor, Trump said, Get him out. Try not to hurt him. If you do Ill defend you in court. He later regaled the crowd with the story of how his supporters took out a protester at a rally in New Hampshire, saying it was really amazing to watch.

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Related: Obama to Trump  Thanks for Making Me Look Good

-- This isnt new. Way back in November, after a protester was assaulted by members of his audience, Trump said, Maybe he should have been roughed up, because it was absolutely disgusting what he was doing.

Its not hard to make the connection between Trumps rhetoric and 78-year-old John McGraw, the supporter who blindsided a young African-American protester, Rakeem Jones, with a right hook on Wednesday night.

Yes, he deserved it, McGraw said in an interview with Inside Edition afterward. The next time we see him we might have to kill him.

For the record, after Jones was punched in the face, he was thrown to the ground by a swarm of sheriffs deputies and handcuffed. McGraw was allowed to return to his seat and remained there for the rest of the event. No action was taken against McGraw until the next day, when he was charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct.

Related: A Trump Presidency Could Give ISIS a Foothold in the US

The sense that violence against people who disagree with Trump is legitimate appears to have permeated his campaign staff as well. Lewandowski, the campaign manager who appears to have manhandled Breitbart.com reporter Michelle Fields on Tuesday night, went on the attack Thursday, despite the fact that the incident was corroborated by a Washington Post reporter, and further by audio tape obtained by Politico.

Lewandowski, on his personal Twitter account, labeled her an attention seeker and received backup from the Trump campaign. Campaign spokesperson Hope Hicks said in a statement that the Trump campaign did not believe the assault  now reported by two major news organizations  had ever happened.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Few experiences make gold mining history come alive for kids like stepping into the darkness of a 19th-century mineshaft or dipping a pan into the Sacramento River, watching carefully for a glint of gold amid the silt and gravel. These activities, along with a host of others, can be had on a family trip to the gold mining towns across the western U.S. For a Gold Rush-inspired trip to remember, grab the kids, hit the road and head to these glimmering spots, found everywhere from Coloma to Shasta, California.

Coloma, California

Begin at the epicenter of the California Gold Rush, where James Marshall first glimpsed gold in the South Fork of the American River, starting the California Gold Rush of 1849. Today, Coloma preserves their history at the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, where visitors can visit the on-site museum, learn how to pan for gold and see enactments from the mid-19th century. The park's Gold Discovery Tour tells the story and visits the sites of the Coloma Valley before and after James Marshall's gold discovery, and is offered multiple times each day. While in the Coloma area, families can also raft the American River, hike the California foothills and fish.

Where to stay: Coloma Resort offers camping area and cabins for families in the heart of the region.

Old Sacramento, California

After seeing the site of Sutter's Mill in Coloma, kids have the context for a visit to Sutter's Fort in Sacramento. Here, families can learn more about the impact the California Gold Rush had on John Sutter and James Marshall, and can learn about the additional historical events the fort saw in its lifetime, such as the arrival of what remained of the Donner Party. And after touring the fort, families can enjoy dining, shopping and exploring additional historical sites, like the award-winning California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento's pedestrian-friendly district.

Where to stay: Embassy Suites Sacramento-Riverfront Promenade hotel is within walking distance of Old Sacramento and is an easy drive from Sutter's Fort.

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Virginia City, Nevada

A boomtown of incredible wealth during the Gold Rush-era, Virginia City is located a 45-minute drive from Reno, Nevada. High in the hills, this rough-edged Western town is wonderfully preserved, with saloons (complete with card tables and bar stools), mine shafts and historic houses. Start at the visitor's center to grab a Comstock Adventure Pass to save on individual attractions if you plan to visit numerous sights. Take the trolley tour to get an overview of town, and be sure to step inside the eerie Mackay Mansion, once the home of William Randolph Hearst. Older kids will love taking a tour of the Ponderosa Mine, the opening of which is located inside a period saloon. And everyone will get a kick out of The Way It Was Museum, which includes hands-on exhibits and eclectic collections from the 19th century.

Where to stay: Save money by staying in budget-friendly accommodations in Reno and driving to Virginia City.

Nevada City, California

Located in the Northern California foothills, and a gateway to the forests and recreation of Lake Tahoe, Nevada, Nevada City was once a major player in the California Gold Rush. The entire downtown district is a national historic landmark, filled with restaurants, shops, boutiques, galleries and museums, all offering small town hospitality. Gold panning is still a local pastime here, as is mountain biking and hiking. Plus, the South Yuba River State Park features superb swimming holes and picnic spots, as well as fishing opportunities for families itching to embrace the great outdoors. To learn about the local history of Nevada City, start at the North Star Mining Museum in adjacent Grass Valley, California, then head back to Nevada City to check out the Firehouse No. 1 Museum and Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum.

Where to stay: Retreat to one of Nevada City's historic and affordable bed-and-breakfasts.

Whiskeytown and Shasta, California

Situated just outside of Redding, California, on Highway 299, the mining town of Shasta (not to be confused with Mount Shasta or Lake Shasta) is a tiny ghost town with plenty to explore. First, head to Shasta State Historic Park, where you and the kids can enjoy a self-guided tour that can be completed within a few hours. While most buildings are now in ruins, the county courthouse has been restored and features historical exhibits and artwork. Just a bit further up the road, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area offers relief from Northern California's hot summer temperatures with opportunities for lake and creek swimming, picnicking and boating. At the far end of the lake, the Tower House Historic District preserves the homestead and mining fame of friends Charles Camden and Levi Tower, along with their gold mine, stamp mill and hotel. Kids can learn about ways people would strive to acquire riches during the California Gold Rush, such as providing lodging and supplies to miners. And during your visit, keep eyes open while crossing the many streams and creeks in the area; locals still pan for gold here.

Where to stay: Camp at one of the lakeside tent sites at Whiskeytown ($25 a night), or stay in downtown Redding.

Rhyolite, California

With a close proximity to the California-Nevada border near Death Valley National Park, Rhyolite is a well-preserved ghost town, ready-made for exploration. Tours are self-guided; in fact, on some days, you won't see another living soul at Rhyolite. The town includes the ruins of a train depot, a jail cell, storefronts and saloons and even a brothel. As you explore the town, keep your eyes peeled for rattlesnakes, as this region in the California desert is their home territory.

Where to stay: Combine a day trip to Rhyolite with a vacation in Death Valley National Park, and stay at Furnace Creek Resort, which is conveniently located just 120 miles northwest of Las Vegas and offers an ideal home base for exploring the park.

Amy Whitley is an outdoors and family travel writer based in Southern Oregon. She's the founder of travel site Pit Stops for Kids and pens the monthly column NWKids at OutdoorsNW magazine. You can follow her on Twitter @pitstopsforkids, connect with her on Instagram or Pinterest.
Watch out. It's a trap!

It's always exciting when you hear those words in the movies or read them in a book. It isn't so fun when you're doing your taxes and your inner voice shouts it. Certainly it isn't an intentional move on the part of the Internal Revenue Service, but making your way through tax forms can feel like you're Indiana Jones in a booby-trapped cave.

So if you don't want to step into a tax trap, you must know where the traps lurk. Careful. They're everywhere. These are only a handful.

Owning foreign assets. You don't have to own property outside of the U.S. to find yourself in a tax trap. Simply having non-U. S. assets, "such as bank accounts, stock of non-U. S. companies and non-U. S. mutual funds" can lead you to trouble, says Stewart Patton, a tax attorney and founder of U.S. Tax Services in Belize City, Belize.

"The IRS has created a complicated web of specialized disclosure forms for U.S. citizens who own non-U.S. assets ... Failing to file one of these forms on time carries a hefty penalty, typically starting at $10,000 per form per year," Patton says.

But on the bright side, Patton adds, "The IRS also has several amnesty procedures taxpayers can use to catch up on delinquent disclosure forms and avoid these hefty penalties."

401(k) rollovers. You really want to be careful here, according to Jeff Jones, a certified financial planner at Longview Financial Advisors in Huntsville, Alabama.

"When an individual leaves an employer, they often will roll their 401(k) over to an individual retirement account -- an IRA," Jones says. "When tax season rolls around, they receive a Form 1099-R indicating a distribution from the 401(k)."

And here comes the trap: "If the rollover was completed properly as a trustee-to-trustee direct rollover, it's likely to be a completely untaxable event," Jones says. "If not careful when completing their return, taxpayers may inadvertently cause part or all of the rollover to be counted as taxable income in that year."

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Stock sales. Investments and taxes can trigger plenty of traps, but people especially get in trouble when they lose money on stocks.

It makes sense that you would report gains on stocks, but taxpayers also need to report their losses.

"These sales reduce the gain from other stock or bond transactions, and if these losses exceed total gains for the year, they will then directly reduce taxable income by a maximum of $3,000," says Michael Eckstein, owner of Michael Eckstein Tax Services in Huntington, New York.

This is what's called cost basis -- deciphering how much you paid for a stock so you can report on your taxes a gain or loss on the sale. Cost basis can blow up in a lot of taxpayers' faces, according to George Burns, of Burns and Associates in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

"Many returns seem to get audited ... when the taxpayer either sells property, stocks, mutual fund shares or has an LLC or S Corp, and their return prepared either doesn't calculate basis properly or very often exceeds basis," he says.

Losses, Burns stresses, can't exceed basis. "Too often I hear the broad but incorrect statement, that you can write off or deduct losses," he says. "You can, but subject to strict limits. Exceed basis, and you will pay severely."

Deductions. On the surface, these aren't tax traps, but your greed or fear may turn them into one.

A deduction is a certain amount of money you're allowed to deduct from your gross income. So if you make $70,000 in a given year, and you get a $1,000 deduction for office equipment that you purchased to run the business you started last year, then your taxable income is $69,000.

It's pretty straightforward. Despite the concept of deductions being easy enough to understand, exactly what's allowed to be deducted and what's not can be maddeningly tricky.

Vincenzo Villamena, managing partner of the CPA firm Online Taxman, based in New York City, says, "I see people mostly missing deductions related to job expenses, job-search expenses, investment expenses like commissions and safe deposit boxes and alimony."

So he sees people messing up deductions in virtually every way imaginable. In short, Villamena says, "People are either deducting too much, [putting them at risk] to get audited easily, or too little and missing out on savings."

Standard mileage rate. Do you use your car mostly for business? You might be losing money if you're taking the standard mileage deduction, says Leif Novie, a Miami-based CPA at the public accounting firm Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Farra.

You may be losing money by not going with actual expenses instead, Novie says.

"This often occurs when a taxpayer uses an auto predominantly for business but does not put significant mileage on the vehicle," he says.

Novie points out that actual automobile-related expenses may be repairs, insurance and fuel, depreciation or a leasing expense, all of which can add up. But if you do go with actual expenses, Novie warns, "It's imperative that the taxpayer maintain adequate records to substantiate the deduction."

Otherwise, if the IRS does audit you, and you don't have your records to back you up, you're going to be strung up in a trap of your own making.

Refund advances. And speaking of traps, don't ever accept an advance on your refund from a tax service or take out a refund anticipation loan, urges Christopher Jervis, president of Lone Wolf Financial Services LLC in Conyers, Georgia.

"Refund advances and loans are chock full of extra fees," he says, adding that you shouldn't have to wait too long for a direct deposit or mailed check. "Generally, they release refunds within 21 days of the return being accepted by them."

You waited all year to get your refund check. Do you really want to pay $35 or $50 (a typical charge) to get your money a little sooner? And don't be fooled by tax-preparation services that ask you if you want a refund anticipation check. Those refund anticipation checks allow you to deduct your tax-preparation fees from your refund, which sounds good, but these checks come with a fee. Most critics say these checks are little more than a loan in disguise.

In other words, there are plenty of traps within your tax forms without you stumbling into another trap the moment you finish your taxes. Like Indiana Jones making his way through caves and ancient temples, until you get your treasure -- in this analogy, that would be the refund check -- you're never quite safe.
Joining the military means life is about to change. Frequent moves, new jobs and overseas deployments all come with the territory. Even taxes change for members of the Armed Forces.

"If you're new to the military, your tax return will be substantially different," says Mark Steber, chief tax officer for Jackson Hewitt. Over the years, the government has instituted a number of provisions and perks intended to make life for military members less taxing. Here are seven tips to help you make the most of them.

Pick the right tax preparer. Military members who want to file their own taxes should head to the government's Military OneSource website. Eligible service members can file their taxes electronically on the site for free.

However, if you'd rather not prepare tax forms yourself, Steber advises military members to look for someone who can demonstrate expertise in the area. Look for tax preparers who have experience filing returns for members of the military and know how to deal with situations such as combat pay exclusion. Steber says Jackson Hewitt preparers go through a specialized training to handle military returns.

Extra time to file if you're based in a combat zone. Those deployed to a combat zone get an automatic extension of 180 days to file their taxes after they are reassigned from the area. "I don't recommend they take the whole 180 days, and whenever they get back they should get their financial house in order right away," says Michael Meese, chief operating officer with the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association and a retired U.S. Army brigadier general.

In addition, military income earned while in a combat zone is not taxed. "If they served just one day in a combat zone, the entire month is tax free," says Jeremy Shipp, managing partner with O'Dell, Winkfield, Roseman and Shipp in Richmond, Virginia.

Select your home state carefully. Meese estimates he moved 20 times during his 32-year military career. While he could have chosen a number of states for his residence, he elected to keep Texas -- where he bought his first house -- as his domicile. The decision wasn't only sentimental, but also strategic. Texas is one of a handful of states with no income tax.

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Members of the military should choose wisely when it comes to selecting a domicile. States with no or low income taxes have the potential to save families thousands of dollars. "They just have to live there at some time in their military career," Shipp says.

Deduct your unreimbursed expenses. Like other workers, military members can deduct unreimbursed expenses related to their job that are in excess of 2 percent of their adjusted gross income. "You may be purchasing a lot of uniforms and insignias," Meese says. "Keep track of professional dues." Reservists can also take advantage of a special provision that allows them to deduct travel expenses without itemizing their return.

Know the rules on selling a house. Many military families relocate frequently. "On average, we see military members moving every three years or so," says Joseph Montanaro, a certified financial planner for USAA and former lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. As a result, military families who bought a home may discover they end up selling before they've owned it for five years. Normally, that would mean any gains earned from the property sale would be taxable. However, the government has exempted military members from that five year requirement.

Understand your EITC eligibility. The earned income tax credit can refund eligible families thousands of dollars each year. To claim it, people must have earned taxable income, a requirement that could be difficult to meet for military personnel with only non-taxable income such as basic allowances and combat pay. However, the IRS has implemented special EITC rules for military members to allow them to designate their combat pay as taxable. Doing so may result in an EITC refund. The IRS recommends military members calculate their taxes with combat pay being taxable and non-taxable to determine which option results in the greater savings.

Keep updated on changes each year. The tax code has the potential to change every year. Current provisions may expire, while new ones are frequently added. For the latest updates, military members should look to IRS Publication 3, the Armed Forces' Tax Guide. Military OneSource can also connect military members with consultants who may be able to answer questions on the latest changes.

"This stuff seems complex, but for our service members, there are a lot of resources available," Montanaro says. "They shouldn't be afraid to raise their hand and ask for help."
Dakar (AFP) - Is Africa ready to take on the war against malaria, HIV, Ebola and the like? Not yet, said some of the continent's brightest scientific minds at a landmark gathering this week in Senegal.

Researchers at the cutting edge of international vaccine and public health research told AFP at the first gathering of the ambitious "Next Einstein Forum" for Africa that their academic success stories remained exceptional -- though the landscape is changing.

"If I'd remained in Cameroon I'd never have got where I am, so at a relatively early stage I identified what I really wanted to do and I had to leave the country," said Wilfred Ndifon, whose mathematical approach to designing vaccines has brought him international acclaim.

Ndifon's skill with numbers and determination to eradicate disease that afflicted those around him as a child, led him to a scholarship abroad and a PhD from Princeton after he realised he could reach more people through science than as a medical doctor.

His work on a general principle for innoculation is now being used to develop a comprehensive malaria vaccine, but he says young Africans who want to take a similar path would still likely require time abroad to develop their skillset.

"The kind of education I got... a lot of it was informal, with a lot of like-minded people doing curiosity-driven research," he said. Attracting the brightest minds and giving them the space to think would require a sea change in African universities, he added.

Higher education participation in sub-Saharan Africa remains the lowest in the world, meaning the pipeline of scientists and technology professionals remains tiny in terms of the region's needs.

Although private universities are booming, government investment remains well under one percent of GDP across sub-Saharan Africa, compared with rates of around 1.0-3.5 percent in Western Europe and the United States.

Researchers said countries experiencing stronger comparative economic growth such as Rwanda, Nigeria and Ethiopia had a duty to start investing in this area.

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Commitments to science would help countries become "capable of solving their own problems," said Mohlopheni Jackson Marakalala, just back from four years of research at Harvard's School of Public Health.

The University of Cape Town lecturer attended the forum before embarking on a major research project into tuberculosis, which still kills 1.5 million people annually.

Marakalala's university experience in South Africa, home to sub-Saharan Africa's most respected institutions, was marked by gaps in funding and technology he feels must be addressed if the continent is to compete on the world stage.

In the west "you start with good money, the right equipment," he said.

In his line of work, Africa does offer some advantages.

"To have access to clinical material (tuberculosis-infected tissues) is a tool that can actually address very complex questions," he said. "It's a dream for scientists in the US or Europe."

But when a crisis strikes, such as the recent Ebola outbreak, disease samples in the early stages had to be shipped outside Africa to be tested, delaying results.

"Africa was caught unprepared," he added.

There are signs of change, however: Rwanda's laptop programme for schoolchildren was a bright spot for budding scientists on the continent, Marakalala said.

Cameroon's Ndifon meanwhile cited the work of the Pasteur Institute in Senegal as a successful African venture already performing at a world-class level for its work on the ground in Ebola-affected countries.

- Systems not gadgets -

Beyond the level of institutions, Africa also faces structural and environmental issues holding back its would-be Nobel laureates.

Travelling within Africa for example is costly, time-consuming, and more likely to require a visa for an African than an outsider.

This is "a huge barrier to accessing information and sharing ideas physically", said Nigeria's Tolu Oni, whose work focuses on why HIV-positive patients in South Africa are also more likely to have diabetes.

Raising Ebola's legacy again, she said more prosaic reforms were required than the mobile apps and tablet-based solutions excitedly put forward by US scientists last year.

"We are so obsessed with gadgets and it's so much sexier to focus on that than health systems, but actually that is what you need," Oni said.

"The components of the health system and the service delivery, the leadership in government, the human resources, the financing and communications -- those are the building blocks."
ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algeria's army said on Friday it had killed three Islamist militants near the eastern city of El Oued and seized a large quantity of weapons including six anti-aircraft missiles. One of those killed in the operation late on Thursday was Kamel Arabiya, a senior militant and veteran of Algeria's civil war in the 1990s, the defense ministry said in a statement. Arabiya led the local brigade of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and according to news reports may have recently pledged allegiance to Islamic State. The military said it had recovered six Stinger surface-to-air missiles, two explosive belts, three rocket-propelled-grenade launchers and more than 20 guns. The Algerian military is on high alert because of the risk from neighboring Libya, where militants have taken advantage of a security vacuum to build their presence in the region. A security source told Reuters the weapons seized on Thursday were "very likely from Libya, our biggest headache right now". Following the fall of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, some intelligence experts estimated that as many as 10,000-15,000 man-portable air defense system (MANPAD) sets were looted from Libyan government stockpiles. Algerian security services have previously found hundreds of MANPADs near the Libyan border. Such weapons can bring down aircraft with surface-to-air missiles. Algeria has slowly emerged from a conflict with armed Islamists in the 1990s that left as many as 200,000 dead, and still sees occasional militant violence in parts of the country. It is considered a key Western ally in the fight against Islamist extremism in North Africa. (Reporting by Lamine Chikhi; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Andrew Roche)
Luanda (AFP) - Angola's iron-fisted ruler Jose Eduardo dos Santos, Africa's second-longest serving leader, on Friday said he would quit in 2018 after his current mandate ends, but experts were sceptical about his latest pledge to step down.

"I have taken the decision to quit political life in 2018," he told the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) party politburo in the capital Luanda.

It was the 73-year-old's third such announcement since he came to office in 1979. He has been in office just one month less than Africa's record-holder, Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

The president's tenure ends in late 2017, but he did not elaborate why he would leave the year after. Analysts suggest he may run for re-election, leaving only once he feels secure about the future.

In power for almost four decades as president, dos Santos has consolidated political power while his family has amassed a vast business empire.

He added another five years to his reign by taking a large victory in a disputed election in 2012, but since has faced growing discontent from the nation's youth.

Critics accuse dos Santos of overseeing corruption, misrule, arbitrary arrests and intimidation.

Paula Roque, expert researcher on Angola with the University of Oxford, believes that the announcement offers "no assurance that one of Africa longest heads of state will finally step down."

"What he is saying by announcing that he will step down in 2018 is that he will run in the next poll and then decide if the country is stable enough to step down," said Roque.

Dos Santos came to power in 1979, following the unexpected death from cancer of Angola's liberation president Agostinho Neto.

As head of the military, police and cabinet, the leader has an iron grip on all aspects of power in Africa's second biggest oil producer.

He names the senior judges and has MPLA allies in all public agencies, including the supposedly independent electoral commission.

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Analysts believe that Dos Santos could be grooming one of his children to succeed him, or will ensure that whoever succeeds him protects his family interests and will not go after him or his family for looting state coffers.

- Iron fisted rule -

Few publicly criticise him. Independent journalists who express their opinions risk criminal charges.

A group of youth activists are currently standing trial on charges of "rebellion" and attempting to carry out a "coup".

Dos Santos's lengthy term in office has been marked by tense relations between his MPLA party and war time rebels turned opposition, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).

UNITA has been significantly weakened since the killing of its founder Jonas Savimbi by MPLA forces in 2002. His death paved the way for a peace deal that brought an end to one of Africa's longest and bloodiest conflicts.

In 2014, UNITA voiced concern over what it called the deteriorating state of democracy under Dos Santos's rule.

"Dos Santos was never elected, he will leave a negative legacy, having led Angola to an alarming crisis," said Makuta Nkondo, a former UNITA opposition lawmaker.

Although he shuns the spotlight, the elderly leader's family has built up a vast business empire, with his daughter Isabel dos Santos ranked Africa's richest woman.

Despite the country's oil and diamond riches, the majority of the population live in abject poverty, with an enormous gap between the rich and poor.

The fall in oil prices has hit the economy, with the kwanza currency losing 35 percent if its value against the dollar this year.
By Herculano Coroado LUANDA (Reuters) - Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has been in power since 1979 and is one of Africa's longest-ruling leaders, said on Friday he intended to step down in 2018 but gave no reason for his decision and did not name a preferred successor. Angola, a member of OPEC and Africa's second largest oil exporter after Nigeria, has been hit hard by the slump in global crude prices. Oil export revenues account for more than 90 percent of foreign exchange revenues. "I took the decision to leave active political activity in 2018," Dos Santos, 73, said in a speech to members of his ruling MPLA party's key decision-making body. He did not elaborate. Angola holds its next parliamentary election in 2017 and the leader of the winning party will then become president. MPLA leader Dos Santos was re-appointed to a new five-year term as Angolan president in 2012 after his party won a landslide win. Some Luanda residents expressed surprise that Dos Santos had decided not to step down before the next election. "The elections are in 2017, not in 2018. He should quit before the elections in 2017," said Afonso Kangulo, 42, who is jobless and blamed the government for the weak economy. But Frank Francisco, 48, a public service worker, said: "If he were to quit before the election, maybe people would say he ran away because he would have lost." Weak oil prices have hammered Africa's third largest economy and the government is in discussions with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund about possible financial assistance. Dos Santos' mild, inscrutable public demeanor belies his tight control of Angola, a former Portuguese colony where he has overseen an oil-backed economic boom and the reconstruction of infrastructure devastated by a 27-year-long civil war that ended in 2002. Critics accuse him of mismanaging Angola's oil wealth and making an elite, mainly his family and political allies, vastly rich in a country ranked amongst the world's most corrupt. Dos Santos, a Soviet-educated former petroleum engineer, is Africa's second longest ruling leader after Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. DYNASTIC SUCCESSION? Vice-President Manuel Vicente - former head of state oil firm Sonangol - is seen as a likely successor to Dos Santos. "(Dos Santos) has been grooming Vicente for quite a while now ... He has deputized for him on a number of important occasions, which sent a strong signal," said Gary van Staden, a Johannesburg-based political analyst with NKC African Economics. But another analyst said the president was grooming his son, Jose Filomeno de Sousa dos Santos, to succeed him. The younger Dos Santos currently heads Angola's sovereign wealth fund. "It may mean the succession is in progress and that it will be a dynastic one," said Nelson Bonavena, an economics lecturer at the Catholic University of Angola and political analyst. Ricardo Soares de Oliveira, an Angola expert at Britain's Oxford University, struck a more cautious note. "Dos Santos' departure from power has been the talk of the town in Luanda for 15 years. He has always hinted that he wanted to leave but this is the most specific commitment he has ever made," he said. "The fact that he put a date to it is a powerful marker and would come back to haunt him if he were to renege on it." (Additional reporting by Zandi Shabalala and Ed Stoddard; Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Gareth Jones)
By Herculano Coroado LUANDA (Reuters) - Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has been in power since 1979 and is one of Africa's longest-ruling leaders, said on Friday he intended to step down in 2018 but gave no reason for his decision and did not name a preferred successor. Angola, a member of OPEC and Africa's second largest oil exporter after Nigeria, has been hit hard by the slump in global crude prices. Oil export revenues account for more than 90 percent of foreign exchange revenues. "I took the decision to leave active political activity in 2018," Dos Santos, 73, said in a speech to members of his ruling MPLA party's key decision-making body. He did not elaborate. Angola holds its next parliamentary election in 2017 and the leader of the winning party will then become president. MPLA leader Dos Santos was re-appointed to a new five-year term as Angolan president in 2012 after his party won a landslide win. Some Luanda residents expressed surprise that Dos Santos had decided not to step down before the next election. "The elections are in 2017, not in 2018. He should quit before the elections in 2017," said Afonso Kangulo, 42, who is jobless and blamed the government for the weak economy. But Frank Francisco, 48, a public service worker, said: "If he were to quit before the election, maybe people would say he ran away because he would have lost." Weak oil prices have hammered Africa's third largest economy and the government is in discussions with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund about possible financial assistance. Dos Santos' mild, inscrutable public demeanour belies his tight control of Angola, a former Portuguese colony where he has overseen an oil-backed economic boom and the reconstruction of infrastructure devastated by a 27-year-long civil war that ended in 2002. Critics accuse him of mismanaging Angola's oil wealth and making an elite, mainly his family and political allies, vastly rich in a country ranked amongst the world's most corrupt. Dos Santos, a Soviet-educated former petroleum engineer, is Africa's second longest ruling leader after Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. DYNASTIC SUCCESSION? Vice-President Manuel Vicente - former head of state oil firm Sonangol - is seen as a likely successor to Dos Santos. "(Dos Santos) has been grooming Vicente for quite a while now ... He has deputised for him on a number of important occasions, which sent a strong signal," said Gary van Staden, a Johannesburg-based political analyst with NKC African Economics. But another analyst said the president was grooming his son, Jose Filomeno de Sousa dos Santos, to succeed him. The younger Dos Santos currently heads Angola's sovereign wealth fund. "It may mean the succession is in progress and that it will be a dynastic one," said Nelson Bonavena, an economics lecturer at the Catholic University of Angola and political analyst. Ricardo Soares de Oliveira, an Angola expert at Britain's Oxford University, struck a more cautious note. "Dos Santos' departure from power has been the talk of the town in Luanda for 15 years. He has always hinted that he wanted to leave but this is the most specific commitment he has ever made," he said. "The fact that he put a date to it is a powerful marker and would come back to haunt him if he were to renege on it." (Additional reporting by Zandi Shabalala and Ed Stoddard; Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Corner deals, drive-by shootings, old-lady muggings at nightfall. In the movies, its always the urban street crawlers that end up being corralled into the paddy wagon and hauled to the Main Street slammer. But Hollywood needs a new plotline.

Over the past 45 years, incarceration rates have grown fastest in rural and suburban areas.

Vera Institute, a justice policy nonprofit with offices around the country, has found that small- and midsize counties, which operate the vast majority of the nations nearly 3,000 jails, have largely driven skyrocketing prisoner figures. Since 1970, the incarceration rate in small counties has jumped 6.9 times; in midsize counties that numbers 4.1. The largest counties have grown their jail populations 2.8 times. Overall, during those years, the land of the free has gone from housing 157,000 Americans in municipal jails to 690,000.

The Vera team, which says this is the first time anyone has parsed the data to compare prisoner population growth rates, says it was hoping for a better look at whats feeding our prison population. And that brings us to another thing thats wrong with all those Hollywood corner drug deals. Its not crime, which has been trending downward, driving this explosion. Its the jails themselves. Put this in the if-you-build-it-they-will-come category. As soon as a jail gets built, it gets filled up, says Chris Henrichson, who is the lead on Veras Incarceration Trends project.

Back in the 70s, most counties had roughly the same incarceration rates. While no one has any definitive answers as to why there has been disparate growth, there are a few guesses. Bigger counties have always had big, maxed-out jails, so when they needed more space, officials addressed pretrial and diversion policies (the majority of people in jail are awaiting trial), while smaller cell blocks simply expanded. As Kenneth Streit, a criminal justice law professor at the University of Wisconsin says, they got smarter. On the other hand, perhaps, the reason theres been an increase in jail populations in certain areas is that at one time there was a deficit of beds and theyre simply playing catch-up.

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incarceration 1000

Small counties with tighter budgets, particularly in the South, also rely more on fees, which if unpaid lands offenders back behind bars, setting in motion a vicious cycle. At the same time, while there are fewer arrests, if you are arrested, youre more likely to be booked and more likely to have your release set to monetary bail, says Henrichson. Some observers, such as University of Chicago economics professor Steven Levitt in his paper Understanding Why Crime Fell in the 1990s, have argued that the rising prison population is precisely why crime is down. Then some jails may be housing state prisoners. Streit points out that in Wisconsin about 12 to 15 medium-size counties built lockups between 1990 and 2005 with the intent to house inmates from state prisons that were bursting at the seams. In California, the court has legally required state prisons to address overcrowding, shifting more of the burden to the local level.

At this point, we all know about the prison-industrial complex and overcrowding and how incarceration doesnt do what we want it to. But we know less about how the populations ballooned to the point of America imprisoning more than any other nation, which may be a problem when it comes to reversing course. We see this data as starting a conversation, to get people asking questions, Henrichson says.

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By Dan Levine and Dustin Volz (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday said Apple Inc's rhetoric was "false" in a high-profile fight over the government's bid to unlock an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters. Last month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation obtained a court order requiring Apple to write new software and take other measures to disable passcode protection and allow access to shooter Rizwan Farook's iPhone. Apple has not complied. It said the government request would create a "back door" to phones that could be abused by criminals and governments, and that Congress has not given the Justice Department authority to make such a demand. The filing was the Justice Department's last chance to make its case ahead of a hearing set for March 22 in a Riverside, California federal court. The clash has intensified a long-running debate over how much law enforcement and intelligence officials should be able to monitor digital communications. In its brief, prosecutors noted that Apple has attacked the FBI investigation as "shoddy" and portrayed itself as "the primary guardian of Americans' privacy." Apple's rhetoric "is not only false, but also corrosive of the very institutions that are best able to safeguard our liberty and our rights: the courts, the Fourth Amendment, longstanding precedent and venerable laws, and the democratically elected branches of government," prosecutors added. The government said Apple "deliberately raised technological barriers" to prevent execution of a warrant. Apple has said the government's request would open the company to pressure from repressive regimes to provide similar assistance. But the Justice Department on Thursday questioned whether Apple is actually resisting such requests. "For example, according to Apple's own data, China demanded information from Apple regarding over 4,000 iPhones in the first half of 2015, and Apple produced data 74 percent of the time," prosecutors wrote. Apple General Counsel Bruce Sewell on Thursday said the brief reads "like an indictment" and called the claims about providing data to China a "smear" based on thinly sourced news reports. Sewell said it was insulting to suggest Apple deliberately set out to protect phones from warranted searches, saying its measures are intended to keep everyone safe from multiple threats. Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook has said he is willing to take the case to the Supreme Court. The FBI says Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, were inspired by Islamist militants when they shot and killed 14 people on Dec. 2 at a holiday party. The couple later died in a shootout with police and the FBI said it wants to read the data on Farook's work phone to investigate any links with militant groups. Tech industry leaders including Google, Facebook and Microsoft and more than two dozen other companies filed legal briefs last week supporting Apple. The Justice Department received support from law enforcement groups and six relatives of San Bernardino victims. The Justice Department has repeatedly attempted to frame the Apple case as one that is not about undermining encryption and that the court order narrowly targets a "non-encryption barrier" on one iPhone. Asking for decryption services "would not be novel, either," prosecutors argued on Thursday. They cited an 1807 case holding that a clerk working for Aaron Burr, then a former U.S. vice president, could be forced to decode a letter penned by Burr if doing so did not lead to self-incrimination. Prosecutors criticized claims by Apple that developing the new software code would be burdensome for the company. They noted Apple "grosses hundreds of billions of dollars a year" and would only need ask a handful of its 100,000 employees to work on the project for "perhaps as little as two weeks." The potential burden on Apple is a crucial test set out in a prior case, known as Mountain Bell, which held that a local phone company could be ordered to program the equipment in its facilities in order to trace calls in progress. That case should be binding precedent in the San Bernardino matter, prosecutors said. But an Apple lawyer on Thursday said the Mountain Bell case was far less demanding of that company than the present case would be of Apple. Earlier this week the government sought to overturn a ruling protecting Apple from unlocking an iPhone in a New York drug case which raises similar issues. A Brooklyn judge on Thursday gave Apple two weeks to respond to the government's bid. (Additional reporting by Joseph Menn in San Francisco and Julia Edwards in Washington)
London (AFP) - Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the leader of the world's Anglicans, said Friday that people were entitled to fear the impact of mass migration, in his first intervention in Britain's EU referendum debate.

As the European Union struggles to deal with the arrival of an influx of people fleeing war in Syria and upheaval across the Middle East, Asia and Africa, Welby said there was a "genuine fear" about the impact on housing, employment and public services.

"There is a tendency to say 'those people are racist', which is just outrageous, absolutely outrageous," he said in an interview with The House magazine.

"Fear is a valid emotion at a time of such colossal crisis. This is one of the greatest movements of people in human history. Just enormous. And to be anxious about that is very reasonable."

His comments were welcomed by campaigners pushing for Britain to leave the EU in the referendum on June 23, who argue that migration from within the bloc is a burden on communities that can only be lifted by a so-called Brexit.

However, the archbishop also said that local communities had "demonstrated an enormous capacity" to deal with migration, and argued that the current crisis needed an EU-wide solution.

"A problem of this scale can only be dealt with by a response on an equally grand scale right across Europe, and we have to play our part," he said.

Welby also warned that the Leave campaign must spell out what Britain would look like outside the EU -- an argument that Prime Minister David Cameron has made in his efforts to persuade voters to remain in the bloc.

"I don't think there is one correct Christian view, one way or the other," the archbishop said.

He added: "What would Britain look like, having left? What would be its attitude internationally? What would be its values? What are the points of excitement, of contributing to human flourishing? How does that liberate the best that is within us?

"And from those who want to stay, how would we change the European Union? How would we make it more effective if we remained in it? What's our vision?"

Welby said Britain was doing "extraordinary" work in the camps surrounding Syria and Iraq but repeated his criticism of its offer to resettle 20,000 refugees by 2020, saying Germany's efforts made this proposal seem "very thin".
Australia Friday warned of thousands of people ready to jump on asylum-seekers boats in Indonesia as it dismissed concerns in Jakarta over its controversial policy of turning back vessels.

Under Canberra's hardline immigration policies Australia intercepts boats, often from Indonesia, and forces them back to where they came from.

Those asylum-seekers who do arrive are denied resettlement in Australia, even if found to be genuine refugees, and are instead sent to detention camps in the tiny Pacific state of Nauru or Manus Island in Papua New Guinea.

In the latest boat turnback, an Indonesian official on Thursday revealed six Bangladeshi migrants caught entering Australian waters last week were returned to the eastern Indonesian city of Kupang.

The approach has caused bilateral tensions with Indonesia's foreign ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir saying Thursday: "We do not support such acts, especially when done on water. It could potentially be dangerous."

Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton insisted ties with Jakarta were good, while defending the policy, which the government says is necessary to prevent deaths at sea.

"We've got a good relationship with Indonesia and work closely with them," he said.

"Australia is very determined to make sure that we continue the success that we've had in relation to stopping the boats."

Boat arrivals have been halted since the current government put in place its tough policies, compared to at least 1,200 people dying trying to reach Australia by boat between 2008 and 2013 under the previous Labor administration.

Dutton said people should not be complacent now that the boats have been stopped, warning of thousands ready to make the trip if given the opportunity.

"People who think this problem has gone away need to look no further than what's going on in Europe at the moment and we know there are about 14,000 people who are in Indonesia ready to hop on boats now," he said.

"I don't want our detention centres to refill because we've been able to close 13 of the 17 centres and I've said continuously that I want to be the minister not only to make sure we keep the boats stopped but that gets kids out of detention and that number is down to less than 50."
An Australian court jailed a former boss of scandal-hit Chinese mining firm Hanlong for eight years Friday in a major insider trading prosecution.

Xiao Hui, also known as Steven Xiao, pleaded guilty last year after he was extradited from Hong Kong to Australia, from where he fled while on bail.

The three charges included one involving 102 illegal trades relating to planned investments in Australian-listed companies, Sundance Resources and Bannerman Resources, when Xiao was managing director of Hanlong.

Xiao was sentenced to eight years and three months behind bars by the New South Wales Supreme Court. With time served and a non-parole period he will be eligible for release from July 11, 2019 at the earliest.

"This sentence demonstrates the seriousness of insider trading," said Cathie Armour, the commissioner of financial regulator the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC).

"Maintaining confidence in the integrity of our financial markets is vital for everyone.... my message to anyone considering insider trading is this: 'ASIC will find you,'" she told reporters.

Armour said the overall value of the trades was approximately Aus$2.3 million (US$1.7 million), with a profit of Aus$1.7 million.

A former vice president of Hanlong, Zhu Bo Shi, also known as Calvin Zhu, was in 2013 sentenced to more than two years in prison as part of ASIC's investigation into the insider-trading allegations.

Hanlong, based in China's southwestern province of Sichuan, launched a takeover bid of Aus$1.3 billion for listed Australian iron ore firm Sundance in 2011. The deal collapsed in 2013 after the Chinese firm failed to follow through.

Hanlong's chief, Liu Han, was executed in China last year for "organising and leading a mafia-style group", murder and other crimes.
Vienna (AFP) - Budding Austrian judges and prosecutors will be required to take World War II history lessons, the justice ministry said Friday, after a controversial ruling sparked outrage among Holocaust survivors.

The scandal erupted in February when the prosecutor's office in the southern city of Graz decided to drop its case against a right-wing magazine, which had described detainees freed from the Mauthausen concentration camp in 1945 as "mass murderers" and "a plague".

In an article published last summer, Aula magazine wrote: "The fact that a significant number of liberated prisoners from Mauthausen wreaked havoc on the population is considered proven by the courts and only concentration camp fetishists contest this today".

Prosecutors in Graz launched an investigation for incitement of hatred, but unexpectedly announced last month that they would not pursue the case.

It was "understandable", they argued, that the release of several thousand people -- including potential "criminals" -- had posed a "nuisance" to locals.

The statement unleashed a storm of criticism, with the justice ministry calling the decision "incomprehensible".

As a result, new judges and prosecutors will now be required to complete a 20th-century history module as part of their training.

The course, which will heavily focus on Austria under the Nazi regime, will include a visit to the Mauthausen camp, where 200,000 people were incarcerated between 1938 and 1945.

Nearly half of them died -- through disease or being beaten, gassed, shot or worked to death in granite quarries and armament factories.
Johannesburg (AFP) - Barclays's plan to scale back its Africa operations is linked to global regulatory challenges, not unfavourable economic conditions on the continent, the bank's Africa chief executive has told AFP.

"We did not make this decision because of the economic cycle," Maria Ramos said in an interview in Johannesburg late Thursday.

"The regulatory environment has changed globally and it's more difficult for large banks to hold on to subsidiaries like ours," she said.

The British lender early this month announced that it will sell down its 62.3 percent interest in Barclays Africa to just 20 percent over the next two to three years, fuelling speculation over the decision.

"We are at the beginning of that process but since the announcement a week ago, there has been a lot of interest," said Ramos.

The lender said it would now focus on its two core markets, Britain and the US.

Barclays Africa Group Limited (BAGL) has insisted however that it remained committed to the continent, where it has a presence in 12 countries, with assets valued at $3 billion.

South Africa, the continent's most advanced economy, is Barclays Africa's major market.

The bank re-entered South Africa in 2005, after it acquired a 55.5 percent in one of the country's four largest banks, ABSA.

The acquisition marked its return to the market it left in 1986, at the height of apartheid.

The purchase was at the time the largest acquisition of a local bank by a foreign bank.

- 'We are not going' -

Ramos was upbeat about the state of the South African economy, which represents the majority of revenues for Barclays Africa.

"South Africa is still a significant economy of this continent, it's a large economy of this continent," she said, shrugging off suggestions that the country's slow economic growth might have contributed to the bank's exit.

"I remain exceedingly positive over the medium to long term. This economy has gone through many many things."

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"We see enormous potential on the African continent. We have a very strong franchise with very good results."

South Africa, which is lauded for its sound banking system, is experiencing poor growth. The economy is expected to grow less than one percent in 2016, mainly due to lower commodity prices, after 1.3 percent growth last year.

Ramos said the African subsidiary, which has as independent board of directors, would remain in South Africa, where the company is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

"Barclays has a long history in Africa, nearly a 100 years. We are not going," she said.

"We still see enormous potential in Africa and we have a strong franchise with good results."

But this month the giant lender revealed annual losses after tax of 394 million ($549 million, 505 million euros).

Ramos stated that the return on equity of the African subsidiary was halved due to the burden on the parent bank.

The bank also said it was looking into "suspected money laundering related to foreign exchange transactions in South African operation Absa Bank Limited".

In January, Barclays also announced plans to exit Russia.
Beijing defended itself Friday against criticism at the UN of its human rights record, saying it had made "remarkable progress" by following "a path with Chinese characteristics" on the issue.

The United States and 11 other countries took China to task at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, demanding it immediately release all detained activists and lawyers.

"We are concerned about China's deteriorating human rights record, notably the arrests and ongoing detention of rights activists, civil society leaders and lawyers," Keith Harper, the US ambassador to the body, said Thursday.

The criticism spurred an unusually fierce response from China's representative at the council, who fired back with blunt critiques of the US's human rights record.

"The US is notorious for prison abuse at Guantanamo prison, its gun violence is rampant, racism is its deep-rooted malaise," said Chinese diplomat Fu Cong on Thursday.

"The United States conducts large-scale extra-territorial eavesdropping, uses drones to attack other countries' innocent civilians, its troops on foreign soil commit rape and murder of local people. It conducts kidnapping overseas and uses black prisons."

Under President Xi Jinping, China's ruling Communist Party has tightened controls over civil society, detaining or interrogating more than 200 human rights lawyers and activists in what analysts have called one of the biggest crackdowns on dissent in years.

China defended itself again on Friday, with foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei saying that "no country is perfect" and accusing Washington of "seriously interfering with Chinas domestic affairs and judicial sovereignty".

Beijing protected the rights of its citizens "by combining principles of the universality of human rights with Chinas realities", Hong said. "We have found a path with Chinese characteristics and made remarkable achievements."

Harper's remarks echoed recent comments from UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, who also called for detained lawyers to be released.

China is currently in the spotlight over the disappearances of five Hong Kong booksellers who reappeared on the mainland, and the use of televised confessions from suspects, among a host of other issues.
Brussels (AFP) - A Belgian court on Friday threw out charges that could have seen the Church of Scientology banned as a "criminal enterprise", after a judge said the defendants were targeted because of their religion.

Eleven members of the celebrity-backed US-based church and two affiliated bodies had been charged with fraud, extortion, the illegal practice of medicine, running a criminal enterprise and violating the right to privacy.

"The entire proceedings are declared inadmissible for a serious and irremediable breach of the right to a fair trial," presiding judge Yves Regimont said at the Palace of Justice in Brussels.

He criticised the investigators involved in an 18-year probe into Scientology in Belgium for what he said was prejudice, and prosecutors for being vague in their case against the religion.

"The defendants were prosecuted primarily because they were Scientologists," the judge added.

The case was the subject of a seven-week trial that ended last December.

- 'Big relief' -

"It's a relief," Scientology's spokesman in Belgium, Eric Roux, told reporters outside the court.

"When you have had 20 years of your life under a pressure that you know is unfair, where one attacks your beliefs and not something you have done, the day when the court says it officially, it's a big relief," he added.

Defence lawyer Pascal Vanderveeren denounced the case as careless and prejudiced aimed at "attacking Scientology and not those who are part of it."

Marie Abadi, a former Scientology worshipper who has become a strong opponent, expected an appeal.

"We are evidently very disappointed. Either the facts are too old, or not precise enough. We are certain the prosecutor will appeal because things must budge."

Championed by superstar members such as Hollywood actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta, Scientology stirs up sharp divisions -- critics decry it as a cult and a scam, while supporters say it offers much-needed spiritual support in a fast-changing world.

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- Science-fiction writer -

Prosecutors had asked for the court to completely dissolve the Belgian branch of Scientology and the affiliated European Bureau for Human Rights, and for them to face a fine.

Scientology's defence team said the charges were nothing more than an attempt to blacken its reputation.

The Belgian authorities launched a first investigation in 1997 after several former Scientology members complained about its practices.

A second probe followed in 2008 when an employment agency charged that the church had made bogus job offers so as to draw in and recruit new members.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Church of Scientology was founded in 1954 by American science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard.

It is recognised as a religion in the United States and in other countries such as Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden, and claims a worldwide membership of 12 million.

But it has come under repeated scrutiny by authorities in several European countries, particularly in Germany.

Several German regions have mulled a ban on Scientology, while Berlin initially banned the cast of the Cruise Nazi-era movie "Valkyrie" from filming at historical locations but later relented.

A court in Spain in 2007 annulled a decision by the justice ministry to strike it from the country's register of officially recognised religions.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A Belgian court acquitted the Church of Scientology on Friday of charges of forming a criminal organization, and dismissed demands that it should close its Belgian branch and European headquarters. Prosecutors had accused the church's Belgian branch, its European headquarters and a number of church members of forming a criminal organization over alleged fraud, unlawful medical practice, extortion and invasion of privacy. They had called for it to be disbanded, along with prison terms for the members on trial. However, presiding judge Yves Regimont dismissed all the charges against the church, which says it has been unfairly hounded for years by Belgian authorities. "This was a religious case and nothing else. If you've said that you've said it all," Pascal Vanderveeren, lawyer for the church, told reporters after Friday's ruling. Scientology, dismissed as a manipulative cult by its critics, has fought a series of legal battles across the world to have itself recognized as a religion. The Belgian trial began in October 2015 after nearly 20 years of investigations, grouping together complaints from former members who sought to reclaim money from the church and the Brussels labor department, which said the scientologists had posted false job offers in the hope of finding new recruits. Security was particularly tight for Friday's verdict, with a heavy police presence and frisking of the public on entry to the courtroom, after demonstrators had threatened to disturb the sitting. (Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek; Writing by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Dominic Evans)
Just weeks after publicly confirming that terrorism suspects were spying on a senior nuclear official, the Belgian government announced it will take an unprecedented step towards strengthening security at the countrys sites that house potentially dangerous nuclear materials.

Historically, an unarmed private security force has guarded Belgiums seven reactors and two power stations. The arrangement has long sowed anxieties in Washington, where officials complained vigorously  but in private  that the absence of armed guards at these facilities left the Belgians nuclear and radioactive materials vulnerable to theft.

After discovering a video of the nuclear officials comings and goings during a late November raid on a suspected terrorists house, the Belgians altered their policy and decided to improve their security precautions, by creating a new quick response team for nuclear sites within their federal police force.

This story is part of Up in Arms. National security-related events, reports and findings that deserve more attention. Click here to read more stories in this series.

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But after some publicity about longstanding U.S. criticisms of the Belgians security practices, including a Center for Public Integrity article co-published with NBC and Foreign Policy magazine, the Belgian council of ministers decided to act more urgently, by ordering the posting of armed military personnel at the sites.

Jose de Pierpont, spokesman for the Belgian foreign minister, confirmed the deployment. He said it had been suggested by the International Atomic Energy Agency and requested by Electrabel, the utility that operates the reactor sites. He said it was also influenced by "the fact that several other countries apply similar protection measures" -- a point made repeatedly by U.S. experts and officials. He also confirmed media reports in Belgium pegging the number of soldiers being dispatched to the sites at 140.

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"The commitment of Belgian troops...is covered by a Protocol providing assistance of the military to the police forces if need arises," Belgian defense ministry spokesman Olivier Severin said."For obvious reasons, Belgian Defense will not comment on the nature of the threat."

Related story: A terrorist groups plot to create a radioactive dirty bomb

Earlier, the countrys interior minister had downplayed the risks that nuclear materials might be stolen. But the decision to deploy troops at the sites suggests that a different view prevailed.

Belgian regulators had speculated after the video was seized that terrorists might have intended to kidnap the nuclear official or members of his family in order to gain access to radioistopes at the research center where the official worked.

Such materials are commonly used in medical and industrial applications, but could serve as the core of a radioactive dirty bomb, which is far easier to produce than a nuclear weapon and can sow panic and cause economic losses. U.S. officials had worried about the absence of armed guards because security drills have shown that intruders can penetrate many nuclear sites rapidly, making it hard for off-site police to respond in time to keep such sensitive materials from being removed.

This story is part of Up in Arms. National security-related events, reports and findings that deserve more attention. Click here to read more stories in this series.

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Copyright 2016 The Center for Public Integrity. This story was published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C.
PALM BEACH, Florida (AP)  Former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson says he and Donald Trump have "buried the hatchet" after months of political wrangling, and he is endorsing the GOP front-runner's White House bid.

At a press conference in Palm Beach, Florida on Friday, Carson, who left the race earlier this month, described "two Donald Trumps"  the persona reflected on stage, and a private, "very cerebral" person who "considers things carefully."

In his introduction to Carson Friday, Trump described the retired neurosurgeon as a "special, special person  special man," and a "friend" who is respected by everyone.

Carson warned that it is "extremely dangerous" when political parties attempt to "thwart the will of the people," and urged politicians to "strengthen the nation," rather than create divisions.

Read More: Inside Hollywood's Quiet, Growing Support for Donald Trump
A child's birth date could play a role in determining which kids will be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and subsequently put on medication to treat it, a new study from Taiwan suggests.

The researchers found that preschool and school-age children who were born in August had an increased risk of being diagnosed with ADHD and receiving medication for it compared to their classmates who were born in September. But this finding did not hold true in teenagers, according to the study, published today (March 10) in The Journal of Pediatrics.

Because the cutoff birth date for entering school in Taiwan is August 31, children born in August are typically the youngest in their grades, while children born in September are typically the oldest.

A child's age relative to his or her classmates in the same grade may have a significant impact on the diagnosis of ADHD and the prescription of ADHD medications, said Dr. Mu-Hong Chen, the study's lead author and a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan.

In the study, the researchers gathered information from a health insurance database of about 380,000 schoolchildren in Taiwan ages 4 to 17. They evaluated the prevalence of children diagnosed with ADHD by birth month, and took a look at those who were prescribed medication as treatment over a period of 14 school years.

Because of the cutoff dates in Taiwan, children within the same grade may be almost one year apart in age, Chen said. Students with birth dates just before the school cutoff date are much younger and less mature than their classmates born at other times of the year, particularly those born in the first month of the school year, he explained. [Typical Toddler Behavior, or ADHD? 10 Ways to Tell]

ADHD or immaturity?

Previous research on ADHD in the United States and Canada has suggested that age within a grade can make a difference in a child's risk of being diagnosed with and receiving medication for ADHD. The evidence from this new study in Taiwan showed findings that are similar to the results seen in Western countries, Chen told Live Science.

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In the new study, preschool and school-age children born in August were 1.65 times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD and 1.73 times more likely to be put on medication, compared to boys and girls born in September. Chen said that children with August birthdates are often the youngest in the grade, and they have less neurocognitive maturity than their classmates born in September.

Children whose brains are not yet as mature as other kids' in the same grade are more likely to have some inattention, impulsive and hyperactive symptoms that can affect their academic performance, Chen said. The students' behavior in class can make it more likely that they will be referred to a doctor for an evaluation, and this increases their risk of being diagnosed and treated for ADHD, he suggested.

Chen said he was not surprised that the study did not find that teenagers born in August were more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than teens born in September.

Relative age within a grade may have more of an impact on younger children than on adolescents, because as age and maturity levels increase during the teenage years, the difference in neurocognitive development within a grade may decrease, he said.

These findings emphasize how important it is for doctors to consider the age of a child within a grade level when they are diagnosing and prescribing medication for ADHD, Chen said. Not doing so could lead to overdiagnosing ADHD and overprescribing medication, he said.

Parents should also keep in mind the possible role of their children's age within a grade when it comes to their academic performance and behavior in school, Chen said.

Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Live Science.

Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Turco (Bolivia) (AFP) - Danish chef Kamilla Seidler is carefully preparing steak tartare at Gustu, an upscale restaurant in the Bolivian capital La Paz.

But instead of the usual beef, she is making it with llama meat, a traditional favorite in Bolivia that is gaining new status as producers hail it as a healthier alternative.

"Before it was considered the poor people's meat, but now it's the most expensive in the country," the 32-year-old chef told AFP.

The caper-dotted tartare she is making costs 75 bolivianos (about $11) at Gustu, which opened three years ago to much fanfare and an article in Food & Wine magazine entitled "Is Gustu the World's Best New Restaurant?"

Thousands of kilometers away, llama herder German Churqui is thrilled at this new appetite for his product.

"Llama meat is good so we are hopeful the price will keep going up. Llama meat can be a good competitor" to other red meats, said the 45-year-old father of four, who keeps a herd of 150 llamas high in the Andes mountains, in the western district of Turco.

The llama, a long-necked pack animal known for its wool, has also long been a food source for indigenous people in Bolivia, a poor, landlocked country better known for its rugged high mountains than its haute cuisine.

"Our ancestors consumed llama meat and traded it for wheat, barley, corn and coca," said Demetrio Luna of the Bolivian rural development ministry, which has launched a campaign to promote llama meat.

Several years ago, llama meat began popping up on high-end restaurant menus in the region, for example as a carpaccio served with quinoa and parmesan.

It has gotten a new boost from the World Health Organization's publication of a report last October finding that processed meat causes cancer and red meat "probably" does too.

Llama is a red meat, but Bolivia insists it is healthier than beef.

"Llama meat contains a high level of low-fat protein and generates low levels of cholesterol," the ministry of rural development said in a 2013 report.

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- 'Healthier than beef' -

Most of the 5,200 people who live in Turco depend on llamas to survive.

Churqui says one llama brings in around $150. He sells between 20 and 40 of them a year, his sole source of income.

"That's what allows us to live," he said.

Llamas are found across the Andes region, in Ecuador, Chile, Peru and Argentina, but Bolivia is responsible for 60 percent of llama meat production, with 2.8 million animals.

In the western city of Oruro, Maria had just bought 16 kilos (35 pounds) of llama meat for around $50 at the "Las Americas" market.

"I'm going to make roast llama. It's nutritional and healthier than beef," said the housewife.

But Bolivia is still a long way from being able to export llama meat, according to Jose Luis Rios, an agricultural technician in Oruro who said the entire production chain needs to be modernized to meet international standards, "from herd management, to feed, to animal health and genetic improvements."
By Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) - BP Plc <BP.L> does not have to face U.S. lawsuits by energy and drilling companies over losses they suffered from an offshore drilling ban imposed soon after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, a federal judge ruled.

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in New Orleans agreed with BP that federal law absolved the British oil company from liability for the Obama administration's decision to halt drilling and impose a moratorium on permits for new wells.

The decision issued late on Thursday removes one of BP's last legal overhangs from the April 20, 2010 blowout of its Macondo well and the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, a disaster that killed 11 workers.

BP has incurred $55.5 billion of costs for the spill, according to a March 4 regulatory filing by the company.

Barbier agreed with BP that the company's liability was limited to economic losses from the spill itself, despite there being "no doubt" that the permit moratorium would not have been imposed had the spill not happened.

The judge found no sign that Congress meant to hold companies such as BP "liable for the financial consequences of subsequent government actions aimed at preventing similar tragedies," Barbier wrote.

It took more than a year for permit approvals to return to pre-spill levels.

Steve Herman, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, did not immediately respond on Friday to requests for comment. BP spokesman Geoff Morrell declined to comment.

BP still faces a class-action lawsuit by investors claiming that their American depositary shares lost value after the company initially concealed the spill's severity.

A trial is scheduled for July 5 in Houston, court records show. The case is In re: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig "Deepwater Horizon" in the Gulf of Mexico, on April 20, 2010, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, No. 10-md-02179.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
By Alonso Soto and Maria Carolina Marcello BRASILIA (Reuters) - The Brazilian military will not interfere in a deepening political crisis that threatens leftist President Dilma Rousseff, Defense Minister Aldo Rebelo told Reuters in an interview. Rebelo, a senior member of the country's Communist Party, dismissed media reports that the military is growing anxious about the prospect of social unrest amid growing opposition calls for Rousseff's removal. "The armed forces have no interest in being a protagonist in domestic politics," Rebelo said late on Thursday. "The solution to the political problem lies within political institutions." The brief detention last week of Rousseff's political mentor and predecessor, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, as part of a corruption probe at state-run oil company Petrobras has revived calls for her impeachment in Congress. The sweeping investigation has ensnared dozens of top politicians from the ruling coalition, further hurting Rousseff's popularity, which was already near record lows due to a crippling recession. Since Brazil returned to democracy in 1985, the military has had little influence over local politics. The South American nation was scarred by a U.S.-backed military dictatorship that tortured and imprisoned hundreds of dissidents after it overthrew left-wing President Joao Goulart in 1964. Rousseff, herself a former Marxist militant who was jailed and tortured by the regime in the 1970s, has said she will not resign and has blamed her opponents for stoking the economic crisis. State prosecutors' request on Thursday for the arrest of Lula in another case has raised tensions ahead of anti-government demonstrations called for Sunday. Rebelo denied that state governors have called for military reinforcements to avoid clashes between pro- and anti-government supporters on Sunday. He said he does not expect demonstrations to turn violent. "I don't know if that aggressive language we see in the social media will make its way to the streets," Rebelo said. "I don't believe this (demonstration) will go beyond what we have seen in the past." After initially drawing millions to the streets the peaceful demonstrations calling for Rousseff's impeachment lost momentum late last year. Organizers expect Sunday's rallies to again lure millions of Brazilians. (Additional reporting by Daniel Flynn; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
By Brad Haynes and Eduardo Simoes SAO PAULO (Reuters) - State prosecutors in Brazil are seeking the arrest of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on charges of money laundering and identity fraud for concealing ownership of a beachfront apartment, his foundation said on Thursday. The effort to arrest the former president raised the stakes dramatically in a crisis threatening to topple his successor, President Dilma Rousseff, and was likely to further polarize protests on Sunday calling for her impeachment. Lula's foundation called the motion to arrest the president "more proof of the partiality" of Sao Paulo state prosecutor Cassio Conserino. The motion requires the approval of a judge, which is highly unlikely, according to a presidential aide who asked not to be named given the sensitivity of the case. Conserino declined to comment on possible arrests in a news conference regarding the charges earlier in the day, and court officials did not comment on the news. Newspaper O Globo quoted court documents in which prosecutors argued that Lula should be jailed preventatively because he could "summon his violent network of supporters to keep the criminal process from proceeding." Last week federal police brought Lula in for questioning in a separate investigation, setting off isolated skirmishes in the streets between supporters and critics of the former president as the graft probe inflamed political tensions. Earlier on Thursday, Conserino told reporters that two dozen witnesses said Lula was the owner of a luxury condo in the city of Guaruja, using their testimony as proof that he profited from real estate projects financed by a state bankers' cooperative. Lula has disavowed ownership of the apartment and denied any wrongdoing. His attorney has asked the Supreme Court to decide if the case is under the jurisdiction of state prosecutors or the separate federal probe tackling graft at state-run oil company Petrobras. That two-year-old federal investigation has already rocked Brazil's political and business establishment with high-profile arrests and convictions, while deepening the worst recession in decades in Latin America's biggest economy. The investigations now threaten to tarnish the legacy of Brazil's most powerful politician, whose humble roots and anti-poverty programs made him a folk hero, by putting a spotlight on how members of his left-leaning Workers' Party consolidated wealth and power since he rose to the presidency 13 years ago. LOSING ALLIES The scandal has also hurt political support for Rousseff, who is struggling to pass fiscal reforms in Congress and fight impeachment for allegedly breaking budgetary rules. The next setback may come on Saturday, when Rousseff's biggest ally in Congress, the fractious center-right Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, is expected to distance itself from her increasingly unpopular government. The head of the governing Workers' Party, Rui Falcao, told journalists in Brasilia that there were no grounds to arrest Lula and he was confident a judge would not grant a warrant. Asked if the former president could join the current government as a minister, as some members of Rousseff's cabinet have suggested, Falcao said the decision was up to Lula. If appointed, Lula could only be tried in the Supreme Court, placing him out of the reach of the state and federal probes. Lula's lawyer, Cristiano Zanin Martins, compared the effort to arrest him to measures taken by Brazil's military government decades ago to suppress political expression with imprisonment. He dismissed the idea that the former president had ever owned the apartment. "The owner of a property is the person listed in the registry. It doesn't matter who some people think it belongs to," Martins said in a telephone interview. Martins reiterated the former president's account that his family had invested in the real estate project, visited the unfinished apartment and then asked for their money back rather than receiving property. (Reporting by Brad Haynes and Eduardo Simoes; Additional reporting by Natalia Scalzaretto and Lisandra Paraguassu; Editing by Andrew Hay)
By Stephen Eisenhammer CAMPINA GRANDE, Brazil (Reuters) - Ianka Barbosa was 7 months pregnant when she found out her child had microcephaly. Before the baby was even born, the father had gone. Barbosa, 18, blames the break-up on her baby's abnormally small head and brain damage that doctors link to the Zika virus she contracted during pregnancy. "I think, for him, it was my fault the baby has microcephaly," said Barbosa, wearing a blue dress and cradling tiny two-week old Sophia in a cramped bare brick house where she now lives with her parents in Brazil's northeast. "When I most needed his help, he left me." The house, which overlooks a polluted stream on the edge of a poor neighborhood, is now home to a family of nine. Only Barbosa's father has a job doing occasional building work. Her ex-partner, Thersio, says he does not see Sophia, but avoids discussing microcephaly and blames Barbosa's parents for the break-up. "I gave her the choice, are you your parents' woman or mine ... And she chose her parents." Single parents are common in Brazil where some studies show as many as 1 in 3 children from poor families grow up without their biological father, but doctors on the frontline of the Zika outbreak say they are concerned about how many mothers of babies with microcephaly are being abandoned. With the health service already under strain, abortion prohibited, and the virus hitting the poorest hardest, an absent father is yet another burden on mothers already struggling to cope with raising a child that might never walk or talk. At a specialized microcephaly clinic in Campina Grande, psychologist Jacqueline Loureiro works with mothers to help them cope with stress and trauma. Of the 41 women she counsels, she says only 10 receive adequate financial or emotional support from their partners. "At first many of the women say they have a partner, but as you get to know them better you realize the father is never around and the baby and mother have effectively been abandoned," Loureiro said. Loureiro blames Brazil's macho culture, which she says is particularly strong in the northeast. Gender roles are strictly defined and women still tend to care for the baby and look after the household. The added burden of having a child with microcephaly strains this dynamic, says Loureiro, and often the man ends up leaving or refusing to help. SPECIAL NEEDS AND DIVORCE Much remains unknown about Zika, including whether it actually causes microcephaly in babies. Brazil said it has confirmed 745 cases of microcephaly since October, and considers most of them related to Zika infections in the mothers. It is investigating another 4,230 cases of suspected microcephaly. Until the World Health Organization declared Zika a global health emergency last month, there was little interest in microcephaly and no data for its toll on parents. But studies into children with other special needs shows it substantially increases the chance of marital breakdown. Jennifer Lewis, who runs the U.S. based Microcephaly Foundation and has a 12-year-old daughter with the condition, is not surprised fathers in northeast Brazil are abandoning partners and children. Her charity has a network of around 5,000 families and she says the majority are single mothers. "I see single mothers all the time, where the fathers have left, the fathers have got scared. I even see married couples where the father has pretty much nothing to do with the child," she said in a phone interview from Phoenix, Arizona. Campina Grande's health secretary, Luzia Pinto, told Reuters the city is planning to provide housing for mothers and children with microcephaly through a government housing program in order to help with the crisis. She also ensured a psychologist was hired at the clinic to offer support. NO HELP FOR FATHERS Few Brazilian jobs give enough flexibility for parents to better share the responsibility of looking after a child with special needs. This is made even more difficult as parents must often travel for hours to visit the few specialized clinics operating in Brazil. At the clinic in Campina Grande, 20-year-old Rogerio dos Santos is one of only two fathers present. Standing in the whitewashed corridor, he says he's shocked by the tales of fathers abandoning their children but says it has been hard to get time off at the gas station where he works. For fathers like dos Santos, the support network in Brazil is lacking. Whereas the clinic runs a support group for the mothers, there is no specific help offered for fathers. "There is a certain amount of fatalism about fathers leaving, unfortunately," said Gary Barker, who promotes gender equality though ProMundo, an organization he founded in Rio de Janeiro 19 years ago and which now works in four countries. For Barker, the health sector needs to offer support specifically for men. "There needs to be an understanding that a baby being born with microcephaly is an event that is going to increase the chance the father's not going to stick around and he's going to need some extra hand holding," he said. In the small town of Algodao de Jandaira, an hour from Campina Grande, Josemary da Silva pours a cold bath to relieve her son Gilberto from the relentless heat. The five-month-old baby with microcephaly stops crying briefly as he is washed in a pale blue plastic tub. The father, after whom Gilberto is named, first saw his son one month after he was born and has rarely visited since. Two months ago he stopped contributing the $30 a month he had paid to help da Silva care for the child. "He says he loves him. But what kind of love is this," she says as Gilberto starts to cry again. (Additional reporting by Ricardo Moraes; Editing by Kieran Murray)
LONDON (Reuters) - British fears about immigration should be addressed and those voters who are concerned should not be branded racist, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said in an interview published on Friday. Immigration is one of the biggest worries for British voters ahead of a June 23 referendum on whether Britain should remain in the European Union or leave. EU rules on freedom of movement mean citizens are free to live and work anywhere in the 28-nation bloc. Data shows net migration to Britain from other EU countries rose 9 percent in the year to September 2015. Welby, spiritual head of the Anglican Communion which has 85 million members in 165 countries, said he accepted the debate around refugees and migrants was deeply divisive but that voter concerns about the impact on communities were legitimate. "There is a tendency to say 'those people are racist', which is just outrageous, absolutely outrageous," he told Parliament's The House magazine in an interview. "There is a genuine fear: what happens about housing? What happens about jobs? What happens about access to health services? It is really important that that fear is listened to and addressed." British Prime Minister David Cameron has negotiated a deal to curb some welfare payments to EU migrants which he says addresses public concern about the level of immigration. Critics say the deal will do nothing to reduce immigration. While the Vatican has made clear its opposition to a British exit from the European Union, Welby said there was no correct Christian view on the matter. "I don't think there is one correct Christian view," said Welby, whose Church of England is the country's state church with Queen Elizabeth as its titular head. But he said the debate so far about EU membership had been dominated by fear and had not answered the big questions about Britain's future role in the world. "My hope and prayer is that we have a really visionary debate about what our country looks like. From those who want to leave - what would it look like? What would Britain look like, having left?" Welby said. "What would be its values?" "And from those who want to stay - how would we change the European Union? How would we make it more effective if we remained in it? What's our vision?" (Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Gareth Jones)
The slow and, at times, hesitating movement toward democracy in Burma, otherwise known as Myanmar, has had some encouraging news lately.

In November, free elections were held for the first time in 25 years. Voters handed an overwhelming win to the National League for Democracy party (NLD), which is led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the democracy advocate and Nobel Peace Prizewinner, who was previously imprisoned by the military junta that has ruled the country for five decades. And last month, hundreds of lawmakers were formally sworn into parliament and allowed to form a government and pick the president.

This week, however, the momentum hit a snag. After failing to convince the military to change a provision in the constitution that forbids anyone with a foreign spouse or children to become president (Suu Kyis late husband was British, as are her two sons), the NLD was forced to nominate another party member, Htin Kyaw, to stand for candidacy. Suu Kyi, who has spent 15 of the past 21 years under house arrest, is the most visible and popular politician in the country.

Recommended: The Disappointment of Barack Obama

In announcing the nomination of Kyaw, a party loyalist and former political prisoner, it was emphasized that he would essentially be serving as a proxy for Suu Kyi.

She will hold the post handling three institutions: the government, the Parliament and the party, said a member of NLDs executive committee, adding that, If there was once the senior general in the country, she will be the senior president.

Following the news, Suu Kyi, wrote a note to her supporters to apologize for not fully fulfilling the people's desire to have her become president. As Reuters notes, Kyaw still must be formally vetted by a panel that includes members of the military in order to stand for office. The presidential vote will held next week.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
By Chris Arsenault TORONTO (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Construction of a major dam in northern Canada is moving full steam ahead after some work was halted by an occupation by indigenous activists angry about its impact on land rights, its builders say. At a cost of more than $8 billion, the hydro electric dam project in northwest British Columbia province will flood more than 5,000 hectares of land, the equivalent of about 5,000 rugby fields. Local farmers and indigenous people who have lived and hunted in the area for generations say their traditional lands will be inundated to provide power to far-away urban centers. "This is our home. We use this land," Helen Knott, an indigenous activist told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, adding, "Rivers are the arteries of Mother Earth. When you block those, the planet is going to get sick." Knott and other campaigners dismantled a protest camp at the construction site this month following a court injunction. Their protest lasted about two months, halting construction on part of the project. Supporters of the dam known as Site C, which include businesses and government, say it will generate clean energy and economic growth and flood sparsely populated land in the vast hinterland. "This project is expected to create about 10,000 construction jobs and about 33,000 direct and indirect jobs," said Dave Conway, spokesman for B.C. Hydro, the government-linked company behind the project, earlier this month. "Protesters left the site peacefully, and work has resumed," he said. The dam should begin producing electricity in 2024, Conway said. Much of the current work involves building labor camps for workers and clearing the land. Four separate court cases challenging aspects of the project are making their way through Canadian courts, and more protests are planned, opponents said. The project conflicts with long-standing treaties between indigenous people in the region and the Canadian government, a spokesman for Amnesty International said. Northern British Columbia is already a major site of natural gas extraction and other resource projects, and the dam could leave indigenous groups unable to hunt on the land, Amnesty said. The land they use is being chipped away, said Amnesty's spokesman Craig Benjamin. "Year after year, project after project, little pieces have been taken away until there is almost nothing left," he said. (Reporting by Chris Arsenault, Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking and climate change. Visit http:// news.trust.org)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday vowed to work with whomever replaces President Barack Obama when his term ends in January following the U.S. presidential election in November. "The relationship, the friendship between our two countries goes far beyond any two individuals or any ideology. I have tremendous confidence in the American people and look forward to working with whomever they chose to send to this White House later this year," said Trudeau, speaking at a White House press conference alongside Obama, a Democrat. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner, Jeff Mason and David Ljunggren; Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by James Dalgleish)
Wellington (AFP) - Traditional Hawaiian garments gifted to Captain James Cook before he was killed in the islands more than two centuries ago were handed back to indigenous people of the US Pacific state Friday at a ceremony in Wellington.

Described as "priceless" by New Zealand's national museum Te Papa, the mahiole (feathered helmet) and 'ahu 'ula (feathered cloak) were given to Cook in 1779 during the famous British explorer's last voyage.

Such items were normally reserved for royalty -- with the feathers of 20,000 birds needed for the cloak alone -- a mark of Hawaiian chief Kalani'opu'u's esteem for Cook.

Te Papa said they came to New Zealand via a circuitous route, passing through the hands of various British collectors before they were bequeathed to Wellington's Dominion Museum in 1912.

Talks about returning them to Hawaii began in 2013, culminating in an agreement to give them to Honolulu's Bishop Museum, technically on a long-term loan of at least 10 years.

New Zealand has actively pursued the permanent return of its own indigenous artefacts -- such as mummified Maori heads -- from museums around the world.

The handover took place at a ceremony at Te Papa featuring Hawaiian and New Zealand Maori indigenous rituals.

"I'm grateful to witness the return of these cultural heirlooms... it is a cause for celebration and it will be a source of inspiration, reflection and discussion," Kamana'opono Crabbe from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs said.

Cook was on a voyage seeking the fabled Northwest Passage and decided to spend the winter in Hawaii, according to an account in the State Library of New South Wales.

When his expedition first arrived in Kealakekua Bay it was greeted warmly and Kalani'opu'u gave Cook the royal garments.

But tensions soon arose and Cook was killed in a skirmish with the islanders on February 14, 1779.
By Gram Slattery SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile's Senate passed most parts of a controversial labor reform bill on Thursday night, but struck down one key provision in a sign of hardening divisions within the ruling coalition. President Michelle Bachelet has pledged to reform labor relations and give unions more of a say as part of her agenda to tackle deep inequality in Chile, the top copper exporter. But the reform has put considerable strain on her governing Nueva Mayoria bloc, which takes in communists to centrist Christian Democrats. Many senators in the latter have joined business leaders and the right-wing opposition in fighting against some aspects of the bill. Of the three most disputed parts of the reforms, two provisions were passed by the Senate after being watered down by Christian Democrats and other centrists. One will allow unions rather than companies to distribute benefits resulting from collective bargaining agreements, and the other will restrict the replacement of striking workers. A third provision, which would have required employers to negotiate with workers that unite across companies, was struck down as four Christian Democratic senators rebelled. Though the bill was modified, its passage in the Senate, where it had been stuck since October amid fractious negotiations, is a significant step forward. It is now expected to face a constitutional challenge by the opposition and will likely need to be reconciled with a version of the bill that passed the lower house. Both processes could be messy and will take weeks, if not months, analysts said. Conservative members of the increasingly fractured Christian Democrats have said they want to use the opportunity to make provisions more employer-friendly, while left-wingers have pledged to try to reinstall more worker-friendly provisions that were scrapped in Senate negotiations. "From what I've seen of the government's modifications, I don't think the lower house will accept the changes," said Josue Vega, a lawyer for Chile's largest labor union. Excessive delays, analysts have warned, could cause the already-unpopular Bachelet to lose bargaining power at a time when she is trying to push through other reforms, including an overhaul of the constitution and a rewrite of its strict abortion laws. "The worse thing that could happen for Bachelet is losing the support of the parties," said political analyst Kenneth Bunker. "That brings about a scenario where she lacks the legitimacy to pass other programs." (Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Jeffrey Benkoe)
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's violence-prone western region of Xinjiang needs to make more efforts at development in its ethnic Uighur heartland to ensure young people there have "something to do and money to earn", Premier Li Keqiang told its top officials. The government says it faces a serious threat from Islamist militants and separatists in energy-rich Xinjiang, which sits strategically on the borders of Central Asia and where hundreds have died in violence in recent years. However, exiles and rights groups say China has never presented convincing evidence of the existence of a cohesive militant group fighting the government, and much of the unrest can be traced back to frustration at controls over the culture and religion of the Muslim Uighur people who live in Xinjiang. Speaking to Xinjiang delegates to China's annual meeting of parliament, including the region's Communist Party chief and governor, Li said Xinjiang occupied an "especially important strategic position", the official Xinjiang Daily said on Friday. "Xinjiang's development and stability ... have bearing on national and ethnic unity and national security," Li said, adding he thought Xinjiang was "generally stable" at present. Turning to the topic of the heavily Uighur southern part of Xinjiang, where much of the unrest has occurred in recent years, Li said companies which "suit actual local conditions and are good for the environment" needed to be "guided" to set up there. "Let the people, especially the young, have something to do and money to earn," he said. Recognizing the economic roots of some of the violence and frustration of many young Uighurs at missing out on China's economic boom, Beijing has increased its focus on southern Xinjiang, pumping in money and encouraging development. China's fourth-ranked leader, Yu Zhengsheng, called southern Xinjiang the "main battle ground in the anti-separatist struggle" during a visit last September. Li said education was also an important part of development and stability. "You must pay attention to education work, especially in southern Xinjiang, send educators to southern Xinjiang, nurture well the next generation." He did not elaborate, but China has been enforcing in Xinjiang more teaching in Mandarin, the national tongue, rather than the Uighur's own Turkic language, hoping to better integrate Uighurs into the Chinese society. Some Uighurs have seen that as another way for China to repress their culture. China strongly denies any repression or human rights abuses in Xinjiang. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish police fired tear gas to disperse a demonstration on Friday in honour of a teenager whose death two years ago helped mobilise opposition to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Police and far-left activists armed with rocks and petrol bombs clashed in the Istanbul district of Okmeydani, where Berkin Elvan hailed from, according to an AFP photographer at the scene.

After 269 days in a coma Elvan died aged 15 at an Istanbul hospital on March 11, 2014, after being hit in the head by a tear gas canister fired by police as mass anti-government protests swept Istanbul in June 2013.

His story gripped the nation and became a symbol of the heavy-handed tactics used by police to rein in the biggest protests that Erdogan had faced since coming to power in 2003.

When he died, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Turkey's major cities to protest against Erdogan.

Friday's demonstration saw around 200 people gather with Elvan's family at the cemetery where he was buried to demand the truth about his death.
Bogota (AFP) - Colombia dismantled an international money laundering network with the arrest of 13 suspects, including five flight attendants, prosecutors said.

"Among the 13 arrested people are five (Avianca Airlines) flight attendants and eight individuals who were engaged in transporting to Colombia dollars and euros illegally obtained from Spain, the United States, Mexico and elsewhere," prosecutors said in a statement.

The detainees will be tried for money laundering, illicit enrichment and criminal conspiracy.

The network was believed to be linked to drug trafficking because some of the detainees have connections to members of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel, Deputy Attorney General Jorge Fernando Perdomo said.

"The bills were carried on bodies or in suitcases with double bottoms," he told a news conference.

The arrests took place within the framework of an international joint investigation including the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, the Spanish military police force the Guardia Civil, Mexican and Colombian police forces and Avianca.

The investigation, which began a year ago, has resulted in 58 arrests on similar grounds, prosecutors said.

The latest targeted network laundered $5.4 million and 1.2 million euros ($1.3 million), the deputy prosecutor said.
San Jose (AFP) - Costa Rica's president on Friday saw off one of the last planes carrying departing Cuban migrants, resolving a three-month period in which nearly 8,000 US-bound Cubans were stranded in his country.

"You are going full of dreams, but have also gone through very tough situations," President Luis Guillermo Solis told the Cubans before they boarded their flight in San Jose to Mexico.

The Cubans' passage through Central America had been blocked since mid-November, when Nicaragua -- a Cuban ally -- barred them from entering its territory.

That forced Costa Rica to negotiate "air bridges" over Nicaragua to El Salvador and Mexico that, from January, started flying out some of the 7,800 Cubans who piled up on its territory with no easy path north.

Panama, which was also forced to host around 2,000 Cubans when Costa Rica in turn closed its border to new arrivals, has also organized flights for them to Mexico.

Unlike other Latin American migrants, Cubans get relatively easy access to the United States when they cross a land border. A Cold War-era law puts them on a fast-track to American residency.

The number of Cubans aiming for the US has spiked over the past year, with many fearing that a thaw in US-Cuban relations underway will eventually end America's open-door policy for them.

According to official figures, 7,802 Cubans were given temporary visas for Costa Rica since mid-November.

Of them, 4,350 took the flights that they were required to pay for themselves, at a cost of between $555 and $790 each.

Another 3,450 were believed to have used "coyotes" -- people smugglers -- to clandestinely get them through Nicaragua and other Central American nations. The coyotes demanded around $1,000 each, according to a report in the newspaper La Nacion.

"People-trafficking is a tragedy for all of humanity," Solis told reporters at San Jose's airport.

"It's a dreadful business, more lucrative than drug-trafficking," he said.

He said that a small number of Cubans were still in Costa Rica and unable to make the journey north for different reasons.

But he said the "hard work" of supporting them and getting most of them out had been concluded satisfactorily.
Havana (AFP) - They have lived through dictatorship, the Cuban Revolution, the Missile Crisis, the Cold War, the near-starvation of the "special period" and rapprochement with the United States.

Now, many of Cuba's senior citizens are alone, left behind by an exodus of younger generations that has given the country a rapidly aging population.

"I'm 88 years old. My son doesn't send me anything. At first he sent a little money, but I don't even hear from him now," said Leocadia Aguila, whose son Valentin, a martial arts expert, left two years ago for the United States.

Leaning on her cane, the brown-skinned, white-haired former hospital janitor said she was scraping by with the help of the Catholic Church, which supplements her tiny pension from the state.

The average retiree in Cuba gets a pension of $10 a month.

To help impoverished seniors, the Church runs a charity called the "Grandparents' House" in Havana, where aging Cubans gather to talk, share their hardships, watch TV and play dominoes.

"My 'brothers' here are the only family I have," said 93-year-old Raimundo Aleman, who arrives at the center every morning at dawn to help out in the kitchen.

The retired delivery-truck driver's only close relatives are his three children in the US.

Politics drove the first major wave of Cuban migrants to the United States, after Fidel Castro's band of rebels overthrew dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

More recently, it is the communist island's economic woes that have sent younger Cubans abroad.

Cuba is doing better than during the economic crisis in the 1990s provoked by the collapse of the Soviet Union, its main benefactor -- the so-called "special period."

The economy grew a respectable four percent last year.

But tentative economic reforms by Castro's successor, his 84-year-old younger brother Raul, have so far failed to deliver the hoped-for results. This year, the government is forecasting just two-percent growth.

Story continues

And the thaw with long-time enemy the United States has only accelerated the Cuban exodus.

Last year, 43,000 Cubans entered the US, a new record.

The restoration of US-Cuban ties after more than half a century of enmity has raised fears on the island that Washington will soon change its preferential policies on Cuban immigrants, which fast-track them for permanent residency.

- Loneliness and poverty -

"Today, emigration mainly involves the relatively young, from 20 to 45 years old," said demographer Alina Alonso.

Often, those who reach the US then bring over family members, but senior citizens are frequently left behind.

Today, 12.6 percent of Cuban households consist of just one person, a retiree.

The government runs some 150 retirement homes, but they tend to be overcrowded and poorly maintained.

Many would rather scrape by on their meager pensions and the money they get from the Church, which receives state funding and foreign donations to assist the elderly.

"They take good care of me here," said Maria Angelica Vidal, a 72-year-old former English teacher with a son in Haiti and grandson in the US.

At the Grandparents' House, she gets food, clothing, medical care and most importantly, affection.

Cuba, where nearly 20 percent of the populace is over 60, is on track to have the oldest population in Latin America by 2030. It is currently second only to Uruguay.
People complain about daylight saving time, approaching Sunday at 2 a.m. Eastern, because they lose an hour of sleep. But a recent study found the change in time can also pose serious health risks.

The study, published to the American Academy of Neurology on Feb. 29, found that DST may be associated with a higher risk of an ischemic stroke  a clot blocking blood flow to the brain.

"Previous studies have shown that disruptions in a person's circadian rhythm, also called an internal body clock, increase the risk of ischemic stroke, so we wanted to find out if daylight saving time was putting people at risk," the study's author, Dr. Jori Ruuskanen of the University of Turku in Turku, Finland, .

The research found that the rate of ischemic stroke in Finland was 8% higher within the two days following DST  but the rates lowered once those two days passed, suggesting it had something to do with the transition.

Another eyebrow-raising result of the study was that people with cancer were 25% more likely to have a stroke during DST compared to other time periods, and those over 65 years old were 20% more likely to have a stroke.

"Further studies must now be done to better understand the relationship between these transitions and stroke risk and to find out if there are ways to reduce that risk," Ruuskanen said.

"Stroke risk is highest in the morning hours," Ruuskanen told CNN. "

Ruuskanen stressed that the data show correlation, not causation: "However, we did not know whether stroke risk is affected by DST transitions. What is common in these situations is the disturbed sleep cycle, while the immediate mechanisms for the increased risk are unknown at the moment."

Story continues

Past studies have shown a correlation between DST and increased health risks as well. A 2014 study at the University of Michigan showed a 24% increase in those admitted to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium's database for heart attacks during weeks following DST in the spring, but a 21% decrease in the weeks following fall DST (when we gain back the hour of sleep).

Similarly, a 2012 study at the University of Alabama at Birmingham showed a 10% increase in heart attacks following DST. But, again, the rate decreased by 10% after DST in the fall  so DST hasn't been shown to affect the overall rate of heart attacks.

Correction: March 11, 2016



A previous version of this article misidentified an ischemic stroke as a blood clot in the brain. An ischemic stroke is a clot that blocks the flow of blood to the brain.
About a quarter way into Jeffrey Goldbergs intimate profile of President Obama, Goldberg mentions German Chancellor Angela Merkel: one of the few foreign leaders Obama respects.

Thirty-five years ago, The Atlantic ran one of the most famous interviews in the history of journalism: Bill Greiders The Education of David Stockman. Goldbergs interviews deserve to become equally famous, perhaps under the heading: The Disappointment of Barack Obama. For the dominant theme of these interviews is that we, all of us, have grievously let down the president.

Obama, concludes Goldberg, has found world leadership wanting: global partners who often lack the vision and the will to spend political capital in pursuit of broad, progressive goals, and adversaries who are not, in his mind, as rational as he is. The good news is that these inadequate partners and purblind adversaries will soon suffer their comeuppance: What they dont understand is that history is bending in his direction.

The trouble is that this historical consummation seems to be rather slow in arriving. Across Europe and the Middle East, old friends and new worry that under President Obama the United States has lost its bearings and its will. I think I believe in American power more than Obama does, Goldberg quotes the King of Jordan as sayingand he is not alone. Obama is obviously aware of the growing level of concern that he has set the United States adrift. The president insists that the United States, not its geopolitical rivals, continues to set the agenda for G20 meetings. When it comes to clerical tasks, the U.S.A. apparently remains No. 1. And to those impatient with the gaps in his leadership, Obama replies with scorn: Theyre mad at him? No! Hes the one whos mad at them!

In Goldbergs telling: By 2013, Obamas resentments were well developed. He resented military leaders who believed they could fix any problem if the commander in chief would simply give them what they wanted, and he resented the foreign-policy think-tank complex that many in the White House see as doing the bidding of ... Arab and pro-Israel funders. Obama has had not much patience for [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and other Middle Eastern leaders who question his understanding of the region.

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And when his understanding proved wrong, that only confirmed Obamas disdain for everybody else. Early on, Obama had pulsed with excitement over the so-called Arab Spring. But there too, as Goldberg observes, the president grew disillusioned as brutality and dysfunction overwhelmed the Middle Easta development that apparently caught the president entirely by surprise. Now, Obama wistfully says, All I need in the Middle East is a few smart autocrats. Smart here is shorthand for conforming to Obamas wishes. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has certainly ruled autocratically. Yet Obama is vexed, reports Goldberg, that Erdogan refuses to use his enormous army to bring stability to Syria.

Obama seems to feel gathering disdain too for both sides of the Arab-Israeli dispute. On the one hand, Obama appears annoyed that Muslims worldwide did not heed his advice to more closely examine the roots of their unhappiness. On the other hand, According to [former Defense Secretary] Leon Panetta, [Obama] has questioned why the U.S. should maintain Israels so-called qualitative military edge.

Obama wistfully says, All I need in the Middle East is a few smart autocrats. Smart here is shorthand for conforming to Obamas wishes.

This may all seem a roundabout way of arguing, Its not my fault! Goldberg records only one major self-criticism by the president: Obama admits he does not make sufficient allowances for how unreasonable other people are. In the presidents words: Every president has strengths and weaknesses. And there is no doubt that there are times when I have not been attentive enough to feelings and emotions and politics in communicating what were doing and how were doing it.

Thus, for example, now that the war in Libya has left chaos in its wake, Obama blames himself for not anticipating other peoples shortcomings. When I go back and I ask myself what went wrong, theres room for criticism, because I had more faith in the Europeans, given Libyas proximity, being invested in the follow-up. British Prime Minister David Cameron stopped paying attention to Libya, Obama said, instead becoming distracted by a range of other things. Then-French President Nicolas Sarkozy behaved even worse. Sarkozy wanted to trumpet the flights he was taking in the air campaign, despite the fact that we had wiped out all the air defenses and essentially set up the entire infrastructure [for the war].

The Libyans likewise disappointed Obama. The degree of tribal division in Libya was greater than our analysts had expected. So, having overthrown Libyan strongman Muammar al-Qaddafi, and plunged into civil war a country only a short boat ride away from southern Italy, the president sorrowfully disengaged. There is no way we should commit to governing the Middle East and North Africa.

Yet the Middle East and North Africa were not so easily kept at bay. In 2013, 2014, and 2015, a vast surge of migrants and asylum-seekers sought entry into Europe from across the Mediterraneanand tried, in smaller numbers, to reach the United States too. When voters reacted negatively to Obamas plan to resettle Syrians in the United States, the president was stunned.

The president insists America sets the agenda for G20 meetings. When it comes to clerical tasks, the U.S.A. apparently remains No. 1.

The president seemed similarly stunned by the anxiety that last Novembers Paris attacks provoked in the United States. Everyone back home had lost their minds, an official tells Goldberg. Later, in Goldbergs words, the president would say that he had failed to fully appreciate the fear many Americans were experiencing. Even after he appreciated it, he apparently still could not respect it. The sort of panic, in Goldbergs words, that Obama worries about most is the type that would manifest itself in anti-Muslim xenophobia or in a challenge to American openness. Such xenophobia Obama regards as a much greater danger to the United States than terrorism.

Politics is a realm of paradox. The Obama foreign policy is especially rich in them. A president who professes multilateralism has left the countrys alliances in disarray. A president who justly criticized his predecessor for poor postwar planning in Iraq launched his own war in Libya with no postwar plan at all. A president who rejects religious extremism and authoritarianism has built his Middle East policy on visions of cooperation with extremist and authoritarian Iran. A president who sought to teach America the wisdom of humility never learned that lesson himself.

Of all the paradoxes, maybe the most important will be this: A president who came to office so deeply uneasy about American leadership hasover almost eight years of not providing itreminded the rest of the world why that leadership is so badly needed.

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Santo Domingo (AFP) - A judge in the Dominican Republic on Thursday denied bail to a Frenchman suspected in a cocaine smuggling case known as "Air Cocaine."

Christophe Naudin was remanded into custody for three months, with Magistrate Alejandro Vargas saying he poses a flight risk following his extradition from Egypt last week.

"We have no option but to order his detention for three months," Vargas said.

The case involves a failed attempt to smuggle 680 kilos (1,500 pounds) of cocaine in a private jet bound for France.

Naudin is suspected of helping the two French pilots, who were first arrested in the Dominican Republic in 2013, flee to France.

"To know techniques for others to flee, obviously you have to master the techniques of evasion," Vargas said.

The prosecutor had asked that Naudin -- who faces 10 to 15 years in prison if convicted -- be remanded for a year.

The Caribbean nation accuses Naudin -- a 53-year-old criminologist and aviation security expert who was arrested in Cairo on February 4 -- of helping pilots Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos flee to France in October after they had been sentenced to 20 years in prison for drug trafficking.

The pair, who maintain their innocence, were arrested in March 2013 as they were about to depart from Punta Cana in a private jet found to be carrying the massive load of cocaine.

Convicted of drug trafficking in August, they were released pending appeal but barred from leaving the Dominican Republic.

They somehow managed to flee and return to France -- an escape that Dominican prosecutors allege Naudin facilitated.

Fauret and Odos were rearrested in November near the French city of Lyon.

On February 11, an appeals court in the Dominican Republic upheld the 20-year prison sentences for the two pilots, though Paris has ruled out extraditing them.
As I highlighted in my last article, the guru investor Warren Buffett predicted that oil producing countries had to sit down for negotiations. And recently, Buffett has been adding oil and gas stocks positions. As at the time of writing, Crude Oil Brents price has increased  from less than US$27 to hover around or above US$39 dollars per barrel. Thanks to the oil price rebound, stock markets over the world are also recovering. Straits Times Index too saw a rebound from a bottom in the past two weeks.

Banking Sector is Still the Most Lucrative

Observing listed Singapore companies in 2015, I noted that banking is still the most lucrative industry. Development Bank of Singapore (DBS) even posted a surprising 10 percent growth in profits. Years ago when DBS offered a high price to acquire Dao Heng Bank, commentaries were saying it was overpriced. As of today, however, DBS is making handsome profits in Hong Kong. We can perhaps conclude that mergers and acquisitions should focus on long-term returns.

Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC), which ventured into the Hong Kong market and acquired Wing Hang Bank Limited reported profits higher than those of United Overseas Bank (UOB). Among the three major Singapore banks, UOB has always been the one with the smallest scale, which was once rumoured to be an acquisition choice. As we observed along the way, UOB should perhaps explore markets outside Singapore, and venture into Hong Kong, another international financial hub in the region.

Downward Pressure Still Lingering in the Market

For quite a while I have not been upbeat about the stock markets, and Ive advised investors not to buy and invest into the lows. Investors should always remember that lower levels are still not the lowest yet. On the other side of the coin, it does not mean you should timid out and sell all shares at a very low price level.

Stock markets are all about this  what goes up will come down; what comes down will go up. As long as the particular region has a bright future economically, the stock markets in that region will definitely be looking up in the future.

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The 1973-74 stock market crash was a devastating experience. And thankfully, Singapore and Hong Kong have never experienced such a crash ever since.

Many investors were reportedly rushed to psychiatric wards back then, when Hong Kongs Hang Seng Index plummeted from over 1,700 points in 1973 to 150 points in 1974.

The point is  if you are patient enough, you would have witnessed Hang Sengs recovery of 120 times from the 1974-level. It is also believed that property prices in Hong Kong did not surge that much since 1974. In other words, when it comes to investment, the ultimate winners are always those with the strongest mental strength.

Compared to the higher level last year, the Hong Kong stock market has decreased over 30 percent. The downtrend in Singapores stock market only showed a slight rebound after a 20 percent fall. The downward pressure is still lingering, and the stock markets might slump again at any given time.

National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and National Peoples Congress (NPC) hold annual meetings. In the past few years, the share markets saw speculative activities before the meetings. And this year, Chinas A-shares reported a sharp decline one week before the opening of CPPCC. This was why most analysts and stock commentators toned down the impact of CPPCC and NPC meetings for this year.

The NPC meeting started on March 5, during which Chinese premier Li Keqiang announced his governmental annual work report. The key point is that in this year the Chinese government decides to print and spend more money to spur economic development.

Due to slower growth, China has to print money and increase governmental expenditure to stimulate the economy. Therefore, we should be more optimistic about A-shares.

Developments in China

What are the areas where governmental expenditure would focus on? It is perhaps quite well-balanced  from infrastructure environmental protection, affordable housing, social safety net to healthcare services.

Stock investors usually pay more attention to the infrastructure sector, which is expected to spend one trillion and 650 billion yuan on roads, while railway construction has been allocated some 800 billion yuan. If we take other infrastructure expenditure into account, the total is perhaps reaching the scale of four-trillion for infrastructure, a policy introduced by former premier Wen Jiabao in 2008.

During Premier Lis report, he did not mention the earlier-proposed reform of initial public offerings (IPO). The suggestion of an IPO reform worried A-shares investors. Now that it is not mentioned by Li, the proposed reform is perhaps halted.

The Chinese stock markets are still immature, excessive reforms will only result in consequences similar to the circuit-breaker scenarios.

To allow Chinas economy to grow at 6.5 per cent or above annually, Lis governmental work report proposed expansion of money supply and higher budget deficit. This is a dual-effort from the perspectives of monetary and fiscal policies to boost growth. From a stock markets point of view, this is good news.

Before the NPC meeting, stock markets have shown speculative activities for several days, and posted an uptrend. Perhaps due to a lack of confidence in the long-term trend, investors are reaping short-term and tiny profits.

As a result, on March 7  the first trading day after Lis announcement of work report  A-shares showed a modest surge.

Take a Closer Look at Stock Surge

Shanghai Index Composite was up 0.81 percent on March 7, whereas the Shenzhen Stock Exchange reported a better performance of 1.75 percent. ChiNext board of Shenzhen reported an even higher increase of 2.43 percent. But this does not mean ChiNext is showing some good signs; it is just that ChiNext  a board for start-ups  is usually reporting more volatile fluctuations.

There are still some expectations though. Lis report mentioned that Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connect is expected to be launched this year. The proposed stock connect is expected to stimulate Shenzhens stock market  particularly ChiNext, as well as small stocks of Hong Kong. Smaller-scale investors in Hong Kong are therefore keeping a low profile and waiting for another opportunity to reap profits in the market when Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connect comes into the picture.

An expansion of fiscal deficit is expected to increase investment in infrastructure and environmental protection, and these two sectors responded with strong rebound in share prices, with some stocks surging over 30 per cent. We should take note that the previous plunge was so serious  in the sense that todays 30 per cent rebound is not actually regaining much of what was lost and a further rebound might come into play.

Other than expanding money supply and government expenditure, reformation on the supply side  which means survival for the fittest  is also a crucial policy. Companies that are good enough to be listed  particularly those national corporations listed on H-shares  should be kept in the big picture. Those smaller companies that are still unfit to be listed should be kept unlisted. Also, resources and property stocks related to national corporations should be maintained as well.

Chinas Credit Rating Might Be Downgraded if Economic Reform Fails

Moodys has downgraded Chinas credit outlook from stable to negative. It also warned that if China fails in its economic reforms, Chinas credit rating would be downgraded.

The three major credit rating agencies  all hailed from the United States of America  dominated credit ratings of the modern world.

Observing lessons from the European debt crisis several years ago, these American credit rating agencies are doing what they should be doing  at the right timing  to protect U.S. interests.

In the aftermath of the financial crisis in 2009, United States printed an excessive amount of bank notes  which caused a depreciation in the U.S. dollar. Against such backdrop, some countries opined that instead of keeping the U.S. dollar as major foreign reserve currency, they should perhaps reserve more Euros.

The rise of Euros meant that America should give it some setback. The story continued with three major credit agencies kicking off a downgrade exercise.

Initially, it was Greece, a Euro-zone member state which saw its credit rating being downgraded to junk. This was why the Greek government failed to issue new bonds to raise funds to pay off governments fiscal deficit.

Subsequent downgrade exercises marred Italy and Spain and Portugal, which unveiled the so-called European debt crisis, that all started with the downgrading of a countrys credit rating.
An EasyJet flight was moments from taking off when a passenger glanced out of his window and noticed a spanner in the wing.

The plane, which had already taxied down the runway, was about to depart on a flight from Geneva to Copenhagen.

The passenger, known only as Christophe, alerted the pilot and the flight was halted.

The 25-year-old from Switzerland said: I realised straight away that what I was seeing was not normal.



There was a spanner attached to the wing.

An hour later the flight set off for Denmark after being given the all clear.

An EasyJet spokesman said: The captain returned to the planes departure point and a spanner was discovered.

We have opened an inquiry and the authorities have been informed.

An aviation expert told Switzerlands 20 Minutes online news website that if the spanner had fallen on the runway, it could have been hit by the next aircraft.

It could have caused serious structural damage, just like with the Concorde crash in Paris, the said.

If it had stayed attached to the plane, the pilot would have realised when he retracted the flaps about 400 metres from the ground, and been forced to make an emergency landing.

Related video:
Today in One Paragraph

The Republican presidential candidates will debate tonight in Miami at 8:30. Senator Mike Lee endorsed Ted Cruz. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the White House, where he and President Obama committed to curbing methane emissions. The Senate passed a broad bill addressing drug addiction. Several media organizations said they obtained information on thousands of potential ISIS recruits. And Pittsburgh police have confirmed that five people were killed in Wednesdays brutal shooting in a Pittsburgh suburb.

Top News

Debates on Debates. Democrats are giving the floor to Republicans who will take the debate stage in Miami at 8:30 p.m. ET in an event hosted by Univision and The Washington Times. Its one of the last chances the candidates have to make their pitch before Tuesdays nominating contests in Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, Missouri, and Ohio. Were following it live here. (The Atlantic)

Recommended: The Obama Doctrine

Cruz Gets His First Senate Endorsement. A day after Carly Fiorina endorsed Ted Cruz, Utah Senator Mike Lee said hes backing him, too, becoming the first sitting senator to do so. Lee said his support would be sending the signal that its time to unite behind Cruz. (McKay Coppins and Rosie Gray, BuzzFeed)

Trudeau, Obama Pledge to Combat Climate. Canadas Prime Minister and President Obama met at the White Housethe first official visit by a Canadian leader in nearly two decades and announced new commitments to reduce methane emissions. In a statement, the two vowed that Canada and the U.S. would play a leadership role internationally in the low carbon global economy over the coming decades. (Camila Domonoske, NPR)

Germany in Possession of ISIS Names. German authorities believe that a list of names of potential ISIS recruits is authentic. The list, which was obtained by several media organizations, contains the names, phone numbers, and hometowns of 22,000 fighters from more than 50 countries. (David Rising, The Associated Press)

Story continues

Big and Significant. The Senate overwhelmingly passed a broad drug treatment bill in response to an increase in opioid-related crime and addiction across the country. The bill is the largest of its kind in nearly 10 years and will allocate more funds to addiction treatment, prevention, and drug monitoring programs. (Jennifer Steinhauer, The New York Times)

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Pittsburgh Officers Confirm Shooting Victims. Five people died and two more were critically injured after two gunmen opened fire at a cookout outside of Pittsburgh on Wednesday, according to Allegheny County police. District Attorney Stephen Zappala said the murders were planned, calculated, brutal. (Doug Stanglin and Carolyn McAtee Cerbin, USA Today)

Tomorrow in One Paragraph. Bernie Sanders is campaigning in Illinois and North Carolina. John Kasich will be in Ohio. Ted Cruz, joined by Carly Fiorina, will be appearing on the Sean Hannity Show Townhall in Florida. Donald Trump will be rallying voters in St. Louis and Chicago. And the family of Nancy Reagan will hold a private funeral service for the former first lady at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Follow stories throughout the day with our new Politics & Policy page. And keep on top of the campaign with our 2016 Distilled election dashboard.

Top Read

To a remarkable degree, he is willing to question why Americas enemies are its enemies, or why some of its friends are its friends. He overthrew half a century of bipartisan consensus in order to reestablish ties with Cuba. He questioned why the U.S. should avoid sending its forces into Pakistan to kill al-Qaeda leaders, and he privately questions why Pakistan should be considered an ally of the U.S. at all. The Atlantics Jeffrey Goldberg speaks candidly with President Obama on foreign policy.

Top Lines

Guns and the Social Fabric. Missouri is set to become the most recent state to allow guns in college classrooms, prompting questions about whether guns change the way people interact with each other. (Jonathan Metzl, The New Republic)

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Inside Trumps Inner Circle. The Washington Posts Ben Terris details the moment Donald Trumps campaign manager yanked a reporter out of the way following Trumps speech on Tuesday night. Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks called the accusation entirely false. But just how far will his staffers go?

Top Views

The Obama Doctrine. The Atlantics Andrew McGill collected some of the most poignant quotes from Jeffrey Goldbergs conversation with the president on foreign policyand compiled them in an interactive format here.

A Presidential Meet Cute. Here are 11 photos documenting the blossoming friendship between President Obama and Canadas new prime minister, Justin Trudeau. ( Aaron Blake, Kayla Epstein, and Ryan Carey-Mahoney, The Washington Post)

We want to hear from you! Were reimagining what The Edge can be, and would love to receive your complaints, compliments, and suggestions. Tell us what youd like to find in your inbox by sending a message to newsletters@theatlantic.com.

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Cairo (AFP) - A run-in with customs at Cairo airport has left Grammy Award winning rock musician Bryan Adams annoyed, after a border agent scrawled a number on the Canadian's prize guitar in paint marker.

Adams, who was in Cairo for a concert at the Giza Pyramids on March 8, posted a picture of the vintage Martin acoustic guitar on his Instagram account.

A number and an illegible word in Arabic had been scrawled in green ink on the guitar's mahogany side.

"Airport customs graffiti on my 1957 Martin D-18 from Egypt. Back to the luthier #bryanadamsgetup," Adam's wrote on Instagram, referring to his latest album Get Up!.

Adams, best known for his hits "18 Till I Die," "(Everything I Do) I Do it For You," and "Please Forgive Me", said his problems with customs had begun on his arrival at Cairo airport.

"We almost didn't get the equipment into the country, and when we did it was all marked like this," he told AFP in a Facebook message on Friday.

"There were absolutely no apologies."

A customs official at the airport told AFP that instruments are marked with serial numbers, although usually with stickers.

Regarding the ink, he suggested: "Maybe it wasn't us?", although the script was Arabic.

Egyptian wits took to Twitter to mock the incident.

"Doesn't Adams know that we glued together Tutankhamun with super glue? It's normal that we write something on a 60 year old guitar," one wrote, referring to a botched repair of the priceless Tutankhamun funerary mask in Cairo's museum.

The Oscar-nominated musician said he would still return to Egypt to perform.

"I have no grudges," he told AFP.

"Rest assured, apart from this incident, I love Egypt and look forward to returning again one day."

"But without the green paint markers please."

It is not the first time that someone has scrawled numbers on one of Adams' guitars.

In 2015, he complained on Twitter that Air Canada had taken a marker to his guitar, scrawling a serial number in black ink.
Havana (AFP) - The European Union and Cuba signed a deal to normalize relations, including an agreement on the delicate issue of human rights -- a breakthrough just ahead of US President Barack Obama's historic visit to the island.

The agreement, the culmination of nearly two years of negotiations, is a further step toward ending the communist country's status as a pariah in the West.

It comes just as Obama prepares to put a capstone on the rapprochement he and Cuban President Raul Castro announced in December 2014, setting aside more than half a century of animosity rooted in the Cold War.

"This is a historic step in our relationship," said EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini at a signing ceremony in Havana.

"The agreement marks the beginning of a new era in our bilateral relations," she added, before heading to a meeting with Castro.

Cuba was previously the only country in Latin America without an international cooperation deal with the 28-member bloc.

The EU slapped sanctions on Cuba and suspended cooperation in 2003 over a crackdown on journalists and activists, and had since 1996 officially used its foreign policy to encourage human rights advances in the country.

That so-called "common position" was vehemently rejected by Cuba as interference in its domestic affairs.

"This accord marks the end of the common position," Mogherini said.

The European Parliament must still ratify the deal for it to take effect.

The text of the so-called "political dialogue" agreement has not been published.

The two sides said in a statement that it set the stage for relations based on "respect, reciprocity and shared interests."

The EU had said it was seeking a more constructive approach to engage Havana and persuade Castro's government to sign a series of international human rights treaties.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said the deal was the result of "a dynamic process that was not without complexity."

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- 'Credibility' for Cuba -

The agreement is a win-win deal, according to political analyst Joaquin Roy of the University of Miami.

"Cuba gains in credibility and the EU casts off a weight because it never really gained anything with the 'common position,'" he told AFP.

The EU and Cuba began talks on restoring ties in April 2014, and had already reached a deal on trade.

They moved to accelerate the process after Cuba and the United States announced their historic rapprochement and then renewed diplomatic relations in July.

Some EU countries had warned against losing out to the United States.

Spain, which counts Cuba as a key trade partner, urged fellow members to "give EU businesses the chance to compete with American companies" on the island.

Many EU members continued to maintain bilateral relations with Havana despite the rupture in ties with the bloc. Their trade with Cuba has made the EU the island's second-largest trade partner after Venezuela, with 2.6 billion euros in trade in 2013.

The United States, despite reopening its embassy in Havana, has yet to lift its trade and financial embargo on Cuba.

Obama has repeatedly urged Congress to end the more than 50-year-old policy, but his Republican opponents, who control both chambers of Congress, accuse him of betraying the cause of human rights in Cuba by engaging with the Castro regime.

Obama will visit Cuba from March 20 to 22 -- the first visit by a US president since 1928, and a symbolically charged coda on his decision to restore ties.

EU negotiator Christian Leffler said the bloc had not rushed to finish the deal before Obama's trip.

"We're very happy we could do it now," he told AFP, saying the fact the deal came just before Obama's visit was a "coincidence."
By Gabriela Baczynska and Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union aims to rehouse thousands of asylum-seekers from Greece in the coming months, officials said on Thursday as EU ministers wrestled with concerns about the legality of a new plan to force migrants back to Turkey. Dimitris Avramopoulos, the member of the executive European Commission who handles migration, told reporters at a meeting of national interior ministers that at least 6,000 people a month should be relocated to other member states under a scheme which has moved only about 900 hundred people so far. Avramopoulos noted a recent acceleration in relocations under the system which has divided EU governments as some refuse to take in refugees, most of whom are from Syria and Iraq, though he acknowledged the target was ambitious. Some 35,000 people have been stranded in Greece since Austria and states on the route to Germany began closing borders, barring access to migrants hoping to follow more than a million who reached northern Europe last year. EU officials said that blockage appeared to have made more asylum seekers ask for relocation rather than try to make their own way northward. Chancellor Angela Merkel, under electoral pressure at home after opening Germany's doors to a million Syrians, has pressed EU partners to share the load. But few are keen and critics say many of those rehoused elsewhere will head for Germany anyway. On Monday, Merkel pushed EU leaders to pencil a surprise deal she brokered with Ankara to halt the flow to Greece by returning to Turkey anyone arriving on the Greeks islands. But legal details are still being worked out for an EU summit next week and many governments are still skeptical of the scheme. The top United Nations human rights official said it could mean illegal "collective and arbitrary expulsions". EU ministers also voiced unease at the price of Ankara's cooperation, notably an accelerated process to ease visa rules for Turks by June and revive negotiations on Turkey's distant EU membership hopes. "I ask myself if the EU is throwing its values overboard," said Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner, whose government has led a push to seal off Greece from the north as an alternative to relying on Turkey to stop migrants leaving. She noted the seizure of an opposition newspaper in Turkey three days before it presented EU leaders with the draft deal, under which Europeans will take one Syrian direct from Turkey for every compatriot who is detained and sent back from Greece. "SAFE" COUNTRY? Human rights concerns also pose problems for EU lawyers trying to tie up the package by the March 17-18 summit, notably because to despatch people at speed back to Turkey relies on an assessment that Turkey is a "safe" country for them to be in. An EU definition of such a state includes a reference to the Geneva Convention on refugees, to which Turkey does not fully comply, leaving legal experts in Brussels hunting a solution. "It will be very difficult to arrive at something legally sound and implementable before the summit," an EU official said. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said that Greece and Turkey might have to pass new legislation. The conundrum highlights how far the EU is willing to go to win Turkey's help on the crisis, which poses security risks and plays into the hands of right-wing populists in the bloc. Asked about how much force might be used to deport people who have risked their lives and spent large sums to reach Europe, Avramopoulos said there could be "no push-back methods". Klaas Dijkhoff, the Dutch minister who chaired the meeting, said the mix of expulsion and legal resettlement should deter smuggling and help Turkey: "We have to show that it doesn't pay to use a trafficker and come to Europe in an illegal way and we have to show Turkey we are not leaving them with all the work." But ministers also discussed a need to prepare for people turning to other routes, including by sea to Italy from Albania or Libya. The death rate last year on the route to Italy from North Africa, based on data from the International Organization for Migration, was nearly one in 20, compared with less than one in 1,000 between Turkey and Greece. Nonetheless, three Afghan children, one an infant of six months, were among five people drowned off Lesbos on Thursday as people continue to risk the trip before a Turkey-EU deal bites. EU officials acknowledge that deterring people who have shown such desperation to reach Europe will be difficult - and deporting them back to Turkey will be tough: "I don't know how to do it," said one. "It could get very ugly." (Additional reporting by Tom Koerkemeier; Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Alastair Macdonald and Dominic Evans)
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission will revisit the issue of whether Poland's government is respecting the rule of law in April, after studying the opinion of the Venice Commission due to be delivered on Friday, a Commission spokesman said. The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe provides legal advice to its members to help them bring their laws and institutions into line with European standards. Poland asked the Venice Commission in December for an opinion on the changes it introduced to its Constitutional Tribunal. A leaked draft opinion of the Venice Commission showed it strongly criticized the changes. Separately the European Commission has opened a process to monitor the rule of law in Poland which could end up in Warsaw having its vote in the European Union suspended. "Once the Venice Commission adopts its opinion, the European Commision will study it and will take it into account when it will revisit the issue after Easter on the basis of the recommendation of the First Vice President Frans Timmermans," Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas told a regular news briefing. (Reporting By Jan Strupczewski; editing by Philip Blenkinsop)
By Ilaria Polleschi and Wiktor Szary VENICE/WARSAW (Reuters) - A pan-European rights body accused Poland's conservative government on Friday of undermining democracy by crippling its top court, a move that could put Warsaw on a collision course with the European Union. While the opinion of the rights body is non-binding, it will carry weight at the EU Commission, which has begun a process to monitor the rule of law in Poland that could end up in Warsaw being suspended from voting in the European Union. The Commission said it would review the rights body's opinion in April. After sweeping to power last October, Poland's eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS) party enacted a law increasing the number of judges at the constitutional court required to make rulings and changing the order in which cases are heard. The court itself has said the new rules are illegal, effectively putting the changes in limbo. "A high attendance quorum, the requirement of a two-thirds majority for adopting judgments and a strict rule making it impossible to deal with urgent cases, notably in their combined effect, would have made the (constitutional court) ineffective," the advisory panel to the Council of Europe, a rights body, said in a statement. "Therefore, these amendments would have endangered not only the rule of law but also the functioning of the democratic system," said the panel, called the Venice Commission. A Polish government official said after the Venice Commission adopted its findings that Warsaw would respect its views but gave no details on what Poland would be willing to change in its top court reform, if anything. An official said the government would respond to the Venice Commission on Saturday at 0930 GMT. Domestic critics say the legal changes have made it difficult for judges to review, let alone challenge, the government's legislation. The EU, which Poland joined in 2004, and the United States have also expressed concerns. On Wednesday, the constitutional court ruled that the new rules affecting it were illegal. The government then accused the court of playing politics. The Venice Commission's representatives told reporters that the government needs to recognise Wednesday's court verdict as a prerequisite to solving the constitutional crisis. PiS officials have been defiant so far, however, with PiS calling a leaked draft of the opinion "legally absurd". They also appear to have public support, with the latest poll putting them on 37 percent support, almost 20 points ahead of the opposition and little changed from their showing in the October election. "Democracy is in very good shape  there are demonstrations, meetings, protests," a senior PiS official, Beata Kempa, told public broadcaster TVP Info. "We're not sending in police with bullets against people, they are allowed to express their views ... The Venice Commission's opinion is not binding. We can take it into account, (but) we don't have to take it into account." The commission's opinion echoes that issued in 2013 in response to legislation introduced by Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whom the panel accused of threatening constitutional justice. (Additional reporting by Agnieszko Barteczko in Warsaw; Writing by Justyna Pawlak and Wiktor Szary; Editing by Ralph Boulton and Hugh Lawson)
By Amanda Becker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The AFL-CIO, the largest U.S. federation of labor unions, will launch digital attack ads targeting Republican front-runner Donald Trump next week as part of a multi-pronged effort to derail the New York billionaires bid for the White House and dampen union workers' enthusiasm for him. Officials at the AFL-CIO, an umbrella group of 56 unions representing 12.5 million workers, told Reuters the ads will depict Trump as anti-union, and will appear on Facebook and Twitter. The officials said the anti-Trump advertising effort would likely expand over the coming months. At the same time, an AFL-CIO affiliate organization will ramp up a door-to-door campaign to undermine the candidate in Ohio and Pennsylvania, key battleground states in the Nov. 8 presidential election. "Donald Trump has tapped into the very real and understandable anger of working people. But while he says he's with America's working people, when you look close, it's just hot air," AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka told Reuters. "Donald Trump is nothing but a house of cards, and once we educate people, the house of cards comes crashing down," he said. Union leaders are increasingly concerned about Trumps appeal to labor, typically a stronghold of the Democratic Party, because of his promises to scrap free trade deals that have led to manufacturing job losses in the United States. The AFL-CIO is entering the political fray several months earlier than in past elections, given the "unique cycle" created by Trump's candidacy, spokesman Josh Goldstein said. The initial ads will be modeled after a text message blast that began Thursday featuring an image of Trump with a statement he made supporting "right-to-work" laws, which weaken organized labor by limiting their ability to collect membership dues. Several states have passed such laws, and the U.S. Congress has considered a similar measure. "I like right to work. My position on right to work is 100 percent," Trump said in a radio interview in South Carolina last month. The text campaign on which the ads will be modeled featured a quote from Trumka, hitting Trump on right-to-work, and characterizing him as racist: "Donald Trump's bigoted comments are bad enough. Now, he supports right to work. Tell him right to work is wrong for working people." Trump has been widely criticized for describing Mexican illegal immigrants as rapists and criminals, and for proposing a temporary ban on Muslims seeking to come to the United States. The AFL-CIO declined to say how much the initial digital ads would cost, but the federation spent nearly $9 million in the 2012 election cycle on outside spending in addition to money given directly to candidates, according to Open Secrets data. The AFL-CIO typically waits to endorse a presidential candidate until there is a de facto Democratic nominee. But Trumka, a former coal miner and leader of that union, has made clear he believes Trump in particular would be a disastrous candidate for workers. In a speech last week he called him a "bigot" and "anti-American." An official representing Trump's campaign was not immediately available to comment, but Trump has said repeatedly that he has support within unions. "UP FOR GRABS" National unions nearly always endorse Democratic presidential candidates but Trump has built his insurgent campaign in part on a mission that many unions share: scrapping international trade deals. There are some signs Trump's message is resonating beyond the 20 to 30 percent of rank-and-file union members that vote Republican, attracting political independents and even some frustrated Democrats. At a recent picket outside a steel plant near Canton, Ohio, workers cited former President Bill Clinton's support of the North American Free Trade Agreement more than 20 years ago as a reason why they may support Trump over Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in a general election. "For a lot of us, it's ABC - Anybody But Clinton," Mike Newbold told Reuters. Clinton has said she evaluates every trade deal to make sure it protects workers and that she opposes one being finalized by the Obama administration. Her campaign said they are confident her plan to help struggling manufacturing areas will earn her support from union members. AFL-CIO's affiliate, Working America, has noticed Trump's inroads with working-class Americans, and recently sent canvassers to talk to 1,689 likely voters with household incomes of $75,000 or less in Cleveland, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to learn more about Trump's appeal. "Working-class voters are up for grabs this time in a really significant way. These folks need good information, and we'll fill that gap," said Karen Nussbaum, executive director of Working America. According to Nussbaum, workers said they were frustrated with politics and worried about the economy. Of those who had already settled on a candidate, 38 percent chose Trump. But more than half were still undecided. She said the results of that initial canvas would be used to guide a massive door-to-door campaign to have more than half a million one-on-one conversations with Ohio voters during 2016, to help them "make decisions that actually solve their problems as opposed to phony solutions." Working America is adding staff to its offices in Columbus and Cleveland to support the operation, and will open another soon in Cincinnati, she said. Labor strategist Steve Rosenthal said that in every presidential election there is a sense that white, working-class union men could desert the Democratic Party. "But I think when all is said and done, when unions put their programs into gear, in person and one-on-one in homes and in their communities, union members will vote overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee," Rosenthal said. "Trump might have some appeal right now, but once you start to peel away his record - his manufacturing in China, his relationships with unions - he's a pretty good target." (Additional reporting by Tim Reid in Ohio; Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Alistair Bell)
A new Mars mission launching Monday (March 14) aims to kick off a new European program of exploration  and reboot Russian dreams of working at the Red Planet.

Russia hasn't had any sort of Mars success since 1989, when the Soviet Union's Fobos 2 mission obtained orbital observations prior to a failed landing. The European Space Agency (ESA) has operated the Mars Express orbiter since 2003, but it hasn't mounted a successful surface mission on the Red Planet yet. (Mars Express carried a lander named Beagle 2, which never phoned home to its controllers after touching down.)

Monday's launch  which is scheduled to take place from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 5:31 a.m. EDT (0931 GMT)  aims to change all of that. The liftoff will initiate the first part of ExoMars, a two-phase Red Planet exploration program led by ESA, with Russia's federal space agency, Roscosmos, serving as a partner. [Gallery: The ExoMars Missions]

On Monday, a Russian Proton rocket will blast the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and a small lander named Schiaparelli on a seven-month journey to Mars. TGO will hunt for methane (a possible sign of life on Mars) from orbit, while Schiaparelli will head to the Red Planet's surface, to test out entry, descent and landing technologies for the second part of the ExoMars mission  a life-hunting rover that will lift off in 2018.

"Establishing if life ever existed on Mars is one of the outstanding scientific questions of our time," ESA officials wrote in an ExoMars mission description.

"To address this important goal, ESA has established the ExoMars program to investigate the Martian environment and to demonstrate new technologies paving the way for a future Mars sample-return mission in the 2020s," they added.

Rocky road to Mars

Getting to Mars is hard, as the history of space exploration shows. For example, NASA suffered some high-profile failures in the 1990s, such as the Mars Climate Orbiter and the Mars Polar Lander, which launched in 1998 and 1999, respectively. (NASA's 2016 InSight mission was also just delayed by two years because of an instrument problem; the new launch date is May 5, 2018.)

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ESA had its issues with Beagle 2, and also delayed the launch of the first part of ExoMars by a few months due to issues with the Schiaparelli lander.

But the Soviet Union/Russia have had the rockiest road to Mars. The vast majority of Soviet Red Planet missions failed; the nation achieved just a few successes in the 1970s and 1980s.

And neither of the two Mars missions mounted by Russia (which was born out of the Soviet Union's 1991 collapse) even got out of Earth orbit. Mars 96 failed in 1996, and Phobos-Grunt bit the dust shortly after lifting off in November 2011.

"The Russian program has had its heart broken over the past 30 years, essentially again and again," journalist Jim Oberg, an expert on Russian space activities, told Space.com. "That, plus their own budgetary constraints continuing to squeeze their own science budget year after year, gives a whole lot of serious problems over there."

Stepping stone?

High-profile failures make it difficult to attract and retain young Russian talent for Mars programs, Oberg said. Plus, research-and-development budgets are suffering due to money constraints and an emphasis on building something operational. This leaves an aging workforce that has difficulty building anything beyond 1980s technology, he said.

Oberg praised the reliability of Russian rockets, long a source of pride for the nation. But spacecraft provide a different type of prestige. ExoMars, Oberg said, could serve as a stepping stone, helping Russia build up excitement about, and expertise for, interplanetary probes again.

"This is not just to rebuild their confidence, but to actually earn new confidence in that kind of challenge," Oberg said. "They've had nothing [successful] in this century, and that's a burden they have to go out from under."

Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace, or Space.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+. Originally published on Space.com.

Copyright 2016 SPACE.com, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland's government sees good prospects for unions and employers' representatives to reach a comprehensive labor reform deal next week, Economic Affairs minister Olli Rehn said on Friday. A handful of Finnish unions have opposed a proposed labor pact, a centerpiece of government efforts to haul the economy decisively out of recession by making exports more competitive. Rehn, in an interview with Reuters Global Markets Forum, said: "We have a good chance of concluding the comprehensive deal next week, and we are working on that." The unions and business lobbies have continued talks this week on a new wage talks model where the export sector, rather than the public sector, will in future set the basis for annual wage rounds. Rehn said if all unions agreed, the government could sweeten the deal. "That facilitates withdrawing the conditional expenditure cuts and provides pretty good conditions for compensatory tax cuts." The overall agreement, calculated to yield 35,000 new jobs, would increase annual working hours, lower holiday bonuses, freeze wages for a year, and increase pension contributions for workers and lower them for employers. The Finnish economy grew by just 0.4 percent last year after three years of contraction, and is expected to expand by 0.5 percent this year, less than any other country in the European Union except Greece. (Reporting by Jussi Rosendahl and Tuomas Forsell; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson, who dropped his bid last week, plans to endorse front-runner Donald Trump on Friday morning, the Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing two people familiar with his thinking. The retired neurosurgeon agreed to the endorsement at a meeting with Trump at the billionaire's Mar-a-Lago luxury club in Florida, the people said on condition of anonymity, according to the newspaper. (Reporting by Eric Walsh; Editing by Chris Reese)
By Ian Simpson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Russian Press Minister Mikhail Lesin, who was found dead in a Washington hotel room last year, died of blunt force injuries to the head, U.S. authorities said on Thursday. Lesin who once headed the state-controlled Gazprom-Media, also had blunt force injuries to the neck, torso, arms and legs, the U.S. capital's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the Metropolitan Police Department said in a brief statement. According to a police incident report, Lesin, who was President Vladimir Putin's press minister from 1999 to 2004, was found unconscious on Nov. 5 on the floor of his room in the Doyle Washington Hotel. The hotel is also known as the Dupont Circle Hotel. An ambulance was called and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Russia's RT television quoted family members at the time as saying he had died of a heart attack. A U.S. law enforcement source said on Thursday the investigation into Lesin's death was being led by Washington, D.C. police. The investigation was focused on Lesin's death, but that did not rule out a possible change to a murder probe, said the source, who declined to be identified when discussing the matter. The source said when police first investigated the hotel room where Lesin's body was found, they did not find any damage or evidence indicating foul play. A spokesman for the Russian Embassy in the United States said their officials for the past several months have requested through diplomatic channels information regarding the progress of the investigation. "No substantial information has been provided. With regard to the document that has been released to the public today, we expect the American side to provide us with relevant official explanation," press secretary Yury Melnik said in an email. ABC News has said Lesin had been accused of censoring Russia's independent media. He became head of Gazprom-Media Holding in 2013 but resigned the following year. (Reporting by Ian Simpson; Additional reporting by Mark Hosenball; Editing by Peter Cooney)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Russian Press Minister Mikhail Lesin, who was found dead in a Washington hotel room last year, died of blunt force injuries to the head, authorities said on Thursday. Lesin who once headed state-controlled media giant Gazprom-Media, also had blunt force injuries to the neck, torso, arms and legs, the U.S. capital's chief medical examiner and the Metropolitan Police Department said in a brief statement. The incident was under investigation, the statement said. Local and Russian media have reported that Lesin was found dead inside a hotel room in November in Washington's Dupont Circle neighborhood, which is home to embassies and think tanks. Russia's RT television quoted family members at the time as saying he had died of a heart attack. ABC News has said Lesin, who was Russia's minister of press from 1999 to 2004 under President Vladimir Putin, had been accused of censoring Russia's independent media. He became head of Gazprom-Media Holding in 2013 but resigned the following year. A spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Washington was not immediately available for comment. (Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Thailand's junta is in "panic mode" over the economy and is failing to heal the country's deep political rifts, former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Friday in unusually strident criticism of the kingdom's generals.

His remarks come just two days after his arch-rival, self-exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, also hit out at the junta's nearly two years in power, an indication of how Thailand's bitterly divided political camps increasingly see eye-to-eye on military rule.

Thailand's generals seized power in May 2014 saying they would end more than a decade of political instability that has dogged the nation and dragged down what was once one of Southeast Asia's most vibrant economies.

Former army chief turned Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-O-Cha has vowed to kickstart the economy and end the kingdom's cycle of political violence and corruption with a new constitution, the country's 20th since 1932.

But in a speech to business leaders in Bangkok, Abhisit said the junta was failing to carry out necessary economic reforms, especially in the flagging agricultural and industrial sectors.

"Despite two years of relative calm and also initiatives being taken by the current government when it came to power, there has been too little progress even on this front and now it's almost in panic mode," he said.

He was equally scathing of the junta's new constitution.

"I think it's also clear that we're not going to get the kind of constitution that many of us want, whether in terms of democratic standards, whether in terms of a document that will lead to true reforms that are much needed, or even on the issue of so-called reconciliation," he said.

- Lost decade -

Thailand has suffered a decade of turmoil as pro-democracy activists and rural supporters of the Shinawatra family vie for power with Bangkok's arch-royalist elite and their allies in the military.

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Many supporters of Abhisit, an Eton and Oxford-educated Bangkokian who was in power from 2008 to 2011, were at the forefront of protests against Thaksin's sister Yingluck, and cheered the 2014 coup that toppled her government.

But even the military's natural allies have begun to chafe under their protracted rule and Abhisit's remarks mimic recent comments by Thaksin on the army.

In a speech and a series of press interviews in New York this week, Thaksin accused the military of clinging to power and said the generals had little to show for their time in office.

Abhisit also hit out at the military's claim it was rooting out graft after a series of corruption scandals enveloped senior military officers.

"Given some of the things that have already happened, I'm not so sure they can say they're better than politicians. And I'm talking about corruption, I'm talking about abuse of power," he told delegates.

Speaking to AFP after the speech, Abhisit ruled out meeting Thaksin.

"I don't see the need for that," he said.

But he said he would meet his political opponents if they "move beyond the interests of the Shinawatra family and Thaksin's agenda".

Asked whether ordinary Thais were tiring of the military he said: "I think the Thai people in general still feel that General Prayut means well, he's serious, he's blunt, straightforward and that he wants to do good things. And that's why I think he's been allowed to carry on."

"But in terms of concrete achievement of what's been done I think even people who support him find it hard to identify those accomplishments," he added.
PARIS (Reuters) - France's foreign minister on Thursday said there was no time to waste in forming a Libyan government that would pave the way for action against Islamic State and he would push for sanctions against individuals at a European meeting next week. French officials have been warning for more than a year that the political void is creating favorable conditions for Islamist groups. Efforts to establish a U.N. backed unity government in the oil producing nation have been stalled by resistance from hardliners. "We have to fight Daesh where it is trying to develop in Libya, but the precondition is the constitution of a new national unity government," Jean-Marc Ayrault told i-Tele television, referring to the Arabic acronym for Islamic State. "We can't wait any longer. It's enough. There are some who are blocking things for personal reasons and their own interests and I think we shouldn't exclude putting sanctions on them." Ayrault said he would press for European foreign ministers to agree sanctions on individuals at a ministerial meeting in Brussels on March 14. Diplomats renewed discussions this week on imposing travel bans and asset freezes on certain individuals, although a consensus among the 28 nations has yet to be reached with diplomats, saying Greece in particular was opposed to the move. "We can't let the Libyan situation continue. It's not only a danger for the Libyans, but the region and it threatens Europe," Ayrault said. The United Nations is seeking to unite factions and militias that have competed for power since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and Western powers say the U.N. process is the only hope of bringing stability and stemming Islamic militancy. United Nations sanctions monitors said on Thursday Islamic State had greatly expanded its control over territory in Libya and the militants are now claiming to be the key defense for the North African state against foreign military intervention. French aircraft have been conducting reconnaissance flights over Libya, where Paris took a leading role in a 2011 NATO air campaign that helped rebels overthrow Muammar Gaddafi's autocratic rule. Diplomats and Libyan officials have confirmed that French military advisers are currently operating on the ground in conjunction with Britain and the United States, which has already struck Islamic State targets in the country.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - France's ecology minister Segolene Royal on Friday welcomed new commitments from Canada and the United States to cut methane emissions, whose global warming potential is worse than carbon dioxide.

"That's great, very good news," Royal said about the announcement in Washington by President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"Canada is back," she said in English, describing the pledge as a "very strong signal" of Canada's new commitment to international efforts to fight climate change under Trudeau.

Royal was at the United Nations for meetings to prepare the signing on April 22 of the Paris accord to fight global warming

The minister noted that during the Paris talks, there was no agreement reached on curbing methane, which is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

So far, 35 leaders including French President Francois Hollande plan to attend the signing ceremony at UN headquarters that will fire the starting gun on implementing the landmark accord.

The agreement reached in December will come into effect by 2020, once at least 55 countries responsible for 55 percent of global greenhouse gases ratify the accord.

The Paris accord sets a target of containing global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels through a series of national measures.
Washington (AFP) - French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve voiced support Friday for President Barack Obama's administration in its efforts to get Apple to unlock the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino attackers.

"I completely understand the US administration's concerns, which I share," Cazeneuve said during a talk on counterterrorism at George Washington University.

The FBI is pressing Apple to develop a system that would allow the law enforcement agency to break into the suspect's locked iPhone, a demand the tech company claims would make all its devices vulnerable, including to criminals and dictatorships.

The French minister expressed hope that a solution would be found with all tech giants.

"I don't think it's necessary to wrestle" with Apple and other companies that provide encryption because "they have an interest to be our partners," Cazeneuve said.

"The digital ecosystem, that's democracy. If democracy cannot defend itself" against violent extremists, "the ecosystem falls apart," he added.

"The citizens who today tell us 'privacy' and 'freedom' will tomorrow ask us 'but what did you do to protect us'" from new devastating attacks, Cazeneuve said.

He pressed for procedures under a judge's authority to access encrypted content.

Cazeneuve is due to meet with Obama's Homeland Security Advisor Lisa Monaco and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.

He is also expected in New York to meet with city police where he is expected to discuss the resilience of major cities hit by large-scale attacks, according to his aides.
Paris (AFP) - Leading French daily Liberation on Friday published an edition entirely produced by Syrian journalists, photographers and writers to mark five years since the start of their country's devastating war.

The name of the newspaper is written in Arabic, "Tahrir" (Freedom), alongside a cartoon by Syrian Juan Zero showing children riding a merry-go-round on the tip of a bomb, all in black against a red background.

The 20-page special edition includes features on daily life in ravaged cities, the difficulty of counting the dead, the oil trade and Russia's role in the conflict.

There is also an arts page, on Syrian works ever more influenced by the war.

"The journalists who provided the material for this edition were young protesters in 2011 who began secretly creating and distributing newspapers in their cities," said Benedicte Jeannerod, of Human Rights Watch, one of the NGOs behind the idea.

"Most of these writers are now exiled in Turkey," Liberation's deputy director Johan Hufnagel told AFP.

"The idea is to recount the daily life of Syrians."

Syria's war has killed more than a quarter of a million people, uprooted over half the population and left much of the country in ruins since it erupted from a protest movement in 2011.

Liberation was co-founded by French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre in 1973 as an extreme-left publication where all staff -- from the editor to the cleaners -- initially getting the same pay.

Now centre-left, the daily is run along more traditional hierarchical lines.
Beirut (AFP) - Syria's war enters its sixth year next week with a glimmer of hope that a landmark ceasefire and a push for peace could help resolve a conflict that has sent hundreds of thousands fleeing to Europe.

Analysts say the past 12 months have been transformative -- with Russia's military intervention and pressure from the migrant crisis pushing world powers into renewed peace efforts.

Inspired by the Arab Spring uprisings of six years ago, protests erupted against President Bashar al-Assad's regime on March 15, 2011.

A brutal crackdown sparked the civil war, which has since left more than 270,000 people dead and forced millions to flee towns and cities devastated by bombing and clashes.

Sporadic peace efforts over the next five years failed as fighting raged, with the emergence of the jihadist Islamic State group adding a terrifying new dimension to the conflict.

The last year has seen the war brought home to Europeans as never before, as hundreds of thousands of desperate Syrians arrived on Europe's shores in the continent's worst refugee crisis since World War II.

Experts say the wave of refugees put the Syria crisis front and centre for the West, prompting a surge of diplomatic action.

"Europe's fear about the refugee influx is one of the main factors that led to a reassessment of policies on Syria, making short-term stability a top priority at the expense of other political and geostrategic objectives," said Karim Bitar, an analyst at the Paris-based Institute of International and Strategic Relations.

The biggest international effort yet to resolve the conflict was launched late last year, with diplomats from world powers agreeing a plan for a ceasefire, the creation of a transitional authority and UN-monitored elections.

UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura said Friday that both parliamentary and presidential elections should be held in Syria 18 months after a fresh round of talks begins on March 14.

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A partial truce -- which does not include fighting against IS and other extremist groups -- took effect on February 27.

Russia's intervention in Syria last September marked another major shift, experts said.

"The Russian intervention was undoubtedly a turning point in the Syrian war," said Bitar.

"It allowed a regime that was otherwise losing ground (to rebels) to consolidate its control over 'useful Syria'," or the most populous territories, he said.

The bombing campaign has bolstered Assad, helping him to firm up his grip on power despite years of opposition demands that he step down.

Against all expectations, the partial ceasefire has been holding, and Syria's regime and fragmented opposition will hold new peace talks starting next week in Geneva.

But divisions cut deep and despite the changes on the ground few are holding out much hope for the talks.

The key sticking point -- Assad's fate -- is far from being resolved, experts say.

Moscow is showing no sign of backing away from its longstanding support for a key ally.

"Russia's intervention dotted the i's in their policy that 'we cannot let Bashar al-Assad fall'," said Yezid Sayigh, an analyst at the Carnegie Middle East Centre in Beirut.

Washington, which has long supported Syria's opposition, is also unlikely to compromise.

"The US wants at the very least a pledge that Assad will leave in the beginning, during, or at the end of a transitional period, which the Russians still don't accept," Sayigh said.

"This core issue is like trying to square a circle," Bitar said.

If the negotiations collapse -- as previous peace talks did in Geneva last month -- Sayigh said the ceasefire is likely to soon follow.

"If the truce is not backed by a political accord, violence will return little by little," he said.

The push for peace is also likely to run up against the myriad regional interests at play in Syria, experts said.

Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies are backing the opposition while Shiite Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah are supporting Assad.

Turkey meanwhile is pounding Kurdish positions in northern Syria, provoking a rare rift between Ankara and its chief NATO ally Washington.

"Regional Sunni powers like Turkey and Saudi Arabia continue to walk a line that is much more intransigent and maximalist than (US President Barack) Obama's administration," Bitar said.

"In Syria, we allowed multiple proxy wars to develop that have nothing to do with the original demands of the Syrian people," he said. "The Syrian people remain the victim of score-settling among world powers."
On Friday General Motors announced that it is buying self-driving car technology startup Cruise Automation.

Launched in 2013, San Francisco-based Cruise Automation managed to generate headlines in the tech press very quickly with its idea for retrofitting autonomous driving capabilities to existing Audis. The roof-mounted sensor array made the sleek German sedans and coupes look like taxis, but once fitted they could navigate highways, maintaining a safe distance from the car ahead and behind and even change lanes without driver input.

The company has made very fast progress on the software side of autonomous transportation and it's for this reason that GM has made its move. "We are excited to be partnering with GM and believe this is a ground-breaking and necessary step toward rapidly commercializing autonomous vehicle technology," said Kyle Vogt, founder of Cruise Automation.

While Mark Reuss, GM executive vice president, Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain said: "Cruise provides our company with a unique technology advantage that is unmatched in our industry. We intend to invest significantly to further grow the talent base and capabilities already established by the Cruise team."

Cruise will continue to operate independently as part of the acquisition but it is the latest in a series of takeovers and partnerships that highlights how quickly GM is trying to move to the head of the line in terms of autonomous driving capabilities.

At the beginning of 2016 the company announced a partnership with ride-sharing firm Lyft with the ultimate aim of developing a semi-autonomous fleet.
This week, Google released the latest stable update for its Chrome browser addressing three high priority security vulnerabilities. Version 49.0.2623.87 of Chrome is available now for Windows, Mac and Linux computers, and although Google isnt willing to discuss the fixes in detail, a recent blog post explains the basics of the bugs.

SEE ALSO: YouTubes top gadget reviewer picks the Galaxy S7 edges biggest flaws

CVE-2016-1643, the first of the three security issues, is a type confusion within Blink, which ZDNet describes as a rendering engine used by the Chrome browser. The researcher who discovered the vulnerability was rewarded $5,000.

CVE-2016-1644, the second issue, was also a Blink-related issue. The use-after-free vulnerability in Blink was a memory corruption problem which could have given hackers the ability to execute code on the browser remotely. The researcher behind this discovery, Atte Kettunen of the Oulu University Secure Programming Group was granted $3,500.

CVE-2016-1645, the third and final flaw, was an out-of-bounds write issue in PDFium (Chromes PDF rendering engine). Google credits an anonymous researcher working with HPs Zero Day Initiative for this discovery, but didnt announce any sort of reward.

As long as youve closed and reopened your Chrome browser in the past couple of days, chances are that your browser has been automatically updated. But if you want to make sure, just tap the menu button in the top right corner of the browser, click Settings and then navigate to the About tab on the left-hand side of the screen.

If you see Google Chrome is up to date, then youre good to go. Otherwise, the update should be in the process of downloading. Let it finish, then restart your browser. Now youre safe from those vulnerabilities.

Related stories

A single Android N change could fix Android's biggest weakness

Video walkthrough shows us everything new in Android N

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More from BGR: How to watch the CNN GOP debate in Miami online tonight at 8PM EST

This article was originally published on BGR.com
Join the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts and the IAIA Artist-in- Residence (A-i-R) Jonathan Thunder (Red Lake Ojibwe) as he discusses his residency and art practice on March 16, at noon. Jonathan Thunder (Red Lake Ojibwe) is a painter and digital media artist currently residing in Duluth, Minnesota. He attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe and received a BFA in Visual Effects and Motion Graphics from the Art Institutes International Minnesota. The event will take place on the second floor project lab, and a community lunch will follow!
The remaining candidates for the Republican presidential nomination met for their 12th debate last night, a weirdly subdued affair in which the opponents of the frontrunner tacitly acknowledged the futility of frontal assaults on Fortress Trump. Instead of the personal attacks on the frontrunners dubious business practices, his personal history and his vulgar language, the three runners-up stuck to policy issues, going into significant depth on trade policy, Social Security and relations with Cuba, among other things.

Its a strategy that, employed at a different time in a different race, might have worn away at Donald Trump, now the almost-prohibitive favorite to win the nomination. But in a multi-candidate race, Trump has long since proved that his supporters opinion of him is largely immune to policy-focused criticism.

Related: 5 Times Donald Trump Condoned Violence Against Protesters

Last night, the shift to policy looked less like a return to seriousness and more like capitulation.

In an almost surreal introduction to the evening, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus took the stage before the debate got under way and said, I want to get something really clear, because there has been a lot of talk about this. This party is going to support the nominee, whoever that is, 100 percent. Theres no question about that.

Of course, if there were no question about it, Priebus wouldnt have felt the need to open the proceedings last night by talking about it. There are actually quite a few questions about whether the Republican Party  meaning its masses of voters, activists and candidates, not Priebuss narrower definition of the RNCs campaign apparatus  will support a Donald Trump candidacy.

Many Republicans, plainly, will not support him. The so-called Never Trump movement in the party is real and growing. More and more, it looks as though a Trump nomination would be the hammer blow that finally splits the GOP along the fault line between traditional conservatives and those attracted by Trumps nativist populism.

Story continues

Related: Thousands of Defense Jobs Could Be Lost If Trump Gets Elected

Until last night, it seemed as though Trumps competitors for the nomination, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, were still trying hard to prevent that from happening by taking down Trump before he can clinch the nomination.

Now thats not so clear.

Rubio came into the night with the most to lose. Trailing badly in the delegate count and facing the very real prospect of losing to Donald Trump in his own state of Florida  a winner-take-all- contest on Tuesday that could hand Trump 99 delegates  he abandoned the juvenile attacks he had used in previous contests in an effort to get under Trumps skin.

Rubio spoke knowledgably and expansively on policy issues, showing to nobodys surprise that he has far greater command of them than the frontrunner. But Rubios performance last night seemed more like an effort to restore some of the personal dignity he lost by climbing into the mud with Trump two weeks ago than anything else.

Related: Obama to Trump  Thanks for Making Me Look Good

Cruz and Kasich also demonstrated their superiority to Trump in terms of policy knowledge and, in Kasichs case, depth of experience in government. But again, neither went after Trump with real vigor.

For Cruz, the strategy now is to wait until the votes are counted Tuesday night and hope Rubio will be forced to drop out of the race, with Kasich following him out the door not long after. He would then face a months-long slog through the remaining primary states, with a focus on denying Trump enough delegates to assure a first-ballot nomination at the Republican convention in July. His gamble is that he could secure enough support in a contested convention to beat Trump there.

Kasichs strategy is similar. If he can scrape along until the end of the race, helping to dilute Trumps delegate count, he could find himself as the alternative to Cruz within the GOP establishment, where the Texas senator is not exactly a beloved figure.

But as Priebuss introduction to the evening implicitly conceded, Trump is well on the way to locking up enough votes to win the nomination outright. When July rolls around, Cruz and Kasich may just have to join the RNC chair in picking up the pieces.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Berlin (AFP) - Greece, long loved by tourists for its white-washed chapels, sun-kissed islands and turquoise Mediterranean seas, is trying to shake its new image as Europe's frontline state in the migrant crisis.

At Berlin's ITB, which bills itself as the world's leading travel trade show, Greek tourism professionals are at pains to stress that their crisis-battered country remains a premier holiday getaway.

"We believe that 2016 will be even better than last year because if there were some problems last year on some islands, there is now a return to stability," said Greek Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura.

"Measures have been taken at the European level and the number of refugee arrivals has declined," she said, providing an optimistic take as Greece continues to play host to tens of thousands of refugees in tent cities and shelters.

For Greece -- long battered by recession and a drawn out financial crisis -- tourism is a lucrative and vital sector, making up some 20 percent of gross domestic product and accounting for about one in five jobs.

Greece's beloved islands, among them world-famous Corfu and Santorini, have long depended on cruise ships and package holiday companies that every year deliver sun-starved Germans, Britons and travellers from elsewhere around the world.

But in recent months the islands especially of the eastern Aegean, some just a few miles off the Turkish coast, have become the EU's main gateway for refugees fleeing war and poverty in Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan.

More than 131,000 people made the perilous crossings since the start of 2016, of whom 122,000 landed on Greek beaches, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Last year, Greek islands took in more than 840,000 migrants.

- 'Human tsunami' -

The so-called "human tsunami" has claimed many lives on the high seas, but has also badly shaken the economies of islands that largely depend on tourism.

Story continues

On some islands, refugee families with young children have languished in appalling sanitary conditions that are a far cry from the images of seaside resorts and beach tavernas advertised on the brochures at the ITB.

Especially on the picturesque island of Lesbos, hoteliers these days often dread the phone ringing, fearing yet more cancellations by would-be visitors who have been put off by news of the human tragedy.

Market research company Euromonitor said some cruise lines no longer stop in Mytilene, the capital of Lesbos island, which recorded a 90 percent plunge in reservations according to the Greek daily Kathimerini.

In the Dodecanese archipelago, the island of Kos saw bookings plummet by 40 percent.

Mayor of Kos Giorgos Kyritsis, in Berlin for the trade show, stressed the European dimension of the refugee crisis, bemoaning the impact of "very negative" images showing refugees forced to fend for themselves on the streets of his island.

- Warm hospitality -

"Last year we were completely surprised by the scale of the influx," he told AFP, adding that now "we want to promote the island via an Internet marketing campaign and social networks".

However, Kos faces further headwinds as a tourism destination, with plans to set up a migrant screening and registration centre, dubbed a "hotspot" in EU parlance.

"We don't want our island to be associated with a camp for migrants," said deputy mayor in charge of tourism Elias Sifakis.

There is a silver lining for the tourism sector: some believe Greece's reputation for offering warm hospitality will be bolstered by the crisis, Europe's largest migrant influx since World War II.

While much of Europe is eager to slam the door on migrants, and a series of Balkans countries have imposed border controls, creating a bottleneck in Greece, the country's people have shown incredible solidarity.

A huge collection organised in Athens has raised tons of food for the refugees.

"The stories showing villagers hosting refugees, providing food and shelter to refugees are very good opportunities to attract tourists," said Taleb Rifai, secretary general of the UN's World Tourism Organization.

An online petition with several hundred thousand signatures has even called for the Nobel Peace Prize to go to Greek islanders who have come to the aid of desperate refugees, proposing to symbolically award it to a trio that includes a grandmother and a fisherman from Lesbos.
By Ahmed Aboulenein CAIRO (Reuters) - "Your exellency: you are not working," television presenter Azza al-Henawy said, looking into the camera but addressing the Egyptian president. "Not one single issue has been solved since you took over." After years of hearing little but enthusiastic applause for Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and vilification of his enemies, the tens of millions of Egyptians who watch the country's pugnacious talk shows are suddenly being presented with the president's faults. The former military chief who overthrew the Muslim Brotherhood to take power in 2013 is facing the first sustained public criticism of his rule. State television, known for being fiercely loyal, launched an internal investigation on Wednesday into Henawy for her remarks. But her comments were hardly isolated. After years of publicly lionizing Sisi as the savior of the nation, many of the country's most influential figures have emerged to blame the president for an economy in crisis, an Islamist insurgency raging in the Sinai peninsula and the brutality of an unreformed police force. "Your state imprisons people for their thoughts and their novels," one of Egypt's most prominent newspaper editors, Ibrahim Eissa, wrote addressing the president on his paper's front page last month, after authorities jailed a young novelist for including a sex scene in a book. "What happened exactly to make our nation turn around with you to the era of searching consciences, putting minds on trial and imprisoning writers and authors?" Eissa is no longstanding critic: he initially hailed Sisi's rise as "a day of joy, a day of victory, a day of dignity, a day of pride, the day Egypt and its people were victorious". As recently as three months ago he described Sisi as "the president with the most amount of popular backing in the world". Since then, it was not the media that had changed but the government's record, Eissa told Reuters at his office on Cairo's outskirts: "We aren't more critical; there are now more mistakes." MESSIAH STATUS Sisi's rise nearly three years ago ended a divisive experiment with rule by the Brotherhood and two years of unrest that followed the fall of longserving autocrat Hosni Mubarak. A broad cross section of the public sincerely admired the stern general in dark sunglasses, who promised to restore stability to a country in chaos. Sweet shops could not sell cakes with his face on them fast enough. A year later he was elected with nearly 97 percent of the vote, winning ten million more votes than had been won by the man he toppled, Mohamed Mursi. "Sisi came into power with huge levels of popularity," said H.A. Hellyer, non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington. "That was never going to last. This messiah status is unsustainable." In a rambling speech last month, Sisi appeared angry and unsure, complaining that Egyptians were focusing on his faults rather than his achievements. The speech was met by an unprecedented deluge of sarcastic comments from Egyptians on the Internet, with a popular description on social media even comparing him to Libya's eccentric deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi. Previously docile politicians have emerged in recent days to snipe. Mohamed Abu al-Ghar, a prominent secularist and former Sisi supporter, wrote a column last week accusing Sisi of presiding over a collapsed economy, a police force that "beats and tortures" and a government whose ministers are purely "ceremonial". Amr Moussa, a Mubarak-era foreign minister who led a committee to draft a new constitution after Sisi's takeover, told a news conference on Tuesday the charter was under threat from laws passed by Sisi. Hamdeen Sabahy, a leftist politician who first backed Sisi's crackdown on Islamists but ran against him in the 2014 election, launched an initiative in recent days to rally opposition groups and present a viable alternative, unthinkable a year ago. "Egypt is experiencing the death of politics, dismissal of other points of views, a demonizing of alternatives, a call for blind unity," he told Reuters. NATIONAL CONSENSUS Among the subjects that were once ignored is human rights. Security forces killed hundreds of Islamists in one day after Sisi toppled Mursi. Thousands were arrested, and the crackdown expanded to include secular activists. But few complained until now, acknowledged Eissa, the newspaper editor. "There was national consensus on ignoring human rights abuses if they happen to terrorists; let them burn. And many didn't care about oppressing activists," he said. "Suddenly people realized it happened to them too. Incidents of average citizens dying in police custody sparked protests." Last month, more than 10,000 doctors protested against police brutality after policemen beat two doctors at a public hospital. It was the largest demonstration since authorities curbed the right to protest in late 2013. Some of the doctors compared the beatings to the 2010 death of Khaled Said, a youth whose killing in custody helped spark the revolt that brought down Mubarak. "No one who is educated matters in this country," Momen Abdelazim, one of the doctors who was beaten, told Reuters. "I am seriously considering immigration, at least for the sake of my one-year-old daughter." A week after the demonstration, a policeman shot a driver in a busy Cairo street in a dispute over his fare. "FILLED WITH TERROR" But perhaps more damaging for Sisi's image has been the failure of the economy, despite his promises that life would get better now that he had ended the turmoil. Sisi hails the building a new branch of the Suez Canal in a single year as a key achievement. But the project, built with $8 billion borrowed from the public at the height of his popularity, has so far failed to boost the country's income. Meanwhile, imported commodities such as cooking oil have been in short supply at outlets that offer subsidized goods to the poor, because a foreign exchange crisis has made it harder for state importers to secure regular supplies. The government failed to replenish its stockpiles of rice, which is now mostly available only at the market price, far beyond what Egyptians are accustomed to paying. Businesses complain of rising prices, falling profits and uncertainty over the fate of Egypt's currency. Manufacturers, including General Motors, have been forced to pause production at times because of difficulties getting imported components that have piled up at ports. Small importers say they are being put out of business by regulations aimed at cutting the trade deficit. Public sector workers were furious in November when Sisi issued a new civil service law that would cut jobs. Thousands of bureaucrats, normally hesitant to oppose the government, attempted to protest and were stopped by police. Egypt's newly elected parliament repealed the law, a rare show of dissent from a body dominated by Sisi loyalists. "This law filled seven million government employees and their families with terror," Eissa said. "The middle class suddenly thought this man whom we brought in, whom we love, is working against us." (This story has been refiled to fix the spelling of Henawy in first and fourth paragraphs) (Editing by Lin Noueihed and Peter Graff)
BAKU/YEREVAN (Reuters) - Azerbaijan and its rebel Nagorno-Karabakh region accused each other on Friday of violating a ceasefire with intense shelling, a sign that the two-decade-old conflict which has left some 30,000 people dead is far from a peaceful resolution. Nagorno-Karabakh, which lies inside Azerbaijan but is controlled by ethnic Armenians, has run its own affairs with heavy military and financial backing from Armenia since a separatist war ended in 1994. Its Armenian-backed forces control Nagorno-Karabakh and seven Azeri districts adjoining it. The situation on the tense "contact line" between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh has seriously deteriorated in the past few days. Azerbaijan's army fired at Armenian-held positions on Thursday night "to prevent a subversive act" by Armenia's armed forces targeting the Azeri town of Agdam, the Azeri Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Between 10 and 15 Armenian soldiers were killed and military equipment was destroyed, the Azeri ministry said. The Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Ministry denied targeting civilians in the Agdam area and said its servicemen had been forced to return fire after a "reconnaissance and subversive" Azeri group tried to penetrate an area under its control. It said it had sustained no losses despite heavy enemy fire, which included mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and howitzers. It said two Azeri soldiers had been killed and several wounded. The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in the dying years of the Soviet Union. Efforts to reach a permanent settlement have failed despite mediation led by France, Russia and the United States. Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarksyan have had several meetings before, but with no tangible results. (Reporting by Nailia Bagirova and Hasmik Mkrtchyan; Writing by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Dominic Evans)
By Niki Cheong



In the 1990s, a campaign was underway in the United States to get supporters to paste stickers in stores and restaurants that read: I am a smoker and have spent $____ in your establishments.

in 2016, a local campaign kicked off in Malaysia that asked social media users to post images of their state flags that read: I am from < insert Malaysian state > and I  #RespectMyPM.



Any similarities one gathers from these two examples may come as no surprise  after all, many campaigns used in politics these days take a leaf off public relations history.

Observers, such as Australia National University lecturer Dr Ross Tapsell, noted on Twitter that the #RespectMyPM campaign is not dissimilar to one mobilised in Indonesia several years ago in support of President Susilo Bambang Yudhono (#WeLoveYouSBY), despite the former being less obviously created from within a political party.

The Malaysian campaign is believed to have been started by the anonymous Pertahan Negara Kita (Defend Our Country) Facebook account, which does not look like its directly linked to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak or his party.



I read about the first example from a book called Toxic Sludge is Good For You written by John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton. It was first published in 1995 and is subtitled: Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry. The first few chapters of the book reads like a historical narrative of the PR industry, including how the first major PR campaign was funded by the US government to spread war propaganda. It also includes observations of what the authors consider to a major milestone in the growth of the PR industry, that is, the battle to paint smoking in a positive light amid increasing negative reports on the consequences of the habit.



In short, if we come across anything that sounds like it might be part of a propaganda or PR campaign on the Internet (or anywhere else, really), we should think twice before believing it or worse, sharing it with other people on our social media timelines.



Granted, there are those who are digitally savvy enough to constantly attempt to dissect or fact check the information they come across. Sometimes, all it takes is a quick Google search. Other times, all you need is a cynical mind.



Take for example the responses to the #RespectMyPM campaign; many people and media outlets, both local and foreign, have discussed how the campaign backfired. In some sense, it has. Besides the reported criticism the campaign has received, there were also attempts to make fun of the hashtag by changing the message. Publisher Amir Muhammad, for example, sent a tweet referring to PM as a Facebook private message, while others have played on the AM/PM time reference.



Some even hijacked the campaign, creating images with different messages to include #RejectMyPM and calling for the Prime Minister to #RespectMalaysia instead. Other hashtags that have emerged are #SuspectMyPM and #InspectMyPM, referring to corruption scandals that have plagued the Prime Minister in recent times.



The fact that hashtag campaigns can be easily manipulated and turned against the original messaging should be expected by anyone working on digital campaigns. Ask any digital marketer worth their salt and they would tell you that the first question that comes to mind when crafting a hashtag is, Can this be used against us?



But its not just hashtags that campaign creators should be worried about in this day and age as on the Internet, everything is malleable. In 2012, Greenpeace led social media users to believe that a Shell captioning campaign was hijacked  when the oil and gas company had nothing to do with the site in question in the first place.



All said and done, there is also the possibility that the #RespectMyPM campaign may not have failed as spectacularly as we believe. It really depends on what the aim and intention of the campaign was.

The images have been shared not only by genuine supporters of the Prime Minister, but also by those who did not agree with it. Granted, some of these posts may include messaging that are very critical of the PM and the campaign, but this is also the same Internet where people are more prone to looking at images than reading text.



Even if you call a draw on the aforementioned argument, there is the likelihood that the campaign takes on a more insidious approach. It wouldnt be the first time that distraction is used as a political strategy  in Malaysia and elsewhere  to divert attention from other hot issues.



Interestingly, the #RespectMyPM campaign follows the momentous press conference organised by high-profile Malaysians that saw former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad, UMNO stalwart and former Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, opposition as well as civil society leaders come together for the first time to collectively sign a citizens declaration calling for Najibs removal.



Two hashtags emerged from the press conference: #SelamatkanMalaysia and #SaveMalaysia. On Twitter, thousands of tweets and retweets emerged using these hashtags and, together with the news cycle, dominated social media timelines.



Until, from my observation at least, everyone started talking about #RespectMyPM.



It is also interesting that the campaign chose an English hashtag to rally support for the Prime Minister considering that most of the posts from that Facebook account is written in Bahasa Melayu. It begs to be asked then, who this campaign is directly targeted at, given that on the day of the press conference, the #SaveMalaysia hashtag was used (or retweeted) more than double the number of times #SelamatkanMalaysia was.



It is not uncommon in politics for individuals or organisations to use proxies as part of their communication strategy. Neither is it a novel idea to use campaigns as a form of distraction or to divert the publics attention.

If this was indeed the strategy behind the emergence of #RespectMyPM, then everyone from journalists to politicians, civil society to the public needs to be much more discerning about anything we come across on the Internet.



But whether its propaganda, PR campaign, a spin, brand jacking or just plain distraction, they are all methods that are tried and tested. They work because the public, and this is certainly not confined to Malaysia, keeps falling for it over and over again.



Nikis PhD studies at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom focuses on the intersection of media, politics and digital culture.
By James Oliphant and Luciana Lopez HIALEAH, Florida (Reuters) - Conservative Hispanic activists fear a win by Republican frontrunner Donald Trump in Florida's presidential nominating contest next week will deal a major setback to efforts to widen the party's appeal beyond white voters, potentially dooming hopes of retaking the White House from Democrats in 2016. Some of the activists said in interviews they feared a Trump win could prompt many Latino Republicans, angry at his anti-immigrant rhetoric, to stay home on Nov. 8, Election Day, or worse, support the Democratic nominee. "Sadly, the damage is going to be felt by the Republican Party for years," said Javier Palomarez, president and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, of a possible Trump win in Florida on March 15. "This is a turning point," he said. Trump has dominated opinion polls and early nominating contests, in large part because of his pledge to build a wall along the border with Mexico; his labeling of Mexicans as criminals and rapists; and his accusations that immigrant workers steal American jobs. That kind of talk is well received by many white Republican voters, but not by minorities, polls show. That's a problem for the party, because while the American electorate has become more diverse in the last three years, Republican support among Hispanic likely voters has shrunk, from 30.6 percent in 2012 to 26 percent in 2015, according to an analysis of Reuters/Ipsos polling data. Meanwhile, Hispanic Democrats grew by 6 percentage points to 59.6 percent. (Graphic: http://tmsnrt.rs/1Oj9SPi) Trump's campaign declined to comment, but he has consistently argued he can win the Latino vote, in part because his companies have employed thousands of Hispanics. Theyre incredible people. Theyre incredible workers. I love them. I love them, he said at a debate in February. Much of the establishment wing of the Republican party has thrown its weight behind Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a first-generation Cuban American. Rubio, however, lags Trump by 15 points in polls in Florida and may be forced out of the race if the New York businessman bests him. For Mark Gomez, a 20-year-old Cuban-American student at the University of Miami and a Rubio volunteer, the differences between Rubio's and Trumps approaches hit home when earlier this month on Twitter, a Trump supporter called him an anchor baby. Gomez was born in the United States of Cuban refugee parents. Immigration critics sometimes use "anchor babies" to describe U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants, usually from Latin America. Immigration groups say the phrase is offensive. Trump, Gomez said, is just playing into people's fears." Rubio has toured Florida's Latino enclaves in recent weeks, switching easily between Spanish and English at his rallies, while his allied super PAC, or independent fundraising group, has outspent all rivals combined in ads to boost him and erase Trump's polling lead. Among Rubio's challenges in besting Trump, however, could be drawing in younger generations of Florida's Hispanics. Unlike conservatives of the past, who could take the Cuban-American vote in Florida for granted if they aggressively criticized the Castro government in Cuba, candidates are dealing with a new generation that is leaning more heavily to the Democratic Party. A decade ago 64 percent of Cuban registered voters nationwide identified with the Republican party. That's now down to 47 percent, according to the Pew Research Center. And among young Cubans, from 18 to 49, more than half now identify with or lean toward the Democrats. "A lot of those Cubans who come from the island, that resentment, that pain, that hurt has really driven how theyve reacted politically. Our generation is a generation removed from that in a lot of ways," said Gabriel Pendas, 33, of Miami. He called Rubio "so outdated from how a lot of people feel." "IDEAL CANDIDATE" Following Mitt Romneys defeat as the Republican partys presidential nominee in 2012, in which he received just 27 percent of the Hispanic vote nationwide, the Republican National Committee underwent an extensive and painful self-examination to determine the root causes of its failure. One thing was clear from the autopsy: The party needed to expand a voter base skewing too white and too old. The hope among party leaders, like Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus, was that a young, dynamic field of candidates like Rubio, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, and others, would position the party well to reclaim some share of Latino vote from the Democrats. Rubio stood central to those hopes. Young, telegenic, bilingual, and armed with a compelling backstory, he seemed made-to-order. Rubios tone, his aspirational message, his shared language and culture, makes him an ideal candidate, said Daniel Garza, director of the LIBRE Institute in Miami, a conservative Hispanic advocacy group. But Trump, as he has done so often during this election season, took a wrecking ball to those plans. His hardline immigration stance forced many of his rivals - including Cruz - to adopt a harsher approach on immigration, while leaving others such as former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who has dropped out of the race, adrift. Weve lost an incredible opportunity, said Alfonso Aguilar, president of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles, referring to Trump's front-runner status. Addressing a rally on Wednesday night in Hialeah, home to the largest number of Cubans outside of Cuba, Rubio spoke in both English and Spanish and urged supporters to "come out and vote in massive numbers." Awaiting Rubio at the rally, Cuban-born Ahmed Martel, 45, was asked what he would do if Trump, not Rubio, was the partys nominee in the fall. I wont vote, Martel said. I cant vote for him. (Additional reporting by Grant Smith and Maurice Tamman; Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Ross Colvin)
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Canadian department store operator Hudson's Bay Co plans to invest 1 billion euros ($1.12 billion) in its German chain Kaufhof over the next five to seven years, its chief executive told German business daily Handelsblatt. "It's a big amount we are prepared to invest because we are convinced that Germany is a great market and that department stores have a future here," Jerry Storch was quoted in an interview on Friday. Saks owner Hudson's Bay bought Kaufhof for 2.8 billion euros last year, giving it a launch pad to expand into Europe, something Storch said was on the cards. "We are looking at Germany's neighbor countries. Apart from the German-speaking regions, we think the Benelux countries are interesting for us," Storch said, adding the company would open a new department store in Luxembourg in 2018. (Reporting by Christoph Steitz)
If the philosophical founding fathers of the United States of America were still alive, they'd surely enjoy the flavor of the fourth day of testimony in Hulk Hogan's trial against Gawker over the publishing of a sex tape. With mentions of everyone from Thomas Jefferson to Caitlyn Jenner, the proceedings veered towards addressing the faultiness underpinning universal aesthetic judgments as Gawker's attorney Michael Sullivan launched a blistering set of questions at Hogan's media expert, Mike Foley, on evolving and differing standards of taste.

It's the opinion of Foley, a University of Florida journalism professor who spent three decades with the St. Petersburg Times, that in posting an excerpt of Hogan's sex tape on Oct. 4, 2012, Gawker flunked the "Cheerios Test," upsetting readers eating breakfast that morning. His assessment was delivered after the jury was shown taped excerpts of Gawker staffers explaining their thinking around Hogan's sex tape.

Gawker, in some sense, has already lost this case. Although there are plenty of observers who believe Hogan's trial to be a landmark test of the First Amendment, the truth is that constitutional questions don't go to a jury. Judge Pamela Campbell has already decided that the U.S. Constitution doesn't preclude Hogan from bringing to trial his allegations of having his privacy and publicity rights violated, and as such, Gawker has to endure the expense of having its sense of decency examined. A trial verdict in its favor may save its dignity, but it will hardly undo this precedent. (An appellate victory  should Gawker lose at trial  would provide some vindication.)

That said, although Gawker can't directly get the jury to take up its constitutional protections, it can redirect the trial's inquiry over a possible morbid and sensational prying into Hogan's private life towards an examination of whether it should be given latitude on determining newsworthiness. And so, the cross-examination of Foley  which early on spurred an objection from Hogan's legal team to the question of whether the First Amendment protects writing about the sex tape  served Gawker's larger purpose of moving the lens from the objective to the subjective, or maybe better put, the need for free speech.

When asked, Foley had to agree with a series of assessments from Sullivan that a news person's decision on whether to publish is a judgment call, that editors every day have to make such choices, that they come on a case-by-case basis, and that such decisions can be tough and close.

The questioning became more contentious when the topic moved to whether or not value judgments shift from publication to publication.

Sullivan asked, "Back in the day, when Hugh Hefner put naked photographs on the cover of his magazine, he wasn't an irresponsible publisher, was he?"

"I think in the eyes of some people, he was reprehensible," answered Foley.

"But he didn't flunk the Cheerios Test, did he?" followed Sullivan.

"I don't get the comparison," responded Foley.

Through his questions, Sulivan tried to establish that when it comes to the Cheerios Test, a publisher has to be judged on whether or not that publisher's readership is offended. If those who visit Gawker are accustomed to seeing things like Kate Middleton's breasts or Brett Favre's penis, how could they possibly spit up their Cocoa Pebbles? (We're changing from Cheerios in honor of Hulk Hogan.) And what about the fact that Gawker exists in the online world or made the decision to label its Hogan post as "NSFW" (not safe for work)? As a comparison, Sullivan pointed to Fox News' decision to show ISIS beheadings on its website with warnings.

Sullivan asked, "With these kinds of devices  trigger warnings plus the need to click [to see the material]  isn't the notion of the Cheerios Test obsolete?"

"I think just the opposite," answered Foley. "You are saying 'ladies and gentlemen, you are offended by it,' yet publishing it anyway."

Sullivan got Foley to admit that the Cheerios Test was just a metaphor for taste, and that in the expert's opinion, Gawker was being tasteless. "Not your cup of tea?" asked Sullivan. "I don't read [Gawker] on a regular basis," responded Foley.

The discussion then moved to the celebrity factor in a news judgment. Foley admitted that because Madonna has cultivated a risque profile, publishing a photo from her 1992 Sex book might be okay. Although as a former editor of the St. Petersburg Times, Foley says he wouldn't have published news of a public figure's sexually transmitted disease, he agreed it mattered when Magic Johnson came forward to talk about his HIV diagnosis. Foley was also asked if Jenner diminished her privacy interests on the topic of transitioning from male to female as a result of participating in a photo shoot and story with Vanity Fair. The implication in this line of questioning was Hogan had given up his own privacy interests in the sex tape by discussing his sexual life on a publicity tour.

Perhaps the biggest crack made to Foley's assessment that Gawker had flunked the Cheerios Test was the editor's letter he himself had penned to readers of the St. Petersburg Times back when the newspaper published a photo of the now famous 1991 cover of Vanity Fair showing a nude, pregnant Demi Moore.

Sullivan: "A number of readers said you flunked the Cheerios Test, right?"

Foley: "Not in those words."

Sullivan: "Some said that it was repugnantly vulgar."

Foley: "If I said that, it must be true."

Sullivan: "Can we agree that readers were upset?"

Foley: "There was an outcry, yes, from some readers."

Hogan's media expert justified publishing the photo because "it was news," and further stated, "Some photos of women are art." He also agreed that his newspaper could have reported about the Moore photograph without showing it.

Towards the end of the cross-examination  after Foley also gave a thumbs down to ABC News' decision to show a brief excerpt of the Hogan sex tape in its story about the lawsuit  Sullivan asked for Foley's agreement that a diverse media was a good thing.

"I take it you would agree that it's good the media speaks in different voices," said Gawker's attorney.

"That was the original concept by Thomas Jefferson," responded Foley.

"Yes, that's where we started," quipped Sullivan.

Foley gave his assent: "The U.S. Constitution."
IHOP

This IHOP employee says he takes from the rich to feed to the poor  but his boss disagrees.

Prosecutors are accusing William Powell of giving away $3,000-plus in soft drinks as a waiter at a Brooklyn, New York IHOP, reports New York Daily News.

"I am not stealing," Powell reportedly told cops. "I am serving the ones in need. I take from the rich and give to the poor. Whats the big deal? Ive been doing this since I started here."

Powell says he was "looking out for the community" by handing out free beverages during the eight months he worked at IHOP. Typically, if he noticed customers hesitate before buying a drink, Powell would not charge them for the soda.

The comped beverages were discovered by the IHOP restaurant owner when he reviewed the receipts and realized that drink orders made up just 6% of Powells orders, compared to the restaurant-wide average of 17% to 20%.

iHop

While IHOP clearly doesnt have a free-drink policy, the concept of handing out comped extras isnt a foreign one in the restaurant industry.

Shake Shack CEO Randy Garutti once challenged employees to "put us out of business with how generous you are" in giving away free food. At Pret A Manger, workers are encouraged to give out a certain amount of free drinks and food each week to customers they like or find attractive.

As Powell looks for new waiter positions, perhaps he should leave the pancake business and see if Pret or Shake Shack are hiring.

NOW WATCH: Here's the secret to making pancakes that are light and fluffy





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By Anuradha Nagaraj PONNERI, India (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - When police raided the brick kiln in southern India where Siriya Banchor had been conned into a life of bonded labor - along with hundreds of other poor, illiterate migrants - the 48-year-old seemed more bewildered than relieved. Fumbling in the darkness of a windowless mud-and-brick room she had shared with her family for more than two months, Banchor stuffed her things into a sack, took her child's hand and emerged into the bright glare of the afternoon sun. "I have two sets of clothes, two utensils and a little rice. We came with nothing, hoping to earn enough to pay back our loan," she said, stepping over piles of half-baked bricks to join other rescued workers waiting to board trucks that would take them to temporary lodgings. "We are going back with nothing but at least the suffering will end," Banchor said as she stood amid the crowds at the kiln on the outskirts of Chennai. In all, 564 brick kiln workers, including Banchor, were rescued last week by police and local authorities acting on a tip-off from an employee at the kiln. It was one of the largest such operations in India - shedding light on the huge number of laborers trafficked into servicing the country's booming construction industry, activists say. "The scale and magnitude of the problem is massive," said Chandan Kumar, founder of "Blood Bricks" - a campaign launched two years ago to expose abuses in the construction sector. "There are gross violations happening in many of these kilns, but the government does not have the resources or the capacity to inspect these places and check on the conditions under which workers are living, much of which amounts to modern day slavery." BUILDING CITIES FROM BONDED LABOR India is home to almost half the world's 36 million slaves, according to the 2015 Global Slavery Index, produced by the Australia-based Walk Free Foundation. Many Indians are duped into offering themselves for work in farms, brothels, small shops and restaurants as security against a loan they have taken or a debt inherited from a relative. This kind of exploitation is especially common in the construction sector, particularly in the unregulated areas of brickmaking and stone quarrying, experts say. Yet construction is one of the most important sectors in the Indian economy, providing around 35 million jobs and contributing eight percent of the country's GDP. With India's towns and cities projected to swell by an additional 404 million people by 2050, demand for infrastructure and services will continue to be voracious. The government admits current levels of infrastructure are inadequate. In the urban housing sector alone, there is a shortage of 18.8 million "dwelling units", it says. "There is definitely a link between the building you see coming up in the city and the pile of bricks lying outside the construction site which come from brick kilns employing bonded labor," said P.M. Nair, a leading expert on human trafficking and modern day slavery. "When a contract is awarded, it includes labor cost but not even one percent is put aside for their welfare," said Nair, who is chair professor and research coordinator on human trafficking at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai. TRAFFICKED AND DUPED There are no official figures on the number of people employed to cut, shape and bake clay-fired bricks mostly by hand in India's tens of thousands of brick kilns. According to a 2015 paper by the Centre for Science and Environment at least 10 million people work in kilns, many located on the edge of towns and cities making them easily accessible for urban builders. In Ponneri, about 50 km (30 miles) from the coastal city Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, rescued workers at the Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi Brick Industries brick kiln described how they were brought here two months ago by agents. The workers, all from the eastern Indian state of Odisha, said traffickers visited their villages, offering loans of 20,000 rupees ($300) in exchange for six months labor. The trafficker then sold the debt to another "agent" who brought them in batches by train to Chennai. "The agents who come to our villages spot the families in distress. They know when there has been an unforeseen expenditure and then offer the loans," said one worker, a young, bare-chested man who followed his uncle to the kiln. "They come to us when we have hit rock bottom and have no choice but to agree to their terms." UNCERTAIN FUTURE The laborers, along with their children, said they worked 10 hours daily, slept in tiny rooms with their families, and had no access to clean water or toilets. They were told they would be expected to work from January to June, before the monsoons usually strike, disrupting work. Each family, some of them with elderly or pregnant women, was expected to produce at least 2,000 bricks daily. If they did not, less money would be deducted from their loan. They said they received no official documentation of the loan and did not know how much of the debt they had cleared. "Each family has a debt of up to 20,000 rupees($300). And they are being paid only 400 rupees ($6) per family every week, without being allowed to go home unless they paid the entire amount," said M Narayanan, revenue department official leading the raid. A doctor working for the brick kiln owners, who was arrested along with five others, including site supervisors, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation he provided a steady supply of painkillers to ensure workers kept working. A disregard for labor laws, impunity for agents and brick kiln owners and few alternatives for workers who are rescued made it difficult to break the cycle of exploitation, campaigners said. "In most cases, the rescued laborers say they had no means to get the next meal and therefore no choice but to go with the agent," said Mathew Joji, a spokesman for International Justice Mission, a U.S.-based human rights group. "Unless that ground reality changes, things will not improve for them even after rescue." R Geeta of the Unorganised Workers Federation said rescue was often not the end of debt bondage. "With no monitoring, many of those rescued will get into second bondage or work for another employer in equally bad conditions," Geeta said. For Banchor, there is little guarantee of a better life once she and her family return to their village. "We are going home but our future is uncertain," she said as she jostled to board the bus out of the brick kiln. ($1 = 67.1760 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Anuradha Nagaraj. Additional reporting by Nita Bhalla. Writing by Nita Bhalla. Editing by Katie Nguyen; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking and climate change. Visit news.trust.org)
Anuradha Roy is like the popular girl you really want to hate. Everything about her is enviably mellifluous: the sentences that comprise each of her three award-winning novels; the flowing green dress she wears, pulling off the kind of cosmopolitan-ethnic flair that only a woman with brown skin, smokily lined eyes and gray-streaked hair can manage. Plus, theres the fact that shes the newest member of a club of Indian literary women at the top of their field, thanks to her novel Sleeping on Jupiter, which was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize last year and hits the U.S. this summer.

Alas, shes hard to hate. The gentle new darling of Indias book scene is, in person, compatible with what you find on the pages of her acclaimed books: beautiful, dreamy, enamored by words. Roy, 48, has eased into the literary celebrity that accompanies the mention of anything Booker, and, even as her novel does the rounds, she estimates shes refused invitations to nine literary festivals this year  in favor of keeping to the room of her own, where she can write, read, spin pottery, care for a trio of dogs and manage the publishing outfit she runs with her husband, Rukun Advani.

The critics tell you Jupiter is about the malaise of sexual abuse in India, about exposing the hypocrisies of Indian religious society. Which excises from the description much of the soul of the work: The characters include three elderly women vacationing in a temple town together; a millennial sex-abuse survivor returning to this town, her former home, to film a documentary; and a temple tour guide harboring illicit homosexual feelings for his straight friend.

Roy waited till they had the balls to sack me, she says, with a rare crudeness.

But its easy to see why were drawn to the Big Themes: Roys women are never quite safe, always harassed, aware of threatening male presences; and with Indias nation-shaking 2012 Delhi rape case fresh in the worlds memory, anything about Women in This Country is appealing. Roys French translator and friend Myriam Bellehigue calls Jupiter the most political of the authors three works  her first two are full of houses and E.M. Forsterstyle appeal  but its not overtly political fiction, she adds.

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And religion? Its not all criticism, as one elderly women in Jupiter is extremely devout, while another covets such devotion. I ask Roy where she stands. In the second camp, she says: She respects, but does not feel it herself. While writing, she immersed herself in Indias bhakti poets. Her only spiritual act (this bizarre thing I do) comes when she leaves the village in the Himalayas where she lives: She looks out the window and thanks the mountains for awaiting her  they will be there, after the dusty Delhi streets.

Its always been curious to be an Indian writer read abroad. The professors of postcolonial literature tell you the subcontinental voices are forced to accede to a Western readership that wants India explained to it, or that the English novel (think Forster, Graham Greene) cannot contain Indian complexity, its gods and distinct logics. Anita Singh, an English professor at Banaras Hindu University, cites writers like Kiran Desai and Arundhati Roy, fellow Booker-accoladed types, whose work includes attention to both gender and politics, to the environment or caste. Yes, India is moving beyond just the gender narrative, Singh says, but politics seems to be a must.

Roy was raised in a distinctly postcolonial environment, moving around the country following her fathers geological work on atomic energy for the new nation. She sees it more as a colossal waste because of the toll it took on her fathers health  he died at 57, in part, Roy believes, because of the trips he had to take up 18,000 feet, collecting samples with no oxygen. The many homes shaped her: In Hyderabad in south India, Roy attended a tiny Muslim school because it was the only option for girls and which taught her that books were not everything  you could just draw for months at a time. At 14, thanks to a story written in response to a classroom writing prompt, she was published in The Indian Express and paid 40 rupees.

In college, she studied English at the University of Calcutta and then attended Cambridge, later joining Oxford University Press, where she touched the work of famous intellectuals like A.K. Ramanujan. Yet the connections didnt guarantee her a publisher; the rejections rolled in on her first book until a respected publisher took a chance on her.

At OUP, Roy fell for Advani after reading the letters he wrote to his authors. Its such a loss that nobody will ever see those, she says. Roy claims she and Advani were thrown out as their relationship developed and she was told to move to the dictionaries group or leave. Advani swiftly departed; Roy waited till they had the balls to sack me, she says, with a rare crudeness. The story was widely reported 16 years ago, though an OUP representative declined comment since the incident took place so long ago.

Roy says this was the worst thing to happen to her because of gender. It reminds me of something she said on a book panel a few days ago, that the experience of violence in India isnt just about being attacked  its about the constant threat of it, the possibility that something small or large could happen to you, a woman, at any point.

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On October 2, 2002, Barack Obama gave a speech opposing war in Iraqperhaps, in retrospect, the most important speech he ever gave. He was right, of course, and the foreign-policy establishment was largely wrong. The problem is that politicians who were right about Iraq tend to overestimate what that says about their foreign-policy judgment. For Obama, the effects of being right are magnified. He became president, in part, because of Iraq and the considerable damage the conflict had done to the country. Obama offered the promise of a decisive correction and, for true believers, a kind of spiritual atonement.

It is unclear what being right on Iraq would mean for your likelihood of being right on Syria, since the contexts in question are, in a way, opposites: Civil war in Iraq began after the United States intervened. Civil war in Syria happened in the absence of intervention. History will have to judge, but it may actually be the case that being right on Iraq made you more likely to be wrong about subsequent interventions. The tragedy of Iraq, if you werent careful, was likely to distort your perception of everything that followed, for wholly understandable reasons.

Iraqs dark shadow seems to be everywhere in Jeffrey Goldbergs fascinating yet unsettling exchanges with Obama. Multilateralism regulates hubris, Obama says. And he is right: It does. What is left unsaid is why, exactly, regulating hubris should, seven years after the conclusion of the Bush era, remain a primary preoccupation. It is hard to imagine any world leader citing the hubris of overextension as the problem that the United States, today, must take extra care to correct for or guard against. Obama has already corrected for it, many times over.

It may actually be the case that being right on Iraq made you more likely to be wrong about subsequent interventions.

Elsewhere, there are straw men to be built. Every time there is a problem, we send in our military to impose order, Obama says, except that no one favoring intervention in Syria has called for Iraq-style military action. Obama says that there are going to be times where the best that we can do is to shine a spotlight on something thats terrible, but not believe that we can automatically solve it, except that Im not aware of a single critic of Obamas Syria policy who believes intervening against Bashar al-Assad would automatically solve anything. The stated goal was always rather different: to diminish the Assad regimes ability to kill and to provide clear incentives for Russia, Iran, and Assad to change their calculus and begin negotiating in something resembling good faith with Syrian rebel forces. Meanwhile, comments like there is no way we should commit to governing the Middle East and North Africa again present a wildly false choice.

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Obamas tendency to distort beyond recognition the positions of his critics goes hand in hand with an apparent disdain for those critics and, perhaps more worryingly, an unwillingness to even so much as question his own decisions after hes made them. Over the course of his conversations with Goldberg, the only thing he really blames himself for is having more faith in the Europeans than they apparently deserved. Elsewhere, he faults himself for underappreciating the value of theater in political communications. Of course, what Obama is faulting himself for is not clearly appreciating the faults of others.

Recommended: The Disappointment of Barack Obama

It is jarring to hear, in such measured words, a president so confident in his own abilities (George W. Bush, contrary to popular perception, was willing to reassess his policies, shift direction, and accept outside counsel during his second term). The colorfully rendered Obama doctrine of dont do stupid shit, itself a phrase dripping with disdain, is little more than a reaction to critics who Obama thinks, presumably, support doing stupid shit.

As troubling as all of these things are, especially in a president, they are not the most troubling thing that emerges from Goldbergs interviews. As much as he himself might insist otherwise, Obama is basically a Huntingtonian at heart. I had seen flashes of a clash of civilizations in Obamas various speeches, but these usually seemed like momentary lapses rather than omens of a more coherent philosophy. I think about Obamas universally panned and seemingly non-representative endorsement of the ancient hatreds thesis to explain Middle Eastern conflicts (something I argued against in these pages). I think about his remarks from the Oval Office just a month prior, where he suggested that Muslims had some communal responsibilityjust by virtue of them being Muslimto do more to condemn and confront extremism.

I am not against the notion that Islam is in some way different than other faith traditions. I argue in my new book that Islam is exceptional in how it relates to politics, and that this has profound implications for the future of the Middle East. But this is not quite the same thing as viewing Islamic exceptionalism as something bad, unusual, or at odds with history. Being the liberal determinist that he is, Obama, like so many others, seems frustrated by both Islam and Muslims. Why cant they just get their act together and stop being such a nuisance, distracting me from dealing with emotionally contained technocrats in Asia? This was a sentiment I noticed more and more after the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris in January 2015: the desire, sometimes a demand, to see Muslims embrace liberalism, and an anger that many simply wont. Too many Muslims, it seemed, were intent on defying the arc of history.

Obama seems frustrated by Islam. Too many Muslims, it seemed, were intent on defying the arc of history.

In Goldbergs article, Obama repeatedly imposes a deeply problematic frameworkand a rather patronizing oneon Muslims as well as Islam. Obama speaks of the need for Muslims to undergo a vigorous discussion within their community about how Islam works as part of a peaceful, modern society. He speaks of a reformation that would help people adapt their religious doctrines to modernity. That Islama completely different religion with a completely different founding and evolutionshould follow a path similar to Christianitys is an odd presumption. Why, exactly, should Christianity and its eventual secularization in the West be the standard by which other religions are judged? The Reformation was a response to clerical despotism. The modern Middle Easts curse, if anything, has more often than not been secular despotism. In the pre-modern era, meanwhile, it was a self-regulating clerical class that, as keepers of God-given law, provided a check on the sultans executive power and authority, as Harvards Noah Feldman has argued.

Perhaps these are understandable oversights, but they recur in Goldbergs article, suggesting that these arent oversights at all, but rather features of Obamas evolving framework for understanding the region. I felt queasy reading Obamas comments to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on how Indonesian Islam has grown harsher and more uncompromising. Interestingly, Obama chose to highlight the increasing number of Indonesian women wearing the headscarf, or hijab, as evidence of this shift. The implication was clear enough: that to be truly modern is to adopt a particular set of views about gender equality or, more generally, to be or become liberal.

Recommended: How Russia Saw the Red Line Crisis

President Obama styles himself a cool, modern technocrat, whose most valued trait is his ability to withstand the passions of political life. He is prudent where others are impetuous. He is rational where othersespecially Russian presidents and Arab autocratsinsist on acting against their own self-interest. Looked at another way, however, Obama has proved to be an ideological president, one with a developed, even philosophically coherent worldview. If there was one thing I became even more persuaded of after reading Goldbergs account, it was that Obama is not just an intelligent man, but a brilliant one. He is also a president who believes, with something resembling passion, that he is doing the right thing. This, I have come to realize, is precisely what worries me the most.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Niamey (AFP) - Jailed Niger opposition leader Hama Amadou, due to stand in a presidential run-off next week, was back behind bars Friday after receiving medical treatment, his entourage said, as his coalition vowed to boycott the vote.

Sources close to Amadou -- who has been in jail since November on baby-trafficking charges -- said the opposition leader had been treated locally, going back on an earlier statement that he had been taken to the capital.

"Contrary to what we believed, Hama Amadou has not left his prison in Filingue for the hospital in Niamey," a source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Salah Amadou, a senior official of the jailed candidate's party, earlier said Amadou was suffering from eye problems and was being transferred to Niamey from his jail in Filingue, about 180 kilometres (110 miles) from the capital.

The lawmaker later said the opposition leader had been "taken to the clinic in Filingue under a heavy security escort to receive treatment in the presence of his doctor, and then taken back to his cell".

Ousseini Salatou, spokesman for the opposition coalition known as COPA 2016, which backs Amadou for the presidency, said he had "been suffering for quite some time, but his condition worsened yesterday".

- 'Phantom candidate' -

The confusion came as COPA 16 announced an "active boycott" of the election, which it said had been agreed "in connection with Mr Amadou", with Salatou vowing that Issoufou would face "a phantom candidate" on March 20.

The coalition had announced on Wednesday that it was dropping out of a race it said was "unfair", but Amadou's lawyer insisted the following day that he would still be taking part.

Salatou, however, told a press conference Friday: "We have asked our activists and all patriots not to campaign and not to go out on March 20."

He added: "Hama will not vote on March 20, COPA will not vote on March 20."

Story continues

Amadou, a 66-year-old former premier and ex-speaker of parliament, has campaigned from behind bars, where he has been held since November on baby-trafficking charges he says are politically motivated.

He nevertheless picked up nearly 18 percent of the vote in the first round of the presidential race on February 21, coming second to Issoufou who took 48 percent -- failing to clinch an outright first-round majority victory.

The COPA 2016 coalition called for Amadou's release on March 2 to allow him to campaign fairly against Issoufou. His lawyers said the judicial authorities would hand down a ruling on the case Monday.

The opposition has accused the government of fraud in the first round, claiming "unfair treatment between the two candidates" and complaining that the Constitutional Court has yet to officially confirm the results.

The government maintains the polls were "free and transparent" while the African Union, which sent observers, said it was generally satisfied with the organisation of the vote, despite logistical glitches and delays.

A total of 7.5 million people were eligible to vote in the country, which lies on the edge of the Sahara desert, where security is a growing concern after attacks by jihadists from neighbouring Nigeria, Mali and Libya.
London (AFP) - Ken Adam, the designer of suave British spy James Bond's fictional worlds, has died at his home in London at the age of 95, British media reported on Friday.

The Oscar-winning British production designer, who dreamt up the elaborate lairs of Bond villains as well as 007's Aston Martin ejector seat, died on Thursday, the BBC reported.

"The Bond family mourns the passing of our beloved friend Sir Ken Adam who was so responsible for the visual style of the James Bond films," read a tweet on the film franchise's official account.

Former Bond star Roger Moore tweeted: "Sir Ken Adam -- a friend, a visionary and the man who defined the look of the James Bond films."

Adam's biographer Christopher Frayling told the BBC: "As a person he was remarkable. Roger Moore once said about him that his life was a great deal more interesting than most of the films that he designed.

"He was a brilliant visualiser of worlds we will never be able to visit ourselves."

He was born Klaus Adam in Berlin in 1921 and served in Britain's Royal Air Force during the Second World War when his Jewish family fled the Nazis to England.

Adam also designed the Pentagon War Room in Stanley Kubrick's cult classic "Dr Strangelove".

His two Oscar wins were for Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon" and "The Madness of King George".
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Japan's most advanced attack submarine will participate in joint military exercises with Australia next month, its Ministry of Defense said, in what analysts see as a bid to win a A$50-billion ($37-billion) defense contract. The race to build Australia's next submarine fleet has narrowed to France's state-controlled naval contractor DCNS, and Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, touting a variant of their Soryu product. The Soryu submarine and two military frigates will conduct exercises with the Australian Navy in the seas around Sydney, Japan's Ministry of Defense said in a notice on Thursday, before they return home on April 26, following an 11-day trip. Australia's defense department confirmed the exercises, but declined to say which vessels would participate. The 4,000-tonne Soryu faces off against a diesel-electric version of France's 5,000-tonne nuclear-powered Barracuda. Japan's lobbying effort comes on the heels of a visit last week by French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to Adelaide, the home of Australia's ship building industry. "By bringing the Soryu, it is demonstrating its range and then it gives the Australian navy the chance to exercise with it, including the opportunity to benchmark it against its existing Collins-class submarines," said Euan Graham, director of the international security program at the Lowy Institute. France is likely to broach its offer to build the new submarine fleet when its largest business grouping, Mouvement des Entreprises de France, visits Australia's capital next week. Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems TKAG.DE (TKMS) has lost ground because of technical concerns, several sources said this year. Australia's fleet of 12 new submarines is a key component of its defense plan. Last month, Australia announced plans to boost its defense spending by nearly A$30 billion ($22 billion) over the next decade, as it looks to protect its strategic and trade interests in the Asia-Pacific region. Australia is caught in a delicate position, as it is keen to maintain its relationship with both the United States and China, while tension rises between the two over the South China Sea. "There is an enormous amount of pressure for Australia to go with Japan, because of the message that will send Beijing," said James Curran, professor of foreign policy at the University of Sydney. ($1=1.3389 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Colin Packham in SYDNEY; Additional reporting by Tim Kelly in TOKYO; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Japan on Friday marked five years since an enormous 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck, unleashing a towering tsunami that levelled communities along Japan's northeast coast.

About 18,500 people were left dead or missing as the terrifying waves swallowed up everything in their path.

The water swamped reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant, sparking reactor meltdowns in the worst atomic accident since Chernobyl in 1986.

Here's a look at the situation five years later.

1) Is the tsunami-struck coastline back to normal?

Not for most people.

The government has poured billions of dollars into rebuilding. Some communities were moved to higher ground and bigger seawalls are going up.

But progress has been slow and many towns are a shadow of their former selves, with former residents unable -- or unwilling -- to move back.

2) What happened to all the people who were living there?

Tens of thousands moved to other parts of Japan or are still refugees living in temporary housing as they wait for new homes to be built. Some are jobless and suffer from depression, unable to pick up the pieces.

Life will never be the same for many survivors who lost relatives as the water swallowed schools and entire neighbourhoods while panicked residents tried to flee.

3) What is the situation at the Fukushima nuclear plant?

Fukushima remains unstable. The surrounding area is still mostly a no-go zone for former residents.

Thousands are working on the decades-long decommissioning process. They perform delicate -- and dangerous -- work to make the volatile reactors safer. Remote-controlled robots are sent into the most radioactive areas.

However, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power has not found a long-term solution for dealing with massive amounts of tainted water used to cool the reactors that is stored in huge tanks on the crippled site.

There is debate about the long-term health effects of radiation that escaped during the accident, and contaminated water that still seeps into the Pacific.

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4) Does that mean Japan has abandoned nuclear power?

Many Japanese want to ditch atomic power forever.

The government and business community have other ideas -- they want to switch dozens of shuttered reactors back on, mainly because energy bills skyrocketed after the crisis.

Only a handful of reactors have come back online owing to stricter safety rules and major public opposition. Nuclear once supplied more than one-quarter of Japan's energy.

But Tokyo's pro-nuclear policy hit another snag this week after a court ordered that two reactors be shut down again, owing to safety risks.

There are now just two reactors operating nationwide.

5) What's being done to guard against another disaster?

Some tsunami-struck communities moved to higher ground. Bigger seawalls are going up along the coast along with higher barriers to protect at-risk reactors.

New laws have been passed to quicken Tokyo's disaster response, and communities have beefed up evacuation plans.

Japan also set up an independent atomic watchdog, a response to the cosy ties between industry and government cited as a key factor in the Fukushima accident.

But critics say it's not enough, and seismologists warn that Japan will suffer another quake-tsunami disaster that dwarfs the 2011 catastrophe, killing about 300,000 people along its eastern coast, by government estimates.
Guatemala City (AFP) - A Guatemala judge ordered a new corruption probe against former vice president Roxana Baldetti, who is already in jail facing trial on graft charges.

The judge, Arnoldo Orellana, said he found sufficient evidence to investigate Baldetti on suspicion of fraud, criminal association and abuse of office in relation with an environmental project.

The order follows the arrest two weeks ago of Baldetti's brother and 13 other people in the matter.

The project was an $18-million contract awarded to an Israeli company to clean up Amatitlan Lake, south of the capital, using a chemical.

The International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), a United Nations-backed body whose corruption probe helped bring down the country's government last year, says there are anomalies in the clean-up contract.

Notably, it says, Baldetti's brother, Mario, was put in charge of the project despite not holding public office.

Roxana Baldetti and former president Otto Perez are in jail facing possible trial over a scandal in which officials were said to have taken bribes to cut import duties for some companies.

A decision on whether a trial would take place is to be announced on March 28.

Baldetti has proclaimed her innocence.

"If this is the price to pay for helping people, I am ready to accept it," she told reporters ahead of the latest news of the probe.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A jury on Thursday found that San Francisco police did not use excessive force in the March 2014 fatal shooting of a Latino man armed with a Taser.

The family of 28-year-old Alex Nieto filed the federal wrongful death civil lawsuit in the March 2014 shooting, arguing in court that Nieto did not act aggressively and was carrying the weapon for his job as a security guard.

Prosecutors declined to file criminal charges against the officers, who argued in court that Nieto pointed the Taser at them, and that they mistook it for a gun.

"The officers didn't violate the Constitution when they used lethal force on this particular day," said Deputy City Attorney Margaret Baumgartner, who represented the officers.

After the trial, Baumgartner told reporters gathered outside the courthouse that Nieto pulled the trigger on the Taser as police confronted him, according to the clock on the weapon, local media reported.

Adante Pointer, an attorney for the family, denied that Nieto ever raised the Taser.

"It's a sad day for the Nietos, but a much worse day for the San Francisco community," Pointer said. "Essentially you have a precedent being set that officers have the green light to fire 59 bullets in a public park at a man who posed no threat to them or anyone else."

An eight-member jury began deliberating on Wednesday afternoon and reached a unanimous verdict on Thursday in favor of the police, finding that the four officers at the scene did not use excessive force in the shooting.

The verdict comes amid a nationwide debate about use of excessive force by police, especially against minorities.

Protesters in San Francisco, fueled by the fatal police shooting of a 26-year-old black man last December, have rallied against the police department in the Nieto case and echoed their ongoing call for the ouster of Police Chief Greg Suhr.

In the wake of the December shooting, the U.S. Justice Department announced it would launch a review of the city's police force. The process will result only in recommendations, not court-enforceable reforms, stopping short of the demands of protesters and civil rights groups.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Sara Catania and Matthew Lewis)
By Astrid Wendlandt PARIS (Reuters) - Lanvin has hired Bouchra Jarrar as its new designer five months after the abrupt dismissal of Alber Elbaz caused uncertainty about the future of France's oldest fashion house. Paris-born of Moroccan descent, Jarrar, 45, is known for her black and white neo-classic outfits and feminine tuxedo jackets. She founded her eponymous house in 2010 and joined the prestigious club of Haute Couture designers in 2013. Previously, Jarrar worked closely for a decade with former Balenciaga designer, Nicolas Ghesquiere, who is now at LVMH's Louis Vuitton, and at Christian Lacroix Couture. Lanvin said on Friday Jarrar was going to close her own label to focus exclusively on the French fashion brand and would bring "a few" of her team with her. Founded in 1889, Lanvin is known for its silk cocktail dresses adorned with chunky jewelry and it is one of the last remaining independent major luxury fashion brands in France together with Hermes. Many industry specialists say Lanvin has the potential to be one of the industry's biggest fashion brands and could replicate the phenomenal success enjoyed by Valentino. Several sources estimated Lanvin would need at least 100 million euros ($110 million) of investment to take its development to the next level. Lanvin has 36 directly operated stores around the world, a fraction of big brands such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton which each have hundreds. Lanvin's controlling shareholder, Taiwanese media magnate Shaw-Lan Wang, has sold off many of its assets including its Japanese operations as well as its perfume business to perfume maker Interparfums. Jarrar's priority, aside from infusing new creative life into Lanvin, will be to restore peace to a company where staff have been striking and in dispute with management since Elbaz's departure, sources told Reuters. Wang had shocked the industry by sacking Elbaz, a fashion darling who had been at creative helm of Lanvin for 14 years. Elbaz has a stake of nearly 18 percent in the business and is widely credited with having infused new life into it. Tensions had grown between the two after Elbaz attracted bids for the company, worried that Wang was not investing enough in its international growth and product development, sources had told Reuters. One bid for Lanvin had come last summer from Valentino's Qatari owners Mayhoola who had offered more than 400 million euros, the sources had said. Lanvin's sales which were close to 240 million euros in 2012, have dropped to around 200 million euros, according to the company's official filing with France's companies' registry. The brand's former chief executive, Thierry Andretta, now head of Mulberry, left in 2013 over strategic differences with Wang. Lanvin's other minority shareholders include German investor Ralph Bartel, who owns 25 percent. ($1 = 0.8997 euros) (Editing by Keith Weir and Alexander Smith)
Nyon (Switzerland) (AFP) - Italian giants Lazio were facing punishment on Friday after UEFA opened disciplinary proceedings for racist chanting by their fans during a Europa League clash at Sparta Prague.

Thursday's game was held up after racist abuse was aimed at Sparta's Zimbabwe defender Costa Nhamoinesu.

The match, which ended 1-1, was delayed in the first half as appeals were made over the public address system to supporters.

UEFA said in a statement that Lazio have been charged for "racist behaviour" and "illicit chants".

Sparta also face proceedings for an illicit banner and setting off fireworks.

"The case will be dealt with by the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body on March 22," said the UEFA statement.

In February, Lazio were fined 50,000 euros ($56,000) and had a two-match partial stadium ban imposed after fans targeted Napoli's Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly with racist monkey chants in a Serie A game.
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk said on Friday the country's rubbish crisis had been "99 percent solved" at a government committee meeting on the issue. The Lebanese National News Agency quoted Machnouk and reported there would be a cabinet meeting on Saturday to finalize the agreement. It gave no further details. Politicians' failure to agree on a solution for garbage disposal has left mountains of trash piling up in and around Beirut for months and prompted warnings over the potential spread of diseases. Lebanon canceled a plan to export its rubbish to Russia last month, a government agency said. The problem is symptomatic of political deadlock that has left the country without a president for almost two years and prevented the government from taking even basic decisions. Opposing factions include parties backed by regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran. Conflict across the Middle East, including the war in neighboring Syria, where Iran and Saudi Arabia support warring sides, has strained Lebanon's sectarian political system. Saudi Arabia recently halted $3 billion of aid to Lebanon's armed forces, blaming the government's failure to condemn attacks on its diplomatic missions in Iran after Riyadh executed a Shi'ite cleric. Arab states have also labeled Shi'ite Hezbollah, a powerful political and military force in Lebanon, a terrorist organization. (Reporting by John Davison; editing by Andrew Roche)
Something just felt off. The FBI was holding a press conference about a terrorist bust. But weirdly, the bust had gone down in Miamis Liberty City, a largely African-American and Haitian-American neighborhood with high crime rates, a heavy police presence and few links to countries known for Islamic terrorism. Didnt seem like the sneakiest locale for a terrorist cell, journalist Trevor Aaronson thought.

So Aaronson started digging. And digging. And digging. Gradually, he unearthed what looked like a trend: a string of alleged terrorists with few or no ties abroad. That perplexed him too. During a fellowship with the UC Berkeley Investigative Reporting Program, Aaronson combed through records of more than 500 domestic terrorism prosecutions and eventually found the entity that, he says, backs more terrorism plots on U.S. soil than al-Qaeda, al-Shabab and ISIS combined. It was the FBI.

It sounds like something out of a thriller spy movie. In Aaronsons reconstruction, the FBI created a web of 15,000-plus informants, many of them ex-cons or con men, and paid them as much as six figures to spy on communities in the United States. The informants would target Muslim-Americans, many of them with mental-health problems, at mosques or on social media. Then the informants would convince the men to plot to shoot up community centers or plant car bombs, often providing fake weaponry. Then, when the terrorists went to act on their plans, the FBI would come in, guns blazing, and lock the men behind bars. In Aaronsons words: Theyre creating terrorists to catch them.

The FBIs Miami field office declined our request for comment; a spokesperson at the bureaus national headquarters directed us to material on the FBI website regarding the use of confidential informants, which points out that the practice is lawful and may involve an element of deception, intrusion into the privacy of individuals, or cooperation with persons whose reliability and motivation may be open to question. Aaronson, who published his findings in a book as well as outlets like The Intercept, says the FBI did not comment on or deny his findings.

Those findings suggest that the bureau has assembled a network 10 times larger than notorious former FBI director J. Edgar Hoovers domestic spy network. Of the 508 cases in Aaronsons database, only a handful had dangerous overseas links to al-Qaeda or ISIS. And countless of the soon-to-be terrorists suffered from severe mental illness, like schizoaffective disorder, which means they have trouble distinguishing between truth and fantasy. One man had done 12 stays in psychiatric hospitals, Aaronson wrote. He also received transcripts of recordings of FBI agents in Tampa openly mocking the terrorists in the making, calling one a retarded fool and acknowledging that they were in it more for money than religious fervor. A judge buried those transcripts in the name of national security, Aaronson says.

His work is a major contribution to what we know about how the FBI operates at a time when the nexus between government surveillance and civil liberties is, in his words, the story of our generation. Sharon Rosenhause, board president of the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, says the topic is rarely covered in a sophisticated, ongoing way. She describes Aaronson, who is the FCIRs co-founder and executive director, as formidable and very intense.

The informants Aaronson has covered are far from likable. At the same time, they are often blackmailed into cooperating with the government, whether theyre facing criminal charges the FBI promises to drop, are in desperate need of cash or are about to be deported, something the FBI can wave away. While Aaronsons investigations have led to a book, The Terror Factory: Inside the FBIs Manufactured War on Terrorism, and provided material or inspiration for documentaries, there have been no congressional hearings or major changes in the practices, he says. Apathy remains a challenge. No one  especially the Muslim-Americans affected most  wants to be seen as defending terrorism-related anything, he says.

And not everyone thinks his work is great. Critics call him a terrorist apologist; it doesnt help that al-Qaedas slick magazine, Inspire, once included a photo of him plastered with quotations the terrorist organization interpreted as supportive. But he brushes away such criticisms, with a surprisingly distant nonchalance, as a product of widespread Islamophobia and a pervasive with-us-or-against-us mentality.

Instead, he offers a warning: Anytime the government has a toy or tactic, it starts with a vulnerable population, he says. If Aaronson keeps up his current work, maybe hell report out other yet-undiscovered happenings and add another award to the two dozen hes already received.

TED: Homegrowing Terrorists

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New York (AFP) - A prominent Mexican actress has spoken out on meeting drug baron Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to imply that Oscar-winning star Sean Penn fabricated an account of government soldiers waving them through a checkpoint.

Kate del Castillo, who lives in Los Angeles, made the remarks in an interview with The New Yorker, adding to an avalanche of criticism against Penn about meeting Guzman and then writing about it in "Rolling Stone" magazine.

Penn's much mocked 10,000-word article alleged that uniformed government soldiers allowed them to pass through after identifying Guzman's son Alfredo in their convoy during a lengthy drive through the Mexican bush to meet Guzman.

"Wow. So it is, the power of a Guzman face. And the corruption of an institution," Penn wrote.

But Del Castillo told The New Yorker the convoy did not go through a military checkpoint, nor did government soldiers wave them on.

Argentinian producers Fernando Sulichin and Jose Ibanez, who were in the car ahead of del Castillo and Penn, also have no recollection of encountering a military checkpoint, The New Yorker wrote.

Penn maintains that his account is correct, the publication added.

Penn's article was published on January 9, one day after Guzman was captured following six months on the run from jail in Mexico.

Del Castillo also grumbled to The New Yorker that the Hollywood star and ex-husband of Madonna did not reveal he was working on an article until she was translating his conversation with Guzman.

Penn says he discussed his intentions in their first meeting and again en route to their meeting with Guzman, The New Yorker reported.

Del Castillo hoped instead that Penn would collaborate with her on a film project about Guzman, one of the world's most notorious drug traffickers and blamed for the deaths of thousands of people in Mexico.

The actress also complained that Penn implied she had encouraged romantic-style overtures from Guzman, when in fact her dealings were purely professional with an eye to working on a movie project.

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Penn faced enormous criticism over the article that poured scorn on the information he obtained, accusing him of going easy on a man blamed for thousands of deaths and for contributing to US drug addiction.

Penn challenged Mexico's assertion that the interview -- held in an undisclosed location in the country -- helped the authorities track down Guzman.

Penn subsequently expressed regret over the article, telling CBS it had failed in his stated intention of sparking new debate about the US war on drugs.
By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors who lost money when Jon Corzine's MF Global Holdings Ltd collapsed reached a $29.83 million settlement with five underwriters that helped the futures brokerage sell bonds in the summer of 2011, less than three months before it went bankrupt.

The preliminary accord resolves class action claims against Leucadia National Corp's <LUK.N> Jefferies LLC unit; units of Bank of Montreal <BMO.TO>, Natixis SA <CNAT.PA> and US Bancorp <USB.N>; and Lebenthal & Co, according to papers filed on Friday in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan. All denied wrongdoing.

Investors led by the Virginia Retirement System and the Canadian province of Alberta accused the defendants of making false and misleading statements when they helped MF Global sell $325 million of 6.25 percent senior notes in August 2011, or were liable for misstatements in the bonds' offering materials.

The settlement requires court approval.

It would boost the investors' total recovery to about $234 million, including $74.9 million from other underwriters, $65 million from the auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers, and $64.5 million from Corzine and other MF Global officials.

"We are pleased to have resolved this matter, and this resolution will have virtually no impact on our 2016 results," a Jefferies spokesman said.

A spokesman for US Bancorp declined to comment. The other defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

MF Global filed for Chapter 11 protection on Oct. 31, 2011 as worries mounted about its sovereign debt exposure, credit rating downgrades, margin calls and news that customer funds had been used to cover liquidity shortfalls.

Before taking over MF Global, Corzine had been a U.S. senator and governor from New Jersey, and a co-chairman of Goldman Sachs <GS.N>.

Lawyers for the bond investors plan to seek legal fees of 19 percent of the settlement fund, court papers show.

The case is In re: MF Global Holdings Ltd Securities Litigation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 11-07866.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bernard Orr)
Moto Adventurer Kicks Off Round-the-World Attempt at Daytona

A world-traveling motorcyclist has kicked off what he hopes will be a record-setting ride around the world on a modified Victory Cross Country Tour.

With an escort of dozens of other Victory owners, Swiss national Urs "Grizzly" Pedraita left Daytona Beach today to begin his attempt to travel the world in less than 100 days. The current record for this particular type of ride is 120 days and 2 hours, held by British rider Nick Sanders.

The route involves riding along the longest axis of each populated continent and will also see Pedraita setting tires on Antarctica, just to make the feat more difficult to replicate. It's a route that involves more miles and logistical challenges than simply circumnavigating the globe.

READ MORE: Zero Below Zero - Zero Preparation | RideApart

Daytona1

Pedraita has done that too, of course. A few years ago he sped around the Northern Hemisphere in a record-setting 16 days.

One of his first long-distance challenges involved riding 9,000 miles from Bern, Switzerland, to Vladivostok, Russia, in the dead of winter. At the time he made the attempt, much of the Trans-Siberian Highway, which runs the width of Russia, was unpaved.

In all his long-distance attempts Pedraita has chosen a Victory Cross Country, perhaps proving the old adage that the best bike for traveling is the bike you have.

READ MORE: California Man Rides From LA to NYC in 38 Hours 49 Minutes | RideApart

Urs 'Grizzly' Pedraita and Daytona1

The bike Pedraita is using for this attempt has been extensively modified to help him tackle long hours in the saddle. A larger fuel tank will mean fewer stops and increased air intake will allow the engine to breathe a little more. The bike, which Pedraita has dubbed "Daytona1," has also been raised a few inches to allow him to ride through areas he anticipates will be flooded.

A unique custom seat with back support will aid in comfort, and a suite of electronics will keep Pedraita on his route and in constant contact with a team of assistants. Pedraita says he plans to upload daily video to his website, taken from the four cameras mounted to his motorcycle.

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Also on his website, people can keep track of Pedraita's progress by checking out his current location.

Pedraita's route sees him first heading to South America, then across Australia, up the African continent to Northern Europe, then across into Asia before heading to Alaska and speeding back down to Daytona. If all goes according to plan, Pedraita should be back in Florida on or before June 19th.

Urs 'Grizzly' Pedraita and Daytona1

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By Jonathan Gould

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Munich Re <MUVGn.DE> is set to get its first new chief executive in more than a dozen years when Nikolaus von Bomhard's contract expires at the end of this year, Germany's manager magazin reported on Friday, citing company sources.

Von Bomhard, who turns 60 later this year and has been CEO since 2004, will not seek to renew his position at the helm of the world's largest reinsurer, leaving him free to become Munich Re's next chairman, the magazine said.

It said von Bomhard's replacement would come from the reinsurer's management board, with a decision expected at a supervisory board meeting on Tuesday and board member Thomas Blunck the front-runner.

Munich Re, which holds a news conference on its annual results on Wednesday, declined to comment.

Chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder's mandate as chairman expires in 2019, at which time von Bomhard could succeed him after a mandatory two-year cooling-off period.

Thomas Blunck, 51 has been a board member since 2005 responsible for insurance-linked securities such as catastrophe bonds. He is believed to be more likely to be picked than fellow board member Joachim Wenning, the magazine said.

Blunck's business area has been in the spotlight in recent years because an increasing amount of reinsurance risks are being transferred to capital market investors through securitizations, a trend that plays to his experience.

Wenning, 51, is responsible for life reinsurance and human resources and has been a board member since 2009.

The magazine said that board member Markus Riess, 50, who joined Munich Re's board last year after leaving Allianz <ALVG.DE>, was busy restructuring insurance unit Ergo and was not under consideration for the reinsurer's top job.

(Reporting by Jonathan Gould; Editing by Christoph Steitz and Georgina Prodhan)
Niamey (AFP) - Niger opposition candidate Hama Amadou, held in jail since November on shadowy baby-trafficking charges, will take part in the run-off race against President Mahamadou Issoufou, his lawyers said Thursday.

The head of the country's national electoral commission (CENI) announced earlier that the elections would go ahead despite the withdrawal of the opposition coalition, known as COPA 2016.

The pullout was expected to include candidate Amadou, who has campaigned from behind bars throughout the race.

But his lawyer told AFP that Amadou never said he would withdraw.

"COPA has only said that they will suspend their participation in the process, but Hama will run in the election," his lawyer said.

COPA 2016 announced Tuesday they would withdraw from the race, which is widely expected to hand incumbent president Issoufou a second five-year term, describing the vote as "unfair".

The opposition has accused the government of fraud in the first round, claiming "unfair treatment between the two candidates" and complaining that the Constitutional Court has yet to officially confirm the first-round results.

The run-off vote -- the first-ever for the impoverished country -- is set for March 20, a date CENI chief Boube Ibrahim said had to be adhered to, citing "constitutional deadlines".

Amadou, a former prime minister, has been in jail since November on baby-trafficking charges he says are politically motivated.

He nonetheless came second in the first round on February 21 with nearly 18 percent of the vote, while Issoufou took 48 percent.

The government maintains the polls were "free and transparent" while the African Union, which sent observers, said it was generally satisfied with the organisation of the vote, despite logistical glitches and delays.

A total of 7.5 million people were eligible to vote in the country, which lies on the edge of the Sahara desert, where security is a growing concern after attacks by jihadists from neighbouring Nigeria, Mali and Libya.

Niger's Court of Cassation must rule on whether to go ahead with Amadou's baby-trafficking trial on March 23, three days after the run-off ballot.
ABUJA (Reuters) - A tribunal considering false asset declaration charges levelled at Nigeria's Senate President Bukola Saraki, the third most powerful person in the country, was adjourned on Friday to deal with questions over its authority. Saraki, who heads the upper house of parliament, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he falsely declared his assets when he was governor of the central Nigerian state of Kwara from 2003 to 2011. The hearing has just begun. The 13 charges he faces at the national Code of Conduct Tribunal, a special court that tries asset declaration misdemeanours, mostly relate to the ownership of land held by his company Carlisle Properties Ltd during that period. Other allegations include transferring $3.4 million to an account outside Nigeria while he was governor, and sending 1.5 million pounds ($2.1 million) to a European account to cover a mortgage for a London property. On Friday, Saraki's legal team said the attorney general did not have the power to mount a criminal trial against him. "We have filed a motion challenging your jurisdiction," Saraki's lawyer, Mr Kanu Agabi told the tribunal. Rotimi Jacobs, the government's lawyer, called the move a deliberate attempt to "scuttle" the court case. The case was adjourned until March 18. If found guilty, Saraki would be removed as Senate president, barred from holding any public office for up to 10 years and could be jailed. ($1 = 0.7002 pounds) (Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
By Abdoulaye Massalaki NIAMEY (Reuters) - Niger's opposition leader will run in the second round of a presidential election on March 20 despite a decision by allies to suspend their participation, his lawyer said on Friday. President Mahamadou Issoufou, a key Western security ally in West Africa, won the first round comfortably last month with 48 percent of votes but did not clinch the majority required to win in a single round. His main opponent Hama Amadou, jailed in November in connection with a baby-trafficking scandal, came second with around 18 percent. On Friday, he left prison for treatment in a Niamey hospital for eye problems, an opposition spokesman said. Amadou, a former president of parliament, denies the charges against him and says they are politically motivated. "Hama has not stepped aside. He remains the candidate for the COPA (Coalition for an Alternative) and his candidacy has not been withdrawn so he is still running," his lawyer Mossi Boubacar told Reuters. Amadou had until Thursday night to announce his withdrawal. COPA announced its decision to suspend its participation on Tuesday, citing Amadou's imprisonment and irregularities with the election procedure. While analysts say Issoufou would have likely won either way, backing from the 20 some parties in the COPA looked set to considerably narrow the gap between the two candidates. It is not clear if COPA's suspension is final. This week it sent a letter to the head of regional body ECOWAS seeking an intervention to respond to its grievances, a copy of the document showed. Analysts have warned of the risk of unrest ahead of the run-off and during Amadou's trial which is scheduled for 23 March. "Should he be convicted, an escalation in opposition civil unrest could occur," wrote Andre Colling, analyst with crisis management assistance company red 24, on a blog. Issoufou took office in April 2011, a year after a coup overthrew President Tandja Mamadou. He is working closely with Western partners to help boost security in the vast, arid Sahel region where Islamist militants are intensifying their insurgency. Niger is also participating in a regional African Union task force to counter Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region. (Writing by Emma Farge; editing by Ralph Boulton)
BELFAST (Reuters) - Britain should commit to holding a vote to unite Ireland if its citizens choose to leave the European Union in a referendum in June, Northern Ireland's nationalist deputy first minister said on Friday. A so-called "Brexit" would represent a "political and economic game changer" for the island of Ireland, Martin McGuinness of the Sinn Fein party said, calling for an immediate border poll if Britain voted to leave. Sinn Fein, which is predominantly supported by Catholic Nationalists who remained part of the United Kingdom in a province dominated by Protestants after the Irish state secured independence from Britain in 1921, is campaigning for Britain to remain inside the EU. "If Britain votes to leave the European Union then that could have huge implications for the entire island of Ireland and, given all the predictions, would run counter to the democratic wishes of the Irish people," McGuinness said in a statement. "If there is a vote in Britain to leave the EU there is a democratic imperative to provide Irish citizens with the right to vote in a Border Poll to end partition and retain a role in the EU." Although pro-British Protestants still make up a majority of the Northern Irish population, Sinn Fein has been gradually increasing a push for a border poll which is allowed no more than once every seven years under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement peace deal. Britain's Secretary of State to Northern Ireland may call a border poll at any time, according to the 1998 agreement that brought about peace. It also specifies that the Secretary "shall" order a referendum if it appears likely that a majority of those voting would seek to form part of a united Ireland. A BBC/RTE survey in November found that just 30 percent of voters in Northern Ireland would like to see a united Ireland in their lifetime. Many in Northern Ireland fear that new border restrictions resulting from a "Brexit" could re-energize nationalist demands for a unification which helped fuel three decades of violence with the British authorities and unionists who want to remain part of Britain. At least 3,600 people were killed in the "The Troubles". Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, the province's largest party that shares power with Sinn Fein, is campaigning for Britain to leave the EU. (Reporting by Padraic Halpin in Dublin)
By Jack Kim and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Thursday in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions, as South Korean and U.S. forces conducted massive war games. The North also announced it had scrapped all agreements with the South on commercial exchange projects and would "liquidate" South Korean assets left behind in its territory. North Korea has a large stockpile of short-range missiles and is developing long-range and intercontinental missiles. Thursday's missiles flew about 500 km (300 miles) into the sea, off the east coast city of Wonsan and probably were part of the Soviet-developed Scud series, South Korea's defense ministry said. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon responded to the launch by calling on Pyongyang to "cease destabilizing acts," his spokesman said, adding that Ban remained "gravely concerned" by the situation on the Korean peninsula. Japan, within range of the longer-range variant of Scud missiles or the upgraded Rodong missiles, lodged a protest through the North Korean embassy in Beijing, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported. A Pentagon spokesman, Commander Bill Urban, said the U.S. Defense Department was aware of the reports of the missile launches. "We are monitoring the situation closely," he said. North Korea often fires short-range missiles when tensions rise on the Korean peninsula. Pyongyang gets particularly upset about the annual U.S.-South Korea drills, which it says are preparations for an invasion. The United States and South Korea remain technically at war with North Korea because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armed truce instead of a peace agreement. Around 17,000 U.S. military personnel are participating alongside some 300,000 South Korean troops in what South Korea's Defence Ministry has called the "largest-ever" joint military exercises. North Korea warned on Sunday it would make a "pre-emptive and offensive nuclear strike" in response to the exercises. 'LIQUIDATING' ASSETS After Thursday's missile launches, North Korea announced it would "liquidate" South Korean assets left behind in the Kaesong industrial zone and in the Mount Kumgang tourist zone. South Korea protested the move as "totally unacceptable" but did not say what it could do to recover the assets that it valued in excess of 1.4 trillion won ($1.17 billion). Seoul suspended operations in the jointly run zone last month as punishment for the North's rocket launch and nuclear test. Mount Kumgang was the first major inter-Korean cooperation project. Thousands of South Koreans visited the resort between 1998 and 2008. Seoul ended the tours in 2008 after a North Korean soldier shot dead a South Korean tourist who wandered into a restricted area. North Korea is also livid about stepped-up United Nations sanctions adopted last week following its recent nuclear test and long-range missile launch. South Korea's foreign ministry said Thursday's missile launches violated a series of U.N. Security Council resolutions and that it would refer the matter to the Council's sanctions committee mandated to enforce the resolutions. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Hong Lei described the situation on the Korean peninsula as "complex and sensitive." "All sides should stop their provocative words and deeds to avoid a further rise in tensions," he said. MINIATURIZED WARHEADS North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un was quoted in state media on Wednesday as saying that his country had miniaturized nuclear warheads to mount on ballistic missiles. He called on his military to be prepared to mount pre-emptive attacks against the United States and South Korea. It was Kim's first direct comment on the technology needed to deploy nuclear missiles, although State media have previously made the claim, which has been widely questioned and never independently verified.. North Korean state media released photographs they said showed Kim Jong Un inspecting a spherical miniaturized warhead. South Korea's defense ministry said it did not believe North Korea had successfully miniaturized a nuclear warhead or deployed a functioning intercontinental ballistic missile. The Pentagon said this week it had not seen North Korea demonstrate a capability to miniaturize a nuclear warhead a said on Wednesday the department was working on U.S. ballistic missile defenses to be prepared. North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6 but its claim to have set off a miniaturized hydrogen bomb last month has been disputed by the U.S. and South Korean governments and experts, who said the blast was too small to back it up. ($1=1,201.1800 won) (Additional reporting by Kaori Kaneko in Tokyo and David Brunnstrom and David Alexander in Washington; Editing by Bill Tarrant, Clarence Fernandez, Grant McCool)
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watched a ballistic missile launch test and ordered the country to improve nuclear attack capability by continuing to conduct more tests, the official KCNA news agency reported on Friday. The report did not say when the test took place but it was likely referring to the launch of two short-range missiles by North Korea on Thursday that flew 500 km (300 miles) and splashed into the sea. "Dear comrade Kim Jong Un said work ... must be strengthened to improve nuclear attack capability and issued combat tasks to continue nuclear explosion tests to assess the power of newly developed nuclear warheads and tests to improve nuclear attack capability," KCNA said. Tension rose sharply on the Korean peninsula after the North conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and fired a long-range rocket last month leading to the U.N. Security Council to adopt a new sanctions resolution. Conducting more nuclear tests would be in clear violation of U.N. sanctions which also ban ballistic missile tests, although Pyongyang has rejected them. North Korea has a large stockpile of short-range missiles and is developing long-range and intercontinental missiles. The North Korean leader was quoted in state media on Wednesday as saying that his country had miniaturized nuclear warheads to mount on ballistic missiles. South Korea said it did not believe that North Korea had successfully miniaturized a nuclear warhead or deployed a functioning intercontinental ballistic missile. Pyongyang has conducted four nuclear tests in the past decade and claimed to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb in January but most experts expressed doubt saying the blast was too small to back up the assertion. North Korea has issued nearly daily reports this week of Kim's instructions to fight South Korea and the United States as those two allies began large-scale military drills. North Korea called the annual drills "nuclear war moves" and threatened to respond with an all-out offensive. Kim last week ordered his country to be ready to use nuclear weapons in the face of what he sees as growing threats from enemies. (Reporting by Jack Kim and Ju-min Park; editing by Grant McCool)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered more nuclear tests just days after the United Nations unanimously approved sanctions in response to its nuclear test and rocket launch in the first two months of the year, the KCNA state news agency said on Friday.

The agency said that the youthful leader had watched a ballistic missile launch test, without providing the date, and then ordered the countrys authorities to improve its nuclear capabilities by conducting further tests.

Dear comrade Kim Jong Un said work...must be strengthened to improve nuclear attack capability and issued combat tasks to continue nuclear explosion tests to assess the power of newly developed nuclear warheads, KCNA said.

He was also quoted this week by the state media as saying that the countrys military had miniaturized nuclear warheads that could be mounted onto ballistic missiles.

In response to Kims decree, South Koreas Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee told Reuters: Its simply rash and thoughtless behavior by someone who has no idea how the world works.

Pyongyangs nuclear test and missile launch provoked an outcry from the international community and North Koreas neighbor South Korea, leading to the toughest sanctions regime ever placed on the country.

The sanctions approved last week, drafted by the U.S. and China, include: U.N. member states being required to carry out inspections on all cargo into and out of North Korea; the banning of North Korean ships suspected of transporting illegal materials from ports across the world; the widening of an arms embargo to include small arms; and the banning of both aviation fuel and rocket fuel from being supplied to the country.

Over the past month, North Korea has doubled the number of its cyberattacks on the South, Seouls spy agency told lawmakers on Friday, as relations between two nations continue to deteriorate.

The National Intelligence Service has accused North Korea of attempting to breach the smartphones of 300 security and military officials between late February and early March. Pyongyang succeeded in stealing the text and voice messages of 40 of those people, an aide of lawmaker Joo Ho-young told the Associated Press.

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The title of Jeffery Goldbergs very fine essay notwithstanding, there is no Obama Doctrine. Indeed, over the course of his on-the-job education in statecraft, President Obama has developed a pronounced aversion to doctrinesgrand statements of principle that subsequently provide an enduring basis for policy.

Such, at least, has been the function of doctrines in the American diplomatic tradition. In 1823, President Monroe famously declared the Western Hemisphere off-limits for future colonization by any European powers. Over time, the Monroe Doctrine evolved into an assertion of U.S. hegemony throughout the Americas. In 1947, President Truman declared it the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. The Truman Doctrine became the cornerstone of the Cold War strategy of containment. Wars in Korea and Vietnam numbered among the consequences.

At the outset of his presidency, Obama himself was not immune to grandiosity, which in his case found expression in astonishing naivete. His Cairo speech of June 2009, blithely announcing a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, offers a clear example. Yet subsequent events, not only in the Islamic world but elsewhere, have long since sanded away such innocent expectations.

What remains? A pronounced and, to my mind, healthy skepticism. Much was made early in Obamas presidency about his putative affinity for Reinhold Niebuhr, the moral theologian and proponent of Christian realism. Goldbergs account substantiates the presidents Niebuhrian inclinations, especially evident in his willingness to question the reigning shibboleths of U.S. policy.

Recommended: The Disappointment of Barack Obama

By shibboleths, I mean those precepts, dating from World War II and the early Cold War, that still pervade the foreign-policy establishment, accepted as valid not because they are empirically correct but because they are comfortingly familiar. As such, they obviate any need to think. For the sake of convenience, we may sum up those shibboleths in a single sentence: America must lead. Implicit in this summons to leada euphemism for the threatened or actual use of armed forceis the vision of a world in which the forces of light vie against the forces of darkness, with America charged with ensuring the triumph of good over evil.

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That isnt Obamas world. In that regard, he may be Americas first post-postwar president. He simply does not buy into the Manichaeanism that prevailed during World War II and through the Cold War, and that still persists today in American political discourse, especially but not exclusively on the right.

The contrast with Obamas immediate predecessor is instructive. After 9/11, George W. Bush reflexively framed his Global War on Terrorism as an extension and de-facto renewal of World War II and the Cold War. Through victory, Bush asserted, the United States would once more ensure the triumph of freedom. Invading Iraq would enable Americans to liberate an enslaved people, much as they had liberated Western Europeans in 1945 and Eastern Europeans in 1989.

Obamas appreciation for moral complexity leads him to pose questions that for Bush lay beyond the pale.

While Bush saw his actions as historically grounded, he was drawing on a past that never actually existed, except as a product of American imagination. Once expedient even if largely fictive, that past has long since forfeited whatever utility it may have once possessed. Whether through background, upbringing, or temperament, Obamas own attitude toward that past is one of indifference. As a consequence, his world is devoid of the moral certainties that Bush believed self-evident.

In addition to making him an infinitely more interesting human being, Obamas appreciation for moral complexity leads him to pose questions that for Bush (not to mention for many of Obamas own aides) lay beyond the pale. Goldberg does an admirable job of ticking off the range of previously sacrosanct issues that Obama has at least obliquely brought into play. What exactly does Great Britain bring to the special relationship that should justify its continuation? Even if Berlin was worth fighting for a half-century ago, why does it follow that Kiev is worth fighting for today? Does the West actually exist? And even if it does, why should the racially and culturally diverse United States choose to affiliate with that one particular tribe? With the worlds economic center of gravity shifting to Asia, what is the residual significance of free-riding Europe? How should radical changes in the global energy environment affect the status of the Persian Gulf in the U.S. strategic hierarchy? Given the paltry results achieved through myriad recent U.S. armed interventions in the Islamic world, what exactly is the present-day utility of force? Under what definition of the term ally do countries such as Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Pakistaneach routinely behaving in ways contrary to U.S. interestsqualify for that designation?

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Matters such as these deserve to be front-and-center in the 2016 presidential campaign. None of them will be, disagreements regarding the correlation between the size of a candidates hand and the length of his penis taking priority. Even so, by raising such questions, Obama invites Americans to undertake a much-needed reassessment of basic U.S. policy.

As for Obamas standing in history, many years will pass before we are able to reach considered judgments about his record, whether in domestic or foreign policy. No doubt, in comparison with the expectations that marked his ascent to the presidency, he will be found wanting. But those expectations were absurdly overinflated, as the president himself must surely appreciate. He was never going to bat 1.000.

Even by a more realistic standard, and taking into full account the mess he inherited, Obamas record contains blemishes that time alone will not wash away. It is gratifying to know that the president appreciates that Libya has become a shit show, thanks in considerable part to an ill-advised exercise in regime change in which his administration was complicit. (Would that President Bush and his supporters had the honesty to acknowledge that Iraq is today a shit show as a direct consequence of even greater recklessness. Are they oblivious to the excrement lodged under their own fingernails?)

On the debit side of the register, theres more. Obama vowed to win the Afghanistan War. He will depart office with fulfillment of that promise nowhere in sight. He vowed to end the Iraq War responsibly. In December 2011, he thought he had. But that conflict has now resumed and the U.S. is back in it. He has normalized assassination by drone and other means, with implications impossible to forecast. As for Syria, lets just say that his administration has not covered itself with glory.

Obamas chief foreign-policy accomplishments come in the form of promissory notes.

Obamas chief foreign-policy accomplishmentsthe Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, the climate-change deal, the long-overdue restoration of relations with Cubacome in the form of promissory notes whose yield, whether for good or ill, will become apparent only with the passage of time.

Above all, there is Iran, to which Goldberg devotes only passing attention. To my mind, Obamas overall reputation as a statesman is likely to rest not on his fumbling approach to the Syrian Civil War, but on how the Iran nuclear deal plays out.

Recommended: Britain Reacts to Obama's Criticism of the "Special Relationship"

Yes, Obama surely erred in impulsively drawing his red line on the use of chemical weapons by Syria, only to back down when Bashar al-Assad called his bluff. From start to finish, the entire episode smacks of amateur hour. But the argument that Obama thereby fatally compromised American credibility is surely exaggerated. Recall that in 1956, the United States turned its back on Hungarians who at Washingtons urging had risen up against their communist overlords. In 1961, it abandoned the Cuban freedom fighters it had armed, trained, and deposited at the Bay of Pigs in a doomed attempt to mount a counterrevolution. Most egregiously, in 1975, the United States stood by passively as the Republic of Vietnam, on whose behalf 58,000 Americans had died, was wiped off the map. Somehow American credibility managed to survive each of these serial betrayals. It will survive Syria as well.

With regard to Iran, in contrast, the stakes qualify as truly momentous. Goldberg concludes that overall Obama is gambling that he will be judged well for the things he didnt do. Perhaps, but the assessment does not apply to Iran. There its what Obama did do that matters.

Obamas Iran gambit represents (take your pick) either a bold initiative that might someday help salvage Middle Eastern stability or an act of monumental imprudence that will inevitably bring everything crashing down. In any case, the risks inherent in the undertakingwhich he will bequeath to his successorare nothing short of breathtaking.

Obama is betting that the potential for positive change in Iran is greater than in any other nation in that region, with the days of the retrograde ayatollahs numbered and the millions of secular-oriented, pro-Western young Iranians defining the future. Goldberg notes the presidents conviction that ending the turmoil wracking the Greater Middle East will require that Islam find a way to reconcile itself with modernity. Obama, it seems, sees Iran as the place where that reconciliation can begin. If it does, prompted by Irans reintegration into the international order, then that country could become a force for regional order rather than a source of mischief, thereby allowing the United States to lower its own profile in the Middle East and tend to matters that bear more directly on the future security and well-being of the American people.

Thats the bet, and its a big one.

If Iran eventually fulfills Obamas expectations, history will celebrate his shrewdness and courage. If he turns out to be wrong, his name will be a byword for folly. The truth is that at this point neither Obama nor anyone else can say for certain how that bet will turn out. Check back in a decadeno, make that twoand we can talk about his legacy.

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Washington (AFP) - Barack Obama will make history this month by becoming the first US president to visit Cuba in almost a century, but he also hopes to remake the United States' image in Latin America.

When Obama sets foot in Havana on March 20, the White House imagines a "Berlin Wall moment" -- a singular legacy gilding event like Ronald Reagan's 1987 address before the Brandenburg Gate.

Whereas Reagan sought to end the Cold War division of Europe, Obama hopes to symbolically "tear down" decades of Cold War antagonism across the narrow Florida Straits.

But the visit is also the capstone of a much-stymied effort to improve relations with Latin America, ties still colored by past coups, death squads and heavy handed intervention.

Barely 100 days after Obama took office, the new president told regional leaders at a Summit of the Americas in Trinidad that the United States had changed.

The new approach, according to top Obama foreign policy advisor Ben Rhodes, was to offer equal partnerships and deny populist leaders like Hugo Chavez excuses for side-show anti-Americanism.

"We tried to essentially remove the United States as source of legitimacy for that brand of politics," Rhodes told AFP in an interview.

Viewed from Obama's White House, president George W. Bush and his invasion of Iraq had unhelpfully rekindled old stereotypes of "yanqui imperialism."

"Bush was a good foil for them," Rhodes said. "He unintentionally played to type, with an aggressive American foreign policy and by embracing confrontation with Chavez."

Under Obama, the rhetoric softened.

He shook Chavez's hand, pointedly met Nicaraguan firebrand Daniel Ortega, visited the tomb of a popular Salvadoran priest killed by US-linked death squads and in Chile alluded to "mistakes" in a coup that installed dictator Augusto Pinochet.

- First test -

But within two months of the Caribbean summit, Obama faced a test of his policy when Honduras' leftist president Manuel Zelaya was overthrown in a coup.

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"The coup in Honduras in June 2009 was an interesting first test case for working in partnership," said Daniel Restrepo, who for six years was Obama's top advisor on the region.

"The day after it happened, I was with the president in the Oval Office. He made it very clear that he viewed it as a coup. He made it very clear that it was unacceptable, but we also worked on resolving that in partnership."

But then Obama decided he must respect the results of fresh elections, rather than reinstall Zelaya -- placing him in direct opposition to Brazil and others in the region.

According to Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, that "reinforced the sense among some Latin Americans that nothing had really changed, that the United States was still too accommodating to people who carried out coups."

Further crises were to test the image that Obama tried to project.

Revelations that the National Security Agency spied on Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff, prompted her to cancel a much-coveted state dinner.

Rhodes admits that was a "low point" in relations with a pivotal ally.

Later, Caracas seized on language in an executive sanctions order that called Venezuela a "national security threat" to make the case America had not changed.

"You can cause far greater ripples than you intend to," Rhodes admitted, describing his effort to mend the misstep.

"I went out and said that they are not a threat to the United States, that's just the language that our law requires accompanying any executive order related to sanctions," he said.

- The Cuba gambit -

While all this played out, Rhodes was secretly meeting Cuban officials in Canada. The talks eventually led to the restoration of diplomatic relations and the reopening of the US embassy in Havana.

"The biggest thing we could possibly do to change the dynamic was to change our Cuba policy," Rhodes said.

"We very much saw the Cuba opening as a means of trying to drain the toxic nature of the US role in left-wing Latin American politics."

The full fruit of that policy -- Obama's visit to Cuba -- could hardly come at a better time for the White House.

The region's political terrain is perhaps more favorable to Washington today than it has been in decades.

Resource-rich anti-American governments in Argentina, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador and Venezuela have fallen or are struggling, thanks to what Restrepo calls a "commodity collapse and national mismanagement."

Chavez died in 2013 and his successor, Nicolas Maduro, is struggling to pay for a vast program supplying leftist allies with cheap oil.

"There is just not the same energy around anti-Americanism in Latin America" said Rhodes. "That makes it harder for some of these leaders to run the same playbook that was very comfortable in the past."

At the same time peace seems within reach in Colombia -- allowing the US to shift away from controversial military assistance.

Relations with Argentina are on the mend. After visiting Cuba, Obama will travel on to Buenos Aires, where a new government has sealed a debt deal with US hedge funds, allowing the country to return to the global financial system.

The biggest challenge to Obama's strategy may now be at home.

Republican opponents balk at Obama's willingness to engage with the likes of Cuba before there is progress on human rights or regime change.

"We're not going to pick who runs Cuba," said Rhodes, arguing that economic opening will lead to more durable changes on the island.

As Obama's term winds down, there is also concern about anti-Hispanic rhetoric coming from Donald Trump and other Republican candidates.

"The language that diminishes the humanity or standing of Latin Americans plays in to the old narrative," said Rhodes.
Austin (AFP) - The White House said Friday that President Barack Obama has not yet picked his nominee to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court.

"The process of reviewing information about potential nominees continues," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest, amid speculation that the appointment may come soon.

Obama's candidate would tilt the balance of the nine-member court currently evenly split between eight liberal and eight conservative justices.

But that has prompted Republicans to say the appointment should be made by the next president.

The Republican-controlled Senate must approve any nominee before he or she can take up the post.

Earnest said the announcement would "not necessarily" be made before Obama leaves for landmark trip to Cuba just over a week from now.

The White House has busied itself galvanizing Democratic support and turning up the heat on individual Republican Senators to allow a hearings.

The issue is sure to energize the base of both parties as the country heads to a presidential election in November.

Traveling to Texas on Friday, the White House zeroed in on home state Senator John Cornyn and his pledge to treat Obama's nominee like a "pinata."

"The president hasn't even decided on a nominee yet. It sounds like Republicans are prepared to follow through on their threat... (and) attempt to tear that person down," Earnest said.

"It's clear that Republicans vow to treat the president's nominee like a pinata is not motivated by some sort of principle, but rather is motivated by party politics."
Austin (AFP) - President Barack Obama made a pilgrimage to SXSW -- the tech world's Davos and Woodstock rolled into one -- making a government recruitment pitch even as he fanned a row over encryption.

Obama traveled to Austin, Texas, ostensibly to open a "pipeline" of programmers, developers and other tech whiz kids to enter government service.

"We need you," Obama said, receiving a rockstar welcome from a young and liberal crowd of 2,100.

But his charm offensive was tempered by the ongoing disagreement between his government and tech firms over the balance between smartphone privacy and national security.

Obama's administration has gone to court to try and force Apple to unlock the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino terror attackers, insisting encryption must not be absolute.

Tech firms argue that if the government has access to a "back door" to encrypted information, all pretense of privacy would be lost.

Obama told members of his otherwise receptive audience that they should not take an absolutist view on privacy, and warned against "fetishizing our phones above every other value."

"We make compromises all the time," he said, pointing to invasive airport security measures, police search powers and traffic stops.

"It's an intrusion, but we think it's the right thing to do," he said.

"And this notion that somehow our data is different and can be walled off from those other tradeoffs we make, I believe, is incorrect."

The Apple case has touched off a debate not only between industry and government, but also within Obama's own administration.

Parts of the military and intelligence community favor strong encryption, which Obama acknowledged makes the debate more complicated.

But he appeared to lean toward the views of law enforcement, which is hungry to have access to evidence when it needs it.

"There has to be some concession to the need to be able to get into that information somehow," he said.

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"If technologically, it is possible to make an impenetrable device or system where the encryption is so strong that there's no key, there's no door at all, then how do we apprehend the child pornographer? How do we solve or disrupt a terrorist plot?"

Edward Snowden's disclosure that the government had covertly collected vast amounts of data had elevated people's suspicions of government," Obama added.

Popular culture has broadened such views with portrayals of omnipotent spy agencies.

"There's like half a fingerprint, and half an hour later I'm tracking the guy in the streets of Istanbul," Obama joked.

"It turns out it doesn't work that way."
By Kim Palmer

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - An Ohio judge ruled Friday that teenagers celebrating their 18th birthday before November's election are entitled to have their votes for presidential nominees counted in next week's state primary.

"Plaintiffs are entitled to a judgment that the secretary abused his discretion," Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Richard Frye said in his ruling about Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted.

Husted said he would appeal.

This last-minute legislating from the bench on election law has to stop," he said in a statement. Our system cannot give one county court the power to change 30 years of election law for the entire state of Ohio, 23 days into early voting and only four days before an election.

"We will appeal this decision because if there is a close election on Tuesday we need clarity from the Supreme Court to make sure that ineligible voters don't determine the outcome of an election," he added.

Nine teenagers from across the state claimed in a lawsuit this week that Husted's interpretation of state law that eliminated their voting rights was incorrect.

The judge said his decision affected "potentially thousands of other 17-year-old voters still eager to participate at next week's primary election." He said no secretary of state between 1981 and 2012 had ever adopted the reading of state law he was now overturning.

Husted in December modified the state's election manual to say 17-year-olds are allowed only to nominate candidates but are prohibited from voting for presidential delegates because they are elected, not nominated, according to the suit.

The teenagers argued Husted's interpretation contradicts state law and a previous ruling by the state Supreme Court that allows 17-year-olds who will be 18 by the election to vote in primaries.

Alexis Brossart, a 17-year-old student at Milford High School outside Cincinnati, was excited to vote until she got a letter last week saying she could not pick a presidential nominee.

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I registered in February. Ever since February, Ive been excited to vote, Brossart told Reuters.

The attorney for the nine teenagers said they were galvanized when they heard their votes would not count. It has caused them to think about their voting rights and get more engaged in the process," Rachel Bloomekatz said.

A similar lawsuit filed in federal court by the campaign of Democrat presidential contender Bernie Sanders was halted on Friday when U.S. District Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Preston Deavers stayed the matter until the state court finding.

In the Ohio primary, 66 delegates are at stake for the Republicans and 159 for the Democrats.

(Reporting by Kim Palmer Additional reporting by Amanda Becker in Washington; Editing by Ben Klayman and James Dalgleish)
By Steve Gorman (Reuters) - Voters in a rural southeastern Oregon county have registered their opposition to proposals to expand federal protective status within 2.5 million acres of scenic canyonlands near the wildlife refuge recently occupied by anti-government militants. The referendum follows calls by an environmental group to designate the area as a conservation zone, a move local ranchers and many others in the area perceive as a potential land grab by the federal government. Of more than 6,300 ballots cast in the non-binding Malheur County referendum, 90 percent voted "no" on whether a national monument, wilderness or other conservation designations should be extended in the Owyhee Canyonlands area. More than half the county's registered voters cast ballots in the March 8 election. Final results are to be presented to President Barack Obama, along with Oregon's governor, state lawmakers and congressional delegation, the county said. "We just wanted to show what the local people wanted," county Commissioner Larry Wilson told Reuters on Thursday. Environmental activists point to the sprawling Owyhee region - known for its red-rock canyons, rolling plains and untamed rivers - as one of largest stretches of still-unprotected wild land in the Lower 48 states. The Oregon Natural Desert Association has called for designating 2.5 million acres as a National Conservation Area, with 2 million acres set aside as wilderness. Opponents of such proposals see the region as the latest flashpoint in a long-simmering conflict over federal regulation of public lands in the West. The vote tally, first reported on Wednesday, came as participants in the six-week armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, roughly 30 miles west of the canyonlands, were indicted on additional criminal charges stemming from their protest. The Malheur takeover was sparked by the return to prison of two Oregon ranchers convicted of setting fires that spread to federal property and broader anger over U.S. control over cattle grazing and other industries in the region. At least one supporter of the militants, B.J. Soper, a founding member of the Pacific Patriots Network, called the Owyhee controversy "a very hot button" in an open letter last month to elected officials. There is no move afoot on Capitol Hill to designate the Owyhee as a wilderness, a level of protection requiring an act of Congress, though more than 1 million acres already is managed as de facto wilderness under prior law. A U.S. Interior Department spokeswoman said there has been no discussion with the White House about national monument designation, which the president is empowered to make by executive fiat under the 1906 Antiquities Act. Local concern over the Owyhee apparently was heightened when Obama designated 1.8 million acres in the California desert as national monument land last month. (Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Andrew Hay)
LIMA (Reuters) - Julio Guzman said on Thursday he was rallying international support for his bid to be reinstated as a candidate for Peru's presidency after the electoral board barred him on a technicality one month before the election. Guzman, 45, told Reuters in an interview he had started talks with four foreign governments - from Latin America and "other continents" - about the board's move, which prompted concern from a U.S. lawmaker and the Organization of American States. "My candidacy has been rejected in part because I'm the new kid on the block," Guzman said. The electoral board's 3-2 decision to bar Guzman from the April 10 election because his party did not follow electoral procedures is expected to bolster center-right front-runner Keiko Fujimori's chances of winning. The board also disqualified another candidate for giving cash to poor voters while campaigning. Guzman, a centrist economist, was running head to head with Fujimori in an expected run-off, according to opinion polls. Fujimori and former President Alan Garcia, who is seeking a third term, have denied Guzman's allegations they pressured the electoral board to block him. Fujimori is the daughter of imprisoned former President Alberto Fujimori. The board has denied acting on behalf of political interests, and no evidence of wrongdoing has emerged. But the back-and-forth decisions on Guzman's candidacy, which started after his surprise surge to second place in polls, and the confusion over what he did wrong, has raised questions over the fairness of the election. "This decision risks undermining the legitimacy of whomever should eventually prevail," U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce said. Guzman said he was also reaching out to the Inter-American Human Rights Commission, where he might file a lawsuit. The OAS will review the dispute as part of an electoral mission on Monday, he added. In a statement, the OAS said disqualifications so close to elections created "uncertainty in both the electorate and the candidates." Lawyers said Guzman had little chance of convincing the electoral board to reverse its decision in a last appeal, and that requests for courts to intervene could take months. But Guzman expressed optimism the board might backtrack, pointing to electoral rules he alleged other parties also broke - raising the specter of six candidates being tossed from the race. "If they let them take part and not us, then the elected authorities, from my point of view, would lack legitimacy," he said. (Reporting by Mitra Taj and Marco Aquino; Editing by Peter Cooney)
MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines will not negotiate with Islamist militants demanding ransom within a month for the release of three foreign men and a Filipino woman kidnapped from a beach resort nearly six months ago, a military spokesman said on Friday. Army units pursuing the band of al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants, who are holding the two Canadians, a Norwegian and the Filipino woman, are closing in on them, Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla said. "The policy on no negotiations with kidnappers includes no payment of ransom," Padilla told Reuters, dismissing the one-month deadline given by the militants as a ploy to relieve the military pressure they are facing. "We're getting closer to them, hence, they needed to expedite the demand for ransom in order for them to escape from the hands of the law, which is closely catching up." The four hostages were kidnapped from a beach resort on a southern island in September last year. They are believed to be held in the jungle on Jolo island, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, who are known for bombs, beheadings and kidnappings. In a minute-and-half video clip posted on an Islamist-linked Facebook account on Thursday, the three foreigners appealed to their governments to meet the militants' demands, saying if not they faced execution. It was the third time the militants had released such video appeals from the captives. Though no specific ransom was mentioned in the latest clip, in November, one of the captives said the militants were demanding one billion pesos ($21 million) for each of them. The men's embassies in Manila have declined to comment to the media on their cases but Padilla said the military was working closely with their governments to secure their release. The army was pursuing the militants "relentlessly" and wanted to "help address this issue once and for all", he said. In the past, the rebels have killed at least two foreign hostages and one was killed during an army rescue attempt. The September raid on the resort was a reminder of the precarious security in the resource-rich south of the largely Christian Philippines despite a 2014 peace agreement with the largest Muslim rebel group that ended 45 years of conflict. Abu Sayyaf militants are holding other foreigners including one from the Netherlands, one from Japan, and an Italian missionary. (Reporting by Manuel Mogato; Editing by Robert Birsel)
iphone

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In December 2015, Syed Farook and his wife attacked Farooks coworkers at a holiday gathering in San Bernadino, California. The attack killed 14 people and injured 17 others.

In the investigation that followed, the FBI attempted to access data on Farooks iPhone 5c. However, security mechanisms built into the phone have prevented the FBI from doing so thus far.

Now, the FBI is trying to force Apple to help FBI investigators gain access to the phone. A federal judge ordered Apple to assist, but the company has refused to comply. Both parties will appear in court on March 22 for a hearing on the issue.

Joining We the People to explain the constitutional stakes in this crucially important debate, and to evaluate the best arguments on both sides, are two attorneys who filed amicus briefs in the case.

Joseph DeMarco is a partner at DeVore & DeMarco LLP. He filed a brief on behalf of law enforcement groups in support of the FBI.

David Greene is a senior staff attorney and civil liberties director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. He filed a brief on behalf of EFF and numerous technologists in support of Apple.



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This show was engineered by David Stotz and produced by Nicandro Iannacci. Research was provided by Josh Waimberg. The host of We the People is Jeffrey Rosen.

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Pokemon, board games, and artificial intelligence meet in "Pokemon Co-Master," which has been announced for release on iOS and Android in spring 2016.

The new title has been developed in partnership with board game adaptation specialists at Tokyo-based Heroz, and "Pokemon Co-Master" brings a number of new things to a franchise that is 20 years old this year.

Not only does it look back to traditional Japanese board game designs for inspiration, its Artificial Intelligence aspect serves to both challenge adept players and to help newcomers get on board in an accessible and encouraging manner.

Spin-off though it may be, "Pokemon Co-Master" has its roots in a combination of physical Japanese board games and physical Pokemon games.

Much of it can be traced back to the Pokemon Trading Figure game, first launched in 2007, which had players move their teams of collectible Pokemon figurines around a playmat, maneuvering towards each opponent's goal.

Accompanying the announcement of "Pokemon Co-Master" is an image of several iconic Pokemon characters -- Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle and Pikachu -- envisioned as board game counters, and it's a visual that has fans of collectibles wondering whether Nintendo's own ever-expanding, NFC-augmented line of Amiibo figurines could find an in-game use away from the 3DS and Wii U consoles.

Though Pokemon isn't developed in-house by Nintendo -- The Pokemon Company was set up in 1998 in co-operation with two Japanese studios, Game Freak and Creatures -- the vast majority of Pokemon releases have been on Nintendo platforms.

So Pokemon is still regarded as an indicator of Nintendo's desire to expand the presence of its mascots elsewhere, whether that be on other devices or in cinemas, stores, and theme parks.

Meanwhile, with mobile's map-based "Pokemon GO" also coming this year, action spin-off "Pokken Tournament" launching March 18, and core franchise games "Pokemon Sun" and "Pokemon Moon" set for the second half of the year, 2016 is shaping up to be one of the Pokemon frnachise's busiest years.

A Spring 2016 release of "Pokemon Co-Master" has been announced for Japan, with international roll-outs to be detailed.

Trailer: Pokemon Co-Master - youtu.be/KFNP3uG0_Jc
WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland will respect the recommendation of the Council of Europe's panel on the constitutional court reform, deputy Foreign Minister Konrad Szymanski said on Friday. The Council of Europe's Venice Commission, an advisory body on constitutional matters, is due to deliver an opinion later on Friday on the reforms, which have already come under fire from the European Union and rights groups. "As to the part (of the reform) on which we expected the Venice Commission's opinion, most definitely (the opinion) will be taken very seriously by the government," Konrad Szymanski told reporters in Venice. "I think that, verging on certainty, one could say it will be subject to intensive parliamentary work, and it will be an important point of reference for what may happen in the future when it comes to the shape of Poland's constitutional judiciary." (Reporting by Wiktor Szary)
Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - The Council of Europe said Friday that reforms to Poland's constitutional court would undermine democracy and the rule of law in the country.

The right-leaning Law and Justice (PiS) government introduced the reforms in December, and they were immediately slammed by critics as a threat to judicial independence and have sparked street protests.

The Polish court itself struck down the reforms on Wednesday, creating a constitutional crisis as the government has refused to abide by that judgement.

The Council of Europe -- an international rights body which works closely with the European Union -- said the court was entitled to "examine these amendments without applying them in this case."

The Venice Commission -- a body of legal experts within the Council of Europe -- said the government's refusal to publish the judgement "would further deepen the constitutional crisis in Poland."

The reforms changed the bar for the court's rulings from a simple majority to a two-thirds majority, while requiring 13 judges to be present for the most contentious cases, instead of nine previously.

The Venice Commission said these changes would make it "impossible to deal with urgent cases (and) would have made the Tribunal ineffective. Therefore these amendments would have endangered not only the rule of law but also the functioning of the democratic system."

The Polish government, which has drawn criticism at home and abroad over several controversial laws since coming to power in October, has already said it would not recognise the ruling.

Poland's deputy foreign minister Konrad Szymanski, who has responsibility for EU affairs, told Polish media that the ruling was "a missed opportunity."

"The Venice Commission could have played a role in facilitating a solution of the constitutional crisis in Poland.

"This opinion will only strengthen the opposition's conviction that this issue can be solved through the interference of international or European organisations," he added.

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Although the Council of Europe's findings are not binding, the EU is likely to review them as part of its own unprecedented probe into the rule of law in Poland that was launched in January.

Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said before the ruling that it "was not a verdict".

"An opinion is an opinion, we'll seek other opinions, we'll present our own opinions. We'll pursue dialogue. Nothing will happen, this isn't the end of the world," he added.
By Alex Dobuzinskis SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (Reuters) - First lady Michelle Obama and representatives from nine former presidential families led a bipartisan gathering of politicians and celebrities in paying memorial tribute to Nancy Reagan, whose love for her late husband, Ronald Reagan, was hailed as a romance "for the ages." In an invitation-only funeral for about 1,000 guests to her husband's presidential library in Southern California, the onetime Hollywood actress turned first lady was remembered for the fierce devotion she accorded her spouse during their White House years and his long struggle with Alzheimer's disease. "Theirs was a love story for the ages," former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney said of the couple, during a service that organizers say Nancy Reagan herself helped plan in advance. "They had style, they had grace and they had class." Former White House chief of staff James Baker called Nancy Reagan the "consummate political wife and first lady," and a figure whose support, encouragement and political savvy were indispensable to her husband's political success. The funeral brought together prominent Republicans and Democrats alike in salute of a woman especially admired by political conservatives at a time when deep partisan rancor has reverberated through Washington and the 2016 presidential campaign. The list of VIPs attending the memorial was headed by President Barack Obama's wife, who sat beside former President George W. Bush and his spouse, Laura, and two fellow former first ladies - Jimmy Carter's wife, Rosalynn, and the Democratic front-runner in the 2016 presidential race, Hillary Clinton. Seated nearby were the Reagans' daughter Patti Davis and son Ron Jr., - both of whom eulogized their mother - along with Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late President John Kennedy, and children of his three immediate successors - Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. ADVISOR IN CHIEF Davis described her mother and father "two halves of a circle, closed tight" while her brother, Ron, said that "as a couple, they were more than the sum of their parts." She was to the president, Baker recalled, "absolutely without a doubt his closest advisor," adding she was particularly adept at knowing who was truly loyal to her spouse and who was not. She could be "tough as a Marine drill sergeant ... when things weren't going well," Baker said, recounting he only saw Nancy Reagan lose her cool once - the day in March 1980 when her husband was wounded by gunfire from a would-be assassin. "She was devastated, and in fact, she fell apart," he said, adding that she returned with her husband to the White House after his discharge from the hospital "with a fierce determination to protect him in every way she possibly could." Veteran NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw recalled his long and "unlikely" friendship with Nancy Reagan, including the "best gossip from both coasts" they shared over lunch with mutual friend and actor Warren Beatty. Brokaw also recounted accompanying the former first lady to an event at the Reagan library where she whispered for him to give her a small kiss, which he did to the delight of the crowd in attendance. Rain began to fall over the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, north of Los Angeles, as the service ended and a military honor guard carried the flower-bedecked mahogany casket from the memorial gathering beneath a large white tent to a nearby grave site. Nancy Reagan, who died on Sunday of congestive heart failure at age 94, was to be buried beside her husband later on Friday in a private service for close family. Ronald Reagan died in 2004. He was 93. Others dignitaries among the funeral guests were broadcast journalist Diane Sawyer, California Governor Jerry Brown, former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, U.S. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, as well as such showbiz figures as Oscar-winning actress Anjelica Huston and singer Wayne Newton. (Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Robert Birsel, Tom Brown and Diane Craft)
HOUSTON (Reuters) - A suspicious substance found at the Houston campaign headquarters of U.S. Republican presidential contender Senator Ted Cruz was non-toxic, a local media report said, citing a Cruz campaign official. The Houston Fire Department said it sent a hazardous materials team to investigate the substance. The Houston Chronicle cited sources on the scene as saying the office received a powder-filled envelope. "The FBI, their HazMat team and City of Houston Fire Department came to the scene and tested the substance. It was found to be non-toxic, and has been taken away by the FBI for further testing," Catherine Frazier of the Cruz campaign was quoted as saying by the Houston Chronicle. Houston Fire officials were not immediately available for comment. (Reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Austin and Houston Bureau; Editing by Peter Cooney and Sandra Maler)
VENICE, Italy (Reuters) - Polish government's attempted overhaul of the constitutional court would undermine the rule of law and the functioning of democracy in Poland, the rights body Council of Europe's advisory panel said on Friday. The reform, passed by the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, increased the number of judges needed to pass judgments and change the order in which cases are heard. The opposition has said it paralyses the court's work and makes it difficult for judges to review, let alone challenge, legislation. Such changes would have made the court "ineffective," endangering democracy, human rights and the rule of law, the panel said in a statement. (Reporting by Ilaria Polleschi)
LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - The leaders of a breakaway faction of Gabon President Ali Bongo's ruling party said on Thursday they would challenge him as he seeks to extend his rule over the oil-producing nation in elections later this year. Bongo won a disputed election in 2009 following the death of his father, longtime leader Omar Bongo, and is now nearing the end of his first seven-year term in office. He announced his intention to seek re-election late last month, and his Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) is expected to confirm his candidacy at a party convention on Saturday. The open dissent from some PDG members, who plan to put forward their own candidate, underscores the internal divisions as he heads to polls in which his main challenger is likely to be former African Union Commission chairman Jean Ping. "Ali Bongo's track record is disastrous," said Alexandre Barro Chambrier, a member of parliament who is one of the dissident faction's leaders. "He's trying to force his way through and take the country hostage. He is a threat to the country. We are going to bring this nightmare to an end," he said. Citing dysfunction within the PDG and what they said was Bongo's mismanagement of Gabon, Barro Chambrier founded the breakaway group, called PDG-Heritage and Modernity, last year along with fellow MPs Michel Menga et Jonathan Ignoumba. The three men, who were formally expelled from the PDG on Wednesday, claim the support of around 50 ruling party MPs as well as senior party officials and former government ministers. The PDG currently holds 113 seats in Gabon's 120-seat National Assembly. Gabon's election is widely expected to take place in August although the date has yet to be confirmed by authorities. The single-round electoral system is seen as favouring the incumbent and most analysts expect Bongo to remain as president despite a sharp drop in oil prices that has cut into revenues. However, they also point to the risk of unrest due to tensions between PDG supporters and opponents. (Reporting by Gerauds Wilfried Obangome; Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
By Nate Raymond

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Russian citizen who U.S. authorities have accused of posing as a banker while participating in a spy ring operating in New York City is expected to plead guilty on Friday.

Evgeny Buryakov, 41, had been set to face to trial in federal court in Manhattan on April 4 on charges that he failed to register as an agent of the Russian government and conspired to act as an agent without registering.

But in a notice by the office of Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, prosecutors said Buryakov was scheduled to appear in court on Friday morning, using language typically indicative of a guilty plea.

A lawyer for Buryakov did not respond to requests for comment.

Buryakov, who worked at Russian state-owned Vnesheconombank, was arrested in January 2015 as U.S. authorities unveiled charges against him and two other Russians, Igor Sporyshev and Victor Podobnyy.

Prosecutors have said the trio conspired to gather economic intelligence on behalf of Russia, including information about U.S. sanctions against the country, and to recruit New York City residents as intelligence sources.

Prosecutors said Buryakov engaged in covert work on behalf of Russia's foreign intelligence service, known as the SVR, while posing as a banker.

Neither Sporyshev and Podobnyy were arrested, as they enjoyed diplomatic immunity in their respective roles as a Russian trade representative and an attache to the country's mission to the United Nations.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Bernard Orr)
New York (AFP) - A Russian banker pleaded guilty in New York on Friday to conspiring to act as an unregistered foreign agent, a year after he was arrested in a bust on an alleged spy ring.

The plea possibly saves Russia and the United States from divulging potentially sensitive information in the glare of a public trial, which had been scheduled to begin on April 4.

The murky case, which included the FBI planting covert recording devices hidden in binders, was akin to "a plotline for a Cold War-era movie," said the chief US prosecutor for Manhattan, Preet Bharara.

US prosecutors say Evgeny Buryakov, 41, a burly man with cropped brown hair, worked undercover for Russia's SVR foreign intelligence agency for years while posing as an employee for Russian bank Vnesheconombank in Manhattan and previously in South Africa.

Dressed in prison scrubs, Buryakov pleaded guilty in federal court to count one on an original two-count indictment that had also accused him of acting as an unregistered foreign agent.

"I plead guilty, your honor," he said, wearing black-rimmed spectacles and speaking in fluent but accented English.

Buryakov's arrest was the first such case since 10 deep-cover agents, including Anna Chapman, were arrested in the New York area in 2010. They pleaded guilty and were part of a prisoner swap with Moscow.

"More than two decades after the end of the Cold War, Russian spies still seek to operate in our midst under the cover of secrecy," said Bharara.

"Thanks to the work of the FBI and the prosecutors in my office, attempts to conduct unlawful espionage will not be overlooked."

- May sentencing -

A second, more substantive charge of actually acting as an unregistered foreign agent was dropped. Prosecutors and the defense agree that a sentence of 2.5 years would be appropriate, and a fine of between $10,000 and $100,000.

Buryakov will be sentenced by federal Judge Richard Berman on May 25. The offense carries a maximum sentence of five years under US law.

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US prosecutors revealed in court papers this week that the FBI eavesdropped on SVR agents for months with the help of tiny recorders planted in binders purportedly containing trade secrets and handed over by an undercover agent posing as an energy analyst.

The bugs allowed the FBI to listen as Russian spies received tasks from Moscow, gathered responses and fed information back to the SVR from January to May 2013, US prosecutors allege.

It also allowed them to hear the Russians complain about the humdrum nature of their work, far removed from the adventures of James Bond films.

Buryakov, who was arrested in January 2015, was accused of working with a trade mission official and another Russian attached to the UN mission in New York.

US prosecutors say both those officials, Igor Sporyshev and Victor Podobnyy, worked for the SVR but had diplomatic immunity and are no longer in the United States.

The net closed in on Buryakov after he met numerous times in 2014 with an FBI source posing as the representative of a wealthy investor looking to develop casinos in Russia.

Buryakov allegedly served with the SVR in South Africa from 2004 to 2009, where he worked for the same bank.
Moscow (AFP) - Russian Jewish and Christian leaders protested Friday over a constitutional court ruling legalising the removal of organs for transplant without the consent of relatives.

"We understand that organs are needed for transplants, but taking them against the will of relatives and loved ones is inconceivable," Russian news agencies quoted Chief Rabbi Berl Lazar as saying.

"God gave man a certain number of organs. A person returning to God has to return this body as it was received," he said.

A senior cleric from Russian Orthodox Church, which enjoys close relations with the state, said Russia should instead introduce a opt-in organ donation system like those in the United States and some other Western countries.

"The Russian Orthodox Church could... support the idea of voluntary (organ) donation in our country," Dmitry Pershin, the chairman of the missionary commission at Moscow's Diocesan Council, told RIA Novosti state news agency.

"There are no obstacles to this in the Christian tradition," Pershin added.

The Russian Constitutional Court this week published a ruling that it is legal to remove organs from a deceased person's body without the consent of relatives.

Russian law works on the presumption that a person has given consent to having their organs removed unless they stated otherwise while alive.

The deputy head of Russia's Council of Muftis, Rushan Abbyasov, declined to comment when contacted by AFP on Friday, saying he had not yet read through the ruling.

The constitutional court's ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by the mother of Moscow student Alina Sablina who died in a car crash in January 2014.

The mother sought moral compensation after she discovered doctors had removed some of her deceased daughter's organs.

Russia carries out very few organ transplants compared with Western countries. Doctors carried out fewer than 2,000 organ transplants in 2015, Rossiiskaya Gazeta government daily wrote.
Brussels (AFP) - A judge will on Friday deliver his verdict on whether the Belgian branch of the controversial Church of Scientology should be banned over fraud and extortion allegations.

Eleven members of the church and two affiliated bodies have been charged with fraud, extortion, running a criminal organisation and violating the right to privacy, all of which the US-based church denies.

Judge Yves Regimont is due to start reading out his judgement at 0800 GMT at the Palace of Justice in Brussels but it could take several hours for the final verdict to emerge.

The case was the subject of a seven-week trial that ended last December.

Federal prosecutor Christophe Caliman asked the court during the trial to completely dissolve the Belgian branch of the Church of Scientology and for it to face a fine.

He did not ask for its assets to be confiscated, leaving that to the judge's discretion.

The prosecutor also asked for suspended prison terms of six to 20 months for the 11 accused.

Scientology's defence team said the charges were nothing more than an attempt to blacken its reputation.

"You can't explain an investigation this long and of such relentlessness against people who were only trying to peacefully practise their religion in Belgium," Eric Roux, the spokesman for the group in Brussels, told AFP in December.

- European scrutiny -

The Belgian authorities launched a first investigation in 1997 after several former Scientology members complained about its practices.

A second probe followed in 2008 when an employment agency charged that the church had made bogus job offers so as to draw in and recruit new members.

Championed by superstar members such as Hollywood actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta, Scientology stirs up sharp divisions -- critics decry it as a cult and a scam, while supporters say it offers much-needed spiritual support in a fast-changing world.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Church of Scientology was founded in 1954 by American science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard.

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It is recognised as a religion in the United States and in other countries such as Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden, and claims a worldwide membership of 12 million.

But it has come under repeated scrutiny by authorities in several European countries, particularly in Germany.

Several German regions have mulled a ban on Scientology, while Berlin initially banned the cast of the Cruise Nazi-era movie "Valkyrie" from filming at historical locations but later relented.

A court in Spain in 2007 annulled a decision by the justice ministry to strike it from the country's register of officially recognised religions.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Powerful Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr urged Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Friday to press on with plans to form an independent cabinet of technocrats to fight graft despite "political pressure" to desist. Earlier Abadi asked political blocs in parliament and "influential social figures" to nominate technocrats as candidates for ministerial positions in the new cabinet, state television reported. "I want the prime minister to continue his reform plan with no fear of political pressure," Sadr said in a pre-recorded speech aired during a demonstration held in Baghdad by his supporters to demand political reforms.It was not immediately clear whether Sadr had recorded his speech before or after the state television announcement on Abadi's call. Last month Abadi, now a year and a half into his four-year term, said he wanted to replace his ministers with technocrats to challenge the system of patronage that encourages graft by distributing posts along political, ethnic and sectarian lines. Sadr and his supporters have held regular demonstrations demanding reforms to tackle corruption, which is eating into Baghdad's resources even as it struggles with falling revenues due to a slump in global oil prices and high spending caused by the costs of war against Islamic State militants. Sadr, heir to a Shi'ite clerical dynasty persecuted under dictator Saddam Hussein, said on Feb. 12 that Abadi had 45 days to deliver on his pledge of a technocrat cabinet or face a no-confidence vote in parliament. (Reporting Saif Hameed. Writing by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Gareth Jones)
By Marja Novak LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - The Slovenian Trade Union of Migrant Workers on Friday called for a referendum on new asylum legislation, as part of its campaign to persuade the government to reduce taxation for Slovenians who work in neighboring Austria. Its demand will delay implementation of a law passed a week ago intended to speed processing of requests for asylum. The union formally registered its demand with parliament on Friday, backed by more than 6,000 signatures. A referendum will be held if the union can collect 40,000 signatures in favor in the coming weeks. Its tax grievance is unrelated to the asylum law, but the delay to the enforcement of the legislation caused by the call for a referendum is seen as a tactic to put pressure on the government. Earlier this week it called for a referendum on another law unrelated to asylum issues. Taxes on personal income are lower in Austria, and Slovenians who work there have to pay additional taxes at home to cover the difference. "If the state is sending us invoices for 1,000 or 2,000 euros, we will start sending it invoices for 5 million euros," Martin Ivec, deputy president of the union, told TV station Planet TV earlier this week - referring to the cost of holding a referendum. According to local media about 14,000 Slovenians work in Austria, half of them traveling daily to Austria. Parliamentary speaker Milan Brglez told reporters on Friday the union "was trying to get a privileged (tax) position" for its members by pushing for referendums. Slovenia said on Thursday it would in April accept the first 40 migrants of its EU relocation quota. By August 2017 it will accept 587, most of whom are now in Greece and Italy. Any delay to the asylum law caused by the union's referendum demand is not expected to cause major disruption. Almost 500,000 migrants have passed through Slovenia over the past five months on their way to wealthier European states, and only about 460 applied for asylum in Slovenia. (Editing by Andrew Roche)
By Aaron Ross KINSHASA (Reuters) - A mobile South African military court has arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo to try 32 South African peacekeepers accused of misconduct, the U.N. mission in Congo said on Friday. U.N. peacekeeping missions have been dogged by accusations of sexual abuse. The United Nations reported 99 such allegations against staff members across the U.N. system last year. Friday's statement said none of the 32 cases to be tried in Congo involved alleged sexual abuse. It said that the mobile courts, which South Africa first used in 2001, represented an important tool in the fight against impunity. "Holding the trial in DRC is indeed more practical, less costly and, above all, more attentive to the circumstances of victims who are not able to travel to another country," the statement said. It added that the mobile court, which arrived this week, consisted of a judge, a lawyer, a prosecutor and a clerk. It will hold hearings in the capital Kinshasa and in the conflict-torn east before returning to South Africa on March 22. The statement said the alleged infractions dated back as far as May 2015, but did not specify the charges. "We're trying to clamp down on all elements of ill-discipline wherever they are," military spokesman Xolani Mabanga said in South Africa. U.N Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called this month on troop-contributing states to allow prosecutions inside countries where the alleged crimes took place and for the creation of a DNA registry of all peacekeepers. The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo is the world's largest, with about 20,000 uniformed personnel. South Africa has contributed more than 1,000 troops and experts. South Africa has in the past tried its soldiers in Burundi, Congo and South Sudan, Friday's statement said. (Additional reporting by Ed Cropley in Johannesburg; editing by Andrew Roche)
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's MTN Group said on Friday it continued to engage with Nigerian authorities over a $3.9 billion fine following media reports that the telecoms firm proposed to pay $1.5 billion of the charge. Bloomberg reported on Thursday that MTN, Africa's largest mobile networks operator, offered to pay about 40 percent of the fine and that Nigeria's senate said talks with the company should continue. "MTN has previously advised shareholders not to make decisions based on press reports and MTN again urges its shareholders to refrain from doing so," it said. Nigeria in October imposed the fine on MTN for failing to disconnect unregistered SIM cards from its local network amid fears the lines were being used by criminal gangs, including militant Islamist group Boko Haram. MTN makes about 37 percent of its sales in Nigeria, its biggest market, last month made a $250 million "good faith" payment towards reaching a settlement after dropping a legal case against the Nigerian Communications Commission. (Reporting by Zandi Shabalala; Editing by Tiisetso Motsoeneng)
Geneva (AFP) - South Sudan has encouraged fighters to rape women in place of wages while children have been burnt alive, the UN said Friday, calling the young nation one of the world's most "horrendous" human rights situations.

Grotesque rights violations could amount to war crimes, said a report on the world's youngest country from the United Nations human rights office.

The UN findings coincided with an Amnesty International report saying government forces deliberately suffocated to death more than 60 men and boys by stuffing them into a baking hot shipping container.

After gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan erupted into civil war in December 2013, setting off a cycle of retaliatory killings that have split the poverty-stricken, landlocked country along ethnic lines.

The UN said it had evidence that fighters from pro-government militia which fight alongside the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) are compensated under an agreement of 'do what you can and take what you can.'"

"Most of the youth therefore also raided cattle, stole personal property, raped and abducted women and girls as a form of payment," the report said.

It also found that civilians suspected of supporting the opposition, including children, had being burnt alive and hanged from trees and cut to pieces.

"This is one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world," UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement.

Both the government and rebel sides have been accused of perpetrating ethnic massacres, recruiting and killing children and carrying out widespread rape, torture and forced displacement of populations to purge their opponents from areas.

- Screaming in distress -

Amnesty, referring to an October incident in the central town of Leer, said it interviewed 23 eyewitnesses who saw men and boys forced into a container with their hands tied or saw the bodies later dragged away and dumped.

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The London-based rights group blamed the atrocity, which happened in a Catholic church compound in the northern battleground state of Unity, on government soldiers.

"Witnesses described hearing the detainees crying and screaming in distress and banging on the walls of the shipping container," the report said.

The incident was first reported last month by the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), a regional ceasefire body pushing peace efforts.

The JMEC report said that those found alive were then killed, and that the only survivor was an eight-year old boy.

- War crimes -

The UN report found that most civilian casualties in South Sudan appeared not to be the result of combat operations, but of "deliberate attacks on civilians".

Condemning the government's "scorched earth policy", the UN said satellite images showed that towns and villages had been systematically destroyed.

Over a period of only five months last year, from April to September, the UN recorded more than 1,300 reported rapes in Unity, just one of South Sudan's 10 states.

One women told investigators she was stripped naked and raped by five government soldiers in front of her children on the roadside and then raped by more men in the bushes, only to return to find her children missing.

Another was tied to a tree after her husband was killed and forced to watch her 15-year-old daughter being raped by 10 soldiers, the report said.

Since the beginning of the conflict, the UN has received 702 reports of children affected by sexual violence, including gang-rape victims as young as nine.

The scale of sexual violence in South Sudan was "particularly shocking", the UN said.

"Given the breadth and depth of the allegations, their gravity, consistency and recurrence and the similarities in their modus operandi ... there are reasonable grounds to believe the violations may amount to war crimes," the rights office said.

It urged the rapid creation of a "hybrid court", as called for in an August 2015 peace agreement, to try perpetrations of grave violations.

If that fails, it called on the UN Security Council to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Not all roses (Anadolu Agency / AP)

President Obamas comments about Britain and Prime Minister David Cameron in Jeffrey Goldbergs cover story are dominating headlines in the United Kingdom. The Times carried the story on its front page, with the headline, Obama lays blame for Libya mess on Cameron, and The Independent headlined it: Obama savages Cameron on Libya.

Two excerpts from Goldbergs piece are garnering particular attention. In the first, Obama warned that Britain would no longer be able to claim a special relationship with the United States if it did not commit to spending at least two percent of its GDP on defense. Cameron subsequently met that threshold. In the second, Obama, while apportioning blame for the shit show in Libya, says Cameron soon stopped paying attention to the situation in the country because he was distracted by a range of other things.

The multinational military campaign that the U.S. helped assemble in 2011 managed to topple Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi but left behind political chaos that ISIS and other militant groups have exploited. When I go back and I ask myself what went wrong, Obama told Goldberg, theres room for criticism, because I had more faith in the Europeans, given Libyas proximity, being invested in the follow-up.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Simi Valley (United States) (AFP) - Hollywood stars and political powerbrokers past and present gathered to hear glowing tributes to former first lady Nancy Reagan before her burial beside her husband at the Reagan presidential library Friday.

Reagan died on Sunday of heart failure at the age of 94 at her home in the Bel Air suburb of Los Angeles, 12 years after Ronald Reagan, who served two terms in the White House in the 1980s.

Representatives of presidential families stretching back to the Kennedys attended, with First Lady Michelle Obama and former first lady and ex-secretary of state Hillary Clinton joining former president George W. Bush in the front row.

James Baker, chief of staff under Reagan and George H.W. Bush, described Nancy as "a woman without whom Ronald Wilson Reagan would never have become the 40th president of the United States or succeeded as well as he did."

"She had an instinct for reading people that the president knew he lacked. Nancy, he wrote, sees the goodness in people. But she also had an extra instinct that allowed her to see the flaws," Baker said.

The Reagans were former actors and many of the 1980s Hollywood glitterati, including then-sex symbol Bo Derek, Oscar winner Anjelica Huston, Magnum PI actor Tom Selleck and the A-Team's Mr T were were expected among around 1,000 guests who began arriving under sunny skies several hours ahead of the ceremony.

The former first lady's funeral opened with a musical prelude by the Santa Susana High School Advanced Women's Choir and Abbe Road A Cappella, and an instrumental section by the First Marine Division Band, Marine Corps Camp Pendleton.

- Love letters -

Stuart Kenworthy, the vicar of Washington National Cathedral, presided over the 90-minute program, which opened with "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and included renditions of "Ave Maria" and "Pie Jesu" by soprano Ana Maria Martinez.

The Reagans wrote passionate love notes to each other over the decades, and former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney read out a letter the president wrote to Nancy on their first Christmas in the White House in 1981.

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Reagan quotes from "Sonnet 43," Elizabeth Barrett Browning's love letter to her future husband, the poet Robert Browning, better known by its opening line: "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."

"For me, there is no way to count. I love the whole gang of you: mommy, First Lady, the sentimental you, the fun you and the Peewee Powerhouse you," Reagan wrote.

A fierce protector of her husband and his political legacy, Reagan had outsized influence during their White House years from 1981 to 1989.

The couple wed in 1952 after Ronald divorced his first wife, actress Jane Wyman. The marriage has been described as a love story to rival any that the couple acted out on the silver screen.

The pair had two children -- Patti Davis, born in 1952, and Ron Junior, born in 1958, both of whom delivered eulogies that, along with a tribute from former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, had the guests laughing at fondly recounted anecdotes.

- Challenging relationship -

Davis was also searingly honest about her memories of her mother, recalling a "challenging and often contentious relationship."

"When I was a child, I imagined having warm, comfortable conversations with her, the kind of conversations that feel like lamp light. The reality was far different," she said.

"I tried her patience and she intimidated me. We were never mild with one another."

While in the White House Nancy Reagan actively participated in her husband's campaigns, approved members of the president's cabinet, and was the face of the administration's Just Say No drugs campaign.

Ronald Reagan suffered from Alzheimer's disease after leaving office and went into a long decline. His wife took care of him until his death and became a tireless advocate for Alzheimer's research.

President Barack Obama and his wife praised Nancy Reagan's "proud example" in a statement after her death, saying she redefined the role of first lady.

As a "mark of respect" Obama ordered that flags be flown at half-staff at federal buildings, military posts, US naval vessels and diplomatic missions until sunset Friday.
By Suzannah Gonzales (Reuters) - Two men suspected of ambushing partygoers at a backyard barbecue near Pittsburgh and killing five of them, including a pregnant woman, were being sought by Pennsylvania police on Thursday. "The murders were planned, calculated, brutal," Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr said. Three people were also wounded. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the gunmen. One suspect armed with a .40 caliber handgun herded victims from behind the house toward an alleyway where a second suspect armed with "an AK-47 type" rifle shot them dead, Zappala said. Police recovered 49 bullet casings from two guns at the scene. The shootings occurred in the working-class borough of Wilkinsburg in Allegheny County, which has a population of about 15,000 and is some 8 miles (13 km) east of Pittsburgh. Zappala said the motive was not known, but authorities were exploring whether it was related to drugs. "Everybody is a person of interest. There are some we are more interested in than others," Allegheny County Police Superintendent Charles Moffatt said at a news conference, noting that the suspects had fled on foot. This was the latest in a series of mass shootings in the United States that have fueled the debate over gun control and turned it into a presidential campaign issue. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's office identified the dead as Brittany Powell, 27; her sister, Chanetta Powell, 25; Tina Shelton, 37; Shada Mahone, 26; and Powell's brother Jerry Shelton, 35. Three of them were from the same family, Moffatt said. Chanetta Powell was eight months pregnant, and the death of her fetus was ruled a sixth homicide under Pennsylvania law, Moffatt said. Tina Shelton was a mother of five who held three jobs and was encouraged by family members to attend the barbecue to relax after work, her father Vernes Pugh and other relatives told local station WPXI-TV. Two men were in critical condition, Moffatt said. A woman who was shot was treated and released from a hospital, Allegheny County spokeswoman Amie Downs said. (Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales, Barbara Goldberg, Amy Tennery and Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Richard Chang, Toni Reinhold)
Beirut (AFP) - The UN envoy for Syria called Friday for elections in the war-ravaged country in 18 months, as the opposition announced it will attend fresh peace talks next week.

But in a worrying development ahead of the negotiations, government raids were reported to have killed seven civilians in Syria's second city, Aleppo, despite a ceasefire.

The truce has prompted a nearly two-week lull in fighting between the Russian-backed regime and non-jihadist rebels since coming into force on February 27.

World powers are counting on the ceasefire to hold for a new round of indirect negotiations between the opposition and the government due to start on March 14 in Geneva.

The US State Department said Friday that the ceasefire is "largely holding," albeit with continued violations that include government attacks on civilians and opposition forces.

"Despite the reduction in violence nationwide, we remain deeply concerned by continued specific violations to the cessation of hostilities, including attacks on civilians and opposition forces by the regime and its supporters," spokesman John Kirby said.

The Riyadh-based High Negotiations Committee, the main Syrian opposition grouping, agreed on Friday to attend the UN-backed talks.

The HNC said its delegation would focus on creating a "transitional governance body with full executive powers".

It insisted President Bashar al-Assad "will have no place" in a future government.

A plan agreed by world powers last year called for six months of negotiations followed by a transitional government, a new constitution and elections within 18 months.

Last month Assad's regime announced it would hold parliamentary elections on April 13 instead, drawing criticism.

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura has said "substantive" talks will begin Monday in Geneva and last no longer than 10 days.

The first day of negotiations would start the countdown to both presidential and parliamentary elections in Syria under UN observation, he said.

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"New elections... should be held 18 months from the start of talks, that is from March 14," de Mistura told Russia's RIA Novosti state news agency, in comments translated into Russian.

That would mean elections around mid-September 2017.

- 'Serious violation' -

In addition to planning the polls, the focus in Geneva will be on the formation of "an inclusive new government" and a new constitution, said the envoy.

"I hope that during the first stage of talks, we reach progress at least on the first question (of the new government), it doesn't matter whether this is on paper," he was quoted as saying.

A source close to Syria's government told AFP this week that its delegation would be attending the talks.

Previous diplomatic efforts to resolve the complex conflict have failed.

The war, which is to enter its sixth year next week, has killed more than 270,000 people and displaced millions.

The chief prosecutor for the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal said Friday that those behind atrocities in Syria must eventually be held to account.

"As an international prosecutor and somebody who believes in justice... it is obvious that sooner or later accountability will be needed for the crimes committed in Syria," Serge Brammertz told AFP.

The last round of UN-sponsored talks collapsed in Geneva in February amid a fierce Russian-backed government offensive in Aleppo province.

Since then, regime fighters and rebels have largely abided by a partial truce that has seen a dramatic drop in air strikes, fighting and deaths.

- 'Glimmers of hope' -

The UN's top humanitarian chiefs welcomed "fragile glimmers of hope" in Syria after the ceasefire allowed more aid deliveries.

"Fewer bombs are falling; humanitarian access has opened up in some places; negotiators from all sides are preparing to come together and talk," they said in a joint statement.

But they warned this was "just not enough".

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described government air strikes that killed at least seven civilians in Aleppo city as "the most serious violation in the city since the truce came into effect."

An AFP correspondent in Aleppo said the raids struck a mosque.

Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets across Syria after Friday prayers for the second week in a row.

In Maaret al-Numan, northwest Idlib province, dozens of protesters waving the three-starred, tricolour uprising flag briefly clashed with members of Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front.

In a video posted online, motorcyclists waving Al-Qaeda's black flag pulled up to the protest and attempted to drown out the singing with calls of "Allahu akbar" or "God is greatest."

But the crowd pushed the Al-Nusra members out, chanting, "The Syrian people are one!"

Al-Nusra leads an Islamist coalition that controls much of Idlib province and has seized activists and journalists in the past.
Beirut (AFP) - Syria's main opposition body, the High Negotiations Committee, said Friday that it would attend indirect peace talks with the government in Geneva on March 14.

In a statement distributed to reporters, the HNC said it would participate in the negotiations as part of its "commitment to international efforts to stop the bloodshed and find a political solution."

United Nations special envoy Staffan de Mistura said "substantive" talks would begin on March 14 in the Swiss city and would not last longer than 10 days.

A source close to the Syrian government confirmed earlier this week that its delegation would be attending.

In its statement, the HNC said its delegation would focus on the creation of a "transitional governance body with full executive powers".

It said President Bashar al-Assad "will have no place" in a future government.

The HNC said it was not setting "any preconditions to its participation in the talks," but insisted that parties should commit to international agreements on humanitarian issues.

HNC general coordinator Riad Hijab said the opposition was ready to "take advantage of every opportunity to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people."

More than 270,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict erupted with anti-government protests in 2011.
KING KHALID MILITARY CITY (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry met Saudi Arabia's King Salman and his most senior ministers Friday, as Washington and its Arab allies pushed for new Syrian peace talks.

The United Nations hopes to host indirect talks between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime and rebel leaders in Geneva on Monday, to reinforce a tentative ceasefire on the ground.

The United States and Saudi Arabia are two of the chief sponsors of opposition forces in the five-year-old civil war, and will be key to getting them to the table.

"I think we need to talk about Syria," Kerry said, as he sat down with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef and senior Saudi officials after his reception with King Salman.

Top Saudi officials, including Defence Minister Mohammad Bin Salman al-Saud and Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir, had gathered at a military base after a major exercise.

They were joined by Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan at the northeastern King Khalid Military City base, scene this week of the "Northern Thunder" exercise.

According to a senior State Department official, Kerry "emphasized that now is the time to keep moving forward toward ending the conflicts in Syria and Yemen".

A Saudi-led coalition -- including Emirati forces -- has been bombing Iranian-backed Huthi rebels for a year in support of Yemen's beleaguered government, amid mounting civilian casualties.

"In Yemen, the United States welcomes the reduction of violence on the Yemen-Saudi border and the increased delivery of humanitarian relief," the US official said.

"We continue to support the efforts of the UN Special Envoy to bring all parties back to the table in pursuit of a peaceful political transition as soon as possible."

On Saturday, Kerry was due to head to Paris to meet his French, British, German and Italian opposite numbers, seeking to coordinate efforts to try to end the Middle East crises.

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Earlier Friday, UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura called for Syrians to hold elections within 18 months.

But in a worrying development ahead of the negotiations, government raids reportedly killed five civilians in Syria's second city, Aleppo, despite the fragile ceasefire.

The truce has prompted a nearly two-week lull in fighting between the Russian-backed regime and non-jihadist rebels since coming into force on February 27.

In Washington, the State Department said the truce is "largely holding," despite government attacks on civilians and opposition forces.

But spokesman John Kirby also warned that the conflict, in which more than 270,000 people have been killed since it broke out in March 2011, had reached "a critical moment".
LONDON (Reuters) - Tesco, Britain's biggest retailer, pledged on Friday to give any left-over food from its stores to charity so that by the end of 2017 nothing is thrown away. "We believe no food that could be eaten should be wasted  that's why we have committed that no surplus food should go to waste from our stores," said Tesco Chief Executive Dave Lewis, who is trying to improve its image after an accounting scandal. Some 55,400 tonnes of food were thrown away at Tesco stores and distribution centres in Britain last year, of which around 30,000 tonnes could otherwise have been eaten, equivalent to around 70 million meals, it said. Over the last six months Tesco has tried out a scheme in 14 stores which has generated more than 22 tonnes of food, the equivalent of 50,000 meals. This will now be rolled-out across Britain, reaching all large Tesco stores by the end of this year and all stores by the end of 2017. Tesco and partner FareShare want to sign up 5,000 charities and community groups to receive free surplus food through the scheme. Lewis, who joined in September 2014, is trying to turn Tesco around with a focus on lower prices and improved product availability and customer service. He has also sold assets and cut costs - including thousands of jobs. (Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Alexander Smith)
Its time to stick up for the little guys, says Bob Nersesian, attorney and author of The Law for Gamblers. In the video above, he tells Yahoo Finance's Alexis Christoforous that hes fed up with casinos bullying gamblers and how he defends clients who feel "cheated."

The laws surrounding gambling are complex and vary by state. One controversial topic is whether or not counting cards should be legal.

I've had police officers tell me it's illegal, but the Nevada Supreme Court, for example, has pointed out three times that there's nothing wrong with [counting cards] whatsoever. According to the New York Post, Nersesian has won verdicts as high as $600,000 for his gambler clients. Casinos everywhere like taking shots at ripping off players. [They] will detain players or not cash their chips for any reason imaginable, he told the paper.

Nersesian has seen casinos put people out when they realize a player is winning big and the house is losing.

Oftentimes the casino will look for an excuse and claim that the player is being disorderly to get them kicked out," he said. "The question here is advantage gamblers, the gamblers that know what the odds are and beat the casinos. Its almost invariable that if a casino discovers that someone is an advantage gambler, they are going to kick them out."

From the casinos perspective, it is their right to provide services to whomever they want and refuse services to whomever they want, Nersesian explained. Theres a split of authority among the states. In many states, you cant put somebody out of a public accommodation, but in other states, its the right of the property owner to address whomever they want.

If gamblers find themselves in a position where they feel like the casino will soon take action to limit their winnings, Nersesian says its best to act quickly.

Get up and get out. Put your chips in your pocket and come back later to cash them.
(A Police Coast Guard craft off the coast of Singapore. File photo: Reuters)



The police have arrested three men for entering Singapore illegally by swimming, the second such incident this week.

On Thursday night (10 March), the Police Coast Guard (PCG) spotted the men at the sea off Gedong, the police said in a statement on Friday (11 March). A PCG craft intercepted and arrested the men aged between 22 and 29 for the offence of unlawful entry into Singapore.

A similar arrest was made on Wednesday morning (9 March), when two men were caught at the sea off Senoko by the PCG. The men, both aged 25, did not have any identification documents with them.

The PCG will remain vigilant to detect and prevent such offences in Singapore waters, the police said.
LONDON (Reuters) - A top advisor to Prime Minister David Cameron was named as the most senior civil servant at the finance ministry on Friday, a few weeks after helping to secure Cameron's deal for changes to Britain's status in the European Union Tom Scholar, who has also acted as a senior British envoy to the Group of Seven and Group of 20 countries, will replace Nick Macpherson as the Treasury's permanent secretary, one of the most influential positions within Britain's public sector. Macpherson is due to leave the post at the end of March. Chancellor George Osborne said he looked forward to working with Scholar "in the face of an increasingly turbulent global economy." Scholar previously worked at the International Monetary Fund. The appointment comes as Britain prepares to hold a referendum on June 23 on whether to stay in the EU. Scholar was one of the two main architects of a pre-referendum deal struck by Cameron with fellow EU leaders in February that gave Britain some more wiggle room on the bloc's rules. Scholar joined the Treasury in 1992 and helped Gordon Brown to work out the details of how to give the Bank of England independence in 1997, shortly after Brown took over as Chancellor. Scholar has been in his current role since 2013. (Reporting by Ana Nicolaci da Costa and William Schomberg, editing by Andy Bruce)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The ongoing U.S.-Canadian trade "irritant" over softwood lumber is expected to be resolved soon, both countries leaders said on Thursday regarding the years-long fight over pine and other such soft wood. U.S. President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking at a joint press conference, said the issue came up at their meeting at the White House but that negotiations were ongoing. "I'm confident that we are on a track towards resolving this irritant in the coming weeks and month," Trudeau said of the trade dispute, which stems from an expired 2006 softwood lumber export agreement. Obama added: "This issue of softwood lumber will get resolved in some fashion ... It's been a longstanding, bipartisan irritant," although neither side is likely to get everything they are seeking in the final deal. (Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by James Dalgleish)
Donald Trump was on cruise control for so much of the early going in the 12th Republican debate Thursday night that he teased his rivals about their timidity.

So far, I cannot believe how civil its been up here, Trump said with a wry grin and a glance at Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

Cruz, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Ohio Gov. John Kasich all steered clear of open confrontation with Trump for much of the night on the debate stage at the University of Miami. It was clear that all the candidates, even Trump, were aware that the nasty tone of the last two debates had turned off many voters.

The tepid atmosphere seemed to suit Trump, who held himself back this time from insulting the other candidates, in a departure from his recent practice. There were no references to little Marco, no labeling of Cruz as nasty or a liar.

Trump has shown signs of trying to soften his roughest edges in the last few months, as he has tightened his grip on the Republican nomination. And more than ever Thursday, he sought to portray himself as more presidential than he has often appeared.

After the debate, Trump referred to the evening as elegant.

Yet as the debate wore on, and the moderators pressed in with questions on foreign policy matters, Trump was unable to offer specific proposals or ideas and was bested by Cruz and Rubio on a number of points.

Trumps lack of policy experience has failed to hold him back so far, and its not clear it will now. But it was visibly on display during this debate, whether it was boasting of having walked in a parade to boost his pro-Israel credentials, or talking at length about getting a better deal with the Cuban government without giving any specifics.

Trump stumbled most, however, over the question of his praise for despotic government overseas.

CNNs Jake Tapper asked Trump why he had recently praised the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, brushing aside concerns about the killing of his political opponents and journalists, and why Trump had also commented favorably on the Chinese governments crushing of student protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989.

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They put it down with strength. That shows you the power of strength, Trump said in 1990, a year after the protests.

Trump reacted defensively, denying that he intended to indicate his approval of the Russian and Chinese leaders.

That doesnt mean I was endorsing that. I was not endorsing it, he said.

But Trump did double down on his praise for Putin, saying that he has been a very strong leader for Russia.

I think he has been a lot stronger than our leader, that I can tell you, Trump said. He added the caveat that he was not endorsing Putin.

Tapper pursued the question again, noting that the word strong obviously is a compliment and arguing that Trump was speaking in glowing terms about government leaders who had committed atrocities against their own people.

Trump at first avoided the question, talking instead about German Chancellor Angela Merkel. But then, against all evidence and logic, he denied the premise of Tappers question.

And strong doesnt mean good. Putin is a strong leader, absolutely. I could name many strong leaders. I could name very many very weak leaders. But he is a strong leader. Now I dont say that in a good way or a bad way. I say it as a fact, Trump said.

Earlier in the night, Trump also tried to back off comments he made earlier this year that he would take a neutral position in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

Trump attempted to reassure voters and supporters of Israel that he was in fact on their side. To argue this point, he used the fact that he was the grand marshal, not so long ago, of the Israeli Day Parade down Fifth Avenue.

There was audible laughter in the audience.

Trumps answer on the matter of U.S. relations with Cuba also was light on specifics. Last September, he said it was fine for President Obama to reestablish diplomatic relations with Cuba, though he noted that he did not think the United States had negotiated a good deal with the Cubans.

On Thursday night, Trump again hammered the deal with Cuba, and brought up the argument raised recently that the United States owes reparations to the communist island nation, slamming the idea as foolish.

I would want to make a good deal. I would want to make a strong, solid, good deal, Trump said.

When CNNs Dana Bash pressed Trump on whether hed keep the U.S. embassy in Havana open, as a symbol of renewed diplomatic relations, Trump reversed his previous position on the issue and said he would probably have the embassy closed until such time as a really good deal was made.

He never explained what such a deal would entail.

Rubio, whose parents arrived from Cuba in 1956, delivered a strong response to Trump, explaining in great detail what he thought a good deal would look like. This received an overwhelmingly positive response from the hometown crowd.

But it was Cruz who honed in many times during the night on Trumps weak grasp of policy detail.

Trump was asked about having said that he would target the families of terrorists and have them killed. Tapper pointed out that this would violate the Geneva Conventions, and asked Trump to defend this claim.

Trump avoided the question, but moments later, Cruz took him on directly, while defending the right of the American people to be worried about terrorist attacks.

People are scared. And for seven years, weve faced terrorist attacks, and President Obama lectures Americans on Islamophobia. That is maddening, Cruz said. But the answer is not simply to yell, China bad, Muslims bad. Youve got to understand the nature of the threats were facing, and how you deal with them.

Trumps simplistic solutions have played well so far with Republican voters, however, and the many contradictions between his past statements and current positions have failed to stop his momentum in this primary.

Brendan Buck, the chief spokesman for House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., reflected the fatalistic view of many in his party when he wrote on Twitter Thursday night that the winner of the debate was: Nothing matters.

(Cover tile photo: Carlo Allegri/Reuters)
Miami (AFP) - US Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has referred to the 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing's Tiananmen Square as a "riot."

The outspoken billionaire made the remark during a televised debate late Thursday when asked about the student-led protests and subsequent government crackdown.

Specifically, CNN moderator Jake Tapper wanted Trump's response to critics who had expressed concern about previous Tiananmen comments Trump reportedly made to Playboy magazine in 1990.

"About China's massacre of pro-democracy protesters at Tiananmen Square, you've said: 'When the students poured into Tiananmen Square, the Chinese government almost blew it, then they were vicious, they were horrible, but they put it down with strength. That shows you the power of strength.' How do you respond?" Tapper asked.

Trump said the comments did not mean he had endorsed what happened.

"I was not endorsing it. I said that is a strong, powerful government that put it down with strength," he said.

"And then they kept down the riot. It was a horrible thing. It doesn't mean at all I was endorsing it."

Hundreds -- by some estimates more than a thousand -- died after the Communist Party sent tanks in June 1989 to crush demonstrations on Tiananmen Square in the Chinese capital, where student-led protesters had staged a peaceful sit-in to demand democratic reforms.

Ohio Governor John Kasich did not mince words when he weighed in on what had transpired in Tiananmen Square.

"I think that the Chinese government butchered those kids," the fellow White House hopeful said on the debate stage.

"And when that guy stood in front -- that young man stood in front of that tank, we ought to build a statue of him over here when he faced down the Chinese government," he added in reference to the famous image of a lone man who confronted a row of tanks.
ANKARA (Reuters) - New Turkish legislation will fulfill most of the European Union criteria required for the granting of visa-free travel for Turks to Europe, a Turkish official said on Friday. A draft deal struck this week with the EU under which Turkey will take back illegal migrants envisages clearing an initial five Greek islands of all refugees, the official said. He said migrant flows in the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece had dropped to 2,000 daily from 6,800 last October. (Reporting by Tulay Karadeniz; Writing by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Nick Tattersall)
Ankara (AFP) - Turkish prosecutors have dropped a probe into senior security officials suspected of negligence over a massive suicide bombing that killed 103 people in Ankara last year, Anatolia news agency reported Friday.

Turkey blamed the October attack, in which two bombers blew themselves up at a crowded peace rally, on Islamic State (IS) extremists acting under orders from their leadership in Syria.

Three senior Ankara police officials, including the city's police chief, were sacked soon afterwards amid accusations of security lapses and a wave of public anger at the deadliest attack in Turkey's modern history.

A negligence probe into the chief, his deputy and other officers was dropped because the local administration, which has authority over security forces, refused to approve pursuing the case, Anatolia said, citing the prosecutor's office.

After the attack, which came three weeks before parliamentary elections, opposition parties accused the government of deliberately neglecting security for the rally that was hit.

But the Ankara governor's office insisted the same precautions were taken for the rally as for any other similar event, the prosecutor's office said.

Four deadly attacks blamed on IS have hit Turkey since July, the latest coming in January in Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district, which killed 12 German tourists.

On Tuesday rockets fired from an IS-controlled area of Syria hit a Turkish border town, killing two people including a four-year-old child, after Turkey launched repeated artillery strikes in the last two weeks on IS positions in Syria.

Turkey has on occasion been accused by its western allies of not doing enough to combat the threat of IS, which has captured swathes of Iraq and Syria right up to its border.

But Ankara is now playing a key role in the US-led anti-IS coalition and hosting foreign warplanes at its Incirlik airbase for strikes on the group
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday a constitutional court ruling that led to the release of two detained newspaper editors was a step against the country and warned the court that repeating such actions could bring its very existence into question. The constitutional court ruled last month that the detention of Can Dundar and Erdem Gul, editor-in-chief and Ankara bureau chief of the opposition Cumhuriyet newspaper, was "unlawful" and had violated their individual freedom and safety. The two, who had been arrested in November on charges of intentionally aiding an armed terrorist organization and publishing material in violation of state security, were subsequently released. "This institution, with the involvement of its president and some members, did not refrain from taking a decision that is against the country and its people, on a subject that is a concrete example of one of the biggest attacks against Turkey recently," Erdogan told a rally in the southwestern city of Burdur. "I hope the constitutional court would not again attempt such ways which will open its existence and legitimacy up for debate," he said in a speech broadcast live on television. Cumhuriyet published photos, videos and a report last May that it said showed intelligence officials transporting arms to Syria in trucks in 2014. Erdogan, who has cast the newspaper's coverage as part of an attempt to undermine Turkey's global standing, has said he will not forgive such reporting. European leaders have warned Turkey, which aspires to membership of the European Union, over its record on freedom of expression, particularly since state-appointed administrators took over another opposition newspaper, Zaman, a week ago. But the EU has faced criticism for compromising on that message after it struck a draft agreement with Ankara on Monday on curbing illegal migration, which could see Turkey receive 6 billion euros ($6.7 billion) in EU funding, visa-free travel an acceleration in long-stalled membership talks. "I am obliged to ensure that the state organs work in harmony and that the constitution is executed," Erdogan said. "Whoever breaches the boundaries on this would find me against them. And if the constitutional court chooses such a path, I would not shy away from expressing my objections." (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
By Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - South Sudan's government operated a "scorched earth policy" of deliberate rape, pillage and killing of civilians during the civil war in 2015, a report published on Friday by the U.N. human rights office said. "The report contains harrowing accounts of civilians suspected of supporting the opposition, including children and the disabled, killed by being burned alive, suffocated in containers, shot, hanged from trees or cut to pieces," the U.N. human rights office said in a statement. The prevalence of rape "suggests its use in the conflict has become an acceptable practice by (government) SPLA soldiers and affiliated armed militias," the report said. Groups allied to the government were allowed to rape women in lieu of wages, it said. Between April and September 2015, the U.N. investigation recorded more than 1,300 reports of rapes in South Sudan's Unity State alone. In one incident soldiers argued over whether or not to rape a 6-year-old girl and ended up shooting her. Even women inside U.N. protected camps were at risk when they went out to collect food or firewood. U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra`ad Al Hussein said the number of rapes described in the report must only be a "snapshot of the real total", but the massive use as an instrument of war and terror had largely been off the international radar. The scale and types of sexual violence - primarily by Government SPLA forces and affiliated militia  are described in searing, devastating detail, as is the almost casual, yet calculated, attitude of those slaughtering civilians and destroying property and livelihoods, he said in a statement. In one of many incidents, SPLA forces reportedly rounded up 60 cattle-keepers and locked them in a container in the compound of a Catholic church. All but one suffocated within two days. In the 12 months to November 2015, there were an estimated 10,553 civilian deaths in Unity State, 7,165 of them due to violence and 829 caused by drowning. The patterns of killing were not random, isolated or accidental, but appeared to be deliberate, systematic and based on ethnicity, the report said. Although all sides have committed atrocities that may amount to crimes against humanity, government forces were most responsible in 2015, the report said. There was little resistance in Unity State in 2015, leaving civilians at the mercy of government forces. South Sudan's war began in December 2013, throwing the world's newest country into chaos, killing tens of thousands, displacing more than 2 million, and plunging at least 40,000 into a famine. (Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
By Anastasia Moloney BOGOTA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - United Nations rights experts and more than 200 campaign groups called on the government of Honduras on Thursday to protect a key witness in the killing of activist Berta Caceres that has sparked widespread international condemnation. Caceres, an indigenous land rights activist, was fatally shot by gunmen who broke into her home on March 3 in the Central American nation. Activist Gustavo Castro Soto was injured in the attack and is a key witness in the slaying. Honduran authorities have prevented him from returning to his native Mexico. Michel Frost, U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, in a statement called on Honduran authorities to guarantee that Castro not be put at risk. "Gustavo should immediately be provided with effective protection and permitted to return to his country," he said. "It is high time that the Government of Honduras addressed the flagrant impunity of the increased number of executions of human rights defenders in the country, especially targeting those who defend environmental and land rights," he said. His call came on the same day that 220 rights groups sent an open letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry seeking support for an independent investigation to be led by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights into Caceres' killing. "We ask that the State Department make clear to the Honduran government that future partnership and funding depends on demonstrating the political will to investigate and prosecute this crime and all crimes against human rights defenders," it said. Signed by the International Trade Union Confederation and other major international groups, the letter also called for protection for Caceres' family and witnesses in the case. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has granted Castro and Caceres' family protective measures, saying their lives were at risk. With at least 109 activists killed in Honduras since 2010, the nation is the world's deadliest place to be a land rights or environmental campaigner, according to Global Witness, which investigates corruption, conflict and environmental destruction linked to natural resources. Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez condemned Caceres' killing, and a criminal investigation has been launched. A police source told Reuters that the only suspect arrested after the murder, which was Caceres's former partner and colleague, has been released. Death threats against Caceres, a member of the Lenca indigenous group, increased after she led a campaign against the construction of the Agua Zarca hydroelectric dam that delayed the $50 million project. Indigenous groups say they were not consulted before the dam was approved by lawmakers and that it threatens to uproot hundreds of people, flood their lands and destroy their livelihoods and water sources. Following Caceres' killing, U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy said the dam project "should be abandoned," a call backed by the advocacy groups and Caceres' family. Olivia Zuniga, Caceres's daughter, says she has little faith in Honduran authorities to find and punish those responsible for her mother's death and urged an independent investigation. "We don't believe in or trust the justice system in Honduras," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview. "This was a political crime," she said. "My mother was considered a hindrance, a nuisance for those who wanted to guarantee that the dam project went ahead." (Reporting by Anastasia Moloney, Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
CAIRO (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council on Friday strongly condemned an attack on a humanitarian convoy in Sudan's war-torn Darfur on Wednesday by a group of unidentified armed men. The convoy was escorted by the African Union and United Nations peacekeepers and was traveling from Kutum to Djarido, North Darfur, the statement said. One South African soldier was killed and another was wounded in the ambush. "The members of the Security Council called on the Government of Sudan to swiftly conduct a full investigation into the attack and bring the perpetrators to justice," the statement said. The attacks may constitute war crimes under international law, it added. More than 105,000 civilians have been reportedly displaced from the Jebel Marra area in Sudans Darfur region since mid-January 2016 due to increased hostilities, the UN Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs said. The numbers are rising on a daily basis. South Africa's government said last month it planned to withdraw its contingent of troops from Darfur, where they have been serving as part of a large United Nations peacekeeping force trying to quell more than a decade of conflict. (Reporting by Asma Alsharif)
HAFR AL-BATIN, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stressed the need to move now to end the conflicts in Syria and Yemen in talks with top Saudi officials on Friday, a senior U.S. official said. Kerry also sought to reassure officials of the importance of U.S.-Saudi ties a day after President Barack Obama was quoted in a U.S. magazine as saying regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran need to "share the neighborhood" and establish a "cold peace." Meeting at a Saudi military base outside Hafr al-Batin near the Saudi border with Iraq, Kerry held talks with Saudi King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef, Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman and Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir. "We have to talk about Syria," Kerry said after he met the king as he began a separate discussion with the three other officials, according to a U.S. pool reporter accompanying him. Syrian peace talks are set to get under way in Geneva next week, and the main Syrian opposition group, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, has said it will attend. The U.N.-brokered talks will take place two weeks after the start of a cessation of hostilities agreement that has reduced the violence but not completely stopped the fighting, with further outbreaks reported in western Syria on Friday. The cessation is the first truce of its kind in a five-year-old war that has killed more than 250,000 people and driven millions of Syrians from their homes. "Kerry emphasized that now is the time to keep moving forward toward ending the conflicts in Syria and Yemen," a senior U.S. State Department official said in an email. Washington and allies including Saudi Arabia and Turkey back opposition groups representing political and armed factions in Syria's civil war while Russia and Iran support President Bashar al-Assad. In another regional conflict, Riyadh and a coalition of Arab states entered Yemen's civil war a year ago in an attempt to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after the Houthis and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh ousted him. The U.S. official said Washington supported U.N. efforts to get all the Yemeni parties into talks. He also said that during his meetings, "Kerry reaffirmed the strong U.S. commitment to our valued and important partnership with Saudi Arabia." Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite majority Iran are locked in a regional power struggle. Saudi Arabia, a U.S. partner, may have been irked by an article in The Atlantic magazine quoting Obama as saying the two "need to find an effective way to share the neighborhood and institute some sort of cold peace." (Reporting by William Maclean and Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Andrew Roche and James Dalgleish)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has carried out air strikes that it believes have degraded the chemical weapons capabilities of Islamic State in Iraq after using information obtained from a captured militant, the Pentagon said on Thursday. U.S.-led coalition forces detained Sulayman Dawud al Bakkar, Islamic State's head of chemical and traditional weapons manufacturing, during an operation in Iraq in February, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement. "We believe that the information we've been able to obtain will allow us to conduct additional operations," Cook said at a news briefing on Thursday. Cook said the intelligence came from "the information we learned from this individual." Al Bakkar, also known as Abu Dawud, was transferred to Iraqi custody on Thursday, Cook said. He gave details about Islamic State's chemical weapons facilities and production and the people involved, Cook said. He said the United States does not believe it has been able to altogether eliminate Islamic State's chemical weapons capability. (Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati and Phil Stewart, editing by G Crosse and Grant McCool)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S.-led coalition conducted 14 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on Thursday in its latest round of daily attacks on the militant group, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement. In Iraq, 13 strikes were staged near seven cities, including Ramadi, Sinjar and Hit, according to the statement released on Friday. The operations hit five Islamic State tactical units and destroyed or damaged a dozen fighting positions as well as various weapons and supply targets, it said. One strike near Mar'a, Syria, hit another of the militant group's tactical units, the statement said. (Reporting by Washington newsroom)
Kampala (AFP) - Uganda's government has proposed a bill to tighten controls over social media, a minister said Friday, weeks after an enforced election day shutdown triggered widespread criticism.

"The bill is intended to regulate what goes on in the communication sector for the good of Ugandans and their security," minister for the presidency Frank Tumwebaze told AFP.

"The aim of this bill is to amend the Uganda Communications Act 2013 by removing the requirement for the sector minister to seek parliamentary approval in regulating the communication sector," he said.

Tumwebaze said Uganda's parliament -- which is dominated by the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party -- would have to approve the bill removing parliamentary approval.

Opposition politicians have criticised the proposals but Tumwebaze insisted the new regulations are "not that strict" and were necessary to curb the "misuse" of social media with, "people posting irresponsible statements, inciting the population, which as government is a threat to our national security."

The government blocked social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook during February's elections citing unspecified "national security" concerns. The vote saw President Yoweri Museveni sweep to his fifth election victory with 61 percent of ballots.

Observers said the cards were heavily stacked against Museveni's opponents, as the 71-year-old's grip on his party and country -- and his access to state resources -- meant the result was never in any doubt.

Failed presidential challenger, ex-prime minister Amama Mbabazi, has launched a petition challenging Museveni's victory at the Supreme Court citing voter bribery and intimidation.

Museveni's closest rival, opposition chief Kizza Besigye, was arrested multiple times during the election and was blocked from making a similar petition.

Several journalists have also been arrested covering protests, and Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday warned of a continued crackdown on the opposition and media.

"The police are violating the opposition's and the media's basic rights protected under international law as well as under Uganda's constitution," HRW researcher Maria Burnett said.

"That those who peacefully express critical views can be arbitrarily arrested, detained, and beaten makes everyone vulnerable to abuse," she said.
* Gas market 13.9 mcm oversupplied

* Outage ends at Bacton Seal terminal

LONDON, March 11 (Reuters) - British gas for immediate delivery fell on Friday due to an oversupplied system while curve prices were buoyed by higher oil.

Gas for immediate delivery fell 1.45 pence or 4.7 percent to 29.15 pence per therm at 0915 GMT.

Britain's gas system was oversupplied by 13.9 million cubic metres (mcm), with demand forecast at 290.7 mcm and supply at 304.6 mcm, National Grid (LSE: NG.L - news) data showed.

Imports from Norway through the Langeled pipeline were near full capacity around 70 mcm on Friday.

Domestic supplies were also lifted by the return to service of Britain's Bacton Sea gas terminal where gas flows had been cut since March 4 due to an unplanned outage.

Traders said mild weather had curbed demand, contributing to the oversupply in the system.

Britain's Met Office said temperatures would reach as high as 10 degrees Celsius in the south of the country on Friday.

Gas for day-ahead delivery, however, inched up by 0.10 pence to 29.60 p/therm and prices for the weekend were 0.25 p higher at 29.50 p/therm.

Benchmark Brent crude oil futures rose 1.5 percent on Friday to more than $40 a barrel, helping to lift longer-term gas prices.

The April contract was up 0.12 pence to 28.05 pence per therm while the Winter 2016 gas contract rose 0.15 pence to 33.25 pence per therm.

In the Netherlands, the day-ahead gas price at the TTF hub was 0.1 euros higher at 12.23 euros per megawatt-hour (MWh).

In Europe's carbon market the front-year EU Allowance (EUA) price rose 0.08 euros to 5.00 euros per tonne. (Reporting by Susanna Twidale)
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The UN Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution that calls for the repatriation of entire peacekeeping units whose soldiers face allegations of sexual abuse while serving under the UN flag.

It was the first time that the council has approved measures to address the rise in troubling allegations of sexual abuse by peacekeepers deployed worldwide to protect civilians in conflict.

The US-drafted resolution was adopted by a vote of 14 in favour, with Egypt abstaining.

The resolution, which has been under intense negotiation for a week, endorses a new UN policy of sending entire peacekeeping units back home if their soldiers face repeated allegations of sex abuse.

The measure allows UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to bar a country from peacekeeping if it fails to take action against soldiers who face credible allegations.

Foreign troops found guilty of sex abuse "do not deserve to serve in UN peacekeeping missions," US Ambassador Samantha Power told the council.

"To the victims of sexual exploitation and abuse, we pledge that we will do better," she said.

"We will do better to ensure that the blue helmets we send as your protectors do not become perpetrators."

Egypt, along with Russia and Senegal, had argued that the new policy amounts to collective punishment and that attention should focus on prosecuting individual perpetrators of sex crimes.

Minutes before the adoption, Egypt presented an amendment that would have added criteria for deciding on a repatriation, a move Power said would have "undermined the purpose of the resolution."

That amendment was backed by Angola, Russia, China, Egypt, Venezuela but it fell short of the nine votes needed for approval in the 15-member council.

Egyptian Ambassador Amr Abdellatif Aboulatta said the resolution will "negatively affect the morale of the troops and demonstrates contempt for the sacrifices of tens of thousands of peacekeeping personnel operating under extremely difficult conditions."

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Egypt argued that it was up to the UN General Assembly, and not the Security Council, to take action on issues of discipline in UN peacekeeping.

- Mounting allegations -

Concern has been growing since the release of a UN report showing a rise in the number of allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation by peacekeepers in 10 missions, from 52 in 2014 to 69 last year.

Cases of child rape by UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic have been particularly damaging, prompting Ban to fire the mission commander in August, but the allegations have continued to surface.

Under UN rules, it is up to the country that contributes the peacekeepers to investigate and prosecute any soldier accused of misconduct while serving under the UN flag.

The United States had argued that too often, countries fail to investigate after they are notified by the United Nations of credible allegations against their troops.

The Security Council resolution will strengthen Ban's hand as he pushes peacekeeping nations to take sex abuse allegations seriously, diplomats say.

Last year, Ban ordered troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo to be sent home after their soldiers were accused of sexual abuse in the Central African Republic.

A total of 122 countries contribute 125,000 troops and police to the UN's peacekeeping missions worldwide.
MONTEVIDEO (Reuters) - A convert to Islam who fatally stabbed a Jewish man in Uruguay and claimed Allah was responsible acted alone and had no ties to foreign militant networks, the Uruguayan government said on Thursday. Interior Minister Eduardo Bonomi said the government drew its conclusion after security agents scoured the computer of 36-year-old Carlos Peralta and searched his home for signs he might have links to outside groups. "No links arise with other people inside or outside the country, nor with any group," Bonomi said. Earlier on Thursday, Judge Fabricio Cidade found Peralta guilty of knifing businessman David Fremd late on Tuesday in Paysandu, near the border with Argentina. The judge told the El Telegrafo newspaper that Peralta would be sent to a psychiatric hospital for tests ahead of sentencing. "He consistently talked about the religious motivations but did not once recognize committing the crime," the judge told the local paper. "He said his actions were in the hands of Allah." Fremd, 54, was head of the Jewish Community of Paysandu. In the Uruguayan capital Montevideo, the Egyptian Center for Islamic Culture and Israeli Embassy condemned the attack. Stabbings have been on the rise in Israel, where violence escalated during a visit by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. In the occupied West Bank, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian who tried to stab them on Wednesday, the military said. The attacks came a day after an American tourist was killed in Tel Aviv by a Palestinian who went on a stabbing spree while Biden held meetings just blocks away. (Reporting by Malena Castaldi; Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Matthew Lewis)
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The United States has asked the UN Security Council to discuss Iran's recent ballistic missile launches during a meeting on Monday, the US ambassador said.

The United States is "deeply concerned" about the missile tests "which are provocative and destabilizing," Samantha Power said in a statement on Friday.

Iran fired two long-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday and similar tests were carried out on Tuesday, less than two months after the Iran nuclear deal was implemented.

Power said Iranian military leaders had claimed that the missiles were designed to be a direct threat to Israel and added: "We condemn such threats against another UN member-state and one of our closest allies."

Under the nuclear deal with Iran that came into force January 16, most sanctions resolutions against Tehran were annulled.

But an arms embargo and restrictions on ballistic missile technology capable of carrying a nuclear warhead remain in place, under Resolution 2231.

Iran has maintained that its missile program is not aimed at developing a nuclear capability.

"We will raise these dangerous launches directly at council consultations, which we have called for, on Monday," said Power.

"These launches underscore the need to work with partners around the world to slow and degrade Irans missile program," she added.

On Wednesday, Iran fired two Qadr-H and Qadr-F precision missiles fired from launcher trucks tucked in a mountain range in northern Iran, hitting targets about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) away in the southeastern Makran area, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said.

A day earlier, state media announced that short-, medium- and long-range precision guided missiles were fired from several sites to show the country's "all-out readiness to confront threats".
Paris (AFP) - Gun deaths in the United States can be slashed by over 90 percent through universal application of laws requiring background checks of buyers and easy tracing of every bullet fired, researchers said Thursday.

Conducting a background check on every single gun buyer could more than halve the national gun death rate from 10.35 to 4.46 per 100,000 people, said a paper in The Lancet medical journal.

Background checks for all ammunition purchases would cut the rate to 1.99 per 100,000 people, and "firearm identification" to 1.18 per 100,000.

Firearm identification requirements oblige manufacturers to store images of the unique markings that every gun makes on the bullets it fires, for cartridges at crime scenes to be easily traced to the gun that fired them, and hence its owner.

"Federal implementation of all three laws could reduce national overall gun deaths to 0.16 per 100,000," said a press statement by The Lancet -- a drop of over 90 percent cut.

The study authors quoted statistics showing that more than 90 people are killed by guns in the United States every day -- some 31,672 in 2010 alone.

"Firearm violence in the USA is an issue of substantial public health concern," they wrote.

"Mortality due to firearms is endemic, characterised by stable but high national fatality rates since 2000."

Just Wednesday, five people were shot dead and three hurt at a backyard barbeque in Pennsylvania, in a country where such slayings have become commonplace.

- No checks -

But death rates differ between states, as do gun control laws.

Overall, about 40 percent of gun sales are estimated to be "private transactions" that do not require background checks, said the research team from the United States and Switzerland.

They had made a statistical comparison between firearm-related deaths per US state, and differences in state gun laws.

They also looked at data on gun ownership per state, non-firearm murder rates and unemployment numbers.

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Of 25 laws assessed, only nine were found to correlate with fewer gun deaths, the team found, and three much more strongly than the rest.

They then calculated the likely outcome if all US states implemented these three laws -- background checks for buyers of guns, for buyers of ammunition, and firearm identification.

"Background checks keep guns and ammunition away from those who should not be having them," study co-author Bindu Kalesan from the Boston University School of Medicine told AFP.

"Fewer guns mean fewer homicides and fewer suicides," said Kalesan.

The study claimed to be the first to examine the impact of different laws on gun deaths.

"The findings suggest that very few of the existing state gun control laws actually reduce gun deaths, highlighting the importance of focusing on relevant and effective gun legislation," said Kalesan.

But the authors conceded that once laws are implemented, they could take "many years" to start having the desired effect.

Commenting on the study, David Hemenway of the Harvard School of Public Health said the authors had failed to calculate the potential impact of factors like poverty, alcohol consumption and mental health.

And the study was unable to examine actual changes in gun deaths before and after the passing of any given law.

"Most suggestive is their finding that the two laws currently receiving the most political attention in the USA -- universal background checks for both guns and ammunition -- seem to have the greatest effect on firearm deaths," Hemenway said.

"Although not the final word, the study by Kalesan and colleagues is a step in the right direction of trying to bring more scientific evidence to bear on the types of policies that could be most effective in reducing the serious gun-violence problem in the USA."
After one of the most outrageous debate performance of the election cycle (which is saying something), Republican frontrunner Donald Trump and his competition will take the stage once again on Thursday night for the latest CNN debate.

DONT MISS: Google chairman and former CEO Eric Schmidt caught using an iPhone 6s

As with the last debate, only four candidates remain: Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich. This is an especially important debate because it comes just five days before the third Super Tuesday contest, in which Rubio will have to win the winner-take-all contest in Florida to stand a reasonable chance going forward.

Similarly, Kasich will have to beat Trump in Ohio on Tuesday if he wants his campaign to last until the Republican National Convention later this summer. If both Rubio and Kasich can hold on, the threat of a brokered convention becomes very real, and the plan that Mitt Romney attempted to set in motion might actually come to pass.

With 350 delegates up for grabs next week, this will be an essential debate for the candidates. With Donald Trump continuing to win states despite the fact that he talked about the size of his hands on stage last week, it might also be an essential debate for the viewers. Who knows how low we can sink?

If you want to watch the debate, you can tune in to CNN on TV at 8 p.m. EST or stream the debate live on CNN.com.

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Montreal (AFP) - A string of suicides among young people has hit an impoverished aboriginal reserve in remote central Canada, leading to calls Friday for more social services support for native communities.

Five teenagers and a young mother at Pimicikamak Cree Nation have killed themselves in recent weeks and the reserve's leader has said more than 140 people have attempted suicide or had suicidal thoughts in the past three months.

About 100 young people are on suicide watch at the reserve of 8,000 people, located 500 kilometers (310 miles) north of Winnipeg.

"Indigenous communities are facing a suicide epidemic. When a member of our community is lost to suicide, particularly a young person, the entire community experiences the repercussions collectively," said Dawn Lavell-Harvard, president of the Native Womens Association of Canada.

"More robust services are required immediately in our communities to stop these tragedies from re-occurring - that means acknowledging the structural oppression our communities are subjected to and putting forward stronger services now."

Suicide is a serious problem in Canada's aboriginal communities. Government statistics show suicide rates are five to seven times higher among First Nations youth compared to average young Canadians.

In an interview with the Winnipeg Free Press, reserve acting chief Shirley Robinson blamed the suicides on the community's 80 percent unemployment rate and overcrowding due to a housing shortage.

Officials said the community needed at least six mental health experts to help support the lone qualified therapist serving the reserve, local media reported.
Trouble at a charity for American vets: CBS News reports the two top executives of the Wounded Warrior Project were fired today by the groups board of directors for lavish spending unrelated to the welfare of injured Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

Debate night: Its the Republicans turn. Ted Cruz is looking to catch up to Donald Trump, and Marco Rubio and John Kasich are focused on next weeks primaries in their home states of Florida and Ohio. Expect the news reports saying that Trumps campaign manager physically assaulted a reporter earlier this week to come up. Well be live-blogging here.

A day of mourning: Former first lady Nancy Reagan will be buried tomorrow at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, next to her husband, who died in 2004. Reagan died Sunday at the age of 94.

Office space: Have you ever seen anybody look so happy about returning to their desk job?

I'm back! @nasajohnson #YearInSpace #earth #space #myoffice #nasa A photo posted by Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly) on Mar 10, 2016 at 10:25am PST

News from the afternoon here

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Chinas February PMI: How It Affects Crude Oil Tankers

China releases February data

Earlier this week, China released its key economic data from February, including import data, auto sales data, and the manufacturing index. These data are crucial for assessing the outlook of the crude oil tanker industry. In January, Chinas crude oil imports plunged to a four-month low. Chinas manufacturing PMI (purchasing managers index) was higher but remained below the neutral mark for the 11th consecutive month. After a not-so-good January, well see if Februarys data brought new hope to the crude tanker industry.

Why China is key to the crude oil tanker industry

As we can see in the chart above, crude tanker stock prices rose in 2015. The industry boomed in 2015, largely due to higher crude oil imports by China. China took advantage of lower crude oil (USO) prices and filled its strategic petroleum reserves.

China, the second largest economy in the world, is a key factor in the crude oil tanker industry. China is the second largest importer of crude oil after the United States. However, the United States does not import the majority of its crude oil by sea, whereas most of Chinas crude oil imports come in by sea. This makes Chinas imports more important to the crude oil tanker industry. Chinas imports greatly influence the tanker demand and tanker rates, thus impacting companies such as Frontline (FRO), Teekay Tankers (TNK), Tsakos Energy Navigation (TNP), Nordic American Tankers (NAT), DHT Holdings (DHT), Gener8 Maritime (GNRT), Navios Maritime Midstream Partners (NAP), and Euronav (EURN).

China (FXI) (MCHI) is a global manufacturing hub and the largest manufacturing economy in the world. Chinas oil demand is closely related to its manufacturing activities. Higher manufacturing activities translate to higher demand for oil, and higher demand for oil means higher tanker demand.

Chinas oil demand is also closely related to its gasoline usage. Over the years, Chinas auto industry has risen to become the largest in the world. Auto demand affects gasoline demand, which in turn impacts crude oil demand. This makes China the most important country for the crude tanker industry.

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The Snowden leaks explained in great detail some of the most sophisticated spying tools the NSA has developed in recent years for conducting mass surveillance operations and collecting data. Thats one of the reasons why Apple and other tech companies started using encryption to protect their devices, and why Apple is currently involved in a high-profile case against the FBI.

The government agency wants access to the iPhone 5c that belonged to one of the San Bernardino shooters, looking to force Apple to create a backdoor into the operating system. Many people pondered why the FBI isnt cracking the iPhone without help from Apple, and why the NSA and CIA arent providing any assistance.

New reports cast a different light on the case, revealing that the NSA is not in the FBIs corner in this fight and explaining why the intelligence agency isnt keen on breaking iPhone encryption the way the FBI wants.

DONT MISS: I really want to, but Ill never ditch my iPhone for the Galaxy S7

A Reuters report from earlier this week explains that not all members of the government are in agreement when it comes to the FBI vs. Apple case. Some support the Bureau while others are backing Tim Cook & Co. on the matter.

Some government officials from Commerce, State and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy believe that encryption is integral to protecting the American tech sector, as well as U.S. secrets. These issues have apparently come up in meetings of the interagency National Security Council.

fbi-director-james-comey

Furthermore, officials are worried that terrorists and criminals would simply seek encrypted devices and services made by foreign companies. Confronting the tech sector in such a manner  some 40 companies are officially backing Apple against the FBI  could heighten distrust in American products overseas.

With all that in mind, key officials from the NSA and the Department of Homeland Security are opposed to the fight with Apple, according to Reuters sources.

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Thats not to say that the NSA cant, or wont, crack the iPhone 5c in question if it wanted to. The older device still runs iOS 7 and is susceptible to brute force attacks, as The Verge points out.

But the reason the NSA doesnt want to be a part of this fight might be more pragmatic than that. The agency could already have advanced means to crack iOS security, even on newer devices. These tools could take advantage of bugs in iOS that Apple has not discovered. Helping the FBI would confirm that the NSA has such tools readily available, prompting not only a new review of iOS from Apple, but also from hackers and foreign agents looking for similar encryption-breaking programs.

The NSA might also be more interested in conducting covert intelligence operations with the help of these tools that we can only speculate on, without drawing any attention or having to endure the scrutiny of the public and the media yet again.

tim-cook-serious

Meanwhile, the FBI is seeking evidence that will later have to be backed up in courts in future cases that might be related to the San Bernardino shootings. For that reason, the FBI needs Apples official help on the matter.

Instead of having to explain to a court the unofficial hacks it used to crack an iPhone and then obtain potentially critical evidence from it  explanations that will stay in the public record  the Bureau would prefer to have Apple extract the information from the iPhone by using a specially crafted GovtOS version of iOS that would circumvent the security features built into the standard iPhone software.

The irony here is also rather strong. Its the NSA that drove Apple to create more secure devices in the first place, the kind of gadgets the FBI cant crack now. And its the NSA thats suspected of being able to access encrypted iPhones even today, yet the agency doesnt want to help the FBI at this point, at least not in any official capacity.

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More from BGR: Galaxy S7 vs. iPhone 6s: In-depth showdown declares one true camera king

This article was originally published on BGR.com
Harare (AFP) - Zimbabwe plans to compensate white farmers for land seized for redistribution to blacks and has begun evaluating the properties, Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa said Friday.

President Robert Mugabe's controversial and sometimes violent land reforms, which began in 2000, have been blamed for plunging the country into an economic crisis.

Some 4,000 white farmers were driven off their land and have struggled for years to obtain any payment for their loss.

The move towards compensation comes as the government shows signs that it wants a rapprochement with western donors and the International Monetary Fund to help heal the economy.

"It (compensation) is under our constitution, this is an obligation under our constitution as far as I am concerned," Chinamasa told AFP.

Chinamasa said the government had started working out the value of the farms to determine the amount of compensation to be paid, but he refused to be drawn into how the cash-strapped government would finance the exercise.

"I want to settle any issues or disputes arising from our resolution of our land question," Chinamasa said.

"It is not good for agricultural development that we should make and perpetuate dispute or discontent around the land question."

The minister did not say when the dispossessed farmers could expect to be paid.

The compensation would differ between farms that fall under Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (BIPPAs) and properties taken from individuals, he said.

"The farmers who are protected under the bilateral investment agreements are under our constitution entitled to full compensation for both land and improvements on the farms.

"The farms which fall outside BIPPA, we are only required under the constitution to pay compensation only for improvements."

The majority of farms fall outside BIPPA.

"Of the 6,000 or so farms that we compulsorily acquired only about 1,500 have been evaluated, Chinamasa said.So it means there is a lot of work that we need to do to get the figures first."

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"After the figures have been obtained then we can look into the modalities how that compensation will be paid.

"Any story giving you figures is nonsense and has not come from government."

The land reforms were aimed at reversing historical injustices which saw white colonialists push black Zimbabweans off the best farming land.

But critics say that the redistribution of farms favoured the government elite, while ordinary people who did receive land often lacked the means to use it productively.

The result has been a perennial food deficit which has reduced the former regional breadbasket to a regular food importer.
Republic pushes new e-commerce solution

He said the bank is opening up a whole new market for local business people, by giving the holders of foreign Visa and MasterCards, the opportunity to buy goods from local merchants in the same way as Trinidadians and Tobagonians have caught on to Internet shopping, and become accustomed to using their credit cards to buy goods from foreign merchants over the Internet .

So it is encouraging the e-commerce activity both domestically and attracting purchases from foreign cardholders who may want to acquire some of these goods and services. So its expanding the market (from) which our businesses can attract (buyers), you can attract the e-commerce market locally because one of the attractions of e-commerce is the convenience factor: customers can go on the Internet, they can pay for something, and they get it delivered to their door .

There is no reason why customers with Visa and MasterCards who live in Trinidad and Tobago cannot go to a company in Trinidad which has a website with an e-commerce platform, and buy from these e-commerce merchants locally. He said the flip side of this is, that local merchants who have this e-commerce capability can also accept payments from foreign cardholders .

Wong was speaking to Newsday at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre, St Anns, following an e-commerce Seminar for merchants who use its card services at which the bank launched the Republic EPay service, and explained how it would work. We believe that by providing and expanding the e-commerce capabilities of our local businesses, our local merchants,we are now giving them the tools to sell their goods and services over the Internet. So local people in Trinidad, local cardholders, can buy over the Internet, because its very convenient, from our own local companies as well as they can also offer their goods and services to foreign cardholders who go to their websites, see something that they may like, something that they may want, just as our people go on foreign websites and see things that they want to buy, they can come to our commercial customers websites, and see goods and services that they would like to acquire, and they can use their foreign cards to buy these goods and services. Wong said Republic Bank had been working on EPay for a year and a half, and had been putting together the components which would allow cardholders and merchants to conduct electronic commerce transactions in a secure, efficient and convenient way .

He said there are a number of aspects to e-commerce which are not well known, particularly the risk merchants face when they accept e-commerce transactions. Many merchants do not know all the risk management measures that are available to them and many cardholders too, are not even aware of some of the risks that they take when they go online, and how to recognise things such as secure websites, and the whole issue of putting your information on a website. In his remarks, Republic Banks Executive Director, Derwin Howell, said that experts predict global e-commerce revenue will increase by 45 percent in 2016, reaching a total of US$327 billion, and account for almost nine percent of total retail sales. He said that locally, traditional retail channels generate just over $2.2 billion annually, an estimated $84 million, or just about 3.7 percent of those sales stands to be generated over two years .

Wong said while this reflected the growth of e-commerce in some of the developed markets, if Trinidad and Tobago were to fulfill its full potential we could grow to very significant levels in electronic commerce transactions. He said that e-commerce transactions represented transactions done by local cardholders as well as by foreign cardholders, so it gives merchants in Trinidad an opportunity to sell their goods and services over the Internet .

So we are talking about local cardholders buying these goods and services over the Internet, as well as foreign cardholders who would be able to purchase these goods and services also over the Internet from our local businesses.
Pensioner held with ganja: I use it to treat Cancer

According to reports, a female visitor to the Manzanilla beach saw a man dressed in a T-shirt and cream short pants lying on the beach motionless. She alerted other passers- by who contacted the Manzanilla police. A bottle containing Puncheon rum and the deadly herbicide gramoxone (paraquat) was found next to the mans body. Hours earlier, the mans car was found in an abandoned road in Princes Town. Amina was found dead in an abandoned house at Retrench Village, San Fernando on Friday last. Her throat was slit from ear to ear. The mother of two was last seen alive last week Thursday when she left to attend work as a geriatric nurse at a South nursing home. Newsday understands that Mohammed had been a victim of domestic violence, and had been estranged from Shabir.
Puncheon thief jailed

Magistrate, who presides over the Fourth Court, passed the sentence on Rishi Pancham who pleaded guilty to stealing the Forres Park Puncheon rum, together valued $350.97, from JTA Supermarket, of Marabella.

He has 21 previous convictions.

Police court prosecutor, Sgt Krishna Badessie, told the court that on Wednesday last at about 4.05 pm, Estate Inspector Courtney Bobb, while inside the supermarket located at Southern Main Road, Marabella, observed Pancham walked to the alcohol lane. Pancham picked up three (750 ml) bottles of the rum, each valued $116.99, from a shelf.

The court heard that Pancham placed one bottle in his right front pants pocket, another in his left front, and the last one inside his pants waist.

Pancham proceeded past the cashiers without paying for the items, and the Estate Inspector approached him outside the supermarket.

Bobb subsequently charged him with the offence.

Yesterday Pancham, 41, represented himself and admitted to the court that he has been a cocaine addict for the past 15 years. He noted that he never sought rehabilitation for his addiction, but is willing to change his life.

How many other magistrates did you tell that, questioned Alert who informed Pancham that the maximum penalty for such offence is six months in jail. She sentenced him to five months in jail.
Man jailed for having ganja

James, 28, of Gapsarillo, pleaded guilty in the Sixth Court before Magistrate Brahmanand Dubay, charged with possession of 10 grammes of marijuana.

Court prosecutor Sgt Gordon Maharaj read that on Wednesday last at about 5 pm Police Constable Brad LeeLum and other officers of the Gasparillo Police Station were on mobile patrol along Parforce Road Extension, Gasparillo. At the time, James was walking along the road, and upon seeing the officers began to act suspiciously.

The court heard that police searched him and found in the  area of his underwear crotch a silver and blue cigarette box.

The officers searched the box and found marijuana which weiged 10 grammes. Constable LeeLum laid the charge. Standing unrepresented by counsel before the magistrate yesterday, James admitted he had the illegal narcotic.

The magistrate reading from the Criminal Records tracings of James noted that he had convictions and/or pending matters for malicious wounding, larceny, and cocaine possession. On March 4 last, James reappeared before Magistrate Martgaret Alert, of the Fourth Court, and pleaded guilty to the charge of larceny of $550 worth of clothing.

At that hearing his father complained that relatives were unable to access medication for his son who has a mental condition.

He was ordered to pay the victim compensation.

However, James yesterday admitted that he had not yet paid the compensation. Magistrate Dubay sentenced him to two years, hard labour in prison.
Dad fined for break-in at lotto outlet

Police prosecutor Sgt Krishna Bedassie told the court that on February 6, at about 6.30 pm, the victim Natalie Dalipsingh secured the lotto outlet located at the Southern Main Road and went away. She returned at 3.30 am on February 8, as did police from the Marabella Police Station who responded to a report of a break-in at the said address.

The glass window of the outlet was smashed. In his defense yesterday, Cuffy said he was consuming alcohol earlier in the day, and had no money. I am to blame. I did not listen to myself and stayed home. My girl(friend is) pregnant and I have two step children, Cuffy said. He was fined $6,000 with $1,000 to be paid within a day. Cuffy has until May 15 to pay the outstanding balance in lieu of serving 12 months hard labour in jail.
Faris vs Anand on cane farmers

The CPA is entitled to the benefit of further funding that may be available from the EU provided their proposals are compatible and can be integrated with the performance indicators set out in the multi-annual indicative programme for the period 2011-2013, reads a legal opinion, released by the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday. However, Ramlogan advised the CPA was not entitled to compensation, saying the issue did not arise.

On Wednesday, Planning Minister Camille Robinson-Regis said the Cabinet was considering a legal issue that had arisen in relation to the $103 million tranche of an EU grant which was being withheld. The issue, she said, stemmed from the legal advice issued by Ramlogan. She said Ramlogan gave legal advice which, at this time, we are examining in relation to the current situation. We are looking at it. She have no details.

Yesterday, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, at a Cabinet media conference, said Ramlogan, in his 18-page legal opinion of 2011, had advised against payment. The advice...

was the written advice of Anand Ramlogan which condemned the payment, Al-Rawi said at a Cabinet media conference at the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair. He said he would be requesting confirmation from the EU on payments.

During the conference, he said it was confirmed that conditions were attached to the disbursal of funds.

Al-Rawi said it was unfortunate that persons had marched in relation to the matter but the is had to be dotted and the ts crossed. He said the matter would be treated with despatch. No time-line was given.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said last year at a public rally that obligations in relation to the matter would be honored. In Parliament in January, Rowley said legal advice indicated that a first payment made under the agreement was not in order.

Ramlogan, in a statement last night, said, With an Attorney General like Al-Rawi, Im not surprised that the PNM administration is looking for competent legal advice elsewhere. I am however a tad bit surprised that they have turned to me. Recently, Al-Rawi did not rely on my advice when he discontinued a viable claim for a billion dollars against Malcolm Jones.
MORE POWERS FOR SSA

The SSA is currently authorised to police only drug-related offences.

However, its governing statute will be amended to extend the agencys mandate to operate in relation to, serious offences, according to plans outlined by the Government yesterday.

If enacted, the move will potentially give the SSA jurisdiction to gather intelligence in relation to an addition 67 serious offences currently on the statute books.

The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service defines a serious offence as any member of the group deemed the most serious indictable offences.

This wide pool includes: murder, manslaughter, shooting and wounding with intent, rape, bigamy, abortion, acts of serious indecency, kidnapping, blackmail, robbery, assault with intent to rob, embezzlement, larceny, offences involving motor vehicles, forgery, treason, and firearms offences.

Al-Rawi said the proposed legislation was put forward by the Legislative Review Commission, and will require a simple majority.

He gave no time-line of implementation, but said the new law would play a role in combating crime.

Cabinet took the decision today to support legislation which is proposing to amend the SSA legislation, specifically to broaden the mandate of the SSA in allowing it to surveil what is now going to be referred to as serious crimes, the Attorney General announced at a Cabinet media conference held at the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair.

This is a very multi-dimensional tool which is intended to harmonise all of the State assets which the various aspects of the Minister of National Security and the Office of the Prime Minister have control of, for instance the National Operations Centre, the disparate pieces of equipment which were left lying around in the Ministry of National Security, the helicopters, etc, and to centralise them so that the legislation can manage all intelligence-led obligations which Trinidad and Tobago has to deal with in its international obligations. Al-Rawi further stated there was need for legislative reform given the accumulation of information in separate departments with adequate synergies. It is to ensure that the phenomenon of the silencing of information, which has led to a significant amount of inefficiency in detection and conviction, is taken care of, the Attorney General said. So it is a specific approach to de-silo the management of intelligence-led investigation.

This is intended as a tool to support  and only support  the activities of what is referred to as the services. And the services are defined by law as: the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service; the Customs; Immigration; etc. He said the measure would help fight crime.

NO SPYING ABUSE Asked by Newsday to state what special measures will be brought to prevent abuse, given the widening of surveillance powers, the Attorney General did not outline any specific measure, but assured there would be, due safeguard built into the system.

Very good question, Al-Rawi said. Where there is propriety and balance and protection away from abuse, is the fact that this is intelligence-led, and it must be handed-over to the performing agencies: the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, the Customs, etc.

So the performance obligations that involve what is in the sphere of the TTPS is in the TTPS; the performance in Customs is up to Customs....We are seeking to attend to not only national issues of importance, but our international obligations, with due safeguard built into the system. Asked if the SSAs reporting to Parliament will be enhanced and whether agencies like the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB) would have custody of information culled by the agency, Al-Rawi said, The ACIB is an entity which is seated in the Ministry of the Attorney General.

It is a Division of the TTPS in large part because of how it is comprised. The ACIB is still the ACIB. The FIU is still the FIU.

The FIB, the Financial Investigation Bureau of the TTPS is still that entity. What has been missing in Trinidad and Tobago ... is the efficacy. He further stated, People believe that there is no consequence to crimes and therefore it is incumbent upon a Government to enable a structure to allow for a significant improvement and detection of conviction rates. And that requires a government to bring an holistic approach toward de-siloing so that the left hand knows what the right hand is doing in a coordinated fashion. Asked if the Judiciarys role in oversight would be broadened in light of the widened scope, Al-Rawi stated it will still be the case that a warrant from a judge will be needed for an interception of communications to be authorised.

All of the laws stand as they do, Al-Rawi said. If there is to be an interception of communication it must comply with the Interception of Communications Act. You must have a warrant to do that in certain circumstances to do that.

None of that is affected. All that this does is to allow for the broadening of supervision so that you are not only attached to drug-related activity. The Attorney General continued, Because what is attached to drugs? Trafficking in persons.

What is attached to that? Firearms and ammunition. What is attached to that? Money-laundering.

One has to accept the reality that the drug empires are associated with all of the scourges which plagues our society. Therefore it is axiomatic and logical that one takes an holistic approach to centralising this information, least we be left in the terrible situation where crime continues to be a scourge upon us all without any form of reprieve. It is time for the Government to be seen to be acting sensibly.... Not only passing laws but operationalising them.
Death threats for 60 prison officers

Investigators of the Criminal Gang and Intelligence Unit of the Police Service and prisons authorities are working together to track the link between Victors killing to prisoners who run gangs inside the nations prisons, and are targeting prisons officers. An intent to kill and harm prisons officers, their relatives and friends reflects the serious nature of the threats which have been reported to the police in the districts where the officers live, as well as to the surveillance intelligence unit of the prisons service. A report is to be sent to Prisons Commissioner Sterling Stewart.

Stewart confirmed the reports of the threats to prisons officers who continue to report for duty. Measures are being taken to safeguard the officers, and some who live in high-risk crime areas have been given guns for protection, he disclosed.

Stewart spoke of 30 prisoners who run gangs inside the prisons and their soldiers who pose a challenge to guard as they war against each other in a rivalry behind prison walls and find ways to issue threats to prisons officers.

We have to separate gangs from each other, but given the length of time they are there, it is a daily headache to separate them. Officers can be at risk for just taking away items from a gang leader, Stewart told Newsday.

Stewart gave estimates for prisoners, saying there are 1,000 on remand at Golden Grove Prison and 500 at Maximum Security Prison (MSP), both in Arouca, as well as 500 on remand at the Port-of-Spain Prison, noting the 30 gang-leaders seek to influence the entire prisoner population. To counteract their illegal activities at prisons, including a trade in cell-phones, Stewart said cell-phone jammers have been installed at the Golden Grove remand, MSP and the Eastern Correctional Institute in Santa Rosa, adding the system will be introduced at the Port-of-Spain Prison.

Those gang leaders considered high-risk have been isolated and placed in single cells, but a lack of space makes it difficult to separate all of the 30. Prison sources said even speaking harshly to the gang leaders is a risk for officers who threatened and intimidated, but they continue to do their jobs.

Prison Officers Association (POA) president Ceron Richards yesterday said he had been informed of the threats to the more than 60 officers.

It only proves that the threats are real, and we believe that the Government should assist us in treating with this. Officers are concerned, and they will always be concerned.

Officers are totally dissatisfied with the response they have received so far. They want more hands on response, a tangible response, not talk. It is a daily thing, prison officers are susceptible to threats, even if they are off-duty, Richards said.

Aware of the danger they face, Stewart commended officers who have not abandoned their jobs, which a senior member of the POA had warned of following Victors murder. He also noted the officers remain committed despite the additional stress of unsettled payments owed to them by the State.

Officers remain committed to our purpose, to the public...as a body treating with the protection of society and the reduction of crime. We will be there working... because at the end of the day although money is one of the motivating factors, our passion is to serve the citizens, and to touch as many lives, and turn around as many lives (prisoners) as we prepare them for re-entry into society as law-abiding citizens, Stewart said.

Asked if there was any increase in absenteeism, following news on Wednesday that prisons officers will not receive backpay at the end of this month, Stewart said, The Minister (of National Security) has given us some assurances, and I have given him the opportunity to follow through with them. I know he is a committed individual, I know he is committed to doing his best, and he has 100 percent support from us. Newsday understands the Ministry of National Security is reviewing the housing of high risk gang-leaders within the prisons.
Children falling ill daily

Speaking to Newsday, Leshea Degale said the children most affected are the First Year and Second Year classes.

She said every day parents are called by the principal to pick up their children as many fall sick with some children vomiting, and others with rashes on their skin and other ailments. My daughters eyes are red and scratching, I even have a rash on my neck, and it is not only the children affected it is the teachers as well, but they are afraid to speak out as they fear they will be victimised, she said.

Degale also expressed concern with the cafeteria being so close to the field. They are cooking right there, and with the dust blowing I am sure it goes into the kitchen, I dont allow my daughter to buy anything there, it cant be safe; that could get the children sick, she said. She disclosed that parents were asked by the principal to donate $5 for a lawn to be laid down on the dusty field.

She said parents willingly donated, but nothing was done.

While speaking to the media, the parents were called into a meeting with the acting principal, Debra Ann Baptiste. Twenty minutes later, Degale said they still werent satisfied.

She said they are trying to address it, but while that is going on the children are getting sicker, she said. Another parent, Kamal Maraj said the school wants the parents to come together and write a letter to the Ministry of Education for the problem to be addressed. We have no problem with that, this is for our children after all, she said.
Zika case recorded in Tunapuna

There is no confirmed case in Tobago. The patient, a 30-year-old female, the release said, was from Tunapuna, who has no recent travel history. She was referred by the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex for testing.

The Insect Vector Control Division and Medical Officer of Health have been informed, and field work has commenced, the release said.

Meanwhile, the ministry continues to urge citizens to take steps to prevent infection.

Prevention includes disposal of unwanted containers/items in the yard, or environs which become mosquito breeding grounds, cover water containers with a mosquito proof covering, ensure drains and guttering allow for the free flow of water, empty and scrub the sides of water vases, or use dirt or sand to support flowers, cover extremities when out in the evenings, use bed nets that are tightly tucked under the mattress, and use insect repellent that contains DEET as an active ingredient.
OWTU: Dont spy on staff

On Wednesday, the ACCA held a forum on cyber security at the Arthur Lok Jack School of Business, Mount Hope, at which the feature speaker, Dr Darren Hayes of Pace University, New York, said employers should spy on staff by setting up fake profiles on social media sites.

Hayes then gave a step-by-step guide as to how employers could use specific websites to choose an anonymous name, to mask their computers address (IP site) and their phone number, to hide their tracks from being unearthed by an unwitting employee. He suggested that employee details could be garnered from their most common choice of words used on Twitter, and from activity on two named adult dating sites.

However, Oilfields Workers Trade Unions communications officer, Ozzie Warwick, reacted angrily to the cyber experts suggestions by urging, He should be on the next plane out of Trinidad. Warwick was sure the rest of the countrys labour movement would also totally condemn Haynes suggestions.

It is a complete violation.

It completely breaks down the bond between employer and workers. How could you expect to get productivity in such a scenario? You need to have trust and confidence between employer and worker. Warwick described the suggested employer action as treachery and a violation of the rights of a worker. Is that the kind of Trinidad and Tobago that we want? he asked. He said Hayes had no right to come to TT to advise employers  whether private or State  to spy on their staff.

Our position is clear on that.

We condemn any suggestion  explicit or implicit  that workers should be spied on. It will completely diminish trust and cause a breakdown in relations between employer and employee. It will achieve nothing.
12 of 20 suspended students a no-show

This was the reason Education Minister Anthony Garcia gave for the low attendance over the past two days. The students were 20 out of 24 who were suspended for being violent and delinquent .

After discussions held with the schools principal, supervisors and guidance counsellors, it was decided that 20 students would be housed at Couva West until the end of the term. The other students it was felt could be rehabilitated at Chaguanas North .

It was understood that the Students Support Services (SSS) Division would be responsible for rehabilitating the students .

The students would be assessed in areas of literacy, numeracy and emotional stability .

After the end of the stipulated period, it would then be determined whether they would still need the type of intervention now going on, or would be enrolled at other institutions .

However, only eight students turned up at Couva West on Wednesday, and yesterday .

Our investigations revealed that of the 20 students supposed to be there, 12 of them are above the age of 16. The compulsory age for attendance of school, according to the Education Act, is 16. Therefore, students who are beyond 16, they have a right to an education, but we cannot force them to attend school. It is the parents who have to insist, Garcia explained .

The minister said at present, in Sixth Form, there were students who were 19, and even 20 .

It is the responsibility of the parents to ensure that their children access the rehabilitation measures we have put in place so that they can deal with their personal issues .

The responsibility now for students to attend, now rests on the parents because the school cannot force those children to attend. The ministry cannot force them to attend any of these institutions, because they are beyond the age of 16, Garcia reiterated .

He said the students still had the option of attending other institutions such as Servol, the Young Mens Christian Association and the Military-Led Academic Training Academy (MiLAT) .
Al Rawi: Prime Minister reviewing Camille matter

It is under active review and the key is for evidence and information to be brought forward, Al-Rawi said, speaking with reporters after yesterdays media briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair. I have confidence that the Prime Minister has and continues to act properly. Al-Rawi also said Housing Minister Marlene Mc Donald  who is accused of cronyism in the allocation of housing during a previous tenure under a different portfolio  did not give a house to anyone.

My own perspective, having looked at the Integrity in Public Life Act...is that it isnt that Minister Mc Donald gave a house to anyone herself, Al-Rawi said. At the same time, he said when examining matters under the legislation there were two questions: one of the use of public office and there is the question of how it will look. He could not offer an opinion on the latter issue.

At a press conference in January, Mc Donald said, In the year 2008, I did make an enquiry as to the status of an application on behalf of a citizen of TT, who was a retired teacher, and with whom I had a personal relationship. In January, Rowley said of the matter, she did enquire about an application at the HDC when she was Minister somewhere else and the application appeared to be for somebody whom she was romantically involved with. On Monday, Rowley further said, I have made a lot of calls myself so I dont know. I have made a lot of calls. I have written.

You see the circumstances and the allegations have to be specific, it cannot be a moving target. One has to determine the extent of it.

That particular matter is being investigated by the Integrity Commission to the best of my knowledge.

I am not going to pre-empt that. Al-Rawi said the PM was reviewing both matters. He is reviewing these matters and I expect that he will pronounce on these matters at the appropriate time, Al-Rawi said. The Attorney General said the PM had not said he has no confidence in the Integrity Commission. I have looked at the public record and the Prime Minister never stated he has no confidence, Al-Rawi said.
Task force to review GATE

The mandate of the task force will be to: review the policy guidelines that govern GATE; to review mechanisms for reducing the overall cost of GATE funding; and to set criteria eligibility of programmes and institutions.

Speaking at a Cabinet media conference at the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair, Garcia said this mandate could see the number of students covered by the programme reduced. He said there are about 20,000 students current being supported by GATE.

He said Errol Simms will chair the task force.

GATE has supported 194,000 since 2004, at a cost of $5.5 billion.

An estimated $650 million was allocated for 2016.
What you need to know about the Octagon Art Festival on Sunday in Ames

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Steps Taken to Improve Standard of Primary and Secondary Schools

New Delhi, Fri, 11 Mar 2016 NI Wire

Department of School Education and Literacy has two centrally sponsored schemes viz. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) to assist States in universalization of elementary education and the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) for universal access to secondary education.

The Central Government through SSA, supports States/UTs on early grade reading, writing & comprehension, and early Mathematics programmes through a sub-programme namely Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat (PBBB) in classes I and II. Further the Government has launched Rashtriya Aavishkar Abhiyan (RAA) programme on 09.07.2015, inter alia, as a sub-component of SSA and RMSA, to motivate and engage children of the age group from 6-18 years in Science, Mathematics and Technology through observation, experimentation, inference drawing, model building, etc. both through inside and outside classroom activities.

Additionally, under SSA, the State Governments and UT Administrations are supported on several interventions to improve teaching standards, including regular in-service teachers training, induction training for newly recruited teachers, training of all untrained teachers to acquire professional qualifications through Open Distance Learning (ODL) mode, recruitment of additional teachers for improving pupil-teacher ratios, academic support for teachers through block and cluster resource centres, continuous and comprehensive evaluation system to equip the teacher to measure pupil performance and provide remedial action wherever required, and teacher and school grants for development of appropriate teaching-learning materials, etc.

The Central Government has launched the Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching in December, 2014 with a vision to comprehensively address all issues related to teachers, teaching, teacher preparation, professional development, curriculum design, research in pedagogy and developing effective pedagogy.

The NCERT has developed Performance Indicators for Elementary Education (PINDICS) to track teacher performance and attendance in Government schools. PINDICS have been shared with State Governments/UTs to assess teachers performance.

In the recent Meeting of Education Ministers on Teachers Education held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on 8.2.2016 several steps for improvement of the quality of education were discussed. These include; internship for Teacher Education Programmes in Government Schools; development of an accreditation framework for Teacher Education Institutions and volunteerism involving retired teachers.

In order to provide quality education to students at the secondary level, various interventions are funded under the RMSA. These include provisions for: (i) additional teachers to improve Pupil Teacher Ratio, (ii) induction and in-service training for Principals, Teachers, Master Trainers and Key Resource Persons, (iii) Maths and Science kits, (iv) Lab equipments, (v) Special teaching for learning enhancement, (vi) ICT facilities in schools, (vii) introduction of vocational education component at the secondary level.

Further, for improving the quality of school education, the School Standards & Evaluation framework, known as Shaala Siddhi has been developed by National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA), to enable schools to evaluate their performance in a more focused and strategic manner and to facilitate them to make professional judgments for improvement.

Under SSA programme, approval was given to projects worth Rs. 37516.71 crore & Rs. 48693.52 crore during 2014-15 & 2015-16 respectively for improving the quality. Further, amounts of Rs. 456.00 crore & Rs. 525.00 crore have been approved for Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat during the same period.

This information was given by the Union Human Resource Development Minister, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani today in a written reply to a Rajya Sabha question.

Source: PIB
PM Modi to deliver the Key Note Address at International Conference 'Advancing Asia: Investing for the Future'

New Delhi, Fri, 11 Mar 2016 NI Wire

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to deliver the Key Note Address at International Conference on 'Advancing Asia: Investing for the Future'; Three day International Conference to be held in the national Capital from 11th March to 13th March, 2016.

The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi will deliver the Key Note Address in the Opening Session of the three day International Conference on Advancing Asia: Investing for the Future. The Conference is being held in the national capital from March 11-13, 2016.It is jointly organized by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Ms Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF) will make the Opening Remarks on the occasion. Thereafter, Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi along with Shri Arun Jaitley, Union Minister of Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting and Ms. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, IMF will participate in a 'Ceremony for South Asia Training and Technical Assistance Center'.

The First Thematic Session of the Conference will be held on the subject Asian Growth Models in which Dr Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Adviser (CEA), Ministry of Finance, Government of India, Mr.Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times, Eisuke Sakakibara, former vice-Minister of Finance, Japan, Caroline Atkinson, former U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economic Affairs and Zhongxia Jin, Executive Director for China, IMF will participate in the panel discussion.

In second Thematic Session on Income Inequality, Demographic Change, and Gender, Dr. Arvind Panagariya, Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog India, Mr Milwida Guevara, CEO, Synergeia Foundation, Phillipines, Azeema Adam, Governor of Maldives Monetary Authority, Mr Fazle Hasan Abed, Founder and Chairperson of BRAC, Bangladesh and Mr Zia Mody, Partner, AZB and Partners, India will participate in the panel discussion.

Other Sessions include on Infrastructure Investment, Fiscal Space, and Growth: Does Asia Need More Official Financing for Investment; and Developing Asia: Challenges of Climate Change and Economic Resilience among others.

Dr Raghuram Rajan, Governor, Reserve Bank of India will deliver the Keynote Address while Ms Melinda Gates, Bill and Gates Foundation will converse with Ms Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF) during the three day Conference.

On the concluding day, March 13, 2016, there will be sessions on Managing Capital Flows; Finance, Financial Inclusion and Growth: Challenges for the Next Decade. Closing Session will be addressed by Shri Arun Jaitley, Union Minister of Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting and Ms Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund.

The Minister of State for Finance, Shri Jayant Sinha and Ms Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund will jointly address a Press Conference after the closing ceremony.

The three day event will end with a Special Session between Asian Ministers and Governors and Ms Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund, Mr. Changyong Rhee, Director, Asia and Pacific Department Director and Sharmini Coorey, Director, IMF Institute for Capacity Development among others.

PIB
Union Home Minister's Statement In Ishrat Jahan Case

New Delhi, Fri, 11 Mar 2016 NI Wire

The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh made a Statement under Rule 197 of the Rules of Procedure in Lok Sabha today regarding alleged alteration on affidavit in Ishrat Jahan case. The following is the text of the Home Minister's Statement:

 In a police action with the Ahmedabad police on 15.6.2004, four persons namely Javed Sheikh, Jishan Johar, Amjad Ali and Ishrat Jahan were killed.

2. Ms. Shamima Kausar, mother of Ishrat Jahan, filed a Special Criminal Application no.822 of 2004 in Gujarat High Court requesting inter-alia, that the Central Bureau of Investigation may be directed to carry out investigation of FIR No.8 of 2004 dated 15.6.2004 relating to the said incident registered with DCB Ahmedabad City and to direct the Union of India to provide compensation to the petitioner. The Respondent to the Petition were the Union of India, the State of Gujarat and others.

3. The first affidavit on behalf of Union of India was filed in the Honble Gujarat High Court on 6.8.2009 by the then Under Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, after it was approved by the then Union Home Minister. In the said affidavit it was submitted that Union of India had received specific inputs to suggest that Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) had been planning to carry out the terrorist activities in various parts of the country, including the state of Gujarat. It was also submitted that the Union of India was aware of the inputs that the LeT was planning to carry out assassination of some top-level national and state leaders and LeT in this regard had tasked its India based cadres to monitor their movements. It was further stated that Union of India had learnt that LeT had inducted its cadres including Pakistani LeT terrorists in Gujarat for specific terrorist action and that UoI and its agencies were and are regularly sharing such inputs with the state Governments concerned. The affidavit also provided the background and linkages of Javed Sheikh, Amjad Ali, Jishan Johar and Ishrat Jahan and the contradictions in the averments of the petitioner and that of Mr. M.R.Gopinath Pillai, father of Javed Sheikh, in his Writ Petition (CR) No. 63/2007 filed in the Honble Supreme Court, which was not entertained by the Honble Supreme Court but Mr. Pillai was given liberty to approach the Honble Gujarat High Court. In so far as Petitioners prayer for investigation by the CBI was concerned, it was submitted that no proposal for CBI investigation into the case is under consideration of the Central Government nor does it consider the present case fit for investigation by the CBI.

4. Thereafter, on 29/9/2009, a Further Affidavit on behalf of UoI was also filed by the then Under Secretary, MHA, in SCA no.822/2004 before the Gujarat High Court, after it was apparently vetted by the learned Attorney General and approved by the Union Home Minister. The notings on the concerned file do not provide any reason for filing of the affidavit dated 29.9.2009. It has been mentioned in the affidavit that the further affidavit was being made in view of subsequent developments in relation to the issues connected with the Petition and to clarify apprehensions expressed in regard to the affidavit filed by UoI (dated 6.8.2009) as well as to refute attempts to misinterpret portions of the affidavit.

5. In the further affidavit, it was stated that all intelligence inputs do not constitute conclusive proof and it is for the State Government and the State Police to act on such inputs. It was further submitted that the central Government is in no way concerned with such action nor does it condone or endorse any unjustified or excessive action. It was also mentioned that the main purpose of the First Affidavit was to highlight the contradiction in the pleadings averred in the Petition filed by Mrs. Shamima Kausar and the Petition which had been filed by Mr. Pillai. It was also submitted that at the time the First Affidavit was filed, the Central Government was not aware of the fact that a judicial enquiry under Section 176 in relation to the deaths was underway. As such and otherwise, the Central Government was not concerned with the merits of the action taken by the Gujarat Police and anything stated in the first affidavit was not intended to support or justify the action of the State Police. It was also submitted that the Union of India would have no objection, if on proper consideration of facts it is found that an independent inquiry and investigation has to be carried out by the CBI or otherwise.

6. Thereafter, the Honble Gujarat High Court ordered an investigation into the incident, first, by a Court appointed SIT and thereafter by the CBI vide Judgement dated 01.12.2011. The CBI, after investigation, filed the first chargesheet on 03.07.2013 u/s 302,364,368, 346, 120-B, 201, 203, 204, 217, 218 of IPC and Sections 25, 27 of Arms Act, against 7 Gujarat Police officials . Subsequently, the CBI filed a Supplementary chargesheet against 4 IB officials on 06.02.2014 u/s 120B r/w 302, 346, 364, 365 and 368 of IPC and various Sections of the Arms Act. However, the MHA upon consideration of facts and circumstances of the case did not find it a fit case for grant of prosecution sanction against IB officials. The case is presently sub-judice in the Court of Special Judge, CBI, Ahmedabad.

7. Further, David Coleman Headley, an accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, had expressed a desire to become approver in sessions case no. 198/2013, provided he is granted pardon by the Court. The Court of competent jurisdiction in Mumbai had tendered pardon under Section 307 of the Criminal Procedure Code 1973 to David Coleman Headley. Thereafter, Headley was examined by the prosecution as a witness in the trial case relating to 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. During his testimony in the Mumbai Court through video conferencing, David Coleman Headley mentioned that he had learnt from his accomplices that there was a botched up operation in India in which one female terrorist was killed in a shootout with the police. The Public Prosecutor gave the option of three names to identify the said female terrorist, whereupon Headley identified Ishrat Jahan as the terrorist concerned.

Source: PIB
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For many people today, their smartphone is too crucial to be left up to a simple passkey or gesture lock. After all, access to a persons smartphone often means access to their business, finances and a whole host of other personal information. Fortunately, smartphone makers and mobile providers alike recognize this, and in turn have recognized that biometrics can come to the aid of users looking for stronger mobile security.





The latest example of this is in Japan, where network operator NTT (News - Alert) DOCOMO has extended the deployment of the FIDO Alliances FIDO Certified strong authentication to customers with Touch ID-equipped Apple iPhones and other iOS devices. This move makes a lot of sense since DOCOMO already supports a number of FIDO Certified Android (News - Alert) devices from Samsung, Fujitsu, Sharp and Sony Mobile.

Altogether, the mobile operator now provides a large number of its customers with biometric authentication modalities including fingerprint touch, fingerprint swipe, and iris recognition.

"The expansion of cross-platform support from NTT DOCOMO highlights the growing global consensus that using open standards from FIDO Alliance is the right strategy for moving the connected economy off its dependency on passwords," said Brett McDowell, executive director of the FIDO Alliance. "As more service providers look to reduce fraud risk and give customers a better, faster user experience, I believe they will be following DOCOMO's example and deploying cross-platform FIDO-enabled, privacy-respecting biometric authentication that is simultaneously more secure and convenient."

By adding support for FIDO strong authentication to the base capabilities of Touch ID, DOCOMO is serving to underscore the security benefits and rapid market adoption of FIDO standards. In just over a year since FIDO published its specifications, more than 100 solutions have been FIDO Certified. In total, hundreds of millions of end users Web and mobile apps have been FIDO-enabled for strong authentication protection by leading service providers, including Google, PayPal, Samsung (News - Alert), Bank of America, Dropbox, and GitHub.

Edited by Rory J. Thompson
Rand Corporation had a study that in 2017 it would take 10 to 20 times the number of US planes to achieve 50% attrition of the Chinese airforce in a conflict in the South China Sea compared the number of planes needed to achieve the same goals in 1996. Each airwing has 72-aircraft.

It would take around ten times as many planes to achieve military objectives in a conflict over Taiwan comparing 2017 to 1996.

Americas current air supremacy rests on the F-15 fighter fleet complemented by small numbers of F-22s. The elderly F-15s are though having problems handling the latest, new-build Russian and Chinese fighters. In assessing performance against the Russian Su-35 fighter (now being acquired by China), the National Interests Dave Majumdar observes: Overall, if all things were equal, even a fully upgraded F-15C with the latest AESA upgrades would have its hands full . . . .

As regards the much higher performance F-22, only about ninety are available for global air supremacy tasks. This is arguably too small for winning air supremacy in one theater, let alone both Europe and the Pacific. Ongoing peacetime training attrition is further gradually reducing this small fleet.

Some consider the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will in time address declining air supremacy. Countering this sanguine view, the worrying RAND study earlier noted included the F-35 (and the F-22) albeit not the new Chinese J-20 or J-31 stealth aircraft. This study, in looking at 2017, may actually understate what China will be capable of later this decade when it has more than 1,000 advanced fighters in service.

So what? Does air supremacy matter? Air supremacy will not win a war but it will stop a war being lost. America has not won a war without air supremacya point that has been widely recognised. Its no surprise that China sees air superiority as one of the key Three Superiorities that can decide a conflicts outcome. Nor is it a surprise that a major part of Russias force modernisation is fighter development and procurement.

An alternative between doing nothing and the new fighters arriving in 2035: doing as President Reagan did. Similarly faced with declining American capabilities, Reagan decided in 1981 to restart production of the B-1 and C-5 boosting near-term capabilities. Today, thirty years after Reagans decision, the B-1 remains essential and the C-5 provides the USAFs primary dedicated strategic airlift capability.

The Reagan solution, call it the Gipper play, would be to restart F-22 production and build another two hundred or so. This would confidently fill the air supremacy gap between now and 2040.

SOURCES  Rand, National Interest
Technologies from the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agencys (DARPAs) LightningStrike vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) X-Plane programme could assist the US Army as it crafts it Future Vertical Lift (FVL) concept, according to the official leading the effort.

The army and the FVL programme are aware of what were doing, and we share data and results, Ashish Bagai, a programme manager in DARPAs Tactical Technology Office, told IHS Janes on 9 March. The army has expressed interest in staying informed.

DARPA awarded the contract for the next stage of the LightningStrike programme to Aurora Flight Sciences in preparation for flight tests by the end of 2018. Aurora Flight Sciences bested Boeing, Karem and Sikorsky for the award announced on 3 March.

All four of the finalists offered unique concepts for the new X-Plane, Bagai said.

VTOL has been a tricky field, there was a time when some thought that helicopter design would not advance further, he said. Weve been able to prove that thats far from the truth.

Aurora Flight Sciences is working with Rolls-Royce and Honeywell to build the new tilt-wing- and tilt-canard design. Rolls-Royces AE 1107C turboshaft engine powers three Honeywell electric distributed propulsion (EDP) generators that in turn drive 24 ducted fans distributed on both the wings and canards.

The goal of the LightningStrike programme is to design an aircraft that is highly efficient in both hover mode and during high-speed forward flight, according to Bagai. At its current projected gross weight of 5,400 kg, the Aurora Flight Sciences X-Plane technology can ultimately be applied to either manned or unmanned future concepts, according to Bagai.

Helicopters that size typically carry six to nine people, he said.

At an expected top speed of 300 kt to 400 kt, the aircraft would be almost twice as fast as contemporary helicopters, Bagai added.

SOURCE  IHS Janes
China is building aircraft carrier battlegroups and plans to deploy them not only in the disputed East and South China seas, but also to protect the countrys overseas interests.

Rear Admiral Yin Zhuo, who served as a national political adviser and sits on the navys advisory board on cybersecurity, told the state-run Xinhua News Agency that building aircraft carriers served to defend Chinas sovereignty of the islands and reefs, maritime rights and overseas interests.

The defence ministry confirmed this year that China was building its second aircraft carrier, its first wholly home-made one.

Xinhua mentioned Chinas growing interests overseas, including the increasing numbers of nationals travelling abroad and its direct investments. It also noted a need to protect overseas ethnic Chinese.

Protecting the economic, political status and occupational safety of overseas Chinese is paramount to safeguarding Chinas domestic economic development and its reform and opening-up, Yin said, adding that such protection required strong naval power like aircraft carrier battlegroups.

The CNS Liaoning was recently spotted alongside 4 Type 052C/Type 052D destroyers, 2 Type 054A frigates, 1-2 Type 093 Shang nuclear submarine and 1 supply ship. Future carrier battle groups may include the Type 055 destroyer.

US Carrier Strike Group

A US carrier strike group is composed of roughly 7,500 personnel, an aircraft carrier, at least one cruiser, a destroyer squadron of at least two destroyers and/or frigates, and a carrier air wing of 65 to 70 aircraft. A carrier strike group also, on occasion, includes submarines, attached logistics ships and a supply ship.

The US Navy maintains 11 carrier strike groups, 10 of which are based in the United States and one that is forward deployed to Japan. They were all redesignations of former Carrier Groups (CarGrus) and Cruiser-Destroyer Groups (CCDGs). The Fleet Response Plan requires that six CSGs be deployed or ready for deployment within 30 days at any given time, while two additional groups must be ready for deployment within 90 days. The Navy typically keeps at least one CSG in the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Southwest Asia and one in the U.S. Seventh Fleet in the Western Pacific at all times. CSGs operate in the U.S. Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean, and U.S. Fourth Fleet around the South American continent as they transit to from other areas.

China now having outbound investments in 155 countries and 120 million citizens travelling abroad last year, Yin said aircraft carriers were needed to protect Chinas overseas assets and its nationals abroad.

Yin said Chinas aircraft carriers were to safeguard its rights and sovereignty, not to invade or threaten its neighbours. Chinas doctrine of proactive self-defence would not change.

Ni Lexiong, a Shanghai-based military analyst, said Chinese aircraft carriers were unlikely to visit the South China Sea in the near future.

Sending aircraft carriers would be a strong diplomatic statement. It is a demonstration of a countrys power and strong will to use force, said Ni.

SOURCE  South China Morning Post, Wikipedia
A fight broke out over loud music from a "boom box" on a Spirit Airlines flight from Baltimore to Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday morning, authorities and an airline official said.

A fight was captured on video by another passenger. When other passengers asked them to turn it down, they refused and instead held the boom box in the air and waved it around.



Southern California Images in the News

Prior to landing, two customers who appeared to be intoxicated, were playing loud music on a boom box speaker. Spirit Airlines spokesman Paul Berry said, according to CNN affiliate KCBS.

A brawl then ensured between five women on the plane.

Trump, Kasich battle for Ohio

The governor maintains he would not change strategy and that what matters most is that his daughters and wife are proud of him. Kasich had been counting on the state up north serving as the first brick in a Midwest-Rust Belt firewall against Mr.

In the video, women can be seen pulling hair and one of the female passengers standing in the aisle threw multiple punches at a woman at her seat.

Police boarded moments after the fight began, and escorted several of the women who were involved of the plane.

'Batman vs. Superman' Almost Had a Role for Former Batman Christian Bale

Bale played the superhero in Christopher Nolan's trilogy of Batman movies. Christian could play, like, Alfred with age makeup. We did talk about that briefly.

It all started, witnesses said, after the plane had landed and a few passengers were playing their music loudly.

"I'd be really afraid just because of all the security and all the issues going on right now. I would freak out, more so than anything else, because there's nowhere else you can go".

US Supreme Court upholds validity of disputed lesbian adoption

The Court ruled that under this provision, Alabama had an obligation to recognize the decision made by a Georgia state court. Since Georgia was the court of original jurisdiction, the legitimacy of the decision was not subject to challenge.

An FBI spokesperson said no one was arrested or charged in the incident.
This year was one in a long while where I actually failed to get a true sense of the film industry and its trends. Usually even as I miss out on most fil...

6 years ago
Only two minutes after I had listed a dresser online for sale, someone was interested. I was ecstatic that the dresser would not only be off our hands, but wed get a little cash besides and in such short time. The buyer must have been searching for dressers for months, I thought, judging by
Siemens is planning to build a wind turbine rotor blade facility in northern Morocco, close to Tangier Med port, linked to Europe, the Middle East and the rest of Africa.

The construction of the onshore plant, first of its kind in the North African country, is expected to start as early as this spring, and it is scheduled to commence operations in spring 2017.

The factory is also expected to create up to 700 jobs. Siemens Wind CEO Markus Tacke said Morocco is the perfect location from which to serve the growing onshore wind power markets in Africa, the Middle East and Europe. The economy is strong, the political climate is stable, and Morocco has a young, skilled and motivated workforce.

All these factors combined make Tangier the ideal site for this new state-of-the-art factory, he added. Siemens has announced its wind blade plant in Morocco after its consortium including Moroccan equity firm Nareva Holding and Italian developer Enel Green Power won a bid for building a 850MW wind power farm in the country.

The Moroccan government has unveiled a plan seeking to enhance its energy infrastructure. It aims to meet 52 pc of its energy demand with renewable energy by 2030, of which 20 pc is expected to be generated from wind.

In 2009, Siemens supplied 131 2.3MW turbines to the 301MW Tarfaya wind project in Morocco, owned by French utility Engie (formerly GDF Suez) and Nareva.

In 1929, Siemens supplied electrical installations to a cement plant in Casablanca. Since 1956, the company has been continuously present in Morocco with its local subsidiary, Siemens Maroc.
Frances Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault Thursday announced Paris will next Monday propose sanctions against Libyan officials who still pose a threat to the UN-backed political process stumbling on opposed interests.

I do not exclude threatening them with sanctions. In any case, that is what I will propose to my foreign affairs colleagues on Monday in Brussels, Ayrault told iTELE news channel.

Now, we can wait no longer, he added

His statement came few days after UNSMIL Chief Martin Kobler urged the UN Security Council to get rid of the few scrupulous Libyan officials who have been undermining the political process, preventing the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) to get endorsement vote in the Libyan internationally recognized parliament (HoR) known as House of Representative based in Tobruk.

The possible sanctions, consisting in travel bans to the EU and asset freezes, may target the speaker of HoR, Aguila Saleh, as well as Nuri Abu Sahmein of the Tripoli-based General National Congress and its head Khalifa Ghweil.

The Monday meeting to take place in Paris will reportedly bring together Foreign Ministers of France, German, Italy, Britain and US Secretary of State.

In a separate development, US President Barack Obama on Thursday in an interview with the Atlantic magazine slammed his European allies mainly the British Prime Minister David Cameroon and former French President Nicola Sarkozy who, he said, failed to deliver well in the post-Gaddafi era, letting Libya slid into chaos.

Obama pointed out that Cameroon was distracted by other issues and forgot to ensure the countrys re-construction after backing the overthrow of the Libyan ruler.

When I go back and I ask myself what went wrong, theres room for criticism, because I had more faith in the Europeans, given Libyas proximity, being invested in the follow-up, Obama said.

He also launched a pointed barb at Cameroon saying that the UK has shied away to intervene militarily in Libya letting the US do the work.

The American leader was also critical of Sarkozy who was quick to steal the limelight in the military campaign in Libya in 2011 even though American forces did the biggest part of the job.

NATO forces backed local revolution and toppled Col Gaddafi in in 2011. Since 2014, the country has been left without a central government. Rival factions have been struggling for power, jeopardizing UN efforts to reunite the country.
Egyptian veteran diplomat, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, was elected Thursday as the next Secretary General of the Arab League.

Ahmed Aboul Gheit was the only contender for the post and was highly expected to win votes of the 22 members of the organization. Egypt traditionally nominates the Leagues chief.

Even though the election was a vote of confidence, Qatar and Sudan did not approve the choice of Gheit but were later lobbied by Saudi Arabia and Egypt to align with the rest of the group.

Aboul Gheit is an Egyptian veteran diplomat who served as Foreign Minister under ousted Hosni Mubarak from 2004 to 2011. He is touted as the perfect candidate for his pragmatism and clear opposition to Iran and enmity for the Muslim Brotherhood organization and its brainchild Hamas in Gaza.

Aboul Gheit will replace outgoing and countryman Nabil Elaraby who was elected in 2011.

Aboul Gheits election came as the Arab League body is shaken by divisions and conflicts. The 22-member organization has been on the verge of disintegration following the 2011 Arab Spring that swept away three influential leaders of the organization. The organization is now tormented by three conflicts namely Libya, Yemen and Syria which have set apart leaders who wage proxy wars against one another.

The organization has been unable to adopt a unanimous stance on the three regional conflicts leaving room to the Islamic State group to foster and gain ground threatening internal security of all Arab countries.
King Mohammed VIs long-awaited official visit to Russia will take place as of March 13.

The announcement was made Friday by the Ministry of the Royal Household, Protocol and Chancellery, which said in a communique that during the visit, the king will hold official talks with President Vladimir Putin and that the two leaders will preside over the signing ceremony of a series of agreements.

King Mohammed VI will meet several other senior Russian officials during the trip that falls within the framework of the strengthening of the strategic partnership existing between the two countries, the communique said.

The Moroccan Kings official visit to Russia, announced and postponed several times, notably in mid-2014 and the end of 2015, will finally take place, at a time the regional and international juncture is facing multi-faceted challenges.

The visit will provide an opportunity for both countries to upgrade their political and economic bilateral relations and also to exchange, at the highest level, their standpoints on several topical issues of common interest, notably the fight against terrorism, the situation in Syria and Iraq, and other regional conflicts.

The Sahara conflict will undoubtedly figure high on the agenda of Moroccan-Russian talks as the royal visit will take place on the eve of the adoption by the UN Security Council of the UN Secretary Generals periodical report on the developments of the issue. The report is usually presented in the course of the month of April.

The royal visit also comes as relations between Morocco and the European Union have been lately going downhill over the Sahara issue and as Rabat announced it was freezing all contacts with the EU institutions.

Rabat made the decision to protest the ambiguity and the lack of transparency on the part of the EU members following a December 2015 ruling by the European Court of Justice, invalidating the EUMorocco agreement on reciprocal liberalization measures on agricultural products and fisheries, arguing that the text approved the implementation of the agreement in the Sahara.

Russias relations with the European Union are also tense since 2014, when Brussels joined Washington in accusing Moscow of fueling the Ukrainian crisis and imposed several rounds of sanctions as a punitive measure.

In response to the Western restrictive measures, in August 2014, Russia announced a one-year food embargo on some products from the EU States that imposed sanctions against it. The ban has since been extended for another year.

Given this context, Russia could be a promising market for Moroccan agricultural products and Morocco an interesting outlet for Russian exports.

Prior to the royal visit, the Kings advisor Fouad Ali El Himma made a trip to Moscow on January 27 and met with several Russian officials, including Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev.
Some 140 new Moroccans have joined the Islamic State terror group, according to leaked-IS documents disclosed by British Sky News.

Moroccan local media Akhbar Al Yaoum announced in its Friday publication that the documents unveiled by Sky News thanks to an IS-Syrian defector, reveal that some 140 individuals said to be Moroccans have joined IS.

The documents revealed that the terror groups army is made up of 22,000 Jihadists from more than 55 countries including UK, the United States, Northern Europe, Canada, North Africa and the Middle East.

Some 1,200 Moroccans have been reported in IS ranks in conflict zones namely in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen.

At a recent security forum held in Morocco, experts argued that the number of Moroccans who have pledged allegiance to IS could be estimated at 1,500 while the country currently houses around 500 IS members.

Moroccan authorities have put in place effective strategies that have enabled security forces to foil attacks and disrupt dozens of dormant or active cells.

According to official figures, 152 cell terror cells have been disrupted since 2002 while 32 have been dismantled over the past three years.

The North African country has become champion in the fight against terrorism, particularly after it played a pivotal role in the killing of the Paris attacks facilitator.
Confira o preco do seguro para o Chevrolet Onix

Saiba quando voce gastaria com o seguro do carro mais vendido do Brasil
By Emily Flitter and James Oliphant

CHICAGO/PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump canceled a campaign rally Friday night amid security concerns just hours after the Republican front-runner earned the endorsement of a former rival who said the billionaire's pugnacious campaign style is belied by a more thoughtful, private side.

"There are two different Donald Trumps: there's the one you see on the stage and there's the one who's very cerebral, sits there and considers things very carefully," Ben Carson said Friday as he became the second former Republican candidate to back Trump in the White House race.

The soft-spoken retired neurosurgeon, who dropped out of the race last week, said the American people would be "comforted" when they discover Trump's gentler side.

The thousands of protesters who showed up for Trump's rally Friday evening at the University of Illinois at Chicago - along with thousands of supporters - showed little indication they had noticed anything but the candidate's combative campaign style.

The university arena turned into a chaotic scene as the two warring sides amped up their positions. A half hour after the rally was slated to begin, a Trump campaign staffer announced it was being postponed for safety reasons, unleashing competing chants of "We dumped Trump!" and "We want Trump!" throughout the packed venue.

"We made a great decision not to have the rally," Trump told CNN after meeting with law enforcement and making the call.

"I am not a person that wants to see violence," he added.

Trump blamed protesters for creating disturbances at his campaign events and said it is a "love fest" among his supporters.

Friday's event in Chicago stood out because the huge number of protesters virtually matched the number of Trump supporters, as opposed to other Trump campaign events where protesters have been a very small, albeit vocal, minority.

Earlier in the day, speaking at a public event in St. Louis, Missouri, Trump was interrupted repeatedly by protesters who were led out of the event by police and security, an increasingly common occurrence at his raucous rallies.

"He's all mouth, get him out," Trump shouted as one of the protesters was led out. "Go back to mommy," he said as another protester was led away.

The latest endorsement for Trump followed a Republican debate in Miami on Thursday night at which Trump and the remaining three candidates in the Republican race struck a markedly more civil tone.

Carson shot to the top of the Republican pack last year but faltered in the early nominating contests. His endorsement is unlikely to dramatically shift the Republican race, but it gives Trump a boost as the Republican establishment cranks up attacks, and comes just days before crucial nominating contests in the battle to be the party's presidential candidate for the Nov. 8 election.

The Republican primaries to be held on Tuesday in five states will be critical for Trump to cement his lead, and to determine whether U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Ohio Governor John Kasich, whose home states are among those holding contests on Tuesday, will be able to continue with their increasingly long-shot candidacies. Trump's nearest rival in the race is U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.

Carson's comments on Friday aimed to soften Trump's public image after a campaign marked by his demeaning personal attacks on opponents, harsh comments about Mexican immigrants and calls to temporarily bar all Muslims from entering the country.

"I'M A THINKER"

Trump's controversial campaign has led many Republican establishment figures to call for an all-out effort to prevent him from winning the nomination - an effort that Carson said would fracture the Republican Party and ensure a Democratic win in November.

Asked about Carson's comments, Trump said he did not want to "overanalyze" himself but there was only "one Donald Trump."

"Certainly you have all of this, and you have somebody else that sits, and reads and thinks. And I'm a thinker," said Trump, 69. "Perhaps people don't think of me in that way because you don't see me in that form."

Trump also raised the possibility that he will not attend the next Republican debate, scheduled for later this month in Salt Lake City. "We've had enough debates, in my opinion," he said.

In St. Louis, Trump's speech was interrupted more than a half-dozen times by protesters. Scuffles between Trump supporters and protesters have become more frequent, and a protester was punched in North Carolina on Wednesday by a Trump supporter who has been charged with assault.

"The officers are being very gentle," Trump advised, telling the crowd later, "It adds to the flavor, makes it more exciting, isn't this better than listening to a long boring speech?"

Carson's endorsement of Trump followed that of another former candidate, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who announced his backing last month.

Next Tuesday's voting will be a pivotal point as candidates chase the 1,237 delegates from primary contests and caucuses needed to win the Republican nomination. Trump has 459 delegates, followed by Cruz at 360, Rubio at 152 and Kasich at 54, according to the Associated Press.

The primaries in Florida and Ohio on Tuesday have the potential to be game-changers because both states award Republican delegates on a winner-take-all basis, meaning that he winner of the popular vote in each state will be awarded the state's entire slate of delegates. Many states award delegates proportionate to the popular vote.

For his part, Rubio said in a round of television interviews on Friday he was still in position to win Florida next week. Voters in his home state who do not want Trump as the Republican nominee should support him, he said.

"If they don't want Donald Trump to be our nominee, then voting for John Kasich or Ted Cruz in Florida is a vote for Donald Trump," Rubio said on ABC's "Good Morning America."

Rubio said later that his supporters in Ohio should vote for Kasich next Tuesday if that looked like the best anti-Trump tactic.

Clearly John Kasich has a better chance of winning Ohio than I do, and if a voter in Ohio concludes that voting for John Kasich gives us the best chance to stop Donald Trump there, I anticipate that is what they will do, Rubio told reporters at an event in West Palm Beach, Florida.

(Additional reporting by Clarece Polke, Eric Beech, Amanda Becker and Susan Heavey in Washington and Jon Herskovitz in Texas; Writing by John Whitesides and Amanda Becker; Editing by Frances Kerry and Leslie Adler)

This article was funded in part by SAP. It was independently created by the Reuters editorial staff. SAP had no editorial involvement in its creation or production.
The familiar emergency alert system, the one where we in the U.S. occasionally hear a radio or television broadcast interruption that...
Suddenly, they have nothing bad to say about each other. Interesting. Photo: Bloomberg/ 2016 Bloomberg Finance LP

Shortly before tonights 12th Republican debate in Miami, right-wing opinion-leader Erick Erickson reported a rumor that a deal had been cut between Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio whereby Cruzs super-pac would take down its anti-Rubio ads in Florida and then, win or lose on March 15, Rubio would join Cruz in the second slot of a unity ticket. In other words, Rubio throwing in the towel is the price Cruz demanded for giving the Floridian a chance to redeem himself in his home state. Its just a rumor  one that Rubio has dismissed as House of Cards stuff  but the debate sure did nothing to undermine its credibility.

While most of the attention paid to the debate focused naturally on the relatively civil exchanges between Donald Trump and his two Cuban-American rivals, it shouldnt be forgotten that not a single negative word was exchanged between Cruz, Kasich, and Rubio. That makes little sense other than in the context of a tacit anti-Trump alliance in which Cruz (whos been a real problem for Rubio in Florida) and Rubio have reached some accommodation, and neither feels particularly threatened by Kasich.

Another clue to the inner dynamics is the scant support given to the idea that a contested convention might unhorse Donald Trump if hes near to a majority going into Cleveland. RNC chairman Reince Priebus did a pointed unity pitch promising maximum party support for the voters ultimate choice before the debate even started. Cruz attacked the idea of party elites determining the nominee at the convention, and Trump simply said the candidate with the most delegates should be nominated. Rubio, whose only path to the nomination for some time now has been a contested convention, wasnt asked and didnt say a word about the endgame. Kasich is still pretending he can win the whole thing in the primaries.

So if Ericksons right, then in just a few days we could have a Cruz-Rubio combination that would push Kasich aside and go mano-a-mano with Trump, either flourishing or expiring once we find out whether Trump can maintain his standing in the Northeastern states where he would currently beat Cruz or Kasich alone or in tandem. Everyone involved knows that had the contest become even more toxic than it was in the last debate, the GOP would have flown apart and some sort of independent Trump or anti-Trump splinter candidacy would have been inevitable. So put a hold on those reservations to watch a War of the Worlds in Cleveland, folks. It looks like the contest will probably be wrapped up earlier.
Hillary Clinton and Trayvon Martins mother, Sybrina Fulton.

Bernie Sanderss upset win in Michigan was built off his strongest showing with African-American voters to date. While the Vermont senator lost the black vote in Mississippi by a margin of nearly nine to one, that same night he earned roughly half of Clintons support among the demographic in the Wolverine State.

To keep the Democratic race competitive, Sanders will need to replicate that performance in Ohio and Illinois next Tuesday. A new ad reveals his strategy for hitting his mark in the latter: Give Chicago voters a chance to vote against Rahm Emanuel.

Last month, Emanuels approval rating fell to 27 percent, a record low. Four in ten Chicagoans would like to see their mayor resign. Even before the controversy surrounding the police killing of Laquan McDonald, Emanuel had earned the ire of a large left-wing opposition. The Windy Citys unusually radical teachers union mobilized out of widespread anger over Emanuels decision to shutter 50 public schools early in his tenure. Emanuel ultimately won reelection last year, but not before weathering a serious primary challenge from Cook County Board commissioner Chuy Garcia. And that was before video of Chicago police shooting an unarmed 17-year-old 16 times in 13 seconds became public  more than a year after the killing occurred. The anger over McDonalds death, and the governments belated response, is fueling a grassroots campaign to oust States Attorney Anita Alvarez in next Tuesdays primary.

All of which is to say, its not a bad time to run as the anti-Establishment candidate in Chicago. In a new 30-second spot, Sanders aligns himself with the citys left-wing opposition  while tying Hillary Clinton to its mayor.

In Chicago we have endured a corrupt political system, and the chief politician standing in the way of us getting good schools is our mayor, Chicago principal Troy LaRaviere says, as a school bus drives down a desolate gray street. If you have a candidate that supports someone like our mayor, you have a candidate thats not willing to take on the Establishment. Bernie Sanders is definitely not afraid to take on the system.

Meanwhile, Clinton is out with her own expression of solidarity for an African-American-led protest movement. In a heartrending three-minute ad titled Mothers of the Movement, the mothers of high-profile victims of police or angry-white-male violence  Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martins mother; Geneva Reed-Veal, mother of Sandra Bland; Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner; Maria Hamilton, mother of Dontre Hamilton; and Lucia McBath, the mother of Jordan Davis  remember their lost children, and express their faith that Clinton will do everything she can to prevent other families from knowing their pain.

The stakes are too high, the costs are too dear, and I am not and will not be afraid to keep fighting for common-sense reforms and, along with you, achieve those on behalf of all who have been lost, Clinton says.

Finally, someone here is really willing to listen and to really stimulate change, McBath adds.

The ad will run in Chicago, Cleveland, and St. Louis ahead of the Illinois, Ohio, and Missouri primaries, Politico reports. Polling shows Clinton with a commanding lead in all three of those contests.
Telecommunication Minister Leonid Reiman (L) and Minister of Press, Television and Radio Broadcasting, Mikhail Lesin (R) meet in August 2000 at the Kremlin. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

Good morning and welcome to Fresh Intelligence, our roundup of the stories, ideas, and memes youll be talking about today. In this edition, a former Russian ministers death was far more grisly than initially reported, Ben Carsons still holding a grudge against Ted Cruz, and Amazon takes to the skies. Heres the rundown for Friday, March 11.

WEATHER

Heavy rains and flash flooding in Louisiana and other parts of the South have caused at least five deaths and forced 3,500 people to evacuate their homes. The thunderstorms centered over Louisiana are set to continue today, along with rain up and down the West Coast. New York will see yet another day of unseasonably nice weather with mostly sunny skies and a high of 63. [Weather.com]

FRONT PAGE

Russian Ministers Death Gets Considerably More Suspicious

When former Russian press minister Mikhail Lesin was found dead in a Washington hotel room in November, members of his family told RT that he had died of a heart attack. On Thursday, however, D.C. authorities said Lesin actually was killed by blunt-force injuries to the head and had injuries to the neck, torso, arms, and legs as well. Known to his critics as an adversary of Russias independent press, Lesin was President Vladimir Putins press minister from 1999-2004 and ran the state-controlled Gazprom-Media from 2013-2014. [Reuters]

EARLY AND OFTEN

Republicans Hold Substantive and/or Scary Debate

The GOP candidates were pretty pleased with themselves for toning things down at whats likely to be their last primary debate. Their opinions on Nazi-esque salutes and violence at Trump rallies were actually pretty troubling, but they expressed them at a normal volume.



Its Easy to Forgive and Forget When Youre Forgotten

Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon turned GOP presidential candidate who captured the right-wing imagination for 15 minutes before his campaign fizzled last week, has endorsed Donald Trump, his former rival who once compared him to a child molester on TV. Fortunately for Trump, Carson is reportedly upset not at the man who said on national television that Carson was incurably prone to violence, but rather at Ted Cruz, whose campaign had spread a rumor that he had already dropped out of the race before the Iowa caucus.

Its an Honor Not to Be Nominated

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan is having none of this talk about drafting him to run for president, and has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Committee to Draft Speaker Ryan, a super-pac formed for that purpose, declaring that he is not running for president, no way, no how, and warning that the groups fundraising activities are possibly illegal. The group has taken down the donate button from its website, but is still hoping to get one million signatures.

What About Condi?

The Republican donor class, despairing of the presumptive nomination of Donald Trump and desperately scrambling for an alternative (see above), is now apparently turning to former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as their next potential savior. A group of Republican donors and strategists has been trying to talk Rice into mounting an independent bid for the presidency. Currently, they say, she is reluctant, but the groups polling finds she is the only potential candidate who could stand a chance in a three-way race against Trump and Hillary Clinton. [Politico]

THE STREET, THE VALLEY

Apple, Justice Department Trade Shade

Apples dispute with the Justice Department over whether it can be forced to help the FBI access data from an iPhone that belonged to one of the San Bernardino shooters got a bit nastier on Thursday. In a legal filing, the department accused Apple of using false rhetoric that was corrosive of the very institutions that are best able to safeguard our liberty and our rights. Apples general counsel Bruce Sewell hit back, calling the brief a cheap shot that reads like an indictment and sought to smear [Apple] with false accusations and innuendo. [CNET]

McDonalds Franchise Obligations Go on Trial

A trial began on Thursday before a National Labor Relations Board administrative judge in New York that will decide whether the McDonalds corporation can be held liable for labor-law violations by the franchisees who operate 90 percent of its U.S. restaurants. The NLRB contends that its new standard for joint employment applies to franchises and makes the corporate parent responsible for these violations. The case is based on complaints McDonalds employees started filing in 2012, alleging that their employers threatened, punished, and fired them for participating in protests to demand higher wages and union rights. McDonalds says it has no say in its franchisees employment decisions. [Reuters]

Amazon Air

In pursuit of its quest for total control in the realm of logistics, Amazon has leased 20 Boeing 767 freighter aircrafts, which it intends to use to support the growth of its Prime subscription service, which offers fast, free shipping, and other benefits for $99 a year. The planes will transport purchases from Amazons fulfillment centers to sortation centers closer to customers, where they will be handed off to last-mile couriers. Leasing its own planes for this task rather than relying on outside shipping services will in theory cut Amazons costs and improve its efficiency. [Wired]

MEDIA BUBBLE

Publishers Call for Lifting Book Embargo on Cuba

Dozens of major figures in the U.S. book-publishing industry are putting pressure on the White House and legislators to end the embargo on exports of books and educational materials to Cuba. In a petition set to run on the cover of the March 14 edition of Publishers Weekly, signatories representing various publishers and trade associations demand that the embargo, which runs counter to American ideals of free expression, be lifted. The publishing giants Penguin Random House, Hachette, and Simon & Schuster are all supporting the petition. [WSJ]

Mierda de Toro!

Univision has launched the countrys first Spanish-language fact-checking service. Operated by the networks new data unit, Detector de Mentiras (Lie Detector) was supposed to provide live fact-checking at Wednesday nights Democratic debate, but the proposal to use the new system was nixed at some point during negotiations between Univision and the DNC. The data unit, staffed by five investigative journalists, will be fact-checking the presidential candidates through the rest of the campaign, with an ambition to expand its focus to other politicians, business leaders, and all sorts of liars. [Poynter]

PHOTO OP

Today Japan commemorates the fifth anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, which killed over 15,000 people and destroyed the Fukushima nuclear plant, which is still leaking radioactive water.

Photo: Ken Ishii/2016 Getty Images

MORNING MEME

Forget Canada: Lets move to Vienna if Trump becomes president.

OTHER LOCAL NEWS

Virginia Jail Cracks Down on Drug-Soaked Photos

Inmates at the Western Virginia Regional Jail are no longer allowed to receive personal photos, after guards discovered that they were being used to sneak drugs into the facility. Pictures intercepted by officials at the jail had been soaked in a solution of Suboxone, a drug used to treat narcotic dependence. Recipients could chew the paper and get high. The jail had already banned inmates from receiving any nonwhite paper, drawings, or paintings for the same reason. [Roanoke Times]

Cougar Fingered in Slaying of L.A. Bear

A koala bear found mauled to death at the Los Angeles Zoo last week was probably done in by P-22, a local celebrity mountain lion who lives in the citys sprawling Griffith Park, zookeepers now believe. Although the zoos surveillance cameras did not capture the attack on video, footage and photos place P-22 on the zoos grounds on the night Killarney, an elderly female koala of 14 years, met her grisly end. Zoo officials are still not sure how the mountain lion is getting in and out of the park, but are taking extra precautions to make sure no other small animals suffer Killarneys gruesome fate. [LAT]

HAPPENING TODAY

Nancy Reagan to Be Laid to Rest

Nancy Reagans funeral will be held this afternoon at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. The former First Lady, who passed away of congestive heart failure at the age of 94 on Sunday, lay in repose at the library Wednesday and Thursday for the public to pay their respects; Fridays funeral and burial will be a private affair. First Lady Michelle Obama will attend, as will Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. [The Desert Sun]

Obama Speaks at SXSW

President Barack Obama will become the first sitting president to visit the South by Southwest interactive media conference today, delivering the keynote speech at the event in Austin, Texas. The White Houses chief digital officer Jason Goldman says the speech will focus on ways the tech industry can partner with government. First Lady Michelle Obama is also scheduled to speak at SXSW next Wednesday about her Let Girls Learn initiative, which aims to give more girls around the world access to education. [Inc.]
America will miss you, BO. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

According to a new Gallup poll, President Obamas approval rating is the highest its been since May 2013, which makes sense, considering the two candidates most likely to replace him. On the one hand, we have Donald Trump who, as Slate points out, would be the least-liked nonincumbent nominee since at least 1992. On the other hand, we have Hillary Clinton, whos not exactly beloved either. Meanwhile 50 percent of people surveyed said they approve of the job the president is doing in his last year in office  a 4 percent increase from last year. This years average is also higher than his 47 percent approval rate in 2009.

Naturally, the presidents approval ratings fluctuate when split along party lines: 87 percent of Democrats approve of his performance while only 11 percent of Republicans feel the same. His ratings are higher than those of George W. Bush, who left office with a dismal 32 percent approval rating, but lower than Bill Clintons, who finished his term with an approval rating of 63 percent.

As Gallup so tactfully notes, while its hard to pinpoint precisely why Obamas approval rating has risen among Democrats recently, the unusual status of the Republican primary race  exemplified in particular by front-runner Donald Trumps campaign style and rhetoric  may serve to make Obama look statesmanlike in comparison. The polling site also suggests that Obamas high approval among Democrats might be the reason Hillary Clinton is tacking herself tightly to the Obama legacy. All of which supports what Obama himself has said before: If he ran for president again, hed totally win.
Swing back. Photo: David Calvert/Getty Images

Two days after a 78-year-old man sucker-punched a protester at one of Donald Trumps rallies, the Republican front-runner appeared to defend such assaults as very, very appropriate and the sort of thing we need a little bit more of.

Asked today if he was playing a character when he said he wanted to punch a protester in the face at a Las Vegas rally last month, Trump argued that its the protesters at his rallies who are truly violent.

.@realDonaldTrump on audience swinging at protesters: "I thought it was very, very appropriate" https://t.co/CpEStDyiMN  MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 11, 2016

Weve had a couple that were really violent. And the particular one when I said, [Id] like to bang him. That was  a very vicious  you know, he is a guy who was swinging very loud and then started swinging at the audience. And you know what? The audience swung back. And I thought it was very, very appropriate. He was swinging, he was hitting people and the audience hit back. And thats what we need a little bit more of. Now, Im not talking about just a protester. This was a guy who was  should not have been allowed to do what he did. And frankly, if you want to know the truth, the police were very, very restrained. The police have been amazing. But the police were very, very restrained.

There has not been a single documented case of protesters initiating violence against Trump supporters, according to Time. And at the Las Vegas rally that Trump cites, multiple security personnel told Politico that the protester threw no punches and that Trump was over-exaggerating.

At the GOP debate in Miami Thursday night, CNNs Jake Tapper asked Trump if he believed that he had done anything to create a tone that encouraged violence at his rallies.

I hope not. I truly hope not, the GOP front-runner said, before creating a tone that encouraged violence at his rallies. We have some protesters who are bad dudes, they have done bad things. They are swinging, they are really dangerous  And if theyve got to be taken out, to be honest, I mean, we have to run something.

Trumps praise of swinging back stands in stark contrast with the newfound civility with which hes treated his rivals in recent days. The Donalds performance in the last GOP debate was widely interpreted as a self-conscious pivot toward a general-election audience. The former reality star chose not to address the other candidates by disparaging nicknames, and delivered his message of nationalistic grievance in a calm, steady voice. The mogul even resisted the temptation to obliquely reference the size of his penis.

But, apparently, Trump thinks full-throated praise of mob violence is not out of step with a pivot to the center.



This post has been updated throughout.
Thanks for the often terrifying memories. Photo: Joe Raedle/2016 Getty Images

For about an hour tonight, it looked like the final installment in this elections completely bonkers series of GOP debates would be a letdown. Donald Trump was clearly out to prove that hed be the most presidential commander-in-chief since Abraham Lincoln, and it seemed Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and John Kasich have given up. Rather than hurling childish insults at each other, the candidates engaged in a boring discussion on topics including Social Security, trade, and the economy. Afterward, Republicans patted themselves on the back for holding their most substantive debate yet, but as Vox explains, the things the candidates actually said were, by turns, wrong, misleading, misinformed, confused, or ridiculous.

Things got more entertaining toward the end, as the candidates bungled points about math and science, knocked the Trump pledge thats been compared to the Nazi salute, and failed to condemn the reported incidents of violence at the front-runners rallies. Actually, entertaining isnt really the right word. Lets go with alarming. Here are the highs and lows.

Biggest Sign That the Republican Party Is in Trouble

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus kicked off the night by declaring, I want to get something really clear, because theres been a lot of talk about this. This party is going to support the nominee, whoever that is, 100 percent. Theres no question about that. The fact that he felt that needed to be said does not instill confidence.

Most Surprising Revelation About Ben Carson

Shortly before the debate began, there were reports that Carson would endorse Trump on Friday morning. What we didnt know is that Trump is going to have Ben very involved with education, something thats an expertise of his. We just assumed Trump promised him surgeon general.

Shrewdest Argument Against Trumps Claim That Islam Hates Us

Trump doubled down on his remark to CNN this week, saying theres tremendous hatred coming from the Islamic world. When asked to respond, Rubio noted that many American-Muslims have fought and died for their country, and we need to be able to work with our Muslim allies around the world. And in case that doesnt elicit sympathy from GOP voters, he argued that Trumps attacks on Muslims are endangering Christian missionaries working overseas.

Proof That Rambling About Deals and Lawsuits Cant Solve Every Problem

When asked to elaborate on his policy toward Cuba, Trump said hed close the U.S. embassy in Havana, and we have to make a good deal and we have to get rid of all the litigation thats going to happen. In one of his best debate moments, Rubio pointed out that doesnt make any sense. First of all, the embassy is the former consulate. Its the same building. So it could just go back to being called a consulate, Rubio said. Second of all, I dont know where Cuba is going to use, but if they sue us in a court in Miami, theyre going to lose.

Best Argument Against Trumps Hand-Raising Pledge, Aside From the Nazi Thing

Many people were disturbed by footage of Trump asking supporters to raise their right hands in a gesture reminiscent of the Heil Hitler salute, but thats not what upset Cruz about Trumps pledge. I think thats exactly backwards. This is a job interview, Cruz said. We are here pledging our support to you, not the other way around.

Biggest Attack on Science

Rubios home state is being washed away, and the Republican mayor of Miami, whos endorsed the senator, would like him to acknowledge the reality of the scientific consensus about climate change and pledge to do something about it. The noted non-scientist refused, as theres no law we could pass that would have an impact on that, and attempting to do so would make Floridians electricity bills go up. Also, America is not a planet, its a country. You cant argue with that logic.

Biggest Attack on Math

When Tapper pointed out that Kasich can only become the nominee if theres a contested convention, he countered, you know, math doesnt tell the whole story in politics. Then Trump said that whichever candidate has the most delegates should win because 1,237 delegates is an artificial and random number selected by some party big wig. Its actually a majority, or half of the total number of delegates, plus one.

Most Frightening Response to Violence at Trump Rallies

When asked if hes encouraging violence at his rallies, Trump said I hope not, I hope not. Then he went on to suggest that the alleged assaults at his event might have been justified because people come to his rallies with tremendous passion and love for the country and an anger thats unbelievable.

Thats a pretty predictable response from Trump, but as New Yorks Jonathan Chait notes, whats truly disturbing is that the other three candidates basically agreed with him. Kasich pivoted, saying, I worry about the violence at a rally period, but people are worried about their jobs. Rubio said hes concerned about violence in general in this society, which is why law-enforcement officers deserve our respect. The worst response came from Cruz, who said weve seen for seven years a president who believes hes above the law, who behaves like an emperor, who it is all about him and he forgot that hes working for the American people. So somehow people getting roughed up at Trump rallies is President Obamas fault.

Biggest Sign Trump Is Suffering From That Memento Condition

In his post-debate recap, Trump called tonights affair very elegant, adding, We needed this kind of a debate. We needed this kind of a tone. If anyone can identify that un-presidential jerk who made a dick joke at the last debate, send Trump a note on Twitter.
Pepper, the humanoid robot. Photo: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Today in robot news: Americans have managed to be both incredibly woke and incredibly un-woke in a recent poll about technology. Specifically, most Americans believe robots and computers will replace a lot of human labor in the next 50 years  but most think it wont impact their jobs, personally. In other words, most of us believe robots are taking everyone elses jobs but ours.

The Pew Research Center surveyed 2,001 adults in June and July of 2015 and basically found that while Americans are fully convinced of our pending irrelevance, were a lot more worried about our shitty cube-mates than being ousted by an algorithm:

65% of Americans expect that within 50 years robots and computers will definitely or probably do much of the work currently done by humansan even larger share (80%) expect that their own jobs or professions will remain largely unchanged and exist in their current forms 50 years from now. And although 11% of todays workers are at least somewhat concerned that they might lose their jobs as a result of workforce automation, a larger number are occupied by more immediate worries  such as displacement by lower-paid human workers, broader industry trends or mismanagement by their employers.

The American workforce is a fat sitcom husband cracking open a beer, farting into the couch, and saying, Shes been with me too long to leave me now!

Of the people surveyed, privileged ones seemed to be the most skeptical that full automation would ever be possible  the higher your level of education and the higher your income, the less likely you were to think you could be replaced by technology.

37% of those with a college degree think that this outcome is unlikely (compared with 28% of those who have not attended college), as do 38% of Americans with an annual household income of $75,000 or more (compared with 27% of those with an annual household income of less than $30,000 per year).

While thats great news for the self-esteem of the wealthy and educated, it opens up the question of who is wokest  the people willing to admit they could potentially be replaced by a robot, or the people unwilling to admit anything like that could ever be possible?

Unfortunately, theres no current research into wokeness by demo, so this survey ends up leaving us with the vaguest, most American results of all: None of us know what were doing, and thats just fine. Probably.
Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

On Thursday night, the nation saw a new, calmer, more civil Donald Trump during the GOP debate. The same man who had insulted Megyn Kelly in an extremely crude manner, who had seemed to derive so much enjoyment out of bullying a hapless Jeb Bush, was now  slightly dignified? It was a marked switch, and it dominated the headlines this morning.

How to explain it? Because Trump defies most forms of normal or traditional political comparison and analysis, I spoke with someone who has taken a broader approach to understanding the bombastic candidate and his appeal: the primatologist Dr. Christopher Boehm, a professor and a director of the USC Jane Goodall Research Center. And he thinks that chimps can offer a useful framework for explaining both the angry and less angry varieties of Trump. In fact, viewing Trump through this lens reveals not that Trump is simply an angry buffoon (though he can be that), but that he actually understands, perhaps intuitively, the strategy that will lead him to become the GOPs alpha  that is, nominee. And its a more nuanced strategy than one might expect. He is fairly delicate in his use of power, even though it doesnt look that way, said Boehm. But compared to an alpha-male chimp it looks that way.

It wasnt nuanced in the earlier days of the campaign, of course. Boehm explained last month in New Scientist that Trumps model of political posturing has echoes of what I saw in the wild in six years in Tanzania studying the Gombe chimpanzees. Thats because chimps, like certain other primates, have elaborate rituals of dominance and submission, as well as hierarchies that are toppled fairly frequently. Much like in a primary campaign, just because youre sitting on top one moment doesnt mean you will be the next.

Male chimps who are seeking to establish or maintain their role as the alpha often engage in ostentatiously threatening behavior. Their hair will stand erect, and theyll charge around ripping out tree stumps and causing other forms of general mayhem. Most of their fellow male chimps  those who arent bruising for a fight, at least  will react by scrambling to the top of the nearest tree, out of harms way, and perhaps screaming down the chimp equivalent of impotent insults. An alpha male does that intimidation display two or three times a day, and it is preemptive dominance, Boehm told Science of Us. The whole point is to [intimidate] these guys who you know are aligned against you and biding your time and want your job  and so you go and put them down a couple times a day and that sort of keeps things from developing.

Of course, humans arent chimps  weve developed social norms so that we can channel our dominance impulses into witty remarks and so forth. So part of the reason the rest of the GOP field, well, scrambled up trees was that Trump had engaged in such shocking violations of political norms they didnt quite know how to respond. Boehm wrote last month that Trump reminded him of Mike, an ambitious male who had come up with an innovative way to scare the crap out of his competitors for top chimp: He took some oil drums from the camp of primatologist Jane Goodall and incorporated them into his aggressive displays, noisily terrifying his peers. Mike became alpha. Trump has been rattling oil drums across the nation for months now, and it has worked.

So isnt this new, gentler turn rather un-chimp-like? Not necessarily. Boehm pointed out that while they do enjoy their demonstrative I-am-the-boss rampages, alpha chimps actually have two different ways of maintaining power. One is the bat-shit-crazy approach (my words, not his)  those near-constant displays alluding to the threat of violence. The other is the good-guy (his term) approach: groom other chimps, break up fights, and show yourself to be a benevolent ruler. (Boehm said there isnt any data hes aware of suggesting one approach or the other leads to longer reigns in the alpha slot.)

Before the debate, I had told Boehm I couldnt imagine an alpha-Trump  either as the Republican nominee or, gulp, president  taking anything other than the bat-shit-crazy approach. It just doesnt really seem like its in his nature to not aggressively go after his rivals and enemies, to not bound around the forest tearing out tree stumps.

Boehm responded that I wasnt giving the Donald enough credit, and he turned out to be prescient: I think Trump, when the time comes, will know to make the transition toward the good-guy approach, he said. While Boehm anticipates Trump will still be somewhat aggressive toward Cruz, Boehm said he thinks Trump realizes that, from here on out, he can tone it down a little. Free of any immediate GOP threats to his alpha status, he doesnt need to knock around any oil drums anymore.
Quite simply, the Saudis want to maintain their market share, but their means to control that are dwindling.

The whole internet is jam-packed with analysis portraying Saudi Arabia and OPEC as villains for the oil price collapse. On a closer look, however, the Saudis could have taken no reasonable steps to avert this situation. This is a transformational change that will run its full course, and the major oil producing nations will have to accept and learn to live with lower oil prices for the next few years.

Why the Saudis are not to blame

(Click to enlarge)



As seen in the chart above, barring the period during the last supply glut, the Saudis have more or less maintained constant oil production, increasing production only modestly at an average of roughly 1 percent per year.

Related: Exposing The Oil Glut: Where Are The 550 Million Missing Barrels?!

The last time the Saudis reduced production, the only objectives they achieved were higher debt and lower market share. Its no surprise that this time, they were unenthusiastic about following that same path. Had they resorted to any cuts, it would have ended with them losing market share and revenuesnothing more.

U.S. oil production has almost doubled in the last 10 years

The most significant event of the last decade regarding crude oil has been the rise of U.S. shale oil as a credible and long-lasting competitor to the OPEC. The shale oil boom has led to an almost doubling of production in the U.S. in the last 10 years. Booming oil prices, easy credit, consistently rising demand and improved technological methods of fracking led to the current production rate, which would have increased further had OPEC cut their production. Related: Oil Fundamentals Could Cause Oil Prices To Fall, Fast.

When it comes to oil, Saudi Arabia has enjoyed an unopposed leadership position for a long time. When that position was threatened by the U.S. shale oil, it was natural for them to attempt to protect their market share. However, like every other industry, leaders tend to be lax, ignoring competition until its too late. The same happened here toomost oil producing nations failed to take corrective measures, and they are facing its consequences now.

Where are we heading

If oil prices were to drop to the lower $20s/barrel, the Saudis, Russia and OPEC wouldnt survive for long. Shale oil would take a hit as well, but would be back in production whenever prices rise again; hence, prices will remain fairly volatile with a mid-point of $50/barrel for the next few years, as forecast by many experts. Related: Why Saudi Arabia Has No Intention To End The Oil Glut

The current meeting between the OPEC and Russia, although a smart step, will not lead to a material shift in the demand-supply situation. At best, if a production cut is announced and everyone agrees and adheres to the agreement, it will be years before inventories return to normal and the supply glut dissipates. As most of the oil producing nations require high oil prices to fund their budgets, they will resort to increasing production above their designated quota once oil prices rise above a certain level, which will once again bring the prices down.

Along with that, the shale oil drillers have said that they will increase their production if prices move north of $40/barrel. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will have to look at other avenues to generate income to fund its budget deficits and accept the fact that U.S. shale oil is here to stay. U.S. shale oil has transformed the crude oil industry for years to come.

By Rakesh Upadhyay for Oilprice.com

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The state-owned oil company in Peru is responsible for multiple oil spills over the past few weeks, sparking anger from indigenous tribes in the area. In fact, one indigenous community have taken eight public officials hostage over their handling of the oil spill.

According to Petroperu, the Wampis community of Mayuriaga took control of a grounded military helicopter on March 6, taking the crew members hostage, along with an official from Petroperu and government workers from the Ministry of Energy and Mines as well as from Perus environmental regulator OEFA. Related: Why Saudi Arabia Has No Intention To End The Oil Glut

It all started with an oil spill from one of Petroperus pipelines, which spilled 1,000 barrels of oil into a tributary of the Amazon River on February 3. Another 2,000 barrels of oil spilled from the same line nine days later, affecting various indigenous communities and polluting the rivers. Amazon Watch, an environmental organization, has captured some pretty startling images of the contaminated rivers.

The 40-year old pipeline carries 5,000 to 6,000 barrels of oil per day.

The conflict erupted into a standoff, though, after Petroperu formed an emergency response and failed to include Mayuriaga on its list of areas to help even though it was negatively impacted by the spill. The Wampis took hostages in response to the companys failure to help them. Petroperu says that it will fix the mistake and, in any event, the company has been helping the community anyway.

But, the problem for Petroperu is that these are not isolated incidents. According to Al-Jazeera, this is the 20th leak in the last five years from one of their pipelines. Moreover, an Al-Jazeera reporter visited the site and said that not only had Petroperu officials not come to inspect the area affected by the spill in the immediate aftermath, but it took weeks before relief was sent. Related: How Leonardo DiCaprios Carbon Footprint Clashes With His Climate Claims

The Wampis said that they had to start the cleanup by themselves. Worse, they had food shortages because the contamination is affecting livelihoods. This oil spill has already resulted in severe and irreparable harm to the community lands of Mayuriaga and to our collective territory as a people. Responsibility lies squarely with Petroperu, who have acted with complete negligence, Wrays Perez Ramirez, president of the Wampis, said in a statement. Over more than 40 years they have failed to maintain and repair their pipeline knowing full well that it needs constant maintenance and replacement every 10-15 years."

A former director of Petroperu says that the state-owned company is struggling financially, and has few resources to spare for maintenance. The ruthless cost-cutting inevitably results in oil spills. "The company itself doesn't assign enough resources or carry out the necessary activities to make sure the pipeline operates accurately and securely," German Alarco said.

It is a systemic problem, Clinton Jenkins, a conservation biologist at the Institute of Ecological Research, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, told Scientific American in an interview. These spills occur regularly and the impact will not easily disappear. Related: Iran Slowly But Steadily Increasing Oil Market Share

According to the chief engineer of E-Tech International, a U.S. environmental consulting firm that works in Peru, there is little prospect that Petroperu will be able to improve the quality of its pipeline infrastructure. The main issue is that the pipeline is old and deteriorated, the landscape through which it runs is almost inaccessible and monitoring and repair tasks are not a prioritythere will be more spills, Bill Powers of E-Tech International told Scientific American.

Peru is not a large oil producer. It has 741 million barrels of oil reserves, seventh largest on the continent, and only produced about 180,000 barrels of oil and natural gas liquids per day in 2014. But much of those reserves are located in the Amazon, often in protected areas. Petroperu is allowed to explore, produce, and move oil in protected areas. Only national parks are blocked from development.

Of the eight hostages taken by the indigenous community on March 6, four were allowed to leave a day later with the helicopter. The other four were held in captivity, as the group demanded emergency supplies and to be included in the response plan. While the company promises to correct its mistake, the long-term impacts on the ecosystem and the population are uncertain. Petroperu could face $17 million in fines because of the spills.

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

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As Russias much discussed and increasingly dispassionate pivot ambles on from west to east and back again, its roots, distorted by western sanctions, become clearer.

Interpretations of its shifting geopolitical alignments hold merit, though in truth, and as is often the case with Russias energy policy, an opportunistic pragmatism rules the day; and its pursuit of dependency relations, cultivation of diplomatic usefulness, and posturing as a counterpoint to western global predominance will largely continue to define its actions in 2016. In that regard, the Russo-Japanese subplot is one to follow.

Russia and Japan have a complicated history, characterized mostly by protracted and unsolved territorial disputes. According to Japan, Russia is occupying its Northern Territories  four of the southernmost islands in the Kuril or Chishima chain. For its part, Russia maintains the Soviet era occupation was lawful following the conclusion of the Second World War. Related: Exposing The Oil Glut: Where Are The 550 Million Missing Barrels?!

Neither sides claim is particularly solid, though Russias will be hard to dispute. Russia has plans to spend roughly $1.2 billion on development in the chain, with much of that earmarked for military garrisons and support infrastructure due later this year.

Economically, the islands are no small prize. The Kurils are estimated to hold approximately 1,867 tons of gold, 9,284 tons of silver, several million tons of both titanium and iron ore, an abundance of rare earth minerals, prolific forest resources and extremely productive ocean waters, not to mention eye-catching oil and gas potential. Its ice-free straits with access to the Pacific are harder to value, though their strategic worth is clear. Still, for Russia, a more cooperative relationship with Japan may prove more valuable.

Amid the defensive tightening and backdrop of continued G87 drama, of which Japan is a party, relations have remained comparatively hopeful. Trade between Moscow and Tokyo has quadrupled since 2006 with notable cooperation in automotive and construction industries. Of course, energy is still the leading and more natural draw for both parties. Related: Why Saudi Arabia Has No Intention To End The Oil Glut

At the end of 2014, Japan led all Asian nations with more than $14 billion in direct investment in the Russian economy  its investments in the oil and gas sector alone more than tripled Chinas total contributions. Further, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has set a national target to meet more than 40 percent of the countrys oil and gas demand in 2030 with Japanese firms equity output. Deeper ties are not simply a matter of if, but when and where.

Russias Yamal peninsula  and soon  is a start. After several years, and a few misses, Japan is reportedly still interested in pairing with Russias Novatek on its Yamal LNG development. The mega project, which will deliver liquefied natural gas to Asia via the Northern Sea Route, is in a financially tight spot; a Russian desire to moderate Chinese dependency will likely create some interesting avenues for the likes of Mitsui and Mitsubishi. Related: Oil Fundamentals Could Cause Oil Prices To Fall, Fast.

The vast, underdeveloped regions in Eastern Siberia are a logical, albeit more risky follow-up. Equity stake issues recently nixed a partnership between Japans JOGMEC and Gazprom Neft on the latters hefty Chonsky oil and gas project, but economic realities may force the Russian company, and broader government, to reconsider its boundaries  Russia is apparently open to doing just that on a strategically significant scale in the near-term.

Elsewhere, from Yamal, to Tatarstan, to Yakutia doors are opening for Japanese investors, and opening wide.

With the carrot of a potential territorial resolution in hand  and with Tokyo seemingly willing to splinter the U.S. strategy of isolation  Russia is operating from a relative position of strength. Yes, Moscows ability to dictate terms remains limited, but a place at the table and foot in the back door will do.

By Colin Chilcoat of Oilprice.com

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"Bar Month" at OnMilwaukee is back for another round, brought to you by Great Northern Distilling: grain to glass spirits, handmade in Wisconsin. The whole month of March, we're serving up intoxicatingly fun articles on bars and clubs  including guides, the latest trends, bar reviews, the results of our Best of Bars readers poll and more. Grab a designated driver and dive in!

All month long, we'll feature cocktails from one of the newest bars on the block, Dock18 Cocktail Lab, located in the Twisted Path Distillery in Bay View.

This week, they will be featuring a rum-based cocktail that pulls in elements of both sour citrus and fruity pomegranate and apple notes. There's also a floral element contributed by house-made chamomile liqueur.

Though it's called the Lady of Rage, you don't need to be filled with rage  or even slightly angry  to enjoy this cocktail. But, if you've had a heckofa week, it might be just what the doctor ordered.

Dock18's Lady of Rage

1  oz Twisted Path White Rum

 oz chamomile liqueur

 oz lemon Juice

 oz pomegranate-apple syrup

1 dropper Bittercube Jamaican #2 bitters

Glass: coupe

Garnish: grapefruit Disc

Instructions:

Build cocktail in shaking tin. Long shake, double strain into a coupe glass. Express grapefruit disc over cocktail and insert.

If you'd like to get your taste of the Dock18 Lady of Rage, pay a visit on Thursday, Friday or Saturday evening between 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. Since seating is limited, reservations are recommended.
About 130 women gathered on March 5 to celebrate women, discuss factors that hinder parity and to pledge to work to bring about gender equality at all levels and in all areas of life and work. The 3rd annual AFRICaides International Womens Day 2016 Celebration at Christ Presbyterian Church was a great chance for area women to share information and to network with each other on important womens issues.

"I felt like there were a lot of new people at the event this year. Id say that I only recognized about half from previous years. Im very happy with how everything went," Emilie Songolo, founder of AFRICaide and organizer of the event, tells Madison365. "When you have so many people at the event from all walks of life, you have to really make sure that the event is good. We had so many people asking that we do it again and telling us that it was uplifting. It was interesting to see people sitting in their chairs at the beginning and as the day went by they were up and about sharing really personal things and trusting each other."

AFRICaide is a grassroots non-profit organization that Songolo founded in 2005 that strives to reduce abject poverty in Africa through rural development projects, and to empower and assist female victims of rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo in rebuilding their lives. This was the third year that AFRICaide hosted the event.

"We got very lucky because so many people volunteered their time to help with this event," Songolo said. "I think that says a lot about the value of these types of gatherings."

International Womens Day, originally called International Working Womens Day, is marked on March 8 every year. In different regions the focus of the celebrations range from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for womens economic, political and social achievements. This year marks the 105th celebration of International Womens Day  an event that predates womens right to vote in the U.S. and the U.K.

The goal of the AFRICaides International Womens Day 2016 Celebration was to inspire attendees to empower themselves and to empower women everywhere.

"We have this thing where we pledge to do whatever we can at the individual level to make a difference where we function whether it be our community circle, family or work," Songolo said. "Because this is something where we all have responsibility  and its not just limited to women  to work to eliminate disparities."

Despite amazing gains for and by women over the past century, the World Economic Forum predicted in 2014 that it would take until 2095 to achieve global gender parity. Then, one year later in 2015, they estimated that a slowdown in the already glacial pace of progress meant the gender gap wouldnt close entirely until 2133.

"A year after launching that they discovered that things are actually slowing down especially in the area of employment and compensation," she said. "Thats something we hope to change."

At AFRICaides International Womens Day 2016, women networked and shared their experiences while discussing their strategies for the future.

An expert panel on mental health was led by Dr. Ketty Thertus, a psychosomatic psychiatrist, who broke down the health care system in Wisconsin. She talked about the disparities in gender and between ethnic groups and the challenges that medical professionals were facing moving forward.

"It was very interesting to have somebody like her share those types of things," Songolo said. "She was amazing. She is originally from Haiti and grew up in the United States and has been in Wisconsin for less than a year."

The keynote address, "Pledge For Parity," was given by Nia Enemuoh-Trammell, an administrative law judge for the State of Wisconsin in the Workers Compensation Division. She spoke from her own experiences about the importance of mentoring other women and how she fights through some of the adversity that she encounters in her daily life.

"Her talk was very empowering," Songolo said. "Sometimes as women, we think that we need to be fighting aggressively all the time, and she talked about the power of community and shared her ten pearls of wisdom."

Breakout sessions at the event included "Empowering Women to Achieve Their Ambitions and Goals" with Dr. Tina Hallis and "Aging and Caregiving" with Dr. Barbara Bowers.

"In some regards, it was hard to get women into the sessions because the women were socializing and networking," Songolo smiled. "There was buzzing all over."

At lunchtime, Trailblazer Awards were present to Enemuoh-Trammell, YWCA CEO Rachel Krinsky, and the husband-and-wife team of Dr. Virginia Henderson and Dr. Perry Henderson.

"It was beautiful to see all of these women from all walks of life sharing with each other," Songolo said. "It was something that was very helpful and very healthy in terms of dealing with life and moving forward. Ultimately, we want women to learn something and go home with a tip or two and maybe also a new friend or two."
Reprinted from American Herald Tribune

While on a visit to nuclear-weaponzied Israel this week, US Vice-President Joe Biden threatened Iran with unspecified "action"over its testing of two long-range ballistic missiles.

Biden, who is nicknamed Bazooka Joe for his blunt rhetorical style, displayed typical American hypocrisy over his warning to Iran. He issued his admonition while in Tel Aviv alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose state is known to be armed with as many as 300 nuclear warheads in defiance of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Earlier, Iran reportedly tested the ballistic missiles on its own remote territory. Each were said to have range of over 1,000 kilometers, and an Iranian military spokesman said the weapons were capable of hitting Israel.

Biden did not specify what the US action towards Iran would entail. But given that Washington has repeatedly violated international laws forbidding the mere verbalizing of aggression by threatening that "all options are on the table" with regard to Iran, the US action could mean a military response. Or it could mean the US blocking the lifting of economic sanctions as part of the international nuclear accord signed last July with Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers.

For its part, Iran said that the missiles tested this week were for conventional, non-nuclear warheads. Tehran rejected US claims that it had violated the P5+1 nuclear accord, which mandates that Iran foregoes any nuclear weapons development. Iran says it has the right to develop all conventional weapons for defensive purposes.

Given that Israel actually does possess nuclear missiles and, like the US, has illegally threatened Iran on countless occasions with pre-emptive military strikes, one could reasonably expect Iran to develop long-range missiles for defense.



Only two weeks ago, the US test-fired two Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), according to Reuters. The Minuteman III missiles were launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to hit targets more than 6,500 kilometers away in the South Pacific. The difference with the Iranian missile tests this week is that the American weapons are expressly designed to carry nuclear warheads. Though the California test-fired missiles were on that occasion reportedly not armed with nukes.

But as deputy defense secretary Robert Work said at the time: "We and the Russians and the Chinese routinely do test shots to prove that the operational missiles that we have are reliable. And that is a signal... that we are prepared to use nuclear weapons in defense of our country if necessary."

According to Reuters, the US launch was the 15th such nuclear-capable ICBM test-fire since January 2011. That's a rate of three per year.

Russia has reportedly carried out a total of 16 nuclear-capable ICBM test launches over a 25-year period since the end of the Soviet Union. That is less than one per year. A report earlier this month said that Russia was about to conduct ICBM test-launches from nuclear-powered submarines in the Barents Sea.

Many analysts reckon that the world is witnessing a new nuclear arms race. The US appears to be leading this race, with the administration of President Barack Obama having committed more than $1 trillion over the next three decades to upgrade the US nuclear arsenal.

The US has more than 4,700 warheads in military service, according to the Arms Control Association. This is more than any other country, although Russia is close behind with 4,500. Between them, the US and Russia possess 90 percent of the world's entire stockpile of these weapons of mass destruction.

And lest we forget, the US is the only country to have ever actually used nuclear weapons when it destroyed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, killing over 200,000 mainly civilians instantly.

This is the reality check that Washington needs, but few of its politicians seem amenable to. Instead, US politicians have an in-built double-think mental device that comes with years of indoctrination on "American exceptionalism."

For more than 40 years since the signing of the NPT, the world is nowhere near the nuclear disarmament that it mandates of more than 160 signatory nations, including the US. Israel being a US-sponsored rogue state is not even a signatory of the NPT.

President Obama received a Noble Peace Prize back in 2009 because of a speech that ostensibly committed his nation to nuclear disarmament. Reuters described Obama's renewed spending on nukes an "ironic turn." Some would simply call it a gross deception.
Reprinted from Counterpunch

Democrats don't fight over the size of their presidential candidate's genitals. But that's little reason for Democrats to gloat in 2016. If Democratic officials get their way -- at this writing, that seems more likely than not -- Hillary Clinton will win her party's nomination partly due to the same reason as Donald Trump seems poised to win his: massive ignorance on the part of the voters.

The result will be a yuge disaster.

At a Democratic debate on February 4, Hillary Clinton was asked about the three speeches for which Goldman Sachs infamously paid her $675,000 as recently as 2013. (Would she release the text of those talks, so the public could judge whether she had promised special favors to the corrupt Wall Street firm? "I'll look into it," she promised.

By the next morning, The New York Times reported, it was clear that the Clinton campaign planned to stonewall the people's right to know: "it did not appear that much looking was underway."

"I don't think voters are interested in the transcripts of her speeches," Clinton's pollster told reporters. This, like many things that come out of the Clinton spin machine, was not true. Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary in a landslide in large part because Democrats in the Granite State believed she was covering up something shady in her Wall Street speeches.

More than a month later, at the Flint debate on March 6, she was still taking flak for Speechgate. By then Hillary had settled on a line about as far removed from "I'll look into it" as "stick it where don't shine": "I have said," she said through her plastic grin, "and I will say again, I will be happy to release anything I have as long as everybody else does too." Which is nonsense: no one expects Republican candidates to yield to demands from a participant in a Democratic primary.

For an old guy, Bernie struck like a viper: "I'm your Democratic opponent. I release it. Here it is!" the senator scoffed, throwing invisible pieces of paper at the audience. "There ain't nothing! I don't give speeches to Wall Street for hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Bill and Hill have raked in $153 million in speaking fees since 2001. Which is more than the GDP of three countries. But how many Democratic primary voters know that she is one of the most personally corrupt leaders ever, or that the Clintons have probably sold more political access to corporations than every other American politician in history combined? Based on tracking polls and her current delegate lead, roughly the same number of Democrats is aware of Hillary's record as Republicans who believe in science.

Granted, the fix is in for Hillary. The DNC scheduled debates at times when no one would get to see Bernie. The wildly anti-democratic superdelegate system designed to prevent progressives from getting nominated has been working perfectly. Super Tuesday, another scheme to conservatize races by frontloading southern states, went to her. And corporate media doesn't cover him. Given the obstacles, he's kicking ass.

Nevertheless, watching Hillary's tortured defense of her indefensible refusal to cough up her Wall Street transcripts the other night, I was struck by how easily a voter who comes to Clinton v. Sanders cold, ignorant of the two candidates' records, could conclude that she's more qualified for the presidency. She's great -- if you don't know your stuff.

Judging from the results so far, many Democratic voters are voting based on vague impressions rather than the hard facts -- which makes them no smarter than the conservative evangelists backing the vulgar, thrice-married, breast-ogling Trump.

Befitting her long tenure at the devil's crossroads of big money and big government, the former First Lady and Secretary of State came off as far more polished than her rival, the independent socialist Senator from one of the nation's tiniest states.

Hillary isn't president yet, but she played one on TV. She name-dropped and Beltway-wonked and reminded us that she "traveled around the world on your behalf as Secretary of State and went to 112 countries" (attending state dinners and sightseeing is what passes for a hardship). Hapless Bernie, arrested during the civil rights movement at the same time Hillary was campaigning for right-wing racist Barry Goldwater -- why would any black voter support her against him? -- swung and missed a slow, low pitch right across home plate, unable to summon up a good answer to what "racial blind spots" he had.

(Correct answer: "I'll never be black. So I'll never know what it's like to be black. As president, I will be surrounded by black people and I will listen to them.")

As usual, Hillary looked the part. She rocked her straight-out-of-central-casting first woman president look with a overpriced designer Dr. Evil jacket that evoked the catty, nasty dictator played by Kate Winslet in the dystopian "Insurgent" movies.
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Rob Kall gives readers an important wake up call to the bottom up power that they have to protect their rights, powers, and freedoms. His advice applies to all aspects of life, including politics, economics, journalism, entertainment, and psychology and wellness. Kall's book explains the differences between the top-down leadership approach of dominating, fear based, disconnected authoritarianism and the bottom-up connection consciousness that emphasizes values, justice, fairness, equity, and kindness. This book helps readers see the whole elephant as opposed to the disconnected parts. Kall gives great advice as to intensifying, expanding, prolonging, and deepening connections. With his professional background, Rob Kall is the perfect person to write this book. This is a very well-researched book that includes dozens of insightful interviews with top-notch experts. Kall shows how bottom-up small acts can produce massive results. He emphasizes that since we cant avoid this emerging bottom-up connection revolution, we need to learn how to navigate and embrace it. This bottom-up leadership will result in power to the people. This is a fascinating and insightful book, especially in this new era of digital hunting and gathering."



Larry Atkins, author of Skewed: A Critical Thinker's Guide to Media Bias
by Stephen P. Pizzo

Unaffordable Life-Saving Drugs:

How about creating an " eminent domain " doctrine for life-saving drugs?

It's an idea that's time has come, and for many of the very same reasons that eminent domain laws were passed to allow local and state governments to force the sale of a piece of property needed for important public purposes.

Over the past decade life-saving drugs have been priced out of the reach of many who desperately need them. The more life-threatening the disease, the higher the drug is priced -- a sick twist on the old gag, "Your money or life?"

I could launch into a Sanders-like diatribe about the excesses of free markets and capitalism but, in this case, there's a simple solution, one that can satisfy all sides.

First let's understand an important, and little mentioned, fact about the R&D end of the pharmaceutical business. Drug companies like to complain that they have to spend millions do develop groundbreaking drugs. What they fail to mention is that, even before they get their hands on those formulas, US taxpayers have already dumped tens of millions into their development.

"A new report shows taxpayers often foot the bill to help develop new drugs, but it's private companies that reap the lion's share of profits. In one case, the federal government spent $484 million developing the cancer drug Taxol -- derived from the bark of Pacific yew trees -- and it was marketed under an agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb starting in 1993. The medical community called it a promising new drug in the fight against ovarian and breast cancer.

Since then, Bristol-Myers Squibb has sold $9 billion worth of Taxol worldwide, according the the General Accounting Office report released today. The National Institutes of Health have received just $35 million in royalties from Bristol-Myers, however.

The Medicare program alone paid nearly $700 million over a five-year period, to buy a drug the government helped develop." (Source)

So the government usually has a lot of skin in the game long before drug companies start to test and market a new drug, something they don't like to talk about. Some of that government funding even goes directly to pharmaceutical company-run laboratories.

Okay, so to the solution; pharmaceutical eminent domain:

Any life-saving drug that is put on the market at a price an independent medical panel deems largely beyond the reach of average patients, would be sent to an arbitration board that would set a fair market price for the purchase by the US Government of that drugs patent(s).

Pharmaceutical companies would be paid a fair price, a price high enough for the patent that it would continue to encourage drug companies development of new drugs.

This would create an entirel new calculation for drug companies. Rather than pricing new life-saving drugs a the highest possible price, they would have to calculate what they could earn selling the patent to the US Government against what they could earn over the years if they priced the drug below the level that would trigger an imminent domain action against that particular drug.

Drugs that become the property of the government through this imminent domain process would be administered and marketed by Medicare, priced on a sliding scale of a patient's ability to pay. (We are, after all, talking about life-saving drugs here.)

Without an pharmaceutical imminent domain option hanging over drug companies, they will always go for the gold when pricing new, life-saving, drugs because, what do they have to lose? Nothing.

What do you have to lose? Your life.

Iraq and Afghanistan

Even though most US troops have been withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan, there are still many there and, if some folks in DC have their way, more will follow in the months and years ahead. This is a continuation of what seems to be a shockingly flat learning curve.

There really are not great arguments for remaining militarily engaged in any part of that terminally dysfunctional region. But, when confronted with the many good arguments against such ongoing engagements, proponents of engagement drag out their last weapon: the guilt-trip.

They say that, maybe it was our invasion of Iraq that unleashed this spiral of never-ending violence. And even if it wasn't, the fighting that followed our invasions killed and injured hundreds of thousands of civilians and destroyed what little public and private infrastructure they had. So we can't just pack up and leave now. We need to help them put their Humpty Dumpty back together again.

To which I say, hogwash.

True, citizens of both Iraq and Afghanistan have suffered terribly from the events kicked off by George W. and his sidekick, Dick. But we too have paid a price for it all, and will continue paying it for decades to come. Already the cost of those two wars have been estimated on th low end at at least $2 trillion and, when costs of veteran care and other ongoing costs, it could top $4 trillion -- money that could have, and should have, gone to fill very real and growing public and humanitarian needs here at home.

On top of that, over 6,800 US service members and over 6,900 contractors have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And an unusually high percentage of young veterans have died since returning home, many as a result of drug overdoses, vehicle crashes, or suicide.

So, as the song goes, "You gotta know when to hold-em, and know when to fold-em." And it high time to fold-em...both of them, Afghanistan and Iraq. And throw Syria into that mix as well, since there seems to be a growing itch to jump into that Middle East tarpit as well.

As long as the combatants and politicians in those troubled countries think they can sucker the US into sending money, arms and troops to play their sectarian games, they have no incentive whatsoever to seek other solutions. (I shudder to think how many Swiss bank accounts are brimming over with US aide money, but I would wager it would reach well into the hundreds of billions of dollars. Wanna bet?)

So, out now. All the way out. And then stay out. Everyone has paid a terrible price for this "bring democracy to the Middle East" folly. Time to call and end to it and let them figure out exactly what is they want, and are willing to live with.

Israel & Palestine

Here's another bit on never-ending trouble we need to clean our skirts of once and for all. If you're looking for either pure victims or pure heroes, look elsewhere, you won't find ANY here.

On one side we have a bunch of largely Europeans, packing 5000 year-old Biblical title reports that show they once owned the entire area from the sea to the borders of Jordan and Syria. And they are now here to reclaim it..all of it.

On the other side are the Palestinians... a group that, as it has been said, and proven many times , "never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity." Time and again, when some kind of agreement appeared at hand, the Palestinians' leadership (a term I use loosely) sabotaged the deals.

Here again we see American interventions produce more, not less trouble. ("Hi, I'm from America, and I'm here to help." Run!) And, like the wars we just discussed, our involvement with this never-ending pissing match has cost us dearly.

U.S. military aid to Israel was $2.775 billion in 2010, $3 billion in 2011, $3.07 billion in 2012 (and $3.15 billion per year from 2013-2018.) Washington also provides aid to Palestine totaling, on average, $875 million annually. (Imagine what that money could pay for here at home. And you will have to imagine that, since it didn't provide squat here at home.)

The Israel lobby wheels out a battery of arguments in favor of arming and funding Israel, including the assertion that a step back from such aid for Israel would signify a "retreat" into "isolationism." But would the United States, a global hegemon busily engaged in nearly every aspect world affairs, be "isolated" if it ceased giving lavish military aid to Israel? Was the United States "isolated" before 1967 when it expanded that aid in a major way? These questions answer themselves.

"If it weren't for US support for Israel, this conflict would have been resolved a long time ago," says Josh Ruebner.(national advocacy director for the US Campaign to End the Occupation and author of Shattered Hopes: Obama's Failure to Broker Israeli-Palestinian Peace) (Source)

Israel has become so accustomed to the US caving to their demands, it now lobbies our Congress directly, like a de facto US state, encouraging opposition forces in Congress to reject the policies of a sitting US President. Imagine that. Oh,wait, you don't have to imagine it, do you:

So, the solution agaun is clear: Walkaway. Stay away.

What would happen, you ask? Well, on the Palestinian side what would happen is they would realize that no one was going to come to their rescue the next time they dig their heels in and refuse to accept anything less than the entire loaf. And that they themselves will have to rein in their Hamas factions before those nuts get the entire Palestinian population embroiled in another bloody war with Israel...which would likely be the last one.

For Israel our total disengagement would also send a message: Game Over. So, you don't want to get out of the West Bank? Fine. It's yours. In which case Israel's ever thinning democratic veneer would be stripped away. Once stuck with all those Palestinians -- who are outbreeding Israelis by a long shot -- then officially part of Israel, they would have to decide... do we let them vote? If they do let them vote, Palestinians will out-vote white Israelis and would like rally much support form Israeli Arabs as well. Don't let them vote and Israel would become a full-fledged apartheid regime....and good luck with that.

By announcing we're out of ideas and out of patience with both sides, both sides will be tossed hot potatoes they will have to juggle themselves. Then let self-interests shape their decisions, unencumbered by hopes some outside force will charge to their rescue.
Reprinted from Ramzy Baroud Website

Regardless of the outcome of the American presidential primaries, or even the result of the general elections next November, a frightening phenomenon is underway. The US has decidedly moved to the Right, in fact the Ultra-Right; class differences are more pronounced than ever before, thanks to decades of neoliberal policies, the kind of capitalism that has concentrated the wealth in even fewer hands; racism is on the rise and the unmistakable signs of fascism are evident whenever Donald Trump holds a campaign rally.

Not that Trump's opponents are any less frightening in their rhetoric, but the man who has won 316 delegates in the Republican Party's primaries has proven to be a liability to a party whose supporters are known for their overt racism and hate speech. Sure, there are many hurdles yet to be overcome, but Trump's winning streak is already raising alarming questions about the future of the Republicans and the future politics of the entire country.

The fear of the Trump phenomenon should not be confined to a discussion concerning politics, but understood as a reflection of a societal shift, whose roots are many, and are now all converging to steer US politics towards a whole new direction. Even if the Republicans lose the elections, the trend is likely to continue -- if not accelerate -- under a Hillary Clinton administration, who is loathed by the Republicans and also many Democrats.

In the less likely chance that Bernie Sanders clinches the Democratic Party nomination, the country is likely to experience a political deadlock. Sanders refers to himself as a socialist, although he is not, since he does not call for common ownership of resources. But just the mere reference is likely to result in a political upheaval greater than that caused by Barack Obama's ascendency to the While House in 2009.

Obama, too, was called a socialist, which for many in the US is considered a swear word, even surpassing the word "liberal." Of course, Obama was no socialist, either. For one, he bailed out the most corrupt financial institutions in the US following the economic recession, while millions of poor and middle-class Americans lost their homes, pensions and life savings.

Chris Hedges refers to the ongoing American upheaval as "the revenge of the lower classes." And the blame should be shared by Republicans and Democrats alike, who represented and spoke on behalf of the wealthy elites and the massive corporations, yet differed in terminology that set them apart in language only.

"There are tens of millions of Americans, especially lower-class whites, rightfully enraged at what has been done to them, their families and their communities," Hedges wrote. "They have risen up to reject the neoliberal policies and political correctness imposed on them by college-educated elites from both political parties: lower-class whites are embracing an American fascism."

While the roots of the problem, at least among Republican support, can be identified, the alienation and the lack of a unifying vision is generating a terrible backlash:

"These Americans want a kind of freedom--a freedom to hate. They want the freedom to idealize violence and the gun culture. They want the freedom to have enemies, to physically assault Muslims, undocumented workers, African-Americans, homosexuals and anyone who dares criticize their crypto-fascism."

The rise of political hooliganism is not new, but has finally made a jump from relatively marginal, angry chauvinistic movements, such as the Tea Party, into a mainstream tidal wave.

The twist is that the Tea Party Movement had largely emerged after Obama's first term in office and was mostly the Republican establishment's attempt at galvanizing their supporters to defeat any initiatives that aimed at expanding the role of government under the new administration.

It was a political ploy with a specific agenda, and its members were described as a mix of Libertarians and Conservatives although, in reality, it invested in a model of political populism that exploited people's anger at the collapse of their economy and the short-sightedness of politicians.

That form of popular manipulation backfired, and even the Republican Party establishment is now dumbfounded by the Frankenstein monster it has itself created or, at least, allowed to be born. It is a Republican "civil war" as described by USA Today, and the panic over a Trump nomination is resurrecting old figures from their slumber, all trying to slow down the uncontrollable demagoguery that has afflicted their party.

Former 2012 Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, joined that "civil war" on 3 March as he hurled insults at Trump during a televised speech. He described him as "phony" and a "fraud" who will hand over the White House to Clinton. "His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University," said Romney. "He's playing the American public for suckers: he gets a free ride to the White House and all we get is a lousy hat."

Of course, Trump fired back with his own colorful language and animated style. Yet, the fact remains: "playing Americans for suckers" is as American as apple-pie, and Republicans who rallied behind the likes of the bizarre duo of John McCain and Sarah Palin in 2008 know this well.
Reprinted from WSWS

The victory of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in the March 8 Democratic primary in Michigan is a clear indicator of growing radicalization in the American working class. More than half a million people cast their votes for a candidate claiming to be socialist. This gave Sanders an unanticipated victory over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the consensus presidential nominee of the Democratic Party establishment. Sanders won despite the support for Clinton by the corporate-controlled media, whose polls invariably predicted a Clinton victory by double-digit margins.

The vote did not come in a small rural state or in caucuses attended by a few thousand Democratic Party activists. Michigan was the first major industrial state to vote in the presidential nomination campaign, and the turnout was relatively high.

Historically, Michigan was a center of the American labor movement--the site of sit-down strikes that paved the way for the formation of the industrial unions in the 1930s. It has become ground zero for the crushing impact of plant closures, wage cuts and the growth of poverty and social misery, carried out with the full collaboration of unions, including the United Auto Workers, which have been transformed into industrial policemen for the corporations.

The primary campaigns in both big business parties have been dominated by the growth of popular anger and disgust with the political establishment. Eight years after the Wall Street crash, the mass experience of economic insecurity and falling living standards is beginning to find a political expression, however distorted. Broad sections of working people and youth have gravitated to candidates who portray themselves as anti-establishment "outsiders."

This has taken an overtly right-wing and ominous form in the support, including among highly impoverished and oppressed sections of the working class, for the fascistic real estate billionaire and Republican front-runner Donald Trump. In the Michigan Republican primary, Trump won easily, taking nearly 50 percent of the vote in Macomb County, a center of the auto industry in the suburbs north of Detroit.

Opposition to the political establishment has found a more left-wing expression in the broad support of workers and young people for Sanders, whose claim to be a "democratic socialist" has connected with growing anti-capitalist sentiment. Sanders, to his own surprise, has found a strong response to a campaign that was launched largely to provide the Democratic Party with a "left" cover before the planned nomination of Clinton. Sanders pledged from the outset to support the eventual Democratic nominee, whomever that turned out to be.

The glaring failure of media polling to detect the shift in class sentiment, assuming that the polls in Michigan were not simply rigged to assist in a Clinton victory, is itself a demonstration of the chasm that separates the entire political establishment, including both major parties and the corporate interests they serve, from the vast majority of the population. This was summed up last Friday when President Obama, responding to the February jobs report, made the astounding boast that "America is pretty darn great right now."

For decades, as the political system has moved ever further to the right, pursuing policies of social reaction at home and permanent war abroad, a manufactured "public opinion" has been used to suppress opposition and justify a reactionary agenda. This has been buttressed by the so-called "left" of American politics, concentrated in the Democratic Party, which, with the eager assistance of various middle-class pseudo-left organizations, has worked to conceal the basic class divide in American capitalist society and instead define all social and political issues on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation and life-style questions. The aim of the fixation on such secondary questions is to divide the working class and block its emergence as an independent and united political force.

Sanders' victory in Michigan reflects the intrusion of class issues into the elections. The Clinton campaign, like the media, was taken unawares by Sanders' win. At a campaign rally Tuesday night in Cleveland, Clinton made no reference to the close contest in the neighboring state and instead described the campaign for the Democratic nomination as in its final stages. "The sooner I can become your nominee, the more I can begin to turn my attention to the Republicans," she told her audience.

Sanders was similarly oblivious to the real state of affairs. He held no election night rally for his supporters and campaign workers in Michigan, choosing instead to leave the state for events in Florida. He gave a perfunctory seven-minute news conference in Miami shortly before 11 p.m. without making any claim to victory.

Clinton won a majority among only two demographic groups: the highest income bracket, those making over $100,000 a year; and the poorest sections of African-American workers in Detroit, Pontiac and Flint. Sanders won every region of the state outside the Detroit metropolitan area. Significantly, he won an even higher percentage of the vote in industrial cities like Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo than in college towns like Ann Arbor and East Lansing.

The class character of the vote for Sanders was further demonstrated in exit polls, which found that people under 30 voted for the senator from Vermont by a margin of 81 percent to 18 percent. Sanders won majorities of voters making less than $50,000 a year, whites without a college degree (by 17 points), and even union voters (by two points) despite--or because of--union endorsements for Clinton. Sanders also won white women by a margin of five points, refuting suggestions that the former secretary of state would have a natural advantage with those of her own gender.

The exit polls indicated another significant political fact: most voters did not suddenly change their minds, under the impact of last Sunday's debate or other events. That means that the polls conducted in the weeks leading up to the primary consistently underestimated the support for Sanders.

It remains very difficult to predict what the outcome of the 2016 election campaign will be. The two-party system, which the American ruling class has maintained for nearly two centuries to safeguard its political monopoly, is in increasing crisis. While the support for the Sanders campaign reveals a shift to the left among working people, Sanders' conscious aim is to contain this radicalization within the framework of the Democratic Party, whether as the party's nominee himself, or by delivering his supporters to the camp of Clinton.

Moreover, both Sanders and Trump, in different ways, base themselves on the reactionary program of economic nationalism. Sanders attacks NAFTA and other pro-corporate trade deals not from the standpoint of the unity of the working class internationally against the transnational corporations, but from the standpoint of playing off American workers against their class brothers and sisters in other countries. Trump combines this with openly racist and anti-immigrant demagogy and bellicose denunciations of Mexico, Japan and China. Whether in "left" or openly right-wing garb, protectionism fuels the growth of militarism and war.
It was good to bring healthcare to 15 million more people but it was not a good idea to cut a deal with big Pharma to allow them to charge retail and promise to cut off ordering drugs from Canada at lower cost. Appointing two democratic women to the Supreme Court was good, appointing bankers and Monsanto execs to head agencies, not so good. Saving the auto industry and getting paid back, good. Pushing for a predatory set of trade deals-- TPP and TPA-- that almost entirely benefit transnational corporations, not the 99%, pretty bad.

The African American states are a lost cause and mostly behind. It is no longer necessary to walk on eggshells when it comes to criticizing Obama. Bernie should show his anti-establishment credentials by giving balanced critiques of Obama-- one good thing, one bad thing.

Rob Kall is an award winning journalist, inventor, software architect, connector and visionary. His work and his writing have been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, ABC, the HuffingtonPost, Success, Discover and other media.

Check out his platform at RobKall.com

He is the author of The Bottom-up Revolution; Mastering the Emerging World of Connectivity

He's given talks and workshops to Fortune 500 execs and national medical and psychological organizations, and pioneered first-of-their-kind conferences in Positive Psychology, Brain Science and Story. He hosts some of the world's smartest, most interesting and powerful people on his Bottom Up Radio Show, and founded and publishes one of the top Google- ranked progressive news and opinion sites, OpEdNews.com

more detailed bio:

Rob Kall has spent his adult life as an awakener and empowerer-- first in the field of biofeedback, inventing products, developing software and a music recording label, MuPsych, within the company he founded in 1978-- Futurehealth, and founding, organizing and running 3 conferences: Winter Brain, on Neurofeedback and consciousness, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology (a pioneer in the field of Positive Psychology, first presenting workshops on it in 1985) and Storycon Summit Meeting on the Art Science and Application of Story-- each the first of their kind. Then, when he found the process of raising people's consciousness and empowering them to take more control of their lives one person at a time was too slow, he founded Opednews.com-- which has been the top search result on Google for the terms liberal news and progressive opinion for several years. Rob began his Bottom-up Radio show, broadcast on WNJC 1360 AM to Metro Philly, also available on iTunes, covering the transition of our culture, business and world from predominantly Top-down (hierarchical, centralized, authoritarian, patriarchal, big) to bottom-up (egalitarian, local, interdependent, grassroots, archetypal feminine and small.) Recent long-term projects include a book, Bottom-up-- The Connection Revolution, debillionairizing the planet (more...)


Colm for Congress

Oregon Firearms Federation Urges Gun Owners to Support Willis in Republican Primary

Stayton, OR  Oregon Firearms Federation PAC announced their endorsement of Colm Willis for Congress. Oregon Firearms Federation have been strong defenders of the Second Amendment. Theyre known for endorsing constitutional conservatives who are clear, strong supporters and defenders of the Second Amendment.

Oregon Firearms Federation joins a bevy of local Conservative organizations and lawmakers who support Colm Wilis campaign for Congress in the highly competitive 5th Congressional District.

As a gun owner I know how important it is for our representatives to defend our Second Amendment rights, said Willis. In Congress I will be an unwavering voice against those who would erode our fundamental right to keep and bear arms.

Colm Willis is a native Oregonian, a husband and father of two daughters, and a small business lawyer practicing in Stayton. Willis previously served as the political director of Oregon Right to Life and as an aide to the Joint Economic Committee in the U.S. Senate. He attended Willamette University College of Law where he earned the Civil Rights Award and graduated first in his class as valedictorian.
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PM COAS witnessed military exercises in Saudi Arab

RIYADH: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif along with the top Saudi leadership witnessed the concluding ceremony of Thunder of the North military exercises in Saudi Arabia, ISPR said on Thursday.



The premier and the army chief with the Saudi leadership and other dignitaries were on the site of the North Thunder final manoeuvres, said Lt-Gen Asim Bajwa, director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), in a statement.



The 12-day Northern Thunder manoeuvres in the kingdoms northeast included 20 nations from the Middle East, Africa and Asia, Saudi officials said.



The prime minister and COAS reached Riyadh on Wednesday to witness the military exercises as well as hold talks on the regional and bilateral issues. They were received at the King Saud Airport by Prince Muhammad bin Salman and other high-ranking officials. Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi also accompanied the top leadership to Riyadh.



As the dignitaries watched from a pavilion, Apache gunships fired rockets with a bone-shaking blast. Smoke rose from targets on the ground and commandos rappelled from helicopters. Fighter jets streaked through the sky releasing orange flares, artillery shells whistled through the air and heavy machinegun fire boomed from across the drill site, which stretched for dozens of kilometres.



The exercises took place near Hafr al-Batin city, close to the Kuwaiti and Iraq borders. Saudi Arabias chief of staff, General Abdulrahman al-Bunyan, commanded the exercise and called it the largest Arab and Islamic military gathering in the region.
US Senate rejected resolution to block sale of F-16 to Pakistan

WASHINGTON: The US Senate on Thursday rejected by two-thirds vote a resolution to block the proposed sale of eight F-16 aircraft to Pakistan.



In a house of 100, 71 Senators voted to reject the resolution moved by Republican Senator Rand Paul who wants to prevent the Obama administration from making the proposed sale. Only 24 Senators backed Senator Pauls move. Others abstained.



The vote on the procedural resolution was moved by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, also a Republican, to kill the resolution Senator Paul had moved, said an announcement released after the vote.



The procedural resolution was passed by approximately two-thirds majority, denying any further motion against the sale, it added.



The Senate debated the measure for an hour during which Senator Paul strongly urged other lawmakers to support his move.



Senator Paul, who is also a former Republican presidential candidate, used a provision of the Arms Export Control Act to force a floor vote on his resolution.



The Congressional Research Service, however, released a report earlier this week, explaining that Senator Paul must wait 10 days before launching his legislative attempt to block the sale.



In a recent interview to the US media, Senator Paul said he would continue to try to stop the sale even if his initial efforts failed.



He said he would block any arm sales to Pakistan until Islamabad released Dr Shakil Afridi and Asia Bibi, a Christian woman being held in prison for violating the countrys strict blasphemy laws. Dr Afridi is believed to have played a vital role in the manhunt that led to the locating and killing of Osama bin Laden. He is being held in a Pakistani prison on a 33-year sentence.
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Media Report : During a stormy session at the Scottish Parliament , former top judge Lord Brian Gill - who twice refused to face a Holyrood probe on judges secret wealth, connections & links to big business - demanded MSPs close proposals to require judges to register their interests as called for in Petition PE1458: Register of Interests for members of Scotland's judiciary . Video footage of Lord Gills stormy evidence session with MSPs can be viewed here: Evidence of Lord Gill before the Scottish Parliament 10 November 2015

The proposals, backed by cross party MSPs during a debate in the Parliaments main chamber on 9 October 2014 - Debating the Judges - call for the creation of a publicly available register of judicial interests containing information on judges backgrounds, their personal wealth, undeclared earnings, business & family connections inside & outside of the legal profession, offshore investments, hospitality, details on recusals and other information routinely lodged in registers of interest across all walks of public life in the UK and around the world.
The JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa welcomed press and members of the club Marriott Rewards Program to Ginja Taste on Friday the 4th of March to launch the latest instalment in their 2016 Culinary Journey. The star of the show was celebrity chef Degan Septoadji, former head judge on MasterChef Indonesia.

Artfully created Indonesian classics were presented in the JW Marriotts signature Thai restaurant, Ginja Taste, where the delectable sharing menu was paired with wines from one of Asia Pacifics hottest up and coming wineries, Stonefish Wines.

Chef Degan proudly offered his signature set menu, a delectable mix of dishes prepared from the heart and presented with a distinguished level of craftsmanship. Some highlights include; Aneka Hidangan Pembuka (a traditional mix of Indonesian appetizers), Bebek Bambu Bali (Balinese spiced duck), Ikan Panggang Kemangi (oven-baked fish, chili and lemongrass spice-paste and lemon basil) and an Indonesian black sticky rice pudding perfectly complimented by a coconut and lime sherbet.

The distinguished chef grew up in Germany and received his culinary training there, initially focusing on the art of French and other European cuisines. It was after his training that he felt the urge to go back to his home country and learn the cuisine that ran through his veins. In an interview with Chef Degan by the JW Marriott Phuket, he explained that My mother used to cook it [Indonesian cuisine] at home and my grandmother was a very good cook when I went back I remembered the dishes that were cooked by the family, adding that he learnt how to balance the spice and replicate the traditional Indonesian flavours. Chef Degan knew after cooking his Indonesian food for customers all over the world that whenever [he] did a promotion, that people actually like the original taste of Indonesia, not an adjusted flavor. Not only was it about the food itself, but for Chef Degan it was just as much part of discovering his culture through cooking and keeping his heritage.

View our short interview with Chef Degan here

His delight for Indonesian food has brought him to cook and present his food at some of the worlds best venues including the 3-Michelin star Restaurant Schwarzwaldstube in Hotel Traube Tonbach, Germany regularly since 2014. Degan was nominated as Best Asian Chef at the 2012 World Gourmet Summit in Singapore.

The culinary Journey is the main focal point of the JW Marriott Phukets event line up for this year, with an exciting mix of visiting Chefs from some of Asias most prestigious venues.

Dont miss chance to have an exclusive Indonesian Cuisine experience, with only three days left as well as the Indonesian cooking class.

To make a reservation, please contact the Food & Beverage team, Tel +66 076 338 000 or email: mhrs.hktjw.fbdiningexperience@marriott.com

website: www.jwmarriottphuketresort.com
Subterranean termite swarmers, such as those shown here, typically emerge during the day in the springtime. according to Dr. Mike Merchant, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service urban entomologist, Dallas. Credit: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Dr. Mike Merchant

With arthropods being the most diverse and successful organisms on the planet, it shouldn't be a surprise that insects and their relatives have been highly successful at invading our homes, said Dr. Mike Merchant, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service urban entomologist in Dallas.

"Insects have evolved along with humans, actually becoming specialists at living among us and off our scraps and cast-offs," Merchant said "Unfortunately, their invasion of our homes often leads to structural and other damage that can negatively impact the home's value."

Merchant has put together a "most wanted" list of those insects with the greatest potential for reducing a home's livability and value.

Termites: According to the National Pest Management Association, termites cause over $5 billion in property damage annually throughout the U.S.

"Extensive termite damage can make floors or walls sag due to loss of structural integrity," Merchant said. "Look for small, brown or black ant-like insects with four wings. These are the reproductive forms that commonly appear in March and April. Unlike ants, they lack a pinched waist between the abdomen and thorax."

Termite damage is not typically covered by homeowner's insurance, Merchant said, and termite control is not for amateurs.

"If you suspect termites, it's best to call a professional," he said. "A professional can help the property owner identify the species and an effective control to protect the home."

In some parts of the state, drywood termites are a problem, he said. These termites do not need contact with the soil, but live entirely within wooden joists, walls and furniture.

"Treatments are very different for the two types of termites, and that's another reason to bring in a pest control professional," he said.

Powderpost beetles: Merchant said these small, black wood-boring beetles can be a major headache, especially for new homeowners in Texas and the southern U.S.

"These beetles attack hardwood only, so will not destroy a home, but can infest molding, flooring, cabinets, doors and other hardwood furniture," he said. "Look for small, round holes in wood. Active infestations are recognized by the presence of very fine sawdust coming from the holes."

He said powderpost beetles can affect the ability to sell a home as well as affect the price of a home.

"Although they will not destroy a home, powderpost beetles are reportable on state wood-destroying-insect reports required for home loans in most states. Most infestations from wood-boring beetles occur in new homesthat is homes from one to five years old that have been built with infested wood. Removing infested wood is usually the most economical solution."

Carpenter ants: These are major structural pests in some parts of the country, especially the Pacific Northwest, Merchant said.

"While they don't eat wood, the well-muscled jaws of carpenter ants are fully capable of hollowing out solid pine or fir lumber to make nest galleries," he said.

However, he added, this is not so true in Texas, where our species tends to avoid the hard work of boring into wood and contents itself with living in void areas inside hollow doors, behind insulation and in softer styrofoam insulation panels.

"Nevertheless, carpenter ants are considered wood destroyers in most states and are also reportable on real estate transactions," Merchant said. "And even mild-natured southern carpenter ants can be quite a nuisance when they forage indoors looking for water and sweets."

Honey bees: "These insects are great outdoorsin a hive kept by a beekeeperbut can become expensive 'homewreckers' if they build their colony inside walls, floors, attics or crawl spaces of your house," Merchant said.

Within a few days of finding their way indoors, a bee colony of 30,000 bees can build a several pound hive, he explained. As the hive continues to grow, it becomes a sizeable mass of wax, honey and propolis, also known as bee glue.

"If a hive is not removed after being killed by insecticide, he said, the nest will leak fermenting honey, melted wax and dead bees. It will also attract insect scavengers, moths and rodents."

He said a significant part of the cost of bee extermination is the removal of the nest.

"Make sure whoever you hire has experience and knows what they are doing," he said. "You may be able to get someone to extract the bees alive, but this isn't always practical and it usually costs more. You shouldn't feel guilty about exterminating a wild bee nest where it's not wanted."

Fire ants: A major pest in the southern U.S., fire ants reduce both the aesthetic and recreational value of your home, Merchant said. They can damage transformer boxes, air conditioning and other electrical relay switches, causing power outages.

"The good news is that fire ants are not that difficult to control," he said. "The first step should be to broadcast one of many excellent fire ant baits over your entire lawn. When collected by foraging ants, fire ant bait particles are carried to all colonies in the yard and shared with the queen and other ants to kills them.

"The second step is to directly treat any ant colony that needs immediate control. Applying an insecticide or other treatment directly to a fire ant mound is the fastest way to get rid of most fire ant colonies."

Merchant said using this two-step technique will reduce the number of ant colonies and the risk of damage. For detailed information, see The Texas Two-Step Method fact sheet at citybugs.tamu.edu/files/2015/02/L-5070-1.pdf

German cockroaches: "Having these insects in the home is both repugnant and unhealthy," Merchant said. "Research has shown that children growing up in homes with German cockroaches are more likely to suffer from allergies and asthma."

He said German cockroaches require a vigorous cleanup effort and careful use of baits.

"If you do these two things right, sprays are not usually needed for good cockroach control."

Merchant also recommended the free AgriLife Extension publication "Cockroach Biology and Management," which can be found at www.agrilifebookstore.org/Cock  ement-p/ento-037.htm..

Bed bugs: These undesirables reduce the attractiveness and livability of any home, Merchant said.

"While bed bugs are not known to carry disease, their presence is highly undesirable and causes soiling of bedding, home and furniture," he said. "I recently spoke to a prospective buyer of a very expensive home who was considering backing out of the deal because she found out the previous owner had had bed bugs. Fortunately, the owner had hired a good company with experienced staff who did all the right things, and had records showing that the problem had been taken care of."

Merchant said those unfortunate enough to have bed bugs in their home should seriously consider hiring a pest control expert. In the meantime, he said, additional suggestions and information about control can be found at citybugs.tamu.edu/factsheets/b  g-stinging/bed-bugs/.

Explore further New method to stop Argentine ants
Researchers have built and demonstrated a novel configurable computing device that uses a thousand times less electrical power  and can be built up to a hundred times smaller  than comparable digital floating-gate configurable devices currently in use.

The new device, called the Field-Programmable Analog Array (FPAA) System-On-Chip (SoC), uses analog technology supported by digital components to achieve unprecedented power and size reductions. The researchers said that for many applications these low-power analog-based chips are likely to work as well as or better than configurable digital arrays.

Currently, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)  digital devices widely used in consumer devices, defense systems and more  dominate the configurable chip market. These floating-gate integrated circuits can be altered internally at any time, and techniques to reconfigure them for many different forms and functions are well established.

Professionals familiar with FPGAs will find the programming interface of the new analog chip surprisingly like the digital circuits in many ways, said Jennifer Hasler, a professor in the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and leader of the research team that produced the new analog architecture.

"But in other ways the FPAA is going to seem quite different," she said. "In terms of the power needed, it's extremely different because you need only milliwatts to run the analog device, while it's hard to get an FPGA to work on less than a watt."

A paper on the new FPAA system-on-chip device has been published on the IEEE Xplore website. Another paper focusing on the details of programming FPAA devices was also published on the Xplore site. In addition a third paper, detailing a high-level open-source programming toolset developed by Hasler and her team for programming analog arrays, has also been published online in the Journal of Low Power Electronics and Applications.

Novel Techniques

Traditionally, analog technology has been used primarily for hard-wired circuits such as sensors that interface between digital devices and the real world; examples include the circuits that detect and reproduce sound in cell phones and other devices. Analog circuits are also used extensively in electronics to regulate and optimize power use. These single-function circuits cannot perform software-based computation, using hardware gates and switches, in the manner of digital integrated circuits.

Hasler's team, however, has developed techniques that perform computation using an analog-style physical architecture by reliably positioning electrons in an FPAA's connective structure. This approach stands in contrast to FPGAs, which process electrons through floating gates in ways similar to conventional digital semiconductors such as memory chips or central processing units.

One advantage of FPAAs is that they're non-volatile, Hasler explained, meaning they retain data even when power is turned off. This is similar to flash memory technology, such as the solid-state drives and storage cards commonplace today. The use of non-volatile memory reduces power consumption, in contrast to the higher power needs of the volatile SRAM configurations typically used in FPGAs.

"In addition to being non-volatile, our analog architecture lets us do something fairly radical  we can compute using the routing fabric of the chip, exploiting areas that are usually considered just dead weight," Hasler said. "To help do this, we've developed highly efficient switches that can be programmed on, off, or in-between  partially on and partially off. This flexibility provides both increased computation capabilities and reduced power consumption."

Milliwatts or Microwatts

The present FPAA device can operate on less than 30 milliwatts  thousandths of a watt, Hasler explained. That level approaches three orders of magnitude less than a conventional digital configurable chip. Further design advances in analog arrays could bring their power needs down into the microwatt range  millionths of a watt.

To program the analog environment of the new device, researchers manipulate electrons in precise ways. Using electron-injection and electron-tunneling techniques, they erase data by lowering the number of electrons at specific locations in the device structure to the lowest possible value. Then they encode new data by increasing the number of electrons located at a given location up to an exact value.

This complex approach makes possible a highly dense chip structure that offers many parameters  meaning programmable variables that can exist in a large number of different states and offer many shadings of behavior. It is this structural density that allows greater computing capability for a given degree of physical size and power input.

"Our FPAA chip has roughly half a million of these programmable parameters," Hasler said. "They can be used as a switch in a digital manner  using the lowest possible value for 'off' or the highest possible value for 'on'  or we can achieve even more rich behavior using intermediate values."

A New Toolset

The FPAA device includes a small amount of built-in digital circuitry that supports communication within the chip and also helps run the programming infrastructure. Utilizing these support features, the team has developed an extensive set of high-level programming tools to take advantage of the new chip.

Among other things, the new toolset is designed to make working with analog arrays accessible to those familiar with digital designs like FPGAs, which are programmed using comparable high-level tools. The new toolset can both simulate and program the FPAA reconfigurable device. A paper detailing these high-level tools has been published online.

"Our toolset uses high-level software developed in the Scilab/Xcos open-source programs, with an analog and mixed-signal library of components," Hasler said. "Georgia Tech undergraduates are already using these tools in classes in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering that cover mixed-signal and analog devices and tools."

One area in which the analog approach is notably powerful involves command words  voice recognition technology used in devices like smartphones to do such things as wake up circuits from an off state, Hasler said. Like traditional analog sensing circuits, an FPAA offers excellent context-aware capability at extremely low power states.

Hasler said that she has talked with several companies about potential applications of the FPAA in commercial devices. A significant number of FPAA chips has already been produced, but plans for potential large-scale manufacture of the chips have not been finalized. The key technologies in the FPAA system-on-chip are patent pending.

"We believe that analog technology offers very powerful ways to look at physical computing, with considerable potential for commercial, neuromorphic, military and other applications," Hasler said.

Explore further Neuromorphic computing 'roadmap' envisions analog path to simulating human brain

More information: Sihwan Kim et al. Integrated Floating-Gate Programming Environment for System-Level ICs, IEEE Transactions on Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) Systems (2015). Sihwan Kim et al. Integrated Floating-Gate Programming Environment for System-Level ICs,(2015). DOI: 10.1109/TVLSI.2015.2504118 Suma George et al. A Programmable and Configurable Mixed-Mode FPAA SoC, IEEE Transactions on Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) Systems (2016). DOI: 10.1109/TVLSI.2015.2504119 Michelle Collins et al. An Open-Source Tool Set Enabling Analog-Digital-Software Co-Design, Journal of Low Power Electronics and Applications (2016). DOI: 10.3390/jlpea6010003
3-D model of the European Solar Telescope. Credit: Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias.

Today, March 10th, an official announcement was made about the updating of the ESFRI (Forum for a European Strategy in Research Inrastructures) route map at a meeting in Amsterdam. This route map includes the EST (European Solar Telescope) project, together with five other projects (ACTRIS, DANUBIUS-RI, E-RIHS, EMPHASIS Y KM3NeT 2.0) and two others which are considered to be emblematic (CERN LHC Y ESRF EBS).

The EST is a project to construct the largest solar telescope in the world, four metres in diameter, to be sited at the Canary Island Observatories. In this project, which is coordinated by the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, (IAC) there are research institutes from fourteen European countries. The main goal of the telescope is to study solar phenomena such as sunspots or flares, with unprecedented accuracy and a resolution of only a few tens of kilometres at the solar surface. Thanks to this, the EST will enable us to understand better the magnetic activity of the sun, and the violent eruptions accompanied by the emission of large quantities of electrically charged material which can perturb terrestrial communications.

Now that the project has achieved priority status, it has reasonable hopes to get firm financial backing from its members in the near future. The Spanish government has already, via the Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation, offered its clear support and the commitment of a strong Spanish contribution to the building of the EST.

The ESFRI 2016 route map identifies the new infrastructures for research which are of interest to the whole of Europe's scientific research communities, covering all fields of science. It comprises 21 projects, including six new ones, the EST among them, and 29 "emblematic" projects which were already in a practical development phase by the end of 2015.

SOLARNET and GREST are two European projects, presently in operation and coordinated by the IAC, which assure a continuity in the Conceptual Design Study of the EST, whose aim is to maintain an integrated community of solar physicists in Europe in an active state with respect to the EST, via web-based activities, schools, mobility of young researchers, and a programme of access to telescopes and databases, as well as joint activities in R+D to develop the newest technologies needed for this infrastructure.

Explore further Sun spits out mid-level solar flare

Provided by Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC)
Figure 1 from Knott et al. is a map of the Cassia Hills in southern Idaho (C in inset) showing main canyonsand locations mentioned in the text. Credit: GSA Bulletin and Thomas R. Knott et al.

Ancient super-eruptions west of Yellowstone, USA, were investigated by an international initiative to examine the frequency of massive volcanic events. Yellowstone famously erupted cataclysmically in recent times, but these were just the latest of a longer succession of huge explosive eruptions that burned a track from Oregon eastward toward Yellowstone during the past 16 million years.

The Cassia Hills of southern Idaho preserve evidence of twelve catastrophic large-scale explosive eruptions, which left widespread glassy deposits fused to the landscape. Each deposit preserves subtly distinctive magnetic, mineralogical, and chemical characteristics that allow them to be traced great distances.

Painstaking work by Thomas R. Knott and colleagues has revealed records of previously undiscovered large-scale eruptions, which caused Earth's crust in the area to subside by more than three kilometers, leaving a deep volcanic basin along the Snake River Plain. These older volcanic eruptions were hotter and probably more frequent than the Yellowstone eruptions.

Explore further First use of NanoSIMS ion probe measurements to understand volcanic cycles at Yellowstone

More information: Mid-Miocene record of large-scale Snake River-type explosive volcanism and associated subsidence on the Yellowstone hotspot track: The Cassia Formation of Idaho, USA, T.R. Knott et al., Department of Geology, University of Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK. This article is OPEN ACCESS online at Mid-Miocene record of large-scale Snake River-type explosive volcanism and associated subsidence on the Yellowstone hotspot track: The Cassia Formation of Idaho, USA, T.R. Knott et al., Department of Geology, University of Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK. This article is OPEN ACCESS online at http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/02/10/B31324.1.1.abstract
This Aug. 15, 2012 photo provided by Murdoch University dolphin researcher Julian Tyne shows people swimming near dolphins in Makako Bay in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Swimming with dolphins is a dream for many tourists visiting Hawaii, but federal regulators are preparing to propose rules that could ban or limit swimming with Hawaii's spinner dolphins out of concern humans are depriving the nocturnal animals of the rest they need. Picture taken under NOAA permit GA LOC15409. (Julian Tyne via AP)

Allison Alterman likes to swim in the ocean for exercise near her home on Hawaii's Big Island. Sometimes her swimming group will see spinner dolphins gliding or jumping near their course.

If the dolphins stick around, tour boats will inevitably show up, sometimes 20 at a time, all dropping passengers with floaties in the water for a swim. For many, it's a chance to realize a long-held dream.

For the dolphins, however, they "come into the shore to rest and it doesn't seem like they're able to do that because they're surrounded," Alterman said.

Scientists are concerned the intense interest is harming the nocturnal animals because they need to rest after foraging for food all night. Now, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is preparing to propose rules to help protect the dolphins.

The agency could ban swimming with Hawaii spinner dolphins or prohibit people from shallow bays when the dolphins are resting.

"Disturbing their resting behaviors can actually affect their long term health and the health of the population," said Ann Garrett, the assistant regional administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service's protected resources division for the Pacific Islands.

Garrett said the agency plans to propose rules in June. The regulations could affect over 200 dolphin-related businesses operating in the state as well as recreational swimmers and other ocean users.

This Dec. 24, 2015 photo shows Ann Garrett, the assistant regional administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service's protected resources division for the Pacific Islands, talking about Hawaii's spinner dolphins at her office in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Swimming with dolphins is a dream for many tourists visiting Hawaii, but federal regulators are preparing to propose rules that could ban or limit swimming with Hawaii's spinner dolphins out of concern humans are depriving the nocturnal animals of the rest they need. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

Claudia Merrill, co-owner of Dolphin Discoveries in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island, said she would welcome some regulations, particularly if rules would prohibit swimming with dolphins during their prime resting hours from late morning to mid-afternoon.

Tour operators must be educated to watch for the signs when the dolphins are settling into their rest state, Merrill said. One key indication is when a pod of dolphins synchronizes its dives and swims.

"It should be a sustainable industry. It can be a sustainable industry," Merrill said.

Some Kona operators follow guidelines that local tours established, which include avoiding four dolphin resting bays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. But Merrill said only three of the 12 Kona coast tour operators she knows of follow the guidelines.

This Jan. 21, 2016 image taken from video shows dolphins swimming at the bottom of a bay off Waianae, Hawaii. Swimming with dolphins is a dream for many tourists visiting Hawaii, but federal regulators are preparing to propose rules that could ban or limit swimming with Hawaii's spinner dolphins out of concern humans are depriving the nocturnal animals of the rest they need. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration plans to propose rules in June. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

Garrett said her agency has heard reports of vessels chasing down pods at high speed and corralling the dolphins into an area.

Hawaii's spinner dolphins feast on fish and small crustaceans that surface from the ocean's depths at night. When the sun rises, they head for shallow bays to hide from tiger sharks and other predators.

To the untrained eye, the dolphins appear to be awake during the day because they're swimming.

But because they sleep by resting half of their brains and keeping the other half awake to surface and breathe, they may be sleeping even when they're maneuvering through the water.

This Jan. 21, 2016 photo shows tourists looking out on the horizon as their boat searches for dolphins in waters off Waianae, Hawaii. Swimming with dolphins is a dream for many tourists visiting Hawaii, but federal regulators are preparing to propose rules that could ban or limit swimming with Hawaii's spinner dolphins out of concern humans are depriving the nocturnal animals of the rest they need. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration plans to propose rules in June. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

Julian Tyne, an honorary postdoctoral researcher at Australia's Murdoch University, said spinner dolphins off the Big Island were exposed to human interaction about 80 percent of the time over the three years he studied them from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The median time between exposures was just 10 minutes, he said.

Tyne said he doesn't know whether this human interaction is changing dolphin behavior. But he said the dolphins may not be resting as deeply as they need, which could harm their ability to forage for food at night and their ability to reproduce.

The fisheries service first signaled it would consider regulations in 2005, after tour offerings exploded the previous decade.

This Jan. 21, 2016 photo shows a tour guide talking to passengers as they head out for a swim with dolphins in waters off Waianae, Hawaii. Swimming with dolphins is a dream for many tourists visiting Hawaii, but federal regulators are preparing to propose rules that could ban or limit swimming with Hawaii's spinner dolphins out of concern humans are depriving the nocturnal animals of the rest they need. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration plans to propose rules in June. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

But instead of proposing rules, officials have sponsored research to better understand spinner dolphin behavior and promoted a voluntary program that discouraged swimming with the animals. But the guidelines have done little to deter dolphin swim tours.

The Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits harassing dolphins, but swimming with them falls into a grey zone under the law.

Federal authorities have prosecuted tour operators for feeding bottlenose dolphins in Florida waters, but dolphin feeding has never been a problem in Hawaii.

Jennifer Hall, a musician visiting from Chicago, joined about ten others on an early morning tour from Waianae about an hour's drive from Honolulu on Oahu island.

They jumped in the water to see dolphins swim back and forth, surfacing and descending to the ocean floor about 20 to 25 feet below. Some tourists attempted to swim after the dolphins, but guides held them back saying they should "observe not disturb."

Their boat, together with about five others, formed a large semicircle around the animals.

Hall said she felt like she shared with the dolphins the serenity and calm of being in the water. Her partner Noam Wallenberg, a songwriter, said it was "mind-blowing" and "vastly different" from seeing animals in a zoo.

"Being with creatures of the ocean right there and seeing them in their natural habitat was really wonderful. So beautiful," she said.

Explore further Scheduled bay closures proposed to protect Hawaiian spinner dolphins

 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
There is a positive connection between taxation of a state's citizens and how well the state's institutions works. The reason is that any ruler who wants to collect taxes must build a well-functioning bureaucracy and give the taxed something in return, in the shape of welfare reforms and some influence over how the taxes are handled. This is shown in a new dissertation from University of Gothenburg.

The political scientist Rasmus Broms has analysed statistics for taxation and governance from most of the world's countries. Historical data has also been part of the study; for example from former British colonies.

The results of his dissertation indicate that there is a clear connection between high taxation in a country and how well the public authorities and institutions in that country work. Rasmus Broms sees the reason for this in the fact that a governor, in order to make the system work, is forced to start negotiate with those he or she is going to collect taxes from.

"No one has ever liked having to let go of their hard-earned money. If one is to do that, one both wants to get something in return, but perhaps above all get some kind of influence over how the tax money is used," Rasmus Broms says. "The ruler also needs to build a well-functioning and quite complicated machinery to collect the taxes. Historically, this has often been the initiator of a country's public administration."

According to Rasmus Broms, both these aspects push for a more transparent and effective social system. The studies he has gone through have focused on western societies as well as states in Africa south of Sahara, on contemporary conditions as well as historic.

"To a great extent, the French and American revolutions concerned taxes," argues Rasmus Broms. "And much of what we today view as the modern state has its foundation in the systems that were built after these revolutions."

The insights from the dissertation may be especially meaningful for international development work and in what way wealthier countries best can support the development in unstable states and young democracies. One of Rasmus Broms' sub-studies also shows that in Africa south of Sahara specifically, people who pay taxes are more politically interested than those who do not pay taxes.

"In a little longer term, it is better for a state to introduce widely collected tax bases that are noticed among the public, than to look for incomes by for example high trade tariffs," Rasmus Broms says.

The reversed example can be seen in the oil-rich Gulf States.

"There, through generous allotments to the citizens from the oil incomes, the governing classes can in a sense bribe themselves out of demands on democratic influence over the government machine and human rights consideration."
Ron Kalifa named Acquiring Personality of the Year 2016 at MPE Berlin

Ron Kalifa named Acquiring Personality of the Year 2016 at MPE Berlin

London, 10 March 2016  Worldpays Vice Chairman Ron Kalifa has been named Acquiring Personality of the Year at the 9thAnnual Merchant Payment Ecosystems Awards 2016. The event, held in Berlin, singled out key players from across card acquiring and recognised their outstanding roles and contributions to shaping the industry.

Ron was commended for his individual commitment to acquiring and his influence across the wider industry. He was also recognised for his strong contribution to Worldpay over the last 13 years.

Ron Kalifa, Vice Chairman of Worldpay, said, Its a huge privilege to receive this type of recognition, and its with great thanks to the many supportive and talented colleagues across Worldpay who have made this possible.

About Ron Kalifa

Ron has significant executive leadership experience within the payments industry. He was appointed as Vice Chairman and Executive Director of Worldpay Group in 2013, and was Chief Executive Officer of the business for over 10 years. Under Rons leadership, he acquired and successfully integrated a series of separate businesses from across ecommerce, risk management and acquiring to form one of the worlds leading provider of services to the merchant community. Prior to this Ron held various executive roles within RBS and NatWest. Ron is also a member of the Visa Europe board, QIWI plc and UK Cards Association Ltd.

About MPE Berlin Awards

The MPE Berlin Awards acknowledge the important role of the merchant payments acceptance, highlighting the most relevant achievements in various areas of this business. The awards have a very insightful design concept, as the guiding hand represents how MPE sees the acquirers and payment solution providers telling the schemes and other industry participants what is commercially possible and what is not. These awards are aimed at honouring companies and individuals who help to move the industry forward. View the highlights here.



Other Point of Sale Blogs that may interest you:
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.
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
Parliament last week passed the Ghana Export/Import Bank (EXIM) bill into law dedicated to export financing.

"The EXIM Bank would move the country from import-dependent to a large-scale exporter, president Mahama said in his State of the Nation address.

"The primary purpose [of the bill] is to finance exports, notably light industrial products," he added.

But Sikpa worries the EDAIF is going to be swallowed by the EXIM bank.

And now, with the coming of EXIM Bank, EDAIF is going to be swallowed. So we are brought to the fore to understand we need to consider the fact that EXIM will not meet all our financing needs," he said.

"If you look at other countries that use the EXIM system, they are to help those producing and exporting to other countries so they can be more effective and competitive. Because of that, they have other financial schemes to help them, he said.

A transaction adviser has been appointed to guide the integration of EDAIF, Eximguaranty and Export Finance Company into the new Ghana EXIM.

The transaction advisor is expected to value the equity stake of Eximguaranty and Export Finance in order to establish the value of minority interest.

It will also advise on negotiations with minority shareholders of Eximguaranty and Export Finance Company, and also effect the transfer of assets and liabilities of affected institutions to the EXIM Bank.

Sikpa said the current financial packaging in Ghana does not consider long term financing, saying "a crop like mango takes three years to start fruiting but there is no fund beyond the three years that farmers can access to help them grow their business.
Their bodies need protein to help them build and repair cells, enzymes, and hormones, and, as a last resort, to provide energy.

As long as they regularly eat small portions of meat or fish, drink milk and now and again eat yoghurt or cheese, their needs will be covered.

If your child doesn't like dairy products you can try mashed potato for lunch or, in between meals, semolina pudding where you can conceal a lot of milk.

#HealthyLivingAfrica
Cerebrospinal Meningitis is a chronic medical condition which causes an inflammation of the membranes of both the brain and spinal cord.

This has been revealed by authorities of the Ghana Health Service.

Residents are alarmed by the situation, despite the District Director of Health Services, Thomas Sennor's assurance that everything is under control.

We have stepped up surveillance and following up everywhere to find where there is a possible sickness of CSM, where there is a possibility that someone is dying of CSM and where there is possibility of the disease spreading.

He addd that We are following up with education and appealing to people to report immediately to the hospital. We have education facilities set up in the churches, schools and market places as well as daily health education activities in the communities, Thomas Sennor said.

Records coming from other parts of the country reveal that over 100 people have been killed by pneumococcal and meningococcal meningitis since November last year.

Some 500 other cases were reported in various hospitals nationally.

The disease was first reported at Tain, a district in the Brong Ahafo region but spread quite quickly to other parts of the country.

Northern, Ashanti, Eastern, Volta, Greater Accra, Upper West, Upper East and Western regions have also recorded cases of the disease since it broke in December 2015.
According to the pressure group, "As citizens of this country, we are not satisfied that this is the end of the matter. We believe that there is more to this matter than meets the eye, and that there is more information that the people of Ghana deserve to have, with respect to this matter."

Apart from the identity of the company or companies that printed the brochure that exposed the country to international ridicule, the group is also demanding government to provide answers to other questions.

The group demanding government to explain "Which public procurement procedure was adopted in selecting the winning bid? If it was single-source procurement was the approval of the Public Procurement Authority ("PPA") sought? May we have a copy of any letter requesting approval and all attachments to it?

- Was the PPAs approval obtained, and if so, may we have a copy of any letter to that effect?

- Was a contract entered into with the company with the winning bid, and if so, may we have a copy of the signed contract?

Following pressure being mounted on the embattled Acting Director of the Information Service Department (ISD) to resign over the controversial error-ridden Ghana @59 Independence Anniversary Brochure, Francis Kwarteng Arthur has been sacked.

The error-prone brochure, authored by the Information Services Department (ISD), referred to Kenya leader Uhuru Kenyatta as the President of Ghana, while describing the 59-year-old country as a low income country among other misrepresentations.

See also:

Below are details of OccupyGhanas letter to government:

RE: PRINTING OF 59TH INDEPENDENCE DAY BROCHURES  REQUEST FOR INFORMATION/NOTICE OF INTENTION OF CIVIL ACTION

OccupyGhana is composed of citizens of Ghana who are interested in ensuring good governance in Ghana, and are committed to the principles of freedom, justice, probity and accountability, as are enshrined in the preamble to Ghana's Fourth Republican Constitution. As citizens of Ghana, we are also mindful of our constitutional duty under article 41(f) of the Constitution "to protect and preserve public property and expose and combat misuse and waste of public funds and property."

We have closely followed the matters surrounding the printing of brochures for the 59th Independence Day Celebrations (the Brochures), and which have culminated in the relieving from office of Mr. Francis Arthur as the acting Director of the Information Services Department, and the placing of the Flagstaff House Communications Bureau under the authority and supervision of the Ministry of Communication.

As citizens of this country, we are not satisfied that this is the end of the matter. We believe that there is more to this matter than meets the eye, and that there is more information that the people of Ghana deserve to have, with respect to this matter. We are fortified in this belief by Article 21(1)(f) of the Constitution which provides that "[a]ll persons shall have the right to... information, subject to such qualifications and laws as are necessary in a democratic society." We are not aware of any restrictions and laws essential to democracy that prevent citizens from being informed of all the facts surrounding this matter. We also respectfully assert that there is no conceivable public interest privilege that applies to deny us access to that information. We also have cause to believe that part of the undisclosed circumstances surrounding this matter may amount to corruption, and the misuse and waste of public funds.

On the bases of the foregoing, we write to you to request information from you, based on the following questions:

1. Which company or companies was/were invited to submit bids for the publishing, production and/or printing of the Brochures? May we have copies of any relevant letters or other communication?

See related: Omane Boamah assumes role at Flagstaff House communications bureau

2. Were any quotations received from the company or companies, and if so, may we have copies of such quotations and their covering letters, if any?

3. Which public procurement procedure was adopted in selecting the winning bid? If it was single-source procurement was the approval of the Public Procurement Authority ("PPA") sought? May we have a copy of any letter requesting approval and all attachments to it?

4. Was the PPAs approval obtained, and if so, may we have a copy of any letter to that effect?

5. Was a contract entered into with the company with the winning bid, and if so, may we have a copy of the signed contract?

6. Has the Ministry of Finance been requested to release funds for payment to the company with the winning bid, and if so, may we have a copy of any such letter?

7. Did the Ministry of Finance approve of any payment in writing, and if so, may we have a copy of that written approval?

8. Have any payments been made to the company that undertook the transaction, and when? May we have copies of all the usual, relevant documents, including, but not limited to: (i) request for payment by the Ministry, (ii) release letter from the Ministry of Finance, (iii) Controller and Accountant-General's letter to the Bank of Ghana for payment, (iv) payment advice from Bank of Ghana, and (v) any payment vouchers issued?

9. Were any taxes paid or withheld, as the case may be, particularly with respect to withholding tax, value added tax and the national health insurance levy, and if so, may we have copies of any relevant invoices?

Considering the urgency surrounding this mater, we respectfully request that you supply the information requested herein within three (3) working days of the date of this letter, failing which you should consider this letter as the written Notice of Intention of Civil Action under section 10 of the State Proceedings Act, 1998 (Act 555), effective as at the date hereof.

Yours in the service of God and Country

OccupyGhana

cc The Head

Information Services Department
In a written statement to Pulse.com.gh Patience Komla said she had been working as a maid for the past 15 years for South African embassies around the world. She had been working for the South African Embassy in New Zealand since 2014, in the home of the South African High Commissioner to New Zealand, Zodwa Lallie.

On March 3 she sent a message to her sister in Ghana but mistakenly sent it to the attache in the Embassy office in Wellington.

The message relayed a conversation she overheard between Lallie, and another employee.

Lallie found out about the message, and confronted Komla over it, telling her she wanted her out of her house immediately, booked her a hotel room, gave her $50 (NZ), and had a driver take her away.

Komla told Pulse.com.gh she was told to leave the house where she was working, and to go to the embassy office the following day.

They told me to leave and to leave the country immediately. I was upset and panicking, I left the room, leaving my hand bag behind. I was almost broke and unable to afford a hotel, let alone an air ticket. Extremely upset I returned for my bag and left. They had sent an embassy van to remove all my belongings from the house and took them to the friend's property in Wellington.

She took a bus north to stay with a friend, however, he was away for the night and because of [the] guard dog I had to sleep under a tree. He found me in the early morning on Saturday."

Pulse Ghana is awaiting comment from the South African High Commissioner in New Zealand.

Brenda von Appen, a secretary for the commission told New Zealand news site stuff.co.nz Komla's actions were regarded as a serious infringement."Trust and the maintenance of confidentiality lie at the heart of the domestic worker and employer relationship, especially when living under the same roof, she said."Patience Komla's services have been terminated for reasons she has been made aware of."

Komlas contract states she must not "discuss or communicate any information about your employment, your employer or events which come to you [sic] attention through your employment at the official residence".

A breach of that clause entitles the employer to terminate the contract with 24 hours notice, stuff.co.nz reported.

Komla's work visa had been cancelled.

An employment lawyer in New Zealand told the news site a worker in Komla's position was entitled to take a case against the commission under New Zealand employment law, however the commission might be entitled to claim "sovereign immunity" from New Zealand law.
Over 50 shops at the Central Market in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region were razed down in the inferno which started around 5: 30 Friday morning.

Read more: Another fire outbreak at Kumasi Central Market

Personnel of the Fire service arrived at the scene helping to put out the blaze.

See also: Fire guts shops in Ashaiman market

The cause of the fire is not known as the Ghana National Fire Service are yet to launch an investigation into the matter.

Meanwhile, Fire has swept through some apartments at Kotobabi junction off the Spintex road.

Read more: Fire guts over 20 apartments at Spintex

The fire, according to eyewitnesses began around 6pm on Thursday.

The cause of the fire, which has swept over 20 buildings is not yet known. However, eyewitnesses say it might have been from a sawdust factory in the area.
Read more: Police shoot dead two suspected robbers in gun battle

According to the police, the suspects at about 11:30pm on Wednesday hired the taxi driver, Kwadwo Obeng who was in charge of a Toyota Echo Taxi cab with registration number AW 6005-12.

They hired him from Asafo roundabout and asked him to take them to Afful Nkwanta in Kumasi.

See also: Two robbers jailed 40 years each

At Afful Nkwanta, the driver was re-directed to New Oxford International School behind Anwiam Clinic near the NDC Regional Office where Agnes Darkoaa who was in the front passenger seat pulled a knife.

She was said to have turned off the engine, removed the ignition key and ordered the driver to surrender all valuables on him including cash sales.

They have been named as Agnes Darkoaa, also known as Maame Yaa and Last Killer, Ernestina Amponsah a.k.a. Akosua Frimpomaa, Mavis Addo a.k.a. Maame Konadu and Sally Sarpong a.k.a. Maame Serwaa.

The three accomplices were said to have assisted in ransacking the pockets of the victim and robbed him of an unspecified amount of daily sales and a Huawei mobile phone.

The driver was said to have raised an alarm and a three male congregational members ran after the then fleeing female robbers and managed to arrest Sally Sarpong.

See related: 18 suspected sex workers arrested by the Police

Sally mentioned the names of the other accomplices.

A police patrol team led by the investigator on duty later traced the three accomplices to Ahinsan Methodist Church area also in Kumasi in another taxi escaping and they were subsequently rounded up.

A search on them led to the retrieval of Gh88 apart from Gh57 retrieved from Sally Sarpong, summing up a total cash exhibit of G Gh145.

The Huawei cellphone and a Samsung T-Mobile phone suspected to have been stolen were also retrieved from the suspects.

The police have not been able to retrieve the knife which according to them, Darkoaa has admitted in both her caution statement and during interrogation.
The GBA in a statement signed by the National President, Benson Nutsukpui, said that in as much as the bill is important for the State, portions of it must be reworked to ensure that citizens rights are not trampled upon.

The bill that is currently in its consideration stage in parliament, will essentially grant government access to record telephone calls and messages of individuals.

The bill when passed into law, will also give government the power to intercept postal packages upon suspicion of threat to the security of the country or any other individual.

Parliament has come under pressure from some civil society organisation to suspend the passing of the Postal Packets and Telecommunication Messages Bill until enough public opinion has been sought on the matter.

The Association has therefore called for the "withdrawal of provisions of clause 4(3) and (4) of the Bill, which allows the National Security Coordinator to orally authorize interceptions for 48 hours without any court order or warrant".

Below is the full statement:

GHANA BAR ASSOCIATION STATEMENT ON THE INTERCEPTION OF POSTAL PACKETS & TELECOMMUNICATIONS BILL

The Ghana Bar Association has taken note of the provisions of the Interception of Postal Packets & Telecommunications Bill (the Bill) and wishes to make its views known on it as follows:

1. We welcome the attempt to consolidate the existing provisions on lawful interception of communication/correspondence, scattered in various formats in several statutes. We therefore suggest that all the current statutes on lawful interception are specifically harmonised within the context of the current Bill, and the relevant repeals and revocations done to avoid legislative confusion and disharmony.

2. The relevant provisions of the various legislations that must be specifically considered for consolidation, repeal or revocation, as the case may be, are as follows:

 Sections 43 to 51 of the Mutual Legal Assistance Act, 2010 (Act 807);

 Section 25(5) of the Economic and Organised Crime Office Act, 2010 (Act 804);

 Section 124 of the Electronic Transactions Act, 2008 (Act 772);

 Sections 73 and 100 of the Electronic Communications Act 2008, (Act 775);

 Section 34 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2008 (Act 762);

 Section 29 of the Insolvency Act, 2006 (Act 708);

 Sections 37 and 39(a) of the Postal and Courier Services Regulatory Commission Act, 2003 (Act 649);

 Sections 29 to 31 of the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 1996 (Act 526);

 Sections 27 to 30 of the Narcotics Drugs (Control, Enforcement and Sanctions) Act, 1990 (PNDCL 236);

 Order 60, rule 18 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004 (CI 47); and

 Regulation 6(1) of the Electronic Communications Regulations, 2011 (LI 1991).

3. Further it is critical that Parliament considers several other statutes that contain protection of privacy and secrecy provisions, and how these may or may not be affected by the Bill. The relevant current statutes with protection of privacy and secrecy provisions are:

 Banking Act, 2004 (Act 673),

 Central Securities Depository Act, 2007 (Act 733),

 Childrens Act, 1998 (Act 560)

 Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice Act, 1993 (Act 456),

 Credit Reporting Act, 2007 (Act 726),

 Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843),

 Domestic Violence Act, 2007 (Act 732),

 Electronic Transactions Act, 2008 (Act 772),

 Juvenile Justice Act, 2003 (Act 653),

 Matrimonial Causes Act, 1971 (Act 367),

 Mental Health Act, 2012 (Act 846),

 National Health Insurance Act, 2012 (Act 852),

 National Identity Register Act, 2008 (Act 750),

 Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851),

 Public Records and Archives Administration Act, 1997 (Act 535),

 Representation of the People Act, 1992 (PNDCL 284),

 Securities Industry Act, 1993 (PNDCL 333),

 Specialist Health Training and Plant Medicine Research Act, 2011 (Act 833), and

 Standards Authority Act, 1973 (NRCD 173).

4. We also note that telecommunication network operators will now be required, expressly and by law, to have interception capability, making it even more important that the law forbids, and provides punishments for, the misuse and abuse of that capability by any person, including the operators themselves. Currently, the strongest punishment appears to be the maximum 5-year imprisonment provided under the Electronic Communications Act. We would propose that this punishment is standardized for all violations, and that provision be made for appropriate sanctions directed at any operator who does or permits unlawful interception. Ghana has to put out a strong message that we support the use of lawful interception to prevent crime, but abhor the use of unlawful interception to violate the constitutional right of the individual to privacy.

Read related: Government to spy on you with new law

5. We are also particularly concerned with the provisions of clause 4(3) and (4) of the Bill by which the National Security Coordinator is permitted to orally authorise interceptions for 48 hours without any court order or warrant. Our concern is two-fold.

6. First, we find the current legal position that requires a court order/warrant before any interception, to be legitimate as it provides, at least, a semblance of protection against arbitrary and unconstitutional interference. We need to find ways of strengthening this, instead of taking it away or deferring it. This is because the right to privacy being an undoubted fundamental and inalienable right, the attitude of the Constitution is to give it the most absolute form of protection subject only to the well-known exceptions that permit limited interference with it in the interest of the public such as the prevention of crime.

7. This is why the Constitution provides specific circumstances that justify any interference with the right. Those circumstances are the exceptions to the rule that protects the right to privacy. The Bill in its present form rather treats the invasion of privacy as the rule, and the protection of it, the exception. The Bill does this by allowing interference by the National Security Coordinator first, and then after 48 hours require him to seek judicial blessing or condemnation, if he so desires, after any possible harm has been done. Accordingly by this Bill there is a right to interfere first, and then where it can be shown that the right to privacy should be protected, then the courts will protect it.

8. It is to prevent situations like this that the doctrine of separation of powers which was propounded (and promulgated in our Constitution) to safeguard the liberty of the individual, must be applied in its pure form. It would be an oppressive law and may be challenged as unconstitutional if implemented in that manner. The Constitution, in Article 18, seeks to blunt the capricious effect of such circumstances by demanding safeguards that are rooted in the rule of law, best exemplified, for now, by making the judiciary (an independent institution) the first point of call for purposes of determining whether such interference qualifies within the exceptions justifying interference with a persons privacy.

9. Thus we find that the Bill in its current form is unacceptable. The proposed deferral of the court order/warrant for 48 hours under clause 4(3) would mean that there is no guarantee against abuse during this period of secret surveillance, which is based only on an oral authorisation issued by the National Security Coordinator. This, we think, would be a clear violation of Article 18 of the Constitution, and we recommend its deletion and the maintenance and strengthening of the current position where there can be no interception without a court order/warrant.

10. Second, the effect of clause 4(4) of the Bill is to declare as lawful, information or evidence obtained during this 48-hour period of potentially arbitrary interception, suggesting that such information would be admissible in court proceedings. This provision has to be looked at very carefully, particularly as its application would suggest an erosion of the law on privileged communications contained in the Evidence Act, 1975 (NRCD 323). Specifically, this proposed provision conflicts with section 87(1) of the Evidence Act, which says that the provisions of Part Six of the Act, on privileged communication, shall apply in all proceedings notwithstanding the provisions of an enactment or of a rule of law which make rules of evidence inapplicable or of limited application in particular proceedings.

11. Thus, arguably, information obtained during this 48-hour period, if lawful would become admissible even if it breaches (i) the privilege of an accused not to testify (section 96), (ii) the privilege against self-incrimination (section 97), (iii) lawyer-client privilege (section 100), (iv) legal work-product privilege (section 102), (v) mental treatment privilege (section 103), (vi) religious advice privilege (section 104), (vii) compromise communication privilege (section 105), (viii) trade secret privilege (section 108), (ix) political vote privilege (section 109), and (x) marital communications privilege (section 110).

12. It would appear to us that information that might have been otherwise privileged under any of these circumstances, save under the specific exceptions provided by the Evidence Act, would become admissible as the privileges would not apply if the same information was obtained during the 48-hour secret surveillance. This would have the effect of eroding a very important bedrock of our law of Evidence.

13. Finally, there does not appear to us to be any way or means of verifying whether information to be presented to the court, and obtained under the current clauses 4(3) and 4(4) of the Bill, would have been indeed obtained within or outside the 48-hour period, since that information is gathered with no supervision or reference to any other person except the National Security Coordinator. It is for this reason as well that there ought to be no interception without a court order/warrant. It is on these bases that we recommend 1. Proper legislative harmonisation, 2. Very severe sanctions for breaches of the right to privacy, and 3. The complete deletion of clause 4(3) and (4) of the Bill.

Dated in Accra this 11th day of March, 2016
According to the NPP, error-ridden brochure gaffe betrays the incompetence of the government.

A statement signed by Director of Communications, Nana Akomea, said, "How the official brochure for perhaps the biggest national event (outside the 2016 general elections) can be so full of mistakes (on literally every page) calls into question the competence of government and public officials at several levels, including the Ministry of Communications, the Information Services Department, State Protocol Department and the Flagstaff House Communications Office".

Acting Executive Director of the Information Services Department Francis Kwarteng Arthur has been sacked over the incident which has exposed Ghana to international ridicule.

The NPP has called for full investigations into what it refers to as "the barefaced and embarrassing errors."Read below the full statement:

THE INDEPENDENCE DAY BROCHURE FIASCO:THERE MUST BE AN IMMEDIATE INVESTIGATION INTO THIS CLEAR EVIDENCE OF INCOMPETENCE

To say that the deficiencies in the content and text of the March 6 2016 independence day brochure are bewildering is an understatement.

See related: ISD apologises for errors in Independence brochure

The designation of the Kenyan president as the president of Ghana (for instance) led Ghana to be held up to severe ridicule in the Kenyan press and social media circles.

How the official brochure for perhaps the biggest national event (outside the 2016 general elections) can be so full of mistakes (on literally every page) calls into question the competence of government and public officials at several levels, including the ministry of communications, the information services department, state protocol department and the flagstaff house communications office.

Under normal circumstances, the drawing up of the programme, and any additional notes and information to form the contents of the official brochure for such a national event will be agreed at the national planning committee level drawn from these public offices and signed off by the minister of communications and the director of state protocol.

That the barefaced and embarrassing errors in the brochure can go through all these officials is a real enigma.

How a seasoned printer, chosen to print such a brochure, could also proceed to print thousands of copies of this error riddled brochure, and receive payment with taxpayers monies, is also difficult to understand.

This matter throws into question the working mechanisms of these important state institutions.

The NPP calls for full scale investigations into this fiasco in order to unearth the deficiencies in the working mechanisms of these public bodies that have resulted in this Independence Day brochure fiasco, so as to properly locate where the blame should be, and to prevent future occurrence and embarrassment.

Questions that need to be answered in such an investigation must include:

a) How was the acting director of the ISD appointed when he was not qualified by the requirements of the Ghana Civil Service for that position?

b) The charge by the staff of the ISD that their work has been usurped by the communications directorate of the Flagstaff House

c) The propriety of statements issued and signed by the minister of communications, announcing the contents of "a statement signed by the Chief of Staff", when that "statement signed by the Chief of Staff" is not in the public domain?

d) Which public official actually signed off on the final draft of the brochure before it went for printing? If it was the dismissed acting director of the ISD, did he have authority to do that?

e) Which printer was selected and proceeded to print such a document with such obvious errors?

f) How true is the report that the chairman of the Independence Day planning committee has laid the blame on the communications directorate of the Flagstaff House and not on the committee or the ISD, and that may have led to the minister of communications assuming responsibility for the directorate etc.?

The NPP believes such an official investigation to bring closure to these questions will be in line with good governance principles and also will also ensure that this phenomenal national embarrassment does not recur.
The company has paid $251 million toward settling the dispute.

The concern of the federal government was basically in the area of security and not the fine imposed on MTN. You know how the unregistered SIMs are used by terrorists and between 2009 and today, at least 10,000 Nigerians were killed by Boko Haram, at least 10,000." Buhari said

That was why the NCC [Nigerian Communications Commission] asked MTN, Glo and the rest of them to register all subscribers. Unfortunately, MTN was very, very slow and contributed to the casualties. And NCC looked at its regulations and imposed the fine."

President Buhari said MTN's decision to go to court over the fine disarmed the government from intervening in the matter.

(Un)fortunately for MTN, they went to court and once you go to court, you virtually disarm the government because if the federal government refuses to listen to the judiciary, its going against its own constitution. Therefore, the government has to wait. But I think MTN has seen that and decided to withdraw the case and go back and negotiate with government agencies on what they consider a very steep fine to be reduced and maybe give time to pay gradually.
International jazz artist, Kunle Ayo is one of Africas most celebrated guitarists. His love for jazz music has spanned a period almost two decades and in the course of this journey he has worked with and shared the stage with some of the biggest names in African Jazz.
The singer took to his Instagram on March 10 to share his opinion about black US citizens being often assaulted at campaign grounds for Trump.

"FUCK TRUMP AND FUCK THE PIGS! TO SEE THIS EVIL SHIT IS SO WRONG! GOD WILL HAVE HIS REVENGE! TRUST ME! "Brown wrote beneath a video he shared.

He went on to state the importance of other races in USA, "WITHOUT OUR BLACK CULTURE, ASIAN CULTURE, LATIN CULTURE, MUSLIMS, AND ANY RACE THAT YOU DONT APPROVE OF HELP YOU TO BE WHO THE FUCK YOU ARE. NOT TO MENTION WE ARE THE MOST CREATIVE,OPPRESSED, resilient, And HARD WORKERS, without out us your just another simple minded scared little man."

READ MORE: Shakira disgraces Donald Trump on Twitter

He added, "WHEN MAKE FASHION, WE MAKE WHITE ARTIST WANNA BE US, White girls singing R&B OLD VIBE SONGS and it's the best thing since sliced bread? BRANDY AND BEYONCE SING CIRCLES AROUND YALL CLONES! until the people in these power positions start showing humility and an actual love for everyone in AMERICA and the whole world. Ain't nobody stupid my nigga. People are so afraid to say shit because y'all just find a way to kill our leaders!!!!"

READ MORE: 10 hilarious tweets about Donald Trump that would make Nigerians pity Americans
It was a double header for the actress as it was also a time for the screening of her movie 'Dry' which is currently getting good reviews from observers.

This happened during 'Nolly Thursdays', a platform which has been described as the new Industry Night for Nigerian movie stars and movies.

The movie review was done at the fourth edition of the event among fans and movie associates.

Okoreke-Linus, who is now a mother, looks like she is comfortable combining the responsibilities of motherhood and acting.

She is passionate about a lot of things including girl-child advocacy. She had a few comments to share about 14 years old Ese Oruru, the teenager who made the headlines after being abducted by Yunusa Dahiru in Bayelsa State.

She said, Ive been keenly following Ese Orurus story on the news for some time now and the turn of events is really shocking, I must say. Different versions of her story keep creeping up in the news. Its hard to know what to believe anymore.

What I find most appalling is some people are blaming her for her predicament. Blaming a 14 year-old girl! For what! She is still a child. Its even more sad that there are still lots of girls taken from their parents care across the country and sexually abused everyday.
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
The conference was organized by SME 100 Nigeria and Rubies Vocational School.

Welcoming participants to the conference, Mr Charles Odii, Executive Director, SME 100 said the time has come for Nigerian women to be competitive on a global level in the areas of politics, agriculture and technology.

According to him, the nation can only develop substantially if women make efforts at being professionals in these male-dominated sectors. The conference was organized for women to learn from those who have become renowned.

While speaking on the launch of the training plan for 1,000 women pan-Nigeria, Mrs Orode Okpu, Executive Director, Rubies Vocational School said women in the rural areas of Nigeria would not be left out of the training programmes plan for 2016.

In her words, There would be training in different vocations that best suit their locality. This training would be conducted by partnering with the House of Tara for the Make-Up category; Otres Restaurant for the catering category; Nuts About Cakes for the baking category and many others.Interested applicants can visit- to sign up.

The keynote speaker of the day, Mrs Mosun Belo-Olusoga, Chairperson, Access Bank Plc and other facilitators such as Oreoluwa Somolu-Lesi(Executive Director, W.TEC); Hajjiya Aisha Babangida(Chairman, Better Life for Rural Women, Nigeria); Hon Lolade Akande (Commissioner for Women Affairs, Lagos State); Chief Mrs Kemi Nelson,( APC Women Leader); Mrs Funke Egbemode (Founder, Mummy's Integrated Farms Ltd); Mosun Umoru (Founder, Harvesters Farms Ltd and Special Technical Adviser on youth and gender to the Minister of Agriculture );Adanma Onuegbu (CEO, Signal Alliance) encouraged women to collectively fight the scourge of poverty by being empowered with the set skills that will challenge the status quo.
Folawiyo is highly regarded for her vibrant collections that mix traditional West African fabrics with modern tailoring and beaded embellishments. Over the years she has garnered international recognition for their work, including joining the Business of Fashion 500 (BoF) List for 2015.

The former lawyer, wife and mother of two has mastered the art of making traditional African prints appealing to not just Nigerians and Africans but the rest of the world. She has been present in the UK, the US, South Africa and Nigeria itself.

As for her career, the style star highlighted two major things thus far that she is grateful for. The first being the designer of the year in Africa award that she won , she described it as nice that not only in Nigeria were the loved, it was also beyond Nigeria.

The second feat, which was very high praise for the designer was being inducted into the Business of Fashion 500. According to the mother of two; for you to get that kind of recognition, youre doing something right..that was very nice to receive that honor. Its always encouraging when people can give you a pat on the back.

Personally, the beautiful lady gushes that her greatest accomplishments are her kids and being married; I dont care what anyone thinks, yes yes, im a sucker for my husband...children are a blessing and a reward.

She also talked meeting the man of my dreams and creating this family that we have. It means the world to me...the greatest thing that I have and I get to enjoy these people everyday.

She also added that her daughter was in boarding school and that she was happy that she was back home briefly on break. She also added that she would love to take her son to school more and that she enjoys his company.

In closing, She mentioned that her husband balances me out, my soulmate, only one that can tell me the truth sometimes and I love that.
Prophet Owunor is to be a guest minister at an interdenominational Christian Platform, Repent Now Nigeria holding at the Muson Centre, Lagos.

Speaking with correspondents, Prophet Owunor said:

Nigeria is a God fearing nation, but now if they are really God-fearing, then this is the moment to return to the true gospel of cross and the blood- the holy salvation and the gospel that is not connected to money- that we may prepare the hearts of the people and the nation for the coming of the Messiah and then everything else will follow.

The Bible says seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything else will fall in place. So I really bring the message of holiness of repentance and to prepare for the coming of the King.

"So the kingdom of the church you see in Nigeria now, the building of universities, the money and private aircraft acquired with big money and all of that is going to come down. That is why I have come. I come with tremendous powers and there is no question about that.

Prophet Owunor who was once a doctorate researcher at various universities before becoming a man of God, claims that God had spoken to him about the coming of the messiah, as well as speaking with John The Baptist.

The prophet further adds:

This is the moment of the latter rain, the latter visitation, and so you have to at this time, come on board and Nigeria also has to come on board and this revival has no bounds. However, there is no time.

Whatever that has been instructed out is going to be given out; big harvest is taking place, visitation is taking place.

So I really come to rise up against the gospel of money, that is in this city. The gospel of buy your morning water, whichever water, gather people from Southern Africa, carry money to greet the men of God.

So, all that is going to come down now. We will now return to Christ Jesus the Lord and to the free salvation of the Cross and blood and then of course, theres a healing service coming up and the Lord will begin an open heaven here by the visiting of this land to establish the message. The Messiah is coming, let us prepare together.
The young chap was nabbed just as he sneaked into a private property to loot the properties. Unknown to him, the owners of the house had not gone too far and got back home just in time to see apprehend the thief.

The burglar made to swim in the muddy gutter

Photo Credit: Instagram

According to an eyewitness, the thief who never expected that the house owners would surprise him was given immediate justice:

"This afternoon, I heard my landlord shouting thief! thief!! Hold him! The suspected thief ran out from my landlord's daughter's room and was nabbed by nearby people.

When questioned, he said he is a student and when asked the school he attends, he couldn't answer. Later, he said, he is into business.

He was beaten mercilessly and handed to the police after swimming in the gutters."

The burglar getting set to swim in the gutter
The arrest was made on January 17, 2016, in the Ekorinim area of Calabar, the state capital after it was confirmed that the suspect committed the crime with two of his friends.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. John Eluu, said the victim was raped by Effiong and his two friends at an uncompleted building in Ekorinim.

He said, On January 17, 2016, One Esther Etete, came to the command with a case of alleged rape.

She complained that she was raped by three men at Ekorinim area of Calabar Municipality.

Immediately after taking down her statement, policemen swung into action and were able to arrest Idongesit Effiong while two of his friends ran away.

Effiong was arrested with fake police uniform.

Etete however denies the allegation stating that he has not met the girl.

He said, I dont even know this girl. I have not seen Etete before. This allegation of rape is baseless because I am not guilty of the crime,
"Funmilayo has over a period of time tarnished my image that I engage in unholy and fetish things as a pastor.

"She has consistently done this not only in the neighbourhood but in the church as well as at public fora, the pastor told the court.

Temiloluwa said his wife told members of his church that he wanted to use her for rituals.

"I have tried every possible means of correcting her as well as reporting her to her relatives, but it was all to no avail.

"Worst still, she is an unrepentant trouble maker who uses all sorts of evil means to achieve her purpose.

"In fact, Funmilayo has neglected her role as a wife in order to make life difficult for me.

"In her disobedience, she sometimes leaves my home for two months without my consent, he said.

Funmilayo did not, however, deny referring to him as a Juju pastor, adding that her husband was not close to her.

She also denied making troubles.

The President of the court, Mr Ademola Odunade, directed the couple bring some of their relations and the two children of the marriage to court at the courts next sitting.
The reason for the drama has not been confirmed, but the man was heard at the top of his voice making rants of protest.

From the video, it can be deduced that the man was ready to cooperate with the officers but insisted on not being maltreated.

He asks the law enforcement officers repeatedly saying, "Why are you treating me this way? I am not a criminal"
The suspects were said to have robbed the woman who owns the boutique in the Trans-Amidic area of Port Harcourt, and while trying to make their escape on their motorcycle, the woman raised an alarm which attracted members of the public who chased and caught them.

One of the Port Harcourt robbers getting his share of the jungle justice

Photo Credit: Twitter

They were given the beating of their lives and this is how an eyewitness captured the scene:

"I was on my way to Wema Bank on Trans Amadi Road, Port Harcourt, around 11am today. Suddenly, I spotted a crowd gathered in front of a shop close to Mothercat bus stop.

In their midst were two guys on the ground who appeared pummelled. I gathered that they were thieves that just robbed a female boutique owner in her shop along the same Trans Amadi Road.

They escaped with their loot (in the plastic bag beside the thief lying on the ground), with their bike but were caught by some mobile police men. One man amongst the crowd identified one of the thieves (the one sitting on the ground) as a notorious criminal who operates around Rumuokoro axis.

On interrogation, they said they were poor and jobless."
Olabanji is said to have way-laid the girl as the little boy, Rokeeb Akinwale was crying. The kidnapper pretended to help the girl calm the boy by pulling him off her back, and then running off with him.

Mrs. Sadiat Akinwale, the boy's mother reported the abduction at the Ajegunle Police Division the same day after making several attempts to recover him.

The suspect and his gang were said to have returned to the neighbourhood for another operation before he was nabbed by an angry mob who beat him up before handing him over to the police.

The suspect, who hails from Kwara State, told the police that he and his accomplices snatched a child from a girl and had stolen one other baby in the Ajegunle area earlier in February.

He said, I am a secondary school leaver. Presently, I dont have any job. I am into kidnapping with Sunday, Bidemi and Tunde. We came to Ajegunle sometime in February and kidnapped two kids. We took them to one Rasheed, who lives in Ipaja Ayobo and he paid us for the children.

On February 29, we came back to Ajegunle to steal another baby, but I was caught while others escaped.
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In Nigerian politics, women have started to break grounds and challenger stereotypes; women who demand to be heard, regardless of their sex.

In the last elections, Aisha Jummai, popularly known as Mama Taraba contested fiercely at the guber polls in Taraba state and even went ahead to legally challenge the election results. Remi Shonaiya went all the way and contested for the seat of President on the platform of KOWA party.

In spite of what these record breaking women have achieved, some Nigerians still don't agree with the idea of having a female governor, let alone president.

Courtesy of the organisers of the 50/50 campaign, Pulse strivia team interviewed both men and women across four states across Nigeria; Kano, Kaduna, Enugu and Lagos, asking them the same question, ''is it okay for a woman to be Governor?''

The answers, as expected were varied and some were even funny; there was that guy who said it's impossible for a woman to be president because this is a democarcy.

For more information, visit www.iampurple.ng

This is a feature by Purple.
Some of the world's poorest countries and medical charities such as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) depend on India's robust pharmaceutical industry to make cheaper forms of drugs and vaccines developed by big Western pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer.

"To make sure children everywhere can be protected from deadly pneumonia, other companies need to enter the market to supply this vaccine for a much lower price than what Pfizer charges," Manica Balasegaram, executive director of MSF's access campaign, said in a statement on Friday.

Prevnar 13 is the world's biggest-selling vaccine, and Pfizer earned $6 billion from its sales in 2015, MSF said.

Pfizer spokespersons in New York did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday.

Pneumonia kills nearly a million people each year, and is the biggest cause of death among children under the age of five in India.

Pfizer has made the vaccine available at discounted prices under the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) -- an international public-private partnership to improve access to vaccines in the world's poorest countries. As of November 2015, 58 countries were eligible to procure the vaccine through GAVI, according to the organisation's website.

MSF said many other developing countries cannot afford it.

India is eligible to procure the vaccine under the GAVI alliance, but has not bought it.

The vaccine costs about $170 per child in India in the private market.

The GAVI price is $10 per child, but MSF said Indian firm Serum Institute of India had agreed to supply it to MSF and countries in need for $6.

Serum Institute's executives were not available for comment on Friday.

MSF said it had filed a "pre-grant opposition," a filing through which patents can be opposed in India before they are granted. Pfizer first applied for a patent on the vaccine in 2007, according to the Indian patent office's website.

MSF has argued that the process Pfizer has sought a patent on is "too obvious to deserve a patent under Indian law."

The charity said its decision to oppose Pfizer's patent application came after "years of fruitless negotiations with Pfizer to lower the vaccine's price for use in its projects."
Ndume made the remark on Tuesday, March 8, while contributing to a debate on a motion to mark the International Womens Day.

I urge men to marry more than one wife. The first care of a woman is marriage, Ndume had said.

In its reaction, the group said the senator's statement is demeaning to Nigerian women and portrays them as "sex objects."

May we remind the Senator that Nigeria is a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and his utterances negate its provisions, the group said in the statement signed by Inime Aguma, Country Vice President, FIDA, Nigeria.

Article 16 of that Convention says that State parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in all matters relating to marriage and family relations and the General Recommendation in Article 21 states that:

Polygamous marriage contravenes a womans right to equality with men, and can have such serious emotional and financial consequences for her and her dependents that such marriage ought to be discouraged and prohibited.

It stressed that the Holy Bible which was referred to in his comments does not recognize polygamy as the wording of Mathew 19:4-6 refers to the union of one man and woman to the exclusion of any other being.
The state's Commissioner for Home Affairs, Alhaji Abdullateef Abdulhakeem, disclosed this on Thursday, March 10, while hosting the House of Assembly Committee on Home Affairs who paid him a visit in Alausa, Ikeja.

Until now, it was customary that every year, the government sponsored people on pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia and Israel, the trips which cost several millions of naira.

"Recently the governor and the State Executive Council approved a policy for the state to stop sponsorship of pilgrimages and that is line with the policy thrust of the government and what the state House of Assembly also speaks to," the Commissioner said.

In this day and time when we are talking about paucity of funds coupled with inhibiting challenges that the government has to take care of. We can no-longer afford to spend the sum of one million on one single individual to go on pilgrimage when the scripture did not compel anyone to do so.

So it is most irresponsible way of spending tax payers money. That is why the government has taken a solid decision that we will be accountable and responsible for every kobo that the tax payers pay to the government. It is an injustice for the government to be spending millions on group of people when millions of Lagosians are yearning for governments attention, he said.
This was disclosed via a statement released by army spokesperson, Colonel Sani Usman on Friday, March 11, 2016.

It reads:

Troops of 7 Multinational Joint Task Force Brigade Quick Response Group (QRG) stationed in Baga and 118 Task Force Battalion, sprang an ambush along Daban Masara axis used by Boko Haram terrorists elements to convey logistics on Thursday.

At the encounter, one of the suspected wanted Boko Haram terrorists leaders who is serial number 95 on the first Nigerian Army wanted list of 100 Boko Haram terrorists leaders, was fatally wounded in the exchange of fire.

He later gave up while receiving medical attention at the base, while other members of his team escaped with gunshot wounds.

The military has been recording a series of victories against Boko Haram even as the whereabouts of its eccentric leader, Abubakar Shekau remains unknown.
The clarification was made by Colonel Tukur Gusau, a spokesman for the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, via a statement released on Thursday, March 10, 2016.

The statement reads in part:

During the Monday meeting at the Ship House, Ministry of Defence Abuja, issues bordering on the transfer of skills, technology, research and development were discussed.

Nigeria also recognised the expertise of South Africa in the area of training Special Forces for counter-insurgency operations. Therefore, Nigeria seeks cooperation in the area of training and transfer of skills for our own forces from the South Africa National Defence Force.

The clarification comes following widespread media reports that South Africa had promised to send soldiers to help Nigeria fight the terrorist sect.
22 of the affected officials are said to be from the Ministry of Budget and National Planning.

The move comes three weeks after President Buhari sacked the Director General of the budget office, Yahaya Gusau and ordered a cleansing of the office.

Buhari has repeatedly vowed to punish persons involved in the scandal which has embarrassed the government.

Buhari also recently revealed that the 2016 budget that is currently being debated at the National Assembly is not the one he presented to the legislative house.

The culprits will not go unpunished. I have been a military governor, petroleum minister, military Head of State and headed the Petroleum Trust Fund. Never had I heard the words budget padding, he said on Tuesday, February 23, 2016, while addressing members of the Nigerian community in Saudi Arabia.

Our Minister of Budget and National Planning did a great job with his team. The Minister became almost half his size during the time, working night and day to get the budget ready, only for some people to pad it.

What he gave us was not what was finally being debated. It is very embarrassing and disappointing. We will not allow those who did it to go unpunished, he added.

The budget has been the centre of controversy since it was reported missing from the Assembly premises in January.
He also accused the minister of state for petroleum resources, Dr. Ibe Kachukwu, of usurping the powers of the board of the NNPC.

Punch reports that he said It is pertinent to point out that the reforms being carried out by the NNPC GMD are illegal in every material particular. Section 2 of the Nigerian National Petroleum Act stipulates that the affairs of the corporation shall be conducted by the Board of Directors of the body. To that extent, it is the board of the corporation that is saddled with the responsibility to carry out the reorganisation of the body.

Adding that The board of the NNPC shall consist of the Minister of Petroleum Resources; Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance; the managing director of the corporation and three other persons appointed by the President. The minister shall be the chair of the board. By virtue of Section 3 of the Act, the managing director of the NNPC shall be the chief executive and shall be responsible for the execution of the policy of the corporation and the day-to -day running of its activities.

Falana frowned at the situation where Kachikwu, who is supposed to be the chairman of the NNPC board, also supervises his own work as the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the corporation.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) also called on President Buhari to correct the wrong practise.

Falana said In the same vein, the body established by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency Act to regulate the supply and distribution of petroleum products in the country is equally run by a sole administrator contrary to the provisions of the enabling law.

Whereas the agency shall have a board of 26 members, including the representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and the trade unions in the oil and gas industry, the body is run singlehandedly by the executive secretary. Despite the several calls by the Nigeria Labour Congress and other stakeholders, the Federal Government has not deemed it fit to reconstitute the board of the PPPRA.

He also called on Buhari to ask Kachikwu to suspend the restructuring of NNPC, and present a proposal to the NNPC board when it is re-constituted.
Almost all the migrants travelling on this charter were detained as they were trying to cross to Europe, IOM said in a statement.

One hundred and forty-two had spent months in immigration detention centres, it said.

According to the organization, the flight that brought the migrants home was organised with the Tripoli authorities and the Nigerian embassy. And their confiscated personal belongings, which included mobile phones were handed back to them before boarding.

For years, many migrants and refugees have used Libya as their stepping stone to crossing over to Europe, where they seek greener pastures.
The south-west chairman of the union, Tokunbo Korodo, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday, March 11.

He said if the slow process of loading petrol at both the depots of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the private depots is not improved by next week, thing would get worse in the coming days.

The pace of loading of fuel at NNPC depots in Mosinmi and Ejigbo is very slow as most tankers drivers that wanted to load left the depots with nothing, he said.

Even at private depots where they sell above the ex-depot price, the pace of loading is very slow. Presently, we need massive loading of petrol nationwide to get over the present scarcity.

I am imploring the government to improve on supply of fuel to all depots nationwide so that our tanker drivers can get the product and transport it to filling stations Korodo added.

In the wake of the announcement of the supposed unbundling of the NNPC, the country was plunged into another season of fuel scarcity as workers of the Corporation shut down operations nationwide.

The Minister of State, Petroleum Resources and Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Ibe Kachikwu has since resolved the issue with the workers, explaining that the Corporation was not unbundled but restructuredfor optimal performance.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said this in a statement issued in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Segun Adeyemi.

Mohammed, who cited gas failure, sabotage and vandalism of power infrastructure as causes of the outage being experienced, said all efforts were being made to rectify the situation and ensure a gradual improvement of the situation.

Mohammed said: ''There will be a decent improvement in the power situation from this weekend, thanks to ongoing remedial efforts that will double the current power supply to 4,000MW.

"Getting back to the 5,074MW all-time high that was reached earlier will take a few more weeks.

"At a time the routine maintenance by the Nigeria Gas Company has affected the supply of gas to power stations, forcing down power supply from an all-time high of 5,074 MW to about 4,000MW.

''The vandalism of the Forcados export pipelines forced oil companies to shut down, making it impossible for them to produce gas.

"Then, workers at the Ikeja Discos, who were protesting the disengagement of some of their colleagues after they failed the company's competency test, apparently colluded with the National Transmission Station in Osogbo to shut down transmission.

''Finally, the unfortunate strike by the unions at the NNPC, over the restructuring of the Corporation, shut down the Itarogun Power Station, the biggest in the country," he said.

The minister said due to these factors, only 13 out of the 24 power stations in the country were currently functioning.

According to him, it was this same kind of unsavoury situation that has affected fuel supply and subjected Nigerians to untold hardship.

Mohammed condemned the situation in which some Nigerians, under the guise of the various unions in the oil and gas sector or sheer vandalism, would continuously sabotage the country's power infrastructure.

"The bitter truth is that for as long as these groups of Nigerians continue to sabotage the power infrastructure, Nigerians cannot enjoy a decent level of power supply.
Premium Times reports that Sanusi said this at the inaugural lecture and launching of a N250 million endowment fund for the Oba Sikiru Adetona Professorial Chair in Governance, Department of Political Science, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State.

The Emir of Kano said If you really reflect on the problems of this country, it seems to turn common sense on its head.

You sometimes wonder if anyone needs to tell any group of people that if you are a poor country, you do not need 36 governors, 36 deputy governors, with members of house of assembly, commissioners and advisers, Special assistants, a president, a vice president, 36 ministers, special advisers, federal legislature and so on.

He also added that Simple arithmetic will tell you that if you have that structure, you are first of all doomed to spending 80 or 90 per cent of everything you earn maintaining public officers. It is really common sense but it seems to be a problem for us to understand it.

If you dont free up the resources and put them up for capital projects, you are laying the foundation of what we are seeing today. We need to have structural reform.

The royal father also said Kano State today is much smaller than Kano emirate, because there are two other emirates in Dutse and Ringim which were carved out from what was the Kano emirate just to create a new state. There are two governors in Kano and Jigawa, two deputy governors, maybe 40 members of the House of Assembly, 40 commissioners and advisers, 70 local governments, chairman and councillors but for nine years, Governor Audu Bako with nine commissioners, one governors and nine commissioner managed the entire territory and they were doing much better services than we are doing now. Is it not time to face reality?
Mr. Sumaila Ethan, the state Commander of the NDLEA, who paraded the suspect before newsmen on Friday in Lafia, described the conduct of the village head as "ungodly and unfortunate.

"It is pertinent to alert the people of the state and member of the public that there is alarming increase in the activities of illicit drug peddling in the state.

"This is especially with those entrusted with the responsibilities of leadership in our rural communities.

"On March 4, we arrested Mr. Samuel Agu, the village head of Koje community in Nasarawa Eggon Local Government area of the state with bags of cannibas sativa weighing about12 kg.

"The village head confessed that he has been getting the supply of the deadly seeds for planting from a herdsman.

"He confessed that the 12 kg seized from him was the remnant of what he harvested from his farm, Ethnan said.

Ethan said that the command had secured the conviction of seven drug barons, counseled and rehabilitated.10, while others are facing trial in court.

He called for collective efforts in tackling the production, sales and consumption of illicit drugs in the state.
He said I must apologise that we didnt take some of the senate leadership along the path of this restructuring but if you look at the draft of the Petroleum Industry Bill sent to us for our input, you will discover that the restructuring was within the suggestion we made.

Having said that, I must take responsibility for not carrying out the necessary consultation as we should have done.

The Senate also gave their blessing to the restructuring exercise in NNPC.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Senator Donald Tayo Alasoadura, after a closed door session with Kachikwu, held to clarify issues surrounding the change in the NNPC, said We have a very useful discussion with the minister. He clarified the issue that he was not unbundling NNPC because it is an entity created by an Act of the National Assembly and nobody can touch it unless he comes back to the National Assembly for ammendments.

The NNPC Group Managing Director(GMD), also told the Senators that the restructuring was in the best interest of the nation, as NNPC will be re-positioned to make more profit.
Rep. Abdulrazak Namdas, the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, told newsmen in Abuja that the move was unconstitutional and usurped the powers of the legislature.

Namdas who noted that the NNPC was established by an Act of Parliament, argued that there was need for an Executive Bill for the corporation to be restructured.

"NNPC is an Act and we feel that anything that will be done on NNPC should be brought back to the National Assembly, Namdas said.

"We also urge Mr President to send Executive Bill to the National Assembly as soon as possible.
Read the article, titled The road lies in wait, below:

Two major road accidents in the last week brought to the fore again the dangers that lie in wait on Nigerian roads. The Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, James Ocholi, SAN, his wife and son lost their lives in a vehicle accident that occurred on the Kaduna- Abuja road, when their Lexus SUV vehicle somersaulted, following a burst tyre and the drivers loss of control.

There was also the death on the Maiduguri-Damaturu road of Major-General Yashau Abubakar of the Training and Operations Department of the Nigerian Army. Both accidents have been a source of enormous grief, perhaps because of the status of the persons involved, but the truth is that Nigerian roads are treacherous and deceitful, marked as they are every day, by a harvest of deaths and sorrow.

To report that the state of the roads is bad is to proclaim the notoriously obvious, and to say that more people die every minute on our roads is to iterate that the road in Nigeria is no respecter of persons or class. In its annual reports, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has tried to identify the primary and secondary causes of road accidents, and in the current Ocholi case, it has offered a preliminary report, which reinforces the notion about every death being in the long run, a revelatory comment on mans existential crisis.

The regret is that the death that occurs on Nigerian roads, is more often than not, man-made, regretfully self-invited and for that reason, mostly avoidable. Anyone who has ever travelled on Nigerian roads would readily admit that going onto those roads is like taking a risk and no man can call himself safe until he returns home in one piece at the end of the day.

Many of our roads are pothole-ridden, bumpy and poorly maintained. Before the ad hoc resurfacing of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway from the Lagos end, there were uneven portions, which always made it seem as if the road was struggling with the driver to seize control of the steering wheel.

One moment of distraction, you could find yourself careering off the road. From the Ibadan end of the Expressway, there were hidden, deep potholes. Many motorists found themselves suddenly landing into those potholes only to lose their tyres or lives.

So bad is this dilemma that many motorists require prior knowledge of the state of the road to be able to drive on it; that knowledge means knowing where the potholes are at what point and where dangerous contours need to be avoided. Years of neglect and lack of maintenance have reproduced this pattern across the country.

It takes repeated and costly accidents before the appropriate authorities would rush to mend the roads. And this is not just on the highways; even inner city roads are problematic. When it rains in most Nigerian towns and cities, life grinds to a halt, because the roads are transformed into streams, overflowing with water, due to poor drainage, and from struggling to turn the vehicle into a boat and avoid unseen potholes, the worst may happen. We are almost in that season again, and soon the stories will be told, of accidents caused by slippery, water-logged and dangerous roads.

This fact of administrative and official failure is an important footnote to the FRSC report in the Ocholi case which draws attention to the drivers negligence, over-speeding, his criminal conduct -driving without a licence (but note that he is a government driver!- who on earth assigned him to drive an official vehicle without a licence (?) and then, the non-use of seat belt by the deceased persons, who in the event of the accident were flung out of the vehicle, in addition to the wrong orientation of the vehicles tyres.

The revelations by the FRSC Investigation Team should serve as necessary warning to drivers, passengers, vehicle owners and all road users, indeed all of us. Too many Nigerian road users behave as if life has a duplicate. I have seen drivers who insist Oga dont worry. When you remind them about speed limits, their standard response is Oga dont worry. Every Oga who sits in the owners corner should worry. There is no guarantee that accidents wont occur. Reckless driving is the bane of the Nigerian road.

Commercial drivers are drunk most of the time, or they are under some kind of influence including the metaphysical which induces them to tell you that the vehicle is covered by the blood of Jesus, or that No weapon fashioned against them shall prosper. The more traditional ones insist that they have killed a dog for Ogun, the god of iron and so, Ogun will not forsake his own. As the FRSC has indicated, there are thousands behind the wheels on Nigerian roads who have never bothered to undergo a driving test, and these include persons working as official drivers.

There is also the problem of vehicle maintenance. Half of the vehicles on our roads are either not roadworthy or they are poorly maintained. Have you not heard the drivers who are fond of saying: we can manage Oga; I fit manage am. The tyres are worn out, the wheel balancing and alignment are bad, but the Nigerian driver will rather manage. Even when the brakes begin to fail, the natural response is to manage. We dont worry enough about safety; we cut corners and procrastinate, when the vehicle gives warning signs, we ignore, when the road breaks down, we look the other way.

It is this mentality that has made many of the employed drivers corrupt. When you give them money to buy fuel, they short-change you; when the vehicle is to be taken for repairs, they undercut you; when anything goes wrong, they refuse to inform you until it is too late. And yet, there are too many big men in Nigeria relying on drivers and not paying enough attention. It is a sign of status and class, to employ a driver or to be assigned one, but very few big men and women bother to monitor the men into whose hands their lives are entrusted.

The point about seat belt deserves to be properly underlined. Following the accidents under reference, there has been much talk about the importance of seat belts. According to the FRSC, the ejection of the minister and his son, who occupied the rear seat, confirmed the fact that their rear seat belts were not in use and on the contrary, the driver and the orderly survived because the front seat belts were in use.

It is sad that many big men dont worry about using seat belts. It is considered too much of an effort for a man to own a vehicle, or be big enough to be driven by another, only for him to tie himself down in the back seat. The widespread assumption is that the space called owners corner is meant for sprawling; it is regarded as a place of comfort from where the master backs orders at the assistants in the front seat! This owners corner syndrome has caused the death of many big men and women, there must be a vigorous campaign launched at all levels by the FRSC, civil society groups and other agencies to remind everyone that it is better to be a big man or woman alive than to ignore a simple safety task and lose ones life.

The FRSC is threatening to prosecute late Minister Ocholis driver as soon as he is discharged from the hospital. But the FRSC must see in this experience, further justification for it to be more vigilant and assertive with its vehicle accident prevention strategies. It must launch a fresh and vigorous campaign against reckless driving, set clear speed limits, acquire the relevant technology to determine the abuse of those limits and raise its organizational capacity to prevent motorists from willfully committing suicide or killing others, by apprehending the reckless and enforcing the relevant laws.

This should include descending heavily on persons who use the phone while driving. I cant count the number of times other motorists nearly drove into a vehicle or constituted pure nuisance, just because they are busy driving with one hand and using the other hand to wield a phone while chatting heartily as if they are in their living rooms. When you call such persons to order, they have no qualms telling you to get lost or mind your own business!

The FRSC used to have many volunteers, otherwise known as Special Marshals, who effected citizen arrest or helped to make the roads saner either by controlling traffic or checking the excesses of other motorists. That volunteer corps should be re-energized. And anyone who does not have a drivers licence should be sanctioned.

The current penalties appear cheap, and so motorists are tempted to do as they wish. Speed violation attracts only a fine of N3, 000, driving under the influence - N5, 000, vehicle license violation -N3, 000, driving without seat belt  N2, 000; use of phone while driving- N4, 000; only dangerous driving attracts a fine as high as N50, 000, but of course by the time that N50, 000 is paid, lives may have been lost!

These fines and penalties should be reviewed. Nigerians often choose which laws to respect or not and damn the consequences, particularly if they can easily pay a fine and walk away. The various tributes on late Minister Ocholi have been touching, the story is sad, and may the Lord grant him, his wife, and son, peaceful repose, but after all the tears have been shed and the tributes delivered, what must be done is not to walk away until another tragedy occurs, but to take concrete steps to prevent similar accidents in the future, especially for the sake of the many unknown victims who die daily on our roads, and whose tragedy is unreported and unmourned.
The trial, which resumed today, March 11, was postponed due to a delay in serving a motion challenging the Tribunals jurisdiction on prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs.

CCT President, Danladi Umar shifted the trial after urging the defence to ensure that all motions and processes are served on time in order to avoid a further delay of the trial.

Saraki had earlier appeared at the premises of the tribunal in the company of about 30 Senatorsand was reportedly represented by 66 lawyers.

Meanwhile, Saraki has once again said that the trial is political saying that he wasnt given a chance to explain himself.

As it stands, Nigerians must ask why this fundamental and indispensable condition for a trial at the CCT has not been followed. What this means is that the condition precedent mandates that Dr. Saraki, as every other citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is entitled to, should have been given the opportunity to explain any perceived inaccuracy, but he was never given the opportunity to do so," he wrote via a statement released by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Gbenga Makanjuola.

Given that for 13 years, all the documents from the senate presidents asset declarations from 2003, 2007 and 2011 were accessible by the Bureau for investigation. Sarakis application states that the condition precedence should have been drawn to it, to give the senate president the opportunity to explain and address any identified issues.

In this regard, as the trial begins, Nigerians should note that this outright non-observance of the rule of law, reaffirms the belief that this trial is borne from political mischief and malice associated with the timeliness and nature of this suit," he added.

The Senate President has been charged with 13 counts of false asset declaration which is said to have occurred during his 2003-2011 tenure as the governor of Kwara State.

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ALSO READ: undefined"In this fast paced world heavily influenced by social media, many young girls/ladies grow up without strong female influences to look up to: Mentors who nurture them not just mentally and emotionally, but ethically as well. Mentors who show them more than just how to be a woman "at home, but how to succeed in a highly competitive world. More importantly, young people need to know that every successful person has a personal existence, which may in fact be dogged by distracting vagaries of life that need to also be successfully managed," Adetiba wrote on her Youtube channel while describing the series. Watch teaser below.
According to the media outlet, Berry would play the head of the CIA in the sequel, which is scheduled for a June 16, 2017 release .The Matthew Vaughns adaptation of the Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons novel of same name, was released in February 2015, and became a hit, grossing $128 million domestically and $285 million overseas.

READ:D

Based upon the 2012 Icon Comics miniseries by Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar, 'Kingsman: The Secret Service ' tells the story of a spy organization that recruits an unrefined, but promising street kid into the agency's ultra-competitive training program, just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.

READ : undefined

The 2015 film starred Colin Firth, Michael Caine, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong and Taron Egerton, Sofia Boutella and Sophie Cookson.

There has been no further details on who is returning for the sequel.
What better way to ease off the stress of the week than watch a good movie.

With that in mind, check out our list of movies currently showing in cinemas across Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.

Starring: Morena Baccarin, Gina Carano, Ryan Reynolds

Synopsis: Gifted with accelerated healing powers and a twisted sense of humor, mercenary Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) adopts the alter ego Deadpool and hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 4:30pm, 8:35pm

Friday - Thursday: 12:20PM, 2:30PM, 4:40PM, 6:50PM, 9:00PM

Friday - Thursday: 3:50PM, 7:10PM, 9:40PM

Friday - Thursday: 2:10 pm, 8:45 pm

Starring: Olga Kurylenko, James Purefoy, Morgan Freeman

Synopsis: Alex, a mysterious thief, is pulled in by her former partner for one last heist. She quickly finds it was never just about the diamonds. A brutal murder sparks a cat and mouse chase between Alex and a master assassin. Now she must uncover the lies behind the heist and discover the secrets behind the men who have made her a target.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 10:20am

Starring: Stella Damasus, Joseph Benjamin, Beverly Naya.

Synopsis: She is a Medical Doctor by day and member of the "lonely hearts club" by night. Never been married and aware that her biological clock is ticking, Vivienne is desperate to find a man...

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 6:35pm

Friday - Thursday: 2:20PM, 6:20PM, 8:30PM

Friday - Thursday: 10:30AM, 12:40PM,2:50PM, 5:00PM

Starring: Kemi Lala Akindoju, Enyimma Nwigwe, Linda Ejiofor, Rita Dominic, Seun Ajayi, Beverly Naya.

Synopsis: ASet in Lagos, the movie depicts the life of a young, hustling graduate desperate to overcome his financial woes. The protagonist ARINZE is played by actor Seun Ajayi who meets ambitious and beautiful OMOSIGHO (Beverly Naya) by chance and this sets off a chain of events that force him to explore a get rich quick idea.Surulere (means Patience Pays in Yoruba)

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 5:10pm,

Friday - Thursday: 3:50PM, 8:20PM

Genre: Drama, Romance, Thriller

Starring: Dakore Akande, Ireti Doyle, Dakore Egbuson

Synopsis: FIFTY captures a few pivotal, days in the lives of four Nigeria women at the pinnacle of their careers. Meet Tola, Elizabeth, Maria and Kate four friends forced at midlife to take inventory.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 10:00am

Starring: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart,Tika Sumpter, Glen Powell

Synopsis: As his wedding day approaches, Ben heads to Miami with his soon-to-be brother-in-law James to bring down a drug dealer who's supplying the dealers of Atlanta with product

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 11:00AM, 6:15PM.

Friday - Thursday : 11:40AM, 3:40PM

Starring: Alison Brie, Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson

Synopsis: As his wedding day approaches, Ben heads to Miami with his soon-to-be brother-in-law James to bring down a drug dealer who's supplying the dealers of Atlanta with product

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 6:30PM, 8:40PM

Starring: Donnie Yen, Lynn Hung, Jin Zhang, Mike Tyson.

Synopsis: When a band of brutal gangsters led by a crooked property developer make a play to take over the city, Master Ip is forced to take a stand.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 11:55am, 3:40pm, 6:00pm, 8:05pm

Friday - Thursday: 1:10PM, 3:10PM, 5:10PM, 7:10PM, 9:10PM

Friday - Thursday: 12:45PM, 5:00PM, 9:10PM

Friday - Thursday: 3:20PM,7:00PM,8:50PM

Fri : 3:40 pm, 9:10 pm, 11:25 pm

Sat : 9:10 pm, 11:25 pm

Sun: 9:10 pm

Mon - Thu: 3:40 pm, 9:10 pm

Starring: Olivia Munn, Penelope Cruz, Christine Taylor, Kristen Wiig

Synopsis: Derek and Hansel are modelling again when an opposing company attempts to take them out from the business.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 12:00pm, 3:00pm, 6:35pm, 9:05pm

Friday - Thursday: 1:30PM, 3:30PM, 5:30PM, 7:30PM, 9:30PM

Friday - Thursday: 10:45AM, 2:55PM, 7:05PM

Sunday: 2:55PM, 7:05PM

Friday - Thursday: 11:00AM, 4:05PM.

Friday - Thursday: 12:00 pm, 4:30 pm, 6:40 pm

Starring: Gina Carano, Robert De Niro, Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Synopsis: A father is without the means to pay for his daughter's medical treatment. As a last resort, he partners with a greedy co-worker to rob a casino. When things go awry they're forced to hijack a city bus

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 2:00pm

Friday - Thursday: 9:10PM

Starring: Caroline Danjuma, Nse Ikpe Etim, Jim Iyke

Synopsis: A successful stylist, Kaylah Lawal (Nse Ikpe Etim) is out late one night and ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time. She manages to escape being attacked by members of a secret society out on rampage

Friday - Thursday: 10:00am

Friday - Thursday: 12:15 pm, 5:00 pm

Friday - Thursday: 1:40PM

Friday - Thursday: 7:00PM

Friday - Thursday: 7:05PM,8:30PM

Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman

Synopsis: In London for the Prime Minister's funeral, Mike Banning discovers a plot to assassinate all the attending world leaders.

Friday - Thursday: 12:10pm, 2:30pm, 3:45pm, 5:00pm, 6:55pm, 8:50pm

Friday - Thursday: 3:25PM,5:15PM

Friday - Thursday: 1:00 pm, 3:05 pm, 5:15 pm, 7:00 pm, 7:25 pm, 9:35 pm, 11:45 pm

Friday - Thursday: 12:00PM, 1:20PM, 2:00PM, 3:20PM, 4:00PM, 5:20PM, 6:00PM, 7:20PM, 8:00PM, 9:20PM

Friday and Sunday: 12:35PM, 5:05PM, 9:35PM

Saturday, Monday - Thursday: 10:30AM, 12:35PM, 5:05PM, 9:35PM

Genre: Animation

Starring:Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba

Synopsis: TIn a city of anthropomorphic animals, a fugitive con artist fox and a rookie bunny cop must work together to uncover a conspiracy.

Showing:

Fri & Mon - Thu: 11:00 am, 1:20 pm

Sat & Sun: 11:00 am

Friday - Thursday: 10:00am, 12:50pm, 4:35pm

Friday - Thursday: 1:20PM, 2:55PM.

Friday - Thursday: 11:30AM, 1:40PM, 6:10PM

Friday - Thursday: 10:40AM, 3:00PM

Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure

Starring: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman

Synopsis: Continuing his "legendary adventures of awesomeness", Po must face two hugely epic, but different threats: one supernatural and the other a little closer to his home.

Showing:

Sat-Sun: 12:40pm[3D], 2:30pm[3D], 4:25pm[3D]

Sat & Sun: 2:00 pm, 4:05 pm

Genre: Romance

Starring: Lilian Esoro, Enyinna Nwigwe, Adesua Etomi, Okey Uzoeshi, Kiki Omeili

Synopsis: Three Couples decide to take a weekend getaway and head out to a friends home in Ibadan. However, their happy break is ruined when little gossip lead the couples to share more personal secrets than anyone is willing to reveal and makes them all ask the question? Does love really last more than a Couple of Days?

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 6:00PM

Genre: Romance

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Paul Rudd

Synopsis: A little girl lives in a very grown-up world with her mother, who tries to prepare her for it. Her neighbor, the Aviator, introduces the girl to an extraordinary world where anything is possible, the world of the Little Prince.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 12:10PM, 4:20PM

Friday - Thursday: 2:05pm

Friday - Thursday: 11:10AM, 12:40PM

Friday - Thursday: 1:20PM, 2:55PM.

Genre: Romance

Starring: Liz Benson, Wale Ojo, Vimbai Mutinhiri, IK Ogbonna, Adunni Ade, Enyinna Nwigwe, Mary Lazarus, Michael Godson, Chinonso Young, Bolanle Ninalowo

Synopsis: People make several life decisions only for "The Wrong Reasons," and for every wrong or desperate decisions we make ,drastic price to pay or a huge lesson to learn. Love and sacrifices in relationships is key, but can all these make wrong decisions right?

Showing:

Friday - Saturday: 11:55am

Genre: Romance

Starring:John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber, James Badge Dale

Synopsis: As an American ambassador is killed during an attack at a U.S. compound in Libya, a security team struggles to make sense out of the chaos.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 9:40 pm

Friday - Thursday: 10:05am, 2:05pm, 8:25pm

Friday - Thursday: 12:45PM

Saturday - Thursday: 2:55PM, 7:50PM

Friday - Thursday: 7:55PM

Genre:

Starring:Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Gerard Butler

Synopsis: Mortal hero Bek teams with the god Horus in an alliance against Set, the merciless god of darkness who has usurped Egypt's throne, plunging the once peaceful and prosperous empire into chaos and conflict.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 2:25 pm, 7:10 pm, 9:45 pm

Friday - Thursday: Fri-Thur: 2:05pm, 4:20pm[3D], 6:45pm[3D], 7:55pm

Friday - Thursday: 3:00PM,7:05PM

Friday - Thursday: 11:20AM, 1:40PM, 4:10PM, 5:40PM, 6:40PM, 8:10PM, 9:10PM

Friday - Thursday: 2:35PM, 7:05PM, 9:20PM

Genre:

Starring:Joseph Fiennes, Tom Felton, Peter Firth

Synopsis: MFollows the epic Biblical story of the Resurrection, as told through the eyes of a non-believer. Clavius, a powerful Roman Military Tribune, and his aide Lucius.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 10:00am

Friday - Thursday: 11:00AM, 4:40PM.

Friday - Thursday: 12:50PM, 5:35PM

Friday - Thursday: 1:05PM

Genre:

Starring:Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions .

Synopsis: Melvin, a reluctant Superhero, lives only for crime, women and drugs - until he realises that the only way he will ever get to see his estranged son is to go straight and fulfil his potential as a crime fighter.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 12:45pm, 2:00pm, 6:10pm

Friday - Thursday: 12:45PM, 9:10PM

Friday - Thursday: 1:00PM, 3:00PM, 5:00PM, 7:00PM, 8:50PM

Friday - Thursday: 10:30AM,2:50PM,7:10PM

Genre:

Starring: Priyanka Chopra, Prakash Jha, Manav Kaul .

Synopsis: A newly appointed Senior Inspector finds herself against very powerful goons and having people from her own department against her.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 12:30PM, 3:20PM
The House of Representatives took over the state House of Assemblyon Wednesday, March 9, 2016, following repeated attempts to impeach the Speaker, Momoh Jimoh-Lawal.

Sani made the accusation on Thursday, March 10, at a plenary session held in Lokoja, the state capital, according to Punch.

It is clear to me that Faleke cannot distance himself from what is happening in the Assembly because he is determined to bring down the government of Alhaji Yahaya Bello at all cost, Sani said.

The decision of the House of Representatives to take over the Kogi State Assembly shows that there is a vested interest which poses danger to our democracy.

In 2012, when Bello Abdulahi was impeached as the Speaker of the Assembly and Jimoh Lawal was made the Speaker by seven of 25 members of the House, Faleke, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, were all in the House of Representatives at that time but they did not invoke Section 11 (4)of the constitution in spite of the petition submitted by Abdullahi Bello, he added.

Faleke was meant to serve as Governor Yahaya Bellos deputy but he failed to show up for the inauguration on January 27.
This is following the Supreme Courts ruling, that gave a nod to the continuation of his trial.

You will recall that the apex court reached the decision on February 5, 2016.

The trial was initially slated to hold on March 10, but was moved to March 11, based on the request of Sarakis lawyer, Mr. Kanu Agabi (SAN).

The senate has also described the trial of the Senate President at the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCT) as a political vendetta.

Saraki had earlier, expressed his disappointment over the judgement of the apex court in the country on the six grounds of his appeal.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, also called on the National Assembly chairman, to resign from his position.

In its response to the Supreme Court ruling, the CCT said its delighted at the Supreme Courts ruling for the trial of the Senate President to continue.

The Federal Government accused Senator Bukola Saraki of submitting false assets declaration submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau, during his eight years tenure as Governor of Kwara State from 2003 and 2011.
Saraki said further that he wasnt given a chance to explain himself before the trial began.

The Senate President made the comments via a statement released by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Gbenga Makanjuola.

It reads:

We must all be guided by the fact that a basic scrutiny of section 3, paragraph D of the act that establishes the CCT and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) states in explicit terms that before any complaint (if any) is forwarded to the CCB for adjudication, the public officer against whom a complaint is made must be given the opportunity to either deny or admit the claims.

As it stands, Nigerians must ask why this fundamental and indispensable condition for a trial at the CCT has not been followed. What this means is that the condition precedent mandates that Dr. Saraki, as every other citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is entitled to, should have been given the opportunity to explain any perceived inaccuracy, but he was never given the opportunity to do so.

Secondly and more crucially, the application submitted by the senate president draws attention to the fact that the 13-year-old declaration forms, on which the majority of the impending suit is predicated, were examined and investigated by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) at the time of submission and were found satisfactory to the bureaus requirements at the time.

Given that for 13 years, all the documents from the senate presidents asset declarations from 2003, 2007 and 2011 were accessible by the Bureau for investigation. Sarakis application states that the condition precedence should have been drawn to it, to give the senate president the opportunity to explain and address any identified issues.

In this regard, as the trial begins, Nigerians should note that this outright non-observance of the rule of law, reaffirms the belief that this trial is borne from political mischief and malice associated with the timeliness and nature of this suit.

As the head of Nigerias legislative branch, Dr. Saraki is confident that justice will ultimately prevail and he is ready, willing and prepared to submit himself to all proceedings that adhere to the strict dictates of the law. He believes that the law must take its righteous course and reassures Nigerians of his commitment to serving the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The call was made by APC Deputy National Secretary, Ngofa Oji on Thursday, March 10, 2016, according to PM News.

These matters were reported and it shouldnt have gotten to the point where institutions charged with the responsibility to take care of these things are doing nothing, Oji said.

We would not have gotten to the point, where people are beginning to wonder if actually we have an APC government and APC members are targeted in Rivers State.

People cannot believe that Nigerian citizens are killed this way in Rivers, he added.

The APC has accused Governor Nyesom Wike of being behind the killing of its members in the state.

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Chief Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, the Iyaloja General of Nigeria, said they are protesting against the marginalisation of traders by the Buhari led administration.

Tinubu-Ojo said I am here this afternoon to represent market women and men of Nigeria. There has been agitations, not even agitation of allegation, the people believed that the government of the day is not carrying them along as it should be, that they worked round the clock for the party during the electioneering campaign, but after the inauguration most of us are not carried along.

She also said We only hear on the news that the First Lady is doing a programme this and that and we just see it on the news and they wouldnt allow me be, all the complain come to my table morning and night and I say okay, enough is enough.

The Iyaloja said because I am the daughter of the National leader of APC doesnt mean that I must not represent my people well, I have to represent my peoples opinion, I am a leader, and as a leader, my people are crying foul and I wont fold my hands and keep quite because my father is a national leader, it is wrong, I am not mobilizing against the party, no, I am solidly behind the party, I have work for the party before and I will still work for the party tomorrow, but that does not stop me from saying the truth.
According to the APC, Wike urged Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in the state to resist arrest during the conduct of the March 19, 2016 state and National Assembly rerun elections in Rivers.

Wike is also said to have warned anyone planning to rig elections in the state to write their will first.

Some people say that I am making inciting statements. I have never made any inciting statement. But I have always said the truth, the governor said in Port Harcourt on Thursday, March 10, according to Punch.

Instead of them to praise me that I am supporting what the President said, they said I am making inciting statements. We will not allow anybody to rig; we must protect our votes.

It is for us to reclaim our mandate and protect what we have and this is the opportunity to tell Nigerians that we never made a mistake last time. We will repeat the victory on March 19, he added.

The state government had earlier accused the APC of claiming every dead person in the stateas its member in a bid to accuse Wike of orchestrating political violence.

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Somalian Police have reportedly detained a 22-year-old Muslim man for allegedly planning an attack on Romes central Termini train station.

The man whose name is yet to be disclosed was arrested after two months of investigations. He was allegedly heard saying, Charlie Hebdo was just the beginning, the war continues during the the shooting at the satirical magazines headquarter which left 12 people dead in Paris.
Olawumi added that the reason for the decision is due to he successes recorded in the fight against insurgency in the north eastern part of the country.

Speaking to journalists in Katsina, he said, "Since the insurgency has been reduced drastically, we are resuming orientation in Gombe state beginning with this batch A of 2016.

"Adamawa state will resume with the next batch, while Borno and Yobe orientation camps will be re-opened before the end of the year," he added.

Mr. Olawumi said the states had some of the best facilities for orientation in the country, but had to be closed down due to insecurity.

He advised corps members to discharge their duties at their places of primary assignment diligently.
According to Sahara Reporters, Mr. President said The concern of the federal government was on the security of the country and not the fine imposed on MTN. You know how the unregistered GSM lines were used by terrorists and between 2009 and today, at least 10,000 Nigerians were killed by Boko Haram.

He also said That was why the NCC asked MTN, Glo and the rest of them to register GSM subscribers. Unfortunately, MTN was very very slow and contributed to the casualties. NCC looked at its regulations and imposed the fine. Unfortunately for MTN, they went to court and once you go to court, you virtually disarm the government because if the federal government refused to listen to the judiciary, it is going against its own constitution. Therefore, the government had to wait.

I think MTN has seen that and decided to withdraw the case and go back and negotiate with government agencies on what they consider a very steep fine to be reduced and maybe given time to pay gradually, Buhari said.
The news comes two days after South African President Jacob Zuma visited Nigeria, during which he appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to consider a negotiation between MTN and the NCC.

MTN is making the offer to put to bed the dispute which has been running since October when the NCC initially fined the telecom company $5.1 billion.

The Senate Committee on Communications also met on Thursday to discuss the issue, coming to the conclusion that the MTN negotiations must continue with the involvement of the Minister of Communications, Mr. Adebayo Shittu.

The NCC had initially fined MTN N1.04 trillion before reducing it to N780 billion. Also, MTN was initially given till December 31, 2015 to pay the fine, but the company made a U-turn and then sued the regulator in a Federal High Court in Lagos, along with the attorney general of the federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

MTN has since appealed with the court to let it reach an agreement with the NCC (which was granted), withdrawn its case from court and made a 'goodwill' payment of $250 million to the NCC.
The 19-yr-old Australian model with Down syndrome did a wedding shoot which was nothing short of amazing.

Stuart had teamed up with professional photographer Sarah Houston at bed-and-breakfast Rixey Manor, Virginia - a popular destination for weddings , where she modeled three different made by designer Ava Laurenne.

The photo shoot was organized for the teenage model by the owner of Rixey Manor, Isadora Martin-Dye, and her husband.

"A lot of newly engaged women cannot see themselves as a bride because all the images magazines use are of these tall, thin models,"

"I think that being a bride is a life experience that every women should be able to see herself doing  and definitely not stressing about the fact that they won't look 'perfect' on their wedding day, " Martin-Dye told TODAY.com in a statement.

Stuart is the worlds first professional model with Down syndrome. She shares some of her professional photos with her 120,000 followers along with inspirational messages.

Her fans cheered her on for the wedding shoot which has gone viral, sending encouraging messages her way.

"Madeline when I grow up I want to be just like you! Don't listen to what anyone says: you are beautiful in every single way!!! wrote an Instagram user.

"You are 1 beautiful lady & you deserve the accolades that are finally coming your way; not for being Down syndrome (as that is a part of you, BUT it doesn't define you) but for being a naturally beautiful (sic) & photogenic lady, another commented on Stuarts viral wedding photos.
Rights group accuse Gambian authorities of multiple violations, although Banjul denies a deterioration of civil liberties under Jammeh, one of Africa's "big men" who has been in power for two decades and will seek re-election this year.

Sheriff Diba fell foul of authorities in the tiny West African country after his union lobbied Jammeh for a reduction in retail fuel prices, according to the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) which represents him.

He was arrested last month and died on February 21 in Mile 2 prison after being beaten and tortured by members of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the ITF said, citing local sources who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals.

"The ILO director-general (Guy Ryder) has expressed his deep concern urging the government to carry out an independent inquiry into the circumstances of Sheriff Diba's tragic death," International Labour Organisation spokesman Hans von Rohland said in an email to Reuters.

Gambia's Information Minister Sheriff Bojang was not immediately available for comment on Thursday. Officials have previously said Diba died of malaria.

Amnesty International echoed the ILO's call for an investigation into Diba's death and for Gambia to uphold freedom of association. Diba's union the Gambian National Transport Control Association has been dissolved by presidential order, according to the ITF.

ITF officials say they are also considering filing a complaint against Gambia with the Banjul-based African Commission on Human and People's Rights or with the U.N. Human Rights Committee over the incident.

Separately, rights groups this week called for Gambia to free a sick journalist whom they say was arrested by the NIA in July 2015 and charged with sedition.

Alagie Abdoulie Ceesay is currently held in the Mile 2 Prison where Diba was also detained.
However, exiles and rights groups say China has never presented convincing evidence of the existence of a cohesive militant group fighting the government, and much of the unrest can be traced back to frustration at controls over the culture and religion of the Muslim Uighur people who live in Xinjiang.

Speaking to Xinjiang delegates to China's annual meeting of parliament, including the region's Communist Party chief and governor, Li said Xinjiang occupied an "especially important strategic position", the official Xinjiang Daily said on Friday.

"Xinjiang's development and stability ... have bearing on national and ethnic unity and national security," Li said, adding he thought Xinjiang was "generally stable" at present.

Turning to the topic of the heavily Uighur southern part of Xinjiang, where much of the unrest has occurred in recent years, Li said companies which "suit actual local conditions and are good for the environment" needed to be "guided" to set up there.

"Let the people, especially the young, have something to do and money to earn," he said.

Recognising the economic roots of some of the violence and frustration of many young Uighurs at missing out on China's economic boom, Beijing has increased its focus on southern Xinjiang, pumping in money and encouraging development.

China's fourth-ranked leader, Yu Zhengsheng, called southern Xinjiang the "main battle ground in the anti-separatist struggle" during a visit last September.

Li said education was also an important part of development and stability.

"You must pay attention to education work, especially in southern Xinjiang, send educators to southern Xinjiang, nurture well the next generation."

He did not elaborate, but China has been enforcing in Xinjiang more teaching in Mandarin, the national tongue, rather than the Uighur's own Turkic language, hoping to better integrate Uighurs into the Chinese society.
The convoy was escorted by the African Union and United Nations peacekeepers and was travelling from Kutum to Djarido, North Darfur, the statement said.

One South African soldier was killed and another was wounded in the ambush.

The attacks may constitute war crimes under international law, it added.

More than 105,000 civilians have been reportedly displaced from the Jebel Marra area in Sudan's Darfur region since mid-January 2016 due to increased hostilities, the UN Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs said. The numbers are rising on a daily basis.
Angola, a member of OPEC and Africa's second largest oil exporter after Nigeria, has been hit hard by the slump in global crude prices. Oil export revenues account for more than 90 percent of foreign exchange revenues.

Angola, a former Portuguese colony, holds its next parliamentary election in 2017 and the leader of the winning party will then become president. MPLA leader Dos Santos was re-appointed to a new five-year term as Angola's president in August 2012 after his party scored a landslide win.

It was not immediately clear whether Dos Santos would retain his post as MPLA leader during the next election or take part in the campaign.

A year of weak oil prices has hammered Africa's third largest economy and the government is in discussions with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund about possible financial assistance.

Dos Santos' mild, inscrutable public demeanour belies his tight control over Angola, where he has overseen an oil-backed economic boom and the reconstruction of infrastructure devastated by a 27-year-long civil war that ended in 2002.

Critics accuse him of mismanaging Angola's oil wealth and making an elite, mainly his family and political allies, vastly rich in a country ranked amongst the world's most corrupt.

Dos Santos is Africa's second longest ruling leader after Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

DYNASTIC SUCCESSION?

Vice-President Manuel Vicente - former head of state oil firm Sonangol - is seen as a likely successor to Dos Santos.

"(Dos Santos) has been grooming Vicente for quite a while now ... He has deputised for him on a number of important occasions, which sent a strong signal," said Gary van Staden, a Johannesburg-based political analyst with NKC African Economics.

But another analyst said the president was grooming his son, Jose Filomeno de Sousa dos Santos, to succeed him. The younger Dos Santos currently heads Angola's sovereign wealth fund.

"It may mean the succession is in progress and that it will be a dynastic one," said Nelson Bonavena, an economics lecturer at the Catholic University of Angola and political analyst.

Another Angola expert, Ricardo Soares de Oliveira of Britain's Oxford University, said the news of Dos Santos' planned exit should be treated cautiously.

"Dos Santos' departure from power has been the talk of the town in Luanda for 15 years. He has always hinted that he wanted to leave but this is the most specific commitment he has ever made," he said.
The memorial service for the former Hollywood actress and first lady capped two days during which thousands of mourners filed past her flower-bedecked casket as she lay in repose at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, north of Los Angeles.

She was to be buried beside her husband in a private graveside service at the library, following a televised memorial ceremony to be attended by numerous dignitaries and celebrities, many from her time in the White House with Ronald Reagan as he served as the 40th U.S. president.

She died on Sunday of congestive heart failure at age 94. Ronald Reagan died in 2004 after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 93.

Her funeral was scheduled to open with music performed by a choir from the nearby Santa Susana High School and a U.S. Marine Corps band, followed by readings of various Bible passages, according to the Reagan library.

The program also includes a letter from Ronald to Nancy Reagan, to be recited by former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, a close friend of the couple, and eulogies by Reagan's chief of staff, James Baker, former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, and two of Reagan's children - her daughter Patti Davis and son, Ron Jr.

Leading the roster of VIP mourners slated to attend is current first lady Michelle Obama, joined by close relatives of all of President Barack Obama's nine immediate predecessors, including former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura.

The list includes two other former first ladies - Jimmy Carter's wife, Rosalynn, and Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state and now Democratic front-runner in the 2016 presidential race - as well as Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late President John Kennedy. Children of Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford also were expected.
Turning the ship before it hits the iceberg
Several candidates filed for Nye County offices ahead of the primary election in June.

Several candidates filed for Nye County offices ahead of the primary election in June.

Scott Mattox, an accountant and business owner from Amargosa Valley, will challenge incumbent commissioner Lorinda Wichman in district 1. Pahrump Regional Planning Commission Chairman John Koenig and Pahrump resident David Lancaster will face off in district 2. In district 3, Nye County Water District Governing Board Chairman Greg Dann and Pahrump resident Louie DeCanio will run against incumbent commissioner Donna Cox.

The filing period is open until March 18. Those who file with the Nye County clerk until that date will face off in a primary election on June 14. The winners will go into the general election on Nov. 8.

Nye County Clerk Sandra Merlino called the number of people that had filed thus far average, but noted that the office expects to have a few more filings register by March 18.

We never know how many (candidates) will file, she said. I expect a couple more commission candidates and as far as the Beatty Water and Sanitation and Beatty General Improvement District, and the town boards, she said.

Among the county partisan offices nominated in Nye County for the June 14 primary are districts 1,2,3. County nonpartisan offices include Beatty General Improvement District, Beatty Water and Sanitation District, Northern Nye County Hospital board of trustees and Nye County school board of trustees.

In 2014, when all county offices were up for re-election, Merlino said the county saw a larger number of those who wanted to file for the office. This year, she said the county expects a higher voter turnout because of the general election.

We always have a much higher turnout in November of a presidential election year. People who dont necessarily care about the local offices come out of the woodwork to vote in the presidential election. Our voter registration numbers usually go up by two or three thousand as well, she said.

Nye County Commissioner Lorinda Wichman said she wants to complete projects before she is term-limited.

The upcoming budget cycle is going to be the worst yet and hopefully the bottom of the decline, she said. I cant leave voluntarily when there is so much to do and so few to do what needs to be done.

Nye County commissioners have term limits of 12 years, with every term totaling four years. If elected, Wichman will serve her last term. Another commissioner, Donna Cox, is nearing the end of her first term.

Scott Mattox, who will challenge Wichman in the upcoming election, said he was planning to tackle several issues. Mattox named county finances, the now-shuttered Nye County Regional Medical Center and water rights among his main agenda issues.

We are concerned with the water rights issue that we have in Nye County and in particular in southern Nye County, he said.

Mattox planned to run against Nevada Assemblyman James Oscarson but switched to the race for the countys district 1 recently.

Last week, Nye County Commission Chairman Frank Carbone said he doesnt plan to run for re-election in district 2. Pahrump Regional Planning Commission Chairman John Koenig, who will vie for Carbones seat, said he wants to continue what Carbone started and also do some of the things that he wasnt able to get done at the RPC.

Franks done a good job, Koenig said. He has some things that he was unable to finish and Ive agreed to take those on and see if I can finish them.

Koenig announced his decision at the RPC meeting on Wednesday, where he said that he plans to remain a chairman of the commission until July.

Depending on the results of the primary, Ill decide at that time if I wish to resign from the board or remain until the bitter end like two years ago, and I havent decided which way I want to go, Koenig said at the meeting.

Koenig said he wants to make Pahrump more business-friendly and also tackle over-appropriated water rights and the budget crisis.

I believe we need a fair and equitable solution, he said. Something that is fair to the well owners.

Contact reporter Daria Sokolova at dsokolova@pvtimes.com. Follow her on Twitter at DariaSokolova77
What was meant to be an artful display in one of Pahrumps front yards turned into a nuisance, but the owner of the property said it had been never been his intention.

What was meant to be an artful display in one of Pahrumps front yards turned into a nuisance, but the owner of the property said it had been never been his intention.

Jim Brooks, a self-proclaimed car enthusiast, had amassed a collection of various cars and machinery in his yard located at 2421 Hacienda Street in Pahrump, drawing attention from neighbors and authorities.

The ideal was to have an artful front yard that people stop and take pictures of, he said.

Although his assortment of cars may look like a pile of junk to some, Brooks argued that it has historic value. He said the infamous Scotty from Death Valley Scottys Castle used to ride in a Packard that sits on his property. Other historic cars include an old Dodge that used to be a postcard for Rhyolite, a Nevada ghost town.

Brooks idea was to have an exhibit made of a western area, a tribute to World War II, the flamboyant 50s and a car chase culminating into a crash. But as his retirement failed and health declined, he had to shelve the plan, leaving the front yard in disarray.

Brooks neighbors were less excited about the idea. The nuisance complaint, filed by Ron Vance and Kathy Weill, said Brooks yard was a total blight to the neighborhood.

Vance and Weill also said the nuisance had significantly decreased the value of their properties. In a complaint, they argued that Brooks property turned the neighborhood into a eyesore and junk pile for old pieces of scrap metal, tires, wood, bricks, a woodshed, simulated headstones in a graveyard, a 50-foot bus and other items too numerous to mention.

Since Vance and Weill brought officials attention to Brooks property in 2015, things had gotten only worse, they said in the complaint.

In February, Nye County commissioners gave Brooks 30 days to come up with a plan to clean the property and 60 days to implement it. Brooks recently fenced off his property and although commissioners didnt require the aesthetics, he wants to make it look pretty for his neighbors.

His next step is to move all of the cars into the backyard. Most of the vehicles are just artwork for him, but Brooks plans to fix them up since they have sentimental value.

Near the would-be display sits a large bus in which Brooks has been living for 20 years. The decked-outmachine as he described it, has a marble jacuzzi in the middle, a library and kitchen. The bus however doesnt have any air conditioning and Brooks said it gets ungodly hot in summer.

Brooks purchased the house for a mere $1 several years ago after the previous owner sought to get rid of it because of the crumbling foundation. The house is beset with cracks, has no water or electricity. Brooks only uses it as storage.

In an effort to prevent the house from collapsing, Brooks has put 16 semi-loads of dirt, some concrete under the ground and a beam across the front of the house. He also propped up the beam by posts coming out of the concrete pillars.

While Brooks blamed bad soil on the problem, he said most of the nearby houses have the same issue.

Brooks is a U.S. Air Force veteran. His disability prevents him from fixing his cars and doing much work around his property, the only thing that he can fall back on.

Its just one thing after another. Its just a domino effect. Once you start going down, you go down, he said.

For now, Nye County commissioners left the house alone, a move that Brooks describes as a big plus, after he was scared of losing the place and ending up on the streets.

By fixing and selling his cars, Brooks hopes to recoup some of the money and get out of the poverty that he has been living in.

Thats the reason why I have all of the old trucks out back because thats the first thing I was going to go and (fix), he said.

Brooks said he is thankful for the help that poured in after his appearance at the commissioners meeting. Someone put $200 in his mailbox and he also got $100 from one of the neighbors.

People are coming forward with stuff, which is beautiful, he said.

Contact reporter Daria Sokolova at dsokolova@pvtimes.com
During the session that was put on for Pahrump Utility Company, Inc. customers, the companys officials sought to debunk several water myths and urged those in attendance to work on water conservation.

During the session that was put on for Pahrump Utility Company, Inc. customers, the companys officials sought to debunk several water myths and urged those in attendance to work on water conservation.

Tim Hafen, president of the PUCI, started the event by launching into the history of his business. Sitting at the table at Artesia Community Clubhouse, Hafen talked about moving to Pahrump in 1951 and purchasing 840 acres from Elmer Bowman, starting the wastewater treatment utility in 1998 and water service in 2002.

PUCI manager Gregory Hafen then gave a presentation on the companys services that sought to dispel some of myths about water in Pahrump.

Hafen said PUCI isnt stealing water from domestic well owners, adding that water rights were dedicated for domestic wells in the Cottonwoods neighborhood.

In addition to that, every lot here in Artesia and every lot on the other side of the subdivision have dedicated water rights to the utility, he told the audience. Those are the water rights that we use to pump from the ground. We are not trying to steal anyones water.

PUCI also has meters on every well for billing and reporting purposes. Hafen said the company supplies reports to the state of Nevada.

And thats to show to the state that we are not billing over our limits and using more water rights than we actually have, he said.

Hafen said an average PUCI customer uses less than 300 gallons of water per day, 60 percent of which is used outdoors.

While the Nevada Revised Statute allows to pump up to 2 acre feet of water annually, Hafen said most domestic wells dont use anywhere near that number. Most of them are using about half an acre foot, he said.

Contrary to the common worries about water shortage, Hafen said the Pahrump Valley isnt running out of water, referencing the Nevada Division of Water Resources graph that showed water pumping hovering around 14,000-acre-foot mark. This, Hafen said leaves the valley with 6,000 acre feet of additional recharge available for pumping.

The state of Nevada issued over 60,000 acre feet of water rights for Basin 162. Additionally, Pahrump has 11,000 domestic wells. The amount of annual recharge in Basin 162 is 20,000 acre feet.

The claim that we are running out of water, as you can see is just not true, not an accurate statement, he said.

Referring to rapid infiltration basins or RIBs that have been a topic of much discussion at various county meetings in the recent weeks, Hafen said utility companies arent poisoning the water.

And again, this is not true. This is not even close to being true, he said.

PUCI has nine RIBs and currently uses two at a time. Hafen said the water has to go through 78-80 feet of additional filtration before it reaches the aquifer. RIBs also help to replenish the aquifer.

Hafens statements were reinforced by a host of Pahrump officials. Nye County Commissioner Dan Schinhofen, Utilities, Inc. of Central Nevada President Wendy Barnett and Nye County Water District General Manager Darrell Lacy took turns answering questions from the audience.

PUCI service areas currently include Cottonwoods, Artesia and Lakeside. It also services Hafen Elementary School and Floyd Elementary School, Burson Ranch Subdivision, Pleasant Valley Subdivision and the LDS Church on Manse.

Hafen encouraged those in the audience to conserve water. As suggested in the presentation, PUCI customers can use low-flow fixtures, tiered rates and detect early leaks for that purpose.

We do live in a desert and we do all need to work together because it is a limited resource here in this desert plan, he said.

PUCI hasnt scheduled any additional events, but Hafen said the company plans to hold additional events in the future.

Contact reporter Daria Sokolova at dsokolova@pvtimes.com
In an age when government leaks, classified e-mails and court orders to unlock phones seem to make the news daily, its worth remembering why we insist on open and transparent government.

In an age when government leaks, classified e-mails and court orders to unlock phones seem to make the news daily, its worth remembering why we insist on open and transparent government.

Sunshine Week is the annual celebration by journalists across the nation of openness in government and our responsibilities in making sure we have strong laws allowing people to view public records and meetings.

A recent case in Kentucky is worth examining because of the extremes a state agency went to hide information about children who died as a result of abuse.

You would think child abuse is a serious enough crime that people would want to make sure there was ample cooperation, coordination and transparency to protect children.

In the Kentucky case, however, it took five years of wrangling for a court to order the agency to turn over records. The court also awarded nearly $1 million in penalties and fees, punishing the state agency for willful obstruction of public access to the information.

During Sunshine Week in 2007, I testified in favor of a bill in the Nevada Legislature that makes sure child-abuse deaths and near-deaths are reported publicly. That wasnt always the case.

Ten years ago, such cases apparently were spiking in Nevada. Newspapers and television stations around the state were reporting on the number of children who had died, some while their abuse cases were being investigated by social workers.

A big part of the problem was that nobody seemed to know exactly what was going on  and local officials in Clark County were reluctant to release information. Even a special blue-ribbon panel of legislators, judges and doctors who were convened to look into the matter couldnt get the details they wanted.

The figures reported by the press at the time were sickening: at least 79 deaths of children from abuse while they were supposedly under the watch of Nevada social workers. Out of 1,041 deaths of children over a three-year period, some 114 were probably from child abuse  about three times what had been officially reported.

Legislators such as Barbara Buckley in Las Vegas and Sheila Leslie in Reno called those numbers disgraceful and truly shameful.

Fortunately, the fight didnt last anything like five years here. The 2007 Legislature passed bills to bring more transparency and accountability to the process.

Its been an ongoing struggle over the past decade to find funding, training and other resources for Nevadas social-services system to try to keep workers from being overwhelmed by the cases they must handle every day.

But with more sunshine, we can at least see that Clark County reported 48 incidents of child abuse resulting in deaths or near-fatalities in 2015, while Washoe County had 11 such cases and the rest of Nevada just two. About half the reports were of actual deaths.

No problem ever went away by hiding it. And while child abuse and neglect arent likely to disappear, we can at least bring them out in the open to confront them.

Barry Smith is executive director of the Nevada Press Association. Sunshine Week is March 13-19.
Another year, another lap around the block for Iowa House's can-kicking parade.

Feckless Republican lawmakers refuse to address the inherent inequality in the state's school funding model. They're "studying" the problem, House Republicans parrot. It will take "multiple sessions" to address the issue, they disingenuously protest, as the frustration grows in the community. Tell both sides of the story, Rep. Ross Paustian said in Wednesday's Quad-City Times.

Davenport is just missing out on about $3 million a year. It's just getting shorted by a couple dozen teachers, a mountain of new computers or a bolstered arts program. Its high school students will graduate without the amenities enjoyed by other districts on the winning end of the state-centralized unfairness that Des Moines levels on school districts.

What's the rush?

Shameful.

Here's the real story, Rep. Paustian: Students, faculty and residents within Davenport Community School District are reminded daily of their second-class status. It's an objective fact. And, frankly, the Iowa Legislature has spent years debating, ducking and ignoring the issue.

You've already had those "multiple sessions." And you've done nothing.

Those "multiple sessions" included legislation by Rep. Phyllis Thede, D-Bettendorf, that would permit districts to plug the short-term gap with reserve funds. Thede again introduced her bill this year. And, once again, it went nowhere. House Republicans killed it, arguing that, down the road, property taxes would spike once the rainy-day funds were spent.

Yet another hollow excuse from lawmakers uninterested in pumping much-needed cash into public education. Even if just a Band-Aid, Thede's pitch would have provided many schools with the money needed right now. And, just maybe, the coming reckoning when the reserves run out would finally force action from a legislature that's spent years punting on the problem.

The "whole" story doesn't stop here.

Iowa spends almost $1,000 less on each K-12 student than the national average. And the state ranks in the lower third in per-pupil spending among the states, says the Urban Education Network of Iowa. State aid -- as a proportionate of total spending -- dipped over the past several years. Local taxpayers are tasked with picking up the slack. Yet, the state's disdain for local control limits districts' ability to raise taxes.

Schools are trapped, held captive by state government unwilling to submit to home rule.

Gov. Terry Branstad's plan to rob Peter to pay Paul, by routing some funds designated for school construction projects toward water quality issues, is a non-starter in the Democratic Senate. Both issues are real. Both require cash. Both require independent funding streams to properly serve Iowans.

So, here we are. Davenport Superintendent Art Tate is ready to break the law and enact the very budgetary maneuver that Thede hoped to legalize. State education officials declined comment on the potential repercussions Tate's potential insubordination. But it's a very real possibility that Tate's career could be over once the district starts spending down its reserves.

The Branstad administration will have to act unless it's prepared for a wave of copy cats. Tate's civil disobedience is symptomatic of boiling frustration with Iowa's busted school funding model.

House Republicans need more time, they say. They are studying the issue, they pledge. They are concerned about a funding system that creates have and have-not districts, they contend.

But the House majority has spent years ducking the issue. They have sidestepped hard decisions for political expediency. They have proven that electioneering outstrips public education.

All the bluster to the contrary coming from the House is nothing but lip service.
Wyoming leaders are right to recognize that waiting until a problem gets out of hand is not a solution.

Noting that problems with heroin and other opioids are increasing across the nation, Gov. Matt Meads office has requested that a state panel study abuse of the drugs in Wyoming in the time between this legislative session and the next. We certainly welcomed the news that the legislative leadership and the Joint Judiciary Committee took him up on that request.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the drug overdose death rate has more than doubled since 2000. Of over 47,000 overdose deaths in 2014, more than 28,000 were from abuse of opioids and heroin. The U.S. Senate recently voted 89-0 last week to begin considering a measure targeting heroin and opioid use across the nation, from urban centers to rural areas.

Rural areas, after all, are not spared from the plague of this addiction. The states with the highest death rates in 2014 were West Virginia, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Kentucky and Ohio.

Those states, however, are still ahead of Wyoming in an important way: They are tracking and recording these deaths. Its hard to pinpoint the size of Wyomings problem, because we have very poor tracking, as the governors deputy chief of staff says. Coroners in the state have been known to use different terms to describe and categorize the deaths, from accidental overdose to drug overdose to opioid deaths.

Wyoming should have a common language that will help us quantify the problem. Thats the first step on the path  to define the scope of the issue and then come up with a plan to address it.

Even without solid numbers, though, we are hearing loud and clear that theres a problem here. Kebin Haller, now the head of the Wyoming Highway Patrol, formerly served as deputy director of operations at the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. I never thought I would say that we have a heroin problem in Wyoming, but we do now have a heroin problem in Wyoming, Haller told the Associated Press in that role last year. It is directly connected to the abuse of prescription-controlled substances related to pain relief.

Some addictions do start with recreational drugs, but others are far less intentional. When the painkillers run out for someone injured on the job, for example, that person might be desperate enough to do whatever it takes to keep the pain at bay. As a state, especially one with many physically demanding jobs, we must make sure people in that position have the resources to navigate that difficult time without becoming addicted.

We are so glad the Joint Judiciary Committee agrees with Mead that heroin and opioid abuse is an issue worth studying in our state. Lives depend on Wyomings ability to solve this problem.
Kazakh tycoon Ablyazov to remain in French jail

MOSCOW, March 11 (RAPSI) - The Court of Appeals in Lyon, France, has dismissed a motion lodged by Kazakh tycoon Mukhtar Ablyazov, who stands charged with embezzling over $6 billion from BTA Bank, to release him from custody, RIA Novosti reported Friday citing the banks press service.

The motion was filed on March 8. Defense lawyers insist that the detention of Ablyazov is groundless because France has not brought any charges against him.

The court reportedly ruled that there is a risk of Ablyazovs escape or disappearance.

In March 2015, France's top court approved the extradition to Russia or Ukraine of Ablyazov.

Ablyazov served as the chairman of BTA Bank. He fled to the UK after the Kazakh government acquired a stake in BTA Bank in 2009 and the bank came under the control of its sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna.

He was granted political asylum in Britain in 2011. However, he remained a fugitive from justice since February 2012.

His whereabouts remained unknown until he was detained on July 31, 2013 near Cannes, France. Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine are all seeking his extradition.

While he has been held in contempt of court in England, civil contempt is not an extraditable offense. Thus the UK is not among the countries seeking his extradition.

The bank has filed 11 separate sets of proceedings in England and Wales seeking to recover money that the bank claims was fraudulently misappropriated by Ablyazov when he was at the helm.

Specifically, the bank alleges that acting in concert with various other members of the banks former leadership, Ablyazov misappropriated funds for his own benefit by use of a network of offshore companies.

A Moscow district court issued an arrest warrant for Ablyazov in absentia in October 2010 at the Russian Interior Ministry's request on charge of large-scale fraud.
HELENA - A locally famous pair of osprey who lost their nest near Kessler Elementary last year when AT&T removed a cell tower will be greeted by a new nesting platform when they make their expected return next month.

The old nest sat high above U.S. Highway 12 on Helenas Westside for a decade as the osprey returned each year to raise each years crop of chicks. A welcome addition for many area residents, the nest garnered media attention in 2014 when a class of second graders wrote letters to AT&T concerned about baling twine twisted into the nest. Ospreys are notorious for seeking out baling twine in nest construction causing significant danger of entanglement.

In response, AT&T contractors climbed the tower and removed the twine to the excitement of the second graders looking on.

Late last year AT&T ordered the decommissioned tower removed. A company spokeswoman emphasized that AT&T took issues concerning migratory birds very seriously, working closely with state and federal officials to make sure the pair was not harmed.

The nest was preserved with the goal of relocating it before the birds typical April return.

Area resident Glen Knudson and his family, including his mother-in-law, live near the nest and set out recently to build the osprey a new home.

Mom lives only 20 yards from the birds and sees herself as their gatekeeper so to speak, he said. I always sat out on my front porch watching them teach their babies how to fly. I love living here, love Helena and love Montana and its wildlife, and Ive been fond of the pair of osprey. When they went away it was heartbreaking.

Knduson said Lewis and Clark County issued him a contract for an encroachment agreement, which provided the land for the pole. The Montana Department of Transportation then signed off, saying it did not interfere with their right-of-way, he added, also offering to donate a 40-foot pole.

A call to NorthWestern Energy resulted in an offer for all the manpower needed to erect a pole, as well as an offer for a 90-foot pole, Knduson said.

On Thursday evening, Howard Skjervems NorthWestern team of Ralph Rizzo, Lance Beto, Taylor Beto, Chuck Olson and Mike Glueckert donated their time to erect the pole and platform only a few feet from its original location.

If the ospreys take to the nest, Knudson hopes to install a webcam, and hed also like to put up a sign highlighting the osprey as part of the neighborhood.

Kessler Elementary principal Craig Crawford was not available for comment.

The osprey nest had provided a major educational opportunity for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks nearby Montana Wild education center, said Education Manager Laurie Wolf. School groups often survey the nest as they learned about bird migration and participated in actual scientific data collection, she said.

We knew almost exactly when those birds show up and its really a part of those students relevant work that contributes to something, Wolf said.

Montana Wild was initially planning on building a platform on its property until hearing news of the local residents efforts.

We figured this is a win-win situation, Wolf said. Its so close to where the original nest was located and where the Kessler students can see it. Im just really impressed by the people in the community.
The Montana Office of Public Instruction responded to comments made by U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke while he was in Hamilton, Monday.

While in town, Zinke told the Ravalli Republic that while Montana has improved its graduation rate, the test scores are down by 30 percent.

Emilie Ritter Saunders, communications director for OPI, said Montana students last year took a brand new test aligned to more-rigorous standards in math and English/language arts.

Montana still operates under the broken federal education law known as No Child Left Behind. Its that federal law that requires Montana to test students, Ritter Saunders said.

Denise Juneau said that she advocates moving away from high-stakes testing.

I have cut testing time for all students and Montana is in the process of developing an accountability system that will work for our schools and students, Juneau said. Montana schools are raising expectations and I know our students will rise to the challenge.

Public high school juniors will not be required to take the Smarter Balanced test this spring and instead will take the ACT for federal accountability purposes.

Ritter Saunders also said, Montanas historically high graduation rate of 86 percent will provide a multimillion dollar boost to the states economy, said Ritter Saunders.

More high school graduates means higher wages and more opportunities for Montanas young people, Ritter Saunders said. When Montana kids succeed, we all benefit.
Syrian refugees

Recently the Ravalli County Commissioners held a meeting taking community comment on a proposal to voice Ravalli Countys opposition to the relocation of Syrian refugees to the Bitterroot Valley.

We feel that the results of that meeting expose the continuance of a long and hateful history of Americas distrust and fear of minorities. Nearly every minority that has come to our shores has faced unwarranted hostility. The Irish, the Italians, the Chinese, the Jews, the Blacks, the Japanese and now Muslims have all faced an irrational anger and fear. We reject this bias and choose to instead see these people in their humanity in the hour of their need. Those who would divide us want us to fear one another and suspect the worst.

We will not live ruled by our fear. Could someone dangerous slip through the system? The possibility exists but we believe it is negligible. Over and over again the pages of our scriptures tell us to not be afraid. From Gods appearances to Moses, to the angel appearing to Mary, to Jesus appearing to his disciples, the message is the same: Do not be afraid.

We will not give in to the fear propaganda. The facts tell a different story. The vetting process for refugees is extensive and sufficient and we live in the truly American tradition of welcoming the storm-tossed and dispossessed.

As the church, we are called to a higher standard. Israel was told to welcome and honor the stranger because the Israelites, too, were once strangers. Jesus offered his blessing on any who would welcome the stranger and give relief to the oppressed, saying that by ministering to them, we were doing it for Him (Matthew 25:36-40).

We believe that every person is a Child of God and every family is a Holy family. It is our intention therefore to offer sanctuary to the dispossessed. Any Syrian Muslims who relocate to the Bitterroot Valley will find welcome and safety in our faith community. We will do all in our power to help resettle anyone who comes recognizing the terrible circumstances that have driven them from their homes. To do otherwise would be to fail in our Christian calling. We do not fault those who propose to turn our brothers and sisters away, but neither will we abide by it.

Pastor Doug Garner

Pastor Dan Dixson

Pastor Wendy Campbell

First Christian Church, Hamilton
Within the Returned Services Association and other groups connected to Anzac Day, though, there has been much more conflict over how to view war than is sometimes suspected. In the aftermath of World War One, when decisions about how best to remember the wars dead were being made, the RSA and other groups were riven with arguments between those who wanted a Christian theme for remembrance and those in favour of secularism at ceremonies. Significant disputes also took place between veterans inclined towards pacifism and those who were ardent imperialists and militarists. These conflicts are reflected in the widely varying styles of our early war memorials (some use crosses, many use pagan symbols like the obelisk) and the many different texts on these memorials (some are very jingoistic, others focus on the tragedy of war). Maureen Sharpe described some of these disputes in an essay for New Zealand Journal of History
Revenue declines, the pandemic, and rising competition create new realities in higher education.








For a good few years now Ive been annoyed by this bizarre phenomena that is the North Korean fan club. I couldnt understand why a group that prides itself on being Pure and deeply committed to the revolution and the ideal of workers state would waste so much time defending the honour of the Kim dictatorship. Making dictators that oppose one or more Western power look like the best thing since sliced bread isnt anything new for this sorry shower, but even for them the DPRK should be a bridge too far.





This is a Democratic Peoples Republic that isnt Democratic even in the liberal Bourgeois sense though that hasnt stop them before- hell it isnt even a republic. Its a monarchy founded with 20th century baggage. While the Kings of old had court advisers they have a Politburo, instead of lesser nobles theres Korean Workers Party chiefs, the knightly orders are replaced with the Special Operations Forces, and the role of the witch hunter is filled by the State Security Department that hunts down heretics from the Cult of Personality surrounding the Kim trinity, Kim Il Sung the Father, Kim Jong il the Son and now Kim Jong Un the holy ghost (he is everywhere after all). Now Im being a little flippant, but only a little of all the parallels the comparison to the trinity is the biggest stretch but only because its a direct illusion to Christianity and so not really culturally appropriate. A Confucian comparison would be better, but my knowledge of Confucius begins with wall calenders, vaguely racist "Confucius say" jokes and that film released in 2010.





North Korea is so backward it lacks even the progressive tint thats used as the foundation for the lines taken by so many anti-imperialist post 50s tankies. Ive seen dozens of documentaries on North Korea, many of which have interviews with members of the government and military, and all of their comments are filled with rampant nationalism, and bombastic militarism. On rare occasions one of them briefly mentions socialism, but its never expanded on and always came sandwiched between nationalist platitudes. Ive also read a number of books on North Korea and even frequent the Korean Central News Agency website (the official English language site that reports from North Korean government) Ive never seen or heard them use any of the usual tropes and holy words all the other regimes did that these wannabe despots trip over themselves to praise. Hell by their own admission they rejected Karl Marx and the socialist concept of class, rejecting the two classes in conflict, in favour of national harmony between 55 class categories. Yes thats right, North Korean society is based on total loyalty to the nation state, and has stratified its citizenry into 55 categories, based on occupation, family positions, and even ancestry is taken into account.





Indeed, it started taking the works of Communist thinkers whose work contradicted and challenged the North Korean state out of wide circulation in the 60s. Books on Marx disappeared from library shelves about this time(1)as well. People could read Marx only in a few select libraries, and scholars had tio produce a reason for reading him.

Amusingly, the cult of Kim Il Sung also supplanted this crowds number one idle Stalin. Three years after Stalins death, his cult of personality was officially denounced at the 20th Congress of the CPSU. This de-Stalinization influenced the DPRK as well: Stalins portraits were removed and the Soviet songs were to be performed in the new, edited variant. For example, if under Stalin North Koreans sang Our toast is for the Motherland, our toast is for Stalin, our toast is for the banner of victories, after 1956 the toast was supposed to be proclaimed not for Stalin, but for the party.

In the mid-1950s Kim Il Sung, who after Stalin deaths felt much more confident, started a campaign against Soviet influence, emphasizing the need for everything that is Korean and national. Since Stalin was neither Korean, nor national, his image began to wither away. It was not done very fast, and what is now Victory Street in Pyongyang kept its old name  Stalin Street  up to the 1970s. And in the late 1960s the works of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin were removed from libraries and access to them was restricted: Kim Il Sung had no need for predecessors. After the DPRK became politically independent from the Soviet Union, Stalin still remained in the North Korean political discourse, but he occupied the place similar to that of Kim Il Sung in Stalins USSR: the leader of a friendly, but clearly a junior state, a positive figure which, as such, bowed to the world leader.(2)

And the regime has continued dropping bit by bit the old associations with any none Korean leftist.





Now would be the time were I bring up North Koreas murderous regime and oppression of its population including its proletariat. But there isnt any point because thats true of every regime this crowd has championed. Of all the features of the North Korean system, its brutality towards its own citizen is by far its most typical feature.





Its not really a surprise that these so called radical communists and militant socialists are nothing of the sort. Prick them on this and theyll quickly pull up a North Korean state document maintaining that the DPRK is a socialist state, or Kim Jong Ils speeches or books where he talks about the importance of Socialist Construction etc. But all that does is expose their own blatant ignorance of socialism. Poke them about authoritarianism and theyll bring up the elections, rather hypocritically as many of these people will quickly denounce elections in western nations as shams, and in North Korea every eligible political party takes part in the same front with the Workers Party of Korea, meaning that elections in North Korea are even more pointless than usual.





However the extensive lip service paid by the regimes of old to socialism international revolution and the working classes gave them enough jargon to camouflage themselves. North Korea doesnt give them much room to do this, its isolationist instead of internationalist, and its preoccupation is reunification of Korea and building up its military industry at the expense of living standards for the average North Korean, both nationalist pursuits in place of workers liberation. These cheerleaders of the Dear Leader still try to paint North Korea as a model Socialist society, but the gulf between reality and their arguments is so vast and so noticeable that they dont wash with anyone not already inducted, and makes them look callous and delusional.





But why this brutal cold war relic in particular? Why doesnt China, Laos, Vietnam or Cuba command the affections of this crowd? Especially since they all make a much better show of continuity with the good old days? Well the answer may lie in the combination of militaristic posturing and state control of the economy. Of all the other Communist countries left the one that could compete with North Korea for the affections of this crowd (though why theyd want to I dont know) was Cuba. And what is Cuba famous for? A leadership clad in Olive green army fatigues shouting angrily at the US, state control of all production including sugar cane cultivators, and sponsoring revolts in Africa and Latin America. However since the 90s Cuba has progressively followed a more market orientated economy, and conciliation with the USA. And its been years since Cuban soldiers have been seen carrying out nefarious schemes in the third world. Che Guevara still has some pull but overall the enthusiasm for the sunshine Stalinist state has dimmed amongst the ranks of the hard liners.





So that covers the military fetishism, what about standing up to the markets? Compare this to North Korea, a regime that repeated threatens its neighbours and the US with missile, nuclear missiles and maintains a stranglehold on the economy. When I first started visiting youtube the only socialist videos I found for years, were footage of Soviet mayday parades with thousands of soldiers, tanks and missiles. I have also seen many of these pro NK types take time out to specifically congratulate the North Koreans on nuclear weapons tests and rocket launches. This from the types who shrilly denounce NATO and the US armed forces. I have also seen these Kimchi jingos celebrate the execution of Jang sun-Taek because he was apparently a capitalist sell out.So that covers the military fetishism, what about standing up to the markets?





Well like most things concerning North Korea reality shows the official line to be wishful thinking at best and outright lie at worst. The North Korean economy much like its claims to democracy and socialism only helps proves how out of touch the cheerleaders of the Great General are. I could launch into a lecture about the collapse of the ration system in the 90s during the famine, privileges for heads of industrial and agricultural concerns, the existence of wage labour, the state taking surplus profit from economy to invest elsewhere, the state operating like a corporation, the establishment of state owned companies, and the thriving black market which tarnishing the ideal of a fully planned economy, but I dont really need to. North Korea doesnt really oppose market capitalism or private finance. It welcomes them provided the terms of the deals made benefit its overall aims. North Koreas mobile phone network was built by an Egyptian company Orascom, which joint owns a public/private partnership company called Koryolink. A public private partnership was the key pillar to Tony Blairs economic vision, and is usually seen by tankies as the first crack in the walls of a socialist economy when it occurs elsewhere. Nor is it the only example





In the past, China persuaded North Korea with various joint venture projects arguing that, You have nothing to lose from these projects. Although its based on market principles, ultimately its beneficial for both parties. North Korea on the other hand maintained the stance, You (China) invest and we will manage, holding on to management rights of these companies. However, for this very reason Chinese companies were reluctant to directly invest in North Korea. Even after contracts were signed, large -scale investment did not transpire due to poor management.

However, North Korea finally yielded to Chinas request, handing over major management rights to Chinese investors. This recent move is analyzed as an attempt to attract more foreign investment to actualize North Koreas goal of building a Strong and Prosperous Nation by 2012. With large-scale management rights transferred to the Chinese companies for joint ventures, the DPRK-China economic cooperation volume is expected to grow.

There's also official commitments by the DPRK to protect foreign investment.









Indeed the DPRK is so eager to encourage investment in North Korea, that it set up the IKBC ( The International Korean Business Centre) and advertises its services through the Korean Friendship Association the official mouthpiece of the North Korean fan club.





The IKBC sales pitch includes the following:







Lowest labour cost in Asia.

Highly qualified, loyal and motivated personnel. Education, housing and health service is provided free to all citizens. As opposed to other Asian countries, worker's will not abandon their positions for higher salaries once they are trained.

Lowest taxes scheme in Asia. Especially for high-tech factories. Typical tax exemption for the first two years.

No middle agents. All business made directly with the government, state-owned companies.

Stable. A government with solid security and very stable political system, without corruption.

Full diplomatic relations with most EU members and rest of countries.

New market. Many areas of business and exclusive distribution of products (sole-distribution).

Transparant legal work. Legal procedures, intellectual rights, patents and warranties for investors settled.

So an official arm of the North Korean government is other monopoly capital schemes, corporate tax cuts, and guarantees the loyalty of its workforce? How's that for socialism?





Theres also Putin, but his brand of conservatism and capitalist economics will keep all but the most desperate from rallying around him now. He's even increased his criticism of the Soviet Union so no one but those strange Russian nationalists whom dress like 1940's red army officers will stick around. So why the lack of alarm in this case? Well the North Korean state is still the main force in the North Koreas economy and its not squeamish about taking severe action against those who failure to deliver, so this goes away to reassuring them. Several companies that do actually invest in North Korea have been alleging being ripped off . But realistically speaking, I think they just don't want to see it. I know some of these fellows turned a blind eye to Fidel Castros early reforms or justified them as pragmatic, and ended up condemning his brother Raul for continuing the reform process. North Korea still lags behind the alternatives, especially China and Vietnam so its the last stop on the line. If North Korea goes revisionist or capitalist roader then thats it. This is a loose coalition of people made up of those who for decades have deflected criticism by simply pointing to examples of actually existing socialism so without an actual example of actually existing socialism they have no more platform. The other big trend in this group are the extreme anti western progressives/socialists/anti-imperialists who also have few options else left now since all the other anti western modernisers have either capitulated to the western order or been overthrown. Well Assads still clinging on in Syria, and its possible a Conservative shift in Iran could reopen wounds.Theres also Putin, but his brand of conservatism and capitalist economics will keep all but the most desperate from rallying around him now. He's even increased his criticism of the Soviet Union so no one but those strange Russian nationalists whom dress like 1940's red army officers will stick around.





There is another question here, does any of this matter? I would say yes but admit this North Korean caucus is a minor problem. Compared to all the other obstacles and outright threats we face. Though Korean Friendship Association et al have raised funds for North Korea and been used as an intermediary for business deals and who knows where that money goes? Their existence and visibility is also an embarrassment for individuals and groups identified with socialism or communism from interacting with the public. Explicitly Anarchist groups don't have that problem, but that's mostly because in the mainstream anarchism is still associated with Individualistic Terror. But the equation of socialism and workers power with Juche and the Workers Party of Korea is an issue, just like how it was when the Soviet Union was around. Now North Korea isnt as imposing and omnipresent as the Soviet Union or China during Maos day, but it has and will pop up in places. There are parts of the world where North Korea is quite well known and where this problem will be more pronounced, South Korea and Japan spring to mind, but also parts of Africa where North Korea has some involvement via trade and aid. There are Kim Il Sung study groups and societies in countries like Nigeria and Tanzania(3).





Yes of course. There are so many North Koreans here. They are in Nigeria helping us, in our health care system, with our agriculture. They also provide technical experience and there are also some joint ventures between Nigerians and North Koreans. These joint ventures are in chemicals, fertilizers, agricultures, furniture, marble, mostly from granite (the North Koreans are very good in this), hospitals in Yobe, Adamawa, Zamfara, Enugu, Nasarawa, Delta, Rivers and Borno as well as Lagos states. The three DPRK doctors that were killed were working in Yobe state, which is in the northeastern part of Nigeria. As you may aware, the northeastern part of Nigeria is the hot bed of the insurgency in Nigeria.

And here in the jolly old UK we have the Communist Party of Great Britain Marxist Leninist (CPGB-ML) a group that champions North Korea among other things. Again I must confess my ignorance, despite encountering them several times online, I've never had the pleasure of meeting these folks in the flesh, indeed I've can't recall seeing a banner or group participating in the TUC marches I used to go too. But that doesn't necessarily mean they're not a force in another region. Although to be fair to North Korea, the CPGB-ML has many other daft ideas, and still champions a few of the other progressive strongmen like Assad and Castro.













So I think that these embarrassing comrades can be considered an active problem, and added to the list. Unfortunately I dont have much in the way of a practical solution; the one positive I can say about these people is their dedication to the cause. More the pity theyve chosen such a rotten banner to fly. Theyll keep on banging the (war)drum until the regime itself goes away or is no longer to their liking. Public criticism of North Korea and other progressive dictatorships might help a little but making it a priority given the low level of trouble this lot have caused (unless of course youre in an area where theres a pro NK group of some size) would be a mistake. You may think thats hypocritical of me having written all this, but its not a priority for me either, I wrote this at work during a break from my other projects, and felt compelled to because as a NK watcher I encounter these people regularly and get tired of their callous and ignorant bile.





1: From Exit Emperor Kim Jong Il, this time refers to the March 25th purge in 1967 of a liberal Kapsan faction of the party and the expansion of censorship and the positioning of Kim il Sung as the Supreme Leader.

2: From an article by Fyodor Tertitskiy on NKnews https://www.nknews.org/2016/01/the-image-of-stalin-in-north-korea/
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The Tribune, 11 March 2016

by C.P. Bhambri

Indian universities are at a crossroads because the Hindutva project of education, as defined and interpreted by the ideologues of the Sangh Parivar, cannot be pursued under the present system. For the Government, education is an instrument of Hinduisation of society & polity.

A common thread which connects the campus disturbances at the Film and Television Institute of Pune, Central Hyderabad University and Jawaharlal Nehru University of Delhi is that all these three educational institutions, along with other 40 Central Universities of India, are managed, controlled and administered directly by heads of institutions and their executive councils appointed by the Central Government. Another special feature of conflicts which have arisen in these institutions is that many important leaders of the BJP have condemned these student conflicts as aanti-nationala activity. This labelling has spread like wild fire, especially in case of JNU, Delhi. Beginning with February 9, 2016 when the Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, asked the Delhi Police to arrest a "fringe" element of JNU demonstrators who were alleged to be raising anti-national slogans and slap the charge of "sedition" under the Indian Penal Code against those few who had raised slogans in support of terrorist Afzal Guru.

The story does not end here. The various affiliates of the Hindu RSS like the ABVP, BJP-affiliated lawyers, the BJP sympathisers such as ex-servicemen and widows of soldiers who had sacrificed their lives while defending the attack on Parliament in which Afzal Guru was found guilty a were all mobilised against JNU, which had been projected in the public eye by the ministers of the Government and other BJP affiliates as "a centre of anti-nationals." A demand was even made by some BJP activists that the "anti-national" JNU should be shut down.

Civil society was made to believe by BJP activists that JNU is a dangerous anti-national institution and not a single responsible leader of the BJP or the upper echelons of the RSS leadership thought it fit to make a sharp distinction between "fringe elements of demonstrators" and the larger institutions of higher learning. Unfortunately, JNU has been asked to defend its "nationalist" credentials before the RSS-led Sangh Parivar and its affiliates who claim to be the champions of Hindu Rashtravad and patriotism. The role of autonomous academic institutions of higher learning have to be examined because the BJP-led Government at the Centre, along with the RSS, has demanded that educational institutions which at present are "under the influence of foreign or external western philosophies of education" should show the "impact" of nationalist education to the Indian youth and instill values of patriotism in students.

A few facts would enable a clear understanding of the ideological belief system of the RSS because universities and the whole educational system in the country is being prepared to act as instruments for spreading the ideological message of the Hindu Sangh Parivar. Firstly, RK Sinha, the biographer of Dr KB Hedgewar, the founder of the RSS, in 1925 has noted that the "RSS is an essence of his life" and "Hedgewars vision was focused on resurrecting the cultural identity of the nation". Second, the RSS supremo, beginning with Hedgewar to Mohan Bhagwat, is the commander-in-chief of all affiliates of the Sangh Parivar, including the BJP in Government. This is the reason that Mohan Bhagwats observation of August 17, 2014, on Hindu nationalism needs to be referred to. He observed, "Hindutva is the identity of India and it has the capacity to swallow other identities". Hence comes the role of "education" as an extension of the nations interest. In June 21, 2013, he said that, "True education is to develop feeling and dedication for the country". While addressing an eminent group of educationists, including VCs and the UGC Chairperson at Delhi on November 25, 2014, Bhagwat emphasised the need for nationalist education.

Not only this, the RSS asked the HRD Minister Smriti Irani to "correct" the history taught in schools to "highlight Indian heroes and the role played by Hindu culture in shaping the country" and not the version that the West wanted India to learn. The RSS felt "that Indian children were not familiar with real Indian heroes". Since the Central Government controls all educational institutions publicly funded by the public exchequer, hence all appointments of VCs, executive councils of the universities and other academic bodies are made on the basis of an affiliation or deep commitment to the RSS ideology, for education for Hindutva.

This explains the efforts made by all RSS affiliates and its BJP governments at the Centre and the states, where the BJP is in power, to control every educational institution so that Hindu Rasthravad could be promoted through education. The language policy is another tool of control and hence the emphasis on teaching of Hindi and Sanskrit in recent times, so that Hindu scriptures could be taught in these languages. The story does not end here. The whole educational system has to be controlled by the vigilant group of the Sangh Parivar, under the patronage of the BJP in Government.

Sunil Ambedkar of the RSS is in-charge of the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad, which has a direct link with the RSS and reports to the BJP ministers about the activities at the campuses. Mahendra Kapoor of the Bhartiya Shikshak Mahasangh, Shiv Kumar of Vidya Bharti are some more examples. All these functionaries of the RSS organisations, dealing with education at various levels, have carried weight with functionaries of educational institutions because the BJP is in power. The Sangh Parivars definition of Hindu nationalism is just one of the definitions of modern nationalism and that too it is socially exclusive and it wants to use universities to propagate this "exclusivism", which is at variance with the true essence of Hinduism that promotes and supports plurality.

Plurality and not homogeneity as the essence of Hindu belief system gets substantiated if one recalls that in 2012, the Delhi University Academic Council was compelled to delete A.K.Ramanujans, "Three Hundred Ramayans: Five examples and three thoughts on translations". The RSS has a definitive model of education that wants to wash out all historical memories of cultural diversity of India. It is trying to impose its own model by using Government machinery. Autonomy of education leads to an academic atmosphere of dissent and non-conformism among students and the teaching faculty. The Modi Government wants universities as centres of "conformisma .

The Hindutva project of education as defined and interpreted by the ideologues of the Sangh Parivar cannot be pursued under the present university system which has been nurtured on the basis of values enshrined in the Constitution of democratic, liberal, secular, Republic of India. Conflicts on the campuses are nothing new. The United States of America witnessed serious polarisation and "anti-Vietnam" war protets in the 1960s and 1970s. The Paris campus in 1968 was in a state of revolt, making philosopher Jean Paul Sartre to observe that campuses will play a transformative role. Neither the US nor the French government declared the students, "anti-national". Democracies grow only in a free atmosphere of debate and dissent but the BJP Government in power does not consider universities as centres of ideas, where a hundred different flowers bloom.

The writer is Professor Emeritus, Centre for Political Studies, JNU.

[Related material:

INDIA: THE ASSAULT ON JNU - THE BIGGER PICTURE | Romila Thapar

There is by now little doubt that we are currently being governed by those that seem to have an anti-intellectual mind-set. This spells trouble for universities that are concerned with high standards of teaching and research. http://sacw.net/article12482.html

INDIA: TAKING BACK OUR UNIVERSITIES - RESISTANCE FROM BELOW by Akeel Bilgrami http://communalism.blogspot.com/2016/03/india-taking-back-our-universities.html

INDIA: THE aENEMYa WITHIN - RSS TARGETS DISSENTERS IN UNIVERSITIES (Editorial, The Tribune) http://communalism.blogspot.com/2016/03/india-enemy-within-rss-targets.html ]
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Trump says Carson will have major education role in his administration PK12: In response to a question about Common Core, candidates opened up about their education agendas during a debate Thursday night.

Could Ben Carson be the Next U.S. Secretary of Education? State Edwatch: GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump told a debate audience Thursday that former candidate Ben Carson would "be very involved with education" in a Trump administration.

New law means shorter expulsions, more schooling for disciplined students Seattle Times: Newly passed legislation shortens expulsions and requires school districts to help disciplined students keep up with studies, among other efforts aimed at improving education for minority kids.

LAUSD staff rejecting more charter applications, but the school board isn't always on the same page KPCC: Garcia cut a deal, right there in front of the board room. As board members debated, Garcia huddled with WISH's executive director and a California Charter Schools Association staffer. Then she returned to the dais to offer a compromise: overrule the recommendation of L.A. Unified staff and approve WISH's charter bid for three years, not five. By a 4-2 vote, the board agreed. WISH supporters, clad in red T-shirts, erupted in cheers.

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Guisa Suttle and Maria Fernandez glazzing and fitting glass at Turner Restoration's workshop

Turner Restoration's tools of the trade

Detroiter Jim Turner is in high demand. A few years ago, while giving a presentation on historic restoration in the Pacific Northwest, he got a call from New Orleans. Following his presentation, Turner hopped a flight to help with reconstruction efforts in Louisiana following the devastation Hurricane Katrina wrought. More recently, Turner has been spending significant time in Louisville, Kentucky, where he was asked to run a college program on the historic restoration trades.But despite answering calls around the country, Turner and his company, Turner Restoration, remain based in Detroit, the city he loves. He's one of the area's staunchest advocates for historic preservation, arguing against two recently-introduced bills designed to gut the decades-old Michigan's Local Historic Districts Act while working with his hands to shore up historic properties throughout the region.His company specializes in the repair and restoration of the windows and wood features of historic buildings. Today, he averages four to five employees at any given time. He has both commercial and residential clients, from the city to the suburbs and even out of state.His first-hand restoration knowledge may have begun when he moved into Detroit's Arden Park-East Boston Historic District in 1988, but his love of old homes began as a child riding in the back of his parents' car.Turner grew up in government housing in the Downriver suburb of Ecorse. It was a tight-knit African-American community that he remembers fondly. But it was the grand homes of old Detroit that planted a seed in Turner."I grew up passing through these magnificent neighborhoods in the city, riding in the car and gazing up at these large houses that we never thought we could obtain while we drove to Belle Isle," says Turner. "It set a dream that was ultimately fulfilled."He would pass through those same neighborhoods as an adult going to work at Chrysler. It wasn't until Turner was invited to house sit for a realtor who was selling a home in the Arden Park-East Boston Historic District, however, that he discovered the magic of living in a historic home. He fell in love with the house as soon as he entered and would go on to negotiate a land contract and successfully fight for a mortgage (at first he was denied, but later would secure one after appearing in front of the city's Mortgage Review Committee). The purchase of that home set Turner on a path that he has been following for nearly 30 years.Turner first learned the craft of historic restoration by working on his own house, teaching himself how to insulate and weatherstrip old windows. Any thought of buying new windows was quickly put to rest when he realized that the old windows in his home were more valuable than what was being sold in stores. He just had to learn how to fix them first.A year after purchasing his home, Turner began to volunteer for Preservation Wayne, now called Preservation Detroit . In joining the advocacy organization, Turner says he began to see Detroit in a different way, understanding how different patterns of migrations of ethnicities and cultures shaped the city.In Louisville, Turner sees many of the same socio-economic challenges faced in Detroit. As instructor and program director at the Samuel Plato Academy , he's providing a largely African American group of students with jobs training in the historic restoration trades. All at once, he's teaching useful skills to an under-served population while spreading the value of historic preservation and restoration."It's mostly African Americans that are living in these older cities and communities. They're living and paying taxes, and that's often overlooked by leaders who don't see their value," says Turner. "It's the citizens who have been keeping their finger in the dike."Turner scoffs at the idea that historic preservation stands in the way of economic progress, as some in the state legislature have argued. In fact, he says, look at the Detroit neighborhoods that are experiencing the most development, and you will see that it's the city's most historic areas with high-quality, old, historic buildings that are being restored and reinvigorated. There are economic advantages that accompany historic preservation.The idea that historic preservation is pro-development is lost on some leaders and businesspeople. Fast and easy sometimes trumps a more measured approach taken by people like Turner. Since House Bill 5232 and Senate Bill 720 were introduced in Michigan's legislature earlier this year, historic preservationists have rallied to block the bills' passage, arguing that they would strip the Local Historic Districts Act of 1970 of its power and hinder communities' abilities to maintain neighborhoods as historic districts.Turner, in his op-ed for this publication, says, "Historic preservation has been a crucial economic driver in Detroit's continued revitalization. Since 1996, over $350 million has been invested in the city through the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives program. Of the 89 buildings involved, over half have been rehabilitated within the past six years. Our historic districts have been helping lead the rebound as well, attracting investment and tax-paying residents. Tellingly, almost 75 percent of neighborhoods that have now seen their property values exceed pre-recession values were located near or within historic districts."As Turner points out, not only has historic preservation served as an economic driver for the city, it's been his own source of income since opening his business in 2001. Turner Restoration averages four to five employees as the company travels throughout southeast Michigan and beyond, applying expert restoration techniques to individual homes and businesses. In addition to running his company in Detroit and the restoration trades school in Louisville, Turner is an advisor of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He also used to serve on the board of both Michigan Historic Preservation Network and Preservation Wayne (Preservation Detroit).Not only is historic preservation important to Jim Turner, Jim Turner is important to historic preservation."In Detroit today, we are going back to a more livable city, where people live where they work," he says. "Historic preservation helped start that because looking at where you are helps you value the culture that is there. It helps you grow and build families, neighborhoods, and communities. It's about preserving a small nugget of culture that we all live in with our neighbors."MJ Galbraith is Model D's development news editor. Follow him on Twitter @mikegalbraith Photos by Marvin Shaouni . Photo of Jim Turner by Erica Rucker.
This reporter got a tour of HookLogic's Ann Arbor office in downtown a little more than a year ago. At the time the software firm had taken over the old home of Leopold Bros Brewery and was filling it out with techies of all stripes. The front half was full and bustling while employees were just starting to take desks in the back half.That has changed since then."It's pretty full now," says John Behrman, chief product officer of HookLogic HookLogic creates software for paid product listings on commerce sites that help influence online shoppers. Its three verticals include retailers (Target), online travel agencies (Expedia), and automotive dealerships. The firm is based in New York City, but its leadership team has deep roots with Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan, prompting it to set up shop here.HookLogic took over the old microbrewery/distillery at 523 S Main St a few years ago. It turned the 11,000 square foot former industrial space into a startup hotbed, preserving the historic aesthetic of the circa-1927 building while modernizing its infrastructure for the new economy of the 21st Century.Today 62 of HookLogic's 140 employees work from there. The company has hired 15 people in project management and software development at the Ann Arbor office over the last year and it's looking to hire another 16 now. It also plans to welcome 10 new summer interns later this year."The space can hold 100 people," Behrman says. "This summer it will definitely get cozy. It will open up later this year. We will have to start to get creative with our space in 2017."A significant growth spurt has powered this expansion in Ann Arbor. HookLogic had a goal of hitting the $100 million revenue milestone in 2015. It hit $115 million."We're shooting to double up our revenue with $200 million this year," Behrman says.Source: John Behrman, chief product officer of HookLogicWriter: Jon Zemke
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The local article, headlined "Juvenile lifers will get new sentences, but what law applies?," effectively reviews the many headaches that the SCOTUS rulings in Miller and Montgomery have created for folks in Pennsylvania. Here are excerpts:

In 1990, on Robert Holbrook's 16th birthday, he joined a group of men on a robbery that turned into a killing. He received the only sentence Pennsylvania law allowed for murder: life without parole. In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that mandatory life-without-parole sentences were unconstitutional for those younger than 18. This January, the court ruled that the ban must be applied retroactively, to people like Holbrook. Since then, Pennsylvania's high courts have vacated dozens of life sentences.

It is now clear that Holbrook  along with about 480 other juvenile lifers across the state, 300 of them from Philadelphia  will receive new sentencing hearings following the Supreme Court's ruling in Montgomery v. Louisiana. But a key question remains: What sentencing law applies?

"Nobody has any real answer," said State Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, a Montgomery County Republican who chairs the Judiciary Committee. "We're in uncharted territory here," he said, "because we have a situation where the law these juveniles have been sentenced under has now been found to be unconstitutional, and the laws that we adopted as a legislature were adopted after they were sentenced originally" and do not apply to them.

The most straightforward resolution might be new legislation, but it's not so simple. After the 2012 decision in Miller v. Alabama, Pennsylvania enacted new sentences for juvenile killers: 25 years to life for those younger than 15, and 35 to life for those 15 to 17. But that law excluded anyone whose sentence was final before the Miller decision. Greenleaf said there's no changing that. "The problem is, even if we pass something, it would be ex post facto," or retroactive, he said. "I don't think the legislature can do anything at this point, because it could be unconstitutional what we do."

Marsha Levick, chief counsel at the Juvenile Law Center, said no new law is needed. Her solution: Resentence juveniles to 20 to 40 years in prison, the punishment for third-degree murder. "Because there is no constitutional sentencing statute that applies to these individuals, we would argue the court should apply the next-harshest sentence," she said. "That's all the court can do. It can only apply a constitutional sentence."

But Pennsylvania courts have already gone a different route. About two dozen juvenile lifers  all sentenced, but still in the appeals process, when Miller came down - have received new sentences based on judges' discretion. The results have varied wildly. Pennsylvania's Supreme Court, in the case of Qu'eed Batts  who at age 14 committed a gang-related murder  said the appropriate sentence for individuals such as him would carry a minimum number of years in prison and a maximum of life. So brothers Devon and Jovon Knox, who were convicted in a Pittsburgh carjacking and murder, received new sentences, of 35 years to life and 25 years to life respectively.

But in re-sentencing Ian Seagraves, who committed a brutal murder in Monroe County, a judge told him, "At this point in time, I have the option of life with parole or life without parole." The judge concluded that life without parole was still the appropriate sentence....

Pennsylvania Victim Advocate Jennifer Storm has been inundated with calls and emails from prosecutors and judges trying to figure out how to handle the cases and what sentencing laws apply. "I know some of these D.A.s are going to go back and ask for the highest minimum they can because there's a public safety question here," she said.

She said if courts are guided by the state's new sentencing law created after Miller, 189 offenders out of 480 would be immediately eligible for parole. The average time served among the 480 is 36 years, and the longest is 62 years. "In some of these cases, you're going to see time served become the new minimum. Obviously that needs to be very carefully negotiated with the D.A., the defender, and the surviving family members."...

Prosecutors, judges, and defense lawyers across the state, which the Pennsylvania Corrections Department says has more juvenile lifers than any other, have been tangling with this question and coming to disparate conclusions. One Chester County judge converted the cases on his docket to "time served to life," triggering the immediate possibility of parole.

But Richard Long, executive director of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association, said there was some consensus among prosecutors: "We believe that the sentencing provision enacted by the legislature for those cases after June 2012 can serve as good guidance."

Bradley Bridge, who's working on the cases for the Defender Association of Philadelphia, said he had been meeting with prosecutors and judges in Philadelphia to set up a structure to resolve the cases, including what sentences could be imposed. To him, one thing is clear: Resentencing juveniles to life is not permissible. "They must be given new sentences that have both a minimum and a maximum," he said. "That is what is required under Pennsylvania law."...

Levick said, one outcome is all but certain: There will be even more legal appeals.
Age Concern, Estepona and Manilva, Volunteering



An appeal is being launched by Age Concern for people to consider coming forward to volunteer to work with the charity for as many hours a week as they feel they can spare. Volunteers are needed to work in the shop and/or work in the community with older people.



But what is volunteering all about? One of the current Age Concern volunteers puts it this way. When I retired I wanted to put something back into society by helping people, perhaps less fortunate than myself, retain as full a life as possible. I started doing voluntary work for a charity in the UK and, when I started spending more time in Spain, looked for similar work in the Estepona area. I found Age Concern and decided to volunteer to help. For the charity in the UK I did financial assessments of clients needs but out here I had to learn completely new skills  how to run a market stall to begin with, then how to work in a shop and deal with customers, how to organize events and, finally, how to deal with the media. Every task has been a new challenge and it opened my eyes to the plight of others as well as giving me an I can make a difference feeling. New friends have also been made.



Training is given to all volunteers meaning that no experience is necessary  all you need is a desire to help and a willingness to commit yourself to using some of your leisure time.



Why not join us and then you too can help to make a difference. Interested?  give Eileen a call on 608458555 or email tonyaldous55@yahoo.co.uk. Alternatively pop into our shop in Calle Zaragoza, Estepona during opening hours (10.00 to 13.30) Monday to Saturday inclusive and have a chat to the Duty Manager.



Age Concern, Estepona and Manilva, Lifeline



For older people who require help or advice Age Concern operate a telephone service called Lifeline. This gives the individual a direct point of contact with the charity. The telephone number is 650163928. It should be noted that Age Concern is not an emergency service. There is also an email address you can use to contact Age Concern, Estepona and Manilva - acesteponaymanilva@ageconcern-espana.org To find out what we are up to why not give our web site a visit - acespana.org  and follow the links.




So long, Sinbad's. Troubled waterfront restaurant is getting demolished right now https://t.co/dm2Pv4hxpq pic.twitter.com/v0rnSpHfHQ  Inside Scoop SF (@insidescoopsf) March 9, 2016

Sinbad's has been on the waterfront since 1975, and it seems like that for almost as long as it's been there the Port Authority has wanted the restaurant gone. Well, Sinbad's closed late last year after an extended legal battle to make room for an expanded ferry terminal, and Inside Scoop reports the Port Authority is now in the process of demolishing the building.

The restaurant was mainly loved for its spectacular view of the Bay Bridge, and was named for Sinbad the Sailor in homage to Herb Caen's nicknaming of San Francisco Baghdad By the Bay. On an episode of Parts Unknown, food writer John Birdsall explained why a restaurant with such questionable food held such a spot in his heart.

I tell anyone to come and meet me here, my friends, and they sort of laugh at me. They're like "Sinbad's?" But it's this thing that doesn't really exist in San Francisco anymore. It's not self-consciously divey. It has this kind of faded glamour. It's kind of worn out; it smells kind of sour.

"Sour," you say? Huh.

As our very own Jay Barmann pointed out when he wrote about that SF-focused episode of Anthony Bourdain's show, neither Bourdain nor Birdsall ate there  they both just stuck with the drinks.

Previously: [Update] Sinbad's Thwarts Eviction AGAIN By Seeking Bankruptcy Protection
A photo posted by Dustin Lance Black (@dlanceblack) on Mar 9, 2016 at 8:12pm PST

"After three long years of research, interviews and writing, its now time to leave home and shoot When We Rise, Dustin Lance Black said recently according to the Gay Star News wrote. And it does look like quite the shoot!

In fact, Black and Gus Van Sant have brought a San Francisco institution back to life on set for their eight-part documentary mini-series which got the green light from ABC last year. That's the Black Cat, a queer haunt and home to many local gay luminaries like Jose Sarria, who would nightly lead the assembled bar-goers in a rendition of "God Save the Queen" with the lyrics "God Save Us Nelly Queens." The Cat was known for holding its ground against the Alcohol Beverage Control Commission and the SFPD despite their campaign of harassment against its patrons.

Previously: Dustin Lance Black And Gus Van Sant Return To Familiar Turf With SF LGBT History Doc Series
Security only allowed one person inside to deliver #StolenHomes petition with over 140,000 signatures to #airbnb pic.twitter.com/SlbQBQIapw  Steve Rhodes (@tigerbeat) March 11, 2016

These days, it's starting to seem like San Francisco-based Airbnb is courting controversy intentionally. This time around it's not for techsplaining to librarians how to do their jobs, though. Instead, the Associated Press reports, the company is being criticized for listing properties in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

This particular issue is complex," Airbnb said in an email reported by the Chronicle, "people have been debating this matter for 5,000 years, so a hospitality company from San Francisco isn't going to have all the answers but at the end of the day, we want to help open the world, not close it off.

The Chron notes that regardless of your personal opinion on the matter, "under international law, the structures Airbnb is helping to rent do not belong there."

The AP spoke with one man listing his West Bank home, who didn't really seem to get what the fuss is about. "It is Israel," said Moshe Gordon (his place lists for $60). "I don't really understand the controversy here."

Obviously, not everyone agrees. Yesterday, a group of protesters delivered a petition with roughly 140,000 signatures to the company asking Airbnb to remove homes in the West Bank from its service. The deputy director of Oakland-based non-profit Jewish Voice for Peace, Stephanie Fox, summed up her organization's frustration with the company valued around $25 billion.

Airbnb has to stop enabling Israeli violations of international law, Fox told the Chronicle. Whether Airbnb has a physical presence or not in the West Bank, they are still profiting off it. Its absolutely dirty money.

All previous coverage of Airbnb on SFist.
San Francisco's LGBT Pride Celebration and Parade is a huge event, with an estimated million folks at the last one in 2015. The event is so massive, in fact, that they typically have not one, not two, but around 13 Grand Marshals for the whole shebang. Last night, Pride's organizers announced the first three of the Grand Marshals for this year's event  and one is bound to stir at least a little controversy.

Pride's Grand Marshals are, they explain, "local heroes from the nine-counties of the San Francisco Bay Area who have made significant contributions to the SF Bay Area LGBTQ community, or as openly gay members of the LGBTQ community, have made significant contributions to society at large." Some are determined by Pride's Board of Directors, others by community vote, and have included organizations like the Transgender Law Center, celebs like Project Runway's Mondo Guerra, and "lifetime achievement" honorees like former SF Mayor Willie Brown.

According to an email sent last night by SF Pride, they've already picked their first three Grand Marshals for 2016: Meditation and mindfullness teacher Larry Yang will be their Community Grand Marshal, while "Afro-American trans woman, healer and facilitator" Janetta Johnson has been named the "Members Choice for Community Grand Marshal." And this year's Organizational Grand Marshal? Black Lives Matter.

Yes, that's the same Black Lives Matter that police officers at the San Francisco Police Department's Taraval Station recently posted an article decrying, with phrases like the Black Lives Matter movement has convinced Democrats and progressives that there is an epidemic of racist white police officers killing young black men," highlighted, the Ex reported last month.

According to SF Pride's press release on the Grand Marshal choices:

Black Lives Matter is working to (re)build the Black liberation movement and affirm the lives of all Black people, specifically Black women, queer and trans people, people who are differently abled, and those who are undocumented and formerly incarcerated." Centering on those who are marginalized within Black liberation movements, Black Lives Matter imposes a call to action and response to state-sanctioned violence against Black people, as well as the virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society.

This echoes the sentiments of Alicia Garza, a San Francisco Pride Community Grand Marshal from 2015, who last year told the Bay Area Reporter that "the Black Lives Matter uprising across the country in recent years has been the best Pride she could ask for."

According to the BAR, it was Garza who brought the phrase "Black Lives Matter" into the public consciousness:

In 2012, Garza authored a Facebook post ending in the three words that mobilized a nation around police violence against the black community. Garza's initial post that proclaimed "Black Lives Matter" was a response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the murder of Trayvon Martin. She's now a co-founder of a worldwide Black Lives Matter movement, along with two other women, Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors.

And it's clear that Garza saw herself as one-and-the-same as the movement, saying in 2015 regarding her Grand Marshalship that "It is ironic that Black Lives Matter would be chosen as community grand marshal for the Pride parade, in a city that is hemorrhaging black people and black families faster than any major U.S. city outside of post-Katrina New Orleans."

One can only imagine the irony from which Garza is reeling today, with the full Black Lives Matter organization joining her in the event's Grand Marshal annals!

SF Pride's 2016 celebration begins on Saturday, June 25. Additional Grand Marshals, Pride says, will be announced in the coming months.

Related: Facebook Employees Keep Crossing Out 'Black Lives Matter' And Writing 'All Lives Matter' At Company HQ

How Activists Got That Mario Woods Sign Into The Hands Of Beyonce's Dancers
.@SFPD investigating fatal hit/run on Broadway at Powell. Westbound Broadway closed at Stockton. pic.twitter.com/gHUoCruzF0  Kale Williams (@sfkale) March 11, 2016

The San Francisco Police Department is seeking the driver of a white van today, after he or she struck and killed a pedestrian at 6 a.m. this morning.

KRON 4 reports that emergency responders were called to the intersection of Powell Street and Broadway (near the Jean Parker Elementary School) on reports of an adult male body in the road.

When they arrived, they found a deceased man in his 60s "about three yards away from the crosswalk," CBS 5 reports. Police say that at this point, it's unclear if the man was in the crosswalk when he was hit.

Police told reporters on the scene that the victim was an man who lived in the neighborhood, but at publication time he had yet to be publicly identified.

According to an SFPD spokesperson at the site of the collision, the victim was struck by the driver of a white van.

Fatal hit & run of pedestrian in #SanFrancisco at Powell & Broadway.

WB entrance of Broadway tunnel closed. Police looking for white Van.  Matt Keller (@MattKellerABC7) March 11, 2016

.@OfficerAlbie says cops searching for white windowless van w/ front end damage in fatal hit/run on Broadway. pic.twitter.com/mGU4TwToa6  Kale Williams (@sfkale) March 11, 2016

The Chron reports that a witness says that "a white, windowless van was driving southbound on Powell Street and making a right onto Broadway toward the Broadway Tunnel" when the driver struck the man, then fled the scene.

Police are seeking surveillance video of the crash, and are asking residents to watch for a white van with no windows and front end damage. If you see a van that matches that description, or have any other information on the collision, please call SFPD's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444.
San Franciscans, deservedly or not, have a reputation for falling prey to Peter Pan Syndrome, as anyone who skipped Easter Mass in favor of careening wildly on tricycles down a perilous hill can attest. It is very much in that spirit that we remind you of an event for that same inner child who thrills at a massive Valentine's Day pillow fight: A pop-up ball pit bar.

As previously reported, a week from tomorrow, non-profit Forward Motion plans to turn Maiden Lane cocktail bar Romper Room into a boozy, very adult ball pit. While the details are kind of light (we'd like to think that filling an entire bar with plastic balls violates some sort of code), we have no doubt that the heady mixture of serotonin, adrenaline, and distilled beverages coursing through the bloodstreams of all involved will make for a fun time...until it doesn't.

This all goes down on Saturday March 19 starting at 12 p.m. Advance tickets are already sold out, but tickets will be available at the door if you're up for getting some morning mimosas and waiting in what is certain to be a lengthy line.

Who knows, maybe you'll meet your one true San Francisco love?





Previously: Union Square Bar To Become Pop-Up Ball Pit In March
Small business group Independent We Stand (IWS) is running an online contest that began on March 1 to reward the most deserving Main Street or downtown district in the U.S. as a way of promoting small business in America.

The idea is simple  consumers and small business owners pick a primary retail street in the U.S. that needs a boost (revitalization, if you will) by nominating their favorite local Main Street at MainStreetContest.com. Sponsors will then invest cash certificates, social media recognition and a slew of other prizes to celebrate the energy, drive and passion of that Main Street and help it continue to thrive.

The main sponsors of the contest are STIHL Inc. and FCA US, LLC and BusinessLink, backed by a number of other partners and co-sponsors, including Main Street America, the North American Retail Hardware Association and the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

Speaking about the contest, Bill Brunelle, IWS co-founder said in a press release (PDF):

The goal of this inaugural Independent We Stand Americas Main Streets contest is to promote the importance and strong economic benefits of Main Streets and the small businesses that help them thrive. We expect to see communities rallying for their Main Streets simply by going online and encouraging others to do the same. We want to know what already makes your Main Street tick or what you think would make it even better.

Anyone can nominate a Main Street, including local residents, business owners, the Main Street officials or Local First organizations.

If you need help finding a Main Street to nominate, Main Street America has a list of nationally designated main street programs on its website you can go through to find one near you.

Once a nomination is accepted, voting begins. Already, Denton, Texas, Main Street, Belleville Main Street and Ames Main Street Cultural District have been listed among the favorite nominees.

On April 25, the 25 Main Street nominees with the most votes will become quarter-finalists. Then, on May 29, the 10 quarter-finalists with the most votes will be evaluated by a panel of judges and the winning Main Street will be announced on June 3.

The winning Main Street will receive $25,000 in cash for revitalization.

IWS has also announced a bus tour to visit independent business owners, consumers and Main Street organizations, and share their stories while also promoting the contest and independent businesses.

IWS hits the road on March 14 for what it calls The Great American Route 66 Road Trip.

The iconic Route 66, popularly known as the Main Street of America, is the backdrop for the bus tour that will go through five cities in five states in five days.

The first stop is Oklahoma City, followed by Amarillo, Texas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Flagstaff and Sedona, Arizona, and finally, the Santa Monica pier in California.

The IWS team says it will eat, stay and play local the whole way.

You can follow the whole journey on Facebook and Twitter.
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
LEONARDTOWN, Md.

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: http://so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at http://so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at http://so.md/expungeme.

(March 10, 2016)The Leonardtown Barrack of the Maryland State Police (MSP) today released the following incident and arrest reports.THEFT: On Monday, March 7 at 2:07 pm, Tpr. J. Mulhearn responded to the Wal-Mart for a reported theft. Tpr. Mulhearn made contact with the loss prevention officer, who advised that Julian Marie Lynn, 20, of Park Hall had placed several items into recyclable bags. Ms. Lynn proceeded to the self check out register, and purchased some of the items in her shopping cart. She then placed the bag with her purchased items on top of the bags of unpaid items in her cart. Ms. Lynn was issued a Criminal Citation for Theft: Less than $1,000 and a "Notice Not to Trespass" and released on scene. (16-MSP-009209)TRESPASSING: On Tuesday, March 8 at 4:00 pm, Tpr. J. Mulhearn responded to the Wal-Mart for a reported trespassing. Tpr. Mulhearn made contact with the loss prevention officer, who advised that Levina Vanessa Buck, 33, of Lexington Park, was standing outside the entrance to Wal-Mart. Ms. Buck was placed under arrest for Trespass: Private Property. During a search incident to arrest, Tpr. Mulhearn located suspected marijuana in Ms. Buck's purse. She was issued a Civil Citation for Marijuana Less than 10 grams. Ms. Buck was then transported to the St. Mary's County Detention Center for Trespassing and held pending a bond review with the District Court Commissioner. (16-MSP-009392)THEFT: On Tuesday, March 8 at 5:54 pm, Tpr. R. Geyer responded to the Wal-Mart for a reported theft. Tpr. Geyer made contact with the loss prevention officer, who advised that he observed Crystal Haley Tippet, 28, of Lexington Park, place items into a used Wal-Mart bag. The loss prevention officer then watched Ms. Tippet pass all points of sale and walk towards the exit. She was charged with Theft Less Than $100 and issued a Notice Not to Trespass. Ms. Tippet was issued a Criminal Citation for Theft: Less than $1,000 and a "Notice Not to Trespass" and released on scene.(16-MSP-009412)Anthony Joseph Walton, 42, of Mechanicsville, served on 2/27/2016 for Arson 2nd Degree and MDOPMark Anthony Barber, 33, of Lexington Park, served on 2/28/2016 for Failure to Appear in CourtDrew Ryan Greer, 24, of California, served on 2/29/2016 for Failure to Appear in CourtBrandon Anthony Lanhardt, 25, of Hollywood, served on 3/1/16 for Failure to Appear in CourtMalcolm Reuben Savoy, 44, of Lexington Park, served on 3/2/16 for Fraud and Traffic ChargesAndrea Charmaine Jordan, 41, of Great Mills, served on 3/4/16 for Failure to Appear in CourtMichael Patrick Anderson, Jr., 38, of Callaway, served on 3/5/2016 for Failure to Appear in CourtAdam Thomas Wilkins, 20, of California, served on 3/6/2016 for Failure to Appear in CourtJeb J. Mcwade, 33, of Lexington Park, served on 3/7/2016 for Violation of ProbationBrandon Thomas Maples, 30, of Hollywood, served on 3/8/2016 for Failure to Appear in CourtHope Gover Beggs, 60, of Lexington Park, served on 3/8/2016 for Failure to Appear in CourtJennifer Bryant Crelly, 41, of Mechanicsville, on 2/20/2016 by Tpr. GeyerGregory Lamonte Grafton, 53, of Ridge, on 2/22/2016 by Tpr. GeyerJoseph Leon Davis, Jr., 36, of Lexington Park, on 2/27/2016 by Cpl. GrimesMeghan Kathleen Fink, 22, of Mechanicsville, on 2/28/2016 by Senior Tpr. EvansJames Ellsworth Davis, Jr., 42, of Great Mills, on 3/5/2016 by Cpl. GrimesMichael McDaniel Key, Jr., 28, of Indian Head, on 3/6/2016 by TFC ScarlettKenneth Wayne Essick, 38, of Leonardtown, on 3/6/2016 by Tpr. CoppedgePeter Lynn Crist, 48, of California, on 3/6/2016 by Tpr. MulhearnMichael Francis Parlett, 30, of Mechanicsville, on 3/7/2016 by Tpr. Capranica
North Point High School Criminal Justice Students Stand Out at Regional SkillsUSA Competition



The Criminal Justice Students at North Point High School have had an impressive start to the 2016 SkillsUSA Competitions. On February 6, the students competed in the Regional Competition at the Forrest Center in St. Mary's County and came away with two first-place titles and one second-place title, qualifying the winners to compete at the State Competition in April.



In February, sixteen students from North Point competed against students from other Criminal Justice Programs in Calvert and St. Mary's Counties at the SkillsUSA Regional Competition. The competition was divided into two categories: Criminal Justice and Crime Scene Investigations.



During the Criminal Justice portion, students were challenged on an individual basis and were scored on how well they handled a traffic stop, report of a missing person, a disturbance call, and a written test. Senior Justin Arter won first place and Senior Matt Bowie placed second, qualifying both for the State Competition.



The Crime Scene Investigation portion of the competition consisted of three, three-man teams who were scored on their ability to process a crime scene. North Point students Dylan McCabe, Estefany Garcia, and Ethan Snider won first place, qualifying their team for the State Competition.



"Our Criminal Justice students' commitment to the program throughout the school year is exemplified by their performance at these competitions," said Master Corporal Rhett Calloway, who heads the Criminal Justice Program at North Point High School. "We look forward to them representing Charles County at the State Competition."



"We are very proud of all of our Criminal Justice students and instructors, and their dedication to the program," said Sheriff Troy Berry. "The students set a great example for their peers and their outstanding accomplishments at these competitions speak highly of our program."



The 43rd Annual SkillsUSA Maryland Leadership and Skills Conference will take place on April 15-16 at North County High School near Glen Burnie, MD. Information about SkillsUSA and the competition can be found at www.mdskillsusa.org.



New world language books proposed



Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is proposing several new world language textbooks that include content aligned with Maryland World Readiness Standards for Learning Languages. The books are available for review at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building in La Plata, and at Piccowaxen Middle and North Point High schools.



The proposed books include updated assessments in areas such as reading, writing, speaking and listening. The texts also include teacher resources for grammar, vocabulary, visuals and interactive native-speaker audio and videos. The new textbooks, once approved by the Board, will replace world language textbooks currently used in middle and high schools. All textbooks were reviewed by a selection committee and piloted at selected schools. The following are the new proposed textbooks.



"Que chevere!," Levels I, II and III are authored by Alejandro Vargas Bonilla and published by EMC Publishing, LLC. They will be used in Spanish I, II and III courses for middle and high school students. The books were piloted at Piccowaxen and North Point from August 2015 through January 2016.



"Temas," authored by Cole Conlin, Parthena Draggett, Max Ehrsam and Elizabeth Millan, and published by Vista Higher Learning, is a textbook for use in Spanish IV and Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish Language and Culture classes. The text was piloted at Henry E. Lackey and La Plata high schools from August 2015 to January 2016.



"T'es branche?," Levels I, II, and III, written by Toni Theisen and Jacques Pecheur, and "T'es branche?," Level IV authored by Martine Corsain, Eliane Grandet, Nathalie Gaillot, Diana Moen and Adrien Payet, will be used with high school French students. All books are published through EMC Publishing, LLC and were piloted at North Point and Thomas Stone high schools from August 2015 through January 2016.



"Deutsch Aktuell," Levels I, II and III were reviewed by CCPS German teachers and piloted at Thomas Stone from August 2015 through January 2016. The books are published by EMC Publishing, LLC and authored by Wolfgang Kraft.



New texts for students enrolled in Latin courses were reviewed by CCPS Latin teachers and piloted at La Plata, Stone and Westlake high schools from August 2015 through January 2016. The texts, "Ecce Romani," I, II, and III are authored by Prentice Hall and published by Pearson Education, Inc.



A new sign language text, "Master American Sign Language," was reviewed by a staff member at Stone in 2015. The text is published by Sign Media Inc. and authored by Jason E. Zinza.



The Board of Education is reviewing the books and will take action on the books at the May 10 meeting. Community members are encouraged to review the books and provide comment in writing to the Board of Education, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD, 20646; through email to boardmail@ccboe.com; or in person at the Public Forum at the April 19 or May 10 meetings.



Registration for the three-year-old program opens April 11



Registration for the Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) three-year-old program begins Monday, April 11 at county Title I elementary schools. Interested parents must schedule an appointment at their child's zoned elementary school to complete the application process for the 2016-17 school year. Applications will be accepted by appointment only.



The three-year-old program is located at C. Paul Barnhart, Indian Head, Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy, J.P. Ryon, Dr. Samuel A. Mudd and Eva Turner elementary schools. The program serves Title I elementary schools and students must reside within Title I school zones to be eligible. Title I is a federal program that provides funding to schools based on the percentage of students qualifying for free and reduced price meals.



Children must attend the appointment with their parent and will participate in an observation and skill assessment. Additionally, completing the application process does not guarantee enrollment in the program. Children admitted to the three-year-old program must meet the following guidelines:



 Reside in a Title I school zone;



 Qualify for free- and reduced-price meals (proof of income must be provided);



 Demonstrate an academic need;



 Must be three-years-old on or before Sept. 1;



 Be toilet trained at the time of application.



No appointments will be made before April 11. Contact the Charles County Public Schools Title I Office at 301-934-7408 with questions or for additional information. Parents can find out what school their address is zoned for by using the School Locator feature of the website at www.ccboe.com.



High school teams compete in tri-county Computer Bowl



Nine Charles County Public high school computer bowl teams competed in the 2016 Southern Maryland Regional Computer Bowl held March 5 at North Point High School. Two teamsone from North Point and one from Maurice J. McDonough High Schoolplaced among the top 10 competing teams.



A team from North Point earned seventh place overall and a team from McDonough earned tenth place overall. A total of 18 teams competed from high schools in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties. Teams from Henry E. Lackey, La Plata and St. Charles high schools also participated.



In the first round of the competition, students complete a written test about computer history, hardware and software. In the second round, teams of up to three or four students create computer programs to solve specific problems, using programming languages such as Java.



Each year, student teams in the tri-county area compete in the event. The competition was sponsored by SMECO, the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) and Booz Allen Hamilton. Prizes were awarded by SMECO and CSM.
The recreated chapel at Historic St. Mary's City. (Photo: Maryland Historical Society)

BALTIMORE

The Maryland Historical Society announced that the three lead coffins that held the remains of Maryland's founding familyPhilip Calvert, his wife, Ann Wolsey Calvert and an infanthave been reinterred at the chapel at Historic St. Mary's City. Partnering with the Pride of Baltimore II, the Ark and Dove Society, and Society of Colonial Wars, the Maryland Historical Society will take part in a special Maryland Day observance at Historic St. Mary's City on. The event will feature the opening of an exhibit in the chapel featuring the coffins visible through a glass floor so that visitors can see this extremely rare example of early Maryland history."Only five lead coffins are known to exist in North America, and all five are in St. Mary's City," says Maryland Historical Society President and CEO Mark B. Letzer. "These three examples therefore show us an important link to mortuary practices from the nascent colonial period. We are proud to take part in this special observance, as well as mark the final resting place of these important people."The lead coffins were on view from March 2015February 2016 in an exhibition at the Maryland Historical Society entitled "Tale of Three Coffins: Living and Dying in 17th Century Historic St. Mary's City." Prior to that, they were on view for five years at the Smithsonian Institution in an exhibition entitled "Written in Bone."In addition to the new Chapel exhibition, the Maryland Day event will consist of several fascinating components:The tall ship Pride of Baltimore II will be transporting a Liberty Tree Cross from Baltimore to Historic St. Mary's City. This cross is part of a trio of wooden crosses fashioned from the roots of a 600-year old Annapolis tree that once served as a meeting spot during the American Revolution.As reported in The Baltimore Sun, the first cross was presented to Pope Francis. The second cross was given to Prince Charlesand the third and final cross will be presented to the Chapel at Historic St. Mary's City, where it will reside at the top of the dome for the reconstructed Carroll Family tabernacle that scholars believe was used at the chapel in the 17th century. "The rich symbolism of a cross made from the roots of Maryland's Liberty Tree completing the altar at the place the first roots of Liberty of Conscience were planted in the New World is truly wonderful!" says Historic St. Mary's City Director of Research Dr. Henry Miller.will also be on display. One is Andrew White's account of the voyage and founding, and second is a letter written by the first governor, Leonard Calvert, to his business partner in England. Dated to May of 1634, this letter provides the only description of Fort St. Maries which the settlers constructed.This will be the first time the Calvert letter has ever before been displayed to the public. Equally compelling, this is the first time these documents have come back to St. Mary's City since they were dispatched to England on the Ark in 1634. Maryland Historical Society Chief Curator, Alexandra Deutsch, will provide remarks on these documents.In addition, Historic St. Mary's City will present its highest award, The Cross-Botany Award, to Smithsonian Forensic Anthropologists Dr. Douglas Owsley and Ms. Kari Bruwelheide, who conducted the analysis of the skeletons of Maryland's founders excavated at the Chapel in the 1990s. They provided key insights that helped to identify the three individuals buried in the lead coffins at the Chapel site as members of Lord Baltimore's family.There will also be a Presentation of the Flags from Fourth grade students from each county in Maryland, beginning with the newest and proceeding to the oldest county. Several of the state's leading politicians are expected to attend.In March, 1634, after a long, difficult Atlantic winter crossing, the ships Ark and Dove sailed up the Potomac River. The March 25, 1634 mass on St. Clements Island celebrated the beginning of spring and the planting season, the Feast of the Annunciation and a fragile but hopeful escape from the religious bigotry that was rampant in 17th century Europe.Maryland was among the first of the British colonies to allow "freedom of conscience," which meant freedom of belief to Protestants and Catholics. It was a revolutionary concept nearly 400 years ago.The Maryland Historical Society is grateful to Historic St. Mary's City, the Society of the Ark and Dove and Pride of Baltimore II for their assistance in creating this truly historic event. For more information and directions to Historic St. Mary's City, visit this link.Founded in 1844, The Maryland Historical Society Museum and Library occupies an entire city block in the Mount Vernon district of Baltimore. The society's mission is to "collect, preserve, and interpret the objects and materials that reflect Maryland's diverse cultural heritage." The Society is home to the original manuscript of the Star-Spangled Banner and publishes a quarterly titled "Maryland Historical Magazine." Visit www.mdhs.org.
PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. (March 11, 2016)Twenty year-old Troy Alexander English, of Patuxent River, died yesterday as a result of injuries sustained when the motorcycle he was driving collided with the rear of another vehicle which was stopped at an intersection. Police say English and another unidentified person had just taken police on a high speed pursuit throughout Calvert County. The pair were observed at speeds estimated as high as 140 miles per hour.



The crash occurred around 4:35 p.m. at the intersection of Maryland Route 2-4 (Solomons Island Road South) and West End Boulevard, Port Republic.



The Calvert County Sheriff's Office provided the following narrative of their investigation:



On March 10, 2016 at approximately 1628 hours two sport bikes were observed by a deputy just north of Broomes Island Road traveling southbound on Maryland Route 2-4 at a high rate of speed. One of the motorcycles was doing a wheelie at the time and both bikes were splitting lanes, traveling between vehicles. The Deputy notified the control center of the observed violation and made a U-turn at the nearest crossover in order to conduct a traffic stop for the aforementioned violations. After activating emergency equipment and attempting to stop the motorcycles, the riders of both sport bikes accelerated to speeds of approximately 130 to 140 miles per hour. Both motorcycle riders appeared to be aware of the police vehicle presence and continued to travel southbound nearing Broomes Island Road. Several deputies were in the area and upon noticing the additional police vehicle; both motorcycles made a U-turn at Broomes Island Road and proceeded northbound towards the busy Prince Frederick Town Center. Deputies attempted to keep up with the motorcycles and observed one of the motorcycles, described as a blue/white and black in color, make a U-turn at Whispering Woods subdivision crossover and began to travel southbound on Maryland Route 2-4. Several deputies, who were responding from the Prince Frederick area, continued to attempt to stop the motorcycle traveling southbound.



The second motorcycle, a black and yellow 2007 Honda, continued northbound towards the Prince Frederick Town Center. As deputies attempted to get the operator to stop the motorcycle, the operator swerved all over the roadway, passing vehicles on the shoulder at speed exceeding 130 miles per hour. Deputies had traffic stopped just prior to entering the Prince Frederick Town Center in an effort to stop the motorcycle. The motorcycle made a U-turn through the grassy median just south of the blocked intersection of Old Field Lane in Prince Frederick and proceeded southbound on Maryland Route 2-4. The deputies continued to attempt to get the motorcycle to stop; however, due to the high rate of speed and fast acceleration, police vehicles had a difficult time following the motorcycle.



The motorcycle continued southbound on Rt. 4 at a high rate being operated in a reckless manner, violating numerous traffic laws with blatant disregard for public safety, during the evening rush hour traffic. As the motorcycle passed the intersection of Broomes Island Road, he passed two stationary police vehicles with lights and sirens activated, without stopping. The motorcycle continued southbound where other deputies were located. Due to the speed of the motorcycle and the wanton and willful disregard for the safety of the public the operator was displaying, deputies began stopping traffic at intersections the motorcycle was approaching in an effort to avoid crossover collisions.



As the traffic volume was already heavy, due to the rush hour, several vehicles were stopped or nearly stopped at the intersection on Maryland Route 2-4 and West End Boulevard. As the motorcycle approached slower traveling traffic, it struck the rear of a 2010 Toyota Rav-4, which was in the left turn lane for Western Shores Boulevard. Upon striking the Toyota, the operator was ejected from his motorcycle and continued to travel in a southerly direction. The operator then collided with the rear of a 2014 Ford F-150, which was stopped at the time.



Deputies immediately began rendering first aid to the operator who was unconscious, but breathing on his own. While en-route, to Calvert Memorial Hospital the operator's condition worsened and EMS staff began administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while en-route to the hospital. Upon arrival to the hospital the operator was assessed and pronounced dead by the CMH ER Staff. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, MD will perform an autopsy in order to determine the exact cause of death.



The deceased operator was later identified as Troy Alexander English, a 20 year old male of Patuxent River, Maryland



The operators and occupants of other involved vehicles did not sustain significant injury, all involved were evaluated on the scene by EMS.



It appears that reckless driving by English and speed are factors in this collision; however, the investigation is ongoing at this time.



During the course of the investigation the investigators identified the second motorcycle operator and are following up on that information.



It was determined that even prior to police contact the motorcycle operators were travelling at such high speeds that had they T-boned another vehicle, the likelihood of the crash resulting in death or serious bodily injury to the occupants would have been significant.



DFC Beisel of the Crash Reconstruction Team, along with other investigators, are investigating events that led up to this collision. Anyone who may have witnessed the motorcycles in Calvert or St. Mary's Counties is asked to contact DFC Beisel at 410-535-2800 ext. 8417 or beiselww@co.cal.md.us. Individuals may also contact Sgt. V. Bortchevsky of Criminal Investigations Bureau at 410-535-2800 Ext. 2540 of bortchvi@co.cal.md.us with additional information.
PRINCE FREDERICK, Md.

(March 11, 2016)Calvert Hospice today announced the selection of Tanea Granlund as the new Outreach Coordinator for the organization.Granlund was born and raised in Calvert County and has developed relationships with the community in various ways.I am very grateful that my career path has led me to such a great organization. Through personal experiences, I learned all that Hospice has to offer patients and their families, said Granlund. I saw how much Hospice not only cares for the terminally ill patient but supports, educates, and comforts the family members. Hospice is always there to help, and I am excited to be a part of this wonderful group of people. I want to help spread the word throughout the community to enable residents take advantage of everything Calvert Hospice has to offer.Granlund has worked with children and adults for over 24 years through education and community involvement. She earned her early childhood development degree in 1992, business degree in 2012, and attended University of Maryland for her BA in art education.In 1990, Granlund traveled the world with her husband who set forth in his military career. After 24 years, she has now settled back home in Calvert County, and her family has bought their first home in Huntingtown.It is great to be back home and involved in the community that I was raised in. I am now raising my own two children in Calvert County and couldnt be happier!For more information about Calvert Hospice, visit http://calverthospice.org
Scott Herman is no stranger to the political process.

A candidate for the Florida House of Representatives in 2014 and 2012, Herman is on the ballot again, this time in a special election for a seat on the Oakland Park Commission.

This campaign is about smart growth, said Herman, 44, a disabled combat veteran of the Gulf War.

A married gay man, Herman said he will be the LGBT voice for Oakland Park, one of the older cities in Broward County that today is home to an estimated 41,000 people. He is endorsed by the Dolphin Democrats, Equality Florida Action PAC and Broward County AFL-CIO.

Upon election I will immediately hire four fire rescue personnel and open a station east of the railroad tracks by Dixie Highway, Herman said in a telephone call to SFGN. I will be a full-time commissioner.

Herman faces competition from former Mayor Layne Dallet Walls and current commissioner Michael Carn. An engineer, Carn was appointed to an open commissioner seat by Oakland Park Mayor Tim Lonergan to fill the vacancy of Shari McCartney, who resigned in October to move to Fort Lauderdale.

I believe I have the resources, relationships and ideas to move the city forward, said Carn, in a telephone call to SFGN Tuesday afternoon.

A father of three sons, Carn, 58, said he has a vested interest in the community.

I grew up in the sands of Oakland Park, Carn said. This is my home. This is where I am from.

Carn sought the endorsement of the Dolphins Democrats, but the group went with Herman instead. Carn said he considers himself an ally of the LGBT community.

I dont judge and I dont believe in legislating love, he said. As a black man growing up in the South, I certainly understand discrimination and I have raised my children to never discriminate.

This will be Carns third attempt to gain voters approval, falling short in commission elections in 2009 and 2011 and losing a state senate bid in 2008. Similarly, Herman came up short in his quest for the Florida House in 2012 and 2014.

Herman said hes self-funding his campaign and is not beholden to any developers wishes. He plans to eliminate private contractors and bring permitting procedures in house. Helping city management simplify codes is a central theme of Hermans message.

Im campaigning on principles over politics because the people of Oakland Park deserve better, he said.

Walls, 60, who served on the commission from 1993-97 and again from 2001-09, is a wife, mother and grandmother. She serves on the citys civil service board and charter review board.



The election, March 15, is citywide.
The first openly gay man nominated to lead the U.S. Army now heads to the full Senate for a final vote.

The American Military Partner Association (AMPA), the nations largest organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) military families, praised the news that the Senate Armed Services Committee has confirmed the first openly gay secretary of one of the U.S. military services -- Eric Fanning. President Obama's historic nomination of Fanning to serve as Secretary of the Army now heads to the full Senate for a final vote.

We are thrilled to see Eric Fanning confirmed by the Senate Armed Services Committee, said AMPA President Ashley Broadway-Mack. History continues to be written and equality marches forward with the nomination of an openly gay man to serve in this significantly important role. Fannings expertise and knowledge within the defense community more than qualifies him to serve as Secretary of the Army. We urge the Senate to move quickly to confirm his appointment."

Fanning has served at senior levels in the Navy, the Air Force, and the Army.

For more information about the American Military Partner Association and LGBT military families, please visit our home on the web at www.MilitaryPartners.org.

The American Military Partner Association, a non-profit and non-partisan organization, is the nations largest organization of the partners, spouses, families, and allies of Americas LGBT service members and veterans. Based in Washington DC, AMPA is committed to education, advocacy, and support for our modern military families.
The Donald is a cancer in our democracy

Like many progressives, liberals and Democrats I was giddy when billionaire Donald Trump entered the presidential race. He was sure to shake things up on the Republican side and thoroughly amuse us all in the process.

Well six months later he has now delivered on his promise to shake things up but month-by-month hes become less amusing. His angry rhetoric has veered from merely divisive to dangerous. And hes become a cancer, not just in the Republican race, but throughout our democracy.

Some of his outrageous and dangerous statements have been to refer to Mexicans as rapists; call for a ban on all Muslims entering the country; creating a database for Muslim Americans; comparing Syrian refugees to a Trojan horse; applauding the folks who beat up a black protestor at his rally; and even going so far as to hint that President Obama is in bed with the terrorists saying there is something going on with him that we dont know about.

Trumps fear mongering reminds me of Pastor Martin Niemollers famous poem about the rise of the Nazis. Heres my slightly revised version.

First Trump came for the Mexicans, and I did not speak out  Because I was not a Mexican.

Then Trump came for the Syrian refugees, and I did not speak out  Because I was not a Syrian refugee.

Then Trump came for the immigrants, and I did not speak out  Because I was not an immigrant.

Then Trump came for the Muslims, and I did not speak out  Because I was not a Muslim.

Then they came for meand there was no one left to speak for me.

Do we really think that Trump will stop at Muslims? What group will he use to scare people with next? The transgender community comes to mind. Right wing fanatics did it recently in Houston with ads featuring predators dressing up as women in order to come after little girls.

Will Trump use a similar attack?

Why not? He has nothing to lose. If he doesnt win the presidency he goes back to be being a bombastic billionaire reality star. But each time he comes after another group we lose  we all lose. And unlike Trump, who can simply go back to life as normal, we will have to live in the new normal hes created for us.

Its easy to dismiss Trump as (insert adjective), or his policies as not being serious, as former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said. And while that may be true, his rhetoric may very well have serious consequences on the Republican Party and our democracy. Most other presidential candidates have condemned Trumps latest policy proposal of banning all Muslims from entering the U.S., but not all Republicans have done so.

Presidential candidates former Sen. Rick Santorum and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz both stopped short of condemning Trump. Former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, would only criticize Trumps tone  not his proposal. Sen. Jeff Sessions, an Alabama Republican, refused to directly address Trumps comments.

Ann Coulter, a prominent far right pundit and author, showed her excitement for Trumps latest policy by tweeting out: Add in every other kind of immigrant and it's perfect! and My best birthday gift! Donald Trump Calls For Complete Shutdown of Muslim Entry to U.S.

Thats why its more important than ever for the LGBT community speak out on behalf of our fellow humans whether they are Mexicans, immigrants, Syrian refugees or whomever the next group Trump decides to go after. We know oppression. Weve been singled out. So while these other groups may differ from us we must stand together in the face of bigotry and hatred.

I am no longer giddy with Trump in the race. I am scared  not of Muslims and immigrants, but of what he is doing to our democracy.
Last November, Sen. Ted Cruz made some waves when he and two other presidential candidatesMike Huckabee and Bobby Jindaladdressed an event in Iowa in support of religious liberty. The event was sponsored by extreme anti-LGBT radio host Kevin Swanson, of the anti-LGBT hate group Generations with Vision.

Last November, Sen. Ted Cruz made some waves when he and two other presidential candidatesMike Huckabee and Bobby Jindaladdressed an event in Iowa in support of religious liberty. The event was sponsored by extreme anti-LGBT radio host Kevin Swanson, of the anti-LGBT hate group Generations with Vision.

Swanson has made many anti-LGBT statements over the years, and he has also defended the execution of LGBT people, though he said he would provide LGBT people a chance to repent first. Huckabee and Cruz pleaded ignorance about Swansons views, which are readily accessible through a web search.

Appearing at the event was a mistake, Rick Tyler, a Cruz campaign spokesman, told USAToday in December. Tyler said that Swansons comments about supporting the execution of LGBT people are reprehensible, and further stated that Cruz has spoken out repeatedly against anyone who calls for hatred or violence against homosexuals.

In spite of Tylers claims about Cruzs support for LGBT people, Cruz was scheduled to be at a campaign rally yesterday in Mississippi that included anti-LGBT and anti-Muslim radio host Bryan Fischer, the former director of issues analysis at the American Family Association (AFA), an anti-LGBT hate group. Cruz cancelled the appearance, citing illness, but told his Mississippi campaign chairman, State Sen. Chris McDaniel, that he wanted to come, and that he was still hoping to do a pop-in, but theres no way he could make a full rally.

Though Fischer was removed from his directorship early last year, he remains a radio host and blogger at AFA. Fischer is known for his vitriolic anti-LGBT and anti-Muslim statements linking homosexuality to pedophilia as well as Nazism. He has called for the criminalization of homosexuality, called for the cessation of Muslim immigration to the U.S. and also stated that Muslims dont have First Amendment rights. Fischer has even attacked African-Americans, saying, [I]ts no wonder we are now awash in the disastrous social consequences of people who rut like rabbits.

Religious liberty has become a rallying cry for anti-LGBT groups, especially since last years Supreme Court ruling that legalized marriage equality nationwide. A litany of so-called religious freedom restoration acts have been proposed in many states, all drafted and driven by anti-LGBT groups attempting to legalize discrimination.

In late February, in fact, the Cruz campaign announced a religious liberty advisory council that features several people who have been instrumental in spreading and propagating damaging falsehoods about LGBT people for years.

The narrative behind religious liberty portrays Christians who object to homosexuality on biblical grounds as victims of religious persecution. The so-called RFRAs would allow Christians, especially, to deny goods and services to LGBT people on the basis of their religious beliefs. Cruz devotes a page of his website to this new narrative. On day one of a Cruz administration, the site claims, Cruz will instruct the Department of Justice, the IRS, and every other federal agency that the persecution of religious liberty ends today.

Rubios campaign website states that religious liberty is the right to live according to your religious teachings and to have the opportunity to spread it to others, instill it in your children and live it in your everyday life. He has also stated that he has a plan to make same-sex marriage illegal again, which includes appointing only conservative justices to the Supreme Court who would interpret the 2015 ruling differently.

The choices for Cruzs religious liberty advisory council are weighted heavily toward anti-LGBT Christian, something his council has in common with a marriage and family advisory board that Senator Marco Rubios campaign announced in February.

In fact, the two boards share some members:

 Cruzs council includes two people from the anti-LGBT hate group Family Research Council (FRC) which has, for over two decades, worked to defame LGBT people with a variety of discredited myths and pseudoscience. FRC president Tony Perkins is the chair of Cruzs advisory council and has linked homosexuality to pedophilia, even claiming that LGBT people recruit children. Other FRC officials have over the years called for the deportation of LGBT people, claimed that LGBT households are violent and that LGBT people are sexual predators. The FRC website states that homosexual conduct is harmful to the persons who engage in it and to society at large, and can never be affirmed.

 FRC fellow Kenneth Blackwell is on Cruzs new council and Rubios board. Blackwell has compared same-sex marriage to incest, suggested that transgender and bisexual people would use same-sex marriage to engage in polygamy, and tried to link a 2014 mass murder in California to attacks on natural marriage.

 Ryan Anderson, a research fellow at the Heritage Center, was also named to Cruzs advisory council and Rubios board. Anderson is one of the young guns of the anti-LGBT movement who, though not as overt in his anti-LGBT sentiment, routinely traffics in anti-LGBT pseudoscience when speaking to national media. He has also written that the decriminalization of homosexuality helped lead to the Penn State molestation scandal in 2011 and commended a book that supported the criminalization of sodomitical relationships.

 Another member of Cruzs council is pastor Jim Garlow, who was a major proponent behind Californias Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in 2008. (It was later found unconstitutional in court.) Garlow has repeatedly linked gay marriage to Satan and held a conference at his Skyline megachurch in California in 2015 at which many speakers disparaged homosexuality as unhealthy and destructive.

 The Rubio campaign named Bradford Wilcox to their board. Wilcox, listed as senior fellow at the Institute for Family Studies and a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, is also the director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia. Wilcox was instrumental in pushing the discredited anti-LGBT Regnerus study into the public square after he played a key role in the studys development by recruiting Regnerus to do it, serving as a paid consultant, and possibly a peer reviewer.

 Everett Piper was also named to Cruzs council and Rubios board. Piper is president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University and delivered the closing keynote address at the 2015 gathering of the anti-LGBT hate group World Congress of Families in Salt Lake City. At Garlows 2015 conference, Piper claimed that the LGBT rainbow flag had become the dark flag of tyranny overnight.

 Cruz has also brought in Kelly Shackelford of the Texas-based Liberty Institute, a legal firm that bills itself as fighting for religious liberty. In reality, the Liberty Institute works mostly against antidiscrimination ordinances and defends those who claim to have been hurt by them. Shackelford and the Institute peddle alleged anti-Christian incidents (many of which are false or misrepresented) to demonstrate the need for religious liberty.

 Carol Swain, a professor of political science and law at Vanderbilt University, also sits on Cruzs new religious liberty advisory council. A self-described Christian evangelical, Swain garnered attention last year when she wrote an op-ed in the Tennessean claiming that Islam is not like other religions in the United States, and that it poses an absolute danger to us and our children unless it is monitored better than it has been under the Obama administration.

 Rubios board includes Joseph Backholm, executive director of the Family Policy Institute of Washington (FPIW), who worked in 2009 to prevent domestic partnership benefits from including same-sex couples. He also led the battle against same-sex marriage in Washington state through Preserve Marriage Washington. He has called marriage equality wrong in the eternal sense and said that once people realized how wrong it is, that is would be abandoned, like the ancient practice of bloodletting. One of the resources that the FPIW website listed with regard to same-sex marriage is an article (the link from the FPIW site is currently broken, but the article can be accessedhere in some browsers) that includes the myths that gay people molest children at a higher rate than heterosexuals and that gay people are promiscuous.

 Caitlin La Ruffa, executive director of the Love and Fidelity Network, is also on Rubios board. The Network is geared toward helping college students uphold the institution of marriage, according to the groups website. The site also states thatredefining marriage to anything other than one man and one woman jeopardizes the religious liberty of those who hold more traditional views on the family and also causes children to suffer from a weakening marriage culture. Gay parents, the website adds, are denying a child of either a mother or a father, no matter a gay parents love and provision for that child and that the child would do best when raised by their married mother and father.
In just over three weeks since its creation, the Twinks4Trump satirical Twitter account has earned over 3,500 followers. In an interview with New York magazine, its creator, Cody Permenter, talks about how he started the account, its success, why Donald Trump is a #daddy, and the current presidential election.

Permenter, 24, who works in social media in Seattle, told NY magazine the idea for @Twinks4Trump started after he watched a CNN report about three hunky bros gushing over their support for Trump.

"I thought those interviews were absolutely hilarious, and I just made a comment to my friend, 'What is up with these twinks nowadays? What are these twinks for Trump doing?' And then I was like, 'Oh, Twinks for Trump. That sounds kinetically pleasing and could be hilarious.' I was wondering if there are actually gay people who support Donald Trump," he told the magazine. "That's kind of how the whole idea came around."

It should be noted that the Twitter account's bio picture is of Tate Moyer, one of the three young men featured in CNN's video.

Permenter goes on to say he does not identify as a twink, saying: "I am a gay man, but I'm definitely more of a cub or a bear. Also hilarious to me is the idea that this large gay man could run a Twinks for Trump account. A point that the Twitter account's trying to make is how absurd Donald."

When asked if actual gay Trump supporters have interacted with @Twinks4Trump, Permenter said several"bromos" tweeted their support for the GOP presidential frontrunner.

"The most intriguing to me are these individuals from the LGBT community who actually support Donald Trump and think he would actually be the best president," he told NY magazine. "They're kind of interesting."

Though most of the feedback has been positive, Permenter said he's had some criticism. He said there's "been more liberal criticism than conservative criticism, I would say. But this is not a large amount of criticism. Most people understand the joke. What's most intriguing to me are people who are actually gay GOP members who are following the account and having a good laugh with it."

Permenter said his goal with the account is to bring "a level of absurdity to the election that can match Donald Trump's absurdity, and having fun with it."

"I'm not naive, I know that this election will have a lot of consequences for a lot of people, and some of those won't be so good depending on who wins, but I think that we shouldn't lose our ability to have fun and to laugh at it," he added.

Permenter admits he is simply trolling and trying to "troll the master troll." He also said he is not being "earnest at all."

Check out some of the tweets from @Twinks4Trump and visit www.twinks4trump.com to buy some @Twinks4Trump merch. Also, read the full NY magazine interview at http://nym.ag/1nrBQOp .
Cirque du Soleils newest arena production, Toruk: The First Flight, based on James Camerons sci-fi film, Avatar, comes to Miami this weekend. Credit: Cirque du Soleil

Its been more than 30 years since Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil first became an international sensation with its European-style circus productions.

Over the years, Cirque offered dazzling tumbling and aerial acts tied together by whimsical themes and new age music sung in an artificial language dubbed Cirquish. The imaginative company has explored mythology (Varekai) and ancient cultures (Dralion). More recently, incredibly popular shows have been staged in Las Vegas to the music of the Beatles (Love) and Michael Jackson (One).

The companys latest arena show, Toruk: The First Flight, which opened last weekend at the BB&T Center in Sunrise and moves to Miamis American Airlines Arena on Friday, is inspired by James Camerons hit movie, Avatar.

Set thousands of years before the arrival of humans on the planet Pandora, Toruk tells the story of two young Navi friends, Ralu (Jeremiah Hughes) and Entu (Daniel Crispin). Only a warrior who is pure of heart can save the Tree of Souls from an impending volcanic disaster, so the boys set out to collect five mystical items from the various Navi tribes.

Along the way, Ralu and Entu are joined by Tsyal (Zoe Sabattle), a young female who defies her father to undertake the deadly journey. In turn, they are challenged by fierce viper wolves, six-legged horses and the other magical creatures of Pandora. Each encounter with the other clans is punctuated by one of the typical circus acts that have become familiar in Cirque productions.

But Toruk is much less circus than spectacle. There is plenty of acrobatic action, but the tricks take second place to the predictable story, told in English by a Navi narrator (Raymond ONeill). Its not necessary to have seen Avatar first, but still helpful since most of the dialogue occurs in the unintelligible native language.

Thanks to high definition projections, the arena is transformed into the wondrous landscapes of Pandora. Realistic rivers and waterfalls flow, lava surges and performers fly amongst the clouds. The young warriors race through dense jungles and across desert plains. And the shadow of the fierce predator Toruk, the last sight for its victims, menaces all corners of the arena.

Like Camerons movie, the show is one big metaphor for our planets own aboriginal cultures, their sacred relationships with nature and the struggle to survive the invasive arrival of Westerners, subtly and effectively preached in the narrators monologues.

But if audiences dont choose to think too hard, they will be more than satisfied with Cirques inventiveand big budgetcostumes, animal puppets and technical effects. Its not a circus or even cirque in the traditional sense, but the Avatar-inspired story still serves as an impressive vehicle that will wow audiences in Miami and undoubtedly, around the world.

Toruk: The First Flight, based on James Camerons Avatar and performed by Cirque du Soleil, will be presented March 11  13 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. Tickets start at $55 at Ticketmaster.com.
Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko is inside the seven-window cupola prepared to photograph the Earth below. Credit: NASA. NASA

The International Space Station is being upgraded with new communications gear as NASA moves ahead with its Commercial Crew Program. Meanwhile, science taking place on the orbital laboratory today included human research and Earth photography.

Astronauts Tim Kopra and Tim Peake were back at work today installing hardware that will communicate with future commercial crew vehicles. The equipment will enable hardline and frequency communications with the private spacecraft during rendezvous, docking and mated activities.

Kopra also conducted a quarterly inspection of a treadmill ensuring it is in operable condition. He later conducted a ham radio pass with students at the University of North Dakota, the 1,000th such contact made possible by the ARISS program.

Peake spent a few moments collecting a saliva sample for a study that observes the human immune system in space. He is also helping engineers understand the factors necessary for a comfortable living space during long term missions.

Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko explored Earth photography techniques to better identify features on the ground. He also researched the effects of living in space on blood circulation.

On-Orbit Status Report

Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) Alignment Guide Removal: Kopra removed the Alignment Guides from CIR to unlock PaRIS before the beginning of CIR operations that require a microgravity environment. CIR provides sustained, systematic microgravity combustion research and it houses hardware capable of performing combustion experiments to further research of combustion in microgravity.

Multi-Omics Saliva Operations: Peake completed the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Multi-Omics investigation by collecting saliva samples and inserting the samples into a Box Module within a MELFI (Minus Eight-degree Freezer for ISS) Rack. The Multi-Omics analysis of human microbial-metabolic cross-talk in the investigation evaluates the impacts of space environment and prebiotics on astronauts immune function, by combining the data obtained from the measurements of changes in the gut microbiological composition, metabolites profiles, and the immune system.

Habitability Human Factors Directed Observations: Peake viewed videos to learn about the different sessions of the Habitability experiment. The investigation collects observations about the relationship between crew members and their environment on the ISS. Observations can help spacecraft designers understand how much habitable volume is required and whether a missions duration impacts how much space crew members need.

Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC): Last Friday, the crew completed a pre-treat tank Remove & Replace (R&R) without the Pre-Treat Bad Qual Light (PTBQL) illuminating. Illumination is expected when water in the EK hose passes through the piping where the PTBQL sensor is located. Ground teams believe this was an indication of a bad PTBQ sensor and recommended R&Ring the following 3 items: the piping (which includes the PTBQ sensor), the dose pump, and the EK hose. The dose pump was at the end of its expected 6 month life. The EK hose would serve to verify that the PTBQ sensor and light are both working. Kopra R&Rd these components today with no issues. The PTBQL illuminated as expected, then cleared with dosing as expected and the crew then configured WHC to UPA.

Common Communications For Visiting Vehicles (C2V2): Peake, with assistance from Kopra, continued C2V2 installation which began on Monday. Peake completed coldplate installation, Internal Thermal Control System (ITCS) umbilical re-routing and temperature sensor installation. The comm unit installation is scheduled for tomorrow. C2V2 will integrate a communications system for the ISS to be used specifically for communicating with future visiting vehicles. This system will utilize both an S-Band based Radio Frequency (RF) system, and hard-line connections to visiting vehicles so secure, reliable communications will be available for all phases of rendezvous, docking, and mated operations. The system will consist of elements that will be permanently installed on the ISS as well as a corresponding element that will be made available to visiting vehicles.

Remote Power Controller Module (RPCM) LAP51A4A-A R&R: This RPCM experienced a FET Controller Hybrid (FCH) failure on RPC 2 in September of 2012 and RPC 18 in March of 2014. Four different spare RPCMs were installed in the LAP51A4A-A location. None would communicate with the Multiplexer/De-multiplexer (MDM) on either channel, however, each worked nominally in other locations on ISS. The original RPCM was reinstalled and has continued to communicate in this LAP51A4A-A location. Both FCH failures have since self-healed. A failed RT Address connection in the rack is the most likely cause of the prior inability to communicate with the four spare RPCMs.Today the crew installed a unique RPCM with a pre-installed RT Address Jumper in the LAP51A4A-A location.The R&R was completed with no issues followed by the ground performing a successful refresh of the RPCM.

Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Operations: Yesterday Robotic Ground Controllers powered up the MSS and maneuvered Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) Arm2 into position to grasp the Robotic Offset Tool (ROST). Over the course of last evening, the ROST was released from its tool holster and checked out in free space. After the successful checkout, the tool was re-stowed. These operations used the updated recon files from Canadian Space Agency (CSA) that modified the expected size of the grasp fixture. Operations were nominal throughout.

Todays Planned Activities

All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

Multi Omics (MO)  Saliva Sample Collection

Multi Omics (MO)  Sample Insertion into MELFI

Multi Omics (MO)  Equipment Stowage

Multi Omics (MO)  Questionnaire Completion

Prep for SW Updates on RS1, RS2, RS3, REMOTE RS r/g 1634

PCS Powerdown

Common Communications Equipment for Visiting Vehicles (C2V2) Mod Kit Installation in Lab

Water Separation in EDV using Separation Unit (??). Tagup with specialists as necessary / r/g 1638

Replacement of ??? components / r/g 1637

Assistance with Installation of Common Communications Equipment for Visiting Vehicles (C2V2) Mod Kit in Lab

Psychological Evaluation Program (WinSCAT)

WHC maintenance

T2 Monthly Inspection

Replacement of urine receptacle (??) and filter-insert (?-?) in the toilet [???] / SM r/g 1637

Post-Replacement ??? Activation

CIR  Equipment Removal

WRS  Recycle Tank Fill from EDV

??? Maintenance r/g 1633

EXPRESS Rack 4 Drawer Recovery

Verification of ??-1 Flow Sensor Position

COSMOCARD. Closeout Ops / r/g 1611

Ultrasound 2 HRF Rack 1 Power On

VIZIR. Experiment Ops with Photo Image Coordinate Reference System (????-?) Hardware / r/g 1639

RPCM R&R and Installation of UOP behind LAB1P5 Rack

IMS Delta File Prep

HABIT  Data Recording to iPad

Physical Fitness Evaluation (on the treadmill) r/g 1636

Ultrasound 2 HRF Rack 1 Power Off

WRS  Recycle Tank Fill from EDV

SSC21  Hard Drive Swap

Post-Exercise Hygiene Procedure

IMS Conference

CONTENT. Experiment Ops / r/g 1635

Health Maintenance System (HMS)  Nutritional Assessment (ESA)

HAM radio session from Columbus

Completed Task List Items

None

Ground Activities

All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

Nominal ground commanding

WHC maintenance support

Three-Day Look Ahead:

Friday, 03/11: C2V2 comm unit install, LAB1P5 reconfig, OBT Cygnus conference

Saturday, 03/12: Crew off duty, housekeeping

Sunday, 03/13: Crew off duty

QUICK ISS Status  Environmental Control Group:

Component  Status

Elektron  Off

Vozdukh  Manual

[???] 1  SM Air Conditioner System (SKV1)  Off

[???] 2  SM Air Conditioner System (SKV2)  Off

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab  Override

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3  Operate

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab  Idle

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3  Operate

Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA)  Process

Urine Processing Assembly (UPA)  Standby

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab  Off

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3  Full Up
Not only secondary school students, but also young people at universities need to spend some time directly in companies to obtain some practical experiences, representatives of the business sector agree.

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To prepare them better for the labour market, there have been established several collaborations between firms and universities, yet obstacles still remain that hinder cooperation.

It is not easy as universities can live also without companies, Jaroslav Holecek, vice-president of the Slovak Automotive Industry Association (ZAP) which runs a project called SPICE in cooperation with six faculties, told The Slovak Spectator. But what motivates us is that we need quality graduates from technical universities.

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Most of the existing collaborations have been established in technical and natural science specialisations, said Andrej Hutta, special advisor of European Public Policy Partnership. He considers the current state only the beginning of the route towards successful application of schools capacities for the industry and economy needs.

Automotive and IT sectors seek experiences

Though students at technical schools have mandatory practical training, it lasts only two weeks which companies consider only babysitting. ZAP and its members thus decided to offer a three-month training programme to students, said Holecek when explaining why the SPICE project was launched.

The project functions similarly to Erasmus. Participating faculties have to create space for students to spend time directly in firms, for which students earn credits. The aim is that students cooperate in specific projects, but can also prepare their diploma thesis based on the practice in the company, Holecek explained.

The pilot project was launched during the 2015-2016 school year, and is attended by seven students.

Also companies near Kosice, which focus on IT, have established cooperation with local schools. The Kosice IT Valley association, whose members are active in supporting socio-economic development, education and employment in eastern Slovakia as well as research and development of information and communication technologies, have several projects running at two universities: the Technical University of Kosice (TU KE) and the University of Pavol Jozef Safarik.

Since the needs of the labour market and the requirements concerning graduates of both secondary schools and universities were not met sufficiently, the companies joined the education process within the cooperation with schools, Kristina Kerteszova, executive director of Kosice IT Valley, told The Slovak Spectator.

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics of the Technical University of Kosice (FEI TU KE), for example, was the main organiser of the Live IT Projects, within which 116 students in 29 teams solve specific projects for practice ordered by 14 subjects.

The project of such type and extent has no precedent in Slovakia, Roman Cimbala, vice dean of FEI TU KE, told The Slovak Spectator.

Moreover, T-Systems Slovakia, which cooperates with TU KE, runs specialised lectures, exercises, seminars, and practical training for students. They also help with student projects, theses and also competitions for IT students.

Our aim is to continue in developing the active partnership with the university or several local universities, and thus link the interests of academia and the business sector, Zuzana Kanuchova, communication specialist at T-Systems Slovakia, told The Slovak Spectator.

Collaboration benefits both sides

Schools and companies addressed by The Slovak Spectator agree that the cooperation is beneficial for both sides. Students get hands-on experience and the possibility to use their theoretical knowledge when solving concrete problems, use the most up-to-date technologies and know-how of the companies, and become better prepared to accommodate the labour market needs. Some of them may even stay working in the firms.

Moreover, also schools themselves benefit from the cooperation as they receive information about industrial production trends in the region so teachers can modify the teaching, said Cimbala.

Though the need exists for companies to have qualified and experienced employees, the problem is that companies often complain about insufficient labour force rather then be active and establish cooperation with a specific school, Holecek said.

The firms also need to realise that they have to take care of the students and offer them some kind of benefits, like food, contribution to their commute and accommodation, and also some reward for the work he or she does, he stressed.

Also schools have to be flexible and create conditions for students to work in firms, Holecek said.

Faculties often lack the subjects that would allow students to have practical training, according to Kanuchova.

Another problem is insufficient state support. A change to the teaching process and curriculum is crucial for teaching natural scientific projects which should reflect actual needs, according to Kerteszova.

Human resources cooperation is also necessary. Since teaching at schools and also teachers are often underestimated, it is necessary to make society-wide change.

Companies in this field substitute the state since they have to solve the problematic situation they face in terms of hiring professionals necessary for the successful operation of their business, but this is not sustainable, Kerteszova added.
TOTAL exports reached 5.099 billion in December, representing an increase of 6.5 percent year-on-year, while imports rose by 7.5 percent to 5.165 billion, Slovakias Statistics Office stated in a detailed report on March 10.

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Meanwhile, the whole of 2015 saw foreign trade posting a surplus of 3.303 billion, compared to last years all-time high of 4.7 billion. Total exports grew by 4.9 percent y-o-y to 67.865 billion, while total imports increased by 7.6 percent to 64.562 billion, the TASR newswire reported.

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In 2015 as a whole Slovakia had the highest trade surpluses in relation to trade with Germany (5.592 billion), Great Britain (2.738 billion), Poland (2.448 billion), Austria (2.243 billion), France (1.743 billion), the Czech Republic (1.432 billion), Spain (1.056 billion), Italy (967.8 million), the Netherlands (785.7 million) and the USA (736.6 million).

Conversely, Slovakia reported the highest trade deficits vis-a-vis China (4.41 billion), South Korea (4.144 billion), Russia (2.025 billion), Japan (566.6 million), Taiwan (529.4 million), Malaysia (454.3 million), India (214.8 million) and Ukraine (156.6 million).

The surplus of Slovakias foreign trade in January 2016 amounted to 279.4 million, a 68.7 million decrease year-on-year, the Slovak Statistics Office announced.

The total export of goods from Slovakia reached 5.164 billion in January, a decrease of 3 percent y-o-y. The total import of goods into Slovakia increased by 4.7 percent in January, amounting to 4.885 billion.

The export surplus of 279.4 million in January was good news; however the import situation indicates a weakening of investment demand, Slovak Central Bank (NBS) analysts said.

The export of goods in January hasnt succumbed to cooling in sentiments from the eurozone yet, and actually increased by 1.3 percent month-on-month, stated NBS, as quoted by TASR. The import of goods increased more slowly, by 1 percent m-o-m, and this was caused mostly by increasing intakes for future export. Import of goods for to deal with domestic demand decreased more significantly, which confirms our estimates on the weakening of domestic, mainly investment demand in the beginning of the year.
THE TOWN of Martin in Zilina region has asked the Finance Ministry to introduce forced administration, the mayor of Martin Andrej Hrnciar stated at a town hall meeting on March 10.

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Under former mayor Stanislav Bernat, in 1995 the town of Martin made a non-cash investment in Martinske Hole Ski Resort in the form of the Martin-based Turiec Hotel and the so-called Magistrat cottage. In 2002, authorised representatives of Martinske Hole Ski Resort sued the municipality for violating certain legal commitments, seeking 103 million Slovak crowns (3.42 million) in compensation.

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The town is now obliged to pay over 8.6 million to a company called PK Faktoring, owned by lawyer Peter Kubik, over the court case with Martinske Hole Ski Resort, which the town council lost.

Were asking for forced administration in line with the law, as its the final verdict and the town of Martin is unable to settle its obligations at the moment, despite being one of the healthiest and best performing towns in Slovakia, said Hrnciar, as quoted by the TASR newswire.

When notice was delivered of the Supreme Courts rejection of a special appeal filed on behalf of the town by Prosecutor-General Jaromir Ciznar, council representatives met with Finance Ministry officials.

A government audit will start on March 11, according to Hrnciar.

This procedure must be observed. Were striving to do our utmost to minimise the impact on the towns inhabitants and to protect its strategic assets, said Hrnciar, as quoted by TASR.

These include the assets of water distribution company Turcianska vodarenska spolocnost and other firms in which the municipality holds equity stakes, he added.

I view this as a great injustice and a reflection of the state of the Slovak judicial system, Hrnciar said, adding that the town of Martin won the court case, but the former management of the Prosecutor-General's Office reversed the decision in favour of a Cypriot letterbox company via an extraordinary intervention, to the extent that the case was reopened and the council lost.

The current prosecutor-general agreed with our opinion that this was an illegal procedure. He filed a special appeal, but the Supreme Court turned it down a couple of months later, Hrnciar said, as quoted by TASR.

Martin will keep fighting, according to Hrnciar, adding that this injustice was caused by a state institution, namely the Prosecutor-Generals Office. The town appealed to the Constitutional Court.

Well also turn to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, which has already issued a couple of rulings stating that extraordinary interventions in business cases are illegal and that these concern the Slovak Republic in particular, said Hrnciar, as quoted by TASR, adding that the council is ready to take the state of Slovakia to court if all other legal possibilities are exhausted.

However, the owner of the aforementioned PK Faktoring, Peter Kubik, expects the town of Martin to evaluate the current legal status quo in a rational manner and to start repaying its debt voluntarily. In his opinion, any further protraction of the case would only be expensive and harmful to the town.
HYPERLOOP Transportation Technologies (HTT) has reached a deal with the Slovak government to explore building a system connecting Bratislava with Vienna and Budapest, the American magazine Verge reported.

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The new system would enable people and goods to travel at high speed by tube.

A transportation system of this kind would both redefine the concept of commuting and boost cross-border cooperation in Europe, said Slovak Economy minister Vazil Hudak, as quoted by Verge.

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There is, however, no pre-investment agreement, according to the ministrys spokesperson Miriam Ziakova.

A memorandum of understanding has been signed which we are publishing and which is a preliminary investment agreement, Ziakova told the Sme daily.

video //www.youtube.com/embed/7A7GsAPR3J0

But the hyperloop project in Slovakia is merely science fiction, according to Transport and Economy Institute head Ondrej Matej.

If anything about this was real we would witness pilot projects in countries which have much bigger problems with transport than Slovakia, Matej told Sme.
SLOVAK Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak received his Swiss counterpart Didier Burkhalter on March 10 to talk about Slovakias upcoming presidency of the EU, set for the latter half of 2016, the TASR newswire learnt on the same day.

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Lajcak said that he appreciated the quality and intensity of Slovak-Swiss bilateral relations, which will gain new impetus due to Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammanns visit to Slovakia in June. Both officials praised cooperation between the two states in matters of politics, trade and commerce, science and innovations. Lajcak also mentioned consular cooperation, as Switzerland represents Slovakia in six countries (South Africa, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Sudan, Tanzania and Tunisia), where Slovakia does not have its own embassy.

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Slovak Deputy Prime Minister Lajcak has also expressed a determination to continue with cooperation in the Visegrad Four + Switzerland format (V4 = the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia), while praising Berns active role in contributing to the International Visegrad Fund.

A pivotal topic of their discussion was Slovakias presidency of the EU. Although Switzerland is not an EU member, there is integration in terms of multiple European policies and Switzerland has adopted a large amount of EU legislation.

There are, however, several unresolved questions in EU-Swiss relations that were further complicated by the Swiss referendum against mass immigration  including from EU countries  that took place in February 2014 and was passed by only a small margin (50.33 voted against immigration). The EU and Switzerland are currently discussing how to implement the referendums results without limiting the existing agreements on the free movement of people. This discussion may culminate during Slovakias presidency of the EU, which is set to begin on July 1.

Slovakia would like to contribute constructively to finding mutually acceptable solutions that will enable EU-Switzerland relations to move forward, stated Lajcak, as quoted by TASR after the meeting with Burkhalter, who was Swiss president as well as foreign minister during 2014.
THE SEVENTH year of charting the most frequently used words in the newscast in Slovakia saw some of the favourites drop, some stay well-placed against last year, and some new ones appear at the top.

The few refugees that really entered Slovakia, were housed temporarily in Gabcikovo, in a step to help Austria. (Source: Sme)

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Ukraine was replaced by the word refugee on the first place of the chart compiled annually by the Newton media company. This word was registered 11,769 times in relevant news media in 2015.

If we add some related or key words to the term refugee  like migrant, refugee crisis, quotas, Schengen  then we get more than 20,000 uses, Martin Gonda, analyst of Newton Media, told the SITA newswire. He added that in this combined way, the refugee issue would even beat the record of Ukraine (from 2014) with 16,000 entries.

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Second place went to Prime Minister Robert Fico (with 9,210 entries which is an increase in 1,650 year-by-year). Fico has been on one of top positions for a long time, SITA wrote, partially ascribing it to his position and the fact that even when something happens without his direct involvement, he is expected to comment on it.

Syria featured in third place, an increase from its previous 12th place. Number four was Ukraine, which was Word of the Year 2015, an increase from 10th place in 2014.

The word migrant could be found in more than 7,700 news items and placed fifth; Greece rose from 19th to sixth, as the referendum, general election and influx of refugees often placed it in the news. Health care declined from fifth to seventh although it grew in absolute number of entries by more than 1,600.

The world rodina /family marked a huge rise in publicity (3,660 more) as a political and social issue, rising from place 10 to place 8. The Islamic State jumped from number 17 to number nine last year (increase of 2,788 entries). Place ten went to education system, with more than 5,000 news items.

Some words that were among ten most frequented in 2014 fell 10 places last year: sankcie / sanctions (from 3 to 13) and presidents Vladimir Putin and Andrej Kiska who thus join US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (who is in Top 20 for the first time).

Words like korupcia (corruption) and nezamestnanost (unemployment) are not in the 11-20 group anymore; however, the words corruption grew in 500 entries overall, while unemployment fell in 200 uses.

Places 21 to 30 were: setrenie (saving), utecenecka kriza (refugee crisis), kvoty (quotas), Iran, Rom (Roma), transparentnost (transparency), Vahostav (company name), Krym (Crimea), Volkswagen, Papez Frantisek (Pope Francis).

Other words frequently found in the newscast were CT, Charlie Hebdo, NKU (Supreme Audit Office), Igor Matovic (chair of OLaNO party), Richard Sulik (chair of SaS party), Jan Figel (chair of KDH), socialny balicek (social package), Gorilla (file uncovering corruption, allegedly a transcript of intelligence services wiretapping), Ludovit Stur (late Slovak linguist and activist), Bela Bugar (chair of Most-Hid party), Radoslav Prochazka (chair of Siet party), Aliancia za rodinu (Alliance for Family activist association), RegioJet (private railway company), Boris Nemtsov, Jaguar Land Rover and others whose frequency was around 1,000, and ended after place 30.

Winners from previous years were Ukrajina (Ukraine, 2014); nezamestnanost (unemployment, 2013); Robert Fico (2012, 2010, 2009); Iveta Radicova (former PM, 2011).

The Newton Media company elaborated on this chart with quantitative analysis on a sample of relevant news media it monitors: it tipped key words (names of scandals, politicians, other events) that resonated most in 2015 in media. Sport and tabloid events are excluded. One entry meant one occurrence of the key word in a story; repeated occurrence in one story was perceived as one entry.
Coffee Design is proudly sponsored by Savor Brands , your boost in coffeedence through maximizing designs in packaging, sustainability and tech.

It was refreshing, exhilarating, and just downright nice to chat with the folks at Denvers Huckleberry Coffee this week. So catchy is their enthusiasm, so deep is their connection to their brandings design, that you just cant help but be swept up in how excited these folks are about where they are as a coffee brand, as expressed through design.

These new bags, launched at the beginning of the year, convey Huckleberry Coffees progression, growth, and increased comfort with who we are. You can say the same about the interview below, one of our favorites in Coffee Design history.

As told to Sprudge by Mark Mann and Koan Goedman.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your company?

We started roasting coffee in 2011, and have since grown into a coffee company with 2 retail cafes, a thriving and growing list of wholesale partners and its all held together by the best damn staff on the planet. Back in the early days, our beers consumed to roasted coffee ratio was about a 1:1, but since then weve put our adult pants on and grown the roasting to about 1,500 lbs/wk and its available nationwide via our web store and cafe partners.

(FYI, the beer to coffee ratio is no longer 1:1.)

When did the coffee package design debut?

The new bags launched in January 2016. Two years ago, we rebranded our OG kraft bags with fully custom poly stand-up pouches. It was a big step and people loved them! Much to our own surprise, we blew through those 25,000 bags in about two years. We spent most of 2015 designing the new bags and we are so stoked they are now out in peoples hands!

Who designed the package?

As a company, we are all about collaboration, and the bag design was no exception. It started in-house. We (Koan and Mark) knew what elements to carry over from the previous bag, what design additions we wanted to introduce, and what improvements we needed for a production efficiency. Once we reached a point of having a general vision, we handed the design assets over to our homeboys Travis LaDue and Scott Hill at Studio Mast, a design firm in Denver. We love those fellows! They took our thoughts, ideas, and suggestions and translated them into a refined final design.

Please describe the look in your own words.

In a larger sense and to give some context to our thinking, the look of the bag represents Huckleberrys progression, growth, and increased comfort with who we are. We started with hand-stamped, coffee-stained kraft bags and tags in 2011. For bag v.2, we had the pleasure of working with Mackey Saturday (who has since gone on to redesign the Instagram logo, and now works for Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv), who created our logo and encouraged us to be creative with colors and patterns. That stand-up pouch bag was a huge success! People loved it and our brand has gotten so much traction in faraway markets from it. Starting out with a bang was radical, but it also meant the new bag had to really be a home run; it would have been easy to introduce a bag that was perceived as a step backwards design-wise.

When it came to brainstorming the new bag, we knew we wanted to represent our company values as much as we could. The coffee industry, as a whole, creates a lot of trash, so we wanted to go a more environmentally responsible direction. The Pacific Bag Biotre bag are really the only option out there that hit the mark, so that decision was made for us. We transitioned away from the tall, unusual shape of the stand-up pouches because the flat bottom, more traditional shape made our production run more efficiently and made shipping to all our various partners much easier, regardless of whether it was to our friends at Seventh Flag in Austin, to Whole Foods throughout Colorado or to Methodical Coffee in Greenville.

That being said, we didnt want to recreate the wheel entirely. We wanted to build on the momentum created two years ago, and pay homage to those beautiful bags. The logo stayed the same (because its dope), but we applied it in reverse. We are excited to extend our brand in this small, subtle way. We continued to rely on a heavy pattern, albeit refined and streamlined from previous bags. The new pattern is part pattern illusions and part a nod to the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

We really strive to be an approachable coffee company. Our coffee offerings always have something for everyone, regardless of where they are on their coffee journey. The new bags are an extension of that! We think the look of the new bag does a nice job of inviting people into our brand. It gives them something new to absorb and familiar to hold.

There is always temptation to do something completely different with a redesign, but we are obsessed with classic, timeless styles and positive, approachable attitudes. We hope everyone enjoys the bags as much as we are proud of them.

What coffee information do you share on the package? Whats the motivation behind that?

As much as we could, without being overwhelming. On one side of the bag, we share our story. We hope it gives people a sense of who we are and why we do what we do. We hold a deep love for home coffee brewers (coffee nerds with scales and eyeballers with coffee scoops are both welcome with us!), so on the other side of the bag we added basic brew ratios people can start with.

Each bag features a compostable sticker, too. In fact, the stickers are made from recycled stonewhich is totally crazy, right? Stone stickers! We might not have hoverboards yet, but we have stone stickers! The stickers share origin and region details, tasting notes, technical coffee information that we all like to see (varietal, processing, etc.) We think the coffee we source is very tasty, and we want to pay homage to as many of the players as possible without inundating our consumers with a ridiculous amount of information.

Where is the bag manufactured?



Just as before, we worked with Pacific Bags from Seattle, WA. They are great and we like working with them. As far as where theyre actually manufactured, were pretty sure its in Taiwan.

What kind of package is it?

The package is a 12-ounce Biotre bag with a recycled stone sticker and one-way valve.

Is the package recyclable/compostable? Any other pro-environment info about the package you want to share?

After removing the tin tie and one-way valve, this package is fully biodegradable. In case anyone forgets, we threw a little cheeky reminder on the bottom of the bag. Cant take ourselves too seriously, right? We worked with a Denver sticker company to print a recycled and eco-friendly sticker made from recycled stone. You read that correctly recycled stone. Also, not entirely related to the bag, but our roasting and production facility are 100% powered by wind, so thats pretty cool and were excited about it.

For more, check out Needmore Designs Unpacking Coffee episode with Huckleberry Roasters:

Coffee Design is a feature series by Zachary Carlsen on Sprudge. Read more Coffee Design here.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  In addition, Sputnik has just finished construction work on its new Asian editorial office in Beijing (China) and is set to open a cutting-edge multimedia press center in Minsk (Belarus).

"Multimedia capabilities and data transmission speed play a key role in the work of any modern media outlet. This allows Sputnik to be a major media outlet and tell the untold in a format that is comprehensible to young audiences," Sputniks foreign broadcasting service chief, Anton Anisimov, said.

Sputniks cooperation agreement with Yonhap marks a new stage in the development of its partnership with South Koreas leading media outlet. The agreement provides for the development of professional collaboration, joint projects and information exchanges on a broad range of issues.
Christoph Bluth, Professor of International Relations and Security at the Division of Peace Studies at University of Bradford, told Radio Sputnik that Pyongyangs belligerent rhetoric and actions do not bring desired effect. Mr Bruth also criticized South Korea for suspending cooperation with Pyongyang.

During these war games North Korea always mobilizes its entire force and they are lashing out because they think that these demonstrations of military force somehow have an effect. But the problem is that over last year there has been less and less reaction to these and so they are not really getting any benefits from demonstrating their military capability.

He further spoke about how North Korea sees this as a provocation but on the other hand North Korea itself has been engaged in provocation with their launches which are against the UN Security resolution.

North Korea is the only country that tests nuclear warheads at the moment so the South Korea, US and even Russia had to react strongly.

Talking about South Koreas reaction to this, the analyst said, I think South Korea is making a big mistake by disengaging so strongly from North Korea because that means that the only country that has economic investment in the country is China and its not really in South Koreas interest that North Korea be so dependent on China.

He spoke about the future of the relations between the two nations and whether a war is possible between the two.
"I find this hugely problematic. This is a type of collective 'refoulement' forbidden by the Convention of Geneva. Turkey has not fully adhered to the Geneva Convention and is rapidly falling into autocracy," he said.

The EU-Turkey #refugees deal is like the Americans asking the Mexicans to manage the border, says @guyverhofstadt https://t.co/0i00SnyJgY  ALDE Group (@ALDEgroup) 9 March 2016

ALDE Vice President Sophie in 't Veld said:

"The EU-Turkey deal is not a sign of strength, but a sign of weakness of the European Union. This deal is morally reprehensible, the fruit of short-term thinking, not a solution for the long term. Apparently the national leaders prefer a dubious deal with an authoritarian leader, rather than to show courage, vision and to take responsibility for a fully-fledged and sustainable European asylum policy."

Expert Doubts

Meanwhile, two leading experts on migrations said the deal left more questions than answers. Writing in Euractiv, Solon Ardittis, co-editor of 'Migration Policy Practice' and Director of Eurasylum, which advises institutions on migration policy said:

"The greatest cause of concern for the UN Refugee Agency and NGOs, relates to the type of legal treatment that 'returnable' Syrians arriving on Greece's shores will receive. Will they still be registered and fingerprinted and when an asylum claim is lodged, will it be duly processed?

"For the plan to succeed on all fronts, including on the basis of international law, it will of course be key that the final agreement clarifies this point, especially since the collective expulsion of foreigners is prohibited under the European Convention of Human Rights," he said.

We dont know whats going to happen but as 1 #migration route closes,another 1 opens, nearly more treacherous than the last- IOMs @fladig  IOM (@IOM_news) 11 March 2016

Joanne van Selm, an independent researcher on migration and refugee issues who recently worked on projects for the European Commission and the UNHCR said: "The aims of the deal  to close down smuggling routes, break the business model of smugglers, protect external borders and 'break down the link between getting in a boat and getting settlement in Europe'  are important.

"However, the one-for-one deal of every Syrian asylum seeker returned to Turkey from Greece being exchanged for one Syrian refugee to be resettled from Turkey to the EU is highly problematic and unlikely to achieve those goals," she wrote in EU Observer.
When Mustafa Kemal in 1921, during the national liberation war was preparing for battle at Dumlupinar, Russians helped us with weapons and money. The weapons then came to the Inebolu port. So, to bring down the Russian aircraft is equivalent to sinking a ship which is coming with aid and to kill the whole crew of the ship, Haydar said.

According to the poet the stanza which says, all the damned villains will be judged indicates the presence of a deep, serious problem, which affects the domestic and foreign policy of Turkey and the country's position in the world.

The poet further told Sputnik, Look at the US military bases in Turkey. What are they doing there? By their actions they are harming the Turkish people. Saudi Arabias aircraft come and use the territory of these bases. Why do they come? All these actions do not correspond with the interests of Turkey as it is only using it as a springboard for its own purposes.

He spoke about how Russia on the other hand, is fighting against international terrorism and is making serious progress in this struggle.

From this perspective, Russian pilots are carrying out tasks in the course of anti-terrorist operations for the benefit of Turkey. It is possible to continue the debate about whether there was a violation by the plane, but this question is not that crucial.

There was no willful misconduct on part of Russia. As you know, today in the airspace of the Aegean region dozens of violations occur every single day. In the case of the Russian plane it is most likely a deliberate attack by the Turkish Air Force. Unfortunately, we were unable to prevent this provocation.

Huseyin Haydar, was supported by members of the Union of Turkish Youth. They prepared a video in which the poet read the poem in the heart of Istanbul at Taksim Square.

General Secretary of the Union, Sinan Sungur, in his interview with Sputnik said that the members of the Union fully share feelings and thoughts that the author tried to convey in his poem.

The work of the poet demonstrates the difference in attitude towards Russia and the Russian people by the patriotic Turkish people and government. In the poem the prospects of Turkish-Russian relations in the future are emphasized. In the region we have a common future with Russia. We have common enemies, against whom we have to support each other.

Talking about the particular stanza of the poem, which states,  In the name of an independent Turkey and Eurasia in poems and songsI pray for forgiveness. The General Secretary said that this demonstrates a common task for the future.

We need to continue joint struggle against the imperialist forces for an independent, stable future. We fully share the deep sense of sorrow that the poet expressed in speaking of the deceased Russian pilots, Sungur said.
VILNIUS (Sputnik)  On Tuesday, a crew of the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK) was barred from attending the third annual Russian forum organized by the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry in the Vilnius suburb of Trakai, as they were reportedly unaccredited. Shortly after, three out of four blacklisted Russian reporters left Lithuania under an order of the migration department of the Vilnius police.

"We are witnessing ongoing provocations from the [Russian] side, especially on the television. This TV broadcast is really and openly pro-Kremlin one. They are engaged in the provocations, they behave in a provocative and sometimes hooligan-like way. I think that they are psychologically terrorizing opposition representatives, as well," Darius Jauniskis told the Baltic News Service (BNS).

Since 2014, Russias relations with the West have deteriorated over Crimeas joining Russia and the Ukraine crisis. The United States and the European Union member states, including the Baltic States, have blamed Russia for interfering in Ukraines internal affairs, while Moscow has repeatedly denied the accusations.
Also on Thursday, government forces and volunteer troops retook five villages near the town of Khanasser in the north of the province leaving dozens of Daesh militants killed and wounded and their vehicles and military hardware destroyed.

The Syrian Army and its popular allies launched a major operation in February to dislodge militant groups from the surroundings of the government forces main supply line from Hama to Aleppo.

Earlier the Syrian armed forces restored full security to eight newly liberated villages in the south of the province.
Moreover, sanctions came right after pro-Saudi leader of Lebanese Sunnis, Saad Hariri, the son of assassinated Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, returned home. Instead of supporting its protege, Saudi Arabia let him down.

The current ethno-confessional balance in Lebanon is extremely fragile, including representatives of Shiites, Sunnis, Maronite Christians and Druses in the government. However, amid the Syrian crisis, the Lebanese government gets paralyzed due to the growing hostility between political and sectarian groups.

There are several possible reasons why Riyadh has launched its campaign against Lebanon, historian and expert on the Middle East Dmitry Dobrov wrote in his article. Probably, the decision was made after Lebanon refused to support an anti-Iranian resolution at the January meeting of the League of Arab Nations in Cairo.

However, it is very likely that the main reason behind the sanctions is Hezbollahs active engagement in Syria on the side of the Syrian government.

Riyadh has accused the Lebanese government of not countering Hezbollah and Shia radicals who attacked Saudi embassies and consulates after prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr was executed in Saudi Arabia.

The straw that broke the camels back for the Saudis was the recent TV speech by Hassan Nasrallah who accused Riyadh of war crimes in Syria and Yemen, including mass killings of civilians.

Many commentators agree that the Saudi sanctions against Lebanon are a mistake because they are pushing Lebanon under Irans influence and strengthening Hezbollahs positions.

Lebanese politician Walid Jumblatt, leader of the Druze Progressive Socialist Party, said it would be "very naive" to expect Hezbollah to withdraw its forces from Syria.
"This was a residential building where women and children lived. Erdogan killed them all with heavy artillery. He destroyed this building. They say theyre fighting terrorists. But where are the terrorists? All victims were local civilians," she said.

Answering the question on how many people were killed in Cizre, she said: "300, 400 maybe 500 people. They were old men, women, and children. They even killed pregnant women."

Holes from artillery shelling can be seen everywhere, not only on the walls of destroyed buildings.

The bodies of those killed in the operation have already been removed. But the smell of death still hangs in the air across the city. More bodies are likely to be buried in the ruins.

In the basement floor of another building, the journalists found one more place where Kurds were burned. One Cizre resident said that 45-50 people were killed there.

"They were beheaded. I witnessed the autopsy. I know what Im talking about. They were beheaded and burned," he said.

Since December 2015, the Turkish Armed Forces have been carrying out a large-scale operation in southeastern parts of Turkey, mostly inhabited by Kurds. Human rights organizations have repeatedly reported mass killings among civilians.

Many buildings in Cizre were totally destroyed, and many others were damaged by fire.

In January, a Turkish human rights organization revealed that over 160 civilians had been killed in the Kurdish area since the beginning of the operation. Ankara has insisted that the operation targets only militants of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK). However, the Turkish military has been accused of a multitude of atrocities in the region.

"Wounded residents of Cizre hid in basement floors. We couldnt even send an ambulance to them. Nearly 200 people were killed in Cizre," Kurdish activist Nurcan Baysal told RT.

In late February, in Strasbourg, some 3,000 Kurds took part in a protest against the Turkish military operation in Cizre.
Freeman argued that, even if Pyongyang had managed to miniaturize a nuclear warhead defying all Western intelligence assessments of their limited capability, the weapon could only be a threat to their immediate neighbours.

If they have produced a nuclear weapon that is deliverable by a missile, it is at present a threat only to South Korea and, perhaps, Japan, China or the Russian Far East. Pyongyang is a long way from being able to strike the United States or other targets at intercontinental range, he maintained.

Freeman also cautioned that the latest round of economic sanctions imposed on Pyongyang by the UN Security Council was likely to backfire and make the regime more dangerous rather than deter it from further rash actions.

Sanctions are more likely than not to confirm North Korean assessments that it faces an existential threat from the United States and others in its region, including Japan and China, and must double down on bomb-building, he stated.

Freeman also said diplomatic initiatives to pressure North Korea to abandon its nuclear program had failed because they did not offer any positive incentive for Pyongyang to change its policies.

The six-party talks have clearly failed to inhibit the North Korean effort to field nuclear weapons capable of striking its enemies, primary among which is the United States. The sanctions are not linked to a credible negotiating process. There is no yes-able proposition on the table, Freeman observed.
Subsequently, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld took the policy position that the Geneva Conventions did not apply to Guantanamo because this was a new kind of enemy combatant, who had no standing in any global or national legal system. "They stripped the detainees of any rights," Varon stated.

"Guantanamo was not about gathering evidence for trial or justice for the 9/11 families, it was conceived as a place of brutal, withering interrogation to gather intelligence in the "war on terror," but it failed even in that goal," said Varon. The value of intelligence and confessions gathered under duress and torture at the facility has been called into question, with military officials saying the torture center failed to provide a single piece of actionable intelligence.

Varon detailed a description by Shaker Aamer, a UK resident who was released after 13 years in the Guantanamo Bay torture facility. "The purpose of Guantanamo is to destroy human beings, that is its only intent, there is a draconian regime of surveillance and persecution to destroy the spirits and destroy the souls," Varon quoted.

Conditions in the facility are reported to be dire enough that, for years, detainees have protested by hunger strikes with violent guard responses, including a "very brutal practice where plastic tubes rammed down their throats and the people subjected to this saying they feel as though they are dying, they feel as though they are suffering a living death," said Varon.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  US presidential candidate, billionaire Donald Trump intends to get Israel and Palestine to conclude an agreement by remaining neutral in the conflict if he is elected president.

"I will tell you, I think if were ever going to negotiate a peace settlement  I think it would be more helpful is as a negotiator, if I go in and say Im pro-Israel, but at least have the other side know Im somewhat neutral to them so that we can maybe get a deal done," Trump said on Thursday during a Republican presidential debate in Miami, as quoted by The Hill.

The decades-long conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis has recently seen increased tensions. On Tuesday, a series of knife and gun attacks by Palestinians took place in three Israeli cities, namely Jaffa, Petah Tikva and Jerusalem. The assailant, a Palestinian man, was shot and killed after he stabbed 11 people in the Jaffa port area of Tel Aviv. A US tourist was later confirmed to have died in the attack.
GENEVA (Sputnik), Svetlana Alexandrova  On Thursday, media reports emerged claiming that China had written to UN diplomats asking them to not attend an event to be held in Geneva later on Friday where the Dalai Lama will be speaking, accusing him of separatism.

"It does not matter where His Holiness go[es], the Chinese are trying to put a lot of pressure on the organizers and even on the participants. It is their usual, routine work. The Dalai Lama does not have any problem with that because he has his own stand on that," Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Geneva Ngodup Dorjee said.

According to Dorjee, China does not understand the Dalai Lamas sincerity.
The EU's February resolution calling for the imposing of arms embargo against Saudi Arabia has really nothing to do with the Yemeni humanitarian crisis, according to Salman Rafi Sheikh, research-analyst of International Relations and Pakistan's foreign and domestic affairs.

The resolution is a mere political provocation which aims to manipulate Riyadh into further business concessions, the expert believes, calling attention to the fact that Brussels has as yet failed to condemn Saudi Arabia's funding of Islamists in Syria and Iraq.

"While the language of the resolution and the 'concerns' voiced regarding Saudi Arabia's in-humanitarian policies in Yemen seem good, the fact of the matter is that neither the EU is really touched by the loss of life and property in Yemen nor does it feel compelled to extend relief to the 14.4 million people, who are reportedly reaching the point of starvation in Yemen, by merely imposing embargoes on Saudi Arabia," Sheikh suggests in his article for New Eastern Outlook.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  European Parliament members are politicizing the purely judicial case of Nadezhda Savchenko by proposing new anti-Russian sanctions, Belgian Lawmaker Frank Creyelman told Sputnik on Friday.

On Tuesday, 57 members of the European Parliament sent a joint letter to EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini, urging to impose sanctions on 28 Russian individuals, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, over the Savchenko case.

"The EU MP's are making a justice issue into a political one in a new attempt to culpabilize Russia [make it feel guilty] and undermining Russia and the support Mr. Putin is getting more and more [of] in Europe," Creyelman said.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The United States will address its concerns over a series of ballistic missile tests by Iran on Monday, US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said in a statement.

UN Security Council Resolution 2231 calls upon Iran not to undertake any launches of ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering a nuclear weapon. We will raise these dangerous launches directly at Council consultations, which we have called for, on Monday, Power stated Friday.

Power stressed that Washington considers the recent launches provocative and destabilizing, and designed to threaten to Israel.
As proof of how the Japanese people feel about holding someone responsible the accident, the BBC recently ran a story that noted that  A citizen's panel ruled last year the big bosses should face trial, forcing prosecutors to pursue the case. Thats right, a citizens panel. Despite previous claims there was insufficient evidence necessary to prosecute, an interesting part of the countrys legal system allowed citizens to make the final call. As Reuters explained: Japanese citizens panels, made up of residents selected by lottery, are a rarely-used but high-profile feature of Japans legal system introduced after World War Two to curb bureaucratic overreach. They were given the power to force prosecutions if they called for them a second time.

And spoken the people have, as  That panel found the three executives did not exercise sufficient preventive means, despite being warned of the potential effects a tsunami could have on the Fukushima plant. Reuters noted that  Those charged include former TEPCO chairman and two former executive vice presidents. As their indictments did not stipulate arrest, none of the trio have been taken into custody, and they are expected to plead not guilty. However, the simple fact that the people have been able to override the national courts in a bid to bring some sort of justice is telling one, attesting to the health of the Japanese society. For instance, has one banker involved in the American financial meltdown in 2007-2008 been arrested yet?

Speaking of America, a recent article at CBS news noted that  In the past year alone there have been a number of mishaps at the Indian Point nuclear facility, including a power failure in the reactor core, a transformer fire, an alarm failure, and the escape of radiated water into groundwater. The plant sits about 25 miles north of New York City. Thats right. A number of different issues are plaguing an ageing nuclear facility near a major metropolitan area. And did you catch that? In addition to operating problems, radiated water has escaped into groundwater.

An article at Counterpunch shed more light on this when it wrote  since at least August 2005, radioactive toxins such as tritium and strontium-90 have been leaking from at least two spent fuel pools at Indian Point into the groundwater and the Hudson River. In January 2007, strontium-90 was detected in four out of twelve Hudson River fish. It continued by saying  According to Joseph Mangano, Executive Director of the Radiation and Public Health Project, Despite the assurances from Entergy, the area around Indian Point is a cancer cluster, with the local rate of thyroid cancer rates registering at 66% higher than the national average. A cancer cluster!

Back to Fukushima now, and the New Zealand Herald recently ran a story that noted  In an interview to mark the fifth anniversary of the disaster, Japan's prime minister described the panic and disarray at the highest levels of the Japanese Government as it fought to control multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station.The Prime Minister said he considered evacuating Tokyo and all other areas within 155 miles of the plant, and declaring martial law. He said-The future existence of Japan as a whole was at stake. Something on that scale, an evacuation of 50 million, it would have been like a losing a huge war. Thats right. The Prime Minister was discussing forcibly moving everyone out of Tokyo and declaring martial law. Now considering that Fukushima was about 180 miles away from Tokyo that speaks to the extent of the accident. And how far away is Indian Point? The nuclear reactor near New York City? About 25 miles away. 25 miles!

In conclusion, the massive nuclear accident at Fukushima should serve as a reminder to humankind that accidents can and do happen, even with the best planning. Although the modern world is in desperate need of energy, maybe it is time to start thinking about things differently, such as closing down nuclear facilities that are near major metropolitan areas. Maybe it is time to re-think the necessity of maintaining older past-prime legacy systems and start with brand-new technology and brand-new facilities. Or maybe it is time to look towards other forms of energy generation, such as renewable wave-energy.

So, what do you think dear listeners- Have the lessons of Fukushima been learned?
In an article entitled In drills, U.S., South Korea practice striking Norths nuclear plants, leaders, written by Anna Fifield and carried by The Washington Post, the author describes the US-South Korean drills: The exercises will revolve around a wartime plan, OPLAN 5015, adopted by South Korea and the United States last year. The plan has not been made public but, according to reports in the South Korean media, includes a contingency for surgical strikes against the Norths nuclear weapons and missile facilities, as well as decapitation raids to take out North Koreas leaders. The JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported that Kim Jong Un would be among them.

According to the author, The exercises come at a particularly tense time, with the international community  especially the United States and South Korea  looking to punish Pyongyang for its recent nuclear test and missile launch.

The author then wrote about the Norths response:
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Etiquette is quite stern about this ("Whatever you do, don't touch the Queen!") Time magazine wrote in a comment.

One is allowed to touch the Queen only if the monarch offers her hand but should return this not with a firm handshake but just a touch.

Michelle Obama put her hand on the Queen only after the Queen had placed her own hand on the First Lady's back as part of their conversation. In any case, the touch lasted just a second or two, and the Queen did not seem particularly perturbed  though she appeared slightly surprised as she drew away.

Parental Support

Maria Poroshenko is the wife of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. During a 2014 church service their youngest son Myhailo was trying to tell his parents that he didn't feel well. However, the Poroshenko family posing for cameras simply stood there until the boy collapsed.

After the boy went down, instead of rushing to the boys aid, Mrs. Poroshenko asked their security detail to take the boy out and continued to pose for TV cameras.

Black Stockings vs Georgian First Lady

During a 2005 ceremony commemorating the victims of the April 9, 1989 police breakup of a protest rally in Tbilisi a group of fanatical supporters of late President Zviad Gamsakhurdia who accompanied his widow, Manana Archvadze, prevented Sandra Roelfs, the Dutch-born wife of then President Mikheil Saakashvili, from laying floral tributes at the monument downtown memorial. A group of thirty members of the so-called Black Stockings Battalion surrounded the First Lady demanding that she get out.
Despite repeated calls by many on Capitol Hill to stop buying rocket engines from Russia, the United States currently has no domestically-made analogues to the RD-181s.

The hard fact is, however, that finding a replacement for the Russian engines is easier said than done.

Defense Undersecretary Frank Kendall, the Pentagon's chief arms buyer, earlier said that the development of a certified US replacement for the RD-181 would take at least five more years.

It was questionable whether the United Launch Alliance (ULA) could survive if the US military immediately stopped using the Russian engines.

US worries over the use of Russian rocket engines heightened after an Antares rocket, powered by a US-modified Soviet engine, blew up seconds after liftoff in October 2014.

Russian manufacturers then blamed the mishap on the US modifications of the NK-33 engine.

This dependency has sparked waves of concern in US government and aerospace circles amid heightened tensions between the United States and Russia.

John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and a fervent opponent of rocket engine purchases from Russia, announced during a hearing in January that he would introduce a bill aimed at ending the use of Russian rocket RD-181 engines.

The RD-181 deal is the second large-scale deal Energomash has made with a US company.

In the late 1990s, the company won a contract with United Launch Alliance to supply RD-180 engines for Atlas rockets. This contract, also valued at about $1 billion, is still in place.




The US Justice Department has submitted a legal brief claiming Apple is undermining the government after Apple refused to create software to hack into a device belonging to the San Bernardino shooter for the FBI.

Apple has repeatedly said that it does not possess the required technology and would have to develop new software capable of breaking its own encryption software.

But US Justice Department lawyers claim Apple has made a "deliberate marketing decision to engineer its products, so the government cannot search them, even with a warrant."

Apple's CEO Tim Cook argues that "once created, the technique could be used over and over again, on any number of devices

"The [US] government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancement."

Privacy International and @hrw argue that Apple is right to refuse the FBI's demands to weaken iPhone security https://t.co/yEqBeUaMSR  Free Snowden (@couragesnowden) 7 March 2016

US Justice System lawyers claim that: "Apple's rhetoric is not only false but also corrosive of the very institutions that are best able to safeguard our liberty and our rights: the courts, the fourth amendment, longstanding precedent and venerable laws, and the democratically elected branches of government."

Apple's legal team have responded, accusing federal prosecutors of being "offensive."

"I can only conclude that the Department of Justice is so desperate at this point they've thrown decorum to the winds," Bruce Sewell said.

Domino Effect

Never mind "decorum"  the outcome of the Apple  FBI "conundrum" will have repercussions around the world, Professor Fidler told Sputnik.

"The fundamental issues the Apple case involves arise in other jurisdictions, but the differences in laws and policies across countries might produce inconsistent outcomes that upset business models and fragment how governments approach law enforcement access to communications and encryption's role in improving cybersecurity and protecting privacy," he said.

"With every type of crime now involving a digital footprint, law enforcement officials around the world are very worried that stronger forms of encryption will disrupt their abilities to fulfill the responsibilities they have to protect people from crime, terrorism, and espionage.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik), Leandra Bernstein  Major opportunities for developing renewable energy sources are opening up in the Arctic for Russian and European interests, US Ambassador to Finland Charles Adams Jr. told Sputnik on Friday.

"Renewable energy, biofuels, forestry byproducts  that is going to be a huge new vector for the Finnish economy, also, by the way, for the Russian economy," Adams stated.

The ambassador emphasized the magnitude of the opportunity, noting the large forestry sectors across Lapland and the Kola Peninsula. Biofuels, derived from forestry byproducts and waste from paper production, can provide Arctic communities with an alternative, non-fossil fuel source of energy, he added.
"The fun thing is you can't talk about the photo without talking about the Gold Cup & Saucer. That's what I love about it. It is promoting P.E.I. racing."

The past month hasn't been the norm for Frances Lund, but her award-winning photo of Crombie A taken last year at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park has certainly enabled her to discuss and promote the crown jewel of Maritime harness racing across the continent.

"Lund was in Ontario in mid-February to capture the Media Excellence Award for Outstanding Photography at the 2015 O'Brien Awards. This past weekend, she traveled to Florida to receive the George Smallsreed Award for feature photography at the Dan Patch Awards.

The photo captured one of the most famous moments in Canadian harness racing from the past season, when torrential rains forced officials at Red Shores to postpone the traditional 12:00 a.m. post for the Gold Cup & Saucer and conduct the race the following day.

They did not tell me I had to give a speech," Lund told The Guardian in a recent interview. "We talked a lot about the Gold Cup and it blew them away that so many people came back for the race the next day."

Lund, who spent years working for the Maritime-based stables of James 'Roach' and Doug MacGregor, now concentrates her energy on capturing the action on and off the track in Charlottetown and Summerside.

"It shows people how much work and passion goes into these horses," Lund told The Guardian's Nick Oakes. "I'm there, and it makes people happy. It shows the dedication. It shows the people in the grandstand the whole 'behind the scenes.' I've never had someone mad at taking their picture. There is one person who doesn't want their photo being posted on Facebook and I honour that. The first year or so people were like 'what are you doing?' Now people are not nearly as guarded with their reactions. Me and my camera have become a part of race day."
March sustaining and nominating payments for Hambletonian Society stakes events are due Tuesday, March 15, and per USTA Rule 12 section 2, must be postmarked by midnight on Wednesday, March 16.

The Carl Milstein Memorial at Northfield Park, Northfield, Ohio has been changed from a stakes to an Invitational event, open to three-year-old pacers regardless of gender.

The field will be limited to eight starters and race for a minimum of $300,000 on Saturday, August 13. Any stakes payments received for this race will be refunded by the Hambletonian Society.

Please note that there is a separate Breeders Crown two-year-old future eligibility payment of $500 due March 15 that maintains eligibility for the Breeders Crown three-year-old events of 2017, hosted by Hoosier Park in Indiana.

The Hambletonian Society services 129 of harness racings richest and most prestigious events and provides one-stop shopping for your staking needs. The website (hambletonian.org) contains all the tools and information necessary to stake your horse yourself.

All forms are available on the website and are PDF fillable. Race conditions, payment forms and much more information are now available online, as well as eligibility lists for races that had a final payment on Feb. 15, 2015.

For additional information call 609-371-2211.

Listed below are the stakes with payments due for all ages due March 15.

MARCH 2016

 Delvin Miller Adios (and Adioo Volo Filly Division)

 Arden Downs Stakes

 Battle of Lake Erie

 Breeders Crown

 Cane Pace (and Shady Daisy)

 The Carl Erskine

 Centaur Stakes

 Circle City

 Cleveland Trotting Classic

 Courageous Lady Filly Pace

 Currier & Ives Trot (and Filly Trot)

 Dan Patch

 Dayton Derby Trot and Pace

 Dexter Cup (and Lady Suffolk Trot)

 The Elevation

 Fox Stake

 Hambletonian (and Hambletonian Oaks)

 Hoosier Stakes

 Hoosier Park Pacing Derby (previously the Indiana Pacing Derby)

 The Horseman

 Kentuckiana Stallion Mgt. Filly Pace & Trot (for 2YO Fillies)

 Keystone Classics

 Landmark Stakes

 Liberty Bell (Early closer 3-year-olds)

 Liberty Bell 2-year-olds

 Madison County (previously the Circle City for 2-year-olds)

 Matron Series

 Meadows Maturity

 Miami Valley Distaff

 Messenger Stakes (and Lady Maud)

 Monument Circle

 Progress Pace

 W. N. Reynolds Memorial Stakes

 Art Rooney Pace (and Lismore Filly Division)

 John Simpson Memorial Early Closer Colt & Filly

 The Crossroads of America

 The USS Indianapolis Memorial

 Tompkins Memorial & Geers Stake

 Ralph Wilfong

 Yonkers Trot

Stakes payments to these stakes can also be made through SC Stakes Online. Click here for more info on how to get started.

(With files from the Hambletonian Society)
Trot Insider has learned that blacksmith Jeff MacGowan, who was well known for his work with horses that raced at Mohawk Racetrack, Flamboro Downs and Grand River Raceway, has passed away suddenly.

MacGowan, 58, passed away on Tuesday, March 8 in Hamilton.

After relocating to Southern Ontario with his wife, Jeff became intrigued with Standardbred shoeing. His Grandfather had trained and raced Standardbred horses in Thunder Bay, which is how he met his future wife. Once he learned his name MacGowan meant Blacksmith, he then was hooked. He went to horseshoeing school followed by an apprenticeship with Tim Wilson before striking out on his own.

Over the past 20+ years, Jeff worked for many people shoeing and there was nothing that pleased him more than when his shoeing contributed to a horse winning a race or moving up a class. There was no better compliment to him then when a horse raced well and a trainer would say "the only difference was we had you do the shoeing." He always acknowledged that it was a team endeavour and enjoyed brainstorming with a trainer to get the horse going just right. He shod horses that raced at Hanover, Flamboro, Grand River, Mohawk/Woodbine and Western Fair. He thought of many of his clients as his friends and he would unwind at the end of the day with a cup of coffee talking about this or that horse and how they had raced. Over the years he was the Blacksmith for many fine horses including Peaceful Way.

In 2012, he also started work at Grand River Raceway as a Paddock Blacksmith, and as a Pacecar Driver on race nights. He so enjoyed having people ride in the car, meeting them and seeing their excitement as the horses started the race with the roar of the horses hooves hitting the track behind the car.

In 2015 Jeff returned to his construction roots with his DZ license and began to drive a gravel truck. He drove both the gravel and water truck for Drexler Construction on various job sites. He loved the work and would come home at the end of a long day excited and happy about where he had been. Jeff was looking forward to driving the gravel trucks again this year and upgrading his license to an AZ.

Jeff is survived by his wife, Yvonne, of almost 34 years of marriage, his son Ryan of whom he was so proud, his siblings Rob (Dorothy), Linda (Joe), Wendy (Pat) and Spencer. Also survived by numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and step-mother. Predeceased by his infant daughter, Jennifer Anne and his parents Ron and Pearl MacGowan. With his zest for life and humour, his contagious laugh and wonderful smile, he will be so deeply missed. Jeff loved to tell stories and make people laugh. He took so much delight in that. He loved to help people and did so right to the end of his life through Trillium Gift of Life.

Visitation will be held at the Gilbert MacIntyre & Son Funeral Home, Hart Chapel, 1099 Gordon Street, Guelph, on Wednesday, March 23, 2016 from 12:00 noon  2:00 p.m. followed by a memorial service at 2:00 p.m. A reception will take place at Grand River Raceway, Elora, at the Lighthouse. A celebration of Jeffs life will be held at a later date in Thunder Bay. As expressions of sympathy, donations to the Heart & Stroke Foundation would be appreciated by the family (cards are available at the funeral home 519-821-5077 or send condolences at gilbertmacintyreandson.com).

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Jeff MacGowan.
Longtime standardbred industry participant Ian McEachern passed away at St. Josephs Hospital in Hamilton on Wednesday, March 9, 2016 at the age of 79.

Ian grew up and lived in the Bolsover area, later relocating to Hamilton for the latter part of his life. His life's occupations included being a teacher, vice principal, and lawyer.

He bred, owned, trained, and drove horses from the late 1960s until well into the 2000s. When recently asked why he got into horse racing 50 years ago, he replied "because it is fun."

Some of his notable horses were early Ontario Sires Stakes winner El Royale, Bolsover Bill, Js Billy, and more recently Altalena.

Survived by wife Eleanor (Brabazon) McEachern of Hamilton, children Katherine (Dan Orchard), James (Debra), Elizabeth (Donald Kehoe) and Stewart (Trisha Howden), brother Alistair (Diane) and predeceased by brother Hugh (Beth) . Lovingly remembered by numerous grandchildren, nieces, nephews and extended family and friends.

Family and friends will be received at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 54 Bolsover Road, Bolsover, Ontario on Tuesday, March 15, 2016 from 12 noon until time of funeral service at 2:00 p.m. If so desired, memorial donations in memory of Ian to the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes) or the Kidney Foundation would be greatly appreciated by the family. Online condolences are welcomed at manganfuneralhome.com

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Ian McEachern.
Er is iets heel griezeligs aan de gang in Nederland. Dat wij geleidelijk aan in een totalitaire 'democratie' wegzinken wordt steeds ...
Easter Lunch!

Photo by Marie Andersson/Skansen

Children dressed up as Easter witches (paskkarringar)

Photo by Marie Andersson/Skansen

Scene from Skansen. Photo by me!





To start off with... the Swedish word for Easter is(good to know when visiting the city on Easter weekend)While Sweden is one of the least religious countries in the world, it has loads of bank holidays that are religious in origin. On Easter weekend (last weekend in March this year) we have two bank holidays, besides the obvious Easter Sunday, or: Good Friday () and the Monday following Easter Sunday (). Even Thursday () is somewhat special as many office workers take a half day off ahead of their 4 day holiday. Once upon a time this meant that the city came to a standstill for 4 days... but these days it isn't that bad. Banks, liquor stores, cafes and smaller shops will be closed or have changed opening hours. Many restaurants, most larger department stores and shopping centers will be open as normal. Though perhaps with shortened opening hours. Theandare all open all weekend long!As for the museums, the big ones ( Vasa Skansen and Moderna ) are open as normal. Some others are closed on Friday (March 25th) like the Maritime ) museums. The History Museum ) is closed on both Friday and Saturday. While these closures can be bad news, there is some good news as well. Monday is a day in Sweden when many museums are closed, however some of these museums are staying open on Monday, March 28th, as it is a holiday. They include the Royal Palace Natural History and Drottningholm Palace (this palace is actually open extra for the easter holidays- March 25th to April 3rd). Keep in mind that I haven't checked ALL the museums in Stockholm... just the top 20 or so of the 85 museums in the city. Talk to me directly, if you are staying at the, or check the individual websites if you are interested in other, smaller museums. Sightseeing tours operate as normal.If you want to experience Swedish Easter traditions then you should definitely visit Skansen (open-air museum, park and zoo). Don't be surprised if you see little children dressed up as cute witches ()! Here you can learn about, watch, listen to or partake in traditional Easter activities. These are all of special interest if you have children with you. They also have an Easter Market, open (11am to 4pm) from Thursday to Monday, where you can purchase traditional Easter handicraft, decorations, toys and food. For a full calendar of activities at Skansen... click here . I did mention that Sweden isn't a very religious country, but that doesn't mean that it is devoid of religion! There are, of course, many churches (mainly Lutheran and Catholic) that have special Easter services and masses. Contact me directly, if you are staying at the, for service/mass times at different churches. Several churches offer services in languages other than Swedish.
A little less than a year ago, Richard and I were at Lake Atitlan, and I read the news that there had been an earthquake in Nepal which had caused an avalanche at Base Camp of Mt. Everest. At the time, I was teaching a book all about a boy who climbs Everest, so I read the article and was excited to tell my students of this current event, bridging fiction and real life. I looked forward to hypothesizing with them what this avalanche would mean for the climbing season, which takes place during a short weather window each year.

But when I told Richard about the article, his eyes got big and worried, and he gasped, My friend is there! Shes at Base Camp right now!

For the next day or two, Richard checked facebook maniacally, waiting for an update from his friend. Thankfully, she checked in, reporting only minor injuries and announcing that she would be evacuated in the next few days.

But that was the first time I heard about Barbara Padilla, a Guatemalan woman who has so far made three attempts to conquer Everest, all of them so far unsuccessful due to no fault of her own. The seed was already planted in my mind then. Wouldnt it be awesome if she could come and talk to my kids?

Fastforward nine months, and Richard and I are still friends, and one January day, I mentioned that Id begin teaching Peak (the book about Everest) soon. Richard asked whether I would be interested in having him send Barbara a message to see if shed be willing to come in and speak at my school. I practically squealed in delight. Yes, yes I would be very interested!

So he put her in contact with me, and wonderfully, she said shed be more than happy to come and speak at school. She even had a presentation prepared already; shed given public talks before.

Awesome!

Just one glitch. As Barbara is headed back to Everest for attempt #4 at the end of March, shes currently fundraising like mad. (A trip to Everest costs around $60,000). And because shes fundraising, she charges for her talks. And because her trip costs so much, she charges WAY more for a 1 hour talk than our school normally pays speakers.

I checked with my administrators to see if we had any money in the budget for a speaker. I was told she was simply too expensive. But by that point, my heart was set on having someone who had been at least part way up the mountain come and talk to my kids.



So I struck a deal with my principal. If I could raise half the money, the school would pay the other half.

I launched into the fundraising, getting the entire 7th grade involved in running bake sales and pizza sales for a week. It didnt start off very well. One day all we had to sell at morning recess were one pan of brownies (that I brought) and juice boxes left over from another student sale. As one would expect, in a country as poverty-ridden as Guatemala, I had a few students complain, Why should I donate to a girl just so she can go to Everest for the FOURTH time? Why arent we raising money for a charity--an orphanage or something? Perhaps they have a point. But I think theres something to be said for following ones dreams and persisting in the face of resistance, and I think Barbaras message was worth it. Thankfully, there were a few others who agreed with me and who bought in completely and rallied their classmates around them. In the end, we actually ended up passing our fundraising goal by quite a bit, reducing the amount the school had to put in.

So it all worked out.

Today, Barbara Padilla finally came to our school. She spoke in the auditorium, in front of the entire middle school. And she was a success. At the end of the day, I still had students commenting to me, Ala, can you believe her oxygen tank broke? This time, she should bring 2 hoses with her, just in case. So, did she really break her teeth when she fell running from the avalanche? Her teeth looked fine today Did she raise enough money? Is she going again this year? Will she leave a Guatemalan flag at the top?

Success.

I am content.

And in the next month, as Barbara begins her journey, you can be sure my 7th graders and I will be tracking her progress day by day, and the process of climbing Mount Everest will be just a little bit more real to us all.
















Gay F. Thielen age 65 of Clewiston passed away on October 17, 2022 at home. Gay was born in Hialeah, Florida on March 29, 1957 to the late ...
My Cooter's History Blog has become about 80% World War II anyway, so I figured to start a blog specific to it, especially since we're commemorating its 70th anniversary and we are quickly losing this "Greatest Generation." The quote is taken from Pearl Harbor survivor Frank Curre, who was on the USS Tennessee that day. He died Dec. 7, 2011, seventy years to the day. His photo is below at right.
One incumbent is running in the five-candidate race for two open seats.
OLYMPIA  State officials are considering limiting anglers at Buoy 10 at the mouth of the Columbia River to one salmon per day in 2016 in an attempt to keep fishing open through Labor Day.

Sportsmen have been allowed two salmon per day at Buoy 10 in recent years, but only one chinook.

A monster fall chinook run of 951,200 is forecast to enter the Columbia River in 2016, but a relatively weak coho return of 380,600.

Often at Buoy 10 in August anglers catch and keep a chinook, then catch and release additional chinook trying to get a coho to complete their limit.

However, the length of the fishing season is determined by the overall mortality of fall chinook headed for lower Columbia tributaries so as to not exceed Endangered Species Act limitations.

A percentage of those chinook die in the process of being caught and released and are added to the kept catch in counting against the allowance.

In 2015, chinook fishing at Buoy 10 started off good, then got better. Angling shifted to retention of only fin-clipped hatchery chinook  an unpopular move with sportsmen  on Aug. 24, well before Labor Day. All chinook retention closed on Aug. 28.

This fall is shaping up to be a big year for chinook and a poor one for coho, said Ron Roler, Columbia River policy coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The early-returning (August-September) stock of Columbia River coho, important at Buoy 10, is forecast to number only 153,800.

Minimizing the extra handle of chinook by anglers trying for a long-shot chance at coho might keep chinook fishing open longer, Roler said here last week at the first of several meetings leading to adoption of summer ocean and fall Columbia River seasons.

I want to concentrate the effort on the catch of chinook, but I dont want to play with them, Roler said. Catch and release, catch and release, and you have mortality building up on that and it runs though impacts.

Steve Watrous of Vancouver, Washington sport-fishing representative on the Salmon Advisory Subpanel of the Pacific Fishery Management Council, said trying to keep Buoy 10 open through Labor Day is an unrealistic goal when the holiday falls well into September.

Labor Day is Sept. 5 this year.

A more realistic date might be Sept. 1, he added.

Roler said the goal of reaching Labor Day is a policy set by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Guy Norman, regional director for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said switching earlier in August to a bag limit allowing retention of only fin-clipped hatchery chinook is another option.

Larry Swanson of the Vancouver Wildlife League said thats a bad idea. The biggest and best fall chinook  the brights headed to Eastern Washington  are forecast to number more than 500,000 in 2016, but only about 27 percent to 29 percent are fin-clipped.

Watrous also said a one-salmon bag limit will not sit well with rank-and-file sportsmen while the guides make multiple trips per day.

You already have guides down there running two or three or four trips a day, as we all know, and nothing is done about that, Watrous said. I can see the fist fights starting now. The guys will be saying: Youre taking me back to a one-fish bag and I still see the guides going out three and four times.

Roler agreed multiple trips by guides is a drawback of the one-fish limit at Buoy 10.

I dont know what I can do about that, he said. Its Oregon guides that are going to be doing it. We dont have many coming off our side.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council will meet April 8 to 14 at the Hilton Vancouver, 301 W. Sixth St., to adopt ocean salmon fishing seasons. The Washington and Oregon departments of Fish and Wildlife typically announce the Columbia River seasons at the end of the the PFMC meeting.
Legislation sponsored by Rep. JD Rossetti (D-Longview) will help disabled people get access to waterways, according to a news release from his office.

House Bill 2847 exempts such projects as wheelchair ramps from having to get a permit under the Shoreline Management Act. According to testimony in the House when the legislation was heard, those permitting costs vastly increase the price of ramps and similar projects.

This is about helping disabled people, including kids and vets, enjoy fishing and boating with their families, Rossetti said in the release.

The legislation passed the Senate 33-14. In the House, is passed a final time 86-10 after amendments by the Senate.
State officials are hopeful they can open a second lower Columbia River off-channel commercial fishing location in 2016, this one in Cathlamet Channel of Wahkiakum County.

Establishing additional off-channel commercial fishing areas, where gillnets can be used, is a key component of the Columbia River fishing reforms adopted by the Washington and Oregon fish and wildlife commission in 2013.

Oregon has off-channel sites in Youngs Bay, Blind Slough-Knappa Slough and Tongue Point-South Channel, while Washingtons only site is in Deep River, a location which works for coho, but not well for chinook.

Washington discontinued spring chinook releases in Deep River and shifted them to Cathlamet Channel, the portion of the Columbia River between the Washington shore and Puget Island.

Between 750 and 1,500 age 4 spring chinook are anticipated to return to Cathlamet Channel this year and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife would like to open a commercial season, if feasible, said Guy Norman, regional director for the agency.

Robin Ehlke, assistant Columbia River policy coordinator for the Department of Fish and Wildlife, told the Columbia River Compact recently that two boats will be test fishing in Cathlamet Channel a couple of days per week to mid-May.

The test fishing is to determine if the spring chinook caught in Cathlamet Channel are the local, net-pen-reared salmon, or fish destined for the upper Columbia and Snake rivers. Test fishing also measures the handle of steelhead.

Upper Columbia-Snake spring chinook caught in the test fishing count against an allocation set aside for research, not the commercial share.

Washington will be interested in a (commercial) fishery in there if the test results show it is warranted, Norman said.

John North of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife noted the states have 198 upper Columbia-Snake spring chinook set aside as bycatch to allowed for fishing in all the off-channel areas.

Harvest in the four existing off-channel areas has averaged 9,500 spring chinook in the past five years.
Inspired by leukemia patient Addy Jo Cliffton, six members of the Longview Fire Department raised $12,400 for cancer research during the Scott Firefighter Stair Climb in Seattle last weekend.

This is the ninth year members of the department participated in the climb, which involves running up 69 flights of stairs in the Columbia Center in full gear.

Firefighters Eric Bergquist, Troy Buzalsky, Joey Kirkpatrick, Graham Lasee, Mike Mann and Scott Pospichal competed for Longview Fire. Bergquist was the fastest member of Longviews team, climbing the 1,300 individual steps and nearly 800 feet in 15 minutes, 35 seconds. He was the 94th finisher. (The winner finished the climb in 10 minutes, 43 seconds.) Nearly 1,800 firefighters finished the climb.

This years Longview team outdid last years fundraising effort, which raised $10,500. The team this year adopted Addy Jo Cliffton as an inspiration for the stair climb. The family of the Longview 3 year old learned this winter that her acute myloid leukemia had returned.

The agency took time to honor Addy at its annual awards and recognition banquet held Feb. 26. There was a table set up in her honor.

Also at the banquet, the department recognized three firefighters for service beyond the call of duty. Lieutenant Scott Pospichal was recognized for his years of service on the Longview Go 4th Committee, which puts on the annual Independence Day celebration at Lake Sacajawea, and other community service activities.

Firefighter Jim Trussell was recognized for his work on the annual salmon derby, which raises money for the firefighters benevolent fund. And Lieutenant Derek Stabell was recognized for securing a $19,000 grant to purchase personal protective equipment.

Firefighter Graham Lasee was named 2015 firefighter of the year. Over the last five years he has volunteered hundreds of hours shopping, wrapping and delivering gifts to families in need through Lower Columbia CAPs Adopt at Family program. And he has participated in the Seattle stair climb, helping to raise thousands of dollars for leukemia and lymphoma research.
One of three men accused of starting a forest fire east of Woodland last summer has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge and agreed to help pay $258,519 in damages.

Nathan Craig Taylor, 21, of Vancouver pleaded guilty this week to second-degree reckless burning, amended from first-degree reckless burning and failure to report a fire. His sentencing is set for June 14. Taylor also has to forfeit his AR-15 rifle.

According to a court document, Taylor and two other men went to an area off Fredrickson Road last July 19 to shoot at Shasta soda cans and propane canisters. They told investigators they started a small fire but believed they had extinguished it before leaving.

The men are accused of starting the Colvin Creek wildfire that burned at least 110 acres and took more than a week to extinguish. The fire supression cost was estimated at more than $1.7 million, according to a court document.

Cowlitz County sheriffs deputies also arrested Michael J. Estrada Cardenas, 23, and Adrian D. Taylor, 24, also of Vancouver, who were allegedly shooting with Nathan Taylor.

Estrada-Cardenas has a court appearance scheduled for March 28 and Adrian Taylor has a trial date of June 13.

It isnt clear how the $258,519 damages would be assessed.

Deputy Prosecutor Eric Benston said his office wouldnt comment until all the cases are resolved.
Boat launch blues

The Willow Grove Beach boat launch is full of debris, you can only use part of it. I dont know who is reponsible for it, but cleanup is essential. Also, the log barriers out front of the launch need to be put back in place so the debris wont wash into the launch.

It will get busy before long, and we need this fixed pronto!

Dennis Nugent

Longview

Not great, but pretty good

Sri Mulyani Indrawati, managing director and CEO at World Bank was quoted in a March 8 Wall Street Journal as saying The only engine of growth is the U.S. economy.

Apparently the economic policies of the Obama Administration and the Federal Reserve, if not the path to greatness, seem to be performing pretty well. According to the World Bank the U.S. accounted for 23 percent of the worlds global growth in 2015. That is the highest share since 2003. It is estimated that our share of global growth will be 21 percent this year. Not bad for 5 percent of the worlds population.

The IMF predicts that the US economy will grow at around a 2.6 percent annual rate over the next two years. Many outside economists are more pessimistic. Whatever turns out to be the case, a slowing growth rate will slow down the rate of growth of consumer spending in the US. It is this spending that has been driving world expansion. Our balance of payments deficit is a major source of stimulus for the rest of the world. This condition will eventually become unsustainable.

The other major countries (especially Western Europe) need to adopt more expansionary monetary and fiscal policies as well as structural reforms. This will encourage domestic consumption, economic growth, and the demand for our exports. Expanding trade will be a natural appendage to healthy world growth.

Edward Phillips

Kalama

Call to attention

Once again an article on Donald Trump is featured on the front page of the TDN (March 10, 2016) with the headline in large bold letters. Yes, it is news. But, in my opinion not worthy of such a display calling attention to the article.

Carol Thompson

Kelso

No room for error

I recently read in a Daily News article that of 213 PUD customers who complained about high bills, almost 14 percent have potential errors, according to PUD staff. Do you suppose the error rate for those who do not complain could be the same? If no one complained, would PUD staff think that error rate is acceptable? Would they tolerate a 14 percent potential error rate at the cash register at the supermarket? What happened to the idea of a 0 percent error rate?

Ronald Martzall

Kelso

Working together

Several letter writers have said the next president needs to be able to get Republicans and Democrats in Congress to work together. That cant happen no matter who the president is, as long as the Republicans control the House or the Senate. Because all of those Republicans have said they will never work with the Democrats.

On the other hand, when Democrats controlled the House and Senate from 2006 to 2011, Democrats did work with Republicans, because they were willing to compromise. At that time, Republicans did work with Democrats because they had to while Democrats were in control. Democrats even worked with Bush. Therefore, if you want Congress to work again, vote for Democrats in the House and Senate.

K.D. Slade

Longview
WASHINGTON  For nine months, Republican leaders refused to take on Donald Trump when it would have done some good. Now that it may be too late, theyre blaming their own failures on the media.

The medias pumping him up, Marco Rubio complained. The Republican presidential candidate alleged that theres a weird bias here in the media rooting for Donald Trump because they know hes the easiest Republican to beat.

Ted Cruz agrees that the media have given Trump hundreds of millions of dollars of free advertising, a massive in-kind contribution that helped create this phenomenon. He even alleges that media outlets are holding exposes on Trump until he secures the nomination.

Complaining about the media is an easy applause line for conservatives, and the news business no doubt deserves some blame for Trumps rise. But if Cruz, Rubio and other GOP leaders are looking for the real culprits, they should start with themselves.

Upset about the volume of coverage Trump has received? You might as well complain about the weather. News outlets (and their customers) love conflict: If it bleeds, it leads. If GOP rivals had taken on Trump early in the race, they would have received coverage, too. But they ignored him, hoping he would disappear, and so Trump had the cameras to himself for his outrages.

Coverage volume, meanwhile, is not necessarily a measure of success. Trump got 93 percent of coverage in the past 30 days, according to the LexisNexis Presidential Campaign Tracker. But on the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders got a virtually identical 92 percent.

Also, its worth noting that all the issues Cruz and Rubio now bring up  bankruptcies, Trump University, his bigoted remarks, his autocratic instincts  were covered by the press long ago. But Trumps rivals declined to attack him.

Recall the very first debate, when Fox News Megyn Kelly led off with a question noting that Trump has called women fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals. Trumps rivals were at most mildly critical of his misogyny.

Or think back to another early debate, when CNBCs John Harwood opened by challenging Trumps preposterous promises and asking: Is this a comic-book version of a presidential campaign? Trumps rivals joined him in denouncing the moderators for being too tough.

Looking back through my own coverage, I see a long list of unanswered pleas for the other GOP candidates to take on Trump. On Aug. 27, for example, I lamented the lack of backbone and the virtual silence of others in the field in reaction to Trumps offenses. On Sept. 16, I pleaded for other GOP candidates to respond quickly and consistently to Trumps bullying, and four days later I argued that if his rivals take him on consistently and jointly ... Trumps moment will end.

But they didnt. By Nov. 24, I despaired that Trump gets ever more base in his bigotry  and yet, with few and intermittent exceptions, rival candidates, party leaders and GOP lawmakers decline to call him out. So he continues to rise.

Certainly, theres a case to be made that the media  namely, Fox News  created Trump as a political figure before his candidacy. Beginning in 2011, Trump had a weekly segment on Foxs morning show. The liberal watchdog group Media Matters calculates that Trump was on Foxs evening and prime-time programs and Fox News Sunday 48 times between January 2013 and April 2015.

Theres no question Trumps run has been good for ratings and readership. But while this creates an incentive to cover Trump, it hasnt translated to favorable coverage. The LexisNexis tracker finds that 7 percent of the coverage of Republicans has been negative over the past 30 days, 11 percent positive and the rest neutral  virtually identical to the proportions for Democrats.

The bigger problem among journalists covering Trump is the moral neutrality in the reporting. News organizations apply to him the same type of horse-race reporting that they do to conventional candidates. Trumps moves are often described as brilliant. But while it may be tactically brilliant of him to, say, propose a ban on Muslims entering the United States, its also deplorable. News organizations fear that making such judgments would compromise their impartiality.

But thats a small flaw compared with the chronic unwillingness of Republican leaders, and particularly Trumps rivals, to take him on. Had they done so earlier, journalists would have followed their cues, and coverage would have been different. To blame the news media now for the GOP leaders own failings compounds their cowardice.
Kalama City Halls move to its new home in the Heritage Bank building has been delayed after the city found out it hadnt done a state-required inspection for asbestos.

The new City Hall was originally expected to open March 18 in the old bank at 195 N. First St. It could be delayed by another month because a private inspector Thursday found asbestos in the tile flooring that City Administrator Adam Smee was ripping out of the 1920s-era building.

Use of asbestos, a naturally occurring group of fire retardant minerals, was banned in 1989 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after it was linked to lung cancer and mesothelioma, a fatal cancer that affects the thin membranes that line the chest and abdomen.

Asbestos is not harmful unless it is inhaled or ingested, and that only happens when a product containing it gets disturbed and particles get airborne: for example, when piping insulation is torn apart or tiles are torn up.

The state Department of Labor & Industries presumes that any building built before 1981 contains asbestos. L&I requires commericial buildings undergoing renovation to be inspected for asbestos before construction begins, said spokeswoman Elaine Fischer.

But Smee, a former contractor, said it was an honest error on his part not to arrange for the inspection, called a good faith survey. The city discovered the oversight when an L&I inspector visited Monday and asked if the city had checked the building for asbestos.

I had no idea that we were supposed to have a good faith survey. Its not something you need in order to obtain a building permit, said Smee, who worked mostly with residential buildings as a contractor.

Smee did most of the minor renovation work himself, which involved moving a few walls, replacing doors, windows and pipes, and repainting. He doesnt believe the plumbing and electrical crews who worked in the basement were exposed to asbestos because the cast iron pipes werent insulated, and because the basement is wood and concrete.

City staff had already planned to move into the old Heritage Bank building, and the library planned to move into the former city hall once it was renovated, but December flooding forced city staff and the police department to relocate to the Community Building on Elm Street.

Fischer said if workers have been exposed to asbestos, the city, which owns the building, could be fined. Fines would vary depending on how responsive the city is in fixing the problem, how much asbestos exposure occurred and the number of workers who were exposed.

Smee said he and Superintendent of Public Works Kelly Rasmussen, who helped rip up the tiles, wore respirators the entire time they worked. He hopes L&I doesnt fine the city.

Your environmental exposure is always a concern. But is it keeping me up at night? No, Smee said. We tried to be careful. We wore respiratory protection in the building because its old and you dont know whats in it.

Smee said the city will have to hire an L&I-certified contractor to remove the tiles, which could add to the costs and length of the project. The renovation was initially expected to cost $50,000.

My biggest concern is that were not going to get out of this building, and all the community groups arent going to get their building back, Smee said.
Nash David

Update: The Lok Sabha has passed the Aadhaar bill on 11 March.

The headline wasnt intended. It happened over the course of writing the piece. I must also disclose that as of writing this piece, I do not own an Apple product. I am, however, registered with the UIDAI for Aadhaar  the desi avatar of social security. Only it isnt.

A few years ago when I excitedly and hopefully registered for Aadhaar, I went through a process of standing in a queue, performing my duty as a citizen and sharing all possible information needed. That included where I lived, what I did, details of my bank accounts, telephone bills, electricity bills, LPG subscription and photographs. At the next stage, I interfaced with a piece of technology. Fingerprint scans and iris scans were impressive. I'd only witnessed these at embassies and immigration checks before. That this was happening in India, and was done by the government, made me hopeful that we were finally moving ahead.

Essentially, the Aadhaar database has all my vital information.

It's information that's otherwise not readily shared with anyone. Now when it comes to my fingerprint, my smartphone does have it stored. But on its chipset, rather than memory that's otherwise accessible to rogue apps. In addition, my iris scan has been tied in to the Aadhaar as well. That's deeper than personal. As someone with a BlackBerry past, the presence of rogue apps on the Play Store does get me concerned as well. Apple and its iOS on the other hand, gives me some sense of assurance that each app meets certain specific requirements and given the closed nature of the platform, things are in place.

What about trust?

When it comes to Aadhaar, there are several aspects that makes me wonder. My information is out there on a database somewhere. As per information publicly available, it's in Bengaluru. In the run up to the Net Neutrality debate, millions of online users wrote to TRAI. The result was that someone decided to put out about a million email addresses out in the open for the world to see. In an ideal world, it's supposed to be harmless. But in the real world of rising crime rates, you're the ideal victim. What if someone puts out a file on a website for the world to see. Sounds ridiculous, you think? Emailing TRAI was voluntary as well. And so is enrolling for Aadhaar.

There are a couple of things that dont add up when it comes to Aadhaar. Why is it voluntary, if it is supposed to be a document that aims to serve the purpose of identity. A colleague, I learned, had an interesting experience, wherein her landlord insisted that she present her Aadhaar instead of a PAN card, or passport as a proof of identity.

The right to privacy

Each one of us has a right to privacy. And when companies such as Apple take a stand to defend that right, it does leave us impressed. And securing privacy is a great responsibility which the powers that be ought to fulfil. Whether Apple is doing enough is something that we will see over a period of time. For now, there's definitely a lot that's been done. Besides, the collective support of technology giants such as Microsoft, Google, Facebook and several others for Apple on the issue of encryption only makes us feel positive about the topic as a whole.

The record with Aadhaar, on the other hand, hasn't been quite so positive. Since the change of guard at the Centre, the ruling by the Supreme Court indicated that Aadhaar couldn't be mandatory. With that, the hope of having a fail-proof means of plugging holes seemed far fetched. Yet, it seems that there has been a significant number of registrations already with Aadhaar so far. According to the official Aadhaar portal (at the time of writing), the total number of cards issued so far is 98,42,50,470. That's approaching a billion users.

And up until now, authorities have managed to lose data of three lakh people in Maharashtra. Similarly, computer systems with Aadhaar data have been stolen in the past. Reports such as these definitely shake up the confidence around security and privacy, but hopefully these would streamline in the future. Till then, I'd continue to be concerned.
hidden

The U.S. Justice Department said Apple Inc's rhetoric was "false" in a high-profile fight over the government's bid to unlock an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters.

Last month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation obtained a court order requiring Apple to write new software and take other measures to disable passcode protection and allow access to shooter Rizwan Farook's iPhone.

Apple has not complied. It said the government request would create a "back door" to phones that could be abused by criminals and governments, and that Congress has not given the Justice Department authority to make such a demand.

The filing was the Justice Department's last chance to make its case ahead of a hearing set for March 22 in a Riverside, California federal court. The clash has intensified a long-running debate over how much law enforcement and intelligence officials should be able to monitor digital communications.

In its brief, prosecutors noted that Apple has attacked the FBI investigation as "shoddy" and portrayed itself as "the primary guardian of Americans' privacy."

Apple's rhetoric "is not only false, but also corrosive of the very institutions that are best able to safeguard our liberty and our rights: the courts, the Fourth Amendment, longstanding precedent and venerable laws, and the democratically elected branches of government," prosecutors added.

The government said Apple "deliberately raised technological barriers" to prevent execution of a warrant.

Apple has said the government's request would open the company to pressure from repressive regimes to provide similar assistance. But the Justice Department on Thursday questioned whether Apple is actually resisting such requests.

"For example, according to Apple's own data, China demanded information from Apple regarding over 4,000 iPhones in the first half of 2015, and Apple produced data 74 percent of the time," prosecutors wrote.

Apple General Counsel Bruce Sewell on Thursday said the brief reads "like an indictment" and called the claims about providing data to China a "smear" based on thinly sourced news reports.

Sewell said it was insulting to suggest Apple deliberately set out to protect phones from warranted searches, saying its measures are intended to keep everyone safe from multiple threats.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook has said he is willing to take the case to the Supreme Court.

The FBI says Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, were inspired by Islamist militants when they shot and killed 14 people on Dec. 2 at a holiday party. The couple later died in a shootout with police and the FBI said it wants to read the data on Farook's work phone to investigate any links with militant groups.

Tech industry leaders including Google, Facebook and Microsoft and more than two dozen other companies filed legal briefs last week supporting Apple. The Justice Department received support from law enforcement groups and six relatives of San Bernardino victims.

The Justice Department has repeatedly attempted to frame the Apple case as one that is not about undermining encryption and that the court order narrowly targets a "non-encryption barrier" on one iPhone.

Asking for decryption services "would not be novel, either," prosecutors argued on Thursday. They cited an 1807 case holding that a clerk working for Aaron Burr, then a former U.S. vice president, could be forced to decode a letter penned by Burr if doing so did not lead to self-incrimination.

Prosecutors criticized claims by Apple that developing the new software code would be burdensome for the company. They noted Apple "grosses hundreds of billions of dollars a year" and would only need ask a handful of its 100,000 employees to work on the project for "perhaps as little as two weeks."

The potential burden on Apple is a crucial test set out in a prior case, known as Mountain Bell, which held that a local phone company could be ordered to program the equipment in its facilities in order to trace calls in progress.

That case should be binding precedent in the San Bernardino matter, prosecutors said.

But an Apple lawyer on Thursday said the Mountain Bell case was far less demanding of that company than the present case would be of Apple.

Earlier this week the government sought to overturn a ruling protecting Apple from unlocking an iPhone in a New York drug case which raises similar issues. A Brooklyn judge on Thursday gave Apple two weeks to respond to the government's bid.

Reuters
Nimish Sawant

Last week we woke up to the news of a 22-year old Security Engineer at Flipkart discovering a bug in Facebook that could grant access to messages, credit/debit cards tied to the account and personal photos and other personal information. All without the users knowledge.

Anand Prakash, who discovered the bug and informed Facebook about it, was rewarded $15,000 (approx Rs 10 lakh) for discovering the vulnerability which could be disastrous for the Menlo Park-based company.

Head over to Prakashs Twitter page and in addition to his work title, his bio says bug bounty hunter. On being asked to elaborate, he said, A bug bounty program is a deal offered by many websites and software developers by which individuals can receive recognition and compensation for reporting bugs, especially those pertaining to exploits and vulnerabilities. These programs allow the developers to discover and resolve bugs before the general public is aware of them, preventing incidents of widespread abuse.

A lot of international websites have bug bounty programs in place. Some of them reward people discovering the bugs whereas others dont. There are very few Indian players who openly advertise about it. Ola is one of the few companies which has a bug bounty program that we have heard of.

According to Prakash, who is almost a veteran now with bug bounty hunting, told tech2 that as far as most Indian companies are concerned, there was a heavy reliance on consultancy firms, for discovering bugs, and not core users. He says that most Indian companies are not really serious about security.

Most of the Indian companies don't care about security. Flipkart has a dedicated security team to safeguard its customers/sellers. Companies like Jugnoo, Ola, Swiggy, Practo etc., have awesome security teams, he says.

The root cause of the issue is the somewhat lax attitude of the venture capitalists who fund new services and apps he feels. VCs should force companies to have penetration testing scans from security firms. Right now companies are just paying a fee on a per app or per year basis, says Prakash. This, he feels, does not yield good results from a security perspective.

Prakash spends around 2-4 hours in a week, mostly on weekends, discovering bugs. He discovered the Facebook bug, for which he won $15,000, in around 20 minutes. According to him, it was easy to find. Apart from Facebook, he has also identified bugs for Twitter, Google, RedHat, Adobe, and many other US based companies, for which he has won rewards at time as well. In India, he has helped Zomato plug a loophole as well, for which he got a Thank You message in place of a monetary reward.

But how easy is it really to independently go about ethically hacking into a system? Wouldnt it be construed as hacking and involve legal proceedings against the hacker? He says that all companies have a responsible disclosure policy in place. Think of a case where the companys database includes credit/debit card information is sold on the black market. I am actually saving that company by doing responsible disclosure, thereby preventing it from a huge loss, he added.

Bug bounty hunting is a hobby for Prakash, which he pursues independently not just for the rewards but also to keep his knowledge of the field up to date. His employer Flipkart doesn't mind his pet projects.

I am always appreciated by my peers when I find any bugs on any major website. You tend to learn a lot when you look for vulnerabilities on a major platform such as Facebook, Prakash said while signing off.
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Facebook is acquiring Masquerade Technologies creator of the popular face-swapping app MSQRD, as part of efforts by the world's largest social network operator to build its video services.

Wednesday's deal comes nearly three years after the Wall Street Journal reported that photo and video messaging app Snapchat had rejected an offer from Facebook.

Masquerade, which announced the deal on its website, did not disclose financial details. The deal is more a piece of Facebook's bigger effort to innovate into video, Monness, Crespi, Hardt, & Co Inc analyst James Cakmak said.

It is unlikely that Facebook would use Masquerade to significantly draw away Snapchat users, he said. While Snapchat has features such as bulging eyes, Masquerade allows users to add special effects including animal masks and snow to their photos and video.

Masquerade, backed by Yuri Gurski and Gagarin Capital, said founders Eugene Nevgen, Sergey Gonchar and Eugene Zatepyakin will join Facebook.

The app will continue as a standalone product, Masquerade said.

Meanwhile, there are reports around Facebooks basic version of its app targeted at the emerging markets, called Facebook Lite, hitting around 100 million active monthly users. Targetted at an audience which still uses 2G connectivity and in areas where network connectivity isnt great, the Facebook Lite is available in Asia and parts of Latin America, Africa and Europe.

With inputs from Reuters
tech2 News Staff

Panasonic has introduced a new smartphone for the Indian market called the T50 based on the company's SAIL interface. It will be available at a price of Rs 4,900 in Midnight Blue, Rose Gold, Champagne Gold colour variants.

In terms of specifications, the device features a 4.5-inch FWVGA display with 480 x 854 pixels resolution. It is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor paired with 1GB RAM. Running Android 5.1 Lollipop, it includes an internal storage of 8GB which can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD card.

The smartphone comes equipped with a 5MP rear camera with LED flash and a 2MP front facing camera. Some of the features include Pose mode, Child mode, and Watermark. Connectivity features include 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. A 1,600mAh battery completes the package.

Commenting on the launch, Pankaj Rana, Business Head, Mobility Division, Panasonic India, said, Our latest introduction in the Indian market is a novelty because it arrives with the launch of Panasonics in-house software, the SAIL user interface. The UI is even integrated into a specialized SAIL camera. It is an app-driven smartphone which combines 3G connectivity and multi-app smoothness for a flawless user experience in a handheld device..
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A group of former Skype technologists, backed by the co-founder of the messaging platform, has introduced a new version of its own messaging service that promises end-to-end encryption for all conversations, including by video.

Wire, a 50-person start-up mostly made up of engineers, is stepping into a global political debate over encryption that pits privacy against security advocates, epitomised by the standoff between the US government and Apple.

The company said on Thursday it was adding video calling to a package of private communications services that go beyond existing messaging providers. Rivals such as Facebook's Messenger and WhatsApp, Telegram, Threema and Signal offer encryption on only parts of a message's journey or for a limited set of services, it said.

Wire, which is based in Switzerland and stores user communications on its own computers, delivers privacy protections that are always on, even when callers use multiple devices, such as a phone or desktop PC simultaneously.

This comprehensive approach poses fresh challenges to law enforcers, who often seek to exploit gaps in encryption in criminal or security investigations. "We believe Wire is unique in the industry with always-on encryption for all conversation(s), in groups or 1:1, with simultaneous support for multiple devices," Wire Chief Technology Officer Alan Duric said in a statement.

"Everything is end-to-end encrypted: That means voice and video calls, texts, pictures, graphics - all the content you can send," Wire Executive Chairman Janus Friis told Reuters.

The Danish entrepreneur was a co-founder of Skype, first released in 2003, which was later sold to a series of owners and is now a unit of Microsoft Corp .

Wire launched the first version of its self-titled communications app late in 2014 to limited notice because it offered encrypted calling and text services similar to a dozen other apps, distinguished mainly by crystal-clear voice quality.

The app relies on standard, open-source encryption techniques, which allows outside technical experts to evaluate the security of its products rather than relying on trust.

Wire receives financial backing from Iconical, a group of designers, engineers and executives that act as alternative to traditional venture capital investors. Friis invests in Wire as part of Iconical.

It has not disclosed how much funding it has received. A key selling point for Wire is that it protects users from advertising. Like many start-ups in this area, it is seeking to grow quickly and discover a sustainable business model later.

Reuters
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China able to project 'substantial offensive power' from Spratlys in months: US

Reuters, Washington :

China will be able to project "substantial offensive military power" from artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea's disputed Spratly Islands within months, the director of U.S. national intelligence said.

In a Feb. 23 letter to John McCain, chair of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, James Clapper said Chinese land reclamation and construction work in the Spratlys had established infrastructure needed "to project military capabilities in the South China Sea beyond that which is required for point defense of its outposts."

"Based on the pace and scope of construction at these outposts, China will be able to deploy a range of offensive and defensive military capabilities and support increased PLAN and CCG presence beginning in 2016," Clapper said in the letter released this week, using acronyms for the Chinese navy and coastguard.

"Once these facilities are completed by the end of 2016 or early 2017, China will have significant capacity to quickly project substantial offensive military power to the region," Clapper added.

The United States has voiced concerns about China's assertive pursuit of territory in the South China Sea. The sea is one of the world's busiest trade routes and regional countries have rival claims, creating a potential flashpoint.

Asked about Clapper's comments on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China has merely been exercising its right of self-defense.

"China has made appropriate and reasonable defense deployment construction that is within the range of China's sovereignty," Hong told a regular news briefing in Beijing.

"China urges the relevant country to not talk excitedly with wild gestures on this issue."

Visiting Washington in September, Chinese President Xi Jinping responded to U.S. worries by saying that China had no intention to militarize its outposts in the Spratlys.

Beijing has said their military roles will be defensive, but the head of the U.S. Pacific Command said last month China was "clearly militarizing" the South China Sea with the aim of achieving East Asian hegemony. The text of Clapper's letter in response to questions from McCain was published on the news portal of the U.S. Naval Institute. U.S. officials confirmed the content.

Clapper said that while the United States had yet to observe deployment of significant Chinese military capabilities in the Spratlys, it had built facilities able to support them, including modern fighter aircraft.

China had already installed military radars at Cuarteron and Fiery Cross reefs, and the infrastructure could also allow for the deployment of surface-to-air missiles, coastal defense cruise missiles and an increased presence of warships, he said.

The United States had not seen Chinese air force activity in the Spratlys, but warships had stopped at its outposts including a guided-missile frigate and a guided-missile destroyer in December and January, Clapper said.

He said tank-landing ships had been employed widely in construction work and the landing of civil aircraft at Fiery Cross in January showed the airstrip there was operational and able to accommodate all Chinese military aircraft.

Clapper said China continued its land reclamation in the Spratlys after Aug. 5, when its foreign minister claimed that it had been halted.

While there was no evidence that China has plans for any significant additional land reclamation in the Spratlys, Clapper said there was sufficient reef area in the Spratlys for it to reclaim more than 1,000 additional acres (400 hectares).

The Pentagon has said that Beijing has sought to bolster its claim to nearly all of the South China Sea with island building projects in the Spratlys that have reclaimed more than 2,900 acres (1,170 hectares) of land since 2013.
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City Desk :

Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mahajote

A press conference organised by Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mahajote was held at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Friday. In the press conference the speakers urged the government to ensure security of Hindu people in the upcoming union council elections. They also warned to build greater movement if the government fails to ensure security of minority Hindu people. The conference was addressed, among others, by Spokesman of the organisation Palash Kanti Dey. The event was attended, among others, by President of the mahajote Dr Provash Chandra Roy, Chief Coordinator Shyamal Kumar Sarker, Secretary General Ananda Kumar Biswas, Executive President Sukriti Kumar Mondol, Prof Sushil Mahato and Joint Secretary General Samir Sarker. The speakers also called upon all patriotic and conscious citizens of the country to build united resistance against repression on minority people.

Dhaka Ahsania Mission

A pictorial warning exhibition on 'Packets of Tobacco Products' organised by Dhaka Ahsania Mission was held in front of National Museum in the city's Shahbag on Thursday aiming to create awareness on implementation of the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act 2005. In the programme the speakers stressed the need for quick implementation of the Tobacco Control Act to save young generations as well as thousands of lives from the adverse effects of tobacco use. General Secretary of Bangladesh Group Theatre Federation Jhuna Chowdhury and Country Coordinator of Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids Shariful Islam, among others, attended the exhibition.


Governor must stop procurement of software from BB`s own IT expert

IT APPEARS that Bangladesh Bank (BB) authorities have learned no lesson from the cyber theft of its funds with Federal Reserves account in New York. The incident in which BB lost US$ 100 million and narrowly saved another US$ 870 million, showed the central bank has lost effective control over its reserves and the cyber safety of funds at home and abroad. But what appears quite surprising is that despite the break in of its highly protective payment system in which involvement of bank officials is feared, BB has reportedly decided to quickly replace its software in all computers to be supplied by its own cyber expert. Rakesh Asthana is the cyber security expert and adviser to BB Governor Dr Atiur Rahman on IT matters. He also runs his own business firm and a report in an English daily on Friday said Governor Dr Atiur Rahman has decided to give the supply contract of software to his own adviser. We don't know why the Governor is so quick and the choice of giving the contract to his own adviser is critically viewed by many BB officials describing it as a whimsical decision. It ignores greater safety issue and even may more endanger the secrecy of banking, they fear. Moreover replacing existing software by the new ones would delete all information preserved in the system over the years and many fear again that it may also wash away important information related to the proof of the hacking of the central bank cyber system and this may in turn allow real culprits to escape from being identified. It is not time to replace the software when more investigations are required to unearth the truth. The fact is that the move by the Governor to integrate the central bank and the entire financial sector including banks and non-banks financial institutions (NBFIs) with the new software also seems to be highly risky that may eventually lead to compromise of vital secret of the nation's financial system to outsiders. It is an open secret that the government has totally failed to protect the country's banking; the entire financial system is unprotected and almost abandoned to incapable hands. Governor is working as a political propagandist of the ruling party instead of saving the banking. The Finance Minister is speaking tall instead of proving him an effective administrator. In our view they must resign immediately to allow rebuilding the collapsed safety of banks and financial institutions. The Governor's IT expert has already investigated the reported hacking of the central bank account engaged by the central bank and reported that primary probe found no involvement of BB officials in stealing of reserves. He however said investigations are not over and he is looking out whether any internal forces were involved with external forces. Awarding supply contract to such a person having dubious business interest is a high security risk and the BB authorities must stop it. It is important that selection of software to replace the central bank's system needs to be carefully made and neutral suppliers selected accordingly. The Governor must understand he has lost his credibility and he must stop the procurement business in hands.
50 injured in Bagerhat clash

UNB, Bagerhat :At least 50 people were injured, including eight with bullets, in a clash between two groups of villagers at Uttarkandi village in Mollahat upazila on Friday morning.Khairul Anam, officer-in-charge of Mollahat police station, said there was a long standing dispute between UP member candidate of no 1 ward of Udaypur union Azizur Rahman Muku of Astail village and member candidate of no 2 ward of the union Kamrul Islam. A clash ensued between their supporters on Thursday night as Rais Molla, brother of Kamrul, brought a sex worker at Udaypur village from Khulna.As a sequel to the incident, supporters of Azizur and Kamrul attacked each other in the morning which left at least 50 people injured, including eight with bullets. Fifteen houses were also vandalised during the clash.On information, police rushed in and opened fire in the air to bring the situation under control.Additional police have been deployed to avoid further trouble.
Army chooses hardliner to work with Suu Kyi`s proxy president

National League for Democracy (NLD) party leader Aung San Suu Kyi arrives for a meeting with NLD members of Parliament at Sipin Guesthouse in Naypyitaw.

Reuters, Naypyitaw :Myanmar's military nominated a former junta stalwart who remains on a U.S. sanctions list as its choice for vice president on Friday, pointing to battles ahead for National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her hand-picked president.Myanmar's first democratically elected government for more than 50 years faces a formidable challenge delivering the reform and economic growth demanded by the electorate while working alongside a military that retains much political power. The lower house of parliament voted on Friday to confirm Htin Kyaw, a close friend and confidant of Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, as its presidential candidate. That brought the top office a step closer for the man expected to rule as her proxy.Across town in the capital of Naypyitaw, military MPs met behind closed doors and nominated retired general Myint Swe as their candidate. He was head of the feared military intelligence under former junta leader Than Shwe. When Than Shwe ordered a crackdown on anti-junta protests led by Buddhist monks in 2007, known as the Saffron Revolution, Myint Swe was the head of special operations in Yangon."We held a meeting to decide the vice presidential candidate. There was no one who disagreed on the proposal," one of the 166 military lawmakers, who under the constitution hold a quarter of seats in parliament, told Reuters.Suu Kyi has said she planned to form a government of reconciliation to help bridge the deep divisions in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, after nearly 50 years of military rule."We will hold on the national reconciliation policy no matter what the military decides," said NLD spokesperson Zaw Myint Maung. "We will try to work with the military for national reconciliation."But a rift between Suu Kyi and the military widened in the run-up to the presidential nominations.Sources in her camp say she became frustrated with military intransigence on issues ranging from amending the constitution that bars her from the presidency to minor formalities such as the location of the handover of power. The military has declined to comment on negotiations with the NLD.Some in Suu Kyi's party said the choice of Myint Swe went against the spirit of reconciliation."Aung San Suu Kyi tried really hard to negotiate with them for national reconciliation," said one senior NLD official. "They don't trust us. It's their final shot to protect themselves and their interests."While Than Shwe disappeared from public life after handing over power to a semi-civilian government in 2011, Myint Swe's nomination will fuel the suspicions of many in Myanmar that the former junta leader still holds considerable sway. "Myint Swe is very close to former senior military officials, especially former supremo Than Shwe," said political analyst Yan Myo Thein. "His nomination may mean Than Shwe is still influencing behind the scenes."Myint Swe is listed on the U.S. Treasury Department list of sanctioned individuals due to his role in the former military government. He was considered as a vice presidential candidate in 2010 but was barred from the job because his son-in-law was an Australian citizen - the same provision that prevents Suu Kyi from becoming president. The junta-drafted 2008 constitution bars officials whose parents, spouse, children or their spouses are citizens of other countries from becoming president, a clause widely seen as aimed specifically at the NLD leader. Myint Swe's son-in-law has since given up his Australian citizenship, official sources told Reuters on Friday.The vote in the lower house on Friday for Suu Kyi's presidential nominee was never in doubt, given the NLD's outright majority in the upper and lower houses of parliament.Suu Kyi, wearing a blue dress and white sash, was the first NLD lawmaker to cast her ballot.NLD dominance makes Htin Kyaw a near-certainty to become the first head of state who is not a serving or former senior general since the army seized power in 1962. The two houses will come together to vote on the presidency next week. Flouting the ban on her presidency, Suu Kyi has said she would run the country through a proxy. Under Myanmar's indirect system for electing a president, three candidates are nominated - one by the lower house, one by the upper house, and one by the military bloc in parliament.The two losing nominees becoming vice presidents. The other vice president is expected to be the NLD's nomination from the upper house. He is Henry Van Thio, a member of the Chin ethnic group from the country's northwest. The president picks the cabinet that will take over from President Thein Sein's outgoing government on April 1, with the exception of the heads of the home, defense and border security ministries who will be appointed by the armed forces chief.
Dateline for display March 19

Ehsanul Haque Jasim :

The colour and design of the cigarette packets and packets of other tobacco products are going to be changed from next week, as the deadline for starting the display is March 19. The tobacco companies will have to insert pictorial warning signs on their products by this time, said officials of the Health Ministry.

The anti-tobacco campaigners and the heath activists want proper implementation of the 'Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act 2015' so that the tobacco companies insert pictorial warnings on tobacco packets properly as per the law.

Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, a Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry and the coordinator of the National Tobacco Control Cell, said that the ministry is

determined to implement the mandatory statutory warning on all tobacco packs from March 19.

"We have already selected the pictorial warnings and sent these to the tobacco companies that will be introduced on tobacco products. These companies are required to have them printed from March 19," he said.

He also said it is mandatory to insert pictorial warnings on the packets of all kinds of tobacco products, including bidi, cigarette, gul and jarda.

Currently, the multinational tobacco companies and local tobacco factories enjoy plain packaging of tobacco products in Bangladesh, which is not found in any developed country.

The Smoking and Usage of Tobacco Products (Control) Act says that the tobacco factories and companies will have to insert pictorial warning signs on their tobacco products by March 19 to make people aware of adverse impacts of tobacco on human health. The pictorial health warning must be put on at least 50 per cent area of packets, which will allow smokers understand health risks as well as a discouragement for non-smokers.

According to the anti-tobacco activists, since there are a number of people who cannot read or understand the messages given by tobacco companies, the literal warning is not working effectively. So, the pictorial warnings will help them to understand its adverse impacts.

Meanwhile, the tobacco companies tried to delay the display by creating snags at the Health Ministry. They wrote to the Health Ministry to make changes in the provision. Instead of printing the images on the upper part of the pack as stipulated in the provision, tobacco companies want to print the warning pictures in the lower part of the pack where they attract less attention.

According to available data, about 95,000 people die in Bangladesh each year while there are 1.2 million cases of tobacco-attributable illness every year. Bangladesh is among the top 10 countries of the world, which use tobacco products for reasons like overpopulation, lower income and poverty.

Canada first introduced pictorial health warnings on tobacco packs in 2001. In Nepal, tobacco companies have to cover 90 percent of the packs with graphic warnings, while in India they will have to use 85 percent of the package surface from April onwards. Pakistan has also decided to implement graphical warnings covering 70 percent of the packs.


Jadu Miah`s contribution in politics, democracy recalled

Staff Reporter :Leaders of Bangladesh National Awami Party (Bangladesh NAP) at a discussion on Friday recalled the contributions of late politician Mashiur Rahman Jadu Miah in restoring multi-party democracy in the country. Now the country needs leaders like Jadu Miah to overcome the ongoing political crisis. Bangladesh NAP arranged the discussion at Nayapaltan in the city to mark the 37th death anniversary of Jadu Miah, former Minister and Chairman of the party. The party organised a doa mahfil after the discussion. NAP Secretary General M. Golam Mustafa Bhuiyan chaired the function, while Chairman of Jatiya Dal Advocate Syed Ehsanul Huda, NAP leaders Syed Shahajhan Saju, Nurul Aman Chowdhury, Ahsan Habib Khaza, Md Kamal Bhuiyan, Motiara Chowdhury Minu, Shahidunnabi Dablu and Ansar Rahman Sikder were also present, among others. Golam Mustafa Bhuiyan said that Jadu Mia initiated the process of transformation into democratic system from military rule after the political changeover in 1975. The veteran politician read the pulse of people and took part in all the democratic movements. The country's history will remain incomplete without Jadu Miah, he added. Born in greater Rangpur in 1924, Jadu Miah died on March 12 in 1979 when he was a Senior Minister with status of Prime Minister. He was an elected member of National Council of Pakistan in 1962 and led the council as Deputy Leader of the opposition.
Plans to tap marine resources with China's help

UNB, Dhaka :

The government has decided to identify prospective areas and framework of cooperation with China to make sure the optimum utilisation of marine resources in the Bay of Bengal.

Another decision has also been taken to gear up activities for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and other support activities with the State Oceanic Administration of China to receive assistance from the Chinese government for materialising the 'blue economy' concept and capacity building.

The decisions were taken at a recent meeting on the progress of agreements, MoUs and other issues with China signed during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to China in June 2014, a source close to the meeting told UNB.

About the progress on implementation of the Bangladesh China India Myanmar-Economic Corridor (BCIM-EC) to set up road and rail communications among these countries, the meeting asked the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) to complete the survey in this regard as soon as possible and move ahead with other activities.

About procuring gas from Myanmar territories in the Bay of Bengal, the official who attended the meeting told UNB that it was suggested that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs initiate negotiations with India, Myanmar and China to raise and discuss the issue in a four-country consortium. The Energy and Mineral Resources Division will also move ahead with the process giving it the due importance.

Discussing the construction of proposed Padma Railway Bridge with Chinese assistance, it was decided to take ahead the negotiations and other related activities for inking the commercial contract. For the simplification of visa processing in both the countries, the meeting was informed that a draft proposal for mutual visa exemption has been sent to the Bangladesh Embassy in Beijing suggesting constant communication with the Chinese authorities concerned in this regard.
ASI held for shooting cable operator

Staff Reporter :

An Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of Bangshal Police Station, allegedly shot an employee of local cable operator following a dispute over paying arrear bills in the city's Khilgaon on Friday morning.

The victim has been identified as Al Amin, 26, an employee of Dhaka East Cable Vision, said Mamun Hossain, Deputy Commissioner (Media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

He was first taken to Rajarbagh Police Lines Hospital with a bullet in his back.

Later he was shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). Meanwhile, accused ASI Shamim Reza had been arrested after the incident, the police official said.

Quoting the witnesses, Khilgaon Police Station's OC Mainul Hossain said, "Al Amin along with two other employees went to Shamim Reza's house on the fourth floor of an apartment building on Road No. 5 at Khilgaon's Nandipara around 11:00am to collect the unpaid bills of last four months. Shamim wanted to pay Tk 250 as monthly bill when the rate is Tk 300. Al Amin threatened to cut the cable connection." But, Shamim, rather asked them to cut the cable line. As they cut the line, the ASI fired from his pistol that hit Al Amin's back."

Another police officer, Nahidur Rahman, an SI of the Special Branch, who also lives in the same building, said that Shamim shot Al Amin during the brawl.

Cable Operator Al Amin said, "When I went to ASI Shamim's home in the morning to ask for the unpaid bills of four months, he asked why the amount was so high? At one moment, he asked me to cut his cable connection. When we did that, he came down and demanded to know why I had done so. He started slapping me when I remained him he had told me to do so. Shamim started shooting when my associate, who was with me, asked why he was assaulting us."

The building caretaker, Gias Uddin, said that around 10:30pm he came out of his home on hearing a ruckus between Shamim and Al Amin over bill payment. At one point, Shamim slapped Amin, the caretaker recounted. Then, Shamim opened fire and wounded Amin."

DMCH Emergency Department doctor Md Nasir said the bullet had grazed Amin's back. He said that the victim was released after first aid.

Bangshal Police OC Nure Alam Siddiq said that they had detained Shamim and handed him over to Khilgaon police.

His service pistol had been seized, the police official said.

Asked whether an ASI was allowed to take his service pistol home, Siddiq said, "I won't say anything on this matter."

Confirming the incident, Kazi Mainul Islam, Officer-in-Charge of Khilgaon Police Station, said that police are quizzing the victim to find out details. "The victim filed a case against the ASI," the OC said. Contacted, Mofiz Uddin Ahmed, Deputy Commissioner of Lalbagh division of DMP, he said that the policeman had been suspended from duty.
BNP wants Muhith, Atiur to go

Staff Reporter :The BNP has demanded resignation of Finance Minister AMA Muhith and Bangladesh Bank's Governor Dr Atiur Rahman on account of the fund theft from the country's central bank.The party's Joint-Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed demanded their resignation in a press briefing at the party's Nayapaltan central office in the city on Friday. He also demanded exemplary punishment to those involved with the scandal. Referring to newspaper reports, Rizvi Ahmed said that an influential quarter of the government and an organised international gang are involved with the stealing money from the Bangladesh Bank's Reserve Account. He suggested the authorities to seize passports of the bank officials, who visited Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates and some other countries in the last three years. Then the involvement of the officials and influential quarter with the international gang will be known. Meanwhile, BNP's standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan at a separate meeting in the city expressed concerns over the funds theft and held the government responsible for this.He said that the lack of monitoring the central bank's account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York gave an opportunity to the hackers to steal the money. Bangladesh Labour Party, a partner of the BNP-led 20-party alliance, arranged the meeting at Photojournalists Association auditorium protesting the filing of a sedition case against BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.Nazrul Islam Khan said that the government has no accountability to the people. "The people now suffer from a sense of insecurity as the incidents of killing, plundering and terrorism and corruption have spread all over the country. Money is being looted from banks. Our share market has been plundered. Even, the country's money is stolen from the reserve bank. It is a matter of great concern," he said.The BNP leader said, now mothers, sisters and children are not safe. The property of the country is not safe. This situation has to be changed, he added. He called for holding a fair and inclusive election to install a representative government in the country.According to media reports, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has been hacked and millions of dollars were taken out from the Bangladesh Bank's Reserve Account. Earlier in 2011, the BNP also demanded resignation of the Finance minister and the central bank's governor following the share market scandal.
BB`s move to install new software

Kazi Zahidul Hasan :Puzzled by the $101 million cyberheist, Bangladesh Bank (BB) has decided to install a new software in its systems to prevent from fresh attack by cyber criminals.The new software will be supplied by BB's own IT consultant Rakesh Asthana, sources in the central bank said. Requesting anonymity, one of the sources said, most bank officials are skeptical about the move but it's a decision of the governor and nobody is ready to speak against it. They said, the IT expert is also an adviser to the governor and a good friend of him. Rakesh Asthana who worked earlier in the World Bank has been able to persuade the governor to give the supply to a firm he owns. Terming the move whimsical, many fear the installation of the new software will delete files in existing software and such event may also remove proof of hacking which is important to continue investigations into hacking of BB's software system. Unidentified hackers had stolen $101 million last month from a reserve account of BB held with the New York Federal Reserve Bank after breaching its payment systems."BB has decided to install a new software in its systems following the cyberheist. The move has been taken to enhance its (BBs) cyber security," a senior BB official told The New Nation on Friday, preferring anonymity.He said, the software will be installed in all the computers of the bank. Later, the entire financial sector will be integrated with the new system.When asked, the BB official said, unknown hackers managed to install malware in the BB computer systems and watched, probably for weeks, how to go about withdrawing money from its US account.Using the malware for about a month hackers got to know how to withdraw the money from BB's reserves. They had in fact attempted to steal around US$1 billion from BB's account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York but they were able to take $101 million, the rest being saved in one of the largest known bank theft in the history."As the hackers had the access of the system, it is necessary to install a new software at all the BB computers to enhance the cyber security of the bank," said the BB official justifying the central bank's fresh move.When asked about the cost involvement of installing a new software, the BB official, however, declined to comment on the issue."Whatever the cost it does not matter, we want to make sure that our system is fully secured," he added.
Justice system must rise above police methods for peace and order

It is for all to see how arbitrary police power has made the country more dangerous nationally and internationally. Show of police power has proved no threat to real criminals. Only open political agitations have been suppressed as a short term measure.The real criminals have no difficulty in getting away with big crimes. They have shown how easy it was to steal US$ 101m from Federal Reserve Bank, New York by using the safety system of Bangladesh Bank. The Governor of Bangladesh Bank was minding other things than his own. Britain has stopped carrying cargo from Bangladesh to London for safety reasons despite heavy police presence at the air ports and elsewhere in the country. The police are busy in filing cases after crimes are committed in the way of a police state. The police themselves are taking advantage of their unrestricted power and earning bad reputation for themselves and the country.The people are losing freedom so that the criminals have all the freedom to commit crimes.In no democracy, justice system is so much dominated by refusing bail and granting police remand as in ours one. The justice system is not so transparent where an accused is easily denied freedom to defend himself. Refusing bail will not prevent crime, it helps the real criminals not to be caught and punished.Justice system has to be seen as different from police methods. It is the justice system working through police that prevents crime and not the police methods without the justice system. Where justice system is resorted to for easy harassment of people in both private and government cases, justice will be delayed for hiding the truth and protecting the criminals.Our practice is such that punishment starts as soon the police takes up a case. Nightmare begins for the victim how to get bail and avoid remand to police custody. This provides good opportunity for real criminals to remain safely away. Bail should be granted unless one has a dangerous criminal record. Bail is not to be treated as punishment without trial.Nowhere justice can be done without knowing the political system. In our country to do justice is difficult for our political system where the police dominates politics. Here, the rule of law is struggling for survival. But the judges cannot give up and must rise above police methods. In our political system to do justice is an act of great courage on the part of the judges because the rule of law is not understood or appreciated. The constitutional independence of the judiciary is not in a happy situation. The Parliament, fully controlled by the government, has now assumed the power of impeaching justices of the Supreme Court. As protector of the Constitution the judiciary must not let it lying down. It is a challenge for the judiciary to save the Constitution. A person who is denied bail to suffer imprisonment cannot be blamed if he believes that in our criminal justice system punishment first, trial thereafter to see he deserved punishment or not. Objection to granting bail and easy claim for police remand have made justice process fearful as well as corrupt. A fair justice system which can be so made only by the judges.We must take helplessness of the general public seriously when punishment starts with very commencement of the case. The protection of rights by the justice system is the demand of civilised living. It is also the demand of our Constitution. We must not prove as a nation too cowardly for defending our own Constitution. We must not be careless about it before it is too late.We note this painfully that the enjoyment of protection of law depends more on the police than on the judiciary. To argue from the point of view of constitutional guarantee of an individual's freedoms, it is unconstitutional to depend so much on police for enjoyment of freedoms. We are not saying this to accuse police but to highlight the weakness of our justice system.The judiciary must ensure that police conduct properly in dealing with court cases. Fair justice is impossible if judiciary is not in control of fair police conduct.
The Elites Want Genocide This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a ...
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.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  Tax bills were rushed through in such frenzy in the final minutes of the special legislative session that the governor, lawmakers and their financial advisers were still trying Thursday to sift through the implications.

This year's budget could be out of balance anywhere from $30 million to more than $50 million. But that figure remained unclear as the Legislature's fiscal analysts tallied up estimates of how much the sales tax increases passed in the session's closing minutes would raise.

"It's hard for us to get a real fix on what the shortfall will be," Senate Finance Chairman Eric LaFleur, D-Ville Platte, said even as he asked lawmakers to support the final budget rebalancing bill Wednesday evening.

Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration and lawmakers are negotiating with the chemical industry, trying to end a lawsuit pending against the state  and to release more than $20 million-plus in taxes paid under protest, to help whittle away this year's remaining shortfall. However, Edwards spokesman Richard Carbo said no deal had been reached yet.

One thing seems more certain: lawmakers fell far short of balancing next year's budget. The gap for the 2016-17 fiscal year that begins July 1 is estimated at as much as $800 million.

"We're trying to piece that together, but it'll be some drastic, drastic cuts," said Senate President John Alario, R-Westwego.

Lawmakers meet in a regular session that begins Monday, but they're limited in how they might be able to lessen those cuts because they can't consider taxes in that three-month session. Legislative leaders and the Democratic governor said a second special session might be needed to stop the threat of deep slashing to health care programs for the poor and disabled and for public college campuses.

"I don't see any other way," said Sen. J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans. He said even if the tax measures raise more money than the conservative estimates that were predicted, "we're still hundreds of millions of dollars from where we need to be."

But first, the Edwards administration and lawmakers need to make sure all the pieces used to rebalance this year's budget  and close a gap that at one point was estimated to top $900 million  fall into place by June 30.

The rebalancing plan assumes $200 million in Gulf oil spill recovery money will be paid to the state in the next three months. But the settlement deal that contains the money hasn't been received. Another $82 million used to plug budget holes this year hinges on a refinancing of the state's bond debt, which must be approved by the State Bond Commission.

Assuming those items happen as projected, Edwards and legislative leaders cited figures of a $30 million remaining gap.

However, that assumed nearly $24 million in account balances across state government would be used to fill budget holes. The bill containing that maneuver never received final passage in the hectic last minutes of the special session.

That means the true gap for this year's budget could top $50 million.

Decisions for how to close that shortfall would need to happen quickly, with only three months remaining in the fiscal year.
A blog with diasporic proclivities: Goa and the World, South Asian Americana, and Afro-Asiatic connections.
Alan Maki



A favorite book...



A working class point of view



Researcher, Writer, Activist



Blue Bonnets in Texas Hill Country



Texas Longhorn



Uniting People...



Cactus



An "Open Letter" to Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton and the DFL on the Minimum Wage http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/2014/02/an-open-letter-to-minnesota-governor.html

Community activist Liane Gale stands up for a living--- non-poverty--- Minimum Wage http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/2014/02/green-party-community-activist-liane.html

Climate change and the military-industrial complex: By: Alan Maki http://canadiandimension.com/articles/5890/

Writing a "Letter to the Editor."



Write, and write often.



Be sure to include your name, address and phone number where you can be reached for verification that you wrote the letter.



If one newspaper won't publish your letter send it on to the next newspaper.



http://let2editor.blogspot.com/ A number of people have asked me to expand my thoughts about "Letters to the Editor" and how to use them more effectively... do you have additional ideas?Write, and write often.Be sure to include your name, address and phone number where you can be reached for verification that you wrote the letter.If one newspaper won't publish your letter send it on to the next newspaper.





Contact info: Alan L. Maki

58891 County Road 13

Warroad, Minnesota 56763



E-mail: red_finn@live.com



Cell phone: 512-517-2708



Blog:



There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at the typewriter and bleed.



Ernest Hemingway More working people need to sit down at their keyboards and "bleed" on blogs, FaceBook, leaflets and rank-and-file newsletters.

58891 County Road 13Warroad, Minnesota 56763E-mail: red_finn@live.comCell phone: 512-517-2708Blog: http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/ There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at the typewriter and bleed.Ernest Hemingway









Full Employment Now! Full Employment We need a "21st Century Full Employment Act for Peace & Prosperity. We need a *21st Century Full Employment Act for Peace & Prosperity*. The time has come to fulfill the dreams and promises that were intended to be part o... 9 years ago

I was asked a question; this was my answer. At a recent forum in Thief River Falls, Minnesota where I was on a panel discussing Minnesota's financial woes, I was asked what I would do if I was governor.



This is a fair question.



This was my answer:



Please keep in mind as I proceed with my thoughts that there is a "fare" and a "fair." One is spelled "f-a-r-e" and means something completely different from "fair" spelled "f-a-i-r."



If I were elected governor of Minnesota the very first reforms I would implement to solve the state's budget problems would be:



1. A hefty tax on the rich like Mark Dayton promised as he campaigned for election but reneged on once elected.



2. Substantially increase the taconite tax; the mining companies are robbing us blind leaving us with poverty and pits filled with pollution while they abscond with the profits. This has to end.



3. Place a really hefty tax on the forestry industry in the form of stumpage fees; cut down any tree and you pay what the tree is really worth.



4. I would place toll booths at the entrances to each and every casino in Minnesota charging the exact same fee Minnesotans are charged to enter our State Parks. Anyone who can afford to gamble can afford such a fee. I would also initiate a "gambling license" on all gamblers. Just like a fishing license



Like most of you, I am fed up with this "circus in the Cities." Democrats and Republicans don't know the difference between the words "f-a-r-e" and "f-a-i-r;" we should give them all a dictionary not our votes.



I think most Minnesotans would agree with these four solutions. So, what kind of democracy do we have where politicians won't do what people want and expect?



It's just like the priorities at the national level... like they say in the Navy--- it's a SNAFU. If you don't know what a S-N-A-F-U stands for, look it up in the Urban Dictionary on your computer when you get home.



If the United States government would stop spending our tax dollars on this insane militarism and all these dirty imperialist wars we would have the money to put people to work solving the problems of the people.



I recently read this little book by former Democratic Vice-president under FDR, Henry Wallace, "Sixty Million Jobs." I would encourage everyone to read this book because it was in 1945 when this book was published to support the Full Employment Act of 1945 when Democrats and Republicans--- at Wall Street's insistence--- decided not to take Henry Wallace's advice provided in this book that our country began going way off track.



Henry Wallace pointed out that Peace will put everyone to work which will solve just about every major problem we have in this country.



"If we can find the money to kill people, we can find the money to help people." Tony Benn





Can the Penokees be saved by people attacking workers' rights? The struggle to save the Penokees and worker's rights





Question... Who gave their consent to make this a "two-party system" where only one class gets representation?

How capitalism works... How capitalism works explained from a worker's perspective...



Abba Ramos, a veteran organizer in the International Longshore and Warehouse Union:



"If they can get a trained monkey to unload that boxcar tomorrow morning, rest assured, they'll have them over there and they'll have some bananas for lunch, and you'll be out on the street looking for work. Simple as that. You've got to remember, they follow only one rule of economic law, and that's that maximum production-minimum cost yields the greatest amount of profit. They don't deviate from that."

Helpful tip Notice: You can make the picture or writing on my blog bigger or smaller on your monitor simply holding down your "Ctrl" key while hitting your "+" key to enlarge size or your "-" key to reduce size.



A new banner to promote my blog



My computer; a billboard for peace that travels with me



Video: Dirty Jobs Summit and Affirmative Action Nicole Beaulieu, Curtis Buckanaga, MNDFL State Representative Joe Mullery and Alan Maki

For good jobs with real living wages provide the American people with free health care For Peace, Job and Justice

MNASAP Minnesota Arms Spending Alternative Project

Me and Howard Dean... not exactly "old chums"



Keep True, a life in politics by Howard Pawley



Taking it to the streets... Obama has to go.



A program for real change... * Peace--- end the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya and shutdown the 800 U.S. military bases on foreign soil.



* A National Public Health Care System - ten million new jobs.



* A National Public Child Care System - three to five million new jobs.



* WPA - three million new jobs.



* CCC - two million new jobs.



* Tax the hell out of the rich and cut the military budget by ending the wars to pay for it all which will create full employment.



* Enforce Affirmative Action; end discrimination.



* Raise the minimum wage to a real living wage



* What tax-payers subsidize in the way of businesses, tax-payers should own and reap the profits from.



* Moratorium on home foreclosures and evictions.



* Defend democracy by defending workers' rights including the right to collective bargaining for improving the lives and livelihoods of working people.



* Roll-back and freeze the price of food, electricity, gas and heating fuels; not wages, benefits or pensions .



* Wall Street is our enemy .



Let's talk about the politics and economics of livelihood for a real change.

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Follow and support the important working class' victory at the polls in Canada Canadian workers and their New Democratic Party are blazing the path of independence from the big-business controlled political parties. Manitoba will be having elections in the fall. Workers here in the United States should be paying attention to Canadian politics as there is a lot to learn. Ask your union to link its websites to the Canadian Labour Congress, New Democratic Party and Manitoba NDP.

Also, I would encourage you to paste this into your own personal blogs, web sites and FaceBook and other social netwoking sites.

Here are the links: Canadian Labour Congress--- http://www.canadianlabour.ca/home New Democratic Party--- http://www.ndp.ca/ Manitoba NDP--- http://todaysndp.ca/ Also, check out Howard Pawley's new book--- "A Life in Politics, Keep True" available through: http://msupress.msu.edu/bookTemplate.php?bookID=4250



Check out my blog:

http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/

Contact info...



Phone: 512-517-2708

E-mail: red_finn@live.com

About Me Alan Maki United States I have been involved in the peace, labor, civil rights, and environmental movements for over 30 years, and I am a socialist. I would encourage everyone to get involved in promoting the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which came into existence on December 10, 1948; we should strive to use the yearly anniversary of this document to popularize it. We need to struggle to create a more progressive, socially just society where all working people receive real living wages and have a voice at work, and in their communities. I have worked with casino workers across Minnesota who are trying to organize a union. I have worked with people in northern Minnesota struggling to save the Big Bog, the primary freshwater aquifer--- this bog is being mined for peat. In my spare time during the spring and fall you can find me fly fishing on the Dark River, a pristine designated trout stream;in the winter ice fishing on Lake-of-the-Woods. I look forward to hearing from you. Nothing human is alien to me. View my complete profile

Martin and Malcolm...







My dog Fred...



Vote for Mark Dayton to "tax the rich" and enforce affirmative action







General McCrystal... please don't leave me alone like a Rolling Stone with no way home...



Barack Obama and the greedy Wall Street pigs he represents



A note from Governor Pawlenty



This blog is proud to be a part of the ever growing and expanding People Before Profit network .



Question... Could Minnesota's debt be eliminated by modestly taxing the Indian Gaming Industry in Minnesota?



If, so, why haven't any of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party candidates for governor brought this idea forward as part of their campaigns?



Other businesses and industries are faced with a myriad of taxes... shouldn't there be a level playing field in taxation?



Wouldn't such a tax on gaming revenues amounting to tens of billions of dollars provide working people and small business owners and the middle class with a little much needed tax relief?



Suggestion:



Ask this question at a "meet the candidates forum;" no one else will ask this question if you don't.



Comment:



We have toll booths at the entrances to all Minnesota State Parks; put up toll booths on the public roads going into all casinos--- budget problems solved.



Most red ink ever: $9 trillion over next decade Ideas and Opinions

Health care reform Health Care Real health care reform creates jobs Our organization is distributing this in union circles and beyond in preparation for the AFL-CIO's National Convention in September: Sisters and Brothers, ...

Important Notice... Due to recent budget cuts and the cost of electricity, gas and oil, as well as current market conditions and the continued decline of the economy, The Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off.



We apologize for the inconvenience.





Ideas and Opinions Ideas and Opinions Two views. Which way for organized labor and the working class. Listen to this. Richard Trumka's main speech to the AFL-CIO's National Convention: http://ww... 9 years ago





Senator David Tomassoni



Global capitalism in crisis... Capitalism on the skids to oblivion... Galbraith on the failed president, which side is he on? Galbraith on the failed president, which side is he on? James K. Galbraith Economist, Author Posted: December 6, 2010 10:48 AM Whose Side Is the White H... 11 years ago

Health Care Reform... a real proposal for change Roger Jourdain  Rudy Perpich  Floyd B. Olson  Elmer A. Benson Memorial Public Health Care System Act

Building a new era of justice and peace Post from Alan Maki's Blog Building a new era of justice and peace

The United States has 800 military bases on foreign soil... What we need--- instead--- is 800 public health care centers spread out across the United States where people can universally access, for free, all their health care needs from pre-natal care, to general health care to eye, dental and mental care right through to burial.



Instead of moving in this progressive direction, President Barack Obama and the United States Congress are moving in a most reactionary direction towards establishing military bases in outer space as they seek to insure the profits of both the merchants of death and destruction and the profit-driven health care industries... talk about skewed priorities and your wacky ideas which will execerbate the problems surrounding the failing capitalist economy, and ideas devoid of common sense.



In addition to these 800 U.S. military bases on foreign soil, Barack Obama and the United States Congress continue funding--- with our tax-dollars--- the Israeli killing machine to the tune of tens of billions of dollars. Where is the "change?" This is the change Americans want, and the change we need:



A network of 800 public health care centers spread out across the United States would create over four-million good-paying, decent jobs--- talk about your "economic stimulus" package!



We would be redistributing the wealth as we are planting the seeds of socialism while helping to eradicate poverty by keeping people healthy and getting them well when sick.



Think about this kind of solution in relation to what Barack Obama, the U.S. Congress and the Wall Street bankers and coupon clippers are offering the American people, and the peoples of the world... just what is the reason for bailing out the banks and AIG and maintaining more than 800 expensive U.S. military bases of foreign soil?



The Mt. Carmel Clinic in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada offers us a glimpse at what militarization and wars continue to rob us of.



The problems created by Wall Street will not be solved as long as the military-financial-industrial complex is allowed to squander human and natural resources on militarism and wars... we might just as well be dumping these resources out into the ocean... at least no one would die in wars.



These merchants of death and destruction must be stopped if humanity is to survive in a livable world.



The time has come to talk about working class Marxist politics and the economics of livelihood... capitalism has failed humanity miserably and left us a real mess to clean up. Capitalism is on the skids to oblivion and unless we take a "left turn" we will continue down this road to perdition.



Something for working people to think about and discuss around the dinner table... the capitalist sooth-Sayers certainly are not going to broach such solutions to the problems of working people as they hide behind the skirt of Rosy Scenario as this global capitalist economic depression intensifies while wars rage on.



The times and conditions call for "building a new era of justice and peace;" this is one step in that direction; this is the change the American people voted for.



Alan L. Maki Founder, Frank Marshall Davis Roundtable for Change





A gift returned... Dear Mr. Ambassador,



Thank you for the 3 bottles of wine that you sent me as seasons greetings. I wish to you, your family and everybody in the Embassy a happy new year. Good health and progress to you all.



Unhappily, I noticed that the wine you have sent me has been produced in the Golan Heights. I have been taught since I was very young not to steal and not to accept products of theft. So I cannot possibly accept this gift and I must return it back to you.



As you know, your country occupies illegally the Golan Heights which belongs to Syria, according to the International Law and numerous decisions of the International Community.



I take the opportunity to express my hope that Israel will find security within its internationally recognized borders and the terrorist activities against Israel territory by Hamas or anybody else will be contained and made impossible, but I also hope that your government will cease practicing the policy of collective punishment which was applied on a mass scale by Hitler and his armies.



Actions such as those of these days of the Israel military in Gaza remind the Greek people of holocausts such as in Kalavrita or Doxato or Distomo and certainly in the ghetto of Warsaw.



With these thoughts allow me to express to you my best wishes for you, the Israeli people and all the people of our region of the world.



Athens, 30/12/2008



Theodoros Pangalos, Member of Parliament (Greece)

Auto workers fight for union recognition 1930's



Labor Journal Labor A National Approach for Making the Minimum Wage a Living Wage A National Approach for Making the Minimum Wage a Living Wage *Join Us for a 2-Hour Conference Call Discussion* Sunday, April 27, 2014 8-10pm ET / 7-9pm C... 8 years ago

Capitalism on the skids to oblivion... Capitalism on the skids to oblivion...

The crisis of working class family debt Economics for working people: Real solutions to the mortgage crisis

Ray Stevenson, working class legend



We are fed up! Boycott Mobil/Exxon/Esso Stop the robbery at the pumps

Coleman Young... a politician who brought forward real solutions to the problems of working people



Coleman Young testifies before House Un-American Activities Committee



A great YouTube video from Virginia Beach... Karl Rove on Trial Introduction

Karl Rove on Trial

Everybody knows... Everybody knows the boat is leaking. Everybody knows the captain lied.... Everybody knows the plague is coming. Everybody knows its moving fast. Everybody knows ...

 Leonard Cohen

Historic victory



















AKEL anti-fascist, anti-imperialist elected











Eleni Mavrou



It takes a struggle to win... Education

Organization

Unity

Action



Madam Labor Secretary



International Womens Day http://internationalwomensdaymarch8.blogspot.com/

Ann Holdreith



Autumn Sky By: Ann Holdreith





On the ride home from Toledo,

from a worn out school

resurrected for good honest men,

for men with kids and grandkids,

guys who eat sugar doughnuts and wink

while they hammer-out fenders

and hurl the carcasses of metal beasts,

against autumns haunted sky,

I wonder if they remember

the grip of thighs around engine-less

muscle and sweat, ragged dirty hair

assaulting the wind, buttocks and back

pounding with hooves that know

exactly where they belong

on this earth.



On the way from Toledo,

a pulsing cloud of blackbirds

hurls its wings against the dying blue;

dark umbrellas opening

to summers last ride.



Carlton, Minnesota



Help Stop Sulfide Mining in Michigan's Upper Peninsula... urgent action needed http://www.yellowdogwatershed.org/index.htm

Along the North Shore of Lake Superior



"Peace Bridge" demonstration



Democratic majority in the Michigan House abandons casino workers... Wednesday, August 8, 2007--- Lansing, Michigan. By a shameful vote of 63 to 41... not a single Michigan Legislator--- with the exception of one lone Republican--- would take a stand in defense of the rights of casino workers to be employed in a workplace free of second-hand smoke. Not one single Michigan Legislator would take a stand for casino workers being paid real living wages protected by state and federal labor laws along with the right to organize for collective bargaining. House Democratic Floor Leader Steve Tobacman and Democratic Representative Barbara Farrah did this dirty work for the Fertitta Family and the Kansas City mob which will "skim" the profits from the Gun Lake Casino like they have done in all the other casinos managed by the Fertitta Family. The United Auto Workers union leadership, fearing estrangement and being shunned by the Democratic Party, dropped its feeble opposition to this legislation giving a hint as to how they intend to abandon autoworkers in the present contract negotiations with the "Big Three."



Minnesotans give Bush a piece of their mind...







Lake Michigan



A thought... Dogs have fleas, society capitalists. The fleas are not good for the dog nor the capitalists for society. Both live on their hosts.

Wisconsin homestead on a fall day







Blog Archive

What's in the clouds? Perhaps some harmless water vapor?



This Land Is Your Land music video Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen

Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie


KSN&C is intended to be a place for well-reasoned civil discourse...not to suggest that we dont appreciate the witty retort or pithy observation. Have at it. But we do not invite the anonymous flaming too often found in social media these days. This is a destination for folks to state your name and speak your piece.

It is important to note that, while the Moderator serves as Faculty Regent for Eastern Kentucky University, all comments offered by the Moderator on KSN&C are his own opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of the Board of Regents, the university administration, faculty, or any members of the university community.

On KSN&C, all authors are responsible for their own comments. See full disclaimer at the bottom of the page.
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Currently, there are no sharp fluctuations of manat exchange rate in Azerbaijan, which would require urgent intrusion of the countrys Central Bank (CBA), Natiq Amirov, Azerbaijani presidential aide on economic reforms, said March 11.



He made the remarks during the roundtable on AmCham Support to Economic Reforms.



Amirov said that the needs of the market will allow determining the objective rate of manat.



In particular months, the import volume increases, for instance on the eve of holidays, he noted adding that with the growth of imports manat, of course, weakens, because the demand for dollars and euros increases.

The floating exchange rate policy serves to the fact that manat has to find its place [rate], added Amirov.



The CBA switched to the floating rate of manat on Dec.21, 2015 as a result of which the exchange rate of dollar and euro increased by 47.6 percent and 47.9 percent and stood at 1.55 and 1.685 manats, respectively.



The official exchange rate on March 11 is 1.6456 AZN/USD.
Official exchange rate of manat, the Azerbaijani national currency, against the US dollar was set at 1.6411 manats for March 14, said the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) March 11.

The average rate of manat was set following the interbank transactions on the Azerbaijani currency market, said the CBA.

The State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) sold $68.4 million to 25 local banks through the auction held by CBA March 11.
/By Azernews/

By Laman Ismayilova

Baku will soon host the fourth international festival of children and youth creativity " Saf rengler" ( Fine colors).

The event, organized by Azerbaijans Arts Academy together with the Museum and Exhibition Center of the Academy and the Russian Information and Cultural Center in Baku, is scheduled for May-June 2016.

The organizers encourage young talents to submit proposals for the contest until May 5, 2016,Trend Life reports. The drawings can be sent by e-mail to [email protected]

Conditions of participation and requirements can be found at the official website of the Russian Information and Cultural Center.

The Russian Information and Cultural Center actively works to inform Azerbaijani public about Russia's achievements in various fields, including spiritual heritage, rich scientific and cultural potential.

The Center promotes bilateral cultural, educational, scientific and technical programs and actively supports the Russian language teaching. The organization interacts with non-governmental organizations and friendship societies.




President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with President of the Republic of Albania Bujar Nishani.

Saying the 4th Global Baku Forum has already become a big international event, the head of state expressed his satisfaction with the fact that the number of influential guests participating in the event increases.





Expressing his gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for inviting him to the 4th Global Baku Forum, Albanian President Bujar Nishani stressed that the event, where representatives of various countries came together, created a good opportunity for discussing a number of important issues facing the world countries. Touching upon the close friendly and partnership relations between the two countries, Bujar Nishani said there were good opportunities for strengthening the cooperation in all areas. Bujar Nishani personally thanked President Ilham Aliyev for supporting the development of the bilateral relations and for his friendly attitude to his country. He noted that Albania was interested in developing ties with Azerbaijan. Noting there are similarities in the history of Albania and Azerbaijan, Bujar Nishani underlined the significance of the two countries` joint activity towards addressing a number of important issues. Emphasizing that Azerbaijan achieved rapid growth within a short space of time, the Albanian President said it could be an example for the region and other countries. Bujar Nishani hailed President Ilham Aliyev`s supporting a number of important projects, including TAP. The Albanian leader said this project was of vital importance not only for participating countries, but also for entire Europe.




Political, economic and humanitarian relations between Azerbaijan and France are developing, said Azerbaijan`s first lady, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva as she met with French Ambassador to the country Aurelia Bouchez.





Mrs. Aliyeva said the high-level meetings of the heads of state contributed to the strengthening of the ties between the two countries even more. Noting that many French companies were operating in Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva hailed the humanitarian cooperation between the two countries.





Head of Azerbaijan-France interparliamentary friendship group Mehriban Aliyeva also said good relations were established between the legislative bodies of Azerbaijan and France.





The first lady noted that the Heydar Aliyev Foundation realized and supported a number of projects in France, adding these projects contributed to bringing the two countries` peoples closer to each other. Mehriban Aliyeva expressed confidence that the bilateral cooperation would be continued with the support of French Ambassador Aurelia Bouchez.





Aurelia Bouchez said she was honored to meet with the first lady of Azerbaijan. She hailed Azerbaijani-French as robust. The French Ambassador underlined that relations between the two countries were developing in all spheres.




Azerbaijan`s first lady, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva has met with Iranian Ambassador to the country Mohsen Pakayin.





The President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation highlighted the successful cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran, adding the political relations contributed to the development of the two countries. The first lady noted that reciprocal visits of the heads of state strengthened the bilateral ties even more. Mehriban Aliyeva expressed confidence that the cooperation would continue to expand.





Stressing the role of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in developing relations among countries, the first lady said the Foundation attaches special importance to humanitarian cooperation. Mehriban Aliyeva expressed confidence that educational and cultural relations between the two countries would be strengthened even further.





Mohsen Pakayin said he has been the Ambassador in Azerbaijan for more than two years. He spoke of historical and cultural ties between the two countries. Mohsen Pakayin praised the activity of the Foundation.




The delegation headed by Azerbaijan`s Justice Minister, Chairman of Judicial-Legal Council Fikrat Mammadov has visited on March 7-10 Vietnam on the invitation of the Minister of Justice of this country to further expand legal relations between Azerbaijan and Vietnam within development of the bilateral relations.





Having noted the relation of friendship and effective cooperation between the two countries, Fkirat Mammadov reminded historical visits of the great leader Heydar Aliyev to this country and the great son of the Vietnamese people Ho Chi Minh to Azerbaijan. He also noted special role of mutual visits of the heads of states in the last two years in strengthening of bilateral ties and signing of important documents in various areas.





Mammadov highlighted the large-scale legal reforms carried out under the leadership of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.





Noting special significance which is attached in Vietnam to full cooperation with the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Minister of Justice of Vietnam Ha Hung Cuong reminded the support given by Azerbaijan to his country during fight for independence and the help in preparation of national specialists. The Vietnamese minister has noted that he knows about comprehensive dynamic progress of Azerbaijan, about the development of judicial and legal system, that success achieved by Azerbaijan in this area arouses great interest, and its positive experience will be taken into account when carrying out legal reforms in Vietnam.





After negotiations, the sides have signed the cooperation agreement between the Ministries of Justice of two countries.





The Agreement envisions expansion of cooperation between judicial authorities, mutual visits of delegations, training of justice personnel, legal researches and teaching, and also implementation of other actions interesting for both parties. The parties have expressed confidence that this important document would be successfully realized and make valuable contribution to development of mutual cooperation. Having noted importance of the Agreement, the Vietnamese minister has specified that it will give ample opportunities for studying of the experience of Azerbaijan.





During the visit, Azerbaijan`s Justice Minister has also met with a number of Vietnamese authorities, held a series of meetings.




By Vagif Sharifov, Anakhanum Khidayatova  Trend:

Trend Agency has had an exclusive interview with the President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili, who earlier arrived in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to take part in the Fourth Global Baku Forum.

The interview with the president touched upon such important topics as the relations between Georgia and Azerbaijan, stability in the South Caucasus, as well as cooperation in economy, tourism, transportation and energy industry.

Speaking about the relations between his country and Azerbaijan, President Margvelashvili said he is very happy to be in Baku and see the city develop so rapidly and dramatically.

I am happy to see our Azerbaijani friends and I am very happy to see once again my good friend [President of Azerbaijan] Ilham Aliyev, he said.

President Margvelashvili described the relations between Georgia and Azerbaijan as perfect.

We have a longstanding partnership, which I would call a strategic partnership, he said.

Margvelashvili noted that this partnership is determining the future of not only Georgia and Azerbaijan, but also the future of many other countries.

He said the Georgia-Azerbaijan partnership has turned into a relationship that is influencing the countries in Europe and Asia.

He said this relationship has only perfect perspectives in the future, adding that the countries' leaders have to build a great future on the great past.

Margvelashvili also said the two countries' joint contribution to strengthening of stability in the region was discussed at his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev.

"President Aliyev and I see the future the same way. We think that we should bring opportunities and we should show the Caucasus as a region of opportunities, because that is the reality that we have to develop, he said.

He added that the great project of the Silk Road shows that the Caucasian and the Caspian-Black sea cooperation is really a crucial part of this very important process, and a very important part of the relations on the Eurasian continent.

"And in this respect what we offer to our partners is the closest and most efficient route for the delivery of not only energy supplies, but there are also the transportation projects, logistical projects," he added.

So, by doing so we both believe that we build security and stability, he said. It is not only economic benefits that we envision in this process, but it is the security benefits as well.

He added that in todays world, it is very important that other countries, and maybe the countries in different regions, are interested in having a stable route of supplies and communications.

Margvelashvili said Georgia and Azerbaijan, by strengthening their relations, by strengthening this part of the Silk Road, are bringing more stability into the region, and the bringing interest of dozes of countries located to both the east and the west of the Caucasus.

So, that is how we look at this, he added. Of course, both of us understand the complications that are in the region, the complications that have actually become even more complicated during the recent two years.

But the complications have to be overcome by the great example of partnership of our two nations, he said.

Relations in tourism sector

Margvelashvili further said he and President Ilham Aliyev have discussed the tourism opportunities.

He described the tourism opportunities between the two countries as very interesting.

Because people come to Azerbaijan, people come to Caspian Sea, people come to Georgia, and people come to Black Sea, and both of these regions are very interesting, he said.

Those regions could be packaged together and we could think about doing packaged programs and packaged projects that could be more easily advertised and could bring more tourists, added the president.

He said both Georgia and Azerbaijan have great opportunities for historical tourism, for tourism that is related with resorts and with healthcare.

And if we package these together, I believe that those projects and those products would be even more interesting, he added. So, we agreed today that we would engage our appropriate agencies to cooperate in this direction.

He also spoke about the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project and recalled that the project is going to be completed at the end of this year.

We look at this project not only as an economic project, but also as a great opportunity to share with our Azerbaijani, Turkish and Georgian friends, he said.

He said Georgias transportation and communication infrastructure is also being developed jointly.

Economic cooperation

Further speaking about the economic cooperation between Georgia and Azerbaijan, President Margvelashvili said Azerbaijani partners are actively investing in the countrys development.

We are actually very thankful for the very active role of SOCAR [State Oil Company of Azerbaijan] in development of Georgia, said the president.

We are very excited with opening of opportunities of the free trade agreement that we have with Europe to our Azerbaijani investors, added the president. So, there are great opportunities, which we have to utilize.

Energy is one of the most interesting areas for investment, Margvelashvili further said.

He added that Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia are in this bridge of energy cooperation and they are very actively developing not only gas and oil cooperation, but also the cooperation in the exchange of electricity.

Georgia has great opportunities in agriculture, in tourism, by the way also in energy, in hydro-energy production, he said. So, all those opportunities are there and we are jointly developing them.

He also said the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey (AGT) Power Bridge Project is a very interesting project and a very important project for Georgia.

And it has been discussed for a while and we are much interested in the project. Still we are developing the feasibility study of this, but I believe that the strategic partnership between Georgia and Azerbaijan  the strategic partnership that has been reflected in many projects  will be continued in this project as well, he said in conclusion.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received the Islamic Republic of Iran Border Guard Commander Qasem Rezaee.





Recalling his recent visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran, the head of state said the visit produced wonderful results and stressed the importance of the fact that the two countries signed 12 documents on the bilateral cooperation. President Ilham Aliyev said cooperation between the two countries covered all areas and was rapidly developing. He pointed to the history of ties between the Azerbaijani and Iranian border services, adding that the visit of the Islamic Republic of Iran Border Guard Commander Qasem Rezaee would give impetus to these relations. The head of state said the two countries and nations were bound together by ties of history. President Ilham Aliyev said Azerbaijan and Iran were jointly addressing international challenges, and underlined the significance of expanding the coordination of the activity of the two countries` border services and deepening their cooperation.





The Islamic Republic of Iran Border Guard Commander Qasem Rezaee hailed the importance of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev`s and Iranian President Hasan Rouhani`s supporting the development of relations between the border services. He praised President Ilham Aliyev`s last visit to Iran, saying fruitful discussions were held during the trip. Qasem Rezaee said high-level reciprocal visits would give impetus to the expansion of cooperation between the border services of Azerbaijan and Iran.




Panel meeting entitled 'Global Responsibility for Syria: towards action plan' has been held in the framework of IV Global Baku Forum.





Panel meeting moderator, Swedish ambassador to Syria Peter Semneby stated issues in Syria shows that no political force is able to put an end to the hard conflict:





Addressing the panel meeting, former Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini emphasized crisis in Syria could lead to degradation of humanity: 'This is a human tragedy. If you are talking about a person, number does not matter'.





Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien stated the main problem is problem of Syrian refugees.





In the panel meeting, former Croatian President Stjepan Mesic noted that two major problems exist and these problems concerns all the world.





Former Lebanese President Amine Gemayel stressed external intervention in Syria's internal affairs should be prevented.





Stating Russia's becoming a major force in Syria, Former Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hikmet Cetin said Syrian crisis is a test for the whole world. He noted despite powerful army of Bashar al-Assad, support by Russia and Iran is undeniable fact.




/By Azernews/

By Nazrin Gadimova

At a time when the conflicts are shattered all around the world undermining overall security challenges, many experts urge that Nagorno-Karabakh conflict poses a serious threat to stability in the region.

The current stagnation in the peace process intrigued many interested parties to suggest ways of settlement, but they turn out inefficient to help resolving the long lasting conflict.

The Baku Global Forum, which is underway in Azerbaijan's capital with the participation of outstanding political figures to discuss various topics, including regional threats, also made a number of calls to intensify the Karabakh peace process.

Prominent participants of the event voiced their views on the conflict that evolved in 1988 as a result of Armenian aggression. The unfair war has entailed occupation of the Nagorno Karabakh and seven surrounding districts which make up 20 percent of the Azerbaijani territory.

Croatian former president Stefan Mesic said that the two-day forum pays special attention to the search of ways out of various conflicts.

Touching upon the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Mesic said that this issue should be resolved peacefully.

"First of all, the international community needs to know how the Nagorno-Karabakh was occupied," he said.

Turkeys former foreign minister Hikmet Cetin, in turn, believes that solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be beneficial not only for Azerbaijan but also for the entire region.

"I believe that this conflict can be resolved by peaceful means, he said. Azerbaijan also seeks to resolve the conflict peacefully. I hope that the major world powers, the United Nations will make the necessary efforts to resolve the conflict.

Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, ISESCO head, admits that the international community should pay more attention to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as to the withdrawal of belligerent Armenian forces from the Azerbaijani territories. He stressed that the world should pay attention to the return of refugees to their lands.

"The position of ISESCO remains unchanged -- we support justice and call for the immediate withdrawal of Armenian troops from Azerbaijani territories, as well as cessation of the occupation, Altwaijri added.

Secretary General of the Club of Madrid, Carlos Westendorp, in turn, believes that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must not be frozen.

"It must be resolved through dialogue and negotiations, as good neighborly relations between the countries are very important. It will be good both for the country [Azerbaijan] and for its neighbor [Armenia]. The neighbor must also admit that the occupation of territory through force is not allowed and there are always ways to solve the situation by negotiations, Westendorp stressed.

Addressing the forum, Viktor Zubkov, Chair of the Russian Gazproms Board of Directors said that Russia could act as the main mediator in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

He also said that the resolution of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be carried out through coordinating with Russia, stressing high level of confidence existing between Azerbaijan and Russia.

Tensions between Russia and Turkey have no influence on the South Caucasus, Zubkov added.
/By Azernews/

By Aynur Karimova

Germany supports Turkmenistan's initiative to establish a specialized structure under the auspices of the UN - a Regional Centre on Climate Change in Central Asia - in Ashgabat.

This support was announced at a meeting held between Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov and German Ambassador to Turkmenistan Ralf Andreas Brett on March 9.

The German diplomat also stressed the importance of Ashgabat's international initiatives on ecological issues.

The Turkmen president said that implementation of joint projects and environmental programs are among the promising areas of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

In today's world the environmental issues, including those related to water management, have become more important as further development of human society is impossible without resolving them.

Taking the importance of ecological issues for the whole Central Asian region, in September 2015, Turkmenistan proposed the establishment of the Regional Centre on Climate Change in Ashgabat under the UN auspices.

"Remaining committed to this idea, our country is ready to take steps to establish such a center in Ashgabat in 2016 in collaboration with the UN Development Program," said President Berdymukhamedov, who addressed the 70th session of the UN General Assembly.

In his speech, the Turkmen president noted that resolution of environmental problems cannot be achieved without economic and social development.

"Turkmenistan supports the signing of international agreements on climate issues and will take an active part in promotion of this idea," he added urging the world countries to strengthen international ecological cooperation, to continue fighting against hunger and poverty in the world, and to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Ashgabat has also proposed to create the UN Aral Sea Program.

Turkmenistan is currently chairing the Intergovernmental Commission on Sustainable Development of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea in 2015-2016.

The country not only supports international initiatives on protecting and strengthening world peace and security, cooperation in the ecology and environmental protection, but also takes decisive steps towards resolving ecological problems at the governmental level.

The Central Asian nation is currently working on a large-scale project to preserve Altyn Asyr Lake in the middle of the Karakum desert. The project is designed to take drainage water from irrigated lands of all provinces and collect it in the country's huge natural basin Karashor.

Turkmenistan is also carrying out research on the impact of the Turkmen lake and its collector network on improving biodiversity and ecological conditions. One of the most important tasks is to prevent the contamination of Amu Darya. One way to do so is the creation of Turkmen Lake.
/By Azernews/

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijans capital city Baku will once again be an excellent place to discover French cuisine and to fall in love with it.

For the second consecutive year, Baku will host the Gout de France or Good France Dinner  a celebration of French gastronomy Day marked March 21.

The second edition of this international event celebrated in a number of cities worldwide, will mark French cuisines recent listing in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity category by UNESCO, and its influence on the world.

In 1912, Auguste Escoffier started Les Diners dEpicure (Epicurean Diners): one day, one menu, served in cities around the world, to as many guests as possible. In 2015, the first edition of Gout de took the idea further, bringing all categories of restaurants together globally.

Over a 1,500 chefs in all five continents are expected to join the event, presenting delicious and traditional samples of French cuisine.

The restaurants, which are going to participate in the project will present a menu including breakfast accompanied by French champagne or wine, first course, main course, cheese and dessert.

Dinners served simultaneously in participating restaurants will honor the merits of French cuisine, its capacity for innovation, and its values: sharing, enjoying, and respecting the principles of high-quality, environmentally responsible cuisine.

Three prestigious restaurants of Baku will also present creative and surprising menu: Paris Bistro will present the menu on March 15, Hyatt Regency on March 16 and JW Marriott on March 17.

To promote the importance of proper nutrition and taste, famous French Tibo Bera will prepare dinner for the students of N132/134 school.
GREECE  Santorini (Oia) 15:51 Travel Bunny 0 Comments

Oia is the most famous town on Santorini, known for its breathtaking sunset and its charming white wash buildings and blue domed churches. The town extends for almost 2 km along the northern edge of the caldera. Built on the steep cliff overlooking the Aegean sea, its romantic ambience, especially during the sunset time made it a honeymoon destination too.I was staying at Marizan Cave Hotel, near the windmills area.The morning view of Oia.The view of Thirasia island greeted me right in front of my villa suite.Its nice to enjoy breakfast in such a beautiful setting.Private sunbeds for Marizan Cave Hotel guests.Near Oia bus station, is Lolitas Gelato. Highly recommended by the locals, I decided to try it out.Best Gelato in Greece? Not sure if the claim was true until I try it. Haha.Well, my son sure liked it. Two thumbs up!After the gelato break, time to explore Oia town until sunset.Plenty of souvenir shops in Oia.This is Church of Panagia Platsani at the main square. Its open to public for free.In Oia, there are 2 types of dwellings, the cave houses which used to be the homes of ship crews, and the Captains houses.Many of the churches in Oia were dedicated to sailors. Most of them were privately owned and inherited.People also come to Oia for wedding shoots. Not an easy task under the hot sun.I dont think Ill ever get tired of the view of Oia town.Oia Castle is where I planned to view the sunset. The time was still early, so Im heading to the Ammoudi port first.View of Oia near the windmill area. From here, I walked down the donkey path towards Ammoudi port.Its 235 steps to be exact. You can either walk the steps or catch a ride on the back of a donkey.The steps are broad and the path is much further than I first thought.The buildings on top of cliff was getting smaller.The donkeys were waiting at the bottom.Finally, I reached Ammoudi port. Its a small fishing harbour with waterfront taverns and restaurants.A rocky trail leads to a small beach.I think it's known as Armeni Beach. Well, it's all rock and no sand.Two ladies posing for a shot.Were now at the bottom of Oia.After all that walking, we decided to have our late lunch in one of the restaurant named Sunset in Ammoudi.All the restaurants in Ammoudi offers a beautiful view of the sea.A refreshing Greek salad for starter.Grilled squid as main dish.Im Captain Davy Jones! Haha.Grilled pork rib.My son enjoyed an afternoon nap in the restaurant and he just woke up in time to join us for lunch.A string of fresh octopus.Ammoudi port can also be reached by car through the old pumice stone mines.Its time to head back for the sunset view. We decided to ride the donkeys this time.My hubby and son shared a ride.It was a bumpy, uncomfortable ride but it beats having to walk all the way up. The ride cost around 5 euros.Piracy used to be real threat for the islander during medieval ages. The Castle of Saint Nikolas and its fortification serves as a lookout point with 360-degree view. Today, its packed with tourists who wants to get the best shot of Oia sunset.Look at the crowd waiting for the sun to set.We didnt really see the sun sets into the sea that day due to weather.In my opinion, the sun set view might be overrated but its still one of the must-do things in Oia.Lets toast for Oia sunset!Back to Marizan Caves for a brief rest.My husband offered to babysit my son and let me wandered Oia on my own! I was so thrilled.The crowds who gathered for the sunset view were everywhere.And I just wanted to get away from the crowds. So I explored off-beaten trails, anywhere the staircase leads and my feet could carry me. Ill just let the photos do the talking from now, hehe.If you think the sunset in Oia is breathtaking, the night scenes in Oia is even more magical when the lights were on and the moon looms in the sky.I love these dresses but didnt think I could afford one.My little adventure in Oia ended here. I was in love with this charming town and hopefully I can come back here again one day.
Trying to experience as much of God's amazing world as possible
I got into an impromptu debate over banning guns in light of pro-gun advocate Jamie Gilt accidentally getting shot in the back by her 4 year old son while she was driving.

I'll post my side of the debate. I won't post people's names or the link to the thread itself since it may not be ideal to do so (e.g. some people may wish to protect their privacy which I'll honor here).

I've slightly edited some of it mostly for the sake of clarity as well as privacy. I've added a couple of arguments and evidences here and there. Nothing novel or new to what I've already said, I don't think, but mostly meant to better support what I've already said.

However, I did have to make one significant correction with the number of firearms in the US in the 1990s vs. 2010s. Originally I had said 80 million vs. 350 million, but I now think it's closer, though the difference still seems significant i.e. 200 million vs. 300 million. At any rate, those in the know seem to agree gun ownership is at a high today. Higher than in the 1990s.

Finally, the debate isn't in chronological order. Instead, I'll arrange it by topic and interlocutor.

Here it is:

The 2nd amendment

I agree:

1. If the American people wish to change the 2nd amendment, then there's a Constitutional process by which this is done.

2. Also, this goes to one of the fundamental issues involving the 2nd amendment: the right of the American people to be or have a check against state tyranny. And it's hardly far-fetched to consider that historically-speaking tyrants and their tyrannies have arisen in the midst of non-tyrannical societies.

As an American, I do have a vested interest in what happens to the 2nd amendment. Especially given the upcoming election, and especially in light of Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia's death. What happens to the 2nd amendment is very much a live issue, depending on who is elected president, and who is appointed as the next Supreme Court justice.

"Yes I am very interested to what happens with the appointment of a new Supreme Court justice. Hopefully President Obama is able to appoint a moderate justice without extremist (dare I say it fascist) views like Scalia."

For better or for worse, Obama won't be the one to appoint the next justice. He might nominate a candidate, but the Senate most likely won't approve his nomination.

Not unless Obama is willing to compromise with the Senate on a moderate justice. However, so far, Obama has been pretty clear he wants a liberal "extremist" - i.e. someone who is the polar opposite of Scalia.

Most likely it'll be the next president who gets to appoint the next justice.

Scalia wasn't a "fascist" like Mussolini or Hitler. That's just a pejorative. Scalia was a Constitutionalist - i.e. a textualist and an originalist.

Trump is closer to a "fascist" than any other candidate.

"No, a great myth. Scalia bent his 'original meaning' jurisprudence to ensure it brought about the specific conservative outcomes he desired. Now most justices do that but he pretended otherwise. His tendency to include belligerent flourishes within his judgments belied a personality not open to consideration of views other than his own."

1. I didn't say I agreed with everything Scalia did. However, the real "myth" is calling him a "fascist." You may not agree with his jurisprudence, but to call him a "fascist" is grossly inaccurate.

2. Also, Scalia didn't "pretend otherwise." He has published books and written papers arguing for his jurisprudence.

3. As you say, what you say could be applied to the liberal or even moderate justices on the Court such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg or Anthony Kennedy. Does that make them "fascists" too?

In fact, Kennedy himself explicitly and positively compared his Supreme Court to the Nazis in an interview after the Obergefell decision.

4. You take his "flourishes" as belligerence and suggest a personality disorder, but others take them differently (e.g. wit). However, even if he was belligerent, it doesn't mean he was a "fascist."

5. Scalia was famously best friends with liberal justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She held a high regard for him despite the fact that they completely disagreed on most issues. Yet she never argued he was a "fascist."

Interlocutor #1

In my opinion:

1. I think the real issue isn't so much "gun rights" as it is the mother's negligence in having a loaded gun in her backseat.

2. Besides, if it's true we should ban guns because there may be accidents leading to injuries, then one could argue along similar lines about a great many other things. For example, should we ban scissors because sometimes people accidentally cut or even puncture themselves or others? Should we ban hot boiling water because sometimes people accidentally spill hot boiling water on themselves or others? Etc.

"2. is pretty thin there, Patrick. Scissors and boiling water are useful for things other than injuring and killing. Guns aren't. Scissors and boiling water don't cause accidental deaths (except perhaps in the most unlikely of circumstances). Guns do."

1. It seems like poisoning the well to frame it as guns not being "useful for things other than injuring and killing." Obviously no one would be in favor of "injuring and killing" (simpliciter).

2. Not all "injuring" and "killing" is necessarily morally wrong. For example, surgeons sometimes have to "injure" in order to help a patient.

3. Actually, guns are "useful" for sport which doesn't involve "injuring and killing" others.

4. I could just as easily reply that guns in responsible hands "don't cause accidental deaths (except perhaps in the most unlikely of circumstances)."

5. Of course, the fundamental issues here involve the second amendment in the U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights.

"1, 3. The usefulness of a gun for home defence, hunting, or wildlife population control stems from its ability to kill."

Well, the "usefulness" of scissors likewise "stems from its ability to cut"...

"Sport-shooting, as you correctly note, is the exception."

Yes, that's why I mentioned it, because it was an exception to your claim.

"wilfully creating a situation in which thousands of people are accidentally injured or killed each year might be."

Hm, "creating a situation" is a bit vague. What (or who) "created" the "situation"? Not sure what you're referring to?

Also, correlation isn't necessarily causation.

"(not to mention the lethal escalation of situations like domestic violence caused by the presence of guns in homes"

If guns weren't around, what makes you think "lethal escalation" wouldn't occur via some other means?

"Seems like it would be helpful to have some tighter legislation around the responsible storage and handling of guns, though."

Yes, of course, but that's quite different than saying the U.S. should ban guns.

Also, there are restrictions in many cities and states already. One could always go further, I suppose, but that's a different point.

"Guns are finding their way into the hands of children. And the mentally ill."

I did mention "responsible" gun ownership earlier.

"And perhaps it would be worth doing some kind of accidental scissor death vs. accidental gun death comparison to find out whether the circumstances in which each might occur are similarly likely."

1. I'm using the "scissors" analogy as a reductio ad absurdum, not as something I actually believe in or whatever.

2. One question that isn't often asked is how often guns have saved lives.

"Or one interpretation of it."

Given we're talking about what happened in the U.S., it would seem pretty relevant to mention issues involving the 2nd amendment, etc.

Interlocutor #2

"Do you know what would've stopped this bad baby with a gun? A good baby with a gun."

Well, this wasn't a "bad baby." It's not as if the kid had evil intent to do its mother harm. It was an accident. An accident where the mother is blameworthy for her negligence.

Interlocutor #3

"Hmmm Patrick... Can you clarify how they kept people safe? Guns as a protective mechanism totally confuses me."

For example, I've known people in the following situations:

Say someone lives in a very tough neighborhood. Say he has had people try to rob him. Once they flash their gun, or make it known they have a gun, the perpetrators slink back into the shadows.

Or say someone tries to break into a couple's house while they're asleep. Same deal. Once the would-be burglars were aware the husband had a gun, they high-tailed it out of there. Best to move onto a "gun-free" house, I suppose.

"Hahaha you're a strong one. All good, I personally just wanted to know how strong your stance is."

As an American, I strongly support the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights which includes the 2nd amendment. :-)

"I personally can not see how a weapon designed to kill is meant to protect but I won't open that can of worms."

That's not up to the weapon. That's up to the person using the weapon. A weapon like a gun can be used to kill and/or protect. The will to kill and the will to protect are intentions, and inanimate object like guns cannot have intentions, whereas people can.

"We had a Port Arthur massacre a while ago, you heard about it maybe. Pretty bad, but since we banned guns, there have been no massacres since. Could be coincidence? Could be not."

1. It's not about "massacres" alone. It's about crime in general. Or at least violent crimes. For example, has there been a decrease in violent crimes like murders or rapes since guns have been "banned"?

2. If so, then there may seem to be correlation, but is it necessarily causation? Is there a causal relationship between banning guns and a decrease in violent crimes? As I've said, correlation isn't necessarily causation.

3. As for Australia as an example for America to emulate, see here.

4. Since the UK was brought up, let's look at the UK which, according to this article, is the "violent crime capital of Europe" and has even higher rates of violence than the US.

5. While we're at it, let's look at parts of Europe too. Has there been a decrease in violent crimes like rapes and murder? What about what happened to women in Cologne, Germany? What about what's been happening to women in Scandinavian nations with refugees attempting to sexually assault them? On the face of it, there doesn't seem to be a decrease in violent crimes. And police often seem too late to help.

6. For another example, see this Harvard study.

"I won't digress too much further but I will ask this question. Say you have a 17 year old son or daughter, you love them dearly but you and your wife want to go away for the weekend. Would you be willing to leave the gun in their hands?"

Yes, if they are a mature and responsible 17 year old. That makes all the difference.

There are many mature and responsible American teenagers or young adults. For example, see here.

Interlocutor #4

"But most people realise that guns have not kept people safe at all and prevented crime. That is an absurd myth sprouted by the NRA."

They've kept people I know safe. Or is that a "myth" too? :-)

"According to the BBC, there were 372 mass shootings in the US in 2015 (killing or injuring more than four people), 64 school shootings, 13,286 people were killed by firearms (excluding suicides), the number of gun murders per capita were 30 times that of the UK, 60% of murders were by firearm compared to 18.2% in Australia and the death toll from firearms in the US between 1968 and 2011 is higher than Americans killed in every war it has fought. Yep, keeping people safe and preventing crime."

1. It's comparing apples to oranges in comparing the US with the UK (or other nations). How are they relevantly analogous to one another? Different nations may have different political, economic, social, and cultural distinctions which may factor into "gun violence." In short, it's an argument from analogy minus the argument. Where's the argument that the UK and US are relevantly analogous to one another such that it's fair game to compare each in terms of gun violence?

Related, as I said above, correlation isn't necessarily causation either.

2. It's no surprise if a country has weapon x, then there may be many deaths associated with weapon x. It's like saying in the Middle Ages most people were killed by swords. Ok, so what? How does having a lot of deaths by sword mean swords should be banned? Plus, if you took away swords, then maybe more people would be killed by other means (e.g. knives).

3. Hence a better question is to ask: has there been less crime committed in the UK or Australia after guns were confiscated? How is crime overall in the UK or Australia? At least from what I can tell, there's still plenty of crime in both the UK and Australia!

4. The right of self-defense is a fundamental human right. (Although pacifists would disagree.) Shouldn't, for example, husbands be able to have the right to protect themselves and their families? Or should a father allow his wife and children to be raped and murdered (e.g. the Cheshire, Connecticut home invasion murders)?

Or take American families who live in gang infested areas with a high amount of crime including gun violence.

Or take Americans who live on Mexican border towns with routes used by drug cartels.

These aren't hypothetical. They're very much live concerns for many Americans.

5. If you want to cite news articles, here are some stats on Australia (e.g. here, here).

"Wow. Yes, we should give guns to everybody. Everybody will be safe."

That's just sneering sarcasm. Not an argument for banning guns.

"There are cultural differences between the UK and the US but this is a very simple comparison. One has lots of guns and one has few guns. One has 30 times the number of gun deaths "per capita" than the other."

1. Well, your answer is "a very simple" answer. There are a lot of factors that contribute to violent crimes such as rape and murder besides guns. For example, in the US certain racial/ethnic groups are overrepresented in violent crimes including violent crimes committed by guns (e.g. African-Americans). Not to mention certain genders and ages are likewise overrepresented in violent crimes (e.g. young men). Not to mention certain communities are more prone to violent crimes (e.g. socioeconomically disadvantaged communities). And so on and so forth.

2. Also, as I said to you, correlation isn't necessarily causation. At best, there may be a correlation between guns and violent crimes, but where's the argument there's a direct causal relationship between guns and violent crimes? You're missing a connecting argument.

"I agree. Many more guns = many more deaths."

1. That's not what I argued. I never said "Many more guns = many more deaths." You're just putting words into my mouth.

Instead, if I were to use your formulation, I'd say: many more guns = many more death by guns. However, I hasten to add it doesn't necessarily follow if there are less deaths by guns, then there will be less murders (or other violent crimes).

2. Besides, how does "more guns" even necessarily mean "more deaths" in general? For one thing, it depends on the population or community that's acquiring more guns. If you give more guns to a responsible police department, then that won't necessarily mean more guns will result in more deaths by police officers.

3. Similarly, if more good and responsible Americans are armed with more guns, it doesn't necessarily mean there will definitely be "many more deaths."

4. However, if you increase the number of guns among murderers and rapists, then, yes, it's plausible there will be more deaths by guns.

"And yes, having lots of deaths by sword would mean we should ban swords. In fact, the ownership and purchase of swords in many US states is more highly regulated than the ownership and purchase of firearms."

You're missing the point of the analogy if you think this is about banning swords.

"Yes, thankfully crime is very low in Australia across most categories."

That's not what the previous articles I've cited suggest.

"won't make an argument that this is because we banned guns as that cannot be tested."

You've just conceded your main argument! If it's true we cannot test whether banning guns has led to decreased violent crimes, then you can't make an argument that banning guns in the US will necessarily lead to lower violent crime either, because it cannot be tested. You're shooting yourself in the foot (pardon the pun). At best, we don't know.

"But since Australia brought in extremely strict gun laws in the wake of the terrible Port Arthur massacre in 1996, we have had no mass shootings. None. Zilch. Zip. Just to remind you, the US has had 372 mass shootings. Oh wait, that was just in 2015. In the 18 years before those laws were introduced, Australia had experienced 13 mass shootings."

1. Well, you just said it can't be "tested" if banning guns necessarily led to this. According to your logic, it could just as well be a complete coincidence!

2. According to this source, homicide incidents in Australia were already on the decline before the Port Arthur massacres, and in fact there were a couple of increases after Port Arthur:

"Further, since 1996, the Australian murder rate has fallen to close to one per 100,000 versus the US that has a murder rate of 4.5 per 100,000."

1. It depends on what source you're citing. I have no idea how accurate or inaccurate your sources are because you don't name them here.

2. Your citation is less than forthright, because you don't say if the US murder rates have increased or decreased or stayed the same. For example, if they have decreased from say 9.0 per 100,000 to 4.5 per 100,000 at the same time guns increased, then the correlation could be that guns helped decrease the murder rates.

3. Just to remind you, I already pointed out how it's often like comparing apples to oranges in comparing across different nations. For example, it could just as well be murder rates in Australia are due to Australians being peaceful people, whereas murder rates in the US are due to Americans being less peaceful people. If so, then this has nothing to do with guns, but temperament.

"Moreover, the robbery rate in Australia stands at half that of the US (58 v 113.1 per 100,000)."

1. Again, you yourself have admitted you couldn't "test" that banning guns necessarily led to lower crime, so you've conceded your main argument.

2. Again, it's overly simplistic to compare across nations like this. It fails to take into consideration so many other factors such as the ones I mentioned above.

3. Again, correlation isn't necessarily causation. Why is (arguendo) a lower robbery rate necessarily caused by banning guns? That's the real question.

4. Again, you cite the "robbery rate," but more important is what you leave out (e.g. whether those rates have increased, decreased, or remained; the time frame).

5. A national robbery rate doesn't tell us much if the demographics and other factors are completely different city to city or state to state.

Say 25 anti-gun states have a robbery rate of 100 per 100,000, whereas the 25 pro-gun states have a robbery rate of 1 per 100,000. That'd give us an average national robbery rate of approximately 50 per 100,000. Yet that'd be completely misleading, because the 25 pro-gun states actually have a much lower robbery rate than the anti-gun states.

"Now there are undoubtedly different factors that come into these differences."

Yup. And that's a crucial difference.

What makes you think, for example, that guns are what have directly caused violent crime in the US rather than, say, socio-cultural and socio-economic problems in the US? What makes you think gun violence is the cause rather than the symptom?

"But it certainly stands as stronger evidence that gun control works"

1. You're equivocating, because you originally talked about gun bans, yet now you're substituting gun bans with gun control.

2. If gun control is an issue, many cities or states in the US have plenty of gun control. Take Chicago. It has some of the strongest gun regulation laws in the nation. Yet that hasn't kept Chicago from suffering one of the highest violent crime rates including shootings in the nation.

3. In fact, if you really want to do a fair statistical comparison, then you should compare gun control policies (e.g. strict or relaxed) among US cities which are demographically similar (among other relevant factors). Although it would still fall short of arguing for banning guns, it'd at least be a more accurate assessment than comparing the U.S. as a whole to Australia as a whole.

4. Your citation of the statistics is far from rigorous. It leaves much to be desired as I've mentioned above (e.g. leaving out significant details).

You'd also have to accurately analyze the statistics cited.

"Bogus. There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that shows that gun ownership helps any family protect themselves from incidents of crime."

Saying so doesn't make it so. But nice try.

Also, see here for some empirical evidence of gun ownership protecting people.

"In fact, guns in the household represent a hugely threatening factor to the family itself with the level of family homicide."

1. Not among responsible gun owners.

2. I could just as well assert like you (i.e. without argument) that "guns in the household represent a hugely protective factor to the family itself."

"There were 372 mass shootings in the US last year. How many of them involved the assailant being killed by a joe citizen with a gun?"

First tell me your source for this. I'll try to tell if it's a reliable source or not.

"Yes, I do want to cite statistics. Happy to do it all day."

As I've shown above, you "cite statistics" in a less than objective manner. As they say, there are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.

"It provides for much more convincing argument than nonsense about how guns are essential to protect one's life, limb and property"

1. You earlier called Scalia a "fascist." Despite the fact that I offered counterpoints to this, which you never interacted with. That's the kind of stuff that's truly "nonsense." Given statements like this, it's reasonable to conclude your prejudicial ideological views are taking precedence over your ability to reason.

2. I suspect your prejudicial ideological views are likewise what's coloring your thinking on guns for the same or similar reasons as above.

3. "Statistics" don't make arguments for or against ethical principles. At best, they support the arguments for or against ethical principles.

4. Here's a fundamental question for you: why don't you think self-defense is a basic human right? If someone is attempting to murder me and my family, then why don't I have a right to defend myself? The only consistent answer I can see is if you're a pacifist.

5. Finally, legally speaking, the 2nd amendment is integral to the Constitution and Bill of Rights. No getting around that short of changing the Constitution.

Above and beyond the arguments for and against banning guns in the US is the fact that it's impractical to ban guns in the US. There are already too many firearms in circulation, too many gun black markets in and through the US, too many Americans unwilling to comply, etc.

If you insist on comparing the US to Australia:

1. Australia severely restricted ("banned") guns after Port Arthur (1996).

2. In that same time period, I've read the US actually relaxed gun control laws in most places. So it was generally easier to purchase firearms. For example, it's estimated there were about 200 million firearms in the US in the 1990s, whereas today we have around 300 million (e.g. here).

3. According to this Wiki article, the intentional homicide rates per 100,000 people were:

1995 Australia - 1.80 per 100,000.

1995 USA - 8.22 per 100,000.

2010 Australia - 1.16 per 100,000.

2010 USA - 4.80 per 100,000.

4. Hence:

Australia decreased in intentional homicides by 35.56%.

USA decreased in intentional homicides by 41.61%.

5. If the above is accurate, then the US actually had a slightly bigger decrease in intentional homicides than Australia over the same time period despite the fact that gun ownership has significantly increased.

6. On the one hand, "Self-Reported Gun Ownership in U.S. Is Highest Since 1993."

But on the other hand, "Rate Of U.S. Gun Violence Has Fallen Since 1993, Study Says."

7. See the Pew Research Center on firearm deaths here:

Interlocutor #5

"I think one of the major issues is that most Americans don't know what it's like to live in a relatively gun-free culture. I've lived in Australia and then America (Chicagoland) for the last 2 years. The gun culture here, and the naivety of this idea of personal protection is crazy! Police don't want armed civilians, even if they're good guys with guns, and I much preferred it when the idea of a gun at school was a total impossibility not something that leads to metal detectors. I don't see America changing, unfortunately, if you can't change to the metric system, or to one dollar coins, I can't see you guys changing gun laws! ;) The analogy to scissors is the similar argument that pro-drug people say about alcohol - why don't we ban alcohol? It's just as dangerous as drugs..."

If what you say is true, then it's a double-edged sword. Cuts both ways. It could be turned around as well. An American who has lived in "gun-free cultures" like the UK or Australia could say something like: "most Australians don't know what it's like to live in the US where guns have kept people safe and prevented crime."

"How about we strongly restrict semi-automatic and general gun sales in the US and just see how it goes? That way we don't need to compare anything."

Semi-automatics are already quite restricted in the US. Although I suppose it depends what you mean by "restricted."

"there is no need for civilians to have automatic or semi-automatic weapons. Unless you're house is being robbed by zombie plagues."

1. Actually, I don't think you can kill "plagues" with a gun. You'd need antibiotics if it's a bacterial plague. :-)

2. For starters, check out the National Firearms Act to see how heavily these firearms are regulated.

3. A semi-automatic firearm (e.g. 007 or James Bond's Walther P99 pistol) is better to defend yourself if you are alone and you have multiple assailants against you.

"That's assuming the assailants have guns too! ;P"

1. Not necessarily. If they have knives, it's arguably just as if not more threatening (e.g. see here).

2. Also, if say someone is a single female, then, unless the female is Rhonda Rousey (or maybe even if she is), multiple assailants could easily and quickly overpower a female. She might not have time to get off more than a round or two if she's not using a semi-automatic firearm.

Of course, if a single person is attacked by multiple assailants each with a gun, then a semi-automatic gun as opposed to a single shot pistol would serve as a better defense against these assailants. :-)

"So, just in case I'm attacked by multiple gun or knife wielding assailants, who have broken into my house, through my locked door, and I am then able to get my semi automatic gun out of my safe and then get my ammo out of my separate storage place and load my gun, then I'm safer? Right. I'll choose Australia, and no gun, thanks."

What makes you think there are no criminals with guns in Australia? What's more, doesn't Australia even ban pocket knives and pepper spray in most states? So your option then is to have nothing except maybe a kitchen knife or other household wares to defend yourself against multiple assailants who have broken into your house in Australia. And maybe some self-defense classes. :-)

"You're assuming the best course of defence against armed intruders is a gun."

No, I never made that assumption. Although it's not necessarily mistaken.

"A gun that you'd be able to access, as well as access the ammo, and then be able to shoot all of the assailants before any of them got a shot off at you. Why are burglars even attacking the home owner? What percentage of burglars actually rob someone when they're home? Statistically, are you better off to comply with the burglar's demands or try to resist?"

1. I've already debated the statistics above.

2. People aren't statistics in the sense that, even if there's a 1% chance a family could be robbed or worse, how does that justify not protecting oneself?

3. Here are a few examples of guns protecting people in home invasions (e.g. here, here, and here).

"In my opinion, instead of trying to access my gun out of my safe then access my ammo out of a separately stored place, then load my gun, the go al vigilante on the burglars,"

Is this meant to be a caricature? It's certainly not necessarily how every single robbery or other home invasion goes down. For example, I've read stories of people barricading themselves while they armed themselves against intruders and even called 911 (e.g. here). Why isn't that just as true as your depiction?

"I'd just use my mobile to call the police"

1. When seconds count, the police are minutes away.

2. False dichotomy. You can do both i.e. call the cops and arm yourself.

"because my stuff isn't worth my life, or even the life of my burglars, it's just stuff."

1. That depends on what "stuff" you're referring to. A farmer who has his property burned would have his very livelihood threatened.

2. Also, not all burglars just want your stuff. Sometimes they want your life too.

Guns and suicides

"One of the most surprising benefits of Australia's gun law changes was the decrease in suicides!"

1. This assumes banning guns was the direct cause of the decrease in suicides rather than other factors (e.g. improved mental healthcare).

2. Also, it may be that "suicide by gun" rates in Australia have decreased, but this doesn't necessarily mean suicide rates in general in Australia have decreased overall. Maybe people have turned to committing suicide by some other means.

3. Finally, even if it's true, it doesn't necessarily mean it's applicable to the US. Maybe it is, but maybe it isn't. We'd have to tease it out some more.

"The states that relaxed gun laws slowly had a slower decrease in the suicide rate, and those that relaxed the quicker, quicker! This controls for other factors like mental health funding. Also, gun suicide is the most effective way to ensure death, and many people who try to commit suicide but fail regret that decision, when using a gun they are less likely to live and be able to regret their decision. And these findings have been replicated elsewhere, but perhaps Americans are wired differently to other humans and it's not worth even trying."

This too is from the article:

Leigh and Neill argue (pdf) that this paper's methodology is deeply flawed, as it includes the possibility that fewer than one death a year could occur. David Hemenway at the Harvard School of Public Health noted (pdf) that the Baker and McPhedran method would find that the law didn't have a significant effect if there had been zero gun deaths in the year 2004, or if there weren't negative deaths later on. The authors, he concluded, "should know better."

Since we're discussing guns and suicide:

Let's assume it's true banning guns in Australia directly led to a decrease in suicide rates.

However, that's not the case in other nations such as Japan and Korea which have extremely low gun ownership rates, while having high suicide rates.

At most, all we can say is it worked in Australia, but that doesn't mean it'd work elsewhere. To paraphrase what my interlocutor said (except about Americans): Perhaps Australians are wired differently to other humans.

1. One of the main methods of suicide in the US is hanging for men and poisoning for women. Should we seek to ban all rope or wires and all drugs?

2. In many developing nations, pesticides are responsible for the most suicide deaths. Some have said as many as 1/3rd of all suicide deaths globally are due to ingesting pesticides. Should these developing nations ban pesticides? Just let insects attack their crops, which may be their very sustenance and/or livelihood?

"Seriously? Are you playing the analogy argument again?"

Seriously? Are you acting sarcastically toward me? Rolling your eyes? What's with the attitude?

If it's mistaken, then correct it. Don't just scoff and attempt hand waive the argument away. That does nothing to blunt the argument.

"We can't ban everything, but heavily regulating hand fire arms, and banning semi-automatic weapons has been shown to work well in other countries, it might not work in the US but the evidence suggests that it's worth a shot!"

I've offered contrary arguments and evidence.

"Perhaps we should ban all pools since people still drown. NO."

Exactly. My point was a reductio ad absurdum.

"It's funny, most cancer treatments that work overseas also work in the US."

Seriously? Are you playing the analogy argument again?

"Most counselling techniques that work in Australia also work in the US."

Seriously? Are you playing the analogy argument again?

"If banning rope was shown to work in Oz I would be more than happy to suggest you try it in the US."

That reflects your own poor judgment.

"Banning guns ONLY decreased gun suicide rates! Banning guns does not take away suicidal thoughts!! The high level of stress in Japan and S Korea probably results in the high suicide rates."

Yes, and that's something implicit in all I've said - i.e. that banning guns isn't necessarily the cause, that there may be other factors involved. Or haven't you been paying attention?

"BUT the decrease in gun-related suicide attempts DECREASES the rate of successful suicides because gun suicides at over 90% successful compared to 5% for drugs."

The debate as such isn't over whether suicides are successful or not. Rather, the debate is over whether banning guns would work to decrease overall suicide rates in the US.

"My argument was that banning guns in Australia led to a decrease in suicides. A decrease in successful suicides,"

Actually, that begs the question (e.g. one of the articles you cited had conflicting evidence in it).

"So whether a suicide is successful or not is a key part of that! I never said that decreasing guns decreased the number of suicide attempts, I think you must've read that into what I said, and that's why you brought up Japan and S Korea. I'm sorry you misunderstood my statement,"

1. I see there's some newfound passive-aggressiveness (e.g. "I'm sorry you misunderstood my statement")!

2. No, that's not why I brought up Japan and South Korea. I brought them up because you're attempting to compare Australia to the US in terms of suicide rates and gun bans or severe restrictions. If it's licit to compare Australia with the US (which as I've said I don't think it is), then it's licit to bring in nations like Japan and South Korea as well.

3. In fact, if you wish to limit it to successful suicide rates, both nations still have higher *successful* suicide rates than the US despite gun bans/control. According to the World Health Organization (2014):

a. Successful suicide rates in the US = 12.38 per 100,000.

b. Successful suicide rates in Japan = 18.78 per 100,000.

c. Successful suicide rates in South Korea = 29.34 per 100,000.

4. For good measure, here's Australia:

Successful suicide rates in Australia = 10.65 per 100,000.

That's a 1.73 difference between Australian and the US in successful suicide rates per 100,000. How significant is a 1.73 decrease? Is it significant enough to justify banning all guns and all that this entails? If so, how so?

5. Cyprus has one of the highest gun ownership rates in the world. Yet they have 4.65 successful suicides per 100,000.

Similarly Yemen has high gun ownership rates, but 3.66 successful suicides per 100,000.

Switzerland has high gun ownership rates if we include militia guns, and 9.56 successful suicides per 100,000. Less successful suicides than Australia despite greater gun ownership.

"but the idea that gun suicide attempts are far more likely to be successful was a key part of my argument, in fact I did say that guns were the most effective way to commit suicide, but you must've missed that."

No, I didn't miss it. It's true guns are "the most effective way to commit suicide." However, my point is it doesn't necessarily follow (without further argument and evidence) that therefore (successful) suicide rates would go down significantly enough in the US if we banned guns.

"And I was illustrating something far different to you, you are taking things that haven't been successfully banned elsewhere, or shouldn't or can't be banned, rope, pesticides."

1. No, incorrect. As I said, I was making a reductio. As such, it's not about whether or not it worked elsewhere. It's about the logic of the argument itself.

2. Besides, how is it logical to say, if it worked elsewhere, then it'll (very likely since it's worth trying) work in the US?

"Things where there is no successful precendent for banning. Whereas I was illustrating the fact that Americans are actually very similar to other people around then world, and methods that have been successful elsewhere have been implemented successfully in America."

Well, you made assertions, but you didn't give reasonable supporting argumentation for all of this. But nice attempted revision and updating of your argument.

In fact, you explicitly said: "perhaps Americans are wired differently to other humans and it's not worth even trying."

"Insert offensive personal attack like 'That reflects your own poor judgement'"

Is it a personal attack to call someone out for having poor judgment if they truly have poor judgment? If so, then the Bible made several personal attacks by calling people fools, etc.

If you honestly think we should ban all rope across the nation in order to decrease suicide by hanging with rope, then, yes, this reflects poor judgment, not sound judgment.

"It is flawed to compare the rate of successful suicides and gun ownership between countries."

1. Of course, you were originally trying to compare Australia with the US in terms of gun control and (successful) suicide rates.

2. However, YES! This has been my exact point this entire time! After all this time, thanks for agreeing with me. :-)

"Just because Japan has a high rate of successful suicides but a lower rate of guns . There are many factors that contribute the success of suicides, access to guns, access to drugs, the types of drugs people have access to, the levels of stress that lead up to suicide, access to mental health services, etc, etc."

Yup, exactly. Exactly what I've been saying to you and others this entire time. Just scan through all my posts (again) if you don't believe me or may have inadvertently forgotten (which is fair enough because there have been many posts). Successful suicide rates in the US (as well as violent crime in the US) may or may be caused by high rates of gun ownership. There could be many other factors involved.

"It's a hypothetical! Hence no judgement needed yet! You're judging my potential future judgement on evidence you haven't seen yet that may be very very convincing but that you've already decided isn't!!"

Well, I used a counterfactual: if, then. (In response to your own counterfactual.) I said: if it's true you honestly believe this, then it reflects poor judgment. If you don't, perhaps because there's no evidence for it, then it doesn't reflect poor judgment. However, that's ultimately up to you, not me.

"And, yes, the Washington Post article concedes that some other researchers disagree with their findings, but that doesn't mean it's invalid."

True, but it depends on the arguments and evidence put forward. The fact that there are conflicting arguments within the same article shows it's not necessarily a sure thing, despite the favorable slant including concluding paragraph.

"Some people deny climate change is man made, or that vaccines are effective...."

Of course, all three are separate and unrelated issues. They each don't necessarily have the same evidence base. The evidence for one may or may not be as strong as the evidence for another. We'd have to get more specific. Short of this, we can't necessarily fairly compare them to one another.

"Can of worms being opened..."

It seems to me it's just a standard concluding or end piece for a news article. We'd have to actually read through and analyze each study for ourselves if we want to make any real headway.

Last word from a fellow American

"It is always interesting following discussions amongst those outside the US who believe they know what is best for the US. Patrick, thanks for figuratively sticking to your guns. Great points. All valid. Another interesting statistic is to compare guns per homicide on a per-unit basis. In other words, x number of available guns per 100k per homicide. By the way, another family has been saved by the availability of a firearm."
The Obama Administration unveiled a proposal Thursday to cut methane emissions from existing oil and gas wells, delivering what environmentalists said was a missing piece in the presidents climate puzzle and industry called a blow to companies struggling with weak prices.

The announcement represented the crux of a climate pact presented by U.S. and Canadian leaders in Washington. President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the two countries would work to cut their methane emissions by 40 percent of 2012 levels over the next decade.

Under the proposal, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will request companies provide data on methane emissions from their existing wells. The information will be used to develop new regulations to curb pollution.

By tackling methane emissions, we can unlock an amazing opportunity to spur U.S. action to protect our environment, but also unleash opportunities to think creatively and lead the world in developing a clean energy economy, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy wrote in a blog post announcing the move.

Existing oil and gas wells represent the largest source of industrial methane emissions, administration officials said. But efforts to curb the powerful greenhouse gas, reckoned to be 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, have largely been piecemeal.

The EPA is working on draft rules to curb methane emissions from new wells. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is finishing a rule to address methane from new and existing wells on federal land. And Colorado has taken what is widely seen as the most comprehensive effort to tackle methane levels, implementing leak detection and repair requirements for both new and existing wells.

Wyoming, for its part, has taken steps to limit leaks from existing natural gas wells near Pinedale. The measures call for the type of leak detection and repair programs found in Colorado and are largely aimed at addressing ozone. However, they also prevent leakage of other pollutants like methane.

Environmentalists have argued the provisions should be extended statewide. Wyoming regulators are considering more stringent emission curbs on new wells, though they do not include leak detection and repair requirements.

A spokesman for the Department of Environmental Quality said the state has yet to review the federal proposal, but argued Wyomings efforts to address other forms of pollution also help to curb methane levels.

The EPAs planned regulations are unlikely to be completed before Obama leaves office next year.

Debate over the plan nevertheless broke along traditional lines, with industry lambasting the rules as a jobs killer and environmentalists cheering them as a meaningful effort to curtail rising global temperatures.

EPA has failed to recognize the economic burden placed on replacing equipment on existing wells as opposed to new wells, said John Robitaille, vice president of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming. Costs to existing wells, particularly wells that are considered stripper wells producing small amounts of oil or natural gas, will be greatly affected by this proposal.

Environmentalists argue the regulations are ultimately a cost saver for industry. Methane is the primary component of natural gas and efforts to keep it in the pipe ultimately result in more sales for companies, they argue.

ICF, a consultancy, estimated the cost of leak detection and repair programs to existing wells at roughly 1 cent per thousand cubic foot of gas, said Jon Goldstein, a senior policy analyst at the Environmental Defense Fund.

The types of measures EPA would look at it in this rule-making have been found to be extremely cost effective, he said, adding, You cant bend the curve on the problem if youre only going to apply regulations to new and modified wells.
Wyoming Republicans will gather in each of the states 23 counties today to decide on a presidential nominee.

But while theyll select 12 delegates to send to the Republican National Convention in July, the process wont be complete for another month. Thats because Wyomings selection process stretches over three events  caucuses held earlier this month, todays county conventions and a statewide convention in April.

The county conventions could show which GOP presidential candidate has the most support among Wyoming Republicans.

The major candidates vying for the Republican nomination are Donald Trump, John Kasich, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.

Wyomingites will be selected at their county conventions based on the candidate they support. They will have to sign pledges, promising to support that candidate at the national convention in Cleveland.

They are released from that pledge if their candidate isnt in the race in July, and are free to support another candidate, said Matt Micheli, chairman of the Wyoming GOP.

Several states will have their presidential primaries shortly after Wyoming, including Florida and Ohio on Tuesday. The coming days will determine whether the number of GOP presidential hopefuls will be winnowed down, Micheli said.

Rubio is a U.S. senator from Florida, and Kasich is the governor of Ohio. Both states have winner-take-all primaries. The victor in Florida will collect 99 delegates, while the winner in Ohio will earn 66, he said.

The results in Wyoming and the other states will determine whether any candidate will receive a majority, or at least 1,237 delegates. If none of the candidates does, then the chance is high that the national convention will be brokered.

I think after Tuesday we will know whether we will have a nominee or whether we are heading toward an open convention, Micheli said.

Wyoming will send a total of 29 delegates to Cleveland and 12 will be chosen on Saturday, Micheli said. All counties will choose one delegate each, although about half the counties will select alternate delegates.

In Natrona County, for instance, Republicans will select an alternate Saturday afternoon at the Ramkota Hotel. Natrona County switches with Albany County, which will select a delegate this year. In 2012, Natrona County selected a delegate and Albany County selected the alternate, said Bonnie Foster, chairwoman of the Natrona County GOP.

Fourteen additional delegates will be chosen at the Wyoming State GOP Convention next month in Casper. And three Republicans are automatic delegates who will travel to Cleveland and to select the president: Micheli, State Committeewoman Marti Halverson and State Committeeman Greg Schaefer, Micheli said.

The process of Wyoming Republicans nominating a presidential candidate began in the days leading up to March 1, when Republicans throughout the state voted for precinct delegates for Saturdays county conventions.

Its unclear which candidate Wyoming GOP precinct delegates favor in the presidential race. The GOP will release the results of the county conventions throughout Saturday, and the Star-Tribune will post them online at trib.com.
The winter feeding season has already been brought to a halt at four feedgrounds in the Pinedale area. Wyoming Game and Fish Department spokesman Mark Grocke says the daily hay rations have been reduced at other feedgrounds near Jackson.
In Loving Memory, born January 15, 1927, passed on a beautiful morning on March 8, 2016. Kenny is survived by his loving wife, Mabel; their three sons, Bill (Patti), Chuck (Laurie) and Tom (Elizabeth); 12 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Born in Ingham County, MI served in the US Navy WWII, retired from the telephone company after 41 years of service. Memorial Service to be held at Christ Church United Methodist on Saturday, March 12, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. Arrangements by ANGEL VALLEY FUNERAL HOME.
A teller activated a silent panic alarm when a man demanded money at a credit union on Tucson's northwest side Thursday, authorities said.

Deputies were dispatched to Arizona State Credit Union at 6456 N. Oracle Road at about 10 a.m. in response to the alarm, said Deputy Ryan Inglett, a Pima County Sheriff's Department spokesman.

When deputies arrived, they found out that a man entered the credit union and handed one of the tellers a note demanding money, Inglett said.

The teller gave him an undisclosed amount of cash and activated the silent alarm.

Robbery detectives have taken over the investigation.

Detectives are asking the public for help in identifying the man who was captured on a surveillance camera.

He is described as white and in his 50s. He is about 5 feet 10 inches tall, and weighs about 180 pounds. He was last seen wearing a Kansas State University hat, a blue flannel shirt and jeans, said Inglett.
A sergeant with the Pima County Sheriffs Department who also is head of the deputies union has filed an aggravated assault complaint against Sheriff Chris Nanos.

Sgt. Kevin Kubitskey told Tucson police that he was assaulted by Nanos at about 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 26, according to a police report obtained by the Star through a public records request.

Because Kubitskey is a member of law enforcement, the incident is classified as aggravated assault on a peace officer, a felony.

The report, which was filed March 7, does not go into detail about the incident, which occurred at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge. The Tucson Police Department only released a report that had a brief narrative, which indicated more information was on additional reports that were not released.

The Star previously reported Nanos held a meeting Feb. 26 with the labor groups representing deputies, sergeants and corrections officers, to address any concerns leading into the upcoming sheriffs election.

Its unclear from the police report if the altercation had anything to do with the meeting, but the alleged assault occurred at the same location.

Kubitskey, who is the president of the Pima County Deputy Sheriffs Association, was not injured during the incident, the report says.

Its an ongoing investigation so I cant comment about it at this time, Kubitskey said, when contacted by the Star.

Nanos wouldnt comment on the specifics of the situation, but said that several people witnessed what happened and the findings of the investigation will prove he did nothing wrong.

I have to question (Kubitskeys) motivation in this, Nanos said. Hes filed complaint after complaint against me, to internal affairs, to (Pima County) human resources and to the FBI. I think its all politically motivated.

Since last summer, Kubitskey has been at the front of the deputy associations efforts to receive increases in salary, or step increases, that employees were promised years ago.

Nanos previously said that since September, when Kubitskey took over as union president, things have fallen apart in regards to discussions over pay.

The status of Tucson polices investigation was not known Thursday, but the Pima County Attorneys Office said it has not received the case.

Possible election candidates

On Thursday night, members of the Fraternal Order of Police and the deputies union interviewed potential candidates for the upcoming sheriffs election, according to an email sent to members.

For the first time in years, it appears the unions are prepared to endorse a candidate to challenge the sitting sheriff. Its expected that Nanos, who is completing the term of retired Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, will run for the office.

Dale Monroe, Mark Napier and Luis Pimber answered questions from union members in an informal interview.

Monroe is a University of Arizona graduate who worked as an FBI agent from 1985 to 2012, spending some of his time in Phoenix. He was involved in the standoff with Randy Weaver and several others at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, in 1992. Since he left the FBI, hes worked as a firearms instructor and security consultant. Currently a California resident, Monroe is also a captain in the states military reserve.

Napier, a retired captain with the Tucson Police Department, lost to Dupnik in the 2012 election. He also made an unsuccessful run for Oro Valley Town Council in 2012.
Can you name any of Arizonas past elections directors?

Of course not.

By the nature of their positions, if not their personalities, state elections directors have traditionally been important bureaucrats who stay behind the scenes.

No longer. Eric Spencer, the elections director under Secretary of State Michele Reagan, has been playing a leading role pushing legislation through, and  in the view of some Democrats  advancing the Republican advantages in elections.

This week, Spencer stepped into public view during debate over SB 1516, a vast bill he authored that clarifies aspects of Arizonas campaign and election law. One part of the bill eliminates a state law requiring any organization spending most of its money on electioneering to disclose its donors.

That raised the ire of Democrats, who claimed it opened the door wide to dark-money spending. They sent out a fundraising email over the weekend, ringing alarm bells about the provision. In response, Spencer refused to reveal to Democrats before floor debate on Tuesday the content of a large amendment he planned to have introduced, an unusually political move for an elections director.

Asked by the Democratic caucus attorney for the text of the amendment, Spencer responded via email: Unfortunately, the partisan attacks this weekend have foreclosed any concessions Im able to offer at this point.

Who is he, as elections director, to make such a political call, refusing even to share the text of an amendment? Well, Spencer is an Iraq War veteran who came home and became a specialist in election law. He spent eight years working mostly for Republicans at Snell and Wilmer  alongside Mike Liburdi, now Gov. Doug Duceys general counsel  before becoming Reagans election director.

He may be best known around Tucson as the attorney who represented Martha McSally during the litigation over two close races against Ron Barber, in 2012 and 2014.

Hes also, it seems to me after a half-hour interview Thursday, a true believer in the righteousness of a cause that he, Ducey and other state Republicans like to call reform.

Among the efforts Reagan and Spencer have pursued:

 Joining a lawsuit against the lines drawn by the Arizona Redistricting Commission  a suit Reagans predecessor, Republican Ken Bennett, declined to join;

 Unilaterally refusing to enforce provisions of state law that require that candidates who are the targets of attack ads be notified;

 Supporting bills to make it a felony for most people to deliver another persons ballot  a phenomenon known in state politics as ballot harvesting;

 Threatening legal action against the Citizens Clean Election Commission if it tried to regulate the spending of dark money.

Spencer and Reagans efforts to change our election system have largely been supported by Republicans and opposed by Democrats, but Spencer rejected my characterization of the efforts as partisan.

If someone had an overly cynical view of the world, they would characterize what we do as partisanship, Spencer said. What we really are is reformers.

That may be how they see themselves, but I dont see myself as cynical  just skeptical. How am I supposed to view Reagans speech March 3 to the Conservative Political Action Conference in which she said, The radical left who uses ballot harvesting has blocked our commonsense attempts to close this loophole?

Democrats and others whove spent time around the Capitol assured me that Spencers outspokenness and the increasing partisanship of the office are unusual. When Republican Jan Brewer took office as secretary of state in 2004, for example, she deliberately hired a Democrat, Joe Kanefield, as elections director, though he later became a Republican.

The elections director for the state needs to be 100 percent neutral when it comes to elections, Sen. Steve Farley, a Tucson Democrat, told me. But hes acting as if hes still working as a Republican elections attorney.

Chris Herstam, a former legislator and longtime Capitol observer, told me all the secretaries of state and elections directors hes seen have worked hard to avoid the appearance of partiality. Until now.

Even if youve been politically active before, once you go into that position theres always been the expectation that youll be nonpartisan, said Herstam, a Republican when he was Gov. Fife Symingtons chief of staff who last year joined the Democrats.

While Spencer says hes not being partisan, he acknowledges taking on bigger roles than previous election directors. Hes the general counsel, campaign-finance judge, top decision maker on litigation and also chief lobbyist, he said. Its in that latter role that he denied the Democrats this week.

Longtime Pima County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez, a Democrat, told me that work on updating a key election procedural manual has stalled while the Secretary of States Office works on its priorities.

We started it, and then we stopped it because they were doing campaign finance reform, Rodriguez said. We need to do this before the August election.

For his part, Spencer said he reached out to Democrats about this weeks bill long ago, but they didnt work with him on it and seemed only to want to kill it.

Im getting my bill through the same way any other lobbyist would get their bill through, he said. My job is to get it through the Legislature and get the governors signature on it.

True enough, if that really were his only role. But thats a dangerous position to assume for a public official who should inspire the trust of the entire public, not just the true-believing partisans of the governing party.

BABEU now AGAINST POLITICIZATION

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu won a pretty good endorsement recently  from the National Border Patrol Council Local 2544, the union that represents agents in the Tucson Sector, in his run for the Republican nomination in Congressional District 1. That led to a classic event this week.

In a press conference with Border Patrol union leaders, Babeu lambasted the Obama administration for its alleged politicization of immigration enforcement.

This administration literally has handcuffed them from doing their jobs, Babeu said of the Border Patrol agents.

Of course, this is the sheriff who literally wrote the book on the politicization of immigration enforcement. The lowlights are too numerous to list here, but do you remember build the dang fence or the protest he ginned up in Oracle a couple of years ago? Same guy.

WHEELER SAYS NO

State Rep. Bruce Wheelers on-again off-again dalliance with running for Congress in the second district is off again. Wheeler previously said that he would likely run if Ted Cruz or Donald Trump appeared poised to win the Republican nomination for president.

They are, but he decided against challenging the Democrats in the race, Victoria Steele and Matt Heinz. Indeed, Wheeler told me this week, he was actually thinking of stepping down from his state House leadership position and running as an independent, but the plan now is off for good.
Pima Community College is hiking tuition for Arizonans while giving deep discounts to everyone else.

Officials hope the changes will help PCC attract more out-of-state and international students to offset a major enrollment slump at home.

The tuition plan for the upcoming school year, approved Wednesday by a 4-1 vote of PCCs Governing Board, calls for:

A 4 percent hike for in-state students, which would increase their basic tuition by $3 per unit from $75.50 to $78.50.

A 14.7 percent cut for international students. Their tuition would drop by $52 from $352 to $300 per unit.

A 14.7 percent reduction for out-of-state students who take classes on campus. They, too, would pay $52 less bringing their cost from $352 to $300 per unit.

A 40 percent cut in nonresident online tuition. The price per unit would drop from $352 to $210 for savings of $142 per unit.

A 50 percent tuition cut for students over age 55, a bid to attract a demographic that normally doesnt seek out PCCs credit offerings.

School officials said the new rates will help PCC regroup after losing 28 percent of its full-time equivalent enrollment in the last five years, in addition to losing millions in state funding.

All of these (changes) should have a positive impact on enrollment, said college finance boss David Bea, who recommended the new tuition plan.

Bea couldnt say how big the impact might be. That will depend on how well the college markets the new rates to prospective students, he said.

PCCs current tuition rates are at the high end of the spectrum for out-of-state, international and online students, Bea said.

As an example, he cited Rio Salado College in Tempe, which offers online courses for $215 per unit while PCC has been charging $352. PCCs new online rate of $210 will allow it to undercut Rio Salado, Bea said.

Bea said the $3 per unit increase for in-state students was well-received by several student leaders he contacted for feedback.

The $3 increase follows a $5 increase for in-state students that took effect this school year.

Board members who supported the tuition changes said they dont like the idea of raising rates again for Arizona students, but said the package of changes was necessary to move the college forward.

It feels as if were somehow balancing the budget on the backs of in-state students. I dont think thats what going on but it certainly has that flavor, said Demion Clinco, the boards District 2 representative.

District 1 board member Mark Hanna, a retired high school guidance counselor, was the lone vote against the changes.

Hanna said no matter how PCC tries to explain it, in-state students are sure to conclude that they are paying for the (tuition) reductions for international and out-of-state students.

Tracy Nuckolls, a representative from PCCs finance and audit committee, told the board the committee supports the tuition changes and believes PCC officials are doing their best in a challenging situation.

Youre tackling a very difficult subject at a very difficult time in the colleges history, he said.
Warmer weather has reduced streamflows in recent years in the Upper Colorado River Basin that supplies Arizona and six other states with drinking water, a new study concludes.

Looking at more than a century of records, the study drew a link between temperatures and runoff. It shows overall that in years where spring temperatures are unusually cool or unusually warm, stream flows end up being more or less, respectively, than one would expect based only on the amount of wintertime precipitation that falls.

In a finding that has ominous overtones for future water supplies in the West, the study shows that in years when river flows have been particularly low, temperatures have been very warm.

The finding matches what many experts have said in recent years: That our warming temperatures are exacerbating the impacts of the Wests ongoing drought on river flows. Computer models have also predicted that spring temperatures can influence streamflow, but this is the first study to show the link between the two based on historical river runoff records dating back 110 years, said Connie Woodhouse, a University of Arizona professor who was the studys lead researcher.

The studys findings mean that if temperatures keep warming over the coming decades as many climate researchers have projected, there will be less runoff in the Colorado, said Woodhouse, a professor of geography and development and of dendrochronology.

The spring-summer runoff totals in the Upper Basin, in particular, are all-important to Arizona and the Southwest. The Colorado River serves close to 40 million people living in the seven basin states. The runoff is the leading force driving how much water gets released from Lake Powell at the Arizona-Utah border to drinking-water reservoir Lake Mead at the Arizona-Nevada border.

In the last six years, the drought and low runoff have twice brought the region to the edge of shortages in the river that could have triggered cutbacks in deliveries of Central Arizona Project water to Arizona farmers. (The CAP diverts Colorado River water via canal to central and Southern Arizona.) But the region and state were bailed out by heavy rainfall and snowfall in 2011 and by the wettest May in recorded history last year.

The study examined temperature, rainfall and Colorado River runoff records dating from 1906 to 2012. That was the last year for which the researchers could obtain runoff totals from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, said Woodhouse. The runoff totals were calculated at Lees Ferry just below Glen Canyon Dam and above the Grand Canyon.

Over the entire period studied, the amount of Upper Basin wintertime precipitation explained about 65 percent of the variability in individual years in the amount of streamflow.

From the mid-1980s on, thats where we saw a much greater number of years with less flow than we might expect given the precipitation, and (a lot of that) was explained by warmer weather, she said.

The study didnt try to determine why warmer weather reduces streamflows, but if you think about it, warmer temperatures in March and April can cause more melting of snowpack in high mountains and more evaporation of surface water. Thats not what we researched but its what other studies are finding, Woodhouse said.

In comparing the legendary drought of the 1950s in the West to the regions ongoing drought of the 2000s and 2010s, the researchers found that the 1950s was the driest and coolest period in the historic record, Woodhouse said. By contrast, the 2000s have brought the least dry drought on record but also the hottest drought on record. In both cases, the river flows have been similar, she said.
PHOENIX  Organizers of twin initiative campaigns to tighten up on dark money and open up political primaries suspended both efforts Thursday after a key source of funding dried up.

Texas billionaire John Arnold and his wife Laura, who had fronted each of the groups $500,000 with a promise of more, is apparently interested in financing only the proposal to create a system where all candidates ran against each other in an open primary, regardless of party affiliation, said Chuck Coughlin, treasurer for both efforts. Under that system, the top two vote-getters would face off in the general election, even if both were of the same party.

But Coughlin said Open Primaries, the national organization that Arnold bankrolls, told him that it never intended to try to get Arizona voters to enact new laws requiring that the sources of dark money be disclosed.

Coughlin said initiative organizers had made it clear from the start that they wanted to run both campaigns in tandem. In fact, he said, polling showed that running both under a single good government umbrella increased the chances that both would pass.

In the meantime, Coughlin said $178,000 is being returned to Open Primaries, with other funds already spent or committed.

But the problem is deeper than just the refund. The campaign was operating under the assumption that Open Primaries would kick in at least another $500,000 to each campaign  money needed to hire paid circulators to get the required signatures for both measures, Coughlin said.

Former Attorney General Terry Goddard, who heads the dark-money initiative, and former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson, who is championing open primaries, both said they intend to push on, at least for the time being, with volunteer circulators.

Goddard said he has been very encouraged by the public support for his plan. And he noted that there is increased public awareness of the issue, with the Senate earlier this week approving legislation that could actually increase the flow of dark money into Arizona politics.

All that, however, may not be enough.

Coughlin said that, at last count, he had only about 20,000 signatures for each measure, and each one requires 225,963 valid signatures on petitions by July 7 to qualify for the November ballot.

That makes money crucial: Without a commitment of at least $1.2 million for each of the measures in the next 10 days, both are likely dead for this year, Coughlin said.

Johnsons measure, the one Open Primaries apparently thought it was funding alone, would jettison the current system of nominating and electing candidates for local, state and federal office into what comes closer to a top two system in favor of a wide-open primary.

Whats important about that is that the political affiliation of the candidates would not matter.

So if the two people with the most votes were Republicans, they would advance to the general election.

Voters defeated a similar measure in 2012.

The other measure being championed by Goddard deals with campaign finance.

Current law requires any group that spends money to influence an election to file reports.

But those organized under the federal tax code as social welfare organizations argue they need not disclose the sources of their money.

That has allowed various corporations and individuals to funnel large sums of money into TV commercials, billboards and direct mailers while leaving the targeted voters in the dark about who is interested in the race, a factor that might help voters determine how much weight to put on claims.

The initiative would have required disclosure of the original source of anyone who puts at least $10,000 into any political campaign in the 90 days before an election.

Goddard said, while he was counting on the outside cash, he remains hopeful that the campaign will remain alive.

To some degree, there was this sense that, OK, this very wealthy man in Texas wants to help us. I guess that is a false sense of security, he said. Weve had a rude awakening on that point. But I know that the popular sense of dark money in particular and how much politics are broken in Arizona is overwhelming.

He specifically referred to SB 1516, approved by the Senate earlier this week.

Among the provisions, it would surrender the states right to determine if groups organized under the Internal Revenue Code as social welfare groups were primarily organized to influence elections and therefore required to disclose their donors.

Instead, at the behest of Secretary of State Michele Reagan, the measure would defer to decisions by the Internal Revenue Service about the status of these groups.

Replacing the lost dollars could prove difficult, with Coughlin saying there is political pressure to kill the initiatives.

When we have approached people, it is clear to us in those conversations that the governors office does not want disclosure on the ballot, he said.

Daniel Scarpinato, press aide to Gov. Doug Ducey, denied that his boss or anyone working for the governor had done anything to deter anyone from donating to either cause.

Coughlin acknowledged that, in unveiling the initiatives in January, proponents said they hoped to raise as much as $13 million. That should have made the loss of $1 million to $2 million only a speed bump.

But Coughlin said the donors he intended to pursue only fund measures that have already qualified for the ballot, something that wont happen without the extra $1.2 million for each.

Part of what makes the reversal of fortune so much of a surprise is that both Goddard and Johnson said in January that they intended to divide the cash evenly between the two ballot measures.

John Opdycke, president of Open Primaries, was also at that event.
PHOENIX  The days for photo radar on state roads may be numbered.

With little discussion, the state House voted 32-26 on Thursday to make it illegal for the state or local communities to erect speed cameras on any state highway. That covers any road maintained by the state, usually identified by having a route number.

SB 1241 also would ban cameras to catch those who run red lights.

The legislation already has been approved by the Senate. But it needs one more roll-call vote there because the House made a minor change in wording.

And if Sen. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria, can keep supporters of the law on board, the measure will then go to Gov. Doug Ducey.

Gubernatorial press aide Daniel Scarpinato said his boss wants to take a close look at the issue before deciding what to do.

The change, if signed into law, would most immediately affect two communities.

El Mirage has speed cameras on Grand Avenue, more formally known as U.S. 60. Star Valley has several along the stretch of Arizona 260 that goes through the center of that community.

But it also would block any future efforts by cities and counties to use photo enforcement on any of the state roads going through their towns.

It also would prevent future governors from doing what Janet Napolitano did nearly a decade ago when she had the Department of Public Safety install speed cameras on freeways in the Phoenix area.

Napolitano argued it was all about safety. But the governor conceded she was counting on revenues from speeders to help balance the budget.
PHOENIX  State lawmakers are moving to throw new roadblocks in the path of at least some people who want public records.

On a 6-2 vote the House Committee on Government and Higher Education approved a measure that would allow government agencies and employees to reject a request if it is unduly burdensome or harassing.

But SB 1282 does not define exactly what that is. And that worried several lawmakers who fear it could be used as a way to spurn legitimate requests.

Im just worried whos going to make the judgment call that its unduly burdensome or harassing, said Rep. Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert. If thats the town or the government agency, I think they can just start saying, This is all unduly burdensome. 

And Rep. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, cited a controversy several years ago in Quartzsite.

They had a police chief and people working at the city that were very obstructionist, she said.

But Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, who is sponsoring the legislation, said this is aimed at a small percentage of people who he said abuse the states public records law, going on fishing expeditions, asking for large numbers of documents and, sometimes, not even picking them up.

Part of the problem, he explained, is technology.

Kavanagh said at one time public records requests were self-limiting.

He said it used to be that records were produced on paper. The 25-cent-a-page charge, Kavanagh said, tended to force people to keep their requests narrow.

Now it all goes on a CD and all you can charge is $5, he said.

But that is not the real cost to the government entity, Kavanagh said. He said theres the time not only gathering the documents but having an attorney or other staffer go through to remove confidential information.

This can run into thousands of dollars, he said.

Lawmakers said they had no problem with the part of Kavanaghs legislation that requires people seeking documents to identify what they want with reasonable particularity. But Petersen said he fears the broad authority being given to public officials to decide what is harassing.

Part of being in government is we have to deal with some things we dont want to deal with sometimes, he said.

Kavanagh said there already is a built-in protection in the law.

It allows those who believe they have been denied access to sue. More to the point, if the person seeking the records prevails a court can order the government agency to pay all the legal fees and other costs.

Steve Moore, the Yuma city attorney, said this is not some academic problem.

We have two individuals that comprise 70 percent of all the public records requests we receive in a year, he told lawmakers.

The legislation has the support of the Arizona Newspapers Association, which traditionally fights any move to tighten up on the statute.
Illinois

Pedal-pub given OK

for patrons to BYOB

CHAMPAIGN  Champaign city officials are pumping up the idea of the pedal-pub.

The (Champaign) News-Gazette reports the city council has approved a liquor license that does not permit Slowride Inc. to serve alcohol, but allows riders to bring their own. It will pay $250 a year for the license.

The 20-foot-long, pedal-powered vehicles which travel 4 mph to 7 mph are restricted from streets with speed limits of 35 mph or above.

Mike Murphy is owner of Mike N Mollys bar. He says the pedal-pubs could bring more undergraduates from Campustown to downtown.

Oregon

Police: Car thief also stole Legos and resold them

PORTLAND  Portland police say they arrested a man who agreed to sell stolen Legos to undercover investigators.

Officers say 25-year-old Pavel Kuzik was arrested in a stolen car last week. He was booked him into jail on multiple warrants.

Detectives began investigating with personnel at Fred Meyer stores in February.

Police say Kuzik was stealing expensive Lego sets and other items from stores and reselling them on a website.

Wisconsin

Funeral home billboards in Fond du Lac turning heads

FOND DU LAC  A local funeral home is getting attention in the Fond du Lac area for a billboard campaign designed to send a message to teenagers.

Zacherl Funeral Homes billboards are meant to address drug overdose deaths, suicides and traffic fatalities involving young people, USA Today Network-Wisconsin reported.

Basically I am just tired of burying these young people, said Pete Zacherl of Zacherl Funeral Home.

Three billboards have been placed in Fond du Lac, and a fourth is along Highway 41. One of them shows a hearse with a message about heroin, and another shows a casket adorned with red roses with a message to prom-goers.

We wanted the community to know that we care, said Zacherl funeral director Dawn Nelson.

California

Pair of intoxicated women

blamed for mid-air brawl

LOS ANGELES  Authorities say a flight on a Los Angeles-bound plane turned into a mid-air brawl over a noisy boom box.

It happened Wednesday morning aboard Spirit Flight 141 from Baltimore.

Authorities tell the Los Angeles Times that two intoxicated women began blasting music. When other passengers asked them to turn it down, they refused and instead held the boom box in the air and waved it around.

Spirit Airlines spokesman Paul Berry says thats when a second group of passengers approached and there was a scuffle.

Police were notified and when the plane landed at Los Angeles International Airport, five women involved in the fight were pulled off the plane.

The FBI also was called to investigate, but nobody was arrested.

Assemblywoman: Tax candy, snacks, not tampons

SACRAMENTO, Calif.  A leader of the movement to exempt tampons from Californias sales tax is now proposing to reinstate the tax on candy and snack foods.

Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia said Friday she will seek a constitutional amendment to undo California voters 1992 decision to classify candy and snacks as tax-exempt essential food items.

The Bell Gardens Democrat says consumption of fatty, ultra-processed foods has exploded since the sales taxes were repealed.

Utah

High school drill teams dance insensitive to tribe

SALT LAKE CITY  A Utah high school says its drill team will not longer perform a Native American-themed dance routine considered culturally insensitive by the Paiute Tribe.

School superintendent Shannon Dulaney said Wednesday that leaders of the Cedar High School drill team intended to show respect for native culture with the routine.

Tribal Chairwoman Corrina Bow says in a statement the dance featuring wigs and sparkly costumes is a misrepresentative imitation of a traditional dance, and a number of tribal members were offended.

Dulaney says the team thought they had the tribes blessing, but now realizes they were mistaken and have scrapped the routine.

She says the school whose mascot is the Redmen has long had a positive relationship with the tribe .

800,000 toured Mormon temple from Jan. to March

PROVO, Utah  The Mormon church says more than 800,000 people toured its new temple in downtown Provo.

KUTV-TV reported that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the number of guests Wednesday. Members of the public, including non-Mormons, were allowed to tour the faiths 150th operating temple during an open house between Jan. 15 and March 5.

Provo Deputy Mayor Corey Norman says he had been hoping to hit a million visitors, and the numbers did get close. Norman says downtown businesses reported high traffic during the open house, and he hopes it wont end.

From now on, the temple will be open only to Mormon faithful.

Colorado

Music Festival approved

for Buena Vista in August

DENVER  Chaffee County officials have approved a special events permit for a music festival near Buena Vista expected to bring out 20,000 people.

The Denver Post reported the decision by county commissioners Tuesday comes after they heard traffic and noise concerns from residents near the Madison House Presents festival site. Commissioners agreed to cut the four-day events closing times by one hour.

The festival is being held Aug. 4-7 on a 274-acre ranch owned by Jed Selby.
A 29-year-old Hermosillo resident who traveled to Brazil last month is the first case of Zika in Sonora, the governors office reported.

The patient, who was not identified, got sick after a four-week trip to the cities of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Curitiba and Iguazu between January and February, the news release said.

Upon his return, he had headaches, a fever and was lethargic for about three days, the cause of which was later confirmed by the states lab to be the Zika virus.

The man was not hospitalized and recovered at home, officials said.

The states epidemiologist and mosquito control team searched for other cases in the mans neighborhood and monitored the area for two weeks  two maximum incubation periods  but havent found any, the state said. None of the mans relatives have presented symptoms either.

The Secretary of Public Health is ready for the early identification of suspected cases of Zika, Chikungunya and dengue, the release said, and to immediately implement prevention and control measures against Aedes aegypti mosquito, which can transmit the viruses.

Last month, the World Health Organization declared the explosive spread of Zika in the Americas to be a global emergency, due to its link to the spike in the number of babies born with abnormally small heads and the rise in a rare neurological syndrome that can cause paralysis and death.

Most people who catch Zika only experience mild symptoms such as fever, skin rash and muscle pain. There is currently no licensed treatment or vaccine.

So far, Zika has triggered outbreaks in 41 countries, although confirmed cases linking Zika to babies with birth defects have been seen only in Brazil and French Polynesia. Nine countries have reported a spike in cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological condition that typically affects people after infections.

On Wednesday, French researchers reported the first Zika-associated case of another neurological condition, call meningoencephalitis. It involves inflammation of the brain and the thin tissue that covers the brain.
Help India!

By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,

Kozhikode: A new dawn awaits the marginalized and the have-nots in India, who have been at the receiving end for last sixty years of Independence, as milling crowd converged in a rally coupled with a parade of 2000 youths to the Calicut beach on Sunday evening for the memorable public meeting to herald a new beginning in the history of the country, when the curtain came down on the three-day National Political Conference of Popular Front of India, (PFI).

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Kozhikode which witnessed the first aggression of imperialism and valiant resistance by the Kunhali Marakkars has again witnessed a new history  the National Political Conference by Popular Front of India. The shores of Kozhikode that led the resistance against the imperialistic forces all over the country will be again the starting point for a new resistance against the anti-people policies of the ruling class, the fascist and their imperial allies.





Popular Front Grand public meet inauguration by Ibrahim Rasool South Africa advicer to President of South Africa



The public meeting started with the youth parade by the cadets of PFI. The parade demonstrated the spirit of resistance against the anti-national forces. The parade was followed by a huge procession with sea of humanity led by Popular Front of India leaders. Thousands and thousands of people coming from each nook and corner of the country, defying the boundaries of religion, language and region reached Kozhikode to witness and participate in the historic conference.

The presence of Sultan Ebrahim Rasool, the Special Advisor to the President of South Africa, as chief guest in the public meeting boosted the morale of the organizers of the National Political Conference. PFI chairman E. M. Abdul Rahiman presided over the public meeting while E. Abubacker delivered the key-note address.





Crowd infront of indoor stadium



It was also historic that the caravan that originated and sprouted from this part of Kerala, Calicut has completed a circle and returned to a Grant Public Meeting at the same place. PFI chairman Abdul Rahiman made a thrilling declaration of merger of four other organizations from Goa, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Manipur with PFI on the occasion. Along with N.D.F of Kerala, M.N.P. of Tamil Nadu, K.F.D of Karnataka, four other organizations are also joining with Popular Front: Citizens Forum of Goa, Community Social and Educational Society of Rajasthan, Nagarik Adhikar Suraksha Samithi of West Bengal, Lilong Social Forum of Manipur.

The Calicut declaration called upon Muslims to take initiative for a political movement that treasures democracy and social and economic justice equality. It should be an authentic and sincere movement to uphold social justice and moral precepts. And Popular Front of India will take initiative for such a movement, the declaration said. It was read out by Y. Sayeed, vice chairman PFI, in Malyalam and Prof. Koya, NEC member of PFI, in English.





Merger declaration of 8 states



The National Political Conference propagated the message of Positive Politics for Political Empowerment. The slogan of Power to People reached the hearts of millions of people all over the country. The conference marked a new beginning of peoples politics which will ultimately lead to the total empowerment of India. The dream of New India of Equal Rights to all Indians was now an achievable dream the depressed classes have always cherished since independence.

The conference also marked with the get-together of social activists, human rights defenders, Ulema, women, students, media persons and political activists

Various issues related to Political Empowerment of the marginalized sections were positively discussed with a firm determination to strive for a change. The National Political Conference was beginning of a revolution in the lives of millions of deprived sections . The conference was beacon of hope for the marginalized sections to come forward and struggle for justice and equality.





Parade



Meanwhile, Ebrahim Rasool addressing the assemblage enthusiastically praised Popular Front profusely for starting a movement to bring Muslims, Dalits and backward communities under one banner to fight for their democratic right to have adequate representations in centers of power depending on their percentage of population.

Rasool said Muslims who saw the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992 and Gujarat genocide in 2002 is in difficult times at present but it should not lose hope. Quoting from the Holy Quran, he said help would come to them as promised by Almighty Allah. However, by help it does not mean victory of army or sword through violence but Allahs grant of Sakeena (tranquility of heart) and Taqwa (to restrain oneself) in behavior, he opined.

He recalled the relation between India and South Africa and said that Mahatma Gandhi started the struggle against apartheid in South Africa along with Nelsen Mandela. In the same manner Popular Front would get the marginalized and the have-nots in India their due share in power, he hoped.

He wished a place of peace and security to Muslims and people of all religion in India for which the Popular Front would strive for.

Meanwhile, Popular Front chairman E. M. Abdul Rahiman in his presidential address said the idea that all the marginalized groups including Muslims have to self determine their political destiny has gained momentum far and wide. They are no longer ready to play as pawns of the chess board set by various political parties. The time is ripe for the emergence of a national political party which caters the inner sprits of the oppressed. The historic mission of a neo-social movement is to be with the time and poise as a guide post in the fore front of the society. We want to declare with firm faith in the Almighty and trust in people that the Popular Front will take the lead of the historic responsibility of leading the oppressed masses to political power, thereby putting an end to disgustingly repetitive negative politics.

He declared: History is not intended for sleep, it has to get repeated. My dear brothers and colleagues! Let us wreck and destroy the fake trade ships of Gamas! Let us advance in the warships of Kunjalis. Let us win our goal, shoulder to shoulder and hand in hand: Naya CaravanNaya Hindustan ([email protected])


Help India!

By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net

For Kutubuddin Khan, a 45-year-old engineer, the world begins and ends with trees.

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We are not exaggerating: Khan, who belongs to a village called Murarai of district Birbhum, has been given the nickname of Gach Pagol (Tree lover) and rightly so. He has devoted his entire life to the cause of making this world a greener place: as part of his efforts to stop global warming, he dreams of planting a tree in all the villages of India.



And he is on his way to achieve that target.

Khans love for greenery has seen plant trees: from Pokhran in Rajasthan to Buxar in Bihar, from Jamnagar in Gujrat to Etawah in Uttar Pradesh. His passion, which started from his village, has now spread throughout the district of Birbhum. The villages of Dakhalbati, Barshal, Ballabhpur Danga and Sarkardanga are now seen as a green zone. He has a seed farm in Sarkardanga, where he nurtures all kinds of saplings.

Kutubuddin, who has so far planted more than 30,000 trees, told Twocircles.net, I wish to plant more than 35,000 trees in 2016. I am also trying to approach every Gram Panchayet of West Bengal to encourage tree plantations, and have already covered 500 villages.

Khans love for trees started at a young age while growing up in his village. He ensures that he grafts these plants in the village, free of cost.



Khan, who is a civil engineer by profession, is the youngest in his family and after the death of his father Raushan Khan he decided to settle in his village with his mother Laila Khatun.

For Khan, the Banyan tree holds special importance. If taken care properly, a Banyan tree can survive for more than 500 years. Banian Tree does a lot of work in controlling the level of Carbon Monoxide and Nitrogen, he says.



Khan also believes that it is also equally important to ensure that he passes the skill of growing trees for plantation to others too: so, he ensures that he assists as many people as possible in planting trees like him. Khan is happy to mention that his work has been lauded and people from local villages have come up to help him in their own ways: Some people donated land to help me grow trees for plantation, while others help me take good care of these plants, he says with a smile.

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Help India!

New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Friday commuted to life imprisonment the death sentence of C. Muniappan and two others who were given capital punishment for their involvement in the 2000 Dharmapuri bus burning case.

Three students of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University were burnt to death in the wake of an agitation by AIADMK activists protesting against the conviction of J. Jayalalithaa in Pleasant Stay Hotel case.

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The apex court bench comprising Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Prafulla C. Pant commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment after hearing plea by Muniappan, [email protected] Nedunchezhian and [email protected] Ravindran seeking the recall of August 30, 2010, top court verdict upholding their death sentence.

The bench passed the order on Friday afternoon after hearing the plea by the death row convict spread over two days.

The Salem trial court convicted the three of them on February 16, 2007. On December 6, 2007, the Madras High Court dismissed the appeal by the three convicts. On August 30, 2010, the apex court upheld their conviction and award of death sentence.

In February 2000, three agriculture university girl students were burnt alive and several others sustained burns when the bus they were travelling in was set on fire by AIADMK activists protesting party chief J. Jayalalithaas conviction in the Kodaikanal Pleasant Stay Hotel unauthorised construction case.

A Chennai court had in February 2000 convicted and sentenced Jayalalithaa and four others to a one-year jail term each for legalising the unauthorised construction of the seven-storeyed Pleasant Stay Hotel at Kodaikanal when she was the chief minister 1991-96. This had triggered a state wide agitation.

Three college students  Kokilavani, Gayathri and Hemalatha  were charred to death after the bus they were travelling in along with 44 other students and two teachers was allegedly torched by Muniappan, [email protected] Nedunchezhian and [email protected] Ravindran on February 2, 2000, after the conviction of AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa in Pleasant Stay Hotel case.
Help India!

By TCN News

The AYUSH Ministryin a reply to an RTI filed over the number of Muslims selected for short-term abroad assignments on World Yoga Dayhas said that as part of a government policy, no Muslims was invited, selected, or sent abroad.

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Pushp Sharma, a freelance investigative journalist, had filed an RTI at the AYUSH Ministry, asking the ministry to first, provide the details, how many (total numbers) Muslim candidates had applied for short-term abroad assignment (Trainer/Teacher) during World Yog Day 2015? Second, it asked the Ministry as how many Muslims applied for the post of Yoga Trainer / Teacher so far?

The written answer from the Ayush Ministry dated 8 October, 2015 is blunt and clear: As per government policy: no Muslim candidate was invited, selected or sent abroad, the RTI said.

To the question about how many Muslims applied for the post of Yoga Teacher, the RTI answer said a total 711 Muslim candidates had applied for short-term abroad assignment (trainer/teacher) during World Yog Day 2015.

A total 3,841 Muslim candidates applied till date (for the post of Yoga Trainer / Teacher). However, no Muslim was selected for any of the posts.
For the 71% of Italian, contingencies are not only annoying mishaps, but also new possibilities. By the lack of an ingredient in the kitchen to the delay of the train, according to a survey these unexpected for many represent a positive turning point or an opportunity to stimulate creativity. 45% of women, the unexpected strengthening their capacity to solve unexpected situations, while 41% do not all evils are never to harm. It is what emerges from a study by Buitoni, carried out with methodology WOA (Web Opinion Analysis) of about 1,400 Italian between 18 and 65 years, through an online monitoring on major social networks, blogs, forums and dedicated community.

The study

"Women have a spirit of self-denial and cognitive flexibility that allows them to deal with unexpected events and difficulties in a more functional state of mind for problem solving", explains the psychiatrist Michael Cucchi, medical director of the Medical center Santagostino Milan. They are also more tolerant to accept eventualities and risks. On the contrary, man is competitive and testosterone; the woman turns in unexpected opportunities by way of support and relationship network. In women then - he adds - comes in resilience, which allows to deal with a problem even when you take over stress and discomfort: allows you to absorb the impact energy of unexpected eventuality, turning it into an opportunity for change, growth, evolution.

Also useful emotional intelligence which, as a sixth sense, leads us to transform an unexpected opportunity in integrating emotion and reason with the neurochemical mechanism of the somatic marker: a kind of guide, which moves us in a direction rather than a other ".

For 4 out of 10 women contingencies were born in the kitchen, as well as 35% of women it was possible to know a friend or the man of her life on hold during a tail.

For 3 Italian on 10 was a delay of public transport or a missed train to open new opportunities (29%), while for 21% it was a machine failure or bike to have brought new knowledge intriguing. The benefits that are born from unexpected covered all areas of daily life as romantic relationships, friendships and employment opportunities.

To demonstrate the ability of women in facing and take advantage of unexpected situations, under pressure, a study was conducted by the University of Glasgow and the University of Hertfordshire, published in "BMC Psychology". Research has shown that women are quicker and ready to move from one activity to another proving to be even more brilliant when they are under pressure.
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.
Encouraging progress in economic rebalancing: Sinopec's ex-chairman Updated: 2016-03-11 16:18 By Du Juan and Dai Tian(chinadaily.com.cn)

Fu Chengyu, former chairman of Sinopec Group and a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, at a briefing on Mar 11, 2016. [China Daily/Wang Zhuangfei]

China has shown encouraging progress in adjusting the economic structure, said Fu Chengyu, former chairman of Sinopec Group and a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, at a briefing on Friday.

The new economic engine continues to grow, as high-tech and equipment manufacturing sectors have outpaced the general industry, while residents' per capita income grew 7.4 percent, faster than last year's GDP growth, said Fu.

Despite challenges and difficulties, the economy is fundamentally strong, he said, adding that the central government is prepared for the downward pressure, as can be seen from the Work Report.

Chinese companies, having grown up since the early stage of the reform and opening-up in the late 1970s, are now facing new challenges. However, as the government and companies are stronger than they were, confidence holds high amid difficulties, said the veteran entrepreneur.
Chengdu plans to nurture innovation Updated: 2016-03-10 23:10 By Huang Zhiling(chinadaily.com.cn)

Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan province, has vowed to increase its innovation-driven development within the next three years.

It aims to create a better environment for innovation and entrepreneurship, invest an increasing amount of money in science and technology and ensure faster commercialization of the fruits of scientific research.

The ambition reinforces a decision made in December 2015 during the sixth plenary session of the Chengdu municipal committee of the Communist Party of China to speed up construction of an internationally influential regional center for innovation and entrepreneurship in Chengdu.

The city also aims, within five years, to become the first in western China to realize innovation-driven development, driving its economic system and development model, and plans to become a State-level innovative city.

The ambitious plans come in the wake of a decision adopted in September by the central government to build a State-level experimental zone for comprehensive innovation and reform.

The zone includes Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province in North China, Shanghai and Anhui province in East China, Guangdong province in South China, Sichuan in Southwest China, Wuhan in Central China's Hubei province, Xi'an in Northwest China's Shaanxi province and Shenyang in Northeast China's Liaoning province.

The central government considers comprehensive innovation and reform key to breaking a bottleneck hindering innovation-driven development and has designated Chengdu to play the most important role in Sichuan's contribution to the construction of the experimental zone.

Chengdu, a center of science and technology in western China, hosted the 2015 Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fair from Nov 9 through 11.

It was China's first global innovation and entrepreneurship fair and drew government officials and representatives from risk investment organizations, scientific research institutes, institutions of higher learning and innovative enterprises in 30 countries and regions, who reached the Chengdu Consensus during the fair.

According to the consensus, innovation and entrepreneurship have been chosen as the means to boost economic development by many nations. They are viewed as eternal themes for the development of human society and a powerful engine for economic development.

Some 150 institutional investors took part in the fair with 2,686 projects, 109 of which changed hands with transactions totaling 5.32 billion yuan (about $817 million).

Participants from home and abroad acclaimed Chengdu as the host city.

Zhang Zhihong is chief of the Torch High Technology Industry Development Center of China's Ministry of Science and Technology.

He considers Chengdu a charming city.

It previously impressed visitors as a city of fine food, long history and a happy lifestyle for locals, he said, but it now may have a new label as a city for enterprising people to realize their dreams.

Carmen Cano de Lasala is the deputy head of the EU delegation to China and has been to Chengdu nine times in the past decade. The city has impressed her as one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing in China.

I am more than happy to find out that Chengdu has become the choicest venue for investment by many European firms, she said. I am also more than happy to find out that the firms are expanding and gaining a big market share there.

EBN is a network of about 150 quality-certified EU business and innovation centers, and organizations backing innovative entrepreneurs, startups, small and medium-sized firms.

Its president Alvaro Simon de Blas said his brief visit to Chengdu during the fair revealed to him a promising city in western China. The vigor and potential of innovative firms there left a deep impression on him.

He said Chengdu is similar to EBN in backing the development of small and medium-sized firms.

Chengdu has a very good environment for being innovative and enterprising and has longstanding friendship and cooperation with the European Union, he said. It also has many opportunities to encourage and attract EBN to develop in the city.

In the wake of its success in 2015, the Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fair will be held in Chengdu again in July.
China refutes US-led criticism on human rights record Updated: 2016-03-11 19:39 (Xinhua)

BEIJING - China blasted US-led criticism of its human rights record on Friday, reminding the US that it should steer clear of domestic affairs and judicial sovereignty.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei was responding to concern expressed recently by the US and 11 other countries over human rights in China at the Human Rights Council.

"China's judiciary deals with cases legally and guarantees the rights of suspects," Hong said when asked to comment at a regular news briefing.

The criticism, under the excuse of human rights, has severely infringed on domestic affairs and judicial sovereignty and violated the spirit of the rule of law, Hong said.

"China expresses firm opposition and will never accept [such criticism]," he said.

The US move also runs counter to the task of the Human Rights Council, which was established in 2006 to enhance cooperation and coordination, rather than fan confrontation, according to Hong.

Hong said China attaches great importance to promoting human rights and has made remarkable achievements.

There is no human development path that fits all countries, so each country is entitled to proceed from its own conditions to develop human rights, Hong said.

"We suggest some countries reflect on and correct its own problems in human rights and stop politicizing the issue," the spokesperson added.
Analyst: Dialogue helping anti-graft fight Updated: 2016-03-11 12:11 By Hezi Jiang in New York(China Daily USA)

China's solid evidence, effective communication with the US have made progress possible

David Firestein

Recent cooperation between the United States and China in combating corruption is encouraging, according to David Firestein, vice-president of the East West Institute.

"What we have seen recently, particularly since last fall, is an increasing willingness on the part of the United States to work with China on some of these corruption ... cases," he said.

In 2015 alone, 48 fugitives were returned to China from the US  including three who were forcefully sent back  whereas only two fugitives suspected of economic crimes were brought back from the US from 2003 to 2013, according to China's Ministry of Public Security.

Firestein said that effective communication and China's strong attitude on the issue made the progress possible.

"As the US government, federal police authority, and local police authority have learned more about the specifics regarding certain cases, they have been more willing to work collaboratively toward the common goal of holding people who've violated the law accountable," said Firestein.

"After they have gotten more evidence to substantiate some of the allegations, they've seen that some of them are legitimate cases."

According to Zhang Xiaoming, a senior official from China's Ministry of Justice, the country has been offering the US judicial system "more solid evidence".

Apart from information about the fugitives' likely whereabouts, Chinese law enforcement authorities provide sound reports about the suspects' illicit activities back home and the amount of funds they might have transferred abroad, to form a "complete chain of evidence", Zhang said.

For Firestein, "the seriousness with which the Communist Party seems to be taking this whole process" has also made an impression on US policymakers, providing greater grounds for cooperation.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party, the country's top anti-corruption watchdog, investigated 330,000 cases of graft and frugality violations last year and punished 336,000 officials  a record number in the past 20 years.

China also has launched a campaign code-named "Sky Net", targeting 100 key officials who had fled overseas.

"I think what we are seeing is the United States taking seriously China's commitment to anti-corruption," said Firestein.

"The government is trying to do what it can within the constraints of US laws."

Firestein said President Xi Jinping's state visit last September had a positive impact on anti-corruption cooperation.

"I think that President Xi was able to make the point to President Obama and to other senior folks he met just how serious China is about its anti-corruption efforts," he said.

"When you put all those things together, it has led to a pretty good number and a growing number of cases of success and cooperation, and that number of cases will continue to grow."

Firestein recommended that the Chinese government continue doing what it has been doing.

"Which is to say: Here is the case; here is the evidence; here are the relevant Chinese laws; here is what substantiates these charges; here are witnesses," he said.

"That will help US officials to make decisions that are well-informed and probably lead to more instances of convicted or alleged criminals sent back to China."

"Substantiating these charges and meeting US standards is probably the key to success," he added.
US media coverage affects view of China: panel Updated: 2016-03-12 01:13 By HUA SHENGDUN in Washington(China Daily USA)

From left: Donghui Yu, chief US correspondent with the China Review News Agency of Hong Kong; Lan He, professor of international journalism at Communication University of China ; Carl Botan, professor of communications at George Mason University; and Kevin Klose, a journalism professor at the University of Maryland, discuss US medias coverage of China in Washington on Wednesday. Allan FonG / FOR CHINA DAILY

American media have become increasingly critical of China in the past several years, which has reshaped public opinion in both countries, according to a panel on public opinion.

Donghui Yu, chief US correspondent with the China Review News Agency of Hong Kong, said that the fundamental reason behind the change in the US public perception of China "lies within the balance of power between these two countries, which leads to the anxiety of the American elite".

Yu was one of four experts attending a panel discussion on media, international relations and public opinion, at the Confucius Institute US Center in Washington on Wednesday.

Yu argued that US media have purposely portrayed China in an increasingly negative light over the past several years, which has greatly affected public perception.

Citing public opinion polls, Yu said, "In 2011, 51 percent of Americans held favorable views of China. But in 2013, this number dropped down to 37 percent. On the other hand, negative views of China increased from 36 percent to 52 percent."

Yu noted that the drop in public opinion is reciprocal.

"The Chinese increasingly see the US in a negative way as well," he said.

Yu said that it is not just the American general public that sees China in a different light, but American experts on China as well.

"Many experts on China who were originally regarded as China-friendly scholars are getting more critical about China," he said.

"Many of them accuse China of not following the international norms and laws. But I think the fundamental reason behind the change is that Americans are anxious about the rising of China."

Lan He, professor of international journalism at Communication University of China, said that "as China's national power has grown strong, the US media has turned to sensationalist topics like the South China Sea disputes and China's rising militarization".

She agrees the heightened coverage is behind the drop in public opinion.

To illustrate the change, she cited a period when coverage of China was positive, and public opinion followed such sentiment.

After the United States and China established diplomatic relations in 1972, China carried out a national development program of reform and opening up, she said.

The United States saw that China might develop into a capitalist country, and so following these favorable views, the American media portrayed China as a romantic, mysterious and friendly country, she continued, adding that this perception of China was held with Americans until about late 1980s.

However, she said that in recent years, Americans have seen China portrayed by the media as a "threat".

While the other panelists agreed that American media generally portray China in a more negative light, the reasoning behind the coverage was debated.

Carl Botan, professor of communication at George Mason University, said: "The coverage of much news in the world is negative. And I'm not yet convinced that the coverage of China is fundamentally different than the coverage that we see on all kinds of issues, both domestic and international."

Kevin Klose, a professor of journalism at the University of Maryland and a former president of National Public Radio, believes that negative press coverage has become standard practice in the United States and not something specifically targeted at China.

Klose said American media are critical about the US, even more so than others.

"I do think there is a lot of negative journalism in America about the shortcomings of the American political system, of our social systems, and so forth," he said.

"And I think it's earned. There are many things in this country that need to be fixed, and you can listen to any of the candidates who are running for nomination for the presidency.

"They all have very serious complaints of how America conducts its business in the world, and its own social cohesion within the country," Klose said.

Klose said that American media are not without flaws.

"We Americans are as fallible as other people are fallible," he said. "Our country makes mistakes every day, and our media makes mistakes every day.  Human beings, in fact, relative to the goals that they set for themselves, often fall short."

Allan Fong in Washington contributed to the story
Spain willing to take in 450 refugees: minister Updated: 2016-03-11 05:13 (Xinhua)

People walk past Madrid's Town Hall, where a banner welcoming refugees is displayed, in Madrid, Spain, March 10, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

MADRID -- Acting Spanish Minister for the Interior Jorge Fernandez Diaz confirmed on Thursday that the country was willing to take in 450 Syrian and Iraqi refugees from Italy, Greece and Turkey.

"We have told the European Commission of our willingness to proceed with the immediate relocation of over 250 people from Turkey in a first stage and of another 150 refugees from Greece and a further 50 from Italy," said Fernandez Diaz in declarations to the Spanish press in Brussels.

The Minister thanked the Turkish government for its help in dealing with the refugee crisis, saying that without that help, "we would not be in conditions to act efficiently against the criminal organizations which are trafficking in human beings."

Spain's national plan towards housing refugees envisages the country receiving 859 people in 2016, apart from the 450 announced by Fernandez Diaz on Thursday. Meanwhile the Spanish government has also accepted housing 9,400 refugees from among those who have asked for asylum in the European Union and a further 1,400 who are currently being housed in countries neighboring Syria.

Nevertheless, the minister warned Spain could "not drop its guard... We need to be prudent," he said, explaining that closing the route into Europe through the Balkans would see many refugees seek to enter Europe through the southern coast of the Mediterranean.
'Provocative moves must be halted' Updated: 2016-03-11 05:42 By ZHANG YUNBI in Beijing and CHEN WEIHUA in Washington(China Daily USA)

Beijing calls for all parties to show restraint after the DPRK fires short-range missiles

China has urged all parties to stop "provocative actions" and maintain calm and restraint to prevent tension from escalating on the Korean Peninsula.

Earlier on Thursday, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea launched two short-range missiles and declared it would liquidate all of the Republic of Korea's assets in the DPRK, Xinhua reported.

It said it will also nullify all inter-Korean economic cooperation projects in response to Seoul's unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang, after the UN Security Council voted to adopt a tough resolution against Pyongyang earlier this month.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Thursday that "the US and the Republic of Korea have started large-scale joint military drills in the ROK, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has consistently responded fiercely" to what it perceives as threats.

"China expresses serious concern about the situation," he said.

Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said on Thursday that the US is concerned by all the recent activities of the DPRK.

"It's another provocative action by the North Koreans and only further escalates the tension on the Korean Peninsula," he told a press briefing.

"The rhetoric we were hearing from North Korea, they just make us stand closer, if you will, with our South Korean allies," he said.

Jonathan Pollack, a senior fellow at the John L. Thornton China Center of the Brookings Institution, said the missile tests and the confiscation of ROK economic assets in the DPRK are not a surprise. They are predictable responses to the US-ROK exercises and to the ROK decision to close the Kaesong Industrial Zone.

Pollack believes that Seoul likely anticipated that both steps would be taken.

"The bigger question is whether they are the initial steps in a North Korean escalatory campaign, as opposed to lashing out without triggering a larger crisis. But this is undoubtedly a time of heightened risk on the Korean Peninsula," said Pollack, author of the 2011 book No Exit: North Korea, Nuclear Weapons and International Security.

The DPRK warned on Sunday that it would make a "pre-emptive and offensive nuclear strike" in response to the US-ROK drills.

Zhang Liangui, an expert in Korean studies at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said that it was not the first time that the DPRK has decided to liquidate assets of the ROK, and the capital involved is "limited''.

"So the decision is actually a symbolic move, serving as a protest," Zhang said.

He estimated that "it was unlikely that tension on the peninsula would lessen in the short term'' because the US and its allies will continue to act in ways that prompt the DPRK to react militarily.

Shi Yongming, an Asia-Pacific studies researcher at the China Institute of International Relations, echoed Zhang, saying that the US and ROK are pressuring the DPRK militarily and politically.

At a time that the US and ROK are conducting drills on the peninsula, they also refuse to enter into negotiations unless the DPRK gives up its nuclear programs first, Shi said.

As a result, Pyongyang has no choice but to react militarily, including its recent short-range missile launches, Shi said.

"As the DPRK has no assurance that its security concerns will be addressed, it feels unsafe to engage in negotiations now about its nuclear programs," Shi added.

Contact the writers at chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com, zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn
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HCM CITY  Viet Nam is an emerging market for financial investment with favourable conditions created by new policies and fresh impetus given to the equitisation of State-owned enterprises, senior officials said at a conference yesterday.

The seminar was titled Vietnam  Korea Capital Markets and Investment Co-operation Prospects.

Vu Bang, chairman of the State Securities Commission, reaffirmed that the countrys first derivatives market will become operational by the end of this year, with products including covered warrants and GDK (Generalised Derivative Kernel).

He also said a new regulation later this year will clarify provisions of Decree 60 issued last June on increasing the cap for foreign stakeholding in local companies up to 100 per cent.

The time taken for trading registration will be reduced, State ownership in enterprises lowered to serve strategic partners and restructuring of institutions in securities business sector persisted with, he said.

Improvements will also made to listing and issuance criteria, corporate governance and transparency, he added.

Meanwhile Dominic Scriven, executive chairman of the investment fund management firm Dragon Capital, said he considers Viet Nam the best emerging market for investment as it is experiencing accelerating growth while other emerging markets are slowing.

Other factors that he cited included the countrys large quality, economical labour force (two-thirds of its population of 93 million and labour costs at just 35 per cent of China), increasing middle class segment and improved productivity.

He said that productivity has been the ultimate driver of the countrys GDP and its gains are ongoing.

The gains derive from heavy investment in manufacturing and infrastructure and accumulating productivity gains are turning Viet Nam into a modern economy, he said.

The countrys free trading agreement with the ERU, its major export market and its membership of the Trans Pacific Partnership will facilitate export growth once they take effect.

He said the price on earnings ratio could come down to 11.1, from 12.7 in 2015 and 2014, and 13 in 2013.

In 2016-2017, big companies like SATRA Corp., MobiFone, Vietnam Engine and Agriculture and the Vietnam Cement Group are likely to be equitized, offering opportunities for foreign investors.

Nguyen Quang Thuan, CEO of StoxPlus Corporation, backed Scriven, saying reforms to currently prevailing State ownership in many industries will create a lot of investment opportunities.

The State Capital Investment Corporations divestment plan in 2015-2016 will also attract investor interest, the conference heard.

Among companies subjected to divesture include Vietnam Construction and Import  Export JSC (State current ownership at almost 58 per cent of its chartered capital of VN4.417 trillion or almost US$200 million) and Quang Ninh Thermal Power JSC (11.4 per cent of VN4.5 trillion).

Kim Soo-Ho, the Korean General Consul in HCM City, said Viet Nam, as a labour/consumer market of 100 million people, has the potential to benefit the most when investors pull out of China (a JETRO survey shows Japans businesses in China and Thailand hope to shift their manufacturing bases to Viet Nam).

The Governments determination to attract investment is a positive factor, he added.  VNS
A view of Ha Noi International Airport. - VNS Photo Truong Vi

HA NOI  The Airports Corporation of Viet Nam (ACV) plans to sell some 166 million shares to French airport authority Aeroports de Paris (ADP), which is set to become a strategic investor.

ACV, the largest enterprise in Viet Nams transport sector, said in a draft resolution prepared for its first shareholders meeting next Wednesday in HCM City that the initial price of the shares is expected to be VN13,100 (58 US cents) each.

With such share volume and price, ADP will hold some 7.4 per cent of ACVs total equity of VN22.4 trillion (US$1.04billion). If the agreement is successful, the French company will be restricted in transferring its shares for at least 10 years.

ACV Chairman Nguyen Nguyen Hung told the press in January that ADP was the only investor, at that time, that met the requirements of the Ministry of Transport to conduct negotiations in the role of a strategic partner.

Other organisations that proposed, but failed, to become strategic investors of ACV were Changi Airport International, a subsidiary of Singapores Changi Airport Group, and the Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam.

After launching an initial public offering on the HCM City Stock Exchange last December, ACV announced it would offer strategic investors a 20 per cent stake. This means a remaining stake of 12.6 per cent is still available for other investors.

Meanwhile, industry insiders said ANA Holdings Inc, owner of Japans largest airline, All Nippon Airways, might be the next potential strategic investor of ACV.

Japan has expressed interest in the VN336.6 trillion Long Thanh international aviation terminal, which will be developed by ACV in southern ong Nai Province, following the governments designation. Japan is reportedly considering funding the terminal with government capital set aside for development assistance.

Additionally, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has also decided to sell an 8.8 per cent stake to ANA Holdings at an estimated price of nearly $109 million, and the agreement is expected to be concluded in June.

In another statement, ACV said concentrating resources for Long Thanh development will be one of its business strategies for the next five years. The company will mobilise VN114.5 trillion to complete the first phase of the terminal by 2025.

Between 2016 and 2020, the company projects passenger growth rates of six to eight per cent per year at its airport system. Also, it expects annual growth rates in freight to reach some five per cent.

This year, it plans to report total revenues of VN12.1 trillion, with revenues from services increasing 5.1 per cent over last year. It is set to pay dividends at a rate of five per cent, with pre-tax profits expected to reach VN2.1 trillion.

The company also plans to spend no more than VN5.8 trillion on infrastructure upgrades at half of its 22 nationwide airports this year, including major terminals in Ha Noi, HCM City and central a Nang City.

Currently, the State retains a stake of 75 per cent in ACV.

Vu Anh Minh, the director of the transport ministrys enterprise management department, told Vietnam News Agency last November that the States stake in ACV would be reduced from 75 to 65 per cent "at a suitable time".

The reduction would depend upon the governments calculations in retaining its stake in the company, and the need for capital to assure progress in the Long Thanh project, he said.  VNS
HCM CITY  Huynh Tan Anh Tuan won first prize in the Hoa Mai Prize 2015-16, a furniture design competition, with his art work Workspace Desk, the organiser announced on Tuesday.

Tran Nguyen Bao Khoi and the LR group took the first and second runner-up prizes with art works Yak Table and Earth Table, respectively.

The Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCM City (Hawa), the organiser, also presented five consolation prizes to contestants having the best application, the most creative, the most environmentally friendly, the most commercial and the most aesthetic designs.

Winning works are on display at the Viet Nam International Furniture and Home Accessories Fair 2016 (VIFA EXPO 2016) at the Sai Gon Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Launched in October last year, the 13th edition of the competition, which aims to discover and foster Vietnamese talented designers to develop the domestic furniture industry, attracted 238 entries from universities, colleges, students at professional schools, company staff and freelance designers nationwide.

Hawa has chosen winning works from previous editions of Hoa Mai prize to display at the International Furniture Fair of Singapore (IFFS) from March 10 to 13.

This aimed to promote Vietnamese furniture designs abroad as well as create opportunities for young Vietnamese designers to exchange information with famous international designers.  VNS
HA NOI (VNS)  A conference to review Vietnamese laws on its commitments to the EUViet Nam Free Trade Agreements (EVFTA) and transparency heard many opinions on how to create favourable conditions for enterprises.

Many delegates said that the review only worked on custom procedures, but without checking other specialised documents.

Pham Thi Thanh Hien, former Deputy Director of the General Department of Viet Nam Customss International Cooperation Department, praised the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)s review of the regulations of Vietnamese law and EVFTA commitments to propose adjustments as needed.

Hien said the commitments to EVFTA not only referred to customs, but also trade.

"Therefore, there should be participation by relevant agencies such as the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Ministry of Finance," Hien said at the conference held yesterday in Ha Noi by VCCI.

According to Pham Thanh Binh, an expert on customs, the main obstacle to the current clearance of goods by customs was specialised tests performed, as these accounted for 72 per cent of the time it took customs to clear goods.

Binh said that specialised testing procedures are implemented with every shipment at the time of customs clearance of goods. "This is the main reason leading to long clearance times," Binh said.

EVFTA requires that the Vietnamese Government ensure safeguards against fraud and other damaging activities. However, many agricultural products receive their specialised inspection results only after they have been consumed, Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, director of the WTO and Integration Centre under the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), said at the conference.

It shows that we havent complied with the commitments towards EVFTA, said Trang.

To solve these problems, Trang suggested boosting administrative reforms to comply with the commitments to EVFTA, as well as to benefit Vietnamese companies.

Lack of information online

Viet Nam currently doesnt have a website that announces the laws on customs and other related commercial laws, Hien said at the conference.

Curently, enterprises found it very difficult to access an official website that provides information about regulations on customs and trade. They have to visit individual agency websites such as the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to search for information, she said.

She suggested building a website to publish the latest information on customs and trade to help firms easily check updated local laws and regulations.

In addition, there is a need of training courses for public employees to improve their skills and experience, said Nguyen Hoang Anh, a lecturer from the Foreign Trade University.

Anh said that the Government should have documents that specify the responsibilities of customs officers.

The EVFTA was signed by Viet Nam and the European Union in December 2015. It is one of two new trade agreements which are forecast to have a great impact on the countrys legal regulations and the economy.

The agreement is expected to come into effect in 2018. VNS
Gender equality: A scene of Binh Minh (The Sun Ries) produced by Tran Ngoc Kim Cuong and Vo Huy Thang. --Photo courtesy of movie crew

HA NOI  A short film focused on family troubles caused by the wife rather than the husband has made a strong impression at a filmmaking competition on gender equality, launched by UNDP.

The eight-minute film titled Binh Minh (The Sun Rises) was produced by Tran Ngoc Kim Cuong and Vo Huy Thang, two young filmmakers from the southern province of Can Tho, who are studying in Can Tho University.

The film follows the life of a family living on a boat in Cai Rang Floating Market, Can Tho Province. The wife is seen shouting at her husband, whom she pushes to the floor, and their daughter, whose books she then tore to pieces.

However, it is only a dream. The husband wakes up after a long sleep brought on by drinking too much. As usual, the husband is seen as the one who creates friction in the family.

The actors were a real family, and the movie was filmed on their house boat. The husband was played by Nguyen Van Luom, his wife was Nguyen Thi Kim Chuong, and their daughter was Han.

They all act naturally in the film despite never having appeared on camera before. They were encouraged to play out a scenario that sometimes occurs in their family. But in real life, it is Luom who causes trouble, not his wife.

The UNDP funded the film, and several others, under a filmmaking project titled Film Competition  Breaking Gender Stereotypes.

We talked with Luom and Chuong and convinced them to help make the film. It was a chance for them to review themselves, Kim Cuong said. It works effectively. Through the short film, we want people to know that a man and woman are equal at home, in the workplace and in public spaces.

It is necessary to portray equality between men and women in rural areas, where there are many illiterate women. Most of them accept their fate with resignation. They do not have any response when their husbands come home drunk. They still cook for them.

The filmmakers wanted to convey that women are not weak and can be powerful when they want.

The film competition was launched last December, attracting film proposals from more than 50 individuals and teams.

Nine of the best scripts were granted funding for production. At the final stage of the competition, the review panel, including Vietnamese directors Bui Thac Chuyen and Nguyen Hoang iep and a UNDP representative, selected three films as winners and awarded one special prize based on public votes on the campaigns social media channels.

Nguyen Phuong Phis Con Yeu Me (I Love You) won the first prize, Ngo Trangs Hay e Con Giup Cha (Let Me Help You, Dad) took the second and Arch Media teams Co Lap (Isolated) grabbed the third prize.

Through the #HowAbnormal films and the winning films presented today, gender norms can be highlighted and the double standards that the public holds in terms of expectations of women and men or boys and girls can be brought to light, Dr Pratibha Mehta, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Viet Nam, said at the award ceremony held last week in Ha Noi.

She also called on everyone to take the pledge and make a commitment to shape gender norms to create a more equal and just society. I strongly believe that each commitment will bring about change, and collectively, we can create a more just society, she said.

The filmmaking competition is part of the #HowAbnormal campaign to encourage filmmakers to develop creative films that challenge negative gender stereotypes, raise different perspectives and promote equality.

It received enthusiastic participation from young filmmakers across the country, who have produced vivid, objective and honest images of gender norms.

People can watch The Sun Rises on thanhnienonline.com.  VNS
Traditional dancing: Vietnamese students rehearse with non quai thao (flat-top hat). -- Photo coutersy of UCL Vietsoc

HA NOI  Vietfest 2016, the second year of the festival, will be held at University College London (UCL) on March 14 to introduce Viet Nams unique and charming culture to local people.

Launched last year by the Vietnamese Society Overseas in UCL (UCL Vietsoc), the festival aims to popularise the art, food and people of Viet Nam among Londoners, besides other people in Britain.

Visitors to the festival will get a chance to enjoy authentic Vietnamese dishes that will be cooked there by chefs from Vietnamese restaurants in London.

Amateur artists from Vietsoc will present an art show, including folk music, on an open-air stage. They will charm audiences by dancing with non la (conical leaf hat) and non quai thao (flat-top hat). The performance will have modern dancing and songs.

Photographs of Viet Nam and its people will be displayed at the festival, giving visitors a kaleidoscope of Vietnamese culture.

Vietfest 2016 is not only a chance for the local people to know more about Vietnamese culture, but also to strengthen solidarity among Vietnamese overseas students, o Thanh Thanh An, chairman of UCL Vietsoc, said.

The festival organisers want to convey a message that all Vietnamese overseas students should be proud of being Vietnamese and their traditional culture.

UCL Vietsoc wants the students to be more active in making Vietnamese culture popular among international friends. We are joining hands to introduce Vietnamese culture to the world, An said.  VNS
President Truong Tan Sang tours the Benjamin Special Economic Zone in Dar-es-Salaam city yesterday.  VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Khang

DODOMA (VNS)  President Truong Tan Sang hailed Tanzanias strategic policies on economic development while touring the Benjamin Special Economic Zone in Dar-es-Salaam city yesterday.

Tanzania has initially recorded major achievements in attracting foreign resources and producing goods in service of export to neighbouring countries, the State leader said.

President Sang voiced his support for solutions applied by the Tanzanian Government, saying in the early days of development, Vietnam also met opportunities and difficulties similar to Tanzanias.

Therefore, he said, Viet Nam stands ready to share its experience with Tanzania to help the country gear towards successes.

Treasuring the good sentiments of Tanzanian ministries and agencies towards Vietnams military-run telecom group Viettel since its start-up days in Africa, the President expressed his belief that the first project launched by Viettel will help lure more Vietnamese investors to the special economic zone.

Tanzanian Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Charles Mwijag said during 2002-2006, the Tanzanian Government issued various policies to boost the development of industrial and processing zones, and create a legal framework to facilitate the operation of private enterprises.

Domestic and foreign firms have poured over US$1.3 billion into the processing zones, focusing on garments-textiles, mining and farm produce processing, generating jobs for 36,000 labourers.

The Tanzanian Government is expected to roll out such models on a large scale and woo more foreign investors, including those from Viet Nam, he said.

The Benjamin Special Economic Zone houses many important industrial facilities to Tanzania, including plants manufacturing SIM cards for Viettels Halotel mobile network.

As part of his State visit to Tanzania, President Sang on Wednesday met with the countrys first Vice President and President of its Zanzibar semi - autonomous region Ali Mohammed Shein.

Noting his admiration for Vietnams economic achievements, the host said Tanzania and the semi-autonomous region in particular are keen to learn from the Southeast Asian countrys experience in rice cultivation, aquaculture and seafood processing.

Tanzania always welcomes foreign investors, including those from Viet Nam, in these sectors.

The President, in reply, said Viet Nam is willing to cooperate with Zanzibar in areas of joint potential such as trade, investment, agriculture and telecommunications.

He suggested the two sides mobilise financial resources for agricultural and seafood projects in Zanzibar, and work together to boost cooperation between Zanzibars localities and a number of Vietnamese coastal provinces in tourism, agriculture and fisheries. VNS
The HCM City Party Committee Secretary inh La Thang meets wih senior advisor to the US Secretary of State, David Thorne in HCM City on Wednesday (March 8).  Photo VGP

HCM CITY (VNS) The HCM City Party Committee Secretary inh La Thang on Wednesday (March 8) met senior advisor to the US Secretary of State, David Thorne in HCM City.

At the meeting, Thang stressed the growing relations between the two countries, particularly after the visit to the US by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in July last year.

HCM City authorities said they welcomed the upcoming visit to Viet Nam by US President Barack Obama. The visit will play a role in taking the Viet Nam-US comprehensive partnership to new heights, they said.

Thang said the city paid close attention to projects with US localities and enterprises, especially those launched by the US in HCM City, including the recent construction project of Fulbright University.

The city is also undertaking measures to expand the economy and trade of the country and region, he said, adding that it was working to create a good environment for investors, and to improve facilities and reduce pollution and traffic congestion.

The city is home to more than 266,000 companies, accounting for half of all businesses in the country.

Local authorities have committed to promote links in innovation and creativity, and support start-ups, especially those of young people.

Thorne told local authorities that the citys dynamic youth were likely to help the city realise its goal of doubling the number of enterprises by 2020.

Thornes visit aimed to encourage the spirit of start-ups and the start-up eco-system among local youth.

He said he would suggest that President Obama plan to visit HCM City and the southern region as part of his trip in May. VNS
HA NOI(VNS)  The Government has planned to spend about VN 317 billion (US$14.2 million) yearly on offering preferential loans to disadvantaged medical graduates during their apprenticeship at hospitals before medical exams and treatment practice.

Under the Law on medical examination and treatment, medical graduates can either take an apprenticeship lasting from nine to 12 months as a midwife, nurse or medical technician or from 12 to 18 months as a physician before they are granted professional practice certificates.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung decided to expand the student loan programme where disadvantaged medical graduates could borrow up to VN 1.25 million ($56 ) per month with preferential monthly interest of 0.65 per cent from Viet Nam Bank for Social Policies.

Orphaned medical graduates or graduates with only one parent who is unable to work are eligible for the loans, as are graduates from poor families or those with financial difficulties due to diseases, natural disasters or accidents.

To apply for the loan, borrowers must show confirmation from healthcare institutions proving that they are taking apprenticeships there.

Viet Nam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) will offer loans tailored to borrowers based on the apprenticeship cost and average living cost.

According to Finance Ministry, by 2019, about 74,000 medical students could benefit from the policy which takes effects from May, 2016. The programme needs funding of more than VN 1.58 trillion ($71 million).

In 2007, Viet Nam launched a student loan programme helping students from poor, near-poor families or those with temporary financial difficulties to study at universities, colleges and vocational schools.

Deputy General Director of VBSP Nguyen Van Ly said that in the last eight years, the bank offered loans of about VN 55 trillion ($2.5 billion) to more than 3.3 million students.

He said that the bank suggested Government to increase monthly loan to VN 1.5 million ($ 67) per student to match increased living costs, particularly higher tuition fees. -- VNS
The bus drivers of the Thang Long Bus Enterprise receive sentence of imprisonment for robbery.  Photo anninhthudo.vn

HA NOI (VNS)  The Ha Noi Peoples Court yesterday ordered the imprisonment of several bus drivers of the Thang Long Bus Enterprise for robbery.

Le Minh Hung, 40, a resident of Ha Nois Thanh Oai District, and Le Quang Minh, 44, from Ha Nois ong a District, were each sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment. Nguyen Manh Thang, 43, from Hai Ba Trung District, was sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment. Duong Xuan Ich, 33, a resident of Hoang Mai District, and Nguyen Van Quan, 30, from Hoang Mai District, received 14-year jail terms.

Hung, Minh and Thang had often visited the boarding house of Nguyen Thanh Chuc, 38, who was also a driver of the bus enterprise, to do gambling.

When Hung, Minh and Thang lost a lot a money at gambling, they thought Chuc had tricked them to win VN300 million (US$13,300) from them.

On November 24, 2014, the three men went to Chucs boarding house, beat him up and stole several items such as television, computer, air-conditioner and an Air Blade motorbike. They hid the stolen goods at Quans house.

On the afternoon of the same day, the three men and Ich returned to Chucs house to again demand payment of the debt. They also required the latter to write an acknowledgement of debt.

Chuc could not bear the beating and so said he accepted their demand.

Hung, Minh, Thang, Ich and Quan were seized by Hoang Mai District Police the next day.  VNS
"Any rule or custom pertaining to the display of the flag of the United States of America, set forth herein, may be altered, modifi...
will receive three fuel-efficient Airbus A320neos in March and 24 aircraft totally in a year, giving the Gurgaon-based airline a cost advantage over its peers. The A320neo promises 15 per cent lower fuel burn from day one and 20 per cent fuel savings by 2020.

has 430 aircraft of the type on order. Other airlines set to induct the aircraft are GoAir (72 planes), Air India (14 planes) and Vistara (seven planes). While GoAir expects to receive its A320neo by May-June, Air India and Vistara will induct it in 2017 and 2018, respectively. On Friday, IndiGo's first A320neo touched down at Delhi airport. It will induct 24 planes of the type by March 2017. The airline's president Aditya Ghosh told a television channel they expects 20 per cent revenue growth with the induction.

IndiGo's stock price closed two per cent higher at Rs 821.75, with investors welcoming early resolution of aircraft delivery problems. "The delivery of the first brand new A320neo reaffirms IndiGo's commitment to the long-term future of aviation in India. This marks the beginning of the next phase of our growth and will enable us to make air transportation far more accessible for the people of India," Ghosh said in a statement.

has not announced when it will begin using the aircraft and the sectors on which it will fly it. Originally, the airline was expected to take delivery last December but it was delayed due to issues related to engines.

Qatar Airways, which was the launch customer for the aircraft, has so far refused to accept the planes until the issues related to engine were fixed. Both IndiGo and Qatar Airways have selected Pratt & Whitney's geared turbofan engine.

According to media reports, the issue primarily pertains to engine start-up and it was felt this could impact schedules at busy airports and hence the airlines initially refused to accept the aircraft.

Airbus and Pratt & Whitney have been working to address the issue and have provided a software solution for the problem.

Earlier this month, Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier was quoted as saying that the plane maker would deliver "very reliable A320neo with Pratt & Whitney engines" by mid-2016.

IndiGo had blamed the delay on A320neo deliveries on "industrial reasons" without specifying the reason.
San Francisco-based ride hailing company Uber was forced to develop a mechanism for accepting cash payments from customers in India, given the extremely low penetration of credit cards in the country. Seen as an inconvenience at first, the company has exported the solution to other emerging markets such as Vietnam and Indonesia.

To mine the country for more such innovations to grow both locally and globally, Uber has picked Bengaluru to open its first engineering centre in Asia.

The city is home to Indias largest pool of tech talent and also to rival taxi-hailing service Ola.

For us to dream of providing transportation which is as reliable as running water for everyone in India, we have reached a point where we have to setup an engineering centre here, said Thuan Pham, chief technology officer at Uber. If we all sit in the ivory tower in San Francisco, we cannot imagine how challenging the local conditions are.



Some of the challenges Ubers local engineering team will look to solve include building a solution that can function in areas of poor mobile connectivity, innovations in payment methods and solving variations in estimated time of arrival (ETA), given the massive congestion on roads in Indian cities. All this will also help Uber better its services at a global scale.

Pham says India is unique since it offers a massive scale while serving several problems to developers. Moreover, while China is a larger market for Uber, the company chose to setup its centre in the continent in India as the technology world is familiar with the talent India offers.

Uber has pledged to invest Rs 99 crore in Karnataka for the setting up of its centre which will hire 200 people and employ a further 100,000 driver partners. Currently, the company claims to have more than 250,000 cabs on its platform operating across 26 cities, making the country its third largest market after the US and China.

Ola, the companys local rival, shifted its headquarters from Mumbai to Bengaluru last year due to the non-availability of high-quality tech workers outside the city. The Softbank-funded company has now become part of a global consortium of taxi-hailing services in a bid to take on Uber which includes Chinas Didi Kuaidi, Southeast Asias GrabTaxi and US-based Lyft.

While both firms are engaged in a battle to dominate Indias market, they have a common enemy  archaic regulations. The business models of both have recently come under attack from the state governments of Karnataka and Maharashtra (two of their largest markets) which plan to impose extremely restrictive regulations such as sticking to state mandated fares.

Ola and Uber are also looking to reduce the entry price barrier for using their services by introducing services such as bike taxis, auto rickshaws, shared taxis and even shuttle bus services on their platforms.
The Union textiles ministry is looking at Australia, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Africa to boost exports through bilateral agreements as free trade agreements (FTAs) with the European Union and the US are delayed.

The ministry is chasing a target of doubling exports in 10 years and is working on a new textiles policy to promote value-addition.

Guidelines had been finalised for a revised Upgradation Fund Scheme and these would be placed before the Cabinet, Textiles Secretary Rashmi Verma said on the sidelines of the India International Handwoven Fair in Chennai.

exports are unlikely to reach their 2015-16 target of $47.5 billion (Rs 3.17 lakh crore) because the figure was $32 billion (Rs 2.14 lakh crore) till December. Last year, Indias textile exports were $42 billion (Rs 2.81 lakh crore), which was in large part cotton and yarn.

We might be a little short of target, but by and large we will achieve it, Verma said and added since India did not have FTAs with the US and the EU, the sector was at a big disadvantage compared to Bangladesh and Vietnam. These countries export textiles to the West at zero duty while Indian exporters face duties of 10-14 per cent.

The ministry has proposed relaxation in labour laws to allow women to work at night.

The simplified textile policy is also ready. We are in the process of sending it to Cabinet. We should be able to bring it out in two months time, Verma said. The policy focuses on increasing the contribution of value-added products from the current 25 per cent.

We are trying to balance the value chain so that value addition can take place within the country. The share of raw material will come down when the overall exports grow, she added.

Verma said most incentives or subsidies offered by the ministry were related to production. Those related to processing and skilling would be continued, she added.

A meeting of all stakeholders would be held next month to take stock of Indias commitments to the World Trade Organization, Verma said. It will review the subsidies that can be phased out.
Zelenskys diplomacy masterclass outpacing dour, grey Putin in battle for hearts and minds When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 this year, there was no room for jokes or play acting, and Zelensky needed to step up. He did.

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Boris Johnsons dad tight-lipped on sons potential return Speculation has begun on who could replace Liz Truss in the wake of her resignation, with her predecessor Boris Johnson expected to stand for the Conservative leadership again.
Gunmen, 1 with rifle, kill 6 at cookout

WILKINSBURG, Pa. (AP)  Two gunmen working as a team fatally shot five people including a pregnant woman and critically wounded two others at a backyard cookout, with one attacker using a rifle to shoot the victims in the head as they were driven in his direction, a prosecutor said Thursday.

The medical examiner officially ruled the death of the fetus a homicide Thursday, bringing the fatalities in the late Wednesday night ambush attack to six.

The gunmen appeared to have targeted one or two of the victims, said police, who added that they hadnt ruled out drugs as a motive.

Louisiana floods displace 1,000, kill 3

ELM GROVE, La. (AP)  Huge military trucks rumbled through neighborhoods in northern Louisiana on Thursday in search of families trapped by days of relentless rain, while men in rain gear waded through floodwaters up to their chests to rescue stranded animals.

State officials said a 6-year-old girl was among three people killed in Louisiana during two days of severe weather that has left roads covered in water and sent more than 1,000 people fleeing their homes.

Lion suspected

in koalas death

LOS ANGELES (AP)  A famous Hollywood mountain lion is the chief suspect in a grisly crime.

Los Angeles Zoo officials say a koala went missing on March 3 and its bloody, partially eaten remains were found a short time later outside the zoo.

The night before the koala was found, P-22, a 7-year-old male puma, was seen on surveillance video near the zoo inside Griffith Park, the sprawling urban wilderness that he calls home.

The big cat may have managed to leap a 9-foot-high fence to reach the koala enclosure and snatch Killarney, a 14-year-old female, the oldest koala in the exhibit. She had a habit of leaving the trees and wandering around on the ground at night, zookeepers said.

Husband, wife shoot murder suspect

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP)  An escaped murder suspect with little to lose made a desperate move before dawn Thursday, breaking into a house at knifepoint and holding a husband, wife and son hostage for hours in a bathroom.

But this family wasnt going down without a fight. After Rafael McCloud tied up the 30-year-old husband, he broke loose and fought with McCloud, who stabbed him in the back of his shoulder, Vicksburg Police Capt. Sandra Williams said. McCloud tied the man up again, but his 24-year-old wife persuaded McCloud to let her leave the bathroom. She returned with a family handgun and shot the intruder, Williams said. Then she cut loose her husband and he shot McCloud multiple times with the same gun, killing him.

Boy, 4, shoots mom, a gun advocate

MIAMI (AP)  A northeast Florida woman whose 4-year-old son accidentally shot her in the back while they were traveling in her pickup truck is apparently a gun lover who made numerous social media postings about gun rights.

A community Facebook page listed under Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense was filled with posts advocating for gun rights, including a quote that says My right to protect my child with my gun trumps your fear of my gun.

Jamie Gilt, 31, of Jacksonville owns the .45-caliber gun the boy fired Tuesday. She told deputies her son had accidentally shot her. She was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition.
WATERLOO  The second man accused of causing heavy damage in 2014 to a Waterloo church after breaking in has been arrested.

Authorities in Garfield County, Colo., arrested 23-year-old Taylor James Gray on Waterloo warrants for first-degree criminal mischief, third-degree burglary and second-degree theft Wednesday, according to Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers.

Gray is suspected of entering Burton Avenue Baptist Church, 900 Burton Ave., in May 2014 and stealing an overhead projector and other items and discharging a fire extinguisher.

Four others were involved in the break-in, and a second suspect, Jalan Culpepper, was arrested in Kansas in December 2015.

Culpepper pleaded guilty to burglary, theft and criminal mischief charges in February, and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison suspended to five years probation and ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution.

New sentencing in robbery case

WATERLOO  A Waterloo man who was 16 when he allegedly robbed a motel has been granted a new sentencing hearing.

Jamar Ronod Wise, now 23, was originally sentenced to 25 years in prison with an automatic 70 percent mandatory minimum before he can be considered for parole.

He won a second hearing following an Iowa Supreme Court decision that found it improper to impose automatic mandatory minimums for people who committed crimes as juveniles. This left the decision in the hands of the same district court judge who imposed the punishment, ruling that mandatory prison time before parole was warranted in Wises case.

Wise appealed again in another attempt to remove the mandatory minimum, arguing that judge considered information about a separate convenience store robbery case where Wise had pleaded to a lesser charge.

The Iowa Court of Appeals sided with Wise in a decision handed down Wednesday. The court vacated the sentence and again sent the case back to the district court for resentencing.

Wise had been charged in connection with a Jan. 26, 2009, holdup at Motel 6 on Logan Avenue where the clerk was beaten in the head with a pistol and in an April 15, 2011, robbery at Kwik Stop on Independence Avenue where his DNA was found on a hat left behind the business.

He entered an Alford plea to robbery charges in the motel crime and a reduced charge of first-degree theft in the convenience store crime. Wise had also been arrested in a December 2008 home robbery where the victims were tied up with duct tape, and that case was handled in juvenile court.

Man investigated for kidnapping

MITCHELL  A man captured this week after leaving a Mason City community corrections house is now suspected of several new crimes, including kidnapping, authorities said.

Nicholas Lenz, 23, was arrested Monday for felony escape and misdemeanor operation of a vehicle without the owners consent.

He was found Monday at a residence in Mitchell, said Mitchell County Sheriff Greg Beaver.

Lenz ran from the residence but was caught a few blocks away, Beaver said.

A woman found during the arrest was transported to a local hospital. Investigators believe Lenz held her against her will, Beaver said.

He would not release the womans name or specify how she knew Lenz.

She was later transferred to a Minnesota hospital for additional treatment.

Officials also suspect Lenz of several burglaries and vehicle thefts Saturday and Sunday in Mitchell County.

Charges have not yet been filed in those incidents, Beaver said.

Authorities believe Lenz escaped from Beje Clark Residential Center in Mason City on Feb. 26.

Run by the Iowa Department of Corrections, Beje Clark offers residential programs for recently released prison inmates transitioning back to the community. Criminal defendants also can be ordered to live there and participate in its programs as a condition of probation.

Lenz is currently on probation in Mitchell and Chickasaw counties. The Mitchell County probation stems from a burglary conviction last year.

Lenz was arrested on the burglary charge in September after a multi-agency search through the fields north of Mitchell.

Man arrested

in ice house fire

GENEVA  A rural Hampton man with a history of starting fires has been arrested for allegedly torching an ice house on a farm late Wednesday.

Firefighters from Geneva and Hansell volunteer departments were called to the blaze at 120th Street and Thursh Avenue about 6:46 p.m.

Witnesses spotted a red Toyota Celica leaving the scene, and deputies with the Franklin County Sheriffs Office stopped the car a short time later and arrested the driver, 27-year-old Brandon Daniel Deetz, for first-offense operating while intoxicated and open container. He allegedly blew a .154 on a breath test, according to court records.

Further investigation led to charges of second-degree arson, third-degree theft and trespassing. He allegedly took more than $500 worth of ice fishing equipment, and authorities said the ice house was a total loss.

Wednesdays arrest came less than a year after Deetz was released from prison after serving time in connection with fires set in Bremer and Chickasaw counties in 2011. In those fires, Deetz was accused of burning a vehicle and an abandoned farmhouse on 120th Street near Plainfield and Superior Building Center lumberyard in Fredericksburg in June 2011.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and was placed on work release in October 2015 and is currently on parole, according to the Iowa Department of Corrections.
Eagles to hold quilt event

WATERLOO  The Fraternal Order of Eagles, 202 E. First St., will have a fleece quilt tying event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 19 and May 28.

Donations are being accepted of fleece, 2-by-2 yards and 2-by-3 yards, cash donation to purchase fleece or volunteers to help tie blankets.

Proceeds go to Ronald McDonald House for the Christmas in July project.

For more information, call Jami Allen at 215-7600.

Brunch planned on March 26

WATERLOO  People may join the Easter Bunny for brunch and bunny-riffic art activities at the Waterloo Center for the Arts from 10 to 11:30 a.m. March 26.

In addition, kids and families can continue the fun exploring the Phelps Youth Pavilions new hands-on exhibit Light Play!.

Cost for the Bunny Brunch is $8 for WCA members and $10 for non-members and includes same-day admission to the Phelps Youth Pavilion and new Light Play! exhibit.

Call 291-4490 or stop by the center to register by March 23 for the brunch. For more information, go to phelpsyouthpavilion.org.

School to host open house

WATERLOO  Waterloo Christian School will host its annual kindergarten round-up family open house from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 5 as a no-obligation opportunity to learn about the school before kindergarten round-up, which is scheduled for April 7 and 8.

The activities include an extensive developmental readiness screening as well as a half-day classroom orientation.

Parents interested in registering for the open house or registering their child for kindergarten round-up may do so by calling WCS at 235-9309.

All round-up activities will take place at the school, 1307 W. Ridgeway Ave.

Waterloo Christian is a K-12 evangelical Christian school; all families desiring a Christian education for their children, regardless of denomination, are welcome.

For more information, call 235-9309 or go to www.waterloochristian.com.

MS group plans March 17 meeting

WATERLOO  The Waterloo / Cedar Falls chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society will have a support group meeting from 7 to 8:30 p.m. March 17 at Covenant Medical Center, wing G, 4th floor, Room 10.

Jamie McWade of Liberty Counseling will discuss different ways of coping with depression and resources for depression management.

All patients, families, and anyone interested in learning more about this topic or multiple sclerosis are encouraged to attend.

For more information, call Shirl at 235-8946.

St. Patricks Day supper set

FAIRBANK  The Fairbank United Methodist Church is having a St. Patricks Day supper from 4:30 to 7 p.m. March 17.

Potato soup and corned beef and cabbage along with Irish soda bread, pies and beverage will be served.

Donations will be accepted.

Vet to speak at DAR meeting

CEDAR FALLS  The Cedar Falls Chapter of Daughters of American Revolution will meet March 19 at Cedar Falls Public Library, 524 Main St.

Dessert will be served at 12:30 p.m.

Craig White will speak about Honor Flights and some memories of his Vietnam experience. The chapter will be honoring Vietnam veterans with pins and certificates, and Sid Morris also will be presented with a community service award.

Any woman 18 years or older who can prove lineal descent from a Revolutionary War ancestor is eligible for membership. To learn more, go to www.DAR.org.

For further information and assistance in research, contact Sue LeQuatte at ladybass66@aol.com, or 235-1164.
WATERLOO -- Police blocked off part of a Waterloo neighborhood for several hours Friday afternoon and evening after a resident received a suspicious package that a bomb disposal unit determined was a travel bag.

"Better safe than sorry," Waterloo safety services director Dan Trelka said after officers were on the scene for about four hours.

Officers received a call about the package at 961 Lisa Drive at about 3 p.m.

Trelka said officers were dispatched to the home after a resident there reported receiving a package following a phone threat days earlier.

Police asked some neighbors to leave their residences while authorities checked out the matter.

The package was delivered to Dale Kohli's home at 961 Lisa Friday, a few days after Kohli had a phone conversation with an acquaintance whom he said was harassing a friend. The caller said he would send him something by mail that would send Kohli "into orbit." Kohli said he did not order anything. There was no return address and the package bore a West Virginia postmark.

"He called me on the phone and told me he would send me a package in three or four days," Kohli said. "It's been three or four days and I got this package."

Kohli contacted police. Police closed Lisa Drive and secured the area until the package could be checked out. After initial investigation, a bomb disposal unit arrived after 6 p.m. Unit members X-rayed the package and after further checks determined the package not to be a threat.

Kohli described the package as about 14 inches by 16 inches by 4 inches.

Through traffic on Olympic Drive, a nearby busy arterial, was allowed to pass during the investigation.
WATERLOO  One person was taken to the hospital after he allegedly broke into an apartment Tuesday morning and was shot.
its a blog about my life. I can tell whatever I want to
If you have opinions about the subject matter of posts on this blog please share them. Do you have a story about how the system affects you at work school or home, or just in general? This is a place to share it.
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is both Walt Disney World's largest and newest deluxe resort. Set against a backdrop of African savannahs, it is the closest hotel to the Animal Kingdom Park and is home to around 200 animals. With its unique theming and beautiful collection of African art, Animal Kingdom Lodge is an experience like no other and no true Disney fan should go a lifetime without staying there. If you are thinking whether this is the right resort for you, take a look at my guide of everything you need to know about staying at this little piece of Africa in Orlando.

13. There Are Subtle Rules You Must Follow

Due to the wildlife at Animal Kingdom Lodge there are naturally some restrictions for guests. Most of these are common sense, such as dont hang towels over the balcony, don't feed or touch the animals but there's little things you can easily overlook. Keep in mind you will not be allowed to take your newly purchased balloon back to your room and if you spot something out of place on the savannah you have a responsibility to inform a cast member. The savannahs are also equipped with cameras so can spot when guests are trying to feed left over Mickey waffles to the giraffes. The cast member at check in should talk you through these rules, but they are also noted in your room to look at. You shouldn't find these rules at all restrictive and they won't impact your holiday but unlike other Disney hotels, it's a living animal reserve and although it's fantastic for kids, they may need to be slightly monitored more closely.
WrestleMania 33 is officially set for April 2 2017 in Orlando, Florida. The news had been expected for some time, with Orlando aggressively campaigning for the event and WWE impressed by the improvements made to the 74,000 capacity Citrus Bowl. Numerous big cities had bid for the event, due to the economic impact WrestleMania has on the local area. In the end, only Minneapolis came close. Orlando was by far the safer bet, thanks to its well-established transport hubs and vast accommodation options. Indeed, 'Mania was there in 2008 so WWE know full well what they are getting with the location. For the fans, it should be a lot of fun. The Sunshine State is famed for its tourist attractions and theme parks, meaning the 'Mania 33 experience is going to feel more like a vacation. Another exciting factor is that coinciding with the event will reportedly be the launch of the new WWE Hall Of Fame/restaurant at Universal Studios, which is going to make WrestleMania week even more enjoyable. Already, 'Mania 33 in Orlando looks like more of a good time than this year's WrestleMania 32 in Dallas. Take away the record-breaking crowd and the Dallas show is looking like a pretty average Mania. In contrast, there's already some signs that WrestleMania 33 in Orlando is going to be sensational. You should save your money up and go to 'Mania next year. Here's why...
WASHINGTON  A GOP effort to jab Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who is currently running for Senate, backfired spectacularly on Tuesday when the National Republican Senatorial Committee sent out a tweet accusing the combat veteran and double amputee of not standing up for our veterans.. The posting caused an uproar on Twitter immediately, and the NRSC removed the tweet within 10 minutes. The website it linked to remains up, and criticizes Duckworth for her former role as director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. Duckworth campaign spokesman Matt McGrath condemned the tweet and said its tone was typical of Duckworths likely opponent, current Sen. Mark Kirk (R). Tasteless and dishonest, just like everything else to do with Mark Kirks flailing campaign, McGrath told HuffPost in a statement. Tammy has made fighting for Veterans her lifes work, and will continue to so in the Senate.

Im not a student of Illinois politics, so I cant hope to address the charges being lobbed at Duckworth by Republicans, particular the campaign of Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL), Duckworths opponent. The things Duckworth stands accused of by Republicans may or may not have merit, but my purpose here is not to debate accusations in a case I dont understand well enough to intelligently offer comment on.

The reason for my reaction is the truly vile and disgusting manner in which Republicans chose to go after Duckworth. Perhaps they lack the common decency to recognize how patently offensive accusing a woman who lost both her legs while serving in Iraq of not standing up for veterans truly is. Perhaps they honestly believe alls fair in love and war and that politics is just another metaphor for war. Not that most Republicans understand what its like to be in combat. Most of those attacking Duckworth have come no closer to combat than spending time in a crowded Starbucks on their way to work.

To call the attacks on Duckworth tasteless and offensive doesnt begin to do justice to the amoral, underhanded methods being employed by Sen. Kirks campaign. Again, I have no idea if the charges directed at Duckworth have any basis in truth; that will be borne out in due time. I do find it absolutely stunning and distressingly tone-deaf that Republicans would go after Duckworth, whose legs are somewhere in Iraq, and employ the phrase not standing up for veterans.

If I was an Illinois voter, this thoughtless and insensitive line of attacks directed at Duckworth would be enough to make me vote for her. After all, its not exactly a stretch to believe that Illinois deserves a Senator willing to act in a manner worthy of the dignity of the office. If the race has been reduced to an anything goes political version of monkeys flinging feceswell, it would be hard not to argue that Illinois- and America- deserves better.
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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.
Mar 11, 2016 | By Alec

Various research teams throughout the world are working hard to make 3D printed blood vessels, skin tissue and even whole organs a reality. Though progress is understandably slow, we are certainly heading in the right direction. Just earlier this week, Harvard researchers revealed their successes with embedding vasculature in 3D printed tissue. Now joining the fray are researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine, who have gotten their hands on one of the most impressive existing 3D bioprinters: the Regenova by Cyfuse Biomedical, and will use it to pioneer 3D printed skin, inner ear and nipple tissue, among others, for use in regenerative surgery.

If the Regenova 3D printer sounds familiar, thats probably because its one of the most innovative 3D bioprinters currently available. Its manufacturer Cyfuse Biomedical has been carving out its reputation as a biomedical pioneer for a few years now; back in 2015, their reputation helped them gather $12 million for 3D printed human tissue research, while their one-of-a-kind Regenova 3D printer ranks very well our Top 20 3D Bioprinters. That 3D bioprinter has also recently landed in San Diego, where it will also be used for tissue research.

So what makes that machine so interesting? Unlike most currently used competitors, the Regenova does not make use of scaffolds and fluids to ensure the correct placement of each cell. Instead, the Cyfuse Medical 3D printer uses an array of needles on which aggregates of cells called spheroids are skewered into their required position, like microscopic pieces of meat on tiny upright kebabs. These cells begin to interact organically and, once fully self-organized, can be freed from their needle supports, leaving a complete section of tissue. This technique has been labelled the Kenzan Method, Kenzan meaning needle array in Japanese.

Inside the Regenova, stainless steel needles can be found with a diameter of 100-200 micrometers and pitch of 300-400 micrometers. With it, the machine is able to sculpt biological patterns within a range of ~10x10x10mm at 500um resolution. Printed tissues are then able to be fused together to create larger constructs. Each tissue is precisely designed using the Regenova-specific B3D 3D design software, which allows users to manipulate the patterns of spheroids in a precise, controlled manner. According to Cyfuse Biomedical, this method offers notable advantages over other 3D bioprinting techniques, by reducing cell damage and increasing viability. Its much gentler approach eliminates high-velocity liquid flow, which can damage cells and yield low cell numbers. Thanks to the elimination of this factor, the technique is suitable even for the most delicate primary cells, which are often of the highest physiological relevance.

Researchers at Indiana University are now the second group in the US to have access to this innovative technology. According to associate vice chancellor for research David B. Burr (and professor of anatomy, cell biology and biomedical engineering), they will be using it to conduct research in a very varied range of fields that touch tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, from vascular and musculoskeletal biology to dermatology, ophthalmology and cancer. We have a large and robust group of investigators in these fields who are interested in 3D bioprinting for aspects of their work, he said. Having this device positions us, and these investigators, to conduct research and obtain grant funding in new areas that many universities are simply not able to compete for yet.

According to Dr. Nicanor Moldovan, one of the researchers who will be working with the machine, the Regenovas tissue results will be far more likely to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration for human use in the future than other methods at their disposal. Putting the printer in our hands immensely empowers us to do constructs no one has done before, said the adjunct associate professor of biomedical engineering and of ophthalmology. In particular, they went for the Regenova 3D printer because it doesnt force cells through nozzles  a method that can leave fragments of biogel in the nozzle.

It was the interest shown by Dr. Moldovan and colleagues, including Keith March, that was instrumental in reaching an agreement with Cyfuse. Under the agreement, the university will be leasing the $450,000 instrument while preparing a grant proposal for purchasing it. There is a lot to be learned and gained on both sides from this relationship. I think it's very clear that Cyfuse is passionate about helping the researchers at IUPUI generate the best constructs possible to give the best chance of success, said Cyfuse representative Steven Boikess.

Several research projects are already lined up for the Regenova 3D printer, once it arrives. Assistant professor Karl Koehler will use it to pioneer cranial tissues, such as inner ear and skin, while associate professor John Foley will explore nipple areola reconstruction using the machine. Assistant research professor Nutan Prasain are exploring blood vessel repair through the machine, while associate professor Melissa Kacena hopes to use it for bone construction. Should this approach be successful, in the future we envision using the patients own cells to create a patient-specific, anatomically shaped bone segment to replace one that is missing due to injury or disease, she said. Professor of biomedical and mechanical engineering Hiroki Yokota, finally, plans to use it to study the bone metastasis of cancer cells.

The machine is thus creating high hopes over at Indiana University, and Dr. Burr went as far as predicting that practically applicable 3D bioprinted tissue for the replacement of tissue suffering from traumatic injury is no less than a decade away. It will take some time, but medical 3D bioprinting is definitely coming, it seems.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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Many forward-thinking companies are giving their employees access to financial wellness services to help them make sense of their finances.

Financial Finesse, a company that specializes in offering such services, has released a new study indicating that employees who participate in multiple live interactions with a Certified Financial Planner experience a much higher improvement in their financial behavior than those who rely only on online advice.

For example, 80 percent of employees who had five or more live interactions with a CFP have a better handle on cash flow, compared to 66 percent of online-only users. In addition, 72 percent of employees with multiple CFP interactions have an emergency fund, compared to 50 percent of online-only users.

A whopping 98 percent of employees who interacted five or more times with CFPs contribute to their retirement plan, compared to 89 percent of those rely just on online help.

While 48 percent of employees are on track with their retirement planning when they interact multiple times with CFPs, the same can be said for only 21 percent of online-only users of financial wellness programs.

On top of that, 64 percent of those surveyed said they are confident in their investment strategy when they interact with CFPs, compared to 42 percent of online-only users.

Employees who repeatedly engaged with their workplace financial wellness programs made more progress last year than in the previous year of the survey. Of these repeat users, 66 percent said they are comfortable with their debt in 2015, up from 63 percent in 2014. In addition, 39 percent indicated last year they are confident they are on track for retirement, up from 34 percent in 2014. Fifty-five percent of them said in 2015 they are confident their investments are allocated appropriately, up from 52 percent in 2014. And 31 percent report having taken a retirement plan loan or hardship in 2015, down from 33 percent in 2014.

A larger percentage of women employees repeatedly interacted with their financial wellness program last year compared to prior years. A look at 31 key financial wellness questions revealed that Financial Finesses overall Gender Gap in Financial Wellness declined from seven percentage points in 2014 to five percentage points in 2015. Of employees who were repeat users of their employers financial wellness program in 2015, 71 percent were women.

For a copy of the report, click here.
A former accounting manager at air conditioning maker Carrier Corporation was sentenced to 12 months in prison for his role in an insider embezzlement scheme.

Ryan King, 44, of Indianapolis, was sentenced Wednesday by U. S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker. King worked as an accounting manager at Carrier, a subsidiary of United Technologies, from June 2103 through April 2014. His job involved overseeing Carriers financial transactions, including cost accounting, hourly payroll and preparation of financial statements among other duties.

In June 2013, King opened a personal checking account in the name of Carrier Services. He then instructed different vendors who owed money to the company to Carrier to send the payments in the form of checks made out to Carrier Services. When King received the checks he diverted the money, depositing the checks into his personal account. He also faxed inflated invoices to several vendors, asking them to wire the overpayment to his personal account. A total of $1,095,201 was diverted to his personal account.

White collar criminals steal through position and influence but are thieves just the same, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana Josh J. Minkler said in a statement. Those who choose to commit this type of crime will be held accountable through the partnership of government and private industry to root out crime in whatever form.

Prosecutors recovered over $500,000 from various savings and investment accounts and assets owned by King. The money and assets will be applied toward the $1,233,343.80 in restitution ordered by the court.

In addition to 12 months in prison, King was sentenced to six months of home detention during the two years of supervised release that will start when he is released from prison.
The Institute of Internal Auditors Research Foundation has issued a new report offering strategies for motivating internal audit staff, including dealing with generational differences.

The report, Great Ways to Motivate Your Staff, is the latest offering in the IIARFs Common Body of Knowledge (CBOK) series. It provides five strategies for integrated performance management tailored to the profession and 10 action items for motivating staff.

The report delves into data collected in the 2015 CBOK Global Practitioners Survey to support execution of the strategies and action items. For example, strategies such as goal setting, retaining talent and assessing performance are all influenced by generational differences among staff members. The CBOK data provide details on generational staffing levels, and each generations plans for remaining in the profession.

It also provides detailed information on gender, internal audit as a training ground for management, measures used to gauge internal audit performance and more.

The report was released earlier this week at IIA conferences in Brisbane, Australia and Dallas, Texas.

If internal auditors are to become true agents of change, internal audit leaders must help them expand their capabilities, align their goals with the organizations goals, and provide proper performance evaluations, incentives and recognitions, said IIA chairman Larry Harrington in a statement. The vital information and guidance this report provides will help us accomplish this.

The report is the latest in a series being produced by the IIARF based on CBOK data. More than two dozen reports are planned. It and other CBOK reports can be downloaded for free at the CBOK Resource exchange at www.theiia.org/goto/CBOK.
(Bloomberg) Former billionaire entrepreneur Samuel Wyly is stiffing his creditors by attempting to shield $249 million in offshore annuities and a $12 million Texas mansion in his bankruptcy, federal regulators told a judge.

It is a request to enjoy a lifestyle of unfathomable wealth while seeking the courts protection from litigation, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said in a filing Thursday in Dallas bankruptcy court.

The SEC is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars from Wyly and the estate of his late brother Charles Wyly after they lost a fraud trial in Manhattan. The Internal Revenue Service is seeking $2 billion in the same case.

Wylys lawyer, Josiah Daniel, said in an e-mail that the SECs objection to the exemptions was not newsworthy, without elaborating.

Egregious Violations

Wyly has been found liable of numerous, egregious violations, has paid nothing as a result of his misconduct while indefinitely residing in a mansion worth 57 times the average cost of a single family home in Dallas, the SEC said. The agency called his request for exemptions astonishing.

The entrepreneur and his brothers widow, Caroline Dee Wyly, filed for bankruptcy after the SECs 2014 victory in the fraud case. Charles died in a car accident in 2011.

Wyly argued that Texas law allows people who file for bankruptcy to shield their homes from creditors. The SEC argues that Congress has limited the value of such homes to about $155,000 in cases where federal law has been violated, according to the filing.

As for the annuities, the agency says Wyly set up a web of offshore funds specifically to protect assets in situations like the bankruptcy.

Offshore System

A Wyly employee who met with the lawyer who created the offshore system said in a memo at the time that one of the goals was to "never let a creditor get your asset, no matter how bad your mistake," according to the SECs filing. That lawyer was later convicted of an unrelated felony, the agency said.

The IRS is suing to recover unpaid taxes, interest and penalties on money held in offshore trusts from 1992 to 2013 by the brothers, who got rich building businesses including the Michaels Stores Inc. arts-and-crafts chain. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Barbara Houser in Dallas is expected to rule soon on how much the IRS can claim.

The case is In re Samuel E. Wyly, 14-bk-35043, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas (Dallas).
By Derrick Broze

New documents reveal that the several federal agencies have been operating surveillance flights over the United States since at least 2009.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation recently received new records related to the U.S. Marshals aerial surveillance program. The EFF filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Department of Justice shortly after The Wall Street Journal revealed a cell-phone monitoring program operated by the U.S. Marshals Service. The program involved the Marshals using Cessna planes mounted with cell site simulators, also known as Stingrays or dirtboxes.

The EFF describes the Stingray as a brand name of an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) Catcher targeted and sold to law enforcement. A Stingray works by masquerading as a cellphone tower to which your mobile phone sends signals to every 7 to 15 seconds whether you are on a call or not and tricks your phone into connecting to it.

The device that is used for the Marshals aerial surveillance program is made by Digital Receiver Technology (DRT), which is where it gets the name dirt box. The dirt boxes are supposed to be used for criminal investigations, but the EFF and the American Civil Liberties Union say the devices can collect data from tens of thousands of innocent people on each flight.

The documents obtained by the EFF come from the U.S. Marshals, FBI, CIA, and the DOJs Criminal Division. Most of the information released is heavily redacted but there are some new details on how these programs are being operated. The EFF writes:

The FBI produced the majority of the recordshundreds of pages of heavily redacted material. The documents are mostly internal emails and presentations going as far back as 2009, including discussions between FBI lawyers and the Operational Technology Division (OTD), which develops and oversees the FBIs surveillance techniques. The documents paint a picture that is similar to the one that has emerged around stingrays and IMSI catchers more generally: the FBI began testing and then using dirtboxes on planes without any overarching policy or legal guidance on their place in investigations.

A series of emails from June 2014 show FBI lawyers preparing a briefing for senators who were demanding more information regarding reports that the FBI was using planes with surveillance equipment. The lawyers had trouble finding details on the surveillance flights, ultimately releasing information on only five missions. These missions were carried using equipment owned by the FBI, not the Marshals.

Although the FBIs first successful airborne geolocation mission involving cellular technology apparently occurred sometime in 2009, even as late as April 2014 lawyers from the FBIs Office of General Counsel were discussing the need to develop a coordinated policy and determine any legal concerns, the EFF writes.

The DOJ only released a single policy document from the Marshals Technical Operations Group (TOG) that discusses the TOGs organization and procedures. As the EFF notes, there has been extensive reporting in the public domain on the Marshals use of dirtboxes. The lack of a larger paper trail detailing the program seems to indicate a massive lack of oversight or a failure by the DOJ to produce all the necessary documentation.

The new documents help paint a clearer picture of how the federal government is using surveillance devices such as Stingrays and dirtboxes. Since 2014, the public has slowly been learning of the true depth of the aerial surveillance state.

In September 2015, a report from The North Star Post exposed the existence of a fleet of surveillance aircraft operated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The planes fly over various locations within the United States, as well as across foreign destinations. The Post reported that photos of DEA planes appear to show cell site simulator technology, or advanced imaging technology, attached to the body of the aircraft. This would confirm suspicions that these aircraft are outfitted with dirtboxes.

In June 2015, Anti Media also reported on the existence of at least 100 surveillance planes operated by the FBI  planes managed by fake front companies rarely granted judicial approval for such actions. Some of these companies include FVX Research, KQM Aviation, NBR Aviation, and PXW Services. Documents from the FBI previously revealed that the bureau flew surveillance planes with thermal imaging equipment over Baltimore and Ferguson during highly-publicized protests.

The North Star Post also recently revealed that the National Guard is operating a fleet of highly capable C-26 surveillance aircraft, operated by front company Air Cerberus Inc. The company quite clearly traces back to the National Guard Bureau headquarters.

The capabilities of the dirtboxes and Stingrays are largely unknown to the public. In December 2015, a whistleblower leaked a manual detailing how many of these devices operate. One device, known as Windjammer, has an eight-mile range, but it is highly likely that other devices, with a larger range, are in existence.

What is the American public to do about the increasing Aerial Surveillance State? How can we find freedom in a world without privacy? The first step towards freedom is to educate yourself about the dangers posed by government and corporate entities. From there we can begin to find other like-minds and organize communities that focus on solutions to the Surveillance State and many other threats to our freedom.

Image Credit

Derrick Broze is an investigative journalist and liberty activist. He is the Lead Investigative Reporter for ActivistPost.com and the founder of the TheConsciousResistance.com. Follow him on Twitter.

Derrick is available for interviews.

This article may be freely reposted in part or in full with author attribution and source link.
Catch the television premiere of 2014s Hollywood blockbuster A Walk Among the Tombstones on Sunday, 13th March 2016 at 1 pm & 9:00 pm only on HBO.

Matt Scudder (Liam Neeson), formerly part of the NYPD, now works as an unlicensed private detective. His latest client is a drug trafficker (Dan Stevens) whose wife was kidnapped and brutally murdered, and as Scudder delves deeper, he finds that the crime's sequence is the modus operandi of the perpetrators. Before they can strike again and destroy other lives, Scudder races through the back streets of New York to catch the killers, blurring the lines between lawful and criminal as he goes.

A Walk Among the Tombstones starring Liam Neeson, Dan Steven and is directed by Scott Frank.
Havas Media Group India today announced the win of Spice Mobiles media mandate. The win came post a multi-agency pitch. The integrated media mandate will involve both traditional as well as digital including mobile duties. The incumbent on the business was OMD. The account will be handled from the agencys Gurgaon office.

Sriwant Wariz, GM Marketing, Spice, said, This country is on the brink of a mobility explosion and Spice is in the forefront of this change. We believe Spice has made a meaningful difference to the lives of many Indian citizens and we feel Havas Media will be able to help us in this mandate. Their dynamic and entrepreneurial approach was in sync with our brand philosophy. 

Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media Group, India and South Asia, explained, Spice is a great brand and we are privileged to be entrusted with their media mandate. Using our Meaningful Brands framework we will further enhance the relevance of the brand among its consumers. We look forward to this association.

Havas Medias entrepreneurial approach has paid us huge dividends. Our Digital At the Core philosophy resonates with the clients and provides Meaningful communcaiton solutions for them. Spice is an iconic Indian brand and we are proud to be associated with it, continued Mohit Joshi, Managing Director, Havas Media Group, India.


Erin Johnson, Global Communications Officer with J. Walter Thompson, has filed a lawsuit against Gustavo Martinez, Global CEO, JWT, claiming that Martinez had made racist and sexist slurs, as per media reports.

According to Johnsons lawsuit, Martinez had joked about raping female colleagues and had also mocked African-American employees as well as Jews. Johnson further alleged that her bonuses were slashed after she reported Martinezs behaviour to executives at JWT and WPP.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued through parent company WPP, Martinez denied the charges and said, I am aware of the allegations made against me by a J. Walter Thompson employee in a suit filed in New York Federal Court. I want to assure our clients and my colleagues that there is absolutely no truth to these outlandish allegations, and I am confident that this will be proven in court.

Johnson has been with JWT since 2005, when she joined as Director of Corporate Communications in New York. She was promoted to the global role in 2008.

Martinez joined as Global President of the JWT network in 2014. He was made the Global CEO in January 2015.
Indias leading mobile app for transportation, today announced that Sunil Shirguppi, former Vice President at Goldman Sachs, will join Ola as Vice President - Engineering and will primarily be working towards enhancing capabilities in Data Science and Machine Learning.



Ankit Bhati, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, Ola said, Sunils experience in data sciences at Goldman Sachs and LinkedIn makes him a valuable addition to Ola. As an organization, we churn tons of valuable data every single day and this can be continuously used to build a superior experience for both drivers and consumers. Sunils experience and expertise will help us scale Engineering capabilities at Ola to enable mobility for a billion Indians.



Sunil Shirguppi, Vice President - Engineering, Ola said: Transportation has become a major part of our lives and Ola has made the experience seamless for both consumers and drivers in India like never before. Data plays an important role in optimising different aspects of a fast growing network like Olas and I am excited to be a part of this new journey with a company that has redefined mobility in the country within a short span of time.



In this role, Sunil will be working closely with Ankit Bhati in areas that will impact the business significantly, including Consumer Analytics, Behavioral Analytics and other data platform capabilities. With over 15 years of experience in data sciences across global majors like Goldman Sachs, LinkedIn and Electronic Arts, Sunil is extremely passionate about building Data Science teams and implementing learning models into real time production environments. He holds a Bachelors degree in Engineering and a Masters of Business Administration from San Jose State University, California.
AmSafe Bridport wins two contracts from the Netherlands Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) for the development and supply of internal cargo restraint nets for their NH90 and Chinook helicopters.

Following a tender process AmSafe Bridport Limited has been awarded two contracts from the Netherlands DMO for the development and supply of internal cargo restraint nets for their NH90 and Chinook (CH-47) helicopters.

AmSafe Bridport (ASB) will utilise their extensive expertise in engineered textile restraint to fulfil the requirements of the Netherlands DMO. The Netherlands DMO already use a number of ASB products; both Cargo Pallet Nets and HUSLE (Helicopter Under-Slung Load Equipment) Nets, ASBs pedigree in these existing products helped them when responding to the Netherlands DMO RFI (summer 2015) and the later RFQ (late 2015). It was ASBs in-depth knowledge of cargo restraint and textiles that allowed them to propose solutions to the new demands the Netherlands DMO have for cargo restraint within their NH90 and Chinook helicopters.

The contracts involve the design, development and supply of 1 Net design for the NH90 and 3 Net designs for the Chinook. The NH90 Net is a Throw-over Net, and the Chinook Nets are; a Throw-over Net and 2 pre-formed (3-dimensional) Nets that fit over a pallet/load assembly. All 4 Nets attach to the floor attachment points within the helicopters.

The Netherlands DMO and ASB are undertaking the contracts over the coming months with a PDR in March, a CDR in May and delivery of the production volume Nets before the end of 2016.

Helicopter internal restraint of cargo is a vital element of airworthiness, the cargos securement is vital to weight and balance and we are delighted to be working with the Netherlands DMO to ensure they have the right products to accomplish this safety critical aspect for both their NH90 and Chinook fleet of helicopter  said Joe Ashton, Cargo Business Unit Manager for AmSafe Bridport.
Weapons online: F-35A train syllabus advances ahead of IOC

An Eglin Air Force Base F-35A Lightning II receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to MacDill AFB approximately 100 miles off the Gulf Coast March 2, 2016 following the 58th Fighter Squadron's first successful munition employment at a nearby range. Airmen from the 33rd Fighter Wing were able to complete modifications to the aircraft ahead of schedule to enable the use of inert munitions instead of simulated weapons, advancing the fifth-generation fighters syllabus and ensuring pilots receive the most comprehensive training before they support a combat-coded F-35A unit. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Capt. Hope R. Cronin)
Air Force continues to pursue total force integration

The Air Force continues to make strides toward total force integration, according to an annual report submitted to Congress March 4.



The report is based on recommendations from the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force and focuses on how the force structure should be modified to best fill current and future mission requirements, an area Air Force senior leaders have been vocal about, expressing their desires to continue to expand total force integration.



We are one Air Force, said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III. Were committed to this idea and its foundational to the way we present our capabilities. Were not going to be operationally successful any other way.



The service recently completed an intensive analysis of all Air Force primary mission areas. The analysis provided active and air reserve component force-mix options and reliable data to inform future acquisition decisions. As a result, more than a dozen force-mixing recommendations were carried into the fiscal year 2018 strategic planning process.



More than 78 total force integration proposals are being pursued, including 41 recommended by the NCSAF. In fact, the Air Force has launched a series of initiatives designed to break down existing barriers to a total Air Force.



The Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve provide the nation a vital capability that is functionally integrated and operationally indistinguishable from the active force," said Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James. "This maximizes our total force and secures (our) top priorities of taking care of people, balancing today's readiness with tomorrows modernization, and making every dollar count."



An important part of integration is having and employing the same equipment. The fielding of the KC-46 Pegasus and F-35 Lightning II is one example of the services commitment to concurrent and proportional fielding of new equipment and technology. A 2016 revision of Air Force Policy Directive 10-3, Air Reserve Component Forces, will capture this practice.



Changing policies is just one step toward incorporating cross-component interoperability into Air Force culture. Processes and systems must support this interoperability as well. To this end, the service has undertaken initiatives aimed at supporting total force Airmen.



For example, by expanding the Career Intermission Program to allow members receiving retention bonuses and those under an initial service obligation to apply and removing the statutory participation limits, more Airmen are eligible for this opportunity which allows Airmen the ability to transfer out of the active component and into the Individual Ready Reserve for up to three years while retaining certain benefits.



Also, total force Airmen transitioning from the active to reserve component will soon be afforded the ability to ship household goods to their reserve duty location versus their home of record.



Other significant interoperability initiatives surround the streamlining of cross-component personnel and pay systems. These changes include the standing up of base-level total force support squadrons at select locations, and the launching of a Total Force Virtual Personnel Center to facilitate electronic processing of common awards and decorations. Together these efforts are aimed at providing more effective and consistent support to Airmen from all components.



"We are proud of our total force accomplishments, which are increasingly leveraging the unique skills and experience of the reserve component, and creating the strategic agility required to meet the challenges emerging to our Air Force," said Lt. Gen. James F. Jackson, the chief of Air Force Reserve.



Another example of how the Air Force is leveraging the air reserve component is the services pursuit of a legislative change to allow air reserve component instructors to train, as a primary duty, active component students. The Air Force has 2,400 instructor pilots, 600 of whom are from the air reserve component. However, current law prohibits active guard and reserve personnel and technicians from training active component students as a primary duty.



While Congress granted temporary and limited relief in the fiscal 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, the Air Force is pursuing an extension of that temporary authority while continuing to pursue multiple solutions to facilitate total force training.



The services consistent and measured move towards efficiency and effectiveness can be seen in the Integrated Wing Pilot Program. The program, recommended by the NCSAF, aligns Air Force associations under a single, integrated chain of command. The program will begin in fiscal 2017 with the 916th Air Refueling Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina.



This Integrated Wing Pilot Program will help the Air Force determine if its possible to improve upon the existing association construct. If successful, the Air Force could apply the lessons learned from the program to other organizations.



Total force integration is also reflected at the leadership levels. The Air Force plans to fill key leadership positions with cross-component Airmen. Currently, three Air Force Reserve officers are set to command active component units, including two maintenance squadrons and a fighter wing. Those reserve officers will parallel the four active component officers who are currently serving in wing or vice wing command positions in both Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units. Similarly, the Air Force Chiefs Group actively considers chief master sergeants from both the active and reserve component for certain senior enlisted billets.



"The relationship between the Air Force and Air National Guard has never been better in my memory and I attribute it to the leadership of Secretary James, Gen. Welsh, Gen. Grass, and the adjutants general. We are a total Air Force and will continue to integrate active duty and Air National Guard where it benefits the nation," said Maj. Gen. Brian G. Neal, the Air National Guard acting director.



Neals remarks echo that of other total force leadership, showing the services commitment to cross-component integration as the Air Force continues to explore options on how to better support all Airmen, regardless of component.
The Air Force selected 497 lieutenant colonels for promotion to colonel during the calendar year 2015C colonel central selection boards.To see the promotion lists visit the myPers active duty officer promotion page and scroll down to the promotion selection lists section.For more information about Air Force personnel programs go to the myPers website . Individuals who do not have a myPers account can request one by following the instructions on the Air Force Retirees Services website
Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James met with Airmen to gain a better understanding of Luke Air Force Bases mission with a focus on F-35 Lightning II operations, and its maintenance and training facilities March 9-10.During her first visit to the base, James held an all call where she took time to thank Airmen and give her impressions of Luke AFB."Wow, what a great total force story we have going on here," James said. "We have active duty, the Reserve component, civilians, and fantastic contractor support working side by side with our international partners. That is the broadest of the broad total force story, and I'm impressed with it."Most of James' day involved briefings about F-35 operations and touring F-35 facilities.James spoke about how impressed she was with the leadership team with respect to F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-35 training, as well as her tour of different parts of base and interacting with Airmen in their work centers."When it comes to the F-35 program, this is a program that has really taken off," James said. "Pilots and maintainers are being trained, sorties are being flown and challenges are being overcome. There is a can-do spirit here."The secretarys visit included stops to the Academic Training Center, a state-of-the-art training center for fighter pilots, and the 61st Fighter Squadron and 61st Aircraft Maintenance Unit, the first squadrons to fly and maintain the F-35 at the base.During her tour, James discussed everything from flight equipment; the performance of ALIS, the F-35's autonomic logistics information system; the next generation F-35 helmet; and Luke's partnerships with other nations training here.James voiced how impressed she was of the support she has seen for the 56th Fighter Wings mission to train some of the best F-35 and F-16 fighter pilots, from Arizona leaders such as Gov. Doug Ducey and community groups like Luke West Valley Partnership.She also remarked how the work Luke Airmen are doing to accomplish that mission will give America aerial victory in the future."I'm truly blown away by all you are accomplishing here," James said. "You truly are making the future of our Air Force happen here today. The crucial training capabilities that you are providing will allow the United States to prevail in any kind of fight, particularly that high-end

type of the fight: the anti-access, area-denial hard fight."



During her speech, James made points on global security, a smaller Air Force, the need to modernize the force and increase overall readiness, as well as discussing her priorities for the service.



James fielded a few questions from the audience before departing, but not before giving Luke AFB one last thank you.



"Team Luke, you are doing a fantastic job," she said. "These are critical capabilities for today, as well as for the future of our Air Force, and you are going to make it happen for us all."
944th Fighter Wing kicks off Green Dot program

Commanders, chiefs, first sergeants, and superintendents were among the first group from the 944th Fighter Wing to receive Green Dot training during the March Unit Training Assembly.



Green Dot is a comprehensive prevention training program designed to address sexual and domestic violence. The Air Force has contracted with Green Dot to provide this prevention training to its Airmen to address interpersonal violence throughout the Force.



The training was implemented by Chaplain (Capt.) Matthew Wilson, 944th FW, and Capt. Lisa Breiterman, 944th Medical Squadron. The focus was on an introduction to preventing power-based personal violence across the service. It gave members an overview of their rolls as leaders and provided them with a preview of the training their Airmen will be receiving.



"The new Green Dot training format is leaps and bounds ahead of what it's been in the very recent past," said Chief Rhonda Hutson, 944th FW command chief. "The all-inclusiveness of it will bring us closer together as well as use the team concept to combat one of the biggest challenges still looming over us."



Hutson was among the first to receive the training which will be held every UTA until the end of the year.



"Our current norms that sustain the current rates of sexual assault, stalking, and domestic violence in our Air Force and communities are not acceptable," said Breiterman. "...in order to decrease those rates we need to change the norm and create a different culture."



The concept of 'green dots' (good dots) and 'red dots' (bad dots) placed on a map was introduced to illustrate positive and negative actions someone makes towards another person.



"Reducing the numbers of those on our bases and communities who experience violence can really happen if we each do one or two "green dots" both proactively and reactively," said Breiterman.



The implementers then discussed the three types of barriers; personal, relationship or social, and organizational barriers, which would stop someone from intervening in certain situations.



"We want [people] to understand that no matter what your barriers are, it is normal to have them," said Breiterman. "However, you can still become involved in ways that you feel comfortable with by using one of the '3 D's:' direct, delegate, or distract techniques."



Direct: do something yourself.



Delegate: if you can't do something directly because of your barriers, ask someone to help.



Distract: If you don't want to address the situation directly or even acknowledge you see it, try to think of a distraction that will diffuse the situation or calm things down in the moment.

"Collectively we can make a difference," said Breiterman.
Alamo Wing inducts 17 Honorary Commanders

Seventeen civic and business leaders were officially inducted into the 433rd Airlift Wing's Honorary Commanders Program during a ceremony March 5 in downtown San Antonio.



The ceremony, hosted by Col. David Scott, 433rd AW vice commander, is a time-honored tradition, signifying the important ties between the military and civilian communities.



"We are so glad you all are here," Scott said to his guests. "Thank you for volunteering your time and talent to be Honorary Commanders with the 433rd Airlift Wing."



The Honorary Commanders Program is an executive-level program intended as a forum in which the 433rd AW commander can solicit advice and support from civic leaders on matters affecting military and civilian communities, while cementing the already strong ties between the Alamo Wing and the San Antonio community.



This year 17 of the 26 selectees participated in the induction ceremony.



"I think the Honorary Commanders Program is a much needed program," said Scott. "This is the fifth annual ceremony that we've done here at the Alamo Wing and it has grown every year. It is such a valuable outreach tool. Not only do we have the opportunity to share our story, but the Honorary Commanders have the opportunity to share their story. It is so important."



Each of the Alamo Wing's Honorary Commanders is paired with a leader from within the wing. Throughout the year, the civilian and military counterparts get to know one another, which allows the community leaders to understand the importance of the U.S. Air Force Reserve and its mission, and in turn giving military leaders a better understanding and appreciation of the community in which they live.



Alamo Wing Honorary Commander Edward Pape, who is matched with the 433rd AW command chief, was inducted into the program for his second and final term during the ceremony.



"This past year was a wonderful experience," said the Vaquero Consulting Group president. "I met so many genuinely good people and learned so much. Also, being an aviation enthusiast, it was really great getting to see the aircraft up close and to witness an in-air refueling of the C-5. That was amazing!



"I'm looking forward to this next year in learning more and spreading the word about the great things the 433rd Airlift Wing does."



Alamo Wing Honorary Commander Judge Lisa Jarrett with the 436th District Court, shares Pape's appreciation for the program, having served as one with another Air Force wing several years ago.



"I enjoyed my time as an Honorary Commander so much that when I was offered the opportunity to participate in the 433rd Airlift Wing's program, I jumped on it," said Jarrett, who is paired with the 433rd Medical Group commander. "I'm looking forward to getting to know the men and women of the 433rd and to learn more about what they do. "



During the ceremony, each Alamo Wing Honorary Commander participated in a reenactment of an official military change of command ceremony - taking the unit's guidon from the military commander as they vowed to "share" command of the unit. The military commander then presented their civilian counterpart with an Air Force Commander's Insignia pin. The Commander's Insignia is awarded to any Air Force officer who holds a major command billet in the U.S. Air Force.



Lt. Col. Marc Mulkey, 68th Airlift Squadron commander and participant in the Alamo Wing Honorary Commanders program, said he excited to be a part of the program.



"This is a phenomenal opportunity for both civic leaders within the San Antonio community and commanders within the 433rd Airlift Wing to make valuable connections," Mulkey said. "In getting better acquainted with the wing, I'm hoping my counterpart will have a better understanding of what our Airmen go through not only on a weekend basis, but on a full time basis as far as balancing their civilian careers and military careers. This is especially important when it comes to those Reservists who work within his organization."


Symposium sharpens potential diamonds

Grissom hosted a first sergeant symposium here March 2-4 to help those with the additional duty better understand their roles, and perhaps someday make the full-time transition to a diamond wearer.



Thirty-five Airmen from seven Air Force wings all gathered here to hone the skills needed to be a diamond wearer and a commander's conduit to their troops.



Tech. Sgt. Marcia Webber, a munitions technician with the 122nd Fighter Wing, Fort Wayne, Indiana, was among those who attended the symposium. While she is an additional duty first sergeant currently, she has aspirations of applying for a full-time position in the future.



"What I've gained from this symposium is the knowledge I need to find the answers that both help Airmen and protect the commander," Webber said. "This gives me what I need to help maintain the mission."



The symposium curriculum is developed and maintained by the first sergeant academy at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.



"It serves as an opportunity for members to not only gain a better understanding of the duties and responsibilities of a first sergeant, but it also gives them the tools needed to augment their unit's first sergeant," said Chief Master Sgt. Rob Herman, 434th Air

Refueling Wing command .



One current first sergeant saw the benefits of the symposium right away.



"We had two participants who just returned from a deployment," said Senior Master Sgt. Doug Dye, 122nd FW first sergeant and one of the course facilitators. "With the Guard and Reserve working together here, it will help to understand the language used in a total force environment."



The course gave attendees an overview to the position of first sergeant before doing a deeper dive into duties such as fitness, family care, promotions, administrative actions, non-judicial punishment, Articles 15 and commander's options.



"Attendees got a peek behind the curtain at the first sergeant duty, educating members on the amazing opportunities in the special duty assignment," Herman said.

Commanders at all levels rely on first sergeants.



"The first sergeant is a critical component of every organization," said Col. Doug Schwartz, 434th ARW commander. "It was gratifying to watch people interact with each other and learn from each other. The common ground is that whether a Guardsman or Reservist, we are all Airmen and we have a strong desire to help others and be positive wingmen."



The 434th ARW is the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. Men and women from the Hoosier Wing routinely deploy around the world in support of the Air Force mission.



Stay connected, visit Grissom on Facebook and Twitter.


Alaska Reservists support, sponsor 'Last Great Race on Earth'

As a Lead Dog Sponsor for the second year in a row Reservists from the 477th Fighter Group gave a warm send off to the 85 teams heading out on the 1,000 mile trek across Alaska's rugged terrain to claim the title of Iditarod champion.



Known as the "The Last Great Race on Earth" mushers, each with a team of 16 dogs make their way through checkpoints with the goal to finish in Nome, Alaska.



"Mushers and Airmen are no stranger to the sacrifice and dedication required to accomplish great feats," said Col. Chris Ogren, 477th Fighter Group deputy commander. "It was a natural pairing for Air Force Reserve, who is an integral part of this community, to sponsor a race that is rooted in Alaska tradition."



As a sponsor, the Air Force Reserve supported all of the Iditarod events.



During the Mushers' Banquet in Anchorage, March 3, Air Force Reserve recruiters were on hand to answer questions and pass out brochures while mushers pulled numbers to determine their starting position for the race.



The 477th Force Support Squadron members volunteered as dog handlers during the ceremonial start March 5 and Group members and Air Force Reserve recruiters were at the Restart in Willow March 6.



"I just moved here in October so this was my first Iditarod and it was an amazing experience," said Ogren. "Seeing the thousands of people who came out to see the race was unbelievable. It was obvious that this 43 year old community tradition is continuing to grow with each generation. As a staple of the community I hope to see our Reserve unit continue to grow and flourish with the same Alaskans I saw cheering on their favorite mushing team."



The Air Force Reserve provides a wide range of benefits similar to those you would receive if you were on active duty with one major addition: the benefit of time -- time to be with your family, time to continue your civilian career and time to serve your country.



Interested in joining the Air Force Reserve? Call 907-333-8723. For more information on the Iditarod race, visit http://www.iditarod.com
Donald Trump on Friday stuck to his controversial remarks of Islam hates us, drawing flak from his Republican rivals as they engaged in a show of civility in their latest face-off, with one of them warning the presidential frontrunner of consequences of such statements.

Trump clarified that not all Muslims fall into this category but said he means a lot of them.

I mean a lot of them. I mean a lot of them, Trump said when asked if he meant all 1.6 billion Muslims when he said Islam hates us.

Ive been watching the debate today. Theyre talking about radical Islamic terrorism or radical Islam. Theres something going on that maybe you dont know about, maybe a lot of other people dont know about, but theres tremendous hatred.

And I will stick with exactly what I said, Trump said.

In large mosques, all over the Middle East, you have people chanting `death to the USA`. Now, that does not sound like a friendly act to me, Trump said in response to a question at the last Republican presidential debate in Miami, Florida  which goes for primary elections on Tuesday.

The exchange, though charged up, remained mostly respectful  in stark contrast to the no holds barred face-off that it had become in the past few days.

Trumps bitter presidential rival Senator Marco Rubio warned about consequences of such a controversial statement.

I know that a lot of people find appeal in the things Donald says because he says what people wish they could say. The problem is, presidents cant just say anything they want. It has consequences, here and around the world, he said.

The US already has had consequences of airplanes flying into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and could have been the White House, Rubio added.

There have been a lot of problems. Now you can say what you want, and you can be politically correct if you want. I dont want to be so politically correct. I like to solve problems. We have a serious, serious problem of hate, he said.

Rubio said two days ago he met a couple who were on furlough because they are missionaries in Bangladesh.

Its a very tough place to be a missionary. Its Muslim. And their safety and security very much relies upon friendly Muslims that live along side them, that may not convert, but protect them and certainly look out for them.

And their mission field really are Muslims that are looking to convert to Christianity as well, he said.
Maharashtra government is considering a proposal to make Marathi the official language of Bombay High Court, the state assembly was informed.

As per section 348 (2) of the Indian constitution, there is a proposal to make Marathi the HCs official language, Minister for Marathi language Vinod Tawde informed Yogesh Sagar (BJP) and others in a written reply.

In 1998, the state government had ordered that Marathi should be official language in all civil and criminal courts in the state, the minister said.

A division bench of Justice FI Rebello and Justice RM Sawant, while hearing a case related to admissions in medical colleges in May 2006, had ruled that not Marathi, but English is the official language of the high court, and hence, the Marathi documents annexed to the petitions should be translated into English.

Justice Rebello had in a landmark judgment ruled that even under Constitution of India, the official language of all the high courts and the Supreme Court is English. The appellate side rules also make use of English mandatory in documentation.

In March 2009, a division bench of Justice S B Mhase and Justice D G Karnik, however, had ruled that the local language should be given importance in the justice delivery system.

Justice Mhase had ruled that justice delivery system should be easily accessible to citizens, and justice should be delivered at the lowest possible cost.
Uddhavs statements against Raj indicate that a patch up between both estranged cousins seems unlikely.



Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray took potshots at MNS president Raj Thackeray and said, We dont set fire but if anybody starts it we extinguish it in a function held at the citys fire department in Vikhroli. Uddhavs comments came two days after Raj Thackeray had asked his party workers to burn autorickshaws driven by non-Maharashtrians. Uddhavs statements against Raj indicate that a patch up between both estranged cousins seems unlikely. Raj Thackeray had quit Shiv Sena in 2006 and formed Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. There has always been reports in media about Uddhav and his estranged brother Raj coming together. Whenever assembly or municipality elections approach, media start speculating about a patch up between the two cousins.

The Shiv Sena is an established political party in Maharashtra on the other hand MNS is yet to gain its foothold in the state. Few years back, the MNS had played spoilsport by winning 13 seats in the 2009 assembly polls and was emerging as a strong opponent of Sena. However voters have given a thumps down to the MNS in the 2014 assembly election as the party could manage to win only one seat prompting Raj Thackeray to rethink his poll strategy. The party now faces a tough task to revive itself in the state. Both leaders have often attacked each other politically. Even though politically the cousins have attacked each other  as a family they remained together. In July 2012, when Uddhav had to undergo angiography and angioplasty, Raj, his wife Sharmila, and other family members were by his side.

A political commentator who doesnt want to be recognised said, Both Uddhav and Raj have ideological differences and they cant come together. Raj is keen to have a single party rule in the state and hence he wont go for an alliance with Shiv Sena.

On the other hand, Raj Thackeray asked his party workers to call of the agitation to burn autorickshaws driven by non-Marathis. Raj had taken this decision after receiving flak from opposition leaders as many of them had urged the state government to take action against him. They also said that he was trying to create enmity between various communities in the city.

Earlier Raj had alleged corruption in the purchase of 70,000 new autorickshaws in Mumbai for which the BJP-led state government is issuing permits. The MNS chief alleged that the BJP-led governments haste in issuing these permits was to benefit a particular company that manufactures three-wheelers, each costing Rs 1.7 lakh.

According to Thackeray, almost 70-72 per cent of those who were issued permits were people from outside the state. Soon after Thackerays statement a rickshaw was found burned on Thursday night adjacent to the Andheri RTO. Meanwhile police is examining the speech delivered by Raj.
An Indonesian Mayor is making news for claiming that infants can become gay if they consume instant noodles and milk formula.

Indonesian Mayor Arief R Wismansyah made the controversial remarks at a pregnancy seminar.

According to Indonesian news website Okezone, Wismansyah said: To create Indonesian children that are healthy smart and competitive, the most important thing is, from the beginning, to provide them adequate nutrition, especially breastfeeding.

The Mayor feels that as parents these days are very busy, they feed their kids with quick instant meals, which leaves a negative impact on the childs development.

the reason is because parents today are so busy, that they resort to feeding their children formula and quick instants meals, which he claims has a negative impact on the childs development.

So, its no wonder that recently there are more LGBT, he said.

He also blamed the Internet for spreading LGBT thoughts and views.

In the recent times, the small gay community in conservative, Muslim-majority Indonesia is facing a sudden and unexpected backlash, with ministers and religious leaders denouncing homosexuality, LGBT websites blocked and emboldened hardliners launching anti-gay raids.

Hardline Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu last month labelled the influence of the gay community a threat and said fighting it was akin to a kind of modern warfare.

It`s dangerous as we can`t see who our foes are, but out of the blue everyone is brainwashed, he was cited as saying by news website Tempo.
The Islamic State group has significantly expanded its control over Libya, fueling demand by the countrys warring parties for more arms to confront the threat, UN experts have told the Security Council.

IS has successfully recruited young men from local tribes, offering them protection and benefits but it has also enlisted military officers from the former regime of Muammar Gaddafi, said the report by the panel of experts who report to a UN sanctions committee.

IS terrorists have cemented their base on the coastal city of Sirte, wiping out opposition and the group is currently the most significant political and military actor in the region, said the report which was submitted to the council on Wednesday.

Three soldiers from the Central Shield Force were killed on Wednesday in an IS attack on Abu Grein checkpoint in east Misrata.

Guards at the checkpoint managed to repulse the surprise attack, which took place hours after the air force of the General Staff of GNC carried out airstrikes on some IS locations in Sirte.

Its not the first attack on Abu Grein checkpoint. In June 2015, IS militants attacked the checkpoint killing three guards and wounding others.

The extremist group has also made inroads in Tripoli and in the western city of Sabrata, boosting its presence through local recruitment and foreign fighters who transit through Turkey and Tunisia.

Extremists from sub-Saharan Africa have traveled through Sudan to join IS ranks in Sirte and Benghazi, the report said, confirming fears that the Libyan IS branch is seeking to draw recruits from other parts of the continent.

The political and security vacuum has been further exploited by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, which has significantly expanded its control over territory, the report said.

The report did not provide estimates of the number of IS fighters in Libya.

Libya was thrown into turmoil after a NATO-backed uprising that toppled longtime dictator Kadhafi in 2011.

The country has been under an arms embargo since then, but the report cited a recent transfer of MIG-21F jets to Tobruk, where the internationally recognized government is based.

The jets appear to be consistent with those owned by Egypt, the experts said. Cairo, however, told the panel its information on the transfer was incorrect.

The panel is continuing to investigate claims that Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Sudan have also violated the embargo.

The continuation of armed clashes and the expansion of ISIL have led to an increase in demand for military materiel, said the report, which cited a revival of external support for the various factions.
Apparently, Judge Maria del Carmen Molina Mansilla skipped her What Never, Ever To Ask A Rape Victim 101 class in law school (whats that, you say? theres no such thing? maybe there should be), because the Spanish judge is now under fire for interrogating a pregnant survivor of rape on whether or not she closed her legs.

According to Spanish gender-rights group the Clara Campoamor Association, the judge asked the woman  a survivor of physical and sexual assault  Did you close your legs firmly? Did you close off your female organs? The Clara Campoamor Association is now calling for a full investigation of the judge.

Justice professionals should get specific training needed to treat these cases with due sensitivity, empathy, and legal criteria, the organizations president Blanca Estrella Ruiz wrote in an op-ed for Spanish-language newspaper El Diario. A court that demeans victims is failing miserably in its function.

This judges conduct is, of course, sadly no outlier. Criminal justice systems around the world default to disbelief of those who report rape and suspicion that they are responsible for whatever happened to them, re-traumatizing victims in the process. An actual, real live lawyer argued that a womans skinny jeans were too tight to have been removed without her collaboration; another told sportscaster Erin Andrews that her career improved after a creep secretly filmed a nude video of her without her consent and uploaded it to the internet.

Its little wonder that 68% of sexual assaults in the U.S. arent reported to police, while 98% of rapists will never spend a single day in jail or prison.
Irritated Vijay Mallya took on media bosses on social network, twitter. In a series of tweet, he tweeted warning them Let media bosses not forget help, favours, accommodation that I have provided over several years which are documented. Now lies to gain TRP?

As an Indian MP I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land (Sic), he tweeted. There were thousands of retweets, trollings and likes but the issue remains unsolved here. The question arises here, who is at the fault? Those who let go Mallya or the media who is dragging him in its trials?

Mallya, who is facing legal proceedings for alleged loan defaults by his group to the tune of over Rs. 9,000 crore, the media reports and BJPs reply to court, was that he has left India. However, through social media he interacted with Indians and said he is not an absconder and he will comply with the law of the land. Even though, Mallyas words appear to be harmonious, but its high time he should pay off his debts to banks and erstwhile Kingfisher employees. He should maintain the dignity of Upper House (Rajya Sabha) as its member. If he could successfully come out from this foreboding situation, he might gain faith of people.

Moreover, he has legal experts team with him for taking him out of any situation. He was King of Good Times for many upper crust of the society. He has goodwill of others as he brought a lot of things back to India which belongs to us. He has just failed in business of Kingfisher Airlines but he is running other business successfully. United Spirits and United Breweries are tremendous doing superb business. Shareholders, who invested in these companies, are happy that Mallya helmed these and managed their transition to global beverage companies. We cannot blame him and hold only him responsible for the failure of Kingfisher Airlines business. This has to be debated in the court and let the court decide his liability in this case.

The key idea of forming a corporation is to protect personal assets and diversify risk among many investors. A clear bankruptcy law is needed to manage the equitable distribution of the remaining assets in a bankrupt business. Mallya owns 1.87% of Kingfisher Airlines. Banks and Indian Financial Institute own 31.68% of the company. Morally, he might be responsible for the messes, but it is the banks that have played the punter here. Public money has literally been thrown down in the gutter. All failures need fall guys and Mallya provides for the best mascot of this failure. If natural justice has to go its course, the decision makers in SBI, BoB, ICICI and IDBI banks must face trial along with Mallya and his core team. The larger institutional stakeholders must be asked to share blame for statutory non  compliances.

Meanwhile, he also sought to shift the blame to the media. Mallya also questioned news reports that ask, he must declare his assets. Too much wrong indulgence of media might shift the focus from main issues. Its high time; media should publish the development related to the news and stop doing his trial. Mallya may have been the head of UB group and Kingfisher, but the banks and their corrupt managers those who approved loans to Kingfisher Airlines are more responsible for this fiasco. Airlines are a tremendously hard business to make money in, especially with super high fuel prices till 2013 and a very unpredictable policy regime under the UPA government. Further, one person cannot be singled out in a failed business  many people were involved in it. India lacks a clear bankruptcy procedure and it is time to bring that in.

However, if the government can insist on having Board representation in every corporate where there is more than 5% of capital infusion of public money, there may be some gain from this episode?

Mallyas principal residence is London. Going back home is not absconding. He is a frequent flyer to India. Though, he possesses an Indian passport, he is a permanent resident of Britain. It is a financial matter. Due to the volatile markets that have caused businesses to experience lack of money flow, he may be finding some difficulty. He only has to convince the courts of his position. In fact, there are hundreds of companies in Britain that are not in a position to repay their debts to their lenders. Many small businesses in India are closing down due to the lack of money flow. Mallya has not reneged to pay his debt. Mallya has promised that he will come back to India to face his creditors. If he refuses to comply with the SCs orders, then you can call him an absconder. Till then, we should wait and watch, what will happen further.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
Here you have it, in black and white: the unfairness, the corruption and system-wide bias, documented for the world to see. The VICP is in need of complete reform, or it needs to be abolished altogether. This book may well trigger the outcry in the public to start that much-needed process. Injustice cannot be addressed until the spotlight is pointed directly at the problem. And Mr. Rohde has done that brilliantly. He has done a great service in writing this book. The VICP can no longer hide in the dark, protected by silence. People can now know the truth, and that is a huge victory. This is a must-read book. Sylvia Pimentel, vice-president of the California chapter of the National Autism Association, and founder and moderator of Sac-Autism-Biomed. Wayne Rohde has lifted the veil over the murky tort reform experiment known as the Vaccine Court. In exposing the programs imbalanced liability protection for powerful vaccine manufacturers, he has performed a valuable public service. Robert J. Krakow, attorney and coauthor of Unanswered Questions from the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: A Review of Compensated Cases of Vaccine-Induced Brain Injury

About the Author

Few Americans know about the US 'Vaccine Court,' yet it may be their only recourse if they suffer an adverse vaccine reaction. In this groundbreaking book, Rohde details how the court works, or rather does not work, and the critical problems that bedevil it. Written with compassion and based on extensive research, Rohdes book is a must-read for all those concerned about the intended and unintended consequences of US vaccines.Mary Holland, research scholar, NYU School of Law

Wayne Rohde is the father of Nick Rohde, a vaccine-injured child who regressed into severe autism after receiving his first set of childhood vaccinations. He lives in Woodbury, Minnesota.








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Financial freedom is the most important indicator of an individual progressing in life. These days, most people practice the hand-to-mouth type of living standards where they completely use any money that they earn mainly to cater for their upkeep leaving nothing for other essential projects. This can however be attributed to a whole lot of factors which come together to bring about such a situation. Factors such as poor management strategies employed by people and loans secured from certain financial institutions all do lead to people being unable to attain their financial freedom in order to prosper in life.

A lot of derogatory articles have been published and circulated about loans to the point that people are even scared at the mere mentioning of the word loan. However, majority of the people who have been able to make it in life all testify to the fact that a person always needs some kind of financial assistance in order to reach his perceived life destination. This proves that going in for a loan should not be regarded as a way of subjecting yourself to financial imprisonment which is an impression being created by a lot of publications. It is only when you are able to earn more than your expenses that you can be seen to have attained financial freedom.

People with very bright and quality ideas do continue to search for ways through which they can attain the level of financial freedom. Such people may possess all that is needed to create wealth beyond measure but due to the limitations on their financial strengths those ideas are still securely locked up in their minds. All that they require is financial assistance and they would have attained the financial freedom status of life. However, due to the fact that most people have also had a lot of unpleasant experiences at the hands of some of these financial institutions, others are not wholly excited at the idea of going to such places for support. This is why you need to always seek for the services of loan intermediary agencies when you decide to seek for financial support from elsewhere.

The main task of such loan intermediary companies is to see to it that you get provided with a loan that --

Meets your requirements

Has the best contractual term

A flexible mode of payment

Lowest interest rates

No hidden additional charges

When these things are guaranteed, you can be assured of being able to peacefully work with the loan amount to reach your targets in no time at all and without any pressure from the financial institution/creditor.

If you are an individual with a desire to attain financial freedom through the assistance of financial institutions then your best chance is to seek for the services of a loan intermediary company in Sweden. For anything that is financially related, you cannot just leave out the country of Sweden which is why they are one of the best places to go to if you really need financial freedom. There are other loan intermediary companies all over the world but the best loan intermediary services can always be found in Sweden.








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VANCOUVER  The Saskatchewan government is promising a policy review after two homeless men from the province say they were given one-way bus tickets to British Columbia.

Social Services Minister Donna Harpauer said Thursday the review and an update to the policy will be done if the Saskatchewan Party is re-elected next month.

Charles Neil-Curly, 23, and Jeremy Roy, 21, arrived in Vancouver on Wednesday afternoon. They had been living at a homeless shelter in North Battleford, Sask., but Neil-Curly said the province cut his funding, which meant he had to find somewhere else to go.

Neil-Curly said he asked for a ticket to B.C. and was later on a bus with Roy, his friend from the shelter.

Harpauer had already ordered a review of the case to see if the policy was followed correctly but went further in a statement on Thursday, promising to review and update the policy as well.

Like other provinces, she said Saskatchewan has a long-standing policy to buy bus tickets, but that is normally done when someone needs to return to their home province or needs to reunite with family.

"These recent events illustrate that it is time to review and update this policy to ensure all individuals are treated with compassion when these decisions are made,'' she said.

"They put somebody who clearly has medical issues on a bus and said good luck to you. That's inhumane."





Workers from a local shelter were on hand to welcome Neil-Curly and Roy at the Vancouver bus station, offering them a place to stay.

Jeremy Hunka of the Union Gospel Mission said he was surprised and concerned to hear two young homeless men had been put on a bus to another province without any plans on what they would do when they arrived.

"We knew we needed to step up because coming to Vancouver without a plan, without a place to stay, and joining the other people who are struggling on the streets is a bad situation for Vancouver, and especially for them. It's dangerous,'' Hunka said.

City coun. Kerry Jang said Roy told him he has epilepsy.

"They put somebody who clearly has medical issues on a bus and said good luck to you. That's inhumane,'' Jang said.

"I don't have to sleep in a snowbank.''





Neil-Curly said he probably would have stayed at the shelter if he had a choice. He said he had support there and his own bed.

Asked if he was happy to be in B.C., he replied: "Yeah, I guess. I don't have to sleep in a snowbank.''

He chose B.C. because his best friend lives on Vancouver Island and he hopes he'll be able to start a new life, complete with a job and a home.

Workers at Union Gospel Mission will connect the pair with caseworkers who will find out what they need and come up with a plan, Hunka said.

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A drug proven to greatly reduce the chances of contracting HIV when taken daily has been approved for that use by Health Canada.



Truvada is already approved in Canada as an antiretroviral prescribed to treat patients with HIV.

In HIV-negative people, however, studies have shown that taking it once per day can reduce the likelihood of contracting HIV by up to 92%.

This method is called PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and was formally approved by Health Canada on Feb. 23.

The drug is intended for use by high risk individuals  such as those whose sexual partner is HIV positive  in combination with safer sex practises, including condom use, a Health Canada spokesperson told BuzzFeed Canada.

Although Canadian doctors were already allowed to prescribe Truvada as PrEP at their own discretion, the formal approval could make it easier  and cheaper  to access.








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A male African lion that escaped from the Papanack Zoo outside of Ottawa was executed on Sunday, according to police.



Officers showed up to the Papanack Zoo late Sunday afternoon and found the lion walking around outside the zoos entrance.

Due to a high risk to public safety and given the totality of circumstances, the adult male lion was executed by the zoo owner shortly before 5:30 p.m., the Ontario Provincial Police said in a statement.

The risk to the public of trying to sedate the lion was simply too high as the sedative takes too long too kick in and this would have put everyone at risk, owner Kerri Bayford wrote on the zoos page.

Bayford blamed human error for why the lion was able to leave its enclosure. She also said the zoo is reviewing conditions for the large carnivore exhibits to ensure that an incident such as this will not happen again.

A big cat has made it out of Papanack Zoo on at least one other occasion: In 2005 a tiger escaped.

The Ottawa-area zoo has been criticized for years for not being equipped to house exotic and dangerous animals.

Former employees who worked under previous management say the zoo had poor shelters for the animals, didnt provide proper food and water, and in one case left a dead water buffalo frozen in the snow for weeks.

The zoos current owners say they have worked tirelessly to improve the facility and living conditions of the animals since taking over two years ago, and that staff are devastated by what happened.

Katie Hierlihy, who left Papanack in late 2011 and co-founded the Close Papanack Zoo Facebook page, said the problems at the zoo go beyond human error and show the facility needs to be closed.

Not only would [the lion] have had to escape his own enclosure, he would have had to get past the perimeter fence around the zoo as well. So thats two fences he would have had to get through to get to the front of the zoo.

She also stressed that the problem goes well beyond this specific business.

If people stop visiting places like roadside zoos, theyll go out of business. But the bigger issue is that Ontario needs to step up and impose tougher regulations on this and have licensing and make sure the people running these places are qualified.

Ontario has no regulation over zoos, Hierlihy said. Unless your municipality has a bylaw, theres nothing that says you cant get a tiger and call yourself a zoo.

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A teenage thief in Manitoba apologized and turned himself in to police after the store owner he had robbed added him as a friend on Facebook.



Stefan Tergesen told BuzzFeed Canada he found the thief within a day after enlisting the help of his customers.

Tergesen owns the H.P. Tergesen & Sons gift shop in Gimli, a tourist town about one hour north of Winnipeg.

Tergesen headed to the store after friends called him about a broken window. I came down and found a smashed window in my shoe department, he said.

Inside, a display case full of Nixon watches had been smashed and emptied.

Tergesen called the police, then checked his surveillance tapes. They showed a teenage boy running in and grabbing the watches, his face clearly visible.

Tergesen uploaded a brief video of the break-in to the stores Facebook and Instagram accounts, asking his customers for help finding the thief. It didnt take long.

Gimli is a small place, with an off-season population of about 5,000 people, Tergesen said. Tergesen said that within hours, a dozen people had all named the same person as the culprit.

I thought I should go look at his Facebook page to see if hes posted anything that might incriminate him, Tergesen said. It dawned on me that if I sent him a friend request, he was going to know for sure that I knew who he was and that he was done for.

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Last year, Canadas telecom regulator told cable companies they had to offer customers a way to get cheaper TV.



The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, or CRTC, instructed the telecoms to make basic cable packages priced at no more than $25 per month. These deals would have all the standard Canadian networks like CBC, CTV, and Global. And if customers wanted additional channels, they could pay for them individually or as part of mini-bundles.

The whole point was to let people get the few channels they want without having to get enormous cable packages with hundreds of filler channels they never watch.

Well, it didnt really work out that way. The skinny basic cable packages rolled out March 1 and they have not lived up to the hype.

The skinny bundles offered by most of the telecoms  including Bell, Rogers, and Shaw  dont include the cable box, which has to be rented separately for as much as $15 a month. Depending on the provider, there may also be extra service and installation fees.

Additional channels on top of the basic offerings cost anywhere from $3 to $7, and even a handful of them can quickly bring the bill close to what people already pay for their traditional cable packages.

The skinny packages can also be exempt from the bundled savings usually offered if a customer also has internet and phone service from the same company.

Clearly the telecom companies, and Id single out a few in particular, arent getting into the spirit of these new rules, said David Christopher, communications manager at the consumer advocacy group OpenMedia.

Theyre using every trick in the book to make these packages as unappealing as they possibly can with a view to continue locking consumers into the expensive mega bundles with 160 channels.

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Date: March, 2016.

Place: Red River, State of New Mexico, United States.

A few days ago, in the New Mexico small village of Las Vegas, several people affirmed having observed what they thought was a saucer-shaped cloud hovering above the town. Some UFO researchers like Scott C. Waring, from UFO Sightings Daily, were of the opinion that this phenomenon consisted in a UFO cloaked in a cloud.

Now, on 7 March, another unusual event took place in the southern state. According to an anonymous report published on UFO specialised website MUFON.com, a Red River resident allegedly saw what he claims it was a strange object behind me while he was trying to get out of his car. The man affirms that the unidentified entity was just moving back and forth slowly.

During this encounter, I was paralysed, unable to move, run or scream, said the unnamed source. Soon after, I called a cousin and she couldn't understand me not a word. She said it was as if I had water in my mouth, states the report, but that phone call I don't remember at all, the witness continues.

Finally, the only thing the testifier managed to do was to sit in the car trying to pray and breathing slow, until I called family to help me, said the New Mexico state citizen.

Draw your own conclusions

For further information: http://mufoncms.com/cgi-bin/report_handler.pl?req=view_long_desc&id=75012&rnd=

Long Description of Sighting Report

My car was high centered in a place where I could not have drove to! As I tried to get out I noticed a strange object behind me what it was I don't know! I was paralyzed unable to move run scream etc. As I slowly got back in the car I still seen it in the mirror just moveing back n forth slowly. As I was told I called a cousin an she couldn't understand me not a word. she said it was as if I had water in my mouth. But that phone call I don't remember at all.as I sat in the car trying to pray an breathing slow I thought that the object would take me I called family to help me out it took a long time but when thay arrived thay couldn't believe just I got there.

Tell u the truth I'm scared.








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You might think it's cute when your dog yawns while you're walking in the park or going for a drive, but when it comes to decoding doggie body language, a yawn doesn't necessarily mean what you think it does.

According to animal behaviorist Dr. Jill Goldman, dogs that excessively yawn and lick their lips are actually trying to signal to their owners that they are feeling anxious or their patience is running out.

Of course, it is also important to note that sometimes a yawn is just a yawn. As Dr. Travis points out in the video above, sometimes your dog will yawn while you are on the couch in a calm environment. That yawn is quite different from the yawns that occur at the vet or after a long day of running around.

If your dog suffers from severe anxiety, you might want to consider consulting a veterinarian for medications. For milder cases, Pet Care RX recommends comforting your dog with exercise and clothing.

For more tips on decoding your dog's body language, follow this guide from dog expert Cesar Milan.

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Gran Alison Sharples, 46, was allegedly caught with a syringe containing traces of semen.

It was discovered during a search of her handbag when she arrived for a night shift two years ago.

Sharples, a support officer at HMP Garth, in Leyland Lancs, claimed she had used the syringe to administer medicine to her granddaughter. But tests revealed the residue matched the DNA of prisoner Marvin Berkeley  or his identical twin brother, the jury heard.

A love letter from the inmate was later discovered in Sharples underwear drawer during a police search of her home.

Ms Camille Morland, prosecuting, said: They had a relationship that was close, covert and sexually intimate, if not necessarily physically so, because of the fact he was in prison.

The letter and its contents are evidence of the relationship between the prisoner and the defendant which went beyond that permitted by her role.

Handwriting experts said the letter was written by Marvin Berkeley.

Sharples claimed the message had become mixed up in newspapers she had taken home from the prison.

Lancaster crown court heard the letter said: I dont trust no-one in here.

I cant talk to you properly on them walkways but whoever has reported you for talking to me has took the p*** and is totally out of order. I know its not no other con so beware of the people youre working with. Look close to home Alison.

To be honest, youre the only real and down to earth one in here.

Sharples pal Nicola Ball told police that she was besotted with Berkeley, who was serving time for a serious offence.

The court heard that she said Sharples had gathered the semen from a sample pushed under a cell door in a carrier bag.

Ms Ball said Sharples was open with her about the relationship and even told her she had taken a phone into jail for her lover.

Sharples, of Chorley, Lancs, denies misconduct in a public office by having an intimate relationship with the lag. The case continues.

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The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality collated data from 900 undergrads by carrying out a survey of their sexual habits.

Statistics showed that only a low percentage of couples regularly participated in oral sex.

Around 26 per cent of women performed an oral sex act on their partners compared to just ten per cent of men that returned the favour.

Even though a higher proportion of women provided their partners with oral sex, only 28 per cent confessed that they actually enjoyed giving it.

Staggeringly, 52 per cent of male participants claimed to enjoy going down on their partners, but only one-fifth actually delivered the goods.

A not-so-surprising statistic showed that the majority of people surveyed felt that giving oral sex was less pleasurable than receiving.

The secret of more pleasurable foreplay was that it works better in long-term relationships than it does during casual hook-ups.

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The majority of young Canadians enjoy the pleasure of oral sex, according to a new study that's first of its kind.

The study conducted by the University of Guelph found young heterosexual couples were both givers and receivers  but for the most part, more women (59 per cent) than men (52 per cent) reported giving oral sex to their partners.

"I was really happy to see that the majority of women and men in this sample really enjoyed oral sex," author Jessica Wood tells the Huffington Post Canada. "However, we find that more women are giving oral sex and not receiving it. And the opposite is true for men, more men are receiving oral sex, but not giving it."

The study also found 52 per cent of men had more pleasure giving oral sex (compared to 28 per cent of women), but there were no gender differences for receiving it. Seventy-three per cent of men and 69 per cent of women said receiving oral sex was "very pleasurable."

Wood adds past research suggests women in particular may be uncomfortable receiving oral sex because they may feel self-conscious about their vaginas, which suggests a cultural stigma about womens gentialia as shameful or dirty still proliferates.

"If many women are both receiving oral sex and reporting it as very pleasurable that suggests that maybe some progress is being made," she says.

To tackle some of the anxiety and issues of vaginal appearances, in 2013 the Large Labia Project launched on Tumblr (NSFW) encouraging women to celebrate their genitalia by submitting "vagina selfies."



The data for Wood's study was collected between December 2012 and January 2013 from 899 university students in Canada. In partnership with Trojan Sexual Health Division of Church and Dwight Canada and the Sex Information Education Council of Canada, the study aimed to understand the needs and behaviours of young students across the country.

But Wood says while statistics are one thing, data like this also changes the way how "sexual scripts" impact oral sex and other sensual behaviours.

"Sexual scripts give us ideas about who is 'supposed' to be the giver and receiver of oral sex. Traditionally, heterosexual women were placed in the 'passive/submissive' role of the giver, while heterosexual men were placed in the 'dominant' role of the receiver."

And compared to other types of polls or research about this very topic, Wood's study also made pleasure a focus.

"A lot of the time people are asked about their sexual behaviours but not actually asked about how much they enjoyed it, or how pleasurable it was," Wood explains. "[This] is a very important component, both for individual well-being and for university sexual health education programs to consider in their curriculum."

And as Wood would like to continue her research on heterosexual couples and how things like sexual scripts and gender roles contribute to pleasure, her explained her next focus will be on lesbian, gay and bisexual participants.

"I am curious to see how different sexual scripts play out within these relationships and how the gender of the partner impacts communication about behaviours, and the give and take that we see in sexual nteractions."

And as this study looked at both casual hook-ups and committed relationships, it's clear oral sex is normal among Canadian students.

"Oral sex is a common and pleasurable sexual behavior among young adults. However, we need to continue education and awareness about how gender norms and sexual scripts impact who gives and receives oral sex."

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WASHINGTON, March 11, 2016  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker announced Friday that they will be joining President Barack Obama on his trip to Cuba this month.

"Throughout history, agriculture has served as a bridge to foster cooperation, and I have no doubt that agriculture will continue to play a powerful role as we expand our relationship with the Cuban people in the coming years," Vilsack said in a statement.

The U.S. exports hundreds of millions of dollars of farm commodities to Cuba, but agriculture and trade officials say that U.S. sales have waned in recent years because of competition from countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Argentina and Brazil.

Because the U.S. embargo is still in place, all sales of agricultural products must still be made in cash, often with the aid of third-party financing. That puts the U.S. at a sharp disadvantage to other nations that offer credit.

Thats a situation that lawmakers like Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., are trying to change with legislation. She introduced a bill in April that would allow U.S. exporters to finance sales of agricultural commodities to Cuba.





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Heitkamp, who will also travel with Obama this month to Cuba, said the trip will be a unique opportunity to keep up the fight for North Dakota producers, who rely on exports for their bottom line and know well that Cuba is a natural market for our states crops.

Secretary of State John Kerry and Maria Contreras-Sweet, the administrator of the Small Business Administration, will also be on the trip.

Obama will meet with Cuban President Raul Castro and engage with members of civil society, entrepreneurs and Cubans from different walks of life during the trip, according to a Commerce statement.

#30

For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com
New Report Shows Irrefutable Evidence of Genocide Against Christians By ISIS

Washington -- In Defense of Christians (IDC) and the Knights of Columbus released an extensive report this morning chronicling the genocide of Christians in territories controlled by the Islamic State (ISIS) and its affiliates. The nearly 300-page report, "Genocide against Christians in the Middle East", resulted from a State Department request for specific evidence related to crimes committed against Christians by ISIS. Submitted to Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday, the report was compiled from evidence of a recent fact finding mission to Iraq, which documented the murder, injury, enslavement and displacement that Christians have suffered at the hands of ISIS. The announcement of the report's release was made at a packed National Press Club conference and included a panel of representatives from IDC, the Knights of Columbus and other esteemed scholars and activists as well as Christian clergy from United Kingdom and Iraq. Ahead of the press conference IDC's President Toufic Baaklini said, "A genocide designation by the United States cannot wait any longer. The atrocities that commenced nearly two years ago have been broadcast to the world, and the United States still stands silent as the international community and the American people continue to raise their voice. To date nearly 65,000 Americans including a number of high-profile public figures have signed the 'Stop the Christian Genocide' petition launched by IDC and the Knights of Columbus." Baaklini continued that "It is time for the United States join the rest of the world by naming the genocide and by taking action against it as required by law." Read Baaklini's full statement here. The panelists also urged President Obama and Secretary Kerry to officially designate the crimes being committed by ISIS against Christians as genocide. So far, the administration and State have been resistant to do so, said Nina Shea, Director of the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom. "Some State Department officials seem to believe that Christians within ISIS territory are being respected as people of 'the Book'," stated Shea. As the report demonstrates, ISIS adheres to a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam and believes that Christians don't qualify for the historic protection offered by Islamic law. The notion that Christians are being given the option to pay the jizya tax is ISIS propaganda. Christians cannot pay a tax when everything they have has been taken by ISIS or when the price is extortionately high, sometimes up to and including one's own children, as Johnnie Moore, author of 'Defying ISIS,' described. It is used by ISIS as a license to rape, enslave, and pillage. Shea further stated, "At the same time the Secretary of State's staff has contacted our organization and asked for a deal on word-smithing, asking if it would be possible to designate ISIS' actions as ethnic cleansing or crimes against humanity rather than genocide." The panelists decried such word-smithing, vehemently reiterating that genocide is happening and the importance of using the 'g-word'. They also pointed to evidence in the report, which includes the names of the more than 1130 Christians that have been murdered in Iraq from 2003 through June 2014. "The report has unearthed many stories that the world has not heard," Baaklini said in his statement announcing the release. "Like the story of Christian women who have been forced into sexual slavery and listed on ISIS slave menus that put a price on 'Christian or Yazidi' women by age." Baaklini continued, "Stories of women like Claudia, who was captured and raped several times after ISIS militants spotted her tattoo of a cross. Or like Khalia who fought ISIS militants off as they tried to rape captive girls and take a nine year old as a bride." Panelists who have recently visited the region described wholescale and systemic elimination of Christian practice as well as the genocidal crimes they witnessed. "I went to Iraq three weeks ago and met a three-year-old girl whom ISIS members had thrown against a wall. She can no longer talk. Where was her father? He had been murdered as he was a Christian," stated Juliana Taimoorazy, an Assyrian Christian and president of Iraqi Christian Relief Council. "At the same time I am witnessing the complete elimination of my nation, the Assyrian nation which is over 7000 years old, one of the first nations to convert to Christianity over 2000 years ago, though the ministry of St. Thomas the apostle. My language, Aramaic, the language of Jesus will be erased and no longer heard." Shea affirmed Taimoorazy's description of the crisis. "There are no open churches, priests or clergy in ISIS territory and no right to practice," Shea stated. And Father Dankha, a priest from Erbil, said that if the "United States waits any longer to designate the genocide none of my people will be left." Bishop Angaelos of the Coptic Orthodox Church held up the report showing the audience the cover photo of the 21 Coptic Christian men who were beheaded by ISIS in Libya, lamenting the loss of his fellow believers, and said that "if we exclude Christians from the genocide designation we risk putting them at greater risk." Dr. Gregory Stanton, president of Genocide Watch and former president of the International Association for Genocide Scholars, reiterated that ISIS' actions must be identified as genocide, not only because it is true but also because of the impact of the word itself. "The word 'genocide' packs moral force and requires action from our government, which seems unwilling to truly confront ISIS," said Stanton. He continued "We refused to use the word in Rwanda and it resulted in 800,000 victims of genocide. Yet when we used the word with regards to Kosovo and Bosnia, swift international action followed, which ended the killing." Professor Robert Destro supported Stanton's position. "What we have is genocide denial," said Destro. "It happened in the 1930s, it happened in Cambodia, in Darfur and Rwanda. How long will it take for genocide to be declared in this case?" Panelists included Bishop Anba Angaelos of theCoptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom; Father Douglas al-Bazi, former hostage, now a priest at Mar Elia Refugee Camp in Erbil, Iraq; Prof. Bob Destro, Senior Law and Policy Advisor, In Defense of Christians; Johnnie Moore, Author of 'Defying ISIS' ; Nina Shea, Director of the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom; Prof. Gregory Stanton, Founding President, Genocide Watch; Juliana Taimoorazy, Founder and President, Iraqi Christian Relief Council; and Rev. Dankha Joola of the Chaldean Archdiocese of Erbil, Iraq.
Bangladesh garment producers have called on the government to work with the UK to lift the ban on airfreight shipments from Dhaka saying it hurts exports from the country.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) president Siddiqur Rahman urged the government to ensure that the UKs temporary ban on air cargo directly from Dhaka to the country is lifted as soon as possible.

The BGMEA president said the ban would hurt exports as the UK is the second biggest garment export destination for Bangladesh among the European Union countries, after Germany.

He called on the government to hold discussion with the UK government to resolve the issue.

Although airfreight shipments on direct flights have been banned, shippers can transit cargo through other airports as long as products are re-screened. However, this will push up supply chain costs and transit times.

During the first six months of the current fiscal year, Bangladesh garment exports to the UK increased by 26.1% year on year to a value of around $2bn, with the majority carried by sea.

The UK Department for Transport issued the cargo ban on direct flights from Dhaka this week after it found that some international security requirements were not being met.

It added: "As part of a set of interim measures, cargo will not be allowed on direct flights from Dhaka to the UK until further notice. Airlines carrying cargo between Bangladesh and the UK on indirect routes are being asked to ensure it is re-screened before its final leg into the UK.

"Airlines or importers can contact the Department for Transport for further information. The UK government is working with the government of Bangladesh to support them in improving standards for all aspects of aviation security."

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March 11, 2016

Accusations are flying in Egypt about Hamas' alleged involvement in the assassination of Attorney General Hisham Barakat, but Hamas is giving as good as it's getting.

At a March 6 news conference, Egyptian Interior Minister Magdy Abdel Ghaffar accused Hamas of helping the Muslim Brotherhood kill Barakat with a car bomb June 29 in downtown Cairo. Ghaffar played a video of what he said were confessions from arrested Muslim Brotherhood members. The prisoners, according to Ghaffar, said that they had been trained in the Gaza Strip and that Hamas oversaw the assassination.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri quickly denied Egypts accusations that same day, saying they make no sense, as Hamas has been trying to improve relations with Egypt. On March 8, Hamas demanded Ghaffar's dismissal on the grounds that his accusations were inciting conflict and confusion and they harmed the relationship between the Palestinian and Egyptian peoples.

Ziad al-Zaza, former deputy prime minister of the Hamas government and member of Hamas political bureau, told Al-Monitor the charges are reminiscent of Hamas being accused of bombing the Saints Church in Alexandria in January 2011. "After the Egyptian revolution [that month], the Egyptian Ministry of Interior turned out to be behind the bombing of the church," he said. "This means that those making the accusations seek to tarnish the image of the Palestinian resistance, as there are local, international and regional parties that do not want a good relationship between Hamas and Egypt."

Egyptian newspapers in 2011 had indeed raised the possibility that former Egyptian Interior Minister Habib al-Adly plotted to bomb the Saints Church, using ministry employees, to quell the Christian protests and calm their tone against then-President Hosni Mubarak's regime. No one was prosecuted in the case.

Barakats assassination rocked the Egyptian public because he was close to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Perhaps Hamas fears Egypt will call on Arab states to classify the movement as a terrorist organization, as recently happened with Hezbollah.

That fear might be justified.

On March 23, prompted by the Barakat accusation, the Alexandria Court of Urgent Matters will consider whether to designate Hamas a terrorist organization. Hamas is already considered a terrorist movement by the Cairo Court for Urgent Matters, which ruled on the matter in February 2015.

Khalil al-Hayya, a member of Hamas political bureau, told Al-Monitor, These accusations are baseless. Hamas has never and will never have an interest in interfering in Egyptian affairs or those of any other country in the region. Such accusations shock and anger us because we find it strange that they would come at a time when Hamas is seeking to have good relations with Cairo.

Hayya added, "As a Palestinian resistance movement that follows a centrist Islamist thought, we have no organizational or administrative relations with any movement outside of Palestine, including the Brotherhood.

Perhaps the timing of the Egyptian accusations was surprising, particularly in light of Hamas previously announced idea of sending a delegation from its leadership to meet with Egyptian officials to mend frayed fences. Tension grew between Hamas and Egypt when Egypt established a buffer zone in April 2015 on the Gaza border with the Sinai Peninsula, and because of the ongoing closure of the Rafah crossing.

On March 7, Al-Monitor attended a press conference held in Gaza by Salah Bardawil, official spokesman for Hamas and a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council. Bardawil revealed that the shocking Egyptian accusation against Hamas" came only one day after a phone call between Khaled Meshaal, head of Hamas' political bureau, and Egyptian Intelligence Minister Khaled Fawzy. The two spoke about arranging a delegation's visit to Cairo, he said.

"This stresses the movements positive intentions and its keenness to have positive relations with Egypt. I can assure you there are no Hamas-affiliated Palestinians in Egyptian prisons from [among] the defendants who appeared in the video screened by Abdel Ghaffar. None of them have entered Gaza, and they have nothing to do with either Hamas or its military wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.

Despite the assassination allegation, Hamas just announced March 8 that it will visit Egypt next week.

Mikhaimar Abusada, a political science professor at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, told Al-Monitor, The timing of Egypts accusation against Hamas is wrong in light of talks about a breakthrough in their relationship. Such accusations could negatively affect the improvement of their relationship."

Though Hayya claimed Hamas has "no organizational or administrative relations" with the Muslim Brotherhood, that claim is not widely accepted.

"Perhaps Hamas is better off disengaging from the Brotherhood in Egypt," Abusada said. "Should the two continue to be connected, Hamas would be politically isolated and Egypt could take strict measures against Hamas, such as extending closure of the Rafah crossing, preventing Hamas members from traveling through it and carrying on with the destruction of the remaining tunnels between Gaza and Sinai.

The assassination accusation also raises security questions. Though Ghaffar presented what he said were detailed confessions confirming these accusations, a thorough review of what the Egyptian authorities have announced over the past nine months indicates that three parties have been successively accused of killing Barakat.

In July, Egyptian security forces killed nine Brotherhood members in 6th of October City while tracking down those responsible for Barakats death. In August, Egyptian security circles accused Hisham Ashmawy, a special forces officer in the Egyptian army, of joining the Islamic State and plotting to kill Barakat. Last month, Egyptian security forces killed armed individuals in Cairo who were accused of killing Barakat.

Hamas is still at a loss about how to deal with this shift in its already-strained relationship with Egypt, because the recent accusations point to differences among the pillars of the Egyptian state about the future of the relationship with Hamas: At a time when the Egyptian intelligence minister was speaking with Meshaal in late February to arrange a Hamas visit to Cairo, just days later the Egyptian interior minister accused Hamas of killing its attorney general.

At the same time, given the nature of the current political regime in Egypt, the regime probably won't have a hard time agreeing on how to deal with Hamas.
March 10, 2016

Hamas isn't saying much these days. So far, it has kept its head down and refused to pick a side since the Gulf Cooperation Council declared Hezbollah a terrorist group March 2. Hamas is extremely cautious about taking a political position because of increasing polarization between the opposing axes currently splitting the Arab region between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

On the same day the GCC labeled Hezbollah a terrorist organization for hostile acts against the council, Arab interior ministers meeting in Tunisia accused Hezbollah of shaking up the regions security. Hamas is at a loss about which side to take.

Meanwhile, also on March 2, some Palestinian factions did side with Hezbollah. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed the Arab decisions will only benefit the Zionist enemy. The PFLP General Command accused the Gulf states of supporting terrorism, while the Islamic Jihad movement viewed the decisions as an escalation threatening Lebanon and the region's security.

Gen. Mohamed Mansour, a Palestinian Authority security official who attended the Tunisia meeting, stressed that the aggravated Arab situation means that such security threats must be confronted.

However, Hamas remained silent regarding this major shift in the official Arab position against Hezbollah, not wanting to risk its regional relations with Saudi Arabia or Iran. Now observers are wondering how Hezbollah will deal with this silence.

Senior Hamas leader Ahmed Yousef, who was a political adviser to former Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, told Al-Monitor, Hamas silence reflects political wisdom, although it wants to preserve its relationship with Hezbollah. We have no intention of expressing political positions that would lead to a rupture or embarrassment with any party, be it with the Gulf states, Iran or Hezbollah. Although we do not agree with Hezbollah for interfering in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, [we cannot deny] its support for us against the Zionists.

The Gulf countries offer a different kind of support to Hamas, as a number of Hamas political leaders reside in Qatar. The leaders there enjoy relative political security and can travel freely from one Gulf country to another. This is a positive thing for Hamas, considering the movement left Syria in late 2012 because it disagreed with the way Syrian President Bashar al-Assads regime handled the popular revolution in the country.

In addition, Hamas leaders in the Gulf states unofficially collect funds dedicated to charity institutions affiliated with the movement in the Palestinian territories. However, it is unknown how much money these institutions receive from Hamas leaders in the Gulf.

On the other hand, Hezbollah provides Hamas with military aid that includes weapons and training. The ties between both parties have remained stable despite their disagreement over Syria, as Hezbollah is totally involved in the fighting alongside the Syrian regime, which Hamas criticizes.

However, The available information shows that Hezbollah is not comfortable with Hamas silence, because accusing it of terrorism could affect other parties at a later stage, including Hamas," said Qassim al-Qassir, a Lebanese political analyst who is close to Hezbollah. "Although Hamas and Hezbollah do not agree over the issues in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, one cannot remain silent about accusations of terrorism, given the historical relationship between Hamas and Hezbollah," he told Al-Monitor by phone from Lebanon.

Hezbollah understands Hamas desire to balance its positions in this critical phase, but it should not be at the expense of the position toward the resistance. Hezbollah follows up on all positions expressed by different Arab parties, and such positions could have repercussions on its relationship with them," Qassir continued. "Oddly enough, many leftist, secular and nationalist forces condemned the Arab decisions against Hezbollah, while an Islamist movement like Hamas remained silent, although we trust that Hamas has the ability to take a certain position that would allow it to keep the communication channels open with all regional parties.

It should be noted that Hezbollah remained silent when Egypt classified Hamas as a terrorist movement in February 2015, and that lack of support could be affecting Hamas' decision to remain neutral now.

Hamas is in a difficult situation and it cannot express a position," Abdel Sattar Qassem, a political science professor at An-Najah University in Nablus, told Al-Monitor. "It is puzzled and cannot take a stance regarding the Arab decisions against Hezbollah, although around 100 Hezbollah members have died while trying to smuggle weapons to Hamas in the past 10 years, and this is why it should support Hezbollah.

"Of course, the party did not ask Hamas to take a position that would harm it regionally, but it will keep observing Hamas positions. Should it side with Saudi Arabia, Iran could take a firm stance to completely stop providing support for the movement.

On March 6, some media outlets reported that Hamas quietly sent a message of support to Hezbollah, refusing to consider it a terrorist organization. However, a senior Hamas leader based in Qatar told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the reports were not true, saying, "Hamas expresses its positions through official statements and spokespersons, and those positions are published on the movements official website and distributed to the media by conventional means."

Perhaps the recent Arab decisions against Hezbollah are a natural consequence of the sectarian division between Saudi Arabia and Iran that has put Hamas in an unenviable position.

Hamas either has to support the GCC stance against Hezbollah and cut off the last of its relations with Iran and Hezbollah, or side with the party and possibly lose its relations with the Gulf states  along with its last geographic stronghold in the region, Qatar, where much of the Hamas leadership resides. Hamas could also go with the third option and remain silent, which might cost it less. Hamas seems to believe the region is heading toward a more dangerous situation, prompting it to distance itself from what could be coming its way.
March 10, 2016

Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met for the last time with the outgoing members of the Assembly of Experts before the winners of the Feb. 26 elections take office.

Missing from the next meeting will be two of the countrys most hard-line clerics, chairman Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi and Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi. In his address to the assembly, Khamenei called their departure "a loss" and stressed that their losing the election does not harm their reputation in any way.

Perhaps no one in the next assembly will be more relieved by their absence than Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Rafsanjani lost the last election for the chairmanship to Yazdi. Meanwhile, Mesbah-Yazdi and the hard-line political group he leads, the Endurance Front, are some of Rafsanjanis harshest critics. That Khamenei would mention these two individuals by name and lament their absence suggests that should Rafsanjani seek to take back the chairmanship in the assembly, he may find it no easy task.

Khamenei also praised the 62% voter turnout for the parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections, saying that Iran had better voter participation than the United States. He said that the turnout signifies the peoples trust in the Islamic system.

Khamenei thanked all the organizations that helped administer "calm and secure" elections, including the Intelligence Ministry, the Interior Ministry, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij Organization. In comparison to the contested 2009 presidential elections, which resulted in protests, Khamenei said, The Feb. 26 elections once again shows as incorrect and unreliable the comments by those who said the 2009 elections were discredited and brought about sedition.

Khamenei also addressed one of the more controversial aspects of the elections: the disqualification by the Guardian Council of approximately half of the 12,000 candidates who registered to run, including many Reformists. Khamenei defended the Guardian Council and said it did its work with seriousness, and if there was a problem, it had to do with laws that should be reformed.

Khamenei added, Reviewing the qualifications of 12,000 candidates in 20 days is a legal problem and needs to be resolved, [but] the Guardian Council must not be attacked because of this legal problem. He said that any attack on the Guardian Council is un-Islamic, illegal, anti-religious and anti-revolutionary. Khamenei did not mention names, but Rafsanjani and President Hassan Rouhani, who are also members of the assembly and attended the meeting, have both been critical of the Guardian Council in recent months.

Khamenei also indirectly addressed Rouhanis desire to better Iran's relations with the world, saying, We have to have relations with the world  of course, except with America and the Zionist regime  but we have to know that the world is not limited to Europe and the West.

Since taking office in 2013, much of Rouhanis diplomatic efforts have been focused on European countries. European leaders and businessmen have been traveling to Iran and a number of agreements and deals have been struck. However, Khamenei questioned these deals with Western countries, saying, They have had no positive impact and in action, it has to become clear what impact this coming and going has had. Otherwise, an agreement on a piece of paper is useless.

Editors note: This article has been updated since its initial publication.
March 10, 2016

Iran last year maintained its grim record of executing more people per capita than any other country in the world, the majority for drug-related offenses, according to the latest report by Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran.

The report, which was shared with Al-Monitor in advance, states that Iranian authorities executed between 966 and 1,054 people in 2015, including four people under the age of 18. The total reflects a tenfold rise over the past decade and exceeds the 2014 figure by more than 200.

Saudi Arabia, which has a much smaller population than Iran, executed 151 people last year and appears to be on track to execute more this year. China, the world's most populous nation, is believed to have executed the largest number of individuals last year  estimates are well above 1,000  but per capita, Iran exceeds all other countries.

Stung by international and domestic criticism over this grim statistic, Iran has begun to debate substituting life in prison for the death sentence for many drug offenses, which accounted for 65% of those executed last year, according to the UN report.

Shaheed noted that in December 2015, 70 members of parliament presented a bill that  if approved by the legislature and the Guardian Council  would reduce the punishment for nonviolent drug related crimes from death to life imprisonment.  While reserving judgment on the particulars of the bill, the Special Rapporteur welcomes attempts to reduce the staggering number of executions in the country and appreciates the governments willingness to re-evaluate existing law with consideration for human rights obligations.

According to an annex to the Shaheed report, those on death row include at least 1,200 Afghans. Of 59 non-Iranians executed in 2015, 16 were Afghans. The annex noted that foreign nationals are particularly vulnerable as they often do not speak the language in which the legal proceedings take place, are unfamiliar with the laws under which they are charged, have inadequate access to legal assistance and support, and are often forced to sign confessions.

According to Shaheed, Iran has revised its criminal procedure code to require all death sentences to be reviewed by the countrys supreme court. In addition, the new code is supposed to guarantee access to legal counsel, but the provisions are not always implemented, particularly for those charged with political crimes.

The UN report said that there are 53 people in Iranian jails for offenses related to freedom of expression. Among them are at least 17 journalists and media activists including Atena Farghadani and Issa Saharkhiz. Also detained on unspecified charges are Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American businessman, and his 80-year-old father, Baquer, who was arrested when he returned to Iran from Dubai to see his jailed son.

The Iranian government has responded to the Shaheed findings by accusing the UN of double standards. Iran said that appointing a country specific rapporteur for a country like Iran, which has complied with its commitments toward its citizens and international community, is unwarranted, meaningless and absolutely destructive." At the same time, the government said that in keeping with its intention to cooperate with the UN human rights mechanisms, and motivated by the aim to provide the Special Rapporteur with reliable and authentic information, our missions in Geneva and New York as well as other officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran have met with the Rapporteur for several times, and engagement with him will continue.

The report includes detailed responses by Iran to most of its findings.

The Iranian Mission to the United Nations did not respond to requests for additional comment.

Expectations for an improvement in Irans human rights record rose with the 2013 election of President Hassan Rouhani but were disappointed as his administration focused on achieving a landmark nuclear accord.

In the aftermath of that agreement and Feb. 26 parliamentary elections that appear to have strengthened the Rouhani government at the expense of hard-line forces, pressure is building again to decrease the repressive role of the judiciary, Intelligence Ministry and the intelligence branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Right now is a huge window of opportunity, Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, told Al-Monitor. With Iranian officials striving to re-integrate Iran into the global economy, this is a key time to let the government know that normalization and extension of relations has to be accompanied by improvement in human rights.

It will be interesting to see if members of the UN Human Rights Council share that view or whether attitudes toward Iran soften in light of the nuclear deal and warming Iran-Europe relations. Every spring since Shaheed was appointed Special Rapporteur in 2011, the council has renewed the offices mandate.

According to Shaheeds office, 13 other countries are also facing special UN scrutiny for their human rights records, most of them in Africa and Asia. Countries under mandates to monitor and report on their records include North Korea, Eritrea, Belarus, Myanmar and Syria. Israel also has a Special Rapporteur focused on Israeli treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

Shaheed, a former foreign minister from the Maldives, has repeatedly asked Iran for permission to visit but has had to settle for consultations with Iranian officials in Geneva.

Ghaemi said he doubted Iran would allow him into the country but that a successor might have better luck. The last time a UN Special Rapporteur for Iran actually visited the country was in 2005 under then-President Mohammad Khatami.

Rouhanis government has engaged more actively with Shaheed than the administration of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, although the UN official noted in his latest report that in 2015, Iranian officials responded to only five of 24 communications from his office, reducing its rate of reply from 40% in 2014 to 20.83% in 2015.
March 11, 2016

BAGHDAD  On Feb. 28, the Islamic State (IS) attacked the headquarters of the Iraqi armys 22nd Brigade in Abu Ghraib city, west of Baghdad, killing 13 soldiers. The Iraqi security forces and the Popular Mobilization Units supporting them killed the attackers and took control of the situation.

On the same day, two suicide bombers affiliated with IS attacked a public market in Sadr City, east of Baghdad, killing 70 people and wounding more than 100 others.

It seems the two attacks were coordinated in their pursuit of media and political objectives. On Feb. 29, IS published photos showing the attack of its militants on the 22nd Brigade headquarters as well as the battle that was raging only 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Baghdad International Airport, where Iraqi security forces were deployed.

On that tragic day, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visited the explosion sites in Sadr City, and his press office issued a statement reading, After the criminal IS was defeated several times thanks to our heroic fighters, it targeted innocent civilians when it failed to confront the army. Its remnants ran away from the battlefields before the eyes of the ardent fighters.

Targeting Al-Rasool al-Azam Mosque in Shuala city, north of Baghdad, on Feb. 25 and Maridi market in Sadr City three days later will not stand in our way. It will only increase the willingness and insistence of the army heroes, security apparatus and Popular Mobilization Units on cleansing the Iraqi cities and lands from the evil of terrorism. Their foiling of the attack on Silo Khan Dari and killing of terrorists proves this.

This statement discussed other IS operations against Iraqi security forces within a short period and explored the security breaches by this organization. Critical to understanding the security of Baghdad and the surrounding regions, there are six regions surrounding the capital from the north, west and southwest, forming what is known as the Baghdad Belt.

These regions are Latifiya, Taji, al-Mushahada, al-Tarmia, Arab Jibor and al-Madain, and they are mostly Sunni and considered fertile terrorist soil, according to the deputy head of the security committee in Baghdads provincial council, Saad al-Matlabi. He told Al-Monitor the areas lie along the borders with the Iraqi provinces of Salahuddin, Diyala and Anbar, where huge battles are still raging between Iraqi security forces and the Popular Mobilization Units against IS.

Despite the constant reinforcement and the security plans for the Baghdad Belt, 30 IS fighters managed to reach Abu Ghraib city on the capitals outskirts and kill 13 Iraqi soldiers.

A few days before this incident, the security forces decided to build a wall and set up new checkpoints around Baghdad, but the parliamentary Sunni blocs rejected this decision and dismissed it as an attempt to cause a rift.

Shiite Anwar TV2, which broadcasts from Kuwait, reported in its Feb. 18 program "Saniou al-Hadath" that the Baghdad Belt still harbors terrorism.

Matlabi said, IS members in these areas are positioned in Taji, al-Taramia and al-Mushahada as well as in Abu Ghraib, adjacent to al-Karma, which is part of Anbar. He noted, There is fertile terrorist soil in Latifiya, south of Baghdad, and these areas sympathize with IS. But political opposition claiming to defend Sunnis is preventing the Iraqi security forces and the Popular Mobilization Units from cleansing these regions. There is also pressure from blocs that claim to be Sunni affiliated in order to enter some regions with the displaced."

Iskander Watut, a member of the Iraqi parliament's defense and security committee, described the security situation on the outskirts of Baghdad as bad, especially after the recent IS attacks in the Baghdad suburb of Abu Ghraib. He told Al-Monitor, The Baghdad Operations Command must develop new security plans and cleanse the outskirts of the capital from the remaining members of the terrorist organizations.

Watut added, IS seeks to repeat its attacks, but pre-emptive operations must be carried out to prevent it from reaching its target location. This cannot be achieved without intensified intelligence efforts from the Iraqi security forces.

Amir al-Saadi, a writer and political analyst focusing on security and strategic affairs, told Al-Monitor, The functional structure of the Iraqi security system suffers from a significant imbalance, especially as the project to install surveillance cameras remains unfinished. This is in addition to the lack of hot air balloons and planes allowing the intelligence system to track any suspicious movements on the outskirts of Baghdad and inside it.

Saadi added, The Baghdad Operations Command cannot guarantee the security situation in the capital by building a wall around the city, since anyone can manufacture an explosive device made from materials available in the local Iraqi market. The leadership of the security services and the administrations plans and strategies are weak. They often address violations after they happen, reacting to them instead of passing laws to avoid these security breaches in the first place.

The repeated IS attacks on Baghdad, especially in Shiite areas, confirm the existence of sleeper cells that commit random suicide attacks and use car bombs to target civilians. They seem to be avoiding confrontation with the Iraqi security forces in Baghdad as they try to maintain a presence in the capital.

Abadi has not issued any new statement or stance regarding the attacks in Baghdad, the last of which happened on Feb. 28. The government has not taken any new measures on the capitals western outskirts, where the attack occurred.
March 10, 2016

BAGHDAD  Iraq's Shiites have started speaking up about their fighters being sent to the battlefields in Salahuddin, Anbar and Fallujah, where the Islamic State (IS) and its allies, the Sunni tribes, are present, given the sectarian discourse in Sunni areas  such as Ramadi, Fallujah and Mosul  toward Shiite fighters. As a result, the Shiites are not sending their youth to fight IS.

Haidar al-Khafaji, a Shiite from Babil, told Al-Monitor, My son Mohammad, age 20, died on July 12, 2014, during the battle to liberate Tikrit  where many IS supporters live.

He said, It is no use for the Shiites to participate in the upcoming Mosul battle because the citizens hate them, and taking part in these battles will not end this enmity.

Hostility between the Sunnis and Shiites increased when the Baathist regime  made up of Sunnis, most notably Saddam Hussein  ruled the country; Shiite leaders and clerics were assassinated and removed from high-level positions.

Shiites feel that their sacrifices are not being appreciated, which Islamic researcher and author Ali al-Momen explained in an article on May 25, 2015, when he wrote that Shiite fighters take all the lies, insults and accusations from the owners of the land.

Abu Ali al-Mahawili, from al-Mahawil district in Babil province, south of Baghdad, shares these thoughts. Mahawili is the father of a young man who died during the Ramadi battle on Dec. 26, 2015. While speaking to Al-Monitor, he pointed to the pictures on a thick wooden board in the city square of about a dozen fighters of the Popular Mobilization Units who had died in the clashes in Salahuddin and Ramadi.

Mahawili said, They sacrificed their lives in these mostly Sunni regions, but their sacrifices were not appreciated.

In response to whether national feelings are running cold and sectarian feelings are flaring up, social researcher Ali al-Husseini from Babil told Al-Monitor, Yes, many Iraqis no longer have national zeal, and they are no longer driven by slogans that pushed them to liberate regions in the past. Many have even joined IS.

Husseini's statements are reflected in the rejection of the Popular Mobilization Units to fight in Fallujah against IS on April 23, 2015, under the pretext that the government had not been supporting them.

However, Saeed al-Sharifi, a fighter with the Popular Mobilization Units from Babil, told Al-Monitor, I am a volunteer in the Hezbollah Brigades, but I abandoned their ranks because I feel a sense of ingratitude on the part of some Sunnis toward us, who view us as militias. The sectarian insults are among the reasons that are de-motivating Shiite men from fighting to liberate Mosul and Fallujah.

The Ninevah provincial council unanimously voted on March 1 on the refusal of the participation of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units in the liberation of Mosul.

This refusal triggered controversy and opposing views. Shiite fighter Issam al-Asadi, who volunteered with the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units in July 2014 and then retreated, told Al-Monitor, We are fighting for people who hate us. So I stepped back. He was referring to the citizens of the Sunni regions.

Yet Abbas Makki, a Shiite fighter hailing from Babil, told Al-Monitor, The fight against IS in all of Iraqs territory is a religious and national duty, referring to the righteous jihad fatwa issued by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in June 2014, which requires that volunteers join the fighting against IS.

The Shiites disappointment with the Sunnis who do not appreciate the sacrifices on their behalf was expressed by Samir Abu Sajjad, a blogger, on Dec. 29, 2015. He addressed the residents of Ramadi and Salahuddin, saying, You need to respect the martyrs sacrifices.

Shiite journalist Walid Taei supports the idea of not involving Shiite youth in the fighting in Sunni areas. He told Al-Monitor, The Shiite sacrifices will be in vain for Iraqs Sunnis, who curse the martyrs and consider them a sectarian militia.

However, former Iraqi Environment Minister Qutaiba al-Jubouri denied in a statement that Sunnis are ungrateful for the sacrifices of the Popular Mobilization Units. In a press statement on March 9, 2015, Jubouri praised the sacrifices of the security forces and Popular Mobilization Units to return Salahuddin to Iraq and the participation of the people of the south in the liberation of the province from IS.

Al-Monitor learned about other positive stances toward the Popular Mobilization Units.

In a statement on March 2, 2015, the tribal council of elders in the Salahuddin governorate voiced support for the Sunni tribesmen who joined the ranks of the Popular Mobilization Units.

Talib al-Dulaimi, a Sunni who moved from Ramadi to Baghdad, told Al-Monitor, These claims are false. The fact is that I have volunteered with dozens of Sunni youths in the Popular Mobilization Units and that both Sunnis and Shiites are citizens of this homeland. The sectarian stances of some Sunnis or Shiites do not apply to everyone.

Jassem al-Moussawi, a political author and analyst from Baghdad, denied to Al-Monitor that some Shiites tend to oppose any participation in the liberation of Sunni areas, and described it as a propaganda designed to counter the Popular Mobilization Units participation in the liberation of the Iraqi territory. This is because the majority of the Shiites consider the war against terrorism as a holy war, and in the eyes of the Shiites the battle for Fallujah is of strategic security importance since it is located near Baghdad.

Ghayath Abdel Hamid, from Baghdad, who preferred not to disclose his sectarian affiliation, told Al-Monitor, It is untrue that the Shiites prevented their sons from fighting IS under the pretext of the growing death toll.

Islamic researcher and author Taleb Rammahi told Al-Monitor about the background of some of the negative stances. He said, There are Sunni organizations, such as al-Qaeda and IS, that went too far in shedding Shiite blood. This was behind the Shiites conviction that the armed confrontation is the only choice they have.

The stances are subject to the sectarian divide between Sunnis and Shiites, regardless of whether or not they go in line with the reality. Rather, the reality has become subject to sectarian interpretations, depending on the sect that the person embraces.

In this regard, Sunnis and Shiites who embrace a national and cross-sectarian feeling have struggled so that a rational unified position prevails, which would preserve national unity and reduce human losses within the ranks of both the Sunnis and Shiites.

This unified stance of a national front fighting against terrorism goes beyond all differences. This is reflected today in calls to let go of sectarian quotas in parliament and in the government. Among these calls is the conference on communal reconciliation and social cohesion, held in Baghdad on Feb. 28, and sponsored by the United Nations Development Program, to find a cross-sectarian political bloc to rise up to this challenge.
March 10, 2016

Hadash and Balad, two of three Arab parties making up the Joint List, issued separate statements slamming the March 3 decision by the Gulf Cooperation Council to include Hezbollah on the GCC's list of terrorist organizations. Whereas Balads statement also included criticism of Hezbollah and its involvement in the war in Syria, Hadashs carefully worded statement could not be construed any other way than as support for the Shiite organization.

Published only in Arabic, Hadashs statement condemned the GCC as well as Arab interior ministers, claiming they serve Israels interests and the ongoing occupation. The photo attached to the condemnation  Lebanese demonstrators waving a Hezbollah flag on the Lebanese border against the backdrop of Israeli communities in the north  gives rise to a strong sense that Hadash did issue a statement in support of Hezbollah.

That statement took many of the factions Knesset members by surprise, leaving them embarrassed and confused. According to them, they had no prior knowledge that the controversial statement would be published. Some of them told Al-Monitor that they understand in principle the desire to condemn the decision by the Gulf states, yet the timing of the statement was off and its wording resulted in an internal dispute. Despite the great embarrassment, none of them has taken issue with the content of the statement. Go to the sponsors of the statement, the bureau members of the Communist Party of Israel, and specifically the partys secretary-general, said a Hadash lawmaker, speaking on condition of anonymity.

We are a party that has a faction and not a faction that has a party, Adal Amar, secretary-general of the Communist Party of Israel, told Al-Monitor. There are things we publish because they are in keeping with our ideology as a communist party. And when it comes to such things, we do not involve Hadash Knesset members, who are a political faction.

In order to understand how it is possible for the Communist Partys center to issue a statement over the heads of its legislators, the partys structure needs to be explained. Hadash was established as a political movement in 1977 on the basis of the Communist Party of Israel, in the wake of the first Land Day events in March 1976, marked annually on March 30. Party members sought at the time to expand its ranks, which had diminished over the years due to a splintering, mainly over the issue of communist ideology, of which wide circles in Arab society disapproved. To increase its influence and political clout, a decision was made to set up the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality  Hadash  and to include non-communist public figures and academics who were willing to accept the new political movements principles of peace and equality.

Most of Hadashs Knesset members, including Ayman Odeh, the factions chairman and Joint List chair, are not members of the Communist Party. One of Hadashs leading activists told Al-Monitor that a new reality is emerging and that people are wearing different hats in the faction, which is one component that makes up the big jumble of all the movements and streams in Israeli-Arab society. For example, Communist Party member Mohammad Barakeh used to be Hadash's chairman and also represented Hadash in parliament, while today, the first person on Hadashs slate  Odeh  isnt even a member of the Communist Party. And thats the reason why the people setting the tone on an issue as highly charged as Hezbollah are the partys secretary-general as well as the bureau members.

We only expressed an opinion, not support, Amar argued. We condemned the decision of the Gulf Cooperation Council because we believe it serves its interest to continue its existence as benighted regimes. It's trying to shift the weight from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is the key problem in the Middle East, to an ethnic conflict between Sunnis and Shiites, which isnt the real conflict.

Amar gingerly continued to further explain his position: We, as a party, do not agree with everything Hezbollah represents. We certainly dont agree with the fact that it is an ethnic, religious and Shiite party, and we certainly object to the killing of civilians. But how can you call an organization thats fighting for the liberation of its land a terrorist organization? Every struggle for liberation sees things such as the murder of civilians and those things should be condemned. But to say that only Hezbollah butchers civilians? Who isnt butchering civilians over there? Doesnt the Islamic State [IS] butcher civilians? If IS had won, what would have happened in Syria?

From talks with Hadash members as well as with members from the Communist Party, it seems that the line leading to the condemnation of the Gulf states, which was not in keeping with the party and the political factions fundamental views, stems from fear of an international conspiracy that is ostensibly being concocted by Israel and Saudi Arabia. This is why  in their view  they need to side even with the devil in order to scuttle the so-called conspiracy.

Hezbollah is a religious Shiite movement that is worlds apart from the Communist Party. This is particularly so when were also talking about a military movement that seeks to cement the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who more than any other Arab leader in the Middle East is the icon of a benighted regime.

Reacting right on the money to the statements from Hadash and Balad, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said succinctly, Have you gone mad? With that, he relayed the sentiments of Jews and Arabs who really cannot understand what those parties were thinking.

The deafening silence of Knesset member Dov Khenin, the only Jewish lawmaker in the Hadash faction, seemingly speaks volume of the unsettling atmosphere among Arab legislators. Comrade Dov Khenin is not only a party member but he is also a figure we can take pride in, Amar said. Even when the Joint List was formed and he was the only Jew on the slate, it was hard for him. We, in the party, have a central committee and a political bureau. Well hear what comrade Khenin has to say and then we will issue an orderly statement.

Khenin, a resident of Tel Aviv, will likely find it hard to explain to his voters and supporters what he is doing in a party that, on one hand, raises the banner of peace and equality while siding with a Shiite-religious-military organization that threatens Israel and butchers innocent civilians to preserve its standing, on the other.
March 11, 2016

At the end of a perfect week, with various polls giving him somewhere between 19 and 21 Knesset seats if elections were held now, the chairman of the Yesh Atid Party, Yair Lapid, updated hundreds of thousands of his Facebook followers about a successful meeting he had the night before in the living room of Jackie and Avi Zrihan in [the town of] Ashkelon.

Lapid wrote, Most of those present voted Likud, some were even members of the Likud Central Committee, but way before any political affiliation they are citizens who love the State of Israel." He continued, 'Just like you, I told them, I grew up in a home that worshiped [late Prime Minister] Menachem Begin. His strength lay in his refusal to accept that something was impossible.'

Lapid is adhering to a coherent strategic game plan designed to land him in the prime ministers office in the next elections. To that end, he is canvassing Likud strongholds, hoping to pick up several more Knesset seats from that camp. This is everything that Isaac Herzogs Zionist Camp failed to do in the March 2015 elections, leaving him in the opposition, even after he reached the finish line with the equivalent of 24 Knesset seats.

Lapids description of his nocturnal visits to the homes of Likud constituents, preferably those of Mizrahi (Middle Eastern) origin, with him being focused and enjoying the support of a calm party, highlights the Zionist Camps failure to forge a unified and militant alternative to the prime minister. If you will, Lapid in the living room of the Zrihan family in Ashkelon is the mirror image of the shouting match at the March 7 meeting of the Zionist Camps Knesset faction.

Erel Margalit, the Knesset member who shows every sign of intending to challenge Herzog for the leadership of the Labor Party, which is the main partner within the Zionist Camp, engineered a deliberate confrontation by demanding that the internal party primaries be moved up. Margalits tirade included accusatory language such as, We are sinking  to delay primaries for two years is to put the party in the freezer and give Netanyahu the keys to the country.

But the highlight of the meeting was the heated argument between Margalit and co-leader of the Zionist Camp, head of the Hatnua Party, the smaller partner, Tzipi Livni, who claimed that the Zionist Camp was being torn apart by the personal issues of Labor Party members. What personal issues? The party has a constitution, Mrs. Livni, Margalit interrupted her, shouting. In this party, you are a guest.

The prized video recording, captured on a participants cellphone, was probably leaked to the media from Margalits direction, successfully accomplishing two goals: making him politically and publicly relevant and challenging Herzog from within. Although he came in for some biting comments from Knesset members Eitan Cabel and Merav Michaeli, the bottom line was that most of the Knesset members present decided to lay low.

Margalit was right on at least one point. Livni is a guest in the Labor Party, as she herself takes pains to point out at every opportunity, including during the strident argument with Margalit, explaining that she represents a different party (Hatnua) and doesnt care about the squabbling within the Labor Party. Last November, she stormed out of a Zionist Camp meeting, explaining that if the Labor Party wants to shoot itself in the head, shes leaving.

On the day after the fight with Margalit, Livni said in an interview on Israel Army Radio, My main argument is that I dont want to be involved, not even as a guest, in the internal affairs of the Labor Party. Thats why I dont want these issues raised within the framework of the Zionist Camp.  There are two parties. A priori, I dont want to be involved in the domestic issues of the Labor Party.

One can understand Livni, who stitched together the partnership with Herzog just before the last elections. The political union was supposed to restore her to a leadership position, but as of now she and Herzog are treading together in the shallow waters of the opposition. Whereas Herzog at least has the leadership of the opposition as a pulpit, Livni has been relegated to the status of just another Knesset member, a far cry from the days when she very nearly became prime minister.

But this is not the way to create an alternative to the Netanyahu government. If Livni explains every chance she gets that she is actually just a visitor and the host party is of no interest to her, why should the public at large care about this party? This type of message is simply not a vote getter.

Livnis troubles stem largely from her gamble on Herzog. Now that his leadership is under fire and his place at the top is no longer assured (the party's constitution stipulates that after an election failure it must conduct primaries), theres no guarantee that in the next elections she will once again be assured of the No. 2 slot in the partys Knesset list if Herzog fails to win the top one.

Above all, Livni appears to have been left without a sustainable party platform. The party she formed, Hatnua, never took off. Without party institutions and activists, Hatnua is simply an election shelf item  just like the Zionist Camp, which failed to build itself up as a movement and simply remained an ad hoc arrangement aimed at replacing the current government. Its failure in the last elections in March 2015, or, in fact, the failure to try and establish the Zionist Camp as a durable label, as well as last weeks clash at the faction meeting, signal its demise, even if not officially so. Now the course stitches with which the partnership between Labor and Hatnua was cobbled together are evident for all to see. And lets not forget that Knesset member and former Defense Minister Amir Peretz has already left Hatnua and returned to Labors fold (and will likely run for its leadership).

The Zionist Camps failure was not just an electoral one. It was also a failure to forge an alternative to the current rule. And while the Zionist Camp is nearing its end, other opposition figures are emerging from the wings  especially Lapid and Yisrael Beitenu head Avigdor Liberman.

Lapids rise in the polls is commensurate with the decline of the Zionist Camp. They are linked, like connected vessels. In various permutations, the same thing has happened to the center-left camp in all recent election campaigns, with the same result. The center-left is unable to provide a tie-breaker between left and right in order to return to power. Now Lapid is trying his hand, but for now he is growing at the expense of the votes Herzog and Livni culled in the last elections.

The good news for Netanyahu is that the center-left camp in the opposition is once again unable to unite under one leadership and the votes keep going back and forth among the parties in that bloc. The voters who Netanyahu is losing have currently found a home with HaBayit HaYehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett and with Liberman.
March 10, 2016

Cat-calling, men masturbating in public, and being inappropriately touched and insulted are part of daily life for some women in Lebanon. Such is their experience based on testimonies published on HarasserTracker.org, a website launched at the end of February by three young Lebanese entrepreneurs.

Nay el-Rahi and Myra el-Mir in Lebanon, and Sandra Hassan, based in France, have been involved in defending women's rights through professional and personal work with associations such as Kafa, a feminist nongovernmental organization focusing on gender-based violence, and Nasawiya, a feminist collective that ceased operating at the end of 2014. The launch of HarassMap in Egypt in 2010 was the three women's main inspiration for their initiative, the first of its kind in Lebanon.

The website is a tool to primarily track and document harassment in Lebanon, Rahi, who is in charge of content, explained to Al-Monitor. We would like to document what's happening in the streets of Lebanon in order to use it as data to lobby certain political entities for some changes, like lighting, the sidewalks, etc., over concern for the general safety of people.

Another goal is to redefine perceptions of sexual harassment and get to the point where it can be discussed in the public sphere without shame. We hear a lot about people trying to define what is and what isn't, in their opinion, sexual harassment, Rahi said. Like when people say, He was trying to hit on you! It's a compliment! Why don't you chill?  it is a habit of blaming the victims and defining things for them.

This desire to raise the issue of sexual harassment in public stems in part from personal experience. Rahi commented, As a woman living in the city, it's very hard not to feel the need to do something about harassment, you feel it every day, as well as this weird common agreement between people to normalize it, not to react to it.

Sexual harassment is indeed a common reality for many women on the street in Lebanon. Amnesty International reported in February on Syrian women refugees' fears of being sexually harassed, and this seems to be a similar concern among Western and Lebanese women, such as Jay (not her real name) from Beirut.

Jay told Al-Monitor, I remember, I was 16 years old, walking down the street once, and this man followed me home, complimenting my uterus, vagina, boobs, ass, etc. So I stopped and made sure he saw my Swiss knife and that I was not afraid to use it. Another story is a bit shocking. I had an urgent meeting and stopped a service [collective taxi] heading to Ashrafieh. The driver was an old man, and the cab was full, so I had to sit in front, which I never do, but he looked harmless. After all the passengers had got out; he complimented my perfume, so I thanked him politely, and then he rubbed his hand all over my thigh. I managed to tell him my thoughts before opening the door and jumping onto the highway.

Similar experiences with service drivers are common in the testimonies of women, like one by Elizabeth (a pseudonym), a young North American woman who spent almost two years in Lebanon. She admitted, [I was] terrified at first to take a service, because a lot of drivers harassed me, touched my legs, and I had to jump out once because he was touching my thigh. She also had the experience of a man in his car asking for directions as she was walking and then revealing to her that he was masturbating while talking to her. In addition, she has had men cat-calling her and taking pictures of her legs.

In the face of such aggression, the creators of HarassTracker say their larger agenda is connected to violence against women with the hope it can lead to improving the legal framework to address it. You can never convict someone of harassment unless you provide proof, so the burden falls on the victim, Rahi said. It is difficult to find a witness. Often the witness is an accomplice or refuses to talk or doesn't even see it as harassment. When people ask why a lot of women are not active in the public sphere, this is the answer. It's a real issue.

In fact, none of the women interviewed by Al-Monitor has ever complained to the police. Jay argued, In this country, a woman is considered as half a man. People won't trust what I say. I have no rights.

Another young woman, Nour (also a pseudonym), told Al-Monitor, There are not enough laws to protect women against sexual harassment. A lot of girls are victims of it by their own family members and never talk about it. Kids should be made aware of this issue at school from the beginning, and the laws have to change.

Articles 503 and 507 of the Lebanese penal code, inherited from the French mandate in 1943, penalize forcing another person to have sexual intercourse or perform an indecent act outside marriage. These, however, are the only references to sexual harassment and are not explictly expressed as such, and carry the obligation of presenting a witness. Associations and institutions like Kafa and the Lebanese Council to Resist Violence Against Women provide care and counseling to women confronted by violence, including providing safehouses in cases of marital violence, but are not able to sufficiently assist them on a legal level.

Nour confided how she had experienced shame after being touched by a stranger in a service when she was 19. She remembered, I told no one what happened that day, not even my parents. I was feeling so shameful. Later on, I understood that the shame was not mine to feel, but his. It was not my fault. Allowing women to express what happened to them anonymously is one of the purposes of HarassTracker as well as applying words to the act of harassment.

It is empowering to say that happened and that was sexual harassment, Mir, the website's designer, told Al-Monitor. Even if there is a doubt, nuances, you can at least make other people understand. At least we can change things a bit to make people start talking. People don't go to our website only to denounce a harassment, they visit too. So it's always positive, even though it's not going to make the situation evolve right away, said Mir.
March 10, 2016

The Obama administration is under growing bipartisan pressure from Congress to deliver US fighter jets to the Wahhabi Emirate of Qatar over the objections of Israel.

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., told Al-Monitor that he recently met with national security adviser Susan Rice and urged her to let the proposed sale through. The high-level meeting is but the latest development in an unusual debate that has seen more and more members of the staunchly pro-Israel Congress dismiss Israeli concerns that its security could be threatened by the sales.

"I want the administration to bring forth the Qatar sales, and I've met with the White House toward that end," Corker told Al-Monitor. "I support it and hope that they're going to be forthcoming."

In play are 72 F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft whose sale has been held up for the past two years, in part due to objections from Israel that the sale could erode its so-called Qualitative Military Edge (QME) in the region. Key lawmakers want the sale to move forward regardless, citing US demands that the Gulf countries do more to fight the Islamic State.

"We can't have it both ways up here," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who chairs the spending panel with jurisdiction over foreign aid. "We're all talking about 'they need to do more, they need to do more.' Well, their capabilities are short of where we would like them to be. One way to get them to do more is to increase their capabilities."

Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., meanwhile, has long argued that the delays violate promises made during the runup to the Iran nuclear deal. He has also pressed the administration to move forward with F-18 Hornet sales to Kuwait and expedite the process to prevent Russia and others from filling in the void.

"They have plenty of money and they can go elsewhere to buy these kinds of weapons," McCain told Al-Monitor. "And it's exaggerated by the fact that when the president met with all of these leaders, he assured them that these weapons packages would be forthcoming. And so we're already hearing from them that the president gave his word and now he's reneging on it. They're very upset."

Fellow Armed Services Member Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., is also pushing for the sale. The Boeing aircraft are made in her state, and the plant may close down if the order doesn't go through.

While conversations with Qatar and Kuwait predate last year's Camp David meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the joint statement from the meeting committed the Obama administration to "take steps necessary to ensure arms transfers are fast-tracked to GCC member states contributing to regional security." The May 14 statement also called for convening a "similar high level format in 2016" in order to build on the new "strategic partnership," something congressional aides fret may not happen if the US can't deliver any military boost.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment.

Israel is seeking to leverage the Qatar sales in particular to boost its annual $3 billion in US assistance by $1 billion or even $2 billion in the 10-year aid package that's currently being discussed by the two countries, Defense News reported last month. Administration officials argued last month that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won't get a better deal if he waits for the next US president to take office.

The Israeli Embassy in Washington declined to comment.

The Israeli argument is failing to convince key lawmakers. While Qatar has earned its share of criticism for its support for Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, the country is also home to the key air base at Al Udeid that plays a central role in the campaign against IS in Iraq and Syria.

"While I certainly have a great relationship with the country of Israel  on this particular issue I absolutely do not see it as a QME issue," Corker said. "And by the way, the jets would not be delivered for three or four years and in the event that over a period of time something changes, you can always stop the delivery."

Other lawmakers, however, welcomed the extra scrutiny.

"I think Congress can do a much better job of getting the administration's back in trying to attach much more serious and meaningful conditions to these sales," said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Near East panel. "The Qataris still haven't satisfied the concerns of the Israelis and many of our concerns."

Murphy has taken a lead role in getting the committee to more closely monitor ammunition sales to Saudi Arabia and its allies in the war in Yemen, which include Qatar.

"We don't have a guarantee on how the Qataris are going to use these weapons," he said minutes after voting on legislation from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to ban F-16 sales to Pakistan. "But we've seen US munitions used to slaughter hundreds if not thousands of civilians in Yemen."

Murphy dismissed concerns that nixing sales to Gulf states could feed into the perception that the United States is disengaging from the Middle East.

He said, "If there's an agreement that obligates the United States to make major long-term arms sales, then that starts to sound like a treaty that Congress should have signed off on."

Others cautioned that Congress would only back Israel so far as it negotiates a new 10-year aid package.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Tim Kaine, D-Va., told Al-Monitor he doesn't see a "need to add something to it to comfort tender feelings."

"I've read some reports suggesting that this 10-year MOU [memorandum of understanding] is an effort by Congress to sort of make good with Israel after the Iran deal. And that could not be farther from the truth," Kaine said. "Our concern for Israel, which predated the Iran deal, is going to continue post-Iran deal. But I certainly don't feel a need to say, 'Oh, we made you mad, so now we have to do more so you like us better.'" 
March 7, 2016

Attempts by the Palestinian Authority to arrest Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) member Najat Abu Bakr for statements she made alleging corruption by a government minister have ignited a discussion about defamation being a crime and calls for its decriminalization.

Majed Arruri, a media rights expert from Ramallah, told Al-Monitor, Defamation in both its written [libel] or spoken forms [slander] is a tangible issue that doesnt require [criminal] investigation and, therefore, there is no need to hold someone in jail awaiting the results of an investigation. He believes Palestinian legislation needs to be enacted to eliminate imprisonment in cases involving defamation.

Arruri said that by criminalizing defamation, instead of classifying it as a civil matter, the Palestinian government is not using pretrial detention for the purpose of investigating unknown components of a case, but is instead using it as punishment. Imprisoning journalists or others for what they have said becomes a restriction on their freedom of expression, therefore resulting in self-censorship, he noted.

The problem is compounded when the issue at hand is of public interest and when the aggrieved party is a government official or the government itself, which through the executive branch can arrest and imprison a citizen pending trial rather than as a result of a court decision. Arruri said that the executive branch's repeated use of this detention power makes it necessary for the Palestinian legislature to pass a law decriminalizing defamation.

The detention of journalists and public figures on charges of defamation means that the criminal aspect of this law must be rescinded and replaced by financial fines imposed by a court of law. Also, the law should not be applied with regard to criticism of public figures, he said. Abu Bakr's situation is a case in point.

Abu Bakr was one of 45 Fatah members elected to the 132-member PLC in the 2006 elections. Abu Bakr is outspoken about corruption in the government and has threatened to reveal documents damaging to a number of officials. She has been holed up on the premises of the PLC in Ramallah since Feb. 25, for fear of being arrested should she leave the grounds. Human rights groups have criticized the effort to arrest her.

The Palestinian attorney general wants to question Abu Bakr about statements she made accusing Municipal Affairs Minister Hussein al-Araj of illegally receiving 800,000 shekels (about $200,000) in public funds to invest in private water wells. Araj has strongly denied the allegations and offered explanations of what actually transpired. Araj claims that wells he owned had been rehabilitated, along with many others, after the submission of official tenders and with the authority of the Water Authority and Ministry of Agriculture during 2009-10. Meanwhile, the attorney general has began proceedings against Abu Bakr for defamation. According to one report, the attorney general issued an arrest warrant Feb. 25, the day Abu Bakr fled to the PLC compound.

A source in the Palestinian Prime Ministers Office who requested anonymity expressed unease about the situation, but said nonetheless that the government is required to carry out the law. In this case, and according to the existing law, we have no choice but to insist on the need to bring Abu Bakr in for questioning, said the source.

The Palestinian Basic Law and ongoing regulations consider defamation a criminal offense, thus allowing for the arrest and detention of individuals accused of breaking the law. Human rights activists in Palestine and the region want defamation to be treated as a civil matter, not a crime.

Toby Mandel, executive director of the Canada-based Center for Law and Democracy (CDL), told Al-Monitor that the issue is also addressed in international humanitarian law. Under international law, it is clear that imprisonment is not an appropriate response to defamation, which should be a civil rather than a criminal matter. Using the organs of the state and heavy-handed methods such as pretrial detention and the possibility of imprisonment as a sanction is far too heavy-handed and fails to strike an appropriate balance between protecting reputations and respecting the human right to freedom of expression, Mandel said.

A conference of Arab and international experts co-sponsored by the CDL in Beirut in 2014 resolved that countries should consider decriminalization of defamation, asserting, Defamation and related laws should protect only the reputations of individual legal and natural persons, not including public bodies.  In no instance should imprisonment be available as a sanction for defamation and countries in the region should consider the complete decriminalization of defamation.

Abu Bakr has become a local hero, garnering headlines and the support of various groups, including the Hamas leadership in Gaza. In Abu Bakr's case, the governments reaction toward a member of parliament appears to stem from political considerations.

Palestinian press reports claim that Abu Bakr is said to be close to Mohammed Dahlan, the renegade Fatah leader who has been involved in an ongoing, bitter feud with Fatah Chairman and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Tensions between the men have increased in anticipation of the upcoming seventh Fatah conference, the date still to be announced.

That Abu Bakr is an elected legislator and therefore entitled to immunity from prosecution does not appear to be protecting her, although the Palestinian police, which are insisting on her arrest, have so far refrained from forcefully entering the PLC to detain her.

Criminalizing defamation has become a powerful tool for silencing dissent among Palestinians opposed to Abbas' leadership. Najah University professor Abdel Sattar Qassem was arrested Feb. 2 on defamation charges stemming from a statement he made on a television news program. On Jan. 27, Qassem had done an interview with the Beirut-based Al-Quds TV in which he called for limiting the term of the Palestinian president and cited the need to apply revolutionary justice against traitors. He was released five days later, on Feb. 7, by a court order.

The effort to decriminalize defamation has made great strides in many parts of the world, especially in developing countries where the line between genuine attempts at adjudicating defamation and political witch hunts is often blurred. The shortest and most logical way to prevent defamation from being abused for political purposes is to decriminalize it while ensuring the rights of the person or group injured by defamatory speech to seek monetary compensation. There should be no prison time for the speaker. Palestinian leaders have the opportunity to take the courageous step of amending the existing criminal law on defamation and replacing it with civil litigation to halt the practice of imprisoning people for what they say.
March 11, 2016

During the 145th session of the Arab foreign ministers meeting at the Arab League in Cairo on March 10, Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa accused Iran of smuggling weapons and explosives that have fueled sectarian strife in Arab societies and accused Lebanese Hezbollah, which Iran supports, of terrorism. His accusations came a day after the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) reaffirmed a decision it had made on March 2, designating Hezbollah a terrorist organization on the ground that its actions have destabilized security and the social peace in some Arab countries, an assertion raised by the foreign ministers of the GCC, Jordan and Morocco.

Despite media leaks about disagreement among the GCC states over Hezbollah's classification because of differences of opinion on Iran, a unanimous resolution was finally adopted, even by Oman, which had initially proposed that the designation only apply to the partys military wing, along the lines of the approach taken by the European Union in July 2013. When asked by Al-Monitor about Oman's stance on the terrorist designation, a well-informed GCC source who requested anonymity said, Lengthy discussions took place in the past days between GCC members concerning the wording of the resolution, with the Omanis demonstrating remarkable flexibility in this regard compared to their previous rigid position in dealing with resolutions condemning or boycotting Iran. The GCC was thus unanimous, as in general, an understanding existed therein concerning the stance vis-a-vis Hezbollah.

In statements made Feb. 25 to Lebanons LBC channel, Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk said that in 2015 Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were involved in hosting and training Shiite factions from Gulf countries  in particular from Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates  on Lebanese soil.

It seems these statements embarrassed Irans friend Oman  whose economic and political ties with Tehran have been developing, with a sea bridge expected to open in the coming days between the two countries  and hurt its chances of being able to amend the Gulf statement on Hezbollah. Muscat already faced accusations of turning a blind eye to the illicit passage across its borders of Yemen-bound Iranian personnel and arms destined to support the Houthis. It thus was not in Muscats interest to provoke a crisis with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait, whose leaders all believe that the politically insightful rhetoric of Hezbollah was no less dangerous than military operations targeting Gulf states. As a result, the Omanis chose to recognize its Gulf neighbors concerns and allow the passage of the resolution against Hezbollah, irrespective of Muscats level of commitment toward its implementation.

Qatar also endorsed the Hezbollah resolution despite the possible repercussions on efforts to free some of its citizens kidnapped in southern Iraq by Shiite factions Dec. 16. The Qataris, by virtue of their long relationship and experience with Islamist factions such as the Muslim Brotherhood and the Afghan Taliban, as well as the Houthis and Hezbollah, are well aware of the level of ideological loyalty within the movements of political Islam and the extent of their connections to Islamic governments, including Iran. It therefore was unlikely that Qatar  which expelled 18 Lebanese nationals in June 2013 on charges of being affiliated with Hezbollah and in September 2014 deported Brotherhood leaders in response to a request by Saudi Arabia  would sacrifice its historical relationship and interests with the Saudi state for the sake of an unpredictable party such as Hezbollah.

Stressing Qatars support for Saudi Arabia, a March 10 editorial in the Qatari al-Raya newspaper called the Gulf stance against Hezbollah a clear message that there is no place for the party in any Arab country, including Lebanon. Thus, Riyadh succeeded in condemning and isolating Hezbollah on the Gulf and Arab levels, making it easier to achieve its goal of discussing the Hezbollah dossier at the Islamic level during the 13th summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, scheduled to be held April 10-15 in Istanbul.

Furthermore, in light of Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Naaman Kortolmos March 4 condemnation of Hezbollahs involvement in criminal acts in Syria, it would seem that Turkey would not object to the adoption of a resolution by Islamic states classifying Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. This would make the group's presence in Syria and other places equivalent to that of the Islamic State (IS) and allow its targeting by countries of the Islamic coalition against terrorism, which Riyadh announced the establishment of in December. Most coalition members took part in the North Thunder war games, which began Feb. 27 under the leadership of Saudi Brig. Fahd al-Mutair, the Northern Military Region commander, at King Khalid Military City, in the northeastern region of Hafr al-Batin.

Riyadhs escalation against Hezbollah followed the Saudi media's Feb. 24 airing of a video discovered by the Yemeni army at a captured Houthi position. The footage shows a Lebanese military adviser from Hezbollah by the name of Abu Saleh talking to Houthi soldiers about conducting military and suicide attacks inside Saudi Arabia.

In addition, on Feb. 21, Saudi media outlets had announced the initiation of legal proceedings against a spy ring associated with Iranian intelligence services and consisting of two Afghans, one Iranian and 30 Saudi Shiites, whom Saudi authorities had begun pursuing and arresting in March 2013 in Mecca, Medina, Riyadh and al-Sharqiyyah. Most prominent among them is a consulting physician, who was asked by officials at the Iranian Embassy in Riyadh to write reports on the health of important Saudis receiving treatment at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in the city. The hospital serves princes, senior officials and some private citizens who receive special permission to be seen there. Also in the ring is a Saudi security officer from the pilgrimage security force who provided information to Iran about the location of tents allocated to Saudi and non-Saudi officials and VIPs during the pilgrimage.

Saudi officials, who have long maintained that they would not abandon Lebanon, are saying in international meetings and gatherings that their problem is exclusively with Hezbollah as a military and political entity, not with the Lebanese people. It thus seems that the actions being taken by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states  including the cancellation of a military aid deal to the Lebanese army and of residency permits of Lebanese residing in the Gulf  are aimed at punishing the Lebanese political parties and figures who support Hezbollah and object to labeling it a terrorist organization. This is being done in pursuit of the further goal of pushing the Lebanese to rebel against Hezbollah. In theory, the Lebanese would direct their energies toward punishing the party and all of its agencies and officials that pose a threat to Gulf regimes and hold the partys leadership responsible for the reckless exploitation of sectarian passions for the benefit of Iran.

Riyadh's retribution will not be limited to drying up the partys sources of financing, an effort that began in May 2015 when lists of people and companies associated with Hezbollah were classified as terrorists by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. Rather, it will go beyond that to pursue the party on legal grounds in international forums and degrade the disproportionate power wielded by Hezbollah relative to other Lebanese political factions.
March 10, 2016

The two-week cease-fire that began Feb. 27 between the warring parties in Syria was either a major breakthrough by Staffan de Mistura, the UN's special envoy for Syria, or it was  well  better than nothing.

The cease-fire agreement was mainly reached for humanitarian purposes; that is reflected by its underlying articles focusing on cessation of hostilities, the entry of aid to besieged areas and the release of detainees. None of those goals has been accomplished to either side's satisfaction, and both sides still want what they want.

The cease-fire agreement was reached between the factions of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which designated the Supreme Commission for Negotiations to sign on its behalf, and the Syrian regime, in the wake of the US-Russian agreement in early February.

The agreement called for the cessation of hostilities on both sides to prevent any party from taking over territory under the control of the other. It also called for the halt of any military action by the parties against each other and permitted the use of proportionate force to respond to potential breaches. On March 1, de Mistura told media outlets and news agencies that the start of the Geneva negotiations is linked to the achievement of the cease-fire. The talks currently are set to begin March 14.

Ezzedine al-Salem, a member of the political bureau of the Fastaqim Kama Umirt (Be Upright as Ordered) group fighting in Aleppo, described the agreement as a step toward a political solution in Syria  but just a step.

The cease-fire serves the regime on all levels, and we accepted it for several reasons, most notably to send a strong and clear message that the military opposition  and I mean here the factions  are able to make a unified and consensual decision," Salem told Al-Monitor by phone. "The cease-fire was also approved to allow the entry of aid to the besieged areas and give civilians a break from the airstrikes launched under the scorched-earth policy. The FSA is a fighter, not an offender. It is an army that operates under the spirit of community and morality and applies humanitarian and international law to the extent possible.

The FSA and the political opposition are open to political action and seek a political solution "subject to the constant conditions of the revolution, starting with the departure of foreign troops all the way to the determination of the fate of Bashar al-Assad and his definite exclusion from Syria, whose land and people must remain united," Salem added.

"The FSA wants to tell the world that it is a popular resistance emanating from a revolution that broke out to defend the Syrian people after the rebels were forced to take up arms to defend themselves against the regimes killing machine, Hezbollah, Iran and sectarian militias, and most recently Russia, which intervened under the pretext of the war on terrorism.

Activist and journalist Lubna Saleh from the city of Daraa told Al-Monitor via Skype, Before the cease-fire, an intensive military escalation was noted in Daraa province on all of the areas outside the regime's control. When the cease-fire started, killings and airstrikes stopped, and no air raid was launched against any area."

However, the regime has since breached the cease-fire "by launching mortar shells and using heavy machine guns in different areas such as the central city of Daraa and al-Yadudah village," Saleh said. "As for the humanitarian situation and aid, nothing has changed, as the people are still suffering from food and medical shortages due to the siege. So far, no sufficient aid has accessed the regions in dire need of relief materials.

When asked whether the civilians want the cease-fire to be maintained, Saleh said, The people do not want an extended cease-fire, but rather they want the bloodshed and the conflict to end for good, the detainees to be released, the human tragedy to cease and the siege on the beleaguered areas to be lifted.

Bassam al-Ahmad, media spokesman for the Violation Documentation Center in Syria, talked to Al-Monitor by phone about the cease-fire and its violations. He said, We do not see a cease-fire. We see a cessation of hostilities that was not as successful as required, but which has lowered the number of deaths and injuries to half in the various regions of Syria. This cease-fire was violated by the Syrian regime, and later we will issue documentation of all of these violations. We are working on this, and the appropriate measures must be taken against the violators.

The opposition seems to be pessimistic about the approaching resumption of the negotiation rounds in Geneva that de Mistura set for March 14. They were previously suspended as a result of what Mistura said were the brutal military actions committed by Assads regime and backed by Russia.

Mohammed Alloush, chief negotiator for the opposition, told Al-Monitor, The conditions and circumstances are not ripe yet for resuming negotiations. The regime is still trying to advance to some strategic areas in Rif Dimashq, especially in Daraya, eastern Ghouta, north Hama and Aleppo, which represents a clear violation of the cease-fire agreement. The regimes warplanes keep bombing civilians. This happened on March 5 in Douma city. The regime is not taking the appropriate humanitarian actions for lifting the siege, allowing the entry of aid and releasing prisoners.

On whether the Supreme Commission for Negotiations and the opposition plan to attend the upcoming negotiations in Geneva, Alloush said, When the United States is able to force [the regime] to stop the bombing, free prisoners and allow the entry of aid, we will consider the resumption of negotiations for an effective transfer of power.

Not all possibilities are open for the upcoming negotiations. The opposition had confirmed in the previous round that it will not return to negotiations in light of the regimes intransigence and its refusal to make any compromises, especially the implementation of Articles 12 and 13 of UN Resolution 2254 adopted by the UN Security Council.

The regime also confirmed, through Bashar Jaafari, its permanent representative to the UN Security Council, that what it initially wants is to fight terrorism, which means that it will not get involved in any talks on the political process sought by the opposition.
March 10, 2016

According to the official website of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), Turkey has the second-largest army in NATO. As of March 1, the TSK has 610,095 personnel. Of this number, 315,229 (52%) are civilians conscripted for stints of either six or 12 months. When more than half of its personnel are conscripts, it is difficult to say that the TSK is made up of volunteers and professional personnel.

The TSK maintains that its Cold War force now faces the tough mission of reducing its size while increasing its effectiveness and transitioning from a citizen army to a professional one.

TSK commanders are aware that the path to a professional army requires reducing the number of conscripts, hence their drive for a "contractual soldiers" system. As of March 1, there were 10,413 contractual soldiers in service.

The military has been trying to inform the public about the benefits of contractual soldiering, but so far there has not been much interest. The army has 80,000 vacant positions for contractual soldiers waiting for applicants.

The TSK, which has always been a popular institution and an attractive career option for many youngsters, is having problems filling its vacant posts, probably for the first time in its history. No more are there thousands of young people lining up to take the entrance exams, as there were 10 years ago. That is why the thrust of the TSK publicity campaign targets people aged 18-25. That is the idea behind the first public service TV advertisement the TSK has produced, which will be aired by Turkeys abundant TV channels.

The ad, with the theme Work with dignity, achieve your dreams, starts with two young men chatting in a village coffee house. The location tells us that the TSK in general targets young people living in the rural sector with low incomes who are worried about their future because of their low education levels.

One of the young men in the TV clip says that he would like to join the TSK, but that there would be no one to look after his mother and father. The other man says his friend Mehmet became a contractual soldier instead of being conscripted. He says that Mehmet received a monthly salary of 3,000 Turkish lira ($1,033) and that when his stint ended after three years, he opened a stationery shop. It is true that if a contractual soldier saved 2,000 Turkish lira a month, he would accumulate 72,000 Turkish lira in 36 months. Each contractual soldier is entitled to a 25,000 Turkish lira bonus at the end of three years. The total of 97,000 Turkish lira would enable him to start a small business.

This 45-second TV spot, embellished with striking visuals, is truly offering an attractive employment option to the increasing number of unemployed young people, but there are still not enough applicants for contractual military service. This is a serious impediment to the TSKs goal of a 100% professional army.

One wonders why there is a dearth of interest in this system that offers attractive benefits. The reasons can be attributed to both the TSK and the societal transformation taking place in Turkey.

One cause that can be attributed to the TSK is its feeble publicity work. The TSK, which never faced personnel shortages, hasn't learned recruiting strategies. The force has to recognize that thousands of young people no longer wait in line to join the army and must modify its institutional culture. The military is now trying to find personnel in a competitive marketplace and has to emulate the techniques used by private sector firms.

Another reason young people are staying away despite a good salary is the hard living conditions of the TSK. For example, contractual soldiers have to remain on base 24/7, just like conscripts. They cant go home after the workday is over. A young person cannot think of marriage under such conditions. Contractual soldiers want their status to be different from conscripts. A major grievance is that they are not offered career-development opportunities to become sergeants, noncommissioned and commissioned officers. Contractual soldiers see themselves as temporary and easily expendable personnel. Not being allowed to use the TSKs well-developed living quarters, social facilities and summer vacation camps are other objections.

One more reason is that now nearly all contracted soldiers are dispatched to southeastern Turkey to take part in continuing operations. Although a contractual soldier receives monthly combat pay of 4,500 Turkish lira, it is not enough to make young people ignore the hardships of such service and the risks they have to face.

Societal changes have made it difficult for the TSK to find personnel in the competitive market. In the old days, to serve in the TSK meant prestige, good training that could lead to a good career after service and a guaranteed salary. But increasing educational opportunities outside the military prompt young people, even those from low-income and rural sectors, to try their luck in the private sector.

The TSK is therefore compelled to come up with radical changes in its recruitment policies and practices that will be the prelude to reaching its major goals of reducing its size without conceding quality and thus become a fully professional institution. Commanders know what is needed, but the question they keep asking is, How?
March 11, 2016

On March 9, Turkeys first lady, Emine Erdogan, attended an event called Mothers of Ottoman sultans who left a legacy on our history, organized by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization in Ankara. After naming a few prominent valide sultans  the title of the legal mother of the sultan  from the Ottoman era, Erdogan said, Valide sultans have been pioneers of their generation and examples to our mothers. Challenging the Orientalist portrayal of the harem as a place where ambitious women battled with the power of their sexuality, Erdogan praised the harem, saying, For the members of the Ottoman family, the harem was a school. It was a center of education, where women were prepared for life and organized volunteer activities. This household was led by the valide sultans.

As Erdogans speech highlighted, the harem is an intriguing concept to contemporary audiences. The words original meaning, forbidden or sacred, was applied to the female members of the family. In societies where men and women are segregated, women have their own quarters, the harem. In the Ottoman palace, it would be the quarters where all the slave girls, concubines, eunuchs and the sultans female relatives resided. The kind of education provided to residents of the harem depended on the leader and the era in question. Yet it is known that the main role of the young females who were brought in as slaves was to please the sultan and have male babies, providing them the possibility of one day becoming valide sultan, the woman who rules the court.

Erdogans passionate praise of the idea of the harem as a school generated strong public reactions. Although neo-Ottoman groups  conservatives, Islamists, as well as pro-Justice and Development Party (AKP) pundits  blame the West for Orientalism, social media discussions indicate that the popular image of the concubines of the harem both horrify and titillate people living in Turkey.

Indeed, despite harsh criticism by AKP elites, series like Magnificent Century, about the lives of prominent sultans and their lovers, such as Hurrem or Kosem Sultan, have become extremely popular in Turkey. These shows have also generated a niche for neo-Ottoman goods. Scents named after powerful women of the Ottoman court along with themed bathrobes, bathroom accessories, jewelry and even hair coloring are being sold. Ottoman-era aphrodisiacs to impress your partner have made a strong comeback and can be found in mainstream markets. Most of these products are not designed for Westerners fascinated by the ways of the East but for contemporary Turks. Today, one also has the option of partaking in the palace experience according to one's budget and tastes. For example, Les Ottomans, a fancy boutique and hotel on the Bosporus, offers rooms decorated to provide the unique atmosphere of the eras and tastes of 10 different sultans. US Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has even visited the hotel.

The idea of praising the harem was not welcomed by all. In particular, leftist women were quite vocal in criticizing Erdogan. For example, Republican People's Party Deputy Chair Yasemin Cankurtaran said, I would like to call upon Mrs. Erdogan. The harem, which you referred to as a school, has students or concubines who were brought into the palace by force. They were minors whose bodies and minds were enslaved.  I cannot comprehend how a presidents wife praises a part of culture adopted from Byzantium. This is where one has a brain freeze. A group called Communist Women was much bolder, declaring war on Erdogan and urging the public to wake the Erdogan family from its visions of monarchy and harem. They proclaimed, Everyone should know, women cannot be fitted into Erdogans harem dreams.

A scholar of history and cultural studies, who requested anonymity for fear of losing her job, told Al-Monitor, Was the harem really beyond the sexual intrigue? Everyone had a specific task, and their age, sexual identity and the role that they served was crucial. For example, the lesbian relationships between the concubines and the homosexual tendencies of certain sultans or sons of sultans, along with the stories of the eunuchs, play a crucial role in the survival system of the harem as well. It was a place where you were brought in rather young and robbed of your entire identity. So everyone had to reinvent themselves within the walls of the harem, and sexuality was the center of this identity.

While journalists working for pro-government media outlets rigorously tried to prove the harems educational value, others asked whether the harem could be called a school simply because the residents were educated in certain trades. Ozlem Kumrular, a historian and author of the book Kosem Sultan, about the prominent valide sultan, tweeted an image of a painting depicting nude women around a pool, and wrote, The artist of this harem painting is the last caliph, Abdulmecid. Odd but true. It is interesting to note that although Kumrulars message received hundreds of retweets, no backers of Erdogans praise of the harem tried to explain the rationale behind the painting. Most of the replies were satirical. For instance, one read, Could [Sultan] Abdulmecid know the harem better than Mrs. Erdogan? I wonder what class this was.

Indeed, satire was the most common way Turkish social media dealt with the mysterious education system of the harem. One person tweeted an image showing two college buildings with signs for the Kamasutra Graduate School and the academic departments of Aphrodisiac Chemistry, Flirting and Courting, Palace Intrigues and Poisoning. Another tweet with a painting of a royal court with dancing females read, So harem was a school. That is why we are left illiterate. Sefer Selvi, a prominent cartoonist for Evrensel Daily, drew Erdogan with a sign in her hand that reads, Girls Lets Go to the Harem.

Multiple social media users and pundits also criticized the Erdogan family for enjoying the benefits of Western, secular education themselves  all four Erdogan children attended college in the West  while encouraging a different system to domestic audiences. Hence, the most common and mind-numbing question circulating on social media concerned whether Erdogans words signaled intentions to establish a harem in their palace of more than 1,000 rooms.

In some countries, a simple comment about a chapter in history might be insignificant, but the efforts by the Islamists in Turkey to redefine a womans place and role in the public domain have scarred relations between different segments of the society. It is no longer a question of whether a woman is wearing a headscarf, but of welcoming a regression in womens rights and glorifying the idea of enslaving women.
March 11, 2016

Something very unusual, if not unprecedented, happened in Istanbul March 4. A group of policemen marched to Zaman, Turkey's largest-circulation daily newspaper, with a court order to seize it. They dispersed the hundreds of protesters waiting for them in front of Zaman's offices with tear gas, forced themselves into the building and took control of the newsroom. Soon, Editor-in-Chief Abdulhamid Bilici learned that he was fired. The newspaper's website went offline. Meanwhile, Zaman's 27 years of digital archives  including all of its news stories, editorials and op-eds  were erased. A whole newspaper was destroyed.

The destruction made room for a new creation. A day after the police took full control, Zaman, which had lately become very outspoken against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his rule, found itself with an opposite political line under a trustee appointed by the government to manage the paper. It now praises Erdogan and his glorious "New Turkey." In other words, it became one of dozens of other Turkish newspapers whose sole mission is to support the powerful president and intimidate his foes.

This news may have shocked outsiders, but in Turkey, hardly anyone was surprised. It was clear that Zaman and its entire media group, including Cihan News Agency, would be seized, as Ipek Media Group, which published the dailies Bugun and Millet, was seized last October and turned pro-Erdogan overnight. All these news outlets were affiliated with the movement of Fethullah Gulen, and the Turkish public is repeatedly told that every asset of his religious community will be confiscated by the state.

Who circulated this news? The regime's own propaganda machine did, in particular a columnist in the pro-Erdogan daily Star who had recently become quite famous (or notorious) in Turkey as the mouthpiece of the new national security establishment. Cem Kucuk had written repeatedly (and joyfully) about the impending Zaman takeover.

After the seizure, the same columnist wrote a piece headlined "The real struggle is beginning only now," referring to the struggle with the "Fethullah Gulen Terror Organization," as the pro-Erdogan media has been calling it lately. Accordingly, all assets of the Gulen movement, including the new dailies that took the place of Zaman and Bugun, various news sites and 17 different universities across Turkey would also be seized. The reason: A "terrorist organization"  in fact "the most dangerous terrorist organization of the past 1,000 years"  could never be allowed to have such assets in any democratic society.

This is how the current regime in Turkey justifies the confiscation of Zaman and other closures of media outlets that have stood in its way. But this rationale raises many questions. At the very least, we have to ask if the Gulen movement really is a terrorist organization, and why Erdogan and his party were in close collaboration with it until 2013, when the decade-old political alliance between these two camps collapsed. Most of the alleged crimes by the Gulen movement's members in Turkey's police and judiciary  such as illegal wiretapping and doctoring evidence to jail political opponents  took place before 2013 and with Erdogan's full support. (That must be why the columnist in question emphasized that the Gulen movement must be considered a terrorist organization only after Jan. 1, 2014  just a week after the Gulen-affiliated police and prosecutors opened a corruption investigation into key government figures.)

It is fair to say that the Gulen movement has much to account for in regard to its covert presence in the Turkish police force, judiciary and bureaucracy, and some of its members should indeed be tried for abuse of state power. But to treat the entire movement  which includes schools, kindergartens, nongovernmental organizations, charities and media outlets  as a terrorist organization has no legal basis. It is rather an act of political vengeance and a crackdown not much different from that on the nonviolent Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's regime.

Furthermore, the confiscation of Zaman  and before that, Bugun and Milliyet  is not just an attempt to destroy of the Gulen movement, but part of efforts to subdue the entire Turkish media.

This situation has been going on for years now, but involves more subtle techniques than court orders and police seizures: financial measures. They typically start with the boss of a newspaper facing new economic challenges that originate in Ankara. As a result, the newspaper is sold to someone else, who then turns out to be a very close friend of Erdogan. Or the newspaper accepts handing over control to a "general manager" who is approved by the Turkish leadership. Consequently, the newspaper turns either mildly or zealously pro-Erdogan and fires the editors, reporters and columnists who displease the president and his men. At least seven major newspapers have been transformed in this way in the past seven years.

Even Islamist papers do not escape this suffocation if they are not solidly pro-Erdogan. Such was the case of Dirilis Postasi, whose key writer, Hakan Albayrak, displeased Erdogan with his pieces that, while praising the president as "the chief," offered some constructive criticism. Soon, the companies that ran advertisements in Dirilis Postasi were encouraged by powerful people in Ankara to withdraw all advertising, Albayrak reported. Soon after that, Albayrak was fired.

So in the grand scheme of things, not just a few newspapers like Zaman, but the entire Turkish press is being taken over by the current regime. This is a regime that insists that democracy is about nothing but elections, and the winner of elections  as the embodiment of the "national will"  has the right to dominate every aspect of society.
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Eastside Junction on 22041 U.S. 72 East in Athens. (Courtesy photo)

A Birmingham commercial real estate firm hopes to boost its Alabama presence with the acquisition of a five-property portfolio in the greater Huntsville area.

Shannon Waltchack Principal Derek Waltchack said his company closed on a $15 million deal last week for five shopping centers spanning nearly 100,000 square feet in Athens and Hartselle. It's the second local purchase for Shannon Waltchack, which bought Promenade Point in Madison County in 2015.

Waltchack said the real estate agreements fit with his company's mission to begin building a "serious footprint" in the Huntsville metro.

"You have a city that has a lot of potential and knows it," he said. "And you've got a lot of transplants in town. You're not held back by this, 'This is the way it's always been' mindset."

The portfolio from Athens developer Bill Ming includes the following retail centers:

Eastside Junction, 22041 U.S. 72 East, Athens

Hartselle Shoppes, 1091 U.S. 31 N.W., Hartselle

French Farms 1, 229 French Farms Blvd., Athens

French Farms 2, 220 French Farms Blvd., Athens

Athens Shoppes, 935 U.S. 72, Athens

Shannon Waltchack, founded in 2005, has closed more than $1.2 billion in real estate transactions and oversees more than 80 properties in five states. The company, which currently has 26 employees, manages properties, operates a brokerage division and pursue real estates opportunities in the Southeast.

The acquisition brings Shannon Waltchack's active real estate investments to more than $190 million. Waltchack said the company hopes to own up to 2 million square feet of commercial space in the Huntsville area over time.

"We saw this as a great opportunity to start to grow our portfolio in Huntsville and we're actively looking for more to buy," he said.

The bulk of Shannon Waltchack's portfolio is in Birmingham, but Principal Len Shannon said the recent purchase in north Alabama "positions our firm in a bracket with some of the larger Birmingham CRE players."

"We have been working hard, investing in Birmingham and the Southeast for the last 11 years, and we feel that this acquisition serves as an important benchmark for our success," he said.
The name of Ghost Train Brewing Co. was inspired by ghosts of the Magic City.

Taylor DeBoer and his wife Paige DeBoer paid homage to Birmingham's former terminal train station, a Byzantine-style structure torn down in 1969, with both the name of the brewery and one of the company's first beers.

Now the DeBoers are planning to open their own tasting room in Lakeview - and into a place that already has a spot in Birmingham's brewing history.

Ghost Train Brewing is in the process of opening its first tasting room at 2616 3rd Ave S. - the former space of Cahaba Brewing. Taylor DeBoer is a former partner at Cahaba Brewing.

"I can utilize the infrastructure that's there instead of paying people to tear it down," DeBoer said. "There was an economic reason, but the bigger reason was that I love that area. We had looked at Lakeview, but couldn't find a place in our price range."

After Cahaba announced it was moving to the Continental Gin building in Avondale, Dog Days of Birmingham announced it would be moving into the former space, but later announced it wouldn't be expanding.

By the time DeBoer had read the news that the space was available, he had looked all over town and couldn't find anywhere he wanted to be. When he read his old home base was available, he couldn't pass it up.

Ghost Train hit shelves in August, and until now, DeBoer has been contracting his brewing to Crooked Letter Brewing Co. in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

Once Ghost Train opens in Lakeview, they'll do all their brewing on-site.

"We need a location, because we need to be making our beer here in Birmingham," DeBoer said. "The biggest thing, for me, is quality and consistency of the product."

DeBoer doesn't have a timeline quite yet - there's a lot of work to be done before opening.

ServisFirst Bank is financing the project.

DeBoer got into brewing while a student at Auburn University after he got a brewing kit as a gift - he was studying microbiology, and the science of it interested him. His day job is in marketing, but he's been in the Birmingham beer scene for years.

"I think there's space for more breweries, and I don't mean just me," DeBoer said. "I look at the growth that's going on, and I see room for several more breweries. I would love to see Birmingham become one of those cities people come to just to try the beer. I don't think we're there yet, but we could be."
An Amish-inspired soft pretzel brand will soon be available at Walmart stores in greater Montgomery.

Ben's Soft Pretzels, the fastest-growing soft pretzel franchise in the U.S., recently signed agreements with owners Martin and Amy Wybenga to open stores inside Walmarts on 1903 Cobbs Ford Road in Prattville and 1415 Seventh Street in Clanton. The eateries will open in April and September, respectively.

The company plans to launch two more Ben's Soft Pretzels sites in the Montgomery market over the next 18 months, but the locations are still unknown.

The growth aligns with the company's national expansion effort, which includes more than 20 new stores in development for 2016. The Indiana pretzel concept confirms it will also enter two other new states: Kentucky and Ohio.

"Charging forward full throttle, Ben's Soft Pretzels is targeting markets across the United States such as Cincinnati, Detroit, Louisville, Indianapolis, Chicago, and Northern Florida," the company said in a statement.

Ben's Soft Pretzels, which has master lease agreements with Walmart and Meijer, was founded by businessman Brian Krider, pretzel lover Scott Jones and Amish baker Ben Miller. The business has grown to more than 60 units since the first Ben's Soft Pretzels bakery was established in 2008 in Concord Mall in Elkhart, Ind.

The stores in Prattville and Clanton will be among the first Ben's Soft Pretzels sites in the South. There are currently four locations operating in Florida.
Young Jesus.jpg

'The Young Messiah,' based on the Anne Rice novel 'Christ the Lord,' opens in theaters nationwide today. The movie's release is timed with the Christian season of Lent, a period of repentance leading up to Easter on March 27. The movie is showing in the Birmingham area at Regal Trussville 16, Carmike The Summit 16 and Carmike Lee Branch 15.

(Focus Features)

A movie that explores the origins of Christianity, "The Young Messiah," opens nationwide today.

It's based on a novel by New Orleans-born author Anne Rice, ''Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt.'' Former Southside Baptist Church of Birmingham staff member Dwayne Johnson began an e-mail conversation with Rice through her Web site while she was working on ''Christ the Lord'' and she let him read the manuscript. ''Dwayne was one of the earliest people who read it,'' she said. That led to the invitation to speak at the church to promote the release of the novel.

Rice visited Birmingham in November 2005 for the forum at Southside Baptist Church. Rice discussed her ideas behind the novel, a treat for Birmingham readers - and for her. ''I am so honored this has happened," she said at the time.

The movie's release is timed with the Christian season of Lent, a period of repentance leading up to Easter on March 27.

The movie is showing in the Birmingham area at Regal Trussville 16, Carmike The Summit 16 and Carmike Lee Branch 15.

Rice, who for years took readers deep into the soul of vampires, said in a 2005 interview with The Birmingham News that all along she was on a quest for spiritual meaning.

''The vampire books that I wrote really are about good and evil and about a spiritual quest,'' said Rice, who was raised a strict Catholic, left the church at 18 and returned in 1998.

''They are supernatural novels,'' she said of ''Interview With the Vampire'' and her other vampire books. ''They're really about despair, and the despair I felt being out of the church. The vampires come across as rather tortured heros.''

Her novel, ''Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt,'' imagines Jesus narrating his own life from the age of 7.

Her fans seem to be loving it.

''They're reacting very very favorably,'' Rice said. ''It's been so favorable I'm kind of amazed.''

Rice believes that the national conversation about faith has become more intense, passionate and serious than it was two decades before, when she was an atheist.

''I think the times have changed,'' she said. ''People are very interested in religious questions and their relationship with God. People are tired of atheism and the atheistic view of life. I got tired of it, and my faith came back to me.''

She said the revitalized spirituality was helped partly by ''The Passion of the Christ,'' which she saw immediately upon its release in 2004.

''I had the flu; I got out of bed and went to see it,'' Rice said. ''I loved it and defended it. There were reasons Jewish people were offended, and I think it could have been done in a way they wouldn't have been offended. By and large, I thought it was a masterpiece.''

Rice said she heavily researched Jewish life in first-century Palestine for her portrait of the young Jesus.

''There is very little in scripture; but there's actually enough,'' she said. ''I wanted to present a picture of what daily life was like in Palestine at that time, the daily life of a family of carpenters, village life in Palestine, the activities of the Romans, what they were doing, the death of Herod, what it was like to experience these things. There's a lot of material historically.''

She sides with one scholar who suggests that Jesus may have been born as early as 11 B.C. That allows her to have him witnessing the riots surrounding the death of Herod. ''At 7 years old, he could have witnessed the riots in the temple, the bandits rampaging, the mayhem that followed Herod's death,'' Rice said.



Sources for story

Most of the story draws on what is known from historical and archeological evidence, she said, with help from some apocryphal stories such as a young Jesus bringing clay birds to life, and striking a bully dead and resurrecting him. She also imagines the young Jesus studying with the historian Philo of Alexandria.

''I didn't go to great lengths to make up exceptional events,'' she said. ''Everything is within logic. I believe he's the son of God, I believe he is God. I glean from scripture what his attitude was, that Jesus didn't deliberately access his knowledge of everything at all times. Luke says he grew in wisdom and stature, and I believe that means he emptied himself of omniscience so he can learn with and be with people.''

In the Gospel of Mark, he asks, ''Who touched me?'' when a woman touches his garment, she notes. ''The fact is, he does ask,'' Rice said. ''He can be taken by surprise. He can cry. He can pray that something be changed, and accept it not being changed. I took that as my literary license that he asks questions.''

Reflecting back, Rice said losing her faith created a void and writing the vampire novels were in a sense a response to that.

''When I was a child, the saints, Mary and Jesus were it, they were the world,'' she said. ''I had to construct an alternate reality. I couldn't live in a world without miracles.''

Novelist Anne Rice moved from writing about vampires to writing about Mary, the mother of Jesus.

The novels about vampires were part of her grim spiritual search. ''They were dark,'' she said. ''They were filled with despair and alienation but also a desire to find meaning, to search for God, and a refusal to give up.''

Her religious conversion has shed a different light on her previous work, she said. ''The vampires were a powerful metaphor for the horrible compromises we make in life when we are overwhelmed and don't take the Christian message as seriously as we ought to,'' she said.

She notes that in the end her vampire hero finds redemption.

''Lestat is faced with a choice,'' she said. ''By the end of the chronicles, he completely believes in God. He says, 'I want to be a saint, I want to save souls by the millions.' Some people didn't like the way it ended. They wanted to romp with a vampire. It was about Lestat giving up his bad behavior and being tormented by belief in God. In the end, he chooses not to make a vampire out of this person he loves. In prior books, he always gave in to the urge.''

Rice wrote ''Christ the Lord'' while living in New Orleans, but then moved in 2004 to La Jolla, Calif. She sold two 1850s houses she owned in inner-city New Orleans.

Hurricane Katrina dealt a difficult blow to many of her friends and relatives, but she certainly doesn't blame God.

''We're in this world,'' she said. ''That's going to involve storms, that's going to involve cancer, that's going to involve evil people who rise up and hurt other people.''

She now sees evidence of God everywhere, she says, even in disaster.

''I think divine providence is in the fabric of the universe,'' she said. ''God is as much with the person who dies as with the person who's rescued. We can never take these things personally. He's the God who made the stars. He's intervening all the time in ways we don't see at all. When we do get a glimpse, it's a gift. God is as sad at the suffering as we are. God has control of that plan and he's with us.''

After her return to faith, Rice experienced a series of setbacks, including a diabetic coma and a burst appendix. Her husband of 41 years, Stan Rice, died of a brain tumor in 2002.

After her weight ballooned to 250 pounds, she underwent a gastric bypass and last year suffered intestinal blockage that required emergency surgery.

Though she's a diabetic, her health has stabilized, she said, and she hopes to keep writing about Jesus, a series of perhaps four novels.

''I want to do the whole life of Christ, all the way through to the ascension,'' she said.

It's a story that can't be told too often, she said.

''Each Christian artist tries to bring something new to the story,'' she said. ''Our job is to tell the story again and again. We want to make it fresh for somebody who doesn't have the message. There is always someone who didn't get it.''
(Stock photo)

The lure of a good mystery has drawn many of us to gravity hills and magnetic spots. We want to know: Will our car really roll uphill while in neutral, defying the laws of gravity and common sense?

In some places in Alabama, it will  at least according to some witnesses and legend. While researching our state's gravity hills, also known as spook hills and mystery spots, I came across several mentioned online. However in some cases, the details of the exact location weren't readily available so I could pass along the locations to readers. If you know of directions to one of these spots, or if you know of other gravity hills not listed here, email kkazek@al.com or comment below. Please send photos.

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(Photo of the Gravity Hill Road sign by Scooter Bill via waymarking.com)

Before checking out the list of Alabama spots, here's the scientific explanation for what occurs on a gravity hill from Philip Gibbs at the University of California-Riverside: "Usually it is a stretch of road in a hilly area where the level horizon is obscured. Objects such as trees and walls that normally provide visual clues to the true vertical, may be leaning slightly. This creates an optical illusion making a slight downhill look like an uphill slope. Objects may appear to roll uphill."

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(Photo of Gravity Hill Road by Scott Walker)

Gravity Hill Road, Talladega County

This is Alabama's most well-known gravity hill, mainly because the name of the road was changed to reflect the odd occurrence. Gravity Hill Road is located in the Oak Grove community outside Sylacauga. The spot will come up when typed into a GPS, or try using the address 117 Gravity Hill Road, Sylacauga. Or click here for detailed directions.

According to the Alabama Tourism Department at Alabama.travel, heres the best way to experience it: Position your car going South, then Drive to the stop sign on Gravity Hill at the U.S. 280 intersection. Pull up to the stop sign. U.S. 280 should be in front of your car and the rest of Gravity Hill in your rearview mirror. Make sure no one is behind you. Put your car in neutral and take your foot off the brake. Your car should start to roll backward and uphill. Be sure to keep your foot close to the brake pedal, as you will pick up speed as you coast uphill. This little adventure is so amazing that youll find yourself driving back to the stop sign to try it again.

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(Photo of Highland Drive from Jim Hahn via Facebook)

Highland Drive, Birmingham

According to several online sources, including this one, Highland Drive has a gravity hill. The road runs parallel to Highland Avenue alongside Highland Golf Course. The spot is across from the golf course lake.

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(Source: IrixGuy Adventure Channel via YouTube)

Henry Hill Road, Lawrence County

According to Jason Houston, director of the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce, County Road 23 is a local gravity hill. The dirt road just west of Mount Hope and south of Alabama 24 is known locally as Henry's Hill or Henry Hill Road. Houston said several legends surround the site, but the most common says that Henry Hill was a man who died in a car wreck at the spot and now, when motorists stop their cars, Henry's spirit gives them a hand by pushing the car up hill.

Click here to see a video of the spot by IrixGuy Adventure Channel.

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(Stock photo used to represent Ghost Hill Road)

Ghost Hill Road, Morgan County

There is a spot on Ghost Hill Road in Trinity in Morgan County. The road runs from where West Morgan Road meets South Greenway Drive to County Road 358. If you have directions to the exact location, email kkazek@al.com or comment below.

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(Photo of Cheaha Road spot via OxfordParanormalSociety.com)

Cheaha Road, Talladega County

This gravity spot is located on Cheaha Road, near Munford. If you have directions to the exact location, email kkazek@al.com or comment below.



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(Source: Lance George)

Big Cove Road, Madison County

Until the early 1960s, it was marked with a sign with an arrow pointing to "Upside Down Hill."
A woman being held in the Calhoun County Jail escaped briefly this morning but was recaptured within 20 minutes in Anniston.

Alexandria Brooke Hamilton, 24, was being held in the jail on charges of chemical endangerment of a child and drug distribution, according to the jail website.

Chief Deputy Matthew Wade said Hamilton, who is between 12 to 16 weeks pregnant, escaped during a doctor's visit this morning in Anniston. Federal statutes prohibit leg irons on pregnant prisoners, so Hamilton was handcuffed. One handcuff was removed to allow her to sign forms, at which point she struggled with the deputy guarding her and fled.

Wade said it is against departmental policy to uncuff an inmate in such a situation.

The deputy chased Hamilton and the two fought in a yard on 11th Street before Hamilton was able to get away, fleeing into a heavily wooded area near Anniston High School.

Anniston police and deputies arrived shortly, establishing a perimeter around the area. The school was also placed on lockdown. She was apprehended about 20 minutes after she ran from the doctor's office.

Hamilton will now be charged with first degree escape, Wade said.
A Fayette County woman who pleaded guilty this week to the theft of $403,291 in Veteran's Administration benefits meant for a man who died a decade ago, had led a group that got 22,796 prescription painkillers from a Birmingham doctor over a two-year period, federal court records show.

Margaret T. Earnest, 66, of Berry, was the housekeeper for the doctor who wrote the prescriptions, federal court records show.

The doctor, Dr. Peter Alan Lodewick, an internal medicine and diabetes doctor in Birmingham, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation in October related to a charge that he helped Earnest, a few of her relatives, and others, acquire painkillers by "misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception and subterfuge."

According to Lodewick's plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office, between January 2013 and December 2014, Lodewick issued about 390 prescriptions for controlled substances to a group of pill-seekers led by his housekeeper, Margaret Earnest.

The group included Earnest's son Willie, his girlfriend Susie Willcutt, Terra and Joshua Hollis, and John Wayne Powell, and two other women, according to Lodewick's plea agreement. All of them are from Berry.

Lodewick wrote prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances, including oxycodone (two forms), morphine sulfate, Adderall, and Norco, according to the plea deal. "Over this two year period, Dr. Lodewick prescribed approximately 22,796 dosage units of prescription opiates," according to the plea agreement..

"Beginning in May 2013, the patient files kept in Dr. Lodewick's office clearly state that he discovered that three individuals within this pill-seeking group were pharmacy shopping," according to the plea agreement.

Lodewick sent letters to the three unnamed patients terminating the physician-patient relationship because of their behavior but accompanied each termination letter with a prescription for a large amount of opiates, according to Lodewick's plea agreement. "Following the termination letters, Dr. Lodewick continued writing prescriptions for opiates to this group at his usual rate," the plea agreement states.

Lodewick wrote these patients a new prescription generally every month, except in some cases when he wrote multiple prescriptions in one month, according to the plea deal.

The prescriptions were presented at pharmacies around north Alabama. "Dr. Lodewick issued these prescriptions outside the usual court of professional practice, and thus aided and abetted the deceptions of pharmacists by Margaret Earnest and the others," according to the plea agreement.

During a search of Margaret Earnest's home in June 2015 Drug Enforcement Administration agents uncovered V.A. benefit checks of a man who later turned out to have died 10 years earlier, court documents show. Earnest cashed 117 checks totaling just over $400,000 during that period, court records show. Earnest had not been married to the veteran who had been receiving the checks.

Earnest pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to one count of theft of U.S. property related to the checks. She is to be sentenced on that charge June 14.

The DEA had conducted the search at Earnest's home related to the pill investigation, court records show.

Earnest, who pleaded guilty in 2011 to a drug possession charge in Fayette County and has had other drug charges dismissed, now faces a charge in Jefferson County of conspiracy to traffick morphine, opium, or heroin in a case related to the pill case.

That case was bound over to a grand jury for possible indictment in December.

According to online state court records:

William Earnest, 46, and Willcutt, 37, also face drug trafficking conspiracy charges in Jefferson County related to the pill case. Their cases also were forwarded to a grand jury for possible indictment.

Powell, 51, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and was sentenced to a split 15 year sentence with three years to serve in a plea deal with prosecutors. Joshua Hollis, 38, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge. And Terra Hollis, 23, was sentenced to a split 10-year sentence with one year to serve.

State court records do not show any drug charges against two other people noted in Lodewick's plea agreement.
An Odenville husband and father saved his family from an early-morning house fire, but died when he went back inside to try to get their pets.

Authorities have not officially released the name of the victim, but friends and family on social media identified him as 46-year-old Phillip Hudgins and Odenville police expressed their sympathy for the family on the department's Facebook page.

"Our deepest sympathy goes to the Hudgins/Dunn family. We all loved Phillip and thought a lot of him,'' Odenville police Chief Adam Pardue wrote. "He was always in such a great mood and one of the nicest men we ever met. He loved his family and we know he gained his angel wings and will now be looking over his family from heaven above. We will be praying for y'all."

Pardue said they were dispatched on a house fire at 1:30 a.m. When they arrived on the scene, they learned Hudgins' had got his wife and daughter out of the home and had gone back inside for two dogs. "They didn't see him anymore,'' Pardue said.

Once the blaze was extinguished, firefighters found Hudgins inside the burned home. The dogs were right beside him, also dead. "I've been knowing him for many years, and that's just the kind of person he was,'' Pardue told AL.com. "He would give you the shirt off of his back. I just hate it for his family."

The State Fire Marshal's Office continues to investigate the cause and origin of the fire, which happened at 91 Mater Patch Road.
The latest republican debate was less raucous than previous efforts, the candidates perhaps realising that the anger and the personal comments made both them and their party look bad.

Even Donald trump remarked how civil things were.

What we got was a wide-ranging debate covering a host of topics important to American voters. The public now perhaps has a better idea of where the candidates stand rather than who they cant stand.

The stakes are much higher for Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio and both had perhaps their best night so far.

The Texas senator believes this will eventually come down to a battle between him and the frontrunner Donald Trump. He attacked but without the vitriol of previous encounters. And he didnt even bother going after Rubio, which was perhaps wise given that the Florida senator was on home turf.

Cruz demanded policy details from Trump, not just sound bites. He ridiculed the idea of imposing import tariffs as part of any trade war with China, insisting that would be bad news for ordinary voters.

Weve got to get beyond the rhetoric of China bad and actually get to how do you solve the problem. Cruz is currently the only candidate who can actually block Trumps path to the nomination, something the billionaire businessman was forced to acknowledge at the end of the debate. The Texas senator went after Trump like the Harvard-trained lawyer he is.

RELATED: Donald Trump keeps winning despite attacks

Marco Rubio ditched the insults about Trumps tan and the size of his hands. They dont play well with voters and that has worked out badly for him. Instead, when he went after Trump, he did so on matters of policy.

He attacked Trumps comments that Islam hates the US pointing out there are many American Muslims who love their country and have died for it. And he criticised his position on restoring relations with Cuba, which provided his best moment of the evening.

For that alone, he may have clawed back a number of votes in the state before Tuesdays all important primary. And that is his last hope in this race. A win would deprive Trump of the states 99 delegates and changes the face of his campaign. It remains a long shot but his team will be pleased that when he had to perform, he did well.

A loser on the night was John Kasich. In the stormiest of debates, the Ohio governor has seemingly been a voice of sanity. Although he never gets as much talk time as the others, his measured and calm approach appeals to voters.

It makes him stand out. But on a night when everyone was being fairly reasonable, there was no chance for Kasich to shine. And that could be a problem. He too needs to win his home state on Tuesday.

And even if he does, he will still have a struggle to win the nomination. It wasnt a bad night but it wasnt a great night either.

For Donald Trump gone were the personal attacks on Little Marco and Lying Ted. He didnt respond to Cruz and Rubio every time in the way the famously thin-skinned businessman has done in the past. Although to be fair the attacks were fewer, less personal and lacked the nastiness of the previous few debates.

Instead this was a more measured and controlled Trump. Ted Cruz clearly employed the strategy of suggesting Trump wasnt smart enough to be president and didnt understand the intricacies of foreign policy and macroeconomics. And he was caught out a few times  not least on what was happening between the US and Cuba.

READ MORE: Republicans slam Donald Trump at US presidential debate

But his supporters dont care. They dont pay attention to the details of what hes saying, they like that hes tough and apparently uncompromising. The bigger difficulty will come if he wins the nomination and still isnt on top of these issues and doesnt know his own policy inside out when he moves on to the general election.

If there were a sign of how much worry there was that the rowdy debates had impacted the Republican Party, it came before the debate even got under way. The Republican National Committee chairman, Reince Priebus, took to the stage to affirm the party would support whoever won the nomination.

It was a reaction to the growing #neverTrump crowd, who are working hard to derail him. The fact that we are this late in the election cycle and there has to be a plea for party unity must be worrying.

The fact that Rubio did well, and Kasich not so much, is significant. They know they have to win their home states or their campaigns are over, and a win for Donald Trump in either place will virtually seal the deal for him. Tuesday just became a lot more interesting.
A country with its own recent history of migration could soon find itself at the centre of Europes refugee crisis.

Tirana, Albania  They came in their thousands overnight, wearing tattered clothes, some carrying children. Braving sub-zero temperatures they clambered on foot across the snowy, craggy terrain of the Albanian mountains. Meanwhile, more children died on Europes shores as yet another boat carrying around 60 refugees capsized in the Adriatic Sea after colliding with an Italian navy vessel trying to stop it entering Italian waters.

Such reports were commonplace throughout the 1990s as tens of thousands of Albanian refugees fled the collapsing Communist dictatorship of Enver Hoxha and subsequent lawlessness in the Adriatic state.

Today, the political landscape in Albania has settled somewhat, yet a little over 100km away on the Greek-Macedonian border tens of thousands of mainly Syrian and Iraqi refugees continue to amass.

The recent closure of the Balkan route and the rapidly escalating humanitarian crisis in Greece is leading many to wonder if Albania is about to see the migration flow divert through its territory, prompting renewed scenes of struggle over land and sea in yet another frontier of Europe.





Entering Albania through Greece, the terrain seems hostile  jagged mountains, sudden abysses and dense woodland stretch out to the horizon and signs along the motorway warn of bears and wolves.

But some observers, like Vassilis Nitsiakos, a professor of history at the University of Ioannina, in northern Greece, think that the 280km border is penetrable to those with the right information.

I have walked across that border illegally many times. I go with my students, Nitsiakos laughs. Last summer we drove 20 minutes to the border near Konitsa in Greece, then after two hours we were in Albania.

Its a very historical path, thousands of Albanian migrants have used it and still do, coming to work in Greece by day, and go back to their village at night. We didnt see any police, nobody cares. Its an open secret, the authorities tolerate it. So if the refugees today knew about it, they could do it. The question is, do they have a way out of Albania?

Details continue to be hammered out over the deal reached on Tuesday between the European Union and Ankara, which would see all refugees and migrants reaching the Greek islands returned to Turkey. But, in the meantime, it is inconceivable that the mounting numbers on the Macedonian border could willingly be taken back, or remain in a state of suspended animation, far from their desired destinations in northern Europe.

But even if refugees manage to penetrate Albanian territory, does the impoverished country possess the infrastructure to accommodate them?

For Marie-Helene Verney, speaking to Al Jazeera in UNHCRs Tirana office, the answer is a resounding no.

They have military barracks on the southern border  they say they are ready to be used as accommodation but they are not. They are understaffed and under-resourced. There is a real question mark here. Imagine, there are thousands people in Greece and as soon as you look at Albania, after a few hundred the capacity is overwhelmed very quickly.

Then what happens? The Albanian government has been extremely reluctant to engage publicly in any planning because they say if we talk about it to the media, then refugees will start to come. But we tell them, they will come whether you plan or not.

There is humanity  then there is law

At Karrec, Albanias only detention centre for irregular migrants, located at the end of a winding uneven road outside a suburb of the capital Tirana, the tiny scale of the countrys capabilities becomes apparent.

Albania has a re-admission agreement with Greece, where migrants captured across the border can be returned after 14 days. But when Al Jazeera visited the facility it was empty. The only evidence of previous occupants was some abandoned clothes hanging on a washing line and Arabic graffiti scrawled on the walls of the prayer room.

Sitting in his office, centre director Gezim Goci casts a wary eye at a TV broadcasting fuzzy news footage of refugees on the Macedonia border. Rain lashes at the window and thunder shakes the room. Goci starts to reminisce and draw historical comparisons to todays refugee flows.

My family is from eastern Albania. During the Kosovo war in 1999 the state was not functioning, so we opened our houses to our brothers coming across the border. And when I see these young people from Syria, I feel for them, he says.

But there is humanity, and then there is the law. Back in the times of the dictatorship, there were many armed guards and surveillance on the border, but that was to stop us from leaving!

Albanias own history of migration

From 1941 to his death in 1985, Albania was ruled by the Stalinist dictator Enver Hoxha. His paranoid belief that foreign powers were intent on invading the country caused him to turn Albania into a pariah state, sealed off from the rest of the world, a North Korea of the Balkans.

One of the visible legacies of his tyranny are the hundreds of thousands of bunkers he ordered to be built throughout the country, from the top of mountains to beaches and downtown squares. Many still remain, but these days enterprising Albanians prefer to blow them up to harvest the steel, while young couples use their intimate confines for romantic assignations.

Albania has a history of multidimensional emigration.

The brutal Hoxha regime and its collapse produced hundreds of thousands of refugees.

A second wave came in 1997, during the countrys transition to a market economy, when vast swaths of the population became impoverished almost overnight as their money disappeared in a system of crooked pyramid investment schemes.

Subsequent suspicion of the government erupted into civil unrest, which became deadly after weapons depots were looted and clashes between police, opposition and armed criminals who took over whole cities left thousands dead.

Despite subsequent political reforms and Albanias candidate status for membership of the European Union, the country has pockets of poverty and a GDP per capita under $5,000, according to the World Bank.

Ironically, these conditions have forced tens of thousands of Albanians to use the Balkan route themselves to reach northern Europe.

In 2015, Albanians were second only to Syrians in the number of asylum applications lodged in Germany (54,762). Berlin has since deemed Albania safe and begun deporting people back en masse to the predominantly Muslim nation of three million.

Since the escalation of the refugee crisis in Europe last summer, a photo has been circulating on social media. It depicts a large vessel partially obscured by thousands of human bodies with people dangling over the top, climbing up ropes from the port and some even falling into the sea. It has been been said to both depict Syrian refugees in Greece in 2015 and Europeans fleeing World War II for North Africa. In fact, it shows neither. It is a photo of the notorious Vlora vessel, full of Albanians, docking in the southern Italian port of Bari in 1991. On a sunny day in March 2016, the sea laps gently on the deserted beach at Zvernec, near the city of Vlora. Police sources told Al Jazeera that in the past two months, two inflatable boats had been found nearby, but could not speculate on their possible intended use.

Alba Cela, the deputy director of the Tirana-based think-tank, the Albanian Institute of International Affairs, says the Adriatic has long been a channel to ferry drugs and cigarettes to Italy, but the chance of profitable human cargo may be too tempting for the gangsters to resist.

Albania spent a lot of effort fighting speedboat trafficking to Italy and we even had to pass strict laws. For instance, there was a complete moratorium on speedboats for years, even for fun it was not permitted to own one.

Now if you have refugees trapped here, of course they will rekindle the interest of organised crime organisations to smuggle them to Italy. It would be hard, but not impossible. It is a small coast but it has its own hidden spots that are hard to control. You cannot rule it out.

The crossing from the Albanian coast to Italys southern region of Puglia is 50 miles, significantly further than the distance from Turkey to the Greek islands, which in some parts is barely four miles but has claimed more than 400 lives this year alone.

Im afraid of the sea, but Im desperate

Hannah, 21, a Syrian student from Damascus, is currently entering her second week stuck on the Macedonian border. After enduring the worsening conditions in the vastly overcrowded camp only to be told the route is now shut, she says she is exploring other options.

I might try the Albania way to Italy. Im afraid of the sea, but Im desperate. I would try anything. Even another Mediterranean death trip.

According to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, 9,295 refugees and migrants have arrived by sea in Italy during 2016 but almost all left from the North African coast.

Refugee flows are often determined by the size of the trail blazed by those preceding them, which so far in Albanias case is minimal. According to UNHCR estimates, 1,400 mostly Syrian refugees crossed into Albania in 2014; in 2015 it was 2,600.

There is a widespread perception among many of the refugees questioned by Al Jazeera that entering Albania is a dangerous option, which requires the use of merciless smugglers.

The imam

Gentjan Mara, the imam of the Shtish-Tufine mosque in Tirana, has seen the dark side of this perilous route.

After several years living in Syria, including witnessing in 2011 the early eruptions of revolution in Daraa, Mara moved back with his Syrian wife and son to Albania, which hosts a tiny Syrian community of around 35 families.

Last year, Amal, a 56-year old child psychologist made her way through Turkey and Greece after several of her family members were killed by an air strike in Daraa.

On Greeces northern border her journey to be reunited with her husband in Germany was cut short after the smuggler she used to show her the way demanded more money. When Amal refused, she was pushed into a gorge. She broke both of her legs as she fell.

Mara tells her story: She crawled into Albania through the woods for hours, but luckily met a shepherd who called for help. She was taken to hospital for extensive surgery, and then we hosted her like family in our house for two months. Its my personal conviction that, even though Albanians do not have much to offer, they cannot ignore people who need help.

Amals misfortune continued as her efforts to reach Germany through legal methods failed. So she again turned to smugglers. Wheelchair bound, she was led out of Albania through Kosovo and up the Balkan route until finally, exhausted, she arrived in Dusseldorf last month.

Despite last year appearing to favour the idea of welcoming refugees into his country, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama hardened his stance in February. Citing the behaviour of other European countries as an influence, he told local media: We have neither the conditions, nor the strength, nor the enthusiasm to save the world while others close their borders.

But for Mara, Syrian refugees fleeing the sixth year of tumultuous conflict are destined to find sanctuary.

Before the war, Syria was a country which hosted many refugees from all over the world, he says. So now Allah will ensure that the Syrians are welcomed elsewhere.

In pictures
Inside an Indian slum school as it battles to provide a better education for its impoverished students.

Difficult. That is how Narsimulu Kistappa, a primary school teacher in an Indian slum in Hyderabad, describes his work.

It is very difficult to teach when you have only four teachers for five classes, he elaborates.

The slum where 100 children aged between five and 11 are taught is known as Mahatma Gandhi Nagar.

The children, some barefoot, must walk past a foul smelling stream of stagnant water and scramble across litter to reach the school.

The conditions in the slum sit in sharp contrast to the city that surrounds it. Hyderabad is, after all, the high-tech capital of the state of Telangana and home to the vast, gleaming offices of technology giants such as Microsoft, Google, IBM and Amazon.

Mahatma Gandhi Nagar, like 15 other slums, lies in Film Nagar, an area of the city that hosts the worlds largest integrated film studio, Ramoji Film City.

But as difficult as Kistappa finds it to teach in the slum school now, it is a major improvement on what it used to be.

Himani Gupta, a former management consultant for Pricewaterhouse Coopers, is working full time in the slum with the NGO she co-founded, Kriti.

In 2009, when we started working in the slum, the school was a one-room shack with one teacher only, explained Gupta.

But with the help of the slum leaders we petitioned [for a proper school building with complete facilities] to the governments department of school education, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

Gupta said that in 2013, based on the petition, the government built a new robust building with five spacious classrooms and a toilet facility.

But her problems, and those of the school, were far from over.

Still, the school, one of five in the slum of 4,000 households, was only able to teach around 30 pupils because it had only one teacher. It also had no boundary wall and the toilet didnt work.

Because there were no boundary walls, people were drinking liquor in the school premises at night. Two or three times a week, we would go in the morning and there would be broken bottles in the place, Gupta said.

Parents worried about the safety of their children in a school with no boundary wall; with only one teacher to keep watch, a child could easily wander off, they argued.

The lack of working toilets also proved problematic.

There were no working toilets. There was no water, so even though toilets had been built children couldnt use them. So for going to the toilet the child will leave school and go home, Gupta explained.

Where is the studying happening if the children have to always go back home to use the toilet?

But Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the governments department of school education and literacy, told Gupta that a lack of funds meant a boundary wall and completed toilets would not be forthcoming.

When Gupta petitioned for more teachers to increase the number of pupils that could be enrolled, she found herself in a Catch 22 situation.

The government department said teachers could not be provided if school enrolment was low  but families said they would not send their children if there was only one teacher.

Private funding

Undeterred, Gupta and her team wrote a proposal and approached the private sector.

A private firm that deals with clean energy, Greenko, signed a memorandum of understanding with the department of school education and literacy and took on responsibility for the school for three years.

Under the terms of the agreement, the private firm was to build a boundary wall and provide working toilets.

It would also employ two teachers for the school while the government was to give one additional teacher.

With four teachers in place, student enrolment increased. The school now teaches about 100 children from grades one to five.

But Kistappa says that a lot more still has to be done.

I am teaching 2nd and 3rd class with a total of 50 students, he said.

Both classes have different syllabus and timing becomes difficult. I give assignments to one class and move to the second and then rotate.

Each class was being disturbed, he said, as he was unable to give them his full attention.

He hopes that the government will provide at least one more teacher. But that would only go a short way towards fulfilling his dreams for the school.

I do not even have a computer to explain to students what a computer looks like, he sighed.

There are no play things in the play area for the school kids.

To Kistappa, such things are essentials.

What happens when the funding runs out?





Gupta, meanwhile, is worried about the schools future.

We have funding for one more year to pay teacher salaries and school maintenance. How are we to run the school after the funding has stopped? she asks.

The answer from the media office of the department of school education and literacy is encouraging, if not fully reassuring.

Media officer Mohammed Abdul Ghani said that his department will strive to look for community-based funding. If this does not materialise, as a last resort, the government will sponsor the school.

But there seems to be little chance of Kistappas workload being reduced.

Ghani explains that the governments policy is to supply one teacher for every 30 pupils. By those standards, the school would need to enroll another 50 pupils to be eligible for an additional teacher.

There is no way around that, Ghani said. It is the policy and we must follow.
An unjust sanctions regime was imposed on Iran, and yet its corrupt ruling elite were benefiting from its consequences.

He called himself the economic basij, according to The New York Times, a reference to Irans hard-line paramilitary organisation and defender of the Islamic Revolution. He drove a black Mercedes 500SL and wore a $30,000 watch, as befits a man who put his self-worth at $13.5bn, it added.

The name of Babak Zanjani has always been associated with the roundabout ways the Iranian economy tried to bypass the United States and United Nations-imposed sanctions and sell its oil abroad. In the process he amassed a sizable fortune for himself.

An unjust and cowardly regime of sanctions was imposed on a nation, and yet its corrupt ruling elite was benefiting from its consequences.

The news that Zanjani was sentenced to death by the self-same regime that had enabled him to move up in the world  from sheepskin merchant to jetsetting businessman  was neither surprising nor reassuring.

A global network

This is not the first time a high-profile businessman is charged with corruption and sentenced to death. Back in May 2014, a billionaire businessman who had been convicted of playing a central role in a $2.6bn corruption case  Mahafarid Amir Khosravi, was hanged  He was convicted of forging letters of credit with the help of high-level bank managers to obtain loans from one of the countrys largest banks, Saderat.

The ruling regime in Iran is not accountable to its citizens, and at the slightest suggestion of resistance to tyranny it resorts to brutish violence to silence it. by

No single businessman, no matter how shrewd, is of course responsible for corruptions of such magnitude. Mr Zanjani we know, has acknowledged that since 2010 he has used a web of more than 60 companies based in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Malaysia to sell millions of barrels of Iranian oil on behalf of the government, generating $17.5bn of desperately needed revenue.

According to one economist, Nader Habibi, who has followed this scandal closely, Turkey, in particular, has been a key partner in an elaborate money laundering scheme for the government of Iran.

The economic dimensions of this scandal extend well into the political realm in both Iran and Turkey, where Turkeys ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was then prime minister, is deeply implicated in this corruption, and even connected to his chronic rivalries with the exiled Turkish cleric, Fethullah Gulen.

In Iran proper, all indications are that Zanjani is a casualty of the still largely under-reported struggle between [Iranian President Hassan] Rouhanis coalition of Intelligence Ministry officials, clerics, the Islamic revolutions old guard and repented reformists on the one hand and Irans Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) on the other.

Power and corruption collude

Corruption at such high levels is of course not limited to Iran or Turkey. The scandal around FIFA has had global implications far beyond any one particular country.

In the US, the current presidential elections is flooded with charges of corruption by leading candidates, such as Hillary Clinton receiving massive amounts of money from Wall Street magnets and foreign country special interests to finance her bid for the White House.

In Israel, former President Moshe Katsav has been convicted of rape and obstruction of justice, while former Prime Minster Ehud Olmert has been convicted of bribery.

The case of Zanjani thus echoes regionally and globally to raise a crucial question. We know proverbially from Lord Actons famous phrase that power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

But dont these cases come together to point to perhaps a superior insight? That it is not just power that corrupts, but that corruption empowers. Power does not pave the way to corruption. Corruption paves the way to power.

In response to the sentencing of Zanjani, Rouhani on his official Facebook page has said sentencing him to hanging does not solve anything. People want to know what happened to these $2.7bn dollars. Who has supported him? Who has created an environment in which he could have amassed this wealth? People want to know how and with whose permission this man could have sold oil? Why did they give him this permission?

OPINION: Who is the winner and loser of Iran elections?

Rouhani knows only too well that there is a corrupt mafia inside the regime itself that is trying to hide behind this sentencing. Zanjani was not corrupt because he was powerful. He became powerful because he is corrupt, because corrupt people in position of power used him to amass wealth and stay in power at one and the same time.

The cutting edge of these sanctions from which Zanjani and the top-level Iranian official mafia he served benefited targeted poor people desperate for medicine and other basic necessities  while these corrupt businessmen were using their political power to their financial advantages.

No accountability



The ruling regime in Iran is not accountable to its citizens, and at the slightest suggestion of resistance to tyranny it resorts to brutish violence to silence it. We will never know what official organs of the Islamic Republic enabled Zanjani in the first place, and are now trying to hide behind his death sentence.

The full exposure of such corruptions scandalises not only the crook who engaged in such financial atrocities, but those who enabled him and are now using him as the fall guy.

So that they remain hidden behind the thicket of the deep mafia state that rules Iran, and beyond Iran in Turkey, Russia, Malaysia, and any other country in which Zanjani had business interests, and were part of this global scheme to prolong the sanctions, benefit from it, feign a radical posture against the Great Satan, and be as integral to its corrupt operation as any neocon joint they love to denounce and demonise.

The corrupt ruling mafia in Iran (whom even the former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dubbed our smuggler brothers) is not part of any line of resistance to the US imperial machinations in the region. It is among its chief partners in crime.

Hamid Dabashi is Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in New York.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Lebanon is at another of the many crossroads it has faced since the end of its civil war.

James Denselow is a writer on Middle East politics and security issues and a research associate at the Foreign Policy Centre.

Its been a pretty busy month for Lebanese-Saudi relations. The slashing of billion dollars worth of aid  mainly for the Lebanese security forces  the issuing of travel warnings for Saudi citizens to avoid the country and the declaration that Hezbollah is a terrorist group, mark a significant new direction of travel from Riyadh.

As ever, predicting the future of Lebanon is an almost impossible task, but what is of serious concern is that a geopolitical consensus that protected the country from the fallout of both the Syrian civil war and the wider regional conflict may be crumbling.

Some have assessed the latest events as part of the cycle of love and hate that characterises relations between the two countries.





While this may be the case, it is certainly worth exploring the alternative that a genuine split is occurring. A senior US official told the Wall Street Journal that the Saudi action feels like a significant overreaction and that the actions were reckless and risked driving the Lebanese further into the hands of Iran.

Biggest challenge in years

The Pax-Lebanon that has been maintained by Riyadh and Tehran is facing its biggest challenge in years. Are the moves an attempt to destabilise a tottering Lebanon and give Hezbollah some domestic priorities that may refocus them away from the Syria conflict?

Or are the Saudis genuinely ceding influence to the Iranians in a country that is not proving a strategically viable proxy. After all, Lebanon has been without a president for almost two years and the internal fractures and inability to govern has even seen the collection of rubbish become a national security issue.

ALSO READ: Lebanon and Saudi Arabias love and hate relationship

Despite the arrival of 1.3 million Syrian refugees, the fire from the Syrian war has not yet ignited serious violence in Lebanon.

Any change to the balance of power in the country will probably lead to a wobble. by

Although there have been clashes in the east of the Bekaa Valley around the town of Arsal, car bombs in Hezbollah districts of Beirut and sporadic fighting in Tripoli, the general story has been one of resilience and stability in the shadow of Syrias chaos.

This surprised many who suspected that the sectarian fault lines in Syria could migrate into far more established political cleavages in Lebanon and that the Saudi and Iranian backers of these parties would look to seek strategic advantage where possible.

That this has not happened to date is testament to the political inertia of a big tent government and Tehran and Riyadh both looking to protect their investment in the country.

Its important not to forget Iran has invested billions of dollars in supporting the emergence and development of Hezbollah, to the point today where their military wing is more powerful that the Lebanese army.

Meanwhile, Saudi billions have transformed downtown Beirut and helped repair the more recent damage from the Israeli attacks of 2006.

Filling the vacuum

Both powers have filled the vacuum left by the Syrian regimes withdrawal from Lebanon in 2005 and its subsequent descent into civil war in 2011.

In the past, the tentacles of Damascus were keenly felt in the politics of Lebanon with the assassination of former prime minister, and keen Saudi ally, Rafik Hariri more than 11 years ago still without any resolution or accountability.

Rafiks son and head of the Future Movement, Saad Hariri, has spoken of wanting to fill the vacuum  but the fate of the Future Movement is similarly imperilled by a Saudi exit.

ALSO READ: Whats to become of Lebanon?

The trigger for Saudi anger appears to be an overreach from Irans allies that have led to Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir claiming that we have a situation where Lebanons decisions have been hijacked by Hezbollah.

Any change to the balance of power in the country will probably lead to a wobble. Already there are reports of Iran offering to step into the funding arrangements to the Lebanese military that the Saudis have withdrawn from.

What isnt clear is whether Saudi is serious about detaching itself from the country in its entirety of whether it will start channelling funds in different directions to militias or groups who are more active in their opposition to Hezbollah and other Iranian interests in the country, with the associated risk of increased rates of violence.

All these factors combine to create a very dangerous moment for the direction of events in Lebanon. With the United States leading efforts to talk Saudi back into the fold and the potential for a symbolic win in agreeing on a new president, the country is at another of the many crossroads it has faced since the end of its civil war.

James Denselow is a writer on Middle East politics and security issues and a research associate at the Foreign Policy Centre.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Algeria is opening public companies up to private investments, but experts say new measures may be too little, too late.

Algiers, Algeria  In the face of plunging oil and gas revenues and persistently strong imports, the Algerian government has taken steps to alleviate barriers to private investment in the country for the first time in years.

The Minister of Industry and Mines Abdeslam Bouchouareb described the governments 2016 budget as a revolution for Algerias industrial sector.

But it may be too little, too late to prevent an irreversible economic slide in a country that has become overwhelmingly reliant on hydrocarbons for its economic growth and political stability, say analysts and observers in Algeria.

Hydrocarbons, such as oil and natural gas, account for about 95 percent of Algerias export revenues and two-thirds of government revenues, according to the International Monetary Fund.

READ MORE: Oil price slump threatens to erode Algerias status quo

But the price of oil has dropped from an average $108 a barrel in June 2014 to about $30 a barrel today, and the consequences for Algeria have been dramatic.

The countrys international reserves have fallen from $195bn in 2013 to an estimated $151bn at the end of 2015 and they continue to decline at a rapid pace.

The reaction from opposition parties has been quite sharp. They say that the government is selling off the country. by Michael Willis, expert on Algerian politics at Oxford University

The trade balance has swung from a surplus of $25bn in 2011 to a deficit of about $13bn last year, and the government ran a budget deficit of about 14 percent in 2015.

In response, the government has cut spending and reduced subsidies on fuel and power, and it is now seeking to stoke growth in non-oil industries.

The latest budget, covering the current calendar year, includes measures to allow for private investment in state-owned enterprises, creating new industrial zones and easing restrictions on the investment of revenues accrued from tax breaks.

Article 66 of the budget allows for the private sale of up to 66 percent of the shares in a state-owned enterprise, and a complete sale after five years, subject to the approval of the government investment council, the Conseil des participations de letat.

The article revives a similar measure that first appeared in the governments mid-year budget in 2009, known as the supplementary budget, but was never implemented. Its reiteration today indicates that the government plans to move forward with its implementation.

Bouchouareb has argued that Article 66 will help Algerian companies cope more effectively with international competition. But it has also excited considerable opposition from parliamentarians opposed to selling off public firms to the private sector.

READ MORE: A changing of the guard in Algiers

Article 66 was initially overturned after a meeting of the parliaments finance and budget commission, only to be reinstated as an oral amendment with superficial changes by the Minister of Finance Abderrahmane Benkhalfa.

The parliaments adoption of the budget on November 30 was boycotted by several opposition parties, including the Socialist Workers Party, the Kabylie opposition party the Socialist Forces Front, and two moderate Islamic parties, the Green Algerian Alliance and the Front for Justice and Development, reported the state news agency, Algerie Presse Service.





The reaction from opposition parties has been quite sharp, said Michael Willis, an expert on Algerian politics at the University of Oxford. They say that the government is selling off the country.

Privatisation on a large scale has been tried before in Algeria. Regulations to facilitate privatisation were first introduced in 2001, and in 2004, the government launched the sell-off of 1,200 public companies. But barely a third of those 1,200 companies have actually been privatised.

Plans to sell a strategic stake in Algerias third-largest bank, Credit Populaire dAlgerie, were abandoned in 2008 amid claims that the global economic climate had undermined the deal.

The first Algerian company to be privatised, the El Hadjar iron and steel complex, was relinquished to the state last year by Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal. Opponents claim that the state overpaid for the purchase.

Bouchouareb has described the states retention of a minimum 34 percent of the companies subject to privatisation for at least the first five years as a blocking minority.

READ MORE: Algeria looks to develop shale gas sector

But the limited scope of the privatisation measures will hamper their effectiveness, say analysts.

Article 66 applies only to local private companies, not foreign ones, while overseas firms also remain subject to the so-called 51/49 regulation, introduced in 2009, which limits foreign companies to a minority stake in local joint ventures.

Perhaps the greatest barrier to real change is that the government has made it clear that the privatisation process will not be applied to the largest state companies.

Article 66 makes no explicit exceptions, but the state hydrocarbons company, Sonatrach, state power company Sonelgaz, and telecoms operator Algerie Telecom will all be excluded, according to Abderrahmane Benkhalfa.

There are a tonne of tiny, underperforming companies and small and medium enterprises, but what contribution to GDP do they make? asked Geoff Porter, president of North Africa Risk Consulting, a firm that specialises in political and security risk and business intelligence. Maybe a couple of percent at most.

Willis agreed that the impact of the new measures would be insignificant.

It seems that no one has any idea what to do, he said. They are cutting spending, cutting back on projects. But it is way, way, way too late to start diversifying. Its just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

Algerians have little faith that the governments efforts to tackle the economic crisis will be effective.

Its not the first time theyve looked at selling off companies, and so far nothing has happened, so people are disillusioned, said Amel Boubekeur, a researcher in Maghreb affairs at the University of Grenoble. Everyone is aware that the government has no clear economic policy, no clue how to get out of the economic crisis.

We have a huge economic crisis and a lot of corruption, added Farah Souames, an Algerian reporter covering the Middle East and North Africa. With the oil crisis, even if the government tries to improve the budget, they cant.
Bloc of 22 majority-Arab states appoints Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, who was the only contender for the post.

The Arab Leagues 22 member states have picked veteran Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Aboul-Gheit to head the body in a late-night session on Thursday.

Aboul-Gheit, who was the last foreign minister under former president Hosni Mubarak, was the only contender for the post of secratary-general.

The appointment came at a critical time for the Middle East, with Syria marking the fifth anniversary of its civil war, proxy wars between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and the battle against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group raging across the region.

Aboul-Gheit, who has also served as Egypts ambassador to the United Nations, had been widely expected to win approval from the league members.

It is a long-held protocol that Egypt, as host of the Arab League, traditionally nominates the chief. The league has been almost exclusively led by Egyptians.

Bahrains Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa announced the decision after some last-minute wrangling over the appointment, saying that Aboul-Gheit would serve a five-year term effective July 1 as secretary-general.

Diplomats told the AP news agency earlier on Thursday that Qatar and Sudan had opposed the choice of Aboul-Gheit, with Egypt and Saudi Arabia lobbying them to accept the choice.

Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Qatars foreign minister, said its reservation stems from reasons related to the character of the candidate, and not with Egypt itself.

The secretary-general can be elected by obtaining a minimum two-thirds majority of member states, but the group prefers to have unanimous agreement.

Pragmatic diplomat

Divisions have weakened the Arab League since the 2011 uprisings that toppled three longtime autocratic rulers but also sparked armed conflicts.

Past league chairmen have included pan-Arab nationalists such as Amr Moussa and the outgoing head, Nabil Elaraby.

Aboul-Gheit appointment appears to mark a shift as he is known to be a pragmatic diplomat with strong enmity for Islamist factions such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.
The move, which was not backed by Lebanon and Iraq, comes after the Gulf Cooperation Council adopted the same stance.

The Arab League has declared Lebanese movement Hezbollah a terrorist group, only days after the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) adopted the same stance.

The move came during an Arab League foreign ministers meeting at the organisations headquarters in Egypts capital Cairo on Friday.

Nearly all 22 Arab League members supported the decision, except Lebanon and Iraq which expressed reservations, the bloc said in a statement read out at a news conference by Bahraini diplomat Wahid Mubarak Sayar.

OPINION: The Arab World is at war with itself

The resolution of the Leagues council [of foreign ministers] includes the designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist group, the statement said.

Hezbollah, a Shia political organisation with an armed wing, fights in neighbouring Syria to support the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Explaining Lebanons position, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said in a Twitter message: We voiced reservations because the resolution was not in line with the Arab anti-terror treaty  Hezbollah enjoys wide representation in Lebanon and it is a main component in the country.

Earlier, the Saudi delegation briefly withdrew from discussions to protest against Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafaris refusal to label Hezbollah.

Nasrallahs remarks

The decision comes a day after Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leadar, accused Saudi Arabia of pressuring Lebanon to silence his group.

Saudi Arabia is angry with Hezbollah since it is daring to say what only a few others dare to say against its royal family, he said on Thursday.

The Arab League and the six-member GCC have been ramping up pressure on Hezbollah, which is backed by Saudi Arabias regional rival Iran, with whom relations have worsened this year.

The two nations are on opposing sides in conflicts in Syria and Yemen.

READ MORE: GCC allies issue Lebanon travel warning

In late February, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain urged their citizens to leave Lebanon or avoid travelling there.

The travel warning came after cut $4bn in aid to Lebanese security forces in response to hostile positions linked to Hezbollah.

The US, Canada and Australia have also listed Hezbollah as a terrorist group. The EU has blacklisted its military wing.
Trump stands by comments on Islam, saying the US has a serious problem with hate from Muslims.

US presidential hopeful Donald Trump has doubled down on previous comments about Islam, saying there is tremendous hatred towards Americans from Muslims.

Asked on Thursday during a televised debate in Miami, Florida, if he meant all Muslims, the frontrunner to be the Republican party nominee for president said: I mean a lot of them.

Trump once again invoked the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington and added there is something going on, without elaborating.

Marco Rubio, another candidate for the nomination, and Trump were tangling over what the US stance towards followers of Islam should be, with Trump telling the Florida senator: You can say what you want. You can be politically correct if you want. We have a serious problem with hate.

Rubio countered: Im not interested in being politically correct. Im interested in being correct.

The Florida senator noted that there were grave markers in Arlington National Cemetery that have crescent moons, which connote the Muslim faith.

He said they love America, and that the US will need healthy relations with Muslim nations to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

Trump, who has voiced scepticism about US military involvement abroad in the past, for the first time said Americas effort against ISIL might need between 20,000 and 30,000 US troops, a number similar to what some Republican hawks have proposed.

Earlier in the campaign, Trump called for a total and complete block on non-US Muslims entering the US.

A statement from Trumps campaign team in December said the halt on Muslims entering the country should remain in place until our countrys representatives can figure out what is going on.

Trump also defended his approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying that while theres nobody thats more pro-Israel than I am, in order to make a deal with Palestine he would have to make them believe he was somewhat neutral.

Trump said striking a peace deal with Israel and Palestine would be maybe the toughest negotiation of all time.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who has been engaging with Trump more than Rubio or Ohio Governor John Kasich, said it would be wrong to be neutral toward Palestine.

Relatively civil

In contrast to previous presidential debates, the candidates largely managed to present their arguments without vitriol.

Trump shook his head and declared at one point: I cant believe how civil its been up here.

The businessman, though, clearly was intent on projecting a less bombastic  and more presidential  image.

His closing message: Be smart and unify.

Were all in this together, he said early on, sounding more like a conciliator than a provocateur as he strived to unify the party behind his candidacy. Were going to come up with solutions. Were going to find the answer to things.

Trumps rivals, in a desperate scramble to halt his march to the nomination, gradually ramped up their criticism as the night wore on.

Donald Trump keeps winning despite attacks

Rubios overarching message: I know that a lot of people find appeal in the things Donald says. The problem is presidents cant just say anything they want because it has consequences around the world.

Florida is the biggest prize in a five-state round of voting on Tuesday, and all 99 of the states delegates will go to the winner.

In all, 367 Republican delegates will be at stake, with voting also occurring in Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and the Northern Mariana Islands.

In the race for delegates, Trump has 458, Cruz 359, Rubio 151 and Kasich 54. It takes 1,237 to win the Republican nomination for president.
Government under pressure as it refuses to pay teachers higher salaries in line with living costs.

Tens of thousands of Palestinian teachers have entered a second month of a strike, demanding a pay rise which they say was promised years ago.

The strike has closed state schools across the West Bank and pitted teachers against their own union leaders and a hesitant government.

The teachers say their pay packets have not increased alongsde the rising cost of living.

READ MORE: Palestinian teachers march demanding salary increases

Prices keep rising but my salarys stayed the same. Ive been teaching for 31 years now, and my basic salary is still just $600, says Nasser Abu Thuraya, who is currently turning up to school but not teaching as part of the demonstration.

Ive put all my children through university, but with tuition, transport, books and other expenses, its been very very hard.

Like several other teachers, Thuraya  a father of seven  has had to take on a second job.

For at least 20 years, he has moonlighted as a taxi driver.

READ MORE: A protest of a different kind in Palestine

Meanwhile, the government is coming under growing pressure for refusing to compromise.

Al Jazeeras Nadim Baba reports from Ramallah.
Tuqu village, occupied West Bank  Just after sunrise, children of all ages gather in the streets of Tuqu, a village in the southern West Bank district of Bethlehem.

Groups of girls in green-and-white striped uniforms stand waiting for their friends to accompany them to school. Young men yell at their younger siblings to hurry up, while parents wave their children off from balconies.

The scene is similar to that in many neighbourhoods around the world on a school morning, but once the children leave their homes and reach the main road, the picture changes dramatically. Armed Israeli soldiers stand guard along Route 60, with some positioned on rooftops. A stretch of barbed-wire fencing cuts down the length of a dirt footpath that runs parallel to the road, effectively dividing it in half.

READ MORE: Palestinian children live in trauma without end

The barbed wire is scary, 10-year-old Mohammed Sabah told Al Jazeera, walking alongside a group of friends towards their school. We tried to walk through the olive field next to the path instead, but the soldiers hide in the trees there and grab us, so we stopped doing that and walk next to the barbed wire, like they want us to, instead.

Residents of Tuqu say the metal fence is a new addition, installed late last year, but a spokesperson for the Israeli army said it has been in place since 2008. The spokesperson cited recent reports of children throwing stones at passing Israeli cars on Route 60, which is frequented by local Israeli settlers.

They put this here to scare us, I think, because the kids don't like the barbed wire - it cuts our hands and our clothes and bags all the time. But we were already scared. by Mohammed Sabah, 10-year-old resident of Tuqu

While the fence was ostensibly put up to stop children throwing stones, it is only a few hundred metres long, and residents point out that children could still get around it on either side to reach the road.

As they walk, Sabah and his friends remain in single file to avoid brushing up against the barbed wire. Along parts of the path, there is a half-metre-high drop-off on the left-hand side, leaving the children in a precarious position between the ledge and the barbed wire.

They put this here to scare us, I think, because the kids dont like the barbed wire  it cuts our hands and our clothes and bags all the time. But we were already scared. Wed never throw stones from here, because  look, Sabah said, pointing across the street towards the Israeli soldiers standing on the other side of Route 60.

They stand there, he added. And there up on the roof, and over there on the other side of the school. Wed be crazy to throw rocks here; they are always here, during the day and evening. Since I started kindergarten, theyve always been standing here on my way to school.

At the end of the pathway, students wait for one of their teachers in a bright yellow safety vest to shepherd them across the road towards the school building.

I should be here because of the traffic, one teacher, who requested anonymity, told Al Jazeera. This is a busy road and cars fly by, but thats not my main role here. [We] stand out here to make our presence known, in the hope that the soldiers dont try and intimidate the children.

With machineguns slung across their shoulders, Israeli soldiers stand in groups of four or five about 100m from where the teachers gather in front of the school.

READ MORE: Israel using excessive force on Palestinian children

As Sabah goes to line up for school with his classmates, Tuqu Primary School administrator Freyal Abu Farha explains that he was detained by Israeli soldiers for hours last month.

While each childs case is different, Defense of Children International  Palestine, the human rights group, has documented that the majority of Palestinian children detained by Israel are accused of stone-throwing.

The unsettling security situation detracts from the childrens studies, Abu Farha added.





Once they get to school, they should be ready to start the day, but often the kids are showing each other the tears in their jeans or the cuts on their hands from the barbed wire, she said. It is very distracting.

The situation is even worse for high school pupils, Abu Farha said. When they detain the older kids, it is something serious. They dont take them for a few hours and let them go, like with our kids. The high schoolers are less frightened, though; they have experienced this their whole lives. They think its normal.

May Sulieman, a primary school teacher, points towards her own son and daughter, who are laughing together in the schoolyard.

They seem so happy now, yes? Sulieman said. All of the kids will tell you the soldiers and the barbed wire bothers them, but they are laughing and jumping like normal kids still. Its not until the night that you can tell there is something wrong with our children.

Sulieman, who has five children, has particularly noticed the effects of the daily trauma on her 12-year-old son.

He is 12, and he still comes to our bed at night. He screams for his father in his sleep, Sulieman said. The young ones having nightmares, thats not so surprising; but a 12-year-old who wants to sleep in his parents bed? Something is wrong here. They are hurting the minds of our children.

Additional reporting by Abed al-Qaisi
Rebuilding has brought relief along coastal region, but many still can not return home due to nuclear contamination.

Japan is marking the fifth anniversary of the tsunami and earthquake disaster that killed more than 18,000 people, destroyed communities along the countrys northeast coast and triggered nuclear contamination.

The country held a moment of silence on Friday for the victims five years after the 9.0-magnitude earthquake sparked the devastating tsunami.

In the town of Minamisanriku, some people, including tourists, offered prayers near the remnants of the disaster prevention centre, where 43 workers died as tsunami waves engulfed the three-story building.

Masaki Kamei, a doctor from Tokyo who has been visiting disaster-hit areas every year, noted signs that life was significantly turning back to normal with increased rebuilding.

Whats different this year compared with last year is fishermen have already gone out fishing by dawn  and towns are already bustling about going on with their business, he said. There is an expression: the hammering sound of reconstruction. Thats how I feel, I sense the emphasis has shifted.

On the eve of the anniversary, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged to bolster reconstruction efforts before the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

He promised to expedite decontamination work in irradiated areas near the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant to allow more residents to return home safely. He also set ambitious goals to reopen a damaged coastal railway in Fukushima by 2020 and triple tourism in the north.





We plan to secure an ample budget to launch support measures to help disaster-hit areas stand on their feet again, Abe said.

He pledged to reopen the Joban railway line, part of which is in the highly contaminated no-go zone near the nuclear plant, by March 2020, only months before that summers Olympics in Tokyo.

Residents of disaster-hit regions have criticised the government for rushing the reconstruction to showcase Fukushimas safety for the Olympics rather than for the residents.

The government hopes to reopen all evacuation zones by next March, except for the dangerously contaminated surroundings of the plant.

Abe said that he also wants to triple the number of foreign visitors to the Tohoku region to 1.5 million in 2020 so that tourists can see the reconstruction through their own eyes.

Unable to return home

However, more than 100,000 displaced people are still unable to return to their homes near the nuclear plant due to the contamination.

Sachiko Mashio and her family finally settled in a house in Saitama, north of Tokyo, last year after several relocations. Her husband has suffered ill health.

READ MORE: Japan charges three over Fukushima nuclear disaster

I never expected to move more than 10 times in my life, said Mashio, who used to run a restaurant in Namie town, 20km north of the plant, before the accident.

Mashio has no expectation of going back to Namie even if the evacuation order is lifted, she said. My house was in wild disorder as it was apparently burgled a number of times.

It is expected to take the operator more than four decades to complete the decommissioning process.
Statement from US authorities contradicts earlier reports that Mikhail Lesin had died from a heart attack.

Mikhail Lesin, a former close aide of Russian President Vladimir Putin who was found dead in a Washington hotel room last year, died of blunt force injuries to the head, according to US authorities.

Lesin who once headed the state-controlled Gazprom-Media, also had blunt force injuries to the neck, torso, arms and legs, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington said in a brief statement on Thursday.

According to a police incident report, Lesin, who was press minister from 1999 to 2004, was found unconscious on November 5 on the floor of his room in the Doyle Washington Hotel. The hotel is also known as the Dupont Circle Hotel.

An ambulance was called and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Heart attack

Russias RT television network quoted family members at the time as saying he had died of a heart attack.

A US law enforcement source told the Reuters news agency on Thursday the investigation into Lesins death was being led by Washington DC police.

The investigation was focused on Lesins death, but that did not rule out a possible change to a murder probe, said the source, who declined to be identified when discussing the matter.

The source said when police first investigated the hotel room where Lesins body was found, they did not find any damage or evidence indicating foul play.

A spokesman for the Russian Embassy in the United States said their officials had, for months, been requesting through diplomatic channels information on the progress of the investigation.

No substantial information has been provided. With regard to the document that has been released to the public today, we expect the American side to provide us with relevant official explanation, press secretary Yury Melnik said in an email.
Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France  The demolition of part of a vast and infamous refugee camp in Calais, known as the Jungle, is forcing people into new makeshift settlements in the surrounding area.

Al Jazeera found two such sites in the area on Thursday  one near a service station a few kilometres from Calais and another that was an expansion of an existing site further into the French countryside.

Aid workers said that as many as six new camps had sprung up since authorities started dismantling the southern part of the Jungle nearly two weeks ago.

Calais: Jungle destruction resumes

These new camps, which residents also referred to as jungles, house anywhere from 15 to 150 people and are located near service stations and truck stops.

At one site, Al Jazeera saw a group of men sneak on to a truck heading to the nearby Calais port.

One of the men, an Afghan, said he and his friends had not eaten for two days.

I came here from the [Calais] Jungle  we sleep close to here, but the police are watching us  we have no food, no showers, the man said.

At the second site  further away from the city  Al Jazeera saw scores of refugees, mainly Eritrean and Sudanese, crammed into tents in a woodland area off a narrow country road.

The site existed before the demolition at the main Calais camp started, but it has seen its population more than double from 60 to 150 since the clearance operation began.

Its cold, very cold, inside the tent; there is no heat, said Josef, an Eritrean refugee living in the camp.

The camp had no visible sanitation facilities but a local Christian community group was providing meals and the use of showers and toilets during the day.

Many of the refugees said they were fleeing political repression and war and that they had entered Europe via sea routes to Italy and Greece, before travelling on to France.

Where do I go?

At a feeding centre run by the Christian group a few kilometres from the site, Al Jazeera spoke to Hassan Tayeb, who said he was a journalist and that he had fled his native Sudan six months ago.

In my country, I cant speak my mind  I can be killed for what I say, is that anyway to live?

Where do I go if I dont want to kill or be killed myself? The other men where I live fight but I dont want to do that  why should I?

Tayeb said he wanted to go to Britain because he had family there and speaks fluent English.

Aid worker Abdelkader Bergoug, who showed the sites to Al Jazeera, said many refugees started leaving the Calais camp when the French authorities announced their intention to start pulling the southern part of it down.

People started to move out about three weeks before the destruction took place because they heard about the announcement but the process has accelerated over the past few days, Bergoug said.

The southern zone of the camp housed around 1,000 people according to the police, and more than 3,000 according to activist surveys.

Bergoug, who heads the Plan to Support and Assist Refugees organisation, said demolishing the dwellings would not prevent the flow of refugees to northern France.

The [governments] aim is to destroy the Jungle entirely  they might be able to but they are not going to stop refugees from coming, he said.

Well get refugees spreading out in small camps across the region. Theyll be playing cat and mouse.

Follow Shafik Mandhai on Twitter: @ShafikFM
UN report says fighters allowed to rape as a form of payment in conflict that has fallen off the international radar.

Children and the disabled in South Sudan have been burned alive and pro-government militia allowed to rape women as a form of payment, a new UN report has said.

The investigation accused all sides in the countrys civil war of targeting civilians for murder and rape but said the army and government-allied forces were most to blame for what it described as one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world.

The report contains harrowing accounts of civilians suspected of supporting the opposition, including children and the disabled, killed by being burned alive, suffocated in containers, shot, hanged from trees or cut to pieces, the UN human rights office said in a statement on Friday.

READ MORE: South Sudan marks two years of ruinous war

More than 1,300 rape cases were recorded in just one of South Sudans states  the oil-rich Unity state  over a five-month period last year, the report said.



WATCH: Women of South Sudan: Broken bodies, shattered dreams One woman told the UN investigators she had been stripped naked, raped by five soldiers in front of her children on the roadside, then raped again by more men in the bushes only to return and find her children missing.

Credible sources indicate groups allied to the government are being allowed to rape women in lieu of wages but opposition groups and criminal gangs have also been preying on women and girls, the UN said.

The prevalence of rape suggests its use in the conflict has become an acceptable practice by (government) SPLA soldiers and affiliated armed militias, it added.

South Sudan presidential spokesman, Ateny Wek Ateny, denied that government forces and allied groups had committed atrocities.

As a responsible government we take every report seriously, when the report is about human rights violations. However, our forces are under strict command to observe human rights and to protect civilians, he told Al Jazeera.

If there are individuals, soldiers, that comes to violate human rights, then they are doing it at their own peril because the government does not authorise anybody to kill civilians.

We tell them .. to minimise civilian casualties when they are actually forced to fight.

READ MORE: Tens of thousands killed in South Sudan war, says UN

The UN report is the work of an assessment team deployed to South Sudan between October and January.

Al Jazeeras diplomatic editor James Bays, reporting from Geneva, said the UN human rights office has rarely released a report as shocking and as damning as the one published on Friday on South Sudan.

He added that the UN human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein described South Sudan as a crisis that had fallen off the international radar.





Rupert Colville, a spokesperson for the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, said the report is probably just the tip of the iceberg as most of the fighting takes place in remote areas.

Its a very difficult country to get around; there are no roads and its a huge area and many small villages that have been affected, Colville told Al Jazeera.

He added that journalists, civil society activists and human rights workers trying to expose what is happening in the country have suffered threats and in some cases have been killed.

One of the key issues is total impunity, Colville said. Across the board you have really a dysfunctional system where people with power, people with guns, seem to be able to do whatever they want and know they are not going to get any comeback.

South Sudan descended into conflict in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar, who he had sacked earlier that year, of plotting a coup.

The clashes that followed set off a cycle of retaliatory killings that have split the worlds newest country, which won its independence from Sudan in 2011, along ethnic lines.

Tens of thousands have been killed and more than 2.3 million displaced.

The UN findings came as rights group Amnesty International released a separate report detailing how South Sudanese government soldiers killed more than 60 men and boys last October by locking them into a shipping container until they suffocated.
UN envoy de Mistura says vote should be held by September 2017 as opposition says it will attend March 14 peace talks.

The UN envoy for Syria has renewed a call for elections in the war-torn country, proposing that a vote should be held in 18 months time.

Staffan de Misturas call on Friday for elections in September 2017 came ahead of the fifth anniversary of the conflict on Monday, which is also when a fresh round of peace talks in Geneva are scheduled to begin.

New elections  should be held 18 months from the start of talks, that is from March 14, de Mistura told Russias RIA Novosti state news agency, in comments translated into Russian.

World leaders have called for elections for some time, with the last major plea made in November during a round of peace talks in Vienna.

Elsewhere, de Mistura said that the possibility of federalism had not been taken off the table for the upcoming talks, which the main Syrian opposition bloc  the High Negotiations Committee (HNC)  confirmed on Friday it will attend.

Any mention of this federalism or something which might present a direction for dividing Syria is not acceptable at all. by Riad Hijab, Syrian opposition coordinator

All Syrians have rejected the division [of Syria] and federalism can be discussed at the negotiations, de Mistura told Al Jazeera.

He also said that the prospects for reaching a deal to end the war were better than at any time before.

Diplomats had told the Reuters news agency that major powers close to the UN-brokered talks were discussing the possibility of federal division in Syria that would grant broad autonomy to regional authorities, while maintaining the countrys unity as a single state.

A UN Security Council diplomat told Reuters that a number of major Western powers had been considering the possibility of a federal structure for Syria and had passed on suggestions to de Mistura.

Speaking in September, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad did not rule out the idea of federalism, but said any such change should only come about as a result of dialogue among Syrians and a referendum to ratify any changes to the constitution.

From our side, when the Syrian people are ready to move in a certain direction, we will naturally agree to this, he said at the time.

After five years of war that has killed 250,000 people and driven about 11 million from their homes, Syrias territory is already divided between various parties, including the government and its allies, Western-backed Kurds, opposition groups and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

However, Syrian opposition coordinator Riad Hijab of the HNC said that any mention of federalism or something which might present a direction for dividing Syria is not acceptable at all.

We have agreed we will expand a non-central government in a future Syria, but not any kind of federalism or division, Hijab said.

In contrast, the co-leader of the Syrian Kurdish PYD party, which has wide influence over Kurdish parts of the country, has made it clear that the PYD is open to the idea.

What you call it isnt important, the PYDs Saleh Muslim told Reuters on Tuesday. We have said over and over again that we want a decentralised Syria  call it administrations, call it federalism  everything is possible.

Ceasfire slows fighting

Fighting in Syria has slowed considerably since a fragile cessation of hostilities agreement brokered by the US and Russia came into force almost two weeks ago. But an actual peace deal and proper ceasefire remain elusive.

The biggest sticking point in the peace talks remains the fate of Assad, who Western and Gulf Arab governments say must go at the end of a transition period envisioned under a roadmap hammered out in Vienna last year by major powers.

READ MORE: At least 135 killed in first week of truce in Syria

Assads backers Russia and Iran say Syrians themselves must decide on his fate.

The next round of Syria peace talks is not expected to run beyond March 24. After that round ends, there is expected to be a break of a week or 10 days before they resume.
UN envoy de Mistura says federalism would have to be discussed at Geneva talks, amid reports of push from major powers.

The United Nations envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has said that the possibility of federalism for the war-ravaged country has not been taken off the table for the upcoming peace talks in Geneva.

The latest round of negotiations in the Swiss city, scheduled for Monday, coincide with the fifth anniversary of a conflict that started with protests against President Bashar al-Assad before descending into a multi-sided war.

Any mention of this federalism or something which might present a direction for dividing Syria is not acceptable at all. by Riad Hijab, Syrian opposition coordinator

Neither the opposition nor the government has yet confirmed its participation.

Diplomats told the Reuters news agency that major powers close to the UN-brokered talks were discussing the possibility of federal division in Syria that would grant broad autonomy to regional authorities, while maintaining the countrys unity as a single state.

All Syrians have rejected the division [of Syria] and federalism can be discussed at the negotiations, de Mistura told Al Jazeera.

He also said that the prospects for reaching a deal to end the war were better than at any time before.

A UN Security Council diplomat told Reuters that a number of major Western powers had been considering the possibility of a federal structure for Syria and had passed on suggestions to de Mistura.

Speaking in September, Assad did not rule out the idea of federalism, but said any such change should only come about as a result of dialogue among Syrians and a referendum to ratify any changes to the constitution.

From our side, when the Syrian people are ready to move in a certain direction, we will naturally agree to this, he said at the time.

After five years of war that has killed 250,000 people and driven about 11 million from their homes, Syrias territory is already divided between various parties, including the government and its allies, Western-backed Kurds, opposition groups and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

However, Syrian opposition coordinator Riad Hijab said any mention of federalism or something which might present a direction for dividing Syria is not acceptable at all.

We have agreed we will expand a non-central government in a future Syria, but not any kind of federalism or division, Hijab said.

In contrast, the co-leader of the Syrian Kurdish PYD party, which has wide influence over Kurdish parts of the country, has made it clear that the PYD is open to the idea.

What you call it isnt important, the PYDs Saleh Muslim told Reuters on Tuesday. We have said over and over again that we want a decentralised Syria  call it administrations, call it federalism  everything is possible.

Fighting in Syria has slowed considerably since a fragile cessation of hostilities agreement brokered by the US and Russia came into force almost two weeks ago. But an actual peace deal and proper ceasefire remain elusive.

The biggest sticking point in the peace talks remains the fate of Assad, who Western and Gulf Arab governments say must go at the end of a transition period envisioned under a roadmap hammered out in Vienna last year by major powers.

Assads backers Russia and Iran say Syrians themselves must decide on his fate.

The next round of Syria peace talks is not expected to run beyond March 24. After that round ends, there is expected to be a break of a week or 10 days before they resume.
For the third week, Iraqis gather in Baghdads streets to protest corruption and call for an independent cabinet.

Tens of thousands of Iraqis have taken to the streets of Baghdad for the third week in a row to demand a political overhaul.

Gathering on Friday in the capital, protesters heeded a call to gather by powerful Shia cleric Muqtada al- Sadr, who is pressuring the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to push on with a plan to form a cabinet of independent ministers.

In a pre-recorded speech aired during the demonstration, al-Sadr said: I urge Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abbadi to press on with plans to form an independent cabinet of technocrats, to fight graft despite political pressure to desist.

I want the prime minister to continue his reform plan with no fear of political pressure.

READ MORE: Iraqi PM ready to resign as part of cabinet reshuffle

The cleric has given the prime minister 45 days to appoint a cabinet, which he hopes will tackle corruption. If al-Abadi fails, he says he will bring a vote of no confidence in parliament.

Those attending the demonstration held up banners calling for a clean sweep of the government, and chanted that they would defend Iraq with their blood and souls.

Al-Sadrs rally

Al Jazeeras Jane Arraf, reporting from Baghdad, said that while there were few banners with al-Sadrs photograph, it was clearly his rally.

There have been protests before. This one is an indication of ongoing rifts between some political parties backing the prime minister.

Our correspondent said that al-Sadr had urged the government in the past to give land previously granted to corrupt officials to those in need, and called for senior government officials to donate half of their salaries to the poor and those fighting against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group.

OPINION: The reinvention of Muqtada al-Sadr

She added that al-Sadr had warned the prime minister that if he fails to come up with a new government, he would send his followers to the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses government buildings and foreign embassies, including that of the United States.

Hes told that embassies and missions that they shouldnt be afraid of an attack, but it is still very clearly a threat, our correspondent said.

A day ahead of Fridays protests, al-Abadi delivered a televised speech to the Iraqi public where he said he had submitted reforms to to implement the promised ministerial reshuffle.

The leader first announced his plan to reshuffle the cabinet in February.

The current Iraqi political structure is a quota-based system in which each ethnic and religious group  such as Shia, Sunni, Christians Arabs, Kurds and others  is assigned its own specific representation in the parliament, government and military.
Pro-government forces reportedly open key roads that had been blocked by Houthi rebels for several months.

Pro-government forces in Yemen have made significant gains around the city of Taiz, which has been under siege from Houthi fighters for several months.

Governor Ali al-Maamari told the AFP news agency on Friday that government troops and their allies, backed by Arab coalition air strikes, took back areas in the western and southern suburbs of the city.

They reopened key roads that the Houthis had been blocking for nine months, said the governor, who lives in exile in Saudi Arabia.

He added that the advance should allow humanitarian and medical aid to reach about 200,000 besieged residents in Yemens third largest city.

Dozens of people were killed on Friday as the fighting intensified between pro-government forces and rebels, security sources said.

The death toll included at least 40 Houthi rebels, 14 loyalist fighters and six civilians.

Earlier, dozens of military vehicles carried rebel fighters out of the western suburb of Taiz towards the city of Hodeida on the Red Sea, witnesses told AFP.

Taiz is located between the rebel-held capital Sanaa and the southern port city of Aden, which loyalists took back from the Houthis in July.

In November, forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi announced a major offensive to try to break the citys siege.

Yemen has been torn apart by conflict for the last two years. More than 6,100 people have died  half of them civilians  since the Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes on Yemen in March 2015, according to the UN.
We speak to Lakhdar Brahimi, the former UN and Arab League Envoy to Syria; and ask if the ICC is biased against Africa.

With Syrian peace talks due to resume next week and a partial ceasefire in place, is there an end to the conflict in sight?

In this weeks UpFront, we ask Lakhdar Brahimi, the former United Nations and Arab League envoy to Syria.

In the Reality Check, we question the Israeli prime ministers assertion that unlike Palestinians, Israel does not praise terrorists. And in the Arena, we debate whether the International Criminal Court singles out African leaders with the courts first chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo and professor Mahmood Mamdani.

Lakhdar Brahimi: No good guys in Syrian tragedy

This month marks five years since protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began, evolving into a conflict that has led to more than 250,000 deaths.

Last month, the United States and Russia brokered a ceasefire, and, despite numerous violations, the partial truce has led to a 90 percent drop in the average number of civilian deaths each day. With peace talks due to resume next week, will the ceasefire hold?

In this weeks Headliner, we ask Lakhdar Brahimi, the former UN and Arab League envoy to Syria about the current state of Syria and whether the world has ignored the plight of the Syrian people.

Brahimi tells Mehdi Hasan, there were no good guys in the Syrian tragedy, placing blame on all parties involved.

He says the conflict could have been resolved in 2012 had there been a better understanding of the situation, adding that none of the countries involved in the conflict or negotiations had the interest of the Syrian people as their first priority.

Reality Check: Israeli double standards?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has often said, [Palestinians] consider murderers to be heroes, they name public squares after them, we dont.

A look at Israels history, however, proves that sometimes they do.

Arena: Is the ICC biased against African countries?

The International Criminal Court was set up to prosecute war criminals and human rights violators, who proponents argue would otherwise go free. In recent months, however, African countries have threatened to pull out, citing what they consider a bias against the continent.

Critics point to the fact that of the nine countries the ICC has opened inquiries into, eight are in Africa.

So, is the ICC obsessed with targeting only African countries? And, just how effective is the court? In the Arena, Luis Moreno Ocampo, the first chief prosecutor of the ICC, debates Mahmood Mamdani, a professor at Ugandas Makerere University and one of the strongest critics of the court.

Follow UpFront on Twitter @AJUpFront and Facebook
Ecuador Jazz 2016Quito, EcuadorFebruary 10-21, 2016When jazz cognoscente discuss their favorite festival destinations, it's understandable if Quito, Ecuador is seldom, if ever, mentioned. Geographically isolated in the mountainous reaches of South America's second smallest Spanish- speaking nation, this hilly, equator-hugging capital city of some two million souls is surrounded by volcanos that pierce the horizon at 19,000 feet above sea level. On its winding, pedestrian-packed avenues, native women in bowler hats and colorful scarves sell everything from soup to cigarettes. In Quito's many parks, an impromptu volleyball game or a minstrel with a song to sing will quickly draw a crowd of the curious. It is a city that proudly projects its Andean and Spanish colonial heritage at virtually every turn. But a mecca of jazz?The answer, somewhat surprisingly, is an emphatic "yes." For 12 years, Quito has hosted Ecuador Jazz, an ambitious and expansive festival that offers a line-up of domestic and international talent that's wildly eclectic as well as master classes, films with music-related themes, and a series of discussions and presentations by invited scholars and journalists. For 11 days and nights, there are few stylistic bases that aren't touched, explored and celebrated. The Sucre National Theater Foundation, the festival's organizer, sums up the artistic vision at play, stating that the event brings to Quito "an energetic and multicolored presentation of global jazz, contemporary jazz overflowing with ethnic and ancestral sounds, electronic jazz and jazz of all times." Thanks to the passionate and informed leadership of Chia Patino, the theater's director, and production manager Fabiola Pazmino, the annual festival has become one of the most distinctive events of its kind in the region.I had the opportunity to sample virtually all of the festival's presentations and found much to savor regardless of the venue or genre.Day one began with the screening of the film Finding Fela, a 2014 documentary by U.S. director Alex Gibney about the life and times of the Nigerian pop music superstar. Among other films presented at later dates was Let's Get Lost, director Bruce Weber's gritty 1988 black and white survey of trumpeter's artistic triumphs and troubled personal life.The second day's schedule began with an 11 a.m. master class on the modern, impressive campus of the Universidad de las Americas, a private university with a substantial music program designed to accommodate students on jazz, classical and popular music tracks. The NY Gypsy All-Stars, featuring keyboardistand four well-traveled musicians from the eastern Mediterranean region who specialize in Balkan-rooted styles, delighted the overflow audience of musicians and students. Lindner mentioned his fondness for analogue keyboard instruments, including the classic Fender Rhodes and various synthesizers, citing the warmth of their sound.Bassist Panagiotis Andreou, speaking commendable Spanish, handled the translation chores, explaining the use of microtonal scales and how clarinetist Ismail Lumanovski bends notes to match the tones of the kanun, a traditional folkloric string instrument of the region. The band demonstrated 11-8 and other uncommon time signatures. One on tune, the group segued from a Macedonian groove into an Afro-Cuban stance behind Lindner's montuno and bassist Andreau appropriating a fragment of the Celia Cruz salsa hit, "La Vida es un Carnaval." The session concluded with another statement about the natural ebb and flow of styles with kanun artist Tamer Pinarbasi plucking out a funky, blues-style vamp.That evening, the historic national opera house, Teatro Nacional Sucre, presented the first of six evenings of concerts at this gilded showcase. Inaugurated in 1886, this French-style neoclassical opera house is one of the oldest such theaters in Latin America. It proved to be an elegant and acoustically perfect venue for a dozen festival concerts.Yurgaki, a trio of bass, drums and keyboards featuring two Colombian musicians and one from Ecuador, complemented its basic line-up with a guest tenor saxophonist and lead guitarist. The group fused rock and jazz-fusion influences to regional folkloric styles, occasionally achieving an organic blend of disparate idioms.Moroccan vocalist and string player Hassan Hakmoun followed, stirring up a frenzy of North African-centric sounds leavened with myriad global influences. Three percussionists, keyboard, bass and trap drums rounded out the ensemble, which featured traditional string instruments and chanting. Trance-inducing, repetitive rhythms were layered over Hassan's animated vocals. The enthusiastically-received set concluded with a demonstration of the universality of indigenous rhythmic styles, smoothly transitioning from a North African vibe into a Brazilian samba, with percussionists rapping out a traditional batucada groove right from a Rio favela.The evening concerts on day three commenced with the opening act, Trivial, an Ecuadorian quartet featuring trap drums, keys, bass, guitar and vocals. With random hints of funk and jazz fusion, the group stayed close to its natural orientationa grinding variant of heavy metal with thrashing, chest-pounding rhythms. The group revealed a softer side on a slow-paced rock ballad sung in both English and Spanish. One arrangement featured a turntable guest artist who traded fours with Spanish keyboardist Marcos Merino.With less than two weeks in his new post, U.S. ambassador to Ecuador, Todd C. Chapman, accompanied by his wife Janetta and a small security detail, scored points with the cultural community by attending the Teatro Sucre concert featuring and the U.S.-based NY Gypsy All-Stars. The dexterity and golden sonic ambiance of kanun player Tamer Pinarbasi seduced the audience. The group demonstrated its stylistic versatility, ranging from driving, rock rhythm- buoyed arrangements to strongly Balkan-shaded performances. Clarinetist Ismail Lumanovski crafted gorgeous balladry while keyboardist Lindner provided spacey, synth-generated gurgles and pops and fat chords from his Fender Rhodes.The following day, a Saturday, brought the festival's evening twin bill concerts to the new, state-of-the-art Teatro Mexico, a sleek space located in the ferrocarril neighborhood, so named because of the nearby presence of the city's historic train station.The opening act set a high bar of excellence that, unfortunately, the following, headline group failed to match. Havana, Cuba native and multi-instrumentalist and singer Yusa a delivered a masterful performance that created a buzz among festival patrons that lasted for days. The charismatic musician and her Argentine bassist and drummer performed a stylistically diverse set that ranged from boleros, traditional Cuban music and an updated, crowd-pleasing cha-cha-cha to Brazilian bossa, MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira) flavored works and jazzy funk. Yusa's brief turn at the piano, accompanying her husky, sensuous vocals with ravishing pianistics, recalled the sound of Brazil's Tania Maria. The charming Cubana demonstrated equally impressive facility on electric and acoustic guitars, the small Cuban tres, and electric bass, which was played with the kind of ferocious attack that wouldn't have been out of place in a heavy metal setting. Totally captivated, the audience roared its approval., a U.S.-based sextet specializing in a rhythmically-aggressive and electronically- enhanced update of traditional North African genres, provided a stark contrast. Although led by bassist and sintir player, much of the focus was on Morocco native Brahim Fribgane, who proved to be an inventive soloist on the oud (a North African string instrument). Oddly, when he switched to various traditional hand drums and a cajon, he was sadly under-mic'd, resulting in a flurry of arm and hand movements but little sound. A turntable artist generated a ceaseless burst of delayed, robotic vocal clips and myriad spacey snaps, crackles and pops. Keyboardist Paul Schultheis also added to the aural hurricane, roaming between a grand piano, Hammond B3, Fender Rhodes, various synthesizers, and a melodica. The result, largely based on simple two bar repetitive phrases, added up to an endless, often chaotic and consciously psychedelic jam that provoked a constant stream of theater patrons scurrying to the exits. Many in the audience that remained seemed to drift away. The young couple in front of me retreated to their smart phone. I peeked; they were viewing video highlights of the NBA All-Star weekend in Toronto. The group seemed better suited to a chic dance club setting in some trendy, jet-set locale, where the nouveau riche could gyrate the night away while sipping premium vodka.The festival returned to Teatro Nacional Sucre the next evening for a warmly received set by a national group, the Donald Regnier Octuor. Guitarist Regnier, a native of France who has lived in Ecuador for years, assembled a group of uncommon instrumentation to sketch his compositions and arrangements. Three female vocalists, who mostly used vocalese and scatting techniques, fronted an ensemble that included marimba, trap drums, double bass, cello and the leader's classical guitar. Performing only three works, the ensemble projected a pleasing mix of virtuosity, sophistication and improvisational sensibilities. The overall vibe was reminiscent of the kind of elaborate, jazz-influenced popular music that began to emerge in Brazil in the late 1960s via such artists as, Wagner Tiso, and Arthur Verocai and vocal groups like Quarteto em Cy and Boca Livre. The overall impression was one of gently scripted, elegantly interpreted music unencumbered by fixed stylistic preconceptions.The night's headliner, Brazilian vocal stylistand her handpicked backing quartet, proved to be the perfect complement to Regnier's octet. Featured on her current album, Speaking in Tongues, the band includes such notables as guitaristand drummer. Souza spoke fluent Spanish, mixing some of her native Portuguese and flawless English into her commentary. A master of vocalese, she utilized a wide range of styles as the group performed a charming and rhythmically vivacious set that included a number of Brazilian standards. A surprising inclusion was "As Rosas Nao Falam," an exquisite ballad from the 1940s by composer Cartola noted for its heart-wrenching lyrics. In a more up-tempo mode, the group covered guitarist Toninho Horta's high-flying, samba-shaded masterpiece known in the U.S. as "Distant Horizon"a melodic and harmonic structure perfectly suited to showcase Souza's scatting talents. Swiss harmonica playeradded his spicy, buoyant improvisations throughout the set, underscoring the longstanding association of the instrument with Brazilian jazz and popular music.was recalled; Souza and the group put a new twist on the classic "Corcovado," deconstructing both the familiar form and rhythm and coming at the beloved and often- performed melody from a fresh, out-leaning perspective. The set was the definition of adventure-laden virtuosity.Four days later, the evening concert schedule resumed with the Zulu Kings Band. A solemn drum cadence announced the arrival of this Ecuador-based sextet on the Teatro Nacional Sucre stage for an evening that celebrated the roots of North American jazz traditions. A reverential reading the gospel "Just a Closer Walk with Thee," was led by group chieftain, trumpeter and vocalist Walt Szymanski. The band quickly shifted gears and moved from the New Orleans of yore to the style most associated with the cradle of jazz todaySecond Line funk. Billing itself as "Ecuador's only authentic Second Line Brass Band," a unique distinction if there ever were one, the unit quickly got the SRO audience's juices flowing, performing tunes by Trombone Shorty, the leader and others. Szymanski, in halting but highly intelligible Spanish, joked that his native city, Detroit , is far more dangerous than Quito, brushing off any suggestion that walking the streets of Ecuador's capital city exposes one to any serious level of risk.The band's rhythm section included a snare drummer, bass drum and tuba. In the front line, tenor saxophonist Mike Blanchard, another Detroiter, authored a searing attack salted with a hefty dose of vintage rock and roll-style, growling "Yakety Sax" blowing. The leader's trumpet provided a sharp contract; Szymanski is a skilled soloist who taps a deep resource of bebop vocabulary. Trombonist David Nenger, an elemental soloist, actually adhered to a more stylistically-grounded sound. The Kings provoked mass hysteria when Szymanski tossed dozens of strings of beads, a staple symbol of Mardi Gras, into the delirious crowd. For a warm-up performance, it was quite a show.Vocalist Catherine Russell and her trio were next up, and built on the audience enthusiasm the Zulu Kings had so effectively sparked. The charismatic singer is the daughter of Trad Jazz legend, the native of Panama who migrated to the U.S. in 1919 and went on to fruitful associations as a pianist and arranger with, King Oliver and other notables. After opening with a tasty reading of "Them There Eyes," an evergreen composed in 1930 and made famous by, Russell told the audience that she focuses on songs written from the 1920s to the '40s, with an occasional detour into the '50s for a classic R&B ballad. Performing several songs from her current album, Bring it Back, she coursed dramatically but warmly through a set that included works by Cole Porter ("I've Got You Under My Skin"), Hoagy Charmichel ("New Orleans"), Armstrong ("Lucille") and Sheldon Brooks ("Darktown Strutter's Ball"). Whether belting out a raucous '50s era bluesy R&B smoker or caressing the poetic lyrics of a standard from the Great American Songbook, Russell demonstrated total command of her stylistically vast repertoire.Russell's backing group was exceptional. Guitarist and music director Matt Munisteri provided expertly crafted, steely solos that amplified the essence of classic swing. Pianist Mark Shane proved to be the consummate accompanist, providing precisely-rendered, period-perfect solos which seldom exceeded eight bars. Bassist Tal Ronen likewise zeroed in on the relaxed groove so important for this genre. Russell's banter delighted the audience, which responded emotionally to the singer's dusky voice and emotional delivery. She was rewarded by one of the festival's few standing ovations. For this observer, experiencing her lush interpretation of Irving Berlin's "Cheek to Cheek" was an ultimate festival reward.Jam sessions were featured nightly at the nearby Teatro Variedades. At this session, virtually all of the young musicians who lined up for their turn on stage were saxophonists. The high quality of the local instrumentalists was affirmed when several charged adroitly through the changes of Charlie Parker's "Au Privave,"More mainstream jazz was on the menu the following evening when the Ecuador-based Paul Sanchez Quintet scored an impressive artistic triumph in its appearance before a full house. Their sizzling performance quickly dispelled any doubts about whether exceptional jazz musicians exist in this small South American nation. The trumpeter and composer and his musicians all boast impressive histories of formal educationBerklee College and other prestigious institutions in the U.S. and elsewhere and diverse playing experiences abroad. The group's short set, highlighted by a focus on hard bop stylings, was loaded with clever breaks and riffs. Along the way, Sanchez and his men detoured into warmly-voiced balladry and more rhythmically pungent material which tapped the influences of regional idioms.From top to bottom, the band is loaded with talent. Drummer Raul Molina was explosive when he needed to be, relaxed and subtle when a lighter hand was called for. Pianist Marcos Merino, a perceptive accompanist, impressed with his crisp articulations and powerful yet elegant soloing. Guitarist Ramiro Olaciregui and upright bassist Matias Alvear both radiated equal amounts of confidence and chops. The soft-spoken leader displayed his flawless technique on both trumpet and flugelhorn, recalling the svelte, buttery tone ofone moment, the fire and expressiveness ofandthe next. What a shame the group doesn't yet have a recording for its growing public.Brazilian vocalist and guitarist, no stranger to Ecuadorian audiences, was in the nightcap slot with her acoustic quartet. The diminutive singer rewarded the SRO audience with a broad cross section of Brazilian fare, extending from the expected Antonio Carlos Jobim tune ("Voce Vai Ver") and a cherished bossa nova classic ("O Pato," an early hit for Passos' major influence,) to more pop-oriented works by Djavan and Roberto Carlos. Particularly pleasing were two songs by the under-recognized 1950s era pianist and composer Johnny Alf"Eu e a Brisa" and "Ilusao a Toa." On the latter, clarinetist Ivan Medeiros Sacerdote delivered an enchantingly beautiful and technically daunting solo. Later, he told me that he wasn't happy with the sound he produced, explaining that his reeds suffered in their transition from the highly humid environment of his home in the port city of Salvador, Bahia to Quito's arid climate and high elevation of over 9,000 above sea level. No one except the artist, striving for absolute perfection, could have noticed.Passos has perfected Gilberto's trademark understatement and a whispery, sometimes barely audible vocal delivery. She literally caresses the lyrics and gently kisses them. Passos ventured out of that quiet zone for a more exuberant reading on two songs associated with the late Elis Regina, widely regarded as Brazil's best female vocalist ever. The set was constructed to focus on various rhythm section members and combinations. Passos paired herself in duo settings with both pianist Fabio Torres, leader of the well-known Sao Paulo-based Trio Corrente, and bassist Paulo Paulelli, another Corrente member, who layered a variety of vocal effects over his bass lines. The singer also played guitar and, much to the joy of the Spanish-speaking audience, interpreted the immortal bolero "Besame Mucho" in a highly personal, heartfelt vocal solo. Entranced concert-goers reveled in the moment, producing a rare moment when one could literally have heard a pin drop.The following evening, Ensamble Jazz Andino, a quartet, demonstrated the potential of fusing modern jazz precepts with indigenous styles of the region. The original compositions looped along in stately, relaxed tempos, suggesting the kind of folkloric group one might encounter in a distant mountain valley. The key ingredient proved to be woodwind player Tomas Corvalan, who alternated between alto sax and quena, the wood flute that's essential to recreating authentic Andean music. The wistful, whistling quality of the wind instrument projected an arresting mood.The festival's closing act in the historic Teatro Nacional Sucre featured soul singer Lee Fields and his seven-piece band, The Expressions. Channeling the gritty essence of James Brown and other soul and R&B legends of the 1960s and '70s, Fields quickly got the audience on its feet, waving and swaying throughout the fast-paced, tightly programmed and wildly successful set. After days of seeing scruffy young musicians on local stages adorned with jeans, plaid shirts and athletic shoes, Fields and company provided a reminder of what classy showmanship is all about. The musicians, all well-groomed, were outfitted in dark, well-tailored suits. They bobbed and weaved in well-choreographed steps. The trumpet and tenor front line, backed by a Hammond B3 organ, were particularly impressive, effortlessly nailing one punchy background phrase after another. Fields proved that classic soul, served up hot and sassy, can still be a force on today's pop music scene.The festival's closing day was a six hour-long feast of disparate styles performed on an open air stage in Quito's Plaza del Teatro. With free and unrestricted admission, the finale is the festival's gift to the city, and the public responded passionately, filling the historic square with hundreds of keyed-up music lovers. A view of the packed plaza from a balcony of the Cafe del Teatro revealed a sea of Panama hats and a hula hoop or two. Surprisingly, unlike other festivals in the region, what was missing was the sight of thirsty fans slurping down cups of beer; in Ecuador, the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages in public spaces on Sundays is prohibited.Ecuador Escuentro Jazz, a trio of local musicians fortified by two guests, a female vocalist and a saxophonist, provided another insight into the development of national jazz talent. Covering songs by, among other fusion-era composers, the group provided polished contemporary jazz stylings that got the growing crowd into the mood for what was to follow.Next up was Ecuador's Orquesta de Instrumentos Andinos, an esteemed ensemble that boasts a history of 25 years. It quickly affirmed its status as one of the festival's most distinctive acts. Conducted by resident Japanese violinist Tadashi Maeda, the orchestra's 50-plus musicians performed a North American jazz-focused repertoire on folkloric instruments common throughout the Andean region charangos (Andean guitars) and quenas and zamponas (Andean wind instruments).was celebrated as the group performed "Sophisticated Lady," "It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing," and "Satin Doll." Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World," performed with vocal accompaniment, was an audience favorite. Particularly impressive was the orchestra's arrangement of Joaquin Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez." The steely string work and restful panpipe sonorities transmitted a magical spirit.Malian keyboardist Cheik Tidiane Seck and his group ramped up the energy several notches with more vamp and percussion-driven Afro-fusion. Group frontman and vocalist Kabinet Kouyate exhorted the packed plaza crowd to chime in with phonetically-interpreted vocal lines.The festival's closing group, Paito y Los Gaiteros Punta Brava, a five-member folkloric ensemble from neighboring Colombia, put the accent back on hallowed, roots-based music documented on the group's current album Gaita Negra. Led by 76-year old gaita (a wind instrument, up to almost three feet long, made of cane) maestro Sixto "Paito" Silgado, the conjunto is dedicated to the preservation of an almost extinct genre of ceremonial, folkloric music that originated among Afro-Colombian enclaves along the country's Caribbean coast. Churning tambora (hand drum) rhythms and clusters of throaty gaita notes made for an intoxicating aural brew that moved the hip-swaying crowd, many wearing festive Colombian sombreros.A hallmark of the festival's formula for success is bring together stylistically-diverse musicians and encouraging cross-genre collaborations. That was colorfully demonstrated late one night at the portico of the Colon Hilton Hotel where several members of Los Gaiteros and Cheik Tidiane Seck's band shared information on intricate rhythms via smart phone video clips. At midnight, they would be off to a private recording studio to co-mingle their styles, improvising and freely exploring each-other's traditions while bridging rhythmic idioms separated by a vast ocean and centuries of locally-nurtured evolution. It was a perfect footnote to a unique festival that delivers the goods on many levels.Author's note: While at the festival, I was honored to be asked to present an overview of my research on the history of jazz in Latin AmericaCirculacion del jazz en Latinoamerica.
UFs McKnight Brain Institute will celebrate Brain Awareness Week starting Monday.

Two former presidents of the National Society for Neuroscience will speak at a chapter conference at the institute next week to celebrate brain awareness. This will be the first time two former presidents attend.

Former presidents Dr. Carol Barnes and Dr. Susan Amara will speak at the conference. Barnes will speak Monday and Amara will be the keynote speaker Tuesday.

Amara will lead a panel discussion Tuesday for students and staff at the institute.

We wanted strong women in science. We got not only one, but two, said Danielle Sambo, the Society for Neurosciences North Central Florida Chapter president. Females are often underrepresented in science sometimes, so I think this is very important and something that we are proud of this year.

The chapter will work with about 20 schools and about 2,000 students across the state during the week, Sambo said.

Caitlin Orsini, the conference chair for the chapter, said high-school and middle-school students will dissect preserved sheep brains. Elementary-school students will color pictures of the brain and learn about Parkinsons disease, strokes and other diseases.

I think that it is so cool to reach out to kids at a young age and show them that science can be cool, and it can be fun, and you can do this as a career, said Abbi Rosen Hernandez, the North Central Florida Chapter conference vice chair.
A former high-ranking member of the French judiciary spoke about balancing liberty and counterterrorism in France on Thursday.

Guy Canivet, who was a member of the French Constitutional Council, spoke at UFs Levin College of Law about the problems Frances courts face during a state of emergency. About 50 people attended the event.

A state of emergency can only be implemented when a state faces great danger, he said. The French government declared a state of emergency Nov. 14, the day after about 130 people were killed in the Paris attacks.

Canivet, who was the president of the French Court of Cassation, said the state of emergency declared in November is still in effect. It allows the French government to take extreme measures, such as the prohibition of public meetings and searches without warrants, to protect its citizens.

The question becomes where to draw the line between counterterrorism measures and human rights, Canivet said. We must find a balance.

Claire Germain, an associate dean for legal information at the College of Law, said she hopes Canivets lecture teaches students how world events affect the judicial system.

We are citizens of the world, so its important for us to understand other countries, Germain said.

She said the talk was important because of world affairs.

Terrorism is a global issue, Germain said. Everyone is affected by it, so its important to understand the issues behind it.

Kelly Scurry, a 24-year-old UF law student, said he enjoyed Canivets explanation of the French judiciary.

Its good to see (the French government) attempting to ensure that constitutional rights remain during its state of emergency, Scurry said.

Canivet said the courts decisions during the state of emergency are difficult to evaluate because the state of emergency is ongoing.

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The events of the future will tell us whether the measures we are taking are correct, Canivet said. But the primary task of the government is the protection of its people.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., donned a blue UF hat Thursday morning.

During his first trip to UF, the presidential candidate spoke to a crowd of about 4,000 at UFs University Village South Field, next to the Southwest Recreation Center.

Sanders, who spoke at 11 a.m., talked about the need to reform criminal justice, make public college free and ensure wage equality.

When the gates opened shortly after 8:15 a.m., several hundred people formed a line that stretched past the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art and Hilton UF Conference Center, winding down 34th Street.

Isaac Netzer, a 20-year-old political science junior and the president of Progressive Gators, arrived at 5:30 a.m.

Were prepared, he said. Were ready.

  

Jordan Gilbert started the line at midnight Thursday.

Gilbert picked up his boyfriend at Southwest Rec and decided to stay, the 23-year-old said. His only supply for the 11-hour wait was a towel.

The future UF political science student said he supports Sanders honesty and trustworthiness.

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What is there not to like about Bernie? he said.

Emily Lakeman, 18, left Tallahassee at 10 p.m. Wednesday to see Sanders. She called her friend Derek Dean, 23, and asked him to join her.

We decided we didnt want to sleep, Dean said. We just wanted to drive.

Dean had just finished a 13-hour shift at Dollar General before the drive, and the duo got in line at 1 a.m.

It was a totally random decision, Lakeman said. We ate in Tally and drove down.

  

Among the crowd, more than 100 volunteers helped run the event, Netzer said.

Garrett Quinlivan, 75, and his wife, Marilyn Eisenberg, 70, woke up to volunteer at 6:40 a.m.

Quinlivan, a former member of the Alachua County Green Party, said he started supporting Sanders in July, soon changing his political affiliation to vote for Sanders in the primary.

Hes not running for himself, he said. Hes running because he really wants to change things.

After the gates opened, fans who held Feel the Bern signs passed through security and entered the field.

The sound of drums and bass filled the air as the band Mama Trish vs. Godzilla played during the 3-hour wait.

  

Two UF students and a congresswoman took the stage around 10:45 a.m. to welcome Sanders.

Netzer and Molly Vise, a 21-year-old biology senior and a co-founder of Progressive Gators, encouraged students to vote now and again for Election Day in November.

If youre a student on this campus, it is up to us, Netzer said.

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (Democrat, Hawaii) introduced Sanders after Courtney Graham, Miss Ocalas Outstanding Teen, sang the national anthem.

Gabbard said Sanders has the necessary judgement to make good decisions as commander-in-chief.

He has the foresight to make those right decisions for our country, Gabbard said.

  

Sanders took the stage, and the crowd chanted Bernie, Bernie, Bernie.

After Sanders thanked students for coming, he placed a blue UF hat on his head.

He told the crowd democracy is not a spectator sport.

If we are going to change this nation, we have got to do it together, he said.

He told the audience that millions of Americans are working longer hours for lower wages, adding that America has worse income and wealth inequality than any other major country.

Unless we turn this economy around, your generation will likely have a lower standard of living than your parents, Sanders said.

Sanders said he wants todays youth to live the American dream.

I want your kids to do better than you, and I want you to do better than your parents, he said. I want to see the American dream move forward, not backward.

Part of the solution, he said, is to create a federal minimum wage of $15 per hour and achieve equal pay for both men and women.

He also promised to reform the criminal justice system and legalize marijuana.

We are going to invest in jobs and education, not jails and incarceration, Sanders said. I want our young people to be working or studying, not seeing their lives destroyed in jail.

He told the audience he will implement campaign finance reform. He said his campaign relies on individual contributions and not donations from corporations.

This is a campaign of the people, by the people and for the people, he said.

Toward the end of his speech, Sanders assured the crowd that everyone can help make positive change.

Real change never takes place from the top on down, Sanders said. Its always from the bottom on up.
For some, tonight is all about beer and Bernie.

Kent Willis, who works for Alachua County Wants Bernie Sanders, organized Bernies Bar Crawl, which takes place tonight at 8 p.m.

The organization is a grassroots campaign headquartered at 1406 NW 6th St. and referred to by volunteers as The Bern-Unit, Willis wrote in a Facebook message.

The crawl starts at Market Street Pub, followed by Tall Pauls Brew House and Whiskey House.

After presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders rally Thursday, Willis said interest in the bar crawl increased by about 20 percent.

If we get too many people at the event, well most likely be splitting into smaller groups, he said.

Members of the organization have discussed new destinations on the events Facebook page in hopes of not overwhelming the bars.

Willis said he will likely have Swamp Head Brewerys Wild Night beer tonight.

David Rinehart, who graduated from UF in May 2015, said it was amazing to find a candidate who shares 100 percent of his views.

Im extremely passionate about immigration, Rinehart said. I want to hear from other people and what theyre passionate about.

Rineharts favorite drink is First Magnitude Brewing Companys 72 Pale Ale.

Willis and Rinehart both said Bernie directly affects college students, especially with his promise to make college tuition free.

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After the crawl, Sanders supporters who are inclined to dancing may visit Simons or University Club, according to the events Facebook page.
Recent polls indicate the U.K. is leaning closer toward exiting the European Union, and June 23, Britons may decide to do just that via national referendum. The odds seem to be against this. Britons overall have a long history of being supportive toward remaining part of the Union, but with the most recent Telegraph poll, indicating about 49 percent of Britons favor leaving, the U.K.s status in Europe  and by extension, the world  appears tenuous.

This vote arrives in the midst of the worst migrant crisis since World War II, primarily due to Syrian and Afghan refugees entering Europe by the millions. It also follows a relatively slow economic recovery from the 2008 recession. British Prime Minister David Cameron, who proposed the referendum, has vowed to vote against exit from the EU, or Brexit, as it is called. A few prominent members of his Conservative Party, particularly London Mayor Boris Johnson, have conspicuously decided not to follow Camerons lead.

If proposing a referendum and immediately swearing to act against its aim appears contradictory on Camerons part, it is because Cameron is attempting to allow Britons to make sense of their greatest national contradiction: being part of Europe without being part of Europe. Cameron understands leaving would be a mistake, but members of his Conservative Party, who have played too far into their skepticism of the European project for unity  or Euroscepticism  publicly do not.

Proponents of Brexit claim EU regulations are hurting British businesses, trade agreements with the 28 member countries of the EU could be better negotiated individually and the judicial activism of European leaders has hindered British sovereignty. As Johnson has put it, voting yes means more money and more control for the British people. I do not wholeheartedly agree. As the New York Times editorial board argues, If E.U. regulations were as onerous as British critics say, those rules would hurt all 28 member countries. Yet the economies of other members like Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland have been more productive than Britain.

As for trade agreements, EU leaders have indicated they intend on making the renegotiation process as painful as possible for Britain, should Brexit succeed. And as political scientist Ian Bremmer pointed out, the mounting problems in Europe cannot be addressed without first addressing Britains status in Europe, a process that would take a couple years to resolve. This complication would affect 60 percent of Britains trade, which enters Europe, and would temporarily separate them from the tariff-free European market  not to mention being permanently severed from the worlds largest economy, with a GDP of $18.5 trillion.

However, a Brexit may not even hurt too many British businesses because many may opt to leave the U.K. for the EU and avoid the problems of exit. Though, I imagine they could no longer be called British businesses. Nevertheless, talk of the Brexit is hurting the British pound, the source of British pride  or perhaps smugness  during the depreciation of the Euro and the risk of a Greek exit.

A Brexit would succeed in ending the free movement of migrants from Europe into Britain. Polish and Czech immigrants entering the U.K. and claiming welfare benefits has long been a source of anxiety for the British people. I contend that if recent domestic proposals from Camerons government assuage these fears, no immediate solution exists for the problems of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, especially the influx of refugees.

Eurosceptics point out Britain was not involved in forming the EU, but they fail to mention Britains current absence of empire: Without the EU, Britain is a second-tier power. The proponents of Brexit, including a certain London mayor with eyes on the prime ministers seat, must recognize leaving the EU amounts to the U.K. exiting from its place on the world stage.

Neel Bapatla is a UF English sophomore. His column appears on Fridays.

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I love lotion. No, reallylike, I love love it. Every single night, I slather moisturizer all over my body and face like I'm a dehydrated sea sponge washed ashore, and during the day, I compulsively apply hand cream so often that my computer mouse is permanently slippery. So when two other Allure editors announced that they rarely, if ever, use moisturizer, my brain short-circuited. "Butbut your skin needs moisture!" I cried out, channeling my inner dermatologist and surgeon general. "Right?" I mean, what if I'm just addicted to lotion? What would really happen if I stopped moisturizing for a few daysa few weeksa year?! Think of the money I'd save on not buying my monthly Gold Bond supply! I quickly emailed my derm squad for backup.

"Your skin absolutely needs moisturizer," says Mona Gohara, a dermatologist at Yale University, who also told me that no, your skin can't get "addicted" to moisturizer (though my bank statement begs to differ). "Your skin is the biggest organ in your body," she says. "It's not bloody or guts-y, but it's still an organ, and organs need water." OK, sure, that makes sense. But what would really happen if I stopped slathering today, cold turkey? How long before I'd turn into the Crypt Keeper? Because I love my skin too much to test this experiment, I asked Gohara for the timeline of what would happen to your skin sans moisturizer.

__After a few days:__Nothing too drastic. "You'll notice your skin feeling dry, tight, and ashy, because you're rapidly losing water," says Gohara. "Moisturizer doesn't just add water back into your skin, it also traps in the water you already have to plump it up and protect it."

__After a month:__You'll see some damage. "Your skin barrier is officially compromised," she says. In layman's terms, that means your skin is so deprived of water that it's no longer doing its job as a protective shield from outside irritants. "You'll see inflammation on the skin, like redness and blotchiness when you apply makeup, or irritation from your clothes."

__After a year:__You're screwed. More or less. "Over the years, you're going to have decreased skin elasticity, increased fine lines and wrinkling, sagging, dullness, and severe irritation," says Gohara. And, nope, slathering on some lotion at that point won't fix it. "Most of those changes are irreversibleyou'll need fillers or injections to salvage the damage." Think of it like this: "You can salvage a grape when it's wrinkly, but when it's a raisin, you're screwed," she says.
           2005     ..        




AR's Editor Joe Shea Talks About Elections On Iranian TV Bear Stearns Saved By Fed As Lehman Bros. Falters; Major Bank

Failure Looms Over Wall Street, Sends Markets Into 200-Pt. Dive Lie Upon Lie Five Years Into the Iraq War

The Administration Still Churns Out Lies by Randolph Holhut A Small Tragedy Even at 90, As Friends Turn Cool

She Knows the Show Must Go On by Joyce Marcel I'll Take Me Imagine John Wayne or Arnold

In Heels, Silk and a Girdle by Elizabeth Andrews Sen. Nelson Calls For New Fla. Primary; Gov Crist Backs 'Do-Over' Who'll Win? Ask Spock Spock.com Engine Predicts Winners

By Site Searches; It Can be Wrong by Jay Bhatti Chatting Up The Cat God Gave Me Dominion Over Him

But I Think He's a Non-Believer by Constance Daley Death of a Thug The Life and Horrors of Suharto by Andreas Harsono ___________________________ This Just In Sierra Club: McCain Ducked All 15 Key Votes On Green Laws (AR) A Work By AR's T.S. Kerrigan Is Chosen As 'Best Poem' By Wordpress Site Murder At Mile 63

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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

COMFORTABLE WITH MYSELF by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I'm not sure but I think I may be socially incorrect. [MORE] On Native Ground

ENOUGH FOR A WAR, NOT FOR A PEOPLE by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Last week, the National Governors Assn. met in Washington, D.C. One of the tasks the NGA had on its agenda was to ask President Bush to increase federal spending on roads, bridges and other public works projects as a way to stimulate the economy. He rejected their pleas out of hand, claiming that infrastructure projects wouldn't offer any short-term economic boost. [MORE] Brasch Words

BEWARE THE SELF-REVERENTIAL PRESS by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Shortly before the primary votes this past week, Newsweek's Jonathan Alter called Sen. Barack Obama's surge to the Democratic nomination "inevitable." It also called for Hillary Clinton to "start her campaign for Senate majority leader." [MORE] Constance

A CONVERSATION WITH MY CAT Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Normally, when the cat starts his evening rant of meowing continuously until he makes his point, I just take it as long as I can, pick him up, and put him in the garage for the night. He doesn't want to go, but the meowing stops and I don't care if he likes it or not. [MORE] Momentum

OUT OF STRUGGLE, ART by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Here we are again at the crossroads of art and social change, having the opportunity to watch good and great films about the lives of women in support of the Women's Crisis Center. [MORE] Campaign 2008

HOW TO PREDICT SUPER TUESDAY II WINNERS? ONLINE SEARCH by Jay Bhatti NEW YORK, March 4, 2008, 7:00PM ET -- With the outcomes of the Texas, Vermont, Ohio and Rhode Island primaries to be decided tonight, how possible is it that online searching can predict who will win tonight's primaries? [MORE] One Woman's World

DON'T VOTE; IT ENCOURAGES THEM by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Call me angry and disgusted but don't call me un-American because I won't be voting come November. [MORE] On Native Ground

BUSH AND THE KEYBOARD COMMANDOS by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- As the days tick down toward the eventual departure of President George W. Bush from the White House, it's a hopeful sign that most Americans are no longer moved by his Administration's constant exploitation of terrorism for political gain. [MORE] Momentum

WHICH AMERICA DO YOU LIVE IN? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- It's a little confusing. [MORE] Make My Dat

THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] On Native Ground

FIDEL RETIRES: NOW THE COLD WAR IS REALLY OVER by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Maybe now, we can finally say the Cold War is over. [MORE] Make My Dat

THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] One Woman's World

POLITICS IS NO PARTY by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Are you having a hard time focusing your eyes? Do you have faint red spots all over your body? Is there a ringing in your ears and do you see wavy lines when you look at your television set? Do your hands shake when you try to hold a cup of coffee? And have you recently been forgetting what day of the week it is - or what year? [MORE] Make My Day

FOR BETTER OR WORSE ... A LOT WORSE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- "Marriage: It's Only Going to Get Worse." [MORE] Constance

YOU CALL THESE RIGHTS? by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- When you express an opinion you hope to persuade others to your point of view. It doesn't always happen but still, opinion writers try. [MORE] Momentum

THE BRIDGE WOMAN by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - Out there in America - yes, still - is a generation of women who were born in the 1940s, raised in the 1950s, and who came to radical consciousness in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I am one of them. Hillary Clinton is one of them. [MORE] On Native Ground

OBAMA AND MY GENERATION by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- I originally planned on voting for Dennis Kucinich in the Vermont Primary on March 4. [MORE] The Willies:

WARNING: THIS MEDICATION MAY MURDER YOUR FRIENDS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla. -- You've heard the warnings, haven't you? Stop Prozac and you may take a shotgun, an Uzi or an AK-47 and mow down your family and friends, or even a whole classroom full of your fellow students. You didn't? Well, that warning is not on the bottle, but like countless mass-murder incidents before it, Friday's shootings at Northern Illinois University, as well as the Virginia Tech shootings that killed 32 last year, was probably precipitated by the effect of stopping medications that suppress anger and other powerful emotions but do not relieve the underlying cause. Isn't it time we started warning people - or stopped prescribing these medicines? [MORE] One Woman's World

DON'T KNOCK ON MY DOOR by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I wish I could feel delight in my poet's mansion being like Grand Central Station all the time, but I can't. And I wish my place was such a place that someone would one day write: "Her door was always open and she always made you feel all fuzzy and warm in her presence. She could make a cup of coffee seem like a banquet." [MORE] Reporting: Panama

PANAMA'S VIOLENT LABOR UNREST INTENSIFIES Mark Scheinbaum PANAMA CITY, Panama, Feb, 15, 2008 -- After just one day of relative calm, wildcat construction strikes by some members of Panama's largest union flared up again Friday morning, four days after a police sniper shot one worker. More than 140 demonstrators have been injured and at least 500 arrested, authorities say. [MORE] Brasch Words

TO STIMULATE ECONOMY, BUY A CHINESE-MADE U.S. FLAG by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Walking down Main Street, pushing a grocery cart loaded with clothes, toys, and appliances was Marshbaum. Fastened to the right front corner of the cart was an American flag tied onto a three-foot ruler. [MORE] Make My Day

THE TOOTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TOOTH by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- To commemorate the death of noted shark exploder Roy Scheider, and the "Jaws" movies that resulted in Erik never setting foot in the ocean again, we are reprinting this column from 2003. Shark Experts 0, Sharks 1 [MORE] Momentum

THE WINTER OF MY DISCONTENT by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - As I write this, it's raining ice. Maybe a half a foot of snow and ice has already landed up here in the woods of Dummerston. Our cars are encased in it, and the door to the house is blocked. The satellite dish that brings in our Internet service quit about 20 minutes ago - frozen solid. [MORE] The Willies

AMERICA TO HILLARY: GET OUT! by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 13, 2008 -- Sen. Hillary Clinton has adopted the Rudy Giuliani strategy, and it's working - for Sen. Barack Obama. It turns out to be the strategy all Democrats are seeking - an exit strategy. But it's not for Iraq. It's for her exit from the race for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. [MORE] Constance

CONFESSIONS OF A DISAPPOINTED VOTER by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- A week ago at just about this time, I completed an article and was about to submit it as scheduled to The American Reporter. I was feeling rather elated, ready to show up on Super Tuesday morning, firmly touch the X next to Rudy Giuliani's name and get on with my day. He was my choice; he would get my vote. [MORE] Reporting: Florida

SIERRA CLUB SET TO SUSPEND FLA. CHAPTER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 10, 2008 -- The national Sierra Club is set to suspend its Florida chapter after years of divisive infighting, the president of the national club told Florida members in a letter delivered to some this weekend. It is the first time in its 116-year history that such a step has been considered by the club, according to news reports. [MORE] One Woman's World

PLANT A NEW WORLD THIS SPRING by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- For a little while, the men will just have to toss and turn in their fear-free-women beds. For a small space of time Hillary Clinton will just have to trudge on toward the White House without my faint applause in the background. [MORE] On Native Ground

VERMONT AND THE 5 STAGES OF CONSERVATIVE GRIEF by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- First, Vermont tried to convince the nation to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney. [MORE] Make My Day

REBEL WITHOUT A TONGUE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Kids' brains work in amazing ways. At times, they can grasp complex concepts and make impressive discoveries. Other times, you have to wonder how we ever survived as a species. [MORE] The Willies

FOR DEMOCRATS, NOW IT'S ABOUT RACE, INCOME AND GENDER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Feb. 6, 2008 -- It's not a good time to be a Democrat. As the Super Tuesday results demonstrated, the presidential race between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has divided the partly along clear racial, income and gender lines - the very distinctions the party has sought to erase in principle but has emphasized in its pursuit of diversity. [MORE] Momentum

SUPER TUESDAY BLUES by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Super Tuesday has come and gone and I still can't get excited about the upcoming presidential elections. [MORE] The Willies

ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY, YOUR PUSH IS NEEDED by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 5. 2008 -- I'm expecting a sea change tonight. I believe that for the first time in this nation's history we will once and forever banish racism as the deciding factor in the destiny of African-Americans, and indeed adopt diversity as our path to the future. [MORE] Campaign 2008

AT 88, EVERY VOTE REALLY COUNTS by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 5, 2008 -- Pearl Turner will caucus for Mitt Romney tonight in Denver. [MORE] One Woman's World

STAND BY YOUR WOMAN by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- The black vote. The gay vote. The fundamentalist vote. The Hispanic vote. [MORE] An AR Special

SUSPECTS IN BENAZIR ASSASSINATION HAVE TIES TO MUSHARRAF by Ahmar Mustikhan WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When Gordon Brown this past Monday feted coup-leader-turned-President Pervez Musharraf at 10 Downing Street, Britain's new prime minister probably didn't ask the Pakistani dictator a question that is now on many minds: Did you order the murder of Benazir Bhutto? [MORE] Momentum

TO THE VERMONT DELEGATION: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR US LATELY? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt.  Back when President George W. Bush and Dick Vice President Dick Cheney were building up to their loathsome war in Iraq, very few people were brave enough to call the bullies' bluff. [MORE] On Native Ground

IF BUSH HAS HIS WAY, WE'LL NEVER LEAVE IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. - In his final State of the Union address on Jan. 28, President Bush cautioned against accelerating U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, saying that it would endanger the process that has been made over the past year. [MORE] Campaign 2008

CLASH OF COMMENTS AND PROTESTORS AT CLINTON, OBAMA RALLIES IN DENVER by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 1, 2008 -- At least four presidential campaigns of both partiers rolled into in Denver this week ahead of the Feb. 5 "Super Tuesday" primaries in 22 states, but it was the Democratic presidential contenders who drew the big crowds and duked it out Wednesday. If sheer numbers are any indication, Sen. Barack Obama - preceded by a buoyant and beautiful Caroline Kennedy - won the round handily. He is the overwhelming favorite to win the Colorado primary next Tuesday. [MORE] The Willies

WHY THE FLORIDA PRIMARY STINKS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Jan. 30, 2008 -- I was with my wife and daughter driving the back way from Miami home to Bradenton when we stopped at a McDonald's in Clewiston, the only big town along the vast shore of Lake Okeechobee, the state's precious freshwater reservoir. The McDonald's had three televisions at a central seating area, each tuned to a different network, and our table was in front of CNN as the very first election results started to pour in around 7:30PM. With them, almost as counterpoint, suddenly came such an overwhelming odor of cow plop that my wife started to throw up as we all ran to the parking lot. [MORE] Passings: Suharto

DEATH OF A KEMUSU THUG by Andreas Harsono JAKARTA - A few minutes after hearing that former president Suharto had died in his hospital bed, Marco, a militia leader in downtown Jakarta, raced to Suhartos house, wearing his jungle camouflage and began guarding the Suhartos residence on Cendana Street. [MORE] Constance

I REMEMBER YOU by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga.. -- It seems to be more often lately that the sentiment is spoken but it's always been out there: "You never get over the death of your child." This is true. But the heartfelt expressions come from some who cannot fathom the notion of losing a child; their own child is who is in their mind, not another mother's child. [MORE]
As small businesses increasingly turn to alternative online lenders that offer quicker decisions, faster funding and easier processes, traditional banks can no longer compete on personal touch alone.

That's why Berkshire Hills Bancorp in Pittsfield, Mass., made a strategic investment in technology as part of a revamping of its small-business lending operation three years ago. That investment has helped the $7.8 billion-asset bank achieve exponential growth in the small-business loan portfolio.

"We don't currently view [alternative lenders] as a threat, but you'd be foolish to ignore the future," said Peter Rice, Berkshire's senior vice president of small-business operations. "An investment in this technology is a bulwark to keep us viable and valuable."

According to research from Aite Group, small-business-focused nonbank lenders have doubled their outstanding portfolio balances every year since the mid-2000s. Further, 26% of businesses surveyed by Aite for a report released this month stated they "probably or definitely" would consider using an alternative lender the next time they need credit.

The U.S. Treasury estimates that online alternative lenders originated $5 billion in small-business loans in 2014. While this represents only a small percentage of total small-business loans outstanding, banks cannot take these lenders lightly, said Christine Barry, a senior analyst with Aite.

"Despite the low penetration to date, the threat of alternative lenders should not be ignored, especially given the high percentage of businesses likely to use one in the future," Barry said.

As Berkshire sought to expand its overall business, it knew it had to connect with small businesses to get a foothold in communities it entered, Rice said.

"Small businesses are vital to communities," he said. "When you enter new markets [as a bank] you have to think about, what is your angle? What kind of customers would you appeal to? For us, forming relationships with small businesses keeps on knocking down the door for us. They tend to be active in their communities and quite proud of who they bank with."

Berkshire used technology from Baker Hill, a Carmel, Ind., vendor that it previously had a relationship with, to streamline the entire commercial loan origination process in one, integrated solution that supports prospect, deal structure and credit analysis. The technology quickened the credit approval process while workflow automation improved back-office efficiencies. Further, a continuous, automated monitoring of the credit portfolio helps the bank mitigate risk, identify cross-sell opportunities, and manage the renewal and extension process.

The result is that Berkshire's quarterly loan application volume has grown by 775% since 2013. Customers have a better experience, too, with a quicker decision-making process, Rice said, as the average underwrite time has dropped from 2,500 minutes in 2013 to about 125 minutes today. Rice said Berkshire Bank is now the No. 1 SBA lender in Vermont, western Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Banks can look at alternative lenders in one of two ways, Barry said: strictly as competitors trying to take market share from them, or as partners that can help their lending business grow.

The latter approach could prove the most effective in the long run, said Fiona Grandi, national industry leader for fintech at KPMG.

"These are platforms that are disruptive, for sure, but financial institutions might look at them as additional sales channels, and come in as a partner or investor," she said. "In the mobile era, banks need to rethink how they deliver the lending experience to customers."

One alternative lender taking this cooperative approach is Credibly. Glenn Goldman, the New York company's chief executive, said it works with traditional lenders works and offers its analytics expertise to bank partners.

"Our business model is geared toward partnering with banks," he said. "Our value proposition for bank partners and traditional lenders is willingness to share our data and insights."

But Rice said technology investment isn't the only explanation for Berkshire Hills' success in small-business lending. Its role as a community bank also helps, he said.

"We live in a world where technology is more and more prevalent, but you don't want to lose the magic of the personal relationship," Rice said. "We very much focus on developing the personal relationships."


Add Amazon Echo to the array of devices consumers can use to bank.

Capital One made a big splash Friday by announcing its customers can use their voice to pay their bills, among other tasks, on Amazon's smart speaker system. FIS, one of the biggest bank tech companies, Citigroup and Wells Fargo also said they are testing uses for Amazon Echo.

The focus on the smart-home device marks the latest frontier in the ways in which banks and their vendors are testing features on cars, fridges, watches and other internet of things.

Whether Echo becomes a banking staple is still unclear, but analysts said banks' interest in the technology underscores the promise of voice-command banking on newer devices and the importance of testing out potential customer engagement opportunities.

"It's a bold move," said Stessa Cohen, research director at Gartner, who views the partnership between Capital One and Amazon as an example of outside-the-box thinking.

FIS, one of the biggest fintech companies, is also bullish on Amazon Echo and has built out a working prototype for the device from its San Francisco innovation garage.

Doug Brown, senior vice president and general manager of mobile for FIS, says he believes Amazon's Echo is viable for banking applications so long as proper cautions are put in place for a device likely located in shared environments.

"There are considerable risks," Brown said.

Brown sees Echo's initial use cases for lower-risk tasks like checking balances, pre-staging cash withdrawals at ATMs and paying bills as the starting point. Wire transfers? Not so much.

Still, Brown is optimistic about the promise of the tech for banking and its ability to capture something digital bank apps haven't been able to provide: customer intent.

Sometime this quarter, FIS plans to roll out an Amazon Echo pilot with a bank partner as the next step to help settle the question of whether it commercializes the capability. Pilots, as Brown put it, are the "No. 1 sanity check."

Wells Fargo said it is testing the Amazon Echo in its Digital Innovation Lab. A spokesman said the bank has been looking at how customers could use a "smartwatch, transfer money in a connected car or consult with a mortgage adviser over a smart TV."

"One of the newest devices with which we're testing and learning is Amazon Echo, and we look forward to discovering how devices like these might make banking simpler and more convenient for Wells Fargo customers," he said.

A Citigroup spokesman said the bank is "testing a number of innovations that work with Echo." He would not provide more details.

While Wells Fargo, FIS and Citi are still testing the technology internally, Capital One customers can already ask Alexa, Amazon's voice-command virtual assistant, questions like "Alexa, ask Capital One for my Quicksilver Card balance" and "Alexa, ask Capital One to pay my credit card bill."

The partnership between Capital One and Amazon tests a possible future for digital banking  hands-free, voice command banking  and also gives the brand innovation cred just in time for the biggest and trendiest tech events of the year: South by Southwest. Capital One is among the banks with representatives attending the event.

Cohen said it illustrates an openness to form a partnership on a nontraditional device and a willingness to try a customer interaction model that's been catching on with banks across the country: voice.

Siri-like banking, after all, is seen as a likely direction digital banking will ultimately head. USAA, Ally Bank and BBVA Compass are among the forward-thinking banks that already let customers use their voice to accomplish banking tasks from within their apps.

Richard Crone, founder of Crone Consulting, said the voice interaction model as increasingly important. "Banks have thought of it as a security feature," he said. "It's really part of simplifying the user interface."

The Capital One voice banking capability feature lets customers take care of money-related tasks without tapping on their smartphones and it works on all Alexa-enabled devices such as Amazon Echo, Amazon Tap, Echo Dot and Fire TV.

Capital One customers, meanwhile, can already connect their banking app to the device so they can check their credit card balances, review recent transactions, make payments and access checking and savings account information.

Capital One has also worked with Amazon on its newer mobile banking apps.

Still, just because a feature is there does not mean the masses will use it.

"Millions of people are probably not going to flow to Cap One next week so they can ask Alexa to pay their credit card bill, but I think it's an important first step of bridging fintech and IoT," said JP Nicols,director of Next Bank Americas and co-founder of the Bank Innovators Council.


State Street in Boston is on the hunt for a new chief financial officer.

Michael Bell, 52, has decided to step down within the next year the custody bank said Thursday. State Street will "conduct a comprehensive search for his successor," the company said in a news release. Bell will remain in the role until his replacement is hired.

State Street did not provide a reason for Bell's decision to resign.

In its 2015 proxy statement, in describing Bell's compensation, State Street said he "developed a strategy to address emerging capital requirements" during his first full year with the bank, and "oversaw issuances of preferred stock, implementing one of the initial phases of that strategy."

Bell became CFO in June 2013, when he joined State Street. He previously was CFO at Canada's Manulife Financial and at Cigna.


Starting soon after President Barack Obama's first general election victory in 2008, the American conservative media establishment, some think tanks and various organizations, and a number of GOP politicians began in earnest to construct an elegant narrative.

The story was that the nation was in great peril, and the solution was to buy into what the Founders had intended. It was time to get back to constitutional conservatism, elect principled conservatives, and live the grand movie exemplifying these beliefs.

It all failed, because it was a superficial sales job that the vast majority of voters saw through -- once they pulled back the curtain and glimpsed who was controlling the machine, much as in The Wizard of Oz.

The theory seemed, on its face, correct. But the problem was that the theory didn't work. In fact, it couldn't work because it was painted over a rotten foundation. Lipstick on a pig is still a pig.

Dream all you want about the Founders, and a beautiful dream it is whose time will hopefully come again.

Now try and fit that dream into a conservative establishment policy framework that includes globalization and unbalanced trade, mass immigration (most of it illegal), capitulation to -- and tolerance of, nay, perhaps even encouragement of in certain quarters -- the increasing Islamification of the homeland, the hyperpolarized involvement in geopolitics (especially in the Middle East with the Israel question), and the general corporatization of America. That dog won't hunt.

Something had to give, and increasingly over the past several years it was becoming obvious to many what would work instead: a return to a more nationalistic view of governance. Take care of our own first, and only.

Had the elegant narrative been working, Donald Trump would not be far out in front at this point in the Republican primary process. Actually, he wouldn't even be in the race.

Trump isn't winning because he is simply taking in disaffected Democrats, he is winning across the center-right spectrum -- including disaffected Democrats. Florida is a case study in this.

A News 13/SurveyUSA poll conducted on March 4-6 shows Trump leading decisively for both men and women, in all age groups from first-time voters to senior citizens, among strong Republicans, regular Republicans, and independent-leaning Republicans, within those who support the Tea Party and those who oppose it, among voters who have a very conservative, conservative, or moderate political ideology, and within all income groups and levels of education.

This isn't an isolated insurgency from a few sectors of the center-right collective, it is a spectrum-wide revolution that hasn't been seen since Ronald Reagan.

Back in 2008, Stanley Greenberg wrote an article for the New York Times waving goodbye to the Reagan Democrats:

I'm finished with the Reagan Democrats of Macomb County in suburban Detroit after making a career of spotlighting their middle-class anger and frustrations about race and Democratic politicians... Given Macombs history, this story helps illustrate America's evolving relationship with race. These voters, like voters elsewhere, watched Mr. Obama intently and became confident he would work for all Americans and be the steady leader the times required. But focusing on the ways that Macomb County has become normal and uninteresting misses the extraordinary changes taking place next door in Oakland County... These changes have produced a more tolerant and culturally liberal population, uncomfortable with today's Republican Party... So, good riddance, my Macomb barometer. Four years from now, I trust we will see the candidates rush from their conventions to Oakland County, to see the new America.

The 2008 and 2012 elections said nothing about America, because they were doomed to fail on the GOP side. Rightly or wrongly, the nation would never have elected a presidential ticket that includes Sarah Palin, never mind John McCain. Nor would it elect Mitt Romney and an untested congressman in 2012, even against one of the weakest Democratic tickets in memory.

Their supporters may be angered by the bluntness of the remarks, but it is a fact, and for too long has the center-right been living in a fantasyland. If you want to win elections, join the real world. Otherwise, dream -- and lose.

So Greenberg's analysis was wrong, based as it was on faulty data that could not give insights into the character of the country and whether it had really changed, or had just decided on the lesser of two evils in two consecutive elections.

Furthermore, derogatory statements by Greenberg about white working-class areas becom[ing] normal explain, almost on their own, the Trump effect. A large majority of the United States is normal and has always been normal, and they are very angry at nearly 30 years of being increasingly told they are not normal, and that the new normal is some rabidly dysfunctional worldview that is clearly not delivering on its promises. Ironically, Greenberg worked for Bill Clinton -- who was part of the most abnormal First Family in modern American history.

Did the corporatist establishment really think that average middle-aged and older Americans wouldn't remember that when they were young, they could move out of their parents' homes soon after high-school or college, get a stable well-paying job, get married, settle down, buy a home at a reasonable price with an affordable mortgage, and have kids cared for by a stay-at-home parent without going bankrupt? Now these folks are watching their kids live at home until middle-age, all the while working at unstable, low-paying jobs with no real career prospects within a social milieu that tries to portray a traditional nuclear family as somehow wrong.

Maybe some corporatists on the right desire an economy with a 100% labor force participation rate and low wages, but normal people do not. They want to see individual incomes high enough that one spouse can stay home permanently -- if he/she so wishes -- and still have a prosperous life.

The Silent Majority is rising once again. Will it rise enough, and with sufficiently cohesive political support to catapult a candidate into office? Maybe. The trajectory is promising, but the polls show that -- at present -- Trump may be in a tough position against Hillary Clinton for the general election. However, it is still too early to read the tea leaves for the head-to-head matchup. At this point in the 1980 race, Reagan was getting whipped in the polls at a 2:1 margin by Jimmy Carter. That all changed by election day.

Along came George Will in late 2012, claiming that [w]hite voters without college education -- economically anxious and culturally conservative -- were called 'Reagan Democrats' when they were considered only seasonal Republicans because of Ronald Reagan. Today they are called the Republican base.

Incorrect. The Republican base in 2012 was far from Reagan Democrats. It was Evangelicals and those buying into the elegant constitutional/principled conservative narrative promoted by the various wings of the GOP establishment. These individuals were never Democrats. The Reagan Democrats were economically anxious and culturally conservative, but they were often committed union members and not ideologically opposed to government programs that would help out their family finances.

The Reagan Democrats were, and still are, practical -- not ideological, and Trump's path to a landslide general election victory resides with them. They love his practicality, hard work, straight talk, and can-do attitude. As shown by interviews on NPR earlier this week, while the Teamsters may be reluctant to publicly admit it, in private they are looking to vote for Trump in large numbers. During the 1980 and 1984 elections, Reagan effectively split the union vote with his Democratic opponent. Since Reagan, the union vote has gone overwhelmingly to the Democratic ticket, typically 60:40 or more.

If the GOP wants to continue its war on unions, and by definition, union members, that's fine. But then it certainly won't win this election. Perhaps it is time for many principled, constitutional, Reagan Conservatives to review their role model's actual views on unions.

Trump's unwillingness to engage in race-based pandering has also galvanized massive support.

If you want to see how race-based pandering is an electoral loser, look no further than across the political divide to Bernie Sanders' campaign. Sanders has made a career out of fighting for black causes and peddling the racist line at so much of American society, and yet the blacks have deserted him and are voting for Clinton in massive numbers. This strategy likely cost Sanders the nomination. White Democrats watched his race-baiting and concluded that while they might agree with him on economic issues, on social issues he was working against them. Suggesting your base is racist is not a great way to win votes.

Republican Hispanics were supposed to hate Trump. Yet he won their vote in Nevada. If the key to the GOP nomination is through visible minorities, why are Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio not winning, and why did Jeb Bush do so poorly? Pandering doesn't work on either side of the divide, as the Sanders campaign is proving.

The GOP establishment -- which includes many that try to sell themselves as anti-establishment -- is reaping the rewards from the same mistakes that Stephen Harper and his Conservative Party made in Canada. Promoting the rapid growth of a low-wage immigrant workforce while advocating against the welfare state, all under the rubric of false principled conservatism sold by hypocritical candidates, will ensure a massive electoral defeat.
A frequent accusation that has been leveled at Republican politicians is that they did nothing to fight the Obama agenda, even though they had a majority in both houses of Congress. Supposedly the rank and file now see them as useless or unprincipled, and so are going with Donald Trump, or possibly Ted Cruz.

One reason for inaction is that when the Republicans did take a stand, in 2013, under the initiative of Ted Cruz and others, the public blamed them for the results. A confrontation with Obama led to a partial shutdown of the government. Polls showed Republicans were blamed by 53% of the public. This echoed the experience of 1995, when led by Newt Gingrich the Republicans shut down President Clinton's government to halt excessive spending. Gingrich felt the brunt of the blame then also.

The resulting cautious thinking was demonstrated by Republican Lindsey Graham who said in 2015: "...You want to lose in 2016? Let it be seen that the Republicans in the House and Senate can't govern, then that's the end of our 2016 hopes."

In his book A Time for Truth, Ted Cruz describes the events in 2013 that led to the shutdown. He says that he and Senator Mike Lee had asked their Republican colleagues "What are you going to do to stop Obamacare from kicking in?" and the answer was always nothing, since a fight was risky, and could imperil re-election. Cruz 's idea was that Congress should fund everything except for ObamaCare. This is within the power of Congress, and is known as "the power of the purse." The big obstacle was Obama's veto power, but Cruz hoped that if he got enough Republicans, plus Democrats from "red" (conservative) states, he might put enough pressure on Obama to reach some sort of compromise. Ted's colleagues responded "Absolutely not!" and advised "Wait until the debt ceiling", which did come along, but they did nothing then either.

Cruz and Lee traveled the country to get support, and more than two million Americans signed a petition to stop ObamaCare, and also phoned Capitol Hill. The Senate Republican leadership directed their fire -- not at ObamaCare, but at Cruz. Twenty senators went on every TV channel, and "carpet-bombed" the House Republicans for the initiative.

Cruz emphasized that he did not shut down the government. Obama did. "After every vote to fund the government, Harry Reid and the Senate Democrats said: We don't like your legislation; therefore we're going to shut down the government. "Thus, every time the House voted to fund the government, Senate Democrats voted it down on a party-line vote, and the media dutifully repeated that it was Republicans who had shut down the government."

When the shutdown was over, high-ranking Republican party members were angry that colleagues forcing a shutdown had backed them into a corner and left them shouldering much of the blame for an initiative that they claimed had no chance of succeeding.

In practice, this meant that after 2013 they gave up the "power of the purse" which meant that Democratic initiatives were often impossible to oppose.

This does seem to show that there is a valid complaint against part of "the establishment". The establishment is risk-averse. Another example of this was when John McCain ran for president, with Sarah Palin his candidate for vice president. She said this:

I was banned from talking about Jeremiah Wright and Obama's friend, Bill Ayers, the character that he befriended and kicked off his political campaign in the guy's living room," Palin said. "Couldn't talk about that."

Palin pointed a finger at who she thought was to blame.

I was not allowed to talk about things like that because those elitists, those who are the brainiacs in the GOP machine running John McCain's campaign at the time, said that the media would eat us alive if we brought up these things.

Bill Ayers, in his radical youth, bombed the Pentagon, and Jeremiah Wright (Obama's pastor) said that the disaster of 9/11 was "America's chickens, coming home to roost."

In retrospect, taking a risk would have made sense, since despite all the Republican caution, Obama won.

We can see that Republicans did make some effort to rein in the Democrats, by looking at bills they submitted that Obama vetoed or threated to veto.

Obama vetoed a bill to allow the Keystone pipeline to be built. This pipeline would have carried oil from Canada to the refineries in the south. He also vetoed a bill to defund Planned Parenthood and Obamacare. He vetoed two resolutions that attempted to stop the EPA's "Carbon Pollution" regulations. He vetoed other legislation as well.

He threatened to veto a bill to apply sanctions to Iran, as well as The Regulatory Accountability Act of 2015 (HR 185) and the Promoting Job Creation and Reducing Small Business Burdens Act (HR 37). HR 37 would have repealed "Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform Act", a counterproductive bill that was partly written by Barney Frank, who himself refused to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which led to the housing implosion that the bill was supposedly going to solve.

So while there were efforts to stop Obama, they didn't get far. And unfortunately, much of the damage done by the Obama administration is done by executive agencies such as the EPA, or the IRS, or the FCC, damage which the Congress cannot reverse.

There is another accusation, which is that the Republicans, on some issues, did not even disagree with the Democrat's agenda.

For instance, Michelle Malkin gave a fiery speech at CPAC, where she said:

I am telling you the truth, I am asking you to do your homework, Im asking you to follow the money. I know its what you dont want to hear, but do you want to hear the same Republicans promise you, as they had been since 1981, that theyre going to abolish the Federal Department of Education? Its an empty talking point, and those empty talking points need to be punctured like helium balloons.

In an article on the disconnect between the Republican establishment and the public by Victor Davis Hanson, he gives an example:

The children of Republican elites do not sit in classes where a quarter of the students do not speak English...Their children are not on buses where an altercation between squabbling eight year olds leads to a tattooed parent arriving at your home to challenge you to a fight over disrespecting his family name. The establishment Republicans have rarely jogged around their neighborhoods only to be attacked by pit bulls, whose owners have little desire to speak English, much less to cage, vaccinate, or license their dogs.

So to sum up, if you are a Republican politician who feels ambushed by the successes of Donald Trump, you should realize that if people feel you are either unable or unwilling to stand up to the leftist agenda, or if you don't understand their problems, they may see you as a liar, or a pushover, and look for alternatives.
Mike Arnold, the outspoken attorney defending the key figure in the Oregon Malheur Refuge occupation story, Ammon Bundy, is facing an ongoing barrage of complaints from the prosecutor in the case about his outspokenness.

Following his arrest, Ammon Bundy retained Mike Arnold and Lissa Casey, of the Arnold Law Firm in Eugene, Oregon. Mike Arnold did not hesitate to take Ammon Bundys case to the people of America, and on January 29 held a press conference outside the Federal Courthouse in Eugene. In vociferously defending Ammon Bundys legal case, Mike Arnold made himself a target for the prosecutor in the case, Clatsop County District Attorney, Joshua Marquis.

On February 18, Marquis filed a complaint with the Oregon State Bar (OSB) questioning the ethics of Arnolds aggressive defense of Ammon Bundy in interviews, press releases and on social media. Marquis cited several videos, saying:

Mr. Arnold and members of his firm have been an almost constant feature on local TV and internet venues since the arrest of his apparent clients on federal charges.

After detailing American Bar Association (ABA) Rule 3.6, Marquis closed his complaint:

Mr. Arnolds conduct and that of the members of his firm causes great concern for those of us who strongly believe in the appropriate discussion of cases pending in the tribunals of federal or state courts.

On February 24, Marquis filed an exhibit with Troy Wood, the General Counsel for the OSB Client Assistant Office (CAO), supporting his concerns about Mike Arnolds interactions with media. In the email, Marquis complained about a generally favorable article in the Eugene Register Guard detailing Arnolds successful efforts to shine a positive light on another of his clients.

Arnold, in response, on February 26, posted a link to an Oregonian article on the Arnold Law Firm Facebook page detailing Marquis complaints to the OSB, with this introduction:

When the government is complaining about you complaining about the government, you're doing free speech right As with the past frivolous complaints, this complaint will not deter our resolve to seek justice for Ammon. We will continue to fight for him.

On February 28, Joshua Marquis explained to the OSB that his complaints were not made in his official capacity as Clatsop County DA.

Mike Arnold, however, decided to match Marquis complaints to the OSB with some legal muscle of his own. On March 1, Arnolds attorney, Peter Jarvis of Holland & Knight, emailed Troy Wood a lengthy rebuke to Josh Marquis pretrial publicity complaints. Peter Jarvis closed with the following:

Even with regard to intent, however, Mr. Marquis paints an extremely misleading picture. There is a court of public opinion in which most people who are in the media spotlight will spend their days once media attention has moved on The existing, continuing and far from favorable publicity about Mr. Bundy is almost literally everywhere and will continue at least through any trial.

Apparently stung by Jarvis assertive defense of the Arnold Law Firm, Joshua Marquis again contacted Troy Wood of OSB emphasizing his complaints were done only as a member of the Bar, not as a representative of the government in the prosecution of Ammon Bundy. He wrote:

Although it may not make a huge difference I filed this complaint in my capacity as a member of the Bar, not as the Clatsop County District Attorney Mr. Arnold has already issued several news releases accusing the government of trying to curtail his speech

In my interview with Mike Arnold, he characterized Marquis efforts this way: We anticipated that uninformed people who disagreed with Ammon and the protesters would file complaints but didnt think one of those people would be an attention-seeking elected official; perhaps we were naive. Even more extraordinary is hes using a personal email address called coastDA@gmail.com but apparently filing these complaints and communicating on the clock with the Bar as DA. He either lacks understanding of the ethical rules allowing pretrial publicity or is deliberately misrepresenting the application of those rules for personal gain.

Arnold went on to say Americans around the country have been very vocal about the protesters and what happened at the refuge and what should or shouldnt happen to them. Their civil disobedience was intended to educate and spark debate, and it certainly has.

Of the impact on public discourse, Arnold said, The First and Second Amendments are not mutually exclusive. The First Amendment allowed the protesters to speak, assemble, and seek redress of grievances while the press was allowed to report on it. The First Amendment also allowed them to speak about the Second Amendment by openly carrying firearms. It is terribly ironic that in this free speech case, a failed candidate for Oregons US Attorney is trying to stifle the free speech of the lawyers of the political protesters.

Mike Arnold has refused to be moved by his opponents legal tactics, and has openly launched many barbs in response. As Ammon Bundy is of the mind that the occupation of the Malheur Refuge was to create a national discussion about federal overreach in the West, Arnold appears to be of the mind that his defense of Ammon Bundy is to create a national discussion about attempts by government to squelch the Constitutional right to protest against unjust governmental actions. If pretrial publicity is a tactic to bring attention to these matters, so far, he has been successful.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said in the 1930s that allowing government workers to unionize would be a bad idea. That it would institutionalize their influence over elections and public policy. That FDR was right is shown by the fact that four of the six biggest campaign contributors to national campaigns are now public sector unions.

Public sector unions have grown to the point where their power is applied in two ways. First, they tax Americans so they can redistribute tax revenue -- and borrow even more when revenue isnt enough. And they also have a second area where they exercise this power: they force you to pay their high salaries and pensions, not just through state taxes but through state laws that protect and enforce their contracts even if these provisions violate the Thirteenth Amendment.

Some of these public servants now have retirement plans equaling those of the wealthiest corporate executives. But unlike executives they dont have to sell products to make money. They just increase the taxes you pay for a gallon of gasoline or property taxes or income taxes or sales taxes, and on and on.

Democrats tell people that if they cut back on spending, the benefits to the poor are the first thing that will suffer. And they mean it. In Illinois, Democrats cut back programs in special education and mental health facilities. Meanwhile, not one cent is ever cut from pensions, not even from those who collect pensions of over $500,000 a year. Pensions are sacred, even though Democrats get elected saying only the poor and elderly are sacred. And through campaign donations of your money they pass laws stating that their pensions cant be diminished or impaired.

This vast conspiratorial network of public sector unions is not well known for the simple reason that it is all perpetrated by the Democratic Party, and since the news media largely endorse Democrats they refuse to expose this, the most abusive, of their practices. Since FDR, Democrats have pursued a carefully crafted and executed plan to dominate the government of the US at all levels. And having achieved domination over taxpayers in most big states, they are now using this power to transfer the wealth of Americans to their own wallets in amounts that are at historic levels.

It is commonly said that it is human nature for one person to want to dominate another, but in reality it is only a tiny minority of people who wish to provide for themselves by taking from others. There are two main tactics used to do this. One is to commit crimes by cheating and stealing from other people. The other is to use the power of government to coerce other people into paying taxes to support you. And at this point in American history it is government that is the largest culprit.

Chicago, Los Angeles, Illinois and California are some of the greatest abusers of their taxpayers since they are completely controlled by the Democratic Party. While Democrats like to say both political parties engage in this exploitation of taxpayers, the plain fact is the four biggest public sector unions, SEIU, AFSCME, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, all give 99% of their campaign donations only to Democrats. FEC records prove there is not one public sector union that donates to Republicans. Democrats are secretly proud of this; theyve worked 80 years since FDR to institutionalize this setup.

That this can be considered involuntary servitude, a practice violative of the Thirteenth Amendment, is shown by two facts. That it is involuntary is shown by the fact that public sector union contracts in Illinois and many other states are called enforceable contracts whose benefits cannot be diminished or impaired. In effect taxpayers are banned from making public pension changes. This gives taxpayers no choice but to support union members. This makes it involuntary, and unconstitutional. Future appropriations will not be authorized by their state representatives, a violation of the concept of the consent of the governed.

What makes it servitude is that taxpayers are coerced to pay the excessive and unreasonable pensions. In Illinois, a classic Democrat stronghold, the state university system is so bloated with administrators and pensioners that now 53% of the tuition bill goes exclusively to pensions. This means that 53% of a college students loans, which create debt for 20 years, goes only to service the pension costs of retirees who dont work. And Illinois has plenty of highly paid retired educators and government workers. The state now has 13,400 retirees who earn $100,000 or more a year from their pension, not including health care. In 2020, that number will rise to 25,000 pensioners who collect $100,000 or more a year. Today in Illinois, 89 cents of every dollar the state spends on education goes to pensions.

Right now the CTU -- Chicago Teachers Union -- is threatening to strike. Not for smaller class size but because they are furious that they are being required to obey state law. Illinois law requires teachers to pay 9.4% of their pay toward their pension plan, but a few years ago they went on strike and forced the local property tax payers to pay 7% of that 9.4%. But with the ongoing financial crisis in the city, the Chicago School System is asking them to go back and contribute their required 9.4% -- and they are furious.

The average Chicago teacher will retire with a salary of $77,000 a year and collect $2 million by age 81.

In Illinois and California, the highest paid public workers get bonuses that are more than their official salary. In Illinois the highest pensions are over $500,000 a year. In California, $800,000. Over 40 public servants in California earn from one to $2.4 million a year, most of it in bonuses.

In Chicago the average household owes the city, county and state over $88,000 for their pensions. This, in spite of the fact that all of the property taxes paid by Chicago residents go only to pay pensions and muni bond debt. There are nine other cities in Illinois where the entire property tax bill goes only to pay pensions.

And this is seized by extortion. If people dont pay their share of public pension plans their homes will be seized and sold. And even with high property taxes there's not enough money. Today, nationwide, theres over $8.3 trillion of unfunded public pension and muni bond debt. Much of the bond debt was created by pension plans since property taxes arent enough to pay them. There are 19.5 million persons in public pension systems of the US; in California one of every three persons over age 50 now freeloads on a public pension. And while Federal law limits Social Security pensions to $32,000, the highest public pension in CA is $871,000. No laws limit public pensions.

This involuntary servitude will not stand. The state constitutions that enable them must be struck down.
Have you no shame, Hillary Clinton? In a stunning display of callous indifference to the casualties of her incompetent foreign policy as Secretary of State, the woman who claimed to have dodged sniper fire in Bosnia, in Wednesdays CNN debate in effect called Patricia Smith, mother of Benghazi casualty Sean Smith, a liar. As Breitbart News reported the exchange:

RAMOS: Secretary Clinton, on the night of the attacks in Benghazi, you sent an e-mail to your daughter Chelsea saying that al qaeda was responsible for the killing of the Americans, however some of the families claim you lied to them, the mother of the information officer. Listen. VIDEO: Hillary and Obama and Panetta and Biden and Susan Rice all told me it was a video when they knew it was not the video. They said they would call me and let me know what the outcome was. RAMOS: Secretary Clinton, did you lie to them? CLINTON: I feel a great deal of sympathy for the families of the four brave Americans that we lost at Benghazi, and I certainly cant even imagine the grief that she has for losing her son, but shes wrong. Shes absolutely wrong.

The woman who once claimed to be named after Sir Edmund Hillary three years before he climbed Mt. Everest has uttered this slanderous attack on the character of the grieving parents of Benghazi before. Shortly before the New Hampshire primary, Hillary called the grieving Benghazi parents liars: As the Daily Mail reported

The Daily Sun, a newspaper in rural Conway, New Hampshire, hosted an editorial board meeting with Clinton on Wednesday. Columnist Tom McLaughlin recounted for her the claims of victims' family members who said she had told them a crude Internet video that mocked the Islamic faith was responsible for inciting the attackers who killed their loved ones. Clinton has denied making any such statement, despite the accounts of four people. One, the father of a slain CIA security contractor, took written notes of her words. 'Somebody is lying,' McLaughlin told her Wednesday. 'Who is it?' 'Not me, that's all I can tell you,' Clinton replied, casting blame on the families.

No, Hillary, it is you who is the liar, an active participant in the Benghazi video lie repeated on five Sunday talks shows by then U.N. ambassador Susan Rice, by President Obama six times before the United Nations, and by you and the president to the parents of the dead in front of their sons caskets. To them, your regrets about their loss fall on deaf ears. As Investors Business Daily commented last fall on how much Hillarys regrets meant to them:

Not much, particularly to Charles Woods and Patricia Smith, parents of Ty Woods and Sean Smith, respectively, two of the four Americans murdered by al-Qaida-affiliated terrorists in an attack Clinton blamed on a video. Clinton expressed no regrets for repeating the video lie to Woods in front of his son's casket as it arrived at Dover Air Force Base: "Her countenance was not good, and she made this statement to me... she said we will make sure that the person who made that film is arrested and prosecuted," he told radio host Glenn Beck, adding that he "could tell that she was not telling me the truth." As we have pointed out, phony scandals don't produce body bags. Smith testified before the House Oversight Committee about how President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Clinton, among other top administration officials, approached her at the casket ceremony when her son's body was returned. "Every one of them came up to me, gave me a big hug, and I asked them, 'What happened, please tell me?' And every one of them said it was the video. And we all know that it wasn't the video. Even at that time they knew it wasn't the video. So they all lied to me."

It would be hard to believe that all the members of the families who were there all have the same faulty recollection of Hillarys words. Kathleen Quigley, the sister of Glen Doherty, another fallen hero of Benghazi, in addition to Charles Woods and Patricia Smith, has also said that Hilary lied to the families:

'She knows that she knew what happened that day and she wasn't truthful,' Kate Quigley told the Boston Herald Radio's Morning Meeting on Wednesday. 'This is a woman that will do and say anything to get what she wants. I have very little respect for her. 'I know what she said to me and she can say all day long that she didn't say it. That's her cross to bear.'

One way to determine who is lying here is to ask who would benefit from lying. Patricia Smith, Charles Woods, and Kathleen Quigley have nothing to gain by lying. Lying wont bring back their loved ones and it is hard to conceive these apolitical mourners of their dead would conspire to lie to hurt Hillarys political fortunes.

Hillary, however, has an obvious motive to lie. The Benghazi attack shortly before the 2012 election didnt fit the administration narrative that the war on terror was over and that al-Qaida was on the run. It endangered President Obamas reelection chances and Hillarys chances to succeed him. That is why she invented and propagated the Benghazi video lie and told it to the parents of the Benghazi dead in front of their sons caskets.

Liar, liar, pantsuits on fire

Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investors Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.
Mikhail Lesin, Vladimir Putin's former press minister and head of media giant GazpromMedia, who was found dead in a D.C. hotel last November, died of blunt force trauma according to the medical examiner.

The mystery surrounding Lesin's death has fueled intense speculation. Lesin was under criminal investigation by the FBI for corruption and money laundering connected with his $30 million in luxury real estate holdings in California. Beyond that, nothing is certain about why he was in America at that time.

But dot-connectors in the media are speculating that Lesin was about to make a deal with the FBI that would have torn the cover off illegal business dealings of high-level Russian government officials in the U.S. It is thought that Lesin knew where the bodies were buried and was murdered to be hushed up.

The government is being tight-lipped about any conclusions drawn from the autopsy.

Washington Post:

A former aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin who was found dead in a Dupont Circle hotel room in November died of blunt force trauma to the head, the D.C. medical examiners office said Thursday. Mikhail Lesin, 59, also suffered injuries to his neck, torso and upper and lower extremities, the medical examiner said in a statement. The medical examiner had not concluded whether the injuries were the result of a crime, an accident or some other means. Dustin Sternbeck, the D.C. police departments chief spokesman, said the case remains under investigation. He would not say whether the medical examiners ruling means a crime may have been committed. Were not willing to close off anything at this point, Sternbeck said. Russian officials complained Thursday that the United States was not keeping them informed about the investigation. The Russian Embassy in the United States has repeatedly sent a request through diplomatic channels about the investigation into the death of a Russian citizen, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, in a post on Facebook. The U.S. side has not provided us with any substantive information. We are waiting for clarification from Washington and the relevant official details on the progress of the investigation.

I think it's pretty clear that the investigation into Leslin's death and, more importantly, what he might have been singing about to the FBI is ongoing, which explains the reluctance of authorities to come to any conclusion.

Landing Lesin could have led investigators to other, even bigger fish. As Wicker wrote to then-Attorney General Eric Holder in 2014, Lesin may also have close business ties with individuals subject to U.S. sanctions, as well as organizations, including Bank Rossiya, which is closely linked to Gazprom, and the banks owner, Yury Kovalchuk, a billionaire who ranks among Russias richest people, is reportedly close to Putin personally, and was sanctioned by the Treasury Department after Russia invaded Crimea. If Lesin were found to be violating U.S. money-laundering laws, it could provide a rare opportunity to snare a senior Putin aide. After Wicker pressed the issue, relying in part on public property records that clearly linked the L.A. mansions to Lesin, the Justice Department considered whether to go after him. Following the news of his death, the Kremlin issued a statement on behalf of Putin, noting The president has a high appreciation for Mikhail Lesins massive contribution to the creation of modern Russian mass media. But having Lesin as an informant would been a big contribution to U.S. law enforcement and intelligence. And the information that Wicker and his staff, as well as human-rights groups and journalists, dug up on Lesin may have pushed him closer to the FBIs arms. About two weeks after the Justice Department informed Wicker that the allegations against Lesin were referred to the FBI, Lesin resigned as the head of Gazprom-Media, citing unspecified family reasons. Kara-Murza, the journalist and Putin critic, who himself fell mysteriously ill last summer, has directly linked the departments announcement to Lesins stepping down and said it showed that the threat of sanctions and prosecution could be used to bring down corrupt Russian officials.

Even if Putin didn't directly order the hit on Lesin, his thug cronies almost certainly did. It's more evidence that the Putin regime is run more like a mafia family than a government.
In doing research for a book about a member of the Greatest Generation, Ive found some fascinating parallels between what was happening to Americas economy in the late 1930s and now. As a result, I have come to the conclusion that we may well be doing the same thing all over again and, yet again, expecting a different outcome.

According to Amity Shlaess 2007 book, The Forgotten Man, then, as now, [t]he new Fed law had created stricter reserve requirements for banks. Forced to keep more cash, banks cut back on loans. ... By the month of [Andrew] Mellons death [August, 1937], more than a billion dollars had thus been extinguished. Under current Treasury secretary Yellen, much the same thing is happening now.

Then, too, there were payments into the new (1935) Social Security program, also taking money out of circulation. In the same year, the Wagner Act, allowing workers in the private sector to vote for their own collective bargaining units, also radically impacted the cost to business employers nationwide. Shlaes notes that in the first six months of 1937 alone, wages rose 11 percent. In the steel industry the rate was higher, 33 percent from October to May[.] ... One did not have to be an economist to do the math: when wages moved ahead, profits narrowed and shareholders lost. Sure sounds a lot like an Obama recovery to me.

As Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders continue to push for increasing the minimum wage in both the private and public sectors, all this seems familiar. The only things missing in the 1930s scenario are Obamacare and Bernie Sanderss plans to replace it with Medicare and give everybody free college tuition.

Then, from 1933 to 1939, there was the accelerating threat from Hitlers and Mussolinis invasions in Europe and North Africa and Japans aggressive moves in the Pacific. Todays Islamic terrorism  so far  pales in comparison to the global horrors of World War II.

Although he had been secretary of the Navy in the 1920s, throughout his first two terms in office (1933 to 1941), President Roosevelt concentrated exclusively on funding such domestic entitlement programs as subsidies for fallow fields and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to make sure Americas farmers and labor unions would remain loyal to FDRs progressive agenda. This inward focus also appealed to Americas African-American community, who were then avid followers of Father Divine, a determined isolationist.

It is during the months leading up to the election of 1940, however, where we see the most striking parallels between American politics then and now. Roosevelt was running for an unprecedented third term, just as Hillary Clinton (as has often been noted by some of todays most imaginative pundits) is running as the surrogate for Obamas third term.

When Wendell Wilkie won the Republican Party nomination for president in 1940, his acceptance speech expressed a core conservative principle: I say that we must substitute for the philosophy of distributed scarcity the philosophy of unlimited productivity. I stand for the restoration of full production and employment by private enterprise in America. This is pretty much the same as what Senator Cruz and Governor Kasich have recently been saying. In speaking of both the United States and Europe, Wilkie also argued that it was from weakness that people reach for dictators and concentrated government power[.]

Paradoxically, as it turned out, FDR still had the advantage over Wilkie on the compelling issue of national defense. What the Depression had been to the Roosevelt candidacy in 1932, Shlaes astutely observes, the war was to the Roosevelt candidacy in 1940[.] ... Though unemployment was heading down now, it was still over one in ten. A war, however, would hand to Roosevelt the thing he had always lacked  a chance, quite literally, to provide jobs to the remaining unemployed. Nothing like a war to turn around an economy.

As todays Democrats would probably claim, no one is better prepared to conduct Americas next big war than former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. Anyway, thats what they would say, and Obama and Valerie Jarrett would undoubtedly agree.

Who knows? Maybe even Donald Trump will agree. No one ever really knows with that guy.
During a White House press conference with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, President Obama washed his hands of any blame in contributing to the sharp divisions that divide the country.

Does he really believe this?

Daily Caller:

Ive said at the State of the Union that one of my regrets is the degree to which polarization and the nasty tone of our politics has accelerated rather than waned over the course of the last 7 1/2 years. I do all kinds of soul searching in terms of, are there things that I can do better to make sure that we are unifying the country. But I also have to say that objectively its fair to say that the Republican political elites and many of the information outlets, social media and news stations, talk radio, television stations have been feeding the Republican base for the last seven years a notion that everything I do is to be opposed, that cooperation or compromise somehow is a betrayal, that maximalist, absolutist positions on issues are politically advantageous, that there is a them out there and an us and them are the folks who are causing whatever the problems youre experiencing and the tone of that politics, which I certainly have not contributed to, Obama claimed. You know, I dont think that I was the one to prompt questions about my birth certificate, for example. I dont remember saying, Hey, why dont you ask me about that? Why dont you question whether Im American or whether Im loyal or whether I have Americas best interests at heart. Those arent things that were prompted by any actions of mine, and so what youre seeing within the Republican Party is, to some degree, all of those efforts over a course of time creating an environment where somebody like a Donald Trump can thrive.

It's hard to believe that the president actually thinks his toxic, sneering, sarcastic rhetoric directed against his political opponents hasn't contributed to the political divisions in the country.

As for policy differences, why should Republicans support policies they believe to be harmful to the country? This president construes opposition to his policies as racist, or worse. For more than seven years, he and his administration have played the race card for all it's worth, smearing his opponents so often that the epithet of "racist" has actually lost some of its bite.

The personal attacks on the president  the controversy over his birth certificate and charges that he hates America  are no worse than attacks by Democrats on Republicans over the last 20 years. This is politics in the age of the internet, and the fact that the president is oblivious to his own role in dividing the country shows why he was never qualified to be president in the first place.
The Wall Street Journal has an article titled Americans Rank Last in Problem-Solving With Technology, with very bad news for the economy.

The results build off a global survey conducted in 2012 by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. To better compare the skills of younger and older adults and the unemployed, researchers did additional surveys in 2014. The countries that scored the highest on the problem-solving with technology criteria were Japan, Finland, Sweden and Norway. Poland scored second to last, just above the U.S. One stark revelation is that about four-fifths of unemployed Americans cannot figure out a rudimentary problem in which they have to spot an error when data is transferred from a two-column spreadsheet to a bar graph. And Americans are far less adept at dealing with numbers than the average of their global peers. This is the only country in the world where its okay to say Im not good at math,  said Mr. Provasnik. Thats just not acceptable in a place like Japan.

Perhaps a key cause of the problem is the kind of free-spending, vote-buying Democrats who do not want to have to deal with the fiscal realities and therefore encourage innumeracy in our public schools. The kind of politicians who might say, What difference, at this point, does it make? or who promise free college tuition to everyone. What good is a free college education if the graduates cant do simple math and therefore cant get a paying job? Once again from the WSJ:

The new report does nothing to dispel that gloom. Data on 16- to 34-year-olds, for instance, found even workers with college degrees and graduate or professional degrees dont stack up favorably against their international peers with similar education levels. Fewer of these most-educated Americans perform at the highest levels on tests of numeracy and problem solving with technology.

Nobel laureate for physics (1965), Richard Feynman had something to say that now seems prophetic

There are 10^11 stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge number. But it's only a hundred billion. It's less than the national deficit! We used to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should call them economical numbers.

This from a 1987 class, as quoted in David L. Goodstein, "Richard P. Feynman, Teacher," Physics Today, volume 42, number 2 (February 1989) p. 70-75, at p. 73

The total U.S. national debt in 1965 was $322 billion, the sum of all the national deficits since our nations founding. In that year, Johnson funds Great Society, creating Medicare, Medicaid and HUD. Sends 100,000 troops to Vietnam. War's total cost will be $111 billion.

It seems the War on Poverty has greatly exceeded the cost of the Vietnam War and the combined cost of all other wars in American history! Is it time to declare defeat and give those dollars back to the American taxpayers, who earned them in the first place?
Samsung is usually not shy on offering deals to consumers should they decide to pick up their latest and greatest devices, and this year with the launch of the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge, theyre offering a free Gear VR headset to anyone who pre-ordered the device before it launched today in retail locations or those who purchase either device within the first week of release. For anyone who picks up one of these devices, Samsung is offering up another cool little promotion where they issue a gift card for first-time payments made with Samsung Pay, with multiple options for the business or store where the gift card can be used.

There are a couple of caveats to this promotion, which requires users to make a payment with Samsung Pay between March 11th and March 31st. The payment has to be successful which obviously means it has to go through, and the payment has to be made with a compatible credit or debit card for the offer to be valid and the gift card to be issued to the user. The other limitation is that the gift cards are only available for Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge owners who buy their device and make the payment between now and the above-listed dates, which means no gift cards for older Samsung devices which support Samsung Pay.

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The gift card will be valued at $30, and there doesnt seem to be any restrictions on how much the purchase with Samsung Pay has to be for, so users could potentially buy anything, even items or products which cost a couple of bucks, as one user on Reddit mentions they purchased a soda from a vending machine and ended up with a Gift Card from this promotion. Its worth mentioning that Bank of America debit cards and Synchrony private label credit cards are not eligible to receive the promotional offer. As for what Gift Cards are available to choose from, the list includes $30 gift cards from Best Buy, eBay, Regal Cinemas, Nike and Whole Foods, and once the gift card is selected users will receive it inside of their Samsung Pay wallet soon after.
Samsung has started off the first few months of 2016 in a big, big way and this week marks the release of their new Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge duo. Both of these are rolling out to around 60 different regions across the globe, but there are of course, older devices to keep in mind. Samsung has often been known for providing good update support for their older devices, and while its taken them a little longer than many would like for them to roll out Marshmallow, many devices from 2015 have already had their update. Speaking of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 5, many of these devices around the world have been updated, but AT&T is only just getting round to this, by the sounds of it.

As usual, the news that an update is on its way comes to us via XDA-Developer members as well as users on Reddit. According to these latest finds, AT&T is gearing up to release the update to the Galaxy Note 5 any day now, and the Galaxy S6 on March 14th. XDA member, bryantx24, spent time talking to a customer service rep online at AT&T and was told that the update for the Galaxy Note 5 would start on March 11th, and was given the aforementioned March 14th date for the Galaxy S6. Theres a good chance that these dates arent entirely concrete, but we see no reason why someone at AT&T would lie to one of their customers in such a fashion. Stranger things have happened, but the long and short of it is that the marshmallow update is on its way to AT&T subscribers real soon.

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Samsung has been rolling out Marshmallow to the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ over the past month or so, and while unlocked GSM devices are always first in line, carrier devices havent been too far behind this year. Sprints Galaxy S6 recently got its own update to Marshmallow and Verizon users have seen similar updates, too. For the most part, Marshmallow wont be too drastic an update for users, but with Android N on the horizon people will be anxious to see their devices get updated no matter how big a deal said update is.
Compared to the other big name manufacturers out there, Samsung has been shipping devices with fingerprint sensors since the Galaxy S5 (pictured above) and with the Galaxy S7, theyve perfected things even further. Samsung werent the first to launch an Android phone with a fingerprint sensor though, as that honor goes to Motorola and the Atrix, a device that was truly ahead of its time. As fingerprint sensors have only been officially supported by Android since Android 6.0 Marshmallow, released just last Fall, Samsung devices with fingerprint sensors have been limited to few apps outside of Samsungs own that take advantage of the new functionality. With the Galaxy S7 however, this has changed.

Today, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge go on sale all over the world, and theyre launching with Android 6.0.1 running under-the-hood. Thankfully, Samsung have chosen to include support for the official Marshmallow fingerprint API with the Galaxy S7 duo, which means that these two new devices have access to the widest range of apps that support fingerprint sensors. To be clear, Samsung made it fairly easy for developers to include support for the new hardware through an API of their own, but few developers adopted this, compared to the amount that adopted the Marshmallow implementation. This makes the fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge a hell of a lot more useful than it has been in previous generations, and should allow for secure payment through not just Samsung Pay, but also Android Pay, too.

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Not only is this another nice example of how flexible Android can be, but also an example of how to add new hardware before Google adopts it properly. The OnePlus 2 is a classic case here, as it might feature a fingerprint sensor, but as it doesnt run Marshmallow there are very, very few apps out there that can even take advantage of it. We suppose we should be thankful for the secure unlock method in the first place, but OnePlus 2 users  as well as other device owners  will be jealous of all the new tricks that the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge can do.
Online messaging isnt a new thing, and for the majority of people under the age of 25, WhatsApp and other alternatives are the main way that they keep in touch with friends and family. In the Far East however, LINE is the WhatsApp equivalent for many users looking to connect with people online. In South Korea and Japan in particular, the app has grown a cult following of sorts and has become a household name for sure. Now, the service is being updated with group calling, allowing 200 different people to be connected to the same voice call.

Not to be confused with video-calling, this new feature is launching with LINE version 5.1.1 where Android and iOS are concerned, as well as the Windows version 4.5. This is still a free feature, as is pretty much anything else in LINE and the large calls can be started from either a large group chat or by adding groups or other singular contacts to a call. It does make us wonder why theres a need for this many people to be included in a voice call, but were sure there must be a reason why someone might need such a feature. Regardless, this is a decent addition to the already-existing laundry list of features that LINE has to offer, especially when compared to the likes of WhatsApp and Telegram, two of the apps biggest competitors.

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This new feature will be rolling out first to users in Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, and Indonesia and will roll out to other regions a little later in the year. LINE must be confident in the feature however, as those four markets are the firms biggest, so bringing on the other markets all over the world shouldnt take much time. Having started in 2011, LINE has become a cult favorite and for a lot of people the only way they make contact with people. Engaging characters, merchandise in the form of stickers and more has only gone to the help the popularity of the product, especially in markets like Japan and South Korea, where building a brand is very important.
Nokia is a very well-known Finland-based company, and even though theyve been having all sorts of issues in recent years, people still know who they are. Nokia was once the number one cellphone manufacturer in the world, but theyve made a number of poor business choices along the way, one of which was an exclusivity agreement with Microsoft. This ultimately made the companys sales go south, and they were forced to sell their Devices and Services business to Microsoft.

Since then, Nokia has managed to release an Android-powered tablet, the Nokia N1, which was well received, but wasnt exactly available all around the globe. Nokia has mostly focused their sales to China, and international users didnt really accept that with open arms. Nokia has recently acquired Alcatel-Lucent, and has sold off their Nokia HERE Maps business to a number of automobile manufacturing companies. That being said, Nokia has also confirmed recently that theyre planning to release a smartphone, but they didnt exactly give us a timeframe for that release. We didnt exactly see any leaks since then, but a number of concept images surfaced about two months ago. Unfortunately, those images dont really reveal the design of this phone, well have to wait for some actual leaks to surface.

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That being said, lets take a look at the rumored specs for the Nokia C9, shall we. According to the source, the Nokia C9 will sport a metal frame, and will be fueled by the Snapdragon 820 64-bit quad-core processor. The 21-megapixel shooter will, allegedly, going to be located on the back of this phone, and an 8-megapixel snapper will be available up front. The phone will ship with 4GB of RAM, and 32GB / 64GB / 128GB of internal storage. The battery will be removable, and the phone is going to cost around 2,999 Yuan ($461), if this leak is accurate, of course. Android version hasnt been mentioned in this leak, unfortunately. Now, take this info with a grain of salt, as its usually the case with such rumors. We cannot confirm, or deny these specs, but they dont seem that unrealistic. At this point we can only wait for Nokia to release more info, which we hope will happen soon enough, stay tuned.
Last month saw the announcement of the new Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge from Samsung, and while this wasnt surprising at all, the speedy turnaround from Samsung was. During their event, Samsung proudly announced that the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge would go on sale all over the world at the beginning of the next month. Friday the 11th of March was the date, and how time flies, as that day is finally here. Many Samsung fans will already have pre-ordered their device, while others might be waiting for them to appear in stores to take a look before making any final decisions. Either way, users will be getting their hands on either a new Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge this weekend all over the globe.

Despite the fact that we knew today would be the day, Samsung is still making some noise over at their official blog, and who can blame them? In said blog post, Samsung names the US, Europe, Singapore, Australia and Korea as just some of the markets that the two new devices are launching in, but 60 different countries all over the world will be getting the device today. Here in North America, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge have been available for pre-order from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon with the majority of them offering a free Gear VR headset, or in the case of Verizon a free Gear S2 instead of the VR headset. Elsewhere, the Galaxy S7 has landed on networks across the UK, and will be available directly from Samsungs regional websites.

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Speaking of which, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge will cost $669.99 and $779.99, respectively while in Europe theyll cost around a699 and a799, respectively. Our UK readers, while also having the option to join the Galaxy upgrade program, will need to pay 569 and 639 for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, respectively. These are prices for the 32GB variants, and larger storage options will cost extra. Weve got lots of information on the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge available on the site, and those looking forward to the launch of these two new devices dont have any longer to wait.
Samsungs latest premium smartphones, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge were introduced to the worlds media early last month at the MWC (Mobile World Congress) trade show, which was held in the Spanish city of Barcelona. The devices come in multiple variants as regards their hardware, but the one thing that seems to have caught the eye of many is the revamped, lightweight TouchWiz UI. The devices also come with a premium look and feel, which isnt something that has always been associated with Samsungs smartphones in the past. Either way, the devices went on pre-order in many countries around the world either late last month, like in the US and the UK, or earlier this month, like in India.

Friday, March 11th, is when the device officially goes on sale in about 60 countries globally including the US and the EU, and that being the case, the South Korean manufacturer has announced something that is certainly good news for the company and its admirers. According to an official announcement by the UK unit of Samsung Electronics, the company has already received more pre-orders for the Galaxy S7 twins in the country than any other Samsung smartphone in history. Earlier today, the Dutch unit of Samsung had already made a similar announcement, which revealed that pre-orders for the two latest flagship smartphones from the company were higher than pre-orders for the Galaxy S6 handsets in the Netherlands last year.

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The good news for Samsung is that the UK and the Netherlands are not just two isolated cases of success for the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. Recently, Samsungs President of handsets business, Mr. Koh Dong-jin, announced that Samsung is receiving stronger than expected pre-orders for its two latest flagships, so the two latest reports from the Netherlands and the UK are certainly keeping in line with that. In the UK in particular, electronics retailer Carphone Warehouse has seen a very strong demand for the two handsets, and what is particularly interesting is the popularity of the larger and more expensive Edge version, compared to the plain vanilla Galaxy S7. According to the press release from Samsung, as much as 61 percent of all pre-orders in Europe are for the Galaxy S7 Edge, although the company did not disclose the exact number of pre-orders it received in any of the markets.
Japanese consumer electronics giant Sony is reportedly rolling out pre-release beta builds of its Marshmallow ROMs to a number of premium Xperia smartphones. The company has already released Android Marshmallow to a bunch of premium smartphones and tablets, including the Xperia Z5 range of handsets, which were launched late last year at the IFA trade show in Berlin, Germany. Of course, the Z5 smartphones are not the only Sony devices to be blessed with the latest commercially-available major version of Android. Along with Sonys latest premium devices, the Xperia Z3+ smartphone and the Xperia Z4 tablet have both seen Marshmallow as well, so it was only a matter of time before the company started working on updating some older Xperia devices to Android 6.0.

Coming to the devices which now look likely to be the next in line to get the Marshmallow treatment, reports claim that the Xperia Z2, Z3 and Z3 Compact are the three smartphones which have started getting the beta version of Marshmallow rolled out to them. Obviously, as is the case with any beta-test program, the software is not available universally, but only to a select few who had signed-up willingly to be a part of the beta-test program, when Sony announced its Xperia Beta program last month for residents in Italy, Spain and Netherlands. The latest Marshmallow ROM comes with build number 23.5.A.0.486, and brings along Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, which is the latest version of Googles mobile operating platform, not counting Android N, currently in preview.

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Its worth noting here that the version of Marshmallow rolled out to the Xperia Z5 handsets is Android 6.0, which is technically a notch older than the version thats now being tested on the Xperia Z2 and Z3 handsets. That being said, the beta firmware being rolled out does not apparently have the latest security patches unlike the Marshmallow ROMs for the Xperia Z5 handsets, which come complete with February security patches as expected. Instead, the beta ROMs come with security patches from December, 2015, so Sony does have some catching up to do on that front. While not all of the changes are catalogued, adoptable storage seems to be a notable omission from the new update, and theres no telling if Sony plans to introduce this vital Marshmallow feature by the time its ready to roll out the stable version at some stage later this year.
There was a time when sending things to a printer from your phone was nigh impossible, and for some that is still true today but not for the same reasons or limitations, but simply because they just dont have the compatible hardware to make it so. While printing documents sent from a smartphone is now relatively simple compared to something like 10 years ago, there are still some things which prove to be a little bit of a challenge, like translating stuff. More specifically, translating a document only to have it printed in the translated language directly after the translation is finished.

A new app launched today from Xerox though, called Easy Translator, does just that, and will translate documents or words for the user with just a picture taken from the camera on a smartphone. Afterwards, the app will then send the picture to a Xerox printer and have it print out the document translated from the original language into whatever it was the user had chosen at the beginning of the process. There is of course at least one caveat to the application itself as well as the experience, and thats the fact that you will need a compatible Xerox printer that will accept incoming documents from the app. If you happen to be someone who already has a Xerox printer that will work with it, youre golden. If not, using the app becomes quite a bit more expensive than you may have initially hoped even though the app itself is free to install.

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While the app may only work with a certain collection of printers, beyond that it has some pretty great features that can be extremely useful. It supports translations for 37 different languages according to the Easy Translator Service description, and the translations are done by professionals and are available to users 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. There are three levels of human translation services available through the app, but it also offers the capability to upload the picture you take for a quick draft translation if you want things one a bit faster. If this sounds like an app you would benefit from and have the compatible hardware to use it to its full potential, you can pick it up from the Play Store.
Blitzkrieg Bop! Cambridge University parlour committee bans racist fancy dress do

In what the Times is calling a political correctness row, Pembroke College, Cambridge, has banned a do themed around Jules Vernes Around the World in 80 Days because dressing up could lead to cultural appropriation.

Good. I loathe fancy dress.

The Pembroke junior parlour committee told students:

Having discussed the matter at length as a committee, we have decided that the most appropriate action is to break with the tradition of reusing finalists first fresher bop theme, in their end of Lent term third year bop. Instead we are using an alternative theme to avoid the potential for offense [sic] to be caused by the theme Around the World in 80 Days.

Yeah. The junior parlour committee. Lets be clear: anyone who signs up for an outfit called the junior parlour committee is a bit of a knob. Anyone who heeds their views on acceptable behaviour without laughing themselves sick is themselves laughable.

Bop!

One student who claimed to have chosen the theme wrote on Facebook: Doesnt any theme contain aspects which could be spun into an offensive costume? This seems overly controlling and a little insulting. Another said, however: This is a way to minimise the risk of people of colour having a s*** night, being reminded that they share a college with ignorant people who dont understand the impact of their harmless bop outfit.

We propose this Bop instead*. RAUS!

* Too offensive to Germans, says the Parlour committee. BANNED! Oxford University Student Union says its not Nazi-themed enough. Also banned!

Anorak

Posted: 11th, March 2016 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
(ANSA) - Istanbul, March 11 - Five Greek islands are to be evacuated after the recent deal between the EU and Turkey whereby Ankara will take back one illegal Syrian migrant for every legitimate asylum seeker it allows out, Turkish foreign ministry sources said Friday.

The sources did not say which islands they were but the most heavily hit by migrant flows are Lesbos, Kos, Chios, Leros and Samos.

The one-in, one-out deal will start being applied after new arrivals to the islands have begun, the sources said.


(ANSA) - Brussels, March 11 - A group of around 20 Italian border police will be in Albania from March 15 to help bolster the country's frontiers, ANSA sources in Brussels said on Friday. The move stems from a request from Tirana as part of a framework of stronger cooperation between Italian and Albania on tackling migration issues and the possible arrival of asylum seekers following the closure of the Balkans route to Europe.

Tirana will decide where to use the Italian police, the sources said.

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, meanwhile, told ANSA on Friday that Berlin and Rome were working together to push for reform of the Dublin regulation to improve the handling of asylum seekers. "Cooperation with Italy is good," de Maiziere said in an exclusive interview with ANSA.

"My Italian colleague (Angelino Alfano) and I have just turned to the Commission with a joint bilateral initiative to push for a reform of the Dublin rules".


(ANSA) - Rome, March 10 - In a year immigration has become the principal challenge facing the EU, followed by terrorism, which has surpassed in less than a year the problems linked to the economic crisis, a poll confirmed Thursday.

In all 69 % of Italians favour the EU dealing with the migrant crisis through a common policy, but nearly a half (46%) believe that Italy shouldn't help refugees and 49% also view with suspicion foreign citizens who move into Italy.

This is the picture snapped by Eurobarometro, the European poll on citizens' opinions carried out in November 2015 (after the climax in the summer of the migrants' crisis on the Balkan route but before the Paris attacks) that was presented today by the European Commission in Rome.

Some 50% of Italians, in addition, don't feel themselves European citizens and 63% are convinced that Italy's interests are not taken into consideration in Brussels.

Europeans as a whole acknowledge that the EU has made achievements with 49% saying the most important is free movement of labour, the possibility to travel study or work anywhere in the EU - an advantage that Italians say is second most important (36%) after the primacy of the euro (41%).

European Commission Representation in Italy director Emilio Dalmonte says the fact that half of Italians feel they don't have to help migrants is a figure that "maes one reflect".

"The images that arrive from Idomeni are no different to those of the homeless 70 years ago in our country," he said, underlining that the figures are comparable to those in eastern Europe where people traditionally are more skeptical toward refugees, such as Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

According to Mario Morcellini, lecturer at the La Sapienza university in Rome, the media are largely to blame "and especially talk shows responsible for anti-politics and the worsening" of public opinion aggravating Italians' perceptions on immigration well beyond the real entity of the phenomenon.


(ANSA) - Beirut, March 11 - The Iraqi government on Friday played down reports from the United States and the UNited Nations that the key Mosul Dam is in danger of imminent collapse.

The alerts are "not correct" and "unrealistic", said Mahid Rashid, an aide to the Iraqi water resources ministry.

On Thursday the US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, reiterated warnings that their could be a "catastrophic collapse" of the dam.

Rashid added that the Italian company Trevi "will start work for maintenance within two months, according to a spokesman for the firm".

The risks of Iraq's biggest dam breaking have recently increased, United Nations sources said Thursday after a meeting Monday between Power and Iraqi Ambassador Mohamed Alhakim.

If the dam breaks more than a million people could be drowned by its waters.

The UN appealed to "carry out the necessary work" to repair the dam "as soon as possible", before it is too late.

Italy's Trevi construction group is set to start repairing the dam under the protection of Italian troops.

On March 2 the Italian foreign ministry said that the Cesena-based Trevi group had signed a contract with Iraqi authorities for consolidation work on the Mosul Dam, following "intense" negotiations with Baghdad.

The contract is worth some 273 million euros, ANSA learned from informed sources in Baghdad.

The repair and strengthening work will last 18 months, they said.

The project was agreed on a recent visit to Rome by Iraqi Premier Haider al-Abadi and was the subject of talks in New York between Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni and US and Iraqi representatives to speed the terms of the contract, the ministry said.

The arrival of some 500 Italian soldiers to protect Trevi's restructuring work on the dam, whose urgent need for repair has been highlighted by the US, has been scheduled for late spring, either May or June, officials said Monday.

The contingent could be composed of the Garibaldi Brigade bersaglieri with armoured vehicles, plus special forces, sappers and air support.

Reconnaissance and analysis of the area to be secured have already been carried out.

Defence ministry plans to deploy the troops are at an advanced stage.

The Iraqi government and the US Embassy in Baghdad warned local residents on February 29 that the Mosul Dam may collapse, a risk the US called "serious and unprecedented".

The US said a collapse could cause the deaths of nearly 1.5 million Iraqis living along the Tigris River.

"Prompt evacuation offers the most effective tool to save lives of the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis," the U.S. embassy said at the time.

The US has warned in the past of the potential for collapse.

Built in the 1980s, the dam is situated on soft mineral foundations, easily dissolved by water.


(ANSA) - Beirut, March 11 - The Iraqi government on Friday played down reports from the United States and the UNited Nations that the key Mosul Dam is in danger of imminent collapse.

The alerts are "not correct" and "unrealistic", said Mahid Rashid, an aide to the Iraqi water resources ministry.

On Thursday the US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, reiterated warnings that their could be a "catastrophic collapse" of the dam.

Rashid added that the Italian company Trevi "will start work for maintenance within two months, according to a spokesman for the firm".

Rashis said the last US report on the dam's structural state was made a year ago, and it did not highlight any risk of the dam breaking.

He urged the US to "provide the Iraqi government with all reports referring to the possibility of a collapse".

Rashid added: "The experts from Trevi will visit the dam in the next few days for a first surveillance, and then the work will start in two months' time". The risks of Iraq's biggest dam breaking have recently increased, United Nations sources said Thursday after a meeting Monday between Power and Iraqi Ambassador Mohamed Alhakim.

If the dam breaks more than a million people could be drowned by its waters.

The UN appealed to "carry out the necessary work" to repair the dam "as soon as possible", before it is too late.

Italy's Trevi construction group is set to start repairing the dam under the protection of Italian troops.

On March 2 the Italian foreign ministry said that the Cesena-based Trevi group had signed a contract with Iraqi authorities for consolidation work on the Mosul Dam, following "intense" negotiations with Baghdad.

The contract is worth some 273 million euros, ANSA learned from informed sources in Baghdad.

The repair and strengthening work will last 18 months, they said.

The project was agreed on a recent visit to Rome by Iraqi Premier Haider al-Abadi and was the subject of talks in New York between Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni and US and Iraqi representatives to speed the terms of the contract, the ministry said.

The arrival of some 500 Italian soldiers to protect Trevi's restructuring work on the dam, whose urgent need for repair has been highlighted by the US, has been scheduled for late spring, either May or June, officials said Monday.

The contingent could be composed of the Garibaldi Brigade bersaglieri with armoured vehicles, plus special forces, sappers and air support.

Reconnaissance and analysis of the area to be secured have already been carried out.

Defence ministry plans to deploy the troops are at an advanced stage.

The Iraqi government and the US Embassy in Baghdad warned local residents on February 29 that the Mosul Dam may collapse, a risk the US called "serious and unprecedented".

The US said a collapse could cause the deaths of nearly 1.5 million Iraqis living along the Tigris River.

"Prompt evacuation offers the most effective tool to save lives of the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis," the U.S. embassy said at the time.

The US has warned in the past of the potential for collapse.

Built in the 1980s, the dam is situated on soft mineral foundations, easily dissolved by water.


(ANSA) - Rome, March 11 - Two survivors of a seven-month hostage ordeal in Libya on Friday attended the separate funerals of two of their companions who were killed shortly before they broke free from their militia captors.

Filppo Calcagno attended Salvatore Failla's funeral in Sicily while Gino Pollicardo attended the funeral of Fausto Piano in Sardinia.

The four worked for the Parma-based oil-sector construction firm Bonatti.

The whole of the small town of Capoterra turned out for Piano's funeral while there was a long round of applause at the end of Failla's funeral, which was celebrated by the archbishop of Siracusa.


(ANSA) - Vatican City, March 11 - Sunday will mark the three-year anniversary of former Buenos Aires archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio's election as Pope Francis, and his pontificate thus far continues to be marked by an emphasis on the poor as well as reform efforts and a culture of unity.

Over the past year, Pope Francis has put the plight of the world's poor at the forefront of his agenda, both locally through efforts to provide free services to Rome's homeless, as well as in his international visits, where he has ventured to some of the most poverty-stricken neighborhoods in cities on his itineraries.

He has been focused on reform and reconciliation, most recently shown by his historic meeting in February with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill.

Forgiveness has also been a key theme during the Jubilee Year of Mercy currently underway, in which Francis has called on followers to cultivate a "revolution of tenderness".

In the most recent of the services added to those already established over the past year by Pope Francis, a surgery offering free medical treatment to homeless people living near the Vatican opened in February, alongside the showers, barber's and laundry service already provided.

The pope's encyclical Laudato Si (May You Be Praised), released last June, demanded justice for the world's poor, denouncing wealthy nations for exploiting the environment and disproportionately penalising the world's most vulnerable people.

In travels during the past year, the pope blasted the greed of the rich at a slum in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, met with indigenous people in the extremely poor southern State of Chiapas in Mexico, and visited some of the poorest places on his native continent of South America.

The pope's ability to dialogue and bring people together is also a hallmark of his pontificate.

In July meetings with the C9 group of cardinals charged with examining reforms, Vatican Spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said Pope Francis has "free, frank and friendly" discussions.

"The pope settles naturally into this climate of dialogue, favouring discussion ... perhaps not so many years ago a climate of communication at this level was inconceivable," Lombardi said.

Interfaith dialogue has also been a key theme over the past year, with a visit in January to Rome's Great Synagogue - the third pontiff to do so after John Paul II in 1986 and Benedict XVI in 2010 - and the acceptance in the same month of an invitation to visit the Mosque of Rome.


(ANSAmed) - Rome, March 11 - Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council the Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) is set to launch the first edition of the Dubai Photo Exhibition on the 16th of March 2016.



The exhibition will run from March 16 - 19 in a purpose-designed 'temporary museum' at the Dubai Design District (d3) and will incorporate over 700 museum quality photographs taken by 129 of the most well-known photographers in the world hailing from 23 countries.



His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum , the Crown Prince of Dubai described the Dubai Photo Exhibition as a museum of photographic masterpieces which will take its visitors on a historical journey filled with intrigue and beauty. His Highness also stressed the relevance of hosting such a landmark event in Dubai, which is fitting of the emirate's ambitious plans to to act as a unifying umbrella for international creative minds.



The Secretary General of HIPA, His Excellency Ali bin Thalith said "An Exhibition such as DPE offers a unique photographic platform for one of the fastest growing art forms in the world, photography. The Dubai Photo Exhibition will also no doubt raise the standard of Arab photography by pitting the best photography from the UAE, Morocco and Egypt in their own exhibits alongside the other 20 countries." The Dubai Photo Exhibition will also present Dubai Photo Forum 2, a discussion platform for proposing and debating important and sensitive issues in the field of photography. Following on from its successful first edition in 2015, the forum aims to draw the attention of photographers from around the world to Dubai as a centre for photography, and to act as a vehicle for intellectual photographic discussion that is open to all, from industry professional to casual enthusiasts.


Serbia: 1.9 bln infrastructural projects with EU funds Construction of the Nis-Pristina motorway included

(ANSAmed) - BELGRADE, 11 MARCH - 18 infrastructural projects of strategic importance, worth 1.9 bln euros, are in the process of being prepared, reads a conclusion of the third meeting of the National Board for Investments. Serbian Government intends to carry out the projects using EU grants, favourable loans from international financial institutions and money from the budget.



Aside from the construction of the Nis-Pristina motorway, the list of projects include construction of drives for processing wastewater in Novi Sad abd modernisation of railway tracks along Corridor 10. (ANSAmed)
BRUSSELS - "Humanitarian crisis reaches its climax in Greece. MS (member states) to urgently accept relocations. Time to deliver", tweeted EU commissioner for Migration Dimitri Avramopoulos.

500 relocation request from Greece pending. EU Commission sources say countries must step forward to reply

Five hundred requests for re-location from migrants in Greece have not yet received a reply from EU member states, European Commission sources say. This was confirmed by authorities in Athens and Brussels. It is up to individual countries to step forward and reply to individual requests from Greece, the sources say. At the Council of EU Interior Ministers' meeting Greek Immigration Minister Ioannis Mouzalas had asked for solidarity from EU partners, especially stressing the theme of relocation.

Italian Lower House Speaker says EU States avoiding duty in migrant crisis



Lower House Speaker Laura Boldrini on Friday said the current migrant crisis affecting the European Union wouldn't exist if every member State were to do its part. Boldrini said the EU is "doing what it shouldn't do: there's a tendency to turn a blind eye to some countries". "The EU can't demand that non-EU countries respect a series of standards and objectives if it's not ready to pursue them itself," Boldrini said. "Some States are making an effort to manage the (migrant) phenomenon, but others no. This creates the crisis; otherwise there wouldn't be one," she said. "If Europe wants to continue to be a moral compass for the world, it needs to set an example. It also needs to do it to defend its own reputation," she said

Turkey says Aegean migrants fall from 6,800 to 2,000 a day.Turkey to Greece re-entries continue, 5 islands to be evacuated

The number of migrants trying each day to cross the Aegean illegally from Turkey towards the Greek coast has tumbled to around 2000 a day in February from 6,800 a day in October, according to Turkish government sources in Ankara. Turkish authorities have stopped some 50,000 migrants on that route since the start of the year including 15,000 in the sea and 35,000 during operations on land.

Meanwhile Greece on Friday repatriated to Turkey 90 migrants from Morocco, Algeria, Pakistan and Turkey itself who entered Greek territory illegally. The migrants were expelled on the basis of a re-admission agreement between the two countries, reaffirmed this week by the visit of Greek Premier Alexis Tsipras at Izmir. Another 308 migrants were sent back to Turkey last week.

Migrants and refugees who at the moment are on five Greek islands will be evacuated and, on the basis of pacts with the EU, Turkey will accept to take back those who landed on those islands since the agreement came into force. While not identified explicitly, the islands are believed to be those with highest migrant flows -- Lesbos, Kos, Chios, Leros and Samos, (ANSAmed).

20 Italian police to Albanian borders to beef up frontiers against possible flows toward the Adriatic

Some 20 Italian frontier police will be deployed in Albania from March 15 to reinforce the country's borders. They are being dispatched at the request of the Tirana authorities as part of reinforced cooperation between Italy and Albania in prevention of the migratory phenomenon and its management in case of increased flows due to the closure of the Balkans route. Tirana will decide on which frontier to deploy the Italian police, sources in Brussels say.

On Thursday Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano and Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti underlined the importance of a partnership with Albania to manage an eventual migrant flow to the Italian coast via the Adriatic following the closure of the "Balkan route".

Madrid parliament rejects EU-Turkey accord, Socialists and Podemos slam 'shameful accord'

All Spanish political groupings except for the Partido Popular have cast votes in the Congress of deputies rejecting the agreement on refugees initialled last week between the EU and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Turkey. Spanish Mps threw out the agreement with Ankara by 227 votes against compared to 123 in favour.

Socialist Party Secretary Pedro Sanchez called the pact with Erdogan an "agreement of shame," "immoral" and "illegal" and asked that it be modified before it is ratified by the European Council in Brussels next week. Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias said that he "feels ashamed of the EU, which systematically is not respecting human rights". (ANSAmed).
ROME - Middle eastern contemporary cinema and culture are returning to Florence on April 5-10 with the seventh edition of Middle East Now, an international festival of cinema, documentaries, art, photography, music, food, meetings and events entirely dedicated to this complex and fascinating area. Forty films premiering in Italy are scheduled for screening.



The movies will feature stories and current events by well-established and up-and-coming filmmakers from Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, the UAE, Jordan, Iran, Israel, Iraq, Kurdistan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and, for the first time, Saudi Arabia.



''Live & Love the Middle East'' today through its art, creativity, culture to foster hope, in spite of the bombings, the ruins, fear and flights.



Turkish filmmaker Yeim Ustalu will be a special guest, Considered as one of the most important authors of contemporary Turkish cinema, a socially-engaged artist with an eye on political issues, she is an inspiration today for young talents.



Among the films to be screened are Journey to the Sun, the first movie in Turkey on the Kurdish issue, Pandora's Box and her latest work, Araf.



Designer and illustrator of Lebanese descent Nour Flayhan, who grew up in Kuwait, will describe the colorful, ironic and surpring world of Lebanon. She was selected by the Crossway Foundation - an institution promoting creativity in the Arab world - for her unmistakable talent and style. Also from Lebanon, chef Kamal Mouzawak will be back in Italy. He is the founder of the famous Souk el-Tayev, the first organic market in Lebanon, and Tawlet, the cooperative restaurant in Beirut which hosts every week a woman chef from regions across the country.
Migrants: Madrid parliament rejects EU-Turkey accord All oppose except P.Popular, Socialists slam 'shameful accord'

(ANSAmed) - MADRID, MARCH 11 - All Spanish political groupings except for the Partido Popular have cast votes in the Congress of deputies rejecting the agreement on refugees initialled last week between the EU and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Turkey.



Spanish Mps threw out the agreement with Ankara by 227 votes against compared to 123 in favour, El Pais online said.



Socialist Party Secretary Pedro Sanchez called the pact with Erdogan an "agreement of shame," "immoral" and "illegal" and asked that it be modified before it is ratified by the European Council in Brussels next week.



Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias said that he "feels ashamed of the EU, which systematically is not respecting human rights".



(ANSAmed).




ROME - Fares Cachoux paints the face of Isis in a militiaman whose dark features appear to combine human and animal similarities together. The painter is one of the best known Syrian contemporary artists and one of 140 from his country, devastated by five years of war, who took part in the collection "Syria off Frame," Syria outside of picture frames but also outside the more usual 'narratives,' that is part of the Imago Mundi project of the Benetton Foundation.



The artist, like the others, sent through an informal network of friendship and contacts between Syria, Lebanon and Italy, his artwork measuring strictly 10 cm x 12 cm, exactly the format of work commissioned by Luciano Benneton for his project to create, with around 18,000 artists from nearly 100 countries, "a visual map of human culture".



But Syria is a special country. The curator, Donatella Della Ratta, knows this very well after spending four years in Damascus as a researcher before the repression of the 2011 revolt led to an endless tragedy. She patiently set up the "human chain" that reached the artists and brought back their works.



They are artists who still live and "resist" in Syria (about 30 of them), or who have left it a short time ago to join the diaspora of refugees and Syrians in exile in the Middle East and Europe. Their work, collected between March and May 2015 and in part exhibited at the recent Imago Mundi show at the Cini Foundation in Venice, is now part of a catalogue just presented at the Foreign Press Association building in Rome at a conference attended by former Italian foreign minister Emma Bonnino.



The former EU commissioner described the collection as "a very powerful hymn to the wish to live". She noted the disgrace of the conditions many of these artists are in as "refugees" and the current European policy on the migrants crisis -- a policy that, with the agreement being defined in detail between Ankara and Brussels, violates the Geneva conventions, she underlined, and forgets that the EU was created on the pillars of the state of law, that it now is betraying with the result that it is losing credibility completely.



But the black theat of Isis hardly appears in the creations of the other Syria off Frame artists, on the contrary.



There is a creativity that wants to "get out of the picture," extract itself from the dominant images of the Syrian drama to recount "other" -- in particular the permanence of a civil society that in some cases, the chronicles recount, celebrated the precarious cease-fire of these weeks by going on the streets and repeating the old slogans of the brief 2011 revolt.



But on whose side are these artists in the chaotic fighting between armies and Jihadist millitias that is recounted in Syria today? "They are part of civil society like us that is neither on one side or the other," replies Donatella Della Ratta. And she outlines some of the authors of the collection -- from Khinda HIbrahi, who recalls the 2013 chemical attack in Damascus, to Randa Maddah, who tells us about the occupied Golan Heights and Mohammed Orabi included in the list of the most influential arab thinkers, but "who like all the others never asked who else was taking part in the project".



Evidently there are no ranks or venerability that count for anything in the Syria that still resists with the language of art.
(ANSAmed) - ROME, MARCH 11 - The political void in Libya ''is exploited by ISIS, which has significantly widened its control across the territory'', UN Security Council experts have written in a report. The jihadists have recruited fighters in Sirte, in particular ''marginalized elements after Gaddafi's ouster''. In Tripoli and Sabratha, ISIS has grown stronger also thanks to the inflow of foreign fighters, including ''several Europeans'', coming in particular from Tunisia, Sudan and Turkey, according to experts.



According to the report, a deluge of weapons, including heavy artillery, Mi-8 combat helicopters and Mig-21F jets are being trafficked towards Libya, violating an embargo, practically feeding all factions, from Tobruk to Tripoli. The documents in particular points its finger against two US firms, the UAE and Egypt, as well as networks of traffickers made up by single individuals, including several Italians, and some Ukrainian and Turkish firms.



''The continued violations have a negative impact on security in Libya and the political transition: factions that are better armed could be less inclined to accept the ceasefires or authorities of the future national unity government'', warned the experts.



According to UN experts, Franco Giorgi, the 72-year-old from Ascoli stranded in Tripoli since March last year, is being ''held'' over an arms trafficking case towards the North African country, in violation with an international embargo.



Giorgi's name, experts said, emerged in an investigation involving Abdurraouf Eshati, a Libyan sentenced to a six-year jail term in the UK for trafficking weapons worth 28.5 million dollars for the Zintan militia. Giorgi, reportedly the network's ''main Italian mediator'', ''received a first installment of money, which he claim was stolen from him''. In March 2015, he travelled to Tripoli, ''probably to discuss the problem with clients'', and has been ''held'' ever since. (ANSAmed)
Mideast: Ramallah, army closes two Palestinian newsrooms Israeli military violence, 'they were inciting violence'

(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, MARCH 11 - Israeli army units on Friday sealed off two offices in Ramallah (West Bank) of Palestinian media outlets because their broadcasts, according to military radion, ''incited violence''.



The Maan news agency said the outlets are Falastin al-Yawm (Palestine Today) - a website close to Islamic jihad which broadcasts television reports - and TrasMedia Production Company. Soldiers also arrested a manager of Falastin al-Yawn, a journalist and a technician.



Local sources added that Falastin al-Yawn appears to be able to continue its broadcasts from its office in Gaza. (ANSAmed)
Migrants: 20 Italian police to Albanian borders To beef up frontiers against possible flows toward the Adriatic

(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, MARCH 11 - Some 20 Italian frontier police will be deployed in Albania from March 15 to reinforce the country's borders. They are being dispatched at the request of the Tirana authorities as part of reinforced cooperation between Italy and Albania in prevention of the migratory phenomenon and its management in case of increased flows due to the closure of the Balkans route.



Tirana will decide on which frontier to deploy the Italian police, sources in Brussels say.



Yesterday Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano and Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti underlined the importance of a partnership with Albania to manage an eventual migrant flow to the Italian coast via the Adriatic following the closure of the "Balkan route". (ANSAmed).




(ANSAmed) - ROME, MARCH 10 - ''The Adriatic route? Desperate people find their way. I don't think that those who have fled death, bombings in Aleppo, ISIS's atrocities, will be afraid to cross rivers, mountains or seas'', Greece's Minister for European Affairs Nikos Xydakis said during a visit to Rome. ''This is why we need a long-term solution''.



According to the minister, who met with his Italian counterpart Sandro Gozi, ''Turkey holds the keys to the door.



Greece is at the beginning of the corridor. Some European countries have closed borders, so we must talk and trust our neighbor, Turkey, which has the keys to the door. The Turkish proposal (on migrants) needs to be evaluated, perhaps we can find a solution with them''.



For Greece, the words of EU Council President Donald Tusk, who thanked Balkan countries on migrants, ''are unacceptable'', said Xydakis, who believes ''unilateral actions must be condemned. We defend Schengen, the principles of the European Union. Closing borders is not the right policy to confront this global problem. No European leader wants to go back to the cold war era. Building barbwire walls is not our way of doing things''.



''We are not only hoping to save Schengen, it is our duty. We must do it by all means, maintaining human respect for refugees'', added Xydakis. Along with Gozi, the minister also met with Foreign Undersecretary Vincenzo Amendola and Deputy Interior Minister Filippo Bubbico with whom he mostly discussed the migrant crisis, as well as issues relevant to Europe and the Mediterranean. (ANSAmed)
On Thursday, the Senate held a debate on press freedom. The debate was attended by the Antena 3 representatives , who denounced the state abuses against media outlets.

"Perhaps we are not the only ones who have gone through this. I thought perhaps this is the society we live in. These have to be investigated. Who asked Sorin Blejnar, a rotten corrupt individual, who asked him to conduct these verifications and this form of repression and suppression? Then there came the National Audiovisual Council, who should have, I believe, some parliamentary committees over him exerting their control responsibilities. We have all seen a lady asking to shut down a TV outlet and we all remember that the NAC president was caught inventing complaints, against our TV channel. We had to pay huge amounts. O form of suppression is fining said Mihai Gadea, Antena 3 CEO.

Mihai Gadea has also addressed the topic of press independence, respectively the legally funded institutions, as well as those illegally financed.

 I have recently seen some individuals who were not scared because they were trained not to be scared, they were train to induce fear and terror. They were individual theoretically representing the NAFA, raiding, taking pictures and asking how they allow themselves to inhabit a states building. The press vulnerability, especially of the independent one, lets not hide it, there is an independent press, there are media institutions who struggle to get money fairly and transparently from advertising and there are press institutions financed illegally added Mihai Gadea.

Journalist Adrian Ursu noted that the Senate is one of the few institutions that try to serve the public, given that Romania is led by appointed people, not by the elected ones.

The Parliament has been forbidden the exercise of its rights. It is unacceptable for a parliamentary committed to call a chief prosecutor, in the Romania of our times, penalties are being applied to journalists and politicians, if they make any comments on the judiciary. But the judiciary can do anything. A re-balancing of these relations is needed. The Senate seems to be the only institution trying to rediscover its purpose, to become again an institution serving the people who voted them. The present Romania is no longer led by the elected, but by the self-centered and the secret police Adrian Ursu believes.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has recommended Romania to increase the budget spending for defense since the alliance should respond to growing demand for security and defense, adding that NATO is counting on Romania and Romania can count on NATO.

"I recommend Romania to increase its budget spending for defense , therefore to continue the last year's growth for the years to come. This measure is particularly important given that our countries must respond to challenges of defense in a changing world in which we have growing demand for security and defense. Romania wants to contribute to a stronger alliance which is also the best guarantee for security in Europe particularly today when we deal with the biggest security challenges during this generation.

All NATO member countries increase their troops responsiveness capabilities and we strengthen our presence in the eastern part of the alliance, presence that will become increasingly stronger as we prepare for the summit in Warsaw in July, " NATO Secretary general said Tuesday at the end of the meeting he had with Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos in Brussels.

He appreciated Romanias activity in the theaters of operations, in ensuring security in the Black Sea and in supporting NATO members countries in Eastern Europe, and he stressed that one of the alliance divisions in the south-east has become more active.



"Romania is a very popular member of our alliance actively contributing to NATO missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo and the security of the Black Sea and it provides support for Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine to help them build defense capabilities. Romania is also a host for active equipment such as NATO's Multinational South-East Division who became active in December and thus strengthens our alliance defense. Last year I visited the NATO unit in Bucharest, one of the six small bases that we operate in Central and Eastern Europe.

This base will ensure that NATO troops will deploy e in Romania quickly if needed. Romania is also host to an important part of the missile defense system in Deveselu, "said Jens Stoltenberg.



According to the Secretary General of NATO, a strong alliance is an "essential basis" of a more effective dialogue with Russia.
The former head of the US Secret Service in Romania: I have serious doubts about the ability of Codruta Kovesi to be neutral and objective

Former head of the US Secret Service - Eastern Region, Darren White, said in an interview with Robert Turcescu, that he fostered "serious doubts" about the ability of DNAs chief Codruta Laura Kovesi to be neutral and objective.



Darren White states in the interview from which Mihai Gadea broadcast a few fragments on the Daily Summary that although he is not very aware of what is happening in Romania, "the people we often see investigated by DNA , DIOCT and others are political targets". "I have some doubts about the legitimacy of the ongoing investigations initiated by these structures because they are usually the targets of political retaliation," said Darren White.





Turcescu asked him if he believed that Laura Codruta Kovesi must be reconfirmed as head of DNA, Darren White replied:  I foster serious doubts as to her ability to be neutral and objective. I have serious doubts about that .

"I do not need a gentleman from the US Secret Service to come and tell me these things. I know the reality of Romania. Of course we cannot talk now about the fight against corruption in this propaganda manner which is being orchestrated in the public space in Romania by the very secret services, "said Mircea Badea, during the show " In the press " .




Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos conveyed his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte Wednesday that the Romanian society is capable of assuming "without being monitored externally" the fight against corruption and judicial independence, Agerpres reports.



"I have had today time during this lunch, to go into detail about the political situation in Romania, the economic stability that we have, about the maturation of the Romanian society which is able to take on its own, without being monitored from the outside certain responsibilities, including the fight against corruption and judicial independence. Romanian society has already shown that lately and this kind of arguments are important too in the position that our European partners will take, including regarding this kind of political decisions (- integration into the Schengen Area), "said Ciolos in his joint press conference with Mark Rutte.

The Romanian Prime Minister said, related to perception of Netherlands regarding Romania's progress on CVM and Schengen, that the high-level dialogue between the two countries is extremely important to give Romanian authorities the opportunity to better explain the realities of Romania.

"I think this kind of dialogue that has not been held for many years at a high level at prime minister level, is important because it allows us to explain what are the new realities of Romania. Often, decisions in Brussels or in some Member States are based on analyzes which are superficial and are not always based on knowledge of local realities, "said Ciolos.



In his turn, Prime Minister Mark Rutte has shown that the January CVM report of the European Commission '"found that there have been important steps" towards judicial reform and the fight against corruption.




Born in Asturias (Spain), Josep Maria Alvarez is the Catalan leader of the UGT in Catalonia, one of the largest trade unions. He is running for the top job in Spains UGT, now that the incumbent Secretary General, Candido Mendez, is stepping down.

In this election campaign, some in the UGT (and outside) feel that it would be wrong for Alvarez to become the new leader of the Spanish union, considering where he comes from. That is, from Catalonias UGT, from Catalonia. They say that Alvarez supports Catalonias right to self-determination. So do eighty per cent of all Catalans, regardless of whether they actually want independence or not (Catalan pop band Estopa said that much just the other day).

Apparently, Alvarez cannot lead the Spanish UGT because he stands with the mainstream within Catalonias public opinion. Being a Catalan, standing in the wide central spectrum of political normality in Catalonia, disqualifies you to be a leader in Spain. Its been like that for decades. Take a look at the Spanish governments going back many, many years.

In order to be a leader in Spain, a Catalan must become eccentric in Catalonia. Spain shuns and rejects anyone coming from the central positions in Catalonia; and then they wonder why there are so many separatists. Youll hardly to wish to stay where you are not wanted. Or you are only wanted for certain things.
Le CBD, cette molecule active du cannabis a aujourdhui le vent en poupe. Et cela est en grande partie du au fait quil permet...




, which is a vessel operated by the Foremost Maritime Corporation, a company owned by Mitch McConnells in-laws, the Chao family. A cargo ship connected to Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell was recently stopped and searched before departing from Colombia. During the search, Colombian Coast Guard agents seized roughly 90 pounds of cocaine. The drugs were found on the Ping May , which is a vessel operated by the Foremost Maritime Corporation, a company owned by Mitch McConnells in-laws, the Chao family.

This connection is not only relevant because of the family connection, but also because the Chao family has often made large donations to McConnells campaigns. In fact, the Chao family has been funding McConnell since the late 1980s. Years later, in 1993, McConnell married Elaine Chao and secured the Chao family as one of his primary sources for investments.A gift worth somewhere between 5 and 25 million dollars from the Chao Family made McConnel one of the richest senators in the country in 2008.The Foremost Maritime Corporation is currently operating 16 dry bulk cargo ships, most of which are currently still in service.What makes this case even more interesting is that McConnell is well known as a staunch prohibitionist. In 1996, McConnell sponsored The Enhanced Marijuana Penalties Act, a bill designed to increase the mandatory minimum sentencing for people caught with marijuana.Luis Gonzales, an official with the Colombian Coast Guard in Santa Marta told The Nation that the Ping Mays crew were questioned as part of the investigation, but that they have yet to file any charges in the case.The war on drugs is an insult to the intelligence of the American people. There are mountains of evidence proving that the biggest importers of harmful, addictive, mind diminishing street drugs is the government.The drug laws that exist do not apply to the government agencies that bring these substances to our country. They are only designed to keep everyone else from this extremely lucrative business and give the establishment another reason to oppress people.We have seen this all before during alcohol prohibition, where the government, law enforcement and organized crime were all working together and making an unbelievable amount of money in the black market.When black markets are created the crime rate goes up, taxes go up, prices go up and the police become more corrupt, all of this is inevitable. These are in fact the very consequences that any type of prohibition intends to create.To solve these problems all that we have to do is end all prohibitions, this would cripple the black market and drastically reduce violence.This would also drastically reduce the reach of police and the state in general, which is why it is looked at as such an impossibility.Drug laws dont do anything to prevent drug problems in our society, they only encourage violence, raise prices and criminalize half of the population.
By: Dezan Shira & Associates

Editor: Alexander Chipman Koty

For foreign companies operating in ASEAN, developing a coherent profit remittance strategy is essential to maximize revenue. In part two of this three part series, ASEAN Briefing investigates remittance protocols in Thailand and Indonesia. While the policies found in this pair of countries are not quite as welcoming as in more developed ASEAN members such as Malaysia and Singapore, they remain attractive destinations for foreign investors looking to operate in ASEAN.

Remittance Policy in Thailand

Thailand has long been considered an inviting country for foreign investment. When remitting profits, investors need not concern themselves with loss prevention requirements, timing requirements, or pre-remittance compliance. Further, Thailand has double taxation agreements (DTAs) with 60 countries, which reduce withholding taxes below standard rates under certain conditions. However, the country does have foreign exchange controls in place to incentivize domestic reinvestment.

When earnings are remitted to a nonresident company or individual, taxes must be withheld by the payer and submitted to the Revenue Department by the seventh day of the following month. Upon remittance, Thailand levies the following withholding taxes:

Dividends: Governed by a 10 percent withholding tax. Besides Taiwan, no DTA lowers the withholding tax on dividends below 10 percent.

Interest: Thailand has a 15 percent withholding tax on interest payments. However, this amount can be reduced under a DTA. For example, the withholding tax on interest paid on loans from a bank, financial institution, or insurance agency is reduced to 10 percent if based in a country that has signed a DTA with Thailand. Certain countries, including Germany, Italy, and Japan, enjoy a rate of zero if the loan is paid to a financial institution wholly-owned by the government.

Royalties: Subject to a withholding tax of 15 percent. A reduced rate is applied to specific industries under many DTAs, such as for the use of industrial equipment and artistic work.

Branch Remittance Tax: An additional 10 percent branch remittance tax is levied on after-tax profits paid to a foreign head office. This amount is fixed regardless of the presence of a DTA.

Foreign Exchange Controls: Remittances cannot be made in Thai Baht (THB), but are allowed in any other currency. Baht can only be used for repatriation if it is for the purpose of investments or loans in Thailands neighboring countries or Vietnam.

Remittance Policy in Indonesia

In comparison to Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, Indonesia is more prohibitive to foreign businesses. Not only does Indonesia generally demand higher taxation, but it also has more bureaucratic red tape. Still, many investors are intrigued by the countrys enormous potential.

Like Thailand, loss prevention requirements, timing requirements, and pre-remittance compliance are not required. In addition, Over 60 countries hold DTAs with Indonesia, reducing the relatively high withholding taxes the country levies. In order for investors to qualify for DTA benefits, recipients of remittances must confirm their tax residency by providing the Indonesian Tax Office with a certificate of domicile certified by their home countrys tax authority.

Foreign entities operating through Permanent Establishments (PEs) generally have the same tax commitments as resident companies. PEs have a relatively broad definition in Indonesia and are subject to particular government regulations and tax rates. As such, investors should be certain whether or not their businesses accidentally qualify as PEs.

Dividends: Remittance of dividends is liable to a 20 percent withholding tax. This amount can be reduced through a DTA. Even with a DTA, however, the rate is generally still between 10 and 15 percent. If the nonresident recipient has a PE in Indonesia, domestic rates of 10 to 15 percent apply.

Interest: Indonesia withholds 20 percent on interest payments. DTAs offer lower rates and several opportunities for exemptions. Payments to banks or other financial institutions are generally accompanied by lowered tax rates. If paid to a government, a bank connected to a government loan agreement, or specified banks and financial institutions, the withholding tax may be completely exempt. There are also lower rates and exemptions if the profits paid are derived from specified industrial undertakings. A domestic rate of 15 percent is administered for recipients with a PE.

Royalties: As with dividends and interest, royalties are subject to a 20 percent withholding tax. Lower rates are available for many sectors in most DTAs, including for artistic copyrights and industrial, commercial, or scientific equipment and experience. For recipients with a PE, the standard 15 percent domestic rate is used.

Branch Profits Tax: Indonesia charges PEs a 20 percent branch profit tax on after-tax profits, even if funds are not remitted to the home country. This amount can be lowered through a DTA or exempted if profits are reinvested in Indonesia.

Foreign Exchange Restrictions: Indonesia does not have foreign exchange controls over the inflow and outflow of money. However, companies must provide Bank Indonesia with a record of all transfers to foreign countries, including the amount transferred in Indonesian Rupiah (IDR), annual balance sheets, and profit and loss statements. In most cases, payments within the country must be made in IDR.



About Us Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email asean@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight. 

Annual Audit and Compliance in ASEAN

For the first issue of our ASEAN Briefing Magazine, we look at the different audit and compliance regulations of five of the main economies in ASEAN. We firstly focus on the accounting standards, filing processes, and requirements for Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. We then provide similar information on Singapore, and offer a closer examination of the city-states generous audit exemptions for small-and-medium sized enterprises.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership and its Impact on Asian Markets

The United States backed Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) includes six Asian economies  Australia, Brunei, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, while Indonesia has expressed a keen willingness to join. However, the agreements potential impact will affect many others, not least of all China. In this issue of Asia Briefing magazine, we examine where the TPP agreement stands right now, look at the potential impact of the participating nations, as well as examine how it will affect Asian economies that have not been included.

An Introduction to Tax Treaties Throughout Asia

In this issue of Asia Briefing Magazine, we take a look at the various types of trade and tax treaties that exist between Asian nations. These include bilateral investment treaties, double tax treaties and free trade agreements  all of which directly affect businesses operating in Asia.
by Ngoc Hung

A government report indicates that half of pupils in rural areas do not get a higher education. Only 4 per cent graduate from universities. Unemployment for those between 15 and 24 stands at 50.3 per cent. For general secretary of the Episcopal Commission on Education, educating teenagers is a source of concern. Private individuals and religious congregations help fill the educational gap.

Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews)  Educating teenagers and young people "is a source of concern. A humanistic education helps the younger generation become good people, for the Church and society, said Fr Vincent Nguyen, general secretary of the Episcopal Commission on Education. At the same time, Vietnams education system must be based on the countrys cultural values.

The clergyman spoke to AsiaNews about a government report on education and work for young Vietnamese. In view of the situation, counselling programmes are needed to provide students with psychological support during their school years."

Government figures for 2015 show that 27 per cent of the population (25 million people) is under the age of 15. Of these, 70 per cent live in the countrys rural areas.

Only 4.3 per cent graduates from university. Worse still, about 10 per cent of children do not complete primary school. In mountainous areas, in the Central Highlands and in the Mekong Delta, half of all young people have no access to school.

When it comes to employment, the picture is bleak for young Vietnamese. Youth unemployment for people 15 to 24 is 50.3 per cent, with the highest rate in urban areas compared to the countryside.

For years, the Vietnamese Church has played a leading role in helping young people eager to go to school. Various local dioceses and parishes provide hostels, free courses, and scholarships.

Several religious orders and congregations are also involved in education, and in recent years, the government has authorised Catholic kindergartens.

Christian intellectuals and businessmen have also obtained permits to open private schools (from elementary to university).

Since 1987, Vietnam has opened the door to a socialist-oriented capitalism that allows investments by private foundations.

"Catholics are good at managing institutions that follow the private school model, said Nguyen Van, principal at the D. School in Ho Chi Minh City.

Each year, ten faculties come and we organise courses for thousands of students from the provinces. We are helping the Church and society shape 'new people' good for everyone."

In August 2015, the Church slammed existing distortions and problems in the countrys education system, calling for a reforms along democratic and multicultural lines.
by Sumon Corraya

The affected region is part of the diocese of Mymensingh, home to nearly 5.5 million people. Villagers have to walk two kilometres to fetch water. Many drink polluted water and get sick. For expert, drought "is the first cause, but farmers water use is also crucial.

Sherpur (AsiaNews)  Drought has struck northwestern Bangladesh with a vengeance. In some parts, there has been no drinking water for the past six months.

The area is part of the diocese of Mymensigngh, where most Christian Garo live. At least a dozen districts, home to nearly 5.5 million people, have to endure water shortages.

Nobas Khakshi, a tribal leader in Sherpur, reports that villagers are forced to walk for more than two kilometres every day to get to the closest wells or fountains.

Drought is rare in Bangladesh, and most people have adequate access to water for their daily needs, farming and industrial activities. However, since the start of the year, a water emergency is threatening the lives of residents, Khakshi said.

The government has installed a number of tube wells, but they are not very deep, and cannot meet demand. "I know that 60 per cent of these wells will not work in the dry season," Abdul Motalab, an engineer with the local Water Department, told AsiaNews.

Speaking about drinking water shortages, he added that "the drought is the first cause," but human activity is crucial. "Farmers use of shallow machines to irrigate the land and the water flows into the deeper layers."

Forchan Sangma, a Catholic, explained that villagers get water from fountains located in the hills. However, "Most of them drink polluted water from the waterfall and other sources and then get sick. We are looking forward to the rains. This way we can get some relief.

Although the rainy season is expected in April, "the government should take immediate action. We do not have the option of installing deeper wells," Sangma said.

"Every year, people who live in this area always face the same problem, complains Razak Miha, a Muslim. I tried to collect water from my well for an hour but I did not succeed."

For experts, "to solve the problem of drought in a definitive way, people should stop filling ponds and dig deeper to conserve water. Rivers should be widened and dams should be built to collect the water."
Western governments believe the document is authentic and boosts "knowledge of the organization's structures". It will help investigators to trace the movements of militants and the judiciary to prosecute those returning to their country of origin. List includes names of fighters from many European countries.

Damascus (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The files containing the names of thousands of militiamen and fighters recruited by the Islamic State (IS) are believed to be authentic, according to the German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere. He says this mass of information can help investigators to investigate and track the movement of jihadist fighters and prevent future recruitment by the Islamic extremist movement.



The documents obtained by German and British intelligence and made available by the media close to the opposition Syrian contains the names of IS militiamen from at least 40 nations. The list is believed to contain about 22 thousand names, but many of these are repeated several times. It would also include names, nationality, address, phone number and qualifications of each jihad fighter.



The first to publish the files (in Arabic) was the web site Zaman Al-Wasl, based in Qatar and close to the Syrian opposition fighting President Bashar al-Assad. Two of the names in the list - Kerim Marc B and Abdelkarim B - belong to jihadist currently in prison in Germany for terrorism. The two had appeared in the past in IS propaganda videos.



The list also includes the names of Dutch citizens and 16 Britons, including two known personalities (Junaid Hussain and Khan Reyaad) who died during the coalition air raids in Syria.

The files also indicate the wishes of the fighters: some want to be "suicide bombers", others say they want to be "martyrs"; one aims for suicide missions, but in the notes, IS leaders explain that some "have night vision problems" or do not know how to drive "car with manual transmission."



The German Minister says the list helps to improve "the knowledge of the terrorist organization structures" and help "discourage" other young people from "joining a criminal organization."



The file was stolen by a "repentant", identified as Abu Hamed, an IS fighter who said on closer contact with the group and its leaders was disappointed and that's why he wanted to steal the document from the group's internal security.

Some experts say the material shows, on the one hand, the manic bureaucracy within the movement and, on the other hand, the great need for money and financial resources.



Analysts and experts agree that, if proven in the face of any doubt that remains, the list will have an enormous importance for strategic intelligence and governments that are fighting against the Islamic state. The data dates to 2013 and early 2014, so it is not up to date. However, the list is still of enormous significance and are an essential source of verification for the governments in the fight against terrorism and jihadist recruitment.

Finally, the courts of the various countries can use these lists to try those returning home after having fought in the terrorist group.
Naypyidaw (AsiaNews) - Myanmars next vice president could be a Christian. Henry Van Thio, 57, was named yesterday as presidential candidate of the National League for Democracy (NLD) to the upper house, but in all likelihood the nomination will be won by Htin Kyaw, candidate for the lower house and faithful supporter of Aung San Suu Kyi. Even losing against party colleague, Van Thio can aspire to the position of vice president, and  if successful - would be the first ethnic Chin (90% Christian) to obtain it in the history of Myanmar.

In the coming days Myanmars upper and lower house of parliament are called to choose their presidential candidate, among those proposed by the NLD and other political parties. The two candidates elected - probably those of the NLD, which has a majority - will enter a second phase, to compete with a candidate chosen by the military junta. The two who lose then battle it out for the position of vice president.



A member of the Pentecostal Church, Henry Van Thio comes from Chin State, one of the poorest of Myanmar, on the western border with India. Father of three children, he was a chin army captain for 20 years and then worked in the Ministry of Industry for almost 10 years. His possible appointment as president is seen by many observers as a sign of the will of Aung San Suu Kyi to form an inclusive government, which also represents the many ethnic minorities in the area (which are about a third of the population) and are continuously struggling with the central government.



Shay Ray Shu Maung, a Catholic and upper house Member of Parliament from the National League for Democracy in Kayah state, said it was unexpected and surprising that an ethnic Chin lawmaker was nominated as a vice presidential candidate."We are very glad that a minority ethnic is nominated as a vice presidential candidate and it is part of the party's national reconciliation efforts with ethnics.



In a press conference, Henry Van Thio said he had received the nomination "four or five days ago" from Aung San Suu Kyi: "It was very exciting - he said - because I was not expecting it. My intention was to expose the needs of my region in parliament. Our Chin State is very underdeveloped in comparison to other regions. "



"As an ethnic representative - continued Van Thio - I want to strive to build peace in all ethnic regions. The main thing to do in Chin State is to improve the transportation infrastructure. My view is that Aunty Suu (Kyi) is bringing all the ethnic groups on board.
New Hampshire: Women Allowed To Show Breasts In Public

Trending News: New Hampshire Has Decided To #FreeTheNipple

Why Is This Important?

Long Story Short

Long Story

Because this is a win for gender equality campaigners and fans of toplessness in general.The state of New Hampshire has rejected a bill that would have made it illegal for women to expose their breasts in public in a major victory for the Free the Nipple movement.The powers that be in New Hampshire have made themselves heard and they have spoken in favor of a womans right to be topless in public.

New Hampshire House has rejected a bill to make it a criminal offense for a woman to expose her breasts or nipples in public in reckless disregard of whether it would offend others.

The bill was proposed in part as a response to the Free the Nipple movement by those who claimed they were trying to protect families and children in case women decided to go big on legal public nudity.

The Free the Nipple campaign is an equality movement opposed to gender discrimination and points out that it is technically illegal for a woman to be topless in 35 states even when breastfeeding while no law forbids men from being topless. Famous supporters include Lena Dunham and Miley Cyrus, and more indirectly, Kim Kardashian.

One lawmaker in favor of the bill infamously stated that "if women want to show their breasts publicly, they should be OK with men wanting to grab them."

Isn't it great when lawmakers condone sexual assault?

If the bill had passed, a second conviction for public toplessness wouldve meant being listed on the state sex offenders register.

However, there was strong opposition to the bill from those who felt it discriminated against women and opponents also stated that they felt the threat of an epidemic of toplessness was remote.

A report by the American Civil Liberties Union insisted: In a state with an average temperature of only 46 degrees, the risk of rampant nudity seems rather low.

It seems that New Hampshire is willing to take that risk. We can only pray that the state is spared from the scourge of rampant female toplessness.



Own The Conversation

: Should it be illegal for women to expose their breasts in public?: Good on New Hampshire  gender equality plus toplessness, whats not to like?: In Louisiana a woman can be jailed for up to three years and fined $2500 for an exposed nipple.
Leaked Documents Reveal Thousands Of Secret ISIS Details

Trending News: ISIS Could Get Nailed Because Of A Stupid Application Form

Why Is This Important?

Because a good HR department is crucial to any organization.

Long Story Short

Several news outlets, including a pro-opposition Syrian news web site, SkyNews and at least three in Germany, were given USB sticks containing the detailed questionnaires of some 22,000 foreign-born would-be jihadis. Observers are saying this may be a critical blow to the Islamic extremist group.

Long Story

Normally, job application forms that arent much more detailed than the one youll find at your average Chipotle dont get Western intelligence services bug-eyed and salivating. The ones found on these USB sticks, however, arent anywhere close to average.

They contained not only the personal information of the ISIS recruits, but also details of how they wound up joining the terror organization in the first place.

The 23 questions range from the mundane  name, date and place of birth, level of education  to the more job-specific  the name of the applicants referee, level of understanding of sharia law, level of obedience, and whether they would prefer to be a fighter or a suicide bomber.

There are also entries for place and date of death.

The German intelligence agency said the information, believed to have been supplied by a disillusioned former ISIS fighter, can be used to not only prosecute radicalized nationals who have fought in the Middle East and have since returned home, but also disrupt existing networks and prevent recruits from leaving the country in the first place.

Among the 22,000 names are those of fighters known to be currently in theater, to have been killed and some who have returned to the West following time on the battlefield.

The Germans believe the files are genuine, though some experts have their doubts about their authenticity. They cite inconsistencies in wording  using death instead of the traditional martyrdom, for example, and in the Arabic spelling of the groups name  and the use of non-traditional logos on the forms.

Its been quite a week in the ISIS front: US officials recently announced the capture of an ISIS chemical weapons expert and the perhaps permanent incapacitation of a top ISIS official in an air strike.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question: How badly will this leak damage ISIS?

Disrupt Your Feed: ISIS has suffered a bunch of very serious setbacks lately, from being nearly bankrupt to losses on the battlefield. But no one is counting them out any time soon.

Drop This Fact: According to the data leak, ISIS recruits come from at least 51 countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, and countries in North Africa and the Middle East.
The Australian Government is seeking views on its proposed new entrepreneur visa which is being created as part of the country's National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA).NISA includes a range of initiatives to drive prosperity by putting innovation and science at the centre of the Government's economic narrative. Investment will be made in the key enablers of innovation, including science, research, education and infrastructure.Under the NISA, the new entrepreneur visa will be established for entrepreneurs with innovative ideas and financial backing from a third party.Under the proposals it will be a provisional visa for individuals who have obtained capital backing from a third party to develop entrepreneurial ideas in Australia and the consultation has been launched to help determine appropriate third parties.The visa will be established as a new stream within the existing Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188) and the Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) visa (subclass 888) and is set to be introduced in November 2016.The key areas covered by the consultation cover issues as whether the entrepreneur should require nomination from a state or territory government in order to apply for the visa which would make it consistent with the other streams of the Business Innovation and Investment Programme (BIIP).Views are also sought on whether four years are an appropriate period for the provisional visa to enable the entrepreneur to develop and commercialise their innovative idea in Australia and if an extension of the provisional visa should be permitted for individuals who have not established a successful and innovative venture in the relevant time period, to allow them additional time to do so.The Government also needs to determine how the success of a venture should be measured to enable the entrepreneur to progress to permanent residency, and if there should be an appropriate form of third party verification that could be used to verify the success of the business venture. For example, a specific level of business turnover, number of Australian employees et cetera.There are also questions around whether permanent residency should be contingent on the success of the original idea put forward for development or if other successful business ventures in the timeframe should also be considered.Also yet to be determined is whether there are particular sectors that should be targeted which demonstrate a high level of innovation and provide significant benefit to Australia such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Information Communications Technology (ICT) sectors.The policy makers also have to determine if there are there particular sectors which should be excluded, such as residential real estate development or residential real estate schemes and what third party backing should be acceptable to ensure a robust process of assessment and investment has taken place.At the end of the consultation paper they will also have to make a decision over what is the most desirable third party capital investment threshold to balance the attractiveness of the visa to genuine entrepreneurs, while promoting a high general standard of applicants and if there are any specific integrity measures that should be built into the initial visa assessment criteria, ongoing visa conditions, and criteria for permanent residence.
Hi there,



I think I'm running out of time and bit nervous about the situation so I decided to post on here to get some advice.



I am currently have a student visa until Nov 2016.

I recently got married which on 20th of Jan at the Registry room in Melbourne and waiting for the marriage certificate to apply the partner visa 820. The officer said it will takes about 2months and half to get the certificate which is around end of this month. so I'm preparing all the documents that I need for the partner visa then I can apply it straight away (thru online) when I get the certificate. So it would be around end of March or beginning of April (depends on the document).



However, I got an invoice to pay at school til 20th of March (soon) which I no longer want to study this course. My current term will be finished on 24th of Mar and will start the new term on 4th of Apr.



Here's thing, I do not want to pay the invoice because don't want to continue the study and plus the partner visa itself already expensive. I know if I won't pay this tuition fee, they will cancel the student visa.



I know safe option is pay the school fee then apply the partner visa.

I probably can apply the visa without the marriage certificate (because this one takes long time to get it) before finish this term of school. But it would be a problem to add missing documents later on? or is there any other option to figure out this situation without paying the school? and also when can I cancel the student visa after apply the partner visa? after grant or soon as apply the new visa?



Thank you so much for your time.
Hey guys,



I've done some searching but can't seem to find an answer... My wife (23, Dutch) and myself (24, Australian Citizen) are currently living in the Netherlands and really need some advice regarding the partner visa 309. We're really stuck on what to do.



The main questions are:



- Will I have problem proving my ability to financially support my wife since I am now living in the Netherlands, and don't have a work contract in Australia?



- If we wait until we have been together for three years (this November) can my wife apply straight for PR and avoid the temporary visa? If yes, can she go back and apply on a tourist visa?



Some background information: we have been together for over two years (three years this November) and have been married for a year. We lived together in Australia for two years, before deciding to both return to the Netherlands so my wife could spend some extra time with family before living in Australia.



Thank you very much for your time, we both really appreciate your advice.
We get astride one of Triumphs new Bonneville familys most retro member, the T120 Black, and see if it was bitten by the modernity bug as well.

Designed to look like it came from the 1950s, but engineered to be a proper 21st century motorcycle  thats exactly what the Triumph Bonneville has been for over the last decade and a half. And the brief hasnt really changed even as the British bike maker unveiled the fourth generation of this iconic motorcycle last year. Of course, since the last generation of the bike, which introduced this retro-modern theme, the Bonneville has represented a range of motorcycles based on a common platform. The latest iteration has been no different, with the boys at Hinckley giving us five separate versions in the form of the Street Twin, the T120, the T120 Black, the Thruxton and the Truxton R. We got a chance to sample the range-starter, the Street Twin late last year and we came back quite impressed at just how well Triumph has been able to maintain the balance between heritage and fun. So to ride its bigger and more retro brother, the T120, we landed up in the coastal town of Cascais in Portugal.

Retro revelation

Just like the T100 was the more classic-themed version of the last generation Bonneville, the T120 retains its more old-school design philosophy. And the differences between the two are now even starker, considering just how modern(ish) the Street Twin looks. Now the version that we rode is actually the T120 Black, but the difference between this one and the standard T120 is purely aesthetic. The Black gets a lot of, well, black bits, and unlike the standard T120, which is available in a larger variety of colours, this one just comes in black and grey. At the risk of overusing the word classic, the T120s classic design touches include wire-spoke wheels, twin pea-shooter exhausts, twin-throttle bodies designed to look like carburettors, a dark tan leather single-piece seat and even its larger 18-inch front wheel.

A mighty heart

While the T120 might look like a bike from a time long past, the story about its internals couldnt be further from the truth. Triumph developed not just one, but two liquid-cooled motors for the new Bonneville family, so while the Street Twin gets the smaller 900cc parallel twin motor, the T120 is packed with a much larger 1200cc unit. Surprisingly though, this new larger motor is more compact than the one from the outgoing model. This engine is designated HT (for High Torque), so outright horsepower, which at 79bhp is 18 percent more than the T100s, isnt really the focus. There is 10.7kgm of peak torque available at just 3,100rpm, and ample available even lower than that. So the T120 can effortlessly amble about town at near-idle revs, but when you give it some stick and get the tachometer needle past the 2,500rpm mark, the bike lunges ahead with much bravado. Stay for a couple of seconds on the gas, and youll need to hang on to dear life thanks to the relentless acceleration.

For a bike that looks so old-school, there are surprising amount of electronics on it. It gets ride-by-wire, which really makes the power delivery crisp and lag free than ever before. Only a couple of times when making small and sudden changes in throttle, did the bike feel slightly jumpy. Otherwise, the engine response is as smooth as silk.

Other electronic additions made to the T120 are riding modes. You get Road and Rain, with the former giving you the standard throttle response and latter dialling it down, making it more elastic, for when you encounter loose surfaces. And you also get a traction control system, which honestly doesnt even come into play that often thanks to the predictable and tractable power delivery. Its only when I got too throttle-happy on either loose or bumpy surfaces that the traction control even remotely cut in. Still, Im sure itll be a far more useful feature on our erratic road conditions back in India.
Nevertheless, some people find the kind of melange the factory vehicle offers as insufficient. Today, we want to show you a Grand Cherokee SRT8 whose owner makes the previous idea seem like an understatement.The guy didn't stop commissioning various tuning bits for his SRT8 Jeep until he ended up with an output that's more than double when compared to the stock numbers.We're dealing with a 1,000 hp Grand Cherokee SRT8, one that can be described as using all the major power adders out there. For starters, we're talking about a 392 Hemi with a stroker kit. As for the forced induction, this Jeep mixes supercharging and turbocharging by turning to a Procharger (an F1A), which is kind of like a belt-driven turbo.As if the engine compartment elements mentioned above weren't enough, a 100 shot of nitrous came as some sort of icing for this high-octane cake. Such a beefed-up engine requires a gearbox that can take all the abuse it delivers, so the Hemo under the hood of this Jeep now works with an SHR War Wiking tranny.As you can imagine, when you own such a behemoth, offroading competitions aren't exactly your motorsport form of choice. Instead, this is the kind of Jeep you'll see humiliating considerably lighter machines at the drag strip.In fact, the video bellow allows us to check out the 1,000-pony Grand Cherokee SRT8 pursuing its current goal, namely a nine-second quarter mile run. The aural side of the shenanigan is on the house.
SUV

CVT

Introducing the 2017 Renault Maxthon. In a curious way, this medium-sizedis considered to be the true spiritual successor of the Koleos . Im the type of guy who cant be bothered about an SUVs ancestry, to be frank, partly because the Maxthon will be much better and much larger than its paternal forebear.Spied by our photographers in the chilly north of Sweden, the Renault Maxthon prototype you can admire in the gallery below has been put through its paces back-to-back with the Kadjar 1.6 dCI 130 4x4 Compared to its brother, the soon-to-be-unveiled Maxthon is wider, longer, rides higher, and it will be available with seven seats if you wish for that. How soon, youre asking? According to a Dongfeng-Renault official, the 2017 Renault Maxthon will make its first public outing at Auto China 2016 at the end of April.It may be possible that Renault will publish official pictures on the Internet before the live debut in China, but dont expect the Euro version to arrive sooner than the 2016 Paris Motor Show in October. Underpinned by the CMF-CD platform, the Renault Maxthon will have a similar skeleton to the Nissan X-Trail (Rogue).Engine and gearboxes should mirror those of the X-Trail, albeit thewill be dropped for an EDC dual-clutch automatic. Regarding the styling, well, I don't see anything more than a Talisman Estate on stilts. If you look at elements such as the shape of the headlights, the grille, the taillights, they all resemble those of the Talisman. The copy-paste treatment will be applied inside, where youll get a vertical R-Link 2 touchscreen infotainment system, a TFT screen instead of conventional dials, and a button for the Multi-Sense system.
As you already know, the American brand will showcase a 707-HP version of the Wrangler , which is called the Trailcat, but this model is not the only unconventional concept from Jeep.The Mecca of off-road enthusiasts in the USA will also see a Comanche pickup concept based on the Renegade. The paint of this car is called Beige Against the Machine.Another one-off Jeep that will be shown at the special event that also marks the brands 75th Anniversary will be the Crew Chief 715. This exhibit is one of the two concepts teased by the American brand a few days ago , and is an homage to the original Jeep military vehicles.It has front and rear bumpers made of steel, something that would be impossible for a modern production car that has to comply with current pedestrian safety regulations.Another homage to a classic Jeep is the Shortcut concept, and that honors the Jeep CJ-5. It has a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine and comes with 17-inch steel wheels finished in red and fitted with 35-inch BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM2 tires.Another Wrangler-based concept is the Trailstorm, which has 17-inch concept off-road wheels with 37-inch tires. It also comes with a 2-inch lift kit, Dana 44 front and rear axles, and Mopar exterior enhancements.The least outlandish concept from Jeep at this years Moab event is the Renegade Commander. This has a fluorescent gray color, custom body decals, a Mopar trailer hitch, front and rear auxiliary lights, and the MySky open-air roof with removable panels.Some of the parts that are shown on these concepts are available to enthusiasts as after-market components from Jeep Performance and Mopar. Naturally, it would be extremely expensive to build your own Trailcat or Crew Chief, but not impossible.
Unlike the 488 GTB that replaces the 458, the Aventador has remained naturally aspirated, since Lamborghini is currently the only well-known supercar builder that sticks to atmospheric engines alone. But in a landscape that sees names such as Porsche allowing forced induction to take over, Sant'Agata Bolognese won't be able to keep playing the all-atmospheric game for too long.Returning to the battle we have here, we don't have too many details on this 4.5-liter V8 Prancing Horse, but we can tell you the Lambo has evolved compared to the state in which it left the factory.While we're dealing with the 640 hp incarnation of the Murcielago's V12, this Lamborghini comes with a custom exhaust setup that, among others, allows the engine to fully express its feelings and emotions. We can't help but wonder how long it will take the industry to come up with turbocharged solutions that are able to deliver this kind of soundtrack.The two Italian exotics duke it out on an airfield runway, so the drivers have nothing to worry about, except for ensuring their machines are used to their full potential. While we're dealing with a quarter mile confrontation, the ET is not the purpose here, with this fight focusing on the trap speed instead.And while we don't want to throw any spoilers at you, we can mention the fact that the mph difference between the two was not too big. Those of you who want to enjoy more of the action should also check out the second clip below, which offers us a 360-degree view from inside the Murcielago.
SUV

FWD

4WD

Dante developed the idea in the 14th century, which is all the more impressive considering that trends keep on coming and going. You can understand the scope of what the Father of the Italian language said if you take a minute and think about how warfare, linguistic barriers, and transport have changed over the course of approximately 700 years.We are in a continuous change, yet history repeats itself over and over again. This reasoning explains how Ray-Ban kept reinventing the Aviator sunglasses every decade since the 1930s. The point Im trying to make is that some things never go out of fashion. This maxim also applies to everything, including the automotive industry. Ever wondered why most carmakers insist on bringing retro back? Its because its cool.This is autoevolution, so the question is, which cars have withstood the test of time? Im not referring to cool cars like the Lancia Stratos, nor I am talking about the most popular cars ever made. I am most interested in telling you what are the oldest nameplates that have been in continuous production ever since the first model rolled off the assembly line.Having said that, I must mention that a few emblematic nameplates didnt make the top 10 either because they arrived too late or because of intermittent production. These cars are the Rolls-Royce Phantom, the Land Rover, the Porsche 911, and the Ford Mustang. Without further ado, lets begin:Yes, this is not a joke. The full-sizebased on a pickup truck platform you can buy from a Chevrolet dealer these days started its life as a station wagon bolted on a commercial frame. The year was 1933 when that happened. Fast-forward to 2016 and here we are today, in the presence of the twelfth generation of this do-everything vehicle.From its humble beginnings in the midst of the Great Depression, the Suburban soldiered on. The outgoing model was presented to the media in 2013, eight decades after the first Suburban was made. A lot has changed over that time, but the essentials havent been altered.The Chevrolet Suburban and platform brother GMC Yukon XL are built around large families and their belongings. Seating for nine people, up to 121.1 cubic feet (3,429 liters) of cargo volume, what more do you want from this thing? 4x4 and a V8? The Suburban can do that as well.I know the Beetle traces its roots back to Nazi Germany. Jewish auto designer Josef Ganz formulated the need for this car, but Adolf Hitler stole his idea. The central figure of the Holocaust contracted a gentleman named Ferdinand Porsche in 1934 to design and build it.The preposterous birth of the Volkswagen ends with Porsche stealing almost every detail from the second Tatra V570 prototype. Google that Czechoslovakian creation, then compare it to the VW. Coincidence? I think not. In 1965, however, Volkswagen agreed to pay Tatra one million Deutsche Marks for all patent infringements.Production of the Beetle started in 1938 and continued until 2003. The modern Beetle landed in 1998, changing the arse-engined and RWD layout to front-engined and. Look on the bright side of the matter, though - the contemporary Beetle is a pretty funky machine.The Jeep as we know it today started life as a military vehicle in 1941. Built by Willys-Overland and Ford under the names of Model MB and Model GPW, the military slang for thisutility vehicle is Jeep. Care to guess how the term became fixed in public awareness?It was early 1941 when Willys-Overland staged a press event in Washington D.C. to prove the off-road prowess of the Model MB. The test driver had to go up capitol hill with a reporter on board to tell the story. That test driver heard the military personnel on the scene refer to the Model MB as the Jeep. When asked by the reporter whats the name of the car, the Willys-Overland test driver replied: Its a Jeep.A year later, the term was included in a dictionary of military slang entitled Words of the Fighting Forces. From 1945 onwards, Willys-Overland adapted the Jeep for civilian use. Compared to a Model MB, the CJ-1 adds a tailgate, drawbar, and a redesigned canvas top. At the present moment, Jeep is owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and is the best-selling American car brand in the world.From a technical point of view, the Unimog isnt a car, but it has been in continuous production since 47, the year David Bowie and the CIA were born. Thanks to its go-anywhere capability, the Unimog went as far as rainforests, savannas, deserts, Antarctica, you name it.Its off-road prowess is legendary. Originally designed to be used in agriculture, the Unimog became even more versatile after Daimler took over manufacturing in 1951. The Unimog story took off when the three-pointed star began to dominate the front grille of the gentle giant.Except the 404 S series from 1955, all Unimog models made by Daimler have a diesel engine under the hood because diesel equals torque and torque is good for all-terrain chores. Maybe its the portal axles, I dont know what it is, but I always wanted to drive a Unimog.As far as pickup trucks are concerned, nothing stands out from the crowd more than the F-Series. The first generation was just a car-based workhorse, but FoMoCo realized the potential of the F-Series, which is why succeeding generations got more and more truck-like.Now at its thirteenth generation, the Ford F-Series is at the top of the full-size pickup truck game thanks to military-grade aluminum and diversity. From unpretentious work truck to an F-150 Limited that tops $60,000, theres a light-duty F-Series for each and every one of us.The Super Duty series follows the same recipe, yet things can get properly expensive if youre not careful with the options list. The pickup has come to define the American way and the F-Series has become Americas favorite truck. For 33 consecutive years and counting.Believe it or not, the Toyota Land Cruiser is based on a Bantam MK II military vehicle found by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1941 somewhere in the Philippines. After it was brought back to Japan, the army commissioned Toyota to build something similarly capable.The Toyota AK10 was born, but this model acts as the spiritual predecessor of the Toyota Land Cruiser. It was 1951 when the real deal started production. The Toyota Jeep BJ is nothing more than an all-terrain vehicle made to Willys-Overlands exact specifications.Three years later, Toyota technical director Hanji Umehara was inspired by the Land Rover to create the Land Cruiser name. Despite the rebranding, nothing much was changed from the original design. If it werent for the 1941 Willys MB Jeep, the Toyota Land Cruiser and the Land Rover wouldnt have existed. And the rest, as they say, is history.I apologize to the men and women who make the Viper, but its the Corvette that deserves the title of Americas supercar. With 650 ponies and more torque than most can handle, the Corvette Z06 is one hell of a machine. Even Hellcat owners tremble when they hear the name.Mind you, the seventh-generation Corvette is extremely different from the C1. When it debuted at the 1953 New York Auto Show, the first-gen Corvette was nothing more than a convertible with a solid rear axle and a straight-6 engine with not too many bragging rights. It was the 1955 model year that introduced a 4.3-liter (265 cu.in.) V8 to the Corvette.It was the first small-block V8 made by Chevrolet. Like all firsts, this one was flawed. The golden bowtie couldnt give the 265 a proper provision for oil filtration. Because it relies on an add-on filter mounted on the thermostat holding, the 265 cu.in small block can be capricious.When it was introduced, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (W198) was a car of many firsts. The gull-wing doors are the defining details of the car that came to be known as the Gullwing. The 300 SL was the fastest production car in the world thanks to a top speed of 260 km/h (161 mph).The 3.0-liter M198 direct fuel injected engine was interesting and all, but without it, Mercedes-Benz wouldnt have built the W198. It was Max Hoffman, the official importer of Daimler-Benz in the United States, that suggested to the upper echelon of the company to make a street version of the W194 race car. Yes, that W194 that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans.Some say that beauty is only skin deep, but the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing is more than meets the eye. The current generation of the SL, on the other hand, is just a grand tourer with a retractable hardtop.Citroen may have built the car that popularized front-wheel-drive, but it is the Mini that perfected the concept. Even though is was developed to be an economy car, the Mini proved to be a hoot to drive. But lets ignore all that go kart-like handling mumbo jumbo youve certainly heard before.What is really interesting about the Mini is the packaging. Sir Alec Issigonis, the designer, was obsessed with that word. It is the industrys term for efficient accommodation. This is why the original Mini was equipped with a space-saving transverse engine and rubber cones instead of springs. Thats interesting and all, but the real magic of the Mini is that it is the first considered to be socially classless.Everyone in the UK could afford one back in the Swinging Sixties, even those snobs with the in crowd. Other than capitalizing the nameplate, the BMW-made MINI differs from the original because it was developed as a premium product from the get-go and it is being marketed as one.The 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang may be based on the platform of the Ford Falcon, but thats not the Falcon I have in mind. I am referring to the Falcon made and sold in Australia, the one that is scheduled to end production later this year. It is tearjerking, but all good stories come to an end. Eventually.In the late 1950s, Holden was on a roll in the Land Down Under and Ford sucked its thumb because Aussies werent convinced by the Zephyr. Therefore, the Blue Oval needed a proper Oz-grade car to rival General Motors-owned Holden. A factory was built in 59 and the Falcon was born.I could go on and ramble about what made the first generation a hit in Australia, but I dont wish to bore you with that. Instead, Ill pose a question: what car does Max drive in the first Mad Max movie and what car does the baddie drive in the opening scene? Yes, Max chose the Ford Falcon over the Holden Monaro. I think I made my point.
According to Alan Brown, the head of Volkswagens National Dealer Advisory Council, the decisions that Michael Horn made as gestures of goodwill to the owners of dieselgate-affected vehicles were not appreciated by his German counterparts.According to Mr. Brown, the clash that started over $1,000 gift cards and vouchers for use in Volkswagen dealerships was one of many between the former Volkswagen of America CEO and his German equivalents.Alan Brown represents a Volkswagen dealer in Texas, and he claims that Horn has had several differences with Wolfsburg bosses over the two years he spent as CEO of Volkswagen of America.Some of the unconfirmed reports include requests from Horn for Volkswagen to introduce more SUVs to the American market, as well as other cars that were best suited to customers preferences in the country. However, the source mentioned by Mr. Brown reports that the demands of Michael Horn were often denied by Volkswagen leaders.The Volkswagen Dealer Council official states that Michael Horn has done an excellent job as CEO of the American branch of Volkswagen. According to a formal statement of the Council, Mr. Horn secured commitments for better products for US customers, and he also managed to repair fractured relations with the company and dealers.These relations were reportedly eroded for decades by failed promises of success. The promises allegedly came from the mother company, Volkswagen AG.Meanwhile, the spokesperson responsible for Volkswagen declined to comment an inquiry made by Associated Press regarding this topic. This week, Mr. Michael Horn has announced that he decided to leave the company and pursue other opportunities.Sources close to Alan Brown claimed that the leaders in Wolfsburg wanted to move Horn to another subsidiary, but the former CEO insisted on leaving because he was upset the company brought an executive above him in the chain of command of Volkswagen of America.
11 March 2016 15:31 (UTC+04:00)

By Nazrin Gadimova

At a time when the conflicts are shattered all around the world undermining overall security challenges, many experts urge that Nagorno-Karabakh conflict poses a serious threat to stability in the region.

The current stagnation in the peace process intrigued many interested parties to suggest ways of settlement, but they turn out inefficient to help resolving the long lasting conflict.

The Baku Global Forum, which is underway in Azerbaijan's capital with the participation of outstanding political figures to discuss various topics, including regional threats, also made a number of calls to intensify the Karabakh peace process.

Prominent participants of the event voiced their views on the conflict that evolved in 1988 as a result of Armenian aggression. The unfair war has entailed occupation of the Nagorno Karabakh and seven surrounding districts which make up 20 percent of the Azerbaijani territory.

Croatian former president Stefan Mesic said that the two-day forum pays special attention to the search of ways out of various conflicts.

Touching upon the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Mesic said that this issue should be resolved peacefully.

"First of all, the international community needs to know how the Nagorno-Karabakh was occupied," he said.

Turkeys former foreign minister Hikmet Cetin, in turn, believes that solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be beneficial not only for Azerbaijan but also for the entire region.

"I believe that this conflict can be resolved by peaceful means, he said. Azerbaijan also seeks to resolve the conflict peacefully. I hope that the major world powers, the United Nations will make the necessary efforts to resolve the conflict.

Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, ISESCO head, admits that the international community should pay more attention to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as to the withdrawal of belligerent Armenian forces from the Azerbaijani territories. He stressed that the world should pay attention to the return of refugees to their lands.

"The position of ISESCO remains unchanged -- we support justice and call for the immediate withdrawal of Armenian troops from Azerbaijani territories, as well as cessation of the occupation, Altwaijri added.

Secretary General of the Club of Madrid, Carlos Westendorp, in turn, believes that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must not be frozen.

"It must be resolved through dialogue and negotiations, as good neighborly relations between the countries are very important. It will be good both for the country [Azerbaijan] and for its neighbor [Armenia]. The neighbor must also admit that the occupation of territory through force is not allowed and there are always ways to solve the situation by negotiations, Westendorp stressed.

Addressing the forum, Viktor Zubkov, Chair of the Russian Gazproms Board of Directors said that Russia could act as the main mediator in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

He also said that the resolution of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be carried out through coordinating with Russia, stressing high level of confidence existing between Azerbaijan and Russia.

Tensions between Russia and Turkey have no influence on the South Caucasus, Zubkov added.

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Nazrin Gadimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @NazrinGadimova

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11 March 2016 17:05 (UTC+04:00)

By Nazrin Gadimova

Russia has been consistently working within international formats to assist in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts settlement.

Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Russian president made the remark on March 11, TASS reports.

He stressed that the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be resolved only by the parties of this conflict, but not international mediators. The final decisions, final initiatives can be put forward only by the parties to the conflict, Peskov added.

For over two decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict which emerged over Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions.

Although diplomats of Russia, the United States and France  the co-chair countries of the mediating Minsk Group  have been brokering for the peace in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, no real breakthrough have been achieved for more than 20 years.

Russia, which enjoys much influence on Armenia, is considered a key party in brokering a lasting solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Lately, Russian leader Vladimir Putin received his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan in Moscow to discuss issues of the mutual interest, including the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

Although, during his Moscow talks, Sargsyan voiced Yerevans commitment to a peaceful solution of the conflict, the presidents deeds not match his words.

The Armenian side frequently resorts to provocations on the frontline causing losses of life not only among the servicemen, but also among civilians and undermining the peace process.

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Nazrin Gadimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @NazrinGadimova

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11 March 2016 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Mohamed A. El-Erian

Earlier this year, financial markets around the world were forced to navigate a perfect storm  a violent disruption fueled by an unusual amalgamation of smaller disturbances. Financial volatility rose, unsettling investors; stocks went on a rollercoaster ride, ending substantially lower; government bond yields plummeted, and lenders found themselves in the unusual position of having to pay for the privilege of holding an even bigger amount of government debt (almost one-third of the total).

The longer these disturbances persisted, the greater the threat to a global economy already challenged by structural weaknesses, income and wealth inequalities, pockets of excessive indebtedness, deficient aggregate demand, and insufficient policy coordination. And while relative calm has returned to financial markets, the three causes of volatility are yet to dissipate in any meaningful sense.

First, mounting signs of economic weakness in China and a series of uncharacteristic policy stumbles there still raise concerns about the overall health of the global economy. Given that China is the second largest economy in the world, it didnt take long for European officials to reduce their own growth projections, and for the International Monetary Fund to revise downward its expectations for global growth .

Second, there are still legitimate doubts about the effectiveness of central banks, the one group of policymaking institutions that has been actively engaged in supporting sustainable economic growth. In the United States, doubts focus on the willingness of the Federal Reserve to remain unconventional; elsewhere, however, doubts about effectiveness concern central banks ability to formulate, communicate, and implement policy decisions. For example, rather than viewing monetary authorities activism as an encouraging sign of policy effectiveness, markets have been alarmed by the Bank of Japans decision to follow the European Central Bank in taking policy rates even deeper into negative territory.

Third, the system has lost some important safety belts, which have yet to be restored. There are fewer pockets of patient capital stepping in to buy when flightier investors are rushing to the exit. In the oil market, the once-powerful OPEC cartel has stepped back from the role of swing producer on the downside  that is, cutting output in order to stop a disorderly price collapse.

Each of these three factors alone would have attracted the attention of traders and investors around the world. Occurring simultaneously, they unsettled markets. Intra-day volatility rose in virtually every segment of global financial markets; adverse price contagion became more common as more vulnerable entities contaminated the stronger ones; and asset-market correlations were rendered less stable.

All this came in the context of a US economy that continues to be a powerful engine of job creation. But markets were not voting on the most recent economic developments in the US. Instead, they were being forced to judge the sustainability of financial asset prices that, boosted by liquidity, had notably decoupled from underlying economic fundamentals.

In the wake of this volatility, markets have recently regained a more stable footing. Yet the fundamental longer-term challenge of allowing markets to re-price assets to fundamentals in a relatively orderly fashion  and, critically, without causing economic damage that would then blow back into even more unsettled finance  remains.

Indeed, the more frequent the bouts of financial volatility in the months to come, the greater the risk that it will lead consumers to become more cautious about spending, and prompt companies to postpone even more of their investment in new plant and equipment. And, if this were to persist and spread, even the US  a relatively healthy economy  could be forced to revise downward its expectations for economic growth and corporate earnings.

Durably stabilizing todays markets is important, especially for a system that has already assumed too much financial risk. It requires a policy handoff instigated by more responsible behavior on the part of politicians on both sides of the Atlantic  one that undertakes the much-needed transition from over-reliance on central banks to a more comprehensive policy approach that deals with the economys trifecta of structural, demand, and debt impediments (and does so in the context of greater global policy coordination).

Should this handoff occur, its beneficial impact in terms of delivering inclusive growth and genuine global stability would be turbocharged by the productive deployment of cash sitting on companies balance sheets, and by exciting technological innovations that began as firm/sector specific but are now having economy-wide effects. If the handoff fails, the financial volatility experienced earlier this year will not only return; it could also turn out to have been a prologue for a notable risk of recession, greater inequality, and enduring financial instability.

Copyright: Project Syndicate: Is the Perfect Storm Over for Markets?

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11 March 2016 11:18 (UTC+04:00)

By Aynur Karimova

Iran, in a an attempt to save Lake Urmia from droughts, has decided to release some 40 million cubic meters of water from the Mahabad Dam to rescue the lake.

IRNA reported on March 9 that the sluices of the dam were opened a day earlier and will remain open for 25 more days. Currently, over 178 million cubic meters of water is stored behind the dam, which is 80 million more than the figure recorded in 2015.

Lake Urmia, the biggest inland Iranian lake and the third largest saltwater lake on earth, has shrunk in the past decades and is facing a critical situation. The level of water stood at over 5 billion cubic meters until 1991. It then started falling and decreased to 2.5 billion cubic meters over two decades.

James Dorsey, a senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, believes that Iran is following up on suggestions by UN Environment Program and the release of 40 million cubic meters of water from the Mahabad Dam is an important first step in saving Lake Urmia.

"However, a sustainable solution will have to involve a comprehensive integrated water management plan that takes into consideration the basins water budget; balances demands for irrigation, ecosystem preservation, social and human impact and water quality; and factors in national and regional political realities," he wrote in an e-mail to Azernews.

The expert also said that the UNEP has long called for saving Lake Urmia either by adjusting within the basin to allow an adequate environmental flow or by importing water from outside the basin to increase water levels and dilute salinity within the lake.

The UNEP suggested already four years ago that importing water holds out the most promise because of the large volume of water needed, he reminded.

Calculations show that Lake Urmia needs 3.1 billion cubic meters of water per year to survive.

The lake is currently in a state of ecological crisis with major impacts on biodiversity and socio-economic conditions as the water level continuously decreased and salt concentration increased, according to the UN Development Program.

Ecologists say that reduced precipitation apparently because of long-term climate change, more water abstraction from rivers and ground water resources. Increasing trends for water and land development projects in provinces, expansion of agricultural lands, use of traditional irrigation systems, existing of unauthorized irrigation wells, planting crops that consume a lot of water are among the main reasons standing behind the current ecological crisis.

They also claim that wrong agricultural policies, traditional irrigation methods, as well as low precipitation and the flow of domestic and industrial waste into the wetland have also led to drought of Lake Urmia.

Ecologists have repeatedly warned that if the Lake Urmia dries out completely, serious environmental hazards will threaten the lives of people in the area, as well as the fauna and flora of the region will drastically suffer from it.

To deal with this problem, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani set up a working group titled the Committee for Urmia Lake Restoration at a cabinet meeting in 2013.

The government has developed a 9-year plan to restore the lake. If the plan goes well, Lake Urmia would return to its full capacity by 2023.

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Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova

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11 March 2016 10:27 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan`s First Lady, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva met with Iranian Ambassador to the country Mohsen Pakayin on March 10, Azertac state news agency reported .

Mrs. Aliyeva highlighted the successful cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran, adding the political relations contributed to the development of the two countries.

The first lady noted that reciprocal visits of the heads of state strengthened the bilateral ties even more. Mehriban Aliyeva expressed confidence that the cooperation would continue to expand.

Stressing the role of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in developing relations among countries, Mrs. Aliyeva said the Foundation attaches special importance to humanitarian cooperation.

Mehriban Aliyeva expressed confidence that educational and cultural relations between the two countries would be strengthened even further.

Mohsen Pakayin said he has been the ambassador in Azerbaijan for more than two years. He spoke of historical and cultural ties between the two countries. Pakayin praised the activity of the Foundation.

Political, economic and humanitarian relations between Azerbaijan and France are developing, said Mrs. Aliyeva in a meeting with French Ambassador to the country Aurelia Bouchez.

Mrs. Aliyeva said the high-level meetings of the heads of state contributed to the strengthening of the ties between the two countries even more. Noting that many French companies were operating in Azerbaijan, Mrs. Aliyeva hailed the humanitarian cooperation between the two countries.

Head of Azerbaijan-France interparliamentary friendship group Mehriban Aliyeva also said good relations were established between the legislative bodies of Azerbaijan and France.

The first lady noted that the Heydar Aliyev Foundation realized and supported a number of projects in France, adding these projects contributed to bringing the two countries` peoples closer to each other.

Mehriban Aliyeva expressed confidence that the bilateral cooperation would be continued with the support of Ambassador Bouchez.

Bouchez, in turn, said she was honored to meet with the first lady of Azerbaijan, and hailed Azerbaijani-French as robust.

The French ambassador underlined that relations between the two countries were developing in all spheres.

The Heydar Aliyev Foundation chaired by Mehriban Aliyeva aims to support socio-economic and humanitarian development within the country and abroad. Charity is one of the key priorities in the activities of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation also places special emphasis on the mutual enrichment of various cultures and civilizations, the expansion of dialogue among nations, and the preservation of the traditions of tolerance.
11 March 2016 10:15 (UTC+04:00)

President of Bulgaria Rosen Plevneliev has received honorary doctorate from Baku State University.

Rector Abel Maharramov presented doctorate to the Bulgarian leader in a ceremony that was attended by the university`s students, teaching staff and professors.

The rector informed the audience about President Plevneliev`s biography, describing him as one of the prominent politicians in the world. Mr Plevneliev has played a crucial role in ensuring prosperity of Bulgaria, strengthening democratic values, ensuring the country`s European integration. He has also made a vital contribution to the development of science and education.

Maharramov also hailed the Bulgarian President`s attitude towards Azerbaijan. Since the day of his election as president Mr Plevneliev has supported Azerbaijan`s just stance on the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute. He attaches particular emphasis to Bulgarian-Azerbaijani relations.

The rector handed a certificate and cloak of honorary doctor to the Bulgarian President.

Addressing the ceremony, Plevneliev said: From now on Baku State University is my university. He promised to attend events celebrating the university`s centennial in 2019.

He praised Bulgarian-Azerbaijani relations, saying his country was interested in developing cooperation in the field of education.

The ceremony featured a question-and-answer session with the Bulgarian President, Azertac state news agency reported.

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11 March 2016 10:37 (UTC+04:00)

Russian President Vladimir Putin handed the Order of Friendship of the Russian Federation to First Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Yagub Eyyubov in a ceremony in Moscow on March 10.

Yagub Eyyubov said he was extremely honored to receive the Order, and thanked President Vladimir Putin.

The Azerbaijani First Deputy Premier was awarded for his contributions to the strengthening of friendship and cooperation and the expansion of economic and cultural relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, Azertac state news agency reported.

Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia is based on the principles of mutual respect and good neighborly relations. Being long-time partners, the two countries are keen to continue developing multilateral cooperation in the future.

Economic ties between Baku and Moscow are at a high level as well. Azerbaijan's State Customs Committee reported earlier that the Azerbaijani-Russian trade turnover amounted to $1.85 billion in 2015. Some $416.77 million accounted for the export to Russia.

Today, more than 600 companies with Russian capital operate in Azerbaijan. Russian investments in the countrys economy have recently amounted to more than $1.8 billion. The leading Azerbaijani companies successfully operate in the regions of the Russian Federation. Direct Azerbaijani investments in the Russian economy have amounted to more than $1 billion for the last 10 years.

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11 March 2016 11:38 (UTC+04:00)

The delegation headed by Azerbaijan`s Justice Minister, Chairman of Judicial-Legal Council Fikrat Mammadov visited Vietnam on March 7-10 upon the invitation his Vietnamese counterpart to further expand legal relations between Azerbaijan and Vietnam within development of the bilateral relations.

Having noted the relation of friendship and effective cooperation between the two countries, Mammadov reminded historical visits of the great leader Heydar Aliyev to this country and the great son of the Vietnamese people Ho Chi Minh to Azerbaijan. He also noted special role of mutual visits of the heads of states in the last two years in strengthening of bilateral ties and signing of important documents in various areas.

Mammadov highlighted the large-scale legal reforms carried out under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev.

Noting special significance which is attached in Vietnam to full cooperation with Azerbaijan, Vietnamese Minister Ha Hung Cuong reminded the support given by Azerbaijan to his country during fight for independence and the help in preparation of national specialists.

Ha Hung Cuong has noted that he knows about comprehensive dynamic progress of Azerbaijan, about the development of judicial and legal system, that success achieved by Azerbaijan in this area arouses great interest, and its positive experience will be taken into account when carrying out legal reforms in Vietnam.

After negotiations, the sides have signed the cooperation agreement between the Ministries of Justice of two countries.

The document envisions expansion of cooperation between judicial authorities, mutual visits of delegations, training of justice personnel, legal researches and teaching, and also implementation of other actions interesting for both parties.

The parties have expressed confidence that this important document would be successfully realized and make valuable contribution to development of mutual cooperation. Having noted importance of the agreement, the Vietnamese minister has specified that it will give ample opportunities for studying of the experience of Azerbaijan.

During the visit, Azerbaijan`s minister also met with a number of Vietnamese authorities, held a series of meetings. Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Vietnam Anar Imanov attended the meetings, Azertac state news agency reported.

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11 March 2016 11:38 (UTC+04:00)

The 4th Global Baku Forum titled Towards a Multipolar World is underway in Baku.

The International Center of Nizami Ganjavi in cooperation with the InterAction Council, the Club of Madrid, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the Club of Rome, as well as World Academy of Science and Culture is organizing the forum.

The two-day event brought together seven incumbent presidents, 27 former presidents, one vice-president, 23 former prime ministers, a lot of incumbent and former officials, heads of authoritative international organizations, famous politicians and experts.

Heads of states and governments, prominent public and political figures, authoritative experts hold discussions and exchange of views on various topics, including international security; regional threats; serious consequences of global economic challenges; climate change and energy policy: role of oil-producing countries; multiculturalism; interreligious dialogue and mutual integration.

The conflicts on ethnic, religious and political grounds, global challenges in the democratic development, education, and environment are also the topics of the current event.

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11 March 2016 11:56 (UTC+04:00)

Trend Agency has had an exclusive interview with the President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili, who earlier arrived in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to take part in the Fourth Global Baku Forum.

The interview with the president touched upon such important topics as the relations between Georgia and Azerbaijan, stability in the South Caucasus, as well as cooperation in economy, tourism, transportation and energy industry.

Speaking about the relations between his country and Azerbaijan, President Margvelashvili said he is very happy to be in Baku and see the city develop so rapidly and dramatically.

I am happy to see our Azerbaijani friends and I am very happy to see once again my good friend [President of Azerbaijan] Ilham Aliyev, he said.

President Margvelashvili described the relations between Georgia and Azerbaijan as perfect.

We have a longstanding partnership, which I would call a strategic partnership, he said.

Margvelashvili noted that this partnership is determining the future of not only Georgia and Azerbaijan, but also the future of many other countries.

He said the Georgia-Azerbaijan partnership has turned into a relationship that is influencing the countries in Europe and Asia.

He said this relationship has only perfect perspectives in the future, adding that the countries' leaders have to build a great future on the great past.

Margvelashvili also said the two countries' joint contribution to strengthening of stability in the region was discussed at his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev.

"President Aliyev and I see the future the same way. We think that we should bring opportunities and we should show the Caucasus as a region of opportunities, because that is the reality that we have to develop, he said.

He added that the great project of the Silk Road shows that the Caucasian and the Caspian-Black sea cooperation is really a crucial part of this very important process, and a very important part of the relations on the Eurasian continent.

"And in this respect what we offer to our partners is the closest and most efficient route for the delivery of not only energy supplies, but there are also the transportation projects, logistical projects," he added.

So, by doing so we both believe that we build security and stability, he said. It is not only economic benefits that we envision in this process, but it is the security benefits as well.

He added that in todays world, it is very important that other countries, and maybe the countries in different regions, are interested in having a stable route of supplies and communications.

Margvelashvili said Georgia and Azerbaijan, by strengthening their relations, by strengthening this part of the Silk Road, are bringing more stability into the region, and the bringing interest of dozes of countries located to both the east and the west of the Caucasus.

So, that is how we look at this, he added. Of course, both of us understand the complications that are in the region, the complications that have actually become even more complicated during the recent two years.

But the complications have to be overcome by the great example of partnership of our two nations, he said.

Relations in tourism sector

Margvelashvili further said he and President Ilham Aliyev have discussed the tourism opportunities.

He described the tourism opportunities between the two countries as very interesting.

Because people come to Azerbaijan, people come to Caspian Sea, people come to Georgia, and people come to Black Sea, and both of these regions are very interesting, he said.

Those regions could be packaged together and we could think about doing packaged programs and packaged projects that could be more easily advertised and could bring more tourists, added the president.

He said both Georgia and Azerbaijan have great opportunities for historical tourism, for tourism that is related with resorts and with healthcare.

And if we package these together, I believe that those projects and those products would be even more interesting, he added. So, we agreed today that we would engage our appropriate agencies to cooperate in this direction.

He also spoke about the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project and recalled that the project is going to be completed at the end of this year.

We look at this project not only as an economic project, but also as a great opportunity to share with our Azerbaijani, Turkish and Georgian friends, he said.

He said Georgias transportation and communication infrastructure is also being developed jointly.

Economic cooperation

Further speaking about the economic cooperation between Georgia and Azerbaijan, President Margvelashvili said Azerbaijani partners are actively investing in the countrys development.

We are actually very thankful for the very active role of SOCAR [State Oil Company of Azerbaijan] in development of Georgia, said the president.

We are very excited with opening of opportunities of the free trade agreement that we have with Europe to our Azerbaijani investors, added the president. So, there are great opportunities, which we have to utilize.

Energy is one of the most interesting areas for investment, Margvelashvili further said.

He added that Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia are in this bridge of energy cooperation and they are very actively developing not only gas and oil cooperation, but also the cooperation in the exchange of electricity.

Georgia has great opportunities in agriculture, in tourism, by the way also in energy, in hydro-energy production, he said. So, all those opportunities are there and we are jointly developing them.

He also said the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey (AGT) Power Bridge Project is a very interesting project and a very important project for Georgia.

And it has been discussed for a while and we are much interested in the project. Still we are developing the feasibility study of this, but I believe that the strategic partnership between Georgia and Azerbaijan  the strategic partnership that has been reflected in many projects  will be continued in this project as well, he said in conclusion.

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11 March 2016 12:31 (UTC+04:00)

Panel meeting entitled 'Global Responsibility for Syria: towards action plan' was held in the framework of IV Global Baku Forum on March 10.

Panel meeting moderator, Swedish ambassador to Syria Peter Semneby stated issues in Syria shows that no political force is able to put an end to the hard conflict:

Addressing the panel meeting, former Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini emphasized crisis in Syria could lead to degradation of humanity: 'This is a human tragedy. If you are talking about a person, number does not matter'.

The UN should have the right to take measures to prevent wars, he said, adding that the UN should also have the function of controlling peacekeeping forces.

Further, he noted that it is necessary to find ways of resolving the Syrian crisis. It can also affect the situation in the region, he said, adding that Syrias unity is of great importance.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien stated the main problem is problem of Syrian refugees.

In the panel meeting, former Croatian President Stjepan Mesic noted that two major problems exist and these problems concern the entire world.

Former Lebanese President Amine Gemayel stressed external intervention in Syria's internal affairs should be prevented.

Stating Russia's becoming a major force in Syria, Former Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hikmet Cetin said Syrian crisis is a test for the whole world.

He noted despite powerful army of Bashar al-Assad, support by Russia and Iran is undeniable fact, Azertac state news agency reported.

The Fourth Global Baku Forum is of great importance for the whole world, Hikmet Cetin told reporters on the sidelines of the forum.

By hosting this event, Azerbaijan shows that it is interested in discussing not only its own problems, but also global issues and the country is open for a dialogue, he added.

Azerbaijan organizes very important forums and each time brings together the world leaders, said the former minister.

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11 March 2016 13:54 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijans Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov and other officials of the Ministry have visited military units on the front line.

Hasanov inspected the combat readiness and social conditions of the military personnel. The minister was informed that the personnel serving in the posts in high mountainous areas are supplied with packaged foods, including national dishes, belongings, fuel and heating.

He visited a command observation post located in one of the units, where he was informed of the operational situation and ongoing defense activities.

The Defense Ministry leadership frequently visits the frontline military units to check combat readiness of the servicemen, who frequently face enemy sabotages and attacks. The country also regularly holds military drills to check the training level and fighting capability of the army.

Standing strong against Armenia's unceasing operations along the line of contact, the Azerbaijani leadership empowers the military and has moved to formulate the necessary armament policy by adhering to international requirements.

Azerbaijan's internationally recognized Nagorno-Karabakh territory turned into a conflict zone following Armenia's aggression in the early 1990s. As a result of an armed invasion, 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory fell under Armenian occupation. Nonetheless, the OSCE has attempted to foster a peaceful resolution to this conflict amid Armenia's persistent derailment.

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11 March 2016 14:22 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev has today received the Islamic Republic of Iran Border Guard Commander, Qasem Rezaee, Azertac state news agency reported.

Recalling his recent visit to Iran, the head of state said the visit produced wonderful results and stressed the importance of the fact that the two countries signed 12 documents on the bilateral cooperation.

President Aliyev said cooperation between the two countries covered all areas and was rapidly developing. He pointed to the history of ties between the Azerbaijani and Iranian border services, adding that the visit of Rezaee would give impetus to these relations. The head of state said the two countries and nations were bound together by ties of history.

The president further said Azerbaijan and Iran were jointly addressing international challenges, and underlined the significance of expanding the coordination of the activity of the two countries` border services and deepening their cooperation.

Rezaee, in turn, hailed the importance of President Aliyev`s and Iranian President Hasan Rouhani`s supporting the development of relations between the border services.

He praised President Aliyev`s last visit to Iran, saying fruitful discussions were held during the trip Rezaee said high-level reciprocal visits would give impetus to the expansion of cooperation between the border services of Azerbaijan and Iran.

During the Baku visit, Rezaee also mulled operational conditions on the state border with Chief of the Azerbaijani State Border Service Elchin Guliyev.

They explored prospects of bilateral relations between Azerbaijans State Border Service and Iranian Border Troops. They also discussed ways of addressing common threats along borders, joint fight against illegal drug trafficking and organized crime as well as protection of borders.

The two highlighted the importance of enhancing cooperation between border agencies in ensuring security on Azerbaijan-Iran border, border checkpoints and in the Caspian Sea basin.

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11 March 2016 16:58 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijans leader Ilham Aliyev received Vladimir Kulishov, Deputy Director of the Russian Federation's Federal Security Service and head of the Border Service, on March 11, Azertac state news agency reported.

President Aliyev expressed hope that Kulishov`s visit to the country would be fruitful in terms of discussing the issues on the agenda of the bilateral cooperation and coordinating the joint activity.

The head of state said the border services of the two countries enjoyed good cooperation. President Aliyev stressed the importance of further deepening cooperation, saying that this could help people communicate and engage in trade, ensure entrepreneurs` unhindered border crossing, and also prevent criminal elements, smugglers, terrorists and illegal drug traffickers.

The head of state said the border services of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation had common goals and tasks. President Aliyev hailed the strengthening of the joint efforts, and emphasized the significance of improving mutual activity.

Kulishov, for his part, recalled his previous meetings with President Aliyev, and also highlighted the regular meetings with Azerbaijani counterparts held in Azerbaijan and Russia.

He hailed cooperation and joint activity of the border services of the countries as constructive. Kulishov said the border services maintained contacts not only at senior management level, but also at the level of experts. He added that this played a vital role in controlling situation on the border, preventing crimes and building a sustainable border security system.

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11 March 2016 18:11 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani President`s Assistant for Public and Political Affairs, Ali Hasanov has paid a visit to Japan this week, Azertac state news agency reports.

The visit aimed to discuss the current state and developing prospects of bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries.

During the visit, Hasanov has met Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan Hiroshige Seko who highlighted the role of Azerbaijan in ensuring the energy security of Europe.

Hiroshige Seko also said Azerbaijan`s role in ensuring the security and peace increased in the entire region and the world. On importance of Hasanovs visit to Japan Hiroshige Seko applauded the development of relations between the two countries, saying his country was interested in broader economic cooperation with Azerbaijan.

Hasanov, in turn, stressed the importance of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Japan in bilateral and international level.

The top official also emphasized the significance of continuing the implementation of investments by Japanese companies to Azerbaijan.

Speaking about the dynamic development of Azerbaijan, as well as the reforms course carried out by President Ilham Aliyev, Hasanov said the country conducted independent, active and stabilizing foreign policy.

Stressing the importance of reciprocal visits in development of bilateral relations, the Assistant handed over the letter of invitation of President Aliyev to Hiroshige Seko on Premier Shinzo Abe`s official visit to Azerbaijan.

Hasanov further met Director General of the Office for the Promotion of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games under Japan`s Cabinet of Ministers, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister for healthcare and sport affairs Takeo Hirata, Vice-Minister for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Miki Yamada.

They exchanged views on prospects of relations between the two countries in economic, cultural, social and sport fields.

The sides stressed that such visits would play a vital role in bringing the two nations closer to each other.

Azerbaijan`s Ambassador to Japan Gursel Ismayilzade was also present at the meetings.

President`s Assistant for Public and Political Affairs Ali Hasanov was interviewed by Japanese Kyodo News and JIJI Press.

Assistant Ali Hasanov has visited Hiroshima and Kyoto cities of Japan.

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11 March 2016 10:35 (UTC+04:00)

The Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) doesnt plan to abandon the floating exchange rate..

The CBA denied the information about plans to abandon the floating exchange rate from March 18.

No letter with such content was sent by the Central Bank to commercial banks, the Bank reported on March 11. The exchange rate of manat is set based on the demand and supply on the currency market in accordance with the floating exchange rate.

The CBA switched to the floating rate of manat on December 21, 2015 as a result of which the exchange rate of dollar and euro increased by 47.6 percent and 47.9 percent and stood at 1.55 and 1.685 manats, respectively.

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11 March 2016 12:26 (UTC+04:00)

Natig Amirov, Azerbaijani presidential aide on economic reforms has announced that Azerbaijans GDP has grown by 3.2 times over the past ten years.

During this period, the non-oil sector has grown by 2.6 times, industrial production  2.7 times, agriculture  1.5 times, investments  6.5 times and the average monthly salary  5.5 percent, Amirov said in the roundtable on AmCham Support to Economic Reforms.

The presidential aide noted that over 1.2 million jobs, including, 900,000 permanent jobs and 55,600 enterprises were created in Azerbaijan as a result of the measures taken by the country.

The unemployment rate has dropped to five percent, while poverty has decreased to 5.3 percent, said Amirov.

Over $130 billion was invested in Azerbaijans economy. The foreign trade turnover and the non-oil export have grown by 6.4 times and 4.5 times, respectively, he added.

During this period, 19,400 business entities have received preferential loans worth of over 1.2 billion manats, Amirov said.

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11 March 2016 13:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

New cars will be manufactured in Azerbaijan, as Ganja Automotive Plant and Russian Ural Automotive Plant have signed an agreement on co-production of Ural automobile.



The document was inked by Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Plant Khanlar Fatiyev and CEO of AZ "Ural" Viktor Kadylkin.

New cars are expected to go for sale in Azerbaijan and third countries.

Azerbaijan will assemble and sell the entire process line of Ural cars. The contract involves assemble of 500 vehicles a year in the Ganja Automobile Plant, which will be sold domestically and in third countries, the Plant reported.

During his visit to the plant, Kadylkin acquainted with the company and its production process, underlining the high level of training, industrial power, capability and experience of the Ganja Plant.

Ganja Automobile Plant was established in 2004. At first, the number of employees was 85 people and now their number has reached 700.

In 2010 Ganja Automotive Plant, Minsk Automotive Plant and German Haller company signed an agreement on installation utility equipment by the German company to the automobile division of the Ganja Plant.

In 2006, Ganja and Minsk automobile plants inked an agreement on manufacturing and sale all kinds of trucks and tractors of the Minsk Automotive Plant in Azerbaijan.

Ganja Plant is capable to manufacture up to 1,000 trucks and 2,000 tractors per year.

Currently, the Plant is assembling Belarus and MAZ automobiles. The company gives a one-year guarantee to the equipment produced by the plant. It also ensures quality services in all regions of the country.

Azerbaijan is currently works to develop its car manufacturing industry and encourages interior purchases within the country.

President Ilham Aliyev recommended to officials buy more of domestically produced automobiles, during the conference dedicated to The State Program on Socio-Economic Development of Regions on January 26.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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The following article, originally in Arabic, is adapted from Are We Serious about Facing Takfirist Ideology? from the 19th September 2013, by Habib Ali Zayn al-Abidin ibn Abd ar-Rahman al-Jifri.

Three years ago in the Southern Turkish city of Mardin, Shaykh Abdullah ibn Mahfuzh ibn Bayyahs (r.a.) Global Center for Renewal and Guidance, in association with Artuklu University, convened a conference. It had two primary purposes: first, to carefully examine and review the classification of diyar, domains, in Islamic law and how this pertains to the concepts of jihad, loyalty and enmity, al-wala wa al-bara; citizenship and emigration; and second, to discuss the fatwa of Shaykh Taqi ad-Din Ahmad ibn Abd al-Halim ibn Taymiyyah (r.a.), commonly known as The Fatwa of Mardin, in which he deduced a new ruling for a jurisprudential classification of the world into domains of dar al-kufr, unbelief; dar al-islam, Islam; and dar al-ahd, covenant. Shaykh ibn Taymiyyah (r.a.) considered Mardin to belong to both a domain of unbelief and domain of Islam  unbelief due to its being ruled by the non-Muslim Tartars, and Islam due to its residents being Muslim. During the course of the conference Shaykh ibn Bayyah proposed a reevaluation of the traditional jurisprudential classification of domains. In light of modern political developments governing international relations and a global acceptance for United Nations treaties that have helped the world transition to a period of relative peaceful coexistence he suggested that the traditional classification would need to be reviewed.

Shaykh ibn Bayyah expressed his concern over a particular word found in the Arabic printed edition of the fatwa. The The Fatwa of Mardin is found in Shaykh ibn Taymiyyahs (r.a.) Majmu al-Fatawa, Compilation of Religious Edicts, a comprehensive collection of edicts he issued throughout his life. Shaykh ibn Bayyah requested that it be reviewed for its authenticity as it appeared linguistically to be unsuitably placed in the context of the text. Dr. Ahmad al-Raysuni, a member of the Islamic Fiqh Council at the Muslim World League in Makkah, objected, on the grounds that this request will open the door for skepticism and doubt in the traditional sources of knowledge. Shaykh ibn Bayyahs response was that such a request was sanctioned and reviewing the text to ascertain its accuracy is in fact a service to the Islamic tradition.

Thus, we requested a copy of the only available manuscript of Shaykh ibn Taymiyyahs (r.a.) Compilation of Religious Edicts, that is found in the Zhahirriyah library in Damascus. Upon reviewing the text, we found that Shaykh ibn Bayyahs reservations regarding the word yuqatal were correct. The text in question as found in the printed editions of the fatwa read, Yuamal al-Muslimu fiha bima yastahiquhu wa yuqatal al-kharij an shariat al-Islam bima yastahiquhu, meaning (Mardin is of a third category) in which the Muslim shall be treated as he merits, and in which the one who departs from the shariah shall be fought as he merits. Whereas, the text in the manuscript read, Yuamal al-Muslimu fiha bima yastahiquhu wa yuamal al-khariju an shariat al-Islam bima yastahiquhu, meaning, (Mardin is of a third category) in which the Muslim shall be treated as he merits, and in which the one who departs from the shariah shall be treated as he merits.

The appearance of this distortion in printed editions of the fatwa over the last 100 years has provided takfirists with one of their most important justifications for the shedding of blood and taking of life. The former mufti of Egypt, Shaykh Abu Ubadah Nur ad-Din Ali ibn Jumaah, wrote an article on this issue and the Dar al-Ifta of Egypt issued a related fatwa. Despite the fact that this amendment ensures Shaykh ibn Taymiyyahs (r.a.) innocence from that which is falsely ascribed to him, the response from takfirists was unsurprisingly vehement. Amidst a relentless campaign to smear the conference and throw accusations at it in its aftermath, takfirists wrote three works refuting the conferences proceedings. Al-Jazeera, expectedly, was at the head of this smear campaign via its reporting. Its local correspondent used the low attendance at the conference to criticise it as not having gained acceptance among the people of Mardin, ignorant of the fact that the conference was specialist in nature and not for public attendance. Likewise, he was oblivious to the participation of local scholars. Some of the attendees who contributed to drafting the conferences final declaration took part in the smear campaign after having been subjected to criticisms by zealous fanatics.

Despite this, institutions that proclaim to fight terrorism are in a deep slumber and obliviousness to the important outcomes of this conference. Similar is the state of our fiqh councils, faith-based institutions and broadcast and print media. Thus, the most pressing question today is: are we serious in confronting takfirist thought and ideology? If we are, I propose the following suggestions.

Firstly, that governing bodies and political entities immediately halt dealings and interaction with takfirist ideology as and when it is employed as a tool in balance-of-power politics. At times we see some support it and at others they attack it; at times they will cultivate a fertile climate for its growth and spread to later exploit its use in political trade-offs, not minding therein to fight it, if the trade-off requires. This has been the case in many Arab countries over the last twenty years.

Secondly, that our educational and dawah faith-based institutions earnestly and publicly oppose this erroneous ideology through the commissioning of shariah-based studies that are strong in their argument and firm in their jurisprudential precision. These studies must tackle those specious issues which takfirists use to mislead our youth and seize their membership and loyalty, turning them into temporal bombs that will eventually explode here and there.

These studies must be widely disseminated, studied and analysed in schools, mosques, and the different media platforms. They must be discussed through dialectic seminars in which the main exponents of this ideology are invited to discern the right from wrong and for the sincere from them return to the truth. The heretics among them must be publicly silenced through argument. Media outlets must not host them alone without also having someone to respond to them.

Thirdly, religious scholars and leaders should openly declare their rejection of this corrupted ideology. They must fulfill their duty to create awareness without hesitance or fear from threats. Allah (s.w.t.) Took an oath from us to clarify the truth and Warned those who conceal knowledge; He Says:

 

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Those who conceal the Clear (Signs), We have Sent Down, and the Guidance, after We have Made it clear for the people in the Book  on them shall be Allahs Curse and the curse of those entitled to curse. (Surah al-Baqarah:159)

When masses of ulama and faith leaders continuously promulgate the truth, followers and exponents of takfirist ideology will be powerless to respond.

Fourthly, we: scholars, intellectuals, governments, organisations and media, must have the courage to acknowledge our own unintended involvement in creating the climate for the spread of takfirist ideology. By being derelict in our duty to educate the youth of this ummah in the understanding of their religion they became prey to all who falsely claim jihad in Allahs (s.w.t.) way. This is especially the case when we consider the anger people feel at the weakness, defeat, retardation and corruption we live and experience on a daily basis.

We must be earnest in working towards the restoration of high regard for time-honoured shariah seminaries like Al-Azhar in Egypt, al-Zaytuna in Tunisia, al-Qarawiyyin in Morocco, the Hadramawt and Levant traditions and the seminaries of Mauritania, the Subcontinent and Sudan. Sufficient support to ensure their financial and administrative independence must be made available. Any attempts by adherents of conflicting persuasions to tamper with these institutions or their time-tested curriculums must be prevented. We must withdraw these institutions from the realm of political competition for power. Their role should be as independent advisors who offer guidance in politics as they currently do with economics, society and other affairs of life.

We must stop confining ourselves to quick fix, superficial solutions. For example, yielding responsibility for dealing with extremist and takfirist ideology to the security apparatus alone. Well-developed security solutions are important. However, we have experienced utter failure due to over-burdening the security apparatus with more than it can be bear in dealing with this matter. Also, searching for ready-made solutions; and adopting singular, independent options when it comes to decision making regarding the correction of devious thought. These all serve only to increase the complexity of existing dilemmas and corroborate delusions held by the youth.

We must dispose of the idea held by some, deluded as it is, that they can possibly derive benefit from the failures of the Islamists. They think they can use these failures to raise a generation of youth who will throw religion behind their backs to enter into the melting pot of a Western-oriented paradigm. Followers of this paradigm think that it represents the end of history and that they have succeeded in imbuing the world with its hue. They say that to dispute it only leads to the inevitability of the clash of civilisations. Continuing to jog behind this mirage will not bring prosperity to any endeavour. Rather, it will only deepen extremism, religious or non-religious, and add the catastrophe of atheistic extremism to the calamity of takfirist extremism.

Paradigms and cultural perspectives that are native to our identity and embrace the variables of our time must be renewed. By such we can proceed to construct a spring from which future generations can be watered and inspired to interact with the wider human community with confidence.

his confidence should free them from the dualism of rigidness and solubility towards an eagerness for coexistence that is based on participation and ambition to contribute to the development of human society. Rigidness here, is to become hardened and insistent on a tradition that was established on the variables of a particular past time. It leads one to become detached from having effect and impact. And solubility is to identify with the other to the extent that one loses their own identity and constants, verified or established matters.

In closing, I remind myself and all who read the Words of Allah (s.w.t.) of the verse:

  

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Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong; they are the ones to attain felicity. (Surah Ali Imran:104)

And the verse:

 

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And be not like a woman who breaks into untwisted strands the yarn she has spun, after it has become strong. Nor take your oaths to practise deception between yourselves, lest one party should be more numerous than another: for Allah will Test you by this; and on the Day of Judgement He will Certainly Make Clear to you (the truth of) that wherein you disagree. (Surah an-Nahl:92)




11 March 2016 14:47 (UTC+04:00)

By Aynur Karimova

Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, the two Caspian littoral countries with favorable strategic positions on the historic Silk Road, have voiced their intention to develop cooperation in the transport sector.

Javid Gurbanov, the head of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC said at an international scientific conference titled "The role of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan on the way of recreation a new "Silk Road" between Europe and Asia" that the two countries consider opening a new route on the Caspian Sea.

The protocol on cooperation in this field has already been signed during the recent visit of the Azerbaijani delegation to Turkmenistan.

We think that if we define the tariffs, then we will be able to provide access of goods to Europe via a new route, originating in Afghanistan and passing through the territory of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, he noted.

Gurbanov believes that due to the lack of favorable tariffs, goods from Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia are mainly transported through other Central Asian countries.

Today, major part of cargoes is transported through Russia and Kazakhstan to the Black Sea bypassing Turkmenistan. If Turkmenistan reconsiders to reduce tariffs, goods can be transported through its territory, he noted.

Azerbaijan, located in the cradle of the Caspian Sea, plays a gateway role between not only the east and west, but also the north and south.

Settled in between the West and East, the Land of Fire is positioned on one of the most important trade and transit routes to Europe. Taking the favorable geographic position into account, the Azerbaijani government is engaged in the development and expansion of internal transport corridors.

Goods from China will be delivered to the new port of Aktau in Kazakhstan, which will be connected with the Baku International Sea Trade Port in the Alat settlement, from where they will be transported via the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars route to Turkey and through the Black Sea ports to the European markets, Gurbanov noted.

The volume of freight traffic between Europe and China is about 100 million tons, or about $600-650 billion. It makes about 90 percent of China's exports and about 10-15 percent of European exports. Major part of the cargo accounted for maritime traffic.

"We are currently establishing transport communication for cargo transportation from China (from Urumqi County) to Europe via the territory of Azerbaijan. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will allow transporting cargoes to London," Gurbanov added.

Gurbanov believes that the South-West-Persian Gulf-Black Sea transport corridor, which was initiated by Azerbaijan, will allow access to Georgian ports and further to European markets after the completion of construction of the Astara (Azerbaijan)-Astara (Iran) railway.

The proposed transport corridor will provide more efficient delivery of transit cargoes from the Indian Ocean ports, Bandar Khomeini and Bandar Abbas ports in the Persian Gulf via the railway to Iran, Azerbaijan and Georgian Black Sea ports and vise versa.

Calculations show that if to take the potential of existing infrastructure into account, goods from the Bandar Abbas port to the Poti and Batumi ports will be delivered in seven days, while from the Mumbai port - in 14 days.

In his remarks, Turkmen Ambassador to Azerbaijan Toyli Komekov said that Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan are important partners in the establishment of a new Silk Road between Europe and Asia.

Today Turkmenistan sees the transport sector as one of the main areas of cooperation with world countries given the advantageous geopolitical location of the country.

"Besides the traditionally priority directions of the relations with strategic partners and neighbors, Turkmenistan is carefully studying the new possibilities of interaction with the Middle East countries, including the Persian Gulf. Indeed," he noted.

The ambassador believes that today Turkmenistan enters the world market with its transport and logistics services.

"This proposal is pressing and in demand, which is evidenced by the recently launched new China-Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway and construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railway," he added.

Today, Turkmenistan has been rapidly replenishing its commercial and civil fleet, which is contributing to the expansion of regular passenger and cargo transportation in the Caspian Sea.

Turkmenistan has also launched an international car terminal, where direct international bus links will be established with Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Turkey. The construction of the ferry, passenger and cargo terminals are underway, while the construction of the Ashgabat Airport is at the final stage. After commissioning, the airport will become a major transit point on the continental airways.

Komekov said that given the prospects of development of the economies of the Central Asian nations, mutual turnover of goods and the flow of transit cargoes to these countries through the port Turkmenbashi will increase.

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Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova

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11 March 2016 15:15 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan Airlines has announced the launch of a new campaign due to Novruz holiday.



During the national spring holiday Novruz, anyone can buy two air tickets of the economy or business class for the price of one.

The campaign applies to round-trip tickets from Baku/ to Baku in the following directions: London, Paris, Berlin, Tel Aviv, Beijing and New York. The cost for the second air ticket will not be charged, except for administrative fees.

Sales period within the campaign is March 18 - 27, 2016. Flights period is April 1 - May 31, 2016.

Air tickets purchased within the campaign should be of the same flight and class. According to the terms of the campaign, air tickets can only be exchanged together.

Tickets can be booked on the website of the company www.azal.az and purchased at AZAL sales offices.

To purchase tickets and for more information, please contact: + (99412) 598-88-80 or *8880. E-mail: [email protected]

Azerbaijan Airlines is a major air carrier and one of the leaders of the aviation community of CIS countries. AZAL with the newest airplane fleets, consisting of 25 airplanes, does not have a single old plane.

Being an important member of the International Civil Aviation Organization Council, for its services AZAL received a prestigious "4 Stars" from the leader in air transport research, the world-famous British consulting company Skytrax last June.



--

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11 March 2016 15:50 (UTC+04:00)

Azercell Telecom continues to introduce favorable campaigns for subscribers on the very eve of Novruz holiday. The company has launched a campaign of Refill with present for SimSim subscribers for the period from March 7, 2016 till March 5, 2017. The campaign offers SimSim subscribers a great chance to win 1,000 Azerbaijani manats on the daily basis, 10,000 manats every week and Super Prize  25,000 manats every month. The total prize of the campaign is amounted to 1,027,000 manats.

It is very easy to join the campaign. You just need to top up at least 1 manat via scratch card or other refill methods (except Simkredit and Paycell) during the campaign period and send a blank text message to short number 5353 for free. Every subscriber topping up at least 1 manat and sending SMS to 5353 will get 20 points to participate in the lottery. Any subscriber activating Azercell number during the period will get a chance to send 5 more text messages for free to short number 5353.

Lottery participant may decline his/her participation by texting STOP to the short number. You can get information about total score by texting XAL to short number 5354 for free. Everyone can get information about terms of the lottery, schedule of draws and winners from www.hediyyelibalans.az. The participants may also receive various discounts from a chain store, as well.

Join Refill with present from Azercell campaign and get a chance to win 25,000 manats during this Novruz!

Azercell Telecom LLC was founded in 1996 and since the first years sustains a leading position in the market. Azercell introduced number of technological innovations in Azerbaijan: GSM technology, advance payment mobile services, M2M,MobilBank, GPRS/EDGE (mobile internet), 24/7 Customer Care, full-time operating Azercell Express offices, mobile e-service ASAN imza (ASAN signature) and others.

With 48,2% share of Azerbaijans mobile market Azercells network covers 99,8% of the countrys population. In 2015, the number of Azercells subscribers reached 4,5 million people.

In 2011 Azercell deployed 3G and in 2012 the fourth generation network  LTE in Azerbaijan. The Company is the leader of Azerbaijans mobile communication industry and the biggest investor in the non-oil sector. Azercell is a part of TeliaSonera Group of Companies serving 186 million subscribers in 17 countries worldwide with 27,000 employees.

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11 March 2016 18:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Development of all kinds of tourism is on focus in Azerbaijan today. The country is taking a lot of measures to make the tourism one of the profitable areas of the national economy.

The country has already made decisive steps in this direction, simplifying visa procedure and switching to issuing electronic-visa regime.



Representative of the tourism committee of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Farid Isayev offers to reduce types of visas issued in Azerbaijan up to three.

He made the remark at the round table on the theme "Support of the American Chamber of Commerce of economic reforms carried out in Azerbaijan".

Currently, we have too many types of visas, therefore we believe it is necessary to leave only three of them including Tourist visa", "work visa" and "other visas". The category of "other visa" can be used by foreigners who, for example, come to Azerbaijan for medical treatment. The requirements for obtaining a visa should be simple and universal, he said.

Isayev offered to reduce the number of days required to obtain a work visa.

Now this period is only five days, but in practice, the visa process can take longer. After all, the main thing for business is efficiency, what is so important to entrepreneurs, he emphasized.



The expert stressed if the government wants to attract investors, it is necessary to assist them in obtaining visas.

Isayev said that AmCham proposes to expand the list of countries with which Azerbaijan has visa-free regime.

Currently, this system is applied for the CIS countries. However, Kazakhstan, for example, has canceled the visa regime for Arab countries. We should study this experience and extend the abolition of the visa regime for the non-CIS countries, he added.

Isayev noted that Azerbaijan should also determine the platforms to promote the country as a tourist destination.

Naturally, we would like to attract tourists from all over the world, but we need to understand how to do it, and to conduct propaganda in this direction. It is also necessary to prepare the strategy and concept of tourism development. In all countries where tourism is well developed, there is a corresponding doctrine. For example, in Turkey, such a doctrine existed in the 1980s, and today we see that the Turkish economy is earning billions in tourism. It is also important, this concept to be prepared by not only with the involvement of international experts, but also to be put to public discussion, he underlined.

He thinks, its better to create a working group involving companies and individuals interested in the development of tourism.

Isayev also touched upon the issue of return of foreign low-cost airlines to Azerbaijan.

Earlier, Hungarys WizzAir and Turkish Pegasus companies reported they will restore the flights to Azerbaijan.

Calling it as a positive factor, he mentioned that these companies, however, represent only one segment of the business.

Its necessary to prepare a proposal for the other segments. We propose the introduction of certain benefits and competitors stable rates that other companies were interested in entering the Azerbaijani market, said the general manager.

He also offered to improve the statistics system in tourism.

Azerbaijan is visited by enough tourists, but in practice we see that citizens who come into the country for tourism purposes, get namely a tourist visa. The reason is that receiving tourist visa is easier. As a result, we see that the number of tourists increased, but in practice it cannot determine who and why arrived in the country," Isayev emphasized.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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11 March 2016 17:54 (UTC+04:00)

By Nazrin Gadimova

Risk of cyber-attacks on corporate PCs, websites and networking sites has increased in Azerbaijan, reads a report of the world's top software company Microsoft.

Roughly in 65 percent of cases, unlicensed software is installed in the PCs of employees and every fourth employee downloads independently illegal programs and apps on their PCs, according to the report.

Generally, the same fraudulent scheme is used in the Internet in Azerbaijan, offering to download any Microsoft software products for free. For example, when downloading of programs-on-demand "download Windows free", in 92 out of 100 cases the user runs the risk of losing his confidential data and money.

Microsoft Cybercrime Center reports that about 80 percent of Eastern Europe residents face the actions of cybercriminals. Moreover, 97.5 percent of small and medium businesses companies faced cyber threats at least once during the year.

The level of threats from criminals that use high technologies has been constantly growing, said Dmitry Beresnev, Anti-Piracy Lead at Microsoft. Over the past year, 317 million new malicious programs were created -- it's around one million new cyber threats a day.

To counteract piracy, Beresnev recommends to use licensed software, conduct regular training on the basics of corporate security, as well as to use special hardware and software data protection.

Azerbaijan combats cyber crime on two levels. The first level concerns legal issues, which involves the Justice Ministry, prosecution agencies and other structures, while the second level is technological, which includes operators, and companies providing cyber services that use detection systems and improve cyber security.

The U.S. Symantec Company reported that in 2015, cyber attacks around the world caused material damage worth $159 billion, while 594 million people have become victims of hacker attacks.

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11 March 2016 11:04 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Gusar, one of the most attractive regions of Azerbaijan, has been announced The capital of Azerbaijans folklore 2016.

The north region will hold the title in accordance with the "Folk Art Capitals" program by the Azerbaijani Culture and Tourism Ministry.

During this year Gusar will welcome scientific and practical conferences, round tables, concerts, competitions, festivals, exhibitions, info-tours and other events.

The Museum Center in Baku will host the official presentation of "Folklore Capital of Azerbaijan 2016 on March 11.

Last year, Balakan was honored with the title of The capital of Azerbaijans folklore.

Called Northern Gates due to its geographical location and located 180 km away from Baku, Gusar is the last large region in the north of Azerbaijan.

Favorable natural conditions create a great opportunity for organization of the resorts, recreational and tourist complexes in this area. The recently opened Shahdag winter and summer tourist complex has gained a high popularity both among Azerbaijanis and foreigners. This is a popular ski resort in winter and a camp site in the lap of the Caucasus Mountains in summer.



Not far from the complex is located an ancient village Laza surrounded by mountains and well known for its majestic waterfalls. Competitions on climbing are held at the frozen waterfalls in winter here.



Many historical monuments are preserved in Gusar. Around the region, one can also find carpet weaving, handicraft embroidery, wood engraving, and souvenir shopping.

Gusar has all the conditions necessary for ecological tourism, and here tourists might observe historical monuments and samples of folk art in the village of Anig, as well as become familiar with samples of folk art and the traditions of the local population.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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11 March 2016 17:27 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Baku will soon host the fourth international festival of children and youth creativity " Saf rengler" ( Fine colors).

The event, organized by Azerbaijans Arts Academy together with the Museum and Exhibition Center of the Academy and the Russian Information and Cultural Center in Baku, is scheduled for May-June 2016.

The organizers encourage young talents to submit proposals for the contest until May 5, 2016, Trend Life reports. The drawings can be sent by e-mail to [email protected]

Conditions of participation and requirements can be found at the official website of the Russian Information and Cultural Center.

The Russian Information and Cultural Center actively works to inform Azerbaijani public about Russia's achievements in various fields, including spiritual heritage, rich scientific and cultural potential.

The Center promotes bilateral cultural, educational, scientific and technical programs and actively supports the Russian language teaching. The organization interacts with non-governmental organizations and friendship societies.

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11 March 2016 11:40 (UTC+04:00)

By Nazrin Gadimova

The government of Indonesia has encouraged the countrys state oil and gas company Pertamina to invest in Azerbaijans oil and gas projects.

The government, being aware that domestic oil reserves is limited, urged Pertamina to manage oil and gas blocks abroad, including in Azerbaijan, an energy-rich Caspian littoral state.

Wiratmaja Puja, Energy Ministrys Director General for Oil and Gas Affairs, believes that operational and production costs in Azerbaijan are reasonable, local media reports.

Potential oil supply from this country is more than 50 million barrels, he said, adding that Pertamina could adopt Petronas experience, Malaysian oil and gas company that has acquired a stake in Azerbaijans Shah Deniz gas field.

Puja further added that Azerbaijan produces 800,000 barrels of oil per day. This is comparable to the volumes produced in Indonesia, however, the difference is that Azerbaijan has a much smaller population. Daily consumption here is only 200 million barrels; the rest is exported, while Indonesia does not produce enough oil to cover the domestic demand, he added.

Indonesia has been importing crude oil directly from Azerbaijan since 2015, which opens up great opportunity for Pertamina to acquire stakes in oil and gas blocks here.

Countrys Energy Minister, Sudirman Said also confirmed that Azerbaijan monthly supplies to Indonesia about one million barrels of oil.

Pertamina representatives have already supported the initiative of countrys energy ministry, noting that oil can be supplied from Azerbaijan to the Indonesian Cilacap refinery.

In mid 2015, the Indonesian delegation visited Baku to mull energy cooperation and consider opportunities for the joint work with energy-rich Azerbaijan, which enjoys great experience in the oil and gas industry.

Azerbaijan's proven crude oil reserves were estimated at 7 billion barrels in January 2014, according to the Oil & Gas Journal . Azerbaijan's proven natural gas reserves were roughly 35 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) as of January 2014.

The country's largest hydrocarbon basins are located offshore in the Caspian Sea, particularly the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli (ACG) bloc of fields, with oil reserves of nearly one million tons, and in the gas condensate field Shah Deniz, with proven gas reserves of 1.2 trillion cubic meters

The country produces three grades of crude oilthe SOCAR-produced barrels, Azeri BTC, and Azeri Light, and Urals.

The trade between Azerbaijan and Indonesia is mostly related to the energy sector, as Azerbaijan emerged as the second biggest supplier of crude oil to Indonesia after Saudi Arabia.

The bilateral trade between Azerbaijan and Indonesia reached $101 million in 2007 and increased to around $5 billion in 2015. The trade balance is heavily in favor to Azerbaijan, as the trade volume mainly dominated by Indonesian imports for Azerbaijan's oil.

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Nazrin Gadimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @NazrinGadimova

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11 March 2016 17:25 (UTC+04:00)

By Aynur Karimova

Even as the oil price dwells at levels not seen since the peak of the financial crisis, many analysts and investors are repeating a new crude undersong: crude price will be lower for longer.

Oil prices have greatly disappointed the energy exporters since 2014, reaching their minimum at $40 per barrel on average recently against $112 per barrel fixed before.

Forecasts about the world crude price are becoming even more pessimistic, showing that it is set to stay below $60 per barrel through 2016 as the oil market struggles to recover from a supply glut.

Azerbaijan's Energy Ministry, however, believes that global oil prices cannot remain at a low level for a long time as a drop in oil prices affects negatively the exploration and production in the oil producing countries.

Minister Natig Aliyev said during a panel discussion titled The future of energy, the future of global governance within the framework of the IV Global Baku Forum in Baku on March 11 that oil prices will increase in the future.

While cheap oil is a boon for consumers and businesses, it brings more pain for oil producers. In this regard, Aliyev believes that both excessively low and high price is bad for world economy.

"We want the price, which would be beneficial to all parties," Aliyev added.

Earlier, Energy Ministry predicted crude prices to rise and stabilize on the global oil markets from 2017.

Oil was sold at above $100 per barrel in June 2014, but a combination of oversupply of oil and weaker demand sent prices sharply lower in the second half of the year.

The oversupply was mainly due to the export of U.S. shale oil to the market, while demand fell because of a slowdown in economic growth in China and Europe.

Oil continued its descent in 2015 as well, by falling toward $30 a barrel after China, the world's second largest economy and second largest oil consumer, devalued its national currency, the yuan.

In early 2016, at a time when the world oil market already is grappling with a global supply glut, Iran said it is ready to increase exports by 500,000 barrels per day.

Iran's such a decision came after the IAEA said Iran has complied with a deal designed to prevent it developing nuclear weapons and it was decided to lift the sanctions against Iran on January 16, 2016.

Iran, with about 38 million barrels of oil in floating reserves ready to enter the market, hopes to eventually increase output by almost 1.5 million barrels per day.

Meanwhile, OPEC told Trend on March 10 that its oil baskets price stood at $35.23 per barrel on March 10, or $0.18 more than on March 9.

World oil prices increase on March 10 after a decline on the previous day, continuing to win back the mixed data on stocks of raw materials in the U.S.

The price for May futures of the North Sea Brent oil mix increased by 1.5 percent  up to $40.66 per barrel on March 11 as of 12:43 (UTC/GMT +4 hours), while the price of April futures for WTI oil increased by 1.96 percent up to $38.58 per barrel.

Earlier, EIA reported that Brent crude oil prices will average $34 a barrel in 2016 and $40 a barrel in 2017, and WTI crude oil prices are expected to average the same as Brent in 2016 and 2017.

"The lower forecast prices reflect oil production that has been more resilient than expected in a low-price environment and lower expectations for forecast oil demand growth," EIA said.

The U.S. JP Morgan bank expects Brent and WTI prices to average $32.75 a barrel and $32 a barrel, respectively, in 2016, while in 2017, the bank expects prices to increase further as market rebalancing continues. Brent and WTI are expected to average $43.25 a barrel next year.

Meanwhile, Fitch Ratings has lowered the oil and natural gas price assumptions, expecting that the prices are increasingly unlikely to recover in 2016.

Fitch expects Brent and WTI prices to average $35 a barrel in 2016, compared to $45 a barrel previously forecasted.

"The reduction is due to a combination of stock build-up over the mild winter, higher-than-expected OPEC production in January and increasing evidence that global economic growth for the year will be weaker than we previously forecast," Fitch said in a report. This suggests still there will be a supply surplus in the second half of 2016, albeit reduced from current levels, and that markets will probably only reach a balance in 2017. Even then, very high inventories will limit price increases."

Russian Gazprom believes that an oil price in the range of $50-$60 per barrel would be the best price for 2016.

No one can give an accurate forecast for oil prices today, Viktor Zubkov, the Chairman of Gazproms Board of Directors, told Trend on March 10. Oil prices have increased up to $40. If the prices stand at $50 and vary at $50 to $60, I think this would be the optimal price for 2016.

Everything depends on the development of different countries economies in different regions of the world, namely China and Europe, he added. Iran is also entering the market with its oil reserves.

He believes that the OPEC meeting, to be held with oil producing countries in March to discuss freezing oil production and, perhaps, reducing its volumes, can contribute to increasing the oil prices to $50 to $60 per barrel.

Meanwhile, one thing is clear that the oil prices will not reach or exceed $100 per barrel.

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Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova

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11 March 2016 18:05 (UTC+04:00)

By Aynur Karimova

There is no problem with financing of the Azerbaijan-initiated Southern Gas Corridor project, which envisages the transportation of the Shah Deniz 2 gas to European consumers.

Azerbaijan's Energy Minister Natig Aliyev said during a panel discussion titled The future of energy, the future of global governance within the framework of the IV Global Baku Forum in Baku on March 11.

"The international financial institutions have also expressed their interest in financing the Southern Gas Corridor," he said, adding that SOCAR also has no problem with financing its share in the project.

The Southern Gas Corridor project envisages the transportation of the gas extracted at the giant Shah Deniz field in the Azerbaijani section of the Caspian Sea. Shah Deniz Stage 2 gas will make a 3,500 kilometer journey from the Caspian Sea into Europe. This requires upgrading the existing infrastructure and the development of a chain of new pipelines.

The existing South Caucasus Pipeline will be expanded with a new parallel pipeline across Azerbaijan and Georgia, while the Trans-Anatolian pipeline will transport Shah Deniz gas across Turkey to join the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, which will take gas through Greece and Albania into Italy.

The first gas supplies through the corridor to Georgia and Turkey are given a target date of late 2018. Gas deliveries to Europe are expected just over a year after the first gas is produced offshore in Azerbaijan.

Aliyev believes that the Southern Gas Corridor project will become a new energy source for Europe.

"Europe considers the Caspian Sea region as a new source for delivering energy resources to its market," he said, reminding that Azerbaijans gas reserve is 2.5 trillion cubic meters.

Noting that the Southern Gas Corridor is a very large project, he said technologies that were not used in the Caspian Sea region before will be involved in the implementation of this project.

Alternative energy

Aliyev, addressing the event, also noted that the era of alternative energy is coming forth in Azerbaijan.

Today, Azerbaijan implements a number of projects and studies the experience of European countries, particularly Italy and Spain, in this field.

"It is often windy on Absheron peninsula, therefore, there is a great potential to use wind power," Aliyev said. "Moreover, there are many sunny days in the country in a year, so, the use of renewable energy sources is attractive."

Today, the countrys generating capacity is assessed at the level of 7,635 MW, of which the used capacity is about 5,000 MW. Of these, 1,255 MW accounts for hydroelectric, wind, solar and bio-energy plants, that is, their share is currently about 25 percent.

Oil price forecast

The minister also voiced optimistic forecasts about oil price in the world market.

He said that global oil prices cannot remain at a low level for a long time and expressed confidence that they will increase in the future.

Oil prices are fundamentally important for the oil-producing countries, according to him.

The fall in oil prices by four times is not a positive factor for the oil-producing countries, he said adding that excessively high price is also not a positive factor for the consumer countries.

The fall in oil prices affects negatively the exploration and production in the producing countries, explained Aliyev adding that this in turn reduces the production level, so this situation can not last for long.

The minister later told journalists that oil will remain a dominant energy source at least until 2035.

He said that prices on global oil markets depend on many different factors: economy, politics, transportation, and so on.

Some companies reduce operating costs, Aliyev said. It means that in the future, production of oil will decline. Falling prices cannot last long, despite the experts statements that its all political games. Oil has its prime cost, and the market prices cannot be lower than this cost.

The minister went on to add that economic growth contributes to an increase in oil consumption in the world.

Before 2035, electricity consumption in the world will increase by 35 percent, and oil will remain dominant source of energy, Aliyev said. If the demand grows, the price will grow, accordingly. Today, costs for exploration, production and transportation of oil rise, which means that oil prices will also grow.

Aliyev also expressed confidence that oil production in Azerbaijan will remain at stable level in the future.

He said that SOCAR produces about 8.5 million tons of oil per year at the oil fields of the country.

"This is a very stable level, and I think it will remain at this level in the future. Azerbaijan supports the production level, and to this end, regular technical activities, geological work are being held. To keep the level of oil production is our task," he noted.

Azerbaijan also takes measures to increase natural gas extraction, he added.

"This work is successfully underway. We will produce over 25 billion cubic meters of gas only from the Shah Deniz field in the next 2-3 years," the minister stated.

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Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova

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The prophecy is more than seeing into the future. For the prophecy sees without the element of time. For the prophecy sees things as they were, as they are, and as they always shall be.
11 March 2016 12:00 (UTC+04:00)

GM Uzbekistan, the former UzDaewooAuto, plans to start mass production and export of T-250 cars (Chevrolet Aveo) in late May-early June of 2016, said a statement of Uzavtosanoat company, which units Uzbekistans automotive industry.

T-250 will replace the Nexia model, said the statement.

Investment for mass production of the T-250 vehicles is $104.2 million, design capacity  73,600 cars a year, according to Uzbekistans republican investment program. GM Uzbekistan will itself provide the funding.

GM Uzbekistan, formerly known as UzDaewooAuto, was created in 1996 on a parity basis by Uzbekistan and South Korean Daewoo Motors.

In 2005, Uzbekistan acquired Daewoos shares in UzDaewooAuto. In 2007, Uzavtoprom (Uzbek Association of Automotive Industry Enterprises) and the U.S.-based General Motors signed an agreement to establish the GM Uzbekistan with an authorized capital of $266.7 million.GM Uzbekistan, the former UzDaewooAuto, plans to start mass production and export of T-250 cars (Chevrolet Aveo) in late May-early June of 2016, said a statement of Uzavtosanoat company, which units Uzbekistans automotive industry.

T-250 will replace the Nexia model, said the statement.

Investment for mass production of the T-250 vehicles is $104.2 million, design capacity  73,600 cars a year, according to Uzbekistans republican investment program. GM Uzbekistan will itself provide the funding.

GM Uzbekistan, formerly known as UzDaewooAuto, was created in 1996 on a parity basis by Uzbekistan and South Korean Daewoo Motors.

In 2005, Uzbekistan acquired Daewoos shares in UzDaewooAuto. In 2007, Uzavtoprom (Uzbek Association of Automotive Industry Enterprises) and the U.S.-based General Motors signed an agreement to establish the GM Uzbekistan with an authorized capital of $266.7 million.

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11 March 2016 14:04 (UTC+04:00)

Russia will deliver S-300 air defense systems to Iran in August or September, the head of Russias state-owned Rostec corporation, Sergei Chemezov said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

I think we will deliver the S-300 by the end of the year... there are still court deliberations going on in Geneva. We agreed, they [Iran] promised that they would drop their claim once we make the first delivery. The first delivery will be in September or August, he said March 11.

He added that Iran said they need only an S-300 PMU-1.

We suggested an Antey-2500, but they said no, give us the S-300. So, OK, said Chemezov.

Russia and Iran concluded a contract in 2007 for the supply of S-300 systems. But, after the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 1929, which provided for the imposition of sanctions on Iran, the realization of the contract was suspended.

Iran, in response, filed a claim against Russia at the International Court of Arbitration.

Currently, the parties are negotiating on the withdrawal of this lawsuit.

In April this year, Russias President Vladimir Putin signed a decree removing the ban on the supply of these systems to Iran.

Russian state arms producer Almaz-Antey in June said it would supply Iran with a modernized version of the S-300, among the world's most capable air defense systems, once a commercial agreement was reached.

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11 March 2016 16:03 (UTC+04:00)

By Aynur Karimova

Germany supports Turkmenistan's initiative to establish a specialized structure under the auspices of the UN - a Regional Centre on Climate Change in Central Asia - in Ashgabat.

This support was announced at a meeting held between Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov and German Ambassador to Turkmenistan Ralf Andreas Brett on March 9.

The German diplomat also stressed the importance of Ashgabat's international initiatives on ecological issues.

The Turkmen president said that implementation of joint projects and environmental programs are among the promising areas of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

In today's world the environmental issues, including those related to water management, have become more important as further development of human society is impossible without resolving them.

Taking the importance of ecological issues for the whole Central Asian region, in September 2015, Turkmenistan proposed the establishment of the Regional Centre on Climate Change in Ashgabat under the UN auspices.

"Remaining committed to this idea, our country is ready to take steps to establish such a center in Ashgabat in 2016 in collaboration with the UN Development Program," said President Berdymukhamedov, who addressed the 70th session of the UN General Assembly.

In his speech, the Turkmen president noted that resolution of environmental problems cannot be achieved without economic and social development.

"Turkmenistan supports the signing of international agreements on climate issues and will take an active part in promotion of this idea," he added urging the world countries to strengthen international ecological cooperation, to continue fighting against hunger and poverty in the world, and to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Ashgabat has also proposed to create the UN Aral Sea Program.

Turkmenistan is currently chairing the Intergovernmental Commission on Sustainable Development of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea in 2015-2016.

The country not only supports international initiatives on protecting and strengthening world peace and security, cooperation in the ecology and environmental protection, but also takes decisive steps towards resolving ecological problems at the governmental level.

The Central Asian nation is currently working on a large-scale project to preserve Altyn Asyr Lake in the middle of the Karakum desert. The project is designed to take drainage water from irrigated lands of all provinces and collect it in the country's huge natural basin Karashor.

Turkmenistan is also carrying out research on the impact of the Turkmen lake and its collector network on improving biodiversity and ecological conditions. One of the most important tasks is to prevent the contamination of Amu Darya. One way to do so is the creation of Turkmen Lake.

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Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova

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11 March 2016 12:22 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijans capital city Baku will once again be an excellent place to discover French cuisine and to fall in love with it.

For the second consecutive year, Baku will host the Gout de France or Good France Dinner  a celebration of French gastronomy Day marked March 21.

The second edition of this international event celebrated in a number of cities worldwide, will mark French cuisines recent listing in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity category by UNESCO, and its influence on the world.

In 1912, Auguste Escoffier started Les Diners dEpicure (Epicurean Diners): one day, one menu, served in cities around the world, to as many guests as possible. In 2015, the first edition of Gout de took the idea further, bringing all categories of restaurants together globally.

Over a 1,500 chefs in all five continents are expected to join the event, presenting delicious and traditional samples of French cuisine.

The restaurants, which are going to participate in the project will present a menu including breakfast accompanied by French champagne or wine, first course, main course, cheese and dessert.

Dinners served simultaneously in participating restaurants will honor the merits of French cuisine, its capacity for innovation, and its values: sharing, enjoying, and respecting the principles of high-quality, environmentally responsible cuisine.

Three prestigious restaurants of Baku will also present creative and surprising menu: Paris Bistro will present the menu on March 15, Hyatt Regency on March 16 and JW Marriott on March 17.

To promote the importance of proper nutrition and taste, famous French Tibo Bera will prepare dinner for the students of N132/134 school.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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       3.0 (      -       -         ): editor [at] bahrainmirror.com
Today, (11 March) students at the University of Cambridge will announce details of a ground-breaking free sugars test.

The Cambridge scientists will present a system that offers consumers a means for identifying foods low in free sugars, which they said makes it one of the most important breakthroughs in our fight against the negative health effects associated with high sugar intake.

Rend Platings, the mother who proposed the new certification label, called Sugarwise, to Tesco last month, will also be present. Dr Tom Simmons, co-founder and an expert on sugar and carbohydrates, will present the system alongside Platings.

In 2015, the World Health Organisation stated that, taken as a whole, the population should get no more than 5% of their daily energy intake from free sugars. Until now there has been no means for the public to distinguish between free and naturally occurring sugars in food.

Salt, fat and sugars

Dr Simmons said: We still have to be aware of salt, fat and total sugars, but free sugars are the big food issue of our time. They are arguably the most important issue where there is the largest potential to positively impact health by changing the free sugars profiles of our foods, especially if these changes can be made in the manufacturing process.

Not only is it arguably the most important issue and largest challenge facing us today, but current food labels do not reveal free sugars. Sugarwise gives you information that you are not currently told - in traffic lights or on food labels - and guides you to products that are definitely within the recommended guidelines for free sugars.

Platings, Sugarwise founder, said: I was shocked to hear my daughters generation may live a shorter life than their parents. Its not that we dont know about the dangers of sugar, we do; the problem relates to our lack of access to healthier choices. I am hoping Sugarwise will have the potential to change things in the same way Fairtrade and organic labels have .
As'ad's Bio

As'ad AbuKhalil, born March 16, 1960. From Tyre, Lebanon, grew up in Beirut. Received his BA and MA from American University of Beirut in pol sc. Came to US in 1983 and received his PhD in comparative government from Georgetown University. Taught at Tufts University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Colorado College, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. Served as a Scholar-in-Residence at Middle East Institute in Washington DC. He served as free-lance Middle East consultant for NBC News and ABC News, an experience that only served to increase his disdain for maintream US media. He is now professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. His favorite food is fried eggplants.
Democrats Abroad Global Presidential Primary Update

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - The Costa Banderas chapter of Democrats Abroad held a Global Presidential primary at voting centers established on March 1 and 3 at the International Friendship Club in Puerto Vallarta. The primary took place online as well from March 1 through 8th.

Mexico's official countrywide results will be communicated as soon as they are tallied and compiled. Preliminary results show Bernie Sanders with 54.7% of the vote to Hillary Clinton's 45.3%. However, those results are from votes made at voting centers only and not a full tabulation of votes made online as well as in person.

Voting centers were staffed around the world in 112 cities, at 120 distinct sites, with a total number of 136 voting center dates. We have members in every single country in the world, and we have organized country committees in 53 countries.

Democrats Abroad is regarded as the 12th biggest "state" for delegates since more than 8.7 million Americans live abroad (according to the U.S. State Department).

Our Democrats Abroad Primary, held between March 1 and 8, is not a winner-take-all primary. We hold our Global Presidential Primary to ask the large number of Democrats living abroad to tell us their preferences among the Democratic candidates for president. Democrats Abroad then calculates those results as percentages.

For example, in 2008, Barack Obama received 66% of our vote while Hillary Clinton received 33%. We then selected our Delegates to the National Convention according to those results in our Global Presidential Primary, i.e., 66% of our Delegates were assigned to then-candidate Obama while 33% were assigned to then-candidate Clinton. We are required to award Delegates only to those candidates who receive at least 15% of the votes in our Global Presidential Primary.

Democrats Abroad will send a total of 21 delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 25-28, 2016. The thirteen elected delegates will be pledged to a candidate. Eight more of these delegates will be Democrats Abroad's members on the Democratic National Committee. These eight 'superdelegates' each have half a vote at the convention, therefore giving Democrats Abroad a total of 17 votes at the convention.

For more information, contact your local Democrats Abroad chapter here in Puerto Vallarta at tjensen1942(at)hotmail.com. Also, check our Democrats Abroad Facebook page and website for ongoing election information.
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A new crosswalk is now fully operational at the Tampa intersection where two high school students were hit and killed in recent years.

Norma Velasquez Cabrera, 15, died crossing Hillsborough Avenue in 2014, and Shenika Davis was hit and killed in the same area by a pickup truck in 2011.

Now a new crosswalk and traffic signal is in place near Hillsborough Avenue and 22nd Street. The crosswalk cost just over $300,000.

Although a crosswalk is located a few blocks away, neighbors in the area said it was too inconvenient to walk that far just to get to the grocery store.

Before, we had to like just wing it and cross the street whenever we had a chance to cross without getting hit, Maria Lopez said.

Students at Middleton High School started using the new crosswalk Friday. So far they say they appreciate it.

I like it. Its more safe for everybody. It reduces accidents and things like that, freshman Diamond Henley said.

In 2014, we witnessed dozens of high school students crossing the street outside of the crosswalk every single day. They said crossing the street instead of walking out of their way to a crosswalk was simply a time-saver.

But today, students who used the crosswalk say theyre thankful because it makes it easier to cross the busy road.

Despite the new crosswalk, some pedestrians - such as this woman with a child - are still crossing Hillsborough Avenue outside the crosswalk.

However, despite the new crosswalk, we saw several other pedestrians cross just 50 feet outside of the crosswalk to get to the grocery store. We even caught one mother on camera taking her child across the street outside of a crosswalk, weaving through busy traffic.

Letitia Baker says she believes many of her fellow residents just dont know the crosswalk is fully operational yet. She hopes everyone gets on board and uses it properly.

I hope this crosswalk saves some lives, Baker said.


Telling supporters that he's "an old fashioned guy" who believes democracy is one vote per person, Bernie Sanders underscored his populist platform Thursday in a campaign stop in Kissimmee.

Days after upsetting Hillary Clinton in Michigan's Democratic presidential primary, Sanders was scheduled to make three stops in Florida ahead of next week's Florida presidential preference primary. Sanders spoke earlier at the University of Florida in Gainesville, and he spoke in Tampa Thursday evening, where an estimated 9,000 people turned out.

"I'm getting the feeling that what happened in Michigan, we can see it happen here in Florida," Sanders told the crowd, referring to his surprise win in Michigan this week.

Kissimmee's rally marked the first time Sanders had campaigned in Central Florida.

At Osceola Heritage Park, Sanders told the thousands in attendance that he is focused on all kinds of people, not just the wealthy.

Supporters in Kissimmee were excited about what Sanders had to say.

He is my candidate, period. We love him, Barbara Elyea said. "We watch him get on the train and take the commercial airline and ride the bus. He is not the corporate America guy. He is our guy. He is for the people. He is one of us."

Sanders talked about raising minimum wages to $15, improving Social Security and making college loans affordable. I am an old-fashioned guy," Sanders said. "Democracy is one vote, one person -- not billionaires by the election.

Despite poll numbers showing that twice as many voters are willing to support Clinton over Sanders if they were to vote today, Sanders said that he was confident he could beat those numbers just like he did in Michigan.

We have a lot of momentum behind us, and we think whether its Florida, Michigan or any other state, the American people are sick and tired of working longer hours for low wages and seeing almost all new wealth going to the top 1 percent, Sanders said before the rally.

Sanders supporters said that although Clinton has been the Democratic front-runner for the party's presidential nomination, Sanders still has a good chance.

The fact that hes been able to come this far, hes got the momentum," Zoilo Boehme said. "Theres no chance of that stopping; its going to continue on. The revolution is real and alive.

Both Clinton and Sanders were traveling throughout the state Thursday to recruit voters before Tuesdays primary election. Clinton spoke today before supporters in Tampa.

I think, what we will see tomorrow is a huge influx of people out there ready to vote, people who normally wouldnt vote, said Heindrek Allen, a Sanders supporter.


Has Oregon Coast Dodged the Bullet on Invasive Species?

Published 03/10/2016 at 8:51 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff





(Oregon Coast)  Scientists are still wondering if any invasive species from Japan has gained a foothold on the Oregon coast, some five years after the tsunami from the 2011 earthquake in Japan caused an inundation of life-covered debris to wash up here. So far, over 200 species of sea creatures have been discovered  still alive  on the objects shuffled across the Pacific. (Photo: tsunami debris boat found in Florence in March of 2013).

Researchers from OSU in Corvallis and the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport say it's quite possible the region has dodged the bullet, as one scientist put it. Yet they admit it's still too early to be sure.

John Chapman, an Oregon State University expert on tsunami debris said that as of yet they have not found populations of non-native species firmly established just beyond the breakers.

It is possible that we have not yet discovered these reproductive populations, or that some species from Japan may be cross-breeding with our own species, Chapman said.

One looming example is the barred knifejaw, a fish native to Japan that has been found four different times on the United States' west coast. One is still on display at Seaside Aquarium.

Chapman said scientists were quite surprised they had survived, but also believe the waters north of California are too cold for them to spawn.

More threatening was the concrete dock that arrived in Newport in 2012, coming from Misawa, Japan. That came with nearly 200 different species on it, including varying kinds of mollusks, sea stars, oysters, amphipods, barnacles and worms. Some were open water creatures that had hitched a ride along the way and presented no threat. Others were definitely not from around here and could wreak havoc with the ecosystems of the Oregon coast near-shore environment. Perhaps even the tide pools much beloved by visitors.

Chapman said his team was blown away by the find.

We had always thought these organisms would not be able to survive the long trip across the Pacific Ocean, the middle of which is a biological desert, Chapman said. Yet here they were.

Samuel Chan studies aquatic ecosystem health and invasive species in Corvallis and at the central Oregon coast. He said some species found in debris have not even been identified.

Chan and other counterpart scientists in Japan engaged in several experiments where they dropped transponders into the ocean off Japan to see how long they took to arrive on the West Coast. They took about two to three years, bobbing off the waters of Japan for awhile, then quickly making their way to U.S. shorelines. There, they took plenty of time in U.S. waters before finally landing onshore.

Between the two reef areas of Japan and the U.S. there is little in the way of food. Chan believes the debris may have made a quick trip across that ocean to these reefs, where more food exists. This, he said, may account for why the creatures survived.

So, the worry remains. According to OSU spokesman Mark Floyd, scientists up and down the West Coast don't have the adequate resources to look at those shorelines in great detail, especially rocky areas like those at Yachats, Depoe Bay, or the tips of large headlands like Tillamook Head or Yaquina Head. Oregon Coast Lodgings for this - Where to eat - Maps and Virtual Tours

Mussels found on a tsunami debris boat in 2013

The tsunami debris dock found in Newport is still viewable outside of the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.





The fish native to Japan, still viewable at Seaside Aquarium (photo Seaside Aquarium)

The tsunami debris dock at Newport in 2012, taken at night, while still in the surf

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Two Jasper men were killed in a weather-related crash on Texas 63 Thursday morning, according to information from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Trooper Stephanie Davis said investigators suspect the driver of a Toyota pickup truck hydroplaned because of heavy rainfall and struck a Ford pickup truck carrying John Neyland, 51, and Jerry Herrin, 38.
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A New Mexico woman accused of driving while drunk and nude told police she had been "partying like a damn dog" after leading officers on a high-speed chase, according to news reports.

RELATED: Video: Protester at Donald Trump rally gets sucker-punched by supporter, tackled by police officers

Barbara Arellano, 51, was arrested in Santa Fe County over the weekend and charged with driving while intoxicated, aggravated fleeing of a law enforcement officer, reckless driving and battery of a peace officer, according to Santa Fe County jail records.

KOB reported that Santa Fe County deputies tried to pull Arellano over after she was seen throwing objects out of her SUV.

She fled from police and later crashed into another vehicle, according to the news station.

RELATED: Police: Mexico 'satanic ritual' killing suspects thought victim would come back to life as 'vampire'

Video shows that Arellano, while nude, tried to flee from deputies after the crash while shouting, "Jehovah! Jehovah!"

A deputy tackled her and placed her in handcuffs, news station KRQE reported.

Arellano was wrapped in a blue tarp and put in the back of a patrol car, according to KRQE.

When a deputy asked why she was naked, Arellano told him, "Because I got hot."

RELATED: Feds: Suspects in North Texas slaying of ex-Mexican drug cartel lawyer tied to 12 other killings

The 51-year-old told deputies that she used heroin, taken pills and drank whiskey before the chase, according to the news station.

"I've been partying like a damn dog," Arellano told deputies.

Arellano then struggled with deputies at the jail, according to KOB.

RELATED: Murder case of 'Phantom Killer' in Texas remains unsolved 70 years later

She was released from the jail Monday on a $10,000 bond.

jfechter@mySA.com

Twitter: @JFreports
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High water remains on roadways in Tyler, Jasper and Newton counties, the Texas Department of Transportation is reporting.

Sandbags are available in Newton County for residents who live in Sabine River-area communities and authorities are calling for voluntary evacuations in Deweyville.

In Tyler County, all roads are passable, but some remain covered in water.

In Jasper County, most roads are passable.

In Newton County, access to Louisiana is cut because of flooding on U.S. 190 or Texas 63.

Here is a list of affected roads by county:

Tyler County, water is over these roads:

- FM 1943 at Beech Creek

- FM 92 at Wolf Creek

- FM 1745 at Billiams Creek

- FM 1943 East at Beech Creek, closed

Jasper County, all roads are open and passable with the exception of FM 777 south of U.S. 190 in the Beech Grove area, which is closed because of high water.

Newton County; drivers cannot access Louisiana via U.S. 190 or Texas 63 because of high water.

- FM 692 from FM 255 to Texas 63 has water over the road in some areas.

- Texas 87 from FM 1004 to FM 253 is closed because of high water.

- FM 253 has water over the roadway in several areas.

- Texas 63 from FM 692 to the Texas-Louisiana border is closed.

- FM 1416 has water over several areas of roadway.

- FM 2626 has water over several areas of roadway.

- U.S. 190 from just past FM 2626 to the state line is closed.

- Texas 87 south of Newton at Cow Creek is under water and closed.

- FM 2991 at FM 1414 is closed.

- Areas of FM 2626 from U.S. 190 to Texas 87 are closed.

- FM 1414 at Moores Creek is closed.

- FM 1013 in Newton County is closed because of high water.

Several other areas around Newton County have water over the road. Please do not drive into standing water.

Check DriveTexas.org for more details.
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Lavon Havens has tended to the scrapes, cuts and probably a few heartaches of generations of Vidor Pirates.

Havens, 92, retires today after a 54-year career at Vidor High School.

She spent the first 27 years as a school nurse and the last 27 as a part-time secretary for the school's band.

Her coworkers joke that she went from being the school nurse to the "Band-Aid."

Havens, with a corsage of carnations pinned to her blazer, sat in the band hall on Thursday morning, visiting with dozens of well-wishers who dropped by to say farewell.

Havens said she worked so many years because she "needed something to do."

She is only retiring now because her doctor told her to stop driving, she said.

Susan Touchstone, the school's former librarian and now a part-time secretary, said Havens showed her co-workers what "hard work looks like."

"She has worked circles around us for years," Touchstone said.

Havens on Thursday talked about her time at Vidor High School and her travels beyond Orange County.

She started traveling with the band for competitions in the 1970s, providing first aid in the event a player get overheated or twisted an ankle.

About every three to four years, the band took a big trip, many times to Disney World. Havens isn't sure how many times she's been to the Orlando, Florida, complex, but she's certain she has been on almost all of the rides.

Like many of the students she has either treated or assisted through the years, Havens is also a Vidor graduate.

She walked the stage in 1940 and immediately began training to become a nurse at the Jefferson Davis Hospital in Houston.

"At the time I graduated high school, about the only thing a woman could do was be a secretary or a nurse," Havens said.

By the late fall of 1944, she was on the Queen Mary headed to Europe after enlisting as an Army nurse.

When she arrived in England, Havens said she was delayed getting to her post because the Battle of Bulge was raging on the Western Front.

During her time in Europe, Havens said she frequently treated soldiers off the front lines in bombed-out buildings across England and France.

While en route to a new assignment in Burma, Havens got the news that the war had ended.

She was rerouted to Nuremberg, Germany.

During the Nuremberg trials, Havens said she worked as a prison guard, watching over 10 women who she said were secretaries and wives of Nazi soldiers. One teenager was there with her mother, Havens said.

Havens said she never knew exactly why the women were imprisoned and never spoke to them.

"All I did was walk by and look in the windows," she said.

Despite seeing the horrors of war, Havens said she felt lucky to see that part of the world. It was a drastic change in scenery and culture for a "country girl" from Vidor.

Havens married when she returned to Vidor. She was 25.

Back in Southeast Texas, she spent time working for a private practice in Vidor and for St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont before accepting the school nurse job at Vidor High School.

Havens and her husband had three children. Havens said her 11 grandkids and 16 great-granchildren are now "scattered across the world."

Now that she is retired, Havens said she intends to spend her free time solving crossword puzzles and crocheting.

MHeath@BeaumontEnteprise.com Twitter.com/mheath31
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Houston-based seafood restaurant Joe's Crab Shack apologized this week after a Minnesota customer complained about a photo of an 1895 Texas hanging used in the eatery's decor. The picture was encased inside a tabletop.

The customer, Tyrone Williams, made the discovery on Wednesday at a Joe's Crab Shack in Roseville, Minn. The black-and-white image taken in Groesbeck, just east of Waco, depicts the 1895 hanging of a black man.

RELATED: Houston-based Joe's Crab Shack eliminates tipping from restaurants

A word bubble above the man says, "All I said was 'I don't like the gumbo!'"

According to the Death Penalty Information Centers historical data, the man in the photo was Richard Burleson, 21, who was hanged for allegedly committing robbery and murder.

Joes Crab Shack, like many casual eateries, decorates the walls and tables of its locations with historical art and pop-culture artifacts, but a photo of a hanging is probably not the kind of thing that diners would expect to see while waiting for crab and hash puppies.

RELATED: Parent company promises more attention for Joe's Crab Shack, Brick House

Williams, who is African-American, and another diner alerted the Minneapolis NAACP, which is now demanding that the restaurant chain make an apology for the photo, according to the Chicago Tribune.

"This disturbing incident that occurred at Joe's Crab Shack demonstrates that racism is still alive and well in this country. It is sickening to know that someone would make a mockery of black men being savagely lynched and then use that imagery for decorative purposes in a restaurant," said Nekima Levy-Pounds, President of the Minneapolis NAACP on Thursday in a statement.

The restaurant chain, founded in Houston in 1991, released a statement Friday:

We understand one of the photos used in our table decor at our Joes Crab Shack location in Roseville, MN was offensive. We take this matter very seriously, and the photo in question was immediately removed. We sincerely apologize to our guests who were disturbed by the image and we look forward to continuing to serve the Roseville community, David Catalano, the COO of the Ignite Restaurant Group wrote.

Ignite is also the parent company of the Brick House Tavern & Tap chain.
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Potentially record-breaking runoff from a slow-moving deluge that sloshed across Southeast Texas this week will take almost two weeks to flow down to the Gulf of Mexico, threatening high water in Sabine River communities below the Toledo Bend spillways.

David Montagne, executive vice president and general manager of the Sabine River Authority, said the river isn't expected to crest at Deweyville, about 100 river miles below the dam, until March 20.

By then, the Sabine could be up to 34 feet, about 5 feet higher than its previous record of 29.2 feet, reached in 1884.

On Thursday, the Toledo Bend dam was letting water go at the rate of 1.5 million gallons per second.

If that persists for at least 24 hours, and the expectation is it will, Toledo Bend will release 400,000 acre-feet of water, as much as the city of Dallas uses in one year, Montagne said.

"This is the biggest flooding since the dam was built in 1968," he said.

The rainfall closed roads all over Jasper and Newton counties and caused high water on roads in Hardin and Tyler counties.

Newton County Judge Truman Dougharty and Jasper County Judge Mark Allen each declared a "local state of disaster" for at least seven days because of the deluge.

School districts in Buna and Silsbee were closed Thursday because of the storms.

By contrast, the Beaumont area absorbed only 3 to 6 inches in the past two days, said Tim Humphrey, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles.

Rainfall in Southeast Texas was barely a quarter of what fell in north central Louisiana, particularly in Shreveport, Louisiana, which almost disappeared under 16 inches of rain, Humphrey said.

The storm resulted from a slow-moving upper-level low-pressure system that formed in the Pacific off the coast of California, which sucked in moisture from the Gulf as it moved east.

Humphrey said the atmosphere contained at least three times the normal amount of moisture, which gushed out of the sky as it moved into Texas, Louisiana and other Gulf states.

A flash flood watch will continue today in Southeast Texas, with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms.

That percentage drops to 40 on Saturday. Sunday is forecast to be sunny, with highs in the upper 70s.

DWallach@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/dwallach
On March 10, the Florida Senate passed a healthcare transparency bill, according to WCTV.

Here are five key points:

1. The bill requires Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration to contract with a vendor on a website featuring care's quality and cost.

2. The state Senate passed an amendment which allows more vendors to be eligible for such a contract.

3. Because of the latest amendment, the Florida House has to pass the bill before the governor can sign off on it.

4. On the website, consumers could search for their health problem or procedure, which would have price averages and ranges.

5. The price averages and ranges would include physician services, tests, procedures and post-surgery therapies or rehabilitation.

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The Norwood Award Program honored Eastern Massachusetts Surgery Center in Norwood with the 2016 Best of Norwood Award in the surgery centers category.

The Norwood Award Program identifies companies that achieve exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. The companies enhance the positive image of small business.

Here are five things to know about Eastern Massachusetts Surgery Center:

1. Specialties at the surgery center include plastic surgery, vascular surgery, orthopedics, gastroenterology, pain management and urology.

2. The surgery center uses block time, but staff work with new physician utilizes to find block time that works best within their schedules.

3. Mary McAdoo is the center director and Greg DeConciliis is the center administrator.

4. The clinicians and staff at the surgery center have treated more than 21,000 patients.

5. Eastern Massachusetts Surgery Center has accreditation from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care.
CMS' proposed plan to change how Medicare Part B pays for prescription drugs is drawing staunch criticism from pharmaceutical leaders and specialty care providers.

On Tuesday, CMS said it would test new Part B payment models to encourage physicians to select the most effective treatment for patients and to slow Medicare spending.

Physicians and hospital outpatient departments are typically paid the average sales price of a drug, plus a 6 percent add-on. CMS proposed changing the add-on payment to 2.5 percent plus a flat fee payment per drug per day. The agency believes the change will alter prescribing incentives and result in savings and improved quality.

"Physicians often can choose among several drugs to treat a patient, and the current Medicare Part B drug payment methodology can penalize doctors for selecting lower-cost drugs, even when these drugs are as good or better for patients based on the evidence," said CMS.

CMS also proposed setting a standard payment rate for a group of "therapeutically similar" drugs and paying drug companies based on the clinical effectiveness of a drug.

The initiative is facing opposition from drug manufacturers and specialty physicians, who say the proposed models focus too much on saving money and too little on ensuring patients' access to treatment.

"It's insulting. It's really infuriating," Robin Zon, MD, chair of the finance committee at Michiana Hematology-Oncology in South Bend, Ind., told The Wall Street Journal. "This is an experiment, and it's an experiment that will affect lives. I am so afraid this will do more harm than good."

In a letter to federal health officials, the Community Oncology Alliance called the proposal "inappropriate, potentially dangerous, and [a] perverse experiment." The Biotechnology Innovation Organization, told The New York Times it is "gravely concerned," about the proposal.

The proposal has also received criticism from leading Republicans, who claim the plan was hatched in secrecy.

Andy Slavitt, acting administrator for CMS, addressed industry concerns about the payment overhaul Wednesday at the annual PhRMA conference, according to The Hill.

"There is nothing that we propose to do, or should do, in any way, that prevents a patient from getting a prescription medicine that they need," he said.

CMS is accepting public comments on the proposed rule through May 9.

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Mayo operating income dips 36.9% as expenses rise

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Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health reported net income of $81 million in 2015, down nearly 80 percent from $402 million a year earlier, according to the San Francisco Business Times.

Sutter said operating revenue increased 8.9 percent year over year to $11 billion in 2015. After accounting for a 9.9 percent increase in expenses, the health system ended last year with operating income of $287 million, down from $419 million in 2014.

Sutter Health CFO Jeff Sprague told the San Francisco Business Times that salary and benefit increases and one-time costs of implementing an EMR system in some of its facilities contributed to the jump in expenses last year. The health system pumped $9 billion into two new buildings and technology over the last decade, including $898 million last year, according to the report.

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Louisiana hospital gives up charitable status to avoid tax penalties

Mayo operating income dips 36.9% as expenses rise

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The following data breaches were reported on Becker's Hospital Review in the last four weeks.

1. Fort Myers, Fla.-based 21st Century Oncology, a cancer care services provider, reported a data breach that occurred in October 2015 after an unauthorized third party may have gained access to one of the system's databases.

2. Premier Healthcare, a multispecialty physician group based in Bloomington, Ind., is notifying more than 200,000 patients of a data breach stemming from a stolen laptop.

3. Four staff members at Duarte, Calif.-based City of Hope cancer center were the targets of a phishing attack, which resulted in unauthorized access to their email accounts.

4. Bryn Mawr, Pa.-based Main Line Health System fell victim to a spear phishing attack when an employee received an email request for information on employees and, believing the email to be authorized, sent the information.

5. The Los Angeles County health department identified traces of ransomware on five of its computers.

6. The University of California, Berkeley is sending approximately 80,000 people notice of a cyberattack affecting a system containing Social Security numbers and bank account information.

7. The scope of a 2015 IRS data breach was found to be much larger than originally suspected, with more than 700,000 Social Security numbers stolen.

8. York (Maine) Hospital reported that a cyberattack compromised the personal identifying information of employees across its four York County campuses. The breach affects physicians, nurses and any other clinical staff who may have been working for the health system in 2015.

9. An email-based phishing scam compromised information of more than 5,000 employees at Paterson, N.J.-based St. Joseph's Healthcare System.

10. Salt Lake City-based Alliance Health, a platform for individuals managing chronic health conditions, reported a data breach that left customer information accessible on the Internet for more than two years.

11. A January cyberattack against Flint, Mich.-based Hurley Medical Center caused delays in the hospital's emergency room and lunch service for certain patients.

12. Passersby on Fowler Street in Ft. Myers, Fla., may have come across some unusual debris on Dec. 19, 2015, as patient medical records fell from the back of a waste management truck, littering the street.

13. Greenville, N.C.-based Vidant Health reported a data breach affecting employees at one of the health system's hospitals.

14. Hollywood (Calif.) Presbyterian Medical Center staff declared an internal emergency on Friday after hackers forced the hospital's IT systems offline, according to a statement from CEO Allen Stefanek. An anonymous physician from the hospital told NBC Los Angeles that the systems had been having trouble for a week, leaving departments to communicate via fax machine.

15. Medical records from an urgent care clinic in St. Petersburg, Fla., which closed a year ago, were found discarded in a Pinellas County landfill.

16. On Feb. 3, Kenny Moyle, CEO of Magnolia Health Corp., an assisted living facility in Tulare, Calif., sent an email to the facility requesting personal information on all active employees, including Social Security numbers, addresses and birth dates. Unfortunately, the facility learned too late that the person on the other end of the email wasn't really Mr. Moyle.

17. When Ken Newton, a Vietnam veteran who lives in Canton, Ga., requested a copy of his medical record from the DeKalb County VA Medical Center, he received an incomplete copy, along with 10 additional medical records belonging to eight men and two women he'd never met.

18. Portland-based Oregon Health & Science University notified the parents of babies enrolled in a research study in its neonatal intensive care unit in 2013 that their children's data may have be compromised after a hard drive was reported stolen from a student's car.

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With a career spanning two countries and more than three decades, Jim Turnbull, CIO of Salt Lake City-based University of Utah Health Care, has had a wealth of experience that gives him unique perspective on how many issues in healthcare in the U.S. have come to be. As CIO of a $4 billion health system that includes more than 1,100 physicians and provides care to residents across Utah and five surrounding states, Mr. Turnbull oversees the IT components of major initiatives, such as University of Utah Health Care's push for ratings transparency and the hospital's current infrastructure expansion to more than 15 regional hospitals.

Mr. Turnbull spoke with Becker's Hospital Review about how perceptions of IT are changing, competing with Silicon Valley for talent and why code writers are a dying breed.

Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Question: What IT projects are on your plate right now at University of Utah Health Care?

Jim Turnbull: It's a really interesting time. Up until about a year and half ago we were really focused on putting our EMR in place and meeting the meaningful use requirements that come along with that. Since we'd had things piling up in the background while that was happening, the floodgates have sort of opened up now  we're extremely busy and our organization is growing like crazy. We're deploying programs as well as building facilities throughout our service area here locally, we've developed affiliations with about 15 hospitals in the seven-state region around us and we're busy deploying our Epic EMR to those sites. It's growth and all good things, but it keeps the staff very busy. We are also relocating about 450 staff members to a new space downtown which is going on at the same time as everything else.

Q: You've handled a number of EMR implementations over the course of your career. How has that process changed?



JT: That's an interesting question. When I was CIO for Sarasota (Fla.) Memorial Hospital in the mid-1990s we were the development site for Eclipsys' Sunrise Clinical Manager, which was later acquired by Allscripts. As the development site for that product, we went through three different configurations of the infrastructure  the implementation and two total replacements. We were replacing servers like crazy and going through several upgrades with them as well. That was a little bit of chaos, but there was a lot of excitement around it, too. Since then I've done two implementations with Epic from stem to stern, one at The Children's Hospital in Denver and one here at University of Utah Health Sciences, where there was a lot more stability in the technical environment, so the focus was really on getting the application suites and programs rolled out and not so much worrying about the infrastructure itself.

It's definitely a much more mature industry in terms of the healthcare information system players. The challenge I've had in some places is there are still IT people who want to write a lot of code, and that's something that's changed. The code is written at the EHR mothership, and it's got enough configuration capability built into it that once it lands at your site. You don't really write code, but a lot of the staff were trained to write code and they didn't necessarily like that shift.

Q: Do you find that individuals across the health system have changed the way they view IT and its importance to hospitals in recent years?



JT: The answer is a very clear yes, for people within our own environment and patients. People have very high expectations. The appetite for more is a little bit overwhelming some days, and the desire for immediate gratification continues to grow. Managing the demand side is really a challenge and during this current budget cycle we're intending to request pretty significant growth in our IT team, about 10 percent of our current staff of 400. Not because we want to get bigger but because that demand is bigger. So it's interesting times, and it's not unusual for one department to have five projects underway, and another three or four that have already been approved, and another four or five in the pipeline. So people really understand the capabilities and when they understand the capabilities, they want them now. That's the biggest transition I've seen in the last three to five years  the desire for more is becoming difficult to satisfy.

Q: What are the challenges of managing an IT team of that size?



JT: The challenge for us is figuring out the right balance between full time staff and contract staff to do the deployments. That's one thing that's driving the external growth with our affiliates. The other side of it is really driven by more internal demand and the core growth of our organization. We're opening another large ambulatory clinic this year, we've just opened up a number of urgent care clinics and we continue to add faculty. All of that growth requires more and more support, particularly in training and implementation. We're doing our best to optimize what we have and continuing to leverage the resources that are already here.

Q: What other challenges are on your mind now that 2016 is in full swing?

JT: Security is definitely top of mind every single day and the No. 1 priority, no doubt about that. If you don't have security, you don't have credibility, you're going to lose the confidence of your patients and employees. Another huge challenge is really getting the governance right, it's part of the issue with managing demand as well. We're in the midst of going back and revisiting our governance structure, making sure that we have a seat at the right tables so we know what is coming at us from different parts of the organization. We're developing a healthcare plan here and starting to roll that out, which creates other needs. In some cases we haven't had a seat at the table with certain groups within the system, and we don't see the requests for IT support coming in until perhaps it's a little bit too late. Governance is a big piece of the puzzle when an organization becomes as dynamic as this one. So for us that's a big point on the agenda this year, getting that right.

I think the other piece that's a challenge is that Salt Lake City has become a very hot market for IT people. We've had a lot of companies migrate from California out to Salt Lake City because electricity, labor and cost of living are cheaper. Oracle has a very big presence here in town, Adobe just built a brand new facility here and Workday is here as well. So you're seeing a large number of companies starting to come this way and we're competing with them. They're large international companies that absolutely dwarf our $4 billion delivery system. We used to compete with Intermountain Healthcare, another major Salt Lake City health system  now we compete with the world. That makes it a challenging time around here but it also brings a lot of talent to town. That competition for really good talent is getting tough, but certain people would rather not work for those large companies and when they've had enough, we're a good alternative to that.
Sanford, N.C.-based Central Carolina Hospital, a Duke LifePoint Healthcare facility, has named John Maxwell CEO, effective immediately, according to a news release.

Here are four things to know about Mr. Maxwell.

1. He has 15 years of healthcare management experience.

2. Most recently, he was COO of Memorial Hospital of Martinsville (Va.) and Henry County, a LifePoint Health facility. During his tenure as COO, he also served as interim CEO for more than 16 months.

3. Prior to joining Brentwood, Tenn.-based LifePoint, Mr. Maxwell served in several hospital leadership positions, including senior vice president and COO of University of Virginia Health System Culpeper Regional Hospital. He also has COO and assistant CEO at Woodland Heights Medical Center in Lufkin, Texas; Eastern New Mexico Medical Center in Roswell; and Lake Granbury (Texas) Medical Center.

4. Mr. Maxwell earned a bachelor's degree in microbiology as well as a Master of Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma in Norman. He also earned a Master of Health Administration from the University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City.

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Ann Errichetti, MD, CEO of St. Peter's Hospital and Albany Memorial Hospital, both in Albany, N.Y., will leave in April to take a position in the Chicago area, according to an Albany Business Review report.

Here are five things to know about Dr. Errichetti.

1. She also serves as vice president of acute care in Albany for St. Peter's Health Partners, which includes Albany Memorial and St. Peter's Hospital.

2. Dr. Errichetti will be taking on a new role in the Chicago area, as COO and chief academic officer of Joliet, Ill.-based Presence Health, the largest Catholic health system in Illinois with 12 hospitals.

3. She has been with St. Peter's Health Partners since 2012. During her tenure there, she assisted in transforming the health system's services in Albany, added new services and grew specialty surgeries in various areas, according to the report.

4. Dr. Errichetti is responsible for the system's two Albany hospitals, with a focus on integrating services at the two locations and growing cardiovascular procedures there.

5. Virginia Golden, chief integration officer of St. Peter's Health Partners, will take over for Dr. Errichetti until a search can be conducted, spokesman Elmer Streeter said, according to the Albany Business Review.

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Stay in the know with Becker's Hospital Review's weekly roundup of the nation's biggest healthcare news. Here's what you need to know this week.

1. Kaiser Permanente chooses location for medical school

After revealing its intention to open a medical school, Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente selected a site for the campus: Pasadena, Calif.

2. CMS proposes new Medicare drug payment models

CMS said Tuesday it would test new models to improve how Medicare Part B pays for prescription drugs in order to encourage physicians to select the most effective treatments for patients and to slow Medicare spending.

3. Cleveland Clinic: First uterus transplant in US is unsuccessful

One day after holding a press conference on performing the first uterus transplant in the U.S., the Cleveland Clinic announced the procedure failed.

4. Mayo Clinic to cut ties with Georgia hospital

Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic plans to disaffiliate with a hospital it has run for several years in Waycross, Ga., according to the Star Tribune. Mayo struck an agreement in 2012 to operate the hospital. The facility was seen as a possible source of patient referrals to Mayo's hospital in Jacksonville, Fla.



5. Ex-CEO allegedly bilked $1M from troubled Florida hospital

The current administration of Blountstown, Fla.-based Calhoun Liberty Hospital is accusing former CEO Phillip Hill of defrauding the hospital of more than $1 million over a six-year period, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
Quentin Young, MD  a World War II veteran, civil rights activist, public health advocate and physician to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  died Monday of natural causes at age 92, according to NPR.

Born on Chicago's South Side, Dr. Young attended Chicago-based Northwestern for medical school and became a passionate advocate for civil rights in the city. He helped desegregate Chicago's hospitals, marched for civil rights and was a critic of the Affordable Care Act because he thought it was not comprehensive enough, according to NPR.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Young served as the chairman of medicine for Cook County Hospital and as president of the American Public Health Association, according to the report. Other notable patients he served in addition to Dr. King include former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington and former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, according to the report.

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After revealing its intention to open a medical school, Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente has selected a site for the campus: Pasadena, Calif.

Located 10 miles northeast of Los Angeles, Pasadena is close to other major Kaiser Permanente facilities.

Pasadena's dynamic, innovative culture makes it an ideal place for the medical school, according to Kaiser Permanente CEO Bernard Tyson. "Pasadena is a vibrant and diverse community, and that diversity is essential to the model of medical education we want to establish as we prepare physicians for the practice of medicine in the 21st century," Mr. Tyson said.

The school plans to break ground on the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine in 2017, and the first class of students is set to arrive in 2019.
Though only 55 percent of physicians participate in an alternative payment model, 80 percent would consider participation in the future, according to a survey of 500 physicians from Fidelity Investments and the National Business Group on Health.

These alternative payment models  such as pay-for-performance, patient-centered medical homes and accountable care organizations  are designed to create efficiency and control costs more than the current fee-for-service reimbursement model. The survey indicated most physicians are on board with this shift away from fee-for-service. In fact, only 41 percent of physicians surveyed felt fee-for-service was an optimal way to deliver positive patient outcomes. Among physicians under age 35 confidence in fee-for-service dropped to just 28 percent, according to the report.

Meanwhile, the survey indicated physicians rank "positive impact on patient health" as the top benefit of alternative payment models.

"At the end of the day, physician buy-in and support are crucial to the success of these new delivery models," Brian Marcotte, president and CEO of NBGH, said in a statement. "We are asking physicians to change how they engage their patients, manage their practice and get paid. The right resources, technology and analytics have to be in place to help physicians make this transition to deliver on the promise of improved patient outcomes and lower costs."

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Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare Services has received state approval to purchase Saint Michael's Medical Center in Newark, N.J., ending a 3-year review process.

Prime agreed to buy Saint Michael's for $62 million and invest $50 million to modernize the hospital. In addition, Prime committed to keep "substantially all" of the hospital's 1,400 employees.

New Jersey began its review of the transaction in December 2012. Saint Michael's officials said the extended consideration of the transaction is the chief reason it filed for bankruptcy last August.

In early February, the New Jersey State Health Planning Board gave the transaction the green light, which gave the state's acting health commissioner, Cathleen D. Bennett, 120 days to decide whether the deal should move forward, according to a NJ Spotlight report.

Ms. Bennett approved the transaction on Monday, a move that drew praise from Saint Michael's President and CEO David Ricci.

"We have all been waiting a long time for this moment and while there remains much to do before the transaction is completed, we have crossed the most important milestone," said Mr. Ricci.

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From a New Jersey physician being indicted for taking bribes in a $100 million fraud scheme to a national cancer care provider settling false claims allegations, here are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits and settlements making headlines.

1. Ex-CFO of troubled Florida hospital files lawsuit over CEO's harassment, threats

The former CFO of Calhoun Liberty Hospital in Blountstown, Fla., filed a federal whistle-blower lawsuit against the hospital's board, claiming members did nothing to stop harassment and threats from the hospital's former administrator.

2. NJ physician allegedly took bribes in $100M fraud scheme

Bernard Greenspan, DO, a family physician practicing in Bergen County, N.J., was charged with accepting bribes in exchange for test referrals as part of a long-running scheme operated by Parsippany, N.J.-based Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services.

3. Missouri hospital to pay physician $751k in wrongful termination suit

Mercy Springfield (Mo.) was ordered to pay $751,000 to a physician who sued the nonprofit health system in 2013, claiming she was fired for raising concerns over the hospital's treatment and billing practices.

4. 21st Century Oncology to pay $34.7M to settle false claims allegations

Fort Myers, Fla.-based 21st Century Oncology, the nation's largest physician-led integrated cancer care provider, agreed to pay the federal government $34.7 million to resolve allegations it performed and billed for procedures that were not medically necessary.

5. Former Sacred Heart physician convicted in kickback scheme

A federal jury found Venkateswara Kuchipudi, MD, guilty for his involvement in a kickback scheme at the now shuttered Sacred Heart Hospital in Chicago.

6. Florida physician faces 10 years in prison for fraud

Isaac Kojo Anakwah Thompson, MD, of Delray Beach, Fla., pleaded guilty to one count of healthcare fraud for engaging in a scheme to defraud the Medicare Advantage program.

7. Swedish Medical Center faces lawsuit after former employee puts 3,000 patients at risk of HIV, hepatitis

In early February, Denver-based Swedish Medical Center began notifying patients of potential exposure to blood-borne pathogens such as HIV and hepatitis B and C after it came to light that a former surgical technician for the hospital had possibly stolen drugs and left infected needles in the facility. Now three patients have filed a lawsuit against the hospital over their exposure risk.

8. Court of appeals to take second look at Mich. health claims tax

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit will re-examine Michigan's Health Insurance Claims Assessment Act in light of the Supreme Court's recent ruling in Gobeille v. Liberty Mutual.

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The former CFO of Calhoun Liberty Hospital in Blountstown, Fla., has filed a federal whistle-blower lawsuit against the hospital's board, claiming members did nothing to stop harassment and threats from the hospital's former administrator.

Haley Green began serving as Calhoun Liberty's CFO in October 2008. In her lawsuit filed Tuesday, she alleges Phillip Hill, the hospital's former CEO and administrator, stole funds from the hospital when he was Emergency Medical Services director and threatened her job if she didn't go along with his illegal scheme.

The hospital appointed Mr. Hill as director of EMS in 2009. In violation of the hospital's bylaws, the board granted Mr. Hill sole authority to write checks on behalf of the EMS program, according to Ms. Green's lawsuit. This created a conflict of interest because Mr. Hill was the person responsible for writing checks on behalf of the EMS department, and he was also responsible for the oversight of those expenditures. In essence, Mr. Hill was given "carte blanche to bless his own fraudulent behavior," according to the lawsuit.

With no oversight on his spending, Ms. Green claims Mr. Hill began to steal liberally from the EMS program's funding, and he even set up a medical supply company to double and triple charge the program for supplies.

On three different occasions, Mr. Hill allegedly brought checks in the amount of $20,000 to Ms. Green for her approval. The checks were made out to Mr. Hill and signed by Mr. Hill, and he claimed they were for equipment he had purchased for the EMS program on his personal credit card. When Ms. Green told Mr. Hill his actions violated hospital policy he threatened her employment.

Ms. Green subsequently took charge of reviewing the EMS program's financials, and she discovered a number of suspicious expenditures. When Mr. Hill lied to her about the purchases, Ms. Green began investigating him. At that point, Mr. Hill "increased the level of harassment" against Ms. Green, according to the lawsuit.

When the fraud and harassment was reported to the hospital board, the board took no action.

Ms. Green claims she subsequently resigned from her position at Calhoun Liberty when the harassment and threats from Mr. Hill did not subside.

However, the inquiry into Mr. Hill did not end when Ms. Green left the hospital. Mr. Hill resigned as Calhoun Liberty's CEO and administrator about six months ago, and the current administration is accusing him of defrauding the hospital of more than $1 million over a six-year period.

The allegations against the former CEO are the latest in a series of troubles at Calhoun Liberty. Last December, a 57-year-old woman died after being forcibly removed by police from the hospital. In February, the Agency for Health Care Administration uncovered 10 deficiencies at the hospital, including issues with its emergency services and risk management program.

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In February, North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin began an investigation of Durham, N.C.-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and the systematic problems it has had since early this year. Now Mr. Goodwin is planning on financially penalizing the insurer, according to The Charlotte Observer.

"We're going to hold this company accountable," Mr. Goodwin said, according to the report. "Blue Cross has the resources to hire as many people as they need to rectify this matter."

Mr. Goodwin and his staff are currently working to collect all customer complaints so they can calculate a financial penalty against BCBS of NC.

Since Jan. 1, the North Carolina Department of Insurance has received more than 8,700 phone calls and 1,900 formal complaints from customers against BCBS of NC. BCBS of NC could be fined "up to $1,000 a day per violation under one state law," according to the report.

"I am looking for every finable violation that I can find," Mr. Goodwin said, according to the report. "I am looking at the entire arsenal of solutions that I can deploy."

The department's investigation is set to take a few months.
Greater Orlando, Fla., had the highest rate of net job creation in 2015 among the nations 50 largest metro areas, according to a recent Gallup survey.

Following Orlando was Salt Lake City; Austin, Texas; Louisville, Ky.; and San Francisco.

Orlando, which is known for its theme parks, has recently experienced strong hiring growth in the hospitality and leisure sector  the greatest source of jobs in the area, according to Gallup. San Francisco has been known a major technology hub, and Austin and Salt Lake City have gained technology jobs in recent years also, Gallup said. Technology and healthcare are two of the major drivers of job growth in the Louisville area.

These results are based on interviewing in 2015. Last year, Gallup interviewed at least 730 working adults in each of the 50 largest U.S. metro areas, with more than 1,000 interviews conducted in 39 of the 50, asking employed Americans whether their place of employment is hiring workers and expanding the size of its workforce, letting workers go and reducing the size of its workforce, or not changing.

Metro areas were given a Job Creation Index score based on the percentage of workers who said their employer is hiring minus the percentage who said their employer is letting workers go.

Here are the highest Job Creation Index scores among the nations 50 largest metro areas.

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla. +45

Salt Lake City +43

Austin-Round Rock, Texas +41

Louisville-Jefferson County, Ky.-Ind. +40

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, Calif. +40

Hartford, Conn., and Providence, R.I., rank last among the top metro areas. Both areas have seen well-paying manufacturing jobs leave their state and have struggled to regain them or replace them with similar types of employment, according to Gallup. Oklahoma City and New Orleans have seen their job markets hurt by plunging gas prices.

Here are the lowest Job Creation Index scores among the nations 50 largest metro areas

Hartford-East Hartford-West Hartford, Conn. +21

Providence-Warwick, R.I.-Mass. +22

Oklahoma City, Okla. +25

New York-Newark-Jersey City, N.Y.-N.J.-Penn. +25

New Orleans-Metairie, La. +25

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Here are 10 spine surgeons and neurosurgeons in the news over this past week.

Spine surgeon Ali Zahrai, MD, joined Clearwater-based Orthopaedic Associates of West Florida.

Michael Elliott, MD, an orthopedic surgeon with Valley Children's Healthcare in Madera, Calif., implanted the MAGEC rods to correct spine curvature.

Butterfly Foundation co-founder Andrew Moulton, MD, went on a week-long mission trip in the Dominican Republic.

Mir Ali, MD, a spine surgeon at Rezin Orthopedics in Illinois, is now treating patients with minimally invasive procedures.

A new Disney movie follows the story of neurosurgeon Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, MD, who came to the United States illegally as a teenager and is now the director of brain tumor surgery at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.

Philadelphia-based Rothman Institute President Alexander Vaccaro, MD, PhD, MBA, was featured in a Philadelphia Style magazine discussing his practice's successes and where Rothman is headed in the future.

Neel Anand, MD, was appointed to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Spine Program Committee.

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital was added to the InVivo Therapeutics INSPIRE study site with James Harrop, MD, neurological surgery professor and co-director for adult reconstructive spine, was named the principal investigator.

Cheektowaga spine surgeon Anthony Leone, MD, was featured in the Buffalo News discussing when spine surgery is appropriate for back pain patients.

UF Health Shands Hospital neurosurgeon Albert L. Rhoton Jr., MD, passed away.
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EasyJet is adding another 250,000 seats to its summer schedule this year, creating up to 100 support jobs.

The budget airline is increasing its capacity considerably across a number of routes, both domestic and international.

Belfast International Airport said the expansion would add 100 new jobs in "aviation support, retail and supply companies", which it claims will be worth 1.6m in wages to the local economy.

Flight frequency will increase by 8%, with seat capacity boosted on London, Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and Newcastle routes. In addition, Lanzarote will be extended during the summer.

Passenger numbers at Belfast International Airport jumped by nearly 20% during January.

The airport stressed it had received no cash from the taxpayer towards the expansion.

Belfast International's business development director, Uel Hoey, added: "It's important to remember that this growth comes in advance of any air route development fund, which we expect to be announced shortly.

"The fund should serve to accelerate growth and deliver links to markets not already served from Northern Ireland.

"While the finishing touches are being put to the fund, the airport and our airlines are in expansion mode, growing the business, extending the route network and creating jobs.

"We could do much more and we can't wait to see the remit, scope and extent of the fund, which has been years in the making. This summer is on track to be our most successful ever. We would like to congratulate easyJet for its long-term commitment to this market, and we look forward to working closely with the airline to create ever-greater opportunities for the travelling public and visitors to our region."

Earlier this year, Enterprise Minister Jonathan Bell said work to progress the air route development fund was ongoing. "I intend to be in a position to announce the way forward before the end of the financial year," the minister added.

Both Belfast International and Belfast City airports have benefited from previous funding streams from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment.

That included more than 1m paid to Belfast International Airport in support of the Belfast to New York route operated by Continental Airlines, now named United.

The expansion of easyJet's services comes just days before Ryanair begins its first fresh flights from Belfast International Airport. Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary flew into Belfast last week to launch his airline's return, after six years away.

Graham Keddie, managing director of Belfast International Airport, said the routes would "provide direct access to Northern Ireland, drive up tourism numbers, increase Northern Ireland's international appeal and lead to hundreds of jobs".

The routes include London Gatwick, Berlin and Krakow, alongside sun spots and holiday break destinations such as Malaga and Tenerife.
Tughans walked away with the accolades at the Northern Ireland Dealmakers Awards 2016.

Belfast law firm Tughans has picked up two industry awards and been named 'corporate law firm of the year'.

It walked away with the accolades at the Northern Ireland Dealmakers Awards 2016.

Corporate partner John McGuckian was also named 'young dealmaker of the year'.

This year the firm was involved in a number of large deals including the acquisition of H&J Martin by Lagan Construction and the sale of Sawyers Transport.

Over the last year, John McGuckian has overseen deals worth 200m, which included advising TotalMobile on the investment by Lyceum Capital.

He was made a partner of the firm in July 2015.

The Insider's Northern Ireland Dealmakers Awards recognise the region's top corporate finance professionals, funders and lawyers.

Shortlists for each category are drawn up by an independent judging panel.
Gareth Graham's family business is one of hundreds in Northern Ireland which became caught up in the National Asset Management Agency (Nama) after it was established by the Irish Government in 2009.

It was set up to cleanse the banking system of toxic property loans made by Irish banks.

Those banks all made extensive loans available to their clients north of the border.

Mr Graham and his companies were a typical Bank of Ireland client.

They borrowed money from the bank to finance expansion from their original enterprise Sean Graham Bookmakers, including building an apartment block at College Court Central, near CastleCourt Shopping Centre.

When the property market crashed those loans were suddenly worth much less than they had been.

Along with billions of euros worth of other loans, all were clogging up the Irish banking system.

Nama was set up to process those loans in a way that would generate the best possible return for the Irish taxpayer.

Mr Graham's companies' loans went into Nama, and he told the Stormont finance committee last year that he continued to deal with the organisation like he had with Bank of Ireland.

Nama had set up an advisory committee in Northern Ireland, partly to assuage unionist fears that there would be no fire sale of assets here. Frank Cushnahan was on that committee, and he had earlier been involved with Mr Graham's companies as a chairman and shareholder.

That relationship went badly wrong and Mr Cushnahan left in 2008, after which Mr Graham accused Mr Cushnahan of being "intent on destroying our businesses after he left".

In 2014 Nama announced that it had sold all the loans on assets in Northern Ireland to Cerberus in a 1bn deal.

Companies were told that they would now be dealing with a new lender - so they had gone from Bank of Ireland, to Nama, to Cerberus.

In January 2015 prominent lawyer Ian Coulter left his law firm Tughans. There were rumours Mr Coulter had been told by his partners to leave over a deal linked with Nama but nothing could be substantiated. Mr Coulter denies any wrongdoing.

In July maverick TD Mick Wallace told the Dail that a politician and lawyer had both been in line for payments after they helped fix the Project Eagle deal behind the scenes.

He later added that Mr Cushnahan was due to land a fee - throwing up a possible conflict of interest as he had been on the Nama committee which was advising the organisation about how best to deal with the Northern Ireland assets.

Mr Cushnahan has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

An investigation was then launched by the National Crime Agency in the UK into whether any wrongdoing had taken place, and a complaint was also made to the FBI. The National Crime Agency investigations continue.

Mr Graham, meanwhile, was encountering Cerberus as it had been appointed as administrators to four of his companies, and he had encountered Mr Cushnahan as he had worked with him on the board of his companies.

In autumn last year the finance committee at the Assembly announced that it would hold hearings into the Nama sale, and called Mr Graham to tell of his insights based on his dealings with Nama.

It was in that hearing that he described working with Cerberus, and said the fund had demanded repayment of loans of 33m held by his companies.

Mr Graham said his belief was that the assets the loans related to were worth only 18m.

He told the committee: "My experience is that Cerberus's approach, in reality, is ruthless, unjust and unreasonable, which is at odds with the assertion that Cerberus's involvement in Northern Ireland would be good for the economy."

He told the Assembly that he had also complained to the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PSNI.

In today's statement, he withdraws his allegations and says he regrets any damage done to the reputation of Cerberus.

The scion of the family betting firm took a gamble on beating Cerberus - and, if today's apology is anything to go by, Mr Graham lost his gamble.

But as there is likely to be much more to the confidential agreement than we will ever find out, it could be a win-win situation if Mr Graham is back in control of his businesses and if Cerberus feels vindicated.
Developers behind a Belfast student development worth 14m have said they are "surprised" and "concerned" at a planning recommendation that the building doesn't get the go-ahead.

The proposed 380-bedroom student development at Little Patrick Street, run by English firm UniCiti, is recommended for refusal during next week's planning committee meeting.

And the firm has said the building could be worth around 14m to Belfast's economy.

Planners said it "should be refused as insufficient amenity space and outlook has been provided within the scheme to ensure a quality residential environment for future residents, and insufficient information has been submitted".

They added that "the principle of purpose-built student accommodation has not been demonstrated to be acceptable given the lack of an approvable management plan and other amenity concerns".

But UniCiti said it has had no previous contact or discussion with planning officers over the "issue of amenity", in this case, the communal space in the building and the view from some rooms.

"We are surprised that Belfast City Council officers have brought this application to committee at this point, and are concerned that a recommendation for refusal has been made," a spokesman said.

"No previous correspondence or discussion with officers raised the issue of amenity. We have submitted the additional information, and an amended plan which proposes a solution. We have also requested that the application is removed from the schedule to allow time for planning officers to properly assess these plans, before bring the application back for the committee to determine."

UniCiti said there have been "no community objections to this scheme. This scheme would bring a 14m investment to Belfast. Together with our approved scheme at York Street, UniCiti will bring a total investment of 41m to this part of the city centre.

"No key planning issues such as height, bulk, scale and massing of the building have been raised. This application has been brought forward to committee prematurely. The matters raised in the officer report are easily resolved."

UniCiti has already been successful in getting approval for a bigger, 682-bedroom project, close-by at York Street.

Several other student developments have also been proposed close to the Ulster University's new campus. More than 1,600 new student rooms have now been granted permission in Belfast.

And a further 1,300 rooms are expected to get the green light by Belfast City Council's planning committee next week.

Meanwhile, a decision on a 156-bedroom project on the Dublin Road, which received dozens of objections from nearby residents, is also expected to get the green light next week.
Hughes Insurance is shutting more than half its branches here with the loss of 20 jobs.

The firm, founded in 1977 by Newtownards man Leslie Hughes, is one of Northern Ireland's longest established insurance brokers and employs 280 staff.

It was taken over by Liberty Mutual Insurance in July. As part of a restructuring, it will close six of its 11 branches in April.

Offices in Ballymena, Ballynahinch, Lisburn, Magherafelt, Newry and Omagh have been earmarked for closure.

A spokesperson for the company, which has its headquarters in Newtownards, said the decision was part of an "operational restructure" to accommodate changes in consumers' buying patterns. They added customers here were increasingly buying their insurance policies online.

Chief executive Brian McDowell backed up the claim, saying that there had been a "steady decline" in branch footfall.

"In a relatively short period of time, consumer behaviour in the local insurance industry has changed considerably," Mr McDowell added.

"Ninety percent of our customers deal with us either online or on the phone, with 50% of all our business originating online."

The remaining branches - Coleraine, Londonderry, Glengormley, Portadown and Belfast - will expand and will maintain a regional presence for the brand.

The spokesperson said most affected staff will be offered the opportunity to relocate to company headquarters or one of the five unaffected branches.

The firm also plans to invest 1m in an e-commerce platform.

But it looks as though the insurer's advertising campaign, featuring comedians Grimes and McKee is over. The pair last featured in Hughes' F.B.I. campaign in October.

Asked if the duo would continue to feature in advertising for Hughes, a spokesperson told this newspaper that a new marketing campaign was on the cards.
Reality TV star Charlotte Crosby arrives at Newcastle Magistrates' Court where she is charged with drink-driving

Reality TV star Charlotte Crosby has had her dreams of breaking America dashed after a second drink-driving conviction.

The 25-year-old former Celebrity Big Brother winner and Geordie Shore cast member was caught driving her Range Rover in the early hours after drinking on the train home from London to Newcastle.

Two police officers witnessed her weaving down the road and, after pulling her over, a breath test showed she was over double the legal limit.

Newcastle Magistrates' Court was told that this latest indiscretion, after she was banned from driving for 18 months in 2012, means she is now unable to get a visa to travel to the USA.

Crosby, who has more than 2.7 million Twitter followers and has also made fitness DVDs, pleaded guilty to the charge after the incident on January 28.

Nick Freeman, defending, said she had decided to make the short journey from the railway station to her hotel despite having initially planned to get a taxi.

He said "she accepts that she is the author of her misfortune" and added that she was "bitterly ashamed, contrite and embarrassed".

Mr Freeman said Crosby had been close to landing a TV career in America but "that will not now happen as she will not get a visa".

"She would like to apologise to the court and her family," he said.

"She would like to apologise to her legions of fans and supporters who she has let down in a huge way."

Banning Crosby from driving for three years, chairman of the bench Keith McIntosh said it "beggared belief" that she had been caught for a second time.

"We take drink-driving offences very seriously in this court, even more so when it's not the first offence," he said.

Crosby, who had 80 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath compared with the legal limit of 35, was also told to pay 1,185.

In mitigation, Mr Freeman said "she contributes significantly back to society" and has a very "active and successful working life".

He said she carries out work with charities such as Unicef and Barnardo's and this conviction will have an impact on that.

Crosby, who won Celebrity Big Brother in 2013, has appeared in all 11 series of Geordie Shore.
Myleene Klass during her visit to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast

TV presenter and ex-pop star Myleene Klass grins as she poses with Belfast Trust nurses

Myleene Klass during her visit to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast

Singer and TV presenter Myleene Klass donned her scrubs and praised the work of Belfast nurses as she filmed a new programme in Northern Ireland.

The former Hear'say star tweeted pictures of her with some of the "amazing nurses" from ward 4A of the Royal Victoria Hospital.

Some of the patients got a bit of a surprise on Wednesday when the 37-year-old served up their dinner and helped staff with their ward rounds as she filmed the new show.

The programme will focus on the work of nurses and medics who have come from abroad to work in the NHS, and the scenes shot in Northern Ireland focus on the Filipino nurses working for the Belfast Trust.

Myleene's mother, Magdalena, is originally from the Philippines, and she worked as a nurse in England for many years.

Posting a picture with some of the nurses from the hospital's fractures ward, the celebrity wrote: "Actual squad goals. Thanks to the amazing nurses I worked with today, those around the UK and my own mama."

The star also posted a picture of herself with some medical equipment in a hospital corridor and called herself "nurse Myleene".

She also added a selfie with the comment: "Where does it hurt? Working on the wards today."

In another photo, she posed in a high-visibility jacket and hard hat as she visited the site of the new 50m radiotherapy unit at Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry.

The new state-of the-art ward, which is expected to cater for more than 500,000 people, is scheduled to open its doors sometime later this year.

The programme, which will also feature Myleene's interviews with some of Belfast's nurses, is expected to air in the summer.
Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart will reunite on stage and tour the UK in Harold Pinter's No Man's Land.

The duo last starred together on the UK stage in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, but will return to theatres with a revival of Pinter's 1975 play.

The actors, who play Magneto (Sir Ian) and Xavier (Sir Patrick) in the X-Men film franchise, are long-time friends and frequent collaborators.

No Man's Land will tour the UK before opening in the West End at Wyndham's Theatre.

Wyndham's is where it was performed from 1975 to 1976, when it starred Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud - and is also the theatre where Sir Patrick first saw the play.

Sir Patrick said: "I saw the original production of No Man's Land three times in one week at Wyndham's Theatre and would have seen it more if I could have afforded the tickets.

"I made a promise to myself that one day I would play Spooner or Hirst but to be doing it back at Wyndham's with Ian McKellen was a fantasy I never entertained."

Starting in August, the tour will include the Lyceum Theatre in Sheffield, the Theatre Royal in Newcastle, the Theatre Royal in Brighton and the New Theatre in Cardiff.

Sir Ian and Sir Patrick have already starred in No Man's Land, directed by Sean Mathias, on Broadway at New York's Cort Theatre in 2013.

Sir Ian said: "Playing Spooner to Patrick's Hirst on Broadway was a constant joy, which is why I am delighted to be back with him in the West End."

The play sees two ageing writers, Hirst and Spooner, meet at a pub in London's Hampstead. They drink late into the night, moving to Hirst's stately home nearby.

As the two become increasingly inebriated, their stories become less believable as their conversation turns into a power game.
A border poll on the reunification of Ireland should be held if Britain votes to leave the EU, Martin McGuinness said.

The Sinn Fein leader predicted any exit would be against the democratic wishes of the Irish people.

The Democratic Unionists are the only large party in Northern Ireland to campaign for Brexit in the June referendum.

Mr McGuinness said: "Such a negative development would represent a political and economic game changer."

Sinn Fein, the Ulster Unionists and the nationalist SDLP are campaigning to stay in the union.

Mr McGuinness added: "Ireland's place north and south is in Europe and leading change in Europe.

"If Britain votes to leave the European Union then that could have huge implications for the entire island of Ireland and, given all the predictions, would run counter to the democratic wishes of the Irish people.

"If there is a vote in Britain to leave the EU there is a democratic imperative to provide Irish citizens with the right to vote in a border poll to end partition and retain a role in the EU."

He said the 1998 Good Friday Agreement which ended decades of the Troubles provided for a border poll to be conducted, with Britain bound to legislate for any change arising.

"I have proposed to (Northern Ireland Secretary) Theresa Villiers that, given the enormous significance of these issues, the British government now give a firm commitment to an immediate border poll in the event Britain votes to leave the European Union."
"I am absolutely committed to making this country a success" the First Minister vowed on Friday night

DUP leader Arlene Foster will be paying a four day visit to the United States, and says she will sell a positive message of Northern Ireland during her trip.

She said: "I will tell President Obama  and in fact anyone who will listen  the positive news that our wee country is one they should put at the top of their list to visit and invest in."

Mrs Foster made the comments on Friday evening as she was speaking to the Lisburn and Castlereagh Business Awards she praised Northern Irelands business community and said their contribution is not taken for granted.

"There is a well-worn phrase that bad news makes a good headline  but that is a mind-set I would like to change," she said.

"The business community is generating a lot of good news and I believe that makes a great story for Northern Ireland. It's one we should be shouting from the rooftops. We should be articulating this upbeat message at every possible opportunity.

"Thats what I will be doing when I go to America next week. I will tell President Obama  and in fact anyone who will listen  the positive news that our wee country is one they should put at the top of their list to visit and invest in.

"This year we will have over 80 cruise ships visiting Belfast, we've complaints of too many tourists at 'The Dark Hedges' and we have tour buses travelling all throughout the country. This was unimaginable when I was growing up. People steered clear of here rather than visit. We're going in the right direction. We've first class visitor attractions in every county and I want to play my part in bringing people from all over the world to see them.

"My top priority is bringing more and better jobs here. That's why when others had thrown in the towel on Corporation Tax we didn't. The DUP stood alone but we delivered. This will revolutionise doing business in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is second only to London at attracting investment into the United Kingdom and that was during a downturn.

"Next week I will visit companies in New York, Washington DC and San Francisco. I will be selling all the advantages of doing business in Northern Ireland. Having the lowest rate of corporate tax in Western Europe gives us an incredible advantage.

"In me you have a First Minister who will always speak positively about Northern Ireland. I will not talk this country down. I was born here and love this place. I am absolutely committed to making this country a success."
A Donegal born BBC journalist is to go on trial at the Londonderry Crown Court charged with raping a woman in the city almost two years ago.

Sean O'Halloran, 29, a reporter with BBC Radio Foyle in Derry, from Northland Road, is charged with committing three sex offences against the woman.

At his arraignment before Judge Philip Babington the defendant replied "definitely not guilty" to a charge of raping the woman, "definitely not guilty" to a charge of indecently touching her in a sexual manner without her consent and "definitely not guilty" to a charge of sexually assaulting her by digital penetration.

He denied committing the three offences on May 11, 2014.

Defence barrister Eilis MacDermott told Judge Philip Babington that she would be seeking medical reports and records, records from Victim Support and from Nexus and possibly from the Compensation Agency.

A Public Prosecution Service barrister said he believed some of the witnesses in the case could be agreed and that he would need two weeks to obtain witness availability.

The case was adjourned until April 8 when a date for the trial, which is expected to last five days, will be fixed.

Meanwhile the defendant was released on continuing bail.
The BBC sends out up to 3,500 letters every working day to viewers in Northern Ireland threatening them with 1,000 fines unless they buy a TV licence

The BBC sends out up to 3,500 letters every working day to viewers in Northern Ireland threatening them with 1,000 fines unless they buy a TV licence.

Around 2.3 million letters demanding payment were posted in the last three years.

The mass mail-outs cost the BBC almost 500,000 - equivalent to 3,400 licence fees, even though only a small minority dodge the 145.50 charge.

It comes after the Belfast Telegraph reported how TV licence evaders accounted for a quarter of all criminal prosecutions in Northern Ireland last year.

The BBC was responsible for one in every four cases received into Magistrates Courts.

In the 12 months to last April more than 10,000 people were taken to court for not paying their licence fee.

DUP MP Sammy Wilson believes it is time to scrap the TV licence.

"This shows the number of people who have decided they don't want to pay this compulsory fee for a service which many, like myself, never use," he said.

Anyone watching television as it is being broadcast must have a TV licence.

The maximum penalty for non-payment is a 1,000 fine.

Figures obtained by the Belfast Telegraph reveal the extraordinary lengths taken - and costs incurred - by the BBC to force people to pay the licence fee.

These include letters threatening people with large fines if they do not cough up.

Between April 2012 and April 2015 a total of 2,377,737 letters were sent to addresses in Northern Ireland.

And the threats are on the increase. In 2012/13 some 661,570 letters were sent out, while last year this had jumped by 35% to 898,306.

The figures were released by the BBC after a Freedom of Information request by this newspaper.

The 2014/15 figure equates to an astonishing 2,461 letters every day of the year, or around 3,500 per day over a five-day working week. Many homes received multiple letters. Some reports say people have been deluged with up to 30 a year.

The BBC was unable to say how many times it had issued letters to the same address on multiple occasions.

It also refused to disclose the costs involved in the mail-out, citing the "commercial interests" of the companies it uses.

However, it did confirm that the average cost of posting one letter was around 21p.

Based on 2,377,737 letters, it will have cost at least 499,324 - equivalent to 3,431 licence fees.

Mr Wilson has said the BBC should offer people a choice of whether they want to watch its output, and therefore pay the 145.50 fee, or opt out.

"The BBC fear that because they know that people would leave them in droves," he said.

A TV Licensing spokesperson said: "As the vast majority of licence holders pay by Direct Debit, we send very few letters to most people.

"We only use letters where we don't have an email address or customer consent to use their email address. Letters are a cost-effective way to get people to buy a licence."
A Co Down GP is to stand trial on charges linked to allegations that he fraudulently conducted clinical trials on patients

A Co Down GP is to stand trial on charges linked to allegations that he fraudulently conducted clinical trials on patients.

Dr Hugh McGoldrick, from Crossgar Road East in Crossgar, faces a total of eight charges dating back to 2007 and 2008 in connection with a drugs trial into a new sleeping tablet.

McGoldrick (58) appeared at Downpatrick Crown Court, sitting in Belfast, yesterday where he denied a total of eight offences.

The doctor, whose practice is in Downpatrick, has been charged with two counts of conducting a clinical trial in contravention of regulations, and four separate counts of fraud by false representation.

The latter four charges accuse McGoldrick of making false claims that patients were suitable for clinical trials in a bid to make a gain for himself or a loss to the pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Aventis UK.

In addition, the Co Down doctor also faces two charges of doing an act with the intent of perverting the course of justice.

Believed to be linked to attempted arsons at his GP's practice at Pound Lane Clinic, McGoldrick has been charged with facilitating the attempted destruction of documents associated with the clinical trials he was conducting for Sanofi Aventis UK, on both November 9 and November 18, 2008.

When each of the eight charges were put to McGoldick, he replied "not guilty" to all of them. A trial is due to commence next month.
Dissident republican activist Damien 'Dee' Fennell yesterday denied a charge of encouraging support for the IRA.

Fennell, from Torrens Avenue in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast, is to stand trial on three charges arising from a speech he gave last Easter at a graveyard in Lurgan during a 1916 Commemoration event.

The 34-year old, who refused to stand in the dock of Belfast Crown Court during the hearing, pleaded not guilty to encouraging acts of terrorism, inviting support for the IRA and addressing a meeting to encourage support for the IRA.

All three offences are dated April 5, 2015, and fall under the Terrorism Act 2000.

The court heard that the trial, which is due to start in June, would last two days.

After their were no objections from the Crown, Fennell was released on continuing bail ahead of his trial.

The defendant is well-known as a spokesman for the Greater Ardoyne Residents Collective, which opposes Orange Order marches in north Belfast.
Financial concerns have been raised over a new Irish language secondary school in Dungiven.

Attending the official opening of Colaiste Dhoire was one of Education Minister John O'Dowd's final engagements after five years in the post.

Just 15 children attend the college, which is located at Dungiven Castle.

DUP MLA Peter Weir said 51 schools had been closed this Assembly term, and questioned Mr O'Dowd's priorities.

"At a time of financial pressure within education, many will share with me a sense of frustration that yet again in this case dogma has overridden practical considerations," Mr Weir told the Belfast Telegraph.

"In the same week as a 1% cut has been announced in schools funding, and a further 2% pressure for schools through increased National Insurance contributions, it is hard not to see this being driven by ideological rather than educational concerns.

"Parental choice is important, but it must be grounded on practical provision and good use of school resources, and a new school for 15 pupils is hardly responding to demand."

Start-up costs for the school totalled 91,000, it emerged earlier this year.

It opened in September with 14 pupils.

Enrolment has since risen to 15, according to an answer to an Assembly question posed by the Ulster Unionist MLA Sandra Overend.

Ms Overend said it was scandalous that the minister went against official advice in his decision to open the new Irish-medium school. "This is a vanity project which does not stack up on economic or sustainability grounds," she claimed.

"The minister commissioned and accepted an advisory group report in 2014 about the development of post-primary Irish medium (IM) education.

"Recommendation 4.2.6 set an initial intake for an IM post-primary school of 35 in year eight, rising to 65-80 by the fifth year to ensure sustainability.

"This begs the obvious question: how on Earth can a secondary school be sustainable or attempt to deliver the curriculum with those sort of numbers?"

When Mr O'Dowd approved the new school in 2014, he remarked that his department "has a statutory duty to encourage and facilitate the provision of Irish-medium education".

"I recognise there is a demand for post-primary education through the medium of Irish", he said at the time.

"I believe that Colaiste Dhoire is capable of delivering high-quality education for the benefit all young people in Dungiven and the surrounding areas."

Mr O'Dowd also visited the site of the new 1.3m Edenderry Nursery School in north Belfast yesterday as work began on the building.

The Education Minister was unavailable for comment in relation to Mr Weir and Ms Overend's remarks.
Residents were forced to flee after a pipe bomb was found in a children's play area on Wednesday.

Families were evacuated from their homes after the discovery in Ballydonaghy Meadows in Crumlin, Co Antrim, at around 10.30pm.

Some of the 30 people forced from their beds took shelter with relatives while others were forced to spend the night in Crumlin Leisure Centre.

Mother-of-three Suzanne (35) said the perpetrators should be ashamed of themselves. "We got a knock at the door from police saying a bomb had been found under someone's car and to stay in the back of the house," she added.

"Then we were told to get in the car to leave and that the bomb was on the green where the kids around here play.

"It was a nightmare because I then had to get my youngest two, aged one and three, and the seven-year-old out of bed and take them in the rain to their granny's house.

"My first thought was, 'What if there are more bombs under the cars?' I panicked, but we loaded the car and got out as quick as we could. We didn't return until 6.30am and we didn't know whether there'd be a house to come back to."

Another resident, Bill (68), who had to leave his home and sleep on his daughter's settee, was furious with those behind the pipe bomb.

"Whoever did this is ridiculous," he said. "Young kids and elderly people forced out of their homes in the dark of night in the pouring rain.

"When you hear of these things, you automatically think it's a police or prison officer being targeted, but there's none living in this street. I wish there was, though, and perhaps there wouldn't be as much bother.

"I moved out of Belfast to get away from the people who plant bombs and don't care who they hurt. It seems they're everywhere now. Crumlin is a nice area. We don't want scum here."

After the bomb, which police described as a "viable device" was made safe, residents were allowed to return home at 2.30am.

Councillor Linda Clarke said: "As the chair of Antrim and Newtownabbey Policing and Community Safety Partnership, I condemn the actions of the minority in this country who seek to cause fear, worry and untold unnecessary disruption to residents in our local communities.

"We were shocked to hear of last night's incident. It is disgraceful that families, including young children, were displaced from their homes.

"The actions of these people determined to cause widespread destruction are abhorrent and completely unacceptable. I would urge anyone with any information to contact PSNI on 101 or contact the anonymous, confidential Crimestoppers number, 0800 555 111."
Will Kerr urged the public to keep their perspective, regarding the threat posed by dissident republicans

Police are thwarting up to four planned dissident republican attacks for every one the extremists manage to pull off, a senior police commander has warned.

The officer leading the fight against the violent renegades said a number of murder bids were prevented in the seven days since dissidents injured a prison officer in an under car bomb in Belfast last Friday.

Will Kerr, assistant chief constable with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), said a hard core of veteran terrorists are directing hundreds of active dissidents in their campaign of violence.

Mr Kerr said the dissidents' widening attack capabilities, ranging from car bombs to rocket fired grenades, were "deeply concerning".

But he stressed their activities also needed to be put in "perspective" and insisted there was no likelihood of a return to the widespread violence of the Troubles.

Mr Kerr, who emphasised the need for more community help in thwarting the dissident threat, also said there was no evidence that loyalist paramilitaries planned to re-engage in conflict in response to recent dissident actions.

The overview from the head of the PSNI's serious crime branch comes amid warnings from the police that dissidents are hell-bent on marking the forthcoming centenary of the Dublin Easter Rising against British rule by killing security force members in Northern Ireland.

Last Friday a 52-year-old prison officer required surgery after a dissident bomb detonated under the van he was driving in east Belfast.

"We stop three or four attacks for every one that gets through," said Mr Kerr.

"That is a broad comparator but it is a reasonably accurate one as well.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close A bomb disposal unit officer at the scene following a suspected car bomb attack on a prison officer at Hillsborough Drive on March 4, 2016 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Getty Images A bomb disposal unit officer inspects the damaged van following a suspected car bomb attack on a prison officer at Hillsborough Drive on March 4, 2016 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Getty Images The scene at the top of Hillsborough Drive off the Woodstock Road in east Belfast where a device exploded under a van resulting in one man being hospitalised. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye A man, believed to be a prison officer, has been taken to hospital after a device exploded under a van in east Belfast. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press A man, believed to be a prison officer, has been taken to hospital after a device exploded under a van in east Belfast. Picture credit  Matt Mackey - Presseye.com Belfast - Northern Ireland - 4th March 2016 The scene where a man, believed to be a prison officer, has been taken to hospital after a device exploded under a van in east Belfast. It happened around the Woodstock Road at about 07:10 GMT on Friday. A man, believed to be a prison officer, has been taken to hospital after a device exploded under a van in east Belfast. The scene where a man, believed to be a prison officer, has been taken to hospital after a device exploded under a van in east Belfast. It happened around the Woodstock Road at about 07:10 GMT on Friday. The scene where a man, believed to be a prison officer, has been taken to hospital after a device exploded under a van in east Belfast. It happened around the Woodstock Road at about 07:10 GMT on Friday. A man, believed to be a prison officer, has been taken to hospital after a device exploded under a van in east Belfast. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press A man, believed to be a prison officer, has been taken to hospital after a device exploded under a van in east Belfast. The van at the scene of the car bomb in East Belfast The scene where a man, believed to be a prison officer, has been taken to hospital after a device exploded under a van in east Belfast. It happened around the Woodstock Road at about 07:10 GMT on Friday. Police seal off a large area after a device exploded under a car in east Belfast, leaving a man injured. PA Police seal off a large area after a device exploded under a car in east Belfast, leaving a man injured. Pic Lesley-Anne McKeown/PA Wire PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp A bomb disposal unit officer at the scene following a suspected car bomb attack on a prison officer at Hillsborough Drive on March 4, 2016 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

"We stop the vast majority of attacks. We are not in any way complacent about that and never will be complacent."

The assistant chief constable added: "There are a few hundred active DRs (dissident republicans) who are involved in active dissident republican operations but there would be a much smaller number, most of whom would have very significant terrorist experience, who are involved in directing terrorism and the leadership of these groups as well.

"These DR groups are dangerous, but we need to keep a bit of perspective around them as well.

"They are not in the same scale in terms of numbers and capability as terrorist campaigns we have experienced in the past - it's not the same pace of attacks, it's not the same volume of attacks.

"It's very unlikely and it won't return to the scale and pace of attacks in the past.

"These groups have very limited community support and traction - it just isn't there, despite their protestations and public statements that they do have support, they very clearly don't - certainly not within republican communities.

"They have no strategy, no rationale, no objectives - it's an entirely futile campaign where violence of itself seems to be an end of itself."

He added: "It's like playground bullies in a school where everyone else has moved on and you have these bullies looking round them who don't quite understand what's happened but whose only default mechanism is the use of violence, they know nothing else."

Mr Kerr said the dissidents would use the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising as an "excuse" to commit violence.

He also moved to counter speculation that loyalist paramilitaries were planning a violent response to the dissident threat.

The officer nevertheless issued a blunt warning to any loyalists who might consider such a move.

"The response to DR activity, the only legitimate response is by the police service," he said.

"We will not allow and will have no tolerance whatsoever for any misplaced retribution by any element of loyalism and we will stamp down on that very hard if that happens."
Probation should not be seen as a soft option for criminals, a major conference on justice has been told.

Challenging offenders to address their behaviour, tackle addictions and carry out unpaid work in the community is more difficult than serving a short stint in jail, according to Vilma Patterson, chairman of the Probation Board.

Community sentences also reduced reoffending and provided better value for money, she said.

"We cannot incarcerate our way to a safer community," she said. "We need a range of options to deal with offenders and tackle offending behaviour.

"Those options need to be radical, bold and flexible."

The comments were made during a speech at a Probation in Focus seminar at Belfast's Malone House.

Labour MP Kier Starmer, a former director of public prosecutions and head of the Crown Prosecution Service in England and Wales, justice minister David Ford and Les Allamby, chief commissioner with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, were among the guest speakers at the event.

Last year the Probation Board put forward proposals to pilot new intensive community service sentence and restorative justice options.

The plans have the potential to reduce prison numbers by providing stronger supervision and more opportunities for rehabilitation, delegates were told.

However public misconceptions must be challenged, said Ms Patterson, adding that complex messaging about the process of rehabilitation and resettlement were often overlooked in favour of "lock them up and throw away the key" soundbites.

Ms Patterson said: "The cost associated with sending someone to prison is significant and in a time of reduced budgets and diminishing resources prison should be a place of last resort.

"We need to ask does prison offer the best value for money for all offenders? My view is no.

"But that should not be seen a signal that we are in some way soft on crime. Absolutely not. In fact the challenge provided by community sentences such as community service can be greater than a short prison sentence.

"Indeed I have met young men on community service who have said they would rather be in prison than carrying out unpaid work in the community because it is challenging.

"Of course it not just the work that is challenging it is complying with the need to address the reasons why they have offended.

"I have heard women say that confronting their past and their addictions through programmes and interventions has been one of the most difficult things they have done and it would have been easier to have been in prison.

"Community sentences, supervised professionally, can help make a person take responsibility and live a law-abiding life."
A woman has told a coroner's court she was lucky to escape when paedophile Robert Howard tried to rape her during a game of hide-and-seek.

In a graphic account, given to the inquest for murdered teenager Arlene Arkinson, the witness described having to fight off the convicted child killer, who had pinned her down in the bedroom of his flat.

The woman, who cannot be named, said she was terrified.

She said: "I thought we were playing an innocent game of hide and go seek.

"I know that Bob Howard was going to have sex with me against my will and I was so lucky to get away."

The alleged incident happened at Howard's home on Main Street in Castlederg, Co Tyrone - about a year before Arlene vanished in August 1994 - when the woman was aged 14.

Details were given in a statement made to police investigating Arlene's disappearance in July 2002.

The woman said she had known Howard but had never liked him, adding that she thought he was "creepy".

She had been at the flat on a number of occasions without any incident.

On this day, it was suggested that they play hide-and-seek and the lights were turned off, Belfast Coroner's Court was told.

When Howard found the teenager hiding in his bedroom, he said "you've been caught" before pushing her on to his bed, covering her mouth and pinning her down forcefully, she said.

"I was thinking that he was going to rape me," she said. "I knew I had to do something.

"I couldn't let him have intercourse with me. I struck him. I was aiming for his privates and I believe I did strike him there."

After fleeing, panic-stricken, the witness said she ran to find Donna Quinn who was also allegedly in the flat.

"I wanted to find Donna and tell her what happened," she said. "Donna was sitting on the chair. I saw a smirk on her face and she kept looking at me.

"I was going to tell her what had happened but I felt by that look on her face that this was planned.

"I ran down the hall and out of the flat."

The woman said she did not tell anyone and for years tried to block out the "nightmare".

She avoided Ms Quinn and never had any further contact with Howard.

She also warned Arlene to be wary of him, the court was told.

"I have kept this to myself," she said. "I have often thought why did I go into his bedroom? I have blamed myself for this all these years."

Fifteen-year-old Arlene, from Castlederg, disappeared in August 1994 after a night out at a disco across the border in Co Donegal.

She was last seen with Howard, who was acquitted of her murder in 2005 by a jury which was not told of his conviction for killing a schoolgirl in south London.

However the 71-year-old remained the prime suspect until his death in prison last year.

Despite extensive searches the teenager's body has still not been found.

The inquest, which is in its third week, continues.

Later, the court heard from a number of social workers who had engaged with Arlene and her extended family.

Michelle McKernon agreed with an assertion from their lawyer that the teenager had been "dealt a fairly raw hand in life".

The court heard how following the death of her mother in 1990, Arlene's father struggled to provide adequate care because of an alcohol addiction.

As a result, Arlene flitted between siblings living in Castlederg, Omagh and Strabane.

Despite some difficulties, the social worker said Arlene had always wanted to remain with relatives and was opposed to going into care.

She said: "Arlene wanted her family and wanted to be close to her family members."

When she went missing, Ms McKernon informed police, with the consent of the Arkinson family, the court was told.

However, there was some dispute about the exact date on which the telephone call was made.

According to social services records, police were told on August 16 1994 -- three days after she had failed to return home.

But, Kevin Rooney QC, representing the police, said: "The police say the first record is on (August) 18, (1994)."

Meanwhile, another social worker said Arlene would not have been capable of starting a new life on her own, and had not spoken of wanting to move away from the Castlederg area.

Mary Gormley said: " Arlene was a bit of a mixture in that she presented sometimes as being quite mature but, contrary to that she was a little girl.

"She may not have felt totally secure all the time but she looked for that security."

The hearing has been adjourned until Monday.
Flowers left at the memorial in Belfast yesterday to murdered soldiers Dougald McCaughey and Joseph and John McCaig

The family of a young Scottish soldier shot by the IRA 45 years ago have thanked the people of Northern Ireland for remembering him.

Dougald McCaughey (23) was shot dead along with brothers Joseph (18) and John (17) McCaig on the outskirts of north Belfast after being lured from a city centre bar by IRA men who befriended them.

Yesterday the Belfast Telegraph revealed their killers are still on the run in the Republic.

Last night acts of Remembrance for them took place at the Cenotaph in Glasgow as well as White Brae in Belfast where they were killed.

Dougald's cousin David said it is of enormous comfort to his family that the boys are still remembered in Belfast with services and memorials.

The memorial to the soldiers at White Brae has been attacked a number of times, but the Ligoniel branch of the Royal British Legion has repaired it each time.

"People here on the mainland remember nothing, they forgot the boys but the people of Northern Ireland never did," he said.

"From even the night before the anniversary I was getting scores of private messages on Facebook from people who remember them."

Mr McCaughey said he is touched by how many people and groups turned out for the act of Remembrance in Glasgow yesterday evening. "It is a sad day for us, but the support helps enormously," he said.

"It is also my son's birthday. He is now 22, born in 1994 on the same day the boys died. His middle name is Dougald." The Belfast Telegraph yesterday revealed details of the HET review of the murder investigation, including a finding that the young soldiers had been deviously befriended by IRA men at a bar in Belfast and lured into a car on the promise they would be taken to a party with women.

The report also revealed that while the RUC started the murder investigation, it was taken over by a team from the Metropolitan Police.

It further detailed how police suspected north Belfast IRA man Patrick McAdorey and Anthony 'Dutch' Doherty of being involved in the deaths.

McAdorey was shot dead by the security forces before he could be charged with the murders. Doherty, meanwhile, escaped from Crumlin Road Gaol, where he had been interned, in December 1971 and went on the run in the Republic before he could be charged.

The HET noted that while Martin Meehan's name had been linked to the killings, there was no intelligence or evidence to formally connect him.

No one was ever charged over the murders, and the HET report found no new lines of inquiry in its review of the case.

Mr McCaughey is now calling for a public inquiry into the murders after receiving the HET report. He is adamant that the family will not stop campaigning until they get answers. "It was a dirty, dirty war," he said.

"The open verdict at the inquest stuck in my throat. An open verdict on those three boys after six or seven bullets went into their skulls? Anywhere else in the UK they would have no qualms about recording it as murder.

"I get angry again every time I read the report."
Daniel Graham outside court yesterday where he was ordered to stand trial accused of killing a fellow soldier in a car crash

A soldier is to stand trial accused of killing his friend by careless driving after he denied the charge today.

Standing in the dock of Craigavon Crown Court, 22-year-old Daniel Graham pleaded not guilty to a single count of causing the death of Alan Monteith by driving carelessly on the Carryduff Road in Ballynahinch on 16 August 2013.

The charge arises as a result of a one vehicle road traffic accident on the main road between Carryduff and Ballynahinch which caused fatal injuries to 32-year-old Mr Monteith.

In court on Friday defence solicitor advocate Denis Maloney said Graham, with an address at Ballykinler Army Camp, had returned from England to face the court.

Releasing the soldier on continuing bail, His Honour Judge Kinney said he would review the case next month ahead of the trial, set to be heard in early June.
Pupils from Fane Street and Donegall Road Primaries in front of the mural of St Patrick

First Minister Arlene Foster said that unionist and loyalist communities feel "alienated" from celebrating St Patrick's Day because it has been "Gaelicised".

The DUP leader was speaking after she unveiled a mural of the Patron Saint of Ireland in the Village area of south Belfast as part of a campaign to replace paramilitary images.

The artwork was created by painter and sculptor Ross Wilson, who hopes the mural will help overcome misconceptions about St Patrick.

The artwork was unveiled on Tate's Avenue yesterday, and is on a 12ft by 8ft aluminium panel alongside another featuring local children's interpretations of the saint. A third panel explains why the Red Hand of Ulster is a symbol of both loyalist and nationalist cultures.

Mrs Foster visited the project and was joined by members of the local community. She stressed the importance of the project, saying that its genesis came from within the community.

"They have discovered new things about St Patrick and I think that's good and hopefully they will embrace the idea and the vision that he had," she said. "The difficulty for a lot of unionists and loyalist communities has been the fact that it has been very Gaelicised in terms of celebrating St Patrick. In particular, the use of tricolours and things like that really turn unionists off from the different parades, and I regret that because St Patrick is a Patron Saint of everybody in Northern Ireland and it's regrettable we don't feel that we can enjoy that day and we feel alienated from it, so I would welcome steps to embrace it.

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"This community has taken the first step themselves to celebrate St Patrick and I would like to see more civic leadership, particularly here in Belfast, so that people who live in the city don't feel alienated from the Patron Saint."

Ross' previous mural commissions include the Ship Of Dreams image dedicated to the Titanic and Belfast's shipbuilding legacy, as well as King Billy. The painter worked alongside pupils from the Donegall Road Primary School who created images of their interpretation of St Patrick.

"The inspiration for this comes from within the community and it's a joint poignant inspiration with St Patrick's owns words from his Confessio and his history in Ireland," he said.

"He was here for 45 years and a starting point for the project was his own words, which are on the artwork. They are very humble. St Patrick is not for loyalists or nationalists, he's a saint, a man of God, a messenger. He was an outsider and was brought here as a slave and he escaped and returned with a message.

"St Patrick's message has been lost in the whole St Patrick celebration thing and the leprechaun has taken over."

Angela Johnston from the Greater Village Regeneration Trust, who conceived the project alongside South Belfast Action for Community Transformation, said: "We were shocked at how little our Protestant working class community knew about Irish history and figures who can be seen to be controversial, such as St Patrick.

"People always ask the same question: was St Patrick a Catholic, was he Irish? These are the types of questions asked.

"People are now saying 'I didn't realise he was part of our culture'."
Pictured is the scene at Woodburn forest on March 10, 2016 Belfast, Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

Belfast , UK - March 10, Pictured is the scene at Woodburn forest on March 10, 2016 Belfast, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

Belfast , UK - March 10, Pictured is the scene at Woodburn forest on March 10, 2016 Belfast, Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

An application to ban protesters from the Woodburn Forest drill site has been adjourned until later this month.

The news came as the Environment Minister said he will issue a belated 'call for evidence' on exploratory drilling rights next week.

This week 10 activists were summoned to the High Court after InfraStrata, the company behind the controversial project, asked that the campaigners be evicted from the access path at Paisley Road or be given an injunction - although a decision will now not be made until next Friday.

While the protesters were not banned, the PSNI yesterday prevented them from accessing the site.

After being warned they would be hit with an injunction if they obstructed InfraStrata workers, the activists moved tents and a gazebo that had been blocking the way.

Michael Lavery, counsel for some of the protesters, said locals feared they would also be prevented from using the path. "There was a heavy-handed police presence this morning," he said.

"This is a dignified protest and there was never any suggestion that access was going to be blocked."

Lord Justice Girvan said the issue was one for the local council.

Campaigners claim chemicals used in the drill could pollute the water table close to Woodburn Reservoir, which supplies hundreds of homes.

NI Water, which leased the site to InfraStrata, insists the project is safe and that the water supply will be protected.

Last night, Environment Minister Mark H Durkan said he will make a 'call for evidence' on Monday over permitted development rights for onshore oil and gas exploration. In 2013, the Department of the Environment did not respond to a request for its views on plans for drilling at Woodburn within a 21-day time limit - meaning the oil exploration had automatic permission.

Stop The Drill campaigners had called for a review of the rights system on oil and gas development, saying there needed to be a new overview body as the DoE was incapable of dealing with the issue.

"As a result InfraStrata was granted development rights by default," said spokeswoman Fiona Joyce.

Majella McCarron added: "We keep raising these permits they don't have. It's only because of our intervention that these permits get put in place."

Mr Durkan said: "The existing permitted development rights were designed to deal with onshore oil and gas exploration involving the conventional techniques that were used over two decades ago. The industry has progressed since then.

"The 'Call for Evidence' will provide an opportunity for all interested parties to express their views on key matters that they consider need to be addressed. I am keen to ensure situations such as the confusion in the planning process at Woodburn are avoided. I am urging people to submit their views to help shape the future of permitted development rights for mineral exploration."

Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson said the DoE blunder that led to the granting of permission showed the need for an independent environmental protection agency (EPA). "It would be a step forward in ensuring we don't see mistakes repeated," he said.
Too many children are being held for too long in police custody in Northern Ireland, criminal justice inspectors have said.

The Criminal Justice Inspectorate Northern Ireland (CJINI) called for new bail legislation.

More than 2,400 children and young people aged 17 or under were detained in PSNI accommodation during 2014-15.

Because of the lack of alternatives and their inability to seek their own arrangements in the way adults do, children and young people are more likely to be held in police cells than adults are once bail is denied, a report by the watchdog said.

Chief inspector Brendan McGuigan said: "While this may sometimes be necessary, it should be possible for custody officers to release young people to other suitable accommodation so that they are not held in police custody after being charged with an offence.

"This is particularly relevant for 'looked after' children or young people and we have recommended legislative reform be taken forward, during the next Northern Ireland Assembly mandate, to bring forward a Bail Act in respect of the right to bail for children and young people."

In 2014, there were 245 admissions to Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre using the most common police powers, of which 95 were relating to children from care homes. Of these 245 admissions, 110 were released at court the following day.

The Criminal Justice Inspectorate Northern Ireland said the use of the centre was not considered a suitable alternative to police custody, given the long travel distances.

It noted official guidance that children are not to be held in police custody other than in "exceptional cases" and a court finding that health trusts should provide accommodation.

Custody officers did engage social workers in seeking alternatives.

In July 2013 the Justice Minister announced a consultation on proposed changes to bail legislation and it was intended that a Bail Act would be brought before the Assembly in 2015. It was decided further discussions were required on the issues around bail for children and young people.

Assistant Chief Constable Stephen Martin said it was encouraging that inspectors noted progress on custody arrangements and reforms that are now in place.

He said collaboration and connected support services were essential to meet complex needs and said they were working with Stormont's health authorities on future healthcare in custody.

"PSNI has also been proactive in engaging with the Health and Social Care Board to address the management of medication in PSNI custody. Similarly, the PSNI has been working extensively with the Department of Justice on legislative reforms in relation to dealing with children and young people in custody."
Trade unions have called for Stormont to intervene after it was revealed that 60 jobs are to be axed at Harland & Wolff.

The job cuts are being blamed on the fall in the price of oil, which has caused a downturn in the offshore oil, gas and renewables sector.

Union representatives have called for ministerial intervention to ensure skills are retained

Michael Mulholland, regional organiser for the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering, said: "The announcement by Harland and Wolff that they will be seeking up to 60 redundancies reflects the recent decline in the company's order books.

"This is the latest bad news story for manufacturing and follows hot on the heels of a large-scale redundancy announcement at Bombardier. Management will attempt to achieve this reduction through seeking volunteers among the workforce in the first instance.

"Both the GMB and Unite will engage fully with the employer to minimise the impact on our members and will work together to offer necessary employment support and advice services to affected members.

"Our unions are seeking assurances from the Department of Enterprise and Department of Education and Learning ministers that they will mandate relevant agencies to put in place a package for those affected, perhaps involving upskilling, which will mean that these skilled workers are available for the company, as and when they expand their workforce with an improving order book."

Last night, a company spokesman confirmed the firm was in talks with the unions about the loss of 60 posts.

The jobs lost will come from all levels of the company, including management,

Enterprise Minister Jonathan Bell said: "It is regrettable Harland and Wolff have had to make the announcement to consult on potential redundancies.

"I can assure everyone that Invest Northern Ireland will continue to work closely with the management team in Belfast and assist the company where possible to sustain employment and strengthen its competitive position within the global marketplace."

1,000

The number of jobs that Bombardier announced would go last month
The father of Savita Halappanavar has called for an official apology from the Irish Government over her death.

Andanappa Yalagi said there had been "no justice" for his family since his daughter (31) died seven days after being admitted to Galway University Hospital while miscarrying.

Papers lodged for a civil suit had claimed that Ms Halappanavar's constitutional right to life was breached and included over 30 incidents of alleged negligence.

Her widower, Praveen, said the Irish Health Service Executive (HSE) "placed far too great an emphasis on the existence of the foetal heartbeat" while his wife was under its care, ignoring her own rights.

And Mr Yalagi said the settling of a court case against the HSE had "changed nothing" for his family.

"We want an apology," he added. "It is the fault of the Irish government. I lost my daughter and it is their fault."

Sources said that while the HSE agreed to a "significant" settlement and admitted that the woman's death was wrongful, an apology did not form part of the agreement.

Yesterday at Dublin's High Court, Mr Justice Kevin Cross was informed that the case had been settled.

However, Mr Yalagi said afterwards that he was disappointed an official apology had not been made.

"It should have gone to court," he added. I lost my daughter without any apology or any justice. The Irish Government should make an official apology. I lost my daughter, I want justice for that. We have been kept in the dark about what is going on in Ireland.

"We still have no answers. This changes nothing for us."
A TUV Assembly candidate in Fermanagh and South Tyrone who refuses to say if he has any Catholic friends claims nationalists have been "brainwashed" by republicans to despise unionists.

In an astonishing outburst, Lisbellaw farmer Donald Crawford also claimed that "we are being overrun" by migrants, with some "coming here for easy money".

Mr Crawford also accused gay people of "shoving their issues down my throat".

Despite being asked five times whether he had any Catholic friends, the farmer gave no definitive answer.

He also accused First Minister Arlene Foster of "blackmailing the unionist community" by raising the spectre of a nationalist First Minister after May's Assembly elections.

Mr Crawford's incendiary remarks came in an interview published in the current issue of the Impartial Reporter.

SDLP councillor Richie McPhillips slammed what he described as Mr Crawford's "dinosaur diatribe" and called on the TUV man to apologise.

"This incredible outburst from Donald Crawford reveals a deep-rooted and dangerous ignorance that lies at the heart of the TUV," he said.

"I am a proud nationalist, I will never be ashamed of that. To suggest that I, and the thousands like me across Fermanagh and South Tyrone, have been brainwashed into despising unionists is an outrageous slur and Mr Crawford should withdraw the remarks immediately.

"This kind of dinosaur diatribe has no place in our community, these counties or this country.

"Mr Crawford should apologise for his comments and his party should seek to distance themselves from this dangerous rhetoric."

First Minister Arlene Foster, meanwhile, dismissed Mr Crawford's remarks as "sniping from the sidelines".

"I make no secret of my desire to continue leading Northern Ireland," she said.

"The largest party will return the First Minister and will have the first choice of the departmental picks.

"I have outlined my key priorities to deliver a better future. The people of Fermanagh and South Tyrone, like elsewhere in Northern Ireland, want strong leadership, not sniping from the sidelines."

On the subject of homosexuality, Mr Crawford made it very clear that he did not approve of same-sex marriage.

"I wouldn't be for it - it's one of my Christian beliefs," he said. "I am not against LGBT people, I don't hate them. I believe what they do in their own time and their own space is up to them.

"I let them get on with it, but whenever they come out and start shoving their issues down my throat as a Christian and other Christians' throats, maybe that's whenever it becomes a wee bit of an issue.

"My message to them is that they have nothing to fear from Donald Crawford, I don't hate you. What you do in your own time is between you and God."

But John O'Doherty, director of The Rainbow Project, hit back, saying: "My message to Donald Crawford is that you have nothing to fear from the LGBT community.

"What you believe is entirely a matter for you - just don't shove it down our throats or expect our rights to be determined by your beliefs.

"The fact remains that the majority of people in Northern Ireland support LGBT equality, including equal marriage.

"Whoever is returned to the Northern Ireland Assembly after this election, I hope that they listen to the will of the people and address the inequalities experienced by our community in the next mandate and beyond."
A unionist peer acquitted today of motoring offences claims he fought the case to defend the rights of fellow pensioners.

Lord Maginnis also hit out at witness evidence on which he had been accused of driving without a licence.

As charges against the 78-year-old were dismissed at Belfast Magistrates' Court, he said: "Obviously I'm relieved because this has been hell, waiting and waiting to appear like a criminal.

"But this wasn't just a matter of Ken Maginnis and some bureaucrat, it was a matter of protecting the rights of old age pensioners."

The former Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP, who quit the Ulster Unionist Party in 2012, faced allegations of having no driving licence and using a motor vehicle without insurance.

The case centred on an alleged incident as he sought the renewal of his driver's licence last year.

Lord Maginnis, who now sits as an independent unionist peer, said he had opposed requests to supply medical records as part of his application.

But on May 5, 2015 he attended Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) offices at Corporation Street in Belfast to collect the renewed permit - allegedly dated to come into effect two days later.

A member of DVA staff claimed in a police statement that he saw Lord Maginnis get into the driver's side of a vehicle before it exited the car park.

The Dungannon-based veteran unionist was set to represent himself as he contested the charges in court today.

But the case against him collapsed after it emerged that the witness could not definitively say who had been driving the vehicle on Corporation Street.

On that basis District Judge Desmond Perry dismissed both counts against the defendant.

Outside court Lord Maginnis expressed relief at an outcome reached without the need for him to make any submissions.

He claimed, however, that the reasoning behind handing him a licence which only became valid 48 hours later was "inexplicable".

He added: "I'm angry that I didn't get the chance to put (the prosecution witness) through the hoops."
Picture - Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Belfast , UK - March 10, Pictured is the scene at Woodburn forest on March 10, 2016 Belfast, Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

Pictured is the scene at Woodburn forest on March 10, 2016 Belfast, Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

Pictured is the scene at Woodburn forest on March 10, 2016 Belfast, Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

Belfast , UK - March 10, Pictured is the scene at Woodburn forest on March 10, 2016 Belfast, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

Belfast , UK - March 10, Pictured is the scene at Woodburn forest on March 10, 2016 Belfast, Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The construction of a controversial wellsite for exploratory drilling at a Carrickfergus forest has begun - despite fierce opposition from protesters.

The controversial plans at Woodburn Forest have been met with protest from the Stop the Drill campaign group over fears it will contaminate the reservoir supplying water to homes in Belfast and Carrick.

Northern Ireland Water, which leased the site to InfraStrata, insists the project will not compromise the water supply.

The Anti-Drilling protesters were taken to court by InfraStrata over alleged trespassing and interference with its work.

But while the protesters were not banned from the site the judge warned campaigners he would grant an injunction to the company behind the project, if they blocked work getting underway.

A further update on the situation is to be given in court next week.

There were angry scenes at a Mid and East Antrim Council meeting on Monday night after more than 100 protesters shouted at councillors who backed the company's waste management plan, which formally paved the way for the borehole to go ahead.

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InfraStrata plc on Friday confirmed that construction of the wellsite at Woodburn Forest is underway.

Drilling of the well is expected to commence in May 2016. The company said this exploratory operation by completion will have seen an investment of 4 million - 1 million directly through spend in the local economy with local contractors.

CEO of InfraStrata Dr Andrew Hindle, said: We want to assure people that InfraStrata is committed to a safe and professional operation and the protection of the environment is foremost in both our planning and our operations.

"The exploration is conventional and will not at any time involve hydraulic fracturing (also known as fracking). InfraStrata has confirmed this in the form of a legal undertaking given to the landowner, NI Water.

InfraStrata said the the site has been designed to "assure maximum protection for the environment".

Dr Hindle said: "The wellsite will be made fully watertight preventing any liquids on the site from penetrating the ground below and will be surrounded by a high bund to trap all fluids, for safe and professional disposal.

"This will ensure there will be no adverse impact on the Woodburn River and local water catchment. Significant and effective measures have and will be taken to safeguard the environment and local water supply and there are factsheets on our website at infrastrata.co.uk.

"The drilling fluid and cementing systems being employed at Woodburn Forest are commonly used throughout the world for the drilling of wells.

" Over 20 deep wells have been drilled in Northern Ireland in the past 60 years using similar drilling fluid and cement compositions and InfraStrata completed a similar well in Islandmagee as recently as last year.

The company say that the site will be "restored to its previous state" following the drilling operation.

"The borehole itself will be lined with multiple layers of steel casing and cement and at the end of the drilling operation the well will be sealed throughout and plugged with cement, and the site will be restored to its previous state as a commercial forest.

"In the event of encouraging results from the well, any reestablishment of the site for further works, such as testing, would require planning approval from Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. "
Backbench Conservative MPs have blocked plans for a debate and vote on a bill to reverse private sector involvement in the NHS.

Green MP Caroline Lucas had sponsored the so-called NHS Reinstatement Bill, which campaigners say would roll back the health services internal market, end contracting, and return the NHS to purely public provision.

The Bill is backed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and shadow chancellor John McDonnell in a private capacity, as well as by the SNP.

However despite scheduling on Friday the Bill did not receive a full debate because backbench Conservative MPs discussing a short bill to deport foreign criminals  which had already been debate before  used up available parliamentary time by talking for four and a half hours.

The Foreign National Offenders (Exclusion from the UK) Bill has only two clauses and would make provision to exclude from the UK foreign nationals found guilty of a criminal offence committed in the UK.

That Bill has already been introduced to the House in a previous session and withdrawn after it met opposition.

Ms Lucas raised a point of order an hour before the end of the discussion on deportation, arguing that the MPs were taking too long.

Madame Deputy Speaker, is it within your power to suggest to the opposite benches that they do begin to bring their comments to a close? she asked.

They have now been debating for three and a half hours on a two-clause Bill, a bill that was actually already debate last year and then withdrawn from the floor of the House.

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I think it does risk bringing this house into disrepute  there are so many people who want us to get onto the next business, the NHS, it is very important and I do think them talking for so long simply isnt courteous  either to the rest of the House or to the people outside this building who want to see whats going on.

The Deputy Speaker replied: She knows the answer to the questions she has put  I think she is voicing the frustrations that many honourable members have had on Fridays for private members bills.

Tory MPs who spoke at length on the deportation bill included Philip Hollobone, Sir Edward Leigh, Philip Davies, David Nuttal.

Tory backbenchers regularly talk out backbench legislation they do not like. Mr Davies has argued that such legislation can be badly designed.

He suggested that Ms Lucas moved a cloture motion to end the debate. These motions are difficult to bring on Fridays as they require large numbers of MPs, many of whom have returned to their constituencies.

After the conclusion of proceedings Ms Lucas tweeted: Just tried  without success  to stop Tory backbench filibuster.

Parliamentary process needs radical change  makes mockery of this place.

Other bills that have been blocked filibustering backbenchers since the election include one to remove hospital car parking charges for carers, one to ensure in law that rented homes are fit for human habitation, and one to mandate that children are trained in first aid at school.

Campaigners on a number of issues have recently called for Friday sessions  where private members bill put by backbenchers are discuss  to be reformed.

A petition calling for changes to the way MPs can filibuster bills has gained over 33,000 signatures. If the petition reached 100,000 signatures it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

In a response to the petition, the Government said: Procedure within the chamber is a matter for the House of Commons authorities and the Speaker or Deputy Speaker chairing the debate.

Independent
A father found lying critically injured in a pool of blood just metres from his smothered 11-month-old baby son has died.

Andrzej Piolunowicz (32) died in Cork University Hospital five days after being found in a flat in Killarney, Co Kerry, alongside his son, Karol Rozycki.

Mr Piolunowicz, a hotel worker, had sustained what gardai believe were self-inflicted injuries to his wrists, stomach and neck. He had lost so much blood, he had sustained severe brain damage.

He never regained consciousness after being discovered by his partner and Karol's mother, Anna Rozycka (24).

It is understood his organs have been donated. He had been on a life support machine since being rushed to hospital.

The young mother discovered her lifeless baby and Mr Piolunowicz lying in a pool of blood at their apartment at Park Place on Upper High Street, Killarney shortly after 6pm last Sunday.

The baby was pronounced dead at the scene. His body was released to his mother on Wednesday and his remains were flown back to Poland where his Mass of the Angels will be staged tomorrow.

Karol will be buried in Bielsko-Biala, the home town of his mother, Anna, which is located a short distance outside the southern Polish city of Krakow.

A special memorial service for Karol was staged by the Irish and Polish communities in Killarney last Tuesday with a collection being taken up to help Anna defray the costs of Karol's repatriation and his funeral expenses.

Gardai have refused to release the results of the post-mortem examination by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster, however it is understood little Karol died from suffocation, most likely by having a pillow placed over his head.

Gardai also recovered a number of notes and messages at the scene which are now being studied by forensic experts.

Irish Independent
A former Sinn Fein councillor and ally to Mary Lou McDonald has categorically denied any involvement with criminality following a raid on his home by Gardai.

Jonathan Dowdall (38) says he was as surprised as anyone to see armed Gardai units pulling up outside his home on Thursday, saying he managed to open the door just in time to stop them bursting through.

I wasnt cautioned or arrested at any point, and Ive no idea what it was in relation to, he told RTEs Liveline.

Mr Dowdall said that between 10 and 15 armed Gardai searched his home on the Navan Road, near Cabra in West Dublin. The former Dublin City Councillor confirmed reports that a luxury BMW and high speed motorbike, alongside documentation and other valuables in the home, were taken by officers.

Asked about the BMW by RTE broadcaster Joe Duffy, Mr Dowdall replied: I like cars since I was a child to this day Im still breaking my arse to pay for that car Ive a loan for it like everyone else in the country.

Ive got papers for all the cars and Ive up to date tax clearance, he continued.

Denying any connections to criminality or any crime organisation, Mr Dowdall said if he had had any link to crime, it would have come out doing the election.

Mr Dowdall lives in the west of the city now, but hails from the north inner city and knows people who are related to Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch, many of whom have no links to crime.

Queried about his association with the Hutch family, the 38-year-old said: You know how the inner city works, everyone knows everyone some of them Im proud to know, and theres plenty others Ive never met.

Just because someone has the name Hutch doesnt mean anything Patrick Hutch is the father and has been a good friend of mine since I was a child.

Its been in the media all along that this man has no involvement in crime.

I know that man, that man is a friend of mine and this [raid] is probably linked to that."

Responding to reports that Gardai called in the Water Unit to examine a large aquarium at his home, the 38-year-old said that, as a hobby, he keeps Japanese carp fish.

I grow them up and sell them on to some of my friends. Its a hobby and [the aquarium] is something I built myself.

Its a pond, he continued, saying he has no idea if Gardai were forced to wade though it during their search.

The former Sinn Fein councillor alleged his wife came back to the family home yesterrday evening only to find a Garda sitting in the house alone on the sofa watching telly with a machine gun beside him.

He claimed the future of his electrical business is now in doubt following the raid.

There are at least nine electricians with mortgages who are probably going to lose their jobs now.

Im worried here Ive worked my arse off since I was 16 and now my whole life has been turned upside down.

Like any business today, my company is always in overdraft. I borrow, which Ive prove of, from the Credit Union down the road for the weeks Im waiting for payment to come in its not a cash business.

Ive been doing work for a particular company in the city centre and one of my staff members was greeted by a management figure [this morning] who put a paper in his face and asked Whats all this about?!

Im going to lose company over this [raid].

The father-of-four was first elected to Dublin City Council in 2014. Serving the North Inner City, he left Sinn Fein and public office less than a year later.

Mr Dowdall, who operates Dowdall Electrical Ltd, trading as ABCO Electrical, said he was leaving the party in September 2014 for health reasons before later agreeing to stay on. He finally quit the party and the city council in February 2015.

He said he was bullied by unnamed party members but never lodged a formal complaint.

In an interview last year, Mr Dowdall, who is originally from the north inner city, said he was targeted by "a certain element within Sinn Fein".

"Bullying is allowed go on in certain parts of Sinn Fein," he said. "There were numerous attacks on myself from a certain element within Sinn Fein, and there were attacks on my team members."

Earlier today, Sinn Feins deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald sought to distance the party from its former Dublin City councillor, saying he had no political affiliation to Sinn Fein.

"The person concerned, Jonathan Dowdall, left [the party] some time ago," she said.

"In terms of that particular Garda operation  I dont know why it was carried out.

"I dont believe that the Gardai have made a statement on that matter but I would just reiterate that the Gardai have to carry out their duties and of course people are entitled to due process and that is how it is."

Asked if she was concerned that the home of her former colleague, Mr Dowdall had been searched by Gardai she replied: "Im very concerned as Ive said that the Gardai pursue matters in an appropriate and an efficient and an effective way but on the issue of Jonathan himself, he left Sinn Fein."

Irish Independent
David Cameron has accused Brexit campaigners of promoting a vision of life outside the EU that was "too good to be true", and warned that a vote for withdrawal would instead endanger trade and jobs.

The Prime Minister's warning came as Boris Johnson appealed to voters to ignore the "pessimists" and "gloomadon-poppers" and opt to quit the EU in the referendum on June 23.

Making his first speech on a Vote Leave platform since declaring for Brexit, the London Mayor said withdrawal from the EU could usher in a new era of prosperity for the UK.

"I think it is time to ignore the pessimists and the merchants of gloom and to do a new deal that would be good for Britain and good for Europe too," he said in a speech to workers at a transport depot in Dartford, Kent.

"It is time to burst loose of all those regulations and get out into a world that is changing and growing and becoming more exciting the whole time.

"If we hold our nerve and we are not timid and we are not cowed by the gloomadon-poppers on the Remain campaign and we vote for freedom and for the restoration of democracy, then I believe that this country will continue to grow and prosper and thrive as never before."

His comments appeared to be a direct rebuff to Mr Cameron, who warned on Thursday of potential large-scale job losses if Britain left the EU and accused the Out campaign of treating it as a "price worth paying".

But the Prime Minister stuck to his guns in a speech just hours later to the Welsh Conservative conference in Llangollen, telling delegates that the Leave camp were behaving as if EU withdrawal was an "abstract question" rather than something with direct and concrete consequences for ordinary families.

"They are asking us to trust that leaving would somehow be worth the profound economic shock and the years of uncertainty that would follow," said Mr Cameron.

"They say we would have more control. How exactly? Leaving the EU but remaining in the single market doesn't give us more control, it just stops us from having any say over the rules of trade. Relying on World Trade Organisation rules doesn't give us more control, it just hurts industry, it hits jobs and hikes up prices. Trying for a free trade deal doesn't give us more control, it just means years of painful negotiations and a poorer deal than we have today.

"In the end those who want us to leave are telling you that you can have all the benefits of EU membership but none of the trade-offs. But as everyone knows, if it sounds too good to be true, that's normally because it is.

"And let us remember, this isn't some abstract question. These are actually people's jobs, people's livelihoods, people's life chances, people's families we are talking about. I say `Don't put them at risk, don't take this leap in the dark'."

Mr Johnson appeared to endorse Canada's arrangements with the EU as a potential model for Britain in the future.

Asked whether the UK would have to accept free movement of labour as part of a post-exit deal, he said: "I don't think that is necessary. I think we can strike a deal as the Canadians have done based on trade and getting rid of tariffs."

Mr Cameron's warning of the risks of withdrawal came hot on the heels of a call from former prime minister Tony Blair for the Remain campaign to start making the positive case for EU membership.

"I would like to see the pro-European side get out there with a bit of passion and vigour and determination and stand up for what we believe," Mr Blair told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

"And what we believe not just as a matter of economic realism, but as a matter of political idealism."

Mr Blair signalled that he would not play a central role in the campaign, acknowledging that his participation " carries with it negatives as well as positives".

Strains within the Cabinet were again highlighted as the pro-Brexit Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith poured scorn on the warnings of the In campaign.

"They are almost panicky really, I listen to these endless comments and speeches about the dire warnings, they are almost biblical, you are expecting a plague of frogs and the death of the first-born," Mr Duncan Smith told the Today programme.

Downing Street, however, insisted that Mr Cameron was right to underline the economic risks involved in leaving.

"He thinks that it is important that the Government puts out the facts and the case to the British people," the Prime Minister's official spokeswoman said.

"When the Government has been so focused on making sure that we deliver economic and financial security for people up and down the country, it is important that we highlight the risks of leaving."
Records relating to 7,800 people were being held as of October last year

DNA profiles and fingerprints of almost 8,000 individuals have been stored on a police counter-terrorism database, it has been disclosed.

Records relating to 7,800 people were being held as of October last year, a report by an official watchdog said.

The archive - which is in addition to the larger national DNA database - features biometric details of those convicted in relation to terrorist investigations as well as others who have not been convicted but where authorities deem the retention of the details to be necessary for national security purposes.

It was also revealed that records of at least 45 individuals will have to be deleted, even though authorities may have sought to hold them on national security grounds.

The report from Biometrics Commissioner Alastair MacGregor QC said that in October 2013 the DNA profiles and/or fingerprints of some 6,500 identified individuals were being held by police forces on the national counter-terrorism database.

Two years later the number stood at 7,800.

It is one of the first official indications of the size of the database to be made public. The total is higher than previous indications of the number of terror suspects in the UK.

Of the individuals whose biometric records were being held by police on counter-terrorism databases, 4,350 - or around 55% - had never been convicted of a "recordable" offence. This is generally a crime which can attract a prison sentence.

Previously DNA profiles and fingerprints could be retained indefinitely regardless of whether someone had been convicted or not.

Under a new regime this is permitted in circumstances when someone is convicted of a recordable offence, but in most other circumstances the details should be deleted at the conclusion of an investigation or proceeding.

However the rules allow for the extended retention of material taken from an individual who has not been convicted of a recordable offence when a senior officer makes a national security determination (NSD).

These allow biometrics to be kept for up to two years, and they can be renewed.

Mr MacGregor's report said: "I understand that by 31 October 2015 handling and other delays had led to a situation in which the statutory retention periods in respect of the biometric records of at least some 450 individuals had expired before NSDs could be or had been made in relation to them.

"Although it seems unlikely that NSDs would have been applied for and made in relation to more than a small proportion of those records, I also understand that in about 10% of those cases it is possible that NSDs would have been applied for.

"Indeed, in at least three of those cases such applications had in fact been made and approved."

Mr MacGregor said he was satisfied that factors which contributed to the "slow implementation" of the NSD process have now been addressed.

"It is clear, however, that procedural errors and handling delays in relation to new material have given rise to significant difficulties and that those errors and delays have led, or will lead, to the loss of a significant number of biometric records that probably could and should have been retained," he said.

The commissioner said he had been assured that "urgent steps" are being taken to "procure the speedy deletion" of material that has remained on counter-terrorism databases "beyond its lawful retention date".

Daniel Nesbitt, research director of Big Brother Watch, said:"This report raises a number of important concerns that will just pile more pressure on the Home Office to sort out its approach to biometric technology."

A spokeswoman for the National Police Chiefs' Council said: "The fingerprint and DNA data of a small number of individuals who potentially pose a threat to national security have been deleted from biometric databases as the retention period expired before a national security determination (NSD) could be submitted for approval.

"The identity of these individuals is known and the risks they potentially pose are being managed in conjunction with partner agencies.

"Comprehensive measures have been put in place to prevent the loss of further biometric data from individuals of concern before a NSD is applied for."
Mayor of London Boris Johnson delivers a speech during a Vote Leave campaign event at the Europa Worldwide freight company in Dartford, Kent

Boris Johnson has appealed to voters to ignore the "merchants of gloom" and choose a future for Britain outside the European Union.

The London mayor said that if people hold their nerve and vote for Brexit in the referendum on June 23, the UK could "prosper and thrive as never before".

Speaking at a Vote Leave campaign event in Dartford, Kent, he said: "I think the prospects are win-win for all of us.

"I think it is time to ignore the pessimists and the merchants of gloom and to do a new deal that would be good for Britain and good for Europe too.

"It is time to burst loose and of all those regulations and get out into a world that is changing and growing and becoming more exciting the whole time.

"If we hold our nerve and we are not timid and we are not cowed by the gloomadon-poppers on the Remain campaign and we vote for freedom and for the restoration of democracy, then I believe that this country will continue to grow and prosper and thrive as never before."

Mr Johnson said he was "very dubious" about the proposed deal with Turkey for visa-free travel within the Schengen zone.

"I am certainly very dubious on the other side of the coin about having a huge free travel zone," he said.

"I think that is one of the problems, that we need to take back control of our borders."

Mr Johnson also appeared to endorse Canada's arrangements with the EU as a potential model for Britain in the future.

Asked whether the UK would have to accept free movement of labour as part of a post-exit deal, he said: "I don't think that is necessary. I think we can strike a deal as the Canadians have done based on trade and getting rid of tariffs."

Aides pointed out that Canada had negotiated a package which meant around 98% of trade with the EU had zero tariffs, and it did not have to pay into the EU's budget or allow free movement.

Mr Johnson dismissed Mr Cameron's renegotiation as a "tragedy". But he again seemed to hint that a Brexit vote may not necessarily mean leaving - after he was forced to clarify recently that he did not think a second referendum was an option.

"The tragedy is we didn't get any real reform. Everybody knows it," Mr Johnson said.

"We didn't get any real change, the bureaucracy continues unabated. The only way to get the change we need is to say, 'Right that's it, we have had enough. This thing is 50 years old, it is going in the wrong direction, it is time for change, it is time for real reform'. The only way to get that is to vote leave."

He urged voters not to be "cowed by the gloomadon-poppers", saying the situation was "win win" and there were not "any substantial downsides" to leaving the EU.

Pressed on whether Brexit would mean another referendum on Scotland breaking away from the UK, the mayor said: "I don't think that is coming around again any time soon."

It would mean "nothing" if Scotland voted to stay in the EU while England voted to leave, because it was a UK-wide decision, he insisted.

Mr Johnson added: "I think the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
Tim Farron is calling on Chancellor George Osborne to deliver a pay rise for millions of public sector workers

George Osborne should give millions of public sector workers a pay rise in next week's Budget, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron has said.

Speaking on the first day of the Lib Dems' spring conference in York, Mr Farron said that the 1% annual cap imposed on public sector pay for the past four years contrasted with above-inflation rises for MPs.

Politicians are receiving a 1.3% hike in April, just nine months after they got a 10% pay boost to 74,000.

Liberal Democrats described the continuing cap on public sector pay as "a political choice" as the Chancellor sought to "cut the deficit at any cost".

Mr Farron said: "Public sector workers have been denied a pay rise now for too long. It is time for the Government to thaw the cap on pay for our nurses and teachers.

"When MPs are being given another pay rise it is indefensible for the Chancellor to continue to ignore the plight of our public sector workers.

"I am calling on the Chancellor to put the public ahead of politicians in next week's budget and give Britain the pay rise it deserves."
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has admitted Labour has "a long way to go" to regain public trust on the economy, as he unveiled a new "fiscal credibility rule" which will guide future policies on taxation and spending.

The rule would bar a future Labour government from borrowing to pay.for day-to-day spending and would require it to ensure that the national debt falls as a percentage of GDP over the course of each Parliament.

But it leaves open the option of borrowing to pay for investment in infrastructure like roads, railways, broadband and flood defences, which sparked Conservative claims that a Labour administration would plunge the country into billions of pounds more debt.

The shadow chancellor said Labour would reserve the right to suspend its rule in times of crisis when interest rates are so low that they cannot be cut further to provide stimulus to the economy.

Launching the new rule in a speech in central London, Mr McDonnell said that Chancellor George Osborne's economic recovery since the crash of 2008 was "built on sand" and promised Labour would offer "a radical break with the past" on economic policy.

"We must now rewrite the rules on how our economy operates. The old rules have failed," he said, citing growing inequality and a failure to provide the funding for infrastructure projects announced by the Government.

In an attempt to cast off Labour's reputation for high spending and high borrowing, Mr McDonnell pledged that all future spending commitments will by "judged by how they fit with our fiscal credibility rule".

The Office for Budget Responsibility would be properly resourced to police the rule, and would report directly to Parliament rather than to the Treasury, he said.

Mr McDonnell said: "Labour faces its most important fight for a generation and it is about regaining the public's trust on the public finances.

"We have a long way to go before we can regain that trust we lost after the global financial crisis of 2008 which happened on Labour's watch. There is no silver bullet.

"The first stage of that is to lay out our framework for overall fiscal policy, to show that we can be trusted, that we take seriously our responsibility as stewards of the nation's finances."

Mr McDonnell - who took no questions after delivering his speech - acknowledged that Labour had relied too heavily on the Private Finance Initiative and tax revenues from a booming financial sector to fund investment during its time in power from 1997-2010.

"The old rules meant relying too much on tax revenues from financial services, and too much on expensive funding schemes like PFI," he said.

"We didn't do enough to clamp down on tax avoiders.

"We should show how we can account for every penny in tax revenue raised, and every penny spent.

"There is nothing left-wing about ever-increasing government debts, or borrowing to cover day-to-day."

But, in a possible sign that he does not want to write off New Labour's record altogether, he paid tribute to Lord Mandelson for his intervention to prop up the automotive industry following the crash.

Speaking five days ahead of Mr Osborne's Budget, Mr McDonnell denounced the Chancellor's economic rule to run a surplus every year "in normal times", which he said was "designed solely with the Tory leadership contest in mind".

He said: "George Osbonre will be presenting his Budget next week. It is an opportunity to turn things round. Instead, we can expect more of the same from the Chancellor - more wheezes, more short-term political fixes."

Accusing the Chancellor of "sacrificing the bold, necessary action we need for the sake of his political career", Mr McDonnell called on Mr Osborne to deliver a Budget that is "about fairness and about the future."

Liberal Democrat Treasury spokeswoman Baroness Kramer said: "Labour's attempt at regaining fiscal credibility is doomed to fail. There is still no sign that the Labour leadership are willing to make the tough decisions needed to manage our economy.

"Their fiscal rule says nothing about the possibility of huge tax rises and gives no confidence they understand the vital role of business in supporting our economy.

"Just as the Conservatives are making the cynical political choice to continue with austerity long after it is necessary, Labour is choosing to promise the Earth without a credible plan of where the money comes from".

Taxpayers' Alliance chief executive Jonathan Isaby said: "Taxpayers are tired of empty platitudes from politicians who provide very little in the way of serious policies to deal with the huge national debt.

"The Opposition has an extremely important task at hand to hold the Government to account in its failure to balance the books and make the savings taxpayers desperately need. Politicians from all parties must accept that tough action is needed to balance the nation's books and ease the burden on current and future taxpayers."

Lord Livermore, who served as an adviser in the New Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and was director of the party's unsuccessful 2015 general election campaign, said Mr McDonnell's rule amounted to a repeat of the policy offered by Ed Miliband and rejected by voters.

The Labour peer told BBC Radio 4's World At One: "The emphasis in the Labour Party should be on moving forward from 2015, because I think everyone recognises that economic credibility was one of the big reasons why we lost in 2015.

"Simply announcing the same policy that Labour had then is not learning the lessons of 2015 - rather it will lead to the same outcome as in 2015. A policy that lacked credibility then is unlikely to give us credibility now."

Lord Livermore added: "Albert Einstein defined madness as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome. This announcement, I'm afraid, doesn't move us on from where we were in 2015. We should be learning from our mistakes, not repeating them."
Barack Obama has sharply criticised David Cameron for the UKs role in allowing Libya to become a s*** show after the fall of the dictator Muammar Gaddafi, in an unprecedented attack on a British leader by a serving US President.

Mr Obama said that following a successful military intervention to aid rebels during the 2011 Arab Spring revolt, Libya was left to spiral out of control  due largely to the inaction of Americas European allies.

In a candid US magazine interview, Mr Obama said: When I go back and I ask myself what went wrong theres room for criticism, because I had more faith in the Europeans, given Libyas proximity, being invested in the follow-up.

Singling out the British Prime Minister, he suggested that Mr Cameron had taken his eye off Libya after being distracted by a range of other things.

Mr Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy, then the French President, pushed hard for the bombing raids on Colonel Gaddafis forces that led to his fall, but since 2011 Libya has sunk further into violence and civil war, and latterly has become a focal point for Isis in North Africa.

Mr Obama went on: We actually executed this plan as well as I could have expected: We got a UN mandate, we built a coalition, it cost us $1bn  which, when it comes to military operations, is very cheap. We averted large-scale civilian casualties, we prevented what almost surely would have been a prolonged and bloody civil conflict. And despite all that, Libya is a mess.

Referring to that mess in private, Mr Obama reportedly uses the more colourful term, s*** show.

The comments will be a severe embarrassment to Mr Cameron, who has often been forced to defend British involvement in Libya on the grounds that Western intervention helped to avert a bloodbath. They will also place strain on the transatlantic alliance as coalition forces target Isis positions in Syria and Iraq.

Mr Camerons spokeswoman said he had frequently made clear that he still believed military action in Libya was absolutely the right thing to do and stressed that the Government had put support for the country on the agenda when the UK hosted a meeting of G8 leaders in 2013.

She said: We would share the Presidents assessment that there are real challenges in Libya. Thats why we are continuing to work hard with international partners to support a process in Libya that puts in place a government that can bring stability, and why we are talking about how we can support such a government in the future.

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Speaking at length to The Atlantic, Mr Obama revealed that the Prime Minister had risked damaging the countries special relationship by delaying an increase in defence spending to meet a Nato target of 2 per cent of GDP. Alluding to Mr Camerons foot-dragging, Mr Obama said: Free riders aggravate me.

When the two came face to face at the G7 summit in June 2015, Mr Obama told Mr Cameron: You have to pay your fair share. The next month, Chancellor George Osbornes summer Budget included a defence spending rise.

Mr Obama also said Mr Camerons failures had affected his decision not to enforce a red line over President Bashar al-Assads use of chemical weapons during the Syrian civil war. The President had planned a strike against Assads forces in August 2013, following a deadly sarin gas attack by the regime on civilians in a Damascus suburb. The strike was called off at the 11th hour. One major factor in the decision, the President said, was the failure of Cameron to obtain the consent of his Parliament for military action.

During his White House tenure, Mr Obama explained, he has tried to encourage other nations to act in international matters without always waiting for the US to take the lead.

It was precisely to prevent the Europeans and the Arab states from holding our coats while we did all the fighting that we, by design, insisted that they spearhead the Libyan intervention, he said, describing the strategy as part of the anti-free rider campaign.

Mr Obama also said Mr Sarkozy, who left office the year after the Libyan intervention, had been keen to trumpet Frances involvement. The White House allowed him to take disproportionate credit for the air strikes, thus [purchasing] Frances involvement in a way that made it less expensive and less risky for us, Mr Obama said.

Independent
A teenager may have found part of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 on a beach in Mozambique.

Casper Lotter said his son Liam found the piece on December 30 near the town of Xai Xai and returned to South Africa with it. The curved piece has a five-digit number on it.

Mr Lotter said his wife contacted Australian aviation authorities last week after another piece was found in Mozambique. He said the authorities said the number indicates it may belong to a Boeing 777.

A South African Civil Aviation Authority spokesman said they will send the part to Australia to be examined.

The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 vanished while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8 2014.

Mr Lotter said he dismissed the item as a "piece of rubbish" that was probably debris from a boat, but 18-year-old Liam insisted on bringing it back to South Africa, convinced it was part of a plane.

"He was adamant he wanted to bring it home because it had a number on it," said Mr Lotter, adding that his son is not an aviation enthusiast but was simply drawn to the piece of debris.

"It just grabbed him for some weird reason."

His son told East Coast Radio, a South African station: "We picked it up and I turned it around and it had like a curve to it. You could see where it'd been pop-riveted almost, like there's holes on the side."

The teenager's research did not yield much until the family heard about another piece of possible plane debris also found in Mozambique, about 186 miles from where he made his discovery.

Australian authorities contacted South African counterparts to arrange to have the new part taken from his home in the town of Wartburg in KwaZulu-Natal, according to South African officials.

"We have arranged for collection of the part, which will be sent to Australia as they are the ones appointed by Malaysia to identify parts found," said Kabelo Ledwaba, spokesman for the South African Civil Aviation Authority.

Last month, Blaine Gibson, a Seattle lawyer and part-time adventurer, found what could be a piece of tail section from the missing Malaysian airlines flight. The piece had "NO STEP" written on it.

The 58-year-old's search for the missing jet has taken him to beaches in the Maldives, Mauritius, Cambodia, Burma and the French island of Reunion, he said. He also travelled to Malaysia to attend a commemorative ceremony held on Sunday by the families of the 239 passengers and crew who were on board the airliner.
Former Volkswagen of America boss Michael Horn gives evidence to the US government about the firm's emissions-rigging scandal (AP)

Volkswagen's US supremo was ushered out of his job for clashing too often with the troubled German car maker's headquarters as he tried to keep sales afloat before and during the diesel emissions-cheating scandal, a dealer has said.

Michael Horn, VW's US president and CEO, was the firm's public face when the scandal broke in September, calmly enduring a two-hour grilling from a congressional sub-committee.

The clashes included German executives resisting Mr Horn's plan to give diesel owners 1,000 dollars' worth of gift cards and vouchers to buy goods at dealerships as a gesture of goodwill, said Alan Brown, head of VW's National Dealer Advisory Council.

Mr Horn's sudden departure comes as the company faces a March 24 deadline from a federal judge to get government approval of plans to fix the polluting diesel cars. It also drew anger from US dealers who fear the company will back out of promises made under Mr Horn's tenure.

VW is negotiating with US and California regulators to fix nearly 600,000 cars sold in America with software designed to cheat on emissions tests.

The cars emit as much as 40 times the allowable standard for nitrogen oxide, which can cause respiratory problems. VW has admitted the cheating and will probably have to recall most of the cars for repairs.

Mr Brown, a dealer in Texas, said he was told by Herbert Diess, chairman of the Volkswagen car brand, that German management wanted to move Mr Horn out of the US but was willing to give him another top job in the company.

Mr Horn, who was upset that VW brought in an executive above him in North America, told VW employees that he decided to instead to leave, according to a former worker.

The ex-employee, who did not want to be identified for fear of retaliation, also confirmed the clashes with management.

According to Mr Brown, Mr Horn also differed with superiors at VW's headquarters in Wolfsburg about vehicles to be sold in the US and what prices to sell them at.

Mr Horn wanted more SUVs and cars more suited to the American market, but his superiors often disagreed, according to Mr Brown.

"When he ran into situations like that, he would go unplugged," Mr Brown said.

The dealer council said in a statement that during his two years in the job, Mr Horn was able to secure commitments of better products for the US and repair fractured relations with dealers "which had been eroded for decades by failed promises of success from Volkswagen AG".

Mr Brown said the dealer network was "hanging on by a thread," and some could file class-action lawsuits over economic damage caused by VW's conduct.

He warned Mr Diess and other executives in telephone conversations not to change the product plan or commitments that Mr Horn made to help dealers.

"You start messing with that, and we have big problems," said Mr Brown, who will meet executives in Germany at the weekend.

In 2007 VW set a goal of selling 800,000 of the brand's vehicles in the US, with diesel engines a big part of that growth. But VW had trouble meeting tough American diesel pollution standards.

The brand made it to 438,000 in 2012, but sales began to falter. Last year they hit just over 349,000, and so far this year they are down almost 9%.

VW spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan would not comment on the circumstances surrounding Mr Horn's departure. The company said on Wednesday that Mr Horn was leaving to pursue other opportunities.

Ms Ginivan also would not say if VW would meet the March 24 deadline to have a fix in place. VW has continued to meet regulators, but neither side has given any indication they are near agreement.

VW potentially faces more than 20 billion dollars (14bn) in US fines, as well as hundreds of class-action lawsuits from angry vehicle owners. The company also is facing a US criminal investigation.

Mr Horn was sent to apologise to consumers at the congressional hearing in October. But at the same time, he told politicians that top corporate officials had no knowledge of the cheating software installed in 11 million diesel cars worldwide.

"To my understanding this was not a corporate decision, this was something individuals did," Mr Horn said, adding that he felt personally deceived.
The media has abounded with images of people being forcibly moved from French camps and attempts continue to stop others crossing European borders.

I recently returned from Calais after a week trying to alleviate the suffering of these people. One man will remain in my memory as a reminder of the realities of individual suffering.

As he struggled to take off his T-shirt, I noticed it was bloodstained in a number of places. I could only look in shock as he revealed eight circular wounds in two vertical rows of four.

Each wound was about 2cm in diameter and had been made by a hot poker device. He had been tortured by the Taliban in Afghanistan one month before.

Dressing his wounds was easy. In touching his wounds, I felt I had touched that evil - and it has left me despairing, particularly as he, and others like him, continue to experience exclusion, derision and inhumane treatment in this European Union, founded on values so different to those that drive it today.

DR FINTAN SHEERIN

Trinity College Dublin
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and running-mate Imelda Munster are lifted by supporters after being elected as TDs in Louth

Donald Trump provokes a mixed reaction among people in Britain and Ireland. Around the dinner party tables of liberal havens such as Hampstead in London, Ranelagh in Dublin, or anywhere across the River Lagan in leafy south Belfast, the billionaire wannabe US Presidential candidate causes those of a Leftist disposition to shriek in horror that the tycoon could enter the White House.

Aside from their scorn over his plans to build a wall to keep Mexicans out of the US and ban all Muslims entering American territory, they fear that a Trump finger on the nuclear trigger could set off a new Cold War that would very quickly get dangerously hot.

They regard a Trump White House as existentially perilous as when that ham actor Ronnie Reagan won two terms as President for the Republican Party in the 1980s.

Just like Reagan and his gaffe-prone Presidency (think of Old Hoppo joking about bombing Russia in five minutes in a radio studio that triggered a Soviet nuclear alert, or calling Princess Diana "Princess David"), most ordinary people regard Trump as a total joke.

Yet here on this island we might want to ask ourselves if we have the right to be so smug when we dismiss Trump either as a bouffant-haired buffoon, or as the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler.

Take a look at some of those the Irish electorate - North and South - have recently returned to parliaments in the Republic and Northern Ireland. And think again.

The voters of Co Louth has no problem not only re-electing Gerry Adams to the Dail, but also his running-mate Imelda Munster, in the recent poll in the South - this in the very same constituency where the body of IRA Disappeared victim Jean McConville finally turned up.

A very large proportion of the Louth electorate, equivalent to nearly 20,000 votes, paid no attention to questions over Adams' alleged role in the Belfast IRA leadership at the time of the mother-of-10's abduction, murder and burial in secret - the final act of this sordid episode from the early Troubles taking place in their own backyard.

Indeed, when you look at certain constituencies across the Republic, large sections of voters also had no problem with returning a man openly accused of corruption in one of the many public tribunals established in the South to investigate the "golden circle" links between politicians, business figures and builders during the 1990s.

In fact Michael Lowry TD, whom Fine Gael refused to run, and who instead stood as an independent in successive elections, topped the poll in his native Tipperary.

Moreover, for all the talk about new politics evolving in Northern Ireland, the odds on the sectarian stalemate that has marked previous Assemblies being broken seem far too high for a flutter.

The zero-sum game of keeping "themmuns" out has already kicked off again, with senior DUP representatives spooking the unionist electorate by raising the spectre of Martin McGuinness returning to Stormont, this time as First Minister rather than Deputy First Minister - a cynical tactic to corral pro-Union voters back into the DUP fold out of fear and tribal loathing of the other side.

We have a dysfunctional political system, where there is virtually no one on the Opposition benches - barring the UUP, the Greens and Jim Allister.

And we have a system of sectarian gridlock in which, if parties try to change the status quo even on issues which cut across the traditional political divide (say, for example, liberalising abortion law, or introducing gay marriage equality), the DUP, for instance, can exercise a veto to shoot progressive legislation down with a petition of concern.

Though we might scoff at the born-again Christian fundamentalists of the US Republican Party, especially those who believe in every word of the Bible and reject Darwin's Theory of Evolution, among the dominant political force in this region we have politicians who believe that the Earth is only a few thousand years old and that the Creationist narrative should be given equal footing to Evolution in schools.

Ironically, some DUP Assembly Members advance this unscientific "argument" while having their pictures taken at the Giant's Causeway where they are - quite literally - standing on geological evidence that contradicts Creationism.

Of course, Trump is a repellent demagogue who exploits genuine fears among blue-collar Americans about their livelihoods with his simplistic, nasty, racist sloganising.

And, yes, the billionaire Republican's anti-Muslim rhetoric is adding fuel to the flames of an already unstable world at a time when the West needs to be encouraging and supporting moderate Islam (the majority of its adherents) in the face of threats from extreme interpretations of that religion by the likes of Isis.

Yet, in this small corner of the Western Atlantic, far off the European continental mainland, some of the same values of Trump and his allies in the Grand Ol' Party are held dearly by large numbers of the local electorate.

Even on the issue of guns, some voters in Northern Ireland had no problem with the use of firearms for advancing a political cause while probably, at the same time, shrieking over the widespread availability of weapons in the United States.

How were - and are - they able to tut-tut at the gun lobby's influence on US Republicans, including Trump, when far too many of them once whooped and hollered here when an off-duty police officer was gunned down in cold blood? Or when a sectarian thug ran into a bar with an automatic weapon yelling "trick or treat" as he slaughtered the customers.

As for those in the liberal environs in the main cities of these islands, one of their major complaints against Trump's ever-growing influence on the campaign trail to become the most powerful man on Earth is the overweening power he exercises over the US media.

Perhaps, liberals, too, ought to reserve the same scorn they hold for Trump and his slavish devotees in the US media for some of their very own Left-wing heroes in journalism or academia who seem to have no problem regularly appearing on the pro-Vladimir Putin Russia Today, or on the English-language mouthpiece of the Mullahs' regime in Iran, Press TV.
The NHS has actually been abolished.

Now you may think that this is untrue. After all, you still go and see your GP or may be admitted to hospital and receive care free at the point of delivery. However, the Health & Social Care Act 2012 has abolished the NHS in legislative terms. It has achieved this through several mechanisms.

It has axed the government's responsibility for the NHS. It has devolved responsibility to Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs). The CCGs have no legal obligation to provide you with anything beyond emergency care - this may not be the case at present but it means that there is no legal guarantee that they will continue to do so.

It has opened up the NHS to unlimited privatisation. The government continues to deny that privatisation is taking place - of course they do. A simple rebuffal comes from the World Health Organisation definition of healthcare privatisation, which describes it as the increasing financing and/or provision of healthcare by non-governmental actors.

And the NHS Support Federation has shown that 30 billion of NHS contracts have been tendered since the Act came into effect. 16 billion have been awarded with 34 per cent going to the private sector.

The introduction of market forces increases cost, reduces efficiency and increases iniquitous provision of healthcare. We know this from extensive data across many countries. This is because privatisation seeks to make profits, pays out dividends to shareholders and creates layers of bureaucracy administered by tiers of staff and managers through market mechanisms such as billing, tendering and contracting.

The simple truth is that public healthcare systems are the most cost efficient.

The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) was touted as the largest hospital building programme in the history of the NHS. The outcome has been that PFI hospitals with an original cost of around 11.5 billion will actually cost up to 80 billion with the difference going to private consortia. Across all infrastructure, PFI will end up costing an extra 250 billion.

It is worth bearing this in mind the next time you hear about A&E in crisis or another beleaguered hospital. And when you hear a minister or policy wonk pontificating about the NHS crisis remember that the solution is not more privatisation. We all stand to lose from the introduction of charging and universal private health insurance.

The NHS Reinstatement Bill, written by Professor Allyson Pollock and Peter Roderick and sponsored by Caroline Lucas MP, will have its second hearing in Parliament on Friday 11th March 11th. It has extensive cross-party support from 72 MPs including Green, Liberal Democrat and the SNP.

This legislation would 'renationalise' the NHS and restore it to its original remit. It would repeal the Health & Social Care Act 2012, protect the NHS from the Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP) and from ruinously expensive partnerships with the private sector, reverse the internal market (as is already the case in Scotland) and attempt to solve the toxic problem of PFI debt.

We need everyone - NHS staff, patients and the public - in this fight. Click on the website. Spread the word on social media. Sign the 38 degrees petition. Write to your MP to make sure they attend the debate this Friday. Join a local campaign group. Once the bill has enough publicity then it will be difficult to ignore. And when the government eventually opposes it then they will reveal their true colours - that they do not care about our NHS.

Youssef El Gingihy is a GP and author. How to Dismantle the NHS in 10 Easy Steps is published by Zero books
The former Hollywood bad boy Stephen Baldwin is blazing a path for Christ in films since becoming a believer over 10 years ago after watching how it transformed his wifes life.

But after 9/11, it really hit him and Baldwin felt led to accept Christ, and move full throttle, much like his high-octane persona, outside the confines of Hollywood. Now with many films on his resumeBaldwin shares God with others through films. And hes not shy about being politically incorrect in Hollywood, and the project Gods Club, shares a common thread believers face in this nation.

The ongoing debate about allowing prayer in school.

Unequivocally were a Christian nation, he said. Its been interesting to experience all that and communicate with people that idea. The Bible has also been an issue at schools since 1963 when the U.S. Supreme Court combined the case of Abington School District v. Schempp and Murray v. Curlett and banned the Bible and prayer in public schools.

The court voted 81 in favor of Edward Schempp, and declared school-sponsored Bible reading in public schools in the United States to be unconstitutional. See Baldwin's new role asa public high-school teacher Michael Evens, who is rebooting his wifes Bible Club, is faced with this issue.

A group of parents became irate the he was proselytizing students. Demanding that there be a separation of church and state.

It was an opportunity in the telling of the story to not only utilize some of my life experiences and spiritual experiences personally," the star of Unusual Suspects and Celebrity Apprentice said.

It was interesting how art was imitating life. What was not in the script was a scene towards the end of the film showing a big speech at a public school and I said the words when they created the law that is the separation of church and state that it was never meant to become a separation from God.

You can find this in America today that people dont understand in its origin, the youngest of the Baldwin brothers offered. As we explore this doing research for the movie, that was really powerful for me and a blessing for me to be able to say those words. It has led to an opportunity to discuss that further with folks. Baldwin was an early supporter of GOP presidential candidate and businessman Donald Trump. He met Trump on the reality show The Celebrity Apprentice in 2013.

Trump has created a movement in the country by tapping into peoples distain for establishment politics. In business he has branded himself a certain way as brash and aggressive and things like that, which he is, Baldwin shared.

But I believe youre seeing this response to a lot of Christians as a result of the idea that is for a time such a time is this--Donald Trump is not a politician. Many Christian and voters are responding because it is refreshing. People may not agree with his methodology or all that hes saying or the way hes saying it. But I believe Mr. Trump is willing to stand his ground and willing to stand up for what he believes in for this country and about the future of this country.

Ultimately, Baldwin desires to be a communicator of the Gospel, not politics.

I made the conscious decision to step back from being so outspoken as I once was about my political opinions because people are really already decided what their opinion is. I really just decided to humble myself and keep my opinions to myself except for when it is necessary to express myself.

Now Baldwin is a bad boy for God, and utilizing humility as a tool of strength like the scripture in John 3:30 reads and is tattooed on his neck. He must become greater; I must become less.

Corine Gatti is a Senior Editor at Beliefnet.com.
The Federal Reserve Building is seen in Lower Manhattan, Feb. 4, 2009. Bangladeshs central bank is investigating the theft of $101 million from an account it held with the New York Federal Reserve Bank.

Bangladeshs central bank is forming a special team to investigate the theft of U.S. $101 million from one of its overseas accounts  the largest bank heist in the countrys history  a top official said Friday.

The Bangladesh Bank (BB) has appointed Rakesh Astana, managing director and CEO of World Informatix, a U.S.-based cybersecurity firm to lead the investigation, A.F.M. Asaduzzaman, a general manager at the bank, told BenarNews.

The team headed by Astana, a former World Bank official who has worked on previous projects with the Bangladeshi central bank, will find out whether there are any faults in the banks cyber system, who stole the money and how to get the money back, Asaduzzaman said.

They will also build up a firewall to protect the future banking system, he added.

Such a heist could not have succeeded without some kind of collusion between the cyber thieves and insiders at the central bank, former BB Gov. Mohammed Farashuddin told BenarNews.

What I can simply say that it is not possible without the help of the internal people. They had collusion with the thieves, Farashuddin said.

He pointed to information obtained about a closed-circuit television camera being switched off in the office of the unit that manages foreign currency when the authorization for the payments was issued to the Federal Reserve Bank, Farashuddin added during an interview Friday.

A day earlier, the central banks executive director confirmed that more than $100 million had been stolen from an account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York through an unauthorized international money transfer.

BB Executive Director Subhankar Saha also confirmed a report that hackers had intended to steal close to U.S. $1 billion in total, but an attempted wire transfer of U.S. $870 million was blocked.

The American bank contacted us as to whether we asked for such a big payment. And we told them that we had not ordered it, Saha told reporters in Dhaka.

For its part, the New York Fed said it was assisting Bangladeshs central bank in figuring out how the money was stolen.

To date, there is no evidence of any attempt to penetrate Federal Reserve systems in connection with the payments in question, and there is no evidence that any Fed systems were compromised, a New York Fed spokesperson told BenarNews in an email earlier this week.

The payment instructions in question were fully authenticated by the SWIFT messaging system in accordance with standard authentication protocols.

SWIFT code leaked?

According to officials at the central bank who spoke on condition of anonymity, the hackers tried to steal up to U.S. $1 billion held in the account at the New York Fed. They were able to steal U.S. $101 million by falsifying international money transfer orders.

The $101 million was stolen on Feb. 4, with $81 million sent out in four tranches to the RCBC bank in the Philippines, while the remaining $20 million went in one tranche to a bank in Sri Lanka, the unnamed officials told BenarNews.

However, the discovery of a spelling mistake in the transfer order destined for Sri Lanka aroused the suspicion of central bank officials when they got a call from a foreign bank seeking verification of specific information.

That led to BB officials blocking thieves later attempts to steal another $870 million through 35 other unauthorized transfers, the officials said.

The transfers appeared to have been authorized through genuine payment orders placed by the central bank. The orders were arranged in a way that the bank usually does, using SWIFT codes and other confidential information, so that central bank and New York Fed officials would not suspected them as fake, the officials told BenarNews.

The typo that led to the theft being discovered was the misspelling of a Sri Lankan NGOs name to which the transfer of $20 million was made. The hackers had misspelled the word foundation in the NGOs English name.

According to Bangladeshi banking expert Mamunur Rashid, the money transfers could only have been executed using the central banks genuine SWIFT code.

When you enter my SWIFT code, the system would assume that I am Mamunur Rashid accessing the system. But we have to see whether the Bangladesh Bank system allows someone to access the system from the outside, Rashid, the former head of Citibank in Bangladesh, told BenarNews, suggesting that someone may have leaked information about the unique code that is used for transfers between banks.

Jesmin Papri in Dhaka contributed to this report.
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La Turquie a assure vendredi que le projet d'accord en discussion avec l'Union europeenne (UE), qui inclut une mesure tres controversee de retour de tous les migrants, y compris les refugies syriens, vers le sol turc, respecterait le droit international.

"Il est hors de question pour nous de faire quoi que ce soit de contraire au droit international", a declare un responsable turc a la presse, "il est important pour nous que l'accord soit compatible avec le droit international des migrations".
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Von: KAI DIEKMANN, PAUL RONZHEIMER and DANIEL BISKUP

BILD: Mr President, in order to stop the influx of refugees, it has been planned that Turkey will receive six billion euros and that visa requirements will be lifted. At the same time, Macedonia has to do the dirty work for the EU at the border with Greece, as Vice Chancellor Gabriel calls it. Do you feel you have been taken for a fool?

Gjorge Ivanov: This is not the first time that Macedonia has been let down by the EU, we already know the feeling! No one helped us when we took on 360 000 refugees during the Kosovo War. Thats why we have now reacted proactively  our army is protecting our borders. Lets face it: in the refugee crisis, we are now paying for the mistakes of the EU. We already had to spend 25 million euros in tax money. We already declared a state of emergency. And what have we received from Europe? Nothing! Not a single cent. Instead, we as a non-EU country now have to protect Europe from an EU country, that is, Greece.

BILD: You are also not a Schengen member, but you are protecting the Schengen border 

Ivanov: Yes, we are nothing here, not an EU country, not a Schengen country, not a NATO country. Nobody wants us. And still, we are protecting Europe from a European country that is insufficiently controlling the refugees or has simply sent them on. In the refugee crisis, the security situation has been entirely ignored. If we had trusted Brussels and had not reacted on our own initiative, we would already have been flooded with jihadists.

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BILD: What do you mean?

Ivanov: Look at these passports and papers. They are all forged or stolen. We have already seized 9,000 of them. Some so-called refugees are travelling through the whole of Europe with false identities, and Greece is simply stamping their papers so that they continue on their journey. We have to assume that many of these people who were travelling with forged papers want to enter the EU via the refugee route as radical fighters.

BILD: So do we Germans have to be grateful to Macedonia for radically closing the border?

Ivanov: In the refugee crisis, theres the humanitarian dimension and the security dimension. With respect to humaneness, Germany has acted exemplarily. But your country has completely failed with respect to security. Just one example: we wanted to share our information about these alleged jihadists with Europe and Germany. But no one wanted our data. We were told: we cannot cooperate with you; you are a third party country; we must not exchange data with you.

BILD: Germany did not want to help you either?

Ivanov: No! We needed equipment for collecting biometric data and Germany always refused to provide anything. But we found other states that were able to help us. It is totally absurd: we are concerned not with money, but with the security of the entire continent. But obviously nobody cares about that. Look: after the Paris attacks, we were asked whether we had any information, but only after the event. We told the authorities that ten people with the same identity as the assassins had entered the country.

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BILD: Turkey is negotiating with the EU; Macedonia is not invited to the table 

Ivanov: We are part of the menu, unfortunately. We have always been the victim of EU institutions. For 25 years, we have been lied to and manipulated. A potential EU membership for Macedonia has been discussed seven times already, but there was always an obstruction, caused by Greece. No one in the EU gets along with the Greeks and we are supposed to solve this conflict on our own with this country.

BILD: The Greek prime minister is praising Chancellor Angela Merkel: on the refugee question, she is showing the moral and humane face of Europe, he says. Which face is Macedonia showing?

Ivanov: We are also showing a humane face. The Macedonians have provided an incredible amount of help. They have provided medical care and made donations. But once again: we are not an EU country and have to pay for the EUs mistakes.

BILD: Does that mean that the German policy of open borders caused the refugee crisis in the first place?

Ivanov: Chancellor Merkel has acted bravely by her humanitarian gesture. But now no one is brave enough to say what will come next. Between Sudan and Egypt alone, 20 million migrants who want to go to Europe are waiting. And what about Africa? The stream of refugees will not end. Everyone is very well informed because of Twitter and Facebook. And what is Europe doing? It takes more than six months to organize a summit alone. By that time, one million new migrants have arrived. And concerning Germany: how can it be that 130 000 refugees have simply disappeared in your country? We have to change. Radically.

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BILD: What exactly do you mean?

Ivanov: What we are seeing is that Europe does not function in a crisis situation. Brussels takes far too much time to make decisions. This is why, for instance, some countries along the Balkans route like us had to act on their own. But European crisis management is not working. In the future, more countries will have to make decisions sovereignly. Chancellor Merkel has also decided to take on the role of saviour of Europe on her own. With her decisions, she alone has pushed Europe in a certain direction. Now she wants to achieve a solution together with Turkey. We will see if this works. I am very skeptical in this regard.

BILD: But what will now happen to the thousands of people who are waiting at the border in Idomeni?

Ivanov: The refugees are waiting for Merkel to pick them up in planes or trains. They all want to go to Germany and do not want to stay in Greece.

BILD: The situation at the border is threatening to escalate. If the refugees were to use force in order to continue into Macedonia, would your soldiers use not only tear gas, but possibly also armed munitions to keep them back?

Ivanov: We are of course not animals who would shoot at war refugees! First, you have to look at the Greek side. EU police are stationed there and it is their job to manage the situation. But they are obviously incapable.

BILD: What will become of Greece if you keep the border closed?

Ivanov: Youll have to ask the Greeks! Now they are receiving 700 million euros again from the EU, they are getting everything they want. But the problem is: they do not use it for anything! Why are there no hotspots and camps? I have understood that Europe does not care about us. But I will not accept that we are now being blamed for the mistakes of others! The EU has no right to accuse Macedonia. We are merely looking after ourselves.

BILD: Is our impression, that you are quite mad at the EU, correct?

Ivanov: What would you do if someone blocked any paths for your country for over 25 years, if you were manipulated and lied to? Despite countless positive reports, there has been no development with regards to our EU prospects. We have been, so to say, stuck in a lift for 25 years.


For Immediate Release, March 11, 2016 Contact: Lori Ann Burd, (971) 717-6405, laburd@biologicaldiversity.org Government Report Slams EPA, USDA for Failing to Protect Bees PORTLAND, Ore. The Government Accountability Office today released a report sharply criticizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency for failing to adequately address threats to bee populations. The report points to the USDAs failure to identify threats and implement measures to protect native bees and the EPAs failure to identify the risks posed to bees by the most common pesticide mixtures. Photo by Ano Lobb. This photo is available for media use. Ultimately this report reiterates what weve known for a long time: that the USDA and EPA are failing to do what it takes to protect our rapidly declining bee populations, said Lori Ann Burd, Environmental Health director at the Center for Biological Diversity. With 40 percent of the worlds bee and butterfly populations threatened with extinction, its crucial that the agencies act swiftly to remedy these deficiencies and save our bees. The Department of Agriculture is currently monitoring the health of honeybee colonies, but is ignoring its May 2015 mandate from the White House to also monitor the health of native bee colonies. North America is home to more than 4,000 species of native bees. Native bees pollinate about 80 percent of flowering plants around the world, including valuable food crops like blueberries. Despite their importance and evidence of dramatic declines, the USDA has failed to take measures to start protecting them, said Burd. This report sends a clear signal that the agency has to buckle down right away and start to do the important work of protecting our native bees. Pesticides, especially a potent new class of insecticides called neonicotinoids, are one of the primarily drivers of bee declines. The report also criticized the EPA for ignoring the White Houses mandate that it assess the impacts of multiple pesticides on bees. Agricultural fields can be treated with dozens of different pesticides at any given time. For far too long, the EPA has turned a blind eye to the impacts of pesticide mixtures, said Burd. I hope this report will force the agency to finally take the common-sense measure of studying the effects of pesticides in real-world conditions, where multiple pesticides are present, rather than just in sterile laboratories, where only one pesticide is tested at a time. Mixed together pesticides can act synergistically to kill or severely harm bees and other nontarget animals like fish and birds. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 990,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
Technology and data are transforming the way consumers and businesses interact with each other, driving a need to bring new ideas to market with greater speed. The right corporate-startup partnership gives startups an accelerated path to scale innovative solutions.

The MasterCard Start Path Global 2016 programme has been designed with that objective and has launched a call for applications across the globe. Since 2014, Start Path has provided more than 60 startups a variety of operational support, mentorship, and investment to develop the next generation of commerce solutions.

Start Path has seen success in the MEA region and is intensifying its search as a continuing reminder of the innovation potential of local startups. In MEA, the programme is currently working closely with startups including Saida, a startup that has developed an app that uses the data on the customers smartphones to underwrite loans to them in minutes. The app has just launched in Kenya and has been instrumental in providing over 16,000 loans.

Startups are actively experimenting with new solutions aimed at transforming the status-quo across a wide variety of industries including financial services, retail, and healthcare, said Stephane Wyper, global lead of MasterCard Start Path. We can provide critical support through operational expertise and access to a steady pipeline of customers, channels and partners. In just two years, Start Path Global has a strong record of helping startups transform innovations into sustainable business propositions.

Apply now

Each quarter, MasterCard Start Path recruits a new class of startups to embark on the six-month virtual programme. The programme is currently accepting applications for its next class. The application window to join the next class is open until Monday, March 21, 2016. To apply, visit: www.startpath.com. The programme is open to all non-US based startups.

How to apply to Start Path Global:

1. Submit your application by 5pm GMT on Monday, 21 March 2016

2. Receive email confirmation of your application from the Start Path team - For some companies, the Start Path team will contact you for a call to further discuss your application.

3. The Start Path team will invite 20 companies to a Pitch Day in Toronto on 11 and 12 May 2016 - The Pitch Day is an opportunity not only to pitch for selection into the programme, but also to meet with big-brand partners of the programme.

4. Eight companies will be provided with an offer to join the programme.

5. The programme will kick off with an immersion week in June 2016 (location to be confirmed)

Two information sessions will be held to walk interested groups through the application process:

 Wednesday, 16 March, 9am GMT

 Wednesday 16 March, 5pm GMT

To register please click here.
It's nothing but oil and additives, without a single fresh ingredient whatsoever. But it's affordable and well-packaged, and so it sells. We're talking about margarine: the poor man's butter.

It is a perfect example of how the food industry multinationals, with their slick marketing, big advertising budgets, and unfailing support from large retailers, can push just about anything on the public and earn huge returns.

Despite regular health warnings, margarine is experiencing a new lease on life and giving the product it tries to imitate, butter, a run for its money.

France remains the worldwide leader, with annual butter consumption of 8kg per person.

However, for the past 30 years, sales have been declining steadily because of competition from vegetable oils and margarine.

In 2012, France produced 410,000 tonnes of butter. That same year, it produced 93,000 tonnes of margarine, with sales and consumption estimated at 471m and 2.66kg per person, respectively.

Margarines recent success is due in part to a major structural shift in the market. In 2000, 93% of products seen on shelf displays were classic margarine (traditional or light). Only 8% displayed some kind of "health claim". Today, the balance is reversed: 63% claim to have "health" qualities.

Much of the focus is on nutrients, such as omega 3 and 6, and vitamins A, D, B1, E1, which reduce cholesterol, help with good cardiovascular functioning and, of course, are environmentally friendly and sustainable.

On supermarket shelves, it is hard to find a label that even says "margarine" nowadays. Distributors prefer the term "spread".

Long gone are the days when Boudet, the rapporteur of the Paris public health commission, considered erecting a statue made out of margarine in honour of its brilliant inventor, Hippolyte Mege-Mouries  on the condition, of course, that the monument not be exposed to intense sunbeams. That was on the eve of the Paris Commune, a time when the Eating and Drinking Society acknowledged that, "The most essential nutrient after bread, the most indispensable, both on the table and in the kitchen, is butter."

Butter, though, was expensive, often defective, and inaccessible to the working class. There was a pressing need to make "a fresh, nutritional butter, free of any element that could harm the public health or ones own consumption".

This would be the work of Mege-Mouries, a chemist and wheat specialist who emulsified beef fat with milk and water to produce "a real butter that could replace ordinary milk butter". Mege-Mouriess invention was authorised for sale in 1872 under the name "margarine", and at the end of the 1870 war, it started spreading across the world  no pun intended. A 100% made-in-France success!

The discovery in the 1920s of the hydrogenation of vegetable oils process made it possible to drop animal fats and solidify margarine with the emulsion of oils and water.

Then came the battle of fats: the "bad" saturated fats present in cheeses, butter and cream, versus the "good" non-saturated fats contained in the vegetable oils used in margarine.

Margarine manufacturers and nutritionists hostile to butter had hit the jackpot.

But then came the discovery of an even worse fat  the "trans fat"  which is generated during the hydrogenation process and likely to cause an increase of bad cholesterol, and risks of heart attacks or heart diseases.

Faced with adversity, the industry developed the "fractionation" method, which limits the tenor in trans fat to less than 1%. All the additives, aromas, food colourings and preservatives still appear alongside the palm, sunflower, linseed, colza and copra oils enriched in omega 3 and vitamins.

The list of ingredients on the back of a margarine pack is always longer than for butter  but with one notable difference: margarine contains nothing of animal origin.

That makes all the difference for vegetarians and vegans, the new followers of this food industry jewel who are showing once again that to feed themselves, they often prefer the factory over the farm.

New York Times
Some years after last airing his controversial views on HIV/Aids, former president, Thabo Mbeki,has once again raised ire of HIV/Aids medico-scientific community with his latest missive.

Following the publication of the letter on The Thabo Mbeki Foundation website, on 7 March 2016, Professor Salim Abdool Karim, director of CAPRISA (Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in South Africa), had this to say:

Dissident views on Aids

The points in Mbekis letter, cogently summarise his dissident views on Aids and confirm that he remains firmly an Aids dissident. The letter also confirms a long-held suspicion that he authored the document entitled, Castro Hlongwane, Caravans, Cats, Geese, Foot & Mouth and Statistics, a report on AIDS that is as incoherent as its title.

HIV does not cause Aids

It is striking that in the entire letter, Mbeki meticulously ensures that he does not say that HIV does cause Aids; instead he claims that he did not say that HIV does not cause Aids. He rationalises this by his belief that a virus cannot cause a syndrome.

On whether viruses cause syndromes - he is simply ill-informed and/or is deliberately attempting to cloud the facts. The fact is that viruses can and do cause syndromes. Chickenpox virus causes Ramsay Hunt syndrome, an ear canal rash with facial neuropathy. The Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome, seen in a recent outbreak in Saudi Arabia, is caused by MERS corona-virus. Slapped cheek syndrome (yes, this syndrome is really called by this name), which is a red rash on the cheeks of children, is caused by Parvo-virus 19.

In Aids, a range of clinical features emanating from some cancers, certain types of pneumonias, TB and other opportunistic diseases (clinical manifestations of the underlying immune deficiency from HIVs destruction of the bodys CD4+ cells) is collectively referred to as a syndrome, and this syndrome is caused by a virus known as HIV.

Different subtypes of HIV

Mbeki claims that no explanation has been forthcoming for the differences in the way the HIV epidemic has progressed in gay men in USA/Europe compared to its rapid spread in the general heterosexual population in Africa. However, this was explained in detail at the Mbeki Presidential Aids Panel.

Genetic sequencing clearly shows that the HIV epidemic in gay men, both in Africa and in the USA/Europe, is mainly due to subtype B of the virus while a different subtype (subtype C) predominates in the heterosexual population in Africa. In short, these are two independent epidemics caused by different subtypes of HIV.

Socio-behavioural and viral genetic studies have shown that a major contributor to the rapid spread of HIV in the general heterosexual population in southern Africa is the regions unique colonial heritage and mining that impacted stable family life in the local populations to support migrant labour, and with it, the single-sex hostels and transportation routes.

Good nutrition can cure Aids

Mbeki aligns himself with Luc Montagnier in the belief that a good immune system, emanating from good nutrition, can cure a person of their HIV infection. In an interview, Montagnier agrees with an interviewers question that if you have a good immune system, then your body can naturally get rid of HIV?

This belief has no factual basis  it is simply wrong. No-one has ever been cured of Aids by eating well. It is estimated by UNAIDS that globally there are about 38 million people currently living with HIV infection and despite extensive research on immunity against HIV, not one person has been cured of HIV infection naturally or with drug treatments. There is no cure for AIDS.

TB and HIV  number one and two causes of death

He quotes a 2006 STATS-SA report that Aids is the ninth most common cause of death in South Africa, questioning why everyone is making a fuss about the ninth cause and not about the first cause, which is TB.

His reliance on death certificates to accurately reflect all the causes of death ignores the well-known problem of the under-reporting of stigmatising diseases on death certificates. The latest World Health Organization figures from 2013 (and not from a decade ago) confirm TB and HIV as number one and two causes of death in South Africa. Since TB is the main cause of death in patients with HIV, and up to 70% of TB cases in South Africa are associated with HIV, the most important cause of death is, in fact, HIV infection in this country.

It is also noteworthy that while HIV is still the major cause of death, deaths due to HIV are now starting to decrease as a result of the scale-up of antiretroviral therapy, which had initially been delayed by the policies of the Mbeki government. Indeed, the constitutional court judgement against the Mbeki government compelling them to provide antiretroviral drugs for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission has seen an impressive jaw-dropping decline from 25% about a decade ago to the current + 1% of babies being born with HIV from their mothers.

The delay caused by the Mbeki governments obstructive policies precluding pregnant women from accessing antiretrovirals to protect their babies led to thousands of babies becoming needlessly infected with HIV.

Drug company profiteering

He argues that the main motivation among those promoting the notion that HIV causes Aids is to support drug-company profiteering through their sales of antiretroviral drugs. However, much of the scientific evidence on HIV causing Aids comes from researchers, locally and abroad, who are themselves against the profiteering by drug companies from the plight of the poor.

Not only does Mbekis conspiracy theory deliberately ignore this large body of scientific evidence that HIV does cause Aids, it directly insults all those treatment advocates who challenged drug companies to make Aids medications affordable and condescendingly accuses them of putting the drug company profits ahead of the needs of their communities, family members and friends for Aids treatment. This accusation is all the more cynical as a slap-in-the-face for those people with HIV who campaigned for Aids treatment for their own survival in vain.

Aids policy to be proud of

South Africa now has an Aids response that it can be justly proud of. Despite the delayed start, impressive progress has been seen under the auspices of the South African National Aids Council and the untiring leadership of the minister of health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi and senior department of health officials such as director-general, Malebona Matsoso, and deputy director-general Anban Pillay. In our country, about 3-million people are on antiretroviral treatment, mortality has started to decline and life expectancy is already showing impressive improvement.

However, much more still needs to be done  about half of the people living with HIV in South Africa still need to be initiated on Aids treatment, many of them do not even know that they have HIV infection. Further, we need to make better progress in reducing the HIV in young women, who continue to have very high rates of infection.

Fortunately, Mbekis widely-discredited views will likely have little or no impact on the countrys current Aids response which is now firmly founded on scientific evidence and rational thought.
Manufacturing production declined 2.5% in January this year compared with a year ago after increasing by 0.5% year on year in December.

The drop was the worst in one-and-a-half years Statistics SA data showed on Thursday.

This suggests that economic growth was weak at the beginning of the year.

Output in the basic iron and steel, nonferrous metal products, metal products and machinery; motor vehicles, parts and accessories and other transport equipment; and furniture divisions declined.

Increased production in the wood and wood products, paper, publishing and printing; and the radio, television and communication apparatus and professional equipment divisions was not enough to offset the declines.

Seasonally adjusted manufacturing production decreased 1.8% in January 2016 compared with December 2015.

This followed month-on-month changes of a 1.9% increase in December 2015 and a 1.2% contraction in November 2015.

Seasonally adjusted manufacturing production decreased 1.1% in the three months ended January 2016 compared with the previous three months as seven of the ten manufacturing divisions reported negative growth rates over the period.

Seasonally adjusted manufacturing sales increased 1.4% in January 2016 compared with December following month-on-month contractions of 0.1% in December 2015 and 1.5% in November 2015.
Moody's outlook for the global paper and forest products industry is "stable", reflecting its expectation that operating income growth of the 46 paper companies it rates globally will be flat to modest over the next 12 to 18 months.

This should benefit both Mondi and Sappi. But Mondi is a far more focused international packaging group, while Sappi, through its large coated paper operations, is far more exposed to declining printing and writing paper markets worldwide as electronic communications grow.

"(The) secular decline in paper consumption will continue to weigh on paper producers. Our outlook for the paper sub-sector remains negative as we expect operating income for most producers will decline due to both declining demand and product prices," Moodys says.

It says weaker prices across most grades will limit operating earnings growth. Many firms have diversified operations across many different sub-sectors and commodity grades.

However, it also says each sub-sector has its own fundamental trends, geographic considerations and supply-and-demand curves.

The operating earnings of 15 such companies rated by the international ratings agency were primarily driven by their paper-packaging and tissue operations, which represents more than 50% of global operating income. The outlook for this sub-sector is also stable, with most firms generating "flat to modestly stronger operating earnings" within the 0% to 2% growth range.

Moodys forecasts modest economic growth of 1% to 2% for the euro area in 2016 and 2017, and says continuing weakness in the European currency should lift regional exports this calendar year. Euro weakness will apply particularly to markets where the commodity price is denominated in, or pegged to, the US dollar  such as the pulp market  as a strong dollar erodes the ability of US producers to sell globally.

"The consolidated operating income of the 28 North American companies that we rate will remain essentially flat, with 0%-2% growth over the outlook period.

"Demand for North American and European printing and writing grades of paper will decrease by approximately 4%-5% this year, as traditional consumers of paper turn to digital alternatives, such as tablets and e-readers," Moodys says.

"Over the past eight years, average production for US uncoated freesheet, coated paper and newsprint declined by 4%, 5% and 9% per annum, respectively. We expect that future declines will continue at similar average rates."

But Moodys also says that demand for paper in emerging markets will be flat, as substitution by electronic devices has been offset by higher paper consumption, due to higher literacy rates and better living standards. Meanwhile, increasing per capita paper use in Latin America will increase demand, although this will be offset by weaker economic growth, it says.

Justin Jordan, an equity analyst at Jefferies International in London, says Mondi stands to benefit from "overdone fears" in relation to kraftliner prices. He says the groups anticipated 60m of capital investments in 2016, higher uncoated fine paper prices, and volume growth in boxes and plastic packaging augur well for profit growth.

Jefferies says Mondi generates 85% of operating profit in Europe and 15% in SA. A defining advantage over peers is that significant assets are in low-cost geographies  mainly central and eastern Europe and Russia. Mondi has a sector-leading 14% operating profit margin, along with a 20.5% return on capital employed.

Moodys expects the consolidated operating income of the 11 European producers  which represent about 25% of the global rated industrys operating income  to increase 0% to 2% over the outlook period.

"This reflects our expectation that increased operating earnings from rated packaging companies  will outweigh those from paper producers," Jefferies says.
While most of SA's attention is focused on Medupi and Kusile, little has been paid to the additional 2500MW of privately owned coal-fired electricity that the government has planned.

The new coal energy will be sold to Eskom by those independent coal-fired power producers (IPPs) that are successful bidders in terms of the Coal Baseload Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (CBLIPPPP). These plans are, however, under threat of widespread public resistance via environmental justice organisations that are opposed to coal-fired power because of its detrimental impact on the environment and human health.

To date, groundWork (gW) and Earthlife Africa Johannesburg (ELA) - together with community partners in the Vaal, Mpumalanga Highveld and KwaZulu-Natal - have launched a legal challenge against three proposed new coal-fired power stations proposed under the CBLIPPPP. These are the 1,200MW Thabametsi power station (near Lephalale in the Limpopo); the 600MW KiPower power station (near Delmas, Mpumalanga); and the 1,050MW Colenso Power station (near Colenso in KwaZulu-Natal).

No new investment

gW and ELA, with their community partners, argue that there should be no new investment in coal power, and that resources should be redirected to renewable energy. Unlike dirty coal, renewable energy projects in South Africa have a track record of being built on time and within budget. Moreover, renewables do not damage the health of people and pollute water, or contribute to global warming that causes climate change, gW director, Bobby Peek, says.

All three proposed coal-fired power stations have received authorisations from the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) prompting attorneys at the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) - representing gW, ELA and their community partners - to launch appeals to the Minister of Environmental Affairs to set aside the authorisations. The effect of the appeals is to suspend the operation of the authorisations until the appeals are decided.

The detrimental impacts on the health of local communities, and the huge water demands of the proposed dirty coal power plants, are major grounds for the appeals, CER attorney, Robyn Hugo, says.

Overburdened area

All three proposed stations would be located in drought-disaster areas, with KiPower to be based in the Highveld, an area already so overburdened by industrial exploitation and air pollution that it has been declared an air quality priority area under the Air Quality Act. The Waterberg (where Thabametsi power station will be situated) has also been declared an air quality priority area.

According to Hugo, the environmental impact assessment process for Colenso has been conducted so hastily that many of the major impacts that the power station will have on air quality and surrounding water sources - such as the Thukela River - and greenhouse gas emissions, have not been assessed.

New investment in coal also contradicts and undermines South Africas commitments arising from the December 2015 climate negotiations in Paris. South Africa, with its ample renewable energy sources, should seize the competitive advantage to lead among developing countries in the establishment of a fossil free economy. Should the appeals be refused by the Minister of Environmental Affairs, we intend to challenge those decisions in court as well, ELA project coordinator, Dominique Doyle, concludes.
The wool market traded 1.5% lower this week and the Cape Wools Merino Indicator decreased by 230 points to close at a value of R151.99 (clean).

Peter van der Sluijs via Wikimedia Commons

On the Australian market, the Eastern Market Indicator dropped 2.1%. The Cape Wools All Wool Indicator weakened by 1.8%.

There was a strong demand from Italy, in particular for the better-quality wool.

The buyers reported that the rest of the market was more subdued and the decline was mostly the result of the foreign exchange fluctuation.

This week saw the Rand at R15.43 to the US dollar. The rand strengthened by 1.6% against the US dollar compared with the average rate at the previous sale.

The rand strengthened 0.6% against the euro, trading at R16.92. The offering comprised 7,090 bales, of which 96.7% was sold. Major traders were Lempriere SA (2,029), Standard Wool SA (1,980), G Modiano SA (1,474) and Stucken & Co (926).

Source: Herald
The first train in the Passenger Rail Agency of SA's (Prasa's) new R51bn fleet will hit the tracks later this year, the agency says. It is among the 600 trains ordered from the Gibela Rail Transport Consortium that is 61% owned by French power and transport multinational Alstom.

Col Andre Kritzinger via Wikimedia Commons

The Gibela contract is one aspect of Prasa's R172bn, 10-year fleet renewal programme that will see the rail agency modernise its ageing and unreliable urban service Metrorail, which ferries more than 2.2-million passengers daily.

Prasa has gone on a charm offensive to assure the public that it is getting its house in order after suffering a series of public relations blunders centred on the procurement of its new rolling stock and the fact that it was behind schedule in the rollout of infrastructure.

Piet Sebola, Prasa's head of the fleet renewal programme, told Business Day yesterday they were working around the clock to make sure the Wolmerton depot near Pretoria, where the trains will be housed, and a test track were ready in time to take in the new stock.

Infrastructure upgrades and manufacturing

Prasa was busy with infrastructure upgrades and would issue tenders for the programme. Prasa chose Brazil as the manufacturing destination for the first 20 Alstom trains to speed up the renewal programme.

Two of the first trains are already in SA undergoing testing. The rest of the 580 trains will be built at a factory near Nigel in Ekurhuleni once its construction is completed in June next year. "The third train, which will arrive in the middle of this month fully fitted, will begin operation in October," said Sebola. The rest are expected to arrive by the end of this year.

The first train from Brazil arrived in November but Prasa did not have a suitable depot to house it at the time, nor a test track. Sebola said Prasa had built a new station in Greenview on the priority line where the first trains would run between Mamelodi and Pretoria.

Prasa had previously earmarked the Joburg-Pretoria line as a priority and identified Braamfontein as its key depot. Bids for the Braamfontein depot were under evaluation and the contract would be awarded in June, Sebola said.

Source: Business Day
Distinguished business leaders from across the globe will attend the SA Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Conference taking place on Thursday, 17 March 2016 at The Maslow in Sandton, Johannesburg.

Dr Reuel Khoza

Dr Reuel Khoza, a keynote speaker at the conference, is president of the Institute of Directors in Southern African (IoDSA), chairman of Aka Capital, a former chairman of Nedbank Group Limited and a director of several companies.

Delivering an address titled 'Whereto South Africa?', Khoza will look at the big issues that face South African business in 2016 and beyond. In doing so, he will offer his unique perspective as an Africanist who has been at the forefront of transformation in the South African political economy. Khoza is a seasoned voice on business leadership and corporate governance. He was involved in the formulation of the King Codes on Corporate Governance in both King II and King III.

Business influencers

International business influencers and innovators headlining the conference include ex-CEO of Unibail-Radamco, Guillaume Poitrinal - the driving force behind growing this European company into a global property giant. It is his first time speaking in South Africa. Forthright international keynote speaker Andrew Parsons, MD of Resolution Capital (Australia), will again challenge delegates with his thought-provoking ideas.

Direct access to three such admired business leaders on a single insight-packed day is quite something, says Mark Stevens, chairperson of the Marketing Committee of the SA REIT Association.

SA REIT represents South Africas listed REIT sector. Its members comprise all the countrys listed REITs and represent more than R300bn worth of property assets. The quality of these SA REITs influence our economy and the quality of people's lives.
The first Next Einstein Forum Global Gathering, which ran in Dakar from 8-10 March 2016, has called for increased investment and support for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) in Africa.

Presidents with female NEF FellowsSource: Next Einstein Forum

The NEF Global Gathering is providing a platform to nurture African talent so the continent can return to its roots as the cradle of innovation, said Macky Sall, President of Senegal. Africa has a rich history of science, as does Senegal, and we are creating a city of knowledge as proof of our commitment to investing in the education of our youth. Science must better our society. I would like to especially salute our women scientists because a future without diversity is not representative of our society. At the heart of our policy is to put an accent on the education of women and girls and the support of STEM. Together, we must meet the challenge of producing the next African Einstein- be it a man or a woman.

Many local challenges have global consequences and finding sustainable solutions will require transformative thinking, strong leadership, significant investment and deeper engagement. We are thrilled to welcome the world to Dakar to witness Africas emergence on the global scientific stage, said Thierry Zomahoun, NEF chairperson and president, and CEO of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS).

Lack of research loses billions

Science and technology-driven innovation is an engine for economic growth and social inclusion. Today, a lack of investment in R&D and STEM fields is stunting Africas growth, as the continent contributes just 1% of global research output while losing 35% of aid  ie $4 billion  each year to STEM-related expatriate jobs. An initiative of AIMS, in partnership with the Robert Bosch Stiftung, is close the STEM deficit and empower a new generation of scientific genius.

Africa is global talent pool of the future, provided we work together now to make the necessary investments. Three principles derived from our experience have been very helpful to us in transforming Rwanda. First, always work in a spirit of partnership and collaboration, within Africa and globally. Second, we cannot afford to wait around, so get started on the journey using our own resources, ideas and institutions. Third, women are at least half of our talent pool, and progress is impossible without their full participation at every level, said Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda.

Spotlighting African women in STEM

In honour of International Womens Day, the NEF Global Gathering 2016 hosted a panel discussion reflecting on the progress in promoting African women in STEM, ongoing innovative initiatives and future opportunities.

The panel, Driving the agenda for African women in STEM, featured women leaders and influencers in science, including France Cordova, director, US National Science Foundation, Aminata Sall Diallo, professor and special advisor in the Ministry of Higher Education and Research and Naledi Pandor, Minister of Science and Technology, South Africa.

As a woman with a science background working in a STEM-related field, the value of mentorship and support from other women cannot be overstated, said Seema Kumar, VP, innovation, global public health and science policy communication, Johnson & Johnson, who also participated on the panel. The Next Einstein Forum provides a place for women in the sciences from all over Africa to connect with each other and with leaders in the sciences from across the globe. Working together, we are better able to break down barriers to success and push the boundaries of science and technology.

Inaugural NEF Fellow class

Women make up 40% of the inaugural NEF Fellow class, 15 of Africas best and the brightest scientists, rigorously selected for their groundbreaking, contributions to science. Representing the continents rising class of STEM talent, these trailblazers include:

Alta Schutte, South Africa



Amanda Weltman, South Africa



Assane Gueye, Senegal



Axel Ngonga-Nomo, Cameroon



Evelyn Gitau, Kenya



Ghada Bassioni, Egypt



Hallowed Olaoluwa, Nigeria/Central African Republic



Joseph Ben Geloun, Senegal



Kommunist Weldemariam, Ethiopia



Mohlopheni Jackson Marakalala, South Africa



Mouhamed Moustapha Fall, Senegal



Noble Banadda, Uganda



Sherien Elagroudy, Egypt



Tolu Oni, Nigeria



Wilfred Ndifon, Cameroon

The diversity of the group punctuates the NEFs concerted efforts to build an inclusive, globally competitive scientific community. Also unique to the NEF is a youth-focused and driven agenda with least 50% of the NEF Global Gathering participants aged 42 or younger.

By building on its wealth of human capital  a young, largely unemployed and wholly untapped pool of talent  Africa is poised to emerge as a leader in the global scientific community. The 2016 NEF Global Gathering will help make this vision a reality by combining the unique perspectives and resources offered by government, academia, industry and public and private sectors, to strengthen Africas science infrastructure.

For more information, go to www.IamEinstein.org.
On 12 March the 2016 Cape Town Carnival will take to the streets. Carnivals are mesmerizing spectacles with floats coming alive with people covered in body paint and when they are converted into zebra crossings and traffic signs it's a whole other story.

TS float being built for 2016

Carnival goers will be treated to the Tsogo Sun procession, displaying the Tsogo Sun Traffic Story  Graphic Traffic. Using the black and white colours of the Tsogo Sun logo, body-painted performers inspired by zebra crossings become the living canvases at the forefront. They will be accompanied by totem sign bearers carrying stylised totem poles of street graphics depicting hotels, food and accommodation, and the Tsogo Sun banner.

Not far behind will be a congregation of vibrant African dancers all dressed in black and white with pops of primary colours accentuating their outfits. They will be mapping the way for the unmissable Tsogo Sun float with the star performer, celebrity comedian Siv Ngesi, at the helm for the second year in a row. The entire Tsogo Sun procession encompasses a combined energy, boldness and visual impact says Brad Baard, creative director for the Cape Town Carnival.

Tsogo Sun is the official accommodation partner to the Cape Town Carnival. Tsogo Sun has been involved with this event since its inception in 2010 and last year proved a big success drawing tens of thousands of spectators to the Fan Walk. This event attracts tourists annually to Cape Town, something that we feel equally as passionate about, comments Tsogo Sun operations director, John van Rooyen.

Ensuring that guests are treated to a spectacular experience, Tsogo Suns accommodation packages come with a dress up kit including hats, feathers and masks, and full access to the VIP hosted area.
As part of the country's efforts to modernise navigation and surveillance capabilities to ensure significant improvement to safety and efficiency,Thales has been selected by Air Traffic and Navigation Services SOC Limited (ATNS), the air navigation service provider of South Africa to supply, install and commission Wide Area Multilateration (WAM) surveillance, Primary and Secondary Surveillance Radars, and Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) technology to a number of its sites.

Marco Lillini via 123RF

Over the past decade, African air traffic has increased exponentially, with South Africa being one of the busiest airspaces in the continent. As a result, improved airspace management, advanced technologies and system modernisation are needed to meet future challenges of scalability and operational.

ATNS has commissioned Thales to deploy multiple surveillance technologies, including WAM, Star NG (Next Generation) Primary Radars and RSM 970 Secondary Radars, matching the best solution to the operational requirement. The WAM system will be deployed to provide surveillance over the entire Northern region. Radars will be deployed to Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport, Cape Town, Durban and Blesberg sites. These surveillance systems will be integrated into ATNSs existing Thales TopSky Air Traffic Management System, providing cost-effective, scalable and reliable surveillance.

DME systems will be deployed to 31 sites across South Africa where they will ensure high accuracy en-route and terminal aircraft guidance.

Improve ATNS capability

Together, these technologies will improve ATNS capability to offer airlines RNAV routes for faster and shorter trajectories, lower fuel consumption, and reduced carbon emissions. Further, in addition to the supply, install and commission of the technologies, these contracts provide for a long term support and maintenance agreement.

In line with ATNSs Shareholder Mandate to deliver safe skies and customer-centric services, technology is a central service enabler. To this end, ATNS has invested in the acquisition of new and advanced technology for Air Traffic Management to replace the current national Air Traffic Management Automation system.

Through this programme, ATNS will enter a new era of operational technology advancement for the benefit of the ATM community. The South African aviation infrastructure is considered to be one of the best in the world, contributing to the countrys aviation safety record. It is, therefore, imperative that we continue to invest wisely in this infrastructure to support the countrys overall transport infrastructure. - Thabani Mthiyane, CEO, ATNS
The IAB SA has launched a new Transformation Council with the sole aim of bringing about sustainable change and education in the digital publisher, media and marketing industry. This council will work in close collaboration with the IAB Board and other councils, in particular, the education council.

Bronwen Auret, Head of The IAB SA Transformation Council and Head of Digital Operations at Metropolitan Republic says, SA has a deficit of skilled digital employees. As a matter of urgency, we need to nurture and develop the growing talent pool that we do have. Ultimately, our job is to make this industry as sexy and appealing as possible.

This intention has assumed the form of the dedicated Council for the promotion of transformation of the digital media and marketing industry as a whole. Josephine Buys, CEO of IAB SA says, When I joined the IAB in 2014, there were seven active councils, each of which addressed a pressing need in Digital. An obvious gap in this line up was that of diversity and transformation. I am thrilled to have pioneered the launch of this Council after many years of personally committing to providing hope and opportunity to all South Africans, especially our youth. Im also delighted that Bronwen Auret accepted the challenge of heading up this critical council at such an important time for our industry. The level of leadership that has already participated and committed support to the invaluable work of this Council is already testament to its value. While we have a long road ahead of us to fill the talent gap in digital, I am confident that this is the start of a meaningful and active initiative for IAB SA.

The Transformation Councils key objectives will be rolled out over the course of three years. The council will start with the basics, such as reviewing and approving policy and devising the strategy, guidelines and scorecards for transformation for IAB members, including other IAB SA councils. This documentation will take into account substantive national and international regulatory developments as well as best practice in the field transformation management.

One exciting part of the councils responsibilities will be the creation of learning platforms in conjunction with the IAB SA Education Council, aimed at driving transformation though education and access to knowledge.

Transformation doesnt occur in a vacuum, it requires the participation and support of the whole industry. For this reason, the council will be launching a number of initiatives during the course of the year, which will thrive with the cooperation and support of willing companies.

Bronwen adds, As we kick off transformation within the IAB, the first thing I would like to ask industry members is to be mindful of their personal impact on transformation. So Id like to set a challenge for industry leaders: mentor someone this year and actively think about interns/young employees and how to grow their careers.

The IAB invites all industry members to share their transformation success stories/case studies with Bronwen, which they would love to share on the IABSA website.

Bronwen concludes, We are looking to make big strides in the area of transformation. I welcome any recommendations, suggestions or proposed partnerships.

About IAB South Africa

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) South Africa is an independent, voluntary, non-profit association focused on growing and sustaining a vibrant and profitable digital industry in South Africa. The IAB South Africa represents the digital industry across all sectors including the media, the marketing community, government and the public, and also acts as the channel through which international bodies can enter the South African digital market. The IAB South Africa currently represents over 200 members including online publishers, creative, media and digital agencies, brands and educators between them accounting for more than 36 million local unique browsers and almost 1 billion page impressions. The IAB South Africa strives to provide members with a platform through which they can engage, interact and address digital issues of common interest, thereby stimulating learning and commerce within the South African digital space. To find out more about the IAB South Africa, visit its website (www.iabsa.net), like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/iab.southafrica and follow @iab_sa on Twitter.

Editors notes: moc.cilbupeRnatiloporteM@teruaB.

Please click here to visit the IAB website

Major Partner: Diamond Partner

IAB Digital Summit in association with BBC.com

Category Partners: Platinum Partners:

Gumtree, News24, SABC Digital, Telkom, Unilever

VIP Partners

Effective Measure, Public Ideas, Standard Bank

Additional Partners and Official Suppliers

360 Degrees, AlwaysOn, The Clay Collab, Endcode, Hello Yes, iDidTht.com, Metropolitan Republic, Native VML, Net Media Planet

Official Media Partners

Bizcommunity, eNCA, Memeburn, Ornico

Bookmarks Partner

Opera Mediaworks




Providing everything the homeowner needs to renovate, restore, build or decorate, Decorex Durban, which takes place from the 18 - 21 March at the Durban Exhibition Centre, is an event not to be missed by anyone interested in creating a beautiful home.

Themed Take it Home, Make it Home, KwaZulu-Natals premier decor, design and lifestyle exhibition promises something for everyone, discover great ideas, trend decor inspiration, and shop for every room in the house and every space around the home. From DIY to decorating, kitchens to bathroom sanctuaries, building materials to furnishing fabrics, furniture to crockery.

Visitors will be welcomed to the first of Decorexs trio of 2016 exhibitions via a striking entrance designed and installed by The Goodwood Co. The Westmead based businesss Grant Wentzel and Warrick Frederic will indulge their passion for contemporary design and solid timber furniture in this inviting space that stylishly sets the tone for the rest of the exhibition.

Produced in association with Home Fabrics, this years coveted Designer Spotlight showcase has been awarded to creative concept specialist Bianca Howard of Slinx Interior. Drawing on the very latest textile and wallpaper collections from Home Fabrics, Howard will dress her dedicated space in the unique yet timeless and always elegant style that has earned her Westville design consultancy its stripes. Its an extraordinary opportunity to live out my passion for high-quality fabrics, the designer enthuses.

Slinxs Bianca Howard Home Fabrics new 2016 wallpaper collections Home Fabrics new 2016 wallpaper collections

For the second year running, four of KwaZulu-Natals top kitchen designers  Uber Haus (in collaboration with Beth Haynes Design), Afrormosia, Expert Kitchens & Interiors and Crestwood Kitchens  will contend in the Franke Heart of the Home Kitchen Design Project. Sponsored by one of the worlds leading kitchen-systems suppliers, these refined culinary zones will showcase visionary kitchen design and materials, bringing new definition to the phrase heart of the home. We are pleased to be affiliated with Decorex for a second year, says Clinton Soutter, National Sales Manager for Franke SA, who describes the show as a designers hub, offering the homeowner an array of inspiring new ideas and the latest in trends.

Frankes clean-lined Cascade range of kitchen systems Frankes clean-lined Cascade range of kitchen systems

Always a guaranteed crowd-puller, the Plascon stand is where KwaZulu-Natal visitors will get their first look at the Plascon 2016 Colour Forecast. The paint giant, who has sponsored the show since its inception 23 years ago, uses Decorex as its annual showcase for the colour trends of the forthcoming season, which, hints Plascons Colour Manager Anne Roselt, focus on an increased environmental awareness this year.

A sneak peak at colour palettes from Plascons 2016 Colour Forecast A sneak peak at colour palettes from Plascons 2016 Colour Forecast A sneak peak at colour palettes from Plascons 2016 Colour Forecast

Inspired by the success of the Mancaves and Manscapes features of previous years, the boys are back at Decorex again  only this time they get to create the living space that best portrays their personality. Sponsored by Real Natural Stone, suppliers of everything from Travertine tiles and cladding to quality marble and mosaics, the Top Man showcase will see a handful of local male celebrities each paired with a prominent designer, who will interpret the formers unique style in the ultimate men-only room setting. Celebrities on board for the exciting installation are well-known radio presenter Damon Beard (teamed with designer Brett Harris of Even Flow Decor), journalist and media personality Varshan Sookhun (who will be working with Riyaad Tayob, of Design Time), former South African rugby fly-half Andrew Butch James (paired with Rousseau of Change Design Studio), and World Lifesaving Champion Brandon Ribbink (whose distinctive personality will be given design interpretation by Paige Waplington of Re-Design ). Public and corporate proceeds from this exciting installation will go to the charity of the celebritys choosing, giving this testoterone-fuelled project feel-good finesse in more ways than one. There will also be a prize for a lucky entrant who votes for their favourite Top Man from Real Natural Stone to the value of R30,000.

The now-trending look for interiors, both locally and internationally, is a well-edited space that is layered but not cluttered, with a mix of quality high-end and store-bought pieces. Appropriately called The Considered Home, this is a look that, at its core, is about quality over quantity. At Decorex Durban, visitors are invited to step inside The Considered Home in association with Goodwood Co, an exclusively curated space that will showcase all the elements that make up the style using products that are on offer at exhibition.

The Considered Home stand at Decorex Durban will showcase this now-trending look The Considered Home stand at Decorex Durban will showcase this now-trending look The Considered Home stand at Decorex Durban will showcase this now-trending look

African decor, too, currently pulsates high on the global style radar with organic textures, rich hues and exotic patterning evoking the warmth of the southern-hemisphere sun and the wealth of the lands flora and fauna. With concept and colours drawn from the rhythm and beauty of the Mother Continent, the African-inspired Trend Pods will showcase the design genius of its awarded decorators, Stanley Oshry of Living Image Interior Decorating and Philippa Courtenay of Reinspire, who will use their allocated spaces to display their own unique interpretations of a theme that is reassuringly close to home.

African decor in all its rich and colourful exuberance will be on display in the Trend Pods African decor in all its rich and colourful exuberance will be on display in the Trend Pods African decor in all its rich and colourful exuberance will be on display in the Trend Pods

In addition to the above, the Durban show boasts a number of other firsts, including the Decor & DIY Theatre, a series of talks and interactive advice-sharing platforms that will arm visitors with an arsenal of fresh decorating know-how. Alternatively, pull up a chair at #decorexhotseats, where 10 specially selected Decorex Ambassadors have each choosen their favourite locally made chair. Follow the #DecorexHotSeats campaign to join the fun.

Theres also plenty on offer for those seeking a vibrant shopping experience featuring all things artisanal. The popular Craft + Create Market is a colourful collection of uniquely exclusive, handcrafted lifestyle products which, for the first time, includes a Makers Corner Hosted By SA Maker Collective.Showcasing the very latest in DIY technology and techniques to customise your home and workplace, the fun, hands-on experience offered at this Decorex highlight will encourage you to upgrade from consumer to maker.

Still on the subject of home - and hand-made, Durbans popular monthly market, I heart Market, also comes to Decorex 2016. Giving visitors a wide choice of limited-edition pieces, from local fashion to childrens toys, homeware, art, ceramics, recycled and repurposed products, jewellery, second-hand collectables and vintage clothing, this all-encompassing pop-up market will take place alongside the exhibition from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 19 March only.

Continuing the market theme, the Camp I heart Market will see a selection of trendy food vendors gathered in a funky camp-style setting, turning Decorexs popular restaurant area into a foodie mecca where gourmet glamping is encouraged. Fudart strEATERYs distinctive big orange truck also pulls into Decorex Durban this year, offering funky food-truck style dining for the duration of the show. Gloria Jeans Coffees Cafe is a convenient (and stylish) refuelling station for those seeking a grab n go coffee or quick snack, while the sophisticated Bubbly Bar is just the place for those who prefer to linger awhile over a platter of sushi or a plate of charcuterie, washed down with a flute of the Winelands finest.

A combination of beautiful inspiration and clever ideas, as well as fun interactive installations and delicious eats make Decorex Durban the ideal place to visit with a group of friends  or even the whole family.

Decorex Durban details:

Decorex Durban: 18  21 March 2016

Time: 18  20 March, 10am to 8pm; 21 March, 10am to 6pm

Trade days: 18 March

Ticket prices: R75 for adults; R65 for trade, pensioners and scholars; R20 for children under 12

Venue: Durban Exhibition Centre

For more information, e-mail az.oc.deeRebehT@asxeroced

Visit: www.decorex.co.za

Facebook: Decorex SA

Decorex Durban forms part of the Decorex SA portfolio and is owned by the Thebe Reed Exhibitions.




Czech islamophobes express support for Donald Trump

11. 3. 2016

cas cteni < 1 minuta









Martin Konvicka, the entomologist from the University of South Bohemia in the Czech Republic and the leader of the Czech "Anti-Islamic Bloc" has released a video where he and two other activists from his grouping express support for the US Republican Candidate Donald Trump:

"We just heard that Donald Trump was named Islamophobe of the Year by the enemy camp. It is a big honour, Donald. The party Dawn against Block Against Islam and most of the people of the Czech Republic (sic!) wish that you will become the President. GO, DONALD, GO!"

Source in Czech HERE

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Michigan Governor Rick Snyder (R) sparked a lot of deserved outrage after he requested state resources to pay for his personal legal defense, but according to a local watchdog group the governor's actions may not be legal.

Progress Michigan filed a legal complaint this morning challenging Governor Snyder's plan to use taxpayer money to cover his legal expenses.

On a call with press on Friday, Lonnie Scott, Progress Michigan Executive Director, said that the group believes state law requires him to set up a legal defense fund to raise private money to cover the costs of dealing with any criminal charges, of which there are at least two lodged against him, and disclose those sources. This is clearly for Snyders personal legal defense, Scott said. Governor Snyder has a net worth of roughly $200 million. He can certainly afford and should be required to pay for his own legal bills.

I remain skeptical that Governor Snyder himself will face any consequences, but he is preparing for that possibility.

The state has currently set aside $1.2 million for legal fees.

LANSING, MI -- Gov. Rick Snyder has retained $1.2 million worth of legal services in relation to the Flint water crisis and is paying one attorney $540 per hour, records show. [...] Details released by Snyder's office Thursday provide the hourly rates for attorneys. The highest-paid attorney will make $540 per hour.

For perspective, Paul Clement was paid a similar amount by the Republican-controlled United States House of Representatives to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in front of the Supreme Court.

While the state is currently paying an attorney $540 per hour, several others are also being paid $400 per hour.
(Cartoonist - Matt Wuerker)

In other news, a gunman opened fire on the office of Texas state Senator John Whitmire (D) last night. No one was in the office at the time.

Meanwhile, half the public schools in Newark, New Jersey have turned off their water because of elevated levels of lead. This is America.

And finally, the man charged with punching a black protester at a Donald Trump rally says the protester could have been ISIS and deserved to die.

"Well, number one, we dont know if hes ISIS," he said. "We dont know who he is, but we know hes not acting like an American and cussing me  and sticking his face in my head. If he wants it laid out, I laid it out." "Yes, he deserved it. The next time we see him, we might have to kill him. We dont know who he is. He might be with a terrorist organization," McGraw added.
The West Virginia House of Delegates has nearly unanimously voted (91 - 8) to pass a bill to require drug testing for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits.

Supporters of the bill say they voted to pass it because their constituents have lost confidence in the government, but the joke is on them.

I expect people who live off my tax money to be drug tested, said Delegate Scott Cadle, R-Mason. I dont want them laying around on welfare and drugs. [...] People out there believe this program is being abused and were doing nothing about it, said Delegate John Shott, R-Mercer. We need to restore confidence in our government institutions.

Republicans have been saying government is the problem for nearly 40 years, but I digress.

As you're probably aware, this has been a failure in every other state that has implemented similar programs. Unless West Virginia proves to be the exception, as a rule, these programs reveal a lower rate of drug use among welfare recipients than the general population.

Even if this program reveals an above average rate of abuse among applicants and recipients (it won't), that will not restore confidence in government among people who've never had confidence in government and never will. Creating a new government program that ultimately proves to be a waste of time and money certainly won't boost anyone's confidence.

If you really want to boost confidence in government, a program for drug testing lawmakers might help.

Some House Democrats who opposed the bill said the state shouldnt be picking on the poor. Here we are puffing out our chests, climbing up on our pedestal, saying we know you guys are the problem, and were going to drug test you because we can, said Delegate Don Perdue, D-Wayne.
J. Hobson Presley, Jr. , founder of Presley Burton & Collier, LLC in Birmingham

WASHINGTON  Bond lawyers on Thursday criticized the political subdivision rules recently proposed by the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service, claiming they would trample states rights, alter the landscape for public financing, and jeopardize the tax-exempt status of millions of dollars of municipal bonds.

The lawyers pummeled Treasury and IRS officials with questions and concerns about the rules at the National Association of Bond Lawyers 14th Tax and Securities Law Institute here.

The federal officials thought they might have minimized controversy by releasing a prospective effective date for the rules the night before the meeting. The initial rules faced a firestorm of criticism for proposing a technically complicated effective date that would have been prospective under certain tax-exempt bond provisions of the tax code, but not others.

But NABL members were still upset by the substance of the proposed rules.

Richard Chirls, a lawyer with Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe who sat in the audience during a panel discussion, accused Treasury and the IRS of stepping on the toes of state and local governments and said, I think its quite offensive.

Chirls noted that states, for many years, have set up political subdivisions within their jurisdictions under state laws that specify that an entity is a political subdivision if it has been delegated a substantial amount of at least one of three sovereign powers: eminent domain, taxation and policing.

These proposed rules, however, would add two new requirements -- that political subdivisions serve a governmental purpose and be governmentally controlled.

Under the proposed rules, the determination of whether an entity serves a governmental purpose would be based, in part, on whether the entity carries out the public purposes set forth in its enabling legislation and whether it operates in a manner that provides a significant public benefit "with no more than an incidental private benefit."

To be governmentally controlled, a political subdivision would have to be controlled by a state or local governmental unit or an electorate. The proposed rules set forth what Chirls later called arbitrary new standards for voting to ensure the political subdivision is not controlled by private parties.

Mike Larsen, a lawyer from Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein, said he did not see any demonstrated need for new rules and asked a Treasury official on the panel why they were proposed.

John Cross, Treasurys associate tax legislative counsel, told NABL members that IRS audits had exposed a vulnerability of political subdivisions to be controlled by private entities and that this had raised concerns at the highest levels of government.

We tried to be targeted with the way we addressed that with the proposed rules Cross said, adding, We dont think theres a big problem here.

But Chirls insisted that the proposed rules attempt to expand on what states are allowed and not allowed to do is offensive.

Cross reminded the lawyers that that the tax exemption of munis is a federal subsidy and said the federal government plays a role in determining how that subsidy is used.

Many of the lawyers in the room were concerned that the rules would jeopardize political subdivisions that were initially temporarily controlled by developers who sold bonds to build infrastructure for retirement communities or water or irrigation districts before residents moved in or farmers could get water and play a part in governing the districts.

Cross said federal officials are aware that many political subdivisions are initially controlled by developers and that theres plenty of opportunity to provide public comments to the Treasury and IRS on how they should deal with this issue.

Richard Moore, a lawyer with Orrick who was on the panel, worried that the proposed requirement for a political subdivision to operate in a manner that provides a significant public benefit "with no more than an incidental private benefit" would set up another private use test and would allow IRS auditors to audit anything they dont like about a political subdivision.

Many of the lawyers also complained the proposed requirement was too broad.

Spence Hanemann, an attorney in the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, said bond lawyers must tell the IRS how it can limit the no more than an incidental private benefit requirement to make it more reasonable.

The best way to make the requirement more reasonable would be to get rid of it, said Mitch Rapaport, a lawyer at Nixon Peabody.

Hobby Presley, a lawyer with Balch & Bingham, said the rule will have unintended consequences for many public universities that are set up under state constitutions and have procedures for electing trustees. Those procedures might not comply with the proposed rules voting standards to demonstrate governmental control, he said.

Another lawyer in the audience said Pennsylvania has created a number of political subdivisions that have board members who are not elected on an ongoing basis and worried about how they would fare under the proposed rules.

Perry Israel, a lawyer in Sacramento who represents the Village Center Community Development District in Florida that is the subject of an IRS audit that led to the proposed rules, said he is grateful that rules were proposed that are subject to public comment and will be prospectively effective.

NABL members joked that Israel should win an award for sucking up to the Treasury and IRS and that his audit should be closed.

Treasury and IRS lawyers decided to write rules on political subdivisions after the IRS Chief Counsels Office issued a very controversial technical advice memorandum in 2013 concluding that the Village Center CDD was not a political subdivision, and therefore could not have issued millions of dollars of tax-exempt bonds as it did from 1993 to 2004, because its board was and will always be controlled by the developer rather than publicly elected officials.

The audit had been ongoing for years and has still not been resolved, although the bonds have been redeemed.

Lawyers argued that the TAMs assertion that control by elected officials is necessary for an entity to be a political subdivision was a new requirement and that such changes should be made through regulatory proposals that can be commented upon rather than through a TAM in an enforcement proceeding.

Meanwhile, the English comedian and television host of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver, recently aired a segment on special districts that compared them to cults and said they can take your money without your even being aware you are in them. He said they are being replicated all over the country with little or no standards or regulatory oversight.
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Japanese and Finnish representatives have decided to more actively explore the Arctic together and contribute to developing the Northern Sea Route. This agreement was reached on March 10 at a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Finnish President Sauli Vainamo Niinisto, now paying an official visit to Tokyo, TASS reports.

According to their joint statement, the leaders of both countries will promote dialogue and cooperation in the area of joint Arctic exploration, including the development of the Northern Sea Route and the Barents Sea region. Japan and Finland, which are located at opposite ends of the Northern Sea Route, share common interests in the Arctic. Expanding cooperation should involve business persons and scientists, the document reads in part.

Earlier, Abe repeatedly noted Tokyo's intention to play an active role in drafting international navigation regulations for the Arctic and developing the region's mineral deposits, the news agency notes. The Japanese Prime Minister said that his country should become an important player in the North Pole zone by developing the appropriate scientific technologies that have always been Japan's trademark. By more actively using the Northern Sea Route Japan can shorten the distance between Tokyo and major European ports by 40 percent.

Currently, Japan has observer status in the Arctic Council, an organization uniting regional states.
YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. Armenpress state news agency presents on the air of Lratvakan.am all what you will read, hear and see on todays news.

Today, on March 11, the outgoing session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO PA) Council will take place. After the session the chairman of the CSTO PA Sergey Narishkin and the head of the Armenian delegation to the Assembly Eduard Sharmazanov will issue a joint statement for media representatives.

Representatives of OSCE / ODIHR and Venice Commission will be in Armenia from March 14-17 for the preliminary discussion of the draft Electoral Code. Ahead of the visit the political arena of Armenia discusses pros and cons of the Electoral Code. National Assembly RPA faction member Khosrov Harutyunyan will introduce his remarks on the draft.

Ministry of Justice of Armenia organizes public debates on the draft Electoral Code. Minister-Chief of Government Staff David Harutyunyan, Justice Minister Arpine Hovhannisyan, acting Head at the OSCE Office in Yerevan Barbara Davis and others will participate in the debates.

Consequences of Turkeys regional policies and the deepening tension of Russian-Turkish relations. Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia Ruben Safrastyan will introduce his remarks on the issue.

The regional topic will be continued by the discussion of Professor Nikolay Hovhannisyans book. The book touches upon the Kurdish involvement in the Armenian Genocide and the Kurdish factor in the Armenian concept of solving the issue of Western Armenia.

Newly appointed Minister of Education and Science of Armenia Levon Mkrtchyan will meet with journalists today.

Cultural events. Presentation of Ruben Marukhyans book The selected. Exhibition entitled Iranian art will be opened at the National Gallery of Armenia. Nearly 5 dozens of pieces by Iranian modern painters will be exhibited. Director of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art Majid Mollanoroozi will attend the exhibition.

You can read more about this and other topics at armenpress.am and listen to the news on the radio. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
GYUMRI, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. The trial of Valeriy Permyakov, accused of murdering the Avetisyan family, will continue at the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri on March 11. "Armenpress" reports that the last witness after the previous hearing was notified to be summoned, Romik Khachatryan from the 2012 detachment, who was on vacation during that period. During this period the Court had to clarify the locations of other witnesses: the 102nd military base soldiers who served with Permyakov, including Permyakovs immediate commander Nikishin. According to the law the Court will apply to the Russian side, to find out the whereabouts and addresses of the 7 witnesses in order to summon them to Court.

Some of these 7 persons were demobilized, others have been transferred to other service areas. Representatives of the successors of the Avetisyan family consider the testimonies of these persons highly important, in particular Permyakovs immediate commander Nikishins testimony. Nikishin left for Chita, selected Permyakov as a soldier, transferred him to Armenia. In addition, on the day of the incident, he was the guarding commander.

The six members of the Avetisyans family were shot and killed in Gyumri at around 6 a.m. on January 12, 2015. The only survivor was 6-month old Seryozha Avetisyan, who was transferred to a hospital with injuries caused by a cutting and piercing tool. The childs health condition became worse on January 19. After fighting for his life and undergoing several difficult surgeries for a week, six-month old Seryozha Avetisyan also died on January 19. There was severe renal insufficiency and cardiac insufficiency, and doctors werent able to save his life. Soldier of the 102nd Russian military base stationed in Gyumri, Valery Permyakov was charged with killing the members of the Avetisyan family. Russian border guards found him when he was trying to cross the Armenian-Turkish border and handed him over to the commanders of the 102nd Russian military base. Permyakov confessed his guilt. On August 12, The Russian side sentenced Permyakov to 10 years of imprisonment for desertion and illegal possession of a firearm.

Armenuhi Mkhoyan
YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. The construction works of an engineering campus in Yerevan suburb Jrvezh will soon kick off. This is one of the major IT projects that is planned to be implemented in the current year. Deputy Minister of Economy of Armenia Emil Tarasyan told Armenpress that soil testing activities already come to the end. Since the allocated area belongs to a state enterprise the State Property Management Department has been assigned to regulate the issues related to the allocated area as soon as possible, after which we have enough finance to start the construction, the Deputy Minister said, reminding that the American company National Instruments is the initiator of the idea of the campus, which will be realized with the assistance of the Government.

40 engineering start-ups are expected to be involved in Jrvej engineering campus. The Government will cover the costs of infrastructural systems, and the cottage offices will be constructed by the funds of the company. This is a productive public-private project with a precise business program, Emil Tarasayan said, adding that the project is expected to be finished by mid 2017.

In the words of the Deputy Minister, there are already over 20 companies that have expressed readiness to start working in the campus. We will not have shortage of start-ups for sure, there are many companies wishing to join, he said.

He stated that preference will be given to local start-ups, at the same time adding that it is not necessary that the start-ups belong to National Instruments.

Emil Tarasyan mentioned that the experience of technological centers showed that establishment of a campus is the best motivator for setting mutually beneficial cooperation between different companies. The environment shapes new business relations, and an optimal distribution of resources takes place. When there is a company next to you that is capable of producing some part of your production chain, you do not have to make extra investments and an optimal distribution of resources takes place which leads to drop in cost price, the Deputy Minister of Economy stated.

Ani Nazaryan


PSLV-C32 carrying the IRNSS-1F navigation satellite lifts off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on March 10, 2016. An ISRO photo

SRIHARIKOTA (PTI): India on Thursday successfully put its sixth navigation satellite into the intended orbit in a launch that is just one step away from having its own regional navigation satellite system that will be on par with the US-based Global Positioning System (GPS).



The applications of the system that is expected to be "accurate and efficient" include terrestrial and marine navigation, disaster management, vehicle tracking and fleet management, navigation aide for hikers and travellers, visual and voice navigation for drivers.



In a textbook launch, Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV C32) blasted off into cirrus (high altitude) clouds from the second launch pad at 1601 hours (IST) at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, about 100-km from Chennai.



ISRO delayed the launch by one minute to avoid a possible collision with space debris.



The PSLV, in its 33rd consecutive successful flight, placed IRNSS 1F, the latest navigation satellite, into precise orbit 20.2 minutes after the lift-off as the ISRO scientists at the Mission Control Centre broke into applause.



"PSLV C-32 has put the satellite into right orbit. We have only one more in the constellation to complete the regional navigational system, which we hope to do next month," ISRO Chairman A S Kiran Kumar said.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded ISRO scientists for the successful launch, saying it was an "accomplishment we all take immense pride in."



"Successful launch of IRNSS-1F is an accomplishment we all take immense pride in. I salute the hard work of our scientists & @isro," he tweeted.



Mission Director B Jayakumar said "The sixth satellite of our own navigational system has been placed very safely and very precisely. The vehicle (PSLV C-32) has done the job wonderfully and the inclination achieved is very close to the target."



IRNSS 1F, with a 12-year mission life, is the sixth and penultimate in the constellation of seven satellites planned under the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS), which would be on par with the GPS.



Earlier, at the end of the 54-hour countdown, the rocket lifted off as planned and all its four stages performed as programmed till the separation of IRNSS-1F.



After the satellite was placed into orbit, the two solar panels of IRNSS-1F were automatically deployed in quick succession.



ISRO scientists said the Master Control Facility in Hassan (Karnataka) will take control of the satellite to perform further orbit raising operations and IRNSS-1F was likely to become operational in a month.



Incidentally, Kiran Kumar said IRNSS-1E, the fifth in the series launched on January 20 last, has become operational now.



The first in the series, IRNSS-1A, was launched in July 2013 followed by IRNSS-1B (April 4, 2014), IRNSS-1C (October 16) IRNSS-1D (March 28, 2015) and IRNSS-1E.



For the IRNSS-1F launch, the "XL" variant of PSLV was used as in the previous launches of IRNSS satellites.



Along with the navigation payload and ranging payload, IRNSS-1F also carries a "highly accurate Rubidium atomic clock" with it. The payload will transmit navigation service signals to users.



Speaking after the launch, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Director B Sivan said the GSLV Mark III D1 would be launched by the end of this year.



"We have exciting days ahead. We are going to start next mission with the last of our IRNSS series and going to end this year with a spectacular mission of meeting the heaviest satellite of the Indian soil, by GSLV Mark III D1," he said.



In between, there would be a host of PSLV missions as well as GSLV and reusable launch vehicle-technology demonstrators, he added.



Satish Dhawan Space Centre Director Kunhi Krishnan said PSLV once again demonstrated its capability as one of the most reliable and sought after vehicles in the world.






NEW DELHI (PTI): India will launch 25 foreign satellites belonging to seven countries, with the USA topping the list in 2016-17, Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.



In written response to a question, Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office (PMO) which looks after the Department of Space, said till date 57 foreign satellites from 21 countries have been launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).



He said Antrix - the commercial arm of ISRO - has signed agreements with Algeria and Canada for launching three satellites each, four for Germany, one each for Japan and Malaysia and 12 for the USA in 2016-17.



In the last three years, from January 2013 till December 2015, ISRO launched 28 foreign satellites belonging to 13 countries, with Singapore, the United Kingdom and the USA topping the list.



ISRO earned 80 million euros for the launch.


Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/03/2016 (2416 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VANCOUVER  A filmmaker fighting a lawsuit by the Vancouver Aquarium over alleged copyright infringement in a documentary criticizing the treatment of dolphins and beluga whales says the facility breached a contract with him.

Gary Charbonneau says in his response to a civil claim filed in the B.C. Supreme Court that the facility agreed in April 2015 to let him film the animals for his documentary Vancouver Aquarium Uncovered, but imposed restrictions two weeks later.

The facility also reneged on its promise to provide him with a quiet setting to conduct interviews with staff, instead permitting him into only the aquariums main public entrance, he says in the court document.

The aquarium filed a notice of civil claim in the court last month, alleging Charbonneau and his company used its material without permission and violated a contract allowing him to film at the facility.

In an interview Friday, Charbonneau denied the aquariums claim that he used images and video from its website and blog. He said he used images and video from online sources and from filming he did at the facility, adding he credited the aquarium and all his sources in the documentary according to the Copyright Act.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Charbonneau said the aquarium has never identified any factual inaccuracies in the documentary he made for educational purposes and did not file a lawsuit after one of its employees watched it at a screening last July.

He says the suit was filed only after Vimeo informed the aquarium it would remove the documentary from its website if a copyright suit were filed, though YouTube has refused to take down the film.

He accuses the aquarium of using public money and donations to launch a frivolous lawsuit.

The aquarium says in a statement issued Friday that its educational materials were intended to promote the conservation of aquatic life.

We feel it is important to protect our materials from inappropriate use, the statement says. As an organization, we encourage open discussions about topics related to marine science. Those discussions should be grounded in truth and facts.

However, Charbonneau said he has repeatedly invited aquarium staff to publicly discuss its conservation practices but the facility has not responded.

Weve been trying to have a dialogue with them for quite a long time. Theyve been invited to streaming panels, theyve been invited on the radio with me. Ive invited them to a public panel discussion and theyre not replying to me at all, he said in a telephone interview.

I went even went further and said they can select the amount of speakers and the date and they still didnt reply. I couldnt have made it any easier for them to defend themselves.
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PARIS - Canadian designer Vejas Kruszewski is now one of eight finalists in contention for the lucrative LVMH Prize for young fashion designers.

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Local journalism needs your support!

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Starting at $4.99/month you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.

or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.

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REGINA - Health and highways are in the spotlight for the two major party leaders on the Saskatchewan election trail.

We need your support!

Local journalism needs your support!

As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.

Now, more than ever, we need your support.

Starting at $4.99/month you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.

or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.

Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/03/2016 (2416 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Memories of escaping their home country of Syria three years ago brings tears to Alia and Damran Alhmouds eyes as they recall the harrowing experience.

Nobody could leave, no food comes in. Nothing goes in, nothing goes out, Damran said through Arabic interpreter Abdul Banuga. They had to take  old roads and far away to escape from the area For four hours, they were pulled in for questioning and stuff because they were trying to escape.

Alia, 36, along with her husband Damran, 38, and their three children arrived in Brandon on Monday  the citys first government-sponsored Syrian refugee family.

Colin Corneau/The Brandon Sun Father Damran Alhmoud, mother Alia along with children (from left) Rama, Aya and Mohammed stand by signs welcoming them to their new home in the city on Thursday. The Syrian family arrived in Brandon on Monday after escaping Syria and living in Lebanon for three years.

The family had been living in Lebanon for three years, where they were able to build their own camp and live away from the crowd.

Somebody offered them a piece of land, so they made their own from wood and roof from tin, Banuga said. They were only walking distance from the sea because they were telling me it was cold at night.

Alia and Damran, along with their children Mohammed, 7, Rama, 6, and Aya, 4, arrived in Montreal on Feb. 16, then to Winnipeg on Feb. 19.

When asked how they felt when they arrived in Canada, Banuga said they were nervous and scared.

When you have bombs coming down, you are always scared and nervous, Banuga said. Its completely different weather, different people, everything is more organized. No bombing.

The familys relocation to Brandon is the result of collaborative, community-building efforts, spearheaded by a group known as Refuge Brandon. Also involved in the effort is Southwestern Manitoba Hutterite Colony and the Muslim Community of Brandon.

We are multi-denominational and non-denominational group as well, just concerned citizens in Brandon that wanted to respond to the refugee crisis, said Lynn Nicol of Refuge Brandon.

Nicol described the sheer joy that was felt when the family arrived in the Wheat City and moved into their new home.

Colin Corneau/Brandon Sun Siblings Mohammed and Aya Alhmoud play in the foreground as sister Rama sits with their father Damran and mother Alia on Thursday afternoon.

There was a flurry of emails and phone calls and texts back and forth with Welcome Place in Winnipeg in order to make this happen, she said.

So it was just beaming energy  thank God theyre here and theyre here safely.

Damrans brother Reyad Alhmoud and his family arrived in Manitoba about a month ago. They are living in Wawanesa.

Canada has now welcomed more than 25,000 Syrian refugees across the country.

During the interview with The Brandon Sun, the children laughed and played in their new living room, and the parents expressed gratitude to Canada for their new life and promising future.

(Damran is) very, very thankful to the Canadian government and the people of Canada, and especially the people of Brandon and all the people who helped in bringing him here from Winnipeg to Brandon, Banuga said. Theyre hoping for a better life here for their kids.

The family is making arrangements for the children to begin school.

Colin Corneau/The Brandon Sun Alia Alhmound cradles her daughter Aya during an interview in Brandon on Thursday afternoon. The Syrian family arrived in Brandon on Monday.

Refuge Brandon and Westman Immigrant Services are helping them navigate their new city and new country.

For information about Refuge Brandon, email Gerald Whetter at allwhet1@mymts.net.

 jaustin@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @jillianaustin
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/03/2016 (2416 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A trial in Edmonton started this week for Travis Vader, who is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of two seniors who vanished almost six years ago. The bodies of Lyle and Marie McCann have never been found. Experts say murder cases that get to trial when no bodies have been found are rare. Here are some past cases in Canada:

June 1991: A jury finds Jacob Wanner, 59, not guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his estranged wife. Wihelmina Wanner was last seen in 1989 on New Years Day in Red Deer, Alta. Blood and hair were found in her apartment bathroom, along with a kitchen knife. When he was released, Wanner said he was relieved and wanted to get on with his life.



December 1994: Peter Stark is found guilty of the first-degree murder of 14-year-old Julie Stanton of Pickering, Ont. She was last seen getting into Starks car in 1990. There was no crime scene evidence, but Stark had made comments to a jailhouse informant that he raped a girl and killer her with an axe. Stantons remains were found on a rural property two years later.



October 2000: A jury convicts Dr. Abraham Cooper, 61, of manslaughter in the death of fellow doctor Doug Snider in Fairview, Alta. Snider, 59, disappeared in 1999 after telling his wife he was going to meet Cooper at their clinic. Police found his blood on Coopers running shoes and in the trunk of his car and charged him with first-degree murder. The defence argued Snider had faked his death to frame Cooper, who was suing him for allegedly trying to destroy the practice. Cooper was sentenced to 10 years.



June 2001: Timothy Culham, 29, is convicted of the first-degree murder of Hugh Sinclair, a 72-year-old Toronto antique collector, who disappeared in 1999. Smears of Sinclairs blood were found in his apartment and his DNA was discovered in a car Culham had rented. The Crown argued Culham killed the senior to steal his antiques, pay off debts and fund a gambling addiction. In 2003, some of Sinclairs remains were found near a highway outside the city.



April 2008: A jury acquits Robert Baltovich of second-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend Elizabeth Bain. The 22-year-old vanished on her way to a night class at the University of Torontos campus in Scarborough in 1990. Her abandoned car was later found with blood stains in the back. Baltovich was originally convicted in 1992 and served eight years, but a second trial was ordered on appeal. His lawyers have alleged Bain was actually the victim of notorious sex killer Paul Bernardo.



February 2014: James Parise, 26, pleads guilty to manslaughter in the death of Catherine Todd in Kitchener, Ont. The 48-year-old woman had disappeared a year earlier. Parise, originally charged with second-degree murder, admitted he had paid Todd for sex and beat her in a fit of rage. He then dumped her body in a landfill. Court heard Parise enlisted two friends to help him dispose of the body and other evidence. He was sentenced to nine years.


YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. The adversary attempted a sabotage penetration action at the southeastern direction of the Defense Army on March 10, at 23: 20. NKR Defense Army spotted the adversarys sabotage unit and pushed it back to its initial positions. The adversary sustained at least 2 casualties and more wounded. As "Armenpress" was informed by the press service of the NKR Defense Ministry, the Defense Army had no losses during the preventive actions.

On the line of contact of Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijani armed forces, on March 10 and early morning of March 11, the adversary fired more than 5500 shots from different caliber weapons : 60 (17 shells) and 82 (47 shells) millimeter mortars, RGP -7 (4 missiles) and AOP -17 (4 shells) grenade launchers.

In addition to the above, the Azerbaijani forces used howitzer type weapons. It is especially noteworthy that last night the adversary had not only bombarded Armenian positions at Akna (Aghdam), but also areas significantly deeper from the front line, which is unprecedented since the 1994 ceasefire. The conclusion of such attacks is the following: the adversary adopted a more unrestrained tactics to destabilize the situation on the contact line, which is fraught by unpredictable consequences.

The Defense Army took punitive actions to suppress the adversarys attack. Armenian forces continue to control the situation on the whole contact line.
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WINNIPEG  Canadas top aboriginal chief says there needs to be a national strategy to fight what he calls a devastating suicide epidemic faced by indigenous communities across the country.

National Chief Perry Bellegarde with the Assembly of First Nations says his heart goes out to the Pimicikamak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba, where six people have killed themselves in the last two months.

After a speech in Winnipeg on Friday, Bellegarde said the issue goes beyond the community 500 kilometres north of the city, which is also known as Cross Lake. Indigenous youth are up to seven times more likely to commit suicide than the national average, he said.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde is shown at a news conference in Ottawa Wednesday, September 2, 2015. Bellegarde says the country needs a national strategy to fight the suicide epidemic affecting First Nations. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Chartrand

Its a bigger issue than just Cross Lake, Bellegarde said. Theres got to be a huge intervention there, but also in a lot of communities across Canada. Theres got to be a national strategy on mental health to deal with the youth suicide that is rampant amongst our communities.

That strategy has to include adequate mental-health supports, as well as recreational facilities, proper education and the restoration of cultural pride among young people, he suggested.

Our young people need hope and inspiration, Bellegarde said. They dont see that right now. Weve got to make those key strategic interventions now. Its a life-and-death situation.

In addition to the suicides, another 140 people from Cross Lake have attempted suicide or threatened to kill themselves. Another 100 kids are on a suicide watch.

The grief-stricken community declared a state of emergency earlier this week in the hope of getting extra support for exhausted health professionals.

Bellegarde said it shouldnt have taken a crisis to raise government support.

Governments have known for a number of years about the high suicide rate amongst our people.

The reserve is asking for at least six mental-health workers and round-the-clock counsellors in the short term. The band council is also calling for increased job opportunities, a hospital and youth recreational facilities.

The federal indigenous affairs minister, as well as the health minister, has said Ottawa is doing everything it can to help the community right away, while trying to address the underlying reasons why so many indigenous people commit suicide.

Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger said he met with Cross Lake leaders Friday and health crisis workers have arrived in the community. The federal government has pledged to fund the extra support for eight weeks, he said.

The province is also doing what it can to improve recreational opportunities, especially over the upcoming March break, he said.

Selinger supported Bellegardes call for a national strategy.

Under the previous (federal) government, there had been quite a few reductions in the mental-health workers in First Nations. There is clearly a need for more prevention resources.

Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson, who represents northern Manitoba First Nations including Cross Lake, said the reserve is grateful for the support its received so far but people are still in shock.

It is overwhelming and theyre hoping that it will stop soon, said North Wilson, who compared the crisis to a recent school shooting in La Loche, Sask.

This is the Manitoba La Loche except the shooter is society, how we withhold services that our communities need.
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VICTORIA  Charges have been laid in the case of a former British Columbia government employee who allegedly deleted emails to skirt a freedom of information request.

George Gretes, who worked as a ministerial assistant in the Transportation Ministry, was charged Friday with two counts of wilfully making false statements to mislead or attempt to mislead the provinces privacy commissioner under the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act.

Last October privacy commissioner Elizabeth Denham released a report on how the government holds onto records and information, such as emails

Her investigation was spurred by a whistleblowers allegations that his supervisor deleted emails about the Highway of Tears investigation into missing and murdered Aboriginal women,.

Tim Duncan submitted a complaint to Denhams office alleging records that were needed for the freedom of information request were triple deleted.

Denhams report says Gretes did not completely respond to freedom of information requests and allegedly lied about it under oath.

The allegations have not been proven in court.

Denhams report also noted that several government departments failed to keep adequate email records and wilfully destroyed records in response to freedom of information requests.

The 65-page document recommended technology be installed to prevent employees from permanently deleting emails and legislation be created that would require the documentation of key government decisions.

Premier Christy Clark responded to the report by telling all political staff and ministers not to delete their emails.

Denham sent her report to the RCMP and a special prosecutor was appointed to give police legal advice and decide whether charges should be laid.

Gretes was suspended with pay last May and Transportation Minister Todd Stone said his resignation was accepted when the privacy commissioners report was released in October.

He is scheduled to appear in provincial court in Victoria on April 20. If the case proceeds to trial, it will be heard by a judge alone.

The penalty for the charge is a fine of up to $5,000.
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OTTAWA  A Liberal-dominated parliamentary committee is calling on the federal government to explore the concept of guaranteeing people a minimum income.

The finance committee tabled a pre-budget report Friday that pushes for a study and pilot project on basic income, which is seen as a way to lift people out of poverty.

The idea, which was not in the Liberal election platform, was among 56 recommendations in a document that encouraged the federal government to act on a broad range of subjects  from aboriginal issues to labour mobility to a national transit strategy.

The report was presented before Finance Minister Bill Morneau unveils the Liberals maiden budget on March 22. But it is unclear whether the suggestions will find their way into Morneaus final fiscal plan.

The committee also urged the Liberals to refrain from making any changes to the existing federal taxation regime and other rules for small businesses. Those include professional businesses, the documents noted.

The recommendation appears to be at odds with the prime ministers controversial position on the issue.

During last years election campaign, Justin Trudeau said the small business tax system needed tweaking to ensure it benefits small businesses that actually create jobs and is not used by wealthy individuals to dodge taxes.

Trudeau was criticized by lobby groups and political opponents for suggesting that some of the wealthiest Canadians, such as doctors and lawyers, used small business tax rates to lower their own tax bills.

The report also recommended Ottawa examine the feasibility of a universal, national, prescription drug program and provide targeted support for regional economies hit particularly hard by the weak dollar and low commodity prices.

The House of Commons finance committee heard pre-budget suggestions from 92 witnesses last month and received another 175 written submissions from individuals and groups.

The report highlighted arguments made by two individuals as well as the Canadian Association of Social Workers on the issue of basic income.

The idea of introducing a guaranteed minimum income has been attracting more and more attention.

Two years ago, the federal Liberals passed a non-binding resolution at its policy convention to work with provinces and territories to design and implement basic annual income.

Last month, Independent Liberal Sen. Art Eggleton tabled a motion asking the federal government to sponsor a pilot project to evaluate the cost and impact of introducing a national basic income program.

Eggleton said efforts to address poverty have failed and argues that existing programs have only entrapped people.

In Manitoba, the provincial Liberals have promised to assess the impacts of basic income in two communities if they win next months election.

A project in Dauphin, Man., in the 1970s found an assured income actually lowered the number of hospital visits and improved the overall health of residents.

Guaranteed income is also on the radar of Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, an economist who studied the issue as an academic.

Mr. Duclos follows the evolution of the basic-income issue, but at the moment the ministers priorities are found in his mandate letter, said Ducloss spokesman Mathieu Filion.

On Friday, opposition parties also voiced their pre-budget opinions and recommendations in supplementary letters that accompanied the report.

The Conservatives pointed to the governments recent acknowledgment it would no longer live up to its vow to cap annual deficits at $10 billion  and that shortfalls could reach as high as $30 billion. Ottawa has also cast doubt on its ability to fulfil its pledge to balance the books in four years.

The Liberals have argued the fiscal situation has declined significantly since the October election and that the bigger shortfalls are necessary to invest in economy-boosting measures such as infrastructure.

Should their plans fail to produce substantially higher rates of economic growth, this borrowing will inevitably have to be repaid through higher taxes or cut-backs to government services, the Tory letter warned.

The NDP expressed concerns in its letter that the interests of the most vulnerable  including indigenous peoples and low-income Canadians  would be brushed aside by Liberal policies.

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WINNIPEG  Winnipegs chief of police has announced his plan to retire in the next several months.

Devon Clunis said Thursday he has been thinking about his future for the last year and decided that hes met the goals he had when he took the job.

My policing career has always been about purpose, and over the past year it has become increasingly clear to me that my purpose has been fulfilled with the support of all our members, past and present, he said.

When you look at our city overall, you can see there are great things happening in terms of crime reduction and the community coming together to address those deep social issues which are the root cause of crime.

Clunis, 52, was sworn in as the citys top cop in November 2012 after spending 25 years with the force.

City officials paid tribute to Cluniss accomplishments, saying he shifted the police service toward smarter policing.

With hard work, with vision, with the right support surrounding you, you really can do anything regardless of who you are, where you live or where youve come from, Mayor Brian Bowman said of Clunis, who was born in Jamaica.

Youve demonstrated we are truly better together.

Clunis said he will stay until his replacement has been chosen.

(CJOB)
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OTTAWA  Entering the twilight of his presidency, President Barack Obama has passed the climate change baton to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, aligning the political stars on an issue central to both the U.S. presidents legacy and Canadas foreign policy.

With just 10 months before he vacates the White House, Obama used Trudeaus state visit to Washington on Thursday to cement a joint intent to move forward on a series of initiatives on reducing greenhouse gases and finding new sources of non-carbon based energy.

Im especially pleased to say that the United States and Canada are fully united in combating climate change, Obama said Thursday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (left) and U.S. President Barack Obama hold a joint news conference in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, March 10, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

I believe weve laid the foundation for even greater co-operation for our countries for years to come and Id like to think that it is only the beginning.

Trudeau has placed climate change at the heart of his domestic and foreign policy, incorporating it as a cross-cutting theme in the mandate letters to his cabinet ministers  not just Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, but Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion and their counterparts in natural resources, indigenous affairs and infrastructure.

Obama said he intends to work toward ensuring the Democrats win Novembers presidential election. But even if thats not the case, he said the close friendship and relationship between the two countries will ensure that some policies carry into the future.

For his part, Trudeau affirmed the time-honoured axiom of Canada-U.S. relations: that hell work with whichever party wins the White House because the friendship between our two countries goes far beyond any two individuals or any ideologies.

Starting last week in Vancouver with a first ministers meeting with the premiers, Trudeau has begun to build climate policy momentum in multiple forums that might survive the electoral cycles of any single constituency.

He and Obama announced their intent to reduce methane emissions in the oil and gas sector, cut hydrofluorocarbons, stabilize commercial airline emissions and align emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles. Theyre also co-ordinating strategies in the Arctic.

Their joint communique also encourages sub-national governments to share lessons learned about the design of effective carbon-pricing systems and supportive policies and measures. The countries will expand their collaboration in this area over time.

Mexico will be formally invited aboard at a Three Amigos summit this June in Canada.

Trudeau and Obama emphasized the importance of the U.S. and Canada continuing to co-operate closely with Mexico on climate and energy action and commit to strengthen a comprehensive and enduring North American climate and energy partnership.

A White House Arctic science ministerial meeting next fall, involving multiple Arctic nations, will attempt to keep the momentum rolling.

The Canadian Electricity Association lauded the communique as part of the foundation for an eventual North American agreement on energy and the environment.

Scott Vaughan, president of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, said the common ground staked out by Trudeau and Obama is the the first time in 15, 16 years that youve got two political leaders in Canada and the U.S. that are of the same mind to be able to talk about climate.

Trudeaus clearly a new generation of leader and you can see that effect in Washington now.

Vaughan, Canadas former environment commissioner, said the Canada-U.S. alignment with Mexico could eventually lead to the creation of a continent-wide carbon-trading market. His organization is already is working on a joint project with Mexico and the U.S. Department of Energy on a carbon-trading initiative.

But theres still a lot of work to be done, because there are 70 different political jurisdictions in the three countries that would have to be regulated, he said.

Does a tonne (of carbon) in Illinois look the same way as a tonne in Chiapas and in Prince Edward Island? The basic foundational stuff is important.

Vaughan said it is also significant that Obama and Trudeau acknowledge the importance of adaptation.

Canada announced $150 million towards the U.S.-led Power Africa initiative, which aims to increase access to electricity on a continent where almost three-quarters of its inhabitants lack access to plug-in power.

Stuart Hickox, the Canada director of One, a Washington-based international advocacy group, applauded Trudeau for finding a clever way to expand Canadas assistance to Africa.

We wouldnt say that the need to adapt to climate change is what motivated this program, no, but it is certainly true that access to reliable, sustainable energy will help the poorest communities in Africa survive the effects of climate change, said Hickox.

 With files from Bruce Cheadle.

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VANCOUVER - A woman was killed inside her bedroom Thursday when high winds knocked a large tree onto a home during a storm that blasted across most of B.C.'s south coast.

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WASHINGTON - The latest on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's visit to Washington (all times ET):

We need your support!

Local journalism needs your support!

As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.

Now, more than ever, we need your support.

Starting at $4.99/month you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.

or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.

Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
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VANCOUVER  A major British Columbia health authority has updated its guidelines for medical staff on how to respond to requests for assisted death, allowing doctors and nurses to refer patients to a colleague.

Vancouver Coastal Health first distributed a bulletin on Feb. 5 that advised staff not to provide advice on assistance in dying, but to inform patients that they may wish to speak with legal counsel as a court-ordered exemption may be granted.

Dr. Ellen Wiebe, the Vancouver doctor who recently helped a Calgary woman with ALS die, said the original notice was unacceptable as it appeared to warn staff not to engage in conversations about assisted death.

Dr. Ellen Wiebe is pictured in her Vancouver office Wednesday, March. 9, 2016. A major British Columbia health authority has updated its guidelines for medical staff on how to respond to requests for assisted death, allowing doctors and nurses to refer patients to a colleague.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

The recommendations that went out to clinical units were outrageous, she said. It was basically, Dont talk. Thats completely unacceptable. That hurts patients.

After the health authority issued an updated bulletin on Thursday that advised staff to offer to connect patients with a colleague for more information, Wiebe said she was satisfied.

The bulletin outlines several statements that have been prepared by Vancouver Coastal Healths legal, client relations and risk management teams, to be used as elements of a sensitive response to questions about assisted dying that avoids concerns about breaking the law.

Please lets discuss concerns with your care plan and explore alternatives and additional supports, staff are advised to say. I am not able to counsel you regarding your request about physician-assisted dying; however, I can connect you with a colleague who will meet with you to discuss your situation and your options.

It also says that Vancouver Coastal Health is developing a system to address clients requests once the Liberal government introduces assisted-dying legislation in June. Until then, patients can only legally access assisted death if they obtain an exemption from a judge.

Spokesman Gavin Wilson said the authority began updating the guidelines after the B.C. Supreme Court indicated in late February that patients needed an affidavit from a physician in order to seek a court exemption for assisted death.

Vancouver Coastal Health operates hospitals and health centres in Vancouver, Richmond, North Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast and Sea-to-Sky corridor. The notice was sent to all medical staff, operations and medical leaders, and program managers to share with their staff.

The policy stands in contrast with that of Providence Health Care, a Catholic-based provider in Vancouver that has warned staff physician-assisted death is not permitted at its facilities.

Dr. Peter Edmunds, Vancouver Coastal Health regional medical director for home, community and palliative care, said a working group of about 13 people from across different disciplines was formed last year to explore how the health authority would provide access to assisted dying.

He said the guidelines issued in February were written at a time when expectations were less clear for nurses and doctors to respond to assisted-dying pleas. Vancouver Coastal Health would never attempt to obstruct access to the service, he said.

We absolutely respect this service and understand that it needs to be provided. We just want to do it in a way thats the most beneficial to patients and staff.

Edmunds said Wiebe is the doctor to whom staff will likely refer patients, as he doesnt know of any other local doctors who have come forward publicly to offer to provide assisted death.

Colleges that regulate nurses and pharmacists have also been grappling with legal concerns around their members participating in assisted death.

The College of Registered Nurses of B.C. says on its website that nurses should seek an independent legal opinion if approached to participate in assisted death. When the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the assisted dying ban last year, it did not say the exemption applies to nurses, the colleges website says.

Last week, the College of Pharmacists of B.C. altered its stance after the court exemption allowing the Alberta woman to die expressly included the pharmacist. The college now advises on its website that pharmacists must be authorized by a court in order to dispense drugs as part of the assisted-dying process.

 Follow @ellekane on Twitter.
Opinion

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This article was published 11/03/2016 (2416 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I have a friend. Lets call him Rob.

Rob likes rum.

Rob really, really likes rum.

Ive brought Rob rum from several different countries where Ive travelled and we always have fun trying to compare my treasures from away with some that hes found here at home.

We usually enjoy all the rums we sample, although we certainly have our favourites. But somehow, he manages to outdo me every time. Its not like hes trying to. But his selections (and several other people, who know about Robs passion for rum, have gifted him with some unbelievable rums, many of which Ive been lucky enough to sample) are just, well, better. Sometimes. Really, most of the time.

We had another such tasting comparison after what was a particularly gruelling day at work for me. So I was ready for a bit of rum and a bit of fun. And we had both!

But let me back up a bit here. I shared an interesting rum experience with my husband prior to the most recent tasting with Rob. And they both tie together, so please bear with me.

After many years  six, in fact  of travelling to Negril, Jamaica, for holidays, Ive come up with my own version of Jamaicans signature dish, jerk chicken. (Well, I guess ackee and saltfish is JAs other signature dish, but lets not go there. Ackee is an acquired taste, and I havent acquired it yet.)

Anyway, one of the key ingredients in my jerk recipe is rum. I sprinkle the chicken pieces on both sides with my self-created spice mixture, then add a liberal dose of rum to the bottom of the foil pan before I put it all on the barbecue. But I hate to use really good rum because Im burning most of it off, and the rum flavour will infuse the chicken regardless of how high or low quality it is. Just as a note, I always use amber rum because its so much more flavourful than white rum. And dark also works, as I recently discovered.

Because when I went in search of my cooking rum, I couldnt find it. I looked everywhere, then finally realized I must have used it all up the last time I made the dish, which was at least six months prior.

I was annoyed. I mean, its not like I use a cup of rum or anything  usually just a few ounces  but a few ounces of expensive rum in a recipe designed to burn it off just seems like a waste to me. But dinner was going to be a waste if I didnt suck it up and put some rum in the pan to move things along. So I glanced at my larder. There was a part bottle of the Mount Gay XO (its dark and aged eight to 15 years), which tastes of banana and vanilla and toasted oak, and is rich and sharp. Wed purchased this bottle at the distillery in Barbados about 18 months ago, and wed loved it and thought it was very smooth back then.

But I didnt want to use that in the jerk! So I looked further. Aha! There was a unopened bottle of five-year-old rum, Angostura, from Trinidad and Tobago, which Id been gifted by a wine and spirits rep. So I thought, Well, lets see what this stuff is like.

So I opened the bottle and took a sniff. Wow! I was surprised. This is delicate and elegant, I thought.

I took the Angostura upstairs (it sells for $39.50, by the way), poured a tiny shot and took a sip. My eyes widened in surprise. It was good. Really good. Far too good to cook with.

So back downstairs I headed to fetch the bottle of Mount Gay XO (a slightly lesser and more amber version, the Extra Old, sells at the Liquor Mart for $49.99). I gave it a sniff and still liked what I smelled, but I was now a bit leery.

Upstairs again, I poured another small amount, this time of the XO, and took a sip. It was good. But there was no question. With its spicy vanilla, banana and toasted oak flavours and mellow finish, I liked the Angostura better!

I had my husband try the two rums without telling him what he was tasting. There was no doubt in his mind either. He preferred the Angostura, too. But when I showed him what hed sampled, he was shocked. Wed been so enamoured with the XO, both in Barbados and once wed gotten it home, he couldnt believe wed found something to supersede it. But theres no second-guessing the results of a blind test. And though it pained me to do so, I used the XO in the jerk chicken. The upside: It was really terrific in the recipe!

But wait! Theres more to this story. Ever since I tried the Angostura, Id been dying to see what Rob thought of it. I was sure hed like it. And when I mentioned it, he said he had one he wanted me to try, too.

So we had another friend set up a blind taste test for us. Almost immediately, the colour gave it away, at least to me. The Angostura was amber, I knew, and the other one  I didnt even know what it was yet  was much darker.

We each tried sips, and very much liked them both  theyre really terrific rums. But we each liked our own better! The delicacy of the Angostura won me over, while the tropical fruit, spicy dark sugar, ultra-smoothness and the long dry finish of Robs  plus the fact that its a Demerara rum (which he loves)  was the tipping point (tippling point?) for him.

Since Robs rum, El Dorado (which is from Guyana, through which the Demerara River runs), sells for $35.99, the $3.51 price difference between it and the Angostura isnt much of a factor. So if youre looking for something to ease the pain of the clocks springing forward on Sunday, either of these two beauties will certainly fit the bill.

Diane Nelson is a longtime journalist and former Sun staffer who really likes wine. A lot.

 vinelines.ca

 Twitter: @vinelinesbdn
Opinion

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This article was published 11/03/2016 (2416 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The troubling state of politics in Western Canada has many of its citizens worried about their futures.

At home in Manitoba, the NDP have conducted a campaign of economically illiterate policies that has both devastated businesses and taxpayers alike.

Further west, Alberta is burning. In less than a year, the NDP government there has imposed higher taxes, exploded the unemployment rate, ham-fisted coercive bills targeting farmers and silenced journalists who dared to oppose their authoritarianism.

As Frederic Bastiat, a 19th-century political economist, most eloquently noted: It is impossible to introduce into society a greater change and a greater evil than this: the conversion of the law into an instrument of plunder.

The parasitic nature of the NDP has led us down a path of suicide. They have deprived families of feeding their children, employing their neighbours and pursuing their dreams by robbing them into poverty or forcing them to seek refuge elsewhere in Canada.

And for what benefit? The second-lowest performing in education, massive deficits millions of dollars higher than expected, declining infrastructure and greater numbers of people forced into needing their monopolized and inferior social services.

Its as if the NDP governments playbook is being ripped right out of Saul Alinskys Rules for Radicals.

Now, I should state my criticisms are not endorsements of the liberals or conservatives. Much of the oppositions failure to derail this has been playing softball with the NDP, and notably, their losing at it.

This charade of civil politics is coming to a header, and we need candidates that will say what needs to be said.

Take Republican candidate Donald Trump, for example, a divisive figure no doubt  but look at his massive following. Clearly he is lending voice to disenfranchised and disheartened individuals.

People are tired of the status quo, the illusion of change pervaded by our current system.

Ladies and gentlemen, our legislature is a rotten temple in desperate need of an alternative. Will you stand idly by while it collapses, or shall we right this ship?

Scott Haigh

Brandon
YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. President of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman will pay a visit to Armenia this year, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Czech Republic to Armenia Petr Mikiska told Armenpress. The Ambassador gave an interview to Armenpress focusing on Armenian-Czech relations.

-Mr. Ambassador, how would you assess the current cooperation level between Armenia and the Czech Republic?

-We are in the best phase of developing relations. The relations between our two states have never been on such a high level. From the political standpoint I have to mention that this year the President of our country will pay a visit to Armenia once more. We hosted the Armenian President in January 2014. We regularly conduct high level mutual visits, which foster development of relations in new spheres. Recently, the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic was in Yerevan and he held very effective negotiations with his counterpart, reaching an agreement over a range of issues, including over holding the session of the intergovernmental commission, which will take place in April, Prague. These visits foster development of both states almost in all spheres. From political perspective, we have rather far-going goals, let alone parliamentary diplomacy. Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, Jan Hamacek visited Yerevan in December. The speaker of the Armenian parliament has visited Prague. In a word, bilateral political dialogue is on a very high level.

As for economy, it gives reasons for optimism. We are not on a low level, but we know that there is much more potential. And first of all Armenia has potential. Armenian exports to the Czech Republic are very low: We would like it to rise. We realize that if Armenia does not manage to successfully export its products, it will not develop economically. We try to promote Armenian exports, and hope that the session of the intergovernmental commission will serve that goal.

-What would you tell about cooperation in education? Are there many Armenian students in the Czech Republic and vice the versa?

-To be honest, I am not aware of the number of Czech students in Armenia because the Ministry of Education and Science of Armenia is responsible for that and we have not been informed about the numbers. I only know that there are students. As refers to Armenian students in the Czech Republic, Armenian students study there bases on three programs. By the first program, they receive a scholarship from the Government of the Czech Republic. 5-6 students receive a full scholarship annually. There are also university scholarships when they receive the scholarship from the universities they study. And there are students who study at their expense. If we talk by numbers, there are 80-10 students.

-Can we expect Armenian-Czech culture days to be conducted in one of the countries?

-Lets hope. We would like to bring a jazz band and organize an exhibition in Yerevan. I think we are on the right path. I know that my colleague in Prague, Armenias Ambassador, is a very vigorous person. We encounter Armenian culture there every day. Recently, a key concert of Komitas music was held performed by the Orchestra of Charles University in Prague. Interestingly, the conductor and the director of the University Orchestra is renowned Armenian musician Hayk Utichyan. I know that numerous exhibitions are held in Prague and, by the way, many Armenian painters live there. Culture Minister of Armenia opened an exhibition of Armenian painters during her visit to Prague in 2014. The paintings were astonishing.

Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Czechoslovakia were established in 1992. After Czechoslovakia was disintegrated in 1993. Armenia established diplomatic relations with the Czech Republic.

Roza Grigoryan
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/03/2016 (2416 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Every once in a while, we receive letters or comments on social media or to Sound Off that reflect the darker nature of some members of our wider Westman community, regarding Manitobas First Nations population.

They usually go something like this: Why are there so many stories in the media about aboriginal people? Why dont they work harder to get themselves off the reserve (and out of our pockets)?

This was especially the case when the Sun and the Winnipeg Free Press covered the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that was investigating the stories of residential school survivors.

We dont publish these kinds of racist and bigoted epithets, but they do try the patience of the editor in charge. There are very good reasons to provide coverage about neighbouring First Nations communities in Westman, and our aboriginal and Metis neighbours living in the city of Brandon. While its certainly not true in all cases, speaking generally, aboriginal people have been victimized and marginalized in our society.

And its not difficult to see what the result has been  generations of abuse at the hands of the government, and general neglect by the rest of us. We only need to point to the ongoing push for a national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. An RCMP report released last year stated that aboriginal women continue to be over-represented among Canadas missing and murdered women.

At the same time, a Statistics Canada report last November noted that Canadas aboriginals were far more likely to die violently than other Canadians in 2014  at a rate of six times higher than non-aboriginal people.

Why is this happening? Experts consistently point to the effects of residential schools, chronic poverty and an ongoing lack of support for those who suffer domestic abuse and substance abuse. Much of the problem for those living on reserves tends to be the fact that these communities are so often out of sight, far from large urban centres and easily ignored by those who control the federal purse strings.

Take for example the aboriginal community of Cross Lake. Just this week, this community declared a state of emergency after residents endured six suicides in the last two months and 140 attempted suicides in the last two weeks alone.

As The Canadian Press reported, the community of some 8,300 people has been traumatized and needs immediate help from the provincial and federal governments. A meeting with Manitoba Health Minister Sharon Blady last month resulted in the province sending a single mental-health worker to the community on an eight-hour shift  and the local nursing stations is only staffed by two nurses overnight.

This community, which is near a Manitoba Hydro generating station, has an 80 per cent unemployment rate, and the First Nations traditional lands are regularly turned into floodways. Aboriginal Affairs Minister Eric Robinson says the root causes of suicide  these being poverty, overcrowded housing and past abuse  need to be addressed before the situation on the community can improve.

While this community happens to be about 500 kilometres north of Winnipeg, not too long ago we had a similar situation in our own Westman back yard. In the late 1990s, the Dakota First Nation community of Birdtail Sioux, about 145 kilometres northwest of Brandon, had been plagued by a rash of suicides.

A front page Brandon Sun article dated July 23, 1998 reported that there had been seven suicides in the previous year, and that police had recorded another 20 attempts since January. Also, one man had been hit by a train two people died in a house fire and another person died in a fatal shooting. And alcohol had been identified as a factor in many of these incidents.

At the time, the community of then-400 people lacked any sort of constructive activity for its youth. There were no recreation facilities, a nearly nonexistent chance for employment and a lack of understanding about their own culture.

This kind of situation should not be happening in Canada. It is for this reason that the media must work to bring attention to our fellow aboriginal brothers and sisters. Compared to the rest of the world, we live in a society of vast wealth and opportunity.

That any of our citizens live in Third World conditions is disgraceful  and all the more so if we turn a blind eye to it.
Britain's trade gap with the European Union (EU) in January grew to the highest level on record, focusing attention on the UK's biggest economic partner as the Brexit debate hots up.

The UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) said Britain's trade deficit with the EU hit 8.1bn in the month, and 23bn in the three months to January. Both of these figures are the highest since the ONS began collecting this data in 1998.

The figures will be argued over in the Brexit debate by "stay" campaigners who say the UK's trade with the EU is vital, and "leave" campaigners who say Britain should focus on new fast-growing markets.

The EU accounts for around 50% of the UK's exports, with Britain's referendum on EU membership set for June 23.

But overall the UK's trade deficit with the world narrowed by 200m to 10.3bn in January, reflecting a fall in the import of goods, the ONS said.

However, the data comes after a Markit/CIPS report on British manufacturers last week that said factory output in February was teetering on the brink of stagnation after expanding at its slowest pace for nearly three years last month.

The UK has been one of the fastest-growing advanced economies in the world for the last couple of years, but this growth is based around retail spending, and economists have long argued for greater manufacturing and exports to better balance the economy.

But economists say a slowdown in China and other emerging markets has hurt exporters.

The strength of the pound has also made UK goods more expensive abroad, although sterling has begun to weaken since UK prime minister David Cameron called the Brexit referendum last month.

Howard Archer, chief European economist at IHS Global, said: "Sterling's recent marked weakening will take time to feed through to support export orders.

"Meanwhile, the upside for UK exports currently continues to be limited by muted global growth.

"Evidence of recently stuttering eurozone growth is a particular concern for UK exporters."

The British Chambers of Commerce urged UK chancellor George Osborne to help exporters ahead of his Budget next Wednesday.

David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: "We are not doing enough to boost our exports, and we urge the Chancellor to address this issue more forcefully in his forthcoming Budget.

"Much greater emphasis is needed to help small and medium sized businesses to export more and to break into new export markets."
YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. Friends of Armenia from across America will be calling-in to Capitol Hill on Monday, March 14th in support of the Armenian National Committee of Americas (ANCA) grassroots Fly-In advocacy campaign in the nations capital. Sample phone scripts and additional information on community advocacy concerns will be available at anca.org/call. Armenpress reports citing ANCA official website.

Taking part in the ANCAs March 14th National Call-In Day is a quick and easy way to show support for pro-Armenian issues, said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. Its also a really great way, from your home, office, or car, to stand with the advocates, young and old, who are flying to Washington for our two-day advocacy campaign.

Callers will ask their U.S. Representatives to support the full range of policy priorities driving the ANCAs March 15-16 grassroots advocacy campaign, including, notably, two bipartisan Congressional letters. The first, known as the Royce-Sherman letter, calls on President Obama to pressure Azerbaijan to accept life-saving peace initiatives (known as the Royce-Engel proposals) for Nagorno Karabakh. The second, the Dold-Pallone letter, voices support for pro-Armenian elements of the foreign aid bill, among them increased aid to Artsakh and robust funding to help Armenia transition refugees fleeing Syria.

In addition to the Royce-Sherman and the Dold-Pallone letters, Fly-In activists will be calling for:

The Adoption of H.Res.154: The Armenian Genocide Truth + Justice Resolution seeks sustainable improvement in Armenian-Turkish relations through policies that encourage Turkey to end its denials of the Armenian Genocide and to truthfully and justly reckon with the moral and material consequences of this crime.

A Double Tax Treaty with Armenia: This bilateral agreement would, by eliminating the threat of double taxation, foster the growth of U.S.-Armenia economic relations and, more broadly, help Armenia to complete its aid-to-trade transition in terms of its relationship with the United States.

Support for the Azerbaijan Democracy Act, H.R.4264: This human rights legislation seeks to impose U.S. aid, travel, and economic sanctions as well as international lending restrictions upon the Azerbaijani government due to its well-documented abuse of its own citizens.

House passage of H.Con.Res.75: This religious freedom measure encourages President Obama to properly condemn as genocide the mass murder taking place today against Christians (including Armenians and Assyrians), Yazidis, Kurds, and other at-risk minorities in Iraq and Syria.

The March 15-16 ANCA Fly-In will include advocates from across the U.S., participating in two-days of intensive Capitol Hill outreach on Armenian American concerns, focusing on peace, prosperity and justice. Joining the group in spotlighting the importance of ongoing U.S. assistance to Nagorno Karabakh will be Vardan Tadevosyan, the co-founder and Director of the Lady Cox Rehabilitation Center. The Center provides high-quality, specialized medical care each year to approximately 1,000 local and regional patients. Among those receiving treatment include patients  from Karabakh, Armenia, Russia, and Georgia  with spinal cord injuries, elderly stroke victims, and infants and children born with disabilities, such as cerebral palsy and spina bifida.

Tadevosyan and community advocates will be participating in a Capitol Hill reception on March 15th and, after a day of Congressional meetings, will be gathering at the Armenian Embassy the following evening to greet the new Republic of Armenia Ambassador to the United States Grigor Hovhannissian.
Campaigners are calling for a dedicated officer with responsibility for older people in every Garda station in the country.

The scheme is already operating in Dublin, but Age Action Ireland says it needs to be extended after a spate of rural break-ins.
The European Parliament's Agriculture Committee has held a minute's silence to mark the number of farmers across the EU who have taken their own lives because of the crisis in agricultural markets.

French MEP Jose Bove requested the move to highlight farmers' desperation over falling price for their produce.
Update 1.30pm

50,000 in cash and jewellery with a value of over 20,000 was seized in today's raids in the south of Dublin city.

Other items seized were GPS trackers, a quantity of controlled substances and financial documentation.

A man was arrested on foot of an arrest warrant and has been placed in prison.

Update 9.30am

The morning raids in south Dublin began at 7am.

Gardai were focusing on flats, apartments and house in Dublin 2, Dublin 8 and Inchicore.

It has been reported in the Irish Independent that a man was arrested during one of the raids at a south city flat.

A sniffer dog was used at another property which was kitted out with a number of security cameras.

Battering rams were at hand to enter premises with force if needed.

Update 7.40am

Gardai targetting an organised drugs gang are searching a number of premises in Dublin.

Up to 80 gardai are involved in raids on ten private residences in the Kevin Street and Pearse Street areas.

Read: Read More: Fresh Garda raids to hit organised gangs this morning

It is part of an on-going investigation into an organised crime gang involved in the distribution, sale and supply of controlled drugs in Dublin City Centre and adjoining suburbs.

The Criminal Assets Bureau are also thought to be helping out in this mornings raids.

These raids follow over 18 raids carried out on Wednesday which led to a number of seizures including 29 cars, 6 motorbikes, 10 Rolex watches, jewellery and 70,000 in euro and sterling notes.

A betting slip for 38,000 on last nights Liverpool V Manchester United game was also seized.

Liverpool was backed by the gambler as 7/4 odds.
The Government has announced its travel plans for St Patrick's Day with a severely scaled-back programme of ministerial trips.

Only ten of Ireland's 30 ministers will travel - compared to 27 last year.
By Daniel McConnell, Irish Examiner Political Editor

Caretaker Taoiseach Enda Kenny has decided to cut short his St Patricks Day visit to the US next week.

In a clear signal of his political vulnerability, Mr Kennys two-day programme of events has now been shortened to one day.

The two-day programme was already a truncated version of the normal US programme, which usually runs for seven days.

Given his failure to be re-elected Taoiseach, Mr Kenny will only attend the events in the White House on Tuesday, March 15, before he travels back to Ireland.

The Department of An Taoiseach has said Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan will now replace him at events on Wednesday.

His decision to return home early means Mr Kenny will not be present at the American Ireland fund dinner, which has traditionally been a key part of the St Patricks Day programme.

Mr Kenny, who is in a fight to retain his position as leader of Fine Gael, is most eager not to be away for such an extended period of time at such a delicate time relating to the formation of a new government.

Matters are further complicated by the fact he has to attend a two-day summit of EU leaders in Brussels next Thursday and Friday.
By Elaine Loughlin, Irish Examiner political reporter

Mary Lou McDonald has distanced herself from a former Sinn Fein Councillor whose home has been raided by the Gardai.

Detectives searched the Dublin home of Jonathan Dowdall who was a close ally of the Sinn Fein deputy leader before he left the party amid bullying claims.

A BMW car, motorbike and other items were taken by gardai during a search of the 38-year-olds house earlier this week.

But speaking outside the Dail this afternoon Ms McDonald moved to make it clear that Mr Dowdall, who was elected for the party to Dublin City Council in 2014, now has no political affiliation to Sinn Fein.

As you are all aware the person concerned Jonathan Dowdall left Sinn Fein some time ago, in fact he publicly endorsed and worked on and I think still works with a rival candidate within Dublin Central, she said,

I am very concerned that the gardai pursue matters in an appropriate and an efficient way but on the issue of Jonathan himself, he left Sinn Fein, that was a matter of some public comment if you recall at the time.

Mr Dowdall left the party and the city council after claiming he had been bullied by members of Sinn Fein  a claim which was denied by the party.

Ms McDonald who was re-elected in the Dublin Central constituency added: I am concerned if anybody is breaking the law, but I am not in a position to make any comment as regards Johnathon, it is neither my place nor my business to cast any aspiration on him that would not be proper or appropriate."

Separately Ms McDonald called on Finance Minister Michael Noonan to come before the Dail at its next sitting on 22nd March to answer questions arising from the Northern Assemblys Inquiry Report into NAMA's sale of its Northern Loan Book.

She said the party has been seeking a commission of investigation into the sale of NAMAs Northern Loan Book but this has been strongly resisted by Mr Noonan.

Minister Noonan must come before the Dail to answer questions in relation to this matter of serious public concern and to be held accountable for his actions or inactions as the case may be.

It is also clear that NAMA no longer commands full public trust in acting in the best interests of the taxpayer. We certainly dont believe that the taxpayer got value for money in relation to this sale.

The account given by NAMA Chairman Frank Daly is not credible, does not command public confidence and both he and NAMA have serious questions to answer, Ms McDonald said.
YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. A senior Russian diplomat said that Russia will provide an adequate response to the planned deployment of upgraded US B61-12 nuclear bombs in Europe, Armenpress reports, citing Sputnik.

Russia will provide an adequate response to the planned deployment of upgraded US B61-12 nuclear bombs in Europe, a senior Russian diplomat said in an interview with the Russian Kommersant newspaper.

"In the military sphere, as a general rule, any action forces a counter-action. I am certain that the Russian reaction to the deployment of new US bombs will be adequate, and its parameters will be determined by a thorough analysis of all circumstances," Mikhail Ulyanov, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control, said in an interview to be published on Friday.

By the mid-2020s, the B61-12 version is expected to replace the current 180 B61s stockpiled in Europe, which would be flown out of bases in Germany, Belgium, Italy, Turkey and the Netherlands.

According to Ulyanov, the modernization of the nuclear bomb arsenal suggests that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is headed for long-term violations of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

"Concerns in this regard, expressed not only by us, but also by the Non-Aligned Movement [NAM] member states, are basically ignored by NATO members. It is unlikely that they are thus contributing to the strengthening of the non-proliferation regime," Ulyanov stressed.

Since 2014, NATO has been building up its military presence in Europe, particularly in eastern European countries bordering Russia, using Moscow's alleged interference in Ukraines internal conflict as a pretext for the move.

Russia has repeatedly expressed concerns over NATO's military buildup along its western borders, warning that the alliance's expansion undermines regional and global security.

NPT came into force in 1970. The treaty recognizes five countries as nuclear-weapon states: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China. Its objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
By Stephen Barry

Ireland right-back Seamus Coleman has made a young Belfast-based Everton fans dream come true with a generous donation.

Daire Flanagan is a 6-year-old Toffees supporter who suffers from Apert syndrome, a genetic condition that affects skull growth.

Daire's parents had been told he may not live beyond 48 hours but, many years later, the miraculous child is old enough to dream of a day out at Goodison Park.

Everton were happy to welcome the youngster and a fundraising page was set up to cover the rest of the costs of the Air Ambulance trip across the Irish Sea.

The target figure of 1,000 was quickly passed, though, when the Everton star, Coleman, stepped in with a 5,000 donation, five times the target.

The excess funding will go to Mencap, a UK charity to help those with a learning disability.

Amazing gesture by Seamus Coleman to help make young Blue's dream Goodison trip a reality. https://t.co/dgU1fOdnox pic.twitter.com/wQmYBHywnq  Everton (@Everton) March 11, 2016

Nice touch from Seamus Coleman to donate and help this young kid see Evertonhttps://t.co/JVHGxNV6cJ #EFC #Everton pic.twitter.com/TYGDaWcj61  Love Everton Forum (@LuvEvertonForum) March 11, 2016

In a message to the person behind the charitable efforts, Coleman wrote: I read Daire's story online and would love to help get him his trip to Goodison next season.

I hope that [my donation] can help get Daire and his family a safe trip to Liverpool.

Looking forward to seeing you at a game next season.
Combining two powerful breast cancer drugs could dramatically shrink or destroy tumours in just 11 days, British doctors have discovered.

Some patients with HER2 positive breast cancer may be spared chemotherapy altogether if they are given the drugs straight after diagnosis and before they have surgery.

Around 15% to 25% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have HER2, which tends to grow more quickly than some other types of breast cancer.

Researchers have discovered that combining the drugs Tyverb (lapatinib) and Herceptin (trastuzumab) and giving them to women before surgery could lead to tumours shrinking significantly or even disappearing.

In a clinical trial, some of the women who responded well to the treatment also had cancer that had already spread to their lymph nodes.

Presenting their findings at the European Breast Cancer Conference in Amsterdam, experts described the findings as exciting.

Professor Nigel Bundred, from the University of Manchester and the University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust, who presented the data, said: "This has groundbreaking potential because it allows us to identify a group of patients who, within 11 days, have had their tumours disappear with anti-HER2 therapy alone and who potentially may not require subsequent chemotherapy.

"This offers the opportunity to tailor treatment for each individual woman."

The UK EPHOS-B trial involved 257 women with newly diagnosed HER2 positive breast cancer.

In the first part of the trial, 130 women were randomised to receive either no treatment before surgery, or Herceptin and Tyverb for 11 days after diagnosis and before surgery.

In the second part of the study, the next group of 127 women were divided in three - no treatment, Herceptin only or the combination of Herceptin and Tyverb.

Samples of tumour tissue were taken from the first biopsy which led to a cancer diagnosis, and again during surgery.

Experts looked to see if there had been a drop in levels of Ki67 protein - an indicator of cells growing and dividing - or a rise in cancer cell death of 30% or more.

Women were found to have had a pathological complete response (pCR) if no active cancer cells could be found (no biological sign of invasive tumour could be found in the breast).

They were said to have minimal residual disease (MRD) if the tumour was less than 5mm in diameter.

Results from the second part of the trial showed that, in addition to a drop in Ki67, 11% of women on combined treatment had pCR and 17% had MRD with a tumour less than 5mm in diameter.

For those women given only Herceptin, 0% had pCR and 3% had MRD.

No patients had either pCR or MRD in the no treatment group.

Trial co-leader Professor Judith Bliss, from the Institute of Cancer Research in London, said it was "unexpected to see quite such dramatic responses to the trastuzumab and lapatinib within 11 days".

She added: "Our results are a strong foundation on which to build further trials of combination anti-HER2 therapies prior to surgery - which could reduce the number of women who require subsequent chemotherapy, which is also very effective but can lead to long-term side effects."

At the moment, women usually have their tumour removed during surgery followed by a combination of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormonal therapies and targeted drugs such as Herceptin.

Tyverb is not currently approved by the health watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) for use on the NHS. It is also not available via the Cancer Drugs Fund.

According to Cancer Research UK, current treatments are effective, and women often experience a complete response after three to four months. Nevertheless, researchers said the 11-day response was very surprising.

Professor Arnie Purushotham, senior clinical adviser at Cancer Research UK, which funded the study, said: "These results are very promising if they stand up in the long run and could be the starting step of finding a new way to treat HER2 positive breast cancers.

"This could mean some women can avoid chemotherapy after their surgery - sparing them the side-effects and giving them a better quality of life."

Around 5,300 to 8,000 women a year are diagnosed with HER2 positive breast cancer.

The cancer cells have a high number of receptors for the human epidermal growth factor (HER2) which stimulate the cells to divide and grow.
A 23-year-old German man is in custody after falsely claiming to have a bomb inside a suitcase he was trying to take into the US Embassy in Berlin.

The incident began at around 7.30am on Friday when the man was turned away at the door of the building near the landmark Brandenburg Gate by security personnel, police spokesman Jens Berger said.
A pensioner has denied murder after allegedly shooting dead his wife at a care home.

Ronald King, 86, was charged with murder after Rita King, 81, was killed at De La Mer House in Naze Park Road, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, on December 28.

King, of Cedar Close, Walton-on-the-Naze, appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday where he pleaded not guilty.

Care home staff said Mrs King was suffering from dementia at the time.

The hearing was delayed after Judge Charles Gratwicke heard King, who has one arm and limited mobility, could not be brought from the cells as he was in a wheelchair and there was no appropriate lift access.

The judge said: "I understand he is in a wheelchair and for health and safety reasons the staff in the cells are not permitted to bring him to court.

"It is imperative this court hears this case as promptly as possible."

There was a short delay before the hearing took place in an overspill court in the magistrates' court building across the road.

King was transported across the road in a prison van.

Wearing a grey and orange fleece top, he looked frail as he entered the dock escorted by two prison guards.

King used crutches to walk into the dock and needed help from the guards to sit down.

The judge told him he did not need to stand for the hearing which lasted less than 10 minutes.

The trial will take place on July 4.
Police are thwarting up to four planned dissident republican attacks for every one the extremists manage to pull off, a senior police commander has warned.

The officer leading the fight against the violent renegades said a hardcore of veteran terrorists are directing hundreds of active dissidents in their campaign of violence.

Will Kerr, assistant chief constable with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), said the dissidents' widening attack capabilities, ranging from car bombs to rocket fired grenades, were "deeply concerning".

But he stressed their activities also needed to be put in "perspective" and insisted there was no likelihood of a return to the widespread violence of the Troubles.

Mr Kerr, who emphasised the need for more community help in thwarting the dissident threat, also said there was no evidence that loyalist paramilitaries were planning to re-engage in conflict in response to recent dissident actions.

The overview from the head of the PSNI's serious crime branch comes amid warnings from the police that dissidents are hell-bent on marking the forthcoming centenary of the Dublin Easter Rising against British rule by killing security force members in the North.

Last week a 52-year-old prison officer required surgery after a dissident bomb detonated under the van he was driving in Belfast.

"We stop three or four attacks for every one that gets through," said Mr Kerr.

"That is a broad comparator but it is a reasonably accurate one as well.

"We stop the vast majority of attacks. We are not in any way complacent about that and never will be complacent."

The assistant chief constable added: "There are a few hundred active DRs (dissident republicans) who are involved in active dissident republican operations but there would be a much smaller number, most of whom would have very significant terrorist experience, who are involved in directing terrorism and the leadership of these groups as well.

"These DR groups are dangerous, but we need to keep a bit of perspective around them as well.

"They are not in the same scale in terms of numbers and capability as terrorist campaigns we have experienced in the past - it's not the same pace of attacks, it's not the same volume of attacks.

"It's very unlikely and it won't return to the scale and pace of attacks in the past.

"These groups have very limited community support and traction - it just isn't there, despite their protestations and public statements that they do have support, they very clearly don't - certainly not within republican communities.

"They have no strategy, no rationale, no objectives - it's an entirely futile campaign where violence of itself seems to be an end of itself."

He added: "It's like playground bullies in a school where everyone else has moved on and you have these bullies looking round them who don't quite understand what's happened but whose only default mechanism is the use of violence, they know nothing else."

Mr Kerr said the dissidents would use the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising as an "excuse" to commit violence.

He also moved to counter speculation that loyalist paramilitaries were planning a violent response to the dissident threat.

The officer nevertheless issued a blunt warning to any loyalists who might consider such a move.

"The response to DR activity, the only legitimate response is by the police service," he said.

"We will not allow and will have no tolerance whatsoever for any misplaced retribution by any element of loyalism and we will stamp down on that very hard if that happens."
The United Nations has described South Sudan as one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world.

The UN has said the South Sudanese army has reached an agreement with armed militias - to allow fighters rape women as payment for their services.
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump is calling for the party to unite behind him, but opponents are taking unusual steps to block him from victory in critical primary states Ohio and Florida next Tuesday.

Today, Florida senator Marco Rubio urged voters in Ohio to cast ballots for fellow challenger John Kasich, the state's governor.

"If you want to stop Trump in Ohio, Kasich's the only guy who can beat him there," Rubio spokesman Alex Conant said.

In turn, Mr Rubio is hoping to win in his home state, splitting the day's two big delegate prizes and keeping them out of Mr Trump's hands.

While only Mr Kasich can take on Mr Trump in Ohio, "Marco is the only guy who can beat him in Florida," Mr Conant said.

Polls suggest Mr Kasich has a better chance in his state than Mr Rubio has in Florida, but it is important to both of them, and to other remaining candidate Ted Cruz, to keep Mr Trump from sweeping the two big states and taking a big step toward securing the Republican nomination.

But Mr Trump's campaign recived a boost after he picked up an endorsement today from one-time rival Ben Carson.

The developments came a day after a surprisingly civil Republican debate in which Mr Trump warned the party to end its civil war over his candidacy and to "be smart and unify".

While the debate focused on issues rather than insults, it was not clear that Mr Cruz, Mr Rubio or Mr Kasich were able to gain ground on the New York billionaire.

In all, 367 Republican delegates are at stake in Tuesday's voting that also takes place in Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, and the Northern Mariana Islands, which could go a long way toward determining the Republican nominee.

In the race for Republican delegates, Mr Trump has 459, Mr Cruz 360, Mr Rubio 152 and Mr Kasich 54. It takes 1,237 to win the Republican nomination for president

Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders also will be competing on Tuesday, with Mrs Clinton out to regain momentum after her startling loss to Mr Sanders in Michigan this week.
YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. Promulgation of signed voter lists violates principle of confidentiality and the authorities of the Republic of Armenia do not intend to infringe provisions of international documents and the decision taken by the Constitutional Court regarding promulgation of signed voter lists after elections. Davit Harutyunyan, Minister - Chief of Republic of Armenia Government Staff, told the journalists about this referring to the opinion spread by opposition that it is necessary to promulgate signed voter lists after elections in order to raise public trust towards electoral processes. Anyway, if the main objective is to establish control over electoral processes, we are ready to search for such mechanisms. Now we have offered in the Electoral Code a way to prevent double voting and voting instead of others. In this context, we are undoubtedly ready for cooperation aimed at the improvement of those mechanisms, Armenpress reports Harutyunyan mentioning.

He stated that the Constitutional court of the Republic of Armenia has expressed its clear position on promulgation of the voter lists. The Constitutional Court defends the idea that the official promulgation of signed voter lists violates peoples right to confidentiality. Here we clearly see the position of the Constitutional Court and I want to emphasize that there is no need to introduce artificial demands, Harutyunyan added.

He once again stated that any proxy can demand and have the voter list at his or her polling station, get acquainted to it, and if necessary, file a complaint. Taking photos of the lists is forbidden, because if it is promulgated, it is the same as the official promulgation, which is not allowed. But there are all opportunities for a person to make conclusions and in case of necessity, file a complaint, Harutyunyan concluded.

Constitutional referendum was held on December 6, 2015 in Armenia. The Electoral Code of the Republic of Armenia must undergo changes till June 1, 2016.
A woman has admitted trying to convince an undercover police officer to commit murder.

Nurten Taycur, 28, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to soliciting the officer named only as "John" to kill a man called Ercan Akan last year.

The charge states that between November 10 and December 12 she "solicited, encouraged" and "endeavoured to persuade" him to murder Mr Akan.

Taycur, of Pembury Road, Hackney, east London, entered her plea by video link from Holloway prison.

Judge Peter Rook QC adjourned sentencing until April 29 so that psychiatric and probation reports could be prepared.
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GYUMRI, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. With a 30 minute delay the trial of Valeriy Permyakov, accused of murdering 7 members of the Avetisyan family, began at the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri on March 11. As "Armenpress" reports the first to testify was driver of the border detachment Romik Khachatryan. He noted that twice a year they carry out planned works at the outposts, in order to renovate the damaged barbed wires of that area.

According to the charges, Permyakov exited then returned through the damaged parts of the engineering sectors barbed wire. Romik Khachatryan said he could not clarify as to when that part had been damaged and neither could clearly state what the size of the damaged part was. But he said that if the damaged portion was big enough for a person to pass through, it could not have been done without getting wet and tearing clothes.

It was expected that Permyakovs co-servicemen will also appear at Court. Court chairman Harutyun Movsisyan said that they applied to the commanders of the 102nd military base in order to obtain information on the location and addresses of Permyakovs co-servicemen. However, the Court has received a notification from the military base that Permyakovs 7 servicemen, as well as his direct commander Nikishin are no longer at the base and that they cannot clarify their whereabouts.

Given the circumstances, the Prosecutor Gevorg Gevorgyan mediated to change the order of the examination and to proceed to the publication of documents. Representatives of the Avetisyan familys successors did not object. At this point the publication of the documents is in progress.

The six members of the Avetisyan family were shot and killed in Gyumri at around 6 a.m. on January 12, 2015. The only survivor was 6-month old Seryozha Avetisyan, who was transferred to a hospital with injuries caused by a cutting and piercing tool. The childs health condition became worse on January 19. After fighting for his life and undergoing several difficult surgeries for a week, six-month old Seryozha Avetisyan also died on January 19. There was severe renal insufficiency and cardiac insufficiency, and doctors werent able to save his life. Soldier of the 102nd Russian military base stationed in Gyumri, Valery Permyakov was charged with killing the members of the Avetisyan family. Russian border guards found him when he was trying to cross the Armenian-Turkish border and handed him over to the commanders of the 102nd Russian military base. Permyakov confessed his guilt. On August 12, The Russian side sentenced Permyakov to 10 years of imprisonment for desertion and illegal possession of a firearm.
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YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. The Head of the Armenian Delegation to the CSTO PA Eduard Sharmazanov had a private conversation with the Chairman of the CSTO PA Council Sergey Narishkin.

As Armenpress was informed from the Public Relations and Media Department of the National Assembly of Armenia, the interlocutors discussed the CSTO PA activities, talked about multilateral cooperation, touched upon the further works within the CSTO framework and reaffirmed the importance of the joint work.

Eduard Sharmazanov noted that Armenia is interested in serious cooperation with the CSTO partners for the benefit of the strengthening of our allied relations, the further rise of the defense level of our states, as well as the advancement of the CSTO potential in the sphere of new challenges and threat counteraction.

The Chairman of the CSTO PA Council Sergey Narishkin thanked Eduard Sharmazanov for the warm reception and highly assessed the latters contribution to the CSTO PA works. He expressed confidence that the cooperation will continue on a high level.
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YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. The settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict depends on the sides, not the international mediators. However, Russia works consistently to support the settlement process. As "Armenpress" reports, Russian President's press secretary Dmitry Peskov noted.

"Indeed, being a responsible participant of the existing international formats, Russia continues the (settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict) works," he said, noting that "this is not a one-time effort, but a consistent direction." "But the final decisions, final proposals can be submitted by the parties only," Peskov added. "Neither international mediators, nor Russia can settle this conflict for Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Russian President's press secretary announced.

President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin in addition to other topics discussed the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement issue on March 10 in the Kremlin.
Zoe Margaronis looks on at her baby sister Sophie, then one-week-old, in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Canberra Hospital. "They really are my everything." Her story is particularly telling as Multiple Birth Awareness Week starts on Sunday with the theme "Leave No Family Behind", emphasising the support that is needed  and given  to families with twins, triplets and more. Theodore twins Sophie and Dimitri Margaronis finally leaving the Canberra Hospital in early 2014 after nine-and-a-half weeks. They were born premature at 31 weeks in December, 2013. Because Mrs Margaronis has taken the help she received in her time of need and paid it forward.

She volunteers for the Canberra and Region Multiple Birth Association, which offers help and support to the families of "all multiples", Then newborn Sophie Margaronis in December, 2013 in the Canberra Hospital when she was so tiny his dad could slip his wedding ring on her foot. However, Mrs Margaronis' specific role is to help the parents of premature multiples as they deal with both the sudden increase in the size of their family and the emotion of an early birth. It's about random acts of kindness such as leaving home-cooked biscuits on a doorstep to organising a guide to the Canberra Hospital to helping parents navigate the support that is out there for them. "Some of them just want to talk about what's going on and vent about how everything is too much," she said.

"We had one lady whose baby was in hospital, I think, for 206 days so a bunch of my girlfriends made up a roster where each week one of us would cook something and take it into her. Just practical help like that." Mrs Margaronis said the biggest message has for new parents is not only to ask for help but to accept it. "There's always support for premmies, that's fabulous. But it's always a support group for a premmie. When you've got two, one's on life support and one's really sick, sometimes you go into the hospital and they say, 'You can hold this baby, you can't hold that one today'. That's really hard, that's heartbreaking. "And it's just being able to say 'How are you feeling? That's OK'. 'If you're feeling angry, that's OK'. "It's just letting people know there are a lot of support groups but you can't always wait for them to come to you."

For her work, Mrs Margaronis has received an appreciation award from the Australian Multiple Birth Association. But the biggest reward for is seeing her families  and others  thrive. The twins were born weighting 1.5 kilograms (Dimi) and 1.6 kilograms (Sophie), their premature entry to the world caused by Sophie's placenta breaking away. It had been a textbook pregnancy until then and completely unexpected given her first child, Zoe, now four, had been born at 42 weeks. Sophie required the surgery because doctors were concerned she had a perforated bowel. She holds up her top to show off the scar that still runs across her tummy.

"That's her fighter scar. A big proud scar that one," her mum said. Mrs Margaronis said a hospital social worker called Anna McLeod  "the most amazing person ever"  helped her family tremendously, as did the nurses at the hospital. "You need to tell everyone the nurses are beautiful. We still keep in touch with about 10 of our nurses," she said. And her husband Emanuel and extended family had also been lifesavers. "He is a huge support and is that one that keeps things calm and relaxed," she said.
A group of developers is planning a 5000-block subdivision across the ACT's northern boundary, north east of Bonner and Forde.

In NSW, the development would tap into Canberra's reticulated water supply. Yass Valley Council would provide other services, such as garbage collection.

Private negotiations are still underway with territory, state and national planning agencies for the residential subdivision, which is about 15 kilometres from Civic.

Yass Valley Council says its future growth outside of the township is centred mainly on Murrumbateman, where it is investing in reticulated water and sewerage. But developers, who are negotiating with the NSW government as well as the shire, have been lured by the availability of rural land in close proximity to Canberra's water supply.

At Sutton and Gundaroo a lack of water has kept housing to a minimum, although development pressure is mounting. Housing blocks are generally 2000 square metres or more to cope with effluent disposal, whereas tapping into Canberra's water supply will allow building on smaller blocks and offer bigger returns for developers.
The focus of Canberra's Mr Fluffy asbestos clean-up will begin to shift from next month as the first 10 remediated blocks of land go on sale at public auction.

Auctions for five northside and five southside properties will take place on April 12 and 14, with advertising beginning from Saturday.

ACT government asbestos response taskforce boss Andrew Kefford. Credit:Jamila Toderas

The cleared blocks in established suburbs are expected to attract competitive bidding, helping recoup part of the $1 billion federal government buyback loan.

The blocks  in Scullin, Fraser, Downer, Campbell, Macgregor, Pearce, Duffy, Waramanga and Chapman  will be sold after former owners passed on their first right to repurchase offered by the government.
NAB Challenge matches to be played in Perth and the Gold Coast this weekend will have longer breaks due to forecast hot weather.

Fremantle's match with Geelong on Saturday and the Brisbane Lions' meeting with Greater Western Sydney at Metricon the following day will be played under the adapted rules of the AFL's heat policy.

The heat will be on for AFL players this weekend. Credit:Getty Images

A third match, West Coast v Essendon on Sunday, is also likely to have the heat policy enforced, with a decision to be made on Saturday.

Extended breaks allow teams to hold quarter-time and three-quarter-time huddles in the rooms.
YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. Head of the Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO PA) Eduard Sharmazanov delivered a speech at the outgoing session of the CSTO PA, held in Yerevan.

As Armenpress was informed from the Public Relations and Media Department of the National Assembly of Armenia, Eduard Sharmazanov mentioned in his speech,

Dear Colleagues, the Republic of Armenia assumed CSTO presidency in 2015 and the President of Armenia introduced our priorities, the key concepts of which are CSTO Collective Security Strategy for the Period till 2025 and its adoption in 2016, as well as collective response to foreign threats and the necessity of cooperation in various international platforms. I highlight the importance of CSTO member states and their parliamentary delegations demonstrating balanced position at international arenas and not making such announcements that not only contradict the interest of some CSTO member states but the Organization as a whole.

Unfortunately, we sometimes encounter with cases when some CSTO member states not only do not support their allies in international platforms, but also often take such positions that contradict the official position of the CSTO. This is inadmissible and we must do our best to rule out such negative phenomena in the future.

I would also like to touch upon terrorism, racism, and other forms of hatred. I believe this is a threat not only for the CSTO but the entire humanity. I urge to say our confident no such negative phenomenon without any exceptions. Let me mention that since the previous session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the CSTO the situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border remains concerning. We always supported and now support the exclusively peaceful settlement of all conflicts, particularly the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, under the auspices of the Minsk Group format based on the three well-known principles. Military rhetoric, use of force or the threat to use it must be not only inadmissible, but also must be condemned by all of us. Calling things by their proper name is of vital importance for our Organization. Only in that case we will manage to prevent the reoccurrence of such threats.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has underscored the need for a high-speed rail link to be operating to Sydney's second airport as soon as possible after the first commercial flight takes off in a decade.

In a speech on Friday, Mr Turnbull emphasised that a rail link will be crucial not only for the new airport at Badgerys Creek but to spur the western Sydney economy.

"[The airport] will be well connected by roads when it opens. But roads are not enough," he said. "World class airports share a common ingredient  fast and convenient public transport links."

The Prime Minister cited remarks last week from Qatar Airways boss Akbar Al Baker, who said the the lack of high-speed rail links meant the airline would not fly to the new airport.
Macquarie Bank is in trouble with the corporate watchdog again after it was found to have mishandled client money over a 10-year period.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has imposed conditions on Macquarie Bank's financial services licence over the breaches, including failing to deposit monies into a designated client trust account and for making withdrawals that were not permitted from such an account.

Macquarie found to have mishandled client funds for 10 years. Credit:Grant Turner

The action by ASIC follows a horror run for Australian banks in recent years that has included the recently launched investigation into the Commonwealth Bank's insurance arm CommInsure and ASIC's action against ANZ Bank over the alleged rigging of the bank bill swap rate.

It follows scandals in the financial planning arms of the Commonwealth Bank, Macquarie and National Australia Bank. Westpac is also being investigated over the alleged rigging of the BBSW.
Struggling listed law firm Slater & Gordon has suffered another blow after the Australian Securities Exchange dumped the stock from its top 200 list.

The removal of Slater & Gordon from the ASX 200 is significant because it means some of the index funds which are required under their self-imposed mandates to hold shares in ASX 200 stocks will exit the stock.

This month, Slater & Gordon revealed a $958 million half-year loss as a result of a $876 million of write downs, the majority of which related to its British business Quindell. Credit:Arsineh Houspian

Slater & Gordon's shares were down nearly 3 per cent to 34.5 at close on the ASX on Friday.

A Slater & Gordon spokeswoman declined to comment on the company being dumped from the ASX 200.
More than a third of women's refuges in NSW are not contactable after-hours, a survey of NSW services has found.

And more than half the refuges contacted could not admit women after-hours or on the weekends.

Auburn stabbing murder victim Leila Alavi.

The survey by the NSW Coalition for Women's Refuges has prompted the NSW peak union body to call for an independent review of domestic violence services.

The survey found that of 77 women's refuges listed on the Department of Family and Community Services website, 68 are in operation. Of these, more than a third were not contactable after-hours.
Given that Canberra Times reporter Kirsten Lawson apparently failed to ask him to provide examples of these "horrific" comments, I challenge Mr Barr to provide exact quotes of mine that any reasonable person would deem to be "horrific" about Safe Schools. He is pushing an agenda in attacking me and, like most on the political left, he is cavalier with the facts. My concerns about Safe Schools reflect concerns of parents across the nation who have contacted me. Mr Barr undermines his own credibility by making such outlandish accusations about my views  and the views of so many Australians. Cory Bernardi, Liberal Senator for South Australia Dirty deals

Frank Marris (Letters, March 8) is upset at my pointing out (Letters, March 5) that in the 2013 Senate elections, Ricky Muir got more first preference votes than three members of the LNP, who were also elected. The point of view was put by Frank that the preferences which elected the LNP senators were all quite kosher and above board, but yet somehow he has formed the view that the preferences which elected Ricky Muir are not. To give a further example, the Liberal Party as a whole received only 7.28 per cent of the first preference votes, but yet gained 20 per cent of the Senate seats. The Liberal party senators were elected on the basis of preference deals the Liberal party made with other parties, in exactly the same way that Ricky Muir was elected on the basis of preference deals he did with other parties. Frank appears to be putting a very Orwellian argument: "LNP preferences good, all other preferences bad". I will agree that the Senate voting system does need changing. But do not change the system by a short-term dirty deal between the LNP and Greens ramming the changes through, without sufficient public discussion, just before an election, and in the hope or expectation that this will advantage themselves politically in the next electoral cycle.

R. King, Melba Euthanasia Your editorial "New avenues in the debate on euthanasia" (Times2, March 9, p2) ) was too shallow and vacillating for my liking. The argument that palliative care can relieve nearly all pain symptoms is specious. Pain is only part of it. For some terminally ill people there is also the vomiting, the diarrhoea, the constipation, the urge to urinate that cannot be relieved, and the restraints to prevent the catheter from being yanked out of the penis (suffering I have observed in just one case). The risks that pressure will be brought to bear on those who do not favour assisted dying can be addressed. Advance care plans, made well in advance, or registers, come to mind. As for "playing God", well, the believers should apply their principles to themselves but allow others full sovereignty over their own bodies. Kate Muir, Campbell

Traffic woes Another day, another unnecessarily extended delay in traffic on Morshead Drive, as the entrenched desultory pace of ACT road construction continues. Clearly, as with all major ACT road construction, the completed project must have no economic value such that delay reduces benefits. Equally, it appears that the community costs of delay and inconvenience caused by fragmented construction practices are to be wholly subordinated to the convenience of contractors. Or is the prime purpose of the Territory's tardy construction program the prolongation of employment for members of the CFMEU? Meanwhile, the lengthy and dysfunctional Constitution Avenue "upgrade" saga also continues, with the apparent aim of remaining unfinished by the time it starts all over again for the putative tram extension. Mike Hutchinson, Reid

I went from Braddon to Gungahlin on Thursday morning at 8.15am. I encountered long lines of cars on Flemington Road from Northbourne Avenue on the single lane all the way to Harrison. Not good enough. So how about a dual lane road all the way for a start or may that jeopardise the light rail justification? How about a bus lane only trial all the way to the city or may that jeopardise also by providing a short/medium/long term solution for a fraction of the cost? How about a trial of battery buses? Leaving on return at 9.05am there were no traffic lines at all. Geoff Davidson, Braddon Bank culture Australians continue to be repelled by the clandestine goings-on and ruthless profit-making of the Commonwealth Bank's subsidiaries in the life insurance and financial advice sectors ("Bank must clean out its twisted culture", BusinessDay, March 9, p7).

Until the people who formulate, perpetrate, propagate and oversee this socially destructive behaviour are subjected to significant pecuniary penalties, plus time behind bars to engage in introspection and contemplation of their egregious corruption, they, and their ilk, will continue to prey on a trusting society. Albert M. White, Queanbeyan, NSW Military might So, the United States wants to step up the presence of long-range strike bombers in Australia to counter China's alleged "militarisation" of the South China Sea ("US wants more long-range bombers in Australia", March 9, p4). Of course, with the world's most powerful military capability, "militarisation" is something that the US knows plenty about. Just ask any of the 156 countries that "host" its more than 1000 military bases; which seems to contrast rather oddly with those evil Chinese, who have none.

Given its propensity to see any perceived threat to its global hegemony as a nail to be hit with its military hammer, it is hardly surprising that the US is viewed as the world's biggest and most dangerous bully, and even less surprising that Australia's fawning encouragement of its behaviour makes it such a "special friend". John Richardson, Wallagoot, NSW In hospital So John Hargreaves had to wait five days for hospital treatment ("Former Labor MLA tells of hospital 'horror story", March 9, p2). Luxury. No nurse saw me when I recently went. I had to park at Garran shops. There were no beds or doctors. After a few days I operated on myself  prostate  using the wife's manicure set  and slept in a stairwell. I also discharged myself. Later, I was billed for two pain killers I'd found on the floor, plus cleaning expenses. Ex-MLAs are a soft lot these days.

John Maclean, Weetangera Majestic sheep When my husband passed me a 50cent coin on Thursday morning, I nearly choked on my sultana bran, and checked the date on the newspaper to check that it wasn't the first of April. The coin depicted a miniaturised image of her majesty, Queen of Australia, along with an image of a sheep on a shilling, presumably to commemorate the 50th year of decimal currency! Does this suggest a conspiracy by the Royal Australian Mint (check the acronym!) to replace the image of Elizabeth II with a picture of a sheep, and this is their way of testing the public's appetite for such a move? Pearl Curd, Lyneham

Parks need care The Editorial "Urban parks need greater consideration" (Times , p2, 8 March) lends support to Dr Andrew MacKenzie's commentary "the city has fallen into the trap of a dispersed approach to park management that is economically and ecologically unsustainable" (Times 2, p5, 7 March). The management of the Canberra nature parks and reserves over the last few years makes it obvious there is no strategic approach to maintaining healthy, sustaining and interesting spaces for people to enjoy. The government approach is simplistic and piecemeal. An example: In the last few years, the government has steadfastly killed off the grass-eating kangaroo population only to then resort to "ecological grazing" by herds of cattle to keep the grass down. In other areas broad strips have been mown through thigh-high grass to reduce the risk of bushfire. And as for ramblers (should there be any) seeing wildlife in native reserves  they would be lucky to see much. Hardly an appealing experience. Rampant urban development means open spaces are being surrounded by new suburbs, and roads and streetscapes slice through traditional wildlife corridors. Wildlife is killed off with little thought to the long-term impact in local areas. It is a difficult problem to solve. But whether a town or country park, we need a new approach.

Philip Machin, Womboin, NSW TO THE POINT NEW BROOM SWEEPS CLEAN It's time Canberrans concentrated on the disadvantages of following the "same old, same old" voting patterns of the past. Time to look beyond the party hacks and support candidates who promote community interest over narrow commercial and party interests. Ric Hingee, Duffy

IF DON WON ... Unless the US Republican Party soon comes up with a strong alternative to Donald J, the Last Trump could well sound in November! Eva Reid, Farrer LAWN RANGER Here, here, to Dr Kristine Klugman (Letters, March 9). Citizens of Canberra, arise, you have got nothing to lose but your lawns!

John Rodriguez, Florey DIPLOMATIC GEM Trudy McGowan ("Dubai next on horizon for diplomat McGowan", March 10, p4) does Australia proud, and symbolises the great work of Australia's consular staff working overseas. Diplomacy scored a gem when she decided teaching wasn't for her. John Milne, Chapman LIGHTS TRIP NOT FANTASTIC

In a little over one kilometre of Melrose Drive in Phillip, between Launceston and Eggleston Streets, there are now six and shortly to be seven sets of traffic lights. Is this a record? Should someone be checking with the Guinness people? Bob Budd, Curtin WINDSOR WISE WORDS How refreshing to hear on Thursday a real person like Tony Windsor speak on matters of real importance to Australia. We need more like him in Parliament. Fyfe Bygrave, Aranda
When we discuss containing and preventing terrorist groups like IS, we usually speak about restraining men: their passions, their attraction to danger, their ardour for battle and their fantasies of being rewarded by virgins in heaven. But we rarely speak about women. Or at least we rarely speak of them in any other context than as meeting the sexual needs of male jihadis.

This is despite the fact that women have long played a crucial, if secondary, role in fundamentalist groups, as recruiters, interpreters, fundraisers and propagators. A large part of their worth and contribution has of course hinged on fertility: not just how many children they have, but how many male soldiers they have brought into the world.

Illustration by Simon Bosch.

But now researchers in Indonesia have uncovered a startling new trend: young women want to become jihadis just like the men.

A study of women in fundamentalist and jihadi Islamic movements in Indonesia, published by the Jakarta-based non-governmental organisation Rumah Kita BersamaI, has uncovered a distinct, and disconcerting generational change. Young women are no longer content to just play supportive roles in what is known as "soft" jihadi but want to fight alongside male soldiers, in "hard" jihadi. As Sasha Havlicek, the chief executive of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, says, there is clear evidence of "a jihadi, girl-power subculture".
GYUMRI, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. If desired, the Russian side will be able to find an option to summon Permyakovs co-servicemen to the Armenian court. As "Armenpress" reports the lawyer of the representatives of successors of the Avetisyan family Lusine Sahakyan informed reporters at a briefing.

Speaking about the importance of the testimonies of Permyakovs co-servicemen, Lusine Sahakyan noted that during the Russian trials the commander of Permyakovs battalion Nikishin informed that he had chosen the best soldiers to be dispatched to Armenia. Therefore, Nikishins testimony is crucial. Moreover on the day of the incident he was the position commander.

"We will think about mediation options for them to be summoned to Armenia. Until then, there will also be new mediations regarding new witnesses, but not at this stage. At this stage, we consider crucial the presentation of the crime scene photos and videos after publicizing the documents, during which the media should be involved, in order for the public to have a better understanding of the incident, Lusine Sahakyan noted.

The trial of Valeriy Permyakov, accused of murdering the Avetisyan family, resumed at the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri on March 11. Driver of the border detachment Romik Khachatryan gave his testimony, and Permyakovs co-servicemen as well as his direct battalion commander Nikishin did not appear at court.

The six members of the Avetisyans family were shot and killed in Gyumri at around 6 a.m. on January 12, 2015. The only survivor was 6-month old Seryozha Avetisyan, who was transferred to a hospital with injuries caused by a cutting and piercing tool. The childs health condition became worse on January 19. After fighting for his life and undergoing several difficult surgeries for a week, six-month old Seryozha Avetisyan also died on January 19. There was severe renal insufficiency and cardiac insufficiency, and doctors werent able to save his life. Soldier of the 102nd Russian military base stationed in Gyumri, Valery Permyakov was charged with killing the members of the Avetisyan family. Russian border guards found him when he was trying to cross the Armenian-Turkish border and handed him over to the commanders of the 102nd Russian military base. Permyakov confessed his guilt. On August 12, The Russian side sentenced Permyakov to 10 years of imprisonment for desertion and illegal possession of a firearm.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce faces the prospect of losing his New England seat after just one term as the first opinion polling in the sprawling country electorate shows voters swinging behind the former local member, independent Tony Windsor.

And it could be the issue of coal mining in prime farm land, which is opposed by both men, that is fuelling the backlash.

Exclusive ReachTEL polling of elector sentiment obtained by Fairfax Media - the first such voter-feedback in the crucial electorate - shows primary support for Mr Joyce stands at an apparently healthy 43.1 per cent, compared to Mr Windsor, who trails on 38.

But with the likelihood of strong preference flows from anti-Coalition Labor voters, who constitute 7.1 per cent, and equally hostile Greens voters who account for another 3.4 per cent, there is a reasonable chance Mr Windsor would finish ahead, were a contest held now.
The final paintings by Bali Nine ringleader Myuran Sukumaran have arrived back in Australia, almost a year after his execution in Indonesia.

The delivery of death row artworks was announced on social media on Friday afternoon by Sukumaran's mentor and friend, Sydney artist Ben Quilty.

Myuran Sukumaran with a portrait of himself painted by another inmate at Kerobokan Prison. Credit:Jason Childs

The Archibald winner posted a photo of wooden boxes and wrapped canvases to Facebook with the caption: "Myu's paintings safely and finally back in Australia".
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's commitment on Friday to look at what it would take to build a fast rail link to Badgerys Creek within a decade could be an exciting and city-shaping development.

At least Tony Abbott never bothered. He didn't like trains.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is an enthusiast for public transport. Credit:Jesse Marlow

Or it could represent the most tired story of all: politician, seeking support in the polls, has a flight of steel-wheel fantasy that in a few years will be an embarrassment to all concerned.

To be sure, Turnbull is not actually promising to build a rail line to Badgerys Creek by 2026.

Using a speech to a Parramatta business conference, he's pledging to assess only whether it would be possible to build one when the Badgerys Creek airport is to open.

For Sydney residents, Turnbull's promise contains risks and opportunities.
"A big part of that is the media really explaining the continuum of violence, explaining that these deaths of women are not isolated incidents and are actually part of a pattern in our country." But while the conversation has changed, the statistics have not. At least 30 NSW women have been killed by their current or former partners since the Herald began its Shine A Light campaign in March 2014. What was originally intended as "year long campaign to illuminate the public and our leaders on what remains a national tragedy", has been extended indefinitely.

This month alone has seen a parade of horrific violence by men against women. On Tuesday, a 23-year-old British woman was stabbed multiple times as she fought off her 27-year-old flatmate after he attempted to sexually assault her in their shared accommodation in Redfern. Two weeks earlier, a 25-year-old man allegedly assaulted his girlfriend and used her torn clothing to strangle her until she lost consciousness, at which point he continued to physically and indecently assault her. Three days before, a 20-year-old man struck his 18-year-old girlfriend across the face with a beer bottle as they were walking along a footpath on the Central Coast. Assistant Commissioner Mick Fuller at the Sydney Police Centre. Credit:Dallas Kilponen

A week before, a man allegedly stabbed his ex-partner in Sydney's inner south before fleeing the scene in a taxi. And on February 1, mother of five Sharon Michelutti was found stabbed to death in her bedroom. Her partner Gavin Debeyer, 50, was charged with her murder. These incidents are just a handful of the 12,000 domestic violence cases NSW police respond to on average each month. The fact that domestic assault rates in NSW have not shifted - with the latest data showing there were 28,980 in 12 months to September 2015 - risks casting 2015 as a year of unprecedented social awareness with little tangible change to show for it. But this underplays the reality that more women and children are coming forward to report abuse, and frontline services are more strained than ever before, Ms Baulch said.

"One in two women couldn't get into the system before [two years ago], and that was before the massive increase in awareness. Now we've got more and more women seeking support and there just aren't enough beds in the system, both in crisis accommodation and long-term housing." The national focus on domestic violence has also driven significant change in policing - a realm that has traditionally faced criticism for failing to regard family violence with the same importance as other crimes. NSW police now "do more training for domestic violence than any other single crime type", Assistant commissioner Fuller said. "The journey for a victim 10 years ago in this space would have been very daunting compared with what's in place now." Unquestionably, the recording of video evidence of victims at the scene of violent assaults has been the biggest game-changer in terms of convicting violent perpetrators.

The initiative, an Australian first, was implemented by NSW Police in July last year, and has been overwhelmingly endorsed by prosecutors who frequently saw cases fall over because victims changed their minds about testifying, Assistant commissioner Fuller said. The video statements, which capture the indicia of violence - blood, bruises, broken furniture, crying children - can then be used as evidence-in-chief against the perpetrator in court. "The victims when they see it six months later, even if they have second thoughts, it is a real reminder of the carnage they went through on that night," he said. In the latest initiative rolled out across the state two weeks ago, domestic violence offenders are profiled and targeted by police in a similar way to other criminals. They will find themselves stopped by police for any offence, however minor, including broken tail lights, or failing to walk their dog on a leash, Assistant commissioner Fuller said.
A truck has crashed on the M7 at Hinchinbrook, in Sydney's south-west, trapping the driver in his rig and forcing the closure of the motorway's south-bound lanes.

The truck, which was towing a load of dirt, overturned near the M7's intersection with Cowpasture Road at 11.35am on Friday.

The truck was carrying a load of sand and rocks, which spilled onto the M7. Credit:NSW Police

Emergency services took more than an hour to free the 38-year-old male driver, who was flown by CareFlight rescue helicopter to North Shore Hospital.

A NSW Ambulance spokesman said the truck driver's condition was not immediately known. The rescue helicopter had a doctor and NSW Ambulance critical care paramedics on board.
YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. Commonwealth of Independent States member countries plan to deepen cooperation on innovative technologies of communication and information programs, and Armenia can have a great contribution in this direction. As "Armenpress" reports, this was noted by the Director of Economic Cooperation Department of the CIS Executive Committee Andrey Kushnirenko in Moscow on March 11, at the multimedia conference of  New possibilities of economic cooperation in CIS .

When asked about the possible leading participation of Armenia in the framework of CIS economic cooperation in the IT sector, Andrey Kushnirenko pointed out that the experience gained in Armenia can be significantly useful for applying and developing in partner countries.

"The fact that IT is a priority and developing direction has a positive impact on the economic situation of Armenia. Based on its experience, Armenia often acts as an initiator in the development of important documents in the IT sector, as well as active participant and author " , said Andrei Kushnirenko, adding that Armenias role is felt in the preparation stage of interagency and interstate normative documents on cooperation in the field of information technology.

2015 was a successful year in Armenia in the IT sector. 450 companies are actively working in the field with about 13 thousand professionals. The total turnover of the IT sector amounted to 550 million US dollars, with an increase of 17%. The RA Law State support of IT sector was successfully implemented in 2015, which in 2015 provided tax incentives to certified beginner companies with profit tax rate of 0% and 10% income tax rate. Granting privileges stimulated the creation of new companies and jobs in the industry. 79 start-up companies and 329 new jobs were created in the sector.
He made an unsuccessful run for the Senate more than a decade ago and now Christian Democratic Party president Reverend Fred Nile is doing his best to see his wife, Silvana Nero, elected.

But Mr Nile's involvement in the preselection for the top spot on the Christian Democratic Party's NSW Senate ticket has led to accusations of a conflict of interest.

Ms Nero is running against two other candidates, Robyn Peebles and Nella Hall.

The preselection, held on February 19 at the NSW Parliament, involved the five members of the CDP's federal campaign committee - an all-male group chaired by Mr Nile - and a sixth female preselector.
The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads' refusal to release its assessment of Labor's light rail plan has led to more allegations of state government interference in the Brisbane City Council campaign.

Fairfax Media obtained a Department of Transport and Main Roads memo last week, which raised doubts on Lord Mayor Graham Quirk's plans for a rubber-tyred Brisbane Metro system.

Brisbane deputy mayor Adrian Schrinner has called on the Department of Transport and Main Roads to release its assessment of Labor's light rail plan. Credit:Glenn Hunt

The memo warned Cr Quirk's $1.54 billion price tag could blow out to as much as $3 billion and could also cause problems with state government infrastructure, including the planned Cross River Rail.

While Fairfax Media was told no similar briefing notes had been prepared for other lord mayoral candidates' transport plans, it formally asked the department this week to confirm whether that was the case.
A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the gruesome stabbing of his flatmate on the Gold Coast.

Paul Gathercole on Monday pleaded not guilty in the Queensland Supreme Court to the murder of Robbie Joseph Charles at Mermaid Beach on February 1, 2014.

Man sentenced to life in prison for murdering his flatmate on the Gold Coast.

But a jury on Friday found him guilty of the 32-year-old's murder, with Justice Ann Lyons imposing a sentence of life imprisonment.

In sentencing, she said she accepted Gathercole had been "affected terribly" by the death of his friend.
Images of three men police believe may be able to assist with their inquiries into an attack on a woman in Carrara have been released.

Just after 4pm on Wednesday the 52-year-old woman from Victoria was approached by a man on Eastlake Street who said she had a flat tyre.

The man tried to grab her handbag when she bent down to check the tyre but she held on to the bag and was dragged down the road.

The attacker made off with the womans bag containing cash, credit cards and a mobile phone.
The Queensland Government has axed a bypass road over low-lying Oxley Creek to reduce the cost of the Darra to Rocklea stretch of the Ipswich Motorway from $558 million to $400 million.

It will also stall the addition of electronic signs to help traffic move on and off that section of the Ipswich Motorway which stretches four kilometres either side of the Oxley Hotel.

The Ipswich Motorway appears more than once on the list of the most congested south-east Queensland roads. Credit:Harrison Saragossi

The "reduced scale" motorway still includes raising the motorway height over Oxley Creek to avoid flooding.

The bypass road - to be built later - is for local traffic from industrial centres straddling the motorway.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland has launched an investigation into Monday's crocodile attack on a ranger at Townsville's Billabong Sanctuary.

Ranger Renee Robertson, who is a wildlife specialist at the sanctuary, was in training to work with crocodiles when a female crocodile, Tipper, attacked her during an afternoon show.

Ms Robertson suffered a "significant arm injury" in the attack when Tipper cornered her and latched onto her arm, dragging her to the ground.

A male staff member appeared to chase Tipper off with a large stick before then assisting Ms Robertson and administering first aid.
Alan Alda, best known as doctor "Hawkeye" Pierce in war comedy M*A*S*H, has graced Australia's shores in an attempt to use art to reduce the rift that exists between science and the public.

The actor and science enthusiast penned Dear Albert, a reading for the stage, to pay tribute to the life and loves of one of the world's greatest minds, Albert Einstein.

Alan Alda discussed his Dear Albert theatrical work on Friday. Credit:Michelle Smith

The reading, which incorporates drama, art and dance, is part of the World Science Festival in Brisbane and is just one instance where art has provided insight and understanding into the world of science, Alda said.

"We always mix art and science, this play is an example of that, where you get to see the science through the prism of the humanity of the scientist," he said.
Theoretical astrophysicist Josh Frieman continues series of fascinating scientific minds you should have heard of with his pick, David Schramm

David Schramm was an American astrophysicist and one of the most well-respected experts on Big Bang Theory.

He was an educator at the University of Texas briefly and then undertook his professorship at the University of Chicago.

"Professor Schramm is the person most responsible for starting the renaissance of cosmology back in the late 1970s by bringing together the physics of elementary particles, the study of things on very small scales, with the study of the macro universe we study in cosmology," Mr Frieman said.

"He was also a mentor for all of those who passed through Chicago, and also just through his personal example, his enthusiasm, his care for people younger than him and his promotion of their work and careers.

"He really set an example not only in his own science but in his way of shaping a whole field of science and shaping careers of young people."
YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. Peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on three fundamental principles of the Helsinki Final Act is Armenias only way. Vice President of the National Assembly and Head of Armenian Delegation of OSCE PA Eduard Sharmazanov said during a meeting with reporters after the OSCE PA outgoing session. "These principles are the right to self-determination, territorial integrity, non-use of force and threats of force", "Armenpress" reports Sharmazanov noting.

He added that all measures to settle the Nagorno Karabakh conflict by force are unacceptable.
A Melbourne babysitter could face a second criminal trial over the death of a 10-month-old girl.

Ketapat Jenkins was cleared of killing Chloe Murphy in 2014, but the case will be handed back to the Director of Public Prosecutions after Victoria's coroner found she caused the severe injuries that led to her death more than five years ago.

The Age 10 month old Chloe Murphy who died in December 2010.

The trauma was consistent with shaking, a hard hit to the head and twisting of the baby's arm, which was broken in three places.

Chloe's father, Anthony Murphy, appealed for justice over his only child's death as he left the Coroners Court on Friday.
Dirty undies and porn have been left in the letterboxes of a number of Melbourne businesses.

Police say they are hunting a man who has been targeting businesses in Sandringham for the past 12 months, slipping his soiled calling card through their mail slot.

A man has been making the bizarre deliveries for the past year. Credit:iStock

He's also been leaving graphic pornography.

Glen Eira Bayside police know of several incidents, but believe a lot more are yet to be revealed.
The federal government has declared "war" on outlaw motorcycle gangs, and the Victorian government has indicated it will toughen state gun laws, as Melbourne endured its 15th shooting in six days.

Incidents include a violent shoot-out on suburban streets and an incident involving a pen pistol, with more than two shootings a day in Melbourne and Geelong over the past week, including the motel killing of Mohammed Hassan.

Federal Justice Minister Michael Keenan largely sheeted home blame for the recent spate of shootings to bikies, and on Friday took aim at Labor for continuing to block the government's desire to introduce mandatory minimum sentences for gun smugglers.
Victorian Liberal Party leaders are turning a blind eye to growing anti-Islamic sentiment in the party, according to a party source.

The claim follows calls at Sunday's federal Senate pre-selection convention for all Islamic leaders to sign a pledge denouncing terrorism, or have their places of worship torn down.

A Victorian Liberal Party insider claims the party is allowing anti-Islamic sentiment to fester in its ranks. Credit:Peter Macdiarmid

Senate pre-selection candidate Kurt Reiter also aired the view there is no such thing as a moderate Muslim, and Muslims must kill non-believers to be "true" Muslims.

A party delegate said Mr Reiter's "outright Islamophobic" comments should lead to expulsion from the party, yet were received with applause.
The mystery little girl police have been searching for has been found "safe and well" in Australia.

In an unusual move, Victoria Police released blurry photos of the girl on Tuesday, and said they held concerns for her welfare.

At the time, police said they believed the photos were taken inside an apartment in Australia on Sunday, May 24 of last year.

The girl was believed to be between four and six years old at the time the photographs were taken.

The public release of an image of a child as part of an ongoing investigation is considered extremely rare.
A 99-year-old Melbourne man won't have to stand trial for arson after prosecutors dropped the case against him.

The man, who cannot be named, had pleaded not guilty to a charge of causing damage worth $150,000 to a relative's property in Melbourne's eastern suburbs on September 22 last year.

There was a chance the man could have turned 100 before he faced a jury given the backlog of cases in the County Court. Credit:Scott Barbour

There was a chance the man could have turned 100 before he faced a jury given the backlog of cases in the County Court.

But the court heard on Friday the case against the man had been discontinued.
YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. In January-February of this year passenger flow amounted to 255 thousand in Armenia, the press-secretary of General Department of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Ruben Grdzelyan wrote on his Facebook page.

As Armenpress reports, he noted that such rate has not been registered during the first 2 months since the years of independence. The reason for that is the cheapness of the tickets. A lot of Georgians fly from Zvartnots airport as tickets to many directions are cheaper in Armenia, Grdzelyan wrote.

The Government of the Republic of Armenia adopted a decision on the "Program for ensuring competitive and sustainable air services, and Program implementation activities in the Republic of Armenia" on October 23, 2013 which declared introduction of the Open Skies Policy in the field of civil aviation and air communication in Armenia.
You may have been sitting in a queue at the bank and thought about it: what would I do if someone pulled out a gun and started demanding cash from the teller?

Bernard Williams knows what he would do.

The 75-year-old has described how he foiled a bank robbery in Geelong earlier this week, when a man and a woman stormed a NAB branch armed with a shotgun and screwdriver.

Mr Williams explained that he was talking to one of the tellers just before 3pm on Wednesday when the terrifying robbery began.
Detectives smashed an alleged drug ring during raids across the Perth metropolitan area on Thursday and seized weapons and stolen goods and froze suspected proceed of crime assets totalling $3 million.

Seven men have been charged with a variety of offences while police are still pursuing others.

Police during one of the raids throughout the metropolitan area that smashed a drug ring. Credit:WA Police

Raids targeted a suspected drug syndicate police say was responsible for the sale and distribution of drugs in the South East metropolitan district.

Properties were raided in Welshpool, East Perth, Joondalup and Mirrabooka.
It confirms that Ray and Peter Mickelberg's Legal Aid fees would be paid as part of the deal with the State, a fact Mr McGinty confirmed in a radio interview last week. "When we determined an ex-gratia payment be made to the Mickelbergs, we took into account the amount of money they had already received by way of Legal Aid to enable them to clear their names, that was about $650,000 and then on top of that we made a payment of $500,000," Mr McGinty said. "A lot of people at the time thought that was a modest amount for eight-and-a-half years in prison, and that is true because, you need to add to that the amount of money that was paid to them for Legal Aid. "To see the State now trying to recover part of the settlement that was made by the Mickelbergs.. I was very surprised by that... in fact I find it quite extraordinary they would try to do that." Perth Mint Swindle investigator Tony Lewandowski and WA police involved in the Mickelberg conviction confessed prior to Lewandowski's suicide that they had perjured themselves in the trial.

"Ex-gratia payments are not often made but when they are they're made because of some horrible wrongdoing by a State official... and in this case it was the fact the police perjured themselves in order to get the conviction of the Mickelberg brothers and that was subsequently confessed to by the police," Mr McGinty said. "So to try and recover in those circumstances I think is quite extraordinary. "The State should acknowledge the Legal Aid funding was part of the consideration of the ultimate settlement and drop any recovery action against the Mickelbergs. "I suspect if it does go to court it will be found to be part of an ex-gratia payment that was made to them and the court will throw out the application by the State to recover this money in any event. "Why the State would want to put the Mickelbergs, the justice system, through that sort of process, frankly is beyond me."

So who has the power to prevent this latest legal action against the brothers? "Political responsibility rests with the Attorney General, Michael Mischin, and he should make that call," Mr McGinty said. "Alternatively the Legal Aid Commission should have a good look at the case and determine they've got no real prospect of success - and it's wrong to proceed in any event - and withdraw the application for recovery." Mr Mischin, who prosecuted the Mickelbergs when he worked for the Director of Public Prosecutions in the 1980s and 1990s, refused to comment on Legal Aid's recovery efforts. Peter Mickelberg says Mr Mischin has "a gross conflict of interest" because he prosecuted them and met with Legal Aid prior to them serving the writ against Ray.

"Why did Legal Aid feel the need to approach the Attorney General before issuing action against Ray?" Peter said. Current Attorney General Michael Mischin has a long history with the Mickelbergs. Credit:Nine News Perth In a letter sent to WAtoday last week, Legal Aid claimed Ray Mickelberg wasn't aware of its attempts to recover the debt until he learned of the writ, but had paid them $5000 in 1994 following written correspondence. "That statement ... is patently false," Peter told WAtoday. "[We] are both aware of the demands made by the Legal Aid Commission that we repay alleged debts.

"In fact, I met with (Legal Aid director) George Turnbull and said the alleged debts were not owed by Ray or I, rather they were the responsibility of the corrupt police who fabricated the evidence that saw us jailed for a crime we did not commit. "The $5000 payment referred to was not paid by Ray. The funds were sent from a lawyer's trust account against Ray's wishes in 1994." Why Legal Aid did not seek to obtain a copy of the Deed of Settlement remains a mystery. "We were only supplied with a copy of the deed on Wednesday so there was no opportunity to supply it to the Legal Aid Commission," Peter said. "Legal Aid, however, has been in direct contact with the Attorney General's office and the office of the Solicitor General and it would have been easy for them to have obtained a copy, if it desired to do so."

The brothers are also perplexed as to why Legal Aid did not contact Mr McGinty, the Attorney General at the time, and the State to inquire about the outstanding alleged debt. "The issue of whether Mr McGinty considered that the Legal Aid expenses were covered by the ex-gratia consideration is clearly settled by reference to the recent public remarks he made," Peter said. The ex gratia deal that stipulated the State pay for the Mickelbergs' Legal Aid was mentioned in this 2008 press release from Attorney General Jim McGinty. "Mr McGinty is unequivocal in his public comments, saying that the deal he struck included all legal expenses. "That deal was formalised by a deed signed by us and Mr McGinty in his capacity as Attorney General and it is open to the Legal Aid Commission to contact Mr McGinty directly and to also make inquiries of the State in relation to this issue."

Peter stressed the brothers were not playing victim but said the action by Legal Aid was distressing for his family. Peter and Ray Mickelberg exit court after another battle. Credit:Nine News Perth "I am sure that many people do repay Legal Aid as they should," Peter said. "I doubt they were victims of a serious miscarriage of justice and received an ex-gratia payment from the state that ... dealt with all outstanding legal matters including Legal Aid." While Peter's two daughters, aged 19 and 23, have watched their father continually battle law and order authorities their entire life, the stress and drama are new for his five-year-old son.

"He ran to his bedroom crying after seeing a news report that said his father had been in jail," Peter said. "I know we sound like victims but.. I've got two children who grew up with this crap, and all of a sudden it's back. "We didn't ask to be treated the way we were by police. They simply do not care about the effect on human life." Legal Aid silent on accuracy of records Legal Aid again refused to comment to WAtoday after we challenged several points it raised in the initial letter it sent us about the Mickelberg action.

When Peter Mickelberg met Mr Turnbull on several occasions in 2008 to discuss the Legal Aid debt (before the ex-gratia deal was made), he claims he was told there were no records of their Legal Aid applications on file. "[But] anytime you get Legal Aid, you are granted a certificate which details how much [the debt is], what it's for and for how long," Mr Mickelberg said. "Now they have the records, when before they didn't? "This action by Legal Aid is a gross waste of the public's dollar. Here they are, trying to recoup $141,000 for a case we won based on police corruption." Peter also claims the March 30 hearing should never have proceeded because the two-year deadline to prosecute the writ to his brother Ray had passed in December 2015.

"Ray rang the court the day it expired and the District Court told him they had struck it off," Peter said. "But in January 2016, the State Solicitor's office reopened the matter, which it can only do under 'extraordinary circumstances'." WAtoday understands those "extraordinary circumstances" involve a clerk from the State Solicitor's office who forgot to take relevant documents to the District Court before the deadline passed. How other victims of WA police corruption fared While $500,000 seems a lot of money for a wrongful conviction, it's not when you consider the lengths police took to frame Ray, Peter and their other brother Brian.

Brian was released on appeal after nine months in jail but later died in a plane crash; Ray spent eight-and-a-half years in prison and had his finger completely bitten off in the process, while Peter spent almost seven years behind bars  all terms served at the notoriously-violent Fremantle Prison. Ray Mickelberg at Fremantle Prison, describing the area where his finger was bitten off completely. Credit:Nine News Perth The trio weren't cleared until former detectiv Lewandoski confessed in 2002 that he, his boss Don Hancock and other colleagues fabricated evidence and lied in police statements in order to convict the brothers. "He was a very courageous man, for all his faults... Lewandowski stood up and told the truth, and he paid the ultimate price," Ray told Nine News Perth a few weeks ago. Though it's been 34 years since the Perth Mint Swindle, there are still people in WA's law and order system who refuse to let the Mickelbergs live in peace.

"The State needs to let this go," prominent lawyer John Hammond told Nine News. "It's mean-spirited, particularly in light of the deal that was done between the State Government and the Mickelbergs." Opposition spokesman and lawyer John Quigley said his Liberal counterpart, current Attorney General Michael Mischin, should put an end to the brothers' ordeal once and for all. "Obviously he'd be biased because he spent so much of his time as a lawyer keeping the Mickelbergs wrongfully imprisoned - on instruction of course - and he should come out and stop this," Mr Quigley told Nine News. Legal Aid said the Attorney General did not influence its decision to pursue the Mickelbergs because its independence as a statutory authority was "necessary to avoid any conflict with a role which includes providing legal representation for persons who are being prosecuted by the state".

When you consider other ex-gratia payments the State has made to victims of police corruption, you can understand why the Mickelbergs should be livid at this latest action against them. Andrew Mallard was wrongfully convicted of the 1995 murder of Pamela Lawrence after police withheld vital information from his defence team. He received an ex-gratia payment of $3.25 million from the State in 2009 after losing 12 years of his life behind bars. WAtoday understands Mr Mallard used Legal Aid to help clear his name and was not required to repay it. Prominent barrister Lloyd Rayney also has a Legal Aid debt of $2 million but was not required to repay it after he was named the "prime and only suspect" in his estranged wife Corryn's 2007 murder, of which he was cleared after a high-profile trial in 2012. Darryl Beamish ($425,00 for 15 years' jail) and John Button ($460,000 for five years' jail) are other victims of corruption who received ex-gratia payments from the State. "The terms we made in 2008 with Mr McGinty were that if you don't pursue us, we won't pursue you," Peter Mickelberg said.

"We were preparing to sue the State but they said 'take the $500,000 and we will leave it there'." Mickelbergs appeal to public for justice One of Peter's daughters recently set up a Facebook page - Justice for the Mickelbergs - after they learned about the writ against Ray. She hopes crowdfunding will help her father and brother defend the Legal Aid action and avoid Ray Mickelberg losing the family home. "Your generosity and support is giving Ray and Peter strength to keep up the fight in what is a tough time for both them and their families," the Facebook page says. On the public appeal on social media, Peter Mickelberg told WAtoday:
Jaleswar, India: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party has vowed to disenfranchise millions of Muslim immigrants in a volatile frontier state, waging a polarising election campaign in a bid to form its first government there.

In campaign rallies in the remote state of Assam, officials of the Bharatiya Janata Party have also promised to identify and deport younger illegal migrants, in response to rising discontent among the state's Hindus.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, third right, talks with Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during a meeting of ruling National Democratic Alliance in New Delhi earlier this month. Credit:AP

When Assam elects a state legislature in April, an estimated 10 per cent of its 20 million voters will be Muslims who have migrated since the 1950s from the former East Pakistan, later Bangladesh, and gained Indian citizenship.

"Legal Indian citizens are being branded as Bangladeshis," student Ismail Hussain, wearing a white skullcap, said at a rally held by a mainly Muslim party in Assam.
YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. The Zika virus, already linked to brain damage in babies, can also cause a serious brain infection in adult victims, French researchers warned on March 10, Armenpress reports citing The Japan Times.

The Zika virus was found in the spinal fluid of an 81-year-old man who was admitted in January to a hospital near Paris shortly after returning from a month-long cruise.

The man  semi-comatose, with a high fever and partial paralysis  was diagnosed with meningoencephalitis, an inflammation of the brain and its membrane, the team wrote in New England Journal of Medicine.

It is the first case of its kind to be reported, to our knowledge, Guillaume Carteaux, co-author of the paper and specialist at the hospital which treated him, said.

The mere presence of the virus does not prove it is what caused the disease.

But Carteaux said that other infectious causes, either viral or bacterial, have been ruled out in this case.

The patient, who was reported to have been in good health during his cruise around New Caledonia, Vanuato, the Solomon Islands and New Zealand, has since partially recovered.

Clinicians should be aware that (Zika virus) may be associated with meningoencephalitis, the team wrote.

A different French team linked the virus sweeping Latin America and the Caribbean to paralysis-causing myelitis.

They reported that a 15-year-old girl diagnosed on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe with acute myelitis in January had high levels of Zika in her cerebrospinal fluid, blood and urine.

Myelitis is an inflammation of the spinal cord. It can affect limb movement and cause paralysis by interrupting communication between the spinal cord and the rest of the body.

The mosquito-borne Zika virus usually causes mild symptoms in adults, with a low fever, headaches and joint pain.

Its quick spread has caused alarm due to an observed association with microcephaly, which deforms the brains of unborn babies, and Guillain-Barre, a rare condition in which the bodys immune system attacks a part of the nervous system that controls muscle strength.
Phnom Penh: They are one of the most loathsome creatures, responsible for the deaths of millions of people during the Black Death and plagues of past centuries.

But rats have begun eliminating a scourge that has killed and maimed tens of thousands of people in Cambodia: land mines.

Cambodian team member So Malen plays with Cletus after he scampered across a field believed to be sown by mines in Trach, Cambodia, last month. Credit:AP

Huge, cat-sized rodents with bad vision but an extraordinary sense of smell are sniffing out TNT explosives in mine fields laid by the murderous Khmer Rouge in north-western Cambodia in the 1980s.

And Paul McCarthy, a 10-year veteran of the war in Iraq who is managing the so-called "HeroRat" program, says rats could be used to detect improvised explosive devices that have been used with devastating impact against military and civilian targets, including Australian forces, in Afghanistan and Iraq.
YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. The regular court session on the case of Valery Permyakov, accused in the gruesome murder of the Avetisyan family was held on the territory of the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri. During the session documents and photos attached to the case have been published. Armenpress reporter had access to the materials and photographs in the courtroom, some of which we present below.





The six members of the Avetisyans family were shot and killed in Gyumri at around 6 a.m. onJanuary 12, 2015. The only survivor was 6-month old Seryozha Avetisyan, who was transferred to a hospital with injuries caused by a cutting and piercing tool. The childs health condition became worse on January 19. After fighting for his life and undergoing several difficult surgeries for a week, six-month old Seryozha Avetisyan also died on January 19. There was severe renal insufficiency and cardiac insufficiency, and doctors werent able to save his life. Soldier of the 102nd Russian military base stationed in Gyumri, Valery Permyakov was charged with killing the members of the Avetisyan family and causing numerous injuries to little Seryozha. Russian border guards found him when he was trying to cross the Armenian-Turkish border and handed him over to the commanders of the 102nd Russian military base. Permyakov confessed his guilt. The trial will take place on January 18.
Latest News NAB reveals six market megatrends for brokers More opportunities for investors, first home buyers

Firstmac shifts up a gear on auto loans National sales manager appointed to pursue growing market

The CEO of Mortgage Choice has backed a recent report by The Australian Population Research Institute which warns a time of reckoning approaches if Australias housing affordability crisis is not properly addressed.In the report by The Australian Population Research Institute, it was suggested that while property demand is strong, the supply coming onto the market isnt the right type, Mortgage Choice chief executive John Flavell said.An increasing number of high rise apartments are being constructed in the capital cities, and while this type of property is needed, the report suggests that there is only a limited market for this type of dwelling. As such, we could see an oversupply of apartments in the near future.Flavell is urging that more needs to be done from a state planning perspective to ensure the right type of properties are being built, particularly in regards to transport.In Australia, we are wedded to the idea of the family home being three bedrooms and several bathrooms all sitting on its own block of land. For supply to keep pace with demand, what we need to see is a huge influx of three bedroom homes with their own backyard.Of course, we cannot manufacture more open space in the inner city suburbs. As such, any houses currently being built are constructed on the outer fringes  far from the city and where public transport linkages arent great.Our transportation systems do not provide quick and easy access to jobs and services in the city. If the issue of housing affordability is to be properly addressed, the government needs to take a more consistent and efficient approach to planning and investment in infrastructure. Rail links in particular need to be given special attention so that people can easily access jobs and services.However, unlike the reports doomsday prediction of plummeting house prices, Flavell says it is unlikely to result in a widespread market collapse.But while I agree with the report in so far as I believe the right type of supply isnt being built, I do not agree that property prices will collapse as a result.If we were going to see a massive slump in house prices, not only would we need everybody to sell their properties at the same time, but we would need to see a significant oversupply of properties. I do not expect this to happen.
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A yellow-and-black checkered ferry that provides a popular service between Ikea in Red Hook and Manhattan says it will float off into the sunset at the end of this year after learning it lost its bid to run the mayors city-wide ferry system.

New York Water Taxi, which has been shuttling landlubbers across the East River and on harbor tours for the last 15 years, claims the city has raised the gangway on its offer to run ferries between Brooklyn and four other boroughs, with the city instead choosing an out-of-state competitor to run the ship. Now, in a power-play move, the colorful taxi service says it soon wont make any more runs unless the mayor reconsiders  leaving Ikea, and residents of transportation-starved Red Hook high and dry.

It will be very difficult to swim across the channel with all of that furniture, said Water Taxi spokesman Jordan Barowitz. That ferry connection has become an integral part of the transportation system for the neighborhood.

The aqua cab entered a bid to operate the new city-wide ferry service that will begin in 2017, but lost out to San Francisco-based company Hornblower Cruises and Events, according to a Crains report.

The citys Economic Development Corporation, which is overseeing the project, says it hasnt selected an operator.

A spokesman for Hornblower  who contacted this paper after receiving an e-mail from the Economic Development Corporation about an earlier inquiry from this reporter  disputed the Crains report and said it was still competing for the bid, but argued calling the cruise company, which has been operating in the harbor since 2007, an intruder doesnt hold water.

Were not happy were characterized as some kind of outsider, said spokesman George Lence. Were very much part of the fabric of New York, were as part of New York as the Empire State Building and Times Square.

And the leader of the New York-based Water Taxi says it will sink next to the cheaper, government-funded service that folks can ride for the price of a subway ride.

We cant compete against heavily subsidized monopolies and thats whats happening the harbor, said company co-president David Neil.

Reps for the citywide ferry service had been touting the operation as a complement to the citys existing water vessels, which include the Water Taxi, and city-run Staten Island Ferry and East River Ferry service, which could also suffer a setback from the decision to pull its boats out of the water.

The New York Water Taxi partners with the East River Ferry service that shuttles passengers between the Brooklyn waterfront, Queens, and Manhattan by providing a vessel and crew.

And folks that depend on the Water Taxi to catch views of citys sights or commute to Red Hook will have to find another, less lavish way to get around, or maybe just skip the high seas altogether, says Neil.

Customers will have to find an average experience or perhaps they will simply choose not to go out on the water, he said.

A rep for the Economic Development Corporation said it is surprised to hear the taxi is threatening to call it quits since it wont directly compete with any of their routes, maintaining there is room for everyone out on the harbor.

We believe there is room in our city for multiple ferry operators providing many different types of services, and were disappointed that Water Taxi does not share our commitment to the future of New York Harbor, said spokesman Anthony Hogrebe.

The Ikea ferry cost is free on weekends, but cost $5 per trip on weekdays when it runs every 45 minutes between 2:30 pm and 7:20 pm. Riders with any receipt from Ikea  including one for the delicious $.50 hot dog  also ride free at all times.
YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. Yerevan hosts outgoing session of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly. The session was attended by delegations of the CSTO member-states of Armenia, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and members of the observation delegation of Serbia.

As Armenpress was informed from the Department of Public Relations and Information of the Armenian National Assembly (NA), the session led by the Chairman of the CSTO PA Council Sergey Naryshkin, who presented the agenda of the session. He highly appreciated the tradition of the Assembly to hold a session of the CSTO member states, adding that it allows one to get acquainted with the military infrastructure of partners. Naryshkin also thanked the Armenian side for the warm welcome.

He also touched on the issue of combating international terrorism, the Syrian crisis and other issues.

Head of the Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the CSTO PA Eduard Sharmazanov made a speech on the priorities of the Armenian chairmanship in the organization.

"We always stand in favor of peaceful resolution of all the issues, particularly the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in format of the OSCE Minsk Group - on the basis of three well-known principles. Military rhetoric, use of force or threat of force should be not only unacceptable, but also condemned by all of us. For our organization it is vital to call things by their names. Only then will we be able to prevent the recurrence of such threats, Sharmazanov said.

Speeches on the military-political situation in the Caucasus were also made by the permanent representative of Armenia in the CSTO Davit Virabyan and head of the Department of Defense Policy of the Ministry of Defense (MOD) of Armenia, Levon Ayvazyan. Other members of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly also made speeches.

After the meeting, the Chairman of the CSTO PA Council Sergey Naryshkin and head of the Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the CSTO PA Eduard Sharmazanov presented the media the discussed issues of agenda and summed up the meeting.
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October 3, 2022

Dee Gambit

Hundreds  if not thousands  of new and returning TV shows and movies are released every month  your options of what to watch are endless. Variety, they say is ...
Meredith, Bailey, Callie, Jackson and Jo headed to a military hospital in Greys Anatomy season 12 episode 13, All Eyez On Me, to perform a risky surgery. Meanwhile, Ben makes a judgement call that lands him in hot water, and cheerleaders invade the ER.

Here are the best quotes from All Eyez on Me.

Greys Anatomy Recap: Callies Team Reports for Miracle Duty>>>

You called us the dream team, and thats exactly what we are. We are miracle workers.

Jackson: How about we take a step back?

Thorpe: How about you take 10 steps back through that door because no ones touching my patient.

Bailey: Sir, I understand that you want whats best for your patient. Is the surgery new and risky? Yes, it is, but if it works  

Callie: Oh, itll work. Major Thorpe, your Chief asked for our help because he knows were the best. Now, you called us the dream team, and thats exactly what we are. We are miracle workers. Now, the sooner you recognize that, the sooner we can get to the business of saving a life, which is all any of us are here to do, yourself included.

You dont have to say anything. All of this is a flirt.

 Jo to Jackson, gesturing at him

I bet. Everybody loved high school in the 50s.

Ben: I actually loved high school.

Stephanie: I bet. Everybody loved high school in the 50s.

Maybe we can intubate them.

Stephanie: Maybe we can intubate them.

Penny: It would be so, so quiet.

 Wondering how to deal with the cheerleaders in the ER

We just have to be squirrels about this.

Callie: Everythings going to be fine, you guys. We just have to be squirrels about this.

Jackson: Couldnt have heard you correctly there.

Callie: Oh, you know, squirrels. They store nuts for the winter, right? But they dont do it all at once. They do it one nut at a time. Everyone has their part to play, so everyone just needs to handle their own nut. We do that, we get all the nuts.

 Callie, reassuring the others before the surgery

Im a very serious person!

Maggie: What if it ends, and Im the woman who dated the pretty boy and it all fell apart?  Who will take me seriously then?

Alex: Im supposed to take you seriously right now?

Maggie: Im a very serious person!

 Maggie, worried about going public about Andrew

Were used to all of that.

Jo: She was flirting with him.

Jackson: She was not.

Callie: Well, I mean I dont see why not. She doesnt know him the way we do.

Jackson: What the hell does that mean?

Callie: Oh, you know. We see you every day. Were used to all of that.

 Discussing Vaughn flirting with Jackson

I work with teenagers every day. I know what high school crap looks like.

Maggie: Thank god we grew out of that.

Alex: Yeah, and look at you now.

Maggie: Yeah. What do you mean, look at me now?

Alex: You and DeLuca.

Maggie: Come on.

Alex: My point exactly. I work with teenagers every day. I know what high school crap looks like.

You did not show skill today, you showed bravado. And that is dangerous.

Richard: The time for pulling boneheaded stunts is long past.

Ben: Boneheaded? What about saving a mans life is boneheaded? Sir, I may be a resident, but Ive been a doctor a lot longer. The other residents love to give me crap about how much older than them I am, but at the end of the day, Im also wiser too. This wasnt a stunt. This was a judgement call. I took a risk, it paid off and this man is alive. I understand, I broke the rules and I need to pay the price for that, but Im not an idiot. I dont deserve to be spoken to as though I am.

Richard: No, what you deserve is a hell of a lot worse. What you call a calculated risk is what I call foolish. Dont confuse the two, Warren. You did not show skill today, you showed bravado. And that is dangerous.

Its not always the worst thing when people push you. When people push you, theyre trying to help you.

Meredith: You want space? I get it. I keep asking for space. People keep not giving it to me, bugging me about hot doctors asking for my number. And I keep shutting them down, because  

Callie: Why, why are we talking about this?

Meredith: Because its not always the worst thing when people push you. When people push you, theyre trying to help you. Im trying to help you.

It was really hard to watch though.

Maggie: Dr. Riggs? Im sorry. I cannot join you on that case tonight. Because I have plans. Dr. DeLuca. A date.

Riggs: Okay.

Maggie: Whom Ive been seeing. Weve been seeing each other, as a couple, romantically, in romance.

Riggs: So you want to keep the surgery this morning then?

Maggie: Yes, thatll be fine.

Riggs: Alright, Ill see you in there.

Arizona: That was hard to watch.

Maggie: Shut up. It was hard to do.

Arizona: It was really hard to watch though.

The trick is not letting the pressure keep you from taking big chances. You just go out there, naked and afraid, and pretend no ones looking.

Theres a reason we like to keep things to ourselves. When you have an audience, even the smallest moments end up feeling huge. It makes the really big moments seem positively earth shattering. The trick is not letting the pressure keep you from taking big chances. You just go out there, naked and afraid, and pretend no ones looking.

 Meredith

Greys Anatomy season 12 airs Thursdays at 8pm on ABC.

(Images courtesy of ABC)
UB awarded $2.6 million from SUNY to recruit top faculty researchers for biomedical engineering and UB RENEW

BUFFALO, N.Y.  The University at Buffalo has been awarded two grants worth $2.6 million to hire senior faculty members that will grow UBs research expertise in biomedical engineering, energy and the environment, and other disciplines, while providing students with world-class educational opportunities.

The grants, from the State University of New Yorks Investment and Performance Fund, are part of a statewide commitment of roughly $8 million to numerous SUNY campuses in support of SUNYs Empire Innovation Program, which helps campus efforts to recruit faculty with proven track records of externally-funded research.

At UB, the money will support the universitys Department of Biomedical Engineering and UB RENEW, a cross-disciplinary institute that tackles pressing environmental issues.

Biomedical engineering and UB RENEW are institutional priorities, said UB Provost Charles F. Zukoski. These awards will enhance greatly our faculty recruitment strengthening research efforts, educational opportunities and impact in these critically important areas.

Biomedical Engineering

UB will receive $1.3 million to hire faculty researchers in its Department of Biomedical Engineering, a multidisciplinary unit that includes the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Science at UB and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Established in 2009, the department is growing rapidly, with 69 degrees awarded last June. University officials expect to double that number by 2020.

This critical investment will allow us to leverage the multidisciplinary strengths of our department of biomedical engineering, said Michael E. Cain, MD, vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB. Especially in light of NIHs designation of UB as a Clinical and Translational Research Institute, these funds will help accelerate the development and delivery of biomedical devices, drugs and treatments that in turn will improve health care in Western New York.

In just a few short years, UB has built a robust biomedical engineering department by recruiting faculty researchers whose innovation and leadership has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense and other agencies, as well as industry and nonprofits, said Liesl Folks, dean of UBs School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. This investment from SUNY will enable us to build upon that success and meet the needs of the biomedical and biotechnology industries by enhancing UBs ability to develop new drug delivery methods, medical devices and other improvements to human health and well-being.

UB RENEW

UB will receive $1.3 million to hire faculty researchers for UB RENEW (Research and Education in eNergy, Environment and Water), an institute created in 2014 to solve global energy and environmental problems, as well as intertwined social and economic issues. The institute includes roughly 100 faculty from seven schools at UB.

UB-RENEW is committed to addressing regional and global energy, water and environmental sustainability challenges through enduring scholarship and intellectual innovation, said Amit Goyal, director of UB RENEW. These funds from the Empire Innovation Program will allow us to hire topflight faculty members who have a sustained track record of excellence in leading cutting-edge research that addresses pressing problems in energy, water and the environment.
The word brezza in Italian means "breeze". It took a while for this breeze to blow across the Maruti Suzuki stable. But the wait has been worthwhile. After the S-Cross crossover, Maruti Suzuki has finally filled the critical space of the compact SUV with the Vitara Brezza, a vehicle heavily engineered in India.

The Brezza has been launched in the country in several variants with the price starting at Rs 6.99 lakh. I got to drive the top-end variant (but without the dual tone body colour scheme), the ZDi+, and found the vehicle adequately powered with some modern features.

The Vitara Brezza is powered by the DDiS 200 1.3 litre diesel engine, the one that also powers the S-Cross. The engine churns out around 89bhp@4,000 rpm and a peak torque of 200Nm@1,750Nm. Maruti Suzuki has used multiple technologies - intelligent battery management, gear shift indicator and low rolling-resistance tyres - which make the Vitara Brezza high on fuel efficiency. The company claims it can give you 24.3 kmpl. A petrol variant for the Vitara Brezza is expected in the future.

The vehicle definitely has a bold and masculine stance, with a lot of its styling on the sporty side. Maruti Suzuki's engineering and styling department, headed by CV Raman, has worked smartly to create a bold look for this compact SUV - the company's first.

The signature "Bull Horn" LEDs with unique turn indicators add to the smart looks. The belt and rocker lines are raised, and along with a gently sloping roofline this adds dynamism to the Brezza. On the rear, the Vitara Brezza comes with split taillights with LEDs and an embossed signature chrome bar that gives it a smart derriere.

Balanced proportions and square wheel arches with large tyres add to the appeal of the vehicle. The Vitara Brezza has a 198mm ground clearance, which I felt was a tad low for rough terrain driving. This car is not really meant for tough off-roading; it is more of an urban machine that comes packed with strong comfort features.

Other comfort features in the Vitara Brezza include rain sensing wipers, auto headlight, cruise control and an air-cooled upper box, among others.

The cabin though is not restricted to impressive styling. It scores well on the practical side too. There is a lot of usable space. The cabin is spacious and even when the front seat is pushed back completely, there is enough leg room at the rear.

Another interesting fact is that the vehicle, with a height of 1,640 mm, offers ample headroom. The boot can accommodate 328 litres in terms of volume. The space can be extended with the flip folded seats and 60:40 rear split, maximising the utility space.

While driving the vehicle on the national highway connecting Pune and Bengaluru, I was impressed by the engine's effortless surge. It touched 140 kmph effortlessly. Acceleration from the standstill position is also absolute and the power delivery, as one presses the acceleration, is linear. The engine is torque plenty with its peak being achieved at a low rpm of 1,750.

As for the ride and handling, the Brezza scores big. Despite the rather tall structure, the body roll is minimal and the handling is solid. The R16 tyres on the top end also plant the vehicle firmly the ground.

Due to the good insulation, the outside noise is filtered out from the cabin. The NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) levels have been kept low as a result of some great work on the suspension. Moreover, with the use of the pendulum engine mount system, acoustic insulation and absorption materials around the cabin and engine compartment ensure low NVH levels. The monocoque body design enhances the handling and control even at high speeds.

With the Brezza, Maruti Suzuki has not compromised on safety. Hi-tensile steel brings strength along with low body weight. While driver airbag is a standard in all variants, front passenger airbag and ABS with EBD are offered as an option from the base variant onwards.

All that remains to be seen now is whether Maruti Suzuki can capture the imagination of the Indian market with the Vitara Brezza.

MARUTI SUZUKI VITARA BREZZA

Engine: 1.3litre DDiS 200 diesel engine

Torque: 200Nm@1,750rpm

Power: 88.5bhp@4,000rpm

Fuel efficiency: 24.3 km per litre

Price: Rs 9.54 lakh (variant ZDi+) (Ex-showroom, Delhi)
YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. Under the chairmanship of Prime Minister of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan government held a meeting, which was attended by the Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Development David Lokyan, Minister of Agriculture Sergo Karapetyan, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Artem Asatryan., Minister of Education and Science Levon Mkrtchyan, governors and representatives of different departments.

Armenpresswas informed from the Information and Public Relations Department of the Armenian government that issues on infrastructure development projects, preparatory works for the spring agricultural works, taking measures against anti-flood, improving social services, and others were discussed.
In her studio apartment in New York in which she has lived for 40 years, Zarina Hashmi reduces the rites of memory and the conundrums of political disenchantment to a withering indictment in a few sharp lines. It has always been thus. At Armory, the popular art fair that ended on March 6, her works were on view at the Gallery Espace booth, their sparseness drawing attention amidst the babble and razzmatazz of the pop-and-weird. Born in India, with family in Pakistan, and a practice in America, she has drawn attention to the plight of the homeless and the displaced. "There is so much I am witness to," she says, pain moistening her eyes, this artist who has erased geographies and carried the burden of histories within her.

In another part of the same city, Nasreen Mohamedi - born in 1935, the same year as Hashmi - has ushered in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's new branch, called the Met Breuer. The press has been ecstatic about Mohamedi's retrospective, which it has hailed for its brilliance while castigating a parallel exhibition of unfinished works by well-known European artists. The retrospective was first shown at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi, then at Museo Reina Sofia in Spain, before arriving in New York where its curator, Roobina Karode, introduced her works to a visibly moved audience.

Like Hashmi, Mohamedi reduced her visual language to the minimal, a few lines and grids of such lightness and eloquence, it feels like a song in pen and ink. Haunted by unrequited love, obsessive about cleanliness, Mohamedi succumbed to Huntington's disease, gradually losing control over her muscles, using the metier of lines to register her pain and loneliness as an artist and teacher in Baroda.

Hashmi and Mohamedi are in many ways atypical of Indian art which, whether modern or contemporary, is burdened by opulence rather than minimalism. That two women artists should choose to work with lines in the drafting tradition of architecture is itself axiomatic of a space usually reserved for men who have found in its rigid stance the ability to emote without sentiment. Acceptance for and of them in the Western world, however hard-won, has been easier than back home in India. Yet, those lines are not without feeling. Theirs might be an art without emotion but it is not without its ability to move us.

There is much that is common between the two artists beside their year of birth and their minimal vocabulary. Both came from emancipated Muslim families that were not without means, even though they were not wealthy; both inclined towards education and learning, and even now, Hashmi tends to her Urdu and Punjabi even though she was denied an Indian visa because of her travels to Pakistan. She worries where her works will end up after she is gone, and has made grants to museums and universities in her lifetime.

Hashmi's ordered and orderly life is as neatly contained in shelves and boxes as Mohamedi's drawings. She ventures out rarely, seeking the solitude in which Mohamedi found a refuge, but is not without hope. Where Mohamedi's lines seared with their sharpness, Hashmi's unfold and collapse under grief. Mohamedi died in 1990; Hashmi, bent by the weight of age, continues to be prolific, her constellation of collages taking up her time as she frets over the state of the world in which alienation isn't just another word but a lived experience. As the Western world celebrates these two women from the subcontinent, India's art history has made place for their courage and bravery - not just of their spirit but, especially, of their art.

Kishore Singh is a Delhi-based writer and art critic. These views are personal and do not reflect those of the organisation with which he is associated
Pick up any business daily and it is impossible to miss the consistent hosannas sung in honour of India's booming e-commerce sector. Stars of this brigade, from Flipkart's Sachin and Binny Bansal to Snapdeal's Kunal Behl, regularly make it to awards ceremonies where they are rewarded for their foresight in setting in motion what is now universally acknowledged as Indian ingenuity's latest poster child.

Meanwhile, the situation on the ground points to a less rosy picture. Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode completed its placement season in January and trends suggest e-commerce companies have begun giving B-school campuses the miss. While the placement season was overall successful with average salary for the batch at Rs 17 lakh, the e-commerce story on campus took a fall. (When I graduated from another IIM in 2012, the average salary was in the range of Rs 10 lakh, so at least for B-school grads, achhe din seem have to have arrived.)



The IIMs have always taken the pick of the lot when it comes to traditionally high-paying sectors such as consulting and investment banking. This was repeated at IIM-K this year too, with finance making offers to 21 per cent of the batch and consulting to 28 per cent. Sales and marketing absorbed 27 per cent. The story is expected to repeat itself at the top three, IIMs A, B and C, where placements are either undergoing or will take place over the coming weeks.

Over the past few years, e-commerce giants such as Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal have been offering top-dollar packages to IIM grads as well as at a slew of other schools such as MDI, Gurgaon and S P Jain, Mumbai. Last year, Flipkart and Snapdeal picked up 13 and 19 students, respectively, from MDI Gurgaon. At S P Jain, the respective numbers were 17 and 11.

This has diminished drastically this year. At MDI this year, both companies picked up 2 candidates each. Neither company even visited S P Jain this year. Amazon cut down its tally at SP Jain to 8 from 22 last year. Flipkart skipped IIM-K and even Amazon's numbers took a 30 per cent drop there.

Speaking to NDTV in January, Nikesh Arora, president and CEO at Softbank, said that this year will be the year of consolidation in the Indian startup space. Last year was when big monies poured into a number of companies. Some such as Oyo Rooms and Paytm have been able to sustain themselves and even post impressive growth on the back of sound business models. Others, Arora said, will bite the dust.

Curiously, the case of the Big 3: Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal is different. Since the entry of Amazon into the market, all three firms have been on a fierce expansion spree, offering big discounts that grow the topline but continue to bleed the bottomline. Amazon, flush in cash from its parent company, can take the fight to the finish, but what effect this will have on the sustainability of the e-commerce model is anyone's guess.

The caution that Arora sounded seems to now reflect on B-school campuses. Over the past few years, e-commerce companies have recruited candidates for a variety of operational, sales and IT roles. As these companies looked to strengthen their supply chains and control the last-mile of delivery, operations, otherwise the unglamorous cousin of more popular concentrations, suddenly turned snazzy. But the warning signs are already here. Amazon's net loss for its India business for the year ended March 2015 was a whopping Rs 1,700 crore, and if we add to this the losses incurred by Flipkart and Snapdeal, the figure crosses Rs 5,000 crore.

Investors will increasingly come to question the sustainability of these figures. Due to rising Internet penetration and a large middle class eager to buy goods, India's online retail story has been pegged as a game-changer for some years now. But the most potent business prospect will fail in the long term if it cannot find a way to make money.

It is common to hear e-commerce stalwarts say that this a growth period and that investors should stay patient as firms build scale. But no business, not even tech royalty such as Facebook and Google, can look to the future interminably. Without ad revenue, which both firms are masters at earning, their world-domination designs would have come unstuck. Look at their peer, Twitter, also an A-list company when it comes to shaking things up, but which continues to be in peril due to its inability to monetise its millions of users.

Does the reduction in B-school recruitments, then, indicate a much-needed correction? I would not bet my money on it. The e-commerce space receives outsize media coverage and, thus far, heavy investments that have made them the darlings of the tech pack in India. As of now, there are no signs of these players hitting the brakes. But they should. Unless greater consolidation happens or unless a less money-burning strategy is thought up soon, the drop in B-school numbers is likely to become permanent.

vjohri19@gmail.com
Sreekumari S, a 42-year-old mother of two, reaches her office at Thiruvananthapuram at 8 every morning. After sorting the packets that are waiting for her, she loads the lot into a large backpack, which she then hoists on her shoulders and heads to her Honda Activa scooter, determined to hit the road. The red bindi on her forehead and the vermilion in the parting of her hair peek out of the helmet firmly placed on her head. Sreekumari is ready for the day.

A resident of Chempazhanthy, a suburb of Thiruvananthapuram, Sreekumari is one of the first women to ride into the male-dominated world of e-commerce delivery agents - or "delivery associates" as they are called at Amazon.

Until recently, she contributed to her family income by working as a tailor from home. In January, her sister who works at the residence of Divya Syam, Amazon's service partner in the region, told her that the e-commerce company was looking to employ, for the first time in India, women as delivery agents. To qualify for the job, all she needed was good communication skills, basic knowledge of English and a scooter.

Sreekumari jumped at the opportunity. One of her two sons worked as a delivery associate at Amazon. He suggested that she take up the job. She could be another member from the family - which also includes her husband, who is a mechanic, and her parents - to join the sizeable last-mile logistics network of one of the world's largest e-commerce companies.

She says it did not scare her that she had never stepped out of home to do a job until now. After a two-day training, which included traffic rules, personal security and operating mobile applications, she says she was ready.

She now delivers around 40 packets a day riding on her two-wheeler within a 3-km radius of her office. Many of the deliveries are to Technopark, the city's information technology hub. For every package delivered, the service partner earns a fee of Rs 30. Sreekumari and the others are not willing to reveal how much they earn in a month, but say it is more than what they have ever made.

Encouraged by her success, two women known to her have also joined the company as delivery associates. There are currently seven women, including Sreekumari, who work as delivery associates. Seeing them, she says, more women have started enquiring about the job and what it entails.

One of the questions that pop up frequently is if it is safe. The women delivery agents says they have not encountered any problem so far. In fact, they say go out of their way to be helpful when they see a woman delivering the package. There are, however, plans to offer self-defence classes to women delivery associates and launch a helpline for them.

The Kerala initiative is Amazon's first-of its-kind delivery station. Recently, another one opened in Chennai. From management to product delivery, women run the show.

Syam worked in a company at Technopark, while her husband and brother-in-law managed the delivery station that had 25 delivery boys. During her free time, she helped out at the station. She says she would often wonder why there weren't any women delivery agents. So, when she learnt that Amazon was planning to launch all-women delivery stations, she immediately pitched for one.

Samuel Thomas, director (transportation), Amazon India, says the company decided to launch the pilot projects in Thiruvananthapuram and Chennai based on the interest women here showed in joining the workforce.

Sreekumari, meanwhile, wraps up the deliveries by 3 pm and then heads home, back to her sewing machine.
It was an innocuous change of policy by the finance ministry in 2010 which allowed Vijay Mallya and several others to tap public sector banks for additional loans, riding on often weak credit appraisals.

The finance ministry that year told its officers who were nominated on the boards of public sector banks to stay away from the board sub-committees tasked with examining big-ticket loans. The nominee directors were instead supposed to give their opinion on systemic and other macro issues concerning the banks.

A few months later, Vijay Mallya applied for a sizeable credit from the state-owned IDBI Bank and that was approved for about Rs 900 crore. As a top-level officer in the government at that time put it, "It was unfair to subject the officers from the various wings of the finance ministry to examine these big-ticket loan applications without having any expertise in appraisal for the same".

As soon as the finance ministry made the decision, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) also asked its nominee director to step back. The boards of state-run banks are populated, among others, by two nominee directors from the finance ministry and the RBI. The former is supposed to represent the interests of the government as the largest shareholder in the bank and the latter is expected to be an eye for the regulator in the boardroom.

The decision to withdraw the officers from the inspection of individual credit decisions of the banks happened just before the banks in 2010 and 2011 began a massive credit drive for the infrastructure sector. The drive was part of the stimulus package the government began to offer to the industrialists to revive investments in the economy. While there is no way to figure out if Mallya's loan would have gone through otherwise, the absence of the two directors did take out an element of supervision from the boards. A recent CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation)-led investigation concluded that the loan for Mallya's now-grounded Kingfisher airline was partly used to retire other debts.

Another officer aware of the developments then said that before Mallya could get a lifeline from the IDBI Bank, he had made more than one trip to the banking division of the finance ministry.

But the division had refused to intervene on his behalf telling him to convince the boards of the respective banks instead. The officer conjectured that the finance ministry representative would have been aware of the position taken by the division because of which the board of IDBI Bank would have subjected the application from the beleaguered liquor and airline business man to more intense scrutiny.

Like Mallya's loan, which has turned non-performing, plenty of those loans given out from the period now sit on the books of the state as bad ones.

The latest estimate for these loans is about Rs 4,00,000 crore as on March 31, 2015. On Thursday, credit rating agency CRISIL downgraded its ratings on the debt instruments of eight public sector banks. IDBI Bank is one of them. It expects the weak assets to "balloon" to Rs 7,10,000 crore by March 2017.
The district collector here offered on Friday a compromise formula to resolve the tussle between management and workers at Tata Motors' factory at Sanand, close to the city.

The workers sought time and are likely to decide by Saturday evening. Representatives of the workers and the company held an almost two-hour meeting at the office of Rajkumar Beniwal, the collector.

The 400-odd workers had gone on strike since February 22. There is some misunderstanding between the two parties and the government's effort is clear the air, said the collector.

"We tried to explain to the striking workers that suspension is not equivalent to a termination, and that a neutral agency would conduct an enquiry into the matter of suspension of workers (trigger for the strike)," he said.

Further, the suspended workers (about 28) would get half their salaries during this period of enquiry. If the probe report isn't ready in three months, they'd get 75 per cent of their salaries for the next three months. Upon which, if this uncertainty continues, the suspensions would be revoked and the workers get all their wages, he said.

However, if the enquiry finds any of the workers guilty, action would be taken against them.

Beniwal said he hoped the workers would soon resume duty. "Both sides were positive," he told reporters here.

We are thankful to the collector for his initiative on this illegal strike," said a company spokesperson. " We have again communicated that all workmen other than those suspended on charges of indiscipline should resume duty. It is in the interest of business to complete the enquiries at the earliest."



Tata Motors had earlier set Thursday as the deadline for strikers to resume duty or face legal action.
Liquor baron was on Friday summoned to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 18, even as the beleaguered businessman asserted he was not an absconder, amid an escalating political row over how he was able to go abroad days before a consortium of banks sought impounding of his passport for allegedly defaulting on loans.

Taking forward its money laundering probe in the alleged default in payment of Rs 950-crore dues to IDBI bank by the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines, the ED issued summons to Mallya for appearance in Mumbai on a day when A Raghunathan, former chief financial officer of the carrier, appeared before the investigators in Mumbai. Summons have been issued to Mallya under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in connection with the IDBI case, official sources said.

The sources said Mallya has also been asked to furnish documents related to his personal finances. We had summoned Raghunathan and he appeared before us for questioning this morning. His questioning is important to throw light on various financial transactions, said an ED official.

Mallya has been asked to come up with details like his income-tax returns and the assets he owns. Mallya left India for London on March 2  just days before Indian banks moved the Supreme Court seeking action against him.

His departure has triggered a war of words between Narendra Modi-led government and the Opposition.

Mallya, who is facing legal proceedings for alleged loan defaults by his group to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore, took on the media and said he will comply with Indian laws. I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish, Mallya tweeted. He further said: As an Indian MP I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media.





TWEETS BY @THEVIJAYMALLYA I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish



As an Indian MP I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media



Let media bosses not forget help, favours, accommodation that I have provided over several years which are documented. Now lies to gain TRP



reports that I must declare my assets. Does that mean that Banks did not know my assets or look at my Parliamentary disclosures



Once a media witch hunt starts it escalates into a raging fire where truth and facts are burnt to ashes

Apart from Raghunathan, the ED also interrogated Ravi Nedungadi, chief financial officer of United Breweries. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is also probing the IDBI Bank case. At the same time, the Serious Fraud Investigation Office is probing the collapse of Kingfisher Airlines and the money trail.

Apart from Kingfisher officials, Yogesh Agarwal, former chairman and managing director of IDBI Bank, and a few IDBI Bank officials, who were part of the credit committee, have also been summoned by the ED. The ED is likely to interrogate Agarwal on Saturday. Kingfisher Airline had shut shop in October 2012.

The ED is also looking into the proceeds of crime under the stringent Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). According to sources, the ED is probing whether some of the loan amount was illegally sent overseas.

While the ED continued its investigation in Mumbai, the Mallya scandal rocked the Parliament. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad asked the government why the CBI amended its lookout notice against Mallya from detention in October 2015 to just inform in November. What made the CBI change its original notice? asked Azad. He also accused the government of helping Mallya, who was elected to Rajya Sabha in 2010 with the help of JD (U) and BJP, leave India.

The government also came under fire from its allies. While poor farmers are driven to commit suicide when they fail to pay off loans obtained by staking their homes and holdings for small loans ranging from Rs 25,000-50,000, but the laws do not seem to apply to Lalit Modi and Mallya, Shiv Sena wrote in an editorial in Saamna newspaper.
India's largest e-commerce marketplace is in talks with Alibaba to raise $1 billion but the Chinese e-commerce player is looking at investing at a lower valuation in a tighter funding market.

Alibaba is an existing investor in other Indian e-commerce firms such as Snapdeal and Paytm, and expects a stake in could get it a stronger hold against competition from Amazon, which has an open cheque book to conquer the Indian market. But it wants to invest at a valuation nearly a quarter lower than $ 15.2 billion, the value investors put money in in July 2015, people familiar with the development said.

The deadlock on valuation could potentially delay Flipkart's fund raising by a few months, instead allowing it to focus on bringing in operational efficiencies and pushing its advertising and logistics units to monetise further. It also would push for faster profitability of Myntra, the fashion app and portal, where it has a leverage to sell high margin private products to customers, people said.

The shift in valuation downwards comes soon after Morgan Stanley, a small but key investor in the company, marked down the value of its stake in the company by 27 percent. Industry experts opined that the drop in value has been known for months but was only made public recently. Flipkart declined comment.

Techcrunch reported first the development of Flipkart and Alibaba's discussion on funding with lower valuation.

The drop in value of Flipkart, India's most valuable startup, has kicked off a debate of over valuations and the onset of a correction in the Indian startup space. Even budget room aggregator OYO Rooms seems to be eroding as investors shy away from putting in their money at the targeted $600 million valuation.

While Flipkart has over 50 million monthly active users, the number of transacting users on the platform is said to be much smaller. The company's previous two fund raising efforts in December 2014 and July 2015 propped up the value of the company to $11 billion and $15 billion respectively. Since then, however, Amazon has emerged as a strong competitor to Flipkart, which has scared investors.

The ripples of Flipkarts drop in value is being seen across India's nascent startup ecosystem, which is undergoing its first real correction. Going forward, investors expect there to be a renewed focus on fundamentals and profitability in 2016 as opposed to a land grab mentality that saw some insane cash burn rates in 2015.
For India's largest IT services provider Tata Consultancy services (TCS) which had to face major hedwinds in FY15 and FY16, analyst expect FY17 will be a better year.

"Our meeting with the company suggests some growth headwinds in FY15-16 (insurance and Europe) are now past with a likely revival ahead. Overall revenue growth should improve in FY17," said a report by Jefferies' Vaibhav Dhasmana and Atul Goyal.

during the last two financial years has been facing pressure in verticals such as telecom, energy and insurance (mainly Diligenta) and in markets such as Europe, UK and Japan. Read more from our special coverage on "TCS" TCS certified as top employer in US for 2nd straight year

N Chandrasekaran, CEO and MD, last month had suggested that growth in insurance vertical will be back on track. "Diligenta will take one more quarter to get back on growth track.

Telecom (8.4 per cent of revenue) and energy (4.1 per cent of revenue) are likely to continue growing below company average but should have a lesser overall impact due to the smaller exposure. Europe (11 per cent of revenue) had seen a temporary slowdown which should likely revive while UK (16 per cent of revenue) ex-Diligenta should continue to grow.

Visibility in Japan continues to remain low, said the Jefferies' note.

"Company believes that given some headwinds discussed earlier are now past and growth should improve from here on. This is also reflected in our 10 per cent/12.4 per cent YoY growth projections of USD revenues in FY17/18E. In the Mar-16 quarter, sequential growth could likely be similar to that in the previous years," said the note.

The management yet again reiterated that it does not see any headwinds in the BFS space, like some of its peers, Cognizant, has warned about. "In fact growth for the vertical is likely to remain resilient as it has in recent past on back of -1) Discretionary spend on digital; 2) Regulatory and risk management; 3) Simplification of legacy systems."
The government suffered a loss Rs 12,488.93 crore as six private telecom operators including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular and Reliance Communications understated gross revenue by Rs 46,045.75 crore from 2006-07 to 2009-10, according to a CAG report.

The financial impact due to understatement of gross revenues stood at at Rs 1,507.25 crore for Reliance Communications, Rs 1,357.68 crore for Tata Teleservices, Airtel -- Rs 1,066.95 crore, Vodafone -- Rs 749.85 crore, Idea -- Rs 423.26 crore and Aircel -- Rs 107.61 crore.

Also, the adjustment of one-time entry fee paid by telecom whose licences were quashed by the Supreme Court against the spectrum price they paid in 2012-13 deprived national exchequer of Rs 5,476.3 crore, according to another CAG report.

The CAG reports were tabled today in Parliament.

"Verification of records of six telecom players indicated total understatement of Rs 46,045.75 crore in gross revenue (GR), having corresponding impact of Rs 3,752.37 crore on licence fee (LF) and Rs 1,460.23 crore on spectrum usage charge (SUC). The interest on this short/non-payment of LF and SUC works out to Rs 7,276.33 crore," CAG said in the report on sharing of revenue by private telecom service providers.

It contains significant findings on correctness and completeness of revenue share paid to the government by Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, Reliance Communications, Idea Cellular, Tata Teleservices and Aircel along with their subsidiaries for the period from 2006-07 to 2009-10.

The audit report on communication and IT sector said, "Set-off of the non-refundable entry fee of Rs 5,476.30 crore paid by licensees in 2008 whose licences were declared illegal and quashed by the Supreme Court against the auction price payable for spectrum in 1800 MHz/800 MHz held in November 2012/March 2013 deprived the government of the revenue to that extent."



The government in 2012 decided to adjust the licence fee paid by whose permits were quashed in the 2G case. The adjustment will be provided in the spectrum price those players will shell out in the auction to procure the airwaves.
YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. The trial session over the case of Russian soldier Valery Permyakov, accused in the gruesome murder of the Avetisyan family, will continue in 102nd Russian Military Base on March 18. The trial session was suspended on March 11 because of Permyakovs poor health.

15 minutes left till the end of the meeting when it was announced that Permyakov feels bad. A break was announced in 5 minutes, and then as a result of the medical examination, it became known that the defendant has pressure problems. The judge Harutyun Movsesyan postponed the hearing until next Friday.

The 6 members of the Avetisyans family were shot and killed in Gyumri at around 6 a.m. on January 12, 2015. The only survivor was 6-month old Seryozha Avetisyan, who was transferred to a hospital with injuries caused by a cutting and piercing tool. The childs health condition became worse on January 19. After fighting for his life and undergoing several difficult surgeries for a week, six-month old Seryozha Avetisyan also died on January 19. There was severe renal insufficiency and cardiac insufficiency, and doctors werent able to save his life. Soldier of the 102nd Russian military base stationed in Gyumri, Valery Permyakov was charged with killing the members of the Avetisyan family and causing numerous injuries to little Seryozha. Russian border guards found him when he was trying to cross the Armenian-Turkish border and handed him over to the commanders of the 102nd Russian military base. Permyakov confessed his guilt. The trial will take place on January 18.
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed as withdrawn separate public interest litigations (PILs) filed by former Ranbaxy executive Dinesh Thakur challenging certain rules under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and seeking the creation of a framework for the recall of drugs and a commission to examine faulty drug approvals.

The Union health ministry, the Drugs Consultative Committee and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) were among the respondents.

A Bench led by Chief Justice T S Thakur, which heard the petitions, questioned the locus standi of the petitioner. An overseas citizen has come all the way to challenge a rule. What is your locus? the judge asked, adding: Bring a public person affected by the rule.



When the lawyer tried to explain Dinesh Thakurs credentials as a whistle blower, the judge said the court did not have time for taking up matters raised by activists for publicity.

You are coming with academic issues when people are languishing in jails. Our hands are full, the Bench dismissed the petitions as withdrawn by the party after the petitioners counsel requested that he be allowed to approach other forums including the high court.

On March 7, 2016, Reuters had carried an article about the upcoming Supreme Court hearing titled Pharma crusader Dinesh Thakur takes Indias drug regulator to court. The article was accompanied by a picture of Thakur with the caption, Dinesh Thakur, a public health activist, poses for a picture at his residence in Gurgaon on the outskirts of New Delhi, January 19, 2016.



In a tweet posted soon after the decision, Dinesh Thakur said, Disappointed that the Supreme Court has declined to hear my PILs (public interest litigations). He also posted links to his blog, which detailed the intent and scope of these petitions. These PILs were the best chance to wipe the slate clean and start afresh. As we argued in the second PIL, the band-aid approach that we have taken for the last 60-odd years will only exacerbate the situation, the blog post said.

The post, titled A sincere attempt to improve the quality of medicine for people around the world, said: We need to rip the current system up from its roots and start with a clean slate. I still believe this is the right approach. Doing so will bring the regulatory framework on par with internationally accepted standards and hold the regulator truly accountable for public health to the people of India. This will also help the (pharma) industry in India grow again, provide good paying jobs to our young women and men.



He had told Reuters last week that there was no financial motive for the suit and how he spent much of 2015 working with lawyers to file around 100 public information requests on how state and central drug authorities had responded to cases where rules had been broken, some of which first came to light five years ago.

The responses he obtained showed CDSCO and the health ministry had not adequately investigated and prosecuted those breaches, despite saying they would, Reuters had reported.

Three years ago, the former Ranbaxy executive had made $48 million as a whistle blower award from the US, when US regulators fined Ranbaxy $500 million for violating federal drug safety laws and making false statements to the Food and Drug Administration.
of India, part of Murugappa Group, has launched Belgium-based bicycle brand Ridley in the Indian market with plans to sell India-specific products and the global products under the brand. The company would collaborate with Ridley to share local knowledge, to bring out India-specific products, unlike its earlier brand associations, said senior management officials of .

"We are launching 11 models for India in a price range of Rs 25,000-80,000, for which we will have technology collaboration with Ridley. We are also launching 14 of Ridley's global brands, which would start at a price range of Rs 63,000-7.8 lakh and above," said Arun Alagappan, president of of India.

He said that the product will be manufactured by Ridley in Belgium and would be imported to India. These products will be sold through 54 dealers, who are dealing with the super premium bikes of TI Cycles, across the country.

The company, in August, 2015, entered into a Brand Licensing Rights agreement with Ridley Bikes to sell the Ridley range in India and neighbouring countries. Under this agreement, TI Cycles will leverage its understanding of the Indian bicycle market and provide a platform for the world-renowned bicycles brand Ridley to enter into the market of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar for a period of 33 years.

Joachim Aerts, chief executive officer of Ridley Bikes said: "With the introduction of Ridley Bicycles to India, TI Cycles has helped us take a distinctive and progressive approach to the Indian market. Moving forward our focus will be to grow this segment in line with the needs of the Indian consumers."

He added that the company, with the help of others, is planning to set up an open innovation centre by April, this year, to conduct research for the next generation of bicycles.
ValueLabs, a Hyderabad-based business technology solutions provider, has partnered Canadian social media management platform Hootsuite to deliver solutions for managing social media campaigns, marketing and advertising.



"Many of the services we offer help organisations enhance communication by becoming a more agile, connected and customer-focused business. With this partnership, we combine Hootsuite's strong social relationship platform and our proven domain and technology expertise to create industry-specific digital marketing solutions," Ram Manjeri, senior vice-president (sales and marketing) at ValueLabs, said in a release.



Hootsuite's solutions integrate with many of the other existing offerings in ValueLabs' portfolio. ValueLabs will employ key solutions to overcome challenges including content creation, scheduling, publishing and moderation, collaboration, workflow and approval management, data analytics and reporting, sentiment analysis.



Marketing campaign automation, integration with legacy marketing and analytics platforms, and strategic social media consulting services.



According to a 451 Research report, the market for social business applications is expected to grow from $13.9 billion in revenue in 2014 to $37 billion in 2019.
German carmaker is geared to leave the emission controversy behind in India and is looking to lure customers back with a new portfolio. While it is set to launch the made-in-India Ameo and Polo GTI for auto enthusiasts and plug-in hybrid Passat later this year, is also going to do a voluntary recall of 198,000 vehicles in India from June or July. The recall figure for the entire Group, including Audi and Skoda, would be higher.

The company maintains that it is doing a voluntary recall of vehicles fitted with the EA189 engines, even though it complies with emission standards in India. The EA189 diesel engines were found to have the emission defeating software in the US, which is why the automaker is recalling vehicles with the engine series across the globe. Recalls have commenced in Europe and once Volkswagen India gets the software, it will start recalling vehicles from June-July onwards.

While the company maintains that it meets all emission norms in India, the recall is voluntary in nature as it does not distinguish between customers across the globe. Speaking on the subject, Michael Mayer, director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India, said the decision to do a voluntary recall in India was part of a holistic approach towards the EA189 engine. Mayer said: "The recall is a global recall and it has started with Europe, It will basically be a software update. Once we have the software and it is certified by the government in India, we will start communicating with customers. For cars with 1.5-litre and 1.6-litre engines, an additional plastic tube will be fitted (six inches long) for air intake and to support air flow. Cars with engines higher than 1.5-litre capacity will only see a software update."



The German automaker wants all the EA189 engines to be of the same standard, which would also act as a mechanism to build trust with their existing customer base across the globe. The automaker is in the process of building capacity at its service centres and workshops in India, as it would like to complete the process by the end of the calendar year.

Even as it is focused on rebuilding the trust with Indian customers, Volkswagen is armed with a plan to bring consumers back into its showrooms. Given that the Indian market is moving towards the premium end, Volkswagen is at an advantage, believes Mayer, as it is already a premium brand. Volkswagen is looking to launch the made in India compact sedan Ameo in the second half of the calendar year. The Tiguan, which will be launched in Europe shortly, will be launched in the spring of 2017, while the plug-in Passat Hybrid will also be launched in 2016. For auto enthusiasts, VW is launching the Polo GTI, the fastest car in the segment, targeted at auto enthusiasts. Its price would be upwards of Rs 20 lakh.
Tech Mahindra has backed out from the race for acquiring Bengaluru-based IT services firm Mphasis, an HP company. Many feel that going along with a private equity player may make better sense for the IT services firm.

Mphasis, that has been trying hard to diversify its non-HP business so that its dependence on parent company comes down, may just find that partnering with a private equity player like Blackstone or Apollo Global Management may be a big positive.

If Blackstone manages to acquire Mphasis, this will be its first investment in the IT services segment. It has invested in Intelenet Global Services, a business process management in 2011. It had investments in CMS Info Systems. Blackstone sold its stake to Baring Private Equity Asia.

For Apollo Global Management this would be their first investment in the technology space in India. Unlike peers like Blackstone and KKR, Apollo has not made too many bets in the Indian market.

What, however, should matter to Mphasis is what can a PE player brings to table. Attempts made to get in touch with Ganesh Ayyar, CEO, Mphasis failed, but a look at what Blackstone did with Intelenet Global Services when it first came on board in 2007, should give some idea.

When Blackstone acquired majority stake in Intelenet in 2007, revenue of the company was around $100 million. By the time the PE player sold its stake to UK-based Serco, Intelenets revenue had touched $250 million. What is more crucial is that Blackstone that invested about $180 million to get 90 per cent stake in the company made almost 3x when it sold the company to Serco for $634 million.

This is not all. Blackstone also gave Intelenet access to several of its portfolio companies. Today almost 15 per cent of Intelenets revenue comes from Blackstones portfolio firms. These companies gave Intelenet entry into sectors like travel, transport, hospitality and healthcare.

Blackstone did help Intelenet in growing its healthcare practice. The PE player had good portfolio of companies from the healthcare segment, they gave Intelenet an entry point into these companies, said a senior executive from an advisory firm.
Even as the Modi government has come under attack from the Opposition for letting Mallya flee from India, a BJP Member of Parliament has written to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) today seeking a forensic audit into all transactions between Mallya, United Spirits and Diageo.

Kirit Somaiya, a Member of Parliament and a member of Parliaments Finance Committee and Public Accounts Committee, said sale of assets by Mallya in the last few years should be probed  considering the huge liabilities to banks, tax authorities, provident fund authorities and employees. The complex money transfer between various Mallya entities in India, United Spirits and Virgin Island entities should also be looked into, he said. Besides, Somaiya also sought an investigation into other wilful defaulters who owe close to Rs 65,000 crore to Indian banks.

Somaiyas communication to the RBI assumes significance as it was way back in December 2013 that a division bench of Karnataka High Court had ordered an investigation by the Enforcement Directorate and the RBI on diversion of Rs 4,000 crore to the tax haven of British Virgin Islands from USL in 2007. There was no follow up action from either the ED or the RBI since December 2013 order by the Karnataka HC order.

Diageo had taken over United Spirits in October 2012 in a $2.1 billion transaction and later increased its stake to 54% by making open offers to other shareholders. Most of the proceeds of the sale from USL sale was diverted to offshore accounts of Mallya and was not used to repay PSU bank loans.

As per the HC order, UB had told Rs 4,000 crore were diverted for payment of the acquisition of Whyte & Mackay. But lenders argued that there were no supporting documents to show why such an asset was parked in a tax haven. Within months of Karnataka order, United Spirits, under Diageo, sold White and Mackay in May 2014 for Rs 4,345 crore to Philippines Emperador.

The Karnataka High Court had blasted the UB group saying said the company has not come to court with clean hands and the transaction was not a bona fide one. Hence, the diversion of funds needs to be investigated. UB later moved the SC, which had ordered a status quo on sale of 7% of USL shares.

Interestingly, in April 14 2013, in order to get clearance of the sale to Diageo, the UB Group gave an assurance to the bankers that it will make a significant payment to Kingfisher lenders out of the proceeds of the sale of USL shares to Diageo. UB Group also requested the bankers not to take any action to sell USL shares in the market which may derail the Diageo deal. But the UB group did not return any money to the Indian public sector banks and instead sued them in various courts.

The lenders had also raised queries over Diageos $35 million investment in Mallyas South African Brewery and guarantee facilitation of $135 million by Diageo to Force One racing team. This, lenders alleged, was a part of Diageo deal but the money was not bought to India.

Mallya fund transfers



* 2007: United Spirits transfers Rs 4,000 cr to tax haven British Virgin Islands to buy W&M



* May 2007: United Spirits buys Whyte & Mackay



* November 2012: Diageo buys United Spirits for $2.1 bn



* December 2013: Karnataka HC orders probe into Rs 4,000 cr fund transfer, says UB groups sale of 7% stake to Diageo is void



* February 2014: SC orders status quo on sale of 7% stake to Diageo



* May 2014: United Spirits sells W&M to Emperador for Rs 4,345 cr



* April 2015: Diageo accuses Mallya of cooking USL accounts, asks Mallya to quit



* February 2016: Mallya quits United Spirits board, gets $75 million non-compete fees from Diageo



* March 2016: ED/RBI begin probe into Kingfisher, Mallya transactions as banks fail to get dues
A leakage in primary heat transport (PHT) system in unit-1 reactor of the Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) in Vyara district of south Gujarat is under control, site officials of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited, a Government of India enterprise, said.

Leakage in the PHT system had led to the reactor being shut down at even as all safety systems were reportedly working as intended. "The leakage was inside the reactor and the radiation levels at the site are normal. The coolant leakage has been brought under control. All workers are safe.

The district administration has also been informed about the same," said site officials, adding that the reactor would take about 24 hours to cool down.

Workers were asked to remain within the premises as per standard operating procedure before being allowed to go home, site officials added.

Earlier, in an statement, Kakrapar Gujarat site director Lalit Kumar Jain of NPCIL said that unit-1 of the Atomic Power Station which was operating at its rated power was shutdown at about 9 am on Friday morning.

"Consequent to a small leak in Primary Heat Transport (PHT) system, the reactor was shut down as intended as per design provisions. All safety systems are working as intended. The radioactivity/radiation levels in the plant premises and outside are normal. KAPS-1&2 consists of two units of pressurised heavy water reactor of 220 MWe each," Jain of NPCIL stated.

According to Vyara district collectorate, the district administration as well as emergency services were alerted in the morning.

KAPS-1&2 comprises two units of pressurised heavy water reactor of 220 Mw each which were commissioned in 1993 and 1995, respectively.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who spent nearly three hours at the inaugural ceremony on Friday of the controversial 'world culture festival' on the Yamuna floodplains, asked Indians to be proud of their culture. And, lauded spiritual guru Ravi Shankar for having introduced India to the world. The three-day event, organised under the auspices of the Art of Living Foundation that Ravi Shankar heads, has been criticised for having ignored environmental concerns, erecting massive structures on the riverbed for the multitudes who'd be coming.

The PM didnt refer to the controversy in his speech. "India has the cultural heritage and richness the whole world is looking for. We can fulfill those needs... But, it can only happen, if we take pride in our heritage. If we keep cursing it, then why will the world look at us?" he told the gathering.

The attendance was much below what the organizers had expected. Intermittent rain left the paths leading up to the event difficult to negotiate for those on foot and also led to motor vehicles getting stuck. The event also caused traffic snarls in several parts of Delhi. People returning home afterwards found themselves stuck in traffic for hours.

The PM said Indian cultural traditions had much to offer to the world and this was the countrys soft power.

Former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin, Nepal's Deputy PM Kamal Thapa and the UAE cultural minister were some of the dignitaries present on the occasion.

President Pranab Mukherjee has already pulled out of attending the valedictory session. Some other VIPS who'd earlier said they'd come would not be doing so.

In his speech, Ravi Shankar took a dig at critics for describing the event as his "private party". He made no reference to the trouble the Art of Living faced with the National Green Tribunal. Obstacles, he said, come up when the intent is to do something noble; once these are overcome, the result is all the sweeter.
To encourage private-sector participation in airport development, the government is considering the engineering procurement and construction (EPC) route to revive unused airports, sources said.

Under the EPC model, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will select a project management consultancy through tender to develop airports. "We might involve private parties for every function of developing the airport - from conceptualising, tender and designing," said a civil aviation ministry official.

One reason for involving the private sector in construction of the airports is that the government does not want the airports to become dormant assets.

"Hence, factors such as strategic location and viability studies need to be taken seriously. Here, private players can bring in a lot of expertise," said the official cited above.

The EPC model ensures early and smooth completion of projects because the government bears the entire financial burden unlike in public-private projects, where the money - partly or entirely - has to be brought in by the concessionaire.

While presenting the Budget for 2016-17, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said the government was drawing up an action plan for revival of around 160 airports.

There are, however, concerns that these projects might not attract interest from bigger private players unless the contract to build multiple airports are given together. "It is not building from the scratch. The cost of reviving a single airports will be Rs 50-60 crore. So the tenders should be for multiple airports to encourage bigger players," said an executive of a company, which has worked with the AAI in the past.

Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey said the plan was to develop 50 airports in the first three years.

Last year, the government had decided to drop the plan of involving private players in the development, maintenance and operating airports at Kolkata and Chennai.

ACTION PLAN

Govt to involve private players via EPC model to revive airports



Action plan for revival of 160 unserved and underserved airports and airstrips was announced in the Budget



50 airports will be developed in the first phase in the first three years



Experts say the projects might not gain interest from bigger private players unless the contract to build multiple airports are given together

EPC is engineering, procurement, and construction
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has accused six leading telecom operators of understating gross revenue of over Rs 46,000 crore between 2006-07 and 2009-10, causing a loss of Rs 12,488.93 crore to the government. The six companies are Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular, Reliance Communications, Tata Teleservices and Aircel.

The CAG said the financial impact due to understatement of gross revenues was Rs 1,507.25 crore for Reliance Communications, Rs 1,357.68 crore for Tata Teleservices, Rs 1,066.95 crore for Airtel, Rs 749.85 crore for Vodafone, Rs 423.26 crore for Idea and Rs 107.61 crore for Aircel. The combined loss includes interest charges of Rs 7,276.33 crore.

Soon after the report was tabled in the Parliament on Friday, the government said it will conduct a special audit of telecom companies. This is again a legacy issue of the previous government. The department is also going to undertake a special audit as permissible under the licensing conditions for three years  2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11, said telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. A special audit was done earlier for 2006-07 and 2007-08, based on which a demand of Rs 1,846.51 crore against five telecom companies, which have challenged it in the court.

Earlier, in its report, the CAG reported instances of under-reporting of revenue due to netting off of discounts/waivers granted to post-paid subscribers and under-invoicing of roaming revenue due to set-off of inter-operator traffic discounts paid to other operators. Also, there was under-reporting of revenue from infrastructure sharing with other telecom operators, as well as from forex gain



According to another CAG report, the adjustment of one-time entry fee paid by telecom companies whose licences were quashed by the Supreme Court against the spectrum price they paid in 2012-13 deprived national exchequer of Rs 5,476.3 crore.

The government levies about eight per cent licence fee on an operators adjusted gross revenue (AGR), while spectrum usage charge (SUC) is three-eight per cent. However, the definition of AGR has been under contention since 2003. Telecom operators have argued the definition given in the license agreement was very broad and covered non-core revenue. The operators have approached Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) and various other courts, challenging the definition of AGR. Though the telecom department has said the AGR should include all revenue earned by a service provider, including from corporate receipts, sale of handsets, real estate transactions and interest earned from bank deposits. Currently, the matter is under litigation.

In a joint statement, Ashok Sud, secretary general, Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India (AUSPI) and Rajan S Mathews, director general, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), said, We would like to clarify that matters relating to interpretation of GR/AGR of telecom companies for the purpose of calculation of license fees are under litigation in various judicial forums including the TDSAT, High Courts and the Supreme Court.The issues pointed out by the CAG pertain to those disputes, which have either been settled or stayed by various Courts. Further, we would like to reiterate that our member companies follow the highest standards of corporate governance and have always been in compliance with all regulations, the joint statement said.

The CAG audit report on communication and IT sector said, Set-off of the non-refundable entry fee of Rs 5,476.30 crore paid by licensees in 2008 whose licences were declared illegal and quashed by the Supreme Court against the auction price payable for spectrum in 1800 MHz/800 MHz held in November 2012/March 2013 deprived the government of the revenue to that extent. The government in 2012 decided to adjust the license fee paid by companies whose permits were quashed in the 2G case. The major beneficiaries of this scheme are Telewings Communications (now Telenor), Videocon Telecom and Sistema Shyam Teleservices.

It also said the government continued to allocate wireless frequencies in spectrum band of 3.3-3.4 GHz without auction free of cost despite recommendation from the regulator (Trai) in violation of the apex court judgment that said spectrum should be allocated through auction. CAG added that the continued allocation administratively, free of cost resulted in significant loss to the public exchequer by way of non-realisation of one-time charges which the government would have realised had they auctioned the spectrum. This was despite recommendation of Trai to auction the spectrum in the 3.3-3.4 GHz band, which also violated the intent and spirit of the Supreme Court judgment, the report added.

Operators had in the past resisted auditing of their books since 2009 and had moved courts to challenge mandate of the CAG. In April 2014, Supreme Court had ruled against it and favoured CAG, after which operators shared information for the official auditor. In the report, CAG also flagged discrepancies in assessment of revenue share by DoT and non-existence of appellate mechanism leading to high number of litigations.
YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan received the delegation headed by Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the CSTO PA Council Sergey Naryshkin.

As Armenpress was informed from the Information and Public Relations Department of the Armenian Government, welcoming the guests, the Prime Minister said that Naryshkins visit and participation in the CSTO PA session held in Yerevan will become a new impetus to the Armenian-Russian strategic and friendly relations, developing and deepening further inter-parliamentary relations, as well as strengthening the cooperation of parliamentarians of the two countries on international platforms.

The head of government stressed that the Armenian-Russian cooperation is dynamic both in political and economic spheres.

Sergey Naryshkin thanked the Armenia Prime Minister for the warm reception and noted the importance of multilateral cooperation between Armenia and Russia in different sectors. He also provided details of meetings of the CSTO PA and noted that the most important issues of the fight against international terrorism and countering the possible challenges were discussed.

Naryshkin expressed confidence that the agreements reached during the meeting of CSTO PA will contribute to assuring further security of CSTO member states and solving possible issues.

Further, the Armenian Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation discussed issues of mutual interest, including those relating to the Armenian-Russian relations and the projects implemented within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union.

The sides expressed confidence that is there a great potential for cooperation within EAEU, and members of the Union will be able to use it well. The sides expressed confidence that it will be possible to overcome the difficulties caused by the geopolitical situation by joint efforts and record economic success.
would achieve the target of complete electrification by 2018.

Chief Minister Raman Singh today informed in the Legislative Assembly that an action plan had been prepared for electrifying the remaining villages in the state. The 1,080 villages left would be electrified in next two years, he added.

Singh said over 7,800 hamlets across the state were also waiting for electricity supply. The state government had set the target to electrify the remaining hamlets by 2018. This would make to find a place in the list of states with total electrification. The per capita power consumption in the state had increased to 1,700 units as against 600 units in 2004.

The budget for 2016-17 had given special stress for the electrification projects, Singh said while speaking on the discussion on demands. The budget had been prepared with a focus for next three years work plan, he said, adding that the provisions proposed in the annual budget would decide the direction of development in the state.

He added that the investment of over Rs 42,000 crore for the expansion of road networks in the state in next three years was another focus area identified in the budget. Singh said the states performance in maintaining fiscal discipline had been remarkable.

Because of such disciplines, the state had managed to save over Rs 7,500 crore, he said. The saving would be used to cover the fiscal deficit that had been contained well within the limits of fiscal responsibility and budget management (FRBM).
Permission for starting of a medical college/yearly renewal permission / recognition of degree is granted by the Central Government on the recommendation made by the Medical Council of India (MCI) after assessment of infrastructure and other facilities available as per regulations prescribing minimum requirements in terms of infrastructure, faculty and clinical material. The Medical Colleges which fail to meet the required standards are not given permission / renewal permission / recognition. .

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The Government has taken the following steps to promote medical education in the country: .

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I. The ratio of teachers to students has been revised from 1:1 to 1:2 for all MD/MS disciplines and 1:1 to 1:3 in subjects of Anaesthesiology, Forensic Medicine, Radiotherapy, Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology and Psychiatry. .

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II. DNB qualification has been recognized for appointment as faculty to take care of shortage of faculty. .

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III. Enhancement of maximum intake capacity at MBBS level from 150 to 250. .

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Enhancement of age limit for appointment/extension/re-employment against posts of teachers/dean/principal/ director in medical colleges from 65-70 years. .

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V. Relaxation in the norms for setting up of a medical college in terms of requirement for land, faculty, staff, bed/ bed strength and other infrastructure. .

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VI. Strengthening/upgradation of State Government Medical Colleges for starting new PG courses/Increase of PG seats with fund sharing between the Central and State Government. .

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VII. Establishment of New Medical Colleges attached with district/referral hospitals in underserved districts of the country with fund sharing between the Central Government and States. .

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VIII. Strengthening/ upgradation of existing State Government/Central Government Medical Colleges to increase MBBS seats with fund sharing between the Central Government and States. .

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The Health Minister, Shri J P Nadda stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today. .

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Tezpur University has won the annual Visitors Award for the Best University and Prof. Rakesh Bhatnagar as well as the Molecular Parasitology Group of JNU have won the Visitors Awards for Research and Innovation respectively. .

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President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee will present Visitors Awards for the year 2016 at a function to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on March 14, 2016, as part of the Festival of Innovations. President Pranab Mukherjee had announced institution of these awards at the Vice Chancellors Conference, 2014 with the aim of promoting healthy competition amongst Central Universities and motivating them to adopt best practices from across the world. .

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The Visitors Award for Innovation will be given to Prof. Rakesh Bhatnagar of Jawaharlal Nehru University for development of a genetically engineered vaccine and a therapeutic antibody against anthrax. .

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The Visitors Award for Research will be presented to the Molecular Parasitology Group of Jawaharlal Nehru University of pioneering work in the area of molecular parasitology, especially anti-malaria, leishmaniasis and amoebiasis. .

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The Best University will receive a Citation and Trophy while winners of Visitors Award for Innovation and Research will receive a Citation and cash award of Rs. one lakh. .

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For selecting the winners, online applications were invited from all Central Universities for each category.

A Selection Committee headed by Smt. Omita Paul, Secretary to the President and with Secretaries of Department of Higher Education and Department of Science & Technology as well as Chairman, UGC; DG, CSIR etc as members chose the winners of the Awards. .

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A week-long Festival of Innovations is being held in Rashtrapati Bhavan from March 12 to 19, 2016. It will commence with the inauguration of an exhibition of grassroot innovations on March 12, 2016 by President Pranab Mukherjee. The Festival will witness a number of exhibitions; roundtable discussions on different topics related to innovations; group discussions; an award for Gandhian Young Technological Innovation; a meeting of Innovation Clubs set up in institutions of higher education; a workshop for children and a hackathon etc. .

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Ministry of AYUSH through Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National AYUSH Mission (NAM) provides grant-in-aid to State Government in accordance with their State Annual Action Plan (SAAP) for AYUSH Wellness Centres including Yoga and Naturopathy. A total of 161 AYUSH wellness centres approved during 2015-16 to State/UTs. .

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Government of India has no plan to open AYUSH Kendra at villages in all over the country.

However, under Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National AYUSH Mission (NAM), there is provision of co-location of AYUSH facilities at Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs) and Districts Hospitals (DHs), upgradation of the exclusive AYUSH hospitals and Dispensaries as well as setting up of AYUSH Gram wherein one village per block is selected for adoption of method and practice of AYUSH way of life and interventions of health care. In AYUSH village, AYUSH based lifestyles are promoted through behavioural change communication, training of village health workers towards identification and use of local medicinal herbs and provision of AYUSH health services. .

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This information was given by the Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge) and Health & Family Welfare, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today. .

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Bank of America has fired at least 15 senior bankers at its investment-banking unit in Asia this week as it pares jobs globally, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Among those let go by the Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank were three managing directors and 12 directors, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential information. Bank of America also eliminated junior positions and back-office jobs, they said without providing details on those cuts. Wang Bing, a managing director in the China investment-banking business, and Patrick Steinemann, ...
A new approach to managing China's corporate debt burden may offer temporary relief for banks but spell further difficulties for the country's economy: Having deeply troubled companies use stock to pay overdue loans.

Early evidence of the strategy emerged late on Thursday, when a heavily indebted Chinese shipbuilder disclosed that it would issue equity to its creditors, instead of repaying $2.17 billion in bank loans. If Chinese companies were to broadly adopt the approach for their debt issues, banks could temporarily shore up their balance sheets by replacing troubled loans with shares that have at least some value. But accepting stakes in highly indebted companies is likely to make banks even more reluctant to shut them down.

And that could mean China will be stuck with enormous overcapacity in industrial sectors including shipbuilding, steel and cement, hampering economic growth for years to come. "The program amounts to a sleight of hand that beautifies bank balance sheets but hardly comes to grips with the basic problems of bad loans, distorted incentives in the banking and state enterprise systems, and weak financial regulation," said Eswar S Prasad, an economist at Cornell University who used to lead the China division at the International Monetary Fund. "This is a classic case of putting lipstick on a pig. Bank balance sheets may look prettier but nothing fundamental changes."



This latest strategy has some advantages. It would allow companies to cut their debt loads. In doing so, they could potentially improve their credit profiles, borrow more from banks, and keep their businesses running. It also makes banks' loan books appear healthier, since they can reduce the amount of past-due loans. Financial markets have been fixated on Chinese banks' portfolios of so-called nonperforming loans. And halting the recent expansion of these loans has become a high priority for Chinese bank executives.

While repaying loans with shares might seem a quick solution to China's enormous debt overhang, it could make the problems more pernicious.

In effect, it is just another way for troubled Chinese companies to put off making hard choices, like laying off employees or closing operations. Rather, businesses can continue to limp along, even when their underlying operations are not making money and customer demand has evaporated.

Such problems have been at the root of China's economic issues, as many state-owned enterprises, or SOEs, and private companies have continued to roll over the debt and keep their operations going. The government has supported the tactic, in an effort to avert mass layoffs and maintain social stability. The new approach is "in a nutshell, very bad news for SOE reform and, more specifically, for the solvency of Chinese banks," said Alicia Garcia Herrero, the chief economist for Asia at Natixis, a French investment bank. At this point, it is unclear how widespread this strategy has become among Chinese companies. The shipbuilder, China Huarong Energy Company Limited, had to disclose the move only because it is listed on the Hong Kong stock market. Mainland companies not listed overseas do not face the same stringent rules.

Two finance specialists with ties to China regulators say the government is working on a broader plan to allow troubled firms to repay loans with shares instead of cash. Officials at the People's Bank of China and the China Banking Regulatory Commission could not be reached for comment.

Zhou Xiaochuan, the central bank's governor, and three of his deputies are scheduled to hold a news conference on Saturday morning in Beijing, near the session of the National People's Congress. The debt issue is core to the debate over where China's economy is headed. China avoided most of the ill effects of the global financial crisis by ordering the state-controlled banking system to engineer a major increase in the money supply. Those banks channeled huge loans to companies and to government construction projects. While the stimulus helped stoke growth, the country's debt burden ballooned.

Overall debt in China was equal to slightly more than one year's economic output as recently as 2008. It now stands at 2.5 years' economic output - above levels considered dangerous in other countries. The debt is still rising, and most of it is owed by companies. The stock-for-debt strategy speaks to the underlying trouble at many companies.

China Huarong Energy is one of dozens of Chinese shipbuilders in financial distress as prices worldwide for new ships have halved in the past two years. It is a similar story for steel makers, cement makers and many other businesses in heavy industry. China Huarong Energy has been a dismal performer on the Hong Kong stock market. Its shares have tumbled even more steeply than broad mainland Chinese stock indexes, falling 83 per cent since late April 2015.

The stock-for-debt swap is taking shape as Hong Kong financiers say that China's bad debt problem has worsened appreciably in recent weeks. The problem, they said in recent interviews, is that more companies are stopping payments on their loans from mainland Chinese banks with the country's economy continuing to slow. That has begun to produce ripples in China's financial system. Desperate borrowers have pledged in recent weeks to pay several percentage points in extra interest to borrow in Hong Kong, after finding that banks and other financial institutions on the mainland were reluctant to lend.

HSBC warned on Thursday that allowing borrowers to pay in shares was a limited solution to bad debt problems. International bank standards on capital assign a large penalty to holdings of shares, meaning banks must hold extra money against the stock.

But China's five biggest banks have somewhat more capital than the standards require. So they may be able to swap some loans for shares without falling below the required minimums for capital, but are unlikely to resolve large portions of their portfolios of troubled loans through this method.

"We think it is unlikely to be of significant scale given there are limited ways of replenishing" capital once it has been allocated to offset equity holdings, HSBC said in a research note.

2016 The New York Times News Service
State prosecutors in Brazil are seeking the arrest of former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on charges of money laundering and identity fraud for concealing ownership of a beachfront apartment, his foundation said on Thursday.

The effort to arrest the former president raised the stakes dramatically in a crisis threatening to topple his successor, President Dilma Rousseff, and was likely to further polarize protests on Sunday calling for her impeachment.

Lula's foundation called the motion to arrest the president "more proof of the partiality" of Sao Paulo state prosecutor Cassio Conserino. The motion requires the approval of a judge, which is highly unlikely, according to a presidential aide who asked not to be named given the sensitivity of the case.

Conserino declined to comment on possible arrests in a news conference regarding the charges earlier in the day, and court officials did not comment on the news.

Newspaper O Globo quoted court documents in which prosecutors argued that Lula should be jailed preventatively because he could "summon his violent network of supporters to keep the criminal process from proceeding." Last week federal police brought Lula in for questioning in a separate investigation, setting off isolated skirmishes in the streets between supporters and critics of the former president as the graft probe inflamed political tensions.

Earlier on Thursday, Conserino told reporters that two dozen witnesses said Lula was the owner of a luxury condo in the city of GuarujA, using their testimony as proof that he profited from real estate projects financed by a state bankers' cooperative.

Lula has disavowed ownership of the apartment and denied any wrongdoing. His attorney has asked the Supreme Court to decide if the case is under the jurisdiction of state prosecutors or the separate federal probe tackling graft at state-run oil company Petrobras.

That two-year-old federal investigation has already rocked Brazil's political and business establishment with high-profile arrests and convictions, while deepening the worst recession in decades in Latin America's biggest economy.

The investigations now threaten to tarnish the legacy of Brazil's most powerful politician, whose humble roots and anti-poverty programs made him a folk hero, by putting a spotlight on how members of his left-leaning Workers' Party consolidated wealth and power since he rose to the presidency 13 years ago.

The scandal has also hurt political support for Rousseff, who is struggling to pass fiscal reforms in Congress and fight impeachment for allegedly breaking budgetary rules.

The next setback may come on Saturday, when Rousseff's biggest ally in Congress, the fractious center-right Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, is expected to distance itself from her increasingly unpopular government.

The head of the governing Workers' Party, Rui Falcao, told journalists in Brasilia that there were no grounds to arrest Lula and he was confident a judge would not grant a warrant.

Asked if the former president could join the current government as a minister, as some members of Rousseff's cabinet have suggested, Falcao said the decision was up to Lula.

If appointed, Lula could only be tried in the Supreme Court, placing him out of the reach of the state and federal probes.

Lula's lawyer, Cristiano Zanin Martins, compared the effort to arrest him to measures taken by Brazil's military government decades ago to suppress political expression with imprisonment.

He dismissed the idea that the former president had ever owned the apartment.

"The owner of a property is the person listed in the registry. It doesn't matter who some people think it belongs to," Martins said in a telephone interview.

Martins reiterated the former president's account that his family had invested in the real estate project, visited the unfinished apartment and then asked for their money back rather than receiving property.
A South African teenager has found debris which will be sent to Australia for testing as part of the investigation into the disappearance of a Malaysian Airlines plane two years ago, the South African Civil Aviation Authority said on Friday. Liam Lotter, 18, told South Africa's East Coast radio he found the piece of debris on a beach in Mozambique while on holiday in December and his family took it back to their home in South Africa.

He said that after a suspected part of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was found in Mozambique last week his family made the connection with his find.
The Obama administration argued on Thursday that "no single corporation" - even one as successful as Apple - should be allowed to flout the rule of law by refusing to help the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) unlock the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino, California, attackers.

The administration's sharp tone in a new court filing drew an angry and emotional rebuke from lawyers for Apple, who accused the government of "a cheap shot" and were particularly upset about what they said was an unfair and inaccurate suggestion that the company has a special relationship with China to protect its corporate interests there.

"The tone of the brief reads like an indictment," Bruce Sewell, Apple's general counsel, told reporters. "In 30 years of practice, I don't think I've ever seen a legal brief that was more intended to smear the other side with false accusations and innuendo."



The unusually intense sparring between the two sides signaled an escalation in tension over a case that had already drawn attention worldwide because of the high legal and corporate stakes. The fight has been brewing since mid-February, when Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym of the Federal District Court for the Central District of California ordered Apple to create and deploy an alternative operating system that would help law enforcement agents break into the iPhone in the San Bernardino case.

Apple publicly opposed the order, igniting a standoff with the FBI and the Justice Department. The fight has fueled a debate over privacy and civil liberties versus security, becoming a flash point in the growing tension between technology companies and the government over who can have access to private customer data and under what circumstances.

In its filing on Thursday in district court in Los Angeles, the Justice Department said that Apple should be compelled to help the FBI break into the iPhone and that the company should not be allowed to hide behind what prosecutors said were diversionary tactics in the court of public opinion.

Apple and its supporters "try to alarm" the court by invoking bigger debates over privacy and national security, the Justice Department said. "Apple desperately wants - desperately needs - this case not to be 'about one isolated iPhone.' "The government's filing was a point-by-point rebuttal of a motion that Apple filed two weeks ago opposing the federal court order requiring it to break into the iPhone used by Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the San Bernardino attackers. Apple had argued that the court order violated the company's First and Fifth Amendment rights, and said the government's request oversteps a law called the All Writs Act.

In the filing on Thursday, prosecutors argued that they have sought a "modest" step in the case and that the courts, the executive branch and Congress - not Apple - share the power to decide how best to balance public safety and privacy.

"The rule of law does not repose that power in a single corporation, no matter how successful it has been in selling its products," prosecutors wrote.

The Justice Department also offered a robust defense of the All Writs Act, which dates to 1789. The statute, used to gather evidence in thousands of cases, is an "integral part of our justice system," prosecutors wrote.

Apple has tried to characterize that statute "as an obscure law dredged up by the government to achieve unprecedented power," the Justice Department said. "That premise is false."



At the same time, prosecutors played down the significance of a ruling that went against them last week in a separate but similar case in a Brooklyn courtroom. In that case, a magistrate rejected attempts by the Justice Department to force Apple to help unlock an iPhone in a routine drug case, saying that the government was using the All Writs Act so broadly that it might be unconstitutional.

The Justice Department noted in a footnote Thursday that it was appealing the Brooklyn ruling and that the order carried no weight as precedent in the California case.

In another footnote, the Justice Department's tone also turned more ominous, suggesting that it might seek access to Apple's source code and private electronic signatures if the company does not cooperate. That would go beyond what the government has previously requested, which is the company's help in weakening the iPhone's defenses rather than any direct access to the technology.

In a rebuttal to the government's filing, Mr. Sewell of Apple said in a conference call that a number of the government's charges in its latest brief were unfounded.

Sewell said it was the first time ever that Apple had seen the government assert that it made modifications to specifically block law enforcement officials' access to its devices. More disturbingly, he said, federal prosecutors used unidentified sources to raise the specter that Apple has a different relationship with China than with other countries.

He said such accusations showed that the Justice Department "is so desperate at this point that it has thrown all decorum to the winds."



Mr. Sewell likened the Justice Department's comments on China to Apple arguing that the F.B.I. cannot be trusted because there are rumors that the bureau was behind the assassination of John F Kennedy and citing "conspiracytheory.com" as its source.

"Everyone should beware," Sewell said, "because it seems that disagreeing with the Department of Justice means you must be evil and un-American."



On the actual merits of the dispute, Apple's lawyers reiterated that the government's interpretation of the All Writs Act was simply wrong and that the authority the government seeks "is breathtaking," essentially arguing that courts can order any private citizens or companies to do what the authorities want so long as there is jurisdiction.

Apple will have another chance to rebut the Justice Department's case before a hearing scheduled for March 22 before Magistrate Judge Pym. No matter how she rules, the closely watched case is almost certain to be appealed to the district court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and perhaps even the Supreme Court.

2016 The New York Times News Service
The United States Senate has rejected by a two-thirds vote resolution to block the proposed sale of eight F-16 aircraft to Pakistan.

Lawmakers voted 71 to 24 against an attempt introduced by Republican Senator Rand Paul to prevent the sale under legislation known as the Arms Control Act, Dawn reported.

President Barack Obama's administration announced on February 12 that it had approved the sale to Pakistan of the aircraft, as well as radars and other equipment. It drew immediate criticism from India and concern from some members of Congress.

Republican Senator Bob Corker said he would use his power as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to bar the use of any US funds for the deal.

Paul had called Pakistan 'an uncertain ally' and other lawmakers expressed concerns about Pakistan's nuclear programme, commitment to fighting terrorist organisations and cooperation in the Afghanistan peace process.

The Senate debated the measure for an hour during which Senator Paul strongly urged other lawmakers to support his move.

The United States identified Pakistan as a key partner in its war against terror following the September 11, 2001, attacks and spent billions of dollars on military aid to help the country fight insurgents.
Justice Judith Prakash, in judgment grounds last month, further held the PNG state had a right to make copies of the documents.

The items for inspection include ledger and management accounts as well as disputed documents involving expenditure.

The court found the PNG government had the right to examine the documents based on its contract terms with the PNG Sustainable Development Program (PNGSDP).

THE Papua New Guinea government's move to wrest control of gold and coal mines in its Western Province inched forward when the High Court here ordered the Singapore-based operating company to release key accounts for inspection.

"Accounting documents are some of the most information-sensitive documents in a company's records and often require detailed and lengthy study that is not achievable during the physical inspection of documents," she added.

The Singapore-incorporated PNGSDP is a non-profit firm tasked with developing the mines for PNG's social and economic benefit. It was formed in 2001 and is based here so that it can remain independent and unaffected by any potential change in the PNG government, according to the country's former prime minister Mekere Morauta, who is the PNGSDP board chairman.

A third of the annual dividends from the company that runs the mines - OK Tedi Mining - was to be used for a fund to support PNG development projects while two- thirds were ploughed into a long- term fund to benefit PNG after the mine closed. PNGSDP owned 52 per cent of the shares in OK Tedi while the PNG state owned 20 per cent.

The judge noted that at the end of 2012, the development fund contained US$158 million while the long-term fund had US$1.35 billion.

PNG claimed PNGSDP had amended its Memorandum and Articles of Association (M&A) in 2012 without state consent.

The state is suing PNGSDP for failing to provide an account of all its dealings with its assets, claiming PNGSDP had dealt with them in breach of new programme rules.

In denying the allegations, PNGSDP is counter-claiming that the state's purported removal of PNGSDP's directors and CEO in October 2013 was void and they had full authority to run the business.

In the run-up to the pending main suit, the state sought this court order to access PNGSDP's books.

PNGSDP, defended by Cavenagh Law lawyer Nish Shetty, argued the state had no right of inspection and, even if it did, the right did not include the documents sought.

Wong Partnership lawyer Koh Swee Yen countered that the state must succeed, "especially in the light of the many admissions PNGSDP has made to the effect that the state has a right of inspection".

Justice Prakash found there was an enforceable collateral contract between the parties that incorporated the M&A as part of its terms. "This point is relatively uncontroversial," she said, in allowing the accounts inspection but making clear the minutes of meetings and disputed papers involving gifts or sale of subsidiaries and assets were excluded.
Brent crude was on track for its third weekly gain on Friday, supported by an optimistic report from the International Agency (IEA) that said the market may have reached its bottom.

Still, analysts cautioned that a large glut of oil remained, with Goldman Sachs warning that US crude could saturate storage in the coming months.

US crude futures were trading at $38.64 a barrel, up 80 cents from their last close, having hit a 2016 high of $38.96 earlier in the day.

Brent crude futures were at $40.65 a barrel, up 60 cents, and on track for their third weekly gain in a row.

Both contracts were trading more than 45% higher than the lows plumbed earlier this year.

The IEA said in a monthly report that oil might have bottomed and that low prices were beginning to impact crude output outside producer organisation OPEC.

"There are clear signs that market forces are working their magic and higher-cost producers are cutting output," the Paris-based IEA said.

The group, which coordinates policies of industrialised nations, said it believed non-OPEC output would fall by 750,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2016 up from its previous estimate of 600,000 bpd.

It also said Iran's post-sanctions return to exporting was happening more gradually than expected, keeping its barrels from putting significant pressure on the market.

Still, Iran said this week it would not participate in any output freeze until it had regained market share.

Industry sources also told Reuters on Friday that oil resumed pumping from Iraq's Kurdistan to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. The pipeline's closure in mid-February had taken some 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) out of the market.

Earlier in the day, support also came from a global weakening of the US dollar.

The greenback fell after easing measures announced by the European Central Bank. A weaker dollar supports as it makes dollar-traded oil cheaper for countries such as China, potentially spurring fuel demand.

The IEA said it nevertheless saw global oil and product stocks rising heavily in the first half of 2016, in the range of 1.5-1.9 million bpd, but that would slow to 0.2 million bpd in the second half. The excess itself led some to warn that a premature price recovery could hamper market rebalancing.

"We reiterate our view that need to remain low for longer, as the oil and capital market rebalancing are only beginning," Goldman said in its report.
Stocks climbed, with the benchmark index capping a second weekly gain, as energy companies and property developers increased after the government accelerated measures aimed at attracting investments and bolstering economic growth. Cairn India climbed to a four-month high after the government freed prices of natural gas extracted from deep sea fields that start production this year. DB Realty was the top performer on a gauge of realty companies after the upper house of parliament passed a bill to set up an industry regulator. Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone rallied the most in a week, ...
The Aadhar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill 2016 was passed in the Lok Sabha on Friday after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley moved the key bill for consideration.

The bill is aimed at giving statutory backing for transferring government subsidies and benefits to targeted people.

It also lays down a regulatory framework to protect core biometric information of Aadhaar cardholders from any unauthorised disclosure or sharing.

The bill is the key to the government's plan to plug leakages in disbursal of subsidies and other services and in ensuring that these reach intended beneficiaries.

Speaking on the Bill, Jaitley said the primary focus of the bill is to make presentation of Aadhar card mandatory for entitlement of government subsidies.

He said that by linking of Aadhaar number with various schemes which comes under subsidy, the government has so far saved Rs. 15,000 crore.

Allaying apprehension of the Opposition members regarding disclosure of privacy by making Aadhaar mandatory, the Finance Minister said the government has taken care of these issues and data of the concerned persons will not be shared and any unauthorized disclosure of the Aadhaar data will be liable of punishment.

Earlier, Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, objected to the bill being introduced as a money bill, saying the Congress is ready to cooperate on the bill, but it should not come as a money bill. In response, Jaitley said the bill is substantially different from what the opposition are talking about.

He said the substance of the bill is that whoever gets subsidies, will have to produce Aadhaar.

The bill seeks to provide for good governance, efficient, transparent, and targeted delivery of subsidies, benefits and services, the expenditure for which is incurred from the Consolidated Fund of India to individuals residing in India through assigning of unique identity numbers.
With filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri crying foul over his film 'Buddha in a Traffic Jam', which deals students' politics, not being allowed to screen at the Jawaharlal Lal Nehru (JNU) University, Bollywood actor Anupam Kher on Friday urged the varsity students to practice 'freedom of speech and expression for which they have been raising their voices in recent times.

"We are told that for six months there are no slots, may be they can create a slot. It's only a request.... If a section of JNU students have freedom of speech and expression then we should translate it into a practice for other people to be able to see the film," Kher told ANI.

"It is important that all kinds of films are shown, it's a film which is very relevant to what is happening in JNU for the last one month. It's not a controversial film, it's about depicting certain philosophy of the filmmaker," he added.

Agnihotri had earlier in his tweets asked whether his movie was not being allowed because Kher features in it.

"Why isn't #BuddhaInATrafficJam allowed to screen at #JNU coz it exposes sinister politics? Or coz it features @AnupamPkher or selective FoE?," he tweeted.

"Dear Kanhaiya,v want to show #BuddhaInaATrafficJam @JNU but they aren't allowing. Film shows how India can get real 'Azadi'.Pl Help," he said in another tweet.

Kher said that the film deals with education system and how the system polarises the students.

"I did Buddha in a traffic jam working with Vivek Agnihotri as producer director. The film deals with education system and how the system sometimes polarises the students and how the system educates students in a certain manner," he said.
Not much research has been done on the effectiveness of gun control laws, but a new study has pointed out which gun laws actually work.

The nationwide study analysing gun-control laws in the USA has found that just nine of the 25 state laws are effective in reducing firearm deaths. The research suggests that if all the US states were to expand the three laws that have the strongest effect on gun deaths - universal background checks for purchasing guns and ammunition and firearm identification, the national rate of gun deaths could be cut by over 90 percent.

Lead author Dr Bindu Kalesan from the Boston University said that the study is the first to examine the impact of specific gun laws on gun-related deaths across the USA while taking account of a range of other factors such as gun ownership and unemployment.

Kalesan added that the findings suggest that very few of the existing state gun-control laws actually reduce gun deaths, highlighting the importance of focusing on relevant and effective gun legislation. Background checks for all people buying guns and ammunition, including private sales, are the most effective laws we have to reduce the number of gun deaths in the USA.

More than 90 people are killed every day by guns in the USA. In 2010, 31672 gun deaths were recorded, equivalent to 10.1 deaths per 100000 people. Hawaii recorded the lowest rate of gun deaths (45 deaths per year) at 3.31 per 100000 citizens, while Alaska (144) topped the table at 20.3 per 100000.

The US states have introduced a range of gun laws to strengthen or deregulate the main federal gun control law, the Brady Law, which requires background checks for gun purchases from a federally-licensed dealer. However, around 40 percent of all gun sales in America are estimated to be private transactions that do not require background checks.

The findings show that nine laws are associated with a reduced likelihood of gun deaths, nine with increased gun deaths, and seven did not show any conclusive association (figure page 4). For example, laws that restrict firearm access to children (eg, locks and age restrictions) were shown to be ineffective, while stand-your-ground laws that allow an individual to use deadly force in self-defence significantly increased gun-related deaths. These findings persisted even after removing the effect of other factors that might affect gun deaths such unemployment and gun exports.

Although not the final word, the study by Kalesan and colleagues is a step in the right direction of trying to bring more scientific evidence to bear on the types of policies that could be most effective in reducing the serious gun-violence problem in the USA.

The study appears in the Lancet.
Pebe Sebert, Kesha's mother recently revealed her saga of the legal battle going on between her daughter and music producer Dr Luke.

The 59-year-old songstress said in a recent interview that Dr Luke almost destroyed them and he has done it intentionally, reports E! Online.

Following two months in rehab for bulimia treatment and a two-year hiatus from releasing new music, the 'Tik Tok' hit-maker filed a lawsuit against Luke in October 2014 alleging he had sexually assaulted her, drugged her and emotionally abused her throughout their professional relationship with request for release from her contract with Kemosabe Records.

Sebert further said that Kesha is allowed to work with other producers, but Luke gets to approve them and has a final say over everything.

She added that Kesha was a prisoner and it was like 'someone who beats you every day and hangs you from a chain and then comes in and gives you a piece of bread'.

Sebert wanted Kesha to come forward a long time ago and end this relationship with Dr. Luke immediately after the alleged rape.
Fawad Khan, who shot a cameo for Karan Johar's 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil,' recently revealed that his appearance won't be a blink and miss one.

In a recent interview, the Pakistani actor said, "It's not exactly a cameo, but it becomes a backbone for a certain conflict of a character in the movie. It's like 15-20 days of work," reports the Dawn.

"My role is that of a DJ. So it's cool. I have tried something new altogether, I am wearing a completely new costume. I wouldn't mind playing a cool guy character or a complete buffoon as well," Fawad added.

'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' is romantic drama that stars Ranbir Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Anushka Sharma in the lead roles.
Industry body FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) has welcomed the slew of measures taken by the CCEA(Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to usher in much awaited reforms in the hydrocarbon sector which would have positive impact on the Energy Security.

The president of FICCI Harshavardhan Neotia commended the measures which have prioritised accelerated exploration and ensured India's energy security rather than Government intervention in micro management of projects.

"The focus of the Govt. to incentivize E&P in domestic oil and gas basins, offer the right risk and reward balance for different geographies based on the risk profile and risk capital employed by the operator," Neotia said.

"The decision of the Government to extend PSCs of 28 small and medium size discovered fields which would accelerate the employment generation both in the exploration and production stage," he added.

"The relaunching of the bidding rounds after a gap of 6 years as Hydrocarbons Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP), announcing uniform license for all areas coupled with arms-length price discovery in an open acreage framework will boost the investor confidence in our domestic basins", added Neotia.
The Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) celebrated its 31st Inception Day here on Friday.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary was the Chief Guest at the function.

On the occasion, the Minister launched web portal named Fake Indian Currency Note (FICN) compilation system, which will help NCRB to get data from all states and other agencies so as to have a complete picture on its circulation.

He also launched a Mobile App named 'Vahan Samanvaya'. With the help of this mobile app, police and public can trace stolen vehicles from database.

Chaudhary also gave away Republic Day Police Medals to the officers. He greeted the officers and the foreign trainees who attended the Inception day function.

Radhakrishna Kini, DG, NCRB, said that NCRB provides training to the police officers from India and foreign countries. He also informed that trainees from various Asian and African countries are also participating in this Inception Day function.

The NCRB is mandated to empower the Indian Police with Information Technology and is responsible for collecting, analysing the crime data of the country. It facilitates Investigating Officers with updated IT tools and information in investigation of crimes.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has entrusted the Bureau with the responsibility of implementing their flagship Plan Programme "Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS)'' by March 31, 2017.

The scheme envisages connecting all the Police Stations through their computerization. At present, out of 16000 Police Stations and offices in the country, 10000 Police Stations and offices have already been connected through this system. In the future roadmap of the Government of India, CCTNS will become one of the major components of integrated criminal justice system.
The Congress Party on Friday passed the buck with regard to the Ishrat Jahan encounter case to officers were involved in the case did not show any decent previously and now are changing their takes.

"The incident happened twelve years back and there was no descent from any of the bureaucrats at that point of the time when the first affidavit was filed. All these controversies arose when the former home secretary made a statement which he did not do previously," Congress leader PC Chacko told ANI.

"Mr. G.K Pillai who was the home secretary at that time okayed the file, the file had passed through Mr. G.K pillai three times and he did not press his decent on the file. The affidavit at that time was prepared after the due process of formalities. Pillai's descending route was not there and even no officer from the department raised any query," he added.

Moving on, Congress leader PL Punia said that the NDA government is politicising the Ishrat Jahan case and that there is no two way about the fact that Ishrat was killed in a fake encounter.

"Metropolitan magistrate court of Ahmadabad, the SIT and the Gujarat high court stated that it was a fake encounter and the officers involved in the encounter were prosecuted under section 302," said Punia

"If any files are missing the government should order a probe and punish those who are found guilty but the Centre should not politicize the issue," Punia added.

The Home Minister Rajnath Singh yesterday accused the Congress-led UPA government of having indulged in a flip-flop on Ishrat Jahan's links with terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba and said the issue of terrorism shouldn't be politicised.

"Not only India, but the entire world is facing the menace of terrorism today. Any issue related to terrorism shouldnt be politicised. Be it the Ishrat Jahan case, or any other such case, there shouldn't be flip-flop by any government. But there has been a flip-flop by the previous government with regard to the Ishrat Jahan's case," he said in Parliament.

Singh said it is a conspiracy to frame people, as many documents on Ishrat Jahan are missing.

Former home secretary G.K. Pillai had earlier alleged that former home minister P. Chidambaram 'bypassed him' and rewrote an affidavit submitted to a court on Ishrat Jahan, the 19-year-old student killed in an encounter in 2004.

Referring to the change in the Home Ministry's affidavit in the Ishrat Jahan case that did not refer to her as Lashkar-e-Taiba operative, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley while intervening in the motion of thanks for the President's address to Parliament told the Rajya Sabha, "In the process you unbarred the entire security apparatus of India because you wanted to fix a political leader. Some day an investigation will take place on how internal security was played with.
Their meat is a delicacy on dinner tables, whether canned or fresh. If fish were like cars, tuna would be the Ferraris of the oceansleek, powerful and made for speed.

Dr Mowbray pointed out that tuna are a trans-migratory species and can be anywhere depending on season and sea water temperature. They can swim long distances without fatigue due to their tough muscular build.

I WAS once told by my environmental sciences lecturer, Assoc Prof David Mowbray, that tuna fish know no boundaries and no borders and no man or government will claim the tuna as theirs.

Their torpedo-shaped bodies streamline their movement through water and special swimming muscles enable them to cruise the ocean highways with great efficiency.

They prefer to travel in schools to avoid predators, usually with the smaller ones at the top; however this group behaviour comes at a huge cost as fishermen use this knowledge to their advantage to scoop and haul them in using driftnets or even sticks.

The highly decorative skipjack, blue fin and yellow fin tuna are sporting wonders; some of which weigh in at several hundred kilograms.

According to some game fishermen, yellow fin and blue fin are amongst the worlds toughest game fish. Youve got to be strong to play them and haul them in because its no job for a boneless man.

You could be jerked overboard by the sheer might and fighting prowess of these fish. These tuna are amongst the most sought after game fish.

These bad boys of the ocean are strong and have high stamina, I was told. They will fight until the end and will make you sweat till the moment you land them.

And, in particular, if you are targeting a yellowfin then you should be prepared for a battle because it is no quitter. It will fight until you cut it loose or land it on the boat.

As an Environmental Scientist whose interest covers both food and game, Im very concerned with the dangers threatening the survival, numbers and regeneration time of these oceanic wonders.

This concern is felt also on behalf of the Pacific Island sea faring community and the people who rely on it, whose livelihood is very much dependent on fish stocks for protein supply and sustenance.

It is public knowledge that tuna stocks have been overfished and depleted, and that traditional tuna breeding grounds are threatened right throughout the Pacific.

The use of modern fishing technology including GPS and radar to locate and spot schools of fish and sophisticated fishing techniques like drift net fishing are beginning to overwhelm the fish.

There seems little regard for sustainability.

Population increase in Pacific communities is also exerting pressure on fish stocks and other marine life.

At the same time, increased storm water disposal into oceans and increasing sea water temperatures are leading to coral bleaching, destroying the breeding ground for aquatic life including fish.

Papua New Guinea, through the National Fisheries Authority (NFA), and the other Pacific Island countries are signatories to various tuna conventions and agreements. These laws are meant to ensure that tuna will remain available to the South Pacific people.

Im sure that these and other initiatives like will assist to bring greater awareness to Pacific islanders, governments and the fishing industry of the necessity to conserve and ensure the long term survival and availability of tuna fish species in Pacific waters.

Kerry Kimiafa is the Head of Science at Goroka Grammar School. He is an environmental science graduate from the University of PNG and a current masters candidate in Ecology through the University of Western Australia.
On the fifth anniversary of the fifth anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan that left more than 18,000 dead or missing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sympathy towards the affected people and lauded the resilience of the nation.

"On 5th anniversary of Great East Japan Earthquake, India offers deep sympathy to those affected. We admire the resilience of people of Japan", the Prime Minister said.

According to reports, a minute's silence will be held across Japan at 2:46 pm (5:46 GMT), the time the quake hit.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Emperor Akihito will offer flowers at a memorial ceremony in Tokyo.
New Delhi, Mar.11 (ANI): The Lok Sabha passed the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill,2016.

During the debate several members urged that the bill be sent to a parliament standing committee for detailed legislative scrutiny.

While discussing the bill, members raised their concerns about allowing private agencies to use Aadhaar as a proof of identity for any purpose.

This provision will enable private entities such as, airline, telecom, insurance, real estate etc. companies, to require Aadhaar as a proof of identity for availing their services.

Members also pointed out that the penalty for unauthorized access to the central data base and tampering with such data stored in it has been brought down from Rs. one crore (as in the 2010 Bill) to Rs. ten lakh. You can find a comparison of the 2010 Aadhaar Bill and the 2016 Aadhaar Bill here.

As per the Bill, information collected under Aadhaar may be disclosed in the interest of security, or on the orders of a court. Members during the debate questioned the definition of ' security' that the bill does not include.

Members also questioned the UID authority's exclusive power to make complaints and raised their concerns about a possible conflict of interest that may arise.

Under the Bill, the UID authority is responsible for the security and confidentiality of identity information and authentication records. There may be situations in which members or employees of the UID authority are responsible for a security breach.

The bill was introduced as a money bill. Once a money bill is passed by the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha or Upper House can only discuss it and not make amendments. It also has to discuss the bill immediately as a money bill, if not discussed within 14 days of being tabled in the Rajya Sabha, it is "deemed passed".

"Focus is primarily on the usage of money belonging to Consolidated Fund of India belonging to either the Centre or states," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said as Opposition demanded that the bill should be sent to a standing committee.

Jaitley explained why the government has sought to present the Bill as a Money Bill, saying it differs from the one brought by the Congress-led UPA as "the prinicipal purpose is spending the money" for beneficiaries and not as a mere identification document. He said 97 per cent adults in the country were now covered by Aadhaar and promised that the government would not allow its misuse.

Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 seeks to to provide for, as a good governance, efficient, transparent, and targeted delivery of subsidies, benefits and services, the expenditure for which is incurred from the Consolidated Fund of India, to individuals residing in India through assigning of unique identity numbers to such individuals.

The government has introduced the bill as a money bill, which by definition contain provisions for imposition and abolition of taxes, for appropriation of moneys out of the Consolidated Fund.

Such bills can only be introduced in Lok Sabha, and since the government lacks majority in Rajya Sabha, and hence this move by the government is widely seen as circumventing the Opposition.

Aadhar has been often criticised by people for its privacy issues, and the NDA government has taken precautions in the bill to avoid the breach. The bill states that information stored in the Central Identities Data Repository will be secured and protected against access, use or disclosure.
The agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) leaders on Friday urged Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to address their demands at the earliest.

During the meeting held at the Prime Minister's official residence, the UDMF submitted a memorandum, including the issues of national concern and the 11-point demand of the Front, to the Prime Minister.

Oli said that the issues of Madhes were the problems of the entire country and urged the UDMF leaders to find a way out to settle the problems together, reports Kathmandu Post.

The Prime Minister issued the directive after the leaders of the UDMF informed him that those who were injured during the protest were not getting free treatment and the concerned authorities had not yet started a process to withdraw the cases filed against the protesters.

Prime Minister Oli also issued a directive to the concerned authorities to provide free treatment to those injured during the protest and withdraw cases filed against them.
A Delhi court on Friday gave its nod to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy's plea, seeking the balance sheets of Indian Congress (INC) and Associated Journals Pvt. Ltd (AJL) for the purpose of investigation in the Herald case.

Swamy had last week approached the Patiala House Court seeking summoning of certain documents related to the financial details of Congress, AJL and Young Indian Pvt. Ltd.

In his application filed before Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen, Swamy had sought to summon the balance sheet, receipts, income and expenditure statements for assessment years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 of INC, AJL and YI.

The court had on February 20 ordered all documents sought by Swamy related to the Herald case to be sealed till the matter is pending.

The court had on January 11 allowed Swamy's plea, seeking summoning of documents from the Ministries of Finance, Urban Development and Corporate Affairs, Income Tax Department and other agencies in the case.

Meanwhile, the court last month granted exemption to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi and three others, including Sam Pitroda, from personal appearance in the National Herald case. Pitroda was also granted bail by the court in this matter.

The court, had in December last year, granted bail to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes and Suman Dubey, who had appeared after summons were issued.

On June 26, last year, the trial court issued summons to them on Swamy's allegations of 'cheating' in the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) by Young India Ltd (YIL) -- a firm in which Sonia and Rahul own 38 percent stakes each.

The Delhi High Court had in December 2015 rejected their plea and directed them to appear before the trial court.

The case relates to the Indian National Congress granting an interest-free loan of Rs. 90.25 crore (USD 13 million) to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), owner of the National Herald newspaper which was established by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1938.
Netflix just got something big as it is all set to fund the newest film from Will Smith and his 'Suicide Squad' director David Ayer.

Titled 'Bright,' the story's so far been described as a supernatural cop thriller and sources revealed that the film will strike a tone similar to Ayer's own 'End of Watch,' reports the Independent.

Netflix has to bid 100 million dollars to get Sony and Warner Bros off the race.

It is the largest amount of money the company has ever splashed out on with a film, even after their high-profile deal for Adam Sandler's 'The Ridiculous Six.'

The commencement of the flick has not been announced yet.
The Congress Party on Friday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who made tall claims prior to the Lok Sabha polls, has presented two gifts Non-Returning Indian (NRI) Lalit Modi and Non-Repaying Indian (NRI) Vijay Mallya to the nation.

Congress leader Randeep Sujrewala alleged that there was a direct involvement of the BJP-led NDA Government in Mallya fleeing the nation without any hindrance.

"The CBI registers an FIR against Vijay Mallya on July 29, 2015. They carry all the investigations, but do not arrest him. On October 12, 2015, the CBI issues a lookout notice at all the airports in which it was written that Mallya should be detained. On November 23, 2015, the agency without any reason amend that notice and converts it into an information notice and not into a detention notice," Sujrewala told the media here.

"This matter raises some serious questions. Was there the involvement of government in helping Mallya to run out of this country? Why was the lookout notice of the CBI amended? Why is the Finance Minister and all his officials trying to justify themselves? The Modi Government should answer as to who helped Mallya to flee? How is his government going to recover the debt from Mallya?" he asked.

Meanwhile, Mallya today rubbished claims that he had absconded from the country.

In a series of tweets, the liquor baron said he is an international businessman, who travels from India frequently, and added that he is not an absconder.

Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, yesterday accused the NDA Government of helping Mallya escape India.

"This government is part and party in the criminal conspiracy in him fleeing the country. Without the help of the government, he could not have escaped," the Congress leader said.

"Vijay Mallya is not a needle that can't be found. He is a tall and well-endowed man who can be seen from 1 km away. He doesn't travel alone; instead he is always accompanied by 'hoors' and he disappears?" he said.

The Supreme Court had on Wednesday brushed aside a plea by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to direct Mallya to appear personally before the court to force him to come back to India.

The case will be next heard on March 30.

The SBI, which leads a consortium of 17 lenders to King Fisher Airlines, declared Mallya wilful defaulter last month. Besides the SBI, United Bank of India (UBI) and Punjab Bank (PNB) have also declared Mallya as wilful defaulter.
Saudi Arabia has extended a financial and economic assistance of 122 million dollars to Pakistan which is the highest amount Riyadh has officially given to Islamabad in the last five years.

The signing ceremony for the grant, which includes a 67 million dollars package, took place the day Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and army chief General Raheel Sharif were attending the closing ceremony of the multi-nation 'Thunder of the North' military exercise in Saudi Arabia,reports Dawn.

Pakistan is a member of the military alliance of Muslim countries that Saudi Arabia formed late last year to fight terrorism.

The new assistance, though insignificant, can indicate improved economic ties between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, experts said.

Economic Affairs Division (EAD) Secretary Tariq Bajwa and Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD )Yousaf Ibrahim al Bassam signed five grant agreements valuing $67 million and a loan agreement of $55 million, according to EAD. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar witnessed the signing ceremony.

However, the commitments were more than $348 million and the rest of the amount could not be disbursed due to multiple reasons.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been praised for his vision of creating a liberal and progressive Pakistan.

An article appearing in the Washington Post said Sharif thinks a moderate, progressive and liberal agenda can help fulfill his economic agenda. His present political policies are different from those he had in the 1990s.

The Express Tribune quotes the Washington Post article as further saying that Sharif has streamlined the country's path towards progress.

Citing the analysts and high officials in the government, the article points out that Sharif stunned the powerful clergy of Pakistan by raising the slogan of a more liberal Pakistan in his address to the international business community earlier.

The shift in his rhetoric reflects the influence of his daughter Maryam Nawaz on his thinking.

Sharif's earlier tenures reflected that Pakistan would enter a stale style of governance, but now, he and his party are challenging the religious community and forging a new path.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has rejected a summary filed by the Establishment Division, which recommended a two-year enhancement of the upper age-limit for Central Superior Services (CSS) examination.

The increase in the number of academic years from 14 to 16 for a bachelor's degree is really no justification to enhance the upper age-limit for CSS candidates, The Express Tribune quoted a statement issued by the Prime Minister House as saying.

The statement said that the government should encourage the people to join the civil service at a younger age at which they are expected to be comparatively more receptive to the core ethics of civil service and the basic tenets of the public interest.

The statement clarified that by raising the age-limit from 28 to 30 years would only exacerbate the current situation as even more officers would superannuate before, or soon after, their promotions to BS-22.

This in turn would mean a further reduction in the pool of seasoned and experienced officers available to the federal and provincial governments for appointment in key positions, it added.

The minimum existing stipulated requirement in terms of experience for any officer of BS-21 to be considered for promotion to BS-22 is 24 years.

In actual practice, it takes even longer and most officers end up being able to serve in BS-22 for the last year or two of their careers, the statement said.
The Shiv Sena on Friday criticised BJP MP and former Mumbai police commissioner Satyapal Singh over his claim that he was asked to go after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then the Gujarat chief minister, while he was part of the SIT investigating the Ishrat Jahan case.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said the latest revelations in this regard at this point of time holds no significance.

"This should have been told when he was pressurised; now saying this has no meaning when he is a part of the ruling dispensation. You can claim your patriotism when you are pressurised to do anti- activities and you don't worry about them and carry on your work," Raut told ANI.

"Telling this after getting a post is in the government is of no use," he added.

The Baghpat MP had yesterday claimed that he was asked by the then Union home minister in the UPA regime to 'go up to Narendra Modi'.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Singh urged Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to set up an inquiry commission to bring out the truth in the Ishrat Jahan case.

He also claimed that the SIT had conducted a partial investigation and influenced witnesses to prove that it was a fake encounter by the Gujarat Police while asserting that their penultimate target was the then Gujarat chief minister.

"I was told to go right up to the top, go up to Modi ji. (I was told) that's why you have been selected. I had refused," he said.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court today rejected the plea seeking to quash the criminal case against the Gujarat policemen who were involved in fake encounter case of Ishrat Jahan in view of the statement made by 26/11 conspirator David Coleman Headley on the alleged LeT terrorist.

In his deposition last month, Headley had claimed that Mumbra resident Ishrat Jahan was a suicide bomber for Pakistan-based terror outfit LeT.
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Dubbing liquor baron Vijay Mallya as an 'economic terrorist', the Shiv Sena on Friday lashed out at the Centre's feeble policies saying they were not able to get their hands on a 'while collar' criminal while pledged to bring back wanted underworld don Dawood Ibrahim at the same time.

"Rs 9,000 crores belong to people of India; and the one who wasted it is an 'economic terrorist. The government pledges to bring back Dawood Ibrahim to India and at the same time a white collar 'economic terrorist' flew away from India," the edit said.

The editorial in Saamna also targeted the Centre for proudly asserting that the UB Group chairman flew out of the country in the apex court.

"The Centre has proudly told the Supreme Court that Vijay Mallya has left the country. How can an industrialist fly off the country by taking away 9,000 crores?" the edit asked.

Taking a jibe at the government for its policies, the edit said: "The economic layer of the legal system of our country is very strong but it only allows people like Vijay Mallya to flee."

"The banks went to the Supreme Court to get the money recovered from the liquor baron but in front of them he flew away, this is the legal system of our country," it added.

The Sena in its mouth piece said that the process of recovering loan from Vijay Mallya in front of the Supreme Court is nothing but 'absolute farce'.

"The process of giving loans to Mallya began during the UPA regime but fleeing away after taking loan took place in NDA's regime," it added.





The mouth piece further said that if a farmer takes a loan and doesn't pay it, he is dragged and beaten and his property gets snatched and the farmer lands in jail, but at the same time people like Mallya and Lalit Modi can fly away because there is a different law for them in our country," it added.



The Sena in the mouthpiece added that it was clearly known to everybody but the government didn't notice that.

"The intoxication of Mallya's rich parties flows in the veins of everyone and they would respond only after the hangover," it added.

Meanwhile, rubbishing claims that he had absconded from the country, liquor baron Mallya on has asserted that he is an international businessman, who travels from India frequently, and said that he is not an absconder.

The apex court has asked the UB group chairman to be present before it on March 30 along with his passport, after learning that he had left the country on March 2.
A human rights group says it has uncovered evidence that South Sudanese Government forces deliberately suffocated more than 60 men and boys in a shipping container.

Amnesty International said the forces then dumped the bodies in a field in Leer Town, Unity State.

The United Nations has also accused the government troops of deliberately killing and raping civilians, reports CNN.

The government denies its army targeted civilians, but says it is investigating the matter.

Researchers from Amnesty International said they had found the remains of skeletons from the killings, which are said to have taken place last October.

Amnesty researchers interviewed more than 42 witnesses, including 23 people who said they saw the men and boys being forced into a shipping container and later saw their bodies either being removed or at a mass burial site.

Witnesses described hearing the detainees screaming and banging on the walls of the shipping container, which they said had no windows or other form of ventilation.

Relatives of the victims told Amnesty that the victims were cattle keepers, traders and students, not fighters.
A Colonel of the Pakistan Army was killed when unknown assailants targeted him near Ring Road in Peshawar's Hayatabad area on Friday.

SP Peshawar Cantt Kashif Zulfiqar informed that Colonel Tariq Ghafoor was on his way to a nearby mosque to offer Friday prayers in Hayatabad Phase VI area when he was targeted by unknown armed men, reports Dawn.

Zulfiqar further said that the attack might be result of some personal enmity.

Colonel Ghafoor was stationed in Quetta.

Hayatabad is a posh suburb of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province's capital city Peshawar on the south-western fringe of the city.
Pakistan has said that the use of veto in the UN Security Council prevented a resolution of the long-lived Kashmir dispute and inhibited implementation of UN resolutions on the same.

Pakistan's UN Ambassador, Maleeha Lodhi, in the inter-governmental negotiation process on Security Council reform reiterated the country's opposition to add new permanent members to the Council with or without a veto, reports Dawn.

She said that any privileged role in decision-making would contradict the shared-goal of making the Security Council more democratic, representative and accountable.

Lodhi said Pakistan considers veto as an important issue which needs to be tackled as part of a comprehensive reform of the Security Council.

Pakistan supports expansion of the Security Council only in the non-permanent category, she added.

Pakistan, she said, believed that ideally the veto should be abolished.

She warned the UN that if the values of the 21st century like democracy, equal opportunity and non-discrimination were ignored in reforming the Council, there would be the grave risk of making the United Nations a 'Divided Nations'.

The Pakistani envoy added that the Council should not remain paralysed and deadlocked over reconciling to accommodate the interests of the five permanent members.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Majeed Memon on Friday suspected 'connivance' on part of the NDA Government to help liquor baron flee the nation and said that the entire episode was just another case of former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi.

"As far as case is concerned, there was a noise on the floor of the House in the Rajya Sabha yesterday. Leader of Opposition Shri (Ghulam Nabi) Azad did raise this point that how could he run away when there were serious allegations of huge money due to him. And if such a person can slip away from the country, it is only a failure of the administration. So, the government treasury benches were not able to give a satisfactory answer. None the less, the House has expressed its anxiety and anguish on this development of his disappearance suddenly and making himself beyond the reach of law," Memon told ANI.

"It seems there was connivance in helping him slip out.There are proceedings against him, the law will take its own course although it will be very difficult now for the process of law to reach him since he is outside the jurisdiction of India and this is another case of Lalit Modi," he added.

Meanwhile, Mallya today rubbished claims that he had absconded from the country.

In a series of tweets, the liquor baron said he is an international businessman, who travels from India frequently, and added that he is not an absconder.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, yesterday accused the NDA Government of helping Mallya escape India.

"This government is part and party in the criminal conspiracy in him fleeing the country. Without the help of the government, he could not have escaped," the Congress leader said.

" is not a needle that can't be found. He is a tall and well-endowed man who can be seen from 1 km away. He doesn't travel alone; instead he is always accompanied by 'hoors' and he disappears?" he said.

The Supreme Court had on Wednesday brushed aside a plea by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to direct Mallya to appear personally before the court to force him to come back to India.

The case will be next heard on March 30.

The SBI, which leads a consortium of 17 lenders to King Fisher Airlines, declared Mallya wilful defaulter last month. Besides the SBI, United Bank of India (UBI) and Punjab Bank (PNB) have also declared Mallya as wilful defaulter.
New Delhi, Mar 11 (ANI): Bollywood actress Kalki Koechlin has opined that movies cannot be solely held responsible for bringing about a change in the society.

The 'Margarita With A Straw' actress, who was present at the launch of a youth-led program 'Campus Ambassador Program; Making Delhi City Safer,' said that the films can take the society to a better and safer place, but cannot do it all alone.

"There are movies, which are artistic. Such movies have the capacity to bring about a change, but there are movies, which are completely commercial and made for people's leisure time, which is not at all wrong to have. So, I don't think that the motive or the responsibility of taking the society to a better and safer place should be only on the shoulders of the film makers or movies," said Kalki to ANI.

On the occasion of the 100th International Women's Day, PVR Nest along with Frame Her Right Campaign; and SafetiPin, the country's only audit based safety application, launched the initiative, which aims at empowering youth to have an active role in developing safer cities.

Apart from Kalki Koechlin, the event saw the presence of H.E. Mr. Richard Verma, the US Ambassador to India and H.E. Mr. Nadir Patel, Canadian High Commissioner to India along with Mr. Ajay Bijli- Chairman & Managing Director- PVR Limited.
Mitsubishi has inaugurated a new 3S dealership in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu. This announcement was made by Hindustan Motor Financial Corporation Ltd. (HMFCL), the manufacturer and marketer of Mitsubishi brand vehicles in India. Named Xpress Mitsubishi, this 3S facility is located in the picturesque Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, and is designed to be a boutique dealership that would provide its customers luxury and superior service quality.

Xpress Mitsubishi was inaugurated by MLA Nainar Nagenthran, MLA from Tirunelveli district in the presence of the Deputy Mayor of the district, P. Jeganathan, along with top officials of HMFCL. The dealership is strategically located in Tirunelveli on a highway bordering the two great southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

As of now, the dealership will host the Pajero Sport in both its manual and automatic avatars. The car is powered by a 2.5-litre DI-Diesel turbocharged engine, which produces 178PS along with 350Nm and 400Nm torque in the 4X2 AT and 4X4 MT variants, respectively. It is the first diesel SUV in the UV4 segment to provide Paddle Shifters. The SUV also features exclusive Super Select 4WD with Invecs-II electronic controlled system, providing a unique driving experience and GPS Navigation.

The toughest competition to the Pajero Sport is provided by the Toyota Fortuner and the Ford Endeavour. While the Fortuner has been in India for quite some time without changes, the Endeavour has recently undergone a major makeover, which makes it one of the best off-road offerings in India. Do read about the Endeavour and Fortuner rivalry in detail and how the Pajero Sport measures up to them.

Also Read: Mitsubishi India Introduces Limited Edition Pajero Sport

Source : CarDekho
Amid a bout of volatility, key benchmark indices re-entered positive terrain in early afternoon trade after briefly turning negative. At 12:17 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 18.57 points, or 0.08% at 24,641.91. The Nifty 50 index was up 2.60 points, or 0.03% at 7,488.75.

The Sensex fell 71.08 points, or 0.29% at the day's low of 24,552.26 in early afternoon trade. The index rose 194.46 points, or 0.79% at the day's high of 24,817.80 in mid-morning trade. The Nifty fell 25.55 points, or 0.34% at the day's low of 7,460.60 in early afternoon trade. The index rose 57.80 points, or 0.77% at the day's high of 7,543.95 in morning trade.

The market breadth indicating the overall health of the market turned negative from positive. On BSE, 1,300 shares fell and 949 shares rose. A total of 143 shares were unchanged. The BSE Mid-Cap index was currently down 0.01%. The BSE Small-Cap index was currently down 0.26%. Both these indices underperformed the Sensex.

Cement shares witnessed selling pressure. Ambuja Cements (down 0.7%), UltraTech Cement (down 0.52%) and ACC (down 0.43%), edged lower.

Grasim Industries was down 0.6%. Grasim has exposure to cement sector through its holding in UltraTech Cement.

Telecom stocks edged lower. MTNL (down 2.51%), Reliance Communications (down 1.86%), Idea Cellular (down 0.67%) and Bharti Airtel (down 0.42%), edged lower.

Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) was up 0.33% to Rs 6.16.

Dr Reddys Laboratories was up 0.75% at Rs 3,208.10. The company during trading hours today, 11 March 2016, announced strategic collaboration agreement with TR-Pharm for manufacturing and commercialisation of three biosimilar drugs in Turkey. TR-Pharm will also manufacture the drug substance and drug product upon completition of its facility investment.

Linde India gained 1.11% after the company announced that it has commissioned the first air separation unit in Odisha, which has started gas supplies to Tata Steel's steel works project at Kalinganagar. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 10 March 2016. It may be recalled that Linde India had entered into a long term gas supply contract with Tata Steel, for catering to the gases requirement at its Kalinganagar steel works project. The company had undertaken construction of two air separation units with a total capacity of 2,400 tonnes per day at Tata Steel's premises at Kalinganagar, Odisha for supply of gases to Tata Steel as well as for additional liquid products for merchant markets.

On a economic front, reforms took a front seat yesterday, 10 March 2016, with the government unshackling the oil & gas sector with a new exploration regime that allows a higher price of gas for new deep-sea fields. Besides, a Real Estate Bill to protect interests of buyers and bring more transparency to the sector was passed in the Rajya Sabha.

In the overseas market, Asian stocks were trading higher after initial slide. US market finished almost flat in frenetic trading yesterday, 10 March 2016, as investors dismissed new easing measures from the ECB. Earlier in the session, US stocks had been firmly higher, tracking a rally in Europe, fueled by stimulus measures from the ECB.

The European Central Bank (ECB) cut the bank's key lending rate to zero from 0.05% and pushed the rate on its deposit facility to minus 0.4% from minus 0.3%. It also announced it would expand the size of its monthly bond purchases to 80 billion euros ($86.86 billion) from its current level of 60 billion euros beginning in April 2016 and expand the scope of those purchases to include investment-grade, euro-denominated, nonbank corporate bonds.

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Crompton Greaves after market hours yesterday, 10 March 2016, announced that its consortium with Cofely Fabricom, lemants has secured a new contract for the EnBW Hohe See offshore wind farm in the North Sea. The consortium will design, supply and install the complete offshore substation for the German utility EnBW, Crompton Greaves said in a statement.

Oil & gas exploration stocks will be in focus. In a major policy drive to give a boost to petroleum and hydrocarbon sector, the Government has unveiled a series of initiatives yesterday, 10 March 2016. The Union Cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in its meeting has approved Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy, HELP, an innovative policy for future which provides for a uniform licensing system to cover all hydrocarbons such as oil, gas, coal bed methane etc. under a single licensing framework. There will be marketing and pricing freedom for new gas production from Deepwater, Ultra Deepwater and High Pressure-High Temperature Areas. Policy outlines grant of extension to the Production Sharing Contracts for small, medium sized and discovered fields.

Hero MotoCorp announced after market hours yesterday, 11 March 2016 that it has inauguarated Hero Global Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) with an investment of Rs 850 crore in Jaipur, Rajasthan. CIT will design and develop world class products for the global markets.

Shares of Jindal Steel & Power (JSPL) will be in focus. In the backdrop of various media reports about the company's weak financials, JSPL in a press release issued after market hours yesterday, 10 March 2016, said that the company's investment in enhancing steel capacities in Angul and power capacity in Jindal Power (JPL) Tamnar have been completed/commissioned and are in stable level of operation. With these additional capacities and better outlook for steel demand/fair sales price realisation and better outlook for power demand/realization, JSPL said it will be in a better position to generate higher cash flows as compared to last four quarters. The company's efforts in bringing cash through divestment of assets and strategic collaborations through joint ventures (JVs) will add to its cash flows, and also result in reduction in bank borrowings, JSPL said. The company added that it has an excellent track record of meeting all its financial commitments and recent reduction in credit rating, in its opinion, merely presents rating downgrade on technical grounds. JSPL said it had met all its financial commitments till November-December 2015. In discussion with banks, the company has launched 5/25 scheme, and also exploring various options with all lenders to reschedule payments considering likely short/medium term cashflow mis-matches, JSPL said. When these are completed, there will not be any overdue situation, the company added.

Considering better cash flow outlook from better demand/realization for steel/power, rescheduled financial commitments through 5/25 scheme and others and cash flow from disinvestments/JVs, JSPL will be in much stronger position to meet all its liabilities and emerge as financially strong and sustainable company in 2016-17, the company said in a statement.

Linde India announced that it has commissioned the first air separation unit in Odisha, which has started gas supplies to Tata Steel's steel-works at Kalinganagar. It may be recalled that Linde India had entered into a long term gas supply contract with Tata Steel, for catering to the gases requirement at its Kalinganagar steel works project. The company had undertaken construction of two air separation units with a total capacity of 2,400 tonnes per day at Tata Steel's premises at Kalinganagar, Odisha for supply of gases to Tata Steel as well as for additional liquid products for merchant markets. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 10 March 2016.

Educomp Solutions announced that India Education Fund, a Sebi registered venture capital fund, redeemed all its units issued to the company. Educomp Solutions said it has received an amount of Rs 15 crore from the redemption of all its units held in India Education Fund. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 10 March 2016.

Container Corporation of India will be in focus. The government said yesterday, 10 March 2016, that offer for sale (OFS) for 5% divestment of paid-up equity out of Government of India for equity shares of 97.48 lakh shares amounts to Rs 1165 crore at floor price. The total demand for the OFS from retail and non retail investors, which got over yesterday, 10 March 2016 was for 1.93 crore equity shares amounting to Rs 2317.20 crore.

Welspun Corp announced before market hours today, 11 March 2016, that the company has won an order for supply of 2 lakh metric tonnes pipes for an offshore project in the Middle East. With the addition of this order, current order book of the company has crossed 11.36 lakh metric tonnes worth Rs 6500 crore.

Sri Adhikari Brothers Television Network announced before market hours today, 11 March 2016, that the board of directors of the company at its meeting held on 10 March 2016,approved issuance and allotment of 23.81 lakh fully paid-up redeemable preference shares of the company to the shareholders of Sri Adhikari Brothers Assets Holding on proportionate basis pursuant to the Composite Scheme of Amalgamation and Arrangement between Maiboli Broadcasting and Sri Adhikari Brothers Assets Holding and Sri Adhikari Brothers Television Network and UBJ Broadcasting and HHP Broadcasting Services and MPCR Broadcasting Service and TV Vision and SAB Events & Governance Now Media and their respective shareholders.

Skipper announced after market hours yesterday, 10 March 2016 that the company has secured two new orders from Power Grid Corporation of India for the supply of transmission towers in the domestic market. The total order is valued to be approximately worth Rs 120 crore.

Balasore Alloys announced after market hours yesterday, 10 March 2016 that a meeting of the board of directors of the company will be held on 15 March 2016 for issuance of the securities to the promoters group companies on preferential basis for the purpose of funding growth, expansion and modernization projects to be undertaken by the company.

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Calling himself a "proud New Yorker" who wants to compete in his home state, UFC fighter Chris Weidman is urging fans to help legalize mixed martial arts in New York this year.

In an email sent to UFC supporters in New York, Weidman asks recipients to contact their state assembly member and inform them "it's time to pass legislation to finally bring safe, regulated MMA competition to New York."

"I'm still in this fight," Weidman, a lifelong Long Island resident, wrote to fans Friday. "As I embark on the quest to regain my UFC middleweight title, I want to be able to fight in front of friends and family right here in my home state. And I hope you're still in this fight with me."

New York banned MMA in 1997. It remains the only state where the sport is prohibited.

MMA in New York: 'The Brawl,' the ban and UFC's push to legalize the sport in 2016 There was a time, more than 20 years ago, when professional mixed martial arts was allowed i

While professional fights aren't allowed, unsanctioned amateur MMA bouts have been held throughout the state.

Weidman, the former UFC middleweight champion, toured upstate New York in January and held press conference in four cities, including Syracuse, to push for passage of an MMA legalization bill.

In his email to UFC fans, Weidman touted the "hugely successful" tour and the support the MMA4NY campaign has received on social media.

Other accomplishments he cited include:

 When Gov. Andrew Cuomo released his 2016-17 executive budget plan, he included a provision to legalize professional MMA bouts.

 In February, the state Senate passed the MMA legalization bill for the eighth time in seven years. (The state Assembly hasn't voted on the measure.)

If New York legalizes MMA, UFC plans to hold four events in the state each of the next three years.

Here is the full text of Weidman's email to UFC supporters:

Friends,

Im born and bred in New York, and Ive never left. For the last six or seven years, since I started competing professionally, Ive always imagined what it would be like to fight in Madison Square Garden. Being able to fight in my home state, where I belong, and have all my friends and family take the Long Island Rail Road right into Penn Station and walk into the most famous arena in the world to see me fight, would be a dream come true.

Thank you for all youve done for the campaign to legalize MMA in NY. But we are not done yet. We still need the Assembly to act. So Im writing again to ask you for your help.

Will you let your assembly member know its time to pass legislation to finally bring safe, regulated MMA competition to New York? If so, head here and take action.

Over the past couple months, weve achieved some monumental developments in the fight to remove NYs infamous label as the only state in the US where professional MMA bouts are illegal - and theyre due in large part to your passion and dedication in spreading the message.

Here are just some of the things weve accomplished together:

 A hugely successful upstate tour, where I was honored to join UFC leaders in bringing the fight to the steps of the Capitol in Albany

 The explosion of our social media campaign, where we now count nearly 30,000 supporters on our MMA4NY Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages

 Governor Cuomo including the legalization of professional MMA events in his proposed budget, signaling his support for the cause

 The State Senate passing a bill to legalize MMA in NY - for the seventh consecutive year.

These are inspiring accomplishments, but the fight is far from over. Without the State Assembly passing the same bill as the Senate, UFC will remain illegal in New York.

I'm still in this fight. As I embark on the quest to regain my UFC middleweight title, I want to be able to fight in front of friends and family right here in my home state. And I hope youre still in this fight with me.

I know its you, our fans, that make what we achieve together possible. I am asking you to finish the fight. Head here to our Facebook page. There you can find contact info for your Assemblymember and let them know its time to make the impossible possible.

Thanks for all you do.

Chris Weidman

Proud New Yorker

P.S.

Forward this email to five friends right now and ask them join us in the fight!
Key benchmark indices held firm at higher level in mid-morning trade. At 11:19 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 140.56 points, or 0.57% at 24,763.90. The Nifty 50 index was up 38.30 points, or 0.51% at 7,524.45. Gains were triggered by the government announcing a series of reforms yesterday, 10 March 2016.

Reforms took a front seat yesterday, 10 March 2016, with the government unshackling the oil & gas sector with a new exploration regime that allows a higher price of gas for new deep-sea fields. Besides, a Real Estate Bill to protect interests of buyers and bring more transparency to the sector was passed in the Rajya Sabha.

The Sensex rose 194.46 points, or 0.79% at the day's high of 24,817.80 in mid-morning trade. The index fell 33.06 points, or 0.13% at the day's low of 24,590.28 in early trade. The Nifty rose 57.80 points, or 0.77% at the day's high of 7,543.95 in morning trade. The index fell 10.30 points, or 0.14% at the day's low of 7,475.85 in early trade.

The market breadth indicating the overall health of the market was positive. On BSE, 1,226 shares rose and 868 shares fell. A total of 138 shares were unchanged. The BSE Mid-Cap index was currently up 0.37%. The BSE Small-Cap index was currently up 0.33%. Both these indices underperformed the Sensex.

In the overseas market, Asian stocks were trading higher after initial slide. US market finished almost flat in frenetic trading yesterday, 10 March 2016, as investors dismissed new easing measures from the ECB. Earlier in the session, US stocks had been firmly higher, tracking a rally in Europe, fueled by stimulus measures from the ECB.

The European Central Bank (ECB) cut the bank's key lending rate to zero from 0.05% and pushed the rate on its deposit facility to minus 0.4% from minus 0.3%. It also announced it would expand the size of its monthly bond purchases to 80 billion euros ($86.86 billion) from its current level of 60 billion euros beginning in April 2016 and expand the scope of those purchases to include investment-grade, euro-denominated, nonbank corporate bonds.

Shares of oil and gas exploration companies rose after the government approved major policy initiatives to give a boost to petroleum and hydrocarbon sector. The government made the announcement after market hours yesterday, 10 March 2016.

ONGC (up 0.24%), Oil India (up 0.78%), Reliance Industries (RIL) (up 1.33%) and Cairn India (up 1.81%) gained.

State-run GAIL (India) was up 0.40% at Rs 342.70.

Shares of public sector oil marketing companies also rose. BPCL (up 2.47%), HPCL (up 1.93%) and Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) (up 1.23%), edged higher.

In a major policy drive to give a boost to petroleum and hydrocarbon sector, the Government has unveiled a series of initiatives yesterday, 10 March 2016. The Union Cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in its meeting yesterday, 10 March 2016 gave its approval for Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy, HELP, an innovative policy for future which provides for a uniform licensing system to cover all hydrocarbons such as oil, gas, coal bed methane etc. under a single licensing framework. There will be marketing and pricing freedom for new gas production from deepwater, ultra deepwater and high pressure-high temperature areas. Policy is also approved for grant of extension to the Production Sharing Contracts for small, medium sized and discovered fields. The government has also cancelled the Ratna offshore field award from Essar Oil and assigned it to the original licensee, ONGC.

The new policy regime marks a generational shift and modernization of the oil and gas exploration policy. It is expected to stimulate new exploration activity for oil, gas and other hydrocarbons and eventually reduce import dependence. It is also expected to create substantial new job opportunities in the petroleum sector. The introduction of the concept of revenue sharing is a major step in the direction of minimum government maximum governance, as it will not be necessary for the Government to verify the costs incurred by the contractor. Marketing and pricing freedom will further simplify the process. These will remove the discretion in the hands of the Government, reduce disputes, avoid opportunities for corruption, reduce administrative delays and thus stimulate growth.

Most pharmaceutical shares were trading higher. Strides Shasun (up 3.41%), Piramal Enterprises (up 0.91%), Aurobindo Pharma (up 0.87%), Wockhardt (up 0.75%), Dr Reddy's Laboratories (up 0.64%), GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals (up 0.40%), IPCA Laboratories (up 0.39%), Cipla (up 0.38%), Cadila Healthcare (up 0.29%), Alkem Laboratories (up 0.24%) and Lupin (up 0.22%), edged higher. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals (down 0.02%), Divi's Laboratories (down 0.22%) and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (down 1.52%), edged lower.

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Hindustan Construction Company rose 1.27% to Rs 20 at 15:20 IST on BSE after the company said that it has been awarded Rs 635 crore contract by NTPC to construct Head Race Tunnel (balance works).

The announcement was made during market hours today, 11 March 2016.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 80.50 points or 0.33% at Rs 24,704.12.

On BSE, so far 8.32 lakh shares were traded in the counter as against average daily volume of 8.73 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock hit a high of Rs 20.60 and low of Rs 19.60 so far during the day.

The mid-cap company has equity capital of Rs 77.92 crore. Face value per share is Rs 1.

Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) said that the contract is for Tapovan Vishnugad Hydo-electirc Power project on the river Dhauliganga in Chamoli district of Uttarkhand. The project is to be completed in 34 months. With this order, HCC's order intake in the year ending 31 March 2016 (FY 2016) has reached Rs 5155 crore. Besides, the company is the lowest bidder in six projects worth Rs 4300 crore. The combined order backlog is likely to cross Rs 21000 crore in FY 2016.

HCC is a business group of global scale developing and building responsible infrastructure through next practices. The company serves the infrastructure sectors of transportation, power and water.

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Key benchmark indices edged higher in morning trade, tracking a recovery in Asian market. At 10:20 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 173.69 points, or 0.71% at 24,797.03. The Nifty 50 index was up 50.15 points or 0.67% at 7,536.30.

The Sensex rose 193.33 points, or 0.79% at the day's high of 24,816.67 in morning trade. The index fell 33.06 points, or 0.13% at the day's low of 24,590.28 in early trade. The Nifty rose 57.80 points, or 0.77% at the day's high of 7,543.95 in morning trade. The index fell 10.30 points, or 0.14% at the day's low of 7,475.85 in early trade.

The market breadth indicating the overall health of the market was positive. On BSE, 1226 shares rose and 601 shares fell. A total of 108 shares were unchanged. The BSE Mid-Cap index was currently up 0.60%. The BSE Small-Cap index was currently up 0.56%. Both these indices underperformed the Sensex.

In the overseas market, most Asian stocks bounced back after initial slide. China's Shanghai Composite was down 0.25%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was up 0.75%. US market finished almost flat in frenetic trading yesterday, 10 March 2016, as investors dismissed new easing measures from the ECB. Earlier in the session, US stocks had been firmly higher, tracking a rally in Europe, fueled by stimulus measures from the ECB.

The European Central Bank (ECB) cut the bank's key lending rate to zero from 0.05% and pushed the rate on its deposit facility to minus 0.4% from minus 0.3%. It also announced it would expand the size of its monthly bond purchases to 80 billion euros ($86.86 billion) from its current level of 60 billion euros beginning in April 2016 and expand the scope of those purchases to include investment-grade, euro-denominated, nonbank corporate bonds.

Realty stocks were in demand after a Bill seeking to regulate the real estate sector, bring in transparency and help protect consumer interests was passed by the Rajya Sabha yesterday, 10 March 2016. Parsvnath Developers (up 5.58%), Peninsula Land (up 4.55%), DLF (up 3.77%), Unitech (up 3.23%), Anant Raj (up 3.21%), Sobha (up 3.17%), D B Realty (up 3.16%), Indiabulls Real Estate (up 2.87%), Housing Development and Infrastructure (HDIL) (up 2.74%), Phoenix Mills (up 2.69%), Prestige Estates Projects (up 2.20%), Oberoi Realty (up 2.06%), Mahindra Lifespace Developers (up 2.01%), Godrej Properties (up 1.76%) and Sunteck Realty (up 1.22%), edged higher.

The Real Estate (Regulation & Development) Bill 2015 was passed in the Rajya Sabha yesterday, 10 March 2016, paving the way for setting up a regulator to offer buyers protection from unscrupulous activities. The Bill recommended that 70% of the amount collected from home buyers will need to be deposited in an escrow account for use in the project. Further, the Bill defined carpet area as net usable area of an apartment which means now you will be charged only for your carpet area.

Most FMCG shares edged higher. Godrej Consumer Products (up 3.69%), Marico (up 2.90%), Dabur India (up 1.34%), Nestle India (up 1.15%), Tata Global Beverages (up 0.47%), Hindustan Unilever (up 0.41%), Britannia Industries (up 0.20%), Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care (up 0.07%) and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (up 0.05%), edged higher. Bajaj Corp (down 0.16%), Jyothy Laboratories (down 0.64%) and Colgate Palmolive (India) (down 1.47%), edged lower.

Hero MotoCorp rose 0.2% after the company said that it has inaugurated Hero Global Centre of Innovation and Technology with an investment of Rs 850 crore in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 10 March 2016.

Hero MotoCorp said that showcasing the in house research and development capabilities, the Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) will design and develop world class products for the global markets. The operations of CIT with 500 automotive experts with global and regional expertise will be headed by Dr Markus Braunsperger, Chief Technology Officer of the company.

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Eleven technology start-ups graduated from the GenNext Hub, the Mumbai based start-up accelerator, an initiative of Reliance Industries Ltd. and powered by Microsoft Ventures, a joint statement said on Friday.

The GenNext Hub is now accepting applications for third batch, which will start in April 2016.

The GenNext Hub initiative is an extension of what Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani is often heard saying: "The idea is to find the next Reliance."

According to the statement, the initiative is to catalyse the startup ecosystem for a digital India.

The event held in Reliance Corporate Park, Navi Mumbai, saw the start-ups showcase their businesses to more than 150 investors, influencers, corporate customers and leaders.

The GenNext Hub enables entrepreneurs to build their companies through an immersive, four-month-long programme.

"At GenNext Hub we are catalyzing a unique startup ecosystem, which rests on the tripod of talent, technology and trust. We spot and encourage 'talent', help them harness their 'technology' and back them up by putting total 'trust' in them," GenNext chairman and a board member in Reliance Industries Raghunath A. Mashelkar was quoted as saying in the statement.

"We are supporting several of our startups from the second batch with strategic partnerships that will help them scale-up rapidly," Mashelkar said.

"We have seen some amazing innovation in the two batches that have graduated thus far from GenNext. Some of these have already made a mark in the ecosystem and have even become business partners for Reliance and Microsoft and we hope this trend will continue," Bhaskar Pramanik, chairman, Microsoft India, was quoted as saying in the statement.

During the four-month programme, the start-ups were mentored on customer development, business models, operational planning, product roadmap, market traction, fund raising and pitching.

The workshops cut across B2B and B2C businesses in diverse sectors such as sports, energy, hospitality, advertising, fitness, financial services, logistics, healthcare, payments and enterprise software.

Domain expertise was provided in intellectual property, product development, online promotions, advertising, public relations, financial modeling, communication and pitching.

Going forward, GenNext Hub will focus on helping companies scale-up with its "Scalearator" model and evolve from a "Minimum Viable Product" to a "Minimum Viable Company".

According to the statement GenNext Hub is now accepting applications for third batch, which will start in April 2016.
The Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf terrorist group threatened to kill four hostages within a month if an unspecified ransom amount is not paid to it, the media reported on Friday.

In the video posted on Facebook, the hostages appear on their knees before a group of heavily armed men, EFE news reported.

John Ridsdel and Robert Hall (Canadians), Kjartan Sekkingsta and Filipina Marites Flor who is Hall's partner were kidnapped last September from a hotel complex in Samal Island.

"I am a Canadian citizen being held by the Abu Sayyaf Group for ransom, the amount is, I do not know what it is. But the Canadian government has got to get us out of here fast," said Robert Hall in the video, the authenticity of which is yet to be confirmed by the authorities.

"Follow the negotiation, try to meet their demands within 30 days or we are all dead," said the Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad, adding it was their last message before execution.

One of the insurgent group's members said the video was recorded last Tuesday, on March 8, and the families of the hostages and the authorities had until April 8 to pay the ransom amount.

Although the rebels did not specify a ransom amount in the video, last November they had asked for $63 million for the three Westerners, without mentioning the amount required to free the Filipina.

Abu Sayyaf, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, with 400 armed men, was formed in 1991 by a group of former fighters of the Afghan war against the Soviet Union.

Since then, the group has conducted the bloodiest attacks and numerous kidnappings in the Philippines.

Islamic separatist conflict in southern Philippines, over the last four decades, has left between 100,000 and 150,000 dead.
The National Green Tribunal on Friday gave three weeks to Art of Living (AoL) to pay environmental compensation of Rs.5 crore for holding World Culture Festival on the Yamuna floodplains in Delhi.

The NGT held a hearing on Friday over implementation of its Wednesday's order.

AoL told the tribunal that it will abide by the ruling and sought four weeks to deposit Rs.5 crore.

The tribunal said that the AoL should pay Rs.25 lakh on Friday and the balance in three weeks.

The AoL's three-day cultural extravaganza starts on Friday.

The organisers have already spent Rs.25.63 crore for the event.
Apple has accused the US Justice Department of trying to "smear" the company with "desperate" and "unsubstantiated" claims.

It followed the Justice Department's latest court filing over its demand that Apple create software to unlock an iPhone used by an attacker in a mass shooting last year, BBC reported.

The department said that Apple's stance was "corrosive" of institutions trying to protect "liberty and rights".

It also claims Apple helped the Chinese government with iPhone security.

Apple's general counsel Bruce Sewell said: "The tone of the brief reads like an indictment."

He said: "Everybody should beware because it seems like disagreeing with the Department of Justice means you must be evil and anti-American, nothing could be further from the truth."

Prosecutors claim Apple's own data shows that China demanded information from Apple regarding more than 4,000 iPhones in the first half of 2015, and Apple produced data 74 percent of the time.

But Sewell said the new filing relies on thinly sourced reports to inaccurately suggest that Apple had colluded with the Chinese government to undermine iPhone buyers' security.

The US government has been fighting Apple over access to information on the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino killers, Rizwan Farook, in December. Apple says the demands violate the company's rights.

The Department of Justice claimed in its court filing that Apple had attacked the FBI investigation as "shoddy", and tried to portray itself as a "guardian of Americans' privacy".

This "rhetoric is not only false, but also corrosive of the very institutions that are best able to safeguard our liberty and our rights: The courts, the Fourth Amendment, longstanding precedent and venerable laws, and the democratically elected branches of government," the DoJ said.

In February, the FBI obtained a court order to force Apple to write new software that would allow the government to break into the phone. The FBI wants the software to bypass auto-erase functions on the phone.

Apple has argued that the government is asking for a "back door" that could be exploited by the government and criminals.

The tech giant has filed its own court request that the ruling be overturned, arguing that the order violated the company's constitutional rights.

"This case is about the Department of Justice and the FBI seeking through the courts a dangerous power that Congress and the American people have withheld," Apple said.

The iPhone maker has received support for other tech giants including Google, Microsoft and Facebook.

The FBI said Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, were inspired by Islamic State militants when they killed 14 people at a party on December 2.

The couple later died in a shootout with police and the FBI said it wants to read the data on Farook's work phone to investigate any links with militant groups.

A hearing into the case is scheduled for March 22 in a California federal court. Apple chief executive Tim Cook has said he was willing to take the case to the Supreme Court.
The Arab League on Friday declared the Lebanese Shia Hezbollah paramilitary group as a terrorist organisation, Egypt's state-run Ahram online reported.

The decision was backed by all member states except for Lebanon and Iraq which expressed reservations, according to Ahram online.

The decision came a week after Gulf states labeled the group as a terrorist entity.

A number of Arab states, particularly Gulf countries, have taken measures against Hezbollah which supports Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria.

The group is also accused of aiding Shia minorities to revolt against regimes in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Foreign ministers of the pan-Arab organisation, who have been meeting in Cairo for two days, have unanimously agreed to appoint former Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit as the new chief to replace outgoing secretary-general Nabil Al-Araby, 80, who declined a second five-year term.

Founded in Cairo in 1945, the Arab League is a regional organisation of Arab states with the main goal of drawing closer inter-Arab relations and coordinating Arab positions on regional and international issues.
Six men armed with sophisticated weapons attacked a group of construction workers in Manipur's Thoubal district on Thursday evening and escaped with Rs 2.30 lakh in cash, police said.

The incident took place just half a km from the camp of Border Security Force. Combing operations launched on Thursday night failed to nab the culprits, police sources told IANS on Friday.

Media reports said the armed men are suspected to belong a Nagaland-based outfit.

Injured construction workers told IANS that the armed men raided the construction site of the mini barrage at Heirok in Thoubal.

"Soon they started beating us up with wooden clubs. They asked for the whereabouts of the contractor", said a worker, who did not want to be identified.

The beatings continued for a long time. The assailants ransacked the shack. They made away with Rs.2.30 lakh kept in cash for payment to the workers and purchase of construction materials.

"They took away the money. Besides, they also snatched six mobile handsets from us and some domestic tourists who happened to be present there at that time", said another worker.

There have been increasing reports of abductions of workers and bomb blasts in Tamenglong district where the tunneling and rail line construction works are going on.

"Because of such disturbances there is inordinate delay in the construction works. Though behind schedule, we hope that the construction works of the rail line reaching the state capital shall be completed by February next year," Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh said.
Indian Supreme Court justice S.A. Bobde has suggested setting up a common court for South Asia, with judges from all the regional countries to try cross-border terrorism cases.

"Could we consider having a court, a common court, for these countries which comprises of judges from all countries which share the matter,?" he asked at a briefing of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee on Thursday.

He added that he would "seriously recommend" that the conference, which had Supreme Court judges from all the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries except the Maldives, consider the suggestion.

A SAARC court "will elevate the entire problem of sharing of knowledge and cross-border issues", he added.

Since terrorism had cross-border links, Bobde said: "If we could have judges from these countries on a common court, I think it would help a great deal. The prosecutors and the modalities could be worked out."

He was speaking during the briefing's segment on "Regional Effort to Support the Judiciaries of South Asia in the Effective Adjudication of Terrorism Cases". It was to facilitate South Asian judiciaries share their experience on terrorism cases.

Bobde, who was a judge of the Bombay High Court in 2008, recalled the 26/11 terror attack in the city that left 166 Indians and foreigners dead.

The terrorists who came from across the border "were guided throughout by handlers from across the border", he said.

"Now this was the advantage they had and this was the disadvantage the Indian people had. They did not know what the plan was, where they would go next.

"This incident underscores the point for which this conference is convened, and this is what (US Supreme Court Justice) Stephern Breyer said in the beginning (of the meeting) that judges must talk to each other," he added.

There were three areas in which the judges from the region could exchange information on terrorism cases, he said.

These were about the weapons being used by terrorists, the communication devices used and the patterns of attack followed by a group.

"If judges in one country have tried offenses perpetrated by a particular group, then that knowledge is invaluable," Bobde said.

He suggested setting up a web portal for the region's judges to share that knowledge.

Judges from the region could also visit the judicial academies in each other's countries and share their knowledge, Bobde said.

"A large number of judges who attend the academies could benefit from this. And it will uplift, it will give greater confidence and knowledge in deciding these cases."

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)
Did you ever wish you were one of the richest 1 percent? As a Finger Lakes resident, you are! Way less than 1 percent of the earths water is fresh, drinkable surface water. Twenty percent of that 1 percent is found in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence water system, including the Finger Lakes. In terms of water addresses, we occupy a Manhattan penthouse overlooking Central Park West!

We love our Owasco Lake view for its open air spaces, its translucent quality of light at dawn and dusk. Its waters sustain and enhance our lives, our livelihoods, our homes and our recreation. The lake takes care of us. Are we returning the favor?

If you live on the lake, visit Cayuga Countys Emerson Park on the north end, or go boating, no doubt in the past few years you have witnessed scummy, sometimes iridescent green gunk floating on the surface and lacing the shoreline. It looks like an oil slick mixed with green paint, not like the usual duckweed or filamentous algae. This nasty stuff is evidence of harmful algal blooms (HABs) that show up in still water, usually in the warmest water months of late summer into autumn. These blooms may appear and then disperse in a matter of hours, but watch out! HABs sometimes release toxins into the water that can harm wildlife, pets or people who swim in, drink or accidentally ingest the untreated water.

Now for some good news! Government and research agencies are hard at work on our lakes problems with HABs, bacteria, invasive species like Asian clams and more. Their talk of high tech buoys, satellite images, drones and smart technology is pretty exciting. But the truth is, ordinary citizens are a vital part of getting Owasco Lake back to optimal health. The Owasco Watershed Lake Association is a citizens action group of 1,000 members that has promoted the lakes watershed health since 1992. OWLA supports the work of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the Owasco Lake Watershed inspectors, the Cayuga County Health Department, regional research groups and others. Much of our own efforts this year primarily target HABS and its major underlying cause, too much phosphorus and nitrogen coming into the lake from upstream.

For 2016, as part of the Owasco Lake Algal Monitoring Program, OWLAs volunteers will take water samples bi-weekly from April to October at the following sites: Sucker Brook (Mouth), Koenig Point, inlet at Long Hill, inlet at Rounds Lane, Gleason Drive, Martin Point tributary, Cheese Factory Road in Moravia, Benson Road tributary, Fays Point, Veness Brook, Lindenwood Cove, Spring Street Inlet in Groton, Duck Road at Wyckoff, Firelane 26, Keesee Road and Adams Point. Volunteers will drive the samples to a lab in Lansing for analysis. The presence of HABs can be confirmed in a matter of hours. Because it can take up to five days to know whether toxins are present, if you suspect a bloom, avoid it just in case.

Another major thrust of OWLAs HAB work goes toward notification and education. Today you can access current HAB test results at the Owasco Lake Water Inspection Programs website, www.owascoinspection.org. If you see and suspect a HAB yourself, please call the inspection program at (315) 252-4171 ext. 120. An inspector will arrive as quickly as possible to assess the situation. Future notification will include smart signs located at tributary points that will allow faster citizen reporting via smartphone, and real time access to current test results.

Are all of us, the Finger Lakes 1-percenters, aware enough of what goes on outside our windows and downstream to the lake? Get involved. Watch for lake news in The Citizen. Join OWLA! For the price of a large pizza and maybe a side of wings, you can add your voice to ours and make our efforts even stronger.
The Indian Army on Friday handed back to Pakistan authorities a boy who had inadvertently crossed the line of control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, an army official said.

"Yesterday (on Thursday), a 15-year-old boy named Nadeem Chaudhary who had inadvertently crossed the LoC in Naoshera sector was apprehended by our troops," army spokesman Lt. Col. Manish Mehta told IANS.

"On establishing the facts of his inadvertent crossing of the LoC, the authorities in Pakistan occupied Kashmir were informed by the Army and the boy was handed over from Chakan-Da-Bagh (Poonch) crossing point to Pakistan authorities at 11.40 a.m. today (Friday) as a humanitarian gesture," he added.
London, March 12 (IANS/EFE) Mary Cameron, mother of British Prime Minister David Cameron, has challenged government policies of public sector cuts applied by her son, feeling "very sad" for the end of a children's centre at a town administered by the Conservatives, to which her son belongs.

The statement was published by the Daily Mirror, after the city of West Berkshire just outside London, decided to close the doors of Chieveley and Area Children's Centre, where she works as a volunteer.

The mother of the prime minister said she feels sorry for this decision but admitted that "if there's not enough money to pay for it things have to go".

Cameron's government has set tough cuts in public spending, especially in the areas of social welfare, seeking to reduce the high deficit.

--IANS/EFE

vr/
Actress Madonna Sebastian, who is making her Tamil debut with "Kadhalum Kadhandu Pogum", says that although she prefers being part of content-driven films that require her to perform subtly, she can't say no to "masala" films.

"Personally, I enjoy being part of films where I'm not just a pretty face and have a solid role. I like to perform subtly, express using my eyes and smile. Though commercial cinema doesn't offer you scope to do such things, I can't say no to masala films," Madonna told IANS.

She also said she can't turn down an offer to work with a star.

"It's in these masala films that you get to work with stars. How can I say no to working with them? My latest Tamil release 'Kadhalum Kadhandu Pogum' features Vijay Sethupathi who I really admire. I just couldn't miss an opportunity to work with him," she said.

"My next Malayalam release 'King Liar' is with Dileep, who is a much bigger star. It's an out-and-out masala film," she added.

In "Kadhalum Kadhandu Pogum", which released in cinemas on Friday, she plays a role of Yazhini, who works in the Information Technology world.

"It's a simple love story of a boy and a girl who, by the time they realise and fall in love, the film ends and they never get to live happily ever after. Still, this is a fun film and there's nothing tragic about the story," she said.

The film is the official remake of Korean entertainer "My Dear Desperado".

Madonna has watched the original and she feels the Nalan Kumarasamy-directed Tamil version is much better.

"Nalan has made it livelier, which makes the remake not a frame-to-frame copy of the original. The localisation of the content has worked very well and even those who have watched the Korean version will love the Tamil remake more," she said.

Talking about her co-star Vijay Sethupathi, she said: "It took time for both of us to get talking on the sets. I've learnt from him that it's important to match the wavelength of one's co-star while performing and his valuable input really benefited me."

Most popular for playing the character Celine from last year's Malayalam blockbuster "Premam", Madonna feels the success of the film has already made her a known face in Tamil industry.

"We knew 'Premam' was a good film. However, none of us expected it to do so well. People still call me Celine wherever I go, which only shows how much they love me. Slowly, they are getting used to my real name," she said.

Not in a hurry to sign new projects, she will join the sets of "Premam" Telugu remake from next week.
The publishers of a new children's book in the Philippines seek to inform and prepare kids for the many natural disasters that regularly affect the country, the media reported on Friday.

The book, "What Happens in Disasters" written by Dinna Dayao with illustrations, contains 120 true accounts of children who survived various disasters across the archipelago nation, EFE news reported.

Some examples of stories in the book include a child who lived through super typhoon Yolanda, one who experienced an earthquake in Bohol province, and Muslim children who survived a spate of violence between rebels and the military in Zamboanga city.

"It is important for us to see this when we make programs for children. We see not the adult's perspective but the child's perspective," Philippines' secretary Armin Luistro said.

The edition offered for younger grades is written in Tagalog language, and in English for the older grades.

Though the book was launched by the department last month, it will be officially available in schools from June, the start of the academic year.
The Rajya Sabha witnessed a ruckus on Friday as Congress members accused the government of letting off Vijay Mallya, the founder of now defunct Kingfisher Airlines (KFA).

In its counter-attack, the government, however, told the Congress that they would not let off Mallya the way Ottavio Quattrocchi, main accused in the Bofors scandal, was let off. Mallya is a sitting independent member of the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka.

Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the CBI had informed immigration authorities to stop Mallya from leaving the country on October 16, 2015. But after a month, it changed the advisory and said immigration should just "inform" the CBI.

"On 16 October 2015, the CBI informed the immigration authorities that should Mr. Mallya intend or try to leave this country he should be detained... Detention orders were issued by CBI... But exactly a month later, the CBI changed this order and told immigration they should be only informed," said Azad.

"What happened in one month?" Azad asked.

"Government is party for his fleeing from this country," the Leader of Opposition said.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the government will not let him off.

"We want to make it clear about Mallya, the government has said the country's money will be returned. We will not let him off the way you let off Quattrocchi," Naqvi said.

Quattrocchi was an Italian businessman, charged with acting as a conduit for bribes in the Bofors scandal. He was allegedly given a safe passage to leave the country in 1993 to avoid arrest, six years after the scandal surfaced in 1987. He died in 2013.
The Congress on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of "blatant political and constitutional impropriety" by supporting and participating in the World Culture Festival.

"The support and participation of both in an event that has been legally held to be an 'ecological disaster' and a wrongdoing punishable by a fine, characterises gross hypocrisy of the BJP and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)," said Congress spokesperson P.L. Punia.

"While organising a World Culture Festival to showcase Indian culture is a welcome step, one is left to wonder as to why should it be organised by destroying one of the most sacred and vibrant symbol of our cultural heritage- the Yamuna. Why couldn't it have been organised at a rather open place or a stadium?" Punia asked.

The National Green Tribunal on Friday gave three weeks to organiser Art of Living (AoL) to pay environmental compensation of Rs.5 crore for holding the World Culture Festival on the Yamuna floodplains in Delhi.

AoL told the tribunal that it will abide by the ruling and sought four weeks to deposit Rs.5 crore.

The tribunal said that the AoL should pay Rs.25 lakh on Friday and the balance in three weeks.

"One is also forced to wonder as to what brand of spiritualism upholds environmental destruction? We have witnessed blatant collusion between the government of India, the government of Delhi and Sri Sri Ravishankar in organising an event which will result in a body blow to the holy Yamuna flowing besides the national capital," said Punia.

The Delhi High Court had earlier described the proposed World Culture Festival as an "ecological disaster".

"The very fact that the NGT decided to fine the organisers AOL and the governments of India and Delhi, prima facie establish that the event is illegal and will result in irreparable damage to the Yamuna. Why is an illegal and environmentally degrading event being allowed to take place by the governments concerned?" asked Punia.

"While union culture minister Mahesh Sharma gave a grant of Rs.2.25 crore to the event, a hand-in-glove Kejriwal's minister Kapil Mishra wrote to the defence ministry urging them to build more pontoon bridges for the cultural event," he added.

The AoL's three-day cultural extravaganza started on Friday on a colourful note. The organisers have already spent Rs.25.63 crore for the event.
A Delhi court on Friday summoned the balance sheets of the Congress party, and the Associated Journals Pvt Ltd. (AJL) for the year 2010-2011 in connection with the National Herald case.

Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen ordered summoning of documents saying that these documents could not be referred as "personal documents" of the accused, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and her son Rahul Gandhi.

The order came on the plea of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy who sought summoning of balance sheet, receipts and payments accounts, income and expenditure statements for the year 2010-2011, 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 of the Congress and the AJL.

He had earlier told the court that these records were necessary to establish the method adopted by the accused for purpose of extending loans to acquire AJL, through Young India.

In its order the court said: "At the very outset, this court must observe that the documents referred to in the present application belong to two separate entities, i.e., INC (Congress) and AJL. By no stretch of imagination, the documents could be referred to as 'personal documents' of accused persons."

The court then posted the matter for March 21 for further hearing.

On June 26, 2014, the trial court issued summons to the Congress leaders on Swamy's complaint about "cheating" in the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd., which published the National Herald newspaper, by Young India Ltd., "a firm in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi each own a 38 percent stake".

Congress leaders Motilal Vora, and Oscar Fernandes, family friend Suman Dubey and technocrat Sam Pitroda were also named as accused in the case.
The Supreme Court on Friday commuted to life imprisonment the death sentence of C. Muniappan and two others who were given capital punishment for their involvement in the 2000 Dharmapuri bus burning case.

Three students of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University were burnt to death in the wake of an agitation by AIADMK activists protesting against the conviction of J. Jayalalithaa in Pleasant Stay Hotel case.

The apex court bench comprising Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Prafulla C. Pant commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment after hearing plea by Muniappan, Nedu@ Nedunchezhian and Maadhu@ Ravindran seeking the recall of August 30, 2010, top court verdict upholding their death sentence.

The bench passed the order on Friday afternoon after hearing the plea by the death row convict spread over two days.

The Salem trial court convicted the three of them on February 16, 2007. On December 6, 2007, the Madras High Court dismissed the appeal by the three convicts. On August 30, 2010, the apex court upheld their conviction and award of death sentence.

In February 2000, three agriculture university girl students were burnt alive and several others sustained burns when the bus they were travelling in was set on fire by AIADMK activists protesting party chief J. Jayalalithaa's conviction in the Kodaikanal Pleasant Stay Hotel unauthorised construction case.

A Chennai court had in February 2000 convicted and sentenced Jayalalithaa and four others to a one-year jail term each for legalising the unauthorised construction of the seven-storeyed Pleasant Stay Hotel at Kodaikanal when she was the chief minister 1991-96. This had triggered a state wide agitation.

Three college students - Kokilavani, Gayathri and Hemalatha -- were charred to death after the bus they were travelling in along with 44 other students and two teachers was allegedly torched by Muniappan, Nedu@ Nedunchezhian and Maadhu@ Ravindran on February 2, 2000, after the conviction of AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa in Pleasant Stay Hotel case.
In what could herald a new era to treat aggressive forms of breast cancer, a combination of two targeted drugs shrunk cancerous tumours and even made those disappear within 11 days in a clinical trial.

Nearly a quarter of women with "HER2 positive" breast cancer who were treated with a combination of the targeted drugs -- lapatinib (generic name Tyverb) and trastuzumab (generic name Herceptin) before surgery and chemotherapy -- saw their tumours shrink significantly or even disappear.

Nigel Bundred, professor of surgical oncology at the University of Manchester and the University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust (UK), presented the results in which 257 women with newly-diagnosed, operable, HER2 positive disease were recruited for the trial.

"This has ground breaking potential because it allows us to identify a group of patients who, within 11 days, have had their tumours disappear with anti-HER2 therapy alone and who potentially may not require subsequent chemotherapy. This offers the opportunity to tailor treatment for each individual woman," professor Bundred told the 10th European Breast Cancer Conference in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, on Thursday.

The trial had two parts. In part one, 130 women were randomised to receive no pre-operative treatment (the control group), or trastuzumab (Herceptin) only, or lapatinib (Tyverb) only for 11 days after diagnosis and before surgery.

However, evidence emerged from other trials of the efficacy of the combination of lapatinib and trastuzumab to treat HER2 positive breast cancer in other settings.

The second part of the trial was amended so that, the next 127 women were randomised to the control group, or to receive trastuzumab only or the combination treatment.

The samples were analysed to see if there had been a drop in levels of the Ki67 protein, an indicator of cell proliferation, or a rise in apoptosis (programmed cell death) of 30 percent or more from the time of the first biopsy.

In addition, women were then categorised as either having pathological complete response (pCR) if no active cancer cells had been found, minimal residual disease (MRD) if the tumour was less than 5mm in diameter or other.

Of the women receiving the combination, 17 percent had only minimal residual disease and 11 percent had no biological sign of invasive tumour in the breast.

Of the women treated with trastuzumab only, 3 percent had residual disease or complete response.

"These results show that we can get an early indication of pathological response within 11 days, in the absence of chemotherapy, in these patients on combination treatment," noted professor Judith Bliss, lead researcher from the Institute of Cancer Research, London, which co-led the trial.

Most previous trials have only looked at the pathological response after several months of treatment.

"Clearly these results need further confirmation, but I suspect the excitement from seeing the speed of disappearance of the tumours will mean that several trials will attempt to confirm these results," the authors emphasised.

HER2 positive breast cancer is breast cancer that has a high number of receptors for the human epidermal growth factor (HER2) on the surfaces of the cancer cells.
The first of the Scorpene class submarine Kalvari will start its trial this year, Vice Chief of Naval Staff P. Murugesan said here on Friday.

"Some time his year, the trial will start. Being the first of her class, trials will go on for long; it can be close to a year," Vice Admiral Murugesan said at a press conference on the theme 'roadmap for a future-ready naval force'.

Being built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd. in Mumbai, the submarine was set afloat in the sea for the first time in October last year.

It is first of the stealth submarines being built under Project 75, in collaboration with DCNS, France.

The boat would be equipped with anti-ship missiles and long range guided torpedoes along with modern sensor suite.

The Vice Admiral also called for industrial support for indegenising the three components of shipbuilding -- float, move and fight -- to 90 percent.

While India is doing well in terms of the cost of ship building and its quality, the time factor needs to be controlled, said Murugesan.

"A warship in any country shows its industrial capability. Today we can produce destroyers and frigates no less than any other destroyer and frigate, and it is much cheaper," he said.

"Timeline is where we need to make change." he said.

Vice Admiral Murugesan said the contracts for building Visakhapatnam class (Project 15B) stealth guided missile destroyers and Shivalik-class frigate (Project 17A) have components for outsourcing indigenously to promote Make in India.

In Project 15B, this outsourcing has to be 17 percent, and in Project 17A it will be 46 percent.

Decision on outsourcing will be taken by the shipyard, he added.
This blog is written solely by John Ray, who has a Ph.D. degree in psychology and 200+ papers published in the academic journals of the social sciences. It does occasionally comment on issues in psychology but is mainly aimed at giving a conservative psychologist's view on a broad range of topics. There are very few conservative psychologists.The blog originated in Australia and many (but not most) posts discuss Australian matters. Australians have an unusually good awareness of events outside their own country. Australian newspapers feature news from Britain and the USA not as an afterthought but as a major part of their coverage. So Australians do tend to have a truly Western heart, which is the reason behind the old name for this blog. So events in Australia, Britain and the USA all feature frequently here, plus occasional coverage of other places, particularly Israel.SCOTUS is the Supreme Court of the United States, the highest court in the landThe "GOP" stands for "Grand Old Party" and refers to the Republican party. The GOP is at present center/Right, while the Democrats have been undergoing a steady drift Leftwards and now have policies similar to mainstream European Leftist parties.The ideological identity of both parties has however been very fluid -- almost reversing itself over time. In the mid 19th century, the GOP was the party of big government and concern for minorities while the Democrats advertised themselves as "The party of the white man" -- an orientation that lasted into the mid 20th century in the South. The Democrats are still obsessed with race but have now flipped into support for discrimination AGAINST whites.Was Pope Urban VIII the first Warmist? Below we see him refusing to look through Galileo's telescope. People tend to refuse to consider evidence if what they might discover contradicts what they believe.Climate scientist Lennart Bengtsson said. The warming we have had the last 100 years is so small that if we didnt have meteorologists and climatologists to measure it we wouldnt have noticed it at all.The term "Fascism" is mostly used by the Left as a brainless term of abuse. But when they do make a serious attempt to define it, they produce very complex and elaborate definitions -- e.g. here and here . In fact, Fascism is simply extreme socialism plus nationalism. But great gyrations are needed to avoid mentioning the first part of that recipe, of course.Beatrice Webb, a founder of the London School of Economics and the Fabian Society, and married to a Labour MP, mused in 1922 on whether when English children were "dying from lack of milk", one should extend "the charitable impulse" to Russian and Chinese children who, if saved this year, might anyway die next. Besides, she continued, there was "the larger question of whether those races are desirable inhabitants" and "obviously" one wouldn't "spend one's available income" on "a Central African negro".Hugh Dalton, offered the Colonial Office during Attlee's 1945-51 Labour government, turned it down because "I had a horrid vision of pullulating, poverty stricken, diseased nigger communities, for whom one can do nothing in the short run and who, the more one tries to help them, are querulous and ungrateful."The book,, authored by T.W. Adorno et al. in 1950, has been massively popular among psychologists. It claims that a set of ideas that were popular in the "Progressive"-dominated America of the prewar era were "authoritarian". Leftist regimes always are authoritarian so that claim was not a big problem. What was quite amazing however is that Adorno et al. identified such ideas as "conservative". They were in fact simply popular ideas of the day but ones that had been most heavily promoted by the Left right up until the then-recent WWII. See here for details of prewar "Progressive" thinking.R.I.P. Augusto Pinochet. Pinochet deposed a law-defying Marxist President at the express and desperate invitation of the Chilean parliament. He pioneered the free-market reforms which Reagan and Thatcher later unleashed to world-changing effect. That he used far-Leftist methods to suppress far-Leftist violence is reasonable if not ideal. The Leftist view that they should have a monopoly of violence and that others should follow the law is a total absurdity which shows only that their hate overcomes their reasonFranklin Delano Roosevelt was a war criminal. Both British and American codebreakers had cracked the Japanese naval code so FDR knew what was coming at Pearl Harbor. But for his own political reasons he warned no-one there. So responsibility for the civilian and military deaths at Pearl Harbor lies with FDR as well as with the Japanese. The huge firepower available at Pearl Harbor, both aboard ship and on land, could have largely neutered the attack. Can you imagine 8 battleships and various lesser craft firing all their AA batteries as the Japanese came in? The Japanese naval airforce would have been annihilated and the war would have been over before it began. FDR prolonged the Depression . He certainly didn't cure it. WWII did NOT end the Great Depression . It just concealed it. It in fact made living standards worse Joe McCarthy was eventually proved right after the fall of the Soviet Union. To accuse anyone of McCarthyism is to accuse them of accuracy! The KKK was intimately associated with the Democratic party . They ATTACKED Republicans!People who mention differences in black vs. white IQ are these days almost universally howled down and subjected to the most extreme abuse. I am a psychometrician, however, so I feel obliged to defend the scientific truth of the matter:The average African adult has about the same IQ as an average white 11-year-old and African Americans (who are partly white in ancestry) average out at a mental age of 14. The American Psychological Association is generally Left-leaning but it is the world's most prestigious body of academic psychologists. And even they have had to concede that sort of gap (one SD) in black vs. white average IQ. 11-year olds can do a lot of things but they also have their limits and there are times when such limits need to be allowed for. America's uncivil war was caused by trade protectionism . The slavery issue was just camouflage, as Abraham Lincoln himself admitted . See also here Leftist psychologists have an amusingly simplistic conception of military organizations and military men. They seem to base it on occasions they have seen troops marching together on parade rather than any real knowledge of military men and the military life. They think that military men are "rigid" -- automatons who are unable to adjust to new challenges or think for themselves. What is incomprehensible to them is that being(to use the extreme Prussian term for following orders) actually requires great flexibility -- enough flexibility to put your own ideas and wishes aside and do something very difficult. Ask any soldier if all commands are easy to obey.
Washington, March 11 (IANS/EFE) Five people died and three others were wounded in a multiple shooting in a residential neighbourhood in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, a township on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County police said.

The dead include four women and a man who, authorities said, were eating supper on Wednesday in the backyard of a home when two gunmen opened fire on them from two different angles.

No arrests have been made so far in the case and the motive for the attack is unknown.

Three of the women and the man were pronounced dead at the scene when police arrived after receiving a telephone call around 11 p.m. reporting the shootings, and the fifth fatal victim died of her wounds at a local hospital.

Of the three people wounded, two men are in critical condition while a woman is in stable condition.

A witness told Pittsburgh's Channel 11 television that he was walking home when he heard more than 20 shots and saw people running from the shooting scene.

--IANS/EFE

vr/
Fresh fighting in previously peaceful areas of South Sudan's Western Equatoria state has forced thousands of people to flee into countries including Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda and even the volatile Central African Republic.

The UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, said on Friday the new arrivals, mainly women and children tell of human rights abuses, including killings, rape and forced recruitment, Xinhua reported.

"We hope to gain access next week to an estimated 7,000 South Sudanese refugees living in desperate conditions in Bambouti, which is located in a difficult area to reach in the easternmost part of Central African Republic," UNHCR said in a statement.

It said a four-truck convoy carrying UNHCR and World Food Programme (WFP) humanitarian aid, is scheduled to leave Bangui on Saturday for Bambouti and arrive there on March 21.

"An inter-agency needs assessment team will follow on Monday, travelling by plane and helicopter. They will carry some emergency relief items, including medicine and nutritional biscuits," it said.

According to UNHCR, more than 14,000 South Sudanese refugees, the vast majority of whom are women and children under the age of 18, have been registered since the start of the year in Uganda.

"Many of the new arrivals are fleeing from Western Equatoria, often having walked for days, and are tired and hungry. Arrival figures are up on late 2015," the UN refugee agency said.

The new fighting in Western Equatoria has since late 2015 also forced more than 11,000 people to cross into Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Fighting first erupted in Juba in December 2013, pitting the government forces of President Salva Kiir against supporters of ex-vice-president Riek Machar.

The conflict has reopened deep ethnic tensions in the world's youngest country, which only won independence from Sudan in 2011.

Peace talks between Kiir and Machar stalled several times but the two leaders eventually signed peace agreement in August last year, paving way for the formation of government of national unity.

Previous truce agreements have since collapsed with multiple peace processes and initiatives having created little tangible progress.

The two-year conflict in South Sudan has taken a brutal and deadly toll on civilians. Recently, fighting has spread to new areas, including in Wau and Mundri, and there continue to be reports of people being raped and killed, and of homes and crops being destroyed and damaged by fighting.
A Cambodian court on Friday convicted a German expatriate for sexually abusing five underage boys and sentenced him to one year in prison, according to a verdict.

"The (Phnom Penh Municipal) court found Udo Sabiniewicz, 56, guilty of conducting indecent acts against minors and sentenced him to one year in prison," Xinhua cited the verdict as saying, which also ordered him to pay $1,000 to each of two plaintiffs.

Sabiniewicz was arrested at his animation video dubbing studio in Phnom Penh in June last year and subsequently charged on multiple counts of indecent acts against minors.

Cambodia launched an anti-paedophile operation in 2003 in a bid to end its reputation as a haven for child sex offenders. Since then, dozens of foreigners have been imprisoned for child sex crimes.
State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) on Friday announced it has delivered the first set of structural assemblies to Swiss firm Ruag Aviation for its new generation Dornier aircraft.

"We have manufactured and supplied the first of the four ship-sets for which we received an export order four months ago," HAL chairman and managing director T. Suvarna Raju said in a statement here.

The aero structures are being produced at the company's transport aircraft facility in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Ruag's managing director Volker Wallrodt received the first set early this week.

HAL, however, did not disclose the export order value in the statement.

HAL has been manufacturing the twin-turboprop utility Dornier (Do-228) for defence services and civil operations under production licence since 1983.

Ruag has been sourcing fuselage, wings and tail from HAL for Dornier's new generation aircraft (Do-228-212 NG) and assembling them at its other facility near Germany's Munich.

"We are exploring cost reduction to make Dornier viable for more exports and civil operations in the sub-continent," said Raju.

HAL has rolled out 120 Dorniers for the Indian Air Force, Indian Navy and Coast Guard over the last three decades.

The company also exported an unspecified number of the aircraft to Indian Ocean island nations of Mauritius and Seychelles.

"We plan to upgrade the multi-role aircraft and operate two civil variant from our airport at Nashik in Maharashtra," said Raju.

The company also has the Indian civil aviation regulator approval to make the Dornier's civil variant for airlines to use on feeder routes.
The Haryana government on Friday objected to the Punjab government's move for de-acquisition of land taken to construct the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, which has been at the centre of a water-sharing row between Punjab and Haryana for decades.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal has taken exception to a statement by his Punjab counterpart Parkash Singh Badal that the land acquired for the SYL canal would be de-notified and given back to farmers from whom it was acquired nearly 40 years back.

Terming it "unfortunate", Khattar said Badal's statement, after the Supreme Court had begun hearing on the Presidential reference regarding the Punjab Termination of Agreement Act 2004, was "disappointing and driven by purely political considerations".

"I have great respect for Badal who is an experienced leader. Being the elder brother of Haryana, Punjab should protect the interests of the younger brother. One should refrain from commenting on anything which is sub judice," Khattar said in a statement.

Khattar said he was confident that Haryana would get every drop of its legitimate share of river waters.

"The SYL is the lifeline of Haryana farmers and the state government is committed to doing everything possible to make it carry Haryana's share of water at the earliest. An all-party meeting he had convened on March 12 would also take up the waters issue," he added.

Badal had declared on Thursday that the Punjab government would de-notify the land which had been acquired for the construction of the controversial SYL canal in Punjab.

The said land, measuring 5,376 acres, would be returned to its original owners, Badal said.

Badal had told the Punjab assembly on Thursday that not a single drop of water would be allowed to flow out of Punjab.

"In fact, an extremely critical and dangerous water crisis stares its population in the face. I would rather shed every drop of my blood than allow any drop of Punjab's river waters to flow out in violation of its rights," Badal said.

The Supreme Court had recently accepted a petition filed by the Haryana government for early hearing on the issue of the SYL canal, on which the Presidential Reference is pending for the past 12 years.

Both Punjab and Haryana have been locked in a bitter war of words over sharing of river waters. The apex court is hearing the matter when Punjab is less than a year away from assembly polls.

The Congress government in Punjab had, in 2004, scrapped the water sharing agreements with neighbouring states and refused to give any water to other states, especially Haryana.

The presidential reference was sought after the Punjab Assembly unilaterally passed the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act 2004, categorically stating that it was nullifying all agreements on water sharing and that no more water would be given to Haryana.

The SYL Canal, which was planned and major portions of it were even completed in the 1990s at a cost of over Rs.750 crore, is entangled in a political and legal quagmire. Punjab and Haryana are unwilling to give up their respective stand on the canal issue and sharing of river waters.

The canal was to link two major rivers (Sutlej and Yamuna) in Punjab and Haryana.

The foundation stone of the SYL canal was laid in April 1982 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. At that time terrorism was on the rise in Punjab and the issue became a sensitive one, with leaders in Punjab raking up the water sharing issue.

Terrorists gunned down labourers and officials involved in the SYL construction to get the project stalled.

Several kilometres of the canal were made in Punjab and Haryana but the project never got completed.
The Haryana government on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ujjawal Discoms Assurance Yojana (UDAY) in New Delhi.

A government spokesperson said Haryana has joined the Ujjawal Discoms Assurance Yojana (UDAY) "to cut down the debt burden of DISCOMs, reduce the cost of power, pare down losses to 15 percent over the next three years, and financially turn around the power distribution companies".

The MoU was signed by Rajan Gupta, additional chief Secretary (Power), on behalf of the Haryana government, and Nitin Yadav, managing director of the two discoms UHBVNL and DHBVNL with A.K. Verma, joint secretary in the Ministry of Power.

On the occasion, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that under the scheme, out of Rs.34,600 crore debt as on September 30, 2015, Rs.25,950 crore would be taken over by the state government.

In lieu of the loans taken from financial institutions by the DISCOMs, the state government will issue bonds which would carry much lower rate of interest compared to the loans from financial institutions.

The total debt of Rs.25,950 crore will be finally taken over by the state government over a period of next five years.

The implementation of the scheme would also help improve efficiency with the ultimate objective of providing 24X7 power to all consumers.

Union Minister of State for Power Piyush Goel said on the occasion that an overall net benefit of approximately Rs.14,160 crore would accrue to the state by opting to participate in UDAY, by way of savings in interest cost, reduction in AT&C and transmission losses, interventions in energy efficiency, coal reforms etc during the period of turnaround.

He said the discoms would overcome the losses in the next one year.
Hindu Munnani, a Hindu organisation, on Friday condemned attempts to stop the World Culture Festival on the Yamuna flood plains in Delhi organised by the Art of Living with a hidden political agenda.

"Hindu Munnani condemns the attempts to stop the World Cultural Festival organised by Art of Living with a political agenda," Ramagopalan, founder of Hindu Munnani, said in a statement issued here on Friday.

He said a suspicion arises that attempts are being made to stop the event in order to prevent India's heritage from being spread the world over.
What makes computers and a human brain different when it comes to recognising images? The presence of an "atomic" unit of recognition - a minimum amount of information an image must contain for the recognition to occur - in human brain, researchers report.

Scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) suggests that there is something elemental in our brains that is tuned to work with a minimal amount of information.

That elemental quantity may be crucial to our recognition abilities and incorporating it into current models can prove valuable for further research into the workings of the human brain and for developing new computer and robotic vision systems.

To understand this, professor Shimon Ullman and Dr Daniel Harari, together with Liav Assif and Ethan Fetaya, enlisted thousands of participants from Amazon's "Mechanical Turk" (AI programme) and had them identify a series of images.

When the scientists compared the scores of the human subjects with those of the computer models, they found that humans were much better at identifying partial- or low-resolution images.

Almost all the human participants were successful at identifying the objects in the various images up to a fairly high loss of detail - after which, nearly everyone stumbled at the exact same point.

"If an already minimal image loses just a minute amount of detail, everybody suddenly loses the ability to identify the object," Ullman noted.

"That hints that no matter what our life experience or training, object recognition is hardwired and works the same in all of us," he added in a paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS),

The researchers suggest that the differences between computer and human capabilities lie in the fact that computer algorithms adopt a "bottom-up" approach that moves from simple features to complex ones.

Human brains, on the other hand, work in "bottom-up" and "top-down" modes simultaneously, by comparing the elements in an image to a sort of model stored in their memory banks, the authors noted.
A major tragedy was averted on Friday as security forces detected an improvised explosive device (IED) on the Srinagar-Baramulla highway in Jammu and Kashmir.

A senior police officer told IANS: "The road opening party (ROP) of the army detected an IED in Nowgam area of Srinagar city. The bomb disposal squads of the army and police are at work."

The Srinagar-Baramulla highway are heavily used by military convoys. Militants have been using IEDs to target security forces.
Tehran, March 11 (IRNA) Tehran and New Delhi can play a crucial role in fighting terrorism, Iran's secretary of Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei said.

"Iran and India can play a crucial role in fighting terrorism through strategic cooperation," Rezaei said in a meeting with Indian Ambassador to Iran Saurabh Kumar on Thursday.

He reiterated that both the countries are members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and they should adopt a new outlook in a bid to broaden their bilateral ties and pave the way for boosting cooperation.

The Indian ambassador said: "While strengthening the anti-terrorism dialogue, we should begin fight against terrorists."

He proposed that Iran and India should play an effective role in going to war on terrorism through strategic cooperation.

"We are also emphasizing that the economic, cultural and also independent relations between the two countries should be strengthened," Kumar said.
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition seeking to quash a criminal case against Gujarat Police personnel involved in the Ishrat Jahan shoot-out case in view of Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Headley's statement regarding the matter.

A bench of Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Justice Amitava Roy told petitioner M.L. Sharma that the court could not pass any order under Article 32 and that he should have approached the high court invoking Article 226.

The police personnel were only discharging their duty in liquidating Ishrat Jahan and three other terrorists in June 2004, said Sharma.

How could they be hauled up for killing hard core terrorists, he wondered.

He told the court that police personnel were facing suspension because "a person killed (in police action) belongs to a particular community".

"Article 32 of the constitution provides for the right to move Supreme Court for the enforcement of the fundamental rights of the people guaranteed under the constitution. Article 226 of the constitution that spells out the powers of the high court to entertain certain pleas says that it could issue order for the enforcement of fundamental rights or for any other purpose," the petitioner said.

The court did make it clear that dismissal of Sharma's PIL (public interest litigation) plea would not come in the way of those having locus in Ishrat Jahan case to seek remedies in the light of recent revelations by Headley.

The court said this on the plea by the Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who had appeared for Gujarat government.

Besides the quashing of charges, the petitioner had sought "proper compensation" to the Gujarat police personnel who were prosecuted on the charge that the shoot-out was fake.

Based on the deposition of Headley, the PIL sought declaration that the killing of Ishrat Jahan was not an offence.

Mumbai college girl Ishrat Jahan and her three alleged associates Pranesh Gopinath Pilai, Amjad Ali and Jishan Johar were killed by Gujarat Police in an allegedly fake shoot-out on June 15, 2004.

Gujarat Police had described the four as Pakistani-controlled terrorists who came from Jammu and Kashmir to assassinate the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Last month, Headley has told a Mumbai court that Ishrat Jehan was a member of Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Israeli police on Friday said 177 "illegal" Palestinian workers were arrested overnight, on the third day of a crackdown following a fatal terror attack.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the workers were detained because they entered Israel without permits, along with 26 people who were accused of driving them from the West Bank to Israel, Xinhua news agency reported.

Samri added that over the past 24 hours, police and paramilitary Border Police raided 341 construction sites, where most of the Palestinian workers are employed, and other places known as workers sleeping sites.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Israeli forces arrested 250 other Palestinians without permits in addition to 30 employers and people who accommodate them.

The massive crackdown was part of new measures that the Israeli government imposed in the wake of a stabbing attack in Jaffa, south of capital Tel Aviv on Tuesday, which claimed the life of Taylor Force, a 29-year-old US Student, the second American citizen who was killed in the six-month violence between Israel and the Palestinians.

Force was stabbed to death by Bashar Massalha, a 22-year-old resident of the West Bank town Qalqilya who entered Israel without papers. He had wounded 11 others before police shot and killed him.

The incident occurred as US Vice President Joe Biden was visiting the nearby Peres Centre for Peace. His two-day visit, which ended on Thursday, triggered a spate of attacks.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Kalikho Pul on Friday allotted portfolios to the newly-inducted ministers keeping finance, planning, health and family welfare, forests and environment departments.

Deputy Chief Minister Kameng Dolo will look after home, rural development, panchayati raj besides textiles and handicrafts.

Chowna Mein, who was also sworn-in as Deputy Chief Minister, was allotted public works department, social welfare and child development, social justice empowerment, tribal affairs, animal husbandry and veterinary.

Former Deputy Speaker Tenzing Norbu Thongdok, who was elevated to the rank of a cabinet minister, was given power and non-conventional energy resources and research

Sarvasshri Kumar Waii has been allotted rural works development, agriculture, labour and employment.

Education, parliamentary affairs and department of Tirap, Changlang and Longding were allotted to Wanglin Lowangdong.

Kamlung Mossang who was also sworn in as cabinet minister on March 5 has been tasked to handle water resources department, mines, trade and commerce. While public health engineering and water supply besides libraries has given to Lombo Tayeng.

Pul was sworn-in as the eighth chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh on February 19 after the central government recommended that President's Rule be lifted from the state.

On February 25, Pul won a vote of confidence in the 60-member assembly, whose strength now stands at 58 following the expulsion of two Congress legislators.

The BJP which has 11 members and two other Independent members also supported Pul. Ousted chief minister Nabam Tuki and his 16 loyalist Congress members did not attend the assembly session.

On March 3, Pul and the 29 dissident Congress members merged with the People's Party of Arunachal (PPA) a regional party in the state after the Congress party high command failed to recognize Kalkiho Pul as the elected Congress Legislature Party.
The Karnataka government on Friday seized 62 two-wheeler taxis belonging to app-based cab aggregator Uber for violating the Motor Vehicles Act and continuing to operate without requisite permission.

"We have seized 62 Uber bikes (two-wheeler taxis, uberMOTO) today (Friday) for operating illegally. We will take stern action against them (Uber) in accordance with the Motor Vehicles Act.," Karnataka Transport Commissioner Rame Gowda told IANS.

Gowda pointed out that white number plated uberMOTO two-wheelers do not comply with the rules and the drivers also lack a badge which a commercial vehicle driver should have.

The transport commissioner clarified that any commercial vehicle must first make an application to the Road Transport Authority (RTA) in their respective district or area to start business operations.

He said a committee including the deputy commissioner of a particular district or area as the chairman, RTO as the secretary and SP or DCP as the member will consider the application and deal with it according to the requirement.

"Without doing all these things, it is an illegal operation. Everybody should know what they (Uber) are doing, what business they are doing, how they are conducting," said Gowda.

"Let them follow the rules, we are not coming in their way. It should be transparent. If anything goes wrong ultimately who is responsible. It is not fair on their (Uber) part," Gowda told IANS.

On being asked if there would be any monetary penalty on Uber, Gowda said the court will decide.

According to media reports, Uber's rival Ola stopped its version of two-wheeler taxis Ola Bike which was also confirmed by Gowda leading to only Uber two-wheeler taxis being seized on Friday.

Despite several attempts by IANS to elicit the reasons for halting the two-wheeler taxi services and whether it received a notice from the government, Ola did not respond.

Interestingly, IANS succeeded in booking and cancelling an Uber two-wheeler taxi from the Bengaluru Press Club near Cubbon Park in the heart of the city.

The app confirmed a bike taxi to IANS reporter being operated by one Harish using a Bajaj Platina motorcycle to deliver the service.

On being asked if Uber informed the driver that the two-wheeler taxi service he is listed for is currently illegal, Harish, the bike driver said: "Uber did not inform me that the service is illegal."

He disconnected the call on being questioned further while Uber did not respond to IANS despite several attempts.

Uber and Ola launched pilot on-demand two-wheeler taxi services uberMOTO and Ola Bike, respectively, on March 3. Ola Bike later stopped its services and even removed the option to book a bike taxi on its app.

uberMOTO's minimum fare is pegged at Rs.15 per km followed by Rs.3 per km and Re.1 per minute of travel.
The Lok Sabha on Friday passed the Aadhaar bill to give legal teeth to the government in ensuring its subsidies and services reach the intended beneficiaries directly, thereby going beyond the scheme's current mandate of merely assigning a unique identity to residents.

The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016, was passed by the Lok Sabha with voice vote after a brief debate, during which Finance Minister Arun Jaitley assured the house that details provided for the card will not be misused in any manner.

When enacted, the bill will empower the government in providing targeted services to the intended beneficiaries by assigning them unique identity numbers, called Aadhaar. It will be given to every person who has stayed in India for 182 days in the year preceding the date of application.

During the debate, Jaitley said there is an "element of urgency" in passing the bill and urged the Congress party not to oppose or "even delay" its passage. All amendments to the bill moved by members of opposition parties were either defeated or withdrawn.

"Learning from the experience, we have improved upon the idea," Jaitley said and also maintained that the bill should also not be delayed by sending it to any parliamentary panel. "We have gone through it for seven years," he said.

Jaitley also said the bill tabled by the previous government in 2010 did not conceive the purpose of such a unique identification. This, he added, evoked public debate -- and even in courts -- on the intended legislation trespassing on the rights of citizens.

Biju Janata Dal member Tatagatha Sathpathy, who represents Dhenkanal constituency in Odisha, said he and his party were opposing it. But Jaitley rejected his apprehensions that Aadhaar card can be misused for "ethnic cleansing".

The finance minister also defended the move to turn it into a money bill, even as the opposition Congress objected to the move. The party's floor leader Mallikarjun Kharge said the previous one piloted by his party-led regime in 2010 did not term it as one.

Kharge also alleged the government intented to call it a money bill, motivated by an apprehension that the draft legislation may face hurdles in the Rajya Sabha, where the ruling coalition does not enjoy a majority.

But Jaitley said the new bill is "unlike" the previous one moved by the Manmohan Singh government in 2010. The finance minister said its core focus was on the money the government will spend for beneficiaries and not a mere identification document.

"This bill deals with one primary focus and that is: Whoever gets benefit from the Consolidated Fund of India, either state government or the Centre and other institutions -- the person is entitled to have an Aadhaar card."

Regarding the coverage, Jaitley said 97 percdnt of adult Indians now have an Aadhaar card, while 67 percent children also have been enrolled for it. He added that 5-7 lakh people are being added to the system each day.

Among the other features of the bill, it calls for the government to ask a person to apply for one if he does not have an Aadhaar number, while providing alternative means of identification in the interim.

The card can be used as proof of identity, but not as a proof of citizenship or domicile.

Jaitley said the Aadhaar number will not be misused since the overseeing authority can respond to an authentication query only with a positive, negative or other appropriate response. He said it is not permitted to share the biometric attributes. These include finger prints and iris scans.

The details can be shared only under two circumstances: National security and court order.

The bill also calls for an imprisonment of up to three years and the minimum fine of Rs.10 lakh on a person for extending unauthorised access to the centralised data-base -- or for revealing any information stored in it.

Jaitley also made a strong case for streamling the country's subsidy regime. "Subsidies should be targeted," he said, "Those who are undeserving should be phased out." He said the system, under which earlier he himself got subsidies for kerosene, needed to be corrected.
The Member of Parliament Vijay Mallya on Friday said that he did not abscond from India and has full faith in the country's judicial system.

Mallya in a series of tweets said: "I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish."

Rubbishing the media reports that the United Breweries group chairman had fled from the country and was staying in London, Mallya said that he has full faith in Indian judicial system and and as a parliament member he "respects and will comply with the law of the land."

The beleaguered liquor baron Vijay Mallya also said that he does not want a trial by the media, adding: "Once a media witch hunt starts it escalates into a raging fire where truth and facts are burnt to ashes."

"News reports that I must declare my assets. Does that mean the banks did not know my assets or look at my parliamentary disclosures?," Mallya asked in a series of tweets.

The consortium of 17 banks led by the State Bank of India had sought supreme court orders restraining Mallya from leaving the country, his arrest and impounding of his passport.

Earlier on Wednesday, the court was told that Mallya had already left India on March 2.

Issuing notice, the Supreme Court gave Mallya two weeks to respond as it directed the next hearing of the matter on March 30.
Business tycoon Vijay Mallya said on Friday that he had not fled India in the wake of legal issues and insisted that he had full faith in the country's judicial system.

"I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish," the Rajya Sabha member tweeted.

Rubbishing reports that the United Breweries group chairman had fled and was in London, Mallya said that he had full faith in the Indian judicial system.

And the MP added that he "respects and will comply with the law of the land".

Mallya also said that he does not want a trial by the media. "Once a media witch hunt starts, it escalates into a raging fire where truth and facts are burnt to ashes.

"News reports that I must declare my assets. Does that mean the banks did not know my assets or look at my parliamentary disclosures?" he asked in a series of tweets.

A consortium of 17 banks led by the State Bank of India want Mallya arrested for not repaying about Rs.9,000 crore he had borrowed.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court gave Mallya two weeks to respond and fixed the next hearing on March 30.
Among the things Mexico can learn from India is dealing with the diaspora, the Latin American country's Minister for Foreign Affairs Claudia Ruiz-Massieu Salinas said on Friday.

"India has the largest diaspora at 16 million. Mexico has the second largest at 12 million," Salinas, who arrived here on Friday on a two-day visit, said while delivering the 22nd Sapru House Lecture.

"India has a long tradition of recognising the value of its diaspora abroad for public diplomacy," she said.

In this connection, she also referred to the merger of the ministry of overseas Indian affairs with the ministry of external affairs.

On India-Mexico relations, she said that both countries shared a vision of the future and their place as regional power and economic hubs.

"Back home we call it 'Moving Mexico'. Here you call it 'Make in India'," Salinas said.

"Surprisingly there are a lot of similarities and they run in parallel directions. One pillar of 'Make in India' is to attract and facilitating investments. In Mexico, wed are trying to increase productivity and investments."

She said "Make in India" was also aimed at training and creating jobs for students.

"In Mexico, we accomplished an ambitious education reform that is focusing not only on ensuring that all Mexicans, all children and young people have access to education but to quality education," the minister said.

"We are focusing on permanent training of our teachers and giving our students the skills and abilities to become global citizens and to compete in a highly integrated and inter-connected world."

Salinas said while an integral part of "Make in India" was business facilitation for economic competitiveness, it was fiscal and financial reforms for "Moving Mexico".

"An important objective of "Make in India" is to remove absolute limits to foreign direct investments. In Mexico, we have energy reforms, telecom reforms," she said.

While India was planning to build 100 smart cities and provide affordable housing, Mexico was creating special economic zones.

"Mexico is a natural bridge for India to dive into one of the most dynamic regions worldwide," the minister said.

"Our network of free trade agreements and strategic make us an entry way to North America and Latin America."

Salinas lamented that trade between Mexico and India has only grown 19 percent in the last decade.

"Two G20 economies with the size of Mexico and India should increase trading figures," she said.

Mexico is the 13th largest country and at $1 trillion is the 15th largest economy in the world.

"We have to work together and explore new opportunities to deepen our economic and trade exchange," the Mexican minister said, adding that manufacturing and pharmaceuticals were among such areas.

She said that Mexico was India's second largest Latin American investor.

"In Latin America, Mexico is the second destination for India in foreign direct investments. However, we acknowledge that the approximately 170 Indian firms, mainly from the automotive, pharmaceuticals and the IT sectors are established in Mexico," Salinas said, adding that India was home to 11 Mexican firms from various sectors.

She mentioned automotive, mining, information technology, technology as sectors Indian companies can invest in Mexico.

Earlier on Friday, after her arrival, Salinas called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

She is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday.
As many as 320 voters of a leprosy colony in West Bengal's Bankura district will have access to upgraded facilities like battery-operated cars in the upcoming assembly polls, courtesy a model polling station exclusively meant for the inmates.

There are at least four settlements for leprosy afflicted-physically challenged people in the district. The Gouripur Leprosy Hospital in the Kalyanpur settlement (around 200 families) is one of India's oldest leprosy hospitals, an official said.

"This time, the polling station in Gouripur has been designated as a model one for the registered 320 voters. Apart from ensuring basic minimum facilities, their will be additional arrangements like provision of wheelchairs and battery-operated cars (totos) among others. This polling station is solely for the colony residents," an official of the district administration told IANS.

According to Dibyendu Sarkar, additional chief electoral officer of the Election Commission here, the Central Election Commission is keen to ensure a smooth voting process for the colony residents.

"Usually, the doctors and staff of the leprosy hospital contribute in the arrangements for the polling station. Since people who have not dealt with leprosy patients may have some inhibitions, the physicians themselves participate in the election process during the polling day.

"They are familiar with the patients and it helps to ease the process," the district official said, adding the voter turnout is 85 percent in the district.

Bengal goes to the hustings on April 4. Bankura is included in the first phase.
After Arunachal Pradesh, it is now the turn of Manipur's Congress Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh to face dissidence -- with over 25 party legislators up in arms.

In the 2012 assembly polls, the Congress bagged 42 seats in the 60-member house, a record in Manipur.

The dissidents in the Congress have served an ultimatum to Ibobi Singh, asking them to either induct them in the ministry or face the music.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has summoned Ibobi Singh to New Delhi for discussions.

For months, the dissidents had been demanding a major reshuffle so that they could be inducted after dropping the present ministers.

This time the dissidents are understood to have hinted they may join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) if their demands were not conceded.

Said state BJP president Thounaojam Chaoba: "We have a long list of the Congress members who are seeking admission to the party. We may come out with the detailed list soon."

Ibobi Singh has been in power for 14 long years, and Congress dissidents say the wind in the state now favours the BJP.

A dissident told IANS: "At the time of installing the last ministry, Ibobi Singh assured us that the present ministers will be in power for two and a half years, after which new faces will be inducted.

"This time, we may look for greener pastures. There is no charm remaining merely as legislators."

Sonia Gandhi has reportedly taken a serious note of the demands of the dissidents, whose number is said to be increasing.

Most of them are camping in New Delhi seeking an audience with her.

A senior Manipur minister, however, told IANS that a major reshuffle was easier said than done.

According to him, there were some tribal ministers who cannot be replaced. Besides, there were 11 ministers excluding the chief minister, and it will be no easy task to select new ministers.

Manipur goes to the polls in February 2017.
Following the announcement of the new Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy (HELP) at a time of low crude oil prices globally, the government said on Friday that policies to enhance India's energy security could not be determined by market vagaries.

"Policies cannot be linked to what is currently happening to the oil market, which we all know is down," Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told reporters here, saying he was being constantly asked over the last 20 months about a new policy for exploration.

"Policy and market are two different things, and we have to think long term about reform. HELP is perhaps the first structural policy reform in the sector after India's Independence," he said.

Responding to a query on whether oil producers needed to be incentivised through tax concessions in the current depressed scenario for investments in the sector, Pradhan said that HELP signifies a "paradigm shift" in the contractual and fiscal model for awarding oil and gas acreages.

HELP, approved by the union cabinet on Thursday, replaces the existing profit-sharing arrangement for hydrocarbon blocks to be commercialised from this year with a revenue-sharing formula, which may help prevent future disputes over pricing and cost recovery of the kind the government has been embroiled in with Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL).

It also put in place a single licence framework for oil, gas and coal-bed methane exploration in the country.

The government also freed gas pricing from the new blocks and existing discoveries which are yet to commence production. However, to protect user industries, the government is putting a price ceiling derived by a formula linked to the weighted average cost of imported fuels.
The Jharkhand assembly was on Friday once again disrupted by the opposition protesting against the state government allegedly favouring the Adani Group in setting up a 1,600 MW thermal power plant at an investment of Rs.10,000 crore.

"The Jharkhand Energy Policy 2012 has been overlooked while signing the MoU with Adani Group to set up 1,600 MW thermal power plant in the state. The power generated from the plant will directly go to Bangladesh," Pradeep Yadav, a Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM-P) legislator, said.

According to the policy, 25 per cent of the installed capacity of any thermal power plant set up in the state would go to the state and price per unit would be decided by the Jharkhand Electricity Regulatory Authority, Yadav said.

"Adani group will provide 25 per cent power from an alternative source, which is violation of the policy. We demand Judicial or SIT probe into this irregularity," he said.

He said the state government was extending special favours to Adani. "For Adani the land rate has been reduced to Rs 13 lakh per acre from Rs 1.25 crore per acre in Santhal Paragana."

The state government dismissed the allegations as baseless.

"The charges are baseless. As per MoU, Jharkhand will get 25 per cent of the power from other sources. If Bangladesh does not take its the full share, then that will go to the state," said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Saryu Rai.

"The frequency and format of power will not change if the state gets 25 per cent power from other sources. The power will be supplied to Bangladesh by a dedicated transmission line. The decision was taken considering the international relationship," Saryu Rai said.

The opposition members boycotted the house and did not hear the reply of the government.

The opposition parties this week brought adjournment motions twice on their allegation that the state government reduced the land rate in Santhal Paragana area, where the power plant is to be set up, to help the Adani Group.

Their protests over the issue have stalled Jharkhand assembly more than once this week.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislator Stephen Marandi, who brought in an adjournment motion over the issue on Thursday, had also alleged malfeasance.

"The state government, through an order dated October 28, 2015, lowered the rate of the Santhal Paragana land up to 80 percent. First time in the history of India, land rate has been reduced up to 80 percent. The land rate has been reduced to help the Adani Group."
Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Friday hit out at critics of the DefExpo 2016, scheduled to be held in the state later this month, terming the opposition "political".

"The four-day DefExpo about which there was hue and cry in the beginning, probably (because) we are at the fag end of the political term... But luckily, the government overcame all these noises.

"I would say misconceptions about DefExpo and the opposition voices have come down, almost neutralized," said Parsekar at a function organised by the Goa chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).

Traditionally held in the national capital, the DefExpo 2016 is scheduled to be held in the coastal state's Betul village this year in last week of March, because a new convention centre is being built at the Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

However, the DefExpo 2016, which is the ninth in the series of biennial Land, Naval and Internal Homeland Security Systems Exhibitions organised by the defence ministry, has drawn opposition from the central government's opponents as well as a section of the civil society over the allocation of six lakh square metres of land at Betul.

The project's critics claim there has been no transparency in the decision-making which led to the relocation of the event to Betul, located 45 km from Panaji.

The chief minister, however, blamed the political opposition for trying to step up unwarranted criticism of his government with elections to the Goa legislative assembly just a year away.

"This is the last year and this is a government which did not have any malpractices on its record before going to elections," he said.

"For people in opposition and dreaming of coming to power in the future, the image of clean government was always a hurdle and hindrance their path and therefore every little thing is being opposed these days," he added.

Newly appointed chairman of the Goa CII Shekhar Sardesai also said the DefExpo 2016 was a terrific opportunity to build 'Brand Goa' and that those speaking against the project were "chronic naysayers".
A court here on Friday remanded ex-servicemen C.K. Sharma, 75, in one-day police custody in a case of alleged misappropriation of funds of a society that organised the 'One Rank One Pension' movement.

Sharma was arrested on Thursday evening from his residence here on a complaint filed by another ex-serviceman Raj Kadyan, a police officer said.

The accused is the treasurer of Indian Ex-servicemen Movement (IESM) which was instrumental in the 'One Rank One Pension' movement.

IESM describes itself as "an all-India federation of ex-servicemen's organisations and also, any individual military veterans who wish to join it".

Other two accused in the case, ex-servicemen Satbir Singh and V.K. Gandhi, have yet to be arrested, said the police officer.

Satbir Singh and Gandhi are also leading members of IESM.

"The accused was produced before Judicial Magistrate First Class Ashok Kumar. We asked for at least two days' custody but only one day remand was accepted," Ghulam Mohammad, the chief of the economic offences wing of the police, told IANS.

The first arrest in the case was made after Gurgaon's Additional Sessions Judge Phalit Sharma rejected an anticipatory bail application on February 29.

According to the complaint filed on February 8 last month by Raj Kadyan, Sharma, Satbir Singh and V.K. Gandhi embezzeled Rs.14 lakh from the account of IESM.

The three accused have been booked on charges of cheating, criminal breach of trust and acts done by several persons with a common intention (sections 420, 406 and 34 of Indian Penal Code).
Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit on Friday visited Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani who is convalescing in a Delhi hospital a day after complaining of chest pain and breathlessness, a spokesman said.

Pakistan High Commissioner Basit visited the veteran Kashmiri leader in Max hospital in south Delhi and "conveyed best wishes and prayers on behalf of Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif and the people of Pakistan", a statement from the high commission said.

Geelani was recovering and feeling better and had been shifted to the General Ward from the ICU where he was initially, his spokesman said.

"Geelani is recovering, and is feeling better and the doctors of the Max Hospital have shifted him from the ICU to the General Ward," spokesman Ayaz Akbar said in a statement.

Geelani, 86, was rushed to hospital on Thursday after his health deteriorated and was admitted in the Intensive Care Unit there. He has been in Delhi for the past almost one month for his annual health checkup.
Young designers passing out from the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design (PIFD) on late Thursday gave one another a tough competition, showcasing their talent at the ongoing PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2016. They got a huge applause from famous designers for their effort.

Models flaunted mesmerising designs by four young designers, as part of the Bank Alfalah Rising Talent competition, which gave them the opportunity to take part in the ninth edition of the event, hosted by Pakistan Fashion and Design Council (PFDC).

Saiqa Rahim, a recent graduate, in her collection 'Yurt's Manifestation' highlighted crop pants, boot cuts and off-shoulder necklines.

The major trends in her designs were monochrome prints and geometrical contrasts. Models looked ravishing in the long and intricately worked upon jackets.

Another young designer, Unza Khalid with her collection 'Melodious Lay To Muddy Death' stunned the designers holding the fort with her simple yet elegant pieces in dull green colour. "I am inspired by nature. I want to inculcate nature within designs," she said.

"To be a part of PFDC is a great opportunity for me. It will help me making a brand in my own name," Khalid said.

Khalid's collection was also inspired by pre-Raphaelite painting by John Everett Millais.

Sheers and free-floating pieces were the highlights of her collection.

After Khalid, a beautiful collection by Hira Ali received cheers. Ali said her designs are inspired by "Alice In Wonderland". The summer-look ensemble in white and blue was clean, fresh and featured 3D textures on silhouettes.

"It was dream to inculcate 'Alice In Wonderland' in my designs. I have made the pieces look fresh and cool from that concept only," she said.

The only male designer among the four, Ghulam Dastgir also gave a neck-and-neck competition to his fellow female designers.

In Dastgir's collection of short dresses and gowns with soft colours, the leather bags finished off the models' looks.

(The writer's visit is at the invitation of the event organisers. Ruwa Shah can be contacted at ruwa.s@ians.in)
Sao Paulo, March 12 (IANS/EFE) A rainstorm that lashed this Brazilian metropolis and its suburbs left at least 15 dead, a dozen injured and several cities flooded, authorities announced on Friday.

Four people died in the town of Mairipora including a little boy, while another seven were injured in a mudslide on Thursday night on a hill where several houses were being built.

Authorities told local media that eight people have gone missing in Mairipora, a municipality of some 80,000 inhabitants.

In Francisco de Morato, another city in the Sao Paulo metropolitan region, nine more people died in a mudslide.

Another two people were drowned in the town of Guarulhos.

Firefighters worked through the early hours at different points around Sao Paulo, many of which were flooded due to the heavy rains that caused canals and rivers to overflow.

Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport was closed for six hours by the storm, though operations have started up again, and since the trains had stopped running, dozens of passengers were left stranded at railroad stations.

Authorities advised people living in high-risk areas to evacuate their homes because more rain and the possibility of mudslides are forecast for the coming days.

A score of cities in the Sao Paulo metropolitan region have been affected by the storm.

--IANS/EFE

vr/
Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha on Friday raised the issue of spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar-led Art of Living's World Culture Festival being allowed on the Yamuna floodplains and created a brief ruckus.

The issue was raised by Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Sharad Yadav in the upper house soon after the house met.

"He (Sri Sri Ravi Shankar) is challenging the National Green Tribunal... this is a national issue. You complain of traffic jams when farmers and labourers come to the national capital. The whole of Delhi is going to be choked now," said Yadav.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was quick in responding, as he blamed the opposition leader of looking at the issue with a political prejudice.

"What is your problem with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar? He is a nice person and is holding a cultural programme," Naqvi said.

Yadav then questioned why was Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the function, to which Naqvi said: "We are also going, you should also go there."

"The issue is closed. He is sensitive towards environment... It is not right to speak about the issue with a political prejudice," he said.

Former environment minister Jairam Ramesh then said from Akshardham temple to Commonwealth Games Village and now this festival have destroyed the ecology of the Yamuna river in Delhi.

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad also joined the members.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has slapped a fine of Rs.5 crore on Art of Living for the event. According to a report, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said he would not pay the amount and is ready to go to jail. But his organisation seemed softening its posturing on Thursday evening.

On Friday, the NGT gave the Art of Living (AoL) Foundation three weeks more to pay the environmental compensation for the festival.

The NGT had held a hearing on Friday over implementation of its Wednesday's order.

AoL told the tribunal that it will abide by the ruling and sought four weeks to deposit Rs.5 crore.

The tribunal said that the AoL should pay Rs.25 lakh on Friday and the balance in three weeks.

The AoL's three-day cultural extravaganza starts on Friday.

The organisers have already spent Rs.25.63 crore for the event.
An Urdu aristocracy on its knees, was beginning to make adjustments with the new British rulers when Ram Advani arrived in Lucknow. He set up Ram Advani Booksellers in a prominent corner of Hazratgang. This remained his eye on Lucknow for 65 years - until his death at 95 last week.

He brought the energy of the newcomer when he arrived in the early 1940s from Karachi, in Sindh, where he was born in 1920. It took Lucknow almost a century to recover from its first trauma when, in 1857, even its Begums joined in the door to door combat with the British who proceeded to empty the city of its citizens for fear of unexpected snipers. A year earlier, Wajid Ali Shah had been dispatched to Matia Burj, near Kolkata, where he lived for 31 years, unlamented, unsung. Some of the aftermath was still playing itself out which Ram witnessed and internalized as themes on which his book shop prided.

A shattered intellectual elite, silenced by change, slowly began to engage the new masters on their terms. If Punch was the supreme publication of satire and wit in London, some of the finest Urdu writers like Akbar Allahabadi would elevate Awadh Punch to an even higher level of elegant lampooning.

Ram's was not an Urdu Book shop but copies of Awadh Punch he would obtain from his sources. When Prof. Mushirul Hasan published Awadh Punch in English, copies were instantly available on his shelves. Books were never flaunted in a commercial scale; they were meant for the connoisseurs for whom the book shop was a meeting place, sometimes with the original authors themselves - Violette Graffe, the French scholar on Lucknow, V.S. Naipaul (India a million mutinies), Veena Talwar Oldenburg (Making of Colonial Lucknow), Rosie Llewellyn-Jones (Lucknow, City of Illusion) and Cambridge historian, Prof. Francis Robinson, William Dalrymple, Mark Tully, Dom Moraes - and every Indian of cosmopolitan interests who visited Lucknow. The spate of Western visitors to the Book Shop places Ram as an interpreter of Lucknow's deeper culture which still bustles in Chowk and Nakkhas.

Hazratganj actually divides Lucknow into two cultures. One side are the cantonment, Civil Lines and sprawling bungalows, corroborative evidence of those who saw the writing on the wall early and made cunning adjustments with the new ruling class.

In the other direction beyond Aminabad are chowk and Nakkhas the very core of classical Lucknow. Of this area, the old description is still stunningly accurate: "Gandi galiyan, saaf zabaan". (Dirty lanes but impeccable speech)

Not only did Ram know this, other Lucknow, but he was also familiar with Lucknow's other great book shop, Daanish Mahal, which translates as the palace of learning. This is where Urdu's greatest critic, Saiyyid Ehtesham held court. Josh Malihabadi occasionally climbed down from the Central hotel where he stayed, to enliven the conversation. In Ram's persona were integrated these two milestone book shops.

It was Lucknow's Catholicism which never allowed Ram Advani to claim any exceptionalism. The city's Ganga-Jamni culture was celebrated, of course. But that did not tell the full story. Recently Sanatkada, a group which dedicates itself to the celebration of Lucknow touched the heart of the matter. It celebrated Lucknow's "Rachi Basi", or all inclusive culture.

Infact, I recall the expression having originated in Ram's mind.

Mir Taqi Mir and others, have written copiously of Delhi's destruction at the hands of Ahmad Shah Abdali, Nadir Shah etcetera. But Lucknow's destruction, being more recent, has generally been a casualty of the "Victor's narrative". Why would the colonial masters dwell on the desolation they had brought about?

Ram was sensitive to the fact that in a century, Lucknow had taken atleast four major hits. The exile of its beloved king in 1856, the destruction of Lucknow in 1857, Partition in 1947 and Zamindari (Landlordism) abolition in 1951 which finally broke the back of the Muslim aristocracy.

Remarkably, as Ram reminded me over and over again, Lucknow picked itself up each time and put up the Welcome sign for all.

Nowhere in the country was there a city which proudly announced: "To be a doctor you have to be a Bengali first". Lucknow University's intellectual life was controlled by Radha Kumud and Radh Kamal Mukherjee. Lucknowis proudly accepted "Madrasis" (anyone below the Vindhyas) as brilliant administrators. President of the University Union was Iqbal Singh, a chain smoking Sikh who recited Urdu poetry. Among Lucknows "bakaits", tough's or mini gangsters was one Kaul Sahib, a short, muscular man with very broad shoulders. Imagine a Kashmiri Pandit with a reputation that learned the respect of Lucknow's "badmash" (bad men) like Buddhu Pahelwan, Funtoo, Nannhe, Rashid Ghosi and Pyare Jaani with a revolver in his trench coat.

You would never have imagined Ram Advani to be familiar with this infinite variety. But he was.

Heaven knows how scotch whiskey and soda came up for mention in his shop. A man contemplating a book, spun around in some anger. Traces of paan were virtually dripping from a corner of his mouth. "Mixing soda with scotch was the barbarous custom of the Sassenach", he growled. He was a somewhat dilapidated scion of some unknown aristocracy. To our astonishment he knew that Sassenach was a derogatory slang Scots (who were the masters of the amber stuff) used for the English. This anecdote says something of Lucknow of the 60s as also of Ram Advani until his death.

(Saeed Naqvi is a senior commentator on political and diplomatic affairs. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at saeednaqvi@hotmail.com)
A group of lawmakers from the Baltic states have urged China to resume a dialogue with the Dalai Lama's envoys for meaningful autonomy for Tibet, according to the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) based here.

There has been no real improvement in the human rights situation in Tibet under Chinese rule, the CTA said on Friday, citing a statement by members of parliament (MPs) of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The MPs said that they, together with Tibetan supporters from the three Baltic States, are deeply concerned over the wave of self-immolation protests in and outside Tibet.

"Therefore, we are calling upon the Chinese government to begin an immediate and meaningful dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the CTA, both of whom embrace meaningful autonomy for Tibet within the People's Republic of China," the MPs were cited as saying on Thursday by the CTA.

Since 2009, they said, at least 143 Tibetans have resorted to self-immolation to express their grievances under the repressive policies of the Chinese government.

The members of parliament said they are willing to assist resumption of a meaningful dialogue between the Chinese government and the Tibetan leadership-in-exile to help find a peaceful and sustainable solution.

Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians, they said, share a similar history and fate with Tibetans, regarding their cultural, social and political struggle.

"We have the motivation and experience to facilitate the Chinese-Tibetan dialogue," they added.

The Tibetan leadership remains firmly committed to non-violence and strongly believes that the only way to resolve the issue of Tibet is through dialogue, Lobsang Sangay, the elected leader of the Tibetan people, said here on Thursday, marked as the 57th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day.

The Dalai Lama's envoys and the Chinese have held nine rounds of talks since 2002 to resolve the Tibetan issue but no major breakthrough has been achieved so far.

The last talks were held in Beijing in January 2010.

The Dalai Lama has lived in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959.
Ten people were arrested Sunday at various locations on the Hopi reservation for bootlegging crimes. The arrests come in the wake of a four-month, multi-agency investigation intended to prosecute bootleggers in an effort to reduce violent crime on the Hopi reservation.

All 10 arrested had an initial appearance in federal court in Flagstaff Monday in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen L. Verkamp to be formally read

their charges and to be assigned attorneys. They are now being held in the Coconino County Jail.

Paul Charlton, U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona, said the sting, called "Operation Kiipokya," (to attack) was meant to put bootleggers and drug dealers on the Hopi reservation "on notice" that law enforcement would aggressively pursue them in an effort to reduce crime.

More than a dozen law enforcement officers from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Hopi police began coming down on the suspected bootleggers Sunday morning and had wrapped up the operation by noon, Charlton said.

It is illegal to possess, buy or sell alcohol on the Hopi and Navajo reservations.

Charlton added that more stings like Operation Kiipokya, and last summer's Operation Bootleg on the Navajo Nation are on the horizon.

"There is a direct link of alcohol or substance abuse to crimes and violence," Charlton said.

Law enforcement and tribal officials on the Navajo and Hopi reservations consistently say that a majority of violent crimes involved alcohol or drugs.

"We've had a serious problem with alcohol for a number of years," said Wayne Taylor, chairman of the Hopi tribe of the reason to involve federal authorities to address the problem.

The Hopi reservation covers approximately 2,500 square miles, has a population of 11,000 and has a 64 percent unemployment rate, Taylor said.

In the year 2000, Taylor said there were 5,103 criminal hearings on the Hopi reservation. Of those, 1,236 were for adult intoxication, 396 were for adult possession of alcohol, and 185 adult driving under the influence. There were 77 cases of juvenile intoxication and 19 cases of juvenile possession of alcohol.

Taylor cited instances of elder abuse, child abuse, burglaries, serious automobile accidents and even a recent murder in which alcohol was a factor.

"We can't allow that to continue," Taylor said.

Because of limited resources and manpower, the Hopi Tribal Council approached federal authorities in hopes of addressing the problem of alcohol and substance abuse, Taylor said.

In addition to law enforcement targeting, Taylor said the tribe also approaches the problem from an educational and social service standpoint.

"We need to recognize that alcoholism is a disease," Taylor said.

Operation Kiipokya was similar to a summer 2001 sting on the Navajo Nation that netted 22 people for bootlegging, called Operation Bootleg.

After Operation Bootleg, each of the 22 accused of bootlegging pleaded guilty and received probation.

Flagstaff-based Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Lodge, who prosecuted the Navajo Nation cases and who is also prosecuting the Hopi reservation cases, said six of the 22 reoffended and are now serving one year in prison.

In addition, Lodge said since Operation Bootleg, an additional five cases of bootlegging have come off the Navajo Nation.

Charlton said the Navajo Nation bootlegging effort has already shown a decrease in instances in violent crime, albeit the decrease is attributed to observations of law enforcement officers in the field, and not hard statistics.

Charlton added that efforts are currently underway to map and quantify crime rates on the northern Arizona reservations to come up with those concrete statistics.

Arrested in Operation Kiipokya were:

Rowena J. Poleahla, 39, Second Mesa, for unlawful dispensing of intoxicating liquor.

Emil S. Batala, 24, no address listed, for distribution of a controlled substance.

Harvey Myron, 34, Polacca, for distribution of a controlled substance.

Elmer J. Douma Jr., 25, Kykotsmovi, for unlawful dispensing of intoxicating liquor.

Renalda H. Pavinyama, 50, Kykotsmovi, for unlawful dispensing of intoxicating liquor.

Elroy A. Ami, 23, Polacca, for unlawful dispensing of intoxicating liquor.

Luther Honyestewa, 71, no address listed, for three counts of unlawful dispensing of intoxicating liquor.

Bryan L. William, 51, Polacca, for unlawful dispensing of intoxicating liquor.

Randolph S. Thomas, 27, no address listed, for one count of unlawful dispensing of intoxicating liquor and one count of distribution of a controlled substance.

Hollis Silversmith, 25, no address listed, for one count of possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.

A conviction for unlawful dispensing an intoxicating liquor carries a maximum penalty of 1 year in prison and a $100,000 fine. A conviction for distribution of a controlled substance carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The 10 who were arrested will be back in federal court Wednesday to determine whether they should be released until their cases are settled.

Anybody who has information regarding the possession, stale or trafficking of illegal drugs or alcohol on American Indian reservations in Arizona is encouraged to call the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Law Enforcement Services at (602) 379-6958.

Larry Hendricks can be reached at lhendricks@azdailysun.com or 913-8607.

 Arizona Daily Sun
The exclusion of the Syrian Kurds from the upcoming intra-Syrian reconciliation talks in Geneva will only feed separatism in the war-torn country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

"A very alarming perspective will emerge that the exclusion of the Kurds from participation in the negotiations from the onset will only incite those forces that would prefer not to remain within Syria," Lavrov said at a press conference here following talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, adding that it is not in anyone's interest to do so, reports Xinhua.

Lavrov said the Kurds control at least 15 percent of the Syrian territory and are allies of both Russian and US-led coalitions in the struggle against the Islamic State, Nusra Front and other terrorist groups in Syria.

"So the beginning of negotiations without this group will be a manifestation of frailty of the international community," Lavrov said.

He also slammed Turkey for being the only side that opposes the participation of the Kurds, noting that all other members of the International Syria Support Group have defended their inclusion from the very beginning of the negotiation process.

The new round of reconciliation talks between the Syrian government and opposition in Geneva will be held from March 14 to 24.

The previous round of talks ended last month with no tangible results, but intensified international efforts have managed to establish a cessation of hostilities in Syria.
Moscow is set to deliver Russian-made surface-to-air S-300 missile defence systems to before the end of this year, an official said.

"I think we will deliver the S-300 by the end of the year... The first delivery will be in September or August," Press Tv quoted Sergei Chemezov, head of Russia's industrial conglomerate Rostec as saying on Friday.

Last month, Iran's Defence Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said the country would take delivery of the first batch of S-300 missiles in the first quarter of 2016.

Russia committed to delivering the systems to under $800 million deal in 2007.

Moscow, however, refused to deliver the systems to Tehran in 2010 under the pretext that the agreement was covered by the fourth round of the UNSC sanctions against over its nuclear programme.

Following Moscow's refusal to deliver the systems, Tehran filed a complaint against the relevant Russian arms firm with the Court of Arbitration in Geneva.

In April 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a presidential decree, paving the way for the long-overdue delivery of the missile defence system to Iran.

The decision came after Iran and the P5+1 group of countries -- the US, France, Britain, China and Russia plus Germany -- reached a mutual understanding on Tehran's nuclear programme in the Swiss city of Lausanne on April 2, 2015.

Tehran also developed its domestically-built Bavar-373 air defence system, which was successfully test-fired in August 2014.

The long-range missile system, which is similar to the Russian S-300, has been manufactured by Iranian defence experts, and is capable of hitting air targets at a high altitude.
In a first, researchers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope have detected the faintest and mysterious infrared light ever from space.

By accumulating millimetre-waves from faint objects like this throughout the universe, the team determined that such objects were 100 percent responsible for the enigmatic infrared background light filling the universe.

By comparing these to optical and infrared images, the team found that 60 percent of them were faint galaxies whereas the rest had no corresponding objects in optical/infrared wavelengths and their nature was unknown.

Astronomers have found that there was faint but uniform light, called the "cosmic background emission", coming from all directions.

This background emission consists of three main components: Cosmic Optical Background (COB), Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and Cosmic Infrared Background (CIB).

The origins of the first two have been revealed. The COB comes from a huge number of stars and the CMB comes from hot gas just after the Big Bang.

However, the origin of the CIB was still to be solved.

A research team led by graduate student Seiji Fujimoto and associate professor Masami Ouchi from the University of Tokyo tackled this mysterious infrared background by examining the ALMA data archive.

They went through the vast amount of ALMA data taken during about 900 days in total looking for faint objects.

"The origin of the CIB is a long-standing missing piece in the energy coming from the Universe. We devoted ourselves to analyzing the gigantic ALMA data in order to find the missing piece," said Fujimoto.

Finally, the team discovered 133 faint objects, including an object five times fainter than any other ever detected.

The researchers found that the entire CIB can be explained by summing up the emissions from such objects.

ALMA detected a part of the CIB with one mm wavelengths. The CIB in millimetre and submillimetre waves does not become weak even if the source is located far away.

Therefore, this wavelength is suitable for looking through the universe to the most distant parts, the authors said.
A 24-year-old labourer was killed in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara district when a dumper dumped soil over him while he was sleeping.

According to police, Jairam, who worked at the Pench dam project site, was killed early Thursday when the soil which was emptied over him was levelled by a roller.

"The labourer was killed due to soil being dumped over him," Chhindwara district police superintendent G. K. Pathak told IANS on Friday.

More details were to be disclosed after the autopsy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asserted that "soft power" plays a vital role in today's world and hailed Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's initiative in pursuing this message through his Art of Living Foundation.

"When we face resistance in life, we will need Art of Living... when we move from myself towards the common cause of us, we need Art of Living," he said in his address at the launch of the World Culture Festival on the banks of river Yamuna here.

The three-day mega-festival is being organised under the aegis of Art of Living Foundation.
A section of students of Calcutta University here on Friday met West Bengal Governor K.N. Tripathi and Election Commission officials following a protest march against the scheduling of final year exams of the three-year undergraduate courses amid the forthcoming assembly polls.

Bengal goes to the polls from April 4 and the rest of the days of the seven-phase elections span April 11, 17, 21 and 25 and May 5.

On Tuesday, the varsity announced that it would hold the BA/BSc/BCom Part III honours exam between April 1 and April 13.

Vice Chancellor Sugata Marjit had on Thursday affirmed the examination dates would not be changed.

In an online petition to Vice Chancellor Sugata Marjit and the Election Commission, the students said: "We have to face our final year examination within that volatile period. The first and foremost problem is that many outsider students stay here to continue their study in Calcutta University. It will be really difficult for them to handle their examination on one hand and vote on the other hand."

Urging the vice chancellor to postpone the entire third year examinations till after the voting process ends, the B.A/B.Sc/B.Com students demonstrated outside the varsity building at College Street campus with loud sloganeering on Thursday.

They had also laid siege at the vice chancellor's office during the day.

The vice chancellor later left the campus escorted by a group of non-teaching staff and students loyal to the ruling Trinamool Congress and returned home in a police jeep.

On Friday, two separate delegations of CU students met Tripathi and EC officials with the request to reschedule examinations.

The students said the campaigning by political parties will disrupt their preparation and the inadvertent transportation problem will only add to their woes.

Supporting their demands, the Students Federation of India submitted a deputation to the vice chancellor.

However, there was also a segment of students who urged the agitators on the Facebook platform 'postpone the third year honours exam of cu' to stop protesting and study instead.
Gunmen shot dead a senior military officer in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Friday in a terror attack, officials said.

The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility shortly after the incident.

The military said Lt. Col. Tariq Ghafoor was killed in firing by unidentified assailants after the Friday prayers near Ring Road locality of Peshawar.

"The officer was posted in Peshawar and was pursuing post-graduate studies at a government university," an army statement said.
Integrated commissioning of all units of Tata Steel's Odisha plant will be done by September this year, according to a company official.

"Integrated commissioning of all the units of the plant will take another six months," Rajiv Kumar, vice president (Operations-KPO) Kalinganagar Project, said at an interactive session organised by the company.

With the integrated commissioning of the first phase in Kalinganagar plant, the company would augment its total production in India to 13 million tonnes per annum (mtpa).

He said that the greenfield plant would produce three mtpa of steel in the first phase and later the capacity would be ramped up to six mtpa. No time frame for scaling up the capacity was announced.

"We need to have the market share intact as the Indian steel market grows. Accordingly, we will plan that," he said when asked about the time period for ramping up of the production to six mtpa.

The officer said the total investment would be around Rs.25,000 crore in the first phase of the project.

The Kalinganagar plant will be spread over 3,470 acres of land, of which, about 900 acres is not under company's possession at present.

"Out of the total land required, we are in the process of getting 900 acres," he said.

The company will eventually source iron ore from Khondbon mine located in the Keonjhar district of Odisha.

"We have a dedicated iron ore mine at Khonbond around 200 kms away from the plant. The mine is being developed. Right now, we are getting ore from Joda (Joda East Iron Mine)," he said.

"Close to Rs.2,000 crore is being invested to develop the mine and investment for mining development is separate from the Rs.25,000 crore investment in the Kalinganagar plant," he said.

Hundred percent flat, lighter and higher tensile strength steel will be produced at the plant.

The product portfolio will be expanded to high-grade flat products for application in ship building, defence equipment, energy and power, infrastructure, aviation and lifting and excavation, Kumar said.

A 202 MW of gas-based captive power plant using gases discharged by coke oven and blast furnace will also be commissioned at the plant.

The company had signed an MoU with the Odisha government way back in 2004 for setting up the plant. Subsequently, some events in 2006 over land acquisition and police firing pushed the project back for about four years, he said.

Kumar said: "Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) initiatives taken by the company helped to gain the confidence of the people."

Later in 2011, the company sought its board's approval for the revised scheme.

"We took a major drive in R&R initiatives. So far, 1,084 families have been rehabilitated out of the total 1,234 displaced families. 150 families are yet to be rehabilitated," said Parthasarathi Mishra, chief of human resource management at Kalinganagar steel and Gopalpur project of the company.

(Bappaditya Chatterjee was in Kalinganagar at the invitation of Tata Steel. He can be contacted at bappaditya.c@ians.in)
Actress Tori Spelling has set the record straight on rumours claiming that she is bankrupt.

The rumours started to swirl after credit card company American Express sued the "Beverly Hills, 90210" star for failing to pay a balance in January. According to the lawsuit, Tori was also unable to complete a payment of $1,070 last summer.

The 42-year-old actress cleared things up by stating that her financial condition was fine, reports people.com.

"I just want that story to go away," Spelling said about the rumours.

"We're doing a great new series, I'm really happy, we're doing a new show on Cooking Channel -- we're not bankrupt, we're not struggling, we're fine," she added.

She said she wanted to make sure her children know the value of money, so she started to discuss it although they are still young.

"My husband and I work really hard. I mean, I'm constantly out there working. It's so important for my children to see that both their parents are working, and we talk to them about it," she said.

The actress, her husband Dean McDermott and their children now live in a 3,900 sq ft home in California which they rent for $7,500 a month.

"We're trying to figure out the area... The kids are in different schools right now: preschool, elementary school, they are moving. So, we're trying to find the perfect area," she added.
The UN Security Council convened a meeting on sexual abuse by peacekeepers where a draft resolution, pushed by the US for strong action against perpetrators of such misconduct, has triggered debate among several council members.

The draft resolution, which was circulated to the 15-nation council last week, would require repatriation of whole peacekeeping contingents where there is credible evidence of patterns of sexual exploitation and abuse, Xinhua quoted diplomats as saying on Thursday.

Egypt's UN Ambassador Amr Abdellatif Aboulatta said his country "strongly opposes collective punishment against forces that are making the ultimate sacrifice to implement mandates in very difficult conditions", and the cases of sexual abuse should not be used as "a tool to attack troop-contributing countries".

Aboulatta also said the body within the UN in charge of examining issues of conduct and discipline in the framework of peacekeeping operations is the General Assembly, which represents 193 member states as well as troop-contributing countries and would examine the issue from "a broader angle".

Russia's Deputy UN Ambassador Petr Iliichev said "the draft resolution is far from ideal" since the document, which was expected to focus on military and police personnel in peacekeeping operations, does not include UN civilian personnel.

The draft resolution came after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon presented his 2015 report on measures of preventing sexual exploitation and abuse in the UN system.

The report said the total number of allegations of such misconduct recorded last year was 99, with 69 of them taking place in countries where peacekeeping operations are deployed.

According to the report, at least 22 children were sexually abused by peacekeepers.

US Ambassador Samantha Power argued that the council does have a role to play in overseeing discussions on curbing sexual abuse and exploitations by peacekeepers, because "it is this council that sends peacekeepers into conflict areas".

"The Security Council cannot have responsibility for protecting civilians against all threats, from all forces, except those whom we directly oversee," she added.

As for repatriation of a whole contingent for sexual exploitation and abuse, Power said it sends a clear message that there will be consequences for failing to address this serious problem.

The draft resolution is first-ever of its kind being discussed in the most powerful body of the UN.

The last time the Security Council adopted a document on prevention of sexual abuse was a presidential statement in 2005, almost 11 years ago.

The statement said the council would consider including relevant provisions for prevention, monitoring, investigation and reporting of misconduct cases in its resolutions establishing new mandates or renewing existing mandates.
PHOENIX  State lawmakers are moving to throw new roadblocks in the path of at least some people who want public records.

On a 6-2 margin the House Committee on Government and Higher Education approved a measure that would allow government agencies and employees to reject a request if it is unduly burdensome or harassing.

But SB 1282 does not define exactly what that is. And that worried several lawmakers who fear it could be used as a way to spurn legitimate requests.

Im just worried whos going to make the judgment call that its unduly burdensome or harassing, said Rep. Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert. If thats the town or the government agency, I think they can just start saying, This is all unduly burdensome. 

But Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, who is sponsoring the legislation, said this is aimed at a very small percentage of people who he said abuse the states public records law, going on fishing expeditions, asking for large number of documents and, sometimes, not even showing to pick them up.
A resolution moved in the US Senate intended to block F-16 aircraft sale to Pakistan has been rejected.

The rejection of the resolution would pave the way for the deal to go ahead, Radio Pakistan reported.

Republican Senator Rand Paul moved the resolution last month by invoking a legislation known as the Arms Export Control Act in a bid to stop the sale of F-16 jet fighters to Pakistan.

Commenting on the defeat of the resolution, Pakistan's Ambassador to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani termed it the result of successful foreign policy being pursued by his government.

He said the sacrifices made by Pakistan's security forces against extremism and terrorism was reflected through this bill.

The ambassador said the rejection of the resolution was also a manifestation of the strength of Pakistan-US relations.

Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in his remarks said Pakistan needs to modernise its air force and its counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism activities, particularly in the mountainous territory of the border with Afghanistan.
The use of Veto in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) prevented a resolution of the Kashmir dispute and hindered implementation of UN resolutions on the issue, Pakistan has said.

Pakistan's UN Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi reiterated the country's opposition to adding new permanent members to the council with or without a Veto.

She said that any privileged role in decision-making would contradict the shared goal of making the Security Council more democratic, representative and accountable, Dawn online reported on Friday.

"Pakistan supports expansion of the Security Council only in the non-permanent category," she added.

Lodhi said that Pakistan considers veto as an important issue that needed to be tackled as part of a comprehensive reform of the Security Council.

"This cannot be ignored or deferred. Pakistan does not support any proposal that aims to defer consideration of this key issue or leave open the possibility of its extension to other members through a review process," she added.

The envoy warned the UN that if the values of the 21st century like democracy, equal opportunity and non-discrimination were ignored in reforming the council, there would be grave risk of making the United Nations a "Divided Nations".

Pakistan believed that ideally the veto should be abolished, she said. "But being cognisant that such proposals could themselves be vetoed, we support pragmatic approaches and measures that could restrict or limit the use of veto," she added.

Referring to the previous debates, Lodhi said much emphasis was placed on the effectiveness of the council and its decision-making.

"If today the council remains paralysed and deadlocked over reconciling to accommodate the interests of the five permanent members, how will it cope with the interest of more such members?" she posed.
A day after ruling RJD legislator Raj Ballabh Yadav, accused of raping a schoolgirl, surrendered in a court and was sent to judicial custody in Bihar, the rape victim on Friday sat for Class 10 examination amid tight security, police said.

Putting an end to speculations whether the victim would appear for the examination or not, her father said she has taken the exam. "Finally, my girl has taken examination after the accused legislator was put behind bars," he said.

According to him, the family decided on Thursday that she should take the Class 10 examination after the Nalanda district administration, taking into account the family trauma and its fear for her life and limb, changed her examination centre to a nearby place.

With ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav, the rape accused who was on the run for last one month, surrendering and the Biharsharief civil court in Nalanda district sending him to judicial custody, the girl and her family have felt relieved.

Earlier, with her attacker on the loose, the family feared for her life.

Yadav, who represents Nawada constituency in the Bihar assembly, is known for his muscle and money power.

He is accused of raping the school-going girl in Biharsharief on February 6.

Yadav was absconding for many days after the victim filed a police complaint and while on the run, he was petitioning courts to get anticipatory bail.

Last week, a lower court rejected his anticipatory bail plea. Four of his accomplices have been arrested.

Earlier, the legislator's two houses, one each in Nawada and Patna, were attached in compliance with an order of the court.

Yadav's 13 bank accounts have been sealed. Police also said it has started the process of auctioning his plots at different places.

The authorities also suspended the licences of three firearms Yadav possessed.

According to the police complaint, a woman named Sulekha Devi, took the girl to an undisclosed location in Nalanda and forced her to have liquor, after which she was raped by a man, later identified as Yadav.

After she was raped, the girl said the woman gave her Rs.30,000.
The acting bug has bitten filmmaker Prakash Jha! After being lauded by the audience for his debut as an actor in "Jai Gangaajal", he says he will be seen more on the silver screen.

Jha said that with all the appreciation that has come his way for portraying B.N. Singh, a corrupt police officer in "Jai Gangaajal", he feels "encouraged" to face the cameras again.

"I am encouraged and humbled. All I can say is that it is amazing the way the people have reacted... I feel really humbled," Jha told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

Would he be seen on the silver screen again?

"That is obvious. I mean, of course this encouragment will help me... What do you think should I be seen or not? You will see more," he said in an affirmative tone.

Asked if "Jai Gangaajal", which stars Priyanka Chopra as a tough police officer, received the kind of response he expected, Jha said: "I don't have to tell you the audience has loved it. They are loving the film. It is doing steady business because of word of mouth.

"Otherwise a female-oriented film doesn't take a huge kind of opening but it has had a decent opening... So it is doing well."

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Shahid Kapoor gets 8 mn Twitter followers, ecstatic

Shahid Kapoor has scored as many as 8 million followers on Twitter, and the "Shaandaar" actor is super ecstatic about getting all the love.

The "Kaminey" actor took to Twitter on Friday to express gratitude to all his fans and well-wishers, from Arunachal Pradesh where he is shootubg for "Rangoon".

"Wow 8 million. Gratitude to all. In the jungles of Arunachal with barely any network. Big shoutout. Thank you thank you," Shahid tweeted.

"Rangoon" is a period romance drama by Vishal Bhardwaj, and it even stars Kangana Ranaut and Saif Ali Khan.

Shahid will be seen playing a soldier in the 1940s-set film, which is slated for release on September 30.

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Why's Kartik Aryan 'super excited' about TOIFA?

Actor Kartik Aryan will be heading to Dubai soon for an awards ceremony, where he is nominated in the Best Actor in a Comic Role category for his work in "Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2".

"I am humbled and grateful for being recognised in this industry. It has been a great year and being nominated amongst stalwarts is a matter of pride for me. I am super excited about TOIFA," Kartik said in a statement.

The Times of India Film Awards event will be held later this month, and Bollywood celebrities will add glitz and glamour to the gala.

--Indo-Asian New Service

dc/rb/dg
Do small states really deliver? If Uttarakhand is an example of a small state experiment that failed (in education, Himachal Pradesh has a better record than Uttarakhand; in infrastructure-creation Haryana has a better record than most other small states including Uttarakhand), Telangana is a shining example of a small state that can flourish socially, economically as well as politically. The newest small state is doing unbelievably well and deserves to be watched.
In all my years spent in Mumbai I used to be hugely satisfied buying good-looking vegetables from the local bhaji market. Never wondered where they were coming from, whether they were in season, whether they were indigenous varieties or hybrids.
In the months since the Bihar Assembly election, Modi Sarkar has had more stumbles than successes. But, in Delhis discussions, whether left- or right-leaning, this is greeted with shrugs: So what? It doesnt matter, because the Congress is in no position to take advantage of the governments slide.
The biggest ever festival of dance and music being held on the Yamuna floodplains this weekend has gotten away with environmental murder. To destroy a thousand hectares of sensitive wetland; to fill the river with debris; to construct a seven-acre stage for 35,000 dancers; to clear trees and reeds; to compact the spongy floodplains that naturally recharge the river; to invite unlimited visitors; to do all this, and to claim that it is all to draw attention to the Yamuna  well, one can only ask Ravi Shankar, who calls himself Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: what are you smoking? And how stupid do you think we are? The single purpose of the World Culture Festival is to celebrate 35 years of the Art of Living telling people to breathe from the tummy. There will be many important guests. There will be many stakeholders in the idea of Hindu culture. The river can go to hell.
On February 7, 2010, at the peak of the modern makeover of State Bank of India, its aggressive chairman O P Bhatt (2006-11) was doing a show-and-tell at the launch of his new technology platform. Unlike most PSU captains, Mr Bhatt loved ambition and scale. He was going to make his tech launch into the years biggest corporate party. He hired Mumbais Brabourne Stadium, invited every big name in business and they all turned up, including then finance minister Pranab Mukherjee. Mr Bhatt had personally called each of his guests (this writer included). He started the presentation with lasers. All lights in the stadium were turned off as his guests watched, spread over scores of round tables, and applauded. Then a distracting buzz came from the left.
A couple of days ago a few Congress leaders gathered in Uttar Pradesh and held a yagya. Their fervent prayer was to make Priyanka Gandhi the face of assembly elections. Their slogan: "Desh mein Rahul, Pradesh mein Priyanka (Let Rahul lead the country, and Priyanka head the state)."



In November when the Congress won the Ratlam by-election with a large majority, its first parliamentary success in Madhya Pradesh in ages, its strength in the Lok Sabha went up a notch, from 44 to 45. This was cause for much handclapping and back-slapping in the party. Coming shortly after the triumph of the Congress-promoted mahagathbandhan in Bihar, an alliance believed to have been sealed by Rahul Gandhi, the credit also incrementally accrued to him. Ratlam, after all, is a reserved tribal constituency and fits in nicely with his agitation for tribals' rights.
PHOENIX  The days for photo radar on state roads may be numbered.

With little discussion, the state House voted 32-26 Thursday to make it illegal for the state or local communities to erect speed cameras on any state highway. That covers any road maintained by the state, usually identified by having a route number.

SB 1241 also would ban cameras to catch those who run red lights.

The legislation already has been approved by the Senate. But it needs one more roll-call vote there because the House made a minor change in wording.

And if Sen. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria, can keep supporters of the law on board, the measure will then go to Gov. Doug Ducey.

Gubernatorial press aide Daniel Scarpinato said his boss wants to take a close look at the issue before deciding what to do.

The change, if signed into law, would most immediately affect two communities.

El Mirage has speed cameras on Grand Avenue, more formally known as U.S. 60. Star Valley has several along the stretch of State Route 260 that goes through the center of that community.

But it also would block any future efforts by cities and counties to use photo enforcement on any of the state roads going through their towns.

It also would prevent future governors from doing what Janet Napolitano did nearly a decade ago when she had the Department of Public Safety install speed cameras on freeways in the Phoenix area.

Napolitano argued it was all about safety. But the governor conceded she was counting on revenues from speeders to help balance the budget.

Her successor, Jan Brewer, had the cameras removed.

The move to kill the cameras has come despite an intense lobbying effort by American Traffic Solutions of Mesa and Redflex Traffic Systems of Arizona, both of whom make money operating photo radar cameras for cities. But it did not help their case after the former chief executive of Redflex pleaded guilty to bribing Chicago officials to get contracts for photo enforcement in that city.

Police chiefs in El Mirage and Star Valley made their own case to lawmakers that the cameras have reduced accidents.

Lawmakers earlier this year rejected broader measures, one to outlaw photo enforcement outright by any community and an alternative to require local voter approval to set up or maintain photo radar.
Amidst rising chorus for laon waiver to farmers especially in the drought-hit districts in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stuck to his stand rejecting demand made in this regard by ruling partner Shiv Sena and opposition parties.



Fadnavis, who has already refused to relent in the past, reiterated that loan waiver was not the solution.

Instead, Fadnavis said the BJP-led government is of the view that farmers should become financially sound. The Chief Minister told reporters that the government will invest on agriculture and thereby transform the present picture.

Fadnavis informed that the government had spent Rs 8,000 crore on drought relief and rehabilitation measures during 2014-15.



He said during 2015-16, the government approved Rs 4,000 crore of which Rs 2,300 crore has already been disbursed to farmers. He made it clear that government will spend more during 2016-17 to help farmers and indicated that adequate provision be made in the state budget to be presented on March 18.

The Chief Minister's statement comes at a time when the discussion on the present state of drought in more than 15,000 villages was in progress in the state assembly. Members Shiv Sena and opposition parties strongly criticised the administration for its inept handling of the drought and also blamed it for the rising number of farmers suicides in drought hit districts.



Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and the party legislators and MPs have been consistent on their demand that loan waiver should be declared to save the crisis ridden farmers and thereby curb suicides.

On the other hand, leader of opposition in the state assembly Radhikrishna Vikhe-Patil, leader of opposition in the state council Dhananjay Munde, NCP leaders Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil recalled how the Rs 73,000 crore loan waiver announced by the UPA government had helped farmers and asked the state government not to further delay the decision in this regard.

Meanwhile, in a significant move, Fadnavis announced in the state legislature that the government as per the new policy will regularise more than 200,000 unauthorised structures across the state. This will give a much needed relief to the residents from illegal buildings situated at Navi Mumbai, Thane and Pimpri Chinvhwad.

Fadnavis made it clear that these unauthorised structures will become authorised after fulfillment of necessary legal procedure. He told the legislature that the government has taken decision in this regard after accepting the recommendations made by a high level committee headed by the former Mumbai municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte.
The controversial exit of from the country rocked Rajya Sabha for the second day today, with Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad asking the government why did the CBI amend its 'lookout' notice against the industrialist within a month last year.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Azad said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had amended the lookout notice against Mallya issued in October 2015 which had sought his detention if he tried to leave India.

However in November, this order was changed to merely "inform" the authorities in case he left the country.

What made the CBI change its original notice, the senior Congress leader asked and accused the government of being a party to the exit of the businessman when so many bank default cases were pending against him.

Observing that the government was arguing that there was no court order against Mallya, he said in the case of Greenpeace activist Priya Pillai, she was detained at an airport only on the government's order and there was no court order then.

"So why was not stopped? You said there was no court order against him" but Pillai was detained on government's order, Azad said.

Taking potshots at the Congress, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the NDA government will not give any concession to Mallya like the Congress-led regime did to Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi.

Mallya had left the country on March 2, well before banks moved the Supreme Court for seizure of his passport.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had yesterday informed Parliament that the total dues in Mallya's cases including interest amount to Rs 9,091.40 crore as on November 30, 2015.

The loans to companies promoted by Mallya were sanctioned in 2004 to 2007 and those turned into bad loans in 2009. The NPAs of his companies were restructured in 2010.
Reliance Industries and Microsoft Ventures backed startup accelerator The GenNext Hub today announced the graduation of 11 technology startups from the second batch of its accelerator programme.

The GenNext Hub enables entrepreneurs to build their companies through an immersive, four-month-long programme.

"At GenNext Hub we are supporting several of our startups from the second batch with strategic partnerships that will help them scale-up rapidly," GenNext Chairman and RIL Board Member Raghunath A Mashelkar said.

The companies which graduated are Algo Engines, Creditseva, Curefy, Efficient Bazaar, eLoan, Fieldomobify, FiTicket, Noroc Solutions, Pickcel, Playfiks, and VDeliver.

Microsoft provides the platform for the programme.

"Our technologies power nearly 4,000 startups in the country today and we will continue supporting the startup ecosystem through our various programs," said Bhaskar Pramanik, Chairman, Microsoft India.

Some of the startups that have graduated from GenNext have already made a mark in the ecosystem and have become business partners for Reliance and Microsoft, he added.
The United States and 11 other Western countries are criticising China's "deteriorating human rights record," saying its "extraterritorial actions are unacceptable."



The call at the Human Rights Council follows recent disappearances of five Hong Kong residents associated with a publisher of books banned in China. They include a Swedish national who disappeared from his holiday home in Thailand and later made a tearful appearance on Chinese state TV to say he surrendered over a 12-year-old fatal drunk driving case.

The Western countries denounced the "unexplained recent disappearances and apparent coerced returns" of Chinese citizens and foreigners to China.

US ambassador Keith Harper told the council state broadcasts of confessions before any judicial process violates international conventions and Chinese laws.
Controversial RJD MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav, accused of raping a minor girl last month, was today remanded in two days' police custody by a Nalanda district court, a day after he surrendered.

Additional District Judge Rashmi Sikha, before whom Yadav surrendered yesterday in the rape case of a 15-year-old girl, passed the order.

The police had sought three days custody for the interrogation of the 50-year-old MLA of Nawada.

The judge also directed the police to ensure medical examination of the accused MLA before and after taking him in their custody.

The RJD MLA had yesterday surrendered before the court after remaining in hiding for over a month.

Yadav, who had served as a minister in the government of Rabri Devi, was eluding police for the past one month.

The MLA's episode triggered widespread condemnation for the grand secular government headed by Nitish Kumar.

Yadav had allegedly raped the girl who was lured by a woman to the MLA's residence here on February 6. Yadav had allegedly paid Rs 30,000 to the woman for bringing the girl.

It was reported that the MLA had prepared a CD of the obscene act and had threatened to hand it over to his security guards if she resisted rape.

The MLA was denied anticipatory bail by both Nalanda district court as well the Patna High Court.

The court of ADJ Rashmi Sikha had given permission for attachment of properties of the fugitive MLA in Nalanda, Nawada and Patna, which was carried out by police.

The RJD has put him under suspension.

Bhardwaj was arrested by a police team from Sonipat on



July 26. He was questioned for several hours in connection with the suicide of the woman, along with Chauhan.

The woman had consumed a poisonous substance at her home in north-west Delhi's Narela area and died during treatment at LNJP Hospital on July 19.

She had filed a complaint against Bhardwaj for allegedly touching her inappropriately and a case of molestation was registered in June. The accused was arrested and later released on bail.

On July 20, Delhi Police had registered a case of abetment to suicide and handed over the entire matter to a special investigation team.

The family members of the woman had claimed that she had gone into depression after her alleged molester Bhardwaj, an AAP colleague, was released on bail.

She had also alleged that the accused was being protected by the local AAP MLA.

The woman in a video recording had levelled serious allegations against Bhardwaj, accusing him of pressuring her to "compromise" if she wanted to rise in the party. He had allegedly claimed himself to be "close" to the local party MLA.
Two persons, suspected to be Bangladeshi nationals, have been arrested in connection with a theft in a temple in Maradu near here, police said today.

Police also recovered valuables, including bell metal lamps, utensils and decorative items, stolen from the Padavathu Mahadeva temple last Saturday.

The arrested duo identified themselves as Aslam and Joel and gave a Delhi address but on verification it was found to be fake. The two also did not have any ID proof, police said.

"We suspect that they are Bangladeshi nationals. We are conducting a proper investigation to ascertain their nationality," a police official said.

Both Aslam and Joel have been staying in Kerala for quite some time. They were working as construction labourers in different places, police added.
Syria's war has killed more than a quarter of a million people, uprooted over half the population and left much of the country in ruins since it erupted five years ago.

The fighting has left more than 270,000 people dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor which relies on a large network of doctors and activist sources across the country.

Among those killed are around 80,000 civilians, including 13,500 children.

Far more people are feared dead, however, with an unknown number killed in detention at the hands of the government, rebels or jihadists.

UN investigators in February accused the regime of "extermination" in its jails and detention centres.

Handicap International, a French non-governmental organisation, said earlier this month that one million people had been wounded in the war.

And a Syrian aid group in January denounced the incessant bombing of medical facilities in the country, where it said 177 hospitals had been destroyed and nearly 700 health workers killed since 2011.

In January, the United Nations said that 13.5 million people out of a pre-conflict population of 23 million had been forced from their homes.

The charity Save the Children said this month that at least 250,000 children are living under siege, with many forced to eat animal feed or leaves to survive.

An estimated 480,000 people are living under siege, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

About 4.7 million Syrians have fled to neighbouring countries.

"It is the biggest population of refugees for a single conflict in a generation," Antonio Guterres, then chief of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), said in 2015.

Most of the refugees are in neighbouring countries, notably Turkey, which has become the biggest host country with more than 2.7 million on its soil, according to UNHCR.

It is followed by Lebanon with over one million. More than two thirds of these live in "extreme poverty," according to the UN.

Over 630,000 people have taken refuge in Jordan, according to UNHCR.
Three policemen including a sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP) were killed and four other policemen were injured today when the vehicle they were travelling in rammed into a tree in Ashoknagar district.

The policemen were returning to Mungaoli from Aamkheda, where they had gone on security deputation for Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's visit.

SDOP Rajendra Pathak (50), who was posted at Mungaoli town, and constables Pavan Hindolia (52) and Pavan Yadav (38) died on the spot, superintendent of police Santosh Singh Gaur said.

The four injured policemen were admitted to hospitals in Bhopal and Ashok Nagar.
Five persons including four relatives of Madhya Pradesh Animal Husbandry Minister Kusum Mehdele were killed and seven others injured today in a collision between a car and a school bus at Eran village near here, police said.

Babbu Mehdele, Savitri Mehdele and Munni Mehdele died on the spot while Prahlad Mehdele and the driver of the SUV Rajesh Prasad succumbed to injuries on the way to the district hospital, Rahatgarh city Superintendent of Police Gautam Solanki told PTI.

According to a local BJP leader, Babbu and Prahlad were cousins of Kusum Mehdele. They were heading for Panna district from Bhopal when they met with the accident at Eran village about 55 kms from here. The wives of Babbu and Prahlad also died in the accident.

Neetu Mehdele and Nikki Mehdele, who were in the SUV and five students in the school bus sustained injuries. Three of them have been admitted to the district hospital, while four others - two students and two relatives of the minister - were sent to Bhopal, Solanki added.
At least 57 people have been killed as Yemeni pro-government forces gained ground around third city Taez which has been under rebel siege for several months, officials said.

The loyalists backed by warplanes of a Saudi-led military coalition took back areas in the western and southern suburbs of the city, said governor Ali al-Maamari.

They "reopened key roads that the Huthis (Iran-backed Shiite rebels) had been blocking for nine months," said the governor, who lives in exile in Saudi Arabia.

That should allow for humanitarian and medical aid to reach about 200,000 besieged inhabitants, he said.

Loyalist military sources said clashes between pro-government forces and air strikes had killed at least 57 people yesterday, 37 of them rebels, six civilians and the rest loyalist fighters.

Earlier a source in the army's 35th brigade confirmed that loyalists had seized Al-Misrakh area to the south of Taez city after heavy fighting that led to several deaths in the past few days.

Dozens of military vehicles carried rebel fighters out of the western suburb of Taez towards the city of Hodeida on the Red Sea, witnesses said.

The coastal city remains under the control of the insurgents and their allies, army units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Taez is located between the rebel-held capital Sanaa and the southern port city of Aden, which loyalists took back from the Huthis in July.

In November, forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi announced a major offensive to try to break the siege on Taez.

More than 6,100 people have died -- half of them civilians -- since the Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes on Yemen in March 2015, according to the United Nations.
At a March 7 gathering at the Coconino Center for the Arts, representatives of dozens of local nonprofits learned that theyre much more than warm and fuzzy do-gooders, theyre also part of a significant economic footprint.

They were gathered to hear the findings of a new study on the economic impact of nonprofits. Backed by the Arizona Community Foundation and others, the study found that nonprofit organizations statewide are responsible for 8 percent of the Gross State Product and are the states fifth largest employer.

Steve Peru, president and CEO of United Way of Northern Arizona, welcomed the assembly. The study, he said, provides a wealth of information.

Were hearing it today but weve got to do something with it, Peru said of the studys findings.

Richard Tollefson of the Phoenix Philanthropy Group, Tony Evans of the L. William Seidman Research Institute and Robert Ashcraft of ASU Lodestar came to Flagstaff to present the findings. Tollefson said they are touring the state to deliver the information.

We really hope it will change some of your perceptions about the role of nonprofits, he said.

The study used information from 2014 to answer the question, What is the economic impact of Arizonas nonprofit sector? Researchers used financial data supplied by the Arizona Department of Revenue and survey data to build a picture of the economic footprint of the states nonprofits.

Evans said they gathered information from 3,000 of the states nonprofit organizations representing healthcare, arts, culture, social services and more. The findings, he said, are conservative, and clearly point to nonprofits as a strong contributor to economic development in Arizona.

The study considered the direct effects of nonprofits such as employment and taxes, the indirect effects such as suppliers and the induced effect that includes staff spending. Overall, they found that the nonprofit sector contributes $22.4 billion annually to the states economy.

John Tannous, executive director of the Flagstaff Arts Council, brought the conversation from a state to a local level. He said nonprofits need to use the studys findings to promote their organizations. The study, he said, gives them tools to communicate with government officials and potential supporters.

Ali Applin of Senestech told the audience that businesses such as hers depend on strong communities to attract the best employees.

Nonprofits help sell the community, she said.

Rich Bowen of ECONA and NAU echoed her sentiment.

At the end of the day, he said, what brings (businesses) to Flagstaff is the broader economic vitality. Nonprofits, he said, are a critical component of that economic vitality.

After the presentations and panel discussions, Debra Harris, board president of the Southside Community Association, said that for small nonprofits like hers, the far-reaching study provided important information that they couldnt otherwise afford to gather.

The Southside Community Association operates the Murdoch Community Center. Were a very small social profit, she said, using the alternate term to nonprofit. None of our board members are paid but we pay four NAU students to staff the (Murdoch) Center 40 hours a week.

The study, she said, will help her and other organizations tell the story that their impact is not just social, its economic.
Nearly 900 'flying squads', each equipped with a GPS-fitted vehicle, is being deployed in West Bengal by the Election Commission to monitor poll-related expenses of candidates.

"For each of the 294 Assembly constituencies, we will have three 'flying squads' headed by an executive magistrate and police officials to keep vigil on attempts to influence voters using money," a top EC official told PTI.

Each of the flying squads has a GPS-fitted car so that their movements can be tracked by EC, he said.

"The squads have been asked to take photos and videos if they notice any violation and send it to us as soon as possible. This saves time and we get all records and evidence quickly," the official said.

In each of the districts, an election expenditure monitoring cell has been established with a 24/7 call centre where the flying squads submit reports.

No Assembly constituency in West Bengal has been found to be 'expenditure-sensitive' by the poll watchdog. But the EC is doing a vulnerability mapping exercise to find areas where chances of violations are high.

"We then give special focus to those areas. The 'flying squad' cannot avoid those areas as their movements are tracked by us," officials said.

For greater transparency, candidates have been asked to open a separate bank account for their poll expenses so that it can be easily monitored. The limit of poll-related expenditure per candidate is Rs 28 lakh.
Rejecting opposition demand for referring the to a standing committee, the Lok Sabha Friday took up discussion on it with Finance Minister insisting that its focus was entirely on the usage of government money for targeted subsidy.

Jaitley also asserted that it was a money bill, overruling Congress' objections that it has been turned into a to avoid voting in the where the government does not have a majority.

Read more from our special coverage on "AADHAR BILL" Statutory status to Aadhar; goverment to bring Bill in 2 days

As the Finance Minister proposed taking up the bill for consideration, BJD's B Mahtab expressed concern over possible "invasion of privacy" if it in its current form becomes a law and sought that it be referred to a standing committee, saying the government should not rush.

(Cong) and P Venugopal (AIADMK) supported the BJD leader's demand, with the former saying that they were not against it but there are "flaws".

Jaitley said discussion on the institution of Aadhar has been going on for over seven years after the then UPA government approved a bill in September, 2010 and introduced it in Parliament in December.

"Entire discussion in seven years has now culminated," he said, noting that it was discussed in standing committee and extensive public suggestions were also received, as he stressed that the government had taken note of all this.

He said the proposed law will help in targeting government subsidy at intended beneficaries which will result in a lot of savings.

Jaitley told the House that similarly, targeted subsidy through Aadhar cards of LPG consumers had resulted in over Rs 15000 crore of savings at the Centre. Four states which had started PDS delivery by a similar exercise on a pilot basis, had saved more than Rs 2300 crore.

"Focus is primarily on the usage of money belonging to Consolidated Fund of India belonging to either the Centre or states," he said as he pushed for its passage.

He also refuted Kharge's criticism for making it a and said the measure is "distinctly different" from the one tabled by the UPA and "the earlier we implement it, it will be better."



Jaitley also sought to allay privacy concerns, saying the bill has made provisions for that.

There will be no sharing of Aadhar data without consent of residents and no biometric data will be shared even with their consent.

He said 97% of adults have Aadhar cards while 67% of minors have it as well. Five to seven lakh people are being added every day, he said.
Tamil actor and General Secretary of the Nadigar Sangam (South Indian Artistes' Association), Vishal Krishna today offered 'monetary support' to a Thanjavur farmer who was allegedly beaten up by police in a case of non-repayment of loans.

He, however, did not specify the quantum of his monetary support to farmer Balan.

"Balan.I don't know u. But u r a farmer. I pledge my support to u. Monetarily. I don't know ur loans.But accept my support.God bless (sic)," Vishal tweeted.

A video purportedly showing Balan being allegedly beaten up by cops in Oratahanadu had gone viral yesterday, prompting the National Human Rights Commission to take suo motu view of the incident. It had sought a report from the state Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP).

The video which was aired by TV channels, shows a few policemen allegedly attacking Balan and the incident had drawn sharp reactions from farmers' bodies in the state.
The Jharkhand government today said the Adani Group, which has signed an MoU with the state for a proposed Thermal Power Plant, would have to arrange required land on its own.

"The Adani group has to arrange the required land for the power plant on its own," an official release said quoting Energy Department Principal Secretary S K G Rahate here.

"The MoU gives approval or disapproval rights to the state," he added.

Stating that interest of the state was kept during inking of the MoU, he said under the Jharkhand Energy Policy, the Adani group would provide 25 per cent of its installed capacity to Jharkhand on the rate fixed by the Jharkhand State Electricity Regulatory Commission.

Under the proposed power plant, electricity would be given to Bangladesh and being an international investor, it has to follow guidelines of the Central government, he said.

The state has signed stage-1 MoU with one year term and the next stage would be inked only after completion of stage-1.

It was signed on the basis of a report by a high-level committee headed by Chief Secretary Rajiv Gauba.

The state government had on February 17 this year signed the MoU with Adani Power (Jharkhand) Limited for setting up 1600 MW (2x800 MW) coal based Thermal Power Project in the state.
As IMF endorses India as bright spot in the otherwise gloomy world economy, its Managing Director Christine Lagarde literally added a personal endorsement of the country as she donned a bright Indian salwar suit at the start of a high-level conference today.

At the opening of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Government of India co-hosted conference to take stock of Asia's strong economic performance this evening, the French lawyer sported a smart, cherry-red salwar suit.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who was co-panelist at the kick-off event, commented on her liking of Indian cloths and food.

"As most of the friends present here can see (her) fondness for Indian clothes along with the fondness for Indian foods," he said.

"I am certain you will be quite comfortable in India for next couple of days," he added.

Lagarde has been regularly visiting India as head of IMF.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will tomorrow morning address the conference that is to take stock of Asia's strong economic performance, its increased resilience to shocks, and the region's ongoing economic policy challenges.

Lagarde, 60, wore a bracelet and a necklace to go with the suit.

"Advancing Asia: Investing for the Future will bring together senior officials, corporate executives, academics, and civil society representatives from more than 30 countries spanning Asia and the Pacific," IMF said in a statement.

Key topics to be discussed at the conference from March 11 to 13 will include the most effective drivers of growth, income inequality, demographic change, and gender, infrastructure investment, climate change, managing capital flows and financial inclusion.

A minister in the French government, Lagarde became the 11th Managing Director of the IMF on July 5, 2011, and the first woman to hold that position.

On February 19, 2016, the IMF Executive Board selected her to serve as IMF Managing Director for a second five-year term starting on July 5, 2016.

A former member of the French national team for synchronised swimming, Christine Lagarde is the mother of two sons, according to her profile on IMF website.
Stepping up its agitation over special category status to Andhra Pradesh, the state Congress today said it would meet President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top leaders in Delhi.

As per the 'Chalo Delhi' programme, Congress leaders and activists would leave for Delhi tomorrow morning from Visakhapatnam in AP Express train, AP Congress President N Raghuveera Reddy said.

They would stay in Delhi on March 14, 15 and 16 and meet President, Prime Minister, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and also former prime minister Manmohan Singh, he said.

The AP Congress delegation would hand over the one crore signatures collected by the party in support of the demands to the Prime Minister, Reddy said, adding that Congress would try to mobilise support of other parties in the efforts.

It is high time the NDA government fulfilled the promises made to Seemandhra (new Andhra Pradesh), including special category status, completing the multi-purpose Polavaram irrigation project, provision of funds for building the state's capital city among others, he said.

The promise of special category status was made on the floor of Parliament by then prime minister Manmohan Singh when the bill for formation of Telangana was passed in 2014.

AP Congress has undertaken campaigns like collection of one crore signatures, sending one crore SMSes to Union Ministers from AP and filing "police cases" against top leaders of TDP-BJP alliance for allegedly betraying the people by not implementing its promises.
An Army chopper today made an emergency landing in a wheat field in Mehli village here due to some technical snag, police said.

All the four crew members including pilot are safe, they said.

"The helicopter made an emergency landing in the village at around 12:30 PM," Hoshiapur SSP Dhanpreet Kaur said, adding, "the chopper had developed some technical snag".

There was no damage to the chopper, the SSP said.
A senior Pakistan Army officer was shot dead by Taliban gunman after he attended Friday prayers here.

Lieutenant Colonel Tariq Ghafoor was shot dead near Peshawar's Hayatabad area, the army said in a statement.

"Lt Col Tariq Ghafoor embraced martyrdom due to firing by unidentified assailant after Friday prayers near Sarband Ring Road, Peshawar" the statement said.

The officer was posted at Peshawar and was undergoing post graduate studies at a government university, it read.

"The officer of senior rank received two bullets in the head and succumbed to his injuries on the spot," a senior police officer said.

"It looks like an incident of target killing," he said. "Colonel Tariq had land and family disputes," adding the reason behind the killing was not yet clear.

Meanwhile, the banned terrorist outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack, The Express Tribune reported.

"The TTP's sharp shooter targeted Col Tariq," the group's spokesperson Mohammad Khorasani claimed in a statement.
Artist Sakti Burman has been conferred with the prestigious Knight of the Legion of Honour for his extraordinary work, located at the confluence of French, European and Indian cultures, and the enduring relations he has established between France and India.

French ambassador to India Francois Richier bestowed the honour on the 81 year old artist in a ceremony here late last evening.

"This goes to you because of your strong relation with France and because France is such an important part of your life whether it is because you lived in France or because you married Maite, but also because you are an artist of universal resonance and value," the ambassador said.

He said that three words - love, dream and hardwork - came to his mind that best reflected what Burman had achieved and continues to achieve in his artistic career.

Burman, who was born in the present day Bangladesh, obtained his primary education in art from the Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata after which seeing his persistent desire for painting, his father and brother sent him to Paris for higher education.

"Thank you government of France for honouring me with this award. During the college days I read lots of books on the lives of impressionist artists like Van Gogh and their struggle to continue painting inspired me and I decided to live like them," he said while accepting the award.

The artist has had a long standing relation with the European country, where he has been living for over five decades now. Not only did he pursue his higher education in art from Ecole nationale superieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, but also married French painter Maite Delteil.

The influence of both his growing years in India and those spent in France come alive in his works such as when he draws a parallel between the biblical tale of Noah's Ark and the Samudra Manthan that appears in several Hindu mythological narratives in the same painting.

The artist's moment of epiphany that resulted in the recurrent appearance of an amalgamation of both the cultures in his works was during one of his visits to India when he visited several historical sites including Ajanta Ellora, Sanchi Stupa, Khajuraho and Konark.

"Now I realise how important was that visit was for me. Unconsciously I had developed an impression of my Indian culture mixed with the culture of France. Today, I feel happy that my work of these years have been appreciated and I am being honoured with this award," he said.

The Legion d'Honneur, created in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, is the highest civilian award given by the French Republic for outstanding service to France, regardless of the nationality of the recipients.

A short flm on Burman detailing the life of the artist both in India and France was also screened on the occasion.
Industrial body Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) will hold a day-long Global Investors Summit here on Defence sector in the backdrop of the Defence Expo in Goa this month-end.

"The Summit will be held on March 29 which will be inaugurated by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at the Defence Expo site," Manguirish Pai Raikar, Chairman, MSME National Council of Assocham told reporters today.

Delegates from various countries will participate in the summit, promote manufacturing and joint ventures in India in the Defence sector which will give push to the Make In India campaign, he said.

"The summit will be addressed by Union Minister of State for Defence, Rao Inderjit Singh, Secretary Defence production Ashok Kumar Gupta and President of Assocham Sunil Kanoria," Raikar stated.

Union Defence Ministry's Land, Naval and Internal Homeland Security Systems Exhibition popularly known as Defence Expo would be held at Betul-Naqueri village in South Goa from March 28-31.
What does monument status mean for a landscape? Its a question that has spurred passionate debate since Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-AZ, introduced legislation to create a Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument.

Grijalva's bill would encompass 1.7 million acres to the north and south of Grand Canyon National Park. Proponents say monument status will provide added protections for landscapes, water sources and sacred sites surrounding Grand Canyon that are intricately connected to its ecosystem. Opponents say the designation will limit public access and is another unnecessary layer of regulation in an area that doesnt need it or want it.

What would actually happen if a monument were created, most likely through presidential proclamation rather than an act of Congress, is difficult to project. Management of each monument is uniquely shaped by the resources deemed in need of stronger protection.

However, with the idea that history can provide insight into the present and future, below is a sampling of how management of neighboring monuments  Grand Canyon-Parashant, Vermilion Cliffs and Grand Staircase-Escalante  changed after they received the presidential proclamation.

COMMON FEATURES

Several changes affected all three monuments. Like most others, the monument proclamations barred new mineral leases, mining claims, prospecting or exploration activities as well as oil, gas and geothermal leases. That mattered much more at Grand Staircase-Escalante, where a large coal mining operation was in the works, than at Grand Canyon-Parashant, which had no impending mineral development.

Monument status also has brought higher visitation to the monuments. Vermilion Cliffs, for example, has seen visitor numbers climb from 40,000 in 2000 to nearly 190,000 last year, according to Rachel Carnahan, BLM public information officer. Studies have shown a general upward trend in the surrounding local economies as well. A 2014 study of 17 national monuments by Headwaters Economics showed two-thirds of the communities adjacent to the monuments grew at the same rate or faster than similar counties in the state.

Maggie Sacher a longtime resident and lodge owner in the Vermilion Cliffs area, has seen that economic impact up close.

I think the economics of the area have been shored up because of the monument, Sacher said. The fishery inside the park is going downhill, but visitation has been going up at the monument.

A monument designation also tends to attract more attention to subsequent management decisions made on the landscape, said Ethan Aumack, conservation director at the Grand Canyon Trust.

Overall there is more attention given by the general public and monument managers to ensure actions that are taken and decisions that are made are consistent with the monument proclamation, Aumack said.

ADDITIONAL FUNDING

Stretching across much of Arizona north of the Grand Canyon, Vermilion Cliffs and Grand Canyon-Parashant national monuments were both created by presidential proclamation in 2000.

The monument designation, and climbing visitor numbers that have come with it, have attracted additional funding for site protection and infrastructure like trails, signs and bathrooms in the areas, said Pam Foti, a professor in parks and recreation management at Northern Arizona University who has studied recreation impacts on public lands across the Four Corners states.

I remember going up to the Arizona Strip and there weren't restrooms or trails on any of it. Now we have those amenities, Foti said.

The rise in visitation also has necessitated shifts in management strategies. Rising popularity of a swirling sandstone feature called The Wave within Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, for example, has spurred the BLM to create a new business plan for the area. In a first draft released last summer, the agency proposed to replace the walk-in lottery with a 48-hour online lottery and nearly double the fees for overnight camping and day use permits.

Grazing, another main use within Vermilion Cliffs, hasnt been significantly changed or affected, Aumack said. The Grand Canyon Trust holds grazing permits across much of the monument and is part of a multi-agency partnership to promote sustainable grazing across a broad area north of the Grand Canyon.

At Vermilion Cliffs, the monument designation has also allowed for some modest funding for science that has been used for things like bat research and surveys to understand how different species are using the area, said Aumack.

At Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, off-road motorized travel was expressly prohibited and sale of vegetative material, like timber, is permitted only if part of an authorized science-based ecological restoration project.

LITTLE SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT

For all the controversy that erupted after President Bill Clinton declared monument status for Grand Staircase-Escalantes 1.9 million acres, Clintons proclamation has had little substantial impact on most of the uses allowed and prohibited on the land. While new mineral leases were prohibited, livestock grazing was grandfathered in and more than 96 percent of the monument is still open to cattle. Up to now, livestock grazing decisions have been based on 1980s-era land use plans that existed before the monuments creation in 1996. Only now is the BLM embarking upon a process to create a new grazing plan that would better integrate livestock grazing with the management of other resources.

While recreation is generally allowed to continue, there are now limits on group sizes and the number of people allowed in backcountry areas in order to protect the monuments "frontier atmosphere," said Cynthia Staszak, monument manager.

Monument designation also made a big difference in terms of staffing levels. In Grand Staircase-Escalante's initial years, employee numbers surged, Staszak said.

It was pretty exciting in the early years, she said. There was an opportunity back then to do so much as far as identification of the resources and do research on all these key objects.

One of the BLMs big pushes was to inventory the geological, archaeological and paleontological resources that Clintons proclamation specifically named as needing protection.

Beyond adding people power, the influx of new staffers was a breath of fresh air, said Scott Groene, executive director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

The BLM is an agency often captured by local politics so having someone from the outside means they put greater emphasis on the national value of the place, Groene said.

Two decades after the monument was created, however, resources and special focus dedicated to the area have declined. The total number of monument staff, including scientists to study the landscapes resources, is now about one-third of what it was in the beginning, Staszak said.

The shift is apparent to those on the outside looking in, Groene said.

It got a lot of attention and I think people felt like it had strong management, but 20 years later that emphasis is fading, Groene said. It feels like its not being given the sort of extra care that was present initially upon the designation.
A 27-year-old woman, trapped in a fire in her second-storey apartment in Australia, dropped her two-day-old baby and toddler from a window to rescuers.

The woman had climbed onto the windowsill in her home in suburban Lakemba in Sydney's south-west, unable to escape fire when the firefighters arrived for rescue last night.

She dropped her 2-day-old baby and 2-year-old toddler down to a passerby from second floor, 6 metre above the ground, The Sydney Morning Herald reported today.

The children were uninjured by the fire and their fall. Firefighters used a ladder to rescue the woman who also escaped serious injury.

Residents from surrounding apartments made numerous calls to rescue authorities last night to report that a number of apartments in the three-storey block were on fire, and people were possibly trapped inside.

The fire is believed to have started in the kitchen of the woman's apartment, before spreading to surrounding areas.

"The flames prevented the woman from reaching her front door, so she grabbed her two children and rushed to the window, where she flagged down a man below," Senior Constable Jamie Wallace said.

"She ended up dropping the two kids out the window and he caught them," he added.

According to a witness, neighbours dragged out a mattress and placed it below the window, and a sheet was used to catch the children.

"The identity of the man who caught the baby was not known. After doing his heroic deed, he just wandered off into the night, so we want to say thank you to him," New South Wales Police spokesman said.

The woman was taken to St George Hospital suffering from cuts to her feet and smoke inhalation. Around 50 people were evacuated from the apartment block during the fire.

"The fire was not believed to be suspicious," police spokeswoman said.
An Australian court jailed a former boss of a scandal-hit Chinese mining firm today for eight years over insider trading, in a major insider trading prosecution for the country.

Xiao Hui, also known as Steven Xiao, pleaded guilty last year after he was extradited from Hong Kong to Australia, from where he fled while on bail, in 2014.

The three charges included one involving 102 illegal trades relating to planned investments in Australian-listed companies, Sundance Resources and Bannerman Resources, when Xiao was managing director of Hanlong.

A former vice president of Hanlong, Zhu Bo Shi, also known as Calvin Zhu, was in 2013 sentenced to more than two years in prison as part of ASIC's investigation into the insider-trading allegations.

Xiao's sentence demonstrated the seriousness of insider trading, Cathie Armour, a commissioner at the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC), told reporters in Sydney today.

"Maintaining confidence in the integrity of our financial markets is vital for everyone.... My message to anyone considering insider trading is this: 'ASIC will find you,'" she said.

"We will find insider traders and we will prosecute them."



Armour said the overall value of the trades was approximately Aus USD 2.3 million (USD 1.7 million), with a profit of Aus USD 1.7 million.

Hanlong, based in China's southwestern province of Sichuan, launched a takeover bid of Aus USD 1.3 billion for listed Australian iron ore firm Sundance in 2011. The deal collapsed in 2013 after the Chinese firm failed to follow through.

Hanlong's chief, Liu Han, was executed in China last year for "organising and leading a mafia-style group", murder and other crimes.

Xiao was sentenced to eight years and three months behind bars in the New South Wales Supreme Court, commencing January 12, 2014.

A non-parole period of five years and six months means he will be eligible for release from July 11, 2019 at the earliest.
MNS general-secretary Shalini Thackeray alongwith party workers today staged a protest at the RTO office in suburban Andheri against the "faulty process of allotment of new auto permits" in the Mumbai region.

The BJP-led government was allotting permits to migrants and depriving the "sons of the soil" of new permits, the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena said in a statement.

Shalini Thackeray also met Regional Transport Officer M B Jadhav and demanded modification of rules so that Marathis get preference, it said.

The state government's directive that the person seeking auto license must be domiciled in Maharashtra, know Marathi, and must not have a criminal record was not being implemented properly, the party alleged.

"The last date for accepting the license application was January 7, 2016. However, the process of issuing new permits started immediately after five days...How did the RTO verify so many applications within five days?" it quoted Shalini Thackeray as saying.

She also said that only 5 per cent of the permits went to women, which was too little. The party also opposed the hike in permit fee, the statement said.

Claiming that 70 per cent of new autorickshaw permits were given to non-Marathis, MNS chief Raj Thackeray had threatened on Wednesday that his partymen would set on fire such autos if they were seen plying on roads.
The largest autorickshaw union in Mumbai today wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, demanding immediate action against MNS chief Raj Thackeray for his provocative remarks wherein he appealed to party workers to "burn the autorickshaws of outsiders".

In the letter, Mumbai Autorickshaw Taximen's Union chief Shashank Rao alleged that Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers were behind the torching of an autorickshaw in suburban Andheri last night.

"State government swung into the action after we regularly followed up the matter with it and second phase of allotting permits to autorickshaw men (started). However, Raj Thackeray has opposed this and asked his men to set autorickshaws ablaze and unfortunately it has happened," the letter stated.

Rao alleged that torching of the auto rickshaw was the handiwork of MNS workers.

"I request you to step in and order an inquiry into the incident as after Raj Thackeray's speech all auto rickshaw drivers are frightened," he wrote.

Rao requested Fadnavis to take immediate action against Raj as "you owe the responsibility to provide safety and security to us".

The MNS chief had said that 70 per cent of the total 70,000 new autorickshaw permits were given to non-Marathis and exhorted MNS workers to set on fire such autos if they were seen plying on roads.

MNS yesterday burnt an effigy of Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Yogesh Sagar in front of his office at SV Road, near Kandivali station in Mumbai.
Bank unions today strongly objected to the statement given by senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad in Parliament yesterday when he said that banks charge commission to approval loans.

While participating in a debate yesterday, Azad -- the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha -- said that "when a person goes to avail a loan amount of even Rs 5,000, these banks charge 1 per cent as a commission".

"We strongly condemn the statement and demand an open apology from Ghulam Nabi Azad. Bank employees will not tolerate such type of statements from MPs. Bank employees are honest and serving for all the sections of the country", said Ashwani Rana, Vice President-National Organisation of Bank Workers, in a statement.

The All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC) have sought an unconditional apology from Azad, adding, lest they will resort to trade union action including peaceful demonstrations against him.

"We seek unconditional apology from Azad for his irresponsible, baseless and unwarranted statement. His statement has deeply hurt the bank employees particularly the officers who are giving their blood and sweat to ensure that all plans and agenda of the government are pushed through with honesty and commitments, despite all adversities," Harvinder Singh, General Secretary, AIBOC said in a statement.

Singh also raised a question why these politicians, bureaucrats and governments are not taking strict action against the defaulters despite vociferous demand by banks for more than a decade now.

"We demand immediate and transparent investigation into the whole issue, so that the people like Azad can be exposed. We also demand that code of secrecy should be removed from officers working in the banking industry so that we can disclose the truth and bring to books all these politicians who have brought pressure on our top management and also on branch managers," AIBOC said.
A radical Islamic State preacher who was banished from the UK has been recruiting British fighters for the dreaded terror outfit, a media report said today.

Syria-born Omar Bakri Mohammad, who was banished from the UK in 2005, was named as a sponsor by British jihadists trying to induct into Islamic State, according to information released in one the biggest leaks of terrorist data in history.

Fighters from Cardiff named 58-year-old Bakri as their "referee", including Reyaad Khan, 21, who was killed last September alongside another fighter in Raqqa, in the first targeted UK drone attack on a British citizen.

The documents also name individuals previously not known to be fighting in Syria, including a teenager arrested in the London riots, a teacher and a Christian convert.

The mother of Fasil Towalde from north London, who left for Syria without telling her, said yesterday that he was a "good church boy" who had fallen in with a "bad gang".

Himan Haile confirmed her son's identity in a tearful interview in which she said he had been raised a Christian and grew up in London after the family fled violence in their native Eritrea.

"Fasil was not too much good, not too much bad. In my home he was a nice boy," Haile was quoted as saying by 'The Telegraph'.

He was arrested during the London riots and later fell in with a gang and converted to Islam in prison, she added.

Bakri moved to the UK in 1986 and created the al-Qaeda-inspired al-Muhajiroun.

He later fled to Lebanon and was handed a 12-year sentence by a Lebanese court for terror offences last year.

Bakri's involvement in directly recruiting for ISIS was not previously known, however, his own son Mohammed is said to have died in Aleppo province in the north of Syria last October.
Parents of some of the 14 students who had drowned at Murud-Janjira beach in Raigad district last month today staged a protest against the college management and sought registration of a police case for "negligence".

"It has been over a month now (since the incident occurred), but the college authorities have not come up with the inquiry report.

"Local police in Murud too are not ready to register a complaint against the teachers and the college authorities who were accompanying the students on the tragic day and had failed to provide help post the incident," alleged Shakila Sayyad who lost her daughter in the mishap.

The tragedy occurred on February 1 when 14 students of Abeda Inamdar Senior College, including ten girls, drowned off the popular beach while picnicking.

The parents held a protest at district collectorate here and submitted their memorandum to the district authorities.

The college is run by Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society.

Sayyad alleged that Murud police did not pay heed to their complaint.

"We demand that a case of negligence should be lodged against P A Inamdar, president of MCES, besides principal of the college, the teachers who were accompanying students and all those who are responsible for the mishap," said Shivaji Salgar who lost his daughter in the tragedy.

The management had denied any negligence on their part.

Savitribai Phule Pune University has also constituted a committee to probe the entire incident.

"We have disbursed first tranche of financial help of Rs 50,000 each out of total Rs one lakh (each), to the next of kin (of the deceased) and remaining amount will also be distributed soon," a varsity official said.
Beijing defended itself today against criticism at the UN of its human rights record, saying it had made "remarkable progress" by following "a path with Chinese characteristics" on the issue.

The United States and 11 other countries took China to task at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, demanding it immediately release all detained activists and lawyers.

"We are concerned about China's deteriorating human rights record, notably the arrests and ongoing detention of rights activists, civil society leaders and lawyers," Keith Harper, the US ambassador to the body, said yesterday.

The criticism spurred an unusually fierce response from China's representative at the council, who fired back with blunt critiques of the US's human rights record.

"The US is notorious for prison abuse at Guantanamo prison, its gun violence is rampant, racism is its deep-rooted malaise," said Chinese diplomat Fu Cong yesterday.

"The United States conducts large-scale extra-territorial eavesdropping, uses drones to attack other countries' innocent civilians, its troops on foreign soil commit rape and murder of local people. It conducts kidnapping overseas and uses black prisons."



Under President Xi Jinping, China's ruling Communist Party has tightened controls over civil society, detaining or interrogating more than 200 human rights lawyers and activists in what analysts have called one of the biggest crackdowns on dissent in years.

China defended itself again today, with foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei saying that "no country is perfect" and accusing Washington of "seriously interfering with China's domestic affairs and judicial sovereignty".

Beijing protected the rights of its citizens "by combining principles of the universality of human rights with China's realities", Hong said. "We have found a path with Chinese characteristics and made remarkable achievements."



Harper's remarks echoed recent comments from UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, who also called for detained lawyers to be released.

China is currently in the spotlight over the disappearances of five Hong Kong booksellers who reappeared on the mainland, and the use of televised confessions from suspects, among a host of other issues.
Bihar government has intensified its campaign against drinking liquor in public places following announcement of prohibition and more than 5,000 offenders have been arrested across the state.

More than 5,000 people have been arrested so far across the state under the Excise Act, said Abdul Jalil Mastan, Excise and Prohibition Minister.

The campaign would be intensified further once the ban comes into effect from April 1, he said.

The Chief Minister had announced that while country-made and spiced liquor would be banned completely from April 1, sale of Indian Made Foreign Liquor would be restricted in towns and municipality areas.

The sale would be conducted by state-run Bihar State Beverages Corporation Limited.

Reffering to the Chief Minister's commitment to successfully impose ban on alcohol, Mastan said the Excise department would make a proposal to increase the period of the jail sentence upto 10 years.

Assistant Commissioner of Excise and Prohibition department, Headquarter, Om Prakash Mandal said presently the offenders are jailed for a maximum period of three years on the charge of consuming and selling alcohol in public places in accordance with Excise Act of 1915.

The Assistant Commissioner said a total of 1,839 offenders were arrested in February while 869 have been caught and forwarded to jails in the past 10 days of March.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recently said the state government would bring the new legislation in the current Budget session of the Assembly with a provision of capital punishment to manufacturers of hooch.
Amid a raging row over JNU, Rajya Sabha MP Pavan Verma today attacked BJP for "creating" a "false binary" and "unwarranted" argument of "nationalism vs anti-nationalism" for "short-term political benefits".

"They (BJP leaders) are not going into the subtleties of the meaning of nationalism and are dishing out monolithic argument of nationalism vs anti-nationalism," Verma said extending his support to the JNU students agitating against alleged branding of the university as "anti-national".

"Aggression, violence, distortion of logic and the creation of this brittle hysteria every time there is an opinion, voice which is contrary to their notion of what nationalism is, is not acceptable," he alleged.

Verma, who was addressing the students at the varsity's administration block, which has been the venue of students' protest for a month, said that he had faith in the country's judiciary and its people and that they will ultimately reject such kind of "extreme" nationalism and politics.

Earlier in the day, historian Jairus Banaji addressed the students and said India today lives "in a climate of violence" consciously created by a few organised groups.

"In this country, we are today living in a climate of violence. 'They' are the upholders of the law. This climate of violence has emerged in the last so many months and it's really dangerous for us," said Banaji.

"It seems to me that explosions of violence (communal riots) that happen from time to time have nothing spontaneous about them. They are the works of organised groups and have very careful and intricate planning. The violence is the product of these organisations wanting to create a climate of violence and fear and triggering," he added.

Banaji was speaking on 'Political Culture of Fascism' as



18th lecture in the series of lectures by JNU Professors and eminent personalities on "nationalism" being held at the administrative block of JNU following the arrest of JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar and two other Parliament attack convicts in a sedition case over an event against hanging of Afzal Guru during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.

He said that the citizens living in a country constitute the nation and the concern for them should always supersede the idea of dehumanised 'nation' itself.

He went forward with this idea and suggested that people like Shahid Azmi and Irom Sharmila, who were fighting for the "real concern of real people" were "the real heroes of Indian democracy".

"They are the real unsung heroes of our democracy. Democracy is the backbone of our "nation" and there are agendas precisely to destroy and uproot that democracy," he said.
A BJP government in Assam and at the Centre will benefit both the state and the North East, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said today.

"If a BJP government is formed in Assam and it works together with the NDA government at the Centre, then a lot of work can be done for Assam and the north eastern region," Rijiju told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting here.

"We'll certainly try to form a BJP government here and appeal to the people to give us a chance," he said responding to querries on his party's prospects in the upcoming Assembly election in Assam.

The minister said, "we do not view the talks we are holding with the ULFA is connected with the polls. Our talks with ULFA is on through our interlocuter. I have also talked with them and their delegation met me".

"I have assured them that ULFA's demands have been accepted from my side. The earlier issue of 'sovereignty' be given up and now their mainstream demands will be handled well and fulfilled. Working out the nitty gritty details should not take much time", he added.

On searching out the missing 28 ULFA leaders during the Operation All Clear in Bhutan, Rijiju said, "Bhutan government is supporting us now and also did earlier. The Government of India welcomes it in national interest".

On the granting of Scheduled Tribe status to six communities in Assam, he said, "a committee has been formed and will receive its report within three months. We'll imeplent it protecting the existing tribals.
A complaint was today lodged against JNU students' union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar in a court here for his alleged derogatory remarks against women and Indian Army at an event in New Delhi.

The complaint was lodged by Mayank Tiwari, who is said to be a BJP worker, in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate and it would come up for hearing on April 2.

Tiwari has alleged that on the occasion of International Women's Day on March 8 Kanhaiya had used derogatory language against women and the Indian Army at a programme organised in the national capital.

He alleged that the JNUSU president had said "in Kashmir army men detain women and rape them.
Tourists visiting the Kashmir valley can now access hi-speed Internet services at the international airport here free of charge for the first 15 minutes as BSNL today launched its state-of-art WiFi HotSpot services.

The 4G-based WiFi HotSpot services of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) at the Srinagar International Airport was inaugurated by Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Asgar H Samoon.

General Manager Telecom, Kashmir, Mohammad Salim Beg said the services would be extended to other parts of Kashmir to facilitate customers with high-speed Internet service through WiFi hotspots.

The WiFi services will be free for the first 15 minutes, a BSNL spokesman said.

He said passengers will have to login after turning on WiFi services on their laptops or smartphones or any other wireless device.

Then, a BSNL-WiFi prompt will pop-up on their device and the passengers will have to register and then they will be provided with a one-time password, he said.

After verification, they will be able to browse.
In a hate-fuelled attack, a 66-year-old Buddhist monk was assaulted in the US with the attacker apparently mistaking him for a Muslim.

Kozen Sampson, a Buddhist monk, said he was attacked during a visit to Hood River in Oregon state.

The brown robe-clad Sampson's car door was kicked into his head by a man who abused him and then fled on foot, according to the Hood River Police Department.

Police described the assailant as a white male with brown hair. Investigators are probing the incident that took place on February 29 as a possible hate crime.

Sampson told the New York Daily he suffered a small cut, some memory loss and was "stunned for a minute or two" after the man attacked him on his trip to take his dogs to obedience training.

"I know that that was an angry thought that this person had, but Muslims have to deal with this every day," said Sampson.

"Could you imagine living with such anger? Our hope is that we can find a way that people can release this anger and fear," he said.

"It's really not about me. It's about loving kindness and taking care of all of our people," Sampson said.

He said the man, who seemingly thought he was Muslim based on his clothing, attacked him for no reason.

"I pulled over, someone ran up and yelled. I turned around, they kicked the door, hit me in the side of the face and knocked my head into the frame of the car," Sampson was quoted as saying by KATU-TV. He said the man also abused Muslims.

But instead of anger and hatred towards that man, Sampson said he only feels forgiveness and compassion.

"I don't know the Islamic faith well, but I do know that Muslims are our brothers and sisters and I would encourage everyone to just take a hard look at how supportive are you of all God's children," Sampson said.
Bulgarian Ambassador to India Petko Doykov today said his country was following closely the 'Make in India' initiative and was keen to be a part of the programme which is aimed at making India a global manufacturing hub.

"India is on focus for good reasons. We are closely monitoring the Indian policies like Make in India. We want a place in it," Doykov said during a programme at the Merchants' Chamber of Commerce.

He said that Bulgaria would like to collaborate with Indian companies with technology transfer in sectors like defence where the country possessed expertise.

Bulgaria is also pursuing with the Environment Ministry its participation in the clean Ganga drive, but nothing has emerged till now, Doykiv said, adding that his country is also interested in smart city projects.

"I have been following up with the Environment Ministry on the clean Ganga drive, but so far nothing has emerged," Doykov said.

Make in India initiative was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 25, 2014 which is aimed at making India a global manufacturing hub besides creating millions of jobs in the country.
Traditional Hawaiian garments gifted to Captain James Cook before he was killed in the islands more than two centuries ago were handed back to indigenous people of the US Pacific state today at a ceremony in Wellington.

Described a "priceless" by New Zealand's national museum Te Papa, the mahiole (feathered helmet) and 'ahu 'ula (feathered cloak) were given to Cook in 1779 during the famous British explorer's last voyage.

Such items were normally reserved for royalty -- with the feathers of 20,000 birds needed for the cloak alone -- a mark of Hawaiian chief Kalani'opu'u's esteem for Cook.

Te Papa said they came to New Zealand via a circuitous route, passing through the hands of various British collectors before they were bequeathed to Wellington's Dominion Museum in 1912.

Talks about returning them to Hawaii began in 2013, culminating in an agreement to give them to Honolulu's Bishop Museum on a long-term loan of at least 10 years.

The handover took place at a ceremony at Te Papa featuring Hawaiian and New Zealand Maori indigenous rituals.

"I'm grateful to witness the return of these cultural heirlooms... It is a cause for celebration and it will be a source of inspiration, reflection and discussion," Kamana'opono Crabbe from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs said.

Cook was on a voyage seeking the fabled Northwest Passage and decided to spend the winter in Hawaii, according to an account on the State Library of New South Wales.

When his expedition first arrived in Kealakekua Bay it was greeted warmly and Kalani'opu'u gave Cook the royal garments.

But tensions soon arose and Cook was killed in a skirmish with the islanders on February 14, 1779.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today said the Centre should not treat the International Maritime Boundary Line with the island nation as a settled issue as the constitutionality of the 1974 and 1976 agreements have been challenged in the Supreme Court.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she noted that Tamil Nadu fishermen who were in traditional waters of Palk Bay were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy yesterday and that the right historically enjoyed by them to fish in these waters was now being repeatedly infringed upon by the Sri Lankan Navy.

"I reiterate the Government of Tamil Nadu's stand that the Government of India should not treat the International Maritime Boundary Line with Sri Lanka as a settled question as the constitutionality of 1974 and 1976 agreements have been challenged on extremely valid and legal grounds in the Supreme Court," she said.

The CM said the prayer before the apex court was to declare the 1974 and 1976 agreements along with the Executive Order of 1976 as null and void in the absence of required mandatory constitutional amendment and to restore Katchatheevu to India and restore traditional rights of the fishermen.

Noting that fishing boats and gear were not released by the island nation with the fishermen and suffered severe damage due to long periods of disuse and exposure to heavy monsoon, she said, "The poor fishermen will be subjected to a huge permanent loss with damage of their only means of livelihood".

"I request that the fishing boats and gear of our fishermen impounded in Sri Lanka be restored in a refurbished condition at the earliest", Jayalalithaa said.

She requested the PM to direct the officials concerned in the External Affairs Ministry to take "proactive" action through diplomatic channels for the immediate release of 72 fishermen and 78 fishing boats,along with a mechanised fishing boat that were apprehended by Sri Lankan Navy.
A CRPF jawan was today killed and four others, including two officers, were injured in an IED blast in Chhattisgarh's Naxal-hit Sukma district.

The incident occurred in the forests near Murliguda village when a patrol party of the 217th battalion of the force was out to provide security to an under-construction road between Murliguda and Banda under Konta police station limits, Sukma Additional Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh told PTI.

While Head Constable Ranga Raghavan succumbed to his splinter injuries later in the day, injured Deputy Commandant Shyam Niwas is critical and his colleague and DC Prabhat Tripathi and two other jawans are stable.

The team ventured out from the Murliguda paramilitary camp for patrolling around 9 AM and the improvised explosive blast occurred soon after when they reached just about 500 m away from the camp.

The personnel inadvertently stepped over a pressure IED hidden beneath the dirt track by the Naxals, the ASP said.

The injured personnel who first evacuated to Bhadrachalam were later airlifted to Hyderabad for furthertreatment,the ASP added.

The deceased CRPF personnel have been identified as



Inspector Jagjit Singh, Assistant Sub-inspectors H B Bhatt and Narender Kumar Singh, Head Constables Jagdish Prasad Vishnoi and P R Minde and Constables Mangesh Pal Pandey, Rampal Singh Yadav, Goraknath, Nand Kumar Patra, Satish Kumar Verma, K Shankar and Suresh Kumar.

Constables Jaidev Parmanik and Salim are critically injured.

The CRPF is working without a regular chief for over a week now as the government has not appointed a new Director General after K Durga Prasad retired on February 28.
The Dalai Lama appeared today at a Geneva human rights conference, despite China's plea to diplomats to stay away from the event.

China's UN mission in Geneva circulated a letter to other missions this week asking them to avoid the Tibetan spiritual leader's appearance at a conference built around Nobel peace prize winners and co-sponsored by the United States and Canada.

Hundreds of supporters of the Dalai Lama, some waving Tibetan flags, rallied at the giant three-legged chair landmark outside the UN complex as he attended the packed-house conference nearby at Geneva's Graduate Institute.

The number of diplomats in the throng was unclear.

The Chinese mission's letter dated Tuesday, the same day that press invitations for the conference were made, said the event was "of grave concern to China."



It called the Dalai Lama "a political exile who has long been engaged in activities to split China under the pretext of religion," and said the mission "kindly requests the permanent missions of all member states, UN agencies and relevant international organisations not to attend the above-mentioned event."



The mission provided a copy of the letter to The Associated Press.

Referring to Tibet, the Dalai Lama told the conference: "We are not seeking separation" from China. However, he referred to a "totalitarian system" and "hardliners" in China. He said he had heard from some in China that change "may happen" at the 19th Communist Party meeting next year, though he did not elaborate.

Afterward, about a dozen heavily armed police stood watch as the Dalai Lama glad-handed the crowd outside the and addressing the supporters in Tibetan, primarily on religious and spiritual themes, according to attendees. Many were dressed in traditional costumes, and some danced.

The conference was billed as a side event to the ongoing UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, where the US and 11 other Western countries yesterday expressed concerns about human rights in China, notably over the arrests of lawyers and activists in recent months, and "unexplained recent disappearances and apparent coerced returns" of Chinese citizens and foreigners to China.

China shot back today with a statement from Ambassador Fu Cong on the mission's Web site, accusing the United States of "hypocrisy and double standards on human rights issues." Among other things, it cited "rampant" gun violence and the "deep-rooted malaise" of racism in the United States, and said the U.S. Was "notorious for its abuses and torture at prisons at Guantanamo Bay."



It cited "a huge number of civilian casualties" caused by US drone strikes and said U.S. Troops abroad "commit rape and murder of local people.
In view of the rising mine fatalities, state-owned CIL will adopt high-tech equipments for both underground and open cast mining.

The matter had come up for discussion in Coal India's (CIL) Safety board meeting of held this week, an official said.

"In the meeting is was decided that high tech equipments would be used in opencast and underground mines of Coal India so that there is less exposure of coal mine workers to dangerous mining conditions," the official added.

CIL Chairman and Managing Director Sutirtha Bhattacharya also assured that there would be no shortage of funds as far as providing safety equipments for coal miners is concerned, the official said.

The five workers unions of the coal behemoth also participated in the meeting.

According to Indian National Mine Workers' Federation (INTUC) Secretary General S Q Zama on an average the fatal accidents every year in Coal India ranges between 15-25.

Asserting that there would be "zero tolerance" for breach of safety of coal workers, Coal and Power Minister Piyush Goyal had earlier said that in view of the one billion tonnes of coal production target standards of the safety of coal workers must be improved further.

He had also stated that high production level must be achieved without compromising workers' safety and health.

Citing examples of the fail-safe risk mitigation systems being adopted very successfully in highly dangerous and hazardous industries such as nuclear power plants and space missions, he had desired that all coal companies should also adopt the best risk mitigation system to achieve zero harm/potential in all coal mines of the country by joint endeavour of workmen, trade union and management.

The Minister had desired that all steps should be taken for achieving "Gold standards" i.E. Best standards for safety in coal mines so that India could set such standards in Coal Mines Safety.

Coal India accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic coal production.

The government has set one billion tonnes production target for the the world's largest coal miner by 2020.
Highlighting plight of natural rubber farmers amid sharp fall in prices, a CPI-M member today asked the government for a special package to help the distressed cultivators.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, K N Balagopal said prices of natural rubber have dropped from Rs 240 a kg to Rs 80 due to cheap imports after the Indo-ASEAN free trade pact.

"The former Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) is (here). We fought in the streets against this Indo-ASEAN Agreement at that time, stating that the prices of rubber and other plantation crops will fall down. At that time, they said, 'No'; it will benefit the farmers," Balagopal said.

But actually the prices have fallen to Rs 80, he said.

"Now, rubber farmers in Kerala have started committing suicide. It is a very serious situation," he said.

About 11 lakh farmers in Kerala were producing 9 lakh tonne rubber, but the production has now fallen to 6 lakh tonne, he said.

"Farmers, on an average, are losing around Rs 15,000 crores per annum due to fall in prices," he said and demanded a special package.

The issue, Balagopal said, has been raised several times, but it falls on the "deaf ears" of the government.

The Left party leader said the government was "ready for a bailout package" to Kingfisher Airlines, but for the poor farmers and their families, "the Government is not ready to give anything".

Deputy Chairman P J Kurien asked Minister of State for Paliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to bring the issue to the notice of the Commerce Minister.

"Rubber was cultivated and encouraged to be cultivated as an import substitute. Now the people are cutting their trees. Ultimately, what will happen is, you will have to import the entire rubber at the cost of the precious foreign exchange. So, something has to be done," Kurien said.

He said he has one acre of rubber plantation, but that is not being tapped because what you get from the yield is not sufficient to pay to the tapper.

"But I have no problem... But for an ordinary farmer, who is having one acre or two acres or three acres, it is a problem. They have nothing. If they resort to committing suicide, you cannot do anything," Kurien added.

He also asked why there was no chairman in the Rubber Board of India, a central government undertaking.

Chandan Mitra (BJP) said distress of farmers is "really pathetic" and said a parliamentary Committee had recommended that the Government should impose an offset duty or countervailing duty to curb imports from Malaysia, Thailand and the other places.

T N Seema of CPI(M) raised the issue of non disclosure of



data of clinical trials of the Rotavirus vaccine in Vellore by Christian Medical College, Vellore and the Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India.

She said the trial has raised questions over the ethical standard on clinical trials.

Praveen Rashtrapal (Congress) raised the issue of making arrangements for poor students to encourage them to appear for primary and higher secondary exams.

Sanjay Sinh (Congress) raised the issue of deteriorating law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh particularly in Amethi and Sultanpur districts.

V Hanumantha Rao (Congress) raised the issue that representation of Other Backward Castes (OBCs) have not gone beyond 10 per cent in many departments of the Central Government.
issue again surfaced in Lok Sabha today with the Congress alleging "gross injustice" for being disallowed when the calling attention on the matter was taken up yesterday, a charge stoutly denied by government and the Speaker.

"Gross injustice was done to the entire opposition parties" which were disallowed from participating in the discussion on issue, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said amid protests from party members.

He said for want of the opposition's participation, the discussion was "biased" and saw "baseless" allegations against erstwhile UPA Government and its leadership and projected a "one-sided story".

"It was all a cooked-up story against the Congress and its leaders", he said, adding that party leader Veerappa Moily had sought permission to seek clarifications from the Home Minister Rajnath Singh, which was denied.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy, however, dismissed the Congress charge. He said after a decision was taken in the business advisory committee that the issue would be taken up, it was for Congress members to give notice for participation, which was not done by them.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan observed whatever the Minister has said was "correct".

Responding to clarifications, the Home Minister had yesterday accused erstwhile UPA government of hatching a "deep conspiracy" to frame Narendra Modi when he was the Gujarat Chief Minister.

He had also alleged that the previous regime had done a 'flip-flop' on the links of with terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Without naming P Chidambaram, Singh had charged the then Home Minister with giving "colour" to terrorism by coining the term 'saffron terror'.

The Home Minister had insisted that the recent statement by Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley before a Mumbai court only reaffirmed the first affidavit filed by the UPA government on August 6, 2009 before the Gujarat High Court that Ishrat had links with LeT.
Congress today urged the ruling TRS and opposition parties in Telangana to let a member from departed party MLA R Venkata Reddy's family be elected unopposed from his Palair Assembly seat in Khammam district.

Venkata Reddy passed away recently due to lung cancer.

The state Legislative Assembly today passed a motion, moved by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, condoling the senior Congress MLA's death.

Hailing the services of Venkata Reddy, Rao said he had sanctioned more than Rs 80 lakhs for the former's medical treatment.

Speaking on the motion, Congress member Puvvada Ajay Kumar appealed to Rao and the opposition parties (TDP, BJP, Left and YSR Congress) to let a family member of Venkata Reddy be elected unopposed, as per a tradition in the past.

Referring to the ruling TRS, he said strength in the Assembly is not a problem for the party since 12 members from TDP, who switched loyalties to TRS, have now been recognised as members of the ruling party.

Noting that TRS has been on a winning spree (a series of elections, including bypolls, civic body elections in Hyderabad and elsewhere), the Congress MLA said the ruling party has nothing to prove afresh (by letting a family member of Venkat Reddy be elected without a contest).

Meanwhile, speaking on the condolence motion, members of all parties paid rich tributes to the departed leader.

They hailed him as a leader who championed the cause of agriculture, rural masses and the tribals in his native Khammam district.

Venkata Reddy, a five-time MLA, served as a minister when Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, K Rosaiah and N Kiran Kumar Reddy were Chief Ministers in the earlier undivided Andhra Pradesh.
All India Mahila Congress today staged a protest demonstration demanding HRD Minister Smriti Irani's resignation accusing her of having "failed to help" the family of Dr Ramesh Nagar who died in an accident on Yamuna Expressway last week.

"We protested the way HRD Minister behaved with the Nagar family after the road accident on Yamuna Expressway last week and demanded her resignation," said Shobha Oza, president of All India Mahila Congress.

On 5 March, Irani escaped with minor injuries when her vehicle and her escort vehicle had rammed into another vehicle that had allegedly hit a motorcycle killing Ramesh Nagar and injuring his daughter Sandali and nephew Pankaj.

"Irani should be removed from the government as she failed to help the Nagar family and also because her claim of helping the family after the accident has now been contradicted by daughter of the deceased," Oza said.

The Mahila Congress also demanded a fair inquiry into the accident taking cognizance of allegations against the HRD minister and punish the guilty policemen who did not register FIR as per complaint of Nagar's daughter, Oza added.

The Congress protestors planned to take out a march to the Prime Minister's residence but were stopped at a police barricade near Ashoka Hotel.
Cotton farmers from adjoining Wardha district, who were on dharna here for the last 13 days over non-payment of due of Rs 8 crore by a factory owner, today ended their agitation following intervention of Maharashtra government.

The farmers from Seloo area of the district claimed they have not been paid the dues of Rs 8 crore by a ginning- pressing factory owner for over a year.

The cotton growers, whose representatives had a meeting with Ministers concerned in Mumbai on March 9, were today visited by Resident Deputy Collector (RDC) of Wardha, Vaibhav Narwadkar.

Narwadkar met the agitating farmer here and conveyed to them the government's decision that it would take steps like auctioning the unit to resolve the payment issue.

About 400 farmers were denied payment by Sunil Talatule, who owns Shrikrishna Ginning and Pressing Factory that bought cotton from them through Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) between November 2014-May 2015.

Talatule, however, failed to make payment.

Subsequently, the farmers approached police which registered a case of alleged cheating and arrested Talatule on July 25, 2015. He was later released on bail.

The cotton growers, fed up by the delay in payment, took out a march to headquarters of RSS demanding that the saffron outfit put pressure on Talatule to pay them.

Claiming that Talatule's father Prabhakar Talatule was one of the founding fathers of the RSS, the cotton growers sought intervention of the organisation into the matter.

The march was foiled on February 28 by police and since then farmers had been staging protest near RBI square.

Narwadkar assured the agitating farmers that the factory will be auctioned in the first week of April and the proceeds will be used to repay their dues, one of the agitators, Ram Narain Pathak, told PTI today.

Pathak, a farmer leader, had also attended the meeting in Mumbai, where the decision to resolve the issue was taken. The Deputy Registrar of Co-operatives, Wardha has initiated the process for auction.

Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, also Guardian Minister of Wardha, his Cabinet colleagues Chandrakant Patil (Cooperation and Marketing) and Chandrashekhar Bawankule (Power) attended the meet on behalf of the government.

Farmers were represented by Pathak and another leader Mohan Sonurkar. Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap, Wardha MLA Pankaj Bhoyar and former MP Suresh Waghmare (both from BJP) also attended the meeting.
Cow urine is being sold alongside food in convenience stores in the UK despite environment experts warning against the practice, according to a media report here.

Plastic bottles filled with cow urine, and marked "for religious purposes", were found in several London stores which also sold food, the BBC's Asian Network has claimed.

The liquid has a large demand in South Asian Hindu community who use it for various religious ceremonies - although it is illegal to sell it for human consumption in England, it said.

Known as 'gau mutra', it was found in several shops which also sold food. In one shop urine bottles were displayed under a shelf of naan bread.

However, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), an independent body representing environmental health concerns, has warned against its sale where food was present.

One worker in a shop in Greenwich said: "Hindus come in to buy it for religious reasons, if a baby is born it may be used during a religious ceremony in the house for good luck."



A Hare Krishna temple in Watford, Bhaktivedanta Manor, has a dairy farm which also produces the urine for worshippers.

Managing director Gauri Das said the temple had been selling cow urine since the early seventies.

"There has been a demand from the South Asian background. They use it for puja's [religious ritual], medicinal purposes or even cleaning in order to purify things," he said.

"I don't sell it [the urine] for human consumption. It is down to the worshipper to do what they want with it."



A Foods Standards Agency (FSA) spokesperson said although it is illegal to sell the urine for human consumption, when applied externally it would not be considered food - although it could be subject to other legislation.

"If cow urine is on sale for human consumption, the business must be able to prove it is safe," the CIEH said.

"If the business cannot prove the product is safe then it must not be on sale. We would strongly advise not to sell cow urine where food is present."



A Greenwich Borough Council spokesperson said: "Non-food products of animal origin are strictly regulated to prevent consumers from being exposed to harmful diseases.

"We are not aware of any particular premises in the borough where this product is on sale but will investigate immediately upon receipt of further information," the spokesperson was quoted as saying by the report.
Terming cyber crime as the biggest challenge for the country, Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said the cyber space is increasingly being used to radicalise young minds.

"Cyber crime is the biggest challenge these days with development and access to technology across the globe. Cyber space is increasingly being used to radicalise young minds," he said addressing a security meet organised by ASSOCHAM here.

Singh expressed deep concern over the exponential growth in the figures of cyber crime. Earlier, the crime used to originate from land, water and air but now it emanates from cyber space too.

"In the 20th century, the dimension of space was added to it. But now a days, cyber crime is showing exponential growth in its number, which is a matter of serious concern," he said.

The Home Minister said that in view of the reach of mobile phones and internet across the globe, including the far-flung areas, the main problem with cyber crime is its detection and prosecution, as it is faceless and borderless.

Singh said an expert group has been constituted in the Home Ministry to prepare a roadmap for effectively tackling cyber crimes in the country.

It has recommended setting up of an Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to fight cyber crimes, he said.

"With increasing inter-connectivity in the world, the challenges will come and we must find ways to tackle these challenges and address the security loopholes in the networks," he said.

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US Ambassador to India Richard Verma said India and the US have forged a strong partnership in the last few years and credit goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama "for deepening, broadening and strengthening security partnership".

"The US has the maximum number of military exercises with India, more than any other country in the world," he said.

Appreciating India's leadership in cyber domain, Verma said there is a need to do more in cyber world where both the countries stand now.

"We have a cyber security dialogue. Cyber defence, cyber security are key priority areas," he said.

The Ambassador said that in the spheres of homeland security, the US was working closely with Indian agencies.

"Not only we have homeland dialogue, our training has been incredible, we have tactical partnership and we need to share the best technology, best practices," he said.
Amid India's concerns over dams being built on the Brahmaputra in Tibet, China today said the projects arescientifically planned to ensure that there is no impact on water flows to downstream areas but asserted its "just and legitimate" right over the water resources.

"There has been good cooperation between China and India on the issue of trans border rivers for a long time. The Chinese side has overcome many difficulties and provided service such as provision of hydrological data to the Indian side thus playing a positive role," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told PTI here.

Responding to Minister of State for Water Resources Sanwar Lal Jat's statement in Parliament yesterday in which he said India has expressed its concerns to China about the likely impact of the dams, Hong said, "the Chinese side has a just and legitimate user right towards the water resources of trans border rivers."



"At the same time, the Chinese side also takes a responsible attitude and carries out a policy of protecting while exploiting the resources. All utilisation of trans border rivers are carried out through scientific planning and takes into account the interests of the upstream and downstream," he said.

On the Chinese dams restricting the water flows, Hong said, "As per my understanding, the hydropower projects constructed by China at present will not have an impact on flood control and disaster reduction and on the environment of the downstream."



"The Chinese side is willing to continue to maintain communication and cooperation with the Indian side on the issue of trans border rivers through existing cooperation mechanisms and enhance mutual understanding and trust between the two sides," he said.

Jat, yesterday had said, "India has urged China to ensure the interests of downstream states are not harmed by any activities in upstream areas."



The minister said, according to reports, China's Zangmu hydroelectric project was operationalised in October, 2015.

The outline of the 12th Five Year Plan for the People's Republic of China indicates that three more hydropower projects on the mainstream of Brahmaputra river in Tibet Autonomous Region have been approved for implementation, he said.

For its part, China has maintained that its projects aimed at hydropower are run of the river projects without storing much waters.
The Delhi High Court today sought the presence of a senior police official to explain what kind of investigation has been done into the death of a six-year- old boy at Ryan International school here.

Justice Siddharth Mridul asked Deputy Commissioner of Police (south Delhi) to remain present before it in person and give a detail status report of the investigation police has carried out so far.

The court fixed the matter for March 18, when it will hear a plea by the deceased's father, who has alleged that the police officials probing his son's death are in connivance with the school management/officials.

"Reason being an FIR was registered under Section 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) instead of registration of a case under Section 302 (Murder) of the IPC," the petition said.

Advocate Aditya Aggarwal, who was representing the boy's father Ramhet Meena, submitted that the court may order the incorporation of section 302 of the IPC and may also hand over the investigation to an independent body like CBI.

Divyansh, a class I student of Ryan International School in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj area, was found dead on January 30, after allegedly drowning in a water tank of the campus.

The petitioner alleged that "dereliction and inaction on the part of Delhi police is evident from the fact that in spite of the registration FIR on the date of incident, no arrest was made initially and only after the pressure started to mount due to constant flashing of the death in print and electronic media, the police has arrested the Principal and other accused persons on February 4, four days after the said incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "grand" efforts to normalise relations with Pakistan has not produced "any remarkable movement forward", former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has said, while warning that "difficult times" were in store for Indo-Pak ties.

Participating in a "public conversation" here last night with erstwhile Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri, Khurshid said there has been no progress in the India-Pakistan relations under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"I am very confused. Despite the grand efforts that he (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) has made, I don't think there has been any remarkable movement forward."



He described recent reports about Pakistan sharing intelligence information on militants as "encouraging", but did not think this would make a big difference.

Khurshid, 63, even warned of "difficult times ahead" in the Indo-Pak relations.

Theinteraction was anchored by senior journalistAshis Ray, formerly CNN's South Asia bureau chief.

The two speakers also disagreed on the reported four point formula put forward by Pakistan when General Pervez Muharraf was its President and Kasuri its Foreign Minister.

Kasuri insisted Dr Singh had agreed to the proposal, but Khurshid rejected this view.

According to Kasuri, the four points in the formula were: "Jammu & Kashmir could not be made independent; borders could not be redrawn; the LoC could be made irrelevant; and a Joint Mechanism for both parts of Kashmir could be worked out."



Noting thatDr Singh was "extremely consultative", Khurshid, however, said: "I am not quite sure there was a meeting of minds on a larger scale in India."



Khurshid, then, accused the BJP when in opposition of being obstructive.

"(As External Affairs Minister) I was very keen he should visit Pakistan. But it was the pressure of the BJP that prevented him from taking the historic step," he asserted.

The sparring diplomats, though, were on the same page on the two countries granting each other the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status in trade, which has not come into effect because Pakistan has failed to honour an agreement it signed on the subject in 2012.

Khurshid and Kasuri concurred "commercial lobbies" in Pakistan were preventing the pact from going forward.

Lieutenant General (now retired) Abdul Qayyum of the Pakistan Army and Dr Chandan Mitra, BJP MP, participated in the conversation by video.
The UN Security Council scheduled a vote today on a US-drafted resolution tackling sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers for the first time, and council diplomats expected it to be approved despite opposition from Russia, Egypt and others.

The UN has been in the spotlight for months over allegations of child rape and other sexual abuses by its peacekeepers in some of the world's most vulnerable and violent regions.

The United States, the biggest financial contributor to UN peacekeeping operations, said it wants the UN's most powerful body to send a strong signal that it will not tolerate the escalating problem.

The draft resolution endorses Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's plan for reform, including his decision to repatriate military or police units "where there is credible evidence of widespread or systemic sexual exploitation and abuse."



It also asks Ban to replace contingents where allegations are not properly investigated and perpetrators are not held accountable.

The UN says there were 69 allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation by peacekeepers in 2015, with an additional 25 allegations so far this year.

For the first time, the UN secretary-general has begun naming the countries of alleged perpetrators, which is meant to pressure states to investigate and prosecute allegations that, U.N. Records show, they often have let slide.

Some states argue that the council resolution will punish thousands of peacekeepers for the actions of a few. They say the issue should be addressed in the General Assembly instead. But General Assembly actions are not legally binding, while Security Council resolutions are.

The council diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the vote, said they did not expect a Russian veto Friday, though abstentions or "no" votes by non-permanent members including Egypt, Angola and Senegal were possible.

Russia's deputy UN ambassador Petr Iliichev argued that the resolution is focused only on UN troops and police, not on UN civilian staffers or non-UN forces authorised by the Security Council.

It was a reference to French and other non-UN troops in Central African Republic who have been accused since early 2014 of child sex abuse.

"There should be a single set of standards for all in combatting this evil," Iliichev said.
Election authorities today claimed to have seized Rs 86.96 lakh cash and registered 48 cases for violations in Tamil Nadu since the Model Code of Conduct came into force for the May 16 assembly elections.

After the code came into force on March 4, the seizure of cash and 115 gas stoves worth Rs.1.88 lakh were made in various regions, including Salem, Krishnagiri, Karur, Tirupur, Chennai and Nilgiris, an official release said here.

Besides, 48 FIRs have been lodged so far for various electoral offences in regions including Madurai and Cuddalore, he said.

Chief Electoral officer (CEO), Rajesh Lakhoni had already announced cash or goods without proper supporting documents will be seized since the Model Code of Conduct is in place.

He had also announced that district authorities including revenue officials will return the seized cash if proper documents were produced to prove that it was for legitimate purposes.
Bihar Education Minister Ashok Chaudhary today promised strict action, including suspension of finance department officials, over delay in release of funds for payment of salaries to school teachers in the state.

"Strict action will be taken against errant officials, including stopping their salaries and suspension if they do not mend their ways," he said.

Chaudhary said this while replying to a question by JD(U) MLC Sanjeev Kumar Singh in the Legislative Council that payment of salaries of school teachers were delayed due to non-release of funds by finance department officials.

The minister said funds have been made available for payment of salaries to the school teachers up to March this year.

But salaries were paid up to September or October last year in most of the districts as it took time to sort out wages of the teachers following the government's decision to take contractual teachers on regular payroll, he said.

Delay in payment of salary to lakhs of school teachers had invited the ire of Bihar State Human Rights Commission recently.

Official sources said that a committee formed under the



chairmanship of former UGC chairman Prof Arun Nigvekar had been constituted by the HRD ministry last year to evaluate the API regarding the entry point and career advancement of teachers and these changes were made based on its recommendations.

"The UGC has approved the proposed changes in the API mechanism and they will come into effect in a day or two when the notification is issued," officials said.

Last week, while speaking in a debate on the functioning of her ministry in the Rajya Sabha, HRD minister Smriti Irani had indicated that her ministry would soon change the API score criteria.

"A teacher's promotion needs to depend on the promotion of his class, that is, when a teacher totally dedicates himself only to the education of the student, does not get involved in extracurricular activity that teacher, in no way, should be penalized," Irani had said in her speech.

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Officials said that under the new norms, steps would be taken to ensure that high quality research published in journals of repute is rewarded.

They added that research in regional languages too will be included in the criteria.

Official sources said that a committee formed under the chairmanship of former UGC chairman Prof Arun Nigvekar had been constituted by the HRD ministry last year to evaluate the API regarding the entry point and career advancement of teachers and these changes were made based on its recommendations.

"The UGC has approved the proposed changes in the API mechanism and they will come into effect in a day or two when the notification is issued," official said.

Last week, while speaking in a debate on the functioning of her ministry in the Rajya Sabha, HRD minister Smriti Irani had indicated that her ministry would soon change the API score criteria.

"A teacher's promotion needs to depend on the promotion of his class, that is, when a teacher totally dedicates himself only to the education of the student, does not get involved in extracurricular activity that teacher, in no way, should be penalized," Irani had said in her speech.
Veteran Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Abul Gheit has been named as the Arab League's new secretary general, at a time when the regional body faces multiple wars and a widening jihadist threat.

In a sign of divisions within the pan-Arab body, however, Qatar voiced reservations over Abul Gheit's candidacy due to his "hostile positions" towards Doha, Arab diplomats said yesterday.

"The consultations resulted in the nomination of Ahmed Abul Gheit to the post of secretary general," Bahraini Foreign Minister Khaled bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa announced in televised remarks at the end of a ministerial meeting.

Abul Gheit, who served as foreign minister under Egypt's ousted president Hosni Mubarak, takes office at a time when the Cairo-based Arab League is facing several tests of its unity.

At the top of the list is the war in Syria that has killed more than 270,000 people and displaced millions since it erupted in 2011.

The more than five-year-old conflict has seen regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Iran backing opposite sides.

In addition, relations between Qatar and Egypt, which traditionally chooses candidates for the post of secretary general, have soured.

Cairo accuses Doha of supporting its outlawed Muslim Brotherhood movement of former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, who was toppled by the army in 2013.

The Brotherhood has been the target of a brutal crackdown since then, and Doha has regularly denounced the operations that left hundreds dead and thousands in jail.

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani expressed Doha's "reservations" over Abul Gheit but voiced hope the next secretary general "will maintain contact between all Arab countries in the interest of joint Arab action."



Several diplomats told AFP that Qatar had accused Abul Gheit of pushing Egypt to boycott a Qatari-proposed Arab summit in 2009 to discuss an Israeli assault on Gaza.

Unlike the charismatic ex-chief of the Arab League, fellow Egyptian Amr Mussa, who was known for taking a tough stand on Israel, Abul Gheit has often faced criticism for adopting a softer approach towards the Jewish state.

Abul Gheit had accused the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas which rules Gaza of being responsible for the Israeli assault.

Cairo proposed Abul Gheit, 73, for the post after the incumbent, Nabil al-Arabi, another Egyptian, declined a second five-year term as secretary general. His term ends in July.

Traditionally, the secretary general has held the position for two terms and the post has gone to an Egyptian, with Tunisia's Chedli Klibi the sole exception.
Retirement fund body EPFO settled 104.38 lakh claims including for PF withdrawals in the current fiscal till February out of which 96 per cent were resolved within mandated 20 days period.

"For the period, April 2015 to February 2016, EPFO settled 104.38 lakh claims. Out of these 40 per cent were settled within three days and 78 per cent within 10 days. 96 per cent of the claims were settled within the stipulated 20 day period," Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) said in a press release here.

It said during February, EPFO redressed more than 20,000 grievances leaving only 3,083 requests pending that translates into 82 per cent of grievances pending for less than 7 days.

While reviewing the performance, EPFO's Central Provident Fund Commissioner V P Joy noted that a simplified pension claim form 10D (UAN) and single page Pension Payment Order (PPO) under the Employees' Pension Scheme, 1995 was also unveiled by Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya at the conclusion of the Board meeting last month.

The single page PPO format is simple and more comprehensible to members/pensioners. This attempt is towards the rationalisation and simplification of forms in line with the initiatives of the government.

At present, the simplified 10D-UAN claim form is meant to be used only by a member who has an activated Universal Account Number.

Other prerequisites are filing of details in Form 11(New), Aadhaar Number and Bank Account details in the UAN portal. The nominations with Aadhaar numbers should also be available in the UAN portal. Through this Form, service to a member can be done directly without any requirement of attestation by the employer. Both the simplified PPO format and claim form will be implemented from April 1, 2016.
A former aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin found dead in a Washington hotel suffered blunt force injuries to the head, not a heart attack as initially claimed, the US capital's chief medical examiner said.

Mikhail Lesin, 57, a former press minister accused of curtailing media freedoms in Putin's Russia, also suffered injuries to his neck, torso and upper and lower extremities, the chief medical examiner said.

Putin's spokesman said in response today that the Kremlin expected the United States to provide "detailed official information" about Lesin's murky death on November 5.

The official findings -- made public more than four months after his death -- contradict previous Russian state media reports, citing his family, that said Lesin died of a heart attack.

They also would appear to indicate that he was killed.

The New York Times said Lesin's injuries were the result of "some sort of altercation" that took place before he returned to the Dupont Circle Hotel where he was staying.

Lesin's sudden death triggered a host of conspiracy theories in Russia, but Washington police cautioned it was too early to jump to conclusions and stressed that the medical examiner had concluded that the manner of death was "undetermined."



"We cannot definitively state that foul play was a factor as that would be speculation at this point in the investigation," said police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, adding that the investigation was ongoing.

Lesin helped launch the Russian English-language television network RT and allegedly amassed millions of dollars in assets in Europe and the United States while working for the government, including USD 28 million in real estate in Los Angeles.

Moscow, whose relations with Washington have plummeted over Ukraine and Syria, voiced irritation at the handling of the case.

"We have not received any detailed information through the channels established to deal with these situations," Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, told AFP that Moscow was still waiting for the US State Department to release information related to Lesin's death.
The government plans to reduce contracts with foreign defence equipment vendors to 30 per cent of the total procurement over the next two years, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Friday.

He told the Lok Sabha that this reduction would bring down India's dependence on dollar and imported material.

"Foreign vendors' contracts have been declining from 52.47 per cent in the year 2013-14 to 38.11 per cent in the year 2014-15. We intend to bring this down in the next two years to 30 per cent," said the defence minister said during Question Hour.

In 2014-15, the expenditure on defence capital acquisition stood at Rs 65,682.34 crore and out of the total amount 38.11 per cent pertained to orders placed with foreign vendors.

Meanwhile, he said the government has worked out a new arrangement with the US whereby the overall fund position in the foreign military sales is taken into consideration.

For the last ten years, Parrikar said money was being paid under foreign military sales for 32 contracts with the US government and even if there was a slippage, money was getting accumulated with the US Treasury Department.

The money belongs to the Indian government but is lying with the US Treasury and over the next two years, Parrikar said, "we are not going to pay a single rupee in terms of dollar to the US government because the balance is USD 1.7 billion".

With regard to defence shipyards, the Minister said the they have orders worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore to be supplied over the next 10-12 years.

The annual output of defence shipyards is around Rs 6,000 crore which is expected to be increased to Rs 10,000 crore, he added.
Retired neurosurgeon and former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson endorsed billionaire Donald Trump today, describing his former rival as "a very intelligent man."



Carson made the endorsement at one of Trump's clubs in Palm Beach, Florida.

"There are two different Donald Trumps," Carson said in his endorsement.

"There's the one you see on the stage, and there's the one who's is very cerebral, sits there, you can have a very good conversation with him."



Carson praised Trump as "a very intelligent man who cares deeply about America."



Carson said that the election is "not about me. It's not about Donald Trump. It's about America."



The religiously conservative Carson said that in talking with Trump he discovered that "there's a lot more alignment, philosophically and spiritually, than I ever thought that there was."



Carson's outsider campaign soared last year but ultimately fizzled as he stumbled over questions about the veracity of aspects of his compelling life story.

Trump also mercilessly taunted and mocked him on the campaign trail, particularly over Carson's claim that he once tried to stab a fellow student but that the boy's belt buckle prevented the knife from breaking the skin.

On Friday however Carson made it clear that he and Trump "buried the hatchet. That was political stuff. That happens in American politics."



Trump praised Carson as someone "respected by everybody. Everybody wanted his endorsement, and everybody loves him, and truly, truly admires what he's done."



Florida, a main prize in the 2016 nominations race, votes Tuesday, and Trump is ahead there in polling on the Republican side. He is seeking to defeat Senator Marco Rubio, who sees his home state as a do-or-die contest.

Trump earlier sided with Carson over a dispute in Iowa, when Senator Ted Cruz's campaign wrongly told voters that Carson had dropped out of the race before the state's February 1 caucuses.
A French court will rule in June on late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's widow's challenge to an earlier judgement dismissing her claim that he was poisoned to death, judicial sources have said.

Suha Arafat's lawyers, Francis Szpiner and Renaud Semerdjian, contested the decision at an appeals court in Versailles, west of Paris, yesterday, arguing that the probe into his death was hastily wound up.

A judgement is due on June 17, a judicial source said.

Arafat died in Percy military hospital near Paris aged 75 in November 2004 after developing stomach pains while at his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

His widow filed a case in 2012 at a court in Nanterre, west of Paris, saying he was murdered.

The same year, Arafat's tomb in Ramallah was opened for a few hours allowing three teams of French, Swiss and Russian investigators to collect around 60 samples.

Three French judges concluded their investigations in April last year and sent their findings to the Nanterre prosecutor.

A centre in the Swiss city of Lausanne had tested biological samples taken from Arafat's belongings that were given to his widow after his death, and found "abnormal levels of polonium."



It stopped short of saying that he had been poisoned by the extremely radioactive element.

However, French experts found that the isotopes polonium-210 and lead-210, found in Arafat's grave and in the samples, were of "an environmental nature," Nanterre prosecutor Catherine Denis said in April.

Lawyers for Arafat's widow then accused the judges of closing the investigation too quickly and called for more experts to be questioned.
Police have identified 18 more students from FTII in connection with the alleged "gherao" and "illegal confinement" of the institute's director Prashant Pathrabe last year and issued them notices to present themselves before court on March 14.

However, the FTII Students' Association (FSA) has dubbed the police action as "arm-twisting" tactics by Film and Television Institute of India's administration.

With this, the total number of students named in the case has reached to 35, as 17 students were identified earlier. Out of those 17, five were arrested while 12 others are out on anticipatory bail.

"Seventeen students were already identified and named in the earlier FIR. Now, after screening the video footage of the incident, the complainant (Pathrabe) and eye-witnesses have identified some more students, and on that basis their names have been included in the case. They have been issued notices last evening," Deccan-Gymkhana police inspector Pravin Chaugule said.

He said the police are in the process of filing a charge sheet in the case by Monday.

Besides the new 18 students identified, the 12, who were earlier named in the FIR but not arrested, have also been asked to present themselves in court, he said.

The FTII students, who were on strike for 139 days since June last year against the appointment of BJP member and TV actor Gajendra Chauhan as its chairman, had allegedly gheraoed and confined Pathrabe at his office on August 17.

They had challenged his decision to go ahead with the assessment of the incomplete diploma film projects of the 2008 batch students.

The incident had led to police swooping-in on the campus on the intervening night of August 18-19, and arresting five students. The students were charged under various sections of IPC, including 143, 147, 149, 323, 353 and 506, dealing with offences, some of them non-bailable, related to unlawful assembly, criminal intimidation and rioting.

Meanwhile, the FSA has condemned the police action.

"The FTII administration on one hand draws out academic schedules and deadlines, and on the other proceeds with the court cases to corner the students," it said in a release issued here.

"It is extremely disheartening and shameful to see the administration of a premier government-run institute arm-twisting its students on orders from their superiors, who happen to be the elected representatives of the citizens," the students' body alleged.

It makes sense to see this in the context of the incidents in JNU and a progression in the current government's approach and attempts to "criminalising dissent", it said.

Questioning the fresh police action, the FSA further said,



"It has been nearly seven months since the incident and now the police identify 18 more students and add them to the list of already accused students."



"All of this happens with the proactive participation from the FTII administration and support from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting," it alleged.

The students' body further said the police action has come at a time when the Screenplay batch of 2013 and Film batch of 2008 are finishing their course and would be leaving the campus.

"The 12 students on anticipatory bail have been ordered by the court not to leave Pune jurisdiction, but would be finishing the course and with these notices would be left wanting for a place to live," it said.

Lamenting Gajendra Chauhan's silence over the issue, the students' body said, "The Chairman of FTII and the Governing Council remain silent with respect to the court cases."



"The Chairman was asked by the faculty to relook at the cases during the Governing Council meeting held on January 7 this year. He, however, sidelined it as a non-issue and continues to put pressure on the FTII administration to evict the students of 2008 batch who are at the fag-end of their diploma films," the FSA said.
On her Sunday, March 6, 2016, news program titled Akhbar El Qahira, TV host, Azza El-Hennawy waged a blatant war on President El Sisi. When the episode aired, it instantly went viral. I decided to watch. Here is my take.

In a bizarre and erratic 54-minute rant against the president punctuated with long reading spells, Azza El-Hennawy went on and on. Since the programs objective was to go over the news, El Hennawy read the news from its original scripts. Not bothering to provide the reader with a abbreviated version, she kept reading out loud, looking down at the script, and easily losing the interest of her audience. Most of the time she didnt even ask her guest to shed light on the issues but rambled on. From that perspective, hardly anyone could have possibly gained much from what she was presenting.

But in addition to reading excerpts loudly, her main focus was to cast a grim outlook on where Egypt was heading and on El Sisi as an incapable leader.

Her guest, journalist Osama Shehata, of El Mesaa newspaper, in the face of her attack, was on the defensive. At one point, Shehata, though respectful till the last minute, told her that she took over the whole episode while not giving him enough chance to respond. She then was willing to go off the air.

To see if Azza El-Hennawy's attitude was appropriate or not, here is a summary of some of what went on in this episode. And here is the episode itself.

El Hennawy criticized, sarcastically, the president for saying he wouldn't run for the presidency and yet running; in this she claimed he is no better than the Brotherhood group who first said they would seek a small percentage of seats in parliament but ended running for all seats and for the presidency.

She had issues with media gags as in the case of top auditor Hesham Geneina. She criticized El-Sisi for saying that Egypt looks forward to expanding cooperation with the African Development Bank (ADB) inferring that nothing had been accomplished so far.

She questioned Egypts need to borrow so many billions and was dubious about where the monies ended. She said that many of the promises made were lies and referred to the hikes in prices that were hitting the poverty stricken hard.

As though corruption is a tap that can be easily shut, she suggested abolishing corruption, instead of borrowing billions and asking Egyptians to donate. She attacked the government for evading paying taxes, go figure what that means exactly, and for the reconciliation law that may cancel conviction if the lawbreaker returns the illegal gains. She blatantly said that the parliament was brought about by the Security Apparatus and Intelligence. Then she turned her rant on the conditions in prisons and how devastating it was for prisoners and their families.

She also said that the situation in Egypt was so grim that children dont like their country, that many adults want to leave Egypt, and that many would prefer any citizenship to the Egyptian one.

But most of all she was against the President. She said that it was Egyptians who were working not the government nor the president, that the president has to work first before he asks Egyptians to do so, that his latest speech was similar to Hitlers, pointing her arm outwards in a Hitler allegiance fashion and declaring the speech an announcement of dictatorship. Finally she ended on the note that it is almost two years since the president was elected and nothing was accomplished. Clearly she had compiled an agenda packed with twisted truths and flagrant lies.

Freedom of speech is a right on any topic and on any issue, but you can be libel if you are slanderous, erroneous, or deceptive. Remember: truth is an absolute defence in libel claims. Calling someone a liar, a traitor, or an incompetent leader is not good enough; one has to prove that he or she is indeed so.

Two aspects seem to be unfolding: a committee was established by ERTU, Egyptian Radio and Television Union, to look into whether El Hennawy crossed boundaries and reported objectively. She will face dismissal if found guilty. The second is the complaint that was filed by Lawyer Samir Sabry accusing El Hennawy of implementing an agenda to attack the Egyptian state and its president to defame the state internally and internationallyand to incite people against the president by questioning his achievements.

As for social media, it reacted in a fashion similar to El Hennawysname labelling with no concrete facts. She has been considered a Muslim Brotherhood follower and a fat TV host that should be disqualified from appearing on state television.



As much as I find El Hennawy's rant uncivilized, self-proclaiming, befuddling, and biased, I am highly against taking this matter to court. It would be unwise to add another crime to the many that behoove Egyptians courts today such as contempt of religions, violating public modesty, or, now, insulting the president.

As for Azza El-Hennawy herself, Ill leave it up to you to decide if she is libel or not.
The government's move to free for undeveloped gas fields in difficult areas will not apply to Reliance Industries' KG-D6 finds unless the Mukesh Ambani firm withdraws arbitration challenging the government's authority to decide rates.

The Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had Thursday decided that the marketing freedom subject to a cap based on alternative fuel will not be applicable to discoveries that are under litigation or arbitration.

Read more from our special coverage on "GAS PRICING" Cabinet to take call on gas pricing for difficult oilfields

"This decision primarily pertains to RIL's KG-D6 finds," a senior government official said.

RIL had in May 2014 dragged the government to arbitration challenging its decision not to implement the Rangarajan Committee recommendation of doubling rates to $8.4 per million British thermal unit (mmBtu).

"They can get benefit of the decision only (if) they withdraw the arbitration," the official said. "We are not saying they should withdraw arbitration against disallowance of cost or taking away of KG-D6 area, but the legal suit challenging the government's authority to fix rates has to be withdrawn."



RIL and its partners in KG-D6 block, BP of the UK and Canada's Niko Resources had in May 2014 taken the government to arbitration seeking implementation of a higher gas price.

The government had in June of 2013 approved a formula, linking prices domestically produced gas with global benchmarks, which could have nearly doubled gas prices from the then prevalent $4.20 per mmBtu from April 1, 2014.

The Election Commission, however, in March 2014 asked government to defer an increase until the completion of Lok Sabha polls.

RIL challenged the freeze and filed an arbitration questioning the government's authority to fix rates.
Google is about to embark on an old-school search, swapping its Internet algorithm for a custom-built van that will cruise across the US to find out how people use its online services and react to new features.

The white van emblazoned with Google's colorful logo and an invitation to "shape the future" of the world's most powerful Internet company is scheduled to pull out Monday on a six-week road trip.

Google is using the van to help it break out of its Silicon Valley bubble. The van will make multiday stops in seven states, stopping near colleges, libraries, parks and some of Google's own regional offices in hopes of finding out how average Americans are using the company's multitude of digital offerings.

About 500 walk-up volunteers will be invited to step inside the van designed to serve as a mini-version of Google's Silicon Valley laboratories, where most of the company's user studies are conducted.

Once inside, researchers will watch, question and record how the volunteers use apps and other services on their smartphones in sessions that will last 15 to 90 minutes. They will receive gift cards and Google t-shirts in return for their time.

A few may even get a glimpse at ideas that Google's engineers are still refining before the company decides whether to release them as products to the general public.

The plan to build a research lab on wheels grew out of Google's recognition that most people don't live and think the same way as the population living in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the company does most of its user research.

In this geeky and affluent area, the day's biggest worry sometimes boils down to how long it will take to summon an Uber ride to a fancy restaurant.

"We are trying to understand the whole end-to-end experience, which is why we are trying to get out to more locations and see more people so we can gather more context," says Laura Granka, a lead Google researcher focusing on Internet search and maps.
The top acquisition body of the Defence Ministry today accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AON) to the IAF's proposal to acquire 244 air defence guns at a cost of Rs 7,000 crore to be installed in vital locations including metro cities.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) also cleared the Navy's proposal to buy weapons and sensor systems for the P17A project wherein seven Shivalik-Class stealth frigates are being built.

The meeting, chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, also discussed the new Defence Procurement Procedure, Defence Ministry sources said adding that another DAC could also be held this month.

The take away from today's meeting was the IAF's proposal for close in weapons systems which can target UAV's, glide bombs among others.

The last meeting of DAC was held on February 23 where the Minister had reviewed acquisition proposals cleared in the last two years.
The government has initiated a probe into the alleged dumping of a chemical from Thailand, used in textiles and packaging industry in the domestic market.

The move is aimed at safeguarding domestic players from cheap imports of "Flexible Slabstock Polyol".

The Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD), an arm of the Commerce Ministry, has begun investigations into the matter.

In a notification, the DGAD has said that it has found sufficient prima facie evidence of dumping of the product from Thailand.

"The authority hereby initiates an investigation into the alleged dumping, and consequent injury to the domestic industry...To determine the existence, degree and effect of any alleged dumping and to recommend the amount of anti-dumping duty, which if levied would be adequate to remove the injury to the domestic industry," it said.

The period of investigation is from October 2014 to September 2015. However, for the purpose of analysing injury, the data of 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 would also be considered.

After the probe, DGAD, if needed, will recommend an anti-dumping duty and the Finance Ministry will impose it.

Manali Petrochemicals Ltd has filed the application before the DGAD alleging dumping of the chemical.

Countries initiate an anti-dumping probe to determine whether their domestic industries have been hurt because of surge in cheap imports of any product. As a counter measure, they impose duties under the multilateral regime of the WTO.

The duty is aimed at ensuring fair trading practices and creating a level-playing field for domestic producers vis-a- vis foreign producers and exporters resorting to dumping of goods at below-cost rates.
The state government would bring out a technical project report on converting saline sea water into soft drinkable water for Mumbai, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today informed the Legislative Council.

"The Government shall hold a meeting to deliberate on the same soon," he said.

Fadnavis was replying to a question raised on a starred question moved by Dr Apoorva Hirey (Independent) and others during the Question Hour.

Earlier speaking on the same topic, Minister for Water Resources Girish Mahajan ruled out the possibility of diverting surplus waters from Nar-Par, Ambika and Auranga river basins to Godavari and Tapi river basins so that water could be diverted to drought-hit regions of north Maharashtra and Marathwada.

He, however, stated that the government could consider allocating 10 TMC of water from Upper Vaitarna for Marathwada region.

Mahajan informed the house on government's proposal to bring 31 TMC of water from the Nar-Par, Ambika and Auranga river basins to Mumbai.

Ruling out the diversion of waters from the basin to North Maharashtra and Marathwada, he said that it is difficult to lift waters from the basin to a height of 600 meters and put in Godavari and Tapi river basins.

Making an intervention, Fadnavis said at present water is supplied to Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) from MIDC dams.

Stressing upon the rapid urbanisation in the MMR and demand for water, he said that often shortage of water forces the government to close industries.

"The issue requires multi-pronged agenda to solve the drinking water problem. Gravitational flow of the Nar-Par basin could be used to divert water to Mumbai," he said.

The Chief minister, however, added that the cost of converting sea water into drinkable water is costly.
To further boost highways building, the government plans to award contracts worth Rs 3 lakh crore by May next year, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said today.

Also, on anvil is augmenting the National Highways length to 2 lakh km by August this year, he said.

The Road Transport and Highways Ministry has awarded contracts worth Rs 1.5 lakh in the last over one-and-a-half year.

"Creating a world class infrastructure in highways is the top priority of the government. We will sign highways contracts worth Rs 3 lakh crore between May 2016 and May 2016," Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Gadkari said addressing an ICC conference here.

The highways building pace has reached 20 km a day at present from a mere 2 Km a day when the Narendra Modi government took over and by May it is likely to reach 30 km a day, the minister said.

"We have a road length of 52 lakh km in the country but unfortunately the length of our national highways which carry 40 per cent of the total road traffic. We have already declared 1.52 lakh km of national highways and take the length to 2 lakh km in next three months," Gadkari said.

By April-end, the minister said that there is a plan to convert all the toll plazas into electronic ones.

The minister said the government is committed to clear congestion and pollution of Delhi by 50 per cent in next two years by completion of Eastern and Western peripheral expressway for about Rs 15,000 crore.

Gadkari further said 300 truck terminals were planned besides highways.

Also, tenders have been issued for 1200 road-side amenities which apart from rest houses etc would include shops etc to sell local produce, eateries and other such joints.
Making light of MNS chief Raj Thackeray's threat to burn the new autorickshaws whose permits have gone to 'outsiders', Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said his government was duty-bound to protect all such auto drivers.

"Anyone meeting the stipulated conditions will get permits and it is the government's duty to protect those who get these permits," Fadnavis said at a meet-the-press at the state legislature complex here.

"Our government doesn't work for a company but for the common man," Fadnavis said, in an apparent reply to Raj's allegation that Bajaj Auto was set to make a huge profit from the sale of auto-rickshaws to new permit-holders.

"There is no compulsion to buy auto from a particular company," Fadnavis said.

"People search for their place in politics. At such a time, these statements are made," Fadnavis said.

He also claimed that media gives the MNS chief "ten times more publicity" than he deserves.

On concerns expressed by Shiv Sena MLA Arjun Khotkar and other legislators about upkeep of livetstock during drought, Fadnavis said: "If the state government feels that drought- affected farmers need to sell their livestock, nothing can be worse.

"We have started fodder camps in the drought-affected areas," he said.

"Beef ban is a constitutional decision. This is a right decision," he said, referring to the criticism that due to the ban on slaughter of bulls (in addition to cows), animals can not be sold-off during the drought.

The Chief Minister said the state cabinet had approved a policy to regularise illegal constructions on a mass scale in the state's urban belts.

It would apply to construction undertaken till December 31, 2015, he said. "This is a very comprehensive measure and will benefit the middle class," he said.

"I feel the Court will broadly agree with this policy," he said.

Maharashtra government will enact a new law on dance bar



ban, Fadnavis said.

The Supreme Court had struck down only one of the 22 pre-condtions (for reopening the dance bars) laid down by the government and so far nobody had fulfilled these conditions, he said.

To a qustion on his reported remarks on senior officials not implementing policies and directives, Fadnavis said, "The higher administration drives the policy, and there is an attempt to ensure government views percolate down the line.

"Elected representatives and bureaucrats should respect each other," he said, adding "almost 80 per cent" of disputes between them arise because of ego rather than genuine differences.

On demands by allies for expansion of the state ministry, Fadnavis said talks were on with alliance partners. "I am confident that we will give them place in the ministry soon," he said.
A sessions court here in Kheda district today acquitted 118 people arrested for violence during a post-Godhra riot in 2002.

The accused, from both Hindu and Muslim communities, were acquitted by Additional Sessions Judge N T Solanki as the police failed to provide any substantial evidence.

As in other parts of Gujarat, this riot broke out in Nadiad town after the Godhra train burning incident of February 27, 2002.

As many as 118 people from both the communities were arrested for stone-pelting, rioting and torching of shops, houses and vehicles.

All of them subsequently got bail.

The accused had submitted to the court during the trial that there was no hostility between Hindus and Muslims in the town and both communities were living in harmony at present.
Facing severe flak over his "burn autorickshaws of outsiders" remark, MNS chief Raj Thackeray today appeared to tone down his aggressive posturing and asked party activists to halt the agitation even as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assured auto drivers protection.

Thackeray's call to end the stir for the time being came against the backdrop of an autorickshaw being set ablaze on Char Bungalow Road in Andheri (West) by unidentified persons last night, a day after the MNS chief made an aggressive speech to mark his party's 10th anniversary.

"Since new autorickshaws have not come on roads yet and some anti-social elements are taking undue advantage of the situation, Raj Thackeray has said that until further orders, no action should be taken by party workers," MNS leader Shirish Sawant said in a statement issued here.

"These orders have to be followed strictly," he added.

On his part, Fadnavis made light of Raj's threat, saying his government is duty-bound to protect all such auto drivers.

"Anyone meeting the stipulated conditions will get permits and it is the government's duty to protect those who get these permits," the CM told reporters at state legislature complex here.

Snubbing Raj for his allegation that Bajaj Auto was set to make a huge profit from the sale of auto-rickshaws to new permit-holders, the CM said his government doesn't work for a company (Bajaj) but for the common man.

Claiming that 70 per cent of new autorickshaw permits were given to non-Marathis, Raj had threatened on Wednesday that MNS workers would set on fire such autos if they are seen plying on roads.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena, which aggressively postures itself as custodian of the Marathi cause, took a swipe at MNS without taking any names.

"We (the Sena) are the ones who douse fires," Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said while addressing a Mumbai Fire Brigade function in suburban Vikhroli.

MNS, which was routed in Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections, is desperately looking for a come back and Raj's statement is viewed in context of the elections to BMC elections due next year.

However, the issue has already gathered a political steam with Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Abu Asim Azmi today asking government to take stringent action in this regard.

While the Congress and NCP have already sought prosecution of Raj for his hate speech, the comments have also evoked a strong rebuttal from MLAs in Bihar with deputy CM and RJD leader Tejswi Yadav slamming the MNS chief.

Mumbai Police are already analysing Raj's speech.

Shiv Sena leader and Transport Minister Diwakar Raote has



also ridiculed the MNS chief's contention that a total of 70,000 autorickshaw permits are on offer.

"MNS chief's contention fits the adage--'ignorance is bliss'," he said, adding that 41,000 permits are on offer.

Recently, Minister of State for Home (Rural) Ram Shinde had said that government would take stern action against those taking law into their own hands.

Meanwhile, the Sena chief said, "Until and unless terrorist activities and relations with Pakistan do not improve, till then do not maintain any ties with Pakistan. Until and unless this unanimous demand is not echoed in the country till then these antics of Pakistan will not (stop)".

His comments came against the backdrop of the reported refusal by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to host the World Twenty20 group match against Pakistan in Dharamsala and subsequent relocation of the venue to Kolkata.
The Madras High Court today ordered the detention a cargo vessel "TINA' flying Liberian flag and at present docked at Kamarah Port in Ennore here on a suit from a Seoul-based South Korean company that claimed that its dues for supply of fuel have not been cleared.

Passing the interim order, Justice K K Sasidharan also issued notice to the owners of the vessel returnable byMarch 28 and posted the matter for filing report on March 16.

In its civil suit, STX Corporation, a company established under the laws of South Korea having its office in Seoul, sought a direction to arrest the ship for "defaulting" on payment for the fuel supplied.

The Judge said in his order that the documents available on record "prima facie show that there is a valid claim which would constitute both a maritime lien and a maritime claim."



According to STX Corporation, the owner of the vessel had entered into a sales contract for supply of 492.672 tonnes of residual marine fuel and the same was supplied.

Though a demand was made for payment of USD 115,038.91, the owners of TINA failed to pay the amount.

The Judge noted that the delivery receipt indicates that the company had supplied marine fuel to TINA and STX Corporation had stated on oath that the owner of the vessel had not paid the amount till date.

The plaintiff submitted that in case the vessel was permitted to leave the port, it would not be possible to recover the amount due from its owner.

The Judge appointed advocates Ms. Sumithra and A S Bharathy as commissioners to assist in the arrest of the vessel.
Donations can be sent to BNC at Max Obuszewski, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212 . Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast [dot] net.
The Delhi High Court today sought response of the central and Delhi governments on a plea seeking scrapping of the appointment of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) chairperson, alleging it to be in violation of rules.

A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice V P Vaish also issued notice to the DERC seeking their replies to a plea that AAP government has made the appointment without seeking the Lieutenant Governor's approval.

It asked all the authorities concerned to file an affidavit before April 21.

The court's notice was issued on a plea by A Mishra, who sought quashing of the appointment of Krishna Saini, alleging that it was in violation of the February 20, 2004 notification issued of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) under Article 239 (1) of the Constitution read with section 2 (5) (b) and Section 85 of the Electricity Act, 2003.

A 1981 batch Indian Revenue Service officer, Saini assumed office on March 4.

Senior advocate Chetan Sharma, appearing for petitioner submitted that in the past, all DERC chairpersons have been appointed with the consent of the LG, but the Delhi government made this appointment without seeking the LG's approval.

"The MHA notification of February 2004 has delegated and enabled the LG to discharge powers and functions of the state government under the Electricity Act 2003. The delegation of power contained in the notification will continue to operate unless superseded or the Parliament by law provides otherwise.

"... The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) Act 1991 does not in any way affect the validity of delegation contained in presidential notification issued under Article 239," the petition said.
A Delhi court today allowed a plea by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and summoned certain documents pertaining to financial details of Indian Congress (INC) for the year 2010-2011 in the Herald case.

Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen partly allowed Swamy's plea in which he had sought summoning of documents related to financial details of INC, Associated Journals Pvt Ltd (AJL) and Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI) in connection with the case.

Besides INC's documents for the year 2010-2011, the court also summoned AJL's documents for the same assessment year.

"I am partly allowing your application," the magistrate said while pronouncing the order.

Swamy had sought summoning of these documents contending that they were required for the purpose of investigation in the Herald case.

He had referred to the court's June 26, 2014 order summoning Congress President Sonia Gandhi, her son and Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda as accused in the case.

Swamy, the complainant in the matter, had said that sufficient grounds for summoning these documents were mentioned in June 26, 2014, order.

The court had heard his contentions on summoning the balance sheet, receipts, income and expenditure statements for the assessment years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 of the INC, AJL and YI.

Swamy had accused Sonia, Rahul and others of allegedly conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by just paying Rs 50 lakh by which YI obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore which the AJL had owed to the Congress party.

On February 20, the court had directed that some documents summoned from the Ministries of Finance, Urban Development and Corporate Affairs, Income Tax Department and other agencies in the case would be kept in a sealed cover till further orders, after noting that Delhi High Court was seized of the matter.

The direction had come after the accused in the case had argued that Swamy should first satisfy the court about the relevance of the documents which were ordered to be summoned.

The court had on December 19, 2015, granted bail to Sonia, Rahul, Vora, Fernandes and Dubey, who had appeared before it pursuant to the summons issued earlier. Pitroda was granted bail on February 20 when he had appeared in the court.

Sonia, Rahul, Vora (AICC Treasurer), Fernandes (AICC General Secretary), Dubey and Pitroda were summoned for alleged offences under section 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) read with section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.
A Delhi court today summoned the balance sheet of Indian National Congress (INC) for the year 2010-2011 in connection with the National Herald case in which Congress President Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi and five others are accused.

Besides this, the court also summoned the balance sheet of 2010-2011 of Associated Journals Pvt Ltd (AJL) observing that these documents of INC and AJL could not be referred as "personal documents" of the accused.

"Accordingly, it is directed that the balance sheet of INC pertaining to the year 2010-2011 be summoned on filing of PF (process fee) for the next date of hearing," Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen said in his three-page order.

"At the very outset, this court must observe that the documents referred to in the present application belong to two separate entities, i.E., INC and AJL. By no stretch of imagination, the documents could be referred to as 'personal documents' of accused persons," the court said.

The order came on BJP Leader Subramanian Swamy's plea in which he had sought summoning of balance sheet, receipts and payments accounts, income and expenditure statements for the year 2010-2011, 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 of INC and AJL.

Swamy, who in his plea had initially sought summoning of documents of Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI) also, later on did not press for it during the arguments.

He had earlier told the court that these records were necessary to establish the method adopted by the accused for purpose of extending loans to acquire AJL, through YI.

The matter would now come up for hearing on March 21.

In its order, the court noted that allegations against the accused were that "all or some of them were holding important positions in all or either of the abovesaid three entities (INC, AJL and YI) and they exploited their positions in order to cause wrongful gain to themselves in the manner as mentioned in the summoning order dated June 26, 2014."



"One of the causes of summoning of accused person is that they advanced an interest free loan to AJL to the tune of approximately Rs 90 crores from the funds of Congress Party and thereby defrauded the donors of the Congress Party as well as the state exchequer by claiming tax exemptions," it noted.

The court noted, "The complainant (Swamy) submits, upon



inquiry, that the assignment of loan was done by the accused persons on December 27, 2010. In view thereof, the relevant records pertaining to the assignment of abovesaid loan by the Congress Party to YI are necessary for a just disposal of this case."



Regarding Swamy's contention on summoning documents from AJL, the court said, "This court finds force in the submissions made by the complainant (Swamy) as under valuation of belongings of AJL is also one of the causes for which the accused persons are facing trial."



"Accordingly, let the balance sheet of AJL, pertaining to the year 2010-2011 be summoned on filing of process fee for the next date of hearing," it said.

During the arguments on the application earlier, Swamy had referred to the court's June 26, 2014 order summoning Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda as accused in the case besides YI.

Swamy had accused Sonia, Rahul and others of allegedly conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by just paying Rs 50 lakh by which YI obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore which the AJL had owed to the Congress party.

The court had on December 19, 2015, granted bail to Sonia, Rahul, Vora, Fernandes and Dubey, who had appeared before it pursuant to the summons issued earlier. Pitroda was granted bail on February 20 when he had appeared in the court.

Sonia, Rahul, Vora (AICC Treasurer), Fernandes (AICC General Secretary), Dubey and Pitroda were summoned for alleged offences under section 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) read with section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.
The website of the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong newspaper being bought by Internet giant Alibaba, has become inaccessible in China during a series of high-level government meetings in Beijing.

Attempts by AFP in China today to open the newspaper's English and Chinese-language websites returned only error messages saying that the pages could not be displayed.

The scmp.Com website was blocked starting on March 3, according to the security website GreatFire.Org, which monitors online censorship in China.

China's Communist Party oversees a vast censorship system -- dubbed the Great Firewall -- that aggressively blocks sites or snuffs out Internet and TV content and commentary on topics considered sensitive, such as Beijing's human rights record and criticisms of the government.

Popular social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter are inaccessible in the country, as is Youtube.

Several Western organisations have accused China of blocking access to their websites in the past, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and Reuters.

The SCMP's Chinese-language public account on WeChat, a popular chat app, was also inaccessible.

The paper's account on China's Twitter-like Weibo had also disappeared by Friday.

Alibaba's purchase of Hong Kong's South China Morning Post for USD 266 million, announced in December, has sparked fears the newspaper will lose its independent voice, in what analysts see as part of a gradual erosion of press freedoms after the semi-autonomous city was returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Himachal Pradesh BJP unit chief Satpal Singh Satti today expressed serious concern over the "attack" on a team of forest officials who had gone to Gondpur Jiachand in Una district last month and alleged that the culprits were being shielded.

Moving the calling attention motion in the state Assembly, Satti said it was unfortunate that the government officials were badly "attacked" by a group of people, which even involved women and children, but proper action had not been taken against all the culprits.

He said mobiles of officials were also snatched and stones were "pelted" on them.

Satti also alleged that illicit felling was going on in the area for long in an organised way and the state government had not taken appropriate action.

He said it was a border area and the government should be very cautious about it and give proper protection to the officials who handle such situations.

He said it was "improper" to give protection to such culprits on considerations of vote bank.

Satti said Himachal was known for its environment and if illegal felling of trees was not checked, it could destroy the natural beauty of the state.

Objecting to the observations made by Satti regarding protection being given to culprits, Industries Minister, Mukesh Agnihotri said the jungle belonged to his family and he was in fact the sufferer if illegal tree felling was being done there.

"There is no question of protecting any culprit," he said.

Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri said the government was taking action into it and would provide proper weapons to the forest officials sent to check such smuggling or illicit felling.
Meghalaya Health Minister A L Hek today said government run healthcare facilities across the state have a shortage of 3,635 nurses, 295 specialist doctors, 76 medical officers, and 63 health workers.

Hek informed the Assembly that no applicant was found to the advertisements floated by the state government to appoint specialist doctors.

Speaker Abu Taher Mondal then directed the Health department to take steps to ensure that people do not suffer due to the shortage of health professionals.

The Speaker's intervention came after Opposition MLA Paul Lyngdoh sought an assurance from the government in this regard.

The Opposition members have also criticised the state government's failure to meet the shortfall.

However, Leader of Opposition Donkupar Roy suggested the government buy medical seats in private colleges for the benefits of the state besides the quota allotted in government colleges across the country.

UDP legislator Metbah Lyngdoh claimed that many MBBS graduates who have completed studying at their own cost are eager to serve in government hospitals.
Republican presidential front- runner today for the first time acknowledged that he uses the much sought after H-1B visas at his own businesses but sought to end the programme which he claimed was "very unfair" to American workers as it took away their jobs.

The last Republican presidential debate in Miami began with all the four White House aspirants slamming the H-1B visa system - used to employ highly-skilled foreign workers and popular among Indian techies, with Florida Senator Marco Rubio even naming Tata and India as part of his anti-H-1B rhetoric.

"I know the H-1B very well. And it's something that I frankly use and I shouldn't be allowed to use it. We shouldn't have it. Very, very bad for workers. It's very important to say, well, I'm a businessman and I have to do what I have to do," Trump said while responding to a question on foreign workers, in particular H-1B visas.

"When it's sitting there waiting for you, but it's very bad. It's very bad for business, it's very bad for our workers and it's unfair for our workers. We should end it," he said.

The real estate tycoon's properties are spread over in Virginia, Illinois, Florida, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, California, Connecticut and Hawaii in the US and in Canada, Turkey, Panama, South Korea, the Philippines, India and Uruguay.

IT professionals from India and major Indian IT companies are major beneficiary of H-1B, a non-immigrant visa in the US which allows US employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in speciality occupations.

Rubio said it is illegal under the H-1B programme to use it to replace American workers.

"Under that programme, you have to prove not only that you're not replacing Americans, but that you've tried to hire Americans. If a company is caught abusing that process, they should never be allowed to use it again," he said.

The second problem with the current structure of the programme people perhaps do not understand is a lot of these companies are not directly hiring employees from abroad, he pointed out.

"They are hiring a consulting company like Tata, for example, out of India. That company then hoards up all of these visas. They hire workers. Disney or some other company hires this company," Rubio said.

"What they're basically doing is they are insourcing and outsourcing. They are bringing in workers from abroad that are not direct employees of a Disney or someone else, they're employees of this consulting business," he said.

"What I argue is that no consulting business such as that should be allowed to hoard up all of these visas, that the visas should only be available for companies to use to directly hire workers and that we should be stricter in how he enforce it," he said.

"It is illegal now, it is a violation of the law now to use that programme to replace Americans. If a company is caught doing that, whether it be Disney or anyone else, they should be barred from using the programme in the future," Rubio said.
Republican presidential front- runner Donald Trump today said the H-1B visa programme he uses to employ highly-skilled foreign workers at his own businesses should end as it is "very unfair" for American workers and has been taking away their jobs.

The last Republican presidential debate in Miami began with all the four White House aspirants slamming the H-1B visa system - popular among Indian techies, with Florida Senator Marco Rubio even naming Tata and India as part of his anti- H-1B rhetoric.

"I know the H-1B very well. And it's something that I frankly use and I shouldn't be allowed to use it. We shouldn't have it. Very, very bad for workers. It's very important to say, well, I'm a businessman and I have to do what I have to do," Trump said while responding to a question on foreign workers, in particular H-1B visas.

"When it's sitting there waiting for you, but it's very bad. It's very bad for business, it's very bad for our workers and it's unfair for our workers. We should end it," he said.

IT professionals from India and major Indian IT companies are major beneficiary of H-1B, a non-immigrant visa in the US which allows US employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in speciality occupations.

Rubio said it is illegal under the H-1B programme to use it to replace American workers.

"Under that programme, you have to prove not only that you're not replacing Americans, but that you've tried to hire Americans. If a company is caught abusing that process, they should never be allowed to use it again," he said.

The second problem with the current structure of the programme people perhaps do not understand is a lot of these companies are not directly hiring employees from abroad, he pointed out.

"They are hiring a consulting company like Tata, for example, out of India. That company then hoards up all of these visas. They hire workers. Disney or some other company hires this company," Rubio said.

"What they're basically doing is they are insourcing and outsourcing. They are bringing in workers from abroad that are not direct employees of a Disney or someone else, they're employees of this consulting business," he said.

"What I argue is that no consulting business such as that should be allowed to hoard up all of these visas, that the visas should only be available for companies to use to directly hire workers and that we should be stricter in how he enforce it," he said.

"It is illegal now, it is a violation of the law now to use that programme to replace Americans. If a company is caught doing that, whether it be Disney or anyone else, they should be barred from using the programme in the future," Rubio said.

Trump said that he has been endorsed by Disney workers - where several people lost their job due to H-1B visa workers.
Top 50 domestic corporate leaders will be assembling here tomorrow under the aegis of the UN to formally adopt the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the world body and discuss the way forward for implementation.

The SDGs are the continuum of the 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which were under implementation from January 2000 to December 2015. These 17 SDGs are being implemented from January 2016 to December 2020.

UN Global Compact' is the implementing agency for SDGs.

The Mumbai meeting assumes significance as this is for the first time the UN is involving private and public sector corporates globally to drive its development agenda. This is the first such meeting being held globally.

The companies that are attending the meeting include the Tatas (14 group firms), Reliance Industries, Vedanta, ONGC, Essar Group, the Birlas, L&T and the Adani group. Several MNCs like Mercedes will also be attending the session.

"The leaders of conglomerates will discuss ways and means to push the SDGs which aims at broadening the horizon for growth and transformation under the theme of people, planet and prosperity," United Nation's Global Compact Network India executive director Pooran Pandey told PTI here.

He added that India Inc will be the first in the world to adopt the SDGs and implement them at their companies.

"Corporate India will take the global lead to draw up an agenda for broadening the horizon for the country's growth and transformation as envisioned under the SDGs," said Lalit Gupta, the convener of the national convention of the UNGCNI and MD and CEO of Essar Oil.

Gupta also said the day-long meeting will be inaugurated by Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar. UN Global Compact global executive director Lise Kingo will be there too.

"These goals (SDGs) encompass a wide range of global issues with underlying targets directing signatories to imbibe the goals in their way of operations. What sets SDGs apart is their emphasis on leveraging partnerships between public and private enterprises to drive the agenda forward," Pandey said, adding 348 SDG signatories from the country and 230 members will be paying a membership fee.
Realtors' body NAREDCO today expressed dissatisfaction over the inclusion of the ongoing projects in the real estate regulatory bill, saying this would halt works on the sites to ensure compliance.

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha yesterday.

"We hail the passage of the Real Estate Regulatory Bill in Rajya Sabha. It will help regulate the realty sector and bring in transparency and accountability for both buyers and developers," NAREDCO President Praveen Jain said.

This law will bring credibility to property business and also protect consumers' interest, he added.

"We are a little dissatisfied with the inclusion of the ongoing projects in the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill. This would lead to numerous problems including stoppage of work to ensure compliances," he added.

On a provision that developers will have to deposit 70 per cent of the funds received from buyers for a project into an escrow account, Jain said: "This will ensure that the funds are not diverted to other projects. This initiative will definitely pose a financial challenge to builders."



NAREDCO also rued that there is no provision in the bill to hasten project approvals, which invariably takes long time and increases project cost.

Although the bill fixes the accountability of developers, brokers and consumers, NAREDCO said that there is no accountability of financial institutions, government and government agencies in the bill, who have great role to play in project implementation.

"We hope that this would be included at some stage," Jain said.
The NDA government can claim to have delivered the goods if its initiatives to promote infrastructure and industrialisation lead to massive job creation, media advisor to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sanjaya Baru said here today.

"At the end of the day, if he (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) gets more jobs, more investments, more new projects, with all these various Bombay-Delhi industrial corridor, railway lines, highways, urban development, Swachh Bharat, all these things if they actually work and there are more jobs, year after year, month after month, that's the best," he said.

He was speaking at an interactive session on 'Modi and Media' organised by the Hyderabad Press Club and Hyd Park.

Asked if the Modi government had decided to "live without the media", he said it was now coming around to the view that it needed a media strategy.

"It is true that you do not need the media to win an election...But, once you have come to power, for sustaining your popularity, you need the media," Baru, who was Singh's media advisor from 2004 to 2008, said.
India became the fifth largest exporter of cultural goods in 2013, tripling its exports to USD 11.7 billion from 2004, according to a UN report topped by China and the US.

The report from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics (UIS) said that India, Turkey and Malaysia have emerged as leading exporters of cultural goods during the last ten years.

The UAE became the most important importer of Indian cultural goods, surpassing the US in 2013.

The value of India's exports to the UAE grew from USD 938.64 million in 2004 to USD 6.16 billion in 2013.

Indian exports to the US grew marginally from USD 1.65 billion to USD 1.80 billion in 2013.

India also stood out with a significantly higher level of exports in cultural goods compared to its imports, which stood at 1.36 billion dollars.

India, which was the eighth-largest exporter of cultural goods in 2004, moved to fifth position, with its cultural exports tripling from USD 3.8 billion in 2004 to USD 11.7 billion in 2013.

China is now the lead exporter of cultural goods with the total value pegged at USD 60.1 billion in 2013, followed by the US which had cultural goods exports worth USD 27.9 billion.

The other top 10 exporters of cultural goods in 2013 include the UK, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and France, according to the report titled 'The Globalisation of Cultural Trade: A Shift in Cultural Consumption-International flows of cultural goods and services 2004-2013.

Hong Kong and Singapore were the third and fourth top destinations of Indian cultural goods.

India primarily exported articles of jewellery in precious metals to its key trade partners.

For the UAE these articles (mainly in gold) amounted to 93 per cent of imports from India in 2013.

Indian exports of cultural goods to the US also consisted mostly of jewellery (93 per cent).

In addition, India exported different cultural goods to Nigeria, the tenth-most important destination. Embroidery represented 45 per cent of exports to Nigeria in 2013.

India also strongly strengthened its position in exports of visual arts and crafts, becoming the third largest exporter in 2013.

China, India, Thailand and Turkey togetheraccounted for 45 per cent of world trade in visual arts and crafts in 2013.

While India was among the top 10 destination countries for



the US exports of cultural goods in 2004, it was replaced by China and Singapore in 2013.

The UAE overcame the US as the most important exporting country of cultural goods to India, with the value of UAE exports to India increasing from USD 9.9 million to USD 474.2 million.

India imported essentially articles of jewellery (mainly in gold) from the UAE as well as from the US in 2013.

In addition, India imported a wide variety of cultural goods from China, the most important of which were statuettes and other ornamental articles in plastics, video games and knitted/crocheted articles.

The report found that trade in cultural goods doubled from 2004 to 2013 to USD 212.8 billion dollars despite a global recession and a massive shift among consumers of movies and music towards web-based services.

"This is further evidence of the critical role cultural industries play in today's global economy," said UIS Director Silvia Montoya.

Art and crafts have moved up in the ranking of the ten most traded cultural goods, fuelled by gold jewellery - a safe harbour in uncertain times.

Gold jewellery exports represented more than USD 100 billion in 2013.
In a first, border guarding forces of India and Bangladesh will hold a joint exercise beginning tomorrow along the International Border they share in the Sunderbans area of West Bengal.

Officials said a company-level (about 100 personnel) strength of Border Security Force and Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) each along with their equipments, floating border posts and patrol boats will engage with each other for three days between March 11-14.

The two forces will undertake joint 'long-range' patrolling on mechanised vessels, undertake mutual checking of cargo vessels deep inside border areas before they go in international waters and exchange common information and communication.

"The joint exercise will help in enhancing mutual cooperation and coordination between the two forces and help further improve the border management along Indo-Bangla border," a senior BSF official said.

A decision to hold such an exercise was taken during the Director General-level talks between the two sides in Dhaka in December 2014.

BSF has mobilised its South Bengal frontier for the task, they said.

India shares a total of 4,096 km of border with Bangladesh.
In a novel scheme, India is talking to oil rich countries in the Middle East for a possible swap of crude oil for food.

India needs large amount of crude oil for meeting its energy needs while the Middle East countries are short in food production.

"Can there be not an arrangement where they meet our oil needs and we meet their food requirement," Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told reporters here.

Talks at the highest level have been initiated with the UAE for an oil-for-food programme and similar dialogue is one with other oil exporters.

"They can invest in our strategic oil storages we are building. They can also store their oil here. The condition being that the first right of use on two-third of oil stored would be of India," he said.

India which is surplus in wheat, rice and other products can supply them to UEA and other Middle East countries. "We get an assured export market for our farmers," he said.

India, the world's third biggest oil consumer, imports 80 per of its oil needs. About 60 per cent of the oil imports are from Middle East nations.

Pradhan said UAE's national oil company Adnoc has agreed to store crude oil in India's maiden strategic storage and give two-third of the oil to it for free.

India is building underground storages at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Mangalore and Padur in Karnataka to store about 5.33 million tonnes of crude oil to guard against global price shocks and supply disruptions.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is keen on taking half of the 1.5 million tons Mangalore facility.

It will stock 0.75 million tons or 6 million barrels of oil in one compartment of Mangalore facility. Of this, 0.5 million tons will belong to India and it can use it in emergencies. Adnoc will use the facility as a warehouse for trading its oil.

The 1.33 million tons Visakhapatnam storage and 2.5 million tons Padur stockpile together with 1.5 million tons Mangalore storage will be enough to meet nation's oil requirement of about 10 days.

In the Budget for 2016-17, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley exempted foreign companies from income taxes on permitted local sales of oil kept in the underground caverns.

But states like Karnataka continue to impose VAT on such sale, deterring companies from stocking oil.

The Indian model is similar to the Japanese model wherein Tokyo saves money by allowing other nations to store crude but has first access to it in the case of an emergency.
The Indian stock market will remain vulnerable to global risks and the country could be off the investors' radar until the health of corporate earnings growth revives, says a Nomura report.

The Japanese financial services major, is "underweight" on India and said one of the biggest concerns for the Indian market is high valuations.

"We believe the market will be vulnerable, to the global risk sentiment and India could be off investors' radar for quite some time until there is greater conviction on the health of corporate earnings growth," Nomura said in a research note.

"We stay underweight on India for now," it added.

The global brokerage firm said that some of its biggest concerns on the Indian stock market include, high valuations, unrealistic earnings growth and high expectations for reforms.

Indian equity markets have seen extreme weakness due to various negative factors, including global economic slowdown fears, falling crude prices, worries related to Chinese economy and muted quarterly earnings.

"Investors gave a thumbs up to India's budget after it has shown commitment to fiscal discipline, while hoping that RBI could cut rates further. The Sensex staged a rebound from the lows but still ended the year-to-date quarter down by 5.6 per cent," Nomura said.

According to the global brokerage firm, India's twin deficits will always be a source of vulnerability, unless a broad-based consolidation strategy can be implemented to bring about higher quality growth to warrant the deficits.

On grown the report said the country is unlikely to return to the high growth era.

Moreover, private investments have been weak and are unlikely to pick up anytime soon, now that banks are facing asset quality concerns and reforms have stalled.

According to market experts domestic woes, including ballooning NPAs reported by banks, weak quarterly numbers in various other sectors also added to the market weakness recently.

Meanwhile, the index slumped to its lowest level in 21 months, when the Sensex crashed 807 points to drop below the 23,000-mark on February 11, this year.
India and Mexico need to look at ways to relax visa norms for businesses and tourists to enhance economic ties between the two countries, a top government official today said.

"We need to look at the liberalisation of visa norms between the two countries to facilitate the movement of both business visitors and tourists.

"It could be reciprocal or it could be one way. But I think this is something which we need to do because if there are people to people contact, I believe that the business itself will continue to grow," Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia said here at a CII function.

Teaotia was addressing the representatives of CII in the presence of visiting Mexican Foreign Affairs Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu.

Teaotia said if the countries would not work on the visa issues then it would make it difficult for industry and tourists to move to each other countries.

She said that huge trade opportunities exist in both the countries and the current trade figure of USD 6.2 billion "is just a fraction of what we can do".

"We also look forward to visit Mexico in the coming months for the high level working group," she said adding the visit would focus on ways to enhance trade and investment ties between the countries.

"Mexico is the largest silver producer and fourth largest gold producer and "we have an insatiable hunger for both," Teaotia said adding both the sides should to explore and work with industries on both the sides as "why we do not do direct trade in precious metals and in other minerals which India needs and which Mexcio wants to sell".

She said that the high level group on the trade investment and economic cooperation, which was set up in 2007, met last in 2012 and "it is a too long a gap".

She added in sectors like tourism, services, pharmaceuticals, petroleum and automobiles, both the sides can enhance cooperation.

Speaking at the occasion, Massieu invited the Indian businesses to invest in Mexico in areas like energy and telecommunication.

"India has the opportunity to sell goods like consumer goods. It has huge demand in Mexico," the Mexican Minister said adding her country has take several steps to facilitate foreign investments.

"We value you business and investment and we welcome you for that," she added.
A 37-year-old Indian woman has been jailed for seven weeks in Singapore for falsely implicating her maid, also from India, in a theft case to prevent her from returning home.

Desai Asti Amit, who works here as pre-school teacher, was not happy with 23-year-old Kimei Dangmei's who started work for the family last April, Deputy Public Prosecutor James Low told the court.

She refused to let homesick Kimei return home to India in August. On August 20, Desai returned home from work and saw her son and Kimei at the playground.

That was when Desai planted a gold pendant and a metal prayer cup in the maid's luggage, The Straits Times reported today.

However, Kimei ran away and sought help from a welfare organisation the next day and wenton to her employment agency.

Desai and her husband brought the Kimei's luggage to the maid agency where it was inspected with the gold pendant and the cup falling out of the bag.

Police was called and told that Kimei had stolen the pendant.

Kimei was remanded for a day at a police station before being released on police bail.

On September 7, when giving a further statement to the police, Desai admitted to framing Kimei and pleaded guilty to giving false information to the police.

Defence lawyer Louis Joseph said lodging the police report and seeing the maid being arrested had pricked Desai's conscience.

District Judge Adam Nakhoda said Desai had multiple opportunities to tell the truth but persisted with her lie until she was called by the police.

The Judge called Desai's action spiteful and jailed her for seven weeks yesterday.

Kimei has since returned home to India.
The controversial event on the floodplains of Yamuna opened today with Prime Minister Narendra Modi heaping praise on Sri Sri Ravi Shankar saying he had "introduced" India to the world but made no reference to the raging row over environmental concerns surrounding it.

The three-day cultural extravaganza attended by thousands of people and delegates from a number of countries saw the Prime Minister telling Indians to be proud of their cultural heritage.

"India has the cultural heritage and richness which the whole world is looking for. We can fulfil those needs... But it can only happen, if we take pride in our heritage. If we keep cursing it, then why the world will look at us," he said while praising Ravi Shankar's efforts in this regard.

Modi spent three hours at the event but did not make any reference in his brief speech to the controversy triggered by environmental activists accusing Ravi Shankar's Art of Living Foundation of destroying the river bed by erecting massive structures as lakhs of people are expected to participate.

With controversies dogging the event, President Pranab Mukherjee pulled out of the valedictory session on Sunday. Former French Prime Minister Dominique Villepin, Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa, UAE's Cultural Minister Al Nahayan were among the foreign dignitaries, who were present on the occasion.

But several others including Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, Sri Lankan President Maitripala Sirisena and Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah kept away.

Uncertainty had clouded the event with the National Green Tribunal posing tough questions to various government agencies on how the event was being allowed but later pleaded helplessness in enforcing a ban on it.

Nevertheless, it imposed a fine of Rs 5 crore on AOL but Ravi Shankar was defiant saying he would go to jail than pay the fine. Today, AOL's counsel changed tack in the NGT saying it was an NGO and not in a position to pay the amount in a short time following which the NGT asked them to pay Rs 25 lakh today and the rest in next three weeks time.

In his address, Ravi Shankar took a dig at his critics for describing the World Cultural Festival as his "private party" saying "obstacles" do come when something great is done. He made no reference to the troubles AOL faced with the NGT.

Ravi Shankar also told his detractors that it was in our DNA to "care for and love" nature and protect environment.

Rains threatened to play spoilsport but the event went ahead as per schedule amid colourful cultural performances by artists from across the world and addresses by foreign dignitaries.
The Indonesia that Barack Obama lived in as a child bore fresh scars from the darkest period in country's modern history. Shortly before Obama's arrival in 1967, hundreds of thousands of people had been killed in a bloody anti-communist purge.

Now Indonesian human rights officials want Obama's help in addressing unanswered questions about the bloodshed 50 years ago. They are requesting the declassification of secret US files that could shed light on how the killings were planned and the extent that the United States collaborated with Indonesia's military.

Despite nearly two decades of civilian rule, the prevailing account in Indonesia of those events remains the one planted by the military regime that swept to power after the killings, led by the dictator Suharto who ruled for 30 years.

Indonesian text books portray it as a national uprising against a communist threat, and gloss over the deaths.

Joko Widodo, the first directly elected Indonesian president without links to Suharto, ran as a reformer who would look into episodes of military impunity, but since taking office in 2014, he has not pressed the issue due to opposition within his own government and the still-powerful military.

Indonesia's National Human Rights Commission in 2012 reported there was evidence that crimes against humanity were committed during the 1965-1966 crackdown, but the attorney general took no action.

Commissioner Muhammad Nurkhoiron met this week with State Department officials and has made a formal request to Obama that says the release of files from the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency and other agencies will help in "encouraging the Indonesian government to redouble its own efforts to establish the truth" and promote reconciliation.

"We need the US to immediately release those documents to help our efforts," Nurkhoiron said in an interview. He said when Obama leaves office early next year, momentum for US action could be lost.

Myles Caggins, a National Security Council spokesman, said it will review the commission's request. He said the administration supports the declassification of any relevant documents from the period which do not pose a national security risk.

The US has already released many documents related to the period, but has withheld others.

The killings began in October 1965 shortly after an apparent abortive coup in which six right-wing generals were murdered.

Suharto, an unknown major general at the time, filled the power vacuum and blamed the assassinations on Indonesia's Communist Party, which was then the largest outside the Soviet Union and China, with some 3 million members. No conclusive proof of communist involvement in the coup has been produced.

In his 1995 best-selling memoir, "Dreams From My Father," Obama recounted how his mother, who had moved them to Jakarta after marrying an Indonesian, learned about the recent killings through "innuendo, half-whispered asides.
A three-year-old Iraqi girl wounded in a chemical attack by the Islamic State group died in hospital today, medical sources and officials said.

"She died of respiratory complications and kidney failure... Caused by the mustard agent used by Daesh (IS) in Taza," said Masrour Aswad, of the Iraqi Commission for Human Rights.

Fatima Samir was among the dozens of people hospitalised after a chemical attack carried out Wednesday on the town of Taza, just south of the city of Kirkuk.

Burhan Abdallah, the head of Kirkuk health directorate, said four people in serious condition were transferred to Baghdad.

Aswad said the rockets fired on Taza from the nearby IS-held town of Bashir contained mustard agent. Other security officials said chlorine may have been used.

Intelligence officials have collected samples that are still being analysed.

IS has used both chemical agents in the past, a tactic which has caused few casualties and whose impact so far has been more psychological than military.

Abu Ridha al-Najjar, a leader in the Turkmen branch of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary umbrella group that includes Iraq's mostly Shiite militias, said the attack had sown fear.

"International NGOs should come to the region to see the effects of such shelling and its consequences on the civilian population, including after the attack," he said.

The Pentagon announced on yesterday that the US-led coalition against IS had carried out air strikes on the jihadist group's chemical weapons sites.

It said the targets were identified following the capture in Iraq last month of a man presented as the group's top chemical expert.
Thousands came to pay their respects to former First Lady Nancy Reagan at her funeral on Friday.



Reagan was buried next to her husband, President Ronald Reagan, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Nancy Reagan died Sunday at 94 on March 6 at her home in Bel-Air, Calif., of congestive heart failure.



Her marriage lasted 52 years until his death in 2004.

A former actress, she was Reagan's closest adviser and fierce protector on his journey from actor to governor of California to president of the United States.



She rushed to his side after he was shot in 1981 by a would-be assassin, and later endured his nearly decade-long battle with Alzheimer's disease. In recent years she broke with fellow Republicans in backing stem cell research as a way to possibly find a cure for Alzheimer's.

Data curated by InsideGov

Condolences

Gov. Rick Scott released a statement about Nancy Reagan's death.

"Ann and I join the nation in mourning the loss of Nancy Reagan, former First Lady of the United States and dedicated wife to the late President Ronald Reagan," Gov. Scott said. "Throughout her life, Nancy's incredible commitment to her country and her family did not falter, and she will continue to inspire all of us to live bravely and selflessly. Nancy Reagan made a monumental impact on our nation and I know her legacy will live on, just like her husband's legacy has. Ann and I send our thoughts and prayers to the Reagan family and all those who knew her."

Scott was not alone in expressing his condolences.

"I was privileged on several occasions to spend time with her," former Florida Gov. Bob Martinez said. "Probably the longest time was while I was governor, and this was 1987 when the Pope visited Florida. Had mass down in Miami."
Israeli forces raided the West Bank offices of Palestine Today television overnight and arrested its manager over allegations of inciting violence, Israel's Shin Bet internal security agency said today.

The operation targeting the station's Ramallah offices was the latest attempt to silence Palestinian broadcasters Israel believes are fuelling a five-month wave of violence.

The Shin Bet charged that the channel "broadcasts on behalf of the Islamic Jihad" militant group and said it had closed it in a joint operation with the army.

"The channel served the Islamic Jihad as a central means to incite the West Bank population, calling for terror attacks against Israel and its citizens. Incitement was broadcast on the television station as well as the Internet," it said in a statement.

Israeli forces arrested Palestine Today manager, Farooq Aliat, 34, of Bir Zeit, north of Ramallah, "an Islamic Jihad operative who had been imprisoned in Israel for his activities," it added.

Cameraman Mohammed Amr and technician Shabib Shabib were also arrested, the Palestinian Journalists Union said.

An army spokeswoman said technical equipment and transmitters were confiscated from the Ramallah offices, which were ordered shut.

The channel continues to broadcast from the Hamas- controlled Gaza Strip.

Islamic Jihad denounced the "Israeli aggression against the nationalist media of the resistance," calling the raid "another episode in the long saga of oppression by the occupation."



A wave of violence has killed 188 Palestinians, 28 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese since October 1, according to an AFP count.
Jailed Niger opposition leader Hama Amadou, who is due to face off against President Mahamadou Issoufou in a March 20 election, was transferred to a hospital Friday, an opposition spokesman told AFP.

Amadou has eyes problems and "was evacuated to the Niamey hospital this morning for treatment," said Ousseini Salatou, spokesman for the opposition coalition known as COPA 2016 that backs Amadou for president against the incumbent head of state.

Amadou, a 66-year-old former premier and ex speaker of parliament, has been held in jail since November on shadowy baby-trafficking charges he says are politically motivated.

He nevertheless picked up nearly 18 percent of the vote in the first round of the presidential race on February 21, coming second to Issoufou who took 48 percent, failing to clinch an outright first-round majority victory.

The COPA 2016 coalition called for his release on March 2 to allow him to campaign fairly against Issoufou. His lawyers said the judicial authorities would hand down a ruling on the case Monday.

The opposition has accused the government of fraud in the first round, claiming "unfair treatment between the two candidates" and complaining that the Constitutional Court has yet to officially confirm the first-round results.

The government maintains the polls were "free and transparent" while the African Union, which sent observers, said it was generally satisfied with the organisation of the vote, despite logistical glitches and delays.

A total of 7.5 million people were eligible to vote in the country, which lies on the edge of the Sahara desert, where security is a growing concern after attacks by jihadists from neighbouring Nigeria, Mali and Libya.
Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd has raised Rs 289.6 crore from agri-business funding firm Mandala Capital Ltd to repay its borrowings.

This fund raising is part of a total equity investment of USD 120 million, including an investment by Mandela in Jain Farm Fresh Foods Ltd (JFFL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of JISL under which its global food business is being organised, JISL said.

"Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd (JISL) has made a preferential issue of Compulsorily Convertible Debentures (CCDs) with a 5 per cent annual coupon to Mandala for a total subscription of Rs 2,896 million (Rs 289.6 crore)," the company said in a regulatory filing.

The CCDs will be converted into ordinary equity shares of JISL within 18 months from the date of allotment at Rs 80 per share, it added.

The company said it will use these funds as agreed under the agreement with Mandala for the purpose of repayment of its borrowings.

"The equity investment will help us further deleverage and strengthen our balance sheet, generate substantial reduction in the annual interest cost and improve our operational liquidity," JISL Managing Director Anil Jain said.

He added that the investment of around USD 60 million into JFFL soon.

In December last, the shareholders had approved the proposal to raise Rs 289.6 crore from agri-business funding firm Mandala by issuance of debentures.

Jain Irrigation is engaged in manufacturing of micro irrigation systems, PVC pipes, HDPE pipes, plastic sheets, agro processed products, renewable energy solutions, tissue culture plants, financial services and other agricultural inputs since the last 34 years.
Japan paused today to mark five years since an offshore earthquake spawned a monster tsunami that left about 18,500 people dead or missing along its northeastern coast and sparked the worst nuclear disaster in a quarter century.

Emperor Akihito, Empress Michiko, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other participants at a national ceremony in Tokyo bowed their heads along with residents across the affected region at 2:46 pm (1116 IST) - the exact moment on March 11, 2011 the magnitude 9.0 quake struck under the Pacific Ocean.

The massive earthquake unleashed a giant wall of water that swallowed schools and entire neighbourhoods, with unforgettable images of panicked residents fleeing to higher ground and vehicles and ships bobbing in the swirling waters of flooded towns.

The waves also swamped power supplies at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, causing reactor meltdowns that released radiation in the most dangerous nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.

In the northern city of Sendai in Miyagi prefecture -- the region that suffered the most deaths -- survivors and bereaved family members gathered at a Buddhist statue built for the repose of victims' souls in front of a huge breakwater at Arahama beach where massive waves came ashore five years ago.

Some joined hands in prayer, while a woman threw a bouquet of flowers into the sea.

Police and firefighters were seen combing that beach and others in continuing efforts to find evidence of victims, including bones, as many families say they still cannot abandon hope of seeing their loved ones again.

In remarks at the solemn event in Tokyo held inside the National Theatre, 82-year-old Akihito spoke of those who were forced to evacuate after the disaster because of nuclear contamination.

"I feel pain in my heart when I think of people who still could not return home," he said.

Some areas remain uninhabitable, though in others residents have been cleared to return.

The situation remains fragile in Fukushima prefecture, where the nuclear plant suffered explosions that spread radioactive material into the surrounding countryside and ocean. The crisis forced tens of thousands of nearby residents to flee their homes, farms and fishing boats.

Authorities have since brought the reactors to a state of "cold shutdown" and dispatched work crews to cleanse affected houses, sweep streets and shave topsoil in "decontamination" efforts.

Tokyo Electric Power, the operator of the shuttered plant, admits it has only made small steps in what is likely to be a four-decade battle to decommission the crippled reactors.

Despite public opposition to nuclear power as a result of the disaster, the government has pushed to restart idled reactors, saying they are essential to power the world's third largest economy.
Jewellers carried out a protest march here today to demand rollback of the Budget proposal to levy 1 per cent excise duty on non-silver jewellery.

The jewellers, under the banner of Haryana Jewellers Association, took out the protest march from Sarafa Bazar in Ambala City to GT Road, where they burnt an effigy of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The association's spokesman Rajesh Luthra said the jewellers have been sitting on a chain fast for the last one week and have suffered huge losses as their shops have been shut for the last 10 days.

He said the agitation will continue till the government accepts their demands.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) today inked a pact with IIFCL to provide 50 billion Japanese yen (about Rs 2,866 crore) assistance for implementation of infrastructure projects in PPP.

"JICA today signed an agreement with India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL) to provide 50 billion Japanese yen Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan as the principal for the implementation of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Infrastructure Financing Project," JICA said in a statement.

The ODA loan conditions are concessional, i.E; the repayment period is fourteen years after a grace period of six years, and the rate of interest is floating rate of the London interbank offered rate for six month deposits in Japanese yen, it said.

The pact was signed between Takema Sakamoto, chief representative of JICA India and Sanjeev Ghai, Chief General Manager of IIFCL.

"The assistance will promote PPP-based infrastructure development mainly in the field of non-fossil power projects by providing long term finance to private/public enterprises and the banks/public financial institutions to lend to private/public enterprises for investment to viable infrastructure projects," it said.

Sakamoto said, "India is well positioned to leapfrog technology in infrastructure projects and JICA's assistance will facilitate mobilisation of funds for high quality infrastructure development."



Productivity in Japan is attributable to the ready availability of infrastructure, and improved infrastructure in India will lead to increase per capita productivity and to improve quality of life as well, he said.

JICA has accumulated ODA loan commitment of Japanes Yen 4 trillion in total, which is equivalent to about Rs 2.3 lakh crore, for development of transportation, energy, water and sanitation, agriculture and forestry and education sectors in India.

"The loan to IIFCL is one of the outcomes of efforts targeting to realize 3.5 trillion yen of public and private investment and financing from Japan, including ODA, to India within five years, announced by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Summit Meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 1, 2014," the statement said.

The government of India has envisaged an investment of USD 1 trillion in infrastructure under the 12th Five-Year Plan from 2012 to 2017 in order to achieve economic growth of 8.4 per cent per annum in the period.

Forty-seven per cent of the envisaged investment is earmarked for financing by the private sector.
Cracking the whip, the Karnataka Government today seized 62 two-wheeler taxis belonging to app- based cab aggregator Uber for violating the Motor Vehicles Act and operating services without obtaining permission.

"We have seized 62 two-wheeler taxis belonging to Uber for violating the Motor Vehicles Act. The company did not comply with the norms and was operating services without obtaining permission," Karnataka Transport Commissioner Ramegowda told PTI.

Uber had on March 3 launched pilot on-demand two-wheeler taxi services UberMoto. The minimum fare for its service is fixed at Rs 15 followed by Rs three per km and Re one per minute of travel time.

As per norms, Ramegowda said the operators should apply for providing two-wheeler taxi services with the Road Transport Authority and obtain permission.

After receipt of the applications, the RTA scrutinises them before giving nod for operators to launch two-wheeler taxi services, Ramegowda said.

The commissioner also said taxis should use yellow boards, "but UberMoto is using white board for a taxi."



Ramegowda said Ola (Uber's rival) had stopped its two- wheeler taxi services.

Ola had also launched its pilot on-demand two-wheeler taxi services Ola Bike, on March 3.

Asked about the seizure of 62 two-wheeler taxis, an Uber spokesperson said, "No comments.
Kerala Gender Park CEO Dr P T M Sunish will take part in United Nations' Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) annual event, a programme focused on gender equality and business, to be held in New York from March 15.

He has been invited to the event, organised by UN Women and the UN Global Compact, considering his contributions in the fields of gender equality and empowerment, a release said here.

The two-day event is aimed at bringing together inspirational business leaders and innovative female entrepreneurs with civil society and the UN to scale-up business action and unleash the full potential of women and girls.

The meeting, comprising high-level panels and interactive sessions, will examine how companies around the world are implementing the WEPs and helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Sunish, also the Managing Director of Kerala Women's Development Corporation (KSWDC), has conceptualised several social innovative initiatives of the state government like all-women taxi cab network 'She-Taxi', 'Sandesh One', touted as the largest social entrepreneur network of women and 'Reach', finishing school for women in the government sector.

Billed as the country's first 24x7 taxi network by women for women, 'She-Taxi' recently bagged the Chief Ministers Award for Innovation in Public Policy 2014.

Participants, through high-level panels and interactive sessions, will delve into how diverse companies around the world are implementing the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) and helping to achieve the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), set forth in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
RJD president and former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad has not been invited to tomorrow's railway function at Hajipur, to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and his party has taken exception to it.

Modi will dedicate to the nation the rail portion of Digha-Sonepur rail-cum-road bridge during his visit to Bihar.

"It was Lalu Prasad who added road to the railway bridge when he was the railway minister. But he has neither been invited at the railway function, nor his name mentioned in the advertisements," Deputy Chief Minister and Prasad's son Tejaswi Yadav told reporters here.

Yadav said Prasad is also a former chief minister and deserves an invitation for the function. He said BJP wants to take credit but leave out Prasad who got the bridge completed.

The programme is being held in Raghopur, a constituency Yadav represents, but he has also been not invited, he said.

Yadav, who also holds road and building construction departments in the Nitish Kumar cabinet, said Prime Minister Modi should apologise to the people of Bihar for not keeping his word of giving a special package of Rs 1.25 lakh crore.

Modi should apologise in the same manner in which he had announced the special package for Bihar, he said.

"He should say he cannot give Rs 50,000 crore, Rs 60,000, Rs 70,000 crore, Rs 90,000 crore, Rs 1.25 lakh crore special package to Bihar," Yadav said.

The PM's way of announcing special package of Rs 1.25 lakh crore and an additional Rs 40,000 crore of previous packages at Ara on the eve of Bihar Assembly polls was criticised by his rivals who said it was as if he was putting Bihar under the hammer.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today urged the UN's special envoy on Syria to include Kurds in upcoming talks that aim to resolve the five-year Syrian civil war.

"I am convinced that Staffan de Mistura should take such a decision," Lavrov told reporters at a joint conference with his Chinese counterpart.

"Launching negotiations without the participation of this group would be a sign of weakness from the international community," Lavrov said.

Russia's top diplomat argued that holding talks on forming a new ruling structure in Syria to prepare constitutional reform and elections without Kurds would be "a most serious infringement of the rights of a large and significant group living in Syria."



Kurds are "allies both of the US coalition and Russia" and control at least 15 per cent of Syrian territory," Lavrov added.

Lavrov hit out at Turkey, saying that "only Turks are blocking the invitation of Kurds from the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD)," criticising this as "an ultimatum."



Turkey accuses the PYD of being the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The issue of the Syrian Kurds has caused a rare rift between Ankara and Washington.

The United States regards the armed wing of the PYD as the most effective fighting force on the ground against Islamic State jihadists and has resisted Turkish pressure to classify the group as a terror organisation.

De Mistura told Russian state agency RIA Novosti Friday that "we are not sending out new invitations" to the upcoming talks, in response to a question on broadening opposition participation.

At the same time, in comments translated into Russian, he stressed the importance of "ensuring as far as possible inclusiveness and participation of all Syrians who can make a contribution to Syria's future."



The UN is hoping to restart peace talks that collapsed last month, building on a ceasefire that has led to the first significant decline in violence in Syria's nearly five-year civil war.

A new round of talks aimed at ending the war in Syria will begin in Geneva on March 14 and will last no longer than 10 days, the UN mediator has said.
Lok Sabha today voted against the introduction of a private member's bill to decriminalise homosexuality, as Congress member Shashi Thraoor blamed the BJP for using its "brute majority" to thwart his second attempt in three months to introduce the measure.

Tharoor said it was "religious bigotry" of the ruling party that had disallowed discussion on his private bill to amend the "colonial era" section 377 of the IPC which criminalises homosexuality, marking "a low in the proud annals of Indian democracy".

He used the opportunity to voice his anguish while moving another bill on the rights of transgenders, when the House was transacting Private Members' Business.

A few minutes before, the Lok Sabha had rejected the introduction of Tharoor's Indian Penal Code (Amendment) Bill 2016 to amend Section 377 of the IPC.

Expressing anguish at the rejection of his bill at the introduction stage, Tharoor said it was "a low in the proud annals of Indian democracy" where "brute majority prevailed over the rights of a member" to bring the measure.

The Congress member regretted that the House was not allowed to deliberate on a law which was framed by the British rulers on the principles of Victorian morality.

In effect, the bill aims to decriminalise sexual intercourse in private between consenting adults, irrespective of their sexuality or gender by restricting the applicability of the section.

As Tharoor sought to introduce the private member's bill, BJP members negated the motion but the Congress member insisted on a division of House.

58 out of 73 members present voted against introduction of the Bill, while 14 favoured it. One member abstained from voting.

Tharoor's previous attempt to introduce a similar bill in the Lok Sabha on December 18 too was voted out. Tharoor had then said he would make another attempt to introduce the bill.

While extending support to the Transgender Bill which was already approved by the Rajya Sabha, Tharoor said Indian culture and tradition has several references to transgenders and there was a pressing need to treat them with dignity.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today informed the Legislative Council that the CM's Relied Fund has so far received donations of Rs 90 crore for its flagship 'Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan'.

As the House assembled for the Question Hour, Congress MLC questioned if cheques given by 32 people to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund have bounced and if these people include BJP workers.

In his response, Fadnavis said the account opened for the government's integrated water conservation and management scheme has received funds through NEFT, RTGS and cheques.

"Uptil now, we have received a total of Rs 90 crore for the scheme, for which 10,373 cheques have been given. Out of this, 28 cheques have not been cleared. The total amount of these cheques adds up to Rs 10 lakh and 36 thousand," he said.

The chief minister further said that of the 28 uncleared cheques, 3 new have been received and its amount adds up to Rs 5.5 lakh.

"Some cheques have not been cleared due to various reasons like insufficient funds in bank account, signature did not match or the instrument was outdated (old cheques)," he said.

Fadnavis further clarified that at present, there is no BJP worker, whose cheque remains uncleared.

"We have given notices to people whose cheques have bounced and their amounts range from Rs 5,000-10,000. They have assured us a new cheque will be given soon," he said.

Leader of Opposition Dhananjay Munde then asked if the government has received any funds from Dance bar association, to which Fadnavis replied in the negative.
Maharashtra government is considering a proposal to make Marathi the official language of Bombay High Court, the state assembly was informed today.

"As per section 348 (2) of the Indian constitution, there is a proposal to make Marathi the HC's official language," Minister for Marathi language Vinod Tawde informed Yogesh Sagar (BJP) and others in a written reply.

In 1998, the state government had ordered that Marathi should be official language in all civil and criminal courts in the state, the minister said.

A division bench of Justice FI Rebello and Justice RM Sawant, while hearing a case related to admissions in medical colleges in May 2006, had ruled that not Marathi, but English is the official language of the high court, and hence, the Marathi documents annexed to the petitions should be translated into English.

Justice Rebello had in a landmark judgment ruled that even under Constitution of India, the official language of all the high courts and the Supreme Court is English. The appellate side rules also make use of English mandatory in documentation.

In March 2009, a division bench of Justice S B Mhase and Justice D G Karnik, however, had ruled that the local language should be given importance in the justice delivery system.

Justice Mhase had ruled that "justice delivery system should be easily accessible to citizens," and "justice should be delivered at the lowest possible cost".
Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi today asked the BJP-led Maharashtra government to take stringent action against MNS chief Raj Thackeray for his controversial remark on non-Marathis getting autorickshaw permits.

"The government isn't doing anything despite this provocative statement. If it is unable to do anything, we are capable of giving a befitting reply. However, we don't want to take law into our hands," Azmi told reporters outside the Vidhan Bhawan, where the budget session of the state legislature is underway.

The SP MLA from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar in suburban Mumbai accused the Fadnavis government of keeping mum on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief "the way Congress-led government did in the past."



Claiming that 70 per cent of new autorickshaw permits were given to non-Marathis, the MNS chief had on Wednesday threatened that his party workers would set afire such autos if they are seen plying on roads.
Maharashtra Government has decided to regularise illegal constructions on a mass scale in urban belts across the State, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed the Assembly today.

The decision, which is to be implemented with some riders, is expected to result in regularisation of around two lakh unauthorised buildings in cities like Pune, Thane, Pimpri -Chinchwad, Navi Mumbai and Mumbai.

Making a statement in the Assembly, Fadnavis said the Government has accepted the report submitted by an expert panel on regularisation of illegal constructions in cities.

The Government has stipulated certain conditions and the decision won't apply to constructions on prohibited land such as Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), he said.

The Congress-NCP government had appointed a high-level panel, headed by former Mumbai civic chief Sitaram Kunte, in June 2014, to suggest measures to deal with unauthorised structures in urban areas.

The panel was also asked to recommend steps to rein in illegal constructions in these pockets in future.

Buildings falling in residential, no development, industrial and commercial zones will be regularised after making necessary changes in their status, Fadnavis said.
The main, Western-backed Syrian opposition groups say they'll attend UN-sponsored peace talks with the Damascus government in Geneva starting on Monday.

The groups, assembled under an umbrella known as the High Negotiations Committee, said in a statement Friday that their participation comes in response to "sincere" international efforts to end Syria's five-year civil war.

The HNC says its team in Geneva will press for a transitional governing body with full executive powers and a pluralist regime in which President Bashar Assad and his associates will have no role. The statement also insisted on Syria's unity and the restructuring of the country's security agencies.

The first round of Geneva talks collapsed on Feb. 3 during a wide government offensive against insurgents.

Syria's civil war has killed 250,000 people and displaced millions.
A Croatian man in a wheelchair robbed a bank after passers-by helped him to enter the premises, local media reported today.

"I have a bomb!" shouted the 35-year-old disabled man to shocked employees in a branch of Austria's Erste Bank in downtown Zagreb, before forcing them to hand over the cash, the Vecernji list newspaper reported.

The crime occurred on Wednesday evening only a few seconds after the man had politely thanked passers-by for helping him to enter the bank in his wheelchair, the paper said.

After employees handed over USD 7,300 the robber wheeled himself to a nearby taxi station where a cab driver helped him get into the car and put his wheelchair in the trunk.

Unaware of his client's recent activities, the drive took the man towards the northern town of Bjelovar, where he was eventually arrested.
A 40-year-old man was today injured in an alleged explosion in his motorcycle's side box on a road opposite Rohtas district court premises in Bihar.

A low intensity explosive kept in the side box of Vijay Shankar Singh's motorcycle went off at Kargahar crossing on old GT Road just opposite the court premises at around 3 PM, the DGP control room said in a statement.

The object appeared to be a detonator which exploded accidentally, the statement said, adding Singh is a carrier of banned Maoist outfit Tritiya Prastuti Committee.

However, Rohtas district Superintendent of Police Manavjeet Singh Dhillon said a pamphlet purportedly left behind by Maoists was recovered from the spot and it claimed responsibility for the explosion over non-payment of levy by Singh.

He was rushed to the Patna Medical College and Hospital.

"Objectionable" materials, including letters for levy demand, has been recovered from the possession of Singh, the statement said.

Senior police officials went to the spot to probe the incident.

The SP said a forensic team was on its way to collect evidences related to explosion.
Marathi will be made a compulsory subject till standard 7th in IGCSE/IB schools in Maharashtra, and history of Shivaji Maharaj will be taught in these schools, Education Minister Vinod Tawde said here today.

A House resolution would be adopted to this effect and sent to the Centre, Tawde said, during question hour in the state Assembly.

IGCSE is an International General Certificate of Secondary Education.

The history of Shivaji Maharaj being taught in ICSE/CBSE/IGCSE/IB schools is only limited to four lines, the minister said. Students in these schools should be taught history of Maharashtra, he said.

Henceforth, while granting NOC to these schools by the education department, Marathi would be made compulsory and "we will also stipulate that Shivaji's history be taught to these students," he said.

Last year, the state government had asked CBSE affiliated schools to implement the three language rule in toto with Marathi being a mandatory component till Standard eighth.

A Government Resolution issued in August 2009 mentions that Marathi is to be taught at non-state board schools. The clause reads "CBSE/ICSE/IB/IGSCE/CIE curriculum schools till Std 8th will follow three language system. Marathi should be taught as the second language".
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs launched prosecution proceedings against 241 companies with regard to investor complaints in the last three financial years.

"Prosecution related to investors' complaints has been launched against 73 companies in 2012-13, 66 companies in 2013-14 and 102 companies in 2014-15," Corporate Affairs Minister Arun Jaitley said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

He said complaints received from investors in the ministry and its field offices are forwarded to the companies concerned for remedial action.

"In case the company fails to redress the grievance of the complainant and/or is found to be in violation of the provisions of the Companies Act, suitable action under the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013/1956 is initiated," the minister said.

According to him, cases involving serious fraud are sent to SFIO without any undue delay.

In the last three financial years, as many as 195 cases were sent to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) and during that period, 194 prosecutions were filed, according to another written reply.

The corporate affairs ministry implements the Companies Act.

To another question about remuneration, Jaitley said that as far as those below board-level employees of companies are concerned, whether Indian or foreign, their salaries are not regulated under the Act.

"The remuneration payable by a company at the board level is governed by Section 197 of the Companies Act, 2013, read with rules framed thereunder which do not discriminate between managerial personnel, whether Indian or foreign," he noted.

Jaitley, in a separate written reply, said there is no plan to include the Company Law Board under e-courts as CLB would be dissolved once the National Company Law Tribunal is set up.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma today said a consultation committee of political parties has been formed to pursue the long pending inter-state boundary issue with Assam.

"The committee will engage with our counterpart, Assam, as we have to re-strategize our approach to resolve the issue," he said in the Assembly.

The committee was set up after the Centre turned down the request of Meghalaya government to appoint a boundary commission to resolve the issue.

When the matter was placed before the Centre, it stated the matter should be resolved bi-laterally, Sangma said.

"I appeal to all to let us start meeting them (Assam) so that our people are not subjected to sporadic incidents and conflict situations," he said.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister downplayed a demand for a white paper on the issue stating the Assembly have been informed about it.

He referred to a meeting with all political parties last year when details about the submissions made to the Centre regarding the state's claims over the disputed territories were shared with them.

The Chief Minister's reply came following Hill State Peoples Democratic Party (HSPDP) leader Ardent Basaiawmoit's demand for a white paper stating that the issue has been pending for over four decades.
A 12-year-old boy was today crushed to death when a municipal corporation vehicle hit his bicycle here, police said.

The victim, Subhaan, was killed by a dumping vehicle near Ghantaghar crossing here while he was returning on his bicycle after purchasing some items, City Magistrate Ravindra Singh said.

The vehicle driver fled the spot after the incident, he said.

Meanwhile, family members of the victim and locals blocked the main road in Dakshin area and raised slogans, he said.

Singh said that he along with Additional Municipal Commissioner Pramod Kumar and Circle Officer Rajesh Chaudhary reached the spot and pacified the protesters.

The demonstrators lifted the blockade after assurance of an immediate relief of Rs 5 lakh by the corporation and Rs 10 lakh from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

Singh said normalcy was restored but police have been deployed as a precautionary measure.
Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju today said the Narendra Modi government had launched "very good schemes" for the development of minorities in the country.

"After BJP government came at the Centre, we have taken up a programme for welfare of minorities. Modi government has launched very good schemes for minorities," said Rijiju on the sidelines of a meeting here.

"Our theme is 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'. Earlier minorities were used as vote bank and programmes were announced accordingly, but no one got to see them in reality," the minister said.

"Today I interacted here with all the universities vice chancellors and over 50 college principals in the north eastern region. I asked them to give me a blue print for future development of education here and asked them to give me a report on all the colleges in the region", he said.

Stating that on receiving the report, the Centre would address what should be the separate policy for N-E and the concerns of individual colleges, Rijiju said, "I'll talk to the Prime Minister and we'll have a separate programme/policy".

Appreciating the 'Taleem ki Taquat' conference here where he was the chief guest, Rijiju said, "you can see all in the minority sector have participated in Taalim (education) programme".

The minister said "the percentage of education among Muslim and Budhhists in India was comparatively less than other communities. People from all religions and communities have to be included for the country to progress".

Stating that "there is an identity crisis and the minorities think they are weak and far from Delhi", Rijiju said, "whatever be your religion you are all citizens of India and the mainstream starts wherever you are standing."



Exhorting them to make themselves strong through education, Rijiju said, "it's the mindset. Think that you are equal to others".

The Taleem ki Taquat conference was organised by the Rashtriya Institute of Skill and Education with UGC Chairman Prof Ved Prakash, Bombay Stock Exchange MD and CEO Ashish Kumar Chauhan, IDBI Bank MD and CEO Kishor Kharat, among others.
A multi-layer security blanket was thrown over the Yamuna floodplains here today with 12,000 police officials being deployed for the three-day World Culture Festival which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The security personnel have been sourced from all 11 police districts, the Security Unit and specialised units like Police Control Room, Special Cell, Special Branch, Traffic department, Crime Branch and even the Economic Offences Wing.

The top brass of Delhi Police was present at the venue where Special Commissioner of Police (Law & Order) Deepak Mishra held a security meeting, a senior official said.

He further said that a multi-layer security plan has been strategised keeping in mind the presence of the prime minister and other VVIPs at the event, Personnel from Delhi Police's PM security wing were also present.

A master control room has been set up for the event, which will take reports from five control rooms set up at the venue, with each coming under the supervision of a Joint Commissioner-rank officer.

"The biggest challenge in security arrangement with regard to this event is the uncertainty in terms of threats and the footfall," the senior official said, adding that cameras have been strategically installed at the venue to ensure that every nook and corner is under the security lens.

At least 500 police personnel will also be deployed at the hotel where the dignitaries are to be put up and around 4,000 personnel from Delhi Traffic Police are part of a masterplan chalked out by the chief of the department.

The cultural extravaganza organised by Sri Sri Ravishankar's Art of Living Foundation at the Yamuna floodplains concludes on Sunday.

Earlier this week, Delhi Police received inputs about threats to the event, following which it was decided to further step up the security arrangements.

All arrangements are being closely monitored by the 80,000 -strong force's chief, Alok Kumar Verma, the senior official said, adding that quick response teams, Special Weapons & Tactic Teams, dog squads and bomb squads have also been kept on their toes.

(REOPENS DES29)



Delhi Metro has also made special arrangements at its stations near the fest venue, including Mayur Vihar Phase I and Mayur Vihar Phase I Extension.

Extra equipments have been installed to scan baggages and people to handle the rush.

"We are monitoring the situation and will take the necessary measures as per requirement," a metro spokesman said.
The Bombay High Court today commuted the death sentence awarded to Ramchandra Karanjule, the former director of an orphanage in Navi Mumbai, for murdering an inmate and gang-raping five mentally challenged girls at the premises.

A division bench of Justices R V More and Anuja Prabhudessai partly allowed the appeal filed by Karanjule challenging the death penalty awarded to him after he was convicted by a sessions court on charges of murder and gang- and sentenced him to 10 years rigorous imprisonment.

"The applicant accused (Karanjule) is acquitted under section 302 (murder). He stands convicted under sections 376 (2)(c) and 376 (2)(g) (gang-rape) and sentenced to ten years rigorous imprisonment with fine of Rs 50,000 each," the high court said today.

Read more from our special coverage on "RAPE"

A total of six convicts, including Karanjule, had approached the high court after the sessions court convicted them in March 2013 on various charges in a case of murder of an inmate and gang- of five girls, including three minors, at an orphanage run by private trust 'Kalyani Mahila Bal Seva Sanstha' at Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai.

Apart from Karanjule, the others convicted by the HC are Nanabhau Karanjule, Khandu Kasbe, (both acquaintances of Ramchandra Karanjule), and Sonali Badade (orphanage superintendent) and Parvati Mavale (caretaker).

The high court, meanwhile, acquitted Prakash Khadke (acquaintance of Ramchandra Karanjule) from all charges.

The high court today upheld conviction under section 354 (molestation) and two-year sentence handed over to Nanabhau Karanjule.

The HC convicted Khandu Kasbe under section 376 (2)(g) and sentenced him to ten years imprisonment along with Rs 50,000 fine.

The orphanage's superintendent, Sonali Badade, was acquitted by the HC under the charge of attempt to murder, but convicted on a lesser charge of causing hurt and sentenced to one year in jail along with Rs 2,000 fine.

Similarly, Parvati Mavale was convicted by the high court for causing hurt, under section 324 of IPC, and sentenced to one year in jail with Rs 2,000 fine.

"The sentences shall run concurrently. The undergone period shall be considered in the sentence," the court said.

According to defence lawyers Niranjan Mundargi and Mahesh Vaswani, the lower court's order was perverse, bad in law and without application of mind.

"There are errors apparent on the face of the said order and the same has caused grave miscarriage of justice to the appellant and deserves to be quashed and set aside," the appeal had said.

It further claimed that the lower court placed heavy reliance on the testimony of the complainant in the case which was not corroborated with any other evidence by the prosecution.

The lower court, while awarding the maximum punishment of death to Ramchandra, had observed that he was a menace to the society and life imprisonment would be highly inadequate.

The prosecution's case was that 19 girls were allegedly gang-raped by three of the accused.

The statements of the 19 victims were recorded by a magistrate and of them, three had come before the court to testify against the accused.

The charge of murder was invoked against Karanjule after it came to light that one of the victims was suffering from jaundice and penumonia when she was gang-raped. The victim subsequently died.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said the primary issue in the upcoming Assembly polls would be to fight against the alleged injustice done to the state by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"My fight is against the injustice committed towards Assam and the northeast during the last two years by Prime Minister Modi," Gogoi told reporters here.

The BJP government had "committed injustice that was never done before like removing special category status, change in funding pattern, removing the North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy, among other steps," he said.

"My fight is not against BJP's Chief Ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal. In fact, I feel pity for him and other leaders of the party from the state. They cannot even open their mouth before Modi," Gogoi said.

"If we do not raise our voice, who will? The BJP MPs from the state cannot open their mouth against injustices committed by Centre. Is it not their moral responsibility to raise their voice and demand justice? But they remain silent," he said.

The Chief Minister said he had presented a white paper on the progress of various schemes in the state and had asked the Prime Minister also to submit a white paper, but neither Modi nor his finance minister had given a reply so far.

He said Congress would continue to fight against the BJP's "divisive policies and politics of polarisation". "We'll not allow at any cost Assam's cultural invasion by the RSS and destroy the prevailing harmony between the different communities in the state," he said.

"We have provided a stable and credible government for the last 15 years and if the people of the state have faith and confidence in us, then they will join us in our fight against the BJP," Gogoi said.
The Navy today said it is waiting for the new Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) to roll out before proceeding on the much delayed project to build India's next six conventional submarines, worth nearly Rs 60,000 crore.

The Navy also hoped that its Scorpene submarine, the first of which will go in for trials this year, will get its main weapon, the heavyweight torpedo, before it is declared combat ready.

"We are waiting for the new DPP," Vice Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral P Murugesan, told reporters here replying to a question about progress in the submarine project.

He said certain prepatory work was on for the submarine project, P-75I, and once the DPP is announced work will start.

The DPP has been in the works for over a year and is expected to be rolled out soon.

Noting that the Navy is ready to work with the private industry, Murugesan said the force has made it mandatory for the selected shipyards to do 46 per cent outsourcing in the P17A project of building new frigates.

Asked if there has been any forward movement in the Navy's plan to acquire heavy torpedos for the Scorpenes, he said the first sub will go in for trials this year.

"Since it is the first submarine of its class, the trials will go on for about a year. We hope to get it before the submarine is declared combat ready," he said, adding that the Navy is "concerned" and the government is seized of the matter.

The Navy plans to buy Black Shark torpedoes for Scorpene submarines, under construction at a yard in Mumbai, from Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei (WASS), a subsidiary of Italian defence conglomerate Finmeccanica which is embroiled in a scam.

The new DPP will also bring out a new blacklisting policy which the Navy hopes will pave the way for the torpedos.
Providing a one stop solution for availing its services and facilities, NDMC has come out with an app, NDMC311, which will be launched tomorrow by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

People can pay water bill, property tax and estate bill through 'Quick Pay' feature of the app.

The app includes a 'Traffic and Parking' feature which would provide real time traffic situation on roads and availability of parking lots in the areas under New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).

'Whats Near Me' feature provides the location of public toilets, metro stations, hospitals, monuments, hospitals, libraries, taxi stands among others.

Services like electricity connection, birth and death certificates tax as well as contacting registered plumbers and electricians can also be achieved through the app.

The 'Helpline24' feature would enable people to contact various departments in case of emergency situations to call ambulance or fire and disaster management departments.

"With the help of NDMC311 citizens can make payments, apply online, search emergency numbers, schedule appointments, get notifications and report civic issues related to our jurisdiction," Chanchal Yadav, Secretary of NDMC, said.

"Citizens can lodge any geotagged complaints and also upload photos and track the status of their complaint. The realtime status of complaint resolution wil be notified to the complainants who could also give their comments on it," the NDMC secretary said.

The Open311 technology-based app provides open channels of communication which is noticeable in addressing public grievances, she said.
The Labour Ministry today launched the 'Start Your Own Business' page on the National Career Services Portal as part of efforts to make it more easy for individuals to start their own ventures.

"Participation from the industry is essential to create a wide range of entrepreneurial opportunities for the unemployed youth of the country. This initiative aims to make it more convenient for an individual to start his own business," Labour Secretary Shankar Aggawal said at the launch.

"We welcome companies like Uber, who are revolutionising the way traditional employment works, by offering flexible and high earning opportunities on its platform. We look forward to make this a vibrant platform for entrepreneurs to share their success stories and motivate others in joining the entrepreneurial endeavours," he said.

The newly launched page provides information about entrepreneurship programmes, institutions and schemes run by government as well as links to private companies like Uber that are helping individual become an entrepreneur.

Uber was introduced as one of the first entrepreneurship partners on the page since it has already presented over 250,000 entrepreneurial opportunities for aspiring cab drivers in India, Labour Ministry said in a release.

Uber will also facilitate such partners in getting financial loans to purchase vehicles and start their business, it said.
The three-day long 'World Culture Festival' organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living (AOL) today crossed last minute hurdles as attempt to stall the mega show failed in the National Green Tribunal which gave more time to the organiser to pay Rs 5 crore fine.

However, the relief to the AOL Foundation came with a stinker from the green panel which took strong exception to the remarks of Ravi Shankar on refusal to pay Rs five crore environmental compensation and instead stating he would prefer to go to jail.

"When a man of his stature makes such statements, it hits the very rule of law. If anybody hurts the image of the tribunal, he will be taken to rule of law. Don't treat tribunal as subject to your controversy with regard to the event," a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Swatanter Kumar said.

During the over two-hour long proceeding in the jampacked court, the bench said that to maintain the dignity and majesty of the institutions, rule of law has to be upheld.

The panel directed AOL to pay Rs 25 lakh immediately failing which the grant of Rs 2.5 crore sanctioned to it by Centre will be attached.

The direction came after the Foundation said it was a charitable organisation and it was difficult for it to generate Rs five crore in such a short period of time. NGT had earlier asked AOL to pay this amount prior to the event.

The counsel said Ravi Shankar's statements were made in a different context and they had no intent to disregard the conditions imposed by the tribunal.

The bench said that the tribunal is only concerned with compliance of its directions with regard to the pollution of river Yamuna during the course of event and asked all concerned authorities to ensure that conditions are complied with by AOL.

The panel, however, granted it three weeks time to pay remaining Rs 4.75 crore after AOL gives Rs 25 lakh immediately.

"Certainly, adherence of rule of law is the duty not only of the Government but of every citizen of the country. The rule of law is the very foundation of the administration of justice system.

"If the rule of law is undermined, it raises a challenge not only for the justice delivery system, but even on the capability of the Government to enforce the rule of law," the panel said.

The bench also directed all the concerned authorities



including DDA to take all necessary steps to hold the event, ensure no pollution is caused to the river Yamuna and devise mechanism for disposal of the municipal solid waste.

The order of the tribunal came on a plea by environmental activist Manoj Mishra seeking stay on AOL's World Culture Festival here from today to March 13, alleging that they have not deposited Rs five crore fine.

The petition has alleged that AOL has not taken mandatory permissions from competent authorities like fire department, police and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).

The hearing in NGT was held amid heavy deployment of CRPF and Delhi police personnel after some Rashtrawadi Shiv Sena members held demonstration against its order on imposing environment compensation on AOL.

Meanwhile, the Foundation in the morning mentioned before the bench an application seeking four weeks time to deposit the compensation amount and comply with all the directions of the tribunal.

During the hearing, on being asked by the tribunal if the AOL had received the Rs 2.5 crore grant from the Ministry of Culture, the counsel for AOL informed that Rs 1.68 crore had been disbursed to it out of the total amount.

The tribunal also pulled up Ministry of Water Resources for not doing anything to protect river Yamuna from pollution despite directions.

"What have you done? Have you inspected the river? Despite directions you have not checked pollution in the river," the bench said.
The Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday told a Delhi court that it has sought assistance from the US and UAE for evidence related to social media and other chat messengers used by arrested suspected operative Mohamed Naser Packeer.

In a plea filed before district judge Amarnath seeking extension of period of detention of Naser beyond 90 days from the date of his arrest, NIA said it has sent Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) to both the countries in this regard.

"On January 13, 2016, NIA has sent MLAT to USA and UAE requesting them to provide the evidence regarding social media and other chat/messengers services used by accused Mohamed Naser. Reply in this regard is still awaited," the agency said in the plea moved during an in-camera proceeding.

Sources said NIA also informed the court that they were awaiting the reply on letters rogatory issued to Republic of Sudan for collection of relevant evidence in the case.

They said the agency told the court that during the probe, it was found that there was a larger conspiracy by the operators in India and abroad for recruitment of resident and non-resident Indians and identity of such associates were being ascertained.

The court allowed the NIA's plea and extended the period of investigation against Naser in the case by one month.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu-based Naser, who was deported from Sudan and was arrested in the case on December 11 last year, on Friday moved a bail application through his counsel M S Khan.

The court has asked NIA to file its response on the bail plea on April 8.

Naser, currently in judicial custody, sought bail on the ground that the NIA has failed to file a charge sheet against him within 90 days period from the date of his arrest.

In its plea, NIA claimed that during interrogation, Naser had disclosed names and mobile numbers of some active members and sympathisers of and identity of such associates were being ascertained.
The Election Commission today told the Madras High Court that it has no intention of covering the statue of rationalist leader "Periyar" E.V. Ramasamy in view of the May 16 assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.

This was stated by the counsel for Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer during the hearing of a petition by Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam (DVK) seeking to forebear the EC from closing or covering the statues of Periyar and also removing the flags of the party in Coimbatore.

Disposing of the petition, a division bench, comprising Justices M M Sundaresh and S Vimala, said it was open to the petitioner to make a detailed representation to the respondent (EC) which should consider the same and take appropriate action.

Petitioner Rethinasamy, Organaisation Secretary, DVK, submitted that the election officers in Coimbatoredistrict had directed the party functionariesonMarch 5 lastto cover the statues of Periyar and remove the flag poles of the party.
Delhi Police today told a court that no purpose will be served by examining doctors on the potency issue of one of the six accused who recently died in jail as proceedings against him have already been abated in a gangrape case of a 52-year-old Danish woman here.

The prosecutor made the submissions before Additional Sessions Judge Ramesh Kumar while opposing an application moved by counsel for the accused seeking to examine the doctors who had conducted the potency test of 55-year-old accused Shyam Lal, who died in jail in February.

"Prior to prosecution's application to examine several doctors and police officials, the case was already fixed for judgement. The permission was granted to prosecution to examine these witnesses with regard to the potency issue of accused Lal.

"But now, as proceedings have been abated against him after his death, no purpose would be served by examining them. It would only delay the proceedings and there is no point in continuing proceedings against Lal," Special Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava said, adding that the case be fixed for final arguments.

The court has now fixed March 19 for further proceedings on the application in the case.

Advocate Dinesh Sharma, who was representing the accused in the case, has filed a plea seeking to recall some doctors of RML Hospital as court witnesses.

According to the prosecution, the nine accused, all vagabonds, had allegedly robbed and gangraped the Danish tourist at knife-point on the night of January 14, 2014, after leading her to a secluded spot close to the Divisional Railway Officers' Club near New Delhi Railway Station.

All nine accused were arrested. The five adult accused - Mahendra alias Ganja (26), Mohd Raja (22), Raju (23), Arjun (21), Raju Chakka (22) - are in judicial custody and facing trial.

Lal, who was also in judicial custody, died recently. Three other accused are juveniles against whom inquiry before the Juvenile Justice Board is in progress.

Proceedings against Lal were abated by the court when it was informed by prosecution that a report has been received from Tihar Jail authorities regarding his death.

The court had earlier allowed prosecution's plea to place on record the original medical and potency test report of Lal, who had claimed to be impotent, and to examine three doctors in this regard.
The Election Commission today issued notification for first part of the first phase of West Bengal Assembly election on April 4, starting the process of filing nominations in 18 seats.

No nomination papers were filed on the first day today, the state's Additional Chief Electoral Officer Dibyendu Sarkar said.

Voters in this phase would be able to exercise their franchise from 7 AM to 4 PM.

Various observers for this phase of polling would arrive here in a day or two, Sarkar said.

Candidates contesting for this phase will be able to file their nominations up to March 18, while scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on March 19 and the date of withdrawal will end on March 21, he said.

"Arrangement for the phase of polling for 18 seats under Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) areas in West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts is in final stage," Sarkar said.

The four-step non-CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) measures comprising micro-observers, normal camera, video camera and webcasting would be there in this phase, he said.

West Bengal is going to poll in six phases, of which the first phase will be held in two parts - April 4 and 11.

The full bench of the Election Commission led by the Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi would arrive here on March 14 to review poll preparedness.

Apart from meeting all contesting political parties, the CEC would meet the DMs, SPs and other senior officials in the state besides mediapersons.

Deputy Election Commissioner in-charge of West Bengal Sandeep Saxena will be arriving here before the visit of the full bench to prepare ground work for CEC's visit, Sarkar said.

Meanwhile, a team of third-year students of Calcutta University today called on officials at CEO's office here to express their concern on the dates of examination during the polling process.

Sarkar said the Commission has assured them of all cooperation so that they could reach their examination centres without difficulty, but the changes in exam schedule could only be done by the University authority.
Oil and gas stocks today gained as much as 5 per cent after the government in a bid to attract investments in the sector announced a slew of reforms including a new pricing formula for undeveloped gas discoveries in difficult areas.

Shares of Cairn India surged 4.58 per cent, Petronet LNG was up 1.01 per cent, Oil India (0.45 per cent) and Reliance Industries Ltd (0.36 per cent) on BSE.

The BSE oil and gas index too rose by 0.50 per cent to end at 8,746.37.

"The ease of doing business in oil and gas sector by giving companies pricing freedom will go a long way in exploitation of the domestic reserves. Many oil exploration and extraction ancillaries too will benefit from the move as lot of incremental demand from the marginal fields will also emerge," said Jimeet Modi, CEO, SAMCO Securities.

In a bid to attract investments in oil and gas sector, the government yesterday announced a new pricing formula for undeveloped gas discoveries in difficult areas that would result in 85 per cent jump in rates and help monetise Rs 1.80 lakh crore of inert finds.

While giving nod to pricing freedom subject to a cap for gas produced from High Pressure High Temperature, deepwater and ultra deepsea areas, the Cabinet also approved replacing the controversial Production Sharing Contract (PSC) with simpler revenue-sharing regime for all future field auctions.
Oil prices rebounded today after the International Energy Agency said that the market may have finally "bottomed out" and was now staging a remarkable recovery.

However the Paris-based IEA cautioned that the recent sharp gains did not mean that the worst was over.

Around 1200 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in April added 90 cents to trade at USD 38.74 a barrel.

Brent North Sea crude for May delivery rose 73 cents to USD 40.78 a barrel compared with yesterday's close.

"A rebound in the oil price after the IEA called for a possible bottom has helped broader stock market sentiment," said CMC Markets analyst Jasper Lawler.

"The IEA did caveat its call for a possible bottom saying that the worst may still not necessarily over.

"The agency said oil demand remained constant and suggested falling high-cost supply and supply outages in Iraq have supported higher prices."



Oil had slumped from above USD 100 in mid-2014 to near 13-year lows in January earlier this year, before staging a modest recovery to current levels.

However, there is a long way to go before supply and demand find a real balance, probably in 2017, the IEA said Friday.

"International crude oil prices have recovered remarkably in recent weeks," the IEA noted in its monthly market report.

"From a nadir of USD 28.50 per barrel in mid-January, Brent crude is now trading around USD 40 per barrel.

"This should not, however, be taken as a definitive sign that the worst is necessarily over. Even so, there are signs that prices might have bottomed out."



Among factors for higher prices are talks among producers launched by Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Qatar and Russia to freeze production which the IEA said amounts to "a first stab at co-ordinated action that is intended to stabilise prices" with the presumed aim of pushing oil up to USD 50 a barrel.

The outcome of negotiations is, however, uncertain and a big supply overhang in the oil market means it would have little impact in the months ahead.
The leader of Turkey's main opposition party has criticised the government for demanding European Union funds to stem the flood of migrants streaming through the bloc, local media reported today.

The EU agreed in November to deliver three billion euros (USD 3.3 billion) in funds for refugees in return for Ankara's cooperation in tackling the migrant crisis.

At the Brussels summit this week, Turkey also asked for an extra three billion euros in aid.

"You are turning Turkey into a buffer province," Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the Republican People's Party (CHP) told the Hurriyet newspaper, lashing out at the government.

"We can give them (the EU) six billion euros and they can take all the Syrians, Afghans, Pakistanis," he said.

Turkey surprised EU leaders at the summit on Monday by presenting a set of proposals to help solve the migrant crisis, but the deal has yet to be confirmed by another summit next week.

Ankara had offered to take back all illegal migrants landing in Greece and to set up an arrangement to exchange Syrians in Greece for Syrian refugees in Turkey.

Kilicdaroglu claimed that the EU would take university graduate-qualified Syrians and deliver the rest to Turkey.

"This is first of all against human rights," he said. "Signing such a deal discriminating between migrants disrespects human dignity."



The UN refugee chief and rights groups have already voiced concerns over the tentative deal, questioning whether it was legal.
As many as 1,17,210 people arrived in India on e-Tourist visa in February as compared to 24,985 during the same month last year, registering a growth of 369.1 per cent.

The UK continues to occupy the top slot, followed by the US and France amongst the countries availing e-tourist visa facility, Ministry of Tourism said in a release today.

With effect from February 26 this year, the e-tourist visa facility was extended for citizens of 37 more nations, taking the total to 150 countries.

The UK topped the list of countries availing e-tourist visa facilities in February this year with 27.86 per cent, followed by US (13.85 per cent), France (8.08 per cent), Russia (6.21 per cent), Germany (4.92 per cent) and China (4.91 per cent).

The share of Canada was 4.21 per cent, while that of Australia was 3.64 per cent, Korea 2.15 per cent and Ukraine two per cent, it said.
More than 21 lakh people have been infected with in India, which has the third largest population of those affected by the disease, Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.

"As per India HIV estimation 2015 report, an estimated 21.17 lakh people are living with HIV.

"India has the third largest number of people living with HIV in the world. The other two countries having higher numbers are South Africa (68 lakh) and Nigeria (34 lakhs) - source UNAIDS estimates 2014," Union Minister J P Nadda said in a written reply.

He said that though about 21.17 lakh people are estimated to be living with HIV (PLHIV), yet Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) provides universal access to "comprehensive, equitable, stigma-free, quality care, support and treatment services to all people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV).

"The total number of patients with CD4 count of less than 350 is estimated as 13,45,678. Out of this, the number of people on ART is 9.25 lakh making a coverage rate of 69 per cent," Nadda said.

He said that at present there are 524 ART centres and 1,094 link ART centres in the country providing free antiretroviral treatment, treatment for opportunistic infections and counselling services to 9.25 lakh PLHIV.

He said that based on HIV prevalence in different parts of the country, ART centres and Link ART centres are scaled up every year to match the demand.

In addition, a total of 350 Care and Support centres have been established through civil society organisation which complement the services provided by ART centres through counselling, outreach and linkage to need based other government welfare schemes and services.

During the last three years, PLHIV on ART has been increasing as it was 6.32 lakhs in March 2013, 7.59 lakh in March 2014, 8.51 in March 2015 and 9.25 lakh in January 2016.
Delhi Police has deployed around 4,000 personnel for traffic management today in view of over 20,000 marriages scheduled to take place this evening and major events like the World Cultural Festival and others.

Major arterial roads in south and east Delhi are expected to witness traffic snarls for the next three days, senior officials said.

The roads identified include the Ring Road stretch in south Delhi, Noida Link Road, NH-24, areas near Akshardham, Mayur Vihar, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, Ashram Chowk, Aurobindo Marg, Mahipalpur Chowk and Mehrauli-Gurgaon road, all considered major arteries and intersections in south and east Delhi.

Initially, around 1,700 officials were deployed for traffic management for the World Cultural Festival and around 300 were reserved for the other events to be held during the same time (Mar 11-13).

Arrangement were also made in areas which have large number of farmhouses, taken on rent for marriages, and banquet halls. Later, the numbers were doubled, an official said.

While the World Cultural Festival organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living foundation is being held at the Yamuna floodplains, the Radha Soami Satsang Beas event is being organised at Fatehpur Beri area. Areas like Mehrauli and Chhatarpur are hubs for marriages.

For the World Culture Festival, organisers have made provisions for parking on the Yamuna banks. The space is limited and so, parking will be on a first-come-first-serve basis.

"People should preferably take public transport to commute and avoid the Noida Link Road, NH-24 and the Ring Road stretch from the point of intersection with Bhairon Marg till the mouth of the DND Flyway," the official said, adding, congestion can be expected on these stretches between 12 noon and 11 PM.

The official said those approaching from the trans-Yamuna side towards central Delhi, should use the ITO Road as Akshardham and NH-24 will also be congested.

Commuters from Noida heading towards Delhi should take the DND flyover as traffic on the Noida Link Road is expected to be heavy during the event, he said.

For the event by the Radha Soami Satsang Beas at south Delhi's Fatehpur Beri area, traffic will be heavy near Bhati Mines, Andheria More, Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, especially the stretch between Lado Sarai and Khanpur, and the road near IIT-Delhi.
Around 915 kgs of banned red sandalwood logs worth approximately Rs 70 lakh have been seized from Angrabhasa in Jalpaiguri district and two persons were arrested, police said today.

Acting on a tip-off, the personnel of Dhupguri police station raided a house in Angrabhasa late last night and recovered the red sandalwood.

A top forest department official said the price of the seized logs could be anywhere between Rs 65 lakh and Rs 70 lakh in Indian market.

Police said the red sandalwood was found at the premises of one Mohammad Rana, who was arrested along with another person identified as Ali Akbar.

Police suspect that the seized logs were to be sent from Nepal via Siliguri to Bhutan or Jaigaon, a town bordering Bhutan, in neighbouring Alipurduar district.

However, due to increased police arrangement owing to the approaching Assembly election in the state, the red sandalwood had been temporary hidden at the house of Rana.

A huge quantity of illegal red sandalwood logs and barks, worth several crores of rupees, were seized from Jaigaon in July last year.

Red sandalwood has a huge demand in China due to its medicinal properties and other usage.

It is largely found in southern India, mainly in Andhra Pradesh. The wood comes under the endangered category of wild flora and fauna whose export is banned.
Pakistan's Senate today passed a bill that criminalises for the first time sexual assault against minors, child pornography and trafficking.

The amendment to the penal code, which will go into force after being ratified by the president, also raises the age of criminal responsibility from seven to 10 years of age.

Under the revised legislation, sexual assaults will now be punishable by up to seven years in prison. Previously, only rape was criminalised.

Likewise, child pornography, which was previously not mentioned in the law, will be be punishable by seven years in prison and a fine of 700,000 rupees (USD 7000).

Pakistan last August was rocked by a major paedophilia scandal when it was revealed that hundreds of pornographic videos of children from the village of Hussain Khanwala in Punjab province had been created and were being circulated.

About 20 arrests were made, but only the acts of rape and sodomy were punishable by law.

The new amendment also criminalises child trafficking within Pakistan. Previously traffickers were only liable for punishment if they removed children from the country.

"This is a very important step to realise the obligations of Pakistan" under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Sara Coleman, chief of child protection at UNICEF, told AFP.

"Now we have to turn our attention to the law's implementation," said Valerie Khan, the director of Group Development Pakistan, a local NGO which advocates legal reforms.

She also called for the "establishment of a national commission on child rights, which is essential to monitor and coordinate the implementation of the law.
Climate science has progressed so much that experts can accurately detect global warming's fingerprints on certain extreme weather events, such as a heat wave, according to a high-level scientific advisory panel.

For years scientists have given almost a rote response to the question of whether an instance of weird weather was from global warming, insisting that they can't attribute any single event to climate change. But "the science has advanced to the point that this is no longer true as an unqualified blanket statement," the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine reported.

Starting in 2004, dozens of complex peer-reviewed studies found the odds of some extreme events were affected by man-made climate change. This new field of finding global warming fingerprints is scientifically valid, the academies said in a 163-page report released today. The private non-profit has advised the government on complex, science-oriented issues since the days of President Abraham Lincoln.

When it comes to heat waves, droughts, heavy rain and some other events, scientists who do rigorous research can say whether they were more likely or more severe because of man-made global warming, said academies report chairman David Titley, a Pennsylvania State University meteorology professor. And that matters.

"While we plan for climate, we live in weather," Titley, a retired Navy admiral, said in an interview. "These extremes are making climate real when in fact they are attributable to climate change."



Not all weird weather can be blamed with any degree of certainty on global warming, according to the report.

"For a certain class and type of event there is a human fingerprint," said report co-author Marshall Shepherd, a University of Georgia meteorology professor. The report says there is "high confidence" in studies looking for climate change connections between extreme hot and cold temperatures, such as the Russian heat wave of 2010. There's medium confidence in efforts trying to attribute droughts and extreme rainfall.

Hurricanes and other tropical cyclones, wildfires and severe thunderstorms are on the low end of the confidence range, the report found.
Paramilitary forces will be deployed, if necessary, in booths in sensitive areas bordering Kerala, where there was suspected movement of Maoists, District Collector Archana Patnaik said today.

Replying to a question on the security measures in booths at Pilloor, bordering Kerala, where there was movement of Maoists occasionally, Archana Patnaik told reporters at Mettupalayam that the administration was constantly monitoring the situation in such areas.

There was no chance of infiltration of Maoists and if necessary, paramilitary forces will be deployed for providing security at the booths, the collector said.

The collector was in Mettupalayam as part of the Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme to increase voters awareness and participation in the polls.

The official told voters that Mettupalayam constituency registered 86.6 per cent polling in the last election and this should be increased to 100 per cent.
A trove of leaked Islamic State group documents features the names of three of the jihadist militants behind the deadly attack on the Paris Bataclan theatre, German media reported today.

Among the thousands of IS registration papers were those of Samy Amimour, Foued Mohamed-Aggad and Omar Ismail Mostefai, said public broadcasters NDR and WDR and Munich daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

The three assailants, using guns and suicide vests, killed 90 people at the Bataclan, the deadliest attack in the bloody rampage that claimed 130 lives across the French capital on November 13.

The German research team said it had now obtained data on several thousand IS militants from a total of 22,000 documents, many of them doubles, which were earlier also obtained by British broadcaster Sky .

They contain the names, addresses, phone numbers and family contacts of jihadis who joined IS, as well as their blood type, mother's maiden name, "level of sharia understanding" and previous experience.

The fighters listed in the cache of documents came from across Europe and from the United States, Russia, Indonesia, South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago, the German media team said.

Germany's federal police said yesterday it had access to the same type of documents and considered them highly likely to be authentic, but some experts have voiced doubts or urged caution.

The German report said some papers also made indirect reference to Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the organiser of the Paris killings who recruited old friends and other small-time delinquents to help him carry out the attacks.

Omar Mostefai, a 29-year-old French national from a poor Paris suburb, blew himself up at the Bataclan music venue. His identity was confirmed using a severed fingertip found at the scene.

Another Bataclan suicide bomber was 28-year-old Samy Amimour, a former bus driver from the Paris suburb of Drancy, while the third was Foued Mohamed-Aggad, 23, from Strasbourg.

The report said the papers showed that Mohamed-Aggad had arrived in IS territory on December 18, 2013 with an unusually large group of French jihadists that included 14 men and their families.
An autorickshaw was allegedly set on fire by unidentified people in suburban Andheri here, with police suspecting it to be a handiwork of a 'prominent' political party.

The incident took place late last night on Char Bungalow Road in Andheri (West), police said.

"Around 11.30 pm last night, local people alerted police that an auto parked on Char Bunglow Road was set on fire by unidentified people," a senior police officer said.

The incident happened a day after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray directed his party workers to burn down autorickshaws with new permits, alleging that 70 per cent of these permits were given to non-Marathis.

The burnt vehicle was an old one, police said, adding that nobody was injured in the incident.

"We suspect that the burning of the vehicle is a handiwork of workers of a prominent political party," police said.

Sleuths of Amboli police station are probing the case, they said.

Buoyed by the sustained performance, SIAM expects growth



in the PV segment in the current fiscal to be in the 10-13 per cent range.

Demand for passenger vehicles has been driven by new models, especially in the SUV category with the likes of Maruti Vitara Brezza and Hyundai Creta clocking good numbers.

Last month, utility vehicle sales saw 37.93 per cent jump to 66,851 units, from 48,467 units a year ago. Car sales, on the other hand, grew by 15.14 per cent to 1,95,259 units as against 1,69,590 units.
The World Trade Organization on today ruled partially in favour of South Korea in its dispute with the United States over duties Washington imposes on imported washing machines.

The case centred on the Unites States' right to use tariffs to guard against so-called "dumping", where an imported product is sold at cut-rate prices by a foreign producer, possibly to gain market share.

The United States claimed, in part, that subsidies given by the South Korean government to one producer -- Samsung -- helped keep the prices of some machines artificially low.

South Korea challenged Washington's math and argued that the duties violated trade agreements signed by both nations.

Some of Seoul's arguments were dismissed in the highly technical ruling, but broadly the WTO panel found in South Korea's favour "by recommending the United States brings its measures into conformity with its obligations," a summary of the ruling said.

The countries have 60 days to appeal the ruling.

The WTO, which polices respect for global trade accords in an effort to offer its 162 members a level playing field, set up a dispute settlement panel on the issue in August 2013.

The WTO's disputes settlement body -- made up of independent trade and legal experts -- has the power to authorise retaliatory trade measures against a country found at fault.
Haryana Minister Anil Vij today claimed the resolution adopted against the construction of Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal by Punjab Assembly amounts to challenge the authority of the Supreme Court.

"Punjab Government should not vitiate the atmosphere in the region by issuing such statements and wait for the apex court decision," the state health minister told reporters here.

"Whatever decision the Supreme Court will take, should be respected," Vij said.

The then Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had also taken "one-sided" decision to terminate the SYL Agreement in 2004, which was "not" in accordance with the country's democracy and the Constitution, Vij alleged.

Punjab Assembly yesterday adopted a resolution against the construction of SYL canal and also decided to de-notify the SYL land and return it to farmers.

Vij also said there was no "conflict of any kind" among the Haryana Cabinet members.

On the arrest of those accused of violence during the Jat quota agitation in the state, Vij said that only those persons against whom the police had substantial evidence have been arrested.

"The priority of Jat leaders should be to promote brotherhood in the state instead of advocating for such persons," he said.

He said that police were not taking any action against "innocent" people.
PNB Housing Finance Limited, today inaugurated its Zonal Office and Regional Processing Centre here to tap high-growth in cities and regions in South Indian market.

There are enormous opportunities available in the South and Bengaluru Zonal office will cater the growing demand and serve as the decision making centre for their branches in the South, MD of PNB Housing Sanjaya Gupta said.

The zonal office will cater to the entire South Indian market while the regional processing centre will serve Karnataka reaching out to cities like Mysuru and Mangaluru, he said.

The new office will also augment operational efficiencies performing as the nerve centre for the state territory, a bank statement said quoting Gupta.

PNB Housing operates with four regional offices supported by a network of branches in South India.

As of September 30, 2015, 29 per cent of their total loan book was contributed from South India amounting to Rs.6,222 crore.

It plans to take the total number of branches in South India to 14 in the next fiscal by adding 5 more branches, the statement said.
Tens of thousands of Poles took to Facebook to support the country's top court in a constitutional battle against the right-wing government.

The EU country has been mired in crisis over a government bid to change how the Constitutional Court reaches its decisions, in a move that has sparked outrage at home and abroad.

A new law raised the bar needed for court rulings from a simple majority to a two-thirds majority of justices, while also requiring 13 judges to be present for the most contentious cases instead of nine as before.

But the court itself on Wednesday struck down the ruling as unconstitutional, pitting it against the government led by the Law and Justice (PiS) Party, which dismissed its judgement.

Nearly 54,000 users shared the constitutional court verdict on a dedicated Facebook site in the 24 hours after it was handed down.

The campaign urged Prime Minister Beata Szydlo to publish the verdict in Poland's Journal of Laws, a move that would render it binding.

With public anger growing, an impromptu street protest attracted around a thousand people, including opposition party members, yesterday evening outside the cabinet office in Warsaw.

Protesters used a projector to light up the building's facade with a copy of the Polish constitution. A day earlier they did the same with a copy of the verdict.

"A government that ignores court rulings, is quite simply undemocratic. It's putting itself above the constitution," Warsaw resident Magdalena Mikula-Mayer, 39, told AFP.

Szydlo had dismissed the verdict even before it was delivered, saying: "The statement that will be delivered by some of the judges of the Constitutional Court will not be a verdict in the legal sense of the term."



Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski yesterday likened the top court's Chief Justice Andrzej Rzeplinski, a respected jurist who handed down the ruling, to an "Iranian ayatollah".

The government's refusal to abide by the judgement has set Poland on a collision course with the European Union, which launched an investigation into the reforms in January.
China, the world's biggest emitter, slapped fines amounting to $654 million on polluters in 2015, an increase of 34% over 2014, the government said on Friday.

The environmental authorities delivered more than 97,000 punishment notices to polluters, Minister of Environmental Protection Chen Jining said on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress.

"They also worked with police and judicial agencies so that serious offenders not only faced administrative punishment but also criminal penalties," he said.

Polluters involved in 2,079 cases were placed under police detention and those in 1,685 cases were prosecuted.

About 1.77 million enterprises were inspected, with 191,000 of them punished, 20,000 closed and production suspended in 34,000.

"I would like to stress that severe punishment is not an end but a means to have enterprises understand the importance of abiding by the law," Chen said.

The ministry also stepped up supervision of local governments, inspecting 33 cities and interviewing 15 chief city officials, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

China's revised environmental protection law took effect in January 2015.

Last December, China's capital Beijing issued the first-ever red alert as the city of over 22 million people faced the worst ever smog, forcing authorities to shut down schools and putting restrictions on factories and traffic.

The smog level in December crossed the most hazardous mark of PM 2.5 the smallest and deadliest form of airborne particulate matter crossing 500.
Puerto Rico may be on the brink of a massive outbreak of Zika, a mosquito-borne virus which has been linked to birth defects, and cash is urgently needed, warned US health authorities have warned.

Tom Frieden, the chief of the US Centers for Disease Control, told reporters on a conference call that he had just returned from a visit to the US territory, and was worried about what he had seen.

"Puerto Rico is on the front lines of the battle against Zika and it is an uphill battle," said Frieden.

"I am very concerned that before the year is out there could be hundreds of thousands of Zika infections in Puerto Rico and thousands of infected pregnant women."



The virus has already swept through Brazil, where thousands of babies have been born with microcephaly, a defect in which the head is unusually small.

Some microcephaly cases have been directly linked to infection with Zika virus while the mother was pregnant.

While researchers caution that Zika has not yet been proven to cause birth defects, evidence so far strongly suggests the possibility.

Frieden also said a link between Zika and Guillan Barre syndrome -- in which the immune system attacks the nervous system -- "is likely to be proven in the near future."



Other top concerns listed by Frieden include an apparent rise in mosquitoes' resistance to common insecticides, and the lack of access to contraception in Puerto Rico, a Caribbean island with some 3.5 million inhabitants.

Health experts have urged women who want to become pregnant or who are pregnant to avoid travel to the more than 30 areas of the world where Zika is present -- or if they live there, to postpone plans to get pregnant if possible.

"Never before have we had a mosquito borne infection that could cause birth defects on a large scale," said Frieden.

"Most of the pregnancies in Puerto Rico are unplanned, unintended and there is an unmet need for contraception."



Last month, the island territory declared a health emergency due to the Zika virus, which can be transmitted by sexual contact as well as by mosquitoes.

"The rainy season is around the corner and funding from Congress is urgently needed," said Frieden.

"There is nothing about Zika control that is quick or easy," added.

"The only thing quick is the mosquito bite that can give it to you. And the only thing easy are wrong answers.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will tomorrow meet party leaders from Punjab and brainstorm over plans for upcoming assembly polls in the presence of political strategist Prashant Kishor.

The meeting comes in the wake of a similar session with Uttar Pradesh leaders with Kishore on March 2.

Congress has been out of power in Punjab for the past decade and to end this "bad patch", the party and Rahul Gandhi are working hard to wrest back power.

Apart from the ruling SAD-BJP combine, the party is set to face a spirited challenge from AAP, which is gaining ground in the agrarian border state.

Gandhi has convened the meeting to facilitate threadbare discussions with Punjab leaders to devise a winning strategy after two successive losses, with the last one then blamed by the AICC on the "overconfidence" of the state leadership.

Congress sources said AICC has brought in Kishor to "help and assist" the Uttar Pradesh and Punjab units to craft the party's strategy for the crucial polls next year.

Kishor had played a key role in victories of Narendra Modi-led BJP in the 2014 general elections and the JD(U)-RJD- Congress alliance in Bihar assembly polls, which the Prime Minister and BJP President Amit Shah had turned into a prestige fight.

The meeting is being held at a time when state Congress leaders are getting increasingly wary about AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal's aggressive campaign plans and his strategy of targeting voters through an army of volunteers. Kishor had effectively used his band of volunteers in the Bihar polls.

Talk is that Kishor has already conducted preliminary surveys and would come armed with inputs on what the Congress needed to do to win the state, after a string of disappointing losses.

Congress has declared Punjab PCC Chief Amarinder Singh as the party's 'face' in the polls after Gandhi held a series of meetings with state leaders to persuade them to present a united face in the faction-ridden state unit.

Singh, a former Chief Minister, is considered the most formidable leader of the party in the state.

Congress had lost the last assembly elections despite Gandhi declaring Singh as the chief ministerial candidate in the midst of the campaign.

Since the debacle in the last Lok Sabha elections, Congress has been losing state after state.
India will supply 18 meter gauge diesel locomotives to Myanmar to augment the loco fleet of Railways of that country.

Equipped with 1350 horse power (HP), the locos are expected to meet increasing demand for passenger and freight traffic in Myanmar.

A contract to this effect was signed last week at Naypyitaw, by SB Malik, Director Technical, RITES Ltd. (a PSU of Railways) and U Thurein Win, Managing Director, Myanmar Railways in presence of U Nyan Tun Aung, Minister of Rail Transportation, Myanmar and Gautam Mukhopadhaya, Ambassador of India to Myanmar.

The supply contract of locomotives is a vital project being funded under an existing line of credit extended to Myanmar by the government. These locomotives will be manufactured by Diesel Locomotive Works at Varanasi with several modern features like microprocessor controls, fuel-efficient engine and ergonomic cab design etc.

Rajeev Mehrotra, Chairman and Managing Director said RITES is making all efforts to augment export of rolling stock manufactured at Railway Production Units. Response from South East Asian markets is very encouraging, he said.
Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day today, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.

The Bossier City region near Shreveport has taken the brunt of the storm that began saturating Louisiana late Tuesday. At least three people have drowned, and mandatory evacuations have been enforced by rescuers using large trucks able to negotiate the high waters.

Residents in two additional subdivisions in the region were ordered to leave today, while the Louisiana Downs racetrack was under a mandatory evacuation, said Bossier Parish Sheriff's Lt Bill Davis. A flood warning was in effect for the Red Chute Bayou, where levees built to prevent water from overflowing were at risk.

In the southeast, high water rescues were under way in Tangipahoa Parish, and emergency shelters were being set up to house dislocated residents. Parish President Robby Miller said about 200 people were evacuated from their homes east and northeast of Hammond early today after 12 inches of rain fell overnight.

"We are getting calls from all over the parish of high water and homes been threatened," Miller said. "About 60 parish roads are now blocked by high water and that number is growing."



Meteorologist Patrick Omundson in Shreveport said rain continued to fall over portions of north-central Louisiana, bringing an addition inch to portions of Grant, LaSalle and Winn parishes.

A section of Interstate 20 east of Bossier City remained closed and a portion of I-49 was closed south of Shreveport. "Wallace Lake is overflowing, sending its water west to the interstate," Omundson said.

Most of the heavy rain remains over the Monroe area in northeast Louisiana. C S Ross, a hydrologist at the National Weather Service in Shreveport, said 20-plus inches of rain has fallen in southeast Bossier City since Tuesday night.

If weather permits today, Louisiana Gov John Bel Edwards planned to tour Shreveport and Bossier City and Monroe, the governor's spokeswoman Shauna Sanford said. Edwards late yesterday issued a statewide declaration of emergency.
A 10.10 carat vivid blue diamond is expected to set the record for the most expensive piece of jewellery sold at auction in Asia despite an ongoing growth slowdown in China's economy, Sotheby's said today.

The "De Beers Millennium Jewel 4" is expected to fetch between USD 30 million and USD 35 million at the April 5 sale in Hong Kong, and is described by the auction house as the largest oval blue diamond ever to appear at auction and "internally flawless".

The diamond, which is slightly larger than an almond in size, came from South Africa's Cullinan Mine and was one of 12 displayed at London's Millennium Dome to mark the year 2000.

"There are no more than a dozen or so blue diamonds of fancy vivid colour and over 10 carats in the world, so they are very, very rare," Sotheby's Deputy Chairman for Asia Quek Chin Yeow told AFP.

The sale will come five months after the 12.03-carat "Blue Moon of Josephine" was bought for a record USD 48 million in Geneva by an Asian property tycoon -- a further sign the jewellery auction market remains strong despite slowing Chinese growth.

The world's second-largest economy expanded 6.9 per cent in 2015, the worst performance in a quarter of a century and a far cry from years of double-digit increases.

"Of course people are concerned about the China slowdown" Quek said, but added that sales of rare items seem to be largely unaffected by growth numbers.

"It's the rarity and the collectability of these wonderful objects. When they come to the market, they will have strong interest from all over the world," Quek said, adding that the location of the upcoming sale was a sign of confidence in the Asian market.

The previous record for a diamond sold in Hong Kong was set in 2013, with the sale of a 118-carat white diamond for USD 30.6 million.
Reserve Bank has allowed foreign investors to buy upto 49 per cent stake in SeQuent Scientific Ltd.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs)/Registered Foreign Portfolios Investors (RFPIs) can now invest up to 49 per cent of the paid up capital of SeQuent Scientific Limited under the Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS), RBI said in a notification.

"Since the holding limit is increased to 49 per cent, the earlier limit of 32.46 per cent stands altered to that extent," RBI said.

RBI said the company's Board of Directors passed a resolution to this effect. A special resolution by the shareholders also agreed for enhancing the limit for the purchase of its equity shares by FIIs/RFPIs.

FIIs, NRIs and PIOs (Persons of Indian Origins) can invest in primary and secondary capital markets in India through PIS.

The RBI monitors the ceilings on FII/NRI/PIO investments in Indian companies on a daily basis and has fixed the cut-off points two percentage points lower than the actual ceiling.

Scrips of SeQuent Scientific closed 1.41 per cent down at Rs 174.70 apiece on BSE today.
The 86 fishermen, who were released from a Pakistani prison on Sunday, have accused the jail authorities of ill-treatment and blamed them for the death of two of their compatriots who were lodged in the same prison.

"Two fishermen, identified as Vaaga Chauhan, a resident of Dandi village, and Ratandas Makwana, a resident of Nanavada village, who were our co-prisoners, died in the (Landhi) jail," Bhupat B, one of the released fishermen, said.

"Chauhan passed away in December last year, while Makwana died in February this year," he said.

Their bodies have not been sent back to India. "We request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up the matter with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif," he said.

"A probe should be carried out in the incidents (that led to their death)," he said, and alleged that the fishermen were not given proper medical care.

The 86 fishermen were arrested by Pakistan Maritime Security Agency, when they had ventured into their territorial waters in the Sir Creek area about an year ago.

N F Patel, a senior official of the Gujarat Fisheries department, who received the fishermen at the Wagah border, said the repatriation brought back the smiles on the faces of these fishermen, particularly because hours of strandedness and confusion in the journey left them anxious.

Fishermen Umesh Kanti and Shanti, among others who heaved a sigh of relief upon returning to India, recalled the travails they faced during the imprisonment.

They expressed in unison their wish for "the release of fishermen, numbering more than 500, who are still lodged in jails in Pakistan".

The fishermen would arrive in Vadodara at around 11 PM tonight, from where they would leave for Gir Somnath district to reunite with their families tomorrow.
Thousands of residents in and around the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in suburban Borivli here took out two protest rallies today, supported by Aam Aadmi Party workers, against government's inaction towards not rehabilitating them.

AAP national spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon said that around 5,000 families residing in the vicinity of SGNP were asked to vacate their homes following a Bombay High Court order. The court had it also issued directives regarding their rehabilitation. However, no concrete actions have been taken by civic body BMC and state government for a long time now.

"These are nearly 20,000 people living in and around the national park. Many of them are the original natives of Mumbai. Unfortunately, BMC and the state government have always turned a blind eye to their basic needs," Menon said.

Sharma claimed that the government had promised these residents shelters with all basic amenities like water, electricity and sanitation for the past many years and had even collected Rs 7000 from them. Despite several reminders and requests no action has been taken.

One of the rally started from Damunagar in Magathane while the second from from Vaishali Nagar in Dahisar to Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivali.

According to a AAP volunteer, AAP North Mumbai office has come forward to lodge complaints of residents with authorities concerned in the recent past.
"Gone Girl" actress Rosamund Pike is in negotiations to co-star with Christian Bale in Scott Cooper's Western "Hostiles".

Cooper will write and direct and also produce with "Black Mass" producer John Lesher along with Ken Kao, reported Variety.

Set in 1892, "Hostiles" tells the story of a legendary Army captain (Bale), who agrees to escort a dying Cheyenne war chief and his family back to tribal lands.

Making the harrowing and perilous journey from an isolated Army outpost in New Mexico to the grasslands of Montana, the former rivals encounter a young widow (Pike) whose family was murdered on the plains.

Together, they must join forces to overcome the punishing landscape and hostile Comanche tribes that they encounter along the way.

Production is set to begin in July.

Sources say Cooper was drawn to Pike, 37, after seeing her in Massive Attack's music video "Voodoo in My Blood", which recently caused an internet stir.
One member of the proscribed



Revolutionary People's Front (RPF) was apprehended by a team of Manipur police commandos here, police said today.

53-year-old Thongam Gyanendro Singh was arrested while carrying out frisking operations in Khoyathong area on March 9, according to a police officer.

Singh was involved in extortion activities and allegedly collected a large sum of money from different organizations in Bishnupur district, he said.
RSS today asked the government to check "subversive" elements indulging in "anti-national" activities in universities for long and questioned how slogans calling for break-up of the country made in JNU can be tolerated.

"We expect the central and state governments to deal strictly with such anti-national and anti-social forces and ensure the sanctity and cultural atmosphere by not allowing our educational institutions to become centres of political activities," the RSS said as its top brass began a three-day brainstorming session today.

The meet of BJP's idealogical mentor assumes importance in the backdrop of Narendra Modi government facing flak over handling of JNU row, dalit student's suicide in Hyderabad, allegations of saffronisation of education and the debate over intolerance ahead of crucial assembly elections.

BJP President Amit Shah was present at the opening of the meet of Akhil Bhartiya Pratinidhi Sabha which is attended by Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh's top leaders including its chief Mohan Bhagwat.

In its annual report presented at the meeting, the RSS also expressed concern over terror attack in Pathankot and called for a review of the efficiency of the security forces, their material and officers in-charge and steps to check illegal migration and Pakistan-inspired terrorism.

It termed the violent quota agitations in Gujarat and Haryana as not only a challenge to the administrative machinery but also a threat social harmony and trust.

Referring to Malda episode in West Begal, where a mob allegedly burnt down a police station, the Sangh fountainhead decried attempts to create "atmosphere of fear" as it asked political parties to give up their "policy of appeasement" and take such incidents seriously.

"Reports about anti-national activities in certain universities have become a matter of concern for the patriotic people.

"In the name of freedom of expression, how can the slogans calling for breaking up and destruction of the nation be tolerated and how can the guilty, who had hatched the conspiracy to blow up Parliament, be honoured as martyr?" the RSS said.

The RSS said that those who do such things have no faith



in the Constitution, judiciary and Parliament and "such subversive elements have made these universities the centres of their activities for long".

"When they find certain political parties supporting such anti-national elements, the concern (of patriotic persons) grows further," the report said.

"Incidents of violence and terror attacks have become a matter of grave concern. Under the pretext of small and big issues, people armed with weapon take to the roads creating atmosphere of fear, as has happened in Malda, and it has become endemic nowadays.

"Destruction of public and private properties, looting and burning business establishment specially those run by Hinuds, has taken place. Political parties, giving up their policy of appeasement, should take such incidents seriously and cooperate to restore the law and order situation and peace," the RSS said.

The saffron outfit said it will be possible only when parties "shed their petty and parochial political interests".

"It is the responsibility of an efficient and strong government to instill confidence in the people about their security," the report said.

On the violence during quota agitation, it said, "There should not be injustice or oppression of anybody, but the society should be vigilant and the administration should take strict action on the persons and organizations engaged in anti national activities in a planned manner."



It also said there should not be any politics on a "sensitive" issue like entry of women in temples and it should be resolved through discussion instead of agitation.
A Russian media mogul and former Kremlin aide, found lifeless in a Washington hotel last year, died of blunt force trauma to the head, reports have said.

Mikhail Lesin also suffered injuries to his neck, torso and upper and lower extremities, the Washington Post reported, citing the US capital's medical examiner's office.

Lesin, who helped launch the Russian English-language television network RT, was found dead in November at the age of 57.

The findings contradict Russian state media reports, which said the former minister of media affairs died of a heart attack.

The Post quoted Washington police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck as saying that the case remains under investigation.

He declined to say whether the medical examiner's findings indicate that a crime may have been committed, it said.

Sternbeck and the medical examiner's office could not immediately be reached for comment.

A controversial figure, Lesin had been accused of limiting press freedom in Russia.

He was Russia's minister of press, television and radio between 1999 and 2004, and later served as a Kremlin aide.

In 2013, he became head of Gazprom-Media Holding, the media arm of state energy giant Gazprom, and oversaw the work of Russia's top liberal radio station Echo of Moscow.

Lesin resigned a year later, citing family reasons.

In Moscow, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova posted on Facebook early today that the Russian embassy in Washington had repeatedly inquired about the probe into Lesin's death but had never received a reply.

"We are waiting for Washington to give us the relevant information and official data about the investigation," Zakharova wrote, adding that Russia would send the US a request for "international legal assistance" if the information circulating in the media turned out to be true.

An unnamed representative of the Russian embassy in Washington was quoted by the RIA Novosti state agency as saying: "We intend to make requests (to the US) in order to receive answers to the questions that are worrying the Russian side."



In 2014, Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi called for a probe into Lesin on suspicion of money laundering and corruption.

He allegedly amassed millions of dollars in assets in Europe and the United States while working for the government, including USD 28 million in real estate in Los Angeles.
Citing the 2008 Mumbai attack, a Supreme Court Judge from India has suggested the creation of a "common court" for countries in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) region that comprises judges from each nation who can share their knowledge and tackle cross-border terrorism cases.

"The one incident which happened in India about terrorists crossing international border was 26/11 (Mumbai attack) and the...Terrorists entered Bombay and did what they had to and they were guided throughout by...Handlers from across the border who were guiding their action...Throughout," Justice Sharad Bobde said.

"This was the advantage they (terrorists) had and this was the disadvantage the Indian people had. They did not know what the plan was, where they would go next," he added.

Read more from our special coverage on "TERROR"

"This incident underscored the point for which this conference is convened and that is that judges must talk to each other," he said while participating in the open briefing here on Thursday of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee on 'Upholding Justice: The effective adjudication of terrorism cases'.

Bobde was responding to a question on how courts can come together to foster regional and international cooperation and how the judiciary can help in the efforts to tackle terrorism.

The UN event for the first time brought together Supreme Court justices from across the world to discuss how terrorism cases are handled in their respective countries.

Outlining the ways the judiciary can help in addressing the scourge of cross-border terrorism, Bobde referred to the SAARC countries and floated the idea of having a "common court" for the South Asian bloc that would have judges from each country in the region who could share expertise and knowledge in tackling cross-border terrorism cases.

"The entire discussion on sharing of knowledge and helping judges in other countries assumes that there are different courts in different countries separated from each other," he said.

"Talking mainly of the SAARC countries...Could we consider...Having a common court for these countries which comprises of judges from all (SAARC) countries who will share the matter and decide. This will eliminate the entire problem of sharing of knowledge and other cross border (concerns)," he said at the event organised by the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED).

Bobde noted that mere sharing of knowledge once the matter is over would not be very effective in dealing with terrorism.

He pointed out that India is tackling with all kinds of terrorism, including political terrorism, narco-terrorism, separatist movements in the Northeast as well as cross-border terrorism on allegedly religious lines "which I don't believe is really religious".

"There are different problems and with different countries. If we could have judges from these countries on a common court, it would help a great deal. The modalities could be worked out but I would seriously recommend that this be considered by the committee," he said.

He also underscored that judges, in tackling cross-border cases, also need to have knowledge about the state of the weaponry being used.

"It is very important for judges to know the capacity of the weapons,for instance the distance at which a gun can be effective, the destructive power of a bomb, how it is detonated. Knowledge of communication devices is also crucial, it is increasingly being used for the cross-border terrorism," he said.

He further added that if judges in one country have tried offenses perpetrated by a particular group then that knowledge is "invaluable" because even though every incident is unique and new strategies are planned, each terror group tends to have its own pattern of attack.

On ways that knowledge about cross-border terror cases can be shared, he suggested creating a web portal where judges can share details of their respective terror cases.

"Obviously there can be no communication (between judges) on how to decide the case because of the complete independence of the judiciary but one of the possibilities is that there should be a web portal on which judges post information about their experience in dealing with terror cases," he said.

He said this portal with restricted access "can be accessed by judges of other countries" and can be of tremendous help to the judges.

Further, judges can travel to other countries and share their knowledge in judicial academies.

"A large number of judges who attend the academies could benefit from this and it will give greater confidence and knowledge in deciding these cases," he said.

Officials at the session noted that formal cooperation among judges is essential in bringing individuals charged with terrorism-related crimes to justice and ensuring that the rule of law is upheld throughout the process.

"Judges play a crucial role in interpreting counter-terrorism measures and promoting counter-terrorism measures within the human rights and legal frameworks," UN Chef de Cabinet Edmond Mulet said.

"Member States must ensure that they provide access to justice for all and work to strengthen institutions, including the judicial," he told the event.

He stressed the importance of "effective, accountable and inclusive" justice not only for the victims and the perpetrators, but also for ensuring public confidence in the judicial process.

US Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer provided an overview framing the issues that would be discussed in an interactive panel, namely the role of the country's top judiciary during times of conflict.

Echoing the idea that greater cooperation is useful between judicial representatives, he characterised being a judge as "not a gregarious job; it is a rather lonely job".

Speaking of his experience in Afghanistan, Supreme Court Justice Abdul Rasheed Rashid discussed the physical security threats facing judges in his country, and praised the people of Afghanistan for being "really courageous even if the kind of terrorism we have here is one of the worst".

Justices from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan also participated.

From Pakistan, Justice Asif Khosa, stressed that the main principle of a judge is to be fair, irrespective if the perpetrator is alleged to be a terrorist or a more common criminal.

"In the name of terrorism, I cannot brutalise justice," he said.

The discussion was held under the umbrella of CTED's cooperation with the Global Center on Cooperative Security and the South Asia Judges Project, which consists of a series of workshops for judges, attended by representatives of all member states of the SAARC  Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka  as well as by prosecutors and police officers from all the SAARC countries.

Jean-Paul Laborde, the Executive Director of CTED, said connections between the diplomatic and judicial world are essential for the future of "our fight against terrorism and for our fight against all forms of international crime".

He noted that judges need to be able to stay abreast of the flexibility and the speed of action of these terrorist organisations, to be fully aware of the type of response that needs to be provided at the judiciary level.
Seeking to decongest the national capital's roads, Delhi PWD Minister Satyendar Jain will embark on a two-day Malaysia visit tomorrow to study the concept of two-tier elevated roads for a dedicated Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and an expressway for acrs and other vehicles.

In December last year, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced that his government would construct two-tier elevated corridor - one part for BRT and second one for cars and other vehicles.

"Jain and a team of PWD engineers will leave for Malaysia on Saturday's night for a detailed study and observation of two-tier elevated roads with BRT and an expressway there. They will return to Delhi on Tuesday," a senior government official said.

According to the plan, buses would ply on the BRT corridor and cars and others vehicles on the expressway.

The government has decided to construct 10 elevated corridors for which it has also identified locations.

The official said out of the ten, one will be a two-tier elevated corridor.

In January, the AAP government started the process of dismantling the BRT corridor from Moolchand to Ambedkar Nagar, a Rs 180-crore traffic project built in 2008 during Congress' rule.
The Supreme Court today refused to entertain a PIL seeking quashing of criminal prosecution, suspension and other action taken against Gujarat cops in the 2004 alleged fake encounter killing of Ishrat Jahan in view of recent testimony of jailed LeT operative David Headley.

"What is the purpose of Article 32. You cannot file such a case under it. If you wish, you can go to the high court under Article 226 of the Constitution," a bench comprising Justices P C Ghose and Amitava Roy said minutes after lawyer M L Sharma started arguments in the case.

However, the bench clarified that it was not dismissing the petition on merits when Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought a clarification on this issue.

"Any person having locus can approach the appropriate authority," the bench said paving way for the affected Gujarat policemen including then DIG D G Vanzara to move the court for their exoneration in the politically sensitive case.

The plea seeking quashing of action taken against Gujarat cops refers to the statement of Headley,the Pakistani-American terrorist, recorded before a Mumbai court that Jahan was a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative.

Gujarat Police personnel, including ex-cop Vanzara, are facing trial in a Mumbai court for their alleged role in the encounter.

The plea, which cited the recent statements recorded by Headley, who allegedly conspired with LeT in plotting the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, said the facts are now undisputed that all four persons killed by Gujarat Police, including Ishrat Jahan, were terrorists.

"The judicial proceeding and statement of David Headley, who conspired with LeT in plotting the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, stated via video conference and recorded in the special court at Mumbai that four persons, including Ishrat Jahan who were killed in June 2004 by Gujarat Police, were part of LeT terrorist organisation belonging to Pakistan and they were assigned to kill then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi," it said.

The plea had sought a direction to close criminal



proceedings and action taken in FIRs lodged by CBI against the Gujarat Police personnel and others, saying it was unconstitutional within the judicial facts and evidences of Headley.

It had also sought a direction from the court declaring that killing of a terrorist is not an offence under Indian law and proper compensation be paid to the state police personnel in the interest of justice.

It also wanted initiation of suo motu perjury/contempt proceedings against the then Home Minister and CBI Director for concealing true facts before the Supreme Court and the Gujarat High Court and for filing a false affidavit pertaining to facts about the case.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today said India does not "agree" with the US' rationale that sale of F-16 combat jets to Pakistan will help combat terrorism.

In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Parrikar said India has expressed disappointment at the decision of the United States to notify the sale of F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan.

"India does not agree with the US rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism," he said.

Reacting strongly, India had last month summoned US Ambassador to India Richard Verma to convey its "displeasure and disappointment" over Obama administration's decision to sell the fighter jets to Pakistan.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar had summoned Verma to the South Block and during the 45-minute meeting conveyed to him India's concerns over the US military aid to Pakistan which New Delhi believes used for into anti-India activities.
Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha today said he would not be able to be with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his programme in Patna and Hajipur tomorrow due to a tragedy in his family.

"I'll not be able to make it to the PM function in Patna and Hajipur on March 12 due to personal and unavoidable reasons," Sinha told PTI here over phone.

Sinha's elder brother Bharat Sinha's former wife Sheela Sinha was yesterday found hanging at her residence in Gurgaon. She had been separated from Bharat, a London-based doctor, for the past 25 years.

"The entire family is drowned in sorrow over the incident and due to the tragedy, I will not be able to come for the function," Sinha, BJP Lok Sabha member from Patna Sahib, said.

The PM is scheduled to attend the closing function of centenary celebration of the Patna High Court and would later go to Hajipur for a Railway function.

The Patna High Court falls under Parliamentary constituency of Sinha.

Sinha's name was prominent in the advertisement given by the East Central Railway (ECR) regarding its function.
Kolkata Port Trust Chairman Raj Pal Singh Kahlon, who was arrested yesterday for allegedly taking bribe, has been repatriated to his parent cadre - West Bengal.

Kahlon, a 1984-batch IAS officer of West Bengal cadre, was remanded to police custody following his arrest from a five-star hotel here for allegedly taking a Rs 20 lakh bribe from a representative of a container terminal firm.

"Kolkata Port Trust Chairman has been repatriated to his parent cadre," an official source in the Ministry of Shipping told PTI.

Kolkata Police sleuths had arrested Kahlon, alongwith D D Jagtap Dattaji, who allegedly paid Rs 20 lakh to the bureaucrat, from the hotel premises in the heart of the city on March 9.

Police had been keeping a watch on the IAS officer following a tip-off from a source and intercepted Kahlon and Dattaji following the alleged transaction.

They were produced at the Bankshall Court yesterday and sent to police remand for eight days.
Bihar Minister Maheshwar Hazari today termed the BJP-led government at the Centre as "anti-Bihar" for not including a single city even the capital Patna in the first list of 'Smart City Mission' from the state.

"The Centre is anti-Bihar. Why is there not a single city in the list of Smart City from Bihar?" state minister for Urban Development and Housing Hazari said.

"It is the Central government which sets the criteria for 'Smart City' scheme. Cities belonging to states where opposition parties are ruling have not been included," he said while replying to a debate on the department's budgetary demand of Rs 3409.36 crore for next financial year.

The Centre announced the list of first 20 smart cities in January. Each of these 20 smart cities will get funds first for starting development process. Central allocation for each city central will be Rs 100 crore for the five years of the Smart City Mission period.

Hazari wondered whether Rs 100 crore is a sufficient amount to make a smart city.

During his Delhi visit last month, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had suggested Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu that State capitals, which could not be shortlisted for inclusion in Smart City Mission, be given another opportunity to compete for selection.

Kumar had also insisted on factors like regional imbalance, existing gaps in institutional capabilities and variation in current level of development while selecting cities under the Smart City Mission.

Denying opposition BJP's charge that the Centre had made huge allocation for Bihar's Urban Development and Housing Department, Hazari said out of Rs 3409.36 crore budgetary demand, only Rs 1169 crore (33 per cent) has been allocated by the Centre, while the remaining 67 per cent would be met by state plan.

Out of Nitish Kumar's 'Saat Nischay' (seven resolves), three resolves belonged to Urban Development Department.

Hazari said the department would construct toilets, pucca drainage and piped drinking water to every household in the next five years. A total of Rs 700 crore has been earmarked for the three schemes in next fiscal, he added.

Meanwhile, NDA members led by BJP's Prem Kumar boycotted the government's reply saying that government was not answering to his query as why 'Mukhyamantri Nagar Vikas Yojana' was being closed.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today said social media was bringing change in society, but apprehensions of its misuse were also increasing.

"Large scale changes are taking place in the society through social media. Using this medium people are touching new avenues of economic growth. Apprehensions of its misuse are also increasing," Akhilesh said while addressing Facebook's 'Boost your Business' programme.

While terming social media as a strong medium to project their products at international level for small entrepreneurs, he said, "Social media platforms like Facebook should be used for the development of the state".

The CM said more than 1,500 business pages have been created on Facebook for small entrepreneurs.

After hosting a series of successful events and outreach activities in cities like Kannauj, Kanpur, Allahabad and Varanasi, Facebook's 'Boost Your Business' program has reached its last leg, Lucknow.

Under its initiative of increasing investment in small businesses in India, Facebook's 'Boost your Business' has been live in Uttar Pradesh for the past six weeks.
A South African teenager may have found part of a wing from missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 during a beach vacation in Mozambique, the boy's father said today.

Liam Lotter found the piece on Dec. 30 on a beach in southern Mozambique, near the resort town of Xai Xai, his father Casper Lotter said.

The father said he dismissed it as a "piece of rubbish" that was probably debris from a boat, but 18-year-old Liam insisted on bringing it back to South Africa, convinced that it was part of a plane. The curved piece of debris is about 3.3 feet (one meter) long, and about half that length wide, with a five-digit number on it, Casper Lotter said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

"He was adamant he wanted to bring it home because it had a number on it," said Lotter, adding that his son is not an aviation enthusiast but was simply drawn to the piece of debris.

"It just grabbed him for some weird reason," Lotter said.

"We picked it up and I turned it around and it had like a curve to it. You could see where it'd been pop-riveted almost, like there's holes on the side," Liam Lotter told East Coast Radio, a South African station.

The teen's research did not yield much until the family heard about another piece of possible plane debris also found in Mozambique, about 186 miles (300 kilometers) from where Liam Lotter had made his discovery, his father said. Last week, his mother Candace contacted Australian aviation authorities and they said the number on the debris indicates it may belong to a Boeing 777, according to Casper Lotter.

The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 jet vanished with 239 people on board while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.

Australian authorities contacted South African counterparts to arrange to have the part discovered by Liam Lotter taken from his home in the town of Wartburg in KwaZulu-Natal, according to South African officials.

"We have arranged for collection of the part, which will be sent to Australia as they are the ones appointed by Malaysia to identify parts found," Kabelo Ledwaba, spokesman South African Civil Aviation Authority, wrote in a text message to the AP.
Increasing crop productivity is not the only solution to prevent farmers' suicides but schemes like Prime Minister's Crop Insurance scheme could deter them from taking the extreme step, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said in Rajya Sabha today.

Listing a number of steps taken by the government including setting up a nationwide e-mandi on April 14 to help farmers sell their produce at the best rates, Singh said the government believes that farmers' welfare would improve if there was a hike in the net income from the farms, along with increasing the productivity of crops.

"With this end in view, besides enabling higher productivity, the approach of the government is also to reduce cost of cultivation and ensure realisation of remunerative prices to farmers for their produce," the Union Minister said.

During Question Hour, he said the major initiatives in this direction include Soil Health Card scheme, promotion of neem-coated urea, implementation of Paramaparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana.

Singh claimed the Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana has addressed all shortcomings in the earlier schemes and would be available to the farmers at very low rates.

The minister also informed the House that the per hectare productivity of most agricultural crops cultivated in India was less compared to China and many countries in Europe and America.

He said the government is implementing several schemes through the state governments to increase the production and productivity and improve the income levels of farmers.

The estimated crop production this year was more even though there was greater effect of drought on crops this year.

On steps to help double the farm income by 2022, the Minister said government is consulting with states to change their crop marketing laws and 11 states have sent in 200 suggestions in this regard.

He said a country-wide e-mandi is being set up on April 14 to help farmers sell their produce at the best rates. Most states except Punjab have agreed to change their laws in this regard.

Minister of State for Agriculture Sanjiv Baliyan said in order to enhance production and productivity of various agricultural crops in the country, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) carries out research programmes in different crops.

He asserted that the government has also taken a number of steps like initiating Joint Liability Group to promote small farmers as the size of farming plots was now getting smaller primarily due to division of families.
Federal authorities in the US have seized two valuable artifacts stolen from India valued at about USD 450,000 from the premier auction house Christie's, just days before a scheduled auction of the items as part of planned festivities to celebrate Asia week.

Special agents with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) along with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office seized the two stolen Indian statues here yesterday, believed to be from the 8th and 10th centuries AD.

The artifacts were recovered from Christie's auction house following an international investigation with assistance from the Indian government and Interpol.

The seizure comes just days before a planned March 15 auction of the items as part of the 'Asia Week New York' festivities. Christie's had included the two artifacts in the auction entitled 'The Lahiri Collection: Indian and Himalayan Art, Ancient and Modern.'



The artifacts are a Buff Sandstone Stele of Rishabhanata, believed to be from Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh belonging to the 10th century AD. It depicts a stele carved with the first Jain Tirthankara and is valued at approximately USD 150,000.

The second artifact is a Buff Sandstone Panel Depicting Revanta and His Entourage from India in the 8th Century AD, depicting a very rare representation of the equestrian deity, Revanta, and valued at approximately USD 300,000.

According to the ongoing investigation, the Sandstone of Rishbhanata appears to have been sold to London-based Brandon Lynch Ltd between 2006 - 2007. The Panel of Revanta, according to images provided by the source dealer, appeared to have contained an "orphan fragment," a piece perfectly broken off to be sold by the smugglers after the sale of the main part of the sculpture.

"This seizure at the beginning of an international event as well recognised as Asia Week New York sends two important messages: First and foremost, it demonstrates that we are committed to protecting cultural heritage around the world and second, it demonstrates that we are monitoring the market to protect prospective buyers as well," said Angel M Melendez, special agent in charge of HSI New York.

HSI special agents were able to determine that both of these artifacts had come from a specific smuggler and supplier of illicit cultural property in India.

"Every year, fine art collectors from around the world flock



to New York for Asia Week, where they spent a reported USD 360 million last year on Asian antiquities and art," said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R Vance, Jr.

"With high demand from all corners of the globe, collectors must be certain of provenance before purchasing. I urge dealers and auction houses to take every necessary precaution to avoid facilitating the sale of cultural heritage stolen from other civilisations," he said.

Over the past four years, the Manhattan DA's Office and HSI New York have partnered on Operation Hidden Idol, focusing on activities surrounding the illicit cultural property trade in New York.

The investigation has also identified Subhash Kapoor, who is currently in custody in India awaiting trial for allegedly looting tens of millions of dollars' worth of rare antiquities from several nations.

The trails of looted artifacts have been traced all around the world. Within the past 12 months, four domestic museums and one major collector have partnered with HSI to surrender illicit cultural property stemming from Kapoor. To date, federal authorities have netted in excess of 2,500 artifacts worth over an estimated USD 100 million.

Since 2007, more than 8,000 artifacts have been returned to 30 countries, including paintings from France, Germany, Poland and Austria; 15th to 18th century manuscripts from Italy and Peru; as well as cultural artifacts from China, Cambodia and Iraq.
Import of telecom equipment has risen over 32% to Rs 89,929 crore in 2014-15 compared to the previous fiscal, Parliament was informed on Friday.

"As per the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S), import of telecom equipment during 2013-14 was Rs 67,844 crore and Rs 89,929 crore in 2014-15," Minister of Communications and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad told Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

He added the government is taking a number of steps to promote domestic manufacturing of electronics (including telecom) equipment under Make in India programme.

Some of these steps include offering financial assistance through programmes like M-SIPS and EMC schemes.

"Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS) provides financial incentives to offset disability and attracts investments in the electronics hardware (including telecom equipment) manufacturing," the Minister said.

The scheme, which provides subsidy for investments in special economic zones (SEZs) and 25% in non-SEZs, is open to receive applications till July 26, 2020, he added.

"Electronics manufacturing clusters (EMC) scheme provides finance assistance for creating world-class infrastructure for electronics manufacturing units," Prasad said.

For greenfield EMC, the financial assistance of 50% of the project cost subject to a ceiling of Rs 50 crore for 100 acres of land is provided as grant.

For brownfield EMC, 75% of cost infrastructure, subject to a ceiling of Rs 50 crore is provided.

"The policy for providing preference to domestic manufacturers for 23 notified telecom products in government procurement has already been implemented," he said.

Also, approvals for all foreign direct investment up to 100% in the electronic hardware (including telecom equipment) manufacturing sector are under the automatic route, he added.
Congress member Shashi Tharoor today blamed the BJP for using its "brute majority" in Lok Sabha to thwart his second attempt in three months to introduce a private member's bill to decriminalise homosexuality.

Tharoor said it was "religious bigotry" of the ruling party that had disallowed discussion on his private bill to amend the "colonial era" section 377 of the IPC which criminalises homosexuality, adding that Parliament was a place for open deliberations on all issues.

He used the opportunity to voice his anguish while moving another bill on the Rights of Transgender Persons when the House was transacting Private Members' Business.

A few minutes before, the Lok Sabha, for the second time in three months, voted against the introduction of Tharoor's Indian Penal Code (Amendment) Bill 2016 to amend Section 377 of the IPC.

Expressing anguish at the rejection of his bill at the introduction stage, Tharoor said it was "a low in the proud annals of Indian democracy" where "brute majority prevailed over the rights of a member" to bring the measure.

The Congress member regretted that the House was not allowed to deliberate on a law which was framed by the British rulers on the principles of Victorian morality.

In effect, the bill aims to decriminalise sexual intercourse in private between consenting adults, irrespective of their sexuality or gender by restricting the applicability of the section.

As Tharoor sought to introduce the private member's bill, BJP members negated the motion but the Congress member insisted on a division of House.

58 out of 73 members present voted against introduction of the Bill, while 14 favoured it. One member abstained from voting.

The Supreme Court in December 2013 overturned a verdict of the Delhi High Court that had set aside Section 377 of the IPC asking the government to take a view on the controversial subject of decriminalising homosexuality.

The Delhi High Court in 2009 ruled that Section 377 was unconstitutional.

Tharoor's previous attempt to introduce a similar bill in the Lok Sabha on December 18 too was voted out. Tharoor had then said he would make another attempt to introduce the bill.

While extending support to the Transgender Bill which was already approved by the Rajya Sabha, Tharoor said Indian culture and tradition has several references to transgenders and there was a pressing need to treat them with dignity.
Murugappa Group company TI-Cycles, which has become sales and marketing partner of Ridley Group today launched a range of super premium bicycles of the Belgium-based company in India, priced up to Rs 7.80 lakh.

TI Cycles and Ridley Group had signed a 33-year-brand licensing rights agreement in August 2015 in which the city-based company would be sales and marketing partner while the latter would be incharge of design.

"Today we are getting connected with one of the leaders in Europe. It is one of the very young companies. We have been in touch...And now we have taken step in this direction", MD of Tube Investments of India, L Ramkumar told reporters here at the launch of the bicycles.

On the collaboration with Ridley Group, he said "they (Ridley Group) will be design partner, we will be sales and marketing partner in India".

Ridley Group, CEO, Joachim Aerts said, "This is first partnership for us (outside Europe). Europe, Japan, North America, Canada are biggest market for us. We felt, we have to go a step beyond what we are doing now. With TI Cycles, we hope we can grow together in this partnership in India".

Ridley Group launched nine models in India priced from Rs 63,000 upwards. Besides, the company, introduced India specific 11 models priced from Rs 25,000 onwards. The bicycles made of carbon and alloys will be imported from Belgium.

Apart from serving domestic market, TI Cycles, President, Arun Alagappan said, the company would also ship Ridley bicycles to neighbouring Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar.

The super premium bicycle segment in India was around 60,000 units and TI Cycles sells about 17,000 units a year, he said adding that the company would retail it through its 54 dealers across the country.
It is time for the conventional media to "stand up and strike back", Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today, noting there was space for it to serve objective rather than "agenda-setting news" by television channels.

Jaitley urged the drivers of conventional media to give to the readers and viewers something which may be conventional but "fresh".

"So while we all respect the trends that media follows, I am one of those conventional readers or viewers who feels that there's a huge space which is lacking for the return of the conventional media. I would like to see the Indian version of BBC, objective rather than agenda-setting .

"There would be many others like me who enjoys what happens in the evening but I think it is also taking its toll and therefore it is time for conventional media to stand up and strike back and I think this is the right time," Jaitley said.

Jaitley, who also holds the Information and Broadcasting portfolio, was speaking at a function here where the International Press Institute (IPI) India Award For Excellence in Journalism was conferred on M Shajil Kumar of Malayala Manorama for his outstanding work on "endangered tribal communities".

Former Chief Justice of India A S Anand, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and veteran journalist T N Ninan also spoke on the occasion.

"There's also a balance between idealism and ambition and I think that balance can be maintained by all of you yourself. No outside agency can ever come and try to maintain the balance," Rathore said.

Justice Anand, who headed the jury that selected Kumar's exclusive report for the prestigious award, said the judiciary can't afford to get influenced by those who speak louder.

"So far as the courts are concerned, there is no scope for the crowd to influence the judges because if that happens it will be a sad day for the judiciary. The courts cannot be influenced by who speaks louder," he said.

Print media is having to live with a redefined "as to



what happens behind the scene", Jaitley said, observing that the conventional definition of "no longer holds true".

Jaitley said it is an "interesting" phase with the way media is evolving and lauded Indian media's role in "not only keeping us as a robust democracy but a very noisy democracy also".

"It has freedoms, it keeps us informed, comments, slaps us on the knuckles. It also sets the agenda of what will happen in the Parliament tomorrow because a lot of us in the institutions do get influenced by the reports and take due cognizance of them," he said.

Jaitley observed that conventional definition of news "no longer holds true" and that what makes news is "predominantly what is captured in the camera".

"If it's not captured in the camera then it acquires a relatively secondary importance. As a result print media also now is having to live with a redefined news as to what happens behind the scene," he said.

Rathore said due to the media's competetive nature, at some stage news becomes a "commercial item" which he described as scary.

He also touched upon the attack on scribes at Patiala House Court. "I feel that it is not just limited to India that our ability to accept another version is reducing. Within homes, outside, on the roads or anywhere else and I see that across borders in other countries as well. This is scary."



Justice Anand said that when the media sacrifices truth, "objectivity is lost". When that happens the reader does not know which part to beleive and that leads to many controversies which are totally uncalled for, he said.
Torrential rains overnight killed at least 15 people on the outskirts of the Brazilian economic capital Sao Paulo, rescue workers said today.

Ironically, the flooding comes on the heels of two years of drought that caused severe water shortages in the sprawling metropolis of 20 million people.

A landslide buried 13 of the victims, while two others drowned in the floodwaters, the rescue service said on its official Twitter account.

Another eight people are missing, feared trapped inside two homes that collapsed in the landslide in the municipality of Mairipora, rescue official Marcos Palumbo told site G1.

TV images showed homes and cars immersed in water as rescuers in boats tried to reach victims left stranded by the flooding.

Dozens of families were stranded across several communities in the greater Sao Paulo metropolitan area.

The rain also interrupted flights for six hours at the Sao Paulo international airport, the largest in Brazil.

The commuter rail network was also shut down.
Traditional hand weavers and textile printers, engaged in churning out a wealth of fabrics ranging from khadi to chanderi to kalamkari among others that take the shape of saris, dupattas and other garments, are now mulling marketing themselves as stand alone brands.

At Kairi 2016, a 3-day exhibition here scores of pan-India traditional hand weavers and printers have brought the best of their products not only to sell but to market themselves as brands.

"We are in business with Fabindia for past 27 years, but now is the time when we start marketing ourselves as a brand," says Mohamed Yasim who has brought with him his classic 'Prints from Jaipur' for Kairi.

52-year-old Yasim, who is taking forward the fourth-generation of traditional prints created from soil, also got his son Naushad, a MBA degree holder involved to expand his business with fresh ideas and techniques.

"I asked my son to join our traditional business so that he could help in creating a brand name of our own. We will name it Dabu Prints," says Yasim adding that they have tied up with National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) to create a flavour of Dabu or mud-resist handblock printing predominant in Rajasthan, among future generation designers.

Among other artists is Amrita Chaudhary, a tough woman who started exploring Bandhis and Shibori craft after she decided to stand-up against the domestic abuse she faced.

"I am from a small village in Rajasthan where despite education domestic abuse is very common. I am a graduate and I decided to step out of it to create a life for myself. This is where I started with this craft," says Amrita who began her business with five women in 2011.

From a turnover of Rs 22,000 in 2013 to over Rs 3 lakh in



just one day this year, Amrita's business employs over 400 women now.

"When I started I didn't know the difference between peach and pink, I have learnt it over the years," she adds.

Talking about the exposure that artists get at exhibitions, Amrita says a lot more can be done.

"We make huge profits here, but what if we start using technology for creating our own website and catalogues, we will be able to sell our product at much cheaper rate than we do while in collaboration with bigger brands," she says.

The exhibition has brought together wide range of tie and dye, khadi, ajrakh, bagru and dabu prints, laheriya, ikats and weaves in sarees, dupattas and fabrics.

With a foot-fall of around 300 people on the first day, Kamayani Jalan, Treasurer of organiser Delhi Crafts Council, says that she is happy that artists from remotest areas are getting an opportunity to have an one-to-one interaction with their buyers.

"These artists are invisible, they don't have any name. Our effort is to provide one-to-one interaction so that art-lovers get to know them," says Jalan.

Jalan says, with more regional travelling by tourists, this shift would benefit traditional weavers and printers in the coming days.

Around 20 stalls have been set up at the Agha Khan Hall here for the exhibition.
With a view to reduce man-elephant conflict, Tripura government has decided to erect electrified barbed wire fencing that will prevent the animals from straying into human habitations.

Atul Gupta, Chief Wild Life Warden of the state, said that the Centre had sanctioned Rs 24 lakh to put up the wire fencing so that the pachyderms were confined to their reserves.

Asked if the villagers and elephants will be in danger once the electrified fencing comes up, he said, "They will get only electric shock as intended, but no fatality."



Gupta says that there is a plan to involve Joint Forest Management (JFMCs) and Eco Development Committees (EDCs) to create awareness among villagers about the need for erecting the fence.

Besides, the Forest Department has decided to arrange for adequate food in the habitat of the elephants by excavating ponds and large-scale plantation of trees in the core area.

"If adequate food is arranged for elephants, they will not stray away, which will go a long way in reducing man-animal conflict," he explained.

The state has 58 elephants, according to the latest survey conducted by the Forest Department. While one herd was spotted at Gomati district's Gandhari area, another, a big one, was found at Atharamura hill range in Dhalai district.

The state government set up an elephant reserve at



Gandhari in Gomati district for better conservation of the jumbos, whose population was dwindling in the state. The reserve is spread over 123.8 sq km area.

Just 30 to 40 years ago, elephants had never been seen in inhabited areas in Agartala, forest officials said. The pachyderms started invading human habitations after the cutting down of forests for construction of a hydel power project on the Gomati river.

With the loss of their habitat, the elephants started migrating to Bangladesh where forests were abundant.

Gupta said that a large number of elephants had migrated to the Chittagong hill tracts in Bangladesh from the Gomati Wild Life Sanctuary.

There was a time, according to British surveyor John Hunter's report, when elephants outnumbered humans in the kingdom during the colonial times and it was the reason why the colonizers did not consider taking administrative control of the region.
US Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has referred to the 1989 pro- democracy demonstrations in Beijing's Tiananmen Square as a "riot."



The outspoken billionaire made the remark during a televised debate late Thursday when asked about the student-led protests and subsequent government crackdown.

Specifically, CNN moderator Jake Tapper wanted Trump's response to critics who had expressed concern about previous Tiananmen comments Trump reportedly made to Playboy magazine in 1990.

"About China's massacre of pro-democracy protesters at Tiananmen Square, you've said: 'When the students poured into Tiananmen Square, the Chinese government almost blew it, then they were vicious, they were horrible, but they put it down with strength. That shows you the power of strength.' How do you respond?" Tapper asked.

Trump said the comments didn't mean he had endorsed what happened.

"I was not endorsing it. I said that is a strong, powerful government that put it down with strength," he said.

"And then they kept down the riot. It was a horrible thing. It doesn't mean at all I was endorsing it."



Hundreds -- by some estimates more than a thousand -- died after the Communist Party sent tanks in June 1989 to crush demonstrations on Tiananmen Square in the Chinese capital, where student-led protesters had staged a peaceful sit-in to demand democratic reforms.
A first year engineering student today allegedly committed suicide by jumping into a well at his college in Chennai while another student hanged himself after he was reportedly admonished by the college faculty in Coimbatore, police said.

At Coimbatore, Vignesh pursuing his third year engineering course allegedly committed suicide at his hostel room last evening, after he was reportedly admonished by the faculty.

The suicide led to protest by students on the campus, seeking action against the faculty.

A group of students pelted stones at the college building and then blocked a road, demanding immediate action around midnight, police said.

The body of the 20-year-old student, hailing from Villupuram district, was sent to the Government Hospital for post-mortem. However, relatives and students refused to accept it, demanding speedy probe into the matter, police said.

About 100 students staged a sit-in in front of the district collectorate demanding an inquiry.

After senior police and district officials pacified the agitators at the hospital and assured them of taking necessary action, the body was handed over to relatives, police said.

In Chennai, 18-year-old first year engineering student T Abinath was spotted sitting on the well this morning by a college employee and jumped into it even as the staffer, who had spotted him, requested him to get off from the spot.

Abinath, who lived in the college hostel, belonged to Perambalur district. The college is situated in a city suburb off Tambaram.

"He had arrears and it appears he was depressed and confused. He seems to have been interested in studying medicine. We are looking into the incident," Kundrathur Police Inspector Ruben said.

A case was registered and the body recovered by Fire and Rescue personnel, he said.

"It has been sent to the Government Chromepet General Hospital for autopsy," Ruben told PTI, adding that the student's parents have arrived.

The incidents come close on the heels of similar one involving students, including three girls of a Naturopathy College in Villupuram District some two month ago.

On January 23, three girl students of SVS Medical College of Yoga and Naturopathy at Villupuram had committed suicide by jumping into a farm well over alleged harassment by the management demanding 'exorbitant' fees.
Two persons were killed on the spot and 20 others injured when a Kolkata bound bus collided head on with a trailer at Ghoralia in West Bengal's Nadia district today, a police officer said.

The injured were rushed to Shantipur and Ranaghat hospitals and six of the seriously injured were referred to Krishnagar hospital, the officer said.

The bus was moving from Malda to Kolkata. As it reached Ghoralia, a junction with NH 34, it collided head on with a trailer from the opposite direction, the officer said.

The bus driver and a passenger died on the spot, the source said.

The bus driver was identified as Ibrahim (38), a resident of Kaliachak while the passenger was identified as Sheikh Arshad (40) from nadia district.

The driver of the trailer was also injured and admitted to hospital, the officer said.
Government has given final approval to two National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZ), one each in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha said today.

"Eight investment regions along the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project have been announced as NIMZs. Fourteen NIMZs outside the DMIC region have also been given in-principle approval.

"Out of these NIMZs (outside DMIC), the NIMZs at Prakasam in Andhra Pradesh and Medak in Telangana have been granted final approval", Sinha said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

For the financial year 2016-17, Rs 3.35 crore has been earmarked under the scheme for implementation of National Manufacturing Policy for Master Planning of NIMZs and Technology Acquisition and Development Fund (TADF), Sinha said.

The National Manufacturing Policy is based on the principle of industrial growth in partnership with the states.

"It is the prerogative of the states to adopt the instrumentalities provided by the policy", Sinha added.
The Uttarakhand government Friday presented a deficit budget of Rs 40,422.20 crore for 2016-17 with thrust on school education, disaster management, rural development and disaster management.

Total expenditure for 2016-17 is estimated to be Rs 40,422.20 crore whereas total receipts for the fiscal are estimated to be Rs 39,912.00 crore, leading to a deficit of Rs 510.20 crore.

The plan expenditure is estimated to be Rs 15,931.60 crore.

The highest allocations have been made for school education at Rs 6,238 crore, followed by roads and bridges department at Rs 2,392.07 crore, rural development at Rs 2319.36 crore and disaster management Rs 2,131.56 crore.

Besides,medical, health, family welfare, homoeopathic and ayush department has been allocated Rs 1,742.90 crore, internal security Rs 1,595.87 crore and Rs 1274.70 crore for irrigation and flood control.

A provision of Rs 1,273.96 crore has been made for social welfare followed by Rs 902.99 crore for child development and women's empowerment.

Presenting the pre-poll budget in the Assembly, State Finance Minister Indira Hridayesh said it reflects as much the aspirations of the people of the state as the state government'svision of inclusive development.

She also spoke highly of the state government for working consistently to overcome the challenges thrown up by the 2013 disaster and streamlining 'chardham yatra' for which around 10 lakh pilgrims visited the state in the last season.

Hridayesh said she was confident that the number of visitors to the four famous Himalayan shrines will double up next season which begins in May this year.

An early warning system, automatic weather stations, automatic raingauge system and 64 automatically run MeT centres are being set up in a number of vulnerable areas of Dehradun, Tehri, Chamoli and Pithoragarh districts under the World Bank and Asian Development Bank aided skill development programmes, she said.

This is the last budget of the Congress government headed by Harish Rawat as the state goes to polls early next year.
The United Nations' top humanitarian officials have welcomed "fragile glimmers of hope" in Syria after a ceasefire allowed more aid deliveries, but warned this progress was "just not enough."



In a joint statement issued ahead of the fifth anniversary of the war yesterday, the heads of aid agencies said they were "extremely concerned" about the situation in northern rural Homs and in Aleppo, where 500,000 people are caught behind frontlines.

In the past few weeks, "we are seeing signs of momentum, fragile glimmers of hope," said the 11 signatories of the statement.

"Fewer bombs are falling; humanitarian access has opened up in some places; negotiators from all sides are preparing to come together and talk."



"While we are starting to get basic supplies to communities who have been cut off from months or more, it is just not enough," they said.

Among the signatories were UN chief Stephen O'Brien, World Food Programme director Ertharin Cousin, UNICEF head Anthony Lake, High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi and World Health Organization director Margaret Chan.

A ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia has allowed the United Nations to scale up deliveries of aid, providing help to civilians in hard-to-reach areas and to Syrians facing starvation in besieged areas.

Since the start of this year, six million Syrians have received aid through regular deliveries and special convoys to besieged towns, the statement said.

"Medical supplies and equipment are still being removed at checkpoints: this is unacceptable," the statement added.

"We are able to reach more people now in besieged areas: but we are yet to reach one in every five besieged Syrians who urgently need help and protection".

The signatories said they hoped the anniversary on March 15 of five years of war in Syria will be "the last one" and that talks under way in Geneva will bring "real peace and an end to the suffering in Syria."



Other signatories were: William Lacy Swing, who heads the International Organization for Migration, Pierre Krahenbuhl from the UNRWA Palestinian refugee agency, UN Development Programme chief Helen Clark and Samuel Worthington, CEO of the InterAction group of non-government organizations.

The UN envoy for children in conflict Leila Zerrougui and Zainab Bangura, the envoy on sexual violence in conflict also joined in the appeal for an end to the war.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on North Korea to cease "destabilising acts" such as the launch of two missiles earlier in the day.

Ban "remains gravely concerned" about the situation on the Korean peninsula, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said yesterday.

North Korea yesterday fired a pair of short-range missiles and announced the liquidation of all remaining South Korean assets on its territory.

The UN chief "once again" calls on North Korea "to return to full compliance with relevant UN resolutions and to cease destabilising acts such as today's launch of two missiles," he added.

North Korea is barred from developing ballistic missile or nuclear programs under UN resolutions.

After it carried out its fourth nuclear test in January, the UN Security Council imposed its toughest sanctions to date against North Korea.
A UN report describing sweeping crimes like children and the disabled being burned alive and fighters being allowed to rape women as payment shows South Sudan is facing "one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world," the UN human rights chief said today.

Zeid Raad al-Hussein lamented the crisis in the nearly 5-year-old country has been largely overlooked by the international community, and his office said attacks against civilians, forced disappearances, rape and other violations could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The UN report released today is the work of an assessment team deployed in South Sudan between October and January and says "state actors" bear most responsibility for the crimes. It said Zeid recommends that the UN Security Council consider expanding sanctions already in place by imposing a "comprehensive arms embargo" on South Sudan and consider referring the matter to the International Criminal Court if other judicial avenues fail.

In scorching detail, the report, which focused on events in 2015, cited cases of parents being forced to watch their children being raped, and said investigators had received information that some armed militias affiliated with government forces "raided cattle, stole personal property, raped and abducted women and girls" as a type of payment.

"The quantity of rapes and gang-rapes described in the report must only be a snapshot of the real total," Zeid said in a statement. "This is one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world, with massive use of rape as an instrument of terror and weapon of war, yet it has been more or less off the international radar."



David Marshall, the UN human rights officer who coordinated the assessment team, told reporters in New York that the "machinery of violence" by the government needs to be dismantled.

"It was a reign of terror," he said.

Also on today, human rights watchdog Amnesty International accused the South Sudanese government of war crimes after its troops allegedly suffocated 60 boys and men in a cargo container at a Catholic church and then dumped their bodies in an open field.
A probe by the Justice Department has determined that Iran was responsible for a 2013 cyberattack on a dam in the suburbs outside of New York City, and an indictment is expected soon.

The official, who was briefed on the investigation, spoke to the AP yesterday on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing criminal investigation.

In 2013, hackers accessed the control system at the Bowman Avenue Dam, a small structure in Rye Brook, about 20 miles north of New York City, that's used for flood control.

The intrusion allowed the hackers to probe the system, prompting a federal investigation.

The official told that investigators have determined Iran was responsible for the cyberattack and that an indictment is expected to be handed down in the case from the US attorney's office in Manhattan.

It wasn't clear whether the indictment would charge specific people within the Iranian government or publicly name Iran as being behind the attack.

A formal announcement was expected to be made as soon as mid-April, the official said.

Officials in Rye said in December that they had been alerted by the US Department of Homeland Security about unauthorized access to the city's computer system.

At a briefing yesterday, State Department spokesman Mark Toner declined to specifically comment on the prospects that Iran would be charged in the cyberattack, but said: "I would say broadly that we obviously take all, seriously all such malicious activity in cyberspace. We're going to continue to use all the tools at our disposal to deter, detect, counter, and mitigate that kind of activity."



A spokesman for the Islamic Republic of Iran's Permeant Mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment yesterday night.
Aspiring paleontologists can bring fossils to be examined at the Fairbury City Museum and view fossils of mammoths, mastodons, dinosaurs and other creatures at the grand opening of the museums fossil room on Saturday at 1 p.m.

All of the fossils on display, including most of a 15-feet-long mastodon tusk, were found in Jefferson County. The museum curator, its board of directors and other volunteers spent the last five and a half years preparing the fossils and the fossil room, which was previously a storage room.

We have a very active museum board, said PaRen Sims, curator of the museum. They have spent hundreds of hours on work nights refurbishing this room, building shelves, building some of the cases, painting.

The city of Fairbury owns the museum. Its electricians put in new wiring and track lighting.

The proudly displayed mastodon tusk was found in 1927. There also are 22 ornithopod dinosaur tracks, found in 1996 south of Fairbury under a pig confinement barn that was torn down. Other fossils  including mammoth teeth, plesiosaur bones, shark teeth, coral, leaf impressions and petrified wood  were found in Jefferson County over the years and stored in the room. Also displayed are 200-million- to 300-million-year-old crustaceans.

During a work night, I found all these fossils that had never been prepared, Sims said. At that point, she reached out to University of Nebraska-Lincoln vertebrate paleontologist George Corner to give me as much information and guidance as to how to prepare the fossils in order to display them.

Each fossil was dipped in a mixture of denatured alcohol and shellac and then brushed with the same solution after the fossil started to stabilize, a process done as many as 12 times to some of the fossils.

There are newer methods on the market to preserve fossils, but being a small city museum as we are, the funding was not there, Sims said.

The fossils are also sensitive to heat, light and humidity.

The grand opening of the fossil room will kick off with a ribbon cutting at 1 p.m. Saturday. Messages will be delivered at 2 p.m. by Corner and Robert Diffendal, curator of the invertebrate paleontology collections of the University of Nebraska State Museum. Prizes for children will be raffled at the event, which ends at 4 p.m.

Im going to talk about the kinds of vertebrate fossils that might be found in Jefferson County and in the general vicinity, Corner said. Ill bring in a few specimens of the kinds of thing found in the area. There will be a question and answer period. And if folks want things to be identified, Id be happy to do that.

Corner said hes anxious to see the fossil room in its final stage.

People can also donate fossils to the museum at any time.

This is a way for people to get involved, Sims said. There are lots of fossil hunters around here.

Corner said marine rock is found throughout Southeast Nebraska and produces fossils of marine creatures. Large mammal fossils are found in another type of rock in Nebraska, some of which is in gravel bits throughout the valley along the Big Blue River.

Ten percent of fossils have been found in the world, Sims said. The more fossils that we find in our area and the more research we can do on those fossils, the more we can learn geologically about our area.

The museum features information next to all of the fossils and on the walls along with renderings of dinosaurs, mammoths, mastodons and other creatures.

Sims and the board members are excited to offer the fossil room as a destination for area school field trips.

They teach kids about fossils in the elementary schools and this is the only place in Southeast Nebraska in a small museum that can teach them about fossils outside the classroom, Sims said.

The museum is located at 1128 Elm St. and is open from 1-4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Its phone number is 402-671-6879.
Aimed at nurturing innovation in clean energy technologies in India, a US roadshow will visit four Indian cities next week, a statement said today.

The roadshow will visit New Delhi, Gurgaon, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.

A high-powered US delegation led by the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Charles Rivkin and comprising of US energy and infrastructure companies will engage with government officials, civil society groups and entrepreneurs, the statement said.

"We're going to focus this trip on clean tech in particular with an emphasis within that on infrastructure," the Special US Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs Zaid Haider told a group of Indian reporters in a media round table.

"We have an agreement on emissions, but at the same time now every country needs to do its part in the clean energy space, and so that's a key focus for us," said Haider who would be accompanying Rivkin to India for the "American Innovation Roadshow" from March 14.

Haider said the US is focused on this because the Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is focused on it.

"We all know the goals that Prime Minister Modi has laid out. We're talking about 175 gigawatts by 2022. We're talking about a deficit of about USD 100 billion in terms of financing to hit that goal," he said.

"We are talking about the fact that the Indian government has said that about 80 per cent of the infrastructure, energy infrastructure is yet to be put in place," Haider said.

"So this is a real opportunity for us as part of our partnership to help India as part of its urbanisation trend to develop a lower carbon urban infrastructure, and we want to be a part of that effort, intimately so," he added.

The US delegation among others comprises of representatives from 8-Minute Energy, a solar energy company based in Los Angeles; General Electrics, AES, a global power company with electricity generation and distribution business; First Solar, solar-focused customised energy solutions, applied materials; and Praxair, an industrial gases company.

Responding to a question, Haider said the US is looking forward to the release of draft national IP policy.

"We are working toward the high standards with India which will be important providing that regulatory certainty, investment certainty for US companies that want to do business in India in this manner," he said.

Noting there is no question that India is an extremely innovative entrepreneurship country, Haider opined that that there are certain things that could allow even greater potential to flourish.

"That goes back to these questions of investment for the regulatory - the investment certainty. So if foreign countries want to, for example, do R&D in India, it'll be important for them to have the kind of assurances that a high standard allows," he said.
US senators have strongly opposed the use of taxpayers' money for military aid to Pakistan in USD 700 million sale of eight F-16 fighter jets to the country as they questioned Islamabad's commitment to fight terrorist organisations.

However, for their own political reasons the senators did not approve tabling of a resolution suggesting blocking of sale of eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

Even though considered to be procedural in nature, the Senate by a vote of 71-24 disapproved the move to bypass the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in deciding against sale of F-16 jets to Pakistan, Congressional sources told PTI that the voting of some two-dozen influential senators reflects the strong anti-Pak sentiment prevailing at the Hill.

None of the senators, even though they voted for the motion to disallow tabling of the resolution seeking preventing sale of F-16 to Pakistan, spoke in support of Islamabad.

In fact, cutting across the party line the senators were quick to point towards the "duplicity" behaviour of Pakistan and said in unanimous voice that they would not let Obama Administration to use tax payers' money for the sale of F-16 jets to Pakistan.

In fact, Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which has jurisdiction over foreign military sale said that he would not lift the "hold" on the American subsidy for giving fighter jets to Pakistan.

"I continue to oppose any taxpayer dollars being used at this time to support this sale given that Pakistan is providing safe haven to terrorist groups and refusing to target the Haqqani network, which attacks US troops and threatens the future of Afghanistan," Corker said on the Senate floor.

"Prohibiting a taxpayer subsidy sends a much-needed message to Pakistan that it needs to change its behaviour, but preventing the purchase of US aircraft would do more harm than good by paving the way for countries like Russia and China to sell to Pakistan while also inhibiting greater cooperation on counterterrorism," Corker said.

Senator Rand Paul, the former Republican presidential candidate, who has moved a resolution against sale of F-16 jets and sought voting invoking the Arms Export Control Act of 1976, alleged Pakistan at best is a frenemy, part friend and a lot enemy.

"If Pakistan truly wants to be our ally, if Pakistan truly wants to help in the war on radical Islam, it should not require a bribe. It should not require the American taxpayer to subsidise arms sales. They already have 70 F-16s. They've got an air force of F-16s," he said.

"What what would happen if we didn't send them eight more that we're being asked to pay for? Maybe they'd listen. Maybe they would help us. Maybe they would be an honest broker in the fight against terrorism," he said.

At a time when the US is having a USD 19 trillion in



debt, Senator Paul questioned the rationale of using over USD 300 million from the American taxpayer to go to Pakistan to pay for eight new F-16s for Pakistan.

"We don't have enough money to be sending it to Pakistan. I can't in good conscience look away as America crumbles at home and politicians tax us to send the money to corrupt and duplicitous regimes abroad," Paul said, whose resolution even during a procedural motion received the support of 24 Senators.

"If we move forward with these sales without putting some markers down, I think we potentially not only do damage to holding Pakistan's feet to the fire in terms of the threat of terrorists in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the region, but also potentially could do damage to one of the most important relationships our country has, and that is the strategic relationship between the US and India," Senator Mark Warner said.

"I want to commend the leadership of the Foreign Relations Committee for making very clear that even if this sale should go forward, the financing of this sale is still subject to further American review," he said referring to the involvement of terrorists from Pakistan in the Pathankot attack.

"The US can no longer give Pakistan a pass, whether it is actions in the region vis-a-vis Afghanistan or within their own country but also in terms of their unwillingness to meet India even halfway in terms of trying to bring a greater stability to one of the regions that could potentially be a tinderbox in terms of the border regions between India and Pakistan," he said.

Senator Chris Murphy, Ranking Member of Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counter-terrorism, alleged that Pakistan has been an "unreliable partner" over the course of the last ten years in the fight against extremism.

"But what I worry more is that these F-16s will provide cover, will provide substitute for truly meaningful action inside Pakistan to take on the roots of extremism. It is frankly too late in many respects to beat these extremist groups if they are so big, so powerful, so deadly that you have to bomb them from the air," he said.

The Pakistanis have done little to nothing to try to reduce the influence of madrasas, religious schools and foreign funding that often breeds intolerant version of religious teaching, he alleged.

"And we let them off the hook in a sense by selling them the weapons systems that will in effect constantly force the Pakistanis to chase their own tail. So I think it's important to understand that the Pakistanis are not making the real meaningful contributions to rooting out extremism and just handing weapons systems on the back end doesn't do the job," Murphy said.

"We've given USD 15 billion to Pakistan over the last decade. And yet their previous president admits that Pakistan armed, aided, and abetted the Taliban," he said.

"You remember the Taliban in Afghanistan that harbored and hosted bin Laden for a decade? Pakistan helped them. Pakistan was one of only two countries that recognised the Taliban," he added.
Luggage maker VIP Industries has set target on growing the premium segment through its brand 'Carlton' and is looking to open 25 stores in 2016-17.

"There is a renewed focus on the premium segment with our brand Carlton and we are looking at opening 25 stand-alone stores for the brand in the coming fiscal with significant investment toward the brand promotion," MD of VIP Industries Radhika Piramal told PTI here.

"We bought the brand in 2004 but launched it in India in 2011. In keeping with the times, our goal in the last five years has been to transform the company from luggage to lifestyle categories," she said.

The company is focussing on two big categories, including Skybag backpacks, and ladies handbags under its brand - Caprese.

"Products in these categories are purchased more frequently than luggage so the growth as well as sales will be larger for these categories, defining our focus on them," she said.

VIP Industries has over 200 company managed stores, another 200 franchises and work with over 2000 multi-brand retailers.

It is also looking at increasing its shop-in-shops in multi-brand stores to promote Carlton, Piramal said.

She said the company is seeing "healthy sales" having grown 15 per cent (up to December) with a profit of about 33 per cent, and expects to retain if not grow its marketshare.

"With the current categories, we will focus on scaling up rather than new acquisitions over the next few years," she added.

VIP Industries is a market leader in the branded luggage segment with about 50 per cent marketshare, presently, with more than half the players in the market operate in the unbranded segment.

The company also exports its products, across the Middle East, the UK, the US, Germany, Spain, Italy and select African and South East Asian countries under the brands brands of VIP, Carlton, Skybags, Caprese, Alfa and Aristocrat.

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Meanwhile, the Centre has also upgraded the security



cover jurisdiction of Chirag Paswan, son of Union Cabinet Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and MP from Jamui, from the present only-Bihar to all-India under the 'Y' category.

"While the junior Paswan was being secured by CRPF commandos only in Bihar, he will now enjoy this VIP cover all over India," an official said.
Continuing her tirade against the Congress-CPI(M) tie-up, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said she would visit Kerala, which also goes to polls along with West Bengal, to expose the "unholy" alliance.

Banerjee said she would tell the people of Kerala how the two parties were trying to fool them.

"We want to tell the people of Kerala how Congress and CPI(M) are trying to fool them. If they are having an alliance, then they should have it everywhere in the country," Banerjee said.

She charged the Congress with having "sold their flag and themselves" to the CPI(M).

"Now they have forgotten their ideology - be it Gandhian or the ideology of Subhas Chandra Bose. Now the only ideology which is working is self-interest," she said while releasing the manifesto of Trinamool Congress for the assembly election.

"In politics, transparency is a big thing. They don't have any transparency. They have formed an unholy alliance," Banerjee said.

Asked about differences over seat adjustment between the alliance partners, Banerjee said, "I am least bothered."



The party in its manifesto promised overall development of Bengal and continuing the development work that the TMC government had started after coming to power in 2011.

"We have kept all our promises. We don't believe in making false promises just to get votes. Despite the fact that we had to pay a huge amount of money in order to repay the debt, we have ushered in a new era of development in Bengal," Banerjee said.

On Singur, she said the government had kept its word.

"We have kept our word. We made a law to give back the land to unwilling farmers but it was challenged in the court. So the matter is sub-judice. I still believe that we will be able to hand back the land to the farmers. Let's wait for the court's verdict," she said.

Banerjee, last week, said she was willing to talk to the Tata Group if the company was willing to set up the plant on 600 acres in Singur.
Workers' unions today staged protests here against the government's decision to wind up the loss-making Kota unit of state-run Instrumentation Ltd.

The unions also demanded that the state government should accept the Centre's proposal to acquire the Kota unit.

Instrumentation Ltd (IL) which makes telecom switching system, annunciations, railway signaling system, defense products and nuclear power and thermal control products was declared sick in 1993 and since then continuously making losses despite government efforts to revive the same.

It has has two units at Kota and Palakkad (Kerala).

Union Minister Anant Geete this week said that his ministry will send a proposal to the Union Cabinet regarding closure of the Kota unit, which has 600 employees.

"A conspiracy is being hatched to shut down IL and leave hundreds of skilled labourers and mechanics unemployed," said Mukesh Galav, General Secretary of Western Central Railways Employees Union of Kota while addressing a rally here.

He said that labour unions are meeting on March 20 to devise a strategy for saving the unit.

Leaders of other labour unions Shakeel Ahmed, Harilal, R K Goswami of SITU, Rakesh Galav of Medical Representative Union also addressed the protest rally and demanded the state government to take over the unit.

Meanwhile Congress workers, led by state general secretary Pankaj Metha demonstrated in front of IL Unit gate.

The state government is shying away from its responsibility and the central government is committed to shut the unit down, Metha said.

However, a section of engineers working at the Kota unit who also claim not to be part of any labour union, said that the unit cannot be revived due to mismanagement and non willingness of workers to get the company into profit making productive mode.

Meanwhile, Kota MP Om Birla told reporters that he would speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue and would request for the measures of its revival. The state government is not in a position to take over the company and to shell out its existing liabilities, he added.

State industry minister Gagendra Singh yesterday told the Assembly said Kota unit has a huge liability of Rs 800 crore and the government has refused to take it over.

The liabilities would be met out by selling the surplus land of IL unit, the minister said.

While the Kota unit of Instrumentation Limited has been in the red since many years, the Palakkad unit has been making profits. Geete had earlier written to Rajasthan and Kerala governments requesting them to take over the units.

The Kerala Government has shown interest in taking over the Palakkad unit but no final decision has been taken on that, Geete said this week. The Palakkad unit has 350 workers.

Employees of the Palakkad unit have been demanding that the government either delink it from its loss-making mother unit at Kota or merge with a profit-making PSU.
Major arterial stretches in the national capital witnessed severe traffic snarls this evening, giving a harrowing time to commuters in the city due to the World Culture Festival and over 20,000 marriages today.

The areas, which saw severe traffic congestion, include the Noida Link Road, the NH 24 carriageway towards Nizamuddin, Ashram Chowk, the Ring Road stretch from the Bhairon Marg intersection to the mouth of the DND Flyway, around India Gate and Mandi House, a traffic official said.

The traffic near Nizamuddin khatta was diverted to Ashram Chowk, which worsened the condition of the already clogged intersection. Traffic snarls were also reported near ITO and Kashmere Gate ISBT after the evening showers, the official added.

By evening, the Delhi Traffic Police helpline number was bombarded with calls.

Delhi Traffic Police had deployed around 4,000 personnel on field in view of the World Culture Festival and over 20,000 marriages scheduled today.

"We deployed the maximum force to ensure smooth flow of traffic," Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Muktesh Chander said.

Traffic officials had earlier warned about congestions, especially in south and east Delhi, for the next three days, in view of the World Culture Fest organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living foundation and an event by the Radha Soami Satsang Beas, coinciding dates (from March 11 to 13), and over 20,000 marriages scheduled to take place in the city today.

While the World Cultural Festival is being held at the Yamuna floodplains, the Radha Soami Satsang Beas event is being organised at Fatehpur Beri area.

Areas like Mehrauli and Chhatarpur are hubs for marriages and these areas often witness chock-a-block traffic on days when a large number of marriages are scheduled.

For the World Culture Festival, organisers have made provisions for parking on the Yamuna banks. The space is limited and so parking will be on a first-come-first-serve basis.

The official said those approaching from the trans-Yamuna side towards central Delhi should use the ITO Road as Akshardham and NH-24 will also be congested.
Yemeni pro-government forces today gained ground around third city Taez which has been under rebel siege for several months, an official said.

The loyalists backed by a Saudi-led military coalition took back areas in the western and southern suburbs of the city, its governor Ali al-Maamari said.

They "reopened key roads that the Huthis (Iran-backed Shiite rebels) had been blocking for nine months," said the governor, who lives in exile in Saudi Arabia.

That should allow for humanitarian and medical aid to reach the city's around 200,000 besieged inhabitants, he said.

A source in the army's 35th brigade confirmed that loyalists had seized Al-Misrakh area to the south of Taez city after heavy fighting that led to several deaths over the past days.

Dozens of military vehicles carried rebel fighters out of the western suburb of Taez towards the city of Hodeida on the Red Sea, witnesses said.

The coastal city remains under the control of the insurgents and their allies, army units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Taez is located between the rebel-held capital Sanaa and the southern port city of Aden, which loyalists took back from the Huthis in July.

In November, forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi announced a major offensive to try to break the siege on Taez.

More than 6,100 people have died -- half of them civilians -- since the Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes on Yemen in March 2015, according to the United Nations.
The Zika virus, already linked to brain damage in babies, can also cause a serious brain infection in adult victims, French researchers have warned.

Zika virus was found in the spinal fluid of an 81-year-old man who was admitted in January to a hospital near Paris shortly after returning from a month-long cruise.

The man -- semi-comatose, with a high fever and partial paralysis -- was diagnosed with meningoencephalitis, an inflammation of the brain and its membrane, the team wrote in New England Journal of Medicine.

"It is the first case of its kind to be reported, to our knowledge," Guillaume Carteaux, co-author of the paper and specialist at the hospital which treated him, told AFP.

The mere presence of virus does not prove it is what caused the disease.

The patient, who was reported to have been in good health during his cruise around New Caledonia, Vanuato, the Solomon Islands and New Zealand, has since partially recovered.

"Clinicians should be aware that (Zika virus) may be associated with meningoencephalitis," the team wrote.

No other viruses or other infectious agents were found in the man's system, they added.

On Wednesday, a different French team linked the virus sweeping Latin America and the Caribbean to paralysis-causing myelitis.

They reported that a 15-year-old girl diagnosed on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe with acute myelitis in January had high levels of Zika in her cerebrospinal fluid, blood and urine.

Myelitis is an inflammation of the spinal cord. It can affect limb movement and cause paralysis by interrupting communication between the spinal cord and the rest of the body.

The mosquito-borne Zika virus usually causes mild symptoms in adults, with a low fever, headaches and joint pain.

Its quick spread has caused alarm due to an observed association with microcephaly, which deforms the brains of unborn babies, and Guillain-Barre, a rare condition in which the body's immune system attacks a part of the nervous system that controls muscle strength.

Brazil has been hardest hit by the Zika outbreak, with some 1.5 million people infected and 641 confirmed cases of microcephaly in children born to women infected with the virus while pregnant.

According to the World Health Organisation, 41 countries or territories have reported transmission of Zika within their borders since last year, and eight have reported an increase in Guillain-Barre cases.

A rise in microcephaly and other baby malformations has so far "only been reported in Brazil and French Polynesia", according to the WHO.

There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika.
(Reuters) - China's central bank is preparing regulations that would allow commercial lenders to swap non-performing loans of companies for stakes in those firms, two people with direct knowledge of the new policy told .

The new rules would reduce commercial banks' non-performing loan (NPL) ratios, and free up cash for fresh lending for investment in a new wave of infrastructure products and factory upgrades that the government hopes will rejuvenate the world's second-largest economy.

NPLs surged to a decade-high last year as China's economy grew at its slowest pace in a quarter of a century. Official data showed banks held more than 4 trillion yuan ($614 billion) in NPLs and "special mention" loans, or debts that could sour, at the year-end.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the release of a new document explaining the regulatory change was imminent. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

"Such a rule change shows banks' bad loans have risen to such a level that this issue has to be tackled now before it's too late," said Wu Kan, Shanghai-based head of equity trading at investment firm Shanshan Finance.

State banks have extended loans to government financing vehicles and state-owned coal and steel producers, so this policy can help give lenders time to deal with non-performing assets as China pushes supply-side reforms, Wu added.

The quality of assets held by banks is worse than it looks, analysts have said. To avoid stumping up capital and to protect their balance sheets, some banks have under-reported bad loans and under-recognised overdue debt.

The top banking regulator has warned commercial lenders to pay special attention to risks.

Warren Allderige, chief executive of Hong-Kong based alternative investment management firm Pacific Harbor, said the plan was positive for banks and the economy.

"It shows the government is "backstopping" the banking sector. It is also a clear sign that the government is strongly supporting GDP growth by assisting weaker companies and increasing the banks' available capacity for additional lending," he said.

Allderige, who has more than 20 years business experience in Asia, said the move would also reduce the risk of "moral hazard" in future bank lending.

"It keeps banks involved in realising the economic value of their own defaulted loans," he said.

CABINET APPROVAL

The sources said the new regulations would get special approval from the State Council, China's cabinet-equivalent body, thus skirting the need to revise commercial bank law, which bars banks from investing in non-financial institutions.

Previously, Chinese commercial banks usually dealt with NPLs by selling them at a discount to state-designated asset management companies which, in turn, would try to recover the debt or re-sell at a profit to distressed debt investors.

The sources had no further detail on how banks would value the new equity stakes, which would represent assets on their balance sheets, or what ratio or amount of NPLs they would be able to convert this way.

On paper, the move would also represent a way for indebted companies to reduce their leverage, cutting the cost of servicing debt and making them more worthy of fresh credit.

Beijing has prioritised the closure of so-called "zombie" firms responsible for much of China's corporate debt overhang, and has taken aim at overcapacity in industries such as steel and coal.

Lai Xiaomin, chairman of China Huarong Asset Management Co, the country's biggest bad debt manager, said he had no direct knowledge of the move, but would welcome such debt-to-equity swaps.

These would help companies "improve their financial situation" and "prevent the spread of financial risk", Lai told . Coal, steel, real estate and machinery were among the sectors he thought most suitable for debt-to-equity swaps.

"(In China) credit to non-financial corporates has risen in the last five years from 120 percent of GDP to more than 160 percent in May 2015," Jose Vinals, director of monetary and capital markets at the International Monetary Fund, said at an event in Mumbai.

"These vulnerabilities ... will need to be addressed strongly as the economy moves towards a more market-based financial system, including for the exchange rate."

($1=6.51 yuan)

(Reporting by Hong Kong Newsroom, Samuel Shen, Pete Sweeney and Matthew Miller in Beijing and Suvashree Choudhury in Mumbai; Writing by Pete Sweeney, Shu Zhang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Sam Holmes, Neil Fullick and Ian Geoghegan)
By Nelson Acosta

HAVANA (Reuters) - The European Union and Cuba signed an agreement in Havana on Friday to establish normal relations, bringing the Communist-run island further into the international fold and paving the way for full economic cooperation with the 28-member bloc.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini witnessed the signing of the pact, which will replace a policy imposed by Europe 20 years ago that pushed for changes to Cuba's one-party political system.

"This accord opens a new chapter in the history of relations between the European Union and Cuba," Mogherini said, shortly after EU negotiator Christian Leffler and Cuban deputy foreign minister Abelardo Moreno signed the deal.

Rodriguez said the two sides would soon meet to revive a human rights dialogue they started in Brussels last year.

The pact adds to Cuba's rapidly thawing relations with the West since its 2014 detente with the United States and the renegotiation of debt with creditors from the Paris Club of wealthy nations in December.

It comes just days before a visit to Havana by President Barack Obama on March 20, the first by a U.S. president since the victory of Cuba's 1959 revolution.

Days after the visit, rock group the Rolling Stones will play on the island for the first time, and electronic music act Major Lazer this week entertained 400,000 young Cubans on Havana's sea front, the largest ever show by U.S. artists on the island.

Despite the warming relations, Washington retains an economic embargo against Cuba, making it harder for European companies with U.S. business interests to operate on the Caribbean's largest island.

Mogherini railed against those sanctions.

"The U.S. embargo is totally obsolete," she said. "The blockade is a measure that belongs to another century. Now the priorities are dialogue and cooperation."

Europe's unilateral "common position," in place since 1996, sought to make Cuba adopt a pluralistic democracy to unlock aid and commerce. Cuba has always rejected pressure to change its political model.

After ex-leader Fidel Castro handed power to his brother Raul in 2006, Cuba cautiously began to open to private enterprise without major political change.

The establishment of ties with Washington has led to a surge of visitors to the island, previously out of bounds for most Americans.

The EU deal, which sets parameters for commerce and aid, must now be ratified by EU governments and Cuba.

The political dialogue and cooperation agreement took two years to negotiate. The European Union has similar agreements with all other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

(Reporting by Nelson Acosta and Marc Frank; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Bernadette Baum)
HAVANA (Reuters) - The European Union and Cuba signed an agreement in Havana on Friday to normalize relations, paving the way for the 28-member bloc to establish full economic cooperation and aid with the Communist-run Caribbean island.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini witnessed the signing of the pact, which will replace a policy imposed by Europe 20 years ago that pushed for changes to Cuba's one-party political system.

"This is a historic day for bilateral relations," Mogherini said, shortly before EU negotiator Christian Leffler and Cuban deputy foreign minister Abelardo Moreno signed the deal.

The agreement marks another achievement for Cuba on the international stage after its 2014 detente with the United States and the renegotiation of its debt with creditors from the Paris Club of wealthy nations in December.

It comes just days before President Barack Obama's March 20 scheduled visit to Havana, the first by a U.S. president since Cuba's 1959 revolution.

Europe's unilateral "common position," in place since 1996, sought to make Cuba adopt a pluralistic democracy to unlock aid and commerce. Cuba has always rejected international pressure to change its political model and denies that human rights are lacking on the island.

The deal, which establishes an ongoing political dialogue and sets parameters for commerce and aid, must now be ratified by the governments of the EU bloc and Cuba.

The political dialogue and cooperation agreement took two years to negotiate. The European Union has similar agreements with all other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

(Reporting by Nelson Acosta and Marc Frank; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Bernadette Baum)
By Joachim Dagenborg and Gwladys Fouche

OSLO (Reuters) - The ethics watchdog for Norway's $830-billion wealth fund will focus this year on identifying corruption in telecoms, arms and energy companies and expects to recommend that an increasing number of firms across all sectors be barred from investment.

By the end of this year, the fund which invests income from Norway's oil and gas production could add the first companies to its blacklist for emitting too much climate changing gas, said the chairman of its independent ethics panel, Johan H. Andresen.

The ethics panel will also look into allegations of human rights abuses in Qatar's building sector, Malaysia's electronics goods industry, and textile factories in some Asian countries, Andresen told .

The fund is the world's biggest sovereign wealth fund, owning 1.3 percent of all listed company equity on earth. As of the end of last year it owned shares in 9,050 firms worldwide.

It is forbidden by law from investing in firms that produce nuclear weapons or anti-personnel landmines, or are involved in serious and systematic human rights violations, among other ethical criteria.

Norway's parliament has set a new mandate from this year to restrict investment in companies that emit excessive climate changing gases. Andresen said his panel was still looking into the criteria for such judgements but its first recommendations on climate criteria could come by the end of the year.

Some 66 companies have so far been excluded from the wealth fund on ethics grounds, and two are under observation, including, since January, Brazil's state oil company Petrobras, under scrutiny for alleged corruption.

"Most of the corruption cases come from the industry studies within defence, telecoms and energy. Those three (sectors) seem to keep us very busy," Andresen, the council's chairman, said in an interview. "We will of course look into other companies, should we be made aware of them."

The Council on Ethics makes recommendations to the central bank on firms which may be in breach of the fund's ethics guidelines. It is now examining 14 corruption cases, including Petrobras.

Based on the council's recommendations, the central bank board instructs the fund's management whether to exclude companies from the fund. The board can also put firms under observation to allow them to fix the problem. A key factor is the risk that an ethics breach will be repeated in future.

The risk of corruption increases in the energy, defence and telecoms sectors as they more often involve large contracts between parties that can withhold information based on internal national security directives, Andresen said.

"We were especially surprised with what we found in the arms industry. It seems that the absence of corruption was the exception and not the norm," said the 54-year-old Norwegian investor, owner of private investment vehicle Ferd.

Andresen declined to comment specifically on Petrobras, but speaking generally, he said: "Companies should aspire to be far better ... They should not try to guess what is the least amount of good behaviour that is expected."

Across all sectors, he expected the number and frequency of recommendations to the central bank's board to increase as the council concludes the different sector studies it has begun.

"We did recommend one company for exclusion last week, and there are others that we are working on right now. Some of these companies are quite large, so the (central) bank may decide to undertake some type of ownership interaction," he said.

TEXTILE, CONSTRUCTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Asked about the apparent irony in looking at climate change for a fund that earns nearly all its wealth from Norway's oil and gas industry, Andresen said: "We don't get involved in politics and therefore we don't question the criteria. Whichever criteria the politicians give us, we will use."

Andresen said the council would look at "a broad set of industries" including the oil and gas sector over climate change, and had not yet concluded which factors to analyse to determine what is acceptable.

"I don't think there is a reason to avoid looking at oil and gas companies. But they are not going to be the only ones by far," he said, speaking at the council's office in central Oslo.

"We think that there might be some exclusions towards the end of the year within the climate criterion."

Next month the council will receive a first report on the construction industry in Qatar. Construction companies working in neighbouring countries will be under review too, he said.

Also under scrutiny will be electronics goods manufacturers in Malaysia.

The council will look at workers rights in the Indian and Bangladeshi textile industries, after looking at Cambodia and Vietnam last year.

"In earlier studies of textile production facilities, we have been confronted with forced overtime, loss of bonus when legally sick, possible child labour, safety issues and the integrity of the construction of the (plant) building," he said.

Another target will be the environmental damage made by the chemical industry. The council is looking at "less than ten" companies in this field, he said.

The council, although independent, is collaborating closely with the fund, which has its own ethical targets, such as children's rights, human rights and water management. They are working together on the textile industry.

"They are focusing on the buyers' side, the big companies within the fund, while we engage with the smaller companies where the potential breach is happening on the ground," he said.

(Editing by Peter Graff)
By Dmitry Zhdannikov

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices might have bottomed as production declines in the United States and other non-OPEC producers are accelerating and an increase in supply from Iran has been less than dramatic, the International Energy Agency said on Friday.

The IEA, which coordinates energy policies of industrialised nations, said it now believed non-OPEC output would fall by 750,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2016 compared to its previous estimate of 600,000 bpd.

U.S. production alone would decline by 530,000 bpd this year, it said.

"There are clear signs that market forces ... are working their magic and higher-cost producers are cutting output," the Paris-based IEA said.

Oil prices hit their lowest since 2003, below $30 per barrel, in January on a supply glut stemming from booming U.S. output in recent years and a decision by OPEC to ramp up supply to fight for market share against higher-cost producers.

Prices have since recovered to $40 after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' leader, Saudi Arabia, and top non-OPEC producer Russia said they could freeze output.

The IEA said OPEC output fell by 90,000 bpd in February due to production outages in Nigeria, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, which lost a combined 350,000 bpd.

"Meanwhile, Iran's return to the market has been less dramatic than the Iranians said it would be; in February we believe that production increased by 220,000 bpd and, provisionally, it appears that Iran's return will be gradual," the IEA said.

Iran has promised to add as much as 1 million bpd to global supply after clinching a deal with the West in January to ease sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear programme.

The IEA said inventories in industrialised member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) had declined in February for the first time in a year although crude in floating storage increased.

The IEA said it nevertheless saw global oil and product stocks rising heavily in the first half of 2016 in the area of 1.5-1.9 million bpd but slowing to just 0.2 million bpd in the second half, versus estimates of a build of 0.3 million bpd in its previous report.

"For prices there may be light at the end of what has been a long, dark tunnel, but we cannot be precisely sure when in 2017 the oil market will achieve the much-desired balance. It is clear that the current direction of travel is the correct one, although with a long way to go," the IEA said.

INDIA SUPPORTS DEMAND GROWTH

The IEA kept its estimate for 2016 growth in global oil demand unchanged at 1.17 million bpd, or 1.2 percent of the total 95.8 million bpd.

Demand growth has slowed significantly from the

near five-year high of 2.3 million bpd in the third quarter of 2015, which was spurred by low oil prices, but it nevertheless remains near the averages of recent decades.

"The risks to global oil demand growth are almost certainly on the downside," the IEA said.

It forecast flat demand this year in the United States, the world's biggest consumer: "But if prices maintain their recent upward momentum there could be further weakness."

China, the world's second-biggest source of demand, will see growth of only 330,000 bpd this year, well below the 10-year average of 440,000 bpd.

"We expect India and other smaller non-OECD Asian economies and the Middle East to provide most of the 2016 growth. The foundations for global demand growth are sound, but not rock-solid," the IEA said.

(Reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov; Editing by Dale Hudson)
By Nidhi Verma

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India is in talks with some Gulf nations to buy oil to fill its strategic reserves and sell food in return, seeking to use its position as the world's third-largest oil importer to both secure energy supplies and boost exports.

Indian Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told reporters the idea was still fluid, but New Delhi had held preliminary conversations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Abu Dhabi's crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, have discussed the issue twice, Pradhan said.

"We are discussing various models," Pradhan added.

India imports about four-fifths of its oil needs, with bulk of that supplied from the Middle East. A global supply glut has oil-rich countries there struggling to boost sales.

India is also the world's biggest rice and wheat producer after China and has large stocks of the staples.

Countries in the Middle East import food in large quantities as the region has less arable land and water.

The cost of food imports there could double to $70 billion in 20 years, as climate change hits crop yields and the population rises, an analyst at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas told the Thomson Foundation last year.

On Feb. 1, rice stocks at the state-run Food Corporation of India were 16.2 million tonnes, against a target of 7.6 million tonnes. Wheat stocks totaled 20.3 million tonnes, higher than the government-set target of 13.8 million.

"They can buy food from here and store in India or in their countries; and we can buy oil from there and store in our strategic storage," Pradhan said.

Pradhan said such a deal would help Indian farmers secure a new market for their produce, mainly rice and wheat.

The mechanism envisaged by India will be different from the United Nations-designed oil-for-food programme, in which Iraq was allowed between 1996 and 2003 to sell oil in exchange for goods that met basic humanitarian needs, including food and medicines.

Pradhan said India had offered the UAE a part of its Mangalore strategic reserves to store oil. Under the arrangement being proposed by the Indians, the Gulf state would be allowed to use about a third of that oil for trade, while keeping the rest for India to use as strategic reserves.

India will complete the first phase of its strategic reserve to store 39 million barrels by May and later this year begin work on the second phase which will have a capacity to hold 91.6 million barrels, Pradhan said.

(Additional reporting by Mayank Bhardwaj in NEW DELHI; Editing by MarkPotter)
- Indian entrepreneur Vijay Mallya, who left the country as banks sought to recover more than $1 billion owed by his collapsed Kingfisher Airlines, has rejected suggestions he was an absconder and said he respected the law of the land.

Mallya, a former billionaire who built his fortune on Kingfisher Beer and a current member of parliament, left India last week. More than a dozen banks - led by the country's biggest, State Bank of India - had appealed to the country's Supreme Court asking that he be prevented from leaving. "I am an international businessman," Mallya said in a series of postings on his official Twitter account on Friday. "I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder." (http://bit.ly/227cxke) Indian media has reported that Mallya, who is a guarantor to the Kingfisher Airlines debt, is in Britain and have said that he could be staying in a luxury residence in Hertfordshire, north of London. The businessman did not mention his location in his tweets, but said that as a member of parliament he would fully comply with the law. Kingfisher, once India's second-biggest airline, stopped flying in October 2012, leaving creditors, suppliers and employees unpaid. It owed banks 90.91 billion rupees ($1.4 billion) at the end of November. The Kingfisher creditors stepped up efforts to recover the debt after Mallya last month resigned as chairman of spirits maker United Spirits , a unit of Diageo Plc . As part of that settlement, Diageo will pay Mallya $75 million over a five-year period. (Reporting by Shivam Srivastava in Bengaluru; Writing by Sumeet Chatterjee; Editing by Peter Cooney and Kenneth Maxwell)
MUMBAI (Reuters) - The charity Medicins Sans Frontieres has formally opposed U.S. firm Pfizer Inc's application for an Indian patent on a highly effective pneumonia vaccine, saying it could deprive many developing nations of cheaper copies of the drug.

Some of the world's poorest countries and medical charities such as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) depend on India's robust pharmaceutical industry to make cheaper forms of drugs and vaccines developed by big Western pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer.

If India granted Pfizer a patent on its Prevnar 13 pneumonia vaccine, Indian firms would not be able to produce affordable versions of it for domestic use or exports, MSF said.

"To make sure children everywhere can be protected from deadly pneumonia, other companies need to enter the market to supply this vaccine for a much lower price than what Pfizer charges," Manica Balasegaram, executive director of MSF's access campaign, said in a statement on Friday.

Prevnar 13 is the world's biggest-selling vaccine, and Pfizer earned $6 billion from its sales in 2015, MSF said.

Pfizer spokespersons in New York did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday.

Pneumonia kills nearly a million people each year, and is the biggest cause of death among children under the age of five in India.

Pfizer has made the vaccine available at discounted prices under the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) -- an international public-private partnership to improve access to vaccines in the world's poorest countries. As of November 2015, 58 countries were eligible to procure the vaccine through GAVI, according to the organisation's website.

MSF said many other developing countries cannot afford it.

India is eligible to procure the vaccine under the GAVI alliance, but has not bought it.

The vaccine costs about $170 per child in India in the private market.

The GAVI price is $10 per child, but MSF said Indian firm Serum Institute of India had agreed to supply it to MSF and countries in need for $6.

Serum Institute's executives were not available for comment on Friday.

MSF said it had filed a "pre-grant opposition," a filing through which patents can be opposed in India before they are granted. Pfizer first applied for a patent on the vaccine in 2007, according to the Indian patent office's website.

MSF has argued that the process Pfizer has sought a patent on is "too obvious to deserve a patent under Indian law."

The charity said its decision to oppose Pfizer's patent application came after "years of fruitless negotiations with Pfizer to lower the vaccine's price for use in its projects."

Another Indian firm, Panacea Biotec, also filed an opposition to the Pfizer patent application back in 2010. A Panacea spokesman refused to comment on Friday, as the matter is being considered by the patent office.

(Reporting by Zeba Siddiqui in Mumbai; Editing by Susan Fenton)
By Libby George

LONDON (Reuters) - Brent crude was on track for its third weekly gain on Friday, supported by an optimistic report from the International Energy Agency and a weaker dollar, which makes fuel cheaper for importers using other currencies.

Still, analysts cautioned that a large physical glut remained, with Goldman Sachs warning that U.S. crude could saturate storage in coming months.

U.S. crude futures were trading at $38.60 a barrel at 0942 GMT, up 76 cents from their last close, having hit a 2016 high of $38.86 earlier in the day.

Brent crude futures were at $40.72 a barrel, up 67 cents, and on track for the third consecutive weekly gain.

Both contracts were trading up more than 45 percent from lows reached earlier this year.

The International Energy Agency said in a monthly report that oil might have bottomed, and that low prices were beginning to impact crude output outside producer organisation OPEC.

"There are clear signs that market forces ... are working their magic and higher-cost producers are cutting output," the Paris-based IEA said.

The group, which coordinates energy policies of industrialised nations, said it now believed non-OPEC output would fall by 750,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2016 compared to its previous estimate of 600,000 bpd.

It also said Iran's post-sanctions return to exporting was happening more gradually than expected, keeping its barrels from putting significant pressure on the market. Still, this week Iran said it would not participate in any production freeze until it had regained market share.

Earlier in the day, traders said support also came from the Chinese yuan hitting its highest level in 2016, reflecting a global weakening of the U.S. dollar.

The greenback had already fallen on Thursday following easing measures announced by the European Central Bank. A weaker dollar supports oil prices as it makes dollar-traded oil cheaper for countries such as China, potentially spurring fuel demand.

The IEA said it nevertheless saw global oil and product stocks rising heavily in the first half of 2016, in the range of 1.5-1.9 million bpd, but that would slow to 0.2 million bpd in the second half. The excess itself led some to warn that a premature price recovery could hamper market rebalancing.

"We reiterate our view that oil prices need to remain low for longer, as the oil and capital market rebalancing are only beginning," Goldman said in its report.

(Additional reporting by Henning Gloystein and Manesha Pereira in Singapore; Editing by Dale Hudson)
By Zeba Siddiqui

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's Supreme Court has refused to hear two lawsuits filed by one of India's best-known whistleblowers against the drugs and health regulators accusing them of failing to enforce safety rules, the activist and his lawyer said.

Dinesh Thakur, who exposed dangerous practices in India's drugs industry in 2013, filed the public interest litigations, which include a suit that alleges that the current drugs law is "unconstitutional".

Thakur, via Twitter, said the Supreme Court refused to hear the cases on Friday, adding that he was "disappointed".

Thakur's lawyer and senior advocate at the Supreme Court, Raju Ramachandran, confirmed the court had refused to hear the cases, but declined to make any further comment.

Supreme Court representatives did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

(Additional reporting by Suchitra Mohanty in NEW DELHI; Editing by Miral Fahmy)
By Zeba Siddiqui and Suchitra Mohanty

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The Supreme Court has refused to hear two lawsuits filed by one of the country's best-known whistleblowers which accused drugs and health regulators of failing to enforce safety standards, the whistleblower and his lawyer said on Friday.

Dinesh Thakur, who exposed dangerous practices in India's drugs industry in 2013, filed the public interest litigations in January, one of which alleges current drugs laws are "unconstitutional".

The suits sought a series of reforms, including harsher prosecution for manufacturers found to be selling substandard medicines or obtaining marketing approvals illegally.

Thakur, on his official Twitter account, said the Supreme Court refused to hear the cases on Friday and that he was "disappointed". He declined to comment on reasons for the refusal when contacted by Reuters, saying he had not yet received a court order.

Representatives at the Supreme Court, and the offices of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation and health ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

Thakur's lawyer and senior advocate at the Supreme Court, Raju Ramachandran, confirmed the court had refused to hear the cases. He declined to make any further comment.

"Unfortunately, the Supreme Court declined to admit either of the petitions but has given us liberty to approach any other appropriate forum for remedy," Thakur wrote on his blog. (http://dineshthakur.com/)

He declined to comment on possible options when contacted by .

(Reporting by Zeba Siddiqui in MUMBAI and Suchitra Mohanty in NEW DELHI; Editing by Miral Fahmy and Christopher Cushing)
In Marathi, Kavadsa means a ray of light (or as the photographer poetically puts it, It is the light that enters a darkened room through chinks in a tiled roof, creating a small pool of light on the ground, bathing objects in its path in a luminescent glow.). This is what photographer Shailan Parker is trying to depict with the black-and-white photographs that are a part of his first solo Fine Art Photography Exhibition. The exhibition, which is the first in the series he plans to hold to project photography as art, took four years to put together. What sets it apart is also the fact that it raised Rs 3.64 lakh through an online crowd-funding space as well as through friends and family.



Parker, a professional photographer whose clients include Satish Gujral, Vibhor Sogani and Himmat Shah, has chosen black-and-white as his medium because he feels it emphasises the image as opposed to colour, which engages your mind but softens the impact. He says he uses photography to merge the gap between artificial and natural, resulting in aesthetically beautiful, organic images.

Kavadsa means a ray of light

Like his inspiration, Edward Weston, the pioneer of precise and sharp presentation who was dubbed the most influential American photographer of the 20th century, Parker has used detailed, straight photography on ordinary still-life objects such as leaves, shells, stones, dead flowers and even garlic to create images that no longer resemble the everyday objects that we see around us. Instead, leaves resemble negatives of photographs, dead flowers on textured stones look like the surface of the moon and seeds look like spaceship pods. Parker, who is also visiting faculty at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, and the National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi, calls this painting with light. He says, People go to Ladakh to capture the beauty there, not realising how beautiful the discarded leaf outside their door is. Unlike Weston, who was very particular about the aperture he used, Parker is not fussy about the camera he uses, saying, I shoot on various cameras, including Mamiya, Nikon, Canon and Sony. Throughout the exhibition, he stresses on the effect of light and shadows as well as the texture and form of his sculpture-like subjects. The excess of detail adds an element of dreaminess and surrealism to the pictures, which is faintly ironical given the subjects hes chosen. This is because he feels it is important to explore the form of the image and visually reconnect to seeing and creating.

Kavadsa can be viewed at the Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, till 15th March
As she makes her way towards me, halts to share a smile, a casual greeting or a quick handshake with several who cross her path. Dressed in a grey kurta with a stole around her neck, Rashid looks even more petite than her photographs. After winning the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) election and being elected vice-president in 2015, Rashid has been at the forefront of the Occupy UGC and Hyderabad Central University protests. But the real test came when JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested last month over charges of sedition and raising anti-national slogans inside the campus. Rashid stepped up and mobilised a widespread campaign for Kumars release.

As I begin my questions, she requests me to keep our conversation and this report focused on political issues. I dont want my personal story to take the focus away from the ongoing debate, says the 27-year-old. In fact, it is hard to find a single post on her social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter that is remotely personal  almost all of them are in response to one recent political event or another. The only time she agrees to speak about her family is when I ask her how they feel about her role in the recent anti-national controversy at JNU. They are worried sick, she says, staring into the distance for a moment, before snapping our focus back to politics.

Born and brought up in Srinagar, Rashid says she was always politically inclined but never fully knew how to articulate herself. While I was growing up, politics was a bad word, usually something that had the potential to attract violence, she says. Does this have something to do with her formative years in Kashmir? There was heavy emphasis on maintaining normalcy. But, as Rashid would grow up to realise, life in the 1990s in Kashmir was hardly normal. An aunt of mine was hit by a bomb and her arm was severed. There was always a military presence wherever you went in the valley. And yet, we werent brought up to question these things, she says in her characteristic husky voice.

Yet, her seemingly apolitical upbringing did not keep Rashid away from political activism for too long. Even during her short stint at a software company in New Delhi, Rashid was writing critical blog posts and petitioning against acid attacks on women. In a particular blog post from 2011, Rashid criticises Doordarshans agenda-driven presence in Kashmir. Tufail Ahmads death from a teargas shell in 2010 was a moment of awakening for a lot of us in Kashmir. The civil unrest brought out everything about our reality that we were trying to ignore, she says. But it was really after the December 2012 gang rape case in Delhi when Rashid began to develop a keener interest in social issues. My association with the All India Students Association (AISA) began during the protests in 2012. While the popular rhetoric was to protect women, activist Kavita Krishnans emphasis on freedom for women greatly impacted the way I look at gender politics. AISA is the student wing of the ultra-Left Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) and the party that won Rashid her seat in JNU. In some senses, then, Rashid is more Left than Kumar, who is a member of the CPI-affiliated All India Students Federation.

Members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party, feel that despite the various differences within Left politics, the splinter groups come together in an assault against ABVP, a Right-wing party. Saurabh Kumar won ABVP the joint-secretarys seat in JNUSU for the first time after 14 years. And yet, during this entire controversy, he carried out activities under the ABVP banner and not JNUSUs. Rashid and Kumar, on the other hand, have misused this forum for their own agenda, says Saket Bahuguna, national media convener, ABVP. But even Bahuguna, an alumnus of JNU, refuses to comment on Rashid or her Kashmiri identity.

Rashid came to JNU in 2013 as a student of MA Sociology, a moment she describes as life-changing. JNU is often believed to be a microcosm of India, not just in the fact that it has students from all over the country, but also that it offers students space to engage with different, often opposing ideologies. Interestingly, it is Rashids association with the Left that has brought her out of and beyond her Kashmiri identity. Rashid promptly tells me that she does not speak for other Kashmiri students as a whole. But even as a Kashmiri, Rashid says that her time at JNU and in Delhi has helped her broaden her worldview. When you come to Delhi, you see that there are many Kashmirs here  the Dalits, Muslims, women, bonded labourers. You begin to see your struggles in a larger context, she says.

Anand Kumar, retired professor of sociology at JNU and whose class Rashid attended during her MA in Sociology, sheds light on Rashids political evolution. She had a bright, inquiring mind with her own perceptions of the government and State because of her experiences in Kashmir. But despite that, she gradually rose above her ethnic consciousness and never played the victim, he says. This may be different in the case of other students from Kashmir, the North East or Naxal-affected areas, who are psychologically overwhelmed by negative statecraft, he says, but not Rashid. Over the three years at JNU, she has become politically mature and has a modest manner of putting things across. Rashid, too, agrees that she has been mainstreamed within JNU. Siddhartha Chakraborti, a PhD scholar at JNU, agrees with this. Even though I knew her for some time, I did not know she was a Kashmiri till we started working together for the Kashmir flood relief efforts, he says.

The same, though, is not true for other Kashmiri students on campus. Rashid believes that like the various groups within the Left, Kashmiri students, too, are not a unified political community and many of them remain away from politics altogether. Many Kashmiri students have a sharp political understanding. The irony is that it is what perhaps makes them feel alienated from the existing socio-political scenario, she says.

Beyond her oratorical skills, Anand Kumar also explains how Rashid is an able coordinator when it comes to conflict situations. During the Occupy UGC protests, AISA and JNUSU were at loggerheads and wanted to take the movement in different directions. Rashid was able to rise above this conflict and find a solution, which eventually made her the face of the movement, he explains. Pujita Guha, a student of the arts and aesthetics department at JNU, adds that Rashid is a diligent political worker. She is organised and hardworking and knows when she is required behind the scenes. She is fierce and assertive, but I have never seen her take on an aggressive position. Rashids ability to resolve conflict was seen when a teach-in by professor Makarand Paranjpe was interrupted by the booing audience and she stepped in to calm the crowds, rather successfully.

As we sip lemon tea at the Ganga Dhaba in JNU, Rashids phone rings often and she answers certain phone calls to coordinate the evenings teach-in event. The day we meet is also the day activist Soni Sori from Chhattisgarh is speaking at JNU. Her calls are short, her tone affectionate, but she never once veers off-topic. The words comrade and aandolan often feature in her conversations. When I ask her if her lexicon has changed since she came to JNU, she laughs and says, Absolutely, theres a lot more Hindi than there used to be! But on a serious note, she adds, her education at JNU has given her to political vocabulary to articulate her views.

A classmate of Rashids joins us at the dhaba to update Rashid on the class schedule. They banter about coursework and submission deadlines, almost as though the last turbulent month at JNU never happened. If it wasnt this latest sedition issue, it would have been something else. As a JNUSU member, one always has to juggle coursework, she says.

But despite her political stint within the university, Rashid is unsure of whether she will pursue mainstream politics outside campus. In Kashmir and otherwise, I find it depressing to see that politicians have to work under an Intelligence Bureau-surveilled environment. I have to give it some more time and thought to see if there can be a positive intervention in the existing political framework. Till then, Rashid plans to acquire a doctorate, preferably from JNU. Unless you come from a feudal political party, you need solid academic credentials for a politically active career. JNU, it seems, has cast its political spell on Rashid quite well.
BOWIE THE BIOGRAPHY

Author: Wendy Leigh

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 320

Price: Rs 699



If the 1950s were the decade of Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry and the 1960s were the decade of the Beatles and Bob Dylan, then the 1970s were the decade of . No other rock figure of that era had the kind of impact that Bowie had on music, popular culture, fashion and, indeed, society itself.

For instance, Bowie was the first pop/rock star to boast about being gay at a time when the likes of Elton John were cowering in the closet. He started the trend for rock stars to wear make-up onstage, a trend that became so pervasive in the 1970s that even Mick Jagger and Keith Richard began to line their eyes and glitter their noses.

Till Bowie came along, most rock concerts consisted of young white men shaking their legs awkwardly in front of a mike while belting out their hits (only a few copied the dance moves of such black stars as Tina Turner). It was Bowie, with his theatrical training, who converted the rock show into a spectacle.

Then, there was his influence on fashion. One of his first album covers had him wearing a dress to the horror of his American label, which demanded a new cover picture. By the time Bowie had created his famous personas  Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, The Thin White Duke and so on  designers were lining up to contribute to his vision.

To his credit, Bowie usually eschewed the obvious big names and went for lesser-known designers. He was the first major popular culture figure to recognise the importance of the Japanese aesthetic, bringing the designer Kansai Yamamoto to global attention. Every look Bowie created for himself was imitated by other designers and filtered down to the high street.

And then, there was the music. Bowie had no one style. He started out performing novelty songs that could have been recorded by such titans of the 1960s musical theatre as Anthony Newley. He moved on to folkier material (Starman, Life on Mars) before creating the entire glam rock genre basing it on simple but heavy riffs (Jean Genie, Diamond Dogs)



By the mid-1970s, he had established that he could master any genre, from Stones-style rock (Rebel, Rebel) to soul (Young Americans) to electronic music, which he brought to public attention through his Berlin trilogy, which contained his masterpiece, Heroes. And thats not including his stab at dance music with Lets Dance, his most commercially successful album.

If anything characterised Bowie, it was his chameleon-like ability to go from one avatar to another. There was nothing of Ziggy Stardust, his most famous 1970s creation, in the beige-suited guy who sang Lets Dance in the 1980s. They could have been two entirely different people. The looks, the music and even the man himself, kept changing beyond recognition.

Take, for instance, his claim to be gay. By the end of the 1970s, he was already qualifying it (only Japanese men, he told one interviewer). And by the 1980s, he claimed to be straight, suggesting that the gay period had only been a phase, or even, as some suggested, a pose. Certainly, he lived the last decades of his life in happy and entirely heterosexual domesticity with his second wife, the model Iman.

Any biographer of Bowie must begin his or her task by trying to answer the fundamental question of who the real Bowie was. Or perhaps, there wasnt one: the poses themselves were the reality.

Bowie receives the Webby Lifetime Achievement award in 2007

You wont find any answers to those questions in this tawdry little book, seemingly put together entirely from Google searches and trawls through clipping files. Wendy Leigh never met Bowie nor was she given access to those who knew him well. Nearly everything here is third-hand.

Moreover, Leigh has no real interest in the music or, indeed, in finding the real Bowie. Worse still, she seems to have typed  Sex into her search engine because most of the book is about Bowies sex life.

But even in this rather restrictive and sordid area, there is little that has not been published before. And people who want to read these stories about groupies and orgies are better off with Backstage Passes, a tell-all memoir by Bowies first wife Angie, which includes the now famous story of her returning home one morning to find Bowie in bed with Mick Jagger (the unshockable Angie says she went off to the kitchen to make them breakfast).

Bowie launches into his first solo song of a six-week concert tour of North America in 1995

Hopefully somebody is already at work on a book that solves the central mystery of David Bowie: who was he, really?
Crompton Greaves in consortium wins contract for offshore wind farm in Germany

The consortium, which included Cofely Fabricom, Iemants & CG, will design, supply and install the EnBW Hohe See offshore wind farm, the biggest planned offshore wind project in Germany

The consortium, which included Cofely Fabricom, Iemants & CG, will design, supply and install the EnBW Hohe See offshore wind farm, the biggest planned offshore wind project in Germany

The consortium of Cofely Fabricom, Iemants and Crompton Greaves Ltd (CG) has been awarded a contract for the EnBW Hohe See offshore wind farm in the North Sea. The consortium will design, supply and install the complete offshore substation for the German utility EnBW.



The EnBW Hohe See wind farm, which is the biggest planned offshore wind project in Germany, will comprise 71 wind turbines with a total capacity of 497 MW. The wind farm, which will be connected to the German high voltage grid, will be brought online before the end of 2019.



The scope of work for CG includes the design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of HV/MV equipment and controls & protection system for the offshore platform.

BS B2B Bureau
Indo Rama Renewables sells 30 MW wind farm in Maharashtra to Tata Power

The move to divest wind asset will provide an impetus to further grow polyester business of Indo Rama Synthetics India Ltd

The move to divest wind asset will provide an impetus to further grow polyester business of Indo Rama Synthetics India Ltd

Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Power, Indias largest integrated power company, has signed a share purchase agreement (SPA) to acquire Indo Rama Renewables Jath Limited (IRRJL) which owns a 30 MW wind farm in Sangli District of Maharashtra. IRRJL is a 100-percent step down subsidiary of Indo Rama Synthetics India Limited (IRSL), one of Indias largest players in the business of manufacturing polyester having an integrated manufacturing complex at Butibori, near Nagpur (Maharashtra).



Vishal Lohia, executive director, Indo Rama Synthetics, said, Divestment from this wind asset shall enable us to have a more focused and effective approach towards managing our core business of polyester.



IRRJLs wind farm in Sangli, which is fully operational since July 2013, has executed a long-term power purchase agreement with Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Limited and is registered under the Generation Based Incentive scheme of Ministry of New & Renewable Energy. The wind farm comprises 15 numbers of 2000 KW G 97 wind turbine generators (WTGs) supplied by Gamesa India.



With this acquisition, Tata Powers total generation capacity will increase to 9130 MW and its operational wind power generation capacity to 570 MW with wind turbines located across five states - Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka (which are the leading states in promoting wind power generation in India). TPREL also has 250 MW of wind projects under construction across Gujarat, MP and AP.



Anil Sardana, CEO & managing director, Tata Power, said, Tata Power endeavours to generate 20-25 percent of its total generation capacity from clean energy sources and is proud to have completed this acquisition of the 30 MW operational wind farm. The project is a clean energy project, which will enhance and increase the companys clean energy footprint. This is our third acquisition of an operating wind asset and we are in constant look out for similar opportunities in respect of wind and solar plants.

BS B2B Bureau
Tri County Public Schools is in session on Friday after its Thursday closure due to an outbreak of illnesses that nurses suspect to be caused by Norovirus.

Tri County Public Schools Superintendent Randy Schlueter said 57 students and eight staff members stayed home or went home sick on Wednesday.

We started the morning (Wednesday) with approximately 30 students absent before the day began, which raises your level of concern right away, Schlueter said. The school had its usual 10 a.m. late start on Wednesday. At that point, we had a couple of staff members who called in ill. As the day progressed, we had more and more, he said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls Norovirus a very contagious virus that can spread through infected people, contaminated food and water or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes the stomach or intestines to become inflamed, leading to stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, according to the CDC.

Schlueter and his team decided to cancel school on Thursday in order to disinfect the building, to keep the virus from spreading and because the district did not have enough substitutes for the 20 staff members expected to be out ill, he said.

The process of disinfecting high contact areas, such as bathrooms, door handles, desks, computers, lockers, cafeteria tables and all seven buses, was time consuming, Schlueter said.

That process started last night when the buses left, Schlueter said on Thursday. A couple of our day custodians stayed overtime. We finished with that in the early afternoon.

The custodians used a Clorox bleach and water mixture, Schlueter said.

Schlueter said he sent a call to all staff members on Thursday asking them if they would be in attendance on Friday. Schlueter said six staff members will not be in attendance and substitutes were found for all of them. There was no way to track how many students were sick on Thursday.

The school is the venue for a Tri County youth wrestling club tournament on Saturday. Schlueter said its up to the club president whether to keep the venue for the event.

The individuals out ill on Wednesday were 47 elementary students, 10 high school students, five paraeducators in the elementary school and three paraeducators in the high school.

The elementary area has a separate entrance from the junior and senior high areas of the school, but all classrooms and facilities are under one roof. The district does not know where the illness began.

A nurse from Public Health Solutions and the school nurse assessed the situation at the school on Wednesday. No antibiotics are available for those affected with Norovirus.

Once the symptoms are gone, this particular virus needs 24 to 48 hours before the person is not contagious, Schlueter said on Wednesday.

A brief letter announcing and explaining the school closure was sent home with students on Wednesday. Schlueter said he also sent out emergency phone calls and emails and posted information on the school website.

Schools are required to report such outbreaks to the Nebraska Department of Education, with which the nurse from Public Health Solutions communicates.

According to the CDC, Norovirus is the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in the United States. Each year, it causes 19 million to 21 million illnesses and contributes to 56,000 to 71,000 hospitalizations and 570 to 800 deaths. Norovirus is also the most common cause of foodborne-disease outbreaks in the United States.
Dan Blue III wants greater attention to State Health Plan; Ron Elmer says trimming pension administrative costs a bigger issue

RALEIGH The Democratic candidates for state treasurer both say the management and return on investment of North Carolina's mammoth health and pension plans for public employees need improvement, but their priorities differ.Dan Blue III and Ron Elmer will meet in the March 15 primary, with the winner to face uncontested Republican Dale Folwell in the Nov. 8 general election. Two-term incumbent Democrat Janet Cowell isn't seeking re-election.The state treasurer is an elected member of the Council of State. The treasurer's duties include administering the state's $86.57 billion pension plan, and the State Health Plan which during the 2014-15 fiscal year had $3 billion in total revenues and $2.99 billion in claims and administrative expenses.To Elmer, the greatest concern for the incoming treasurer is the deteriorating position of the state pension plan, while Blue thinks the health plan is the priority."There is a difference between well-funded and well managed," Elmer said of the pension plan, noting that it has gone from 12.8 percent overfunded 15 years ago to 5 percent underfunded now, despite constant state employee contributions and the state chipping in $1 billion a year.The core problem, as Elmer sees it, is that the Treasurer's Office spends too much on money managers who rack up excessive transactions charges trying to beat the market.He believes that the large amount of money that the state pension plan has invested effectively makes it an index fund, which typically perform about as well as the stock market overall, and should be managed as such. By bringing stock fund management in-house, effectively eliminating the middle man, Elmer claims the pension plan can save hundreds of millions of dollars a year."Stable, healthy, could be healthier," is how Blue sees the pension plan. He said that different groups have come to differing determinations about the plan's condition. Reaching a definitive conclusion should be a priority, followed by incremental change.Blue is not averse to insourcing management of parts of the pension plan's stock portfolio, but sees a shift to the degree Elmer proposes as "impracticable.""There are no magic bullets," he said.Blue doesn't believe the Treasurer's Office should be constrained to use just the talent it has in-house to manage investments."We should make use of the best and brightest minds, wherever they may be located, be it in Charlotte or New York or London," Blue said.To Blue, the greater challenge is the State Health Plan, which needs to be "refocused" to achieve improved customer service, re-examine the level of benefits provided, and adjust within the context of broader health care reform.Elmer and Blue also differ on the Innovation Fund, a portion of the pension fund set aside for investment in companies with a significant presence in the state.Blue regards the Innovation Fund as a good idea, which could be expanded if the state can continue to get high enough returns for the risks involved."I would be open to expanding it if the investments were of the same quality as the other assets in our portfolio because we owe it to our retirees to make sure we are investing their money wisely," Blue said.Elmer has ethical concerns about the Innovation Fund, and other such "alternative investments" whose objectives aren't focused fully on building assets for current and future retirees.The Innovation Fund "is good for North Carolina, but I can't say it follows the fiduciary duty to state employees," Elmer said.Blue has received endorsements from two prominent employee organization political committees: the North Carolina Association of Educators and the North Carolina AFL-CIO. Elmer has won the endorsement of the State Employees Association of North Carolina's PAC.Blue did his undergraduate and graduate work at Duke University. He holds a law degree and master's of business administration.He is a past chairman of the Wake County Democratic Party and has served as a panelist on the "NC Spin" public affairs television program. He currently works in his family's law firm and was named Triangle Business Journal's Corporate Counsel of the Year for 2015.He is the son of Dan Blue Jr., the former speaker of the North Carolina House and current Senate minority leader.Elmer holds an MBA in finance and accounting from New York University. He is a certified public accountant, and chartered financial analyst.He has spent more than 20 years in the financial industry, much of it managing pension funds, including $2 billion for the state pension plan while managing the equity division at First Citizens Bank. Elmer runs his own tax and financial planning business, and has written four books on investing.
The Lib Dems: What's become of Britain's former third party?

Published on March 11, 2016

Story by Joseph Owen

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Nearly nine months after Britain's third largest party and partner in the Conservative coalition government were punished at the general election, we take a look at what role the party may still have to play in UK politics. Is the use of the #LibDemFightback hashtag on social media wishful thinking, or the start of a long slow return to the UK political scene?

On the 8th of May 2015, a day after the British general election, Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats  formerly the UKs third largest party and government coalition partner to David Cameron's Conservatives  resigned. Though Clegg marginally retained his Westminster seat, he had witnessed his partys MPs reduced from a healthy 57 to an emaciated eight. The Lib Dems had come close to wipe-out, if not quite undergoing a complete existential crisis.

In his excellent resignation speech that morning  incongruous with the rest of the campaign  Clegg stated: "One thing seems to me to be clear: liberalism, here, as well as across Europe, is not faring well against the politics of fear." This was a noteworthy and powerfully delivered sentiment, however belated and useless in the context of the election result.

For Clegg, if the Lib Dems were to continue being a significant political force, the party would need to articulate a complex and difficult message heeding those words: one still rooted in the political centre, in morals, abstract ideas and absolutes. Importantly, this message would have to translate into electoral success, enticing young people who had turned away from the party while assuaging the fears of general voters.

The Conservatives, after all, had edged toward an overall majority partly due to the electorates concerns regarding a coalition between Labour and the Scottish National Party, economic security and the spectre of Labours then leader, Ed Miliband, becoming Prime Minister. Often, in national elections, fear reigns supreme.

The voice of liberalism?

In his speech, Cleggs allusion to the polarised political situation across Europe  he could have had in mind the likes of Greeces Syriza and Spains Podemos on the left, and Hungarys Jobbik and Frances Front National on the right  proved immediately prescient regarding matters closer to home. Jeremy Corbyn, an erstwhile, disloyal and peripheral backbencher, won the Labour leadership election with a candid left wing agenda that resonated strongly with Labours rank-and-file membership.

The Lib Dem leadership election was by comparison a civil, even tepid affair, with only two candidates jostling for the vacancy: Tim Farron and Norman Lamb. Farron triumphed, a feel-good alternative (like Corbyn) elected to cleanse the party of its toxic Tory associations post-Coalition.

Untainted by a ministry job in the previous government, Farron had a modest media profile, a tailored man-of-the-people shtick and an ostensibly decorated CV that included Lib Dem party president  a position of definite ceremony but ill-defined importance. Moreover, he looked like a cross between an Aardman-animated ferret and a sceptical-expression emoji.

Any desire on Farrons part to shift his party to left, however, was deflated by Corbyns rise. Farron, a man in possession of an inscrutable melancholy behind his rictus grin, would have to speak eloquently from the liberal centre ground apparently vacated by Labour, despite his instincts to disavow centrist rhetoric and policy prescriptions.

Joshua Dixon, member of the Lib Dem federal executive and a defeated general election candidate, talked about how Farron has been attempting to fill this political vacuum, by articulating a "vision for a more liberal Britain in defiance of an increasingly cruel Conservative government and an inward looking Labour opposition." He added that the party has tried to appeal to "instinctively liberal" young people.

The voice of the youth?

Such young people, like Maria (24), a film runner who had previously supported the Lib Dems, felt that the party "losing its main policy was unforgivable"  alluding to their support for tuition fee increases while in government after promising not to do the opposite in their manifesto. Before coalition, the Lib Dems were seen as a party who understood how proportional government worked  now, the party appears feeble or, worse, deceitful.

Nick Clegg did, however, apologise. In song!

Caron Lindsay, editor of Liberal Democrat Voice  a blog for party members and activists  spoke of the partys high-minded aims: "We are at heart an internationalist, planet-saving, establishment-busting party that stands up for freedom and human rights." Farron has matched this rhetoric by emphasising issues such as the plight of refugee, affordable housing, and Europe and the EU referendum (the party, according to Lindsay, has "a joyously unequivocal pro-EU stance").

At the Lib Dem autumn conference last year, Farron adopted #LibDemFightback as the partys new political mantra. The twitter slogan was delivered by an actual gospel choir composed of loyal supporters. Cynics might have suggested that this chant appeared hollow and, perhaps, slightly poignant.

Senior Lib Dems claimed that this newfound optimism was based on fact: 20,000 new members joined in the aftermath of the election. Farron suggested talks with Labour moderates dissatisfied with Corbyns leadership, and the party had notched the odd victory in local by-elections.

As Labour will testify, a growing membership does not necessarily translate into increased public popularity: Lib Dem polling data peaks at around 9%. Farrons much mooted discussions with disenchanted Labour MPs amounted to a total of zero defections to his party. Local by-elections are tit-for-tat and suffer chronically from low participation.

Sporadic Lib Dem victories are often due to a synergy of factors, including strong local organisation or experienced, popular candidates. This can extend to a national level: Frank (23), a university student, voted for the Lib Dems at the last general election because Norman Lamb, the other leadership candidate, was a "good local MP".

The voice of anybody?

A current major problem for the Lib Dems is that "they seem to be off the radar", as Maria noted. In the same vein, the only thing that Frank had read about the Lib Dems recently is that Farrons favourite band is Prefab Sprout. While the fratricidal tendencies of both Labour and Conservative MPs dominate the news agenda, the Lib Dems are struggling to be noticed.

One example: at Prime Minster's Questions last month, Farron, eager and salivating, readied a question for David Cameron. As the Speaker called his name, before he was able to open his mouth, one MP shouted to the chamber: "Who?"

Story by Joseph Owen
Brannon, Holmquist, and Wright positioning themselves as conservative outsider alternatives to two-term Republican incumbent

RALEIGH Larry Holmquist can remember the time he decided to wage his first political campaign and challenge two-term Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr in the March 15 primary.while he was driving from his home in Greensboro to Florida to meet his mother after his aunt had died, Holmquist said.he said.That is among numerous grievances and differences Holmquist, a self-described "pure conservative," has with Burr's record in the Senate. His chief complaint is that Burr, of Winston-Salem, has been in Washington too long.from the people who have voted him into office, Holmquist said, a sentiment he said he has heard from other conservatives across the state.Despite repeated requests to Burr's campaign for an interview with the senator, Carolina Journal was unable to speak with him.Holmquist, who has been a small business owner and worked in the commercial banking and savings and loan industry, is one of three long-shot challengers to the two-term incumbent senator. Also seeking the GOP nomination are Dr. Greg Brannon, a Cary obstetrician, and Mount Olive attorney Paul Wright. Brannon lost in the GOP primary in 2014 to Thom Tillis, who went on to unseat first-term Democratic U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan.A Tea Party favorite, Holmquist beat all three primary opponents in last October's North Carolina TEA Party Constitutional Caucuses, garnering 58 percent of the vote to their combined 37 percent.Burr, who served five terms in the U.S. House before being elected to the Senate in 2004, said Washington does not live within its budgets, and must prioritize spending. Obamacare is taking the country in the wrong direction, he said, and he helped to craft the Patient CARE Act as an alternative to the president's signature health care law.He called the Islamic State "the biggest threat in my lifetime" to the American way of life, and to every other developed country in the world. "The defeat of ISIS will take every bit the global commitment that countries made to the Second World War."Regarding gun control and the Second Amendment, Burr said: "Make no mistake. I think now's the time to have the debate on whether it does need to be tweaked," but that needs to be done carefully.Like Burr, Brannon did not grant an interview to CJ, even though requests were made through his campaign and with the candidate directly. But he introduced several election themes in a speech on March 5 in Cary at the Civitas Institute's Conservative Leadership Conference."I'm running for United States senator to be our ambassador, to chain the federal government so the laboratory of the experiment in liberty in North Carolina can deal with education, health care, free markets, private property," Brannon said. "There is no constitutional oath for OSHA, for EPA, the Bureau of Land Management" bureaucrats who write laws through regulation.Brannon cited several votes from Burr that the challenger considered an abandonment of conservative principles, including raising the federal debt ceiling, agreeing to omnibus budget bills with funding for the Affordable Care Act and Planned Parenthood, and refusing to support closing the borders."Our founders in North Carolina were first in freedom. We went to war because the tax burden was so overbearing from a centralized government in London it was worth risking everything," he said. "The tax burden was 1 percent" at the time of the American Revolution.Brannon, who has delivered 9,000 babies, said life begins at conception, and is deserving of protection at all stages.Contacted through his campaign, Wright declined numerous requests to be interviewed.Wright's campaign website says, "Attempts to disarm America must end." He advocates defeat of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Act, and said Congress must reverse the funding for Obamacare and Planned Parenthood.It is time to end "this American nightmare" of abortion, which Congress can do constitutionally, he said, by limiting the appellate jurisdiction of the federal courts.Immigration laws must be enforced, and spying on Americans must stop, he said. The current tax system is "a Marxist structure penalizing work," and it should be replaced with a flat tax to "unshackle American capital and workers" to let American ingenuity and enterprise to explode.
Why is Trump coming to Robstown? Here's what political experts think.

Trump will appear at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds on Saturday to "advance the MAGA agenda," according to his Save America PAC.
University of Arkansas researchers found lower crime rates among long-term voucher recipients in Milwaukee's school choice program

RALEIGH A new study from the University of Arkansas finds that crime rates among students in private school voucher programs are lower than those among students who attend traditional public schools.The research, conducted by doctoral student Corey DeAngelis and professor Patrick Wolf, scrutinizes the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program - the longest standing school choice law in the United States.Not only did the study show that crime rates drop among voucher students, it also indicated a continued decline in criminal behavior during a student's long-term enrollment in the program.the paper says,The MPCP is similar to North Carolina's Opportunity Scholarship Program , which was signed into law in 2013 and allows financially challenged families up to $4,200 annually to send their child to private school.The Tar Heel state's voucher program was subjected to a host of legal challenges regarding the use of public tax dollars to fund private education prior to July 2015, when the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled the law constitutional.The program now has awarded more than 2,500 children vouchers to attend private schools during the 2015-16 school year, and is on more solid footing with parents who are looking for reliable education options, says Terry Stoops, director of research and education studies at the John Locke Foundation. But though the voucher program is moving forward, challenges remain.Stoops said.Wisconsin's program has faced problems of its own, with opponents of MPCP trying to paint the University of Arkansas' recent study as biased and inaccurate.Wolf rebuts such claims, stating that the research is accurate, and pointing to previous studies that have included information about school choice failures as well as successes.the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel quotes him as saying,"This research shows the important correlation between a receiving great education and keeping children and our communities safe," Kevin Chavous, executive counsel for the American Federation for Children, said in a statement . "We hope people look at this paper and see the broad positive impact of educational choice and a quality learning environment."Read the full study here: The School Choice Voucher: A "Get Out of Jail" Card?
SHARE Contributed photo Valley Lars Roeder, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Contributed photo

By Esther Hackleman, Esther.M.Hackleman@caller.com

The annual Rising Eyes of Texas exhibit gleans and showcases the talent of up and coming artists throughout the state.

The Rockport Center for the Arts will host the work of 33 emerging undergraduate and graduate students representing 16 Texas universities.

The exhibit will highlight the skills and development of these artists during pivotal years as they prepare for careers after graduation.

"Institutions such as Rockport Center for the Arts play an important role for young artists by providing them with the opportunity to share their work with a larger community," University of Incarnate Word Art Department Chariman Miguel Cortinas said in a news release.

Brown Foundation Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art will select the winners of this year's exhibit, who will be awarded cash prizes for their work.

The exhibit opens Saturday with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. and will remain on display until April 2.

Twitter: @Caller_Esther

IF YOU GO

What: Rising Eyes of Texas

When: Reception will be 5-7 p.m. Saturday; exhibit will run through April 2

Where: Rockport Center for the Arts, 902 Navigation Circle

Cost: Free

Information: 361-729-5519

ART MUSEUM OF SOUTH TEXAS

'EXPLORING THE LAND: LANDSCAPES ...'

What: The exhibit explores how depictions of American landscapes have evolved during more than 200 years of art, including the variety of style and social influences.

When: Through April 26

Where: 1902 N. Shoreline Blvd.

Information: 361-825-3500

ART CENTER OF CORPUS CHRISTI

'Dr. David Tripp'

What: The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi's Coastal Studies inaugural artist in residence will be David Tripp at the Art Center of Corpus Christi. The artist will host a reception, open house and market night.

When: Reception will be from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday; exhibit will run through March 26

Where: 100 N. Shoreline Blvd.

Information: 361-884-6406

'Visionarios 2016 Youth Art'

What: The 15th annual "Visionarios Youth Art" exhibit showcases the work of artists from first to 12th grades representing concepts of science, technology, engineering and math through art. The exhibit is sponsored by Flint Hills Resources and the Art Museum of South Texas.

When: Through March 20

Where: 1902 N. Shoreline Blvd.

Information: 361-825-3500

K SPACE CONTEMPORARY

'Kitsch Show'

What: The juried exhibition will host a variety of art that is a collection of works that are tacky, overdone and melodramatic until they are cool. There will be an opening reception during ArtWalk from 5:30-9 p.m. Friday.

When: Through April 1

Where: Main Gallery, K Space Contemporary, 415 Starr St.

Information: 361-887-6834

'3SUM'

What: Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi alumni Catrina Phillips, Eugene Soliz and Mayra Zamora will showcase their recent colorful and dramatic drawings, paintings and sculptures.

When: Through March 26

Where: Hot Spot Gallery, K Space Contemporary, 415 Starr St.

Information: 361-887-6834

JOSEPH A. CAIN MEMORIAL ART GALLERY

Drawing and Small Sculpture Show

What: Celebrating 50 years, Del Mar College's annual National Drawing and Small Sculpture Show attracts works from some of the most creative contemporary American artists from across the United States. Each year, a guest juror of national stature judges the annual show with internationally known book art sculptor Brian Dettmer serving as the 2016 juror.

When: Through May 6

Where: Joseph A. Cain Memorial Art Gallery, Fine Arts Center, 101 Baldwin Blvd.

Information: 361-698-1216

WEIL GALLERY

'RE-MEMBERING'

What: The Weil Gallery at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi presents Atlanta-based artist Fahamu Pecou's "Re-Membering." Concerned with notions of representation and black masculinity, Pecou's works reflect on ideas of philosophy, spirituality and hip-hop bravado, via the channels of popular culture and fine art.

When: ends Friday

Where: Weil Gallery, 6300 Ocean Drive

Information: 361-825-5700, ext. 5752

JANET HARTE LIBRARY

'WAKEFIELD ART STUDENT EXHIBIT'

What: The students of the Sally Wakefield's Hobby Lobby art class will exhibit their work in the McArdle Gallery at the Janet Harte Library.

When: Through March 17

Where: Janet Harte Library, 2629 Waldron Road

Information: 361-852-1329

COASTAL BEND COLLEGE

'Oblivious'

What: The Coastal Bend College will host the photography and prints of Coastal Bend alumni's Carol Lee exhibit with the Oblivious exhibit.

When: Through April 7

Where: Simon Michael Art Gallery, Frank Jostes Visual Arts Building

Information: 361-358-8615

Beeville Art Museum

'Paintings from the Nave'

What: A collection of 40 paintings by Royston Nave, the namesake of the Nave Museum, will be on display showcasing the works of the La Grange native.

When: Through April 30

Where: 401 E. Fannin St., Beeville

Information: 361-358-8615

JOHN E. CONNER MUSEUM

'A Celebration of Quilts ...'

What: "A Celebration of Quilts 2016: A Heritage of Texas Quilts" showcases the hours of design and creativity stitched into the 36 quilts featured.

When: Through March 19

Where: John E. Conner Museum, 905 W. Santa Gertrudis St., Kingsville

Information: 361-593-2810
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By Staff Report

Even crime fighters need help sometimes.

For the FBI that help can often come from having a solid relationship with the communities agents protect and serve.

That's why agents, community leaders and local law enforcement gathered Thursday to work on strengthening that partnership.

The meeting included a presentation by the FBI Houston office's civil rights program and a discussion on the various types of cases agents handle.

Ed Michel, assistant special agent in charge for the Houston office, noted that working together "at a time with increasing threats" in part because of the digital age is vital.

"Never before has it been so easy and cheap to communicate threats as it is today," Michel said. "No longer can we do it all ourselves. We have to work together to get the job done."

Collaboration between federal and local law enforcement has already paid off in Corpus Christi.

One agent referenced a 2012 hate crime against a man in Corpus Christi who was beaten and sodomized that resulted in the conviction of his attackers. Two men, Jimmy Garza Jr. and Ramiro Serrata Jr., were sentenced in February to 15 years in federal prison.

Terry Mills, the president of the local NAACP chapter, said the discussion on civil rights was a positive step forward.

"Under the law we're all equal," Mills said.
Natalia Contreras/Caller-Times File San Domingo Cemetery

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By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times

Another civil rights organization set its sights on a Normanna cemetery weeks after a woman said the cemetery board prevented the burial of her husband because he was Hispanic.

Attorneys from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, a San Antonio-based civil rights organization, were in Normanna on Thursday to begin their own investigation into San Domingo Cemetery, said Susie Luna Saldana, who is on the civil rights committee of League of United Latin American Citizens Council No. 1.

LULAC No. 1 and the NAACP have criticized the cemetery officials since 75-year-old Dorothy Barrera said she was told she couldn't bury her late husband, Pedro Barrera, because of his ethnicity. The board has since reversed the decision and offered Barrera a plot, but she still plans to file a lawsuit against the cemetery, her attorney told the Caller-Times on Tuesday.

Saldana said MALDEF is planning to file its own lawsuit as well against the cemetery.

Phone calls to MALDEF's office in San Antonio were not immediately returned Thursday. Barrera, her attorney and cemetery staff also could not be reached for further comment.

The incident has led to condemnation from several elected officials who represent the area. On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, issued a statement calling the board's initial decision "disgraceful." Vela did not visit with Barrera, but a staffer has met with local civil rights group regarding the issue, his spokesman said.

"I find it astonishing that such a blatant act of racism could be perpetrated in the year 2016," the statement read.

Vela's statement comes after state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, issued a statement Friday referencing the possibility of a lawsuit to "end this incredible injustice."

"Denying someone a burial on the basis of race is not only shocking  it's illegal. What's more, this kind of discrimination harks back to dark periods of our state's history, to which we should not return," according to her statement.

Twitter: @Caller_Fares
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By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times

Wednesday night's thunderstorms led the city of Rockport to issue a boil water notice, according to a news release.

A lightning strike impacted computers monitoring the water levels in the city's storage tanks, the release stated, which resulted in low water pressure.

City officials became aware of the issue early Thursday morning and shortly after, crews were able to restore proper water pressure.

As a precaution, the city notified residents about the boil water notice to comply with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Residents with questions about the notice can contact Rockport's Public Works Department between 7 a.m.-4 p.m. at 361-790-1160. After hours, residents can call 361-729-1111 for more information.
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Edgar L. Cortes, Navy veteran 1968-1976

Trump's remarks offend veterans

I read The Washington Post editorial in the March 7 Caller-Times ("Romney said what's needing to be heard") and was reminded of Donald Trump's denigration of Sen. John McCain's service and suffering during the Vietnam War. Trump stated that he "likes people who were not captured." If nothing else, Sen. McCain's combat in Vietnam, his permanent disabilities in his arms and shoulders from his war injuries, and his years of imprisonment should command our RESPECT. As a man who served in the Navy Medical Corps during the Vietnam War, I am offended by Trump's remark.

Mr. Trump has stated that he will be the healthiest man ever to serve as president of the United States. Nevertheless, Mr. Trump got a "medical deferment" to get out of serving in the armed forces during the Vietnam War. If you're so healthy, Mr. Trump, we deserve to know exactly why you did not answer the call from your country to serve during the war. In my opinion, your base and offensive remarks about our prisoners of war should preclude you from EVER serving as Commander-in-Chief.
Out of the Shadows, Invest in Basic Sciences Next Einstein Forum Announces New Initiatives to Further Strengthen Africas STEM Research Opportunities

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DAKAR, Senegal, March 10, 2016/ -- With science taking center stage, the Next Einstein Forums Global Gathering, Africas premiere global science and technology forum, wrapped up today with a clear path forward on how best to drive development through science, technology and innovation across the continent. The event was convened by the Next Einstein Forum (NEF), an initiative of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) (http://www.NextEinstein.org) in partnership with the Robert Bosch Stiftung.



The first-ever global science forum on African soil, the three-day STEM-focused summit (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) brought together more than 800 global scientific and industry thought-leaders, political leaders and young scientists uniting to chart a new course for science-led development in Africa.



This is a transformational moment for Africa and we would like to thank the President, Prime Minister and people of Senegal for welcoming the international scientific community to Dakar, said Thierry Zomahoun, NEF Chairperson and President and CEO of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS). Over the past three days, our scientists have showed us and the world that given the opportunity, they are able to do extraordinary things. Taking our African scientists out of the shadows and giving them the exposure on a global level, were creating a youth-driven pan-African scientific community that must be sustained and expanded starting with our NEF Fellows and Ambassadors.



Featuring a series of scientific and solution-driven sessions and spotlights of the NEFs remarkable 15 Fellows, the forums umbrella mission was to drive continent-wide collaboration and commitment to building a strong STEM ecosystem in Africa as well as to showcase an impressive pool of rising and established STEM talent. Further, participants discussed the need for regional collaboration and investment in basic and applied sciences.



Speaking at a panel on developing a national science strategy and taking concrete steps to move from policy to implementation, Mary Teuw Niane, Minister of Higher Education and Research, Senegal, commented: Weve set an important precedent here in Dakar that Africa can indeed become a global scientific hub but only if we create the sustainable funding and support infrastructure critical to building scientific capital. Where there are many challenges, science provides endless solutions, both now and in the future. We must seize the opportunity by leveraging buy in and best practice results from Africa and the world.



Moses Bangura, founder of Rokel Delivery Services (RDS), an African led start-up that leverages advances in drone technology and network mapping to deliver urgent life-saving health care solutions, won the NEF Global Challenge of Invention to Innovation competition (Ci2i), which spotlighted an array of young scientist pitching their impact-driven solutions to a live audience and judging panel. Bangura commented: With our business idea, we seek to raise money to develop an advanced prototype for testing and install a few ground stations, run pilot studies in at least two African countries and participate in the development of legal infrastructures in the use of drones for service delivery in Africa. This we believe will be the first of its kind in the world. In the end, RDS will ensure that health care products are able to reach people in emergencies and those who are in the furthest regions from connected roads.



This week, weve gotten a sneak preview of the future of an Africa that is young and rapidly transforming. Science is key to this evolution and NEF is a critical platform to realize this potential. We all agree that a strong scientific community on this continent will also revolutionize the global scientific community, said Ingrid Wunning Tschol, Senior VP of Strategy, Robert Bosch Stiftung.



A LOOK AHEAD: CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS/OUTCOMES



Moving forward, the NEF is committed to a holistic, action-oriented roadmap aimed at enabling science-driven development by forging strategic partnerships, securing increased investment, developing research capacity, encouraging education, empowering young African scientists and promoting diversity and women in STEM.



Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between AIMS and Germanys Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), both organizations announced the establishment of five research chairs to strengthen research and support scientific exchange. The first chair has already been set up at AIMS Senegal with NEF Fellow Moustapha Fall with others chairs in South Africa, Ghana, Cameroon and Tanzania to follow. In total, the program is valued at nine million euros.



Alongside Neil Turok, AIMS Founder and Chairman and current Director of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, NEF President Thierry Zomahoun, signed a letter of intent with the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to open an AIMS center in Nigeria. The NEF also announced the launch of the AIMS Women in STEM Initiative (AIMSWIS), a collaborative industry effort to prioritize African women in STEM supported by the African Union Commission, the Government of Senegal, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa, Forum for African Women Educationalists, Johnson & Johnson, International Development Research Centre and others.



Also today, IBM Research and the NEF announced the launch of a visiting scientist program, joining forces to promote the future of African scientific talent and advance the continents knowledge economy.



The Next Einstein Forum is particularly pleased to partner with IBM Research on this program which demonstrates concretely what we are trying to do  bridge brilliant scientists from Africa to global opportunities for research and mentorship, both to receive and give mentorship, said Arun Sharma, Managing Director, NEF. The selected NEF Fellows are already accomplished scientists in their own right and the program will allow them to further their research and global standing.



Through the collaborative agreement, five NEF Fellows will become visiting IBM scientists at IBMs global network of research labs in countries such as Kenya, US, Switzerland, China, India, Brazil, Israel, and Australia. The program is designed to give a boost to Africas most promising young scientists and help set the pace and direction for the continents cutting edge scientific research. For more on the partnership please visit:



African economies have experienced tremendous growth in the last few decades. To sustain this growth into the future, it is imperative to support the development of Africas knowledge economy and drive science in Africa, for Africa and the world, said Dr.. Solomon Assefa, Director of IBMs South Africa Research Lab. This initiative from IBM Research and the Next Einstein Forum is designed to support some of Africas most promising young scientists and equip them with the skills and professional networks they need to make a difference in Africa and beyond.



The next NEF Global Gathering will be held in Kigali, Rwanda in 2018, which is now home to the AIMS headquarters, Africas first quantum research centre Quantum Leap Africa and the NEF secretariat.



JOIN THE MOVEMENT



Visit IAmEinstein.org to join the movement to place science and technology at the center of Africas transformation and call on African governments, leaders, and youth to embrace and support a new era in science, technology, and innovation. Watch NEFs Game Changers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR8TClNe9Ts



Continue the conversation with the NEF GG2016 official hashtags #AfricasEinsteins and #NEF2016. Follow NEF on Twitter @NextEinsteinFor and on Facebook www.facebook.com/NextEinsteinForum

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J. Walter Thompson worldwide chairman and CEO Gustavo Martinez has denied allegations made in an employees lawsuit that he frequently joked about raping female staffers and made racist comments in public.

"I am aware of the allegations made against me by a J. Walter Thompson employee in a suit filed in New York Federal Court. I want to assure our clients and my colleagues that there is absolutely no truth to these outlandish allegations, and I am confident that this will be proven in court," he said in a written statement issued by WPP Group.

The lawsuit, filed by worldwide communications director Erin Johnson, claims that Martinez complained about "fucking Jews" and called black people "monkeys" in front of employees. He also made repeated rape jokes focused on Johnson and other female staffers, said the suit, originally reported by the New York Post.

"Come here so I can rape you in the bathroom," Martinez allegedy said before grabbing Johnsons neck and laughing. In another incident, he allegedly told employees he would avoid the "black monkeys" and "apes" at airport customs because they "dont know how to use computers."

Johnson, who has been with the WPP agency since 2005, remains with the company, according to sources. She did not immediately return a call for comment.

Martinez recently celebrated his one-year anniversary in the chief executive position.

Johnson filed the suit in federal court in Manhattan on Thursday, and is seeking unspecified punitive and compensatory damages.

See also: Et tu, Gustavo?
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 self-anointed pedestal; a functioning society of a good Constitutional people cannot withstand this level of "existential" favoritism as it exists now.
Steve King, the global chief executive of Publicis Media, told Campaign: "We now have a very clear organisation."

He has axed Starcom Mediavest Group and ZenithOptimedia as mini-group brands in favour of four subsidiary agencies  Starcom and Mediavest Spark (which were both part of SMG) and Zenith and Optimedia Blue 449 (which have been formed out of ZenithOptimedia).

Vivaki, a trading arm, has also been axed as a brand and its staff will move into the four agencies.

King has appointed three regional chief executives for Publicis Media in the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific and he plans to announce country leaders, including for the UK, after he hosts a meeting of senior executives later this month in Dubai.

He dismissed suggestions that Publicis Media was copying the structure of bigger rival Group M, WPPs media-buying division, which also has four media agencies.

"The way weve configured this is entirely different," King said, noting he has also set up seven global practices, including data, content and analytics. "Weve got some really distinctive brands."

But he admitted Publicis Groupe, the ultimate parent company, had been slow to reorganise itself compared to some rivals. "Having first-mover advantage and power sounds good," he said. "Last-mover advantage may be better."

Publicis Groupe began planning a group-wide reorganisation in September after a summit in San Francisco and announced the creation of four divisions for media, creative, digital consulting and healthcare in December.

"There was an acute understanding that the way Publicis Groupe was divided into silos wasnt the way to be transformational partners for our clients," King said, explaining the logic of Publicis Media and why it now made sense to axe SMG and ZenithOptimedia as mini-group brands.

King, a Briton, expects Publicis Media to be based in London, despite the fact that Publicis Groupe is headquartered in Paris and the US is its biggest market.

"One of the things weve got to decide is where is the global headquarters going to be. I think the business would be run out of the UK because geographically its a much easier place to run a global business, rather than America or Asia. Its not going to be Paris."

The disbanding of SMG and ZenithOptimedia amounts to a U-turn as Publicis Groupe brought together Starcom and Mediavest in 2000 and Zenith and Optimedia in 2001, but King insisted the group brands had functioned well for 15 years.

He was a founding employee of Zenith in 1988 and became global chief executive of ZenithOptimedia in 2004.

He is under pressure to turn around Publicis Media after SMGs recent loss of two major US clients, Procter & Gamble and Walmart, which were estimated to be worth over $3 billion (2.1 billion) in billings.

King said: "Im long enough in the tooth to know every agency goes through a period of losing clients. Sometimes its incumbency, sometimes its price-driven, sometimes its all three.

"I think what were doing here [with the reorganisation] and the management changes were making in the next few weeks will give us an opportunity to reinvigorate and strengthen those businesses."

He recalled that Mediavest was named Agency of the Year by some of the US advertising press only a year or two ago and said Publicis Media would be reorganising even without losing P&G and Walmart. "Wed have been doing this if wed won all these clients."

He told some clients about the reorganisation earlier this week and said: "I dont get anyone saying, I dont get what youre doing."

King was bullish about Publicis Media and the wider media-buying business despite multiple challenges.

"Everyone says to me, Oh my God, what a terrible job youre taking on," he said, comparing Publicis Media to its sister divisions, Publicis Communications, Publicis Sapient and Publicis Healthcare. "But I think the media business is the easier one to run. Our business is very simple. Its about the application of scale and leveraging it.

"The barriers to entry for creative agencies are virtually zero. But the media business is where you have to have scale. Where we are aggregating  in data, in analytics, in econometrics  the barriers to entry are high. Weve got to leverage in these practices and scale them as much as possible."

He added that clients needed help because of technological disruption. "There is not a single client with a clear line of sight about their business in the next two to three years. Were in a very nice position to help them with their business transformation.

"I bet the worst-performing media agency grew its revenue last year. I suspect all of the holding groups media divisions grew by revenue or headcount or client assignments."

Rivals such as consulting firms are trying to muscle into the media business but he said: "Unlike most people who want to enter this area, weve already got enormously powerful partnerships with Google and Facebook and others."
Campaign Asia-Pacific understands the staff change is effective immediately.

Based in Singapore, McNaught ran DANs financial operations for just over three years. Prior to that, he was deputy regional CFO, and before that served as CFO of Aegis Media Pacific until 2011.

Jones has worked as group director of corporate finance for DAN for close to 2.5 years.

Campaign understands that Jones will continue to be based in Tokyo and will travel around the region as required.

It is not clear why McNaught has been replaced. A spokesperson for Dentsu Aegis Network declined to comment on the proceedings, citing the sensitive nature of staff moves.

The reshuffle follows a drive by DAN in January to streamline operations and cut duplicate costs that saw four executives in Southeast Asia leave the company.

In February, Luke Littlefield, DANs chief executive for Australia and New Zealand, was replaced by Simon Ryan from Carat.

Littlefields departure followed DANs apparent admission and subsequent denial that it negotiates annual volume bonuses, or value banks, with media companies.
| BY Ricki Green |

AKQA has today announced the call for entries to the official Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity global student competition, Future Lions, by inviting all students to Start Something.

A global celebration of bold and progressive thinking, Future Lions has now launched the careers of over 60 of the most talented creatives. The brief: connect audiences to an idea from a global brand in a way not possible three years ago. There are no boundaries or restrictions on which industries or media are chosen. The deadline for entries is 6 April 2016 at 18:00 GMT.

Says Ajaz Ahmed, CEO, AKQA: From encouragement flows courage. With Future Lions we are encouraging the next generation to dream big and soar high. The winning teams are the ones that nourish creativity through curiosity and unleash the inner fire of their imagination.

With a focus on ideas that move the world, AKQA is proud to announce Google as the official partner for Future Lions. Google will host a live Hangout for students called Ask The Judges on 15 March 2016 at 15:00 GMT. In addition, AKQA group creative director Ian Wharton will provide guidance through Think with Google  a source of insights, trends and research.

The five winning ideas will be celebrated on stage at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on 22 June 2016 in the Debussy Theatre at Les Palais des Festivals. The winners will receive the prestigious Future Lions trophy, and full access to the Festival. An exclusive rooftop celebration will take place after the ceremony for all the winners with the judges, industry luminaries and previous Future Lions winners.

Alongside the individual awards, the school with the highest number of shortlisted entries will be recognised as the Future Lions School of the Year, an honour that has gone to Berghs School of Communication in Stockholm, Sweden for the last two years.
| BY Ricki Green |

At a sell-out event at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland last night, emceed by fantastically funny comedienne Urzila Carlson, 800 advertising types came together to celebrate the industrys best creative work from the past year.

The highly coveted Grand Axis was awarded to Saatchi & Saatchi for its simple to use but sophisticated tech piece Clever Kash created for ASB Bank. The cute elephant money box allows children to physically experience money in our non-cash society and was a hit with all judges. The trophy will sit alongside the Grand Prix awarded in Digital & Interactive and a further five Gold Axis awards in Innovation, User Experience Digital Craft, Product Design Non-Tech, Design User Experience and Tech Driven Creative.

John Merrifield, chief creative officer, GoogleAsia Pacific and Warren Brown, founder of BMF, Sydney flew into Auckland earlier in the week, and joined the 4 local jury presidents on the executive judging Panel. Their role was to award the final metal which included a total of 21 gold Axis Awards, 4 Grand Prix and 7 additional Special Awards including Emerging Talent and NZME Student Challenge.

Y&R had a great night out at Axis this year with Burger Kings campaign McWhopper. This was a big hit amongst the local and international judges, winning four Golds across PR/Promo & Activation, Social Media, Integrated and then a final Gold Grand Prix for the bold and fantastic work done bringing McDonalds and Burger King together for World Peace Day.

Says Paul Head, CEO, CAANZ: The work that stood out this year, including CleverCash, McWhopper and Brewtroleum all signal and reflect a significant change in our industry as our clients demand ever more innovative ways to connect with consumers. Its been a great year for creativity in New Zealand.

Other big winners included Special Group with its work for 2degrees, Play the Bridge, DDB with three Golds, one in Craft for Fargo Woollens for Sky Television, a Gold in Promo &

Activation for Reverse April Fools for BMW Group NZ and Gold in Outdoor for The Unforgotten Soldiers again for Sky Television.

When it came to the Executive Awards, Integrated was so close and the executive judging panel felt Brewtroleum and McWhopper were faultless examples for their Integrated Category so awarded both a Gold. And for new category Innovation, Clever Kash and Reduce Speed Dial were also recognised as excellent although different pieces of work with Golds.

In Craft  Sweet Shop, Finch and Assembly rose to the top with Sweet Shops exciting piece, Men In Black, Safety Defenders for Air New Zealand, Finch with excellent Direction on the emotional piece Deng Adut for the University of Western Sydney and Assembly with a beautiful piece of motion graphics for PWC, Extraordinary Challenges  unanimously loved by the category judges in Auckland in February.

On the night though, Colenso BBDO/Proximity came out on top and were announced Creative Agency of 2015 with much loved work, Brewtroleum for DB, Pedigree Found for Mars and Reduce Speed Dial for Volkswagen. (Calculated on points awarded for finalists and/or metal won on the night).

These campaigns and others helped them to win five Golds in Promo and Activation, Direct Digital, Product Design Non-tech, Innovation and Integrated with a further Gold Grand Prix for Integrated and Product Design plus a swag of Silvers, Bronzes and Finalists.

Creative business of the Year went to ASB Bank (left) and The Sweet Shop celebrated five consecutive years in being named Production Company of the Year.

Former COO of Saatchis Worldwide and Assignment and now Lewis Road Creamery founder Peter Cullinane (left) was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his illustrious career in the advertising industry.

The executive judging panel awarded the Emerging Talent Axis to Katyana ONeill and Renee Bryant from Barnes Catmur and Friends Dentsu, who demonstrated promising talent as newcomers to the industry.

The NZMEs Axis Student Challenge Award went to Deborah Chae and Kieran Buchan from AUT for their campaign for Lightbox and a big thanks to NZME and also to Young and Shand for supporting this award with a live brief and judges

Says Head: Axis has always been the pivotal moment in the New Zealand creative calendar because it is a celebration of our best creative work; the work our industry is most proud of because it has broken the rules, permeates popular culture and influences behavioural change, and the winners this year are all great examples of those attributes.
| BY Ricki Green |

Following a breakout 2015, tech-driven media, CX and creative agency Affinity has won a host of new business and added a number of key hires to the team as it continues to experience growth.

New clients  including Flordis and the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC)  have appointed the agency, with six new hires joining across all departments including

award-winning creative duo Martin Greguric (left) and Nicholas Brown (centre), Renee Stekel (right) as business director and rounding out the new additions are Dhwani Mathur and Peter Chui, who join the team in account management and data science respectively.

Greguric and Brown have joined Affinitys expanding creative team  handpicked by creative director Marcus Tesoreiro for their specific skill set broaching branding, social media, healthcare, experiential and digital.

Formerly of Grey Health, the pair won a 2014 New York Festivals Global Award as well as the coveted 2014 Health Share Award Crowd Cup in Germany. Brown honed his craft in many of the UKs hottest healthcare shops including Saatchi & Saatchi Health, EuroRSCG Life and DDB Remedy, art directing for brands such as Pfizer, Canon, GSK and Mitsubishi, while Greguric has over a decade of experience writing for the likes of McDonalds, Volvo, Samsung and Qantas in a diverse range of creative shops, from Arnold, Lavender* and The One Centre to SapientNitro, Droga5 and Razorfish.

With almost ten years industry experience working in the UK and four years as a senior suit at Melbourne agency Milo & Co., Stekel joins Affinity as business director. A powerhouse suit, Stekel has steered brands like Bupa, Australia Post, Visa Europe, and Monash University, and brings a wealth of integrated experience and expertise in client services to Affinity.

Says Luke Brown, CEO, Affinity: The past 12 months were outstanding at Affinity. We produced work that delivered real business results for our clients with the added bonus that much of what we did was critically recognised both locally and internationally. The culmination was being named bronze winners in both the Independent and Digital Agency of the Year categories at the Campaign Asia Pacific Awards in November.

2016 has begun as well as 2015 ended with great clients including Flordis and the RIDBC choosing to work with us, and a bunch of super talented people joining our growing team across the agency. Were looking forward to delivering continued great work and business results for our clients, as well as continuing to grown the agency.

The independent Sydney agency will manage strategy, creative, data and media duties for Flordis  a brand of clinically proven natural medicines. The account was won following a three-way pitch, while the RIDBC has engaged the agency to conduct a comprehensive brand review and then rollout resulting creative and media.

After winning the Media Federation of Australia award for Best Use of Data and taking out the Mumbrella MSix Clever Use of Data title in 2015 for its work on Narellan Pools, Australias largest pool builder has expanded it remit with Affinity to now include strategy, creative, CRM, SEO and media.
Uniquetex to Bring 150 Jobs to Cleveland County

Press Release:



Non-Woven Textile Manufacturer Selects NC for New U.S. Operations

Shelby, N.C. - Governor Pat McCrory, North Carolina Commerce Secretary John E. Skvarla, III and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC) today announced the arrival of Uniquetex, LLC, Inc. to Cleveland County. The company intends to build a 150-person workforce in the Town of Grover over the coming five years. Uniquetex is investing $31.6 million in a production facility there, its first in the United States.



"Textile manufacturing is one of North Carolina's greatest traditional industries, and it is still growing," said Governor McCrory. "Our state is the ideal destination for globally-positioned, innovation-driven textile companies like Uniquetex."



Uniquetex, LLC manufactures nonwoven fabrics for use by medical and healthcare providers, as well as other industries. The company is a joint venture between Foshan Nanhai Beautiful Nonwoven Co., Ltd., one of China's largest nonwoven textile businesses and Wenzhou Chaolong Textile Machinery Co., Ltd., a Zhejiang, China-based developer of equipment and technologies for nonwoven textile manufacturing.



"Uniquetex's selection of Cleveland County highlights all the reasons North Carolina leads the Southeast in manufacturing employment," said Secretary Skvarla. "I am confident that our state's productive workforce, competitive costs and ready access to global markets will strongly support the company's ambitious growth strategy."



Uniquetex intends to hire 150 workers at its Cleveland County operations. Positions will include machine operators, technicians, customer service representatives and others. Salaries will vary by position but will average $36,313 per year. Cleveland County's overall average wage is currently $35,885 per year.



"We are extremely excited to start up our first U.S. operations in Cleveland County, N.C. The combination of a skilled workforce, access for quality transportation infrastructure and the pro-business attitude of the community is what attracted us here," said Benny Deng, company CEO/President.



The project was made possible in part by a performance-based grant of up to $800,000 from the One North Carolina Fund. The One NC Fund provides financial assistance, through local governments, to attract business projects that will stimulate economic activity and create new jobs in the state. Companies receive no money up front and must meet job creation and investment performance standards to qualify for grant funds. One NC grants also require and are contingent on financial matches from local governments.



Since Governor McCrory took office in January of 2013, North Carolina has witnessed the net creation of more than 260,000 private-sector jobs.



"Congratulations to this promising international company on its choice of Cleveland County for this important investment," said N.C. Speaker of the House Tim Moore. "I look forward to working with with Governor McCrory and Secretary Skvarla to ensure our state has the tools to make our manufacturing economy even stronger."



"Cleveland County is a welcoming environment for great companies from all over the world," said N.C. Senator Warren Daniel. "We look forward to Uniquetex joining our business community."



Numerous state and local allies worked with EDPNC and N.C. Commerce in supporting Uniquetex's location plans. They include the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, Cleveland County, the Cleveland County Economic Development Partnership, and Gardner Webb University.


Thursday, March 10, 2016 at 7:53PM

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla



Apple's confirmed that it is holding its next media event on March 21st at the intimate Town Hall at the campus in its 1 Infinite Loop headquarters in Cupertino. The event is the first product launch since the September 2015 bonanza in downtown San Francisco and is going to be live streamed at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. Details can be found here.

Expected at this event are a new 4-inch iPhone which will be an updated version of the iPhone 5/5S form factor, a smaller 9.7-inch iPad Pro (taking over the iPad Air) as well as more Apple Watch straps and accessories. Apple could also unveil some new MacBooks now with new Intel Skylake processors and improved specs as well as elaborate on new software features for iOS, Mac OS X El Capitan, tvOS and watchOS. Timing for the event is odd since Tim Cook and some Apple executives will be at a federal court hearing in California to address the Justice Department's order to unlock an iPhone to aid in an investigation.

While products and technologies will be front and centre, specially since Apple's biggest rivals have played their cards at Mobile World Congress (and their latest smartphones are already shipping), all eyes will be on Apple CEO Tim Cook to see if he uses the event as a podium to discuss the DOJ matter.




Thursday, March 10, 2016 at 10:54PM

BMW is looking toward the next 100 years as it celebrates is centennial anniversary. The German automaker will be unveiling four concept cars that will set the tone for product and design development in the coming century.

The Vision Vehicle is the first concept and it shows off things like a windshield with an interactive digital display, an interior dashboard with tons of triangles that change shape based on communication with the driver's movements, and organic LEDs that change shape. It's basically a shape-shifting, incredibly advanced vehicle.

On the more realistic, possibly production-ready side, there are elements like Boost and Ease mode that allow the driver to switch from self-driving to autonomous driving mode.

BMW will be revealing the other concepts in the coming months and it'll join Vision Vehicles by MINI and Rolls-Royce during the European leg of a global tour happening from June 16 to June 26. During the final stop in Los Angeles from October 6 to 11, the final Motorrad Vision Vehicle will be unveiled.

Source: Forbes
Friday, March 11, 2016 at 8:15AM

USA Today just announced it wants to put viewers in the news. Through the launch of VRtually There, the USA TODAY NETWORK maintains its groundbreaking status in VR-driven journalism and media, poised to scale as specialized VR hardware evolves, and the viewing audience grows.

VRtually There will premiere in Spring 2016 and will air a variety of regularly scheduled segments through a true network approach. Working with USA TODAY NETWORK newsrooms across the nation, VRtually There will expand to include a slate of regularly-scheduled original programming to include content from across the NETWORK, touching on a wide variety of topics.

We are excited to work with innovative brands and agencies to invent VR advertising products and virtual branded content experiences. The USA TODAY NETWORKs commitment to storytelling, utilizing VR, sets us apart in the news media space, said Kevin Gentzel chief revenue officer. We are equally focused on connecting our readers to brands in VR. Within GET Creative, our branded content studio, we have talented and experienced VR videographers who are working hard to help invent this new advertising medium.
"Our company is all about sustainability and it means more than furniture  so we searched and searched for the most ethical and sustainable T-shirts we could find that were organic and had fair work laws to protect the people that were making them," she said.
"The last day I was in Nepal I was in Kathmandu and at some of the temples they have, and three or four days later they had all been knocked over," he said.
Starting with Bob Hawke and Barry Jones, as his minister for science, it was decided that the CSIRO should be partly funded from money it raised externally, mainly from the private sector. As is the way with external money the resulting science  largely paid for by public funds  is often owned and controlled by particular companies on a commercial-in-confidence basis. This means that the public and other Australian enterprises have no access to what is essentially publicly funded science  our money. This flies in the face of what the CSIRO was set up to do.
Roy Cooper Proposes Free College, Doesn't Say How He'll Pay For It

Press Release:



Raleigh, N.C. McCrory campaign manager Russell Peck released the following statement in response to Roy Cooper's newly released education plan:



"Any time a lawyer-politician promises you something for free, middle class families should hold on to their wallets! While Roy Cooper's proposal offers only Bernie Sanders-esque platitudes like "free college" with no plan to pay for it, Governor McCrory is working together with educational leaders to implement actual strategies to improve North Carolina schools and raise teacher pay... and it's working. The fact is that North Carolina's education system was neglected and fell behind under Roy Cooper and the Democrats, including in teacher pay, but under Governor McCrory, North Carolina is reversing that trend and helping students achieve."



Background:



Under the previous Democrat governors, state education spending was cut by about $1 billion between 2008-2011 (Department of Public Instruction)



Fulfilling a campaign promise, Governor McCrory reconvened the Education Cabinet for the first time in nearly three years, bringing leaders of North Carolina's education system together to develop strategies to improve student achievement. (Press Release, "Governor McCrory Convenes Education Cabinet, Directs Group to Develop New Vision and Brand for North Carolina's Education System," Office of Governor McCrory, 4/17/2013)



Under Governor McCrory's leadership, North Carolina gave teachers the largest teacher pay raise in the country. ("Rankings of the States 2014 and Estimates of School Statistics 2015, National Education Association," March 2015, p. 92; Blog: Dr. Terry Stoops, "NEA: NC ranks 42nd in teacher salary," John Locke Foundation, 3/18/2015)



Governor McCrory worked with legislative leaders to raise teacher salaries and implement a higher career pay scale, bringing average teacher pay to $47,800 - higher than North Carolina's median household income. Since he took office, North Carolina has committed over $1 billion more for teacher pay through Governor McCrory's first term. (Office of State Budget & Management)



Under Governor McCrory's leadership, North Carolina is #9 in state level funding of education, spending 60% of the total state budget on education. (Blog: Dr. Terry Stoops, "NEA: NC ranks 42nd in teacher salary," John Locke Foundation, 3/18/2015)



Governor McCrory has increased funding for public schools by hundreds of millions of dollars each year he has been in office. Overall, K-12 funding has increased by 12% between 2012-13 to 2015-16. (Office of State Budget and Management)



Under Governor McCrory, North Carolina spends a higher percentage of tax revenues on higher education than any other state. (SREB Fact Book on Higher Education December 2014)



Governor McCrory increased state spending per pupil on education. (Blog: Dr. Terry Stoops, "DPI examines state funding trends," The Locker Room, 9/29/2015; Blog: Dr. Terry Stoops, <i>"Updated DPI chart shows larger per student increase than first thought," The Locker Room, 10/20/2015)



Governor McCrory: Promoting Student Achievement And Making Sure Students Are College Or Career Ready



Thanks to the hard work of teachers and students, North Carolina's High School graduation rate is at an all time high, reaching 85.4%. (Press Release, "High School Graduation Rate Highest in State History," North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 9/2/2015)



The first bill Governor McCrory signed into law established two paths to a high school diploma. Now, when high school students get their diploma, it's going to be marked at the bottom with either one or two things, vocational, career ready, or both. ("Increase Access To Career/Technical Ed." Senate Bill 14 / S.L. 2013-1, North Carolina General Assembly; SB14 signed by Governor McCrory 2/18/2013)



Governor McCrory funded the "Read to Achieve" program, ending the practice of socially promoting students who are unable to read at or above grade level after the third grade. As a result, fourth grade test scores jumped in 2015. ("Read to Achieve," Department of Public Instruction, accessed 8/30/2015; Lynn Bonner, T. Keung Hui, and David Raynor, "State test scores static, student growth slips," The Raleigh News & Observer, 9/2/2015)



Governor McCrory signed "Opportunity Scholarships" into law to expand educational opportunities for low-income students struggling to receive needed resources receive up to $4,200 to attend a private school. Over $40 million of funding over the 2015-17 biennium will provide new opportunities to thousands of students and families. ("Appropriations Act of 2013," Senate Bill 402, North Carolina General Assembly; "2015 Appropriations Act," House Bill 97, North Carolina General Assembly)





Contact: The Pat McCrory Committee

press@patmccrory.com


This blog is posted mostly everyday when we take a break from our usual retired Life as former full-time RVer's and travel overseas.
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Three college students who first met while attending a Catholic high school in Florida have launched a scholarship fund to help others experience faithful Catholic education at a Newman Guide college. As we went off to different colleges, we kept in touch and found time to catch up whenever we returned []
Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.

You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
China is giving us an early look at the new face of Buicks 2017 Encore subcompact SUV, less than two weeks prior to its world premiere at the New York Auto Show.



If youve been following the news from last weeks Geneva Motor Show, then the changes wont come as much of a surprise, since the Buick Encore is the North American twin of the Opel / Vauxhall Mokka X, with the only thing differentiating the two being the badges and the front grille.

While the car youre looking at is the China-specification 2017 Encore, with the possible exception of some miniscule details like the orange turning signals, the North American model will look the same.

On the outside, it gains a more chiseled and less bulbous front end featuring different headlamps with available LED tech and Buicks new and more modern corporate winged-grille instead of the dated waterfall unit, and a tidier rear bumper.

There are no pictures of the interior, but expect to see the redesigned dashboard of the Mokka X on the 2017 Encore, which should also maintain its current 1.4-liter turbod four-cylinder engine thats available in standard guise with 138 hp (140PS) and 148 lb-ft (200 Nm), and in Sport Touring form with 153hp and 177 lb-ft of torque (240 Nm).

H/T to Indianautosblog!

Photo Gallery
Pricing and range details of the all-new Pacifica MPV were announced by Chrysler.



Built on a new platform which claims to be the lightest and stiffest in the segment, the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica will be offered in both hybrid and petrol versions.

Gasoline-powered versions use the brands Pentastar V6 engine which makes 287hp and 262lb ft of torque and is mated to a nine-speed TorqueFlite automatic gearbox, granting the Pacifica a 28mpg highway fuel economy.

The hybrid version is according to Chrysler, the worlds first electrified minivan and is going to offer an estimated all-electric range of 30 miles, along with an 80MPGe fuel economy rating within city walls.

With nearly 40 innovations not offered by any others in its class, the all-new Chrysler Pacifica is the new benchmark in the segment that we invented more than 30 years ago, said Timothy Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Car Brands, FCA North America.

Offered in LX, Touring, Touring-L, Touring-L Plus and Limited editions, the new Pacifica starts from $28,595 MSRP with the range-topper asking for $42,495 of your money. The first cars will be available in dealer showrooms in the coming weeks, with the Pacifica Hybrid to arrive in the second half of 2016.



2017 Chrysler Pacifica LX has an MSRP of $28,595, plus $995 destination

2017 Chrysler Pacifica Touring-L has an MSRP of $34,495, plus $995 destination.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica Touring-L Plus has an MSRP of $37,895, plus $995 destination

2017 Chrysler Pacifica Limited has an MSRP of $42,495, plus $995 destination.

PHOTO GALLERY
The Lotus 3-Eleven has become the fastest car ever to be recorded by Sport Auto around the German circuit.



Driven by Sport Autos Christian Gebhardt, the fastest series production Lotus lapped the Hockenheimring short circuit in 1.06,2 min, besting the Porsche 918s performance by 0.1 seconds around the famous track.

The performance of the hardcore Lotus is even more impressive considering that the 3-Eleven was on standard road tires and that the temperature of the environment at the time was not higher than 8 degrees Celsius.

Christian set a fabulous lap in less than ideal conditions, said Jean-Marc Gales, Lotus CEO. We knew from the outset that we have created a simply phenomenal car that is capable of great things, and this lap record proves that beyond doubt. This is the ultimate embodiment of the Lotus design philosophy.

The revised supercharged 3.5-litre V6 engine now makes 460hp, making the 3-Eleven capable of a 2.9 seconds for the 0-60mph procedure, with the maximum speed set at 180mph (290km/h).

Utilizing a new lightweight composite body and a bespoke aluminium chassis, the Lotus 3-Eleven offers a power-to-weight ratio in excess of 500hp. Lotus will build just 311 units over the next two years.

The Lotus 3-Eleven is an amazingly fast and track focused car in which to have a lot of fun at the limit, said Christian Gebhardt. It is the fastest series-production car in the test history of Sport Auto on the Hockenheimring Short Circuit.

PHOTO GALLERY

VIDEO
FCAs five-year product plan estimated 75,000 annual sales for Maserati by 2018 on the back of the Alfieri, new GranTurismo and Gran Cabrio and, of course, the recently revealed Levante SUV.



The Italian luxury brand is now revising its schedule, lowering its target for the end of the decade by 25,000 units, to 50,000, as CEO Harald Wester told Motoring during the Geneva Motor Show.

When asked if the Porsche 911-rivalling Alfieri, that had already been pushed back by two years to 2018, Wester just said no comment, adding that the next one will be substitution of GranTursimo, GranCabrio by successors.

We already had discussion about Alfieri and I dont want to go into details, he deadpanned when further pressed to comment on the subject. This seems to suggest a production version of the concept first shown at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, which was named after company founder Alfieri Maserati, is still some way off or could be altogether canned.

This comes after an earlier announcement by Marchionne earlier that more resources will be placed on developing pickups and Jeeps on the back of falling US fuel prices.

By Mitchell Jones

PHOTOS
With its newly launched models and concepts, Ssangyong has finally began to regain some momentum in the business, even considering a possible US entry.



In its new overseas expansion plan, South Koreas No.4 car maker will try to take on new markets in order to balance the poor sales in its main export country, Russia.

Ssangyongs CEO Choi Johng-sik said the car manufacturer could penetrate the U.S market under a new company name, as early as 2019, although Reuters reports that this information contradicts the one of Mahindra Executive Director Pawan Goenka, who stated that Ssangyongs priority is building plans in China.

Nevertheless, even though the companies executives might not be on the same page, Choi Johng-sik admitted its hard to conquer:

It is true that there are many concerns about the U.S. entry. We think the U.S. project will make or break our company. So well have full discussions with Mahindra.

Of course, if the Indian-owned company wont get approvals from Mahindra, then nothing will happen, but Choi said the company had three to four years to prepare for the entry, with an investment of over $100 million.

Moreover, Ssangyongs CEO said the Korean company was also in talks with several Chinese firms to make vehicles on the mainland, citing Geely, Cherry and an unidentified military truck maker.

PHOTO GALLERY
Akira Yonekawa

LOCATION: Aichi, Japan

PRIMARY MEDIA: Digital [Photoshop, Illustrator]

EDUCATION: Aichi Toho University [graphic design, 1985]

MAJOR PROJECTS:

I never give up this fight! illustration

CALI vintage print T-shirt illustration

THE HOOP HOOVER illustration

BONE BOY BONEY illustration

WHAT IS THE MOST VALUABLE PIECE OF ARTISTIC ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED, AND FROM WHO?

I love the moonlight peeping through the cloud. It is interesting. Murata Juko

MORE: Website/Behance/Instagram/Tumblr
The Annecy animation festival, the worlds largest gathering of industry pros and students, has revealed more programming highlights for its upcoming edition, taking place June 13-18.

Among the big news is two work-in-progress sessions showing first footage from a couple of hotly anticipated projects: the French feature film adaptation of Arthur de Pins comic series Zombillenium (pictured top) and Genndy Tartakovskys reboot of Samurai Jack for Adult Swim, in which hell finally conclude the story.

Another major event will be a masterclass by John Kricfalusi, who will be appearing at Annecy for the first time in his career. Its a fitting moment for Kricfalusi to head to France since this year marks the 25th anniversary of his revolutionary TV series, Ren & Stimpy.
Photo: Contributed - Bonnie Gratz Cathy Derkach, Mark Meer, Donovan Workun, Neil Grahn, Jocelyn Ahlf, Jana O'Connor, and Jan Randall

Live from Kelowna . . . Its The Irrelevant Show!

On March 18, Kelowna Community Theatre will be filled with fans of CBC's hit radio series, The Irrelevant Show, a mainstay for CBC's Radio One. It runs every Saturday afternoon, and is listened to by thousands across the country.

The comedy show, highest rated in the country at over 350,000 listeners per episode, features the talents of the Edmonton theatre scene: Mark Meer, Donovan Workun, Jana OConnor, and the legendary Neil Grahn (Three Dead Trolls In A Baggie), who co-writes the show with longtime CBC host Peter Brown.

While it is not unusual for Kelowna to get a high profile comedy show in town, it is unusual for me to be planning it. Usually you will find me teaching, working in the theatre on a play, or in the studio taping our television series. A presenter of others' work is not usually my forte or interest, but this is different, because I am a super fan.

Yes. I said it. I am a super fan of a CBC radio show.

It might make me sound a little nerdy, but I have hundreds of thousands of fans just like me across the country. So, last year, when I had one of the stars of the show, Mark Meer, as a performer at New Vintage Theatre's pop culture festival called KFX (Kelowna Fan Xpo), I asked if there was any possibility that the entire group might come back to perform here.

Mark said they had never toured to BC before as a group but it sounded like a fun idea, and he would pitch it. One year later, after many planning conversations with the delightful Peter Brown, we have lift off. On Friday, March 18, The Irrelevant Show kicks off KFX at Kelowna Community Theatre, and I couldn't be more giddy.

If you have never listened to the show before, let me give you an idea. It is a series of tightly written, brilliantly performed, parody sketches mixed with music.

It is original, hilarious, and very Canadian. I am told a couple of the never before performed sketches custom-written for March 18 include Darth Vader's Performance Review and Two Bobsledders Awkward Conversation About Their Friendship.

We will also have our very own Mayor Colin Basran - Canadas coolest mayor - reading Kelowna Fun Facts.

The evening's performance will be taped for the nationally broadcast show, and, after March 18, the entire country will hear Live from Kelowna . . . Its The Irrelevant Show.

Proudly I say, I did that. I brought them here! (with an exclamation point, if you are a fan of the show, you will get that joke)

Join me, Mayor Colin Basran, and hundreds of others at this amazing show on March 18 at Kelowna Community Theatre.

There are a few tickets left for the show, and even fewer left for KFX (Kelowna Fan Xpo) the following day, so don't delay, line up your advance tickets at www.selectyourtickets.com

For more about the show, or KFX, check out www.kelownafx.com and New Vintage Theatre's website at www.newvintage.ca.

Photo: Contributed - Bonnie Gratz The Irrevelant Show cast

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Photo: Contributed - Flickr/BC gov't

British Columbia Premier Christy Clark says she's pleased that Canada and the United States are working to resolve a long-standing trade issue over softwood lumber exports.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Barack Obama say they expect to resolve the issue.

The trade pact expired last year and both countries have accused each other of not being willing to start new negotiations.

Clark says a renegotiated softwood trade agreement has been one of B.C.'s top priorities with the federal Liberals, who were elected last fall.

The 2006 agreement that regulated Canadian softwood exports to the U.S. ended five years of court battles and returned $4 billion in duties collected by the U.S. on Canadian producers.

B.C. is Canada's largest producer of softwood lumber, with annual lumber exports to the U.S. at about $3 billion.
Dozens of people made their best pitch to producers of The Dragon's Den, Thursday, in Kelowna, hoping to find investors for their products.

For the 11th year, the hit CBC reality show came to the Central Okanagan in search of entrepreneurs  and there was no shortage of ideas as people made their way to Okanagan College to promote their wares.

Producer Jane Chupick said 150 people from across Canada will make it to the televised show, where they will attempt to convince the hosts to invest in their companies and hopefully make their dreams come true.

Dragons' Den airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on CBC.
Photo: CTV

A major British Columbia health authority has updated its guidelines for medical staff on how to respond to requests for assisted death, allowing doctors and nurses to refer patients to a colleague.

Vancouver Coastal Health first distributed a bulletin on Feb. 5 that advised staff not to provide advice on assistance in dying, but to inform patients that they may wish to speak with legal counsel as a court-ordered exemption may be granted.

Dr. Ellen Wiebe, the Vancouver doctor who recently helped a Calgary woman with ALS die, said the original notice was unacceptable as it appeared to warn staff not to engage in conversations about assisted death.

"The recommendations that went out to clinical units were outrageous," she said. "It was basically, 'Don't talk.' That's completely unacceptable. That hurts patients."

After the health authority issued an updated bulletin on Thursday that advised staff to offer to connect patients with a colleague for more information, Wiebe said she was satisfied.

The bulletin outlines several statements that have been prepared by Vancouver Coastal Health's legal, client relations and risk management teams, to be used as elements of a sensitive response to questions about assisted dying that avoids concerns about breaking the law.

"Please let's discuss concerns with your care plan and explore alternatives and additional supports," staff are advised to say. "I am not able to counsel you regarding your request about physician-assisted dying; however, I can connect you with a colleague who will meet with you to discuss your situation and your options."

It also says that Vancouver Coastal Health is developing a system to address clients' requests once the Liberal government introduces assisted-dying legislation in June. Until then, patients can only legally access assisted death if they obtain an exemption from a judge.

Spokesman Gavin Wilson said the authority began updating the guidelines after the B.C. Supreme Court indicated in late February that patients needed an affidavit from a physician in order to seek a court exemption for assisted death.

Vancouver Coastal Health operates hospitals and health centres in Vancouver, Richmond, North Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast and Sea-to-Sky corridor. The notice was sent to all medical staff, operations and medical leaders, and program managers to share with their staff.

The policy stands in contrast with that of Providence Health Care, a Catholic-based provider in Vancouver that has warned staff physician-assisted death is not permitted at its facilities.

Dr. Peter Edmunds, Vancouver Coastal Health regional medical director for home, community and palliative care, said a working group of about 13 people from across different disciplines was formed last year to explore how the health authority would provide access to assisted dying.

He said the guidelines issued in February were written at a time when expectations were less clear for nurses and doctors to respond to assisted-dying pleas. Vancouver Coastal Health would never attempt to obstruct access to the service, he said.

"We absolutely respect this service and understand that it needs to be provided. We just want to do it in a way that's the most beneficial to patients and staff."

Edmunds said Wiebe is the doctor to whom staff will likely refer patients, as he doesn't know of any other local doctors who have come forward publicly to offer to provide assisted death.

Colleges that regulate nurses and pharmacists have also been grappling with legal concerns around their members participating in assisted death.

The College of Registered Nurses of B.C. says on its website that nurses should seek an independent legal opinion if approached to participate in assisted death. When the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the assisted dying ban last year, it did not say the exemption applies to nurses, the college's website says.

Last week, the College of Pharmacists of B.C. altered its stance after the court exemption allowing the Alberta woman to die expressly included the pharmacist. The college now advises on its website that pharmacists must be authorized by a court in order to dispense drugs as part of the assisted-dying process.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Dozens of homeless people have a date today in a Victoria courtroom located a few steps from where many have been sleeping for months.

British Columbia's government is expected to be in B.C. Supreme Court to seek an injunction to shut down a camp that has seen more than 100 people living in tents on the courthouse lawn since last spring.

Housing Minister Rich Coleman says the B.C. government has homes for every courthouse camper but some are refusing to leave, forcing him to go to court in an attempt to take down the camp.

Coleman says he's already started looking for landscapers to clean up the grounds.

The camp grew from a few tents but quickly expanded as many of the homeless moved from alleyways and parks to the highly visible, manicured grounds of the downtown courthouse.

Lawyers for the campers say they will argue that residents of the tent city have been working co-operatively with police and fire officials, suggesting that both the homeless and the broader community will be better off if the camp is allowed to exist for the time being.
Photo: Facebook

UPDATE: 3:30 p.m.

Castanet has received several calls and comments from people who say they are friends of Kimberly Ansell, disputing that she was in a relationship with Marcello Verna.

ORIGINAL

The BC Coroners Service confirms the deaths of two people in West Kelowna are being considered a murder-suicide.

"On a preliminary basis it was a murder-suicide," said coroner Barb McLintock. "It is still under investigation so it could still change."

On Friday, the Kelowna RCMP said results of an autopsy on Kimberly Ansell and Marcello Verna, who were found dead on March 2 in West Kelowna, show there was no third-party involvement.

Their bodies were discovered in a grisly scene near Shannon Lake about 7 a.m. in the woods, just off Shannon Way.

The autopsy findings have confirmed this tragic event as an isolated incident. Both deceased knew each other and were believed to be involved in a relationship, Kelowna RCMP Const. Jesse ODonaghey said in a news release.

Police also confirm the weapon found by the bodies was a gun.

Ansell is reported to have lived in the area, and Verna was said to be at Ansell's home Tuesday evening.
Photo: CTV

It was a heck of a joy ride.

A woman in Vancouvers Downtown Eastside stole a marked police cruiser about 1:30 a.m. overnight, as officers from the car chased a man involved in a nearby fight.

When officers returned minutes later to the location where their vehicle was parked, a woman had bypassed the vehicles immobilizer and stolen the car, Vancouver police said in a news release.

Police tracked the vehicle using GPS to East Hastings Street and Willingdon Avenue in Burnaby, where the woman had crashed the car into a building.

She was arrested nearby.

All items were accounted for inside the vehicle when it was recovered, the VPD said.

The woman is facing charges of theft over $5,000 and possession of stolen property.
Photo: Jennifer Zielinski

A property owner has been fined after a burn pile in East Kelowna smoked out the Mission Creek area along Springfield Road over a 24-hour period.

The fire was burning above Mission Creek on an East Kelowna Road orchard, and got out of control Wednesday evening due to heavy winds.

Fire crews responded, reportedly staying at the property until 3 a.m. Thursday.

It was basically strictly a rubbish, pruning fire that we attended, said Larry Hollier, deputy chief of operations with the Kelowna Fire Department. It wasnt a malicious burn by any means, so he was fined subject to being in contravention to the burning bylaw for not having a permit at that time.

Hollier said fines vary depending on circumstance, but start at $100 and go up from there.

High winds picked the burn pile up again Thursday, causing smoke to pour down the embankment, over Mission Creek, and into a residential South Rutland neighbourhood.

It smells like campfire; it was pretty heavy yesterday, actually.... I could see it when I came home on the ridge behind us. It was pretty heavy, said a resident of Tamarack Drive. At one point, I actually thought that maybe one of the houses was on fire in my neighbourhood.

Despite sprinklers spraying the fire, crews were called back Thursday night to deal with hot spots that had once again flared up. Hot spots began to creep down the hill, and fire crews were spraying along the edge of the embankment above Mission Creek.

Smoke continued to fill nearby streets through the evening. Fire crews were still on the property at 9:45 p.m.

The fire department is still monitoring the area today.

If it does kick up, well go back up there, but the last report I got, it was all under control.
Photo: Contributed

British Columbia's police watchdog is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a woman in Prince George last weekend.

The Independent Investigations Office says RCMP officers responded to a report at 10:08 p.m. of a disturbance at a home on Saturday.

The RCMP say they were able to find one individual believed to be associated with the complaint, but they could not find a female victim.

The Mounties say they searched and were informed at 10:28 p.m. that a woman had been found in medical distress in the same area.

The RCMP say the unnamed woman was taken to hospital, where she died.

The Independent Investigations Office says its initial focus will determine if there is a connection between the woman's death and "actions or inactions" of officers.

The office is an independent civilian team that investigates all cases involving police where death or serious harm has occurred.
Kelowna

Mad Hatter art exhibit unique

If you have noticed a change at the location of the Ponderosa Motel on Highway 97 near the Parkinson Rec Centre, you might have wondered how it came to be known as the Mad Hatter.



For that, you can thank the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan and the UBCO Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies.



"The Mad Hatter: Through the looking Glass" is the result of a collaborative partnership between the two, and made possible with the help of Albert Weisstock from Witmar Holdings Ltd., who donated the old Ponderosa Motel property for this unique project.



This major art event is curated by renowned local artist and UBC professor Byron Johnston and will serve as a fundraiser in support of the Arts Council of the Central Okanagans Community and Youth Programming.



This is a great opportunity for students graduating with a bachelor fine arts degree from UBC Okanagan campus to be exposed to the art world outside the institution. says Johnston.



The exhibit features the work of first, second, third and fourth year sculpture students from the UBC Okanagan campus who have transformed the old motel into a distinctive installation art experience.



"This kind of art is installation art, which the public doesn't get to see a lot of. You get to walk in to it, it's conceptual and you get to experience the art. It's a really different event for the Okanagan." says UBCO fine art student Nicole Ensing.



Installation art is a genre that incorporates any media, including the physical features of the site, to create a conceptual experience for the viewer.



"What is really cool I thought, is it brought UBCO Fine Art students off of the campus. We actually got to go to class every day at the hotel. It was fun to be out in the community doing art." says Ensing.



"It became bigger than what it started as. We started off as a small fund raiser, and it just became bigger and bigger."



Mad Hatter: Through the Looking Glass is on view by donation until March 14.



The exhibit is located at 1864 Harvey Avenue, next to The Parkinson Recreation Centre and open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.
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Transcript for CDC Telebriefing: Updates on Zika response efforts

Press Briefing Transcript Thursday, March 10, 2016, 11:30am EST Audio recording media icon [MP3, 3.10 MB] Please Note:This transcript is not edited and may contain errors.

OPERATOR: welcome. Thank you for standing by. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode until the question and answer portion of todays conference. During the question and answer session you may press start followed by 1 to ask a question. I would now like to turn it over to Mrs. Kathy Harben. Kathy, you may begin.

KATHY HARBEN: Thank you, operator. Thank you all for joining todays briefing on Zika virus outbreak in Puerto Rico with us today are the Director of CDC Dr. Tom Frieden and the Director of NIHs National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Tony Fauci. Dr. Frieden just returned from Puerto Rico to see firsthand how the CDC is working with the Puerto Rican Department of Health to respond to the Zika Virus Outbreak and to determine what still needs to be done to protect people from Zika Virus infection. Particularly pregnant women. Dr. Fauci will provide the latest update on the NIHs Zika research progress and the work and resources needed to develop a vaccine which is safe and tested. Both will have brief statements and then will answer questions. Now Id like to turn the call over to Dr. Frieden.

Dr. FRIEDEN Well, good morning, everyone, and thanks very much for joining us. Ive just gotten back from Puerto Rico where i was able to observe what the CDC team is doing there, what the Puerto Rican government is doing there, to meet with pregnant women who are very concerned about Zika and to see some of the activities that are intended to reduce the risk there, including work in WIC clinics and with the American college of obstetricians and gynecologists. The bottom line here is that Puerto Rico is on the front line of the battle against Zika and it is an uphill battle. We need urgent action to minimize the risk to pregnant women. And everyone has a role to play. Rainy season is around the corner and funding from Congress is urgently needed. I was both encouraged by the progress i saw and by the many actions that have been taken, but also aware of the enormous challenges that remain.

There is nothing about Zika control that is quick or easy. In fact, the only thing quick about Zika is the mosquito bite that can give it to you and the only thing easy are wrong answers. We are learning more about Zika every single day. The link with microcephaly and other possibly serious birth defects is growing stronger every day. The link with Guillain-Barre syndrome is likely to be proven in the near future. The documentation that sexual transmission is possible is now proven. Never before have we had a mosquito-borne infection that could cause serious birth defects on a large scale. Im very concerned that before the year is out there could be hundreds of thousands of Zika infections in Puerto Rico and thousands of infected pregnant women.

CDC and our partners are doing a lot. Were taking action to mitigate the impact to the greatest extent possible. We currently have nearly 100 of our staff on the ground in Puerto Rico working on the response as part of more than 750 staff involved in the Zika response from CDC. We remain activated at level one of our emergency operations center. Thats the highest level. Weve been able to scale up production of test materials and accelerate approval with wonderful participation and support from the food and drug administration such that both PCR and IGM testing are increasingly available. We have in Puerto Rico and the other U.S. territories that are affected  specifically U.S. Virgin islands and American Samoa  begun the distribution of Zika prevention kits which contain both repellents as well as condoms as well as information for women on what they can do to reduce their risks.

Were also working to rapidly define which insecticides are likely to be most effective in Puerto Rico. Were finding widespread resistance to some insecticides. Testing for insecticides resistance is not easy. You have to go out and collect the mosquito eggs. You then have to hatch the eggs in an insectary, allow the mosquitos to mature and then you can do tests for the resistance using the CDC bottle method of resistance. And i was able to observe that. Its very impressive when you see 20 mosquitos all flying around happily in a bottle thats been coated with an insecticide that is being widely used and next to it another bottle where all 20 mosquitos have been rapidly knocked down and most of them killed. Were also looking at the possibilities for environmental mitigation and different ways of addressing the risk of mosquito-borne disease. I met with pregnant women there and saw how high the level of awareness and concern are about Zika. Were looking at things like installation of screens and mitigation of risk factors.

Were also looking at a core way of thinking about the three key priorities for Puerto Rico. The first is to protect pregnant women. And that means with repellent, that means condoms during sex for men who have sex with women who are pregnant. That means screens. That means mitigation with air conditioning and screens and places like WIC clinics and obstetricians offices where pregnant women may be present. Second is mosquito control. This is something where i was encouraged by the open mind that Puerto Rican communities and leaders have about trying new methods of mosquito control, many of which have been used elsewhere in the United States or around the world.

There is no silver bullet to control the Aedes Egyptii mosquito or reduce the risk of Zika infection on a population-wide basis but there are some things that we may be able to do if we have the resources that would significantly reduce risk. And I think the bottom line is its worth trying whatever might work to protect women. We know we wont be able to protect 100% of women but for every single case of Zika infection in pregnancy we prevent, we are potentially preventing an individual, personal and family tragedy. So our goal is to protect as many pregnant women as possible and thats going to take a multilevel assault. I think of it as a four-corner approach of attacking mosquitos inside of the home, outside of the home, at the larval stage and at the adult mosquito stage. Pregnant women can use Deet, long sleeves and pants, screens and air conditioning. Men can use condoms when they have sexual relations with women who are pregnant. Women who dont live in an area of Zika transmission should consider postponing travel to where Zika is spreading and for women who dont want to get pregnant its quite important that theres access to voluntary contraception. Most of the pregnancies in Puerto Rico are unplanned, unintended and there is an unmet need for contraception. And we met with the providers and are working to address that need, emphasizing that whether or not to become pregnant is a decision for the woman to make in consultation with her partner, her family, and her provider but for those women who choose contraception it should be readily available.

I would also like that say that Puerto Rico remains a great place to visit as long as youre not pregnant. The response needs to be adaptive as we learn more and figure out what will be likely most effective to minimize the risk. One of the critical approaches is to keep the risk of infection low for as long as possible hoping that we will have a vaccine within the next several years. And i know dr. Fauci will speak about that. but that is crucially important, because a vaccine, as dr. Fauci will outline, we think is plausibly going to be effective and available if not now it wont be for some time but it is a great opportunity (Inaudible) The pregnant women who are at risk are members of families, theyre members of communities. Theyre in Puerto Rico in a community thats experiencing really enormous challenges economically and otherwise now, and we know the cost of caring for one infant with a birth defect can be up to $10 million or more. Funding is crucially important and urgently needed. The rains are coming and with the rains will come mosquito season and with mosquito season will be the risk of explosive spread of Zika as well as dengue and other Chikungunya.

So we cant let down our guard. We continue to see threats to health, including the health of Americans around the world, including in Africa. For example, were now seeing Lassa fever in several countries in Africa where we are needing to respond urgently and aggressively. And Ill before turning it over to Dr. Fauci with just one conversation i had in a focus group with pregnant women. There had been the misperceptions on the part of many people that the people of Puerto Rico were not concerned about Zika because they had seen dengue and Chikungunya and figured this was just one more infection. i can tell you firsthand that is not the case. That every pregnant woman we met with had a high degree of awareness and concern and when i asked a group, a woman in the group plainly dressed from a poorer family there said very clearly of course were worried. If i have a child who cant talk or cant take care of themselves, thats going to impact the rest of my life and the rest of my childs life and in fact, Ill be worried for my whole life even after i die who is going to take care of them. So its crucial that we continue as were doing to find what works, communicate openly what we find out, and we hope Congress will provide resources needed for a robust response. Thank you.

OPERATOR thank you, Dr. Frieden. Well now hear from Dr. Fauci.

TONY FAUCI: thank you very much and thank you, Tom. Im going to talk a bit about the research agenda that would hopefully get us to some of the interventions that will ultimately be needed for the intermediate and long-term problems that we certainly will face and are facing but before i get into that, i just want to take a moment to underscore how important what Tom has told you what he and his team in collaboration with the people in Puerto Rico are doing.

They are truly the immediate front line response troops that absolutely need to be supported and thats the reason why i want to emphasize to everyone and without a doubt how important it is for us to get the resource support in the form of the supplement that the president has asked for with regard to what we need for Zika. Because we cannot do in a sustained way what tom is talking about and what i will be talking about in just a moment without those resources and i feel very strongly that we need to support what the CDC is doing and make sure that they can do the job they do so well.

Now, having said that, there are other aspects to the response and that is the research area. And there are multiple aspects. We think of the research as just being getting, for example, a vaccine, which Ill get to in just a moment. But its very important that there are unanswered questions. one of the things that i think weve all experienced, those of us in the public health and scientific community as well as the press that as the weeks and months go by we learn more and more and realize how much we dont know. and unfortunately the more we learn, the worse things seem to get in the sense of what tom outlined for you with the progression of things that we are now learning about Zika and he outlined them very well from the microcephaly to the other neurologic abnormalities, sexual transmission, et cetera, et cetera. So we need to stay ahead of this in our knowledge. and one of the ways we do that by the kinds of natural history studies to ask and answer the important questions about the differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic infection and its effect on the pregnant woman and the fetus. How long the virus remains in the semen of an individual after theyve been infected. The cohort studies that we just heard the first of what will be a number of cohort and case-controlled studies. I want to point out to the group that are listening that the New England journal of medicine paper that appeared last Friday is really quite disturbing. As you well know, that was a study that showed in Zika-infected women, 29 percent had fetal abnormalities that were detected by Doppler ultra-sonography.

Now something that you can determine by an ultrasound, which means that there very well may be many, many more that you dont realize until after the birth of the baby. The other issue is the alarming finding that there was negative impact on the fetus even if the mother was  was infected a little bit later on in the pregnancy. Obviously with all of these things, first trimester is the most vulnerable. But we saw from that paper that, in fact, there were still effects if you get infected later on in pregnancy. So we need to know about that. With regard to the virus itself, we have studied in great detail other viruses, the most recent of which was Ebola. Weve done that with HIV/AIDS and others. We need to know more about the molecular virology. We need to know the differences in various clones of this virus, what impact it has on pathogenesis, we need to understand the nature of the immune response, both the innate and adaptive response and, importantly, we need to establish animal models. the CDC is taking the lead on the diagnostics with their diagnostic and reference laboratory and virus diseases branch that they have there but theres a lot of fundamental basic research on trying to get the very best highly specific and sensitive anti-body test. We all know that a PCR can easily identify people that are infected but with this disease thats generally a fleeting period of time measured in several days to a week or so. We need to be able to do diagnostics about whether a person was or was not infected.

With regard to vaccines, i just want to clarify, and Im sure we can do more of that in the question period. But youre going to be reading about various projections of when youre going to have a vaccine. And i think thats because people inadvertently and innocently conflate getting a vaccine into humans in an early trial versus the classic all the Is are dotted and Ts are crossed with an FDA-approved vaccine which, under the best of circumstances, definitely takes years to get there. But let me tell you where we are right now. We have a number of candidates that are essentially lined up with some, a few weeks to months or what have you ahead of the others. Take one as an example which was a DNA vaccine that we were able to successfully use in west Nile.

Vaccines are always challenging, but what we have to our advantage is that weve been able to make  we, the scientific community and the public health community  successful vaccines against other viruses such as yellow fever, such as dengue, such as west Nile, so we believe we can get a vaccine. I feel cautiously optimistic that we will get one, unlike a situation where weve never made a vaccine against this particular type of virus. We are now producing the DNA Zika version of that and were going to do pre-clinical tox over the next couple of months, were working closely with our colleagues at the FDA. were getting a number of inquiries from pharmaceutical companies who want to partner on any of the number of the candidates and i hope  and i think it will happen  that barring any of the vicissitudes that you have to be prepared for, that well be able to start a phase one trial for safety and immunogenicity by the end of the summer early fall of 2016. that usually takes several months, three or four months to get the answer so if by early 2017 we have a candidate or candidates that are safe and can induce an immune response. i think the confusion there is from that point how long is it going to take to know if its effective and whether you can try and see if you can get an accelerated approval. That will depend entirely on two things  one, how effective it is and, two, how many infections there are in the community. because if early 2017 comes and we still have a massive outbreak in the region down there and the vaccine is effective, we may be able to know that its effective and safe in a matter of ten months or by the end of 2017. At that point then you consider what the regulatory options are. So its impossible to predict. what i can tell you is that well be testing a vaccine in phase one by this year, sometime in 2016 likely in the early fall and then finally obviously there are therapies and were screening a whole bunch of compounds that have not only activity hopefully against Zika virus but against other flaviviruses. But right now the therapeutic part, though ultimately important, is not the top-tier type of approach. The thing we really need is to protect women of child bearing age, is going to be to get an effective vaccine that we can implement the way we do a rubella vaccine, where you vaccinate people before they become pregnant so you protect them during their pregnancy. So let me stop right there and tom and i would be happy to answer any questions.

KATHY HARBEN Thank you, Dr. Fauci. Julie, were ready for questions.

OPERATOR thank you. If you would like to ask a question, please press star 1 and you will be prompted to record your first and last name. Please unmute your phone when recording your name and to withdraw your question press star 2. One moment, please. Our first question comes from Mike Stobbe from the Associated Press. Your line is open.

MIKE STOBBE: thank you, thank you for taking my call. Two questions. Dr. Frieden, could you update us on cases both in Puerto Rico and in the 50 states and could you include in that update how many reports are being investigated of sexual transmission. Could you include how many pregnant women have been infected and what the outcomes of those are? Have that changed? And the second question about the insecticides that youre finding are not working in Puerto Rico. Is pyrethrum one of them? If it is, does that mean CDC will change its advice to travelers regarding pro meth written?

TOM FRIEDEN In terms of the first question we will be releasing numbers today. If i can do that later on the call, i will. In terms of the second question. Pyrethroids are a broad class of insecticide that includes pyrethroids specifically. We are concerned about the degree of pyrethrin resistance were seeing in Puerto Rico and that does have implications for things like treatment of clothing but the studies will take a week or two to complete. There is a fair amount of variability of resistance geographically. so there are some places that may have more resistance, some places less even within relatively small areas so were sampling 19 different areas within Puerto Rico and testing nine different pyrethroid compounds. So far we have seen one that looks promising but weve only tested four areas so far, so 15 more areas have to be tested and, again well know that within the next week or two. Its a question of waiting for the mosquitos to mature and doing the testing batch by batch to see what the resistance level is. In terms of cases, we have seen  we have no information to update from the report of six probable or definite cases in pregnant women, 193 travel associated cases. The data from Puerto Rico, they will release on Friday their data, the data coming to Arbonet is about 160 cases in Puerto Rico. But we do anticipate the number of travelers continuing to increase steadily and the number of cases in Puerto Rico at some point beginning to increase not steadily but dramatically.

OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Helen Branswell with STAT News. Your line is open.

HELEN BRANSWELL Thanks very much for taking my question. I have a couple if i could, please. Dr. Frieden, you talked about the possibility of installing screens in the homes of women who are pregnant. i was in Puerto Rico a couple of weeks ago. You dont see that many homes with screens and Im wondering when will this decision be made because the rainy season, as you point out, is coming very soon. If youre going to do that work it really needs to be done very quickly and what is halting people from making a decision to proceed with that? And my second question would be to Dr. Fauci. The WHO had a research  a Zika research priorities meeting this week and one of the things that came out of it was the suggestion that any vaccine thats developed in the short term ought to be an inactivated vaccine because the target audience will be pregnant women. Are the NIAID experimental vaccines that are being proceeded with, are they all inactivated vaccines? Thanks very much.

TOM FRIEDEN: in terms of screens, what were finding in Puerto Rico is that its crucially important to pilot test everything we try to do on a large-scale basis. Its clear that installing screens is not necessarily quick and simple. For example, we did a pilot of this last weekend, there were issues of tenants and landlords, of houses that had open eaves in which case screens would have little or no impact. Theres also acceptability issues because it may at least be perceived to cut down on the level of breeze and increase in temperature in a house. There are some simple kind of roll-on screens that could perhaps be done in a makeshift or quick fashion. Were looking at issues of installation versus vouchers so i think we recognize that there is no single mosquito-control method that is foolproof, but combining a series of methods that have some efficacy is our best bet to reduce the risk to pregnant women and screens are one part of that.

TONY FAUCI so let me answer the second question, Helen. The array of vaccines that we have in the queue that are coming up involve both inactivated or inert non-live attenuated as well as a variety of live attenuated. Whenever youre doing a vaccine trial in a pregnant woman, women who are already pregnant, that always becomes a little bit problematic, particularly if one of the potential adverse events is on pregnancy. so we certainly agree that when youre talking about a vaccine thats targeted for a pregnant woman, for example, the DNA vaccine that i mentioned as my prototypic example of what we do and would fall into the category of a non-live attenuated but actually inert vaccine in the sense of it doesnt replicate. We also have a number of other candidates such as whole particle inactivated vaccine. But we are pursuing live attenuated vaccines in the long run because although you would not want to be giving that to a pregnant woman unless you really, really were very careful and had good safety studies, but i dont think thats the issue right now. You would want something like that early on to get women before they become of child bearing age. The ultimate goal would be we would have a vaccine for Zika in the live attenuated category thats very similar to what we have for rubella, in which even though we vaccinate everyone, all the children as they go into school, the real target of rubella is girls, young women, who ultimately will be of child bearing age and deliver. So its a two-pronged approach. Its an approach that would be quite safe, we hope, for pregnant women, namely non-live vaccines as well as live vaccines which are generally quite effective historically and have that for women before they become pregnant. Thats our plan.

HELEN BRANSWELL: Thank you.

OPERATOR our next question is from Betsy McKay from wall street journal. Your line is open.

BETSY MCKAY: Hi, thanks very much. Dr. Frieden, just one question. Are you encountering any shortages of supplies or any supply issues with mosquito repellents containing Deet or insecticides that you think do work? You know, when putting together these prevention methods in Puerto Rico.

TOM FRIEDEN: we havent yet seen any shortages of insecticides but as we define which are the ones that still work there are, well have to look at what the market is for those. We also are looking at all three classes of insecticides, not just the pyrethroids but also organophosphates and the carbamates. The latter two classes have not been used in Puerto Rico and so are likely to be relatively more effective for control measures. I think partly its a matter of going one step at a time but as quickly as possible.

BETSY MCKAY: and what about mosquito repellents containing Deet? Any issues there? The ones that go into your prevention kits?

TOM FRIEDEN: no, we havent had any problem with effectiveness or supply.

BETSY MCKAY Okay, great. Thanks.

TOM FRIEDEN: And i believe that the government of Puerto Rico has issued a price control order, i was told, for that so that they would avoid price gouging for them.

BETSY MCKAY okay. Thank you.

OPERATOR: our next question comes from Dan Childs with ABC news. Your line is open.

DAN CHILDS thank you so much for holding this. I actually have one question and one follow-up. The first one is what will be able to be done without the funds requested from congress? I know this is an issue thats come up before because were still waiting for these monies. So how might the absence of those funds affect the timetable that dr. Fauci has proposed for a vaccine?

TONY FAUCI Well, Ill take the vaccine first. It will not only hold up what Im going to be doing, it certainly would hold up what tom and the CDC will do but Ill leave that for him to comment on. For myself, weve already started down the road of the making the product for the first vaccine candidate by moving money out of other important areas into this area. You cant do that for a very long period of time so when youre starting to think in terms of ultimately doing a larger phase two trial, you have to start preparing for it right now. so what this might mean if we dont get that money we may find ourselves, you know, halfway through a phase one trial and not being able to finish and be able to take that next immediate step into the larger trial because you dont just invent the phase two trial after you finish the phase one, you have to start preparing for it long in advance. Thats the thing that Im concerned about that if we dont get the money that the president asked for its going to slow down a number of things, not just vaccine, but vaccine is the most concrete one that will be slowed down.

TOM FRIEDEN: and from the CDC standpoint we are scraping together every dime we can to respond to this. Its not easy to do that and it makes the response much more complex and much less smooth because there are different administrative challenges using different sources of funding. So were trying as hard as we can to respond as effectively as possible. But it makes it very difficult to do things like plan for large-scale mosquito-control activities in Puerto Rico, plan for large-scale house-to-house mosquito abatement activities in Puerto Rico. Establish and support rapid response teams to respond to clusters in the United States. Improve mosquito surveillance and control. We dont really know where these mosquitos are in the U.S. The maps that are on our web site are very clearly tagged with the comment that they are both incomplete and out of date. They depend to a great degree on local mosquito-control activities which vary enormously in their level of resources and the intensity with which they do surveillance. It also limits our ability to set up long-term studies to understand what happens to women who become infected with Zika while pregnant. I reviewed those studies in Puerto Rico now they are very labor intensive. youre talking about the possibility of thousands of women whose pregnancies and infants need to be followed for several years ideally at least so we can learn more about how to reduce the risk to others, as well as to partner robustly with countries around the hemisphere and in the Caribbean so that we can both learn more and support them more in their efforts.

DAN CHILDS: And just a follow-up. You mentioned the concern of clusters in the continental U.S. Given that you mentioned that the rainy season is approaching in Puerto Rico, what might be the window of increased risk for clusters of infection in states where we already know these mosquitos exist like Texas and Florida? Is this something that health officials are already sort of plotting out and planning for?

TOM FRIEDEN Well, June and July is usually the start of mosquito season. It can start earlier than that or after that and different in different places. Thats why in conjunction with the White House were organizing at the CDC campus a Zika Action Summit that will be on April 1st and we expect widespread participation from states. We think that will result in more rapid plans for what and how to make progress in both the tracking of the mosquitoes as well as control. this includes things like making sure that all of the cases are visited or at least contacted and are provided with the means to reduce their risk of mosquito bites as well as their risk of transmitting to others through sexual contact.

DAN CHILDS: Thank you.

OPERATOR our next question comes from Lena Sun with the Washington post. Your line is open.

LENA SUN: so i had a follow-up question to those which is so both at CDC and NIH what are the things that you are not doing because you are moving funds from those areas to deal with Zika?

TONY FAUCI: well, let me take a shot in the vaccine area and then hand it over to tom. So, Lena, the people right now who are working on the Zika approach are on a team that i believe you visited at the vaccine research center. So we have a limited amount of resources and as we showed you when you were there, we are doing universal influenza vaccine, were working on an HIV vaccine and were working on an important respiratory syncytial virus vaccine. when we get to the point where were going to have to utilize money, well have to slow down at least one and maybe all three of those until we get the money to be able to go back and start spending the money that was originally allocated for that for what we wanted to spend it for. So theres a give and take, theres a net sum there and you just cant make it more than it is if you dont have new resources. So something has to either slow down or stop. We tried very hard not to stop things because then it really is tough to recharge them and get them going again but you actually slow it down.

TOM FRIEDEN: And i guess similar to that if you look at  we have dengue branch in Puerto Rico. There is basically no dengue work going on now and thats dengue risk not just in Puerto Rico but in all of the U.S. and globally. If you look at Fort Collins, thats our vector-born program and thats basically fully dedicated to the Zika response which means some of the new tickborne viruses that weve identified in the continental U.S. the work on those has stopped. if you look at the work were doing to produce large numbers of test materials, PCR and IGM, we are converting not just our labs in Fort Collins and elsewhere but our core facility in Atlanta. So much of the work we do on drug resistance and other areas is having to take a backseat to Zika. So thats the impact on the rest of CDC. That is in addition to the fact that its very difficult to scale up the large scale type of programs that we need on mosquito control to protect pregnant women.

LENA SUN: Thank you. And one quick other question. Dr. Frieden, i thought you mentioned early on in the call that you were about to prove the link to Guillain-Barre. Can you elaborate?

TOM FRIEDEN: I would say the study that came out in the Lancet a week ago was highly suggestive of a link. Were not surprised to see the link. Weve seen this with a variety of infections. The studies from the lancet was from French Polynesia. The time frame clustering of cases of Guillain-Barre following Zika infection is highly suggestive. the only issue was given that the study was a couple years ago in French Polynesia, some of the laboratory testing was a little non-standard necessarily given the challenges of this kind of responding and where we are with laboratory testing so i just think that before we say its definitive, we probably need to see that study replicated in another study  either ours or somebody elses that uses standard laboratory techniques. We hope to have our results of our study by the end of the month. Thats the study we did in collaboration with the Brazilian public health authorities.

KATHY HARBEN Next question, please.

OPERATOR the next question coming from Robert King with Washington examiner. Your line is open.

ROBERT KING: thanks for taking my question. going back to the kind of the whole funding situation, can you give me an idea of how many more cases of Zika in the U.S. and in Puerto Rico could occur if you dont get additional funding?

TOM FRIEDEN: well, i dont have a crystal ball so i cant tell you what the numbers will be with and without rapid supplemental funding. What i can tell you that it is definitely interfering with our ability to mount a robust response and its interfering with our ability to continue to protect Americans from other health threats because we have to redeploy existing staff to this effort and were not able to back fill their roles. I can only say that time is of the essence in order to protect pregnant women. the sooner were able to get a robust program up and running the more we can reduce the risk to pregnant women, understanding that nothing we do is going to eliminate that risk but the quicker we can take action to reduce that risk the more women we can protect.

ROBERT KING: A quick follow-up. Time is of the essence, you said. When do you need congress to approve this funding? Im sure you would like it now but what kind of time frame do you really need it by?

TOM FRIEDEN: i can just say the sooner the better because realistically once funding gets approved there are still administrative requirements to get it out, whether its hiring or selection of contractors or entering into contracts with jurisdictions, providing money to states so that they can begin hiring staff and establishing contracts more mosquito control so the sooner the better.

TONY FAUCI: I can just add something that tom said that i mentioned that one of the several hearings Ive been at. One of the issues thats kind of a subtle negative impact on what we do if funding is delayed, we have been gratified by the interest that weve had on the part of pharmaceutical companies that want to partner with us to develop several of the countermeasures that were talking about. When it looks like the funding on our part is somewhat tenuous that we may or may not get it or we dont know where were going to get it, were looked upon a bit as kind of a non-reliable partner which is what you do not want to establish that kind of relationship. you want to seek to have a collaboration but you want to know youre a reliable partner and uncertainty about funding and how much were going to put in and how much well be able to do really brands us a little bit, if not a lot, like an unreliable partner. Thats one of the concerns i have that.

ROBERT KING: has that started now? Have you seen  have you heard concerns from pharmaceutical companies?

TONY FAUCI no, but i have experience over many years in which weve developed relationships and we thought we would get funding and we didnt and then companies would lose interest. I have not seen that in this case with Zika but historically i have seen that.

KATHY HARBEN Thank you. Next question, please.

OPERATOR Next question comes from Kelsey Nowakowski with the Virgin Islands source. Your line is open.

KELSEY NOWAKOWSKI thank you for taking my call. So Ive been speaking with some of the CDC epidemiologists that have been stationed on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin islands and Im just trying to get a sense of how some of these estimates that Zika could affect one in five in Puerto Rico play out in the U.S. Virgin Islands. and then a second question about how travel is still being encouraged here but Im curious to know if that could actually lead to the spread of the virus if someone is coming here from places where the mosquito that spreads the disease is present, say in Texas or Florida.

TOM FRIEDEN: So first off from what we understand from U.S. virgin islands  and there may be people in the room from the CDC response who can speak to this further  the population density is somewhat less than Puerto Rico so while we may see a similar ultimate level of infection, the pace of infection may be a little more gradual there given the lower human population density. In terms of travel, really our focus is pregnant women and information to men who travel whose partners are or may be pregnant to reduce the risk in that situation. the fact is, there are 40 million people who travel from the U.S.to Zika-affected areas each year. Travelers for many reasons ranging from business to family reunion to vacation and we give our advice on travel and the reason for that travel. Thank you.

KELSEY NOWAKOWSKI Thank you.

KATHY HARBEN: Next question, please.

OPERATOR our next question comes from Sandee LaMontte with CNN. Your line is open.

SANDEE LAMONTTEWITH hi there. Thank you for taking my questions. Id like to explore the new England journal of medicine paper and comments and this is for both dr. Fauci and dr. Frieden. Were talking about this moving way beyond the realm of microcephaly at this time. Can you speak more to the source of abnormalities that you see or hear about what might be showing up in babies that are  may not be detected by ultrasound and other sorts of things along that line? I also have a follow-up question on Guillain-Barre.

TONY FAUCI: Okay, let me take a quick shot at it and then lateral it to tom. One of the problems that you run into is that it is  we know this violence is neurotropic. One of the manifestations that could be a tip of the iceberg type thing is when you see an absolutely gross abnormality like microcephaly. But when you think of the terms of the effect of the virus on a developing fetus, you may not see the gross abnormality but then at various times following birth you may see things that you didnt notice in a stillborn more to a miscarried fetus and that could be involvement of the eye, and we know that there are ocular involvements that weve seen in some of these cases. You may have visual impairment if not blindness, you may have hearing abnormalities. There could be developmental retardation that could be profound without necessarily having a baby thats micr cephalic. and that was the concern i get because if you have 29 percent clearly identifiable by ultrasound you can be almost certain that theres going to be a definitely additive percentage, exactly how much i do not know, and thats the reason why were going to be doing the kinds of follow-up studies of cohorts and case controls of looking at babies one, two, three, four, five years following birth which is very important study thats going to be done. So we do not yet know at this point what the ultimate attack rate of some sort of abnormality would be on the fetus. That was the reason i expressed that concern when i mentioned the New England journal of Medicine paper.

TOM FRIEDEN: I totally agree with everything Dr. Fauci said. The other thing that i found very striking about the web annex of that paper is that in all three trimesters of pregnancy there were definite fetal effects. So i think what were saying basically is the more we learn about Zika in pregnancy the more concerned we are.

SANDEE LAMONTTEWITH: can i follow up on that before I move on to the other? Which is that there are many babies that are being listed as non-affected when theyre born down in Brazil and other areas. Are we now saying that that may not be the case?

TOM FRIEDEN: I think the term we have used is no apparent abnormalities. But we know from rubella, for example, that even 20 years later possible neurological and psychiatric implications were being studied. So its going to be very difficult to know for certain what the impacts are and in what proportion of infants. We remain most concerned about the first trimester of pregnancy given the analogy to rubella, but the New England Journal article was striking in outlining a not insignificant portion of pregnancies in the third trimester and second trimester that had some sort of problem that appears that it may well have been Zika-associated. Dr. Fauci?

TONY FAUCI: I agree completely. And, in fact, there are situations now that were getting individual reports that you have a person who gets infected at, you know, 29 weeks or so, gets an ultrasound that looks normal at 30 and then suddenly at 35 weeks you have intrauterine growth retardation, which is strong evidence that something bad happened during and following that infection. So the idea of not just the first trimester is really quite concerning, (garbled)

SANDEE LAMONTTEWITH thank you very much.

KATHY HARBEN: next question, please.

OPERATOR: Yes, our next question comes from Rebecca Spalding with Bloomberg news. Your line is open.

REBECCA SPALDING: hi, Dr. Frieden, thank you so much for taking my call. Just to go back to the question about widespread resistance to insecticide. Is the CDC looking at any of the more experimental solutions that the WHO has mentioned they are looking into? Im thinking of oxytest, genetically modified mosquitos what the international atomic energy association, their solution. Is that something youre looking into?

TOM FRIEDEN Were certainly open to any possibilities. The genetically modified mosquitos are one. another promising technology is infecting mosquitos with Wolbachia a bacteria that infects many mosquito species but not Aedes  however i think realistically in the next few months it would be difficult to see a large scale impact of those new technologies in Puerto Rico, although were very supportive of efforts to look into them and to explore that with communities rand the government there. I think one of the challenges with those new technologies is just how short the life span is of the mosquito. Most Aedes only travel about 200 yards in their lifetime so if youre going to try to replace a mosquito population, these are studies that have been done in relatively small areas and have been very intensive and in the case of the genetically modified mosquitos have involved the release of tens of millions of mosquitos in the case of Wolbachia. That is reason is done only in quite small areas. So though theyre promising technologies that we need to pursue, i think we also have to be realistic about what the impact in this mosquito season is likely to be.

KATHTY HARBEN: Thank you. We have time for one more question.

OPERATOR Last question comes from Leigh Ann Winick with CBS News. Your line is open.

LEIGN ANN WINICK thanks very much. Can you give more details on the diagnostic challenges and what that means with doctors advising people when to get tested if theyre worried about exposure and the need to repeat tests?

TOM FRIEDEN: sure, i do want to say that weve really had terrific work from the CDC laboratory experts, the doctors, laboratory scientists, weve been able to produce more than a half a million Zika tests. Weve rolled those out to two dozen labs around the U.S.as well as to labs around the world. For diagnosis of acute infection, someone whos sick or someone who has the infection in their blood, thats quite accurate and were able to identify that in the overwhelming number of cases. Thats the PCR test. Its a real-time PCR test and were now in the final stages of a new PCR test that will be particularly helpful in Puerto Rico as well as internationally in areas where theres Dengue and Chikungunya. Its a trioplex that includes both, well, all three of dengue, chikungunya and Zika. Its a pan-Dengue assay, all four of the Dengue serotypes. So the lab has done really fantastic work, working seven days a week to make those tests available. The IGM tests are approved by FDA under emergency use authorization. We had a good set of interactions with FDA to get that approved and were rolling that out to labs around the U.S. its not a simple test. It does involve a couple of days of testing and its not necessarily definitive because if people have had prior infections with dengue or chikungunya there can be cross-reactivities. And as of now there are not commercially available tests for these in the U.S. and where weve looked at the commercially available tests outside of the U.S., we have been very disappointed with their performance. So we want to continue to roll out what weve got and continue to optimize the tests that are available. But at the present we dont have anything for a man whos concerned he might have been infected to get tested and determine whether he has an infection.

LEIGN ANN WINICK: Could you elaborate on that? What do you mean you dont have to wait for a man concerned who might have been affected? That some time has lapsed?

TOM FRIEDEN: Anyone whos sick and visited a Zika infected area should and can get tested. Any pregnant woman who has symptoms should get tested and pregnant women should be tested as per CDC guidelines if they are living in an area where Zika is spreading. In terms of men who have returned from a Zika-affected area, thats more complex and first off we dont know yet how long the IGM remains in the body so if he returned four months earlier and has a negative. Were not sure that means he may be infectious by sexual route. So theres still a lot we dont know and thats why our recommendations have been consistent from the first week we identified sexual transmission, that men who have traveled to or lived in an area with Zika transmission use a condom every time if they have sexual relations with a pregnant woman. Let me just  Id just like to say a couple of last words, maybe before doing that, Dr. Fauci do you want to say any last words and then i will.

TONY FAUCI: No, just one brief thing, tom to reemphasize how important it is that we get the support to do these things because this is  i am not and  tom and i, neither of us are alarmists but this is a serious situation that we need to step to the plate and we need to step to the plate very, very intensively. Were already doing that but we cant sustain it if we dont have the support that we need.

TOM FRIEDEN: Thank you, Tony. I agree 100 percent. Time is of the essence. We anticipate in the coming weeks and month we will see large increases of cases in Puerto Rico. We will continue to see travelers coming to the U.S. from Zika-affected areas with Zika. We may see more Zika affected infants in the U.S. We already have one infant with severe Zika associated microcephaly and we have the risk of clusters of cases in parts of the U.S. where the Zika-carrying mosquitos are present. So theres much more to be done and the sooner we get ample resources for a response the more effectively we can protect pregnant women. Thank you all very much for your attention.

KATHY HARBEN Thanks, Dr. Frieden and Dr. Fauci. Thank you, reporters. For follow-up questions call the press office at 404-639-3286 or e-mail us at media@CDC.gov. This concludes our call. Thank you.

OPERATOR thank you for your participation. You may disconnect at this time.

###

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESexternal icon
Cemex divests of Bangladesh and Thailand units, potential sale of minority stake in Philippine assets

11 March 2016

Cemex announced yesterday that it has signed an agreement for the sale of its operations in Bangladesh and Thailand to Siam City Cement Co for approximately US$53m. Meanwhile, Cemex's Philippine subsidiary has presented an application to Philippine authorities for the potential sale of a minority stake of assets in the southeast Asian country.



Bangladesh and Thailand divestitures

Proceeds obtained from the Bangladesh and Thailand transaction will be used mainly for debt reduction and for general corporate purposes, Cemex said in a statement. The closing of this agreement is subject to the satisfaction of standard conditions for this type of transactions. The divestiture is expected to be completed during the second quarter of 2016.



Philippine IPO

Separately, Cemex Holdings Philippines (CHP) has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of the Philippines relating to an initial public offering of CHP's common shares.



Subject to obtaining the corresponding approvals from the Philippine SEC and the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), for the listing of CHP's shares on the PSE, CHP has the intention to, in a public offering to investors in the Philippines and, in a concurrent private placement to eligible investors outside of the Philippines, offer a minority interest in CHPs capital stock.



CHP's assets consist primarily of Cemexs cement manufacturing assets in the Philippines.



"The filing of the registration statement with the Philippine SEC is a first step in one of the alternatives Cemex is exploring in the context of Cemexs previously announced asset divestiture plan. Cemex continues to explore other alternatives, and the ultimate implementation of any such alternative remains at the discretion of Cemex," the company said in a statement.

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The Salvation Army food pantry located within its Social Services office at 2140 East 28th St., alerted administration it is barely capable of putting together complete food boxes for families. "We have odds and ends, cans here or there, but barely enough to put together three full meals in a food box," said Sandy Leavell, director of Social Services for The Salvation Army. "We are desperately needing the community to donate food."



The Salvation Army is asking the community to step forward and donate non-perishable food items. Popular items include: proteins like stew, canned meats, beans, and chili. For a full list of items, visit http://csarmy.org/donate_drives.asp.

All items can be brought to The Salvation Army located at 822 McCallie Ave. or to the Social Services Office located at 2140 East 28th St. from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.



If your church, business or school would like to do a donation drive, contact Matthew Dodgins at 423-756-1023 . Donations may be made online at www.csarmy.org, by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY or by mail to: The Salvation Army, 822 McCallie Ave., Chattanooga, Tn. 37403. For more information contact Kimberly George at 423-756-1023 or by email to Kimberly_George@uss.salvationarmy.org.






Researchers at ETH have shown for the first time what happens to atomic vibrations when materials are nanosized and how this knowledge can be used to systematically engineer nanomaterials for different applications. Using both experiment, simulation, and theory, they explain how and why vibriations at the surface of a nanomaterial (q) can interact strongly with electrons (k and k').

All materials are made up of atoms, which vibrate. These vibrations, or 'phonons', are responsible, for example, for how electric charge and heat is transported in materials. Vibrations of metals, semiconductors, and insulators in are well studied; however, now materials are being nanosized to bring better performance to applications such as displays, sensors, batteries, and catalytic membranes. What happens to vibrations when a material is nanosized has until now not been understood.

Soft Surfaces Vibrate Strongly

ETH Professor Vanessa Wood and her colleagues explain what happens to atomic vibrations when materials are nanosized and how this knowledge can be used to systematically engineer nanomaterials for different applications.

The paper shows that when materials are made smaller than about 10 to 20 nanometers -- that is, 5,000 times thinner than a human air -- the vibrations of the outermost atomic layers on surface of the nanoparticle are large and play an important role in how this material behaves.

"For some applications, like catalysis, thermoelectrics, or superconductivity, these large vibrations may be good, but for other applications like LEDs or solar cells, these vibrations are undesirable," explains Wood.

Indeed, the paper explains why nanoparticle-based solar cells have until now not met their full promise. The researchers showed using both experiment and theory that surface vibrations interact with electrons to reduce the photocurrent in solar cells.

"Now that we have proven that surface vibrations are important, we can systematically design materials to suppress or enhance these vibrations," say Wood.

Improving Solar Cells

Wood's research group has worked for a long time on a particular type of nanomaterial -- colloidal nanocrystals -- semiconductors with a diameter of 2 to 10 nanometers. These materials are interesting because their optical and electrical properties are dependent on their size, which can be easily changed during their synthesis.

These materials are now used commercially as red- and green-light emitters in LED-based TVs and are being explored as possible materials for low cost, solution-processed solar cells. Researchers have noticed that placing certain atoms around the surface of the nanocrystal can improve the performance of solar cells. The reason why this worked had not been understood. The work published in the Nature paper now gives the answer: a hard shell of atoms can suppress the vibrations and their interaction with electrons. This means a higher photocurrent and a higher efficiency solar cell.

Big Science to Study the Nanoscale

Experiments were conducted in Professor Wood's labs at ETH Zurich and at the Swiss Spallation Neutron Source at the Paul Scherrer Institute. By observing how neutrons scatter off atoms in a material, it is possible to quantify how atoms in a material vibrate. To understand the neutron measurements, simulations of the atomic vibrations were run at the Swiss National Supercomputing Center (CSCS) in Lugano. Wood says, "without access to these large facilities, this work would not have been possible. We are incredibly fortunate here in Switzerland to have these world class facilities."
Year 2 of the Affordable Care Act was another financial flop for the Chicago-based parent of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois but hints of a turnaround are emerging.

Health Care Service Corp.'s financial losses in its individual business, which includes ACA plans, worsened in 2015. The company, which owns Blue Cross affiliates in Illinois and four other states, said it lost $1.5 billion in its individual business, up from $767 million in 2014, the first year of the health law's state exchanges for buying coverage.

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In anticipation of ACA-related losses in 2015, HCSC set aside nearly $400 million in 2014 to boost reserves to $680.9 million. The company spent $657.3 million of those reserves to cover the medical expenses associated with ACA plans in 2015.

HCSC is the latest large insurer to report losses on 2015 ACA business, a troubling sign for the state exchanges that are the heart of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. The far-reaching legislation has increased access to insurance coverage by expanding Medicaid and providing tax credits to subsidize the cost of insurance. Though the law has brought new customers to many insurers, much of that growth has been unprofitable, reflecting higher-than-expected medical expenses, regulatory challenges and unexpected shortfalls in federal risk-sharing programs.

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UnitedHealthcare said it had losses of about $475 million on its 2015 ACA business. Aetna didn't break out the loss on its individual health plans but said the operating losses on that line of business were 3 to 4 percent of the sales.

As a result of the losses, some insurers have considered withdrawing from the state marketplaces. Any exodus would threaten the stability of exchanges, making the online marketplaces less attractive to consumers.

"2015 was not a good year as far as the ACA went," said Stephen Zaharuk, senior vice president at Moody's Investors Service, who covers the health insurance industry. "Insurers had no idea what to expect."

Still, no one expected the rollout of some of the biggest reforms in health care to be smooth. The exchanges are a new way to sell health plans to a population that largely was uninsured. Moreover, the law forbids insurers from using consumers' medical history to set prices. Insurers were essentially groping in the dark.

But with two years of experience under their belts, insurers may be on more secure footing. HCSC, for one, didn't book a reserve for potential 2016 losses on ACA plans, said Carl McDonald, a divisional senior vice president at the company. Zaharuk said that's a good sign the company's individual business may break even this year.

But HCSC officials are not so optimistic that the ACA plans will be profitable in 2016. Company spokesman Greg Thompson said in an email, "Our not booking a (reserve for ACA losses) for 2016 does not indicate nor imply an anticipated level of profitability for the year."

Despite problems with its ACA-related business, HCSC narrowed its overall loss in 2015, according to a financial statement filed with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The filing is primarily an accounting of its fully insured lines of business.

The company reported a loss of $65.8 million, down from $281.9 million in 2014, reflecting higher earnings from its group health plans and an increase in investment income. Premium revenue rose 12.5 percent to $31.2 billion.

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HCSC is among the biggest players in the individual market, with 1.64 million members at the end of last year, an increase of 3.4 percent, according to the filing. Nearly one-third of its enrollment is in Illinois, where Blue Cross sold roughly 80 percent of all 2015 individual policies in the state.

HCSC doesn't disclose how much of its individual enrollment came from ACA plans sold on and off the exchanges. The individual market also includes policyholders who were allowed to keep the plans they had before the health law was implemented through 2017. Insurers blame that last-minute change by the Obama administration for keeping healthier people out of the exchanges.

When the exchanges launched, HCSC's Blue Cross plans offered some of the lowest-priced policies and largest provider networks. The strategy was to provide cost-effective health care access, reflecting the company's status as a not-for-profit, customer-owned insurer, analysts said.

However, medical costs and customers' use of health care services on ACA-related plans were higher than anticipated. In 2014, HCSC's key medical-loss ratio, which measures the share of premiums used to pay patient medical costs, rose to 86.5 percent, from 85 percent. Last year, the ratio jumped to 90.4 percent, according to the annual statement.

To manage the risk, HCSC followed in the footsteps of its for-profit competitors and made significant changes last year that were not consumer friendly.

The company raised 2016 premiums and redesigned policies to shift more costs to consumers. In Illinois and Texas, its two largest markets, HCSC eliminated its popular PPO plans that were more expensive but had the largest networks of hospitals and doctors. The decision sent Blue Cross customers scrambling to find other plans on the exchanges that included their doctors.

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The company even took the hard line of walking away from business. In New Mexico, the company sought a rate increase averaging 51.6 percent, after it said it lost $19.2 million in 2014 on its individual business in the state. New Mexico insurance regulators rejected the request but were willing to approve a lower increase, according to published reports. Instead, HCSC pulled out of the New Mexico exchange.

The company also is cutting expenses. Thompson confirmed that HCSC has laid off employees in its information-technology department but declined to say how many were let go. Last month, the company eliminated commissions to independent brokers in Illinois, Texas and Oklahoma on sales of individual plans that take effect April 1 or later.

After eliminating commissions in Illinois, Blue Cross said it remains committed to "expanding access to quality health care to as many people as possible." The changes are necessary to continue offering "sustainable" health plan options to members, the company said.

Despite signs of strain, the Obama administration says the exchanges are getting stronger. There were many new customers among the 12.7 million people who chose plans during open enrollment for 2016. In Illinois, enrollment grew nearly 12 percent to about 388,000.

Still, the administration has tweaked some regulations to benefit insurers. It placed a one-year moratorium for 2017 on the annual tax insurers pay, which is generally passed along to customers. The change will save some insurers hundreds of millions of dollars. For 2016, HCSC expects to pay a fee of $538.7 million.

The administration also has tightened some of the eligibility rules for people who sign up for insurance after the enrollment deadlines. Insurers have complained that people are waiting until they are sick to buy plans and then dropping coverage after their health problems are resolved, driving up costs and premiums.

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A fast-food protest called Speak Out and Strike is held Nov. 10, 2015, in front of the McDonald's restaurant at 1951 N. Western Ave. in Chicago. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

McDonald's tells its franchisees how to staff restaurants, when to clean the bathrooms and where partially completed orders should be placed on counters, an attorney for the National Labor Relations Board said Thursday.

That operational nitty-gritty, along with the business consultants, scheduling systems and hiring software provided to franchisees shows the Oak Brook-based company calls the shots and is ultimately responsible for workers' conditions, they said.

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Details of McDonald's relationship with franchisees began to emerge during opening statements in a hearing to determine whether McDonald's is jointly liable for labor law violations involving employees at franchised restaurants.

The fast-food chain fiercely disputes the joint-employer designation and says it could undermine more than 60 years of franchising tradition.

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Addressing Administrative Law Judge Lauren Esposito in New York, Jamie Rucker, an attorney for the general counsel of the NLRB, gave an example of a McDonald's operations consultant who warned a franchisee to bring his workers' wages down because "it could be disruptive" to neighboring McDonald's restaurants.

McDonald's "is at the center of labor relations, and labor relations are conducted by employers, not by bystanders," Rucker said.

Calling it a "trial by ambush," McDonald's attorney Willis Goldsmith said it was the first time he was hearing the facts that the NLRB 's general counsel planned to present as evidence that McDonald's is a joint employer.

The NLRB's general counsel in 2014 ruled that McDonald's could be held jointly liable with franchise operators who were accused of firing, threatening or penalizing workers who participated in nationwide strikes demanding a $15-an-hour minimum wage. The agency then issued a consolidated complaint against McDonald's and about 30 franchisees in six cities, including Chicago, alleging unfair labor practices.

Until now, McDonald's business model has allowed it to distance itself from the working conditions of the people who work at its franchised locations. About 90 percent of McDonald's restaurants are run by franchisees, who the company has long maintained are independent owner-operators who set their own wages, hiring and firing policies while adhering to some standards to maintain the integrity of the brand.

A finding that McDonald's is a joint employer could pave the way for unions to organize its employees systemwide and force the corporation to the bargaining table amid a highly publicized fight for higher wages.

McDonald's is the largest franchisor in the world, with 3,900 small- to mid-size businesses running close to 13,000 restaurants, Goldsmith said.

"Under every legal standard, McDonald's has never been held to be a joint employer of its franchisees' employees," Goldsmith said. "Never has been and has no desire to be."

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Goldsmith said McDonald's sets expectations and provides advice for how franchisees can meet those expectations, such as through sample personnel policies, to ensure brand consistency. But he said implementation is optional.

It is possible that a few "stray emails" could show an operations consultant crossing the line between offering advice and giving direction, Goldsmith said, but argued that would be "individualized evidence" that doesn't show corporate control.

He also addressed allegations that McDonald's coordinated a national response to the union-backed Fight for $15 protests that sparked the retaliation claims leading to the complaint. Goldsmith called the wage campaign an "ongoing, frontal attack" on the brand, and said that "to suggest that those independent entities can't communicate with each other or with their franchisor has no basis in the law or in logic."

Lawyers for several of the franchisees named in the complaint also gave opening statements that disputed the notion that McDonald's exerts control over workers' employment terms and conditions. Giving varied examples of how franchisees run their restaurants and responded to the protests, they said their clients are small business owners who don't consult the company before hiring or firing employees or setting pay.

For example, the scheduling software that McDonald's offers doesn't know road construction, weather or employee performance, so franchise owners deviate from it on a daily basis, said Roger Crawford, an attorney representing franchisees in California.

Calling the case "a colossal waste of time and resources," Crawford said the unfair labor practice complaints against his clients could have been resolved in a much shorter time than the years the McDonald's case is expected to take because of the joint employer designation.

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Witness testimony will begin Monday on the joint employer question. After New York, the case moves to Chicago and Los Angeles before returning to New York to address the unfair labor practice complaints in stores in those regions.

aelejalderuiz@tribpub.com

Twitter @alexiaer
Jim Mitchell of Long Beach, Calif., 63, a former sales executive, had been seeking work for two years when this photo was taken in 2009. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

A friend recently called to tell me he had been laid off from a company where he worked for more than a decade. He's 60 years old and not ready to retire, either financially or emotionally.

He is, however, prepared for the reality of the situation. He recognizes that he has a tough road ahead. He knows he probably won't ever earn the salary he had. And even for a much lower-paying job, he'll be competing with people half his age.

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Need proof of that? A GAO report in 2012, the most recent available, said unemployed workers 55 and older were the least likely to find another job.

"I speak to a lot of big audiences of people over 50 looking for jobs," says Kerry Hannon, career expert and author of "Getting the Job You Want After 50 for Dummies." "I feel and I see the palpable fear. The job market has not improved for this set of people."

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"It's not a pretty scene," she says. "What happens is people say they will keep working, but for various reasons, including health, they don't keep working."

Employment consultant Sara Rix says surveys show that up to 80 percent of people think they will work in retirement. A much lower percentage of people actually do (19 percent, according to the AARP).

People don't continue working for many reasons: layoffs, health and unexpectedly becoming a caregiver are just a few.

Those still able to work can face tremendous difficulties finding a new job. The elephant in the room is age discrimination.

"We are struck by the data that show it takes an awful long time for older workers to find new employment after losing a job, over 40 weeks," says Daniel Kohrman, senior attorney with AARP Foundation Litigation, "and that's consistent with our experience from working in legal cases over many years. Part of the challenge is that there are a lot of stereotypes out there about older workers."

One big reason people plan to work later in life, including in retirement, is that they have not saved enough for retirement.

Fifty-seven percent of retirees reported having less than $25,000 in savings and investments, not counting their homes or traditional pensions. Twenty-eight percent said they have less than $1,000, according to a survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald and Associates.

So they think they will keep working to help make up for the money they did not save. It just doesn't work out that way.

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And because they are so unprepared financially, many forced into an early retirement are taking Social Security earlier than planned. That can cost them thousands of dollars over a lifetime. If you apply for benefits at 62, your benefit will be 25 percent less than had you waited until full retirement age.

"If they get laid off in their late 50s or early 60s, the odds of finding a job paying what that existing job did are slim," says Timothy McGrath, managing partner at Riverpoint Wealth Management in Chicago. "It would not be unusual for a client making a half-million a year to have to find a job making $100,000.

"We can't plan that we are going to always work or work till 65," he says. "There is a good chance they will not work where they want to. They may find a lower-paying job, but that might meet their retirement objective."

---

Television personality Rene Syler, former co-host of The Early Show on CBS from 2002 to 2006, lost her job when the show was revamped.

"You are either being forced out or you leave on your own volition," says Syler, 54, now an author and founder of goodenoughmother.com. "I think those numbers are really growing. What is happening to people like me? It's not like we will be able to have a job and career that we retire from, and have a pension and live happily ever after. I never had a pension. I expected to do it longer than I did."

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"The older the population gets, their careers may be over, but they have to continue with their lifestyle," says Marty Welch of the Legacy Franchise Group. "It can be a challenge with people who are not able to live off their Social Security or a pension. This generation is living longer, into their 80s, so a lot of times they will need income."

McGrath says people always think they want to work, but when they get older, they often want to do it on their own terms.

"I have clients who love their jobs in their 40s and hate it in their 50s," he says. It's an adviser's job to bring up things that a client can't imagine.

"Most people who are making good money, there is a reason," he says. "When you get in your late 50s and 60s, it's usually not fun. They get laid off or can't take it anymore, and then they want to something different."

Rix, meanwhile, says people often leave voluntarily, thinking they will easily find another job.

"If you are planning on working in retirement, having something lined up before you submit your papers to your employer is a good idea," she says. "Not only is it easier to keep a job than to find a job, it's easier to find a job if you have a job.

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Planning will play a big part in preparing you for life after a forced or unexpected retirement. "You've got to start planning at 55 what you want to do at 60," Hannon says. "People don't. They don't think that far down the line."

Brooks writes about retirement and personal finance for The Washington Post.
But those are minor mysteries compared to the one that's been nagging me for years now: What is the name for those green plastic sticks that plug the hole in your cup lid and keep coffee off of your hands, clothes, car upholstery, etc.?
Jeremy Denk met all the requirements triumphantly. I have never heard a thoughtless or uninvolved performance from this remarkably individual American pianist, and the fearless aplomb with which he stormed through Bartok's knucklebuster was little short of sensational. Few pianists file their rhythmic attacks to a more incisive point than Denk. The pianist's torrents of notes swept across the orchestral soundstage like a juggernaut, but always with a tonal solidity that eschewed clatter. The spiky nervosity that propelled the outer movements enclosed a central movement whose marked contrasts of prayerful calm and driven fury pianist, conductor and orchestra sustained most beautifully. Quite a thrill ride, and its effect on the audience was immediate.
Take for example, John Oliver's hugely successful 22-minute comedic segment  among the most viewed video clips of the moment on social media  revealing that the ancestral family name of Trump was, in fact, "Drumpf." It was a brilliant deconstruction of the man in some ways, not least because it reminded all non-semioticians how sublimely, subliminally influenced we all remain by monikers  if a name, or some other marker of privilege, suggests someone holds the upper hand, we assume they do and, before long, assumption becomes reality. But it was muted by Trump's ability to make fun of the name, and because Oliver is selling stuff, not unlike Trump, who also sells stuff.
A study of breast cancer patients found that limited radiotherapy is effective after low-risk tumors are removed, but questions remain. (Mark Kostich / Getty Images)

For women with early stage breast cancer, targeted doses of radiation therapy may be as effective as standard radiation treatment of the entire breast, a new British study suggests.

The research only tracked women for five years, so it isn't definitive. Still, "this contributes to a growing body of evidence that a large proportion of women over 50 years old with small breast cancers can avoid whole breast radiotherapy," said study co-author Dr. John Yarnold, a professor of clinical oncology with the Institute of Cancer Research in London.

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At issue: What is the best treatment for low-risk early breast cancer?

Many studies have shown that surgery to remove the cancerous lump  but not the entire breast  followed by radiation of the whole breast reduces the chance of breast cancer returning, said Dr. Reshma Jagsi, who was not involved in the new study. Jagsi is an associate professor in the department of radiation oncology at the University of Michigan Health System.

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Research also suggests that women who undergo this more intensive treatment survive somewhat longer, Jagsi added.

But side effects can include breast shrinkage, firmness and tenderness, Yarnold said. That raises the question of whether partial radiation could be a better option.

The researchers behind the new study randomly assigned just over 2,000 women with breast cancer in the United Kingdom to undergo one of three radiation therapy approaches after having small cancerous tumors surgically removed. Two of the approaches focused the radiation around the tumor, exposing the rest of the breast to little or no radiation.

According to Yarnold, the study revealed that three weeks of partial breast radiation therapy produced fewer side effects but seemed just as effective as whole breast radiation over five years.

Besides very low rates of relapse among all three groups, the rate of side effects from the target therapy was minimal, the study authors said.

But Yarnold and Jagsi disagree over whether doctors should embrace the more limited form of radiation treatment now.

Yarnold predicted that partial breast radiation treatment will become standard for large numbers of women with breast cancer over the next five years.

But he cautioned that the treatment isn't appropriate for all patients. Physician opinions vary, he said, but in general, the treatment seems best for women over 50 with low- to medium-grade tumors who've had the entire primary tumor removed and didn't show signs of the cancer spreading to axillary nodes (lymph nodes in the armpit region).

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The findings are promising, said Jagsi, who added that the technology to deliver partial breast radiation is available in the United States.

However, the study isn't strong enough to warrant changing the traditional approach, at least for women with longer life expectancies, Jagsi said. More follow-up is needed to determine whether less radiation is effective over the long term, she added.

In the case of this ongoing study, additional results will be reported in another five years.

For now, "physicians and patients should have detailed discussions about the expected risks and benefits of radiotherapy in each particular case," Jagsi said. "Many approaches to radiation treatment are now available, and informed deliberation and discussion of this and many other relevant studies is necessary to ensure that each patient can select the approach that is right for her."
"The second wave (of feminism) started because women were talking to each other around a table," she said. "When I taught high school on the South Side, I told my women's studies classes what happened to me because I wanted them to see that, while I do have privilege and I don't know what their lives look like and feel like, I have some understanding of oppression. Because of that, I had a lot of students come forward with their own stories. They wouldn't have trusted me if they didn't know I actually really understood and cared."
The candidates aren't like us. We're used to Illinois, all the corruption, the bossism, the waste in the name of power. And we look skyward as the national media fly over on their way to the coasts and pelt us with cliches about how cool the Daleys were or something about the stoic people of the heartland or a line about the city that works.
This is video shot by a neighbor of the May 2013 traffic stop in the 9000 block of South Laflin Street that is the subject of a federal lawsuit being settled by the city for $205,000. It shows the officers allegedly handcuffing motorist Willie Douglas to the burglar bars of a home and strip searching him. Warning graphic language. (The video is courtesy of the law firm for the plaintiffs, Erickson & Oppenheimer Ltd.) (Handout)

The city is poised to pay a combined $830,000 to settle separate Chicago police misconduct lawsuits involving a man wrongfully convicted of rape and three motorists who alleged they were illegally strip-searched in broad daylight during a South Side traffic stop.

The City Council's Finance Committee is scheduled to consider the payouts at its monthly meeting Friday, according to the committee's online agenda. If approved, the settlements would go before the full council for a vote Wednesday.

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One proposed settlement of $205,000 involved a federal lawsuit brought by Caprice Halley, Tevin Ford and Robert Douglas, records show. The three alleged they were pulled over in 9000 block of South Laflin Street in May 2013 and searched for drugs.

The lawsuit alleged Douglas was handcuffed outside his vehicle and walked backward to the side of a home, where officers shackled his wrist to burglar bars over a first-floor window, pulled his pants down to his ankles and performed a body cavity search in "open air."

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Portions of the incident were captured in a video shot by a neighbor. But after the officers saw that they were being recorded, they moved to an alley behind a church around the corner, the lawsuit alleged.

There, Halley was ordered out of the car and told by a female officer to remove her pants while five male officers stood around them in a circle, according to the lawsuit. Halley asked the female officer if she was "really going to make (her) strip in front of these men." The officer, while putting on blue latex gloves, "coldly replied with a 'yes,'" the suit alleged.

Halley was then strip-searched while the five male officers "looked on and made jokes and comments about Ms. Halley's body," according to the suit. After no drugs were found, the officers planted a small bag of heroin on Halley, claiming it was found in Halley's waistband, the suit alleged.

Halley and Douglas were each charged with drug possession, court records show. Douglas was fatally shot just weeks after the incident, while Halley was found not guilty in a bench trial in 2014.

Jon Erickson, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said Thursday that there was no evidence of any internal investigation into the officers' behavior that day.

"The conduct of the officers in this case was clearly outrageous and beyond all decency," Erickson said. "We hope that the city of Chicago looks seriously at disciplining them for this."

The second settlement for $625,000 comes in a suit filed by Marlon Pendleton, who spent nearly a decade behind bars for a rape he didn't commit before he was exonerated by DNA evidence in 2006.

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Pendleton alleged in the suit that Chicago detectives manipulated the police lineup procedure and that a lab analyst prepared "an incomplete and egregiously misleading lab report" by wrongly claiming that evidence from the 1992 rape was insufficient for genetic testing.

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Pendleton also contended that detectives manipulated the rape victim into misidentifying him as her attacker. In the suit, Pendleton alleged that police handcuffed him and escorted him past a room where the victim was waiting. He was the only lineup participant the victim saw before she was asked to make an identification, the suit said.

Pendleton was pardoned in 2008 by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich, but later that year he was charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend, Dannette Adkins, whose body was discovered in the Hammond, Ind., home of Pendleton's sister, records show.

He was convicted of a lesser charge of manslaughter in 2011 and is serving a 17-year sentence in a state prison in Indiana.

A spokesman for the city's Law Department said Thursday he could not comment on settlements pending City Council approval.

jmeisner@tribpub.com

Twitter @jmetr22b
Former Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy spoke publicly on March 8, 2016, for the first time since Mayor Rahm Emanuel fired him amid the fallout from the Laquan McDonald case. (John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum - Harvard's Institute of Politics) (John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum - Harvard's Institute of Politics/Chicago Tribune)

In his first public remarks since the Laquan McDonald controversy cost him his job as Chicago police superintendent, Garry McCarthy distanced himself from any responsibility in the handling of the fatal police shooting, saying by law his only role was to strip the officer of his police powers.

During a panel discussion on policing earlier this week at Harvard University, McCarthy said he viewed the video of Officer Jason Van Dyke shooting the black teen 16 times on the day after the Oct. 20, 2014, incident.

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"That was the end of my involvement until the Independent Police Review Authority recommended that I take the only disciplinary step that I could take by Illinois state law, which is to strip that officer of his police authority, which I did immediately," he said Tuesday, according to a recording of his appearance. "After that, I was completely not involved in it."

McCarthy portrayed himself as a victim in the fallout after the court-ordered release of the disturbing video in late November, saying "somebody had to take the fall."

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He then shrugged his shoulders, raised his right hand into the air and declared, "Hi," drawing some laughter from the crowd.

Speaking at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, McCarthy also suggested that his departure was a factor in the seemingly out-of-control violence plaguing Chicago, particularly so far this year, saying the city is "in a world of mess right now."

He had earlier painted a glowing picture of his performance as superintendent, citing an overall 40 percent reduction in crime during his 4 1/2 years in office, the lowest homicide totals in 2013 and 2014 since the mid-1960s, a 50 percent reduction in complaints against officers and a 68 percent drop in police shootings.

But he failed to note the dramatic rise in homicides in 2015 or that shootings had risen sharply for two consecutive years before his departure.

Saying communities across the country want civilian oversight of police departments and independent investigations of police shootings, McCarthy noted that "Chicago has that."

But he then pointed out that during his tenure, the Chicago Police Board overruled three-fourths of his recommendations to fire officers.

He made no mention, however, of the controversy over the effectiveness of the Independent Police Review Authority, which investigates police shootings in Chicago. A Tribune examination found that since its formation in September 2007, IPRA has found officers at fault in only two of 409 shootings  and both were off-duty incidents.

McCarthy had attained a high-profile as police superintendent, particularly after he battled NATO protesters on the frontline with rank-and-file cops in 2012, but since his firing by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, he has all but disappeared from public view while declining to comment to the news media on his dismissal.

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In firing McCarthy on Dec. 1, the mayor had said that "the public trust in the leadership of the department has been shaken and eroded."

But in the months since then, McCarthy said, he hasn't heard a negative word in his contacts with the public.

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"I have gotten universal support from every single person  black, white, green, purple  across the city," he said. "Everybody who I've run into, not one person has said anything negative to me.

"So the progress was being made. Right now we've got a 120 percent increase in the murder rate in the city of Chicago. And you know, there's consequences for everything.

"And whether it's my firing or whether it's the police officers who now feel  my colleagues across the country ... say things to me like, well, Garry, if they got you and you are one of the most progressive, reform-minded police leaders in the country, then they can get any one of us. And then police officers in Chicago are saying the same thing to me, which is if that's how you were treated, what would they do to me? ... And how do I juxtapose these two positions? So we're in a world of mess right now in Chicago."

McCarthy said he's frequently told by people in Chicago "you got screwed, but somebody had to take the hit."

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"At the end of the day, police legitimacy in Chicago took an enormous hit, and people are dying at record numbers right now as a result," he continued. "There's a consequence for that. We have to recognize that if we don't like the way the system works, change the system, right? I described to you all the things that people wanted from police oversight, and outside investigatory agencies exist (in Chicago), and at the end of the day they didn't like the results. And somebody had to take the fall and somebody had to take the hit."

jgorner@tribpub.com

Twitter @JeremyGorner
Kim Foxx, from left, Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez and Donna More wait March 10, 2016, at the WTTW Chicago Renee Crown Public Media Center before a debate of Democrats running for Cook County state's attorney. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

The three Democrats running for Cook County state's attorney hurled insults and questioned each other's ethics and credibility in their final face-to-face meeting Thursday night.

The forum of less than a half-hour on WTTW's "Chicago Tonight" elicited little new information as State's Attorney Anita Alvarez and challengers Kim Foxx and Donna More often talked over each other.

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Two-term chief prosecutor Alvarez lashed out at Foxx, the former chief of staff to County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, as a "political puppet for some political boss" and a "liar" over how many cases Foxx said she had tried and a violation of campaign finance laws.

"How can the voters trust her? We're talking about truthfulness and integrity. Truthfulness and integrity, which you don't have Kim because you're a proven liar," said Alvarez, who added that voters need "an independent state's attorney, which I have been."

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During the campaign, Foxx initially said she "tried literally hundreds of cases ... hundreds of felony cases," but more recently has said the number was closer to 100. Foxx's campaign also was fined $19,450 in a unanimous ruling by the State Board of Elections for failing to timely file campaign disclosure documents, a decision she said she was appealing.

Foxx contended Alvarez was running a prosecutor's office that was "the laughing stock of the nation" and suggested "the trust in our criminal justice system has been broken by this state's attorney."

As has been the case throughout much of the campaign, discussion centered on Alvarez's largest vulnerability ahead of Tuesday's election: her handling of the case of Laquan McDonald, a black teen shot 16 times by Jason Van Dyke, a white Chicago police officer.

A police dashboard camera video of the October 2014 shooting was ordered released by a judge in November of last year. Hours before the video's release, Alvarez charged Van Dyke with murder. Alvarez has defended the length of time it took to file charges by saying she was working with the U.S. attorney's office. When she filed charges, she said she did so "for public safety reasons."

But Foxx and More, an attorney and former state gaming board legal counsel, contended Alvarez should have acted quicker.

"I take umbrage to the statement that it was because of fear of public safety. Her job is to seek justice on behalf of victims," Foxx said. "The public safety argument means she didn't do it because Laquan McDonald was shot down in the street, 16 times. She did it because she thought there was going to be a political fallout."

More accused Alvarez of a cover-up.

"Nobody in this county believes charges would have been filed if the video had not been released. The whole world saw this video tape and only one person didn't see a crime  Anita Alvarez," she said.

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While the video has become a centerpiece of the campaign, all three candidates said they didn't agree with Mayor Rahm Emanuel's newly announced policy of releasing videos of police-involved shootings in 60 to 90 days.

More said the state's attorney's office should control the evidence, not the Independent Police Review Agency that investigates police-involved shootings. She said she would release videos at the time they are publicly released in a courtroom.

Foxx said she didn't believe an "arbitrary number" of days could be used for the release of videos.

Alvarez said the question of releasing such information comes down to "whether it's going to compromise the case," including an investigation and the gathering of evidence.

Alvarez was asked why police officers at the scene of the McDonald shooting who filed reports at odds with the video have not faced prosecution.

"Neither one of these two (opponents) have any knowledge of the facts of the Van Dyke case," Alvarez said. The state's attorney acknowledged she could prosecute officers on state charges but said, "This is an issue that quite frankly, in due time, we'll hear from U.S. Atty. (Zach) Fardon."

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Despite the vitriol on display during the debate, all three candidates said afterward that they wished the forum had focused more on the issues, particularly the gun violence that's plaguing many areas of the city.

Foxx said after the forum that Alvarez's focus on her experience was meant to be a distraction.

"This is what she's doing, largely because the issues that are crippling our criminal justice system right now, Anita Alvarez had her hand in crippling it, and she would rather talk about anything and everything except what's wrong with our criminal justice system," Foxx said.

hdardick@tribpub.com

rap30@aol.com
Patti Davis, left, greets Rosalynn Carter as Hillary Clinton looks at the casket during the graveside service for Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. (Chris Carlson / AP)

NEW YORK  Hillary Clinton apologized Friday after gay-rights and AIDS activists assailed her for saying Nancy Reagan helped start a "national conversation" about AIDS in the 1980s, when protesters were struggling to get more federal help in fighting the disease.



Clinton, one of two contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination, made her initial comments in an interview with MSNBC during its coverage of Nancy Reagan's funeral.



Soon after the interview aired, MSNBC's Twitter feed was flooded with comments accusing Clinton of misrepresenting history and insulting the 1980s activists who pressured elected officials to step up the response to AIDS. Clinton soon apologized.

Hillary Clintons statement on her comments about the Reagans' record on HIV and AIDS: pic.twitter.com/RtIs0zpJfk  Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 11, 2016

"While the Reagans were strong advocates for stem cell research and finding a cure for Alzheimer's disease, I misspoke about their record on HIV and AIDS. For that, I am sorry," Clinton said on her Twitter account.

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Many activists remain bitter at Ronald Reagan and his administration for what they view as a devastatingly slow response to AIDS. Though initial reports of the disease surfaced in 1981, President Reagan did not make his first public speech about it until 1987, by which time it had killed more than 20,000 Americans.



In her MSNBC interview, Clinton was complimentary to both Reagans with regard to their stance on AIDS.



"It may be hard for your viewers to remember how difficult it was for people to talk about HIV/AIDS back in the 1980s. And because of both President and Mrs. Reagan, in particular Mrs. Reagan, we started a national conversation, when before nobody would talk about it," she said."Nobody wanted to do anything about it.

"And, you know, that too is something that I really appreciate with her very effective low-key advocacy, but it penetrated the public conscience and people began to say, hey, we have to do something about this too," added Clinton.

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While I respect her advocacy in other areas including stem cell and Parkinson's research, Nancy Reagan was, sadly, no hero in the fight against HIV.  Chad Griffin, Human Rights Campaign

Peter Staley, a veteran AIDS activist based in New York, tweeted that Clinton's remarks were "the most offensive thing possible 4 my generation of LGBT Americans."



Clinton, in her race against Bernie Sanders, has received extensive support from LGBT advocacy groups and donors. The Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBT rights group, has endorsed her, incurring some criticism from Sanders supporters who say his record on LGBT rights is strong.



The president of the Human Rights Campaign, Chad Griffin, issued a brief statement Friday that avoided any criticism of Clinton.



"While I respect her advocacy in other areas including stem cell and Parkinson's research, Nancy Reagan was, sadly, no hero in the fight against HIV," Griffin said.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 11 House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin stands near the casket of Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on March 9, 2016, in Simi Valley, Calif. (Jae C. Hong, AFP/Getty Images)

Tanya Domi, a New York-based LGBT activist and staunch Clinton supporter, was relieved by the candidate's speedy apology.



"There is no doubt in my mind that Hillary Clinton is very tired and committed a gaffe," Domi said on Facebook. "At the same time, keep in mind the Clinton Global Initiative's work on HIV/AIDS has saved millions of people's lives. Millions. But she made a mistake and quickly corrected herself. That is good enough for me."

Associated Press
Former Michigan State Police Inspector Ellis Stafford, left, and Jeff Seipenko, special agent for the Michigan attorney general, sit in court with arrest warrants in their hands on April 20, 2016. (Rachel Woolf / The Flint Journal)

LANSING, Mich.  Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder on Thursday released another 4,400 pages of his executive office's emails and documents related to the lead-contaminated water in Flint.

The disclosure is the third voluntary release of such records, which have revealed his administration's inner dialogue before the crisis and as it grew after the financially struggling city left Detroit's water system and started using the Flint River to save money.

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The newly released documents include duplications from previous releases, but also new ones from Snyder himself. Here are details on some of those emails:

'POTENTIAL DISASTERS'

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A staffer in Snyder's Office of Urban Initiatives warned before Flint switched water sources that things were moving too quickly and trouble might lie ahead.

The city's water treatment plant needed to be prepared, and the deadline for submitting bids to do the work was "putting a strain on the willingness of qualified vendors to participate," Brian Larkin wrote in a March 14, 2014, memo.

"The expedited timeframe is less than ideal and could lead to some big potential disasters down the road," he added.

Larkin dealt with a number of cities, including Flint, Snyder spokesman Ari Adler said. He is no longer with the governor's office.

He sent the memo to several colleagues. It eventually was added to a calendar appointment notice that was emailed to top Snyder aides, including former chief of staff Dennis Muchmore, former spokeswoman Sara Wurfel and advisers Dick Posthumus and Bill Rustem.

Adler said Larkin's warning referred to potential problems with treatment plant operations, not the failure to add anti-corrosive treatments that enabled lead to pollute Flint's water supply.

It wasn't the only time insiders raised concerns about the timing of Flint's switchover in April 2014. Mike Glasgow, a former supervisor at the plant and presently the city utilities administrator, complained shortly beforehand in an email to a state official that he needed more time to train staffers.

WORKING VACATION

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In an email sent to Snyder while the governor was on vacation in April 2013, his chief of staff said he wanted to make sure Snyder knew that two of his top administrators  Treasurer Andy Dillon and Environmental Quality Director Dan Wyant  agreed with a request by "Flint people" to make the switch to a new water authority, a move that ultimately led Flint to get water temporarily from the Flint River a year later.

"I have no way of determining whether this is the right action except to depend on the two departments charged with this responsibility, so I recommend that we support their determination and let the chips fall where they may," Muchmore wrote on April 4. "This will happen early next week, so we need to have you made aware and develop a message of support if that is what you want to do."

Snyder responded, saying he thought everyone agreed that the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department would be notified it was losing a key customer and given 10 days to make a counter offer. Muchmore wrote back that evening, saying the department had been notified. "Sorry for the confusion but they haven't followed up with Flint and I thought you should know we were moving to the next step at the end of the ten days. I was indicating that we were expecting to move forward in case you had further reservations and wanted us to delay further."

EYE TOWARD RE-ELECTION

In his initial April 4 email, Muchmore alluded to Snyder's re-election bid 19 months later. He said the administration needed to make sure that the decision to remove Flint from Detroit's water system had been relayed to Kevyn Orr, the emergency manager appointed by the state to take over Detroit's finances.

The Flint River flows in downtown Flint, Mich., on Jan. 17, 2016. (Bill Pugliano / Getty Images)

"We'll need to make sure that Orr knows about this as soon as possible so he can take it into his calculations. It would certainly diminish the DWSD base, and probably spin off a series of political questions for others still involved in the Detroit system. But, I don't see how you can support Detroit to the detriment of the rest of the state. You've done a lot for the city, but you also need to have a strong support for outstate for 2014."

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CHANGE IN POSTURE

On Oct. 15, after the disaster broke open, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley sent an "FYI" email from his private account to Snyder's private political account. Calley forwarded an email he had written to Jarrod Agen  Snyder's current chief of staff who at the time was communications director  suggesting a change in posture in media stories related to Flint and the Education Achievement Authority, a state entity overseeing some Detroit schools.

"There will be intense scrutiny and investigations on every aspect of the Flint water issue. I'd rather have the governor be the one pounding his fist on the table demanding answers, rather than Progress Michigan," a liberal group often critical of the Snyder administration. "In fact, perhaps we should ask someone to open an investigation, or maybe an internal investigation. Just something to show that we are doing more than fixing the problem, we are getting all the answers to ensure it never happens again." Snyder ended up naming a task force to investigate on Oct. 21.

COMPUTER PROBLEMS

Even Snyder, a self-proclaimed "nerd" and former computer company executive, has computer problems. On Sept. 27, Muchmore forwarded him an email in which a top Treasury Department official summarized a meeting with Flint officials about their request for $30 million in state aid to upgrade the city's water system. "I couldn't open the attachments," Snyder responded. "They showed up in some strange form."

PAST DISCLOSURES

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The disclosure follows two earlier releases: one in January that included about 270 pages of the Republican governor's own emails, and one in February with roughly 16,700 pages of his staff's emails and documents. Snyder has repeatedly apologized for the crisis and voluntarily made materials public despite his office being exempt from public-records requests. The governor has said he hopes that re-lining Flint's pipes with a protective coating will help while lead service lines running to homes and businesses ultimately are replaced.

Associated Press
What he calls "the Washington playbook" prescribed robust intervention. But that approach is "a trap that can lead to bad decisions," he told Goldberg. "In the midst of an international challenge like Syria, you get judged harshly if you don't follow the playbook, even if there are good reasons why it does not apply." It was "as tough a decision as I've made"  but "the right decision."
From left, Chicago Teachers Union Recording Secretary Michael Brunson, President Karen Lewis, and Vice President Jesse Sharkey talk with members of the media during a press conference at the Chicago Teachers Union in the Merchandise Mart Friday, March 4, 2016, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez, Chicago Tribune)

"You know, like, look at it as an extra holiday, right? I mean, just look at it that way. That's the only thing I can tell them to make them feel better."

 Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, March 7, 2016

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Karen Lewis breezily tells parents not to worry if teachers ultimately decide to skip work on Friday, April 1. Even though it's scheduled as a school day. Even though students are expected to attend their classes.

Where will teachers be if not in classrooms? Union leaders haven't said. Will teachers be on the picket line? In the Loop for another of those raucous red-shirt rallies? Should children show up for school? What do working parents do?

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Not sure yet, we'll get back to you, Lewis says about the union's "Shut It Down" event  billed on the CTU website as "a march and a day of direct action ..."

We hope teachers don't abandon their students to show their pique against Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Gov. Bruce Rauner and CPS leaders. If so, they would demonstrate a breathtakingly heedless disregard for the instruction that about 22,000 union members  they're educators, remember  provide to students.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 10 Priscilla Garcia a 13-year-old seventh grader at Jorge Prieto Math and Science Academy, stands with other students to show support for their teachers on March 25, 2016. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

Teachers should be making the most of every precious minute in the instructional day. There are only 178 of those days in a school year. They go fast. Children fall behind when they're not in class. They lose their momentum, their eagerness to learn.

Yet teachers and their union leaders could squander April 1 with little more than a shrug: School's out, kids. We're declaring our own furlough day ...

Students don't learn only in the classroom. They learn by watching adults. Their parents. Their teachers.

No matter what teachers try to teach, CPS students are learning about what matters most to many of the adults entrusted with their education.

If teachers walk, students would learn an acrid lesson about the teachers union's astonishing disrespect for the value of classroom instruction. Think about that.

Children would learn how a labor union, deep in contract negotiations, throws a tantrum because it won't accept a new pact that phases out a lavish 7 percent pension payment pickup the district can no longer afford. CPS still would be responsible for its employer contribution to the pensions. But it would stop paying most of the employee contribution.

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Students would learn that when money and education are in play, some adults put education second to their real priority.

Remember: CPS is broke. CPS CEO Forrest Claypool declared three furlough days for teachers and administrators to make ends meet. On Wednesday, he told principals to pare back spending because the district is short of cash to finish the year. "In this fiscal crisis, please only fill jobs that are absolutely essential for students," CPS told principals.

Essential for students. CPS has its priorities straight.

Under state bargaining protocols, the teachers union can't yet legally strike. That day won't come until mid-May.

But what teachers can do, legally or not, is churlishly abandon their students on April 1.

(Scott Stantis)

No, it's not a holiday, as Lewis suggests.

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It's a school day.

And what about all those single parents who work, who expect that their kids will be in class, who would have to scramble to find child care or just miss a day of work?

Sorry, parents, you won't count. Neither would your child's education. Teachers could abandon their students because they don't like those furlough days or CPS' last contract offer.

If contract talks break down, if teachers walk, they probably figure they'll have many parents on their side. But how would leaving thousands of parents in the lurch on Teacher Ditch Day generate sympathy for the teachers' cause?

In 2011, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CPS leaders battled the teachers union over adding precious time  52 minutes for elementary schools, 46 minutes for high schools  to the instructional day. Back then, Chicago cheated students with one of the shortest school days in the U.S.

Those extra minutes pay off for children. In higher standardized test scores for many CPS students. In CPS' improving graduation rates.

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Teachers know that an entire lost school day is irretrievable. So, will they be with their students on April 1?

We hope so. If not, teachers, good luck explaining your little tantrum to your students. Tell them why your protest is more important than their education.
Oswego is looking to replace its current police headquarers on Route 34. (Oswego Police Department / Handout)

The Oswego Village Board is looking to purchase a site on the east-central side of the village for a proposed $30 million police station.

Village trustees Tuesday will consider a site acquisition contract with REO Funding Solutions V, Inc. for 16.37 acres of land on Woolley Road east of the Oswego fire station. The Village Board meets at 7 p.m. at 100 Parkers Mill Road.

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Purchasing the land would cost the village $12,500 per acre  a total of $204,625 - pending approval of a revised site plan, according to a village report. The site was planned for residential development.

The agreement proposes an alternative purchase price of $31,500 per acre for approximately 23.55 acres  a total of $741,825 - if the revised site plan is not approved.

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According to village officials, part of the site was anticipated for a new police headquarters when 488 acres at the location were annexed to Oswego in 2008 for the Hummel Trails residential project.

Village Administrator Dan Di Santo said the village has considered four sites for the police facility.

"This site meets the Police Department's operational and functional needs, meets site security considerations, was the lowest cost of all sites considered, and allows for synergies with the Oswego Fire Protection District by creating an Oswego Public Safety campus," Di Santo said. "Simply put, this was our first choice and we are thrilled with the selection."

Di Santo said in the 2008 annexation agreement the Hummel Trails developer agreed to donate 7.5 acres for the future facility and agreed to sell up to 7.5 acres for $100,000 per acre.

"While this value may have been the market rate at the time, a recent staff appraisal of the property establishes a value of $36,000 per acre ... staff renegotiated the land acquisition with the new property owner of Hummel Trails," Di Santo said.

Di Santo said the village's agreement with the developer would allow the developer to increase the residential density of the Hummel Trails project by 78 units from 978 to 1056.

The village administrator said the revisions not only meet the density recommendations of the comprehensive plan, but also address market changes since the development was originally proposed in 2008.

Di Santo said if the land acquisition contract is approved, the property owner would proceed through the annexation agreement amendment process, which includes a public hearing and planning and zoning commission review of the revised site plan.

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The village's original discussions of a new police station were abruptly halted during the 2008 recession, just as the village's consultants completed a long-term police facility needs study. Studies have shown the Oswego police station needs more space than is in the 24,000-square-foot building it has occupied since 1991.

Village trustees in recent months were supportive of a "hybrid" of two design models that would have about 70,000 square feet of space in the proposed police facility.

Village staff has suggested issuing three separate $10 million bank qualified bonds, the first as early as May, to begin the project. Trustees in July voted to increase the village's home rule sales tax by three-quarters of 1 percent effective Jan 1. The plan is to use the estimated $2.8 million the increase will generate each year to fund road maintenance projects and the construction of the new police headquarters.

Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News
State recommendations for criminal justice and sentencing reforms make sense and are based on solid research, according to officials, but what worries Kane County leaders is the financial burden those reforms could have on local governments.

The Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform recently published a report recommending reforms that are morally, ethically and statistically valid, said Lisa Aust, Kane County executive director of county services. The problem is the proposed reforms have no funding mechanisms for local authorities, she said.

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Aust informed county judicial and public safety committee members about the upcoming bills addressing those reforms. An example is a bill requiring court services prepare presentencing investigations for every person charged with a felony. The Kane County Court Services Department conducts about 300 investigations a year, she said. Last year, Kane County had about 2,200 people convicted of felonies, she said.

If the bill passes, the county's court services would have to add 20 staff members to complete the investigations because it would mean an additional 26,000 manpower hours a year, Aust said.

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State officials are saying the right things, assuring there will be funding available, but "I am worried," she said. "They are not proposing legislation on funding."

Additional reforms would be coming down the road, within a year to four years, she said.

Gov. Bruce Rauner established the Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform a year ago. The commission's goal is to reduce jail populations by 25 percent within 10 years, Kane County State's Attorney Joseph McMahon said.

Another reform being suggested is changing statutory sentencing for some crimes like residential burglary, he said. Under the law, a person convicted of residential burglary faces a mandatory prison sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections, he said. The law could change to have those convicted of that crime be eligible for probation, McMahon said.

It would add more cases for probation, he said. The recommendation for presentencing investigations would also affect his office. McMahon said between 90 and 94 percent of felony convictions result from plea agreements. If court services had to do the investigations, his office's work would ground to a halt, he said. It would increase the number of days a defendant would be held in county jail and increase the workload for state's attorneys, public defenders and court services, he said.

County Chairman Chris Lauzen's takeaway is that the ideas sound great, but the state is not fulfilling its responsibility and is shifting it to local governments, he said.

"I love the progressive ideas," he said, but the state needs to "pay for what they preach." He is not optimistic funding will become available since the state is currently a "deadbeat," he said.

Judicial and public safety committee Chairman Cristina Castro recommended staff work with the county's legislative committee to keep up with any bills dealing with reforms and to speak with local legislators about how each would affect the county.

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Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
One of the most colorful dabbling ducks, a wood duck, shows off its spring plumage at a Lake County wetland. Wood ducks nest in Lake County. (Courtesy of Mike Trahan)

When large numbers of colorfully plumaged ducks start passing through Lake County in late winter, Bill Saylor said he starts his "serious birding."

"Then I'm probably birding almost every day for the next three months," Saylor said. "I like to watch ducks in the spring, when the ice goes off the lakes. That's the official start of spring for me."

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Saylor said he has lived in Mundelein for about 30 years and he has noticed the ice coming off the lakes earlier and earlier. This year, he was out watching ducks in early March after the mild winter, he said.

Watching ducks in spring is a great way for beginning birders to start the hobby, Saylor said.

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"Ducks are fairly large, making them easy to pick out, and in spring the males are easy to identify because of their different garb," Saylor said.

A pair of binoculars can make the ducks large enough to identify, Saylor said. Plus, ducks perform courtship displays in spring that are interesting to watch and photograph, said Mike Trahan, a birder and nature photographer from Mundelein.

In spring, Lake County's lakes, wetlands, flooded fields  called fluddles  and the Lake Michigan shoreline host migratory ducks, loons, grebes and geese, some of which will remain in the area to breed.

One of the best places to see male ducks in their spring plumage is at Independence Grove in Libertyville, Saylor and Trahan said.

It is there where Saylor found a rare Barrow's goldeneye duck two years ago and where he recently showed a new birder her first look at something other than a mallard.

"I let her look through my scope and showed her some canvasbacks she hadn't seen before," Saylor said. "For a new birder, it's really neat."

When people think of ducks, they typically think of male mallards with their dark, iridescent green heads and loud quacks that ring across the water, he said.

But at least 25 species of ducks migrate through northern Illinois every spring and fall, according to the Illinois Natural History Survey.

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The canvasback belongs to a group of ducks called divers, which find much of their food by diving and swimming underwater. The canvasback has a deep-brownish-red head, red eye, black breast and white flanks.

Dabblers, such as the mallard, feed in shallow areas by dipping their heads in the water and sticking their tails up in the air, providing a comical scene to the birder. Other dabblers include the northern shoveler, which looks like a mallard but has a huge, shovel-like bill and brown on its sides.

"Ducks are amazingly beautiful because of their intricate patterning. They're just gorgeous," Trahan said. "The females can look very different form the males  so it can be pretty challenging to identify the female."

When photographing, Trahan said, he doesn't want to get too close to the ducks and potentially disturb them, so he works from blinds. He said he discovered a duck blind on a big loop trail at Volo Bog in Ingleside and also set up a blind in his backyard which abuts a small lake.

One spring at dawn from the blind, he said, he watched a male hooded merganser courting a female. The hooded merganser has a large triangle-shaped head outlined in black, which contrasts with a white cheek and yellow eye. While watching through the blind, Trahan said, he saw the male lift its bill up and give a trill sound.

"He'd stop and then start doing it again. He was calling for the female, and eventually she came," Trahan said.

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He said one of his favorite ducks to photograph is the rare wood duck, a dabbling duck. The male has a green crested head outlined with white, an orange and black bill, and a bright-orange eye ring.

Two years ago, Saylor said, he was at Independence Grove in March and noticed a duck that looked a little different from the common goldeneyes it was with. Its head was buried in its wing. But then, he said, "it lifted its head up, and I noticed the crescent-shaped spot on the cheek was different from the round spot on the common goldeneye."

It was his first Lake County Barrow's goldeneye.

"It's very rare around here," Saylor said.

Birders like Jeff Sanders, of Glenview, come out to Lake County to see rare birds like the Barrow's goldeneye. But Sanders, who has been watching birds for more than 50 years and serves on the Chicago Audubon Society Board, visits Lake County every spring when the ducks return, often coming two or more times a week.

Sanders usually spends four to five hours on a particular route during his duck forays. He starts at Heritage Lake in Century Park in Mundelein, then heads to Diamond Lake in Mundelein, followed by a couple of fluddles along Winchester Road in Libertyville, then up to Independence Grove and then farther west to Fox Lake and Fourth Lake.

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"What's great is you don't have to walk very far in some of these places," he said. "And on most days during this time, there are ducks somewhere. There are so many lakes and fluddles in Lake County, and you never know where you'll find the ducks. This Monday, we had two black ducks and a green-winged teal at a fluddle. Then I went to Fox Lake, and there were barely a handful of goldeneyes."

Ducks go where they can find rest and food, he said, and Independence Grove likely provides just the right blend of fish, crustaceans and aquatic greens that ducks like to eat.

Sheryl DeVore is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
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Director Feng Xiaogang said he would found a school to train professional technicians for China's booming film industry.

Feng Xiaogang, a director and member of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), speaks at a meeting during the ongoing annual session of the top political advisory body on March 7, 2016 in Beijing. [Photo by Wu Wenda / China.org.cn]

Feng, also a member of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), is attending the annual session of the top political advisory body which runs until March 14.

In his opinion, though the industry is developing aggressively and is expected to surpass the United States in 2017 as the biggest film market, the industry is still a long way from Hollywood production quality and is weak when it comes to professional technicians. "In current film schools and academies, only actors, directors and script writers are educated and trained," he said. "But for other categories of workers, they never have the chance."

When shooting a film, said Feng, most other working posts, including props, lighting, costumes, make-up and others are occupied by migrant workers. "We don't have prop persons who have received professional education. When you want to set up a movie set, if the prop workers haven't seen the prop before, they can't make it. Usually, in a Chinese film crew, 90 percent of them are amateurs and have had no professional training and have only rough experience in the industry. But when they go into a new film crew, they have to get trained again or they can't make things the film creators want."

Feng said China will make 700 - 800 films a year, which means even for one working post, the films can provide 700 - 800 jobs a year. For the television industry, more than 30,000 episodes will be made annually. Combining all the films, TV series, other shows and programs, China will have nearly 4,000 film crews in total during a single year. If a crew needs 100 such technicians, this means there will be roughly 400,000 jobs.

Feng said he made millions from films and he would repay this "debt" to society. So, with actors Jackie Chan and Zhang Guoli, both of whom are also CPPCC members, they decided that they would launch a movie technician school next year, inviting Hollywood professionals to be teachers. "We can work out the most basic problems of the film industry, while educating and training professional talents. It will help to resolve the employment issue while providing talent for hundreds of thousands of jobs. Meanwhile, this will improve the Chinese film industry's professional level."
As South Korean Go champion Lee Sedol continues battling with Google's AlphaGo, political advisor Huang Youyi said, in an interview with China.org.cn, he looks forward to the arrival of the machine translation era.

Huang Youyi, the former vice president of the China International Publishing Group (CIPG) and the vice executive president of the Translators Association of China, speaks to China.org.cn in Beijing during the annual session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). [Photo by He Shan / China.org.cn]

Huang, the former vice president of the China International Publishing Group (CIPG) and the vice executive president of the Translators Association of China, is attending the annual session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

"Machines can tremendously improve translation speed and complete large amounts of translation work, which can provide more timely language services for economic and social development," Huang said. "But current machine translation application software has too many limitations, and is far away from meeting demands. This also affects people's recognition of machine translation."

But Huang said the use of big data may provide a solution. "The use of big data will give machine translation a firm technology guarantee. It can not only improve translation efficiency, but also enhance accuracy," he said. "The more people start to use big data translation, the more accurate the translation results will become. I can say that the big data era will be a time to raise the translation level. And big data translation will provide powerful language service for cultural communication and enterprises' international operation."

In the government work report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang on March 5, Li stated that China will boost the widespread use of big data, cloud computing and the Internet of Things, as part of China's innovation plan.

Huang is doing more research on the big data translation. "We can build a state-level Chinese-foreign language translation database, and categorize the database into culture, history, politics, economy, law and more. Various entities, such as China International Publishing Group, Xinhua News Agency, China Daily, many state-owned and private enterprises and universities, now have their own translation databases. They should all share and work together to build an ultimate database," he said.

The political advisor said that China is implementing the Belt and Road Initiative and Chinese enterprises are going overseas for more development. "But you can't expect all the foreigners to know Chinese. We really need language services. The human element is insufficient; there has to be involvement of machine translation and other applications. "

He continued, "The technology is coming of age. The development of big data translation requires efforts in two aspects. First, the nation and enterprises should speed up research and development, as well as financial input. Second, translation professionals should use this development to extend the machines memories and expand the database. The relevant industries should work together."
Open up the app on your cellphone and pay your gas bill with just one tap.

That is what possibly could be achieved through a partnership between China's energy giant China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), Alibaba and its Internet finance arm Ant Financial, after the two sides signed an official agreement on Thursday.

According to a statement published on CNPC website, the partnership will focus on online maps, logistics, Internet payment, and membership sharing.

CNPC PetroChina already allows customers to add credit to their pre-paid gas cards through Ant Financial's Alipay, one of the country's leading mobile payment systems.

This agreement is a new approach by CNPC in its battle against low oil prices and signals a desire by both sides to transform the oil and gas industry, the statement said.

China is transforming its energy sector with the help of the Internet. A guideline on the "Internet Plus" strategy released by the State Council last year has listed "smart energy" as one of its 11 priorities.

CNPC and Alibaba are attempting to a system that improves the customer experience by meeting their demand, the statement said.

For Alibaba, the partnership could also mean an expansion of its logistics network, with PetroChina's over 20,000 gas stations countrywide.
A CRH train production site of CRRC's Qingdao Sifang Co Ltd in Qingdao, Shandong province. CSR Sifang America JV, subsidiary of CRRC which makes both high speed trains and railcars, will supply up to 846 railcars to the Chicago Transit Authority. [Photo/Xinhua]

China Railway Rolling Stock Corp subsidiary CSR Sifang America has been awarded a $1.3 billion order to supply up to 846 railcars to the Chicago Transit Authority, the biggest train order in the midwest city's history.

The new cars, the 7000-series, will look similar to those that have been in operation since the 1980s, the 2600-series, and will be locally assembled at a new purpose-built plant.

Brian Steele, a CTA spokesman, said the contract is expected to create around 169 new jobs, including mechanical engineers and electricians.

CSR Sifang America is a joint venture between Qingdao-based CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co Ltd and Chicago-based CSR America.

Another CRRC subsidiary is also currently building railway vehicles in Springfield, Massachusetts, after sealing a deal with the local transport authorities to supply 284 railcars for the Boston transit system.

The last batch of railcars ordered by CTA, the 5000-series, was a decade ago with Canada's Bombardier Inc, which lost out in the bidding this time by around $226 million, said officials.

CTA started the process in 2013, but the bidding gained little interest and a revised tender was relaunched in 2014.

The prototype railcars are scheduled for delivery to the CTA in 2019, and go into service the following year. The base order of more than 400 railcars will arrive by 2024, with options for a further 446 vehicles thereafter.

Steele said the purchase, which will replace about half of its railcars, will give the city one of the youngest rail fleets in the United States, with the average age of a railcar dropping from 26 years in 2011 to 13 years once the order is delivered, as well as saving $7 million a year in maintenance costs.

CRRC Qingdao Sifang said in a statement that the 7000-series railcars will have a different seating arrangement in comparison with the Bombardier ones, which have mostly aisle-facing seats and would provide more standing room during rush hour.

The new vehicles can be run at 112 kilometers per hour and will be equipped with LED lighting, passenger information systems and air conditioners.

Wang Mengshu, a deputy to the National People's Congress and deputy chief engineer of China Railway Tunnel Group Ltd, hailed the new deal as "another major breakthrough for the Chinese railway industry in the North American market".
Premier Li Keqiang meets with Guangdong deputies to the annual session of the NPC during a panel discussion in Beijing on March 9, 2016. [Photo/China Daily]

Premier Li Keqiang has encouraged Guangdong province to take the lead in introducing more Chinese brands and products to markets in developed economies such as the United States and the European Union.

Praising the province for its 0.8 percent export growth last year, he urged the manufacturing powerhouse to further sharpen competitiveness.

He made the remarks to about 160 deputies from Guangdong to the National People's Congress when he joined them for a panel discussion on Wednesday.

Guangdong was at the forefront of the nation's reform and opening-up policy during the 1980s.

Export growth is high on Li's agenda in meetings with deputies from four provinces during this year's NPC annual session. China's exports fell by 2.8 percent last year.

Many in the Guangdong delegation own some of the most successful businesses in China, such as Ma Huateng, chairman and CEO of Tencent Holdings, one of the country's largest private Internet service portals based in Guangdong, and Dong Mingzhu, president of Gree Electric Appliances.

Li said a key factor for the Chinese economy to achieve medium to high economic growth is to join competition in developed countries.

He said this will be more challenging for China, as the competition for quality in developed countries is higher. Such competition will help domestic manufacturers to improve product quality, something that is hard to achieve through the country's present exports to many developing countries.

China's exports to the US and EU countries fell by 12.2 percent and 10.7 percent year-on-year in January and February. This year, Guangdong has set a target of 1 percent growth in exports.

Zhong Nanshan, a respiratory expert and academic at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said China also needs to improve its ability to build more good-quality air purifying machines. At present, most Chinese people tend to buy imported air purifiers, which sometimes cost 10 times more than domestic ones.

Xu Hongcai, an economist at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said real technology innovation is a key factor for Guangdong products to be able to compete in foreign markets.
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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday urged all-out efforts to maintain ethnic unity and long-term stability through development in Xinjiang when joining a panel deliberation with national lawmakers from the northwestern region.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang joins a group deliberation of deputies from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to the annual session of the National People's Congress in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2016. [Photo: Weibo]

Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is of strategic importance for the country's overall situation, said Li.

The region should push development to consolidate the foundation of lasting stability, optimize industrial structure, accelerate the development of agriculture, textiles and tourism, and enhance the proportion of non-resource industries in the regional economy, said Li.

Improving people's livelihood is the core task of the Xinjiang government and the central government will provide greater support in the region's infrastructure construction for water conservation, electricity and transport, said the premier.

He asked authorities in Xinjiang to provide better employment, education and social insurance services and increase the income for people of all ethnic groups.

Xinjiang should continue to do its best to maintain ethnic solidarity, the "lifeline" of lasting peace and stability, he said.

In a panel deliberation with lawmakers from Tibet Autonomous Region, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli stressed important principles such as governing Tibet according to the law and striving to make people rich and the region prosperous with long-term development.

He asked Tibet to complete building a moderately prosperous society along with other parts of the country in 2020.

Tibet needs to strengthen ethnic unity and make earnest efforts to maintain stability, he said.
More than 300 people were arrested in China for telecom and Internet fraud in 2015, but outdated laws are struggling to keep up with the development of this high-tech crime, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said on Thursday.

Police are seeing a rise in cybercrime, including transnational cases, and the sums of money involved, increasing the threat to state and public security, said the SPP.

"It is becoming more difficult to fight Internet crime as new types of it emerge. Moreover, outdated laws and regulations have obstructed the crackdown," according to a statement.

It said the SPP has been releasing judicial interpretations to aid prosecution of new types of cybercrime.

Of the 334 suspected fraudsters arrested last year, 329 have been prosecuted, according to the SPP.
Education Minister Yuan Guiren said Thursday that the Marxist value and ideology would remain in China's education.

"The Communist Party of China combined the Marxist theory with practical situation in the country, establishing it as a guiding thought," Yuan said at a press conference on the sidelines of the national legislature annual session.

The minister asked in an article last year to better explain China's political theories and make those theories more accessible to students.

"The value we refer to is the one that is advocated by the Marxist ideology and combines with China's traditional value," Yuan said at the press conference.
Minister of Environmental Protection Chen Jining on Friday praised the ruling of Supreme People's Court (SPC) on a public interest litigation case about pollution in northwest China's Tengger Desert.

An environmental group filed a suit against eight companies for dumping unprocessed waste in the Tengger Desert in August last year but Zhongwei Intermediate People's Court in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region refused to hear the case.

The SPC ruled on Jan. 28 that the Zhongwei court should take the case, Chen told a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress.

Several companies in Gansu, Inner Mongolia and Ningxia, which border the desert, were found to have illegally dumped industrial waste in the desert since 2007. Earlier media reports said the contamination threatened groundwater in the area.

Although the companies were shut down, with some of their executives prosecuted and several local officials punished, restoration of polluted areas has made little progress, according to the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation that filed the public interest litigation case.

Some firms even misappropriated public funds designated to restore the desert, evading their responsibilities, said a statement from the foundation in August.

The foundation hopes legal means can force the polluters to restore the land or compensate victims. The case serves as a typical example of a public interest lawsuit and a warning for other polluters.

China's environmental protection law, revised in 2014, introduced public interest litigation and expanded the definition of who can be the plaintiff in these cases.

Last year Chinese courts heard 53 public interest litigation cases, in six of which environment departments were sued for nonfeasance.
More than 10,000 people who failed to fulfill court orders have been barred from taking senior positions in companies as of March 6, authorities announced Friday.

According to a memorandum of cooperation signed by the Supreme People's Court (SPC) with the State Administration for Industry & Commerce (SAIC) and six other central government departments in 2014, defaulters are forbidden from positions such as legal representative, member of the board, member of the board of supervisors and senior executive of a company.

To impose harsher restrictions on defaulters, the SAIC established a database containing information on defaulters, which went online on Dec. 11, 2015. Using the database, the SAIC worked with local industry and business authorities and market supervisors to block business registration applications by defaulters.

Besides employment restrictions, people on the blacklist will find it more difficult to secure loans or credit cards. They are also banned from flying and upper-class sleeper-train compartments.
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China will step up efforts to crack down on smuggling this year, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said on Friday.

Yu Guangzhou, chief of the GAC, said this year's efforts will mainly focus on smuggling of grain, high-tech products, luxury items, guns and drugs.

"Customs authorities will strengthen cooperation with local governments to combat smuggling to ensure the health and safety of the Chinese people and the national interest," Yu said.

Customs at all levels detected 2,241 smuggling cases in 2015, involving 49.32 billion yuan (7.59 billion U.S. dollars). The cases were mainly about the smuggling of farm produce, drugs, weapons and waste.
The Serbian government on Thursday declared a state of emergency on its whole territory as a preventive measure against floods caused by heavy rains.

After a government session here, the government stated that emergency was declared as a "preventive measure that will facilitate and accelerate operation of all institutions in Serbia in protecting life and security of citizens and their property, as well as in repairing damages caused by floods."

The decision to declare an emergency was proposed by the crisis response team which gathered prior to the government session to discuss the situation.

Police evacuated 171 people in the past several days, while more than 700 infrastructural objects are considered endangered.

The government on Tuesday declared emergency in 15 municipalities and deployed police and army forces to deal with the crisis.

"The migrant crisis makes the situation more difficult, so police will be assisted by the army in the following days to secure the border," according to an official government press release.

The government appealed to citizens to respect the declaration of emergency and prevent even bigger consequences during the critical rain period which will last until March 15.

Serbia's national weather service estimated that during the night 20-30 liters of rain will fall per square mile in West and Southwest Serbia, and that it will continue to rain throughout next 24 hours.

Although the situation is currently stable in Serbia, water levels of rivers Morava, Timok and Ibar high and with more rainfall expected during the night, there is a threat of floods in surrounding cities and villages, arable land and private property.

Nebojsa Stefanovic, Serbia's interior minister, said after Thursday's meeting of the national crisis response team that the situation is most critical in city of Cacak and municipality of Lucani, while the city of Novi Pazar will be carefully monitored.

"We will focus above all on rivers Morava, Timok and Ibar," Stefanovic told Pink television.

The EU on Thursday donated 1.2 million euros (1.35 million U.S. dollars) for flooded areas in Serbia, while Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic announced the country will be able to allocate 30 million more for repairing water infrastructure objects.

Serbia is still recovering from heavy floods which struck in 2014 that caused great damage to infrastructure, arable land and claimed more than 50 lives.
A powerful storm swept through the Canadian city of Vancouver from Wednesday night until Thursday morning, killing one woman and causing flooding, power outages, school closures and travel disruptions.

The woman, in her 50s, was killed in her bed Thursday morning when a tree smashed through the roof of her home in Vancouver's eastern suburb of Port Moody.

Port Moody Mayor Mike Clay said the tree, which was about one meter in diameter at the base, toppled onto the house in the hillside neighborhood during the height of the storm. He also said the city will help her family with the tragedy.

Meanwhile, a number of trees fell on power lines, and meteorologists warned residents of flying branches.

BC Hydro, the major electric company in the province of British Columbia, said that about 110,000 customers in Vancouver and surrounding areas were without power due to the strong wind, which included gusts of up to 100 km/h in some areas.

More than 10,000 customers were also without power on Vancouver Island during the height of the storm.

A dozen schools around Vancouver were closed because of the outages.
The ceasefire which was lately reached by Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Ansarullah, known as the Houthi militia, is taking hold. Analysts here foresee rocky and thorny problems ahead before permanent truce is reached.

The deal included a prisoner swap, according to statements by Houthi officials and the Saudi-led coalition which has been bombing Yemen for around one year.

Observers argued that the deal for ceasing fire on the border between Saudi Arabia and Yemen reflected the desire of both sides to avoid more losses after a year of war.

Abubaker Abdullah, a political analyst and writer, said Saudi Arabia is seeking to avoid more losses after it has failed through the bombing campaign and ground battles on the border to defeat the Yemeni forces and popular committees.

"Saudis also are seeking to bring the situation in southern cities under control amid increasing chaos caused by battles," he said.

Nabil Albukiri, a Yemeni researcher, said the Houthis accepted the truce as a token of friendship after big losses during their internal wars in Yemen and battles with Saudi and Arab forces on the border. "The Houthis wanted to show a goodwill after devastating losses," Albukiri said.

Yaseen Al-Tamimi, a political analyst based in Turkey, said the truce came within the Houthi commitment to the UN resolutions.

"It was not that official deal. If Saudi Arabia accepts to strike a deal with the Houthis, that means it accepts a new Hezbollah is formed in the region," Al-Tamimi said.

Observers said the truce was not that big deal which means it won't lead to a permanent ceasefire in Yemen.

"It is difficult to say the truce will lead to a permanent ceasefire in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has failed politically and militarily in the country and now is seeking to survive and get out of the war which will lead to severe consequences in the Kingdom and Yemen," Abdullah said.

Albukiri said the truce could lead to a resumption of UN-brokered peace talks between the Yemeni government and Houthi group.

"However, such talks if they take place will be controlled by regional and international developments," said Albukiri.

In March 2015, the Saudi-led military coalition launched a military bombing against the Houthi forces which ousted the UN-backed transitional government in Yemen.

The gaol was to restore legitimacy of the Yemeni government and to face Iranian plans to expand in the region.

The Houthi group is accused of receiving financial, technical and military support from Iran, an accusation which the group denies.

Since they seized power in late 2014, the Houthis have been involved in some provinces with pro-government forces and loyalists.

Both the civil war and the airstrikes have resulted in many civilian casualties and havoc.

Also, the blockade on all Yemeni sea, land and air routes has deepened the country's humanitarian catastrophe as it has been depriving it of all supplies.
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Record numbers of overseas visitors -- driven by the Chinese New Year holiday -- gave New Zealand's accommodation sector its busiest ever month in January, the government statistics agency said Thursday.

National guest nights were up 6.1 percent on January 2015, according to Statistics New Zealand.

"Guest nights for January 2016 are the highest in the 20-year history of the survey," business indicators senior manager Neil Kelly said in a statement.

"International guest nights, especially in the South Island, contributed to most of this rise."

Domestic guest nights were up 3.1 percent year on year in January and international guest nights were up 11 percent.

For the year ended January, national guest nights were up 5 percent year on year.

Monthly visitor arrivals numbered a record 343,400 in January, up 14 percent from January last year, Statistics New Zealand said last month.

Visitor arrivals from China rose in the lead-up to the Chinese New Year, which occurred in early February this year, leading to a 59-percent increase in arrivals from China compared with January 2015.
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Earlier on Thursday, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea launched two short-range missiles and declared it would liquidate all of the Republic of Korea's assets in the DPRK, Xinhua reported.

The US Navy amphibious assault ships USS Bonhomme Richard, bottom, and USS Boxer, second from top, are underway with the Republic of Korea Navy Dokdo Amphibious Ready Group in the East Sea during exercise Ssang Yong 2016, March 8, 2016. [Photo/China Daily]

China has urged all parties to stop "provocative actions" and maintain calm and restraint to prevent tension from escalating on the Korean Peninsula.

The DPRK said it will also nullify all inter-Korean economic cooperation projects in response to Seoul's unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang, after the UN Security Council voted to adopt a tough resolution against Pyongyang earlier this month.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Thursday that "the US and the Republic of Korea have started large-scale joint military drills in the ROK, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has consistently responded fiercely" to what it perceives as threats.

"China expresses serious concern about the situation," he said.

Zhang Liangui, an expert in Korean studies at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said this is not the first time that the DPRK has decided to liquidate assets of the ROK, and the capital involved is "limited".

"So the decision is actually a symbolic move, serving as a protest," Zhang said.

He estimated that "it was unlikely that tension on the peninsula would lessen in the short term" because the US and its allies will continue to act in ways that prompt the DPRK to react militarily.

Shi Yongming, an Asia-Pacific studies researcher at the China Institute of International Relations, echoed Zhang, saying that the US and ROK are pressuring the DPRK militarily and politically.

At a time that the US and ROK are conducting drills on the peninsula, they also refuse to enter into negotiations unless the DPRK gives up its nuclear programs first, Shi said.

As a result, Pyongyang has no choice but to react militarily, including its recent short-range missile launches, Shi said.

"As the DPRK has no assurance that its security concerns will be addressed, it feels unsafe to engage in negotiations now about its nuclear programs," Shi added.

On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi talked by telephone with US Secretary of State John Kerry about issues including the situation on the peninsula.

Wang said the situation is "highly charged" and China's reasonable and legitimate strategic security concerns and interests must not be damaged.

Wang clarified China's stance on the United Nations Security Council resolution on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) issue at a press conference on the sidelines of China's annual parliamentary session.

Wang said China and the Korean Peninsula are linked by common mountains and rivers, and China and the DPRK enjoy a normal state-to-state relationship built on a deep tradition of friendship.

Dong Xiangrong of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said, "One country should not be allowed to harm others' interests."

Ruan Zongze of the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS) said, "On the basis of normal state-to-state relationship, China cannot control the DPRK, an independent sovereign state, or make decisions on behalf of it."

Yang Xiyu, another CIIS researcher, said, "Responding to international circumstances, the two countries gradually shifted their relationship to a normal state-to-state one."

Also of importance is China's greater openness to new approaches that help stabilize the Korean Peninsula, Yang said.

Minister Wang said, "We are open to any and all initiatives that can help bring the nuclear issue on the Peninsula back to the negotiating table."

Zhou Wenzhong, former Chinese ambassador to the United States, said, "In light of obstacles, flexible dialogues might facilitate a gradual improvement toward the Six-Party Talks."

The Chinese foreign minister called for renewed efforts in getting back to the negotiating table.

"Resolution 2270 not just contains sanctions; it also reiterates support for the Six-Party Talks and asks the parties to refrain from taking any actions that might aggravate tensions," Wang said, adding that maintaining stability is the pressing priority and only negotiation can lead to a fundamental solution.

The continuation of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia is important, Yang said. "The message from the foreign minister is clear and candid."
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King Abdullah II of Jordan and visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday discussed regional issues, including combating terrorism in the Middle East, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

Jordan's King Abdullah II (R) meets with visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in Amman, capital of Jordan, on March 10, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

The two sides looked into efforts to make peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis. The Jordanian leader also stressed the need for the immediate cease of Israeli violations in Jerusalem.

On the Syrian issue, Abdullah II stressed Jordan's constant position supporting a political solution to the crisis in the country.

He also reviewed burdens Jordan is shouldering due to hosting 1.3 million Syrian refugees.

At the meeting, the Jordanian leader also stressed his country's support to the Iraqi government in fighting the Islamic State (IS) and in ensuring Iraq's unity and safety.

On his side, Biden expressed the U.S. appreciation for Jordan's support to peacemaking efforts and fostering stability in the Middle East and encountering terrorism.

Biden's visit to Jordan was the last stop of his tour to the region which also covered the United Arab Emirates, Israel and the Palestinian territories.
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stresses Thursday his rejection to "violence and extremism," hinting to the ongoing violence between Palestinians and Israel since last October.

Abbas told reporters after meeting with the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in Ramallah that "our hands are extended for peace based on justice and rights, and we are against violence and extremism."

"The continuity of the current situation is unbearable, and achieving peace, security and neighborliness between us and Israel requires decisive decisions by the Israeli government to freeze settlement activity immediately and halt aggressive actions of settlers," said Abbas during the press conference.

A recent wave of violence between Palestinians and Israel broke out last October, killing over 190 Palestinians and 34 Israelis, according to official statistics.

The peace talks between Israel and Palestine have been stalled since April 2014. The U.S.-sponsored talk that lasted for nine months achieved no tangible results.

The Palestinian president reiterated welcoming the French ideas to hold an international peace conference and forming an international support group and an effective multilateral mechanism to achieve the two-state solution, based on the international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Abbas noted that an Arab League ministerial committee is currently working on a draft resolution over Jewish settlements, to be submitted at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). He applauded the European Union's decision over Israeli settlement activity and the labeling of settlement products.

Romania's President Klaus Iohannis called for "rebuilding mutual trust between both sides," stressing that a settlement could only be reached through negotiations.

The Romanian president arrived in Israel on Monday and met with Israeli president and prime minister.
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A Kenyan court has sentenced to death a key suspect behind a terrorist attack on a night club in the coastal city of Mombasa in May 2012, in which one person died.

Thabit Jamaldin Yahya was among those who threw four hand grenades into the Bella Vista Club, leaving a guard dead, according to ruling by the Mombasa High Court.

DNA samples from Yahya, presented by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, which assisted in the attack probe, matched with the blood found at the scene, said judge Martin Muya.

Yahya's lawyer said he would appeal the ruling.

Kenyan police say Tahya is a fighter of Somalia-based Islamist group Al-Shabaab, which has carried out several bloody attacks in Kenya.

According to sources, Al-Shabaab group has unsuccessfully attempted to free Yahya from prison break.

Police say Yahya belonged to a criminal network with tentacles in Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Kenya, and received paramilitary training in Saudi Arabia and Somalia.

He was arrested in May 2012 following the grenade attack.
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Syrian troops on Thursday killed over 70 militants from the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front in the country's central province of Hama, state-run SANA news agency reported.

Syrians and civil defence workers evacuate victims following air strikes on the Eastern Ghouta town of Douma, a rebel stronghold east of the capital Damascus, on January 10, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

The militants, with armored vehicles outfitted with machine guns, were attempting to infiltrate several towns in northeastern countryside of Hama, namely the al-Rai Mountain, Ma'an, Krah, and Shateh.

The attack was the second failed attempt this week by the Nusra militants to storm government-controlled areas, after trying in vain to infiltrate Tal Eis in the countryside of the northern province of Aleppo earlier in the week.

The Nusra Front and the Islamic State (IS) group, both designated as terrorist groups, have been excluded from an internationally-backed cessation of hostilities, which went into force in Syria in late February.
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The Lebanese military on Thursday killed eight suspected Islamic State (IS) militants, local media reported.

One government soldier were killed and eight others injured in clashes with the militants on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek, in eastern Lebanon, the National News Agency (NNA) said.

The NNA reported heavy fighting in the barren terrain between Ras Baalbek and al-Qaa bordering Syria.

The army frequently shells militant positions in the border area.

Lebanon has been facing rising threat from the IS and al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front since 2014, when the two groups briefly overran the northeastern border town of Arsal.
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Japan will next month send one of its high-tech Soryu class submarines to Australia in a bid to strengthen its chances of securing a lucrative defense contract to build Australia's next generation submarine fleet, reports said Friday.

The Soryu class submarine will join forces from the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in conducting a number of joint training exercises, a further effort to demonstrate the capabilities of the sub it is offering to the Australian government.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), which obtained a copy of the itinerary, the Japanese navy will send the submarine, as well as two helicopters and two destroyers.

Dr Malcolm Davis from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute told the ABC that Japan was "clearly confident" in their vessel, and labeled the exercise as a significant development in the competition for the contract.

"By sending a Soryu Class submarine down to work with our navy, they're clearly very confident that the Soryu will impress and when you look at what they're doing -- they're doing anti-submarine warfare exercises -- they're doing tactical maneuvering, communications, (photographic exercises) and so forth," Davis told the ABC.

"Clearly the goal here is to demonstrate how effective the Soryu is in terms of tracking and evading being tracked by our ships."

The news follows last week's visit to shipbuilding yards by French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in the hope France might beat out Japan and also Germany to secure the contract.

Davis told the ABC that both French and German officials would be watching the Japanese exercises "with a great deal of interest", as the Australian submarine contract is currently the most lucrative on offer.

He said the Soryu sub was a tried and tested model, whereas both European machines are prototypes only.

"It'll be interesting to see how the German and French bids respond to this because there is no (French submarine) in existence at the moment," Davis said.

"The French boat, that's something brand new, and the same goes for type 216 from the Germans -- so the French and the Germans will be watching this with a great deal of interest."

The government has previously indicated that a final decision on which submarines will replace the current, ageing Collins class subs, would be made by "mid-2016".

The Soryu class subs will make their way to Australia sometime in April.
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UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Thursday condemned an attack on African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) peacekeepers which killed one South African peacekeeper.

A group of unidentified armed men attacked the peacekeepers on Wednesday when they were accompanying a humanitarian convoy travelling from Kutum to Djarido, North Darfur. Another peacekeeper was injured.

In a joint statement on Thursday, both Ban and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, expressed their sincere condolences to the family of the fallen peacekeeper and to the government of South Africa. They wished the wounded a full and speedy recovery.

Moreover, they also called on the parties to the conflict in Darfur to respect the integrity of the peacekeeping force and urged the Sudanese authorities to investigate the attack promptly and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The Security Council also condemned in the strongest terms the attack, underlining that "attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law," said the council's press statement on Thursday.

The 15-member body also reiterated their full support for UNAMID and called on all parties in Darfur to cooperate fully with the mission.
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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday told the Security Council that he urged member states to adopt the time standard that all investigations on allegations of sexual abuse against UN peacekeepers should be concluded within six months at most.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon briefs the Security Council during a meeting on sexual exploitation and abuse in UN peacekeeping operations, at the UN headquarters in New York, March 10, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

"All investigations should be concluded within six months at most, with the most urgent cases concluded within three months," said Ban at a Security Council meeting on UN peacekeeping operations sexual exploitation and abuse.

"I urge member states to adopt this standard," said Ban. "I also urge Member States to cooperate with the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) in the conduct of investigations."

The OIOS is the internal oversight body of the United Nations, carrying with the mandate to investigate reports on possible misconduct in the system, and establish facts to guide UN Secretary-General to jurisdictional or disciplinary action to be taken.

The investigation of an allegation involves procedural reporting and coordinations among the UN Secretariat, UN missions in the field as well as troop-contributing countries, which is considered to be time-consuming.

Besides, once an investigation is completed, the UN has no authority to prosecute those peacekeepers but to repatriate them back to home country.

Previous UN reports have found that sexual abuse conducted by UN peacekeepers is very much under-reported, and investigations take excessively long and the perpetrators of such misconduct are rarely punished.

Ban also said he is considering ending the deployment of uniformed personnel from specific member states if there is "prima facie evidence" of widespread or systemic exploitation and abuse.

"Accountability demands that member states live up to their responsibility to bring to justice those who have committed crimes while serving with the United Nations," said Ban. "We expect them to impose sanctions commensurate with the seriousness of the offence."

"I have asked member states to establish on-site martial proceedings, and to ensure that domestic legislation applies to sex crimes committed by their national while they are serving UN peace operations," he added.

Ban's latest report on sexual exploitation and abuse shows that the total number of such misconduct recorded in 2015 in the UN system was 99, and 69 of them took place in countries where peacekeeping operations are deployed. At least 22 children were sexually abuse by peacekeepers.

Statistics show out of those 69 allegations, only 17 of them have concluded investigations.
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The Red Cross Society of China has provided financial donation to support drought victims in Ethiopia through the Red Cross Society of the East African country.

La Yifan, Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, handed over the donation check to Firehiwot Worku, Secretary General of the Red Cross Society of Ethiopia, at a ceremony held on Thursday in the country's capital Addis Ababa.

In last November, the government of China donated 50 million Yuan (about 7.9 million U.S. dollars)food aid to the drought affected people in Ethiopia.

The Ambassador stated that Ethiopia and China are brotherly countries, and the Chinese people closely follow the drought situation in Ethiopia.

"And for that matter, after the initial contribution last November from my government with the amount of 50 million Yuan food aid to the Ethiopian people, the Red Cross Society of China would also like to show their compassion to the drought victims in Ethiopia," said the ambassador.

Stating that China and Ethiopia have been cooperating in different arenas, La said, "China will not be absent when our dear brothers, Ethiopians have encountered some temporary problem."

He also assured that "as the representative of the Chinese government and the Chinese people, I am going to continue to garner support from the Chinese government and the Chinese people to help Ethiopians to fight against the drought that you are experiencing for the moment."

Firehiwot Worku, Secretary General of the Red Cross Society of Ethiopia, has commended the Chinese government and people for the support they have been giving to Ethiopia.

Worku stated that the partnership between the Red Cross Societies of Ethiopia and China has been strengthening since a few years ago.

"Our partnership with the Red Cross Society of China has been strengthening since three years ago when we started Sino-African partnership," she said.

"Since then, we have been cooperating in terms of capacity building; they have contributed certain amount of products and also resources and donated ambulances and emergency materials,"she added.

The secretary general further stated that the Red Cross Society of Ethiopia has been mobilizing resources to support the drought victims in the cp, especially women and children, with contributions from local and international donors.

The Secretary General also recalled that the Ethiopian Red Cross Society met with the Chinese in Geneva and discussed the current situation of the country and the drought situation and what the Red Cross Society of Ethiopia was planning to do in supporting the humanitarian response.

"We appreciate this support, we hope our partnership will continue; we hope that you would also lobby on our side on our behalf with your government to support our efforts to fill gaps," said Firehiwot.
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The European Union (EU) on Thursday decided to extend restrictive measures against 146 people and 37 companies related to the Ukraine crisis by six months.

According to a press release from the Council of the EU, the decision was made in view of the "continuing undermining or threatening of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine."

The measures, which involve freezing assets and imposing travel bans, have been extended until Sept. 15, 2016. Three deceased people were removed from the list of targets subject to the restrictive measures.

The measures had been introduced in March 2014 and were last extended in September 2015.
China Aid

Translated by Carolyn Song. Edited in English by Ava Collins.

(BeijingMarch 7, 2016) The lead pastor of Shouwang Church in Beijing, who is currently under house arrest, released a letter of prayer on March 1 for Zhang Kai, a prominent human rights lawyer currently under criminal detention.

Pastor Jin Tianming has been supervised by three shifts of police, 24 hours a day, for the last four years, after his church as long been persecuted by authorities. Despite his lack of personal freedom, Jin has remained active in Christian groups both in China and abroad. His letter urges Christians to pray that the Lord [brings Zhang Kai] back to his family and back among us. The full translation can be found below.

Zhang Kai

Zhang, who was taken into police custody in August 2015, was officially criminally detained on Feb. 26, following a six-month period under residential surveillance in a designated location, the Chinese governments official name for a black jail. Zhang is charged with endangering state security and gathering a crowd to disturb public order after he represented the cases of more than 100 churches in Wenzhou facing demolition of their crosses.

China Aid reports on the situations of dissidents such as Jin and Zhang in order to promote religious freedom and rule of law throughout China. Those wishing to get involved can join the Free Zhang Kai campaign to help raise awareness of his plight.

Pray for Our Brother Zhang Kai

2016-03-01

Pastor Tianming

Over the past six months, we have been praying for our Christian brother, lawyer Zhang Kai, who was put under residential surveillance in a designated location for helping churches in Wenzhou fight for their legal rights during the events of the cross demolitions. Unexpectedly, after six months, what we received after this long wait turned out to be a report by Wenzhou official media about the Zhang Kai case, followed by news that Zhang Kai had been criminally detained. Our feelings in this matter became heavy and complicated.

Some Christian brothers and sisters hearts tightened after they learned that Zhang Kai and other lawyers received an attorneys fee. They felt a little uneasy, for they thought it was a large amount of money. I believe Zhang Kai and the other lawyers took a big risk to fight for the legal rights of the Wenzhou churches. They didnt try to scam them, but provided professional service, as is their job. For that job, they should be paid, as the Bible says, the worker deserves his wages, and dont muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain [1 Timothy 5:18]. Moreover, what they pay [in return] is not only their professional knowledge, but also their entire careers and personal freedoms. We know, even as Christians, sometimes there is still a temptation toward fame and fortune, but as far as the true Christian is concerned, fame and fortune are nothing to those who have died to the world. Our concept of money is supposed to be established upon the basis of the truth, because the truth gives us freedom regarding money.

Some of our brothers and sisters are very sensitive to political conscience, and when they heard Zhang Kai had overseas contacts, those consciences were uneasy at once. Is it a crime to contact those overseas or be funded by those overseas? May the Lord free us from such political hypersensitivity. For if our heart is so firmly under the jurisdiction of the State and the political system, where there will be humanitarian aid that crosses borders? How can we assume the great commission of the Lord to preach the gospel to the people on the earth and to make disciples of all nations [Matthew 28:19]?

We understand when we see our brothers confessing on TV that our hearts are extremely sad. We can only pray for the mercy of Lord! We share in the flesh and the blood together. We are all weak originally, and no one can stand in fiery trial by himself. The Bible says: Remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering [Hebrews 13:3]. We should not judge, but pray for our brothers. Pray for our Lords words to succeed in our brothers body: To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand [Romans 14:4].

What Zhang Kai did for the Wenzhou churches during the cross demolitions will not be forgotten just because of his confession of mistakes and guilt. When Wenzhou churches faced cross demolitions, it was our brother that took great risks and came forward to help fight for our rights and carry our protests against cross demolitions to the government. May our Lord remember Zhang Kais devotion and effort.

For the past six months, we have known nothing of where the brother Zhang Kai was or what he had suffered. We have no way to confirm whether or not he was tortured for a confession and was weak to compromise on TV. But here, however, we ask that the Lord have mercy on His suffering childour brother. May He touch the traumatized body and soul with His nail-pierced hands. May He listen to the moan and cry deep in the heart through tough times, through hardship, injustice, pain and struggle. [We pray] that he can be comforted by Your presence, Lord, in those days when he can no longer distinguish day from night.

Just as the Lord came to the Sea of Tiberias [Sea of Galilee] then, Lord, starting today, we pray You come to seas of bitterness of our brothers who are suffering. May Your love awaken our brothers heart, which loves You. May it awaken his soul and lead him out of this abyss in life, in the valley of the shadow of death, so that our brothers might follow You in the holy light, to serve You with love and justice.

Brothers and sisters, let us once again put our dear brother Zhang Kai in the hands of our Lord, and look to Him respectfully. Lets pray for him and ask the Lord to bring him back to his family and back among us.
Workers at a steel factory in Dalian, Liaoning province. [Photo/China Daily]

China's steel companies will see better performance in March due to price rises and the central government's destocking policy for the real estate industry, experts said on Thursday.

Wang Guoqing, consultancy director at the Lange Steel Information Research Center, an industry think tank in Beijing, said demand for steel will gradually increase in March, which will lead to improved conditions for the companies in the industry.

The price of steel products increased by 120 yuan ($18) per metric ton after four successive days of increases. It reached 2,260 yuan a ton on Tuesday.

Du Cheng, an analyst at JYD Online Corp, a Beijing-based bulk commodity consultancy, said steel companies in Hebei province, a major steel-producing area in the country, will cut production for environmental reasons between April to October when the International Horticultural Exposition is held in Tangshan, a major steel-producing city in Hebei, which is the major cause of the recent price rises.

"The steel companies are using the coming production cut to hype the price," he said.

The raw material sector has also taken advantage of the situation to hike prices.

Iron ore prices at China's Qingdao port in Shandong province soared 19 percent to $64 a ton on Monday, a record daily rise since 2009, after the steel market witnessed four days of successive rises since Saturday.

By last month, the global iron ore price, which is largely affected by Chinese demand, had declined more than 70 percent over the past three years.

The world's top four iron ore companies all reported losses last year even though their operational costs were well under control.

The price started to pick up gradually since December, when it fell to a low of $38 a ton.

Du said the high price will not last long due to the unchanged supply-demand situation in the iron ore sector.

He predicted that iron ore price will fall when the official announcement on the steel production cut is made later this month. He estimated that iron ore price will drop to below $50 in April, which will also be good news for steel companies.

Zhou Wei, an analyst with the Lange Steel, said the iron ore price was up 20 percent in total since the beginning of the year but still at the stable level in February and will stop growing in March.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc also predicted that any increase in raw material prices will prompt more supplies to enter the market, making it difficult for any advance to be sustained.

Jeffrey Currie, commodities analyst with Goldman, wrote in a report on Monday that the surge in iron ore prices would prove temporary and reiterated that oil will fluctuate between $20 and $40 a barrel.

He said higher prices are much harder to sustain in a supply-driven market since supply is primed to return with higher prices.
The icebreaker Xuelong sails in the sea east to eastern China's Zhejiang province on Nov 8, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

Bidding for the construction of China's second polar research ship will start by the end of April and the new vessel will boast stronger icebreaking capabilities, said a senior official with one of the country's largest shipbuilders.

The ship's estimated budget will be more than 1 billion yuan ($153.5 million) and the construction is expected to take about two years, said Hu Keyi, technical director of Jiangnan Shipyard (Group) Co Ltd.

Hu, also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, made the remarks on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the CPPCC on Wednesday.

The new ship is expected to provide huge support to China's scientific expeditions to the polar regions.
Zuo Zongshen, chairman of Zongshen Industrial Group Co Ltd. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Zongshen Industrial Group Co Ltd, one of China's largest motorcycle and automotive engine manufacturers, plans to spend at least 2 billion yuan ($307 million) to acquire overseas general aviation firms this year, the company's chairman said.

The move is part of the Chongqing-based company's efforts to expand its emerging businesses, including general aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles and robots, into 80 percent of its sales by 2022, said Zuo Zongshen.

It is looking at companies, producing either general aviation aircraft or components, in the United States, the European Union, Ukraine and Belarus, said Zuo, who is also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Last year the motorcycle producer bought a 49 percent stake and became the main shareholder of Canada's Harbor Air Ltd, the world's largest seaplane operator. The Vancouver-based company operates more than 50 seaplanes and serves 400,000 passengers annually.

"The purchase is a strategic investment as we will use the expertise of Harbor Air and copy the business model in China and Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore," said the billionaire founder of Zongshen.

The company is planning two seaplane routes in China and they will be operational this year, Zuo said.

One route will be in East China's Anhui province, connecting Chaohu Lake, one of the country's five largest freshwater lakes, and Taiping Lake. The other will connect Wushan county in Southwest China's Chongqing and Shennongjia in Hubei province. Wushan is famous for the Little Three Gorges scenic spot and Shennongjia is known for its nature reserve.

Zuo said the service would first offer sightseeing tours before expanding into express delivery of parcels.

General aviation is the operation of civilian aircraft for purposes other than commercial passenger transport. It includes civilian flying activities and other purposes such as rescue, power line maintenance and aerial photography.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China is drafting the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) for the general aviation industry, Feng Zhenglin, head of the industry watchdog, was quoted as saying by the Shanghai Securities News on Tuesday.

Zongshen's move will be the latest of Chinese companies' growing appetite for overseas mergers and acquisitions, with the combined value expected to set a record this year.

Private firms played an increasing role in the investments as they completed 76.78 percent of China's mergers and acquisition deals in 2015, according to data from Morning Whistle Group.

Zongshen's transformation comes as the domestic motorcycle market is plagued by sluggish demand due to the government's ban or limit on the use of motorcycles in large cities.

More than 200 Chinese cities have banned or limited using of motorcycles in urban areas as local governments try to ease traffic congestion and lower accident rates and emission. Domestic sales of motorcycles have been declining for four years, slumping nearly 13 percent last year and reaching the lowest level in 10 years, said the motorcycle magnet.

Zuo founded Zongshen in 1992, pioneering a small motorcycle repair company into one of the world's largest manufacturers. Annual sales of motorcycles are worth around 15 billion yuan and account for more than half of his total businesses.

Zongshen is also investing heavily in the manufacturing of unmanned aerial vehicle engines. It has formed a joint venture on developing and producing light aeroengines.
BEIJING - China on Thursday urged the European Union (EU) to obey the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and stop its unfair treatment of China.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei made the remarks following comments by EU Trade Minister Cecilia Malmstrom on Wednesday. She said the EU must maintain solid trade defenses even if it decides to grant China market economy status.

China joined the WTO in 2001. The WTO accession protocol means China will automatically transit to a market economy for Europe by Dec 11, 2016, the 15th anniversary of its accession to the organization. However, Europe insists this must be debated.

"We've heard different opinions on China's market economy status from the EU recently," Hong said, noting that China had fulfilled its obligations since becoming a member of WTO.

So far, over 80 countries, including Russia, New Zealand, Singapore and Australia, have recognized China's status as a market economy.

China is now the EU's second largest trading partner and one of the biggest markets for the 28-member bloc.

The EU is an important member of the WTO, a vital supporting force to the multilateral trade and international legal systems, Hong said, adding that China hopes the EU will fulfill its commitments to China's entry into WTO.
BEIJING - Despite the nation being gripped by a wave of innovation and entrepreneurship, problems related to policy implementation and risk awareness need to be addressed, a political advisor said Friday.

Many people have no idea that there are more than 2,000 supportive policies for new businesses from central and local authorities, Wang Zhibiao said while addressing a plenary meeting at the annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee.

Around 90 percent of the 1,310 startups surveyed at the end of 2015 said they had no knowledge of supportive policies, had not applied for support or thought the application process would be difficult, Wang said.

Half of the surveyed firms said there was not enough publicity on the support policies available while 25 percent said the policies were "too hard to understand."

Wang called for clear and effective publicity, and urged that more red tape should be cut.

There should be more information on the risks related to starting a new business, Wang said.

Though innovation incubators are mushrooming across China, emphasis has been laid more on the quantity of projects than on quality, Wang said, noting a lack of high-tech projects and disruptive innovation.

As China shifts from its dependence on infrastructure investment, policymakers are channeling energy into supporting innovation and industrial modernization. Last year, 4.4 million new enterprises were registered, or 12,000 every day.

Innovation is expected to guide China's development during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020). Expenditure on research and development in the period is targeted to be 2.5 percent of the gross domestic product, up from 2 percent last year.

The government also plans to set up some state-level innovation platforms this year.
Fu Chengyu, former chairman of Sinopec Group and a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, at a briefing on Mar 11, 2016. [China Daily/Wang Zhuangfei]

China needs to further eliminate the aftermath of corruption related to Zhou Yongkang and deepen the structural reform in the oil industry, said Fu Chengyu, former chairman of Sinopec Group and a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, on Friday.

He said Zhous case not only harmed the Party and the countrys interests, but also brought extremely negative impact onto China's oil industry.

Zhou, the country's former security chief, was sentenced to life imprisonment for accepting bribes, abusing his power and deliberately disclosing State secrets last year.

Zhou once served as the top official of the China National Petroleum Corp, the largest oil giant in the country.

Zhou had huge influence in China's oil industry, which provided him with opportunities to trade his power for money.

A number of senior officials related to Zhou in CNPC were arrested during the country's anti-corruption campaign in the energy industry, especially in the State-owned oil companies in the past two years.

China's top three oil companies, namely CNPC, Sinopec and CNOOC Group, dominate a high percentage of the country's oil and gas industry, from the upstream exploration, refining to petroleum retailing.

"For the outsiders, they are three oil companies. In fact, each single company itself is a complete oil industrial system, which urgently requires reform at present," Fu said. "The anti-corruption campaign will help the industry to develop healthily. Otherwise, we will be unable to build up real world-class oil companies."
Fu Chengyu, former chairman of Sinopec Group and a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, at a briefing on Mar 11, 2016. [China Daily/Wang Zhuangfei]

Fu Chengyu, former chairman of Sinopec Group and a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee

China has shown encouraging progress in adjusting the economic structure, said Fu Chengyu, former chairman of Sinopec Group and a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, at a briefing on Friday.

The new economic engine continues to grow, as high-tech and equipment manufacturing sectors have outpaced the general industry, while residents' per capita income grew 7.4 percent, faster than last year's GDP growth, said Fu.

Despite challenges and difficulties, the economy is fundamentally strong, he said, adding that the central government is prepared for the downward pressure, as can be seen from the Work Report.

Chinese companies, having grown up since the early stage of the reform and opening-up in the late 1970s, are now facing new challenges. However, as the government and companies are stronger than they were, confidence holds high amid difficulties, said the veteran entrepreneur.

Lu Zhiqiang, member of the CPPCC National Committee, speaks to the press on March 11, 2016, during a media conference held in Beijing. [Wang Zhuangfei/chinadaily.com.cn]

Lu Zhiqiang, member of the CPPCC National Committee and chairman a Oceanwide Holdings Group

"The Chinese economy will not have a hard landing," said Lu Zhiqiang, member of the CPPCC National Committee and chairman a Oceanwide Holdings Group. Lu spoke to the press on Friday during a media conference.

According to Lu, the Chinese market reserves many changes, many difficulties, but also holds many opportunities.

"You'll read more chances in a changing market with absolute confidence," said Lu.

A hard landing normally refers to radical changes and big ups and downs in the process of economic development. However, by taking the year-on-year growth rate of GDP in recent three years as an example, 7.7 percent, 7.3 percent and 6.9 percent, which have shown a gradually descent trend that will not be able to read as "hard landing".

According to Lu, "Economics normally uses the consumer price index (CPI) as a barometer for deflation. Specifically speaking, if the CPI figure remains below 1 percent in six months, it will be considered a deflation. But in China, the CPI figure held steady between one and two percent in 2015. This year, in January, it was at about 1.8 percent, and the latest data unveiled on Thursday said that the figure is at about 2.3 percent. By taking the growth rate of M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, which remains above 12 percent and seven percent GDP growth rate as a whole index, we cannot sum up a conclusion that China is facing deflation."

However, objectively speaking, the pressure of deflation in China is increasing, he admitted.

"The development potentials for China's economy are far beyond our imagination and big changes remain to be seen in the consumption market. The advantages provide huge opportunities and development for the upgrade and transformation of both State owned and private enterprises. The content of the draft 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) submitted to the national legislature last week provides big opportunities for China's economic, social and industrial development. From an entrepreneur's perspective, I feel confident about the future of China's economy and the economy won't suffer hard landing and will not sink into deflation," said Lu.

Going global

"It's an inevitable choice and trend for Chinese enterprises to get support from the government to go global and expand into international market due to the growth of China's economy and their companies' scales," said Lu.

According to Lu, the "going global" process will meet many challenges.

"As for hedging the risks, firstly, a company should be able to realize the worldwide economic development trend and dynamic exchange rates. Secondly, give an insight into local communities, laws, local customs and practices and consumer attitudes. Thirdly, build brand awareness and establish good service models is more important for Chinese enterprises than to simply launch one or two international projects without branding and services development. Fourthly, we should learn from outstanding western enterprises in the 'going global' perspective. For example, most of the hotels that we built since the reform and opening-up policy are managed by foreign companies. Objectively speaking, they did better than Chinese firms and put them under a lot of pressure."
A boy tries an iPad at an outlet of Apple Inc in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province. [Photo/China Daily]

When I take a quick look at my 5.5-inch smartphone screen, filled with three pages of apps, I notice that education apps have the premier position on front page, along with my favorite news and lifestyle apps.

Some of the education apps are frequently used, such as Namihe, an e-version of primary school textbooks, and Starfall, a quality basic English learning app. Others just lie there, asleep all the time.

Days before the spring semester started in late February, parents actively discussed in a WeChat group about their kids' winter vacation homework to avoid any missing or forgotten job, and to try to create as smooth as possible return to school when their kids were due to hand in their holiday homework.

Nowadays, primary school students' vacation homework is totally different from when I was my son's age of seven, when we were normally assigned with two activity books, one for Chinese and the other for mathematics, with a picture of a snowman on the front cover.

The new generation's homework is more creative, invisible and intangible. For example, my son was asked to complete a four-step task during the Chinese Lunar New Year, with each containing elements of discovery, innovation, practice and cooperation, respectively.

One of the parents in the WeChat group posted a screenshot of an online quiz result showing his son's knowledge and awareness of safety issues, reminding me that I had overlooked some homework.

But, my attempt to fulfill the task turned out to be an uneasy experience. First, I needed to download the app, followed by real-name registration, before being able to answer the questions and submit the quiz results.

What drives me nuts are the frequent assignments to download something and register with personal information, including the parent's name, as well as the child's name, age, school and class.

The forgotten homework was called Ping'an Xiaoyuan, meaning safe school, however, it gave me little sense of security as too much personal data were required during registration.

Not long ago, all parents were asked to download another app called Shisheng Jiaoxiao, meaning teacher-student-home-school network developed by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, which also required real-name registration. Both my husband and I followed the order as other parents do, because it was said to be a smart home-school communication platform.

Each student's school attendance record, nutrition information and physical growth data are all meant to be included in the app. Two months have passed, but we still only use WeChat to conduct parent-teacher communications. The others are zombie apps.

Personally, I welcome and am willing to embrace the new world of big data, which sometimes makes my work and life easier.

But I feel uncomfortable seeing someone grabbing data ungracefully and reaching out to the most innocent and vulnerable group, such as students.

Too much real-name information exposure equals with the high risk of a privacy leak. Who knows who and when and by what means my personal data will be used for conducting illegal acts.

Any educational app requiring anonymous registration would earn my extra trust and favor. One of these is called Qupeiyin, an English-learning app, is a quite interesting one as it allows schoolchildren to dub a certain part of a movie, mostly Hollywood animation blockbusters.

I think education and schools deserve better protection and respect in the hustle and bustle of the commercial community.

Education is a lucrative marketplace in the eyes of big data-driven Internet giants.

Baidu Inc, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Tencent Holdings Ltd have all invested in education, mainly online education, a strategic battlefield to gain new business and cultivate talent, as well as the future backbone users of their digital products and services.

In the big data Internet Plus era, whoever grabs as many users and fans as possible will be tagged with success, and chased by angel funds and win further rounds of financing.

In the next two months, I'll see how actively we'll use the Shisheng Jiaxiao app, originally named Ali-Shisheng, which changed its name to avoid raising objections among parents. If it still sits there as a zombie app, I will consider removing it to make more room for more interesting apps.
A Chinese resident uses the app of Alibabas online payment service Alipay on his smartphone in Jinan city, East Chinas Shandong province, Oct 13, 2015. [Photo/IC]

BEIJING - Open up the app on your cellphone and pay your gas bill with just one tap.

That is what possibly could be achieved through a partnership between China's energy giant China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), Alibaba and its Internet finance arm Ant Financial, after the two sides signed an official agreement on Thursday.

According to a statement published on CNPC website, the partnership will focus on online maps, logistics, Internet payment, and membership sharing.

CNPC PetroChina already allows customers to add credit to their pre-paid gas cards through Ant Financial's Alipay, one of the country's leading mobile payment systems.

This agreement is a new approach by CNPC in its battle against low oil prices and signals a desire by both sides to transform the oil and gas industry, the statement said.

China is transforming its energy sector with the help of the Internet. A guideline on the "Internet Plus" strategy released by the State Council last year has listed "smart energy" as one of its 11 priorities.

CNPC and Alibaba are attempting to a system that improves the customer experience by meeting their demand, the statement said.

For Alibaba, the partnership could also mean an expansion of its logistics network, with PetroChina's over 20,000 gas stations countrywide.
Graduates seek prospects at a job fair in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo/China Daily]

BEIJING -- China cuts more than 300 billion yuan ($46.15 billion) of taxes in 2015 to boost mass entrepreneurship and innovation, according to official data.

Among this, tax exemptions and breaks on small enterprises reached 100 billion yuan and tax cuts designed to encourage high technology development totaled 140 billion yuan, according to the State Administration of Taxation.

In the face of economic headwinds, China is counting on mass entrepreneurship and innovation to generate new jobs and improve the skill set of its citizens, and warm up the slowing economy.

Besides, a policy to cut tax for vehicles with smaller engines resulted in nearly 15 billion of tax cuts from October to December, according to the administration.

China halved the vehicle-purchase tax to 5 percent for passenger vehicles with engines that are 1.6 liters or smaller. The tax cut took effect on October 1, 2015 and will end on December 31, 2016.
Beijing police have seized more than 400 guns and 870,000 rounds of ammunition, including simulated bullets, since May as part of the Municipal Police Bureau's effort to fight terrorism and create a safe environment in the capital city.

More than 150 people have been detained for possessing these controlled items, the bureau said on Thursday in a statement.

The police department also said it seized more than 220,000 contraband items at security checks at subway stations and other transport hubs last year.

The bureau organized six rounds of anti-terrorism drills and provided professional training to more than 2,500 personnel over the past year. It also said technology investments and the number of air patrols were significantly increased during the period.
Editor's note: Chinese lawmakers started discussing the draft Charity Law on Wednesday at the annual session of the National People's Congress. The following are six core issues relating to the new law.

Ge Yike, one of the initiators for the charity project "One School One Dream", with pupils of Shima primary school in Badong county, Central China's Hubei province, Oct 2015. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

1. Can individuals raise money for charity?

Answer: No

Draft: Charitable fund-raising means the activities of charitable organizations to raise funds for the purpose of charity. These activities include raising money from the public and from specific units and individuals.

Interpretation:

One principle of the Charity Law is that individuals cannot directly launch fund-raising activities. Such fund-raising activities carried out by individuals are not transparent. There are no restrictions on how donated assets will be used, and it is hard to separate donated assets from individual assets. It is not easy to supervise.

by Kan Ke, deputy director of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee

Individuals are not qualified to launch charitable fund-raising activities. Organizations must get registered at the country's civil affairs authorities to launch charitable fund-raising activities, such as China Charity Federation, Red Cross Society of China, other foundations and charitable organizations.

by Zhang Tiehan, a NPC deputy and vice president of Liaoning Charity Federation
BEIJING -- More than 10,000 people who failed to fulfill court orders have been barred from taking senior positions in companies as of March 6, authorities announced Friday.

According to a memorandum of cooperation signed by the Supreme People's Court (SPC) with the State Administration for Industry & Commerce (SAIC) and six other central government departments in 2014, defaulters are forbidden from positions such as legal representative, member of the board, member of the board of supervisors and senior executive of a company.

To impose harsher restrictions on defaulters, the SAIC established a database containing information on defaulters, which went online on Dec 11, 2015. Using the database, the SAIC worked with local industry and business authorities and market supervisors to block business registration applications by defaulters.

Besides employment restrictions, people on the blacklist will find it more difficult to secure loans or credit cards. They are also banned from flying and upper-class sleeper-train compartments.
BEIJING - China blasted US-led criticism of its human rights record on Friday, reminding the US that it should steer clear of domestic affairs and judicial sovereignty.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei was responding to concern expressed recently by the US and 11 other countries over human rights in China at the Human Rights Council.

"China's judiciary deals with cases legally and guarantees the rights of suspects," Hong said when asked to comment at a regular news briefing.

The criticism, under the excuse of human rights, has severely infringed on domestic affairs and judicial sovereignty and violated the spirit of the rule of law, Hong said.

"China expresses firm opposition and will never accept [such criticism]," he said.

The US move also runs counter to the task of the Human Rights Council, which was established in 2006 to enhance cooperation and coordination, rather than fan confrontation, according to Hong.

Hong said China attaches great importance to promoting human rights and has made remarkable achievements.

There is no human development path that fits all countries, so each country is entitled to proceed from its own conditions to develop human rights, Hong said.

"We suggest some countries reflect on and correct its own problems in human rights and stop politicizing the issue," the spokesperson added.
Support pledged for Xinjiang By Zhang Yue (China Daily) Updated: 2016-03-11 06:53:41

Premier Li Keqiang tries an ethnic Uygur-style skullcap presented by NPC deputy Gulnur Memet (left) when Li attended a panel discussion between deputies from Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in Beijing on Thursday.[Photo by Wu Zhiyi/China Daily]

Premier reaffirms more backing for the region's infrastructure building

The central government has vowed to give more support to the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, as infrastructure construction there plays a vital role in national security and local development.

Premier Li Keqiang reaffirmed the additional support on Thursday during a meeting with deputies from Xinjiang to the annual session of the National People's Congress.

More policy support from the central government for infrastructure construction work in Xinjiang was the most commonly raised request by deputies during the two-hour, closed-door meeting with the premier.

Such requests included more support for building railways connecting southern Xinjiang to more regions around the country, building more electricity programs, and setting up a special fund to support Xinjiang in new types of enterprise.

Wu Gang, head of the New Energy Group of Xinjiang, said the region needs more funds from the central government as most State-owned enterprises there are short of capital and need more funding to support the nurturing of small environmentally friendly enterprises.

Such companies have been called for during China's economic transition.

Xinjiang achieved annual GDP growth of 8.8 percent last year, compared with the national figure of 6.9 percent. It is aiming for 7 percent growth this year.

The service sector still comprises less than half of the local economy, while 50.5 percent of national GDP growth was contributed by the sector last year.

The premier praised Xinjiang's stable economic performance last year.

He said that as the region has long relied on heavy industries and resources that rely on industries, such as oil-related ones, it is "quite something" that the region can maintain stable growth while the country is undergoing an economic transition.

He promised that more policy support will be given to Xinjiang in the next five years to maintain a good transportation system, water conservation projects and electricity programs, as regional development has high significance in maintaining national security.

While placing a heavy emphasis on infrastructure building, Li stressed that maintaining a stable, safe and harmonious society is the premise for economic development in XinjiangChina's largest provincial-level region by land area and the most ethnically diversified.

Xinjiang is home to 47 ethnic groups and more than 23 million people from such groups.

Gulnur Memet, a Xinjiang deputy who joined Thursday's discussion with the premier, met him six years ago when Li last visited the region in 2010.

As a teacher, she said she feels that support from the central government is vital to many key sectors in Xinjiang.
Institutes continue drive to promote nation's artistic heritage By Wang Kaihao (China Daily) Updated: 2016-03-11 07:47:12

A set of ancient chime bells is displayed at the Capital Museum in Beijing on Wednesday. [Photo by Jiang Dong / China Daily]

China's museums, libraries and art galleries are making good on the government's pledge to promote the cultural industry and improve living standards. Wang Kaihao reports.

On March 2, an exhibition of 400 cultural relics unearthed during the excavation of the tomb of the Marquis Haihun (92 BC-59 BC) in Jiangxi province opened at the Capital Museum in Beijing.

Interest was intense because the Marquis was a well-known and controversial figure, who was also the Han emperor for just 27 days before being deposed.

Anticipating a flood of visitors, the museum, usually a free, walk-in attraction, took the unusual step of setting up an online platform and insisting that attendees book tickets in advance online. The first week was fully booked long before the doors officially opened, generating headlines in the media.

It wasn't the first time a museum had been in the news in recent years. When Beijing's Palace Museum, which is also known as the Forbidden City, staged an exhibition of 283 artistic masterpieces, including Along the River during the Qingming Festivalwidely regarded as one of the finest examples of ancient Chinese paintingvisitors happily waited until midnight to see the national treasures.

"Museums now have more free audio guides and attendants, and many have two-dimensional code scanning" (which allows visitors to obtain information about artifacts on their mobile devices), said Beijing resident Xia Nan, 28, who frequently visits museums in the capital.

"With new technology and better services being introduced, museums have become an important educational tool, rather than a novelty," Xia said.

For several years, the slogan "Visiting museums is a life-style" has been used to promote museums, and the rapid development of China's public cultural services system means the slogan has almost become the reality.

The promotion of Chinese culture is a crucial plank in a commitment to improve people's living standards made by the government at the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012.

Early last year, national guidance to promote the public cultural services system was published by the State Council as a way of stimulating and accelerating the development of institutions such as museums, libraries and cultural centers.

By the end of last year, China had 4,510 registered museums, 345 more than the previous year, which attracted more than 600 million visitors, according to statistics supplied by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. Last year, 15 million people visited the Palace Museum, making it the most visited museum in the world.

"Cultural relics are not antiques to be housed in attics, or treasures that must remain secret," said Shan Jixiang, director of the Palace Museum and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. "They are cultural food, directly connected to people's livelihoods. For us, the expansion of exhibition space is a crucial step toward improving our level of service."
Judges: Documents need to move faster By Cao Yin (China Daily) Updated: 2016-03-11 08:10:09

Beijing judges are calling for speedier delivery of legal documents involving foreign disputes, as well as the establishment of professional teams specializing in litigation involving foreigners, in a bid to handle an increasing number of such cases.

Liu Li, a judge of the Chaoyang District People's Court, said that she has no control over lengthy delivery times when handling foreign disputes.

"I dealt with a contract dispute involving a company in the United States. The plaintiff's lawyer was pregnant when the case was filed in court, but when she stood in the courtroom to help her client protect her rights, her child was almost 2 years old," said Liu, who succeeded in tackling the high-profile divorce case of Li Yang, founder of Crazy English, and his US wife.

Though document delivery was OK in this case, "for some others, such as a defendant from the British Virgin Islands, far from the Britain, I don't know when our materials will be sent."

The long wait has been attributed to complicated procedures, as documents must first be reviewed by a court's president and sent to an office for handling foreign affairs in the Beijing High People's Court.

"But that's not the end of it. The documents will continue to be delivered to the Supreme People's Court later," she said. "Every step in delivery takes time, while any delay in the procedures may influence when the trial opens."

Chen Zhengzheng, a judge from the Haidian District People's Court specializing in foreign cases, said that she has become accustomed to spending one or more years in delivering materials for foreign cases.

"The delay in hearing cases and the slow delivery of documents damages the interests of litigants and easily leads to the accumulation of foreign cases," Chen said. "Some addresses provided by foreigners are not clear, so we have to contact close relatives."

Meanwhile, verification of foreigners' identities is also difficult.

Thirteen overseas civil disputes were heard in Haidian in 2013. That number jumped to 169 in 2014, according to the court. "Cases involving overseas litigants increased quickly from 2013. The majority are divorces, accounting for 80 percent, followed by apartment rentals and house purchases," she said

(China Daily 03/11/2016 page5)
Anshun seeks new balance By Zhao Huanxin and Yang Jun (China Daily) Updated: 2016-03-11 08:10:09

Health of the environment must be considered when making decisions about economic growth

Anshun, a city in Southwest China's Guizhou province, is known for its Huangguoshu Waterfall, the largest of its kind in Asia, whose majesty and power can be viewed from all angles, even from inside.

The city of about 3 million people, some 30 hours by train from Beijing, is arguably an ideal place to observe from all angles how the central authorities' pro-growth measures have flowed outward, empowering far-flung regions.

"We have maintained steady growth, promoted reforms through innovation, optimized the economic structure and ultimately brought tangible benefits to the people," Zhou Jiankun, an NPC deputy from Anshun, said at a news conference.

The conference was organized on Tuesday in Beijing to offer the media a glimpse of how Anshun has translated into action the central government's five new development concepts - innovation, coordination, green development, opening-up and sharing.

Zhou, who also serves as top leader of Anshun, said the city has sought to strike a balance between economic growth and environmental protection, considering the mountainous region's fragile ecology.

The fossil-fuel-rich city has weaned itself from its former dependence on coal and switched to emerging industries such as big data, medical health and new building materials by taking advantage of its preferential investment policies, pristine air and abundant stone resources used in construction and masonry, according to Zhou.

The coal-powered electrical industry accounted for 36.4 percent of all industry in Anshun in 2014. The ratio dropped below 30 percent last year.

As the Guizhou Aviation Industry Group, a subsidiary of the mammoth Aviation Industry Corp of China, is based in Anshun, the city is keen to develop civilian drones, which have promising market prospects, he said.

"Anshun's economy grew by 13.6 percent last year," Zhou said. "The city grew the fastest among its peers in Guizhou without making a dent in ecology."

In 2015, the city sank 130 billion yuan ($19.9 billion) into infrastructure and industrial projects, laying a solid foundation for growth in the years to come, according to Zhou.

And he said Anshun had spared no effort to lift its rural poor out of dire straits. The country's poverty line is 2,300 yuan ($350) in annual income, measured in 2010 value.

The city government dispatched 1,007 cadres to help ramp up poverty reduction in all its 1,007 villages last year, Zhou said.

"Entrepreneurs have also lent a hand," he said.

For example, Wang Wei, chairman of the Xingwei Group in Anshun, pooled more than 300 million yuan to improve infrastructure for Xiushui village in the city's Puding county early last year. As a result, the village of 3,512 residents raked in 1.2 million yuan in tourism revenue during the weeklong Spring Festival holiday, he said.

At least 105,300 people said goodbye to poverty last year, Zhou said.

To help the remaining 340,400 poor lead a better life, the city will encourage farmers to form rural cooperatives and develop modern agriculture techniques suitable for mountainous regions, according to Zhou.

Contact the writers at zhaohuanxin@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 03/11/2016 page5)
China sets to win uphill battle against poverty (Xinhua) Updated: 2016-03-11 21:37:44

BEIJING -- Few of the over 55 million people living in China's underdeveloped rural areas have any idea of how the ongoing "two sessions" will soon change their lives for the better.

According to the government work report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang last Saturday, the central government will increase its poverty alleviation budget by 43.4 percent this year, lifting at least 10 million people out of poverty by the year end.

Last year, 14.4 million rural residents left poverty behind. Li Jinggao, 63, from eastern Jiangsu province was one of them.

His wife has suffered from ill-health for years, his son has learning difficulties, and he, himself, was too old to work in a factory. The whole family depended on government aid.

Three years ago, the local government loaned him three ewes. Under his care, they bore seven to eight lambs every year.

The family returned the original ewes in 2015, and they have survived on the offspring ever since.

The story was shared with legislators from across China, sitting together in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, as an example of a successful poverty alleviation initiative.

The central government aims to lift 55 million rural people out of poverty in the coming five years, in order to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society by 2020.

The leadership have promised "not to leave a single family" behind.

In November, 22 heads of provinces, autonomous regions and cities from central and western China signed a "responsibility agreement" with the central government, agreeing to be evaluated.

Legislators attending the two sessions have also voiced their commitment to the campaign.

"The remaining 55 million are the poorest and most difficult group," said Fan Xiaojian, member of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Fan is leading a State Council panel on poverty alleviation.

China has lifted 700 million people out of poverty over the past four decades. A total of 95.5 million rural people overcame poverty from 2011 to 2014, according to official data.

However, a slower economy, decreasing natural resources, environmental degradation and "repoverty" (the return to poverty) have put pressure on achieving the target, Fan said.

Economist Li Yining shared a different story during the parliamentary session. He said some black goats were donated to poor farmers but they were slaughtered for food.

"Instead of 'just giving' we should make training a priority," Li said.

The draft of the 13th Five-Year Plan, which marks priorities for national development from 2016 to 2020, proposes support for poor villages to develop their own featured products and services.

In the draft, e-commerce was highlighted as a key tool to enable villagers to sell their wares; photovoltaic technology to boost infrastructure construction; and rural tourism to attract more visitors.

"Multiple measures concerning migration, training, education, environmental protection and subsistence security have been implemented," Fan said. "I believe the scheduled poverty reduction goals will be achieved by 2020."
China Development Bank's branch in Hebei province has helped Chinese companies expand abroad by supporting large projects in recent years.

The bank provided $878 million in loans to the Toromocho copper mine project, led by the Aluminum Corporation of China, in Peru by the end of last year.

CDB's Hebei branch cooperated with the bank's headquarters in Beijing to finance the construction of the mine's support facilities and help solve the mine's water, power, and port transportation issues.

The project began operations in December 2013 and has an annual copper concentrate output of 220,000 metric tons, accounting for about 12.4 percent of China's yearly copper demand.

The Hebei branch supported the Las Bambas copper mine project in Peru, which is China's biggest overseas mergers and acquisitions project in the metal mining industry. CDB and other banks extended a line of $6.96 billion in credit to support the acquisition of the project and the construction of the mine.

The Las Bambas project plans to produce 320,000 tons of copper concentrate annually, accounting for about 18 percent of China's yearly copper need.

CDB vowed loans of $6.27 billion and provided $4.89 billion to 20 mining and financial projects in Peru by the end of last year, important contributions to promoting economic and trade cooperation between China and Peru.

The two nations built a comprehensive partnership in 2005. Peru is one of China's most important partners in South America. Bilateral trade volume reached $22.84 billion by the end of 2014. China is Peru's biggest trade partner.

Peru, which is approximately 1.29 million square kilometers in size and has a population of 30.47 million, has abundant mineral resources. It ranks 12th in the amount of mineral reserves in the world.

The country tops the world in bismuth and vanadium reserves and is the third-biggest country in terms of copper reserves. It ranks fourth for silver and zinc reserves and has an abundance of other mineral resources including iron, gold, tungsten and coal.

songmengxing@chinadaily.com.cn

CDB has loaned $878 million to the Toromocho copper mine project in Peru.

(China Daily 03/11/2016 page7)
China Development Bank is extending support to small and medium-sized enterprises in Uzbekistan and promoting cultural exchanges in the Central Asian country.

"I really appreciate the financial support from CDB, which has enabled us to import advanced machines and equipment from China, expand businesses and increase profitability," said Shaszik Khozjaev, the founder of a small business in Uzbekistan.

The Central Asian nation is home to a high number of small businesses that collectively are the pillar of local economy. As a result, the Uzbekistani government has made it a priority to develop SMEs.

But businesses in Uzbekistan face a number of challenges, such as limited accessibility to funding and high financing costs in a country with tight foreign exchange controls.

Since 2007, CDB has campaigned to extend credits to Uzbekistani financial institutions to support its SMEs.

The Interbank Consortium, which falls under the umbrella of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, is made up of six banks from the SCO member countries of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, and includes CDB.

Expanded cooperation on SMEs in Uzbekistan, a country situated on the ancient Silk Road, is in line with CDB's strategy for encouraging capital flows to countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, the bank said.

To date, CDB has offered five lines of credit worth $405 million to Uzbekistan's National Bank for Foreign Economic Activity, also a member of the SCO Interbank Consortium.

Through the National Bank for Foreign Economic Activity, CDB has offered loans to SMEs in textiles, construction materials, agriculture, food processing and services.

More than 370 SMEs in Uzbekistan have benefited from credit offered by CDB, importing about $260 million machines and equipment from nearly 200 Chinese companies.

After improving the cooperation model with Uzbekistan's National Bank for Foreign Economic Activity, CDB has incorporated it into a partnership with the country's second- and third-largest commercial banks, Uzbek Industrial and Construction Bank and Asaka Bank.

(China Daily 03/11/2016 page7)
Overseas loans a testament to dedication to nation's goals

When the Central Bank of Egypt received a loan of $900 million from China Development Bank in January, it was the first time that the institution extended a major credit loan to an overseas central bank.

CDB also extended a $525 million loan to the National Bank of Egypt that month.

The loans were in response to President Xi Jinping's call to advance the Sino-Egypt bilateral relationship and development. During Xi's visit to Egypt on Jan 21, investment and aid deals worth billions of dollars were signed.

Egypt is vital to China's Belt and Road Initiative and the loans will go far to boost bilateral cooperation in finance, electricity, energy and transportation.

The loans also speak to how CDB has made its goal to serve national strategies.

"During the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15), the bank supplied nearly $531 billion in loans in foreign currencies and participated in nearly 150 State visits by both Chinese and foreign government leaders and the signing of hundreds of investment and financing deals," said CDB Chairman Hu Huaibang.

It has conducted business in 109 countries and regions across the world and supported more than 180 Chinese enterprises in their efforts to expand overseas, especially for companies in the mid- and high-end manufacturing, electric power and railway industries. Telecom giant Huawei, for example, with the help of the bank's loans, saw a 10-percent annual growth rate in trade volume with Russia's largest telecom group Sistema.

Trade and economic exchanges are a major highlight of cooperation between China and countries along the Belt and Road routes. In 2015, CDB signed 70 cooperation documents for a combined value of $65 billion in financing plans for energy, minerals, high-tech technologies and transportation infrastructure construction projects.

The bank started to adjust its international business management structure and highlighted the headquarters' direct control over its overseas outlets last year.

In a bid to further promote the internationalization of the renminbi, which is closely attached to the country's Belt and Road Initiative, the bank signed 28 billion yuan ($4.2 billion) in loan agreements with three banks in Russia last year. It also agreed to provide $3 billion in credit lines to three Indonesian banks, 30 percent of which will be settled in the Chinese currency.

The bank has actively promoted the establishment of bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms, and set up many special-purpose loans, including the special facility co-founded by China and Central and Eastern European countries and the China-ASEAN infrastructure loan. By the end of 2015, CDB was committed to nearly $190 billion in loans to countries along the Belt and Road, nearly $156 billion of which was granted.

According to the central government, China will further increase foreign investments and expand the opening of financial markets from 2016 to 2020, two developments that will bring more opportunities for the bank's international business.

With the country accelerating its overseas investments, an increasing number of Chinese companies will enter international markets with proprietary technologies, standards and services to enhance cooperation in production and equipment manufacturing.

CDB will further deepen cooperation with local companies, supporting them to explore more cross-national business opportunities while achieving its own sustainable development.

CDB President Zheng Zhijie said, "CDB will showcase China's global financial influences and aim to become a leader in the nation's opening-up development", a concept emphasized in the fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

haonan@chinadaily.com.cn

A natural gas project in Central Asia funded by China Development Bank is under construction. The bank pledged to offer nearly $190 billion to countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative by the end of 2015. Photos provided to China Daily

(China Daily 03/11/2016 page7)
A girl in costume performs in Shehuo, a collection of traditional folk shows, in Yangwang town, Xinjiang county, Yuncheng city, Shanxi province, March 10, 2016. [Photo/CFP]

A grand Shehuo performance was held Thursday in Yangwang town of Shanxi province to celebrate the traditional Chinese Longtaitou Festival, which falls on the second day of the second lunar month.

Shehuo is a form of folk art that derives from the Han ethnic group and refers to various acrobatic performances put on by people during festivals and sacrificial rites. On the day of the Longtaitou Festival, villagers worship in the ancient temple and celebrate with folk activities to wish for a good harvest and lucky year ahead.

Traditional flower drum and gong and drum demonstrations, as well as yangko, fan dance and land boat dancing attracted many villagers.
Descendants of ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius are trying to join efforts for research on which generation of the family brought the bloodline from China to the Korean Peninsula.

Eight Korean descendants of Confucius, on behalf of all their kin living in the Republic of Korea (ROK), presented new evidences to suggest that the first generation of the family might have traveled from China to settle on the Korean Peninsula at least 200 years earlier than it was previously thought.

It is generally believed that descendants of Confucius (551 BC-479 BC) flourished on the Korean Peninsula after the 54th-generation descendant Kong Shao arrived there at the end of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368).

The ROK representatives presented photocopied documents to the Confucius Genealogy Constant Compilation Committee based in Qufu of East China's Shandong province on Thursday indicating that the time of the first descendant might date back to Song Dynasty (960-1279), 200 earlier than the Yuan Dynasty.

Confucius descendants from China and ROK held a ritual commemorating their ancestors at the Confucius temple on Thursday, burning incense and kowtowing to a statue of their shared ancestor, a must before discussing major family affairs such as updating family trees.

ROK delegation member Kong Daihick, also head of the Korean Confucius Descendants Association, said that their research showed that the first Confucius descendant to set foot in the Korean Peninsula was Kong Deshou, a 47th-generation rather than Kong Shao.

The committee members from the China side decided the current verifying materials were inadequate.

The descendants agreed that both sides would cooperate to continue research into the first generation to leave China as it serves as a linking point for the whole Korean branch of the family tree.
Children from various countries launch the Window for ASEAN-China Children's Cultural Exchanges at the opening ceremony. [Photo/China Daily]

The theme webpage, "Window for ASEAN-China Children's Cultural Exchanges (WACCCE)" was officially launched at the China National Theatre for Children in Beijing on March 11, 2016.

Secretary General of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) Yang Xiuping was present at the ceremony and delivered a speech.

The ceremony was also attended by ASEAN envoys in China and representatives from media and institutions, such as the China Song Ching Ling Foundation (CSCLF), the Bureau for External Cultural Relations of the Chinese Ministry of Culture, China Daily, Xinhuanet, cctv.com, english.cri.cn, People's Daily Online, and China News Service. They also watched the children's play Peter Pan.

The WACCCE is sponsored by ACC, CSCLF and Chinaculture.org, presented by Chinadaily.com.cn, and supported by children's cultural institutions and activity centers, such as the China National Theatre for Children (CNTC).

It is designed to be a long-term platform dedicated to ASEAN-China children's cultural exchanges by gathering all major resources, taking advantage of the Internet for its fast distribution and wide coverage of information, and carefully selecting the content and styles loved by children.

On the theme webpage, four columns are set up, including "About Us", "News", "Programs" and "Resources". It will issue cultural exchange projects between teenagers and children in China and ASEAN and service information, as well as related news information concerning the cultural exchanges.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue relations. The WACCCE will take the initiative to discuss cooperation with its ASEAN counterparts, continuously providing a window to present the activity information on cultural exchanges between teenagers and children in China and ASEAN countries. Eventually, it is hoped that the WACCCE becomes a convenient online bridge between ASEAN and China for children's cultural exchanges.
Italian luxury brand Giada presents 2016 Fall/Winter collection at Milan Fashion Week. [Photo provided to China Daily]

An Italian luxury house owned by a Chinese company marries European creativity with Eastern ambition. Sun Yuanqing reports.

Many brands want to make inroads into the Chinese luxury market, but it's not easy to get the formula right, especially at a time like this when purse strings have been tightened. Italian luxury brand Giada is among the lucky few to taste success in China. The brand saw a 9.1 percent rise in sales in 2015, making it one of the fastest-growing Italian luxury brands here.

The only luxury house that was born in Milan but is now owned and managed by a Chinese company, Giada is a hybridthe product of two worlds. It has the creativity of Italy and the ambition of China.

Founded by Rosanna Daolio in Milan in 2001, the brand was acquired in 2011 by Redstone Haute Couture, which brought Valentino, Ferragamo, Yves Saint Laurent to China.

The label recently held its first runway show during Milan Fashion Week.

Paying tribute to its roots in fine art, the event took place at the Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan's most important museum, which houses one of the most prestigious collections of Renaissance art. This is also the first time that the museum has opened doors for a fashion show.
[Photo provided to China Daily]

Swiss luxury watch brand Omega held a special screening of the documentary Terra in Beijing, in partnership with the GoodPlanet Foundation, an NGO that supports sustainability. The movie traces the history of the Earth and many living species and urges people to protect the planet in a sustainable way. Omega has previously worked with the GoodPlanet Foundation on the awarding-winning documentary Planet Ocean, which raises awareness of the marine world. In 2015, Omega released its new Seamaster Aqua Terra "Good Planet" collection, sales of which will support an environmental project in Botswana.
The United States has returned 22 cultural artifacts and a dinosaur fossil to China in a move meant to highlight the two countries' cooperation in countering illegal trafficking of archaeological objects.

The artifacts included jade disks, bronze trays and other items that dated to as far back as 1,600 BC, while the dinosaur fossil was estimated to be about 120 million years old, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a news release.

The agency said the items were recovered in New York, Cleveland and Miami.

"Their return to China will facilitate our fight against illicit trade in archaeological objects, and help us better preserve our cultural heritage for future generations," Cui Tiankai, China's ambassador to the US, said during a ceremony marking the return in Washington on Thursday.

During President Xi Jinping's state visit to the US in September, the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to enhanced cooperation on preserving cultural heritage by agreeing to the return of the seized Chinese artifacts, Cui said.

"Fossils and treasures like these will always be targeted by bad actors, but we continue to investigate these crimes and repatriate them to their rightful owners," said Daniel Ragsdale, the immigration agency's deputy director.

Eric Prokopi, a US citizen from Florida, pleaded guilty to engaging in a scheme to illegally import dinosaur fossils, the US immigration department said. Prokopi was fined and served time in jail.

"The US government has demonstrated a responsible attitude to implementing international treaties and honoring bilateral commitments," said Gu Yucai, China's deputy director-general of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

The 22 returned artifacts all have high historical and artistic value, Gu said.

"These valuable artifacts will not sleep in a storage room upon returning to China," he said. "They will be displayed to the public in museums."

Most of the artifacts were seized in connection with a US investigation into an art dealer, who was fined $50,000 and required to forfeit the pieces.

In accordance with a bilateral agreement the US and China signed in 2009, the two countries are to work closely together to prevent the illicit trafficking of archaeological objects.

This is the second time the US government has returned artifacts to the Chinese government after the agreement was signed. In March 2011, 14 artifacts were returned.

Xinhua contributed to this story.
A warship sails in South China Sea during a Chinese navy drill in South China Sea, July 28, 2015. [Photo/CFP]

David Harsanyi, senior editor of the US Web magazine The Federalist could not be more correct in observing: "Perception is everything in politics. And we believe a lot of ridiculous things."

He was talking about voter anxiety in the United States, and pointed out to readers that "China's economic supremacy is a myth".

We could not agree more. At home and abroad, there is a tendency to ignore the essential per capita aspect when evaluating the Chinese economy.

To those worried or elated that China's economy has surpassed the US' as the world's largest, or is quickly approaching that point, we want to give the very same heads-up: We are not there yet.

The same is true of the claim that China's military might is rapidly catching up with that of the US, and is now a credible threat to it.

Such overestimations of Chinese prowess are flawed and misleading, and the anxiety and fear resulting from them may result in devastating consequences; particularly when suspicions are involved.

Unfortunately, the situation in the South China Sea seems to be evolving in that direction. This is dangerous.

Not because of China's reclamation activities or the defense facilities it has installed on the land it has held for centuries.

Not because the US Air Force will continue to fly daily missions in China's airspace and the US Navy will continue its "freedom of navigation" operations in Chinese waters, or because Washington is in talks to station B-1 strike bombers in Australia.

These are deliberated moves, both manageable and under control.

Beijing and Washington are both concerned about unwanted outcomes, thus in discussions about a common code of conduct to regulate their militaries' encounters whether in the air or at sea.

The real danger lies in the vicious circle at work: Washington's fear of being elbowed out of the region by an increasingly capable and "assertive" China has made it paranoid about the South China Sea, and it is fear-mongering to rally resistance against Beijing.

But the response to Washington's call for joint patrols in the South China Sea has been less than enthusiastic: because few in the region have felt a credible threat, because everybody knows freedom of navigation is not an issue here, and most know the waters will remain peaceful and stable unless sabotaged.

US saber-rattling in the South China Sea is hardly a thing to worry about, as long as it is, as Washington has pledged, in accordance with international law.

But the fear it feeds on and breeds is, as it may result in a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Yang Yanyi, Head of the Chinese Mission to the EU is seen in this file photo taken in October of 2014. [Photo by Fu Jing/chinadaily.com.cn]

THE DRAFT OF China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) shows policymakers' resolve to stick to the path of making the economy more modern and open. It comes as the European Union has launched an in-depth assessment to determine whether to grant China market economy status. Xinhua News Agency commented on Wednesday:

The road map for China's economic and social development for the next five years dedicates one chapter to elaborating the government's resolve to continuously build a modern market system, which sets a strong tone for furthering the Chinese market's connection with the world.

Methods used in the EU's anti-dumping procedures on imported Chinese products are currently based on China not being considered a market economy. Under World Trade Organization rules, China's exports have thus fallen victim to unfair and discriminatory EU practices.

The legal basis for the rules, however, are set to expire in December this year, under the provisions of the WTO accession protocol signed by China.

China's national plan to build an open economy should give the EU confidence to grant China early market economy status.

With its ample well-educated workforce, high rate of household savings (38 percent) and possessing foreign exchange reserves of over $3.33 trillion, the Chinese government's continuous opening-up will not only benefit China's economic stabilization and growth, but also the global economy.

This has been recognized by a growing number of countries. So far, over 80 economies including Russia, New Zealand, Singapore and Australia, have granted China market economy status.

China hopes the EU will join them sooner rather than later, as it would facilitate recognition of China's market economy status in the 162-member WTO.
South Korea's Lee Sedol, the world's top Go player, waits after putting the first stone against Google's artificial intelligence program AlphaGo, as Google DeepMind's lead programmer Aja Huang, left, sits during the Google DeepMind Challenge Match in Seoul, South Korea, March 9, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

ON THURSDAY, Lee Se-dol, one of the world's leading Go players from South Korea, was beaten again by AlphaGo, an artificial intelligence program developed by Google's artificial intelligence subsidiary DeepMind, in the second of their five games in Seoul. Their games are widely seen as a contest between human and artificial intelligence. Whatever the final result is, humans are the winner, people still need to prepare for a possible future dominated by artificial intelligence, said Beijing News on Thursday:

The question is whether artificial intelligence will finally surpass human intelligence?

The board game Go had been seen as an insurmountable difficulty for artificial intelligence developers. But now AlphaGo has beaten one of the best players in the world.

In 1997, the super computer Deep Blue developed by IBM eventually beat the international chess master Garry Kasparov at least once.

But Deep Blue could not play any other board game, because what it could do depended on its program, according to its developers.

However, today's artificial intelligence is much more than that.

Demis Hassabis, founder of DeepMind, said he is creating a general learning system that uses adaptive algorithms that mimic biological systems.

Why cannot artificial intelligence overtake human intelligence, if it continues to evolve in this way? Are we really prepared for the coming of that day?
I just learned a new term today that I know I will be using frequently in the future. The term is middle income trap and it crystallizes previously discombobulated thoughts I have had regarding Chinas economic development.

This new term (for me) comes from a Time Magazine article, Escaping the middle-income trap, on how Malaysias economic growth has been consistently strong since World War II, yet Malaysia cannot break into the league of developed nations. Schuman defines this trap, as follows:

I returned a few days ago from Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, where the talk of the town  well, at least among economists  is the middle-income trap. Whats that, you ask? A developing nation gets trapped when it reaches a certain, relatively comfortable level of income but cant seem to take that next big jump into the true big leagues of the world economy, with per capita wealth to match. Every go-go economy in Asia has confronted this trap, or is dealing with it now. Breaking out of it, however, is extremely difficult. The reason is that escaping the trap requires an entire overhaul of the economic growth model most often used by emerging economies.

The concept behind the middle-income trap is quite simple: Its easier to rise from a low-income to a middle-income economy than it is to jump from a middle-income to a high-income economy. Thats because when youre really poor, you can use your poverty to your advantage. Cheap wages makes a low-income economy competitive in labor-intensive manufacturing (apparel, shoes and toys, for example). Factories sprout up, creating jobs and increasing incomes. Every rapid-growth economy in Asia jumpstarted its famed gains in human welfare in this way, including Malaysia.

However, that growth model eventually runs out of steam. As incomes increase, so do costs, undermining the competitiveness of the old, low-tech manufacturing industries. Countries (like Malaysia) then move up the value chain, into exports of more technologically advanced products, like electronics. But even thats not enough to avoid the trap. To get to that next level  that high-income level  an economy needs to do more than just make stuff by throwing people and money into factories. The economy has to innovate and use labor and capital more productively. That requires an entirely different way of doing business. Instead of just assembling products designed by others, with imported technology, companies must invest more heavily in R&D on their own and employ highly educated and skilled workers to turn those investments into new products and profits. It is a very, very hard shift to achieve. Thus the trap.

Schuman sees South Korea as probably the best current example of a developing economy making the leap into the realm of the most advanced. Schuman sees Malaysia as a long way from making that same leap:

Malaysia, though, is quite far from where it wants to be. Thats a bit surprising based on its remarkable recent history. Malaysia has been among the best performing economies in the world since World War II, one of only 13 to record an average growth rate of 7% over at least a 25-year period. The country has an amazing record of improving human welfare. In 1970, some 50% of Malaysians lived in absolute poverty; now less than 4% do. Yet Malaysians also feel that theyve become somewhat stuck where they are. GDP growth has slowed up, from an annual average of 9.1% between 1990 and 1997 to 5.5% from 2000 and 2008. Meanwhile, other Asian economies have zipped by Malaysia. According to the World Bank, the per capita gross national income (GNI) of South Korea in 1970 was below that of Malaysia ($260 versus $380), but by 2009, South Koreas was almost three times larger than Malaysias ($21,530 versus $6,760). Malaysia is getting trapped as a relatively prosperous but still middle-income nation.

Schuman does not see Malaysia making the leap. Its companies are not innovating. Its private investment is declining and it spends almost nothing on R&D. If Malaysia is going to break the trap, it has to reverse all these trends.

What made Korea so different from Malaysia?

Why has Korea jumped so far ahead? I think the reason is embedded in the different methods the two countries used to spur rapid growth. Both countries relied exports to create rapid gains in income, but they did so differently. South Korea, from its earliest days of export-led development in the mid-1960s, had been determined to create homegrown, internationally competitive industries. Though Korean firms supplied big multinationals with components or even entire products, that was never enough  Korea wanted to manufacture its own products under its own brands. The effort was often a painful one  remember Hyundais first disastrous foray into the U.S. car market in the late 1980s and early 1990s  but Korea is where it is today because its private companies have been working on getting there for a very long time, backed in full by the financial sector and the government. Malaysia, on the other hand, relied much, much more on foreign investment to drive industrialization. Thats not a bad thing  multinational companies provide an instant shot of capital, jobs, expertise and technology into a poor country. MNCs, however, arent going to develop Malaysian products; that has to take place in the labs and offices of Malaysias private businesses. But those businessmen have been content to squeeze profits from serving MNCs and maintaining their original, assembly-based business models.

I have for years viewed Korea as THE success story of Asia. In fact, whenever people tout China and act as though democracy is wholly incompatible with growth, I respond with Korea. You can see me making this point as part of this Commonwealth Club of San Francisco Doing Business in China panel. Korea was at one time the second poorest country in the world. Now, Seoul is more dynamic than Tokyo and Korea just continues to grow both economically and in terms of its political freedoms. Why is that? And why are countries like Malaysia and Thailand stuck in the middle ground? And what about China and Vietnam, will they be able to make the leap?

Japan and Korea are important because they have spending power. Vietnam and Cambodia are important because they have very low wages. China is the most interesting because just three or four years ago, companies were going to China because of its low wages, but now, companies are going there to make money (mostly on the Coast) and going there to make things (more and more inland).

Where do Malaysia and Thailand fit into all this?

Malaysia and Thailand remind me a bit of the mid-size law firm. I can understand hiring the big firm for the big deal or the big case requiring a massive number of associates or legions of highly specialized partners. And I can understand hiring a highly efficient and focused small law firm. But I rarely understand hiring the mid-sized firm, which usually tries to price itself along the same lines as the big firms, but without the corresponding depth or expertise. Why bother? And nothing against either Malaysia or Thailand, but will businesses start asking themselves this very question about those countries?.

What do you think?
(Photo : Getty Images) Premier Li Keqiang has highlighted Guandong Province's efforts in championing China's economic reforms.

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Premier Li Keqiang has urged Guangdong Province to continue its leading role in leading reformation in the country. He made the announcement during the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC) on Wednesday, March 9.



Premier Li highlighted Guangdong Province's efforts in paving the way for reform programs as China's economy undergoes an overhaul. "In the vanguard of the reform and opening up, Guangdong has made a major contribution to China's economic development," Li said according to Xinhua.



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Li asked Guangdong to drive supply-side structural reforms and bolster mass entrepreneurship and innovation. He also voiced hope that the region would continue to fasten bureaucratic processes by eliminating barriers.



China's slowing economy has caused anxiety to a large number of businesses. On March 3, Moody rated China's sovereign bonds from "stable" to "negative" as a result. Given the economic challenges China is facing, policy and lawmakers are keen to continue the structural reform, asking for confidence to China's economy.



During the session, Premier Li said that the province should also promote new industries by endorsing innovative technology. This would also help to provide support to start-up companies across all sectors. There is still a lot of work in terms of upgrading traditional sectors and improving the quality of employees by bringing in additional investments, the Premier noted.



Li called for the cooperation of authorities in propagating socialist core values alongside Chinese virtues. He also called for green and environment-friendly efficient lifestyles.



Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, addressed the lawmakers from Hainan during the session. He emphasized the need for cultural and ideological progress along with material progress. These are important to attain the goals set in the 13th Five-Year Plan.78474



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TagsPremier Li Keqiang, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, National People's Congress, Guangdong Province
(Photo : Getty Images) Google has joined the ranks of companies in Facebook's Open Compute project.

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Tech giant Google announced on March 9 that it is joining the Open Compute Project, an organization that counts some of the world's biggest tech companies as member including Facebook. The main vision of the organization is for companies to share designs of their data center infrastructure in order to push cross-company development as well as the adoption of newly developed technologies.



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Google's decision to join the Open Compute Project came as a bit of a surprise for the tech community. First, the organization was started by social networking giant Facebook about six years ago and it is no longer a secret in the tech world that Facebook and Google are rivals in different platforms.



Moreover, Facebook followed Google's practice of building data centers that are optimized for their own workloads. The thing is, some of the people who worked on Google's data centers eventually joined Facebook.



Another reason why Google joining Open Compute Project was a surprise is the fact that Microsoft, a well-known Google competitor in the cloud platform business, has been a member of the organization since 2014, according to Venture Beat. Tech analysts are keen to know how the two companies will react to each other now that they are part of one initiative.



The biggest question now is whether the leader in the public cloud market Amazon Web Services will also join the foray now that Google has already dipped its toes in.



According to PC World, Google will contribute specifications for a 48-volt server rack power distribution that the company uses on its data centers. Most data centers still use a 12-volt server rack. The search engine giant is also expected to share the technology it uses for its server racks and other equipment that it uses.



Regarding Facebook's contribution in the organization, the Menlo Park-based tech giant will share its designs for its non-volatile memory flash storage appliance.



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TagsGoogle, Open Compute Project, Facebook, Facebook Open Compute Project, Google Open Compute Project, Internet, Google News, Google updates
(Photo : Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) China's President Xi Jinping (L) and Premier Li Keqiang talk after the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on March 3, 2016 in Beijing, China.

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China's top leader has thrown his support behind the private sector, promising to continue to initiate market-oriented reforms and protect private business. President's Xi Jinping's pledge of support was contained in a 5,000-word article addressed to lawmakers and political advisers from the private sector last week.



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Xi pledged to "unswervingly" encourage, support and guide the development of the private sector by providing it with wider market access and easier financing.



He also emphasized the need for the Chinese government and the private sector to maintain a close-but-clean relationship that will be free of "power-for-money" collusion.



Policy researchers view the president's remarks as part of his administration's efforts to clearly define the relationship between the government and the private sector.



There is a sense of timeliness in Xi's remarks, as they came amidst doubts over the China's economic health and the impact of the government's anti-corruption drive.



Despite the country's impressive economic growth, China's private sector has complained of not getting equal market access, as they reportedly have to compete with state-funded counterparts in obtaining bank loans.



Further compounding the problem are reports that a number of private entrepreneurs have been in collusion with government officials, which have raised serious questions over the role of the private sector in the economy.



Zhu Lijia, a professor of public administration at the Chinese Academy of Governance, has weighed in on Xi's meeting with the business sector, saying that it primarily aims to send a strong signal and dispel erroneous notions regarding the private sector.



Zhu pointed out that that Xi's remarks acknowledges the major contributions made by private enterprises, particularly their important role in generating employment, sustaining economic growth and maintaining social stability.



In the past two years, China's private sector has helped create 62 million jobs.



Nan Cunhui, political adviser and board chairman of Zhejiang-based Chint Group, acknowledged the impact of Xi's remarks, saying it "will help us have more confidence ... and better understand the current situation and government policies"







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TagsChinese government, President Xi Jinping, China economy
(Photo : Getty Images) China has formally requested UN officials and diplomats to boycott the scheduled address by the Dalai Lama in Geneva, Switzerland on Friday due to his 'separatist activities.'

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China has written letters to diplomats and the United Nations, reiterating Beijing opposition to a scheduled talk by the Dalai Lama in Geneva, Switzerland on Friday, due to his "separatist activities."



In the letters, Beijing allegedly urges UN officials and diplomats to boycott the Geneva event where the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader is scheduled to speak.



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China's diplomatic mission in Geneva had also strongly objected to the inclusion of the Dalai Lama on the Nobel laureates panel, which is currently being held at the Geneva Graduate Institute.



Chinese sovereignty



"Inviting the 14th Dalai Lama to the aforementioned event violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China, in contravention of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter," the letter said.



"China resolutely opposes the 14th Dalai Lama's separatist activities in whatever capacity and in whatever name in any country, organisation or event," it continues.



The letter, which was written on March 8, was shown to Reuters on Thursday. It appears to have been penned on the same day that the scheduled talk of the Tibet exiled leader was announced. The US and Canada are reportedly sponsoring the event.



Human rights



"The Permanent Mission of China kindly requests the Permanent Missions of all Member States, UN agencies and relevant International Organisations not to attend the above-mentioned event, nor meet the 14th Dalai Lama and his clique," China emphasized in its letters to the diplomats.



The Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. Thirty years earlier, in 1959, he fled to India and went into self-exile after a failed uprising against communist government.



Separatist



China has labeled the Dalai Lama a 'separatist.' But the Tibetan spiritual leader insists that he only wants autonomy for the Himalayan homeland.



The US mission's spokesman in Geneva refused to comment on China's request for a boycott to the Dalai Lama's speech.



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TagsDalai Lama, Geneva, Tibet, United Nations, Nobel Peace Prize, Chinese sovereignty, china
(Photo : Photo by Cpl. Darien J. Bjorndal/U.S. Marine Corps via Getty Images) US and South Korean Navy assault ships during a joint military exercise this week. China has said it is deeply concerned about what is happening in the Korean Peninsula after Pyongyang's fired missiles in protest against South Korea's unilateral enforcement of the UN sanctions and the current military war games being jointly conducted by Washington and Seoul on South Korean soil.

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China has stepped in to urge all parties to remain calm and cease 'provocative actions' to prevent the escalation of tension in the Korean Peninsula after North Korea's fired short-range missiles on Thursday directed at South Korea.



According to Xinhua, Pyongyang launched two short-range missiles and announced it will 'liquidate' all South Korean assets and properties located in North Korea.



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North Korea also said that it is severing economic ties with Seoul. This includes rescinding all inter-Korean economic cooperation projects. Pyongyang's move is apparently in response to South Korea's unilateral enforcement of sanctions against the isolated state embodied in a UN resolution which was passed last month.



Responding fiercely



China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said North Korea was 'responding fiercely' to the recent large-scale joint military exercises between the US and South Korea, which Pyongyang perceives as an 'undeniable threat' to its sovereignty and security.



"China is deeply concerned about what is happening in the Korean Peninsula," Lei said at a press conference.



An expert in Korean studies has said that Pyongyang's decision to liquidate South Korean assets is not new and the capital involved is 'limited.'



Symbolic move



"The liquidation is actually a symbolic move and a clear sign of protest," Zhang Liangui said.



Zhang said it is highly unlikely that the tension in the Korean Peninsula will subside in a short time. He noted that as long as the US and its allies continue to make moves that will provoke North Korea, then the isolated state will naturally react militarily.



Political analysts have pointed out that the US and Seoul, while conducting joint war games in the peninsula, refuse to start negotiations with Pyongyang unless it gives up its development of its nuclear programme.



Unsafe



The two allies, observers said, are pressuring North Korea both politically and militarily.



"As North Korea has no assurance that its security concerns will be addressed, it feels unsafe to engage in negotiations now about its nuclear programs," the analysts emphasized.



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TagsNorth Korea, South Korea, Korean peninsula, South Korean assets, inter-Korean economic cooperation, Joint US-ROK military exercises, short-range missiles, china
(Photo : Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) A Chinese cyclist attacked a Japan-made vehicle in Guangdong province this week.

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A Chinese man attacked a Japan-made car in the middle of traffic, with the intention of taking revenge for China.



The man, named only as Qin, allegedly rode his electric bicycle and slammed it into a Toyota car while the driver was waiting for the traffic lights to turn green, reports Zhongshan Daily. The incident happened on Tuesday afternoon at a traffic junction located in Zhongshan, Guangdong province.



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The 31-year-old assailant reportedly hit the car with his bike, followed by a bag. Upon throwing the bag, its contents scattered, flying across the road.



Afterwards, Qin picked up a small-sized road safety sign and slammed it onto the Toyota's bonnet, all the while shouting [I take revenge for China [by] damaging Japanese cars.



The surprised Toyota owner called the police.



Qin was detained by authorities who arrived at the scene, however he managed to slip away. He then ran towards a car of unknown make and carried on his frenzy, breaking that car's front windshield using his fist.



Police were successfully able to arrest the frenzied cyclist. They took him to a local police station. They are currently investigating the case.



Violence Against Japan's Actions



This is not the first act of aggression by a Chinese national, who is not in favor of Japan's actions, reports the South China Morning Post.



Chinese protesters in 2012 caused more than $100 million USD worth of damages to Japanese buildings and vehicles because of a dispute over the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.



Japan, in that same year, nationalized three of the disputed islands in the area, and named it Senkaku Islands.



History Shows a Strained Relationship



In 1937, shortly after the Japanese military entered the former Chinese capital of Nanjing, about 300,000 soldiers and civilians died. All of them either died in the spree of killing, rape and destruction that ensued at the time.



China and Japan were at war with each other from 1937 to 1945.



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TagsToyota, Zhongshan, Senkaku Islands, Diaoyu Islands, spratly islands, Bike
(Photo : Getty Images) China is planning to cut its steel production further.

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Wuhan Iron and Steel, one of China's largest steelmakers, plans to lay off 50,000 workers, the company's chairman Ma Guoqiang said, as China begins to restructure state-owned steel and coal factories. The plan is likely result in a total of 1.8 million job cuts.



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Wuhan Iron and Steel currently has around 80,000 workers, but will be left with merely 30,000 workers after proposed layoff is carried out.



"Probably 40,000-50,000 people will have to find other ways forward," Guoqiang told people.com.cn, a news portal run by the Communist Party's mouthpiece the People's Daily.



Without giving any timeframe for the layoffs, Guoqiang said old workers will be given the option of retiring early, while others will be rehabilitated to the firm's non steel affiliates and those who seek job elsewhere will be offered financial stimulus.



The Chinese government has also announced a stimulus package of $15 billion for the 1.8 million steel and coal workers that will be affected massive layoffs.



China's move to restructure its state owned coal and steel companies is widely seen as a step to fix its slowing economy. The country's economy has been on a downturn for more than a year now, with most economic indicators showing that the world's second largest economy is steadily contracting.



China's economy grew by 6.9% in 2015, the slowest GDP growth that country has witnessed in 25 years. Economist fear that if China is unable to turn the tide over its slowing economy, it could drag down the global growth.



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TagsChinese Economy, China Lay Offs, Chinese Steel Plant, Wuhan Iron and Steel
(Photo : Getty Images) China has protested against the US' decision to supply Taiwan with two frigates.

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China on Friday lodged a protest with U.S over its decision to approve the sale of two surplus U.S. Navy frigates to Taiwan for $190 million. The decision is subject to U.S. congressional approval. However, it comes amid rising tension between Beijing and Washington in the South China Sea.



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"The Chinese side has launched representations with the U.S. State Department demanding the U.S. side give a full account", Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said during a news briefing. "The U.S. has said that right now it has no plans to sell weapons to Taiwan and has not issued any statements. China's position on U.S. arms sales to Taiwan is consistent, clear, and firm."



The U.S. State Department has defended the proposed sale of arms to Taiwan. The State Department said in a official statement that "The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region"



In the past, U.S arm sales to Taiwan has also invited strong criticism from Beijing. But it has never adversely affected the diplomatic relationship between the two countries.



The United States has been exporting arms to Taiwan since the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act in 1978. Under this special act, the U.S. can not only export arms, but also militarily intervene if China invades Taiwan.



The latest arms deal comes amid soaring tension in South China Sea, with Taiwan, Japan and other countries accusing Beijing of deploying missiles and fighter jets to the disputed territory.



While competing claims over South China Sea is a contentious issue between China and Taiwan, the acrimony between both nations goes beyond this disputed territory.



A large part of the hostility between China and Taiwan centers around Taiwan's claim to being an independent nation - a claim that it has been staking since seceding from China following the Chinese civil war in 1949. However, Beijing considers Taiwan as a wayward province that is waiting for unification.



China's President Xi Jinping on Saturday warned that Beijing will firmly contain 'secessionist activities' of any form in Taiwan. Xi's latest statement is believed to be targeted at Taiwan's newly elected President Tsai Ing-wen, who is widely hailed as a pro independent leader.



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TagsTaiwan, china, China and Taiwan, South China Sea, US and Taiwan, US and China
One-in-five Jews in religiously fractured Israel say they don't believe in God 11 March, 2016 by Gregory Tomlin , |

PRINCETON, N.J. (Christian Examiner)  Israelis are united in their belief that their nation is a safe haven for Jews, but their society is religiously fractured, even among the various branches of Judaism, a comprehensive survey from the Pew Research Center has found.

Much like the New Testament world where Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes and Zealots inhabited the same land, Israel is now made up of four different Jewish communities: Haredi (ultra-Orthodox Jews), Dati (religious Jews), Masorti (traditionalist Jews) and Hiloni (secular Jews). The four seldom interact, according to the survey.

When asked, 'What is your present religion, if any?' virtually all Israeli Jews say they are Jewish  and almost none say they have no religion  even though roughly half describe themselves as secular and one-in-five do not believe in God. For some, Jewish identity also is bound up with Israeli national pride. Most secular Jews in Israel say they see themselves as Israeli first and Jewish second, while most Orthodox Jews (Haredim and Datiim) say they see themselves as Jewish first and then Israeli.

"Although they live in the same small country and share many traditions, highly religious and secular Jews inhabit largely separate social worlds, with relatively few close friends and little intermarriage outside their own groups. In fact, the survey finds that secular Jews in Israel are more uncomfortable with the notion that a child of theirs might someday marry an ultra-Orthodox Jew than they are with the prospect of their child marrying a Christian," a summary of the survey said.

"The vast majority of Jews (98%), Muslims (85%), Christians (86%) and Druze (83%) say all or most of their close friends belong to their own religious community."

Also, while Jews in Israel are united in their belief about the benefits of democracy in a Jewish state, they are somewhat diverse in their opinion about whether or not religious laws should take precedence over civil law, as well as what constitutes "Jewishness." The definitions provided by the groups for the term "Jewish" ranged from the religious, to the ethnic, to nationality and family and culture.

"When asked, 'What is your present religion, if any?' virtually all Israeli Jews say they are Jewish  and almost none say they have no religion  even though roughly half describe themselves as secular and one-in-five do not believe in God. For some, Jewish identity also is bound up with Israeli national pride. Most secular Jews in Israel say they see themselves as Israeli first and Jewish second, while most Orthodox Jews (Haredim and Datiim) say they see themselves as Jewish first and then Israeli," the survey authors concluded.

There are, however, more than just Jews in Israel. The survey digs into the remaining religious communities, including Muslims, Christians and Druze. Druze are an Islamic sect which originated in the 12th century, but which is now considered heretical by both Sunni and Shia Muslims.

All three minority groups, which also have strong opinions about religion and democracy, claim that democracy should take precedence over any type of religious law  and, therefore, all people should be treated equally.

However, among Israel's Muslim population  predominately Arab Israelis  there is serious doubt that Israel can continue to deepen its identity as a "Jewish state" and remain a democratic society for religious minorities. That assumption is not without support, as Israeli Arabs are frequently the focus of discrimination, the survey said.

According to the survey, most Jews (79%) believe Israel should give preferential treatment to Jews. Among the Haredi, the level of support for preferential treatment rises to 97 percent. Among Dati, or religious Jews, it is 96 percent. The Masorti  traditionally religious Jews  support the assertion at 85 percent. Even among the Hiloni, or secular Jews, 69 percent believe Jews should be treated preferentially.

Those numbers have historically been high, but they may have risen in recent years in proportion to the growing number of Jews who are reconnecting with their faith and claiming they are "religious" or "very religious"  up from 51% in 2002 to 56% in 2013, according to the Israel Social Survey.

Being religious, though, does not necessarily translate to belief in God. In fact, being both "Jewish" and atheist or agnostic, according to the survey, isn't impossible.

Only about half (47%) of Israelis who received their highest level of education at a secular institution are absolutely certain God exists. Nine out of 10 of those who attended religiously-based schools claim to believe in God.

Belief in God is significantly higher among Christians and Druze than among Jews. According to the survey, 99 percent of Druze  a community of about 120,000 in Israel  believe in God. Ninety-four percent of Christians in the survey said they believed in God, but only 79 percent were absolutely certain. Christians make up just over 2 percent of Israel's population.

The Druze, who live the area of the Golan Heights, voted some time ago to accept Israeli citizenship and to fall under the protection of the Israeli military. The group exercises all of the rights and privileges of citizenship.
'The Young Messiah' unites evangelical, mainline, Catholic leaders Guest Reviewer | 11 March, 2016 by Michael Foust

CHICAGO (Christian Examiner)  "The Young Messiah" heads into opening weekend with the endorsement of some 50 Christian leaders across the theological spectrum, including from several prominent evangelicals.

The movie, which is biblical fiction, follows a 7-year-old Jesus as He discovers His role in the world under the guidance of not only Mary and Joseph but God the Father. Among the endorsers is Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Ga., and a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Following is a list of evangelical, mainline and Catholic endorsers, as provided by officials related to the film:

Evangelical and Non-Mainline

"It was beautiful in every way." - Tami Heim, President, Christian Leadership Alliance

"I want every pastor, priest, Christian leader, follower of Jesus and even those who are not believers to see 'The Young Messiah.' You will be taken into an atmosphere where you are captivated at how Jesus must have dealt with being fully human and fully God." - Pastor Jay Dennis, Church at the Mall, Lakeland, Fla.

"'The Young Messiah' is incredibly entertaining but just as much, it is spiritually inspiring and stimulating as we contemplate what the early years of Jesus' life entailed. You MUST see it."

- Johnny M. Hunt, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Ga., former president of Southern Baptist Convention

"...It is a powerful movie, and it sets the stage for understanding who Jesus is and what He does for our salvation." - Doug Beacham, Presiding Bishop, International Pentecostal Holiness Church

"I just loved 'The Young Messiah.' We work with over 2 million kids and I'd love to see the students we work with have an opportunity to see this film." - Denny Rydberg, President, Young Life

"I was very moved by The Young Messiah and found it to be one of the best biblically-inspired films I have ever seen." - Kevin Palau, President, Luis Palau Association

"...It is a powerful movie, and it sets the stage for understanding who Jesus is and what He does for our salvation." - Doug Beacham, Presiding Bishop, International Pentecostal Holiness Church

"Moving, inspiring, and hope-filled. For everyone who believes that Love wins. A MUST SEE!" - Rev. Gabriel Salguero, President, National Latino Evangelical Coalition

"The setting, music, acting, and storyline all came together in a powerful and poetic manner." -Dr. John Stumbo, President, The Christian and Missionary Alliance

"Inspiring, entertaining, informative, and affirming. Amazing!" - Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, President, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

"It ignites your imagination of what it might have been like to know Jesus as a child. It makes his coming to earth seem so plausible and realistic!" - Ron Luce, Co-Founder and President, Teen Mania Ministries

"A poem, a work of art, a symphony, a beautiful sunset -- authentic truth in story form." - Marty Caldwell, EVP, Young Life

"The tears around me in the theater spoke clearly. This is the ultimate example of childlike faith, and it will also help kids seek goodness and kindness." - Anthony Begonia, Salvation Army

"Beautifully told, in a way we haven't seen before." - Mikala Irion, WingClips

"I truly believe it will inspire rich conversations, deep questions, and point many people to the Bible - maybe for the first time!" - Karen Covell, Hollywood Prayer Network

"It's a remarkable movie that is tightly paced, excellently scripted and well-filmed." - Steve Issac and Bob Waliszewski, Focus on the Family/Plugged In

"I would recommend this film." - Kirk Blank, The Munce Group

"An emotionally soul capturing movie." - Andre Soto, Pastor, Woodcliff Baptist Church

"Eye-opening." - David West, Youth Pastor, New Season Church, Sacramento, Calif.

"Thank you for a beautiful and well-told story that gives a great introduction to the message of the Gospel of Jesus and the whole New Testament. Thank you." - Denny Bellesi, Pastor, Coast Hills Community Church, Aliso Viejo, Calif.

"Beautifully shot and the acting was well done." - Jeff Redmond, Recovery Pastor, Bayside Church

" ?This movie is a tender portrayal of a childhood Jesus that shows great respect for historical accuracy as well as theological concerns." - Gary Brandenburg?, Senior Pastor, Fellowship Bible Church, Dallas

"A very tender, but meaningful depiction about how it may have been for the boy Jesus and His family" - Greg Oppenhuis Pastor, Big Spring Baptist Church, Garland, Texas

"I highly recommend this film to those who believe, to skeptics, to those who have an open heart for what could be." - Eric Bryant, Pastor, Gateway Church, Austin, Texas

"Very well-done. Interesting take on events we can only speculate about." - Mark White Pastor, Park View Bible Baptist Church, Wheat Ridge, Colo.

"Excellent, very well done." - Kyle Thompson (Catalyst Productions)

"Makes me want to go and study that part of the scripture" - Deanna Thompson (Catalyst Productions)

"I felt that the film was really well done. The directing, acting, editing, score were all excellent." - Ryan Chapel, Creative Director, Cherry Hill Community Church, Highlands Ranch, Colo.

Catholic

"Captivating, inspiring and deeply moving." - Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston

"A portrait true to biblical faith but without sentimentality....an exceptional movie, engaging from start to finish; a film worth seeing and owning and seeing again." - Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, Archdiocese of Philadelphia

"This presentation of 'The Young Messiah' perhaps opens a door into people's hearts that otherwise would have been shut because either of their fear of God, anger with God or indifference to God." - Archbishop Thomas Wenski, Archdiocese of Miami

"An enthusiastic endorsement ... will strengthen the faith of all who see it." - Most Reverend Daniel R. Jenky, Bishop Of Peoria

" Seeing what it might have been like for Jesus as a child certainly opened a window where Scriptures are silent. In 'The Young Messiah,' the family dynamics make a compelling story as Jesus begins to grow into his destiny as Savior of the world." - Sheila Hopkins, National Council of Catholic Women, President

"Beautiful film with a compelling story." - Rev. David L. Guffey, Family Theater Productions

"Engaging, tender ... fall in love with Jesus Christ all over again." - Lisa Hendey, CatholicMom.com Founder and Editor

"Keeps the story very consistent with what the Scriptures tell us." - Sister Rose Pacatte (Sister Rose at the Movies)

"A wonderfully crafted and inspiring film for the entire family to enjoy and, perhaps, even be transformed by!" - Michael Theisen, National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, Director of Ministry Formation

"A powerful testament to a lived faith." - Rev. Steve Sallot, Vicar General, Diocese of Orange

"Very inspirational for families; can provide a wonderful discussion for parents and their children not only about Jesus, but what does it mean for all of us to grow up in faith filled families." - Rev. Felix Just, Loyola Institute

"A unique view into the Holy Family and a young Jesus." - Randy Raus, President/CEO, Life Teen Inc.

"Beautiful, haunting, thought-provoking, and deeply, deeply reverent." Jenny Uebbing, Catholic News Agency/Mama Needs Coffee

"I think it will be great for my imagination for many weeks and many months to come...the way that faith is challenged in very complex situations but at times there is a clarity that shines through and a simplicity of the faith that is just inspiring and leaves you with a sense that God enters into this violent world and brings something very different." - Bishop Thomas Olmsted, Diocese of Phoenix

"Beautiful. Very human. A wonderful presentation on the child Jesus" Sr. Joan Paula Arruda, Daughters of Saint Paul, Superior

"Great exploration of the humanity of Jesus the Son of God in the context of family life and the hidden moments of his childhood." - Jaymie Stuart Wolfe, Boston Pilot Columnist and Pauline Books and Media, Author and Editor

Mainline

"'The Young Messiah' navigates the question of 'what did Jesus know and when did he know it' in interesting fashion." - Chris Spearman, Associate Pastor, Westwood United Methodist Church, Los Angeles

"WOW!" - Bo Sanders, United Methodist Church

"The highlight for me was the intimate talk between Jesus and Mary at the end of the film..." - Dr. Walt Winters, Former Director of International Ministries - Lutheran Hour Ministries / Owner of Jigabyte.com

"Positive - Beautifully shot, the actors and actresses were terrific - loved the child who played Jesus." - Adam Hamilton, Senior Pastor, The Church of the Resurrection, Kansas City
Why 'Baby Boomers' may never see themselves as senior adults 11 March, 2016 by Jane Rodgers , |

DALLAS (TEXAN)  About 10,000 Baby Boomers daily reach retirement age and will continue to do so until 2030, Pew Research reports. However, this does not mean Boomers are retiring and becoming inactive.

No one-size-fits-all methodology of evangelizing Boomers exists, according to ministry leaders from Lake Pointe Church of Rockwall, First Baptist Church in Dallas and Spring Baptist Church in Houston.

At Lake Pointe, evangelism is a church-wide, relationally based focus involving all ages. "We challenge members to identify three unchurched people and build relationships with them over a year," said Carter Shotwell, executive pastor of ministries.

"It's mobilizing the entire church to do the Great Commission," Shotwell said, admitting that Boomers can be challenging to mobilize.

Many Boomers are active on weekends. Church attendance is optional. You have got to find a way to impact them beyond Sundays." Carter Shotwell, executive pastor of ministries, Lake Pointe Church of Rockwall

"Many Boomers are active on weekends. Church attendance is optional," Shotwell said. "You have got to find a way to impact them beyond Sundays." Other avenues include helping Boomers become involved with Christian social ministries. "We reach unchurched people because they want to be a part of that and help the community."

What separates Boomers from younger, socially conscious groups? "Many Boomers tried church early on and wandered away from it, but some in their 20s might never have tried it. Their Boomer parents had already quit organized religion," Shotwell added, noting that Boomers are still "hungry for connection," a need motivating the church's emphasis on life groups.

While Boomers are open to relationships, their life stage makes it hard to make connections, Shotwell said. "They are mobile. Their kids are grown. They have the freedom and money to travel, making it harder for them ... to commit to ongoing groups." For this reason, Lake Pointe encourages some Boomer life groups to meet midweek.

But Boomers may never be part of a "senior adult" ministry. "Even when Boomers turn 65 and 70 they are probably not going to want that," Shotwell said. "They won't see themselves as senior adults. They are going to see themselves as something different."

Ryland Whitehorn, executive pastor of ministries at First Baptist Dallas, echoed Shotwell's assessment of Boomers as financially flexible, observing that prosperity has left many empty. Approaching retirement, they realize they have "focused energies on career, status, making money, or even recreation" but still experience a void.

On the "other side of the spectrum" are Boomers "who did not make provision economically or spiritually for the phase of life they are about to enter," Whitehorn said. "We deal with people in their 50s and 60s all the time who are having a personal confrontation with life and reality and coming to Jesus."

"People our age ... are reluctant to admit they need salvation," added Gary Shepherd, a Lake Pointe life group leader. "Don't forget, we used to be called the 'Me Generation.' When you've spent your whole life making sure the world revolves around you, it's difficult to give up that control."

At First Baptist Dallas, Boomers are called "median" adults. "Boomers are still motivated by points of action," Whitehorn noted, explaining that Boomers recognize hierarchy and absolutes. Unlike Millennials, whom Whitehorn finds are more driven by feelings, Boomers "simply want to know biblical truth."

When presented with a clear message from scripture, Boomers tend to respond, said Whitehorn. "It's really refreshing. Black and white. You don't have to put on a show."

"Evangelizing Boomers is not as relationally based as with Millennials," Whitehorn said, "but relationships are important. You can see that from Facebook, which they've taken over." Hence, Sunday School classes are not intergenerational.

"Boomers tend to want to be together. Many have been so focused on careers that they didn't develop lifelong friendships." To facilitate relationship, First Baptist Dallas encourages each class to subdivide into smaller geographical share groups.

The Dallas church further enables this generational desire for connectedness through planned social events and Discipleship Universityshort term courses offered two semesters a year on Sunday evenings.

Whereas traditional Sunday night services might draw 600, Discipleship University reaches 1,400 with classes addressing specific felt needs, Whitehorn said. Medians make up the majority of attendees.

"Boomers want to be mentored. They want to understand God's Word. They want to make a difference before they die."

For Laura Hazelwood, who works with senior adults at Spring Baptist Church, Boomer lifestyles may contribute to a "disconnection."

"A lot is going on in their lives," Hazelwood said. "Their kids are raised. They are tired. They want to take a break and go visit the grandchildren. Or with the economy, they may start a second career."

Hazelwood, who raised three children as a single mother, should know. With two children still at home, financial challenges forced her eldest daughter and family to move in also. "For two years, it was a very full house," Hazelwood laughed.

Many of my generation are raising their grandchildren."

Laura Hazelwood, Spring Baptist Church

"Many of my generation are raising their grandchildren," Hazelwood said, noting that churches must become more "creative" in reaching Boomers who may be pulled in many directions.

"We try to reach out, draw them back in, keep them. They have a wealth of wisdom to impart to our younger people."

Unlike Lake Pointe and First Dallas, Spring Baptist emphasizes intergenerational activities. Boomers remain a busy, often well-traveled group.

Like many Boomers, Hazelwood also assists elderly parents.

"Society is different. Saturdays are errand days. Sundays, children and grandchildren play sports. Many [Boomers] want flexibility. We try to offer new things," said Hazelwood, adding that Spring is planning mission trips and adding a disaster relief ministry to provide meaningful service opportunities.

While strategies of evangelizing Boomers may be diverse, commonalities emerge.

Boomers understand absolute truth, like doing life together, want to make a difference and demand flexibility. Just don't call them seniors.

--Jane Rodgers is a correspondent for the Southern Baptist Texan, the official newspaper of the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention. This article appeared online and is used with permission.
America is paying its final tribute to former first lady Nancy Reagan today at her burial service at Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Ventura County, California. She died on March 6, at the age of 94.

A musical opening to the event will be held at 10:15 am (PST) which will be performed by Santa Susana High School Advanced Women's Choir and Marine Corps Camp Pendleton, followed by the funeral at 11 am.

Nancy Reagan will be buried next to her husband and former President Ronald Reagan at the library.

Many have been gathering near the library during the last three days to pay their respects to the erstwhile first lady.

About 10 close relatives from presidential families, including George W. Bush, Michelle Obama and three other first ladies will be attending the service, along with numerous other dignitaries and Hollywood celebrities.

A renowned socialite, she was also a former Hollywood actress of the 1940s and 1950s, and married Ronald Reagan in 1952, who went on to become the 40th President of US in 1981. He died when he was 93 years old, in 2004, after suffering from Alzheimer's disease for 10 years.

Nancy and her husband both attended the Bel-Air Presbyterian Church in California, and are known to have contributed generously to the poor.

Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, a close friend of the couple, will be reading a letter from Ronald Reagan to his wife, while eulogies and memories will be shared by their son Ronald Prescott Reagan and daughter Patti Davis.

Her niece, Anne Peterson, will be reciting Proverbs 31:10-31, and her nephew Barton Hegeler will be reading 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

Reverend Stuart A. Kenworthy, Vicar of Washington National Cathedral will be presiding over the memorial service.

"Nancy Davis Reagan has led a remarkable life - as an adoring daughter, a loving mother, a devoted and sensitive partner, and a worthy ambassador for our country as First Lady. I have seen her cope bravely with life's most difficult challenges, exuding grace and dignity and strength. I am so proud of this woman...I can't imagine life without her," said Ronald Reagan in 1994 in a message to the Junior League of Los Angeles tribute dinner honoring Nancy Reagan.
Several faith leaders were asked to write brief comments about the future of Roe. I was glad to see that I was not the only person asked who sees life as beginning at conception and who is ready to see Roe overturned.
Packer by name, packer by nature," so the subject of our interview has often quipped, and rightly so. Alister McGrath, recent biographer of J. I. Packer, noted his subject's "remarkable ability to deal with complex issues in crisp and concise sentences."

Yet McGrath also notes that his subject is an "unpacker," in that "he has consistently shown himself able and willing to explain, unfold, and apply the riches of the Christian gospel to his readers."

James Packer is most famous for his packing and unpacking in Knowing God (InterVarsity), which brought him to the attention of Americans in 1973 and has now sold nearly 2 million copies. It was, however, already his thirteenth book. Since then he has published another 26, and in each he aims to present, as he puts it, "truth for people."

In addition to writing, he is a working theologian, teaching at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is also an assistant rector at St. John's Church Shaughnessy of Vancouver, a congregation of 1,100. He assists in worship, oversees adult education, and preaches from time to time.

Leadership editors Kevin Miller and Marshall Shelley sat down with Dr. Packer and asked how pastors might best communicate the gospel truth to today's culture.

For many, theology is a bad word. Why have you devoted your life to it?

It helps me appreciate the greatness, goodness, and glory of Godlifting up the sheer wonder and size and majesty of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the providence of God, the Puritans and Calvin taught me that's what theology is about. The truth I try to grasp and share is truth that enlarges the soul because it tunes into the greatness of God. It generates awe and adoration.

If this is theology, why do so many people find it objectionable or boring?

Too often theology has been taught in a rigidly defensive way: "This stuff you are to believe and share; these are the errors you are to recognize and reject." Simply projecting orthodoxy that way doesn't give much stimulus to the mind because the conclusion is determined before you've asked the question, and devotionally it is barren.

Such an approach shrinks the soul. Focusing on the greatness of God, though, enlarges the soul. Paradoxically, it makes you a greater person by making you a smaller person. It makes you humble. It lowers you in your own estimate. I've always tried to present truth so that it will humble the sinner and exalt the Savior, and so produce a Christian who's of larger stature than one who simply knows orthodoxy and is prepared to recite it on demand.

What does God-exalting theology say to a culture like ours, which aims to exalt the self?

The business of religion, in many circles, has become trying to make people happy. Anything that enlarges my comfort zone is regarded as good, godly, proper, and to be integrated into my religion.

But true theology challenges the presuppositions of North American culture, both secular and churchly, both of which seem to be primarily concerned with the "right to happiness." True theology calls on us to deny the claims of self and exalt God instead.

You don't come across as someone who is confrontational, though.

You don't usually get anywhere with self-absorbed people by throwing a challenge in their face. In-your-face style usually produces an indignant, negative reaction or withdrawal.

Instead, I've tried to infiltrate happiness-oriented minds with the thought that God might be greater than we imagine and might have a different agenda for us.

I build everything on biblical exegesis and application. John Calvin and the Puritans did that. And in preaching and writing, I find an enormous difference between the feel of putting out my own ideas and the feel of simply echoing and enforcing what God has said in his Word. You have liberty and authority when you allow the Bible to talk through you, a liberty and authority you don't have if you're offering your own ideas or cherished notions. By expanding on Scripture, all of which is God-centered material, I challenge self-absorption indirectly all the time.

Does that mean you're opposed to a user-friendly or seeker-oriented approach to ministry?

Insofar as pastors are concerned to communicate with people where they really are, such concern is very goodbut not if they tailor the message so as simply to give people what they want, in hope of increasing church attendance. I know of one or two professedly seeker-sensitive churches where nothing gets paraded or taught but the ABCs of the gospelwhy an outsider will find the Christian life a happier life and how an outsider becomes a Christian. In those congregations, Christians of some standing and relative maturity are starving because there's nothing provided for them.

Is it legitimate to appeal to non-Christians at the point of their admittedly self-absorbed needfor example, by offering marriage seminars to get them into church?

There's great wisdom in the old adage "Scratch where it itches." The question is what are you going to tell them about the particular problems on their minds. The really good evangelists, like Billy Graham, always say these problems cannot be solved unless the bigger problem of their basic relationship with God is also solved. Rightly they explain: "It's a single package. We can't put your family life straight unless you're prepared to become a new creature in Christ."

In light of verses about the blessedness and abundance of the Christian life, isn't it legitimate to preach that true Christianity is a means to personal fulfillment?

It's legitimate once you've guarded against the mistake that makes it illegitimate. The mistake is to suppose that I should think of myself as the center of the universe, and God as there for my comfort and my convenienceas if God exists merely to bless me. That assumption has to be junked.

We exist for God. God, in his great mercy, has promised that blessedness will accompany discipleship, but it's got to be God first.

Without that, to say that Christianity is the secret of happiness is dangerous. Often evangelists who preach that way leave the wrong impression and confirm the egocentricity of folk, who then try Christianity as a formula for happiness. God is merciful and sometimes there is a real conversion and real regeneration. But even so, that kind of teaching is likely to produce sub-standard saints.

You don't actually help the butterfly emerge from its chrysalis by cutting the chrysalis. If the butterfly doesn't struggle from inside to get out, it comes out as a butterfly that isn't strong enough to fly. People who get into the Christian life without ever being challenged to repent of their egocentricity are, at best, likely to remain stunted Christians. The struggle to change at this point is necessary for health and growth.

Repentance doesn't seem to be a popular theme in preaching these days. Why is that?

It's due to theological neglect. We don't preach it, and people don't understand it because we don't have an awesome, horizon-filling, overwhelming sense of the greatness and holiness and goodness of God.

Thomas Chalmers, a Scottish pastor of the 1800s, spoke of the "expulsive power of a new affection." That's how true repentance is born; that's how lives get transformed. The new affection is grateful love of a God who saved you, of a Christ who died for you. It means the things of this world grow strangely dim. Only a new vision of the purity and greatness and goodness of God has the power to expel selfish affections and so make repentance real.

Is it appropriate to use guilt to motivate people to repent?

We can't help it. When people wake up to the fact that they've been defying and dishonoring God all these years, they'll feel guilt if the Spirit is working in their hearts.

The next question will be "How can I get straight with God?" This means "How can I get rid of my guilt?" That's when we can talk about, to put it theologically, penal substitution: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.

I hear evangelists, especially youth evangelists, say, "People today simply don't respond if you teach guilt and then highlight the Cross as the act of God putting away guilt; they don't think of themselves as guilty." Well, that's our fault because we haven't told them of their guilt. We haven't made them recognize how thoroughly they've been dishonoring and defying God. We've left them on the egocentric happiness track.

Are judgment and hell themes, then, that today's preachers can use?

They need to play a more prominent part in our message than they have in the last half-century. There's been a strong reaction in Christian circles against imaginative presentations of hell, the fire and all of that. But people do need to know that lostness is a fact.

I have struggled with this a bit in writing against conditional immortality, which is the idea that human beings are not built to last forever, that endless existence is a gift that only the born-again receive, and that those who don't qualify for heaven simply get snuffed out. It's a form of annihilationism.

My concept of hell owes more to C. S. Lewis, whose key thought is that what you have chosen to be in this world comes back at you as your eternal destiny; if you have chosen to have your back, rather than your face, to God; if you've chosen to put up the shutters against his grace rather than to receive it, that's how you will spend eternity. Hell is to live in a state apart from God, where all of the good things in this world no longer remain for you. All that remains is to be shut up in yourself.

In Jean Paul Sartre's play No Exit, four people are in a room they can't leave, and they can't get away from one another. What Sartre presents is the ongoing, endless destruction of each person by the others. Though Sartre was an atheist, his nightmare vision of this process makes substantial sense to me as an image of hell.

This all sounds pretty harsh and confrontive. Can you get away with that today?

In my ministry of preaching to existing congregations, I don't find myself up against people who are explicitly and defiantly making their own happiness the center of their concern. If I did, then I would say straight to them what I just said straight to you.

But I try to say strong things gently. An old English phrase captures the essence of my presentational style: "Softly, softly catchee monkey." It is supposedly the wisdom of an Indian servant in the days of British occupation; he was trying to trap a monkey that was making a nuisance of itself, and he knew the way to catch it was to creep up on it.

Someone said that Charles Finney rode people down with a cavalry charge. Well, I'm not Finney. I set traps for sinners; I try to get them to see the truth by helping them think things through with me, so that they see for themselves that the only right way is the God-centered way.

We live in a culture in which people demand choices, in everything from candy bars to churches. How can we speak to people in this frame of mind?

First, the pastor needs to express constantly in one way or another, "Through my ministry, I trust God is going to speak to you, because my business is simply to let God's Word speak its message through me. And we'll study the Bible together on the matters the Bible treats as central. That's what we as a church have covenanted to do. That agenda is non-negotiable."

Then, in the course of preaching, the pastor has to say in some way, "The only real choice we have is whether we're going to listen to God or not. Are we going to allow him to speak what's on his mind, or are we going to make the rules and allow him to address us only on matters of our choosing?"

How do you preach from the Bible to people who may not care what it teaches?

I haven't got a ready-made formula for doing that. All I know is that when people are born again and have a passion to know God and to deepen their relationship with Godjust as a chap who's fallen in love has a passion to deepen his relationship with the girleverything in Scripture then becomes interesting.

I don't know any quick and easy technique of getting people to study the Bible. So I try to preach about the goodness and greatness and glory of God in a way that I hope will generate the passion, but ultimately I can't produce that effect. Only the Holy Spirit can.

What Bible books can be of most practical help for pastors?

The pastoral epistles in the New Testament, certainly, and the Book of Proverbs in the Old Testament.

Billy Graham has read a chapter of Proverbs every day since his ministry started, and it seems to me that he was absolutely right to do that. Almost without exception he's been able to keep his balance and talk sense about anything people have questioned him on.

Charles Finney rode people down with a cavalry charge. Well I'm not Finney. I set traps for sinners; I try to get them to see the truth by helping them think things through with me: the only right way is the God-centered way.

The pastor needs to have all that wisdom of the Proverbs in his mind because a great deal of pastoral guidance is a matter of Christian common sense, following where Proverbs leads.

I'd also add the rest of the Bible's wisdom literature. To echo Oswald Chambers, the Psalms teach you how to pray; Job teaches you how to suffer; the Song of Solomon teaches you how to love; Proverbs teaches you how to live; and Ecclesiastes teaches you how to enjoy. The more the pastor knows about these booksas well as James, the great New Testament wisdom bookthe better.

What signals that people have moved from self-absorption to growing maturity?

Maturity was exemplified by the leaders of the church from the first to the nineteenth centuries, people whom I would characterize as "great souled." There was a sense of stature, a sense of bigness about them that was directly related to the quality of their discipleship. It gave them dignity. It gave them poise and a searching insight. It meant that even when others rubbished or even martyred them, they generated respect.

Sometimes, though, they first generated a robust hatred. Richard Baxter, the seventeenth-century Puritan, was a man of stature who was hated. He got under people's skin simply by his poise, passion, and integrity. Just by being a good man, faithfully serving God, he made people feel bad. John Chrysostom is another example, as were Athanasius and Calvin. I could name so many more.

What role does theology play in this maturing?

Theology is food for the hungry soul. What you have in the Bible, very often, is the raw material, the makings of the meal. We who preach and teach in our character as theologians are like cooks, and it's our business to shape the meal. Good theology, when we produce it, will come as a meal for the soul.

Look at Luther, Calvin, Barth, and Augustineeven at someone as seemingly dry as Charles Hodge in his Systematic Theology. Hodge wrote his stuff for the classroom, most of it apologetics. But when he expands on gospel doctrines, he warms up, and it's very good for the soul.

As you scan the near future, what theological issues will pastors increasingly face?

We're going to have to fight much more against religious pluralism, the idea that all religions are on a par, that all religions are ways to God. It will take us also a couple of decades to get out of the swamp of what's called postmodernism, where you have no notion of absolute truth. In the churches, we will have to be constantly speaking against that because God does speak truth.

We also need to recover a true understanding of human life, a sense of the greatness of the soul. We need to recover the awareness that God is more important than we are, that the future life is more important than this one, that happiness is the promise for heaven, that holiness is the priority here in this world, and that nothing in this world is perfect or complete.

That would give people a view of the significance of their lives on a day-to-day basis, which so many at the moment lack.

You have a liberty and authority when you allow the Bible to talk through you, a liberty and authority you don't have if you're offering your own ideas or cherished notions.
home US Ben Carson launches new campaign to convince Christians to vote after quitting presidential race

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson has pulled out of the electoral race, but he has launched a new campaign to convince American Christians to vote.

During the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last week, the retired neurosurgeon announced that he will head the non-profit organization My Faith Votes. Ben Carson's new campaign involves encouraging Christian voters to participate in the upcoming elections.

While Carson's new group is non-partisan and non-denominational, he will focus on campaigning to convince Christians to use their power to vote, My Faith Votes' spokesman Johnnie Moore explained. In an email, Moore also said the organization's central cause is to remind people of faith of their moral responsibility to vote by tapping televangelists, local preachers, radio personalities, and even YouTube. The organization is also planning to talk to Catholic leaders next.

"It is my faith that motivated me to be involved in the political process to begin with. I believe Christians in this country can easily determine the next president of the United States and all other national and local leaders, should they simply show up at the polls," said Carson in his statement. "When we do vote, We The People will once again solidify our commitment to the Judeo-Christian values upon which our nation was founded."

Carson's decision to serve as the national chairman of My Faith Votes was met with a standing ovation by the crowd in Washington, D.C. on Friday. He acknowledged that a lot of people love him but will not vote for him in the presidential elections.

In an interview with Time, Carson said he had prayed that the Lord would open doors for his presidential candidacy even if he really did not want to run for the position. His campaign soared initially, but later on was not able to compete with Donald Trump and other GOP frontrunners.

Now that Carson has suspended his presidential campaign, speculation has surfaced about who his supporters will now vote for. Carson, however, said he is leaving it up to his followers to assess the presidential candidates and choose the best one for them.
home World Book claims Jesus was a Hindu who spoke Tamil and practiced Yoga; Christians protest in India

Christians in India launched a protest last week over the re-launch of a book which claims Jesus was a Hindu, with protestors saying the author's claims are a form of attack on Christianity.

The book "Christa Parichay" by Ganesh Savarkar claims Jesus was a Tamil Brahmin by birth and that Christianity is a sect under Hinduism. Initially published in 1946, the book has now been translated into English and was re-launched on Friday at the Swatantryaveer Savarkar National Memorial, according to The Hindu.

The controversial book also claims that Jesus died in Kashmir and that members of the Essene cult rescued him after the crucifixion. He was then restored to life using medicinal plants from the Himalayas, DNA India adds.

Moreover, the book claims that the Palestinian and Arab lands of the present world were Hindu land. Jesus Christ, whose real name was allegedly Keshao Krishna, had a dark complexion and spoke Tamil. The book goes on to claim that Jesus went to India and learned yoga there.

Prior to the launch event, members of the Alpha Omega Christian Mahasangh had threatened to stage a protest outside the venue of the launch. However, the demonstration did not take place at the time.

The Hubballi Taluka Pastors and Christian Leaders' Association backed last week's protest, wherein Christians held up placards claiming it was an attack on their faith. Other placards contained appeals for Jesus to forgive Savarkar for what he wrote.

For the Christian protestors, "Christa Parichay" was re-launched to create division among the communities in the country, the report relays. However, the author's grandson Ranjit Savarkar, claims Christians who read the book will feel a surge of pride after finishing it.

Father Warner D'Souze, the director of the Bombay Archdiocesan Heritage Museum said "Christa Parichay" and other similar books will not shake any Christian's beliefs.

"Christa Parichay" by Ganesh Savarkar was re-launched along with five of his other books on the 70th death anniversary of the author's brother V D Savarkar.
home World Christian kicked off EasyJet flight over WhatsApp prayer message on phone

A British Christian was kicked off an EasyJet flight after a fellow passenger mistook a WhatsApp message on his phone for a reference to ISIS.

On Thursday, Laolu Opebiyi, 40, was waiting aboard an EasyJet aircraft bound for Amsterdam from Luton Airport when security personnel came over to ask him if he was converting to Islam. The two armed officers also asked him about his faith and the church he is attending before escorting him out of the plane, Christian Today reports.

The passenger apparently saw a message on Opebiyi's phone about "prayer" and reported the British Christian as a security threat. Opebiyi, a business analyst, explained that he was trying to use WhatsApp for a conference call prayer with his friends, according to The Guardian.

Opebiyi said the passenger behind him suddenly asked him what he meant by "prayer." Realizing that the passenger had been reading the message on his phone from behind him, he explained that he was trying to pray with his friends. The passenger then approached the cabin crew and returned after 15 minutes before two armed officers came aboard.

Opebyi also said the passenger may have misunderstood the WhatsApp group "Iron Sharpens Iron" (ISI) on his mobile phone. He said he told them he was a Christian and even showed them his Bible, but he was forced to surrender his phone and password to prove that he was not a terrorist, the report relays.

"That guy doesn't know me and within two minutes he's judging me," Opebiyi told The Guardian in an interview. "Even if I was a Muslim, it was pretty unfair the way I was treated. I don't think anyone, irrespective of their religion should be treated in such a way."

Upon his return to the EasyJet desk, the passenger who complained about him refused to fly. Six other passengers also followed suit. Opebiyi flew to his destination after four hours because the pilot did not want him to return to the plane anymore, the report details.

Although Opebyi has been cleared of the accusations, he expressed his fears over being placed on a terrorist watch list just because someone saw the word "prayer" on his phone. He is concerned that his movements may now be monitored because of the incident.

In a statement, a spokesperson for EasyJet apologized for the inconvenience the incident caused the Christian passenger. However, the company also said they consider safety and security of their passengers as their top priority.
home World Christian persecution's worst year in modern history largely attributed to Muslims

Muslims are largely responsible for the worst year for Christian persecution in modern history, based on the latest World Watch List compiled by Christian advocate group Open Doors.

Open Doors' latest World Watch List shows the 50 worst countries to be a Christian. The list reflects that Muslims are by far the group most responsible for the worst year in modern history for Christian persecution, Front Page Mag reports.

Among the 50 countries in the World Watch List, 41 of them trace the root cause of persecution back to Islamic extremism. That equates to 82 percent of the cases of Christian persecution in the world. Moreover, 90 percent of the worst countries to be a Christian are Muslim-majority, the report details.

Meanwhile, North Korea ranks number one in the 2016 World Watch List of countries that persecute Christians despite not being Islamic. The publication explains that the persecution in North Korea is an effect of socio-economic factors and its repressive government. An end to Kim Jong-Un's dictatorship would likely end the persecution, unlike the situation in other Middle Eastern and African countries.

In Islamic countries, the removal of dictators has often resulted in a peak in Christian persecution, such as in Iraq, Libya, and Syria. As of now, Syria takes the second spot as the worst country to be a Christian, with Libya taking the 10th place. When the dictators still ruled 10 years ago, Iraq was at 32, Syria at 47, and Libya at 22, the report relays. However, in the aftermath of the removal of dictators, a leadership vacuum allowed various extremist and terror groups to move in and fight for control.

The other countries included in the top 10 list are Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, and Libya. Although these countries are run by different kinds of leaders and governments, all of them are Islamic countries.

Another issue at the center of persecution right now is the activities of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). ISIS' ongoing slaughter of Christians has pushed the European Parliament to pass a resolution labeling the extremist group's killing of religious minorities as "genocide," however, the United States has still not equated the extreme and focused persecution as genocide, the American Thinker reports.
home Faith 'Christianity has destroyed our culture, tradition and way of life' company says in rejection letter to Christian applicant

The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal has ruled in favor of a Christian job applicant and has ordered an adventure company to pay $8,500 after the firm discriminated against her because of her faith.

In September 2014, Trinity Western University (TWU) graduate Bethany Paquette applied for the position of an assistant guide with Amaruk Wilderness Corp. However, the company responded to her application through an email telling her she was not qualified for the position in part because of her Christian faith, according to CBC.

"Unlike Trinity Western University, we embrace diversity, and the right of people to sleep with or marry whoever they want, and this is reflected within some of our staff and management," Amaruk wilderness guide Olaf Amundsen told Paquette in the email. "In addition, the Norse background of most of the guys at the management level means that we are not a Christian organization, and most of us actually see Christianity as having destroyed our culture, tradition and way of life."

Paquette then defended TWU's stance on sex outside of marriage, but Amundsen replied again and said the university has discriminated against students by prohibiting same-sex relationships. He also said Trinity Western graduates are not welcome at Amaruk, the National Post reports.

The Christian applicant lodged a complaint with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal against Amaruk and its director Christopher Fragassi-Bjornsen, the report details.

The tribunal heard the complaint in November 2015, even without the presence of the respondents or their legal representative.

In a written response to Paquette's complaint, Amaruk said her application was rejected because she did not meet the basic requirements for the position and not because of her ties with TWU.

On Wednesday, the tribunal released a written decision on Paquette's complaint which orders Amaruk to pay $8,500 to the Christian applicant for injuring her self-respect and dignity. The company was also ordered to reimburse Paquette's various expenses amounting to $661.08, and to halt any other discriminatory practices.

B.C. Human Rights Tribunal member Normann Trerise explained that religious discrimination was one of the reasons why Amaruk rejected Paquette's application. However, he acknowledged that Paquette was not qualified for the position she was applying for, therefore her claim for loss of wages was not awarded.
home Faith Church has right to fire employees over religious beliefs, U.S. court says

A Missouri court has ruled in favor of a Catholic diocese's decision to fire an employee for violating the church's religious teachings.

In may 2014, the Diocese of Kansas City  St. Joseph fired Colleen Simon from her position as director for social ministries at St. Francis Xavier Parish after a photo of her with her now legal wife was published in the Kansas City Star's 816 magazine. The church said her same-sex marriage went against the Catholic Church's belief, so they terminated her employment, according to Christian Today.

Simon fought back and filed a lawsuit two months later on the grounds that the diocese knew she was a lesbian before she began working for the church. She also alleged that the diocese made her believe that her sexual orientation would not have any bearing on her employment, the report relays.

However, the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) proved that Simon was well aware of the conflict that same-sex relations could have with the church's teaching. A brief filed by ADF for the diocese showed that Simon had previously worked with other Diocese churches, and that would have made her aware of the rules and teaching of the Church, including the Policy on Ethics and Integrity in Ministry.

"Churches should have the right to hire and fire people based on how consistently they live out their religious beliefs," ADF legal counsel Jeremiah Galus said. "If an employee is undermining or publicly opposing the church's teaching, the church is within its constitutional rights to terminate employment."

Galus also explained that not being forced to employ workers if their actions contradict core religious beliefs will help preserve the integrity of religious institutions. Employing people who disobey the church's teachings will prevent them from performing their religious duties accordingly, the Catholic News Agency relays.

In addition, Galus said the court's decision just reaffirms that federal discrimination laws are not applicable to religious groups when it comes to hiring religious leaders. The U.S. Supreme Court had already established this principle in Hosanna-Tabor, he said.

In light of this, the Jackson County Circuit Court ruled that courts must uphold churches' First Amendment and should not interfere with their religious practices and teachings.
home World Colombia Christians targeted for extortion, forced military service - CSW

Christians in Colombia are being targeted by rival factions for extortion and forced military service, based on a report derived from a fact-finding visit by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).

CSW's report titled "Colombia: Freedom of Religion or Belief and Freedom of Conscience" says young people, including Christians are being forced to fight for paramilitaries even if they object. Those who attempt to escape the illegal armed groups either have to go into hiding to avoid getting killed, Christian Today reports.

The information gathered by CSW came from interviews with church leaders in the five areas in Colombia where illegal armed groups are prominent, the report details.

Meanwhile, there are ongoing peace talks between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which is the main rebel group in the country. However, church leaders are doubtful that the peace talks will effectively put an end to the conflict that has spanned five decades and has left 220,000 people dead so far, according to The Tablet.

Christian leaders say the guerilla groups still continue to threaten and target them for extortion despite the peace talks.

"The guerrillas are making peace but as I see it, the peace they are making is for over there, but it makes it more complicated here," one indigenous church leader told CSW.

In line with this, CSW chief executive Mervyn Thomas has called on the Colombian government to step up their efforts to protect civilians, especially in areas strongly infested by the FARC. He highlighted the restriction on religious freedom that the guerilla groups impose on Christians. Thomas also asked for support from the international community in this regard.

In September last year, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leader Rodrigo Londono announced that the two groups will sign a peace deal within six months. The landmark agreement between the government and the guerilla group is expected to be signed on March 23.
home US Donald Trump or Ted Cruz? Republican primary race marches forward as voters face tough choice

Republicans desperate to stop Donald Trump from capturing the party's presidential nomination may have to unite behind Ted Cruz, a polarizing figure who has made many enemies within the party.

Cruz, 45, a senator from Texas, won nominating contests in Kansas and Maine on Saturday, bolstering his argument that he is the leading alternative to Trump, 69, the blunt-spoken billionaire businessman.

Many mainstream Republicans are reluctant, however, to rally behind Cruz, whom they see as too conservative for the general electorate in the Nov. 8 election to succeed Democratic President Barack Obama.

Cruz has run as an outsider bent on shaking up the Republican establishment in Washington. A favorite of evangelicals, he has called for the United States to "carpet bomb" the Islamic State militant group and has pledged to eliminate the tax-collecting Internal Revenue Service and four Cabinet agencies.

But he angered many Republican colleagues when he led an unsuccessful effort to repeal President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act that shut down the government for 16 days in 2013.

Republican pollster Neil Newhouse said Cruz had not yet shown an ability to appeal beyond the most conservative voters.

"The way things are going, I think it's extraordinarily unlikely that Senator Cruz becomes the focal point for Republicans who want to stop Trump," said Newhouse, who was lead pollster for 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

Kim Reem, a member of the executive committee of the National Federation of Republican Women, said three factions were emerging among Republicans: those supporting Trump, those backing Cruz, and supporters of the party establishment. None are inclined to compromise, she said.

"I don't see a path to making everybody happy," she said.

Former U.S. Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi said he would have a hard time supporting a Cruz nomination. "He'd have to change his tactics and his conduct an awful lot," he said.

Cruz has feuded with party leadership, including Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and has often accused fellow Republicans of selling out conservative principles.

Although he has been in the Senate for four years, Cruz has not won a single endorsement from any other senator. He touts that on the campaign trail as evidence he is an outsider.

RUBIO FLORIDA HOPE

To win the nomination, 1,237 delegates are needed. According to The New York Times, Trump leads with 384 delegates and Cruz has won 300. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, 44, of Florida, an establishment favorite still seen by some in the party as an option to Trump, has won 151 delegates and Ohio Governor John Kasich trails with 37.

Some establishment Republicans say the best way to stop Trump would be for Rubio to win the 99-delegate Florida contest and Kasich the 66-delegate Ohio primary. Opinion polls show Cruz trailing in both states, which award all their delegates to the top vote-getter on March 15.

Michigan, Mississippi, Idaho and Hawaii hold nominating contests on Tuesday. Recent opinion polls show Trump leading by a wide margin in Michigan, the day's biggest prize.

If Cruz, Rubio and Kasich can collectively prevent Trump from getting the needed majority of delegates, they could force a brokered Republican Party convention in July in Cleveland, aimed at producing a compromise candidate.

Even if Cruz gets the second-highest vote total, he may have trouble claiming the nomination at the convention over Trump.

If nothing else, the debate reveals deep divisions within the party.

Slater Bayliss, a Florida Republican who raised money for former Florida Governor Jeb Bush before he dropped out of the race, said: "From my perspective, Senator Cruz's views are indicative of only a very small cohort in our party."

Republican donors, unhappy with Trump policies like his calls to deport 11 million illegal immigrants and temporarily bar all Muslims from entering the United States have poured millions of dollars into attack ads over the past week.

The Club for Growth, an advocacy group that pushes for lower taxes and spending, said on Monday it would spend $2 million on TV ads questioning Trump's conservative credentials in Illinois, one of six states or territories that holds a nominating contest on March 15.

Outside groups have spent more than $10 million on anti-Trump advertising in Florida and $23 million in other states, according to federal records.
home World Egypt president condoning Christian persecution in Egypt, claims new report

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has expanded efforts in his country to combat terrorism, however, a worrying new report has claimed he is condoning Christian persecution in his own country by opting to ignore instances where Christians are being targeted.

In an entry on the Council of Foreign Relations, Elliott Abrams says Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's supporters should be made aware that the Egyptian president is choosing not to act to effectively stop and prevent persecution of Christians in his country. He cites the situation of four Christian teenagers who were convicted of "blasphemy" and sentenced to five years in jail for mocking the ISIS in a video.

In a 30-second clip, the four Christian teens are seen making fun of ISIS' practice of reciting Muslim prayers before beheading their victims. The video, which was never meant to be shared publicly, was filmed after the terror group executed several Coptic Christians, the report details.

However, Muslims took offense to the video and the incident led to rioting and destruction of Christian homes. While nobody was punished for the riots, the four Christian teenagers were given the maximum penalty for "blasphemy" in Egypt.

Elliott says Sisi could have appealed to the Prosecutor General for the pardon of the four Christian teens, but he chose not to do anything. Blasphemy laws continue to be used in Egypt to persecute Christians, who are continuously being attacked for their beliefs.

Another report has highlighted the continued suffering of Coptic Christians in Egypt. Religious liberty human rights group Christian Freedom International (CFI) says Copts are often targeted for kidnap-for-ransom in the country, One News Now relays.

CFI executive director Lisa Jones said terrorists or crime groups make it part of their business to hold Coptic Christians hostage until they receive a ransom, and some of the victims end up dead. Jones called out the Egyptian government for its failure to help stop these crimes against Copts.

"Even if there was someone in authority who was sympathetic or was just trying to be just, they get so much pressure to go along with the anti-Christian feeling and sentiment there that they cave," said Jones.

Along this line, the CFI director said making the situation known to the world and calling out the kidnappers will make a big difference. She encouraged people to help protect and pray for the persecuted Christians in Egypt.
home Faith Franklin Graham announces World Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians in Moscow

Rev. Franklin Graham has announced that the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association will host the World Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians along with the Russian Orthodox Church and other evangelical leaders.

In a Facebook post this week, Franklin Graham gave a preview on the World Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians, which will be held in Moscow in October. The evangelist explained that the global summit is all about and talked about his discussion with Russian Orthodox Church head Patriarch Kirill about the persecution of Christians all over the world, The Christian Post reports.

In Graham's interview with Kirill on Feb. 16, the Patriarch urged Christians to work hand in hand to prevent society from being de-Christianized. The American evangelist also noted that UK's Prince Charles had warned that Christianity could soon disappear from the Middle East because of the intensity of persecution, Charisma News relays.

"The World Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians will shed a global spotlight on this crisis," said Franklin Graham in his Facebook statement. "We will bring delegates from around the world and will be able to join hands with people of other churches and denominations of the Christian faith to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ and to hear firsthand reports of the suffering that is taking place."

In addition, Graham mentioned how 2015 became the worst year for persecuted Christians. The number of Christians who were killed because of their faith more than doubled compared with the year before that.

Graham also brought up the suffering of the Orthodox Church under the communist rule in the 20th century. He recalled how the communists jailed or executed all the Russian church leaders and that their graves now stand as a reminder of what happened.

Because of the persecution that the Russian Christians suffered at the hands of the communists, Graham said it is just fitting that the summit will be held in Moscow.

The World Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians in Moscow, Russia will run from Oct. 28 to Oct. 30.
home US Hillary Clinton reaches out to Detroit African-American churches to discuss Flint water crisis

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has reached out to African-American churches in Detroit on Sunday to talk about the Flint water contamination crisis.

On Sunday, Hillary Clinton spoke at the service of the Holy Ghost Cathedral Church, Triumph Church, and the Russell Street Missionary Baptist Church, where she was was warmly welcomed by the pastors of the three churches. Aside from discussing the Flint water contamination crisis, the Democratic presidential candidate also touched on the system of Detroit Public Schools, The Detroit News reports.

"It is just unacceptable in our country that precious little children are going to school in classrooms filled with mold and rodents," said Clinton at the Triumph Church. "I don't know how any public official can look in the mirror and know that little kids in Detroit are being denied physical and educational quality."

Which do you wanna see most in Injustice 2 ?  Ed Boon (@noobde) December 5, 2016

At the Holy Ghost Cathedral, Clinton rallied for an end to the state control of schools in Flint and Detroit. She told the congregation that it is about time that control of the schools should be returned to Detroit locals, the report details.

In addition, Clinton told the three churches about her support for policies that will give ex-convicts the chance to leave their life of crime and get another shot at a clean life. She proposed barring employers from including a criminal history check box on forms for job applications.

Clinton has been industriously courting the African-American voters, and McClatchyDC says her effort has been the driving force in her wins over Bernie Sanders in states largely dominated by Democrats. Her visit at Flint prior to the New Hampshire primary has helped solidify her support among the African-American communities in Michigan and South Carolina.

Based on a Quinnipiac University survey in February, Hillary Clinton's efforts to court African-Americans are working. The survey says she will most likely beat Donald Trump among black voters by an overwhelming 83 to 12 percent.
home US Idaho pastor shooting suspect Kyle Odom arrested outside the White House

Kyle Odom, the suspect in the shooting of Idaho pastor Tim Remington, was finally arrested this week outside the White House.

In a statement, the Secret Service said former marine Kyle Odom threw some things over the south fence of the White House on Tuesday night and was immediately arrested. Odom is the suspect in the shooting of Altar Church pastor Tim Remington on Sunday, a day after the minister prayed with presidential candidate Ted Cruz in a campaign rally.

However, police have not found any evidence that the shooting was politically motivated, the report adds.

Coeur d'Alene Police Chief Lee White said Odom was able to fly to Washington after the shooting in Idaho despite a felony warrant on national database, Fox 2 Now relays.

Hours before the arrest, KXLY reported that someone had posted a message on Odom's Facebook page.

"Things are not what they appear to be. The world is ruled by ancient civilization from Mars. Pastor Tim was one of them, and he was the reason my life was ruined," the Facebook statement says. "... I shot Pastor Tim 12 times, there is no way any human could have survived that event. Anyway, I have sent my story to all the major news organizations. I have no time, I have to go."

Police in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho had earlier said that Odom has a history of mental illness. White also revealed that Odom had sent media outlets a manifesto addressed to President Barack Obama. The manifesto also contains 50 names of Congressmen and dozens of Israeli officials under the section "noteworthy Martians."

In addition, the manifesto threatens another pastor from Altar Church, Pastor John Padula. As a precaution, White said that pastor was placed under police protection.

Meanwhile, Pastor Padula has revealed to the Associated Press that Remington has already gained consciousness and is now able to talk to his family.

Kyle Odom's family has issued a statement expressing relief that no other person has been hurt in the incident. The family has also asked for privacy amid the situation.
home World Iran's underground church movement grows with international help

Despite the persistent persecution of Christians in Iran, the underground church movement in the country has been growing with the help of a London-based organization.

The Pars Theological Centre is training at least 200 Iranian Christians to become church leaders who will help in church expansion efforts. An unnamed insider told The Christian Post that Pars believes the secret movement will help transform Iran into a better society.

"Pars sees this as a real chance to train agents of change who would transform the Iranian society from the bottom up by fostering a grassroots development of the values of Jesus in an Iranian style," the unnamed source said. "This is not a political movement at all, but it will have political implications because it is touching the core foundations of society. This is battling prostitution and drug addiction. If you want to live in a country that doesn't fund terrorists, you have to develop the values of the grassroots."

The source also said Pars is not anti-Iranian, but it is an Iranian movement wherein a lot of Muslims are embracing Christianity.

Since the Shi'ite Muslim government rose to power in 1979, Christians have been constantly threatened, imprisoned, killed, and tortured for their faith. In 2010, the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran's underground churches are a threat to the Islamic faith.

Nevertheless, the secret movement of Christian churches in Iran continues to grow, and Open Doors USA estimates that there are now around 450,000 practicing Iranian Christians. Other groups estimate the number to be more than 1 million, the report details.

Christians in Iran worship secretly in various house churches with only four or five members each to keep from being detected. The source also said the house church members are forced to sing quietly when they worship and change their meeting place regularly.

Hundreds of thousands of Christians are worshiping secretly in a rapidly accelerating house church movement in Iran, as a London-based theological center is aiding the movement by training the next generation of its spiritual leaders.

Pars was founded by Rev. Mehrdad Fatehi in 2010.
home Faith Is Donald Trump a Christian? Republican says he attends Marble Collegiate Church in New York

Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has spoken in general terms about Christianity in his campaign, but less is known about his personal religious background and his own personal faith testimony.

Donald Trump has described that he is a Presbyterian and he says that he actively participates in the activities of this church.

The First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, Queens has confirmed Trump's earlier statements that he previously attended service with them. The real estate mogul now says that he is with the Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan, but a representative of the church told CNN that Trump does not regularly attend their services.

Trump has also stated that he does not ask God for forgiveness for his wrongdoings. In an interview with CNN, the Republican presidential candidate said that when he realizes he has done something wrong, he only tries to do better the next time, and does not involve God in his mistakes.

"I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right," Trump told CNN. "I don't bring God into that picture. I don't."

In addition, Trump claims he goes to church regularly, but has specified that he mainly attends church services on "major" occasions including Christmas and Easter. He also said he goes to church on Sundays whenever he can.

Last month, Pope Francis appeared to question Trump's Christian faith, indicating that Trump's intention to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall went against the general stance a Christian should have to migrants in need. For the pontiff, a person who wants to build walls instead of bridges is not a Christian.

Trump fired back and called Pope Francis "disgraceful" for questioning his Christian faith. The pontiff, who had prayed at the Mexico-U.S. border for the migrants who lost their lives trying to cross to the other side, said he would give Donald Trump the benefit of the doubt.
home World Islam may be dropped as state religion of Bangladesh after string of extremist attacks

Bangladesh may drop Islam as its state religion after a string of extremist attacks targeting other religious groups including Christians, Hindus, and Shi'ites.

After Bangladesh broke off from Pakistan in 1971, it started out as a secular state. It was only in 1988 when it amended its constitution that the country declared Islam as its official religion.

However, the supreme court of Bangladesh is considering abandoning Islam as the state religion after Islamic extremists have been blamed for the series of attacks on Christians, Hindus, and other religious minorities. The latest victims of such attacks are Hindu priest in the northern part of the country, East Asia Forum (EAF) details.

Islamic terror group ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh since September 2015. However, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina still has not acknowledged the role of ISIS in the violent attacks, the report relays.

The publication has challenged the Bangladesh government to send out a clear message that it will not tolerate any form of terrorism. It points out that rising extremism in the country could severely affect its two nearest neighbors, India and Myanmar, especially since ISIS has expressed interest in expanding its operations into the two countries.

The proposals to drop Islam as the state religion on the country does not come without opposition however, with some arguing that the challenge is illegal and is simply the efforts of leaders of minority groups.

Meanwhile, EAF says Bangladesh needs to stop denying the connection between its local radicals and the international terrorist groups attacking its religious minorities. The report also suggests improving security at airports and other important infrastructures, and organizing a new police unit dedicated to counterterrorism and transnational crime.
home Entertainment Jennifer Garner inspired to return to church with kids by 'Miracles From Heaven' movie

Jennifer Garner has started going to church regularly again with her kids after playing a role in her latest movie "Miracles from Heaven."

In an interview with "Good Morning Texas" on Feb. 22, Jennifer Garner promoted her new movie "Miracles from Heaven" and revealed how the film inspired her to bring her kids to church again every Sunday. The actress recalled how she grew up attending church regularly but stopped when she moved to Los Angeles, according to Breitbart.

When asked by host Jane McGarry why she agreed doing "Miracles from Heaven," Jennifer Garner said she talked to her children about the role in the film and it made her realize that the kids wanted to attend church every Sunday, People reports.

"There was something about doing this film and talking to my kids about it and realizing that they were looking for the structure of church every Sunday," said Garner. "So it was a great gift of this film that it took us back to finding our local Methodist church and going every Sunday."

Garner said the movie helped lead them back to their local Methodist church, which they now visit every Sunday. She also praised "Miracles from Heaven" for its message of hope and inspiration and for conveying the message that every single thing in life is considered a miracle; a job or even an avocado. She also shared how her faith helped her overcome the problems she has encountered in life.

In addition, Garner talked about a service she attended one weekend at The Potter's House Church where Bishop T.D. Jakes, who is also a producer of the movie, preached. The Hollywood actress expressed how jealous she was of Dallas residents who could easily go to the church every week to hear Jakes preach.

"Miracles from Heaven" is a movie that tells the true story of Texas mother Christy Beam and how her daughter Annabel was miraculously healed from a severe digestive illness after surviving a 30-foot fall from a tree. Jennifer Garner plays the role of the girl's mother in the film.
home US Marco Rubio on insulting Donald Trump: I wouldn't want to do anything Jesus wouldn't be proud of

Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio says he does not want to attack his rivals --- including Donald Trump --- in such a way that Jesus would not approve of.

On Thursday, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said he would not insult Donald Trump in any way that would disappoint God or his kids. However, the Republican admitted that the billionaire is one presidential candidate who deserves personal attacks, Christian Post reports.

"If I don't do it, it'll be because I don't want to do anything, for example, that Jesus wouldn't be proud of, to be honest with you," Rubio told Bill O'Reilly of Fox News. "Or that my kids would look at and say, 'I don't want you to keep doing that.'"

Rubio said Trump had spent the last year launching personal attacks on people, and that there comes a time when one has to stand up and point out that the other person could also be attacked personally on several points.

Speaking of personal attacks, Rubio himself criticized Trump during last Thursday's debate over the class action lawsuit that Trump University is facing over the non-accredited courses that students paid for.

Trump, on the other hand, has mocked Rubio for being a "nervous basket case" who allegedly sweated a lot backstage during a recent debate.

For Rubio, his jokes about Trump are not a sign that he is stooping down to the latter's level. In an interview with NPR, Rubio said he is just giving the billionaire a taste of his own medicine because he has been "personally offending" a lot of people including women, minorities, and the disabled.

Although Trump is by far the favorite at this point to win the GOP nomination, Rubio is still confident that he will win the Florida primary on March 15, which he hopes will act as a platform to start to catch Trump.
home Faith Michigan Catholic Church to expand health benefits to gay couples

The Catholic Church in Michigan has sent out a letter this week announcing its plan to expand healthcare benefits to gay couples.

In a letter sent to pastors and employees recently, the Michigan Catholic Conference said it will revise its health coverage so that financially interdependent individuals regardless of sexual orientation will be able to qualify for it. This includes individuals over 18 who have cohabited with a Church employee for at least six months, and married gay couples.

This is not only applicable to individuals with a sexual relationship with a Church employee because it would also include family members or relatives living with the employee.

"The inclusion of the LDA (Legally Domiciled Adults) benefit allows for the MCC health plan to be both legally compliant and consistent with church teaching," the Conference's letter reads.

The modification was applauded by some LGBT rights campaigners, but there are still others who are pushing for more changes. New Ways Ministry, a Maryland-based group which promotes gay equality rights, wants the Catholic Church to officially recognize and accept same-sex relationships and gay marriages, the Detroit Free Press reports.

While New Ways Ministry executive director Francis DeBernardo commended the move, he also expressed their hope that the Church would explicitly support gay couples.

The changes announced by the Michigan Catholic Church come in the wake of the legalization of same-sex marriage last year. Previously, the Church's health insurance plans for its employees only covered spouses and children born within a marriage between a man and a woman, the report adds.

Meanwhile, Michigan Catholic Conference comms director Dave Maluchnik said the modification in the health benefit inclusion does not change the Church's stance on marriage and sexuality. He emphasized that the reason for the change is to comply with the federal law and that they still teach the biblical definition of marriage; that it is a union between one man and one woman.
home Faith Pastor gunned down in Idaho church parking lot, motive still unclear

A pastor in Idaho was gunned down on Sunday in a church parking lot but authorities still cannot figure out the exact motive for the shooting.

On Sunday, police responded to a call about a shooting at Altar Church before 2 p.m. Upon arrival, they found Pastor Tim Remington with multiple gunshot wounds, and he was rushed to Kootenai Medical Center for treatment. As of Monday morning, the local pastor's condition has been labeled as stable, according to KREM.

Pastor Remington sustained at least six gunshot wounds, including in the head and lung, but is expected to survive the injuries, the Chicago Tribune reports.

The Coeur d'Alene Police Department has already issued a warrant of Attempted First-Degree Murder for former marine Kyle Odom, the suspect in the shooting of Pastor Remington. Police cannot find any connection between the suspect and the church, and they still do not know if the shooting is connected to the pastor's participation in presidential candidate Ted Cruz's rally on Saturday.

However, police chief Lee White said it appears that the attack was planned ahead of time. He also mentioned that Odom has a history of mental illness and that he came to church on Sunday armed, the report details.

Remington's family also believes the shooting is not connected to the pastor's prayer at Cruz's rally. They think it was done by a person with mental problems, the report relays.

In a statement released via text message on Monday afternoon, Odom's family reacted to the Sunday shooting.

"Our family is devastated by Sunday's events. We are praying for Pastor Tim, his family and his continued recovery," Odom's family said in the message. "We are also praying for Kyles [sic] safe return and to get the help he needs. We love you Kyle! Please respect our family's privacy during this trying time."

Based on security camera footage, Odom left the vicinity after the shooting and headed west toward Spokane. He was seen leaving the church parking lot riding a 2004 silver Honda Accord with the plate number K578519.

Police are still looking for the 30-year-old suspect. Kyle Odom has blonde hair and blue eyes, stands about six feet tall, and weights around 170 lbs.
home Entertainment Pastor John Piper: Oprah Winfrey's interpretation of the Bible is wrong

Pastor John Piper thinks television personality Oprah Winfrey misinterpreted the Bible by likening God granting blessings to the Third Law of Motion.

In an entry on his Desiring God blog, Pastor John Piper voices his disapproval of Oprah Winfrey's interpretation of Bible verse Psalm 37:4. For the TV host, getting one's desires is a result of karma, or simply doing good deeds, Christian Today reports.

In the latest episode of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," the host, who is a Christian, told winfrey that his favorite Bible passage is Matthew 6:35. When he asked Winfrey about her favorite verse, she quoted Psalm 37:4, which reads, "Delight thyself in the Lord. He will give you the desires of your heart," Charisma News relays.

Winfrey, however, interpreted it to mean that people will receive good things if they simply focus on being good.

Pastor John Piper took to his blog to rebut Winfrey's interpretation of the Bible verse. He said Winfrey's belief is wrong because she took God out of the picture. He also continued by saying the verse is not a guarantee that your desires will be given to you if you do good things, especially if your desires are evil.

Piper points out that Winfrey sees the relationship between the two parts of the verse as cause-and-effect. She told Colbert she believes that a person will get his or desires by performing good works or by being a good force.

"Now I think the relationship is, yes, cause-effect, but more than cause-effect. I think delighting yourself in the Lord is what shapes the desires of your heart so that it will be good for you for God to grant them," Pastor Piper says in his blog. "In other words, there are a lot of desires in our hearts that are impure and unwise, and this is not a promise that, if you delight in God, then you get all those evil desires in your heart."
home Faith 'Pastor Protection Act' heads to Senate after House approval

The bill proposing the "Pastor Protection Act" has gained House approval and is now on its way to the Senate for a final vote.

The "Pastor Protection Act" aims to protect clergy ministers who refuse to perform wedding ceremonies for same-sex couples if it would go against their religious beliefs. The bill was filed in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling last year which gave gay couples the right to marry across the United States.

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Scott Plakon (R-Longwood) and Sen. Aaron Bean (R-Fernandina Beach). The latter said there are 17 other states that have passed similar bills since the high court's landmark ruling, CBS Local reports.

However, the "Pastor Protection Act" does not come without objections. Some House and Senate representatives argue that pastors who do not want to solemnize same-sex weddings are already protected by the First Amendment. Rep. Kevin Rader (D-Delray Beach) claims it is an unnecessary bill.

Opponents of the bill in both chambers warn that the Act will only send a message of exclusion to the LGBT community in Florida.

"It's a mean-spirited jab at the LGBT community... a prima facie that says, 'Not Welcome,' " said Rep. Ed Narain (D-Tampa).

Bean, on the other hand, explained that the bill will act as preventive measure for the time when lawsuits will begin cropping up. Rep. Dennis Baxley (R-Ocala) echoed Bean's statement and said Bible-based groups are the ones being discriminated upon these days and are the ones now in need of explicit protection..

"If there is anybody under assault and discrimination, I'll tell you who it is. It is anyone who holds a biblical world view, and is simply trying to live by it," said Baxley. "They are under assault. We are called haters."

In the end, the "Pastor Protection Act" passed the House in an 82-37 vote and is now headed to the Senate.
home Faith Pope Francis condemns donors of 'dirty money' to Catholic Church

Pope Francis has condemned the corrupt people who donate "dirty money" to the Catholic Church, saying their tainted donations are not wanted.

On Wednesday, Pope Francis addressed the crowd at St. Peter's Square and referenced the Bible book of Isaiah. The pontiff said God does not want offerings given by hands tainted by blood, according to the Catholic News Agency.

"Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me...when you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you," Pope Francis quoted from the Bible. "Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood."

The leader of the Catholic Church warned benefactors who donate money that came from the labor of the exploited and mistreated people.

"I say to these people: please, take back your check, burn it," Pope Francis added.

New X-Men film set to start shooting May https://t.co/JnHRXAg5ie via @denofgeek Hmmmm, what movie could it be?  Josh Boone (@JoshBooneMovies) December 7, 2016

The pontiff said the Church does not need their "dirty money," but hearts that are willing to accept God's mercy, RT reports.

He encouraged people to do good by saying God will welcome them back once they repent from their sins, just as a father disciplines His child to correct his mistakes. Along this line, Pope Francis said it is the parents' responsibility to teach their children to perform good acts.

Pope Francis is known to have a big heart for the poor and those being exploited by capitalists. Last year, his speech in Chile centered on creating a socioeconomic system that would serve the people rather than money. Focusing on profits would turn money into an "idol" and cultivate greed in people, he explained.

While his comments against new imperialism and capitalism have led some to label Pope Francis as a leftist, the pontiff says he is only preaching the Catholic Church's social doctrine.
home World Pope Francis leaves Catholic conservatives feeling marginalized 3 years after election

Three years after the election of Pope Francis, Roman Catholic conservatives are growing increasingly worried that he is quietly unraveling the legacy of his predecessors.

Francis' popularity with most Catholics, and legions of non-Catholics, has given him the image of a grandfatherly parish priest who understands how difficult it sometimes is to follow Church teachings, particularly those on sexual morality.

Conservatives worry that behind the gentle facade lies a dangerous reformer who is diluting Catholic teaching on moral issues like homosexuality and divorce while focusing on social problems such as climate change and economic inequality.

Interviews with four Vatican officials, including two cardinals and an archbishop, as well as theologians and commentators, highlighted conservative fears that Francis' words and deeds may eventually rupture the 1.2 billion member Church.

Chatter on conservative blogs regularly accuses the Argentine pontiff of spreading doctrinal confusion and isolating those who see themselves as guardians of the faith.

"Going to bed. Wake me up when this pontificate is over," Damien Thompson, associate editor of the British weekly "The Spectator" and a conservative Catholic commentator tweeted last month. Thompson was among conservatives stung by a freewheeling news conference Francis gave on a flight home from Mexico.

In it, he stirred up the U.S. presidential debate by criticizing Republican candidate Donald Trump's immigration stance and made comments that were interpreted as an opening to use contraceptives to stop the spread of the Zika virus.

They were the latest in a line of unscripted utterances that have left many conservatives feeling nostalgic for the days of Francis's two predecessors, Benedict and John Paul, who regularly thundered against contraception, homosexuality and abortion.

"Every time this happens I wonder if he realizes how much confusion he is causing," said a conservative Rome-based cardinal who took part in the conclave that elected Francis three years ago and spoke on the condition of anonymity. He would not say if he voted for Francis because participants in conclaves are sworn to secrecy.

THE POPE AND THE PEWS

Another senior official, an archbishop in an important Vatican ministry, said: "These comments alarm not only tradition-minded priests but even liberal priests who have complained to me that people are challenging them on issues that are very straight-forward, saying 'the pope would let me do this' why don't you?'"

Francis first shocked conservatives just months after his election on March 13, 2013, when he said "Who am I to judge?" about Catholic homosexuals who were at least trying to live by Church rules that they should be chaste.

He caused further upset when he changed Church rules to allow women to take part in a male-only Lenten service, ruled out any campaigns to convert Jews and approved a "common prayer" with Lutherans for joint commemorations for next year's 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation.

An important crossroads in the conservative-progressive showdown is looming and might come as early as mid-March. It could reveal how far this politically astute pontiff wants to transform his Church.

Francis is due to issue a document called an Apostolic Exhortation after two years of debate and two major meetings of bishops to discuss the family - the Vatican's way of referring to its policies concerning sex.

The exercise, which began with an unprecedented poll of Catholics around the world, boiled down in the end to one hot-button issue - whether divorced Catholics who remarry outside the Church can receive communion at the central rite of Mass.

Conservatives say any change would undermine the principle of the indissolubility of marriage that Jesus established.

At the end of the synod last year, Francis excoriated immovable Church leaders who he said "bury their heads in the sand" and hide behind rigid doctrine while families suffer.

The gathering's final document spoke of a so-called "internal forum" in which a priest or a bishop may work with a Catholic who has divorced and remarried to decide privately and on a case-by-case basis if he or she can be fully re-integrated.

That crack in the doctrinal door annoyed many conservatives, who fear Francis' upcoming document may open the flood gates.

WHOSE CHURCH IS IT ANYWAY?

It is difficult to quantify Catholic conservatives. Liberals say they are a minority and reject conservative assertions that they are the real "base" of the Church.

"The overwhelming majority of Catholics understand what the pope wants to do, and that is to reach out to everyone," said another cardinal close to Francis.

Regardless of what their actual numbers might be, conservatives have big megaphones in social media.

"It really has gotten more shrill and intense since Francis took over because he seems to get only positive feedback from the mainstream media. Therefore in the strange logic of (conservative) groups, he is someone who is immediately suspect if only for that," said the Catholic blogger Arthur Rosman.

One of the leading conservative standard bearers, Ross Douthat, the Catholic author and New York Times op-ed columnist, has expressed deep worry about the long-term repercussions of the issue of communion for the divorced and remarried.

"It may be that this conflict has only just begun," Douthat said in a lecture to American conservatives in January. "And it may be that as with previous conflicts in Church history, it will eventually be serious enough to end in real schism, a permanent parting of the ways."

PREVIOUS RUPTURE

The last internal rupture in the Church was in 1988 when French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre consecrated bishops without Vatican approval in order to guarantee succession in his ultra-traditionalist group, the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX).

The SSPX rejects the modernizing reforms of the 1962-1965 Second Vatican Council, including the historic opening to dialogue with other religions. While it remains a small group, its dissent continues to undermine papal authority.

The conservative standard bearer in Rome is Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, a 67-year-old American who in 2014 told an interviewer that the Church under Francis was like "a ship without a rudder".

Francis was not pleased. That same year, he removed Burke as head of the Vatican's highest court and demoted him to the largely ceremonial post of chaplain of a charity group.

Conservatives are also worried about Francis' drive to devolve decision-making power on several issues from the Vatican to regional, national or diocesan levels, what the pope has called "a healthy decentralization".

This is an anathema to conservatives, who say rules should be applied identically around the world. They warn that a devolution of power would leave the Vatican vulnerable to the splits seen in the Anglican and Orthodox Churches.

"If you look at these two big Churches, they are not in very good shape," said Massimo Faggioli, a Church historian and associate professor of theology at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. "That's why conservatives are nervous. They think Francis does not understand the danger."
home US Prayers answered as baby miraculously survives after receiving new heart minutes before death

A seven-month-old Alaskan baby boy was miraculously saved when he received a new heart just moments after he went into cardiac arrest last week.

Lincoln Seay was born on July 14, 2015 with a rare birth defect in which his organs are located on the outside of his body. Despite multiple surgeries that he went through, his condition continued to deteriorate, according to Fox29.

Mindy Seay, his mother, said they were told that Lincoln might not survive after birth, but they were overjoyed when they heard him cry when he was born. However, his heart started failing so they had to take him to Seattle's Children's Hospital to have him undergo a heart transplant, the report details.

While Lincoln was on the operating table on Feb. 19, he suddenly went into cardiac arrest. Mindy said the doctors went ahead with the open-heart surgery and one surgeon had to compress the baby's heart until they had the new heart.

"Because the heart was en route, they went ahead and opened his chest and the surgeon reached in and hand compressed his heart until the new heart arrived," said Mindy.

It took five months for the Seays to secure a new heart for Lincoln, and an anonymous donor had given their baby a healthy heart, People reports.

In an interview with the Seattle Times, Lincoln's father Rob said they could tell that the last two days before the surgery were Lincoln's last. His skin had already turned bluish-purple and he had been sleeping most of the time. He said they were praying for a miracle and their prayers were answered at the final moment as Lincoln miraculously survived.

In an emotional letter shared on social media, Mindy thanked the anonymous family who chose to donate their late child's heart to another.

"You and I may never meet, may never speak, may never cross paths, but we will be connected on a divine, spiritual level," said Mindy in her letter. "Your child and mine will be forever intertwined as the heart that grew in your womb now pumps the blood through the body of the child created in mine."

She promised to take care of Lincoln's heart and always remember the family who gave it to him.

The Seay family is hoping that baby Lincoln's story will inspire others to become organ donors.
home World Queen Elizabeth opposes gay marriage because of Christian faith, reports claim

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II will not support same-sex marriage because of her devotion to her Christian faith, reports have stated this week.

Queen Elizabeth II is in favor of civil partnerships to ensure gay couples are given equal rights under the law, but legislation allowing same-sex couples to marry is a different story. Her Majesty told a friend of her frustration over the controversial issue, and said she can only "advise and warn" but is not be able to intervene, according to the Daily Mail.

"It was the 'marriage' thing that she thought was wrong, because marriage ought to be sacrosanct between a man and a woman," the Queen's friend reportedly said.

The Daily Mail's revelation comes as Queen Elizabeth approaches her 90th birthday next month. The issue on same-sex marriage has her worried because it splitting political lines, the report relays.

In 2005, civil partnerships were legalized, however, pro-gay marriage activists continued to protest for a redefinition of the meaning of marriage, and nine years later the legal definition of marriage was altered to include same-sex couples.

Queen Elizabeth reportedly opposed same-sex marriage because she said marriage is exclusive for a man and a woman. However, Prime Minister David Cameron took the opposite view and expressed his support for gay marriage.

Meanwhile, senior staffers at Buckingham Palace denied the Daily Mail's claims about the Queen opposing gay marriage in 2013. In an interview with The Daily Beast, one senior courtier said a Queen's friend passing on this kind of information to The Daily Mail is quite unlikely.

The Daily Beast says the Queen usually remains neutral in these kind of issues. She would also never release a public comment about these things, the report details.

In 2013, Queen Elizabeth signed the "Commonwealth Charter" which declared opposition to all forms of discrimination, including ones stemming from gender, race, color, creed, and political belief. The declaration also mentions "other grounds," which referred to sexuality. However, the term "gays and lesbians" were deleted from the declaration to avoid offending other countries with strict anti-gay laws, the report explains.

When asked about the alleged revelation of Queen Elizabeth's friend to the Daily Mail, a spokesman said Buckingham Palace does not release comments on private discussions.
home Faith Tennessee lawmakers pass bill aiming to prevent 'religious indoctrination' in schools

Tennessee lawmakers have passed a bill which aims to prevent religious indoctrination of students in public schools.

On Monday, the Tennessee state House approved the HB1905 in an 82-2 vote. The bill seeks to allow teaching about religion but prevent Islamic indoctrination of students in public schools in the U.S., Christian Today reports.

HB1905 will require religion to be included in school textbooks, the curriculum, and other instructional materials but only for educational purposes. Proselytizing of any religion or religious belief will not be allowed, based on the provisions of the bill.

In addition, HB1905 will require each local education agency (LEA) to implement rules on the right religious instructional materials. However, the public should be able to comment on the policy before it is implemented, the report details.

Moreover, the new bill would require core subject teachers for grades 6 to 12 to provide a class syllabus, The Tennessean reports.

The state board of education will also be required to revise its social studies standards to ensure that they do not promote religious indoctrination or proselytism, the report relays.

Bill sponsor Matthew Hill (R-Jonesborough) explained that the bill was created in response to residents' concern about religious teaching in Tennessee schools. He said there are possible indoctrinations in the schools.

"This piece of legislation is in direct response to many of our constituents who have been concerned about the way religion has been taught in Tennessee schools," said Hill.

Because of the parents' concern over possible Islamic indoctrination in public schools in Tennessee, some requests to ban textbooks have been filed.

The bill was approved by the House with only Nashville Democrats Mike Stewart and John Ray Clemmons voting against it.

The state Senate floor is set to vote on HB1905 soon and the bill is expected to pass the Senate.
home World Thousands of Christian refugees from Pakistan detained in Thailand for 'illegal immigration'

Thousands of Christian refugees from Pakistan who fled persecution in their home country have been arrested and are being detained in Thailand despite identifying themselves as asylum seekers registered with the United Nations.

An investigation by the BBC found that Thailand had arrested and detained the asylum seekers on illegal immigration charges. Many of them are Pakistani Christian refugees, and some are children.

The Pakistani Christians had chosen Thailand as their destination because it is one of their nearest options, and they believed they could secure a tourist visa for the southeast Asian country more easily. Unfortunately, Thailand does not welcome asylum seekers and it has not signed with the United Nations Refugee Convention. For this reason, people with no valid visa or work permit are able to be arrested and detained for illegal immigration, the report explains.

Out of all the ASEAN member states, only Cambodia and the Philippines have signed with the UN Refugee Convention, The Diplomat reports.

Pastor Joshua, one of the refugees, said he and his sister were punished for abandoning Islam and embracing Christianity.

"My bone was broken - the one right above the heart. And they tried to cut my arm off," said Pastor Joshua. "My sister was murdered; she was burned alive, just because she spoke the word 'God.' They hate the word 'God' so much. She was burned for this reason alone."

The UN refugee agency UNHCR has now been allowed to investigate the refugees' claims of persecution to determine if they will be repatriated or relocated to another destination. But many of the detained families say they have been waiting for years for the UN to assess them, and they cannot work, study, or avail of healthcare services in Thailand.

While waiting for the UN's decision, the thousands of Pakistani Christian refugees are staying temporarily in rooms in tower blocks outside Bangkok. They rely on charity for their rent and food. Every now and then, police reportedly arrest people from the blocks, charge them will illegal immigration, impose a fine on them, and lock them up at the Immigration Detention Center.

The Thai government is complaining that the UN's slow process is affecting the country's security, and some immigrants are feared to be involved in terrorism, so they have to arrest illegal immigrants. Those detained can only get out of detention with the help of local charities who will pay for their bail, which costs around US$1,250 per person.

The UNHCR told the BBC that it is cooperating with the Thai government to find better ways to manage the situation of the Pakistani Christian refugees in a way that will conform to international standards.
home Life 'Trinity Fitness' gym in Colorado Springs offers Christ-centered workout routines

A fitness center in Colorado Springs is offering programs that are centered on faith and Jesus Christ, in an effort to create a balance between physical and spiritual workouts for their clients.

Trinity Fitness is a nonprofit and donation-based gym which offers metabolic conditioning programs centered on faith and Christ. The sessions start with five minutes of devotional time and a Bible verse, which is incorporated in the whole workout routine, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette.

It all began in 2008 when Wendy Palmisano asked her husband Jason to help her in her physical transformation. They began a workout routine in their garage in Florida after that. They focused on helping people become healthy, not only physically but also spiritually, based on the history posted on the official website of Trinity Fitness.

The website of the fitness gym has posted the Bible verse 1 Timothy 4:8 on its front page. The verse conveys the message that although physical training is important, godliness is even more important.

"We focus on the spiritual and on the physical," trainer and facility director Jason Krause said. "We consider spiritual the priority since it's the one that lasts longer."

The fitness gym later grew and more and more people have joined their program.

The metabolic routines are composed of short and high-intensity workouts followed by clean eating to help burn fat and build muscles. The gym is closed on Sundays to allow clients and the trainers to attend church services and rest in accordance with Christian tradition.

For the gym's clients, the prayer and devotional time in between workouts keep them motivated to stick to their program.

As of now, Trinity Fitness has nine branches all over the U.S. Krause said the fitness center is open to people from all kinds of background and faith, but they always focus their programs on Christ because they believe this method will help everyone become spiritually healthy.
home US U.S. Catholic bishop: Gay activists making every effort to destroy everything Christian

A U.S. Catholic bishop has warned about the danger that the fight for "gay equality" is posing to Christianity, and has predicted that Christians will be persecuted even more for simply following their beliefs on morality and marriage.

Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz spoke to LifeSiteNews in an interview this year and said the push for gay equality in the U.S. is "devastating." The former head of the Lincoln Diocese also said homosexual acts are wrong based on the Catholic Church's teachings because they are against natural law, but Christians are now forced to close down their businesses if they show support for a traditional family structure.

"We've had bakers refuse to bake cakes for gay 'marriages' and as a result, they are imprisoned or fined. They have to go out of business. We've seen florists who don't supply flowers," Bishop Bruskewitz told John-Henry Westen of LifeSiteNews. "I'm convinced that there is going to be every effort made to destroy everything Christian that would in the least bit oppose this kind of degeneration."

Bishop Bruskewtiz questioned the way Christians are labeled as "bigots" or "racists" if they simply do not want to commit to actions that would support gay marriage and homosexuality, and hence go against their beliefs and faith.

In addition, the Catholic bishop commented on arguments saying the Church must not deny communion to unrepentant public sinners. Bishop Bruskewitz said detaching morality and truth is not the same as being merciful because it will only lead to more damage. Denying communion to those who support abortion and other grave sins is not meant as a punishment but as a way to make them realize their wrongdoings.

"That's the purpose of ecclesiastical sanctions. It's always a merciful undertone," Bishop Bruskewitz added.

Meanwhile, a blog that acts as a LGBT activist website, Slowly Boiled Frog, has reacted to the comments by saying the gay community is not seeking the approval of "bigots", seemingly confirming exactly what Bruskewitz had said; that LGBT activists label anyone opposing them as "bigots".

The blog also criticized Bruskewitz for playing the victim in the society when he talked about the upcoming increased persecution of Christians. It threw further insults the bishop's way by calling him an "egotistical bully" for allegedly automatically excommunicating people associated with organizations including reform-seeking group Call to Action.
home Faith YouTube Blocks Christian Film 'Chased' over Alleged Violation of Community Standards

YouTube has removed the Christian film "Chased" from its website after the video-sharing platform said the "inappropriate" movie violated their community standards.

"Chased" tells the story of Christians being persecuted in the Middle East, but some scenes show Bible verses being read. The film's producers are now asking why the short film was taken down by YouTube despite its absence of nudity, violence, and profanity, according to The Blaze.

The movie shows how the family of a young Christian girl named Anneliese, is being persecuted because of their faith. The story shows viewers what Christians in the U.S. would go through if they were persecuted like their counterparts in the Middle East, the Christian Post reports.

In an interview with The Blaze, "Chased" director Josh Troester recounted how he first uploaded the 33-minute film onto his group's YouTube channel on Feb. 11 as a "private" video. The following day, he changed the film's status to "unlisted" to allow people who have the direct link to watch it even though it cannot be found in searches, the report relays.

#DoctorWho casting info: Daniel Kerr plays Ban in The Eaters of Light pic.twitter.com/JGSCyAXMbW  Ruther (@Ruther2) December 7, 2016

Troester said YouTube flagged his movie over "inappropriate content" mere minutes after the change. The notification he received explained that "Chased" violates the site's Community Guidelines, the report details.

After reading YouTube's Community Guidelines, Troester said the movie did not violate any of YouTube's policies, so he appealed the process, assuming a mistake has been made. However, YouTube responded and informed him that they are upholding the decision to ban "Chased" from the video-sharing site.

"We are trying to get an answer as to why YouTube banned our short faith-based film, but all they will say is that it violates community standards," the movie's writer Emily Weaver told The Blaze. "It seems that shadowbanning ... is alive and well on YouTube as well, at least in our experience."

"Chased" producers are not the only ones who had the same experience. Other groups who help expose the violence in the Middle East, such as Palestinian Media Watch and the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) have also had some of their videos or channels shut taken down by YouTube.
Ann Widdecombe appointed head of Christian pro-Brexit group

The former Conservative government minister and devout Christian Ann Widdecombe is to head the pro-Brexit campaign group Christians for Britain.

Widdecombe, currently a successful novelist and columnist for the Express, has agreed to become president of the group started by Adrian "Archbishop Cranmer" Hilton and CofE vicar Giles Fraser.

Giving her first interview on her new role exclusively to Christian Today, she said she did not believe that Christian doctrine pointed to a decision to leave the EU.

But Widdecombe, a convert to Catholicism from the Church of England, does believe Christians should all be free to choose, and that the comments so far from the hierarchies of all the churches have leaned towards the pro-EU side.

In his controversial interview spelling out how people are genuinely frightened by the migrant crisis, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby also said: "You can't say 'God says you must vote this way or that way'. I don't think there is one correct Christian view, one way or the other."

Widdecombe, an admirer of London Mayor Boris Johnson, said: "The hierarchies of both churches have been making pro-European noises. I believe it is very important that Christians do not come to believe they have a moral duty to vote to stay."

She herself supports Brexit because she understands there will be no other opportunity in the lifetime of most if not all adults alive today to vote to leave. "It is no good thinking we can come out at a later stage. There will not be that opportunity. It is a now or never situation." She also supports the concept of self-government. "We are certainly not self-governing for as long as we are in Europe."

As president of Christians for Britain, she expects to speak at public events and support Hilton in running the Christian Brexit campaign.
Christian charities warn 600,000 affected by changes to disability benefits

The government has come under fire from a group of charities over planned changes to disability benefit.

In an open letter to the minister for disabled people, Justin Tomlinson, the Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC), which includes a number of Christian charities, said the plans "damage the health and wellbeing" of up to 600,000 people.

The government is introducing changes to the way disabled people are assessed for benefits under the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) scheme. However the DBC says the proposals would limit entitlement and have a "severe impact on individuals' financial security making it harder to access opportunities to work and participate in society."

In the letter criticising the government, they say: "It could have serious consequences for their health and independence."

The DBC says proposals would limit how an assessment takes into account the need for aides and appliances. In the current system thousands qualify for PIP by demonstrating they cannot complete everyday tasks without help. The DBC said it feared this criteria would be removed.

"In the worst cases, individuals could lose up to 120-150 per week," the letter read. Signed by over 20 disability charities and organisations, the letter includes Christian organisations Compassionate Britain and Livability.

Founder of Compassionate Britain Tanya Marlow urged Christians from all political viewpoints to oppose the cuts.

"In 2010, David Cameron promised compassion, and yet he keeps targeting cuts at the most vulnerable in our society," she told Christian Today.

"Government cuts have already affected disabled people nine times more than the average person and severely disabled people 19 times more. Now they want to introduce a back-door cut to a vital disability benefit."

Marlow pointed to the extra expense incurred by disability and said PIP helps "level the playing field".

A DWP Spokesperson said: "The PIP consultation was launched to ensure the use of aids and appliances was achieving its original purpose - supporting people appropriately with the extra costs associated with disability.

"We have consulted widely with a number of organisations including members of the Disability Benefits Consortium to find the best approach. We'll be publishing our response shortly."
Congress to vote on labelling Christian persecution in the Middle East 'genocide', as pressure on Obama grows

The US Congress will on Monday decide whether to recognise atrocities committed against Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East as genocide.

The motion is brought forward by House Republicans and if passed would put significant pressure on President Obama to follow their example and label the persecution as a genocide. The resolution has over 200 signatories from both parties and many expect it to pass.

It comes after the release of a 278-page report compiling evidence of crimes committed against Christians in Iraq, Syria and surrounding countries. The report was released in an attempt to present Secretary of State John Kerry with irrefutable evidence after he said an "additional evaluation" was needed.

However director of campaign group A Demand for Action, Steve Oshana, told Christian Today he believed the Obama administration had already made a decision.

"If I were to guess I think they have already made their determination at this point and it is just a question of when they will come out with it," he said.

"I cannot imagine there are still deliberations given all the evidence that has already come out."

The label of genocide carries significant weight and would mark a shift in the US' tone towards the conflict in the Middle East. Thus far it has restricted its description of events as "brutal atrocities" but has refrained from using the term genocide.

Oshana said that while there was a "correlative effect" between using the term and subsequent action taken, it would not necessarily place legal obligations on the US. Rather, he said, it was a "moral imperative".

"In instances where the word genocide wasn't used and a lesser term like 'ethnic cleansing' was used, we often see that no action is taken," he said.

The decision likely brings bad memories for the White House  former president Bill Clinton refused to describe the situation in Rwanda in 1994 as a genocide. Over three months, death squads from the Hutu tribe killed 800,000 people from the Tutsi tribe in a planned "final solution to eliminate all Tutsis." It later emerged Clinton's administration knew about the genocide but refused to label it as such to justify its own inaction.

The report launched by Knights of Columbus alongside International Christian Concern on Thursday collates evidence of genocide against Christians in the Middle East.

The General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK, Bishop Angaelos, said there was a "very real danger" that persecution against the Yazidi community would be termed genocide by the US, but not against Christians.

Yazidism is an offshoot of Zoroastrianism, which blends ancient religious traditions with both Christianity and Islam. ISIS believes them to be "devil-worshippers", and has systematically targeted the group.

Bishop Angaelos told Christian Today: "Partial recognition would in some way put out the message that what is happening to Christians is less criminal. That may not be the message intended but that is how it would be viewed in the Middle East."

He said the report was good and necessary but needed constant updating.

"The problem is that events are constantly unfolding so even at the launch evidence was still coming in."

At the report launch, he said: "Inaction is inexcusable and will lead to further persecution, not only of Christians but of others. It has also led to an unprecedented displacement of people and the resulting refugee crisis that we are witnessing."

Monday's vote will not officially change the US' position, but it will add to the growing pressure on the White House. It is already under scrutiny after the European Parliament unanimously backed a resolution in February asserting ISIS was committing genocide against Christians, Yazidis and other religious and ethnic minorities.

However the White House is not alone is treating the word with caution. The UK government has avoided it, although dozens of MPs have signed an early day motion concluding that the violence "clearly falls within the definition of genocide".

Interestingly neither the Archbishop of Canterbury nor the Catholic Archbishop of Wesminster have followed Pope Francis' lead in labelling the conflict a genocide. The pope said last year: "In this third world war, waged piecemeal, which we are now experiencing, a form of genocide is taking place."
Evangelicals stand with Pope Francis in condemning 'slaughter' of nuns in Yemen

Pope Francis was outraged by the "pointless slaughter" of four nuns at a Yemeni retirement home last Friday, and evangelical leaders from around the globe joined the pope in expressing their indignation at what happened.

Gunmen stormed the retirement home run by the nuns and killed 16 people, including the four Indian nuns from the Missionaries of Charity, which is an order established by Mother Teresa, according to CBN News. Aside from the nuns, those who lost their lives because of the attack were six Ethiopians, one Yemeni cook, and Yemeni guards.

The gunmen also abducted Father Tom Uzhunnalil, a native of India. His condition or location remains unknown.

Pope Francis called the slain nuns "modern-day martyrs" for giving their blood for the church.

Meanwhile, Southern Baptist Convention president Dr. Ronnie Floyd, the pastor of the Duggar family from "19 Kids and Counting," called on U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders to take action to stop those who are perpetrating such atrocious acts in the Middle East.

Floyd noted that there is an ongoing attempt at "genocide against religious minorities in the Middle East," adding, "I call upon the United States government and other world leaders to respond more forcefully and immediately to protect these terribly endangered people."

World Evangelical Alliance Secretary General Bishop Efraim Tendero also expressed his concern about the worsening state of Christian persecution. He called on Christians to stand together "in the face of terror" so that global leaders will "recognise the existential threat against the world's Christian communities and other religious minorities."

"God forbid we look back at history and know we could have done more to keep so many innocent people from dying," he said. "Freedom of religion is a fundamental freedom and it is has never been under greater threat."

On the other hand, Dr. K.P. Yohannan of Believers Church India said even though the victims' deaths were tragic, their lives were not.

"They poured themselves out in service of the poor at great personal sacrifice," he said. "We thank God for their service and we are inspired by their testimony, their willingness to live - and even to die - for Christ."
German authorities are ignoring the abuse of Christian refugees, persecution charity says

Christians refugees are being psychologically abused, physically mistreated and denied food at Muslim-dominated camps in Germany, a Christian persecution charity has claimed.

Germany accepted 1.1 million refugees during 2015. There have been numerous reports of violence in the refugee centres, however according to Open Doors International, local authorities have refused to acknowledge that religious differences fuel tension in the camps.

"We've heard much about the nasty treatment of Christians, and we're compiling a report to push politicians into action," Rachel Marsuk, a spokesperson for Open Doors, told Catholic News Service (CNS) yesterday.

"Politicians at [the] local and national level here have done nothing to help and don't want to hear about these cases. They don't see how religious differences have fuelled tensions and led to persecution," she said.

The worst abuses, Marsuk told CNS, have been in Berlin and other cities.

"We've had questionnaires returned detailing how Christian refugees have been psychologically abused, physically mistreated and denied food," she said. "The scale of this problem has been covered up or played down."

A spokesman for Berlin's archdiocese, Stefan Forner, reiterated that camp administrators had failed to recognise, or were ignoring, that Christians in particular were being persecuted.

"Some people don't even want to talk about Christians, fearing Muslims may have a problem with this," Forner said.

"We need to help those dealing with refugees to understand the situation of Christians in Syria and other countries of origin and be aware of the potential hazards of putting all the refugees together. When something bad happens, it must have consequences and not be hushed up," he said.

"Since many Christian refugees are too scared to speak out" it is crucial for the Church to actively help address this problem, Marsuk added.
Greece set to become country-wide refugee camp, Catholic relief agency warns

Greece is effectively being converted into a refugee camp by tighter border restrictions in Europe, the Catholic Church's relief and development agency has said.

"As European borders go up, refugees and migrants are being left stranded and desperate," Caritas said.

More than 80 per cent of the 1.01 million migrants and refugees that entered Europe in 2015 did so via Greece, almost all arriving by sea. A further 131,847 arrived before 7 March this year, according to the International Organisation for Migration.

As countries further inland tighten border restrictions, Greece is effectively being converted "into a refugee camp indefinitely."

In Idomeni, Greece, refugees are sleeping in fields.

"It's a very tense atmosphere. It's cold, people are trying to find anything to make a fire and keep warm. There's a lack of tents and warm food. Many families with children have been waiting for days at the border," said Evelyn Karastamati, emergency coordinator for Caritas in Greece.

The situation was catalysed by Austria stating it would only accept a handful of asylum seekers and refugees each day, sparking a "domino effect of borders being closed to the vast majority of those people fleeing war and poverty from the Middle East, Asia and Africa," according to the agency.

On March 9, Slovenia and Croatia refused to allow refugees through their territory. Serbia and Macedonia have said they will do the same.

"We don't have enough food. We have no other clothes. We can't look after our hygiene," J, 26, who has been stuck on the Greece-Macedonian border for ten days, told Caritas.

"There is no safe way to continue our journey. The border is almost closed for us fleeing war," he added. "I feel hopeless. I just want to live normally again."

As the border controls tighten, some refugees are being forced to turn around and return to previous transit points.

Mujdah, 15, with her mother and brother had travlled from Kabul. They are now staying at a camp in Presevo, having been forced to retreat from Serbia's border with Croatia.

"Since our father used to work for the Afghanistan army we were an easy target. Our older brother was kidnapped by fundamentalist militants," Mujdah told Caritas.

"The situation became unbearable, so we decided to leave Afghanistan on foot and have travelled a month and a half to get to Greece."

Caritas is urging Europeans and their governments to show greater solidarity with Greece and refugees.

"The failure of Member States to apply a comprehensive and humane approach to this situation is putting the EU's credibility at stake. Greece, its people and all the migrants and refugees on its soil are paying a very high price," said Caritas Europa.
Iran test-fires ballistic missiles with Hebrew phrase 'Israel should be wiped off the Earth'

Two ballistic missiles were test-fired in Iran's eastern Alborz mountain range, with one of them carrying an inscription of the Hebrew phrase "Israel should be wiped off the Earth," Iranian news media said on Wednesday.

Fars news agency reported that the missiles were fired at target 870 miles away, according to USA Today.

The aim was to show the Islamic Republic's "deterrent power" and "all-out readiness to counter any threat," the official IRNA news agency said.

The missile launch appeared to have been timed with the visit of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to Jerusalem.

Speaking Wednesday at a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden warned the rogue nation there will be repercussions if it breaks the terms of last year's nuclear deal it reached with world powers.

"A nuclear-armed Iran is an absolutely unacceptable threat to Israel, to the region and the United States. If in fact they renege on the deal, we will act," he said, according to reports.

Biden also reportedly blasted Palestinians for their "failure to condemn" the stabbing attacks, one of which claimed the life of an American Vanderbilt University graduate student and wounded others in Israel on Tuesday.

Israel, a longtime opponent of Iran, offered no comment yet on the Iranian missile test.

A U.S. State Department spokesman said the U.S. was aware of reports of missile launches and, if the reports were true, would take "appropriate responses" if they are confirmed.

Last Jan. 17, at least 11 people and companies involved in Iran's ballistic missile program have been sanctioned by the U.S.

"It's important that Iran live up to its obligations under the (nuclear) deal," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding that they are looking into the reports.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard commander, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafa said: "The security of Iran is the security of the region, and we will do our utmost to ensure our country's security," Fars reported.

He added: "It is the enemies of the Islamic Revolution and regional security that should be afraid of the (Iran Revolutionary Guard) missiles."

Many international economic sanctions on Iran were lifted Jan. 16 after a landmark deal with the United States and five other world powers in July to curb Iran's nuclear programme in return for an end to sanctions.

But since sanctions have been lifted, Iran's military have made several shows of strength. In October, it successfully test-fired a new guided long-range ballistic surface-to-surface missile.

Iran also has fired rockets near U.S. warships and flown an unarmed drone over an American aircraft carrier in recent months, AP reported.

In January, Iran seized 10 U.S. sailors in the Persian Gulf and held them for about 15 hours when their two riverine command boats headed from Kuwait to Bahrain ended up in Iranian territorial waters after the crews "misnavigated," the report said, citing the U.S. military.
It is not racist to fear migrants, says Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishop of Canterbury has stated that it is not racist to fear immigration.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby told Parliament's House Magazine: "Fear is a valid emotion at a time of such colossal crisis. This is one of the greatest movements of people in human history. Just enormous. And to be anxious about that is very reasonable.

"There is a tendency to say 'those people are racist', which is just outrageous, absolutely outrageous."

"In fragile communities particularly  and I've worked in many areas with very fragile communities as a clergyman  there is a genuine fear. And it is really important that that fear is listened to and addressed. There have to be resources put in place that address those fears."

He said: "What happens about housing? What happens about jobs? What happens about access to health services?"

Speaking as the pro-brexit group Christians for Britain announced former Conservative MP and committed Christian Ann Widdecombe as its president, he said the Church of England will not be taking a position on Europe and the coming referendum.

He said: "You can't say 'God says you must vote this way or that way'. I don't think there is one correct Christian view, one way or the other."

And again, he returned to his use of the language of fear. "It should be about what we fear. Fear is a valid emotion. Fear of what happens if we leave, fear of what happens if we stay. You can understand why that really matters. Fear is legitimate."

He also said Britain, which has pledged to take in 20,000 refugees over the next few years, should take more. "We have to play our part. I was in Germany last weekend doing some work with some churches there. The Germans took 1.1million last year. And it does make 20,000 over several years sound very thin."

On this also, though, he understood people's concerns: "The Government is rightly concerned about effectively subsidising people smuggling."

His interview comes just two years after he said he was concerned about a surge of racism in Britain and about politicians who portrayed immigration as a "deep menace that is somehow going to overwhelm the country".

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith welcomed the Archbishop's comments.

He told BBC Radio 4 Today that even a mere mention of immigration in previous years could result in the speaker being immediately labeled as a racist.

"For far too many years what's happened is that in a sense the elites have said it's terrible to talk about immigration, and if you do you're racist. They shut down the debate for many years," Duncan Smith said.

"I can even remember back when Tony Blair was Prime Minister to even mention immigration was to be accused of being a racist, if you talked in terms about asylum seekers.

"That accusation probably silenced legitimate discussion. It means that if you do that what happens is you push this debate to the margins  which is what you're seeing in Europe. Then political parties with very poor intentions and nasty motives take control."
Muslim convert to Christianity Nabeel Qureshi: 'Christ has revolutionised my life'

The Muslim convert to Christianity who is emerging as one of the world's leading experts on Islam has issued a chilling warning of the fundamental violence within the faith.

Nabeel Qureshi, whose book Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus became a New York Times best seller, believes the world is in the midst of an Islamic reformation. This means a return to the religion's fundamentals, he told Christian Today, and there is no doubt that these fundamentals are explicitly violent.

Qureshi told Christian Today: "There is a basis to believe in Jesus. He rose from the dead. You can check that historically. You don't have to believe it on blind faith. The Koran says if you believe Jesus is God, you will go to hell. (ch 5:72) whereas Romans (10:9) tells us we need to believe that to be saved. So they are exactly contrary. Therefore you cannot be both Christian and Muslim."

He warned that Muslims today have just three choices  to become nominal, to become apostate, which in Islam is punishable by death, or to embrace the fundamentals of the faith and become radical. Many are opting for the latter, he said.

"A reformation is going back to the original form. This is an Islamic reformation we are seeing."

To counter jihad, "we have to figure out what we are dealing with  to figure out what Islam is," he added.

This weekend he is speaking at the 'Unshakeable' conference at the East London Tabernacle in Mile End, east London, alongside Andy Bannister, director of Razi Zacharias International Ministries Canada and Jo Vitale, lecturer at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. The conference is designed as a counter to pressure to water down the teachings of Christ in order to fit in with what is deemed by "society" to be acceptable.

His next book, Answering Jihad, written in response to the Paris attacks, is out soon.

Qureshi, aged 32, said the book came out of a need for an explanation of the relationship of Islam to jihad.

Since 9/11, there have been strong arguments made that Islam is a religion of peace. Then there were the Paris attacks, then San Bernardino in the US. "People didn't know how to respond," said Qureshi. This led to the comments about banning Muslims from the US by Republican candidate Donald Trump, and other controversies such as the removal of a professor at Wheaton College who claimed Muslims and Christians worship the same God. "Few people are answering the theological questions beneath these realities," said Qureshi. The debate was polarised between people saying Islam is a religion of peace and those arguing it is inherently violent. "I thought we needed better way forward."

As a young man, he tried and failed to convert a close Christian friend to Islam.

"On 9/11 I was a Muslim. I was facing the stark reality of violence in Islam," he recalls. He was 18 years old, and the attacks on the Twin Towers inspired him to investigate the life of Mohammed.

"What I concluded was violence is present not only in the history of Mohammed's life but it is present as a crescendo. Mohammed moves from peaceful to violent to extraordinarily violent at the time of his death. He was a pacifist who moved into self defence, then into limited offence and then more or less unlimited offence by the time of his death."

The Koran describes this, he said. It is not arranged chronologically but can be aligned to show how this happens. "The last chronological chapter of the Koran, chapter nine, is the most violent, with verses such as slay infidelds wherever you find them, besiege them and make them captive. These are very violent passages."

So the question then becomes, who is a good Muslim and what is good Islam, Qureshi said.

"To the extent to which Islam focus on its foundational texts we can expect the outcome to be very violent. But you do have legitimate systems of tradition that move Muslims away from foundational texts through centuries of accreted tradition." There are also progressive Muslim scholars who are actively trying to recontextualise Islam for modern times.

But Qureshi is pessimistic about their chances. "I don't think they will be successful because of the internet, because people have access to these texts. They can just go to the internet and read them and see how violent Mohammed was and how violent the Koran is."

Qureshi explained that when a Muslim is confronted with the reality of the foundational texts they reach a three-pronged fork in the road. "One path is apostasy  to leave. Another path is apathy. The last path is radicalisation. That's how they become radicalised."

He said violence is pervasive in the traditional sources. "The moment you look at a book on Hadith or Mohammed's life from original sources, they are rank with violence. There is no way around it." At first he tried to cherry pick. "Then I realised they permeated the tradition and there was no way I could take a razor and separate violent Islam from peaceful Islam."

Qureshi is formidably bright. He has qualified as a doctor, has a degree in Christian apologetics and a masters in religion. He also worked for a time as an itinerate preacher. He is now studying at Oxford, doing an MPhil in Judaism and Christianity at Christ Church and aims to progress onto a doctorate.

He became a follower of Christ in 2005, when he was 22.

"I did receive death threats. Within a month of becoming a Christian, someone left a note on my car. The vast majority of death threats are from people online, they are just people letting off steam. I've been told now to let people know when it happens. Before I just blocked and moved on."

He conceded that he could have become a nominal Muslim, had it not been for a friend of his who was presenting compelling case for Christianity at the same time.

He is convinced by the verifiable truth of the Christian faith. "You cannot provide a basis for Islam to be the truth."

However, when his parents found out he had accepted Christ, it was not easy.

"To become a Christian is not an individual matter as it is in the West. In Middle Eastern societies your life is social; you are part of a community. What you do tremendously impacts the people around you. My mother was a daughter of Muslim missionary. Her whole life was predicated towards service to Islam. Now her only son had became a Christian. It brings tremendous shame not just to my reputation but to her, the name of her father and grandfather."

At first they could not believe it, he admitted, as he had been devout. Relationships were difficult for a time but he is married now, with a young daughter, and things have improved.

"Christ has revolutionised my life. As Muslim I was raised to be moral, to consider others and be kind. But once you see that God himself lowers himself such that he becomes a servant of others, willing to die for them, you realise that the supreme ethic is self-sacrifice out of love.

"There's nothing like that in Islam or any other world view. A lot of religions tell you to be kind to others, but the reality is you end up emulating your god. If your god is money your whole life will become about money. The Christian God is eternal selfless love."

Combine that with salvation through Christ's work. "If you know salvation is in God's hands then you can truly live. We can live such that even if we have to die for others, we can. Only the Gospel truly allows us to live."

He has seen too much to have doubts, he says. "The only people that truly doubt a supernatural reality are people born and raised in the sheltered West."
North Korean nuke missile could hit any target in U.S., triggering doomsday scenario, weapons experts warn

Weapons experts are one in expressing alarm at North Korea's ambition after it tested a long-range rocket system over the weekend that drew worldwide scorn, reports said.

According to The Heritage Foundation, North Korea's new Taepodong 3 missile has an estimated range of 13,000 kilometres. As such, if fitted with a nuclear warhead the missile could hit any target in the entire continental U.S., unleashing a doomsday scenario with millions of people killed and large areas destroyed.

North Korea continued to claim that the rocket it tested only placed a satellite in orbit as part of its peaceful space programme.

However, many weapons experts believe that Pyongyang's latest action is just a cover for testing a ballistic and nuclear weapons programme, according to Business Insider.

Writing for The Daily Beast, Gordon Chang says the satellite system North Korea claims to have launched over the weekend could "dovetail" with Pyongyang's earlier claim of having successfully tested and detonated a miniaturised hydrogen bomb.

"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. Such a scenario could unleash unimaginable horror on America.

Last October, Admiral Bill Gortney, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also warned that North Korea already has "the capability to reach the [US] homeland with a nuclear weapon from a rocket," The Guardian reported.

Gortney earlier warned in April 2015 that based from the Pentagon's assessment, North Korea already has the capability to place miniaturised nuclear warheads on its KN-08 intercontinental ballistic missile.

Gortney, however, assured that even if North Korea fires such a missile aimed at a U.S. target, America's anti-missile rocket system could safely destroy it in the air above the sea. "Should one get airborne and come at us, I'm confident we would be able to knock it down," he told reporters.

Faced with the North Korean challenge, the US has deployed the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system to South Korea.

According to the Pentagon, that anti-missile system is built to knock enemy missiles out of the sky, thus neutralising North Korea's threat to launch long-range missiles directed at the U.S.

Pentagon's optimism, however, could not stop weapons experts from warning of the potential harm that a North Korean attack could unleash on America.

In January this year, top weapons expert Peter Pry said the results of the nuclear test conducted by Pyongyang that month were in keeping with the expected after effect following the detonation of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapon, which is "another kind of hydrogen bomb."

Pry told WND that what the North Koreans just tested had all the hallmarks of a super-EMP explosion, which produces enhanced amount of devastating gamma rays despite its low yield.

He said such a weapon could be triggered to explode on command at a high altitude over a highly populated area in the U.S.

The explosion and the resulting gamma ray emissions would result in the destruction of food supply chains, fuel supply systems, communications, banking and all other grid-dependent systems, he warned.
Syrian pastor: 'God is waking up a sleeping Church', more people becoming Christians than ever before

More people, including Muslims, are coming to Christ in Syria than ever before, as the five year anniversary of the civil war approaches, according to a persecution charity.

"We're in a big harvest. God is waking up a sleeping Church," one pastor told Open Doors. "The Muslims coming to faith are ready to die for their new beliefs; that is a different kind of Christianity."

The war in Syria has devastated its population, with 7.6 million people internally displaced and 4.6 million refugees having fled the country.

While the number of Christians officially in the country has decreased since the beginning of the war due to persecution, people  including Muslims  are still coming to faith in Jesus.

"What attracted me is the loving environment of the church," said one Syrian believer from a Muslim background living in Aleppo.

In February this year a church in Damascus, Alliance Church, planted a new church close to Homs; a city once dubbed the "capital of the revolution".

While the recorded number of Christians in Syria has fallen  from 1.9 million before the war to between 600,000-900,000 now, the number of Christians secretly worshipping is unknown.

New converts from Islam can face serious consequences for leaving their religion.

"We [my wife and I] both became Christians," a Syrian refugee in Lebanon told Open Doors. "My wife took her veil off, but people started to threaten us."

There are glimmers of hope on the ground in Syria. A church in Homs, alongside Open Doors, opened a furniture factory in February, which is now providing work for over thirty people and has already received orders internationally.

The charity has also financed the opening of a new pharmacy, which enables people to buy medicines at a reasonable price and offers discounts for those who cannot afford them.

"One of the needy women who received medicine for free burst into tears," an Open Doors contact said.

"We continue to live in Syria with hope that our country will heal from its painful outcomes. It will heal from its wounds and will regain peace soon," said one Syrian church leader.

"We, under the Lord's grace and through his strength, have decided to stay and carry on."
The Archbishop of Canterbury is right: British people are afraid of the refugee crisis

When the first words on the morning news bulletin are, "The Archbishop of Canterbury," it's rarely a 'good news' story. Stories about division, strife and discord in the Church are the ones which dominate. The quiet good work of the Church rarely hits the headlines.

The Most Rev Justin Welby, leader of around 80 million Anglican Christians around the world, had been interviewed by a political magazine. During the conversation he'd been asked about the refugee crisis and the line of his reponse which prompted the headlines was about the response of some in the UK. "Fear is a valid emotion at a time of such colossal crisis," said the Archbishop.

Justin Welby is an astute politician, a consummate media performer and sensitive to the different constituencies he has to serve. Far more than that, he's prayerful and deeply serious about reconciliation. This isn't a man looking to stir up the perennial hornets' nest.

So let's look at what he actually said about British people being "anxious" about the crisis. "There is a tendency to say 'those people are racist', which is just outrageous, absolutely outrageous... Fear is a valid emotion at a time of such colossal crisis. This is one of the greatest movements of people in human history. Just enormous. And to be anxious about that is very reasonable."

The Archbishop went on, "In fragile communities particularly  and I've worked in many areas with very fragile communities over my time as a clergyman  there is a genuine fear: what happens about housing? What happens about jobs? What happens about access to health services? There is a genuine fear. And it is really important that that fear is listened to and addressed. There have to be resources put in place that address those fears."

This is not the rant of a dangerous demagogue, ripe for condemnation by right-on liberal commentators. It's a mature, sensible position reached by a lifetime of thoughtful engagement with communities in England and around the world.

Welby's nuanced take on the impact of the crisis here in the UK is based on a deep spiritual reflection. Like Pope Francis, he knows the biblical injunction for us to care for our neighbours doesn't just mean 'people who already live in our country' or 'people who look like us'. The Parable of the Good Samaritan tells us that it is our Christian duty to respond to the refugee crisis with an outpouring of love, compassion and practical help.

In the Middle East itself, from where so many of the refugees are fleeing, there are Christian groups and churches, large and small who are battling to alleviate the worst of the suffering. In Calais, there are dedicated volunteers who are tirelessly assisting desperate people kept in appalling conditions.

Christians are also at the heart of calls for the UK to take an increasing number of refugees. Citizens UK's campaign to ensure the government takes far more of its fair share of refugees has begun to see a shift from the government. Yet Welby has rightly criticised the slow reaction from the UK  saying, in reference to Germany's response, "I was in Berlin, and the churches there are doing the most extraordinary things, as are the German people... They took 1.1m last year. And it does make 20,000 [that the UK will take] over several years sound really very thin."

Having said all of this, Welby knows that in addition to the extraordinary compassion of the British Church, there is also fear. Though liberal commentators in London may not realise it, Welby's experience as a priest in tough assignments in Coventry, Liverpool and Durham mean he's altogether more streetwise. Church of England clergy are often the last line of defence for vulnerable people. With the way the welfare state is being cut and voluntary services struggling to meet demand, Welby has ready access to a network of thousands of churches who will be filling him in with stories of how the refugee crisis is being perceived, not from comfortable commentator's chairs like mine, but from the most deprived corners of post-industrial Britain.

The Archbishop realises some obvious truths.

First, that there is a difference between the refugee crisis and economic migration. It is perfectly possible to think (as the Archbishop appears to) that the UK is being far too miserly in responding to the refugee crisis, but to acknowledge that economic migration has been high over the last 15 years and that there are parts of the country where that has fundamentally changed the way of life.

Secondly, the Archbishop sees that there is a complete incompatibility between operating an open border policy to all, and maintaining the strong safety net of the welfare state that the British people have enjoyed for the last 70 years. The solidarity between people who pay into that system and receive its care will be fractured completely if borders are open to all. Again, this does not mean that refugees aren't welcome  quite the opposite  refugees are often incredibly hard working and contribute massively to their adopted home. But a completely open border endangers the social solidarity that we have built up over generations.

Thirdly, the Archbishop, having spent time in various conflict zones during his reconciliation work, will be wary of the simmering discontent associated with communities feeling like they're not being listened to. Yes we've seen off the fascists of the National Front, the BNP and the English Defence League. But for how much longer will we be able to maintain peace if the simmering resentment the Archbishop identifies is simply ignored?

Welby mentioned the specific fears he thinks British people have around the crisis. "What happens about housing? What happens about jobs? What happens about access to health services?" Here he hits the nail on the head.

There are communities across England and the rest of the UK which have been forgotten. As the country has been radically deindustrialized over the last 50 years, there are areas which have been decimated. It's the same in the USA of course. This incredibly thoughtful piece demonstrated how support for Donald Trump isn't just about racism; it's about a working class revolt against the neo-liberal capitalism which has left their communities for dead.

Sunder Katwala, a British commentator on race, immigration and integration, recently wrote, "Of course, it isn't racist to talk about immigration  as long you do so without being racist. That's the debate people want. Anti-racists would have much to gain from that, if they stopped shouting almost as shrilly as the populist xenophobes  which only closes down the conversation that Britain's moderate majority would like." Replace "immigration" with "The Refugee Crisis" and he's spot on. Welby instinctively gets this.

The Archbishop has spoken out about people's legitimate fears of the crisis. While this has cheered the little Englanders at the Daily Mail, Welby's position is far more nuanced. He has earned the right to talk about this fear, off the back of his tireless work advocating for refugees (and for a vast range of social justice issues).

Politicians would do well to follow his lead  and open up a proper conversation about how we can acknowledge the dislocation and disintegration felt in parts of the country. At the same time, Welby is already leading us in a compassionate conversation around how we can do far more to help the hundreds of thousands of desperate refugees fleeing from parts of the world we've so often interfered in. He's a leader. We should follow his example.
The floodgates of heaven: How a biblical famine teaches about grace

2 Kings 6-7 contain a heart-rendingly bleak story of famine and death that becomes an illustration of the grace of God.

The city of Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, is besieged by the Arameans or Syrians. Ben-Hadad, the Syrian king, has mobilised his whole army and surrounded it. The people are starving: a donkey's head or a tub of dove's dung, which no one would ever normally eat, change hands for huge prices. On a walk through the city, Israel's King Jehoram is button-holed by a woman who asks him for justice. "If the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you?" he asks, adding bitterly: "From the threshing floor? From the winepress?"

A tale of horror follows: she and her neighbour have eaten her son, but now they have finished him the neighbour has hidden her own. The king, enraged, swears to kill the prophet Elisha, whom he holds responsible. But Elisha prophesies an immediate end to the siege: "About this time tomorrow a seah of flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria." One of the king's officers laughs: "Even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?"

The Lord, though, is not to be denied. The besiegers think they're being attacked; panicked, they run for their lives and raise the siege. Four lepers, unmolested outside the walls, decide to go into their camp; they have nothing to lose. They find it empty. After eating and drinking and a spot of looting, they realise they have to tell the rest of the city: "This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves."

When the messengers sent out by the king report back to him, the citizens flood out to the Aramean camp  and the doubting officer is killed in the rush.

There are three lessons to learn from this story.

First, faith is sometimes tested to breaking point. The city was saved, but it was too late for many of its citizens  including the women forced to such a dreadful choice. King Jehoram wore sackcloth under his clothes as a sign of repentance, but the city was still reduced to absolute desperation. We should be honest about the depths to which some people fall. There's no point in telling them to cheer up or look on the bright side; sometimes all we can do is acknowledge their pain and grieve with them.

Second, God brought rescue. The king's officer did not believe he could and paid the penalty; so close to survival, he was able to see his salvation but not to take hold of it. Hope is the Christian's great treasure. When all reasonable expectation that things can get better is at an end, Christians still believe God is sovereign.

Third, the message of good news came from people written off by the world. The four lepers  either suffering from leprosy 'proper' or another form of skin disease  were outcast both from Israel and Syria. They weren't even allowed into the city. It was because of their situation that they were able to make their great discovery and take the good news to the people. We should never assume that because someone is an 'outsider' today, perhaps because they don't fit what we think is the model of a 'good Christian', they don't have blessings from God to share with us. Grace can come from anywhere.

This is a hard story to read. But it speaks to us of the grace of God and of the need for us to be faithful in believing.

Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods
The persecuted Christians you don't see on the news

A new report carries allegations of discrimination and violence being carried out against a Christian community in West Papua  a province of Indonesia.

The majority of people in the province are Christians. But since the area was taken over by the Indonesian government in 1963, there have been reports of persecution against Christians.

Indonesia overall has a majority Muslim population.

A new report by an Australian Catholic organisation seeks to throw light on allegations of arrests, poisoning, fire bombs, kidnapping, torture and other attacks. There are also reports of lower-level disruption of Christians' lives and their freedom of worship  such as police dispersing believers at prayer meetings.

The report says: "The Indonesians want to replace the Christian religion with Islam. Many mosques are being built everywhere. They want Papua to be a Javanese Malay nation. Radicalisation is happening in Papua, with some militias very active near the border with PNG." It carries on: "They burn down the Papuan houses. They are recruited as illegal loggers. Their camps and logging are well protected by the military."

A report from persecution charity Open Doors has further information on West Papua. It says: "Newer evangelical churches... began to hold mass religious rallies, locally known as KKRs, in public places. Often these meetings featured testimonies from Muslim converts. Muslim residents objected to the KKRs and responded by publicly questioning basic tenets of the Christian faith, such as the divinity of Jesus, further compounding tensions."

The worry for Christians in West Papua is part of a wider movement to gain freedom from Indonesia for the province. Violence has periodically flared up and campaigners regularly protest against continued Indonesian rule.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide has also issued a briefing on the area. It says: "The militarisation of West Papua has led to widespread and serious violations of human rights, and there are fears of religious tensions developing. CSW advocates dialogue between the Indonesian Government and representatives of the West Papuan people, demilitarisation, and an end to the violations of human rights."
William and Kate visit Christian charity XLP

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge today conducted their second visit to XLP in London, to hear about how the Christian charity is helping young people on the verge of exclusion.

The couple were greeted by founder and CEO Patrick Regan (alongside hundreds of paparazzi) and spent the afternoon hearing from young people and their mentors.

Youth from around London talked about the problems they faced, including loneliness, mental health, family issues, homelessness, gangs, struggling to fit in, and gun and knife crime.

The focus of the visit was specifically on XLP's mentoring scheme, which now operates not just in London but across the country.

Young people on the verge of exclusion, or at risk of gangs or anti-social behaviour, are partnered with a trained XLP mentor, who meets with them for at least two hours per week.

For many young people, this ends up being a crucial influence in their life.

One man, Sefton Henry, described how he was part of a gang for more than 17 years, and had been to prison seven times. He had a difficult upbringing, and said not having a father figure had contributed to the problems he experienced.

"I didn't have... a role model, someone to say to me what was right," he said.

He met his XLP mentor, Ethan, who helped him to turn things around.

The difference with Ethan, Henry said, was the way he spoke to him. "Most people judge and punish, when what you should do is discipline and guide," he said.

Henry now advises police, including Scotland Yard, on how to deal with gangs, and is a mentor himself.

Just came out of @xlplondon at All Hallows to a sea of cameras. For a moment they thought I was the royal couple :) #MassiveDisappointment  Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) March 11, 2016

XLP works with young people of all faiths from inner city communities who are dealing with issues such as poverty, family breakdown, unemployment, gang life, and educational failure. Today also saw the launch of the charity's new anti-knife crime campaign:

This is the Royal couple's second visit to XLP.

In March 2015, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge watched a performance by young people involved with the XLP Arts project at Christ Church, Gypsy Hill and visited the mobile recording studio.

They also spent time talking to young people from the charity's community bus project on the Hazel Grove Estate in Sydenham.
Seven students were sent to the hospital Friday morning after a school bus crash in southeast Houston.

The crash occurred about 6:50 a.m. on Park Place near Alaska, according to officials with the Houston Independent School District.
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The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for Montgomery County, after overnight rains caused additional runoff and sent area rivers over their banks.

The worst-hit areas were along Lake Creek in The Woodlands, which was experiencing moderate flooding as the river was reported to be 2 1/2 feet over flood stage Friday morning.

"It's now at 140.6 feet and forecast to crest near moderate flood levels later today," the Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency said.

Minor flooding was also forecast along Peach Creek, forecast to crest at 15.8 feet, and Caney Creek, expected to crest at 18.8 feet.

While some areas remained flooded, much of the rain that drenched the Houston region the past few days appeared to be moving away Friday.

The chance of rain was to diminish to 20 percent Friday night, according to the weather service.

Forecasters said rain was still possible Saturday, but that Sunday was expected to be sunny and dry.

STAY INFORMED: Check traffic before heading out

"We may have off and on showers today," said Scott Overpeck, a meteorologist with the weather service.

Overnight rainfall left creeks and bayous swollen early Friday. Forecasters issued a flood warning for areas where waterways had spilled from their banks in hard-hit northwest Harris County.

Cypress Creek near Sharpe Road was about a foot above flood state before dawn Friday and was expected to rise slightly throughout the morning. Willow Creek near Tomball was also flooded. Cypress Creek, Little Cypress Creek and Spring Creek also had overflowed the banks.

People are cautioned to avoid high water, slow down on rain-slick streets and to evacuate livestock from flooded and flood-prone areas.

Several roadways were underwater in spots throughout the region Friday morning. The U.S. 59 frontage road had high water near the San Jacinto River. Lanes of the frontage road for the Grand Parkway near FM 529 as well as portions of the frontage road for FM 529 near the Grand Parkway in west Harris County were impassable.

REAL-TIME WEATHER: Stay up-to-date on the local weather

In northwest Harris County floodwaters blocked one lane of FM 2920 near the Tomball Parkway.

During the past two days, most areas in Harris County recorded about 3 inches of rainfall while some spots in the northwest part received up to 8 inches of rain. In Fort Bend County, the Richmond area appeared to be the hardest-hit, as about 8 inches of rainfall was recorded. Other areas received between about 2 inches and 4 inches of rainfall.

Areas in Brazoria County recorded 1 to 4 inches while spots in Montgomery County saw between 2 and 6 inches of rainfall. Areas in Galveston County recorded between about 2 inches and 3 inches of rain.

Shepherd ISD in San Jacinto County cancelled classes again on Friday.
Tourism boosters at Visit Houston this week launched a marketing campaign in Mexico City called Hola Houston to draw more tourists from Mexico, and they enlisted one of Houstons most famous street artists to add his talent to the cause.

The campaign initiated on March 8 with GONZO247 unveiling a Houston mural in Mexico City, not unlike the Houston is mural he installed at Preston and Travis in Downtown Houston.
Fort Bend ISD officials have selected Briargate and Ridgemont elementary schools to be pilot campuses for its new Educators Dedicated to Growing Excellence program.

Fort Bend ISD trustees approved new jobs and stipends on March 7 for the pilot program, which will pour about a million dollars into each campus to improve student achievement.

Briargate and Ridgemont both did not meet Texas Education Agency standards in the 2014-15 school year, and the secondary campuses their students go on to attend have had problems meeting standards as well.

The program will change how teachers instruct students. Instead of the traditional classroom model of one teacher instructing 22 students, under the EDGE model, each grade level would have a team of teachers with different levels of experience. These teachers could divide students between them as needed, depending on factors such as learning style or subject strength.

There will also be an after-school program called Club EDGE that will provide meals, clubs and tutoring.

All teachers at Briargate and Ridgemont will have to reapply to stay at their campuses. Teachers at other Fort Bend ISD campuses or outside of the district can also apply for the positions.

Any Briargate or Ridgemont teachers who choose not to reapply or are not selected to participate in the program will be assigned to a different school.

Both Ridgemont and Briargate already qualify for federal funding because a high percentage of their students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. About 90 percent of students at Ridgemont and 86 percent at Briargate in the 2014-15 school year were economically disadvantaged, according to Texas Education Agency data.

For more information about EDGE, visit www.fortbendisd.com/edge.

Candidates for instructional positions in the program are invited to attend upcoming EDGE information meetings.

Candidates who are employees of Fort Bend ISD are invited to a meeting from 5-6 p.m. March 22 at Wheeler Field House. Internal and external candidates are invited at 5 p.m. March 29 to the Administrative Annex, 3119 Sweetwater Blvd., Sugar Land.

EDGE positions will be posted on the district's Job Postings site on March 24.
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Pearland's first microbrewery will open March 14.

BAKFISH Brewing Co. owners Brian Allen and Kris Szecsy will debut on Monday with five flagship brews. A smaller brewing system will allow for experimentation with specialty beers in the future.

RELATED: Pearland brewery set to expand Houston-area beer selection

More than a year in the making, the brewery's lineup, according to its site, will include a Belgian wit, Belgian-inspired Texas blonde ale, brown porter, India Pale Ale (IPA) and a double IPA.

More Information BAKFISH Brewing Company Location: 1231 Broadway Street in More info: bakfishbrewing.com Opening date: March 14 Hours: 3 p.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 3 p.m.-10 p.m. Fridays; noon-9 p.m. Saturdays; noon-10 p.m. Sundays. See More Collapse

"We are awaiting TABC (Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission) label approval to sell our beers to outside accounts, Allen says. "That said, we have verbal commitments from a number of local dining establishments such as Center Court Pizza."

SEE ALSO: Houston vodka micro-distillery opening east of downtown

The duo left their full-time careers to pursue their passion for brewing.

They will debut in an 8,000-square-foot space, which includes a 1,200-square-foot and a 2,000-square-foot tap room.

"We are excited to be a part of the Pearland and surrounding communities and look forward to sharing our beer with them," Allen says.
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An all-girl assembly Thursday at Humble High School left some students in tears.

School officials brought in a counselor from a domestic violence and sexual assault charity to speak about rape. It was planned as an International Women's Day discussion to empower young women, but several teens were upset at the counselor's speech. They also said that some rape victims in the audience that day were visibly upset.

The district admits that some "comments addressed that one's clothing and social media activity creates impressions."

SEE ALSO: Students sent to hospital after school bus wreck

A second assembly planned for upperclassmen later that day was canceled.

"If somebody comes at me and I tell them 'No, you stop what you're doing,' that is a no. So if boys are not being taught this and they're being taught that if we portray ourselves like this then they can do what they want to us, then that's never going to change," Humble High School student Emily Nelso told KHOU-TV.

Humble ISD issued this statement to KHOU-TV:

"The intent of the assembly was to keep students safe by educating girls on texting/sexting, teen dating violence, sexual assault awareness, and healthy relationships. Parents were informed of the assembly and permission slips distributed. The assembly was part of a variety of special campus activities planned by students through service learning in conjunction with International Women's Day.

Some comments addressed that one's clothing and social media activity creates impressions. As students asked questions, school staff members noticed that some students were upset and so they stepped in and ended the assembly about 15 minutes early. The school did not repeat the assembly in the afternoon as planned. We never want any student to feel uncomfortable and will be meeting with those who have concerns so that we can prevent future misunderstandings."
AUSTIN -- A predicted face-off between open-carry advocates and presidential security appeared to have been avoided at midday Friday as demonstrators said they planned to steer clear of President Obama's speech location.

Richard Briscoe, legislative director of Open Carry Texas, said a group of Texans who support a new state law allowing weapons to be openly displayed planned to march only from the Capitol to Sixth Street along Congress Avenue, and not to the Long Center for the Performing Arts just under a mile farther away where the president will speak.
AUSTIN -- If traffic in Texas' capital city was light today, so was activity for blocks around the site of President Obama's afternoon speech.

In fact, it took longer for some folks to get through the security perimeter than it took them to get to the Long Center for the performing Arts just south of Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin.

Streets were closed in front of the imposing round-topped arts center, and police lines kept visitors well over a block away at checkpoints where the public and media were being admitted for the event.

To park in an adjacent garage, Secret Service agents and police searched each vehicle in two lines beneath a large tent. Bomb-sniffing dogs, under-car mirrors and engine-compartment checks were mandatory, along with an interior search.

Once parked, attendees faced wait times of well over an hour, in lines that stretched for nearly a block to the west of the the events center. Bags and wand-searches were performed at airport-style checkpoints manned by Secret Service agents and uniformed Transportation Security Administration officers.

Crowds were then escorted in groups into the events hall, which underwent a detailed security sweep during the morning. Reporters and media photographers who were asked to arrive several hours early had to be escorted each time they left the auditorium, as part of the security precautions.

And that was all going on before Obama even arrived in Austin.

Once the president touched down at the airport, and traveled by motorcade to downtown Austjn for his speech and two Democratic Party fundraisers, authorities said downtown streets would be closed and cleared of all traffic for various periods.
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Donald Trump frequently defends his controversial, namesake university by pointing to a 98-percent approval rating from students. A recent article in the New York Times suggests that students at Trump University were coerced or pressured into giving those positive evaluations.

Trump University faces litigation over what the New York attorney general calls a bait and switch scheme. The now-defunct school promised to teach students Trumps own secrets from the real estate industry. Students paid tens of thousands of dollars to enroll in the courses, and the lawsuit alleges that many assurances made by the program were fraudulent.

READ THIS: BBB responds to 'inaccuracies' about Trump University

Now Trumps biggest defense against accusers  that students loved Trump University  is starting to unravel. One former student says a teacher demanded he receive a perfect evaluation and refused to leave until he did (the article said teachers also received pay based on those evaluations). Another student says after he gave the university poor schools, he was talked out of it by employees of the program, who called him three times, hounding him to raise his original scores.

The New York Times wrote:

Interviews and documents show that employees of Trump University at times applied pressure on students to offer favorable reviews, instructed them to fill out the forms in order to obtain their graduation certificates, and ignored standard practices used to ensure that the surveys were filled out objectively.

Students were not told they could leave their name off evaluation forms, even though anonymity is a standard practice in academic evaluations. One professor admitted he routinely asked students to fill out the evaluations in front of him at restaurants or coffee shops.

Trump and his lawyers have denied that the positive reviews came as a result of coercion. Trump said the ex-students are only suing now to take advantage of him.

I think they meant [Trump University] was very good, Trump said. Until they found out they could get their money back.

See the gallery above for 10 things to know about Trump University.
Eight thousand miles from Washington D.C., Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is expected to sweep a Saturday vote that likely will not get much media attention: the caucus in Guam, a tiny unincorporated U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean with nine delegates to offer to the GOP convention, where about 2,460 others will gather.

With little fanfare in January, Cruz secured his first gubernatorial endorsement from Guam's Republican executive Eddie Calvo, whom Cruz sent a cake on his birthday. Calvo pledged to encourage his party to send all the island's delegates to Cleveland in July on Cruz's behalf, according to the Pacific Daily News.
-- THE LEAD: Gun group may have run afoul of untested state ethics law, by the Express-News David Rauf. The direct mail piece, and potentially others dropped into state House districts right before the primary, may have run afoul of a new and still untested state campaign finance law broadening disclosure requirements for third-party communications in the weeks leading to an election, experts say.

During any other election cycle, the mailer from the pro-gun group would have instantly qualified as an issue-driven ad: one that bolsters a public official or aims to damage another but stays clear of calling for the election or defeat of a candidate. Issue advocacy does not require disclosure with the state.

But the most recent election cycle in Texas was different. It marked the first round of major state races since the Texas Ethics Commission adopted a rule targeting TV, radio, Internet and mail pieces that attack the character of a candidate, even if the ads lack any so-called magic words that normally would trigger disclosure with regulators.

-- Obama in Austin preview, from me and Mike Ward: Jason Goldman, the White House's chief digital officer, said in a conference call with reporters that there are larger, more complex issues in the tech landscape than the Apple lawsuit. The cooperation that exists between tech and the government extends beyond discussions about encryption, he said. When you think about how the government and tech need to interact, it's more than a single case.

The president also is not expected to address a topic that has come up at SXSW in past years: net neutrality, the belief that Internet users should have equal access to all content without service providers favoring or blocking particular products or websites. The president has reiterated his support for net neutrality, said Kristie Canegallo, the White House deputy chief of staff. There is no change on his position.

-- More on AG staff shakeup, per the Chronicles Brian Rosenthal: Two other resignations of key staff have not been publicly announced: Allison Castle, the office's communications director, has left and been replaced by Marc Rylander, and Teresa Spears, the office's director of external affairs, also has stepped down.

-- Cost of prosecuting Paxton too steep for Collin Co. officials, by The Dallas Morning News Lauren McGaughy. The three special prosecutors say theyre just doing their job. They were asked to represent the people of Texas, and they say they will, putting in the hours needed to respond to Paxtons many attempts to have his indictments thrown out. County officials, on the hook to pay them for prosecuting a local favorite, say the six-figure price tag is far too steep.

SPEED READ

Texas Take: Watching the clock on Texas voter ID case, Houston Chronicle

Changing of the guard could mean stronger faith focus at Paxtons office, Quorum Report

Eligibility questions plague District 120 special election, San Antonio Express-News

Mayors hold taco summit to end Austin-San Antonio feud, The Texas Tribune

Greg Abbott announces goal of bringing broadband access to all schools, Austin American-Statesman

Republican senators hold their noses for Cruz, Politico

Police, Texas Rangers investigating shooting of Whitmires office, Houston Chronicle

Central American immigrants fleeing due to violence, poverty, and now fears of

Trump's proposals, Los Angeles Times

Chuck Norris bows out of Cruz event, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

East Texas SBOE race stirs controversy, San Antonio Express-News

Texas doesn't want to take migrant children out of prison-like detention centers, so it found a way to classify the facilities as child care outfits, Texas Observer

Trump is taking advantage of uneducated supporters, The Dallas Morning News

Anti-LGBT attorney scores high-level appointment in Texas AGs Office, Texas Observer

Trump defends Islam hates us statement in debate, Washington Post

QUOTE TO NOTE

Friday will add a population the size of Amarillo to Austin" for SXSW, said Jason Stanford, communications director for Austin Mayor Steve Adler. "In addition to the streets already shut down for SXSW, there will be rolling closures as the president moves from one place to another. This would be a good day for people to work from home.

THE RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE

-- Few fireworks at debate as Trump plays it safe, by the Washington Posts Dan Balz. For much of the evening, the four candidates carried on a generally civil discussion on the issues. They avoided the kinds of clashes that had created a downward spiral in their dialogue over the three previous debates. Thursday's encounter, in particular, seemed a direct reaction to the universal criticism of their debate a week ago, a forum that took the GOP campaign into the gutter. But in the more subdued environment, Trump was challenged anew to move beyond generalities, and he still struggled to explain where he really stands on a range of issues, from education and trade policy to Social Security and the federal budget deficit to dealing with the Islamic State and Iran.

-- Trumps rough handling of rally dissenters stirs questions, by the APs Allen Breed. They have become a regular thing at Trump rallies, and while security experts say Trump has every right to quash dissent at events he's paying for, they say the Republican front-runner is playing with fire by not tamping down uncivil behavior and assault.

-- A pro-Donald Trump super PAC has tapped Jesse Benton, a veteran Republican operative with ties to Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell, to serve as its chief strategist. The move is the latest indication that the super PAC, dubbed Great America PAC, is developing into a serious organization  one looking to buttress Trump in the final stretch of the Republican primary and, potentially, the general election, per Politico.
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.
Braves advance to semis at Unity CHEROKEE - Cherokee's volleyball girls took down Harlan 3-0 on Monday and headed to Orange City this past Wednesday to...

Wolverines end season at West Bend-Mallard WEST BEND - The South OBrien volleyball team traveled to face West Bend-Mallard in the first round of the regional...

Warriors suffer 44-14 loss to Gehlen Catholic ALTA - The Alta-Aurelia football team hosted Gehlen Catholic on Friday evening, but lost the game 44-14. The Warriors struck...

Warriors take down Raiders to finish regular season ALTA - The Alta-Aurelia volleyball team hosted East Sac County on Thursday evening and took down the Raiders 3-1 to...

Braves go 3-6 at Heelan Invite SIOUX CITY - Cherokee's volleyball team, 23-9, worked on fine tuning its skills here Saturday in a 12-team Sioux City...
San Franciscos colorful former mayor Willie Brown caused a stir three years ago by writing some disturbing truths about major government infrastructure projects. The citys Transbay Terminal projectbilled as a future Grand Central Station of the Westwas running $300 million over budget. Brown argued that no one should be shocked by such overruns, and that we always knew the estimate was artificially low. In the world of civic projects, the first budget is really just a down payment, he wrote. If people knew the real cost from the start, nothing would ever be approved. The idea is to get going. Start digging a hole and make it so big, theres no alternative to coming up with the money to fill it in.

Browns column wasand still iswidely quoted because California officials are busy advancing the largest infrastructure project ever built by the state. The California High Speed Rail project, energized by a statewide ballot initiative in 2008 that provided initial bond funding of $9.95 billion, seems to be exactly the kind of project Brown had in mind.

In terms of pricing and design, the current project bears little resemblance to the detailed promises made in Proposition 1A. The original price tag was less than $40 billion but quickly ballooned to $118 billion. Governor Jerry Brown ratcheted the number down to $64 billionnot that any number really means anything at this point. To get these proposed costs down, rail backers had to void one of the projects core promises: that the train would connect Los Angeles to San Francisco (via the San Joaquin Valley) in two hours and 40 minutes. The updated plan requires bullet trains to share commuter tracks in the two main congested metropolitan areas, slowing travel time significantly.

The latest draft business plan, released last month, offers a reality check for anyone who thinks that the $64 billion price tag is even close to accurate. The rail authority had planned to break ground in Fresno and build tracks to the Los Angeles basin, but getting from the valley into Southern California means going over or under the Tehachapi Mountains, a large and geologically complex barrier. [P]roject engineers are now analyzing solutions critics say could break the projects budget or, just as bad, add too much travel time, the Bakersfield Californian reported in 2014. None of this is a deal-breaker, a spokeswoman for the California High-Speed Rail Authority said. She declined to go into details but insisted the agency will present a refined route over the Tehachapis.

Instead of a refined route, the authority has decided to skip Southern California for now, and first take the much easierand less costlyroute to San Jose. Opponents have pinned their hopes on a legal challenge. But the same Sacramento Superior Court judge who previously found that the project had violated funding-related terms of Prop. 1A (but was later overruled) gave the project the green light in early March.

Willie Brown would understand. The goal is to get started and worry about the costs and details later. If Californians really knew the cost, nothing would get built. Unfortunately, when financial and other commandments are nothing more than suggestions, anything can get built. And the public cant do much about it.

Photo: Photo by Night Owl City
The title newspaper columnist once carried a certain brassy prestige. For much of the past century, columnistsfrom marquee sportswriters and political commentators to cultural critics and regional, all-purpose powerhouses like Mike Royko, Molly Ivins, and Pete Dexterwere newspaper royalty. But as bloggers, tweeters, and other idiosyncratic, unmediated voices began flooding the commons, the collective understanding of what a columnist is, and what a column is for, has splintered beyond recognition.

Still, one venue remains where old-school columnists thrive. Ironically, perhaps, its also the place where the role was born: the metro desk of city papers. And over the past several decades, few people in the business have managed to delineate the personalities and inner workings of the modern metropolis, 800 words at a time, as ably as The New York Times Jim Dwyer.

Dwyer, 59, has covered his native New York since the 1980s, writing for Newsdaywhere he won a Pulitzer for his compelling and compassionate columns about New York CityThe Daily News, and, for the past 15 years, the Times. In 2007 he took over that papers long-running biweekly About New York column, a role previously filled by celebrated figures like Meyer Berger, David Gonzalez, and Dan Barry. Throughout, Dwyer has navigated epochal shifts in the journalistic terrain, from the absolute primacy of print to the ascendance of digital, while remaining, at heart, what he was when he began: a reporters reporter.

Jim Dwyer holds his daughter Catherine as he celebrates winning the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, after the 79th Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism were announced April 18, 1995. (Reuters)

Dwyers chops, it turns out, were evident in the first piece he ever wrote for his college paper, The Fordham Ram, back in 1976a vivid slice of life captured with time-honored intent: He wanted to impress a girl.

I was driving along Fordham Road, he recalls during an interview at The New York Times Building in Midtown Manhattan, and this rough-looking guy was having a seizure on the sidewalk. People passing by were muttering disapproval, fucking junkie, scumbag, that sort of thing. The seizures subsided, and those of us who had stayed with him while he recovered learned he was a veteran and had been having seizures since coming back from Vietnam. He pulled up his shirt and showed us this incredible line of shrapnel scars along his abdomen. A few minutes later, off he went. But that moment stayed with me.

Not long after, I met a girl in a bar. We hit it off over some beers. I was smitten. The next day I passed her on campus, but she didnt say hello. How could I get her attention? I figured Id write an article about the scene on Fordham Road. Maybe shed read it and think I was a great guy. I wrote it up, and I dont often say this about my own work, but it was pretty damn good.

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And the young woman he hoped to impress?

She never read it, Dwyer says. Then, with a storytellers timing, he adds, but she married me, anyway. Dwyer and his wife, Cathy, the department chair at Pace Universitys Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, have lived in the same northern Manhattan neighborhood, where they raised two daughters, for the last 35 years.

Whats startling about an encounter with that first Ram article all these years later is how assured the 19-year-old Dwyers writing sounds: The lede, for instance, is pitch-perfect. Charlie Martinez, whoever he was, lay on the cold sidewalk in front of Dick Gidrons used Cadillac place on Fordham Road. He had picked a fine afternoon to go into convulsions: the sky was sharp and cool, a fall day that made even Fordham Road look good.

He is a master at finding the one person who exemplifies a larger issue and bringing that person to life. Thats the classic model of the tabloid column, and it also happens to be what resonates online.

Dwyer has lent that voiceconversational, authentic, knowingto stories great and small ever since, from his pioneering Newsday gig writing about the subways to pretty much any About New York piece written in the past nine years. (In a stinging column about a Port Authority executive, Patrick J. Foye, who acted with notable integrity during the Bridgegate scandal, Dwyer wrote that the mind could not boggle fast enough to keep up with the bridge episodea wry turn of phrase that, characteristically, stops just short of finger-wagging. I have opinions, Dwyer says, but Im not too fond of expressing them.)

I started writing columns in June 1986, Dwyer notes. The other day, I came to the shocked realization that in a few months Ill have been at this for 30 years.

Sustaining quality in any multi-decade endeavor is difficult. In column-writing, its close to impossible.

Theres a tendency for all columnists to become parodies of themselves, Laura Berman told CJR in December 2015, after nearly 40 years as a stellar metro columnist at The Detroit News. Keeping it fresh and alive is a big challenge.

For Dwyer, paradoxically, keeping his work fresh and alive means working within a format that is essentially unchanging. The image I often return to, he says, is the pommel horse. Its a fixed object. Its always in the same spot. Its always the same height. But with that one piece of equipment, an experienced gymnast can perform any number of maneuvers. A columnist has to work in that same, fixed space, over and over again. But if you have the right editors, you can do any kind of stupid trick. You can certainly fall on your face once in a while. But you can occasionally do something that feels new, too.

For Wendell Jamiesonthe Times metro editor and, from the time he was an intern at Newsday in the late 1980s, an off-and-on colleague of DwyersAbout New York is a kind of chimera: a production firmly rooted in its own legacy, and wholly of its own time.

What Dwyer does so well is a mix of old and new, Jamieson says. About New York is a classic, big-city column with a modern voice. Sometimes Jim is in the story, sometimes hes writing off of the news, and sometimes he breaks news. But he has a digital sensibilitya way of reporting and writing in a human, personal way that taps into what people are talking about right now. He is a master at finding the one person who exemplifies a larger issue and bringing that person to life. Thats the classic model of the tabloid column, and it also happens to be what resonates online.

Take a column Dwyer wrote in January 2016 on Jane Mayer and her book Dark Money, about the brothers David and Charles Koch. The book made waves both nationally and overseas with its formidable reporting on the Koch brothers ceaseless efforts to shape opposition to Democratic policies and remake American conservatism in their own Libertarian image. But it was Dwyer who caught one particular thread of the narrative and, like any good columnist, gave it a yank. That thread involved a private investigation of Mayer, funded by the Kochs and conducted by a firm called Vigilant Resources International. Vigilants founder and chairman is none other than Howard Safir, who served as both the police commissioner and the fire commissioner of New York under Rudy Giuliani. Safirs son, Adam, and daughter, Jennifer, also work at Vigilant.

The former commissioner, Dwyer wrote in his column, could not be reached on Tuesday to discuss his role in the investigation into Ms. Mayer. Adam Safir, however, did speak cordially, briefly and unilluminatingly. The point, of course, is that for a while there, an awful lot of people were talking and writing about Mayers book. It was Dwyer who saw the aspect of the story that would matter to readers of a column like About New Yorkand then got on the phone, digging for quotes, pursuing context.

But classic journalism tropes like shoe-leather reporting and urgently ringing phones aside, Dwyer is well aware that he and his fellow columnists work in a far different atmosphere than they did just five or 10 years ago. After all, even in the perpetually harried world of journalism, todays expectationsof speed, timeliness, connectivityare staggering.

Whats changed the most since I started writing columns, he says, is that you cant wait even a day on anything anymore. Nothing will sit still. People often say to me, Oh, you must have some backup columns in your pocket. Well, no, I dont. As soon as I have a column in my pocket, I put it out there. Twenty years ago, something ready on Monday might hold until Wednesday. Thats not the case now. The velocity has increased beyond measure.

Not all of Dwyers digital ventures, its worth noting, have been columns cranked out twice-weekly under pressure. For example, with colleagues at the Timesfellow reporters, graphic designers, programmers, text and audio editorsDwyer helped craft what remains an early, essential, and, a decade and a half later, still-gripping example of what digital journalism can do.

You cant wait even a day on anything anymore. Nothing will sit still.

The deeply reported, deeply felt May 2002 interactive feature, 102 Minutes, provided the first comprehensive account of what went on inside the Twin Towers on 9/11: the last phone calls to loved ones, where people were when the planes hit, how some escaped when so many others perished. It was personal reporting on a vast canvas, and its something that Dwyer still does, in About New York, as deftly as anyone.

Ill always be grateful that I was able to work with Jim on that project, Jon Landman says. A longtime editor at the Times and now editor of columnists for Bloomberg View, Landman was instrumental in hiring Dwyer in 2001, just four months before the 9/11 attacks. Ive never been involved with a better piece of journalism, ever.

Throughout it all, Dwyer has kept in mind lessons from some of the greatest, most colorful columnists to ever don the mantle: Jimmy Breslin (a kind of genius who has managed at various times to convince people hes not, says Dwyer), Pete Hamill (a prince), and Murray Kempton (I loved Kempton. He had a voice unlike any other).

From all of those guys, and so many more, I learned that you have to report. It might sound obvious, but that doesnt make it less true. You have to report the hell out of a story. Then, maybe, you can write it.

Of course, even talented, diligent reporters can sometimes blow it, as Dwyer readilyin fact, cheerilyadmits. Early in his career at Newsday, he tried to print out a handful of his own columns from the previous year. The result was chastening.

I somehow ended up printing out everything, he says. A whole years worth of columns. I took them with me on the train, read them on the way home, and was horrified. They were too long, they were pedantic. They had all kinds of flaws. To this day, there are many columns where I wish I had done something a little different.

The conversation comes back around to About New York, and Dwyera New Yorker born in an earlier, grittier Manhattan to Irish immigrant parents and educated in the citys parochial schools and its universities (Fordham, Columbia)grows less circumspect. When asked if, all things considered, he might have the best job in journalism, he doesnt hesitate.

I believe I do. A big part of my job is to talk with brilliant scientists, great artists, the amazing people you meet just walking around the streets of New York. What could be more fun than that?

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Ben Cosgrove has worked as a writer and editor, online and off, since the mid-1990s. A contributor to Salon, the Washington Post, the Daily Beast, and other outlets, he served as editor of the award-winning website, Life.com, and managing editor of the early, influential e-zine, FEED. He lives in Brooklyn.
QBE Specialty, a subsidiary of QBE North America, has launched a suite of products for its newly created Inland Marine practice.

Leading the new Inland Marine practice, Richard Pye, senior vice president, joined QBE North America Specialty Lines in mid-2015 from a global insurance carrier, where he served as senior vice president, Inland Marine and Marine Property.

Pye has the full underwriting P&L control for Inland Marine, and is responsible for the underwriting strategy, the deployment of a complete portfolio of primary proprietary QBE products, and the launch of a national franchise with dedicated Inland Marine specialists.

This expansion includes a range of offerings for the following industry groups:

Construction: Buildings and structures under construction, installation projects, and contractors equipment.

Energy: Well servicing and directional drilling equipment.

Logistics: Truckers and warehouse operators.

Mobile Equipment: Appetite includes medical and scientific equipment, towers and antennas, and equipment sales and rentals.

In addition to bringing to market a range of new products for QBE, Joe Bielawski, vice president, Underwriting in Chicago; and David Brooks, vice president, Underwriting and Bruce Pichon, vice president, Underwriting have been brought in to operate the full-service Inland Marine practice. Brooks and Pichon are based in Los Angeles.

Over the coming months, proprietary coverage options will be offered within our target markets, including new Motor Truck Cargo and Builders Risk coverage offerings, as well as a partnership with QBE Specialtys Aviation division to meet the property and equipment needs of customer airports.

AIG Announces Reinsurance Deal with Swiss Re

American International Group, Inc. announced that it has entered into a two-year reinsurance arrangement with Swiss Re, under which a share of AIGs new and renewal U.S. Casualty portfolio will be ceded to the reinsurer, consistent with the plans announced by AIG in its January 26, 2016 strategic update to investors.The reinsurance arrangement is an important step in AIGs strategy to improve its Commercial Insurance diversification and return on equity (ROE), and it highlights AIGs focus on capital efficiency.

GEICO Dallas begins first of its moves to Richardson

GEICOs Dallas regional office is moving to a new location at 2280 North Greenville Avenue in Richardson, Texas. The new office will house more than 2,000 GEICO associates over time and provides more opportunities for future jobs, growth and expansion.

The new location features 242,000 square-feet of floor space in a campus styled setting and offers associates additional parking. The new location is also close to the Galatyn Park DART light rail station and numerous bus routes.

The move to Richardson coincides with GEICOs 30th anniversary in the region.

Travelers Provides Homeowners Discount for Smart Home Devices

The Travelers Companies, Inc. announced that customers with qualifying smart home devices are now eligible for a discount on their homeowners insurance. Smart smoke detectors and security systems that alert homeowners through their smartphones may qualify for the Protective Device discount from Travelers, which is available countrywide.

Travelers remains committed to staying at the forefront of advancements in home technology. The company has installed connected devices of all kinds at its Claim University facility to test the systems and educate its claim professionals about smart home technology.

The insurer is also the exclusive insurance sponsor of the CNET Smart Home in Louisville, Kentucky, which will provide further insights into how smart home products behave, interact and test in everyday environments.
American International Group Inc., the insurer stung by losses on higher-than-expected claims costs, said Swiss Re AG has agreed to take on some of the companys risks tied to casualty policies.

The two-year reinsurance deal will help AIG be more capital efficient and improve the return on equity at its commercial insurance business, the New York-based company said Wednesday in a statement, without providing terms of the arrangement. Reinsurers provide coverage for primary carriers.

AIG Chief Executive Officer Peter Hancock told investors in January that he is seeking to return $25 billion in capital to shareholders over the next two years, and that he plans to use reinsurance and other risk mitigating strategies to improve the commercial property/casualty business. The company has been under pressure from activist investor Carl Icahn, who faulted Hancock for failing to meet ROE targets.

We have been very clear about our desire to partner with our reinsurers to help achieve our strategic objectives, and this agreement with Swiss Re is an example of what is achievable with longstanding counterparties, Rob Schimek, CEO of AIGs commercial business, said in the statement. He was promoted in December to lead the unit.

The loss ratio at Schimeks business was a focal point during the insurers fourth-quarter conference call. AIG has been reducing exposure to casualty coverage, and took a $3.6 billion reserve charge in the last three months of 2015 tied to policies sold in prior years.

Mumenthalers View

Christian Mumenthaler, a 17-year veteran of Swiss Re, was named CEO of the Zurich-based company last month. He said the AIG deal would help his company improve diversification.

We know this portfolio, the leaders, and the underwriters very well and believe in AIGs plans, Mumenthaler said in the statement. We are happy to accompany them on this journey by taking a significant position in this business.

Swiss Re is also in talks to buy a life reinsurer from Citigroup Inc., people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News this week.
A new trend has emerged in which coverage counsel are being sued by third parties for aiding and abetting insurer clients bad faith, according to a panel session on the subject hosted by the American Bar Associations annual Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Sections Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee.

The suits allege that a lawyer who assists in a bad faith breach may be held liable.

While aiding and abetting started out in a criminal context, the restatement of torts places it in civil setting, according to Micalann Pepe, an associate with Christian, Dichter & Sluga, who spoke at the mid-year meeting held in Phoenix this year.

Gena Sluga, a shareholder with Christian, Dichter & Sluga in Phoenix, Ariz., said that lawyers have no special privilege against torts. In this situation, coverage attorneys can only be held liable for acting in concert with client insurers when:

A client owed a duty to a third party; The attorney knows a duty is owed; The insured breached that duty; The attorney is aware of the breach.

A seminal opinion on the subject, according to Lawrence Winthrop, a Division One Judge with the Arizona Court of Appeals, is an Arizona case, Chalpin v. Snyder, 207 P.3d 666, 220 Ariz. 413.

Winthrop provided a summary of the case:

Reliance Insurance Company insured Hi-Health, a commercial business located in Arizona, for auto insurance in the amount of $5 million. Personal auto coverage was included for the business owners daughter, since the business had a property interest in the vehicle. The daughter was involved in an accident in California and a claim was tendered for damage to the other car and the severe injuries to the other driver. The adjuster assigned to the claim valued the loss at the full policy limit, but was only given $2 million in authority at time of mediation. The claim was not settled at mediation. Reliance then hired a California attorney, J. Kevin Snyder, to find evidence to support a no coverage stance. While facts were found that if raised initially may have resulted in a policy declination, Snyder opined that it was too late to deny coverage. Snyder recommended that Reliance file suit against its insured raising coverage issues in order to push the claimants family to settle. The insured responded by filing for a declaratory judgment plus attorneys fees and won. In the end, Reliance settled the matter for $8.5 million. Additional litigation among the parties ensued, including a suit filed by Hi-Healths owner against Snyder, alleging malicious prosecution as well as aiding and abetting. Initially, the aiding and abetting allegation was dismissed and Snyder was granted summary judgment on the rest of the allegations. Hi-Healths owner appealed and the appeals court reversed the lower courts dismissal and summary judgment. As a result of the case, Reliance eventually filed for bankruptcy protection.

Reliance breached its duty by failing to settle the claim with available limits and Snyder was aware of the breach, said Winthrop. Snyder facilitated/assisted Reliance by filing a declaratory judgment against the insureds, even though he opined that the claim was covered.

In order to avoid these type of claims from arising, Teresa Milano, a New York-based claims director with Berkley Professional Liability, said that carriers need to form claims decision and opinions on their own.

Alanna Clair, a senior managing associate at Dentons US LLP in Wash. D.C., said that insurers shouldnt rely on counsel advice exclusively to avoid being steered toward a particular result.

Another area of issue is whether an attorney is able to produce a client carriers file to defend against a claim. The court may force the issue, Clair said. The crime fraud doctrine, commonly accepted by courts, may be used to pierce privilege without the burden of proof necessary to prove a tort. The court may hold a hearing on this, she said, noting that forced waiver of the privilege isnt a broad waiver.

Oregon, Texas and New Mexico have restricted such claims against attorneys, she said; however, she suggested coverage attorneys should remain aware of their limited role.

Appropriate boundaries by the coverage lawyers  not to play adjuster, not to take over the decision-making process, said Sluga.

Sluga, who handles complex insurance coverage and litigation, said there is a concern that these types of claims may arise in situations where any professional assists in evaluating a loss.

While company adjusters are unlikely to be judge separately from their employer, adjusters should make their own independent decisions, Milano said.

Pepe added that all parties should take steps to maintain appropriate boundaries.

In determining whether aiding and abetting occurred, Milano suggested asking the following questions:

Was a fiduciary duty owed by the client?

Did the client insurer breach its fiduciary duty and was the lawyer a part of it?

Did the lawyer substantially assist clients breach of duty?

By drafting documents that effectuate breach of duty;

By misrepresentations to plaintiff;

By counseling client with regard to breach;

By drafting and negotiating and review documents that allow breach.

Aiding and abetting is not typically covered under a lawyers malpractice policy because the attorney is alleged to be acting outside of the traditional scope of the attorney client relationship. The intentional acts or wrongful acts exclusion would likely apply, said Milano.
Musical Comedy 'Nerds' Postpones it's Debut on Broadway

I guess the Nerds will have to wait before they are seen on Broadway. On March 8th, it was confirmed that the planned Broadway debut of the musical comedy; Nerds A Musical Dot Comedy which was supposed to debut this spring will be delayed because the musical has lost a major investor. Nerds tells the story of the rise of the two icons of nerd kingdom Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. The show was set to open April 21 at the Longacre Theater and be directed by Casey Hushion.

According to Playbill, producer Carl Levin issued this statement about the musical and it's postponement. "On behalf of my fellow producers and investors, it is with great disappointment that we will be posponing the Broadway opening of Nerds due to the loss of a major investor. We are grateful to the one of a kind creative team and the cast of this incredibly funny and heartwarming musical that audiences have so enthusiatically adored thus far and we look forward to Nerds taking the country by storm."

According to Broadway.com, the musical features lyrics and a book by Jordan Allen Dutten and Erik Weiner and the music is to be done by Hal Goldberg. Tony nominee Rory O'Malley best known for The Book Of The Morman and Bryan Fenkart are to take the lead roles of Gates and Jobs.The cast was also supposed to feature Patti Murin as Sally, Lindsay Mendez as Myrtle, Benny Elledge as Steve Wozniak, Rob Morrison as Paul Allen, and Kevin Pariseau as Tom Watson. The rest of the cast was Tracee Beazer, Pierce Cassedy, Luther Creek, Joshua Franklin, Katie Lee Hill, Raymond J. Lee and Bethanny Moore.

So to those of you that always pictured Steve Jobs and Bill Gates coming up with their visions in song and dance you will just have to wait a while longer while this one gets everything straightened out.

 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

TagsBroadway Musical, Nerds, Broadway Debut Postponed, steve jobs, Bill Gates
AKRON, Ohio -- David Sax stood at the counter of his auto repair shop and snapped rounds into his brand-new .40-caliber Smith and Wesson that he bought less than a day after masked men burst into his business with handguns.

Sax, the owner of Akron General Tires in the 500 block of Spicer Street, said he and another employee signed up for concealed carry classes after Thursday's daytime robbery that spilled into his shop.

"I thought it was over for me," Sax said. "I know what's been going on in the city. They're killing people for the wrong reasons and I thought they were going to pop me and pop my friend on the way out."

Sax, 50, was getting ready to leave to pick up parts for his shop about 12:15 p.m. Thursday. Another employee was fixing brakes. An employee at a nearby business ran into the shop screaming: "He's going to shoot me," Sax said.

The man was followed by two men with bandannas covering their faces. Both had automatic handguns.

The men pointed the guns at Sax and his 59-year-old employee. A third employee ran out of a back door when he saw the size of the robbers' guns. The gunmen threatened to kill Sax and the remaining employee if they moved.

The gunmen cornered their target and stole his cash. The man ran to his 2006 Hyundai and drove away, according to Sax's account and police reports.

The gunmen left the store and robbed a 38-year-old man of $700 on their way to a getaway car parked up the road on East Thornton Street.

They jumped into a blue Mercury Grand Marquis and a third man drove them away, according to police reports. Nothing was stolen from the car shop. No arrests have been made in the case.

The incident stunned Sax. He said it's normally a quiet part of the neighborhood that sits less than a half-mile from the southern edge of the University of Akron campus.

He bought the new handgun and loaded up an old revolver on Friday at the shop.

"That's for our protection," Sax said. "We didn't have anything here yesterday but we got about seven of them now."
Douglas Prade court

Douglas Prade walks into court during his last hearing in Summit County Common Pleas Court.

(Adam Ferrise, cleveland.com)

AKRON, Ohio -- A judge denied former Akron Police Capt. Douglas Prade's request for a new murder trial.

Summit County Judge Christine Croce ruled Friday in favor of Summit County prosecutor's arguments that DNA evidence found on Prade's ex-wife's lab coat is not enough to warrant a new trial.

"The Defendant has failed to introduce any new evidence that the jury had not already considered," Croce wrote in her 18-page decision.

Prade was convicted in 1998 in the death of his wife Dr. Margot Prade. He was in prison until January 2013 when then-Summit County Common Pleas Judge Judy Hunter exonerated him based on DNA evidence found on the wife's lab coat.

The DNA did not belong to her ex-husband. Prade was freed from prison and spent 18 months in Akron repairing his home and living as a free man.

The Ohio 9th District Court of Appeals overturned Hunter's exoneration in October 2014 saying there was overwhelming evidence that Douglas Prade killed his wife.

The Ohio Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal of that decision. The case was sent back to Croce, who replaced Hunter on the bench, to decide whether to hold a new trial.

A message left with Prade's attorney David Alden was not immediately returned.

Deputy Chief Assistant Summit County Prosecutor Margaret Scott said Prade has the option to appeal Croce's ruling. She said she was unsure if that would happen.

Croce sat through two hearings, one in June and one in November, regarding the new trial request.

Douglas Prade, 69, is serving a life sentence. His 41-year-old wife was found shot to death in her minivan outside her Akron medical office.

Alden argued during a June hearing that the DNA evidence isn't strong enough for analysts to develop a full profile, but is strong enough to rule out Douglas Prade as the source of the DNA.

Chief Assistant Summit County Prosecutor Brad Gessner countered that the 1998 jury's conviction came from other evidence, including that Prade was a serial stalker, that he benefited from Margot Prade's life insurance policy and that he repeatedly threatened to kill her, Gessner said.

Gessner pointed out that an appeals court found "overwhelming" circumstantial evidence supporting Prade's guilt. He also said that the swatch of Margo Prade's lab coat might have been contaminated by various tests and from sitting in a box for 17 years.

"This court concludes that more likely than not the existence of the two partial male DNA profiles occurred due to incidental transfer and/or contamination rather than containing the true DNA from Margot Prade's killer," Croce wrote.

Scott said she believed it was significant that Croce found the DNA on the lab coat to be contaminated and that the judge found an overwhelming amount of evidence that Douglas Prade killed his wife.

"It was a classic domestic homicide," Scott said.

Scott said she was unsure how a possible appeal would be affected by the Ninth District's previous ruling that reinstated Prade's murder conviction.

"It makes you feel confident going forward because of that ruling, but you can't say anything is certain," Scott said. "A new appeal would bring up new issues. Any time you deal with the appeals system, you just never know."
3.10.16 Bay Village house fire

Firefighters assess the damage Wednesday night at the scene of a fatal Bay Village house fire.

(Jane Morice, cleveland.com)

BAY VILLAGE, Ohio -- One person was found dead Thursday night by crews battling a fire inside of a Bay Village home.

Authorities received a call about 7 p.m. regarding a home on fire on the 23000 block of Knickerbocker Road, Lakewood fire chief Scott Gilman said. Upon arrival, crews found fire spewing from three sides of the house and through the roof.

An elderly couple lived inside the house, Gilman said. A man was able to escape the fire but one person was found dead in the living room. It has not yet been confirmed whether the dead individual resided at the home.

The state fire marshal was coming to assess the home, and there was still a small blaze in the attic and some smoldering hot spots as of 8:45 p.m., Gilman said.

The fire was contained within 45 minutes. Stability issues concerning the structural strength of the house forced crews to attack the fire from the outside first, Gilman said. Six fire departments, including crews from Bay Village, Lakewood and Fairview Park, were on scene.

"I've been doing this for many years, and I've done a number of fires like this," Gilman said, referring to the fatality. "They all kind of leave a sinking pit in your stomach. It's sad to see; no matter how many times you've seen it, it still leaves an impact on you."
Keith Emerson

Keith Emerson, of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, is captured at the 2015 National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show in California. Emerson, 71, died Thursday night in Santa Monica, California.

(Paul A. Hebert, AP file)

Updated at 5:47 p.m.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Keith Emerson, 71, whose Hammond organ and innovative use of the Moog synthesizer made Emerson, Lake and Palmer one of the most distinctive bands in their era, has died.

Emerson died in Santa Monica, California, Thursday night.

Bruce Pilato, publicist for Emerson's band mate, Carl Palmer, posted this note from Palmer on Facebook:

I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of my good friend and brother-in-music, Keith Emerson. Keith was a gentle soul whose love for music and passion for his performance as a keyboard player will remain unmatched for many years to come. He was a pioneer and an innovator whose musical genius touched all of us in the worlds of rock, classical and jazz. I will always remember his warm smile, good sense of humor, compelling showmanship, and dedication to his musical craft. I am very lucky to have known him and to have made the music we did, together. Rest in peace, Keith.

Carl Palmer

March 11, 2016

No official cause of death was listed for Emerson, but police sources told Billboard the cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head. Apparently, Emerson was depressed over a worsening -- and irreversible -- neurological condition that was costing him the use of his hands.

Ironically enough, the first two "news'' items listed on his personal website, keithemerson.com, were items paying homage to the late David Bowie and Lemmy Kilmister.

Dennis Lewin, a classically trained pianist and radio host here as well as the keyboardist for Cleveland's much-loved Beau Coup, was devastated by the news.

"He was my idol,'' Lewin said upon learning of Emerson's death. "I probably would have never made the decision to become a professional musician if it wasn't for his influence.''

Later, on his own Facebook page, Lewin added this note, which really sums up the thoughts of a lot of us:

He was in a class all by himself who brought the likes of Aaron Copland, Sergei Prokofiev, Modeste Mussorgsky, Alberto Ginastera and several other so called classical composers to the awareness of the masses ~ He held a super virtuous finger technique and style that few could ever achieve and along with some others, his usage and experimentation with the "Moog Synthesizer" through his unique works changed the world of music for good ~ I guess the best way to sum him up is by a quote I heard about him once that went something like this: "He could jam with them, but they couldn't jam with him."

The band's official page noted Emerson's passing, and asked that the family be granted privacy in this difficult time. The site referred fans to the EL&P Facebook page, where tens of thousands posted condolences and disbelief.

Emerson's death adds to the ranks of rock 'n' roll stars who recently have left us, including the Eagles' Glenn Frey, Jefferson Airplane's Paul Kantner and Yes' Chris Squire, just to name a few.

I saw Emerson, Lake and Palmer as a young man in Houston in the middle 1970s, and was totally blown away. And like a lot of you, I've wondered just why they are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Eligible since 1995, the groundbreaking prog-rock group has never even been nominated. Admittedly, the list of bands that should be in but aren't is longer than the list of bands and artists that are. But that's no excuse. Indeed, the exclusion of Emerson, Palmer and band mate Greg Lake (who's got a dual snub as a former member of King Crimson) is unconscionable.

Of course, "someday'' they will get their rightful place in the Rock Hall. But Keith Emerson, like Chris Squire and Kilmister, will never know the joy of being inducted, will never be able to stand on a podium in New York or Cleveland and thank their families and fans. And they will never know that it's we fans who owe THEM the thanks.

Look, I get that you can't induct everyone; that would dilute the distinction of induction itself. And bringing into the fold all who should be can't be done at once. It would be a logistical nightmare. I'm also aware that there always will be people who say Artist A should get in over Artist B, and vice versa.

The Class of 2016 is a pretty good example of bringing fairness to the ranks of the Rock Hall, with the inclusion of such venerable - and deserving - acts as Cheap Trick, Chicago, Deep Purple and Steve Miller. And I support wholeheartedly the induction of N.W.A. for its groundbreaking (and awareness-raising) development of gangsta rap.

But look around. The people who created rock 'n' roll are aging. And dying. And if Emerson's death was indeed a suicide brought on by his medical condition and depression, it's even more tragic.

Give these icons their due. Give them a chance to say, "Oh, what a lucky man I am.''

Before it's too late.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - When I was a child of elementary school age, there was a Friday morning routine in our house.

As my grandmother prepared my lunch, humming along to an easy-listening station on the kitchen radio, my grandfather sat on the couch, reading The Plain Dealer and/or The Cleveland Press before heading to work. We had subscriptions to both.

The TV (we had only one) was tuned to the "Today" show. My grandfather listened while reading, and if some piece of news caught his ear, he'd stop reading to watch the broadcast.

And I would sit on the floor in front of the TV and leaf through the Friday Magazine to check out the movie section.

Most of the movies being advertised were Rated R, so there was no chance of me seeing them, but, for whatever reason, I needed to know before I left for school which new movies were opening.

I needed to know!

The first movie I remember seeing was Disney's "Lady and the Tramp" at the Severance Movies in Cleveland Heights.

Movie theaters of old were expansive and often ornately decorated. No kid could resist running up and down the seemingly never-ending aisle. The cineplexes and megaplexes of today have more hallways and stairs than they have aisles.

Enjoy this gallery of days gone by. A handful of these buildings are still around, renovated and/or re-purposed. But most of them live on through photos and memories.

Which theaters am I missing that you'd like to see? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Euclid mayor says Cleveland Clinic plan to remove rehab beds does not put hospital in immediate jeopardy

Euclid Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail said the Cleveland Clinic's plan to remove rehab beds from Euclid Hospital does not put the hospital in immediate jeopardy. Over the years, Euclid officials have worked with the Clinic on expansion plans, including a 2013 effort to take over University Hospitals property in the city. (Lynn Ischay/The Plain Dealer)

Euclid Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail said Thursday that she believes the future of Euclid Hospital remains secure, despite the Cleveland Clinic's plan to move its inpatient rehabilitation unit to Beachwood.

The Clinic's plan to relocate the rehab unit triggered a fiery rebuke earlier this week from Cleveland Councilman Michael Polensek, who questioned the Clinic's commitment to the facility. "They move the rehab unit out and you might as well kiss that place goodbye," he said.

But Gail, who was elected mayor in November, said the Clinic has recently made significant investments in the hospital and has told her that it will continue to do so.

"I don't see this one loss of service as an indication that the hospital is in trouble," she said. "But we will absolutely watch this. We will stay in regular communication with Euclid Hospital leadership and Cleveland Clinic leadership."

A Clinic spokeswoman said on Wednesday that the effort to relocate the rehab unit to Beachwood is part of a broader reorganization of rehabilitation services meant to expand access throughout the region. She said she did not know what services would be added to replace the Euclid rehab unit, as that will be subject to a review process during the next 18 months.

The spokeswoman, Heather Phillips, said the reorganization is being driven by the Clinic's partnership with Select Medical, a provider of inpatient rehabilitation services to adults who suffer strokes and other debilitating injuries.

The Clinic wants to move the unit out of Euclid to create a 60-bed rehab facility at its Beachwood administrative campus on Science Park Drive. It would also move 35 beds from the Edwin Shaw Rehabilitation center in Cuyahoga Falls to a facility it operates with Akron General Hospital in Bath Township.

Polensek said the move is part of a pattern in which the Clinic removes services from hospitals in the inner suburbs and then announces plans to reduce their size or close them altogether. He invoked as proof the Clinic's closure of Huron Hospital in East Cleveland and its current plan to transform Lakewood Hospital into a family health center.

"We can't let them do to Euclid what they did to Lakewood and East Cleveland," he said. "What's happening here is outrageous, and they wonder why the average citizen is so angry with the corporate elite."

Phillips replied, "We are disappointed in the councilman's comments. Health care is changing and we are changing as the needs of our patients change. This is an important conversation about expanding specialized rehabilitation services to patients throughout Northeast Ohio, as well as bringing in new services to Euclid."

So far, Gail and other Euclid officials said they are willing to give the Clinic the benefit of the doubt. City Councilman Kristian Jarosz, whose ward includes the hospital, said Clinic officials recently spent a significant amount of money to renovate the hospital's cardiac catheterization lab and repave a parking lot. It has also added nurses and turned an $8 million profit in 2015.



"We're extra sensitive to the perception of negative news flow around our hospital," Jarosz said, adding that he spent several hours on the phone with Clinic officials Wednesday.

"We're going to fight for our residents and make sure they have access to the very best health care services available," he said. "We also want to be good partners with the hospital and build those relationships so they can hopefully be more successful and even expand their footprint."
NewTechWest.jpg

New Tech West High School will soon have the equipment for a morning announcement club following the donation of about $2,000 during a "flash funding" event.

(Cleveland Metropolitan School District )

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Sarah Spinelli didn't believe it.

Less than 24 hours after the 11th grade English teacher posted an online request for funds to buy equipment to create a morning announcement team, the $2,172 was donated.

Spinelli, and thousands of other teachers across the country, were "flash funded" by #BestSchoolDay, which fulfilled the wishes posted on DonorsChoose.org, a site for public school requests.

More than 50 athletes, actors, business owners and philanthropists announced Thursday they had "flash funded" more than 12,000 teachers' projects totaling $14 million on the crowdfunding site DonorsChoose.org.

So teachers can now buy gymnastic mats, IPads, books, science kits and instruments, including 30 ukuleles.

Donors -- including actress Yvette Nicole Brown and Cavs owner Dan Gilbert -- are asking the public to pitch in. Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google, and Brian Acton, the co-founder of WhatsApp, together pledged $3.2 million to match donations on DonorsChoose.org.

In Cleveland, Spinelli -- a first-year teacher at New Tech West High School -- posted her request at 4 p.m. Tuesday. She received a few donations. When she checked the site at 10 a.m. Wednesday she saw the remaining $2,000 was pledged by #BestSchoolDay.

"I just stared in disbelief," she said Thursday. "I am so excited. It's not the kind of thing you believe at first. It was too easy."

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District school is currently in a building with no intercom system. A morning announcement club would "promote a sense of community in the school," she wrote on the site. She wanted to buy a MacBook, Sony Handicam, IPad mini and tripod.

"The stars aligned," she said. "The timing was right."

DonorsChoose.org is a non-profit that enables anyone to help a public school classroom in need.

On the web site, teachers post requests including books, art supplies, field trips and science equipment. They include the number of students the project will help and provide specific details as to where the money will go. The site reviews and verifies the project before it is posted.

Project requests range from several hundred to several thousand dollars.

Numerous projects in the Cleveland area were funded on what was dubbed #BestSchoolDay on social media. Many, which had been posted for months, had not received a donation until Tuesday.

Gilbert supported projects in Akron, Canton and Cuyahoga County.

Several projects were funded in honor of Brown, who graduated from Shaw High School in East Cleveland and who, with an anonymous donor, supported projects in Cleveland.

Spinelli said she believes Brown paid for her project.

"I got an email that she was mass donating to a lot of projects," she said. "I would love to thank her."
daytonjpg-3b6859d608ca0f88.jpg

University of Dayton students celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

OXFORD, Ohio - The St. Patrick's Day stars have aligned at Miami University.

The annual Green Beer Day, a made-up holiday held annually on the Thursday before spring break, falls on March 17 this year.

"Green Beer on St. Patrick's Day! This won't happen again until 2073!" announced Miami's Green Beer Day Facebook page. "Get ready for the biggest GBD in history!"

While many northeast Ohio college students travel to Cleveland to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, which includes a large parade, others in the state party on campus.

Miami's daylong party dates back to 1952 and has its own Wikipedia page. The celebration ranks as one of the top St. Patrick's Day college celebrations in the country.

Students begin to drink as early as 1 a.m. wearing T-shirts created for that day. (A few perennial favorites: The Green Face, following The North Face symbol, and J. Brew, instead of J. Crew.)

Ohio University also has a Green Beer Day.

OU began celebrating Green Beer Day the second Wednesday of March because students were gone the week of March 17, when the school was on the quarter system.

Students are now usually on campus for St. Patrick's Day, since the school moved to a semester system. But OU being OU, students now celebrate both Green Beer Day, which was March 9 this year, and March 17.

In 2015 a post was created on thedrunkenundergrad by "the concerned students in Oxford," criticizing the Bobcats for an "act of unoriginality" in celebrating Green Beer Day.

It said OU's Green Beer Day is "an attempt to undermine one of the most epic, long-standing college drinking traditions in the country...It is quite unfortunate that most of the undergraduate experiences are spent coming up with one lame party after the next. Green Beer Day? Could you have thought of anything less original?"

University of Dayton is the place to be on March 17.

The University of Dayton's St. Patrick's Day celebration annually ranks among the top college celebrations in the country.

The gathering at the private Catholic school has its own Facebook page and T-shirts.

Things got out of hand in 2013 when more than 1,000 people were involved in a riot, the Dayton Daily News reported. There were broken beer bottles and 11 damaged cars, including a police cruiser.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The room has the buzz of a high school cafeteria as police officers huddle around tables, creating lists of words that describe their teenage selves.

Mischievous, sneaky, crazy, impulsive, risky, weird, emotional -- and yes, even horny -- make it onto supersized sticky notes that get posted on the classroom walls.

The word exercise is meant to prime officers to think about how they perceive themselves as juveniles versus the grownups they became, and what that might mean for how they deal with the youth they encounter on the streets.

It prepares them to go inside the teen brain.

(We thought those following our series exploring potential solutions to youth violence might like to play along and see how your responses compared with the officers'. Hint, we trended similarly negative with a dash of awkward.)

To see what words Clevelanders offered up, click here.

The Plain Dealer has launched a special project on youth violence. We'll visit other cities to what Northeast Ohio might learn from their efforts . And we'll dig into what's being tried here.

Trainings like the one we attended in Virginia Beach last month and similar iterations used in cities such as Los Angeles, Indianapolis and is beginning here in Cleveland, are part of the long game when it comes to keeping communities safe.

They are less about interrupting violence in a swift and immediate way and more about building relationships and trust that decreases overall volatility and increases the chance of keeping youth out of trouble and away from crime.

At least that's what proponents of the methods hope.

Another undercurrent of the this type of training that we'll explore in the coming weeks is whether a shift in the way communities are policed -- and the role of officers -- can lead to less violence.

'Damaged' brains

During the class, police trainers and community experts dive heavily into the science; the biological and developmental reasons that can cause a normal youth to act, well, brain damaged up until the age of 25.

It's not that teens don't want to listen and make smart decisions, officers learn. Sometimes, they just aren't capable. Parts of their brains are simply not yet developed.

And they're at an even worse disadvantage if they've been traumatized, exposed to environmental toxins or have mental health challenges or other disabilities.

"We're not here to make excuses for behavior, we're here to understand behavior," Sgt. Alicia Jones, tells the class of mostly veteran officers.

Jones, who works in the coastal town's police professional standards division, doesn't pretend the training is is right for every situation. Safety always comes first.

The knowledge she and other trainers share is practical, and is for use in the types of encounters police most often have with teens.

Slow it down. Narrate your actions. Separate teens in groups from their friends. Use consequences, not threats.

Jones has put her training to use. She tells the group about an encounter with an out-of-control teen in the police precinct lobby.

He was large and looked older than his roughly 17 years.

"I f--- people up," he screamed, beating on his chest.

For nearly an hour, Jones talked to him, giving his brain time to catch up.

"You don't understand that your actions are causing us to see you as a threat," she told him firmly until she got him safely out of the lobby.

(To find more advice shared on policing the teen brain click here to see a full-sized version of the graphic to the right.)

Officers aren't expected to solve the problems of the youth they encounter.

The idea is for them to recognize the issues, respond to them and then, if they can, refer families to other resources in the community equipped to help them.

To make that easier, a smartphone app was created for officers to reference and share with parents. It contains the contact information for community agencies that can help.

Why should teens be treated differently?

Aside from the brain science, there's ample evidence for why for police should treat teens differently than adults.

Negative interactions between kids and cops can heighten the chance that the youngster will end up in trouble in the future.

That includes a range of things, from seeing a parent or sibling arrested to - rightly or wrongly - feeling they are demeaned by officers or unfairly targeted for pat downs or questioning.

An arrest at an early age can begin of a cycle that will limit opportunities for the rest of a teen's life, Virginia Deputy Chief William Dean, a proponent and local architect of the department's "Juvenile Perspectives" training said.

It often leads to continued contact with the criminal justice system, a felony record and prison, more crime-ridden communities -- and potentially dangerous interactions with police.

Virginia Beach has worked with its courts to limit charging juveniles for minor offenses.

That can be counter-intuitive for some officers, Dean said, who still think taking an unruly teen to detention is a better tool than using some discretion that allows them to get help in the community instead.

He encourages officers to view interactions with youth as an opportunity "intervene differently" and not just enforce laws.

"We've been doing tough on crime for a long time," Dean said. "Just being tough on crime doesn't work."

Why isn't this done everywhere?

Officers across the country, for the most part, get scant training on dealing with kids.

Strategies for Youth, a non-profit that concentrates on interactions between police and young people, found in a 2013 survey that on average juvenile justice topics represented only 1 percent of total police academy hours.

And the majority of that time is spent on laws and code, not child development, teen group dynamics or awareness of demographic and culture differences that might help officers understand and avoid arresting juveniles or using force when interacting with them.

"Officers are equipped to deal with crime, defensive tactics and use of force," Lisa Thurau, executive director of Strategies for Youth said.

But most police calls involving children aren't criminal in nature. They involve children disrespecting parents or teachers, kids congregating in public places, or kids who are mentally ill or reacting to something that's been done to them.

"They're not trained to deal with these kinds of calls. They aren't trained in communication skills, how to de-escalate upset teens, or deal with family disputes," Thurau said.

But that is exactly what the community wants and expects officers to do, she said.

That notion does elicit a fair number of eye rolls from the officers. And this type of response: We're cops, not social workers.

Officer David Nieves, who took and now teaches the class, has heard that naysaying, more so from veterans than recruits.

"When people say 'this isn't what I signed up for', I say 'what, you didn't sign up to help people?'"

For the most part, officers seem receptive to ideas being shared.

The only time some perceptibly bristle is when trainers touch on disproportionate minority contact and later show a video about research that explored racial and culture bias in officer involved shooting simulations.

"Here we go again with the racist stuff," one officer complained. He argued his case that the department already had bias training and that the topic didn't need to be brought up in every class.

What's happening here?

Ohio currently doesn't require this type of in-depth training on juveniles, though it's being considered as officials revamp statewide police training requirements.

Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams, though, has committed to the training, which the department kicked off last summer and is continuing this year.

Williams also is working with Strategies for Youth to create the department's first-ever police policies for officers' interaction with juveniles.

The guidelines will also include ways officers can minimize trauma when arresting a parent in front of a child, which can lead to shame, confusion and painful memories that make them less likely to trust law enforcement later in life, Thurau said.

Trading perspectives

A part of the training officers said they found the most valuable (and fun) comes at the end.

After hearing about theoretical teens for two days, officers interact with teens from Virginia Beach-area Boys & Girls clubs.

The officers and teens are given unscripted scenarios to act out. Later, they reverse roles. The officers play the teens and the teens act as officers.

A park is the setting. The teens aren't doing anything wrong but it's dark and a neighbor has called the police.

"Whatever you guys decide how you're going to react to the dialog is on you. Act like you would act if you were being approached by a police officer," says Nieves.

The Virginia Beach officers strut into the room and move in close to the kids congregated in the fictional park. They pepper them with questions: Who are they? Where are they from? Why do they keep getting called to the park?

"What do you all need this information for? We ain't bothering nobody," says DaShawn Hines, 17, as he tries to walk away.

"You're bothering me right now," Officer Dave Steele retorts, annoyed.

"I could be eating dinner right now but I'm not. I'm here dealing with yo' ass."

The dialog continues in the same manner for another minute. One teen stares at the ground, looking uncomfortable.

They pause and discuss what just happened.

"I felt uncomfortable," Hines said.

Lydia Locklear took issue with the officers' tone. "You were hollering at me and yelling at me and that just makes an underage person more mad," the 14-year-old said.

While the questions and actions might feel intrusive, the officers say asking that asking where a teen lives or their age is part of a responsibility to make sure the teens are safe.

"I don't want you to hate me or dislike me, but I don't care if you do like me," Steele said.

"A lot of times we're frustrated but it's not towards you, it's for you. We want to see the future you'll bring us. And if nobody is there to get on ya, who cares."

The teens quickly get a glimpse of the officers' world when the roles are reversed, and they have to approach the fiction park full of officers pretending to be rowdy teens.

Within seconds the teens are flustered as the cops pretend to film them with cell phones and pepper them with insults.

A teen acting as a cop puts his arm out push back one of the officers from approaching Locklear, escalating the pseudo-confrontation

Locklear puts her head down, her curly hair covering her face. She's flustered but her laughter helps break the tension.

"This is crazy," she says.
Bald Eagles Investigation

In this February 20, 2016 photo, a bald eagle lies dead in Federalsburg, Maryland. Authorities say 13 bald eagles found dead near a farm on Maryland's Eastern Shore may have been poisoned. (Officer First Class Robert Karge/Maryland Natural Resources Police via AP)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The announcement Thursday that the mysterious deaths of 13 bald eagles in Maryland were not due to natural causes has added to a flood of outrage and indignation of people across the nation.

The eagles were discovered February 20 on a farm in Federalsburg, Maryland, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service joined the Maryland Natural Resources Police in investigating the cause of the deaths.

The Fish and Wildlife Service said that based on results of a necropsy at its forensics laboratory, the eagles did not die from natural causes, including disease.

The agency's announcement noted, "Our investigation is now focused on human causes and bringing to justice the person(s) responsible for the death of these eagles. We cannot release further details about the cause of death as such information may compromise the ongoing investigation."

Killing a bald eagle is a federal offense punishable by a $250,000 fine and a possible two-year prison term.

Since discovery of the dead eagles, the Facebook site of the Maryland Natural Resources Police has been viewed by nearly 200,000 people from across the country, according to department spokeswoman Candy Thomson.

"People are outraged," said Thomson, who noted that public donations provided all but $5,000 of a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for the eagle's deaths.

Lab results: 13 bald eagles did not die of natural causes, including disease. Investigation turns to human causes & finding suspects.  Maryland NRP (@MDNRPolice) March 10, 2016

Recent comments on the department's Facebook page included, "I hope you catch them and prosecute to the fullest," and "What kind of jerk would do something like this?"

The appropriately named Mishael Birdwell wrote, "OMG , how can anyone do that to such a majestic animal and our country's symbol?"

Thomson said the memory of a time 40 years ago when bald eagles faced extinction is still fresh to many people. "They know how close we came to losing them," she added. "This is a restoration success story and people are pretty upset (about the recent deaths)."

Thomson said the announcement that the eagles were not killed by disease was also significant in that it ruled out avian influenza as a factor in an area of Maryland where there are many poultry farms and an abundance of migratory birds.

Thomson noted that there were no obvious signs of trauma on the birds, and said one working theory is that they may have been poisoned by someone spraying chemicals on a farm field that may have adversely affected the eagles. She added that the birds might have eaten something that had been poisoned to kill rodents, coyotes or foxes.

Jamey Emmert, spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Natural Resource's Division of Wildlife, said she was not aware of a similar incident happening in Ohio. There have been individual deaths of bald eagles, sometimes due to unknown causes, but generally those deaths are rare, according to Emmert.

She said that in the absence of disease or natural causes in the Maryland case, poisoning could be the culprit.

"Definitely poisoning could be factor if not applied properly. That's unfortunate part people using poisons that are non-target-specific," she said. "So many birds of prey eat rodents that can contaminate them."

The area in Maryland where the eagles were found has been canvassed since the discovery, and no other dead eagles or other dead birds have been found, according to Thomson.

She described the area as "prime bald eagle habitat," with a river and creek on two sides, and a wildlife management area nearby.

According to Thomson this is the largest eagle-kill in the past 30 years in the state.

One previous incident involved two bald eagles that were shot to death, but the shooter was never arrested. "We had suspects but we could never prove it," Thomas said.

In this case, "both agencies are very hopeful that we can figure out what this is and who is responsible for the deaths of the eagles," she said.

Thomson also noted that the site where the eagles were found "is a very rural area, and it's not like there are a lot of potential sources (for the cause of the deaths)."
Cleveland police car 3.jpg

Cleveland police are investigating an early Thursday shooting where a man was shot eight times on the city's East Side.

(cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland detectives continue their investigation into an early Thursday shooting where a 26-year-old man was struck eight times.

The shooting occurred about 12:45 a.m. on the 1400 block of East 105th Street in the city's Glenville neighborhood.

The man suffered eight gunshot wounds - two to his right arm, two to his right leg and four to his left leg, police said. His current condition is unknown.

Officers spoke with the victim at University Hospitals. The victim said he and his girlfriend had gotten into an argument at an apartment on East Boulevard. He left the apartment, and when he made his way to East 105th Street, he realized he was being followed.

The victim continued walking, and once he reached a grocery store at the corner of East 105th Street and Lee Avenue, the shooter approached him and opened fire, police said.

The shooting continued even as the victim tried to run away, police said. He managed to drag himself to the grocery, and one of the man's friends called him soon after.

The victim was able to explain he had been shot, and his friend quickly picked him up and took him to the emergency room.

Detectives are still working to determine whether the shooting was caught on camera.

No suspects have been identified, and no arrests have been made. Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call Cleveland Fifth District detectives at 216-623-5518.
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Adobe Systems signage is displayed outside of the company's office in San Francisco, California, U.S

The shift from personal computers to smartphones and tablets is a big positive for Adobe Systems , its chief executive told CNBC.



While the company attracts a plethora of photographers, videographers, illustrators and animators, Adobe is best known for its image editing software, Photoshop, and for introducing the portable document format (PDF), which has become an internationally accepted medium for sharing electronic documents.

Photoshop, along with several other offerings from the California-based company, are available on Apple's iOS and Google's Android systems.



In an exclusive interview with CNBC's "Squawk Box", Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen said, "The whole mobility phenomenon is a tailwind for our business."



Staying at the front of the pack in a mobile environment, with millions of applications available and new ones being created everyday, can be a tall order. Adobe's image editing offerings, such as Photoshop and Lightroom, compete with hundreds of other similar applications on iOS and Android operating systems, including Instagram, VSCO and Camera360.



A non-scientific survey conducted by technology news site CNET and RBC Capital Markets found that Adobe's PC-based users are not always quick to adopt its mobile apps.



Their data, released last month, showed among respondents who subscribe to Adobe's Creative Cloud, 43 percent do not use any of Adobe's mobile apps. CNET said in a report only about one in four use the Photoshop Fix app to touch up images and one in five use the Photoshop Mix app to combine photos.
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The European Central Bank's attempts to stimulate Europe's economy sent markets on a wild ride Thursday morning, with investors first frantically trying to buy anything they could and then sending stocks sliding as the day wore on. Jim Cramer shared some lessons learned from this event. "Stop being a herd animal. Don't chase. You will likely lose money, especially when you are chasing stocks for the wrong reasons," the "Mad Money" host said. No. 1 Never chase stocks. It is not worth it. It is better to say you missed it and wait for the next downturn. No. 2 When the market rallies, try to figure out why. Even if there is a real reason, it's worth waiting for lower prices before pulling the trigger. No. 3 Wait for a market-wide pullback before buying. The intra-day decline was a classic buying opportunity for Cramer. One stock that reported what Cramer referred to as a "monster" quarter on Thursday was Ulta, which reported double-digit comparable-store sales and upbeat guidance. "Ulta will be up very big, and it is a very deserving company," he said. Read More Cramer: Stop being a herd animal! Top 3 lessons



Army of sheep Alexander W Helin | Getty Images

The strong demand coming from consumers begging for value blew Cramer away. All it takes is a company to offer something cheaper than anyone else, and it is gobbled right up. "There is an insatiable demand for value in America," the "Mad Money" host said. The discount stores reiterated the love of value when Dollar General delivered much better than expected same-store sales. But it was the commentary from management that was even better for Cramer, which discussed how they are working hard to find enough locations to meet the demand for more dollar stores.

The company's CEO, Todd Vasos, reiterated on the conference call that the key to its value offering is the concept of a consumer trial. Its customer cannot afford to make mistakes, so it will allow the customer to try a product first before trading up to the larger sizes of a national brand. That was a value moment in a nutshell for Cramer. "I think that is the reality of both the consumer and the country. We simply don't hear about it much if we are well off," he said. Given that most people on Wall Street don't have to try something before purchasing it, it explains a bit why Dollar General's earnings took analysts and money managers by surprise.

Read More Cramer: Earnings that shocked rich Wall Street


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Cybercriminals increasingly are using stolen medical records for other types of identity theft beyond health-care fraud, including filing fraudulent tax returns.

Last year, almost 100 million health-care records were compromised, making them a hacker's No. 1 target, according to a report by IBM . Now, hackers have realized "you can use those profiles for normal fraud stuff," wrote one seller of medical records on a website shown to CNBC by IBM.

Hackers sell the medical records to other criminals on the so-called dark Web, a portion of the Internet not indexed by search engines. In order to access these websites, you need to download a special browser.

More than 30 breaches of health-care data involving 500 or more people have already been reported in 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights. Read MoreAs health data breaches increase, what do you have to lose?

Tek Images | Science Photo Library | Getty Images

Tax fraud expected to rise

Along with that bounty of personal information compromised by hackers in health-care breaches, experts expect a similar increase in tax fraud this year, possibly rising to as much as $21 billion, according to the IRS. In fact, the agency has suspended processing of 4.8 million suspicious returns so far this year, worth $11.8 billion, the IRS said in an email to CNBC. Among that number are 1.4 million returns with confirmed identity theft, totaling $8.7 billion. Some fraudulent returns do get through. The Government Accountability Office found that in 2013, the IRS paid out $5.8 billion in tax refunds where the victim's identity was stolen. Read MoreTax-refund fraud to hit $21 billion, and there's little the IRS can do

Cashing in on medical breaches

The fake tax returns are part of how cybercriminals cash in on big breaches. They work like organized crime rings, with "specialists" for each part of the attack. "You have experts in different fields. There are those who are great at obtaining information. And then there are other guys, who will buy this data and use it to commit fraud," said Etay Maor, an executive security advisor at IBM Security.

Health-care records fetch higher prices, as much as 60 times that of stolen credit card data, because they contain much more information a cybercriminal can use. "Criminals want what they refer to as fulls, full information about their victim. Name, birth date, Social Security number, address, anything they can learn about their victim. All that information is in your health-care records," said Maor. Part of the reason for the higher prices is that while credit card numbers can change, your Social Security number generally stays the same. "As long as entities use Social Security numbers to authenticate you, the criminals will have a record that is never-ending," said Maor. Read MoreBe prepared: It's tax-return fraud season

While a Social Security number can be purchased on the dark Web for around $15, medical records fetch at least $60 per record because of that additional information, such as addresses, phone numbers and employment history. That in turn allows criminals to file fake tax returns. Surprisingly, the dark Web is actually easy to use, with websites resembling those of popular e-commerce sites. "It's exactly like going on a store for criminals. Criminals actually take the time to write reviews about their fellow peers and how good the information they sold was," Maor said.

Safe guard your information
Signage for 1Malaysia Development Bhd. (1MDB) is displayed at the site of the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) project in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Goh Seng Chong | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Goldman Sachs hired the daughter of a key ally of Malaysia's prime minister at a time when the US bank was seeking to expand its business in the country, it emerged on Thursday.

The bank made the appointment as Tim Leissner, then Goldman's co-president for Southeast Asia, was working to forge closer business ties in Malaysia, where it would later win valuable business with the government's 1MDB investment fund. Investigators are probing allegations of misconduct and the suspected misappropriation of state funds in relation to 1MDB, whose advisory board is chaired by Najib Razak, Malaysia's prime minister.

Goldman was granted a licence to operate in Malaysia in December 2009 and began pitching for business. Mr Leissner later played a key role in controversial bond sales for the fund. In 2010, Goldman hired Anis Jamaludin, daughter of Jamaluddin Jarjis, a Malaysian politician and close confidant of Mr Najib. She worked for the bank as an analyst for months, a person familiar with the matter said.

According to a LinkedIn page in her name, Ms Anis worked for Goldman as an investment banking analyst in Singapore from July to November 2010. Ms Anis could not immediately be reached for comment. Goldman declined to comment. Neither the bank nor Mr Leissner is accused of wrongdoing. Western banks have come under scrutiny for their hiring practices in other parts of Asia, notably China. The hiring of friends and relatives of Chinese officials is perceived as a way to win regulatory approval and business from state-owned enterprises. More from the Financial Times: Seven fat years for US stocks

Typo trips the alarm in $101m cyber bank heist

Plan to strip US of internet oversight Jarjis, a senior member of the ruling UMNO party and former Malaysian ambassador to the US, died in a helicopter crash last year. A key adviser and fixer for Mr Najib, his death was viewed as a blow to the prime minister. After his death, Mr Najib described Jarjis as a "friend of many years". Mr Leissner was named chairman of the bank's Southeast Asia division in 2014. He went on leave in January and resigned last month. His departure is connected with an unauthorised personal reference he wrote on behalf of another individual, according to people familiar with the matter.

The financier was central to Goldman's involvement in capital raising for 1MDB. The US bank arranged three bond sales for 1MDB in 2012 and 2013, which raised $6.5bn.

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The Hong Kong government has pledged to provide better psychological support services to students after four committed suicide in just five days, the South China Morning Post reported on Friday.

The territory's Education Bureau held an an emergency meeting with schools, parents and psychologists on Thursday after the spate of suicides, the paper reported.

Twenty-two Hong Kong students have killed themselves since September; 12 were high school students - the youngest was 10 - while 10 were university students.

To read the full South China Morning Post story, click here.
Htin Kyaw (L) and Aung San Suu Kyi (R) in 2010 Soe Than WIN | AFP | Getty Images

Next week will likely see Myanmar, one of Southeast Asia's investor darlings, choose its first democratically elected president since the military seized power in 1962. But what should be a landmark moment in the country's history has instead been greeted with caution amid concerns over the government's commitment to reforms. Myanmar's ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by revolutionary icon Aung San Suu Kyi, nominated newcomer Htin Kyaw for president on Thursday. Because the NLD enjoys an overwhelming parliamentary majority, Kyaw is widely seen as a shoo-in for the job. Because of a 2008 rule that disqualifies 70-year Suu Kyi from the presidency due to the fact that her children aren't Myanmar citizens, the pro-democracy figure intends to run the country through a proxy leader following the NLD's landslide victory last year. Thursday's nomination raises twofold concerns: whether a proxy system can work and if it can help the NLD complete the country's transformation from pariah state to a buoyant emerging market, experts said. "If elected; Htin Kyaw will have to function in a hybrid civilian-military political system that is still going through growing pains. How that arrangement will play out domestically and internationally is unclear," stated Maitrii V. Aung-Thwin, associate professor at National University of Singapore. While the idea of a proxy president may be a red flag for some, others note it's the only option available to the NLD.

"Contrary to comments made by many international observers, it would have been highly unrealistic to expect a rapid change that would have allowed 'the Lady' to become president now and all to be resolved. There is a deep structural problem that will take many years to resolve," explained Jonathan Bogais, associate professor and political sociologist at the University of Sydney.

Operational details aside, the more pressing matter is whether Suu Kyi's handpicked candidate can implement long-awaited structural reforms.

"What will be important will be to assess whether this arrangement of having Suu Kyi calling the plays behind the scenes will affect the momentum of reforms that were initiated under the Thein Sein administration. Investors want stability in order to protect their returnsthis arrangement, if it goes forward, creates a whole range of legal and regulatory uncertainties," said Aung-Thwin. Former army general Thein Sein is credited with launching an economic liberalization program that has drawn major multinationals to Myanmar's thriving consumer industry. The country enjoyed an impressive 2015, with foreign direct investment (FDI) hitting a record $8 billion and the launch of its first stock exchange, but economists warn key changes are still needed for development. These include currency regulation and allowing more private investment within key industries, such as power and infrastructure, explained Pratima Singh, senior analyst at Frontier Strategy Group, a research and advisory firm specialized in emerging markets. "Foreign investors remain pragmatic and await more clarity as to what changes her administration will make...At the end of the day, it boils down to whether the NLD can live up to the high expectations." Also high up on the NLD's agenda is tackling corruption, added Bogais.

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The bulk of enterprises is controlled by the military, or businessmen affiliated with the military, and with the armed forces consolidating their control in several sectors of the economy with the support of foreign investors, graft is rampant, he explained.



So, who exactly is Kyaw?
The U.S. shale revolution restored America's outsize role in global crude production, but the story of the oil upheaval is playing out differently from state to state.

There is perhaps no place where the transformation is so stark as North Dakota. The state's oil production grew tenfold over the past decade as it built a thriving industry virtually from scratch, driving unemployment to a national low and filling government coffers with surging tax revenue.

But the collapse in crude prices has turned the tide. Oil and gas exploration activity has plummeted, out-of-state workers have decamped, and the budget has swung from surplus to deficit. North Dakota is faced with adversity from a position of strength after years of boom times, but the state's return to growth will depend in large part on when and to what degree oil production returns.

"Unemployment is still low in the state. There are still job opportunities. That's the positive thing going forward," said Allen Knudson, budget analyst and auditor for North Dakota's Legislative Council.

"The impact on sales tax from oil prices being down is really what's putting the pressure on the budget situation. Oil would make the biggest impact," he added, "WTI oil prices probably need to be from $50 to $60 a barrel before things would turn around."
Roughly half of crude oil leaves the Bakken region by rail. This spring, construction is set to begin on a 1,100-mile pipeline for faster, cheaper transport.

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The change in Williston, North Dakota, is palpable.

Yes, the shale oil-rich economy is still booming. Unemployment stands at 2.3 percent, well below the national average. Household median income is more than $83,000, well above the national average. And construction workers plug away on the city's much needed infrastructure projects. But there's no denying that optimism, so prevalent here a year ago, is mixing with caution for many in this North Dakota boomtown that has come to symbolize America's energy revolution.

In the mid-2000s, a few pioneering drillers realized that hydraulic fracking would let them unlock crude in North Dakota's massive Bakken Shale play. Before long, the whole industry was scrambling to set up operations in the region. Thousands of out-of-state workers flooded in, looking to land a high-paying job. Nearly everyone seemed to be headed for Williston, the tiny town at the heart of the Bakken. In 2007, Williston's population was just over 12,000. Today, it's nearly 31,000. And the town's economic expansion has experienced the same meteoric rise. Over that same period, 25,000 jobs were created. More than 1,300 businesses were launched. Restaurants and hotels were built. Hospitals and community centers were overhauled. Read MoreInside North Dakota's latest fracking problem

But with the price of oil now well off its 2014 highs of over $100 a barrel, many drillers have cut back on their Bakken positions, announcing layoffs, or pulling out of the state altogether. WTI crude oil prices recently were trading under $40 a barrel. Continental Resources , one of the companies that led the fracking revolution in the state, stopped completing wells in the third quarter of last year. Whiting Petroleum , one of the state's biggest producers, made the same announcement last month. They'll wait for oil prices to climb before they frack the wells. That means hundreds of wells won't produce any oil, and thousands workers will be without jobs. As drillers have left Williston, so have many of the men and women who came to the city looking for work. In 2014, the workforce in Williams County topped out at 43,000. That figure is down to 34,000. And it's the combination of lower oil prices and more modest growth that has some locals and oil watchers concerned that leaner times could be on the horizon.

Feeling the pinch

Andy Njos, along with his cousin, started Dacotah West Crane Services in 2011. The duo were among the first to cash in on the oil rush. Brad Quick | CNBC

"It is definitely a different mindset now," said Andy Njos. Andy and his cousin Aaron Volesky started Dacotah West Crane Services in 2011. "Drillers have had to cut costs, and we have to figure out how to do jobs cheaper," Andy said. The duo bought their first crane in Houston and took two weeks to drive the machinery 1,600 miles back to their home town of Williston. They were the first among friends to cash in on the oil rush, but they would not be the last. Success came quickly. The cousins worked long hours, but couldn't keep up with the seemingly endless flow of work orders by themselves. They grew out of necessity. In just a few years, they expanded their fleet to nine cranes, hired 25 workers, and built a new corporate headquarters. In 2014, revenues at Dacotah West peaked with the price of oil. Since then, business is down 50 percent. Andy Njos shed overtime shifts, cut his staff to 10, and returned any equipment he did not own outright. Read More North Dakota wakes up to hangover as oil swoons

"We've had to downsize. We had to restructure the company," said Njos. "We went from nine to four cranes." Njos says his business is OK, thanks in no small part to how quickly he and his cousin scaled down overhead costs. He thinks 2016 will be a lean year in the Bakken. "Right now it's kind of stagnant. It's, 'Wait until oil prices go up a little bit,'" he said. "Everyone's just trying to survive."

Marcus Jundt opened the Williston Brewing Company in North Dakota in 2013. The restaurant has seen lower foot traffic and revenues. Brad Quick | CNBC

The cousins aren't the only business owners feeling the pinch. Marcus Jundt, a Minneapolis-based developer, opened the Williston Brewing Company in North Dakota in 2013. The restaurant has been a hit, with revenues cut in half. When times were good, every night was busy at his restaurant, and a two-hour wait for a table was not uncommon. But Jundt says his customer base took a steep drop last year. "It varies week to week, but every week keeps getting worse," he said. "We don't know where the bottom is, but we're not there yet." Jundt has had to lay off friends. His restaurant, like many other businesses in Williston, has had to cut wages. He says workers who aren't tied to Williston are leaving. Without the high paychecks to keep them rooted, and a national economy that's better than it was a few years ago, many out-of-state workers are leaving to find jobs closer to home. "Since we opened this restaurant three years ago, 32 restaurants have opened up," said Jundt. "There are too many restaurants for the number of people we have. But I think you can say that about gas stations, apartment buildings, houses. Almost everything in town is overbuilt." Hotels have also seen business decline. In January, the city's occupancy rate fell to 27 percent, compared with 62 percent in 2015. That's a dramatic shift from a few years ago, when parking lots were filled with men sleeping in their cars because they couldn't find a place to stay. Trailers without running water were fetching as much as $2,500 a month.

Capital Lodge - one of the Bakken's largest crew camps with 1,100 beds and cost $40 million to buil - now sits abandoned. Brad Quick | CNBC

Capital Lodge  one of the Bakken's largest crew camps  now sits abandoned. The 1,100-bed temporary housing facility east of Williston cost $40 million to build. The camp went under after the county raised annual permitting fees, coupled with plummeting demand for beds. While there are female oil workers, the crew camps have become known as "man camps." Another "man camp" operator, Target Logistics, has 3,900 beds on 12 properties spread across the Bakken. Their occupancy hovers between 40 percent and 50 percent. Other camps in Williston, with names like "Black Gold" and "ATCO," have been abandoned or torn down. Beyond the oil patch, agriculture is a big economic driver in North Dakota. Top agricultural products include wheat, cattle and calves and soybeans.

'I believe in Williston'

Despite all the challenges, many in Williston remain cautiously optimistic. The city has laid out a five-year, $1-billion infrastructure spending plan, including a new $250 million airport. Shawn Wenko, who leads Williston Economic Development, says despite anticipated lower oil revenues, he doesn't expect wholesale changes to development plans. "Do I believe 2016 is going to be a quiet year? Yes," Wenko wrote in an op-ed for the Grand Forks Herald last month. "But he oil and gas industry, as it has always done in the past, is going to recover from this." Wenko says while some projects may be put on hold, he does expect them to be completed. "We are at a crossroads in developing the future of the City of Williston. We can chose to dwell in the now or we can plan for the future," Wenko said. And while construction on apartment complexes and hotels is slowing, developers are shifting focus to the region's more pressing pipeline needs. "Right now, we don't have enough pipeline capacity to put [Bakken crude] in pipes and get it down to Cushing, Oklahoma," a major energy hub, said Patrick McGarry, a property consultant who moved to Williston six years ago. Read MoreThe Big Apple takes a bite out of solar energy

McGarry arrived with plans to build 40 homes. But he's had success helping others navigate the real estate market. He sees a big opportunity in developing the region's infrastructure. This spring, construction is expected to begin on the $3.7 billion Dakota Access Pipeline. The project, headed by a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners , received approval from regulators in Iowa on Thursday, ending the last major permitting hurdle for the pipeline. The plan has already been approved in North Dakota, South Dakota and Illinois.

A truck driver holds a supply line while preparing to transload liquid propane from his truck to a rail car at the Red River Supply rail yard in Williston, North Dakota. Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Blend_Images | Getty Images

Several recalls were announced this week, including multiple food recalls. The latest list includes:

Select DiGiorno, Lean Cuisine, and Stouffer's Products Items recalled: Nestle issued a voluntarily recall of select DiGiorno, Lean Cuisine, and Stouffer's products. Products include DiGiorno Thin & Crispy Spinach and Garlic Pizza, Lean Cuisine Spinach and Mushroom Pizza, and Stouffer's Spinach Souffle. Why: Several consumers reported finding pieces of glass in the recalled products. While Nestle's investigation is ongoing, the company presumed the glass pieces are in the spinach, an ingredient common to all the recalled products. More details: No injuries have been reported. Consumers who have purchased any of the recalled products are advised to not consume them. Instead, contact Nestle Consumer Services at 1-800-681-1676.

Corona Extra Items recalled: 12-packs and 18-packs of Corona Extra with deposit labels have been recalled. Why: Corona Extra 12-packs and 18-packs with deposit labels in the U.S. may contain small particles of glass. More details: The affected bottles represent less than one-tenth of one percent of Corona Extra 12-ounce clear bottles in the marketplace. Consumers can determine whether they have affected product by checking for the 8-digital alphanumeric code printed on the side panels of the cardboard cartons of 12-packs and 18-packs, and on the necks of Corona Extra 12-ounce bottles, by checking the production codes found on Corona's website.

Wonderful Pistachios

Items recalled: Select flavors and sizes of in-shell and shelled pistachios have been recalled. Why: Wonderful Pistachios is recalling a limited number of flavors and sizes of in-shell and shelled pistachios due to a risk of Salmonella contamination.

More details: Salmonella can cause serious and potentially fatal infections in young children, the elderly, or people with weakened immune systems.The pistachios, distributed in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Peru, can be identified by a 13-digit lot code number on the lower back or bottom panel of the package.

Gretchen's Shoebox Express Cheese & Fruit Bistro Box Items recalled: Gretchen's Shoebox Express, a Seattle-based food packing establishment, issued a voluntary recall of its Cheese & Fruit Bistro Box with an "enjoy by date" of March 4 and earlier. Why: An ingredient supplier issued a recall of the almonds used in the bistro boxes. As a result, the product may contain cashews, an undeclared tree nut allergen. People who are allergic to cashews risk serious or life-threatening reactions if exposed to the allergen. More details: The Cheese & Fruit Bistro Boxes were distributed to Starbucks in Washington State. The company has removed the product from stores. The product is safe to consume for those who are not allergic to cashews. No illnesses have been reported to date. Customers who have purchased the product are asked to dispose of it or return the item to a Starbucks location for a full refund. Starbucks' customer relations can be reached at 1-800-782-7282.

GoGo squeeZ Applesauce Pouches Items recalled: Materne North America issued a voluntary recall of certain packages of GoGo squeeZ applesauce pouches. The packages affected by the recall have a "best used before date" between December 4, 2015 and March 4, 2017. The 5-digit product code, which can be found on the back of the pouch or the bottom of the box, begins "US" followed by 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, or 08. The products labeled as organic are not affected by the recall. Why: The pouches may have been contaminated with food product residue. The Michigan State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development found the residue in two product pumps during a routine inspection. The source of the residue is not yet known. More details: Consumers who have purchased this product are asked to contact GoGo squeeze at 1-844-275-5841 or visit their website to request a replacement voucher. Production of the product has been suspended during the ongoing investigation into the source of the residue.

Progressive Gourmet's Sausage, Egg, and Cheddar Cheese on English Muffin Breakfast Sandwiches Items recalled: Progressive Gourmet recalled its six-ounce packages of Sausage, Egg, and Cheddar Cheese on English Muffin breakfast sandwiches manufactured for Starbucks. The affected sandwiches have a "best used before date" of "07-AUG-2016" on the top. No other sandwiches are affected by the recall. Why: The sandwiches may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria can result in a range of symptoms from high fever and abdominal pain to fatal infections in children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. More details: The sandwiches were sold by select Starbucks in Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma, affecting about 250 stores. Starbucks has removed the affected product. No illnesses have been reported to date. Consumers who have purchased the sandwich can return them to Starbucks for a full refund.

Applegate Naturals Chicken Nuggets

Items recalled: Applegate Naturals recalled 8 oz. packages of Applegate Naturals Chicken Nuggets with the "best used before date" of September 27. Why: The chicken nuggets may contain small pieces of plastic. More details: The chicken nuggets were distributed to retailers in Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York,Pennsylvania, and Texas. The product can be returned where it was bought for a full refund. No injuries or illnesses have been reported.
Adams said he was traveling through Cairo International Airport on Tuesday ahead of an outdoor concert at the Pyramids.

His entire collection of instruments  including his prized vintage guitar  was "defaced" by customs officials at an airport in Egypt, the singer told NBC News on Friday.

"Summer of '69" may have been the best days of Bryan Adams' life, but the Canadian singer isn't too happy about the spring of 2016.

This was likely "some sort of customs clearance identification," Adams added.

After initially "refusing to release the equipment" with "zero" explanation, customs officials finally returned the instruments  which had been scrawled on with green indelible marker, according to the singer.

He took to Instagram to show the marking on his most prized instrument  a 1957 Martin D-18 guitar worth thousands of dollars.

"The problem is, it's a vintage guitar [from] 1957 and the outside of old instrument is fragile," he told NBC News via his official Facebook account.

The instruments "were all marked  even my harmonicas! So silly," Adams added.



A source at the airport told NBC News that the incident was "nothing new, the system is the same."

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said: "We mark it to be sure the same item that came in the country left the country."

Tweet

This wasn't the first time Adams' instruments have been tagged by airport officials. He took to Twitter in July 2015 to allege that one of his guitars had been written on by Air Canada staff.



Adams is currently on a world tour to promote "Get Up," his 13th studio album released in October last year.

He was keen to stress that the incident had "not dampened my love for Egypt  I love the country and its people" but said that was "just extremely unfortunate that the customs people at the airport had no respect for our musical instruments."
The likelihood of leading oil producers coming to an agreement over a possible output cut or freeze this month looks bleak, according to one expert.

"Saudis want the price of oil to be low so that they can knock out the Americans," Gal Luft, senior adviser to the United States Energy Security Council (USESC), told CNBC Friday.

"The Russians want it to be high. I don't see that there is a middle ground, between those who want high and those who want lows. I think (the March 20 meeting) will be a talk for the sake of talk, but nothing concrete will come out of it."

In recent weeks, prices have seen significant swings, partly on the prospect that producers from the OPEC and non-OPEC countries, would gather for a meeting on March 20, to review a potential output freeze.

A Reuters report on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter, curbed expectations, however, indicating that Iran was yet to say whether it would participate in such a freeze.
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MIAMI - If Donald Trump wins Marco Rubio's home state and John Kasich's home state on Tuesday, he'll take a massive leap towards securing the Republican nomination and likely end both of their campaigns. You wouldn't know it from watching Thursday night's debate, however, where the field seemed content to go gentle into that good night. The debate featured polite disagreements but few outright attacks and a number of substantive exchanges over issues like trade and foreign policy. If recent polls showing Trump leading Florida and either leading or competitive in Ohio are correct, a quiet debate seems most likely to benefit Trump. Here are five takeaways from the last GOP debate before the March 15 winner-take-all contests. Calm Before the Storm After a wild pair of debates characterized by continuous battles between Trump and his rivals, the field seemed to decide that the time had come to tone things down. More from NBC News:

Trump: Reporter 'Made Up' Alleged Assault by Campaign Chief

Attacker on Trump Protester: 'Next Time We Might Kill Him'

Ben Carson to Endorse Donald Trump "I cannot believe how civil it's been up here," Trump said during one exchange.

Donald Trump (L), Texas Senator Ted Cruz (C) and Ohio Governor John Kasich (R) shake hands following the CNN Republican Presidential Debate March 10, 2016 in Miami, Florida. Rhona Wise | AFP | Getty Images

That doesn't mean there weren't disagreements. Ted Cruz went after Trump for "funding liberal Democrats" with years of campaign donations. Rubio criticized Trump for saying he would stay "neutral" in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, which Trump countered by saying he was still "pro-Israel." Overall, though, it was a cozy affair compared to the recent debates. What's less clear is why it was so quiet. Rubio admitted this week that he made a mistake in taunting Trump over the size of his body parts, but he didn't press his critique on Trump's "con artist" business record, either. Trump toning it down would make sense if he believes he has a winning hand heading into Tuesday, but that hasn't stopped him from unleashing the fury in similar situations. Trump and the Violence Issue The mood onstage stood in contrast to the news about Trump recently, which has focused more and more on violence at his events, which Trump sometimes appears to egg on from the podium and in interviews. The issue has been simmering throughout the race but reached a raging boil this week after a Trump supporter was arrested for sucker-punching a protester and Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski was accused of violently grabbing Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields after she approached Trump to ask a question. Trump complained protesters were "swinging" at people at his events, something three full-time Trump reporters said on Twitter that they had not witnessed, although NBC News Trump campaign embed Ali Vitali noted one incident in which a protester tried to bite an attendee.

As for Fields, Trump accused her of fabricating the story despite an eyewitness account from a Washington Post journalist and an audio recording of the incident in which the two reporters recounted what had happened in real time. "Perhaps she made the story up - I think that's what happened," Trump said after the debate. In keeping with the friendly nature of the debate, none of Trump's rivals criticized him over the issue. Rubio's Dignified Debate If Rubio goes down on Tuesday, he wants to go down with dignity. Rubio's tone has shifted through the race. He started the race emphasizing a relatively upbeat message and detailed policy ideas. As the campaign wore on, he began incorporating darker Trump-like language. Finally, he transformed into a bullying anti-Trump insurgent. For what could be his final debate, Rubio decided to get back to his roots and focused on a more uplifting message with more emphasis on policy. "I believe at the end of this process, the nation will make the right choice, because I've always believed that God has blessed this country, that God's hand is on this country and that its greatest days are yet to come," he said in his closing remarks. Rubio connected well with the home crowd, but there was a reason he abandoned his old approach months ago. He has to hope the contrast sways voters better now that there are fewer people onstage. Delegate Math Trump and Cruz declined to attack the others in the race, too, but they both made clear that their rivals should consider leaving the race given their significant deficit in the delegate count. "There's two of us up here that can [win] and there are two of us that cannot at this moment," Trump said. "Donald is right," Cruz said in his answer. "There are only two of us that have a path to winning the nomination, Donald and myself." Rubio said he was "going to work tirelessly every single day" out of respect for his supporters but offered no answer as to how he could win without a contested convention.
Westend61 | Getty Images

For a barfly, there's nothing sweeter than a round on the house. But if you've yet to become "a regular," there's a new type of app that will make your drinking habit more affordable. Hooch is a subscription-based app that lets users redeem one free drink a day at participating bars for $99 a year or $9.99 a month. Each day, starting in the morning, users get their first drink free at a venue of their choice, plucked from a list of more than 50 hot spots in New York and Los Angeles.

Young urban professionals (age 25 to 34) often have the freedom and desire to try new, exciting bars, but may hesitate to foot the booze bill up front, Hooch CEO Lin Dai said.

"Someone with their first big, exciting job in a big city in New York or LA is our brand ambassador," Dai said.

But with a preset selection of free drinks to whet their palates, parties that use Hooch rack up an average tab of $30 to $40 at bars and over $100 at restaurants, making the first round a worthwhile loss-leader for the venue, Dai said.

Bars don't get reimbursed for the free drinks they offer through Hooch, but Dai said the exclusivity of their listings serves as free marketing for the venues, which must pass through a rigorous vetting process to make it on the app.

Plus, fancy cocktails have always tended toward significant markups, historically giving bartenders the option to dote on their favorite customers, Dai said.

Subscribing to the night life is a model that appears to be taking off, as competing apps also gain traction. Hooch expands to Austin, Texas, on Friday, with Dallas, Miami, San Francisco and Hong Kong upcoming.

Frink is a similar app, launched in November in Hoboken, New Jersey, that offers one free beer, wine or basic mixed drink a day for $5 per month, according to its website. And FullGlass, launched four months ago, offers buy one, get one drinks for $10 a month at 75 New York City locations.

"Going to our awesome partner venues, you are able to save tremendously," said Ilya Zatulovskiy, co-founder and CEO of FullGlass. "But it's not really about saving, it's about finding new places. We don't want to be a discount club or coupon book. It's about knowing the bartender, being the VIP. You're the insider." To be sure, these apps are nascent and small. Hooch has about $1 million in funding and about 10,000 sign-ups so far, despite ambitious plans to reach millions of users. FullGlass has about a 10 percent conversion rate from its free trial.

Plus, there are regulatory challenges, Zatulovskiy said, because each state has its own laws about whether liquor can be discounted or given away.

But Hooch and other apps come at a time when the local dive bar is being forced to innovate, facing disruption from multiple avenues. Though spirit sales remain high, the number of neighborhood bars across the U.S. has contracted over the past 10 years, as rising rents, chain dining, craft breweries, and even alcohol home delivery services edge out corner pubs, according to The Associated Press.
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Greece is facing "two simultaneous crises" on an economic and humanitarian level, the president of Greek opposition party New Democracy has told CNBC Wednesday, expressing doubt that the latest proposals by the EU and Turkey to halt the flow of migrants would work. "On the economic front we are struggling to meet our commitments and this government seems incapable of returning the Greek economy to a sustainable growth path. And at the same time we are faced with an unprecedented crisis on the migration side," Kyriakos Mitsotakis said. Greece received over a million refugees and illegal migrants over the last year, he said, reiterating calls for the country's European neighbors  many of whom have closed borders with Greece to prevent migrants from travelling to northern Europe and effectively leaving them stranded in Greece  to do more to help.



Kyriakos Mitsotakis Alkis Konstantinidis | Reuters

"Unless the solution is addressed at a European level with the cooperation of Turkey then the situation is going to become unmanageable for my country," he said. He warned: "We've reached a point where we cannot accept further numbers." "Greece needs not only more economic assistance but it needs its European partners to step up to the plate. This is a European problem, it cannot be solved by Greece alone. Frankly, all the commitments to relocate refugees out of Greece have come to nothing so unless the European countries show some real leadership we're not going to find a sustainable solution." With the exception of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has stood by a migrant-friendly policy in Germany, Mitsotakis said there had been little leadership shown from Europe. He also looked closer to home, saying Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had "mishandled" the crisis from the beginning.

Loose ends and details
A car lies submerged in the Tall Timbers subdivision after flooding near Shreveport, Louisiana. Deputy Josh Cagle | Bossier Sheriff's Office | Reuters

The severe weather battering the South already has forced thousands of people to flee their homes. In Louisiana, local deputies and National Guard personnel made a number of dramatic rescues and helped evacuate flood-stricken residents. More than 3,500 people have been evacuated so far and at least three people in the state have died, the governor's spokeswoman Shauna Sanford told NBC News. Tweet 2 Up to 50 homes in Hammond, Louisiana, were flooded after the area received more than 10 inches of rain overnight, the NWS said. The deluge also washed away a highway bridge near New Orleans. Statewide, at least 5,000 customers were without power as of 8 a.m. (9 a.m. ET), according to power firm Entergy. So much rain has fallen along the Texas-Louisiana border that officials warned that the Sabine River could rise to a level not seen since 1884, The Weather Channel reported. In Mississippi, Governor Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency in order to assist areas affected by the flooding.

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SXSW Signage Michael Newberg | CNBC

For companies looking to make their mark on industry leaders, there's no better stage than the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas. With more than 80,000 attendees, the festival, which kicks off Friday, is where getting your product in front of the right people can help skyrocket your business. But, it can be hard to stand out when every company has the same goal of being the most buzzed about, most tweeted, Instagrammed brand. Here's what SXSW attendees say you should do to win the festival.

Do your research and perfect your pitch

Chris Valentine, who runs SXSW Accelerator and Startup Village, points out that with so many parties, dinners and happy hours, it can be hard to find the real people you need to talk to to take your company to the next level. Instead of trying to attend every event, he suggested looking at who is attending, and finding what panels they will be attending. It may be easier to talk to them right after a session than trying to nab time with them at a loud event.

However, this also means that your company will have a few minutes to make your impression. Valentine suggested practicing your pitch so it is focused on how your product is different from the rest of the market.

"Leveraging this mass audience in a short period of time means trying to find ways to connect with and take advantage of opportunities," he said.

Brett Martin, the co-founder of Sonar Media, raised about $1 million within a month or two after attending SXSW in 2011. He entered a pitch competition, which allowed him to meet venture capitalists. "My advice is don't get obsessed with by the launch because there's so much noise and so many people trying to launch," he said. "Go to SXSW to make connections that are going to help you build your real business in the long term."

Make sure your product can handle increased traffic

Unfortunately, despite raising a total of $2 million in funding and getting more than 300 press clips, Sonar  which used location-based technology to connect people  ultimately failed. While SXSW wasn't the main reason, Martin pointed out the difference why his company's 2011 experience was successful, and 2012 wasn't so good. "When I went to SXSW in 2011, I went with no expectations," he recalled. "I was working on a new product, had a little demo, and I found the right people that were interested. I wasn't even looking to raise money. (In 2012), the media for months had been hyping us to be the next big thing. All of a sudden we get tens of thousands of people trying to use your app. Even if you happen to be the one lucky app that gets a bunch of hype and people use your technology, you have a high risk of getting crushed under the weight of your success." Event management system Splash, too, experienced technical difficulties during its first SXSW in 2012 when a large event crashed its system. Splash execs have since learned from the experience, and do more system tests to ensure everything goes smoothly. "By SXSW standards, if you are popular, you get screwed," said Ben Hindman, co-founder and CEO of Splash. "It's a pop-up little city of people who are early adopters. It can really stress-test your product."

Martin said things like having an app that takes up too much of your battery life, as one of its competitors did, to having a product that just wasn't ready to have that many people using it at once can lead to negative comments, which can lead to negative social media postings, and ultimately negative press. For start-ups, that can be deadly. He also pointed out that SXSW is an artificial situation where its mostly "technorati" attendees, meaning that just because they don't like your app doesn't mean the mainstream public won't love it. "You did so well, you end up doing poorly," he said. "You can get crushed under the weight of your own success."



Get your brand name out there

Mobile marketing company Glispa is turning SXSW into its company retreat, which means sending 180 people from international offices to Austin. They'll be getting branded Glispa hoodies and shirts for the festival. Though it's not a requirement to wear the company gear, Glispa founder and CEO Gary Lin hopes they'll sport the clothing. "We will have maybe more visability," he pointed out. "We're also sponsoring and hosting a party on Monday where, obviously, we'll be all together publically at the same place. It will be nice to have people to be able to notice us at once." Glispa has been around since 2008, but it's trying to rebrand itself as a technology-focused company. It's seeing this year's SXSW as a way to learn about others in the space, as well as reintroduce itself to the community. "We have developed a culture of innovation but also get a lot of inspiration out of breaking out of our daily circles and looking at the world of mobile advertising to see what others are doing," Lin pointed out.

Splash's Hindman said that when it comes to creating an event or a marketing stunt, to stand out it's important to think of ways to practically showcase what your product can do in a way that SXSW attendees can use. For Splash, it was easy. Recording party attendee lists and making sure everyone can check in seamlessly was what it does on a daily basis  and they just amped up the level for SXSW. "Step one is recognizing if your product use case is interesting to people at the moment in the moment," he said. "They are there to learn. They are there to enjoy. They are there to connect with each other.  Your product needs to add value to those people."



For lasting effect, make sure your content is shareable

Mophie dog at the 2015 SXSW. Source: Mophie

Smartphone battery company Mophie had an easy way to show what they do at SXSW, seeing that the perennial problem was that phones tend to die quickly due to overusage at the festival. For a few years, they created a booth just to recharge people's phones. As the event grew, the lines went out the door. In 2015, the company decided to leverage its idea of rescuing people to bring its marketing stunt to the next level. Realizing the viral power of puppies, it teamed up with a Saint Bernard rescue shelter to deliver Mophie chargers to anyone with a low battery. People tweeted the company with a screenshot of their low battery, and the company unleashed the hounds to their location. (Well, with a dog walker in tow). "You can't do what everybody else is doing at SXSW," said Ross Howe, Mophie's vice president of marketing. "It is probably one of the noisiest places for a brand to try and break through. It's important that you do something on site that is both unexpected and is extremely authentic to what you stand for and represent."
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Indonesian conglomerate Sintesa Group has a finger in many pies, but it is now aiming to be a leader in green energy as Indonesia steps up efforts to enhance its electricity generation capacity. The Sintesa Group, which has its headquarters in Jakarta, owns several companies in the consumer products, real estate, industrial and energy sectors. The company currently operates a 110MW gas and steam-powered plant in South Sumatra as an Independent Power Producer (IPP). It is also developing a 100MW geothermal power plant in Banten, the westernmost province of Indonesia's Java island. According to the company's chief executive, renewable energy is a key area of focus, with the government also placing greater emphasis on green sources. "Right now, we're [involved] more in gas and geothermal but we know we need the technology so we are partnering with foreign parties," said Shinta Widjaja Kamdani, CEO of Sintesa Group.

Shinta Widjaja Kamdani, CEO of Sintesa Group. Photographer | Collection | Getty Images

"For renewable energy, my target is to reach 1,000 megawatts by 2020," said Kamdani, estimating the investment to cost more than $1 billion. A megawatt (MW) is one million watts, and generally used to measure the output of a power plant. Last year, Indonesia's government announced ambitious plans to build 35,000 MW of new generation capacity during President Joko Widodo's five-year presidential term. Indonesia's electricity generation capacity growth hasn't kept pace with demand, and this often leads to power shortages and a low electrification ratio, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA). Indonesia, which is made up of 17,000 islands, also faces the geographical challenge of supplying energy. The 35,000 MW power project initiative is being led by the state-owned PLN, which will develop 10,000 MW of the new electricity capacity, while the remaining 25,000MW will be developed by private developers. The government has also set a quota for the new targets based on the source: Renewable energy will encompass 25 percent, gas will be 25 percent and coal making up the balance, said Kamdani.

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Norway is "rock solid", the country's finance minister told CNBC on Friday, stressing that while the oil-producing nation is affected by the drop in oil prices, it is still seeing growth elsewhere in the economy. "Of course we are affected by the fact that the oil price has dropped as much as it has," Siv Jensen said. Since the summer of 2014, the Norwegian economy has been experiencing a clear downturn, the country's statistics agency Statistics Norway said in a report published on Thursday Oil prices started on their sharp downward trajectory at that point and the country's oil investments suffered. Mainland Norway's gross domestic product (GDP) increased in 2015 by 1.0 percent, the agency said, the weakest growth since the financial crisis in 2009.

Jensen said a mix of fiscal and monetary policy tools was "vital" to support the economy, adding that structural reforms need to be imposed. The country's parliament was currently negotiating tax reform - the minority government needs backing from other parties in parliament - and Jensen said Norway is also hoping to grow its economy further through renewable energy.

Statistics Norway expects the economic downturn to last until the end of 2016.

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Following the assaults, Merkel proposed tougher laws that would make it easier to deport migrants but the damage had been done and many members of the public were left wondering whether the chancellor has a long-term plan on integrating the newcomers.

While public opinion in Germany was generally sympathetic towards refugees from Syria, sentiment soured following a spate of sexual assaults allegedly carried out by immigrants in Cologne on New Year's Eve.

State elections in three key states will be a barometer of public opinion and a clear indication of much Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party will be affected by her moral stance over the thousands of migrants that have headed north through Europe to reach Germany in search of a better life.

Angela Merkel migrant-friendly policies face a first major test this weekend, with voters expected to punish the German Chancellor and her party for their decision to allow thousands of migrants to enter Germany.

As public sentiment has changed, the right-wing anti-immigrant party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has seen as dramatic rise in support from conservative voters (Merkel's traditional voter base), most recently evident in municipal elections in the central state of Hesse last weekend where the AfD won 13.2 percent of the vote, putting it in third position.

Although still far behind the 28.2 percent claimed by Merkel's party, the AfD had polled much stronger than expected which doesn't bode well for Merkel ahead of the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Baden-Wurttemberg and Rheinland-Palatinate on Sunday. Polls published by Bild on Monday showed a slide in support for Merkel's CDU and predicted gains for the AfD across the three states which represent 12 million voters.

Read More Fuchs: We need to deal with Syria, Libya to solve migrant crisis



This week voters will have been keeping close tabs on Merkel's role in the latest negotiations with Turkey over the admittance of migrants into the EU. Earlier this week it was decided that Turkey would take back migrants unlikely to gain EU asylum and refugees arriving on the continent from Syria. In return, the EU would have to accept another Syrian refugee directly from a Turkish refugee camp.

The idea of the proposal is to reduce the incentives for refugees and migrants to cross the Turkey/EU border or sea to enter the EU. Another part of the agreement was to allow Turkish citizens to travel to Schengen countries without a visa, a plan that is controversial as it will allow 77 million Turkish citizens easy access to Europe.

Carsten Nickel, senior vice president of Teneo Intelligence, said in a note earlier this week that if the tentative nature of the Turkey deal prevents a CDU stabilization before the Sunday vote, "Merkel will come under increasing pressure from within her own party."

"Yet the combination of low migrant arrivals following the Austrian border closures and Merkel's progress towards a potentially promising Turkey deal could turn into crucial assets for the chancellor this coming summer," he said.

Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.


A rendering of Planetary Resources' prospectors using optical communication lasers to analyze the surface of an asteroid. Source: Planetary Resources

It's not every day that an entrepreneur comes up with an idea for a trillion-dollar business. But some futurists can spot opportunities that are out of this world. Take serial entrepreneur Eric Anderson, co-founder and co-chairman of Planetary Resources. This aerospace engineer who dreamed of becoming an astronaut plans to mine treasure on asteroids  everything from water and diamonds to platinum.

With the backing of $13 million from A-list investors  including Virgin's Richard Branson and Alphabet founder Larry Page and Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt  the company has already launched a test vehicle into space and plans two more this summer. Already, the company has had more than a dozen R&D contracts, with NASA, Darpa, the Department of Defense and private companies, to develop such technologies as optical communication lasers, space drones, 3-D printing technology for satellites and hyper-spectral imaging to measure the composition of materials. The prospects for the venture's future growth have just gotten brighter since President Obama recently signed into law a bill that gives U.S. companies the property rights to resources they obtain from asteroids and other places in the cosmos. To get an insider's look at this space venture's trajectory, CNBC spoke with Anderson to learn about his lofty ambitions.

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Why do you think asteroids are the greatest gifts from the solar system? It's estimated that there are 100 million asteroids in the solar system. They have vast resources and give humans the potential to create outposts and fueling stations in outer space. Some have values in the trillions of dollars. The good news is that tens of thousands are close to Earth in slow-moving orbit. That means it is easy for any space vehicles to dock on them. I consider them our stepping-stones in space exploration. Over the next few decades, they will make it possible for mankind to develop colonies on the moon and Mars. Spaceships will be able to refuel on asteroids and harvest key resources to make long journeys possible. What technologies are you developing to make this all possible? This will be carried out by robotic spacecraft equipped with artificial intelligence, Arkyd space telescopes, infrared sensors and optical communications lasers that can analyze an asteroid's composition and then beam information back to Earth.

When do you think your space-mining exploits will become a reality? We plan to have our first mining mission in 10 years. We have already launched two test vehicles into space. The latest was on the SpaceX Falcon rocket last summer. Describe how pioneers are gearing up for the gold rush in space? Entrepreneurs are busy laying the groundwork for this next step for humanity. SpaceX is reducing the cost of launching things into space, and that will spur companies like ours to pursue space mining. At the same time, advances in autonomous robotic intelligence now allows us to launch vehicles without humans. If Moore's law holds true, rapid advances in computing power will continue to grow exponentially, and that will fast-forward our efforts. The point is, we are now entering an era where investors understand the economics and future potential.

The Planetary Resources' Arkyd 6 asteroid miner is expected to launch this year. A sensor on board will not only prospect asteroids but also deliver actionable intelligence of the Earth to various global markets. Source: Planetary Resources
During the keynote address at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, Obama declined to comment on the specific case. Apple is currently fighting a court order to help authorities access data on an iPhone used by one of the shooters in last year's San Bernardino, California, attack, which left 14 people dead.

President Barack Obama cautioned Friday against "absolutist" views on public safety and data security amid an encryption dispute between Apple and the Justice Department .

Obama said the government and technology companies need to strike a reasonable balance between privacy and security. He argued for "strong encryption," but warned against "fetishizing our phones."

"There has to be some concession to the need to get into that information somehow," Obama said, adding that he is "way on the civil liberties side of this thing."

The Apple case intensified Thursday, when the DOJ filed a brief calling Apple's rhetoric "false" and accusing the company of "deliberately" raising technological barriers that now impede the investigation. An Apple executive responded by calling the DOJ "desperate," saying the brief "reads like an indictment."

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Obama's remarks.
While oil prices have "recovered remarkably" in recent weeks, this should not "be taken as a definitive sign that the worst is necessarily over," the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned Friday.

"Even so, there are signs that prices might have bottomed out," the IEA said in its latest monthly report published on Friday echoing oil markets which have seen a recovery in recent weeks on the back of a weaker dollar which helps to fuel demand.



"For prices there may be light at the end of what has been a long, dark tunnel, but we cannot be precisely sure when in 2017 the oil market will achieve the much-desired balance," the IEA cautioned.



"It is clear that the current direction of travel is the correct one, although with a long way to go. Without an increase in demand expectations, high-cost oil suppliers will continue to bear the brunt of the market-clearing process."



On Friday, benchmark Brent crude futures were trading at $40.81 a barrel (up from the $32.80 a barrel last month when the IEA published its report). U.S. crude was also higher, at $38.69 a barrel.



At the start of the year, prices tumbled to around $26 a barrel as supply continued to outstrip demand. But there are signs that prices could have finally bottomed out, the IEA said. These included: "possible action by oil producers to control output; supply outages in Iraq, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates; signs that non-OPEC supply is falling; no reduction in our forecast of oil demand growth; and recent weakness of the US dollar."



The IEA maintained its forecast for global oil demand growth for 1.2 million barrels a day (mb/d) in 2016, unchanged from last month. It said there had been a "sharp deceleration in demand growth in the three months to March, particularly in the US and China.
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Americans thinking of moving to Canada if Donald Trump becomes U.S. President should perhaps think again. The other Republican candidates could be even scarier, a top asset manager told CNBC on Friday. Paul Gambles, the managing director of MBMG Group, told CNBC that Trump had no foreign policy  and as such, posed less international danger than fellow Republican contenders Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz. "I have been more appalled by Donald Trump than just about anybody, I think, but when I started to look at the consequences of him getting the Republican nomination, you know what, the others look even worse  The good thing about Donald Trump is, because he doesn't have a foreign policy, he is probably a lot less dangerous than either Rubio or Cruz put together," he said. On his political website, Trump outlines proposed reforms for immigration and U.S.-China trade  both of which touch on foreign policy.



Republican presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, participate in a debate sponsored by Fox News on March 3, 2016. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images

On Thursday, the tycoon-turned politician told CNBC that Beijing was "the grandmaster of all" when it came to free trade cheating and currency manipulation.

In addition, Trump has expressed support for Russian airstrikes on Syria and been generally critical of U.S. policy in the Middle East. However, Gambles said on Friday that one of Trump's best-know policy ideas  building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border to keep would-be immigrants out  originally came from Cruz, although both politicians claim it as their own. "You know who first came up with the idea of building a wall between America and Mexico  Cruz. It was Cruz's policy in 2012 and all of a sudden that seems to have disappeared," Gambles. Critics of Trump's foreign policy ideas include Republican national security leaders, who published an open letter in March saying that a Trump presidency would make the U.S. less safe.

"His vision of American influence and power in the world is wildly inconsistent and unmoored in principle. He swings from isolationism to military adventurism within the space of one sentence," the open letter from the group published on the War on the Rocks website said. Others are more positive about Trump's ideas.

"Donald Trump could bring a welcome pragmatism to American foreign policy and something we have not seen in some time  prospects for genuine success," Peter Morici, economist and business professor at the University of Maryland, said in a note on Thursday. He added that Mexico had proved uncooperative in helping stem the flow of people to the U.S. and had failed to combat endemic corruption. "Trump can't force Mexico City to build a wall along the border, but by taxing remittances, Washington can pressure it to start cleaning up its filthy regime and genuinely cooperate in border control," Morici said.
In recent years, North Dakota's Bakken formation was synonymous with boom times. Crude production grew 10 times over, unemployment fell to a national low, and the state budget more than doubled as North Dakota's coffers grew fat on severance and sales tax income.

But with crude prices down more than 70 percent at their recent bottom, some of the drillers who fueled the boom are pulling back from the Bakken.

Several exploration and production companies are no longer completing wells in North Dakota and are now turning to more efficient assets in other states. Analysts say the decision comes down to a number of factors, from the geology of the Bakken to incremental costs that producers once overlooked but can no longer ignore.



Continental Resources, the company that put the Bakken on the map, said last month that it had stopped completing wells in the formation, and Whiting Petroleum announced it would stop fracking there by April. Last October, Occidental Petroleum sold all of its Bakken assets to private equity firm Lime Rock Resources.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the process of breaking up shale rocks by bombarding them with water, minerals and chemicals at high pressure. The process can account for up to two-thirds of the cost of a well.
A $101 million cyber heist has left central bank officials from Bangladesh to New York arguing over what may be one of the largest and most audacious bank raids in history.

Hackers allegedly breached the Bangladesh central bank's security system and then masqueraded as Bangladeshi officials to submit a series of requests for the New York Federal Reserve to transfer large tranches of money from its account there.



Bangladesh Bank told the Financial Times last night that a total of $101 million was wrongly transmitted, of which $20 million went to a Sri Lankan bank. It was this last payment that raised suspicions over the authenticity of the transfers.



"The Sri Lankan bank did not disburse it immediately and we could recover the full amount. The remaining $81m was transmitted to a few accounts of a Philippine bank," the central bank said. Anti-money laundering authorities in the Philippines were co-operating with Bangladesh and had already frozen the relevant bank accounts, it added.

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An experienced cyber expert, who had worked at the World Bank and is currently employed as an "IT governance specialist" on a Bangladesh Bank project, was investigating the case with his forensic team, the central bank said. "We have confidence the stolen funds will be recovered in full."

Central banks are ripe targets for criminal groups given the potential windfall they can make if just one of their attempts succeeds.

While the money may ultimately be recovered there is a growing dispute over who is to blame for allowing the transfers.

Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Bangladesh's finance minister, told reporters in Dhaka this week that his government was considering filing a case against the New York Fed and that he was also surprised by the failure of his own country's central bank to report the crime.

He said that the Fed officials "cannot avoid their responsibility in any way", and added that he first learned of the scam from press reports. "Bangladesh Bank authorities did not inform [us] of the matter," he said.

A spokesperson for the NY Fed said, however, that its systems were not hacked and the transfers were made after it followed protocol.
India's self-billed "King of Good Times" hasn't had much of a good time lately.



Liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya, who is chairman of the United Breweries (UB) Group conglomerate, reportedly owes more than $1 billion to Indian banks from his failed Kingfisher Airlines business. Kingfisher shut down in 2012.



Multiple reports said Mallya was under mounting pressure to repay the banks, adding that a lawyer for the lenders told the Indian Supreme Court on Wednesday the billionaire had left India last week.

It was not an interpretation that Mallya, who is also a Member of Parliament, appreciated, and he took to Twitter on Friday to address the issue.



In a series of tweets, he said he is not "an absconder," he did not "flee from India" and that he "fully respect[s] and will comply with the law of the land."



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Mallya also accused the media of conducting a "witch hunt" against him.



UB Group did not respond to CNBC's request for comment.



Reuters reported that Kingfisher Airlines owed 69.63 billion rupees ($1.03 billion) to more than a dozen banks, led by the State Bank of India. On Sunday, Mallya was reported to have said he was in talks to settle Kingfisher's debts and had no plans to run away.



At the request of the lenders, on Monday a court blocked a $75 million settlement between Mallya and British liquor company Diageo, which acquired United Spirits from the businessman in 2014, said Reuters.



Mallya stepped down as chairman of United Spirits last month.

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Software company Opera has introduced a built-in ad-blocking feature into its internet browser, which will allow users to surf the web without seeing ads, in the process depriving websites of revenue. Opera announced the feature this week and said the tool would allow users to choose whether or not to block ads from a particular website while browsing the internet. The company claims that using the ad blocker on its browser will load web pages on average 90 percent faster than using Internet Explorer and 45 percent faster than using Google Chrome with an ad-blocker extension.

Rawpixel LTD | Getty Images

Around 5 percent of internet browsing is performed using Opera, according to web analytics service StatCounter. In comparison, Google Chrome is the most used browser, accounting for 45 percent of activity. In a blog post, the company explained its reasons for introducing the tool was to improve the consumer experience and send a message to advertisers that internet ads are too large and intrusive. "Today, bloated online ads use more download bandwidth than ever, causing webpages to load more slowly, at times covering the content that you're trying to see or trying to trick you into clicking 'fake download buttons'," wrote Krystian Kolondra, senior vice president of global engineering for Opera, in the blog post . "Another rising concern is privacy and tracking of your online behavior."
Believe it or not, there is a political analyst in Washington who doesn't want to be on TV. In fact, there are several. They don't work for newspapers, websites, or think tanks  they work for the big Wall Street banks. And they grind out intensive analysis of the election cycle week in and week out  revealing who's up, who's down, and what it all means for government policy.

Call them the pundits of the plutocracy.

The banking analysts make up a small and little-known parallel universe of political commentary. But you won't find them hanging around TV green rooms or working the lecture circuit.

Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images

"The more anonymous, the better," said one bank insider.

That's because the material he writes is designed for a very specific audience: the bank's clients, including mutual funds, pension funds, insurance companies, banks, and anybody who manages assets. And although the analysis is written through a financial and policy lens, its conclusions can sometimes read just like the same thing you might hear from a panelist on CNN's election night coverage, handicapping the chances of Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.

Which raises the question: Why do the banks bother? The answer, say the people who compose the reports, is that there's enormous demand from clients to understand the election and what it means in very specific ways for their money.

And that has the banks churning out reams of political analysis. "Trump is here for the long haul, with both strong finances and core support that should assure that he at least contends in most of the upcoming contests," wrote Morgan Stanley's government relations team in a client note on Feb. 10. "From here, the primary schedule heats up quickly and floundering campaigns quickly lose viability, making the vote and endorsement chase important for those that remain."

Who wrote that? The bank won't say. A Morgan Stanley spokeswoman declined to make the authors available for an interview, sending a short email to CNBC saying: "At this time we cannot accommodate your request."

The big bank political analysis is not widely disseminated inside the Beltway. Even so, political figures with a finance or economics bent seek them out.

"They're much more data driven than the impressionistic and poll-driven stuff you get on the networks, that's their strength and their weakness," said former Biden economic advisor Jared Bernstein. "They do a good job accounting for the economy's impact, but they don't pick up the weird altercations you see in the debates, stuff that drives cable news."

It's a small group. At Citigroup , Tina Fordham serves as the firm's chief global political analyst. Citi says she focuses on "vox populi" risk, that public opinion can be a risk factor for investors. She's focused on global instability and geopolitical dynamics. In a presentation in June, Fordham looked at flashpoints around the world, including the Russian relationship with the West, the rise of ISIS and EU elections. As for the U.S., she wrote, political polarization was likely to mean legislative gridlock, "but economic momentum and favorable demographics help blunt, but not eliminate, the impact of middle class anxiety."

At Credit Suisse, political analysis is conducted by Margaret Gage, who headlined one recent client note "Super Tuesday: It's All About That Base." Predicting the results in South Carolina, Credit Suisse wrote, "We believe the Clinton, Sanders tie will soon come to an end, starting with Saturday's showdown in South Carolina." In the end, Credit Suisse was right  Clinton won the state.

At Goldman Sachs , analyst Alec Phillips writes client notes on the election. "The ongoing presidential nomination contest lacks any precedent in the modern era of presidential primary process, which began in earnest only in the 1970s," Phillips wrote in a note to clients on March 8. "Outsider candidates have emerged in several previous elections but have never seriously contested either party's nomination, let alone both at the same time."

At Guggenheim Securities, Chris Krueger peppers his political analysis with shoutouts to classic rock songs. On Wednesday, his analysis of the Michigan primary was entitled "Detroit Rock City," after the Kiss rock anthem.

"If the GOP Convention wasn't shaping up to be a potential political dumpster fire, the Clinton/Sanders race and Philadelphia Convention would be getting far more attention," Krueger wrote. "And in the meantime, Hillary will be feeling the political Bern and tacking Left on everything from fracking and trade, to Wall Street and prescription drug pricing."

The big bank pundits tend to be numbers driven, and focused on data that their financial clients can understand: "We take all the polls and aggregate them before we put out an election piece," said a public policy expert for a big bank. "We have spread sheets full of data, so we can say these are the circumstances for a brokered convention, and what that would look like."

One example: "Iowa winner Cruz received eight pledged delegates toward his nomination, while Trump and Rubio each received seven," Morgan Stanley wrote on Feb. 10. "Despite the declaration of "winners" and "losers" in the days after Iowa, the impact of the proportional allocation produced no true numerical (i.e., delegate) winner."

The Wall Street analysts are also highly focused on what campaign trail rhetoric may mean for their audience: "In light of the current political atmosphere, it would not be surprising  to see proposals released over the next few weeks involving increased constraints on highly regulated industries like healthcare or financials," Goldman Sachs' March 8 note said.

Wall Street's political analysts swim in an establishment sea in a year in which outsiders are dominating on the campaign trail. The big banks are most comfortable with candidates like Jeb Bush, John Kasich, Clinton or even Michael Bloomberg, who recently announced he would not run as an independent candidate. And that means that the banking analysts have had to be the bearers of bad news to their audience, which may not want to hear what it is being told.




Steven Nardizzi, CEO of the Wounded Warrior Project. Bobby Bank | WireImage | Getty Images

The Wounded Warrior Project fired its top two executives Thursday after accusations of lavish spending and financial irregularities by the charity. The group's chief executive, Steven Nardizzi, and its chief operating officer, Al Giordano, were fired by the nonprofit organization's board of directors, according to a news release from the board distributed by Abernathy MacGregor, a crisis-management public-relations firm hired by the charity.

Mr. Nardizzi and Mr. Giordano were instrumental in building the organization into a fund-raising juggernaut that took in more than $372 million in 2015.

But the leadership came under fire after former employees said the charity spent recklessly and became overly focused on fund-raising at the expense of veterans' programs. Mr. Nardizzi was given $473,000 in compensation in 2014. A staff meeting at a five-star hotel in Colorado, in which he rappelled into a crowd, cost nearly $1 million.

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In reports by CBS News and The New York Times in January, current and former employees described the organization's spending millions on employee retreats and first-class airfare while building programs for veterans that were useful for marketing but did little to serve veterans' needs. The group spent 40 percent of donations on overhead, according to charity watchdog groups.

As scrutiny of the group's spending grew in recent years, the Wounded Warrior Project spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on public relations and lobbying campaigns to deflect criticism of its spending and to fight legislative efforts to restrict how much nonprofits spend on overhead.

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What You Missed inthe Debate Leaders also grew intolerant of criticism, employees said. Several former employees said they had been fired for raising concerns. Many of them were themselves wounded veterans.

In February, the group's board hired the New York law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett to perform an independent review.

The review confirmed many of the findings by The Times and CBS, according to a news release from the public relations firm, and the board has instituted changes to limit first-class travel, track changes and increase accountability.
ROCHESTER, N.Y.  Moving up two spots, the Bonadio Group is now listed at number 38 on the 2016 list of Top 100 accounting firms in the publication Accounting Today.

Bonadio moved up from its number 40 ranking on the 2015 list, the firm said in a news release issued Thursday.

Accounting Today, a bi-weekly magazine for the accounting industry, uses revenue generation to determine its annual ranking of the largest U.S. accounting firms.

Rochesterbased Bonadio Group describes itself as upstate New Yorks largest independent provider of accounting, consulting, and financial services. The company is the highest-ranking accounting firm on the list from upstate New York, it noted.

Accounting Today first listed Bonadio on the Top 100 list in 2007. Since then, the firm says it has generated revenue growth for nine consecutive years,

Bonadio reported a 21.5 percent increase in projected revenue over fiscal-year 2014. The firm projects revenue of $102.3 million for fiscal year 2016.

We are very proud to be in the exclusive club of the top 38  which includes all CPA firms with more than $100 million in annual revenue, Thomas Bonadio, CEO and managing partner of the Bonadio Group, said in the firms news release. Over the past few years, weve dedicated our efforts to growing the firm with new offices, partners, and services to support our expanding roster of clients. In 2015, we focused on developing our people and recruiting new talent, and our clients are seeing the results in our high levels of service and expertise.

The Bonadio Group added 183 new employees in 2015, including 52 recent college graduates.

The firm now has more than 700 employees across New York state, including offices in Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Albany, Batavia, Buffalo, East Aurora, Geneva, New York City. It also has an office in Rutland, Vermont.

The Bonadio Group says it has more than 20,000 clients.

M&A activity

The Bonadio Group has used mergers and acquisitions to grow its business in the last few years.

The Bonadio Group and Testone, Marshall & Discenza of Syracuse merged on Jan. 1, 2015 to form Central New Yorks largest accounting firm.

In 2014, Bonadio had reached an agreement to merge with Bevilacqua & Co. in the Buffalo suburb of Orchard Park.

The Bonadio Group in September 2013 agreed to merge with Gaines Kriner Elliott LLP (GKE), Buffalos 11th-largest accounting firm at the time.

The firm in April 2013 also acquired a Vermont firm for its first deal outside New York.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
Need-to-know Glossary

Primary: An election where voters choose a candidate from a political party that they think is best suited to run in the general election. The results are used to select delegates for conventions.

Caucus: A meeting held to choose a particular party's candidate for an election. Caucus attendees' discuss and debate candidates out-loud and votes must be public.

Open Primary: Registered voters can vote in any party's primary, but only one. Missouri holds an open primary.

Closed Primary: Voters register to vote in a particular partys primary.

Mixed Primary: Unaffiliated voters select a partys primary to vote in, while voters who are already registered with a partys must vote in the respective primary.

Blanket Primary: Voters choose a candidate regardless of the party affiliation. The candidate who gets the most votes from the party advances to the general election.

Binding Primary: A primary in which delegates are legally bound to vote for a particular candidate. These delegates are called pledged delegates.

Non-binding Primary: A primary in which delegates are not bound to the results of the primary and may vote as they see fit. These delegates are called unpledged delegates, or superdelegates.

Sources:

https://ballotpedia.org/Primary_election

https://ballotpedia.org/Caucus
March 11, 2016 - A resolution to sell the vacant Central Police Station, located at 128 Adams Ave., for $1.1 million is to be considered by the Memphis City Council on Tuesday. (Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal)

By Thomas Bailey Jr. of The Commercial Appeal

The City Council will consider a resolution on Tuesday to sell the historic, long-vacant Central Police Station for $1.1 million to a real estate investment and development firm that would renovate it for a boutique hotel.

California-based NCE Realty & Capital Group has retained LRK Architects, hotel consultant Pinkowsky and Co., and others for its project team, according to a written proposal NCE submitted to the city.

"This is to outline the opportunity to re-imagine and preserve the historic Memphis Police Department headquarters at 128 Adams, transforming the derelict property into a viable, contributing place in the Downtown civic district," the proposal states.

The company compared its planned hotel to downtown Tampas Le Meridien boutique hotel, converted from an old courthouse.

NCE Realty & Capital is the same real estate firm that in 2013 bought the old French Quarter Inn property in Overton Square, with plans to build a modern hotel there.

However, last year the firm sold the old hotel to Ballet Memphis instead.

NCE signed a purchase agreement with the city on Dec. 18, documents on the citys website show.

NCE fully intended to build the new Overton Square hotel when Ballet Memphis asked to buy the site, NCEs proposal recounts. "It was a very difficult decision for us to make," company officials stated.

"Now we found this ideal property, old police station in need of (renovation) and development into an upscale hotel in downtown Memphis, which will fulfill our unrealized business goal in (the) French Quarter (Inn) and offer another much needed upscale hotel in Downtown Memphis."

NCE is partnering with MG Capital in the project.

The six-story building with a marble exterior housed police, courts and a jail from 1911 to 1982, when the functions were moved to the Criminal Justice Center at 201 Poplar. Some parts of the structure were built in 1954 and 1961.

But much of the grandeur has long faded.

The resolution states that the sale "will increase the Citys General Fund, generate tax revenue, and eliminate blight and maintenance cost for the City of Memphis."

The councils Public Works, Transportation & General Services Committee is to discuss the resolution at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in City Hall.

A sale would require two separate readings, or votes, by the council. But at the second reading, other bidders would have a chance to offer more money for the property.

Architects for the city had submitted renovation designs to create workspace for 500 employees. But a cost estimate, at least four years old now, to improve the 100,000-square-foot building was $40 million. The city has placed the proposed renovation on hold indefinitely.

NCEs proposal shows funding for the renovation would be split among a 33 percent cash investment from NCE, 33 percent from a bank loan, and 33 percent through EB-5 investors.

The federal EB-5 program is designed to boost the U.S. economy by allowing foreigners a way to obtain a green card if they invest a minimum amount of money and create at least 10 permanent jobs in the U.S.

Shili Fan is the owner of NCE and is also the general manager of CE-Bio, which manufactures dietary supplements at an Olive Branch facility.

Since we built this company, many of my partners, customers and distributors visited Memphis and they all have (a) good impression of Memphis after (visiting) here," the proposal states.
SHARE Author/historian Stephen V. Ash.

By John Beifuss of The Commercial Appeal

On the first three days of May 1866, more than 200 white residents of Memphis rampaged through the black neighborhoods of the city, attacking the newly emancipated, burning down homes, churches and schools, and murdering at least 40 people.

Traditionally known as the "Memphis Race Riot" but perhaps more accurately described as the "Memphis Massacre," the event was "one of the most important of the era," according to Dr. Stephen V. Ash, professor emeritus in history at the University of Tennessee. The massacre was widely reported and had tremendous national impact, yet today the bloody and shocking episode is little remembered by the general public.

That could change during 2016, which marks the sesquicentennial year of the tragedy.

After some controversy as to whether the shameful event should be labeled a "race riot" or a "massacre" (ultimately, the Tennessee Historical Commission decided to include both labels), a long overdue state historical marker recognizing the episode is set to be erected on G.E. Patterson Avenue. Complementing that official form of commemoration will be multiple public discussions of the massacre, starting with a talk by Ash on Thursday at Rhodes College and culminating in a May 20-21 academic symposium at the University of Memphis that will feature top historians from across the country.

According to the university's "Memories of a Massacre: Memphis in 1866" symposium website (memphis.edu/memphis-massacre), the tragedy was "a massacre of historic proportions, one that helped lay the ground for who we are today as a nation."

It was "the first large-scale racial massacre to erupt in the post-Civil War South," and it "played a key role in prompting Congress to enact sweeping changes to federal policies and to constitutional law. It also lent a new urgency to an ongoing national debate about the meaning of freedom and the rights of citizens.

"Yet despite the historical importance of the Memphis Massacre, and indeed, the importance of Reconstruction's history to our national identity, it is an almost wholly untold story: devoid of the plethora of monuments, museums, and battlefield parks that make the Civil War one of the most familiar features on our historical landscape."

Why the public amnesia?

"A lot of people in the general public want history to make them feel good," said Ash, 67, author of the definitive book on the event, "A Massacre in Memphis: The Race Riot That Shook the Nation One Year After the Civil War," available in hardcover and trade paperback editions from Hill & Wang, a nonfiction imprint of Farrar, Straus and Giroux. (Copies of the book will be available for purchase at Ash's talk.)

"Sometimes our history can make us feel good, but sometimes it can make us feel bad," Ash continued. "It's important to understand these events as well because these were important in shaping our national experience and the America we live in today."

A specialist in "social history" (which he defined as "not the doings of 'great men,' but what happened among the common people"), Ash said two versions of the Memphis massacre were reported at the time: the "Northern version" and the "Southern white version." He said the "Northern version" is "the one that professional historians today understand to be the truth: It was a bloody race riot carried out by white people against innocent black people that resulted in about four dozen murders."

Meanwhile, the "Southern version" of the story reported that the massacre "was the fault of blacks, who had brought it on themselves by their 'intolerable' behavior since they'd been freed." The massacre was an eruption of racial tension, as angry, paranoid whites who resented the influx of black citizens and the presence of federal troops reacted in a violence that was encouraged by Memphis' half dozen pro-Confederacy newspapers, "which played up every instance of black crime and rowdiness to such an extent that white people thought they were about to be overwhelmed by a deluge of black crime and villainy."

Although learning about this massacre is "a revelation" to most people today, Ash said the tragedy has never been forgotten by professional historians, in part because it is "one of the most richly documented events of the era."

He said testimony from hundreds of eyewitnesses was collected during three federal investigations into the event, by Congress, the Army and the Freedmen's Bureau. Congress ultimately blamed the violence on "the intense hatred of the freed people by the city's whites, especially the Irish  a hatred stoked by the Rebel newspapers."

A Massacre in Memphis 6 p.m. Thursday, McCallum Ballroom, Bryan Campus Life Center, Rhodes College: Dr. Stephen V. Ash will discuss his book A Massacre in Memphis: The Race Riot That Shook the Nation One year After the Civil War, as part of the colleges Communities in Conversation series. Visit rhodes.edu. 5:30 p.m. March 22, the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library: Dr. Timothy Huebner of Rhodes College will discuss A Massacre in Memphis: The Bloody Race Riot of 1866, part of the librarys Great Conversations series. The talk is billed as a sequel to Ashs lecture. May 20-21, University of Memphis: Memories of a Massacre: Memphis in 1866 academic symposium. The event will be preceded by multiple public talks in March, April and May. The calendar of events is at memphis.edu/memphis-massacre.
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By Katie Fretland of The Commercial Appeal

Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Lee Coffee sentenced a man who crashed a car into a Tops Bar-B-Q causing more than $10,000 in damage to 16 years in prison this week, the office of the Shelby County District Attorney General said.

Corderious Corley, 23, was convicted in October of assaulting the restaurant's night manager, who was injured in the incident. Corley had been charged with attempted second-degree murder, but the jury found him guilty of the lesser offense.

Corley was also convicted of stealing his father's 9mm Ruger pistol and a 2008 Ford Explorer belonging to his father's wife.

He was found not guilty of assaulting his father and a mistrial was declared on charges that he assaulted and tried to kill a man in the restaurant parking lot.

The incident occurred on Sept. 30, 2013, after Corley argued with his girlfriend, who worked at the restaurant in the 5300 block of Winchester.

The night manager asked him to go outside, and he was eventually locked out of the restaurant.

He then got his vehicle and crashed into the store in a scene captured on video surveillance.
Bryant Barrios, 14, traveled to the United States from Guatemala by himself when he was 12 years old. Bryant, a client of Mid-South Immigration Advocates, was granted permission to stay in the U.S. legally. (Nikki Boertman/The Commercial Appeal)

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By Maria Ines Zamudio of The Commercial Appeal

(Editors note: The U.S. Department of Justices Executive Office for Immigration Review provided $69,000 to start a legal orientation program through a contract with the Vera Institute of Justice. An earlier version of this story was incorrect.)

Twelve-year-old Bryant Barrios ignored his fear and embarked on a dangerous journey  crossing two borders illegally and traveling across a country riddled with violence and kidnapping.

And he did it alone. His goal: to be reunited with his mother, whom he hadn't seen since he was 3 years old, in Memphis.

"I was a little afraid," he said, smiling. "But I got to see a lot of beautiful places."

He took several buses and other vehicles from Guatemala and through Mexico. When he got to the U.S.-Mexico border, he crossed and walked until agents from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol arrested him and placed him in a detention center.

It took a month for him to reunite with his mother, Maura.

Maura left Guatemala in 2005 when Bryant's dad was killed during a robbery. She didn't have enough money to bring her son with her. He lived with his grandmother and aunts. But Bryant started getting harassed by gang members, and Maura made the decision to bring him to Memphis.

Maura would not give her last name because she's not documented.

"When his father was killed, I didn't know what to do. I was grieving and I didn't have a way to earn enough money to take care of him," she said in Spanish. "That's why I left."

Maura found an attorney, Sally Joyner, with the Mid-South Immigration Advocates nonprofit organization. Joyner helped Maura to get her son out of the detention center and helped him become a legal permanent resident.

Bryant is one of dozens of children that Mid-South Immigration Advocates has represented in immigration court since it opened in 2014. The organization received two grants this week to continue representing children and to try to expand its operations.

The Office of Refugee and Resettlement gave the organization a $210,000 grant this year. The U.S. Department of Justices Executive Office for Immigration Review provided  through a contract with the Vera Institute of Justice  another $69,000 to start a legal orientation program for the adults responsible for the immigrant children facing deportation proceedings. Both of these grants came in partnership with the Vera Institute of Justice, said Allison Wannamaker, managing director and attorney for the immigration organization.

"It's our obligation to make sure children are protected from abuse, neglect and persecution" said Joyner. "We legally can't turn them away."

Nationwide, 80 percent of the children who went to immigration court without an attorney were deported. Those odds change dramatically for underage immigrants who have attorneys. In about 73 percent of cases in which children were represented by an attorney, the court allowed them to stay in the country, according to the database maintained by Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, or TRAC, which monitors immigration courts.

In the Memphis immigration court, which includes cases from four states, half of the unaccompanied minors currently have an attorney representing them, according to TRAC data.

Joyner knows the statistics well. But also the stories behind those numbers.

These young immigrants don't leave their countries of origin because they want to. Most flee to the United States for safety reasons, she said. It's painful to describe some of her client's stories, she said: Many have been abused, tortured, mutilated and raped.

Joyner said one of her clients watched gang members dig his own grave. The boy had been tortured and was close to being killed, but managed to escape. He recovered in the hospital and as soon as he was released, he came to Memphis.

Mid-South Immigration Advocates started in 2013 helping immigrants of all ages, but the organization shifted its focus to children. Attorney and founding member Wannamaker said she helped to start the organization because she saw the need. As a private immigration attorney, she noticed immigrants and children went to court alone without help navigating the complicated immigration system.

The organization grew from representing 41 children in 2014 to 79 children last year, she said.
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Let's be clear about this essential point. The purposes of government do not include providing people with employment. Government provides citizens with services and necessary infrastructure. It protects individual rights as well as people's lives and their property.

But jobs? No.

If Gov. Bill Haslam can offer an outsourcing plan for some or all of the services the state provides  a plan that saves the taxpayers some money without harming the quality of those services  Tennesseans should listen with an open mind.

Under one scenario, the outsourcing plan, if it advances, would do so with the assumption that existing jobs and benefits will be maintained. Assuming that existing state employees are protected, the "projected potential" savings of such a plan, in the words of its chief architect, would total $35.8 million, state lawmakers have been told, not including what could be saved in parks and prisons.

The University of Tennessee's statewide campus system would cost $10.6 million less to operate with outsourcing, according to the projection. Costs at the Tennessee Board of Regents' 46 campuses would go down $17.6 million a year. The state already has a contract with Jones Lang LaSalle for the maintenance of certain state facilities that would save another $7.7 million, according to the projections.

All this while the contractor pockets a healthy profit? That "strains credulity," state Sen. Steve Dickerson, a Nashville Republican, rightly suggested.

More likely, the project would move forward without provisions protecting workers' jobs, pay and benefits. Then the projected savings leap to $58.8 million.

Of course, none of these figures is definitive.

Potential savings won't really be known until actual proposals are submitted by would-be contractors.

And what happens if bidders have to promise not to lay off workers or cut pay or reduce benefits?

Here the performance of the contract would presumably get tricky. How willing will potential contractors be to bid for the work under those circumstances? Will the potential for exceptions be a part of the mix? Will effective compliance monitoring be in place? What will the penalties be for failing to live up to the agreement?

Assuming, on the other hand, that the current workforce is not protected and the state goes for even larger savings, the question becomes this: What assurances can the public realistically expect for effective service on the part of state government, and how well will the public's property be maintained, through the state's new partnership with private enterprise?

At the state's flagship university, for example, "To date, I've not received any complaints from anyone about the quality of operations or the maintenance of the services" at the University of Tennessee, said Sen. Richard Briggs, R-Knoxville.

Before moving forward on a privatization plan, what credible assurances can be offered that things will stay that way?
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Mass IT layoffs are often small and unnoticed. They are not on the scale of the Carrier air conditioning plant layoff; its Indianapolis facility, which currently employs 2,000 people, is moving to Mexico.

Hertz IT employees share two things with the Carrier workers: They were also angry, and they got the news on the same day, Feb. 10.

The Carrier layoffs arrived guillotine-like; the plant is closing, period. But IT layoffs are rarely like that. There are ambiguities and uncertainties and lifeboats for some, and so it was at Hertz.

In an early morning conference call, Hertz's IT employees were told by the CIO the firm was expanding its outsourcing work with IBM. It wasn't known then how many would lose their jobs or ultimately be hired by IBM.

But one month later, this much is clear: About 300 Hertz IT employees, most located in Oklahoma City, were impacted by this decision. IBM is hiring about 75 and those workers are expecting to receive offers today. The layoffs will begin this month and be completed by May 31, said Hertz. It's not yet clear if all the 225 or so employees who are not receiving job offers from IBM will be laid off.

After the conference call, employees were stunned. The reaction was, "We're screwed," said an IT employee, one of two interviewed, who requested his name not be used.

There was "anger, resentment," especially by employees who "sacrificed that work/life balance to keep things going here," said the employee.

Hertz took precautions. On the day that IT employees learned that their work was shifting to IBM, employees noticed Oklahoma sheriff patrol vehicles in the building's parking lot. They believed plainclothes officers were inside the building.

Hertz explained the security decision. "We consider the safety and security of our people whenever there are circumstances or events that could increase the risk of a disturbance or some form of workplace violence," said Bill Masterson, a Hertz spokesman.

"Knowing that this was a difficult announcement, we had additional security on hand," said Masterson. This security was in place from Wednesday Feb. 10 through Friday, Feb. 12.

There were two opinions about the security, said the employees. Some saw it as prudent, while others thought it a sign of distrust. There were no reported problems.

Once the initial shock passed, Hertz IT employees had to make difficult choices.

Employees' severance packages range from four weeks to a year, said Hertz. For the long-term employees expecting a large severance, a job with IBM may not be worth it.

"I don't think anybody thinks that being rebadged to IBM is anything other than a one year-stay of execution," said another IT worker.

Prior experience feeds the concern that IBM jobs may be relatively short-term. IBM has been working with Hertz for some 20 years, and employees have seen what happens to rebadged employees in previous outsourcing expansions. Many employees were cut after a year.

All laid-off employees can apply for IBM jobs. For those who get them, the process works like this: First IBM will ask them if they want an offer. If employees say "no" before receiving a final written offer, they can keep their severance. But if an employee accepts the IBM offer and then later rejects it, the severance may be lost.

IBM runs large offshore operations and its Hertz IT employees have been told that they will be involved in "shadowing," a term used to describe training replacements. Shadowing can be done in person, over the Web or as a combination of both.

IBM India Private Limited, a IBM subsidiary, has filed paperwork for H-1B visa workers for Hertz Technology offices.

For Hertz IT employees seeking new jobs outside IBM, problems await.

One potential employer, the oil and gas industry in Oklahoma City, only represents about 5% of overall non-farm employment. But it is tremendously influential because it generates a lot of money that spills over to other sectors, said Russell Evans, an economics professor at Oklahoma City University and executive director of the Steven C. Agee Economic Research & Policy Institute.

The oil and gas industry has been growing as an IT employer. But thanks to falling oil prices, IT employment in the oil and gas industry declined last year, according to research by industry group CompTIA.

"There are a lot of technology jobs, database management, database analytics, data science -- a lot of IT technology jobs that are being lost from our oil and gas companies right now as they engage in big personnel cuts," said Evans.

But manufacturing, which is increasing its reliance on technology, grew in Oklahoma City last year. The city is also home to a major U.S. Air Force base, Tinker, and a large Federal Aviation Administration facility that acts as a central registration agency for planes. These operations have produced a significant private aerospace presence.

Oklahoma City is also the state capitol. About one out of every five non-farm jobs are in the public sector, said Evans.

For at least the first half of the year, Evans sees a far-from-robust job market, particularly in high-end, high-skilled jobs, but with pockets of opportunity. How the local economy fares beyond the first half of the year will depend on national and global economic trends, he said.

With oil prices crashing, the Hertz IT employees are concerned about jobs. "Replacing the salary is not going to happen," a worker said.

Hertz's Masterson says, however, that the work with IBM "is expected to improve the delivery and reduce the cost of Hertz's existing IT services, many of which are on proprietary, legacy systems.

"Going forward, Hertz IT resources will be focused on development of future products and services for customers," he said. The majority of services will become cloud-based.

"This was a difficult, but necessary decision taken by the company," added Masterson. "Hertz is working to lower its operating costs company wide, and this includes a modernization program across several functions," he said.

Along with severance pay, benefits also include three months of outplacement assistance. IT employees can receive up to $4,000 toward retraining or skill certification, said Masterson.

One employee said he didn't see outsourcing expansion as having much impact. They tried this twice before, the worker said, "and Hertz is no better off than they were before," he said.

"I don't think this is good for Hertz or Oklahoma," the employee said.
In Florida Thursday night, Republican presidential candidates took on the H-1B visa program in a way they have never done before. They said the program is being abused, needs reform and GOP frontrunner Donald Trump, in particular, seemed to recommend ending it.

The attention is due to the layoff last year of Disney IT workers, most of whom were working in Orlando. Some of those workers had to train visa-holding replacements. Disney laid off between 200 to 300 IT workers after bringing in IT contractors that are heavy users of the visa.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who has supported an H-1B cap increase, and has said little about the visa-related IT layoffs at Disney or any other place, offered an extended critique of the H-1B program.

Rubio faulted, in particular, the use of visas by large IT services companies, pointing to firms based in India, in particular. He said H-1B program abuses take jobs from U.S. workers.

When it was his turn to talk about the visa, Trump, the billionaire businessman, began with an admission. "First of all, I know the H-1B very well, and it's something that I frankly use and I shouldn't be allowed to use -- we shouldn't have it," said Trump. He explained himself by saying the visa is available to use and "I'm a businessman."

The frontrunner has sent out confusing signals about the H-1B program.

At last week's debate, Trump said he was "softening" his position on the visa. But immediately following the debate, he issued a statement saying that his remarks were about immigration, and not the non-immigrant H-1B visa.

In that post-debate statement at the time, Trump said: "I will end forever the use of the H-1B as a cheap labor program, and institute an absolute requirement to hire American workers first for every visa and immigration program."

Last night, Trump seemed more focused, certain -- even radical. He talked about ending the visa. "It's very bad for our workers and it's unfair for workers and we should end it," said Trump.

"Very importantly, the Disney workers endorsed me," said Trump. "They said he is the only one that's going to be able to fix it, because it's a mess."

The Democrats, by contrast, have had little to say about the controversial program.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, is a critic of the visa program, and joined a bipartisan group of 10 senators last year seeking an investigation into its use after IT layoffs at Southern California Edison.

But former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton doesn't raise the H-1B visa as an issue. In debates, both Sanders and Clinton have kept the focus on comprehensive immigration reform.

On the GOP side, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said little about the visa program at Thursday's debate in Miami. But he didn't have to. In last week's debate he said that "abuse of the H-1B program has been rampant."

Cruz, as well as Trump, have issued platforms calling for H-1B visa program reforms.

The Disney IT layoffs prompted U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) to introduce legislation seeking program restrictions. Rubio has not offered any legislation, even though the job cuts took place in his home state.

At a recent Trump rally, one former Disney IT worker who took the stage, Dena Moore, said she trained a visa-holding replacement and was critical of Rubio. "What a great disappointment Marco Rubio is," she said.

At Thursday's debate, Washington Times reporter Stephen Dinan asked Rubio about Disney, and said that "some of the Americans even had to train their own replacements."

"You support increasing the H-1B visa program that made it possible to bring in these foreign workers. Doesn't this program take jobs away from Americans?" asked Dinan.

"If it's being abused the way Disney did," said Rubio. "It is illegal now under that program to use it to replace American workers. Under that program, you have to prove not only that you're not replacing Americans, but that you've tried to hire Americans."

In reality, the H-1B program does allow firms to easily replace U.S. workers, thanks to program loopholes. The employers bring in contractors that rely heavily of visa workers. These IT services firms are required make a good faith effort to hire U.S. workers, but not if the H-1B worker is paid at least $60,000 or has a master's degree.

Rubio, in the debate, acknowledged the problem with contractors, citing India-based firms, in particular.

"What I argue is that no consulting business such as that should be allowed to hoard up all these visas," said Rubio, adding that visas "should only be available for companies to use to directly hire workers and that we should be stricter in how we enforce it."
Kishan Devani is the Deputy Chairman of London Conservatives and a London Assembly candidate on the London wide list.

Yet again the socialist, phoney do-gooders illustrate to the world why socialism never works at all and why they are the epitome of hypocrisy. The facade of being tolerant, peace loving and social justice propagators is slowly being unveiled. This time it is the Oxford University Labour Club that displayed its true colours. Labour has always tried to present itself as a socially liberal and tolerant party. Yet the actions of this particular Labour group are absolutely abhorrent.

So what has actually occurred? The Co-Chair of the Club, Alex Chalmers, decided to take a commendable decision and resign from his position. He laid out his reasons which raised huge questions about the members of the Club and their views on Israel. However, the larger issue is the rhetoric that is being used in regards to Israel in the wider Labour party.

Lets see the facts. The Labour Club at the University are accused of supporting Israel Apartheid week  firstly the entire notion of even having an Israel Apartheid week in 2016 Britain amazes me. This is the nation that is one of our strongest allies, a nation that is the only real functioning democracy in the middle east, a nation that has given the world modern day drip irrigation and innumerable technological advancements. What are we doing comparing it to an apartheid state?

Mr Chalmers accusations reveal that supporting this ridiculous week is the tip of the iceberg in terms of the antisemitic views/language and pro Hamas language/views being expressed within the Club. This, for any one of us, peace loving, democracy loving, sane individuals is quite disturbing. It is a huge shame that such a prestigious establishment as Oxford University where tolerance, healthy debate, justice, equality are propagated and have been propagated for centuries, have had to witness such despicable behaviour.

This entire situation must be understood in the larger context of Labour party policy and outlook on such matters. I had the honour of being the Conservative Party Parliamentary Candidate for Leicester East at the General Election last May. This came with the privilege of having to deal with the Socialist Republic of Leicester and its inept City Council.

Believe it or not this is a Council that put through a motion to boycott illegal settlement goods from Israel. I strongly condemned this at the time within the media and subsequently it was proved unenforceable  as they were using products that may actually have links to settlements in Israel.

Of course Leicester City Council and other Labour councils hoping to take the same route will now be distraught by the Conservative Governments recent announcement making it illegal for public bodies to boycott goods from Israel. It might be a good idea for Labour run councils across the UK to focus on local issues and deal with them, instead of wasting taxpayers money on irrelevant issues that do not affect the everyday lives of their residents.

None of this surprises me. Labours hypocrisy is something we should all be accustomed to. What is disturbing is such intolerance, misguided views and utterly despicable actions are being carried out under the disguise of a party that says it stands for tolerance, social justice and equality. Let us hope the Labour students wing and Labour Party leaders strongly condemn and attempt to stamp out all such behaviour in the future and continue to investigate this further, as they have pledged to do.
Iain Dale is Presenter of LBC Drive, Managing Director of Biteback Publishing, a columnist and broadcaster and a former Conservative Parliamentary candidate.

The London mayoral campaign continues apace, but I feel something has changed during the last few weeks. The polls have shown Sadiq Khan quite a way ahead of Zac Goldsmith, although the latest one in the Evening Standard shows the gap narrowing. It seems to me this campaign is mirroring last years general election campaign, and that by polling day the contest may be very close indeed.

Of course, it will all come down in the end to second and third preferences. Khan remains well ahead on these, according to the polls, so Zacs campaign still has a lot of work to do. But you just get the feeling that he is now up for the fight in a way he didnt seem to be a few weeks ago. You may recall that I wrote that he needed to show a bit of fire in his belly, and stop looking so depressed in media appearances. Winning elections is often about the candidate having a bit of fire in his belly.

And more recently, Zac has indeed looked much more pumped up, to coin a phrase, and this has given his supporters a much-needed boost. There are a lot of undecided first preferences out there to be had  and a load of undecided second ones too. I sense that the Zac campaign has its strategy worked out. It may not involve loud look at me proclamations  but a lot is going on under the radar, just as it was doing last May.

         

So Dan Jarvis has made a speech. A big speech. The speech potential party leaders make. I like him. Hes a man of integrity, and may be just what Labour need. However, there were elements of this speech which were too crowd-pleasing. He came out with that old canard about important decisions being taken out of the hands of politicians. What a load of bollocks.

This all started with the agency programme under John Majors government, and has continued apace ever since. We are now told by politicians of all parties that we must take the politics out of the NHS, for instance. Why on earth would we do that? I dont want to give power to a bunch of unelected bureaucrats who are accountable to no one. Look at whats happened to the Highways Agency. Its a complete law unto itself.

We elect politicians for a reason  to make decisions and choices on our behalf. If they get it wrong and we dont like what they do, we can chuck them out and elect a new bunch. Agencies simply hoard power and try to make their independence from politicians a virtue. I cant think of a single one that has performed better as an independent body than it did under political control. The lamentable Border Agency is a good case in point.

So when you hear a politician such as Jarvis trying to divest themselves of power, understand that it is all for cosmetic PR reasons. In reality, it never leads to better government.

         

Stuart Ramsay of Sky News deserves to win broadcast journalist of the year for his investigation into Daesh  and the fact that he has obtained the details of 22,000 of its fighters.

Its a massive story which should have been on the front page of all newspapers and led all broadcast news bulletins. Unfortunately, viewers and readers were short-changed because of journalistic jealousies. The Times put it on their front page, but you had to turn to page two to find out it was a Sky News original story. The Daily Mail put it on page six.

Scandalously, it didnt even merit a mention on the BBC website  even under that most annoying of phrases, the BBC has learned. Inter-media competition and rivalry is all very well, but this story is a potential game-changer in the fight against Daesh terrorism.

That means its news  whoever the originator is. Some editors should look themselves in the mirror and consider what theyre in this game for. Surely it should be for their readers, listeners or viewers. Rather than for their own insecurities or vanities.

         

Can it be too long before Suzanne Evans looks Nigel Farage in the eye and tells him that he stuff his party where the sun dont shine? Shes been sacked from yet another position by him and yet continues to take it on the chin. Quite why she puts up with it is anyones guess.

In a similar vein, Farage called Douglas Carswell an irrelevance this week. How can UKIPs only MP be an irrelevance? I like and admire Farage. Ive published his books. Id count him as a friend. But his behaviour towards Suzanne Evans, Douglas Carswell and others is quite outrageous.

I suspect that after the referendum things will come to a head. Could it be a matter of months before we see both Suzanne Evans and Douglas Carswell back in the Conservative Party?

         

David Camerons announcement that he intends to stand at the next election is a welcome one. The trend for former Prime Ministers to stand down from parliament immediately is a regrettable one. Parliament needs their experience  and you never know when the call might come again. I hear that Tony Blair regrets standing down and thinks he could have made a comeback at some point. If thats the case, you have to give thanks to God that Gordon Brown stood down when he did.
A contributor to the low standing of politicians is a sense that they enter the Commons to grab high office, use it to polish their CVs, and then push off to line their pockets. Tony Blair walked out of Parliament on the day he departed Downing Street and has not gone back  thats to say, to the Lords, membership of which would require him to disclose his interests. Gordon Brown hasnt gone to the upper house either and nor, we have to add, has John Major.

A suspicion that David Cameron and George Osborne might abandon the battlefield to make their millions, leaving the poor bloody infantry on IPSA-overseen expenses and with curtailed outside interests, hasnt helped their joint leadership of government since 2010. (Yes, yes: I know that MPs are very well paid and in the top three per cent of so of earners. Im just telling you how some of them feel.)

The Prime Ministers words yesterday were not exactly clear-cut  saying that it is very much [my] intention to stay on in the Commons is not definitive, and he was, after all, speaking to Radio Oxford: some of his Witney constituents will have been listening in. But what he said was a signal in the right direction. For the faster turnover is in the Commons, the more continuity rises in value.

It needs former Ministers who can say, as governments rush their plans out: hang on a moment: we tried that, and it didnt work. Or, even better: we tried that and it didnt work  but heres how it might have done, and how this idea could do, if adapted. Endurance isnt everything, but it counts for something. So lets give Cameron a cheer this morning (while prudently saving the other two up for an announcement, if it comes).

As Iain Dale suggests on this site today, his presence would be a real plus for the post-2020 Parliament. ConservativeHome hasnt always agreed with him (to put it mildly), but he has headed a government that has carried out more public service reform in a single term than Margaret Thatcher managed until her third: indeed, the Coalition arguably saw through even more. He deserves great credit for that and for much else too.

Oscar Wilde wrote that experience is the name that men give to their mistakes: maybe so. But whether this is true or not, the Prime Minister should stay on to share his. As a not-so-much-elder statesman, he could give it the benefit of his finest hours, worst moments, close shaves, cock-ups, might-have-beens and, yes, wisdom. He could share what he has learned. He is very much part of the furniture, and should grace the Chamber for many years yet.
03/11/2016

Photo (c) icholakov - Fotolia Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has filed a lawsuit against a company she accuses of violating Florida's Timeshare Resale Accountability Act.

Florida has a specific law covering timeshare resales because it has so many of the properties, whose owners are often desperate to unload them.

In this latest case, Bondi sued Prime Resorts International, based in central Florida. She accuses the company of making telephone calls to timeshare owners all over the country, telling them they have a buyer for their timeshare. She says the company also claimed to be able to guarantee the deal would close.

Bondi says the company then collected upfront fees that ranged as low as $595 and high as $4,000. Her suit alleges there were no buyers.

The attorney general opened her investigation after she said her office got more than 85 complaints, claiming to have lost more than $110,000. The suit seeks a permanent injunction against the company, consumer restitution, and a civil penalty of $10,000 per violation.

Thousands of timeshare owners were victimized in the aftermath of the financial crisis, when many owners were out of work and unable to make payments. Both state attorneys general and federal regulators began to crack down on abusive timeshare resale practices.

Signs of a scam

Lisa Lake, a consumer education specialist at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), says timeshare owners getting an unsolicited pitch from someone who says he or she has a buyer lined up should listen carefully for tell-tale signs of a scam.

Writing on the FTC website, Lake says if the broker promises a lot of money but requires payment of an upfront fee, you can be sure it's a scam. In fact, she says timeshare owners should be skeptical of any offers to help sell it.

In particular, Lake says look out for claims that the timeshare market in your area is hot and that they are overwhelmed with buyer requests. The timeshare market is almost never hot, which is why it takes a high-pressure sales job to move them.

Look out for claims that a buyer has already been lined up, or that the company can guarantee a sale within a specified time. Reputable real estate agents never make those kinds of claims.

Where's the contract?

Scammers rarely provide a sales contract that spells out the terms of the deal. Ever listed a piece of real estate without a contract?

Finally, the biggest red flag of all is the requirement that you pay an upfront fee. You can be sure there is no buyer, the guarantee is worthless, you'll still be stuck with the timeshare, and you'll be out whatever you paid the scammer.

If you have been thinking about purchasing a timeshare, the problems people have selling them  and their exposure to these types of schemes  might serve as a cautionary tale.

Here's what the FTC says you should consider before taking the plunge.
Fleeing Mallya Rakes Up The Deep Rot In Indian Democracy

By Asian Human Rights Commission

11 March, 2016

Countercurrents.org

An ominous open tweet threatening to expose media bosses would perhaps be the last thing to expect from member of Indian Parliament and media honcho, even if this is someone who is under investigation for defrauding publicly owned IDBI bank of INR Rupees 900 Crore.

This is all the more surprising given that this corporate grandstander is Vijay Mallya, the liquor baron, who has apparently been allowed to flee the country despite being under major investigation and despite alookout notice in case he tried to escape.

Earlier, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had requested a consortium of 17 banks led by the State Bank of India (SBI) to declare their loans worth around 10,000 crore from taxpayers money to Mallya as fraud.

However, the same CBI, it appears (as suggested in media reports like this one),changed the nature of the look out notice against Mallya within one month of issuing the same. In October 2015the CBI had asked the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) to detain Mallya if he were to try and leave. A month later, the agency changed the notice, asking BoI to merely inform them about his departure and travel plans.

It is no surprise that the high-flying Liquor Baron has still some support from the powers that be, even when his King of good times Airlines has come crashing down.

Mallya reportedly left the country the day the banks moved the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) in Bangalore, seeking to impound Mallya's passport, getting him arrested, securing the lenders' first right on the pay out from Diageo (the British liquor major Diageo has confirmed paying Vijay Mallya $40 mn as part of a severance deal in which Mallya resigned as the chairman of its Indian subsidiary United Spirits Ltd and promised not to compete with it in spirits business for 5 years). The banks have also demanded a full disclosure of Mallyas assets in the country and abroad.

Yet, there is still some curiosity to know who helped tip-off Mallya and who made the CBI change the nature of the lookout notice. Incidentally, the CBI works directly under the Prime Ministers Office, through the Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. And, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has retained the latter portfolio. This fact may or may not reduce Mr. Modis no tolerance to corruption posturing, something for which he keeps congratulating himself.

The situation also calls for some comparisons and contrasts. Consider the way the government of India and its agencies have handled such brazen loot of taxpayers money by the tycoon, and consider how they have been dealing with the paltry loans taken by the farmers fighting to eke out survival, amidst an upsurge of farmer suicides.

There is no dearth of reports documenting high-handed recovery methods, including the employment of goons to beat up defaulting farmers and insult them while recovering loans ranging from Ruppes 10,000 for crops to a few lakhs for equipment like tractors. Such recoveries also figure repeatedly as immediate causes in ever increasing farmers suicides in the Indian countryside.

Does the Indian constitutiongive guarantee to life with dignity only to corporate tycoons, not farmers? There is in facta ready example to suggest that perhaps it does. Consider the question of the wife of a Tamil Nadu farmerwho got beaten up by the police for defaulting on his loan!

However, of all the real and surreal that has been exposed by Mr. Mallyas flight, the gravest is the message in the tweet of Mr. Vijay Mallya.

He tweeted the following today:

Let media bosses not forget help, favours, accommodation that I have provided over several years which are documented. Now lies to gain TRP? [sic]

It is this tweet that makes the rot in the body politic of the country so obvious. The corruption plaguing the political class and corporations of the country has been notorious for long. The only doubts possible in this regard were if there was not even one single honest person/entity among them.

The onus of fighting corruption in these circumstances of sheer absence of a redress mechanism in the form of public institutions has been with the free media. Media, for its part, had largely stood true to its role of being a watchdog, by courageously taking on scams that somehow slipped out of murky files maintained by corporate bosses, politicians, and their minnows. And then, the rot reached thereas well. The corporatisation of media, in the form of big money pumped into the sector by corporations, started the process. It soon led to the stage where big corporations started buying out media houses themselves and thus doing away with whatever little possibility there was left to reporting their shady deals.

The rot is epitomised by the infamous Niira Radia tapes, conversations of the corporate lobbyist with powerful editors, reporters, industrialists, and politicians recorded by the Income Tax department for its investigations. The tapes laid bare the connections that existed among the worlds of politics, business, and journalism. They exposed how corporations went to the extent of arm-twisting the government of India and Parliament by using journalists and put their peoplein the crucial ministries. The revelations shook the country and exposed the underbelly of its media. The Supreme Court had then taken note of the development and ordered the CBI to investigate "criminality" in 14 issues that were identified by the investigating agency after it went through the transcripts of the Radia tapes.

Then the trail went cold, with CBI finding "no criminality" in any matter by mid-2015. The agency went on to close the case by arguing that no favour was extended to any company by any official as suggested in the conversations and terming the claims made by Radia as mere boasts. Yet, it was only the case that got closed. The reputation of the India media as a whole had been served its mostserious blow, quite unlike other earlier lesser improprieties by this or that media house.

Now Vijay Mallyas threat of exposing the favours, irrespective of the truth, arrives in this wake, and is significant. Radia tapes and the paid news controversy have already compromised the credibility of the Indian media. The onslaught of corporations favouring a particular political group, damaged it even more, and continues to damage it given many of them having become the voice of the incumbent regime. Proof of them having been taking favours from such a controversial business tycoon may well become the proverbial last nail.

The demise of a free and honest media in a country marred with criminally corrupt public institutions does not augur well for its future. Lack of redress mechanism have rusted its foundations enough, a media unable to at least point this out can only bring a collapse.




Soni Sori: The Face Of Mother India

By Priti Gulati Cox

11 March, 2016

Countercurrents.org

Painting By Priti Gulati Cox - Gouache on paper

For a high resolution poster click here

"My face today is the face of the fight in Bastar", said Soni Sori recently. An Adivasi mother, school teacher and a member of Bastar Aam Admi Party, Sori was attacked with what was termed, "acid like substance" by unknown assailants in Chastisgarh on February 20.

In her recent statement, Sori went on to say "we want azadi from the government oppression, from the way we are targeted by the state. We cannot sleep peacefully at night inside our houses. There is always this fear that we will be picked up by the CRPF men and framed as naxals. Her past is full of such violent assaults on her body and spirit.

The attack on Soni Sori is emblematic of what's happening to her beloved forests of Chhatisgarh and her Adivasi brothers and sisters, many of whom are still languishing in jails for no justifiable reason.

The democracy-like substance being rubbed here and there on the Indian countryside, its peoples, birds, animals, is slowly morphing into a giant, dark ash-pile, sinking right in the heart of mineral rich Mother India. But she's not giving up. This mother India is never still. She is always moving. Fearless. The coward state and its cronies will stop at nothing in their efforts to crush Mother India and her fearless mothers and daughters. But she still moves protecting her soil, her forests, her endangered wild Buffalo, her Hill Mynah, and all the living creatures. This is her Memorandum of Understanding with our dying planet.

Priti Gulati Cox is an interdisciplinary artist. She lives in Salina, Kansas.

To know more about Soni Sori, read

Who Is Soni Sori And What Does She Stand For?

By Parijata Bhardwaj




Ahwazi Community In Belgium Protest EUs Silence On Ongoing Human Rights Abuses In Al-Ahwaz



By Rahim Hamid

11 March, 2016

Countercurrents.org

Ahwazi Arab community held a protest in Brussels, the Belgian capital, before the European Parliament and its institutions on Thursday, March 10, 2016 to denounce the continuous silence of the European Union regarding the appalling human rights violations that are ongoing in Al-Ahwaz.

The protesters decried the fact that the EU has neglected human rights abuses in Iran particularly the atrocities perpetrated against Ahwazi Arabs since the nuclear agreement.

The Ahwazi organizers said the European Union cannot excuse its silence. In an interview with Al-Arabiya; "For the Ahwazi people who are under the nine decades of Iranian oppression what matters most is freedom and having the right to self-determination, said Yaqoub Hor Altostari, the official spokesman of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Al-Ahwaz. The nuclear agreement is not resolving any human rights issues. European governments are characterized by their democratic values. They have set them aside while they were negotiating this agreement.

The Ahwazi protesters sent a message of support and solidarity to hundreds of Ahwazi prisoners in Iranian regime dark prisons.

The regime frequently applies charges such as Moharebeh or enmity to God  an indefinite, all-encompassing accusation  against Ahwazi Arab activists and any other campaigners for freedom and human rights in Iran, with Ahwazis also routinely charged with such crimes as supporting separatism or teaching Arabic; all these crimes can incur harsh sentences, including lengthy prison terms and the death penalty.

The UNs Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, as well as international human rights organisations including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and regional human rights monitors have condemned the regimes unfair trials in which detainees have no access to legal counsel, and its execution rate; Iran is second only to China in the rate of executions per capita globally, with over 2,500 executed since President Rouhani came to office in 2013.

This demonstration was a part of series of recent demonstrations in Copenhagen, The Hague, Vienna, and Stockholm as well as other activities that undertaken by the Arab Struggle for the Liberation of Ahwaz as an effort to expose the ferocious occupation policies of the Iranian regime. In addition, to make heard the oppressed voice of Ahwazi Arabs who are under extreme oppression from the occupation by Iran, the likes of which is not known to the world as a whole, despite the objective brutality of this heinous occupation.

The attempted annihilation of a nations or peoples language or culture is no less an aspect of genocide than the attempted extermination of the people themselves; Ahwazis and other ethnic groups in so-called Iran have been subjected to these brutal, calculated and systemic efforts to annihilate their language and culture since their lands were first occupied and then forcibly annexed by what was then known as Persia. Although these efforts to destroy the Ahwazi peoples language and culture have been unsuccessful, this is solely due to the heroic resistance of the Ahwazi people in refusing to allow this core aspect of identity to be wiped out, despite the murderous penalties for doing so.

It should not be forgotten that the vast majority of Iranian and international political and human rights organizations, including the UNs human rights bodies, have, however unwittingly, acted as tacit accomplices in this genocide of Ahwazis and non-Persian people under Iranian dominion and occupation. They have attained this status by wilfully ignoring the terrible and continuing injustices and human rights abuses against these groups and taking no action to pressure the rulers in Tehran, past or present. They have not intervened to introduce even the most fundamental human rights legislation, ensuring that the Ahwazis and other ethnic groups can receive education in their own languages to help preserve their national, ethnic and cultural identities.

Approximately 99% of Irans oil and gas wealth is extracted from oil fields in Ahwazi areas, while the marginalized Ahwazi peoples live in utter destitution near the flames from the oilfields on their own land.

In the modern time, the conventional centralized nation-states are incapable of maintaining their existence, and their incompetence has more than ever been evident. Therefore, the proposal and implementation of democratic alternative with the potential to overcome the resultant barriers of the nation-states has appeared to be a crucial point. Iranian state is the example of a dysfunctional system. Under Iranian state, there is no room or an opportunity to talk about the national rights of Ahwazi Arabs Kurds, Turks, and Baluchis, let alone talking about the right of peoples to self-determination. The classic and fixed definition of the right to self-determination is the right of people to choose and build their own political and economic future and present system.

Ahwazi people with their identity seeking and liberationist movement have been for years campaigning for the preservation of their entities and freedom but despite their long struggle, they have been suppressed by the Iranian state that has been using all its force just to keep its Persian nation state on the account of other non-Persian people in Iran.

This policy of subjugation is sowing the seeds of eventual unavoidable seismic changes within Iran, with the eventual break-up of the forcibly assembled occupied territories which it claims dominion over being an inevitable consequence  there is no question for anyone familiar with the subject that this will eventually happen; the only question is when.

Rahim Hamid is an Ahwazi freelance journalist




Hillary Clintons Destruction Of Emails Was A Federal Crime

By Eric Zuesse

11 March, 2016

Countercurrents.org

However, our laws have been written so as to protect government officials, and corporate executives, if and when they are prosecuted for it. This leaves considerable discretion for prosecutors and judges to let them off the hook; and, as a consequence of this rampant discretion, there are numerous similar cases that receive starkly different procedural and judicial outcomes (a classic definition of injustice); so that, in this, as in so many other aspects of government in the United States, our country is far more a government by persons, than it is a government by laws.

This means that the legal outcome of former Secretary of State Hillary Clintons attempt to destroy the evidence on the email server that she had had installed in her basement, will depend not so much on what the laws are (which are intentionally vague), but on who is investigating, reporting, and making decisions about that case.

For an elementary example showing how arbitrary our system is about such matters, consider that this case ended with no prosecution of the police officers. A former Secretary of State who is also the leading candidate for President of the United States, may be presumed to be at least as likely, as they, to avoid even weak penalties for her evidence-tampering, regardless of how heavy the legal penalties might be for what she did if the perpetrator were only a regular powerless citizen doing essentially the same thing (and this is true regardless of whether or not there were top-secret documents on that unsecure server  the feature of the case which is the almost exclusive focus of media-coverage and federal investigation about the event).

For example: if the only reason why she destroyed that evidence was in order to prevent voters from knowing her private connections to persons and organizations that her Department was doing business with, and the top-secret matter werent involved at all in the case, then what she was doing by deleting the records might not have been technically criminal at all, yet its outcome if she becomes President might be far more harmful to the nation than any lapse of state-security from unsecured private possession of top-secret information would be, or might have been.

So: on the face of it, what Secretary Clinton did was evidence-tampering and thus a federal crime, but to expect it to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, or even at all, would seem to be unlikely. It might be, in the American system, permissible crime.

See:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoliation_of_evidence

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampering_with_evidence

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1519:

18 U.S. Code  1519 - Destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in Federal investigations and bankruptcy

Current through Pub. L. 114-38. (See Public Laws for the current Congress.)

US Code



Whoever knowingly alters, destroys, mutilates, conceals, covers up, falsifies, or makes a false entry in any record, document, or tangible object with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence the investigation or proper administration of any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the United States or any case filed under title 11, or in relation to or contemplation of any such matter or case, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.

(Added Pub. L. 107204, title VIII,  802(a), July 30, 2002, 116 Stat. 800.)

http://www.insidecounsel.com/2013/07/18/litigation-sanctions-for-spoliation-of-evidence

http://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1218&context=dlj:

[p. 1254, or p. 40 of the 122-page pdf discussing in this passage the Sarbanes-Oxley laws changes to the criminal laws that had existed before Arthur Anderson & Co. accountants had evidence-tampered Enrons audit-reports:] What if the documents are destroyed to guard against whatever suit might arise, without having specific litigation in mind? For example, how would the provision apply to the ongoing destruction of safety test records by a manufacturer when there is no specific plaintiff  perhaps not even a specific buyer for the product? Arguably, such upstream behavior would still fall outside the bounds of new section 1512(c).152 At the very least, Sarbanes-Oxley does little to resolve the issue.  If Andersen had been destroying audit-related documents as it went along, rather than after it learned of the SEC inquiry in October 2001, would it have been criminally liable under new section 1512(c)? Arguably not.



Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of Theyre Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010, and of CHRISTS VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.




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By Mark Wilson of the Courier and Press

A new date has been set for a jury trial on an Evansville woman's lawsuit claiming Evansville police used excessive force when its SWAT team mistakenly raided her home in 2012.

The trial will be Aug. 22 in U.S. District Court at Evansville with Judge William Lawrence presiding, according to court records. It is expected to take three days.

The new date comes after the U.S. Supreme Court denied to hear the city's appeal of a lower court ruling.

A federal appeals court said in August 2015 that the Evansville Police Department "committed too many mistakes" to be shielded from liability in Louise Milan's lawsuit over a 2012 SWAT raid on her home.

Milan's lawsuit argues police violated her Fourth Amendment Constitutional rights when the SWAT team tossed two flash-bang grenades into her home at 616 E. Powell Ave., and forced their way inside to serve a search warrant on June 21, 2012.

Police officers were looking for evidence of anonymous Internet posts to a message board threatening the police department and Chief Billy Bolin. The officers did not find any evidence in the home.

City attorneys sought to protect the department from the lawsuit's "excessive force" claims for the use of a flash-bang grenades in the raid.

An April 27 conference is scheduled to see if the two sides can reach a settlement without trial.

Milan's lawsuit is asking for unspecified money for emotional distress, damages and attorneys fees as a result of the raid.

No one was injured in the raid, but police damaged Milan's house, handcuffed her and her daughter and seized their computers, according to the lawsuit.

It was later determined the threatening posts were not made from inside the house, according to court records, but were made from someone accessing the home's Internet connection.

Police arrested Derrick Murray for the threats. He pleaded guilty to a federal charge of transmitting threats in interstate commerce and was sentenced to spend 16 months in prison and then three years on supervised release.
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By Zach Osowski, zach.osowski@courierpress.com

INDIANAPOLIS  A bill allocating almost $500 million to Indiana's state and local roads and funding three Regional Cities programs passed the Indiana General Assembly late Thursday night and is headed to the governor.

The bill passed the Senate 46-4 and the House 91-5. All of the southwest Indiana lawmakers voted in favor of the program.

House Bill 1001, which became the vehicle for the transportation bill, provides road funding from several different sources over the next two years. That bill, paired with Senate Bill 67, brings the total roads funding to about $900 million.

HB 1001 also provides $126 million for the three winning Regional Cities programs, including the Southwest Indiana region, out of the tax amnesty program. The tax program will also be used to fund a $29 million pension program and $10 million for a teacher scholarship program, all of which are included in HB 1001, said Senate sponsor Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville.

That means the Southwest Indiana region will have the full $42 million in Regional Cities funding for a bevy of projects the group proposed last year.

"I'm very pleased with the actions of the state legislature relative to the passage of Regional Cities funding. Their approval of a third award ensures that Southwest Indiana will leverage millions of dollars in local public and private investment to secure $42 million in state funding," Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke said.

The total funding is less than what Pence asked for back in October when he pushed for $1 billion over four years. The first step for HB 1001 will be allocating all money in the state's reserve account greater than 11.5 percent. Current projections put that at $414 million. The bill stipulates 55 percent of that, $228 million, go to state roads for fiscal years 2017 and 2018. The remaining $186 million will be put into a Local Road and Bridge Matching Account for local roads. The money in the account will be given to local officials on a 50-50 match basis.

The bill's author, Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, said he thought the bill was a win for everyone.

"This is the next step to long-term, sustainable road funding," Soliday said.

Lawmakers will also redirect $100 million previously allocated for lane maintenance to state road repair.

HB 1001 was coupled with Senate Bill 67, which will distribute excess local option income tax to local municipalities. SB 67's author, Sen. Brandt Hershman, R-Buck Creek, said that will release $431 million to counties, cities and towns. Of that, 75 percent, or about $323 million, will have to go to transportation projects. The rest can be put into a rainy-day fund or used at the municipality's discretion. The city of Evansville would get about $3.2 million and $2.9 million will go to Vanderburgh County.

In order access the money in the local road and bridge matching account, HB 1001 allows cities with a population greater than 10,000 to establish a wheel tax and raises the amount of money counties can collect on a wheel tax. Over concerns rural counties might not have enough money to access the matching funds, lawmakers stipulated half of the money in the account must go to counties with a population of 50,000 people or fewer.

House Speaker Brian Bosma and House Republicans had been pushing for a hike in the state's fuel tax and cigarette tax. Instead, HB 1001 will move another 1.5 cents of the sales tax on gasoline toward roads, instead of going to the state's General Account.
By Jasmine Otam / TheStatehouseFile.com Rep. Gail Riecken, D-Evansville, thanks the House of Representatives for honoring her Wednesday. Also pictured is Ricken's husband, Ron Riecken.

SHARE JASON CLARK / COURIER & PRESS ARCHIVES Indiana House Rep. Gail Rieken of Evansville takes a moment to thanks former Urbana Mayor Hiram Paley, a Democrat, after he stopped to show his appreciation for their efforts at the Comfort Suites in Urbana, Illinois, Friday. Most House Democrats had left Indiana, resulting in less than the 67 members needed to conduct business in the House. DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS ARCHIVES Gail Riecken (center) offers her thanks to the other Democrats after the election results came in at the Hadi Shrine Temple in Evansville in November. Riecken lost to incumbent Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, who garnered 62-percent of the votes cast. MIKE LAWRENCE / COURIER & PRESS ARCHIVES (From left) Gail Reckon, Carol McClintock, Mayor Lloyd Winnecke and Steve Wozniak share lunch before Tuesday's mayoral debate at the Evansville YWCA in October. The event was hosted by The League of Women Voters. MOLLY BARTELS / COURIER & PRESS ARCHIVES Rep. Gail Riecken, D-Evansville, and Rep. Kreg Battles, D-Vincennes, listens to and answers questions from constituents during a public hearing on The Right To Work Bill at the C.K. Newsome Center in Evansville in January 2012.

By Zach Osowski

INDIANAPOLIS  Fighting back tears, Rep. Gail Riecken thanked the Indiana House during a resolution ceremony honoring her on the last week of the 2016 Legislative Session.

"This has been one of the greatest experiences I will ever know," Riecken said after lawmakers from both sides of the aisle took turns telling stories and complimenting Riecken on her service.

It's a tradition in the Legislature to honor lawmakers who have decided to leave. After losing in her bid for mayor of Evansville, Riecken decided to call in quits as a state representative and not seek a fifth term. She said at the time she believed in term limits for candidates and felt that it was time to move on.

Her impact after eight years in the Indiana House was clear. Democrats and Republicans alike praised Riecken for her attention to detail and her fierce compassion for women and children in Indiana.

"Gail is a champion of women's issues and children's rights," Rep. Sheila Klinker, D-Lafayette, said. "She always asks the tough questions."

Rep. Scott Pelath, the leader of the House Democrats, said Riecken always did her homework on bills and always came to committee meetings and session prepared on both the issues and how her constituents felt about the issues.

"If we could recruit more Gail Rieckens, I think the Legislature would be a much better place," Pelath said.

Rep. Tom Washburne, R-Evansville, joked that he wouldn't miss Riecken at 'Meet the Legislators' sessions down in Evansville because of their propensity to disagree on most of the issues. He said while they disagreed on a lot, they were still friends, a relationship he playfully likened to former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

"It's one of the true wonders of life that reasonable, rational, intelligent people can disagree," Washburne said. "And no truer is that statement than with my relationship to Gail Riecken."

CANVASS PROMO: Next week on Canvass, country music at The Ford Center

Riecken said she is most proud of her work strengthening laws against rapists and child abusers but said she leaves knowing there is still work to be done in that area. She said she will miss the access lawmakers have to sit down with local and state leaders to try and solve some of the state's biggest problems.

"We've come a long way on a lot of issues and it's been exciting for me to have been a part of that for eight years," Riecken said. "And I'll miss that."

After many, many years in public service starting at the local level and working her way up to State Representative, Riecken said she is looking forward to catching her breath and spending more time with her husband, Ron, who joined her up in Indianapolis for the celebration, and her grand children.

She left the Legislature with the charge to her colleagues to never be satisfied with the work they're doing for the people of Indiana.

The race to replace Riecken is chock full of candidates with Brandon Ferguson, Ryan Hatfield and Lori Sherman running on the Democrat side and Billy Garrett, Henrietta Jenkins and Johnny Kincaid set to battle in the Republican primary.
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For someone who frequently negotiates wrapping his hog in dairy products with unwary passersby, the Swiss Cheese Pervert was a surprisingly careful man. Even after he'd already harassed several women, the police had no leads on catching him. So the women of Philadelphia took action. One lady was able to snap a photo of the guy. She passed it on to the local town watch. They posted it on Facebook, where it of course went viral, because that is literally what the Internet was invented for (that stuff about "military communications" is an urban legend).

When even the power of the Internet proved unable to connect the grainy picture with a name, it seemed that the investigation stalled out ... until a woman named Gabby Chest stepped forward. Yes, that is seriously her name. Gabby Chest vs. The Swiss Cheese Pervert happened in reality, instead of in a Nancy-Drew-themed porno. Gabby had been receiving strange messages from a man on OKCupid who was asking her to Jack his Monterey with some Swiss. He also shared his somewhat sad supervillain origin story with Gabby -- for him, cheese had become a substitute for women, as "girls are soft and have milky complexions."

Philadelphia Police Department Well, we're off grilled cheese for fucking ever now. Thanks.

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Gabby figured that the man who sent her these messages and the Swiss Cheese Pervert must be the same guy. Because seriously, how many people have this fetish? (We mean before now -- we're sure many of you just discovered something terrible about yourself while reading this.) Gabby put her knowledge of the dude on the town watch Facebook page, which enabled a local reporter to piece together his identity and knock on his door.
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D.H. Lawrence in Studies in Classic American Literature.

Never trust the artist. Trust the tale. The proper function of the critic is to save the tale from the artist who created it.
Skyfii and Optus Business have signed a three-year contract to deliver guest wi-fi and data analytics to Mirvac Property Group.

As part of the contract, the vendor and reseller have installed the technology at two prominent Mirvac properties  Broadway Shopping Centre in Sydney and Orion Springfield Central in Ipswich.

There is also potential for the technology to be rolled out to nine other Mirvac shopping centres.

The data analytics platform is designed to capture and analyse consumer behaviour, so Mirvac can understand how visitors are using its shopping centres.

Optus Business managing director John Paitaridis said guest wi-fi not only makes shopping more convenient for visitors but also means they can be targeted with promotions.

Our clients are looking to harness foot traffic within their shopping centres and digital connectivity to create competitive advantage, he said.

Guest wi-fi provides a tangible return on investment because shoppers are staying in centres longer and taking advantage of personalised offers and discounts.

Skyfii will receive subscription revenue fees from Mirvac for the wi-fi and data analytics services.

Skyfii hailed the contract win as strong validation for its core services and its ability to secure large target customers through active channel partners such as Optus Business.

Chief executive Wayne Arthur said Skyfii was pleased to work again with Optus Business.

We are excited about the value our service will add to the performance of these centres and also about the potential the agreement brings to roll out our technology to further Mirvac venues in the future, he said.
The takeover of ASX-listed Recall Holdings appears one step closer after its foreign suitor responded to competition concerns.

US information management provider Iron Mountain has promised the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) that it will offload part of its Australian operations if its $3.4 billion takeover is approved.

According to the court-enforceable undertaking, Iron Mountain would sell its entire Australian arm, except its local records management customers in the Northern Territory and its data management business.

Iron Mountain has operations in every Australian state and territory, while Recall is represented everywhere except the Northern Territory.

Iron Mountain and Recall signed their deal in June 2015  but in November, the ACCC said the takeover might breach competition rules, which prohibit acquisitions that substantially reduce competition in a market.

The ACCC estimated that the merged entity would control 59-71 percent of the physical document management services market. Such dominance would be likely to lead to an increase in prices and/or a reduction in service, according to the regulator.

The ACCC has invited interested parties to comment on Iron Mountains proposal, with submissions due 21 March. The regulator expects to announce its decision on 31 March.

Competition authorities in the US, the UK and Canada are also looking into the deal, which is expected to complete around 2 May.

Iron Mountain is headquartered in Boston and has more than 1,100 facilities in 37 countries.

Recall is based in Sydney and also has operations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

The company reported year-on-year growth in its most recent financial results, covering the six months to 31 December 2015.

Revenue rose 6.7 percent to $450.9 million, while net profit rose 7.3 percent to $38.3 million.
Sights And Sounds From San Diego

What do yellow socks, morning mimosas, surfboards and channel chief Wendy Bahr's grandparents have to do with last week's Cisco 2016 Partner Summit in San Diego? You'll have to read on to find out.

More than 2,200 Cisco channel partners flocked to the summit, held this year at the San Diego Convention Center, to hear Cisco's top executives talk about the company's future. The San Jose, Calif.-based networking giant unveiled an abundance of new solutions, road maps and overall goals on stage and in meetings at the annual gathering, but behind the scenes and off to the side, CRN also picked up on some other sights and sounds most partners won't forget.

Here are 15 images captured during the event that might bring back some fond memories of Cisco Partner Summit 2016.
As the cruise industry focuses in on the potential opening of Cuba, the first 2016 sailing by a North American-based cruise line has been cancelled.

Pearl Seas Cruises has announced they have cancelled their first scheduled Cuba sailing on the Pearl Mist.

They issued the following statement:

Pearl Seas Cruises received notice on March 10th that the meeting with the Cuban government, where we expected to receive final approval, had been postponed until after President Obamas visit. Therefore we had to cancel the March 16, 2016 Cuba Cultural Voyage cruise. Most passengers have been transferred to other cruise dates and some have chosen to cancel their reservation and have been refunded in full. 

Pearl Seas has further voyages scheduled this spring to Cuba.
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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA -- Four Williams-Mystic Maritime Studies Program students have been awarded scholarships by Crowley Maritime Corporation. Claire Fahrner, Vitya Romanov, Rachel Earnhardt and Jessica Menges were each chosen as a result of their academic excellence, morale and community involvement. The students also exhibited strong leadership qualities and were articulate spokespeople for maritime education, according to Sarah A. Jordan, Williams-Mystic's director of alumni and development.

Farner is a senior at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts focusing on environmental studies. Romanov is a senior at University of Massachusetts Amherst majoring in geography and studying environment and public policy. Rachel Earnhardt is a junior at Wesleyan University in Connecticut majoring in history and environmental studies. And Menges is a senior at the Maine Maritime Academy studying marine biology and small vessel operations.
T he idea of literal representation holds no interest for artist Lisa Cuscuna.

When gallery patrons look at one of her surrealistic paintings and ask, What are you trying to say? she would prefer that viewers come up with their own interpretations.

Cuscuna has delighted in combining the real and the surreal in work like the canvas that shows an open doorway floating in the sky above a beach. (I think of that airborne, reflective monolith in 2001, but you might see Dali or Escher.)

I ask people to look beyond a conventional way of seeing things  try to choose another point of view and see if that works for you, she says in her studio at Stamfords Loft Artists Association.

The pull between control and chaos in Cuscunas work might be more acute than it is for other artists because she has juggled life as a successful businesswoman with her abstract art. The artist retired from her job as a producer of video installations for museums to refocus her energy.

I did budgeting and design. I was at the top of my game, but I never saw my family, she says of creating huge video displays for places like the twin tower skyscraper in Kuala Lumpur. That was a $2.7 million video wall project that took three years to pull together. (She used the New York Philharmonic for the music.)

Painting is an ever-changing new career for me, Cuscuna adds of her life now. I am very much enthralled with the idea of the creative process and that it should be unfettered. The work should flow through the artist, taking on a spirit and youthfulness that you wont get if you push too hard. ... Zen and art go together for me.

Cuscuna was stilll pulling together work for a major show at the Stamford nonprofit  The Fluid Palette, opening March 17  when I visited her studio. The surreal paintings began in a roundabout way for her.

I was doing a lot of surreal photography and I took the work to a gallery that liked them, but they said, These are very nice. Can you paint them? I said, Absolutely without missing a beat and went right home and started to paint, she says with a smile.

A door suddenly opened into new territory for the artist, much like the portals she has included in her work.

Cuscuna has been delving deeply into the concept of poured painting in recent work. Instead of using a brush, an artist working with this technique pours paint onto a canvas and builds a new work layer by layer. The process of pouring and then being forced to wait for the next step has bolstered Cuscunas belief in the union of art and zen and other practical aspects of life. During the required pauses to allow each layer of oil paint to dry, she is able to shift gears to her volunteer work as treasurer of the Loft Artists Association.

New York artist Paul Jenkins was the father of this style of art that played a major role in the classic late-1970s art-world drama, An Unmarried Woman. He created the work done by the painter Alan Bates plays in the movie.

Its a departure from the exact and the specific that excited my imagination, Cuscuna says of the technique, in which part of the control is taken away from the artist. There are certain things that the paint does by itself  it curdles, there are striations and textural effects you have to work with.

This is far more challenging than looking at something and replicating it. You have to be on your toes, ready for personal adjustments. ... The painting has a life of its own.

You also do a lot of praying, she says, laughing.

jmeyers@hearstmediact.com;

Twitter: @joesview
A Bridgeport man, who was convicted of building a homemade bomb, has lost his bid for a new trial.

The Connecticut Supreme Court reversed a decision by state Appellate Court that Kenneth Jamison should get a new trial. Read the decision HERE.
BRIDGEPORT  There are some crimes that cross the line, even with accused criminals.

Nabbed in a Fairfield sting last year in which police say he thought he was about to have sex with a 13-year-old girl, 41-year-old John Dupee was confronted by a verbal barrage from the gallery Friday as he stood before Superior Court Judge Robert Devlin to plead guilty.

The catcalls and lewd suggestions directed to the former Norwalk letter carrier from the audience - many who themselves were waiting to go before the judge - got so loud that Devlin interrupted the plea hearing to kick some of them out of the courtroom.

Dupee, of Dover Street, Norwalk, is facing up to four years in prison after he pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault with a minor, attempted sexual contact with a minor and enticing a minor on the computer.

He is scheduled to be sentenced May 13.

Dupee was one of 10 men caught up in a sting last October by Fairfield police, according to States Attorney John Smriga. The sting was put together by TV newsman Chris Hansen for an upcoming show.

The 10 men, ranging in age from 19 to 64, who police said each came to a house in Fairfield expecting to have sex with either a boy or a girl, were arrested in the undercover operation. Five of the men arrested came from out of state. The rest are from Connecticut, including one from Fairfield.

Smriga said Dupee contacted someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl through a website and agreed to meet her at the Fairfield house to have sex with her.
HARTFORD  Five weeks after warning thousands of state employees could be laid off during the current Connecticut fiscal crisis, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy this week finally put the wheels in motion, giving formal notice to the 45,700 unionized state workers in 32 bargaining units.

Malloy has ordered department heads to report back to him, by next week, with cost-cutting ideas to tackle the current deficit in the state budget that is estimated as high as $266 million. Malloy offered his commissioners some suggestions, including $6 million in labor costs through layoffs, which must occur by the second week in June to realize the savings by the end of the fiscal year on June 30.

But Republicans on Friday offered their own proposal: a two-day unpaid furlough program that would save $8 million and retain the generally high-paying full-time state jobs and benefits.

A Malloy spokesman called the Republican idea a false choice.

I think this is an example of the powerless being subjected to the powerful, said Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven. If state employees were given the opportunity, I think theyd be willing to take two days off, without pay, and you could save the layoff notices for 2016. So theres no reason for us to have layoffs in 2016. Just two days without pay yields you $8 million.

Fasano said that prison guards, State Police, the Department of Children and Families and other core services would not be affected by the furloughs.

More Information Numbers 45,700 unionized state workers 32 bargaining units 2 day unpaid furlough save $8M retain fulltime state jobs See More Collapse

What this does is it allows us not to take 1,000 people, generally people who joined state service relatively early, and tell them they no longer have a job, he told reporters in a surprise early afternoon news conference in the Capitol.

The proposal includes bringing employees back to the bargaining table to renegotiate benefits that currently run until 2022, in order to save more than $100 million in the budget that starts July 1, including higher insurance co-pays for union workers.

State employee unions, most of which negotiate wages and benefits under the banner of the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) are opposed to the layoffs, stressing that high-earning state residents should help the budget shortfall by paying more taxes. A union leader responded Friday that Republicans helped bring the state into its current financial mess and that the GOP proposal is a stealthy attempt to reopen contracts.

The layoffs are, of course, a terrible idea, and Republican leaders are among those who caused the budget problem by their stubborn refusal to ask millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share, said Cindy Stretch, a Southern Connecticut State University English professor covered by the SEBAC agreement. What they claim is a furlough day proposal is actually a Trojan Horse proposal that calls for reopening the SEBAC agreement plus pay cuts, which Republicans euphemistically call furlough days. And by offering no job security, this proposal would allow layoffs to go forward.

The governors proposed layoffs and millions of dollars in cuts to public services will have a terrible impact on real human lives in the public and private sector, and threaten the well-being of our communities and the health of our economy, said Stretch, the president of the SCSU chapter of the American Association of University Professors. But disingenuous political grandstanding by the defenders of the richest 1 percent only makes things worse.

Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, said the state has to balance its budget and the unions need to help.

The reality is that state workers and the administration need to enter negotiations and make modest adjustments to our union contracts that will result in significant, immediate and long-term savings while preserving critical services and reducing the need for layoffs in the spirit of the agreement reached in 2011, Looney said in a statement.

Christopher McClure, a spokesman for Malloy, said Friday that the governor announced in his February budget address that state employees need to be part of the discussion on cost savings. Currently, SEBAC is negotiating salaries with Malloys staff for contracts that expire this year.

If state employees are ready to open that contract and offer ideas for savings, we welcome that discussion and stand ready to meet them at the bargaining table, McClure said. One area where we disagree with Senator Fasano  claiming that layoffs can be avoided by opening SEBAC, is a false choice.

kdixon@ctpost.com
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MILFORD  The parents of children at the St. Gabriel School on Tudor Road say theyve given up hope of reopening the parochial school as an independent institution in September and that theyre enrolling their kids in other schools.

The parents were informed in January that the St, Gabriel parish will close the school for good at the end of the school year in June.

Since then, parents had been pleading with the parish to let them use the building for a new school that would operate without ties to the parish or the Archdiocese of Hartford. These requests were rebuffed, they said.

We asked around everywhere for a place, said parent Linda Kelly. The city of Milford didnt have anything and there was nothing else available, either.

Tantalizingly close is the former Simon Lake school, right across the street, that was closed by the Board of Education in June 2010.

But now thats shared by the Boys & Girls Club and the Milford Police Department for its training academy. The public school system didnt have any other vacant space available, parents said.

If we found a space, we would have been all in, said Kelly, the parent of a seventh-grader. If you could find us space, wed be ecstatic.

But with hopes for space exhausted, parents have resigned themselves to finding a school to send their children in September. Some will send their kids to the other Catholic school in town, St. Marys, while others will send their children to public school. And some are making other plans.

St. Gabriels enrollment is now 139 students and the school has a capacity of about 250. St. Gabriels tuition is about $6,000 a year.

Experts say that even in the best of circumstances, starting a school from scratch is a daunting prospect.

Youre biggest challenge is recruiting students, said Reed Sumida, a consultant with the Independent School Performance Group, which advises private schools nationwide in their times of trouble.

We get situations like this all the time, he said of the situation at St. Gabriels. The parents expectation of what it costs to start and maintain a school is usually unrealistic. They would certainly need some expertise to see them through the first two or three years.

He said that whats lacking is the knowledge of how to run a school.

Thats often not in the Bailiwick of even a lot of school administrators, oddly enough, he said. There are 30 points to what makes a school successful. The curriculum isnt a problem  that comes off the shelf. Where theyll get stuck is cash flow and student recruitment.

He said that Catholic diocese are typically reluctant to hand over their facilities to a competing school.

Parent Pam Konareski said that no one has come forward to help us, and that parents have to start making other plans.

We havent left a single stone unturned, she said of the efforts that have been made in the last three months to keep St. Gabriels  in some form  open.

And itll have an impact on Milford in many ways, she said. There wont be any Duck Race this year, and we wont be in the St. Patricks Day parade (scheduled to Saturday in downtown Milford beginning at 1 p.m.).

But she said that the school is letting the seventh graders participate in typically eighth-grade activities, such as a field trip to Boston and a cap-and-gown ceremony in June.

They dont want the seventh graders feel like theyve been left in the dark because theyre so close to graduation, she said. But were all heartbroken  there really is nothing quite like St. Gabes.
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BRIDGEPORT  Its pay or play time for Sandy Hook truther Matthew Mills.

Although Mills, who claims the massacre of children and teachers in Newtown never took place and hero teacher Victoria Soto didnt exist, skipped his court date Friday, his lawyer was given a stern ultimatum.

Either Mills accepts the states plea offer or goes to trial when the case is next back in court April 18.

Assistant States Attorney Craig Nowak has offered Mills, who was charged with interfering with police and breach of peace after he crashed a charity run named for Victoria Soto, a one-year suspended sentence with two years probation. Mills would also be ordered to stay away from the Soto family.

Mills lawyer, James Hardy, was beginning to argue that five weeks wasnt enough time for Mills to make that decision when he looked at the perturbed expression on Superior Court Judge Maureen Dennis face. He quickly changed his mind and agreed to the deadline.

Mr. Mills has been extended an offer by the state and he is going to take the time to consider that offer, Hardy said later. He still maintains he was simply exercising his constitutional rights, but at this point it may be better to put this all behind him.

Hardy told the judge that his client, who now lives in southern New Jersey, didnt realize he had to be in court Friday.

Jillian Soto, Victorias younger sister, who sat in court for nearly an hour waiting for the case to be called, was clearly frustrated that Mills had not shown up.

Well see what happens on the 18th, she said as she left the courtroom.

Victoria Soto, of Stratford, has been hailed as a hero after police said she was killed while protecting her first-grade students from gunman Adam Lanza at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012.

Hundreds were attending the third annual race in Stratford to raise money for educational scholarships in Sotos name Nov. 7 when police said Mills approached Jillian Soto.

They said Mills shoved a photograph in the younger Sotos face and began angrily charging that not only did the Sandy Hook tragedy not take place, but that Victoria Soto never existed.

Police said the photo was of the Soto family, including Victoria Soto, sitting on a seawall in Stratford.

Jillian Soto became very upset at Mills actions and repeatedly asked him to leave her alone, but police said he persisted until officers arrived on the scene.

He then ran off and was captured following a short foot chase with officers on Main Street.
WASHINGTON  Anti-opioid legislation that passed the Senate on Thursday included language borrowed from Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn., for consumer education to warn individuals of the dangers of prescription painkiller and heroin abuse.

Today the Senate took a desperately needed step forward to help families who have been impacted by the opioid crisis get the help they need to recover, move forward, and try to put their lives back together, Esty said in a statement. She urged the House to follow suit and pass the legislation, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act  CARA.
A car that caught fire on I-95 north near the Arch Street exit in Greenwich was moved to the shoulder so a fire engine and crew could douse the flames.

But the activity slowed traffic on both sides of the busy highway shortly after 7 a.m. As northbound traffic squeezed by on the right, drivers in the southbound lanes stopped to look. At its height the backup extended nearly a mile.
Millions of women across America aspire to have successful careers and raise families. But, finding the balance to merge those two paths is a difficult challenge which requires support and mentorship, as well as flexibility and understanding from employers.

Related: Why the Online Marketplace Is Perfect for Women in Business

Certainly, Yahoos Marissa Mayer, former Pearson CEO Marjorie Scardino and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg all prove that it is possible to be a strong female leader in the corporate world. But these women are still part of a tiny, high-profile minority.

I was shocked, when I researched the matter, to find just how scarce female C-level executives really are: Only 4.2 percent of Fortune 500 CEO positions are held by women.

That's where startups come in. The good news is that, in startups, we're seeing the beginnings of a cultural shift toward a working environment that encourages and develops female talent -- a great goal to think about this week of International Women's Day.

As a married mother of three young children, Ive personally worked hard to carve out a career for myself in a competitive market and am grateful for the opportunities that have come my way.

I now occupy the CEOs seat in a startup and feel right at home in the entrepreneur community.

So, what are the challenges that women in the corporate world still face today? How can they surmount them? And what are some ways women can realize their potential in the exciting and motivating world of startups?

What's wrong in the corporate world?

For many women in this country, the American Dream seems to come with a few caveats. In the corporate sector, despite steady movement toward gender equality and improved pay conditions, women still earn only 81% of their male counterparts salaries. There is no good reason for this disparity in 2015, especially now that women in the United States are actually more likely than men to be college graduates.

Things get even worse for U.S. women who want to start a family. In terms of maternity leave, women can expect 12 weeks of unpaid leave, which is far behind other countries like the United Kingdom, where women are paid for up to 39 weeks. This makes for some very tough descisions and complicated financial planning.

Related: 5 Unstoppable Female Entrepreneurs Making Their Dents on the World

Whats more, rigid working hours, demanding schedules and what seems to be an increasing discriminatory attitude toward pregnant women in the workplace are all factors making it harder for women to succeed.

Not that things are a bed of roses in other countries: A survey of 2,000 mothers and 500 managers in the U.K. found that 60 of female respondents there felt that they had been sidelined at work after announcing their pregnancies, and 40 percent of managers surveyed admitted having to think carefully about hiring a woman of child-bearing age.

Although there are many successful women in large corporations, the obstacles that still lie in women's career paths really hold them back. There is hope, however, for recent graduates and those of us who have been working on our careers for a number of years -- and that hope lies in the startup community.

How startup culture is empowering women

Startups today are taking a huge step toward equality and the empowerment of female employees. They're fostering cultures that pull down the old paradigms, and create an open and meritocratic space for everyone to develop his or her skills. And that means that women entrepreneurs -- especially those with children -- can more easily move forward in their careers and show the world what theyre all about.

Startup culture is one that is generally freer and more accepting of irregular hours and work locations, and both women and men with families benefit. In my own case, working in a startup has enabled me to schedule my work around family life (rather than the other way around).

This is the sort of supportive working environment thats hard to come by in long-established corporations. Yet workday flexibility allows both my husband and me the freedom to work without making that tough choice between career and family that many couples face.

Startups also have a burgeoning culture of openness. This was underlined earlier this year by news of a trend of startups' workers tweeting their salaries under the hashtag #talkpay. Promoting transparency in this way and to this degree is something quite unheard of in the corporate world.

In fact, startup attitudes are changing and online movements like that of the salary tweets will inevitably lead to greater fairness and accountability across the board.

In startup culture, the big buzzword is innovation. Can you make the move from the corporate work to a startup environment? That depends on your motivation and determination. But the most important quality you can demonstrate to your new employer is adaptability and the willingness to put forward your ideas -- no matter how small or new those ideas may be.

So how do you set out on your own?

If you want to take the entrepreneurial route, you will need a different mindset altogether:

Turn your business idea into a passion. Throw yourself in the deep end and live it, remembering that this won't be easy. If your expectations are too high,nyou may become demoralized when things dont work out as planned. Creating a viable and healthy business has to be your aim in the early stages, rather than making piles of cash.

Check out Intels Diversity Fund. The fund is a resource for underrepresented entrepreneurs and focuses on minority groups and women. The fund invests in both early-stage and established startups, so if you have a business plan and meet the criteria, you may well find this channel a great way to get your idea off the ground.

Find a mentor, male or female. And make use of the resources available to you. Having someone guide you through tricky business decisions, investments and contracts is invaluable in your startups early stages. Find someone close to you who has lots of experience, or contact an organization like EBW2020 (empowering a billion women by 2020).

EBW2020s peer-to-peer mentoring circle is useful for first-time (or even seasoned) entrepreneurs, and the organization's app helps you connect with similar business owners across the world. You can also find out about events happening both online and offline and learn a lot about running a business.

Discover and learn -- and dont be afraid to unlearn. Attending conferences and networking to meet other similarly minded women can only be of benefit to you. Women Entrepreneurship Day (WED) gathers women leaders to form think tanks and expand their businesses, using socially beneficial initiatives in multiple countries.

Wendy Diamond, founder of the movement, predicts that, Women-owned businesses are set to increase by 90 percent in the next five years. We need to change the status quo because lifting women creates economic opportunity and vitality, locally and globally.

Also see the excellent publication, Women Who Tech for news, events and resources and the publication's exciting startup challenge.

Related: 4 Inspiring Stories of Women Entrepreneurs From Around the World

In sum, startups provide women with a transparent and supportive environment. Entrepreneurship overall is a fantastic opportunity, and there are a growing number of resources for women to get started. The future is wide open; its time to take the initiative.

Related:

5 Reasons Why There Are Less Women Entrepreneur In Business World

How Startups Can Be Empowerment Tools for Women

Women Entrepreneurs Talk About Sexism In The Startup Sphere



Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
The children of Bridgeport deserve schools worthy of their hopes for a life of opportunity  a good job, owning a home, family and prosperity. These aspirations are no different than those of other young people, whether they live in New Haven or Darien, Hartford or Westport.

What is different for Bridgeports students is the long odds they face in realizing their dreams, which is due in no small part to the depleted state of the public schools they attend.

This is the sorry result of a method of funding public schools that has robbed Bridgeport of the resources needed to provide a quality education for each of its 21,000 students.

The problem is in Connecticuts financing of public education through local property valuations and taxes, which has spawned tiers of school systems divided between the haves and have-nots. Since the gap in funding falls disproportionately on students of color living in poor areas, the State is not only violating their civil rights but also its own Constitutions guarantee of the right to an education  to which students are entitled equal enjoyment, according to an important 1977 State Supreme Court ruling.

Heres how the funding formula works.

As one of the wealthiest enclaves in the nation, with property values and taxes at a premium, Westports per-pupil expenditures were $19,747 in 2014-15. Except for a few hundred dollars, that money came entirely from the communitys property tax base. Bridgeport, per-student expenditures were $13,923 last year, with the City able to contribute only about 20 percent, or $2,700, of that total because of its low property values and tax base.

Since the late 1970s, the State has turned to Education Cost Sharing (ECS) to level the playing field between affluent and poor school districts. The trouble is Connecticut rarely has, if ever, met its obligation to compensate poor school districts so they have financial parity with wealthy ones. In fact, Bridgeport is typically shortchanged by some $40 million in ECS dollars. Consequently, the $13,923 we spend per student has remained flat for the past five years.

A city with a poverty rate twice the state average  and the second highest public school enrollment  has $6,000 less to spend per pupil than Westport. Is that equal, fair and just? No. Furthermore, the impact of this disparity is profound.

Visit our classrooms and you will see the effects of grossly inadequate resources. Many high school classes overflow with 29 students and middle and elementary school classes 20 percent bigger than in Westport. Caseloads for school psychologists in Bridgeport are twice those in Westpor.

Moreover, young children are denied the proven benefits of early learning programs mostly because of a shortage of spots. Only 62 percent of Bridgeports 3- and 4-year-olds attended pre-kindergarten in 2014 compared to almost 100 percent of pre-school age children in Westport.

Please understand. I do not begrudge affluent towns their resources. What I find unconscionable is that students in poor communities do not enjoy the same level of material support for their education  the one path they have out of poverty into a better life. We have surely lost our way when a street address and zip code, or a winning ticket in the birth lottery, determine the quality of a childs public school education.

At the very least, funding for our public schools should account for student needs. Bridgeports students struggle with impossible burdens. They come to school hungry and tired. They are traumatized by violence in their neighborhoods as well as by severe economic and family hardships at home. In the past few months, I attended two funerals of young people shot to death on Bridgeports streets. And students take their seats in classrooms where subjects are taught in English, a language many cannot understand. In 2012-13, Bridgeport had 2,664 students with limited proficiency in English.

Meanwhile, our valiant teachers and support staff wring the most out of every dollar available, often reaching into their own pockets to pay for necessities. Last year, they helped students in our elementary and middle schools post solid gains in math and reading and inspired nearly 1,000 more students to attend school regularly across all grade levels.

Think of the progress we could make if Bridgeport were able to spend the nearly $20,000 per student that Westport does. Recently, I testified in a potentially historic lawsuit that could reform how the State and local communities pay for public schools. The Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding vs. M. Jodi Rell is a test of the valuesequal opportunity and fairnessthat we have collectively associated with public education for over a century. I implore the Superior Court deciding the case in Hartford to reaffirm that public schools stand for these values and to define the right to an education of equal opportunity as equal funding for all.

Frances Rabinowitz has served as the interim superintendent of the Bridgeport Public Schools since March of 2014.
Somerset jury finds two of three defendants guilty of murder

Now in its fifth day of testimony and seventh day overall, the double murder trial taking place in Somerset County is now over. The jury decided.
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A worryingly thin model has revived the debate over casting very skinny women on the catwalk after sparking outrage among fashion fans.

Australian model Holly Moore wore a black dress by Alex Perry on Premium Runway Four on Wednesday night, as well as a look by Yeojin Bae, at the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival (VAMFF).

But it wasn't the cut-out black mini dress that raised onlookers' eyebrows with spectators more concerned by her gaunt appearance and thin legs.

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Stick thin: Australian model Holly Moore sparked debate online after walking at Melbourne Fashion Festival for Alex Perry on Wednesday looking worryingly thin

Visible bones: Moore sported a black dress with billowing sleeves and black stiletto heels for Alex Perry

Frail: The towering 5"11 model displayed extremely skinny legs and a protruding ribcage as she walked the runway

The model also walked for Yeojin Bae's show, where she wore a slinky black evening dress with pink panels and while Yeojin declined to comment on the use of worryingly thin models, Alex Perry insisted he'd had 'nothing to do with' the casting of his most recent show.

'I wasn't even in Melbourne, we just sent the clothes down for a group show they were doing as part of the Fashion Festival,' Perry told the Kyle and Jackie O Show on Friday morning.

'Look that girl [Moore] is beautiful from that show in Melbourne, but personally I think that she's underweight to be on the runway and the photos kind of exacerbate that and make it look even worse.'

But the most recent outcry is not the first time designers have been slammed for casting exceptionally lean models in their shows and campaigns, with the debate an ongoing issue for the industry...

Natural frame? The towering 5"11 model, who is represented by Debut Management, is described on her bio as being a dress size eight (Australian), with a 25 inch waist

CASSI VAN DEN DUNGEN FOR ALEX PERRY

While Alex Perry denied having anything to do with casting Moore in his VAMFF showcase, in 2014, the designer came under fire for casting the then 21-year-old model Cassi Van Den Dungen at his Australian Fashion Week show in 2014, and later admitted it had been a serious lapse of judgment.

Thousands slammed the designer for casting the former Australia's Next Top Model contestant, who stepped out in a white lace mini dress which showed off her very thin figure.

Perry spoke recently about the Van Den Dungen scandal in the March 2016 issue of Australian Marie Claire: 'I'd worked 16 hours; I was tired. It went through my mind that we should cancel, but I felt bad for her,' he said.

Public criticism: Alex Perry previously faced criticism from the fashion industry for sending the then 21-year-old Cassi Van Den Dungen down the runway in 2014

Bad press: Perry has publicly apologised for using Cassi Van Den Dungen in his 2014 show

'But the pictures were worse than I could have imagined. She was in about 20 other shows, but I was the one that got pulled up for it.'

'She... told people I threw her under the bus.'

'I think she thinks I should have stood by her and said there's nothing wrong with her. I don't know if there is or not, but that wasn't the image I wanted to portray.'

'Lapse in judgement': Alex Perry said that when he used Van Der Dungen, he had 'worked for 16 hours' and was exhausted

VALENTINO'S 'THIN' AND 'YOUNG-LOOKING' MODEL AT PARIS FASHION WEEK 2016

The debate over model's physiques has raged over other women who were thought to look too young, or too frail as they paraded or posed in designer's gear.

The Valentino show at Paris Fashion Week 2016 raised eyebrows when it featured a very young looking model in a sheer dress that showed her nipples.

A young model raised eyebrows when she walked down the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week today with her bare chest on show.

Sparking debate: A model who appeared to be under 18 walked in Valentino's show in Paris Fashion Week in a sheer dress that exposed her breasts

Questionable: Carole White, co-founder of London's Premier Model Management, previously said designers only 'want young, flat-chested' and skinny models to wear their clothes

The girl, who had a very youthful appearance, took to the Valentino catwalk in a sheer sequin-embellished dress with a cloud motif.

WHAT DID FRANCE DO TO LIMIT 'SKINNY' MODELS ON THE CATWALK? Last year, the French government passed a law which bans modelling agencies and fashion brand from employing models with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 18. A healthy BMI is somewhere between 18 and 25. Advertisement

Carole White, co-founder of London's Premier Model Management, previously said designers only 'want young, flat-chested' models to wear their clothes.

In France, the Chambre Syndicale, organisers of Paris Fashion Week, have imposed a lower limit of 16 for catwalk work.

Speaking to the Evening Standard ahead of London Fashion Week, Carole White said: 'The designers want straight up and down - no boobs and previously said the company chose to scout in schools because the 'very skinny' girls the labels wanted were normally the 'really young' ones.

VICTORIA BECKHAM POSTING A GIF OF A 'SKINNY' MODEL ON INSTAGRAM

Victoria Beckham recently came under fire when she posted a gif of a model which commenters agreed was 'too skinny'.

The 41-year-old posted the moving image on her account - which showed a young, blonde-haired model turning left and right against a backdrop of the New York skyline - and quickly saw it over amass 32,000 likes.

However, many of the hundreds of comments rounded on the designer for using a model they felt was 'way too thin'.

Controversial: Victoria Beckham posted a gif of an unknown model wearing a striped black and brown dress from her latest VBAW16 collection on her Instagram account

Many of the nearly 300 comments slammed the designer for using a model they felt was 'way too thin' with such vitriolic observations that the beauty's own mother had to weigh in in her defence.

She wrote: 'This model is beautiful, hard working and has genetics, like all of us, that predisposition her body to look a certain way. She happens to be very tall and very slim. Many would say she is lucky. Some are jealous they don't look like her.

'We should all love ourselves and appreciate the beauty we see. I happen to know her well. She is my beautiful daughter. I know eats healthily most of the time. She loves salads and veggies. She also eats chocolate and ice cream frequently.

Under fire: Many of the nearly 300 comments slammed the designer (pictured) for using a model they felt was 'way too thin' with such vitriolic observations that the beauty's own mother had to weigh in in her defence

Not the first time: And despite speaking out against 'thin' models in the past, Beckham also came under fire for her 2015 New York Fashion Week Show for having a runway of 'skeleton models

And despite speaking out against 'thin' models in the past, Beckham also came under fire for her 2015 New York Fashion Week Show for having a runway of 'skeleton models.'

Critics took to social media in September and described her show as a 'show of skeletons' - many slamming her decision to use tiny 17-year-old model Peyton Knight to close the show.

Despite the criticism online, Beckham said after the show: Its a collection for all shapes and sizes - I always say it, but I just want women to feel like the best versions of themselves.

Disagree: Despite the criticism online, Beckham said after the show: Its a collection for all shapes and sizes - I always say it, but I just want women to feel like the best versions of themselves,' she said

AUSTRALIAN MODEL GENEVIEVE BARKER SLAMMED FOR LOOKING 'TOO THIN' ON INSTAGRAM IN 2015

In September 2015, a photograph shared on social media of model Genevieve Barker, 26, sparked a heated debate about 'thin shaming'.

The photo, posted by photographer Brydie mack, was met with a flood of harsh comments slamming the model's thin frame - many suggesting she looked like a 'skeleton' and advised her to 'eat a burger.'

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Barker said there seems to be a double standard as to what is socially acceptable criticism of women's bodies.

Too skinny? In September 2015, a photograph shared on social media of model Genevieve Barker, 26, sparked a heated debate about 'thin shaming'

Don't judge: Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Barker said there seems to be a double standard as to what is socially acceptable criticism of women's bodies

'I see articles all the time condemning "fat shamers" and how appalling it is that a woman should ever call another woman "too big",' Barker said.

'However it is seen as empowering, and speaking out for "real women" if people comment "too thin" "eat something" "gaunt" "disgusting" about thin women. I am thin, I AM a real woman!

'I used to feel embarrassed, and guilty for being the way I am,' Barker said, 'I don't any more, I work hard for my body, I am naturally slender, I work out most days... I essentially train like an athlete, I nourish myself with the foods that help me train and give me energy for the long days of castings and shoots.

'I am healthy and strong and yes, thin.'

'I am healthy and strong and yes, thin': 'I used to feel embarrassed, and guilty for being the way I am,' Barker said, 'I don't any more'

Truth: 'I am naturally slender, I work out most days... I essentially train like an athlete, I nourish myself with the foods that help me train and give me energy for the long days of castings and shoots,' she said

STELLA MCCARTNEY CRITICISED FOR INSTAGRAM POST PROMOTING SKINNY MODEL

In 2014, fashion designer Stella McCartney came under fire from fans after posting a picture on her Instagram page of an thin model in a vest from her brands Summer 2015 collection, alongside the caption: Worn well!! X Stella.

Hundreds took to the page to express their disapproval, with one writing: Disgusting. That is not worn well, its hanging over bones. Another added: Appalling image. This young lady is clearly very ill and the body image being used is all that is wrong with the fashion world.

Some of her followers began a campaign to unfollow Stella on the picture-sharing site, resulting in the photograph being removed just hours after it was posted. It was replaced with one of British model Malaika Firth in the vest.

Furore: Fashion designer Stella McCartney came under fire from fans after posting this picture on her Instagram page of an emaciated model, alongside the caption: 'Worn well!! X Stella'

AUSTRALIAN FASHION LABEL MANNING CARTELL ATTACKED FOR CAMPAIGN USING MODEL WITH 'SKELETAL FIGURE' IN 2014

Manning Cartell subscribers received an email containing the three images of the skinny model, with the 'disturbing and distressing' photos reigniting the debate on the fashion industry's role in promoting unhealthy bodies.

At the time, Mamamia founder Mia Freedman expressed her frustration over the images and described the model's body as looking like a 'starving child.'

'How astonishing is it that nobody involved in this shoot stopped to say, "Hang on. This girl looks incredibly underweight",' she said, 'The clothes literally bunch and hang off her emaciated limbs, child-like torso and non-existent hips.'

Too thin? In 2014, Manning Cartell subscribers received an email containing three images of a skinny model

RALPH LAUREN UNDER FIRE IN 2009 FOR RETOUCHING MODEL'S FIGURE

In 2009, fashion label Ralph Lauren drastically distorted an image of healthy model Filippa Hamilton, a size eight, for a poster advertising their Blue Label jeans.

The model underwent such a transformation that her head appeared wider and larger than her waist.

The label later apologised for the botched image, with a spokesperson saying: For over 42 years, we have built a brand based on quality and integrity.'

After further investigation, we have learned that we are responsible for the poor imaging and retouching that resulted in a very distorted image of a womans body. We have addressed the problem and going forward will take every precaution to ensure that the calibre of our artwork represents our brand appropriately.

Drastic: In 2009, fashion label Ralph Lauren drastically distorted an image of healthy model Filippa Hamilton, a size eight, for a poster advertising their Blue Label jeans

DANISH MAGAZINE 'COVER' FORCED TO APOLOGIZE IN 2015 AFTER FEATURING 'VERY THIN MODEL'

In February 2015, Danish fashion magazine 'Cover' was condemned online for featuring a very thin blonde model in their March issue.

Publisher Malene Malling took to Facebook to apologise, saying the incident was a 'very sad day' and that she had not 'lived up' to her 'responsibility as a publisher, woman and mother' and that she was 'truly very sorry.'

After heavy social media backlash Ms Malling admitted it should not have printed the image and said the model was 'all too thin.'

Regretful: In February 2015, Danish fashion magazine 'Cover' was condemned online for featuring a very thin blonde model in their March issue

Apologies: Publisher Malene Malling took to Facebook to apologise, saying the incident was a 'very sad day' and that she had not 'lived up' to her 'responsibility as a publisher'

TOPSHOP BACKLASH AFTER ORDERING TALL SKINNY MANNEQUINS IN 2014 AND 2015

In 2014 Topshop was criticised for using mannequins with stick-thin legs in its fashion displays in London.

And in 2015 they announced they would 'not place further orders' for the skinny dummies after thousands of complaints about their 'ridiculous' proportions.

The mannequins were over six feet tall, had spindly legs and arms and tiny waists.

But while the Topshop mannequins had a waist measurement of 25.5 inches, that wasnt the thinnest on display, with Zara mannequins having a waist of 24.5 inches and at H&M the clothes horses' waists measured just 23.5 inches.

Message? In 2014 Topshop was criticised for using mannequins with stick-thin legs in its fashion displays in London
A Kim Kardashian fan who has spent 100,000 on surgery to look like his idol has now turned his attentions to her sister.

Jordan James Parke, 24, has revealed his latest surgery to get Kylie Jenner's 'sharp' chin - as well his second nose job to achieve a nose closer to Kim's own profile.

The make-up artist, from Manchester, has undergone a nose job, chin implant, jawline and neck liposuction in Poland, costing 3,000, to get his ideal face.

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Jordan James Parke, 24, had surgery to get Kylie Jenner's 'sharp' chin - as well as taking in a picture of Kim for his second nose job, pictured after Tuesday's surgery

James, pictured today in recovery from surgery, is happy with the results to have a more defined jawline and nose

Jordan has long been vocal about his love of Kim, 35, and had lip fillers to copy the reality star's pout, as well as cheek and chin fillers to define his jawline and approximate her bone structure.

He's also had thick, exaggerated brows tattooed on his face.

But after spending around 100,000 on surgeries to look more like the eldest Kardashian sister, he is now looking to the rest of klan for inspiration.

He told MailOnline: 'I love Kylie Jenner's chin, it's so defined and sharp, so I took in a picture of it.'

Jordan, who started his transformation four years ago, also praised Kylie, 18, for 'making big lips more acceptable' after she admitted to using lip fillers in May last year.

Jordan went under the knife this week in the two-hour operation for four procedures at once - the nose job, chin and jawline refining and neck lipo.

He took in a picture of Kim to show surgeons to show them what he wanted for his second nose job as he was not happy with the results of his first one.

Although Jordan has previously tried to emulate Kim Kardashian, he took a picture of Kylie Jenner in with him for surgery on his chin

Jordan looks very different from how he was as a young boy, pictured in a school photograph with curly hair

Jordan, before he started having plastic surgery, said it was his love of celebrity that led him to have surgeries

He showed his surgeon the snap and was able to get the length and his nose 'turned up' in the way he wanted.

But Jordan said he wasn't completely stopping his copy-cat behaviour with Kim, he just looks to all of the Kardashians for inspiration.

Jordan said: 'I love them all, they're all amazing. They all look so good and they're all quite fake looking.'

Aside from 50 lip filler injections, Jordan has tattooed eyebrows and he's undergone laser hair removal and Botox injections. He has also had micro-dermabrasion and regular 'vampire' treatments - in which is blood is extracted from his arm and injected in his face to help rejuvenate his skin - a facial Kim underwent on her show.

Jordan has had 50 lip filler injections and has tattooed eyebrows, pictured before his latest nose job

Glamorous Jordan is already looking at his next surgeries which will be an upper eyelid lift, brow lift and a Brazillian butt lift

Jordan can already see the results following his surgery on Tuesday and posted selfies on Instagram to his 53,000 followers.

Although his nose is still bandaged he can see he's happy with the shape and he only has to wear a bandage on his chin at night.

The only downside Jordan said is that it 'hurts' when he massages his chin, which he has to do each night.

The results of his chin liposuction will be more visible in two to three weeks.

Jordan's next surgeries will be an upper eyelid lift, brow lift and a Brazillian butt lift.

He told MailOnline: 'I'm focusing on my face, it's what people see first. It's not like I'm a woman who walks around with no clothes on all the time.'

He's waiting until he's found the right surgeon for the butt lift and is looking to fly to Miami, Florida, for it.

But that doesn't mean he isn't also taking care of his figure.

Jordan's focusing his surgeries on his face currently as 'it's what people see first' because it's not like he's naked all the time

Jordan's mother and nan do have fears for him when he goes under the knife but they support him

Jordan said: 'I started waist training three months ago - of course, Kim was my inspiration for that - and I've really noticed a difference.'

He's lost four inches from his torso using the device, which Kim and also Khloe Kardashian have frequently posted selfies wearing.

Jordan said his pursuit of the perfect face and body wasn't down to low self-esteem.

He said: 'I'm so confident with my body and the way I look.

JORDAN'S PROCEDURES 50 sets of lip injections Botox injections on his face Tattooed eyebrows Laser hair removal Vampire facials Two nose jobs Chin implant Neck liposuction Jawline liposuction Fat freezing on his stomach Advertisement

'Anyone who knows me knows that. My love of celebrity is really what drove my surgery.'

Although he admitted he had always hated his nose from a young age, Jordan is so body confident he even shares Kim's love for a nude selfie.

He said: 'It doesn't matter what size you are, you should embrace your body.'

Jordan's mother and nan do have fears for him when he goes under the knife.

He said: 'Of course they get really worried about me, it's a big risk going under anesthetic. My mum always says "That's it now."

'But she's supportive of me and she understands. I've funded all these procedures myself, it's not like I'm scrounging off the NHS.

'I've always worked, I've worked since I was 13. I'm a make-up artist and I work in a health club as well.'

Jordan first had lip filler injected when he was 21, and originally wanted a natural look.

Jordan initially wanted his lip fillers to look natural but has now gone to the other side of the spectrum

Jordan's idol Kim posted a snap of herself naked aside from two black bars in the bathroom earlier this week

Jordan emulated her with his own naked snap and said he has plenty of body confidence

He appeared on Botched in May and said: 'I went in there and I was like, "You know you need to make me look natural. I want just a little bit of definition."

'And they just got bigger and bigger.''Sometimes filler can leak out of the sides. It's quite scary. They need fixing. I'm worried if they keep leaking I'm going to end up with small lips again, and that wouldn't be me. My lips have really changed me as a person and I'd be so normal and boring without them.'
When Anthony Belcher stood with his family at his fathers funeral 15 years ago he had, on the face of it, the sort of successful life most men would give up their Premier League season ticket for.

There was the pretty wife hed loved faithfully for two decades, three gorgeous children, homes in Surreys wealthy stockbroker belt, London and France and the respect of colleagues at a top-drawer firm of London property surveyors where hed worked his way up from trainee to equity partner.

But, it was here in the front pew at Woking Crematorium, a stones throw from his modest childhood home, that Anthony was struck by an epiphany.

Anthony Belcher always knew she was a woman, but it was only at her father's funeral that she realised she could no longer live her life as a lie - and decided to become Antonia for good

All dads friends are around his coffin saying what a great chap Dennis was. Suddenly, its resonating with me: Will all my friends be saying, What a great bloke Tony was? If that does happen, Id have led my life as a relative lie. Im not a man. In my head, Im a woman and Ive been a woman from the day I was born.

It was a very powerful moment for me. Id been leading a double life for five years. Chloe had known for a few months but she thought it was some sort of mid-life crisis. I knew it wasnt.

Today, Anthony is Antonia and, according to the Financial Times, one of the most influential figures in the LGBT business community. But to her grown-up children, Nic, 32, Steve, 29 and Imogen, 24, she is simply dad and to her partner Chloe, the person she has loved deeply for 35 years but who is a very private woman, she is Toni-with-an-i, rather than Tony-with-a-y.

Six weeks ago, Antonia and Chloes original marriage certificate was reissued, making them one of the first same-sex couples in the country to be recognised as legally married after having wed as husband and wife.

Antonia is an inspirational figure who, as well as running a hugely successful construction consultancy, campaigns tirelessly for gender equality.

I used to be a typical man. I was adversarial. I used to run on testosterone. Now I run on Estradiol [the female sex hormone used in HRT].

Im a lot calmer and definitely more compassionate. Other than that, its difficult to articulate. I suppose I just feel more me.

But my experience isnt about the biological changes, its about acceptance and showing that love can conquer all. Most of my friends and family have come to accept Antonia. I am lucky. But there has been a lot of mental anguish, particularly for Chloe . . . the sentence trails away. Shes the one who is the real hero.

Antonia married Chole 35 years ago, and the couple had three children. Six weeks ago, they became one of the first husband and wives to become legally recognised as a same-sex married couple

The heart-breaking struggles faced by a couple confronting gender dysphoria have recently been brought to a wider audience in the film The Danish Girl, in which Eddie Redmayne stars as Lili Elbe, one of the first known recipients of sex reassignment surgery.

Chloe and I went to see the film, says Antonia. There was one point when Alicia Vikander [the actress who plays Lilis wife] is at her lowest ebb because she realises Eddie Redmayne is not coming back as her husband but as a woman. She says, in one teary moment: I want my husband back.

Thats what Chloe said to me exactly those words. When I told Chloe, her world fell apart. We were in the Seychelles a few months before my fathers death when the guilt of my double life was beginning to eat me up. We went to dinner on the last night and I found myself telling her.

Antonia says she chose to be married to Chloe because she loved her - and changing gender has not changed that in the slightest

It was the last thing she thought shed ever hear. It wasnt easy. Chloe struggled for a long time. In creating my new life Id destroyed our old one.

Were in the boardroom of Antonias swanky offices in the shadow of St Pauls Cathedral. Today, the company she set up in 2007 with 18 staff from her old firm is a thriving consultancy with a powerful client list.

She says not a single client has snubbed her since she first turned up to work as Antonia 13 years ago, although she adds: There might be people who worked with me before and dont choose to now, but I cant put a finger on that.

But to sit opposite Antonia is not to face, what she tongue-in-cheek calls a bloke in a frock. For, make no mistake, at 59 Antonia is the sort of chic, sassy woman who turns heads. She has had no facial surgery, nor has her Adams apple been reduced. Yes shes had a boob job (size 36C, for the record) and as for the rest of her, well, its not something she wishes to dwell upon.

Surgery followed the transition period but I didnt abhor my male body. It was just a stepping stone, she says. Every transgender persons experience is different, but when I set out on my journey, having surgery wasnt high on the list. It doesnt matter what bits of bodies youve got. For me, its about this. She points to her temple. Whatever it is that lights us inside, fires us and makes us who we are.

When I was Tony with a y, I didnt consider myself gay. I married a woman. I had a heterosexual relationship with her and had children.

Now Ive changed my sex and Im in a same-sex marriage do I consider myself gay? I dont even think about it because this has nothing to do with sexuality. I chose to be married to Chloe because I love her.

The life I started  the married portion of my life  continues unaffected. People will question it and say, how do you have sex now?

I suppose my answer to that is: mind your own business. But, I dont think a lot of people in their late 50s or early 60s think about it that much anyway.

Many do, though. I wonder if the female hormones affected her sex drive? I think so, she says. Reduced it? She nods and shrugs. I also get more headaches now, she laughs. More shopping, too? Yes, particularly with my daughter, she says. But I still have Tony-with-a-ys passion for classic cars.

It depends upon what youre looking for from a relationship. I value one thats loving and caring. One where I can share a bottle of wine and read a good book. Im not looking for sex. I never have. Its not something that drives me.

Once thought to be only a psychiatric condition, recent studies suggest gender dysphoria is caused during the development of the foetus in the womb.

In short, in early pregnancy all unborn babies are female. At the eighth week, the sex chromosome inherited from the father becomes active. This can be either an X chromosome (female) or Y chromosome (male).

The Y chromosome causes a surge of testosterone, which starts the development of male characteristics such as testes. Occasionally, anomalies occur with the result that the biological sex can be male, while the gender identity is female.

Anthony was the eldest of four children in a Catholic household, but knew he was 'different' from a young age

Anthony, the eldest of four children, knew from an early age he was different, but, as the son of a builder with a Catholic mother, didnt dare address it.

All my dads friends were macho builders. The idea that Denniss eldest boy wasnt a straight-forward bloke . . . She shakes her head at the sheer impossibility of it.

There was no way I could say, Mum, why do I wonder what it would be like to wear a dress? Id have shattered my parents world. So for me it was very simple: Dont go there. Put it in a box. Lock it away.

Indeed, while there were odd, stolen moments of cross-dressing during his 20s, Anthony managed to keep this box firmly locked.

At 23 he met Chloe, only his second proper girlfriend, and married her the following year. I was in love, but I also felt it was expected of me to get married so I just got on with it.

Any self-doubts were quashed. I taught myself not to think about things that didnt feel quite right, says Antonia, today.

All dads friends are around his coffin saying what a great chap Dennis was. Suddenly, its resonating with me: Will all my friends be saying, What a great bloke Tony was? If that does happen, Id have led my life as a relative lie. Im not a man. In my head, Im a woman and Ive been a woman from the day I was born.

Three years later, their first child, Nicholas, was born. Tony was there for the birth. It was, Antonia remembers fondly, a lovely time of my life. We were very happy and very settled. I didnt want to risk that, she says.

His flourishing career also kept him focused. At 33, he was made an equity partner of his firm, which afforded him a flat in Londons Docklands. Antonia began to surface.

I cant remember the day. I cant tell you the month. I just found myself thinking maybe I could be Antonia for some of the time.

I bought some things so I could be that woman who could go out. It might be for ten minutes. It might be for an hour but there was this part of me that needed to be sated.

By 1999 Anthony was leading a secret double life, staying in his Docklands flat during the week and returning to the family home in Surrey at the weekend.

He would leave work at 8pm, emerging from his Docklands flat two hours later as Antonia. He rarely returned much before 3am. At weekends he was Tony the doting husband and father who mowed the grass of his family home, put up shelves, played with the kids.

Initially I didnt worry about it, she says. I wasnt seeking attention. I just wanted to go somewhere and be treated as a woman. I was doing it because it felt right and it was becoming a part of me.

But her secret, double life began to take its toll.

The nocturnal nature of being Antonia was hard, she says. I still had to be Anthony the man during the day. One of the dangers was making sure youd got all the make-up off. The last thing I wanted was to go into a meeting with traces of mascara around my eyes.

The deceit was also starting to eat away at me that I was someone my family and friends didnt know. I wasnt true. I wasnt honest.

Anthony began to confide in those he loved.

Mum struggled with it initially. She is more at ease with it now because shes read a bit about the medical side and something happening when she was carrying me, so it was inevitable she would blame herself to begin with. I said You mustnt.

Antonia has three very supportive children, who still call her dad, while Chloe calls her 'Toni-with-an-i'

What about her own children? Antonia lights up. Theyve been amazing, she says. Nic knew first and has always been very supportive. He said to me, Dad. I love you for who you are. Anything you want to be is up to you.

Following her dads death, Antonia sought out specialists in the transgender field who confirmed she had gender dysphoria and prescribed hormone therapy. Having resolved to live her life fully as Antonia, she began to inform the partners at work, who agreed that she should stay.

They said I made too much money to tell me to leave, she says.

Antonia Belcher began her working life in July 2003  28 years to the month shed joined them as Anthony Belcher. But she continued to appear at the family home as Tony each weekend  for Chloes sake.

I remember Chloe saying months down the line: Cant you just do it part-time so youre still my husband? Cant you be Antonia during the week and Anthony when you come back to Surrey for me? I still want my husband. Im sure the kids want their dad.

Eventually, we got to the point where Chloe said to me, Ive got over it. Tony-with-a-y has died. I have mourned him but, in that process, another Toni  Toni with an i  has come into my life and I want to share the rest of my life with that Toni.

I tried but . . . She frowns. People have said was I selfish. Ive said it to myself. But is it right to feel guilty all your life?

Eventually, we got to the point where Chloe said to me, Ive got over it. Tony-with-a-y has died. I have mourned him but, in that process, another Toni  Toni with an i  has come into my life and I want to share the rest of my life with that Toni. 

They told the youngest two children in 2004 and by the following summer Anthony had disappeared completely, although Antonia continued to carry Anthonys name in her passport until legislation introduced at the end of 2014 allowed a trans man or woman to co-exist with their partner in a same sex marriage.

In November last year Antonia and Chloe renewed their wedding vows on a beach in Antigua surrounded by their three children.

Antonia shows me a photograph Nic posted on the Internet of his blissfully happy parents.

He wrote: Id like to share with you all one of the beautiful moments in this world that happened today that Im very proud to be a part of. Chloe and Antonia, I love you both more than I can ever show you. 34 years and forever.
The blogger also admitted that she hates

Controversial mummy blogger Constance Hall has shared a naked selfie of her own, which she shared next to Kim Kardashian's now famous nude Instagram photo.

Ms Hall posted her selfie, which - similar to Kim's - was taken in her bathroom mirror with black bars across parts of her body, on Facebook and Instagram today.

The 32-year-old from Perth, Australia, is well known for her honest posts on motherhood, body image and sisterhood that she shares with her 508,000 followers on Facebook.

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'Kim and I have really similar curves': Mummy blogger Constance Hall has posted a naked selfie emulating Kim Kardashian

'Let's face it Queenies': The mummy blogger said that women who look like Kim aren't the enemy, but that narrow beauty standards are

'Kim and I have really similar curves,' Ms Hall wrote. 'Kim's been called too fat, too thin, too fake, too everything.'

The mother-of-three then went on to tell her followers, who she calls her 'queens', that Kim and women who look like her is not the problem, rather beauty standards that only praise one type of body are.

'Believing that this is the only definition of sexy is the enemy,' she said. 'Sexy has endless variations, we might not all have this glamorous bathroom but we certainly all have our own sexy.'

'Sexy has endless variations': The mother-of-three has previously spoken out about body acceptance issues

Run away: Ms Hall then wrote about how she hates exercise and 'collapsed through the door' last time she went for a run

Ms Hall went on to say that Kim exercises a lot to get the body she has, and personally she never exercises as she hates it so much.

'Once every 6 months I go for a run. Bill watched my last one from our bedroom window, he watched me run 75 metres down the road, turn around and run back,' she wrote. 'Three minutes after embarking on my run I collapsed through the door struggling to breath [sic].'

The blogger ended her post by she 'salutes all women' whether they exercise or not.

Striking a cord: Ms Hall's post quickly went viral with 49,000 likes on Facebook in four hours

Speaking to the converted: Many women praised the writer for her post, calling her 'hilarious' and a 'breathe of fresh air'

Body acceptance: Ms Hall ended her post by saying she 'salutes all women' whether they exercise or not

The post, like many of Ms Hall's quickly went viral, gaining 52,000 likes and 2,000 comments in four hours.

Many women praised the mother-of-three for the selfie and her message of self acceptance.
From April 21, Collinss Art Deco-themed range of cosmetics and perfume, which she launched last spring, will also be available through the retailers website

Dame Joan Collins, the glamour icon who has eschewed the surgeons knife in favour of ageing gracefully, continues to defy the march of time.

I hear the evergreen actress, 82, has sealed a deal with Marks & Spencer to stock her Timeless Beauty range in 46 of the High Street giants stores.

From April 21, Collinss Art Deco-themed range of cosmetics and perfume, which she launched last spring, will also be available through the retailers website.

A spokesman for Collins tells me she hopes her deal with the High Street stalwart, known for using older women such as the 66-year-old model Twiggy in its advertising, will allow normal women to look good through their 40s, 50s, 70s and beyond.

The stars glitzy range, which retails for between 12 and 50, is currently sold through Harrods, the QVC shopping channel and Collinss website.

But the spokesman adds that the tie-up with low-end M&S makes the actresss gold-packaged anti-ageing products more accessible.

Collins and M&S go back a long way. As a spring chicken in her late 60s and early 70s, Collins appeared to forget she was vegetarian by endorsing the retailers steak and ale pies in its Christmas TV adverts. Despite her estimated 21 million fortune, the Eighties fashion icon has also been spotted browsing cashmere cardigans and trousers in the Marble Arch branch of M&S.

But as the clock ticks down to her 83rd birthday in May, Collins refuses to be defined by her age.

The Hollywood star, whose husband, Percy Gibson, is 32 years her junior, said recently: Age is just a number. Its totally irrelevant unless you happen to be a bottle of wine.

Why Nigella's ears may be burning

Nigella Lawson may wish to turn up Radio 4s afternoon play today in her well-appointed kitchen.

Impressionist Ronni Ancona mocks the celebrity chefs court admission that she took cocaine in Burn Baby Burn, a satire about the 2004 Momart warehouse fire which destroyed 40 million of artwork owned by Lawsons then husband Charles Saatchi.

He is questioned about the fire by insurance investigators in the scenario and a sniffer dog starts barking at the advertising guru. Charlie used to be in the drug squad. Hes very keen on your gloves, he is told.

They were a present from my wife, Saatchi insists.

Ted goes to war for the EU from beyond the grave

Sir Edward Heath, who took us into the EEC in 1973, is doing his bit for Europe from beyond the grave

Sir Edward Heath, who took us into the EEC in 1973, is doing his bit for Europe from beyond the grave.

His Salisbury home, Arundells, which he left to the nation on his death in 2005, is to reopen next Monday with an enhanced exhibition programme.

There were fears the museum would close owing to declining visitors, but the Edward Heath Centenary Campaign has secured enough funds to keep it going.

Among the new displays is a room dedicated to his war experience, which the organisers say proved central to the formation of his politics and especially his advocacy of reconciliation and co-operation within the European Community.

The Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation says: Highlights include his medals, uniforms, unpublished letters and a shell case presented by the Honourable Artillery Company fired to mark the first Queens Speech of Heaths government in 1970.

The Foundation no doubt hopes the child sex abuse allegations against the former premier will not deter visitors. Police are to spend a year studying his private papers in an ongoing inquiry.
She goes to the gym for three hours a day, three days a week and walks eight kilometres a day on three other days

The grandmother from took to the sport at age 55 after she retired as a psychologist and needed a new purpose

Her boyfriend, David Kendall, is 24 years her junior at 49 years old

Janice Lorraine, 73, from New South Wales is Australia's oldest natural bodybuilder

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A 73-year-old grandmother has revealed how she took up bodybuilding in her 50s in an attempt to stop herself becoming 'frail and old' in her retirement.

And now she's achieved a strikingly muscular frame, Janice Lorraine, from Queenbeyan, New South Wales, is not about to stop going to the gym anytime soon.

Instead, the 73-year-old grandmother prides herself upon being Australia's and possibly the world's oldest natural bodybuilder.

As a retired psychologist, she took to the sport at age 55, when she needed a new sense of purpose. And Ms Lorraine is supported in her lifestyle choice by her 49-year-old boyfriend, David Kendall, who she has been with for over 25 years.

Here, she talks to FEMAIL about how bodybuilding keeps her young.

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Breaking records: Janice Lorraine is Australia and perhaps the world's oldest natural bodybuilder

Younger man: She has a 49-year-old boyfriend, David Kendall, who she has been with for over 25 years

Late starter: At 73, Ms Lorraine took to the sport aged 55, when she retired as a psychologist

New purpose: The grandma knew she needed a new sense of purpose in her life when she took up the sport



'When you're younger you're very busy rushing around all of the time. But when you get older, you don't have this sense of purpose,' she tells Daily Mail Australia.

'Retirement can be devastating. And if you don't change that old, frail idea of a 75-year-old in your head, then that is what you will become.'

And so Ms Lorraine started training at her local gym, for 15 months at first before she competed in a competition in Sydney in 1999, alternating days of three hours at the gym working out, and three days where she walked eight kilometres.

Contrast of age: She says when you're younger, you're constantly rushing around - unlike when you are older

Unfortunate event: In Ms Lorraine's own words: 'retirement can be devastating' in that it leaves you empty

Changing perceptions: She also says that we need to change public perception of what 73 should look like

I'm out to make a statement. I'm trying to change people's perception of what a 73-year-old should be.

'I don't know when I'll stop bodybuilding,' she says.

'I'll keep going until I no longer want to. I'm out to make a statement. I'm trying to change people's perception of what a 73-year-old should be.

'When I compete in competitions in Australia and abroad, people say that they're amazed to see a woman over 50 wearing a bikini.

Labour of love: For Ms Lorraine, she doesn't know when she will stop bodybuilding as she loves it

Making a statement: The grandmother competes in competitions both in Australia and around the world

Shocked and amazed: She says that people are often shocked and amazed to see a woman over 50 in a bikini

'I think my bodybuilding is a great message to put out there.'

But as well as breaking age boundaries and traditional stereotypes, there is more in the sport than mere record books for Ms Lorraine:

'I decided to do this when I left my gym one day in retirement and saw a very elderly, frail, stick thin woman outside in the street.

Public message: The 73-year-old aims to send a public message to the world about what you can do

How it all began: She took to the sport at 55, after seeing an elderly, frail woman outside the gym

Same fate: Knowing that she was heading towards similar frailty, Ms Lorraine started weight resistance training

Knowing she was heading towards the same fate, Ms Lorraine says that this was her lightbulb moment:

'I knew I should do weight resistance training,' she says.

Since that day, Ms Lorraine has competed in many competitions, winning the Ms Universe, Ms World and Ms Olympia titles in her time, but she says it's all down dedication and her strict weekly routine:

Strict regime: She maintains a strict weekly workout routine at the gym and outside walking

Walking and weights: This amounts to three hour gym sessions and eight-kilometre walks during the week

Title winner: Ms Lorraine has in the past won the Ms Universe, Ms World and Ms Olympia titles

Exercise makes you feel vibrant, confident and attractive.

'When I'm training for a competition I do four days at the gym instead of three,' she says.

'The idea is to be healthy. And exercise at any age makes you feel vibrant, confident and attractive.

'What more could you want?'.

Upping the training: When she has a competition, she ups the amount of time spent in the gym

Big boost: She says: 'Exercise at any age makes you feel vibrant, confident and attractive'
Terry O'Neill's office is just above his gallery over looking the Thames in London's flashy Chelsea district

1 FRANKS A LOT

This photo of Sinatra in Miami takes pride of place in my Chelsea office, which is above the gallery selling my photos and near my home, just over the Thames. I was working with Ava Gardner in 1967, and told her that I had the chance to photograph her ex-husband Frank.

She wrote me a letter of introduction and when I gave it to him on the set of his film Tony Rome in Florida he said to his bodyguards, who are in this photo, Right guys, hes with me for the next three weeks. And I was.

Terry enjoys collecting eye catching watches

2 TRUE BLUE

Ive been Chelsea-mad since I started going to their ground in the 1970s with showbiz pals like Tommy Steele. I know Jose Mourinho isnt manager any more, but hes my hero for the way he transformed the team and I treasure this cut-out of him.

I cant wait to meet him this summer at a charity event  Id love to ask what went wrong at Chelsea this season. Ive got four grown-up children and a grandson but I havent taken them to matches because of the swearing.

3 CLOSE BOND

I got my break while working for BOAC at Heathrow, taking photos of planes. One day in the departure lounge I saw a chap asleep among some African chieftains. I took a photo and it turned out to be Rab Butler, the Tory Home Secretary!

A newspaper used it and soon I got a job on the Daily Sketch. The Leica on the table is my favourite camera, and Ive used it to snap stars like Daniel Craig and Roger Moore (behind me). Im the only photographer to have shot every Bond.

4 GOOD TIMES

Ive always collected eye-catching watches for fun, like this one with a picture of Marilyn Monroe on it which I picked up in the States some years ago. The others here show James Dean and Concorde. I dont spend much on them  the most Ive ever paid is 100. Ive always been fastidious about getting to a job on time as it wouldnt do to keep a big star waiting. Mind you, the last time I photographed Naomi Campbell, I was the one doing all the waiting

5 UNBEATABLE

In my teens I was a jazz drummer and played at the US Air Force base in Ruislip and the top London jazz clubs. Id practise for six hours a day, but once photography took off, I couldnt carry on. Im a huge jazz fan  some of my records are on the chair in the corner.

I also have a soft spot for this trumpet-shaped lamp my current wife Laraine, a former model agent [he was married to Faye Dunaway in the 80s], bought for me. Unfortunately she couldnt find one shaped like a drum kit!

6 HOT SHOT

This photo of Brigitte Bardot was taken while she was making western The Legend Of Frenchie King in 1971. It was the last shot on the film roll and I was waiting, thinking Shall I take it?.

The wind suddenly blew up, I involuntarily pressed the shutter button, and its become one of my bestselling photos ever. Working with Brigitte was fantastic: she had great legs and was just stunning. Unfortunately, her boyfriend was on set!
Alison Steadman reveals the curious ways she wards off bad thoughts of getting older

Alison Steadman has just about the weirdest cure for staving off dark thoughts about getting old.

When shes feeling a little down she roots out her bag of odd woollen socks and creates hobby horses out of them.

Yup. I think creating is good for you, she shrugs. There are moments when I do get a bit low about getting old but when that happens I try to do something creative.

'I like making hobby horses, shoebox houses and things like that. It picks me up; youve got to try to make the most of things and have a bit of fun.

Astonishingly, Alison, who found fame in Abigails Party which was written by her then-husband Mike Leigh, will turn 70 in August.

I cant believe it, I think, It just cant be. Can I really be that old? she laughs. But I feel it, yes I feel it. I like having the experience, the knowledge that I have now, although I dont have the energy I once had. But I do really enjoy life and, touch wood, I have my health.

A few years ago she was diagnosed with Dupuytrens contracture, a condition that means tendons in the palm stiffen, creating a claw hand. She cant flatten her right hand and worries about carrying heavy items such as jugs, for fear of dropping them.

She also struggles to learn her lines, admitting, I think your brain gets a bit tired; thats all there is to it. It means I need two weeks to learn something instead of two days.

But still, shes grateful. Things could be so much worse. So many of my friends have died over the last few years, particularly from cancer, which seems to be everywhere, says the Liverpool-born actress.

Its been awful. I thank God Im alive every day. You never know when someones going to say, Sorry, its your turn to go now, and thats the reality of life, Im afraid. All my aunts and uncles have gone; my mum and dad have gone. We cant live forever but I do have to count all the pluses in my life.

For Alison one of those pluses appears to be working harder than ever both on stage and television. No moans from her about lack of roles for older women.

When I got to 40, like most actresses I thought that was my career finished because there wasnt much on TV for over 40-year-olds and it was true. Television really concentrated on the 25 to 30-year-olds. Thats changed now; theres more respect for older actors and thats good. We can keep going!

We meet in the middle of a busy day on the Shepperton set of Boomers, which debuted in 2014 and centres on three baby boomer couples in a Norfolk seaside town and how they cope with retirement, grandchildren and ageing.

Theres Alisons character Joyce, whos the life and soul of the group, her husband Alan (Philip Jackson), whos a bit of a miser, the energetic and bubbly Maureen and John (Stephanie Beacham and Russ Abbot) and the opinionated Trevor and his timid wife Carol (James Smith and Paula Wilcox) as well as Maureens boozy mum Joan (June Whitfield).

Plotlines have centred on Joyces retirement, Alans excitement at seeing a friend at a funeral and Carol and Trevors 40th wedding anniversary. The comedy struck a chord with both pensioners and younger viewers and follows on the heels of smash-hit grey romance Last Tango In Halifax.

Boomers proved successful enough to have a Christmas special last year and in this series well see more of the three couples together in some unusual situations.

Alison with her co-stars on Boomers which centres on three baby boomer couples in a Norfolk seaside town and how they cope with retirement, grandchildren and ageing

In one episode we were camping and it was my first time under canvas for quite a while, says Alison. I have to say it was quite hard getting in and out of the tent! In true British fashion it started raining but the only problem was that the rain was so loud that we couldnt film.

I like the way these precious friendships have been written; theyre all well-rounded characters and it is pretty special for us because all six of us are the leads. I suppose you could call it a Friends for the older generation.

Its great to be in a show where actors of our age arent just the mum or the grandmother, Ive met quite a few ladies of my age, or older, who say, Ooh, we saw you in that Bloomers  they always call it Bloomers, never Boomers  and they tell me theyre always pleased to see something about their age group.

I have conversations with my own friends and think, This would make a good episode  especially when we end up moaning about technology. The only thing is, Im not sure there is enough moaning in the show; the older you are the more you moan. When Im with my friends the first thing anyone does is moan about their back or their aches and pains. And my friends are always going on about the latest health fads even though were old enough to have seen the cycle of, Go to work on an egg, followed by, No, dont have eggs, youll die of cholesterol, to, Its OK to have three or four eggs a week.

Joyce is a devoted grandmother  who doesnt get to see enough of her granddaughter. Alison, who lives with actor Michael Elwyn  her partner of 20 years after she left Mike Leigh for him  is still waiting for that joy.

She has two grown-up sons with Leigh, Toby, 38, and Leo, 34 (Abigails Party was filmed for TV when she was four months pregnant with Toby), but is still waiting to become a grandmother. I cant wait, she admits.

But what can I do? She confesses she still hankers after the days when her boys were defenceless tots. Id love to go back in time to when Id just had my sons, she smiles. Or that first smile; when that happens its like the world just glows a brighter colour.

In the meantime there is always work  for all the moans she clearly loves it. Shes recently been seen on the Great Sport Relief Bake Off and had a guest appearance on Midsomer Murders. At present she is also on the big screen as amorous widow Mrs Fox in the Dads Army film.

Im not terribly keen on the khaki uniform I had to wear  its not the most flattering but it was a lot of fun to do, she says. These days its all about trying to have fun.
Christine Romer can remember that first bad-news phone call with the newly-elected President Barack Obama all too clearly.

That morning in December 2008, word had come through that three-quarters of a million jobs had been lost throughout the US in just three months, and as Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, it was down to Christine to talk this through with a president whod been elected amid such joyful optimism a month earlier.

Someone said the president wanted to talk to me on the phone about the employment numbers, Romer recalls.

A new show will take a look inside the real-life dramas that happen behind closed doors in the White House. Pictured: Barack and Michelle with their daughters Sasha (left) and Malia (right) in 2009

I was almost incoherent: Oh Mr President-elect, Im so sorry, these are so horrible and that was when he lightened the mood. He said, Christy, its not your fault. Then there was a pause. Yet.

This intimate exchange at the heart of the US government is one of a number of hitherto unrevealed conversations brought to light in a fascinating new four-part BBC2 series, Inside Obamas White House.

An authoritative account of Obamas successes and failures, it features interviews with both his chief advisors and chief adversaries, who talk candidly about what really went on behind the White Houses famous facade.

The first episode concentrates on Obamas first 100 days. For millions of supporters the arrival of the energetic, youthful Obama at the White House  the first African-American president  marked a new era of hope. Obama was eager to reshape America, end the war in Iraq, close Guantanamo, fight climate change and provide healthcare for all.

It didnt quite work out that way. Within weeks of being elected Obama was faced with the worst financial downturn since the Great Depression. The economy was shrinking, job losses spiralled and one in 45 homeowners had received a repossession notice. By the time of his inauguration on 20 January 2009 the euphoria that had greeted Obamas election was fading fast.

His way of trying to solve this crisis was to introduce an $800bn package to stimulate the economy  the largest in US history. One problem? It needed Republican support in the Senate. To get it through, Obama needed 60 votes. He had 58.

The candid account of Obamas successes and failures features interviews with both his chief advisors and chief adversaries. Pictured: Michelle and Barack last year

Desperate negotiations to win over unconvinced Republicans followed  and as Jim Messina, then deputy chief of staff at the White House, recalls, it was an ugly business. I went to a senior Republican Id dated to ask how we could work together on this, he recalls. She said, Sweetie, youre so naive  were not going to work with you on anything. I looked at her and thought she was kidding... and it turns out she wasnt.

After weeks of intense negotiations the vote was finally won with a nail-biting 61 votes.

Guantanamo, however, was one fight he couldnt win. Attorney General Eric Holder, a close Obama ally, was charged with overseeing the closure of the detention centre in Cuba  which meant the possibility of bringing prisoners back to the US. The FBI and CIA were worried about national security, Congress agreed, and today, seven years later and nearing the end of Obamas second term as president, its still open. We were both disappointed and angry at the political nature with which our plans were thwarted, Eric Holder says now.

It was just the start of a slew of further challenges: among them climate change, the Arab Spring, his struggle to introduce ObamaCare  which aimed to improve access to healthcare  and his crusade for gun control.

At the end of his first 100 days as president he was asked what had, in turn, surprised, enchanted, troubled, and humbled him since he had been elected. He was surprised, he reflected, to have inherited the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

He was, if not enchanted, then profoundly impressed and grateful whenever he meets servicemen and women. And he was sobered by the fact change in Washington comes slowly.

And the thing that humbled him? As he put it, The presidency is extraordinarily powerful, but I cant just press a button and suddenly have the bankers do exactly what I want or turn on a switch and suddenly Congress falls in line. And thats only after 100 days: he had thousands more  and many more challenges  to come.
A mother who was left outraged after she was reported on Facebook for posting a photograph of her breastfeeding her baby has hit back with a new edited snap.

Maria Corry, who lives in Seminole, Florida, held a racy image of Victoria's Secret model Candice Swanepoel in front of her breasts as a form of censorship - calling the whole thing 'absurd'.

The defiant mother-of-two, whose post garnered more than 34,000 'likes', claims it is 'absurd' that alluring photos of lingerie-clad models are widespread, but breastfeeding is 'frowned upon'.

Maria Corry (pictured) shared a snap of herself breastfeeding - shielding the act with a printout of a Victoria's Secret model - in an effort for 'normalise' the natural practice

The defiant mother-of-two, accompanied the photo with a statement which garnered more than 34,000 'likes'

Maria, a married mother with two young daughters, was incredulous when her initial photograph was reported 'more than five times' by other users of the social network.

She said: 'I am not typically one to ever do this as I am very private when nursing but with all this nonsense about people bashing other mothers for nursing, I decided to post this.

'You can't see much, but why do people get so worked up about this? NORMALIZE BREASTFEEDING! It's nature! It's what boobies are for!!!!!!!!'

However despite the complaints, her initial image was not removed as Facebook did not deem it inapproriate.

And commenters were quick to defend her post, with one suggesting: 'You can always cover up with a Victoria's Secret catalogue because people don't get so haughty about that.'

So Maria did just that - choosing a print-out of Candice Swanepoel in a red push-up bra - and urged other mothers to post their own breastfeeding selfies.

The original snap (pictured) was not removed by Facebook, which states, 'We agree that breastfeeding is natural and beautiful and we're glad to know that it's important for mothers to share their experiences'

Maria went on to encourage other mothers to nurse in public, and to post their own breastfeeding selfies. She said: 'It's nature! It's what boobies are for!!!!!!!!'

'Since my breastfeeding photo which showed NOTHING got reported more than FIVE times, I'm posting this,' she captioned the image.

'I bet this won't be reported, because you can see this picture in every mall you step into, huge and blown up outside the store.'

She added: 'This is not frowned upon, or ever reported, as it is seen everywhere. But a women nurturing and feeding their baby is looked down on. That is completely absurd!'

Maria went on to encourage other mothers to nurse in public, and to post similar selfies of their own.

Mrs Corry, pictured, who stated she couldn't believe the 'backlash' triggered by her initial post, was thrilled when her story was picked up by several major news outlets

Several commenters saw the funny side of the whole debacle, with one man drawing parallels with Kim Kardashian's recent nude selfie. Others, however, were less accepting of the practice

Maria, pictured breastfeeding in public while enjoying treats with her other daughter (left), has urged other women not to be shy about nursing

According to Facebooks Community Standards, which was updated last March to specifically address breastfeeding photos, 'the vast majority of these photos are compliant with our policies'.

It states: 'We agree that breastfeeding is natural and beautiful and we're glad to know that it's important for mothers to share their experiences with others on Facebook.'

Maria's post was met with overwhelmingly positive responses.

'So how exactly do these idiots think the human race was fed prior to formula and bottles?' wrote one male user.

Several commenters saw the funny side of the whole debacle, with Ronald Kelly drawing parallels with Kim Kardashian's recent naked snap.

The mother, pictured with her daughter and her dog, said: 'I am so overflowed with love I can't thank you guys enough!' she wrote. 'Breastfeeding for the win!!!'

He wrote: Its funny because i tried reporting new nude selfie for s**** and giggles an facebook told me there was nothing wrong with it... [sic]'

A few commenters disagreed however, with one woman writing: 'What I do have a problem with is when it's not done discreetly!!! (Don't just whip out your boob in public with no blanket to cover!!!)'

Another wryly mused: 'I suggest keeping a plastic bag in your diaper bag. If [people] are upset by you breastfeeding you should kindly offer them the bag to put over their own head so they don't have to see it.'

Maria, who was shocked by the 'backlash' triggered by her initial post, was thrilled by the response.
A group of polyamorous lovers have lifted the lid on their unconventional relationships in a video that aims to highlight what it's like to have multiple partners.

Josh, Sarah, and Alyssa all live under one roof as a polyfamily. Mary Ashley, their latest girlfriend, is also part of the set-up, but lives separately.

The group discuss how they met, their family and friends' reactions and how they deal with jealousy in the footage, which was recorded by OpenMinded - an online dating site for couples seeking open relationships.

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Josh, Sarah, second from right, and Alyssa, left, all live under one roof, but they aren't just roommates. They are a polyfamily. Mary Ashley, right, their latest girlfriend, is part of the family, but lives separately

Josh explains: 'Sarah and I were both in open relations when we met each other and we knew each other for about three months. It was totally open, everyone knew about it.'

The four, who sit together, holding hands and touching one another's legs, all smile at each other as they explain how they met.

'We dated a few girls and then we met Alyssa and she took a liking to both of us right away and naturally to polyamoury,' Josh continues.

'Then we met Mary Ashley, who introduced herself as being polyamorous. It was probably one of the only times I haven't had to explain what that means.'

Sarah, who was Josh's first girlfriend out of the three, adds: 'It's been that way ever since, we've started picking up beautiful additions along the way. And how could I possibly complain?'

Many people can't bear the thought of their romantic partner getting intimate with someone else, but for these lovers it's just a part of life.

In fact, the three say they find jealous feelings even easier to deal with when their partner is seeing multiple people.

Sarah says: 'Once you take away the monogamous expectations, all these little problems that dissolve marriages [go away].'

'Once you realise that the fairytale story is not the only story then so many worlds open up for you.'

The group discussed how they came together, their family and friends reactions to their unusual relationship and how they deal with jealousy. Josh explains how he and Sarah, second from left, were dating first

Mary Ashley adds: 'When jealously is not an issue it's amazing how well relationships can work.'

Sarah says: 'The second we feel like we own anyone, that's when problems arise.'

But despite the group's harmonious life together, their relatives do not always approve of their choice.

When jealously is not as issue it's amazing how well relationships can work

'My family sees it more as a mental illness than a relationship,' Sarah says.

As well as their families taking a suspicious approach to the relationship, Josh says he has struggled to keep friends because of his lifestyle choices.

'They'll usually come down on, "Okay well it's cool that you do that but I would never do that" and then they stop hanging out with you.'

'So we find more and more that we're more discrete about it because we don't want to lose friends with everyone we meet because they don't agree with our lifestyle.'

However, the group are hopeful for the future of polyamoury.

The group say they find jealous feelings even easier to deal with when their partner is seeing multiple people. Sarah says: 'Once you take away the monogamous expectations, all the little these little problems that dissolve marriages [go away]'

Josh says: 'As hopefully more of us set good examples and show that it's not dysfunctional and not weird or necessarily kinky then it will get better.'

Mary Ashley is calling for polyamorous marriage to become legalised so people can learn to accept the lifestyle.

She says: 'For me having come for Massachusetts and seeing gay marriage first legalised there and across the country now, it seems to have legitimised that lifestyle.

'Even if none of us ever see ourselves all getting married, legalising some form of marriage for polyamorous couples would legtiamise it across the nations and make it okay.'

Ayssa adds: 'It's going to move in the right direction, it just takes time.'

The video series aims to show everyday people relationships that are different from the norm.
After weeks of speculation surrounding her pregnancy, Nicky's aunt Kylie Richards confirmed her

Nicky Hilton proved last night that she isn't going to let her pregnancy stop her from putting her best fashion foot forward, as she dressed her baby bump in a stunning evening gown to host a glamorous fundraiser in New York.

The 32-year-old mom-to-be, who is married to British banking heir James Rothschild, donned a beautiful green creation by Carolina Herrera at the event, a glamorous dinner which was held to raise money for non-profit Animal Haven.

In an image posted on her Instagram account, Nicky can be seen striking a pose in the floor-length frock, while standing in a room at The Frick alongside her brother Barron, 27, who accompanied her as her date.

Mom-to-be: Nicky Hilton showed off her growing baby bump in a beautiful green gown by Carolina Herrera as she hosted a charity event alongside brother Barron in New York on Thursday evening

Getting ready: Earlier in the evening, the 32-year-old put the final touches to the table settings, while clutching a tiny kitten in her hand; the event was held in aid of non-profit organization Animal Haven

'Shout out to my brother for being the best date tonight,' Nicky captioned the picture, which sees her posing with an arm around her brother, while holding a metallic gold clutch bag in her other hand.

Her blonde hair was swept into a glamorous updo, while she kept her make-up looking natural - just a hint of a smokey eye and a pale pink lip.

But taking center stage in the picture was Nicky's growing bump, which, having really only just started to show in the past few weeks, was clearly visible in her tight green gown, which clung to her bump before flowing down to the ground.

And just a few hours earlier, Nicky donned another fashion-forward ensemble to put the 'final touches' to her dinner.

Mrs. Rothschild: Although Nicky's husband, banking heir James Rothschild, did not join her at the event, she made sure he was there in spirit by carrying this Edie Parker clutch bag

Celebrity support: Actor Jason Biggs (left) was also in attendance at the event

Scenic: The event took place in a beautiful space on Sullivan Street in Manhattan

Posting a picture of herself laying a napkin down on one of the tables at the dinner, Nicky can be seen wearing a bold lace and leather shirt, her hair in the same updo as her later image, while clutching a tiny kitten in one hand.

The event, which was also attended by actor Jason Biggs, was aimed at raising money for Animal Haven, an organization which helps to home orphaned animals in New York, while also operating a no-kill shelter in Manhattan.

Guests at the dinner had the opportunity to meet with some of the orphaned pets that are up for adoption, while enjoying a very glamorous dinner.

And while Nicky's husband of eight months, James, was not in attendance at the event, she made sure that he was with her in spirit, posting a picture of a personalized Edie Parker clutch bag sitting on the table at the event which had 'Mrs.' across the front of it in glittery writing.

Blooming! Nicky showed off her tiny baby bump while stepping out in Soho on Wednesday

Baby bump: The socialite showed off her blossoming bun in the oven in a lace navy blue minidress

Working woman! The fashion designer posed outside SoHo's MCM boutique and modelled several small handbags

After keeping her bump somewhat under wraps during the first few months of her pregnancy, it seems Nicky is now more than happy to embrace her new figure, and is proudly showing it off in a number of figure-hugging ensembles.

Earlier this week, she showed off her blossoming bun in the oven in a lace navy blue minidress, taking advantage of the warmer New York weather to show off her trim and toned legs.

The fashion designer and mogul was photographed outside SoHo's MCM boutique, where she was seen modeling several small handbags while someone snapped away on a camera.

The heiress donned the feminine frock, which included a ruffled hemline with an embellished fitted blazer.

Her blue and white pinstripe coat was adorned with a rhinestone neckline and miniature jewel tone tassels.

Happy couple: Nicky married British banking heir James Rothschild last year in a lavish ceremony at Kensington Palace, however her husband did not accompany her to the event

Family affair: Nicky's aunt, Kim Richards officially announced the beauty was pregnant to E! Online in January (pictured on Monday)

She stepped out in sexy, suede ankle boots with silver studs as her long, sculpted stems were on full display.

The younger sister of Paris Hilton kept concealed behind dark movie star shades and she added diamond earrings and necklace for extra sparkle.

Nicky married British banking heir James eight months ago in a lavish ceremony at the Orangery at Kensington Palace in London.

And although gossip had surrounded Hilton's pregnancy for several weeks, it was her aunt Kim Richards that officially announced the news to E! Online in January.

'Nicky's pregnant and she's the first of the cousins to have a baby, so we're all really excited!' the 47-year-old reality star revealed.
She's known for her extensive hat collection, and today Queen Maxima showcased one of her more unusual pieces of headgear.

The monarch, 44, attended a ceremony at the City Hall in Paris with her husband King Willem-Alexander, 48, sporting a muted pink brocade coat and a brown furry hat flecked with silver fibres.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wore the dome-shaped item, that was reminiscent of an old fashioned beehive, to meet with the Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo on the second day of her state visit to France.

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The monarch, 44, attended a ceremony at the City Hall in Paris with her husband King Willem-Alexander, 48, sporting a muted pink brocade coat and a brown furry hat flecked with silver fibres

Maxima, who sang the Dutch national anthem during today's ceremony and later crouched down to greet a little boy on the red carpet, wore her honey blonde locks tucked under her hat, fastened in a loose bun.

She opted for a smokey eye and nude lips, and complimented the look with a pair of gem-encrusted earrings.

Beneath her glamorous brocade coat, she wore a knee-length pink dress, paired with nude stilettos.

It's not the first time the Argentina-born royal has taken a style risk with her headgear.

Yesterday, she donned a wide-brimmed hat several times the size of her head to meet French President Francois Hollande, where she and her husband enjoyed a welcome ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe.

And on Wednesday in Amsterdam, she attended the ten year anniversary of the 'Leerorkest' Learning Orchestra sporting a futuristic-looking silver piece which seemed to be unsure of whether it was a headband or a hat.

Clutching a bouquet today, Maxima opted for a smokey eye and nude lips, and complimented the look with a pair of gem-encrusted earrings

She met with the Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo (right) on the second day of her state visit to France

At one point, Maxima crouched down to greet a little boy on the red carpet

Maxima, pictured in front of Ms Hidalgo (centre), King Willem-Alexander (right) and French junior minister for European Affairs Harlem Desi (left)

Today Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo looked effortlessly chic in a navy pleated A-line dress, paired with black tights and court shoes.

Wrapping up against the cold, she donned a black and white tweed coat.

The Queen also attended a strategic business dialogue this afternoon at Les Docks, Cite de la Mode et du Design (City of Fashion and Design).

Maxima, along with her husband, were photographed at the Grand Foyer, an innovation parade with presentations of companies such as Airbus, Peugeot, and Renault.

She was all smiles as she bent down to inspect cars.

It's not the first time the royal has taken a style risk with her headgear - yesterday, she donned a wide-brimmed hat several times the size of her head (left), and on Wednesday, she sported a futuristic-looking silver piece (right)

Today, the Queen also attended a strategic business dialogue at Les Docks, Cite de la Mode et du Design (City of Fashion and Design)

Maxima, along with her husband (right), were photographed at the Grand Foyer, an innovation parade with presentations of companies such as Airbus, Peugeot, and Renault

She was all smiles as she knelt down to inspect the cars on show

Maxima, King Willem-Alexander, and Ms Hidalgo photographed in conversation at the City Hall

Beneath her glamorous brocade coat, she wore a knee-length pink dress, paired with nude stilettos

The Queen sang the Dutch national anthem during today's glittering ceremony

Yesterday evening,Queen Maxima sparkled in gold - hatless - as she enjoyed a state dinner with French culture minister Audrey Azoulay.

She donned metallic stilettos for the glamorous affair but towered over president Francois Hollande's 5ft 7in stature.

Ms Azoulay shunned Hollywood glamour for a safe bet in a black coat, graphic-print dress and black courts.

Earlier in the day the Dutch Queen smiled widely next to the French leader, who stood beside her with his chin resting at shoulder height as they posed for photographs outside the Elysee Palace.

Her husband King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands also had a few inches on the President.

Last night, the Queen wore gold for the state dinner held by French leader Francois Hollande during her two-day state visit to France

French Culture Minister Audrey Azoulay played it chic in black wearing a long tailored coat

Maxima wasn't shy about upstaging the rest of the attendees in a show-stopping dress, including Hollande who wore a grey suit and charcoal tie.

She chose a nude sequinned dress with golden floral detailing, ending at the knee to show off her enviable pins.

The outfit was completed with statement drop earrings, bracelet, heels and even a boxy clutch bag in the metallic hue to up the glitz at the occasion.

Supermodel Lara Stone also attended the evening. The Dutch model wore a quirky peacoat with a red fur collar.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands attended a state dinner held by Francois Hollande in Paris, with her husband Willem-Alexander

After looking chic in a nude outfit earlier in the day, Maxima upped the glamour in a qlitzy dress with a netted skirt and gold embellishment

Maxima, pictured with Willem, flashed her legs despite the cold weather. The outfit was completed with statement drop earrings, bracelet, heels and even a boxy clutch bag in the metallic hue to up the glitz

The royal flashed her legs despite the cold weather but may have regretted her decision as she was seen clutching a neutral pashmina ready to wrap up in.

Maxima let her outfit do all the talking with a brown smoky eye, a hint of plum lipstick and her hair in relaxed curls.

Ms Azoulay, who studied economics at Paris Dauphine University, chose an elegant ensemble but also wore sequins.

Her shift dress boasted lilac, black and white sparkle, which she paired with sheer tights, black stilettos and drop earrings.

The dinner marked the first night of a two-day trip for the King and Queen in a bid to deepen economic and cultural ties with France.

Queen Maxima towered over French President Francois Hollande (centre) on day one of her visit to Paris with husband King Willem-Alexander (left)

However, it was not just Maxima who left the President craning his neck with Willem-Alexander looking equally tall next to Francois

Ahead of their meeting with Francois Hollande yesterday afternoon, Maxima and Willem-Alexander were treated to a welcome ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe.

The pair laid a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier as crowds made a special effort to welcome the royal couple.

Maxima donned a caramel-hued coat with brocade detailing and her statement hat, matched with caramel-hued shoes.

Later, they visited the famous Parisian gallery of the Louvre to view Rembrandt's wedding portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit, purchased jointly by the Dutch and French governments for 160million (122million).

The portraits will be alternately displayed in Paris and Amsterdam.

The royal couple, accompanied by ten business leaders, will attend an economic conference today, focusing on innovation and green technology, and will visit a center devoted to helping startup companies develop.

The Dutch Queen was first handed her role of Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance in 2009 by Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon.

The King and Queen of the Netherlands were pictured inside the Elysee Palace with French President Francois Hollande during their meeting

Earlier that day the pair laid a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe during a welcome ceremony

Maxima, who is also the Honorary Patron of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion, has been tasked with raising awareness of the benefits of financial systems that also help the poor.

In practice, this means improving access to savings, insurance and credit - all of which are particularly important in countries where famine and rising food prices can hit the poorest hard and, in the worst cases, lead to starvation and malnutrition.

Access to credit and savings also gives business a boost, and allows small farmers and entrepreneurs in poor countries to strike out on their own and move past subsistence.

The Queen of the Netherlands seemed delighted to be greeted by so many at today's events
The more scientists learn about the Zika virus, the worse the situation appears to get, officials have warned.

Leading experts co-ordinating the US response to the current outbreak said the mounting evidence of links between the virus and severe birth defects and neurological conditions are worse than they first feared.

The growing tide of scientific discoveries increases the risk of devastating impact for pregnant women who potential contract the virus.

Dr Tom Frieden, chief of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said until Zika, 'never before have we had a mosquito-borne infection that could cause birth defects on a large scale'.

The more scientists learn about the Zika virus, which is typically transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, pictured, the worse the situation gets, officials leading the US response to the virus have warned

Returning from Puerto Rico, one of the US territories most affected by Zika, Dr Frieden warned the island could be on the brink of a massive outbreak of the virus.

He urged Congress to provide funding to help ensure the necessary resources are made available to mitigate the risk and protect those most at risk - namely pregnant women and their unborn babies.

Dr Frieden said: 'Puerto Rico is on the front lines of the battle against Zika, and it is an uphill battle.

'We need urgent action to minimize the risk to pregnant women.

'I am very concerned that before the year is out there could be hundreds of thousands of Zika infections in Puerto Rico and thousands of infected pregnant women.

'The rainy season is around the corner and funding from Congress is urgently needed.'

Speaking at the same briefing, Dr Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said: 'As the weeks and months go by, we learn more and more about how much we don't know, and the more we learn the worse things seem to get.'

Their warnings come as the CDC confirmed there have been almost 200 cases of Zika infection reported in the US  all traced to travel abroad.

The latest, was today reported by officials in Kansas.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment confirmed the first person in the state has tested positive for Zika.

The adult is from southwest Kansas, and has recently traveled to a country where the virus is rife.

The individual developed an illness that was consistent with Zika symptoms and underwent tests.

Health officials yesterday pleaded for Congress to provide $1.9 billion to fight the virus in Latin America and help prevent it from spreading to the continental US.

Some of the money would go to Puerto Rico, where Zika is spreading locally and 159 cases have been reported.

Capitol Hill Republicans have deferred the request, insisting leftover Ebola funds can be used.

However, health officials say new funding is needed.

Dr Tom Frieden, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said until Zika, 'never before have we had a mosquito-borne infection that could cause birth defects on a large scale'. He has just returned from the island of Puerto Rico, where he warns we are likely to see an 'explosion' of cases

The virus has already swept through Brazil, where thousands of babies have been born with microcephaly, a birth defect causing babies to be born with unusually small heads.

The sharp rise in microcephaly cases, at a time when Zika was prevalent, sparked fears of a link between the conditions.

Such is the concern, that the World Health Organization declared the current Zika outbreak an international public health emergency on February 1.

Scientists have since focused their efforts on establishing the link between Zika and the birth defect.

Growing evidence suggests the virus can cross the placenta to infect unborn babies, where the mother has been diagnosed with Zika.

Never before have we had a mosquito-borne infection that could cause birth defects on a large scale Dr Tom Frieden, director of the CDC

While researchers caution that Zika has not yet been proven to cause birth defects, evidence so far strongly suggests the possibility.

Dr Frieden said: 'We are learning more about Zika every single day, the link with microcephaly and other potentially serious birth defects is growing stronger every day.'

Dr Fauci and his colleague cited a 'really quite disturbing' report published in the New England Journal of Medicine last week that found in Zika infected pregnant women, 29 per cent 'had fetal abnormalities' that were detected via ultra sound.

Dr Fauci said: 'That means very well there maybe many more (cases) that you don't realize until after the birth of the baby.'

Dr Frieden also said a link between Zika and Guillan Barre syndrome - a rare neurological condition where the immune system attacks the nervous system - 'is likely to be proven in the near future'.

The condition can cause temporary paralysis in severe cases.

And he warned the fact the virus can be sexually transmitted 'is now proven'.

Efforts to control mosquitoes have been further complicated by the discovery that some common repellants are not working.

'We are finding widespread resistance to some insecticides,' said Dr Frieden.

'Puerto Rico is on the front lines of the battle against Zika and it is an uphill battle,' said Dr Frieden. He warned as the rainy season approaches and conditions become favorable for mosquitoes, more cases are expected

Other top concerns listed by Dr Frieden include the lack of access to contraception in Puerto Rico, a Caribbean island with some 3.5 million inhabitants.

Last month, the island territory declared a health emergency due to the Zika virus, which can be transmitted by sexual contact as well as by mosquitoes.

Health experts have urged women who want to become pregnant or who are pregnant to avoid travel to the more than 30 areas of the world where Zika is present - or if they live there, to postpone plans to get pregnant if possible.

As the weeks and months go by, we learn more and more about how much we don't know, and the more we learn the worse things seem to get Dr Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Men are urged to use condoms, or refrain from sex with pregnant partners.

'Most of the pregnancies in Puerto Rico are unplanned, unintended and there is an unmet need for contraception,' Dr Frieden said.

The latest figures, released in February, showed that Puerto Rico has documented 22 cases of Zika.

Updated figures are expected today, Dr Frieden said.

Health authorities anticipate 'the number of cases in Puerto Rico at some point beginning to increase not steadily but dramatically', he said.

There is no vaccine to prevent Zika, and in four out of five cases, the infection shows no symptoms.

Otherwise, it may cause fever, rash and red eyes.

Dr Fauci, said early vaccine trials may get under way by late summer or early fall, but reiterated that it will likely be years before an effective vaccine is widely available.

Some 100 CDC staff are working in Puerto Rico, as part of 750 CDC workers assigned to work on the Zika virus, Frieden said.

'There is nothing about Zika control that is quick or easy,' he added.
Dedicated: Jenny Turner, 76, has been crowned Britain's longest-serving nurse for 60 years of work

She began at a time when patients' wounds were cleaned with maggots and medical tools were sterilised in huge cauldrons of boiling water.

Now, Jenny Turner has been crowned Britain's longest-serving nurse, celebrating 60 years in the job.

And despite being 76 years old - and having worked for almost as long as the NHS has existed - she hopes to continue for another 10 years.

Mrs Turner began her career at age 16, when she followed a friend into an exam to become a cadet nurse and passed with flying colours.

Since then, she has treated patients, witnessed tragedies and saved lives - all while raising two children and juggling a 50-year marriage.

Today, she works between 20 and 30 hours each week as a staff nurse at North Cotswold Hospital in Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire.

She began her career at nearby Cheltenham General Hospital, in 1956 - a time when doctors smoked on wards, cadet nurses were there to clean and there were no male nurses.

The young women were paid just 7 a month and lived in shared dormitories governed by strict matrons who enforced a tight 11pm curfew.

They had to memorise patients' medical records because there were no confidential computer systems and boil medical tools in huge cauldrons of water to sterilise them.

Mrs Turner recalls how doctors would stalk the wards at night by torchlight to find patients whose wounds were being treated with maggots - and pick them off to take fishing.

Mrs Turner, who was born in 1940 to a butcher and a secretary, said: 'It was hard work. At the start I was nearly crying because my feet hurt so much, and we got paid very little.

'We didn't have much time off and only three weeks of holiday per year. You couldn't choose when to take it, so you would never get a summer holiday.

'They would tell us we were lower than the scum of the earth - it was to teach us to do as we were told.'

During her first job at Cheltenham General Hospital, in 1956, doctors smoked on wards, cadet nurses were there to clean and there were no male nurses

Having originally aspired to be a vet, Mrs Turner spent two years years at Cheltenham General before beginning her nurse training in 1958 and qualifying in 1961.

She began on a surgical ward before qualifying as a midwife in 1962, before returning to nursing as a sister.

Shortly afterwards, in 1964, she married her husband Pete, now 79, who was a furniture polisher.

Their first daughter, Emma, was born four years later.

While on maternity leave, Mrs Turner worked as an agency nurse before taking up a job at the private Nuffield Hospital in Cheltenham in 1976, where she worked for two decades.

In 1997 she returned to the NHS, joining North Cotswold Hospital in Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, where she still works.

Still going: Despite having worked for almost as long as the NHS has existed, Mrs Turner has no plans for retirement, and hopes to keep nursing for another 10 years. Pictured with matron Linda Edwards

Changes: When Mrs Turner (bottom right) first began nursing, in 1956, young women were paid just 7 a month and lived in shared dormitories where they weren't allowed to go out past 11pm. She is pictured in the 1960s

Weather permitting, she makes the 20-mile round trip commute from her home in Banbury, Oxfordshire, by scooter.

She says she will gradually cut down her hours but has no plans to retire completely - and even hopes to keep working to reach the 70-year milestone.

We used to treat wounds with larvae therapy - maggots. Then the doctors would come round with torches at night and pick them off and take them fishing Jenny Turner, 76

'I think it is easier now in a way - it's certainly different.

'The uniform used to be a pinstripe dress with a starched apron and a little hat, so that's changed quite a lot.

'The computer coming in was also a big shock. I still find I get worried that I'm not spending enough time with the patients - I feel guilty.

She continued: 'We used to be expected to remember all of the patient's details and would have to reel off their name, age and diagnosis and treatment on the post.

'There were no intensive care units, either. One time a young man came in unconscious and we had to keep his temperature down with water bottles filled with ice.

'We used to treat wounds with larvae therapy - maggots. Then the doctors would come round with torches at night and pick them off and take them fishing.'

Technology: It was a 'shock' when computer systems came in, Mrs Turner said, as previously nurses had to memorise patient records off by heart. Pictured are records kept from her early days as a nurse

Wisdom: Mrs Turner began her career at age 16 as a cadet nurse, later qualifying as a midwife and being promoted to a sister

Awards: After 60 years in the job, Mrs Turner's dedication has been celebrated at an awards ceremony at North Cotswold Hospital, where she works as a staff nurse

Mrs Turner is also mother to Elizabeth, 43, and has two grandchildren, Zoe, 16, and Jack, 12.

'I've been nursing for so long because I'm lucky,' she said.

'I have a supportive husband, lovely friends and my health - I wouldn't be doing it without those three things.

'I'm not an emotional person and I'm not too fussy - it takes a lot to get me upset. I think that's how I've coped with it mentally.'

She added: 'The most rewarding thing is when patients are grateful, but I'm not in the job to save lives - I'm not that kind of person. I'm a nurse because I love it.'

Mrs Turner's 60-year achievement was celebrated at a ceremony and presentation on Wednesday at the North Cotswold Hospital.

After hearing of her remarkable dedication, the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said: 'Nurses are the backbone of the NHS, and I am immensely grateful for the extraordinary contribution Jenny and those like her make to patient care and treatment every day.'

Years of work: Mrs Turner chalks her long career down to the fact she is not an emotional person and doesn't get upset too easily. Pictured with her nursing colleagues in the 1960s

Inspiration: 'The younger nurses are truly gobsmacked by it all. Her experience and expertise really does rub off,' Susan Field, head of nursing at Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust said of Mrs Turner

Susan Field, head of nursing at Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust, who has been a nurse herself for more than 30 years, described Mrs Turner as an inspiration.

She is absolutely amazing. The younger nurses are truly gobsmacked by it all. Her experience and expertise really does rub off Susan Field, head of nursing at Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust

She said: 'She is absolutely amazing. Her experience and ability to assess patients and provide care is incredible.

'The younger nurses are truly gobsmacked by it all. Her experience and expertise really does rub off.'

The hospital matron, Linda Edwards, added: 'I think it's absolutely fantastic what she has managed to achieve over the years.

'She's really very caring, compassionate and hard-working, and she adapted to new technology so well that she is teaching other staff.
With it's bright yellow and black, wasp-like warning symbol, it's hardly surprising there is some level of fear and trepidation when it comes to radiation.

It's lethal potential overshadows its other vital role as a life-saver, providing cancer treatment and X-rays to those in need.

Today marks five years since a magnitude nine earthquake triggered a triple nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Reactor on the north-east coast of Japan.

Although making the headlines as the biggest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, radiation expert Professor Gerry Thomas, says there have been no radiation-related deaths from the accident.

An aerial view of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station which went into meltdown following a magnitude nine earthquake in March 2011

Despite the alarming pictures taken after the nuclear meltdown in 2011, there have been no radiation deaths because necessary precautions were taken and lessons learned from Chernobyl

Professor Thomas, who works at the department of surgery and cancer at Imperial College London, says the public have got radiation all wrong  and think it is much more dangerous than it actually is.

She argues radiation saves far more people every year than it kills but is still perceived as a great danger.

Professor Thomas goes as far as to compare it to other toxins - alcohol and even salt - saying it is safe in small doses but dangerous in high amounts.

Living next to a coal-fired power station releases three times more radiation than an operational nuclear power plant

Here, she addresses the most common radiation myths and explains why your waistline poses a greater danger to your health than radiation.

MYTH: LIVING NEAR A NUCLEAR POWER STATION IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH

Studies have shown that an operational coal-fired power station releases three times more radiation than an operational nuclear power plant.

This is because fossil fuels naturally contain radioactive elements, which is released when they are burnt.

However, the levels of radiation emitted would not pose any danger to health.

Many people still believe there were radiation-related deaths following the Fukushima accident when in fact there have been no radiation-related deaths from the incident.

This was because the clean-up workers were on a strict rotation pattern, which kept their doses well below the level at which any direct effects would be seen from radiation exposure.

Doses to the population at large were kept low by sheltering, evacuation and removing contaminated food from the food chain.

These actions meant the doses to members of the general population were kept to below that of a single whole body CT scan  and in more than 90 per cent of cases to less than a tenth of a CT scan.

We learnt the lessons from previous accidents such as Chernobyl, and put them into action.

MYTH: RADIATION IS ALWAYS DEADLY

Many people believe any exposure to radiation is dangerous - yet we are exposed to radiation every moment throughout our lives.

Every year we are exposed to a dose of radiation of 2 milli Sieverts (which is a measure that adds our exposure from different types of radiation).

By comparison one X-ray delivers 0.2 milli Sieverts.

We live on a radioactive planet. We receive radiation from space - so called cosmic radiation - which is why we receive higher amounts of radiation when we fly (around 0.1mSv for a return flight from London-Tokyo), and why astronauts receive high levels of radiation in space.

Radiation is all over the planet, released from natural sources including soil and rocks due to the naturally occurring element Radon

And it is released in the soil and from rocks such as granite, due to a naturally occurring element called Radon.

Even bananas and brazil nuts contain radioactive elements.

If you measured radiation levels in Aberdeen, which is built on granite, there would be higher background levels of radiation than in Fukushima.

And in comparison to other lifestyle factors, the risk of radiation to our health is tiny.

Research has suggested that being close to the nuclear bomb when it detonated in Hiroshima would be less of a threat to your health than being severely obese.

Research published in 2007 calculated a person would lose 2.6 years of life if you were 1.5 km from the atomic bombs when they detonated.

In comparison, if you're severely obese you lose 10 years of your life.

MYTH: PEOPLE CAN BE RADIOACTIVE

Many people believe that once someone has been exposed to radiation they are somehow contaminated, and can cause people around them to be harmed

However, being exposed to radiation beams - for example during an X-ray or when a patient is receiving conventional radiotherapy for cancer, does not leave any lingering radiation.

This is because the radiation passes straight through the body. If someone ingests radiation, their body can remain radioactive.

Patients receiving radiotherapy does not leave any lingering radiation as it passes straight through the body

But, crucially, it is not their actual body that remains radioactive - but their bodily fluids such as sweat, saliva and urine.

An example of this is when medics give patients with thyroid cancer a drink that contains radioactive iodine.

Following surgery to remove the thyroid gland, patients are given radioiodine to kill any remaining thyroid cells that remain in the body.

The thyroid cells absorb the radioiodine, and this kills the cells.

However these patients must remain in isolation for around 24 hours until they have excreted all the radioactive iodine from their body.

We all carry a small amount of radiation, because the food we eat, such as fruit and vegetables, contain radioactive chemical elements absorbed from the ground.

The radioactive elements from food cause our body to emit small amounts of radiation in our sweat and bodily fluids.

So if you sleep next to somebody you'll receive greater amounts of radiation at night than if you sleep alone.

MYTH: MEDICAL AND SECURITY BODY SCANNERS ARE DANGEROUS

Having an X-ray or CT scan carries far greater health benefit than any risk, Professor Thomas says

Medical scans, such as X-rays and CT scans, and security scanners at airports deliver very small amounts of radiation.

If a doctor suggests you have an X-ray or CT scan the benefits to your health far outweigh any risks.

And airport scanners only deliver 0.00002 mSv.

However, 'leisure scans' should be avoided.

I sometimes see adverts for private CT scans, offered to people who are fit and healthy but just want to check whether they have anything lurking. Almost like a yearly check-up with your doctor.
For those who suffer migraines, life can become a daily nightmare.

Now, one mother plagued with the painful headaches claims she has found relief through using a menthol bubble bath.

Jill Hamilton, who lives in Kentucky, took to Facebook to share a tip from a friend who said lathering with Johnson's baby soothing vapor bath every night has cured her migraines and 'changed her life'.

The post has racked up nearly 10,000 'likes' and has been shared more than 105,000 times since it was uploaded on March 5.

Commenting on the tip, Professor Peter Goadsby, of King's College London and who specialises in migraines, told MailOnline there is evidence menthol can relieve the headaches.

The key ingredient can be found in products ranging from shower gels to essential oils - which can all be bought over the counter in the UK.

However, he urged sufferers to continue seeing a doctor and taking their medicine.

Relief: Jill Hamilton, of Kentucky, shared a tip that Johnson's baby soothing vapor bath can soothe migraines. The post has racked up nearly 10,000 times and has been shared more than 105,000 times

Debilitating: Professor Goadsby, of King's College London, said studies show menthol can relieve migraines in some people. It activates a receptor in the skin which has a cooling effect and can soothe pain, he said

Mrs Hamilton, wrote: 'Migraines??? A friend just shared this: I get unbearable migraine headaches... I started using this in the shower every night, I lather up really good and breathe in the smell for about 5 minutes then rinse off.

'And no more migraine! Try this if you get headaches constantly like I do.... It's life changing!!'

Johnson's baby soothing vapor bath, which is only available in the US, is a gel containing rosemary, eucalyptus, and menthol, according to its manufacturers.

Costing $4.88 (3.41) for a 444ml bottle, mothers can pour between one and three capfuls into the bath when washing their baby.

The tip that menthol products can use be used to relive migraines has struck a chord with people all over the world, with more than 10,100 people commenting on the Facebook post.

One user, Jenny Roselli, wrote: 'Yes.. this could definitely be helpful for people.

CAN MENTHOL SOOTHE MIGRAINES? Menthol is made synthetically or obtained from corn mint, peppermint or other mint oils. It is can be found in in dental care products, topical antibiotics, and in bath and beauty products that can be bought over the counter. Professor Peter Goadsby, of the National Institute for Health Research, Kings College London, said studies have shown menthol can relieve migraines. Studies show menthol, obtained from mint, can relieve migraines, a specialist told MailOnline This is because it activates a receptor in the skin that can make us feel cooler and soothes pain. He told MailOnline: 'The trpm8 protein has been studied. Thats the menthol receptor. 'Whenever you put menthol on you head and you feel cool, that's because you are activating this receptor. 'It comes from a family of receptors that change the way we feel. For example capsaicin, the ingredient in pepper, activates a receptor in our bodies that makes us feel hot, even though our temperature hasn't changed. 'And menthol activates the receptor that makes us feel cool.' Studies across populations have linked activating this receptor with relieving migraines, Professor Goadsby, who also chairs the British Association for the Study of Headache, said. However, it is not understood how this works. 'The why and the how is not known,' Professor Goadsby continued. 'There is a link - and evidence for the link - but the cause isnt known. 'There is an over-the-counter menthol stick that some patients find relieving. Theyll rub it on their forehead and it may relieve them. 'Researchers should look into cases like these and try and find out why this effect occurs, and then we could find out who might benefit from treatments involving the menthol receptor.' Advertisement

'The combination of the heat from the shower and the eucalyptus (I think that's the ingredient) for me it depends on how bad the migraine is.

'Sometimes it goes and sometimes it is gone while I'm in there. Definitely encourage everyone to give this a try.'

Another called Laura Husted Peck, said: 'I will try it. I sure hope they find something to help me out with these headaches.'

Sarah Lee wrote: 'I have chronic daily headaches.

'I've received botox every three months since 2010, tried every medication out there and even recently pierced my Daith, just because I after seeing it on Facebook and doing some research to see if there really is a nerve there that contributes to migraines, with no relief.

'I'll try ANYTHING.'

Today, a migraine expert told MailOnline that it is unlikely Mrs Hamilton's friend is 'cured' but there is some evidence menthol products can help relieve migraines.

Professor Goadsby, of the National Institute for Health Research, Kings College London, said migraines are an inherited disorder whose severity is known to fluctuate - so she should not assume her lack of migraines is related to the bath gel.

He said: 'There's good documentation migraine sufferers will go through good periods and bad periods.

'The disorder randomly varies. It may be the shower gel or she may be in a period where she's randomly better.

'And I don't want to be cynical, but it's likely this lady's migraine is controlled but not cured.'

However, he said studies show menthol, one of the ingredients in the product, can relieve migraines.

This is because it activates the menthol receptor in the skin, which makes us feel cooler.

He told MailOnline: 'The trpm8 protein has been studied. Thats the menthol receptor.

'Whenever you put menthol on you head and you feel cool, that's because you are activating this receptor.

'It comes from a family of receptors that change the way we feel.

'For example capsaicin, the ingredient in pepper, activates a receptor in our bodies that makes us feel hot, even though our temperature hasn't changed.

'And menthol activates the receptor that makes us feel cool.'

Studies across populations have linked activating this receptor with relieving migraines, Professor Goadsby, who also chairs the British Association for the Study of Headache, said.

However, it is not understood why.

'The why and the how is not known,' Professor Goadsby continued. 'There is a link - and evidence for the link - but the cause isnt understood.

'There is an over-the-counter menthol stick that some patients find relieving. Theyll rub it on their forehead and it may relieve them.

'Researchers should look into cases like these and try and find out why this effect occurs, and then we could find out who might benefit from treatments involving the menthol receptor.'

People who suffer migraines should see a doctor, and should absolutely not replace any current treatment with menthol products, he cautioned.

He said: 'I wouldn't advise people stopping taking their medication and bathing in menthol.

'Something as straightforward illustrates the unmet need for understanding of migraine.

'It's a condition that affects a billion people worldwide.'

Piercing: Other migraine sufferers report a 50 daith piercing - a piercing of the inner ear - helped relieve their headaches. Experts said the piercing may stimulate nerves, releasing pain-relieving substances in the body

Previously, MailOnline has reported on another tip for migraine sufferers that went viral.

Some people claimed a 50 earring cured them of their affliction.

Having their inner ear pierced - known as a daith piercing - helped reduce the symptoms of migraines or cured their headaches altogether, they said.

Experts said this may work in the same way acupuncture does to relieve pain.

Acupuncture stimulating nerves under the skin and in muscle tissue, according to the NHS.

This results in the body producing pain-relieving substances, such as endorphins.
A Swedish doctor who used anal massage to cure common ailments such as headaches has had his medical licence revoked.

The unidentified man, who worked in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, has hit the headlines several times over the last 20 years due to his controversial technique.

In 2003, he received a warning from Sweden's Medical Board of Responsibility (HSAN) after treating an elderly woman's headaches and back pain by massaging her anus, The Local claims.

The woman described it as, 'an incredibly offensive encroachment', Russia Today reports.

HSAN called the treatment 'dubious' as none of the muscles that cause back pain can be reached by massaging the anus.

Dismissed: A Swedish doctor has had his medical licence revoked after decades of using anal massage to cure ailments, local newspapers report (file photo)

The medic, dubbed 'Dr Anal' by the local press, admitted he had performed up to 1,000 such treatments 'because they are effective and backed up by research in medical journals'.

After appealing to Stockholm County Court in 2008, he was allowed to continue to work despite multiple warnings.

The court said the medical authorities had failed to prove his technique contradicted 'scientific, tried and tested experience', according to a report in the Swedish newspaper Lanstidningen i Ostersund.

Warnings: The man, dubbed 'Doctor Anal' in the Swedish press, had received multiple warnings from medical boards and councils across Scandinavia

However, he lost his licence in Denmark last July after piercing a patient's lung while trying to inject anaesthetic, Russia Today journalists claim.

This prompted the authorities in Sweden to revoke his licence.

I have a personality disorder, or rather a syndrome, a form of Aspergers. Just like Bill Gates or Einstein The medic dubbed Dr Anal

These officials also discovered he had been previously been fired for a job in Norway after being recognised from damning press coverage.

The Norwegian officials found he had already been dismissed in a different part of the country, after he made inappropriate jokes to a group of Norwegians mourning a death, the Local reports.

Speaking at the time, the doctor claimed his dismissal was part of a 'witch hunt' against him.

After being fired, he said he believed he was 'misunderstood'.

'I have a personality disorder, or rather a syndrome, a form of Asperger syndrome.

'Just like Bill Gates or Einstein, for example,' he told Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet.
Clocks across the US and Canada will 'spring forward' one hour this Sunday, in observance of daylight savings time.

And so, come Monday morning, offices and schools will likely be full of tired people - bemoaning the loss of a precious hour of sleep.

But, one expert has warned hospitals may too feel the effects, with an increase in the number of people complaining of heart problems.

Moving the clocks forward an hour increases the risk of having a heart attack, for those people with a history of heart disease, Dr Martin Young from the University of Alabama at Birmingham warned.

He said: 'Moving the clocks ahead one hour in March is associated with a 10 to 24 per cent increase in the risk of having a heart attack the following Monday and to some degree Tuesday.'

An expert revealed daylight savings time - where clocks 'spring forward' an hour and results in people to losing an hour of sleep - increases a person's risk of heart attack by up to 24 per cent

Every cell in a person's body has an internal time mechanism, known as the circadian clock.

That mechanism is responsible for driving rhythms in biological processes.

It follows a nearly 24-hour schedule - and responds to changes in light and darkness.

But when the circadian clock is interrupted or suddenly changes, it can take a toll on a person's health.

Dr Young said: 'Going from a sleeping state to waking is already a stressful event for the body.

'When we have an abrupt change, like losing an hour of sleep with daylight savings time, our internal clocks don't have enough time to prepare our organs.'

When we have an abrupt change, like losing an hour of sleep with daylight savings time, our internal clocks don't have enough time to prepare our organs Dr Martin Young, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham

Many people end up experiencing sleep deprivation because of daylight savings time.

Sleep deprivation can increase a person's risk of diabetes and heart disease.

It can also alter the body's inflammatory response - which is another risk factor for heart attacks.

Additionally, losing an hour of sleep disrupts a person's sympathetic tone, which are the electrical signals that the body sends to the heart when a person wakes up in the morning.

When a person is sleep deprived, their sympathetic tone is elevated - even as they sleep, which can lead to cardiovascular disease.

Dr Young said: 'Sleep period is one time the heart should not be changed.'

When daylight savings time comes along, a person is forced to reset their own internal clock.

According to Dr David Earnest, of the Texas A&M Health Science Center, that adjustment period could occur quickly - or take a bit longer to settle.

Losing an hour of rest can cause a person to become sleep deprived - and lead to an increased inflammation. Both of those are triggers for heart attacks, especially in people who already have a history of heart problems

THE ANTI-DST MOVEMENT Tens of thousands of Americans have been tweeting to their local Congressmen in support of abolishing daylight savings time. The movement started earlier in the week, when Hello - a company that builds sleep monitoring systems - set up the website StopDST.com. The company's CEO James Proud told Daily Mail Online that Hello users experienced major disruptions to their sleep patterns twice a year due to daylight savings time. Mr Proud said: 'A lot of people think that an hour isn't that much, but human beings are creatures of habit - and one of the most important things for sleep is having regular sleep patterns.' And so, the company opted to take a stand to try to get daylight savings time abolished. In the US, daylight savings time is regulated on a state - rather than federal - level. The StopDST website puts people in touch with their local representative's Twitter accounts, so that they can tweet messages in support of abolishing daylight savings time. The website states that, among other things, losing an hour of sleep leads to a 17 per cent increase in fatal car accidents and 68 per cent increase in days lost due to workplace injury. The website has only been live for a few days, but the team at Hello intends to continue the campaign long after Sunday passes. Mr Proud said: 'We're going to keep pushing forward with it. 'I think now is really the time to make some noise about it.' Advertisement

Dr Earnest said: 'The immediate impact of that first day is that youre probably going to get an hour less of sleep.

'In theory, a one-hour time change shouldnt really take more than a day or two to adapt to, but sometimes it doesfor various reasons.'

The fastest way to attempt to adjust to the time change is for a person to immediately shift their schedule to the new time, according to Dr Earnest.

The Texas scientist said: 'The easiest and best thing to do is to make the adjustment immediately and eat and sleep that very first day according to the new time.

'It's pretty much common sense, but it can be very difficult.'

However, Dr Young noted that for some, it may be easier to ease the transition by dividing up the one-hour loss over the course of the weekend.

For instance, if a person normally wakes up at 6am, he suggests setting the alarm for 6.40am on Saturday - and then 6.20am (daylight savings time) on Sunday, followed eventually by 6am on Monday.

Furthermore, he explained a person should also eat a decent-sized breakfast, and then go out into the sunlight to exercise in the morning.

Dr Young said: 'Doing all of this will help reset the central, or master, clock in the brain that reacts to changes in light/dark cycles, and the peripheral clocks  the ones everywhere else, including the one in the heart  that react to food intake and physical activity.

'This will enable your body to naturally sync with the change in the environment, which may lessen your chance of adverse health issues Monday.'
When 42-year-old Rosy Lalnunsangi visited a doctor in the middle of last year, she was told to make an agonising choice - between her own life, and those of her unborn twins.

Lalnunsangi was 20 weeks pregnant when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Her doctor in Mizoram told her that the normal practice was to terminate the pregnancy and proceed with chemotherapy.

Rosy Lalnunsangi beat the odds of losing her twins to breast cancer and delivered Grace and Hannah successfully

The abortion seemed inevitable, but Lalnunsangi decided not to give up.

She sought a second opinion and found hope when doctors at a Delhi hospital told her she could fight cancer without sacrificing her unborn children.

Five months later, she is now a mother of healthy twin girls.

Though her painful struggle with cancer is not over, Lalnunsangi feels proud and stronger than ever.

While most would call it a miracle, in reality it was more a triumph of Lalnunsangis will and the skills of the doctors at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Delhi.

It is very rare for a pregnant woman with breast cancer to undergo chemotherapy and breast conservation surgery. The fact that Lalnunsangi succeeded offers hope to others who might be forced to make a similar choice in the future.

Lalnunsangi sought a second opinion from doctors at Delhi's Indraprastha Apollo Hospital after being told to terminate her pregnancy and proceed with chemotherapy

Breast cancer and pregnancy is not common. One sees a case like this rarely in 30-40 years of practice, said Dr Ramesh Sarin, Senior Consultant Oncosurgery.

When Lalnunsangi insisted that she wouldn't give up on her babies, a multi-disciplinary board at the hospital - consisting of a medical oncologist, radio oncologist, surgical oncologist, gynecologists and fetal medicine specialists - decided it was best to do a surgery to remove the tumour followed by chemotherapy.

Along with chemotherapy, Lalnunsangi underwent breast conservation surgery in the form of Lumpectomy and Sentinel Node biopsy.

According to Sarin, with the help of modern drugs women have a fighting chance of beating cancer without causing any harm to the fetus.

One can undergo the treatment and continue with normal, healthy pregnancy and delivery, she said.

Dr Shakti Bhan Khanna, Senior Consultant Gynaecology, said: The formation of all the vital organs like heart, lungs and brain etc happens in the first trimester. And the patient was in her second trimester when she came to us. So it was safer to give her certain drugs that do not cause any side-effects to the fetus.

Doctors closely monitored the twins' growth while the mother went through chemotherapy.

At 36 weeks and 3 days, the doctors decided to deliver the babies by cesarean.

We stopped the chemo around 3-4 weeks before delivery because chemo lowers the blood count, making a patient more prone to infection, Sarin said.
Kannada film superstar Darshan Thoogudeepa is facing police action after he allegedly abused his wife and kicked a security guard.

Vijayalakshmi, in her complaint to the police, accused Darshan of poor behavior and sought their help in warning him.

In another complaint, Devaraj, the security head of the apartment complex where Vijayalakshmi is living, accused the actor of kicking him in his stomach and abusing him.

Moviestar Darshan Thoogudeepa is facing police action after he allegedly abused his wife and kicked a security guard in a dispute over a car

The police have registered a case and summoned the actor for an inquiry.

Darshan, who has starred in several blockbusters in Kannada over the last decade, had promised the court presiding on an assault charge in 2011 that he would mend his ways.

But this is unbecoming of an actor, who is considered as a model by his fans. He cannot abuse his wife in public. Whatever is the issue, it should be solved within the four walls of the room. We cannot intervene and solve this family issue. He will not listen to us, said Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce President Sa Ra Govindu.

It is said that Darshan and Vijayalakshmi have not been on good terms since last year, though they had patched things up after the 2011 arrest.

According to the security guard, Darshan arrived at Vijayalakshmis residence in Bengaluru around 7.15pm and asked for keys to a high-end car that was registered in his name, but parked at his wifes home.

When the security guard expressed his inability to help, he allegedly abused him and kicked him in the stomach.
Customers who buy poor quality cell phones and grey market handsets are responsible for 36 per cent of call drops - and just seven per cent of instances can be attributed to us, mobile service operators told the Supreme Court on Thursday.

Thirty-six per cent of call drops are consumer-related. If you purchase a phone from the grey market, calls will drop. Your mobile phone has to be powerful enough to draw a signal, the tower may be far. Inferior quality of your mobile could be another reason, senior lawyer Kapil Sibal told a bench of justices Kurian Joseph and Rohinton Nariman.

Sibal was representing the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), a body of Unified Telecom Service Providers and 21 telecom operators, including Vodafone, Airtel and Reliance.

As per the High Court orders, telecom companies have to compensate consumers at the rate of Re 1 per dropped call, subject to a daily maximum of Rs 3 per user

They have challenged the order of Delhi High Court that upheld the Telecom Regulatory Authority of Indias (TRAI) October 2015 mandate of making it mandatory for them to compensate subscribers for the call drops.

As per the order, telcos have to compensate consumers at the rate of Re 1 per dropped call, subject to a daily maximum of Rs 3 per user.

The charges were to take effect on January 1, 2016.

Delhi High Court upheld the legality of the charges on February 29.

Sibal said as per a survey nearly 67 per cent of call drops were due to signal failure, for which the network provider was not responsible, but it is attributable to a combination of factors like several tall buildings between your phone and the tower, jammers in high security areas and premises occupied by VVIPs, restrictions in border areas and a busy network.

These are several imponderables on which we have no control, he said.

Even for the seven per cent call drops attributed to the service providers, I would say that we are not responsible. This is because we are not allowed to erect towers or in most cases, it is because of damages to underground fibre optic cables during diggings by the civic agencies, claimed Sibal.

Arguing that there cannot be a policy of zero tolerance on call drops, Sibal said the TRAI had earlier said two per cent call drops were acceptable and therefore it means that they accepted the fact that networks will have a problem. Then how can they have a rule to penalise, he questioned.

The operators said there was a wrong presumption in the penalty rules that every call drop shall be attributable to the service provider.

Global standards of call drop is 2.5 per cent plus. We have never crossed 2 per cent, he said.

The telecoms said a 100 per cent call drop-free network is impossible under the law of physics and will cost them hundreds of crores in customer compensations every month.

Appearing for TRAI, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi maintained that its Telecom Consumers Protection (9th Amendment) Regulations, 2015, as per which the fine was imposed, was framed purely in the interest of the common man.

Telcos had moved High Court seeking the quashing of TRAIs regulation contending that it was a knee-jerk reaction, which penalised them without proving any wrong-doing.
Last month the Obama Administration announced that it had approved the sale of up to eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan in a deal valued at $699 million. Immediately it led to a strong pushback in the US Congress.

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Bob Corker, raised serious concerns stating, They (Pakistan) continue to support the Taliban, the Haqqani network, and give safe haven to Al Qaeda. Sen. John McCain, chairman of the US Senates influential Armed Services committee, called for a hearing in the Senates Foreign Relations committee to further question the timing of the United States sale of fighter jets to Pakistan and suggested that he would rather have seen it kicked over into the next administration.

His colleague from Kentucky, Sen. Rand Paul, called for a resolution that would block US arms sales to Pakistan.

Last month the Obama Administration announced that it had approved the sale of up to eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan in a deal valued at $699 million. Immediately it led to a strong pushback in the US Congress

Members of Congress have 30 days to block the deal before it becomes official, but the Obama Administration has strongly defended its decision.

David McKeeby, a spokesman for the US State Department  the agency responsible for conducting the deal  said, Pakistans current F-16s have proven critical to the success of these operations to date.

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.

Secretary of State John Kerry himself has been at the forefront of this defence, suggesting that the Pakistani military has been deeply engaged in the fight against terrorism."

India's reaction was strong. It disagreed with the US stand that this sale would help in the fight against terrorism and instead has argued that it would be used against India.

The US Ambassador to India was summoned to underscore Indias displeasure.

New Delhi is seriously concerned about the changing balance of air power in the region as Pakistan today has four squadrons of F-16 fighters, all built with the US assistance.

The anti-US sentiment of the Indian elites once again came to the fore with suggestions in sections of the media that the US cannot be trusted.

New Delhi has some genuine concerns about US military assistance to Pakistan.

Such support has traditionally strengthened the military at the expense of the civilian government in Islamabad with which India trying to have a stable peace dialogue. Pakistan is yet to show that it is taking credible action against groups like the Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Tayyeba.

Groups targeting India and Afghanistan continue to be seen as essential in Pakistani foreign policy matrix.

And historically, Washington has more often than not been wrong about its ability to shape Pakistani domestic and foreign policy positively with its military assistance.

Since 2002, the US has pro vided $30 billion worth of aid and assistance to Pakistan. Yet the US remains unpopular in Pakistan and its Afghanistan policy of relying on Pakistan has been a failure.

Clearly, America has its own priorities in so far as its relations with Pakistan are concerned, especially in using Pakistans leverage in the ongoing peace talks with the Taliban.

Obamas Afghanistan policy has faced a lot criticism for its seeming haste in announcing the troop withdrawal from South Asia. Now, he has one last chance to seek a resolution in Afghanistan and Pakistan is viewed as critical in managing political transition in Afghanistan. But Washington would do well to take into account Indian interests.

Where the Bush Administration managed to effectively de-hyphenate India and Pakistan, the Obama Administration has not been that sensitive to the Indian viewpoint on regional issues.

As it sends new fighters to Pakistan, Washington needs to be more emphatic in demanding Pakistan cease exporting terror from its soil. India should also be more confident of its ability to shape the future trajectory of the Indo-American ties.

After all, Lockheed Martin, the builder of F-16, has recently offered to move its production line to India from the US to support the Modi governments Make in India programme.

The Obama Administration announced that it had approved the sale of up to eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan in a deal valued at $699 million. Pictured, US President Barack Obama (right) and Indian PM Narendra Modi.

Today India is a global player in true sense of the term while Pakistan is just about managing to survive as a cohesive unit.

Indian elites too need to dehyphenate Delhi from Islamabad in their own minds.

Any overture that Washington makes towards Islamabad is immediately pounced upon as a sign of American duplicity.

The reality is that Americas ties with India are truly strategic, while its relationship with Pakistan is at best trans-actional, whatever the gloss the two sides might want to put on it.

India and the US are today talking of jointly working on aircraft carriers, discussing joint patrolling of the South China Sea and are nearing completion on an agreement to share military logistics.

As Delhi and Washington chart an ambitious trajectory in their bilateral ties, they need to find an effective way of dealing with Pakistan.

The Pakistan factor cannot be allowed to derail the positive momentum in this bilateral relationship, one that will be key in shaping the larger Indo-Pacific balance of the power in the coming years.

The writer is Professor, Kings College London

Why Trump believes Islam 'hates' America

Donald Trump refused to back down from his claim that Islam hates us during the latest GOP debate

Donald Trump refused to back down from his claim that Islam hates us during the latest GOP debate.

There is a serious, serious problem of hate, Trump said and added, There is tremendous hate, there is tremendous hate.

Asked if he thought that the anger was coming from the religion itself, Trump, 68, threw the question back at interviewer Anderson Cooper and said that was for the media to work out themselves. Youre gonna have to figure that out, OK?, said Trump to Cooper.

We have to be very vigilant. We have to be very careful. And we can't allow people coming into this country who have this hatred of the United States.

Marco Rubio countered Trump and said, I know that a lot of people find appeal in the things Donald says cause he says what people wish they could say. The problem is, presidents cant just say anything they want. It has consequences, here and around the world. Rubio also noted that many American men and women serving in uniform are Muslims.

They love America. And as far as I know, no one on this stage has served in uniform in the United States military, he said.

Continuing, Rubio said, Anyone out there that has the uniform of the United States on and is willing to die for this country is someone that loves America. No matter what their religious background may be.

Trump replied, Marco talks about consequences. Well, weve had a lot of consequences, including airplanes flying into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and could have been the White House. There have been a lot of problems.

He told his opponent, You can say what you want, and you can be politically correct if you want. I don't want to be so politically correct. I like to solve problems. We have a serious, serious problem of hate.

Women are treated horribly, and other things are happening that are very, very bad, he said.
There is no doubt in my mind that the free Indian media, mostly fair and sometimes unfair, with all its variants - online and particularly print - is probably the most wonderful addition to our democratic and constitutional narrative.

When the legislature and executive wings have been found wanting, especially on issues like maintaining rule of law, tackling corruption and communal violence and the judiciary has been circumspect to tread on the path of liberal progressiveness, the Indian media has made its voice heard.

The Jessica Lal case is a classic example of how the media managed to tip the scales of a blind-folded lady justice in favour of what is right.

The Jessica Lal case is a classic example of how media managed to tip the scales of justice

Much of the judicial activism we see in India especially on public interest litigations (PILs) is driven by the media as much as it is by public-spirited legal activists.

Today, if we have the confidence that riots with the potential to obliterate thousands cannot be orchestrated with the same impunity as they were in the past with covert and overt executive sanction, it is thanks to the alert journalists.

If the soldier stands guard at the border to maintain our territorial integrity from external aggression, it is the pen-wielding (these days camera and mic wielding ) journalist that ensures the maintenance of our constitutional integrity.

Together, they complete the physical and ideological conception of the very idea of India.

Unfortunately, night after night some anchor-editors, who fancy themselves as the dispensers of justice and conscience keepers of India, do everything to defile the very ideas they seem keen to protect.

As a young Indian, forced to wear his identity as a Muslim on the sleeve far more prominently than that of a civic rights activist or a constitutionalist, I do have some serious bones to pick with certain aspects of our media.

Far too much emphasis is laid on identity and far too little on content - a recipe for polarisation that begins in TV studios and headlines that then plays out disastrously in the dusty by-lanes of our socio-political discourse.

I agree wholly that the media usually reflects deep-seated communal ruptures that already exist in the walls of our society, no matter how much we whitewash it with the paint of Ganga Jamuni tehzeeb.

But in some cases sections of the media, wittingly and unwittingly, are responsible for widening these cracks with a narrative of polarisation, that is fed to audiences irrespective of its palatability.

The media not only reflects the nations mood but is responsible for building it as well.

Night after night, for instance I find that pseudo-religious figures, driven mostly by their own petty interests, pecuniary, political and otherwise, masquerade as experts on TV debates, for causes they dont believe in.

One bearded Muslim expert, one saffron robed Hindu expert, one RSS expert (for a cultural organisation they seem to have a political view on everything), one anti-RSS expert, political representatives of all hues and the 9pm cock-fight begins.

Ram Mandir is built, Babri Masjid is built, people are declared anti-nationals and folks are labelled fascists - all in the course of an hour debate.

I have been a participant in many of these debates. My legal work against hate speech is hardly the reason I am invited on these panels.

Truth be told, I am invited for being a Muslim. I may refuse to be part of that narrative which predicates itself on us versus them.

Unfortunately, media oxygen will be provided only to those who say something communally inflammable.

If I refuse to stick to the script of 'being Muslim', to be a part of this madness at nine, the next person will be willing to be far more rabid and extremist - far more willing to fight for his religion or caste or identity on TV, never for his issues though.

In the battle for TRPs there are dozens in line waiting to become prime-time gladiators in the cause of polarisation.

It is for the 9pm anchor-editor to decide whether some dynastic Owaisi with his poor track record on hate speech and developmental politics deserves to be a voice of the entire Muslim community.

Whether a Hindu Mahasabha ideologue who justifies the killing of Mahatma Gandhi can be a voice of nationalism.

Few anchor-editors do follow the voice of their conscience, the rest are guided by extraneous considerations.

I once got a call from a coordinator of a leading news channel to argue as a Muslim for banning entry of women in mosques and support triple talaq.

I told him that wasnt the real position of Islam at all and that is exactly what I would like to say on air, citing a few examples from the life of the Prophet.

In a few minutes, the coordinator called to tell me that the show topic had changed and my services were no longer required.

It hadnt. They had found a willing Maulana to dance on their choreographed communal narrative. I cannot fake my Muslim-ness.

I know many folks who wont fake their Hinduness and advocate a Hindu rashtra just to be on television.

Maybe its time the know it all 9pm anchor-editor also acknowledged that beyond TRPs and the narrative of polarisation is the idea of India. To that idea we must owe our loyalties.
It's a curious case of an Air India flier which could have turned fatal.

Early Friday morning, a man kept on moving for almost 150-200 metres on the conveyor belt and cleared level-1, where he even passed through the X-ray machine, used for baggage scanning.

Finally, an employee noticed him and stopped the conveyor belt.

Sources said the man was travelling for the first time and he got confused when he was directed by the airport employee to move towards the check-in counter (Picture for representation only)

The trauma didnt end here.

When the matter was brought to the notice of the terminal manager, he asked the employee to bring back the passenger through the same belt by moving it in reverse direction for about 200 metres.

According to a senior airport official, the decision taken by terminal manager could have resulted in serious mishap.

The man was later taken to the police station.

Surprisingly, the DIAL has installed CCTV camera and staff have been deployed to check Baggage Handling System (BHS) but no one noticed that a man was sitting on baggage belt along with his luggage.

However, sources said the man was travelling for the first time and he got confused when he was directed by the airport employee to move towards the check-in counter.

Sources said the man, identified as Rajkumar Yadav, was stopped just before entering level-2 of the baggage handling system where the luggages are sorted automatically.

The system, sources said, could have endangered his life.

Around 1am on Friday, Rajkumar Yadav, who was set to travel to Riyadh by Air India flight AI 925, was noticed at level-1, conveyor belt no. 07. An employee responsible for conveyor belts and in-line baggage system noticed him after he managed to cross the X-ray machine.

"No staff of other check-in counter as well as DIAL noticed him. Later, he was handed over to the police with the help of CISF, guarding the IGI Airport, a senior airport official told Mail Today.

He was later accommodated in the next flight to fly to Riyadh.

Official directed the man to go to the check-in counter of Air India but instead of going to the checking counter, he went to baggage conveyor belt where he sat on with his luggage

According to sources, Yadav was a first-time air traveler and he got confused when an airport staff directed him towards check-in counter.

He was travelling for the first time so he asked an official to guide him the way to get boarding pass.

Officials directed him to go to the check-in counter of Air India but instead of going to the checking counter, he went to baggage conveyor belt where he sat on with his luggage presuming that he has to get scanned along with his baggage.

There are at least 168 counters at T- 3 but surprisingly no one at the check-in counters noticed him. When a staff noticed him, he immediately stopped the belt movement and contacted the terminal manager. He asked them to bring back the passenger through same belt in check-in area which was almost 200 metres far from the spot, sources said.

According to the police, after questioning him, they didnt find anything illegal so they allowed him to travel.

Rajkumar traveled to Riyadh on the next Air India flight.

When Mail Today contacted Air India, even after multiple attempts, the airline didnt respond. DIAL termed it a "stray" incident.

A stray incident was reported in the Terminal 3 of Delhi airport, where a passenger was seen sitting on the moving conveyor belt inside the BHS system. Immediately, the passenger was caught with the help of CISF. Delhi Police were roped in to investigate the matter. After talking to the passenger, and once the matter calmed down, it became apparent that the incident resulted because of misunderstandings, said a DIAL spokesperson.

The Delhi airport is equipped with 4 level in-line baggage system.

This system can handle over 11,300 pieces of baggage per hour.

A baggage X-ray system for full inspection will also be integrated.

Bags can be handed in at 168 check-in desks at the departures level of the terminal. For oversize luggage, there are five desks available.

A total of 28 X-ray stations will be integrated into the system so that all baggage can be subjected to cent per cent security inspection.

The system includes a combination of conveyor belts, bar code readers and in-line baggage sorters that allows passengers to proceed straight to the check-in counter and receive their boarding pass while the baggage gets checked and assigned automatically.
US national and Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Coleman Headley said Ishrat Jahat was a member of the Pakistan-based terror group

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to go into the issue of Pakistan-American terrorist David Headleys declaration of Ishrat Jahan as a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative or former Home Minister P Chidambaram changing an affidavit to give her a clean chit saying the Gujarat High Court was better equipped to do so.

The court dismissed a petition which sought quashing of criminal cases against Gujarat policemen including former DIG DG Vanzara in the alleged encounter killing of Ishrat who according to the plea was a terrorist as proved by David Headley who plotted to kill Narendra Modi, the then Gujarat chief minister.

A bench of justices PC Ghosh and Amitava Roy said so many issues were involved. We have to look into so many things and so the appropriate High Court was best equipped to hear it.

The person who has a locus can move the High Court under article 226 of the constitution, said the bench.

You withdraw it or we will dismiss it. It will be better if you withdraw as then all issues will remain open, the bench told Sharma who refused to withdraw it.

Sharma filed the petition following a recent testimony by US national and Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Coleman Headley, who deposed that Ishrat was a member of the Pakistan- based terror group.

Taking into account the statement of ex-Home Secretary GK Pillai, the petition had also urged the court to look into former Home Minister P Chidambaram changing an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, which originally described Ishrat and her slain aides as LeT operatives.

Headleys statement has revived the political sparring over whether Ishrat was an innocent student killed in cold blood or a terrorist shot down before she could execute a plan to assassinate Modi.

Pillai was quoted by media reports saying that, Chidambaram, who was the home minister then, had seen to it that any references to Ishrats LeT links was dropped.

Pillai also said that Chidambaram had recalled the file from the joint secretary a month after the original affidavit was filed in the apex court.

Stating that the killing of a terrorist is not an offence under the Indian law, the petition asks the Supreme Court to drop charges against policemen accused of staging a fake encounter outside Ahmedabad in 2004.
Two police officers have been arrested

Guragon police have arrested two constables of Delhi Police for their alleged involvement in blackmailing traffic cops.

The accused, identified as Om Prakash and Neeraj Kumar, are suspected of using this unique modus operandi to earn some extra cash.

According to CPRO Hawa Singh of Gurgaon Police, the modus operandi of the accused involved deliberately broke traffic rules like flouting red lights, driving vehicles without registration numbers, not wearing helmets and thereby luring traffic cops into issuing challans against them.

'Once the traffic cops stopped them, one of the two would get into negotiating with them, while the other would carry out a sting operation by filming the entire exchange of challan issuing and money collecting,' he claimed.

During the negotiation, it's also claimed they would also ensure to coax out the mobile numbers of the officers involved.

Once the deal was over, they would edit the issuing of challans from the videos and send them over to the officers via WhatsApp to blackmail them, Hawa Singh alleged.

The accused were caught in the act from the civil line area of Gurgaon on Friday morning, it is claimed.
After finding cases where old-age pensions were being drawn wrongly, Delhi governments Public Grievance Commission (PGC) has directed the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) to investigate.

According to a senior government official, pension fraud by non-eligible beneficiaries was unearthed after Murti Devi, resident of Sannoth village, approached the PGC in October 2015 complaining that her old age pension had been stopped.

PGC asked the department of social welfare to take strict measures to check for fraud and to file a status report. In this, it stated that Murti Devi was receiving old-age financial assistance since 2008 but it was stopped as she was found to be under age due to contradicting details of her voter id on the Chief Electoral Office website.

STOCK PHOTO: Pension fraud by non-eligible beneficiaries was unearthed after Murti Devi approached the Public Grievance Commission in October 2015 complaining that her old-age pension was stopped

'Her pension details mentioned that she was above 60 years of age, but the details on her voter card gave contradictory information so her pension was stopped,' a senior official said.

The representative of the department stated that more similar cases have already been unearthed and in over 800 such cases the pensions have been stopped.

Following the status report by the department of social welfare, the PCG has asked the department director to find the officials responsible for releasing Murti Devis pension in 2008.

The department has also been asked to identify similar cases and find the officials responsible for the fraud. PGC has directed ACB to lodge an FIR and investigate all cases of fraud by officials, beneficiaries and private persons involved in it.

This case involves certain serious crimes - sanction of pension to wrong person against the norms by the officials who had handled it, receiving pension wrongfully by the individual though the person was not eligible under normal rules and bypassed it with the intervention of some middlemen or politicians.

'Identify those private persons or politicians who might have recommended such cases due to which such sanctions were accorded in the past. Department should complete this exercise expeditiously.

'Place such officials under suspension and initiate speedy departmental action for dismissal of their services in cases the fraud is proved,' PGC said in its letter to ACB and social welfare department. A copy of the letter is with Mail Today.

Director social welfare was directed to ensure that in all cases, action be taken immediately and also an interim report should be sent to the PGC.

According to a senior officer, even municipal corporations found duplicity in pension beneficiaries.

They alleged many beneficiaries were taking pension money both from civic bodies and the Delhi government.

People in the age bracket of 60, and less than 70, get Rs 1,000 as old-age pension per month while those who have reached the age of 70 years and above get Rs 1,500.

To be eligible for old-age pension, a senior citizens annual income should not exceed Rs 60,000.

The Delhi government had started the scheme in 1995 and initially the pension amount was Rs 50 per month.

The government has been paying the pension on a quarterly basis through electronic clearance system to the beneficiaries.
A sitting judge of the Supreme Court has proposed the setting up of a common court for South Asia in order to bring to justice perpetrators of trans-border terror attacks and crimes

Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde has suggested setting up of a common court for SAARC member countries to deal with cross-border terror attacks like 26/11 and crimes like smuggling of fake currency notes, drugs and weapons.

Could we consider having a common court for these countries that comprises of judges from all these countries that share the matter, Bobde said addressing the United Nations Counter Terrorism Committee in New York. In his emphatic address on need for common courts for cross-border terror cases, Bobde referred to the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terror attack case.

A sitting judge of the Supreme Court has proposed the setting up of a common court for South Asia in order to bring to justice perpetrators of trans-border terror attacks and crimes

166 people lost their lives when 10 Pakistani terrorists attacked Mumbai.

He spoke of how terrorists, trained, armed and launched from Pakistan, had attacked Mumbai and were guided by their handlers in Pakistan throughout the three-daylong terror strike.

This was their advantage (plot hatched in Pakistan and handlers across the border) and the disadvantage India had was that they did not know what the plan was and where the attackers would go next, Bobde added.
Shashi Tharoor blamed the BJP for using its brute majority in the House to thwart his attempt

Congress leader Shashi Tharoors bid to introduce a bill to decriminalise homosexuality met with same fate as last time when his move was defeated in Lok Sabha on Friday.

He blamed the BJP for using its brute majority in the House to thwart his attempt, second in last three months.

It is religious bigotry of the ruling party that had disallowed discussion on this private bill, Tharoor said, adding, it was a low in the proud annals of Indian democracy where brute majority prevailed over the rights of a member to bring the measure.

Saamana takes a jibe at NDA and UPA

Taking potshots at both the UPA and the NDA, Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana tried to play on the irony that Mallya was given loans during the UPA government's tenure while he left the country during the NDA's tenure.

Hinting at a nexus between politicians and Mallya, the mouthpiece said: There are several politicians and officials who have have sought favours from Vijay Mallya. This is perhaps why such huge amount of loans were sanctioned to him. Now, he has fled the country with the help of these politicians.

CJI fumes over frivolous PILs

TS Thakur slammed those rushing to SC with frivolous public interest litigations

TS Thakur slammed those rushing to SC with frivolous public interest litigations.

Throwing out a petition which sought a direction to the Centre to issue an order that India be called Bharat, Thakur said, Whether India should be called Bharat or Bharat should be called India...Do you think we do not have anything else to do? We will not entertain it. These are emotional issues without any fundamental rights involved.

Malaysia-like roads in city soon?

Not finding enough ideas in Delhi to improve traffic situation, PWD Minister Satyendar Jain has decided to take a cue from Malaysia for two-tier elevated roads.

Jain will visit Malaysia for two days for a brief study.

He will be accompanied by PWD officials who would also examine Malaysias expressway.

The government has recently decided to construct 10 elevated corridors for which it has also identified locations.

The move is to find solution to growing traffic problem of Delhi.

'JNU refused to screen my film'

Anupam Kher alleged that JNU has refused to screen his film Buddha in a Traffic Jam even as JNU denied having received any such request.

Kher said he was told that JNU cannot allow the screening owing to the present atmosphere on campus.
Rationalist Dr MM Kalburgi was shot dead at his residence in Dharwad in northwestern Karnataka

A day after Karnatakas Home Minister G Parameshwara returned from New Delhi after meeting Congress President Sonia Gandhi, he announced the formation of a special team within the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe the killing of renowned writer and rationalist Dr M.M. Kalburgi.

Dr Kalburgi was shot dead by unknown miscreants on August 30, 2015, at his residence in Dharwad in northwestern Karnataka. So far, the probe conducted by the CID has not led to any conclusive evidence.

The suspects are yet to be identified. However, the CID is of the view that suspects, who killed other rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare, were responsible for Dr Kalburgis death. They also claimed that the same weapon was used to kill all the three rationalists.

However, the Karnataka CID, the Maharashtra police and the CBI are hold different views on these issues. In an effort to speed up the probe, particularly following a diktat from the Congress High Command, the government has announced the special team.

The Special Team will once again look into the circumstances leading to the death of Dr Kalburgi. The FSL has found evidence that bullets fired at all the three rationalists had left similar marks. Our police is following the leads and we are confident of nabbing the killers, Parameshwara said.

The delay in nabbing the killers has been one of the failures of the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka. For a considerable half of 2015, he was under pressure to handover the case to the CBI. The Karnataka government, for a while, considered handing over the case to the CBI, but did not go ahead.

The party is not happy with the way sensitive issues are being handled by the government in Karnataka. We are hearing complaints of poor governance and administration. Parameshwara in particular was asked to show results in this case. Hence, the special team has been constituted, said sources in the Congress.

Parameshwara happens to be the President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee and recently he took over as the Home Minister.

He is keen on proving himself by getting the police to crack the case, which has become a major challenge for the investigation agencies.

Last month, the CBI, which is probing the killings of Dabholkar and Pansare, informed the Bombay High Court that it would seek the assistance of a third party, probably an agency like Scotland Yard, for an independent opinion on the ballistics report in view of the diverse opinions from the investigating agencies.

In its report to the government, the Karnataka CID had said that all the three rationalists might have been killed by the same group.
The skies opened up to lend drama to Sri Sri Ravi Shankars World Culture Festival on Friday.

Already marred by controversies, thunderstorm followed by heavy rain and hail washed down the elaborate arrangements for audience seating at the event.

The site on Yamuna bank, spread over 150 acres from Sarai Kale Khan to DND toll road, was left in a pool of ankle-deep mud.

Over 1 lakh devotees of the spiritual guru, who descended on Delhi from even Russia, China and USA, were left struggling to avoid tripping down.

Lack of shuttle service and the uphill walk to the exit gates of the venue werent the only problems for those leaving the event, traffic-choked roads made it worse.

However, weather couldnt dim the spirits of over 1 lakh Art of Living (AOL) volunteers and followers, who gathered to celebrate 35 years of the NGOs humanitarian service.

The massive stage  1,200 feet long, 200 feet wide and 40 feet high  adorned with golden domes shimmered in light.

A huge posse of Delhi Police and Army personnel checked security details as the invitee list included 55 state heads, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UAE Ministerof Culture Sheikh Nahayan bin Mabarak Al Nahayan, and Alojz Peterle, Member European Parliament, among others. Children, decked up in glittering costumes, waited patiently to perform Kathak and Bharatnatyam while their excited parents cheered them on.

Fans from as far as Dubai and Phillipines chanted, Jai Gurudev. It was nothing short of a repeat of Commonwealth Games (CWG) as lakhs of AOL followers from all over India, and the world, were accommodated in homes of Delhi-based volunteers over the past 2 months.

Sabina Chhatri, who came from Darjeeling (West Bengal), said, I flew down to Delhi, with three others, on Monday. We are residing in Dwarka at an AOL members house. Our breakfast, lunch and dinner, all are taken care of.

She said shell surely be back on Saturday to see Maruni, a beautiful dance from Nepal. She said, Its like a dream come true. This moment will not come again. Nikhil Dalal, a manager with Siemens in Pune, took a weeks leave from work.

Participants perform at the World Culture Festival on the banks of the Yamuna in Delhi

He said, When my companys Vice-president heard I am going for Art of Livings World Culture Festival, he granted me chhutti immediately. I take Yoga and Pranayam sessions at my company too, which I learnt during Art of Livings basic course programme.

Fatima, Ghazala and Reshma, from Hum Hindustani NGO in Delhi, said they were invited by Art of Living. We are enjoying all the dances. We didnt know our country has such diverse culture. It is very colourful and happy, Fatima said.

Dr Swathi R from Uduppi, Karnataka, said shes here to experience the divine opportunity to meditate with Sri Sri Ravishankar.

It cannot be explained in words, she claimed, To be able to join gurudev in meditation, is indescribable. Then there were those who had come to see Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Santosh Sangwan from Ambala, Haryana, said, I am cold and shivering from the rain, but I had to see Modi. I love to hear him speak.

Anastasia, from Berlin, arrived all decked up in traditional Russian costume with flowers in her hair. She waved both the Tricolour and Russian flag in her hands. In broken English she muttered, Namaste! I love India and yoga.

I hope this country remembers its ancient civilisation and all its lessons to the world. There is Algebra, Physics, Astronomy  a treasure trove of knowledge you can teach us. The world is richer with yogi-land India, she added.

'India has the cultural heritage which the whole world is looking for,' says Modi as he praises Sri Sri event

By Mail Today Reporter

Prime Minister Narendra Modi heaped praise on Sri Sri Ravi Shankar saying he had introduced India to the world

The controversial cultural festival by Art of Living (AOL) on the floodplains of Yamuna opened on Friday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi heaping praise on Sri Sri Ravi Shankar saying he had introduced India to the world but made no reference to the raging row over environmental concerns surrounding it.

The three-day cultural extravaganza attended by thousands of people and delegates from a number of countries saw the prime minister telling Indians to be proud of their cultural heritage.

India has the cultural heritage and richness which the whole world is looking for. We can fulfil those needs... But it can only happen if we take pride in our heritage. If we keep cursing it, then why will the world look at us, he said while praising Ravi Shankars efforts in this regard.

Modi spent three hours at the event but did not make any reference in his brief speech to the controversy triggered by environmental activists accusing Ravi Shankars Art of Living Foundation of destroying the river bed by erecting massive structures as lakhs were expected to participate.

This is the Kumbh Mela of culture. Through Art of Living, the world has got to know about India. I remember a reception by Art of Living family in Mongolia. We are all linked not only by economy but also by culture, he said.

Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, whose mega event was mired in controversy for violating green norms, took a dig at his critics for describing the World Cultural Festival as his private party, noting that obstacles do come when something great is done. Somebody said it is the gurujis private party. I said yes. It is true because entire world is my family. When one needs nothing for himself, then he belongs to entire society, he said.

Art of Living had organised a similar festival in 2011 to celebrate its 30th anniversary at the historic Olympic stadium in Berlin, the organisers said.

Former French Prime Minister Dominique Villepin, Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa, UAEs Cultural Minister Al Nahayan were among the dignitaries who were present.
The business organisation that sensationally lost its boss in a row over Brexit last weekend has called on the government to invest in large scale infrastructure projects and dramatically cut taxes in a bid to help boost the ailing UK economy.

Ahead of the Budget next week, the acting head of the British Chambers of Commerce has heavily criticised Chancellor George Osborne for the UK's deficit being too high and for failing to support Britain's exporters.

Adam Marshall's comments come after the BCC suspended its director general John Longworth on Saturday for remarks he made supporting a British exit from the European Union.

His subsequent resignation made front-page news this week amid allegations that Downing Street pressed for his removal, and London Mayor Boris Johnson stating that Longworth was gagged and 'crushed by the agents of Project Fear'.

We are the builders: The BCC has urged Osborne and Cameron to use the forthcoming Budget to bring forward road, rail, and digital infrastructure projects that would help UK companies do more business

Marshall, acting Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce in place of Longworth, said: 'In the face of a slowing economy, and with further potential risks on the horizon, there is a case for sustained government action to improve prospects for business.

'Wherever possible, given very real fiscal constraints, the Chancellor must use his forthcoming Budget to bring forward road, rail, and digital infrastructure projects that would help UK companies do more business.'

He added: 'Osborne must also avoid adding further to the long list of new business costs and taxes introduced over recent months, which clobber firms before they turn over a single pound and undermine investment.

'Our forecast should stand as a wake-up call. The UK's economic performance is reasonably good when measured against our main competitors, but it's only mediocre when compared against long-term trends.

'Our trade deficit remains too high, and is not forecast to improve substantially over the next three years. In turbulent times, a consistent focus on improving infrastructure, sweeping away barriers to business investment, and supporting exporters would be a real recipe for success.'

As a result the BCC has slashed its UK growth forecasts, citing weaker growth across all areas of the economy - including the usually impressive services sector.

The organisation expects growth to fall from 2.5 per cent to 2.2 per cent in 2016, and from 2.5 per cent to 2.3 per cent in 2017.

Infrastructure: The UK has not invested enough in major rail projects according to the BCC

David Kern, chief economist at the BCC, believes that a more general global slowdown presents the biggest threat to the UK economy.

He said: 'Weaker growth than previously expected in most UK sectors reflects a general global slowdown, which is due to lower productivity, adverse demographic trends and geo-political uncertainties.

'The worse net UK trade position that we are now predicting is mostly due to weaker global growth, but we do need to do more to boost exports.
Four of Britains most iconic train stations could fall into foreign hands as cash-strapped Network Rail prepares to sell billions of pounds of assets.

The Government-owned rail operator is desperately trying to patch up its finances as its debts have spiralled out of control, and has put up for sale London Paddington, Euston, Waterloo and Birmingham New Street.

The Treasury has been forced to take 4billion of Network Rails debt on to its balance sheet and has been piling pressure on bosses of the rail operator to sort out the groups financial problems.

Speaking to the Financial Times newspaper, Network Rails boss Mark Carne said he was trying to break up a Kremlin-type model, revealing 18 railway stations could soon be up for grabs.

He said there would also be a 1.8billion sale of 7,500 other properties, including car parks, arches, depots, freight yards and spare land.

But the sale of landmark and much-loved rail stations could prove to be politically sensitive.

City experts believe these assets will almost inevitably be snapped up by foreigners, with the Chinese and Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds among the possible suitors.

David Buik, veteran commentator who works for stockbroker Panmure Gordon, said: These are very expensive assets which will cost billions of pounds. It is almost inevitable that they will be bought by foreigners.

Huge swathes of Britains transport infrastructure  including the famous red London buses  have already been gobbled up by foreign companies.

In 2010 Sunderland-based train and bus operator Arriva was bought by Germanys Deutsche Bahn for 1.6billion. It operates trains across the UK, including Chiltern Railways and Wales.

Britains ports have also been sold to foreign companies, with Southampton now owned by Dubai business DP World.

Different path: Huge swathes of Britains transport infrastructure  including the famous red London buses  have already been gobbled up by foreign companies

Even the M6 toll road to Birmingham is owned by the Australians, having been bought by Macquarie Infrastructure group.

But one MP last night suggested any change of ownership would be a blessing for Network Rail.

Douglas Carswell, Ukip MP for Clacton, said: Network Rail has made such a dogs breakfast of running the railway infrastructure I dont see how it could get any worse.

It is supported by taxpayers yet pays senior management the sort of salaries you expect of senior bankers  yet they cant even keep the railways running.

Sale: The Government-owned rail operator is desperately trying to patch up its finances as its debts have spiralled out of control, and has put up for sale London Paddington, Euston, Waterloo (pictured) and Birmingham New Street

Network Rail has alarmed the Government by overspending on a 38.5billion five-year modernisation project.

This has included spending 65million on Paddington  where there has been a railway station since 1838  to improve the Grade 1 listed roof and wrought iron arches designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the mid-19th century.
The Chancellor is grappling with a 58billion black hole in fuel and sin taxes  paving the way for steep hikes in the price of petrol and cigarettes in the Budget.

The pub and drinks industry, as well as motoring groups, are pleading for a tax cut to protect jobs and the finances of households in an attempt to stop a rise in duty ahead of the George Osborne's annual spending plans on Wednesday.

Analysis by the Mail has discovered that the Treasury is facing a 58.4billion gulf between what Osborne had hoped to bring in from levies on fuel, tobacco, spirits, wine and beer when he first became Chancellor, and what he has received.

His round again: The Treasury is facing a 58.4billion gulf between what Osborne had hoped to bring in from levies on fuel, tobacco, spirits, wine and beer when he first became Chancellor, and what he has received

Osborne is thought to be planning to exploit recent falls in the oil price, which has seen prices at the pump fall, to tax drivers more.

He is reported to have told colleagues that extending the five-year fuel duty freeze introduced in 2011 cannot be justified with oil prices so low, at just under $41 a barrel.

An increase in the levy of up to 2p a litre has been mooted. The move  which would raise around 1billion a year  would help plug the shortfall and compensate the Treasury for the slump in North Sea Oil revenues.

But furious campaigners last night warned the Chancellor 'will not be forgiven' by motorists.

The FairFuelUK Campaign says a 2p rise will cost households billions of pounds over the course of the parliament, giving them less money to spend in shops and restaurants.

Howard Cox, founder of the FairFuelUK Campaign, said: 'It is economic lunacy and disingenuous to hike duty behind the protective shroud of low oil prices. The Chancellor will not be forgiven. A quick naive cash grab will only slow growth.'

Fuel duty was set at 57.19p per litre in 2010, and increased to a peak of 58.95p in January 2011.

It was reduced in March of that year to 57.95p, and has been frozen since then.

But a closer look at the UK's finances reveals why Osborne believes angering Britain's motorists is a political gamble worth taking.

The Treasury had expected to receive 168.6billion from fuel duties between 2010 and today. Instead it is on course to collect just 134.8billion, leaving it with a 33.8billion shortfall.

It is also facing a 10.7billion shortfall on tobacco duties over the same period, and is 13.9billion short on beer, wine and spirits levies.

Experts believe the Chancellor is more likely to hike tobacco duties, and will be anxious not to alienate Britain's beer and wine drinkers.

A report by the Centre for Economics & Business research, commissioned by the Campaign For Real Ale, claims a tax cut would boost jobs across the UK.

A 1p reduction and a freeze over the rest of the Parliament would help create an additional 13,000 jobs in pubs and bars and just under 550 pubs saved from closure, it said.

The number of pubs in the UK has fallen from more than 67,000 in 1982 to fewer than 54,000.

Tim Martin, chairman of pubs chain Wetherspoons, used the company's results yesterday to issue a fresh plea to the Chancellor ahead of the Budget to slash VAT.
Notonthehighstreet.com co-founder Holly Tucker says her business was born out of her frustration that she couldn't easily access products from small businesses whose work she loves.

Her online marketplace offers customers a way to peruse the wares of small businesses and craftspeople without having to travel great distances and trawl through craft fairs or trade shows.

Holly says the site helps customers to access and support creative small businesses, whose products, as the name suggests, can't be found at mainstream retailers.

Holly Tucker: 'Investors are human and they want to be excited about your business'

She has a lifelong passion for small-scale producers, having started 'Your Local Fair' in 2003, a series of craft events she staged around London.

Fast forward to 2016, and Notonthehighstreet now employs more than 200 members of staff at its offices in 'Silicon upon Thames' in Twickenham, just south-west of London. Simon Belsham became Notonthehighstreet's CEO last year.

Turnover has shot up from 134,000 in 2006 to 156million in 2015, while the number of small businesses who sell through the site has ballooned from 100 to 5,000.

In 2013, Holly and co-founder Sophie Cornish were awarded MBEs for services to small business and enterprise while Holly was appointed UK ambassador for creative small business last year. She lives in Twickenham with her partner Frank, and son Harry.

Here, Holly reveals her start-up secrets, including how 'divine intervention' in a French church saved her company.

Who or what has most inspired you?

I can honestly say that from the very moment I discovered the world of creative small businesses, it has been this hidden army of creative small businesses that has changed my life.

Not only is there a sense of being part of this highly creative movement, but their ability to change, almost like chameleons means you are always surprised with what they produce.

You should see my house, its a shrine to these guys. We had to move to a bigger house, just so I could buy more and live in a world full of thoughtfulness.

Service to small businesses: Founders Sophie Cornish (left) and Holly Tucker collect their MBEs in 2013

What is the one piece of advice you would go back and tell your younger self?

CV: Holly Tucker 1977: Born in Chiswick, London. 1995: Passed A-Levels in Art & Design, Design & Technology, and Business Studies. 1995: Began work as a Trainee Account Executive at Publicis. 2003: Founded 'Your Local Fair', a series of upmarket events staged in affluent areas of London and the South East. 2006: Co-founded online marketplace, notonthehighstreet.com. 2012: Co-authored her first book How to Build a Business from your Kitchen Table. 2013: Founded The Happy Bricks Foundation, of which she is a Trustee. 2013: Awarded an MBE for services to small businesses and enterprise 2014: Won The Google Award for Women in Digital at the Digital Masters Awards. 2014: Co-authored Shape up your Business. 2015: Founded holly.co, a blog dedicated to providing SMEs with business advice and tips. 2015: Appointed by the PM as UK Ambassador for Creative Small Businesses

To feel more assured in my inner voice and that the whole gut feel thing is probably the only thing you can reply on.

You can spend forever hiring new staff, convincing yourself that they are the silver bullet but they rarely are - it takes so much time to get the right team.

Meanwhile, you have a business to run and if you are a founder the chances are that [deep down] you utterly know what the right next move is.

So it's about having the confidence to listen, debate, consider but then also having the confidence to make the right choice - however popular - about what has to be done.

I think trying to bring everyone along for the ride can be very damaging. I fear women lead more like this then men do, and although it works in theory, you will always have people who take advantage. So speak up and lead, and make sure you stay true to your own compass.

How did you manage to secure funding?

It wasnt easy. It was a whole different landscape back in 2006. My co-founder Sophie Cornish and I realised during that summer we were going to run out of cash and needed to raise money.

HSBC had already given us a small loan and were unable to loan us anymore before we could produce the first year's accounts and so we found ourselves asking friends and family about contacts that they might have in the venture capital world.

Creative collection: Holly had to move to a bigger house to find room for all of her small business purchases

Sophie and I pitched countless times to grey-haired men who quite frankly had written us off before we even spoke. That was due to, I am sure, being two blonde women who ran a shopping site, selling what I think they called crafts.

I remember one man laughing and telling us that he wouldnt know where to begin as his wife only does the shopping in their household.

We were drawing our last breaths as a business, and then we had an almost divine intervention.

Our friend and lead in PR Julie Turner found herself in Sunday mass in the South of France and happened to see a friend on a pew in front. They got chatting and she asked if he knew anyone who might be interested in investing in a business such as Notonthehighstreet.com.

The friend instantly thought of Tom Techman, who headed up Spark Ventures and who had a few years back written the first cheque for Lastminute.com.

We called on the Monday, pitched the next week and by Christmas had secured the agreement of our first investment. On Valentine's Day 2007 the money was received in our bank account and we all felt a sigh of relief!

Great gifts: Notonthehighstreet offers personalised gifts and artwork

Eclectic: The site hosts more than 5,000 small businesses selling everything from balloons to cufflinks

What advice would you give to someone pitching for investment?

To know their numbers, their facts and every detail of their business. To make sure they communicate this information in a clear and easy digestible format.

We would always go to great lengths while raising money to almost pull our business apart to get to the gold nuggets of information that helped people understand the mechanics.

During presentations we would always then overlay this data with the brand. We made sure the presentation itself was lively, easy to read and human but we also made sure the investor saw the brand through a video or images of our journey so far.

You have to remember that whoever you are pitching to is human and they want to be excited about your business. So it is your job to make it relevant to who you are pitching to - make sure you do your homework on your audience.

One-stop shop: Notonthehighstreet compiles thousands of creative small businesses in one place

What makes a good business idea? How did you convince investors/business partners that yours would work?

Its all about the passion and 100 per cent believing your story. We would always bring a bag full of products that we would set up before giving a presentation because we needed to bring this new concept to life.

We had to show that the products we were selling were not craft as such, but products that any department store, looking for the next hot thing, would kill to have - and yet they couldnt as SMEs have traditionally found it hard to work with larger retailers.

I think anyone who met us could see the passion oozing out of us for these products and for the businesses that made them - we were the consumer and we were very excited.

Small business support: Holly with from the Yve Crewes (right) from The English Stamp Company

What is the most important quality you look for in a business partner/ employee?

Balance. And an ability to appreciate both sides of the brain.

Sure, you have people who are very creative and then you have those who love to immerse themselves in process.

But Ive found that if you try to strive to find people who can accept their strong and weaker points, who are happy to work in a ying yang way with others, and that complement them - this is a winning type of DNA.

And knowing that they are at their strongest together - this is what I find magical.

Hey, its the way Notonthehighstreet was born, out of two women who in those early years were both sides of the coin.

What one change to legislation or policy would help your business the most?

I think getting women back to work faster after having children - or at all, would hugely help.

Childcare is the biggest barrier for women in the workplace because if you dont have access to high-quality affordable childcare, you are not going to leave your children to go to work.

Notonthehighstreet nearly didnt happen as we found the childcare costs for virtually six days a week crippling. The only way we could concentrate was knowing that our young children were cared for well.

So I would make childcare a taxable allowance. Let's face it - it's crazy that a taxi driver can claim petrol, a businessman can claim his driver [as a taxable allowance] but women can't claim for childcare.

Although there has been some movement, the reality is that a parent's childcare costs can be 60 to 80 per cent of what they are earning.
They were once the darlings of the society pages with Susie Wakil one of the few Australian women to wear French couture fashion which could cost as much as $20,000 for a single dress back in the 1990s.

Mrs Wakil, who escaped war-torn Europe after her mother died in a Soviet concentration camp, wore the haute couture Yves St Laurent clothes bought for her by her Iraqi immigrant clothier husband, Isaac, to the lavish charity dinners she threw for Sydney's society ladies.

While the immaculately-dressed Mrs Wakil worked hard as a patron of the arts, her husband Isaac was quietly buying up property in Sydney's CBD and the inner city suburbs of Surry Hills and Pyrmont.

Although the Wakils lived in the smart suburb of Bellevue Hill in Sydney's east, they bought dirty and derelict old warehouse and properties including the landmark Griffiths Tea building.

Gradually the couple accumulated a property portfolio estimated at close to $200 million in the current market.

From concentration camp to A-list glamour: Susan Wakil (centre) and husband Isaac were both immigrants, Susan having fled war-torn Romania to end up a multi-millionaire charity fundraiser who wore Yves St Laurent couture to openings until the Wakils mysteriously dropped from sight two decades ago

The abandoned Terminus Hotel in Pyrmont, inner-Sydney, has been carpeted in ivy since closing in 1985, and after the Wakils sold it to Auswin TWT group last year it is now back on the market for $10 million

It is unclear whether the Terminus will ever whether the pub will ever see a beer poured again as buyers of the $10m building could convert it to a retail or office space

Inside the abandoned Terminus Hotel, one of the properties acquired in the late 20th century by Susie and Isaac Wakil, sold as the elderly couple divested themselves of their property portfolio and up for sale againand set up charities 'because Australia has been good to us'

Susan and Isaac Wakil quietly bought up abandoned inner city properties like the derelict Terminus hotel in Pyrmont, a once thriving workman's pub abandoned since 1985, which they sold and is up for sale again

Isaac Wakil, an Iraqi immigrant who entered the Sydney garment trade, was a property genius who bought up empty piles like the Griffith Teas building (pictured) which he and how wife Susie are now divesting themselves of and leaving their millions to worthy causes

This squat warehouse in the inner city Sydney suburb of Pyrmont is just another example of unlikely real estate that Isaac and Susan Wakil cannily bought and now are selling off as the couple, who are in their 80s and have no children, are selling to create chairity funds for good works

While much of the property is utilitarian and unattractive, the Wakil's property genius and ability to keep the buildings untenanted and undeveloped because of their wealth now means the buildings are highly valuable to developers on the hunt for suitable properties to develop into inner city apartments.

Some of the property has already been sold off, including the old workman's pub, the Terminus Hotel in Surry Hills, which has been abandoned since 1985 and is now covered with moss and ivy.

The wakils sold the building to Wakils sold it to Auswin TWT group last year and it was reported that it was going to be restored and opened as a British-themed pub.

Buildings in Sydney's CBD like 426 Kent Street (pictured) are part of the $200m property portfolio Susan and Isaac Wakil are gradually selling and creating funds such as the University of Sydney nursing school trust because 'Australia is a great country and it's a good feeling to give something back'

This abandoned corner shop at 74 Harris Street (pictured) is one of many properties in Sydney's inner city Pyrmont which the Wakils have acquired over decades and been able to keep unaltered and which are now going up for sale

From the early 1900s the hotel, which was so named because it was next to the last stop on the tramline, was crammed in the afternoons with thirsty sugar mill and power station workers.

Once a Sydney institution, the building is now empty and dilapidated, with faded signs and vines engulfing the gutters and roof.

But the building may never see another beer poured as Auswin TWT group have put it back on the market with hopes of around $10 million.

The Wakils are gradually giving away the money they have gained from their property sales.

The property magnates announced in a statement that the first recipients would be the University of Sydney nursing school, which would receive $10.8 million, the largest private donation to a school of its kind.

Ray White Asia-Pacific hotels director Andrew Joliffe said he expected the old Terminus Hotel property (pitcured, centre) to sell for between $5m and $10m

The property magnate couple Susan and Isaac Wakil, whose portfolio includes 82 Sussex Street, Sydney (pictured) are giving away their fortune including $10.8m to the University of Sydney nursing school, the largest private donation to a school of its kind

The derelict street frontage of 82 Sussex Street, Sydney (above), just one of the many properties bought by Isaace and Susie Wakil, who was born in the Romanian province of Bessarabia in Eastern Europe in 1932, and at aged seven watched her father taken off to a Siberian gulag for being a capitalist land owner

Mr Wakil said in the statement the donation was a gift to the nation that has 'treated them so well' and that the contribution that nurses made to society was often overlooked.

'Susan and I appreciate the valuable work of nurses in the front line of health care,' he said.

The portfolio the Wakils are slowly divesting and turning into charity donations includes up to 15 properties.

The Griffiths Tea building on Wentworth Avenue. Surry Hills, sold last year for an undisclosed sum, and now has been sold off the plan as inner city apartments, with the penthouse selling for $4 million. A century-old warehouse in Harris St, Pyrmont sold for $90 million.

Another warehouse on the same street has sold for $22 million. the properties include a rare, empty block of land in Pyrmont a decrepit old terrace house nearby and several multi-storey buildings in the city.

The sale of property by the Wakils solves one piece of a mystery as to why the once high-flying Sydney couple largely disappeared from sight a few decades ago

The sale of property by the Wakils solves one piece of a mystery as to why the once high-flying Sydney couple largely disappeared from sight a few decades ago while they were buying up old buildings such as 12 Pyrmont street, Pyrmont (pictured)

And aerial view of the rusted roof of 12 Pyrmont Street near Sydney's CBD, bought by Citilease owned by Susie Wakil, who donated her time to charities such as the Black and White Committee and St Vincents Hospital and Isaac Wakil, who worked in the garment trade

A small but rare slice of empty land close to Sydney's CBD at 69a Harris Street, Pyrmont, which is part of the Wakil porperty portfoili being sold up and turned into charity trust funds which the generous couple are setting up

More than 30 years ago the Wakils were at regular attendees of Opera House opening nights, arts events, and charity balls.

Susie Wakil was well-known for her preference for beautiful haute couture, when even off-the-rack French labels were a rarity for most Australian women.

Susie Wakil once disclosed how she had been born in the Romanian province of Bessarabia in Eastern Europe in 1932, and aged seven watched her father taken off to a Siberian gulag for being a capitalist land owner.

Her mother died in a Soviet concentration camp and she escaped with an aunt to Australia, her father eventually fleeing Russia after his release and joining her here.

A side view of the Terminus Hotel in Pyrmont which in the early 1900s was crammed in the afternoons with thirsty sugar mill and power station workers until it closed its doors in 1985 and has remained empty until its recent sale which will see it transformed into a modern pub

The Griffiths Teas building in central Sydney (pictured last century) has been refurbished and converted into upmarket warehouse style city apartments

She married Isaac Wakil, an Iraqi emigre from Baghdad who became a clothing manufacturer in Sydney.

The couple had no children and Mrs Wakil donated their time to charities such as the Black and White Committee and St Vincents Hospital, while Isaac Wakil worked in the garment trade and bought property.

Then, sometime in the 1990s, they mysteriously vanished from the social scene and retreated into their own world. Reports said some of their friends did not even see them for years.

Only the couple's cream Rolls-Royce could be seen parked in the driveway of the Harris Street, Pyrmont building which served as the headquarters of their property company, Citilease.

The nation's most reclusive multi-millionaires have yet to announce which charity will next be the recipient of their generosity.

The University of Sydney nursing school donation will fund a Susan Wakil scholarship to assist undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students with study, tuition and accommodation.
sex attacks since February 20, with the latest occurring at the weekend

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The streets are deserted after dark in a sleepy Swedish town which is a now no-go zone for women after eight sex attacks in three weeks.

Women have been warned by police not to walk alone at night after the once peaceful town of Ostersund was shaken to its core by a string of vicious attacks on females and even children by groups of young men of 'foreign origin'.

First, two 10-year-old girls were groped at a bus stop by a gang of men who threatened to rape them.

The following day, a woman told police she was punched in the face, splitting her eyebrow, by a man who threatened to kill her after he made a rude comment to her.

Just five days later a woman walking on her own was attacked by three men, beaten and pushed to the ground.

They held her down and forced their fingers into her mouth while saying offensive, sexual words to her.

And in the latest incident just five days ago, a woman had to use martial arts to elbow her would-be rapist in the head and escape after three men surrounded her and punched to the ground and tried to pull her trousers down.

Police in Ostersund, with a population of 45,000, say they have never seen anything like this before.

They took the unprecedented move of calling a press conference on Monday to warn women to stay indoors.

Stephen Jerand, the county police commissioner, admitted police in the town are struggling to cope  adding that the surge in attacks seem unreal.

He told MailOnline: 'We called the press meeting this Monday because we have seen an accelerating development here.

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Fear: The residents of the Swedish town of Ostersund, population 45,000, are living in fear after police this week told women not to walk alone on the city streets at night following a spate of sex attacks

Deserted: The police's dire warning has turned the city into a virtual ghost town at night (pictured) and left women terrified that the situation is now 'out of hand'

Centre: Many blame rise in sex crimes on the new arrivals and police said victims told them attackers were of 'foreign origin'. None of the men in this picture are believed to be responsible for the attacks. They are pictured at a migrant centre holding 500 people near Ostersund

Influx: Ostersund, where the string of sex attacks have occurred, is located in central Sweden (illustrated), 350 miles north west of Stockholm, and has a population of just 44,000

BEATEN, GROPED AND THREATENED WITH RAPE: SWEDISH POLICE GIVE DETAILS OF THE BRUTAL ATTACKS February 20: Two ten-year-old girls were groped by a group of adult men. Police say the men surrounded the girls at a bus station and started to touch them while threatening to rape them. Adults saw what was happening and intervened before the men escaped. February 21: A women was walking alone at midnight in the town centre when a man passing by made sexual remark. The woman responded by calling him an 'idiot'. He punched her, splitting her eyebrow and threatened to kill her. He was interrupted by passers-by and fled. February 26: A women walking to work near the university was attacked by three men, beaten and pushed to the ground. They held her down and forced their fingers into her mouth while saying offensive, sexual words to her. Taleb Moafagh, 22, was arrested over the incident. February 27: Police saw men surround a group of women and grope them outside a nightclub. When police tried to intervene, a drunken brawl broke out between men coming out of the club and the sex attackers fled. March 2: Two women walking home from a bar were stopped by a group of men who told them: 'Girls should not be out at this time of the night' - before pushing them into a corner and groping them, then wandered off, laughing. March 5: A woman walking by herself was threatened by a man in passing car, who screamed at her he would get his friends to 'rape and murder' her. When she ran off, he chased her but she managed to get to her apartment before he reached her. March 6: A women walking home alone was whistled at by a man. When she told him to stop, he hit her in the head with his fist. She fell down and he punched her a second time, pushed her head into the snow and screamed at her he would rape and kill her before fleeing. March 6: The same day another woman was walking home from a restaurant was attacked by three men. She was hit in the stomach by two of the men and shoved to the ground. A third man began undoing her trousers, but she managed to hit him in the head with her elbow. He started bleeding and fled. She later told police she was trained in martial arts - a skill police say saved her from being raped. Advertisement

'This is a small town where groups of men are attacking women during the night. We wanted to warn the public and urge women not to walk home on the streets in the central part of the town after dark, because it is not safe.

'The situation is tense. We have never experienced anything like this before. It is almost unreal. Eight attacks and just three this last weekend. This is a quiet part of Sweden where we barely have had any attacks on women and now this.'

Officers are confident they will catch the perpetrators and say victims claim their attackers were of 'foreign origin'.

So far only one man, whose nationality is unknown, has been arrested.

Taleb Moafagh, 22, was caught allegedly attempting to flee to Germany on board a ferry in southern Sweden. He was detained in connection to an attack on February 26.

For those living in the town surrounded by mountains, 350 miles north-west of Stockholm, there is no doubt where to find these criminals: among the migrant men who have arrived in droves in recent months, forcing them off the streets of the town they call home.

An asylum centre has opened 10km outside the town holding 500 refugees, mostly from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.

Many within the community have blamed the migrants for the attacks. Police have not released any nationalities of suspects but have admitted victims described their attackers as men of 'foreign origin'.

Commissioner Jerand added: 'We have had a lot of problems with immigration. It strikes our resources really hard. We are often called out to asylum centres.

'We see increasing violence towards women and children at the centres and do not really have the resources to cope with everything.'

The string of assaults began on February 20, when the two young schoolgirls were groped.

Fortunately, a number of adults saw what was happening and intervened - but the attackers fled from the scene before police could arrive.

Warning: Stephen Jerand, the county police commissioner, called a press conference on Monday to warn women not to walk alone at night. He described the situation in the city as 'tense' and 'almost unreal'. Police say they are struggling to cope

Concern: Josefine Larsson, 16, told MailOnline it was 'really worrying' the streets were no longer safe after dark and she hoped police would arrest the 'psychopaths' responsible for the string of horrific crimes

Defiant: Gry Abrahamsson, 16, vowed to never again walk the city streets alone at night. She described the attacks as 'really creepy' and expressed amazement that it would be so bad police were warning people to stay home

'Terrifying': Sofia Backstrom, 19, said it was 'both annoying and terrifying' that there are so many attacks on women with eight in the last three weeks alone

Wary: Jennifer Edin (left), 24, believed the perpetrators would not attack a woman with a baby. But given the police warnings, Lovis Jonsson, 16 (right), vowed to never go out alone after dark

Other incidents include women being molested outside a nightclub, a group of women walking home being groped by a laughing mob of men, and a woman being told she would be raped and murdered.

Even before this weeks warning, the women and teenagers who live in the city were too terrified to walk alone at night, telling MailOnline the situation has got 'out of hand'.

Josefine Larsson, 16, told MailOnline it is 'really worrying' and that she is frightened to out late on her own.

'Everyone is saying that there are immigrants responsible for this. But they are always blamed when something goes wrong, she said.

'Hopefully the police will eventually arrest these psychopaths and then we will see who they are.'

Bodil Stromquist, also 16, said she and her friends were taking 'every type of precaution' possible before leaving the house, but added it must be resolved before the situation spirals out of control.

'As a girl you have to judge every man that passes by, does he look suspicious or not, could he attack me?'

However, others said the situation had already got 'out of hand', and admitted they were 'terrified' to go outside after dark.

Lovis Jonsson, 16, said: 'It is terrible that women are the ones who are targeted. I feel afraid and exposed. I will never go out by myself after dark after the police warnings.'

Gry Abrahamsson, also 16, told MailOnline: 'It is really creepy what is going on in town. I never thought the police in a small town like this would have to tell women to stay inside because of groups of men attacking innocent women during the night. This has gotten out of hand.

'I am scared and will never walk by myself during night time here again. Tonight I am out with a friend and we are meeting a few other friends to go to a restaurant.

'We are in contact with our parents throughout the evening. This is now the normal procedure for us.'

Gang rapes: There have been eight attacks reported to police in the city since February 20, including the attempted rape of a woman and multiple instances of packs of men groping young women
He is described as being 125 centimetre tall with a blonde shaved head

Koby could be at significant risk given his young age

Koby Phoenix Chandler was last seen outside his house on Joan Street in Southport at about 4pm on Thursday wearing his Southport State School uniform

Police are desperately searching for a seven-year-old boy who last seen playing out the front of his Gold Coast home.

Koby Phoenix Chandler was last seen outside his house on Joan Street in Southport at about 4pm on Thursday wearing his Southport State School uniform.

Police are now investigating a 15-minute gap when he was last seen playing to when he vanished at 4pm.

Queensland Police issued an amber alert regarding his disappearance late on Thursday night.

A search was conducted last night involving the police helicopter, volunteers from the State Emergency Service and police without success.

Police are asking residents in the Southport area to check their yards and any sheds, cubby houses, caravans, boats or vehicles where a child may be seeking shelter.

'The witnesses that we have located observed the young boy playing out the front of his house. There's been a 15-minute gap where no-one has seen him,' Inspector Scott MacQueen told ABC Radio.

'When people have returned he has not been located.

'There is an option there that he may have wandered off, however, there is nothing suspicious at this point that we are aware of.

'We are obviously investigating that and making further inquiries.'

Police are asking residents in the Southport area to check their yards and any sheds, cubby houses, caravans, boats or vehicles in the hope of finding the seven-year-old

Koby is described as 120-125cm tall of slim build, with blonde, shaved hair.

He was last seen wearing a Southport State School uniform which is a light blue polo shirt, dark blue shorts and grey shoes.

A police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that they do not believe he is with anyone known to the family.

Anyone with information on Koby's whereabouts should contact Crime Stoppers immediately on 1800 333 000.
Authorities in New Mexico were searching Thursday for two violent convicts who escaped from a prisoner transport van and likely got a head start of several hours in a rural area of New Mexico before guards realized they were gone.

Wanted are Joseph Cruz, a convicted murderer, and Lionel Clah, who pleaded guilty to armed robbery in 2009.

It appeared neither of the corrections officers had checked on the prisoners between the two stops in a stretch of nearly 200 miles, New Mexico Corrections Secretary Gregg Marcantel said.

Mercantel couldn't say exactly when and where the convicts had made their escape.

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State Police investigators faced the daunting task of searching a wide swath of New Mexico for Joseph Cruz (left), a convicted murderer, and Lionel Clah (right), who pleaded guilty to armed robbery in 2009

A Facebook post from the New Mexico Corrections Department said the men escaped from this van

It was likely a failure in the transport  not a breakdown in the system  that led to the men's escape, he said.

'In almost every case that you have a set of circumstances like this, it is not a matter of a lack of policies, a lack of systems, a lack of structure,' Marcantel said. 'It's a matter of somehow or another we failed in that structure.'

Both Cruz and Clah were shackled with leg irons and belly chains and wearing white prison jumpsuits before they fled. They were later seen on hotel surveillance video that surfaced Thursday afternoon showing each wearing jeans. Clah was wearing a red T-shirt, and Cruz was wearing a tan shirt with a collar.

The video was from around 4:30 a.m. Thursday, about seven hours after authorities believe the men made their escape and at least 200 miles north of where corrections officers reported seeing them last.

The breakout took place during the men's trip from the Penitentiary of New Mexico to the Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility, according to CNN.

They were last accounted for around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday with three other inmates being transported between prisons in Roswell and Las Cruces.

Corrections officers didn't realize Cruz and Clah were missing until around 1 a.m. Thursday. The public was alerted several hours later.

The men were later seen on hotel surveillance video that surfaced Thursday afternoon showing each wearing jeans. Clah was wearing a red T-shirt, and Cruz was wearing a tan shirt with a collar

Artesia Police Department officers join New Mexico State Police, SWAT, and other agencies gather while investigating a lead in the morning at a home in Artesia, New Mexico

The men should be considered armed and dangerous, authorities said.

Cruz, 32, has been serving a life sentence since 2007 for killing a man over drugs in Raton in northern New Mexico.

Clah, 29, was convicted in Farmington in 2009 of armed robbery and assault with intent to commit a violent felony on a peace officer.

Cruz has the word 'TRIBAL' tattooed on his neck, while 'SHIPROCK NATIVE' is tattooed on Clah's neck and feathers has been inked on his left cheek.

'Pretty hard to miss,' Marcantel said at a news conference in Santa Fe.

New Mexico State Police wrote in a Facebook post: 'Lionel Clah is described as a Native American male, twenty-nine (29) years of age, five feet eleven inches (5' 11") tall, weighing one hundred seventy-five (175) pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.'

The post said: 'Joseph Cruz is described as a Hispanic male, thirty-two (32) years of age, five feet five inches (5'5") tall, weighing one hundred sixty-five (165) pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair.'

Albuquerque police tweeted this message Thursday night asking that residents stay inside

Authorities were struggling as they searched for the men.

'At the end of the day, it's really going to be probably solved by someone who calls us,' Marcantel said.

The search was joined by the U.S. Border Patrol and local police departments, and it involved dogs, aircraft and foot patrols. State police also were seeking surveillance footage from the gas station in Artesia where the van had stopped.

A perimeter was set up by police in northwest Albuquerque 6pm Thursday, KOB reported.

The convicts are thought to be there, a police spokesman told the TV station.

'At a 7 p.m. news conference, APD said officers got a tip the two men were traveling in a car on Coors. Police followed the car until the two escapees got out of the car and ran,' KOB reported.

According to the TV station, a woman fled after getting out of the vehicle. She was apprehended 'and is being questioned,' KOB reported.

A foot search is underway, according to the TV station.

Albuquerque police tweeted Thursday night: 'Active search for escapees still underway. If you live in the area remain inside and call 911 in an emergency. Thank you for your patience.'

Authorities stop motorists on U.S. 285 between Roswell and Artesia, as part of the hunt for the two missing inmates Thursday

A police spokesman revealed the search would keep going at night while speaking at a press conference that took place at 9:50pm, KOB reported.

Investigators were trying to determine if the escape was planned or spontaneous.

'This must be investigated as something more organized,' Marcantel said. 'We can't just assume an opportunity (presented itself).'

The escape comes after Corrections Department officials warned of dangerously low staffing levels at prison facilities across the state and of low wages that made it difficult to keep qualified officers on staff.

In November, another inmate fled a minimum-security facility south of Albuquerque in the middle of the night after a series of missteps by the state.

'People are rightly concerned about what's happening with the escapees,' Artesia Police Commander Lindell Smith said Thursday.
Andre Hatchett, 49, spent 25 years in jail for a crime he didn't commit before walking free Thursday

An intellectually challenged man who spent 25 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit was exuberant Thursday as a Brooklyn court overturned his conviction and declared him a free man.

'I told y'all I didn't do this,' Andre Hatchett said inside Brooklyn Supreme Court after his wrongful conviction for a 1991 murder was thrown out.

'I'm so happy to be free again. I lost my son, my mom and my dad while in here. I'm home again,' Hatchett said, according to the New York Daily News.

Hatchett's lawyers said they'd found the murder case was tainted with a dubious star witness, prosecutorial mistakes that denied Hatchett key information and defense lawyers who failed him at not one but two trials.

'Because I knew I didn't do it, I knew I was going to be home one day,' a cheerful Hatchett, 49, said as he left court, pausing to hug relatives and hoist two grandchildren into his arms.

The murder victim had been found dead, naked, beaten and dragged into a cross-like position in a park.

And Hatchett had an instant connection to the crime: He was a friend who left her apartment with her that night.

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Andre Hatchett, center, stands between his lawyers Barry Scheck, left, and Seema Saifee, right, as he speaks about his faith in his innocence, during a hearing on his exoneration in court, Thursday March 10, 2016

Left: Andre Hatchett, second from left, hugs family after his exoneration in court on Thursday. Right: Hatchett pictured in prison last year

His 1991 case was among more than 100 often decades-old convictions that Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson's office has been revisiting in one of the most ambitious reviews of its kind nationwide.

So far, prosecutors have disavowed 19 convictions and are standing by 38 others.

Hatchett's case, Assistant District Attorney Mark Hale said, was one of 'systemic failure'.

Prosecutors' star witness originally named another man as the killer, yet police and prosecutors then credited the witness when he picked Hatchett from a lineup.

Prosecutors never told Hatchett's lawyers the witness had initially pointed to someone else. The witness falsely denied on the stand that he'd smoked crack the day of the killing.

And the fact that Hatchett had injuries that raise doubts about his ability to carry out the crime went unmentioned at trial, even by his own attorneys.

One was so inept that a judge declared a mistrial, and the next was hardly vigorous, giving only an 11-minute closing argument, Hale said.

And Hatchett could hardly help his defense: Because of lifelong intellectual disabilities, he was barely able to read or write at the time, his lawyers said.

Andre Hatchett holds his grandnephew K'mel Hawkins, three, for the first time. Hachett is the 19th wrongfully-convicted prisoner freed by the Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson's Conviction Review Unit

Convicted at the second trial, Hatchett was serving 25 years to life in the February 1991 killing of Neda Mae Carter, who was strangled and beaten in the head.

She was 38 and lived in a rooming house where Hatchett frequently visited his aunt, according to his lawyers.

After her killing, Hatchett cooperated with police and gave an alibi, according to his legal team, which includes the Innocence Project and defense lawyer James Brochin.

A week later, a suspect in an unrelated burglary, Gerald 'Jerry' Williams, told police he and a friend had seen the killing in the park.

He identified a suspect, but that man turned out to have a powerful alibi: He was in jail.

Then police put Hatchett in a lineup, and Williams picked him out. So did Williams' friend, though she was unsure at first and was never called to testify, Hatchett's lawyers said.

Williams' switch in suspects cast his reliability into question, so prosecutors should have disclosed it, Hale said, attributing their failure to carelessness.

Andre Hatchett, center, stands next to his lawyer Barry Scheck as he holds a press conference after his exoneration

Andre Hatchett, exits court a free man with his lawyer Barry Scheck, center. He served 25 years in the killing of Neda Mae Carter

Meanwhile, Hatchett's jurors never heard that on the day of the killing, he was on crutches, having been shot in the legs and trachea months earlier.

Prosecutors now agree those injuries would have made it nearly impossible for him to drag Carter's body and shout at the witnesses, as Williams described.

The assistant district attorney who tried the case is no longer a prosecutor and didn't immediately return a message Thursday. The judge and Hatchett's trial defense lawyer have died. Contact information for Williams couldn't immediately be found.

Hatchett was denied parole in November, with a parole board noting disciplinary write-ups that included fighting and defying orders, according to state prison system records.

On Thursday, Hatchett restarted his life with a celebratory barbecue lunch with his family though also with thoughts of the mother, brother, son and other loved ones who died while he was in prison.

'I just kept holding on, holding on,' he said. 'And now I'm going to get back up.'

Andre Hatchett, center, walks from court followed by family after his exoneration
A Virginia jail is no longer allowing its inmates to receive personal photographs in the mail.

Officials at the Western Virginia Regional Jail in Salem, Virginia, intercepted drug-soaked pictures, the Roanoke Times reported.

Bobby Russell, the jail superintendent, told the newspaper they were saturated in liquid suboxone.

The drug is able to be absorbed through chewing, the newspaper reported.

Suboxone is used to treat opiate addiction.

Officials intercepted drug-soaked pictures at the Western Virginia Regional Jail in Salem, Virginia (pictured)

Russell told the newspaper it can be difficult for investigators to detect suboxone, especially on photos.

Suboxone leaves a slight yellow stain on white paper, according to the Roanoke Times.

Russell said: 'And you can do this with a number of drugs.

'You can do it with crystal meth. You can do it with drugs you can liquefy.'

Due to the issue, the jail already banned papers with drawings or paintings, as well as all nonwhite paper, the newspaper said.

New River Valley Regional Jail Superintendent Gerald Peak also spoke to the Roanoke Times, saying inmates at that jail cannot get nonwhite paper and drawings. He also revealed greeting cards are prohibited.

Peak told the newspaper: 'Some greeting cards are kind of embossed or raised on the front, and people were taking those cards and they were putting a really thick coating of nontoxic glue.

'They put it over the picture on the card, then take a needle and inject the narcotic into that glue before it dries.'

Bobby Russell is the jail's superintendent and has said the photos were saturated in in liquid suboxone. A syringe containing suboxone is seen in this file photo

Russell with the Western Virginia Regional Jail told the Roanoke Times: 'We stopped it at this point to determine our best avenue for detection or other alternatives for the inmates to receive pictures.

'We understand people want to see their kids and family members and everything, but we have to think about the safety of the inmates.'
The former butler's admiration for Trump makes sense considering he is still employed by the Donald as an estate

Senecal refused to say much when criticisms of his boss were bought up, though he did say he believes Trump S

National Flag Day was not declared by an Act of Congress until 1949 - three years after Trump was born

He also stated Trump will always have an interest in Americans and do what is best for the US because he was born on Flag Day

multiple times over the course of the brief interview

Donald Trump's former butler of 16 years opened up about his boss in a bizarre interview on Thursday that at times played like a campaign ad for the Republican front-runner.

Tony Senecal had nothing but effusive praise for Trump, who he called 'incredibly generous' and 'just a nice guy' while speaking with CNN host Carol Costello.

Trump was also described as a 'patriot,' 'very patriotic person' and heralded for his 'patriotism' by Senecal.

The former butler then took some time to explain why Trump has such an interest in Americans and will always want what is best for this country, saying that it all boils down to one thing - the fact that he was born on Flag Day.

He did not point out that there were far fewer parades and events celebrating Flag Day back then however, as National Flag Day was not declared by an Act of Congress until 1949 - three years after Trump was born.

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Huge fan: Donald Trump's butler of 16 years Tony Senecal (above) appeared on CNN Friday to speak about his boss in a bizarre interview

Key words: Senecal referred to Trump as a patriot and hailed his generosity multiple times over the course of the brief interview

'His interest in the American people. His patriotism. The man was born on Flag Day. He's a very patriotic person and he wants what's best for this country,' explained Senecal.

And while not a holiday when The Donald came into the world, June 14 had been established as Flag Day following a 1916 proclamation made by President Woodrow Wilson which encouraged Americans to fly the stars and stripes for one week in June.

Most parades and celebrations did not begin until the second half of the twentieth century though, with the oldest dating back to 1950 and being held in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Senecal did not just focus on Trump's patriotism either, spending just as much if not more time revealing how 'generous' his boss is to various groups of people.

'He's an incredibly generous person. He's been generous to his employees. He's generous to strangers. He's an entirely a nice guy,' said Senecal.

'He's not the gruff person that people make him out to be. Sure, you attack him, he's going to fight back. But most of the time he's just a nice man.

'I lasted with him for 20 years, he had to be pretty good.'

He then provided concrete proof for that last statement as pictures of Senecal and Trump taken over the years were displayed on the screen.

Senecal's admiration for Trump and difficulty acknowledging negative attacks made on the man also began to make more sense when it was revealed that despite being a former butler he is still very much in the employ of Trump and works as the estate historian at Mar-a-Lago, The Donald's Palm Beach mansion.

Payroll: The former butler's admiration for Trump makes sense considering he is still employed by the Donald as an estate historian at Mar-a-Lago

The rest of the interview was far less interesting or revealing as Senecal proved to be a man of very, very few words, and Costello mostly asked him questions he could answer with a simple 'yes' or 'no.'

Senecal also did little to move the interview forward resulting in many awkward silences in the few minutes he was on the air.

He did become slightly fired up though at one point while defending his boss' steak, water and magazine companies which all either went out of business or massively downsized shortly after they made their debut.

Senecal not only said these were all successful ventures, but also got so heated he used an abbreviation of a swear word in his confusing response, saying; 'That it wasn't true that he didn't have the water, that he didn't have the magazine, that he didn't have a steak. It is all bull.'

In the end, Senecal's biggest revealtion may have been the one everyone already knows - what you see if what you get with Trump.

Costello asked him ahead of Thursday's Republican debate if the Trump on stage is the same Trump he has known for the past few decades, to which Senecal responded; 'No, he's the man that I know. For 20-some years we carried on that same debate.'
A five metre Great White shark decided to tag along on with a group of friends on a fishing trip on Thursday, circling their boat as they floated in the middle of the ocean.

Leigh Munn was fishing with friends 20km off of Port Victoria in South Australia when all of a sudden the massive Great White appeared out of nowhere.

Two dolphins and a couple of Hammerhead sharks came and hung around the boat for about 20 minutes before it went quiet, within minutes this beautiful girl started circling us, Mr Munn told Shark Alerts South Australia.

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If you look closely you can make out the shape of the enormous shark as it circles the boat, travelling right to left in this image

A five metre Great White shark decided to tag along on with a group of friends on a fishing trip on Thursday (pictured centre)

The shark was not aggressive but made it clear that it was her territory, fisherman Leigh Munn said (stock photo)

The shark was not aggressive but made it clear that it was her territory, he said.

Mr Munn grabbed his phone to film the Great White as soon as he spotted it and noticed it was larger than their fishing boat, which is five metres long.

Oooh holy S***, Mr Munn is heard saying as the shark inches closer to the boat.

That is a big girl, he says with a shaky voice before suggesting the men bring their boat back to the shore and out of the sharks territory.
A conman in Melbourne's south-east is meeting women on dating sites and then stealing their cars for use in other robberies.

Police are on the hunt for the wannabe Lothario who has already duped at least two women after organising to meet up with them.

The Herald-Sun reports that detectives from the Frankston Criminal Investigation Unit believe others have been tricked by his sweet-talking ways.

A surveillance video image of a man police say can assist with their investigations in Melbourne's south-east

'Dating sites can create a barrier (to) people coming to us,' Senior Constable Richard Thomson told the website.

'But Im hoping (this) might give them some confidence to come forward.'

A CCTV image has been released by detectives of a man who they hope can assist with their enquiries.

On the first occasion in early January he targeted a woman in the rural suburb of Langwarrin, about 40 kilometres south-east of Melbourne's CBD.

It was allegedly used to drive to Somerville, 10 kilometres away, when he met another woman and her vehicle was also taken by the man.

The Herald-Sun has also stated that police believe the first stolen car was used in a liquor store robbery and the other destroyed in a fire.

The man detectives hope to speak to is believed to be aged between 25 and 30, 173 centimetres in height with black hair, shaved at the sides.

It's believed he also has a tattoo of a heart with an arrow on his left hand.
Police have risked the life of homeless super-hoarder Sonia Gonzalez by confiscating dozens of cartloads of her trash, she has claimed in an exclusive interview with Daily Mail Online.

Her mountain of belongings kept her safe at night as she slept on the streets, she said.

And already, just a day after the New York City cops destroyed her stash, she has started building it back up. By Thursday afternoon she had two laundry carts loaded with empty bottles, plastic and other thrown-away items and a dolly topped with a large cardboard box full of more trash.

Gonzalez, 60, told Daily Mail Online she protects herself at night by surrounding herself with the shopping carts she said have been given to her over the years.

I put sticks between the wheels so people cant just move them quickly out of the way, she said. I sleep with one eye open so I can hear them coming.

Sonia Gonzalez, 60, told Daily Mail Online she protects herself at night by surrounding herself with the shopping carts she said have been given to her over the years. Now she feels her life is in danger

Just a day after the New York City cops destroyed her stash, she has started building it back up. By Thursday afternoon she had two laundry carts loaded with empty bottles, plastic and other thrown-away items

Choo Choo also scooped up a dolly topped with a large cardboard box full of more trash

But now, with just much lighter laundry carts that can be shoved aside easily by anyone who wants to harm her, she feels her life could be in danger.

Gonzalez had been dragging her collection  that by Wednesday had reached 20 grocery carts, 14 laundry carts, eight suitcases, two large crates and a dolly  around the city for years. But then officials deemed them obstructive, saying they got in the way of both traffic and pedestrians.

Locals call her Choo-Choo, because of the train of carts she had built up over the years, she said.

Ive been to New Jersey. Ive been to Connecticut. Ive been to Massachusetts. Ive been to Pennsylvania. Ive been to Chicago. But the buildings arent safe there. Its the way theyre built. So I came back here.

Police officers and sanitation workers threw away nearly all of Gonzalez' stuff by Wednesday night, and were hoping to convince her to seek help at a homeless shelter.

But it was a forlorn hope. Gonzalez insists she is safer living on the streets of Manhattan than going inside a city shelter. I dont go to those places, she said.

She spent Wednesday night in the doorway of an apartment building, made safer by a security guard, lights and a camera, she told Daily Mail Online. But the guard only works Mondays-to-Thursdays, she said, so she has to build her stash up quickly if she is to feel secure by Friday night.

Gonzalez insisted that she is not just a hoarder, the stuff she picks out of the garbage helps keep her safe at night. Looking down at the two laundry carts she had managed to acquire by Thursday afternoon, she pointed out they are nowhere near as sturdy and could easily be moved.

Gonzalez, who says she is married to a man called Mike, who spends six months in Miami and the other six in New York, insists people are out to get her. In her rambling interview, she claimed three men  who she described as a Mexican, a Cuban and an African  were responsible for her downward spiral, which she claimed had gone from working for the Department of Motor Vehicles, to life on the streets.

The men, she claims, had called police on her, claiming she was having sex on the streets. Look at me, she said. I have shopping carts. Prostitutes have cars.

Choo Choo told Daily Mail Online senior reporter Martin Gould that she had been married twice and lost her four-year-old twins in an automobile accident

She also claimed she had a home in a city building in the Hells Kitchen area of the city, but she couldnt go there because it had been damaged by fire

She also claimed she had a home in a city building in the Hells Kitchen area of the city, but she couldnt go there because it had been damaged by fire.

None of Gonzalezs claims were able to be easily verified.

She said she had gone for a shower at a city pool, where she had to sign in, when the fire was started. She claimed it was because she had signed in that her enemies knew she was not in the building.

As Daily Mail Online spoke to Gonzalez on New Yorks 10th Avenue, several people walked by giving her words of encouragement. They should never have taken your stuff, said one young man. Go get more.

Gonzalez says she was born in Puerto Rico and came to New York when she was 16. She said she has been married twice and had twin boys who were killed in a road accident when they were 4.

She said she has traveled extensively outside of the Big Apple. Ive been to New Jersey. Ive been to Connecticut. Ive been to Massachusetts. Ive been to Pennsylvania. Ive been to Chicago. But the buildings arent safe there. Its the way theyre built. So I came back here.

Wearing at least four layers of thick clothing, topped off by the same blue New York fleece jacket she had been wearing when cops confiscated her belongings the previous day, Gonzalez said she was on her way to 35th Street to feed the pigeons.

Sonia Gonzalez, 60, lies on the ground on Wednesday as two NYPD officers looks on

Sanitation workers assisted by police threw Sonia Gonzalez' stuff in a dump truck

Gonzalez, right had been hauling her trash train through the city for years

City authorities said they tried to get Gonzalez to seek help with homeless services

A friend of mine always used to feed them, but he died, she said. They like my food, rice and bread.

She said she is also trying to get her little dog Baby, out of an ASPCA shelter where he had been placed by animal welfare officials.

They wanted to get him away from me, she claimed. I put him in his crate but he started growling, so I took him out. Then I put him back in again and it started again and the same thing happened again and again. I thought he was going to have a heart attack.

Then I looked at his blanket and it was covered with two gallons of ice. They had poured frozen water on to his blanket, no wonder he didnt want to be there.

But they shouldnt have taken him from me.

Gonzalez said she managed to hold on to a change of clothes during Wednesdays raid, although most of the rest of her belongings, which included bottles and cans, an air conditioner, shower curtain rods, a wire shelving unit, a Hannah Montana kids laundry hamper and a pair of New Balance sneakers, were destroyed.

During the raid, Gonzalez was heard shouting at cops 'You arent listening you son of a b***h!', and at one point lay down on the ground in protest.

Speaking to Daily Mail Online after the raid, she said police tend not to bother her, but sometimes members of the public do phone 911 to complain about her.

When asked why she had such a large number of carts and possessions, Gonzalez said it is so she can sell them and make some money.

Gonzalez speaks to NYPD officers as her trash train is being thrown away on Wednesday

Sanitation workers were assisted by NYPD officers as they threw Gonzalez' possessions in the trash

She mostly hangs out in Hell's Kitchen, on Manhattans West Side, but is constantly on the move - always with her belongings in tow. She secures the items to her carts with rope and plastic twine.

Gonzales told the New York Post that people sometimes give her $5 or $10, which she says she takes 'to stop them feeling bad.'

But her hoard has been criticized by nearby workers who have complained she is bringing down the tone of the neighborhood.

One construction worker at 10 Hudson Yards told the Post: 'Someone needs to call Sanitation and have that crap thrown out.

'You don't want to go back to what [the neighborhood] was 20 years ago.'

And a driver moaned: 'This stinks. She needs to move her stuff!'

But according to a doorman who works between 41st and 42nd street, Gonzalez has been hauling her great load for years and he has never seen any police officers address her.

A City Hall spokesman said: 'Because this persons possessions are obstructing the sidewalk and traffic, homeless outreach teams and NYPD will again approach the client to attempt to convince her to accept shelter in an available Safe Haven location.'

'The NYPD personnel will go through her possessions with her and voucher any possessions of hers of value,' the official told the Post.

'If this individual refuses a Safe Haven location, the homeless outreach teams will continue to engage her over the next few days to convince her to come into shelter.'

Sonia Gonzalez has been hauling her enormous load - which stretches an entire block - around New York City for years

Her collection includes bottles and cans, an air conditioner, shower curtain rods, a wire shelving unit, Hannah Montana kids laundry hamper and a pair of New Balance sneakers

Gonzalez generally moves her carts one or two blocks at a time, as pictured above
Murdered student Jamie Gao was wearing a clear latex glove on his right hand when he died, it has been revealed.

Under his clothes he had a number of tattoos, including one traditional Chinese character that can be loosely translated to 'brotherhood' or 'friendship' in English.

Also, he may have been sitting down when he was shot and killed on May 20, 2014, according to a forensic pathologist who gave evidence to the NSW Supreme Court on Thursday, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

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Murdered student Jamie Gao was wearing a clear latex glove on his right hand when he died

This traditional Chinese character tattooed on Mr Gao's body can be loosely translated to 'brotherhood' or 'friendship'

Prosecutors allege Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara murdered Mr Gao, a 20-year-old university student and alleged drug dealer, in a storage shed before stripping him of 2.78kg of ice and dumping his body at sea.

His body was found floating off the coast of Cronulla in Sydney's south, and when the silver Ocean & Earth surfboard bag was unzipped Mr Gao was found to be wearing a watch and a clear latex glove on one hand.

During questioning on Thursday Dr Kendall Bailey - who performed an autopsy on Mr Gao - revealed that the 20-year-old could have been sitting down when he was shot twice in the chest and killed.

'I agree that's a potential scenario that could result in those trajectories [of the bullets],' she said.

His body was found floating off the coast of Cronulla in Sydney's south in May 2014

These photographs of his other tattoos were released following Mr Gao's autopsy

Mr Gao was wearing a black Jay-Jays t-shirt, blue Calvin Klein jeans, a black Bermuda jacket, Dolce & Gabbana underpants and white, high-top Lacoste shoes.

His body had many tattoes, one of which read: 'Every saint has a past every sinner has a future'.

Mr Rogerson and Mr McNamara have both been charged with drug offences and murder. They have pleaded not-guilty to all charges.




Vladimir Putin has made no secret about his plans to modernise his country's navy.

And it has now emerged that Russia's largest ships are to be fitted with its newest missiles as part of an estimated 20trillion rouble (245billion) naval overhaul.

The Kirov-class battle cruisers were some of the biggest and heaviest in the world, but have fallen out of use since their launch in the early 1980s with just one - the Pyotr Velikiy (Peter the Great) still afloat.

Instead of letting the rest of ships rust away in dry dock, the navy is said to be starting its gradual re-haul of two of the four nuclear-powered ocean giants.

First to be kitted out with cutting-edge new weapons, sensors and engines will be the third battle cruiser, the 252-metre-long Admiral Nakhimov, Russian news agency Tass reported.

The Admiral Nakhimov is thought to have received 900million in funding from the Kremlin in 2011 to begin its military rehaul, which will take place in a shipyard near the Finnish border

The 800-foot long Admiral Nakhimov in the early days of its sailing. It was launched in April 1986 but is thought to have been out of action since 1999

Pyotr Velikiy (Peter the Great) during a naval exercise in the Baltic Sea, near Kaliningrad. It will likely undergo a huge modernisation to have it fitted with cutting-edge missiles and sonar technology

She will rejoin the navy's Northern Fleet in 2019, according to Foxtrot Alpha, which reported that the Admiral Nakhimov will have multi-purpose vertical launch systems to propel anti-ship, anti-air and surface-to-surface missiles.

It will likely also carry missiles with a range similar of those which hit Syria from the Caspian Sea, and the much-rumoured Zircon hypersonic missiles, which are due to be ready by 2020, the site said.

The Admiral Nakhimov was completed in 1986 and its redevelopment is thought to have been in the pipeline for some time, as the navy invested 50billion roubles (around 900million) in 2011 in anticipation of its overhaul, according to the Moscow Times.

When the Admiral Nakhimov is re-launched in 2019, the still-sailing Northern Fleet flagship Pyotr Velikiy will be brought in to undergo the same modernisation.

The Pyotr Velikiy will have some repairs done at the Murmansk shipyard, close to the Finnish border before being moved to Severodvinsk, further east along the coastline, when the shipyard has space after Admiral Nakhimov is finished.

The Pyotr Velikiy will go in for repairs when the Admiral Nakhimov is completed in 2019 as part of a huge overhaul plan underway in the Russian navy, which had its heyday in the 1980s when these ships were new

PYOTR VELIKIY: IN NUMBERS Launched: 1996 Length: 252 m (827 ft) 230 m (750 ft) (waterline) Beam: 28.5 m (94 ft) Draft: 9.1 m (30 ft) Speed: 32 knots (59km/h) People on board: 727 Missiles: 288 Rocket launchers: 4 Torpedo tubes: 10 Advertisement

Two other boats in the fleet, Admiral Ushakov and Admiral Lazarev (also known as Frunze until 1992), are currently out of commission due to their unstable nuclear engines making them too dangerous to sail.

The red-decked Admiral Lazarev is laid up in a town port town called Fokino near the North Korean border and will be third in line for modernisation some time after 2020, if given the green light.

Russia has plans for a three-staged revamp of its navy, starting with submarines.

Smaller ships will make up the second part of the plan and finally battle cruisers, where the money will come from remains a hotly debated topic.

But the former Soviet country announced a 5 per cent cut to its defence budget earlier in March.

This is due to falling oil prices and ongoing Western sanctions following conflict with Ukraine.

Though the Pyotr Velikiy is in action now, its nuclear propeller system was once so unstable that there were fears it could 'explode at any time'. Putin, in naval uniform, has invested billions of roubles in upgrading the country's defences

'There is nothing better to both counter a [US carrier battle group] force and project power onto an Islamic State-type rogue nation for the foreseeable future,' Maxim Shepovalenko, a retired Russian navy officer, now an expert at the Center for the Analysis of Strategies and Technologies told the Moscow Times.

'In the case of the Pyotr Velikiy, we have a nuclear-powered ship with theoretically unlimited endurance [that is] a sort of versatile arsenal, stuffed with a full range of guided missiles  including up to 80 cruise missiles and 216 surface-to-air missiles,' he added.

The news about Russia's battle cruiser plans gives weight to a US report released last December which said that the country would make 'strides in fielding a 21st-century navy capable of a dependable national defense' over the next decade.

The red-decked Admiral Lazarev is laid up in a town port town called Fokino near the North Korean border and will be third in line for modernisation some time after 2020, if given the green light

The report explained how the modern Russian navy is 'an advanced, globally capable force' and says its 'role within the Russian state and armed forces should be clearly understood'.

Eric Wertheim, an independent naval analyst, said the Historic Transition report and its predecessor are both example of the United States comparing the capabilities of its naval force against Russia's.

Wertheim said: 'It is almost as if time was paused for 20-plus years between the two naval reportsand now the Russian navy and military is reawakening from its slumber.

'This latest report from ONI allows us to take stock of this newly awakened and growing force.'

Russia's navy already has 56 submarines, 31 major surface ships and 99 minor surface vessels and the future 21st-century version is 'projected to be more capable on a unit-by-unit basis'.
All migrants were sent back to Indonesia on a fishing boat

Border Force denies sinking the boat, say they were assisting

As they entered Australia shores their boat suffered

The Indonesian government has been quick to criticise Australia's treatment of six asylum seekers earlier this week.

Six Bangladeshi migrants that were intercepted by Australia's border patrol on Monday were sent back to Indonesia on a fishing boat.

Sky News reported the Indonesian foreign ministry lashed out at Australia's harsh actions.

'We do not support such act, especially when done on water, it could be potentially dangerous,' said foreign ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nassir.

The six Bangledeshi men and two Indonesian crewmen set sail for Australia last week from the Eastern Indonesia city of Kupang.

A spokesperson from the Indonesian foreign ministry said 'We do not support such acts, especially when done on water' (stock image)

The boat left the Indonesia city of Kupang last week in attempt to reach Australian shores

They were on the water for three days and had reached Australian waters when the boat began sinking after troubles in with the engine.

Australian Border Forces went to their assistance.

East Nusa Tenggara water police director Teddy JS Marbun had said on Tuesday the asylum seekers, all men aged between 23 and 45, had said they had lost all their documents when their boat went down.

'They claimed that their documents, including their passports, were drowned along with the boat which was drowned by the Australians,' he said.

But Border Force commissioner, Roman Quaedvlieg, quickly denied the allegations in a twitter post.

'Vessel was NOT scuttled - was unseaworthy and sank.'

Mr Marbun also told AFP: 'After several days of sailing, the Australian customs vessel then entered Indonesia waters and handed the men over to an Indonesian fishing boat.'

It is believed the fisherman was given fuel, food and life jackets to get the migrants back to Indonesia safely.

The ABF has denied scuttling the boat, saying they were coming to the migrants assistance (stock image)

Indonesia has been critical of Australia's tough policies on asylum seekers (stock image)

The captain of the boat Isai Rano said he was paid around $7,000 AUD to take the six men to Australia.

The crew now faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison if charged with people smuggling.
West Virginia lawmakers were stricken with a stomach bug after they celebrated a new law allowing people to drink raw milk with a glass of the while stuff, an anonymous complaint to the state Bureau of Public Health claimed.

After Governor Ray Tomblin signed a new bill into law allowing Virginians to drink unpasteurized milk on March 3, Representative Scott Cadle (R-Mason) invited his colleagues to 'live dangerously' and drink some samples.

But in the days that followed some of those people - including Cadle himself - came down with a stomach bug, the Charleston Gazette-Mail reported. And now the Bureau of Public Health is investigating.

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Sickened: Rep Scott Cadle (left) celebrated a law letting people to drink raw milk by giving some to colleagues. However, he and others, including Rep Pat McGeehan (right) later fell ill. They say milk is not the cause

Law: Gov Ray Tomblin (pictured) signed the law on March 3. An anonymous person told the Bureau of Public Health that the milk drunk by lawmakers that day caused their sicknesses; an investigation is now underway

One of the affected people was Representative Pat McGeehan (R - Hancock), who told WSAZ on Tuesday that he took a 'small sip' from a cup after being stopped in a corridor by Cadle and 'tossed the rest.' He was so ill that he had to perform his interview lying down on a sofa.

However, he said he didn't think the milk was responsible for his condition. 'I didn't start getting sick until Saturday evening,' he said. 'That seems like quite a large time gap there,'

Cadle, who took a day off on Monday but returned to work on Tuesday, denies that the milk is related to the illness, which caused diarrhea, fever and vomiting. He says that it had been passing around the Capitol.

'With that many people around and that close quarters and in that air and environment, I just call it a big germ.' he told the Gazette-Mail. 'All that Capitol is is a big germ.'

He added: 'A lot of people get sick every year we go down there,' Cadle said. 'They call it the Capitol crud.'

One delegate who was taken to the hospital told WSAZ that a doctor had said it was 'unlikely' that drinking the milk caused their symptoms.

Nevertheless, the complaint led to the Bureau of Public Health starting up an investigation Tuesday.

Fresh: The new law will make it legal in Virginia to drink raw milk if you first buy a share in a cow and sign a waiver stating that you know the risks, including catching E Coli. It comes into action in 90 days

Pasteurized: At present milk in Virginia must be pasteurized, like the truckload pictured here, before it can be passed on. By giving out raw milk, Rep Cadle was technically breaking the law and could be fined $50-500

And there could still be some small repercussions for Cadle. The new law does not come into operation for 90 days, and even then it doesn't allow for just anyone to drink unpasteurized milk.

Instead, they must first buy shares in a cow and then sign a form stating that they recognize that milk can contain Listeria, salmonella and E. coli.

It replaces a bill vetoed last year by Governor Tomblin, who said that the new version 'gave a little more oversight' to government agencies.

Under current laws, anyone found selling or offering raw milk could face a fine of $50-500.

'I might have been breaking the law,' Cadle told the Gazette-Mail. 'Hell, I dont know. I gave it away.'

And the representative would not be pressed on where he got it from. 'I got a place to get it, and Im not going to tell where I got it. It was free.'
Nadine Dorries, a Tory MP earning at least 132,000 a year as a best-selling novelist, has started to claim expenses again despite pledging to remove herself from the allowance system.

The MP for Mid Bedfordshire is one of the most successful misery lit writers in the country. Her publishers pay her 11,000 a month in advances, according to the latest register of Members Interests.

She also receives an MPs salary of 74,500 and an additional supplement of up to 15,000 for being on the Speakers panel, assisting with parliamentary duties.

Nadine Dorries, a Tory MP earning at least 132,000 a year as a best-selling novelist, has started to claim expenses again despite pledging to remove herself from the allowance system

Miss Dorries vowed to remove herself from the expenses system in 2013, when IPSA, the expenses watchdog, investigated her travel claims.

She repaid 3,000 after she told investigators her travel costs were not to do with her parliamentary duties.

At the time, Miss Dorries said: I have removed myself from the personal expenses system. I shall use my salary to fund my second home in Westminster and my travel and all other personal expenses, which in effect means I shall be working for free.

Miss Dorries now enjoys an income of at least 200,000 a year.

The latest list of MPs expenses showed that Miss Dorries claimed accommodation expenses of 1,820 a month between August and November last year, thought to be for rent on a London flat.

MPs are allowed to claim 20,600 a year for rent. There is no suggestion Miss Dorries broke any rules over the claims.

Miss Dorries was suspended from the Conservative Party for six months in 2012 and 2013 for taking unauthorised leave from Parliament to appear in the Australian jungle for the ITV reality show, Im a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here

But it is not the first time Miss Dorries has been embroiled in controversy.

She was suspended from the Conservative Party for six months in 2012 and 2013 for taking unauthorised leave from Parliament to appear in the Australian jungle for the ITV reality show, Im a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here.

Just weeks before, she called David Cameron and George Osborne two arrogant posh boys who dont know the price of milk - who show no remorse, no contrition and no passion to want to understand the lives of others.

The SNPs Phil Boswell tried to expense 137 for clothes after his luggage was lost

There was even speculation that she was poised to defect to Ukip at one stage.

But the 57-year-old has recently managed to carve out a career as a novelist alongside her political work.

Her specialism is misery literature and historical romance, set in 1950s Liverpool and Ireland.

Her novels often feature working class families and sexual abuse.

One reviewer said of her debut novel, The Four Streets: If you enjoy advertisements for the NSPCC this is the novel for you.

However readers appear to disagree, with her latest novel Ruby Flynn hitting the bestseller list on Amazon in its genre.

Miss Dorries could not be reached for comment last night.

Miss Dorries latest expenses were among the 30,000 claims made by MPs processed in October and November and released yesterday.

Among the claims was one for clothing by the SNPs Phil Boswell, who tried to expense 137 for clothes after his luggage was lost.

The MP for Coatbridge, Chyrston and Bellshill bought a 59 shirt on May 12 'after luggage lost. The next day he spent 48 in Next and 29.95 in TM Lewin.

The watchdog refused to reimburse the claims - listed as 'contingency' spending - as they were not allowed under the rules.

Parliamentary standards commissioner Kathryn Hudson has been investigating a complaint that Mr Boswell did not properly register his directorship of Boswell and Johnston Ltd.
The reason why a furious Peta Credlin publicly dressed down a senior Liberal MP has been revealed for the first time.

Tony Abbott's controversial chief of staff was caught on camera swearing and wagging her finger in the face of future minister Stuart Robert during the 2013 election.

And in a new book published this week, Mr Robert revealed why Ms Credlin 'did her nut' at him - he went behind her back to take a photo of Mr Abbott wearing a tie that, for once, wasn't blue.

Mr Robert was dumped from the frontbench last month after an official investigation found he had acted 'inconsistently' with ministerial standards on a China trip.

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Blow up: Peta Credlin flung F-bombs and wagged her finger at Stuart Robert in front of TV cameras in 2013

Mr Robert said he 'gave as good as he got' as a furious Peta Credlin gave him a piece of her mind

In Niki Savva's new account of the Abbott years,The Road to Ruin, Mr Robert revealed how he ambushed Mr Abbott, asking him to pose for a photo while wearing a red-and-black-tie.

Because it is so rare for Mr Abbott to wear a tie of a different colour, Mr Robert wanted to auction off the rare tie and photo at a function to raise funds for the Liberal Party candidates.

Ms Credlin, who was in a foul mood, had already told him the picture would have to wait until after the election because there was 'no time'.

But when he found himself alone with the PM a few hours later, Mr Robert convinced Mr Abbott to pose up.

In her new book, Niki Savva said the argument was because Mr Robert got Mr Abbott to pose wearing a red-and-black tie

Ms Credlin arrived at the scene in Holsworthy at the very moment Mr Robert snapped the mobile phone picture of Mr Abbott

The revelation appeared in author and Liberal insider Niki Savva's new book, The Road to Ruin

Favourite colour? It was a rare day when Tony Abbott chose NOT to wear a blue tie as prime minister

Ms Savva reported Ms Credlin returned just as the photoshoot was taking place and angrily launched into Mr Robert in front of television cameras.

Mr Robert was not overly fussed in the end, with the tie and tie picture going to auction and raising several thousand dollars for the party.

It went for 'more than you can imagine', he told Ms Savva.

Before this week, Mr Robert had previously said their spat was over a 'fundraising issue'.

Mr Abbott is famous for his penchant for blue ties.
EasyJet has opened an inquiry into the incident and informed authorities

An EasyJet flight from Geneva was aborted moments before take-off after a passenger spotted a spanner still attached to the wing.

The packed passenger jet had already taxied to the runway when the 25-year-old Swiss man saw the tool wedged between the flaps which are raised or lowered to alter the lift of the aircraft.

He alerted cabin crew and the pilot immediately returned to the terminal so the adjustable monkey wrench could be removed.

An EasyJet flight from Geneva to Copenhagen was aborted moments before take-off after a passenger spotted a spanner still attached to the wing (stock photo)

The passenger, named only as Christophe, said: 'I realised straight away that what I was seeing was not normal. There was a spanner attached to the wing.'

An EasyJet spokesman said: 'The captain returned to the plane's departure point and a spanner was discovered.

'We have opened an inquiry and the authorities have been informed.'

After checks were made, the plane was able to set off for Copenhagen an hour later, EasyJet added.

An aviation expert told Switzerland's 20 Minutes online news website: 'With the vibrations from the acceleration, the tool could have fallen onto the runway, and then been hit by the next aircraft.

'It could have caused serious structural damage, just like with the Concorde crash in Paris.

'If it had stayed attached to the plane, the pilot would have realised when he retracted the flaps about 400 metres from the ground, and been forced to make an emergency landing.'

The crash of an Air France Concorde in July 2000 which killed 113 people was believed to have been caused by a strip of metal from a Continental Airlines DC10 which fell onto the Charles de Gaulle airport runway and punctured the supersonic jet's tyres.
Emergency crews found she had pneumonia and she died in hospital

Hilery Maison called 911 about her stepdaughter Mackenzie last year

They were convicted of murder, child abuse and torture in January

Andrew and Hilery Maison were sentenced to life in prison without parole

A Michigan man and his wife will spend the rest of their lives in prison after they were convicted of murdering his five-year-old daughter who had pneumonia and weighed just 25 pounds when she died.

Andrew and Hilery Maison, of Port Huron, were sentenced to life in prison without parole in St. Clair County Circuit Court on Thursday, the Times Herald of Port Huron reported.

They were convicted in January of first-degree murder, child abuse and torture.

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Andrew (center, during their sentencing) and Hilery Maison (right), of Port Huron, were sentenced to life in prison without parole after they were convicted of murdering his five-year-old daughter

Hilery Maison called 911 on May 26 last year, and responding emergency crews found her stepdaughter, Mackenzie, unresponsive at their Port Huron home, 60 miles northeast of Detroit.

Mackenzie was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Mackenzie's three-year-old sister, Makayla, who weighed just 17 pounds, was also taken to a hospital where she was treated for dehydration and malnutrition.

Makayla has recovered and has doubled her weight since last year.

Authorities said that both girls were severely malnourished and dehydrated.

During the trial, the court heard a girl aged three would normally weigh around 30 pounds and a girl of five should be about 40 pounds, though this can vary based on height and other factors.

Mackenzie (above) died after suffering from severe dehydration and malnutrition and weighing just 25 pounds

'It's unfathomable how parents could not only allow that to happen, but to purposefully make that happen,' Senior Assistant Prosecutor Mona Armstrong said on Thursday.

Michael Boucher, Hilery Maison's attorney, told jurors during the trial that there was no evidence the couple intended for Mackenzie to die.

Police said the Maisons attributed the weight loss to picky eating.

Judge Daniel Kelly said somebody should have noticed something before the children became so ill.

'What puzzles me is how, in a community so dedicated to combating child abuse and neglect, these conditions go undetected until it is too late,' Kelly said at the sentencing.

Hilery Maison wipes away a tear as she is handcuffed after being found guilty for the felony murder and torture of her five-year-old stepdaughter, Mackenzie

Andrew Maison looks down as he is handcuffed after being found guilty for the felony murder and torture of his five-year-old daughter Mackenzie

Hilery and Andrew Maison speak during a brief break in the second day of their trial in January

'Those who saw and chose to do nothing are, in my mind, equally responsible for this crime. They must share the blame.'

In January, Armstrong said the girls achieved some level of justice thanks to the verdict.

'It doesn't change what happened and it doesn't bring back Mackenzie,' Armstrong told the Times Herald.

'It does serve a measure of justice. But it should never have gotten to this point.'

The Maisons' six-day trial heard from more than 20 witnesses, including family members, friends, firefighters, paramedics, police and medical experts.

Andrew (left) and Hilery (right) Maison were found guilty of felony murder, torture and first-degree child abuse

Mackenzie (above) was found dead at the couple's home on May 26 weighing just 25 pounds, while her three-year-old sister Makayla, who managed to survive, weighed just 17 pounds

According to 911 calls played in court during the trial, Hilery Maison called dispatchers before 8.30pm on the day of her death.

She told them the five-year-old girl was 'rebelling' against food, but then later said that she wasn't breathing.

Paramedics spent roughly 45 minutes attempting to resuscitate her, but she was pronounced dead in hospital.

Medical experts testified that Mackenzie was malnourished, dehydrated, had pneumonia and was bruised.

Her younger sister was taken to the children's hospital in Detroit for treatment of malnourishment and has since doubled her weight while in foster care.

It was revealed during the trial that neither girl had seen a doctor for at least a year prior to Mackenzie's death.
Ben Carson will endorse Donald Trump for president on Friday.

The retired neurosurgeon's decision to back the billionaire businessman comes less than a week after he announced he was dropping out of the Republican primary race during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Prior to that he had halted his campaign in early March saying he saw 'no path forward' to the nomination.

Carson's endorsement is a big one for Trump given his popularity among evangelical Republicans and makes him the third failed White House candidate to throw their support behind The Donald after Sarah Palin and Governor Chris Christie.

It also comes as another failed White House candidate, Mitt Romney, is preparing to take Trump down by publicly criticizing him on everything from his business dealings to his political stances.

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Support: Ben Carson (above on March 4) will endorse Donald Trump for president Friday morning during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago

Score: Carson's endorsement is a big one for Trump (above last week) given his popularity among evangelical Republicans

The Washington Post reports that Carson met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, his estate in Palm Beach which is close to the West Palm Beach home the doctor shares with his wife Candy.

The announcement will come Friday at the same venue, the morning after Thursday's Republican debate.

Trump previously used Christie's endorsement speech to halt the momentum of his opponents Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz following their strong performances in the February 25 debate by holding the event the following morning.

Trump and Carson never argued as aggressively or often as the tycoon does with Rubio and Cruz in the debates, but The Donald still did major damage to the doctor's credibility by calling out inconsistencies with stories Carson had told about his past.

There are claims that Carson had been torn over who to endorse and was deciding between Trump and Cruz, deciding on Trump after the Cruz campaign perpetuated a false rumor during the Iowa caucus that he had dropped out of the race.

Carson also feels that a Trump nomination would guarantee a GOP victory by bringing out disengaged voters according to The Washington Post.

His endorsement could also provide Trump with some much appreciated help heading into next week's third Super Tuesday when voters in Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio will head to the polls.

Florida in particular will be a tightly contested race, as it is Rubio's home-state but Trump continues to hold a lead over his opponents.

The state's former Governor Jeb Bush will also very likely endorse one of the candidates before Tuesday, and reportedly met with everyone but Trump on Wednesday.
Professor Nadey Hakim, 57, was fired in 2014 for gross misconduct after he was accused of prioritising a private patient over an NHS case

A hospital trust found to have unfairly dismissed one of the worlds leading surgeons has been ordered to reinstate him within weeks.

The employment judges ruling comes after the Mail and former patients campaigned for Professor Nadey Hakim, 57, who performed the worlds first hand transplant, to be given his job back.

His former employer, Imperial College Healthcare  which runs five London hospitals  has also been told to pay him more than 100,000 to compensate for his loss of income.

Professor Hakim said last night that he was delighted to hear the good news. He said: I look forward to working again in the NHS at Imperial College. I have missed my patients.

The reinstatement was also praised by his former patients who had received pioneering treatment at Hammersmith Hospital, West London.

Emma Smith, 44, the first woman in the UK to conceive after being given a simultaneous kidney and pancreas transplant, said Professor Hakims care had completely changed her life.

The mother of two, from Henlow, Bedfordshire, said: The fact that he is being allowed to return will mean that people are going to be able to benefit from his work again.

Professor Hakim, who has completed 2,000 procedures over a 30-year career, was fired in 2014 for gross misconduct after he was accused of prioritising a private patient over an NHS case.

In January, he told how his life had become a nightmare after he was treated like a criminal by his former employer.

His legal battle has cost 200,000, forcing the father of four to remortgage the family home in West Hampstead, North West London.

An employment tribunal in London ruled in December that Professor Hakim had been unfairly dismissed but Imperial College argued it would not be practicable to reinstate him because of resentment caused by allegations he had made about colleagues during the case.

Imperial College Healthcare has been told to pay Professor Hakim, who worked at Hammersmith Hospital, 100,000 to compensate for his loss of income

However, a judge ruled this week that Imperial College must allow him to return to his job from April 1.

Professor Hakim has said he believed he had been dismissed partly because colleagues were opposed to his support for the Conservative Party  he is a major donor.

His lawyer Sara Wilson said: The fact that the employment judge has chosen to reinstate Professor Hakim shows just how perverse she found the initial decision to dismiss.
And 65% admit their dog is their best friend in the world

Nearly half of UK dog owners talk to their pet more than their partner, new research has revealed.

More than two fifths (41 per cent) of Brits admitted to having more conversation with their four-legged friend than their beloved, while 40 per cent said they would be more likely to share their deepest secrets with their pooch than anyone else.

The study also found the average dog owner spends 47 minutes talking to their canine companion each day.

More than two fifths (41 per cent) of Brits admitted to having more conversation with their four-legged friend than their beloved, while 40 per cent said they would be more likely to share their deepest secrets with their pooch than anyone else

Brits even love their dogs so much they pose for more photos with them than with partners, friends and children combined, with the average owner taking six snaps of their pet a week.

And four in five (81 per cent) of animal lovers questioned said they felt happier after a chat with their furry sidekick, with 65 per cent admitting their dog is their best friend in the world.

More than eight in ten (86 per cent) of respondents said their dog is always there for them when they need someone

The findings by tails.com, a new company which delivers tailor-made dog food, were released to mark the start of the Crufts Dog Show.

Dr Samantha Ware, tails.com's lead nutritionist said: 'We are a nation of dog lovers and clearly value the individuality, companionship and friendship that our own dogs provide.

'This week there are over 22,000 dogs competing at Crufts, examples of every Kennel Club recognised breed in the peak of health and condition all hoping to take home the "Best in Show" award for their owner.

'Whether they're a prize winner or not, at tails.com we recognise that every dog is different and provide each dog with their own freshly blended tailor-made food that is as individual as they are.'

More than eight in ten (86 per cent) of respondents said their dog is always there for them when they need someone.

Almost every owner questioned (96 per cent) said their dog was a part of their family, not just a pet.
Dunkers across the nation rejoice! The great biscuit shortage could soon be over after two giant cargo planes were chartered to fly in emergency supplies.

Stores have been running low on tea-time favourites such as custard creams, ginger nuts and chocolate bourbons after floods devastated one of the countrys biggest biscuit factories in December.

The damage to the United Biscuits factory in Carlisle meant that Carrs Table Water biscuits, particularly popular with cheese-lovers, have been out of stock entirely.

United Biscuits factory in Carlisle was flooded in December and now tores running low on tea-time favourites such as custard creams and chocolate bourbons

But an airlift has been organised to replenish depleted supermarket shelves.

Two Emirates SkyCargo Boeing 777s have flown crates of supplies into Robin Hood Airport near Doncaster.

Dayle Hauxwell, cargo manager for the airport, said: There has been a lot of press coverage about Britains biscuit shortage following the floods.

Weve welcomed all sorts of different cargo over the years. This time, weve quite literally taken the biscuit.

It is not known who organised the flights, or exactly which biscuits they contained.

Emirates workers declined to name those responsible for confidentiality reasons.

United Biscuits said it was unable to comment, although it confirmed that full production would restart this month.

Mike Heaney, factory general manager, said: Since the floods, we have seen extensive coverage of the biscuit shortage, with consumers wanting our products back on shelves as quickly as possible.

Its been awful not to be baking biscuits. Were extremely proud of how employees have come together.

Two Emirates SkyCargo Boeing 777s have flown crates of supplies into Robin Hood Airport near Doncaster - but it is not known what variety of biscuit they contained

The British public consumes 34,000 tons of biscuits a month. But gaps appeared on shop shelves after the United Biscuits factory was hit by Storm Desmond.

Carrs Table Water biscuits were the worst affected, because they can only be produced in a 180-year-old oven at the site.

The situation was so bad that the company took out national newspaper advertisements to apologise.
The NHS has recorded its worst-ever performance figures with tens of thousands of patients waiting too long for urgent and life-saving treatment.

Targets were missed across the board in A&E waits, diagnosing and treating cancer, waits for hip and knee operations, and 999 response times.

More than 8,500 mainly elderly patients are stuck in hospital beds unable to go home, and wards are becoming gradually more overcrowded.

Labour accused the Government of failing the NHS and patients, while cancer charities said the figures were unacceptable and worrying.

The NHS has recorded its worst-ever performance figures with tens of thousands of patients waiting too long for urgent and life-saving treatment (file photo)

But the situation will only be made worse by the ongoing junior doctor strikes which will further drive up waiting times and intensify bed-blocking. The latest NHS monthly performance figures, covering January, reveal:

Waiting times in A&E are the worst since 2004, and 51,000 patients are languishing on trolleys for four hours or more.

Almost 24,000 cancer patients waited two or more months to start life-saving treatment.

Ambulances are arriving too late to 3,600 emergencies a day.

At least 3.5million patients are on the NHS waiting list needing routine surgery or scans  the highest level since 2008.

NHS bosses blamed the pressures on the rising and ageing population and the cold weather, and insisted waits would improve in the spring.

January figures show that in the past year 23,842 cancer patients waited longer than two months for vital surgery, chemotherapy or other treatment. It means almost one-fifth of patients are now waiting longer than the two-month target, the worst since these records began in 2009.

Delays in A&E are the worst in 11 and a half years, and 216,287 patients waited longer than four hours to be discharged or admitted on to a ward in the month. This included 51,545 mostly elderly patients left on trolleys in corridors for at least four hours.

Heidi Alexander, Labour's health spokesman, said: 'These figures prove that Tory health policies are failing patients and failing the NHS.

Targets were missed across the board in A&E waits, diagnosing and treating cancer, waits for hip and knee operations, and 999 response times (file photo)

'Waiting time targets exist to provide swift access to care and they have now been missed so often that failure has become the norm.' Emlyn Samuel, Cancer Research UK's senior policy manager, said: 'It's very worrying that these provisional figures show the 62-day waiting time target for cancer is still being missed.

'Action is needed now to turn around this unacceptable situation for patients.'

Bed-blocking is at its worst level since records were first collected in August 2010. An estimated 8,500 patients are stuck in beds on any given day, and the crisis is costing the Health Service an estimated 900million a year. This has been blamed on cuts to social care funding, which mean elderly patients cannot be discharged as support is not in place at home or they have not found a space in residential care.

It is being made worse by the junior doctor strikes  they are the ones responsible for sending patients home and ensuring they have necessary medication.

Richard Barker, interim national director of commissioning operations and information at NHS England, said there had been record demands on frontline services and 'it is a credit to all those working in emergency care that we are still admitting, treating and discharging almost nine out of ten patients within four hours'.

He added: 'Winter pressures have come late this year with a sustained cold period and an increase in seasonal infections.
The damning verdict from the Commons public accounts committee will be seen as a sharp rebuke to Sir Jeremy Heywood, Britains most senior civil servant, who has been dubbed Sir Cover-Up

Whitehall has shown a lack of urgency in driving vital reforms to protect whistleblowers, MPs warn in a report today.

Despite vows to do more to crack down on bullying and encourage public servants to speak out, there is little evidence of any real change.

The damning verdict from the Commons public accounts committee will be seen as a sharp rebuke to Sir Jeremy Heywood, Britains most senior civil servant, who has been dubbed Sir Cover-Up.

Almost 18 months after action was demanded to deal with the problem, officials were unable to tell MPs even basic facts such as the number of whistleblowing cases or how many staff who had spoken out had managed to keep their jobs.

And they found only one cross-Whitehall meeting had been held on the issue despite promises that practices in all departments would be reviewed. MPs said they were disappointed by the lack of urgency and demanded swift action to drive through changes.

The comments come after whistleblowing scandals across the public sector. Last year, Sir Robert Francis said a climate of fear existed in the NHS, where staff who raised concerns about sub-standard care were bullied and victimised.

The College of Policing also warned of a macho, arrogant, bullying culture, in which whistleblowing was not embedded in the service. In a report in August 2014, the public accounts committee said whistleblowers had been shockingly treated, and warned that attempts to improve policies had failed. Referring to the latest report, committee chairman Meg Hillier said: Whistleblowing policies are too important to get wrong and the government should be leading by example. The fact that it isnt should concern us all.

The report attacks the slow progress made by civil servants, adding: Nearly a year and a half has elapsed since the previous committee reported on whistleblowing, but we heard little to convince us that any real change has occurred on the ground.

It said a group set up to look at whistleblowing across Whitehall has met only once, and the Cabinet Office  led by Sir Jeremy  lacked the data to identify where improvements are needed. Officials could not give information such as the number and type of cases and their outcome, whether whistleblowers complained of victimisation and how many still held their jobs.While new guidance has been drawn up, the report adds, the focus has been on policy rather than instilling positive cultures and behaviours. The Cabinet Office was given until June to report back on progress.

Dr Raj Mattu, pictured with wife Sangita, was smeared by NHS bosses after he publicly revealed he was concerned about patient safety at Walsgrave Hospital. He said senior civil servants should be 'ashamed'

Last night cardiologist Dr Raj Mattu, who was awarded a 1.2million payout after being sacked for exposing failings at Walsgrave Hospital in Coventry, said senior civil servants should be ashamed over their continued failure to introduce any palpable changes. Opportunities had been constantly squandered to learn important lessons, he said.
Turkey is being handed the 'keys to the gates of Europe' through the deal with Brussels to tackle the migrant crisis, it was warned last night.

EU leaders are preparing to hand 4.7billion to Turkey and let its 77million citizens come to continental Europe without needing visas, in return for it taking back all migrants landing in Greece.

But opposition is growing to the plan with concerns that the Muslim nation's human rights record and treatment of refugees could make the plan illegal under European and international law.

Austria's interior minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner yesterday said she was 'extremely critical' of the deal with Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

EU leaders are preparing to offer Turkey (pictured, its president Recep Tayyip Erdogan) the deal in return for it taking back all migrants landing in Greece but critics have condemned the plan.

'I am seriously wondering whether we are taking ourselves and our values seriously or if we are throwing them overboard,' she said as she arrived for a meeting in Brussels.

At the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the liberals, said it was a 'deal to outsource our problems'.

'A deal in which we are giving in fact the entrance keys, the keys to the gates of Europe, in the hands of Turkey, of the successors of the Ottoman Empire, to Erdogan, I should even say maybe to Sultan Erdogan,' he added.

'He shall now decide on the entrance to the European Union.'

The EU has pursued the deal with President Erdogan despite the European Commission last year warning there had been a 'serious backsliding ' on human rights in a scathing report.

Officials in Brussels accused the government of undermining the judiciary and highlighted how journalists had had been prosecuted in criminal cases.

'Over the past year, significant shortcomings affected the independence of the judiciary as well as freedom of assembly and freedom of expression,' EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn wrote.

The report, published in November, said Turkey's commitment to joining the EU was 'offset' by domestic actions that 'ran against European standards'.

It highlighted criminal cases against journalists and writers, intimidation of media outlets and changes to Internet law.

Leaders including David Cameron raised concerns with Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu about press freedoms during a lunch on Monday.

Last Friday Turkish police raided the offices of Zaman, a top-selling newspaper critical of the government.

Leaders including David Cameron raised concerns with Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu about press freedoms during a lunch on Monday.

Meanwhile fears were raised last night that migrants will attempt more difficult routes to get to Europe now the main trail from Greece into Macedonia has been closed.

Albania, which had previously been avoided because of its mountainous landscape, is making plans for a new flow of people, while Italy fears people might start trying to reach there across the Adriatic.

Turkey's EU affairs minister yesterday said the number of migrants they will take back would be 'thousands' rather than 'hundreds of thousands or millions'.

People who reach the Greek islands or are stopped in the Aegean Sea will be sent back to Turkey, but the deal will not apply to those already there.

The United Nations' human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said: 'The EU's draft arrangement with Turkey... raises a number of very serious concerns, [including] the potential for collective and arbitrary expulsions, which are illegal.

'Border restrictions which do not permit determination of the circumstances of each individual violate international and European law.'

Under the deal, the EU would resettle one Syrian refugee directly from camps in Turkey, in exchange for every Syrian that Turkey takes back.

But Dutch migration minister Klaas Dijkhoff, whose country holds the six-month rotating presidency of the EU, said yesterday that it was 'not a permanent mechanism'.

'I think the one-on-one readmission and resettlement, it's temporary. I think when you have the one-on-one scheme, we will see over time that it won't pay off to cross the sea in an illegal and very dangerous fashion. So that flow will stop,' he said.

'And then we will have to talk with Turkey about a more permanent resettlement scheme in a sense of burden sharing.'
Photographs unearthed by AL.com on Monday show a grizzly sight: men grappling with a fully-grown bear in an Alabama bar while spectators look on.

The images are shocking enough as it is - but even more so when you realize they were taken just twenty years ago, when the 'sport' was legal.

The images show 'Terrible Ted,' a large bear, battling a succession of men in the center of The Ponderosa Club in New Hope, Alabama, in 1996. Ted's owner can be seen in the background of some of the images holding the bear back with a chain.

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Bear-knuckle fighting: 'Terrible Ted' the bear takes on a contender at The Ponderosa Club in New Hope, Alabama, in 1996. Bears would be brought into bars to wrestle anyone who stepped up

Once bitten: Some bears had claws and teeth removed, to minimize the chances of a human being injured. Others would 'wrestle' with muzzles. Animal rights protesters at the time claimed Ted had been operated on

The 'sport' of bear-wrestling - that is, humans wrestling with bears that had usually had their claws and teeth removed, or a muzzle placed over their faces - arrived in the US in the late 1800s, Bleacher Report claims, though it had been in Europe earlier.

And the novelty of seeing a man take on one of nature's mightiest predators continued right into the mid-1900s, sometimes at county fairs, in professional wrestling showcases or as half-time events.

In 1980, for example, Huntsville, Alabama TV celebrity Jamie Cooper 'wrestled' Victor the Bear at the North Alabama State Fair - although the 'fight', which was broadcast on a local channel, mostly involved Cooper flailing around underneath the huge beast.

For Terrible Ted, however, fights were often staged in bars or car parks. Reports mentioning the bear go back to 1988, when The Orlando Sentinel reported that protesters had shut down one competition by using an archaic law designed to keep horses out of bars.

And in 1992, Walker was charged with disorderly conduct and cruelty to animals after taking Ted to a bar in Illinois, where men paid $5 to watch the spectacle, The LA Times wrote.

But in Alabama there were no laws against such events.

In 1989, Northwest Alabama's Times Daily announced that a bar-based competition offering $100 to the person who could best wrestle Ted - described as being six feet, three inches tall - was disrupted by animal rights protesters.

'The bear has no teeth, his claws have been removed and the muscles in his arms have been cut to prevent him gripping,' animal rights groups claimed at the time.

But, the paper confirmed, there was nothing illegal happening according to state law.

Owner: Ted would be taken to bars or parking lots by owner Richard Walker (pictured). There are reports of 'Terrible Ted' being offered for fights in Illinois, Louisiana and Florida stretching back to the 1980s

Grizzly fight: At some bars, people would pay $5 to watch the man-on-bear 'fights.' According to animal rights campaigners, Ted had his claws and teeth removed, and tendons cut in his arms to stop him grappling

And that's how these 1996 photos, showing Terrible Ted and Richard Walker surrounded by spectators, came to be.

In one of the images, a man appears to be pushing Ted's head back by grabbing his neck; the bear's mouth appears to have no teeth inside.

Alabama did not host these events for much longer, though. That year - and following Walker's fights specifically, according to AL.com - the Alabama senate voted 23-0 to ban bear wrestling for profit, as well as making it illegal to surgically alter a bear or train it to wrestle humans.

The bill was sponsored by Representative Joe Ford (D-Gadsden) and Senator Tom Butler (D-Madison).

Ford said at the time: 'I don't mind anybody who wants to fight a bear if they just go out in the woods and fight the bear on his own terms.'

In a curious twist, however, the law was repealed in 2015 along with more than 300 of Alabama's outdated laws.
Sajid Javid was a senior executive at Deutsche Bank in 2004 when it channelled bonuses through the Cayman Islands to enrich hundreds of top staff in London

MPs last night urged the Business Secretary to come clean about a secretive Houdini scheme used by investment bankers to dodge tax.

Sajid Javid was a senior executive at Deutsche Bank in 2004 when it channelled bonuses through the Cayman Islands to enrich hundreds of top staff in London.

Deutsche Bank and Swiss lender UBS were ordered by the Supreme Court on Wednesday to pay back 135million, after losing a lengthy battle with HM Revenue & Customs.

Mr Javids senior advisers have insisted he did not receive any tax benefits from the scam, which was used by around 300 Deutsche Bank employees. But they have repeatedly refused to explain what benefit he derived from the scheme.

The secrecy has triggered a backlash from MPs, which accused the minister of showing contempt for British taxpayers.

The criticism has been spearheaded by members of the influential cross party Public Accounts Committee which has played a key role in investigating tax avoidance by big business.

One member of the committee said Mr Javid, who pledged to wage war on tax dodgers while at the Treasury, has failed to live up to the standards it claims to demand of multi-national giants such as Google and Amazon.

Liberal Democrat John Pugh, said: Its incumbent on the business secretary to be transparent We at the Public Accounts Committee would be very concerned if ministers did not sign up to the same ethics of transparency the government is trying to get from Google. 

Fellow committee member and Labour MP Caroline Flint has written to Mr Javid demanding answers.

The former minister asked whether Mr Javid was aware of the scheme and whether his colleagues and staff at Deutsche Bank benefitted from it.

She also asked whether he raised the issue at any point with colleagues at Deutsche, or since he left the bank.

Miss Flint said: This is a complex court case, but we do not appear to have a clear answer from Sajid Javid about whether he has benefitted from the use of tax havens like the Cayman Islands.

The row is acutely embarrassing for the Government, which came under fire last month over a controversial tax deal with US giant Google.

The Treasury was accused of striking a sweetheart deal allowing the firm to pay just 130million to cover ten years of back taxes.

The deal was hailed by the chancellor as a major victory, but Mr Javid - who has been tipped as a future prime minister - later admitted it wasnt a glorious moment for the government.

One member of the Treasury Committee suggested Mr Javid could be called in to give evidence about the multi-million pound tax dodge that occurred at Deutsche Bank.

Labour MP John Mann said: Mr Javid needs to come clean immediately. Otherwise a major political scandal will start brewing His silence shows contempt for the British public and taxpayers.

After winning its case against Deutsche Bank and UBS in the Supreme Court HMRC (pictured) said it would pursue 27 other companies for 30million

Because of his position the public and parliament are entitled to know whether Mr Javid was a member of this bonus scheme. We need to know whether he was involved in devising the scheme  as if he was this could end his political career.

'It smacks of one rule for everyone else and one for him and another for everyone else

Before his meteoric rise in the Conservative Party, Mr Javid accumulated a multi-million pound fortune during a twenty year career as an investment banker.

At one stage he is said to have earned up to 3million a year.

He joined Deutsche Bank in 2000 and rose to become managing director four years later - when the controversial bonus scheme paid out.

Deutsche Bank and UBS - which employ more than 14000 people in London  both exploited a quirk in the tax system designed to encourage employee share ownership.

Instead of paying staff a cash bonus, which would have incurred income tax and national insurance, they gave staff shares instead.

But instead of handing them directly to staff, they were channelled into a company in the Cayman Islands, a notorious tax haven.

Mr Javid needs to come clean immediately. Otherwise a major political scandal will start brewing His silence shows contempt for the British public and taxpayers. Labour MP John Mann

This secretive operation, called Dark Blue Investments, was set up with the sole purpose of collecting the shares.

When the staff later cashed in the shares, they only had to pay 10 per cent in capital gains tax.

Top bankers are said to have been approached in late 2003 about whether they wanted to join the scheme. Around 300 signed up.

Some people were paid bonuses worth over 2million via this elaborate scheme.

Judges in the Supreme Court on Wednesday described the arrangements used by Deutsche Bank and UBS as having no purpose other than avoiding tax.

Referring to the famous escapologist Harry Houdini, Lord Justice Robert Reed said the two banks were guilty of using the most sophisticated attempts of the Houdini taxpayer to escape the manacles of tax.

These types of schemes were outlawed later in 2004, but not before they had been exploited by dozens of firms.

After winning its case against Deutsche Bank and UBS in the Supreme Court HMRC said it would pursue 27 other companies for 30million.

Meg Hillier, the Labour chair of the committee, last night said she intends to grill bosses of HM Revenue & Customs about the scandal.
Families paying rip-off gas and electricity bills could be opened up to a blizzard of junk mail from energy firms after their details are shared on a database.

The controversial proposal is the key recommendation of an inquiry into how to end overcharging that costs customers 1.7billion a year.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is concerned that 70 per cent of customers are signed up to standard variable rate (SVR) energy tariffs, which cost up to 400 a year more than the cheapest deals available.

Its solution is to set up a database of households which have been on such a deal for at least three years  which would then be made available to 37 British energy firms. The companies could then target the billpayers with their own deals.

The proposal has triggered fears that millions of people will be inundated with junk mail and, in some cases, marketing calls.

The controversial proposal is the key recommendation of an inquiry into how to end overcharging that costs customers 1.7billion a year.

Will Hodson, co-founder of switching firm TheBigDeal.com, said: The CMA are naive to propose opening a database of customers to energy companies. The proposal would take exploited customers out of the pan and into the fire of a thousand cynical sales pitches.

Even industry trade body Energy UK questioned the idea of making such information widely available.

Chief executive Lawrence Slade said: We agree that customers should have the information they need to make an informed choice but ... the implementation of these proposals will need to be carefully considered to ensure that customers personal data remains protected.

His fears were echoed by Richard Lloyd, executive director of consumer group Which?, who said: The regulator must ensure that releasing customer data to suppliers is done so that it genuinely helps people switch to better deals. With the cost to consumers of an uncompetitive market now standing at 1.7billion, we want all energy suppliers to start working harder to restore trust in their industry.

However the CMA rejected concerns about junk mail, saying the customer database will be policed by strict safeguards and householders will be able to opt out.

It stressed that any initial contact with people on the database would have to be through the post, rather than by telephone calls or texts.

Chairman of the CMA inquiry Roger Witcomb said: Given the scale of the problem and the potential savings on offer, we think bold measures like giving rival suppliers the chance to contact long-standing SVR customers are justified. As part of its review, the CMA has also recommended scrapping a limit on the number of tariffs that energy companies can offer to four.

The measure was brought in by the energy regulator Ofgem two years ago in an attempt to reduce confusion, but the CMA believes the limit is stifling competition.

The proposals by the CMA are seen as a victory for the lobbying power of big six energy firms  British Gas, SSE, EDF, E.on, Npower, and Scottish Power

Last year, the CMA also said it may be necessary to impose a temporary cap on all SVR tariffs while other measures to cut bills take effect. It has now watered down this idea in favour of a cap for the four million people with pre-payment meters.

This should deliver a saving of up to 90 a year per home  around 300million a year in total.

The proposals by the CMA are seen as a victory for the lobbying power of big six energy firms  British Gas, SSE, EDF, E.on, Npower, and Scottish Power.

Mr Witcomb confirmed that the power giants are failing customers on prices and services. He said: We have found that the six largest suppliers have learned to take many of their existing domestic customers  some 70 per cent of whom are on default SVRs  for granted, not just over prices, but with their service and quality.

The wholesale price of gas has fallen 40 per cent in a year and electricity is down by more than 20 per cent. However, only a tiny fraction of this has been passed on to customers. The CMA will announce its final decisions on the operation of the energy market in June.

n David Lammy, the Labour MP for Tottenham, has been fined 5,000 after making 35,000 nuisance calls during his bid to become the partys candidate for London Mayor.

The automated calls were made last August, but the Information Commissioner found they broke privacy rules because Mr Lammy did not have permission to contact the individuals. Mr Lammy said he apologised unreservedly.
The price of everyday items such as socks, gloves, mortgages and food will all rise if Britain leaves the EU, David Cameron claimed yesterday

The price of everyday items such as socks, gloves, mortgages and food will all rise if Britain leaves the EU, David Cameron claimed yesterday.

In a doom-laden intervention, the Prime Minister repeated a controversial claim that three million jobs are linked to the EU  and suggested some of them would be lost if Britain left.

Mr Cameron also angered Brexit supporters by claiming that they viewed job losses as a price worth paying for getting out of the EU.

Commons leader Chris Grayling hit back yesterday, saying Mr Camerons comments were simply not true. Another Cabinet minister described Mr Camerons intervention privately as preposterous, shrill and panicky.

But Mr Cameron will step up his warnings about the dangers of Brexit today with a speech in Wales in which he will warn that leaving the EU could destroy the farming industry.

Speaking to car workers in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, yesterday, the Prime Minister said Brexit could spark an economic shock.

Lets just remember what a shock really means, he said. It means pressure on the pound sterling. It means jobs being lost. It means mortgage rates might rise. It means businesses closing. It means hard-working people losing their livelihoods.

Mr Cameron told workers at the Vauxhall factory that even gloves and socks could be more expensive if Britain left the EU.

He said before Britain had joined the single market and enjoyed a zero per cent tariff on goods, the country had paid 20 per cent extra for gloves and 13 per cent on socks. He added: The first big advantage of the Single Market is that British businesses can sell to a continent full of customers  500million people  tariff-free.

Before we joined, we faced extremely high tariffs: 14 per cent on cars, 17 per cent on bicycles, 32 per cent on salt, 37 per cent on china. Even, oddly, 20 per cent on gloves  but only 14 per cent on socks.

This all meant higher costs for businesses and consumers and less choice on our supermarket shelves.

Today, there is one tariff in the Single Market: Zero per cent.

Commons leader Chris Grayling (centre) hit back, saying Mr Camerons comments were simply not true. Another Cabinet minister described the PM's intervention privately as preposterous, shrill and panicky

REMAIN VIEW Remain campaign: Supporters of the campaign to stay in the EU say leaving would cause an economic shock that would drive up mortgages and raise prices in the shops. The Prime Minister also claims that countries would race to reimpose tariffs on British goods: Before we joined, we faced extremely high tariffs: 14 per cent on cars, 17 per cent on bicycles, 32 per cent on salt, 37 per cent on china. This all meant higher costs for businesses and consumers  and less choice on our supermarket shelves. No 10 has previously suggested higher export tariffs could be passed on in part to British consumers. Advertisement

BREXIT VIEW Leave campaign: Brexit campaigners said the Prime Ministers predictions of economic disaster were simply not true. An analysis by the think tank Open Europe suggests the likely impact of Brexit on GDP would be relatively modest, ranging from a 0.8 per cent fall to a 0.6 per cent increase by 2030. Campaigners say a major economy like the UK would be well-placed to negotiate a free trade deal with Europe, avoiding the tariffs Mr Cameron claims will be imposed. Matthew Elliott, chief executive of Vote Leave said: After we vote leave, Britain will carry on being part of the free trade zone that stretches from Iceland to Turkey. Advertisement

Speaking at the Welsh Conservative conference today, Mr Cameron will claim that exports of goods such as beef and lamb would be hammered by protectionist governments if the UK votes to leave.

Mr Cameron will claim that British livestock farmers would by hit with an extra 330million in export costs.

Tory MP Adam Afriyie said Mr Cameron was wrong about the impact of Brexit and added that Brussels was a destroyer of jobs.

He said: We would have more jobs in Britain if we left the EU. We would be more competitive and be able to set up trade deals with countries where we currently cant.

Mr Grayling, one of six Cabinet ministers campaigning for Brexit, also criticised the Prime Ministers claims on jobs and the economy, saying: That is simply not true. It is about creating the opportunity for more jobs.

European Union regulations cost jobs in this country. They increase costs for business. They make it less desirable to employ people in the UK.
Yngve Slyngsta (pictured), chief executive of Norways 590billion state-owned investment fund, dismissed claims by Number Ten and the In campaign that quitting the Brussels club would pose a significant risk to investment

The boss of the worlds biggest sovereign wealth fund yesterday declared that it would invest more in the UK if we vote to leave the EU.

Yngve Slyngstad, chief executive of Norways 590billion state-owned investment fund, dismissed claims by Number Ten and the In campaign that quitting the Brussels club would pose a significant risk to investment.

We will continue to be a significant investor in the UK at about the same level as we are today and probably even increasing our investments there no matter what happens, he said. All changes entail some risk but we would not categorize it as a significant risk.

Oeystein Olsen, head of the Norwegian central bank which manages the fund, added: The fund will remain a long-term investor. There are long-term risks and there are short-term risks. Brexit is more in the latter category.

Leave.EU co-chairman Richard Tice said: With David Cameron, Tony Blair and other leading In campaigners trying to scare voters with visions of a Brexit of Mass Destruction, especially with respect to jobs and investment, its fantastic to see the CEO of a 600billion sovereign wealth fund  the biggest in the world  providing the voice of reason.

In stark contrast to the literally daily scaremongering, this investment superpower says it does not consider Brexit a significant risk, and will likely increase its investments in the UK whether we leave the EU or not.

Norway, which is not an EU member, invests income from its North Sea oil and gas fields in the fund.

In a second boost to leave campaigners, Icelands prime minister, Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson, said that it would seek to do a free trade deal with Britain even if we vote to quit.

The UK is one of our most important trading partners and whatever you decide to do we would like to have a free trade deal, he said.

Meanwhile, Oxford University academics said that cracking down on EU migration if Britain quits would be unlikely to damage the economy.

Leave.EU co-chairman Richard Tice (pictured) said: Its fantastic to see the CEO of a 600billion sovereign wealth fund  the biggest in the world  providing the voice of reason'

The Migration Observatory think-tank said that significant restrictions on foreigners would, if all else remained the same, have a relatively small impact on the economy.

ALEX BRUMMER'S ANALYSIS Norway is casting a huge vote of confidence in Britain by vowing to increase its investment in the UK irrespective of Brexit. The Nordic country sits on the worlds largest sovereign wealth fund, the gains from North Sea oil and gas exploration, with holdings of 590billion. That is a sum equal to one-third of the annual output of the British economy. Norways decision to save and invest the proceeds of oil and gas exploration for future generations is a sharp contrast to what has happened in Britain where large parts of the proceeds have been frittered away by successive governments. Nevertheless, Norway has huge confidence in the dynamism of the British economy in or out of the EU. Some 10 per cent of its entire sovereign wealth fund is invested in British assets and recently it started investing in UK property buying a share in a refurbished Regent Street in the heart of the capital. It says it will continue to invest in Britain irrespective of what the voters decide in Junes referendum. Among the holdings held by Norwegian investors in the UK are stakes in some of the nations most emblematic companies. The funds hold 2 per cent of luxury goods maker Burberry and Marks & Spencer, a four per cent holding in the insurer Prudential, five per cent of property developer British Land and two per cent in Rolls-Royce. It would seem that Norway has more faith in some of the nations blue-chip firms than some of our own investors. As a nation of just five million people with enormous energy wealth Norway has been in a better position to build a strong sovereign wealth fund than nations with larger populations and more complex economies. Even so the fund represents a triumph for forward planning and careful husbandry. Advertisement

Migration from the EU contributed only 1.8billion a year to the public finances  equivalent to about 0.25 per cent of government spending. The Migration Observatory pointed out the possible outcomes of Brexit in a briefing paper.

The Leave campaign has said that ditching the EU would allow Britain to seize back control of our borders and slash net migration, the number of immigrants minus the number leaving the UK. It was 323,000 in the year to last September.

The think-tank said: If Brexit led to significant restrictions on EU migration but everything else remained the same, on average the economic impacts on the UK would probably be relatively small in the medium to long-term.

If Brexit reduced migration to the UK, it follows that the effects on UK workers across the labour market as a whole would also be small.

But researchers warned that there could be profound effects on some parts of the economy, especially those that rely heavily on low-skilled EU workers such as hotels, catering, agriculture and manufacturing.

The report said: A reduction in the availability of workers in these jobs would require employers to adapt in various ways.

Some employers might mechanise processes (such as harvesting or warehouse distribution) to reduce the need for staff, or raise wages to try to make the jobs more attractive. Both of these options are likely to raise costs, which may be passed on to customers through higher prices.

It added that if customers were unwilling to pay higher prices companies might reduce their output or, potentially, go out of business.

Carlos Vargas-Silva, senior researcher at the think-tank, said: While the overall economic impacts of potential reductions in EU migration are likely to be relatively small, ending free movement would be more disruptive in some industries than in others.
Thursday night's Republican presidential primary debate began without any fireworks  a first for the series of GOP matchups  as the four remaining candidates steered clear of attacking each other and even the Republican Party's chairman counseled unity and calm.

'So far I cannot believe how civil it's been up here!' Trump marveled during a calm, cool and collected exchange about illegal immigration.

For nearly an hour, no one spoke in the second person. No one turned to address another candidate. Every statement was delivered facing the audience.

Trump said after the debate via telephone that it was a conscious choice: 'I think it was time to have that kind of debate. I thought it was necessary. It was a good thing.'

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Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (right) said Trump (left) was guilty of 'funding liberal Democrats, and funding the Washington establishment'

The Republican presidential candidates, from left, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich stand for a moment of silence for former first lady Nancy Reagan

'I was prepared to have to go the other way,' the pugnacious Republican said.

'If you hit me, I have to do it, punch back. it's a natural reflex.'

But ultimately he explained that 'I really wanted to see if we could all  and this isn't just me, it was the Republican Party  we wanted to see if we could have a strong, substantive debate.'

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said Thursday night that Trump was guilty of 'funding liberal Democrats, and funding the Washington establishment,' and said the real estate tycoon couldn't be trusted to take on the federal government.

But he did it without raising his voice.

Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus addressed the audience at the University of Miami before the debate began, using his time to calm the GOP's fraying nerves.

'This party is going to support the nominee, whoever that is, 100 per cent. There's no question about that,' he said.

Unspoken, but hanging heavy in the room, was the name of Donald Trump.

The billionaire front-runner has roiled the RNC with an unconventional slash-and-burn campaign style, trampling the party's more traditional candidates one by one since mid-2015.

Thursday night's Republican presidential primary debate in Miami began without any fireworks. Pictured from left, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich listen to the National Anthem

The billionaire front-runner has roiled the RNC with an unconventional slash-and-burn campaign style

The two 'establishment' candidates who remain  Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich  are in third and fourth place among the quartet of candidates.

Republicans, Priebus insisted on Thursday night, 'are going to come together, unify in Cleveland, and get behind our nominee. That's what we do as Republicans.'

Cleveland will be the site of July's Republican national Convention.

'Any one of these four gentlemen would be a universe better than Hillary Clinton or a socialist like Bernie Sanders,' Priebus said.

Rubio, Florida's junior senator, received the night's largest ovation when he was introduced. But Trump set the tone for the night.

Trump (left) shakes hands with rival Ted Cruz as they arrive onstage at the CNN at the University of Miami

Marco Rubio (pictured), Florida's junior senator, received the night's largest ovation when he was introduced

'One of the biggest political events in the world is happening right now,' he said, noting that millions of Americans who usually don't participate in elections 'are voting out of enthusiam. They're voting out of love.'

Trump said that supporters of his, '50 years old, 60, years old, 70 years old,' tell him they will vote for him when they cast ballots for the first time.

'The Republican establishment, or whatever you want to call it, should embrace this,' he said. 'We're having millions of extra people join.'

'We're going to beat the Democrats. We're going to beat Hillary ... and we're going to beat them soundly.'

Trump also confirmed news that had been buzzing around Washington all afternoon, saying that he had met with Dr. Ben Carson, a former presidential candidate who dropped out last week.

He's 'endorsing me tomorrow morning,' Trump said.

'You can be politically correct if you want,' Trump said  finally breaking the taboo on talking directly to one of his opponents. 'I'm not interested in being politically correct,' Rubio countered

Trump said that supporters of his, '50 years old, 60, years old, 70 years old,' tell him they will vote for him

The evening's first disagreement  it would be an exaggeration to call it an argument, much less a fight  involved Trump and Cruz tussling gently on trade and tariffs.

Trump is 'right about the problem, but his solution doesn't work,' the Texan said, insisting that tariffs on China would only result in retail price increases.

'It's you that pays that tax,' he told Americans.

But Trump said 'it's just the opposite ... we will start building those factories, those plants here,' resulting in new jobs and a stronger economy.

Even the subject of radical Islam didn't bring out the fistfighting and brickbats.

Trump doubled down on his statement about Islam being at war with the United States.

'I mean a lot of them!' he said. 'There's tremendous hatred, and I'll stick with exactly what I said,'

Rubio charged that Trump 'says things they wish they could say. The problem is that a president can't just say whatever he wants' without bringing global consequences.

Trump never raised his voice in response, and never looked at Rubio.

'Marco talks about consequences. Well, we've had a lot of consequences including airplanes flying into the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon,' he said.

'You can be politically correct if you want,' Trump said  finally breaking the taboo on talking directly to one of his opponents.

'I'm not interested in being politically correct,' Rubio countered. 'I'm interested in being correct.'




Tory grandee Sir Nicholas Soames yesterday compared Michael Goves alleged leaking of the Queens private views on Europe to treason.

A row continued to rage at Westminster yesterday over claims that Mr Gove, who is the Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, was the source of a story claiming the Queen would back Brexit.

Sir Nicholas wrote on Twitter: If in any doubt of fate of former Lord Chancellors who may have let the side down, do go and look in Westminster Hall.

Tory grandee Sir Nicholas Soames (pictured left with Lord Mandelson on Parliament Square) yesterday compared Michael Goves alleged leaking of the Queens private views on Europe to treason

This is a reference to a plaque in floor of Westminster Hall commemorating Sir Thomas Mores trial for high treason.

More, who was Lord Chancellor under Henry VIII, was beheaded.

The jibe came as David Cameron rejected demands for an official investigation into the very serious claims that Mr Gove leaked the story.

Labour has demanded a Cabinet Office probe into whether he passed on private comments made by the Queen during a meeting with ministers in 2011.

The leaking of claims to The Sun that Her Majesty said the EU was heading in the wrong direction also triggered furious protests from Buckingham Palace.

But Mr Cameron said he did not believe a Government inquiry was needed into what the Queen said to former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg at a meeting attended by Mr Gove.

Mr Cameron said he did not believe a Government inquiry was needed into what the Queen said to former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg (left) at a meeting attended by Mr Gove (right)

The PM met Mr Gove on Wednesday. He said Mr Gove made clear he was not the source of the apparent leak. Mr Cameron added that the matter should be left in the hands of IPSO, the independent press watchdog, which is looking into a complaint from the Palace that it was inaccurate to say the Queen was in favour of leaving the EU. Aides say she is politically neutral.

The PM told BBC Sussex: Michael Gove has made clear that he has no idea where this story came from.

The Palace has made a very clear statement, the former deputy prime minister has made a very clear statement saying this didnt happen and I think we should leave it at that.
The 29-year-old woman has been remanded in custody

A 75-year-old man proved too strong and too quick for two armed bank robbers in Geelong, placing one in a headlock and scaring the other into running away.

Bernard Williams is being hailed a hero after stepping in to stop the heist by a gunman and a female accomplice armed with a screwdriver at suburban Newcomb, 80 kilometres south-west of Melbourne.

'I took another quick look at the one standing next to me and thought "you're not that big in stature - I reckon I can take you down" and I grabbed her around the neck and twisted her around and put her between me and the bloke with the gun,' Mr Williams told Radio 3AW.

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'Shoot him, shoot him': Bernard Williams claims the female accomplice he had in a headlock urged the gunman to take him out as the 75-year-old held her in a headlock

The man armed with the sawn-off shotgun is seen taking aim at Mr Williams who now has his female accomplice in a headlock inside the NAB branch in Bellarine on Thursday

The male bandit armed with the shotgun lowered his weapon and ran out of the NAB bank empty-handed

Mr Williams is seen on security vision walking towards the NAB Bank in Newcomb shortly before the hold-up

The vision from security cameras shows Mr Williams walking through the Newcomb shopping centre before the bandits arrive.

The pair is then seen striding into the shopping centre and past the ATMs towards a bank teller, one brandishing a sawn-off shotgun and his female accomplice has a screwdriver in hand.

They rush to the teller's post inside the NAB branch and throw a bag onto the counter, pointing the weapons at the teller.

'They were screaming out for money and so forth,' he explained on 3AW Breakfast.

'I took a quick look and thought this must be a joke, you know? But then I thought, you don't play jokes like that at a bank.'

That's when he decided to take down one of the bandits, placing her in a headlock and wrestling her to the ground.

'I thought if he's going to shoot me, he's going to have to shoot her first.'

Mr Williams said that the woman he had hold of called out to her male accomplice with the sawn-off shotgun to shoot.

Instead he turned around and ran off to a waiting car, leaving empty handed.

Victoria Police say the wanted man drove off in a light coloured Holden Commodore sedan after fleeing the bank empty-handed

The woman was held down by Mr Williams and another bank customer until security and police arrived on scene.

Victoria Police issued a statement on Friday after releasing the surveillance vision.

'Armed Crime Squad detectives continue to investigate an alleged armed robbery in Newcomb yesterday,' they reported.

'The alleged armed robbery took place at a financial institution on Bellarine Highway about 3pm.

'A 29-year-old Geelong woman has been charged with armed robbery and appeared in Geelong Magistrates' Court today.

'Police continue to search for the man involved in the incident and a grey or light- coloured VN Holden Commodore Sedan.'
Parents used to dream of seeing their child graduate from a prestigious university (file photo)

Parents used to dream of seeing their child graduate from a prestigious university.

But nowadays, thanks to crippling tuition fees and increasing competition for jobs, they want their offspring to take apprenticeships and climb the career ladder instead.

Three in five said they would rather their child did a degree-level apprenticeship with a top firm than study at Oxbridge, a survey has found.

Degree apprenticeships allow students to do paid work at an accredited company while studying for a degree in a management-related subject at the same time.

More than four out of five parents said they would prefer this scheme for their children rather than traditional degrees.

Half of those questioned felt a degree-level apprenticeship would give their child a better chance of getting a good job than if they went to university, with parents who were university-educated themselves most likely to agree. The same parents were more likely to say that a degree-level apprenticeship provided better value for money than a traditional degree, compared to two in five of all parents.

Two-fifths said they would encourage their child to apply for an apprenticeship rather than go to university, according to the poll of 1,000 parents commissioned by the Chartered Management Institute.

Around a quarter said they would not encourage their child to take an apprenticeship, but only one in ten would disapprove if they did.

Firms including M&S, Rolls-Royce, Nestle and Barclays have signed up to degree apprenticeship schemes that give young people three years in the workplace, a degree from a university business school and chartered management status from the CMI.

Students earn a salary and do not pay tuition fees, unlike traditional university courses, which charge up to 9,000 a year.

CMI chief executive Ann Francke said: As student costs rise and employment prospects fall, its hardly surprising parents would rather pick a guaranteed professional career over an Oxbridge degree for their children. Savvy parents are recognising the importance of their children getting their foot on the career ladder at an early age.

I'M DOING MY DEGREE... AT WORK! While studying at sixth-form, Haleema Baker-Mir was encouraged by her teachers to go to university While studying at sixth-form, Haleema Baker-Mir was encouraged by her teachers to go to university. But she decided she would rather gain experience of the workplace and applied for a degree apprenticeship. The 18-year-old, from Halifax, now works in the supply chain arm of Nestle as a demand planner  ensuring supermarkets are kept stocked with Nestles products  and will also work in sales, marketing and HR. She spends one week studying at Sheffield Hallam University for every six weeks spent in the office. The three-year scheme leads to a degree, chartered manager status and a permanent job with Nestle. I just felt university wasnt the right course for me. Everything I learn now is directly applied to my job, she said. For example, Im studying sales and marketing, and when I move into a sales role as part of my rotation Ill be able to apply that to the job. I find it incredible that at 21, compared to my friends who did go to uni, Ill have not only a degree but also a professional status. Ill already be in a role with a job under my belt and Ill have the work experience they wont have. Advertisement

On-the-job experience and a pathway to professional status are recognised as a surer route to future success than the jobs lottery that many graduates face today. Dame Fiona Kendrick, chief executive of Nestle UK and Ireland, said the programme was giving young people the skills they need to become the successful business leaders of the future.

Ben Murphy, of Barclays, added: This is a programme we are extremely proud of, and one that offers life-changing career and education opportunities.

Government figures show university graduates under 30 are more likely to be employed than non-graduates. Last year, around 87 per cent of graduates aged 21 to 30 had jobs, compared to 70 per cent of non-graduates of the same age.

Only one in ten parents had heard of a degree apprenticeship before being surveyed. More than three quarters said apprenticeships and traditional degrees should be promoted equally to sixth-formers.
Suspect: Dr Wagner Moraes (pictured) is alleged by police to have forged a death certificate for model Raquel Santos to hide that he hadn't checked her medical history before operating on her

The surgeon whose model client died while in his care has been accused by Brazilian police of forging her death certificate to hide that he hadn't checked her medical history before operating.

Raquel Santos, 28, of Sao Goncalo, Rio de Janeiro, died of a heart attack on January 11 after Dr Wagner Moraes injected her face with 'filler' to remove the laughter lines that she despised.

And police say that Moraes, also of Rio de Janeiro, didn't ask Santos about her medication use - which included a banned horse stimulant - then tried to cover it up afterwards with a fake death certificate.

According to the Mirror, Police official Mario Jose Lamblet dos Santos said: 'She was checked twice by the doctor, once on the day of surgery and again afterwards,'

'During the investigation, we discovered that he only knew she was using anabolics when hospital staff declared her dead.'

That, police say, was when he illegally printed a death certificate for her.

Santos, who was described as a 'slave to vanity' by friends shortly after her death, was reportedly using a performance-enhancing horse medication called Potenay to improve results from her gym workouts.

The drug, which contains mefentermine, a cardio-respiratory stimulant, is increasingly used in Brazil by bodybuilders for muscle gain, but also raises users' blood pressure.

It is believed it may have contributed to the heart attack.

Tragic: Santos (left) had a heart attack after 'filler' was injected into her face. It's believed a horse drug she was taking to aid her gym progress contributed. Her boyfriend (right) says she was obsessed with her looks

Miss Santos' best friend, Debora Azevedo, told Brazil's G1 website how the model, who left behind two sons aged seven and 13, was 'obsessed' with cosmetic surgery.

She said: 'She was very concerned about her looks. She would go off and have procedures without telling her friends so we wouldn't fight with her.

'She was so vain. She worked out religiously, she was as addicted to working out as she was to plastic surgery.'

Her boyfriend Gilberto Azevedo said her quest for beauty was unnecessary and dangerous.
With tonight's Republican debate taking place in South Florida, the issue of Cuba clearly came up and Donald Trump used one of his signature phrases when asked how he would deal with the island Communist nation.

'We have to make a good deal. I would want to make a good deal. I would want to make a strong, solid, good deal,' Trump said.

Marco Rubio  the Floridian fighting for his political life, as frontrunner Trump has overtaken him in his home state polls with the contest a must-win for the senator  used the line right back.

'I know what a good deal is,' Rubio, a Cuban-American, said. 'Here's a good deal: Cuba has free elections, Cuba stops putting people in jail for speaking out, Cuba has freedom of the press.'

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Marco Rubio's big moment of the night came when he was asked about Cuba. The Cuban-American senator outlined all the things the island nation needed to do before deserving full diplomatic relations

When Donald Trump was asked about Cuba he distanced his position from President Obama's by suggesting the U.S. needed a better 'deal' with the country than what the sitting president agreed to

Rubio also called on Cuba to disentangle itself from North Korea, along with China and Russia.

He said the island nation needed to send American criminals back including 'that cop killer from New Jersey,' JoAnne Chesimard, who killed a police officer in New Jersey in 1973.

'And you know what, then we can have a relationship with Cuba,' Rubio said.

Trump was asked whether his position on Cuba was the same as President Obama's, whose administration has started opening up diplomatic ties with the nation.

President Obama is visiting Cuba in a little more than a week.

'I don't really agree with President Obama, I think I'm somewhere in the middle,' Trump said, before going on a tangent about getting the U.S. a better deal.

The crux of his argument was about the United States having to pay Cuba reparations for the financial toll the embargo took on the country for all those years.

'We don't want to get sued after the deal was made,' Trump said.

The billionaire also said he would close the newly re-opened American embassy in Havana until a better 'deal' was in place.

When Rubio got a chance to respond, he grabbed the opportunity to sound more informed about the issue.

Sen. Marco Rubio laughed at Donald Trump's 'good deal' with Cuba talk, saying that an actual good deal for Cuba would be democracy and freedom for the Cuban people

'First of all, the embassy's the former consulate, it's the same building, so it could just go back to being called a consulate, we don't have to close it that way,' Rubio pointed out.

'Secondly, I don't know where Cuba's going to sue us, but if they sue us in a court in Miami they're going to lose,' Rubio said, getting a great reaction from the Miami-based crowd.

Rubio was strongly critical of the Cuban government, much like many of his brethren hailing from South Florida, saying that he would 'love the relationship between the United States and Cuba to change.'

But for Rubio, Cuba needed to implement democratic reforms, similar to what the United States negotiated with Burma.

'When there was a diplomatic opening they were required to make democratic openings,' Rubio said, adding the caveat that Burma is still not a perfect place.

Rubio said that he worried that the millions of American dollars now heading toward Cuba will do nothing but continue the Castro regime even after Fidel and his brother Raul Castro pass.

'It will allow them to become permanent and in stone,' Rubio warned. 'They will not be able to carry out a transition, where the military continues to run the country there.'
Donald Trump refused to back down from his claim that 'Islam hates us' during tonight's debate.

There is a 'serious, serious problem of hate,' Trump said during a GOP debate tonight in Miami, Florida.

He added: 'There is tremendous hate, there is tremendous hate.'

Trump originally made the assertion yesterday during an CNN interview.

While not going as far as to say all 1.6 billion Muslims despise America, the Republican presidential candidate did not separate radical Islamic terrorism and the Islam as a faith.

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Donald Trump refused to back down from his claim that 'Islam hates us' during tonight's debate

'There's something going on that maybe you don't know about, maybe a lot of people don't know about, but there's tremendous hatred, and I will stick with exactly what I said to Anderson Cooper,' Trump said

Asked if he thought that the anger was coming from the religion itself, Trump, 69, threw the question back at interviewer Anderson Cooper and said that was for the media to work out themselves.

'You're gonna have to figure that out, OK?'; said Trump to Cooper. 'We have to be very vigilant. We have to be very careful. And we can't allow people coming into this country who have this hatred of the United States.'

At tonight's debate, coincidentally hosted by CNN, network anchor Jake Tapper asked Trump the question again.

'I mean a lot of them, I mean a lot of them,' Trump said.

The businessman declined an opportunity to 'clarify' his remarks.

'There's something going on that maybe you don't know about, maybe a lot of people don't know about, but there's tremendous hatred, and I will stick with exactly what I said to Anderson Cooper.'

Marco Rubio countered Trump and said, 'I know that a lot of people find appeal in the things Donald says cause he says what people wish they could say.

'The problem is, presidents can't just say anything they want. It has consequences, here and around the world.'

Rubio noted that many American men and women serving in uniform are Muslims.

'They love America. And as far as I know, no one on this stage has served in uniform in the United States military,' he said.

Continuing, Rubio said, 'Anyone out there that has the uniform of the United States on and is willing to die for this country is someone that loves America. No matter what their religious background may be.'

Trump, left, told Anderson Cooper, right, that Islam hates the United States during a television interview last night. He also claimed that Iraq has become the 'Harvard of Terrorism' following the US invasion

Trump replied, 'Marco talks about consequences. Well, we've had a lot of consequences, including airplanes flying into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and could have been the White House.

'There have been a lot of problems.'

He told his opponent, 'You can say what you want, and you can be politically correct if you want. I don't want to be so politically correct. I like to solve problems. We have a serious, serious problem of hate. '

Trump said 'large portions' of Islamic followers 'want to use very, very harsh means.'

'Women are treated horribly, and other things are happening that are very, very bad,' he said.

Rubio told him in response, 'I'm not interested in being politically correct. I'm interested in being correct.'

In order to defeat radical Islamic terrorism, Rubio said, 'we are going to have to work together' with Muslims 'who are not radicals.'

Asked for his take on the issue, and whether Islam 'hates' America as Trump said, Ohio Governor John Kasich said: 'No, I don't.'

'I think there is a sect of, you know, this radical Islam that is really, really serious, and poses the greatest threat to us today,' he said. 'There isn't any question. And that's why the whole world has to work together to make sure that we don't have proliferation of these weapons of mass destruction.'

'You can say what you want, and you can be politically correct if you want. I don't want to be so politically correct. I like to solve problems. We have a serious, serious problem of hate,' Trump said

Yesterday Trump claimed the invasion of Iraq was the 'worst decision in the history of the United States'.

Indeed, he described Saddam Hussein as a great 'terrorist hunter' and suggested following the dictator's execution, Iraq became the 'Harvard of terrorism'.

Speaking to Anderson Cooper on CNN, Trump insisted: 'I think Islam hates us. There's a tremendous hatred. We have to get to the bottom of it. There is an unbelievable hatred of us.'
Cesar Millan, known as the 'Dog Whisperer' on his Nat Geo WILD television show, insists a pig that was attacked by one of his dogs is fine.

The dog behaviorist is under investigation after his attempts to rehabilitate an aggressive dog showed the canine biting into the pig's ear in one video clip.

More than 9,500 people signed a Change.org petition to take Millan's show, Cesar 911, off the air and the LA County Animal Control told TMZ that a number of viewers called in to complain that his methods were inhumane.

But another video was released after the onslaught of criticism, showing the French bulldog terrier mix named Simon happily interacting with the very same pig he previously attacked.

Nat Geo WILD also stepped in to defend Millan and said the pig was treated and 'showed no lasting signs of distress.'

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Potential animal cruelty: Cesar Millan known on television as the 'Dog Whisperer' is under investigation after a video surfaced of a dog attacking a pig on his television show, it was revealed on Thursday

Attack: This image shows Simon the dog running towards a pig he later attacked during a training session with Millan. More than 9,000 have since signed an online petition calling for Millan to be kicked off the air

Nat Geo WILD and Millan insist the pig is fine. Another video clip was released to show Simon being rehabilitated. While Simon is reluctant to get pulled along by the pig at first (left), he soon keeps up (right)

A video clip of Millan's show surfaced this week, showing Simon biting into a pig's ear, causing it to bleed.

LA County Animal Control visited his Dog Psychology Center in Santa Clarita, California on Thursday night but Millan was not there at the time, according to NBC.

Animal officials told TMZ that they are looking into the pig's well being after complaints about Millan's methods flooded in.

In an online petition, which has garnered 9,933 signatures, Jill Breitner of Sebastopol, California, accused the dog behaviorist of animal cruelty and using the pigs as bait.

In a statement released by Nat Geo WILD, the nature channel defended Millan, saying he 'created a safe and controlled environment' to rehabilitate 'extreme' cases of dog aggression.

It also argued that because of Millan's work, Simon did not have to be separated from his owner or euthanized.

Nat Geo Wild stood by Millan and reassured viewers that the pig was fine by saying: 'The pig that was nipped by Simon was tended to immediately afterwards, healed quickly and showed no lasting signs of distress.'

In addition to the statement, another video clip was released, this time showing a successful training session with Simon and the pigs.

In the clip, Millan introduces Simon into a pig pen with another dog, who acts as a positive influence as he happily interacts with the animals.

LA County Animal Control visited his Dog Psychology Center in Santa Clarita on Thursday night but Millan was not there at the time. Millan is pictured here with Simon the dog during another training session

Simon slowly follows suit, and the dog whisperer gets Simon close to the pigs without 'having an intention to go after them'.

Soon enough, Simon's leash is attached to the very pig he had attacked. While Simon initially resists getting walked by the pig, he happily trots along in no time.

Millan looks satisfied in the video as he says: 'What they learn is to coexist with each other. Now Simon's learned a different concept - you can follow a pig, you can be near a pig, you can eat with a pig, don't eat the pig.'

Last February Millan was sued by a Florida nurse who claimed a dog named Gus attacked her despite being treated at Cesar's center six days before.
A 'miscalculation' is why two writers have yet to receive

Penthouse Australia magazine owes at least tens of thousands of dollars in fees and superannuation funds, former employees and freelance writers claim.

At least $50,000 have yet to be paid to contributors for articles already published, as well as superannuation, Mumbrella reported.

Journalists are pointing the finger at the magazine's publisher Damien Costas for not paying for articles already published  insisting that he has given them the run around.

Penthouse Australia magazine (pictured) owes at least tens of thousands of dollars in fees and superannuation funds, former employees and freelance writers claim

Publisher Damien Costas (pictured), who took over the magazine in September 2015, says the claims are 'nonsense'

Mr Costas, who took over the magazine in September 2015 when it was about to shut down, disagrees and told Daily Mail Australia on Friday that the claims are 'nonsense.'

Freelance journalist Ben Smithurst told Mumbrella he is owed more than $20,000 and some of his invoices reach back 14 months.

'Damien doesn't answer calls, although I get the occasional email  mostly second-hand, from another contributor who is in a hole,' Mr Smithurst argues.

Another freelance writer, who wished to remain anonymous, said he is owed more than $4,000 and had yet to see a dollar despite persistently reminding Mr Costas  the director of Penthouse's publishing company Filthy Gorgeous.

Freelance journalist Ben Smithurst told Mumbrella he is owed more than $20,000 and some of his invoices reach back 14 months

After producing three to five pages of content for four issues without being paid, he decided to stop writing for the men's magazine, the freelance writer told Daily Mail Australia.

He contributed content for eight magazines overall and 'not once did they ever pay on time,' he said.

Mr Costas has allegedly danced around the subject of payment in numerous emails and has promised to pay 'in the arvo' or responds that they will be paid 'when the funds arrive,' but the money never comes, the freelance writer claims.

Another freelance writer, who wished to remain anonymous, said he is owed more than $4,000 and had yet to see a dollar despite persistently reminding Mr Costas

'Damien knew he wouldn't be able to pay us and took advantage of that,' the journalist claims.

Mr Costas oversaw Penthouse magazine when it was being published by PH Publications, until the company was liquidated in 2015 to pay creditors and he formed his own publishing company Filthy Gorgeous to oversee the magazine.

At the time the magazine switched hands, Mr Costas said two full-time and two-part time staff members were made redundant but were paid in full  except for a 'miscalculation' in the superannuation for two staff members, which will be paid by the end of the 2016 financial year.

'Damien knew he wouldn't be able to pay us and took advantage of that,' the journalist claims

'Two freelancers are alleging outstanding invoices, which are due to be paid by the end of June, as agree. From our perspective, it's business as usual,' Mr Costas said.

'All freelancers that were owed money, prior to my taking over completely in September last year, were told that a restructure of the business would occur and that they would be paid before end of financial year 2016,' Mr Costas said, who was contactable and not avoiding calls.
Omar Bakri Mohammed (pictured) helped recruit jihadist fighters for ISIS from the UK, according the huge leak of data about the terror group

A hate preacher once known as the Tottenham Ayatollah helped recruit jihadist fighters for Islamic State from the UK, according the huge leak of data about the terror group.

Omar Bakri Mohammed, who radicalised Fusilier Lee Rigbys killers despite being deported from Britain to Lebanon in 2005, was named as a sponsor by British jihadists trying to be inducted into IS.

Four fighters from Cardiff, including Reyaad Khan, 21, who was killed in Raqqa last year by a UK drone, named Bakri as their referee, according to the leaked papers.

The leak reveals that potential Jihadists had to fill out a 23-question recruitment form before being accepted, including a section where they had to write who they were recommended by.

Bakri, 58, who was born in Syria, moved to the UK in 1986 and led the UK chapter of Hizb ut-Tahrir, an organisation which supported the formation of a Caliphate.

He later split from the group and created the al Qaeda-inspired al-Muhajiroun.

He became notorious for his outspoken support of jihadist groups and attacks, and labelled the London 7/7 bombers the fantastic four.

Over the past two years Bakri Mohammed, who was handed a 12-year prison sentence for terrorism offences, has preached the killing of women and children on his Facebook page.

But his own son Mohammed is said to have died in Aleppo province in the north of Syria last October  it was claimed he was executed by IS for apostasy.

In total the documents contain the details of 1,763 fighters from 50 countries, naming individuals not previously known to be fighting in Syria, including a man arrested in the London riots, a teacher and a Christian convert.

The leak reveals that several of the Britons who escaped to Syria volunteered for suicide missions, including 19-year-old Muhammed Jackir, a law student from London.

Another ISIS gatekeeper, Iftherkar Jaman from Portsmouth, was also revealed by The Times last night  again his name was found on aspiring Jihadis forms as a mentor.

ISIS may have deliberately released personal information about 22,000 of its fighters to stop them from leaving, a respected counter-terrorism expert has said

One expert believes the documents could act as a disincentive to young people thinking about leaving for IS.

Charlie Winter, senior research associate at Georgia State University, said: They might have hoped to return home quietly but now they will be wondering if their security services in their own countries know who they are and what theyve done.

But James Harkin, the author of Hunting Season, an account of the kidnapping of foreigners in Syria by Isis and other extremist groups, warned the leak could be a fake.

He told the Independent: I have often been offered memory sticks said to contain documents pertaining to Isis which are on sale on the Turkish-Syrian border.
Playboy Playmate Angie Vu, 32, who has been held without bail in a New York jail since November, is fighting an extradition agreement that would see her deported to France to face parental kidnapping charges, the NY Daily News reported.

Vu, who is from Vietnam, was locked up in November after allegedly trying to flee from the US to China with her daughter, Isabella. The girl's father, Richard Froger, is based in France and has custody of the girl but agreed to allow Isabella to stay with Vu until August 29.

Vu apparently broke the agreement by boarding the plane at JFK. She told the girl they would be flying on to Vietnam.

Arrested: Playboy Playmate and DJ Angie Vu was arrested in November while boarding a plane from New York to China with her daughter, breaking a custody agreement with the girl's father, Richard Froger

Mom: Vu maintains that her daughter Isabella (pictured right) should not have been placed in the care of her father by a French family court. She is now fighting an extradition order to face kidnapping charges in France

Vu maintains that the Family Court in Paris made a mistake when it awarded custody of their nine-year-old daughter to her biological father, Richard Froger.

But she doesn't want to be deported there to face charges. The suit she filed on Wednesday appeals a Brooklyn magistrate judge's decision to approve her extradition to France, and will stop extradition procedures until it is resolved.

It paints a picture of Froger as a reluctant father who played no part in his daughter's life until she was seven years old and refused to even acknowledge her until she was five, the NY Daily News reported.

The suit features emails written by Froger after the couple's fling in which he outright says, 'I never wanted to have a baby with you.'

Proud: This image was posted on Mother's Day with the message 'Proud Mommy!!!' Vu says that Froger was not present for the first seven years of their daughter's life, and that she should have custody of the girl

'I still remember when I asked you if you used contraception pills!!!' Froger is alleged to have written in 2006. 'So you lied me and I don't feel guilty about nothing.'

Vu replied: 'I was sad when i read your email before but now I think its ridiculous that you think I have to use a baby to trick you.

'First, I'm not the kind of women who r ugly, stupid or uneducated that I cannot get a man.

'I thought you were a handsome kind gentleman that I had feelings for even though I didn't expect anything from you as I wrote.'

Vu, who is also a DJ and has appeared on America's Got Talent, is presently being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, in an open dormitory with about 100 other female inmates. She is being held without bail, as she is considered a flight risk.

In February she told NY Daily News that prison was not as bad as she expected, although the food was disappointing and she kept having to turn down advances from lesbian inmates.

'A lot of lesbians around here and a few blondies are hitting on me,' Vu told the paper. 'But I prefer to read my Bible for now.'
An 11-year-old Florida girl admitted Thursday that she lied to police about being the victim of an attempted abduction - because she didn't want to walk home from the bus stop.

The girl sparked a scare in Davenport Tuesday after she told officers a man in a white car approached her as she was walking from the bus and tried to lure her into his car.

'Your mom is in the hospital, and they sent us to get you,' the man was supposed to have said.

The girl said she started running down the sidewalk and later told her mother about the incident, who reported it to police.

On Tuesday evening, the Polk County sheriff's office went out with a description of a 'white male in his late 40s to early 50s, with short hair and a salt-and-pepper goatee, and a sunburned or red complexion, wearing a dark green T-shirt with orange lettering on the front.'

Polk County sheriff Grady Judd hold up a rendition of the made-up suspect in Tuesday's kidnapping scare

A rendition of the suspect in Tuesday's reported attempted abduction, released before the girl admitted she made up the story to avoid walking home from the bus stop

On Thursday afternoon, after detectives had 'worked around the clock' to identify the suspect, police said the girl's mother called them and asked them to come over to her house.

When detectives arrived at the girl's house, she admitted she made the story up, police said.

The reason she lied was that she was tired of walking the mile home from the bus stop every day, police said, according to WTSP.

The girl apologized in a letter to the sheriff's office.

'I'm sorry the story that I told wasn't true. I don't normally walk home, and on Tuesday, I was walking and I was scared. I never meant to hurt anyone or for this to get this big. I just want forgiveness - I'm truly sorry for making that false report,' the girl wrote.

'P.S. I just want to say thank you because now I know that you'll be there for me if something does happen,' the letter continued.

In a statement, the girl's parents said they were 'truly sorry' and that the girl learned a 'valuable lesson.'

For their part, police said they were 'disappointed' that the girl lied, but 'happy that there isn't someone riding around in Davenport trying to lure kids into his car.'

'At the very least, we are dealing with a child who lied to us and wasted our resources, but the good news is, we didn't have an actual kidnapping or worse,' police said.

Police said the girl will be charged with filing a false police report, a misdemeanor.
Donald Trump defended himself Thursday night against charges that his tough campaign talk encourages rally-goers to become violent with protesters who aren't Trump fans.

'I certainly do not condone that at all,' Trump said during a debate in Miami.

But he said that while some of his supporters 'have anger' at the government 'that's unbelievable,' it's often the left-wing activists who start the melees.

'We have some protesters who are bad dudes. They have done bad things,' he said.

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Donald Trump (pictured) defended himself Thursday night against charges that his tough campaign talk encourages rally-goers to become violent with protesters who aren't Trump fans

'They are swinging, they are really dangerous, and they get in there and they start hitting people, and we had a couple big strong, powerful guys doing damage to people.'

'It's not me' who's manhandling the troublemakers, he insisted. 'It's usually the municipal government and the police.'

The question came a day after an elderly white man attacked an African-American protester during a Trump rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Rakeem Jones was being ejected by police when amateur video showed him being knocked to the ground by a fierce punch from 78-year-old John McGraw.

McGraw now faces an assault charge.

Rakeem Jones (pictured) was being ejected by police when amateur video showed him being knocked to the ground by a fierce punch from 78-year-old John McGraw

CNN anchor Jake tapper read aloud  in a deadpan voice  some of the more incendiary lines Trump hurled at protesters last month.

'I'd like to punch him in the face,' he said of one during a February 23 campaign stop in Sparks, Nevada.

'In the good old days they'd have ripped him out of that seat so fast!' he jabbed a day earlier in Las Vegas.

John McGraw, 78, now faces an assault charge

Tapper's example from three weeks earlier, however, was clearly meant as a joke at the time.

On Feb. 1, the day of the Iowa caucuses, Trump told an overflow crowd in Cedar Rapids that police may have identified hooligans entering the venue with tomatoes meant for him.

'So I get a little notice, in case you see the security guys. We have wonderful security guys,' Trump began. 'They said, "Mr. Trump, there may be somebody with tomatoes in the audience".'

'So if you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato,' he said with an impish grin, 'knock the crap out of 'im, would you? Seriously. Just knock the hell  I promise you I will pay for the legal fees. I promise. I promise.'

'It won't be so much,' he continued the joke, 'because the courts agree with us, too.'

A man had been charged with disorderly conduct a week earlier after allegedly hurling two tomatoes at Trump during an Iowa City event.

Tapper omitted the beginning of the long quote, and the end, leaving the impression that Trump was speaking about a specific person who was in the act of protesting against him.

'Knock the crap out of him, would you?' the CNN host quoted Trump in his subdued, serious voice. 'Seirously, ok? Just knock the hell out of him. I promise you I will pay for the legal fees. I promise. I promise.'

Trump said after the debate in an exclusive telephone interview that the entire incident  like other similar ones  was blown out of proportion.

'I was joking!' he said, recalling the Iowa rally. 'You go to these rallies. You see it. I do it joking!'

All of Trump's campaign events begin with a public-address announcement asking people to avoid physical confrontations with anyone who causes trouble.

'Please do not touch or harm the protester; this is a peaceful rally,' the announcement says.

Donald Trump was disrupted at least 15 times by protesters during a rally in Fayetteville on Wednesday
Amanda J. Hellmann, 29, was arrested and charged with second-degree felony kidnapping Thursday

Two missing teenage sisters have been found alive after being missing for almost a year in upstate New York.

Shaeleen Fitch-Fortner, 14, and Ky-lea Fortner, 16, were rescued by police Wednesday from the home of Amanda J. Hellmann in Vestal, New York, Broome County District Attorney Steve Cornwell told the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin.

They said an anonymous top led them there.

Hellmann, 29, pleaded not guilty to a felony count of second-degree kidnapping Thursday in court.

The sisters were reported missing April 27 after they never returned to their foster family's home from school.

Police say Hellmann abducted the girls in the area of the Susquehanna Valley High/Middle School on Conklin Road in Conklin, as witnesses claim to have last seen them waiting for their school bus, the newspaper reported.

Hellmann, who is a family acquaintance, allegedly kept Ky-lea Fortner, then 15 and Shaeleen Fitch-Fortner, then 13, for the next 11 months at her house at 327 Torrance Avenue and prevented them from leaving.

'Hellmann ... conducted numerous acts to prevent law enforcement from returning the two children to their foster parents,' the criminal complaint states, the newspaper reported.

Rescued: Shaeleen Fitch-Fortner (left), 14, and Ky-lea Fortner (right), 16 were rescued by police Wednesday from Hellmann's home in Vestal, New York. They were reported missing April 27, 2015

Police say Hellmann abducted the girls in the area of the Susquehanna Valley High/Middle School on Conklin Road in Conklin, as witnesses claim to have last seen them waiting for their school bus. Above Hellmann (right) is pictured with Ky-lea Fortner (left) in an undated photo

'The girls are healthy today,' Broome County District Attorney Steve Cornwell told the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. 'The allegation is they were kept in the defendant's house without their consent.'

New York State Police were led to the girls after a caller tipped them off to Hellmann, who is being held in the Broome County jail following her arrest.

Cornwell said that she is considered as the only suspect at this time and would not provide a motive or details surrounding the sisters' captivity.

He explained the next step in the legal process is either a plea agreement or an indictment from a grand jury.

New York State Police were led to the girls after a caller tipped them off to Hellmann, who is being held in the Broome County jail following her arrest. Above Hellmann (left) is pictured with Shaeleen Fitch-Fortner (right) in an undated photo

The criminal complaint says 'Hellmann ... conducted numerous acts to prevent law enforcement from returning the two children to their foster parents.' Child Protective Services now has custody of the Shaeleen Fitch-Fortner (right) and Ky-lea Fortner (left)

Child Protective Services now has custody of the girls, he added.

Cornwell also thanked the state police for successfully finding the sisters

'Eleven months goes by ... and you think the worst,' Cornwell told the newspaper.

'State police have honestly been working this case every single day. They didn't give up.'

Anyone with information regarding the case is being asked to call New York State Police at 607-775-1241.

A Facebook profile appearing to belong to Hellmann features several photos of the two sisters prior to when they were abducted.
Council battle comes while her husband is away on business and child is ill

Ms Sargeant has spent days trying to sort it but Council won't waive ticket

But when she went back a senior ranger told her she'd have to go to court

When she complained the Council said the new system had faults

When Lesley Sargeant went to use her local Council's 'efficient' new ticketless parking meter system on the Manly shore front in Sydney's Northern Beaches she made sure she had entered all the right data into the machine.

So it was a shock when the working mother of three returned after a jog along the road to find a ticket flapping from the windscreen of her car.

'The parking ticket said I'd been fined five minutes after I'd actually entered all the data into the machine.

'I'd had to walk three car lengths to the machine and I hadn't seen any rangers in their fluoro vests approaching my car.

'But it was a very busy day that day with the surf carnival and after using the ticket machine I had run off on my jog without turning around

Lesley Sargeant, a busy mother of three, made sure she entered all the right data in Manly Council's new ticketless parking system but got fined $106 and then told she would have to go to court

Lesley Sargeant used the new ticketless parking system on the Manly Beach frontage and when she told the council rangers it had malfunctioned they agreed it had faults, but later changed their tune

Ms Sargeant took a screen shot of the new parking meter but was told that she didn't have the evidence that she had used it properly becausee with the new machine people could not tell on the meter when the time started, or their expiry time.

'So when I saw the ticket, then of course I began to doubt myself.'

Ms Sargeant went back and fed in her car registration number and other data into the new ticket machine, which had been installed by the council with great fanfare two weeks earlier.

The parking fine that Ms Sargeant was issued after a new parking meter malfunctioned and the council told her she'd have to go to court

The machine flashed up a message saying she had been docked the two and half hours she had punched in.

The machine read 'parking permit valid' and told her she had one hour and 30 minutes left available of her four hour limit.

Fuming, Ms Sargent, whose husband was away on business and one of her three children suffering health issues,took time out her day to go personally to Manly Council to complain.

She was told by a senior council ranger, 'oh yeah, we've had a few problems with the new system for residents. There must be a delay between when you put in your rego to when you click in to the system'.

Ms Sargeant asked the ranger to cancel her fine and he said, 'I can't do that, you will have to put it in writing.'

The senior ranger then rang the ranger who booked Ms Sergeant and they had a discussion.

Because the council had introduced the new ticketless parking system for residents and ratepayers, they could no longer reverse fines, something they could do until recently under the old ticketed system.

The ranger told Ms Sargeant to contact the NSW Office of State Revenue to dispute the fine. She did so, but had to limit her explanation in the space available in the complaints box.

'I had to cut it short and make sense at the same time,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'I got a letter back saying they had "checked with the issuing authority [Manly Council] and our investigation concluded that the penalty stays".'

Told she would have to consult the 'issuing authority' to get access to the 'computerised records of for all parking', Ms Sargeant returned to Manly Council.

When she asked for a copy of the records,she was told she would have to go to court to dispute the ticket to see the computer records which would show when she had programmed the ticketless meter.

Ms Sargeant telephoned the senior ranger and told him, 'I need your help because you checked everything was okay and I don't want to have to go to court.'

But the ranger denied he had checked out her case, saying 'I didn't do that. I didn't say that'.

Manly Council's new machines were designed to help rangers and garner greater revenue for the council, which believed some residents were lending friends or relatives their residents' parking passes

Ms Sargeant said, 'So I said "are you kidding me? I need to get copies of the council records" and he told me they would have checked that already when the Office of State Revenue investigated.

'You could hear it in his voice. Care Factor Zero. He didn't give a monkey's. I told him "well you haven't heard the end of this".'

Ms Sargeant emailed Manly councillor Candy Bingham, who has promised to speak with the council's general manager, Henry Wong.

When Lesley Sargent went back to the ranger she said 'You could hear it in his voice. Care Factor Zero. He didn't give a monkey's. I told him "well you haven't heard the end of this"

Meanwhile, Ms Sargeant received a letter from the Office of State Revenue warning her that if she did not pay her fine by April 3, she would incur a further fine of $65.

In between dealing with her child's ill health and busy family while her husband was away, and her part-time job working in a child care centre, Ms Sergeant went on the war path.

'I started warning other residents about the new machine and chatting with rangers i the street. They were much more helpful.'

Ms Sargeant said she has since learnt that the issue with the new machine was that people could not tell on the meter when the time started, or their expiry time.

'Luckily I took a screen shot of the machine, but I don't know whether that's going to help me in the end,' she said.

'What about little old ladies who don't have mobile phones to take photos, or can't see the meter screen in the first place.'

Manly Council told Daily Mail Australia it had installed the new machines in the first week of February.

The machines were designed to help rangers and garner greater revenue for the council, which believed some residents were lending friends or relatives their residents' parking passes.

The new machines are meant to operate on the system that each household is allowed two parking permits with a bank of four hours free parking each a day.
A gag worthy batch of baby food has been pulled from Woolworths shelves after a mother unwittingly fed it to her two children, one of whom was up all night vomiting.

Mum Nikki De Bondt from Brisbane warned people on Facebook not to feed their children Organic Baby Macro on Wednesday.

Contaminated product alert!! Hey peeps, a heads up that Ollie and Elka tasted this baby macro organics squeezey pack today, she wrote.

Mum Nikki De Bondt from Brisbane opened up a packet of Organic Baby Macro and found this

The batch has been pulled from shelves at Woolworths where Nikki De Bondt bought it

Nikki De Bondt took to Facebook to warn people not to give the product, which made one of her kids sick

They both gagged and almost vomited. I decided to cut it open and squeeze out the contents. OMG it was gag worthy.

A photo of the baby food, which was likely mouldy, was posted alongside the warning and showed a sickly brown and black mush.

Ms De Bondt updated her original post to let people know one of her children had been up all night vomiting. She was eventually forced to take her to a doctor.

UPDATE:ELKA UP VOMITING ALL NIGHT. DO NOT GIVE TO YOUR CHILDREN, she said.

People on Facebook reacted with disgust to the sickly photos.

That's terrible! Thanks Nikki. Will share, wrote one person.

Another post read: Omg you poor things! That's disgusting.

People on Facebook reacted in disgust and expressed sympathy for Ms De Bondt and her children

One person said: 'Poor kids, poor you! Yuck'

Ms De Bondt said Woolworths had referred the product to the Queensland health department, as well as the supplier, for investigation.

A Woolworths spokesman confirmed they were aware of the issue and said the product had been pulled from shelves.

Woolworths takes the safety of our products very seriously and was concerned by this report from one of our customers, the spokesman said.

We have been in touch and begun an investigation with our supplier.

We have also taken from our shelves products from this batch.
Raises concerns as to how many pieces of debris people may be hoarding

Family came forward with debris three months after finding it on holiday

Concerns that pieces of wreckage from the missing Malaysian Airlines flight, MH370 are being kept as souvenirs are mounting.

A South African family came forward on Thursday with a piece of debris suspected to be from the missing Boeing 777, three months after finding it on holiday in Mozambique.

The South African Civil Aviation Authoritys Accident and Incident Investigations Division has confirmed it is sending an official to the Wartburg home of teenager Liam Lotter to collect the find.

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A South African family came forward on Thursday with a piece of debris (pictured) suspected to be from the missing Boeing 777, three months after finding it on holiday in Mozambique

According to Durbans East Coast radio the Lotter family were on holiday in December when they came across 'shiny objects' while walking on the beach.

We picked it up and I turned it around and it had like a, sort of like a curve to it and you can see where its been like pop riveted almost, like theres holes on the side, Mr Lotter said.

'We were quite interested to see what it was so we took it up to the house and my uncle said: 'No, you found a boat, throw it away, its a piece of rubbish and I said: 'No you know what? Im going to do some research and see what I can find on the internet.' And you know what? On the side it has sort of a serial number.'

The South African Civil Aviation Authoritys Accident and Incident Investigations Division has confirmed it is sending an official to the Wartburg home of teenager Liam Lotter to collect the find (pictured)

Doomed MH370, which vanished on 8 March 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing

Concerns that pieces of wreckage (pictured) from the missing Malaysian Airlines flight, MH370 are being kept as souvenirs are mounting

They brought the item back to South Africa but only realised the significance of their find after another piece of debris was found on a sandbank off Mozambique.

The new piece which is labelled with '676EB' bears a striking resemblance to the debris found two weeks ago by US blogger and MH370 private investigator Blaine Gibson.

The wreckage Mr Gibson found is marked in a similar font with 'NO STEP'.

The new piece which is labelled with '676EB' bears a striking resemblance to the debris found two weeks ago by US blogger and MH370 private investigator Blaine Gibson (pictured)

Strategic Aviation Solutions chairman Neil Hansford told Daily Mail Australia Mr Gibson's piece has some credibility.

'It was found on the trajectory where a piece of debris was most likely to end up,' he said.

But without any watermarks or barnacles found on the debris Mr Hansford wasn't completely convinced that it is a part of MH370.

An analysis of Mr Gibson's debris will be conducted in Australia early this week at the ATSB lab in Canberra by experts from Malaysia, Australia, the US and Boeing to confirm if it is indeed part of the missing Boeing 777.

An analysis of Mr Gibson's debris (pictured) will be conducted in Australia early this week at the ATSB lab in Canberra by experts from Malaysia, Australia, the US and Boeing

The wreckage Mr Gibson found is marked in a similar font to the debris found by the Lotter family reading 'NO STEP' (pictured)

President of Mozambique's Civil Aviation Institute (IACM), holds the 'NO STEP' debris which could provide clues in ongoing investigation

Experts will examine whether it is a new piece in the puzzle of missing flight MH370

h Malaysia's transport minister saying there was a "high possibility" it came from a Boeing 777

The wreckage found on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion belonging to the ill-fated airliner
A father claims he was left stranded outside a Sydney hospital early in the morning while his three-year-old son suffered an asthma attack because the worker on duty had fallen asleep.

The man rushed to Auburn Hospital in western Sydney at 3.35am on Thursday morning when his son started having trouble breathing, but he was met with locked doors and silence.

Taking his phone out to film the ordeal, he begins pacing around the hospital entrance and buzzing the intercom, 9 News reported.

A three-year-old boy was left stranded outside a Sydney hospital while having an asthma attack after claims a hospital worker had fallen asleep

'I've been waiting outside for five minutes now ... I've buzzed this door ten times,' he says.

His son can be heard coughing weakly outside, before pleading that he's 'busting' to go to the toilet.

Eventually a patient sitting inside the hospital spots the man and his young son and opens the automatic doors from the inside.

The father claims that when he entered the building, the hospital worker was asleep at her desk.

'We've been waiting outside for over ten minutes ... I've been buzzing that door,' he says.

The pair were left waiting outside for five minutes as the father buzzed the intercom ten times

It wasn't until a patient sitting inside the hospital opened the door was the father and his son able to enter

Andrew Newton, general manager Auburn Hospital, told Daily Mail Australia that he had since attempted to contact and offer an apology to the father and his asthmatic son.

Mr Newton said hospital entry doors were locked after hours for security reasons and a technical hitch had prevented an on duty staffer from hearing the father buzzing the intercom.

'Our review of CCTV footage showed the father and son had to wait for three minutes to gain entry to the hospital,' Mr Newton said.

'A person waiting in emergency kindly assisted the father and son to gain entry to the foyer and the son's treatment was well handled by emergency staff.

'We will be reviewing after hours entry procedure to ensure this does not happen again.'
A rape suspect was rammed and apprehended by Tennessee police after a high-speed pursuit that was caught on camera.

The dramatic arrest happened on February 24 after a suspect identified as Cordarius Caldwell, 20, allegedly raped a woman in Madison, Tennessee and then fled the scene in a stolen car.

Officers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Metro Nashville Police, and FBI agents were on the lookout for Caldwell after a woman reported she had been raped at gunpoint around 2:15am.

A rape suspect led police officers in Tennessee on a high-speed pursuit

The dramatic incident happened on February 14 on the interstate between Nashville and Chattanooga

Police rammed the suspect's getaway car and forced him to stop in the middle of the busy road

According to News Channel 5, Caldwell fled the 20-year-old victim's house on foot and then stole a car at a nearby gas station.

With officers in pursuit, Caldwell fled down I-24 East towards Chattanooga at speeds that exceeded 100 mph.

Dashcam video shows cops chase Caldwell along the busy highway, eventually ramming his car and approaching the wreck with guns drawn.

With guns drawn, officers approached the suspect who was still in his wrecked car

A police officer tries to break a window using his nightstick

After opening the car door, the suspect was put on the ground and cuffed

One officer can be seen attempting to smash Caldwell's window with his nightstick.

The video also shows another squad car going off the road after almost striking a vehicle.

Caldwell was arrested near Chattanooga and charged with aggravated rape and false imprisonment.

Another suspect, Zachery Hunter, was also apprehended for allegedly being aware that the assault was happening but doing nothing to stop it.

Like Caldwell, Hunter, 21, was charged with aggravated rape and false imprisonment, News Channel 5 reported.
As the final four Republican rivals faced off in Florida during Thursday night's debate, several members of Donald Trump's family appeared together to support the GOP front-runner.

Prior to the debate that aired on CNN, Eric Trump, 32, shared a selfie to Twitter posing with his wife Lara near the stage.

In the caption he wrote: 'Pre #GOPdebate selfie with my beautiful wife @LaraLeaTrump!'

Lara Trump also shared a photo to Twitter that featured her sister-in-law Tiffany Trump, 22, in the backseat of a car next to her Democrat boyfriend, Ross Mechanic, as her husband, Eric Trump, sat next to her.

For the caption Lara Trump wrote: 'On our way to #MakeAmericaGreatAgain #Trump2016 #TrumpTrain'.

Tiffany Trump just finished celebrating her final round of midterm finals of her college career by taking a sunny getaway with Mechanic.

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Supporting: Prior to the debate that aired on CNN, Eric Trump shared a selfie (above) to Twitter posing with his wife Lara near the stage to support his father

'Trump Train': Lara Trump also shared a photo (above) to Twitter that featured her sister-in-law Tiffany Trump, 22, in the backseat of a car next to her boyfriend, Ross Mechanic, as her husband, Eric Trump, sat next to her

Family affair: After the debate finished, Donald Trump was pictured surrounded by his family, including wife Melania, Tiffany Trump, Barron Trump, Eric and Lara Trump, while he spoke to reporters

The couple, who are both students at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, escaped to a warmer climate for spring break, which officially started on Saturday.

However, it appears as though she cut her trip short to support her father at the debate, which was held at the University of Miami, alongside her other family members.

The Donald's wife, Melania, 45, was also present Thursday night with their nine-year-old son, Barron Trump.

Since launching his presidential campaign, The brunette beauty is often pictured supporting him at events.

After the debate finished, Donald Trump was pictured surrounded by his family, including Melania, Tiffany Trump, Barron Trump, Eric and Lara Trump, while he spoke to reporters.

Notably absent from the evening was Ivanka Trump, as she is due to give birth to her third child with husband Jared Kushner any day now.

Earlier this week she revealed that she hasn't ruled out following in her father's footsteps to run for office.

Melania Trump, wife of Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, listens to her husband speak after the debate. Since launching his presidential campaign, she is often pictured supporting him at events

Barron Trump, youngest son of Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, is pictured above after the debate Thursday evening

Ivanka Trump said that when it comes to her career, she refuses to limit herself. However, in terms of a political run for office she said that seems unlikely at the moment.

'I do not think so, but I have learned in life to never say never! It is too limiting,' she told Cosmopolitan of her thoughts on one day running for office.

In speaking after debate where the candidates did not viciously attack each other, and instead put on a display of unity, Donald Trump told Mail Online that it was a conscious choice.

'I think it was time to have that kind of debate. I thought it was necessary. It was a good thing,' the business mogul said via telephone.

'I was prepared to have to go the other way. If you hit me, I have to do it, punch back. It's a natural reflex.'

But ultimately he explained that 'I really wanted to see if we could all  and this isn't just me, it was the Republican Party  we wanted to see if we could have a strong, substantive debate.'

Tiffany Trump just finished celebrating her final round of midterm finals of her college career by taking a sunny getaway with her boyfriend, Ross Mechanic (left). It appears she cut her trip short as she attended the debate (right)

The Republican presidential candidates, from left, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich stand for a moment of silence for former first lady Nancy Reagan prior to the debate

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said Thursday night that Trump was guilty of 'funding liberal Democrats, and funding the Washington establishment,' and said the real estate tycoon couldn't be trusted to take on the federal government.

But he did it without raising his voice.

Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus addressed the audience at the University of Miami before the debate began, using his time to calm the GOP's fraying nerves.

'This party is going to support the nominee, whoever that is, 100 per cent. There's no question about that,' he said.

Unspoken, but hanging heavy in the room, was the name of Donald Trump.

The billionaire front-runner has roiled the RNC with an unconventional slash-and-burn campaign style, trampling the party's more traditional candidates one by one since mid-2015.

The billionaire front-runner has roiled the RNC with an unconventional slash-and-burn campaign style

The two 'establishment' candidates who remain  Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich  are in third and fourth place among the quartet of candidates.

Republicans, Priebus insisted on Thursday night, 'are going to come together, unify in Cleveland, and get behind our nominee. That's what we do as Republicans.'

Cleveland will be the site of July's Republican national Convention.

'Any one of these four gentlemen would be a universe better than Hillary Clinton or a socialist like Bernie Sanders,' Priebus said.
No one has been arrested but police are continuing their investigations

An unidentified little girl that police have been desperately looking for amid concerns for her safety has been found.

Victoria police say the girl was located in Australia after a warrant was executed and is 'safe and well'.

In an unusual case Victoria Police released the two blurry images of the young girl on Tuesday asking for the public's help to identify who she is.

Police are yet to make any arrests but an investigation is still under way.

Victoria Police released two images of the young girl on Tuesday asking for the public's help to identify who she is. They fear she is in imminent danger and hold grave fears for her safety

It is believed the images of the girl are related to a child exploitation case and Seven News reported police have had been searching for her for about 12 months.

The images are believed to have been taken on May 24, 2015. It is not clear whether they are still photographs or images from a video.

It is extremely rare for police to publicly release an image of a child who is part of an investigation.

At the time the images were taken, the little girl is believed to have been between four to six years of age.

Police could not provide any further details about the case, including the nature of the investigation due to 'operational reasons'.

Detectives say the images show the girl in an apartment or similar building, which is well furnished, with modern, large windows and is possibly overlooking a city skyline or other tall structures.
Dr Edward Southall was made to pay for a KitKat after stepping in to help an ill passenger on an easyJet flight to Greece

An off-duty GP who stepped in to help an ill passenger on an easyJet flight to Greece was given a free coffee - but made to pay 1.20 for a KitKat.

Dr Edward Southall was flying to Thessaloniki on holiday when an elderly woman fell ill and required urgent medical assistance.

Knowing he would at least be able to diagnose what was wrong with the pensioner, Dr Southall 'immediately' let cabin crew know he was a qualified medical expert and asked for a first aid kit to assess the traveller's condition.

For over an hour he treated the stricken passenger, who was breathless and on the verge of losing consciousness - taking her blood pressure and measuring her pulse.

He managed to get her into a stable condition, preventing the packed plane from having to divert to another European airport - a move that would have cost the low-cost airline tens of thousands of pounds.

When the woman fell asleep, Dr Southall, from Totnes, Devon, was eventually able to return to his seat.

He then asked a passing flight attendant if it was possible to have a coffee and a KitKat.

As a thank you for his heroics, the air hostess was happy to give him the drink for free - but told him he would have to fork out 1.20 for the biscuit. A single bar of the chocolate usually retails at around 55p.

Emergency landings can cost airlines from between 20,000 to 160,000.

Dr Southall said: 'The lady was an old Greek lady - in her 70s - she didn't speak any English and she was sweating, pale and breathless, looking distressed.

'Her daughter, in her 40s, was translating for us.

The doctor was flying to Thessaloniki on the budget airline when an elderly woman fell ill and required urgent medical assistance

As a thank you for his heroics, the air hostess was happy to give him the drink for free - but told him he would have to fork out 1.20 for the biscuit. A single bar of the chocolate usually retails at around 55p

'An hour after the episode started, I was quite stressed and asked for a cup of coffee and a kit kat and the cabin crew manager, a man, said yes but 'we'll let you have the coffee for free but we'll have to charge you for the kit kat.'

'I just laughed I think but I didn't argue or anything, and paid him the 1.20 for the kit kat.

'I got off the plane with the lady and her daughter and they were very pleased, and very appreciative.

'It's a shame easyJet didn't offer me a free flight until their press office were alerted.

'Their customer service team initially only offered me free hold baggage, they weren't taking it seriously at all  they didn't even contact me to say thanks.'

Reciting a letter he has since sent to the airline - said: 'I believe my intervention helped avoid an emergency landing. It therefore saved the company thousands of pounds.

'Was it therefore appropriate or proportionate that I should be offered a free coffee but be asked to pay for the KitKat?'

HOW THE LOW-COST FLYERS RAKE IN MILLIONS ON BUDGET FLIGHTS Airline travel has been turned on its head in the last two decades with the explosion of budget carriers. easyJet, Ryanair and Jet2 are just three of the huge number of low-cost airlines now battling for your service. It may seem remarkable when the 'no-frills' firms offer flights for as cheap as a fiver, but in most instances that initial cost is just the tip of the iceberg. The budget airlines rake in millions of pounds of profit every year by selling almost everything passengers would take for granted on longer established carriers. All non-essential extras - from booking fees, choosing a specific seat and putting luggage in the hold, to getting on board first or enjoying extra leg room - all come at a cost. And then there is the sale of food and drinks while airborne. Low-cost airlines offer heated meals, sandwiches, soft, hot and alcoholic drinks at costs which often average as much as seven times more than if the traveller were to bring their own refreshments with them. Traditionally airlines would include both complimentary to all on board. Advertisement

Knowing he would at least be able to diagnose what was wrong with the pensioner, Dr Southall 'immediately' let cabin crew know he was a qualified medical expert and asked for a first aid kit to assess the traveller's condition. For over an hour he treated the stricken passenger (stock photograph)

The cost of landing at a busy European airport without prior notice can cost airlines thousands of pounds in landing fees and taxes.

Some carriers are known to reward health professionals for helping in emergency situations.

A spokesman said: 'Although on this occasion a diversion was unlikely, easyJet is grateful for the assistance Dr Southall provided to our crew and to all of the doctors and medical professionals who assist passengers onboard each year.

'We are sorry we didn't get this right on this occasion and would like to offer Dr Southall a free flight as a gesture of goodwill.'
The father of a baby snatched 18 years ago from her hospital cot has revealed she has rejected her real parents in favour of the 'wicked' woman who kidnapped her.

Zephany Nurse was three days old when she was taken by 'a woman dressed as a nurse' as her mother Celeste recovered from a C-section in the bed next to her.

It sparked a huge hunt to find the girl, which ended almost two decades later in a bizarre twist of fate.

Today her real father Morne Nurse sobbed as he revealed how their dream of finding their daughter has turned into a nightmare as they haven't spoken in five months.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, he said: 'I got my daughter back and now I've lost her all over again, and it is just as painful this time around, maybe even more so.'

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Snatched: Zephany Nurse (right), was taken from her hospital cot 18 years ago. She is pictured with her biological mother Celeste Nurse. She was was given a new identity by the woman who abducted her

Daddy's girl: The girl, pictured with her real father Morne Nurse, is the subject of a court order and her new identity cannot be revealed. Morne said the woman who abducted his daughter had turned her against them

He said the woman robbed him of his daughter's childhood and has now turned her against her real family, who she has cut all ties with and is back living at the kidnapper's home.

'Finding her was the best news ever, but it feels like we've lost her again. Our hearts are broken.'

It was Morne who in January last year, finally solved the mystery behind the disappearance of the girl, known as South Africa's Madeleine McCann, after almost two decades.

His younger daughter Cassidy, 13, came home from her new school and told them about an older girl who looked just like her, he hardly dared hope he had found Zephany.

Zephany was given a new name by the woman who snatched her and cannot be identified.

Morne met the girl, who told him her birthday was the same day as Zephany and he went to the police with his suspicions.

The kidnapper  who had lied even to her own husband about the true identity of the child they were raising  was arrested and DNA tests confirmed the teenager was Zephany.

Celeste and Morne were overjoyed that their desperate search was finally over, after years of false leads, dashed hopes and worst fears. But it was not long before the heart-warming reunion turned sour.

Sisters: Zephany, who cannot be identified, pictured with her real sister, Cassidy. The mystery of her real identity was solved when she went to school with Cassidy and were so similar

Family: Zephany is pictured here with her mother and father, Morne and Celeste Nurse, when they were reunited for the first time in 18 years. Morne says she has now rejected them

Likeness: Sister Cassidy (pictured) returned home from school with a girl who looked just like her, which ultimately led to the identification of Zephany, who went missing long before her sister was born

'It's gone from 'a happy ever after fairytale' to an absolute nightmare,' Morne said with sadness in his eyes.

I got my daughter back and now I've lost her all over again, and it is just as painful this time around, maybe even more so Morne Nurse

'We were in no way prepared for all the challenges we have had to deal with.'

He does not hesitate to lay the blame for the breakdown in the relationship with Zephany with the kidnapper, a seamstress, and her electrician husband.

'That kidnapping mother is a wicked, wicked woman, who has filled her head with ideas which have deprived us of the chance of getting to know Zephany,' he said, with anger in his voice.

'She stole her once and now it feels like she's stolen her all over again.'

'It all started to go wrong about three months after we were reunited. Zephany kept saying that whenever she came to see me she had to give a long explanation to them about what had happened, they wanted to know what had been spoken about, what we had done. She has been indoctrinated with lies.'

Zephany has refused to talk to or see her biological relatives since November last year.

'The relationship with my daughter was under heavy strain, there was confusion from Zephany's side,' he said.

'To begin with the connection was there, we both felt it strongly. But then she felt torn, she was guilty to be spending time with us, she was obviously under huge pressure from the other side.

'We just didn't get enough time together to work through the raw emotions, there was a connection but the bonding didn't really happen, we weren't given the space or the time for that.'

Newborn: Zephany, pictured as a baby, was stolen from Groote Schuur hospital in Cape Town, in April 1997

Baby: Zephany Nurse (left and right) was snatched from her hospital cot in the maternity ward in Cape Town in 1997 and spent the next 18 years being brought up by another family

Appeals: The family has worked hard to make sure people don't forget about their missing daughter over the years, including a big appeal in 2010 in the local newspaper the Cape Argus, but no one ever come forward

E-fit: This picture of the suspect was drawn when Zephany went missing in 1997. The girl was only found when her father Morne launched his own investigation

Morne disclosed that he had been warned by social workers to be cautious about having physical contact with Zephany, unless he had a witness who could vouch for him.

'They said I had to be careful because no one could know what ideas had been put in her head about me.

'I was told that I should avoid being alone with her and not to touch her unless there was a third party there who could act as a witness.

'They told me I could be easily accused of being inappropriate with my own daughter, she could make a false accusation against me and that I had to protect myself by not being alone with her.

'There was one time when it was just me and her and there had been some scene at the house and she just broke down. And I couldn't do anything.

'I wanted to comfort her, to hold her, like I would my other kids, but I held back. It was like a knife was being pushed even further into my heart.

'She was distressed and I could do nothing for her, it was a terrible situation to be in.'

Zephany has blocked them from contacting her by phone and is firmly back at her childhood home, in the scruffy, poor suburb of Lavender Hill, Cape Town, just a mile from where her birth family spent years praying for her safe return.

Convicted: The 51-year-old defendant is pictured arriving in court in Cape Town yesterday where was found guilty of kidnapping Zephany Nurse, known as South Africa's Madeleine McCann

Heartbroken: Morne told MailOnline that Zephany has been 'indoctrinated' by her kidnapper. She cut all ties with her biological family in November

The community has been divided by the extraordinary turn of events in South Africa's most famous missing person's case, and the atmosphere in the packed public gallery during the trial was fraught.

So 'desperate' to catch sight of Zephany and exchange a word, Morne has turned up at the property on a number of occasions.

The kidnapper, who was on bail during her trial, was not supposed to have any contact with Zephany, but Morne suspects the defendant has spent time at home with her husband and the teenager.

'I've been so desperate that I've gone there looking for any sign of her, any glimpse of her,' he told MailOnline.

'They won't open the gate or come to the door. I see the curtain twitching, so I know someone is there. But every time I've left with nothing, nothing but my broken heart,' he said quietly, shaking his head.

The kidnapper's far-fetched evidence to the packed court about how she was handed Zephany by a mysterious woman at a busy train station in Cape Town was dismissed by Judge John Hlope as 'a fairytale' which 'should be treated with the contempt it deserves'.

She denied she had dressed as a nurse to get onto the maternity ward at the Groote Schurr hospital where Zephany was snatched in April 1997, despite being identified by eye witnesses following her arrest.

'That woman has shown no remorse for what she has put us through,' Morne said, with an edge to his voice. 'She will probably go to jail, but what else has she lost? She still has Zephany in her life. She hasn't suffered the way she has made us suffer.'

Mother and daughter: Zephany is pictured here with her birth mother Celeste Morne, 18 years after they were separated. Zephany's biological parent never gave up hope they would find their beloved daughter

Daughter: Morne pictured with his daughter Cassidy, who came home from her new school in January last year with a story of an older girl who looked just like her

Celeste, 37, appeared only briefly at the Western Cape High Court during the trial, to give evidence, and is 'not doing well', Morne said.

They divorced some time ago, but remain 'on good terms', he added, and both have new partners.

'My marriage to Celeste was put under terrible strain by what we went through. For years we blamed each other  she blaming me for not being there at the hospital and me asking her over and over again why she was sleeping while that woman was taking our child,' Morne recalled.

Half of Morne's life has been spent searching for his missing child. Each year, he, Celeste and Zephany's siblings held a big birthday party for her to keep her story alive in the South African media, never losing hope that she was still alive.

He recalled one time - nearly two years after she was taken - when police told the Nurses they were confident that they had found Zephany and drove the couple into a shanty town outside of Cape Town.

'We got to this terrible place, we all went into this place where people were staying and there was this little kid,' he said.

'The police said we needed to tell them if it was our child. It wasn't even a girl.

'That's how it was for us for years. Our hopes being raised and then... nothing. Back to the beginning, and the nightmare starting all over again.

'We have been through hell and back. It still feels like that now.'

He and Celeste are not the only family members to be rejected by Zephany, who continues to be known by the name her kidnapper gave her but which cannot be revealed.

'Our daughter Cassidy is broken in so many ways, our son Joshua also cannot understand why Zephany doesn't want anything to do with him,' Morne said, his voice cracking with emotion.

At the mention of his two other children, Morne broke down.

Reunited: Zephany's real parents, Morne and Celeste were reunited with their daughter after almost two decades. The girl who was snatched was given a new name and neither she nor the defendant can be identified

'I try and be the strong one,' he said, his voice choked as the tears flowed. 'But some days, it does get too much. Today was a good result, but it is not the end of the journey, we still have so much more to face.

'I am hoping that woman being out of the picture, now she is behind bars, will help the situation. I can't do any more now.

'I hope I haven't lost my daughter forever. I can only hope that she will choose to come back some day. That's all I can hope for.'
An eight-year-old boy was abandoned by his mother in a Utah hospital with a note saying he was 'rude and ungovernable'.

Kathy Sherrer, 36, from West Jordan, Salt Lake City, was charged with child abandonment, a third-degree felony, and child abuse, a class A misdemeanor on Wednesday.

The mother has now said she was making use of the state's safe haven law, which allows parents to anonymously give up custody of newborn babies in a safe space.

Ms Sherrer left her son at the Jordan Valley Medical Center in Utah with a note which said: 'This kid is rude and ungovernable! I do not want him in my house at all!', according to local police.

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Kathy Sherrer, 36, from West Jordan, Salt Lake City, who abandoned her son, was charged with child abandonment, a third-degree felony, and child abuse, a class A misdemeanor

'I thought that it was OK that we could drop them off and it was a safe haven place,' she told KSL-TV.

'I wasn't sure about the safe haven laws or what it meant I really did not know any other way to go about it.'

Under the state's law parents can drop off a baby up to three days' old in a hospital with no questions asked.

UTAH'S SAFE HAVEN LAW In May 2001, a state-wide law came into effect allowing birth parents to anonymously give up custody of their newborn baby without facing any legal consequences. It works as follows: Any Utah hospital, open 24 hours, is designated as a 'Safe Haven' for newborns to be dropped off safely;

The state's family services then assumes legal custody of the child as soon as it is contacted by the hospital;

The child is then placed for immediate adoption;

If an infant is left at a hospital, the mother remains anonymous and will not be reported to the police, investigated or criminally prosecuted; Source: Utah Newborn Safe Haven Advertisement

According to the police documents on the case, the young boy walked up to the reception of the hospital building on February 21 with a note from his mother, which detailed her complaints with him and his name.

The boy also had light bruising on his right arm from where his mother had hit him with a spoon.

Ms Sherrer said she was 'overwhelmed' with the duties of childcare, as she has four children with special needs, aged 4, 8, 12 and 13.

Hospital authorities contacted police and the boy was then taken into protective custody and is still being cared for by social services.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said a parent could not abuse the state's safe haven law and randomly leave their children where they pleased.

'You don't get to arbitrarily drop children off at certain institutions,' he said.

'You reach out to that organization, that organization helps process your child, there's an understanding. Everybody understands what everyone's role is.

'Everyone knows what they're supposed to do. But you don't simply say, "I've had enough and I'm going to drop off this child and no one knows who I am."'
The Turkish first lady praised the Ottoman-era harem as an educational center that prepared women for life - the latest in a string of controversial remarks by Turkish dignitaries on women's roles.

At a speech delivered during a meeting on the mothers of Ottoman rulers, Emine Erdogan, wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said that contrary to western perceptions, the harems were 'schools and educational establishments' for women where they organised their charity work.

The comments were made as Turkey forces a deal that could let its 77 million citizens come to continental Europe without needing visas, in return for taking back all migrants landing in Greece.

Mrs Erdogan's description of harems will add to concerns that the Muslim nation's attitude to human rights and the treatment of refugees will make the deal illegal under international law.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan have both angered campaigners with their controversial remarks in recent days

An EU report published in November said Turkeys commitment to joining the EU was offset by domestic actions that ran against European standards.

It highlighted criminal cases against journalists and writers, intimidation of media outlets and changes to Internet law.

Last Friday Turkish police raided the offices of Zaman, a top-selling newspaper critical of the government.

According to Turkish television stations, during the official event on the Ottoman sultans in Ankara, she said: 'The harem was a school for members of the Ottoman dynasty and an educational establishment for preparing women for life'.

The comment sparked a fierce backlash on social media, with many taking to Twitter to express their anger at the remarks.

Twitter user @GaziCaglar wrote: 'Receiving education in harem doesn't make it a school. This is nonsense,' while @anlam75 asked, if the harem was a scholarly institution then 'why were the men who worked there castrated?'

While harems did provide women with an education, teaching them calligraphy, decorative arts, and music, many of them were kept as slaves.

The first lady's comment was the second controversial remark to come from the Erdogans in as many days.

Her comments came just one day after her husband caused outrage in a speech to mark International Women's Day, when he said a woman was 'above all a mother'.

His speech prompted thousands to march through Istanbul in uproar on International Women's Day - which is globally observed on March 8th to highlight the struggles of women across the globe and promote women's rights.

At a speech during a meeting on the mothers of Ottoman rulers, Emine Erdogan said harems were 'schools and educational establishments' for women and places from where they organised their charity work

Her remarks sparked a backlash on social media, and came just one day after her husband said a woman was 'above all a mother'

Erdogan has previously upset women's right advocates by saying that men and women are not equal, and labelling birth control a 'treason'.

Turkey ranks 77th out of 138 countries on a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) index of gender equality.

On Sunday, Turkish police detained at least one woman and fired rubber bullets to disperse a crowd of hundreds of people trying to mark International Women's Day in central Istanbul.

Emine Erdogan delivering her speech in Ankara, Turkey. While harems were known to provide women with an education, many of them were kept as slaves

The group, which gathered two days before official commemorations, had ignored a ban on the march by the Istanbul governor who scrapped this year's rally, citing security concerns.

The government frequently faces criticism for its handling of women's issues, including the failure to stem high rates of violence and low female participation in the workforce.

Violence committed by domestic partners is 10 times more likely in Turkey than in other European countries, according to the U.N.

Hundreds of women filled the square in the Kadikoy district on the Asian side of Istanbul chanting slogans and carrying purple banners, the hallmark of a movement centred on women's social and economic issues.

Plainclothes police began shoving members of the group, and many women fled the square when riot police fired rubber bullets into the crowd.

'We have always said that we would never leave the streets for the March 8 demonstration, and we never will. Neither the police nor the government can stop us,' protestor Guris Ozen said before the crackdown.

'You see the power of women. We are here despite every obstacle and we will continue to fight for our cause.'

The harem: Left, a 19th century ceramic of musicians and dancers in the Court of Nasir al Din Sah and right, A Harem Scene by Giacomo Mantegazza
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Macedonia's President has furiously condemned dithering EU leaders for forcing him to shut his nation's borders with Greece, saying: 'If we had relied on Brussels rather than react ourselves, we would have been flooded with jihadists.'

Gjorge Ivanov accused the EU of failing to anticipate the huge influx via Turkey and not reacting quickly enough to the historic refugee wave.

The border closure with Greece has, along with similar moves by other Balkan states, stopped the flows of refugees but left thousands stranded.

His comments come as EU aimed to resettle thousands of migrants from Greece in the coming months amid concerns 'the whole system will collapse'.

A mother carries her baby as they disembark from a ferry after arriving with hundreds of other migrants at the port of Piraeus near Athens

Migrants disembark from a ferry after their arrival along with hundreds of others at the port of Piraeus near Athens on Friday. The Greek government says 42,000 people are stranded in Greece following border restrictions and closures by Austria and several Balkan nations

EU chiefs aim to resettle thousands of migrants in the coming months amid concerns a plan to force them back to Turkey may be illegal

Hundreds of people have already died this year making the dangerous crossing, and a graveyard has been opened on the island of Lesbos so their bodies can be laid to rest. Each headstone contains, if possible, their names and ages - but some are just numbers

A stone with a date and a name marks a migrant child's grave. Three hundred children have died in the last six months

Speaking to Germany's Bild newspaper, Mr Ivanov said: 'In the refugee crisis, we are now paying for the EU's mistakes.

'We have already spent 25million ($28m) of our taxpayers' money and had to declare a national crisis.

'And what did we get from Europe in return? Nothing! Not a cent! Instead, we, as a non-EU country, are now forced to protect Europe from an EU country, namely Greece.'

He accused Athens of simply waving through refugees arriving from Turkey.

He bitterly accused the bloc of foiling its membership hopes for the past 25 years and added that, in Europe's view: 'We're nothing, not an EU country, not in the (visa-free) Schengen zone, not in NATO. No one wants us.'

Ivanov also charged that the EU had 'completely lost sight' of security concerns as refugees arrive from war-torn Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries.

'If we had relied on Brussels rather than react ourselves, we would have been flooded with jihadists,' he said.

Ivanov said his country had confiscated some 9,000 forged or stolen passports, but EU countries including Germany had declined to share information on militants or biometric identification technology.

'In the refugee crisis there is the humanitarian aspect and the security aspect,' he said.

'In terms of humanity, Germany acted very well. But in terms of security, your country has completely failed.'

In an attempt to ease the burden, Nations committed in September to relocate 160,000 refugees over two years.

But seven months on fewer than 900 people have actually been shared.

Macedonian president Gjorge Ivanov has accused the EU of failing to anticipate the huge influx via Turkey and not reacting quickly enough to the historic refugee wave - and says this is why he has closed the border. Pictured: The camp at Idomeni, Greece

The result of closing the border has been thousands of people living in the Idomeni refugee camp, waiting to be allowed through to Macedonia to continue their journey

A Syrian refugee girl carries bread and hot soup provided by humanitarian workers at a makeshift camp on the border between Macedonia and Serbia near northern Macedonian village of Tabanovce. Macedonia's president said his country was 'paying for the mistakes' of the EU

Refugees from Syria stand around a fire during a rainy evening in a makeshift refugee camp at the border between Macedonia and Serbia

Syrian boys help their father to set a tent at a makeshift camp on the border between Macedonia and Serbia near the village of Tabanovce

The EU says 23 of its member states must now start taking 6,000 refugees each month from the two countries.

Top migration official, Dmitris Avramopoulos, said warned: 'If relocation does not work then the whole system will collapse.'

EU officials said that blockage appeared to have made more asylum seekers ask for relocation rather than try to make their own way northward.

Avramopoulos, the member of the executive European Commission who handles migration, noted a recent acceleration in relocations under the system which has divided EU governments. But he acknowledged the target was ambitious.

Some 35,000 people have been stranded in Greece since Austria and states on the route to Germany began closing borders, barring access to migrants hoping to follow more than a million who reached northern Europe last year.

EU officials said that blockage appeared to have made more asylum seekers ask for relocation rather than try to make their own way northward.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, under electoral pressure at home after opening Germany's doors to a million Syrians, has pressed EU partners to share the load. But few are keen and critics say many of those rehoused elsewhere will head for Germany anyway.

On Monday, Merkel pushed EU leaders to pencil a surprise deal she brokered with Ankara to halt the flow to Greece by returning to Turkey anyone arriving on the Greeks islands.

Some 35,000 people have been stranded in Greece since Austria and states on the route to Germany began closing borders

A young Syrian girl carries blankets as she walks through the mud in an improvised camp with tents on the Macedonia-Serbia border

A Syrian refugee carries a young child in his arms while standing at the camp near northern Macedonian village of Tabanovce on Friday

A child plays on a rubbish-strewn bank at the camp on the Greek border. The EU's top migration chief warned this week the entire system was on the verge of collapse

More and more people are arriving at the camp on the border, hopeful it may soon open and they can travel on to western Europe

Greek police guard railway tracks leading to Macedonia at the Idomeni refugee camp

But legal details are still being worked out for an EU summit next week and many governments are still sceptical of the scheme.

The top United Nations human rights official said it could mean illegal 'collective and arbitrary expulsions'.

EU ministers also voiced unease at the price of Ankara's cooperation, notably an accelerated process to ease visa rules for Turks by June and revive negotiations on Turkey's distant EU membership hopes.

'I ask myself if the EU is throwing its values overboard,' said Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner, whose government has led a push to seal off Greece from the north as an alternative to relying on Turkey to stop migrants leaving.

She noted the seizure of an opposition newspaper in Turkey three days before it presented EU leaders with the draft deal, under which Europeans will take one Syrian direct from Turkey for every compatriot who is detained and sent back from Greece.

Human rights concerns also pose problems for EU lawyers trying to tie up the package by the March 17-18 summit, notably because to despatch people at speed back to Turkey relies on an assessment that Turkey is a 'safe' country for them to be in.

An EU definition of such a state includes a reference to the Geneva Convention on refugees, to which Turkey does not fully comply, leaving legal experts in Brussels hunting a solution.

'It will be very difficult to arrive at something legally sound and implementable before the summit,' an EU official said.

The situations in the camps is becoming desperate, with migrants reliant on food donations - which they are pictured fighting over. Austria has led a push to seal off Greece from the north as an alternative to relying on Turkey to stop migrants leaving

There are a number of concerns about meeting Turkey's demands - heightened by the fact the government recently seized control of the country's largest newspaper. The proposed deal would see Europeans take one Syrian direct from Turkey for every compatriot who is detained and sent back from Greece

The problem with the plan is that is relies on Turkey being deemed as a 'safe' country for them to be in. Pictured: Migrants caught inb the scuffle for food and basics at the refugee camp

Migrants carry a woman in a blanket after she was injured while food was being distributed at a camp on the Greek-Macedonian border

Migrants walk through a muddy field at the northern Greek border camp where they are trapped after Macedonia shut its frontier

Clothes are hung to dry on the border fence at the Idomeni refugee camp. Many have been getting sick while living in the camp

The top United Nations human rights official said the Turkish plan it could mean illegal 'collective and arbitrary expulsions'

A woman stands in mud as she camps close to the Macedonian border. Sixty per cent of those arriving in Greece this year have been either women or children, many following their husbands, fathers and brothers to Europe

An aerial view shows the makeshift migrants' camp at the Greek-Macedonian border near the Greek village of Idomeni

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said that Greece and Turkey might have to pass new legislation.

The conundrum highlights how far the EU is willing to go to win Turkey's help on the crisis, which poses security risks and plays into the hands of right-wing populists in the bloc.

Asked about how much force might be used to deport people who have risked their lives and spent large sums to reach Europe, Avramopoulos said there could be 'no push-back methods'.

Klaas Dijkhoff, the Dutch minister who chaired the meeting, said the mix of expulsion and legal resettlement should deter smuggling and help Turkey: 'We have to show that it doesn't pay to use a trafficker and come to Europe in an illegal way and we have to show Turkey we are not leaving them with all the work.'

But ministers also discussed a need to prepare for people turning to other routes, including by sea to Italy from Albania or Libya.

The death rate last year on the route to Italy from North Africa, based on data from the International Organization for Migration, was nearly one in 20, compared with less than one in 1,000 between Turkey and Greece.

Nonetheless, three Afghan children, one an infant of six months, were among five people drowned off Lesbos on Thursday as people continue to risk the trip before a Turkey-EU deal bites.
North Korean tyrant Kim Jong-Un has threatened to turn Washington and Seoul into 'flames and ashes' and demanded further nuclear capability tests in his pariah state.

Tensions have intensified on the peninsula with South Korea and the US reportedly engaged in joint 'decapitation strike' exercises designed to simulate wiping out the North's leadership.

In turn, Jong-Un has overseen two short-range ballistic missile tests and ordered more 'nuclear explosion tests to estimate the destructive power' of his 'newly produced nuclear warheads'.

A ballistic rocket is launched during a mobile drill at an undisclosed location in North Korea this week

Kim Jong-Un oversaw the launch and told state media he was ordering further nuclear capability tests

The North Korean leader is pictured watching the missile launch take place this week as tensions between the North and US-allied South escalate

Since the joint drills began Monday, the North has issued daily warnings and statements, talking up its nuclear strike capabilities and threatening its neighbours and the allied US.

Just days after he was photographed posing in front of what state media described as a miniaturised nuclear warhead, Kim also said the weapon required further testing.

Experts are divided as to just how far the North may have gone in shrinking warheads to a size capable of fitting on a ballistic missile - a major step forward in strike capability that would present a heightened threat to South Korea, other countries in the region and, eventually, the US mainland.

According to state news agency KCNA, Thursday's launch of two short-range ballistic missiles, which traversed the eastern part of the country before falling into the Sea of Japan (also known as the East Sea), was part of a nuclear strike exercise.

The aim was to simulate conditions for 'exploding nuclear warheads from the preset altitude above targets in the ports under enemy control,' the agency said.

Watching the exercise, Kim reiterated an earlier threat to launch an immediate nuclear attack if the 'sabre-rattling' South Korea-US drills should harm 'even a single tree or a blade of grass' on North Korean territory.

'I will issue a prompt order to launch attack with all military strike means,' he said.

Military tensions on the divided Korean peninsula have been on the rise since the North carried out its fourth nuclear test in January, followed by a long-range rocket launch last month.

South Korea and the United States responded by scaling up their annual joint drills, which Pyongyang has always condemned as provocative rehearsals for invasion.

The North's anger has been fuelled this year by reports that the drills included a 'decapitation strike' scenario in which the North Korean leadership and command structure is taken out at the start of any conflict.

In light of such drills, 'our self-defensive countermeasures should adopt a more preemptive and offensive mode,' Jong-Un said.

A North Korean tank competes in the Korea People's Army (KPA) tank crew competition

Jong-Un (pictured) has described the current U.S. and South Korean military exercises as 'sabre rattling'

A tank rolls over a mound of dirt in the tank crew competition designed to tests drivers' prowess at the controls

The UN Security Council responded to the North's latest nuclear test and rocket launch on January 6 by adopting tough, new sanctions

The UN Security Council responded to the North's latest nuclear test and rocket launch by adopting tough, new sanctions, which Pyongyang condemned as a 'gangster-like' provocation orchestrated by the US.

Reacting to the tyrant's call for more nuclear tests, South Korea said the North Korean leader was being 'rash' and displaying his ignorance of international opinion.

'The international community is imposing strong and comprehensive sanctions and this only goes to prove why they are necessary,' said Unification Ministry Spokesperson Jeong Joon-Hee.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday voiced grave concern over the growing tensions, and urged North Korea to avoid any further 'destabilising acts.'

Jong-Un, however, chose to highlight the need for a diversified nuclear strike force, capable of delivering warheads from the ground, air, sea and underwater.

The North has conducted a number of what is says were successful tests of a submarine launched ballistic missile.
The FBI claims in new court documents that the San Bernardino gunman's iPhone does hold evidence of the attack which left 14 people dead.

The agency also claims that Apple regularly discloses private data to the Chinese government and as such it should help them.

However, Apple have denied this and said the claim was as fanciful as the idea that the FBI were behind the killing of JFK.

An iPhone belonging to the San Bernardino gunman Syed Farook, pictured, is likely to have had it's iCloud back-up disabled, new documents have revealed. Farook and his wife Tashfeen shot dead 14 people in an attack in December

In a court filing yesterday, the Justice Department and FBI said that the community and public 'need to know' what is on the phone, which was owned by Syed Farook who shot dead the victims in a terror attack in December.

The FBI have been in a battle with the iPhone maker Apple in order to persuade them to unlock the phone as part of their investigation into the shooting in San Bernardino, California.

Apple have so far refused to create software to help the FBI to crack the phone saying it would infringe privacy rights.

However, according to Bloomberg, the US government has accused Apple of having a history of providing help to the Chinese government.

FBI director James Comey told Congress last week that 'there was a mistake' made when the agency asked San Bernardino County, which owned the phone, to rest the password for the account

Citing Apple's own data they say three-quarters of requests for data from the Chinese government were granted.

But Apple's General Counsel said the assertion was ridiculous and joked that the argument was akin to claiming the FBI couldnt be trusted because of online conspiracy theories that the agency was behind assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Meanwhile the legal brief, which sets the stage for a March 22 hearing in Southern California, marks a further escalation of rhetoric between the government and one of the world's largest technology companies.

Lawyers for the justice department wrote: 'In short, Apple is not some distant, disconnected third party unexpectedly and arbitrarily dragooned into helping solve a problem for which it bears no responsibility.

'Rather, Apple is intimately close to the barriers on Farook's locked iPhone because Apple specifically designed the iPhone to create those barriers.'

Apple responded by saying the Justice Department was 'so desperate at this point that it has thrown all decorum to the winds.'

The Justice Department repeatedly argues that as 'one of the richest and most tech-savvy' companies in the country, Apple could easily comply with a judge's order and create specialised software to help the FBI get into the phone.

And it mocked as sensationalised arguments by Apple and its supporters that following the judge's decree could weaken the security of its products, noting that the software is designed for only one phone and that Apple could retain it during the entire process.

Though Apple has suggested that the code could be modified to run on other phones, the Justice Department says Apple devices will only run software that has been electronically 'signed' by the company.

Apple has so far refused to unlock the iPhone, despite numerous requests by the FBI. Pictured is Apple CEO Tim Cook

'Apple desperately wants - desperately needs - this case not to be 'about one isolated iPhone',' Justice Department lawyers wrote.

'But there is probable cause to believe there is evidence of a terrorist attack on that phone, and our legal system gives this court the authority to see that it can be searched pursuant to a lawful warrant.

The government also rejected Apple's arguments that the software - intended to bypass an auto-erase function on the phone so that the FBI can remotely enter different passcodes without losing data - violated Apple's First Amendment rights by forcing it to create a new computer code.
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These fiery skies wouldn't look out of place in any Game of Thrones episode.

However it appears as though dragons were flying over the skies of Scotland in this dramatic image, captured in Edinburgh.

Junior Doctor, Tom Foster, 25, couldn't believe his eyes when he looked up to see the apocalyptic scene while taking photos of the Scottish capital.

Mr Foster's perfect timing meant that he caught the exact moment the heavens opened above the city as a giant rain cloud cast a shadow over the vibrant sunset.

The incredible result was described by the amateur photographer as looking like a fire breathing dragon or even the hand of God reaching down to grasp Edinburgh Castle in its flaming palm.

Tom Foster, 25, captured the moment that the heavens opened above Edinburgh. The dramatic image has been described as looking like a fire breathing dragon or even the hand of God reaching down to grasp Edinburgh Castle in its flaming palm

Since posting the picture on his Facebook page, Mr Foster has been inundated with other suggestions of what the magnificent shape could be - with some saying it is a phoenix rising from flames, a Klingon shop from Star Trek or even an angry pigeon.

Tom, who moved from Derbyshire to Edinburgh eight years ago, said: 'When I first saw the cloud I knew it looked spectacular but it wasn't until after I took the picture and looked at it on my camera that I started to see the unusual shape it made.

'I love the picture because everyone sees something different in it. I've had hundreds of comments and messages from people suggesting different things. Some I can see myself, such as the phoenix but I'm not sure about the pigeon!

'I just really like how it is open to interpretation and has provoked debate.'

Tom took the picture from Calton Hill, in the hope of capturing a nice shot over Edinburgh's skyline at sunset.

However as he was walking up to get the picture, black cloud began to gather and Tom almost turned back.

Tom said: 'I could tell it was about to rain badly and I thought about just going home rather than risk getting wet, but thankfully I didn't and took a chance.

'I got a couple of shots of the sky looking normal, before this really big rain-cloud appeared. It looked absolutely fabulous against the sunset and I knew I had to get a picture of it.

'Even the picture itself doesn't do justice to how impressive the sky really was at that moment. It looked even more incredible in person.
Mr Costas said all remaining pay checks will be paid by

A 'miscalculation' is why two writers have yet to receive

Publisher Damien Costas says the claims are 'nonsense' and not 'as much'

The unpaid wages and super are believed to be in the thousands

The hack occurred hours after staff complained they haven't been paid

Penthouse Australia's Twitter account has been hacked just hours after staff members claimed the magazine owes them at least tens of thousands of dollars in wages and superannuation funds.

A number of tweets flooded the adult magazines social media page re-branding their glossy pages from the bikini clad women to include 'The Gay Issue' as well as a couples cover shoot involving Peta Credlin and Tony Abbott.

As the owners of the account attempted to reclaim the page and delete the posts, the hackers were quick to take back control and continue with the onslaught of tweets.

Penthouse Australia's Twitter account was hacked and flooded with a number of bizarre tweets. One tweet swapped the bikini clad women the magazine is known for a queer issue

Penthouse Australia magazine (pictured) owes at least tens of thousands of dollars in wages and superannuation funds, former employees and freelance writers claim

Among the ambush of tweets the hackers also decided to present the 'Lego issue' that featured a naked lego.

Really excited to announce the upcoming #gay issue of #penthouse  we love gay guys, and so should you #queer #love, wrote the hackers in one tweet.

'Very excited to announce we're in talks to partner with @horsetimesmag for our next issue: the Aussie Horse f**king issue,' read another tweet.

They also did not fail to mention the thousands of dollars they claim to be owed by the company: Anyone got tips on how to avoid paying superannuation?

At least $50,000 are yet to be paid to contributors for articles already published, as well as superannuation,Mumbrella reported.

Journalists are pointing the finger at the magazine's publisher Damien Costas for not paying for articles already published  insisting that he has given them the run around.

Mr Costas, who took over the magazine in September 2015 when it was about to shut down, disagrees and told Daily Mail Australia on Friday that the claims are 'nonsense.'

Not only did they introduce a number of bizarre issue, the hackers did not fail reference the unpaid wages

Having a bit of fun: the hackers decided to present the Lego issue which featured a naked lego

The hackers also decided to introduce a couples cover shoot that featured Tony Abbott and Peta Credlin

Freelance journalist Ben Smithurst told Mumbrella he is owed more than $20,000 and some of his invoices reach back 14 months.

'Damien doesn't answer calls, although I get the occasional email  mostly second-hand, from another contributor who is in a hole,' Mr Smithurst argues.

Another freelance writer, who wished to remain anonymous, said he is owed more than $4,000 and had yet to see a dollar despite persistently reminding Mr Costas  the director of Penthouse's publishing company Filthy Gorgeous.

Publisher Damien Costas (pictured), who took over the magazine in September 2015, says the claims are 'nonsense'

After producing three to five pages of content for four issues without being paid, he decided to stop writing for the men's magazine, the freelance writer told Daily Mail Australia.

He contributed content for eight magazines overall and 'not once did they ever pay on time,' he said.

Mr Costas has allegedly danced around the subject of payment in numerous emails and has promised to pay 'in the arvo' or responds that they will be paid 'when the funds arrive,' but the money never comes, the freelance writer claims.

'Damien knew he wouldn't be able to pay us and took advantage of that,' the journalist claims.

Mr Costas oversaw Penthouse magazine when it was being published by PH Publications, until the company was liquidated in 2015 to pay creditors and he formed his own publishing company Filthy Gorgeous to oversee the magazine.

Another freelance writer, who wished to remain anonymous, said he is owed more than $4,000 and had yet to see a dollar despite persistently reminding Mr Costas

At the time the magazine switched hands, Mr Costas said two full-time and two-part time staff members were made redundant but were paid in full  except for a 'miscalculation' in the superannuation for two staff members, which will be paid by the end of the 2016 financial year.

'Two freelancers are alleging outstanding invoices, which are due to be paid by the end of June, as agree. From our perspective, it's business as usual,' Mr Costas said.

'All freelancers that were owed money, prior to my taking over completely in September last year, were told that a restructure of the business would occur and that they would be paid before end of financial year 2016,' Mr Costas said.
A Mexican police director has disbanded the country's famous female only unit, known for its sexy uniforms, because it was damaging the image of the force.

Chosen for their physical attractiveness, the 20 officers who made up the squad were kitted out with a tailored tight fitting uniform, sunglasses and 4.7-inch heels.

The special department hit the headlines after President Enrique Pena Nieto published a photo in 2013 alongside the female officers, who operated out of the city of Aguascalientes in Central Mexico.

The female-only unit has been disbanded by a new police director for bringing the force's image into disrepute

The special department hit the headlines after President Enrique Pena Nieto published this photo in 2013 alongside the female officers, who operate out of the city of Aguascalientes in Central Mexico

The division was set up in 2013 by retired general Rolando Eugenio Hidalgo Eddy who thought it would be a good idea to have a brigade to work at social events.

One of the female officers, who met the president said: 'We had broken formation and were heading for the exit when we met him. We gathered around the president and he said "Well, let's take a picture''.'

But the new secretary of public security for the state, Eduardo Bahena Pineda, was not impressed with the unit and thought it demeaned the force's public image.

The division was set up in 2013 by retired general Rolando Eugenio Hidalgo Eddy who thought it would be a good idea to have a brigade to work at social events

The new secretary of public security for the state, Eduardo Bahena Pineda, was not impressed with the unit and has scrapped it

The department has not been completely scrapped, but the number of officers has been reduced to seven and their uniforms will be the same as the rest of the force.

Alma Rosa, a female officer left in the reformed unit, described the change as positive.
The final paintings by Bali Nine ringleader Myuran Sukumaran have arrived back in Australia, almost a year after his execution in Indonesia.

The delivery of death row artworks was announced on social media on Friday afternoon by Sukumaran's mentor and friend, Sydney artist Ben Quilty.

The Archibald winner posted a photo of wooden boxes and wrapped canvases to Facebook with the caption: 'Myu's paintings safely and finally back in Australia'.

It comes more than 10 months after Sukumaran and fellow convicted Bali Nine drug smuggler, Andrew Chan, were executed by firing squad on Indonesia's Nusakambangan island on April 29, 2015.

Myuran Sukumaran's mentor and friend artist Ben Quilty posted a photo of wooden boxes and wrapped canvases to Facebook (pictured)

The Archibald winner posted a photo of wooden boxes and wrapped canvases to Facebook with the caption: 'Myu's paintings safely and finally back in Australia'

Some of his most haunting works are believed to be among the cargo including this portrait

The western Sydney pair were arrested in 2005 for attempting to smuggle heroin into Bali and spent the next decade in Kerobokan Prison.

They were dubbed the 'godfather' and the 'enforcer' of the nine-person drug syndicate.

One of Sukumaran's lawyers reached out to Quilty in 2012 after his imprisoned client expressed a desire to learn how to paint.

With the artist's guidance, Sukumaran began teaching classes to rehabilitate other inmates.

He was awarded an associate degree in fine arts from Curtin University just months before his death.

Some of his most haunting works are believed to be among the cargo, including one of the Indonesian flag dripping with blood and a self-portrait with a gaping hole in his chest where his heart should be.

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It is not yet known whether the extensive collection of paintings will be exhibited

A lawyer for the death row prisoners is pictured carrying another of Sukumaran's last works - a bloody heart

The oil painting was transported off the island, still wet, by his lawyer Julian McMahon during a three-hour visit at Besi Prison just days before Sukumaran's death.

A month earlier, Sukumaran revealed a painting of Indonesian President Joko Widodo with the inscription 'People can change' after his final plea for clemency was denied.

The 34-year-old's paintings became noticeably darker as his execution date drew near.

It is not yet known whether they will be exhibited.

Last year Melbourne artist Matthew Sleeth, 42, said Sukumaran's final works - carried off the prison island Nusakambangan by his tearful lawyer Julian McMahon - were his finest.

'I think they were his best works,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'That last one (a self-portrait featuring Myuran with a hole where his heart should be) was an absolute corker.'

In the weeks prior to his death, Sukumaran had expressed frustration to Sleeth - he finally felt happy with his art, but now his life was about to end.

His art teacher said Sukumaran evolved into an artist who was satisfied with his art weeks before his death

His brother Chintu Sukumaran carries a self-portrait painted by Sukumaran at Wijayapura port in Cilacap

In response, Sleeth - an accomplished visual artist - told him that very few craftsmen felt they had ever reached a level where they were extremely satisfied with their works.

Sleeth began teaching Sukumaran the finer points of art with fellow Australian painter Ben Quilty at Kerobokan prison in 2012.

What was meant to be a 'couple of workshops' turned into a life-changing bond, with Sleeth and Quilty becoming Sukumaran's mentors, friends - and some of his most prominent public advocates.

'In some ways, the rhythm of prison life suited Myu better than a studio in Brunswick does,' Sleeth said, reflecting on the repetitive nature of life in jail and the time he had to focus.

Sleeth was extremely impressed by his final works this week - which included several self-portraits and a bleeding heart.

He described them as the 'best expression of the success of his rehabilitation you can find'. 'He had become the artist he had wanted to be,' Sleeth said.

Some paintings by Sukumaran is shown by members of his family at Wijayapura port last Tuesday in Cilacap
The passionately pro-EU Tony Blair todayurged David Cameron to show more passion in the EU referendum campaign

Tony Blair has finally admitted he is a 'negative' and will avoid hitting the EU campaign trail in fear of putting off voters, but urged David Cameron to show more 'passion' in making hte case for Britain staying in the Brussels club.

The former Labour prime minister said it was not the 'right time' for him to play a high profile role in the run-up to June's EU referendum as it 'carried with it negatives as well as positives'.

He admitted that he was 'concerned' that the greater 'fervour' and 'determination' of the Brexit campaign would persuade voters to leave the EU.

Calling on the likes of Mr Cameron and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has been criticised for being too silent on the EU so far, Mr Blair said: 'I would like to see the pro-European side get out there with a bit of passion and vigour and determination and stand up for what we believe.

'And what we believe not just as a matter of economic realism, but as a matter of political idealism.'

Asked whether he would be playing a role in the referendum campaign, Mr Blair showed a rare sign of modesty by saying: 'I don't know whether it is the right time for me on the campaign trail - that carries with it negatives as well as positives.

'But I think it is certainly time for people to argue this case for Europe with some passion.'

Mr Blair, an enthusiastic supporter of Brussels, said it was Britain's destiny to 'lead in Europe' and echoed Mr Cameron and George Osborne's warnings that Brexit would cause economic instability and 'damage fundamentally' the interests of the British people.

Mr Blair's comments came after the Archbishop of Canterbury made a dramatic intervention in the EU campaign by declaring that Britain has a 'genuine and justified' fear of mass immigration.

The country's most senior churchman said it was 'absolutely outrageous' to dismiss the public's legitimate concerns as racist but he revealed that the Church would not be taking a position in the EU vote.

Mr Blair's latest intervention came as:

The Archbishop of Canterbury said Britain has a 'genuine and justified' fear of mass immigration

David Cameron claimed the cost of mortgages, socks and gloves would rise and UK farmers would take a 330million hit if we quit the Brussels club

The man in charge of Norway's 590billion sovereign wealth fund - the world's biggest - declared it would continue to invest major sums even if the UK quit the EU

Tory grandee Sir Nicholas Soames compared Michael Gove's alleged leaking of the Queen's private views on Europe to treason

European Central Bank announecs it will pay banks to borrow money to fuel economy

Tony Blair (pictured right) said David Cameron (pictured left in Chester on the campaign trail yesterday) must match the 'fervour' and 'determination' of his opponents in the run-up to the EU referendum campaign as he admitted he was 'concerned' that voters would back Brexit

Mr Blair, despite predicting that voters would back staying in the EU in June's referendum, warned the In campaign that it must start matching the enthusiasm displayed by the likes of Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Iain Duncan Smith in the Out camp to guarantee victory.

'IT WOULD BE CRAZY NOT TO JOIN THE EURO': HOW TONY BLAIR NEARLY TOOK US INTO THE EURO Tony Blair, pictured at an EU summit in 2004, once said he would recommend Britain joins the euro even if the British public disagreed June 1998: 'The decision to launch the single currency is the first step and marks the turning point for Europe, marks stability and growth and is crucial to high levels of growth and employment.' June 2001: 'Even if it [taking Britain into the euro] is unpopular, I will recommend it if it is the right thing to do.' November 2001: 'The tragedy for British politics - for Britain - has been that politicians of both parties have consistently failed, not just in the 1950s but on up to the present day, to appreciate the emerging reality of European integration. And in doing so they have failed Britain's interests.' December 2001: 'The new year sees the introduction of the European single currency. With so much of our trade and so many of our jobs tied up in business with the rest of Europe, it is massively in our interests that the euro succeeds. 'It remains the government's policy to join the euro provided that the five economic tests we have laid down are met and the British people give their consent in a referendum.' May 2002: 'I certainly believe passionately that this country and its destiny lies in Europe. 'Should we stand apart from the alliance right on our doorstep as a country? It would be crazy to do that. 'It is an economic union. We shouldn't, for political reasons, stand aside. I don't believe that would be a fulfilment of our national interest. I believe it would be a betrayal of our national interest.' Advertisement

Admitting he was worried that Britain could vote to leave the Brussels club, Mr Blair said: 'You've got to be concerned because there's a straightforward choice and politics is a highly unpredictable business, particularly today.

'On the other hand, I think the British people are sensible and, as you can see from the gyrations on the currency markets, the one thing that is for sure is if you vote to go there are going to be several years of uncertainty.

'And in my view that uncertainty will be multiplied because there will be a whole set of questions asked about the integrity of the UK consequent on a decision of the UK to leave Europe that will add to that uncertainty.'

He added: 'So I think in the end this referendum will be won for those that see Britain remaining part of the European Union. But you can't have a referendum like this, especially with the fervour on the anti-side, and not be concerned, so I am concerned but I believe in the end we will vote to stay.'

His intervention today is the second time in a month that Mr Blair has made warnings about leaving the EU.

Three weeks ago he warned that leaving the EU would trigger the break up of the UK as SNP demands for a second Scottish independence referendum would be impossible to ignore.

He said he would do whatever the In campaign wanted him to do but this morning he suggested he would not play a high profile role as he appeared to admit that his lack of popularity with voters.

'I don't know whether it is the right time for me on the campaign trail - that carries with it negatives as well as positives.

'But I think it is certainly time for people to argue this case for Europe with some passion.'

Interventions by the former prime minister are risky as Brexit campaigners point to his strong support for joining the euro during his early years in Downing Street.

At the time of the euro's introduction in 2002 Mr Blair said it would be 'crazy' for Britain not to join the single currency.

Laying out his vision for the UK being at the heart of the EU, Mr Blair said: 'Britain has got a great opportunity to lead in Europe.

'Britain is a great country, it's a strong country, it's a strong economy - person for person it is in the Premier League of systems.'

He added: 'Our destiny as a country is to lead in Europe, and we can and we should.

'And once this is out of the way, with some strong leadership in our own country, we will.

'But we have got to realise how fast the world is changing, how important this relationship is, and the massive instability that is going to come for no good purpose if we take the wrong decision.'

And he rebutted claims that the 'political elite' are pro-European while the public are more sceptical, pointing out that many leading figures in politics and media are leading the Brexit campaign.

FOUNDER OF WETHERSPOON PUB CALLS TIME ON EU AND DEMANDS 'LEVEL TAX PLAYING FIELD' JD Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin (pictured centre) said powers must be retained by national parliaments as he came out in favour of Brexit Pub giant JD Wetherspoon said staff pay rises ahead of the national living wage knocked profits, as the chain's founder came out in favour of leaving the European Union. The firm, which runs 954 pubs, said pre-tax-profits slipped 3.9 per cent to 36 million in the 26 weeks to January 24 compared to a year ago, after two recent pay increases. It said it gave its employees a pay increase in October 2014 and last July, amounting to a 13% overall wage rise. The business employs 37,000 staff. The move comes ahead of the Government's introduction of the national living wage next month, which will lift minimum hourly pay to 7.20 for over 25s, from its current level of 6.50, and to at least 9 an hour by 2020. The pub chain said like-for-like sales in the period were 2.9 per cent, while sales at established pubs in the six weeks to March 6 lifted to 3.7 per cent. Founder and chairmen Tim Martin said: 'Sales comparisons in the second half of the financial year will be slightly more favourable, although further wage increases are due in April. 'The pub and restaurant market is highly competitive, but we are aiming for a reasonable outcome for the financial year.' Mr Martin also cautioned Chancellor George Osborne against raising taxes in the pub industry ahead of next week's Budget. The array of taxes JD Wetherspoon pays includes VAT, alcohol duty, corporation tax, gaming machine duty, landfill tax and a climate change levy. Mr Martin said: 'There is a growing realisation among politicians, the media and the public that pubs are overtaxed and that a level tax playing field will create more jobs and taxes for the country.' The founder of the pub group also came out in favour of Brexit. He said: 'All major powers should be permanently retained by national parliaments with a free vote for everyone, a free press, free courts, freedom of speech and religion, and with the church playing a symbolic role only in the constitution.' The pub boss said it would soon be time for everyone in the UK to come to a decision on this matter. Mr Martin added: 'As those Eurovision songsters Bucks Fizz memorably put it, it's time for making your mind up.' A spokesman for the pub chain confirmed that it employed a 'decent number of staff from overseas including the EU' but was unable to provide any breakdown. Mr Martin also added that 'the UK has been a big beneficiary of the migration of large numbers of Europeans to this country'. Advertisement

It's NOT racist to fear migration, says the Archbishop of Canterbury: Justin Welby believes it is 'outrageous' to dismiss public's genuine concerns about housing, jobs and the NHS

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (pictured) has said people are entitled to fear the impact that the influx of large numbers of migrants could have on their communities

Britain has a 'genuine and justified' fear of mass immigration, the Archbishop of Canterbury declared last night.

The country's most senior churchman said it was 'absolutely outrageous' to dismiss the public's legitimate concerns as racist.

Archbishop Justin Welby warned: 'There is a genuine fear. And it is really important that that fear is listened to and addressed. There have to be resources put in place that address those fears.'

He added: 'What happens about housing? What happens about jobs? What happens about access to health services?'

Campaign groups last night welcomed his powerful intervention as a 'marvellous breath of fresh air'. It comes after years in which the liberal Left has attacked those expressing concern about the unprecedented levels of immigration into Britain as bigots.

Archbishop Welby also revealed that the Church would not be taking a position in the EU referendum debate.

He was highly critical of Europe's response to the refugee crisis, but added: 'You can't say, 'God says you must vote this way or that way'.'

Mass immigration is fast becoming central to the debate, as concerns rise about the millions of migrants flooding into Europe.

Out campaigners have warned that, unless Britain votes to leave the EU, it can never regain control of its borders. Fears have also been raised about the added pressure which would be put on already stretched public services in the UK if more people are allowed to settle here.

In an interview with Parliament's House magazine, Archbishop Welby said: 'Fear is a valid emotion at a time of such colossal crisis. This is one of the greatest movements of people in human history. Just enormous. And to be anxious about that is very reasonable.

'There is a tendency to say 'those people are racist', which is just outrageous, absolutely outrageous.

'In fragile communities particularly  and I've worked in many areas with very fragile communities as a clergyman  there is a genuine fear: what happens about housing? What happens about jobs? What happens about access to health services?

'There have to be resources put in place that address those fears.

'But we have demonstrated this enormous capacity to deal with thingsIt is simply a question of the scale on which we are prepared to act, in a way that spreads the load so it can be managed.'

The comments will be seen by some as a U-turn by the Archbishop himself. Two years ago, he said it was wrong to view immigration as 'something that is somehow going to overwhelm' Britain.

The Most Rev Justin Welby said it was 'absolutely outrageous' to condemn people who raised such concerns as racist. Migrants are pictured moving out of their camp in Grand Synthe outside Dunkirk earlier this week

At the time, his remarks were seen as a slap down to Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, who had just said that some communities feel 'swamped'.

In last night's interview, Mr Welby appeared to condemn the EU's response to the migrant crisis. He said: 'The lack of a European solution is deepening the crisis very, very significantly.'

But he repeated his previous demands for Britain to take in more refugees. Mr Cameron has said the UK will take in 20,000 over the current Parliament.

He said: 'We have to play our part. I was in Germany last weekend doing some work with some churches there. The Germans took 1.1million last year. And it does make 20,000 over several years sound very thin.'

He admitted, however, that we 'have to be careful', adding: 'The Government is rightly concerned about effectively subsidising people smuggling.'

He said the EU debate 'should be about what we fear'. He added: 'Fear of what happens if we leave, fear of what happens if we stayMy hope and prayer is that we have a really visionary debate about what our country looks like.'

Last night former diplomat and founder of MigrationWatch Lord Green of Deddington welcomed the remarks on immigration.

He said: 'What a marvellous breath of fresh air. This is clearly an outstanding leader who listens carefully to his flock and understands their genuine concerns.'

Queen leak was treason, says Sir Winston Churchill's grandson Sir Nicholas Soames as he compares Michael Gove's alleged leaking of details to fate of Sir Thomas Moore

Tory grandee Sir Nicholas Soames yesterday compared Michael Gove's alleged leaking of the Queen's private views on Europe to treason.

A row continued to rage at Westminster yesterday over claims that Mr Gove, who is the Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, was the source of a story claiming the Queen would back Brexit.

Sir Nicholas wrote on Twitter: 'If in any doubt of fate of former Lord Chancellors who may have let the side down, do go and look in Westminster Hall.'

Tory grandee Sir Nicholas Soames (pictured left with Lord Mandelson on Parliament Square) yesterday compared Michael Gove's alleged leaking of the Queen's private views on Europe to treason

This is a reference to a plaque in floor of Westminster Hall commemorating Sir Thomas More's trial for high treason.

More, who was Lord Chancellor under Henry VIII, was beheaded.

The jibe came as David Cameron rejected demands for an official investigation into the 'very serious' claims that Mr Gove leaked the story.

Labour has demanded a Cabinet Office probe into whether he passed on private comments made by the Queen during a meeting with ministers in 2011.

The leaking of claims to The Sun that Her Majesty said the EU was heading in the wrong direction also triggered furious protests from Buckingham Palace.

Mr Cameron said he did not believe a Government inquiry was needed into what the Queen said to former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg (left) at a meeting attended by Mr Gove (right)

But Mr Cameron said he did not believe a Government inquiry was needed into what the Queen said to former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg at a meeting attended by Mr Gove.

The PM met Mr Gove on Wednesday. He said Mr Gove 'made clear' he was not the source of the apparent leak. Mr Cameron added that the matter should be left in the hands of IPSO, the independent press watchdog, which is looking into a complaint from the Palace that it was inaccurate to say the Queen was in favour of leaving the EU. Aides say she is politically neutral.

The PM told BBC Sussex: 'Michael Gove has made clear that he has no idea where this story came from.

'The Palace has made a very clear statement, the former deputy prime minister has made a very clear statement saying this didn't happen and I think we should leave it at that.'
A Florida mom shot by her four-year old son while driving in Florida stole almost $500 worth of shorts using her baby's stroller as cover.

Jamie Gilt, 30, was arrested by Jacksonville Sheriff's Department on April 4, 2013 after she was detained by security guards at Dillard's department store in the town.

The prominent gun rights activist was spotted stuffing children's clothes into her purse and hiding the bag in the child's stroller.

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Jamie Gilt, pictured left, following her felony arrest for Grant Theft Retail after she stole $455 worth of shorts from a major store near her home in Jacksonville, Florida on April 4, 2013

Gilt, right, was driving with her son, left, on Tuesday, when the four-year-old grabbed hold of a .45 semi-automatic handgun and shot his mother. The round entered Gilt's back and exited through her stomach

Gilt was spotted stealing the five pairs of shorts while inside Dillard's in Jacksonville, pictured, on April 4, 2013

She was arrested by Jacksonville Sheriff's Department and charged with a felony count Grand Theft Retail.

Officers released her on a bond of $2,503 pending a court hearing.

According to her arrest report: 'The suspect entered the Juniors department of Dillard, selected several clothing items and concealed them in the purse she was carrying.

'The suspect then placed her purse in the stroller she was pushing and then attempted to exit the store without paying in an attempt to appropriate the property as her own.

'The suspect was detained by loss protection personnel and the property, totaling $455 was recovered.

'The suspect was arrested on the above charge and transported to the Duval County Jail.'

According to official records Gilt stole five pairs of shorts worth $89 each from the store.

Gilt, who attended the Grace Christian Academy has a tattoo of two horseshoes with a rose on her left ankle as well as a scar on her forehead.

At the time of the theft, according to records held by Duval County Court, Gilt was unemployed and was granted a public defender attorney.

In November 2013, court records show Gilt completed a 'Felony pre-trial intervention program'.

Gilt was detained by Jacksonville Sheriff's Office according to her arrest records obtained by MailOnline

According the arrest report, pictured, Gilt stole five pairs of shorts worth $89 each from the department store

Gilt, pictured, stuffed five pairs of shorts into her purse and hid the bag in her child's stroller

Gilt was held briefly in jail while she was processed by Jacksonville Sheriff's Office on the theft charge

Michael Monroe Kirkland, Assistant State Attorney wrote to the clerk of the circuit court in Duval County announcing that the state was dropping charges against Gilt after she successfully completed the course.

Gilt is currently recovering in hospital after her son picked up her loaded .45 semi-automatic handgun which was lying in the back seat of her truck and opened fire.

One round passed through the seat, entering Gilt's body through her back before the powerful bullet exited through her stomach.

Earlier Gilt's mother Jane Bramble, 71 said: 'It was just a freakish accident, Jamies done nothing wrong.

People are trying to make it into something its not, we are not criminals, we are the victims here.

Video courtesy of Action News Jax

She runs the Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense page on Facebook which promotes Second Amendment rights

Gilt is currently recovering from her injuries at the University of Florida Hospital in Gainsville, pictured

Gilt posted several photographs of herself brandishing a range of firearms on her pro-gun Facebook page

Speaking to Daily Mail Online from the family's home in Palatka, Florida, Mrs Bramble claimed her daughter was facing 'a long road to recovery.'

She said her grandson, who pulled the trigger, was 'watching cartoons'.

Mrs Bramble continued: She grew up with guns and I grew up with guns. This is the country  if you see something come onto your property what are you going to do? Shoot it. If I see a rattlesnake come up here Ill blow it to bits. What would you do?

If they try to take our guns from us theyll just go into the hands of criminals. People own guns here, its our way of life  hunting and shooting. But Id still own a gun if I lived in New York City.

Mrs Bramble admitted that the whole family had been shocked and troubled by the shooting that happened on Tuesday morning.

Fighting back emotion she said: Of course Im upset. Just think what could have happened.

But she insisted that her daughter  who may yet face criminal charges of negligence for allowing her gun to fall into her sons hands  had no crime to answer to.

Gilt lives with her mother Jane Bramble on the family's homestead in Palatka, outside Jacksonville, Florida

She said: The Sheriff hasnt spoken to her as far as I know. Why would he? And theyve not spoken to him either, she added pointing at her blonde-haired grandson.

As she spoke he held a plastic T-Rex toy up like a gun, taking aim and rapidly pulling the trigger to make it snap.

Mrs Bramble revealed that she did not know when her daughter would be released from the University of Florida Hospital in Gainesville where she was rushed following the incident.

She explained: Mark [the boys father] has been at her bedside all the time since it happened and shes in the best care but they wont say when shell get out.

It will be a long road to recovery and this is something that were all united in.

Mrs Bramble went onto read a prepared statement in which the family expressed thanks for all the prayers and support they have received.

Putnam County Sheriff's office are investigating the circumstances of Tuesday's shooting to determine whether Gilt should face criminal charges for keeping a loaded gun where a child had access to it

She said: Ive had phone calls from people I havent heard from in years. People are being supportive; they know this is our way of life.

Of course you have to be respectful of guns. You cant just get angry and pull your gun on somebody but this was just an accident and we just want to get over it as a family.'

Gilt hosted the Facebook page Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense, which has since been removed from the internet since the shooting.

Putnam County Sheriff's investigators are still trying to determine how the boy got his hands on the gun they say he used to shoot his mother.

Gilt owns the .45-caliber gun the boy fired on Tuesday afternoon, Putnam County Sheriff's Office spokesman Joseph Wells said.

Wells said a deputy saw her behaving frantically inside the truck, which was stopped partially in the road. The deputy then saw she'd been shot in the back and the bullet had exited from her stomach area, Wells said.

Deputies confirmed they found a .45 caliber handgun on the back seat of the car following Tuesday's incident

Gilt told deputies her son had accidentally shot her, according to Wells. She was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition, but investigators had not been able to interview her, Wells said.

The boy, who wasn't injured, is with relatives. The Florida Department of Children and Families also is investigating.

Before it was removed from public view, the 'Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense' Facebook page featured many posts from other pages supporting gun ownership and vilifying proposals for more gun control.

The short description of the page on Facebook said it was a place 'to connect people that share a common goal. That goal is to protect and expand our 2nd Amendment rights'.

After the news broke about Gilt's shooting, the posts appeared to be inundated with mocking comments from other Facebook users.

In comments posted March 7 to one post on the page, a user named Jamie Gilt wrote: 'I can promise though, if someone breaks into my house, or tries to harm me or my family pretty anywhere, they will be shot and most likely killed. It's my right to protect my life.'

The same user later replied to another comment about teaching children to shoot: 'All of ours know how to shoot too. Even my 4 year old gets jacked up to target shoot with the .22.'

Investigators are trying to determine whether to bring charges against Gilt.

Under Florida law, it is a misdemeanor for someone to store or leave a loaded gun where a child has access to it.
A picture showing a member of staff feeding a disabled man at a McDonald's in Taiwan has touched the hearts of thousands online.

The heart-warming moment was captured by a customer at the restaurant's branch in Chaozhou Town, Pingtung County, last week.

After the image was shared on Facebook on March 9 by a user named 'Li Ting', it has had almost 30,000 likes.

Heart-warming: An image of a McDonald's employee helping a disabled man to eat has gone viral

The touching moment was captured by a customer at the restaurant's branch in Pingtung, Taiwan (file photo)

Along with the picture, the user 'Li Ting' wrote a touching caption:

'People like this in society are running out. The other day I went to McDonald's with a friend to have a midnight snack, we saw this scene and were very touched.

'Not because of his actions and the exclusion of inconvenience to him. Instead, he was very loving towards that person and patient when he helped him to bite the burger.

'Thank you for helping him to eat a full meal so he can continue with his life.'

According to the Apple Daily, a spokesman from McDonald's has confirmed that the incident took place at around 11pm on March 2, and the worker is a 19-year-old university student surnamed He.

He is said to be studying at Meiho University in Pingtung County and has worked at the fast food company in his spare time for the past two years.

The spokesman said when the disabled man entered the restaurant, Mr He told him to wait upstairs.

When he served the food to the customer, Mr He saw the man struggling to pick up his burger, so he asked if he could help.

At the time, the restaurant was packed full of customers coming for late night snacks, said McDonald's.

The company also told media that it will award the young employee for his act of kindness.

Caring: Last year a touching image of a female flight attendant feeding a disabled man on a plane went viral

Deeply touched: After the hostess, named Fan Xuesong, started to feed man, he was brought to tears

Since the image was posted online, thousands of people have praised the young employee.

One Facebook a user called 'Li Hong Ren' wrote: 'A young man with a bright future, I salute you.'

Another user named 'Zhen Pingxin said: 'I'm so moved, he is so compassionate.'

And one person called 'You Hua Shuo' suggested that he should get a pay rise for his good deed.

This is not the first time an image like this has touched the hearts of millions online.

In December last year, passengers on a Hainan Airlines flight from Zhengzhou to Hainan in China were moved when they noticed one of the flight attendants named Fan Xuesong feeding a man with disabilities, bringing him to tears.
He conned couple Nick Wright and Racha Al Khawaja and their family

Robert Hiom, pictured, conned a married couple and their family out of more than 1million to fund his luxury lifestyle

A successful city trader cheated a married couple and their family out of more than 1million to fund a luxury lifestyle, a court heard.

Robert Hiom, 45, convinced friends Nick Wright and Racha Al Khawaja to invest in his digital trading system PanopticFX but instead spent the cash on extravagances including a rented villa in Dubai with a swimming pool and private butler.

Wood Green Crown Court in London heard Hiom also conned money out of Ms Al Khawaja's father Abdul Raheem and her brother Bassel, with the total reaching 1.065million.

For more than two years, Hiom forged bank statements to show their investment had been put to good use.

However when the couple became suspicious about a lack of documentation Hiom was providing as evidence of his transactions, they confronted him, and he came clean about his web of lies.

Ms Al Khawaja said: 'I don't think he really understands how damaging this has been on our lives.

'We invested all of our life savings with him. We set money aside for our children's education, which has gone, and it has left us in an extremely difficult financial situation.

He bought a house with our money, then demolished it to make it bigger and better.

'At one time, he came to Dubai and hired a 9,000 sq ft villa, with a private butler and its own pool.

'It was luxury as you've never seen, all with our hard-earned money.

'He was a gambler. He decided to spend all the money, then try and win it back, and in doing that, he bankrupted himself and us.'

Ms Al Khawaja, who now lives in Dubai with husband Nick and their two daughters, described Hiom as a 'trusted person' and they believed everything he told them.

She said: 'Robert was an old friend and work colleague of ours, and was the godfather to our youngest daughter, so we were very close.

'He was a trusted person in our lives, and we believed everything he was telling us.

'For a trusted friend to stay in your house, eat your food, drink your wine, and be lying about absolutely everything he told us was horrific.'

Despite seeing him jailed for four-and-a-half years, Ms Al Khawaja admits she was hoping for a longer sentence for her former friend after the fraud which took place between October 31, 2011 and September 30, 2012.

She added: 'I've got to say it was a very disappointing sentence. He will only spend just over two years in jail.

'It took us three years to get justice, so for him to serve less time that that doesn't seem right.

'I know the police say that it isn't about the length of the sentence, but it doesn't feel like justice.

'He is very charming, very friendly and has this cool air about him, but he is extremely dangerous, he is delusional.

'He thinks he is smarter than everybody else, that he wouldn't get caught and that he could go through life stealing.

Racha Al Khawaja and Nick Wright, pictured, thought they were investing in Hiom's company PanopticFX, with the offender even forging bank statements to show their money was being put to good use

'The worst thing about it is that he hasn't showed any remorse at all. He just kept lying more and more.

'I have absolutely no sympathy for him. We have suffered for three years, I had to have therapy to sleep at night.'

PanopticFX used algorithms to spot market trends and advise people what to buy and sell and when, with the creator claiming it had a 70 per cent success rate.

Ms Al Khawaja estimates that on top of the money Hiom misappropriated, they have also spent close to 110,000 pursuing a civil action.

After initially denying four charges of fraud, Hiom later pleaded guilty.

Dc Audrey Hart, from Essex Police's Serious Economic Crime Unit, said: 'The challenge for the investigation was to satisfactorily prosecute the entire case and ensure that Hiom was brought to book for the entire sum.

'Fortunately, the evidence I obtained was overwhelming: analysing the banking evidence to show how the funds were spent was challenging and taking witness statements from former close friends of the defendant Hiom was also a challenge.

'Unfortunately, fraudsters often prey on those close to home and their associates as the bond of trust is often what is relied upon to perpetrate the fraud.
South Sudan allows fighters to rape women as payment while children and the disabled are burned alive in 'one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world', a UN report has found.

The UN human rights office painted a harrowing picture of civilians suspected of supporting the opposition being torched, suffocated in shipping containers, hanged from trees and cut to pieces.

In scorching detail, the report cited cases of parents being forced to watch their children being raped during the country's two-year civil war.

'Horrendous human rights situation': South Sudanese government fighters are being allowed to rape women as a form of payment during the country's two-year civil war (file picture of unconnected fighters)

It said investigators received information that some armed militias affiliated with government forces 'raided cattle, stole personal property, raped and abducted women and girls' as a type of payment.

UN human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein said: 'The quantity of rapes and gang-rapes described in the report must only be a snapshot of the real total.

'This is one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world, with massive use of rape as an instrument of terror and weapon of war, yet it has been more or less off the international radar.'

His office said attacks against civilians, forced disappearances, rape and other violations could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The UN report released Friday is the work of an assessment team deployed in South Sudan between October and January and says 'state actors' bear most responsibility for the crimes.

It said Zeid recommends that the UN Security Council consider expanding sanctions already in place by imposing a 'comprehensive arms embargo' on South Sudan and consider referring the matter to the International Criminal Court if other judicial avenues fail.

In the grip of war: The human rights situation has 'dramatically deteriorated' since South Sudan erupted into civil war in December 2013, the report said

The human rights situation has 'dramatically deteriorated' since South Sudan erupted into civil war in December 2013, the report said.

The crisis stemmed from a falling-out between President Salva Kiir and his deputy, Riek Machar, that boiled over into an armed rebellion.

Tens of thousands have died and at least two million people have been displaced from their homes.

The 17-page report notes that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had already in May 2014 pointed to 'reasonable grounds' to consider that crimes against humanity had been committed in South Sudan.

In a sign that little has been done since then, the report said 'the killings, sexual violence, displacement, destruction and looting that were the hallmarks of the conflict through 2014 continued unabated through 2015.'
They have lived in the White House ever since their father came to power almost eight years ago.

But it was only last night that the First Daughters Malia and Sasha Obama were finally allowed to attend their first ever state dinner in Washington

Malia, 17 and Sasha, 14, both donned ballgowns costing almost $20,000 each by New York-based designer Naeem Khan as they attended the dinner, which was being held in honor of Canada and its dashing new liberal leader, Justin Trudeau.

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Malia, left, and Sasha Obama, right, attended their first ever formal state dinner at the White House last night

And Mr Trudeau took the time to praise the girls for growing up in the spotlight as he delivered his speech.

Older daughter Malia, who is in her final year at High School wore a beige strapless gown from the Naeem Khan pre-fall 2015 collection, which comes with a $17,990 price tag.

She styled her hair in loose curls over one shoulder for the event and was seated next to Grey's Anatomy actress Sandra Oh.

Meanwhile Sasha opted for a high necked chic semi-sheer black dress from the Naeem Khan Resort 2016 collection, costing $19,990, and wore her hair in trendy double braids.

She sat next to her aunt, President Obama's sister Maya Soetoro-Ng and her uncle, Konrad Ng and close to actress Blake Lively.

Malia, 17, at her first ever formal state dinner at the White House, where she opted for a strapless, beige dress from Naeem Khan's pre-fall 2015 collection

The elder of the Obama daughters wore her hair in loose curls over one shoulder at the event in honour of Canada

Malia, who graduates from High School this summer, was sat next to Grey's Anatomy actress Sandra Oh, right

The daughters of President Obama and wife Michelle were just 10 and seven when they became America's first family and have grown up in the spotlight.

And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose father Pierre, was also the prime minister of Canada when he was born until he was eight, paid tribute to the Obama girls during his speech.

He said: 'The memories for me of being a kid and not being old enough to attend these kinds of events with my father almost makes me wish I had gone through my teenage years as the child of a world leader.'

Sasha, aged 14, went for a semi-sheer black dress from the same designer as her sister and wore her hair in trendy braids, at her first White House state dinner

The younger Obama daughter sat next to her aunt, President Obama's sister, Maya and on the same table as actress Blake Lively

Mr Trudeau also praised the pair calling theirs a 'remarkable childhood', adding: 'That will give you extraordinary strength and wisdom beyond your years for the rest of your life.'

With their father spending his last year in office, attention is now turning to what Malia and Sasha will do after the family leave the White House.

Rumours have been swirling that Malia, who graduates from high school in the summer, will attend NYU.

Meanwhile Sasha, the youngest child to live at the White House since one-year-old John F Kennedy Jnr, is set to complete high school in either Washington or Chicago.
Families whose fight against a gas firm which poisoned their water was turned into an award-winning film have finally won more than $4million in compensation.

The two families from Dimock, Pennsylvania, were awarded the payout by a federal jury after six years of legal wrangles with Houston-based Cabot Oil & Gas.

The company was found to have negligently drilled for gas wells next to two homes and was responsible for contaminating their water wells with high levels of methane.

Dimock residents Monica Marta-Ely and her husband Nolen Scott Ely were awarded $2.75million, while another couple, Raymond and Victoria Hubert, were awarded $1.49million.

Both families had earlier rejected a settlement offer from the company in 2012.

Dimock residents Monica Marta-Ely (left) and her husband Nolen Scott Ely were awarded $2.75million by a federal jury after Cabot Oil & Gas were found responsible for contaminating their water supply

Raymond Hubert (right) and his wife were Victoria were awarded $ 1.49 million after six years of legal wrangles

Dimock was the scene of the most highly publicized case of methane contamination to emerge from the early days of Pennsylvania's natural-gas drilling boom. State regulators blamed faulty gas wells drilled by Cabot for leaking combustible methane into Dimock's groundwater.

Cabot had consistently denied responsibility. The rural community became a national battleground in environmental activists' fight against fracking - the technique that allows drilling companies to extract huge volumes of oil and natural gas from rock formations deep underground - and its plight was featured in the Emmy-winning 2010 documentary Gasland.

Josh Fox (left) wrote and directed the film Gasland, which was inspired by the events in Dimock. He interviewed affected residents (right) whose water was contaminated by fracking

The film was written and directed by Josh Fox and focused on a number of communities in the United States affected by natural gas drilling and specifically hydraulic fracking, including Dimock.

The docufilm is considered by many to have been a key mobilizer for the anti-fracking movement.

Dozens of plaintiffs settled with Cabot in 2012, but two homeowners opted to take their claims to court. 'We haven't had clean water since my son was in kindergarten. He's now in seventh grade,' one of the plaintiffs, Ms Marta-Ely, said outside court on Monday, when jurors were selected. 'It's not a normal way of life.'

Leslie Lewis, the families' attorney, said in opening statements that her clients' water was clean and drinkable until Cabot drilled two natural gas wells near their homes in 2008.

Nolen Scott Ely, facing camera, is embraced by Raymond Hubert after both won their settlement. The two families had rejected an earlier settlement offer from the Houston-based drilling company in 2012

Cabot's attorneys (pictured), told jurors the problems started before Cabot began drilling  and continue to this day, some six years after Cabot plugged the wells. The company had refused to take responsibility

Dimock became a battleground in environmental activists' fight against fracking (pictured)  the technique allows drilling companies to extract huge volumes of oil and natural gas from rock formations underground

Stephen Dillard, Cabot's attorney, told jurors the problems started before Cabot began drilling  and continue to this day, some six years after Cabot plugged the wells.

'One would expect ... when we filled the wells with cement and shut them down, the problem should go away,' Mr Dillard said, according to The Times-Tribune of Scranton.

'Yet here we are, six years later, and the complaints continue.'

Residents first reported problems with their wells in 2008. The water that came out of their faucets turned cloudy, foamy and discolored, and smelled and tasted foul.

Homeowners, all of whom had leased their land to Cabot, said the water made them sick with symptoms that included vomiting, dizziness and skin rashes.

After a water well exploded on New Year's Day 2009, a state investigation found that Cabot had allowed gas to escape into the region's groundwater supplies, contaminating at least 18 residential water wells.
Iain Duncan Smith welcomed the Archbishop of Canterbury's declaration that Britain has a 'genuine and justified' fear of mass immigration but asked why it had taken him so long to speak out.

The country's most senior churchman said last night that it was 'absolutely outrageous' to dismiss the public's legitimate concerns over mass immigration as racist.

Archbishop Justin Welby warned: 'There is a genuine fear. And it is really important that that fear is listened to and addressed. There have to be resources put in place that address those fears.'

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Iain Duncan Smith (left) welcomed the declaration by the Archbishop of Canterbury (right) that Britain has a 'genuine and justified' fear of mass immigration but asked why it had taken him so long to speak out

He added: 'What happens about housing? What happens about jobs? What happens about access to health services?'

This morning Mr Duncan Smith described his comments as 'rational' but said they should have come 'many, many years before'.

The Work and Pensions Secretary, one of the leading Brexit campaigners, said political elites under Tony Blair's premiership had 'shut down the debate' on immigration for years and had branded anyone raising concerns about immigration as 'racist'.

He said the failure of anyone leading public institutions - including the Church - to defend the public's concern about migration had allowed groups with 'nasty motives' to exploit the issue.

'I think these are rational comments from the Archbishop and are to be welcomed, but, you know, you wonder just how late they have come from various people in institutions,' Mr Duncan Smith told the Today programme.

'This should have been the case many, many years before but shutting it down has been terrible for the British people,' he added.

Campaign groups have welcomed the Archbishop's powerful intervention as a 'marvellous breath of fresh air'. It comes after years in which the liberal Left has attacked those expressing concern about the unprecedented levels of immigration into Britain as bigots.

Archbishop Welby also revealed that the Church would not be taking a position in the EU referendum debate.

He was highly critical of Europe's response to the refugee crisis, but added: 'You can't say, 'God says you must vote this way or that way'.'

His comments came as:

Tony Blair urged David Cameron to show more passion in the EU debate

Mr Cameron claimed the cost of mortgages, socks and gloves would increase and UK farmers would take a 330million hit if we quit the Brussels club;

But the man in charge of Norway's 590billion sovereign wealth fund, the world's biggest, declared that it would continue to invest major sums here regardless of referendum outcome;

The European Central Bank was forced into yet more dramatic moves to shore up the struggling Eurozone, including printing more money;

Michael Gove was likened to a traitor by a Tory grandee and friend of the Royal Family for allegedly leaking the Queen's views on Brexit.

Mass immigration is fast becoming central to the debate, as concerns rise about the millions of migrants flooding into Europe.

Out campaigners have warned that, unless Britain votes to leave the EU, it can never regain control of its borders. Fears have also been raised about the added pressure which would be put on already stretched public services in the UK if more people are allowed to settle here.

In an interview with Parliament's House magazine, Archbishop Welby said: 'Fear is a valid emotion at a time of such colossal crisis. This is one of the greatest movements of people in human history. Just enormous. And to be anxious about that is very reasonable.

'There is a tendency to say 'those people are racist', which is just outrageous, absolutely outrageous.

'In fragile communities particularly  and I've worked in many areas with very fragile communities as a clergyman  there is a genuine fear: what happens about housing? What happens about jobs? What happens about access to health services?

The Most Rev Justin Welby said it was 'absolutely outrageous' to condemn people who raised such concerns as racist. Migrants are pictured moving out of their camp in Grand Synthe outside Dunkirk earlier this week

The Archbishop said it was essential that the 'genuine fear' that people felt was listened to and resources put in place to address their concerns. Migrants are pictured climbing in the back of a lorry in Calais last year

'There have to be resources put in place that address those fears.

'But we have demonstrated this enormous capacity to deal with thingsIt is simply a question of the scale on which we are prepared to act, in a way that spreads the load so it can be managed.'

The comments will be seen by some as a U-turn by the Archbishop himself. Two years ago, he said it was wrong to view immigration as 'something that is somehow going to overwhelm' Britain.

At the time, his remarks were seen as a slap down to Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, who had just said that some communities feel 'swamped'.

There is a genuine fear. And it is really important that that fear is listened to and addressed Archbishop Justin Welby

Tory MP Peter Bone, a leading figure in the Grasssroots Out campaigning for Britain to leave the EU, welcomed Archbishop Welby's 'sensible comments'.

'When I speak to people after church on a Sunday, there are many who are very worried about uncontrolled migration from the EU and the strain it is having on our public services,' he said.

'It is vital that British voters are free to have a sensible debate over immigration in the run up to the EU referendum without fear of being branded racist.

'The Archbishop is right to ask what Britain's international attitude would be if British voters choose to leave the EU.

'A Britain outside of the EU would remain friends with our European neighbours and forge new friendships with the rest of the world.'

In last night's interview, Mr Welby appeared to condemn the EU's response to the migrant crisis. He said: 'The lack of a European solution is deepening the crisis very, very significantly.'

But he repeated his previous demands for Britain to take in more refugees. Mr Cameron has said the UK will take in 20,000 over the current Parliament.

He said: 'We have to play our part. I was in Germany last weekend doing some work with some churches there. The Germans took 1.1million last year. And it does make 20,000 over several years sound very thin.'

He admitted, however, that we 'have to be careful', adding: 'The Government is rightly concerned about effectively subsidising people smuggling.'

He said the EU debate 'should be about what we fear'. He added: 'Fear of what happens if we leave, fear of what happens if we stayMy hope and prayer is that we have a really visionary debate about what our country looks like.'

Last night former diplomat and founder of MigrationWatch Lord Green of Deddington welcomed the remarks on immigration.
Sex attacks are at their highest level for years in Austria with an average of 12 new cases being reported every day, new figures reveal.

Officials said the numbers included 24 cases reported over the New Year period which at the time police denied had taken place.

Police later claimed they covered up the assaults in order to protect the privacy of the victims, but rejected a suggestion they had so on the order of politicians.

The statistics show that in January there were 343 complaints about sex-related incidents.

Migrants pictured outside the main rail station in Salzburg last year. Sex attacks are at their highest level for years in Austria with an average of 12 new cases being reported every day. Of those, 25 have involved charges being made against asylum seekers, new figures have revealed

A total of 25 have involved charges being made against asylum seekers, while another 43 involve foreigners from countries including Turkey, Macedonia and Germany.

In 175 cases, Austrians are under suspicion.

There was no information about the 100 remaining sex attacks included in the report.

Of the sex attacks, 61 were rapes, in which 38 cases Austrians are suspected of being the attackers.

Six are suspected of being asylum seekers, including two from Syria and one from Iraq.

The ages of those accused range from 11 through to 82. There was no information on the remaining 17 rapes.

Police have pledged to react to the growing problem by increasing the use of video surveillance technology and also offer more advice to women and girls about keeping themselves safe.

When the figures were revealed, one Austrian newspaper noted how they had been accused of lying when they initially reported the problem.

On January 7, tabloid newspaper Osterreich revealed that sex attacks had not just been carried out in the German city of Cologne over New Year's Eve, but also in Austria where there had been systematic attacks by young refugees on women.

Hundreds of migrants who arrived by train at Hegyeshalom on the Hungarian and Austrian border walk the four kilometres into Austria in September

But the newspaper's reporter Victoria Bichler had then been subjected to a campaign of abuse including the suggestion that she had simply made up her report.

However, in an answer to an official parliamentary question earlier this week by the opposition Team Stronach Party, the paper says that its original story was not only proved correct, but that the real situation was far worse than previously thought.

In total, according to the parliamentary answer, there were 24 sexual assaults on women over the New Year at the time when Austrian police were claiming there had been none.

The Interior Ministry statement said: 'Vienna and Salzburg were the cities with the biggest problem.

'Most of the sex attacks happened on women at public events. They were targeted mostly by small groups of asylum seekers who, after surrounding them, then attacked.'

Until the official reply, only half of the attacks had been ever reported in Austrian media.

Questioned by the newspaper about why they kept them secret, a police spokesman said that the right to privacy of the victim took priority over the right of the public to know about the incidents.
A teenager had to have her face removed so surgeons could re-build her features after she was severely injured in a horror car crash.

Chloe Thomson was left in a wheelchair for a year after breaking almost every bone in her body when the vehicle she was in hit a tree in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.

Doctors had to perform complex surgeries including removing her face and realigning both her legs, which had been badly broken.

Chloe Thomson, pictured left, said she endured years of bullying after undergoing reconstructive surgery on her face, right, after being severely injured in a car crash in 2008

Miss Thomson, 19, has told of the torment she endured at school from cruel bullies who made life unbearable by mocking her looks.

The abuse even caused her to black out the accident, which happened when she was 11 years old, and she would deny it ever happened.

But in a Facebook post showing her injuries the teenager said she is now in a place where she is happy about the way she looks.

The post, which has thousands of likes, said Miss Thomson was finally at a place where I am happy with the way I look and I never thought I ever would be again.

She also told bullies to leave her alone and that she had heard it all since the accident.

Miss Thomson, of Gourock, Renfrewshire, told the Daily Mirror: I broke almost every bone in my body and face but I dont want what happened to me to define who I am anymore.

Miss Thomson, pictured after her surgery, hit back at her bullies in a Facebook post where she described herself as 'happy with the way she looks'

I dont recognise the girl before the accident or the girl after, they seem like different people. I finally feel like me now.

The accident happened in October 2008 on the A815 between Strachur and Dunoon when the car she was a passenger in left the road and hit the tree.

The tree then crashed down on top of the vehicle and shattered a window close to Miss Thomsons face.

She was airlifted to the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley, and then transferred to Yorkhill Childrens Hospital in Glasgow, with her mother Jennifer, 37, warned to prepare for the worst.

Metal rods were inserted into her legs and the facial reconstruction surgery took nine hours, with her nose, jaw and eye sockets all repaired, restoring her eyesight.

Miss Thomson, pictured as a child before the incident in Scotland when the car she was in hit a tree

A fragment of her nose was also embedded in her brain during the accident which left surgeons concerned there may have been permanent damage.

Her mother told the Mirror: They had to take her whole face off, strip it back and put her face back together. It was the worst time of my life.

She was home in time for Christmas 2008 but said she didnt look in a mirror for a month or speak to any of her friends as she went through several physio and hospital appointments.

Miss Thomson then changed schools but said she felt like an outsider wherever she went, enduring abuse over the internet.

Now Miss Thomson, who hopes to become a makeup artist, has accepted what happened and decided to address all the hurtful comments through the Facebook post.
Shocking footage shows a horde of officers beating a vulnerable prisoner inside the cells as they try to restrain him after a suicide attempt.

One officer can be seen punching and elbowing Neville Edwards 15 times after he bit the arm of an officer who stopped him from taking his own life at Longsight Police Station, Greater Manchester.

A judge slammed the 'brutal incident', describing how Edwards, 31, was kicked to the floor when he refused to kneel for a search, and said even suggested the original arrest was unnecessary.

This CCTV footage shows police attacking a prisoner ion the cells after he tried to commit suicide and bit a custody officer. One man can be seen striking him with his elbow (pictured) and fist 15 times

Another officer can be seen punching the prisoner while he is on the floor at Longsight Police Station (pictured)

Neville Edwards (pictured) was sentenced to a year for biting the officer. However, Recorder Timothy Hannam said the arrest was avoidable and described what was seen in the footage as a 'brutal incident'

Recorder Timothy Hannam said: 'Whilst the sergeant was acting lawfully, it seems to me this entire incident could have been avoided if you hadn't been arrested and brought to the station in the first place.'

Edwards was jailed for a year for assault, but released footage that he obtained himself, along with a commentary on how he was treated after what he called a 'wrongful arrest'.

Manchester Crown Court heard the incident unfolded after Mr Edwards, from Moss Side, walked in front of a police car responding to an emergency call in the Whalley Range area.

Police attended the incident then returned to find and arrest Mr Edwards.

At the police station, Mr Edwards was kicked to the floor by a civilian detention officer when he didn't kneel in the cell, where they had already placed a pad, anticipating resistance.

In his commentary of the video, Edwards says: 'As we enter the cell with no resistance from me, the detention officer launches into an attack on me by swinging his leg and violently sweeps my legs from under me and drops me face first onto the floor.'

The judge added: '(The officer) dealt with it very efficiently, but the fact is it was quite a brutal incident, he was taken to the floor, quickly and without much ado.

'It was a well trained procedure, albeit the viewer of the tape sees the officer punching him in response to the bite, but nevertheless its a shocking piece of footage.'

Edwards can then be seen sitting in the cell with his head in his hands, then tying his t-shirt into a ligature and wrapping it around his neck.

Footage shows him being brought into the cell after being arrested for walking in front of a police car earlier in the evening. He had previously claimed it was wrongful arrest

Officers entered the cell after Edwards was seen trying to hang himself with his T-shirt (pictured)

Police then dragged him onto the floor to restrain him and he struggled, so the detention officers beat him

He says that the video shows how his 'mental state is deteriorating' and he becomes more 'distressed' before the suicide attempt, at which point a custody officer enters the cell.

But he claims the behaviour that followed was unlawful, describing how he was treated by detention officers in his own Youtube video, entitled UK Police Brutality.

He says: 'Their role is to protect life and prevent harm, so why after getting the ligature off in the first few seconds do they violently drag me off the bed and onto the floor which is when the same detention officer punches me and begins to knee me violently in the lower back and groin area?'

At the time of this incident, Mr Edwards was on a suspended sentence, and had a criminal record dating back to 2008, largely for police assaults.

Despite this, the court heard he had a history of community work, with referees including GMP's Chief Superintendent Wasim Chaudhry.

One officer almost trips over as the crowd lay on top of him, striking with fists and elbows in the back

Mr Edwards claims that he could feel them kneeing him in the back and groin while he was being restrained

Simon Blakebrough, defending, said Mr Edwards' criminal history had to be seen against his history of depression and mental instability, with attempts on his life dating back to the age of 11.

Sentencing, the judge said Mr Edwards had to go to jail for the 'serious assault on an officer trying his best to save your life'.

But he added: 'There was little to be gained by those officers deciding to go and find you because in their view you needed a word.
A father has accused the Commonwealth Bank of being immoral after it loaned his 20-year-old son $15,000 at 17.8 per cent interest despite his only needing $5,500 for a car.

Brian Borshoff, from Perth, said he was floored after looking at his son's contract to learn he could not make an early repayment or pay more than the agreed monthly sum on the four-year loan.

Mr Borshoff said his son had been keen to prove his independence and he was restricted in what he could to help him because he was an adult.

A father of a 20-year-old man is angry at the Commonwealth Bank for giving his son $9,500 more than he needed for his car loan (stock image)

Brian Borshoff's son wanted to borrow $5,500 for a car, but was offered $15,000 from the bank and took it (stock image)

'Where is their moral compass and where is their duty of care?' he told 6PR radio on Friday.

'Where do you get off saddling a young person that is out there getting their education (and) working hard at a part time job?'

Mr Borshoff conceded it was not smart of his son to spend the extra money with the help of his friends.

He said his son was also offered car insurance through CommInsure at an annual premium of $1450 but instead obtained insurance elsewhere at $900.

It comes after ABC TV reported CommInsure whistleblower and sacked former chief medical officer Ben Koh's comments this week about systematic manipulation of medical reports, missing files and declining of claims that should have been accepted at the bank's insurance arm.

The boy then bought the $5,500 vehicle he intended to purchase and spent the rest of the loan (stock image)

His father looked over his contract and found that he was unable to make extra repayments (stock image)

In a statement, a CBA spokesman said the bank always wanted to hear from customers with concerns.

'Customers can choose to make extra repayments and pay off their loan as quickly as possible,' he said.

'Commonwealth Bank lends according to individual risk profiles, which take into account a number of factors including a borrower's ability to service that loan and their previous credit history.'
A police officer who shot and killed his ex-wife in a fit of jealous rage is facing up to 30 years in jail after pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter on Thursday.

Philip Seidle, 51, was driving in New Jersey in June last year with his seven-year-old daughter in the car when he chased down, crashed into and then fired 12 shots at a car being driven by his ex-wife Tamara Wilson-Seidle, killing her.

Seidle, who said he flew into a jealous rage after discovering that Wilson was living with another man, then sent a text to his nine children, saying: 'Your mother is dead because of her actions.'

Philip Seidle, 51 (pictured in court Thursday), a U.S. Navy veteran and former police officer with 22 years service, is facing 30 years in jail after admitting shooting his ex-wife Tamara Wilson-Seidle

Seidle (pictured Thursday) chased down, crashed into, and then fired 12 rounds at a car being driven by Wilson in June last year before texting his nine children saying: 'Your mother is dead because of her actions'

Seidle had previously denied murder, which carries a maximum sentence of life in jail, saying Wilson caused him mental health issues after trying to alter the custody arrangements he had with his children, aged between seven and 24.

In a statement read outside Monmouth County Superior Court, a representative for the family said they eventually accepted a plea for aggravated manslaughter 'to avoid further trauma to our family'.

Meanwhile prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni branded the killing 'hands down one of the ugliest cases we have seen' in Monmouth County history.

Gramiccioni said he will ask for a 30-year jail term when Seidle is sentenced later this year, the Asbury Park Press reports, with a minimum of 25 years before being considered for parole.

Seidle's defense lawyers have indicated they will ask for a sentence between 10 and 20 years. The maximum sentence for aggravated manslaughter is 30 years. Seidle also pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child.

Seidle appeared unrepentant in court, however, telling CBS New York: 'She condemned me to my children for three and a half years for being with someone else.

'I never even introduced my kids to my lady, and now she moves this guy in and basically replaces me with him, makes him their father.'

The shooting took place on June 16 when Seidle was driving through Neptune Township, New Jersey, with his daughter while on the way to buy a dress for a father-daughter dance.

Seidle (left) had been separated from Wilson (right) for three years, but the pair had finalized their divorced a month before the killings and on the day Wilson died, Seidle had found out she was living with another man

Seidle (pictured being arrested in 2015) carried out the brutal shooting despite having his seven-year-old daughter in his car as they were on their way to buy her a dress for a daddy-daughter dance

At around 11.30am Seidle, a U.S. Navy veteran and police officer with 22 years service, spotted a black Volkswagen Jetta being driven by his ex-wife.

The couple had been separated for three and a half years, the court heard, but had finalized their divorce 24 days before and that day Seidle said he had discovered she was living with another man.

The father-of-nine flew into a rage and began chasing Wilson, a pursuit which only ended after she crashed into a parked car.

Witnesses said Seidle then climbed out of his vehicle, walked over to her car, and fired several shots through the windshield with his service-issue .40 Glock handgun.

Seidle then aimed the weapon at his own head and walked around to the driver's side of the vehicle before firing several more shots through the side window.

During the standoff, Seidle is accused of texting a friend, saying: 'I got tired of Tamara's s*** so I shot her.'

Police officers who happened to be in the neighborhood for an unrelated traffic accident claim to have seen the shooting unfold before taking the child from her father's silver Honda Pilot.

Tamra was taken to hospital with multiple gunshot wounds where she later died, while the seven-year-old was uninjured.

Meanwhile Seidle continued aiming the gun at his own head and held officers at bay for up to half an hour before surrendering.

Kirsten Seidle, 24, the couple's eldest child, was in court Thursday to hear her father plead guilty (pictured), saying the family accepted a charge of aggravated manslaughter over murder to spare them further trauma

Despite his guilty plea, Seidle appeared unrepentant in court, telling the judge that Wilson had introduced his children to her new partner, and accused her of trying to replace him as their father

They had a troubled history, according to reports at the time of the killing, with police called out two dozen times between 2001 and 2015 because of domestic disputes.

In a complaint filed by Tamara two years ago, the mother of nine accused her husband of nearly 25 years of holding a gun to her head while she was pregnant.

On another occasion, the officer allegedly kicked his wife in the stomach while she was pregnant.

In her divorce complaint, Mrs Seidle described her spouse as a violent man who was addicted to pornography and video games, and who was unfaithful to her in the course of their marriage.

The New York Daily News reports that Tamara claimed the verbal and physical attacks began shortly after they were married in 1990.

According to the paper, Seidle slammed his wife into walls while also threatening to leave her and the kids penniless over the course of their 25-year marriage.

On her birthday, Tamara said her husband punched her in the eye because she questioned him about the pornography bills he was running up on their credit card.

A month after Tamara recovered from breast cancer in 2011, including a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she learned that Seidle had been dating another woman.

A year later Seidle left Tamara to move in with his girlfriend full-time, though he and Tamara remained officially married until May this year, when they split.
Moscow is fuelling tensions over migrants in Germany using its two million strong Russian-German population, intelligence chiefs have claimed.

Hans-Georg Maaen, the head of Germany's internal intelligence agency, and Guido Muller, deputy head of foreign intelligence, told politicians that Russia is trying to destabilise Germany using the Russian community living there.

News of the meeting comes as Russia lashed out at the EU's handling of the migrant crisis, accusing leaders of wilfully ignoring cultural differences that have caused such widespread friction and chaos across the Continent.

Warning: Hans-Georg Maaen, the head of Germany's internal intelligence agency, and Guido Muller, said Russia is trying to destabilise Germany using the Russian community living there

Anti-refugee protesters wave German flags and banners reading 'Rapefugees not welcome' at a demonstration in Cologne in January

According to Bild newspaper, the two intelligence chiefs said Moscow can push the Russian-German population into demonstrating, and is interviewing Russians on state television who say they have left Germany because refugees made them feel unsafe.

They referenced protests following the 'rape' of a Russian-German teenager, which was reported by Russian media.

A Moscow minister also accused police in Germany of covering it up, but it was later discovered the girl had made up the whole story.

Last week, Janis Sarts, director of Natos Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, told The Observer Russia is trying to topple German Chancellor Angela Merkel by waging an information war.

Speaking as an expert, he said: '[Russia] is establishing a network that can be controlled. You can use it as they have tried to do in Germany, combined with the legitimate issue of refugees, to undercut political processes in a very serious way.'

Today, Konstantin Romodanovsky, head of Russia's Federal Migration Service, said 'multiculturalism has failed' because Europe never formed a unified strategy to integrate refugees into Western society.

He said: 'The European Commission left it up to individual nations to decide how they want to treat asylum seekers  despite the fact the policies and capabilities of member states are very different.

'The EU does not have an effective system for registering incoming migrants or effective mechanisms for deporting illegal immigrants.'

As a result, he claims the EU was caught 'unprepared' when hundreds of thousands of migrants first starting arriving on the continent last year.

Friction: Moscow is trying to destabilise Germany using the two million strong Russian-German community living there. Pictured: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin

He also accused leaders of ignoring the 'differences in culture, religious traditions, and customs' with the refugees, the vast majority of whom are Islamic.

He told RT: 'Practicing family reunification and offering refugees generous benefits without integrating them into the labor market, the EU did not expect that such a great number of people would claim these rights.

'This was clearly a mistake. The policy of multiculturalism has failed.'

He pointed to the mass sex attacks by gang of migrant men on women in Cologne.

He said: 'Note the defiant behavior of refugees and their growing claims and demands. What happened in Germany on New Years Eve is a striking example of this.'

His comments came after it emerged Brussels was seeking a deal with Vladimir Putin to stop fuelling the influx of migrants into Europe.

A sharp rise in numbers entering the continent from Russia has led senior officials to plead with Moscow for help.
The teenager has pleaded with drivers to think about their families first

A 24-year-old driver and a 30-year-old passenger in the other car also died

The 17-year-old was left with a fractured back and damaged tendons

Andres Garcia lost his mother after a head-on collision in Two Rocks, Perth

Teenage orphan begs drivers not to speed from his hospital bed

A 17-year-old who was orphaned after his mother died during a head on collision has begged drivers from his hospital bed to think twice before speeding.

Andres Garcia was in the passenger seat as his mother drove home in Two Rocks, northern Perth, when a car in the opposite direction overtook on the crest of a hill before hitting their pink hatchback.

The 24-year-old driver of the other car and a 30-year-old passenger died from the impact while Mr Garcia was left with a fractured back, damaged tendons in his hand and almost lost a leg, reported Seven News.

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The teenager (left) is struggling to come to terms with losing his mother (right) and is unable to talk about it

Andres Garcia almost lost his life and became an orphan after a car slammed into his mother's car as they drove home

The 17-year-old has pleaded from his hospital bed for drivers to consider their families before speeding

'Please don't speed, it's not worth it,' pleaded Mr Garcia from his hospital bed.

'Think of the passengers and your family and their families and what they're going to have to go through - it's not worth it.'

The teenager who arrived to Australia from Columbia is now attempting to fund his accumulating medical bills as well as his mother's funeral costs.

But Mr Garcia's close friends have since set up a fundraiser to help raise money to ease some of the pressure.

With a goal of $50,000 the gofundme account has already raised $20,000.

Andres Garcia's mother aged 47 was the teenager's only immediate family

The teenager lost his mother in the accident and is now trying to cover hospital bills and his mother's funeral costs

A gofundme page for the teenager has since been created to help ease the burden

The accident occurred after a car driving in the opposite direction attempted to overtake on the crest of a hill

Since the tragic accident the year 12 student's girlfriend Josie Byfield has not left his bedside as his recovers.

'He's so brave, just inspirational really,' she said.

As his only immediate family, Ms Byfield said Mr Garcia and his mother were very close and the accident and loss is yet to sink in.

'We don't talk about it at the moment but all he says is he doesn't believe it,' she said.

Mr Garcias's friend Luke Davies has also been impacted from seeing his friend suffer.

'Think about your choices, even though you might get home five minutes earlier, you might end up in hospital like unfortunately Andres is, it's not worth it, think about your actions,' he said.

Mr Garcia's friends have stood beside him as he recovered in hospital
Boris Johnson (pictured on a visit to a logistics company in Dartford, Kent today) hit out at the 'merchants of gloom' who said Britain could not 'prosper' outside of the EU

Boris Johnson has accused David Cameron of not having the 'guts to get out' of the EU as he claimed the In campaign was 'hopelessly underestimating' what Britain could achieve if it quit the Brussels club.

The Mayor of London appealed to voters to ignore the 'merchants of gloom' warning of the risks of Brexit as he attempted to set out a positive vision of life outside the EU.

He claimed Britain would never back joining the 'woefully unreformed' EU if it was already outside - a direct rebuke to Mr Cameron after he said following his EU deal last month that he would 'certainly' sign up to the EU on the terms of his renegotiation.

Mr Johnson - who arrived late for his speech in Dartford, Kent and joked that the Government needed to 'take back control of South East trains' - insisted Britain could 'prosper and thrive as never before' if voters opted to leave the EU in June's referendum.

And he added that the growing German dominance of the EU project was dangerous.

His intervention today was seen as a notable improvement on his performance on the Andrew Marr Show last week, when he was heavily criticised for an incoherent appearance on the flagship BBC show.

Criticising the tactics of the In campaign - led by the Prime Minister - Mr Johnson said: 'I know there are people who say that this country doesn't have the guts to get out, that we have no choice but to remain and I have to say they are hopelessly underestimating this country of ours and what we can achieve because it is precisely because we stayed out of the euro that we are now one of the successful economies of Europe.

'If we burst out of the shackles of Brussels we would be able to begin immediately with those long-neglected free trade opportunities, which we can't do at the moment.'

Urging voters not to listen to the 'Project Fear' warnings from those who want to stay in the EU, Mr Johnson said: 'I think it is time to ignore the pessimists and the merchants of gloom and to do a new deal that would be good for Britain and good for Europe too.

Boris Johnson (pictured at a Vote Leave event in Dartford, Kent today) claimed that the In campaign was 'hopelessly underestimating' what Britain could achieve if it quit the Brussels club

Boris Johnson (pictured right in Dartford today) accused David Cameron (pictured left on the campaign trail in Chester yesterday) of not having the 'guts to get out' of the EU

'It is time to burst loose and of all those regulations and get out into a world that is changing and growing and becoming more exciting the whole time.

'If we hold our nerve and we are not timid and we are not cowed by the gloomadon-poppers on the Remain campaign and we vote for freedom and for the restoration of democracy, then I believe that this country will continue to grow and prosper and thrive as never before.'

The Mayor of London's passionate intervention today came as Tony Blair called on Mr Cameron to match the 'fervour' and 'determination' of Brexit campaigners.

The Mayor of London (pictured meeting employees at a logistics firm in Dartford, Kent today) said Britain could 'prosper and thrive as never before' if voters back Brexit in June's referendum

The Mayor of London appealed to voters to ignore the 'merchants of gloom' warning of the risks of Brexit as he attempted to set out a positive vision of life outside the EU on a visit to a logistics company in Kent today

The former Labour prime minister admitted he was 'concerned' that the pro-Brussels camp was failing to display the necessary passion to win over voters.

He said he wanted politicians to make the case for Britain to 'lead in Europe', while echoing Mr Cameron and George Osborne's warnings that Brexit would cause economic instability and 'damage fundamentally' the interests of the British people.

Boris Johnson clambers out of a Europa lorry on a visit to the firm's headquarters in Dartford, Kent

But the Brussels enthusiast appeared to finally admit his own lack of popularity with voters when asked whether he would be playing a major role in the EU referendum campaign.

'I don't know whether it is the right time for me on the campaign trail - that carries with it negatives as well as positives,' he told the Today programme.

'But I think it is certainly time for people to argue this case for Europe with some passion.'

However Mr Johnson hit back at Mr Blair and other EU enthusiasts by claiming they would not be signing up to join the Brussels club if Britain was already outside.

Mr Johnson said: 'Why would we join such a club today? Why would we join such a woefully unreformed Europe?

'Would anybody in their right mind join the EU as it is today? I don't think so. I don't think people in this country would want to do it.'

'And I have to tell you my view is that the whole thing is an anachronism now.

It was set up in the 1950s by French bureaucrats in an effort to contain what they saw as the problem of renewed German economic and political dominance and actually what has happened is of course the EU has managed to intensify rather than contain that dominance.
The Louisiana black bear, which inspired the original teddy bear in the early 1900s, was taken off the Endangered Species List Thursday after 24 years of conservation efforts, US officials said.

The Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus lutelous) was listed as endangered back in 1992, when only about 150 existed in the wild. Their population had declined drastically due to habitat loss and overhunting.

Today, the US Fish and Wildlife Service says between 500 and 750 bears live in the species' current habitat range, which includes the forests of Louisiana and Mississippi.

The Louisiana black bear (cub pictured left), which inspired the original teddy bears in the early 1900s (right) has been taken off the Endangered Species List

Back in 1992 only about 150 Louisiana black bears (pictured) existed in the wild, now there are between 500 and 750

'Successful recovery efforts are allowing breeding populations to expand,' said the US Fish and Wildlife Service in a statement.

'As such, the bear is not likely to become in danger of extinction now or within the foreseeable future.'

The FWS proposed delisting the Louisiana black bear in May 2015, and accepted public comments for a period of time before issuing the final decision.

'As I said last spring when the delisting proposal was announced, the Louisiana black bear is another success story for the Endangered Species Act,' said US Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell.

The Louisiana black bear rose to fame in the early 20th century after one bear's encounter with a former president.

In 1902, president Theodore 'Teddy' Roosevelt was on a hunting trip in Mississippi.

He was unable to find any bears to shoot until the third day, when aides found a black bear that had been chased and attacked by dogs and tied it to a tree for Roosevelt to shoot.

The Louisiana black bear rose to fame in the early 20th century after one bear's encounter with a former president Theodore 'Teddy' Roosevelt (pictured left and right, with the famous bear)

The US leader decided not to shoot one after it had been presented to him after being chased and attacked by dogs and tied it to a tree. The story spread in US newspapers and editorial cartoons - the most famous making it to the cover of The Washington Post (pictured)

The US leader decided he could not shoot the bear, but ordered that it be put down to end its suffering.

The story spread in US newspapers and editorial cartoons - the most famous making it to the cover of The Washington Post - and inspired the creation of stuffed animals named 'teddy bears' by a Brooklyn candy store owner.

The tale came to be used as an indication of Roosevelt's benevolence and kinship nature, according to The Washington Post.

Once seen as fierce predators who attacked livestock and terrified children, they were then seen as animals that should be protected and celebrated - though it would be another 50 years before it became illegal to hunt them in southern states.

The latest milestone has been thanks to the work of Louisiana farmers alongside the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and the Interior, who have voluntarily restored more than 485,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forests in priority areas for conservation, according to a statement released Thursday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service.

'Successful recovery efforts are allowing breeding populations to expand,' said the US Fish and Wildlife Service in a statement

The figures are still 'mere fractions' of the population that existed pre-colonziation - around 80,000 across 76.8million acres

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said: 'Farmers played a pivotal role in helping the Louisiana black bear recover, using easements and other Farm Bill conservation programs to sew together primary habitat corridors.

'By working together, we're able to achieve more conservation, direct resources where biological returns are highest and achieve a larger habitat footprint spanning public and private lands.'

US Rep. Ralph Abraham said: 'This is a terrific comeback story that reflects the dedicated work of so many people from throughout Louisiana, and I'm excited that our beloved Teddy Bear will be here for the next generation of Louisianans to enjoy.'

But the figures are still 'mere fractions' of the population that existed pre-colonziation - around 80,000 across 76.8million acres.

Bear advocate Harold Schoeffler told the Backpacker: 'The media has bought this bulls*** feel-good story.
President Barack Obama took a moment to take a jab at Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz during a state dinner meant to honor Canada and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.

Obama's toast, given at the dinner on Thursday, touched on how both Canada and the U.S. offer their citizens opportunities.

'We see this in our current presidential campaign.Where else could a boy born in Calgary run for president of the United States?' Obama said alluding to the new birther movement aimed at Cruz's eligibility to run for the White House.

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Obama's speech at the state dinner honoring Canada was riddled with jokes, including one aimed at Ted Cruz

Obama, who invited liberal Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau (pictured) to the White House, first addressed Canada's leader as the country's 'favorite Justin'

'Where else would we see a community like Cape Breton, Nova Scotia welcoming Americans if the election does not go their way?

'And to the great credit of their people, Canadians from British Columbia to New Brunswick have, so far, rejected the idea of building a wall to keep out your southern neighbors.

'We appreciate that. We can be unruly, I know.'

Obama's speech was riddled with jokes, including calling Trudeau 'Canada's "favorite" Justin', in reference to Justin Bieber.

Obama then turned his attention to Ted Cruz saying 'Where else could a boy born in Calgary run for president of the United States?'

Ted Cruz (pictured) was born to an American mother in Canada, which still makes him a natural U.S. citizen

Donald Trump has said he will sue Cruz if he's the party's nominee because he feels Cruz is ineligible, despite several cases on the matter being thrown out already

Trump also led the birther movement when it came to Obama's birth certificate, which was eventually released in full

The first state dinner of Obama's final year, which was also the first attended by Malia and Sasha Obama, honored Canada and its dashing new liberal leader  and was the first hosted by the White House for America's northern neighbor in nearly 20 years.

The dinner in honor of 44-year-old Trudeau, the son of former Canadian PM Pierre Trudeau is the first by the White House in nearly 20 years.

The last official visit to the U.S. by Canada's leader was in April 1997.

Say cheese! President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama greet Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau at the North Portico of the White House

It's about time, eh? The first state dinner of Obama's final year honors Canada and its dashing new liberal leader  the first for America's northern neighbor by the White House in nearly 20 years

Cheers! President Obama toasts Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, during a State Dinner in the East Room of the White House

Amusing: During his remarks, Canadian leader Justin Trudeau joked that he hopes his 'grey hair comes in at a slower rate' than Obama's

'It's about time, eh?' Obama joked, playing up the American stereotype of a Canadian colloquialism as he welcomed Trudeau to the White House.

Others have thought of Cruz's birth place as less of a joke.

Donald Trump has been aggressive when it comes to Cruz's place of birth.

The GOP rival has repeatedly threatened to sue Cruz on the issue, claiming Democrats will follow him in the general election if Cruz is the right's nomination.

Trump has also questioned the presidential eligibility of Senator Marco Rubio, who was born Florida and led the birther movement against Obama, until the president released his long-form birth certificate.

Trump extensively questioned the president's place of birth, saying he wasn't sure if Obama was actually born in Hawaii or if he was born in an African country, as some alleged.

The Republican candidate even said he sent private investigators to find Obama's birth certificate.

The president then released the long-form version of his birth certificate in response to the uproar Trump caused.
Advertising CEO Gustavo Martinez, who is being sued over several claims

The CEO of a top advertising agency allegedly wanted to rape a female executive in an office bathroom, said he hated 'f***ing Jews' and called airport workers 'black monkeys', a lawsuit claims.

Gustavo Martinez, who runs ad firm J. Walter Thompson (JWT), is alleged to have told Erin Johnson he wanted to rape her, and grabbed her by the throat while laughing on a number of occasions.

Ms Johnson, who is bringing the lawsuit against her boss, claimed Martinez once said: 'Come here, so I can rape you in the bathroom.'

On the same day, the lawsuit alleges, he interrupted a meeting to asked which female workers he could rape, the New York Post reported.

She claimed that he 'regularly demeans female executives, especially those women he believes are "too American", "too sensitive" and "too bossy"', the Guardian reported.

Martinez also said another female executive he disliked should be 'hogtied' and 'raped into submission', according to Ms Johnson's lawsuit.

Ms Johnson, who is JWT's chief communications officer, also claimed Martinez regularly used racist language when talking about Jews and black people.

Martinez 'has subjected Johnson and other employees to an unending stream of racist and sexist comments as well as unwanted touching and other unlawful conduct', the lawsuit states.

She claimed the alleged abuse 'made it impossible for [Johnson] to do her job ... given Martinez's apparent comfort in making constant racist and sexist slurs, even on tape'.

The Argentinian CEO allegedly called airport workers 'black monkeys' and 'apes' and is claimed to have said he does not like living in upmarket Westchester County, in New York, because he 'hates those f***ing Jews'.

Ms Johnson said she complained to JWT and its parent company WPP (Wire and Plastic Products), only to allegedly have her bonus cut and be frozen out of executive meetings.

Martinez has denied all of the claims.

Gustavo Martinez (left), who runs ad firm J. Walter Thompson (JWT), is alleged to have said he wanted to rape Erin Johnson (right) and grabbed her by the throat while laughing on a number of occasions

Martinez is pictured on a panel alongside (left to right) Frances Negron-Muntaner, Lynda Lopez, Roberto Marques and Jeff Valdez

In a statement, he said: 'I am aware of the allegations made against me by a J. Walter Thompson employee in a suit filed in New York Federal Court.

'I want to assure our clients and my colleagues that there is absolutely no truth to these outlandish allegations and I am confident that this will be proven in court.'

High-profile clients of JWT, which is based in New York, include Macy's, Rolex, the U.S. Marine Corps, Shell, Revlon, Johnson & Johnson, Puma and Ford.

Martinez joined the company as its president in 2014 and became its CEO and chairman last year.

According to a company profile, Martinez's 'key goal is to cultivate a nurturing and creative environment for a network of 10,000 proud and passionate employees'.

Ms Johnson has worked for JWT for more than 10 years and gradually rose through the company to her current position as chief communications officer. She is currently on paid leave.

Her lawsuit is also against JWT and its parent company, Wire and Plastic Products, more widely known as WPP.

According to the Wall Street Journal, WPP sent a memo to its senior executives today.

It said: 'WPPs lawyers have been conducting an enquiry into previous correspondence on these matters since February 25 and have found nothing, as yet, to substantiate these charges.'

A spokesman for JWT said: 'We received the lawsuit on Thursday and take these kinds of allegations very seriously.

'Gustavo Martinez has asserted that the allegations are false.

'Following our standard practice, we are undertaking a thorough review of the matter and will comment further at the appropriate time and in the course of the litigation.'
Stacey Dash has criticized Leonardo DiCaprio's urgent call to stop climate change during his Oscars acceptance speech, saying the actor should sort out his priorities and get his facts straight.

The FOX News contributor who famously voiced her disapproval of Black History Month made a cringe-worthy appearance at the awards ceremony when host Chris Rock ironically named her the new director of the Academy's minority outreach program.

Now in a blog post referencing an old children's tale, Dash wrote: 'Leonardo Di Caprio, quit being Chicken Little - the sky is not falling.'

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Stacey Dash (left) made an awkward cameo at the Oscars on February 28. She has now written a blog post criticizing Leonardo DiCaprio's (right) acceptance speech, which called attention to climate change

Dash accused The Revenant actor for his 'foolish alarm,' likening him to to the old folk tale character Chicken Little, who believes the sky is falling when an acorn falls on her head

The Revenant actor used his long awaited Oscars win to declare: 'Climate change is real, it is happening right now.

'It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species, and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating.

'We need to support leaders around the world who do not speak for the big polluters, but who speak for all of humanity, for the indigenous people of the world, for the billions and billions of underprivileged kids out there who would be most affected by this.'

On the same day that Attorney General Loretta Lynch said she considered taking legal action against climate change skeptics, Dash wrote a blog post telling DiCaprio to sort out his priorities and get his facts straight.

She wrote: 'There are people 10 miles from Leo starving, stuck on entitlement. Twenty first century NAZIS to deal with and North Koreans playing with nukes. He needs to get his priorities straight.

'I would leave him alone, except that his rhetoric isnt cheap.'

She cited figures suggesting that the money used to fight global warming might be better spent securing the country's borders.

She also accused DiCaprio of being histrionic and compared him to the old folk tale character Chicken Little, who believes the sky is falling when an acorn falls on her head.

Dash conceded that temperatures have risen in recent years, but argued 'an urgent and impending climate catastrophe' remains to be seen.

DiCaprio used his long-awaited win (pictured) to declare: 'Climate change is real, it is happening right now. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species, and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating'

The Clueless actress is known for her controversial views. She disapproved the #OscarsSoWhite movement, which highlighted the lack of diversity in the film industry.

She also also spoken out against Black History Month and the BET awards, which she said only encouraged racial segregation.

During the 88th Academy Awards on February 28, Dash was called to the stage in the most awkward moment of the night, where she wished the audience a 'happy Black History month'.
A Puerto Rican man who was repeatedly shot and killed earlier this month has been laid to rest 'just as he was in life' in an extremely unconventional funeral.

Fernando de Jesus Diaz Beato, 26, was shot 15 times in the Villa Carolina neighborhood of San Juan on March 3, with police saying they have no leads on the crime.

Describing him as a 'happy and very active person', the family decided against a coffin for the funeral service in favor of a chair, sitting Diaz Beato with his legs crossed, dressed in his favorite clothes and with a cigarette between his fingers.

Finally, as a 'surprise', the funeral home chose to leave his eyes open.

The body of San Juan was seated with his eyes open, and clothed in sports gear while holding a cigarette

The funeral home admitted they 'surprised' the family by keeping Diaz Beato's eyes open for the service, while dressing him in his favourite clothes, finished with the hat and glasses that were his signature

Designed to look like he was sitting in a living room, Diaz Beato's legged were crossed and a cigarette was placed between his fingers

'We didn't want to see him lying in the coffin,' sister Ihizz Diaz Beato said at the funeral (pictured)

'Everybody is really surprised because seeing him like that is like seeing him as if he were alive,' one of Diaz Beato's sisters said in a video obtained by Live Leak.

Another sister, Ihizz Diaz Beato, said: 'We decided to embalm him like this because he was a very happy person, very active and we want to remember him as he was.'

The final effect was if Diaz Beato was sitting and staring at the family and friends who gathered at the funeral.

Marin Funeral Home, in Rio Piedras, has become something of a pioneer of such services in San Juan.

This is the ninth unconventional funeral they have done - but the first where the eyes of the deceased have been left open.

'I think that this time was the most impressive reaction to any of the work we have done,' said Damaris Marin (right) the owner of Marin Funeral Home

The effect was if Diaz Beato was sitting and staring at the family and friends who gathered at the funeral

Damaris Marin, the owner of Marin Funeral Home, said they worked closely with the family to achieve the desired effect.

'This time is different because he is seated with his legs crossed but, this is the first dead man in history with his eyes open,' she said.

'We have seen that the families wish to see the dead men just as they were when they were alive.

'We gave [the family] a surprise by leaving the eyes of the dead man open.

'I think that this time was the most impressive reaction to any of the work we have done.'

The deceased loved to sit in the dining room of his house on a wooden chair and smoke, his family said

The murder of Diaz Beato outside of his San Juan home last week remains under investigation

While the result shocked the family, they said they were happy with how Diaz Beato looked.

'We didn't want to see him lying in the coffin,' sister Ihizz Diaz Beato said.

'We wanted something different. And also, we wanted him to be remembered by his friends and family the same way he was when he was alive.'
Marco Rubio began making his closing pitch to voters this morning: Vote for me in Florida if you don't want Donald Trump to become the GOP nominee.

Rubio made the claim on three major television networks this morning as he tried to fuel up his sputtering campaign before the winner-take-all state's critical primary on Tuesday.

'Ted Cruz is not going to win Florida. John Kasich is not going to win Florida. And if you don't want Donald Trump to be our nominee, a vote for John Kasich or a vote for Ted Cruz is in essence a vote for Donald Trump,' he said.

Then, in an unexpected twist, Rubio adopted Mitt Romney's suggested strategy and encouraged Ohio voters to rally around their governor - Kasich - in their Tuesday primary, as well.

Marco Rubio began making his closing pitch to voters this morning: Vote for me in Florida if you don't want Donald Trump to become the GOP nominee. Then, in an unexpected twist, Rubio adopted Mitt Romney's suggested strategy and encouraged Ohio voters to rally around their governor - Kasich - in their Tuesday primary, as well

'There's a majority of Florida Republicans that do not want Donald Trump to win Florida or be the nominee,' he said on CNN, 'and so what's happening increasingly is that supporters of Ted Cruz and John Kasich are realizing that no matter how much they may like their candidate, they can't find Florida'

'John Kasich is the only one who can beat Donald Trump in Ohio,' Rubio said this morning a press conference in West Palm Beach, according to Politico. 'If a voter in Ohio is motivated by stopping Donald Trump, I suspect thats the only choice they can make.'

Rubio's campaign spokesman made the same argument on CNN.

'If you are a Republican primary voter in Ohio and you want to defeat Donald Trump, your best chance in Ohio is John Kasich,' said Alex Conant.

The move makes sense, mathematically speaking, from Rubio's vantage point. Florida and Ohio are states that reward the winner with all of their delegates. If Trump comes out on top in both, he'll add another 165 delegates to his ever-growing total.

It's bad news for Rubio and Kasich and would almost certainly knock them out of the race.

Cruz, who is currently less than 100 delegates behind Trump, would be hurt by it, too. For him, it would at least turn the nomination into a two-man foot race, and that's a competition the senator thinks he can win.

'Its real simple,' he said today in Orlando. 'How do you beat Donald Trump? You beat him.'

Kasich's campaign was confident in its own game plan today, too. Spokesman Rob Nichols told Politico, 'We were going to win in Ohio without his help, just as he's going to lose in Florida without ours.'

THANKS BUT NO THANKS: Kasich's campaign was confident in its own game plan today. Spokesman Rob Nichols said. 'We were going to win in Ohio without his help, just as he's going to lose in Florida without ours'

Another Kasich spokesman, Trent Duffy, said, 'Voters dont want to be told what to do. We are not going to be presumptuous to instruct our voters how they should vote. The voters should vote their conscience.

'They should vote for the best person they think is best able to lead our country. We believe that man is John Kasicheverywhere across the country,' Duffy said.

The Kasich campaign opportunistically took advantage of the senator's suggested strategy, however, saying in a fundraising email this afternoon, 'we appreciate the support offered by the Rubio team.'

Florida will give away 99 delegates on Tuesday. Even with a win here, Rubio would continue to trail Trump by more than 200 delegates. But he would indeed buy himself more time to figure out how to blunt the billionaire businessman's bid.

He'd also be able to exit the race, if it comes to that, with his head held high, having won the state he represents in the Senate and preserving his political prospects in Florida.

The 44-year-old outgoing U.S. senator is on the short list of candidates for the governor's mansion when it becomes available again in 2018.

Rubio carpeted the airwaves this morning before his West Palm Beach presser, sitting for satellite interviews on ABC, FOX News and CNN and giving each audience the same line about beating Trump.

On CNN, Chris Cuomo confronted him with polling that showed him down by an average of 16 points to Trump in his home state.

The Florida senator told Cuomo, ' I don't know what to tell you. I'm not very concerned about them. I don't think they're accurate.

'We're going to find out on Tuesday,' he said. 'But I feel good about our work here.'

Rubio's belief that he'll do better in Tuesday's primary than recent surveys suggest is based on the number of 'never Trump' voters in the Republican Party of Florida. He's seen here today in Palm Beach

Rubio's belief that he'll do better in Tuesday's primary than recent surveys suggest is based on the number of 'never Trump' voters in the Republican Party of Florida.

'Even the ones who are supporting John Kasich and Ted Cruz, that don't want it to be Donald Trump, are realizing that neither one of those guys have a chance in Florida,' Rubio said this morning on Fox and Friends.

And so, 'I think you'll see more of those voters come our way,' he predicted.

During his CNN interview he claimed its already taking place.

'There's a majority of Florida Republicans that do not want Donald Trump to win Florida or be the nominee,' he said, 'and so what's happening increasingly is that supporters of Ted Cruz and John Kasich are realizing that no matter how much they may like their candidate, they can't find Florida.

'And a vote for them is in essence a vote for Trump,' he again said. 'So a lot of those folks are starting to move our way as well.'

Appearing on Good Morning America, Rubio argued that Trump would be a weak nominee.

'If you have someone whos your front-runner, and your nominee, who a significant number of your party rejects, youre not going to win a general election,' he said.

Rubio said, 'I think Im the only candidate left in this race who can unite the Republican Party and grow the Republican Party.'

Polling and news site Real Clear Politics has Trump up nearly 15 points over Rubio on average.

Rubio spokesman Alex Conant also said today on Fox News suggested that those surveys do not reflect what's happening on the ground.

He used the senator's surge in Iowa as an example.

'The most accurate polls here in Florida show the race closing dramatically,' he said.
Officials are offering $25,000 reward for information leading to

Farmer whose land the birds were found on said he had not laid out poison to kill rats that the birds may have accidentally consumed

Necropsies have ruled out any disease, such as avian flu

The 13 bald eagles found dead on a Maryland farm last month did not die of natural causes - but were killed by humans, wildlife officials have revealed.

It was initially believed that the state's largest die-off of the national bird in 30 years was caused by disease or accidental poisoning.

But necropsies ruled out that the birds were sick with avian influenza, a serious risk in the Federalsburg region on Maryland's Eastern Shore due to poultry farms and migratory birds.

The 13 bald eagles, including this one, who were found dead on a Maryland farm last month were killed by humans, wildlife officials have revealed

Bob Edgell, who owns the farms where some of the birds were found, said he hadn't laid out any poisoned animal carcasses, used to control rodents, that the eagles may have eaten.

When Edgell first discovered the dead birds he found that their bodies had been 'flattened', he told NBC Washington.

The eagles showed no other outward signs of trauma.

The investigation will now be focused on 'human causes', US Fish and Wildlife Service spokeswoman Catherine Hibbard said.

Authorities are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the killers, according to NBC News.

The maximum fine for hurting a bald eagle is $100,000 and up to one year in prison.

Although they were removed from the federal endangered species list in 2007, bald eagles are still listed as 'federally protected'.

Bald eagles almost disappeared from the country decades ago, but their numbers recovered after the pesticide DDT was banned and stricter habitat protection measures were introduced.

The bird is a symbol of the federal government and is featured in the presidential seal and on U.S. currency.
A serial stowaway in Chicago who has tried to sneak on board airplanes at least 13 times without a ticket has been jailed after violating her probation.

Marilyn Hartman, 64, was back behind bars on Thursday after three charges of violating probation were filed against her during a court hearing, officials said.

Judge William Raines ordered her to be held without bond after learning she tried to walk away twice from a mental health facility where she was ordered last Thursday to spend six months on house arrest.

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Stowaway: Marilyn Hartman, 64, of Chicago (pictured) was back behind bars after a judge ordered her to be held without bond and filed three charges of violating probation during a court hearing on Thursday

During the brief hearing, it was revealed that in her latest incident, Hartman left the Margaret manor mental health facility on Wednesday once at 12.20pm and a second time at 5.22pm, according to NBC Chicago.

Assistant public defender Parle Roe-Taylor, Hartman's attorney, said on both occasions she returned to the facility.

Hartman, who has been arrested at least eight times for sneaking onto planes without a ticket, is scheduled for her next hearing on March 17.

'Marilyn's having a difficult time,' Roe-Taylor told NBC5. 'This is a real struggle for her.'

Last week when Raines ordered her to the Magaret Manor mental health facility, he warned her that she was getting her last chance.

'This is the end of the line,' Raines told Hartman. 'This is basically going to be a jail sentence. You cannot leave Margaret Manor. If you walk out on the street, you are in violation.'

'The only thing left is Cook County Jail,' he said. 'Everybody's pretty much had it with you.'

And now, Hartman is indeed behind bars at Cook County jail after Wednesday's incident.

Last Thursday, Raines handed down the house arrest sentence for trespassing charges from a February 17 incident when she escaped another mental health facility and went to Chicago O'Hare International Airport.

Repeat offender: Hartman, who lives in Chicago has a number of 'exclusion zones,' stopping her from going to airports and rail stations in the city. These are mugshots from February 24 (left) and March 18, 2014 (right)

Arrested: Hartman on March 27, 2015 (left) and April 9, 2015 (right). In total she was arrested five times in the space of just two months. Hartman is homeless, and says that she feels 'safe' in airports

During that hearing, prosecutors said she had been stopped by police on airport property 12 times in four states, according to the Chicago Sun Times.

At the time Hartman appeared before Raines - who has overseen some of her previous cases - with charges of probation violation and criminal trespass.

Hartman was picked up on February 17 in a bus shuttle center at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport - one of a number of 'exclusion zones' on her probation, including the Midway international airport and Union train station.

That had occurred just two weeks after she was transferred out of Sacred Heart Home, a secure mental health facility, to a less restrictive nursing home.

She had been fitted with a GPS system to tell police where she was at all times.

In the weeks before her February arrest, officials said she attempted to slip away from the facility at least seven times.

During the February 17 incident, she was wearing the electronic monitoring ankle device, which alerted authorities she was near the airport, with a search ensuing that involved 12 police officers, according to prosecutors.

Raines is believed to have talked to both Amy Campanelli, Hartman's public defender, and a representative of the facility to see how they can deal with the repeat offender, The Chicago Tribune wrote.

'I'm not trying to be your dad,' the judge told Hartman during her February 23 hearing. 'I'm doing everything in my power to keep you out of jail.'

However, the judge told the court this time around, he is worried that punishment may be the only option. 'If it's not going to work, then guess what we need to do? There's a punishment factor that comes in,' he said.

'I don't want to even address that until we have more information, but this is really kind of the last opportunity, I think.'

But Campanelli previously said that cases like Hartman's 'don't need to be in the criminal justice system'.

Lost and found: In February 2015, after sneaking on a flight from Florida to Minnesota, she pretended to be a Biggest Loser contestant to sneak into a resort. She later fled and was found hiding in a cupboard

Relatives: Hartman (pictured left on May 3, 2015 and right on August 26, 2014) has a brother and cousin, but in at least one court session they appeared unwilling to take her in

Troubled: Hartman, seen here at her most recent court appearance, says she was made to flee her home by the FBI, and blames her habits on 'whistleblower trauma syndrome,' an unrecognized medical condition

The Tribune quoted her as saying: 'They need to be in treatment. We don't have the mental health treatment facilities for them to go to.'

Footage from a court appearance in July last year - after making five attempts to stow away in late April and early May - shows her struggling to keep a straight face as she stands in court.

In an interview with KTLA after the trial, she laughed when she was asked whether she would continue to sneak onto planes.

'No! No,' she giggled. 'I don't want to be in that position I want to go with a paid ticket and that's exactly how - I want to do everything legal.'

Two days later she was arrested again at Midway Airport.

In her frequent court appearances, Hartman has testified that she is homeless and only feels safe in airports.

Hartman (pictured February 17, 2016) claims to have attempted to stow away on planes 13 times - successfully on three occassions

She has a brother and cousin in Chicago but, NBC reported last year, they have no interest in taking her in.

Meanwhile, her rap sheet continues to grow. She claims to have made at least 13 attempts to board planes, and was arrested three times in August 2014 alone, having made attempts to slip by security at Mineta San Jose International Airport, LAX, and Sky International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona.

After her Phoenix arrest, she asked in a press conference, 'Why has the government allowed me to get past security points?'

In February last year she was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida, after she succeeded in flying from Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport with no ticket or boarding pass, then conned her way into the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort after claiming that she was a Biggest Loser weight-loss contestant.

She fled after the real contestant, Maria Sandgren, turned up, and was later found by security guards in a vacant room.

That was one of at least three times that Hartman succeeded in her attempts, including a flight from Minnesota to Jackson, Florida and a trip from San Jose, California to Los Angeles.

Footage of a failed attempt to sneak into another plane in Minneapolis was obtained by Fox 9 News last May.

It shows Hartman standing close to another passenger, pretending to accompany him.

The security guard asks her to step back and show a travel pass, which she doesn't have.

Sneaky: In this CCTV footage from a Minneapolis airport, Hartman can be seen in the highlighted area, standing close to a man (behind the blue-uniformed guard), pretending to be his companion

Challenged: When the guard spots her, he asks her to step back and show her ticket, but she has none

Fleeing: With her cover blown, Hartman sidles off. She was later found sleeping on airport chairs

As he starts looking through another traveler's documents, she sidles away. She was later found sleeping on chairs in the airport.

Hartman says that she attended Chicago Vocational High School and took classes at the Chicago College of Commerce, working as a legal secretary and in legal research and telemarketing between 1971 and 2003.

However, she has since been unemployed and frequently homeless, she says.
ISIS has released a video purporting to show members of its religious police burning hundreds of Christian books which it considers blasphemous towards Allah.

The footage shows a militant tossing pamphlets and manuscripts bearing crucifixes on the front cover onto a bonfire in the terror group's stronghold of Mosul in northern Iraq.

It is the latest incident in which the jihadists have sought to purge society of anything that doesn't conform to their violent interpretation of Islam.

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Bonfire of the Christianities: ISIS has released a video purporting to show members of its religious police burning hundreds of Christian books which it considers blasphemous towards Allah

Up in smoke: The destruction of the books is the latest case in which the jihadists have sought to purge society of anything that doesn't conform to their violent interpretation of Islam

The video was posted online yesterday by its news agency Amaq with the title: 'Diwan of education destroys Christian instruction books in Mosul.'

The Diwan Al-Hisba  or Chamber of Morality Police  was set up by ISIS soon after seizing swathes of territory in its lightning offensive through Iraq and Syria in June 2014.

It is responsible for enforcing the group's warped version of sharia law and imposes penalties ranging from flogging for minor misdemeanors like smoking to amputations and beheadings.

In February last year, it destroyed around 10,000 books and more than 700 rare manuscripts when it blew up the main library in Mosul.

They are thought to have included its collection of Iraqi newspapers dating to the early 20th century, maps and books from the Ottoman Empire and book collections contributed by around 100 of Mosul's establishment families.

Speaking at the time, one local said a bearded militant told him: 'These books promote infidelity and call for disobeying Allah. So they will be burned.'

The video was posted online on Thursday by its news agency Amaq with the title: 'Diwan of education destroys Christian instruction books in Mosul'  a reference to an arm of Diwan Al-Hisba, the ISIS religious police

The group has also destroyed many archaeological relics such as Palmyra in Syria, deeming them pagan, and even Islamic sites are considered idolatrous.

Mosul, the biggest city in the Islamic State group's self-declared caliphate, boasts a relatively educated, diverse population that seeks to preserve its heritage sites and libraries.

In the chaos that followed the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 that toppled Saddam Hussein, residents near the Central Library hid some of its centuries-old manuscripts in their own homes to prevent their theft or destruction by looters.

But this time, the Islamic State group has made the penalty for such actions death.

A University of Mosul history professor, who spoke on condition he not be named because of his fear of the Islamic State group, said the extremists started wrecking the collections of other public libraries in December 2014.
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Weeds climb the crumbling buildings and graffiti paints the walls of the abandoned ghost village that was never inhabited.

Originally built during the oil boom of the 1970s for offshore workers, the village was intended to accommodate employees of a nearby construction yard.

However, due to a rapid collapse in local industry, the area was never occupied and the site was left to decay.

The village, near Pollphail, Scotland, was originally built during the 1970s for offshore workers from a nearby construction yard but was never inhabited

Workers in the area had been intended to build concrete platforms, but the industry moved on quickly as demand grew for steel platforms instead. This meant the site was no longer needed

Now, incredible photos show the current state of the 'eyesore' village as it remains desolate near the village of Pollphail, Scotland.

The construction yard, which is now a luxurious marina complex, was a short distance to the north of the workers' village of Pollphail, Argyll and Bute.

The yard was intended to build concrete platforms, but the industry moved on quickly as demand grew instead for steel platforms.

Pollphail was designed to accommodate 500 workers but, as a result of the collapse of the local industry, nobody ever got a chance to live there.

Now, the village may be turned into a distillery.

Portavadie Distillery Ltd want to demolish the houses which have fallen badly into disrepair and develop the area with a distillery, warehouse and visitor centre.

Pollphail was designed to accommodate 500 workers but, as a result of the collapse of the local industry, nobody ever got a chance to live there.

The abandoned site in Scotland is called the 'eyesore' village and is currently filled with broken windows, graffiti and overgrown grass

Portavadie Distillery Ltd want to demolish the houses which have fallen badly into disrepair and develop the area with a distillery, warehouse and visitor centre

They also hope to eventually set up a new village called Port Sandy which would hold 100 homes and a leisure complex.

But before any planning application can be considered, a master plan for the area must be agreed which will be discussed by a committee.

After considering the master plan, councillors will deal with the application by Portavadie Distillery for a bonded warehouse at the site.

In a report put before councillors, council officer David Love wrote: 'The current Pollphail village will be demolished as a result of this approval, clearing the way for the bonded warehouse and eventual implementation of the masterplan.

Alongside the distillery the company also hopes to eventually set up a new village called Port Sandy which would hold 100 homes and a leisure complex

Although many of the buildings on the site remain in one piece, they are uninhabitable and it is believed that the new masterplan will benefit the area

'Pollphail village has long been an eyesore with various attempts to redevelop the site having been abandoned.

'The applicant has a track record of successful development within the area and is keen to develop the site and realise its potential.

'The proposal will secure the demolition of the site and clearance of the former village, resulting in an environmental and landscape benefit to the area.'

The committee will be consulted next Wednesday.
In light of the recent comparisons between Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler, late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien invited the Nazi leader to his show to address the parallels.

On Thursday night, O'Brien mentioned 'it doesn't get much worse than "Trump is Hitler"', referring to recent remarks made by Louis C.K., who called Trump an 'insane bigot' last week.

So to let the German dictator 'defend himself' against the comparisons, O'Brien welcomed Hitler to the show, depicted by Jewish comedian Sarah Silverman who was dressed in full Nazi attire.

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In light of the recent comparisons between Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler, Sarah Silverman dressed in full Nazi attire as she appeared as the German dictator on Conan O'Brien's late-night talk show

Silverman's Hitler appeared on the show to 'clear the air' after being 'unfavorably' compared to the Republican presidential frontrunner

Trump (pictured during CNN's Republican Presidential Debate on Thursday) has been compared to Hitler on several occasions by public figures including comedian Louis C.K. and former Mexican President Vicente Fox

Silverman's Hitler appeared on the show to 'clear the air' after being 'unfavorably' compared to the Republican presidential frontrunner, according to the Daily Beast.

'Wow, look at that,' she said impassively as she walked out to roaring cheers from the audience and joined the host. 'I have to say that's more applause than I expected.'

When asked about addressing the comparisons to Trump, the Hitler impersonator replied: 'Don't get me wrong, Conan. I agree with a lot of what he says. A lot. Like 90 per cent of what he says, I'm like "this guy just gets it"'.

'But it's just... I don't like the way he says it. It's crass, you know?'

Silverman's Hitler added: 'And what kind of person talks about his penis size on national television?

'Oh yeah, I'm so sure Donald Trump has a big penis. I famously have a micro penis. That's what makes a tyrant.'

On Thursday night, Silverman's Hitler called Trump crass and also criticized him for talking about his penis size on national television

Hitler's Silverman was referencing a crude debate remark that Trump made last week in response to a dig made by Republican presidential rival Marco Rubio who mocked the size of Trump's hands.

Trump said of his hands: 'If they are small, something else must be small. I guarantee you there is no problem. I guarantee.'

During Thursday night's talk show, Silverman's Hilter said the comparisons between Hitler and Trump 'bum' him out.

'Anyway, all these comparisons to Trump, it's like, it bums me out,' the Hitler impersonator said.

'Sometimes I watch him and I'm like, "is that how people see me?" And I have to be honest, Trump, he's starting to make me rethink some of the things I've done...

'Ah who am I kidding, I gotta be me!'

Last week, comedian Louis CK became the latest public figure to criticize Trump, comparing him to Hitler.

C.K. made an impassioned plea for readers not to vote for Trump and to vote for a different GOP candidate in an email sent on Saturday about his web series Horace and Pete.

In the email, C.K. implored conservative voters to listen to what fellow conservatives were saying about Trump, referencing statements made by John McCain and 60-plus national security experts who warned against a Trump presidency.

This week, Trump (pictured during a press conference on Friday) addressed the Hitler comparisons calling them 'terrible'

Adolf Hitler pictured above. Trump also spoke on comparisons between the loyalty raised-hand pledge he asks voters to do and the Nazi Germany, Heil Hitler salute, saying they are 'ridiculous' and 'crazy'

'Please stop it with voting for Trump,' C.K. wrote in the email. 'It was funny for a little while. But the guy is Hitler.'

Last month, former Mexican President Vicente Fox said Trump 'reminds me of Hitler' and noted that the Republican presidential candidate has 'offended Mexico, Mexicans, (and) immigrants,' and that he has also 'offended the Pope. He has offended the Chinese. He's offended everybody.'

Fox's remarks came a day after his scathing response to Trump's plan to make Mexico pay for a wall between the Mexico-U.S. border.

Anne Frank's stepsister, 86-year-old Eva Schloss, also accused Trump of 'acting like another Hitler' last month in a January essay to mark the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

And last December, New Jersey Republican Gov. Christine Todd Whitman said Trump's comments calling for a ban on Muslims entering the U.S. reminded her of 'the kind of rhetoric that allowed Hitler to move forward' in the run-up to World War II, according to CNN.

The comparisons between Trump and Hitler have also made front pages of The New York Daily News on Sunday and The Philadelphia Daily News last December.

Last week, comedian Louis CK (pictured) became the latest public figure to criticize Trump, comparing him to Hitler. 'Please stop it with voting for Trump,' C.K. said. 'It was funny for a little while. But the guy is Hitler'

Last month, former Mexican President Vicente Fox (pictured) said Trump 'reminds me of Hitler'

This week, Trump addressed the Hitler comparisons saying he is not happy about it.

'I don't know about the Hitler comparison. I hadn't heard that, but it's a terrible comparison. I'm not happy about that certainly,' he said on ABC's Good Morning America on Tuesday.

He also spoke out about comparisons of the loyalty raised-hand pledge he asks voters to do and the Nazi Germany, Heil Hitler salute, saying they are 'ridiculous' and 'crazy.'

The oath, he said has been 'well-received' by his audiences.

'Sometimes well do it for fun, and theyll start screaming at me, "Do the swearing! Do the swearing!" I mean, theyre having such a great time,' Trump said on Tuesday in a phone-in to the Today show.

'Were having a good time. Honestly, until this phone call, I didnt know it was a problem.'
Joe's Crab Shack is under fire after a couple found an offensive image showing a lynching used as table art at one of the chain's locations in Minnesota.

Tyrone Williams and Chauntyll Allen went to the Roseville location Wednesday night to celebrate Chauntyll's birthday but left before their food arrived because the upsetting image ruined their appetite.

When they sat down, the couple noticed one of the pictures used as table art depicted a real-life lynching - and that the artist who made the table added a 'jokey' comment to make the image even more offensive.

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A Joe's Crab Shack in Minnesota is under fire for making light of a real-life lynching in a photo (above) used to decorate one of their tables

The photo shows a lynching that happened in Texas in 1895, with a speech bubble added to the African-American victim reading 'All I said was "I don't like the gumbo!"'

The photo shows a crowd of white people gathered around the public execution of a black man. The original caption reads 'Hanging at Groesbeck, Texas, on April 12, 1895'.

A speech bubble was added by whoever chose the picture for the restaurant, and has the lynched black man saying 'All I said was that "I didn't like the gumbo!"'

'Me and Chauntyll, we just felt sick and confused. It was just sickening,' Williams said at a Thursday press conference outside of the Joe's Crab Shack location.

Tyrone Williams (left) and Chauntyll Allen (right) were the couple who found the offensive image. They say the picture was so upsetting they had to get up and leave before their food even arrived

When Williams and Allen later complained to the location's manager, he apologized and immediately removed the table from use.

'When we talked to the manager, he said that he was pretty sure that these tables were designed by a particular person,' she said, 'and if that particular person had the mindset to pick that particular picture, Im sure they picked quite a few more that are similar.'

The couple informed the state NAACP, which is now demanding action be done to right the wrong. They say the chain needs to make a public apology and make a donation to a community-based organization that serves African-American youths and teenagers,

Nekima Levy-Pounds, president of the Minneapolis NAACP, believes that the image was placed there 'deliberately' and says the chain must make sure all other possible offensive images are removed from their restaurants.

Since news of the offensive image broke, the COO of the restaurant group which owns Joe's Crab Shack has issued a public apology, but it's unclear if the company has donated to a charity, as the NAACP requested.

When the couple informed the manager of the offensive image, he apologized and immediately removed the table from the restaurant. Above, the Joe's Crab Shack location in Roseville, Minnesota

'We sincerely apologize to our guests who were disturbed by the image and we look forward to continuing to serve the Roseville community,' David Catalano said in a statement.

Joe's Crab Shack corporate also issued a separate apology statement.
A woman has pleaded guilty to offering a policeman 5,000 to kill her husband and make it look like an ISIS execution.

Nurten Taycur, 28, admitted telling an undercover police officer known only as 'John' that she wanted Uber driver Ercan Akan stabbed to death and his throat slashed.

The letters 'ISIS' were then to be daubed on his cab in a bid to disguise the motive for the killing.

Nurten Taycur, 28, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey (pictured), London to telling an undercover police officer she wanted her Uber driver Ercan Akan stabbed to death and his throat slashed

She gave the bogus hitman the password to her husband's 'Find My iPhone' app to help him locate the victim and also supplied him with a photo and the car registration number.

Taycur, who like her husband is of Turkish-Kurd origin, was arrested after handing over 1,000 with the promise of another 4,000 as final payment.

Her discussions with the undercover officer included a request that her husband should not be shot.

She also rejected suggestions that his corpse should be disposed of or fed to animals because she needed a body to grieve over.

Taycur approved one plan of making the killing look like a stabbing during a botched robbery while her husband was working.

She then settling on having his throat slashed and ISIS daubed on his car.

The letters 'ISIS' were then to be daubed on her Uber driver husband's cab in a bid to disguise the motive for the killing

Taycur appeared at the Old Bailey by video link from prison to plead guilty to soliciting to murder Mr Akan between 10 and 12 December 2015.

Judge Peter Rook QC told her: 'You have pleaded guilty to the serious offence of soliciting murder and you know it is a serious offence.

'You know that in the circumstances a significant prison sentence is virtually inevitable.

'I need to know much more about you and this offence so you will be sentenced at the end of next month.

'Although a significant prison sentence is inevitable obviously I will take into account you have entered a plea at this stage.'

The judge ordered a psychiatric report and a pre-sentence report from the Probation Service.

Taycur, from Hackney, east London, was remanded in custody until sentencing next month.
The British owner of a US gossip website bragged about a spike in traffic after publishing topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge.

Oxford-educated Nick Denton told Gawker staff in an email that they had scored with royal breasts and that they should be proud of themselves.

Mr Denton said that the photos helped the website to sail past its traffic targets for giving staff bonuses and that they would all be getting 20 per cent of their salary.

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The British owner of gossip website Gawker claimed in an email to staff that they 'scored with royal breasts' after they published topless photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge, right, who was on holiday in France

The photographs of the Duchess, pictured, led to a massive increase in traffic on Gawker

The details emerged during a court case brought by wrestler Hulk Hogan, pictured, who is suing Gawker for $100 million after they published a video of him having sex with a friend's wife

The email emerged during testimony in $100 million (68 million) lawsuit brought by wrestler Hulk Hogan against Gawker for publishing a sex tape showing him and a friends wife.

Hogan's team estimate the profit Gawker made from the sex tape was up to $15m.

Shanti Shunn, a digital marketing expert, told the jury that the sex tape was viewed nearly 4.5 million times off of Gawker.com and Jeff Anderson, a specialist in intellectual property valuation, suggested that the spike in traffic in the months after the posting benefited Gawker by at least $5 million, and more likely, about $15 million.

He claims that the money will make up for the personal and professional harm done to him in what has become a test case for freedom of the press.

The pictures of the Duchess were taken in September 2012 by a French photographer who used a long lens from a road while she and Prince William stood on the balcony of a rural chateau in Provence.

The couple launched legal action for breach of privacy against the publishers of Closer magazine in France after it ran the images.

A spokeswoman for the Royal couple at the time called the pictures grotesque and totally unjustifiable.

The images were not published by the British media but Gawker ran scans from the French edition of Closer.

Mr Denton sent an email to staff on October 10 2012 titled phew in which he praised them for both the Hogan tape and the pictures of the Duchess.

The email, which was read out in court, said: Gawker scored with royal breasts and Hulk sex.

The court heard that Nick Denton, pictured, emailed staff after publishing topless photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge while on holiday in France claiming they had 'scored with the royal breasts'

The shocking photographs were also published in French magazine Closer, pictured

The Hogan tape led to eight million page views to Gawker, the jury were told. The exact numbers generated by the nude pictures of the Duchess were not disclosed but appear to be in the millions.

In a videotaped deposition Mr Denton, 49, who began his career at the Financial Times, said that he and his staff had not looked into the sex tapes provenance.

He said: We cant always determine the circumstances in which a film was made

In his evidence Albert Daulerio, a former editor of Gawker, said that there had been no discussion in the newsroom about whether the pictures of the Duchess invaded her privacy.

He said: Shes a public figure, and those pictures were published elsewhere.

Asked about the sex tape, Mr Daulerio agreed that any potential emotional distress to those featured in the footage played no part in his decision to publish it.

Mr Daulerio shocked the court when he said that he would only decline to publish a sex tape of a child if they were four years older or younger.

Gawker later said that Mr Daulerio was being flippant.
Hanning is accused of 170,000 counts of accessory to murder at Auchwitz

But Jakob Wendel said it was impossible not to know what was going on

Hanning claims he never served in part of camp where victims were killed

A Nazi accused of helping to murder 170,000 Jews at Auschwitz must have known what was going on at the death camp, a fellow guard told his trial today.

Jakob Wendel, a former SS guard who was convicted and served time in Poland after the war, gave evidence against Reinhold Hanning at the hearing in Detmold, Germany.

Hanning, 94, has told investigators he never served in the part of the camp where most of its 1.1million victims were killed.

But Wendel, 92, who arrived at the camp in 1942 but didn't know Hanning, told the court that anyone there for an extended period 'knew what was going on'.

'We knew about the gas chambers...we knew what happened there,' he told the court today.

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Former SS guard Reinhold Hanning (pictured at the trial today) is accused of helping to murder 170,000 Jews at Auschwitz. A fellow guard today told his trial that he must have known what was going on at the death camp

Reinhold Hanning leaves in a wheelchair after the hearing in Detmold, Germany, today

'He knew what was going on': Jakob Wendel, a former SS guard who was convicted and served time in Poland after the war, gave evidence against Reinhold Hanning at the hearing in Detmold, Germany

Former SS guard Jakob Wendel gives interviews after a day of hearings at a trial against Reinhold Hanning

'I was there for two years and anyone who was there for that length of time knew what was happening there,' he added. 'It was an extermination camp.'

Wendel described how he saw from a watchtower the trains pulling in and their human cargo being march off in the direction of the gas chambers.

He then described seeing the bodies being driven towards the crematorium ready for burning. He also said he saw guards throwing the deadly Zyklon-B gas crystals into the chambers where men, women and children were murdered en-masse.

Hanning is accused of 170,000 counts of accessory to murder on allegations he served at Auschwitz in 1943 and 1944.

Earlier in the trial, a Holocaust survivor who was born inside Auschwitz told how Hanning 'made hell possible'.

Addressing Hanning directly, 71-year-old Angela Orosz Richt-Bein said: 'People like you, Mr Hanning, made the hell of Auschwitz possible.

'People who looked on and assisted without asking questions,' she said, according to the Guardian.

Hanning is one of the several former members of the Nazi SS who have been put on trial this year.

They are all in their 90s and unlikely to end up behind bars, but experts say the legal proceedings are necessary to serve a role in educating a new generation about the horrors of the Holocaust.

Holocaust survivor Angela Orosz Richt-Bein shows a picture of the wedding party of her parents as she attends the trial against 94-year-old former SS guard at the Auschwitz death camp Reinhold Hanning

Other witnesses such as William Glied (R) and Irene Weiss took part to the trial against Hanning

Witnesses from the United States, Canada and Israel came to testify about what they endured and witnessed at Auschwitz, although although no one was expected to remember the former SS guard personally.

Richt-Bein was born in Auschwitz shortly before Christmas 1944.

Her Hungarian-born mother was three months pregnant when she was deported in the camp and fell victim to the infamous SS doctor Josef Mengele, who experimented sterilisation drugs on her.

Despite having acidic substance injected into her uterus, Richt-Bein's mother gave birth to Angela, weighing only 1kg. She went unnoticed because too weak too scream, the woman recounts.

Doctors in Hungary gave her a tiny chance of survival after the death camp's liberation.

'I only weighed three kilograms after a year, as much as other children weighed straight after being born,' said Richt-Bein, who now lives in Montreal, Canada.

Angela Orosz Richt-Bein was born in Auschwitz shortly before Christmas 1944. Her Hungarian-born mother was three months pregnant when she was deported in the camp and fell victim to the infamous SS doctor Josef Mengele, who experimented sterilisation drugs on her.

Holocaust survivor and witness Mordechai Eldar reads as he waits for the continuation of the trial against Hanning

Facing her former guard in the courtroom, the Holocaust survivor said: 'You know what happened to all the people, you enabled their murder. Tell us! Tell us!'

The defendant, who sat in a wheelchair, declined to respond to Richt-Bein's appeal. His lawyer said there would be statement on behalf of her client before Easter.

Hanning was a member of the Totenkopf, Death's Head division of the S.S at Auschwitz.

A retired dairy farmer, the 94-year-old admitted that he had served in the Auschwitz I part of the camp but denied having spent any time working at the Auschwitz II-Birkenau section, where most of those who lost their lives were slaughtered.

Last year, Oskar Groening, 94, known as the 'bookkeeper of Auschwitz' was sentenced to four years' prison for his role in the murders of 300,000 Jews at Auschwitz in the late summer of 1944

The defendant himself recognised his 'moral responsibility' even as he denied ever killing anyone.

The 94-year-old admitted that he had served in the Auschwitz I part of the camp but denied having spent any time working at the Auschwitz II-Birkenau section, where most of those who lost their lives were slaughtered.

Despite having acidic substance injected into her uterus, Richt-Bein's mother gave birth to Angela, weighing only 1kg. She went unnoticed because too weak too scream, the woman recounts
Police are set to deploy two drones to monitor 25,000 partying college students who are set to descend on a popular Texas beach for spring break.

Officers on South Padre Island ordered the drones and they have arrived in time for them to be used for surveillance during spring break later this month.

Last year, there were reportedly 166 violations during the festival on the island for offences such as public intoxication, indecent exposure and disorderly conduct.

Police are set to deploy two drones to monitor 25,000 partying college students who are set to descend on South Padre Island in Texas for spring break

Now police have confirmed the drones will be flown over the beach at various points throughout spring break.

Gary Ainsworth, a spokesman from the local authority on South Padre Island told the New York Daily News: 'I don't think its going to change people's behaviour. Any time you have an eye in the sky, it's better than having just eyes on the ground.

'We dont have a helicopter, but weve got something that can provide a similar opportunity for us.'

While police chief Randy Smith told Valley Central: 'We're looking at deploying some that have a safety feature that releases a life jacket over a subject that is in distress.'

When spring break arrives, thousands of young people assemble at the notorious Coca-Cola beach for sun, sand, sea and no parents in sight at what the Travel Channel has called 'the biggest beach party on the planet'.

When Spring Break arrives, thousands of young people assemble at the notorious Coca-Cola beach for sun, sand, sea and no parents in sight

The Texan Island is also one of the few beaches in the U.S. that allows all types of alcohol on their sand with kegs, bottles and cans all welcome

Many set up beer keg stands and beer pong matches and was once voted the second trashiest destination for Spring Break.

The Texan Island is also one of the few beaches in the U.S. that allows all types of alcohol on their sand with kegs, bottles and cans all welcome.

But Padre Island wasnt always like this, of course.
A Uruguayan man who had recently converted to the Muslim faith, stabbed an innocent Jewish businessman to death after claiming 'Allah ordered him' to do it.

Carlos Omar Peralta Lopez, 36, who changed his name to Abdullah Omar when he became a Muslim, ran up behind victim David Fremd, 54, before carrying out the attack.

The incident took place in the city of Paysandu, in western Uruguay and today Judge Fabricio Cidade found Peralta guilty of knifing businessman Mr Fremd on March 8.

Carlos Omar Peralta Lopez, 36, who changed his name to Abdullah Omar when he became a Muslim, was found guilty of stabbing David Fremd

Mr Fremd, 55, (pictured in the centre with his family), was head of the Jewish Community of Paysandu

Mr Fremd was head of the Jewish Community of Paysandu and was on the way to his shop with his son when he was stabbed twice in the back.

The victim's son tried to defend his father and, despite receiving wounds on his arm from the knife, was unable to save him. Mr Fremd was rushed to hospital where he later died from his wounds.

The assailant was chased by two witnesses who managed to catch up with him and hold on to him until the police arrived.

Official sources later confirmed the attack was premeditated and Omar said he 'killed a Jew on the orders of Allah'.

Peralta was stopped by witness Jose Ramon Soca Lopez after the attack and detained until police had arrived at the scene

Different versions of what occurred have been circulating on social media. One user states that the attacker shouted 'Allahu akbar' (God is Great) during the attack.

Another says the man said: 'I am from ISIS and we must kill the b*****d Jews' before sticking the knife in his victim's back.

Testimonies from those close to him describe how Omar, who had converted to Islam ten years ago 'felt a deep hate for Jews' and 'enjoyed playing video games on the internet which involved killing them'.

Left, Peralta, whose head can be seen in the middle of the picture, being taken away by police. Right, the killer shared this image of the jihadist Abu Abdallah shared on his Facebook page

The Uruguayan government said Peralta 'had no ties to foreign militant networks'.

Interior Minister Eduardo Bonomi said the government drew its conclusion after security agents scoured the computer of Peralta and searched his home for signs he might have links to outside groups.

'No links arise with other people inside or outside the country, nor with any group,' Bonomi said.

Judge Fabricio Cidade told the El Telegrafo newspaper that Peralta would be sent to a psychiatric hospital for tests ahead of sentencing.

'He consistently talked about the religious motivations but did not once recognize committing the crime,' the judge told the local paper.
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This is the horrific moment a bloodied man buried by an airstrike was today dragged from rubble following another heavy bombardment of Aleppo.

Bright red blood is seen pouring down his head as a group of rescuers race to pull him from the levelled concrete building. Covered in dust, he reaches out for help and gasps for air in a desperate bid to escape.

The dramatic incident emerged today as Syria's main, Western-backed opposition groups said Friday they will attend the U.N.-sponsored indirect peace talks with the Damascus government.

A group of rescuers race to help free him from the concrete and debris after he was seen trying to drag himself to safety

The elderly man gasps for air as blood pours down his forehead after being buried in rubble during the bombing of Aleppo

Rescuers lift blocks and shovel rubble from around the man as they attempt to free him from the collapsed building

The airstrike struck the northern Aleppo neighbourhood of Salhin, which is currently held by rebel groups

The bombing came as rebel groups today said they were prepared to continue peace talks - brokered by the UN - in Geneva

Held in Geneva in two days' time, they come amid renewed efforts by the international community to end the deadly, five-year conflict which has killed 250,000 people and displaced millions.

But the government air strikes on Aleppo city on Friday threatened the delicate ceasefire, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Britain-based monitor said the raids killed at least five civilians and wounded 10 others in the rebel-held neighbourhood of Salhin, describing it as 'the most serious violation in the city since the truce came into effect'.

The death toll was expected to rise as rescuers continued to pull victims from the rubble, while an AFP correspondent in Aleppo city said the raids had struck a mosque.

In the latest spate of violence, Syrian media claimed ISIS killed Syrian poet Mohammad Bashir al-Ani and his son, Eyas, in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, which is contested between the government and ISIS.

The opposition groups, assembled under an umbrella known as the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), said in a statement that their participation in the Geneva talks starting Monday comes in response to 'sincere' international efforts to end Syria's war.

The decision to go came after violence dropped following a truce brokered by Russia and the U.S.

That cease-fire went into effect on February 27, and the government and militants allowed dozens of trucks carrying aid to enter besieged areas.

The HNC said it still seeks a full lifting of siege on rebel-held areas, as well as the release of hundreds of detainees including women and children.

The opposition team in Geneva will press for a transitional governing body with full executive powers and a pluralist regime in which President Bashar Assad and his associates will have no role, the HNC statement said.

It also insisted on Syria's unity and the restructuring of the country's security agencies.

But the umbrella's chief, Riad Hijab, played down expectations ahead of the Geneva talks.

Rescuers work to free the man from the rubble after he was buried with a head wound by the collapsing building

A man with blood on his head reacts in dismay at the airstrike which destroyed buildings in northern Aleppo today

A resident stares at the destroyed building from his balcony while a rescuer, covered in dust, climbs through the debris

'We are not going to test the intentions of the [Syrian] regime,' he said. 'We know what crimes they are committing.'

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem is scheduled to hold a news conference on Saturday but it was not clear if he is going to announce when the government's team will head to Geneva.

The first round of Geneva talks collapsed on February 3 during a wide government offensive against insurgents.

Syria's civil war has devastated the country and given space for the emergence of radical militant groups such as the Islamic State and al-Qaida's branch in Syria, known as the Nustra Front.

Those groups and other militant factions are not part of the cease-fire or international negotiations.

In its report about the killing of the poet, al-Ani, the SANA news agency said late Thursday that he and his son were taken from their home in Deir el-Zour two months ago to an unknown destination.

The 56-year-old al-Ani was one of the most prominent poets in eastern Syria.
Tory MEP Syed Kamall (pictured) said that he would back Brexit because 'on balance we could forge a better future outside' the bloc

David Cameron's most senior MEP today warned Britain will not be able to have a fair immigration system unless it leaves the EU.

Syed Kamall said that he would back Brexit because 'on balance we could forge a better future outside' the bloc.

His decision is a blow to Mr Cameron as he had acted as a leading advisor and key go-between Downing Street and Brussels during the renegotiation.

Dr Kamall, whose parents came to London from Guyana, said he had decided to defy the Prime Minister as he believed he 'must be true' to his conscience.

'Ultimately the key issue for me is immigration,' he said. 'I would like an immigration policy that is balanced and fair - where we treat people equally whether they are from an EU country or not.

'Sadly, a fair immigration system is incompatible with membership of the EU. I am the son of immigrants from outside the EU - this matters to me deeply.

'I always tell aspiring politicians to be true to their consciences - so I must be true to mine.

'Ultimately I would favour a points-based immigration system where your ability is more important than which country you come from. Unfortunately, you cannot have that in the EU.'

Dr Kamall, who is leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament founded by Mr Cameron, said the Prime Minister had 'got the best deal available'.

But he added: 'After much thought, my personal decision is that we should leave the EU.

'Not because I think David Cameron did a bad job, but because I believe that on balance we could forge a better future outside.'

If Britain votes to remain in the EU, Dr Kamall said he 'will do everything I can' to make sure the measures promised in the renegotiation deal 'get through the European Parliament safely'.

News of Mr Kamall backing Brexit came as Boris Johnson accused David Cameron this morning of not having the 'guts to get out' of the EU as he claimed the In campaign was 'hopelessly underestimating' what Britain could achieve if it quit the Brussels club.

The Mayor of London appealed to voters to ignore the 'merchants of gloom' warning of the risks of Brexit as he attempted to set out a positive vision of life outside the EU.

Syed Kamall's decision is a blow to David Cameron (pictured on the campaign trail in Wales with Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb today) as he had acted as a leading advisor and key go-between Downing Street and Brussels during the renegotiation

Boris Johnson (pictured right on a visit to a logistics company in Dartford, Kent today) hit out at the 'merchants of gloom' who said Britain could not 'prosper' outside of the EU - targeting David Cameron (pictured left on the campaign trail in Wales today) who has made a series of warnings about prices rises if Britain left the EU

38.1BILLION TRADE GAP BOOSTS LEAVE CAMP Exports of UK goods to the European Union have fallen to the lowest level for more than six years, bolstering Brexit campaigners' case that Britain's economic interests lie outside the EU. An Office for National Statistics report also showed the goods trade deficit  the gap between what the UK buys from Europe and what Europe buys from the UK  is the highest ever, at 8.1billion. Brexit campaigners said the figures were a clear sign that Europe needs Britain more than Britain needs Europe. Kallum Pickering, senior UK economist for banking group Berenberg, said the latest figures 'will play nicely into the hands of the Out camp'. Ukip MP Douglas Carswell said the report shows 'the absurdity of the idea that the EU would impose post-Brexit tariffs to restrict cross-Channel trade'. Britain's economy has become less reliant on the EU for trade in recent years as the crisis in the eurozone saps demand for goods made in UK factories. British manufacturers are exploiting new markets in Asia and parts of the Middle East and Africa as well as the United States. The ONS report showed America remained the UK's top export partner, with sales up 620million in January to 3.9billion. Germany was the second biggest buyer of British goods, up 168million to 2.5billion, while sales to France rose by 76million to 1.4billion. But exports to the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain fell in January. The EU accounted for 62 per cent of British exports in 2006, compared with 47 per cent last year. Vote Leave chief executive Matthew Elliott said: 'The trade deck is stacked in UK's favour. EU trade is shrinking yet we are held back from striking deals with emerging markets as we've given up control to Brussels.' Advertisement

He claimed Britain would never back joining the 'woefully unreformed' EU if it was already outside - a direct rebuke to Mr Cameron after he said following his EU deal last month that he would 'certainly' sign up to the EU on the terms of his renegotiation.

Mr Johnson - who arrived late for his speech in Dartford, Kent and joked that the Government needed to 'take back control of South East trains' - insisted Britain could 'prosper and thrive as never before' if voters opted to leave the EU in June's referendum.

And he added that the growing German dominance of the EU project was dangerous.

His intervention today was seen as a notable improvement on his performance on the Andrew Marr Show last week, when he was heavily criticised for an incoherent appearance on the flagship BBC show.

Criticising the tactics of the In campaign - led by the Prime Minister - Mr Johnson said: 'I know there are people who say that this country doesn't have the guts to get out, that we have no choice but to remain and I have to say they are hopelessly underestimating this country of ours and what we can achieve because it is precisely because we stayed out of the euro that we are now one of the successful economies of Europe.

Boris Johnson (pictured at a Vote Leave event in Dartford, Kent today) claimed that the In campaign was 'hopelessly underestimating' what Britain could achieve if it quit the Brussels club

I'M OUT, SAYS PUB BOSS The boss of one of Britain's biggest pub chains has launched a stinging attack on the EU, and called for Britain to leave. Tim Martin, the chairman and founder of JD Wetherspoon, said: 'We fought wars for democracy that was developed over hundreds of years and a dilution of that democracy is a backwards step. 'Returning power to the national parliament will increase the level of democracy and accountability.' The 60-year-old, who has made an estimated 272million from the chain of 954 pubs, said: 'Clearly, if the UK decides to leave the EU, it would be in the economic and other interests of this country and our European neighbours to have friendly relations free trade and free movement of labour.' He pointed to the success of Norway and Switzerland, two of the richest and most successful countries which are not in the EU. 'EU countries have an open trading relationship with them and citizens from both those countries can live and work in the UK, needing only a passport or identity card,' he said. Mr Martin who made the comments in a company update, also criticised Prime Minister David Cameron for failing to hold a balanced debate on Britain's position in the EU, saying 'I think people are disappointed.' Advertisement

'If we burst out of the shackles of Brussels we would be able to begin immediately with those long-neglected free trade opportunities, which we can't do at the moment.'

Urging voters not to listen to the 'Project Fear' warnings from those who want to stay in the EU, Mr Johnson said: 'I think it is time to ignore the pessimists and the merchants of gloom and to do a new deal that would be good for Britain and good for Europe too.

'It is time to burst loose and of all those regulations and get out into a world that is changing and growing and becoming more exciting the whole time.

'If we hold our nerve and we are not timid and we are not cowed by the gloomadon-poppers on the Remain campaign and we vote for freedom and for the restoration of democracy, then I believe that this country will continue to grow and prosper and thrive as never before.'

The Mayor of London's passionate intervention today came as Tony Blair called on Mr Cameron to match the 'fervour' and 'determination' of Brexit campaigners.

The former Labour prime minister admitted he was 'concerned' that the pro-Brussels camp was failing to display the necessary passion to win over voters.

The Mayor of London (pictured meeting employees at a logistics firm in Dartford, Kent today) said Britain could 'prosper and thrive as never before' if voters back Brexit in June's referendum

MACEDONIA FURY AT MERKEL The president of Macedonia launched a bitter attack on Brussels yesterday, saying his country would have been flooded with jihadists if he had not closed its border. Gjorge Ivanov spoke out as 14,000 migrants desperate to make the journey through his country to Germany were stuck in a refugee camp at the border with Greece. Macedonia shut its borders this week as countries along the route tried to halt the increasing flow of people, to criticism from German Chancellor Angela Merkel. President Ivanov told the German Bild newspaper: Between Sudan and Egypt alone, 20million migrants who want to go to Europe are waiting. And what about Africa? The stream of refugees will not end. He said Macedonia, which has a population of just over two million, has been left to deal with the EUs crisis, adding: If we had trusted Brussels and had not reacted on our own initiative, we would already have been flooded with jihadists. Mr Ivanov said security forces had seized 9,000 false passports. We have to assume that many of these people who were travelling with forged papers want to enter the EU via the refugee route as radical fighters, he said. He added: Europe does not function in a crisis situation ... Some countries along the Balkans route like us had to act on their own. Advertisement

He said he wanted politicians to make the case for Britain to 'lead in Europe', while echoing Mr Cameron and George Osborne's warnings that Brexit would cause economic instability and 'damage fundamentally' the interests of the British people.

But the Brussels enthusiast appeared to finally admit his own lack of popularity with voters when asked whether he would be playing a major role in the EU referendum campaign.

'I don't know whether it is the right time for me on the campaign trail - that carries with it negatives as well as positives,' he told the Today programme.

'But I think it is certainly time for people to argue this case for Europe with some passion.'

However Mr Johnson hit back at Mr Blair and other EU enthusiasts by claiming they would not be signing up to join the Brussels club if Britain was already outside.

Mr Johnson said: 'Why would we join such a club today? Why would we join such a woefully unreformed Europe?

'Would anybody in their right mind join the EU as it is today? I don't think so. I don't think people in this country would want to do it.'

The Mayor of London appealed to voters to ignore the 'merchants of gloom' warning of the risks of Brexit as he attempted to set out a positive vision of life outside the EU on a visit to a logistics company in Kent today

'And I have to tell you my view is that the whole thing is an anachronism now.

It was set up in the 1950s by French bureaucrats in an effort to contain what they saw as the problem of renewed German economic and political dominance and actually what has happened is of course the EU has managed to intensify rather than contain that dominance.
A video has emerged online of the moment a husband realises his wife is on a date with another man in a cinema in China.

The lights had just come on after the end of Chinese movie Ip Man 3 when the husband realised he had been sitting in the same cinema as his wife and her date, China.com reports. The incident is reported to take place in Changchun.

Not very happy with what he'd just seen, the husband decides to start a punch-up with his wife's date in the middle of the movie theatre.

Shocking discovery! The fight broke out after a husband found his wife on a date in the same cinema as him

Punch up in the cinema: The husband starts to fight the woman's date while she tries to intervene

In the footage, the man can be seen punching his wife's date.

The wife is also in the video trying to break up the fight however the men take no notice.

One man then pushes both the other man and the wife over a row of chairs and the wife can be heard shouting.

The rest of the movie goers can be seen in the background not sure whether to move or not.

The fight took place after the screening of Ip Man 3, a martial arts film which sees a kung-fu master take on a developer played by Mike Tyson.

The video has been trending on China's Twitter-like Weibo with internet users suggesting the men would be perfect characters for the next film.

One user said: 'All the skills learnt from the film could be used'.

While another user questioned whether the husband could have been on a date himself: 'Then whom did the husband go with to see the film?'

And a third user claimed the husband should divorce the woman: 'There is no use fighting. Divorce the woman and leave her with nothing.'

Vicious fight: At one point a man hits the other pushing him and the wife over a row of chairs

Kung-fu fighting! The fight took place after a screening of Ip Man 3, a martial arts film (File photo)
The Mexican soap star now caught up in a criminal investigation over the recapture of El Chapo claims she had no idea Sean Penn was planning to interview the fugitive drug lord when the pair set out to meet him deep in the Mexico jungle.

The astonishing revelation raises further questions about the pair's clandestine October trip to meet the world's most wanted man and promises to heap further criticism on Penn and the 10,000-word piece he wrote for Rolling Stone magazine after the encounter.

In an interview with The New Yorker, Kate del Castillo, who lives in Los Angeles, rebuked Penn's claims that she was aware of his intentions before the two headed to Mexico - calling Penn's statement 'total and complete bulls***'

She says she thought Penn was interested in joining her as a partner for the Narcos-style film project she was working on about El Chapo and that she only became aware of his article when the actor mentioned it during the in-person meeting with the drug lord.

Penn says he discussed his intentions in their first meeting and again en route to their meeting with Guzman, The New Yorker reported.

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Actress Kate del Castillo right) caught the attention of El Chapo (left) after she she sent a boozy tweet back in 2012

Actor Sean Penn (left) became a unlikely addition to the gathering, after he contacted del Castillo asking for access to the drug lord (right) for an article he wanted to write for Rolling Stone

She went on to criticize the way the Hollywood star's article alleged that uniformed government soldiers allowed them to pass through after identifying Guzman's son Alfredo in their convoy during a lengthy drive through the Mexican bush to meet Guzman.

'Wow. So it is, the power of a Guzman face. And the corruption of an institution,' Penn wrote.

But Del Castillo told The New Yorker the convoy did not go through a military checkpoint, nor did government soldiers wave them on.

Argentinian producers Fernando Sulichin and Jose Ibanez, who were in the car ahead of del Castillo and Penn, also have no recollection of encountering a military checkpoint, The New Yorker wrote.

Penn maintains that his account is correct, the publication added.

Penn faced enormous criticism over the article that poured scorn on the information he obtained, accusing him of going easy on a man blamed for thousands of deaths and for contributing to US drug addiction.

Penn challenged Mexico's assertion that the interview - held in an undisclosed location in the country - helped the authorities track down Guzman.

Penn subsequently expressed regret over the article, telling CBS it had failed in his stated intention.

The meeting itself came about three years after the start of an unlikely friendship between Kate del Castillo and the convicted drug lord following a boozy, ill-conceived tweet she sent back in 2012.

In the message, she told Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman: 'Wouldn't it be cool if you started trafficking with the good? Come on senor, you would be the hero of heroes. Let's traffic with love.'

The tweet infuriated many, who slammed the star as an 'apologist for the cruelty and bloodshed' the drug-lord had caused.

But her public admiration for Guzman caught his attention and one of his attorneys reached out to her to request a meeting, according to the New Yorker.

A mutual admiration flourished when the drug lord offered del Castillo the rights to his life story.

But things became more intimate when in 2015, the star was given a Blackberry cellphone by Guzman's people so he could 'hear from her directly'.

At this point Guzman had escaped from the maximum security Altiplano prison, something del Castillo said she had 'celebrated over'.

The meeting in Mexico was arranged by Penn and Mexican actress Kate del Castillo (pictured with musicians)

In September of that year, Guzman wrote that he would love for her to spend a day with him at a nearby ranch and added: 'Amiga, if you'll bring the wine, I'll also drink yours... I'm not a drinker, but your presence will be a lovely thing and I very much want to get to know you and become very good friends. You are the best in this world... I will take care of you more than I do my own eyes.'

In an in-depth interview with the actress in this month's New Yorker, del Castillo revealed her reply: 'It moves me so much that you say you'll take care of me - nobody has ever taken care of me, thank you! And I'll be free next weekend!'

He later wrote: 'I'm not a drinker, but with you I'll drink to the feeling of being together. Thanks so much for being such a fine person. How beautiful you are, amiga, in every way.'

The sensational meeting took place a month later deep in the Mexican jungle.

Actor Sean Penn became an unlikely addition to the gathering, after (he claims) he contacted del Castillo asking for access to the drug lord for an article he wanted to write for Rolling Stone.

The relationship with Guzman (left) developed after del Castillo (right) was given a phone by his people so he could communicate directly with her

The bizarre rendezvous has since been well-documented and Penn's grandiose article was torn apart by critics, as he became the laughing stock of Mexico.

It was recently confirmed that the meeting between Penn and Guzman led to the gun battle in which the drug lord was captured.

But Del Castillo's perspective paints the evening in a more romantic light.

She revealed that she told Guzman: 'Youre a very powerful man. And you can do a lot of good. Theres a good man inside of you. So lets do it.'

After Guzman had shown the star where she would be sleeping that night, he told her she had a 'big heart' and added: 'Thanks for giving me one of the best days of my life.'

But the cozy love-in has since turned sour.

Guzman was recaptured a few months later and is now facing extradition to the US on murder and money-laundering charges.

Del Castillo meanwhile is being investigated by Mexican authorities for possible criminal charges over her association with the fugitive.
Elise Goodvin (pictured) accidentally called Hillary Clinton 'Monica' at a campaign event last year

A student journalist has recalled the moment she met Hillary Clinton and then ruined it by calling her 'Monica'.

Elise Goodvin was working for her high school newspaper last year when she scored a press pass to attend a Hillary Clinton campaign event in Monticello, Iowa.

In an essay on The Tab, the student journalist said it was an honest mistake caused by the fact that she had been speaking to another reporter named Monica when she shook the Democratic candidate's hand.

Goodvin says she had been seated to the right of a MSNBC reporter named Monica throughout the event and that she thought she was shaking her hand when she was in fact meeting Clinton.

'I was towards the end and she walked down the line shaking hands of the small few that were left, [and] walking in front of her was the woman who was in charge of media for the campaign shaking hands as well, thanking people for staying.

'At some point her head of media must have stepped back to do something because without looking I reached out and shook the hand coming towards me, looking to my side and saying its nice meeting you, Monica as a farewell to the MSNBC correspondent next to me.

'I then realized the face the arm was attached to was in fact not the head of media, but the former Secretary of State,' Goodvin recalls.

Clinton (left) was apparently not amused at being called the first name of her husband's former mistress, Monica Lewinsky (right)

Then Goodvin only made the situation worse by freezing up and saying 'Oh I meant her... not Lewinsky'.

What's worse - she started nervous giggling and tried to hide the fact by telling Clinton how much she respected her.

But the attempt to smooth the situation over didn't work. Goodvin says Clinton went from smiling to having an 'are you kidding me p***ed off face' before letting go of her hand and walking over to speak with her head of media and continuing down the line.

Clinton's lackey then came over and said Clinton would not be answering any of Goodvin's questions and that 'it would just be best if I left'.

Now a student at the University of Iowa, Goodvin says the mortifying experience taught her an important lesson.
First Lady Michelle Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sat in the front row alongside former President

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Nearly 1,000 people, including a veritable who's-who of American political life, journalism and Hollywood gathered on Friday in Simi Valley, California, for the funeral of Nancy Reagan.

The dignified and powerful service saw readings and remembrances by Reagan's niece and nephew, as well as former Former White House Chief of Staff James A Baker and journalists Diane Sawyer and Tom Brokaw.

The guests also witnessed Patti Davis describe her turbulent relationship with her mother and their undying love in devastating fashion.

Davis described her parents as 'two halves of a circle', recalling a long-ago memory of seeing the two of them sitting on a Southern California beach at sunset in what she called an impenetrable 'island for two'.

Reagan's son, Ronald Prescott Reagan, also spoke at the funeral, telling guests there likely would not have been a President Ronald Reagan without Nancy Reagan, saying she had an absolute belief in him, as well as provided guidance and a refuge.

Friday's service brought together Democrat and Republican, an unusual tableau at a time of deep division in Washington and the 2016 campaign trail. The biggest stars in entertainment - not only of today, but those of Reagan's time in the White House - are also in attendance.

President Barack Obama did not attend the the services, as he had a prior engagement in Austin, Texas, where he is a keynote speaker at South By Southwest.

The funeral started at 11am on Friday, with a musical prelude beginning at 10.15am by the Santa Susana High School Advanced Women's Choir and Abbe Road A Cappella, and an instrumental prelude by the 1st Marine Division Band, Marine Corps Camp Pendleton.

A love letter from Ronald Reagan to Nancy was also read at the service by former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney as a reminder that their romance was one of the more enduring romances in modern American public life.

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California Gov Jerry Brown, First Lady Michelle Obama, former President George W Bush, former First Lady Laura Bush, Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and Caroline Kennedy sat in the front row (left to right) as former First Lady Nancy Reagan's casket was brought in for the service on Friday

California Gov Jerry Brown and First Lady Michelle Obama took a seat alongside former President George Bush, former First Lady Laura Bush, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the front row of the service

Military members carried in former First Lady Nancy Reagan's casket at the start of funeral services at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Friday

Anne Peterson, Reagan's niece, spoke at the funeral before a love letter from Ronald Reagan to Nancy was read by former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney

Patti Davis, the daughter of Reagan, described her turbulent relationship with her mother and their undying love in devastating fashion at the funeral service

Reagan's son, Ronald Prescott Reagan, also spoke at the funeral and described the unbelievable love and support his parents had for one another

Ronald Reagan Jr takes a moment to shut his eyes while touching his mother's casket following a remembrance at her service

California Gov Jerry Brown, left, and First Lady Michelle Obama arrive at the funeral service for Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

Michelle Obama attended the service without her husband, as Barack Obama had a prior engagement speaking at SXSW in Austin, Texas

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared to do an interview at the library ahead of Reagan's funeral, where she sat front row

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is taking a break from the 2016 presidential campaign trail to attend the funeral. Former president George Bush sat in the front row with Clinton

Former Secretary of State James Baker was one of many to reflect upon Nancy Reagan's life at Friday's funeral

Television journalist Diane Sawyer gave a Gospel Reading of John 14:1-6 during Reagan's funeral service

Television journalist Tom Brokaw was one of many to speak at Reagan's funeral. Others included Reagan's children and other journalists

The Rev Stuart A Kenworthy, Vicar, Washington National Cathedral, presided over the funeral.

Former television producer George Schlatter, Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Katie Couric were some of the first to arrive to services, according to LA News Group's Liset Marquez.

Other attendees included former Reagan administration official Ed Meese, Larry King, Mike Love of the Beach Boys, television writer and producer Norman Lear and Steve Ford, son of President Gerald Ford.

Also on hand are actress Bo Derek, actor Tom Selleck and singer Johnny Mathis. Mathis became friends with Nancy Reagan and often visited her home in the Bel Air area of Los Angeles, where she died Sunday at age 94. Mathis says he and the former first lady enjoyed singing together.

Other attendees include former California Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, Blaine Trump and Steve Simon, and TV host Melissa Rivers.

Mourners at Nancy Reagan's funeral heard prayers, music and reminiscences of the former first lady.

Former Reagan administration official James Baker recounted the first meeting of then-Nancy Davis and Ronald Reagan, and later her devastation when her husband was wounded in an assassination attempt. Veteran television journalists Diane Sawyer and Tom Brokaw gave recollections of Nancy Reagan.

Several politicians and other funeral attendees spoke to reporters outside the library ahead of services to explain Reagan's great legacy.

A love letter from Ronald Reagan to Nancy was read at the service by former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney

Former First Ladies Rosalynn Carter (left) and Hillary Clinton (right) and Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy walk to pay their respects to Reagan

Ronald Reagan Jr (left) and Patti Davis (right) leave to pay their final farewells to their mother, following the touching service service

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton follows the casket during funeral and burial services for Reagan

California Governor Jerry Brown (left), first lady Michelle Obama (second left), former President George W. Bush (third left) and former first lady Laura Bush (right) leave after the funeral of Reagan

A military honor guard carries the casket and is followed by Nancy Reagan's son Ronald Prescott Reagan, and daughter Patti Davis

Reagan's children, Ronald Prescott Reagan and Patti Davis bid farewell to their mother following a funeral service where they both spoke

During a service filled with poignant and often humorous memories, each speaker came back to the couple's love story.

'When they were together, he hid love notes around the house for her to find,' said Reagan's former chief of staff, James Baker. 'She reciprocated by secreting little notes in jellybeans in his suitcase.'

'Ronald and Nancy Reagan were defined by their love for each other,' Baker added. 'They were as close to being one person as it I possible for any two people to be.'

Reagan spoke in public so warmly, and so often, about his wife, former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney recalled, that he once told Reagan he was making every other world leader look bad in front of their wives.

'Well, Brian,' he said the president told him with a smile, 'That's your problem.'

Mrs Reagan, for her part, was her husband's chief protector. When former NBC anchor Brokaw once questioned the hard-luck story of the president's early life, Brokaw recalled how she was so angry that Reagan's staff advised him to stay away from the White House until she calmed down.

Reagan didn't mind the criticism, Brokaw said, but his wife did.

The casket of former US First Lady Nancy Reagan is carried by pallbearers to her gravesite at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

An honor guard moves the casket for a graveside service for Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Friday

Patti Davis, center, greets first lady Michelle Obama, as Ronald Prescott Reagan, right, looks on during the graveside service for Nancy Reagan

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter (center) greets Patti Davis as she and former first lady Hillary Clinton (right) pay their respects at the casket

Clinton takes a moment with Reagan's casket before moving on to greet Patti Davis during the funeral for the former first lady

Family and close friends pause at the casket during the graveside service for Reagan following the larger service

First lady Michelle Obama (right) greets Ron Reagan Jr during the graveside service for Reagan on Friday morning in Simi Valley

Former President George W Bush and his wife Laura wait to pay their respects with first lady Michelle Obama during Reagan's funeral

'She was tough. But once she mellowed down, once she got to like you, once she trusted you, she was a wonderful individual,' Larry King said.

Publishing executive Steve Forbes brought up Reagan's legacy in the war on drugs.

'She worked against drugs very simply, 'Say no'. She worked hard on that. She restored dignity to the White House,' he said. 'Together (she and Ronald Reagan) achieved extraordinary new things that benefited us, benefited civilization.'

Newt Gingrich remembered her for having 'grace, courage, willpower, beauty and the willingness to do what she thought was right for her husband'.

'She was really dedicated to his well being,' he added.

Former California Gov Pete Wilson remembered Reagan for her great love with her husband Ronald.

'She and the president were the loves of each others' lives,' he said. 'It was a real love affair. It was nice to see and they had a great relationship.'

The memorial service for the former Hollywood actress and first lady caps two days during which thousands of mourners filed past her flower-bedecked casket as she lay in repose at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, north of Los Angeles.

Former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney pauses at Nancy Reagan's casket at her gravesite at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

Former Canadian Prime Minster Brian Mulroney and his wife Mila look on during the Reagan's funeral service on Friday

Family members surround the casket after attending the funeral services for former first lady, Nancy Reagan, on Friday

People wishing to pay their respects wait in the rain during the graveside service for Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter (left) and former first lady Hillary Clinton wait in line to pay their respects during Reagan's funeral

Ron Reagan Jr and Patti Davis watch as the casket is laid to rest during funeral services for their mother, former First Lady Nancy Reagan

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver wait to pay their respects to Reagan on Friday

Ronald Reagan Jr blows a kiss to his mother's casket as his sister, Patti Davis, looks on, following Nancy Reagan's funeral

A Marine pays his respects in the rain while standing in front of the casket carrying former First Lady Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Friday

She is to be buried beside her husband in a private graveside service at the library, following the televised memorial ceremony to be attended by numerous dignitaries and celebrities, many from her time in the White House with Ronald Reagan as he served as the 40th US president.

Always fiercely protective of her husband, Nancy Reagan was regarded as one of the most influential presidential spouses in US history during his Republican administration from 1981 to 1989.

She died on Sunday of congestive heart failure at age 94. Ronald Reagan died in 2004 after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 93.

Her funeral opened with music performed by a choir from the nearby Santa Susana High School and a US Marine Corps band, followed by readings of various Bible passages, according to the Reagan library.

Leading the roster of VIP mourners slated to attend is current first lady Michelle Obama, joined by close relatives of all of President Barack Obama's nine immediate predecessors, including former President George W Bush and his wife, Laura.

The list includes two other former first ladies - Jimmy Carter's wife, Rosalynn, and Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state and now Democratic front-runner in the 2016 presidential race - as well as Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late President John Kennedy.

Children of Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford also were expected.

'THERE COULD BE NO LIFE FOR ME WITHOUT YOU': RONALD REAGAN'S TOUCHING CHRISTMAS LOVE LETTER TO NANCY 'Dear Mrs. R, I still don't feel right about you opening an envelope instead of a gift package. There are several much beloved women in my life and on Christmas, I should be giving them gold, precious stones, perfume, furs and lace. I know that even the best of these would still fall far short of expressing how much these several women mean to me and how empty my life would be without them. There is of course my 'First Lady'. She brings so much grace and charm to whatever she does that even stuffy, formal functions sparkle and turn into fun times. Everything is done with class. All I have to do is wash up and show up. There is another woman in my life who does things I don't always get to see but I do hear about them and sometimes see photos of her doing them. She takes an abandoned child in her arms on a hospital visit. The look on her face only the Madonna could match. The look on the child's face is one of adoration. I know because I adore her too. She bends over a wheelchair or bed to touch an elderly invalid with tenderness and compassion just as she fills my life with warmth and love. There is another gal I love who is a nest builder. If she was stuck three days in a hotel room she'd manage to make it home sweet home. She moves things around - looks at it - straightens this and that and you wonder why it wasn't that way in the first place. I'm also crazy about the girl who goes to the ranch with me. If we're tidying up the woods, she's a peewee power house at pushing over dead trees. She's a wonderful person to sit by the fire with, or to ride with or first to be with when the sun goes down or the stars come out. If she ever stopped going to the ranch I'd stop too because I'd see her in every beauty spot there is and I couldn't stand that. Then there is a sentimental lady I love who eyes fill up so easily. On the other hand she loves to laugh and her laugh is like tinkling bells. I hear those bells and feel good all over even if I tell a joke she's heard before. Fortunately, all these women in my life are you - fortunately for me that is, for there could be no life for me without you. Browining asked: 'How do I love thee - let me count the ways?' For there is no way to count. I love the whole gang of you - Mommie, first lady, the sentimental you, the fun you, and the peewee power house of you. And oh yes, one other very special you - the little girl who takes a 'nana' to bed in case she gets hungry in the night. I couldn't and don't sleep well if she isn't there - so please always be there. Merry Christmas you all - with all my love. Lucky me. Advertisement

Former US First Lady Laura Bush (left) and President George W Bush (right) arrive for the funeral service in Simi Valley on Friday

Opera singer Ana Maria Martinez sings Ave Maria during the funeral service for Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

Former California Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger arrives for the funeral service, where he sat with his wife, Maria Shriver. The service is at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California

Larry King and his wife Shawn King make their way to their seats at Reagan's funeral services on Friday morning

Mr T opted for a more casual look with a camouflage top and American flag bandanna. He and Reagan became friends during Reagan's 'Just say no' anti-drug campaign

Actors Mr T and Gary Sinise take their seats together at former First Lady Nancy Reagan's funeral on Friday morning

Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the US House of Representatives, and his wife Callista arrive for Reagan's funeral on Friday morning

Former California Governor Pete Wilson arrives for the funeral at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California

Larry King's wife Shawn King reacts to a fellow funeral attendee as they make their way to their seats ahead of the start of funeral services on Friday morning

Katie Couric and her husband, John Molner, make their way to their seats for the service with approximately 1,000 other guests

Wayne Newton and Bo Derek were in attendance at the funeral services among approximately 1,000 guests

Melissa Rivers and Anjelica Huston make their way to the Presidential Lbrary for the funeral ervice for former First Lady Nancy Reagan on Friday morning

Tom Selleck is one of many celebrities brought together to mourn Nancy Reagan at the funeral on Friday, where services will cater to 1,000 guests

US Democratic Representative from California, Nancy Pelosi (left) and her husband, Paul Pelosi, find their seats ahead of Reagan's funeral (left). Johnny Mathis (right) also attended the service

Pallbearers included Nancy Reagan's brother, Dr Richard Davis and conservative political columnist George Will. Others included television news veterans Katie Couric, Sam Donaldson and Diane Sawyer, as well as such showbiz figures as Anjelica Huston, Wayne Newton, Gary Sinise and Mr T, who was a supporter of Nancy Reagan's anti-drug campaign.

She was 'just a beautiful lady,' said John Sandoval, who with his wife, mother and infant daughter visited Reagan's casket on Thursday.

'I think it was just the unity they shared through his governorship, through his presidency, that brought people together,' Sandoval added.

A tent was erected over the site of the service on Friday, as temperatures dropped and potential storms were in forecast.

The sprawling, Spanish Mission-style library is located between the Reagan's post-White House home in the upscale Bel Air section of Los Angeles and Rancho del Cielo, the 'ranch in the sky' where the Reagans spent their leisure time, sometimes on horseback, in the rugged mountains near Santa Barbara.

The guest list for the funeral tells a story about their lives, which stretched from Hollywood's Golden Age to the California statehouse during Reagan's time as governor to the Washington Beltway.

Hillary Clinton took a break from the presidential campaign to attend, and other politicians on the list cover the political spectrum, from Newt Gingrich to Nancy Pelosi.

PROGRAM OF EVENTS AT NANCY REAGAN'S FUNERAL SERVICE The program includes: - Battle Hymn of the Republic sung by the Santa Susana High School Choir - Reading of Proverbs 31:10-31 by Anne Peterson, Nancy Reagan's niece - Letter from Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan, read by former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney - Ave Maria, sung by opera singer Ana Maria Martinez - Reading of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 by Barton Hegeler, Nancy Reagan's nephew - Reading of John 14:1-6 by Diane Sawyer - Pie Jesu-Requiem, sung by Martinez - Reflections by James A. Baker - Reflections by Tom Brokaw - Reflections by Patti Davis - Reflections by Ronald Prescott Reagan - Amazing Grace sung by the Santa Susana High School Choir - Recessional with bagpipe played by Piper Major Bill Boetticher - God Bless America Advertisement

Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke with author Peggy Noonan ahead of the funeral as several guests took their seats

Arnold Schwarzenegger and wife Maria Shriver sat together in among the 1,000 guests at the southern California funeral services

Sea Cadets from Bakersfield, California, greet invited guests at former first lady Nancy Reagan's funeral in Simi Valley, California, on Friday

Katie Couric and her husband, John Molner, make their way to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for services for Reagan on Friday

Funeral services for Reagan are are taking place at her late husband's presidential library in Southern California on Friday

Mr T, donning camouflage gear and an American flag bandanna, was stopped outside the funeral service and searched by guards

It is unknown if Mr T was the only guest searched or if other guests were searched by security before the funeral as well

Blaine Trump and Steve Simon attended the funeral in Simi Valley, California, together, while TV writer and producer Norman Lear was also in attendance

Tom Selleck attended the funeral with his wife, Jillie Mack (left), while Larry King also brought his wife, Shawn King (right), to the service on Friday

Melissa Rivers and Anjelica Huston donned classic black dresses for the large funeral service, which saw approximately 1,000 guests

Many criticized President Barack Obama for choosing to speak at SXSW instead of attend Reagan's funeral.

Obama was the keynote speaker at this year's festival and talked about civic engagement with the editor-in-chief of The Texas Tribune.

During the speech he sat on the fence when asked about Apple's encryption policy and mentioned how it's thanks to him the country's employment shot up.

But Obama is hardly the first president to miss a former first lady's funeral.

President Jimmy Carter did not attend Mamie Eisenhower's funeral in 1979 but his wife, Rosalynn Carter, did. President Ronald Reagan did not attend Bess Truman's funeral in 1982 but Nancy Reagan went.

President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, did not attend Pat Nixon's funeral in 1993 and President George W Bush did not attend Lady Bird Johnson's funeral in 2007. His wife, Laura, and his mother, Barbara Bush, attended. When Betty Ford died in 2011, Obama did not attend but his wife did.

Reagan left the presidency after eight years, on January 20, 1989.

Close relatives from ten White House families - from Caroline Kennedy to first lady Michelle Obama - are expected to attend the services for Reagan

Reagan, pictured left in 1989 and right with Marine Lt Gen George J. Flynn at a wreath laying ceremony for her husband, Ronald Reagan in 2011, is to be buried beside her husband in a private graveside service at the library

NOTABLE FUNERAL GUESTS Presidential families: - Former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush - Michelle Obama - Hillary Clinton - Rosalynn Carter - Tricia Nixon Cox - Steven Ford - Lynda Bird Johnson Robb - Luci Baines Johnson - Caroline Kennedy Current and former politicians: - California Gov. Jerry Brown - Former California Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger - Former California Gov Pete Wilson - Former US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi - Newt and Callista Gingrich - Former US Secretary of State George Shultz Military: - Capt Christopher Bolt, commanding officer USS Ronald Reagan Media and celebrities: - Katie Couric - Sam Donaldson - Steve Forbes - Larry King - Chris Matthews - Peggy Noonan - Diane Sawyer - Bo Derek - Mike Love - Wayne Newton - Anjelica Huston - Melissa Rivers - Former television producer George Schlatter - Tina Sinatra - Tom Selleck - Gary Sinise - Yakov Smirnoff - John Stamos - Mr T Source: Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Advertisement

Meanwhile US President Barack Obama made a stop at Torchy's Tacos in Austin, Texas, before speaking at South by Southwest on Friday

Obama missed Reagan's Southern California funeral to attend South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, to be a keynote speaker at the event

Obama participates in an onstage interview with Texas Tribune Editor Evan Smith (left) at the South by Southwest Interactive in Austin

'Ronald Reagan was one of the best presidents we've ever had, and I admired them both as a couple for their love story and the support they showed to each other,' said retired school teacher Mary Ellen Gruendyke, from Riverside.

Mrs Reagan planned the smallest details of her funeral. She selected the funeral's flower arrangements, the music to be played by a Marine Corps band and the list of guests invited to the private memorial.

The library site, where the 40th president was buried in 2004, provides sweeping views of horse country dotted with oaks and, on a clear day, a vista to the Pacific.

The Reagans 'just fell in love' with the spot, Boston developer and Republican fundraiser Gerald Blakeley recalled in a 2004 interview. He was part of a partnership that donated the land where the library now sits.

'We're just grateful for the Reagan years,' Ray Brooks of Simi Valley said Thursday as he waited in line with his wife Jackie to board a shuttle to the library grounds, where Mrs. Reagan's casket was placed in the marble lobby with a bronze statue of a smiling Ronald Reagan nearby.

'Everybody, no matter how they felt about those years, when they look back they remember them as good years because of the example they set. We need an example like that now,' Brooks said.

Reagan's funeral services cap two days during which thousands of mourners filed past her flower-bedecked casket as she lay in repose at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Cites Benghazi and email server scandal in her rant against the Democratic frontrunner

Declares to her friends she would never vote for Clinton because she's a 'f***ing liar' and a 'political hack'

Jenner says in the new clip she is not a fan of The Donald because of his 'macho attitude' but believes he

Caitlyn Jenner is convinced that if elected president, Donald Trump would be good for women's issues.

The 66-year-old transgender reality star has only recently voiced her support for Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, but in a preview of Sundays episode of her show I Am Cait, Jenner says she would vote for Trump without a moments hesitation if he is pitted against Hillary Clinton in the general election.

In the clip from the upcoming episode of Jenner's E! show, the former Olympian is seen talking politics with a group of friends on board a party bus.

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Trumped up: Transgender reality star Caitlyn Jenner (left) believes if elected, Donald Trump (right) would be 'very good for women's issues, even though he has a 'macho attitude'

Not budging: In an on-camera aside, Jenner says that her conservative political views have not changed since her transition

When asked by one of her companions what she thinks of the controversial GOP frontrunner, Jenner replies that she is 'not a big fan because of his macho attitude.

'I think he would have a hard time with women when he doesn't even realize it,' she explains, 'and it doesn't mean he wouldn't be good for women's issues, I think he would be very good for women's issues.'

Jenner's pronouncement is greeted with stunned silence and bewildered looks from her friends, one of whom, Jenny Boylan, mutters, 'Kill me now.'

Jenner then goes on to say, 'I don't think he's out there to destroy women or takes things away or do any of that kind of stuff.'

In an on-camera aside, Jenner confirms that her conservative political views have not changed since her transition.

'Just because I'm a woman now doesnt make me all of a sudden liberal,' she sums up.

Jenner has previously criticized Hillary Clinton as a selfish politician who does not care about women, and on Sundays episode of I Am Cait, she doubles down on her views concerning the Democratic frontrunner.

Not mincing words: Jenner (left), 66, says in a preview of Sunday's episode of her show I Am Cait that Hillary Clinton (right) is a 'f***ing liar' and a 'political hack'

I would never ever ever vote for Hillary, Jenner declares. We're done, if Hillary becomes President, the country is over.

Her remarks spark a furious shouting match on the bus, with her companions defending the presumptive Democratic nominee as 'an amazing woman' who has accomplished a lot over the course of her career.

But the staunchly conservative Jenner would hear none of it, calling Clinton 'a lousy senator' and 'a 'f***ing liar.'

In her angry tirade against the former first lady, Jenner brings up the deadly attacks in Benghazi and the email scandal, labeling Clinton 'a political hack'.

Last week, Jenner offered her services to Ted Cruz's presidential campaign to become his adviser on trans issues.

She said the Canadian-born Texan senator was 'one of the worst ones when it came to trans issues'.

Unlikely supporter: Last week, Jenner offered her services to Ted Cruz's (pictured) presidential campaign to become his adviser on trans issues

She told The Advocate magazine that she had met with Cruz before her transition, claiming he was 'very nice'.

According to Jenner: 'I like Ted Cruz. I think he's very conservative and a great constitutionalist and a very articulate man.'

She hasn't officially endorsed Cruz but said it would be 'great' if he became president.
When a man who was waiting in the checkout line at a grocery store realized he had forgotten his wallet, a 39-year-old woman didn't hesitate to foot the $7 bill.

Weeks later, Tracy Warshal, a coordinator at Piedmont Cancer Institute from Smyrna, Georgia, was shocked to discover the man had returned the favor by making a $10,000 charity donation in her name.

The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, tracked Warshal down using just her first name and workplace, which happened to be written on the T-shirt she was wearing at the time.

Tracy Warshal, 39, an employee at Piedmont Healthcare, stepped in and paid for a man's groceries after he forgot his wallet. Weeks later, he returned the favor and made a $10,000 donation in her name

Warshal said she noticed the man behind her at Aldi supermarket shuffling around looking for his wallet when he realized he had forgotten it.

She said he only had a few pieces of fruit, so she offered to cover the costs 'in the hopes that someone would do the same thing for [her] loved ones if they were ever in a similar situation'.

When he asked for her name, she simply introduced herself as Tracy, and walked away, wishing him a Merry Christmas.

The man then contacted the philanthropy department at Piedmont, a healthcare provider serving the great Atlanta area, and made the generous donation in Warshal's name.

In a Facebook post on her employer's page, Warshal wrote about the unexpected effects of her small gesture of kindness.

She said: 'We often forget the little things in life that mean the most.

Working in cancer care, you are reminded that people are dealing with way bigger issues.

'What are the chancesof all the people I could have helped, that this would be how the favor was returned? One person really can make a difference.'

Mendal Bouknight, who helped the mystery man identify Warshal, said: 'Tracy is an angel and proof that kindness and compassion are always inside you.'

Warshal said she respected his anonymity, but would like the opportunity to thank him with a hug.

The man, who was previously a donor for the Piedmont Foundation, pledged his money towards the organization's Dana G. Smith Cancer Assistance Endowment.

The fund is named after Dana Smith who was first diagnosed with colon cancer at 24. She died nine years later when the cancer returned and spread throughout her body.

The endowment helps cancer patients cover treatments, medication and other necessities like transportation and parking.

Warshal (pictured) claimed her gesture of kindness was 'instinctual', and wrote: 'I paid for the groceries in the hopes that someone would do the same thing for my loved ones if they were ever in a similar situation'
Police in Arizona have released surveillance footage showing the moment a young boy is mowed down by a car in a hit-and-run, in the hopes the video will help them track down the driver.

The incident occurred last week in a residential street in Tempe, just outside Phoenix.

The boy, identified only as Zion, was skateboarding with a friend, who was riding, and was crossing the street when it skated into the path of the dark-colored Chevrolet, which appeared to be speeding.

The child is knocked down to the ground and the car briefly stops just ahead, before taking off.

Struck down: This is the moment the boy, Zion, is hit by the car and knocked to the ground. The driver fled

Crash: The boy, identified only as Zion, was skateboarding with a friend, who was riding, and was crossing the street when it skated into the path of the dark-colored Chevrolet, which appeared to be speeding

Scene: Zion was hit hard and flew to the ground. He suffered a broken foot and cuts to his arms and legs

Police are now trying to find the driver, who is believed to have had a passenger.

A partial ID of the driver suggests it was a young female.

Zion's mother, Jamie Campbell, is just as determined as the cops to find justice for her son.

'I'm very irate. I'm very disturbed.. angry.. frustrated with everything,' she told KTLA 5 News.

'He has injuries.. he's gonna have to live with this for the rest of his life.'

'You can see in the video ... the people in the vehicle know they hit somebody because they hit their brake lights. And then they take off,' said Lt. Michael Pooley with the Tempe Police Department.

'He's gonna have to live with this for the rest of his life': Zion's mother, Jamie Campbell (pictured together) wants the driver brought to justice

Injuries: Zion broke his foot and suffered cuts to his arms (left) and legs (right). Police are trying to find the driver

Zion escaped suffered a broken foot and scratches to his legs and arms.

Police have appealed for help in finding the driver.

The driver was described as a white or Hispanic woman in her 20s .
Boots has become the latest High Street retailer to ban sweets from its checkouts as pressure is now piled on chains to ban junk food from tills.

The retailer has promised to reduce the visibility of chocolate and sweets by April this year after pressure from campaigners claiming the 'guilt isles' fuel obesity.

It is the latest chain to impose the ban, following supermarkets such as Tesco, the country's largest retailer, Lidl, Aldi, and a pledge form Morrisons.

Boots has become the latest massive retailer to ban sweets from its checkouts as pressure is now piled on non-food based chains to ban junk-food from tills

A spokesman for Boots said: 'At Boots we know we have a vital role in supporting our customers to make healthy choices, and we recognise the huge challenge that a busy lifestyle presents for them.

'We have already begun reducing the visibility of chocolate and sweets throughout our stores, including at tills, and our intention is to have our tills free of all chocolate and sweets by mid-April,'

The issue for food retailers have reached a tipping point and they know which way public opinion and hopefully the government are going on this Malcolm Clark, campaigner for Sustain

Tesco announced the decision to ban sweets from tills in 2014, but campaigners say companies which don't sell food are equally as guilty of tempting shoppers with unhealthy snacks at tills.

Campaigners at Sustain, which co-ordinates the Junk Free Checkouts campaign, say Boots is the first of these to bow to public pressure.

However, with the tide of public opinion turning, co-ordinator Malcom Clark claims government legislation is now needed to impose a nationwide ban.

He said: 'The issue for food retailers have reached a tipping point and they know which way public opinion and hopefully the government are going on this.

'But with non-food retailers, the question now is why these products are even there in the first place, at stores like Boots, Superdrug, and clothes stores such as Topshop.

'Today's decision is very positive but it has taken twenty years of campaigning to get to this point and what we need now is a real government strategy.'

The Department of Health announced in February that the childhood obesity strategy, due to put in place a series of measures to tackle the problem, would be delayed until the summer.

The government insisted there is still more work to do despite suggestions that Prime Minister David Cameron may have delayed publication as he is so busy with the EU referendum.

Malcom Clark (pictured) from Sustain says government legislation is now needed to impose a nationwide ban

The strategy had been eagerly awaited by campaigners and health charities, many of whom campaigned for a tax to be introduced on sugary drinks.

Others want to see an end to buy-one-get-one-free promotions and a ban on junk food advertising before the watershed.

Jamie Oliver has been one of the most prominent campaigners and has discussed the issue of sugar and its impact on childhood obesity with government advisers.

Alison Cox, Cancer Research UK's director of prevention, said: 'David Cameron has called children's obesity a crisis and yet the Government has failed the next generation by stalling on one of its own health priorities.

'While the Government delays, more children will become obese. Our survey shows people want the Government to act to fight children's obesity - eight out of 10 think it's a problem.

Mr Clark said that retailers started banning sweets from tills after trialling the policy, which proved popular with customers, and the trend is now being led by consumers.

He added: 'People are sick and tired of these nudges, particularly with these stores having nothing to do with food, and people are saying why cant you do a little bit to help us say not to our children and to ourselves.'

Boots added: 'Every week our colleagues provide care and advice to millions of customers and patients, and help them get the information, products, services and support they need to make the best choices they can.

'Specifically on nutrition, we have already introduced even more options for healthier snacking in our stores, whilst still giving our customers the wide range of products they tell us they want.'

Tesco removed chocolates from checkouts of large stores 20 years ago but has agreed to extend the ban to Metro and Express stores in 2014

Tesco removed confectionery from the checkouts at its large stores 20 years ago, but it pledged to extend the policy to its 1,800 smaller Express and Metro outlets in 2014.

It piled pressure on other companies to to the same due to claims from campaigners that sugar is the 'new tobacco' because of the damage over-consumption can cause to weight and health.

Lidl announced it was removing junk food from checkouts in January, 2014, however the move by Tesco was seen as particularly significant because it is the UK's biggest retailer.

Tesco said its own research found two thirds of shoppers  65per cent - said removing confectionery from checkouts would help them make healthier choices.

Aldi followed suit in August 2014 and last year, Britain's fourth largest supermarket Morrisons and Marks and Spencer promised to phase out the treats between September and February this year.
He tried to import and supply 400kilos of cocaine

David McDermott, 42, was held in Accra, the capital of Ghana during a joint operation involving officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Ghanaian Bureau of National Investigation

One of Britain's most wanted fugitives has been arrested in Africa in connection with a plot to import 71 million worth of cocaine into Britain.

David McDermott, 42, was held in Accra, the capital of Ghana during a joint operation involving officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Ghanaian Bureau of National Investigation.

The fugitive, who is from Ormskirk, West Lancashire, is on the NCA's list of 10 of Britain's 'most wanted' fugitives, suspected of being a member of a Liverpool-based organised crime gang.

He is accused of being involved in a conspiracy to import and supply 400 kilos of cocaine which was seized from a container of frozen Argentinian beef in May 2013 at Tilbury Docks.

He is also wanted for conspiracy to blackmail.

Officers detained McDermott at a house in the Burma Hills area of Accra, and extradition proceedings are due to begin next week.

McDermott's arrest means 76 out of 86 fugitives hunted by Operation Captura which targets suspects on the run list have now been caught.

'McDermott was the last man outstanding in a plot to smuggle a huge quantity of cocaine which would have ended up on the streets of Merseyside,' Dave Allen, Head of the NCA's International Crime Bureau, said:

'He will now be returned to the UK to stand trial.'

Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC, the founder and Chair of Crimestoppers, said: 'With the tenth anniversary of Operation Captura on the horizon I still find it immensely encouraging that arrests continue to be made far and wide.

'While those featured as part of the campaign are suspected of being in Spain, the fact McDermott was picked up in Ghana is yet again evidence that no matter where fugitives are they will be found.'

The NCA investigation into the importation and supply of the cocaine found at Tilbury Docks has already resulted in six people being sentenced to a total of 64 years. McDermott was the last man wanted in the plot.

Not knowing the cocaine had been seized, McDermott was observed by NCA officers meeting with other members of the crime group.

They allegedly discussed the use of violence against anyone who had information. He is described as 5ft, 11 ins tall and has a two-inch scar on his wrist.

The National Crime Agency operation was launched after 16 holdalls full of high-quality cocaine, with a street value of 71 million, were intercepted by Border Force officers at Tilbury.
DNA of at least 45 terror suspects will have to be destroyed

DNA of at least 45 terror suspects will have to be destroyed after police forces failed to complete paperwork in time for legal deadlines.

A report by the Commissioner for the Retention and Use of Biometric Material, Alastair MacGregor QC, revealed the error and also announced that the UK now holds DNA and fingerprints of 7,800 terror suspects - which is more than double the number projected in September last year.

The samples are from those who have been arrested by police but never charged.

The commissioner said authorities missed deadlines due to 'handling and other delays'.

By law suspects who have not had charges brought against them should have their details deleted or destroyed within six months, but police can apply for them to be kept forever under a National Security Declaration (NSD) - as they can be renewed every two years from then on.

Mr MacGregor states in the report: 'I understand that by October 31 2015 handling and other delays had led to a situation in which the statutory retention periods in respect of the biometric records of at least some 450 individuals had expired before NSDs could be or had been made in relation to them,' said Mr MacGregor in his annual report.

'Although it seems unlikely that NSDs would have been applied for and made in relation to more than a small proportion of those records, I also understand that in about 10 per cent of those cases it is possible that NSDs would have been applied for.

'Indeed, in at least three of those cases such applications had in fact been made and approved.'

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In September 2015, the Director General of MI5 Andrew Parker, said police and security forces in the UK were monitoring 3,000 homegrown jihadists.

The group of men and women, mainly in their teens, have been radicalised and are willing to launch a terror attack in the UK, sources said.

Hundreds may also have trained in Syria as ISIS fighters before returning to Britain.

In September 2015, the Director General of MI5 Andrew Parker (pictured), said police and security forces in the UK were monitoring 3,000 homegrown jihadists

Andrew Parker said the six plots foiled at home in the past couple of years is the highest number I can recall in my 32-year career, certainly the highest number since 9/11.

His agency has also helped to foil a further nine plots overseas while the Government is said to have a 'kill list' of British jihadis in Syria they want to assassinate.
A great-grandmother from Washington DC owes her life to a heroic local firefighter who took off his own oxygen mask and handed it to her during a dramatic fire rescue.

Phyllis Terrell, 65, told authorities she was preparing to jump from her burning southeast Washington apartment Wednesday afternoon when firefighter Danny Lovato, an 11-year veteran, grabbed a ladder and threw it against the wall to reach her.

The fire broke out at around 4pm inside a utility room on the third floor of 1715 Minnesota Avenue and quickly spread throughout the building.

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Dramatic rescue: DC firefighter Danny Lovato, 39, is seen standing on a ladder in a cloud of smoke while responding to an apartment fire on Minnesota Avenue Wednesday

Selfless act: Lovato removed his breathing mask and handed it to an elderly woman who was trapped inside her third-story unit and was preparing to jump

Her hero: Phyllis Terrell, 65 (left) and her family credit her survival to Lovato's heroic act. Both the woman and the veteran rescuer (right) suffered smoke inhalation but were expected to recover

Police officers who were in the area were able to evacuate the lower floors, but Phyllis Terrell and about a dozen or so other residents found themselves trapped in their apartments, which rapidly became engulfed in thick, noxious smoke, reported the station WJLA.

By the time Fire Truck No 7 pulled up in front of the burning building, Ms Terrell was hanging out her window, ready to take a plunge that most likely would have killed her.

That is when Danny Lovato reached her, just in time to stop the desperate woman from jumping.

Still photographs and videos captured the moment Lovato, 39, selflessly removed his breathing mask in a cloud of black toxic smoke and shared air from his tank with Terrell until other firefighters could get to her from the inside and bring her to safety.

Both were being treated for smoke inhalation at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. Terrell was listed in serious condition Thursday, while Lovato was listed in fair condition.

The married father of a six-year-old had his throat burned by overheated air, reported WUSA9, but he has since regained his ability to speak and had the breathing tube removed.

Emergency: The fire broke out at around 4pm inside a utility room on the third floor of 1715 Minnesota Avenue and quickly spread throughout the building

Police officers who were in the area were able to evacuate the lower floors, but Phyllis Terrell and about a dozen other residents found themselves trapped

Firefighters union president Ed Smith told The Washington Post, He took a beating to protect that woman.

Phyllis Terrells granddaughter, Tyricka Terrell, says her grandmother is recovering and looking forward to meeting her hero.
It will raise money for mothers and children at risk in reflection of her work as a children's

The husband of an American tourist murdered on the first day of her Caribbean vacation is to set up a foundation in her memory.

Brian Melito hopes to raise $30,000 so that he can help children and mothers at risk and continue the work of his wife Jessica Colker.

The 39-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia, was killed in January as she went for a stroll along a deserted beach on the island of Grenada.

She was held hostage by her alleged killer before being battered and strangled. A post mortem examination also found that she had been raped.

A convicted rapist David Benjamin has been charged with her murder.

Friends and family of Colker gathered in her hometown of Atlanta last weekend to remember her life at a memorial service.

Her close friend Sara Greene has started a crowd funding site to raise the $30,000 for a foundation in Colker's memory.

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Tribute: Brian Melito is backing a fund in memory of his wife Jessica Colker, who was murdered as they began a vacation in Grenada

Horror: The couple went for a walk on this beach close to their hotel. They were confronted by a man who held her while demanding Melito return to get money.

Her 62-year-old husband has given his full backing to the fund-raising drive.

Greene wrote on the You Caring page: 'Thank you all for your continuing inquiries about how to help Jess's husband and family during this extremely difficult time.

'Jessica was a kind person who spent her days supporting children during difficult surgeries and dreamed of making a bigger, targeted impact of good in the world. She was intelligent, peaceful, and generous.

'To best honor her memory, Brian and her family would like to establish international work in her name, with the goal of assisting infants, small children, and mothers at risk.

'Brian is working to preserve Jess's estate in order to create a foundation to do this work.

'Brian is generally uncomfortable with asking for donations that seem personal. In this case, though, since any contributions would help further Jess's work, he has agreed that this is a good idea and would be very grateful for any participation.'

So far $1,450 has been raised towards a $30,000 goal. Colker worked as a children's anesthesiologist with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

According to friends Melito has become a virtual recluse since returning from Grenada following his wife's brutal murder.

When approached by Daily Mail Online at his home in Atlanta to talk about the foundation he answered in the third person, saying: 'Brian has nothing to say.'

Neighbors said they hardly ever see Melito, a holistic doctor, leave his Atlanta home.

'I can't imagine what he is going through,' said one neighbor.

'The pain he must be suffering is unimaginable. He used to be very chatty but we hardly see him anymore.'

A family friend added: 'Brian is understandably very subdued. He is devastated and not the same person he was.'

While Melito lives in Atlanta he travels once a month to practice at the Surgical Institute of Reading in Spring Township in Pennsylvania.

Melito and Colker had been married for just over a year when they embarked on their Caribbean holiday to Grenada.

They had wed in November 2014 after meeting at a dance workshop in Costa Rica.

The couple had been on the island less than 24 hours when they took a morning stroll along the crescent shaped Le Cheasere beach.

According to witnesses the alleged killer has previously been seen on the beach panhandling other tourists for cash.

Police sources said Benjamin forced the couple to a more secluded part of the beach where he demanded cash.

Melito had to make a frantic 15 minute dash back to the hotel to raise the alarm.

By the time police reached the secluded area Colker was dead.

A post mortem examination revealed she had died from an extensive skull fracture and asphyxia.

Other guests at the La Sagessee beachfront hotel said Melito could be heard wailing with grief when police told him his wife was dead.

'We heard this horrible shouting and crying from the hotel...It was a man's voice but it was a sort of terrible animal-like wailing and sobbing.' one guest said.

Charged: David Benjamin faces life in prison if found guilty of the murder. A post-morterm examination found that

Scene of crime: By the time police reached the wood ed area behind the beach, they found Colker's body there. It was too late to save her

US Consulate officials on the island comforted Mr Melito while arranging accommodation for him while he waited for his wife's body to be released.

Melito remained in Grenada for over a week after his wife's murder to give evidence at a preliminary hearing before a magistrate as part of the legal process before a trial.

Despite the ordeal of having to relive the events Melito has told police he will return for the full trial.

That is likely to be months away as the court hearings can take up to a year in Grenada.

The alleged killer, who lived in the small village of Coals Gap on the west of the island, was arrested the day after the murder.

A police source in Grenada said Melito would be in the courtroom when his wife's alleged killer, 27 year old Benjamin goes on trial.

'Mr Melito has given extensive evidence in a preliminary hearing but has indicated he will come back for the full trial,' said a police source.

'He is of course the prime witness but has made it clear although his statement can be used he will want to appear.'

Benjamin has been charged with capital murder. Even though the death penalty is still on the law books on the island he will not face execution.

Instead, Benjamin would get life imprisonment if found guilty. Authorities in Grenada are anxious to see Benjamin put on trial - and secure a conviction.

Colker's murder stunned residents in Grenada as it is considered one of the safest Caribbean islands with relatively low crime rates.

The former British dependency relies heavily on tourism from US visitors as well as tens of thousands of day trippers who disembark from cruise ships that call into the port of St George.

Sensitive to the negative effect the murder could have on tourism the island's police chief Sir Winston James held a press conference to reassure visitors that they were safe.

It emerged that Benjamin, who used the street name of 'Giant' had been convicted in 2013 of the rape of a 14-year-old girl.
Police have yet to reveal a motive for the killing, but have served search warrants on Chen and Edwards' car, and Chen's apartment

Bodies of both men were found inside a meeting room with a Glock 9mm

Chen is believed to have shot Edwards, who was his immediate supervisor

Qing Chen, 37, from Seymour, Indiana, is suspected of shooting his boss, Ward R Edwards, 49, dead at a Cummins engine plant yesterday

This is the disgruntled employee who shot his manager dead in an apparent murder-suicide at an engine plant in Indiana Thursday morning.

Suspected shooter Qing Chen, 37, from Seymour, was named by police today alongside victim Ward R Edwards, 49, who was Chen's supervisor.

The two men were found dead inside a private meeting room on the second floor of the Cummins engine plant in Seymour.

Employees reported hearing between two and four shots fired at around 8.30am before the building was evacuated and police were called.

Officers found both of the men dead inside the room alongside a Glock 9mm pistol. Nobody else was injured in the shooting.

Police have yet to reveal a motive for the killing, though the fact that the men were found inside a meeting room and the fact that Edwards was Chen's boss points to a work-related dispute.

Chen is listed on social media as being an engineer at Cummins.

Seymour police said in a statement: 'The background investigation will be continuing with the full cooperation of Cummins and their employees.

'We want to thank all of the Cummins employees for their assistance in this case, as well as several law enforcement agencies.'

A search warrant has been executed on both Chen and Edwards' vehicles, and Chen's apartment in Seymour, police revealed.

A spokesman for Cummins said: 'With sadness, we confirm there was a shooting at the Cummins Seymour Technical Center this morning.

Police were called to the Indiana factory at around 8.30am to reports of a shooting before finding Chen and Edwards dead in a meeting room along with a Glock 9mm pistol

Investigators have not yet revealed a motive for the killing, but say that Edwards was Chen's immediate supervisor (pictured, armed officers at the factory yesterday)

'Authorities confirm there are two fatalities, both Cummins employees, and the all-clear for the facility has been given.

'We are working to support employees and their families at this time. We will provide further information as soon as it's available.'

Indiana governor Mike Pence traveled to Seymour to speak with police and employees at the factory as they were left in shock at the killing.

Mayor Craig Luedeman added: 'Obviously, it's a tragedy and something you never want to see happen in your community.

'Our hearts and prayers go out to the families and all the people who work there. It makes you want to hug your loved ones a little tighter when you get home from work.'

The shooting sparked a lockdown at the factory and nearby schools as armed police were seen entering the factory before escorting workers out of the plant.

Some had barricaded themselves inside offices after hearing gunfire. The factory, which was surrounded by police cars and ambulances, was secure by 9.30am.

The factory was placed on lockdown for an hour after armed officers arrived (pictured), along with nearby school but the cordon was lifted an hour later

Staff described hearing between two and four gunshots come from the meeting room, while others said they thought they were taking part in a fire drill until they heard about the killing later

Around 500 workers were laid off late last year in Indiana, but it is not known if this is linked to the shooting.

Cummins also announced in October that it would cut 2,000 employees, around 4 per cent of its total workforce, worldwide after a recent drop in sales.

The Cummins plant has several hundred employees. Several workers gathered outside on Thursday thinking a fire drill was taking place.

'I heard screams,' worker Andrew Berrones told the Indianapolis Star. 'Someone told us to get out.'
A married couple who ran a dole scam which involved flying hundreds of Bangladeshi migrants into Britain for a day to claim 1.6million in handouts are facing jail.

Chowdhury Muyeed, 51, and Asma Khanam, 47, both from Ilford, Essex, set up the companies Families for Survival UK and Age Shelter UK Ltd to pay wages to Italian passport-holders.

Migrants based in Italy were supplied with sham addresses and flown into the UK through Stansted to attend Job Centre interviews, before getting their hands on National Insurance numbers.

One of those addresses, on Mile End Road in east London, was so busy that migrants spilled out onto the street in front of an Italian restaurant below.

Chowdhury Muyeed (left), 51, and Asma Khanam (right), 47, both from Ilford, Essex, set up the bogus companies Families for Survival UK and Age Shelter UK Ltd to pay wages to Italian passport-holders

Their jobs allowed them to claim housing benefit - 578,000 from the London Borough of Redbridge and more than 600,000 from Tower Hamlets.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was also stung for over 420,000.

Accomplice Habibur Rahman, 36, from Mile End, was also in court, for using his businesses, including Haiba Laiba Ltd and Crystal Jobs Ltd, to run a similar con.

A jury of four men and eight women took nine hours to reach majority verdicts in respect of each of the three defendants.

They found Muyeed, an accountant, guilty of conspiring to dishonestly produce false statements of information while Khanam and Rahman were found guilty of furnishing documents of information.

Judge Nigel Peters, QC, said: 'Khanam has been convicted of being involved with her husband in a housing benefit fraud on a huge scale.

'They have been convicted of serious offences and, in the male defendants' cases, they both face substantial sentences of imprisonment.'

Prosecutor Mark Himsworth had told jurors: 'In about July of 2014, housing benefit administrators at the London Borough of Redbridge became suspicious when they noticed that large numbers of claims, which were both well-prepared and well-evidenced and had unusual similarities, began to be received.'

'Operation Rhino' ensued and after trawling through benefits records it emerged that 139 claimants out of the initial 300 deemed suspicious had shared common addresses and workplaces.

Investigation: The probe by police, council and Government investigators prompted a raid on one flat (pictured) above a restaurant in Bow, east London, used as an address by 400 claimants

The applicants also shared the same Bangladeshi ethnicity and Italian nationality allowing them to legitimately work in the UK and claim benefits.

The three crooks operated a system of 'circular payments' where sums would be transferred to the dummy organisations before being paid back as 'wages'.

Khanam has been convicted of being involved with her husband in a housing benefit fraud on a huge scale Judge Nigel Peters, QC

The sophisticated ruse typically documented 24 hours' work per week at the minimum wage which both entitled the migrants to benefits and ensured the tax office were unaware of the con.

Muyeed told the jury he had created 'dummy pay slips' in the past but insisted this was only done for 'training purposes'.

He also confessed to having advised clients what benefits are available to European Economic Area migrants and was later presented with documents found by DWP investigators during a search of offices at 501 Olympic House, Ilford.

These including registration papers of the bogus organisations which named former colleagues as directors or trustees - while they remained oblivious to their existence.

When confronted with the signatures of Chantell Witten and Lina Gyllensten, Muyeed bizarrely claimed to have been introduced to strangers with the same name years later.

Flying into Britain: The Italy-based migrants arrived at London Stansted Airport (file picture) before going to interviews at the Job centre and getting National Insurance numbers for use on bogus pay slips

'It is not an invention - do you think your name is the only one in this world?' he replied.

'Even Muyeed. I found five Muyeeds in Bangladesh.'

Claiming the scam went on behind his back, Muyeed denied thinking he could 'pull the wool over the jury's eyes' by designing 'a system that was sophisticated enough to avoid detection'.

Muyeed and Khanam denied alternate counts of conspiracy to produce or furnish documents of information and dishonestly. Rahman denied the same allegations.

Muyeed was convicted of his part in the conspiracy whereas Khanam and Rahman were found guilty of the substantive offence of producing or furnishing documents of information.
Britain is afraid of deporting foreign criminals because of its 'obsession' with not wanting to upset the EU, a Tory MP claimed today

Britain is afraid of deporting foreign criminals because of its 'obsession' with not wanting to upset the EU, a Tory MP claimed today.

Plans for new laws to send foreign nationals convicted of a crime straight back to serve their sentence in their home country were set out by backbench Tories in the House of Commons today.

Philip Hollobone, Conservative MP for Kettering, said it was 'completely wrong' that UK taxpayers were being forced to pay for foreign offenders to serve their time in prison.

His Foreign National Offenders (Exclusion from the UK) Bill also calls for foreign criminals to be banned from ever returning to Britain.

The right-wing MP revealed that House of Commons clerks had prevented him from naming the proposed legislation the 'Send Them All Back' Bill.

Explaining why he believed the Government was prevented from deporting more foreign offenders at present, Mr Hollobone told MPs: 'I think it is probably a combination of political correctness, government incompetence, human rights legislation and an obsession for not upsetting our friends in the European Union.'

He told the House that the UK's prison population currently stands at about 85,000 people and approximately 75,000 of those are British nationals.

That leaves about 10,000 foreign nationals - roughly 12% of the total, with about 160 nationalities represented.

And of those 10,000 people, approximately 47% are from Europe.

He said even foreign nationals convicted less serious offences such as shoplifting should be deported, insisting: 'Go and do it in your own country'.

'Shoplifting should be taken extremely seriously and the less criminal behaviour is nipped in the bud, it tends to get worse,' he said.

'And if you are a foreign national in this country and you think it's acceptable to shoplift, frankly I think most of my constituents would say that is not acceptable, go and do it in your own country.'

Plans for new laws to send foreign nationals convicted of a crime straight back to serve their sentence in their home country were set out by backbench Tories in the House of Commons today

Tory MP Philip Davies said that the cost of foreign nationals in UK prisons had been calculated by the National Audit Office at close to 1 billion a year.

Mr Hollobone said the numbers make the case for the UK to leave the European Union.

He said: 'I think we can say without fear of contradiction from this chamber today that if we remain a member of the European Union it is not absurd to say that crime will be higher and that we will have more criminals in our country.

'Because under the rules of free movement we are not able to stop EU criminals from coming into this country and we are not able to deport back to EU countries those who have been convicted and imprisoned of serious offences.'

Philip Hollobone (pictured) Conservative MP for Kettering, said it was 'completely wrong' that UK taxpayers were being forced to pay for foreign offenders to serve their time in prison

He added: 'By being a member of the European Union we are importing crime into this country.'

A number of Tory MPs also suggested that the situation with foreign offenders shows that the UK needs to scrap the Human Rights Act.

Sir Edward Leigh, the Tory MP for Gainsborough, said: 'One of the difficulties we face with this is that under Article 8 of the Human Rights Act you're not allowed to deport people to so-called unsafe counties.

'But if 40% of these people come from Europe by definition they do not reside in unsafe countries and therefore we need a Bill like this so that they can all be sent back immediately to France, Italy, Germany or wherever.'

Mr Hollobone agreed, but said that even some countries in Europe are deemed to be unsafe places to return to.

He said: 'We need to get rid of the Human Rights Act and replace it with a Magna Carta-like domestic Bill of Rights which we can all understand and which implements justice in a way that the British people would like to see it implemented.'

However Home Office minister Karen Bradley said the Government did not support the Bill and insisted the EU was essential to have 'free movement of criminal information' to help stop and deport foreign offenders.

'I am absolutely clear that it is European Union co-operation and discussions and working with our European Union counterparts that enables us to effectively deport foreign national offenders,' she said.

'It is having that information sharing through the Schengen information system too, the ECRIS (European Criminal Records Information) system, and work we are doing for example through SOMEC (Serious Offending by Mobile European Criminals), which is something the UK has initiated working with European Union member states to share information.

'Because we have talked about free movement and I agree, free movement is not an unconditional right, and I want to have free movement of criminal information before any criminal gets to our shores so we know who they are and we can stop them from causing trouble and committing crimes on our shores.'
Surrey police and crime commissioner Kevin Hurley posted a rant online saying he wanted to 'batter and break the legs' of a 68-year-old man who stabbed his neighbour

A police chief said yesterday he wanted to 'break the legs' of a knifeman who is about to be released from prison just months after stabbing his neighbour.

Kevin Hurley said he was driven to despair after meeting the victims, who are living in fear because the attacker will be back on the streets within months.

The outspoken Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner said they have been let down by the criminal justice system after the attacker was jailed for only 18 months.

Writing on his website, the former Metropolitan Police officer said the trauma they have endured made him feel like he wanted to give up on his career in policing.

'After years of this I was angry, this criminal has destroyed the confidence of a family. I wanted to go and see the stabber and batter him,' he wrote.

'I wanted to break his legs. I was sick of years of listening to misery and seeing criminals avoid the severe sentences they deserve.'

Mr Hurley did not identify the victims on his website, but the attack took place in Tatsfield, on the Surrey-Kent border.

Robin Reeves, 43, suffered serious injuries, including a punctured lung, when he was stabbed twice outside his 385,000 four-bedroom bungalow. His neighbour, Raymond Phillips, 68, confronted him with a knife in a row over noise from his workshop at 6am.

Guildford Crown Court heard there had been friction between the two men since Mr Reeves started renovating his property in January 2014.

Judge Christopher Critchlow said Mr Reeves thought he would die in front of his children as he staggered back to his home.

Phillips, who was arrested for attempted murder, was eventually convicted of unlawful wounding. He was jailed for 18 months last December.

The pensioner will serve only half his sentence and may be released even earlier if he spent time on a curfew before he was found guilty.

Hearing the tales of victims is upsetting; their pain, their frustrations, their fear and their disappointment at our Criminal Justice System Surrey police and crime commissioner Kevin Hurley

Mr Hurley was moved to make his public comments after apparently meeting Mr Reeves and his wife Nicola, 44, to discuss their concerns.

He wrote: 'I sometimes think after 34 years involved in policing I've had enough. You see, hearing the tales of victims is upsetting; their pain, their frustrations, their fear and their disappointment at our Criminal Justice System, well it's wearing and painful.'

In the post he also refers to standing for re-election for crime commissioner in May.

It is not the first time Mr Hurley, who describes himself as 'an ex-cop and soldier keeping politics out of policing', has courted controversy.

Last month he was at the centre of storm for attacking his former Chief Constable Lynne Owens after she moved to head the National Crime Agency. Documents revealed he wrote a ten-page letter in which he told her blaming others for 'a litany of failures' was an 'example of moral cowardice'.

Mr Hurley has also said police marksmen are 'pathetically ill-equipped' and many forces may have neither the firepower nor staff to combat a similar attack to Paris.

The attack happened in the village of Tatsfield, on the Surrey-Kent border. The man who was stabbed by his neighbour said afterwards that he was afraid he was about to die in front of his children

THE IMPASSIONED OUTBURST IN FULL 'I sometimes think after 34 years involved in policing Ive had enough. You see, hearing the tales of victims is upsetting; their pain, their frustrations, their fear and their disappointment at our Criminal Justice System, well its wearing and painful. I get to a stage where I think I dont need this any more; its not my problem, Ive had enough. Im getting too old. 'This morning I went and saw a couple of Surrey residents who were upset with the judges, CPS, Police. The husband had been stabbed in the lung by a violent neighbour and the wife and mother was terrified that the criminal comes out of prison soon. He only got a short sentence. She was scared for her children whod seen their dad near bleeding to death. 'After years of this I was angry, this criminal has destroyed the confidence of a family. I wanted to go and see the stabber and batter him. I wanted to break his legs. I was sick of years of listening to misery and seeing criminals avoid the severe sentences they deserve. Its not the fault of the judges btw [by the way] they are constrained by Govt [government] sentencing rules. There are not enough prisons. 'I thought I cant do another term as PCC. Let someone else carry the problem. 'Then tonight, in preparation for a big conference on domestic violence, I met with a couple of women who work on behalf of victims. I saw their passion, the commitment in their eyes. They re-energised me after a day of frustration ... thank you ladies. 'I am going to win this election; not because I really want the job, but because I cannot allow incompetent know nothing party politicians to do it. Its too important for the victims and the safety of those I care about. 'I am Marmite, blunt and pushy. I am not a political idiot toying with ideas and concepts they know nothing about. Ive smelt the blood of victims and had it on my clothes. 'I will continue the fight.' Advertisement

A Whitehall source said: 'These comments, which come close to advocating violence, would be completely unacceptable from any public official, let alone a Police and Crime Commissioner. Kevin Hurley has been responsible for victims of crime in Surrey for nearly four years  he should be taking some responsibility for these horrific crimes rather than blaming others.'

Speaking last night, Mr Hurley said he stood by his comments but that he would never act on his feelings as this would be 'plainly illegal'.

He said: 'This was just so dreadful that I stated how I felt about the injustice. But of course breaking someone's legs is against the law so I would never do that.
, councilors promised better software to hunt down lawbreakers, harsher fines and warned investors to pull their money out

New York city officials have promised a crackdown on illegal Airbnb rentals in the city after bosses at the tech company refused to comply with the law.

Helen Rosenthal and Jumaane Williams, council members from Manhattan, also issued a sharply-worded letter warning investors such as Ashton Kutcher and Jeff Bezos to pull their money out.

However, company executive Chris Lehane accused the pair of 'theatrics' and said they should instead focus on common-sense regulation of the house-sharing sector, Mashable reports.

Helen Rosenthal and Jumaane Williams, councilors from Manhattan, have promised a crackdown on Airbnb renters in the city breaching old slum laws by renting apartments for fewer than 30 days at a time (file image)

Wednesday's spat is just the latest episode in the war between Airbnb and regulators in New York.

According to city legislation, originally brought in to combat slum landlords, properties cannot be rented out for less than 30 days unless the owner is present.

Affordable housing campaigners are bitterly opposed to the rise of Airbnb in New York, and accuse people of buying homes simply to rent them out as 'illegal hotels', driving house prices up.

The councilors said that when they asked Airbnb executive Chris Lehane to install software removing illegal rentals from his app, he refused to do so

Meanwhile Airbnb argues that most of its renters in New York are simply using the site as a way to boost income and afford to stay in their already unaffordable housing.

Rosenthal and Williams say they asked Lehane to install software on his app removing illegal listings from the site, which they estimated to encompass around half of the 35,000 in New York.

In a letter to Airbnb investors, they wrote: 'Remarkably, he refused, saying that he did not agree with the New York State law.

'As you can imagine, we were disappointed to learn that a nearly $30 billion company would knowingly allow illegal activity on its website.

'Other online platforms like Craigslist and Reddit have policies in which they promise to ensure their users obey the law and remove content that disobeys the law.

'It is remarkable that Airbnb would refuse a seemingly commonsense corporate practice to maintain the integrity of their product.'

The pair pointed out that officials recently allocated 'several million dollars' in order to fund IT software to scrape the names of illegal renters off Airbnb.

They also pledged more inspectors to fine illegal renters, and pointed to new legislation increasing fines on those who are caught.

The politicians promised better IT software to find illegal renters and harsher fines for those who are caught as affordable housing campaigners say Airbnb rentals are inflating New York house prices (file image)

The letter concludes: 'For our part, if we were invested in a company that knowingly engaged in so much illegal activity, we would think twice about keeping our money in that company.'

New York city is the largest metropolitan market for Airbnb, but it also lists properties in large cities in America and abroad including Arizona, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam and Catalonia.
Porn star Mary Carey is ending her more than six-and-a-half-year marriage and says the reason is because of intimacy issues.

Carey, a former California gubernatorial candidate, filed the paperwork for her divorce from husband Mario Monge last week, citing irreconcilable differences.

However, 35-year-old Carey told TMZ that the real issue was a lack of sex.

Porn star Mary Carey is ending her nearly seven-year marriage and says the reason is because of a lack of sex. Marey pictured above with husband Mario Monge during their wedding ceremony in 2009 in Las Vegas

Carey claims her electrician husband wanted her to be a housewife and to get rid of her porn name, instead going by her maiden name, Mary Ellen Cook.

But Carey admitted she did not want to drop her porn moniker.

The adult film actress is requesting spousal support in addition to the couple's 2003 Cadillac, 2004 Corvette and North Hollywood apartment.

The couple got married during a ceremony at a chapel in Las Vegas in July 2009 and they do not have any kids.

Carey, who also appeared in the VH1 reality show Celebrity Rehab with Dr Drew, said she is ready to 'meet people and have lots of sex,' according to TMZ.

Carey shot to international fame by running for California governor against eventual winner Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2003.

Carey (pictured in 2008) shot to international fame by running for California governor against eventual winner Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2003

Carey (pictured left and right with Monge) filed the paperwork for her divorce from husband Monge last week

She finished 10th among 135 candidates on the ballot in California as voters recalled Democrat Gray Davis and elected Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor.

She abandoned a second run for governor against Schwarzenegger to be with her ailing mother and said it was then that she turned to Xanax, taking three times the prescribed dose.

During taping of the show Celebrity Rehab with Dr Drew, Carey previously said that it was then that she kicked addictions to Xanax and alcohol.

Last June, reports claimed that Mwas going to make a possible run for mayor of Philadelphia.
In one recorded conversation, Podobnyy complained to Sporyshev that their work was nothing like 'movies about James Bond'

A Russian banker accused of being part of spy ring operating in New York City pleaded guilty Friday to a conspiracy charge and agreed to spend up to two-and-a-half years in prison.

Evgeny Buryakov, 41, pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to act as an agent of a foreign government without registering with the US government. The plea comes less than a month before he was set to face trial.

When Buryakov was arrested last year, prosecutors said he had teamed up with two Russian diplomats from 2012 through January 2015 to gather sensitive economic intelligence on potential US sanctions against Russian banks and on US efforts to develop alternative energy resources.

In this courtroom sketch, Evgeny Buryakov, center, and his attorneys Daniel Levin, left, and Scott Hershman attend a federal court hearing on Friday. Buryakov pleaded guilty to conspiracy in connection to a Cold War-style spry ring

They also said he purposely failed to register as a foreign agent to conceal his true role as a covert operative embedded at a Manhattan branch of Vnesheconombank, or VEB.

There was no mention of spies during the plea proceeding, but US Attorney Preet Bharara embraced the secretive nature of the alleged scheme in a statement.

An unregistered intelligence agent, under cover of being a legitimate banker, gathers intelligence on the streets of New York City, trading coded messages with Russian spies who send the clandestinely collected information back to Moscow. This sounds like a plotline for a Cold War-era movie, but in reality, Evgeny Buryakov pled guilty today to a federal crime for his role in just such a scheme, Bharara said.

Assistant Attorney General John Carlin added in the same release that foreign nations which attempt to illegally gather economic and other intelligence information through espionage pose a direct threat to US national security.

Tradecraft: The FBI used recorders hidden in binders to penetrate a Cold War-style spy ring operating in New York City, which included Buryakov (sketched in court in January 2015)

Earlier US government claims that Buryakov worked for the SVR, the foreign intelligence agency headquartered in Moscow, were not included in the charge Friday.

In papers filed in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, it emerged that the FBI eavesdropped on meetings between Buryakov and his alleged co-conspirators, Igor Sporyshev and Victor Podobnyy.

The FBI's snooping enabled the agency to penetrate the workplaces of the SVR and hear about Buryakov's work for it, prosecutors said.

They also captured one Russian agent, also charged in the case, complaining about the lack of excitement in his job, saying he expected it 'would be just slightly more down to earth than in the movies about James Bond.'

Buryakov has been behind bars and will remain so until sentencing, which was scheduled for May 25. Prosecutors and the defendant agreed as part of the deal that a 30-month sentence is appropriate.

Buryakov told US District Judge Richard Berman on Friday that he had agreed to let an official with Russia's Trade Mission in New York to direct him to take certain actions without having registered with the US attorney general's office as a Russian agent.

He said he spoke on the telephone in May 2013 with the official about information the official had requested.

Outside court afterward, defense attorney Scott Hershman declined to comment.

The defense previously had argued that laws exempted Buryakov from registering because he already was a visa-carrying official with a financial institution that is an arm of the Russian government.

Spy games: Buryakov, center, was accused of posing as a Russian banker to gather economic intelligence and recruit sources in New York City

Russian outpost: Buryakov, a 41-year-old married father-of-two, worked at Russian state-owned Vnesheconombank in Manhattan

The twists in the Buryakov case are reminiscent of plotlines from the popular FX show The Americans about a married couple who are Soviet spies operating in the US in the 1980s

The government said Buryakov had obtained a work visa by lying on paperwork and saying he wouldn't commit espionage.

The FBI began investigating Buryakov, Sporyshev and Podobnyy in 2010 after ten Russian spies living in the US, all members of a sleeper cell referred to as 'The Illegals' by the SVR, were arrested, including red-haired femme fatale Anna Chapman.

THE CHARGES AGAINST 'THE SPY 3' According to the charges in federal court in Manhattan: Buryakov worked for the SVR - the Russian foreign intelligence service under 'non-official cover', posing as a banker

He was handled by Sporyshev, a trade representative for Russia in New York, and Podobnyy, an attache to Russia's delegation to the UN

The handlers tried to recruit New York residents as intelligence sources, tasked Buyakov to gather intelligence before transmitting it back to Moscow

The SVR asked the three to gather intelligence on US sanctions against Russian banks and the US developing alternative energy resources

The three would communicate in brief phone calls with Buryakov saying he had a 'ticket', 'book', 'list' or 'umbrella' to hand over intelligence and arrange outdoor meetings to dodge surveillance

Sporyshev asked Buryakov to gather material so a Russian news agency could ask questions about American sanctions against the country Advertisement

When Buryakov was arrested and appeared before a federal judge prosecutors said: 'His life here is a deception.'

'Russian spies continue to seek to operate in our midst,' US Attorney Bharara warned after the arrests. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich countered by accusing US authorities of manufacturing a spy scandal as part of its 'anti-Russian campaign.'

Neither Sporyshev and Podobnyy were not arrested, as they enjoyed diplomatic immunity in their respective roles as a Russian trade representative and an attache to the country's mission to the United Nations.

According to prosecutors, in April 2012, Sporyshev met an undercover FBI employee posing as an analyst at a New York energy firm at an oil and gas industry conference.

Over the next two years, they met to discuss the industry and other economic and political issues, prosecutors said, with Sporyshev providing gifts and cash for information.

In 2013, the FBI employee began providing Sporyshev with the binders containing purported industry analysis he wrote, supporting documents, and 'covertly placed recording devices,' prosecutors wrote.

As the undercover employee said his company would fire him if it learned he disclosed confidential information, Sporyshev would promptly return the binders after reviewing them, prosecutors said.

The recordings that resulted captured statements of Sporyshev, Podobnyy, and other Russian intelligence personnel from January to May 2013, prosecutors said.

In one secretly recorded conversation, Podobnyy complained to Sporyshev that their work was nothing like 'movies about James Bond,' according to the papers.

Eavesdropping: An FBI agent posing as an analyst at an energy firm would slip rigged binders containing purported industry analysis he wrote to a suspect Russian agent, who was required to return the binders so as not to get his source in trouble with his employer

In 2010, the feds arrested ten Russian spies living in the US, including red-haired femme fatale Anna Chapman (pictured at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013)

'Of course, I wouldn't fly helicopters, but pretend to be someone else at a minimum,' he said.

Sporyshev griped that he too thought he 'at least would go abroad with a different passport.'

According to a criminal complaint, the three accused spies spoke to each other in code over the phone to set up their meetings and claimed they had an umbrella or a ticket for the others.

In person Buryakov would pass Sporyshev a bag, a magazine or a piece of paper with information hidden inside it.
Chanetta Powell was pregnant and due to give birth in May; the death of her child has been ruled a homicide

Siblings Jerry Shelton, 35; Brittany Powell, 27; and Chanetta Powell, 25; were shot dead at a cookout at Brittany's home

as they ran towards the house

Police say one of the gunmen fired a handgun from an alley while the other sprayed a fury of bullets at the group

On Thursday, investigators revealed more details on the shooting

Two gunmen remain at large after killing five people and an unborn baby at a cookout in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania late Wednesday

New details have been revealed about the ambush shooting of six people at a cookout in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Five people were killed, and an unborn baby boy, when two gunmen opened fired at a backyard barbecue in the borough of Wilkinsburg late Wednesday night.

The two gunmen remain at large and it's still unclear what motivated the attack.

On Thursday, investigators revealed that the two gunmen staked out angles around the yard to cause as much death as possible.

'[The victims] were herded there on the porch. It was just horrible,' Chris Taylor, assistant special agent in charge of the Philadelphia Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives,said according to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

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Chanetta Powell (left) and Brittany Powell (right) are two of the five people who were killed Wednesday in a shooting at a Pittsburgh cookout. The two women were sisters

Victims Jerry Shelton (left), Chanetta Powell and Brittany Powell were siblings. Jerry Shelton and Tina Shelton (right) were cousins

Above, the fifth victim Shana Mahone. Four of the victims were killed on the back porch and another died at the hospital

One of the gunmen allegedly shot at the victims from an alley - sending them running towards the house via a back porch.

It was then that the other gunmen, hiding out on the other side of a fence, unleashed a barrage of bullets using an assault-style rifle.

'They funneled them onto the porch and then just lit them up,' Agent Taylor said. 'It was like a military [operation], like when I was in the Marines. Thats totally what it looked like. They were funneling them. It made them an easy target. Then once the first guy died, he blocked the door and the girls were stuck on the porch and buh-buh-buh-buh, theyre all down there behind him. Thank God the kids were all right.'

Police are now searching for the two gunmen behind the 'ambush-style' attack

Investigators say 49 shots were fired in the massacre - 31 from an AK-47 and 18 from the handgun.

The dead included three siblings, Brittany Powell, 27, who lived at the home; Jerry Shelton, 35; and Chanetta Powell, 25. The other two were Shada Mahone, 26, and Tina Shelton, 37.

Chanetta Powell was pregnant and due to give birth in May. The death of her unborn son was ruled a homicide as well.

'The murders were planned. They were calculated, brutal,' District Attorney Stephen Zappala said.

The gunmen appeared to have targeted one or two of the victims, said Zappala, who added that they hadn't ruled out drugs as a motive.

The mother of Brittany and Chanetta Powell and Jerry Shelton says her family was massacred.

Jessica Shelton's daughter Chanetta and Brittany and son Jerry were killed in the shooting. She is pictured above at a Thursday press conference

A tearful Jessica Shelton said Thursday that it makes no sense for anyone 'to take people's lives like that.'

Mrs Shelton added that there were three men at the party that she wasn't close with, and that she's suspicious about the fact they escaped unharmed.

She says the other two shot dead were her nieces. Another of her sons' was critically wounded.

'It looks like right now they were all fleeing toward the backdoor of the residence when the second gunman fired from the side of the yard,' Lt. Andrew Schurman of the Allegheny County homicide unit said. 'They all seemed to get caught on the back porch.'

The shooting took place in the backyard of Brittany's home, and friends and family were gathered for a cookout. Above, the home on Thursday

Three of the victims were siblings and two of the victims were cousins. Authorities say one of the women was pregnant

Allegheny County detectives look over the scene of a shooting on Thursday in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania

Five people were killed and three people injured when two gunmen attacked a backyard barbecue in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania late Wednesday

Four people died at the scene and another died at the hospital. Two men are in critical condition and a 41-year-old woman was treated and released for her injuries

A woman reacts at the scene of the deadly shooting in Wilkinsburg early Thursday morning

Police have not released a motive for the crime yet. Above, members of the community react at the scene

Members of the community react at the scene of a deadly shooting in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania on Thursday

Tina Shelton's father spoke out to WTAE saying she was a 'good woman'.

'Everybody that knew her loved her. She was an innocent bystander,' Vernes Pugh said, adding that his daughter leaves behind three children.

Resident Kayla Alexander tells WPXI-TV that she heard a barrage of gunshots - more than 20 - in the neighborhood which usually is quiet.

Groups of residents gathered on the street, some of them sobbing and saying they lost family members.

'My baby! My baby!' one woman at the scene could be heard screaming.

While another woman sat crying on the ground added: 'They just wanted to kill everybody.'

Authorities say the people at the party fled to the backdoor of the house when the second gunman started firing from the side of the yard

One gunman was shooting from a yard while another came up an alley, witnesses told police

Resident Kayla Alexander told WPXI-TV that she heard a barrage of gunshots - more than 20 - in the neighborhood which usually is quiet

Wilkinsburg is a poorer, largely blighted suburb just east of Pittsburgh that is known for drug trafficking and gun violence

Carl Morris and his son, Robert, were getting ready to leave their house across the street when they heard a volley of three shots, a pause, then gunfire lasting more than a minute.

Robert Morris said he saw children run onto the small back porch and scream, 'Mommy, Mommy'.

'It was terrible,' the younger Morris said.

The Morrises said a woman in her 20s or 30s lived in the home with at least one daughter. They said the house was considered a 'safe haven' in the neighborhood.

The backyard is about 30 feet by 50 feet. Police said they found one pile of shell casings just outside the yard in an alley. They found more shells along a fence that separates the house from a neighbor's yard, which means a second gunman was less than 10 feet away from the porch where victims ran for cover.

Bullet holes were visible Thursday around the porch addition. Tables and chairs, some tipped over, remained in the backyard, signs of a party quickly abandoned.

Police respond to the scene of the deadly shooting in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania on Thursday

A police officer responds to the scene of a deadly shooting in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania on Thursday

Wilkinsburg is a poorer, largely blighted suburb just east of Pittsburgh that is known for drug trafficking and gun violence. But, neighbors described the street on which the shooting occurred as generally quiet and expressed shock.

James Boyd, a neighbor who lived three houses down from the shooting said he was alerted by the sound of gunshots.

He told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette: 'We've had trouble in this neighborhood before but never this close to home. I've never seen anything like this before.'

While another woman who lives on the street added: 'This street is always quiet, there's nothing but kids on this street. To see that, it's new, and it's probably shocking to everyone else up here. I'm shaking.'

In the wake of hte shooting, County Executive Rich Fitzgerald released a statement expressing his sympathies to the victims and their families.

'We know that these families' lives have been changed forever. Over the next few days, I'm certain we will learn more about each of the victims who died and their futures, now cut short. Wilkinsburg is a community filled with grief, shock and anger this morning. We share their grief and offer them our support in the days and weeks to come,' he said.
The mafia planned to kill Mario Cuomo in Italy in 1992.

Sicilian mobsters were planning to whack the then governor of New York while he was visiting Messina, prolific Cosa Nostra hitman Maurizio Avola revealed from behind bars.

A dozen Kalashnikov and explosive-wielding gangsters were called off just days before the mafia were set to ambush Cuomo.

The mafia planned to kill Mario Cuomo (left) in Italy in 1992, prolific Cosa Nostra hitman Maurizio Avola (right) revealed from behind bars

A dozen Kalashnikov and explosive-wielding gangsters were called off just days before the mafia were set to ambush Cuomo (pictured)

Avola, 54, said mafia bosses told their 'men of honor' to stand down after realizing the extent of the governor's security detail.

According to Avola, who was jailed in 1994 for his involvement in 43 murders and 40 armed robberies, Casa Nostra mobsters wanted to escalate their attacks on prominent figures.

He told the Guardian that his godfather, Aldo Ercolana, said Cuomo would be an 'excellent target'.

The mob had recently assassinated Italian anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino when the attack on Cuomo was planned.

'The aim was to target politicians or members of institutions in order to send out a clear message,' Avola said in messages passed on by his lawyer.

Avola said Cuomo's death would send a 'strong signal to New York' that its policy of taking in mafia collaborators would come at a price.

The mob had recently assassinated Italian anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone (left) and Paolo Borsellino (right) when the attack on Cuomo was planned

'It would have made them understand what happens to those who stand in the Mafia's way,' he said.

Cuomo arrived in Rome in November 1992 and was set to travel to Messina days later.

The mafia planned a gun and bomb attack on the governor in broad daylight, while other gangsters were instructed to block off escape routes.

But Avola said the assassination was called off after realizing it was unlikely to succeed.

'The American politician arrived with extremely tight surveillance, lots of bodyguards and a bulletproof car. It made the execution impossible,' he said.

'Reluctantly, Aldo Ercolano ordered the 'men of honour' to withdraw.'

A source at Palermo Magistrates' Court told the Guardian that an investigation into the attempted murder of Cuomo is still open.

Cuomo's visit to Messina passed without incident and he died from heart failure on New Year's Day, 2015, aged 82.

His son, Andrew Cuomo, is the current governor of New York.

Avolo was arrested in 1993 and jailed a year later. Believing the police had been tipped off by a fellow mafioso, he decided to cooperate with the police.

With his help, the police arrested more than 100 members of the Sicilian mob.
The alleged attacker fled the scene after the assault

Police are searching for a man who's accused of assaulting six woman out on a hens night and a 69-year-old man outside a fast food outlet.

The group were bashed outside a central Sydney Hungry Jacks on George Street just after midnight, leaving them with a range of injuries.

Some of the women were taken to hospital, none with serious injuries, while the 69-year-old man has a swollen face after being assaulted while trying to help the group, police said.

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Some of the women attacked just after midnight at a central Sydney Hungry Jacks were taken to hospital for a range of injuries, however, none were life threatening

A woman is treated in an ambulance after the shocking attack early on Saturday morning

An elderly man, who reportedly attempted to intervene and help the women being assaulted, was also attacked

The elderly man who reportedly attempted to aid the women being assaulted nurses an injury after being turned upon as well

A witness said the attacker had made sexually inappropriate comments to the group of women, who had been on a hen's night, before attacking them

Emergency services attend the scene of the attack on George Street in Sydney's central business district

Police are searching for a man who's accused of assaulting six woman out on a hens night and a 69-year-old man outside a fast food outlet on George Street in Sydney's CBD

Ambulance paramedics arrived to attend to those injured in the shocking attack

Witness Serena Prelec said the attacker had made 'sexually inappropriate' comments to the women, The Daily Telegraph reported.

When the women defended themselves, the man told them to shut up or he would punch them in the face, Ms Prelec said.

'He punched four to five girls in the head, holding them by the neck and punching them,' she told the Telegraph.

The elderly man, who tried to intervene, was also attacked, including anyone else who tried to help.

Police speak to people near the scene of the attack at a Hungry Jacks, near Sydney's Wynyard Station

A man was arrested by police but later released pending further inquiries

Some of the women were taken to hospital, none with serious injuries, while the 69-year-old man has a swollen face after being assaulted while trying to help the group, police said

A witness said the attacker had made 'sexually inappropriate' comments to the women who had been in the Hungry Jacks at the time (stock image)

After assaulting people near the George Street outlet in the early hours of Saturday the man fled.

Another witness, Celio Agostina, said two of the women were knocked unconscious in the attack.

During the attack, one of the women was reportedly body slammed against a wall, 7 News reported.

Other reports said a woman was picked up and spear tackled into the ground.

A 43-year-old man who was in company with the offender was arrested and taken to Sydney City Police Station where he was released pending further inquiries.

The man who assaulted the women is described as Pacific Islander/Maori appearance and about 176-180cm tall.

Police are urging anyone with information to come forward.

Police attended the incident, which occurred on George Street, Sydney, just after midnight on Saturday

A police officer speaks to a woman near the scene of the attack, which occurred early on Saturday morning

People crowd around as they speak to police after the assault
A bloodied protester has been filmed being escorted from a Donald Trump rally in St Louis on Friday as demonstrators shut the event down for ten minutes.

The black activist, who gave his name as Anthony Cage, was filmed being escorted into a police van by two St Louis officers with blood across his face and down the front of his sweater.

There had been signs of trouble as early as 8am when people began queuing outside the Peabody Opera House to get tickets, with large groups of pro and anti-Trump fans shouting at one another.

Police detain a man after a fight between supporters and opponents of U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, ahead of his speech outside the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis, Missouri

The black activist, who gave his name as Anthony Cage, was filmed being escorted into a police van by two St Louis officers with blood across his face and down the front of his sweater

A bloodied protester was pictured after being taken from a Donald Trump rally in Missouri today after anti-Trump activists clashed with demonstrators

The rally was interrupted for ten minutes after activists made it inside the Peabody Opera House in St Louis, with Trump complaining about the delay, saying: 'The problem is nobody wants to hurt each other anymore'

A demonstrator is removed from inside the Peabody Opera House during Trump's rally in St Louis

Police move in to arrest a group of demonstrators after they began chanting slogans and waving banners comparing Trump to the KK during his rally in St Louis today

After a large number of demonstrators sneaked into the event and began a coordinated protest inside, Trump told the crowd: 'Part of the problem and part of the reason it takes so long is nobody wants to hurt each other anymore, right?

'And they're being politically correct the way they take them out. So it takes a little bit longer,' the River Front Times reported.

Demonstrators pulled off their jackets to reveal anti-Trump slogans, or produced banners, at least one of which compared Trump to the KKK.

Trump repeatedly summoned police to remove the demonstrators, and seemed to become irritated after it took ten minutes to escort them out.

It is not clear how the activist was injured, but there were multiple scuffles between Trump supporters and demonstrators.

Other reports indicated that the man was not arrested, but instead had his wounds treated and was allowed to walk free.

The fresh scenes of violence come after Trump supporter John McGraw, 78, was caught on camera hitting Rakeem Jones, 26, at another event in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Wednesday.

Thousands of anti-Trump protesters, some Black Lives Matter activists and veterans of the Ferguson demonstrations, wave banners and chanted slogans outside the venue

Trump supporters were also out in force, with lines for the rally stretching around the block and thousands of people left to listen on loudspeakers outside

Police were forced to erect metal barriers between the two factions as tempers repeatedly threatened to boil over, with Trump supporters chanting 'build the wall'

Quizzed by Inside Edition on why he hit the black demonstrator, McGraw responded 'we don't know if he's ISIS', before adding: 'Next time we see him, we might have to kill him.'

In response to the alleged attack, R&B singer Chris Brown urged black protesters to travel in groups to avoid being attacked.

According to the New York Daily News, the singer said: 'Man, this s*** is getting crazy. Black people getting assaulted at f****ing rallies where youre supposed to talk at.

'What you need to start doing - all these black people, go together 40, 50 deep. See what they do then. Keep touching us, motherf*****.'

Trump has repeatedly refuted allegations that his often incendiary rhetoric, particularly against Muslims and Mexicans, has incited violence.

Organizers at Trump rallies have also been advising attendees on how to deal with demonstrators, saying they should chant and wave banners while waiting for the authorities, and have warned against getting physically involved themselves.

Thousands of people turned out to hear Trump speak in Missouri on Friday with a line hours long stretching around the block for tickets to be allowed inside the 3,000 seat theater.

Thousands more were left standing outside where they listened to the speech on loudspeakers, with anti-Trump protesters chanting slogans nearby.

The fresh violence comes two days after John McGraw, 78 (left), was arrested after allegedly punching a black activist at a Trump rally (right) claiming 'we don't know if he's ISIS'

Security were forced to erect steel barriers to keep the two parties apart as tensions threatened to boil over, video from the event shows.

According to local reports, many of the anti-Trump protesters were from Black Lives Matter, and had previously been involved in rallies in Ferguson following the shooting of Michael Brown.

Trump had to answer questions at Thursday night's GOP debate about violence involving his supporters clashing with opponents at rallies.

Friday's gathering in St. Louis was his first public campaign event since Wednesday's rally, and Trump lashed out at the criticism.

'You know, they talk about a protest or something. They don't talk about what's really happing in these forums and these rooms and these stadiums,' Trump said. 'They don't talk about the love.'

He added that he and his supporters aren't angry people, but they 'do get angry when we see the stupidity with which our country is run and how it's being destroyed.'

Trump was quizzed over whether his rallies incite violence at the GOP debate on Thursday night, a claim he denied, saying people don't report on the 'love' shown by supporters

Local news stations reported queues of several hours long stretching around the block in order to hear Trump speak before he attends another event this evening in Chicago (pictured)

Trump supporters wait in line outside the UIC Pavilion in Chicago where Trump is expected to hold another rally tonight with more heavy security planned

Earlier Friday at a news conference in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump applauded his supporters who have taken on protesters who he says have gotten physical at his rallies.

'The audience hit back,' he said. 'And that's what we need a little bit more of.'

Later Friday, Trump will hold an evening rally at the University of Illinois at Chicago  a civil and immigrant rights organizing hub with large minority student populations.

Trump's visit has already created waves on the campus. Dozens of UIC faculty and staff petitioned university administrators to cancel the rally, citing concerns it would create a 'hostile and physically dangerous environment' for students. Chicago police plan a heavy presence.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, student activists and longtime Chicago organizers are all planning to protest outside the university venue over issues that include what they called Trump's disparaging comments, particularly about Muslims and Mexicans.

'Donald Trump's campaign, it incites hatred and violence with the things he says with marginalized groups that are very prevalent UIC,' said Casandra Rebledo, a 19-year-old nursing student. 'This is something we feel is a form of empowerment.'

Trump speaks to supporters at his rally in St Louis today which had to be paused for ten minutes after a large group of protesters got inside and started shouting slogans

Republican candidate Donald Trump greets supporters at the end of a rally at the Peabody Opera House

Trump signs merchandise including books and hats at the end of his rally in St Louis today

Gutierrez said he had no plans to enter the event. Instead, he would rally in a parking lot outside with a message focused on welcoming all.

'We're not going to let Donald Trump take us back to the 1950s,' said Gutierrez, a Chicago Democrat, who has long rallied for immigrant rights. 'We've worked too hard.'

Organizers of a student-led group, who expected hundreds of participants, planned to meet on campus and march to the arena where Trump will speak and set up shop in a nearby parking lot.

Members of Black Lives Matter Chicago, which has held largely peaceful smaller protests following a police-involved shooting in Chicago, also planned to participate.

Chicago police said they were coordinating with the Secret Service, university police and fire department officials on logistics.
He is the convicted felon whose 'criminally handsome' mugshot went viral after it was released by a California police department last year  and now 32-year-old Jeremy Meeks is set to trade hobnobbing with crooks for brushing shoulders with royalty.

Meeks, a married father-of-three, was released from jail at 9am on Tuesday morning and is currently in a transitional home where he is adjusting to life on the outside and his new-found fame.

Now his close friend and agent, fashion photographer Jim Jordan, has revealed that the former felon is being deluged with offers from all over the world  among them a smattering of invitations from unnamed royals to visit them at their palace homes.

Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Online, he also said that the 'humble' Meeks is nothing like the hard man image conveyed by his life of crime and gang tattoos, and is instead a 'soft-spoken family man' who has been left totally overwhelmed by all the attention.

'He's overwhelmed, yeah, because he's never been out of jail since this [attention] started happening,' he explained.

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Viral: This mugshot of Jeremy Meeks started his internet fame. But his agent tells Daily Mail Online: 'He's overwhelmed, yeah, because he's never been out of jail since this [attention] started happening.'

Agent: Friend Jim Jordan tells Daily Mail Online he is taking offers from around the world for Meeks. But the criminal would-be model cannot take any up while he spends time in a half-way house

Getaway from crime: Meeks has been using his Instagram account to suggest how he will spend his freedom when he is fully released. He is currently in a half-way house which prevents him taking up modeling offers

'Inside, he would be watching TV and all the inmates would run over and go, 'Dude, you're on TV!' And the guards would tell him what's going on out in the world about his name.

'That's what he really knew of the extent of it, from people who would tell him things and from speaking to his wife.'

Meeks, who served a previous sentence of two years for grand theft, was handed his most recent jail term in February 2015 but secured early release from the Nevada correctional center where he was being held.

The 32-year-old, who lived in the small town of Stockton in upstate California prior to his arrest, was brought up in a poor household and began his life of crime after becoming involved with the Northern Crips  a branch of the notorious Los Angeles gang.

A MODEL, NOT A MODEL CITIZEN Jeremy Meeks has a rap sheet that stretches back more than a decade and has been in and out of courtrooms in California and Washington over a panoply of offenses, ranging from gang crime to identity theft. In 2002, when he was just 18, Meeks, who dropped out of high school in 10th grade, was arrested by police in California on gang offenses. He was charged with grand theft from a person and spent two years in jail for his crimes. Three years later, in 2005, he was in trouble again  this time in Spokane, Washington. Caught stealing from a sporting goods store, he attempted to flee the business and had to be pepper-sprayed by security guards after threatening to assault them. According to a police affidavit filed at the time, Meeks reportedly said he would 'f*** you all up, mess you all up' after being cornered. He was later charged with theft, resisting arrest, forgery and identity theft, after claiming to be his older brother Emery. Meeks was sentenced to 71 days in jail and fined $800. On his return to California in 2007, Meeks was soon back in trouble  this time for driving offenses. Charged with negligent driving and driving without a license, he was convicted of the first and fined $252 although the second charge was dropped. In 2009, he was arrested yet again  this time in California and again on gang charges. A mugshot taken at the time shows him with a Northern Crips gang tattoo on his neck  an inking that was absent in earlier photos. Prior to his arrest in June 2014 on firearms charges and 'street terrorism', he was also collared for resisting a peace officer in San Joaquin County, although on that occasion, the case did not go to trial. Advertisement

Already a father of two, aged 24, he married a local nurse named Melissa and went on to have a son, now five, with his wife.

When he was arrested in June 2014 as part of a crackdown on gangs by the Stockton police department, he was charged with five weapons offenses and two counts relating to gang membership.

Described as 'one of the most violent criminals in the area' by a police spokesman, the 32-year-old then hit the headlines when his mugshot went viral.

Dubbed 'the hot felon' and 'a smooth criminal' by the media, Meeks' photo became one of the most shared in internet history  although that wasn't enough to prevent a judge from handing down a 27-month jail term.

At the time, his mother Katherine Angier, 62, described the experience as 'a nightmare' and claimed Meeks had a job and was 'trying to go straight' at the time of his arrest.

She also said he was no longer involved in gangs but couldn't afford to get his tattoos removed  and was being given a hard time by other inmates and guards as a result.

'He is going through a terrible ordeal from the guards and some of the gang members,' she said in an exclusive interview with Daily Mail Online at the time.

'We just want his life to be normal. Who knows what this is going to do to his life. This could mess it all up.'

Now a free man once more, Meeks is focusing on adjusting to life in the outside world according to Jordan and wants to spend more time with his three children before plotting his next steps.

He said: 'I asked Jeremy what he was most looking forward to when he got released and he said the only thing I want to do is be with my kids, and sit with my boys and my daughter, to be with them and do things with them, just watch them be kids and grow up. That's all I can focus on, just being with my wife and my family.

'I really believed him and I know that's the truth about who he really is. He said that he never thought that he would ever get a second chance like this and that he's so humbled.

'He had tears in his eyes. He's so sensitive and he was there with tears in his eyes. He said, I cannot even believe I would have an opportunity like this and people would ever see me like this [in a positive light].'

Since being released, Meeks has remained largely silent but for an Instagram post in which he thanked his family and fans for 'all your love, support and prayers.'

He added: 'I'm overwhelmed and grateful for what lies ahead. I'm ready.'

However, all that is set to change when he is released from the transitional home in six weeks time, with Jordan revealing that lucrative offers have been piling up.

'Well, we've had contact with a lot of big brands,' he told Daily Mail Online. 'We've had contact from all the major, major brands.

'I can't specify the names of them right now but the world will see very, very shortly what's about to happen.

'We have major, major fashion brands, designers on the table. We have movies on the table, we have book deals on the table, we have reality non-scripted television on the table, we have pilots on the table, we have club openings in Dubai, Vegas and all over the world.

Serial criminal: Meeks has a rap sheet dating back years but his agent says he is going to go straight. 'Jeremy really is from the person the world or his criminal record or his past would suggest he is,' Jordan said

Family: Meeks is a father of three. 'He's soft, he's sweet, he's humbled, he's grateful, he's thankful, he's a family man and he loves his kids, he loves his wife and he just wants to start fresh,' says Jordan

'We have royalty wanting Jeremy as a special guest in their palaces - we have major, major requests from Japan to Australia, Russia to Dubai, to all the ends of the earth.'

Asked whether he is concerned that Meeks might be tempted to return to his former life of crime, Jordan admitted that it 'has crossed my mind' but insisted that this time, there will be no going back.

'You know all of these things have crossed my mind [lengthy criminal record, relapse to life of crime] but I know, from meeting Jeremy and spending time with him, I can't even see that person in him.

'It's such a disconnect from when I speak to him on the phone and from when I met him for the first time in person on Tuesday when I picked him up from jail.

'I couldn't even believe that this guy, who the world had been talking about with this record, was even the person in front of me.

'He is super soft-spoken, he is super gentle, he is humble, he is very sensitive Like you would not believe how different Jeremy really is from the person the world or his criminal record or his past would suggest he is.

'There is a complete disconnect and I said that to him. I said, I can't believe being with you and spending time with you and talking to you once a week for the last year on the phone, that any of this could even have been true.

'He's just the nicest, sweetest guy and he has remorse, he is so flattered and humbled and cannot even believe that this is happening to him.'

Jordan also says that Meeks' criminal past is unlikely to hinder him in the future and he now deserves to enjoy a second chance at life.

'I believe we've all done things in our past, we've all had second chances, we're all not perfect, we all have things that we've done that we're not proud of and I believe Jeremy is like 90 per cent of humans,' he said.

'We're flawed, we make mistakes and we've done things that we regret and people have given us second chances.

'When I met Jeremy, it was like there was a little boy quality in him, it was really refreshing and innocent. It was really genuine.

'I would think that someone who had just come out of prison would be really hard and angry, bitter and mad, and what I experienced from Jeremy is the complete opposite of that.

'He's soft, he's sweet, he's humbled, he's grateful, he's thankful, he's a family man and he loves his kids, he loves his wife and he just wants to start fresh.

'He keeps saying that he can't believe the world has embraced him this way, he can't believe the outpouring of love, the letters and the fan mail, all of the things that the world is showing him.
The true scale of immigration to Britain by EU citizens is being kept secret by Government officials, it emerged last night.

Top civil servants, led by HMRC boss Lin Homer, are refusing to publish figures that could reveal up to 1.3million extra migrants living in the UK. If revealed, the data could have an explosive impact on the EU debate.

MPs said the public were at risk of being 'misled' ahead of the 'once-in-a-lifetime decision' over whether Britain should re-take control of its borders. Requests to get to the truth have been thwarted for more than three months, with time now running out before the June 23 vote.

HMRC boss Lin Homer (pictured left) has been frustrating attempts by Andrew Tyrie (right), head of Westminster's Treasury select committee, to obtain the data

The row centres on a huge gap between two sets of data relating to immigration.

Office for National Statistics figures show some 904,000 EU migrants have arrived in Britain since June 2010  but in the same time, officials issued 2.2million national insurance numbers to EU migrants. The ONS yesterday admitted the numbers do not appear to add up.

Experts say the Government should release the amount of 'active' NI numbers, meaning those being used to pay tax or receive benefits.

HM Revenue and Customs admits holding the information, but has been refusing to answer Freedom of Information requests and Parliamentary questions on the matter.

Officials claim it would be too expensive to do so.

HMRC's Dame Lin has been frustrating attempts by Andrew Tyrie, head of Westminster's Treasury select committee, to obtain the data.

Mr Tyrie asked for the 'active' NI numbers in December but was sent a response in February which 'did not answer the question'. He has now requested them again.

Officially, 257,000 EU nationals were said to have arrived last year, but 630,000 from the EU were given NI numbers. This includes 209,000 NI numbers given to Romanians and Bulgarians, despite only 55,000 officially settling here last year.

Tory backbencher David Davis tried to get the information, in a Parliamentary question but was refused on grounds it could be provided only at 'disproportionate cost'.

He said: 'Why is this information not available? This is an important measure of how the country is run. At worst, it is misleading the public. The numbers are potentially about half of what they should be.'

Mr Davis said the difference between the two figures had significant implications for the job prospects of UK citizens, housing and public services, adding: 'It is always important that the Government is transparent, but it is doubly important when the public at large are making a once-in-a-lifetime decision. There is absolutely no justification for withholding this information.'

The first request for the data was made by economist and former government advisor Jonathan Portes in November. The Government rejected the request in mid-December, saying that releasing the information would be 'unhelpful' to the Mr Cameron's renegotiations.

Mr Portes appealed, but last month the Government again refused  this time claiming it would be too expensive.

A further appeal is before the Information Commissioner's Office. Mr Portes said: 'The Government has data on the number of recent EU migrants, which would shed considerable light on possibly the most important issue in what is certainly the most important electoral campaign in the UK in recent memory.

'And its justification for not publishing  it would take more than three-and-a-half working days of one civil servant's time. Perhaps we should no longer be surprised by this behaviour. The only question is whether our elected representatives will stand for it.'

The ONS said it 'is undertaking ongoing reconciliation work' on its immigration data and said NI numbers will be incorporated 'when available'.

A possible explanation for the gap is that the ONS records only migrants who stay in Britain for more than a year, but people who work here for short periods of time require an NI number.

An HMRC spokesman said: 'HMRC does not currently hold the requested information in a publishable format.'
50 Cent's Instagram posts have already sent him to court, but now pictures of the rapper surrounded by the Benjamins may have landed him in hot water with the Secret Service.

Curtis Jackson III, the rapper's name, revealed the money was fake and being used for photoshoots to maintain his image - and now the Secret Service wants to know if it was also counterfeit.

Jackson revealed the news on Thursday night amidst a series of Instagram posts that featured pictures of homeless men and captions in which he wrote about his legal struggles.

Rapper 50 Cent (pictured walking into court on Wednesday) has revealed that Instagram posts he claim features him posing with 'prop' money have now landed him in hot water with the Secret Service

After Curtis Jackson III, the rapper's name, revealed the money was fake and being used for photoshoots to maintain his image, he said the Secret Service asked him if it was counterfeit

'I was accused of committing fraud with nothing but a IG photo,' he wrote in one post. 'I can careless [sic] what these people think of me but it's not right.'

'Now someone from secret service is asking if prop money was counter fitted. How the f*** would I know that s*** head? Smh'.

In another post the rapper said that when someone starts making money, they immediately become a target.

'The court system still has an old view point,' he wrote in one caption. 'I look in the mirror and see a entrepreneur, a winner.'

'I almost for got Some people look and see a n***** that should not have all that money in the first place [sic]. Some old habits don't change fast.'

'The system is so messed up,' he wrote for one picture that showed a homeless man's bare feet. 'The law applies differently to people based on the personal perception of them.'

'It's amazing how bad it is it's sad.'

Each post was accompanied with the hashtags 'Effen Vodka' and 'Frigo', respective liquor and sportswear brands that Jackson has partnered with, as well as 'thisimageiscourtapproved'.

Although Jackson has since declared he is 'done with IG' and that someone else will be operating his account, the rapper made sure to get one more flashy picture in.

'For some reason people love me,' he wrote in the caption of one photo that showed wads of cash stuffed down his pants.

'They me about money I said I ain't got none, but if you want some M&M's here ya go.'

Jackson appeared in a US Bankruptcy courthouse on Wednesday on the orders of Judge Ann Nevins, who said last month the Instagram photos raised concerns he wasn't being truthful about his fiances

One picture showed a fridge stuffed with 'money' as well as an Effen Vodka bottle, which he sponsors

Jackson also revealed this week that he had lied about buying a mansion in Africa, which he featured in an Instagram video in September (pictured)

Jackson appeared in a US Bankruptcy courthouse on Wednesday in Hartford, Connecticut on the orders of Judge Ann Nevins, who said last month the Instagram photos raised concerns he wasn't being truthful about his fiances.

The snaps showed Jackson sitting next to piles of money arranged to spell 'broke', laying in a bed with wads of cash and stacks of dough in his refrigerator next to a bottle of Effen Vodka.

Jackson also posted a video that showed him pretending to wake up in bed, only to discover his legs are buried under a pile of notes.

But in a written declaration filed on Tuesday, the rapper declared that the pictures was merely a way for him to maintain his 'brand'.

'Hip-hop culture is widely recognized as aspirational in nature,' the declaration read.

'The standard by which artists and fans engage is commonly tied to money, jewelry, products and advertising over social media.'

'Products and brands are now marketed through social media as an effective way to engage with consumers.'

'Just because I am sensitive to the needs of maintaining my brand does not mean that I am hiding assets or that I have lied on my filings in this Bankruptcy Case, neither of which is true.' #

Jackson also revealed this week that he had lied about buying a mansion in Africa, which he featured in an Instagram video in September.

Jackson announced Thursday night he was 'done with IG' but made sure to post this last flashy picture, which featured wads of Benjamins stuffed down his pants

Before declaring he would quit the picture sharing app, Jackson posted a series of photos of homeless men as he detailed his legal woes and claimed making money had immediately put a target on his back

'I was accused of committing fraud with nothing but a IG photo,' he wrote in the caption for this picture. I can careless [sic] what these people think of me but it's not right'

'My crib is almost finished in AFRICA', the caption read. 'I'm gonna have the craziest House warming party ever. I'll explain later. I got a good life man'.

In court documents - obtained exclusively by Daily Mail Online - Jackson revealed he had never owned property in Africa.

'If I did own any property in Africa or any other real properties, I would have disclosed them as required by the Bankruptcy code,' he said.

The rapper, who burst onto the music scene in 2003 with his debut album, 'Get Rich or Die Tryin,' has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.

He and his top creditors reached a preliminary deal this week for him to pay at least 74 percent of his debt to them.

The US trustee's office is asking Nevins to appoint an independent examiner to review the entertainer's finances.

Jackson cited debts of $36million and assets of less than $20million, with his lawyers saying in court documents that the bankruptcy filing was the result of several factors.

They include a $17million verdict against him in a legal dispute over headphone products and a $7million verdict against him in a lawsuit filed by a woman who said he posted her sex tape online without her permission.

The $17million verdict in 2014 involved what Jackson's lawyers describe as a failed business venture with Sleek Audio to develop headphone products to be marketed under the 50 Cent name.

His lawyers say Sleek failed to meet a 2011 deadline to have the headphones ready for production, and the deal was terminated.

WILL 50 CENT FACE A SECRET SERVICE PROBE OVER FAKE CASH? The Secret Service is responsible for stopping people from counterfeiting U.S. currency - and could take action against 50 Cent. Rules on creating fake dollars state that they must be less than three-quarters the size of a normal bill or one-and-a-half times bigger. Fake money must also be destroyed immediately after use, with it unclear whether the rapper has done so. It may seem trivial, but the Secret Service has clamped down on the use of fake money in promotional material and films in recent years. Agency spokesman Robert Hoback told the Hollywood Reporter that an explosion on the set of Rush Hour 2 in 2000 saw hundreds of thousands of fake bills rain down on members of the public, leading to a minor incident. Mr Hoback did not confirm whether 50 cent would face action, but said: 'If it's counterfeit, and we're made aware of it, we will investigate.' Advertisement

Sleek later sued Jackson and won after he formed a new company, SMS Audio, to develop new headphones, saying SMS stole Sleek's design.

Jackson is appealing the $17million verdict and suing his lawyers in the case for $75million.

Last year a New York jury awarded $7million last year to Lastonia Leviston, the ex-girlfriend of Rick Ross, after determining Jackson did not have her permission when he posted online a sexually explicit video she made with her boyfriend and provided running commentary.

Jackson disputes Leviston's claims and is appealing the award.

It was Leviston who first flagged the Instagram images, as she has not been able to collect the money after Jackson claimed he was broke.

New financial documents filed recently show Jackson has nearly $19.9million in assets including his mansion in Farmington, Connecticut.

They also revealed he's trying to sell and $10.6million in bank, brokerage and other financial accounts. The documents list $36million in liabilities.

The proceedings have been ongoing since July last year.

In an appearance on Conan in July of last year, 50 Cent told host Conan O'Brien that he had filed for bankruptcy to protect his finances.

'Yeah, I need protection,' he said. 'You get a bull's-eye painted on your back when you're successful, and it's public. You become the ideal person for lawsuits.'

'So this is a way to protect yourself from lawsuits,' O'Brien replied.

'It is,' the rapper said. 'Re-organize things.'
An incredibly romantic love letter from Ronald Reagan to beloved wife Nancy read at the former First Lady's service has reduced Twitter to tears.

The Reagans' 50-plus-year marriage was famously amorous and it was said that the pair 'never stopped dating'.

It was fitting then, to have such a personal dedication read out in a very public setting and the letter bore as a reminder that their romance was one of the most enduring in modern American public life.

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The emotional letter from Ronald Reagan to Nancy was read out by the former Canadian PM, Brian Mulroney (pictured)

The service was clearly extremely moved by its sentiment. (Right to left) Hilary Clinton, Laura Bush, George W Bush and current First Lady Michelle Obama were all seen smiling fondly as Mulroney read

The former president wrote the letter in Christmas 1981 and it opens with: ' There are several much beloved women in my life and on Christmas, I should be giving them gold, precious stones, perfume, furs and lace.' Pictured: Relatives at the service Friday

In the letter, read out by the former Canadian PM, Brian Mulroney, Reagan wrote: ''How do I love thee - let me count the ways?"

'For there is no way to count. I love the whole gang of you - Mommie, first lady, the sentimental you, the fun you, and the peewee power house of you.'

He described the 'many women' she embodied: The 'nest maker', the First Lady, the girl who 'goes to the ranch with him' and the woman who 'bends over a wheelchair or bed to touch an elderly invalid with tenderness'.

The former president wrote the letter in Christmas 1981 and opened with: 'There are several much beloved women in my life and on Christmas, I should be giving them gold, precious stones, perfume, furs and lace.'

He signs off: 'Merry Christmas you all - with all my love. Lucky me.'

The service was clearly extremely moved by its sentiment. Hilary Clinton, George W Bush and current First Lady Michelle Obama were all seen smiling fondly as Mulroney read the piece.

And it wasn't just guests that felt touched by the words; many took to social media to say they had been 'moved to tears'.

Natasha F Bryant tweeted: 'Watching funeral services for First Lady Nancy Reagan & crying as I hear the love letter from her husband.'

And it wasn't just guests that felt touched by the words; Many took to social media to say they had been 'moved to tears'

One tweeter commented that the eulogy was the 'most beautiful' thing they had ever heard

While Jordan Daigle said: 'The most beautiful service for Nancy Reagan. A truly remarkable woman. The Love letter from "Ronniie" #tears.'

And Zen Wen said: 'That love letter from President Reagan to Nancy, was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard' followed by a 'crying face' emoticon.

The dignified service also saw readings and remembrances by Reagan's niece and nephew, as well as former Former White House Chief of Staff James A Baker and journalists Diane Sawyer and Tom Brokaw.

The guests also witnessed Patti Davis describe her turbulent relationship with her mother and their undying love in devastating fashion.

The guests also witnessed Patti Davis (above) describe her turbulent relationship with her mother and their undying love in devastating fashion

The funeral started at 11am on Friday, with a musical prelude beginning at 10.15am by the Santa Susana High School Advanced Women's Choir. Pictured: Casket carrying Nancy Reagan

Davis described her parents as 'two halves of a circle', recalling a long-ago memory of seeing the two of them sitting on a Southern California beach at sunset in what she called an impenetrable 'island for two'.

Reagan's son, Ronald Prescott Reagan, also spoke at the funeral, telling guests there likely would not have been a President Ronald Reagan without Nancy Reagan, saying she had an absolute belief in him, as well as provided guidance and a refuge.

The funeral started at 11am on Friday, with a musical prelude beginning at 10.15am by the Santa Susana High School Advanced Women's Choir and Abbe Road A Cappella, and an instrumental prelude by the 1st Marine Division Band, Marine Corps Camp Pendleton.

Since the First Lady's death, many have commented they never saw any two people more in love than Nancy and Ronald Reagan.

One commentator noted: 'They always slept together in the same bed - and would have scoffed had someone suggested otherwise.

They wrote love letters to each other. They served as a great balm to each other, becoming better people as each drew strength in the other's presence.'
Her husband Rory said the next day; 'This is the first day of the rest of my life. I have responsibilities'

Joey was brought on a horse-drawn carriage and her husband Rory spoke at the service

'It was tearful, but it was optimistic, especially being on the dirt,' said the couple's close friend Bill Gaither

Joey Feek was laid to rest Tuesday in a private ceremony followed by a burial in a family cemetery on her barn

Joey Feek was laid to rest on Tuesday with a private ceremony followed by her burial in the family cemetery on the grounds of her Tennessee farm.

'It was tearful, but it was optimistic, especially being on the dirt,' said the couple's close friend Bill Gaither in an interview with People.

'She was part of the earth. We all felt as though we were close to her.'

Joey's husband Rory spoke at the service, and her body was brought out in a horse-drawn carriage.

'It was just a sweet Tennessee mountain moment. Very positive things were said at the gravesite,' said Geither.

He also said he spoke to Rory the next day after he had enrolled the couple's daughter two-year-old Indiana at school, and he told him; 'This is the first day of the rest of my life. I have responsibilities.'

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Final resting place:Joey Feek was laid to rest Tuesday on her farm in Tennessee (above)

Family: Joey and daughter Indiana returned to the farm over the weekend after five months in Indiana (family above in early 2015)

Home: Rory shared a photo of him and daughter Indiana greeting the two horses on their farm over the weekend

Best friends: 'Indy's happy to see her best friend Scout (and Scouty's little brother Ash),' wrote Rory

Her husband Rory shared a photo on Sunday of the backyard of the couple's Tennessee ranch, writing; '...making plans that I hoped we would never have to make.'

He had previously revealed that Joey would be buried in the family cemetery on their ranch.

Rory wrote last week: 'We do have horses nowwell, the two that I got for Joey for her birthday this last fall (though she and I only got to see them a couple of times before our lives took us back to the Cancer Center in Atlanta and then here to her hometown in Indiana).

'And unfortunately, she will never get to ride those or any horses again.

'They will instead be grazing in the pasture around the family cemetery in the back field behind our farmhouse, where my bride will soon rest.'

Joey passed away last Friday afternoon after a lengthy battle with cancer.

'My wifes greatest dream came true today. She is in Heaven,' wrote Rory in a post on their blog.

'The cancer is gone, the pain has ceased and all her tears are dry. Joey is in the arms of her beloved brother Justin and using her pretty voice to sing for her savior.

'At 2.30 this afternoon, as we were gathered around her, holding hands and praying.. my precious bride breathed her last. And a moment later took her first breath on the other side.'

Rory also shared on Friday a touching story about a video Joey received last year from one of her idols - Dolly Parton.

The family surprised Joey with the video last November, and on Friday Rory posted a video of the moment Joey got to see her idol.

'From the time she was four years old, Joey had been singing Dollys songs and dreamed of one day meeting her. Coat of Many Colors was a regular part of our show and at home she loved to put on Dolly and listen to Hello God, When I Sing For Him, Me and Little Andy and many others,' wrote Rory.

'She never got the chance to meet her in person and had no idea that Dolly even knew who she was. But that changed one Friday evening this past November.'

'When a person has been through as much pain and struggle as Joeys been through, you just want it to be over. You want them to not have to hurt anymore, more that you want them to stay with you. And so, it makes the hard job of saying goodbye just a little easier,' wrote Rory.

'After four-and-a-half months in Indiana, we will soon be back home in Tennessee. Me, and our little one, with our older daughters.

'Its hard for me to imagine being there without Joey, but at the same time it is where she wants us to be. Its where she will be Shes gonna be in the mint growing beside our back deck, the sweet-corn frozen in our freezer and a million other places that her hand and heart has touched around our little farmhouse and community. Joey will still be with us. Everywhere.

'So if its okay, Im gonna close, wipe my tears and pack our bags to hit the road headed south.

'Shes already got a head-start on me.'

Gone: Joey Feek passed away at the age of 40 Friday afternoon with her husband Rory writing; 'My wife's greatest dream came true today. She is in Heaven. The cancer is gone. The pain has ceased'

Farewell: Joey held her oldest daughter Heidi's hand for the final time in a heartbreaking photo posted on Facebook (above) earlier in the day on Friday

One last kiss: Earlier this week Rory posted a photo of Joey's final kiss with her young daughter Indiana

Carrie Underwood wrote on Twitter shortly after Joey's passing; 'Praying for the family & friends of Joey Feek. A beautiful soul moved into heaven today. A beautiful legacy she left behind.'

Governor Mike Pence of Indiana wrote; 'Saddened to hear of the loss of courageous Hoosier Joey Feek. Karen & I send our thoughts/prayers to her family, friends & fans.'

Kimberly Perry of The Band Perry wrote; 'Heartbroken by the passing of the beautiful Joey Feek and completely inspired by the way she lived every minute. Full of love and life.'

The Grammys wrote on their Twitter account; 'We are so very saddened to learn of the passing of Joey Feek. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and fans today.'

Rory had revealed last week that Joey was reaching the end.

'My wife has been asleep for days now and her body is shutting down quickly,' wrote Rory on the couple's blog This Life I Live.

The hospice nurse came again this morning and said Joey will most-likely only be with us for a few more days at the most.'

Rory also said that shortly after their daughter Indiana's second birthday Joey said she was ready to stop fighting after her long and brave battle with cancer, telling him 'enough is enough'.

She then asked to see Indiana so she could give her daughter one last kiss.

After learning last October that her stage 4 cervical cancer was terminal and she had six months to live at most, Joey's only wish was to live long enough to see her daughter have one more birthday.

She managed to do just that, and few days later told Rory; 'Its time to go home.'

First though, she wanted to say goodbye to her loved ones.

Tragedy: Joey's hospice nurse said last Monday morning that the terminally-ill star had just a 'few more days'

Love: Joey's husband Rory shared the tragic news last week, saying; 'My wife has been asleep for days now and her body is shutting down quickly'

'Joey gathered her family together around her and she said goodbye to each of them to her mother and father and her three sisters,' wrote Rory.

'There were lots of tears as she explained to each one how much she loved them and that she was going to be going home soon.'

Then Joey asked to see her daughter.

'I set our little Indy on Joeys lap and we all cried with my wife as she told her how much her mama loved her and, you be a big girl for your papa and that mama will be watching over you,."' said Rory.

'And then she pulled Indiana up and she kissed her.'

Soon after she gave Indiana that last kiss Joey began to sleep, and then Rory learned that his wife had only a few days to live.

'In the 40 short years that Joey has lived, my bride has accomplished many great things shes lived a very full life,' wrote Rory.

'But even more than that, she has loved those around her greatly and been loved greatly in return. I can honestly say that Joeys isnt just a life well-lived, its a life well-loved.'

Rory also shared that Joey is at peace, telling him just before she went to sleep; 'I have no regrets I can honestly say, that I have done everything I wanted to do and lived the life I always wanted to live.'

He ended the post by thanking those who have been supporting Joey and the family over the past few months, writing; 'Thank you to all who have followed my wifes beautiful journey. Who are still following. Though our hearts are heavy we all need to do our best to remember that this is not the end. Its only the beginning.

'When Joey takes her last breath here she will take her first breath there. In heaven.'

Rory also posted a video he made featuring some of his favorite photos of Joey set to a song the two recorded but never released called 'In The Time That You Gave Me.'

Big day: Rory also said that after their daughter Indiana's second birthday, Joey told him she wanted to stop fighting and was ready to 'go home'

Baby girl: 'Joey barely slept the night before Indianas birthday. She was too excited. Jody said she didnt fall asleep until about 5am, around the time that Indy and I woke up,' said Rory of their daughter's big day

Mother and daughter: Joey and Indiana in her bed last year shortly before Christmas

The difficult and tragic news came after a very memorable February for the family, who got to celebrate Valentine's Day, the Grammy Awards, Indiana's birthday and the release of their new album this month - which topped the country charts.

Rory posted photos of some of these moments including Joey watching as daughter Indiana blew out her candles, a smiling Indiana celebrating her second birthday and an image of Rory and Joey laying in bed together for the first time since November.

'When dinner was over, as I said goodnight and tucked the blankets around her in the little hospital bed she has been living in for months, she thanked me for the special night and then made one last request. If Jody helps me to scoot over to one sidecould you try to lay down with me and put your arms around me?' wrote Rory of the couple's Valentine's Day.

'I havent been able to be in the same bed with my wife or hold her in my arms since the beginning of November  when she made her last trip to the hospital.

'But for one sweet half-an-hour that changed on Valentines day.'

The big event however was Indiana's second birthday.

'Joey barely slept the night before Indianas birthday. She was too excited. Jody said she didnt fall asleep until about 5am, around the time that Indy and I woke up,' said Rory.

'When Joey woke up, a little before noon, I came in to see her and tears were flowing down her face. Again, I put my arms around her and asked, why are you crying honey?

'We made it, she softly answered. We made it."'

Joey got to watch her daughter blow out her birthday candles and Indiana could be seen smiling from ear to ear in photos from the day, especially as she enjoyed her cake.

'For the most part, Indianas big day was nothing but joy and more joy. She has a way of bringing even the most painful parts of life back into perspective,' wrote Rory.

All the girls: Joey with daughter Heidi, Hopie and Indiana opening Christmas presents

Happy couple: Joey (above in April 2013) was diagnosed with cancer in June 2014, just a few months after she and Rory welcomed Indiana, who was born with Down's syndrome

Big dance: Rory posted a photo of him and Joey enjoying a dance from a past New Year's earlier this year

Joey was given just six months to live last October and told she would be bedridden for the remainder of her life in late November.

She got out of bed in December though and then began to walk again, all things that seemed impossible just weeks before.

She even got to spend Christmas with her family near her childhood home in Alexandria, Indiana.

Joey was diagnosed with cancer in June 2014, just a few months after she and Rory welcomed Indiana, who was born with Down's syndrome.

The cancer eventually spread and in October doctors revealed there nothing they could do for Joey.

Joey was as a restaurant owner when she met Rory, falling in love with him as he performed during a songwriter's night.

He was also a single father with two daughters, another reason Joey has said she was first attracted to him.

On June 15, 2002, the couple was married in a small ceremony.

Joey shared how she first fell in love with Rory in an interview with People earlier this year, saying; 'Rory was singing In the Round at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville with three other songwriters.

'I was just one of dozens of people in the audience that night. From the first song Rory sang, I fell head over heels for him.'

She then added: 'I didn't even know him, but something inside me said, "You're going to marry that man and spend the rest of your lives together."'

And while Rory was a noted songwriter who had penned hits for artists such as Blake Shelton, the couple got their big break in 2008 when they appeared on the reality show Can You Duet which aired on Country Music Television.

They finished in third place on the show and signed a record contract soon after - and have been making music ever since right up until the release of their new album last month.

'Our music has taken us many incredible places and let us experience some amazing things in the past eight years and people we meet have often asked if we had a plan to get to where we are. Ive always answered, yes, theres a master plan its just not ours,'" Rory wrote in a blog post after the release of the album.
Internet users in China have been debating over the country's ugliest buildings, picking out a mobile-phone shaped mall in south-west China's Yunnan province as the most unsightly.

The oddly designed Xing Yao Mobile Phone Plaza is located in Kunming and has windows shaped like buttons and even a hand grabbing the 'device', the People's Daily Online reports.

The high-rise joins a list of others known as some of the ugliest in the country including a building shaped like a giant bottle of Chinese liquor.

Hideous or on trend? The 11 storey building is located in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan province

The ugliest building in China: Internet users in the country are discussing whether this building is unsightly

In 2014, the 11-storey digital mall was named the most ugliest building in China but now internet users have been discussing it again.

Some people have said that the building isn't as bad as people once thought.

On Facebook one user named Norma Guzman wrote: 'I salute the architect who made the structure of this building you have a wide imagination'.

While Danny Nguyen said: 'The taller buildings behind it are more uglier'.

Joining the list of unsightly buildings is an office building shaped like a bottle of Chinese liquor and a skyscraper that is meant to look like a waterfall along with a hotel shaped like three Chinese gods.

Just last month China's State Council released guidelines on urban planning to curb the construction of 'weird and odd shaped buildings in the country'.

The council called for buildings to keep in line with cultural heritage along with being environmental and green.

In 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an end to weird buildings in the country.

Weird or cool? The Beijing Tianzi hotel depicts Chinese gods of prosperity, happiness, and career achievement

Cheers! The office building for a Chinese liquor company based in central China's Hubei province

One of the ugliest: Fortune Tower, known as the 'Gold Ingot Building' in Luquan county, central Henan province

Weird and unsightly: The China pavilion which was the centrepiece of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo

Really?This building located in Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu province is supposed to look like a waterfall

Not very pretty: Famen Temple in Baoji city, Shanxi province, west China has been declared as unsightly
Footage has emerged of a dramatic rescue of a five-year-old boy after he plummeted into a 100 feet deep hole while playing on a farm in China.

The rescue took place on March 4 in Guiyang, Guizhou province,the People's Daily Online reports.

According to Chinese media, the boy sustained minor injuries and was a little shaken by his ordeal.

Free: Firefighters have rescued a young boy who fell into a deep hole in the ground while playing on farmland

Firefighters bring the five-year-old boy to safety after he fell down a hole in Guiyang, Guizhou province

Firefighters reach the bottom of the hole and attach the boy to a rope to help bring him back to the surface

In the footage rescuers can be seen being lowered down into the 100 feet hole and attaching rope to him in order to bring him back to safety.

Locals can be seen helping to pull both the rescuers and the boy to safety.

According to the boy's grandfather, he fell down the hole while playing on farmland near his home.

CCTV reports that the hole was almost 10 feet wide and 100 feet deep.

China is notorious for accidents especially in rural areas.

In July 2014, an 18-month-old boy was rescued from a 20 feet hole.

The boy's parents sent down food to feed the child while firefighters tried to figure out how to get down the hole and rescue him.

According to reports, the child stumbled into the hole while playing.

The rescue effort: Firefighters went down into the cave to rescue the young boy after he fell in on March 4
40 per cent of the objects are unknown and could be unusual galaxies

For nearly 27 years astronomers have been puzzled by a mysterious infrared glow that permeates through the universe.

Now scientists believe they may have traced the source of much of this strange light - extremely faint dusty galaxies in some of the deepest regions of space.

They believe up to 60 per cent of the cosmic infrared background is coming from these unusual small galaxies.

Faint dusty galaxies have been found responsible for the majority of a mysterious infrared light signal that was first noticed in the 19th century. The ALMA telescope array, artists impression pictured, has resolved a longstanding mystery about the source of the infrared signals

While all galaxies contain dust, smaller ones are thought to have relatively little. But if the astronomers are right, then it means these distant galaxies have unusually high levels for their size.

A research team from the University of Tokyo identified the sources of the mysterious infrared glow by sifting through almost three years of data from an array of telescopes in the Atacama desert.

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is a group of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile.

COSMIC BACKGROUND EMISSION In the places in between stars and galaxies, the galaxy is quite dark. But there is a faint background light called cosmic background emission that can be seen everywhere. It is made up of three components  cosmic optical background (COB), cosmic microwave background (CMB) and cosmic infrared background (CIB). The origins of COB and CMB are already known, the COB comes from stars and CMB is from hot gas just after the big bang. But the reason behind the mysterious CIB had proved more difficult to pin down. Advertisement

The telescopes look for faint and distant objects in the universe at sub-millimetre wavelengths.

In the places in between stars and galaxies, the galaxy is almost totally dark.

But there is a faint background light called cosmic background emission that can be seen everywhere.

The first speculations on an extragalactic background light dates back to the first half of the 19th century.

Since then it has been discovered that the radiation is made up of three components  cosmic optical background (COB), cosmic microwave background (CMB) and cosmic infrared background (CIB).

The origins of COB and CMB are already known - the COB comes from stars and CMB is from hot gas just after the big bang.

But the source of the mysterious CIB has proved more difficult to pin down.

Examples of faint objects seen with ALMA (red contour) and the Subaru Telescope (color). ALMA detects emissions from dust in galaxies observed in optical/infrared. Dust in galaxies absorbs optical and infrared light and re-emits the energy in longer millimeter waves which can be detected with ALMA

Now a research team has identified the sources of all the radiation, by gathering data collected over years of observations by ALMA.

'The origin of the CIB is a long-standing missing piece in the energy coming from the Universe,' said Seiji Fujimoto, now studying at the Institute of Cosmic Ray Research, the University of Tokyo.

'We devoted ourselves to analysing the gigantic ALMA data in order to find the missing piece.'

The ALMA telescope array studies faint objects in the sky at light of sub-millimetre wavelengths, in the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum, with 'unprecedented sensitivity and resolution'.

The research team, led by graduate student Seiji Fujimoto, and Professor Masami Ouchi, at the University of Tokyo, went through the vast amount of ALMA data taken during about 900 days in total.

Sixty per cent of the faint objects have corresponding optical/infrared galaxies, meaning they can be attributed to galaxies, whereas the remaining 40 per cent are invisible in other wavelengths (illustrated above)

They also searched the datasets extensively for 'lensed sources' - where gravity has magnified the source, making even fainter objects visible.

Doing this they discovered 133 faint objects, including an object five times fainter than any other ever detected.

The researchers found the entire CIB can be explained by summing up the emissions from such objects.

Energy production, whether from stars or matter falling into supermassive black holes, that takes place in regions that are so dusty that most of the optical like from these stars etc is absorbed by dust.

The dust then warms up a bit and re-radiates that energy at longer, far-infrared or millimetre wavelengths.

The ALMA telescope array in the Atacama desert, pictured. ALMA detected a part of the CIB with 1mm wavelengths.The CIB in millimeter and submillimeter waves does not become weak even if the source is located far away, so wavelength is suitable for looking through the Universe to the most distant parts

Then it was time to identify what these mysterious 'objects' are.

By comparing these to optical and infrared images, the team found that 60 per cent of them are faint galaxies, whereas the rest have no corresponding objects in optical/infrared wavelengths.

The researchers say they still have no idea what might be creating the remaining 40 per cent of the background infrared light in space.

The researchers discovered 133 faint objects, including an object five times fainter than any other ever detected

Dust in galaxies absorbs optical and infrared light and re-emits the energy in longer millimeter waves which can be detected with ALMA.

ALMA detected a part of the CIB with 1mm wavelengths.

The CIB in millimetre and sub-millimetre wavelengths does not become weak even if the source is located far away, so this means the wavelength is suitable for looking at the most distant parts of the universe.

'However, we have no idea what the rest of them are,' Professor Ouchi said.

'I speculate that they are galaxies obscured by dust. Considering their darkness, they would be very low-mass galaxies.'

'This means that such small galaxies contain great amounts of dust.

'That conflicts with our current understanding that small galaxies should contain small amounts of dust.

'Our results might indicate the existence of many unexpected objects in the distant universe.'

'These are certainly interesting results and the quest for the sources responsible for the CIB at a range of wavelengths is definitely an active field,' Dr David Clements, astrophysicist at Imperial College London told MailOnline.

Dr Clements has been working with Herschel data at somewhat shorter wavelengths and thinks they have a good fraction of the CIB explained.

'The CIB has to come from galaxies obscured by dust, the interesting result here is the claim that it's coming from smaller galaxies rather than the monsters that some of us have been finding from Herschel data.'

Professor Ouchi said they will continue to work on finding out exactly what these objects are, and if they really are small dusty galaxies.

'We are eager to unmask these new enigmatic sources with future ALMA observations.'
With hopes of speeding development of self-driving cars, General Motors has acquired a small software company that's been testing vehicles on the streets of San Francisco.

The Detroit automaker says it purchased Cruise Automation, a 40-person firm that was founded just three years ago.

The move, coupled with GM's in-house research, should help the company in its race with Google and others to have autonomous cars start transporting people on public roadways.

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The Detroit automaker has bought Cruise Automation, a 40-person firm that was founded just three years ago and has already tested vehicles on the streets of San Francisco.

GM wouldn't give a timetable for rolling out the technology, but President Dan Ammann said it would happen as soon as the company can demonstrate that the cars are ready.

'It's our view that driverless technology will be demonstrably safer than the human driver,' Ammann said in a telephone interview.

Cruise Technology, along with Google, is among the few companies with permits from the state of California to test the cars, said Kyle Vogt, the company founder and CEO.

The company is working to tackle the biggest obstacles to autonomous cars  seeing the lane lines in bad weather and integrating data from cameras and other sensors so the cars make the right decisions on the road, Vogt said.

'I agree that's a challenge,' he said. 'Looking at lane markers isn't going to get you there.'

Cruise reported one crash to the state Department of Motor Vehicles in which an autonomous car rear-ended a city of San Francisco parking enforcement vehicle.

Vogt said the car's backup human driver had taken control of the vehicle when it crashed.

GM has acquired a small software company that's been testing autonomous vehicles on the streets of San Francisco.

The startup's first prototype sensor suite included two stereo cameras, a 77 GHz radar and 10 axis inertial measurement units.

'GM's commitment to autonomous vehicles is inspiring, deliberate, and completely in line with our vision to make transportation safer and more accessible,' saisd Vogt.

'We are excited to be partnering with GM and believe this is a ground-breaking and necessary step toward rapidly commercializing autonomous vehicle technology.'

According to Mark Reuss, GM executive vice president, Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain, 'Cruise provides our company with a unique technology advantage that is unmatched in our industry. We intend to invest significantly to further grow the talent base and capabilities already established by the Cruise team.'

GM wouldn't disclose the purchase price of deal, which was announced Friday.

It said all Cruise Technology employees will join GM and work as a separate unit, and there are plans to hire more people.

It's GM's third high-profile venture this year in new mobility.
It is an issue troubling some of the greatest minds in the world at the moment, from Professor Stephen Hawking to Bill Gates and Elon Musk.

So it is perhaps not surprising there are now growing fears among the public about the threat posed by artificial intelligence.

A new survey has revealed that one in three people now believe the rise of AI computing will pose a serious threat to humanity within the next century.

There are mounting fears among the public about the threat posed by artificial intelligence. A new survey has revealed that one in three people now believe the rise of AI computing will pose a serious threat to humanity. A stock image of The Terminator is pictured above

More than 60 per cent fear that robots will lead to there being fewer jobs in the next ten years.

And 27 per cent predict that it will decrease the number of jobs 'a lot' with previous research suggesting admin and service sector workers will be the hardest hit.

The survey of 2,000 people was conducted by YouGov on behalf of the British Science Association (BSA) to mark the start of British Science Week, which begins today.

A quarter of the respondants predicted robots will become part of everyday life in just 11 to 20 years, with 18 per cent predicting this will happen within the next decade.

Just under half of those polled opposed the idea of robots or programming being equipped with emotions or a personality, meaning that pop culture favourite robots in films such as Wall-E or Ex Machina might prove unpopular in real life.

More than 60 per cent fear that robots will lead to there being fewer jobs in the next ten years and 27 per cent predict that it will decrease the number of jobs 'a lot' with previous research suggesting admin and service sector workers will be the hardest hit. An illustration of a human working with robots is shown above

Both Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking have been outspoken about their fears of artificially intelligent machines. The SpaceX and Tesla CEO (pictured) last year described AI as our 'biggest existential threat' and likened its development as 'summoning the demon'

WILL ROBOTS STEAL YOUR JOB? Claims made by an expert in artificial intelligence predict that in less than five years, office jobs will disappear completely to the point where machines will replace humans. The idea that robots will one day be able to do all low-skilled jobs is not new, but Andrew Anderson from UK artificial intelligence company, Celaton, said the pace of advance is much faster than originally thought. AI, for example, can carry out labour intensive clerical tasks quickly and automatically, while the latest models are also capable of making decisions traditionally made by humans. 'The fact that a machine can not only carry out these tasks, but constantly learn how to do it better and faster, means clerical workers are no longer needed in the vast quantities they once were,' Mr Anderson said. For example, a machine can recognise duplicate insurance claims by knowing it has seen a phone number or an address before. Advertisement

And the public is largely sceptical about whether machines will ever be trusted to take on roles where lives could be in danger.

The poll found that approximately half of those surveyed would not trust robotic surgeons, bus drivers or commercial aircraft pilots.

But they would be happy if intelligent machines could help around the house, with around half of those polled happy to let domestic bots cook and clean for older people.

A similar percentage would be comfortable with intelligent machines flying unmanned search and rescue or military aircraft, with 70 per cent eager for them to monitor crops.

'It isn't surprising that many people are apprehensive about the future when it comes to artificial intelligence,' said Lord David Willetts, Chair of the British Science Association.

'Innovation is often scary, but it is important to remember that the economy and the world is constantly changing and adapting: the rise of a new technology such as this is simply the newest invention that will take adjusting to and we are infinitely capable of that.

'What this research shows is that the public's fears need to be listened to as we go on to innovate and trail-blaze in this area.'

Professor Hawking (pictured) has recently said it is a 'near certainty' that a major technological disaster will threaten humanity in the next 1,000 to 10,000 years

GOOGLE SETS UP AI ETHICS BOARD TO CURB THE RISE OF THE ROBOTS Google has set up an ethics board to oversee its work in artificial intelligence. The search giant has recently bought several robotics companies, along with Deep Mind, a British firm creating software that tries to help computers think like humans. One of its founders warned artificial intelligence is 'number one risk for this century,' and believes it could play a part in human extinction. 'Eventually, I think human extinction will probably occur, and technology will likely play a part in this,' DeepMind's Shane Legg said in a recent interview. Among all forms of technology that could wipe out the human species, he singled out artificial intelligence, or AI, as the 'number 1 risk for this century.' The ethics board, revealed by web site The Information, is to ensure the projects are not abused. Neuroscientist Demis Hassabis, 37, founded DeepMind two years ago with the aim of trying to help computers think like humans. Advertisement

Both Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking have been outspoken about their fears of artificially intelligent machines.

The SpaceX and Tesla CEO last year described AI as our 'biggest existential threat' and likened its development as 'summoning the demon.'

He believes super intelligent machines could use humans as pets.

Professor Hawking has recently said it is a 'near certainty' that a major technological disaster will threaten humanity in the next 1,000 to 10,000 years.

The survey found that women fear the rise of AI machines more than men, with just 17 per cent of women claiming to feel optimistic about the technology, compared with 28 per cent of men.

Some 13 per cent of men can imagine themselves becoming friends with a robot, compared to just six per cent of women.

Lord Willets said: 'People will always want human experiences - robots will not kill the radio star, and we will always want to interact with other people.

'In fact, the greater problem is that artificial intelligence cannot quickly enough fill jobs that are going spare.'

Young people, between the ages of 18 and 24 are the most open minded about a future filled with AI machines, with one in four envisaging having robotic so-workers and 10 per cent even open to welcoming them as family members.

More than half of this age bracket - 55 per cent- also said that intelligent machines could take up the role of servants in a household.

Just under half of those polled opposed the idea of robots or programming being equipped with emotions or a personality, meaning that pop culture favourite robots in films such as Wall-E (pictured above) or Ex Machina might prove unpopular in real life
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New Nasa images form Pluto have discovered a strange mark on the surface.

'Far in the western hemisphere, scientists on Nasa's New Horizons mission have discovered what looks like a giant 'bite mark' on Pluto's surface' the space agency said.

They suspect it may be caused by a process known as sublimationthe transition of a substance from a solid to a gas.

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'Far in the western hemisphere, scientists on Nasa's New Horizons mission have discovered what looks like a giant 'bite mark' on Pluto's surface' the space agency said. Researchers think the strange shape may be caused by a process known as sublimationthe transition of a substance from a solid to a gas.

THERE COULD BE ALIENS BENEATH PLUTO'S CRUST, SAYS BRIAN COX Alien life may be lurking beneath Pluto's crust, according to physicist Brian Cox. His comments come after the historic flyby of the dwarf planet by New Horizons, which uncovered huge glaciers and mountains made of water ice. These features hint at the possibility of subterranean seas on the dwarf planet warm enough for organic chemistry to thrive, said Cox. The probe 'showed you that there may well be a subsurface ocean on Pluto,' Cox told The Times. '[This] means - if our understanding of life on Earth is even slightly correct - that you could have living things there.' Advertisement

This means methane ice-rich surface on Pluto may be sublimating away into the atmosphere, exposing a layer of water-ice underneath.

In the image, north is up.

The southern portion of the left inset above shows the cratered plateau uplands informally named Vega Terra (note that all feature names are informal).

A jagged scarp, or wall of cliffs, known as Piri Rupes borders the young, nearly crater-free plains of Piri Planitia.

The cliffs break up into isolated mesas in several places.

Cutting diagonally across the mottled plans is the long extensional fault of Inanna Fossa, which stretches eastward 370 miles (600 kilometers) from here to the western edge of the great nitrogen ice plains of Sputnik Planum.

Compositional data from the New Horizons spacecraft's Ralph/Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA) instrument, shown in the right inset, indicate that the plateau uplands south of Piri Rupes are rich in methane ice (shown in false color as purple).

Scientists speculate that sublimation of methane may be causing the plateau material to erode along the face of the cliffs, causing them to retreat south and leave the plains of Piri Planitia in their wake.

Compositional data also show that the surface of Piri Planitia is more enriched in water ice (shown in false color as blue) than the higher plateaus, which may indicate that Piri Planitia's surface is made of water ice bedrock, just beneath a layer of retreating methane ice.

Because the surface of Pluto is so cold, the water ice is rock-like and immobile.

The light/dark mottled pattern of Piri Planitia in the left inset is reflected in the composition map, with the lighter areas corresponding to areas richer in methane  these may be remnants of methane that have not yet sublimated away entirely.

The inset at left shows about 650 feet (200 meters) per pixel; the image measures approximately 280 miles (450 kilometers) long by 255 miles (410 kilometers) wide. It was obtained by New Horizons at a range of approximately 21,100 miles (33,900 kilometers) from Pluto, about 45 minutes before the spacecraft's closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015.

The LEISA data at right was gathered when the spacecraft was about 29,000 miles (47,000 kilometers) from Pluto; best resolution is 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers) per pixel.

Compositional data also show that the surface of Piri Planitia is more enriched in water ice (shown in false color as blue) than the higher plateaus, which may indicate that Piri Planitia's surface is made of water ice bedrock, just beneath a layer of retreating methane ice.

Much like Earth, Pluto's huge mountains may have vast expanses of snow covering their peaks, previous reseach has shown

This is according to Nasa's New Horizons team who has discovered a chain of exotic snowcapped mountains stretching across the dark expanse on Pluto informally named Cthulhu region.

The area stretches nearly halfway around Pluto's equator, starting from the west of the great nitrogen ice plains known as Sputnik Planum.

Measuring around 1,850 miles (3,000km) long and 450 miles (750km) wide, Cthulhu (pronounced kuh-THU-lu) is a bit larger than the state of Alaska.

Cthulhu's appearance is characterised by a dark surface, which scientists think is due to being covered by a layer of dark tholins.

Tholins are complex molecules that form when methane is exposed to sunlight.

Cthulhu's geology exhibits a wide variety of landscapes - from mountainous to smooth, and to heavily cratered and fractured.

The reddish enhanced color image shown as the left inset reveals a mountain range located in southeast Cthulhu that's 260 miles (420km) long. The upper slopes of the highest peaks are coated with a bright material that contrasts sharply with the dark red color of the surrounding plains. The right inset also shows how the bright ice on the mountains matches up with the distribution of methane (purple)

The reddish enhanced colour image reveals a mountain range located in southeast Cthulhu that's 260 miles (420km) long.

The range is situated among craters, with narrow valleys separating its peaks.

The upper slopes of the highest peaks are coated with a bright material that contrasts sharply with the dark red colour of the surrounding plains.

Scientists think this bright material could be predominantly methane that has condensed as ice onto the peaks from Pluto's atmosphere.

'That this material coats only the upper slopes of the peaks suggests methane ice may act like water in Earth's atmosphere, condensing as frost at high altitude,' said John Stansberry, a New Horizons science team member from Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland.

Compositional data from the Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) on Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft, indicates that the location of the bright ice on the mountain peaks matches up almost exactly with the distribution of methane ice, shown in false colour as purple.

The resolution of the enhanced colour image is about 2,230 feet (680 meters) per pixel.

Hills of water ice on Pluto 'float' in a sea of frozen nitrogen and move over time like icebergs in Earth's Arctic Ocean. This shows the inset in context next to a larger view. The resolution is about 1050ft (320 meters) per pixel and 300 miles (almost 500km) long and 210 miles (340km) wide. It was taken 9,950 miles (16,000km) from Pluto, 12 minutes before New Horizons' closest approach to Pluto on July 14

The image measures approximately 280 miles (450km) long by 140 miles (225km) wide.

It was obtained by New Horizons at a range of approximately 21,100 miles (33,900km) from Pluto, about 45 minutes before the spacecraft's closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015.

Last month, hills of water ice were found to be 'floating' in a sea of frozen nitrogen on Pluto, moving over time like icebergs in Earth's Arctic Ocean

These hills, which can be seen in the recent images studied by the New Horizons team, are believed to measure one to several miles across.

They are found in the vast ice plain informally named Sputnik Planum within Pluto's 'heart' and are likely miniature versions of the larger, jumbled mountains on the region's western border.

The two scans were taken 15 minutes apart on July 14, 2015 from 67,000 miles away, showing the hemisphere visible to New Horizons as it flew by. According to Nasa, water ice is the crustal bedrock of Pluto, over the course of the changing seasons, it is covered by more volatile ices

Their discovery follows news last month that Pluto may be covered in a lot more water ice than astronomers previously thought, which could boost the chances for finding a liquid sea and alien life.

Nasa describes the feature as 'yet another example of Pluto's fascinating and abundant geological activity.'

Because water ice is less dense than nitrogen-dominated ice, scientists believe these water ice hills are floating in a sea of frozen nitrogen and move over time like icebergs on Earth.

The hills may be fragments of the rugged uplands that have broken away and are being carried by the nitrogen glaciers into Sputnik Planum.

'Chains' of the drifting hills are formed along the flow paths of the glaciers.

When the hills enter the cellular terrain of central Sputnik Planum, they become subject to the motions of the nitrogen ice, and are pushed to the edges of the cells, where the hills cluster in groups reaching up to 12 miles (20km) across.

At the northern end of the image, the feature informally named Challenger Colles  honouring the crew of the lost space shuttle Challenger  appears to be an especially large accumulation of these hills, measuring 37 by 22 miles (60 by 35km).

This feature is located near the boundary with the uplands, away from the cellular terrain, and may represent a location where hills have been 'beached' due to the nitrogen ice being especially shallow.

Nasa experts believe the object may be a 'dirty block of water ice' which is floating in denser solid nitrogen. Also visible are thousands of pits in the surface, which scientists believe may form by sublimation

Last week, Nasa said that Pluto may be covered in a lot more water ice than astronomers previously thought.

The space agency has now stitched together images from the observations to create a three-dimensional 'data cube' to map the findings.

Using observations taken in infrared light by the Ralph/Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA) instrument, astronomers have created false-colour maps to plot the concentration of Pluto's water ice.

The two scans were taken 15 minutes apart on July 14, 2015 from 67,000 miles away, showing the hemisphere visible to New Horizons as it flew by.

According to Nasa, water ice is the crustal bedrock of Pluto, and over the course of the changing seasons, it is covered by more volatile ices.

One of these other ices is methane, which can block the 'spectral signature' of water ice.

In the first map, shown on the left, the researchers compared LEISA spectra with a pure ice template spectrum to work around this.

But, the map only shows areas that were either very rich in water, or very low in methane.

For the second map, the team used more sensitive techniques, including the various kinds of ice found on the surface, in addition to water ice.

The more detailed map reveals the spread of water ice across much of Pluto, much more than previously known.

NEW HORIZONS' NEW MISSION The spacecraft that gave us the first close-up views of Pluto now has a much smaller object in its sights. New Horizons is now track to fly past a recently discovered, less than 30-mile-wide object out on the solar system frontier. The close encounter with what's known as 2014 MU69 would occur in 2019. It orbits nearly 1 billion miles (1.6 billion kilometers) beyond Pluto. Nasa and the New Horizons team chose 2014 MU69 in August as New Horizons' next potential target, thus the nickname PT-1. Like Pluto, MU69 orbits the sun in the frozen, twilight zone known as the Kuiper Belt. MU69 is thought to be 10 times larger and 1,000 times more massive than average comets, including the one being orbited right now by Europe's Rosetta spacecraft. On the other end, MU69 is barely 1 percent the size of Pluto and perhaps one-ten-thousandth the mass of the dwarf planet. So the new target is a good middle ground, according to scientists. The team plans to formally ask Nasa next year to fund the mission extension for studying MU69. Scientists promise a better name before showtime on January 1, 2019. Advertisement

Some regions on the map, including Sputnik Planum, the western region of Pluto's 'heart,' and Lowell Regio in the north, were observed to exhibit little evidence of water, if any at all.

This suggests that the bedrock in these areas is buried beneath an accumulation of other ices, such as methane, nitrogen, and carbon monoxide.

Earlier this month, New Horizons sent back one of its most intriguing images of the surface of Pluto. It shows a mysterious object appearing to 'slide' through the surface.

Nasa experts believe the object may be a 'dirty block of water ice'.

They say it is 'floating' in denser solid nitrogen, and which has been dragged to the edge of a convection cell.

Also visible are thousands of pits in the surface, which scientists believe may form by sublimation.

This image depicts an entire day on the dwarf planet. The space agency released a series of 10 close-ups of the frosty, faraway world today, representing one Pluto day, which is equivalent to 6.4 Earth days. The New Horizons spacecraft took the pictures as it zoomed past Pluto in an unprecedented flyby in July. Pluto was between 400,000 and 5 million miles from the camera for these photos

Transmitted to Earth on Dec. 24, another image from the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) extends New Horizons' highest-resolution views of Pluto to the very center of Sputnik Planum,.

Sputnik Planum is at a lower elevation than most of the surrounding area by a couple of miles, but is not completely flat.

Its surface is separated into cells or polygons 10 to 25 miles (16 to 40 kilometers) wide, and when viewed at low sun angles (with visible shadows), the cells are seen to have slightly raised centers and ridged margins, with about 100 yards (100 meters) of overall height variation.

Mission scientists believe the pattern of the cells stems from the slow thermal convection of the nitrogen-dominated ices that fill Sputnik Planum.

A reservoir that's likely several miles or kilometers deep in some places, the solid nitrogen is warmed at depth by Pluto's modest internal heat, becomes buoyant and rises up in great blobs, and then cools off and sinks again to renew the cycle.

'This part of Pluto is acting like a lava lamp,' said William McKinnon, deputy lead of the New Horizons Geology, Geophysics and Imaging team, from Washington University in St. Louis, 'if you can imagine a lava lamp as wide as, and even deeper than, the Hudson Bay.'

Computer models by the New Horizons team show that these blobs of overturning solid nitrogen can slowly evolve and merge over millions of years. The ridged margins, which mark where cooled nitrogen ice sinks back down, can be pinched off and abandoned.

The 'X' feature is likely one of thesea former quadruple junction where four convection cells meet. Numerous, active triple junctions can be seen elsewhere in the LORRI mosaic.

Flowing ice and a extended haze are among the discoveries from Nasa's New Horizons mission, which reveal distant Pluto to be an icy world of wonders. This panorama was captured by the New Horizons spacecraft from 18,000 kilometers (11,00 miles) away, just 15 minutes after the probe's closest approach

THE BIGGEST ICE VOLCANO IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM: IMAGES REVEAL 90 MILE-WIDE CRYOVOLCANO ON PLUTO The most detailed image yet of a giant mountain on Pluto, which is suspected to be an ice volcano, was released by Nasa last month. It is one of two potential cryovolcanoes spotted on the surface of Pluto by the New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015. At about 90 miles (150km) across and 2.5 miles (4km) high, this feature is enormous. The feature, known as Wright Mons, was informally named by the New Horizons team in honor of the Wright brothers. If it is in fact a volcano, as suspected, it would be the largest such feature discovered in the outer solar system. 'These are big mountains with a large hole in their summit, and on Earth that generally means one thing  a volcano,' said Oliver White, a New Horizons researcher. The most detailed image yet of a giant mountain on Pluto, which is suspected to be an ice volcano, has been released by Nasa (left). It is one of two potential cryovolcanoes spotted on the surface of Pluto by the New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015. At about 90 miles (150km) across and 2.5 miles (4km) high, this feature is enormous Mission scientists are baffled by the sparse distribution of red material in the image and wonder why it is not more widespread. Also perplexing is that there is only one identified impact crater on Wright Mons itself, telling scientists that the surface - as well as some of the crust underneath - was created relatively recently. This is turn may indicate that Wright Mons was volcanically active late in Pluto's history. The other potential ice volcano on Pluto has been named Piccard Mons, is up to 3.5 miles (6 km) high. Both ice volcanoes are located near Pluto's South Pole. 'We're not yet ready to announce we have found volcanic constructs at Pluto, but these sure look suspicious and we're looking at them very closely,' said Jeff Moore, a planetary scientist at Nasa said in an earlier release. Nasa says that if Pluto does have cryovolcanoes, it may be an indication that there is volatile ice that coats its surface. Advertisement




Scientists in Chile have figured out a way to resurrect the prehistoric traits of dinosaurs.

In a reverse evolution experiment, a researcher has manipulated the genes of modern chickens to induce the legs of a dinosaur.

These ancestors of birds once had a tube-shaped fibula that stretched down to the ankle. Through evolution, this transformed to become the short, splinter-like fibula of birds today.

Scroll down for video

To achieve the long dinosaur-like bone, the researcher inhibited a maturation gene called Indian Hedgehog. With this suppressed, the chickens maintained their tubular fibula, which remained long and connected to the ankle like a dinosaur

COLOUR IN DINOSAURS HINTS AT HOW BIRDS EVOLVED The first birds evolved after the feathers of a group of dinosaurs received a burst of colour. Research has found that, as well as giving birds their appearance, the pigment in feathers readied their dinosaur ancestors for flight. These same chemicals may have helped change the metabolism of early birds so they could stay in the air during flight. The study focused on small, meat-eating maniraptorans, which lived 150 million years ago and had many early vestiges of birds. Scientists compared the hair, skin, fuzz and feathers of living land vertebrates including birds, mammals and reptiles with fossil specimens of ancient lizards, turtles, dinosaurs and pterosaurs. They were surprised to discover maniraptorans and modern birds shared the evolutionary development of variety in the shapes and sizes of melanosomes - chemicals that provide the colour in tissues, hairs and feathers. Advertisement

The fibula is the outer bone in the lower leg, which has evolved in birds to be shorter than its neighbour, the tibia, and no longer connects to the ankle.

In the embryonic stage, its been previously noted that birds first develop a tubular fibula like that seen in dinosaurs.

As it develops, this bone becomes splinter-like and the tibia grows past it.

To understand this transformation, Brazilian researcher Joao Botelho reversed the evolutionary process.

Normally, the shaft of the bone matures more quickly than the ends, ceasing cell division first.

But in the experiments at the University of Chile in the lab of Alexander Vargas, Botelho found that the lower end of the bone was active early in development, and then ceases cell division and growth.

To achieve the long dinosaur-like bone, the researcher inhibited a maturation gene called Indian Hedgehog.

With this suppressed, the chickens maintained their tubular fibula, which remained long and connected to the ankle like a dinosaur.

Researchers suggest the early maturation, which leads to the stunted growth of the fibula, happens because of a nearby bone in the ankle called the calcaneum.

In birds, this bone presses against the lower end of the fibula, at times even confusing researchers into thinking they are one.

The lower end of the fibula may receive signals similar to those at the shaft, the researcher proposes.

While the calcaneum and the fibula eventually detach in a typical scenario, the two bones stayed together in the dinosaur chickens.

And, the researcher says, the calcaneum strongly expresses the PthrP gene, which allows growth at the ends of bones.

Scientists in Chile have figured out a way to resurrect the prehistoric traits of dinosaurs. Dinosaurs once had a tube-shaped fibula that stretched down to the ankle. When dinosaurs evolved into birds (illustration shown) this transformed to become the short, splinter-like fibula of birds today

In the chickens with dinosaur-like legs, the researcher found that the tibia was much shorter than normal, suggesting the fibula-ankle connection prevents the neighbouring bone from outgrowing the fibula.

Researchers say the findings are consistent with evolutionary patterns demonstrated in fossil records.

This isnt the first time Botelho has brought out dinosaur traits in chickens.

Earlier experiments have produced the reversal of the perching toe, to obtain the non-opposed toe of dinosaurs, and a lab at Yale manipulated gene expression to achieve a dinosaur-like snout.

Though the scientist has proven capable of undoing evolutionary traits, the researchers say theres no need to worry about a Jurassic Park style project.

The experiments are focused on single traits, to test specific hypotheses, says Vargas.

Not only do we know a great deal about bird development, but also about the dinosaur-bird transition, which is well-documented by the fossil record.

This leads naturally to hypotheses on the evolution of development that can be explored in the lab.
Most UFO hunters report seeing brightly coloured sphere shaped orbs floating around the darkness off space, but a recent sighting may change the way we perceive alien crafts.

A 'cylinder', semi-transparent shaped UFO was spotted in the live web feed from Nasa earlier this month, traveling alongside of the International Space Station (ISS).

The clip shows the anomaly trailing 'at the same speed of the massive US spacecraft and a Martian researcher says it is similar to 'the cylinder UFO and orbs seen on worldwide CNN back in 2006'.

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Most UFO hunters report seeing brightly coloured sphere shaped orbs floating around the darkness off space, but a recent sighting may change the way we perceive alien crafts. A 'cylinder', semi-transparent shaped UFO was spotted in the live web feed from Nasa, traveling alongside of the International Space Station (ISS)

Scott C. Waring, founder of UFO Sighting Daily, was spending a quite night at home watching the live internet cam of the ISS when he saw something strange floating beside it.

'As I was watching, I noticed a long cylinder object floating alongside and below the space station,' Waring shared in his blog today.

The video post is just 1 minute and 22 seconds long and shows the outside of the station, but if you just a little to the right there seems to be an object traveling the same speed.

And just as Waring describes it, 'cylinder' and 'semi-transparent'.

Scott C. Waring, founder of UFO Sighting Daily , was spending a quite night at home watching the live internet cam of the ISS when he saw something strange floating beside it. 'As I was watching, I noticed a long cylinder object floating alongside and below the space station,' Waring shared in his blog today

'Its speed was matched with the ISS, but the object floating was semi-transparent,' he continues.

'Just when you thought it was about to come into focus, the screen went blue'.

'That's what happens when Nasa catches a UFO on cam, they cut the feed for a few minutes.

Waring finished the post recalling a sighting with a similar cylinder shape Martian vehicle that was captured by CNN.

The video post is just 1 minute and 22 seconds long and shows the outside of the station, but if you just a little to the right there seems to be an object traveling the same speed. And just as Waring describes it, 'cylinder' and 'semi-transparent'

The video features a female employees from mission reaching out to Houston about the external tank that fell from the Atlantis.

'27 - 32 seconds into the video of the external tank, you will see a triangular object fly across the bottom right hand corner of the screen,' Youtube John Schaser, who first published the clip, wrote in the caption.

The clip shows the UFO trailing 'at the same speed of the US spacecraft and a Martian researcher says it is similar to 'the cylinder UFO and orbs seen on worldwide CNN back in 2006'. The video features a female employees from mission reaching out to Houston about the external tank that fell from the Atlantis (pictured)

'Are they orbiting this close to a satellite? or is it a UFO? Tell me what you think. This video is not a fake.'

'I simply downloaded it off of the NASA website and reposted it here, it is still on the NASA server'.

Nasa had to make a public statement debunking what some believed to be a UFO, saying the 'orbs' were 'space debris' that was reflecting sunlight, reports Inquisitor

'Just as the film goes blue, the cylinder moves under some of the land on the earth,' wrote a YouTube commenter named 'technicaly brilliant.' 'Think its some kind of reflection.'

'Just a reflection on the camera, errorhead,' added another commenter on the YouTube video, using the online name 'Allen Roswell.'

'ALIENS STOPPED NUCLEAR WAR ON EARTH' SAYS FORMER ASTRONAUT Aliens came to Earth to stop a nuclear war between America and Russia, according the bizarre claim of a former astronaut. Edgar Mitchell, the sixth man to walk on the moon, says high-ranking military officials witnessed alien ships during weapons tests throughout the 1940s. The UFOs, he says, were spotted hovering over the world's first nuclear weapons test which took place on July 16, 1945 in the desolate White Sands deserts of New Mexico. The Nasa veteran has regularly spoken about his belief in aliens ever since he landed on the surface of the moon during the Apollo 14 mission in 1971. 'White Sands was a testing ground for atomic weapons - and that's what the extra-terrestrials were interested in,' the 84-year-old Texan told Mirror Online. 'They wanted to know about our military capabilities. 'My own experience talking to people has made it clear the ETs had been attempting to keep us from going to war and help create peace on Earth.' Dr Mitchell says stories from people who manned missile bases during the 20th Century back up his claims. 'Other officers from bases on the Pacific coast told me their [test] missiles were frequently shot down by alien spacecraft,' he said. He previously said supposedly real-life ET's were similar to the traditional image of a small frame, large eyes and head. He claimed our technology is 'not nearly as sophisticated' as theirs and 'had they been hostile', he warned 'we would be been gone by now'. Advertisement

But Waring insists the object was a 'cylinder' shaped UFO.

Earlier this year more bizarre footage was released from Russia showing another object trailing the ISS.

The clip was reported to show a spacecraft or piece of debris following the station as it orbited Earth in January.

Earlier this year more bizarre footage was released from Russia showing another object trailing the ISS. The clip was reported to show a spacecraft or piece of debris following the station as it orbited Earth .The footage was said to have been taken while the satellite was waiting for a supplies delivery (pictured)

The footage - claimed to have been shot on the ISS's own cameras - was said to have been taken while the satellite was waiting for a supplies delivery.

This footage sent conspiracy theorist into a frenzy, as many believed it to be a UFO  but others were skeptical about the authenticity of the film and the explanations of the object.
Whether you are looking for a family break, a child-free voyage, gastronomy or a cruise close to home, theres oceans of choice this year.

You could be sailing off to remote Norwegian islands or float by the Lake District for something close to home.

Mail on Sunday has picked the best cruises.

Thomson Discovery

Thomson Discovery is based in Majorca but has different one-week itineraries that are great for young families

Thomson Discovery, the new flagship for the Thomson fleet, might have a familiar feel for fans of Royal Caribbeans Splendour Of The Seas. It is the same ship revamped for British holidaymakers.

Based in Majorca, and sailing on four different one-week itineraries until October, the ship is a great choice for young families. Prices start at 989pp including flights (based on two adults sharing).

Go to thomson.co.uk/cruise or call 0871 230 2800 to book.

Saga Sapphire

Hitting the peaks: Saga Sapphire will call at Norwegian destinations including the remote Lofoten Islands (above)

Sail into the Arctic Circle and spend evenings on deck watching breathtaking scenery and wildlife on a summer voyage from Dover. The no-fly cruise aboard child-free Saga Sapphire sails to Norway on July 5 for 15 nights.

After a day at sea, the ship starts its navigation of the beautiful fjords, calling at Stavanger and Trondheim, crossing the Arctic Circle to visit the remote Lofoten Islands and sailing up to the North Cape, the Norwegian Lands End.

The fare, from 2,941pp, includes home to ship travel and travel insurance with Saga (saga.co.uk/cruises, 0800 505030).

Regent Seven Seas

Dubrovnik is just one of the stops on the luxury all-inclusive Regent Seven Seas, which includes unlimited excursions and open bars

Luxury, all-inclusive line Regent Seven Seas celebrates its 25th anniversary with savings of up to 25 per cent on 25 sailings.

Choose the cruise aboard Seven Seas Navigator sailing for ten nights from Venice to Athens on May 27 for the reduced price of 2,399pp.

This includes flights, unlimited excursions and open bars. Ports of call include Ravenna, Dubrovnik, Crete, Mykonos and Rhodes. For details, go to rssc.com/celebrate or call 02380 682280.

Fred.Olsen

Staying in Britain can have its perks. You can see the Edinburgh Tattoo (above), hike in the Lake District or even explore the Shetlands

How about seeing the Edinburgh Tattoo, the Eden Project in Cornwall and The Beatles haunts in Liverpool all on one holiday?

You can on The Great British Cruise aboard Braemar, sailing from Southampton on August 8. The 11-night cruise also calls at Cardiff, Barrow-in-Furness for the Lake District, and the Shetlands. On board there are intimate lounges, a card room and art and craft studio.

Fares are from 1,299pp with Fred.Olsen (fredolsencruises.com, 0800 035 5242).

Norwegian Escape

The pristine beaches of the Bahamas (above) is within easy reach of a fly-cruise with Norwegian Escape

Scramble round a rope course and walk the plank 168ft above the waves, race down the fastest waterslides at sea and dance under a starry sky in Spice H2O nightclub. These are just some of the things that make new 4,200-passenger ship Norwegian Escape a destination in itself as it sails in the Caribbean.

There are dozens of restaurants and bars, and two Broadway shows playing. Sailing year-round from Miami, the ship follows two seven-night itineraries.

An Eastern Caribbean fly-cruise, departing on April 22 with calls at the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands and the Bahamas, costs from 1,855pp (ncl.co.uk, 0845 201 8900).

Celebrity Equinox

A one-week cruise with Celebrity Equinox could see you sailing from Barcelona to Athens with stops in Provence (above), Genoa and Crete

Book on a foodie cruise of the Med aboard Celebrity Equinox and you will you be whisked to the ship on a special flight from Stansteds private jet terminal.

A special treat will be Michelin-starred chef Josh Eggleton creating a tasting menu in Murano restaurant. The one-week cruise from Barcelona to Athens, departing on July 2, calls at Toulon in Provence, Genoa, Civitavecchia (for Rome), Salerno and Crete.
Cattle are swimming across the river ahead, a moped carrying a family of four wobbles along a rutted path, egrets glide from tree to tree and children splash among the floating hyacinths waving and shouting Hello!

From my shady chair on the teak deck I wave back and pick up my novel. Our balanced itinerary gives plenty of time to sit and read, but river life is so engrossing, Ive barely read six pages.

Soon I am watching fishermen in conical hats casting their circular nets and I am treated to a glorious sunset. As the glowing orange sun sinks behind the hills, the swirling flocks of birds go off to roost and bats flap silently past our bows.

Sunset over the Mekong River, which runs from its source on the Tibetan Plateau to its delta on the South China Sea

One of the stops along the way is Siem Reap, a town close to the temple complex of Angkor Wat (above)

The Mekong river flows nearly 3,000 miles from its source on the Tibetan Plateau to its delta on the South China Sea with 60 million people depending on it for their daily lives. I am sailing for one week on a fraction of the Mekongs course, sailing to the hearts of two former French colonies.

The combination of scenic sailing and eye-widening trips ashore is the perfect way to observe the contrasts between busy Vietnam and unhurried Cambodia. And a river cruise as part of a longer escorted tour in South East Asia brings a welcome slowdown in pace.

My cruise started near Ho Chi Minh City  or Saigon, as the former capital of South Vietnam is often still referred to. A day there gave me time for sightseeing, some shopping and a gin sling at the rooftop bar of the Art Deco Majestic Hotel.

As we sailed away upstream, we passed flat-bottomed boats laden with rice and palm thatch. Ashore, we were welcomed in villages where we learnt how to make rice pancakes and watched potters making dishes, turning the wheels by hand.

Almost exactly half way through the cruise is the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh that's known for its pagodas and temples and its tortured past

In the riverside city of Sa Dec we walked through the morning market, where fish were so fresh they were leaping in their buckets, and I tasted exotic fruits Id never seen before.

Our itinerary took us to many temples and pagodas. Two stand out. The first, in Vietnam, presented the unexpected sight of a portrait of Victor Hugo.

Our guide explained he is one of the saints of Caodaism, a religion founded in 1926. The second was in rural Cambodia: we rode on ox carts through bright-green rice fields to a pagoda where I knelt before a saffron-robed priest who gave me his blessing and tied a red cord round my wrist.

Whenever we returned on board, the crew would welcome us back with drinks and cold flannels. Then it was just a few steps to our air-conditioned cabins to freshen up before dinner.

Almost exactly halfway through our week we crossed the border and arrived in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.

A family on Cambodias vast Tonle Sap lake, which is so big that its banks on the other side cannot be seen

Here we had the chilling experience of visiting the school which became the S-21 interrogation centre during Pol Pots reign of terror in the Seventies. More than 20,000 people were tortured here and then sent to their deaths in the Killing Fields.

Our cruise ended crossing Tonle Sap lake, so vast its banks were out of sight, to disembark near Siem Reap, a town close to the temple complex of Angkor Wat.

Even more astonishing than the magnificent Angkor Wat, I found myself almost alone in the small temple of Ta Prohm, left in the same overgrown state as it was found, with tree trunks growing through roofs and twisted roots swallowing up walls.

From the buzzing south of Vietnam to a lost world in Cambodia, one mighty river brought their wondrous sights to me.
Flight delays are a common occurrence, but reasons for them as bizarre as these certainly aren't.

This week, MailOnline reported how an easyJet flight from Geneva was aborted moments before take-off after a passenger spotted a spanner hanging from one of the flaps.

Here we look at other equally startling causes of flight delays, from pilots fighting in the cockpit to a dog running amok on the tarmac and a snake slithering up to the entrance of a plane.

Runaway dog races around tarmac for 20 minutes forcing delays to flights

A dog caused chaos at an international airport after running amok on the runway for more than 20 minutes.

The terrier stopped six planes from taking off at Congonhas Airport in Brazil - one of Sao Paulo's main airports - and evaded capture despite dozens of firemen and airport officials being called in to help.

A terrier stopped six planes from taking off at Congonhas Airport in Brazil - one of Sao Paulo's main airports

Hilarious footage shows the dog running underneath the wing of a light aircraft as an emergency service worker clutching a net tries to capture it.

The footage was captured earlier this year.

A seven-minute clip, taken at the airport, starts with the dog sprinting around cones and dodging multiple members of staff as it attempts to find a gap in the perimeter fence.

Firefighters can be seen attempting to use a large net to catch the animal but somehow all of them miss.

Emergency response vehicles try to keep up with the scampering pooch at the side of the runway

The dog then continues to weave through planes before sprinting down a side-road as an airport vehicle with flashing lights drives alongside it.

At one point, the terrier appears to tire - but then quickly darts behind a building when more vehicles arrive.

Two firefighters in full uniform can then be seen running around the building as other people join the search.

The clip ends with a plane taxiing down the runway as officials continue to try and capture the dog.

Infraero, the airport's authority, confirmed operations were suspended for 20 minutes. The dog was caught and taken to custody, it added.

Flight grounded after after co-pilot 'hit the captain' during fight in cockpit

Two Air India pilots were removed from duty after they reportedly got into a fight inside the cockpit of a plane shortly before it was scheduled to take off.

The altercation involving the captain and co-pilot erupted while the plane was being prepared for a 50-minute journey from Delhi to Jaipur in April last year.

Two Air India pilots were removed from duty after they reportedly got into a fight inside the cockpit

The pilots were preparing the Air India flight for take-off when they became involved in a disagreement in the cockpit of the aircraft

Both pilots weere derostered after the captain of flight AI611 complained that the co-pilot had misbehaved and struck him, the Times of India reported.

An Air India spokesman told the newspaper at the time: 'Both the pilots have been derostered. An inquiry has been ordered into this.'

The airline insists the altercation was limited to a verbal argument and there was no physical violence.

The Times of India, quoting a source, reported that the captain was assaulted after he asked the co-pilot to record 'critical take-off figures' for the flight, including the number of passengers on board, take-off weight and fuel.

Spanner spotted on the wing as aircraft taxied to take-off

An easyJet plane had already taxied to the runway when a 25-year-old Swiss man saw a spanner wedged between the flaps which are raised or lowered to alter the lift of the aircraft.

He alerted cabin crew and the pilot immediately returned to the terminal so the adjustable monkey wrench could be removed.

The passenger, named only as Christophe, said: 'I realised straight away that what I was seeing was not normal. There was a spanner attached to the wing.'

Geneve: Il voit un outil coince dans l'aile et bloque le decollage https://t.co/zLAs6xnV5z pic.twitter.com/FgsO7zC6aP  20 minutes (@20minutesOnline) March 10, 2016

A spanner was spotted on wing of an outbound easyJet plane that forced the captain to delay take-off

An EasyJet spokesman said: 'The captain returned to the plane's departure point and a spanner was discovered.

'We have opened an inquiry and the authorities have been informed.'

The plane was heading out of Geneva to Copenhagen.

An aviation expert told Switzerland's 20 Minutes online news website: 'With the vibrations from the acceleration, the tool could have fallen onto the runway, and then been hit by the next aircraft.

'It could have caused serious structural damage, just like with the Concorde crash in Paris.

'If it had stayed attached to the plane, the pilot would have realised when he retracted the flaps about 400 metres from the ground, and been forced to make an emergency landing.'

Snake slithers its way up steps and tries to board plane

Staff had to be on their guard at Gold Coast Airport in Australia when a snake came within inches of getting onto a plane.

As passengers began to settle into their seats aboard the Virgin flight to Sydney, a green snake slithered its way up the stairs to the entry door.

Staff had to be on their guard at Gold Coast Airport in Australia when a snake came within inches of getting onto a plane. It's pictured here being placed in a bag

Eagle-eyed passenger Stuart Robert, who rather fittingly worked as the Assistant Minister for Defence, was on hand to capture the action unfold.

'The green snake had slithered up the front stairs so the passengers had to board from the back,' he told MailOnline Travel.

'It was probably enjoying the warmth of the tarmac and steel and may have made its way up there as people were boarding.

'I took the photo just as the staff had got the little guy into a bag, so it wasn't quite Snakes on a Plane and we didn't have an extra passenger to Sydney.'

The delay was said to be 'minor' for passengers at the time in March last year.

Flight attendant rants over loudspeaker about crashing

An American Airlines plane was forced to turn back to the gate moments before take-off after a flight attendant told a packed cabin that there was a problem with the plane.

The flight was scheduled to fly out of Dallas to Chicago, but one female spoke over the loudspeaker to say that there were technical issues.

A flight attendant caused panic on board an American Airlines flight back in 2012 when she spoke over the loudspeaker to say there was a fault with the plane

The worrying incident happened back in 2012, and ended with the woman, and another flight attendant, being hospitalised during a scuffle.

A passenger told the Dallas Observer that the woman said: 'We are not taking off, we're having technical difficulties. We are heading back to the gate.'

She then reportedly said that she would 'not be held responsible for crashing'.

An American Airlines statement at the time said that the flight attendant would 'receive proper care', while it thanked the other crew members for their 'assistance in quickly getting the aircraft back to the gate'.

'Our customers were not in danger at any time,' said the airline.

Plane grounded after rats run amok

Air India was forced to ground one of its planes last year after stowaway rats were spotted on board.

The Airbus A320 was taken out of service to be fumigated after it landed in Leh, a district in the Himalayas in northern India.

Rats pose a serious threat to the safety of passengers and crew, and planes must be fumigated even when there is an unconfirmed sighting.

Air India was forced to ground one its planes last year after stowaway rats were spotted on board

The rodents have been known to sneak onto aircraft via catering vehicles loaded with food, and can disrupt vital systems on board if they chew through wires.

According to the Times of India, the plane in question was out of service longer than usual because the airport in Leh did not have the equipment needed to fumigate aircraft.

Chinese passenger opens plane door for 'some fresh air'

A male passenger in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan province, decided to open a plane's emergency door to let some air in just before take off, the People's Daily Online reported.

The China Southern flight bound for Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in north-west China, was delayed for around an hour on Thursday as cabin crew closed the door of the Boeing 737 and waited for a new departure slot.

Badly behaved tourists: A Chinese air passenger has been detained for opening the emergency exit of a plane

Big delays: The flight bound for Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang province, was delayed by an hour

Afterwards, the unnamed man explained to the crew that he just wanted to open the window 'get some fresh air' before the plane took off.

The man who was sat at the rear of the plane said it was too stuffy.

The flight was originally meant to take off at 9:55am from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport but because of the disruption, ended up departing at 10:52 in the morning.
Tunisia's tourism chiefs are defiantly claiming the country is 'safe' to visit as it struggles to attract holidaymakers following last year's terror attacks.

At the world's biggest travel fair, ITB Berlin, representatives set out to deliver an upbeat message to reporters and travellers.

'Tunisia is safe,' tourism minister Selma Elloumi Rekik said.

'Of course there are some places that are dangerous. But there are areas that are 100 per cent safe.'

A waiter walks among rows of empty sun loungers around the pool at the Riu Palace Oceana Hotel in Hammamet, as the country struggles to attract tourists

Slim Zghal's three beach hotels in Tunisia had their best month ever in June last year. Now, two of them are closed and the other one is less than a third full, as tourists are scared off by concerns over security.

'With 30 percent you can't make any money. But if running hotels is your dream, it's not only about the money,' he told Reuters at the ITB travel fair.

Three major militant attacks last year, including two on foreign visitors, as well as travel warnings by countries including Britain, have battered the tourism industry which accounts for 7-8 per cent of Tunisia's economy.

The stakes are very high for the North African country, which witnessed the first of the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011 and is moving towards democracy while facing a growing threat from Islamic State.

The start of 2016 has seen the numbers of tourists visiting Tunisia down on previous years

A memorial for the British and foreign tourists killed now stands at the scene of the massacre in Sousse, Tunisia

The country has introduced a number of security measures since last summer, including hiring a security consultant to draw up a handbook for tourism-related operations such as hotels and museums, which were the focus of its news conference at the fair.

It is cooperating more closely with Britain, France and Germany since a gunman killed 38 people, mostly Britons, in the beach resort of Sousse in June last year.

Only three months earlier, 22 tourists were killed when ISIS stormed the Bardo Museum in the capital Tunis.

British mother Sally Adey, who was enjoying a dream cruise with her husband Robert, was one of those who lost their life in the terror attack.

Then in July, five Islamic extremists on the verge of carrying out another terrorist attack on holidaymakers in Tunisia were shot dead in El Katr

The five men were killed by Tunisian special forces as thousands of Britons fled the North African country after a security alert.

The country has taken a number of security measures since last summer's terror attacks in Sousse

Uniform and plain clothes police now patrol many of the beaches in Tunisia following last year's militant attacks

Highlighting the uphill battle for the Tunisian tourist industry, the Foreign Office in London says: 'The threat from terrorism in Tunisia is high. Further attacks remain highly likely, including against foreigners.' It advises against all but essential travel to the country.

Zghal has doubled the number of security guards in his hotel in Monastir, the only one of his three beach hotels that is still open, to 30 since the Sousse attack.

Alongside police, they patrol the hotel Royal Thalassa Monastir and the beach in uniform and plain clothes, guide guests through metal detectors at the hotel's only entrance and monitor security camera footage around the clock.

The government has been helping the tourism sector pay for the cost of tighter security, for instance by paying social security contributions for employees, and banks are giving hotels more time to pay back their loans.

But with guests staying away, hotels are still booking losses. 'I have other projects, so it's not so bad. But for someone who has only hotels it would be very difficult,' said Zghal.
A group of Japanese tour operators are set to launch a clean-up initiative in Paris in a bid to encourage their nationals to visit the city.

The operation run by the Paris Tourism Association, a group of nine Japanese tour operators and Japan Airlines, aims to create a tidier version of the French capital to lure Japanese visitors.

Starting this Sunday, the team will spruce up Trocadero gardens by the Eiffel Tower and even plant Japanese cherry trees in the popular tourism spot.

A team of Japanese nationals are set to spruce up Trocadero gardens by the Eiffel Tower (pictured) and will even plant Japanese cherry trees in the popular tourism spot in an effort to lure Japanese tourists

Although 5,000 cleaners sweep the City of Light daily, an excess of litter, cigarette butts and dog faeces in particular, are said to blight popular streets, which is off-putting to Japanese visitors.

This is not the first time that Japanese nationals have taken matters into their own hands to the make the capital look more presentable, reports The Local.

Since 2007, a team from environmental organisation Green Bird have been taking regular care of tourist hotspots in Paris including the Champs Elysees and the Eiffel Tower, according to the news website.

With a tourism industry still struggling to bounce back from the Paris attacks, the citys mayor, Anne Hidalgo headed to Tokyo last month in an effort to boost visitor numbers from Japan.

Disappointing reality: Visitors to popular areas in Paris such as Champs Elysee with Arc de Triomphe (pictured) are shocked to be confronted with excess litter

Paris welcomes around 600,000 Japanese tourists each year, making it one of the citys top five feeder markets, according to the news website.

The efforts by Paris Tourism Association to overhaul the citys image are not alone. Recently the citys Town Hall unveiled a 25million plan to transform the city into a model of cleanliness.
She has become quite the permanent fixture on the celebrity social circuit since settling in London in 2014.

And Lindsay Lohan proved to be the stand-out star once again on Thursday evening as she led the famous guests at Matthew Williamson's first furniture launch which was held at Harrods in the capital's Knightsbridge.

The Mean Girls actress injected a fresh dose of sex appeal into the event as she rocked up in knee-high socks and a little black coat-dress.

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Upping the glamour: Lindsay Lohan put on a suitably sexy display as she led the star guests at a designer furniture launch in London on Thursday evening

Lindsay, 29, flashed a glimpse of her slender thighs in the lingerie hosiery which she dressed down with a structured dress.

The frock was cinched at the waist - highlighting her hour-glass figure - and sat high on her upper thighs.

It was shirt in style and decorated with a colourful brooches, arranged in a sort of rectangular shape.

Sitting pretty: Lindsay, 29, deftly crossed her legs as she sampled one of Matthew Williamson's new sofas which he unveiled at Harrods

Kisses: The Mean Girls actress put on a sweet display with the 44-year-old designer who was unveiling his first foray into furniture at the Knightsbridge haunt

Only eyes for each other: Lindsay and Matthew held an admiring glance as they played up to the cameras inside the famed venue

Cosying up: Lindsay made her feelings about the yet-to-be released collection clear as she couldn't wipe the smile off her face

Dressed to impress: The Speed-the-Plow star looked ultra sexy in a pair of thigh-skimming stockings and a bejewelled coat dress while the designer - who is famed for his intricate prints - sported blue tailored trousers, a black blazer and a skinny patterned scarf

Lindsay was as perfectly polished as per, favouring bronze make-up tones to complement her auburn-brunette hair.

Her thick tresses looked glossier than ever and were left loose before she swept them up into a low ponytail.

She put on a sweet display with the 44-year-old designer who was unveiling his very first furniture collection - a collaboration with British furniture maker Duresta.

Feeling their looks: Matthew and Lindsay struck poses aplenty as fellow guests admired the debut collection

Checking out the competition: Celebrity interior designer Kelly Hoppen was appropriately dressed in black tailored trousers and a lace cropped coat which she jazzed up with a floral brooch

Positive reception all round: Kelly attended with Plum Sykes who may have been reviewing the line

It was plain to Lindsay was proud of the finished products as she couldn't wipe the smile off her face. The good friends were seen cosying up to one another with the American planting a gentle kiss on the Manchester-born fashion industry heavyweight at one point.

While Lindsay may be more accustomed to mingling with the capital's style set, she was joined by a host of stars from high-society, including Prince Harry's former girlfriend Astrid Harbord.

Interior designer Kelly Hoppen also attended, possibly to check out the new competition, as did the brand's business director Rosanna Falconer who looked pretty in a printed maxi dress.

Print power: Prince Harry's former girlfriend Astrid Harbord and the brand's business director Rosanna Falconer also attended to show their support
She stole the show during Paris Fashion Week with her increasingly racy and glamorous attire.

So it's no surprise Selena Gomez certainly isn't short of admirers, causing a veritable scene when she hopped off the Eurostar from the French capital on Thursday.

The 23-year-old singer-and-actress left a trail of overexcited British fans in her wake as she sashayed through London's St Pancras station.

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Make way! Selena Gomez caused a stir as she touched down in London on Thursday night, attracting a crowd of fans as she left St Pancras station

Welcome to London! One lucky male admirer was quick to greet the pop princess with a hug and a kiss as she hopped off the Eurostar

Good to see you The enamored fan couldn't take his eyes off the pop beauty

Selena was mobbed by passers-by all begging to take a selfie with her, with one superfan even presenting her with a bouquet of flowers.

The friendly brunette was happy to pull a few funny faces on the move as her eager admirers snapped away on their phones, but one man took things a step further.

The pop princess was engulfed in a big hug by one lucky admirer, who even managed to plant a kiss on her cheek.

See Selena Gomez updates as she receives warm welcome from male admirer in London

Pucker up! The superfan couldn't help himself as he came face to face with Selena

Keeping her close: The fan seemed reluctant to part ways

Hey girl! Selena's superfan executed his best chat up lines and smooth moves as she walked along

Dinner tonight? The cheeky chappie grabbed hold of Selena's hand as he attempted to woo her

Not this time, pal: Selena, 23, politely managed to extract herself from his clutches

Hugging it out: The singer-and-actress proved she's a great sport by bidding her fan farewell with a hug

Don't wanna let go! Selena was a good sport as she let the fan hug her one last time

Ever the professional, Selena was nonplussed by the incident and politely turned down her prospective love interest with a laugh and a smile.

The former Disney starlet looked casual yet chic in a plain white T-shirt, leggings and a cute jacket with a shearling collar.

She nailed off-duty dressing, keeping her make-up to a minimum, Krewe du Optic sunglasses and wearing her hair pulled back in a ponytail.

Joker: The brunette beauty was happy to laugh and joke with her teen fans as she left the station

Ready to hit the sights: Selena was presented with a guide to London as she left the Eurostar

Feeling rosy: The Spring Breakers star was carrying a bouquet of red roses in her arms

What was that? Selena looked a little surprised after the encounter with her over-amorous fan

The star continued her style reign as she stepped out in Paris in no less than three fashionable ensembles earlier in the day on Thursday.

Slipping her lithe frame into a billowing orange maxi dress, the singer dazzled as she made her way into the Virgin Radio studios.

She later made a quick change into a plunging glittering gown, looking the picture of elegance.

Signing autographs: Selena was happy to sign her name on the move as she made a speedy exit

Say cheese: The brunette beauty proved she's a total multi-tasker as she took selfies on the move

Shearling chic: Selena was dressed down in white top, simple leggings and a fluffy jacket

Quite the crowd: Selena drew ever more followers to her entourage as she left the station

Putting her ample assets on full display in the plunging gown, Selena turned heads as she made her way into the studios, stopping to pose for selfies with enthusiastic fans.

With layers of ruffles framing her generous cleavage, the brightly coloured garment also featured frills on the back, ensuring she stunned from every angle.

Nipping in at her tiny waist and billowing out into a dramatic full skirt, the Hands to Myself hitmaker added some height to her petite frame in a pair of white barely there heels.

Dressed to impress: Slipping her lithe frame into a billowing orange maxi dress Selena dazzled as she made her way into Paris' Virgin Radio studios, before quickly changing into a plunging glittering gown

Tangerine dream! Putting her ample assets on full display in the plunging gown, Selena turned heads as she made her way into the studios, showing off a healthy amount of cleavage in the orange dress

Slicking her chestnut coloured locks up into a chic bun, she exposed her pretty face which sported a minimal coverage of make-up, allowing her natural beauty to shine through.

Framing her hazel coloured eyes with lashings of mascara, she lined her plump pout with a slick of rosy gloss.

Gliding through the crowds, the star ensured she made a stylish entrance, which was trumped only by her exit, when she changed into another fashion forward ensemble.

Bright spark: With layers of ruffles framing her generous cleavage, the brightly coloured garment also featured frills on the back, ensuring she stunned from every single angle

Brunette beauty: Slicking her chestnut coloured locks up into a chic bun, she exposed her pretty face which sported a minimal coverage of make-up, allowing her natural beauty to shine through

Not just a pretty face: Framing her hazel coloured eyes with lashings of mascara, she lined her plump pout with a slick of rosy gloss as she made her way through the crowds of eager fans

Finishing touches: Nipping in at her tiny waist and billowing out into a dramatic full skirt, the Hands to Myself hitmaker added some height to her petite frame in a pair of white barely there heels

Ready to work: Beaming as she made her way into the studios, Selena seemed in good spirits

Putting on a leggy display in a plunging metallic wrap dress, Selena underwent an entire style overhaul during her fleeting trip to the station.

Flaunting her ample assets in the glittering gown, the star layered up in the cold with a navy fur trimmed jacket, whilst adding some height in a pair of black barely there heels.

Keeping her raven coloured locks up, but slicked into a chic chignon, the pretty star also changed her make-up to complement the ensemble, sporting a slick of purple eye shadow.

It came as no surprise to see Selena had made yet another stylish choice after putting on a fashion forward display earlier that morning.

The brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton turned heads as she strutted by in a stylish off-the shoulder blazer which gave it illusion it had been folded down around the shoulders.

The flare sleeved top was teamed with black trousers while she completed her black and white look with open-toe white heels.

Leggy lady! Putting on a leggy display in a plunging metallic wrap dress, Selena underwent an entire style overhaul during her fleeting trip to the station, emerging in an entirely different outfit

Furry nice! Flaunting her ample assets in the glittering gown, the star layered up in the cold with a navy jacket with a cream faux fur trim and panels lining the front and shoulders of the coat

Finishing touches: Adding some height in a pair of black barely there heels, she kept her raven coloured locks up, but slicked them into a chic chignon, whilst also changing her make-up to match

Accessorising with classic black round shades, the brunette beauty opted to sweep her locks up into a ponytail while she sported a simple red lip.

Her latest look comes after Selena sported three outfits in one day whilst out and about on Wednesday for the last shows of Paris Fashion Week.

Proving her sartorial style prowess, the star dazzled in each of her fashion-forward garments.

When in Paris: Selena Gomez was pictured strolling through the streets of Paris in yet another chic ensemble on Thursday

Tres chic: The 23-year-old beauty turned heads as she strutted by in a stylish off-the shoulder blazer which gave it illusion it had been folded down around the shoulders

Stepping out in style: The flare sleeved top was teamed with black trousers while she completed her black and white look with open-toe white heels

Wearing a low cut black chiffon dress which had semi-sheer panelling, it certainly looked as though Selena had gone without a bra or briefs for the luxury night out at the Louis Vuitton post-show dinner.

The beautiful dress had a chiffon section which tied around her neck and she tied her brunette locks in an up do for the very special occasion, completing the look with a pair of semi-sheer Christian Louboutin heels.

She may only be a front row spectator when it comes to the fashion world - but it seems she's developed her own enviable sense of style.

Fashion fan: Accessorising with classic black round shades, the brunette beauty opted to sweep her locks up into a ponytail while she sported a simple red lip

Lunching lady: The former Disney star appeared to have stop at Ginger restaurant for a bite to eat

Keeping things simple with clean lines and statement shoes, Selena teamed a white blouse with a denim miniskirt to make an appearance at Wednesday's Louis Vuitton catwalk show, earlier in the day at Paris Fashion Week, before switching into red leather trousers.

She gave the supermodels a run for their money with her long legs on display - despite standing at a petite 5ft4in - as she joined fellow brand ambassadors, Lea Seydoux, Alicia Vikander and Jennifer Connelly to preview the Autumn/Winter 2016/2017 womenswear collection.

Though it was a simple day look for Selena, the brunette didn't need to do much to stand out from the crowd and instead she looked utterly flawless in the shirt and skirt combo.

Say cheese: The actress pulled her best pout for a selfie as she kindly stopped to pose with fans
She's set to take The Only Way Is Essex by storm during her guest appearance for the 200th anniversary special on Sunday.

And Megan McKenna certainly turned the heads of her ITVBe co-stars as she cut an elegant figure on her arrival to the show, dazzling in a vintage style gown.

Filming her first scenes on Tuesday, the 23-year-old reality star gave the glamorous brigade a run for their money as she dazzled in her twenties style dress on the arm of rumoured love interest Pete Wicks.

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Golden girl: Filming her first TOWIE scenes on Tuesday, Megan McKenna gave her co-stars a run for their money as she dazzled in her twenties style dress on the arm of rumoured love interest Pete Wicks

And as it's an era illustrious for its glitz and glamour, it was no doubt a match made in heaven when the TOWIE cast turned back time to the 1920s.

Heading into The Great Gatsby themed party, Megan was the centre of attention as it was revealed she had locked lips with a member of the cast.

But with Megan and Pete seemingly confirming their romance when they stepped out arm in arm just days later, it appears that TOWIE's resident 'pirate' is the man in question.

See TOWIE updates as Megan McKenna films TOWIE scenes with love interest Pete Wicks

Radiant: Megan McKenna certainly turned the heads of her ITVBe co-stars as she cut an elegant figure on her arrival to the show, dazzling in a vintage style gown

Making a toast: Megan was possibly toasting her rumoured new relationship with the tattooed star

Sweet nothings: Megan only had eyes for Pete as she leaned in close to chat with the star

Mystery man: Despite just making a guest appearance on the show, Megan was the centre of attention at the Gatsby themed party as it was revealed she had locked lips with a member of the team

Smitten: Megan couldn't keep the smile off her face as she cosied up to Pete

Clad in a figure-hugging gold gown that flared out with an elegant train, Megan was a vision of beauty as she made her way around the party.

With jewels and embellishment lining the layers of her gown, the Ex On The Beach star dazzled under the lights, glittering as she walked.

Wearing her chestnut coloured locks swept back into a chic chignon, she stunned in her vintage ensemble, beaming broadly as she made her way around the party on the arm of her rumoured new man.

New power couple? Pete reportedly fell for the star after watching her on Celebrity Big Brother

Trouble in paradise?: Megan seemed annoyed at one point as she chatted with Pete in a separate room

Stepping out: Megan seemed to have something on her mind as she stepped away with her new flame

Exasperated: Megan seemed to calm herself down as she avoided her famous temper tantrums

Here come the girls! Megan cut a glamorous figure as she cosied up to her friends and TOWIE newcomers Chloe Meadows and Courtney Green

Meanwhile, Pete is reportedly smitten with the Celebrity Big Brother star after meeting through mutual friends.

'Pete never falls in love, but is totally bowled over by Megan. He is completely smitten and treats her like a princess,' a source told The Sun.

'He's had the hots for her ever since he saw her in CBB - and not even her mammoth tantrums put him off. As soon as she was out he had mutual pals introduce them, and they've been inseparable ever since. Last night they even hung out to watch TOWIE with some of Megan's mates.'

MailOnline have contacted both Megan and Pete's representatives for comment.

Coy: The brunette beauty seemed shocked by some news as she chatted with her rumoured flame

Dapper: Clad in a brown suit, Pete placed his arm on the small of her back as he lead Megan away

Making an entrance: Megan had all eyes on her as she followed Pete into the ballroom

Raising glasses: The TOWIE team held a toast as Megan and Pete made their way into the ballroom

With producers reportedly hoping their romance could play out on-screen, the ITVBe crew are said to be hoping that Megan will become a permanent member of the crew after filming her first scenes.

An insider told MailOnline: [Megan is] good friends with new girls Chloe and Courtney so it's inevitable she would have been involved with the show at some point.

Producers are hoping the wild side to Megan we saw on Celebrity Big Brother will come out in a big way and make for some excellent viewing.'

Fresh meat: Megan McKenna seemed to be cementing her place in the TOWIE team as she joined the group for a pub quiz on Thursday, seemingly confirming her new relationship with Pete Wicks as they cuddled up

Finishing touches: Making their way into the King's Oak the pair looked cosy as they cuddled up together

Strike a pose: Megan seemed in good spirits as she joined the TOWIE team ahead of her guest appearance for the 200th anniversary ITVBe special that will air on Sunday

But whilst Megan may have been in the limelight, the veteran TOWIE stars ensured that they also attracted their fair share of attention during their decadent soiree.

Chloe Sims, 33, braved the cold to dazzle in a metallic grey frock, which featured intricate, sequinned detailing around the torso and hem of her skirt.

To add to the allure, the beauty salon owner teamed the frock with a sheer, waterfall-style cover-up, while giving her height an added boost with silver stilettos.

Leggy ladies! Show newcomers Courtney Green and Chloe Meadows made a chic arrival in leather trousers

Grey area: Lydia made a stylish arrival in a chic grey co-ord with cropped trousers and a fitted blazer whilst Kate Wright braved the cold in a monochrome midi dress that nipped in at her tiny waist

Her blonde locks were styled into an elegant curled up-do, which was made even glitzier with the aid of an embellished silver headpiece that trailed across her forehead and over her crown.

The mother-of-one was seen heading to the event with close pal Bobby Norris, who was sharp-suited in a black tuxedo, though opted to leave his bow-tie undone.

But Chloe wasn't the only reality TV beauty bound to turn heads at the party, as Kate seriously dressed to impress in a champagne-coloured gown which featured a subtle fishtail hem.

Her blonde tresses were styled into loose waves that cascaded around her stunning face, which sampled a bronzed make-up look that was offset with a striking pink lipstick as she strut into the event alongside co-star Chloe and not boyfriend Dan Edgar.

Time for some glitz! Chloe Sims lead the glamour as the cast of The Only Way Is Essex headed into a Great Gatsby theme party held at a venue in London on Tuesday

Competition is fierce! Kate Wright and Chloe Lewis also pulled out all of the stops for the decadent soiree

Chloe - who is currently in a relationship with co-star Jake Hall - went to town in a flapper style frock which was bedecked in gold sequins, while fluffy heels and a feather boa completed the look.

Meanwhile, her fashion designer boyfriend Jake opted for some slightly more eccentric attire in a pin striped navy suit, paired with a cream rollneck and braces.

But it wasn't all solo appearances as couples James 'Arg' Argent and Lydia Bright put on an amorous display as they made their way into the bash.

Nailed it! Chloe Lewis - who is currently in a relationship with co-star Jake Hall - went to town in a flapper style frock which was bedecked in gold sequins, while fluffy heels and a feather boa completed the look

Golden girl: Kate displayed her hourglass curves in the fitted, cream-coloured number

Smitten kittens! It wasn't all solo appearances as couples James 'Arg' Argent and Lydia Bright put on an amorous display as they made their way into the bash

Loved-up: Georgia Kousoulou and boyfriend Tommy Mallett also looked smitten with one another as they glided into the event hand-in-hand

Daring to be different: Chloe's beau Jake opted for some slightly more eccentric attire in a pin striped navy suit, paired with a cream rollneck and braces

Leading man: The soiree looked to be in honour of Liam Blackwell, who also goes by the moniker Gatsby

Sharp-suited Arg couldn't take his eyes off of his stunning girlfriend, who was clad in a green fringed dress and teal trench coat.

Georgia Kousoulou and boyfriend Tommy Mallett also looked smitten with one another as they glided into the event hand-in-hand.

Georgia sported a similar design to that donned by co-star Kate, though she made her one-shoulder style slightly more risque by going braless to the soiree, which looked to be in honour of co-star Liam Blackwell, who also goes by the moniker, Gatsby.

Sizzling! Danielle Armstrong went for a slightly raunchier style in a silk slip dress

Getting close? Nicole Bass and Michael Hassini looked notably cosy as they posed together outside of the event

Making their mark: Newcomers Jon and Chris Clark showed off their brotherly resemblance in suave suits

Dapper chaps: Bobby (L) and Liam (R) ensured they were the centre of attention
Theatrical lions Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart are roaring back to the stage and insisting that tickets to see them together again in the West End be affordably priced.

The acting legends, who first worked together on the X-Men movies, are bringing their hit Broadway production of Harold Pinters classic No Mans Land to the always in-demand Wyndhams Theatre in September, following a brief tour, where there will be 100 seats per London performance on sale for between 10 and 20.

Ten pound seats! That means younger people can afford to come and see it, McKellen told me.

Acting legends Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart are bringing their hit Broadway production of Harold Pinters classic No Mans Land to the always in-demand Wyndhams Theatre in September

The acting knights performed the Pinter drama three years ago in New York as part of a double bill with Waiting For Godot (following an acclaimed run of Becketts absurdist drama here in the UK).

No Mans Land is about a wealthy writer called Hirst who invites a dishevelled poet, Spooner, to his Hampstead mansion. There, they explore the past  but time and memory play tricks on them. Stewart will play Hirst with McKellen as Spooner.

Both stars have been itching to perform the 1975 work here. Its such an English play, McKellen exclaimed. Its lovely to come back to it.

I even find that I remember the lines  which is a relief. It took me about nine months to learn No Mans Land before I started rehearsing. Its not easy. They dont just slip in like they used to, 76-year-old McKellen told me in London.

He and Stewart, a year his junior, both talked of their great friendship, which developed during the course of filming the X-Men pictures.

Wed known each other at the Royal Shakespeare Company, when we were in the same season  but never in the same productions, Stewart told me in Los Angeles.

I was a little intimidated by him at the RSC. We were on nodding terms, but got thrown together in the big franchise of the X-Men. With movies like that, you do spend significantly more time sitting in your trailer, waiting to work, than actually working, Stewart recalled.

The two would hang out, drinking coffee and tea together. Stewart said they got on famously in spite of the fact that Ian is a Lancastrian and Im a Yorkshireman.

The two, who first worked together on X-Men, have promised to have 100 affordable tickets at every performance to ensure younger people are able to see it

McKellen said that when they toured Waiting For Godot in the UK they shared a dressing room and socialised. I love his wife Sunny. It feels a bit like family.

Though McKellen told me he has stopped offering Stewart professional advice. I bumped into Patrick in New York once, shortly after hed been asked to do this television series, set in space, on a seven-year contract. I said: You really cant do that, Patrick! Youve got a career in the theatre.

He didnt take my advice, thank goodness; and had a good time making Star Trek.

McKellen admitted that he very nearly turned down the part of Gandalf in The Lord Of The Rings because he was unsure about whether he wanted to spend a year in New Zealand. I ended up spending 13 years there, on and off. Thank God for wizards.

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Stewart told me he will complete the second season of comedy series Blunt Talk, which he makes with Adrian Scarborough, and then head for an exotic, North American location to shoot a new Wolverine film with Hugh Jackman. After that, he will come to London to rehearse No Mans Land, moving into a new flat on the north side of Hyde Park, which will allow him to walk to Wyndhams during the shows 14-week West End run.

McKellen has plans, too. He will travel with a re-mastered print of the 1995 Richard III picture that the British Film Institute is re-releasing. And on April 23, he will join Judi Dench and other theatre giants at the RSC in Stratford upon Avon to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeares death.

Judis an inspiration, he told me. Theres full commitment from her; always. We dont want Judi to retire, do we? Not before weve done another play together.

McKellen said he himself has no plans to retire, as long as the jobs are good and Im working with people I respect.

Therell come a day when the knees give way or something. Ill have to do radio then, wont I?

Both he and Stewart watched Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud in the original production of No Mans Land. Stewart saw it three times and would have seen it a fourth, but he couldnt afford it.

McKellen said he can still summon the memory of their performances, but for a while was concerned, lest he inadvertently copied something Gielgud had done in his earlier turn as Spooner.

The new production, directed by Sean Mathias and produced by Broadway producer Stuart Thompson and London-based Playful Productions, will kick off at the Lyceum in Sheffield from August 3 and then visit Newcastle, Brighton and Cardiff, before previewing at Wyndhams from September 8.

War Horse stands down at the New London Theatre tomorrow night after a seven-year West End run.

The play, based on Michael Morpurgos novel, opened at the National Theatre in 2007.

I was at the first preview and was totally gripped with the production directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris and enthralled by the puppets which were created by Handspring.
Bindi Irwin was certainly dressed to impress when stepping out at the 2016 Country Music Channel Awards on Thursday evening.

And it wasn't just her floral outfit that had heads turning, but also her sweet display of affection with her boyfriend Chandler Powell.

The pair arrived arm-in-arm at Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, posing for photos together in front of the media wall.

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Cute couple: Bindi Irwin was certainly dressed to impress when stepping out at the 2016 Country Music Channel Awards in Brisbane on Thursday evening with boyfriend Chandler Powell

Bindi, 17, sported a purple long-sleeved dress splashed with a delicate floral print all over.

She teamed the fit and flare frock with a pair of open-toed heels, while her brown locks were curled and pinned back in a stylish do.

Meanwhile Chandler opted for a smart casual look for the evening sponsored by Foxtel.

He wore a crisp white shirt layered with a dark blazer, completing his look with a pair of light blue jeans.

Floral fever: Bindi, 17, sported a purple long-sleeved dress splashed with a delicate floral print all over

Photo time: The pair arrived arm-in-arm at Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, posing for photos together in front of the media wall

The pair were later joined by Bindi's mother Terri and her younger brother Robert, who made a statement in a bright red shirt.

Meanwhile Terri, the wife of late Crocodile Hunter star Steve, swapped her usual khaki attire for a sleek black laced dress.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia at the AACTA Awards in Sydney in December, Queensland based teenager Bindi reflected on her relationship with Chandler, who is based in the United States.

'Long distance is challenging every now and then but it's wonderful to have someone so brilliant in your life,' she explained.

Looking good: Bindi's brown locks were curled and pinned back in a stylish do

Dressed to impress: The daughter of late Crocodile Hunter star Steve Irwin teamed the fit and flare frock with a pair of open-toed heels

'Chandler's so supportive throughout it all and he'll be hopefully coming to visit in the next little while, around Christmas time, so I'm excited'.

When asked whether she would consider moving to the US to be with her teenage love, Bindi admitted that she can't see herself leaving her Down Under homeland.

'I think the States are wonderful because they are like a second home, I mean my mum's originally from Oregon, but home for me is Australia Zoo,' she explained.

Family affair: The pair were later joined by Bindi's mother Terri and her younger brother Robert, who made a statement in a bright red shirt

Snappy happy: The four media personalities flashed their signature smiles for the camera

'I mean we live right in the middle of Australia Zoo, so when you grow up surrounded by animals your whole life, you can't leave that. No matter where I go, I'll always return home'.

Chandler confirmed his relationship with Bindi when he shared a sweet snap of the pair embracing, accompanied by a gushing message to the teen on her 17th birthday last July.

'Happy birthday to this gorgeous girl! Feel very blessed to have you in my life. Counting down the days until I get to see you again! @bindisueirwin,' he wrote.

Stunning: Terri swapped her usual khaki attire for a sleek black laced dress
A new stage version of Evelyn Waughs Brideshead Revisited will be seen through a modern day prism.

Damian Cruden will direct Bryony Laverys adaptation of the novel about how upper-middle class Charles Ryder becomes enchanted by members of an aristocratic family; they include the flamboyant Sebastian Flyte, his sister Julia and their mother Lady Marchmain.

Charles falls in love with all of them, though he becomes confused by aspects of the familys Roman Catholicism. Cruden said that all the characters are wrapped up in searching for their faith and themselves.

Rosie Hilal , Brian Ferguson and Christopher Simpson in costume for stage version of Brideshead Revisited

Waugh wrote the book as World War II was coming to an end and set it between the wars. Cruden added that he wanted to explore the story from the perspective of Britain today and to observe the pace of social structures and to achieve that it was important to cast the piece with actors who reflect Britain now.

Sebastian, played by Anthony Andrews in the landmark Eighties television drama, will now be played by Christopher Simpson, who is of Irish, Greek and Rwandan descent; while actress Kiran Sonia Sawar has been picked to play Sebastian's sibling Cordelia.

Cruden, artistic director of York Theatre Royal, said that the story looks at the upper-crust socialites of the time and that was a very white world. The world that looks back on that today is not that.

He continued: Its not about their being black actors to do the roles, its about their being a really good company of actors to tell this story and those actors should represent the world we live in now because theyre telling the story to the community now.

The company of actors will play multiple role roles apart from Brian Ferguson and Rosie Hilal, who play Charles Ryder and Julia Flyte.

Jeremy Irons pictured as Charles Ryder, in the ITV adaptation of the novel by Evelyn Waugh

The cast also includes Paul Shelley and Caroline Harker as Lord and Lady Marchmain, and Nick Blakeley and Shuna Snow.

The joint English Touring Theatre and York Theatre Royal production will start performances in York on April 22 and will visit seven other theatres, returning to York halfway through the tour.

A fond farewell to Chalky, White knight of the theatre

I first saw Michael White from a distance.

I was a kid on a local paper and I sneaked up from Richmond, Surrey to watch White enter the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane where he was producing the Broadway musical A Chorus Line.

Michael White, pictured here with Kate Moss, died aged 80 on Monday in California

A few years later I was covering him for real. He had class. Sometimes hed be with his mate Jack Nicholson. Later it would be the model Kate Moss.

White, Chalky to his friends, died aged 80 on Monday in California where second wife Louise Moores had been caring for him.

White produced among other shows The Rocky Horror Show, A Chorus Line, Annie, Crazy For You and a whole host of movies, and dance and music in between. You couldnt pin down what he was going to do, said the producer Robert Fox, who joined Whites office in 1973. Along with the publicist Peter Thompson, Chalky and Fox made a merry West End trio .

Fox said the office was a mixture of hard work and party. If the Cheltenham racing festival was on then everything stopped for it, or Ascot ,or the Derby or whatever it was, Fox told me yesterday.

Lunch might be at Aspinalls, Fox said, then added, It was how people, I think, imagined what showbusiness might be and kind of was at that time. It aint like that any more. Thats true. Its more corporate now, duller and dumber. The funeral will be in Brentwood, California this weekend and a memorial is being planned for London at a later date.

Ben Richards, pictured, returns to the West End to play the eponymous role of The Bodyguard

Ben Richards, who will play the eponymous role of The Bodyguard when the musical, based on the 1992 movie starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston, about a soul diva who has a security operative thrust upon her, returns to the West End in July.

The show, directed by Thea Sharrock, will have a six-month run at the Dominion from July 15.

Leading lady is Beverley Knight, who electrified the production when it was at the Adelphi. She gave it energy and, most importantly, she rescued it, and The Bodyguard became a hit. Ms Knight has been recording a new album and goes on tour before The Bodyguard begins.
She never fails to cut a glamorous figure on the red carpet.

So it came as no surprise to see Jemima Goldsmith turned heads at the Soho Theatre Gala on Thursday, hinting at her lithe frame in a semi-sheer black gown.

Putting her hourglass frame on display in the figure-hugging dress, the 42-year-old dazzled as she made her way into the star-studded bash at The Vinyl Factory.

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Sheer delight! It came as no surprise to see Jemima Goldsmith, 42, turned heads at the Soho Theatre Gala on Thursday, hinting at her lithe frame in a semi-sheer black gown

With strips of nude fabric hugging her lithe frame, the gown flared out at the waist and fell just above the ankle.

Flashing a hint of her lean legs through the sheer skirt, the journalist put on a chic display, adding some height to her frame in a pair of black buckled heels.

Layering up, she donned a cropped grey boucle jacket with sleeves that cut at the elbow.

Curvy gurlie: Putting her hourglass frame on display in the figure-hugging dress, the journalist dazzled as she made her way into the star-studded bash at The Vinyl Factory

Brunette beauty: Sweeping her chestnut coloured locks back into a tousled ponytail, the star - who was famously married to Pakistani politician Imran Khan - peered out through her blunt fringe

Adding some glitz to her ensemble, she wore a selection of delicate silver necklaces whilst she grasped onto a glittering black clutch.

Sweeping her chestnut coloured locks back into a tousled ponytail, the star - who was famously married to Pakistani politician Imran Khan - peered out through her blunt fringe, which framed her heart shaped face.

Sporting a neutral make-up palette, Jemima allowed her natural beauty to shine through, accentuating her stunning features with a sweep of bronzer.

Finishing touches: Adding some glitz to her ensemble, she wore a selection of delicate silver necklaces whilst she grasped onto a glittering black clutch as she cosied up to Laura Bailey who stunned in red

Flying solo at the event, Jemima appeared happy and content in the company of friends, following her high profile relationship with Russell Brand in 2014.

Speaking on Absolute Radio after their split, Russell said: 'I'm single. Well, you've got to go into relationships with the right attitude. All relationships, I'm always positive about them.

'I wish I was bisexual. That's one of the things about me where I've got a very traditional moral code. I'm tedious with my heterosexuality.'

Blonde beauty: Mariella Frostrup made a stylish appearance, framing her face with her golden locks
Anomalisa (15)

Rating:

Anomalisa is the most singular film of the year so far. It chronicles 24 hours in the life of Michael Stone, a middle-aged Englishman based in Los Angeles, who enjoys widespread renown as a motivational speaker.

Not that Michael derives much enjoyment from anything. On a trip to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he is due to address a convention of customer service professionals, he is overwhelmed by the greyness of his own existence.

He has a wife and son back in LA, plenty of friends, and a best-selling book to his name, called How May I Help You Help Them? Yet his life seems dull, unrewarding, pointless.

So what pumps blood into a tale of such existential gloom? In a word, puppets. With delicious and deliberate irony, writer-director Charlie Kaufman uses puppetry and stop-motion animation techniques to breathe life into Michaels story.

Anomalisa is the most singular film of the year so far, writes BRIAN VINER. It chronicles 24 hours in the life of Michael Stone, a middle-aged Englishman based in LA, who enjoys renown as a motivational speaker

In a strange way, this makes it seem all the more real. There is a scene in which Michael (brilliantly given North-of-England voice by David Thewlis) takes an adoring female conventioneer back to his hotel room for a nightcap, that universal euphemism for consensual sex with a near-stranger.

In their awkwardness, their hesitancy, their eagerness to please, it is a tryst as uncomfortably realistic as any Ive ever seen from flesh-and-sinew actors. And again, how gloriously ironic that puppets should be so good at depicting sex with no strings attached. Mind you, it never happened in Thunderbirds.

But then Kaufman, who also wrote the stage play on which the film is based, and scripted Being John Malkovich (1999) and Eternal Sunshine Of the Spotless Mind (2004), is nothing if not a creative original.

His film (its name the Japanese word meaning Goddess of Heaven, or so his characters mistakenly think) begins with Michael arriving in Cincinnati with all the joie-de-vivre of a man preparing for root canal surgery. But Michaels misery never infects us, simply because Kaufman, and his co-director Duke Johnson, are masters of hilarious observation.

I loved the whole business of Michael checking in. Dennis here will show you to your room, says the receptionist. Right this way sir, my name is Dennis, says Dennis. Anyone familiar with the American hotel experience  the way they identify themselves at every opportunity, their insistence on reciting every ingredient in your room service order  will recognise the exquisite, almost forensic detail.

The hotel is called the Fregoli, which is significant, because Fregoli delusion or syndrome is a rare disorder: sufferers believe that everyone in their lives is just one person in different guises.

Kaufman suggests this is part of Michaels problem by having a single actor, Tom Noonan, voice all the characters except Michael himself and Lisa (Jennifer Jason Leigh), the shyly besotted nightcap companion with whom he falls in love, or thinks he does, as a way out of his existential despair.

In fact, his new-sprung devotion is challenged even over room-service breakfast, when she talks with her mouth full.

I can imagine entire dissertations analysing what Kaufman is getting at with all this, and with the strange quirk of having obvious joins in his characters faces, as if they are wearing masks.

But even without examining the films philosophical depths, its probably the most affecting portrait Ive seen of a mid-life crisis since Sofia Coppolas 2003 triumph Lost In Translation.

The Witch (15)

Rating:

The Witch gives us more English people floundering in America, albeit in strikingly different circumstances.

The setting is New England in 1630. William (Ralph Ineson, still best-known as boorish bully Chris Finch in The Office) and Katherine (Kate Dickie), plus their five children, all recently arrived from the Old World, are for some undisclosed reason banished from their community, and build a smallholding on the edge of some dark and forbidding woods.

Wherein, unluckily for them, a witch lives. We dont see much of her, but writer-director Robert Eggers, whose hugely accomplished debut feature this is, shows us just enough to make us  or me, anyway  sink lower and lower in our seats.

The Witch is unsettling stuff, building to a somewhat overwrought climax, but on the whole Eggers skilfully avoids too many classic horror-film tropes

Its unsettling stuff, building to a somewhat overwrought climax, but on the whole Eggers skilfully avoids too many classic horror-film tropes, as the familys already fervent belief in hell is insidiously, traumatically, reinforced.

First, their baby is stolen, and though they at least dont get to see what becomes of it, we are not so fortunate. Then, their son Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw) is abducted and returned, seemingly with the devil inside him.

Suspicion of witchcraft falls on their teenage daughter Thomasin (a fine performance by Anya Taylor-Joy), and really Eggers is exploring the same territory as Arthur Miller did in his famous play The Crucible, showing how mistrust and terror-stricken paranoia build, although in this case within a single family.

The Ones Below (15)

Rating:

The Ones Below is another impressive first cinematic feature, this time by theatre director David Farr. Superbly acted, it is a creepy, psychological thriller set in leafy, middle-class North London, where Justin (Stephen Campbell Moore) and Kate (Clemence Poesy) are expecting their first child.

Then another couple move into the flat below. This is Jon (David Morrissey), and his much younger, Finnish wife Teresa (Laura Birn), who are also expectant parents.

All this should be a recipe for friendship and mutual support, and the two women do make stumbling efforts to bond, but slowly it becomes clear that Teresa is not the happy-go-lucky woman she appears, and Jon is a fierce control freak. Kate, too, turns out to have a troubling back-story.

That, though, is the least of it, as one tragedy begets another, and the joyful props of early parenthood  prams, car seats, baby listeners  take on sinister significance. Like soft cheese and rollercoasters, this film is probably best avoided if youre pregnant.

Allegiant (12A)

Rating:

The Divergent series has always seemed like thinnish gruel compared with the much richer feast of The Hunger Games, and this one is the weakest yet.

It introduces a decidedly unscary villain called David (Jeff Daniels), who runs something called the Bureau of Genetic Welfare, though he is more bent on genetic warfare, wanting to divide the pure, such as our heroine, Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley), from the damaged.

Unfortunately, Tris falls for his oily charm, leaving hunky Four (Theo James, who some of us prefer to remember as poor Mr Pamuk from series one of Downton Abbey) to sort things out.

But before all this can happen, Tris and Four have to get over the giant wall that surrounds whats left of Chicago. Can you imagine anyone thinking that America might be protected by a great big wall?
Ryan Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively were practically bursting with happiness as they made their grand entrance to a White House state dinner honoring Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The 39-year-old actor, who hails from Vancouver, Canada, looked sharp in a midnight blue suit and white bow tie as he stopped by on Thursday with his stunning wife on his arm.

As smart as Ryan looked, however, his leading lady once more threatened to steal the spotlight with her leggy look.

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See news on Canada as Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds attend dinner for Justin Trudeau

Revealing: Blake Lively showed off her stunning figure - and her Spanx - as she accompanied husband Ryan Reynolds to the state dinner Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday

Blake looked sensational in a silky grey Ralph & Russo gown that featured a plunging neckline, long centre slit, and a bow that cinched at her waist.

However, as she walked, her slashed-to-the thigh dress revealed that the pretty actress was wearing Spanx.

Clearly the 28-year-old, who gave birth to daughter James just 15 months ago, felt the need for a little extra support around the tummy.

Dashing! The Deadpool star sharpened up in a midnight blue suit that complimented the silky gray worn by his beautiful wife

The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants star styled her long golden hair down in loose waves and looked glam with her long violet earrings and a boxy silver clutch by Marchesa.

Ryan seemed to have pulled out all the stops to sharpen up his appearance, slicking his brunette hair across his forehead.

The actor, however, kept a rugged touch with his unshaven beard.

Delighted: The glamorous couple were clearly thrilled to be on the guest list

Date night! The couple are parents to one-year-old daughter James

The first state dinner of President Obama's final year honors Canada and its dashing new liberal leader Prime Minister Justin Trudeau  and is the first hosted by the White House for America's northern neighbor in nearly 20 years.

Ryan was clearly thrilled to have the opportunity to spend a few minutes with the new leader of his homeland.

On Friday he posted a photo on his Instagram of the two of them together at the function with the caption: 'Very fortunate to meet Prime Minister @justinpjtrudeau at the White House last night. Not only is he a warrior for equality & the environment but one helluva hugger.'

Proud: Ryan posted this photo on his Instagram on Friday showing him chatting with the Canadian prime minister

Ryan is currently enjoying huge box office success and rave reviews with his R-rated film Deadpool.

Deadpool annihilated records with an eye-popping $135 million from its first three days in U.S. theaters last month.

Leggy lady! Blake managed to flash the flesh in her glossy designer number, which cinched at her narrow waistline

The Fox film, which stars Ryan as the foul-mouthed superhero, easily trounced last year's record-setting $85.2 million February debut of the erotic drama Fifty Shades of Grey.

It also became the biggest R-rated opening ever, surpassing The Matrix Reloaded, which opened to $91.8 million in May of 2003.

The debut is also a bit of a superhero redemption story for Ryan whose costly Green Lantern adaptation disappointed audiences and at the box office in 2011.
Producers of The Bachelor Australia are planning to create a romantic beach date complete with a live string orchestra for their new leading man, Richie Strahan.

But the special lady he chooses to take on it may find herself with a case of deja vu if she happens to be a fan of the series.

Back in 2014, viewers may recall that Blake Garvey enjoyed an almost identical date with early frontrunner Holly Pearce.

That looks familiar! One of Richie Strahan's ladies may have a case of deja vu when she goes on a date The Bachelor producers are organising which will be almost identical to one Blake Garvey did in 2014 (pictured)

Taking cues: The blonde star will be quite literally following in his predecessor's footsteps as producers are looking for an eight piece orchestra 'to film a romantic date for the Bachelor and bachelorette on a beach

The statuesque blonde - who left the competition on her own accord to further her netball career - was treated to an intimate stroll along Sydney's iconic Palm Beach.

The romance factor shot through the roof however, when the lovers were confronted by a large string orchestra waiting to serenade them on the sand.

In a description very reminiscent to Blake's single date, producers are now looking for an eight piece orchestra 'to film a romantic date for the Bachelor and bachelorette on a beach'.

According to an internal message sent from an Australian Institute of Music (AIM) staff member to students, those wishing to volunteer their time to appear on the show would be taken to and from the beach-side location with their instruments to ensure a smooth filming schedule.

Loving life: Former Bachelor Sam Wood also enjoyed two beach dates during his tenure as the resident hunk

Getting steamy: The first was a group date and the second a treasure hunt with bikini-clad Emily Ratajkowski-lookalike, Emily Simms

Beach dates are popular options for the reality series as they give the always buff Bachelor a chance to flex his muscles - literally.

And their newest star will be no exception it seems, as judging from Richie's social media, he has no qualms about showing off his impressive physique shirtless.

Former Bachelor Sam Wood also enjoyed two beach dates during his tenure as the resident hunk.

The first was a group outing where almost all of the ladies stripped down to their two-pieces for a splash, while the second was a treasure hunt with bikini-clad Emily Ratajkowski-lookalike, Emily Simms.

Shirtless: Beach dates are popular options for the reality series as they give the always buff Bachelor a chance to flex his muscles - literally

Buff body! Judging from Richie's social media, he has no qualms about showing off his impressive physique shirtless

While it's clear producers are trying to go all out for the new season, Warner Bros - who produce the show alongside Shine - have come under fire for approaching schools for unpaid musicians.

The Conservatorium of Music was contacted as well as the AIM in a bid to secure talented string players for the orchestra free of charge.

In a statement, AIM COO Mukesh Chander told Daily Mail Australia that: 'In support of its students, AIM strongly suggested to the producers [of The Bachelor] that they offer compensation for the performances.

He adds that 'Warner Bros has [since] informed AIM that it intends to pay the musicians.'
My Kitchen Rules couple Zana and Gianni Pali swapped their aprons for some sophisticated attire on Thursday night when stepping out at the Chadstone Fashion runway show in Melbourne.

While attending the exclusive A-lister event, 24-year-old Zana showed off her long toned legs as she dressed in a stunning MANNING CARTELL gown, which retails for $650.

The lace ensemble featured a turtle neck collar and long sleeves as it finished half way up her thighs.

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Dressed to impress: My Kitchen Rules couple Zana and Gianni Pali swapped their aprons for some sophisticated attire on Thursday night when stepping out at the Chadstone Fashion runway show in Melbourne

It showed off her slender frame as it hugged tightly around her figure, and added some height to her attire with a pair of simple cream heels.

Zana wore her long dark brunette locks out and gathered over her right shoulder as she styled them with a curl.

With her hair pulled away from her face, she showed off her silver diamond Chanel earrings as well as her naturally flawless complexion.

Stunning: While attending the exclusive A-lister event, 24-year-old Zana showed off her long toned legs as she dressed in a stunning MANNING CARTELL gown, which retails for $650

Flaunting it: The lace ensemble featured a turtle neck collar and long sleeves as it finished half way up her thighs

The lawyer opted for a nude-based make-up which included thick black false lashes as well as a light pink lipstick which had a coat of gloss.

She finished off her stunning look with a pale pink Louis Vuitton clutch bag.

Her beau and fellow MKR contestant Gianni also looked the part at the runway event as he dressed in a matching dark grey suit.

Picture perfect: The lawyer opted for a nude-based make-up which included thick black false lashes as well as a light pink lipstick which had a coat of gloss

Making a name for themselves: The couple were spotted sitting in the front row

The best picks: The Autumn Winter runway function showcased the best of the new season arrivals which had been designed by leading Australian and international designers

Underneath the fitted tuxedo the 27-year-old sported a simple black V-neck T-shirt.

The couple sat alongside blonde beauty and WAG Jessie Habermann at the event who sizzled in a white and black off-the-shoulder dress.

The fiancee of Carlton skipper Marc Murphy wore her long blonde locks out and parted down the middle while styling them with a loose wave.

The Autumn Winter runway function showcased the best of the new season arrivals which had been designed by leading Australian and international designers.

Brunette beauty: Zana wore her long dark brunette locks out and gathered over her right shoulder as she styled them with a curl

Suited: Gianni also looked the part at the runway event as he dressed in a matching dark grey suit
He may have been a formidable opponent in the ring, but at heart this sporting legend is just a big softy who knows his angles.

Back in the day not many got close to Sugar Ray Leonard without ending up with a few bruises but these days the 59-year-old star is happy to lean in to ensure a great picture - or at least he is when it is with Brooke Burke.

The boxer and the 44-year-old television host posed up for some snaps at the 7th annual Sketchers Pier To Pier Walk Check Presentation in Manhattan Beach, California, on Thursday.

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Don't move: Brooke Burke and Sugar Ray Leonard posed up for some snaps at the 7th annual Sketchers Pier To Pier Walk Check Presentation in Manhattan Beach, California, on Thursday

The pair had each other in hysterics as they tried to snap the perfect selfie on Brooke's phone.

Sugar Ray was certainly trying very hard to get his Blue Steel just right as the television star took a few photos.

Obviously their poses did not come out exactly as planned, as they could not stop laughing.

It is a shame their picture was not up to scratch, as both the sportsman and the fitness fan looked great for the charitable event.

Let's do a silly one: Obviously their poses did not come out exactly as planned, as they could not stop laughing

Style in black and white: Brooke looked lovely as always a long sleeved dress with A-line skirt

Perfectly coordinated: The star accessorized the look simply with black and white pumps but did add a little extra sexy thanks to a delicate gold body chain

Sugar Ray looked rather snap worthy in a blue checked sports coat which he wore with a crisp white shirt without a tie but added a matching white pocket square.

Brooke meanwhile, looked lovely as always in a black and white long sleeved dress.

The frock - which had an A-line skirt - featured a plunging neckline but the former Dancing With The Stars host kept her cleavage in check for the family event.

Dreamy locks: The 44-year-old's ombre brown hair was styled in soft waves with lots of volume

One, two punch: Sugar Ray looked rather snap worthy in a blue checked sports coat which he wore with a crisp white shirt without a tie but added a matching white pocket square

The star accessorized the look simply with black and white pumps but did add a little extra sexy thanks to a delicate gold body chain.

Helping out at the event, and giving Sugar Ray's guns a run for their money, was Denise Austin, who showed off her gym hardened bod in a tight purple dress.

Also lending their support was Nickelodeon stars Melissa Carcache and Jailen Bates.

Strong style: Helping out at the event, and giving Sugar Ray's guns a run for their money, was Denise Austin, who showed off her gym hardened bod in a tight purple dress

The Pier To Pier Friendship Walk happens annually - with 2016's occurring in October - and is to help support children with special needs and support education initiatives.

Thursday night's event was to present the money raised to some deserving students.

Proud of what the walk had achieved, Brooke wrote on social media: 'Thrilled to honor 11 students Skechers Foundation Scholarship Program and the #FriendshipWalk.'
Gotham stars Morena Baccarin and Ben McKenzie have welcomed a baby girl.

The couple announced their happy news on Friday, revealing that their daughter Frances Laiz Setta Schenkkan was born on March 2.

Frances is the first child for 37-year-old Ben, and the second for Morena, 36, who already has a two-year-old son Julius with her estranged husband Austin Chick.

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Happy news: Gotham stars Morena Baccarin and Ben McKenzie, pictured on February 29 have announced they welcomed a baby girl on March 2

Representatives for the pair told USA Today: 'Morena and Ben are so happy to welcome baby girl Frances Laiz Setta Schenkkan on March 2. All are happy and healthy and appreciate the well-wishes.'

Frances has been given the maiden name of Brazilian-born Morena's mother Vera, Setta, while Schenkkan is Ben's surname, he uses his middle name McKenzie.

The couple's 'Gotham' characters, James Gordon and Dr. Leslie Thompkins, are also expecting a baby together on-screen with Morena explaining that it was 'a total coincidence'.

She said in a recent interview: They were already planning on doing that with (our) characters when I got pregnant. When I told them they were like, 'Okay, great!' and I was like, 'What?' It worked out perfectly.'

Baby girl: The couple announced their happy news on Friday, revealing that their daughter has been named Frances Laiz Setta Schenkkan

Just days before she gave birth, Morena told People she was 'feeling good' and that Ben is very much the doting dad-to-be, explaining: 'I'm finally at the point where I can chill. And Ben is the sweetest.

'He's giving me extra TLC and making sure I'm drinking water and taking care of myself.'

Morena's pregnancy has been much talked about, after it emerged that she was expecting a baby with Ben in September, two months after her estranged husband Austin filed for divorce.

She is currently embroiled in a bitter divorce battle with Austin, who she shares two-year-old son Julius with, but the proceedings have allegedly been temporarily put on hold until after she gives birth.

Morena told People: 'I'm right where I should be. All I think about is my son, my family and my future family.'

Messy split: The 36-year-old is currently embroiled in a bitter divorce battle with Austin Chick, who she is pictured with in April 2014. The former couple share two-year-old son Julius

She added: 'There's the story that people tell and the story that Mom tells  and [my son] will know what's true. That's all that matters.'

Last month, TMZ alleged that Morena had filed documents stating she has been placed on bed rest by doctors due to a high-risk pregnancy.

The actress apparently claims she is not able to take part in a divorce deposition as a result until 30 days after the birth of her baby.

'My son will know what's true': The actress, seen here last month, touched on the divorce drama in an interview with People

The former couple have joint custody of Julius, but the little boy spends most of his time with his mother, who is filming in New York City.

In November, Morena was ordered to pay Austin, a 44-year-old director, $23,000 a month in spousal and child support.

Morena's estranged husband claimed in September that Morena told him she was three-and-a-half months pregnant.

He stated in legal documents obtained by TMZ: 'This places the moment of conception right in the first week of June, 2015, the time she was telling me she wanted to work on our marriage and well before we stopped sharing a bed.'

Meanwhile Morena has claimed that they were talking about separating back in March of last year.

In September, the Homeland star stated in divorce papers, according to TMZ: 'Today, I am in a new committed relationship. I am planning to re-marry. Also, I am 3 1/2 months pregnant.'
She hit the ground running during her whirlwind trip to Paris this week.

And after crossing over the Channel on Thursday night, Selena Gomez was raring to go again on Friday as she made an early morning visit to Nick Grimshaw's Breakfast show on BBC Radio 1.

After wowing Paris in a series of revealing outfits over Fashion Week, the singer put on another fashion parade in London, stepping out in four chic looks in just a matter of hours.

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Taking the plunge: Selena Gomez flashed a hint of cleavage in a plunging black dress as she left the Langham Hotel in central London on Friday morning, wearing her third outfit of the day

Style queen: The singer, 23, changed twice earlier in the morning as she did the rounds of television and radio stations in the capital during a busy day of work

Monochrome magic: The brunette's fourth outfit of the day was more casual - a sheer white shirt, teamed with skintight black leggings and a black poncho

The 23-year-old changed into a showstopping red, white and navy ensemble for a busy day of press in the capital - before showcasing a hint of cleavage in a plunging black dress as she left the Langham Hotel in central London.

She teamed her high-necked top, splashed with a graphic design, with a navy and white skirt which featured a daring split in the centre.

The star flashed her legs in the edgy piece, while she added a pair of quirky block heels in a cream hue.

There she goes: The 23-year-old changed into a showstopping red, white and navy ensemble for a busy day of press in the capital

Edgy ensemble: She teamed her high-necked top, splashed with a graphic design, with a navy and white skirt which featured a daring split in the centre

The brunette's fourth outfit of the day was more casual - a sheer white shirt, teamed with skintight black leggings and a black poncho.

Selena injected a touch more glamour with towering heels and a Louis Vuitton handbag as she left the Capital FM studios in Leicester Square.

Just a couple of hours earlier, Selena was in another smart look as she paid an early morning visit to Radio 1.

She layered a fitted long-line jacket with black detailing over a bright red top which was tucked into her high-waisted pair of jeans.

The dark denims highlighted the star's svelte figure, while she wore the same pair of heels to elongate her legs further.

Third time lucky: Selena's third outfit of the day was her most striking; a plunging black dress featuring vivid cobalt blue detailing, which showcased her petite curves to perfection

Natural beauty: The brunette kept her hair and make-up fairly low-key for her busy day in London

Strike a pose: Selena showed off her best pout for one fan selfie

Statement dress: The star was dressed to the nines for her busy day of dashing around London

Loyal fans: The singer cosied up to a smiling fan as she headed to her next stop

Good for you? Selena's fan was keen to see if the star liked a selfie she had snapped

Smile! Selena was keen to get to all of her fans despite her busy schedule

Fashion parade: After packing a long line of stylish pieces for her trip to Paris Fashion Week earlier this week, the US star continued her fashion hits across the Channel

Showing some skin: As well as the daring split, Selena's outfit also flashed the flesh with cut-out detail on the back of her top

Selena hid any sign of tiredness behind a pair of dark shades, while she carried a chic Louis Vuitton bag into the studio.

She styled her long brunette locks into glossy curls, while a face of flawless makeup completed her look.

Despite the early hour, Selena was in high spirits as she took time to greet the large crowd of fans waiting for her outside the London studio.

Outfit number four: Selena injected a touch of glamour with towering heels and a Louis Vuitton handbag as she left the Capital FM studios in Leicester Square

Pretty as a picture: The star's monochrome look was both a practical and stylish choice for her busy day

Too chic for radio! Earlier in the day Selena was looking glam as she made an early morning visit to Nick Grimshaw's Breakfast show on BBC Radio 1

All dressed up: The 23-year-old looked super chic in a fitted long-line jacket with black detailing teamed with high-waisted jeans

Good to see you: Despite her early start, Selena was in high spirits as she spent time with fans outside the London studio

Finishing touches: The 23-year-old hid any sign of tiredness behind a pair of dark shades, while she carried a chic Louis Vuitton bag

The popular star snapped selfies and signed autographs with her delighted fans, before heading inside for a chat with Grimmy,

Selena made quite the entrance into London on Thursday night, leaving a trail of overexcited British fans in her wake as she sashayed through London's St Pancras station after catching the Eurostar from Paris.

The star jetted over to the French capital this week for the closing shows of Fashion Week, showing her support for favourite brand Louis Vuitton's showcase, while hitting the town in a series of daring looks.

Say cheese: The popular star snapped plenty of selfies with her excited fans gathered outside
He has a close relationship with his iconic father.

And Brooklyn Beckham, 17, supported his dad, David, 40, at his charity gala David Beckham: The Man inside the Phillips Gallery, London, on Thursday night.

The teen rocked a casual look for the occasion wearing a washed out pale pink shirt under a navy jacket which he teamed with a pair of skinny black jeans and beat up white pumps.

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Family occasion: Brooklyn Beckham, 17, supported his dad David at his fundraising charity gala David Beckham: The Man at the Phillips Gallery, London, on Thursday night

Brooklyn looked to be in high spirits on the night, strolling to the gallery with his hand tucked in his pocket and a cheery look on his face.

He covered his brunette locks with a bold red Carhartt beanie which he later removed to reveal a slick style.

Signed photographs and newly-commissioned works of David were sold in aid of 7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund and Positive View Foundation.

Dressed down: The teen rocked a casual look for the occasion wearing a washed out pale pink shirt under a nylon navy jacket which he teamed with a pair of skinny black jeans and beat up white pumps

Good night: Brooklyn looked to be in high spirits on the night strolling to the gallery with his hand tucked in his pocket with a cheery look on his face

Like father, like son: His eldest son Brooklyn, 16, attended the event in order to support his father and was seen leaving the event later that evening

On the move: Brookly took long strides as he walked beside a minder

Well-coiffed: When he removed his bold red Carhartt beanie he revealed a slick style

Relaxed: The teen wasn't overawed by the high-profile occasion

Funds raised will help create positive change for children and disadvantaged young people around the world, a cause close to father-of-four David's heart.

While his wife Victoria and children Romeo, 13, Cruz, 10, and Harper, four, weren't in attendance, Beckham was still surrounded by loved ones.

The star's parents Ted and Sandra and sister Joanne were there to raise a glass in his honour, as were Victoria's parents Tony and Jackie Adams.

The auction featured more than than 50 original signed works, some previously unseen, by 27 internationally acclaimed photographers.

Check out the watch: David Beckham hit his charity auction in London on Thursday night in a smart suit and flashy timepiece

Picture perfect: The gala auction features works from the likes of Annie Leibovitz and Tracy Emin

Which way to the car? He seemed to have had a blast before making his way home

Proud: Brooklyn had a big smile on his face when he left the venue with a minder in tow

Cutting a cool figure: Brooklyn often favours a street style and, despite David being suited and booted, he opted for his preferred look

Fans can get their hands on photographs by the likes of Annie Leibovitz and Inez & Vinood , as well as specially-commissioned works from the likes of Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin.

Kathy Adler, curator of David Beckham: The Man and former Director of Education at the National Gallery, London, commented: 'David Beckham is the quintessential modern man, his fame far exceeding that of a sportsman.

'He is universally recognised, an icon of modern masculinity and a magnet for photographers. His appeal is ubiquitous: he is happy being a gay icon, a teenage idol, a spokesperson for sport, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

'He has redefined counter-cultural concepts such as tattooing and brought them into the mainstream. The photographs constitute a narrative of Beckhams life and of the position he occupies in contemporary culture.

'He has constantly challenged notions of masculinity, from the famous sarong-wearing appearance to the many images of him as a devoted husband and father.'
Her father's iconic Terminator pose in black sunglasses and a leather jacket is recognised the world over.

And Katherine Schwarzenegger was rocking the look just as well as she headed out to run errands in West Hollywood on Thursday.

The 26-year-old author and blogger grabbed coffee as she went, flashing a bright white smile as she caught up with messages on the go.

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Hands full: Katherine Schwarzenegger was rocking the black leather jacket and dark shades look just as well as as her Terminator father as she headed out in West Hollywood on Thursday

Her mood may have been bright, but her wardrobe was certainly low-key in contrast with black

Under Armour leggings, a black vest top, a black jumper tied around her waist and an edgy black leather jacket to finish off her look.

Katherine's grey and black trainers offered a splash of neon yellow, with her large beige leather handbag offering the only real light relief to the dark palette.

A cheeky faux-fur fox tail clipped onto her bag added a touch of fun.

Pearly whites: The 26-year-old author and blogger grabbed coffee as she went, flashing a bright white smile as she caught up with messages on the go

Famous father: Re-creating his famous Terminator look, Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken his career from bodybuilding, to acting and now politics

On a mission: Her mood may have been bright, but her wardrobe was certainly low-key in contrast with black leggings, a black vest top, a black jumper tied around her waist and an edgy black leather jacket

The beautifully manicured brunette, wore her wavy tousled hair loose in a centre parting.

In the past, the 26-year-old has spoken candidly about struggling with her body image, which became the basis of her 2010 book Rock What You've Got: Secrets to Loving Your Inner and Outer Beauty from Someone Who's Been There and Back.

In 2014, two years after graduating from the University of Southern California, she published her second book, entitled I Just Graduated ... Now What?: Honest Answers from Those Who Have Been There.

Her desire to help and inspire others extends to her lifestyle blog, which she launched in May 2013.

Busy lady: Her grey and black trainers offered a splash of neon yellow, with her large beige leather handbag offering the only real light relief to the dark palette

Speaking to Galore magazine earlier this year, she said her parents gave her a stable upbringing and were always available for a chat.

'I would always look to my mom and my dad for advice first,' she said.

'I just loved being able to get advice from older people. Thats part of why I felt a lifestyle blog would be such a great platformits a way I get to share the girl talk I value so much with so many people.'

With a Hollywood actor father and broadcast journalist mother, Katherine certainly had lots of experience to fall back on, along with her younger siblings Christopher, 18, and Christina, 24.

Twice published: In the past the 26-year-old has spoken candidly about struggling with her body image

But the close family took a knock back in 2011 when Arnold, 68, and Maria, 59, filed for divorce after a 25 year marriage.

It came to light that the actor had secretly fathered a child called Joseph Baena, now 17, with the housekeeper, Mildred.

The couple have remained friends, and Arnold has been dating Heather Milligan, 40, for almost three years, although his divorce still hasn't been finalised.
She certainly turns heads every time she steps out at an event.

And on Friday, as she attended the 2016 Silver Party to raise funds for the Sydney Children's Hospital, it was no exception for Jesinta Campbell.

The 24-year-old flashed her bare back in an all-black ensemble as she enjoyed the exclusive event at Iona in Darlinghurst, Moulin Rouge! director Baz Luhrmann's residence.

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Eye-catching! Jesinta Campbell turned heads once more as she stepped out at the 2016 Silver Party for the Sydney Children's Hospital on Friday

Designed by Australian couturier Lillian Khallouf from her upcoming collection, the seemingly backless bell-sleeved top featured a sheer tulle covering across her shoulder blades.

Pairing it with co-ordinated high-waist trousers, the model showed off her pert posterior as she posed for photographers by a merry-go-round.

She opted for simplicity when it came to footwear, flashing her pedicure in simple open-toe black heels but kept the glamour with her fingers and earlobes dripping in diamonds.

Baby got back! The 24-year-old flashed her bare shoulder-blades in the cropped top

Glowing: Her make-up was bronzed and luminous with a light dusting of pink blush

Bling bling! Jesinta was also dripping in diamonds in the form of earrings and rings

'Beautiful party': Jesinta shared a snap of Baz Lurhmann's many awards from within the beautiful home

The former beauty queen's make-up was exceptionally glowing and bronzed with perfectly manicured eyebrows and just a light dusting of rosy blush.

Earlier that day, Jesinta had shared a snap to Instagram with her friend as they got ready for their night on the town.

She then shared a snap from within the gorgeous old house, showing the legendary Australian filmmaker's many awards.

That's awkward! Jodi Anasta, former Home And Away star (left), wore the same floor-length black frock by Alex Perry as model Elyse Taylor (right)

Shining bright! Terry Biviano turned heads in a bright coral frock by Maticevski and gold sandals alongside her hunky NRL husband Anthony Minichiello

'Beautiful party at Baz Lurhmann's home supporting a special cause,' she wrote in the caption.

Also in attendance at the elegant soiree was blonde bombshell Elyse Taylor, who stunned in a simple yet captivating floor-length black frock by Alex Perry.

However, rather awkwardly, model and former Home And Away star Jodi Anasta donned the exact same gown to the event.

Going solo: Newsreader Peter Overton looked dapper in a tuxedo, but his wife Jessica Rowe didn't appear to have made the event

Heading to the party solo, Peter Overton looked dapper in a tuxedo complete with black bow tie, but his beloved wife Jessica Rowe didn't appear to have made an appearance.

Terry Biviano turned heads in a bright coral frock by Maticevski, alongside her hunky NRL husband Anthony Minichiello.

While newlyweds John Symonds, founder of Aussie Home Loans, and Amber Symonds made a classy pair for the event.
Reality TV star Charlotte Crosby was today banned for three years for drink driving - and her dreams of breaking America have also been dashed.

The 25-year-old former Celebrity Big Brother winner and Geordie Shore cast member was caught driving her Range Rover after drinking on the train home from London to Newcastle in January.

Two police officers witnessed her weaving down the road and, after pulling her over, a breath test showed she was over double the legal limit.

Newcastle Magistrates' Court heard she was banned from driving for 18 months in 2012 and because this is a second offence she is now unable to get a visa to travel to the USA.

In the dock: Reality TV star Charlotte Crosby was today banned for three years for drink driving, pictured with her lawyer Nick 'Mr Loophole' Freeman

Blow: Crosby has been banned from the roads for a second time - and means she cannot get a visa to travel to America - a major blow to her career

Crosby, who has more than 2.7 million Twitter followers and has also made cash from fitness DVDs, pleaded guilty to the charge after the incident on January 28.

Her lawyer Nick 'Mr Loophole' Freeman, defending, said she had decided to make the short journey from the railway station to her hotel despite having initially planned to get a taxi.

He said 'she accepts that she is the author of her misfortune' and added that she was 'bitterly ashamed, contrite and embarrassed'.

Mr Freeman said Crosby had been close to landing a TV career in America but 'that will not now happen as she will not get a visa'.

'She would like to apologise to the court and her family,' he said.

'She would like to apologise to her legions of fans and supporters who she has let down in a huge way.'

Banning Crosby from driving for three years, chairman of the bench Keith McIntosh said it 'beggared belief' that she had been caught for a second time.

'We take drink-driving offences very seriously in this court, even more so when it's not the first offence,' he said.

Crosby, who had 80 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath compared with the legal limit of 35, was also told to pay 1,185.

The charge comes just a year and a half after Charlotte's last road ban came to an end, following her arrest for driving at twice the legal limit in 2012.

A source close to the star has told The Sun that the reality star 'is devastated. To drink-drive once is incredibly stupid, but to face charges a second time beggars belief.

'Everyone close to her is stunned, and her bosses at Geordie Shore  who she was due to film with the next day  are absolutely livid with her.

Charged: The reality star was pulled over by police and arrested on January 28 after they allegedly spotted her erratically driving her Range Rover on her way back from a club

Time to face the music: The Geordie Shore star looked understandably sombre as she walked into the court alongside solicitor Nick Freeman at around 10am

Low profile: The 25-year-old kept her head down as she swapped her typically glamorous style for a drearier grey ensemble, while her usually sprightly face appeared downcast

History repeating: The charge comes just a year and a half after Charlotte's last road ban came to an end, following her arrest for driving at twice the legal limit in 2012

A representative for Charlotte had no comment when contacted by MailOnline, while a Newcastle police spokesman has confirmed that a 25-year-old woman has been charged with driving a motor vehicle while above the legal limit on January 28.

In February 2012 Charlotte was caught driving at twice the legal limit, leading to an 18-month ban, a 250 fine plus a victim surcharge of 15 and 85 costs, after she pleaded guilty.

She issued an apology at the time, promising she would not make the same mistake again, saying: 'It was a very stupid and reckless thing to do. I've let myself down. It won't happen again.'

Charlotte's antics on her hit show Geordie Shore are infamous, with the reality star known for her partying.

Speaking to Closer last year, Charlotte, who also won Celebrity Big Brother in 2013, insisted she won't apologise for her wild ways.

'I don't get embarrassed by things everyone else seems to get embarrassed by,' she explained.

'I've done it all on Geordie Shore. Wet the bed, vomited on myself, had sex on camera and passed out naked. But I won't apologise and I don't see myself changing anytime soon. I'm young and I love to go out partying.

Filled with regret: A source close to the star has told The Sun that the reality star 'is devastated. To drink-drive once is incredibly stupid, but to face charges a second time beggars belief'
She was left red-faced after accidentally flashing her knickers to the nation on live television on Thursday.

But Kate Garraway brushed off the viral blunder like a true professional as she joked 'I'm all about a malfunction' on Friday's edition of Good Morning Britain.

The 48-year-old presenter was taken completely by surprise during the now infamous moment her co-host Ben Shepard swooped her up at the end of GMB and pretended to dunk her into a vat of muddy water.

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Cringe! Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard joked about her knicker-flashing blunder as they sat on the Good Morning Britain sofa on Friday

The mother-of-three cringed and giggled as she watched the incident back on television.

Kate joked: 'I've dreamed for years of you whisking me into your arms and taking me out in a kind of Officer and Gentleman kind of way... didn't quite work out that way yesterday, did it?'

Ben, 41, teased his co-host by replying: 'I feel like we all got to know you a little bit better', while Kate hung her head in shame next to him.

He continued with the jibes by adding mercilessly: 'There's some things you can't un-see!'

Kate then clarified the mishap fully, saying: 'Ben tried to throw me in the Artic Enema dunk tank - and it all turned out quite differently than what we expected!'

All smiles now! The 48-year-old presenter was taken completely by surprise during the now viral moment her co-host Ben swooped her up at the end of GMB and pretended to dunk her into a vat of muddy water

Brave face: Ben, 41, teased her co-host by replying: 'I fee like we all got to know you a little bit better' while Kate hung her head in mock-shame next to him

Shock! The now viral moment Kate desperately tried to protect her modesty as Ben pretended to dunk her in a muddy vat of water

Kate then thanked her producers, who 'saved me from flashing,' while Ben cheekily chipped in: 'I was very impressed with the editing.'

Ben set the Internet alight on Thursday with the embarrassing mishap as he lifted his unsuspecting co-host into his arms and pretended to dump her into a tub of muddy water.

Filmed outside the ITV studios for a segment about a new Tough Mums obstacle course, the 41-year-old picked her up and proceeded to carry her over to a tub of the gooey, muddy mess.

Kate was in absolute shock and flailed around in Ben's arms as he stepped over to the small pool, while their Good Morning Britain co-stars Laura Tobin, Susanna Reid and Richard Arnold, as well as guest Julia Bradbury, looked on in horror.

Hats off to her! The mishap took place during a segment about a new Tough Mums obstacle course - for which Kate and Ben sported fetching headbands

Busted: Kate thanked her producers, who 'saved me from flashing,' while Ben cheekily chipped in: 'I was very impressed with the editing'

There she goes! Ben Shephard shocked Kate Garraway as he picked her up in his arms and pretended to dump her in a vat of mud live on Thursday's Good Morning Britain

The shrieks of the bystanders - Susanna in particular unable to hide her stunned horror - and Kate blended together as Ben then feigned dropping Kate into the mud.

At the last moment the cheeky presenter whisked her away again.

However, Kate was left embarrassed after the impromptu pick-up left her pants and the backs of her legs completely on show to the TV audience at home.

Surprise! Alongside co-stars Susanna Reid, Laura Tobin, guest Julia Bradbury and Richard Arnold, Ben suddenly went to pick up Kate to tease her

No no no! 48-year-old Kate - clad in a blue dress and pink coat - looked absolutely stunned as Ben whisked her towards a pool of muddy water

All in good fun! Kate had an amused look of shock on her face as events unfolded

Clad in a little blue dress underneath a bright pink coat, she tried her best to protect her modesty while being taken aback by Ben's sudden move.

The TV stalwart couldn't hide her surprise during the exchange, which saw her bare legs and heeled shoes suspended in Ben's grip while live on air.

And viewers didn't know what to make of the incident at the very tail end of the daily morning programme, as they took to Twitter to air their delight or disgust.

One user, @James_Ellis_G wasn't too impressed, writing: '@GMB A little flashing? You could see what Kate Garraway had for Breakfast #PutMeRightOfMyBreakfast.'

All in good fun! But she bore a huge smile as the 41-year-old pretended to throw her into the mud, with Susanna finding the whole scenario amusing

Will he do it? Ben teased Kate as he drew her ever closer to the threatening pool of mud as Susanna couldn't hide her shock behind them

In you go! Showing off his strength, Ben hoisted Kate up higher and teased her by almost chucking her in

All safe! But as quickly as it started, Ben drew Kate back away from the mud

Glad that's over! She couldn't stop laughing after getting back onto solid ground

And @dollydepp felt sorry for Kate, as she wrote: '@GMB Ben deserves a slap. Poor Kate. I really feel that what he just done was way to much info.'

'Just about choked on my bagel at Ben Shepherd (sic) waving Kate Garraway's a**e all over the tv! The poor babe @GMB,' added @ChloeCashin.

Meanwhile, @Deenajadex wasn't too fond of the bizarre moment, commenting: 'Absolutely didn't need to see Kate's undies first thing in the morning. Thanks Ben #GMB.'

However, plenty of GMB viewers found it all rather amusing, with many laughing at what had happened.

Mixed reaction: Viewers took to Twitter to comment on the shenanigans, with some claiming Ben deserved a 'slap' while others found it funny

Twitter user @mike36l imagined a scenario that could have gone catastrophically wrong, writing on the social networking site: '@GMB @benshephard @kategarraway would of been so funny if Ben slipped and Kate ended up in the Iced-water.'

@jssoxted praised Ben, writing to him: '@GMB @benshephard @kategarraway well done Ben, bit cheeky poor Kate - I'm sure this will go viral!'

Kate has yet to comment on the matter on social media, as does Ben - the two keeping silent following his jokey attempt to drop her in the mud.

Oh so pleasant: Just before proceedings kicked off, Kate and Ben continued their presenting duties alongside the others

Wrapping up warm: Before the events kicked off, Kate was on-hand to give a fluffy, warm white robe to those taking part in the challenge

Meanwhile, as it all kicked off, Countryfile star Julia and GMB's weather presenter Laura were wrapped up and shivering against the cold air after taking part in the tricky Tough Mums obstacle course.

It was a smaller version of four signature obstacles created by Tough Mudder for a special GMB Tough Mums event, which will be held in May.

The obstacles, including the Kiss of Mud, Bale Bonds, Boa Constrictor and a dunk tank of ice, were set up on the roof of the central London studios.

Eww! Laura got down and dirty as she took part in the tricky challenge, crawling through the mud

It's cold! The weather presenter put on a fantastic effort in the GMB Tough Mums challenge, based on the iconic Tough Mudder

Well done! Laura and Julia were drenched but smiling after taking part in the challenge on live TV, and they were joined by Liberty X star Jessica Taylor

After completing the course, Julia said: 'It's phenomenal, come on mums you're going to love it. It's just a challenge, it's not a race, get dirty, get involved!'

Susanna added, after having taken part in the event herself last year: 'It genuinely, despite the suffering, does make you feel good and if you're a Tough Mum or mother figure and you're up for the challenge then we want to hear from you.'

To take part in this year's Tough Mums alongside the GMB presenters, visit www.itv.com/goodmorningbritain.
She's never been one to shy away from a revealing selfie.

And Nicki Minaj dared to bare once again as she flaunted her ample assets in a pink lace bra for a sultry shot she posted on Instagram on Friday morning.

The 28-year-old rapper made sure her impressive bust took centre-stage in the intimate snap by keeping her make-up minimal aside from a sweep of striking winged eyeliner.

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Not shy at all! Nicki Minaj dared to bare once again as she flaunted her ample assets in a pink lace bra for a sultry shot she posted on Instagram on Friday

The Anaconda hitmaker treated her 50 million followers to the seriously busty photo - which she simply captioned: 'Stephanie.'

Nicki wore her poker-straight platinum locks in a side-swept style and held them in place with her hand, which was adorned with a dazzling diamond ring.

The blonde highlighted her full pout with a simple slick of clear lipgloss and highlighted her peepers with a dramatic set of false eyelashes.

The provocative shot would no doubt be appreciated by Nicki's boyfriend Meek Mill - who she has displayed a playful relationship with on social media.

It's no prison! Nicki visited boyfriend Meek Mill as he serves house arrest then they posed for a shirtless Snapchat in the bedroom earlier in the day

The hip hop artist, who is under house arrest, posted a grinning Snapchat on Wednesday.

His companion Nicki could be seen posing behind the shirtless star in the intimate snap.

The pair look to be having a lot of fun together, and have even been playing around with the Snapchat filters - resulting in a dog face for Nicki.

The reunion is the first time the two have been seen together since they had a 'blowout fight' after Nicki refused to live with Meek at their Philadelphia home while he served the sentence.

Last month a judge told the 28-year-old rapper he must serve a minimum of three months house arrest for parole violations on drug and gun charges.

According to TMZ, he wanted his girlfriend to live with him for the duration but she refused, triggering the fallout.

On February 5 Mill escaped a custodial prison sentence but was dealt a critical blow to his hip hop career.

As they were: Nicki and Meek in January; he was sentenced to six months to a year in a county jail but is serving his time at home

Common Pleas Judge Genece Brinkley also ordered him to spend six more years on probation.

The judge sentenced the House Party rapper to between six months to a year in a county jail but, in perhaps his only break, is allowing him to serve his time at home.

After his first 90 days of house arrest, Judge Brinkley - whom Meek once branded a b***h' in one of his songs - will evaluate the rapper and decide of the house arrest will continue.

While being holed up in his and Nicki's mansion does not look too bad, the rapper will not be able to work, meaning no recording or touring, and can leave home only to do community service with groups serving adults, not young people.

This comes at a critical time in Meek's career as he battles to keep fans and stay relevant after a very public fight with rapper Drake and then had yet another beef with 50 Cent.

Prosecutors successfully argued that Meek had violated the conditions of his probation for a drug and gun conviction from 2009.

Prosecutors told the judge that Meek took a trip without obtaining a travel voucher, namely to go to New York for a concert and also to join Nicki in various cities including going to the American Music Awards with Nicki.
It's no secret that his charming ways make for the perfect ladies' man.

But on Friday, Idris Elba was only out to impress one special woman in his life - his mother.

Succeeding with his efforts, the 43-year-old made her mum 'very happy' as she accompanied him to Buckingham Palace where he was awarded an OBE.

'Made my mum very happy today': Idris Elba beamed as he posed with mother after OBE ceremony on Friday

Following the prestigious ceremony, Idris was all smiles as his posed with his beloved mother.

In the shot, which Elba uploaded to Twitter as he thanked the palace for having him, the duo make for an endearing portrait as they stand side by side.

The actor gushed in his message: '@BritishMonarchy Made my *Mum very happy today!!'

Dressed to impress for her son's big day, Eve opted for traditional clothing complete with a headtie.

'Feeling Proppa': Ahead of the prestigious event, the 43-year-old shared picture of his outfit

Ahead of the royal event, the British actor also tweeted a picture of his outfit for the occasion.

Looking as dapper as ever, Idris dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and black tie teamed with a pair of leather shoes.

Modelling in front of a luxury black car, he wrote: 'Flying the East End flag at Buckingham Palace today!!! OBE Day ... How does the boy look? Feeling Proppa...:)'

Inside the palace, the Duke of Cambridge was on hand to congratulate Idris as he was awarded with an OBE for services to drama.

Damon Albarn, Denis Law, former chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee Sir Jonathan Day and Dr Iain Douglas-Hamilton were also honoured at Buckingham Palace.
It's been a hot topic ever since Sam Faiers' beau Paul Knightley locked lips with his mum in the Essex beauty's ITV Be special, The Baby Diaries.

And now Richard Madeley's had his say on whether or not there's an age it becomes unacceptable for parents to kiss their children on the lips.

The presenter, 59, appeared on ITV's This Morning on Friday, and presenters Ruth Langsford and Ben Shepherd asked if he kissed his adult children, Chloe, 28, and Jack, 29, on the lips.

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Wading in: Richard Madeley, 59, had his say on whether or not there's an age it becomes unacceptable for parents to kiss their children on the lips

Close family: Richard revealed he still kissed his daughter Chloe, 28, on the lips as well as his son Jack, 30

He admitted: 'I kiss Chloe on the lips, and Jack, my son, who will be 30 in May, kisses me on the lips.

'I think if one side of the relationship is growing uncomfortable with it, either the parent or the child - then you should stop.

'But I think if its instinctive and its part of the family history and tradition, then why not?'

'To me, there are no rules on things like this, its whats right for you and your family... were very touchy-feely as a family, so for us its normal.'

The issue of parents kissing children on the lips split opinion with viewers. Some supported Madeleys response, with one posting on Twitter: Never had these issues when I was young! Let the kids decide, do not neglect their affection! Flipping ridiculous.

However, others took a different view, with one writing: I didnt know kissing your family on the lips was a thing. I sure as heck wouldnt do it.

Open-minded: The father-of-two said if neither party was uncomfortable then it shouldn't be an issue

How parents should kiss their children became a hot topic after last month's The Baby Diaries, which saw Paul Knightley, 27, share a smooch with his mum as they discussed his move into parenthood.

Shocked viewers took to social media in their droves, with one writing: 'Just watched the Sam Faiers programme. Her boyfriend and his mother are very creepy... Strange relationship.'

While a second said: 'Sam Faiers boyfriend awkward kiss with his MUM!!!! Did anyone else see this?'

While his girlfriend, Sam, leapt to his defence, insisting she would always kiss their baby son on the lips.

In Wednesday's Daily Mail, psychologist Dr Charlotte Reznik told how she wouldn't recommend parents kiss their children on the lips.

The author of The Power Of Your Child's Imagination said: 'If you start kissing your kids on the lips, when do you stop?

'As a child gets to four or five or six and their sexual awareness develops, the kiss on the lips can be stimulating to them.'

Back on the sofa: It was a welcome return for Richard, who presented This Morning with his wife Judy Finnigan for 13 years

Family man: The presenter told how his family were 'very touchy-feely'

The article included interviews with parents and their children of various ages who all still kiss each other on the lips.

However, Cheryl Leach - a midwife from Swindon - kisses each of her three children, Jordan, 16, Ella, eight, and Kaydon, seven, on the mouth and is unrepentant at her behaviour.

'It is ridiculous and pathetic that people are making out this is something sexual,' she said. 'I don't care what people think. I will never stop kissing Jordan on the lips and he will never stop kissing me either.'

Loving parent: Cheryl Leach - a midwife from Swindon - kisses each of her three children, Jordan, 16, Ella, eight, and Kaydon, seven, on the mouth and is unrepentant at her behaviour

'I will carry on kissing Mum when I'm an adult,' he says. 'I've done it for such a long time that I just see it as normal.'

Part of the reason the pair are so close is that Jordan's father left when Cheryl, 42, was pregnant.

'It was just the two of us for the first few years, we developed a special bond,' explained Cheryl, who is now married to Darren, 44.

'Jordan slept in my bed and when he started asking questions about sex I was happy to answer. We have always had a very open relationship.'
Mike Myers arrived at the White House with hair colour to match on Thursday night.

The 52-year-old debuted his new snowy look at the State Dinner held in honour of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The Austin Powers star finally ditched the dark tresses that once ran right down his back in the Wayne's World era.

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 Slide me  The White House: Mike Myers debuted a new white-haired look at the White House State Dinner in honour of the Canadian PM Justin Trudeau on Thursday night

Wearing a sharp tux and dark rimmed glasses, the actor almost could have been mistaken for fellow Hollywood comedy legend Steve Martin.

He arrived to the formal shindig with his wife of six years and mother of his three children, Kelly Tisdale.

While the master of the House is still Barack Obama, Myers was questioned by reporters on what Canada would do with the sudden outflux of Americans should Donald Trump take up residence.

The other guy: Wearing a sharp tux and dark rimmed glasses, the actor almost could have been mistaken for fellow Hollywood comedy legend Steve Martin

The missus: He arrived to the formal shindig with his wife of six years and mother of his three children, Kelly Tisdale

Excellent! The Austin Powers star finally ditched the dark tresses that once ran right down his back in the Wayne's World era

'We'll take you all,' he smiled.

The comedian was full of praise for his PM. He told USA Today: 'When I lived in Canada, Pierre Trudeau was my prime minister for 14 years. I describe myself as a true Trudeauvian.

'And now I'm thrilled to have his son as my prime minister,' he added.

This way: Myers was questioned by reporters on what Canada would do with the sudden outflux of Americans should Donald Trump become president, and replied they'd 'take them all

America's hat: Born in Scarborough, Ontario yo English-born parents, Myers holds Canadian, British and American citizenship, and is fiercely proud of his heritage

Proud: 'One of the things Canada can offer the world is civility, and one of the great legacies that Canada can leave is that the strength of democracy is not how well we agree, but how well we disagree,' he said on the night

Born in Scarborough, Ontario yo English-born parents, Myers holds Canadian, British and American citizenship, and is fiercely proud of his heritage.

'One of the things Canada can offer the world is civility, and one of the great legacies that Canada can leave is that the strength of democracy is not how well we agree, but how well we disagree,' he said on the night.

A host of other famous Canadian faces turned out on the night including Ryan Reynolds, Michael J. Fox, Sandra Oh and Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels.

Welcome! President Barack Obama, right, waves as he poses for a photograph with, from left, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, Michelle Obama, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

In good company: A host of other famous Canadian faces turned out on the night

Oh Canada! Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds brought wife Blake Lively

Dressed up: Actor Michael J Fox, who was born in Edmonton in Canada, also attended the dinner at the White House with his wife Tracy Pollan

Specs appeal: Sandra Oh and Lev Rukhin also turned out
As an international supermodel she's mastered the art of strutting in heels.

But Irina Shayk, 30, decided to sensibly give her feet a rest from towering stilettos and opted for some comfy looking trainers as she hit the streets of Milan on Friday.

Ever the model, she struck a series of high fashion poses as she glided elegantly across the Italian fashion capital, proving that she maintains her incredible posture even whilst off-duty.

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Strutting her stuff: Irina Shayk, 30, decided to sensibly give her feet a rest from towering stilettos and opted for some comfy looking trainers as she hit the streets of Milan on Friday

Slipping her lean legs into a pair of ripped jeans, the star - who is currently dating Bradley Cooper - flashed a hint a hint of her toned pins through the distressed fabric, popping her hip to the side as she waited beside her car.

Rocking the masculine trend, Irina teamed her jeans with an oversized shirt that sheathed her lithe frame.

Ever fashion-forward, a plain white panel across the chest gave the garment some pizzazz against the crisp navy material.

Getting shirty: Rocking the masculine trend, Irina teamed her jeans with an oversized shirt that sheathed her lithe frame. Ever fashion-forward, a plain white panel across the chest gave the garment some pizzazz

Leggy lady! Slipping her lean legs into a pair of ripped jeans, the star - who is currently dating Bradley Cooper - flashed a hint a hint of her toned pins through the distressed fabric, popping her hip to the side

Slicking her chestnut coloured locks back into a chic chignon bun, the Victoria's Secret model exposed her heart-shaped face, which boasted a flawless complexion.

Lining her baby blue peepers with a sweep of smokey eye shadow, she gave her beauty look a vampish quality with a slick of deep purple lipstick.

Staring steely-eyed down the lens, Irina surprisingly showed no signs of fatigue despite having spent the last few days jet-setting.

Brunette beauty: Slicking her chestnut coloured locks back into a chic chignon bun, the Victoria's Secret model exposed her heart-shaped face, which boasted a flawless complexion

On Thursday morning the star landed in New York following a romantic trip to Paris with beau Bradley, 41, where the couple soaked up the sights of the French capital and squeezed in a trip to the opera for the Arop Charity Gala.

During their trip, the pair also made their red carpet debut at the L'Oreal Paris' Red Obsession party, confirming their romance with a public smooch.

Having kept their relationship largely under wraps, the pair had never made a public appearance as a couple until now.

Jet set style: Irina surprisingly showed no signs of fatigue despite having landed in New York just the day before following a romantic trip to Paris with her beau Bradley Cooper, 41




Naomi Watts spoke candidly about her 11 year relationship with actor Liev Schreiber in the spring fashion forward issue of Los Angeles Confidential.

The 47-year-old actress revealed: 'Relationships are hard whether you're famous or not. I don't know anyone who doesn't have to work on it. Being an actor doesn't change anything.'

The mother of two added: 'I'm sure it's the same if you're a doctor or a couple of lawyers. You have high-pressure jobs, lots of hours, stresses that come unexpectedly - and you have to figure out how to be present in the midst of it all.'

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Honesty: Naomi Watts spoke candidly about her 11 year relationship with actor Liev Schreiber in the spring fashion forward issue of Los Angeles Confidential

The Insurgent star, who looked lovely in a floral Gucci gown on the cover, is mom to two sons: eight-year-old Alexander 'Sasha' Pete and seven-year-old Samuel Kai with Liev.

The British-born actress and her longtime love have starred in three films together, with the latest - The Bleeder - set to be released later this year.

Naomi and Liev also played in the 2006 drama The Painted Veil as well as Movie 43, an anthology comedy.

During her interview with Los Angeles Confidential, the starlet also discussed her role as Evelyn in The Divergent Series: Allegiant.

Busy star: During her interview with Los Angeles Confidential, the starlet also discussed her role as Evelyn in The Divergent Series: Allegiant; pictured on Friday in New York City

Big Apple casual: Naomi was spotted on Friday in New York City during her promotional tour for Allegiant

The film, which will be released on March 18, is the second time she's playing the character; she joined the cast of the hit series in 2015 for Insurgent.

The stunner spoke about her role to the magazine: 'It's something of a stretch but in terms of character, Evelyn is someone I can appreciate, she is a survivor and she's made the most of her experience despite a bunch of twists and setbacks.'

Naomi has been in the acting business for 30 years, with her first role in the film, For Love Alone in 1986.

Stunner: She has been in the acting business for 30 years, with her first role in the film, For Love Alone in 1986

Effortless: The starlet headed to E.A.T. restaurant for a meal in the casual ensemble while rocking wavy locks and pink lipstick

Although she's found success as an actress, her career path is not something she could have predicted.

She explained: 'This isn't the life I imagined. In many ways, it's far, far better, and yet I look at what's possible - I mean, look at Frances McDormand or Helen Mirren, or, come on, Meryl Streep - and I go, "okay, there's still a lot of room to grow and improve."'

Naomi was spotted on Friday in New York City during her promotional tour for Allegiant.

The beauty sported loose fitting jeans, a white blouse, Adidas sneakers and a charcoal jacket to stay warm.

The starlet headed to E.A.T. restaurant for a meal in the casual ensemble while rocking wavy locks and pink lipstick.

She shared a picture to her Instagram while at the Today show studios, writing: 'Live on the @todayshow with the lovely @mattlauernbc this morning. Always a pleasure! @thedivergentseries #demolitionmovie.'

Having a blast: She shared a picture to her Instagram while at the Today show studios, writing: 'Live on the @todayshow with the lovely @mattlauernbc this morning. Always a pleasure'

Family: Naomi and Liev have two sons: eight-year-old Alexander 'Sasha' Pete and seven-year-old Samuel Kai
Being caught topless on camera once could be regarded as unfortunate. Twice in one month smacks of deliberate attention-seeking.

But then, if you have the lithe, muscular physique of actor Tom Hiddleston, perhaps you dont think twice about baring yourself to the world.

His appearance in the BBCs dramatisation of John le Carres The Night Manager last weekend, running down a beach with his top off, had his female fans  Hiddlestoners, as they are called  swooning.

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Tom Hiddleston's appearance in the BBCs dramatisation of John le Carres The Night Manager last weekend, running down a beach with his top off, had his female fans  Hiddlestoners, as they are called  swooning

Hiddleston has so far appeared shirtless in every episode of the spy series, in which he plays the broodingly enigmatic hotel night manager, Jonathan Pine.

And it is not the first time hes given us a glimpse of his flesh on screen. In his most recent big-budget movie  the cerebral thriller High-Rise, based on a novel by J. G. Ballard  the 35-year-old is seen sunbathing naked on a balcony with just a booklet to cover his nether regions.

In his most recent big-budget movie, High-Rise, the 35-year-old is seen sunbathing naked on a balcony with just a booklet to cover his nether regions

Yet despite all this exhibitionism, he is also gaining a reputation as one of our most unassumingly charming leading men. Chat-show audiences on both sides of the Atlantic have been smitten repeatedly not just by his chiselled cheekbones, but also his gently expressive voice and very English brand of self-deprecation.

Woe betide those who dismiss him as a toff, however. They are soon put in their place by Hiddleston, who quickly switches to a broad Greenock accent, reminiscing about propping up the pub bar with his grandfather, a docker hewn from the flintiest of Scottish stock.

Most striking about Hiddleston, according to those who have monitored his rise to stardom, is not his many qualities as an actor, but the sheer scale of his ambition.

Recently he suggested he would be interested in playing James Bond, now that Daniel Craig seems close to standing down, saying: Im a huge fan . . . it would be an extraordinary opportunity.

The truth is, this steely ambition is masked by his charming demeanour.

Tom is the consummate gentleman, pleasant to everybody he meets, from royalty down to the lowliest runner on set, says a friend who has known him since university. Youll struggle to find anyone with a bad word to say about him.

He gives the impression of being supremely relaxed, but make no mistake, he has worked tirelessly to get where he is today. Talent only gets you so far. His determination to succeed, however, has made him lonely.

Being so focused on success isolates him, explains the friend. Hundreds of people consider themselves his mate, but probably no more than half a dozen truly know him  if that. As for women, they are only allowed to get so close, then he moves on.

No more than half a dozen friends truly know him

But being a chameleon suits him. Its his short-cut to success. That and a complete lack of fear.

That boldness has seen him rise from nowhere to become one of the most bankable stars around.

Since his role in the 2011 Hollywood blockbuster Thor, in which he played the villain, Loki, he has featured in more than ten successful movies, working with Woody Allen and Steven Spielberg along the way.

He is currently in Australia working on a big-budget reboot of the King Kong franchise, and next month his portrayal of Hank Williams in the biopic I Saw The Light  in which he sings and plays the guitar  comes to the big screen. He is clearly showing no signs of slowing down.

Some have sought to dismiss him as another public schoolboy whos pedigree and sense of self-entitlement have propelled him to become a member of Britains acting elite.

Hiddleston has so far appeared shirtless in every episode of The Night Manager (pictured), in which he plays the broodingly enigmatic hotel night manager, Jonathan Pine

Hiddleston's boldness has seen him rise from nowhere to become one of the most bankable stars around. Here he is pictured with his High-Rise co-star Elisabeth Moss

And at first glance he is guilty as charged. His maternal family tree is adorned with an illustrious line of military men (his great-grandfather was a vice admiral in the Navy) and landed gentry (his great-great grandfather was Sir Edmund Hoyle Vestey, chairman of the Blue Star Line shipping company). The Vestey family seat is the 6,000-acre Stowell Park estate in Gloucestershire.

Hiddleston sailed through Eton, where his contemporaries included Prince William and fellow acting prince Eddie Redmayne.

From there he proceeded to Pembroke College, Cambridge, securing a double first in Classics while developing a strong reputation as an actor. He secured an agent within a year of leaving university.

Swiftly making his mark in theatre, Hiddleston worked with Kenneth Branagh, forging such a strong bond as they performed Chekhov together that Branagh cast him in the TV detective drama Wallander and then gave him his big-screen break in Thor (pictured, as Loki)

Hiddleston sailed through Eton, where his contemporaries included Prince William and fellow acting prince Eddie Redmayne. Above, in Steven Spielberg's War Horse

By the time he arrived at RADA, fame and fortune seemed assured.

Swiftly making his mark in theatre, he worked with Kenneth Branagh, forging such a strong bond as they performed Chekhov together that Branagh cast him in the TV detective drama Wallander and then gave him his big-screen break in Thor.

A seamless progression  or so you may think. Rather like a swan, his serene progress was the result of furious paddling beneath the surface.

He missed his best mate's wedding for an audition

He realised he would have to make sacrifices to make it big, says the friend. Some people would get closer than others, but they would find out in the end that his career comes first.

Even his best mate came second when the chips were down.

Indeed, Hiddleston has admitted missing his best friends wedding to go to an audition. It caused a great deal of bad blood at the time, though they are now reconciled.

His home is a four-bedroom property that was originally an artists studio, tucked away in Primrose Hill, North London

His home is a four-bedroom property that was originally an artists studio, tucked away in Primrose Hill, North London.

Visitors say it is every inch the movie-stars place  a knockout, though only the few who have been invited through the electronic gates and two separate courtyards to reach the 5 million house would know.

But for much of the year he is in Los Angeles  his preferred locale is the buzzing, ocean-side district of Venice Beach, where he disappears into the crowds with ease.

This goes some way to illustrate the obsessive privacy Hiddleston maintains. While in interviews he comes across as relaxed and open, he barely reveals anything beyond what is known of the characters he plays.

In a rare bout of introspection, he once wondered aloud to an interviewer whether his parents divorce had led to him taking refuge from reality in acting.

His Scottish Presbyterian father, James, came from a very different background to that of his well-to-do mother, Diana.

James dragged himself up from a working-class upbringing in Greenock and Sunderland to become the managing director of a biotech firm in Oxford. Determined to give his son the opportunities he never had, he persuaded his boy to go to Eton, saying hed be mad not to.

As a child, Hiddleston lived in a comfortable townhouse in Oxford where his father, now 76, still lives. When Hiddleston was 13, however, his parents marriage collapsed. Bruised and confused, he threw himself into schoolwork and drama.

He chose to live with his mother in the Suffolk seaside town of Aldeburgh, where her family used to run the famous local festival. Now 64, she still lives there, in a sprawling, six-bedroom house, and is a respected freelance arts consultant.

While it was Diana who first took Hiddleston to see the Royal Shakespeare Company and introduced him to art-house cinema as a teenager, his father regarded acting as an unnecessary gamble for one so bright and well educated.

He did not reckon with Hiddlestons unshakeable self-belief and ambition, however. A level of ambition which, friends say, has seen him remain largely single since he split from actress Susannah Fielding five years ago.

He has been linked to a host of women, among them Thor co-star Kat Dennings, Oscar-nominated Jessica Chastain, with whom he starred in horror film Crimson Peak, and Sherlock actress Lara Pulver  who so memorably appeared on screen stark naked. Last year, he spent a noticeably tactile afternoon at Wimbledon with Jane Arthy, a record producer, who was described by those who sat with them as his girlfriend. Hiddleston promptly denied this, and they have not been seen together since.

There have been signs there may be a special someone in Hiddleston's life  namely Elizabeth Olsen (pictured), the American actress who starred opposite him in the Hank Williams biopic, I Saw The Light

Of late, however, there have been signs there may be a special someone in his life  namely Elizabeth Olsen, the American actress who starred opposite him in the Hank Williams biopic.

Hiddleston and Olsen, 27, have been spotted having lunch together, while their body language on the red carpet speaks of more than a professional bond.

Reports suggest they have been dating, though it is casual, but Hiddleston has declined to say a word on the subject. With the tidal wave of work offers showing no signs of abating  and that tilt at the 007 job as motivation  there remains little time for romance.

But it has not been all plain sailing. An advert he filmed with devastating English suaveness for Jaguar cars, under the tagline good to be bad, was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority for promoting irresponsible driving.
South Sudan is dying, and nobody is counting

The many ways people have died during South Sudan's two-year civil war are well-documented, but the number killed is unknown.

Men, women and children have been shot, speared, burned, castrated, hung, drowned, run over, suffocated, starved and blown up, their corpses abandoned where they fell, bulldozed into mass graves or, in at least one case, eaten in ritual cannibalism.

But the UN has stuck to a guesstimate of 10,000 dead since the early months of the war, even as the killing escalated and spread across the country.

The number of deaths in South Sudan's two-year civil has gone largely unrecorded, with the UN sticking to a guesstimate of 10,000 dead, while the International Crisis Group (ICG) says at least 50,000 had died a year into the war Ali Ngethi (AFP/File)

A year into the war, in November 2014, the International Crisis Group (ICG) which has closely tracked the fighting, told AFP at least 50,000 had died.

This month, the UN finally caught up, quoting the same figure but over a two-year span.

Sudan expert Eric Reeves, a professor at Smith College in the US, said failure to count the dead was a failure of morality.

"If we give up on establishing mortality estimates we are, in one way or another, saying that the lives don't really count," he told AFP.

Aid workers and officials who did not want to speak on the record said the true figure might be as high as 300,000 -- a figure comparable to the number killed in Syria during five years of fighting.

- Two-thirds had relatives killed -

"The level and intensity of violence has been above and beyond what we have seen almost anywhere else," said one worker for an international aid agency which operates in multiple conflict zones, and who asked not to be named. Over 30 aid workers have been killed since war broke out in December 2013.

The minimum figure of 50,000 is of those killed in direct conflict, but if those killed as a consequence of war are included the numbers skyrocket.

That would include starvation from aid blockades, such as the 40,000 people the UN warned last month were in "catastrophic" conditions -- potentially famine, if the areas were not too dangerous to gather the data needed to declare it -- as well as documented atrocities such as civilians suffocated in shipping containers.

It would also include those who died due to lack of healthcare following the targeted destruction of hospitals.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned of "far-reaching consequences for hundreds of thousands of people" with six of its clinics and hospitals attacked, looted or torched -- sometimes repeatedly.

In terms of health, easily preventable and treatable malaria has become the biggest killer, according to World Health Organization (WHO) morbidity statistics. The UN says recent malaria levels are "unprecedented" with numbers doubling, even quadrupling in some areas, from previous years.

Multiple armed forces have carried out ethnic massacres, and these are no low-level bush war skirmishes.

Battles have been fought with modern weaponry, including helicopter gunships, rocket launchers, heavy artillery and amphibious tanks able to hunt down rebels into once isolated swamps. State capitals have been razed.

Some figures are clearly documented: 2.3 million people forced from their homes, 6.1 million in need of emergency food aid, 15,000 child soldiers recruited, 200,000 civilians sheltering inside UN 'Protection of Civilians' camps, or the $1.21 billion the UN needs in funding.

- PTSD like 'post-genocide Rwanda' -

But deaths go largely unrecorded. "We've lost count," UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said this month although no one -- including the 14,000-strong UN peacekeeping force -- ever kept a tally.

Counting the dead in war zones is tricky but not impossible, and the handful of reports that have been done indicate staggering levels of killing.

A UN Development Programme (UNDP) survey -- based on over 1,500 interviews across the country -- reported 63 percent had a close family member killed.

Other indicators showed 18 percent had a child abducted, 14 percent were tortured, 33 percent had a relative "disappear", 55 percent had their home destroyed, and 48 percent had been sick without medicine.

In the worst battle zones, the figures are even higher.

Questionnaires conducted by the South Sudan Law Society (SSLS) in the UN peacekeeping base in the north-eastern town of Malakal -- home to 47,000 people fleeing conflict -- found the number with a relative killed was 77 percent.

The UN survey also found 41 percent showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

"These rates are comparable to those found in post-genocide Rwanda, post-genocide Cambodia," the report read.

- Evidence rotting away -

Another UN study in the northern Unity region, described its findings as "shocking": almost three-quarters of deaths recorded were from violence.

Of the 10,553 deaths examined, 7,165 of those were from violence, plus a further 829 people who drowned in swamplands, where many hide from fighting.

"Documenting the impact of war is also important for recovery processes, including accountability, reconciliation and healing," the January report read.

Analysts say the failure to clarify a clear toll dishonours victims, contributes to South Sudan's suffering staying off the international radar and enables impunity for the killers.

As war drags on, despite an August peace deal, the evidence of those killed is rotting away.

Human Rights Watch, which documented mass graves in the eastern town of Bor in January 2014, warned that, "evidence is literally disappearing into unmarked graves."

Nyakuatch Met (C), 14, and Kan Chol (R), 5, from Bentiu, South Sudan, both lost their left legs while fleeing their village due to the fighting Albert Gonzalez Farran (AFP/File)

A large number of people wait for food air-drops by ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross), outside Thonyor, in South Sudan, on February 3, 2016 Albert Gonzalez Farran (AFP/File)

Members of the South Sudanese army (SPLA) patrol the half-emptied village of Leer, South Sudan, on February 3, 2016 Albert Gonzalez Farran (AFP/File)
Captain Cook's Hawaiian gifts returned after 237 years

Traditional Hawaiian garments gifted to Captain James Cook before he was killed in the islands more than two centuries ago were handed back to indigenous people of the US Pacific state Friday at a ceremony in Wellington.

Described as "priceless" by New Zealand's national museum Te Papa, the mahiole (feathered helmet) and 'ahu 'ula (feathered cloak) were given to Cook in 1779 during the famous British explorer's last voyage.

Such items were normally reserved for royalty -- with the feathers of 20,000 birds needed for the cloak alone -- a mark of Hawaiian chief Kalani'opu'u's esteem for Cook.

Kia'i or guardians stand next to the mahiole (feathered helmet) and 'ahu 'ula (feathered cloak) -- Indigenous Hawaiian garments -- given to Captain James Cook shortly before he was killed in the Pacific islands 237 years ago Norm Heke (Te Papa Museum/AFP)

Te Papa said they came to New Zealand via a circuitous route, passing through the hands of various British collectors before they were bequeathed to Wellington's Dominion Museum in 1912.

Talks about returning them to Hawaii began in 2013, culminating in an agreement to give them to Honolulu's Bishop Museum, technically on a long-term loan of at least 10 years.

New Zealand has actively pursued the permanent return of its own indigenous artefacts -- such as mummified Maori heads -- from museums around the world.

The handover took place at a ceremony at Te Papa featuring Hawaiian and New Zealand Maori indigenous rituals.

"I'm grateful to witness the return of these cultural heirlooms... it is a cause for celebration and it will be a source of inspiration, reflection and discussion," Kamana'opono Crabbe from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs said.

Cook was on a voyage seeking the fabled Northwest Passage and decided to spend the winter in Hawaii, according to an account in the State Library of New South Wales.

When his expedition first arrived in Kealakekua Bay it was greeted warmly and Kalani'opu'u gave Cook the royal garments.

But tensions soon arose and Cook was killed in a skirmish with the islanders on February 14, 1779.
Key dates in Syria's war

Syria's civil war, which has killed more than 270,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes, erupted in 2011 when government forces turned their weapons on protesters demanding political change.

The following are 10 key dates in the brutal conflict:

- 2011: Revolt and repression -

Millions of Syrians have been displaced by the Syrian conflict which broke out in 2011 Karam Al-Masri (AFP/File)

- March 15: Unprecedented protests inspired by the Arab Spring erupt, demanding reform after 40 years of iron-fisted rule by President Bashar al-Assad's family.

- Security forces crack down on protesters in Damascus and Daraa, known as "the cradle of the uprising", where 100 people are reportedly killed on March 23.

- The regime claims it is cracking down on "an armed rebellion" by radical Islamists, while Britain, France and the United States denounce the repression.

- Protests spread, with demonstrators calling for Assad's ouster.

- 2012: All-out war -

- July 17: Moderate rebels from the Free Syrian Army declare that the battle for Damascus has begun, but the government holds its ground.

- July 19: Rebels launch an offensive in the northern city of Aleppo, which has since been divided between rebel-held neighbourhoods in the east and regime-held districts in the west.

- 2013: Hezbollah admits role -

- April 30: Hassan Nasrallah, chief of the powerful Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, acknowledges that his troops are fighting in Syria in support of Assad.

- 2013: Chemical attacks -

- August 21: Hundreds of people are killed in chemical weapons attacks targeting rebel bastions near Damascus. The West accuses Assad's regime.

- In September, the United States and Russia agree on a plan to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons, narrowly heading off US strikes.

- 2014: Rise of the jihadists -

- January 14: The jihadist Islamic State group, which emerged in Syria in 2013, seizes Raqa, the first provincial capital to fall out of regime control.

- June 29: IS declares the establishment of an Islamic "caliphate". It later claims numerous murders, including of Western hostages.

- September 23: The US and Arab allies launch air strikes on IS in Syria.

- 2014: The fall of Homs -

- May 9: Syrian troops recapture the Old City of Homs, after a two-year siege and near-daily bombardment. Rebels withdraw.

- 2015: Kobane liberated -

- January 26: Kurdish forces backed by US-led air strikes drive IS out of the flashpoint town of Kobane on the Turkish border, after months of fierce fighting.

- 2015: Al-Nusra spreads -

- March 28: Syria's Al-Qaeda affiliate, Al-Nusra Front, backed by rebel allies, seizes most of the northwestern city of Idlib, the second provincial capital after Raqa to fall out of government hands.

- In May Assad says that such setbacks do not mean the conflict is lost, but in July he acknowledges the shrinking ranks of his army.

- 2015: Russia intervenes -

- September 30: Russia launches air strikes on Syria, saying it is targeting "terrorists" including IS, but it faces accusations of hitting non-jihadist rebels and civilians as it seeks to bolster Assad.

- 2016: Ceasefire -
Former Thai PM echoes rival in lambasting junta rule

Thailand's junta is in "panic mode" over the economy and is failing to heal the country's deep political rifts, former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Friday in unusually strident criticism of the kingdom's generals.

His remarks come just two days after his arch-rival, self-exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, also hit out at the junta's nearly two years in power, an indication of how Thailand's bitterly divided political camps increasingly see eye-to-eye on military rule.

Thailand's generals seized power in May 2014 saying they would end more than a decade of political instability that has dogged the nation and dragged down what was once one of Southeast Asia's most vibrant economies.

Thailand's former army chief turned Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-O-Cha Pornchai Kittiwongsakul (AFP/File)

Former army chief turned Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-O-Cha has vowed to kickstart the economy and end the kingdom's cycle of political violence and corruption with a new constitution, the country's 20th since 1932.

But in a speech to business leaders in Bangkok, Abhisit said the junta was failing to carry out necessary economic reforms, especially in the flagging agricultural and industrial sectors.

"Despite two years of relative calm and also initiatives being taken by the current government when it came to power, there has been too little progress even on this front and now it's almost in panic mode," he said.

He was equally scathing of the junta's new constitution.

"I think it's also clear that we're not going to get the kind of constitution that many of us want, whether in terms of democratic standards, whether in terms of a document that will lead to true reforms that are much needed, or even on the issue of so-called reconciliation," he said.

- Lost decade -

Thailand has suffered a decade of turmoil as pro-democracy activists and rural supporters of the Shinawatra family vie for power with Bangkok's arch-royalist elite and their allies in the military.

Many supporters of Abhisit, an Eton and Oxford-educated Bangkokian who was in power from 2008 to 2011, were at the forefront of protests against Thaksin's sister Yingluck, and cheered the 2014 coup that toppled her government.

But even the military's natural allies have begun to chafe under their protracted rule and Abhisit's remarks mimic recent comments by Thaksin on the army.

In a speech and a series of press interviews in New York this week, Thaksin accused the military of clinging to power and said the generals had little to show for their time in office.

Abhisit also hit out at the military's claim it was rooting out graft after a series of corruption scandals enveloped senior military officers.

"Given some of the things that have already happened, I'm not so sure they can say they're better than politicians. And I'm talking about corruption, I'm talking about abuse of power," he told delegates.

Speaking to AFP after the speech, Abhisit ruled out meeting Thaksin.

"I don't see the need for that," he said.

But he said he would meet his political opponents if they "move beyond the interests of the Shinawatra family and Thaksin's agenda".

Asked whether ordinary Thais were tiring of the military he said: "I think the Thai people in general still feel that General Prayut means well, he's serious, he's blunt, straightforward and that he wants to do good things. And that's why I think he's been allowed to carry on."

"But in terms of concrete achievement of what's been done I think even people who support him find it hard to identify those accomplishments," he added.

Former Thai prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva Christophe Archambault (AFP/File)
Lavrov urges UN envoy to include Kurds in Syria talks

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday urged the UN's special envoy on Syria to include Kurds in upcoming talks that aim to resolve the five-year Syrian civil war.

"I am convinced that Staffan de Mistura should take such a decision," Lavrov told reporters at a joint news conference with his Chinese counterpart.

"Launching negotiations without the participation of this group would be a sign of weakness from the international community," Lavrov said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart in Moscow on March 11, 2016 Alexander Nemenov (AFP)

Russia's top diplomat argued that holding talks on forming a new ruling structure in Syria to prepare constitutional reform and elections without Kurds would be "a most serious infringement of the rights of a large and significant group living in Syria."

Kurds are "allies both of the US coalition and Russia" and control at least 15 percent of Syrian territory," Lavrov added.

Lavrov hit out at Turkey, saying that "only Turks are blocking the invitation of Kurds from the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD)," criticising this as "an ultimatum."

Turkey accuses the PYD of being the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The issue of the Syrian Kurds has caused a rare rift between Ankara and Washington.

The United States regards the armed wing of the PYD as the most effective fighting force on the ground against Islamic State jihadists and has resisted Turkish pressure to classify the group as a terror organisation.

De Mistura told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti Friday that "we are not sending out new invitations" to the upcoming talks, in response to a question on broadening opposition participation.

At the same time, in comments translated into Russian, he stressed the importance of "ensuring as far as possible inclusiveness and participation of all Syrians who can make a contribution to Syria's future."

The UN is hoping to restart peace talks that collapsed last month, building on a ceasefire that has led to the first significant decline in violence in Syria's nearly five-year civil war.
Barclays Africa scaling back not linked to economic woes: CEO

Barclays's plan to scale back its Africa operations is linked to global regulatory challenges, not unfavourable economic conditions on the continent, the bank's Africa chief executive has told AFP.

"We did not make this decision because of the economic cycle," Maria Ramos said in an interview in Johannesburg late Thursday.

"The regulatory environment has changed globally and it's more difficult for large banks to hold on to subsidiaries like ours," she said.

Barclays Africa chief excutive Maria Ramos expressed optimism about the state of the South African economy, during an interview with AFP in Johannesburg, on March 10, 2016 Gianluigi Guercia (AFP)

The British lender early this month announced that it will sell down its 62.3 percent interest in Barclays Africa to just 20 percent over the next two to three years, fuelling speculation over the decision.

"We are at the beginning of that process but since the announcement a week ago, there has been a lot of interest," said Ramos.

The lender said it would now focus on its two core markets, Britain and the US.

Barclays Africa Group Limited (BAGL) has insisted however that it remained committed to the continent, where it has a presence in 12 countries, with assets valued at $3 billion.

South Africa, the continent's most advanced economy, is Barclays Africa's major market.

The bank re-entered South Africa in 2005, after it acquired a 55.5 percent in one of the country's four largest banks, ABSA.

The acquisition marked its return to the market it left in 1986, at the height of apartheid.

The purchase was at the time the largest acquisition of a local bank by a foreign bank.

- 'We are not going' -

Ramos was upbeat about the state of the South African economy, which represents the majority of revenues for Barclays Africa.

"South Africa is still a significant economy of this continent, it's a large economy of this continent," she said, shrugging off suggestions that the country's slow economic growth might have contributed to the bank's exit.

"I remain exceedingly positive over the medium to long term. This economy has gone through many many things."

"We see enormous potential on the African continent. We have a very strong franchise with very good results."

South Africa, which is lauded for its sound banking system, is experiencing poor growth. The economy is expected to grow less than one percent in 2016, mainly due to lower commodity prices, after 1.3 percent growth last year.

Ramos said the African subsidiary, which has as independent board of directors, would remain in South Africa, where the company is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

"Barclays has a long history in Africa, nearly a 100 years. We are not going," she said.

"We still see enormous potential in Africa and we have a strong franchise with good results."

But this month the giant lender revealed annual losses after tax of 394 million ($549 million, 505 million euros).

Ramos stated that the return on equity of the African subsidiary was halved due to the burden on the parent bank.

The bank also said it was looking into "suspected money laundering related to foreign exchange transactions in South African operation Absa Bank Limited".

In January, Barclays also announced plans to exit Russia.
Syria opposition says to join Geneva peace talks on March 14

Syria's main opposition body, the High Negotiations Committee, said Friday that it would attend indirect peace talks with the government in Geneva on March 14.

In a statement distributed to reporters, the HNC said it would participate in the negotiations as part of its "commitment to international efforts to stop the bloodshed and find a political solution."

United Nations special envoy Staffan de Mistura said "substantive" talks would begin on March 14 in the Swiss city and would not last longer than 10 days.

Damaged buildings in the rebel-held part of Jubar neighbourhood in the Syrian capital Damascus on March 9, 2016 Sameer Al-Doumy (AFP/File)

A source close to the Syrian government confirmed earlier this week that its delegation would be attending.

In its statement, the HNC said its delegation would focus on the creation of a "transitional governance body with full executive powers".

It said President Bashar al-Assad "will have no place" in a future government.

The HNC said it was not setting "any preconditions to its participation in the talks," but insisted that parties should commit to international agreements on humanitarian issues.

HNC general coordinator Riad Hijab said the opposition was ready to "take advantage of every opportunity to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people."
Indian financial investigators summon debt-laden tycoon

India's financial crimes agency on Friday summoned indebted entrepreneur Vijay Mallya in connection with a money-laundering probe, after he left the country owing more than $1 billion in unpaid loans to banks.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued a summons for the liquor baron, who is thought to be in Britain, to appear before investigators in Mumbai on March 18, the Press Trust of India reported.

The founder of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines is sought in connection with an alleged case of loan fraud involving state-run IDBI Bank in Mumbai, PTI said.

Entrepreneur Vijay Mallya was known as the "King of Good Times" before the 2012 collapse of his Kingfisher Airlines Mark Thompson (Getty/AFP/File)

"The summons have been issued to Mallya under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in connection with the IDBI case," the news agency quoted officials as saying.

With its summons, the agency has also thrown down the gauntlet for Mallya, who denies that he absconded after his surprise departure from India more than a week ago.

A group of banks led by State Bank of India is trying to recover some 90 billion rupees ($1.34 billion) in unpaid loans from the tycoon.

The flamboyant businessman, who is also a member of the Indian parliament, earlier tweeted that he would comply with the law and criticised the media for what he called a "witch hunt".

"I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish," Mallya posted on Twitter.

"Once a media witch hunt starts it escalates into a raging fire where truth and facts are burnt to ashes."

His departure is an embarrassment for the government, which had to admit in court this week that he had left the country even as it sought permission to impound his passport.

Opposition politicians have demanded to know why the 60-year-old was not arrested before he left the country on March 2.

- 'King of Good Times' -

The Central Bureau of Investigation, India's leading investigative agency, in October registered a case against Kingfisher Airlines over a suspect loan the carrier received from IDBI Bank.

It alleged the airline's directors "colluded" with officials from IDBI bank who sanctioned a nine-billion rupee loan in violation of banking norms, resulting in a "huge loss" to the bank.

The ED on Monday tweeted that it had initiated a money laundering investigation on the basis of the CBI's report.

Mallya, who has not been charged with any crime, stepped down last month as chairman of United Spirits, the Indian arm of Britain's Diageo, following allegations of financial lapses.

An Indian tribunal blocked his $75 million severance payout at the request of the banks that are owed money from Kingfisher, but Diageo said this week it had already paid $40 million of the payout.

The attorney general, representing the banks in court, on Wednesday called for Mallya to appear in the Supreme Court and disclose his assets.

Mallya was known as the "King of Good Times" before the 2012 collapse of his Kingfisher Airlines, which left thousands of workers unemployed and millions of dollars in unpaid bills.

As his liquor business flourished during the early 2000s he diversified into other areas and in 2005 launched Kingfisher Airlines, named after his company's best-known beer.

But he was unable to stop Kingfisher from haemorrhaging cash, and following a pilots' strike over unpaid wages the airline was grounded in 2012 having never made a profit.
Justice must be done for Syria war crimes: UN prosecutor

The chief prosecutor for the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal said Friday that those behind atrocities in Syria must eventually be held to account, with the conflict about to enter its sixth year.

"As an international prosecutor and somebody who believes in justice... it is obvious that sooner or later accountability will be needed for the crimes committed in Syria," Serge Brammertz told AFP.

"There are already more victims in a longer conflict than the wars in the former Yugoslavia for which an entire tribunal was set up and has been in existence for more than 20 years," Brammertz said in an interview at his headquarters in The Hague.

Yugoslav war crimes tribunal chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz Jan Hennop (AFP)

Protests against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad erupted on March 15, 2011, triggering a devastating civil war which has killed more than a quarter of a million people and uprooted over half its population of around 23 million.

Brammertz acknowledged that collecting evidence as part of any trials would be "a very, very difficult exercise" given the lack of access to the sites.

A UN report last month condemned rampant war crimes in Syria, insisting accountability for the horrors be part of a peace process.

There have been appeals to the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes investigations.

But a bid in May 2014 to ask the ICC to look into war crimes in Syria was vetoed by Russia and China at the UN Security Council.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was set up in 1993 -- as the conflict was still raging -- to prosecute those most responsible for the bloodshed.

More than 140,000 people died and more than four million others were displaced in the wars that wracked the Balkans after the break-up of the former Soviet bloc country in 1991, according to NGOs.

The UN tribunal is set to hand down a verdict later this month in the case against wartime Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, who is accused of committing genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1992-95 war in Bosnia.

ICTY chief prosecutor Brammertz would not be drawn on the specifics of a Syria tribunal, but he stressed it should be "based on an integrated approach where you have national ownership with international involvement".
African scientists say more needed to keep brightest at home

Is Africa ready to take on the war against malaria, HIV, Ebola and the like? Not yet, said some of the continent's brightest scientific minds at a landmark gathering this week in Senegal.

Researchers at the cutting edge of international vaccine and public health research told AFP at the first gathering of the ambitious "Next Einstein Forum" for Africa that their academic success stories remained exceptional -- though the landscape is changing.

"If I'd remained in Cameroon I'd never have got where I am, so at a relatively early stage I identified what I really wanted to do and I had to leave the country," said Wilfred Ndifon, whose mathematical approach to designing vaccines has brought him international acclaim.

Senegal President Macky Sall (L) delivers a speech in Dakar during the opening of the "Next Einstein Forum" (NEF) on March 8, 2016 Seyllou (AFP/File)

Ndifon's skill with numbers and determination to eradicate disease that afflicted those around him as a child, led him to a scholarship abroad and a PhD from Princeton after he realised he could reach more people through science than as a medical doctor.

His work on a general principle for innoculation is now being used to develop a comprehensive malaria vaccine, but he says young Africans who want to take a similar path would still likely require time abroad to develop their skillset.

"The kind of education I got... a lot of it was informal, with a lot of like-minded people doing curiosity-driven research," he said. Attracting the brightest minds and giving them the space to think would require a sea change in African universities, he added.

Higher education participation in sub-Saharan Africa remains the lowest in the world, meaning the pipeline of scientists and technology professionals remains tiny in terms of the region's needs.

Although private universities are booming, government investment remains well under one percent of GDP across sub-Saharan Africa, compared with rates of around 1.0-3.5 percent in Western Europe and the United States.

Researchers said countries experiencing stronger comparative economic growth such as Rwanda, Nigeria and Ethiopia had a duty to start investing in this area.

Commitments to science would help countries become "capable of solving their own problems," said Mohlopheni Jackson Marakalala, just back from four years of research at Harvard's School of Public Health.

The University of Cape Town lecturer attended the forum before embarking on a major research project into tuberculosis, which still kills 1.5 million people annually.

Marakalala's university experience in South Africa, home to sub-Saharan Africa's most respected institutions, was marked by gaps in funding and technology he feels must be addressed if the continent is to compete on the world stage.

In the west "you start with good money, the right equipment," he said.

In his line of work, Africa does offer some advantages.

"To have access to clinical material (tuberculosis-infected tissues) is a tool that can actually address very complex questions," he said. "It's a dream for scientists in the US or Europe."

But when a crisis strikes, such as the recent Ebola outbreak, disease samples in the early stages had to be shipped outside Africa to be tested, delaying results.

"Africa was caught unprepared," he added.

There are signs of change, however: Rwanda's laptop programme for schoolchildren was a bright spot for budding scientists on the continent, Marakalala said.

Cameroon's Ndifon meanwhile cited the work of the Pasteur Institute in Senegal as a successful African venture already performing at a world-class level for its work on the ground in Ebola-affected countries.

- Systems not gadgets -

Beyond the level of institutions, Africa also faces structural and environmental issues holding back its would-be Nobel laureates.

Travelling within Africa for example is costly, time-consuming, and more likely to require a visa for an African than an outsider.

This is "a huge barrier to accessing information and sharing ideas physically", said Nigeria's Tolu Oni, whose work focuses on why HIV-positive patients in South Africa are also more likely to have diabetes.

Raising Ebola's legacy again, she said more prosaic reforms were required than the mobile apps and tablet-based solutions excitedly put forward by US scientists last year.

"We are so obsessed with gadgets and it's so much sexier to focus on that than health systems, but actually that is what you need," Oni said.

"The components of the health system and the service delivery, the leadership in government, the human resources, the financing and communications -- those are the building blocks."

Wilfrid Ndifon's work on a general principle for innoculation is now being used to develop a comprehensive malaria vaccine Nelson Almeida (AFP/File)
GM buys self-driving technology startup Cruise

General Motors said Friday it is buying automated driving technology startup Cruise Automation to boost its efforts to develop self-driving cars.

Cruise, founded in San Francisco by a group of robotics experts in 2013, created an automation system for highway driving using roof-mounted modules built for installation on certain Audi models.

GM said the company would continue to work on its technology as an independent unit within the automaker's dedicated development team for automated driving.

General Motors has been investing heavily in autonomous driving technology

GM did not say how much it paid for the startup, which had been funded by leading venture technology firms.

"Cruise provides our company with a unique technology advantage that is unmatched in our industry. We intend to invest significantly to further grow the talent base and capabilities already established by the Cruise team," said Mark Reuss, GM executive vice president, in a statement.

GM has been investing heavily in autonomous driving technology, as are its rivals.

It plans to launch a fleet of self-driving Chevrolet Volts at the campus of its Warren, Michigan-based technical center late in 2016.
57 killed as Yemen loyalists advance near rebel-besieged Taez

At least 57 people were killed on Friday as Yemeni pro-government forces gained ground around third city Taez which has been under rebel siege for several months, officials said.

The loyalists backed by warplanes of a Saudi-led military coalition took back areas in the western and southern suburbs of the city, said governor Ali al-Maamari.

They "reopened key roads that the Huthis (Iran-backed Shiite rebels) had been blocking for nine months," said the governor, who lives in exile in Saudi Arabia.

A general view taken on February 12, 2016, shows heavily damaged buildings in Yemen's third city Taez as a result of clashes between Shiite Huthi rebels and Yem loyalists Ahmad al-Basha (AFP/File)

That should allow for humanitarian and medical aid to reach about 200,000 besieged inhabitants, he said.

Loyalist military sources said clashes between pro-government forces and air strikes had killed at least 57 people on Friday, 37 of them rebels, six civilians and the rest loyalist fighters.

Earlier a source in the army's 35th brigade confirmed that loyalists had seized Al-Misrakh area to the south of Taez city after heavy fighting that led to several deaths in the past few days.

Dozens of military vehicles carried rebel fighters out of the western suburb of Taez towards the city of Hodeida on the Red Sea, witnesses said.

The coastal city remains under the control of the insurgents and their allies, army units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Taez is located between the rebel-held capital Sanaa and the southern port city of Aden, which loyalists took back from the Huthis in July.

In November, forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi announced a major offensive to try to break the siege on Taez.
Stars past and present bid farewell to Nancy Reagan

Hollywood stars and political powerbrokers past and present gathered to hear glowing tributes to former first lady Nancy Reagan before her burial beside her husband at the Reagan presidential library Friday.

Reagan died on Sunday of heart failure at the age of 94 at her home in the Bel Air suburb of Los Angeles, 12 years after Ronald Reagan, who served two terms in the White House in the 1980s.

Representatives of presidential families stretching back to the Kennedys attended, with First Lady Michelle Obama and former first lady and ex-secretary of state Hillary Clinton joining former president George W. Bush in the front row.

The casket of US former First Lady Nancy Reagan is carried to her funeral service on March 11, 2016, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California Frederic J. Brown (AFP)

James Baker, chief of staff under Reagan and George H.W. Bush, described Nancy as "a woman without whom Ronald Wilson Reagan would never have become the 40th president of the United States or succeeded as well as he did."

"She had an instinct for reading people that the president knew he lacked. Nancy, he wrote, sees the goodness in people. But she also had an extra instinct that allowed her to see the flaws," Baker said.

The Reagans were former actors and many of the 1980s Hollywood glitterati, including then-sex symbol Bo Derek, Oscar winner Anjelica Huston, Magnum PI actor Tom Selleck and the A-Team's Mr T were were expected among around 1,000 guests who began arriving under sunny skies several hours ahead of the ceremony.

The former first lady's funeral opened with a musical prelude by the Santa Susana High School Advanced Women's Choir and Abbe Road A Cappella, and an instrumental section by the First Marine Division Band, Marine Corps Camp Pendleton.

- Love letters -

Stuart Kenworthy, the vicar of Washington National Cathedral, presided over the 90-minute program, which opened with "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and included renditions of "Ave Maria" and "Pie Jesu" by soprano Ana Maria Martinez.

The Reagans wrote passionate love notes to each other over the decades, and former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney read out a letter the president wrote to Nancy on their first Christmas in the White House in 1981.

Reagan quotes from "Sonnet 43," Elizabeth Barrett Browning's love letter to her future husband, the poet Robert Browning, better known by its opening line: "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."

"For me, there is no way to count. I love the whole gang of you: mommy, First Lady, the sentimental you, the fun you and the Peewee Powerhouse you," Reagan wrote.

A fierce protector of her husband and his political legacy, Reagan had outsized influence during their White House years from 1981 to 1989.

The couple wed in 1952 after Ronald divorced his first wife, actress Jane Wyman. The marriage has been described as a love story to rival any that the couple acted out on the silver screen.

The pair had two children -- Patti Davis, born in 1952, and Ron Junior, born in 1958, both of whom delivered eulogies that, along with a tribute from former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, had the guests laughing at fondly recounted anecdotes.

- Challenging relationship -

Davis was also searingly honest about her memories of her mother, recalling a "challenging and often contentious relationship."

"When I was a child, I imagined having warm, comfortable conversations with her, the kind of conversations that feel like lamp light. The reality was far different," she said.

"I tried her patience and she intimidated me. We were never mild with one another."

While in the White House Nancy Reagan actively participated in her husband's campaigns, approved members of the president's cabinet, and was the face of the administration's Just Say No drugs campaign.

Ronald Reagan suffered from Alzheimer's disease after leaving office and went into a long decline. His wife took care of him until his death and became a tireless advocate for Alzheimer's research.

President Barack Obama and his wife praised Nancy Reagan's "proud example" in a statement after her death, saying she redefined the role of first lady.

As a "mark of respect" Obama ordered that flags be flown at half-staff at federal buildings, military posts, US naval vessels and diplomatic missions until sunset Friday.

First Lady Michelle Obama(C) arrives with former President George Bush and his wife, Laura Bush(R) for funeral services on March 11, 2016 for former First Lady Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California Irfan Khan (POOL/AFP)

Larry King and his wife Shawn King arrive for funeral services on March 11, 2016 for former First Lady Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California Irfan Khan (POOL/AFP)

The Santa Susana High School Choir sings during funeral services, as US former First Lady Nancy Reagan is laid to rest next to her husband, former US President Ronald Reagan, on March 11, 2016 Frederic J. Brown (AFP)
Sierra Leone war criminal back in custody after early release

A militia commander convicted of Sierra Leone civil war atrocities was on Friday back in custody after allegedly violating the terms of his early release, the UN-backed court that jailed him said.

Moinina Fofana was the leader of a notorious paramilitary unit that shot, hacked and burned to death civilians suspected of collaborating with rebels.

His pro-government Civil Defence Forces (CDF) recruited traditional hunters to fight rebels during the 1991-2002 conflict in the west African state.

Moinina Fofana (L) and Sam Hinga Norman (R), accused of war crimes during the 1991 to 2002 conflict in Sierra Leone, at the start of the opening trial of the U.N. backed Special Court for Sierra Leone in Freetown, Sierra Leone, June 3, 2004 Ben Curtis (POOL/AFP)

Fofana was convicted in 2008 of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the The Special Court for Sierra Leone.

He was granted conditional release on February 10, 2015 after serving two-thirds of his 15-year jail term at Mpanga Prison in Kigali, Rwanda.

On Friday, however, he was again being held in custody for "allegedly violating the terms of his release from detention", the Special Court said in a statement.

He was brought to the capital Freetown on Thursday night under heavy security from his home in Sierra Leone's second city, Bo, his family told AFP, adding that they were surprised by the development.

The court's Kenyan president, judge Philip Waki, had sent the order as "one of the special conditions was for him to conduct himself honourably and peacefully in the community," and to stay away from meetings where civil unrest was planned, the statement added.

It did not specify exactly why Fofana was re-arrested, but Waki also ordered that Fofana appear before a Sierra Leonean judge within seven days.

The Special Court for Sierra Leone was established by the UN in 2002 to try those who bore "the greatest responsibility" for the atrocities during the civil war.
Mexican actress challenges Penn's account on Chapo

A prominent Mexican actress has spoken out on meeting drug baron Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to imply that Oscar-winning star Sean Penn fabricated an account of government soldiers waving them through a checkpoint.

Kate del Castillo, who lives in Los Angeles, made the remarks in an interview with The New Yorker, adding to an avalanche of criticism against Penn about meeting Guzman and then writing about it in "Rolling Stone" magazine.

Penn's much mocked 10,000-word article alleged that uniformed government soldiers allowed them to pass through after identifying Guzman's son Alfredo in their convoy during a lengthy drive through the Mexican bush to meet Guzman.

Kate del Castillo accompanied Sean Penn to a secret October meeting with Guzman in Mexico, an encounter that Penn turned into a 10,000-word article published by Rolling Stone magazine in January Mark Ralston (AFP/File)

"Wow. So it is, the power of a Guzman face. And the corruption of an institution," Penn wrote.

But Del Castillo told The New Yorker the convoy did not go through a military checkpoint, nor did government soldiers wave them on.

Argentinian producers Fernando Sulichin and Jose Ibanez, who were in the car ahead of del Castillo and Penn, also have no recollection of encountering a military checkpoint, The New Yorker wrote.

Penn maintains that his account is correct, the publication added.

Penn's article was published on January 9, one day after Guzman was captured following six months on the run from jail in Mexico.

Del Castillo also grumbled to The New Yorker that the Hollywood star and ex-husband of Madonna did not reveal he was working on an article until she was translating his conversation with Guzman.

Penn says he discussed his intentions in their first meeting and again en route to their meeting with Guzman, The New Yorker reported.

Del Castillo hoped instead that Penn would collaborate with her on a film project about Guzman, one of the world's most notorious drug traffickers and blamed for the deaths of thousands of people in Mexico.

The actress also complained that Penn implied she had encouraged romantic-style overtures from Guzman, when in fact her dealings were purely professional with an eye to working on a movie project.

Penn faced enormous criticism over the article that poured scorn on the information he obtained, accusing him of going easy on a man blamed for thousands of deaths and for contributing to US drug addiction.

Penn challenged Mexico's assertion that the interview -- held in an undisclosed location in the country -- helped the authorities track down Guzman.

Penn subsequently expressed regret over the article, telling CBS it had failed in his stated intention of sparking new debate about the US war on drugs.
Dalai Lama urges education reform to end human cruelty

The Dalai Lama called Friday for dramatic education reforms to put more emphasis on values such as compassion.

"Frankly speaking, our generation, not much hope," the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader told a packed auditorium in Geneva, lamenting that the 21st century looked as if it would be every bit as bloody and heartless as the 20th.

But, he stressed, "our hope is the future generation, if we start now with education ... that teaches us how to create healthy minds".

Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama lights the traditional lamp in Bangalore on December 7, 2015 Manjunath Kiran (AFP/File)

Speaking at an event on the sidelines of the UN Human Rights Council alongside other Nobel Peace Prize laureates, he said he and others were working on a "first draft" of a more "holistic" curriculum, which should be ready by the end of the year.

"Basic human nature is compassionate," he insisted, adding, however, that concrete action was needed to help people retain the empathy they naturally displayed as children.

"I'm a Buddhist monk. My daily practise includes prayer," he said, adding though that "I'm quite sceptical, of (whether) prayer (can) bring world peace... Peace must come through action."

The 1989 Nobel laureate, who has been branded a dangerous separatist by Beijing despite his repeated statements condemning violence, reiterated Friday his assertion that Tibet should remain part of China.

"We are not seeking separation," he said, urging all countries and peoples to pursue a "culture of peace".

- Silence breeds tyranny -

Also on the podium Friday was Tawakkol Karman, a 37-year-old Yemeni journalist and activist who won the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for her participation in the Arab Spring uprisings.

She too emphasised the importance of non-violent resistance, stressing that the peaceful Arab Spring protests had initially been massively successful, forcing out several long-time dictators.

"Every great revolution is followed by a counter-revolution... And we are facing a very ugly counter-revolution," said Karman, whose country has since been plunged into civil war.

But she remained hopeful: "In the end, who will win? The people."

Karman meanwhile voiced harsh criticism of the international community for not doing more to support the peaceful protesters as oppressive powers cracked down on them, in Yemen, Egypt and especially Syria.

"Now the world is screaming: 'Oh my God! There are refugees!' ... Why were you silent when (Syrian President) Basher al-Assad killed the people" demonstrating in 2011? she asked angrily.

She charged that Western "silence" allowed protests five years ago to spiral into the horrific conflict still ripping Syria apart, and paved the way for extremists like the Islamic State group.

"With your silence, the tyranny will have new power to kill people and to create the extremism and to create the terrorists," she said.
Michigan governor releases more Flint emails, documents

LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder on Thursday released another 4,400 pages of his executive office's emails and documents related to the lead-contaminated water in Flint. The disclosure is the third voluntary release of such records, which have revealed his administration's inner dialogue before the crisis and as it grew after the financially struggling city left Detroit's water system and started using the Flint River to save money.

The newly released documents include duplications from previous releases, but also new ones from Snyder himself. Here are details on some of those emails:

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FILE - In this Feb. 26, 2016 file photo, Gov. Rick Snyder speaks after attending a Flint Water Interagency Coordinating Committee meeting in Flint, Mich. Gov. Snyder on Thursday, March 10, released another 4,400 pages of his executive office's emails and documents related to the lead-contaminated water in Flint. The disclosure is the third voluntary release of such records, which have revealed his administration's inner dialogue before the crisis and as it grew after the financially struggling city left Detroit's water system and started using the Flint River to save money. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

'POTENTIAL DISASTERS'

A staffer in Snyder's Office of Urban Initiatives warned before Flint switched water sources that things were moving too quickly and trouble might lie ahead.

The city's water treatment plant needed to be prepared, and the deadline for submitting bids to do the work was "putting a strain on the willingness of qualified vendors to participate," Brian Larkin wrote in a March 14, 2014, memo.

"The expedited timeframe is less than ideal and could lead to some big potential disasters down the road," he added.

Larkin dealt with a number of cities, including Flint, Snyder spokesman Ari Adler said. He is no longer with the governor's office.

He sent the memo to several colleagues. It eventually was added to a calendar appointment notice that was emailed to top Snyder aides, including former chief of staff Dennis Muchmore, former spokeswoman Sara Wurfel and advisers Dick Posthumus and Bill Rustem.

Adler said Larkin's warning referred to potential problems with treatment plant operations, not the failure to add anti-corrosive treatments that enabled lead to pollute Flint's water supply.

It wasn't the only time insiders raised concerns about the timing of Flint's switchover in April 2014. Mike Glasgow, a former supervisor at the plant and presently the city utilities administrator, complained shortly beforehand in an email to a state official that he needed more time to train staffers.

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WORKING VACATION

In an email sent to Snyder while the governor was on vacation in April 2013, his chief of staff said he wanted to make sure Snyder knew that two of his top administrators  Treasurer Andy Dillon and Environmental Quality Director Dan Wyant  agreed with a request by "Flint people" to make the switch to a new water authority, a move that ultimately led Flint to get water temporarily from the Flint River a year later.

"I have no way of determining whether this is the right action except to depend on the two departments charged with this responsibility, so I recommend that we support their determination and let the chips fall where they may," Muchmore wrote on April 4. "This will happen early next week, so we need to have you made aware and develop a message of support if that is what you want to do."

Snyder responded, saying he thought everyone agreed that the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department would be notified it was losing a key customer and given 10 days to make a counter offer. Muchmore wrote back that evening, saying the department had been notified. "Sorry for the confusion but they haven't followed up with Flint and I thought you should know we were moving to the next step at the end of the ten days. I was indicating that we were expecting to move forward in case you had further reservations and wanted us to delay further."

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EYE TOWARD RE-ELECTION

In his initial April 4 email, Muchmore alluded to Snyder's re-election bid 19 months later. He said the administration needed to make sure that the decision to remove Flint from Detroit's water system had been relayed to Kevyn Orr, the emergency manager appointed by the state to take over Detroit's finances.

"We'll need to make sure that Orr knows about this as soon as possible so he can take it into his calculations. It would certainly diminish the DWSD base, and probably spin off a series of political questions for others still involved in the Detroit system. But, I don't see how you can support Detroit to the detriment of the rest of the state. You've done a lot for the city, but you also need to have a strong support for outstate for 2014."

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CHANGE IN POSTURE

On Oct. 15, after the disaster broke open, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley sent an "FYI" email from his private account to Snyder's private political account. Calley forwarded an email he had written to Jarrod Agen  Snyder's current chief of staff who at the time was communications director  suggesting a change in posture in media stories related to Flint and the Education Achievement Authority, a state entity overseeing some Detroit schools.

"There will be intense scrutiny and investigations on every aspect of the Flint water issue. I'd rather have the governor be the one pounding his fist on the table demanding answers, rather than Progress Michigan," a liberal group often critical of the Snyder administration. "In fact, perhaps we should ask someone to open an investigation, or maybe an internal investigation. Just something to show that we are doing more than fixing the problem, we are getting all the answers to ensure it never happens again." Snyder ended up naming a task force to investigate on Oct. 21.

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COMPUTER PROBLEMS

Even Snyder, a self-proclaimed "nerd" and former computer company executive, has computer problems. On Sept. 27, Muchmore forwarded him an email in which a top Treasury Department official summarized a meeting with Flint officials about their request for $30 million in state aid to upgrade the city's water system. "I couldn't open the attachments," Snyder responded. "They showed up in some strange form."

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PAST DISCLOSURES

The disclosure follows two earlier releases: one in January that included about 270 pages of the Republican governor's own emails, and one in February with roughly 16,700 pages of his staff's emails and documents. Snyder has repeatedly apologized for the crisis and voluntarily made materials public despite his office being exempt from public-records requests. The governor has said he hopes that re-lining Flint's pipes with a protective coating will help while lead service lines running to homes and businesses ultimately are replaced.

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Associated Press writers Corey Williams and Roger Schneider in Detroit contributed to this report.

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This story has been updated to correct that the February disclosure contained roughly 16,700 pages of emails and documents.

FILE - In this Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 photo, the Flint Water Plant tower is seen in Flint, Mich. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder on Thursday, March 10, released another 4,400 pages of his executive office's emails and documents related to the lead-contaminated water in Flint. The disclosure is the third voluntary release of such records, which have revealed his administration's inner dialogue before the crisis and as it grew after the financially struggling city left Detroit's water system and started using the Flint River to save money. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, FILE)
Thursday, March 17

Today is Thursday, March 17, the 77th day of 2016. There are 289 days left in the year.

Highlights in history on this date:

1229 - Holy Roman Emperor Fredrick II, at the head of the Sixth Crusade, enters Jerusalem after gaining the city from the Muslims by treaty.

1328 - Scotland wins its independence from England.

1526 - France's King Francis I is released from Spanish captivity.

1649 - England's Parliament abolishes House of Lords.

1813 - Prussia's Frederick William III declares war on France.

1848 - Revolution under Daniele Manin begins in Venice, Italy.

1860 - Second Maori War breaks out in New Zealand.

1861 - The Kingdom of Italy is proclaimed by a parliament assembled in Turin, but Venice and Rome remain outside the power of King Victor Emmanuel.

1888 - Britain establishes protectorate over Sarawak on Borneo.

1921 - Poland's Constitution is established.

1942 - Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrives in Australia to become supreme commander of Allied forces in the southwest Pacific theater during World War II.

1948 - Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg sign Brussels Treaty for 50-year alliance against armed attack in Europe, and economic, social and military cooperation.

1962 - Soviet Union accuses United States of fighting "undeclared war" in Vietnam and demands removal of American military forces there.

1969 - Golda Meir becomes prime minister of Israel.

1977 - Angolan troops invading Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) take important copper mining center of Kolwezi.

1990 - Lithuania rejects a Soviet deadline to renounce its independence and calls on the Western powers to support it.

1991 - Majority of Soviet voters favor preserving the union, according to referendum.

1992 - White voters in referendum overwhelmingly support reforms toward ending apartheid in South Africa.

1993 - Hundreds of police in Assiut, Egypt, storm two buildings where bomb-throwing extremists are holed up. At least 11 people are killed.

1994 - Serbs and Muslims sign an agreement to ease the stranglehold on Bosnian capital of Sarajevo.

1997 - The Italian coast guard rescues 900 Albanians from a sinking gunboat off Brindisi, Italy.

1998 - Catholics hold the first St. Patrick's Day in the religiously-divided city of Belfast.

2000 - Some 500 members of a doomsday cult die in a church fire in a remote part of southwestern Uganda. After the inferno, mass graves containing 400 more corpses are discovered around cult leaders' homes.

2001 - Explosions at four workers' dormitories kill 108 in Shijiazhuang, China. The bomber plus three others charged with supplying explosives and detonators are sentenced to death.

2004 - A car bomb shatters a five-story hotel housing foreigners in central Baghdad, killing 27 people just days before the anniversary of the start of the Iraq war.

2009 - Pope Benedict XVI says condoms are not the answer to the AIDS epidemic in Africa and can make the problem worse, setting off criticism as he begins a week-long trip to the continent where some 22 million people are living with HIV.

2010 - A Pakistani court charges five young Americans with planning terrorist attacks in the South Asian country and conspiring to wage war against nations allied with Pakistan. They plead not guilty.

2011  The U.N. Security Council approves a resolution to impose a no-fly zone over Libya and authorize "all necessary measures" to protect civilians from attacks by Moammar Gadhafi's forces.

2012  Two suicide bombers detonate cars packed with explosives in near-simultaneous attacks on heavily guarded intelligence and security buildings in the Syrian capital, Damascus, killing at least 27 people.

2014  Russian President Vladimir Putin, ignoring tough sanctions, recognizes Crimean Peninsula as an "independent and sovereign country."

2015  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling Likud Party wins the country's election after a tight race that had put his lengthy rule in jeopardy.

Today's Birthdays:

Madame Roland, French author-revolutionary politician (1754-1793); Edmund Kean, British actor (1787-1833); Kate Greenaway, English illustrator (1846-1901); Rudolf Nureyev, Russian dancer (1938-1993); Bakili Muluzi, former president of Malawi (1943--); Kurt Russell, U.S. actor (1951--); Gary Sinise, U.S. actor (1955--); Billy Corgan, U.S. musician (1967--).

Thought For Today:
Election reforms campaign suspended after donor pulls out

PHOENIX (AP)  Two former Phoenix mayors on Thursday suspended their campaign to bring elections reform to voters after a major donor said it hadn't intended to support an initiative that would combat anonymous campaign spending.

The Open and Honest Elections Coalition had been collecting signatures for two ballot measures.

Former attorney general and Phoenix Mayor Terry Goddard said the primary donor did not support the initiatives requiring groups that spend money to influence elections to disclose donations of more than $10,000.

The coalition's other initiative would have placed all candidates on a single primary ballot for state elections. The top two candidates would go on to campaign in the general election.

Texas billionaire John Arnold contributed $1 million to the campaign through Open Primaries, an advocacy group for non-partisan primaries. During a January news conference, the coalition said the money would be divided equally between the two initiative campaigns.

But Arnold made it clear last week that his contribution was not meant for the disclosure initiative, despite the coalition spending or committing more than $300,000 of that money on the initiative.

"As soon as Open Primaries was made aware of this action, we asked that money be returned to the elections committee as the transfer was not condoned," said Jeremy Gruber, Open Primaries spokesman.

Goddard, former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson and Chuck Coughlin, president of HighGround Inc., a political consulting and lobbying firm, all said they were taken aback by the national group's stance, noting that Open Primaries was represented in all their planning meetings.

"All of us unanimously felt we were spending those funds in accordance with the wishes of the donors," Coughlin said.

An Open Primaries representative had attended the January news conference where the Arizona groups announced they intended to split money raised between the two initiatives, but Open Primaries officials said they believed the reference was to overall fundraising, not their donation.

The Arizona groups returned $178,000 to Arnold's group this week, former Phoenix Major Paul Johnson said.

Disclosure is at the center of another heated political battle over a campaign finance overhaul bill currently in the Legislature that would relax rules for so-called dark money groups so they could anonymously spend more money on elections.

The Open and Honest Elections Coalition said it intended to use Arnold's donation as seed money to aid local funding, but it said potential donors have been scared off because of opposition from the governor's office and Legislative leadership over the disclosure requirements.

Gov. Doug Ducey's spokesman Daniel Scarpinato said neither the governor nor his staff have pressured potential donors to avoid giving to the coalition's effort.

"No, he has not," Scarpinato said. "The answer is no."

Senate President Andy Biggs' spokesman also said he had not pressured potential donors. A spokesman for House Speaker David Gowan didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Goddard and Johnson are leading the bipartisan initiatives in conjunction with HighGround.

The coalition had gathered at least 20,000 signatures for each campaign but has decided to suspend both campaigns until or unless they can find other funding sources.
AP FACT CHECK: Bruised realities in GOP debate

WASHINGTON (AP)  Republican presidential contenders hurled insults again Thursday night but not at each other  rather, at the facts.

Bruises were inflicted on the reality of life for Muslim women, the shape of education standards and the reasoning behind U.S. military and foreign policy.

Some of the claims in the latest Republican presidential debate:

Republican presidential candidates, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla, from left, Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich stand up for the national anthem during a presidential debate at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, a suburb of Miami on Thursday, March 10, 2016. (Pedro Portal/The Miami Herald via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

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DONALD TRUMP: "Islam treats women horribly."

THE FACTS: No such generalization is supported by the diverse circumstances for women in the Muslim world. The United States has yet to see a woman as president, many years after Muslim women achieved national leadership in other countries, most prominently Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto back in the late 1980s and in the 1990s.

Some Muslim societies are indeed repressive by Western standards, enforcing or pressing for norms such as clothing that covers all but their eyes or faces; bans on driving, voting and education; and restrictions on interacting with the other sex.

But in other Muslim countries, women wear Western clothes, graduate from universities, interact with men, work as Western women do, hold senior government posts and take part in competitive sports.

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TRUMP: "GDP was essentially zero percent in the last few quarters. ... Our jobs are gone, our businesses are being taken out of the country."

THE FACTS: He meant to say there's been essentially no growth in the gross domestic product  not that there is no GDP at all. But what he meant to say isn't right, either.

In the past three quarters, the GDP, the broadest measure of the economy's output, grew at an annual rate of 1 percent, 2 percent and a robust 3.9 percent. The quarter before that it grew just 0.6 percent, but economists considered that a fluke, caused partly by harsh winter weather. For all of 2015, the economy expanded 2.4 percent. That's not a case of "essentially" no growth.

As for his claim that "jobs are gone," employers added 2.7 million jobs in 2015 and more than 3 million in the previous year, the two best years for hiring since 1998-99.

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TED CRUZ: "We're gonna end welfare benefits for anyone who is here illegally."

THE FACTS: It's unclear what benefits Cruz could take away. Immigrants living in the country illegally generally are not eligible for federal welfare benefits already.

To be sure, the U.S.-citizen children and spouses of immigrants who are in the country illegally are entitled to federal benefits, including food stamps and housing programs. Public hospitals are required to provide emergency medical care regardless of immigration status.

And children are also legally entitled to a free public education, regardless of their immigration status. But that's because of a 1982 Supreme Court ruling, not something a president can merely end through executive action or legislation.

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TRUMP on why he opposes Common Core: "Education through Washington, D.C. .... It's all been taken over now by the bureaucrats in Washington."

THE FACTS: Common Core is not a federal program at all, but a set of standards developed primarily by governors and education leaders in states. The standards spell out certain skills that students should grasp, while leaving how those skills are mastered up to local school districts and states.

There was no federal mandate that states adopt the Common Core State Standards. However, the federal government did encourage them, through its Race to the Top education grants that were given to states that adopted rigorous academic standards. The flip side of rewarding states that take certain steps is that it punishes states that don't.

That's the root of complaints about Washington having a heavy hand in local education. But it's a far cry from the picture painted by Trump and some other Common Core critics of a local system "taken over" by Washington.

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TRUMP, when asked if he's created a tone that encourages violence against protesters at his rallies: "I hope not. I truly hope not."

THE FACTS: Trump has at times appeared to goad his supporters when protesters have emerged at his rallies, a common occurrence.

"You know what they used to do to guys like that when they were in a place like this?" he asked as a protester was removed from a Las Vegas rally. "They'd be carried out on a stretcher, folks." As the audience cheered, he added: "I'd like to punch him in the face."

Audiences usually hear an announcement before his rallies start telling them not to harm protesters. Instead his supporters are asked to chant "Trump, Trump, Trump" when a protest begins. This helps steer authorities to the demonstrators in a large crowd, while also focusing the audience's attention  sometimes its anger  at the protesters.

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MARCO RUBIO on the idea of closing the new U.S. Embassy in Cuba: "The embassy is the former consulate. It's the same building. So it could just go back to being called a consulate."

THE FACTS: It was never a consulate. What the U.S. had in Cuba before President Barack Obama restored relations was an "interests section," a smaller office that is standard in countries with which the United States has no diplomatic relations.

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TRUMP: Says the U.S. is getting nothing in return for its defense partnership with Saudi Arabia. "Saudi Arabia was making a billion dollars a day and we were getting virtually nothing to protect them."

THE FACTS: The U.S. has no such treaty commitment to defend Saudi Arabia, but rather a decades-long alliance. It has no troops based in the kingdom other than advisers. And it's not so that the U.S. gets nothing from the alliance: U.S. companies have received tens of billions of dollars from arms sales to the Saudis.

The U.S. did send troops to the kingdom in 1990 after Iraq's Saddam Hussein invaded neighboring Kuwait. But the Saudis reimbursed the U.S. about $16 billion for that troop presence.

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TRUMP on U.S. military tactics against the Islamic State: "We're not knocking out the oil because they don't want to create environmental pollution up in the air."

THE FACTS: Caution about attacking IS-controlled oil wells and infrastructure in Syria is not about the U.S. armed forces going green.

U.S. military commanders say it would be a mistake to destroy an energy resource that could be preserved for whatever government emerges from the civil war. They also have acknowledged wanting to limit unnecessary side effects such as pollution.

The U.S. has conducted many airstrikes against key elements of that oil infrastructure, including oil collection facilities and distribution networks. This gradual approach has been criticized by many as being too slow, but the Pentagon contends that it has greatly reduced the militants' income.

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Associated Press writers Christopher S. Rugaber, Wendy Benjaminson, Alicia A. Caldwell, Vivian Salama and Robert Burns contributed to this report.

Republican presidential candidates, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla, from left, Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, stand up for the national anthem during a presidential debate at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, a suburb of Miami on Thursday, March 10, 2016. (Pedro Portal/The Miami Herald via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
US secretary: Teddy bear's inspiration off 'threatened' list

NEW ORLEANS (AP)  The Louisiana black bear, the animal behind the "teddy's bear" inspired by President Theodore Roosevelt, has rebounded enough to pull it off the list of federally protected species, the government says.

U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell heralded the "recovery of a species" Thursday, though groups that have worked for decades to protect the bears disagreed or had doubts.

The black bear, which once roamed Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana, is now found in two parts of eastern Louisiana and in one place along the coast. Its removal from the federal list means the state will now take over work to protect it.

FILE - In this May 17, 2015, file photo, a Louisiana Black Bear, sub-species of the black bear that is protected under the Endangered Species Act, sits in a water oak tree in Marksville, La. U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said the bear that inspired teddy bears is coming off the list of threatened species. She spoke Thursday, March 10, 2016, at the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge, which is at the heart of the Louisiana black bear's domain. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

Jewell spoke at the Tallulah office of the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge, where Louisiana's biggest black bear population is found. Reporters elsewhere listened by phone as she described how Roosevelt's refusal to shoot a tied-up Louisiana black bear for a hunt trophy in 1902 inspired teddy bears.

Jewell said she got to hold a rescued 7-week-old cub that morning.

"The work's not over," she said. "The work's really just beginning to bring back more of these hardwoods so Louisiana can help enjoy the kinds of animals that Teddy Roosevelt saw when he was here at the turn of the century."

Michael J. Robinson, a conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, said one of the groups being counted as Louisiana black bears may not be that subspecies at all, but descendants of black bears imported from Minnesota in the 1960s.

The group was initially excited by the bear's progress but more recently became aware of a former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist's opposition because the upper Atchafalaya Basin area northwest of Baton Rouge, where the smaller eastern group is found, had no black bears until the Minnesota bears were brought in.

"Rather than contributing to the black bear population, they threaten to hybridize it," and probably should be sterilized or moved back to Minnesota, Robinson said.

Deborah Fuller, a federal biologist based in Louisiana, said the most recent genetic study indicates "the upper Atachafalaya bear comes out as its own thing. Not as Minnesota," though it may have Minnesota genes.

Local Sierra Club chairman Harold Schoeffler, who sued in 1987 to get the bears listed, said he will be talking on Friday with an attorney for Defenders of Wildlife, which handled the earlier lawsuit.

However, Defenders of Wildlife spokeswoman Cindy Hoffman said in an email that the group was not involved.

Schoeffler said he thinks there just aren't enough bears to consider recovered. He estimated numbers around 700.

The estimated total was once below 100. Schoeffler said it was 300 to 350 when he went to court in 1987.

A years-long DNA census released in 2014 estimated the number at 350 to 600 north of Interstate 10 in Louisiana. Those south of U.S. 90 in south-central Louisiana  the "lower Atchafalaya basin" have not yet been counted.

"When we delisted alligators, we probably had 50,000. When we delisted pelicans, we had 28,000 or 30,000," he said.

Fuller said new research indicates there may be nearly 700 bears just in northeast Louisiana. And, while numbers are important, so is whether they can thrive. Biologists think that answer is yes, she said.

Paul Davidson, executive director of the Black Bear Conservation Coalition, said one of the recovery plan's required objectives  creating a corridor between the two populations above Interstate 10  has not been met because forests don't link the areas where they live.

University of Tennessee biologists said genetics show there is such a corridor, since some bears from those groups have mated.

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Online:

http://www.fws.gov/southeast/wildlife/mammal/louisiana-black-bear/

http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/louisiana-black-bear-status-range

Theodore Roosevelt Association about teddy bears: http://bit.ly/1oWpyrl
Suu Kyi loyalist confirmed for Myanmar presidential race

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP)  A longtime confidant of Aung San Suu Kyi was confirmed Friday in a parliamentary vote as one of the three final candidates to be Myanmar's next president, albeit as a proxy for the Nobel laureate.

Htin Kyaw of the National League for Democracy party was approved by a 274-29 vote in the lower house of parliament to be a finalist for the presidential election next week.

A second NLD candidate. Henry Van Tio, was chosen as the second finalist by the upper house with a 148-13 vote. A third candidate will be put forward by the military bloc, which has a constitutionally mandated 25 percent of reserved seats in parliament.

National League for Democracy (NLD) party leader Aung San Suu Kyi, second left leaves parliament building on Friday, March 11, 2016 in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. A longtime confidante of Suu Kyi was confirmed Friday in a parliamentary vote as one of the three final candidates to be Myanmar's next president, albeit as a proxy for the Nobel laureate. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

Legislators from both houses of parliament will hold another round of voting  for which no date has been set  to choose one of them as president, which almost certainly will be the 70-year-old Htin Kyaw (pronounced Tin CH-yaw). The other two will become vice presidents.

"We are satisfied that Htin Kyaw has won to become one of the presidential candidates. We believe that we soon will be able create a better future for our country. We chose him because he is skillful and a very suitable person to be the president," said Myo Zaw Aung, an NLD legislator.

Friday's vote became necessary because, in an unexpected move, the outgoing ruling party put forward its own two candidates Thursday, even though their candidacy was doomed from the start.

The NLD has an overwhelming majority in both chambers following its landslide victory in the Nov. 8 general elections, which paved the way for the country's first democratically elected government since the military took power in 1962.

The new president will take office April 1. But for all practical purposes Htin Kyaw will be a proxy for Suu Kyi, who has said she will be "above" the president and rule from behind the scenes.

This arrangement came into being because Suu Kyi is barred to be president by the constitution, which says anyone with a foreign spouse or children cannot hold the executive office. Suu Kyi's two sons are British, as was her late husband. The clause is widely seen as having been written by the military  Suu Kyi's longtime bitter adversary  with her in mind.

Suu Kyi fought for decades to end dictatorship in Myanmar, and remains her party's unquestioned leader. She was awarded the 1991 Nobel prize while under house arrest, where she spent 15 years locked away by a junta that feared her political popularity.

For the past several weeks Suu Kyi is believed to have held closed-door talks with the military generals to suspend the constitutional clause that bars her from the presidency, apparently without success.

Suu Kyi did not attend Thursday's high-profile nomination session but posted a letter on Facebook to her legions of supporters. She called it a "first step toward realizing the expectations and desires of the people who overwhelmingly supported the National League for Democracy in the elections."

"It is our will to fulfill the people's desire," Suu Kyi said in the letter. "We will try as hard as we can to do that."

Kyaw Thiha, an upper house NLD lawmaker, said Thursday that the new president will take orders from Suu Kyi.

"She cannot become the president, but it doesn't really matter because she will be controlling everything. She will be the one to control us," Kyaw Thiha said. "It doesn't really matter that she is not becoming the president."

Htin Kyaw is a computer science graduate from the University of London, and is contemporary of Suu Kyi, who also is 70. He enjoys her full confidence, and was usually seen by her side during her long struggle to bring democracy in Myanmar.

Htin Kyaw's father was a national poet and a National League for Democracy lawmaker from an aborted 1990 election, while his wife is a prominent legislator for the party in the current house. His father-in-law, a former army colonel, was a co-founder of the NLD.

A Myanmar expert expressed misgivings about having a proxy president and the repercussions it will have.

Suu Kyi and and her supporters "are quite rightly indignant about the nakedly political nature of the prohibition against her," said John Ciorciari, an assistant professor at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michgan.

"Yet by insisting that she will pull the strings and continue pursuing the office, she virtually ensures that Htin Kyaw will be perceived as a pass-through president. This makes him an easier target for military leaders keen to reassert control," he said in comments emailed to the AP.

FILE - In this Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, file photo, Htin Kyaw, center, walks in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. A longtime confidant of Aung San Suu Kyi was confirmed Friday, March 11, 2016, in a parliamentary vote as one of the three final candidates to be Myanmar's next president, albeit as a proxy for the Nobel laureate. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo, File)

National League for Democracy (NLD) party leader Aung San Suu Kyi, second left, leaves Parliament building Friday, March 11, 2016 in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. A longtime confidante of Suu Kyi was confirmed Friday in a parliamentary vote as one of the three final candidates to be Myanmar's next president, albeit as a proxy for the Nobel laureate. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

Henry Van Hti Yu, center, a lawmaker of National League for Democracy party and a nominee for the post of the president walks out of parliament in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Friday, March 11, 2016. The National League for Democracy party, which won November general elections by a landslide, nominated two Suu Kyi loyalists, 70-year-old Oxford graduate Htin Kyaw and Henry Van Hti Yu to contest the president's post. (Aung Shine Oo)

Henry Van Hti Yu, center, a lawmaker of National League for Democracy party and a nominee for the post of the president walks out of parliament in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Friday, March 11, 2016. The National League for Democracy party, which won November general elections by a landslide, nominated two Suu Kyi loyalists, 70-year-old Oxford graduate Htin Kyaw and Henry Van Hti Yu to contest the president's post. (Aung Shine Oo)

FILE - In this Jan. 4, 2016 file photo, National League for Democracy party (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi delivers a speech during a ceremony to mark Myanmar's 68th anniversary of Independence in Yangon, Myanmar. Nobel laureate Suu Kyis decades-long battle to bring democracy to Myanmar is likely to come to fruition on Thursday, March 10 with a whimper, not a bang. Despite leading her National League for Democracy party to a smashing election victory, Suu Kyi seems certain not to become her country's leader. Suu Kyi, 70, cannot be president because the constitution bars anyone with a foreign spouse or children from holding the executive office. Suu Kyi's two sons are British, as was her late husband. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 1, 2016 file photo, Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, center, walks along with other lawmakers of her National League for Democracy party as they leave after a regular session of the lower house of parliament in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Nobel laureate Suu Kyis decades-long battle to bring democracy to Myanmar is likely to come to fruition on Thursday, March 10 with a whimper, not a bang. Despite leading her NLDP to a smashing election victory, Suu Kyi seems certain not to become her country's leader. Suu Kyi, 70, cannot be president because the constitution bars anyone with a foreign spouse or children from holding the executive office. Suu Kyi's two sons are British, as was her late husband. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo, File)

In this Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016 photo, supporters of Myanmar nationalist groups raise their hands in support of preserving a constitutional clause barring Aung San Suu Kyi, the popular leader of the country's new ruling party, from becoming head of state, in Yangon, Myanmar. Nobel laureate Suu Kyis decades-long battle to bring democracy to Myanmar is likely to come to fruition on Thursday, March 10 with a whimper, not a bang. Despite leading her National League for Democracy party to a smashing election victory, Suu Kyi seems certain not to become her country's leader. Suu Kyi, 70, cannot be president because the constitution bars anyone with a foreign spouse or children from holding the executive office. Suu Kyi's two sons are British, as was her late husband. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

In this Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016 photo, supporters of Myanmar nationalist groups raise their hands in support of preserving a constitutional clause barring Aung San Suu Kyi, the popular leader of the country's new ruling party, from becoming head of state, in Yangon, Myanmar. Nobel laureate Suu Kyis decades-long battle to bring democracy to Myanmar is likely to come to fruition on Thursday, March 10 with a whimper, not a bang. Despite leading her National League for Democracy party to a smashing election victory, Suu Kyi seems certain not to become her country's leader. Suu Kyi, 70, cannot be president because the constitution bars anyone with a foreign spouse or children from holding the executive office. Suu Kyi's two sons are British, as was her late husband. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
MAGDEBURG, Germany (AP)  A rising nationalist party is expected to ride unease about Chancellor Angela Merkel's migrant policy to perform sAlternative For Germany wins trongly in three German state elections this weekend, the first significant political test since last year's massive influx of people seeking safety and a better life.

Alternative for Germany, or AfD, formed three years ago, is wooing voters with slogans such as "ENOUGH!" and "Secure borders instead of borderless crime."

It's expected to enter legislatures Sunday in the diverse regions: prosperous Baden-Wuerttemberg in the southwest, neighboring Rhineland-Palatinate, and relatively poor Saxony-Anhalt in the east. Other parties won't share power with it, but its performance could complicate efforts to form state governments  particularly in Saxony-Anhalt, where polls give it up to 19 percent support.

FILE - In this Feb. 22, 2016 file photo Frauke Petry, Chairwoman of the AfD, Alternative fuer Deutschland (Alternative for Germany), party addresses the media during a press conference in Berlin, Germany. The rising nationalist party, AfD, is expected to ride unease about Chancellor Angela Merkels migrant policy to perform strongly in three German state elections this weekend, the first significant political test since last years massive influx of people seeking safety and a better life. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, file)

Germany registered nearly 1.1 million people as asylum-seekers last year as Merkel insisted "we will manage" the challenge, a stance lauded by many but that drove others into AfD's arms.

"What she did was issue a political invitation to a great many people in the world to set off for Europe, with catastrophic consequences for the structure of a Europe of freedom," AfD leader Frauke Petry recently told foreign reporters.

Merkel is doggedly pursuing an elusive pan-European solution to the migrant crisis, even as other countries shut borders and German conservative allies demand national measures such as refugee quotas. Asked recently what would make her change course, she replied: "I can't see anything that could bring that about, because it's all well thought-through and logical."

But Petry, whose party already has lawmakers in five German state parliaments and at the European Parliament, argues that "having taken more than 1 million asylum seekers and awaiting many more, awaiting families as well, is going to cause huge problems in Germany."

Merkel said this week that for "all those who want a constructive solution, who want to move things ahead, AfD is completely the wrong party," accusing it of "working with emotions."

Merkel's own ratings have fallen over recent months but started recovering. The next national election is expected in late 2017, by when other parties hope AfD's popularity will have subsided. However, Sunday looks like being uncomfortable for both Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union and its national government partners, the center-left Social Democrats.

Merkel's party leads Saxony-Anhalt's government and hopes to oust center-left governors in the other two states. Chances of that no longer look so good.

In Baden-Wuerttemberg, a traditional stronghold where Merkel's CDU finished first in 2011 but lost power to a Green-led coalition, polls suggest the party could be embarrassingly beaten to first place by the left-leaning Greens.

Winfried Kretschmann, the Green governor, has a reassuringly conservative image and many prefer him to little-known CDU challenger Guido Wolf. He even sounds more enthusiastic about Merkel's refugee policies than Wolf.

Wolf and Julia Kloeckner, who hopes to become Rhineland-Palatinate's governor, tried to put a little distance between themselves and Merkel's migrant approach, calling for Germany to impose daily refugee quotas. That's something Merkel opposes but that Austria has since done  a gambit that may backfire, giving the impression of disunity.

The chancellor has seen many state-level setbacks over 10 years in power, and while a poor Sunday would likely generate new tensions, her position appears secure. There's no single obvious successor, still less a figurehead for any rebellion.

"I simply see absolutely no one in the CDU who could face off against Merkel openly, with the necessary standing inside the party and among the people," said Andrea Roemmele, a political science professor at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin.

AfD's migrant-fueled rebound came after the party split last year and switched from its initial focus on opposition to eurozone bailouts. Its rhetoric since has caused unease, including a January interview in which Petry suggested police could shoot refugees trying to enter Germany. Prominent member Bjoern Hoecke was criticized for racism after talking about the "life-affirming African proliferation model."

The European Conservatives and Reformists group, with which it sits in the European Parliament and which includes the British and Polish governing parties, said it asked AfD's two European lawmakers to leave this month or face a vote on their expulsion. AfD said there's no majority to eject them.

AfD "seeks whatever issues suit it as a protest party," drawing voters from across the political spectrum and likely also benefiting from CDU voters staying home, Roemmele said. She stressed its appeal to protest voters, noting that it has yet to draw up a formal program.

Voters in Saxony-Anhalt's capital, Magdeburg, were divided. Retiree Harald Mueller, 72, said he "will cast a protest vote, definitely" and that refugee policy will play a major part in that  though he wouldn't specify which party he would choose.

"Merkel has done a very good job so far, but I think she has overreached herself a bit here," he said.

Others said they were sticking with the CDU and were turned off by AfD's style. Thea Tecklenburg, 76, said she thought young men heading for Germany should "help rebuild and defend their country," but criticized AfD's "agitation" and right-wing image.

AfD failed to enter the national parliament in 2013, but then won seats in five of Germany's 16 state parliaments before the migrant crisis.

Unlike in other European countries, parties to the right of the mainstream conservatives have tended to fizzle in post-World War II Germany. It remains to be seen whether AfD can buck that trend.

Still, Hendrik Traeger, a political scientist at the Magdeburg and Leipzig universities, sees the party keeping a solid though reduced "core vote" even when the refugee issue fades.

"Of course AfD is benefiting from the refugee situation, but it also benefits broadly from discontent in parts of the population with established politicians," he said.

In this Wednesday, March 9, 2016 photo a man walks past a campaign poster of right-populist AfD party reading "It's enough - Saxony-Anhalt elects AfD" in Magdeburg, Germany. The rising nationalist party is expected to ride unease about Chancellor Angela Merkels migrant policy to perform strongly in three German state elections this weekend, the first significant political test since last years massive influx of people seeking safety and a better life. (AP Photo/Geir Moulson)

FILE - In this Oct. 15, 2015 file photo a group of migrants make their way over a meadow after crossing the border between Austria and Germany in Wegscheid near Passau, Germany. The rising nationalist party Alternative fuer Deutschland, AfD, is expected to ride unease about Chancellor Angela Merkels migrant policy to perform strongly in three German state elections this weekend, the first significant political test since last years massive influx of people seeking safety and a better life. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, file)

FILE - In this Feb. 10, 2016 file photo Bjoern Hoecke, chairman of the Alternative fuer Deutschland, AfD, in the German state Thuringia, delivers a speech at the Political Ash Wednesday rally of the party in Guesten, central Germany. The rising nationalist party is expected to ride unease about Chancellor Angela Merkels migrant policy to perform strongly in three German state elections this weekend, the first significant political test since last years massive influx of people seeking safety and a better life. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer, file)

FILE - In this Jan 8, 2016 file picture German Chancellor and chairwoman of the Christian Democrats, CDU, Angela Merkel, left, CDU's top candidate for the regional elections in Baden-Wuerttemberg Guido Wolf and top candidate of the regional CDU in Rhineland-Palatinate Julia Kloeckner attend the CDU conference in Mainz, Germany. The rising nationalist party Alternative fuer Deutschland, AfD, (Alternative for Germany) is expected to ride unease about Merkels migrant policy to perform strongly in three German state elections this weekend, the first significant political test since last years massive influx of people seeking safety and a better life. (Fredrik von Erichsen/Pool Photo via AP, file)
Nancy Reagan, her era and marriage, remembered at funeral

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP)  Nancy Reagan is once again with her Ronnie.

The former first lady's life was celebrated Friday by 1,000 invited guests who gathered at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to pay final tribute to her and to the enduring love she and her husband shared during a storied 52-year marriage.

The funeral also marked one of the last chapters of a fading political era that stirs nostalgia among American conservatives. Without Mrs. Reagan, her son said, the Republican renaissance of the 1980s might not have happened.

Patti Davis, center, and Ronald Prescott Reagan, left, pause at the casket during graveside service for Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Friday, March 11, 2016 in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

"There would be no Ronald Reagan Presidential Library without a President Ronald Reagan, and there likely wouldn't have been a President Ronald Reagan without a Nancy Reagan," said Ron Reagan, delivering the last of several eulogies during the 90-minute service.

Mourners from the top ranks of Washington and Hollywood heard how President Reagan was generally affable and trusting, but Mrs. Reagan was made of different cloth.

She could be gracious and quick with a laugh, but also fiercely protective of her husband and sometimes quick to anger at any perceived slight directed at him.

"I think we can admit that she was not always the easiest person to deal with," her son said, drawing laughter from an audience filled with politicians, heads of state, actors, musicians, a former president and several first ladies.

"She could be difficult. She could be demanding. She could a bit excessive. Truly, she could be a royal pain in the ass when she wanted to be," he continued. "But usually only so my father didn't have to be.

"If you happen to run into the ghost of Don Regan sometime, you can just ask him," he added, referring to the former White House chief of staff Mrs. Reagan pushed her husband to fire after the two feuded over policy issues.

"Occasionally I've thought that even God might not have the guts to argue with Nancy Reagan," quipped the couple's daughter, Patti Davis.

Each speaker also noted the couple's enduring love.

"When they were together, he hid love notes around the house for her to find," said another Reagan former chief of staff, James Baker. "She reciprocated by secreting little notes in jellybeans in his suitcase.

"Ronald and Nancy Reagan were defined by their love for each other," Baker continued. "They were as close to being one person as it is possible for any two people to be."

President Reagan spoke in public so warmly, and so often, about his wife, former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney recalled, that he once told Reagan he was making every other world leader look bad in front of their wives.

"Well, Brian," he said the president told him with a smile, "That's your problem."

The guest list for the funeral told the story of the couple's life together, which stretched from Hollywood's Golden Age to the California statehouse during Reagan's time as governor to the White House.

The gathering also brought together Democrat and Republican, an unusual tableau at a time of deep division in Washington and on the 2016 campaign trail.

Mourners included former Reagan administration official Ed Meese, former House Speakers Newt Gingrich (Republican) and Nancy Pelosi (Democrat), Mike Love of the Beach Boys and singer Johnny Mathis.

Among those in the front row were first lady Michelle Obama, who was seated next to former President George W. Bush. Former first lady and current presidential candidate Hillary Clinton sat between Bush's wife, Laura, and former first lady Rosalynn Carter. Gov. Jerry Brown escorted Mrs. Obama to the funeral, while former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger arrived with his ex-wife, Maria Shriver.

The actor Mr. T, who became friendly with Mrs. Reagan during her "Just Say No" to drugs campaign, arrived wearing an American flag bandanna.

Heavy rain had been forecast for the ceremony, and guests were ushered into a cavernous waterproof tent behind the library. But a drenching downpour held off until the event concluded.

Mrs. Reagan, who died Sunday at 94, was buried next to her husband on the library grounds.

The sprawling, Spanish mission-style library is located between the Reagans' post-White House home in the upscale Bel Air section of Los Angeles and Rancho del Cielo, the "ranch in the sky" where the Reagans spent their leisure time, sometimes on horseback, in the rugged mountains near Santa Barbara.

On Wednesday and Thursday at the library, more than 5,500 mourners filed slowly past the former first lady's closed casket, blanketed with white roses and peonies, Mrs. Reagan's favorite flower.

Tears often fell. The crowd, many in graying years, spoke to a time when it was "morning again in America" and the nation followed the Reagan doctrine to weaken Soviet influence during the Cold War.

Reagan left the presidency after eight years, on Jan. 20, 1989.

The library site, where the 40th president was buried in 2004, provides sweeping views of horse country dotted with oaks and, on a clear day, a vista to the Pacific.

The Reagans "just fell in love" with the spot, Boston developer and Republican fundraiser Gerald Blakeley recalled in a 2004 interview. He was part of a partnership that donated the land where the library now sits.

___

Rogers reported from Los Angeles.

Family and close friends gather for a graveside service for Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Friday, March 11, 2016 in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Family and close friends gather for a graveside service for Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Friday, March 11, 2016 in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Former White House Chief of Staff, James A. Baker pauses at the casket during the graveside service for Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Friday, March 11, 2016 in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

People wishing to pay their respects wait in the rain during the graveside service for Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Friday, March 11, 2016 in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

California Gov. Jerry Brown, left, first lady Michelle Obama, center, and former President George W. Bush, right, watch during the graveside service for Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Friday, March 11, 2016 in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Rosalynn Carter, left, Caroline Kennedy, center, and Hillary Clinton, right, leave the funeral service for former First Lady Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Friday, March 11, 2016, in Simi Valley, calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Patti Davis, left, greets Rosalynn Carter as Hillary Clinton looks at the casket during the graveside service for Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Friday, March 11, 2016 in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Ron Reagan, son of late former President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan walks away from the podium after speaking at the funeral service for the former First Lady at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Friday, March 11, 2016, in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A Marine pays his respects in the rain while standing in front of the casket carrying former First Lady Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Friday, March 11, 2016, in Simi Valley, calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Feds seek rules for swims with Hawaii dolphins

WAIANAE, Hawaii (AP)  Allison Alterman likes to swim in the ocean for exercise near her home on Hawaii's Big Island. Sometimes her swimming group will see spinner dolphins gliding or jumping near their course.

If the dolphins stick around, tour boats will inevitably show up, sometimes 20 at a time, all dropping passengers with floaties in the water for a swim. For many, it's a chance to realize a long-held dream.

For the dolphins, however, they "come into the shore to rest and it doesn't seem like they're able to do that because they're surrounded," Alterman said.

This Aug. 15, 2012 photo provided by Murdoch University dolphin researcher Julian Tyne shows people swimming near dolphins in Makako Bay in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Swimming with dolphins is a dream for many tourists visiting Hawaii, but federal regulators are preparing to propose rules that could ban or limit swimming with Hawaii's spinner dolphins out of concern humans are depriving the nocturnal animals of the rest they need. Picture taken under NOAA permit GA LOC15409. (Julian Tyne via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

Scientists are concerned the intense interest is harming the nocturnal animals because they need to rest after foraging for food all night. Now, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is preparing to propose rules to help protect the dolphins.

The agency could ban swimming with Hawaii spinner dolphins or prohibit people from shallow bays when the dolphins are resting.

"Disturbing their resting behaviors can actually affect their long term health and the health of the population," said Ann Garrett, the assistant regional administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service's protected resources division for the Pacific Islands.

Garrett said the agency plans to propose rules in June. The regulations could affect over 200 dolphin-related businesses operating in the state as well as recreational swimmers and other ocean users.

Claudia Merrill, co-owner of Dolphin Discoveries in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island, said she would welcome some regulations, particularly if rules would prohibit swimming with dolphins during their prime resting hours from late morning to mid-afternoon.

Tour operators must be educated to watch for the signs when the dolphins are settling into their rest state, Merrill said. One key indication is when a pod of dolphins synchronizes its dives and swims.

"It should be a sustainable industry. It can be a sustainable industry," Merrill said.

Some Kona operators follow guidelines that local tours established, which include avoiding four dolphin resting bays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. But Merrill said only three of the 12 Kona coast tour operators she knows of follow the guidelines.

Garrett said her agency has heard reports of vessels chasing down pods at high speed and corralling the dolphins into an area.

Hawaii's spinner dolphins feast on fish and small crustaceans that surface from the ocean's depths at night. When the sun rises, they head for shallow bays to hide from tiger sharks and other predators.

To the untrained eye, the dolphins appear to be awake during the day because they're swimming.

But because they sleep by resting half of their brains and keeping the other half awake to surface and breathe, they may be sleeping even when they're maneuvering through the water.

Julian Tyne, an honorary postdoctoral researcher at Australia's Murdoch University, said spinner dolphins off the Big Island were exposed to human interaction about 80 percent of the time over the three years he studied them from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The median time between exposures was just 10 minutes, he said.

Tyne said he doesn't know whether this human interaction is changing dolphin behavior. But he said the dolphins may not be resting as deeply as they need, which could harm their ability to forage for food at night and their ability to reproduce.

The fisheries service first signaled it would consider regulations in 2005, after tour offerings exploded the previous decade.

But instead of proposing rules, officials have sponsored research to better understand spinner dolphin behavior and promoted a voluntary program that discouraged swimming with the animals. But the guidelines have done little to deter dolphin swim tours.

The Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits harassing dolphins, but swimming with them falls into a grey zone under the law.

Federal authorities have prosecuted tour operators for feeding bottlenose dolphins in Florida waters, but dolphin feeding has never been a problem in Hawaii.

Jennifer Hall, a musician visiting from Chicago, joined about ten others on an early morning tour from Waianae about an hour's drive from Honolulu on Oahu island.

They jumped in the water to see dolphins swim back and forth, surfacing and descending to the ocean floor about 20 to 25 feet below. Some tourists attempted to swim after the dolphins, but guides held them back saying they should "observe not disturb."

Their boat, together with about five others, formed a large semicircle around the animals.

Hall said she felt like she shared with the dolphins the serenity and calm of being in the water. Her partner Noam Wallenberg, a songwriter, said it was "mind-blowing" and "vastly different" from seeing animals in a zoo.

"Being with creatures of the ocean right there and seeing them in their natural habitat was really wonderful. So beautiful," she said.

This Dec. 24, 2015 photo shows Ann Garrett, the assistant regional administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Services protected resources division for the Pacific Islands, talking about Hawaii's spinner dolphins at her office in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Swimming with dolphins is a dream for many tourists visiting Hawaii, but federal regulators are preparing to propose rules that could ban or limit swimming with Hawaii's spinner dolphins out of concern humans are depriving the nocturnal animals of the rest they need. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

This Jan. 21, 2016 image taken from video shows dolphins swimming at the bottom of a bay off Waianae, Hawaii. Swimming with dolphins is a dream for many tourists visiting Hawaii, but federal regulators are preparing to propose rules that could ban or limit swimming with Hawaii's spinner dolphins out of concern humans are depriving the nocturnal animals of the rest they need. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration plans to propose rules in June. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

This Jan. 21, 2016 photo shows tourists looking out on the horizon as their boat searches for dolphins in waters off Waianae, Hawaii. Swimming with dolphins is a dream for many tourists visiting Hawaii, but federal regulators are preparing to propose rules that could ban or limit swimming with Hawaii's spinner dolphins out of concern humans are depriving the nocturnal animals of the rest they need. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration plans to propose rules in June. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)
GOP candidate Trump calls off rally due to security concerns

CHICAGO (AP)  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump canceled one of his signature rallies on Friday, calling off the event due to safety concerns after protesters packed the arena where he was scheduled to speak.

The announcement the billionaire businessman would postpone the rally led a large portion of the crowd inside the University of Illinois at Chicago Pavilion to break out into raucous cheers. Many rushed onto the floor, jumping up and down with their arms up in the air.

"Trump represents everything America is not and everything Chicago is not," said Kamran Siddiqui, 20, a student at the school who was among those celebrating. "We came in here and we wanted to shut this down. Because this is a great city and we don't want to let that person in here."

A protester holds up a ripped campaign sign for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump before a rally on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Some supporters of the Republican front-runner started chanting "We want Trump! We want Trump!" in response to the celebrations, and there were some isolated physical confrontations between members of the crowd. Chicago police said five people were arrested.

"It's a shame," said Trump supporter Bill Tail, 43, of the Chicago suburb of Oaklawn. "They scream about tolerance, but are being intolerant themselves. That doesn't make sense."

As Trump attempts to unify a fractured Republican Party ahead of next week's slate of winner-take-all primary elections, the confrontations between his legion of loyal supporters and protesters who accuse him of stoking racial hatred have become increasingly contentious, underscoring concerns about the divisive nature of his candidacy.

A North Carolina man was arrested after video footage showed him punching an African-American protester being led out of a Trump rally in that state on Wednesday. At that event, Trump recalled a past protester as "a real bad dude."

"He was a rough guy, and he was punching. And we had some people  some rough guys like we have right in here  and they started punching back," Trump said. "It was a beautiful thing."

At Trump's rally earlier Friday in St. Louis, he was repeatedly interrupted by protesters. Police there charged nearly three dozen people with general peace disturbance and one person with assault.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, second in delegates to Trump in the GOP race, said late Friday that the billionaire has created "an environment that encourages this sort of nasty discourse."

"When the candidate urges supporters to engage in physical violence, to punch people in the face, the predictable consequence of that is that is escalates," Cruz said. "Today is unlikely to be the last such incidence."

In a telephone interview after postponing his event in Chicago, Trump said he didn't "want to see people hurt or worse" at the rally, telling MSNBC, "I think we did the right thing."

But Chicago police said they had sufficient manpower on scene to handle the situation and did not recommended Trump cancel the rally. That decision was made "independently" by the campaign, said police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

Trump said the anger on display in Chicago wasn't directed at him or his campaign, but rather was a manifestation of the public's deep frustration with economic conditions in the country.

"Our businesses are being taken away from us, our businesses are being moved out of the country," Trump said on Fox News. "This is a demonstration against economic conditions on both sides."

But many of the protesters in Chicago said they were there to specifically to stop Trump from speaking.

"Our country is not going to make it being divided by the views of Donald Trump," said Jermaine Hodge, a 37-year-old lifelong Chicago resident who owns a trucking company. "Our country is divided enough. Donald Trump, he's preaching hate. He's preaching division."

Indeed, Trump taunted the protesters at his rally in St. Louis, panning them as weak "troublemakers," and ordered them to "go home to mommy" or "go home and get a job" because "they contribute nothing."

"These are not good people, just so you understand," Trump said. "These are not the people who made our country great. These are the people that are destroying our country."

Dozens of University of Illinois at Chicago faculty and staff had petitioned university administrators earlier in the week to cancel the Friday night rally, citing concerns it would create a "hostile and physically dangerous environment" for students.

One Trump supporter at the Chicago rally said Trump had created the environment that led to Friday night's melee by holding the event at the school  a civil and immigrant rights organizing hub with large minority student populations.

"I think he was kind of provoking things, to be honest with you," said Dan Kozak, 23, from suburban Tinley Park. "He could have picked the suburbs and nothing would have happened."

Hours before the event in Chicago was scheduled to start, hundreds of people lined up to get into the arena. Trump backers were separated from an equally large crowd of anti-Trump protesters by a heavy police presence and barricades.

Once inside, some supporters and protesters engaged in a series of intense verbal altercations. For the first time during his White House bid, the crowd at one of his events appeared to be an equal mix of those eager to cheer on the real estate mogul and those overtly opposed to his candidacy.

When one African-American protester was escorted out before the event started, the crowd erupted into chants of "Let him stay!"

Veronica Kowalkowsky, an 18-year-old Trump supporter, said she had no ill will toward the protesters  but didn't think they felt the same way. "I feel a lot of hate," she said. "I haven't said anything bad to anyone."

Chicago community activist Quo Vadis said hundreds of protesters had positioned themselves in groups around the arena, and they intended to demonstrate right after Trump took the stage.

Their goal, he said, was "for Donald to take the stage and to completely interrupt him. The plan is to shut Donald Trump all the way down."

___

Associated Press writers Don Babwin in Chicago, Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, and Julie Pace in Miami contributed to this report.

___

Follow Jill Colvin and Michael Tarm on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/colvinj and https://twitter.com/mtarm

Protesters against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump shout at Trump supporters after it was announced that the candidate's rally was canceled due to security concerns, on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Protesters against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump chant after it was announced that a rally for Trump was canceled due to security concerns, on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Protesters are removed before a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Protestor Sanko Hampton marches in Chicago on Friday, March 11, 2016, before a rally with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the University of Illinois-Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)
SAN DIEGO (AP)  Tarla Makaeff has fought Donald Trump in court for six years. Now, as the Republican presidential front-runner and his lawyers try to portray the Southern California yoga instructor as the face of a federal class-action lawsuit against Trump University, she wants out.

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel will consider Makaeff's request to withdraw from a lawsuit that says Trump University seminars and instruction fleeced students with unfilled promises to teach the secrets of real estate success. Her attorneys say Trump and his lawyers have put her "through the wringer."

Trump called her a "horrible, horrible witness" at a rally in Arkansas last month. On social media this week, his one-word characterization of her request to withdraw  "Disgraceful!"  was retweeted more than 3,200 times.

FILE- In this May 23, 2005, file photo, real estate mogul and Reality TV star Donald Trump, left, listens as Michael Sexton introduces him at a news conference in New York where he announced the establishment of Trump University. Tarla Makaeff a yoga instructor, has had enough of Trump after six years fighting him in court. Makaeff, wants to withdraw from a federal class-action lawsuit that claims Trump University fleeced students with an empty promise to teach them real estate. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

Trump's attorneys say the lawsuit should be dismissed if Makaeff is allowed to withdraw, arguing that their trial strategy centers on her. They identify her as "the critical witness."

Makaeff's attorneys say Trump's argument that their client is indispensable to the billionaire's defense "is illogical to the point of being nearly incomprehensible." They note the judge allowed two plaintiffs to withdraw last year; three others would remain.

Makaeff didn't imagine she would be subjected to criticism under the glare of a presidential campaign, her attorneys say. She has been deposed for a total of nearly 16 hours and suffered anxiety about finances after Trump sued her for defamation, seeking $1 million.

Makaeff eventually prevailed on the defamation claim, and a judge ordered Trump last year to pay $798,779 in her legal fees.

The skirmish in one of three lawsuits against Trump University comes as the case nears trial, possibly this summer. A trial date has not been set, but a final pretrial conference is scheduled for May 6 and Trump appears on a list of defense witnesses who may testify at the trial.

Makaeff attended a three-day "Fast Track to Foreclosure" workshop for $1,495 in 2008 and later enrolled in the "Trump Gold Elite" program for $34,995, spending a total of about $60,000 on seminars in a year, her attorneys say. In April 2010, she sued in San Diego federal court.

Trump's attorneys wrote that Makaeff gave the instruction high marks in surveys and "simply did not put in the time, work, and perseverance necessary to achieve success."

Makaeff's attorneys say the yoga instructor was unaware of Trump's "false advertising" when she completed the surveys and didn't want to risk alienating anyone who might advance her career.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Makaeff on the surveys when considering Trump's defamation claim in 2013, saying, "As the recent Ponzi-scheme scandals involving onetime financial luminaries like Bernard Madoff and Allen Stanford demonstrate, victims of con artists often sing the praises of their victimizers until the moment they realize they have been fleeced."

Reminded of the Madoff comparison during a recent debate, Trump said, "Give me a break. You know what? Let's see what happens in court."
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  The prisoners  both felons with violent criminal backgrounds  made their escape somewhere along a New Mexico highway, clad in white jumpsuits and last accounted for in the back of a state corrections van where authorities said they were bound by shackles.

Even more than 24 hours after their escape, it wasn't known Friday exactly when or where Joseph Cruz, a convicted murderer, or Lionel Clah, who's serving time for armed robbery, managed to escape from the van transporting them to a correctional facility in Las Cruces. Authorities have only confirmed that the getaway happened somewhere after a prison-stop in Roswell  a city about 200 miles from Las Cruces, and where corrections staff reported last seeing Cruz and Clah around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

According to authorities, correction officers didn't even realize the men were missing until about 1 a.m. Thursday. By 4:30 a.m., the two had managed to travel more than 200 miles north to Albuquerque, where surveillance video that surfaced Thursday afternoon showed Clah wearing a red T-shirt and jeans and Cruz wearing a tan, collared shirt and jeans. The video was from a hotel lobby.

This photo provided by the New Mexico Corrections Department shows shows inmate Joseph Cruz. The Department of Corrections says Cruz and inmate Lionel Clah escaped from a prisoner transport van on Wednesday, March 9, 2016, in the Roswell area. (New Mexico Corrections Department via AP)

"In almost every case that you have a set of circumstances like this, it is not a matter of a lack of policies, a lack of systems, a lack of structure," said Gregg Marcantel, the state corrections secretary. "It's a matter of somehow or another we failed in that structure."

The inmates' escape has raised concerns that major missteps during the transport or on the part of corrections personnel allowed for Clah and Cruz to evade authorities and flee north before anyone noticed they were missing.

State officials also waited several more hours after the discovery to alert the public that the men  who a corrections spokeswoman said should be considered "armed and dangerous"  were on the loose.

They still hadn't been apprehended by early Friday. Albuquerque police said they had set up a search perimeter on the city's northwest side, but announced at 1 a.m. that the effort had concluded and the convicts were still at large.

Cruz, 32, was convicted in 2007 for killing a man over drugs in Raton in northern New Mexico. Clah, 29, was convicted in Farmington in 2009 of armed robbery and assault with intent to commit a violent felony on a peace officer. Both have distinctive tattoos on their arms and neck, with authorities saying Clah also has feathers inked on his left cheek.

"Pretty hard to miss," Marcantel said.

Yet the men continued to elude authorities.

At a news conference Thursday in Santa Fe, Marcantel maintained that his department's policies weren't to blame in the case. He also said investigators were trying to determine if the escape was planned or spontaneous.

"This must be investigated as something more organized," he said. "We can't just assume an opportunity (presented itself)."

The escape comes several months after Corrections Department officials warned of dangerously low staffing levels at prison facilities across the state and said low wages made it difficult to retain staffers.

The search was joined by the U.S. Border Patrol and local police departments, and it involved dogs, aircraft and foot patrols. State police also were seeking surveillance footage from the gas station in Artesia where the van had stopped.

Artesia Police Department officers join New Mexico State Police, SWAT, and other agencies gather while investigating a lead in the morning at a home in Artesia, N.M., Thursday, March 10, 2016. Authorities were searching Thursday for two violent convicts who escaped from a prisoner transport van and likely got a head start of several hours in a remote area of New Mexico before guards realized they were gone. (Brienne Green/Artesia Daily Press via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

This photo provided by the New Mexico Corrections Department shows inmate Lionel Clah. The Department of Corrections says Clah escaped with inmate Joseph Cruz from a prisoner transport van on Wednesday, March 9, 2016, in the Roswell area. (New Mexico Corrections Department via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
MIAMI (AP)  Nine months after Donald Trump became a presidential candidate, his rivals are still searching for a formula to stop his improbable political rise.

They've ignored him and hoped he'd fade away. They've launched sharply personal attacks on his hair and his hand size. They've tried to discredit his business prowess and conservative record.

And in Thursday's Republican presidential debate, they grasped for the middle ground, drastically dialing back the vitriol and trying to instead politely poke holes in Trump's policy proposals.

Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump, right and Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speak during a break in the Republican presidential debate sponsored by CNN, Salem Media Group and the Washington Times at the University of Miami, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

At times, their approach succeeded in spotlighting Trump's often vague ideas for addressing the nation's domestic problems and foreign policy threats. But they also gave the billionaire space to sound more measured and moderate  almost presidential  at a time when he's already eyeing the general election.

"We're all in this together," Trump said. "We're going to come up with solutions. We're going to find the answers to things."

The civil contest in Miami marked a sharp course correction after the last GOP debate, which devolved into a series of juvenile personal insults that left some Republicans cringing. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio led that insult brigade, and then faltered badly in the primary contests that followed. Rubio now says he regrets his behavior and embarrassed his children.

Thursday's debate, the 12th for Republicans this primary season, came at the most pivotal moment of the tumultuous GOP race. Trump leads his rivals in the all-important delegate count after 24 voting contests, thrusting Republican elites into a tailspin of hand-wringing and denial.

Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, the last two candidates who have backing within the Republican establishment, face sudden-death primaries in their home states on Tuesday  a pair of winner-take-all contests that could put Trump's lead out of reach.

Cruz is closest to Trump in the delegate race and suggested again Thursday that Rubio and Kasich step aside to allow him to take on the real estate mogul one-on-one. After a reserved start to the debate, Cruz grew more aggressive as the two-hour contest progressed and warned Republican voters that nominating Trump would cost the GOP the White House.

"If we nominate Donald Trump, Hillary wins," said Cruz, a staunch conservative loathed by many of his Senate colleagues. He also argued that the businessman was overly simplistic on everything from trade to foreign policy, saying his solutions simply "don't work."

Rubio joined in at times. After Trump suggested Rubio was being too politically correct in his comments about the importance of working with Muslims to fight terrorism, the senator sharply shot back, "I'm not interested in being politically correct. I'm interested in being correct."

But there were just as many moments where the candidates let Trump slide, including on his acknowledgement that he's exploited immigration laws to bring skilled overseas workers to the U.S. to work for his companies and on his call for sending up to 30,000 U.S. ground troops to the Middle East to fight the Islamic State.

And none of the other candidates condemned Trump for comments that seemingly encouraged aggressive physical action against protesters at his campaign rallies.

"Washington isn't listening to the people. And that's the frustration that is boiling over," Cruz said when asked if he was concerned that the behavior of some of Trump's supporters would hurt the Republican Party in the general election.

The prospect of Trump winning the nomination has prompted some outside groups to start putting millions of dollars in television advertisements on the air to build a late case against him, including in Florida. The ads have largely focused on Trump's questionable business dealings, including legal action against the educational company Trump University. Yet none of the candidates attempted to build on the advertising campaign during the debate.

"I can't believe how civil it's been up here," Trump even said midway through the contest.

Trump has been forecasting a shift toward the general election, both in tone and in substance, and Thursday's debate gave him an opportunity to keep up that evolution. Well aware of the opposition to his candidacy from within his own party, he spoke frequently of Republican unity and urged those skeptical of him to rally around him for the good of the GOP.

"I think frankly the Republican establishment, or whatever you call it, should embrace what's happening," he said.

___

Julie Pace has covered the White House and politics for The Associated Press since 2008. Follow her on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks, as Republican presidential candidates, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., left, and businessman Donald Trump attempt to interrupt, during the Republican presidential debate sponsored by CNN, Salem Media Group and the Washington Times at the University of Miami, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Coral Gables, Fla. Republican presidential candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich is at right. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Republican presidential candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, right, speaks as Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, listens, during the Republican presidential debate sponsored by CNN, Salem Media Group and the Washington Times at the University of Miami, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump, right, answers a question, as Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., listens, during the Republican presidential debate sponsored by CNN, Salem Media Group and the Washington Times at the University of Miami, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump speaks, as Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, listens, during the Republican presidential debate sponsored by CNN, Salem Media Group and the Washington Times at the University of Miami, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
And now, the FDA has deemed the release of the

Genetically engineered mosquitoes used to stop the transmission of the Zika virus have been deemed safe by US health regulators.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that the self-limiting strain of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, developed by British biotech firm Oxitec Inc., will not have a significant impact on the environment.

The male mosquitoes have been engineered so that their offspring will die before adulthood - and before they can reproduce.

The FDA's preliminary investigation, conducted in the Florida Keys region, potentially paves the way for the technique to be used in the US.

The results come just one month after Florida declared a public health emergency last month over rising concern over the Zika virus in the US.

The FDA found that releasing genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes - used to stop the spread of the Zika virus - would not have any harmful effects on people or the environment in Florida. The mosquitoes are known to be transmitting the disease in Latin America and the Caribbean, and there is rising concern that the disease may soon spread to the US, particularly Florida

An outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika Virus has ravaged Latin America and the Caribbean in recent months.

The virus has also been linked to a surge of birth defects in Brazil, including microcephaly - in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and malformed brains.

Zika is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes - and because Florida has a warm climate and nearly year-long mosquito season, the virus is at risk of spreading in the state.

However, there have been no reported cases of Zika actually being transmitted in the state yet.

So far, all of the state's cases were acquired abroad, according to officials.

Yet, there still remains an urgency to prevent the spread of Zika within the state - possibly through the release of the genetically modified mosquitoes.

Oxitec chief executive officer Haydn Parry told Reuters: 'If we do get permission from the FDA to go ahead, we are hoping that we will start running the program sometime in 2016.'

The data seems to be promising in terms of reducing the mosquito populations in those small field trials, but we need to go through our process, and we are greatly expediting the process Dr Luciana Borio, of the FDA

Yet, FDA assistant commissioner Dr Luciana Borio said earlier this month at a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on Zika preparedness, that the agency needs to go through its full review before granting full approval.

Dr Borio said: 'The data seems to be promising in terms of reducing the mosquito populations in those small field trials, but we need to go through our process, and we are greatly expediting the process.'

Under Oxitec's technique, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are modified with synthetic DNA to produce offspring that won't survive outside of a lab setting.

Modified females are then separated in the lab from the modified males - which do not bite and are released to mate with with females.

Trials in Brazil, Panama and the Cayman Islands found that this approach helped reduce the Aedes aegypti population by more than 90 per cent, according to Oxitec.

Mr Parry noted that until now, mosquito control techniques in the US have only been able to reduce the population by nearly 50 per cent.

Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the March congressional hearing that scientists would have to show that a reduction in the mosquito population led to a decline in disease.

The Zika virus became a public health emergency after it was linked to a surge in birth defects, including microcephaly (pictured), which causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads. Scientists hope that releasing the genetically modified mosquitoes would stop the spread of the disease

He said: 'Scale-ability is really going to be a problem; you don't want to scale up unless you know it works.'

And Dr Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that tests of the genetically modified mosquitoes have only been done in small settings, and with the release of tens of millions of mosqutioes.

Dr Frieden said: 'So while they're promising technologies that we absolutely need to pursue, I think we also have to be realistic about what the impact in this mosquito season is likely to be.'

Yet, despite questions about the technique's efficacy, Oxitec said that it has received no reports of adverse impacts from its modified mosqutios.

So while they're promising technologies that we absolutely need to pursue, I think we also have to be realistic about what the impact in this mosquito season is likely to be Dr Tom Frieden, of the CDC

Certain activists have urged for more proof that stray female modified mosquitoes that leave the labs aren't spreading genetic material through bites or that there aren't other environmental risks - such as opening areas of infestation by another disease-carrying mosquito species.

Yet, in its preliminary finding, the FDA said the genetically modified mosquitoes wouldn't be harmful to people or the environment.

The finding said: 'Based on the data and information submitted in the draft (environmental assessment), other submissions from the sponsor, and scientific literature, FDA found that the probability of adverse impacts on human or other animal health is negligible or low.'

The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District wants Oxitec to test its modified mosquitoes in a neighborhood of 444 houses on a pretty isolated peninsula north of Key West.

With or without the test, the district is looking for additional options to kill Aedes aegypti, which it considers a significant and expensive threat in the tourism-dependent island chain.
Trial for man accused of plotting Texas attack nears end

PHOENIX (AP)  Federal prosecutors on Friday asked a jury to convict a Phoenix moving company owner of a terrorism charge, saying he provided the guns, ammunition and motivation to two Islamic State followers in an attack on an anti-Islam event last year in Texas.

Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem is charged with providing support to the Islamic State terrorist group for what prosecutors describe as a crucial behind-the-scenes role in a plot by two friends to shoot up a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in the Dallas area. They were killed in a police shootout outside the event.

Kareem, 44, is believed to be the first person to stand trial on charges related to Islamic State. A trial in New York that started halfway through Kareem's trial concluded Wednesday with a guilty verdict against a U.S. military veteran charged with attempting to join the terrorist group.

FILE - In this May 4, 2015 file photo, FBI crime scene investigators document the area around two deceased gunmen and their vehicle outside the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas. Attorneys are scheduled to make closing arguments Friday, March 11, 2016, at the trial of an Arizona man charged with plotting an attack at a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas. Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem is accused of providing the guns used in the attack and going target shooting with two friends who were later killed in a police shootout outside the contest. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade, File)

Prosecutor Joseph Koehler told jurors in his closing argument that witness testimony shows Kareem knew that Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi were Islamic State members and planning an attack at the cartoon contest and an Arizona military base.

Kareem taught Simpson and Soofi how to operate and maintain rifles and provided the guns and ammunition they brought to the cartoon contest, he said.

"He was a motivator. He was a bankroller," Koehler said. "He was a trainer and an intended participant."

Koehler noted that the two men printed out an Islamic State flag and brought it to the cartoon contest.

"They want to announce to the world that we are here on behalf of ISIS," he said.

Defense attorney Daniel Maynard said authorities wrongfully targeted his client because two of his Muslim friends were killed as they tried to carry out a mass shooting. Maynard said federal authorities arrested his client to save face for failing to adequately respond to a warning about Simpson.

Maynard said authorities knew Simpson was traveling to Texas and sent photos of him and the car he was traveling in to local authorities, but they weren't able to stop the attack.

"This case is about the government deciding they need someone else, because the government failed," Maynard said.

Jurors began deliberations late Friday afternoon and met privately for about 20 minutes before going home. No verdict has yet been reached.

Kareem surprised many in the courtroom by taking the stand in his own defense, testifying steadfastly that he knew nothing about the plans for the attack. His lawyers believe it is a flimsy case that is nothing but guilt by association with Simpson and Soofi.

Kareem told jurors that he evicted Simpson from his home because he believed Simpson was putting a tracking device in his car. He also said he strongly disapproved of Simpson using Kareem's laptop to watch al-Qaida promotional materials.

Defense attorneys are scheduled to make closing arguments after Friday's lunch break.

Authorities say Kareem, Simpson and Soofi had researched travel to the Middle East so they could join Islamic State fighters. It's unknown whether the attack was inspired by the Islamic State or carried out in response to an order from the organization.

Prosecutors said Kareem tried to carry out an insurance scam to fund the conspiracy to support Islamic State and attempted to indoctrinate two teenage boys in his neighborhood on radical jihadism.

They also say Kareem, Simpson and Soofi initially wanted to blow up the Arizona stadium where the 2015 Super Bowl was held, but when that plan failed, they set their sights on the contest in suburban Dallas.

Simpson and Soofi regularly watched Islamic State videos showing beheadings and mass executions. Kareem admitted that he saw on Simpson's phone images of a Jordanian pilot being burned in a cage by Islamic State, Koehler said.

"He knew exactly what was going on with these folks," Koehler said.

___

Follow Jacques Billeaud at twitter.com/jacquesbilleaud. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/jacques-billeaud.
Louisiana reels from days of pounding rain

COVINGTON, La. (AP)  Roads were submerged, bridges washed out, and cars abandoned in rivers and streams as Louisiana struggled Friday from days of severe weather that forced residents across the state to flee their homes.

The rain and flooding is part of a weather system that has affected Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama. At least three people have died in Louisiana alone.

The system that dumped as much as 20 inches of rain in some areas was slowly moving out of the region, but the effects could still be felt as rivers in some areas were waiting to crest, more rain was expected Saturday and water in other areas was still draining.

Caution tape closes off this neighborhood in Drew, Miss., Friday, March 11, 2016, as floodwaters have affected areas in the Delta. The flooding has affected the Delta to varying degrees. Additional rain is expected to continue through Saturday. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

In neighboring Mississippi, the worst appeared yet to come as officials said as many as 1,000 residents could see their homes flooded by the rapidly rising Leaf River in Hattiesburg, Petal and surrounding areas.

In southwest Louisiana, a band of rain dumped 10 to 15 inches of rain across some areas late Thursday and into Friday, sparking vicious flash flooding.

Allen DeWeese was living in the Land-o-Pines campground in Covington with his 10-year-old son when the rushing waters of the Tchefuncte River destroyed his trailer.

"They're calling it Land-o-Lakes right at the moment," he joked, while smoking a cigarette at a shelter set up in Covington. His trailer? "It's destroyed. It's underwater."

He planned to spend the night at the shelter. After that, he wasn't sure. "I'll take it day-to-day," he said.

Parish officials there said three local rivers were reaching historic levels and would continue to rise.

In nearby Tangipahoa Parish, Sheriff Daniel Edwards said close to 50 roads were closed because of high water and an estimated 300 to 400 people had to evacuate.

Further to the east in Washington Parish, swollen rivers and creeks led to widespread flooding, prompting rescues from scores of homes. The Coast Guard even had use a helicopter to pluck someone trapped on a roof.

In northern Louisiana, the deluge has dumped 15-20 inches this week. In Ouachita Parish, well over 1,000 people have been evacuated, said Glenn Springfield, a spokesman for the sheriff's office.

He said they started doing water rescues early Wednesday morning and have been "doing those pretty much around the clock nonstop since then."

People were sandbagging their homes and water had washed out roads and bridges, he said.

In Bossier Parish, another area in northwest Louisiana clobbered by the rain, at least 1,000 people were evacuated by first responders, said Bill Davis, a spokesman for the sheriff's department. He said officials expect waters to overtop the Red Chute Levee but it's too soon to say by how much or what damage it could cause.

Brenda Maddox was forced to flee her home of 26 years. The couple left Thursday with four days of clothes packed. On Friday they came back to retrieve their car from the flooded streets and were going to an RV park to wait out the rain.

"We'd heard we'd get a lot of rain, but it all came so sudden," she said. "We hate to leave, but we thought we'd get out while we can."

At the Pecan Valley Estates mobile home park, Sam Cassidy and his wife were the last holdouts Friday  worried looters might come if they left.

Thursday morning, with waters creeping up his front steps, he stood in waist-deep water watching his neighbors evacuate. An alligator swam by. By night it looked like a "horror movie."

"It was pitch black, the houses were empty. It's been an adventure," he said.

The severe weather system that has dumped rain across the state has been feeding off of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, said Frank Revitte, from the National Weather Service in Slidell.

It was starting to move slowly to the northeast, he said, giving the state a chance to dry out, but additional showers are expected Saturday.

Gov. John Bel Edwards crisscrossed the state Friday checking on parishes. He said there had been record flooding in some areas and called it a "major event."

Mike Steele, a spokesman for the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said Friday it was too early to provide estimates on damage as the number of flooded properties and evacuees was "changing by the minute."

Northeast Louisiana could see 2 more inches of rain by Sunday, he said.

Other states in the region have also been affected:

 In Mississippi, Emergency Management Agency Director Lee Smithson said more than 300 homes statewide have been flooded since Wednesday. No one has been killed, but the search is still on for two fishermen missing on the Mississippi River. State or federal highways were fully or partially closed in 14 of Mississippi's 82 counties because of flooding or flood damage.

In Forrest County, where as many as 1,000 residents could see their homes flooded by the Leaf River, officials urged people to evacuate and take precautions in advance of the river's predicted Sunday morning crest.

 The National Weather Service predicted Friday that nearly 6 inches of rain could fall by early Sunday around Mobile, Alabama.

 In Memphis, Tennessee, rescuers evacuated at least six people from a handful of homes.

 One weather-related drowning was reported in both Oklahoma and Texas earlier this week.

___

Benchaabane reported from Bossier City. Associated Press writers Bill Fuller, Rebecca Santana and Cain Burdeau in New Orleans, Jeff Martin in Atlanta and Jeff Amy in Jackson contributed to this report.

A car sits in flooded water at Nash's Express convenience store in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

A sedan sits underwater along Shaw Street in Drew, Miss., Friday, March 11, 2016, as floodwaters have affected areas in the Delta. Rain kept falling in Mississippi Friday as rescuers plucked people from flash flooding and residents along Delta rivers sandbagged against rising waters. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Flood water rushes down the street in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

Flood waters partially submerge a "HIGH WATER" sign on Rufus Bankston Road west of Hammond, La., on Friday, March 11, 2016. (David Grunfeld/NOLA.com The Times-Picayune via AP) MAGS OUT; NO SALES; USA TODAY OUT; THE BATON ROUGE ADVOCATE OUT; THE NEW ORLEANS ADVOCATE OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT

A sign is submerged in flood water in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

An Entergy electric truck drives down a flooded street in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

Flood waters rise around Treasure Hunters Thrift Shop in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

Flood waters rise against Nash's Express convenience store in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

A man wades through flood waters in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

Rowdy the dog finds refuge on an office chair in Harvey Cook's flooded home in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016, after heavy rains caused low areas to flood. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding. (AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

Kelly Bittola, left, and her daughter, Lauren Bittola move a dog house to higher ground after their own house flooded in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

Flood waters rise under the windowsill of the Hammond Boys and Girls Center on Friday, March 11, 2016 in Hammond, La., Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

A motorist drives through flood waters in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

Gov. John Bel Edwards and Bossier Parish Sheriff Julian Whittington, left, look out over the flooded Golden Meadows Estates in Bossier City, La., Friday, March 11, 2016, as they tour the flood damage in a high water vehicle. Torrential rains pounded Louisiana for a fourth day Friday, leaving roads impassable, submerging cars and forcing people from their homes overnight. (Douglas Collier/The Shreveport Times via AP) MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT SHREVEPORTTIMES.COM; NO SALES

Gov. John Bel Edwards, wearing baseball cap, speaks to a resident at the Golden Meadows Estates in Bossier City, La., Friday, March 11, 2016, while touring the flood damage in a high water vehicle with local officials. Torrential rains pounded Louisiana for a fourth day Friday, leaving roads impassable, submerging cars and forcing people from their homes overnight. (Douglas Collier/The Shreveport Times via AP) MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT SHREVEPORTTIMES.COM; NO SALES

Crews put down sand bangs while trying to raise the level of the Red Chute levee off Stockwell Road in Bossier City, La., on Friday, March 11, 2016. Water is expected to overtop the levee by Saturday night. Torrential rains pounded Louisiana for a fourth day Friday, leaving roads impassable, submerging cars and forcing people from their homes overnight. (Douglas Collier/The Shreveport Times via AP) MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT SHREVEPORTTIMES.COM; NO SALES

Gary Adams pulls Sheryl Adams through the streets of the Golden Meadows Estates in Bossier City, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded Louisiana for a fourth day Friday, leaving roads impassable, submerging cars and forcing people from their homes overnight. (Douglas Collier/The Shreveport Times via AP) MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT SHREVEPORTTIMES.COM; NO SALES

A resident backs her car out of a flooded driveway after the water reached the bottom of her door jam, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Drew, Miss. A number of counties reported various levels of flooding from recent rains which began Wednesday and could last through Saturday. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

A motorist drives through a flooded Hugh Ward Boulevard in Jackson, Miss. Friday, March 11, 2016. (Justin Sellers/The Clarion-Ledger via AP)
UK press up in arms over Obama comments about Cameron

LONDON (AP)  The British press on Friday accused President Barack Obama of launching an unprecedented verbal attack on British Prime Minister David Cameron in a magazine interview.

In a lengthy interview with The Atlantic, Obama faults Cameron and other European allies for shortcomings in dealing with Libya after the 2011 ouster of longtime dictator Col. Moammar Gadhafi.

The Times newspaper said Obama's criticism was "extraordinary" and said Obama was blaming Cameron for the "Libya mess."

FILE - This is a Sunday, June 7, 2015 file photo of US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron shake hands as they participate in a bilateral meeting during the G-7 summit in Schloss Elmau hotel near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, southern Germany. The British press on Friday March 11, 2016 has accused President Obama of launching a verbal attack on Prime Minister David Cameron. Obama's comments in a magazine interview were called 'unprecedented' and 'extraordinary.' The hubbub has pushed the White House into damage control mode and US officials issued a statement asserting close ties between the leaders. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

The Independent front page headline says "Obama savages Cameron over Libya."

In the magazine interview, Obama said Cameron had been "distracted" by other issues after Gadhafi's fall.

Britain and other European nations had joined the U.S. in military action there to prevent a massacre of civilians. Obama told the magazine he had expected European nations to take a more active role in helping Libya during its reconstruction.

"When I go back and I ask myself what went wrong there's room for criticism, because I had more faith in the Europeans, given Libya's proximity, being invested in the follow-up," he said.

Obama also criticized former French President Nicolas Sarkozy for taking too much credit for France's military role.

Libya has since descended into chaos and emerged as a potential safe haven for Islamic State extremists.

U.S. officials have tried to squelch the controversy by telling British media that the United States places a high priority on Britain's support.

"Prime Minister Cameron has been as close a partner as the president has had, and we deeply value the UK's contributions on our shared national security and foreign policy objectives which reflect our special and essential relationship," spokesman Edward Price told ITV News.

The two countries have long been close allies with a so-called "special relationship" exemplified by the close cooperation between Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt during World War II.

Ties between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher were also exceptionally close near the end of the Cold War, and President George W. Bush relied on Tony Blair to back the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

FILE - This is a Friday, Sept. 5, 2014 file photo of U.S. President Barack Obama, right, as he speaks with British Prime Minister David Cameron during a flypast at the NATO summit at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales. The British press on Friday March 11, 2016 has accused President Obama of launching a verbal attack on Prime Minister David Cameron. Obama's comments in a magazine interview were called 'unprecedented' and 'extraordinary.' The hubbub has pushed the White House into damage control mode and US officials issued a statement asserting close ties between the leaders. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)
Utah keeps death penalty despite strong push to abolish

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  A surprising push to abolish the death penalty in deep-red Utah ran out of steam, as the Republican lawmaker shepherding the measure said he didn't have enough votes to pass it before a midnight deadline.

The proposal won enough support in the GOP-dominated Legislature to be one debate and vote away from final passage, a surprising turnaround from lawmakers' vote a year ago to revive the use of firing squads in executions if lethal drugs are unavailable.

"I think that people ruled us out at every step and we kept progressing," said state Sen. Steve Urquhart, the Republican pushing to end capital punishment.

FILE - This June 18, 2010, file photo shows the firing squad execution chamber at the Utah State Prison, in Draper, Utah. Utah lawmakers are nearing their deadline to decide if they want to abolish the death penalty in the conservative state. The final day of the legislative session is Thursday, March 10, 2016, and lawmakers have until midnight to vote. Last year, Utah lawmakers voted to reinstate firing squads as a backup method to ensure the state had a way to kill death row inmates if it couldn't get lethal-injection drugs. (Trent Nelson/Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool, File)

Unable to secure enough votes, Urquhart abandoned the push Thursday night after briefly shopping the idea of a moratorium instead.

The lawmaker told The Associated Press that he came very close to securing a majority of votes from the 75 members of the House of Representatives. But he said too many undecided legislators would have needed hours of convincing.

"I can't say that the bill is totally a victim of the clock, but you know, if we had another week or so, it would be interesting to see what would have happened," he said.

Even if it had passed, the measure faced an uncertain future with Republican Gov. Gary Herbert, who supports capital punishment in extreme cases but wouldn't say if he would veto the measure.

Herbert told the AP on Thursday evening that he was concerned about the decades of delays that death row inmates spend appealing their sentences and higher costs of capital cases.

"I'm pro-death penalty, but with the parameters that it's done on very rare occasions for the most heinous of crimes," he said. "And that's how Utah has utilized it over the last 40 years. We've only had seven executions in 40 years. This is not Texas."

The governor said he was a bit surprised how much support the repeal measure had received.

Shortly before Urquhart said he was ending the push, the older brother of the last man executed in the state interrupted legislators by shouting at them from the House gallery.

Randy Gardner of Salt Lake City, who opposes capital punishment, unfurled a banner with autopsy images of his younger brother while yelling "Nobody has the right to do that to somebody. I don't care who he is and what he did."

Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed in 2010 by firing squad. He killed a bartender and later shot a lawyer to death and wounded a bailiff during a 1985 courthouse escape attempt.

Legislative security removed the banner from Randy Gardner and took him outside in handcuffs. He told reporters he was upset that it appeared lawmakers would not vote on the repeal.

"They're not listening to us," he said.

Nineteen other states and the District of Columbia have abolished capital punishment, and lawmakers, including Republicans, in more than half a dozen other states have suggested their states should do the same.

The Utah repeal measure was originally believed to meet quick roadblocks in Utah, but Urquhart framed the issue in terms that appealed to lawmakers' libertarian leanings. He argued that the death penalty is costly and gives imperfect governments a godlike power over life and death.

Death penalty supporters argued Urquhart's repeal would leave prosecutors shortchanged at the bargaining table, where they would otherwise negotiate a plea deal of a life sentence without parole in lieu of execution.

Other critics said that for especially heinous crimes, execution is a just punishment.

The debate comes amid a renewed national discussion about capital punishment.

A shortage of lethal-injection drugs in the U.S. in recent years has led several states to pass or consider laws to bring back other execution methods, such as electrocution. Last year, Utah lawmakers voted to reinstate firing squads as a backup method to ensure the state had a way to kill death row inmates if it couldn't get lethal-injection drugs.

Utah lawmakers stopped offering inmates the choice of firing squad in 2004, saying the method attracted intense media interest and took away attention from victims.

Last year's resurrection of the firing squad made it an option for all death row inmates, if drug cannot be obtained 30 days before their execution. Utah is the only state in four decades to carry out such a death sentence, with three executions by firing squad since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976.

Most Utah lawmakers are Mormon, but the firing-squad effort didn't seem linked to any teachings or doctrine from the Salt Lake City-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Mormon church takes a neutral position on capital punishment.

Randy Gardner, of Salt Lake City, the older brother of Ronnie Lee Gardner, the last inmate to be killed by firing squad in Utah in 2010, disrupts the House of Representatives Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Salt Lake City. Gardner, who opposes capital punishment, unfurled a banner with autopsy images of his younger brother while yelling "Nobody has the right to do that to somebody. I don't care who he is and what he did." Utah lawmakers this year took up sweeping proposals to abolish the death penalty, significantly restrict abortions and set up a system to grow and distribute marijuana products for medical use. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Randy Gardner, of Salt Lake City, the older brother of Ronnie Lee Gardner, the last inmate to be killed by firing squad in Utah in 2010, is escorted out of the House of Representatives Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Salt Lake City. Gardner, who opposes capital punishment, unfurled a banner with autopsy images of his younger brother while yelling "Nobody has the right to do that to somebody. I don't care who he is and what he did." Utah lawmakers this year took up sweeping proposals to abolish the death penalty, significantly restrict abortions and set up a system to grow and distribute marijuana products for medical use. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Sen. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, look on during debate on the Senate floor Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Salt Lake City. Utah lawmakers this year took up sweeping proposals to abolish the death penalty, significantly restrict abortions and set up a system to grow and distribute marijuana products for medical use. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Randy Gardner, of Salt Lake City, the older brother of Ronnie Lee Gardner, the last inmate to be killed by firing squad in Utah in 2010, is escorted out of the House of Representatives Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Salt Lake City. Gardner, who opposes capital punishment, unfurled a banner with autopsy images of his younger brother while yelling "Nobody has the right to do that to somebody. I don't care who he is and what he did." Utah lawmakers this year took up sweeping proposals to abolish the death penalty, significantly restrict abortions and set up a system to grow and distribute marijuana products for medical use. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
The Latest: Electric utility cuts power to Caddo Lake area

BOSSIER CITY, La. (AP)  The Latest on severe weather in the U.S. (all times local):

4:10 p.m. CST

An electric utility is disconnecting power to customers in the Caddo Lake area on the Texas-Louisiana border as water levels in the lake surpass National Weather Service projections.

A man wades through flood waters in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

The Panola-Harrison Electric Co-Op announced it would suspend service to areas along Big Cypress Bayou to avoid short circuits and power-line arcs that could spark fires.

Harrison County officials in Marshall, Texas, have appealed to Caddo Lake area residents to heed a mandatory evacuation notice issued Wednesday because floodwaters are isolating some areas, cutting access by emergency personnel.

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3 p.m. CST

Officials in Louisiana parishes north of New Orleans are reporting more rain-related problems.

Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said Friday that close to 50 roads were closed due to high water.

He estimated 300 to 400 evacuees in his parish alone, many in neighborhoods that have never flooded.

Flash flood waters in many populated areas appeared to be receding by Friday afternoon, although more rain could change that.

In St. Tammany Parish just to the east of Tangipahoa, officials said levels in three local rivers were reaching historic levels and would continue to rise. They are encouraging people in homes nearby to decide before dark whether to evacuate.

Louisiana has been lashed with storms this week that first dumped rain the state's northwest before hammering some areas in the southeast.

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1 p.m. CST

A rescue crew has evacuated 10 people from four Tennessee homes that were surrounded by floodwaters from an overflowing river.

Rescuers used an amphibious vehicle to maneuver through a neighborhood swamped by water from the swollen Loosahatchie River on Friday. Among those rescued was an 87-year-old man with a health issue.

Shelby County Sheriff's Office spokesman Mickey Keaton said none of the houses had water in them. But the roads leading to the homes were flooded, trapping residents.

The National Weather Service says 3 to 10 inches of rain has fallen in parts of West Tennessee, north Mississippi and eastern Arkansas since late Tuesday. Flood warnings are in effect as forecasters predict 1 to 3 more inches of rain could fall in the area this weekend.

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12 p.m. CST

Floodwaters are rising on the Alabama coast as torrential rains move in from Louisiana.

Police said water was beginning to cover roads on the west tip of Dauphin Island, a narrow, 17-mile-long barrier island dotted with beach homes built on stilts. Main roads were still passable around midday Friday but may not be for long, police said.

Flooding also is occurring around a historic brick fort that was used to guard the mouth of Mobile Bay during the Civil War, police said, and waves were bashing into the rocky bed of the causeway that connects the island with the mainland. The island's 1,300 residents could be temporarily cut off if bay waters get too high.

The National Weather Service predicted nearly 6 inches of rain could fall by early Sunday along the Alabama coast. Forecasters issued a flood warning for the region, and the weather service warned boaters to stay inshore because of gale-force winds blowing to about 40 mph.

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12:55 p.m. EST

Storms that have swamped Louisiana with torrential rain are moving eastward toward Alabama, with weather officials saying flooding is possible around Mobile Bay and warning that spring breakers need to be careful in the roiling Gulf of Mexico.

The National Weather Service predicted Friday that nearly 6 inches of rain could fall by early Sunday around Mobile, Alabama, where downtown streets often flood during tropical deluges. Water already was rising in the fishing communities and boatyards south of the city.

Across Mobile Bay in the coastal tourist towns of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, thousands of college students have converged for spring break. There, forecasters warned of potentially deadly surf conditions.

Forecasters posted a warning for rip currents, which can quickly pull swimmers out to deep water, and said waves could reach 7 feet in height.

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11:45 a.m.

After a night of heavy rains, authorities say swollen rivers and creeks in rural Washington Parish in southeastern Louisiana have led to widespread flooding, prompting rescues from scores of homes.

Mike Haley, a chief deputy for the parish's sheriff, says dozens of homes have been flooded in the parish, which is bounded by the Pearl River and the Bogue Chitto (BOH'-guh CHAT'uh) River.

He says the Coast Guard has sent a helicopter from New Orleans to rescue someone who was trapped on a roof in Varnado (VAR'-nuh-doe), a small town north of Bogalusa. He had no details about who the person was.

Haley says they've done rescues all over the parish. He says there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths.

Haley says the flooding is worse than what the parish saw during Hurricane Isaac in 2012.

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10:30 a.m.

Dozens of evacuees at a shelter in southeast Louisiana are awaiting rides from friends or relatives or are bedded down on cots that lined the walls of the school gym. They arrived with backpacks or small shoulder bags or plastic garbage bags stuffed with belongings.

Outside Natalbany Middle School in Tangipahoa Parish, 37-year-old Thaddeus Jackson and his wife, 35-year-old Joann Mills, stood waiting for a ride. They had been evacuated from their Hammond home early Friday. Mills said the water was waste deep outside their apartment.

Jackson said water was already entering the two story apartment when he arrived home at around 2:30 a.m. He said he did what he could to protect his furniture, then went to sleep upstairs with his wife and two children.

He said when he woke up Friday, rescuers were banging on the door, telling them to get out. He said they were evacuated through the high water in military-style trucks.

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8:40 a.m.

Storms that have swamped Louisiana with torrential rain are moving eastward toward Alabama, with weather officials saying flooding is possible around Mobile Bay and warning that spring breakers need to be careful in the roiling Gulf of Mexico.

The National Weather Service predicted Friday that nearly 6 inches of rain could fall by early Sunday around Mobile, Alabama, where downtown streets often flood during tropical deluges. Water already is rising in the fishing communities and boatyards south of the city.

Across Mobile Bay in the coastal tourist towns of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, thousands of college students have converged for spring break. There, forecasters warned of potentially deadly surf conditions.

Forecasters posted a warning for rip currents, which can quickly pull swimmers out to deep water, and said waves could reach 7 feet in height  unusually large for the northern Gulf Coast. Beach erosion and flooding is also possible.

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7:45 a.m.

High water rescues are underway in Tangipahoa (tan-ji-puh-HOH') Parish.

Parish President Robby Miller says a total of 200 people have been removed from their homes east of Hammond and in the Loranger area northeast of Hammond.

Miller says they're getting calls from all over the parish of high water and homes threatened.

He says 60 parish roads are now blocked by high water and that number is growing.

Shelters have been set up at an elementary school in Natabany north of Hammond and at Loranger High School.

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6:50 a.m.

It's another wet day across northern Louisiana.

Meteorologist Patrick Omundson in Shreveport says rain continues to fall over portions of north central Louisiana bringing an addition inch to portions of Grant, LaSalle and Winn parishes.

He says most of the heavy rain remains over the Monroe area in northeast Louisiana.

Omundson says a section of Interstate 20 east of Bossier City remains closed and a portion of I-49 is closed south of Shreveport. He says Wallace Lake is overflowing, sending its water west to the interstate.

At the weather service office, Omundson say 11 inches have fallen, but he has reports of up to 20 inches in some areas from Shreveport to Monroe.

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6:15 a.m.

All of southeast Louisiana remains under a flash flood watch as bands of heavy rain move over the area.

National Weather Service forecaster Andrew Ansorge in Slidell says a line of heavy rain moved north over the New Orleans metro area Friday morning and more is expected.

Ansorge says an area north of the Interstate 12 and west Interstate 55 is seeing the most rain.

He says Tangipahoa Parish is seeing flash flooding and high water rescues are underway in the Hammond and Loranger area. He says up to 10 inches has fallen in the Bogalusa area of Washington Parish.

Ansorge says the heavy rain will continue Friday and get lighter Saturday. Sunday will be a much better day.

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3 a.m.

Record-setting flooding in northern Louisiana prompted numerous high-water rescues of stranded families and animals and officials said some levees could overflow Friday.

If weather permits Friday, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards planned to tour Shreveport and Bossier City and Monroe.

Edwards late Thursday issued a statewide declaration of emergency in light of the severe weather that's already hit those areas and predictions of more rain.

Bossier Parish Sheriff's Lt. Bill Davis said two more subdivisions in south Bossier City and the area immediately around and next to Louisiana Downs racetrack were now under a mandatory evacuation.

Davis said Red Chute Bayou above Interstate 20 was still rising, and officials anticipate the levees will likely overtop by Friday morning.

People walk through a flooded street in Greenville, Miss. on Thursday, March 10, 2016. The National Weather Service says 3 to 10 inches of rain has fallen in counties along the Mississippi River in western Tennessee, eastern Arkansas and northern Mississippi since late Tuesday, flooding roads, parking lots and fields (Bill Johnson/The Delta Democrat-Times via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

Flood waters partially submerge a "HIGH WATER" sign on Rufus Bankston Road west of Hammond, La., on Friday, March 11, 2016. (David Grunfeld/NOLA.com The Times-Picayune via AP) MAGS OUT; NO SALES; USA TODAY OUT; THE BATON ROUGE ADVOCATE OUT; THE NEW ORLEANS ADVOCATE OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT

A car sits in flooded water at Nash's Express convenience store in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

Flood waters rise around Treasure Hunters Thrift Shop in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

Flood waters rise against Nash's Express convenience store in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

An Entergy electric truck drives down a flooded street in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

A sign is submerged in flood water in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

Flood water rushes down the street in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

Rowdy the dog finds refuge on an office chair in Harvey Cook's flooded home in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016, after heavy rains caused low areas to flood. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding. (AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

Kelly Bittola, left, and her daughter, Lauren Bittola move a dog house to higher ground after their own house flooded in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

Flood waters rise under the windowsill of the Hammond Boys and Girls Center on Friday, March 11, 2016 in Hammond, La., Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

A motorist drives through flood waters in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)
Main Syrian opposition groups to attend Geneva peace talks

BEIRUT (AP)  Syria's main, Western-backed opposition groups said Friday they will attend the U.N.-sponsored indirect peace talks with the Damascus government in Geneva, starting in two days' time, amid renewed efforts by the international community to end the deadly, five-year conflict.

The civil war has killed over 250,000 people and displaced millions of Syrians from their homes. In the latest violence, Syrian state media reported that the extremist Islamic State group killed Syrian poet Mohammad Bashir al-Ani and his son, Eyas, in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, which is contested between the government and IS.

The opposition groups, assembled under an umbrella known as the High Negotiations Committee, said in a statement that their participation in the Geneva talks starting Monday comes in response to "sincere" international efforts to end Syria's war.

In this Dec. 24, 2015 photo provided by Save the Children, a man walks with a pair of children in hand hand through the rubble in Eastern Ghouta, Syria. A report published Tuesday, March 8, 2016, by Save the Children, paints a grim picture in Syria's besieged cities, where young people have lost any hope for the future, living in constant fear of aerial bombardment and lacking access to food and proper medical care. (Save the Children via AP)

The decision to go came after violence dropped following a truce brokered by Russia and the United States. That cease-fire went into effect on Feb. 27, and the government and militants allowed dozens of trucks carrying aid to enter besieged areas.

The HNC said it still seeks a full lifting of siege on rebel-held areas, as well as the release of hundreds of detainees including women and children.

The opposition team in Geneva will press for a transitional governing body with full executive powers and a pluralist regime in which President Bashar Assad and his associates will have no role, the HNC statement said. It also insisted on Syria's unity and the restructuring of the country's security agencies.

But the umbrella's chief, Riad Hijab, played down expectations ahead of the Geneva talks.

"We are not going to test the intentions of the (Syrian) regime," he said. "We know what crimes they are committing."

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem is scheduled to hold a news conference on Saturday but it was not clear if he is going to announce when the government's team will head to Geneva.

In Turkey, HNC member George Sabra said the opposition is convinced the Syrian government and its chief backers Russia and Iran "still aim for a military solution" to the crisis.

"Honestly, our confidence for these negotiations to stop the suffering for Syria or the Syrian people to succeed is weak," Sabra said.

The first round of Geneva talks collapsed on Feb. 3 during a wide government offensive against insurgents.

In several areas in northern Syria, hundreds of people came out on the streets after Friday prayers, carrying the opposition's flag and calling for the downfall of Assad's government, according to opposition monitoring groups the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees.

The Observatory's chief Rami Abdurrahman said that in the northern towns of Maaret al-Numan and Salqin, supporters of al-Qaida's branch in Syria  known as the Nusra Front  mingled in among the protesters, brandishing al-Qaida's black flag and forcing the protesters to disperse.

It was the second time in a week that Nusra Front members had broken up a rally in the region, apparently in an effort to intimidate activists from organizing pro-opposition demonstrating in the future.

Syria's civil war has devastated the country and given space for the emergence of radical militant groups such as the Islamic State and the Nustra Front. Those groups and other militant factions are not part of the cease-fire or international negotiations.

In its report about the killing of the poet, al-Ani, the SANA news agency said late Thursday that he and his son were taken from their home in Deir el-Zour two months ago to an unknown destination.

The 56-year-old al-Ani was one of the most prominent poets in eastern Syria.

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In rare move, Rubio asks Republicans to back Kasich in Ohio

MIAMI (AP)  Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump is calling for the party to unify behind him, but opponents are taking unusual steps to block him from victory in critical primary states Ohio and Florida on Tuesday.

On Friday, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio urged voters in Ohio to cast ballots for fellow challenger John Kasich, the state's governor.

"If you want to stop Trump in Ohio, Kasich's the only guy who can beat him there," Rubio spokesman Alex Conant said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the Mar-A-Lago Club where former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson announced he is endorsing Trump, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

In turn, Rubio is hoping to win in his home state, splitting the day's two big delegate prizes and keeping them out of Trump's hands.

While only Kasich can take on Trump in Ohio, "Marco is the only guy who can beat him in Florida," Conant said.

Polls suggest Kasich has a better chance in his state than Rubio has in Florida, but it's important to both of them, and to other remaining candidate Ted Cruz, to keep Trump from sweeping the two big states and taking a big step toward securing the Republican nomination.

But Trump picked up an endorsement Friday from onetime rival Ben Carson.

The developments came a day after a surprisingly civil Republican debate in which Trump warned the party to end its civil war over his candidacy and to "be smart and unify."

While the debate focused on issues rather than insults, it was not clear that Cruz, Rubio or Kasich were able to gain ground on the New York billionaire.

In all, 367 Republican delegates are at stake in Tuesday's voting that also takes place in Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, and the Northern Mariana Islands, which could go a long way toward determining the Republican nominee.

In the race for Republican delegates, Trump has 459, Cruz 360, Rubio 152 and Kasich 54. It takes 1,237 to win the Republican nomination for president

Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders also will be competing on Tuesday, with Clinton out to regain momentum after her startling loss to Sanders in Michigan this week.

Thursday's Republican debate still had its share of criticism.

Rubio's message: "I know that a lot of people find appeal in the things Donald says. The problem is, presidents can't just say anything they want because it has consequences around the world."

Cruz, eager to cement his position as the party's last best alternative to Trump, said: "His solutions don't work."

Trump was clearly intent on projecting a less bombastic, and more presidential, image.

"We're all in this together," he said. "We're going to come up with solutions. We're going to find the answer to things."

In a discussion of the threat posed by radicalized Muslims, Trump refused to back away from his recent statement that "Islam hates the West." He said he wouldn't stoop to being "politically correct" by avoiding such statements.

Rubio had a sharp comeback: "I'm not interested in being politically correct. I'm interested in being correct."

Former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson, left, center, speaks with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump after a news conference at the Mar-A-Lago Club, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Palm Beach, Fla. Carson announced he is endorsing Trump. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson, left, speaks with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump after a news conference at the Mar-A-Lago Club, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Palm Beach, Fla. Carson announced he is endorsing Trump. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson speaks after announcing he will endorse Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, during a news conference at the Mar-A-Lago Club, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, accompanied by former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson, right, speaks at the Mar-A-Lago Club, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Palm Beach, Fla. Carson announced he will endorse Trump. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks as Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump listens, during the Republican presidential debate sponsored by CNN, Salem Media Group and the Washington Times at the University of Miami, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., left, answers a question, as Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump listens, during the Republican presidential debate sponsored by CNN, Salem Media Group and the Washington Times at the University of Miami, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Republican presidential candidates, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., from left, Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, stand together during the signing of the National Anthem, before the start of the Republican presidential debate sponsored by CNN, Salem Media Group and the Washington Times at the University of Miami, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Donald Trump calls off rally due to security concerns

CHICAGO (AP)  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump canceled one of his signature rallies on Friday, calling off the event in Chicago due to safety concerns after protesters packed into the arena where it was to take place.

The announcement that the billionaire businessman would postpone the rally until another day led a large portion of the crowd inside the University of Illinois at Chicago Pavilion to break out into raucous cheers. Meanwhile, supporters of the candidate started chanting "We want Trump! We want Trump!"

There were isolated physical confrontations between some members of the crowd after the event was canceled.

FILE - In this June 29, 2015 file photo, protesters gather across the street from a restaurant in Chicago before Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke to members of the City Club of Chicago. Student activists and longtime Chicago organizers have planned protests March 10, 2016 outside the University of Illinois at Chicago venue where Trump is scheduled to speak. Students said they planned to demonstration because of disparaging comments Trump has made, particularly about Muslims and Mexicans.(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

There was no sign of Trump inside the arena on the college campus, where dozens of UIC faculty and staff had petitioned university administrators to cancel the rally. They cited concerns it would create a "hostile and physically dangerous environment" for students.

Before the announcement the event wouldn't take place, a handful of intense verbal clashes took place between Trump supporters and protesters as the crowd waited for his arrival. For the first time during his White House bid, the crowd appeared to be an equal mix of those eager to cheer on the real estate mogul and those overtly opposed to his candidacy.

When one African-American protester was escorted out before the event started, the crowd erupted into chants of "Let them stay!"

Veronica Kowalkowsky, an 18-year-old Trump supporter, said before the event started that she had no ill will toward the protesters  but didn't think they felt the same way.

"I feel a lot of hate," she said. "I haven't said anything bad to anyone."

Hours before the event was scheduled to start, hundreds of people lined up outside the arena at the University of Illinois at Chicago  a civil and immigrant rights organizing hub with large minority student populations. Trump backers were separated from an equally large crowd of anti-Trump protesters by a heavy police presence and barricades.

Some Trump supporters walking into the area chanted, "USA! USA!" and "Illegal is illegal." One demonstrator shouted back, "Racist!"

Chicago community activist Quo Vadis said hundreds of protesters had positioned themselves in groups around the arena, and that they intend to demonstrate right after Trump takes the stage. Their goal, he said, is "for Donald to take the stage and to completely interrupt him. The plan is to shut Donald Trump all the way down."

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Follow Jill Colvin on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/colvinj

FILE - In this June 29, 2015 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to members of the City Club of Chicago at a restaurant in the city. Student activists and longtime Chicago organizers have planned protests March 10, 2016 outside the University of Illinois at Chicago venue where Trump is scheduled to speak. Students said they planned to demonstration because of disparaging comments Trump has made, particularly about Muslims and Mexicans.(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

FILE - In this Saturday, March 5, 2016 file photo, a man is removed as he protests Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

FILE - In this Friday, March 4, 2016 file photo, a protester chanting "Black Lives Matter" is escorted away as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, background, speaks at a campaign rally in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Finnish farmers in massive protest over financial woes

HELSINKI (AP)  Organizers say over 3,000 farmers with some 600 tractors have gathered on a central Helsinki square in a protest urging the Finnish government to support the country's agricultural sector suffering on decreasing food prices and EU's Russia sanctions.

Friday's demonstration was staged by the farmers' central union MTK, which said the action was "an emergency call" to politicians to come up with measures help producers' dire straits and "to save domestic food production."

The union said that the income of Finnish farmers has declined fastest in the EU during the last few years in a combination of declining retailer food prices, enduring delays in EU's farm subsidy payments and a complete halt in exports to key market Russia due to EU's sanctions.

Farmers with their tractors from different parts of the country participate in a demonstration in Helsinki, Finland, Friday, March 11, 2016. Organizers say over 3,000 farmers with some 600 tractors have gathered on a central Helsinki square in a protest urging the Finnish government to support the country's agricultural sector suffering on decreasing food prices and EU's Russia sanctions. (Vesa Moilanen/Lehtikuva via AP) FINLAND OUT

Some protestors had driven their tractors, decorated with banners with slogans like "no farmers - no food, hundreds of kilometers across the Nordic nation to reach Helsinki's Senate Square.

Farmers on their phones as they participate in a demonstration in Helsinki, Finland, Friday, March 11, 2016. Organizers say over 3,000 farmers with some 600 tractors have gathered on a central Helsinki square in a protest urging the Finnish government to support the country's agricultural sector suffering on decreasing food prices and EU's Russia sanctions. (Vesa Moilanen/Lehtikuva via AP) FINLAND OUT

Farmers with their tractors from different parts of the country participate in a demonstration in Helsinki, Finland, Friday, March 11, 2016. Organizers say over 3,000 farmers with some 600 tractors have gathered on a central Helsinki square in a protest urging the Finnish government to support the country's agricultural sector suffering on decreasing food prices and EU's Russia sanctions. (Vesa Moilanen/Lehtikuva via AP) FINLAND OUT
Police: Wanted man fatally shot in encounter with officers

NORFOLK, Va. (AP)  A man suspected in a killing the previous night was fatally shot when officers confronted him early Friday, police in Virginia said.

Two officers on routine patrol about 4 a.m. Friday spotted 25-year-old Tyre Privott walking in the road, Norfolk police spokeswoman Cpl. Melinda Wray said by phone.

When officers got out of their vehicle and confronted him, Privott shot at them, Wray said. One officer fired, striking and killing Privott, she said. The officers weren't injured.

Police had been sent to Ocean View Avenue about 10:30 p.m. Thursday for a reported shooting and found 24-year-old Chaz Hall suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, the spokeswoman said in a news release. Hall died at a hospital, and police identified Privott as a suspect. Officers got a warrant charging Privott with second-degree murder.

Laticia Stith told the Virginian-Pilot that she heard five shots and looked out the window of her sister's apartment to see one man standing over another in the street. She didn't realize initially that the man was an officer. Stith said the man stood there without touching the man on the ground and she didn't see anyone else near them.

Stith walked down to the street to tell police what she saw but said she couldn't stop looking outside when she returned.

"I couldn't sleep," Stith said. "I just couldn't stop looking at the man on the ground."

One of the officers was wearing a body camera, Wray said, but did not have time to activate it.

Both officers were placed on routine administrative duty, she said.
The Latest: Egyptian migrant dies fleeing police on train

ATHENS, Greece (AP)  The Latest on the mass migration into Europe (all times local):

7:15 p.m.

German police say a 17-year-old Egyptian migrant has died after jumping out of a train window as officers checked passengers' papers.

A boy walks down a muddy slope on a foggy morning at the northern Greek border station of Idomeni, Friday, March 11, 2016. After nearly three days of rain, conditions in the refugee camp on the Greek-Macedonian where about 14,000 people are stranded have deteriorated significantly, with many of its residents struggling to re-pitch their small camping tents in slightly drier patches.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Officers carrying out a routine check Friday morning found the boy hiding under seats in an empty compartment of a train traveling from Verona, Italy to Munich, news agency dpa reported. As they checked his papers, he ran into another compartment, opened the window and jumped out.

The boy's body was found close to a station in Haar, just outside Munich.

German federal police had told him to leave the country for Austria on Wednesday. Officers hadn't been looking for him on Friday, and police spokesman Marcus da Gloria Martins said he had appeared to be neither unusually nervous nor desperate.

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6:50 p.m.

Turkish officials say Greece has returned 90 migrants from Pakistan, Morocco, Algeria and Turkey who had crossed into the country from Turkey.

The government's migration agency in Edirne, northwest Turkey, said the migrants crossed back into Turkey on Friday through the Ipsala border gate.

Greece returned the migrants under an existing agreement with Greece on the readmission to Turkey of migrants who do not qualify for international protection.

The migration agency said eight Algerian migrants were placed at a deportation center in Edirne, while 71 Pakistanis and Moroccans were sent to a detention center in Erzurum, in eastern Turkey.

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6:40 p.m.

Albanian police have increased their presence near the border with Greece fearing Syrian refugees could use the country as a new transit-point after the route through Macedonia and Serbia was blocked.

An Interior Ministry official said Friday that the border with Greece is monitored non-stop while other police forces check surrounding streets in the districts bordering Greece. The official was not authorized to talk on the issue and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Next week Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano will come to Tirana to discuss "technicalities" surrounding joint patrols of the Greek-Albanian border.

Tirana says it is ready to shoulder its share of responsibility of the refugee crisis in a "joint European plan," adding it has limited capabilities of sheltering refugees in transit toward northern Europe.

By Llazar Semini

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6:15 p.m.

A Turkish official says five Greek islands would be "cleared" of migrants before a proposed deal with the European Union on the return of migrants to Turkey comes into effect.

The Foreign Ministry official told reporters Friday that the migrants on those islands would be taken to mainland Greece and resettled elsewhere. Turkey would start taking back any new migrants that arrive on the islands once the deal is in place, the official said. He did not name the islands.

The EU and Turkey this week agreed on the outlines of a deal that would send thousands of irregular migrants back to Turkey. In return, the EU would take an equal number of Syrian refugees who have found shelter in Turkey. The deal could be finalized at an EU summit next week.

The official said the aim of the deal is to discourage the illegal and dangerous migrant crossings from Turkey to the Greek islands and said Turkey was confident that these crossings would drop significantly days after the Turkish proposal comes into effect.

He added the EU would pay for the return of the migrants to Turkey.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.

By Suzan Fraser

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6:00 p.m.

A senior State Department official says the U.S. is increasing the number of refugees it accepts, including the number of Syrians.

Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland also told a press conference in Athens Friday that the U.S. "will continue to be a welcoming place for refugees."

Nuland was responding to a question on whether the U.S. was ready to increase the number of asylum-seekers it is willing to accept. She provided no further details.

On Thursday, Nuland visited an overcrowded tent city on Greece's northern border with Macedonia, where about 14,000 refugees heading for central Europe are living in dire circumstances.

Macedonia has closed the Idomeni border crossing, and Greek authorities are appealing to refugees to move to nearby organized shelters.

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5:30 p.m.

A court in southern Denmark has fined an outspoken children's rights activist and her partner for driving six Syrian migrants from a Danish ferry terminal to a bridge to Sweden, where they are believed to have sought asylum.

The city court in Nykoebing ruled Friday Lisbeth Zornig Andersen and Mikael Rauno Lindholm were guilty of violating Danish immigration laws forbidding assisting foreigners to cross Denmark illegally.

They were each fined 22,500 kroner ($3,330) for driving four adults and two children to the Oresund bridge in early September.

Andersen, the former chairwoman of the National Council for Children and debater, said "the court needed to set an example, because I am a known person."

In January, another Danish citizen was fined for driving five migrants to Sweden.

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4:00 p.m.

Slovakia's foreign ministry has accused the Greek ambassador to Bratislava of meddling in the country's internal affairs over his criticism of Prime Minister Robert Fico's anti-migrant stance in the election campaign.

Campaigning on an anti-migrant ticket, Fico's leftist Smer-Social Democracy party won the ballot Saturday with 28.3 percent of the vote, or 49 seats in the 150-seat Parliament and needs coalition partners to rule.

President Andrej Kiska has asked Fico to try to form a government. If he fails, it would give a chance to a center-right coalition government.

In an interview with the Dennik N newspaper Tuesday, ambassador Nicolas Plexidas said Fico contributed to the rise of xenophobia in Slovakia and the surprise election success of a neo-Nazi party.

The ministry says Plexidas' comments are "unacceptable."

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11:45 a.m.

Authorities in Greece say they hope an overcrowded refugee camp on the Greek-Macedonian border can be emptied within two weeks, as people are slowly persuaded to move to nearby government-built shelters.

Nikos Toskas, a deputy minister for public order, ruled out using force to move the 14,000 people camped out at the border near the village of Idomeni in increasingly desperate conditions.

"We have to persuade them (to move) and we can't do that using tear gas. Half the people there are women and children," Toskas told private Mega television Friday.

Authorities say about 800 people have agreed so far to leave the camp, but more arrive daily.

Macedonia closed its borders to all migrants and refugees this week after several Balkan countries and Austria began imposing restrictions in February.

A child with chocolate stains on his face smiles in his mother's arm at the northern Greek border station of Idomeni, Friday, March 11, 2016. After nearly three days of rain, conditions in the refugee camp on the Greek-Macedonian where about 14,000 people are stranded have deteriorated significantly, with many of its residents struggling to re-pitch their small camping tents in slightly drier patches. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Migrants scuffle as they reach out for food portions at the northern Greek border station of Idomeni, Friday, March 11, 2016. After nearly three days of rain, conditions in the refugee camp on the Greek-Macedonian where about 14,000 people are stranded have deteriorated significantly, with many of its residents struggling to re-pitch their small camping tents in slightly drier patches. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

Migrants scuffle as they reach out for food portions at the northern Greek border station of Idomeni, Friday, March 11, 2016. After nearly three days of rain, conditions in the refugee camp on the Greek-Macedonian where about 14,000 people are stranded have deteriorated significantly, with many of its residents struggling to re-pitch their small camping tents in slightly drier patches. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

An injured man pleads with crowds of migrants scuffling to grab aid from a truck at the northern Greek border station of Idomeni, Friday, March 11, 2016. After nearly three days of rain, conditions in the refugee camp on the Greek-Macedonian where about 14,000 people are stranded have deteriorated significantly, with many of its residents struggling to re-pitch their small camping tents in slightly drier patches.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Embassy in Athens, on Friday, March 11, 2016. Nuland who has visited migrant camps in northern Greece said that the US is increasing the number of refugees it is taking in to include Syrians. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A child stretches on a foggy morning at the northern Greek border station of Idomeni, Friday, March 11, 2016. After nearly three days of rain, conditions in the refugee camp on the Greek-Macedonian where about 14,000 people are stranded have deteriorated significantly, with many of its residents struggling to re-pitch their small camping tents in slightly drier patches.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A child runs on a foggy morning at the northern Greek border station of Idomeni, Friday, March 11, 2016. After nearly three days of rain, conditions in the refugee camp on the Greek-Macedonian where about 14,000 people are stranded have deteriorated significantly, with many of its residents struggling to re-pitch their small camping tents in slightly drier patches.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A woman hangs clothing to dry on a fence on a foggy morning at the northern Greek border station of Idomeni, Friday, March 11, 2016. After nearly three days of rain, conditions in the refugee camp on the Greek-Macedonian where about 14,000 people are stranded have deteriorated significantly, with many of its residents struggling to re-pitch their small camping tents in slightly drier patches.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A child walks behind laundry hanging to dry on a fence on a foggy morning at the northern Greek border station of Idomeni, Friday, March 11, 2016. After nearly three days of rain, conditions in the refugee camp on the Greek-Macedonian where about 14,000 people are stranded have deteriorated significantly, with many of its residents struggling to re-pitch their small camping tents in slightly drier patches.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Women watch as migrants scuffle to grab aid from a truck at the northern Greek border station of Idomeni, Friday, March 11, 2016. After nearly three days of rain, conditions in the refugee camp on the Greek-Macedonian where about 14,000 people are stranded have deteriorated significantly, with many of its residents struggling to re-pitch their small camping tents in slightly drier patches.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A migrant mother holds her child at the northern Greek border station of Idomeni, Friday, March 11, 2016. After nearly three days of rain, conditions in the refugee camp on the Greek-Macedonian where about 14,000 people are stranded have deteriorated significantly, with many of its residents struggling to re-pitch their small camping tents in slightly drier patches. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Werder striker Pizarro to miss match against Bayern Munich

BREMEN, Germany (AP)  Werder Bremen striker Claudio Pizarro will miss Saturday's Bundesliga match against Bayern Munich because of a groin injury.

Werder said Friday that Pizarro will not travel to Munich to face his former team after getting injured in training. The 37-year-old Peru striker's nine goals in his last eight matches have helped Werder escape from the relegation zone. He is one short of tying Marco Bode's club record of 101 goals for Werder.

"It's a bitter piece of news," Bremen coach Viktor Skripnik said. "For one thing, he was looking forward to his return to Munich and we are also missing an important player in this difficult match."

Speaking before it became known that Pizarro will miss the match, Bayern coach Pep Guardiola described him as a "top, top player in the penalty box."

Pizarro spent two successful stints at Bayern, scoring 87 goals and winning the Bundesliga title six times, the German Cup five times and the Champions League.

His contract expired last year and he returned to Werder, his first Bundesliga club, for his third spell there.

Pizarro has the most matches, 405, and the most goals, 187, for a foreigner in the Bundesliga.

Werder will be missing three other players in Munich. Forward Fin Bartels is down with the flu, while captain Clemens Fritz and midfielder Zlatko Junuzovic are suspended.

The two were fined for intentionally picking up yellow cards so they would be suspended for Saturday's match.

The German federation sports tribunal fined both men 20,000 euros (22,000) for unsportsmanlike behavior, following a hearing Friday.

Werder is fighting against relegation and needs points against lower-ranked opposition, while it is likely to lose in Munich no matter what kind of a lineup it fields.

Fritz and Junuzovic conceded in interviews after last week's 4-1 win over Hannover that they were aiming to be suspended for the match in Munich so that they could be available for later games.
AP FACT CHECK: Republicans debate Islam, Cuba, ISIS, Saudis

WASHINGTON (AP)  Republican presidential contenders hurled insults again Thursday night but at the facts instead of each other. Here are some of the claims in the latest Republican presidential debate:

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DONALD TRUMP: "Islam treats women horribly."

Republican presidential candidates, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla, from left, Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich stand up for the national anthem during a presidential debate at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, a suburb of Miami on Thursday, March 10, 2016. (Pedro Portal/The Miami Herald via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

THE FACTS: No such generalization is supported by the diverse circumstances for women in the Muslim world. The United States has yet to see a woman as president, many years after Muslim women achieved national leadership in other countries, most prominently Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in the late 1980s and in the 1990s.

Some Muslim societies are indeed repressive by Western standards, enforcing or pressing for norms such as clothing that covers all but their eyes or faces; bans on driving, voting and education; and restrictions on interacting with the other sex.

But in other Muslim countries, women wear Western clothes, graduate from universities, interact with men, work as Western women do, hold senior government posts and take part in competitive sports.

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TRUMP: "GDP was essentially zero percent in the last few quarters. ... Our jobs are gone, our businesses are being taken out of the country."

THE FACTS: He meant to say there's been essentially no growth in the gross domestic product  not that there is no GDP at all. But what he meant to say isn't right, either.

In the past three quarters, the GDP, the broadest measure of the economy's output, grew at an annual rate of 1 percent, 2 percent and a robust 3.9 percent. The quarter before that it grew just 0.6 percent, but economists considered that to be caused partly by harsh winter weather. For all of 2015, the economy expanded 2.4 percent.

As for his claim that "jobs are gone," employers added 2.7 million jobs in 2015 and more than 3 million in the previous year, the two best years for hiring since 1998-99.

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TED CRUZ: "We're gonna end welfare benefits for anyone who is here illegally."

THE FACTS: It's unclear what benefits Cruz could take away. Immigrants living in the country illegally generally are not eligible for federal welfare benefits already.

To be sure, the U.S.-citizen children and spouses of immigrants who are in the country illegally are entitled to federal benefits, including food stamps and housing programs. Public hospitals are required to provide emergency medical care regardless of immigration status.

And children are also legally entitled to a free public education, regardless of their immigration status. But that's because of a 1982 Supreme Court ruling, not something a president can merely end through executive action or legislation.

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MARCO RUBIO on the idea of closing the new U.S. Embassy in Cuba: "The embassy is the former consulate. It's the same building. So it could just go back to being called a consulate."

THE FACTS: It was never a consulate. What the U.S. had in Cuba before President Barack Obama restored relations was an "interests section," a smaller office that is standard in countries with which the United States has no diplomatic relations.

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TRUMP: Says the U.S. is getting nothing in return for its defense partnership with Saudi Arabia. "Saudi Arabia was making a billion dollars a day and we were getting virtually nothing to protect them."

THE FACTS: The U.S. has no such treaty commitment to defend Saudi Arabia, but rather a decades-long alliance. It has no troops based in the kingdom other than advisers. And it's not that the U.S. gets nothing from the alliance: U.S. companies have received tens of billions of dollars from arms sales to the Saudis.

The U.S. did send troops to the kingdom in 1990 after Iraq's Saddam Hussein invaded neighboring Kuwait, but the Saudis reimbursed the U.S. about $16 billion for that troop presence.

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TRUMP on U.S. military tactics against the Islamic State: "We're not knocking out the oil because they don't want to create environmental pollution up in the air."

THE FACTS: Caution about attacking IS-controlled oil wells and infrastructure in Syria is not about the U.S. armed forces going green.

U.S. military commanders say it would be a mistake to destroy an energy resource that could be preserved for whatever government emerges from the civil war. They also have acknowledged wanting to limit unnecessary side effects such as pollution.

The U.S. has conducted many airstrikes against key elements of that oil infrastructure, including oil collection facilities and distribution networks. This gradual approach has been criticized by many as being too slow, but the Pentagon contends that it has greatly reduced the militants' income.

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Associated Press writers Christopher S. Rugaber, Wendy Benjaminson, Alicia A. Caldwell, Vivian Salama and Robert Burns contributed to this report.

Republican presidential candidates, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla, from left, Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, stand up for the national anthem during a presidential debate at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, a suburb of Miami on Thursday, March 10, 2016. (Pedro Portal/The Miami Herald via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
The Latest: Sanders says high turnout will help him win Ill.

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Latest on campaign 2016 (all times Eastern Standard Time):

10:30 p.m.

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders says high turnout in the Illinois primary next week will help him like it did in Michigan.

Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., shakes hands with supporters after speaking at a campaign rally at the SeaGate Convention Centre, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Toledo, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

Sanders spoke to crowds Friday evening at a school in Summit, about 15 miles southwest of Chicago. Illinois' primary is Tuesday.

Sanders released three television commercials Friday in Illinois. One included Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, who lost Chicago's mayoral race last year, but forced a runoff contest in Mayor Rahm Emanuel's re-election bid. Emanual, a former White House aide, endorsed Hillary Clinton.

Sanders blasted Emanuel for his controversial push to close dozens of Chicago schools in 2013 over poor performance. Sanders said, "I want to thank Rahm Emanuel for not endorsing me."

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10 p.m.

Ted Cruz is responding to Donald Trump's cancellation of his Chicago rally, saying the billionaire has created "an environment that encourages this sort of nasty discourse."

Cruz spoke to reporters at a suburban Chicago Republican dinner about 30 miles away from where his GOP presidential rival was forced to cancel a rally due to safety concerns.

The Texas senator is calling it a "sad day."

He says, "Political discourse should occur in this country without the threat of violence, without anger and rage and hatred directed at each other."

Cruz says blame for the events in downtown Chicago rests with the protesters but "in any campaign responsibility starts at the top."

Cruz says, "When the candidate urges supporters to engage in physical violence, to punch people in the face, the predictable consequence of that is that is escalates. Today is unlikely to be the last such incidence."

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9:25 p.m.

A spokesman for the Chicago Police Department says the agency never recommended that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump cancel his campaign rally in the city.

CPD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tells The Associated Press that the department never told the Trump campaign there was a security threat at the University of Illinois at Chicago venue. He said the department had sufficient manpower on the scene to handle any situation.

Guglielmi says the university's police department also did not recommend that Trump call off the event. He says the decision was made "independently" by the campaign.

Trump cancelled the rally in Chicago due to what organizers said were safety concerns after protesters packed into the arena where it was to take place.

Trump afterward told MSNBC in a telephone interview that he canceled the event because he didn't "want to see people hurt or worse." He said he thinks he "did the right thing."

Guglielmi says Trump never arrived at the Chicago venue.

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8:25 p.m.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says he didn't "want to see people hurt or worse" at his campaign rally in Chicago, so he decided to postpone the event.

Trump tells MSNBC in a telephone interview that, "I think we did the right thing."

The Friday night rally at the University of Illinois at Chicago was called off due to security concerns. Supporters and protesters alike had packed into a campus arena, and for the first time during the billionaire businessman's White House run they appeared to be of equal number.

Trump attributed the protests not to objections to his policies, but to general malaise in the United States  particularly among people upset they haven't been able to find jobs.

"It's anger in the country," he said. "I don't think it's directed at me. Just what's been going on for years."

But many of the protesters at the event said they were there to stop Trump from speaking. Among them was Jermaine Hodge, a 37-year-old lifelong Chicago resident who owns a trucking company.

He says: "Our country is not going to make it being divided by the views of Donald Trump. Our country is divided enough. Donald Trump, he's preaching hate. He's preaching division."

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8:15 p.m.

Protesters at the rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump rushed the arena floor in jubilant celebration after the announcement that he was calling off the event due to security concerns.

Many jumped up and down, with arms up in the air, shouting "F--- Trump!" ''Bernie! Bernie!" and "We stopped Trump!"

Kamran Siddiqui is a 20-year-old student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where the event was to take place.

He says: "Trump represents everything America is not and everything Chicago is not. We came in here and we wanted to shut this down. Because this is a great city and we don't want to let that person in here."

Siddiqui says he's a supporter of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. He says it "feels amazing" to have stopped Trump from speaking at his own rally.

He adds: "Everybody came together. That's what people can do. Now people got to go out and vote because we have the opportunity to stop Trump."

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8:08 p.m.

Protesters whose presence at a Donald Trump campaign rally forced the Republican White House front-runner to call off the event are celebrating their success at keeping him from taking the stage.

As Trump supporters walk through the anti-Trump crowd outside the University of Illinois at Chicago Pavilion, many of the protesters are chanting: "We stopped Trump! We stopped Trump!"

Others are shouting: "Racists, go home! Racists, go home!"

There were no apparent physical confrontations between the two sides as police officers on foot and horseback worked to keep them apart.

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7:56 p.m.

Donald Trump's campaign for president has issued a statement about the decision to cancel a rally in Chicago.

It says: "Mr. Trump just arrived in Chicago and after meeting with law enforcement has determined that for the safety of all of the tens of thousands of people that have gathered in and around the arena, tonight's rally will be postponed to another date. Thank you very much for your attendance and please go in peace."

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7:36 p.m.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has cancelled a rally in Chicago, calling off the event due to safety concerns after protesters packed into the arena where it was to take place.

The announcement that Trump would postpone the rally for another day led the crowd inside the University of Illinois at Chicago Pavilion to break out into raucous cheers.

Meanwhile, supporters of the candidate broke out into chants of "We want Trump! We want Trump!"

There was no sign of Trump inside the arena on the college campus, where dozens of UIC faculty and staff had petitioned university administrators to cancel the rally. They cited concerns it would create a "hostile and physically dangerous environment" for students.

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6:55 p.m.

Donald Trump supporters and protesters alike have packed into an arena on the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago for an evening rally with the Republican candidate for president.

Many of those who were waiting in line to get into the Friday night event identified themselves as protesters. UIC student G.J. Pryor said he wanted to disrupt Trump's speech, adding he would only do so if he felt safe.

Some Trump supporters walking toward the arena chanted, "USA! USA!" and "Illegal is illegal." One demonstrator shouted back, "Racist!"

There's a heavy police presence outside the rally, with barricades and mounted police keeping most protesters and Trump supporters apart.

Trump supporter Veronica Kowalkowsky says she has no ill will toward the protesters. But the 18-year-old says she has felt their ill will, adding: "I feel a lot of hate. I haven't said anything bad to anyone."

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6:30 p.m.

President Barack Obama is laying into Republicans and their front-runner for the presidential nomination, saying they've allowed the race to devolve into "fantasy and schoolyard taunts and selling stuff like it's the Home Shopping Network."

At a Democratic fundraiser in Austin, Texas, Obama taunted Donald Trump as "the guy who was sure that I was born in Kenya!"

Obama hasn't endorsed a Democratic successor and isn't expected to campaign broadly until the summer. Still, he seemed ready. The president was unscripted and loose in front of the boisterous crowd of young Democratic contributors.

He revived a critique of the GOP he offered earlier in the week, only this time with more bite.

Obama dismissed the idea that he is to blame for the current political climate: "The notion is, Obama drove us crazy. What they really mean is their reaction to me was crazy and now it has gotten out of hand."

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4:30 p.m.

Hillary Clinton apologized Friday after gay-rights and AIDS activists assailed her for saying Nancy Reagan helped start a "national conversation" about AIDS in the 1980s. At the time, protesters were struggling to get more federal help in fighting the disease.

Clinton, one of two contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination, made her initial comments in an interview with MSNBC during its coverage of Nancy Reagan's funeral. After the outcry, she apologized on her Twitter account, saying she "misspoke" about the Reagans' record on AIDS.

Many activists remain bitter at Ronald Reagan and his administration for what they view as a devastatingly slow response to AIDS. Though initial reports of the disease surfaced in 1981, President Reagan did not make his first public speech about it until 1987.

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2:42 p.m.

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump says he "doesn't quite get" why some people preferred the more mellow performance he delivered in Thursday's debate.

The billionaire businessman left his usual barbs and personal insults behind at the debate in Miami. He says he told himself ahead of time he wasn't going to talk about "Lying Ted," his nickname for rival Ted Cruz.

But Trump told a rally in St. Louis on Friday that the other Trump is more exciting.

He says: "Last night on the debate  I don't quite get this  I got these phenomenal reviews, right? Because I was, like, nice. But isn't the other more like exciting? Don't we like the other better?"

Trump's rally was repeatedly interrupted by protesters.

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2:15 p.m.

Protesters are roiling a Donald Trump rally in St. Louis, repeatedly interrupting the Republican candidate for president as he seeks to speak at a rally ahead of Tuesday's elections in Missouri and four other states.

Trump says, "these are not the people who made our country great."

He's complimenting the police and security officers who are escorting the protesters out of the rally at the city's Peabody Opera House.

Trump says the media is focusing too much on the protests that interrupt his rallies, and not enough on "the love that's in these rooms."

But he adds, "this is more exciting that having a speech." The billionaire says he'll still deliver his speech, but it will just take a little bit longer.

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1:15 p.m.

A large crowd is turning out for a Donald Trump rally in St. Louis, the first public campaign event for the Republican presidential front-runner since one of the billionaire's supporters was charged with punching a protester at a Wednesday rally.

The line waiting to get into Friday's lunchtime rally at the city's Peabody Opera House circled several blocks. Most were turned away  the theater holds just 3,100 people.

Dozens of city police officers stood at various points in the line. Others watched from rooftops of neighboring buildings.

Several protesters marched outside, mostly in an area confined behind a makeshift fence. Some exchanged shouts with Trump supporters.

Trump is seeking support ahead of Missouri's presidential primary on Tuesday. Rival Ted Cruz is speaking at a rally Saturday in the St. Louis County town of Ballwin. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton also is holding a St. Louis rally on Saturday.

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1:00 p.m.

Donald Trump boasts that he can win the Hispanic vote in a general election and next week, he faces his first major test in the winner-take-all primary in Florida, a highly contentious swing state with a large and diverse population of Latino voters.

His tough stance on illegal immigration plays well among Florida's more conservative Latinos. Many Cuban-Americans, especially, view illegal immigration through the same lens as many of their white Republican peers who see immigration as an achievement, not as a right, that shouldn't be taken for granted by those who come to America illegally.

For that reason, Trump has surged in the polls ahead of this crucial contest, even as two Cuban-Americans  Florida's own Sen. Marco Rubio, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz  look to use their heritage in their favor. For Rubio especially, who has collected only two wins so far  one of them in Puerto Rico  Florida's all-or-nothing contest could be his campaign's swan song if he doesn't win.

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12:15 p.m.

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz hedged on a question about whether former-rival-turned-supporter Carly Fiorina would be on his vice presidential short list if he gets the nomination.

Cruz was joined onstage at a forum in Orlando Friday by Fiorina and Fox News television host Sean Hannity. Fiorina endorsed Cruz this week.

Cruz praised Fiorina but didn't directly answer a question from Hannity about whether Fiorina would be his pick for a running mate.

Meanwhile, Fiorina said front-runner Donald Trump needs to "man up" and not complain about the number of debates in the presidential primary race.

Trump said after Thursday's debate that there had been too many debates.

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12:00 p.m.

Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio says he hasn't thought much beyond what happens in Tuesday's crucial Florida primary.

He says he's focused on winning the March 15 winner-take-all primary, dismissing several polls in the last week showing him trailing GOP front-runner Donald Trump his home state.

Rubio is predicting "a close election" but says he's going to win.

Rubio also says he's not had any talks or meetings with rivals Ted Cruz or John Kasich to team up to defeat GOP front-runner Donald Trump.

He says he's "not open" to any such talks about joining forces.

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11:50 a.m.

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz says he was happy the latest GOP debate was more civil than previous ones.

Cruz said Friday during a forum with Fox News talk show host Sean Hannity in Orlando that the past debates had gotten ugly.

Cruz also said he was happy GOP rival Donald Trump's anatomy wasn't a topic of discussion during Thursday night's debate in Miami.

Cruz answered questions at an Orlando megachurch filled with almost 1,000 supporters during a forum that will air on Hannity's show.

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11:45 a.m.

Marco Rubio's campaign is urging people in Ohio to vote for his rival, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, to stop rival Donald Trump from clinching the prized contest.

Alex Conant told The Associated Press Friday that the only way to stop Trump from sweeping next week's basket of winner-take-all contests is to vote for Kasich in Ohio and Rubio in Florida.

Conant said that "If you want to stop Trump in Ohio, Kasich's the only guy who can beat him there."

Conant added: "Marco is the only guy who can beat him in Florida."

Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols says that his candidate is going to win in Ohio without Rubio's help "just as he's going to lose Florida without our help."

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10:30 a.m.

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz has secured the endorsement of Missouri Rep. Ann Wagner.

In a statement on Friday, Wagner said that Republicans "must unite to win behind a strong, constitutional conservative like Ted Cruz."

The congresswoman has served as co-chair of the Republican National Committee during President George W. Bush's first term and was U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg.

Cruz has the backing of some half dozen House members, but only one endorsement from a fellow senator, Mike Lee of Utah.

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9:50 a.m.

Republicans in the Virgin Islands caucused into the night Thursday, and when they finished counting the votes Friday morning, the winner was ... no one.

Party chairman John Canegata says all nine delegates from the U.S. territory will go to the Republican National Convention as uncommitted delegates. That makes them free agents, free to support the candidate of their choice.

Canegata says more than 300 voters cast ballots.

The AP delegate count thus far:

 Donald Trump: 459.

 Ted Cruz: 360.

 Marco Rubio: 152.

 John Kasich: 54.

Needed to win the nomination: 1,237.

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9:35 a.m.

Donald Trump says he felt the response of his supporters to an episode of violence at one of his rallies this week was "very, very appropriate."

Speaking at a Palm Beach press conference on Friday, Trump said the "audience swung back" at a white man who was caught on video hitting a black man as he was escorted out of a Trump rally by deputies.

Trump praised the police as "amazing," saying they were "very restrained" in response to the incident.

He said that the man  identified as John Franklin McGraw  began hitting people, and the audience hit back. "That's what we need a little bit more of," he said.

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9:30 a.m.

Democrats and Republicans have painted a dark vision of America, a place where jobs are vanishing, leaders are corrupt and threats loom from across the globe.

Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders describes a nation in "real crisis," with a "rigged economy." Americans are "a bunch of suckers" who've "lost everything," Republican front-runner Donald Trump says.

Washington is "killing jobs," as Iranian leaders conspire to "murder us," warns Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

Gloomy assessments of the country's future have emerged as a constant refrain of the 2016 presidential contest, as candidates woo a frustrated and anxious electorate. That insecurity, which pollsters say pervades discussions about economic, domestic and foreign policy issues, is setting the stage for an emotionally-charged general election  no matter who wins the primary contests.

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9:20 a.m.

Republican front-runner Donald Trump says he will defeat the Islamic State group if he is elected president, but he will let the generals "play their own game."

Speaking at a press conference in Palm Beach, Florida on Friday, Trump said he is going to "find the right generals" to do the job, but he will allow them to then call the shots on how the military should approach the war.

Trump has said he wants to loosen the laws that limit the use of torture if he's elected to the White House, but then appeared to reverse his stance on the use of torture after he was criticized by top Republican national security experts who called his policy views "wildly inconsistent and unmoored in principle."

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9:10 a.m.

Former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson says he and Donald Trump have "buried the hatchet" after months of political wrangling, and he is endorsing the GOP front-runner's White House bid.

At a press conference in Palm Beach, Florida on Friday, Carson, who left the race earlier this month, described "two Donald Trumps"  the persona reflected on stage, and a private, "very cerebral" person who "considers things carefully."

In his introduction to Carson Friday, Trump described the retired neurosurgeon as a "special, special person  special man," and a "friend" who is respected by everyone.

Carson warned that it is "extremely dangerous" when political parties attempt to "thwart the will of the people," and urged politicians to "strengthen the nation," rather than create divisions.

Protesters against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump chant 'Bernie, Bernie, and We Stopped Trump,' after a rally on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago, was canceled Friday, March 11, 2016, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

A demonstrator is removed by Chicago police during a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the University of Illinois at Chicago Pavilion in Chicago on Friday, March 11, 2016. Trump canceled one of his signature rallies on Friday, calling off the event in Chicago due to safety concerns after protesters packed into the arena where it was to take place. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune via AP)

A protester raises his fist to supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump before a rally on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

A supporter of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump tries to pump up the crowd before a rally on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Chicago. The rally was canceled. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Attendees watch as protesters are removed before a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Ed Landmichl, a supporter of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, has his portrait made before a rally on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

President Barack Obama speaks at DNC fundraiser at the Austin Music Hall in Austin, Texas, Friday, March 11, 2016. Earlier Obama spoke at the South by Southwest Festival (SXSW). (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Secrecy a hallmark of Supreme Court vetting process

WASHINGTON (AP)  Clandestine meetings. Soundproofed rooms. Top-secret instructions.

It sounds like the elements for a spy movie, but it's become a hallmark of the undercover process for considering potential Supreme Court nominees.

The Obama administration is close to naming a replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia, who died last month and would have turned 80 on Friday. An announcement is expected soon, although whether a nominee can be confirmed by the Senate is in doubt. The Senate's majority Republicans say the seat should be filled not by Obama, but by his successor.

FILE - In this Feb. 23, 2016 file photo, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito speaks in Washington. A hallmark in the search for a new Supreme Court justice is the secretive process for making sure the choice is kept under wraps until the president is ready to reveal it. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

If history is a guide, the White House will take elaborate precautions to make sure the choice for the lifetime seat is kept under wraps until the president is ready to reveal it.

Back in 2005, Samuel Alito was an appeals court judge based in New Jersey when he was summoned to Washington for a Saturday interview with President George W. Bush.

"I checked into a hotel downtown, and they said that I ... should go to a particular corner at a particular time in the morning and wait for a Chrysler 300 to pull up, flash its headlights a couple of times, and then I was to get in this car," he told Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol in an interview last year.

"So I felt like a spy," Alito said. "But they wanted to make sure that media didn't get any word about people who were being interviewed."

The meeting took place in the president's private upstairs living quarters, away from the eyes of reporters and White House staff.

President Barack Obama's search appears to be focused on a small group of appellate court judges with a history of bipartisan backing. The investigation into a candidate's background is usually headed by high-level Justice Department officials and White House aides. It can take days, weeks or months, depending on how quickly White House wants to act. In some cases, the White House already has a short list of potential nominees ready to go.

That was the case with Clarence Thomas. He got a call from White House Counsel C. Boyden Gray on the same day Justice Thurgood Marshall announced his retirement. Soon, Thomas was standing across the street from the federal courthouse, where he was an appellate judge, waiting to catch a ride to the Justice Department.

"Within a few minutes, I was seated at a conference table in the Justice Department's situation room, which is soundproofed so thickly that your words seem to die as soon as you say them out loud," Thomas wrote in his memoir, "My Grandfather's Son."

Thomas says he was quizzed by Attorney General Richard Thornburgh and other senior Justice Department officials with questions such as who his favorite Supreme Court member was. His answer: Scalia.

A few days later, President George H.W. Bush called Thomas to invite him to the presidential retreat in Kennebunkport, Maine, to discuss the possibility of a high court nomination. Thomas took a government plane from Andrews Air Force base to Maine and was driven to the compound in a black SUV with heavily tinted windows.

One of the Secret Service agents "handed me a folded newspaper and asked me to hold it between my face and the window, just like a white-collar criminal who didn't want his picture to be printed in the morning papers," Thomas wrote. After meeting with the president, Bush presented Thomas as his choice for the court.

More recently, Sonia Sotomayor told C-SPAN that she got lost in a torrential rain storm in 2009 during the drive from New York City to Washington, D.C., the night before Obama was set to announce her as his first high court pick. She had asked a friend to drive her after being told the White House "would prefer that I didn't take a plane."

"We got lost, and all of a sudden I'm in Virginia," she said.

Her friend stopped the car and, with some phone guidance from a former law clerk, they made it to the White House in time.

FILE - In this Jan. 26, 2012 file photo, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas speaks in Worcester, Mass. A hallmark in the search for a new Supreme Court justice is the secretive process for making sure the choice is kept under wraps until the president is ready to reveal it. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
Daylight saving time will return to most of the US this weekend.

Clocks will jump 60 minutes ahead at 2am on Sunday as the country switches to daylight saving time.

There will be no change in Hawaii, Arizona (except the Navajo Indian Reservation), Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.

The United States will be four hours behind Greenwich Mean Time instead of five after the switch. This is because many European countries will adjust their own time later this month.

Clocks will jump 60 minutes ahead at 2am on Sunday as the country switches to daylight saving time. It is advised to adjust them before going to bed on Saturday night (file picture)

It is advised to set clocks 60 minutes ahead before going to bed on Saturday night.

The change to daylight saving time is also a good opportunity to put new batteries in warning devices such as smoke detectors and radios.

This can be repeated when the country switches back to standard time on November 6, which will be the first Sunday of the month.

Moving the clocks forward an hour could have more consequences than feeling sleepy the next day.

The change increases the risk of having a heart attack for those people with a history of heart disease, Dr Martin Young from the University of Alabama at Birmingham warned.

He said: 'Moving the clocks ahead one hour in March is associated with a 10 to 24 per cent increase in the risk of having a heart attack the following Monday and to some degree Tuesday.'

Every cell in a person's body has an internal time mechanism, known as the circadian clock.

That mechanism is responsible for driving rhythms in biological processes. It follows a nearly 24-hour schedule and responds to changes in light and darkness.

When the circadian clock is interrupted or suddenly changes, it can take a toll on a person's health as it disrupts their internal clock.

Sleep deprivation can increase a person's risk of diabetes and heart disease. It can also alter the body's inflammatory response, which is another risk factor for heart attacks.

Losing an hour of sleep disrupts a person's sympathetic tone, the electrical signals that the body sends to the heart when a person wakes up in the morning.

When a person is sleep deprived, their sympathetic tone is elevated even as they sleep, which can lead to cardiovascular disease.

Certain measures can help people reset their own internal clock, according to Dr David Earnest, of the Texas A&M Health Science Center.

'The easiest and best thing to do is to make the adjustment immediately and eat and sleep that very first day according to the new time,' he said.

Dividing up the one-hour loss over the course of the weekend could ease the transition, Dr Young added.

If a person normally wakes up at 6am, he suggests setting the alarm for 6:40am on Saturday - and then 6:20am (daylight saving time) on Sunday, followed eventually by 6am on Monday.

Eating a decent-sized breakfast and going out into the sunlight to exercise in the morning will also help.
Bergdahl lawyers: Trump attacks damage chances of fair trial

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  Donald Trump's ideas for punishing Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl include that he "should have been executed," someone should "throw him out of a plane" without a parachute or he should be dropped in terrorist territory "before we bomb the hell out of ISIS."

Bergdahl's defense attorneys argue Trump's attacks are damaging his chances for a fair trial, saying the Republican presidential front-runner keeps repeating false information in front of large audiences.

Trump is the most vocal critic to pressure the military to punish Bergdahl, though several experts say it's unlikely his comments alone can convince the judge that the soldier's due process rights were violated.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, file photo, Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl arrives for a pretrial hearing at Fort Bragg, N.C. Donald Trump is the most vocal critic to pressure the military to punish Bergdahl, though several experts say its unlikely his comments alone can convince a judge the soldiers due process rights were violated. (AP Photo/Ted Richardson, File)

"When they get that kind of media attention, it gets information in front of a jury," said Philip Cave, a retired Navy attorney who's not involved in the case. "There is concern that all of this information ... prejudices Bergdahl in getting a fair trial."

Bergdahl, who walked off a base in Afghanistan in 2009, faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, the latter of which carries up to a life sentence. He was held five years by the Taliban and its allies before a swap involving five Guantanamo Bay detainees, prompting criticism from some in Congress that the move threatened national security.

Court documents show Bergdahl's attorneys intend to use statements from their client's critics  including U.S. Sen. John McCain  to bolster their case. They also sent a letter warning Trump they may seek his testimony, and sued for access to documents that may show improper congressional influence.

Bergdahl's lawyer Eugene Fidell said Thursday that Trump hasn't responded.

"There is a point beyond which prejudicial pretrial publicity represents a due process violation and basically subverts the legal process," Fidell said by phone.

Bergdahl attacks have been a staple of Trump speeches, and they're noted in what the defense calls a "Trump Defamation Log" included in the court record. A recent version contained 30 instances through January.

Among them are variations of this statement about returning Bergdahl to the Middle East, made at a December rally in Iowa: "Let's fly him over. We'll dump him right in the middle; throw him out of the plane. Should we give him a parachute or not? I say no."

Also problematic is Trump's repetition of debunked claims.

Trump has repeatedly said lives were lost during the search for Bergdahl  even though the Pentagon has said no soldiers died looking for him. The candidate frequently calls Bergdahl a "dirty, rotten traitor," but a general who investigated the case found no evidence Bergdahl was sympathetic to the other side.

"There are thousands and thousands of people who seem to consider him a plausible candidate for the nation's highest position," Fidell said. "So I have to assume some, if not many, if not all of his listeners take his comments seriously."

A spokeswoman for Trump didn't return messages seeking comment Thursday.

A Feb. 4 motion filed seeking public release of the general's investigation sheds light on defense strategy regarding damaging public statements.

The lawyers write that they plan to file a motion alleging McCain's statements unlawfully influenced the case, according to the document, which says potential witnesses have refused to speak to them because of negative publicity. McCain said in October that the Senate Armed Services Committee he chairs would review the case if Bergdahl isn't punished.

Such "unlawful command influence" arguments wouldn't apply to Trump because he's outside of the military chain of command, legal experts said. But that could change if he's elected president and the case  currently delayed by a disagreement over classified documents  pushes into next year.

In the meantime, the negative statements add to "the very real possibility that it will be difficult to obtain a fair court-martial for Sgt. Bergdahl," said Rachel VanLandingham, an associate law professor at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles and former Air Force lawyer.

The defense could argue Bergdahl's due process rights were violated because negative publicity poisoned the jury pool. But she doubts the trial judge would rule in their favor, saying: "unfair in reality and unfair in legal due process terms are often different things."

Cataloguing Trump's negative comments in the court record may give defense attorneys a tool to shape the jury, which would consist of Army members, legal experts say. Bergdahl could also choose trial by judge alone.

Defense attorneys will have a chance to question potential jurors about Trump and ask the judge to remove any who admit biases, said Eric Carpenter, an assistant professor of law at Florida International University who served as an Army prosecutor and defense attorney. However, he expects most can separate what they've heard from their work on the case.

"It's going to be next to impossible for someone in the military not to have heard this stuff," he said. "That doesn't mean they're going to act on it."
'Dog Whisperer' Millan says animal cruelty claim misguided

LOS ANGELES (AP)  An animal cruelty complaint that sent authorities to "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan's rehabilitation center has been blown way out of proportion, the dog trainer said Friday.

The complaint was started online and based on footage from Millan's television show "Cesar 911," in which a French bulldog-terrier mix named Simon chases a farm pig and nips its ear, making it bleed. The complaint is misguided because it was a happy ending  the pig was fine and the dog was rehabilitated, Millan said.

Animal control officers and sheriff's deputies visited his ranch Thursday night, but no action was taken. In a telephone interview from Iowa with The Associated Press, Millan said that when he returns from his speaking tour, he would cooperate fully with both departments.

FILE - This Aug. 19, 2006 file photo shows television personality and dog psychologist Cesar Milan arrives for the Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. An online complaint of animal cruelty led authorities to "Dog Whisperer" Millan's Los Angeles-area pet rehabilitation center Thursday, March 10, but Millan wasn't there and they took no further action. Footage on Millan's television show "Cesar 911" of a French bulldog-terrier mix chasing a pot-bellied pig and nipping its ear until it bled prompted the complaint. Millan was trying to train the dog to be less aggressive. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson,File)

The dog trainer who television made famous said he has used the same technique to help aggressive canines hundreds of times. The training involves getting the dog together with the animal it doesn't like (whether it is another dog, a cat or a horse) so the two can learn to get along.

Millan, 46, is a self-taught dog trainer who became internationally known for his work on a previous show, the "Dog Whisperer," which won him an Emmy nomination.

"I do have a large group of fans and a small group of people who don't agree with me. They are taking this the wrong way and blowing it way out of proportion," Millan said.

Calls and emails were not immediately returned by Los Angeles County Animal Control. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, whose deputies accompanied animal control to Millan's center in Santa Clarita, confirmed there were no arrests or animal seizures on Thursday night.

Millan was working with an aggressive dog named Simon, who was attacking his owner's pet pot-bellied pigs. A promotional clip on National Geographic's website showed Simon chasing a pig and biting its ear. The clip was altered with music from "The Exorcist" horror film and type describing what they said was happening.

Jill Breitner initiated the petition on Change.org, calling for Nat Geo WILD to take the show "Cesar 911" off the air. Friday morning, the number of signatures was closing in on 10,000.

A new clip was released Friday showing the full context of the encounter, said Chad Sandhas, senior director of talent and media relations for National Geographic Channels. In it, the pig is calm and is tied to Simon with a long leash, as if taking him on a walk.

The show initially aired on Feb. 26.

The pig was tended to immediately, healed quickly and showed no lasting signs of distress, Sandhas said.

The extra clip reveals that "Cesar and his animal pack effectively helped Simon to overcome his aggressive behavior toward other animals; as a result, Simon did not have to be separated from his owner or euthanized," he said.

In her petition, Breitner called Millan's methods "inhumane" and demanded his show be taken off the air.

"This is not the first time (Millan) has used bait animals," Breitner wrote in the petition. "This is wrong!"

Millan countered: "This is the first time I had a dog that needed help from pigs. In order for a dog to lose his fear of something, it has to become friends of it."

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A convicted murderer who escaped from a New Mexico prisoner transport van and eluded authorities for nearly two days was captured Friday, the U.S Marshals Service said.

Joseph Cruz, 32, was taken into custody in Albuquerque after a brief foot chase, as investigators searched the state for another inmate who had fled with him.

Cruz managed to escape two nights earlier along a remote stretch of a southern New Mexico highway and get a several-hour head start on his run from law enforcement before authorities said guards reported he was missing.

Lionel Clah, a 29-year-old convicted of armed robbery and for shooting at a police officer in northern New Mexico, also escaped the van with Cruz and remained on the run.

Scroll down for video

Joseph Cruz, left, was captured Friday after two days on the run. Lionel Clah, right is still at large, police said

Corrections officials haven't said whether they know exactly where or when the men managed to escape, but they said it was sometime after 8:30pm Wednesday and along a roughly 200-mile route between correctional facilities in Roswell and Las Cruces that included a gas-station stop in a smaller desert town.

Authorities didn't realize the men were missing until 1am Thursday, Corrections Secretary Gregg Marcantel said.

He and other state officials scrambled Friday to answer embarrassing questions about the missteps that could have been made that night, including how two felons bound by shackles somehow slipped away in white prison jumpsuits and vanished into the night with no one noticing, possibly for hours.

The questions only helped to highlight concerns raised in recent months as the corrections department struggles with a budget crisis, a guard shortage, overworked employees and other problems.

Gregg Marcantel, the state corrections secretary, said the two unidentified guards in charge of transporting the prisoners were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation into the escape.

'Anything less would be remiss,' he said as he left a news briefing.

Cruz is serving a life sentence for a first-degree murder conviction since 2007 for killing a man over drugs in Raton in northern New Mexico.

The men were later seen on hotel surveillance video that surfaced Thursday afternoon showing each wearing jeans. Clah, right, was wearing a red T-shirt, and Cruz was wearing a tan shirt with a collar

Artesia Police Department officers join New Mexico State Police, SWAT, and other agencies gather while investigating a lead in the chase at a home in Artesia, N.M., Thursday

The U.S. Marshals Office offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the capture of each of the men just hours before announcing Cruz was apprehended in a multi-agency investigation.

State Police Chief Pete Kassetas said he was taken into custody near University of New Mexico.

He wouldn't say whether investigators had determined how Cruz and Clah escaped the fortified prison van that was transporting them from the state penitentiary in Santa Fe to the southern region of the state.

After completing a headcount in Roswell, the two corrections officers pulled away from a state prison facility with five prisoners and all of their belongings in tow for the last leg of what had already been a long journey.

It wasn't long before they stopped in the next town to put gas in the van.

They left the convenience store in Artesia, and turned off the main highway and crossed through nearly 200 miles of desert and a mountain range before arriving at their final destination in Las Cruces, where Cruz and Clah were reported missing.

A Facebook post from the New Mexico Corrections Department said the men escaped from this van

Authorities were searching Thursday for two violent convicts who escaped from a prisoner transport van and likely got a head start of several hours in a remote area of New Mexico before guards realized they were gone

By that time, the men were likely already en route to Albuquerque, where surveillance video showed both in a change of clothes at a hotel around 4:30 a.m. Thursday. That same hour state police first alerted the public that two convicts who should be considered armed and dangerous were on the loose.

Authorities raised the likelihood that the getaway happened at the Artesia gas station, was planned and that the fugitives received assistance from others. But they wouldn't disclose what surveillance video from that gas station may have revealed.

'We're definitely talking to family members, friends, associates, whatnot,' Kassetas said.

While the authorities' search for the men had covered much of the state, U.S. Marshal Conrad Candelaria said that his agency was also focusing in on the northwest corner of New Mexico, where Clah  the inmate who remains missing  has ties and was accused of a shooting at an officer during a high-speed pursuit.

An undersheriff in San Juan County, near the Four Corners region of northwestern New Mexico, said his agency was advising the public to remain alert in the event Clah returned to the area.

'Everyone is very aware of what's going on,' Undersheriff Shane Ferrari said. 'We're still alert.'
Former leader of Curacao sentenced in corruption case

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao (AP)  A former prime minister of the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao has been sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty of corruption.

The judge also barred Gerrit Schotte from running for office for five years. His attorney is appealing Friday's sentencing and says the charges were politically motivated.

Schotte was found guilty on charges including forgery and money laundering in a case where prosecutors said he received money in exchange for political favors. His longtime girlfriend also was sentenced in the case to nearly one year in prison. The couple has a young child.
The Latest: Deliberations begin at trial over Texas attack

PHOENIX (AP)  The Latest on the case of a man accused orchestrating an attack on an anti-Islam event in Texas last year (all times local):

4:10 p.m.

A jury has begun deliberations at the trial of Arizona man charged with plotting an attack last spring at a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas.

FILE - In this May 4, 2015 file photo, FBI crime scene investigators document the area around two deceased gunmen and their vehicle outside the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas. Attorneys are scheduled to make closing arguments Friday, March 11, 2016, at the trial of an Arizona man charged with plotting an attack at a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas. Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem is accused of providing the guns used in the attack and going target shooting with two friends who were later killed in a police shootout outside the contest. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade, File)

Jurors at the trial of Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem heard closing arguments most of Friday and met privately for about 20 minutes before going home.

No verdict has yet been reached.

Kareem is accused of hosting the two gunmen at his home to discuss plans for the attack, going target shooting in the remote Arizona desert with the pair and providing the guns used at the contest.

He also faces a charge of providing support to the Islamic State terrorist group.

Kareem vehemently denies the allegation.

Deliberations are scheduled to resume on Tuesday.

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2:15 p.m.

A lawyer for an Arizona man charged with plotting an attack at a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas says authorities wrongfully targeted his client because two of his friends were killed as they tried to carry out a mass shooting.

In closing arguments Friday, attorney Daniel Maynard says federal authorities arrested his client  Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem  to save face for having been warned beforehand about one of the two gunmen who was later killed outside the May 3 contest.

Maynard says authorities knew Elton Simpson was traveling to Texas and sent photos of him and the car he was traveling in to local authorities, but they weren't able to stop the attack.

Kareem is standing trial in federal court in Phoenix on charges that he provided support to the Islamic State terrorist group.

He's accused of providing the guns used in the Texas attack and going target shooting with two friends who were later killed in a police shootout outside the cartoon-drawing contest.

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10:55 a.m.

Federal prosecutors described a Phoenix man as the motivator, financier and trainer of two men who drove to Texas to carry out an attack on an anti-Islam event last year.

Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem is standing trial in federal court in Phoenix on charges that he provided support to the Islamic State terrorist group. He is accused of providing the guns used in the Texas attack and going target shooting with two friends who were later killed in a police shootout outside the Prophet Muhammad cartoon-drawing contest.

Prosecutor Joseph Koehler said Kareem orchestrated the attack. He noted that the two men were close friends of Kareem and brought an Islamic State flag to the event "to announce to the world" that they were there on behalf of the terrorist group.

Kareem denies the allegations and said he had nothing to do with the attack.

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2:04 a.m.

Attorneys are scheduled to make closing arguments Friday at the trial of an Arizona man charged with plotting an attack at a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas.

Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem is accused of providing the guns used in the attack and going target shooting with two friends who were later killed in a police shootout outside the contest.

Kareem also is charged with providing support to the Islamic State terrorist group.

He vehemently denies the allegations.

His case is the first in which the government tried a person on charges related to the Islamic State.

A trial in New York that started halfway through Kareem's trial concluded Wednesday with a guilty verdict against a man charged with attempting to join the group.
The Latest: Rain follows Nancy Reagan's funeral

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP)  The Latest on Nancy Reagan's funeral (all times local):

1 p.m.

Rain has begun falling on the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library following the conclusion of former first lady Nancy Reagan's funeral in hill country northwest of Los Angeles.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney speaks during the funeral service for Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Friday, March 11, 2016 in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A few sprinkles tapped the tented outdoor area during Friday's service, but the downpour held off until her casket had been carried to the grave site where she will be buried next to Ronald Reagan.

Umbrellas came out as mourners passing by the coffin found themselves in a deluge as a front passed over Simi Valley.

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12:35 p.m.

Nancy Reagan's funeral service has concluded at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in hill country northwest of Los Angeles.

Friday's service ended with recollections and prayers by the Rev. Stuart A. Kenworthy, vicar of Washington National Cathedral, and a bagpipe recessional as military service members carried the casket to the grave site.

Her children Patti Davis and Ron Reagan stood by as "God Bless America" was played.

The service took place inside a cavernous white tent, one side left open, facing the hills in the distance. A blanket of gray clouds filled the sky, and a brief sprinkle tapped on the roof.

The former first lady, who died Sunday at age 94, will be buried next to Ronald Reagan, who died in 2004.

Her casket will be lowered into the tomb beside the former president Friday night, the moment watched over by senior library staff.

___

12:25 p.m.

President Obama is taking heat from some conservatives for skipping Nancy Reagan's funeral Friday, opting instead to speak at a tech festival in Austin, Texas.

Michelle Obama is attending the funeral.

But Barack Obama is hardly the first president to miss a former first lady's funeral.

President Jimmy Carter did not attend Mamie Eisenhower's funeral in 1979 but his wife, Rosalynn Carter, did. President Ronald Reagan did not attend Bess Truman's funeral in 1982 but Nancy Reagan went.

President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, did not attend Pat Nixon's funeral in 1993 and President George W. Bush did not attend Lady Bird Johnson's funeral in 2007. His wife, Laura, and his mother, Barbara Bush, attended. When Betty Ford died in 2011, Obama did not attend but his wife did.

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12:05 p.m.

Former first lady Nancy Reagan's children are recounting memories at their mother's funeral at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Daughter Patti Davis described to mourners Friday how Nancy Reagan was adamant about reuniting with her husband, who died in 2004.

Davis described her parents as "two halves of a circle," recalling a long-ago memory of seeing the two of them sitting on a Southern California beach at sunset in what she called an impenetrable "island for two."

Son Ron Prescott Reagan told the guests there likely would not have been a President Ronald Reagan without Nancy Reagan, saying she had an absolute belief in him, as well as provided guidance and a refuge.

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11:45 a.m.

Mourners at Nancy Reagan's funeral are hearing prayers, music and reminiscences of the former first lady.

A diverse group of guests is attending Friday's funeral at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Among mourners are former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, as well as first lady Michelle Obama. Also present are presidential candidate and former first lady Hillary Clinton and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Former Reagan administration official James Baker has recounted the first meeting of then-Nancy Davis and Ronald Reagan, and later her devastation when her husband was wounded in an assassination attempt.

Veteran television journalists Diane Sawyer and Tom Brokaw also have given recollections of Nancy Reagan.

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11:20 a.m.

Mourners at the funeral of Nancy Reagan have heard former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney read an adoring letter written by Ronald Reagan to his wife on their first Christmas in the White House in 1981.

The letter said she filled his entire life with "warmth and love."

The funeral at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, began Friday with service members carrying the casket in front of mourners and a prayer by the Rev. Stuart A. Kenworthy, vicar of the Washington National Cathedral.

A local high school choir sang "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," and Nancy Reagan's niece Anne Peterson read from Proverbs.

A thousand guests were invited to the funeral at the hilltop library northwest of Los Angeles where the former first lady will be buried next to her husband Friday night.

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11:05 a.m.

Former first lady Nancy Reagan's funeral has begun at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Friday's program began with military service members bringing the casket in front of guests and a prayer by the Rev. Stuart A. Kenworthy, vicar of the Washington National Cathedral.

A local high school choir is singing "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."

Nancy Reagan's remains will be buried at the library alongside her late husband, who died in 2004.

The casket will be lowered into the tomb beside the former president, the moment watched over by senior library staff. Ronald Reagan's headstone was removed to add Nancy Reagan's name and will be restored after the burial.

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10:10 a.m.

A diverse group of mourners is arriving for Nancy Reagan's funeral at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Early arrivals Friday include former Reagan administration official Ed Meese, Katie Couric, Larry King, Mike Love of the Beach Boys, television writer and producer Norman Lear and Steve Ford, son of President Gerald Ford.

Also on hand are actress Bo Derek, actor Tom Selleck and singer Johnny Mathis. Mathis became friends with Nancy Reagan and often visited her home in the Bel Air area of Los Angeles, where she died Sunday at age 94. Mathis says he and the former first lady enjoyed singing together.

The funeral begins at 11 a.m. and concludes with burial next to the casket of Ronald Reagan, who died in 2004.

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9:35 a.m.

Guests are arriving for Nancy Reagan's funeral at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

About 1,000 relatives, dignitaries and friends are expected for Friday's memorial, which begins at 11 a.m. PST and will conclude with burial of the former first lady next to her husband, who died in 2004.

The funeral will be held outdoors under tents at the hilltop library northwest of Los Angeles.

Rain is in the forecast, but its timing is uncertain. Clouds are building over the nearby mountains, the wind is picking up and the temperature is dropping but rain hasn't started.

___

12:13 a.m.

Nancy Reagan will be buried alongside her husband on a Southern California hilltop.

Former President George W. Bush, Michelle Obama and three former first ladies, and a long list of other celebrities and dignitaries are set to attend Friday's funeral at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley.

Ronald Reagan's Chief of Staff James A. Baker, newsman Tom Brokaw and Nancy Reagan's two children are set to speak at the ceremony.

Current first lady Michelle Obama plans to be in attendance at the funeral, as do former first ladies Rosalynn Carter, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush.

The ceremony comes after two days of public viewing at the library, and sunny skies could give way to clouds and possibly rain before the proceedings are done.

The casket carrying Nancy Reagan arrives for the funeral service at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Friday, March 11, 2016 in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

FILE - This December 1986, file photo shows first lady Nancy Reagan holding the Reagans' pet Rex, a King Charles spaniel, as she and President Reagan walk on the White House South lawn. The former first lady will be buried beside her "Ronnie" Friday, March 11, 2016, at the library they loved, after being mourned and celebrated by family and hundreds of friends from Hollywood, Washington and beyond in a private service. Mrs. Reagan, who died Sunday at 94, planned the smallest details of her funeral. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook, File)

FILE - This June 1989 file photo shows former first lady Nancy Reagan speaking at the Library of Congress Symposium on "Memoirs of White House," in Washington. Nancy Reagan will be buried beside her "Ronnie" Friday, March 11, 2016, at the library they loved, after being mourned and celebrated by family and hundreds of friends from Hollywood, Washington and beyond in a private service. Mrs. Reagan, who died Sunday at 94, planned the smallest details of her funeral. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 8, 1986 file photo, President Ronald Reagan and Mrs. Reagan wave from Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base as they return to Washington after a vacation at their California ranch. The former first lady will be buried beside her "Ronnie" Friday, March 11, 2016, at the library they loved, after being mourned and celebrated by family and hundreds of friends from Hollywood, Washington and beyond in a private service. Mrs. Reagan, who died Sunday at 94, planned the smallest details of her funeral. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Pall bearers move the casket of Nancy Reagan out of the public viewing area at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, Pool)

Former President George W. Bush, left, and Hillary Clinton arrive at the funeral service for Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Friday, March 11, 2016 in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Former President George W. Bush, left, and Hillary Clinton arrive at the funeral service for Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Friday, March 11, 2016 in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Former Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger arrives for funeral services for Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Friday, March 11, 2016 in Simi Valley, Calif. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via AP) NO FORNS; NO SALES; MAGS OUT; ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER OUT; LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS OUT; INLAND VALLEY DAILY BULLETIN OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT, TV OUT
Trump, Rubio battle for Hispanic GOP voters in Florida

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  Florida voters are increasingly voicing a similar take on Republican front-runner Donald Trump: "Dice lo que piensa"  Spanish for "he speaks his mind."

Trump boasts that he can win the Hispanic vote in a general election and next week, he faces his first major test in the winner-take-all primary in Florida, a highly contentious swing state with a large and diverse population of Latino voters.

Trump's comments about building a southern border wall and his accusations that many Mexicans in the U.S. are "criminals, drug dealers, rapists" have outraged and alienated many American Hispanics. Yet his tough stance on illegal immigration plays well among Florida's more conservative Latinos. Many Cuban-Americans, especially, view illegal immigration through the same lens as many of their white Republican peers who see immigration as an achievement, not as a right, that shouldn't be taken for granted by those who come to America illegally.

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks, as Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump, listens, during the Republican presidential debate sponsored by CNN, Salem Media Group and the Washington Times at the University of Miami, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Le

Republican Hispanics want lower taxes, fewer regulations and limited government. National security, the spiraling debt and the preservation of Social Security and Medicare weigh heavily on their minds.

For that reason, Trump has surged in the polls ahead of this crucial contest, even as two Cuban-Americans  Florida's own Sen. Marco Rubio, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz  look to use their heritage in their favor. For Rubio especially, who has collected only two wins so far  one of them in Puerto Rico  Florida's all-or-nothing contest could be his campaign's swan song if he doesn't win.

Rubio told reporters on Friday in West Palm Beach that Tuesday's primary will be "a close election," but that "we are going to win."

The senator is relying on fellow Cuban-Americans to help defeat Trump and capture all of the state's 99 delegates. But the junior senator's membership in the Gang of Eight that pushed for immigration reform has gotten him into as much trouble with conservative Hispanics here and elsewhere in the country.

Florida's demographics are very different from much of the country. The state is home to nearly 479,000 registered Republican Hispanic voters, about 11 percent of all GOP voters.

The majority of the state's Hispanic voters are not Democrats. Republicans and those with no party affiliation comprise more than 60 percent of the state's registered Hispanic voters. About two-thirds of all voters in the state are Cuban-American or Puerto Rican, while the rest trace their roots to Venezuela, Colombia and other Latin American countries.

Many Cubans are indifferent to the issue of illegal immigration since Cubans who make it to U.S. soil are automatically given a pass to stay for up to one year. And since Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens by birth, most do not rank immigration among their top concerns. If anything, they also oppose illegal immigration and are looking for tougher regulations against immigrants from the Dominican Republic who settle in Puerto Rico illegally.

In the latest Monmouth poll, released Monday, Trump led Rubio by 8 percentage points. But in the southern part of the state, where Cuban-Americans dominate the ranks of GOP voters, Rubio led by 9 percentage points.

Trump sees Florida as a chance to knock Rubio from the race. At a weekend rally in Orlando, Trump repeatedly taunted the senator, calling him "little Marco" and bashing his Senate attendance record.

"If we win Florida, believe me, it's over," Trump told the boisterous crowd, referring to Republican chances of winning the general election.

Trump's campaign plans to spend about $2 million on Florida TV ads by primary day, including one that describes Rubio as a "corrupt, all-talk, no-action politician."

Conservative Solutions PAC, a group promoting Rubio, planned to spend more than $4 million attacking Trump. They are also doing Spanish-language ads_one that promotes Rubio, the other that slams Trump. Three other anti-Trump groups plan to spend a combined $4 million.

Monmouth University pollster Patrick Murray said "the Hispanic vote could be the linchpin to Rubio winning or losing Florida."

But with only a few days to go until the March 15 contest, many believe Rubio's campaign may end where it began.

Hispanic GOP voters in Orlando and south Florida, both areas are major pockets of Hispanic voters, share in the anger at government that Trump has so skillfully roused as a political outsider.

Voters, like Oscar Amor, a 74-year-old Cuban-American from Miami, voted for Rubio in 2010, but say the Florida senator is "too young and too establishment" to win his vote as a presidential candidate.

He wasn't alone.

Yesmira Saldana, a 38-year-old mother of two from central Florida, said she wishes she could retract her 2010 Senate vote for Rubio because he "doesn't show up to work."

Saldana, who is Puerto Rican and a longtime Republican, said she's voting for Trump.

"Trump is unapologetic and speaks his mind," she said.

Still, with less than a week to go until Florida votes, the contest is far from predictable. Many remain devoted to Rubio, echoing what other anti-Trump Republicans say about the bombastic billionaire.

"Trump has no record and is unprepared to lead the country," said Herminio Orizondo, a Cuban-American Rubio supporter from Orlando. "All he does is talk, talk, talk and talk."

Former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson, left, center, speaks with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump after a news conference at the Mar-A-Lago Club, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Palm Beach, Fla. Carson announced he is endorsing Trump. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. greets a woman at Temple Beth El in Palm Beach, Fla., Friday, March 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

News media set up on the lawn prior to a news conference by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Mar-A-Lago Club, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Brazil's embattled president says she will not resign

SAO PAULO (AP)  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff Friday said she will not resign despite mounting pressure to do so and that there is no legal justification backing efforts to impeach her.

Rousseff faces impeachment proceedings over alleged fiscal mismanagement, while the Supreme Electoral Court is considering possible campaign funding irregularities that could end up annulling her 2014 re-election.

Rousseff spoke to reporters at the end of a meeting with rectors of federal universities.

Brazils President Dilma Rousseff attends a meeting with rectors of public universities, at the Planalto Presidential palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, March 11, 2016. Rousseff has seen her popularity nosedive as Brazil has slipped into its worst recession in decades and corruption investigations have spread. She is facing an impeachment effort in congress. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

She said people shouldn't demand the resignation of an elected president like her without concrete evidence that she violated the constitution.

She said that "if there is no reason to do so, I will not step down."

Asked about recent press reports that said she may name former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to a ministerial post to shield him from possible imprisonment on corruption and money laundering charges, Rousseff said she would be "extremely proud" to have Silva in her government.

"But, I will not discuss with you if he will or will not be part of the government."

Under Brazilian law, only the Supreme Court can authorize the investigation, imprisonment and trial of cabinet members.

Last week, federal police questioned Silva in an investigation into a sprawling corruption case involving state-run oil company Petrobras that has ensnared some of the country's top lawmakers and wealthiest businessmen.

And on Wednesday Sao Paulo state prosecutors charged Silva with money laundering, in a separate case. A judge must accept the charges in order for that case to move forward.

Silva governed from 2003 to 2010. Despite a votes-for-bribes scandal that took down his chief of staff and others, he left office with record high popularity levels and his hand-picked successor, Rousseff, handily won the presidency.

Brazils President Dilma Rousseff arrives for a meeting with rectors of public universities, at the Planalto Presidential palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, March 11, 2016. Rousseff has seen her popularity nosedive as Brazil has slipped into its worst recession in decades and corruption investigations have spread. She is facing an impeachment effort in congress. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Brazils President Dilma Rousseff speaks during a press conference where she said she will not resign despite mounting pressure to do, at the Planalto presidential palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, March 11, 2016. Rousseff said that there is no legal justification backing efforts to impeach her. Rousseff faces impeachment proceedings over alleged fiscal mismanagement, while the Supreme Electoral Court is considering possible campaign funding irregularities that could end up annulling her 2014 re-election. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Brazils President Dilma Rousseff speaks during a press conference about prosecutors seeking the arrest of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, at the Planalto Presidential palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, March 11, 2016. Sao Paulo state prosecutors said Thursday they filed money laundering and criminal misrepresentation charges against the former president because of evidence he and his family unduly benefited from a real estate scheme that adversely affected thousands of Brazilian families. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
AP Newsbreak: Wounded Warrior founder open to return

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP)  Steve Nardizzi's entrepreneurial approach to charity work transformed the Wounded Warrior Project, which began as a shoestring effort to provide underwear and CD players to hospitalized soldiers, into an $800 million fundraising enterprise.

It also led to his downfall.

A lawyer by training who never served in the military, Nardizzi traded a career in the courts for one helping wounded veterans. He arrived at the Wounded Warrior Project in 2006 after nearly a decade at the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association and persuaded the board that they needed a new, more aggressive leadership style.

FILE- In this Monday, July 20, 2009 file photo, Steve Nardizzi, CEO of the Wounded Warriors Project at their meeting at the Hotel Monaco in Washington. The board of Wounded Warrior Project, one of the nation's largest veteran support groups, has fired two top officials amid news reports accusing the group of wasteful spending. According to a statement released late Thursday, March 11, 2016, on behalf of Wounded Warrior Project, Nardizzi and chief operating officer Al Giordano are no longer with the organization. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

By 2010, Nardizzi replaced founder John Melia as CEO and catapulted the nonprofit into the top ranks of U.S. charities. His success led to lavish spending  the group's annual staff meeting in 2014 cost $970,000  prompting complaints from employees, veterans and charity watchdogs about profiteering off veterans that emerged in reports by The New York Times and CBS News in January.

On Thursday, Nardizzi and chief operating officer Al Giordano were fired, the board said, as the organization cracks down on employee expenses and strengthens controls that have not kept pace with the rapid growth.

Melia, a former Marine, launched the group in 2003 after he was injured in a helicopter crash off Somalia and saw how wounded veterans were treated. His exit left him bitter; he said Nardizzi erased his contributions from the group's website. But he told The Associated Press on Friday that he has requested an "immediate" meeting with the board of directors and is open to leading the group again.

Board chairman Anthony Odierno, overseeing the charity on an interim basis, did not respond Friday to a request for comment. Neither did the fired executives, Nardizzi and Giordano. In the Thursday statement, Odierno said "it is now time to put the organization's focus directly back on the men and women who have so bravely fought for our country and who need our support."

The Wounded Warrior Project's directors fired the two executives after hiring outside legal counsel and forensic accounting consultants to conduct an independent review of the Jacksonville-based organization's records and interview current and former employees.

The reports by CBS News and The Times described extravagant parties and last-minute, business-class air travel; one former employee compared it to "what the military calls fraud, waste and abuse."

The group's 2014 meeting, at a five-star hotel where Nardizzi rappelled from a tower into a crowd of employees, was particularly costly. The board's statement  released late Thursday by the crisis management firm Abernathy MacGregor  said "such events will be curtailed in the future."

Nardizzi defended such spending while leading the charity. "An entrepreneurial spirit led to WWP's success," Nardizzi wrote Jan. 18 on his Facebook page.

"If nonprofits are going to be effective in their world-changing work (eliminating disease or eradicating poverty), they must be allowed to research, to advertise, and, most important, to fail  in the same way that corporations like Apple and Nike do. We need to embrace the notion that has long guided the for-profit world: think big, and often spend big, in order to succeed big," Nardizzi wrote.

Nardizzi certainly thought big: According to the Internal Revenue Service reports, the charity took in $800 million over the past six years, while also paying some of the highest salaries, to many more people, than other major nonprofits. Nardizzi earned $496,415 annually and Giordano $397,329, while at least 10 others took in more than $160,000 each for the year ending in September 2014, according to the nonprofit's Form 990 filings.

Compensation accounted for $32 million, or 13 percent of the group's spending that year. Meanwhile, the group's reserves rose to $248 million, mainly held in investments. Charity watchdogs say it's OK to keep a rainy day fund, but the money should go as much as possible to the mission.

Nardizzi's leadership drew fans. Tom Keller, a communications consultant on WWP projects, described Nardizzi as a "Powerhouse CEO" and a "superb leader" in a 2014 recommendation on LinkedIn.

Reached by phone Friday, Keller said he no longer feels the same way.

"I have associations with other veterans' organizations, and I just feel sick about the whole situation," Keller said. "My involvement with (Wounded Warrior Project) didn't last long after he came aboard. I know the truth will come out."

The nonprofit's Facebook page was filling with angry comments Friday by people rethinking whether they should donate again.

"Many donors have supported the WWP from its humble inception and have every right to be angry about the lack of stewardship shown by the immediate past leadership of WWP," Melia said in a statement. "The new leadership of the WWP must do everything in its power to restore its relationship and regain the trust of those it serves and its donors."

WWP said in response to the posts that it is proud of its programs and stands behind its fundraising.

The group's statement Thursday said its most recent audited financial statement shows 81 percent of donations were spent on "programming," not fundraising. The statement cited a "joint allocation" accounting rule that enables nonprofits to classify fundraising as a service to clients if the event or material also is "educational" and includes a "call to action" beyond simply appealing for money.

Invoking that rule, the nonprofit reported to the IRS that it spent $26 million, about 10 percent of its budget, on conferences and events between October 1, 2013, and September 30, 2014. The statement said about 94 percent of that "was associated with program services delivered to Wounded Warriors and their families."

The IRS filings said 76 percent of the budget, or $189,558,100, went to veterans programs  a share charity watchdogs would consider respectable. However, almost $41 million of that amount was claimed as the "educational" component of fundraising requests; without it, helping veterans accounted for just 60 percent of the budget.

Charitywatch.org says Wounded Warriors spent just 54 percent on programs rather than overhead, for a C rating.

"The board needs to look hard in the mirror and ask how things got so out of hand for so long," Dean Zerbe, a former senior counsel for the U.S. Senate finance committee who did extensive oversight of charities. "Every dollar that is spent by WWP on perks and parties is a dollar that isn't being spent to help a veteran or a veteran's family."

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Trump, Rubio battle for Florida's Hispanic voters on Tuesday

ORLANDO, Florida (AP)  Republican front-runner Donald Trump boasts that he can win the Hispanic vote in a general election, and he faces his first major test of that next week in the winner-take-all primary in Florida, a state with a large and diverse population of Latino voters.

Trump's comments about building a southern border wall and his accusations that many Mexicans in the U.S. are "criminals, drug dealers, rapists" have outraged and alienated many Hispanics. Yet his tough stance on illegal immigration plays well among Florida's more conservative Latinos.

Many Cuban-Americans, especially, view illegal immigration through the same lens as many of their white Republican peers who see immigration as an achievement, not as a right, that shouldn't be taken for granted.

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks, as Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump, listens, during the Republican presidential debate sponsored by CNN, Salem Media Group and the Washington Times at the University of Miami, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Le

Republican Hispanics want lower taxes, fewer regulations and limited government. National security, the spiraling debt and the preservation of federal pension and health care programs weigh heavily on their minds.

For that reason, Trump has surged in the polls ahead of this crucial contest, even as two Cuban-Americans  Florida's own Sen. Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz  look to use their heritage in their favor. For Rubio, who has collected only two wins so far, Florida's all-or-nothing contest could be his campaign's end if he doesn't win.

"We're going to win Florida," Rubio vows while campaigning across the state.

Rubio is relying on fellow Cuban-Americans to help defeat Trump and capture all of the state's 99 delegates. But the senator's membership in the group of lawmakers that pushed for immigration reform has gotten him into trouble with conservative Hispanics here and elsewhere.

Florida is home to nearly 479,000 registered Republican Hispanic voters, about 11 percent of all Republican voters.

The majority of the state's Hispanic voters are not Democrats. Republicans and those with no party affiliation comprise more than 60 percent of the state's registered Hispanic voters. About two-thirds of all voters in the state are Cuban-American or Puerto Rican, while the rest trace their roots to Venezuela, Colombia and other Latin American countries.

Many Cubans are indifferent to the issue of illegal immigration since Cubans who make it to U.S. soil are automatically given a pass to stay for up to one year. And since Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens by birth, most do not rank immigration among their top concerns. If anything, they also oppose illegal immigration and are looking for tougher regulations against immigrants from the Dominican Republic who settle in Puerto Rico illegally.

In the latest Monmouth poll, released Monday, Trump led Rubio by 8 percentage points. But in the southern part of the state, where Cuban-Americans dominate the ranks of Republican voters, Rubio led by 9 percentage points.

Trump's campaign plans to spend about $2 million on Florida TV ads by primary day, including one that describes Rubio as a "corrupt, all-talk, no-action politician."

Conservative Solutions PAC, a group promoting Rubio, planned to spend more than $4 million attacking Trump.

Some Hispanic Republican voters share in the anger at government that Trump has skillfully roused as a political outsider.

Oscar Amor, a 74-year-old Cuban-American from Miami, voted for Rubio in 2010 but said the senator is "too young and too establishment" to win his vote as a presidential candidate.

Still, many remain devoted to Rubio, echoing what other anti-Trump Republicans say about the bombastic billionaire.

"Trump has no record and is unprepared to lead the country," said Herminio Orizondo, a Cuban-American from Orlando. "All he does is talk, talk, talk and talk."

Former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson, left, center, speaks with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump after a news conference at the Mar-A-Lago Club, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Palm Beach, Fla. Carson announced he is endorsing Trump. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. greets a woman at Temple Beth El in Palm Beach, Fla., Friday, March 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

News media set up on the lawn prior to a news conference by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Mar-A-Lago Club, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
AP FACT CHECK: Debate big on policy, off the mark on details

WASHINGTON (AP)  They exaggerated, they generalized, they got some things flat-out wrong.

The latest Republican debate was thick on policy and pronouncements, about Muslims, Medicare, jobs, immigrants and more.

And it was crowded by the front-runner, Donald Trump, who by AP's count addressed far more questions than his rivals (36, with Marco Rubio next with 21 questions) and spoke longer than the rest (nearly 28 minutes overall, with Ted Cruz next at 22 minutes).

Former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson embraces Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump after announcing he will endorse Trump during a news conference at the Mar-A-Lago Club, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

A look at some of the claims from Thursday night:

TRUMP: "Islam treats women horribly."

THE FACTS: No such generalization is supported by the diverse circumstances for women in the Muslim world. The United States has yet to see a woman as president, many years after Muslim women achieved national leadership in other countries, most prominently Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto back in the late 1980s and in the 1990s.

Some Muslim societies are indeed repressive by Western standards, enforcing or pressing for norms such as clothing that covers all but their eyes or faces; bans on driving, voting and education; and restrictions on interacting with the other sex. But many Muslim women adhere to Islamic norms not out of fear or repression, but in observance of faith and their own preference.

In almost all countries with majority Muslim populations, women set their own dress codes, graduate from universities, interact with men, work as Western women do, hold senior government posts and take part in competitive sports.

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RUBIO: "In less than five years, only 17 percent of our budget will remain discretionary; 83 percent of the federal budget in less than five years will all be spent on Medicare, Medicaid, the interest on the debt."

THE FACTS: He's misusing figures in several ways. Primarily, he's confused spending with spending growth. He's also left out the enormous Social Security program from the equation.

The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget projects that Medicare, Medicaid, debt interest  and Social Security  will together eat up 83 percent of the growth of spending by the 2022 budget year, five years after the next president takes office. But they are projected to take up 61 percent of spending by then  not 83 percent. Add in other government spending, not tied to these entitlements or the debt, and the projected figure is 75 percent, still well short of his assertion.

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TRUMP: "GDP was essentially zero percent in the last few quarters. ... Our jobs are gone, our businesses are being taken out of the country."

THE FACTS: He meant to say there's been essentially no growth in the gross domestic product  not that there is no GDP at all. But what he meant to say isn't right, either.

In the past three quarters, the GDP, the broadest measure of the economy's output, grew at an annual rate of 1 percent, 2 percent and a robust 3.9 percent. The quarter before that it grew just 0.6 percent, but economists considered that a fluke, caused partly by harsh winter weather. For all of 2015, the economy expanded 2.4 percent. That's not a case of "essentially" no growth.

As for his claim that "jobs are gone," employers added 2.7 million jobs in 2015 and more than 3 million in the previous year, the two best years for hiring since 1998-99.

___

TED CRUZ: "We're gonna end welfare benefits for anyone who is here illegally."

THE FACTS: It's unclear what benefits Cruz could take away. Immigrants living in the country illegally generally are not eligible for federal welfare benefits already.

To be sure, the U.S.-citizen children and spouses of immigrants who are in the country illegally are entitled to federal benefits, including food stamps and housing programs. Public hospitals are required to provide emergency medical care regardless of immigration status.

And children are also legally entitled to a free public education, regardless of their immigration status. But that's because of a 1982 Supreme Court ruling, not something a president can merely end through executive action or legislation.

___

TRUMP on why he opposes Common Core: "Education through Washington, D.C. .... It's all been taken over now by the bureaucrats in Washington."

THE FACTS: Common Core is not a federal program at all, but a set of standards developed primarily by governors and education leaders in states. The standards spell out certain skills that students should grasp, while leaving how those skills are mastered up to local school districts and states.

There was no federal mandate that states adopt the Common Core State Standards. However, the federal government did encourage them, through its Race to the Top education grants that were given to states that adopted rigorous academic standards. The flip side of rewarding states that take certain steps is that it punishes states that don't.

That's the root of complaints about Washington having a heavy hand in local education. But it's a far cry from the picture painted by Trump and some other Common Core critics of a local system "taken over" by Washington.

___

TRUMP, when asked if he's created a tone that encourages violence against protesters at his rallies: "I hope not. I truly hope not."

THE FACTS: Trump has at times appeared to goad his supporters when protesters have emerged at his rallies, a common occurrence.

"You know what they used to do to guys like that when they were in a place like this?" he asked as a protester was removed from a Las Vegas rally. "They'd be carried out on a stretcher, folks." As the audience cheered, he added: "I'd like to punch him in the face."

Audiences usually hear an announcement before his rallies start telling them not to harm protesters but instead to chant "Trump, Trump, Trump" when a protest begins. This helps steer authorities to the demonstrators in a large crowd, while also focusing the audience's attention  sometimes its anger  at the protesters.

___

RUBIO on the idea of closing the new U.S. Embassy in Cuba: "The embassy is the former consulate. It's the same building. So it could just go back to being called a consulate."

THE FACTS: It was never a consulate. What the U.S. had in Cuba before President Barack Obama restored relations was an "interests section," a smaller office that is standard in countries with which the United States has no diplomatic relations.

___

TRUMP: "You look at the recent jobs reports, which are really done so that presidents and politicians look good, because all of these people looking for jobs, when they give up, they go home, they give up, and they are considered statistically employed."

THE FACTS: It's not true that people who stop looking for work are counted as employed in jobs reports. People who give up on job searches, whether because they get discouraged about finding work or decide to go to school or care for family, are counted as "not in the labor force."

This does have the effect of lowering the unemployment rate, but not because more people have actually found jobs.

People who stop looking for work are tracked for another year in a broader measure of unemployment, currently at 9.7 percent, above the main jobless rate of 4.9 percent. The number of people giving up on looking for work was high in the first years of the recovery. But in the past five months the proportion of Americans working or looking for work has risen.

___

Associated Press writers Christopher S. Rugaber, Wendy Benjaminson, Alicia A. Caldwell, Jim Drinkard, Kevin Vineys, Vivian Salama and Robert Burns contributed to this report.

Republican candidates Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., left, Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas and Republican presidential candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, right, listen to a question, during the Republican presidential debate sponsored by CNN, Salem Media Group and the Washington Times at the University of Miami, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Nielsen: Thursday's GOP debate drew second fewest viewers

NEW YORK (AP)  Nearly 12 million viewers watched Thursday's Republican Party debate aired live by CNN from Miami, according to the Nielsen ratings company.

The debate, which featured Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich, was the GOP's second least-watched this political season. Only the Jan. 14 debate on Fox Business Network drew fewer viewers, 11.1 million. The most recent debate, aired by Fox News Channel from Detroit, drew 16.9 million on March 3.

In addition to Thursday's TV audience, another 1.9 million digital streams were logged.

Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump, speaks, as Republican presidential candidates, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., left, Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Republican presidential candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, listen, during the Republican presidential debate sponsored by CNN, Salem Media Group and the Washington Times at the University of Miami, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Coral Gables, Fla. Republican presidential candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich is at right. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Google is hitting the road _ literally _ for user feedback

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Google is about to embark on an old-school search, swapping its Internet algorithm for a custom-built van that will cruise across the U.S. to find out how people use its online services and react to new features.

The white van emblazoned with Google's colorful logo and an invitation to "shape the future" of the world's most powerful Internet company is scheduled to pull out Monday on a six-week road trip.

Google is using the van to help it break out of its Silicon Valley bubble. The van will make multiday stops in seven states, stopping near colleges, libraries, parks and some of Google's own regional offices in hopes of finding out how average Americans are using the company's multitude of digital offerings.

In this Wednesday, March 9, 2016 photo, Google User Experience Researcher John Webb, background, Dawn Herman, left, Henry Liang, center, and Victoria Sosik pose for a photo with Google's User Experience van in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

About 500 walk-up volunteers will be invited to step inside the van designed to serve as a mini-version of Google's Silicon Valley laboratories, where most of the company's user studies are conducted.

Once inside, researchers will watch, question and record how the volunteers use apps and other services on their smartphones in sessions that will last 15 to 90 minutes. They will receive gift cards and Google t-shirts in return for their time.

A few may even get a glimpse at ideas that Google's engineers are still refining before the company decides whether to release them as products to the general public.

The plan to build a research lab on wheels grew out of Google's recognition that most people don't live and think the same way as the population living in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the company does most of its user research.

In this geeky and affluent area, the day's biggest worry sometimes boils down to how long it will take to summon an Uber ride to a fancy restaurant.

"We are trying to understand the whole end-to-end experience, which is why we are trying to get out to more locations and see more people so we can gather more context," says Laura Granka, a lead Google researcher focusing on Internet search and maps.

Google is usually in the thick of the action on people's computers and mobile devices, with seven different services boasting at least 1 billion users: Internet search, YouTube, maps, Chrome browser, Android software for mobile devices, Google Play and Gmail.

Traveling the country in search of more diverse opinions makes sense to San Diego State University marketing professor Steven Osinski, although he suspects the van's road trip is more of a goodwill tour than a data-gathering expedition.

"I don't know how much more they are going to learn that they are not aware of right now," Osinski says. "With just one van, whatever data they get is likely to be very anecdotal. It will be a good public-relations story, but it doesn't really strike me as a real game changer in terms of research."

Granka, however, says Google's marketing department didn't have any involvement with the upcoming tour.

"It is purely driven by research and our desire to reach and understand more of our users," she said.

The journey marks another step in Google's evolution from a freewheeling company that routinely introduced services with a "beta" tag to signify they hadn't been thoroughly tested.

Releasing products in test form hatched some hits, including Google News and Gmail, but it also produced some embarrassing duds. The list of flops includes a confusing document-sharing tool called Wave, a short-lived virtual world called Lively and a privacy-invading social network called Buzz.

Now, Google is taking a more deliberate approach that relies on more extensive research before its products hit the market.

In another sign of its transformation, Google last year folded itself into Alphabet Inc., a holding company that oversees many of the experimental projects, or "moonshots," that formerly came out of Google.

After leaving New York, the van will be stopping in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, from Monday through March 18; Clemson, South Carolina, March 21-22; Atlanta, March 23-25; Boulder, Colorado, April 4-8; Salt Lake City, April 11-15; Reno, Nevada, April 18-20; and South Lake Tahoe, California, April 21-22.

If the trip yields helpful insights, Google plans to send the van on several shorter junkets to cities across the country later this year and may eventually hit the road in other countries.

In this Wednesday, March 9, 2016 photo, Google User Experience Researcher John Webb, left, Research Program Manager Henry Liang, center, and User Experience Researcher Victoria Sosik run a pilot study inside Google's User Experience van in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Del Castillo disputes part of Sean Penn's 'El Chapo' article

MEXICO CITY (AP)  Kate del Castillo ended two months of silence about her and Sean Penn's controversial meeting with then-fugitive drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, saying Penn's account of an encounter with a Mexican military checkpoint never happened.

The Mexican-born actress spoke in three days of interviews for an article in the upcoming issue of The New Yorker that was available online Friday, after largely keeping out of the spotlight ever since Guzman's recapture and the publication of Penn's article about the meeting.

In his January Rolling Stone piece, Penn wrote that while traveling to meet Guzman they came across a checkpoint and were allowed to continue when soldiers recognized one of the cartel capo's sons, who was traveling with the actors.

FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2014 file photo, actress Kate Del Castillo speaks during a news conference in City Council chambers in Los Angeles. Castillo breaks months of silence about her and Sean Penns controversial meeting with then-fugitive drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, saying Penns account of an encounter with a Mexican military checkpoint never happened. The Mexican-American actress speaks in a New Yorker article made available online Friday, March 11, 2016, after largely keeping out of the spotlight ever since Guzmans recapture and the publication of Penns article about the meeting. (AP Photo/ Nick Ut, File)

According to del Castillo, "they didn't go through any military checkpoint, much less one where government soldiers waved them on," The New Yorker reported.

It added that two Argentine film producers who were riding in another car also "have no recollection of encountering a military checkpoint."

The New Yorker said Penn maintains that his account is accurate, and he confirmed that in a response to a request for comment Friday.

"I stand by my piece," the actor told The Associated Press via email, adding: "I think Kate would be happier to separate herself from recollections that inflame the Mexican government at this point."

Del Castillo told the magazine the scene was not in an early draft that had been sent to and approved by Guzman, and it appeared only after a Rolling Stone editor asked Penn to add a more detailed description of their overland journey.

Guzman pulled off his second brazen escape from prison last July, fleeing a maximum-security lockup through a tunnel that accomplices dug to the shower of his cell. Penn's lengthy Rolling Stone piece was published a day after Guzman was recaptured on Jan. 8 by Mexican authorities and several months after his meeting with the actors in fall 2015.

Del Castillo had been contacted by Guzman's lawyer the previous year and entered into an agreement for her to make a movie about the convicted drug lord's life, and she had hoped to bring Penn on board with the project. She maintains she had no idea a magazine article was in the works.

She told The New Yorker she was unaware that Penn was bearing a letter of assignment from Rolling Stone when they met with "El Chapo," and she felt blindsided when he announced to Guzman that he intended to write an article. Penn has insisted he told her beforehand, but she dismissed that as "total and complete (bull)."

"This was not how I was expecting the night to be," she was quoted as saying. "But at the moment I thought, Maybe we can base the movie on this article."

The New Yorker reported that the Argentine producers said the article had been discussed on the trip, before the meeting with Guzman.

Mexican authorities are probing possible money-laundering involving Guzman and del Castillo's tequila business and have sought to question the actress, while saying she is considered a witness and has not been charged with any crime.

A kind of summons for her to be questioned has been issued, but del Castillo, a naturalized U.S. citizen, has remained in Los Angeles where she lives. Her attorney in the United States says she has nothing to hide and is willing to talk to Mexican authorities

Del Castillo considers the probe "a witch hunt," she told The New Yorker. She also alleged sexist treatment by the Mexican media, much of which has focused on a series of seemingly flirtatious text messages between her and Guzman that were leaked earlier this year.

A spokesman for Mexico's presidency declined to comment.

Del Castillo said she was dismayed when Mexican authorities announced they had been able to locate and capture Guzman thanks to his communications with "actresses and producers."

"I wanted to die," she was quoted as saying.

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Associated Press writer Frank Bajak in Lima, Peru, contributed.

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Senator: Dam cyberattack was 'shot across the bow' from Iran

LAWRENCE, New York (AP)  A cyberattack on a small dam in the New York City suburbs was a "shot across the bow" of the United States and should be met with tougher sanctions against Iran, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said Friday.

In 2013, hackers accessed the control system at the Bowman Avenue Dam, a small flood-control structure. The intrusion prompted a federal investigation.

"Now it looks clear that the Iranians did it," Schumer said. "What were they doing? They were sending a shot across our bow. They were saying that we can damage, seriously damage, our critical infrastructure and put the lives and property of people at risk."

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, right, speaks at a campaign event in Lawrence, N.Y., on Friday, March 11, 2016. Schumer says an alleged Iranian cyberattack on a damn in the suburbs north of New York City is a "shot across the bow" of the United States. He is calling for tougher sanctions against Iran in response. At Schumer's right is Todd Kaminsky, a Democratic candidate for the New York state Senate. (AP Photo/Frank Eltman)

Schumer confirmed that a federal indictment is expected in the case as soon as next month. It wasn't clear whether the indictment from the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan would charge specific people within the Iranian government or publicly name Iran as being behind the attack.

A spokesman for Iran's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to an email and telephone request for comment Friday.
US man accused of trying to join Islamic State pleads guilty

JACKSON, Mississippi (AP)  A young Mississippi man pleaded guilty Friday to a terrorism-related charge after authorities said he and his fiancee thought about using their honeymoon as ruse to go to Syria to join the Islamic State group.

Muhammad Dakhlalla, 23, pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorism and faces up to 20 years in prison, $250,000 fines and lifetime probation. His sentencing date hasn't been set.

His fiancee, Jaelyn Delshaun Young, is accused in new court documents of being the mastermind of the plan to join the Islamic State. Her trial is set for June 6.

Both remain jailed without bail.

The couple was arrested Aug. 8 before boarding a flight from Mississippi with tickets for Istanbul. Authorities say they contacted undercover federal agents last year seeking online help in traveling to Syria. The two told federal agents posing online as Islamic State recruiters that they planned to disguise their journey to Syria as a honeymoon.

Court papers filed with the plea portray Young as the mastermind of the couple's attempt, saying she had already expressed an interest in converting to Islam before she began dating Dakhlalla in late 2014.

The papers confirm that both Young and Dakhlalla left farewell letters "that explained they would never be back, with Young acknowledging her role as the planner of the expedition and that Dakhlalla was going as her companion of his own free will."
A judge decided Friday there won't be a trial anytime soon for a 25-year-old woman accused of killing one pedestrian and injuring at least 34 others by intentionally driving a car onto a crowded Las Vegas Strip sidewalk last year.

Lakeisha Nicole Holloway argued with Clark County District Court Judge David Barker, said she didn't trust the public defenders handling her case, and muttered to herself while Barker ordered her sent to a state mental hospital for observation and treatment.

The judge noted that one doctor found Holloway was unable to assist in her defense, and she refused a second evaluation.

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Lakeisha Nicole Holloway, accused of intentionally plowing a car into pedestrians on a Las Vegas Strip sidewalk, appears during her competency hearing at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas on Friday

Holloway argued with Clark County District Court Judge David Barker and said she didn't trust the public defenders handling her case

'Excuse me sir. I don't need mental health assessment,' Holloway said as she stood in shackles with a uniformed court officer at her side.

'That's absolutely a mess. They're trying to cover something. That's not cool.'

Holloway accused one of her appointed lawyers, Scott Coffee, of writing the state death penalty. The judge noted that Coffee has spent decades fighting the death penalty.

Coffee stated that he serves on a committee reviewing procedural aspects of capital punishment.

Outside court, Coffee and co-counsel Joseph Abood said it was clear Holloway was mentally ill.

Barker ordered her to be sent to a state mental hospital for observation and treatment during the hearing

The incident took place the night the final of the Miss World pageant was being held in Las Vegas

Holloway is accused of 71 felonies including murder, attempted murder and battery with a deadly weapon in the December 20th crash.

A child endangerment charge stems from allegations that Holloway had her three-year-old daughter in the car at the time of the crash. The girl wasn't injured.

Coffee said that her daughter is now being cared for by family members but declined to identify the relatives.

The hit and run killed mother-of-three Jessica Valenzuela, 32, from Buckeye, Arizona.

The hit and run killed mother-of-three Jessica Valenzuela (above), 32, from Buckeye, Arizona

The injured were tourists from California, Colorado, Florida, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington state, Mexico and Canada

The injured were tourists from California, Colorado, Florida, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington state, Mexico and Canada.

Holloway was from Portland, Oregon, and she told police that she and her daughter had been in Las Vegas for about a week before the crash - living in the car that she parked at casinos where security guards kept making her move.

Records in Oregon showed she changed her name in October to Paris Paradise Morton, but Coffee said she used the name Lakeisha Holloway in Las Vegas.

In January, Coffee said that Holloway planned to plead not guilty to the charges.
Conservative Utah lawmakers show progressive leanings

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  Utah's staunchly conservative legislature came close to eliminating the death penalty and gave serious consideration to setting up a system to grow and distribute medical marijuana  making the 2016 session a surprising one that may foreshadow future traction for progressive issues.

Lawmakers still showed their conservative colors by approving another abortion regulation and passing a resolution that declared pornography a public health crisis.

But the legislature's newfound openness to traditionally left-leaning issues caught people's attention.

The warm glow of sunset falls on the Utah State Capitol Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Salt Lake City. Utah's 2016 legislative session will come to a close Thursday at midnight after 45 days of debating and passing roughly 500 bills. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

"We had some good debates this year on a lot of different issues that don't usually come up," said Sen. Gene Davis, a Democrat and minority leader.

The lean toward progressive issues was led by a pair of outgoing GOP lawmakers who went all in on their bills. Sen. Mark Madsen led the medical marijuana push, while Sen. Steve Urquhart pushed the death penalty abolishment.

Urquhart also backed a failed measure that would have added discrimination protections for gay and transgender people. A year ago, a successful bill he co-sponsored and was backed by the Mormon church guaranteed protection for LGBT people from housing and employment discrimination, while also protecting the rights of religious groups and individuals.

The death penalty repeal measure was viewed as a long shot proposal, but Urquhart framed the issue in terms that appealed to lawmakers' libertarian leanings. He argued that the punishment is costly and gives imperfect governments a godlike power over life and death.

Decriminalizing marijuana and reassessing whether the death penalty is a good use of taxpayer funds are issues gaining traction among conservatives around the country, said Marina Lowe of ACLU of Utah

"Talking about getting smarter with our dollars when it comes to fighting crime, and making sure we're not needlessly putting people in jail and costing people taxpayer money, those are conservative arguments," Lowe said.

The discussions wouldn't have happened five years ago, showing an evolution of thought among Utah Republicans that mirrors a national trend toward a more Libertarian view on certain social issues, said Utah State University political scientist Damon Cann.

"There's an openness to a dialogue and thoughtful conversation about a wide range of social issues that aren't marked as being taboo for Republicans," Cann said.

One issue that the GOP remains steadfast on is abortion. Utah legislators approved a measure that would require doctors to administer anesthesia prior to an abortion performed after 20 weeks' gestation. The proposal is based on the disputed premise that a fetus can feel pain at that point.

Madsen's marijuana plan would have made edible, vapor and topical marijuana products legal in Utah for those with chronic pain. He said it would have put Utah in line with more than 20 other states with medical marijuana programs.

A restrictive proposal by two GOP lawmakers would have allowed those with certain debilitating conditions to use cannabis-based medicine that has very low levels of the plant's psychoactive components.

Utah's death penalty debate is one of many around the nation examining capital punishment. Nebraska's Republican-controlled Legislature voted last year to abolish the death penalty over a veto from that state's GOP governor. But death penalty supporters quickly launched a petition drive, leaving Nebraska voters to decide the issue this November.

A shortage of lethal-injection drugs in the U.S. in recent years has led several states to pass or consider laws to bring back other execution methods, such as electrocution. Last year, Utah lawmakers voted to reinstate firing squads as a backup method to ensure the state had a way to kill death row inmates if it couldn't get lethal-injection drugs.

Proponents of medical marijuana and a death penalty repeal vowed to come back stronger next year, buoyed by what they saw as progress this year.

"It definitely has pushed the needle on both of these issues," Lowe said.

A group pushing for the legal use of marijuana for certain chronic conditions is trying to gather enough signatures to get an initiative on November's ballot.

Rep. Greg Hughes, the Republican speaker of the House, publicly came out in support of repealing the death penalty and said it's a position he's privately considered for some time.

Those kind of stories give Urquhart optimism for future legislative sessions.

"I see the willingness of elected officials to actually open their eyes, open their minds to consider a different view on something they've probably thought about their entire lives," he said. "My guess is the death penalty will be repealed in Utah in a year or two or three."

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Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.

Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, looks on during debate on the House floor Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Salt Lake City. Utah lawmakers this year took up sweeping proposals to abolish the death penalty, significantly restrict abortions and set up a system to grow and distribute marijuana products for medical use. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert speaks during an interview Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Salt Lake City. Utah's 2016 legislative session will come to a close Thursday at midnight after 45 days of debating and passing roughly 500 bills. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Republican Sen. Curt Bramble talks on the phone during debate on the Senate floor Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Salt Lake City. Utah lawmakers this year took up sweeping proposals to abolish the death penalty, significantly restrict abortions and set up a system to grow and distribute marijuana products for medical use. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

The Utah State Capitol is shown Thursday evening, March 10, 2016, in Salt Lake City. Utah's 2016 legislative session will come to a close Thursday at midnight after 45 days of debating and passing roughly 500 bills. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Rep. Curtis Oda, right, R-Clearfield, and Rep. LaVar Christensen, left, R-Draper, look on during debate on the House floor Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Salt Lake City. Utah lawmakers this year took up sweeping proposals to abolish the death penalty, significantly restrict abortions and set up a system to grow and distribute marijuana products for medical use. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Sen. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, look on during debate on the Senate floor Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Salt Lake City. Utah lawmakers this year took up sweeping proposals to abolish the death penalty, significantly restrict abortions and set up a system to grow and distribute marijuana products for medical use. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, looks on during a meeting at the Utah State Capitol Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Salt Lake City. Utah lawmakers this year took up sweeping proposals to abolish the death penalty, significantly restrict abortions and set up a system to grow and distribute marijuana products for medical use. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Storm drenches drought-parched California

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  A storm front that closed schools and snarled Northern California traffic moved south Friday, drenching the Los Angeles area with brief but fierce downpours that snapped power lines, sent hikers up a tree and prompted a spate of flood advisories.

The afternoon rain fell in torrents in foothill areas, dumping nearly a quarter-inch in five minutes in the northeastern suburb of La Canada Flintridge, the National Weather Service reported.

In Riverside, east of Los Angeles, the storm snapped a dozen power poles, littering roads with electrical lines, closing streets and leaving about 3,000 customers without electricity, city and fire officials said.

This photo provided by the California Department of Transportation shows a Caltrans dump truck that was nearly toppled by a mud slide along California Highway 1 in Mendocino County, Calif. on Friday, March 11, 2016. The highway is closed indefinitely after the overnight slides. (California Department of Transportation via AP)

In Los Angeles, a power line fell on a car in the San Fernando Valley, trapping the driver until the line could be de-energized so firefighters could move in for a rescue, fire department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said.

In the Hollywood Hills, firefighters rescued two hikers who climbed a tree and were afraid to risk a rain-soaked trail on Mulholland Drive, Stewart said.

However, no major flooding was reported, she said.

Locals suffering through years of drought and a dry winter were happy to see the wet weather.

"I love the smell, the fresh clean air because it takes the dirt out of the air. I like seeing it. It's been awhile," Peer Swan, a board member of the Irvine Ranch Water District, told KABC-TV. "I'm afraid that when I have to walk up to my car without an umbrella I'm going to get drenched, but I don't mind."

Skies began to ease after a few hours, but forecasters also warned of gusty winds  potentially reaching 60 to 75 mph  in some mountains and deserts with some snow in the mountains.

The storm was expected to move south and east before leaving the state Saturday.

Northern California was hard hit earlier. Schools were shuttered, and residents snapped up sandbags. Nearly 400 flights were delayed because of weather at San Francisco International Airport and about 75 were canceled, most of them smaller planes, officials said.

Roads were closed because of floods and mudslides. The closures included a portion of California Highway 1 in Mendocino County where overnight slides nearly toppled a California Department of Transportation dump truck with an employee inside. The truck hit a guardrail  stopping its fall  and landed at a 45-degree angle. The employee was uninjured.

Scattered power outages affected several thousand people.

The latest in a series of storms moved in Thursday night, adding more moisture to an already wet March that has resulted in mudslides and swollen creeks. A mudslide was likely to blame for a commuter train that derailed east of San Francisco on Monday, injuring nine.

Bobby Rehfeldt of Goodman Building Supply off U.S. 101 in Mill Valley, said Friday that most of the customers in the busy store were thrilled with the rain, although some are understandably unhappy about leaks.

"Lots of people are buying tarps and roof patch and heat guns to dry stuff up, anything for getting water off the ground, and sandbags are flying out of here," he said. "It's just rain, and we need it."

California is entering its fifth year of drought, and water watchers say anything helps, although it will take years of normal or above-normal rainfall to right the deficit.

Rain moved down the Central Coast and into Southern California during the morning, but only a few sprinkles fell during the funeral for former first lady Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, northwest of Los Angeles. A waterproof tent behind the library shielded those attending the service.

Minutes after the service ended, the skies unleashed a blustery downpour and mourners pulled out umbrellas as they filed past her coffin.

In Northern California, snow is forecast in the Sierra Nevada throughout the weekend. The Sierra snowpack normally stores about 30 percent of California's water supply.

Several Sonoma County schools closed Friday because of fears that the Russian River would flood. But by the afternoon, forecasters had cancelled warnings for major rivers.

Still, the Russian River was running high and fast Friday with vineyards submerged and streets closed. At a trailer park in Forestville mere feet from the river, a resident was moving his dog and trailer to drier land.

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AP Photographer Eric Risberg contributed to this report. Antczak reported from Los Angeles.

The Russian River rises closer to the back of a hotel Friday, March 11, 2016, in Monte Rio, Calif. Flood watches and warnings blanketed Northern California as the latest in a series of storms moved in, adding more moisture to an already wet March that has made up for a mostly bone-dry February in the drought-stricken state. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Two woman watch the rising Russian River flow by Friday, March 11, 2016, in Monte Rio, Calif. Flood watches and warnings blanketed Northern California as the latest in a series of storms moved in, adding more moisture to an already wet March that has made up for a mostly bone-dry February in the drought-stricken state. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Mustard is seen between the rows of vineyards flooded by water from the Russian River Friday, March 11, 2016, in Forestville, Calif. Flood watches and warnings blanketed Northern California as the latest in a series of storms moved in, adding more moisture to an already wet March that has made up for a mostly bone-dry February in the drought-stricken state. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

A man rides his bike during a break between rain storms Friday, March 11, 2016, in Monte Rio, Calif. Flood watches and warnings blanketed Northern California as the latest in a series of storms moved in, adding more moisture to an already wet March that has made up for a mostly bone-dry February in the drought-stricken state. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Fog covers highway 9 on a rainy morning at Friday, March 11, 2016, along Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in Santa Cruz, Calif. Flood watches and warnings blanketed Northern California as the latest in a series of storms moved in, adding more moisture to an already wet March that has made up for a mostly bone-dry February in the drought-stricken state. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Fog covers Highway 17 on a rainy morning Friday, March 11, 2016, in Santa Cruz, Calif. Flood watches and warnings blanketed Northern California as the latest in a series of storms moved in, adding more moisture to an already wet March that has made up for a mostly bone-dry February in the drought-stricken state. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Dean James carries one of his dogs to his pickup truck before pulling his trailer out of a park near the rising Russian River Friday, March 11, 2016, in Forestville, Calif. Flood watches and warnings blanketed Northern California as the latest in a series of storms moved in, adding more moisture to an already wet March that has made up for a mostly bone-dry February in the drought-stricken state. James planned to take his trailer to Petaluma until the threat of flooding was over. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

A runner jogs on the beach among debris left behind by recent storms Friday, March 11, 2016, at Seacliff State Beach in Aptos, Calif. Flood watches and warnings blanketed Northern California as the latest in a series of storms moved in, adding more moisture to an already wet March that has made up for a mostly bone-dry February in the drought-stricken state. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

A woman walks her dog between rain storms across a bridge over the rising Russian River Friday, March 11, 2016, in Monte Rio, Calif. Flood watches and warnings blanketed Northern California as the latest in a series of storms moved in, adding more moisture to an already wet March that has made up for a mostly bone-dry February in the drought-stricken state. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Andrey Rose Movilla, of Salinas, Calif., plays music on the beach as storm clouds close in Friday, March 11, 2016, at Seacliff State Beach in Aptos, Calif. Flood watches and warnings blanketed Northern California as the latest in a series of storms moved in, adding more moisture to an already wet March that has made up for a mostly bone-dry February in the drought-stricken state. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Lora Meeks, left, keeps warms under a heat lamp with Terry Hopper, right, as they take cover from the rain and monitor the rising Russian Park at the Mirabel trailer park where they live Friday, March 11, 2016, in Forestville, Calif. Flood watches and warnings blanketed Northern California as the latest in a series of storms moved in, adding more moisture to an already wet March that has made up for a mostly bone-dry February in the drought-stricken state. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Water from the rising Russian River floods vineyards Friday, March 11, 2016, in Forestville, Calif. Flood watches and warnings blanketed Northern California as the latest in a series of storms moved in, adding more moisture to an already wet March that has made up for a mostly bone-dry February in the drought-stricken state. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Dean James carries his dog Thol to his pickup truck before pulling his trailer out of a park near the rising Russian River Friday, March 11, 2016, in Forestville, Calif. Flood watches and warnings blanketed Northern California as the latest in a series of storms moved in, adding more moisture to an already wet March that has made up for a mostly bone-dry February in the drought-stricken state. James planned to temporarily move his trailer to Petaluma until the threat of flooding was over. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

People sift through debris dumped on the beach by recent storms Friday, March 11, 2016, at Seacliff State Beach in Aptos, Calif. Flood watches and warnings blanketed Northern California as the latest in a series of storms moved in, adding more moisture to an already wet March that has made up for a mostly bone-dry February in the drought-stricken state. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Gov. Snyder calls for investigation of health department

DETROIT (AP)  Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder on Friday called for an investigation of how his health department handled an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the Flint area as well as high lead levels among residents who were drinking tainted water from the Flint River.

Snyder was briefed on an "internal review" of the Department of Health and Human Services and now wants the agency's inspector general and Michigan's auditor general to quickly launch a broader investigation, spokesman Ari Adler said.

Adler declined to release the review to The Associated Press or explain what was specifically troubling to the governor. He said no one at the health department was suspended.

"I want some answers," Snyder, a Republican, said in a statement.

Investigations related to a disastrous decision to use the Flint River for 18 months are piling up. A task force already is looking at the health department and the Department of Environmental Quality, which had a crucial role in overseeing water quality in Flint. Separately, Attorney General Bill Schuette has hired a team to conduct a criminal probe, and federal authorities are also on the beat.

Water not treated properly caused lead to leach from old plumbing in Flint, population roughly 100,000. Residents now are using bottled water or filtered water.

In 2014-15, nine people died and dozens more became ill from Legionnaires' disease in Genesee County. The Snyder administration was aware of the outbreak but never informed the public until two months ago.

Experts believe the Flint River was the source of Legionella bacteria, although no definitive link has been made.

A Flint-area lawmaker scoffed at Snyder's latest call.

"I'm baffled as to how Gov. Snyder can continue to push for investigations of departments that carried out his wishes, and then blame them for operating in a departmental culture he created," said Sen. Jim Ananich, the leader of Senate Democrats.

Earlier Friday, a liberal group critical of Snyder filed a complaint with the secretary of state over his plan to use $1.2 million in public money for legal fees tied to the Flint water crisis. Progress Michigan said the governor should create a legal defense fund with private money as he faces many lawsuits and other scrutiny.

Adler said Snyder was confident that he's following the rules.

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AP reporter Michael Gerstein in Lansing, Mich., contributed to this story.

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UN chief meets with comfort woman

UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The United Nations Secretary-General met Friday with one of the less than 50 surviving victims of Japan's wartime military-run brothel system known as "comfort women."

Ban Ki-moon met with Gil Won-ok and Yoon Mee-Hyang, co-chair of the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan.

An agreement in December between South Korea and Japan included an indirect apology from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a Japanese pledge to provide 1 billion yen ($8 million) to a fund for the South Korean victims.

Ban, who is South Korean, said in a statement that he was sympathetic with Gil. "It is crucial that the voices of victims and survivors are heard," he said.

The meeting came the same week that survivor Yongsoo Lee addressed the United Nations Correspondents Association.

"I know Ban Ki-moon is Korean person but what does he know about what happened to us?" she said at the Tuesday meeting.
Detectives uncover $10M drug ring after stopping UHaul truck

NEW YORK (AP)  Detectives uncovered a $10 million Brooklyn drug operation that included liquefied pot used in e-cigarettes when they stopped a U-Haul truck stuffed with hundreds of pounds of marijuana hidden among furniture, police said Friday.

Acting on a tip from federal investigators that a large shipment of drugs was headed from the West Coast to Brooklyn, officials pulled the vehicle over outside a garage Wednesday. They discovered 300 pounds of marijuana inside, said Inspector John Benesopolis, the commanding officer of the New York Police Department's criminal enterprise investigative division.

The driver, Philip Feng, 36, and passenger Victor Bae, 35, were arrested on charges of drug and gun possession. The two were being held on $2 million bail after their arraignments Friday, and messages left with their attorneys were not immediately returned.

In this undated photo provided by the New York City Police Department, containers of packaged marijuana ready to be sold are shown inside a New York warehouse. Police say that they foiled a marijuana distribution ring that made about $10 million a year after detectives followed two men who picked up a container with about 300 pounds of marijuana from a freight warehouse in the Brooklyn borough of New York on Wednesday, March 9, 2016. (New York City Police Department via AP)

Police said they believe the operation was in business for at least four years and made about $10 million annually.

Benesopolis says a search of Feng's garage turned up 100 pounds of marijuana, liquefied pot used in e-cigarettes, mushrooms, PCP and a loaded revolver. They also found e-cigarette cartridges. Police said the liquefied pot and PCP is odorless when smoked in an e-cigarette. Overall, they recovered about $2.5 million in drugs and drug paraphernalia, police said.

Authorities were searching Feng's home and were investigating the operation. More arrests were possible, and it wasn't clear yet where the drugs had been sold, authorities. Said. The high-end pot called "Emperor Jack," ''Sour Diesel" and "LA Confidential" was worth $6,000 a pound, police said.

Police said Feng used some of the drug money to collect World War II memorabilia, including a decoding machine similar to the one created by Alan Turing, who was depicted in the Oscar-nominated film "The Imitation Game."

In this undated photo provided by the New York City Police Department, bags of packaged marijuana are shown in a cabinet drawer at a New York warehouse. Police say that they foiled a marijuana distribution ring that made about $10 million a year after detectives followed two men who picked up a container with about 300 pounds of marijuana from a freight warehouse in the Brooklyn borough of New York on Wednesday, March 9, 2016. (New York City Police Department via AP)
Tesco commits to redistributing all food waste to charities by end of 2017

Tesco has committed to sending no surplus food to waste from its stores by the end of next year under an initiative it hopes will involve 5,000 local charities and groups.

The UK's biggest grocery chain said the plan followed a "farm to fork" commitment to tackle food waste from its suppliers, through stores and into customers' homes.

The retailer's latest figures show 55,400 tonnes of food were thrown away at its stores and distribution centres in the UK last year, of which around 30,000 tonnes could otherwise have been eaten - equivalent to around 70 million meals.

From left to right, Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis, FareShare chief executive Lyndsey Boswell, store manager Matt Fielder, Karen Ward and Sam Bax of the Society of St James at the scheme launch

The plan is a nationwide roll-out of a 14-store pilot called the Community Food Connection, which over the last six months has generated more than 22 tonnes of food, the equivalent of 50,000 meals.

It operates by using a digital open platform called FareShare FoodCloud that allows store staff and charities to liaise to distribute surplus food.

It launches in 15 cities and regions this week, including Manchester, Birmingham, Southampton and Portsmouth, and will cover all stores by the end of 2017.

Tesco and FareShare are appealing for 5,000 charities and community groups t o join up and receive the food.

Tesco is also calling on other retailers to adopt FareShare FoodCloud to create an industry-wide platform.

The initiative also includes the launch of a new "Perfectly Imperfect" range of so-called wonky vegetables that previously may have been thrown away and will be on sale at low prices, in line with several other grocers.

Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis said: "We believe no food that could be eaten should be wasted. That's why we have committed that no surplus food should go to waste from our stores.

"We know it's an issue our customers really care about, and wherever there's surplus food at Tesco stores, we're committed to donating it to local charities so we can help feed people in need.

"But we know the challenge is bigger than this and that's why we've made a farm to fork commitment to reduce food waste upstream with our suppliers and in our own operations and downstream in our customers' own homes."

FareShare chief executive Lindsay Boswell said: "We are delighted to be offering our store level solution in partnership with Tesco who are demonstrating real leadership in tackling food surplus.

"FareShare FoodCloud is a natural extension of our work together which has already provided nine million meals to help feed vulnerable people."

Mr Lewis said that the issue of food waste was one he felt personally strong about.

He said: "I had an experience when I first came to the business of working in a store and seeing that despite our best efforts to match supply with demand, at the end of the evening there was food that was officially outside of its date code that couldn't go back on to the shelf and the only option was to look at ways of disposing of it and to stand there and see that food wasted has a personal impact."

Ms Boswell said: "Between now and November, 1,000 Tesco stores will be connecting and redistributing their surplus food with 5,000 charities.

"That gives us a real growth plan on which we can not only engage with more charities but we can get the food industry to be doing a real step-change in thinking and culture.

"FoodShare believe that no good food should go to waste and dealing with food that is wasted on an individual supermarket level in addition to the huge volumes of food that are wasted in the supply chain is really important.

"If we scale this up as we intend to do, by the end of the year all Tesco stores will be redistributing 70 million meals - that's more than enough to feed the entire population of these islands."

Karen Ward, of the Society of St James, said donations from supermarkets such as Tesco were crucial for their work in providing meals for homeless and vulnerable people.
Ignore 'merchants of gloom' and vote for Brexit, says Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson has appealed to voters to ignore the "merchants of gloom" and choose a future for Britain outside the European Union.

The London mayor said that if people hold their nerve and vote for Brexit in the referendum on June 23, the UK could "prosper and thrive as never before".

Speaking at a Vote Leave campaign event in Dartford, Kent, he said: "I think the prospects are win-win for all of us.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson delivers a speech during a Vote Leave campaign event at the Europa Worldwide freight company in Dartford, Kent

"I think it is time to ignore the pessimists and the merchants of gloom and to do a new deal that would be good for Britain and good for Europe too.

"It is time to burst loose and of all those regulations and get out into a world that is changing and growing and becoming more exciting the whole time.

"If we hold our nerve and we are not timid and we are not cowed by the gloomadon-poppers on the Remain campaign and we vote for freedom and for the restoration of democracy, then I believe that this country will continue to grow and prosper and thrive as never before."

Mr Johnson said he was "very dubious" about the proposed deal with Turkey for visa-free travel within the Schengen zone.

"I am certainly very dubious on the other side of the coin about having a huge free travel zone," he said.

"I think that is one of the problems, that we need to take back control of our borders."

Mr Johnson also appeared to endorse Canada's arrangements with the EU as a potential model for Britain in the future.

Asked whether the UK would have to accept free movement of labour as part of a post-exit deal, he said: "I don't think that is necessary. I think we can strike a deal as the Canadians have done based on trade and getting rid of tariffs."

Aides pointed out that Canada had negotiated a package which meant around 98% of trade with the EU had zero tariffs, and it did not have to pay into the EU's budget or allow free movement.

Mr Johnson dismissed Mr Cameron's renegotiation as a "tragedy". But he again seemed to hint that a Brexit vote may not necessarily mean leaving - after he was forced to clarify recently that he did not think a second referendum was an option.

"The tragedy is we didn't get any real reform. Everybody knows it," Mr Johnson said.

"We didn't get any real change, the bureaucracy continues unabated. The only way to get the change we need is to say, 'Right that's it, we have had enough. This thing is 50 years old, it is going in the wrong direction, it is time for change, it is time for real reform'. The only way to get that is to vote leave."

He urged voters not to be "cowed by the gloomadon-poppers", saying the situation was "win win" and there were not "any substantial downsides" to leaving the EU.

Pressed on whether Brexit would mean another referendum on Scotland breaking away from the UK, the mayor said: "I don't think that is coming around again any time soon."

It would mean "nothing" if Scotland voted to stay in the EU while England voted to leave, because it was a UK-wide decision, he insisted.
Ireland's World Twenty20 hopes washed away as rain strikes against Bangladesh

Ireland are out of the ICC World Twenty20 after heavy rain prevented a result in their match against Bangladesh in Dharamsala.

The bad weather relented temporarily to allow William Porterfield's team to start a contest already reduced to 12 overs per side.

But after in-form Tamim Iqbal powered Bangladesh to 94 for two in only eight of those overs, rain and lightning returned.

William Porterfield's Ireland have made an early exit from the ICC World Twenty20

Ireland have therefore paid a heavy price for Wednesday's shock defeat to Oman, and can no longer qualify for the Super 10 stage against Test-playing nations - irrespective of the outcome of their final Group A match against Holland.

In what play was possible against Bangladesh, Ireland caught and fielded moderately in awkward conditions after Porterfield won the toss.

But following an opening stand of 61 in under five overs, Andy McBrine had Soumya Sarkar stumped with one that turned.

Then Tamim, who hit four sixes and three fours in his 47 from 26 balls, chipped a simple catch to midwicket off George Dockrell.

Within seconds of his dismissal, though, the rain began falling again - and with no resumption this time, Ireland and Holland will therefore be playing only for pride back at the same venue on Sunday.

Bangladesh and Oman's group decider will follow that match.

After Friday's abandonment, a disappointed Porterfield reflected on the consequences of Ireland's unexpected setback two days earlier.
Councillor cleared over 'stupid' tweet aimed at Sadiq Khan

A councillor has walked free from court after magistrates said a tweet he aimed at Labour MP Sadiq Khan was "very stupid" but not "grossly offensive".

James Buckley, who sits on Rugby Borough Council, sent a message on the social media site comparing Mr Khan's constituency office with a corner shop.

Mr Buckley, 61, was suspended from his local Conservative group and said he had gone through "four months of hell" after the tweet was picked up by the press, and legal proceedings started against him under the Communications Act.

James Buckley was cleared of one charge of sending an offensive message

He told the court he sent the tweet as he was "bored" while his wife was shopping in a nearby haberdashery in Tooting, south London, on a Saturday afternoon last October.

Addressing the magistrates, he said he was trying to compare Mr Khan's "slightly run down" office on Balham High Road with the "plush" offices of the current mayor of London Boris Johnson.

Sadiq Khan is Labour candidate for mayor of London.

He said: "I just did it trying to be stupidly funny, disastrously."

The tweet was deleted ten minutes after it was first sent, defence solicitor Mohammad Farooq said.

Mr Buckley said there was no racially abusive undertone to his tweet and that he had sent a letter to Mr Khan to apologise for any offence his message may have caused.

Magistrate Irene Stark said: "We all agree it was a very stupid thing to do and you admitted this yourself by deleting it.

"We do not believe that this was grossly offensive."

He was cleared of one charge of sending an offensive message at Leamington Spa Magistrates' Court on Friday.
reuters

Iran condemns call for UN probe into alleged use of its drones in Ukraine

Oct 22 (Reuters) - Iran on Saturday strongly condemned a call by France, Germany and Britain for the United Nations to probe accusations that Russia has...
U.S. may need more missile defenses to counter growing threat -admiral

By David Alexander

WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) - Current U.S. missile defenses can counter an attack on U.S. territory by North Korea or Iran but Washington will have to boost its response capacity if those countries keep expanding their missile forces, a top U.S. admiral said on Thursday.

Admiral Bill Gortney, the officer responsible for defending U.S. air space, told a Senate panel it was "prudent" for him to assume North Korea had the ability to miniaturize a nuclear weapon and put it on an intercontinental ballistic missile that could target the United States.

"Intel community gives it a very low probability of success, but I do not believe the American people want (me) to base my readiness assessment on a low probability," he added.

Gortney's comments came at a time of heightened tensions with North Korea after Pyongyang tested a nuclear device and a long-range rocket. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also announced Pyongyang had miniaturized a nuclear device to be fitted on an ICBM, an assertion met with skepticism elsewhere.

The U.S. missile defense system is in the process of expanding its missile interceptors to 44 from 30 by the end of 2017. Forty will be at Fort Greely, Alaska, and four at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The interceptors are designed to destroy a missile in space midway through its flight.

Gortney said the current U.S. missile defense system was capable of dealing with threats to either coast of the United States from "rogue" nations like Iran or North Korea. But if those countries continued to expand their missile forces, the U.S. system could fall short, he said.

"One interceptor versus one warhead in mid-course is a failing proposition because they can produce more than we can ever possibly afford to put into the ground," Gortney told lawmakers.

"We're going to need more capability to engage the threat throughout its flight, keep them on the ground, kill them on the (launch) rails, kill them in boost phase and then get more warheads in space in mid-course," he added.
U.S. government calls Apple rhetoric 'false' in iPhone case

By Dan Levine and Dustin Volz

March 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday said Apple Inc's rhetoric was "false" in a high-profile fight over the government's bid to unlock an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters.

Last month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation obtained a court order requiring Apple to write new software and take other measures to disable passcode protection and allow access to shooter Rizwan Farook's iPhone.

Apple has not complied. It said the government request would create a "back door" to phones that could be abused by criminals and governments, and that Congress has not given the Justice Department authority to make such a demand.

The filing was the Justice Department's last chance to make its case ahead of a hearing set for March 22 in a Riverside, California federal court. The clash has intensified a long-running debate over how much law enforcement and intelligence officials should be able to monitor digital communications.

In its brief, prosecutors noted that Apple has attacked the FBI investigation as "shoddy" and portrayed itself as "the primary guardian of Americans' privacy."

Apple's rhetoric "is not only false, but also corrosive of the very institutions that are best able to safeguard our liberty and our rights: the courts, the Fourth Amendment, longstanding precedent and venerable laws, and the democratically elected branches of government," prosecutors added.

The government said Apple "deliberately raised technological barriers" to prevent execution of a warrant.

Apple has said the government's request would open the company to pressure from repressive regimes to provide similar assistance. But the Justice Department on Thursday questioned whether Apple is actually resisting such requests.

"For example, according to Apple's own data, China demanded information from Apple regarding over 4,000 iPhones in the first half of 2015, and Apple produced data 74 percent of the time," prosecutors wrote.

Apple General Counsel Bruce Sewell on Thursday said the brief reads "like an indictment" and called the claims about providing data to China a "smear" based on thinly sourced news reports.

Sewell said it was insulting to suggest Apple deliberately set out to protect phones from warranted searches, saying its measures are intended to keep everyone safe from multiple threats.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook has said he is willing to take the case to the Supreme Court.

The FBI says Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, were inspired by Islamist militants when they shot and killed 14 people on Dec. 2 at a holiday party. The couple later died in a shootout with police and the FBI said it wants to read the data on Farook's work phone to investigate any links with militant groups.

Tech industry leaders including Google, Facebook and Microsoft and more than two dozen other companies filed legal briefs last week supporting Apple. The Justice Department received support from law enforcement groups and six relatives of San Bernardino victims.

The Justice Department has repeatedly attempted to frame the Apple case as one that is not about undermining encryption and that the court order narrowly targets a "non-encryption barrier" on one iPhone.

Asking for decryption services "would not be novel, either," prosecutors argued on Thursday. They cited an 1807 case holding that a clerk working for Aaron Burr, then a former U.S. vice president, could be forced to decode a letter penned by Burr if doing so did not lead to self-incrimination.

Prosecutors criticized claims by Apple that developing the new software code would be burdensome for the company. They noted Apple "grosses hundreds of billions of dollars a year" and would only need ask a handful of its 100,000 employees to work on the project for "perhaps as little as two weeks."

The potential burden on Apple is a crucial test set out in a prior case, known as Mountain Bell, which held that a local phone company could be ordered to program the equipment in its facilities in order to trace calls in progress.

That case should be binding precedent in the San Bernardino matter, prosecutors said.

But an Apple lawyer on Thursday said the Mountain Bell case was far less demanding of that company than the present case would be of Apple.
Bid to block Pakistan F-16 sale fails in U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday blocked an effort to prevent the $700 million sale of Lockheed Martin Corp F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, although a key lawmaker said he would not allow the use of U.S. funds to finance it.

Lawmakers voted 71 to 24 against an attempt introduced by Republican Senator Rand Paul to prevent the sale under legislation known as the Arms Control Act.

President Barack Obama's administration announced on Feb. 12 that it had approved the sale to Pakistan of the aircraft, as well as radars and other equipment. It drew immediate criticism from India and concern from some members of Congress.

Paul had called Pakistan "an uncertain ally" and other lawmakers expressed concerns about Pakistan's nuclear program, commitment to fighting terrorist organizations and cooperation in the Afghanistan peace process.

However, they generally supported the sale, saying the South Asian state needs to modernize its air force and counter-terrorism activities.

Republican Senator Bob Corker said he would use his power as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to bar the use of any U.S. funds for the deal.

In a statement, Corker said, "Prohibiting a taxpayer subsidy sends a much-needed message to Pakistan that it needs to change its behavior, but preventing the purchase of U.S. aircraft would do more harm than good by paving the way for countries like Russia and China to sell to Pakistan while also inhibiting greater cooperation on counterterrorism."

The United States identified Pakistan as a key partner in its war against terror following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and spent billions of dollars on military aid to help the country fight insurgents.
UN experts, advocates urge Honduras to protect witness in activist murder

By Anastasia Moloney

BOGOTA, March 10 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - United Nations rights experts and more than 200 campaign groups called on the government of Honduras on Thursday to protect a key witness in the killing of activist Berta Caceres that has sparked widespread international condemnation.

Caceres, an indigenous land rights activist, was fatally shot by gunmen who broke into her home on March 3 in the Central American nation.

Activist Gustavo Castro Soto was injured in the attack and is a key witness in the slaying. Honduran authorities have prevented him from returning to his native Mexico.

Michel Frost, U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, in a statement called on Honduran authorities to guarantee that Castro not be put at risk.

"Gustavo should immediately be provided with effective protection and permitted to return to his country," he said.

"It is high time that the Government of Honduras addressed the flagrant impunity of the increased number of executions of human rights defenders in the country, especially targeting those who defend environmental and land rights," he said.

His call came on the same day that 220 rights groups sent an open letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry seeking support for an independent investigation to be led by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights into Caceres' killing.

"We ask that the State Department make clear to the Honduran government that future partnership and funding depends on demonstrating the political will to investigate and prosecute this crime and all crimes against human rights defenders," it said.

Signed by the International Trade Union Confederation and other major international groups, the letter also called for protection for Caceres' family and witnesses in the case.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has granted Castro and Caceres' family protective measures, saying their lives were at risk.

With at least 109 activists killed in Honduras since 2010, the nation is the world's deadliest place to be a land rights or environmental campaigner, according to Global Witness, which investigates corruption, conflict and environmental destruction linked to natural resources.

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez condemned Caceres' killing, and a criminal investigation has been launched.

A police source told Reuters that the only suspect arrested after the murder, which was Caceres's former partner and colleague, has been released.

Death threats against Caceres, a member of the Lenca indigenous group, increased after she led a campaign against the construction of the Agua Zarca hydroelectric dam that delayed the $50 million project.

Indigenous groups say they were not consulted before the dam was approved by lawmakers and that it threatens to uproot hundreds of people, flood their lands and destroy their livelihoods and water sources.

Following Caceres' killing, U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy said the dam project "should be abandoned," a call backed by the advocacy groups and Caceres' family.

Olivia Zuniga, Caceres's daughter, says she has little faith in Honduran authorities to find and punish those responsible for her mother's death and urged an independent investigation.

"We don't believe in or trust the justice system in Honduras," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview.
Ex-Hanlong head sentenced to eight years for insider trading in Australia

By Jarni Blakkarly

SYDNEY, March 11 (Reuters) - An Australian court jailed on Friday the former head of China's Hanlong Mining Investment Pty Ltd for eight years, Australia's corporate regulator said, in one of the country's harshest sentences for insider trading.

The Supreme Court of New South Wales state handed down the sentence of eight years and three months to Hui Xiao, also known as Steven Xiao, on three charges relating to 102 illegal trades while he was managing director of Hanlong.

"This sentence demonstrates the seriousness of insider trading," Cathie Armour, commissioner of the Australian Securities and Investment Commission, said in a statement.

"Maintaining confidence in the integrity of our financial markets is vital," Armour added.

In September, Xiao pleaded guilty to two charges of insider trading involving 65 illegal trades related to Sundance Resources Ltd and Bannerman Resources Ltd in July 2011, when he was Hanlong Mining's managing director.

Hanlong made takeover offers for Sundance and Bannerman in 2011.

Xiao also admitted to a third set of insider trading offences related to 37 illegal trades carried out in 2011.

He has been in custody since being extradited from Hong Kong to Australia in October 2014.

Another former Hanlong executive, Bo Shi Zhu, also known as Calvin Zhu, was sentenced to two years and three months in jail in Australia in 2013, having pleaded guilty to three counts of insider trading between 2006 and 2011.
North Korean leader Kim orders more nuclear tests -KCNA

By Jack Kim

SEOUL, March 11 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watched a ballistic missile launch test and ordered the country to improve its nuclear attack capability by conducting more tests, the official KCNA news agency reported on Friday.

The report did not say when the missile test took place but it was probably referring to North Korea's launch of two short-range missiles on Thursday that flew 500 km (300 miles) and splashed into the sea.

"Dear comrade Kim Jong Un said work ... must be strengthened to improve nuclear attack capability and issued combat tasks to continue nuclear explosion tests to assess the power of newly developed nuclear warheads and tests to improve nuclear attack capability," KCNA said.

The North Korean leader was quoted in state media this week as saying his country had miniaturised nuclear warheads to mount on ballistic missiles.

Responding to the latest statement, Katina Adams, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, repeated a call on North Korea "to refrain from provocative actions and rhetoric that aggravate tensions and instead focus on fulfilling its international obligations and commitments."

Tensions have risen sharply on the Korean peninsula after the North conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and fired a long-range rocket last month, spurring the U.N. Security Council to adopt a new sanctions resolution.

Conducting more nuclear tests would be in clear violation of U.N. sanctions, which also ban ballistic missile tests, although Pyongyang has rejected them. North Korea has a large stockpile of short-range missiles and is developing long-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

South Korea's Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee said: "It's simply rash and thoughtless behaviour by someone who has no idea how the world works," when asked about Kim's comments.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Pyongyang to "cease destabilising acts," adding that he remained "gravely concerned" by the situation.

North Korea has recently stepped up its cyber attack efforts against South Korea and succeeded in hacking the mobile telephones of 40 of its national security officials, said members of parliament who received a closed-door briefing by the country's spy agency.

South Korea has raised its alert against the threat of the North's cyber attacks and this week said it had intercepted attempts to attack its railway system.

In China, North Korea's most important economic and diplomatic backer, the top newspaper, the People's Daily, urged all sides to be "patient and brave", show goodwill and resume the talks process.

South Korea said it did not believe that North Korea had successfully miniaturised a nuclear warhead or deployed a functioning intercontinental ballistic missile.

The U.S. Defense Department said this week it had seen no evidence North Korea had succeeded in miniaturising a warhead.

However, Admiral Bill Gortney, the officer responsible for defending U.S. air space, told a U.S. Senate panel on Thursday it was "prudent" for him to assume North Korea could both miniaturise a warhead and put it on an ICBM that could target the United States.

"Intel community gives it a very low probability of success, but I do not believe the American people want (me) to base my readiness assessment on a low probability," he said.

North Korea has issued nearly daily reports in recent days on Kim's instructions to fight South Korea and the United States as the two allies began large-scale military drills.

North Korea called the annual drills "nuclear war moves" and threatened to respond with an all-out offensive. Kim last week ordered his country to be ready to use nuclear weapons in the face of what he sees as growing threats from enemies.

The United States and South Korea remain technically at war with North Korea because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce instead of a peace agreement.
PRESS DIGEST - Bulgaria - March 11

SOFIA, March 11 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

-- A final agreement between the EU and Turkey should provide guarantees that land borders between Turkey and Bulgaria or between Greece and Turkey will not become part of a new migrant route, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov said (Trud, 24 Chasa)

-- Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov slammed at some media outlets for their coverage of the migrant crisis, saying it is wrong going to refugees and asking them why they are not going through Bulgaria (Trud, 24 Chasa, Standart)

-- Bulgarian authorities detained 43 illegal migrants aboard a cargo train passing through the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint, the interior ministry said (Trud, 24 Chasa, Standart, Monitor)
Russia and China to North Korea: return to nuclear talks

MOSCOW, March 11 (Reuters) - Russia and China on Friday told North Korea it should resume international talks over its nuclear weapons programme and heed a U.N. Security Council resolution that bans ballistic missile tests.
PRESS DIGEST - RUSSIA - March 11

MOSCOW, March 11(Reuters) - The following are some of the leading stories in Russia's newspapers on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

VEDOMOSTI

www.vedomosti.ru

- Russian Finance Ministry proposes increasing pension fees for small-scale businesses in 2018. This decision contradicts with the policy of supporting small businesses, the paper writes, citing experts.

- Russia will resume production of strategic bomber Tu-160M2 in Kazan. Three planes will be finished and tested in the next decade, the paper reports.

- Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered police to investigate the attack on journalists and human rights activists on the border of Ingushetia and Chechnya on Wednesday, the daily says.

- Nike launched an online store in Russia that ships goods through the company's European logistics centre, the paper writes, citing a company representative.

KOMMERSANT

www.kommersant.ru

- Novatek may pay out some 41 billion roubles ($584.55 million) in dividends for 2015 to its shareholders, the paper writes.

- French agricultural group Agrial plans to invest some $200 million in establishing about a hundred small dairy farms and cheese production in Russia, the daily reports.

- U.S. pharmaceutical companies have criticised Russian legislation for posing barriers to enter commercial and state segments of the pharmaceutical market, the daily reports.
Spacecraft to seek life on Mars in European-led mission

BERLIN, March 11 (Reuters) - A spacecraft is due to set off for Mars next week on a mission that scientists hope will help answer one of the most burning questions of spacefaring times: Is there life on other planets?

The craft, part of the European-Russian ExoMars programme, is to lift off from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan on board a Proton rocket at 5:31 A.M. EDT (0931 GMT) on Monday, starting a seven-month journey through space.

It will carry an atmospheric probe that will study trace gases, such as methane, around Mars as well as a lander that will test technologies needed for a rover due to follow in 2018.

U.S. space agency NASA's Mars rover Curiosity in late 2014 found spurts of methane gas in the planet's atmosphere, a chemical that on Earth is strongly tied to life.

Scientists believe the methane could stem from micro-organisms, called methanogenes, that either became extinct millions of years ago and left gas frozen below the planet's surface, or that some methane-producing organisms still survive.

"Proving that life exists or has existed on Mars would show that Earth is not unique in terms of having life on it," Rolf de Groot, head of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Robotic Exploration Coordination Office, told Reuters.

"That would make it much more likely that there are other places in the universe that also have life," he added.

Another explanation for the methane in Mars's atmosphere could be that it is produced by geological phenomena, like the oxidation of iron.

The second part of the ExoMars mission in 2018 will deliver a European rover to the surface of Mars. It will be the first with the ability to both move across the planet's surface and drill into the ground to collect and analyse samples.

"The radiation from space destroys all the biological material. If you go two metres into the ground you may be able to find places that were protected (from radiation)," de Groot said.

Landing on Mars is a notoriously difficult task that has bedevilled nearly all of Russia's previous efforts and has given NASA trouble as well. The United States currently has two operational rovers on Mars, Curiosity and Opportunity.

The ExoMars 2016 mission is led by ESA, with Russia's Roscosmos supplying the launcher and two of the four scientific instruments on the trace gas orbiter. The prime contractor is Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales and Finmeccanica.

The cost of the ExoMars mission to ESA, including the second part due in 2018, is expected to be about 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion). Russia's contribution comes on top of that.

In 2018, NASA also plans to launch a Mars spacecraft, a satellite known as InSight and designed to study the deep interior of Mars, the U.S. agency said this week.
Russia and China to North Korea: Return to nuclear talks

By Denis Dyomkin and Dmitry Solovyov

MOSCOW, March 11 (Reuters) - Russia and China told North Korea on Friday its nuclear ambitions were unacceptable, urging Pyongyang to resume talks over its nuclear weapons programme and heed a U.N. Security Council resolution banning ballistic missile tests.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stepped up pressure on Pyongyang after holding talks in Moscow a day after North Korea defied the United Nations by firing two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea.

"We do not recognise the nuclear status of the DPRK," Wang told a news briefing via a translator, using the official acronym for North Korea.

The North should "fully and comprehensively" implement the U.N. resolution, Wang said. "At the same time, we will not spare efforts to return to the six-way talks," he added.

Pyongyang has a large stockpile of short-range missiles and is developing long-range and intercontinental missiles.

Earlier on Friday, the reclusive country's official KCNA news agency reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had watched a ballistic missile launch test and ordered the country to improve its nuclear attack capability by conducting more tests.

Commenting on the North's growing nuclear ambitions, Wang said the latest U.N. resolution banning its nuclear tests must be "implemented point by point."

"We should block further development of nuclear weapons in the DPRK," he said.

Russia's Lavrov said Moscow deemed Pyongyang's behaviour "irresponsible".

"We believe that the world community's firm reaction will be interpreted by Pyongyang as a signal that there should be no such escapades in future," said Lavrov.

Russia was a close ally of Stalinist North Korea in Soviet days, but Lavrov made it clear times had changed.

"It should be clear in Pyongyang that no one is going to exonerate the DPRK for such escapades," he said, referring to missile tests.

Both Wang and Lavrov also hit out at U.S. plans to deploy a missile system in South Korea.
Pakistan arrests 22 tribesmen in "collective responsibility" punishment

By Hafiz Wazir and Jibran Ahmed

WANA, Pakistan, March 11 (Reuters) - Pakistani authorities on Friday arrested 22 tribesmen in the troubled northwestern South Waziristan region in a "collective responsibility" punishment a day after eight government officials were kidnapped, officials said.

Pakistan's tribal areas, which include South Waziristan, are governed by colonial-era legislation under which relatives, tribesmen and neighbours of suspects can be arrested and detained for years without trial for a crime committed by another.

Eight officials of the Fata Development Authority (FDA), the a government organisation for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, were kidnapped in South Waziristan on Thursday.

"We have arrested 22 tribesmen to put pressure for the release of the eight FDA officials as the kidnapping took place in their area and it is their collective responsibility to help authorities in the recovery," Masood Khan, a political officer, told Reuters on Friday.

No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the kidnappings.

The South Waziristan enclave on the Afghan border forms one-fifth of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and is governed under a system inherited from British colonialists.

Government-appointed political agents rule through the Pashtun tribes and collect and distribute revenue with little oversight. The people have limited rights.

While the Pakistani army backed the Taliban in Afghanistan in the 1990s, and supported militants fighting Indian rule in the disputed Kashmir region, it found itself under attack in South Waziristan.

Decades of resentment felt by the population and the U.S. bombing campaign on the Afghan border following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States spawned a generation of Pakistani militants who used South Waziristan to launch assaults against the state and U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan.
Europe moves closer to imposing Libya sanctions - diplomats

By Robin Emmott and Francesco Guarascio

BRUSSELS, March 11 (Reuters) - European Union foreign ministers are considering sanctions on three Libyans they see as blocking efforts by the United Nations to form a government of national unity and may go ahead even if a government is agreed, diplomats said.

Strongly backed by France, the travel bans and asset freezes will be discussed by ministers on Monday at a lunch in Brussels. UN special envoy for Libya Martin Kobler will also attend, although he is not arguing in favour or against sanctions, diplomats told Reuters.

The three under the threat of sanctions are Nouri Abusahmain, the head of Libya's General National Congress in Tripoli, one of two rival parliaments, Khalifa al-Ghwell, who heads one of Libya's two rival governments, and Aguila Saleh, the president of Libya's internationally recognised parliament in Tobruk.

French and Italian officials have been saying for more than a year that the political void in Libya is allowing Islamic militants to gain ground, spreading out from Tunisia. Efforts to establish a U.N.-backed unity government in the oil-producing nation have been stalled by resistance from hardliners, or what EU officials call "spoilers" of the political process.

"We expect a decision next week on imposing sanctions on these three," said one EU diplomat, who stressed that EU foreign ministers are not expected to decide on Monday but that a decision could come later in the week.

The United Nations is seeking to unite factions and militias that have competed for power since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and Western powers say the U.N. process is the only hope of bringing stability and stemming Islamic militancy.

Western powers, including the United States, Britain, France and Germany, are pushing the Libyans to accept a unity government on the basis of a document signed by several members of the internationally recognised parliament in the city of Tobruk.

While the procedure is anything but routine as it would replace a full vote in the parliament in Tobruk, Western diplomats say it is the only way forward, as they fear the full parliament may not vote in favour.

A decision by Libyan factions on the legitimacy of the signed document is expected this weekend.

Libyan sources close to the Tripoli authorities say that even if there is a deal, European foreign ministers may still go ahead with sanctions in a bid to support the new government and make it clear that those who blocked it are no longer part of the country's political future.

If this plan goes ahead "it could strengthen separatist positions in the Tobruk Parliament and in the East of the country," Claudia Gazzini, senior analyst for Libya at Crisis Group, said.

Were no deal sealed this weekend, the full Tobruk parliament will likely have to vote on a new unity government, making it less likely that the European Union imposes sanctions on the three politicians, as it may need them for a deal, Libyan sources say.

Facing a refugee crisis on its borders, the European Union is eager to see the U.N.-mediated agreement that sets out a political transition for Libya.

EU foreign ministers in January promised 100 million euros ($108 million) of immediate support for Libya once a government is formed, possibly also increasing that support if security conditions improve and allow the return of international workers.
In United States, refugees cook to win over hearts, minds and stomachs

By Sebastien Malo

NEW YORK, March 11 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Beaming with pride, a Nepalese refugee in the kitchen of a New York caterer holds up cauliflower florets she has steamed, battered and fried, part of a cooking repertoire she says earns her a living and keeps her spirits up.

At home in Kathmandu, explains Rachana, who did not want to give her full name, cooking once brought her pleasure as she fed her family delicacies from recipes inherited from her mother.

Then political violence struck, leaving a close relative dead and forcing her to flee the country. Now her happiness returns, she says, when she prepares traditional specialties for Eat Offbeat, a New York food company where refugees make and deliver ethnic fare.

The start-up company is one of several initiatives across the country appealing to the appetites of Americans and giving refugees opportunities to make a living. Others are located in California, Utah and Texas.

"It's a very, very good feeling when people come to eat my food, and they talk about how it is so good," Rachana said, clad in a white apron.

On a recent day in the company's kitchen, she paced between a counter and stove top where oil heated for the cauliflower, to be served with a tangy tomato and tamari sauce flavored with the herb fenugreek.

Although the cauliflower is a Chinese dish, Rachana, 53, said she developed her own version in Nepal. "From the age of 16 years old I've been cooking," she said.

A half dozen refugees have found work at Eat Offbeat.

Until Rachana became a full-time chef, she scraped by for nearly a decade in New York, speaking no English at first and taking odd jobs.

Now she tells other Eat Offbeat workers: "Don't worry, you can get whatever you like here. This is America."

COUNTERING HOSTILITY

Initiatives such as Eat Offbeat can serve as counterpoint to anti-immigration sentiment, their proponents say.

The U.S. presidential race has been marked by candidates in the Republican Party calling for immigrants to be kept out and for those in the country to be sent back to their homelands.

A plan by President Barack Obama to admit some 10,000 Syrian refugees has been met with resistance by many politicians and pundits.

Despite the at-times hostile context, Eat Offbeat has found success through its tantalizing tastes and hard work, said co-founder Wissam Kahi.

It received more than 1,200 orders since a soft launch in November. A smartphone app to take orders is in the works and expanding to other cities is a possibility, he said.

"[The refugees] are bringing a skill to this country and they are contributing," he said.

"They don't necessarily have to be a burden. It could be the opposite. They bring a lot of value," added his sister Manal Kahi, also a co-founder.

Across the country at the Spice Kitchen Incubator in Salt Lake City, Utah, refugees from Somalia and Iraq also are learning the food business.

Among them is Nour, who moved to the United States less than a year ago to escape the civil war in Syria and has astonished organizers with his talents. He, like Rachana, asked to be named by his first name only to protect family members.

"His food is exceptional," said Grace Henley, who manages the Spice Kitchen program for the International Rescue Committee (IRC), a humanitarian aid organization. The IRC runs Spice Kitchen and offers help to Eat Offbeat, which is private.

At Spice Kitchen, Nour has dubbed one dish "East meets West," fusing rice, chicken and beef with Syrian spices and Tex-Mex flavors to reflect his move to the American West from Damascus.

"All this food diversity in our community makes it a more interesting place to live," Henley said. "It makes it a more delicious place to live."

Still, some refugee culinary projects have met resistance.

At Eat Offbeat this year, a handful of hate mails saying "go home, stay there, make America great again" came to the company, its Lebanese co-founders said.

The messages prompted the owners to remove the company's street address from its website.
Ethiopian girl wins $150,000 for rape, abduction and marriage at 13

By Katy Migiro

NAIROBI, March 11 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The Ethiopian government has been ordered to pay $150,000 to a girl who said she was raped, abducted and forced to agree to marriage at the age of 13, in a landmark ruling activists hope will deter an outlawed, traditional form of child marriage.

Woineshet Zebene Negash, who said she was raped in 2001, filed a complaint with the Gambia-based African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights in 2007 after Ethiopia's court overturned the conviction of her perpetrator.

"It is a practice that draws stark parallels with a proverbial ancient past when a man would hunt down the female of his choice, slug her over the head with a club, drag her by the hair to his dwelling, rape her and emerge triumphantly beating his chest," the court said in a ruling released this week.

Ethiopia must pay reparations to Woineshet, the court said, because it failed to protect her or provide her with justice.

Child marriage is a major problem in Ethiopia, where one in two girls are brides by the age of 18, according to government data. Abusive practices include marriage by abduction -- as in Woineshet's case -- and forced unions between cousins.

Families often agree for girls to marry their rapists because of the shame that they have lost their virginity.

"The disposability of girls in Ethiopia and around the world needs to end," Faiza Mohamed, Africa director of the rights group Equality Now, which represented Woineshet in court, said in a statement.

"We can only hope that the message this unprecedented ruling sends will have a ripple effect at all levels of society."

A spokesman for the Ethiopian government declined to comment on the case on Friday.

BLOOD

Woineshet said she was kidnapped from her house in 2001 by several men, one of whom, Aberew Jemma Negussie, raped her.

"The complainants allege... the police who rescued her testified to seeing blood on the pyjamas she was still wearing since her abduction," the court document said.

"They allege that a medical report also showed many scratches and bruises around her vagina and confirmed that penetration had taken place."

The police rescued Woineshet and arrested Aberew. But he abducted her a second time after being released on bail, held her captive for almost a month and forced her to give written consent to marriage, she said.

Woineshet escaped and Aberew was sentenced to 10 years in jail in 2003, with eight year sentences for his accomplices.

Five months later, all the men were freed after an appeal court found the prosecution had not proven its case and the victim had consented to sex, court documents show.

Under a law that was repealed in 2005, a rapist could not be prosecuted if his victim "freely contracts a marriage" with him.

Equality Now argued that the marriage was invalid because Woineshet signed the contract under duress.

Ethiopia's government told the court it had made an amicable settlement with Woineshet, providing her with a house and a job, and had dismissed the judge who overturned the conviction.
European rights body says Poland's court changes threaten rule of law

By Ilaria Polleschi and Wiktor Szary

VENICE/WARSAW, March 11 (Reuters) - A pan-European rights body accused Poland's conservative government on Friday of undermining democracy by crippling its top court, a move that could put Warsaw on a collision course with the European Union.

While the opinion of the rights body is non-binding, it will carry weight at the EU Commission, which has begun a process to monitor the rule of law in Poland that could end up in Warsaw being suspended from voting in the European Union. The Commission said it would review the rights body's opinion in April.

After sweeping to power last October, Poland's eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS) party enacted a law increasing the number of judges at the constitutional court required to make rulings and changing the order in which cases are heard.

The court itself has said the new rules are illegal, effectively putting the changes in limbo.

"A high attendance quorum, the requirement of a two-thirds majority for adopting judgments and a strict rule making it impossible to deal with urgent cases, notably in their combined effect, would have made the (constitutional court) ineffective," the advisory panel to the Council of Europe, a rights body, said in a statement.

"Therefore, these amendments would have endangered not only the rule of law but also the functioning of the democratic system," said the panel, called the Venice Commission.

A Polish government official said after the Venice Commission adopted its findings that Warsaw would respect its views but gave no details on what Poland would be willing to change in its top court reform, if anything.

An official said the government would respond to the Venice Commission on Saturday at 0930 GMT.

Domestic critics say the legal changes have made it difficult for judges to review, let alone challenge, the government's legislation. The EU, which Poland joined in 2004, and the United States have also expressed concerns.

On Wednesday, the constitutional court ruled that the new rules affecting it were illegal. The government then accused the court of playing politics.

The Venice Commission's representatives told reporters that the government needs to recognise Wednesday's court verdict as a prerequisite to solving the constitutional crisis.

PiS officials have been defiant so far, however, with PiS calling a leaked draft of the opinion "legally absurd".

They also appear to have public support, with the latest poll putting them on 37 percent support, almost 20 points ahead of the opposition and little changed from their showing in the October election.

"Democracy is in very good shape - there are demonstrations, meetings, protests," a senior PiS official, Beata Kempa, told public broadcaster TVP Info.

"We're not sending in police with bullets against people, they are allowed to express their views ... The Venice Commission's opinion is not binding. We can take it into account, (but) we don't have to take it into account."
Syrian dissident Haytham Manna says he will not attend Geneva talks

BEIRUT, March 11 (Reuters) - Prominent Syrian dissident Haytham Manna said on Friday he would not attend peace talks that are to start next week in Geneva, saying he had been invited but saw little chance for their success.

"Nothing has changed ... it's not serious," Manna, who is not part of the main Saudi-backed opposition, told Reuters. "I don't like failure... I don't want to participate in a failing project."
Greece struggles to convince stranded migrants Balkan route is shut

By George Georgiopoulos and Phoebe Fronista

ATHENS/IDOMENI, Greece, March 11 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of refugees and migrants were stuck in camps and ports across Greece on Friday as authorities struggled to convince them that the main passage to reach wealthy northern Europe has shut.

By early morning hundreds more people, many from the Middle East and Africa, had reached Greek islands, days after the shutdowns along the "Balkan route" were imposed.

Their arrival helped swell the number of those stuck across the country to over 42,000. At a sprawling, muddy tent city near the northern border town of Idomeni, 12,000 people, among them thousands of children and babies, waited to cross to Macedonia.

"These people maintain the hope that a number of them will cross to the north," Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Toskas told Greek TV. "We're trying to convince them ... that the Balkan route has closed."

Further south, more than 3,500 people waited at the main port of Piraeus near Athens after having arrived on ships from the eastern Aegean islands.

"At Piraeus we spent five hours trying to get people on buses and take them to a camp, but they didn't want to board," Toskas said. "They think that once you reach Idomeni, you cross to central Europe."

Scuffles have broken out at Idomeni this week as destitute migrants and refugees scrambled for food and firewood. Tensions flared briefly on Friday and at least one man was injured, with blood streaming down his face, during a handout of supplies.

Many have slept in the open, often in the rain and low temperatures.

"In Syria we are fighting ISIS (Islamic State militants), now we are fighting nature and I think its worse," said Ali, a Syrian refugee from Aleppo who has been in Greece for 20 days. "ISIS have a limit but nature (has) no limit," he told Reuters.

EU READY TO HELP

Greece has been the main entry point into Europe for more than a million refuges and migrants since last year. More than 130,000 people have arrived this year alone, stretching the country's limited resources.

So far, Greece has the capacity to host 30,000 people at camps and centres across the country and aims to raise that to 50,000 by next week, Deputy Defence Minister Dimitris Vitsas said.

"We need to convince these people, in every possible, non-violent way, that there are shelters in mainland Greece to host them," he told Greek radio.

The EU launched a new aid programme last week worth an initial 700 million euros. Greece, its economy blighted by the euro zone debt crisis, was expected to be the main beneficiary of the scheme.

During a visit to Athens on Friday, the EU's commissioner for humanitarian aid, Christos Stylianides, reiterated the EU's support and said the bloc stood ready to help Greece with further funds.

"We have a moral duty as Europeans to offer this help to refugees," Stylianides told reporters after meeting Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, adding other European funds were available besides humanitarian help.

Macedonia, which erected a razor wire fence at its border with Greece, criticised Greece on Friday for doing too little despite the support it has received.
US labor powerhouse to launch anti-Trump ad campaign

By Amanda Becker

WASHINGTON, March 11 (Reuters) - The AFL-CIO, the largest U.S. federation of labor unions, will launch digital attack ads targeting Republican front-runner Donald Trump next week as part of a multi-pronged effort to derail the New York billionaire's bid for the White House and dampen union workers' enthusiasm for him.

Officials at the AFL-CIO, an umbrella group of 56 unions representing 12.5 million workers, told Reuters the ads will depict Trump as anti-union, and will appear on Facebook and Twitter.

The officials said the anti-Trump advertising effort would likely expand over the coming months. At the same time, an AFL-CIO affiliate organization will ramp up a door-to-door campaign to undermine the candidate in Ohio and Pennsylvania, key battleground states in the Nov. 8 presidential election.

"Donald Trump has tapped into the very real and understandable anger of working people. But while he says he's with America's working people, when you look close, it's just hot air," AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka told Reuters. "Donald Trump is nothing but a house of cards, and once we educate people, the house of cards comes crashing down," he said.

Union leaders are increasingly concerned about Trump's appeal to labor, typically a stronghold of the Democratic Party, because of his promises to scrap free trade deals that have led to manufacturing job losses in the United States.

The AFL-CIO is entering the political fray several months earlier than in past elections, given the "unique cycle" created by Trump's candidacy, spokesman Josh Goldstein said.

The initial ads will be modeled after a text message blast that began Thursday featuring an image of Trump with a statement he made supporting "right-to-work" laws, which weaken organized labor by limiting their ability to collect membership dues. Several states have passed such laws, and the U.S. Congress has considered a similar measure.

"I like right to work. My position on right to work is 100 percent," Trump said in a radio interview in South Carolina last month.

The text campaign on which the ads will be modeled featured a quote from Trumka, hitting Trump on right-to-work, and characterizing him as racist: "Donald Trump's bigoted comments are bad enough. Now, he supports right to work. Tell him right to work is wrong for working people."

Trump has been widely criticized for describing Mexican illegal immigrants as rapists and criminals, and for proposing a temporary ban on Muslims seeking to come to the United States.

The AFL-CIO declined to say how much the initial digital ads would cost, but the federation spent nearly $9 million in the 2012 election cycle on outside spending in addition to money given directly to candidates, according to Open Secrets data.

The AFL-CIO typically waits to endorse a presidential candidate until there is a de facto Democratic nominee. But Trumka, a former coal miner and leader of that union, has made clear he believes Trump in particular would be a disastrous candidate for workers. In a speech last week he called him a "bigot" and "anti-American."

An official representing Trump's campaign was not immediately available to comment, but Trump has said repeatedly that he has support within unions.

"UP FOR GRABS"

National unions nearly always endorse Democratic presidential candidates but Trump has built his insurgent campaign in part on a mission that many unions share: scrapping international trade deals.

There are some signs Trump's message is resonating beyond the 20 to 30 percent of rank-and-file union members that vote Republican, attracting political independents and even some frustrated Democrats.

At a recent picket outside a steel plant near Canton, Ohio, workers cited former President Bill Clinton's support of the North American Free Trade Agreement more than 20 years ago as a reason why they may support Trump over Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in a general election.

"For a lot of us, it's ABC - Anybody But Clinton," Mike Newbold told Reuters.

Clinton has said she evaluates every trade deal to make sure it protects workers and that she opposes one being finalized by the Obama administration. Her campaign said they are confident her plan to help struggling manufacturing areas will earn her support from union members.

AFL-CIO's affiliate, Working America, has noticed Trump's inroads with working-class Americans, and recently sent canvassers to talk to 1,689 likely voters with household incomes of $75,000 or less in Cleveland, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to learn more about Trump's appeal.

"Working-class voters are up for grabs this time in a really significant way. These folks need good information, and we'll fill that gap," said Karen Nussbaum, executive director of Working America.

According to Nussbaum, workers said they were frustrated with politics and worried about the economy. Of those who had already settled on a candidate, 38 percent chose Trump. But more than half were still undecided.

She said the results of that initial canvas would be used to guide a massive door-to-door campaign to have more than half a million one-on-one conversations with Ohio voters during 2016, to help them "make decisions that actually solve their problems as opposed to phony solutions."

Working America is adding staff to its offices in Columbus and Cleveland to support the operation, and will open another soon in Cincinnati, she said.

Labor strategist Steve Rosenthal said that in every presidential election there is a sense that white, working-class union men could desert the Democratic Party.

"But I think when all is said and done, when unions put their programs into gear, in person and one-on-one in homes and in their communities, union members will vote overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee," Rosenthal said.
New Slovenian asylum law delayed by union over tax dispute

By Marja Novak

LJUBLJANA, March 11 (Reuters) - The Slovenian Trade Union of Migrant Workers on Friday called for a referendum on new asylum legislation, as part of its campaign to persuade the government to reduce taxation for Slovenians who work in neighbouring Austria.

Its demand will delay implementation of a law passed a week ago intended to speed processing of requests for asylum.

The union formally registered its demand with parliament on Friday, backed by more than 6,000 signatures. A referendum will be held if the union can collect 40,000 signatures in favour in the coming weeks.

Its tax grievance is unrelated to the asylum law, but the delay to the enforcement of the legislation caused by the call for a referendum is seen as a tactic to put pressure on the government. Earlier this week it called for a referendum on another law unrelated to asylum issues.

Taxes on personal income are lower in Austria, and Slovenians who work there have to pay additional taxes at home to cover the difference.

"If the state is sending us invoices for 1,000 or 2,000 euros, we will start sending it invoices for 5 million euros," Martin Ivec, deputy president of the union, told TV station Planet TV earlier this week - referring to the cost of holding a referendum.

According to local media about 14,000 Slovenians work in Austria, half of them travelling daily to Austria.

Parliamentary speaker Milan Brglez told reporters on Friday the union "was trying to get a privileged (tax) position" for its members by pushing for referendums.

Slovenia said on Thursday it would in April accept the first 40 migrants of its EU relocation quota. By August 2017 it will accept 587, most of whom are now in Greece and Italy.
Syria opposition to attend Geneva peace talks

By John Davison

BEIRUT, March 11 (Reuters) - Syria's main opposition group said it would attend peace talks on Monday but accused the government of President Bashar al-Assad of preparing to escalate the war to strengthen its negotiating position.

The U.N.-brokered talks, which coincide with the fifth anniversary of the conflict, will take place in Geneva two weeks after the start of a ceasefire agreement.

The truce deal has reduced violence although not halted the fighting, with further hostilities reported in western Syria on Friday, and as battles against Islamic State raged further east.

The High Negotiations Committee said on Friday it would attend the peace talks as part of its "commitment to international efforts to stop the spilling of Syrian blood and find a political solution".

But it played down any chance of reaching agreement with the Syrian government to end the war that has killed more than 250,000 people and led to a refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe.

Russia said it expected its ally Syria to attend, although Damascus has yet to publicly confirm it will do so. The Syrian foreign minister is expected to announce his government's position on the talks on Saturday.

Peace talks convened two years ago collapsed because the sides were unable to agree an agenda: Damascus wanted a focus on fighting terrorism, the term it uses for the rebellion, while the opposition wanted to discuss a transitional government.

A senior adviser to Assad, Bouthaina Shaaban, said on Friday Russia had done more to fight terrorism in Syria than the United States and its allies, according to a BBC interview cited by state news agency SANA.

The latest talks are intended to focus on future political arrangements in Syria, a new constitution and elections, U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura said.

The opposition HNC said it wanted the talks to concentrate on the establishment of an interim governing body with full executive powers.

HNC coordinator Riad Hijab said the group was "concerned with representing the just cause of the Syrian people ... and investing in all available chances to alleviate the Syrian people's suffering".

"We know that they (the government) are committing crimes, and that they are preparing an air and ground escalation in the coming period," he said, without elaborating.

HNC spokesman Salim al-Muslat said they expected a government escalation with the aim of strengthening Damascus's position at the negotiating table.

"I believe this is a strategy," he said.

"FAILING PROJECT"

A prominent Syrian dissident who is not part of the Saudi-backed HNC, Haytham Manna, said he would stay away from the talks, which he regarded as a "failing project".

Manna, co-leader of the Syrian Democratic Council that includes Kurdish members, boycotted the last round of talks because the Kurds were not included.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said however that de Mistura should this time include representatives of Kurdish groups, which have been fighting in Syria.

Kurdish groups such as the PYD party and its affiliated YPG militia have not been invited so far. Regional power Turkey does not want them in Geneva and views the YPG as a terrorist group. Russia says the Kurds are a legitimate part of a future Syria, and should be at the table.

There has been speculation that they will be included in the coming round. De Mistura says he has not expanded the list of invitees, but the talks' format gives him flexibility to consult whomever he wants.

PYD co-chair Saleh Muslim said Kurds should be included for any political settlement to work.

The cessation of hostilities agreement which came into force on Feb. 27 does not include the two main jihadist groups, Islamic State and the Nusra Front.

A source close to the government said the Syrian army, backed by Russian air strikes, is aiming to capture the historic city of Palmyra from Islamic State and open a road to the eastern province of Deir al-Zor, where the jihadists are also established.

The Russian air force has hit Palmyra with dozens of air strikes since Wednesday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

Syrian government forces were on Friday battling Islamic State 7 km (4 miles) from the ancient site that fell to the jihadists last May.

Islamic State has blown up ancient temples and tombs since capturing Palmyra in what the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO has called a war crime.

ISLAMIC STATE ATTACKS

The capture of Palmyra and further eastward advances into Deir al-Zor would mark the most significant Syrian government gain against Islamic State since the start of the Russian intervention last September.

The momentum has turned against Islamic State since its rapid advances two years ago following the capture of the Iraqi city of Mosul. Its finances are also under strain.

The group's tactics in Syria appear to reflect the strains, as it turns to suicide missions seemingly aimed at causing maximum casualties rather than sustainable territorial gains.

The group said on Friday two of its members carried out suicide attacks against Kurdish fighters in at the Tishrin dam in Aleppo province, which Kurds and Arab rebel groups captured in December.

Warplanes also hit areas of western Syria on Friday, the Observatory said. An air raid by the government side killed at least five people in a rebel-held area of Aleppo.

It also reported clashes between insurgents and government forces in the northern Latakia countryside. SANA said the army had taken over several villages in the area. There was no independent confirmation of the gains.
Mississippi man pleads guilty to trying to join Islamic State

By Julia Harte

March 11 (Reuters) - A Mississippi man pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday to attempting to join Islamic State in Syria with his wife last summer.

Muhammad Oda Dakhlalla, 23, and Jaelyn Delshaun Young, 20, were arrested at a Mississippi airport in August 2015, while attempting to board a flight to Turkey, where they believed an Islamic State contact would convey them to Syria, according to court documents filed by U.S. prosecutors.

Young, who has not pleaded guilty and is scheduled to go to trial in June, acknowledged her role as the "planner of the expedition" in an incriminating farewell letter, the documents said.

Dakhlalla entered his guilty plea in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, in Greenville.

In exchange for Dakhlalla's guilty plea to a single count of conspiring to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, U.S. prosecutors agreed to not press any other charges.

Both Dakhlalla and Young, of Starkville, Mississippi, are U.S. citizens. Young converted to Islam in March 2015, according to the court documents.

Dakhlalla and Young are two of more than 80 individuals whom the United States has charged with Islamic State-related crimes since 2013.

Young's Twitter posts about her desire to join Islamic State caught the attention of the FBI in May 2015, and an agent posing as an Islamic State recruiter began corresponding with her and Dakhlalla.

The couple, who had married in an Islamic marriage but did not get their marriage legally recognized, were motivated to join the group after viewing Islamic State executions of people they deemed immoral, and because they perceived the group as "liberators" of parts of Syria and Iraq, according to court records.
A few days ago, Major General (Retd.) GD Bakshi broke down on a news show discussing the criticism of the governments diktat to universities on hoisting the national flag. He was so moved after the debate that he wrote a Facebook post about how he felt.

Now a man from Manipur, Chinglen Kshetrimayum, has written an open letter to the general, expressing how he feels. He has some arguments to make about what it is to be an Indian and the much debated Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

Hello Sir,

My name is Chinglen Kshetrimayum. I am from Manipur and I am not a threat to anyone. I studied in Sainik School, Imphal for five years and I have hoisted the Indian flag. I used to proudly sing our national anthem (even though there is nothing about Manipur or the Northeast.)

Once when we were in class 9, during the morning assembly, it was announced that our Diwali vacation would begin soon after the assembly concluded. So we were happy and at the end, when we sang the national anthem, we sang very loudly.

My father, waiting outside the school gate, was surprised to hear students singing so loudly and beautifully. He asked me if there was some good news. I said we could go home now itself. Like me, he too was happy.

When I was in Manipur, I thought I was an Indian. After coming to other parts of India, I realised I am less. Suddenly, my very existence became a threat to others. They were ready to wipe me out.

But the thing is, I happen to have been born in a place that lies on the political map of India. So, obviously, I thought of myself as a citizen of this country.

Thats when I slowly started realising that most people dont like diversity. They think whoever is different from them, whether it is their food habits, dressing sense, hair style, or looks, is a threat. They want only certain types of things to be followed. They think that only their identity should be accepted.

General Bakshi, at Manipur University, there is something more than your national flag. There is an Assam Rifles camp inside the university campus. So dont worry, you are winning. There are also two Assam Rifles camps on both sides of my town. So I am pretty much under your control.

Well, let me tell you something: You all are animals. Animals who live in the jungle - where the only rule is "might is right". The only reason you put laws like AFSPA in the Northeast or Kashmir is because you are strong.

Tell me Sir, if you say that the situation is not right to remove AFSPA, then when will the right situation come? Today, tomorrow, or after 100 years? I dont think you have the answer. What according to you is "the right situation"? Is it killing all the men so that you can rape every woman?

You cried during the debate and Smriti Irani felt sad and called you. What about a woman who has been fasting for more than 15 years simply asking for the AFSPA to be removed - an Act that gives the armed forces the right to kill anyone on mere suspicion and doesnt even give the people right to go to court?

The reason why people are against the Indian flag here is that you can identify with the Indian flag and feel proud about being Indian, whereas when we identify ourselves as Indians, we only get racist comments. So, naturally, we feel bad and you also know that. That's why, to control us, you allow draconian laws like AFSPA.

Sir, if you are against the British for passing laws like Armed Forces Special Power Ordinance, then why are you upholding a more dangerous law to be used against yourself, against us? And, you expect us to keep quiet.

Any human being would react to this. And when we react against you, you brand us "terrorist". Thats why I say you all are animals. Nothing less; animals who use only physical power to keep people under control.

If you say that raising one's voice against the Indian Army or the national flag is anti-india, then I think the whole of Manipur and Kashmir is anti-India. If so, what the hell is the Indian Army doing in the land of Manipuris and Kashmiris, and what are Manipur and Kashmir doing on the political map of India?

Also, Arnab Goswami, you host a debate and ask a "yes" or "no" question and you want them to say only "yes". If you want them to answer whatever you want to hear, what is the point of hosting a debate in the first place?

I dont believe in making long speeches or forcing people to listen only to me. So I will wait for your reply.

From,




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The North should "fully and comprehensively" implement the UN resolution, Wang said. "At the same time, we will not spare efforts to return to the six-way talks," he added.

Moscow: Russia and China told North Korea on Friday its nuclear ambitions were unacceptable, urging Pyongyang to resume talks over its nuclear weapons programme and heed a UN Security Council resolution banning ballistic missile tests.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stepped up pressure on Pyongyang after holding talks in Moscow a day after North Korea defied the United Nations by firing two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea.

"We do not recognise the nuclear status of the DPRK," Wang told a news briefing via a translator, using the official acronym for North Korea.

The North should "fully and comprehensively" implement the UN resolution, Wang said. "At the same time, we will not spare efforts to return to the six-way talks," he added.

Pyongyang has a large stockpile of short-range missiles and is developing long-range and intercontinental missiles.

Earlier today, the reclusive country's official KCNA news agency reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had watched a ballistic missile launch test and ordered the country to improve its nuclear attack capability by conducting more tests.

Commenting on the North's growing nuclear ambitions, Wang said the latest UN resolution banning its nuclear tests must be "implemented point by point."

"We should block further development of nuclear weapons in the DPRK," he said.

Russia's Lavrov said Moscow deemed Pyongyang's behaviour "irresponsible".

"We believe that the world community's firm reaction will be interpreted by Pyongyang as a signal that there should be no such escapades in future," said Lavrov.

Russia was a close ally of Stalinist North Korea in Soviet days, but Lavrov made it clear times had changed.

"It should be clear in Pyongyang that no one is going to exonerate the DPRK for such escapades," he said, referring to missile tests.

Both Wang and Lavrov also hit out at US plans to deploy a missile system in South Korea.

"The deployment of this US missile system far exceeds the actual defence needs of the (Korean) peninsula ... and will harm the strategic balance of power in the region, possibly leading to a new arms race," said Wang.
The UN report released Friday is the work of an assessment team deployed in South Sudan between October and January, and says 'state actors' bear most responsibility for the crimes. (Photo: Human Rights Watch)

Geneva: A UN report describing sweeping crimes like children and the disabled being burned alive and fighters being allowed to rape women as payment shows South Sudan is facing "one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world," the UN human rights chief said Friday.

Zeid Raad al-Hussein lamented the crisis in the nearly 5-year-old country has been largely overlooked by the international community, and his office said attacks against civilians, forced disappearances, rape and other violations could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The UN report released Friday is the work of an assessment team deployed in South Sudan between October and January, and says "state actors" bear most responsibility for the crimes. It said Zeid recommends that the UN Security Council consider expanding sanctions already in place by imposing a "comprehensive arms embargo" on South Sudan and consider referring the matter to the International Criminal Court if other judicial avenues fail.

In scorching detail, the report cited cases of parents being forced to watch their children being raped, and said investigators had received information that some armed militias affiliated with government forces "raided cattle, stole personal property, raped and abducted women and girls" as a type of payment.

Women and children in North Darfur, where Sudanese soldiers were accused of mass rape. Human rights groups say that peacekeepers botched an investigation into the matter. (Photo: AP)

"The quantity of rapes and gang-rapes described in the report must only be a snapshot of the real total," Zeid said in a statement. "This is one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world, with massive use of rape as an instrument of terror and weapon of war, yet it has been more or less off the international radar."

The human rights situation has "dramatically deteriorated" since South Sudan erupted into civil war in December 2013, the report said. The crisis stemmed from a falling-out between President Salva Kiir and his deputy, Riek Machar, that boiled over into an armed rebellion. Tens of thousands have died and at least 2 million people have been displaced from their homes.

The 17-page report notes that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had already in May 2014 pointed to "reasonable grounds" to consider that crimes against humanity had been committed in South Sudan. In a sign that little has been done since then, the report said "the killings, sexual violence, displacement, destruction and looting that were the hallmarks of the conflict through 2014 continued unabated through 2015."

Recommendations in previous reports to the UN's Human Rights Council, a 47-member body currently in session in Geneva, "remain largely unimplemented," it said.
Of the many protests to convulse public universities across India in recent weeks, the one held on February 23, in which thousands of students, faculty and activists marched through central Delhi demanding Justice for Rohith, was the largest and perhaps the most palpably indignant.





A month before, Rohith Vemula, a 26-year-old PhD student at the University of Hyderabad hanged himself from the ceiling fan in a friends hostel room. Vemula was raised by his single working mother, who is from a scheduled caste, the lowest rung of the hierarchical system that structures traditional Hindu society, and which used to be deemed untouchable until Indias independence in 1947.



Vemula identified as Dalit, a word meaning crushed or ground down and refers to the oppression, often violent, suffered by scheduled castes over centuries of Indian history.



Vemula had secured admission to a prestigious graduate science programme, as well as a highly competitive national research fellowship. He was a brilliant scholar and a popular and vociferous campus activist for the rights of disenfranchised communities. He killed himself because of relentless caste discrimination.



He left behind a searing suicide note: The value of a man was reduced to his immediate identity and nearest possibility. To a vote. To a number. To a thing. Never was a man treated as a mind.



Vemulas suicide  hardly a rarity among Dalits at the countrys best universities  is emblematic of the problems of the countrys affirmative action programme. Within a few years after independence, India had set aside for Dalits and other disadvantaged castes about 23% of government jobs and seats in public universities. Today, the reservations apply to many more groups and cover about 50% of such posts and seats. But numerical improvement does not an equal society make.



Dalit students still come from severe poverty. They lead de facto segregated lives on nominally diverse and inclusive campuses. They still face daunting disadvantages in the job market even after they graduate with degrees. The ability of reserved candidates is always suspect, regardless of their performance.



The gap between the high and the low castes, between so-called backward and forward communities, not only persists, it also manifests itself through ever-more subtle and complex forms of discrimination and violence. Being the beneficiary of reservations can itself be a stigma.



B R Ambedkar, a Dalit and an architect of Indias 1950 Constitution, warned the Constituent Assembly in 1949 that the political revolution inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, which had led to Indias freedom from British rule, must be accompanied by a social revolution upholding the ideals of fraternity and dignity for all.



Together with other progressive founders of the Indian Republic, Ambedkar helped make social, economic and political justice the first item of business in the statute books.

The Constitution they drafted made it a punishable offence to treat anyone as untouchable, outlawed discrimination based on caste, and encouraged the state to pass measures correcting its effects. With that, the bare bones of affirmative action  the reservations, or quota, system  were in place.



Ambedkar believed that within a decade or two, quotas would bring about the annihilation of caste and become unnecessary. But this was not to be. In the late 1970s the government set up the Mandal Commission to study which other groups, even if not among the lowest castes, might also be suffering from social, economic or educational deprivation. By the early 1990s, India had begun to expand reservations to include the so-called Other Backward Classes.



But today, it is clear that even the Mandal reforms have failed to bring about Ambedkars dream of a genuinely equal society. Caste, instead of withering away as Indian democracy matures, has asserted itself in new ways.



Vemula viscerally understood this unhappy truth. Since August 2015, he had faced the hostility of university authorities for being politically engaged and unusually articulate. In just one semester, he had lost his hostel accommodation, his monthly stipend and access to the classroom.



For several nights leading up to his suicide, during the coldest stretch of the winter, he had camped on mattresses and blankets set outside the hostels gates. A few other students were with him, and they wryly referred to their makeshift arrangement as a Dalit ghetto.



Vemulas fault was not simply being a Dalit. He was also a leader in the Ambedkar Students Association, which actively campaigned to educate, agitate and organise students, following a rousing slogan from Ambedkar.



The groups members discussed not only Dalit issues, but also other controversial matters: the death penalty; Kashmirs problematic relationship with the Indian union; communal violence against minorities, especially Muslims, in what is an officially secular nation.



Refusing victimhood



Worse perhaps, Vemula had gained admission to the University of Hyderabad in the general, non-reserved category  meaning that his trajectory had not followed the standard script of marginality and exclusion. Politically aware and assertive youth like him face the brunt of double discrimination: Not only are they Dalit, but they refuse the victimhood expected of them.



Contrast that with groups that traditionally have been better off but increasingly are calling themselves victims in order to claim special protection. Castes like Jats in Haryana, Patidars in Gujarat, Marathas in Maharashtra and Kapus in Andhra Pradesh have been agitating recently, asking to benefit from reservations, even though they often are wealthy or own land.



India started opening up its economy at the same time that the Mandal recommendations were being debated. By the mid-2000s, overall prosperity increased, lifting many poor people into the middle class. But liberalisation, along with urbanisation, also created unforeseen types of inequality.



The so-called dominant castes agitating for reservations fall between two stools: the old model of social justice, meant principally for the weakest of the weak, and the gains brought on by the free market. The sociologist Satish Deshpande refers to them as the backward forwards.



My birth is my fatal accident, Vemula wrote in his suicide note. But his birth as a citizen of democratic India should have been a guarantee of dignity, opportunity and respect. He also wrote that he blamed no one. Yet there are culprits: his fellow Indians who have embraced democracy without understanding that its first principle is equality for all.



International New York Times
Professor Yogesh Tyagi assumed office as the Delhi University vice chancellor on Thursday morning and held meetings with the DU Teachers Association and other teachers groups, and former Vice Chancellors of the university.





He has succeeded Professor Dinesh Singh whose term ended last October.

Armed with bouquets, university officials made a beeline for the Viceregal Lodge, which houses his office.



There could be mistakes as a vice chancellor, but I will always work with honesty. I will try to get views from everyone and move forward in the endeavour, Tyagi told reporters.



Described by many as a religious man, DUs 22nd VC performed a small ritual before taking charge of his office. He was accompanied by his mother on the day one.



It was a totally different atmosphere today, the Viceregal Lodge was open and people from the university could go and meet the VC, DUTA president Nandita Narain said.

Former Delhi University vice chancellors Deepak Pental and Upendra Baxi also came to meet the new VC.



You will be the VC who will see the centenary celebration of the varsity, Upendra Baxi told the new incumbent.



Tyagi was the dean at the Faculty of Legal Studies, South Asian University. He also had a teaching stint at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, from where completed his PhD in Legal Studies.



Another predecessor Deepak Pental asked him to be discerning, as he is set to pick his own team of administrators. Major reshuffles are on the cards, a university official said.

Good academicians.



Some of the good academicians will not run after administration, but only good academicians should be made a part of the administration, said Pental.



The vice chancellors of Jamia Millia Islamia, Gujarat University, Lucknow Law University were also present to welcome Tyagi.



Delhi University teachers also took to social media to welcome the new vice chancellor.

Let's all welcome the new VC of DU professor Yogesh Kumar Tyagi with the hope that the prestige of academic and administrative works in the university will be restored under his leadership, said Professor Inder Kumar Kapahi.




Looking to tap ex-servicemens experiences, the NDMC has plans to approach the upscale Delhi Gymkhana Club to nominate 50-60 members who would like to mentor poor students in civic schools.





Most members of the club are associated with the defence forces, so we are thinking of using their experiences and discipline to help students, said New Delhi Municipal Council chairperson Naresh Kumar.



The Gymkhana Club management is preparing a list of members who would like to serve as volunteers in our schools, he said, adding that the civic agency would not incur any cost by engaging volunteers.



The NDMC also has plans to reach out to other clubs in its 42 sq km jurisdiction and involve retired personnel for mentoring poor school children, he said.



Kumar said the concept of student mentors cropped up during discussions on ways to improve performance and prevent dropout of underprivileged students.



As part of the NDMCs smart city initiatives, the chairperson contacted the Gymkhana Club with the idea of involving senior citizens for enhancing students performance and improving the school infrastructure.



An official said the council was also exploring the option of involving retired defence volunteers in its smart classroom project.



The civic agency also has plans to use smart education tools in schools under the smart classroom project in the session 2016-17 in 44 classes across 30 schools.



The e-learning solutions from classes 6 to 12 aim to transform traditional classrooms with state-of-art technology, infrastructure and professionally developed learning content, Kumar said.



High-end computers, interactive white boards, short-throw projectors and other hardware and software would be involved in the project.



Lessons on the basis of syllabus of NCERT would also be made available in the digital form. The study material will be provided in bilingual form in Hindi and English, he said.

The contents of information as amended or recommended by the NCERT from time to time would be made available through the dedicated servers, which would be placed in each school, he said.


A 25-year-old MSc student hanged himself at a private hostel in south Delhis Ber Sarai on Thursday.





Dushyant Dikshit hailed from Dhaneta village in Uttar Pradeshs Bareilly district and was preparing for civil services examination.



The boys in the adjoining rooms claimed that Dushyant was a Jawaharlal Nehru University, but the university denied it, police said.



An police probe has revealed that he had completed a project from JNU last year.

Police control room got a call about the incident at 9.40 am on Thursday. The caller said a student had committed suicide at Guardian Hostel in Ber Sarai.



A team from Vasant Vihar police station and the police control room unit reached room number 602 on the fourth floor of the hostel. Dushyant lived alone in the room.

Dushyant was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his room. A suicide note has been recovered which mentions family issues. Further facts are being verified, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Prem Nath.



His body has been preserved for post-mortem at AIIMS. Police have also informed Dushyants parents and recorded the statement of students staying in adjoining rooms.

Police have ruled out foul play and no FIR has been filed. A team from Vasant Vihar police station is conducting a probe under section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

The JNU administration expresses deep condolences to the family members of Dushyant. It is clarified that the deceased is not a student of the University, a JNU spokesperson said.



According to police, a detailed enquiry revealed that he was a student of MSc (Physics) in Bareillys Invertis University.



For further details, we contacted Invertis Universitys assistant professor Dr Nitesh Poddar, said Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Taj Hassan.



Dushyant had got a reference from Poddar for JNUs assistant professor Dr R K Brojen Singh for the completion of his project. Singh is associated with JNUs School of Computational and Integrative Sciences.



Dushyant completed his project from January to July 2015. But he was not an enrolled student of JNU, Hassan added. JNU administration has told the investigating team that such projects are conducted directly by the faculty.



Poddar and Singh know each other since their student days at Jamia Millia Islamia, where they did MSc (Physics). Singh was Poddars senior.



Several documents have been recovered from Dushyants room which mention his areas of interest and specialisation. They related to systems biology, complex networks, systems, stochastic dynamics and nonlinear dynamics.




Former employees of Vijay Mallya's defunct carrier Kingfisher Airlines have expressed pain over politicians "ignoring" their plight amid trading of allegations over Mallya leaving India.





In yet another open letter, this time addressed to the political and intellectual class of the country, the former Kingfisher Airline employees have alleged that Mallya leaving India in the middle of massive loan default probe, exposes the "rotten" system.



"Although it's not common in India to write such letters but we want all of you to know that we are in deep anguish over the rotten system that was exposed while we try to get our dues. It's a matter to bury our head in shame as a country where a sitting MP of Rajya sabha fled the country under the nose of all the agencies," the letter stated.



This is the third time in last one week that the former employees, who remained unpaid for months together before its Chairman Vijay Mallya grounded the airline due to paucity of funds, have shot off an open letter to pull the country's attention towards their issues.



"You people on your own reach the place where you smell political opportunity, no one supported us not even a statement in our favour," the letter said while citing former employees numerous meeting with the then Government Ministers and law makers from both ruling and opposition parties to take up their issues at that time.



The fleeing of Vijay Mallya to London generated storm in Parliament today with Congress alleging "criminal conspiracy" saying the businessman was allowed to escape by the government, which hit back insisting that the loans were given to him during UPA rule and he is "no saint for us".



"We are particularly pained today to observe that like always opposition and government blaming each other in parliament on Vijay Mallya's escape and defaults, while no one uttering even a single word in support of the employees," the employees said in the letter.



"No political party can claim to be holy (on this issue), we all know three parties (BJP/Congress/JD(S)) supported Vijay Mallya's candidature to Rajya Sabha, can you tell our citizens why he was chosen by for this esteemed privilege," the letter questioned.



"Please don't sling further mud on each other rather clean the mud which you already have and please spare a thought why Mallya not only paid but also compensated foreign employees leaving the people who elect you, high and dry. Please don't say it's private company as private company also come under the law of the land," it said.
Government today said the concept of marital rape cannot be "suitably applied in the Indian context" due to factors like poverty, illiteracy and religious beliefs.





"It is considered that the concept of marital rape, as understood internationally, cannot be suitably applied in the Indian context due to various factors like level of education/ illiteracy, poverty, myriad social customs and values, religious beliefs, mindset of the society to treat the marriage as a sacrament etc.," Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.



She was asked whether government plans to criminalise marital rape.



Replying to another question, Gandhi said the scheme for universalisation of women helpline has been approved for implementation through states/UTs from April 1 last year to provide 24-hour emergency and non-emergency response to women affected by violence both in public and private sphere, including in family, community and workplace.



"All the states/UTs have been requested to submit the proposals in order to release funds. Funds have been sanctioned/released to 33 states/UTs for setting up Women Helpline," she said.



The ministry has also conceptualised an idea of women welfare committee in all districts of the country, however, no such proposal has been formulated so far.
The National Green Tribunal today took strong objection to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's remark on refusal to pay Rs five crore fine in connection with the three-day cultural extravanganza on Yamuna flood plains but allowed more time to his organisation to pay up.



The panel was disturbed with Ravi Shankar's statement that he would not pay the penalty and would prefer going to jail, saying, "When a person of that stature makes such statements, it hits the rule of law. If anybody hurts the image of the tribunal, he will be taken to rule of law."



However, the NGT considered the plea of Ravi Shankar's Art of Living (AOL) Foundation that it was a charitable organisation and it was difficult for it to generate the huge amount of Rs five crore in such a short period and asked it to pay Rs 25 lakh immediately failing which the grant of Rs 2.5 crore sanctioned to it by Centre will be attached.



A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also clarified that the amount of Rs five crore be treated as environmental compensation and not as penalty.



The bench said it will attach the grant of Rs 2.5 crore, sanctioned to AOL by Ministry of Culture for the extravaganza that commences today, if it does not pay Rs 25 lakh.



The tribunal, which had earlier directed AOL to pay a fine of Rs five crore before commencement of the event today, however, granted it three weeks time to pay remaining Rs 4.75 crore.



When the counsel appearing for AOL submitted that the statement refusing to pay was made in a context that it will be difficult to pay as the foundation is a charitable trust, the bench said adherence to the rule of law is not only the duty of government but citizens also.



"Certainly adherence to the rule of law is the duty of not only the government but citizens also. The rule of law is a very foundation of administration of justice.



"If the rule of law is hurt, it will affect the justice dispensation system. This controversy loses its significance by the stand taken by the Foundation. We do not wish to go into the merits of the controversy," the bench said and fixed April 4 as the next date of hearing.



The order of the tribunal came on a plea by environmental activists seeking stay on AOL's World Cultural Festival here from today to March 13, alleging that they have not deposited Rs five crore fine.



The petition has alleged that AOL has not taken mandatory permissions from competent authorities like fire department, police and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).



During the hearing in the NGT, where CRPF and Delhi police personnel were deployed after some Rashtrawadi Shiv Sena members threatened to hold demonstration, AOL also moved an application seeking four weeks time to deposit the fine and comply with all the directions of the tribunal.



AOL said being a charitable organisation, it is difficult for it to generate the huge amount in such a short period.



On being asked by the tribunal if the AOL had received the Rs 2.5 crore grant from the Ministry of Culture, the counsel for the foundation informed that Rs 1.68 crore had been disbursed to it out of the total amount.



The AOL had also sought that Rs 5 crore fine be taken as restoration amount for biodiversity park and not as a penalty.



The tribunal also pulled up Ministry of Water Resources for not doing anything to protect river Yamuna from pollution despite directions.



"What have you done? Have you inspected the river? Despite directions you have not checked pollution in the river," the bench said.



During the hearing, a member of Ojaswi Party was also thrown out of the court room for disturbing the proceedings with the NGT issuing a show cause notice to him for contempt of court.



Yesterday, the tribunal had directed AOL Foundation to pay the entire amount of Rs 5 crore by today saying law will take its own course if it fails to do so.



The green panel had also directed Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment and Forests to issue proper directions to the organizers of the event with regard to disposal of municipal solid waste and drinking water.



The counsel appearing for the DPCC had informed the tribunal that as directed by it, a committee is already visiting the site and if necessary, directions will be issued.



The NGT had earlier expressed its helplessness in banning the event, saying it was "fait accompli".



Nevertheless, it had imposed a fine of Rs five crore on AOL as environmental compensation after coming down on it heavily for not disclosing its full plans and also on the DDA and Environment Ministry for their role.



The tribunal, which found several environmental violations by the organisers, blamed the delay on the part of environmental activists in raising the issue before it which compelled it to grant permission for event.


In a hate-fuelled attack, a 66-year-old Buddhist monk was assaulted in the US with the attacker apparently mistaking him for a Muslim.





Kozen Sampson, a Buddhist monk, said he was attacked during a visit to Hood River in Oregon state.



The brown robe-clad Sampson's car door was kicked into his head by a man who abused him and then fled on foot, according to the Hood River Police Department.



Police described the assailant as a white male with brown hair. Investigators are probing the incident that took place on February 29 as a possible hate crime.



Sampson told the New York Daily News he suffered a small cut, some memory loss and was "stunned for a minute or two" after the man attacked him on his trip to take his dogs to obedience training.



"I know that that was an angry thought that this person had, but Muslims have to deal with this every day," said Sampson.



"Could you imagine living with such anger? Our hope is that we can find a way that people can release this anger and fear," he said.



"It's really not about me. It's about loving kindness and taking care of all of our people," Sampson said.



He said the man, who seemingly thought he was Muslim based on his clothing, attacked him for no reason.



"I pulled over, someone ran up and yelled. I turned around, they kicked the door, hit me in the side of the face and knocked my head into the frame of the car," Sampson was quoted as saying by KATU-TV. He said the man also abused Muslims.



But instead of anger and hatred towards that man, Sampson said he only feels forgiveness and compassion.



"I don't know the Islamic faith well, but I do know that Muslims are our brothers and sisters and I would encourage everyone to just take a hard look at how supportive are you of all God's children," Sampson said.
RSS today asked the government to check "subversive" elements indulging in "anti-national" activities in universities for long and questioned how slogans calling for break-up of the country made in JNU can be tolerated.





"We expect the central and state governments to deal strictly with such anti-national and anti-social forces and ensure the sanctity and cultural atmosphere by not allowing our educational institutions to become centres of political activities," the RSS said as its top brass began a three-day brainstorming session today.



The meet of BJP's idealogical mentor assumes importance in the backdrop of Narendra Modi government facing flak over handling of JNU row, dalit student's suicide in Hyderabad, allegations of saffronisation of education and the debate over intolerance ahead of crucial assembly elections.



BJP President Amit Shah was present at the opening of the meet of Akhil Bhartiya Pratinidhi Sabha which is attended by Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh's top leaders including its chief Mohan Bhagwat.



In its annual report presented at the meeting, the RSS also expressed concern over terror attack in Pathankot and called for a review of the efficiency of the security forces, their material and officers in-charge and steps to check illegal migration and Pakistan-inspired terrorism.



It termed the violent quota agitations in Gujarat and Haryana as not only a challenge to the administrative machinery but also a threat social harmony and trust.



Referring to Malda episode in West Begal, where a mob allegedly burnt down a police station, the Sangh fountainhead decried attempts to create "atmosphere of fear" as it asked political parties to give up their "policy of appeasement" and take such incidents seriously.



"Reports about anti-national activities in certain universities have become a matter of concern for the patriotic people.



"In the name of freedom of expression, how can the slogans calling for breaking up and destruction of the nation be tolerated and how can the guilty, who had hatched the conspiracy to blow up Parliament, be honoured as martyr?" the RSS said.



The RSS said that those who do such things have no faith in the Constitution, judiciary and Parliament and "such subversive elements have made these universities the centres of their activities for long".



"When they find certain political parties supporting such anti-national elements, the concern (of patriotic persons) grows further," the report said.



"Incidents of violence and terror attacks have become a matter of grave concern. Under the pretext of small and big issues, people armed with weapon take to the roads creating atmosphere of fear, as has happened in Malda, and it has become endemic nowadays.



"Destruction of public and private properties, looting and burning business establishment specially those run by Hinuds, has taken place. Political parties, giving up their policy of appeasement, should take such incidents seriously and cooperate to restore the law and order situation and peace," the RSS said.



The saffron outfit said it will be possible only when parties "shed their petty and parochial political interests".



"It is the responsibility of an efficient and strong government to instill confidence in the people about their security," the report said.



On the violence during quota agitation, it said, "There should not be injustice or oppression of anybody, but the society should be vigilant and the administration should take strict action on the persons and organizations engaged in anti national activities in a planned manner."



It also said there should not be any politics on a "sensitive" issue like entry of women in temples and it should be resolved through discussion instead of agitation.



"Because of some unfair traditions, at certain places there has been a lack of consensus on the question of temple entry.



"Such sensitive issues should be resolved through discussion and dialogue and not through agitations," it said.



RSS said that both men and women have been permitted entry into the temples without any discrimination and even women have been learning the Vedas and officiating as priests in temples in the natural course.



The report asserted that joint efforts of social and religious leadership and the temple administration were needed to bring about a change in mentality at every level.



On the security situation, it said even though security forces have been successful in repulsing terror attacks, it is necessary to further tighten security arrangements so as to ensure that incidents like Pathankot strike do not recur "To curb illegal migration, Pak-inspired terrorism and other such activities, it is necessary to review the infrastructural facilities to develop border areas, border security and the materials from time to time," the RSS said.



During the three-day session, deliberations will be held on issues of education, medical facilities and health, and social harmony, the outfit said.



Reservation and construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya could be also discussed if they are raised at the meeting, Krishna Gopal, Sah-Sar Karyawah of the RSS, said today.



Discussions on changing the trademark RSS uniform or 'Ganvesh' are also likely to take place.
Rains and hailstorm today played spoilsport on the inaugural day of the Art of Living Foundation-organised World Cultural Festival which is already mired in controversy.





The entire venue along the bank of river Yamuna became a scene of mini pools, making the area slippery and difficult to manoeuvre. The event managers seemed to be unprepared to deal with untimely rain.



The younger lot, who were participating in the cultural programme, used the occasion to perform impromptu rain dance.



Nima Kamdar, spokesperson for the event and a senior trainer with the Art of Living Foundation, however, said "this is the divine blessing for our event."



The three-day World Cultural Festival, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi this evening, will see several VIPs including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal attending it.
In a rare public rebuke of two of Washington's closest allies, President Barack Obama has hit out at British Prime Minister David Cameron and former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy over their roles in Libya after the fall of the Kadhafi regime.





Cameron became "distracted" and Sarkozy wanted to promote his country during the 2011 NATO-led military intervention in Libya, Obama said in an interview with The Atlantic magazine published today.



British daily The Independent today slammed Obama's comments as "an unprecedented attack on a British leader by a serving US president," while The Times called the criticism "extraordinary."



In the extensive interview, Obama discussed the conditions surrounding the British and French-led bombing campaign that led to the fall of Moamer Kadhafi's regime.



Obama said when he considered what went wrong in Libya, "there's room for criticism because I had more faith in the Europeans, given Libya's proximity, being invested in the follow-up."



Cameron stopped paying attention soon after the military operation, he said, becoming "distracted by a range of other things."



Despite the criticism, a US National Security Council spokesman insisted that Cameron remained a "close partner" of Obama's.



"Prime Minister Cameron has been as close a partner as the president has had, and we deeply value the UK's contributions on our shared national security and foreign policy objectives which reflect our special and essential relationship," Edward Price told British media.



"With respect to Libya, the president has long said that all of us -- including the United States -- could have done more in the aftermath of the Libyan intervention."



US ambassador to Britain Matthew Barzun also tweeted that relations between the two countries remained "special," a term that Britain has been desperate to re-emphasize since Winston Churchill coined it 70 years ago.



"Our relationship is essential. It is special. True yesterday, true today and will be true tomorrow," he wrote.
Who is responsible for the death of brave soldiers like Lance Naik Hanmanthappa, asked Shehla Rashid Shora, vice-president, JNU Students Union, who was in the City on Friday.





Soldiers think they are dying for the country but they are actually dying for politicians. Border disputes are kept alive. Politicians and bureaucrats talk to each other in top hotels. All this is a farce, Shehla, who was here on an invitation from the Journalists' Study Centre, Karnataka, said.



Shehla became the first Kashmiri to win the JNU elections that were held last year. An engineering graduate, she has also done a short course on India-Women Leadership from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. She now studies at the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, JNU.



Even as JNU president Kanhaiya Kumar stoked fresh controversy with his comments about the army raping women in Kashmir, Shehla reiterated that JNUSU supported soldiers.



The argument, she however said, was much more than that. We are with the soldiers and any pro-soldier approach is anti-war. However, we need to rethink a number of issues such as the way the arms trade is being conducted and the defence budget is being reduced, she said, implying that this endangered soldiers lives. At the same time, JNUSU does not shy away from raising slogans against long-standing issues involving the army such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and custodial rapes, she added.



Shehla, who affiliates herself with the Communist Party of India (MarxistLeninist) Liberation, said she did have political aspirations, but for the moment there were broader challenges. We contest elections and many of our members have been contesting elections from Bihar. At the moment, we are about saving the ideals of the Constitution. This government has been anti-dalit, anti-women and anti-poor. It is trying to wipe out any opposition as evident even in the FTII, she said.



While everyone was busy hounding students from the JNU for their anti-national slogans, Akbar Chaudhry, another student leader highlighted the part played by JNU students in a number of recent movements. During the Nirbhaya protests, we were at the forefront. At the Occupy UGC (University Grants Commission) movement, we protested for 100 days. Even during the Rohith Vemulas incident, we were on a hunger strike, he said.


The Education department will make efforts to include RTE students also under the proposed health insurance scheme, said Primary and Secondary Education Department Minister Kimmane Ratnakar on Friday.





Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Ratnakar said the department would not discriminate against any students. A model will be evolved to include RTE students, too, under the proposed scheme, he added.



The government is expected to announce a health insurance scheme for students under 18 years, studying in government and aided schools and colleges, in the upcoming budget.

The department has received 451 applications for the setting up of PU colleges and more than 800 colleges for starting high schools.



Shoes and socks



The department will distribute a pair of shoes and two pairs of socks to all government school students. To ensure that the funds set aside are not misused during the tender procedure, the department has released the money to School Development Monitoring Committees, the minister said.



A six-member committee has been constituted at the school level, including parents of students, to ensure that there is no corruption, he added.


The centenary celebrations of Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod, will be held on the CPCRI campus on March 12, CPCRI Director Dr P Chowdappa said.





Briefing mediapersons here, he said a centenary coconut park will be developed near the Kendriya Vidyalaya playground with 100 coconut seedlings of 18 varieties planted by 100 farmers hailing from different regions of the country to mark the occasion.



Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, Deputy Director General (Horticultural Sciences) Dr N K Krishnakumar will inaugurate the programme. CAMPCO President S R Sathishchandra will deliver the keynote address. CAMPCO former president Konkodi Padmanabha will be the guest of honour. Directors from the eight different sister institutes of ICAR, officials from Kerala Gramin Bank, Nabard, Kerala Agricultural University and Department of Agriculture, Government of Kerala, also will take part in the programme, he added.



More than 4,00 farmers will take part in the Kisan Mela organised as part of the programme. Agriculture scientists from 96 countries where coconut, arecanut, cocoa are grown will attend the meet. A pictorial book CPCRI-A Century of Service to the Nation and another on 150 outreach-cum-training programmes during the centenary year --- CPCRI-A Century of Service to the Nation-Empowering Stakeholders --- will be released. They will also be available on CPCRI website --- www.cpcri.gov.in.



Special chocolate



A special chocolate, which is developed for the first time out of coconut sugar in collaboration with two organic farming products Kalpa Organic Gold and Kalpa Soil Care will also be released. A painting of P S Punichittayas impressions on the 100 years journey of CPCRI and the centenary logo will also be unveiled on the occasion.



The CPCRI has so far developed 19 varieties of coconut, 10 varieties of arecanuts and seven varieties of cocoa. With the varieties developed by the CPCRI, one can get four to five tonnes yield per hectare. The CPCRI has also developed VTL CC-1, VTL CS-1 and 2, VTL CH 1, 2, 3, 4 varieties of coffee as well. It also holds the International Coconut Gene Bank, which has 306 native varieties of coconuts and 132 foreign varieties of coconut genes. It also has 164 varieties of arecanut and 344 varieties of cocoa genes.



The CPCRI has been training the farmers on farm-related activities. An organic maure unit at the CPCRI has been supplying manure to the farmers. It has been training the general public on dairy farming, goat rearing, rearing of rabbits, apiculture, mushroom cultivation and others.



The CPCRI director said there is a good demand for Neera (unfermented sweet sap from coconut flowers) in the market. Measures have been taken to produce Neera in Karnataka. The scientists from Karnataka have visited CPCRI to make a study on the same. One can preserve it for six months, he added.



A series of programmes across the country are planned as part of centenary celebrations. CPCRI is planning for coconut genome sequencing, release of 25 books and 100 other publications and also planning to culminate the celebrations in December with an International conference on coconut, he noted.


Mangaluru has been an educational hub for more than 100 years now. Be it St Aloysius, Basel Mission, St Agnes, Canara, Government College (now University College)... the list of educational institutions is long.





However, St Aloysius Evening College stands apart as it was the first evening college (perhaps in the State) to open its doors of higher education to students, who could not afford to continue education after SSLC for various reasons.



In fact, for a large number of students, who had to take up jobs after their school education, St Aloysius Evening College provided an opportunity to continue their education and progress in their careers. It was Fr Mathew Lewis, the then Rector, who dreamt about it and planted the tiny seed along with Fr Stany Vas as its first principal, way back in 1966. This seed sent down deep roots, developed a strong stem and spread its branches, giving shelter to about 25,000 students down the years, Fr Michael John, the administrator of the College, recalls.



As the college is celebrating its golden jubilee on March 12, it is bringing out a 402-page colourful souvenir, which is unique in several ways.



First and foremost, the souvenir has more than 50 unseen and rare paintings, portraits, sketches and more than 30 exotic designs drawn 125 years ago by Rev Bro Antonio Moscheni, the Italian painter, whose breathtaking frescoes adorn the walls of St Aloysius chapel.



The rare paintings treasured in the Archives of St Aloysius College and published in the souvenir include the genealogy of Jesus right from Adam and Eve, the judgement of King Solomon, St Pauls preachings, Abrahams son Esau as a skillful hunter, 20th century marriage in a church and Joseph (Father of Jesus) holding a knife just before circumcising baby Jesus (a religious ritual of that period) as Mother Mary looks scared, which is perhaps the rarest of rare painting.



There is an article by Fr Leo DSouza, former Rector and internationally acclaimed botanist, through which he takes the readers into an unique tour of the chapel through his eyes. Quite interestingly, Moschenis paper sketches were systematically last exhibited 86 years ago, when St Aloysius College celebrated its golden jubilee.



4 categories



The souvenir has been divided into four categories - Soil (page 17 to 48), Root (49 to 120), Stem (121 to 322) and Sprout (323 to 362).



While Soil has rare paintings and unseen portraits of Rev Br Antonio Moscheni, Root has reminiscences of former principals and experiences of first batch students among others, Stem has 50 evening college students experiences (autobiographies!), wherein students have shared their life experiences - as a domestic help, as a hotel waiter and even as the one with underworld nexus. The last section - Sprout has articles by experts on concept and policy of evening education and its future.



For those, who are not aware, there are a couple of trees on St Aloysius campus which grew up in a laboratory without the help of seeds, thanks to the efforts of Fr Leo DSouza. College Associate Professor Dr Smitha Hegde has written an autobiography of one such tree and aptly titled Inti Nimma Ondu Test Tube Mara.



The editorial team of the souvenir has taken so much care that not even a bit has been taken from the internet, claimed souvenir Editor Dr Mahalinga Bhat K. It was our determination that the magazine should not have anything other than the lines drawn by Moscheni, Dr Bhat said and added that the designs that each Moschenian picture has around it were creatively reconstructed by Nimmi fame cartoonist John Chandran (drawing teacher at St Aloysius High School), so as to employ them for each article.



Similarly, special care has been taken for the cover page too, which is a clay art created by Ramachandra Pawar, a III BA student of the College. The clay art (cover page design) depicts the front view of the college and trees in the campus and covers the theme of the souvenir - Soil, root, stem and sprout.



The 402-page souvenir has only 15 pages of advertisements, that too, all at the end of the book! A collectors copy, indeed.


The Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) remained closed on Friday after its employees staged a protest to condemn the police action against three senior zoo officials, including the parks executive director.



Staff members closed the BBP gates, blocked roads and raised slogans from morning to afternoon in protest against M R Narendra Babu, sub-inspector (SI) of the Bannerghatta Police Station (BPS).



The SI had summoned Executive Director of BBP, Santosh Kumar, an IFS officer, Deputy Director Kushalappa and Range Forest Officer Bhagyalakshmi to the police station on Thursday after a complaint was filed against the three officers accusing them of negligence.



According to the complaint, their negligence reportedly led to the escape of a leopard that was captured from a school in east Bengaluru. Several visitors, including those from other countries, were inconvenienced and disappointed as the zoo remained shut. Over 2,000 visitors, some from across the country from places such as Banaras, Kolkata and Chennai, were forced to go home.



We came from Mysuru on a two-day tour. We did not know that the park was closed today and I am told that it will be closed tomorrow also. I do not know what the issue is, but it should be settled so that people do not suffer, said Devika M, a tourist from Mysuru, who had come along with her two sons. Andrew, a tourist from California, said: After seeing the Mysuru Zoo, I wanted to see this one also and go on a safari to see tigers and elephants. I am disappointed.



Staff submit memo



Meanwhile, the protesters submitted a memorandum signed by all employees to the jurisdictional Deputy Superintendent of Police Balarame Gowda. In the memorandum addressed to the Director General and the Inspector General of Police, the employees sought the immediate suspension of SI Narendra Babu and stated that police officials detained forest officials, including Executive Director of BBP, Santosh Kumar, at the police station for over six hours.



They said the SI had summoned top officials without conducting a spot inspection and an inquiry after receiving the complaint. BBP zoo staff leader Suresh said they fed the animals  herbivores and carnivores  only in the afternoon.




The police have arrested a 46-year-old car driver working for a government agency for sexually assaulting a 29-year-old married woman at her home in Manjunatha Nagar, west Bengaluru.





The police said that Nagaraj, a car driver employed by the Karnataka State Industrial Investment and Development Corporation Limited (KSIIDC), was arrested on the womans complaint. A court remanded him in judicial custody.



Pictures taken



The woman knew the suspect through a common friend. Recently, he went to her house, and upon finding her alone, raped her. He also took her pictures and asked her to have a physical relationship with him or else he would post the pictures online and on social media, the woman said in her complaint to the police.



According to the woman, Nagaraj often visited her home once her husband and children went out. He would sexually assault her by blackmailing her with the pictures. She said she had had it enough and decided to approach the police.
A meeting called to discuss the permission granted by the BBMP to Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited to cut 313 trees for Metro phase II, almost turned violent with NGO members protesting against the sanction to fell the trees.



Half of Bengaluru has been spoilt because of the Metro. We dont want Metro, we want trees, the activists shouted at the meeting held in Jayanagar. The BBMP Deputy Conservator of Forest, Ranganath Swamy, then threatened to cancel the meeting.



At the start of the meeting, BMRCL Chief Engineer Srinivas said: The Metro first phase work began in 2007 and now 97 per cent of the work has been completed. The Jayanagar operations will commence in just a few months and by the year- end, the entire Metro will be up and running.



We have called a tender for Metro phase II and we will finish the work within four years. There will be minimal land acquisition. If we cut one tree, we will plant two saplings. Jayanagar resident Prof Veera Reddy, who intervened, said: The work at Vani Vilas began in 2007 and it is still going on after all these years. Ambulances are not able to move freely. Another resident, Somashekar, said, There are one crore people in the City. The first phase of Metro is running at a snails pace. BMRCL should publicise facts about how many people have benefited from this project.



The BMRCL, he said, had assured people that the first phase of the project would be completed by 2014. But it is 2016 and work is still going on. Can the BMRCL give us an assurance that the phase one would be completed in another 90 days?



Leo Saldanha of Environment Support Group said: We are not against the Metro. But the BMRCL has committed faults that we had anticipated. Half of Bengaluru has been damaged. Now it is not possible to believe the Metro.



The High Court had stated that a north and south ward committee would be established to check whether saplings had been planted in the two regions. But no such committee has been established. Dont you at least respect the High Court, Saldanha asked.



Ranganathswamy, DCF, responded saying the BBMP too had the goal of setting up two committtees. We were ready, but some staff got transferred. We have named 28 personnel to the committees. They will join the committees within the next two months and we will get the work done from then on.



Somashekar responded stating: We did not say that ward level committees have to be established. We are saying that peoples committees have to be established. What is the problem in doing this right away? Metro chief engineer Srinivas interevened and said: Civil works at Jayanagar are completed. Tunnelling is going on at Chickpet at one metre a day. It is a very difficult process. We are going to open this side of the Metro at the end of this year.



Leo Saldanha interevened to say the BMRCL and the BBMP are not respecting the High Court, too. Responding, the legal representative of the BMRCL, Ravishankar, said the BMRCL was not a party to any hearing concerning BBMP and to the two cases being heard by the government.



Immediately after this, the meeting was called off and postponed. While Saldanha accused the Metro of not giving the right answers, the DCF stood up and said the BMRCL had been asked by the BBMP to furnish full information on the trees.


The High Court has ordered the State government to come up with some practical solution to building bye-law violations.





Hearing a batch of petitions for quashing of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning (Regularisation of Unauthorised Development or Constructions) Rules 2014 or the Akrama-Sakrama rules, a division bench of Chief Justice S K Mukherjee and Justice Ravi Malimath observed on Friday that it was evident that many buildings in some of the prestigious localities of Bengaluru were constructed in violation of building bye-laws.



The petitioners argue that the government cannot bring in the Akrama-Sakrama rules as that will pave way for regularisation of unauthorised structures, including those built on agricultural land.



The bench then sought to know if there was any Act, rule or order that prevents the government from framing rules to regularise such constructions. The government counsel told the court the said rules were framed as the Town and Country Planning Act could not be enforced.



Previously, the High Court had directed the government to instruct the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) not to process any applications for regularisation of building bye-law violations through the Akrama-Sakrama scheme.



The court said the applications can be received, but not processed. The BBMP started accepting the applications on March 23, 2015. The Citizens Forum for Mangalore Development had moved the court, seeking the quashing of the Akrama-Sakrama rules.

It contended that the penalty percentage under the new rules was less than that framed in the 2007 rules.



Another petitioner, Citizens Action Forum, raised the issue of the government not consulting the Metropolitan Planning Committee, which was established in January 2014, before notifying the Akrama-Sakrama rules. The government is not just regularising the building violations but also the violations of land use, the petitioner submitted.

The bench adjourned the hearing until March 21.


The Telugu Desam Party which has recently admitted 8 YSRC legislators into its fold in Andhra Pradesh, received a rude shock with the Telangana Assembly Speaker Madhusudana Chary recognizing the breakaway group of 12 TDP legislators as members of the TRS party.





The Speaker has released a bulletin in this regard in the Assembly website on Thursday.

The move has reduced Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to three MLAs , Revanth Reddy, Sandra Venkata Veeraiah and R Krishnaiah. The humiliation did not stop there as they would have to vacate the Telugu Desam Legislative Party office in the Assembly premises as they are short of two MLAs to enjoy a separate office room.



Following the merger decision the TDP national president Nara Chandrababu Naidu has said his party will contest the decision of the Speaker in the court of law.



The Speakers decision came after consultation with the advocate General K Ramakrishna Reddy. The bulletin issued by the legislature on Thursday observed that the Speaker allotted seats to the defected TDP members along with those of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in the House. In a house of 119, TDP has just 3 members, Congress 17, TRS , 82 , BJP 5, MIM 7, YSRC 3, CPI and CPM one each. Meanwhile the Telangana TDP president L Ramana said defectors were not immune to anti-defection laws as such merger should come up in form of resolutions of party cadre from village, mandal, district and state-level bodies.



Individual MLAs cannot seek merger with another party on their own. He said the Speakers decision is one sided as he failed to seek explanation from the TDP rebel MLAs.

However, rubbishing the criticism state IT and Municipal Minister K T Ramarao has said there is no role for the Telangana government or TRS in the merger decision by the Speaker. TDP should stop blaming us for its fallacies, he said.


Even after forging a coalition with the Congress to fight the forthcoming Assembly elections in Bengal, the tie-up is going through its share of ups and downs.



While the Left-Congress combine agreed on share seats after intensive negotiations, now it seems the two camps will contest against each other in 12 seats. Both camps had decided to compromise on some of their traditional seats and came to an understanding over the arrangement. But the state CPM leadership has been forced to field 12 candidates from seats that were earlier supposed to go to the Congress.



Insiders said that the CPM state leadership gave in to pressure from its own district units, along with that of the RSP and the Forward Bloc, to field candidates from these seats across districts of Birbhum, East Midnapore, Purulia and Murshidabad.



While the matter came to light after the Left Front released its second list of 85 candidates on Thursday, Front chairman Biman Bose said that talks over seat-sharing will continue at district level to sort out the differences. State Congress president Adhir Chowdhury, who seemed taken in by surprise, told a local news channel from Delhi: We formed this political platform to honour the wish of Bengals voters. This should be kept in mind during the seat-sharing process.



Manoj Bhattacharya, national secretariat member of the RSP, however, said that differences over few seats is not enough to jeopardise the entire arrangement.




The Karnataka police told the Supreme Court on Friday that they were awaiting Governor Vajubhai Valas sanction to prosecute former Lokayukta Y Bhaskar Rao in the extortion racket that was allegedly run by his son and other officials from his office.





Opposing the bail petition moved by four accused, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) told the court that investigation in other cases was going on and said there were attempts of interference by the accused.



The sanction for prosecution of former Lokayukta (Justice Bhaskar Rao) is still awaited. There are other cases where there is clear interference on the part of the accused, said senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, reading out a status report.



A bench of Justices P C Ghose and Amitava Roy, however, posted the matter for consideration on March 17, even as the counsel for television journalist M B Srinivasa Gowda and another accused Shankare Gowda argued for bail, saying the charge sheet had been filed.



The Supreme Court had earlier refused to modify its September 16, 2016, order that stayed the bail given to the accused by the High Court of Karnataka.



The SIT registered several cases and arrested 11 people, including Lokayuktas son Y Ashwin Rao who was named the prime accused. Justice Rao, who was appointed in February 2013 to head the anti-corruption watchdog, resigned on December 8, 2015, after clamour grew for his ouster over the extortion racket.

DH News Service
A month after the health ministry decided to print warning messages on 85% area of a tobacco pack, a panel of lawmakers has recommended lowering the area to 50% of the space.





In order to have a balanced approach, the warning on the cigarette packets should be 50% on both sides of the principal display area instead of 85% of the principal display area as it will be too harsh, the Parliamentary Committee on Subordinate Legislation has stated in its report.



The panel, headed by BJP MP Dilip Gandhi and having beedi baron lawmaker S C Gupta as one of its members, met here on Friday to finalise the report. By rule, Parliamentary panel reports are advisory in nature. If Indian tobacco products have larger warning messages on the pack, it would lead to flooding of illicit cigarettes in the country, the panel argued in its report, besides claiming that such a step would adversely affect the farmers and Indian tobacco companies.



Beedis are packed in bundles of 10-25 and length of beedis vary from 55-75 mm. If 85% of area is earmarked for printing specified health warning, there is virtually no space left for printing brand long, name and address of manufacturers, no of beedis and customer care no as required under the law, says a draft of the report, accessed by Deccan Herald. Last month, the ministry notified the new pictorial warning scheme to print the warning on 85% of the principal display area from April 1, following an order from the Rajasthan High Court.



In March 2015, the health ministry put on hold this notification with the excuse that it was done following a request from the Parliamentary committee that was reviewing the tobacco laws. The move stirred a hornet's nest due to the presence of Gupta and his conflict of interests. While recommending less space for publishing the warning message, the panel relied on the opinion from the ministries of commerce and labour, both of whom recommended against the move. The labour ministry said it would affect people's livelihood, while the commerce ministry, quoting a Deolite report, claimed 'no impact' of larger warning.


With more than 60 Indian fishermen languishing in various prisons in Sri Lanka, the Tamil Nadu government on Friday urged the Centre to prevail upon the neighbouring island government to secure their immediate release.





Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said that the fishing boats and gear, which were not released by the Sri Lankan Government while releasing Indian fishermen have been subjected to severe damage due to long periods of disuse and exposure to heavy monsoon.



The poor fishermen would be subjected to a huge permanent loss with the damage of their only means of livelihood, she said and asked the Centre that the fishing boats impounded in Sri Lanka be restored to them in a refurbished condition at the earliest.

Jayalalithaa's statement came against the backdrop of the arrest of four fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy on March 10 in the mid sea.



Jayalalithaa also reiterated Tamil Nadus stand that the Union Government should not treat the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) with Sri Lanka as a settled question as the constitutionality of the 1974 and 1976 agreements have been challenged on extremely valid and legal grounds in the Honble Supreme Court of India.



TN involved



The Government of Tamil Nadu has also been subsequently impleaded in this case, she said adding the prayer before the court is to declare the 1974 and 1976 agreements along with the Executive Order of 1976 as null and void in the absence of the required mandatory constitutional amendment and to restore Katchatheevu to India.



Jayalalithaa requested Prime Miister Narendra Modi to immediately direct the concerned officials in the Ministry of External Affairs to take proactive action through

diplomatic channels to secure the immediate release of 68 fishermen and 78 fishing boats, including the 4 fishermen and their one mechanised fishing boat apprehended recently.


Though the attack on journalist at the Delhi court during the hearing of JNU sedition case a terrible exception, Arun Jaitley said courts are not for protests and gatherings there are unacceptable.





The Finance and I&B Minister said the courts must remain "detached" and should not be carried by issues or trends of the moment as anything on the contrary would be a threat to free speech and a fair trial.



"The whole idea of (media) getting dragged into a controversy and then attacking physically is absolutely unacceptable anywhere, more so in court, Jaitley said, speaking after presenting the International Press Institute award for excellence in journalism to Malayala Manorama's M Shajil Kumar here. Courts are certainly not for protests. They should stay detached and courts cannot be carried away by trends. The attack on journalists in Patiala courts complex is a complete aberration and will be frowned upon," he added.



Noting that the recent trend of Bar Associations passing resolutions not to attend to certain people creates a prejudicial environment, Jaitley said: The more serious the offence is, the more avenues should be there for the accused to defend himself. "The Bar Associations preventing lawyers from arguing something is like media boycotting somebody or some function when their job is to report," he said.



Jaitley said conventional definition of news "no longer holds true", adding what makes news is "predominantly what is captured in the camera".
Pressure mounted on beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya on Friday with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoning him for questioning in Mumbai on March 18 in a money laundering case.



He tweeted he was not an absconder and did not flee India. The 60-year-old liquor baron, who is reportedly in the United Kingdom since March 2, is now at the centre of an escalating political war with NDA ally Shiv Sena targeting the BJP-led government on how it allowed Mallya to go abroad. Parliament also witnessed the issue being raised once again.



The ED summons came as investigators went deep into the money laundering case it registered against Mallya and others in connection with the Rs 900-crore loan given by IDBI bank. Mallya has been asked to appear before investigators in ED's Mumbai office next Friday along with details related to his personal finances. Sources said the process of serving notice to Mallya through the Indian High Commission in London was still on.



A Raghunathan, former Chief Financial Officer of Mallyas grounded carrier Kingfisher Airlines (KFA), appeared before investigators in Mumbai on Friday. Officials said his questioning was important as he could provide details on various transactions.



Facing public and political wrath for leaving the country under suspicious circumstances, Mallya broke his silence during the day. In his first public comments, Mallya said he is an MP, who fully respects and will comply with the law. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media, he tweeted.



I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish, he said. Mallya is facing legal proceedings for loan defaults to the tune of Rs 9,091.40 crore. He also targeted the media saying, once a media witch-hunt starts it escalates into a raging fire where truth and facts are burnt to ashes.



Without naming journalists, he said, "Let media bosses not forget help, favours, accommodation that I have provided over several years which are documented. Now lies to gain TRP?"



Questioning news reports that he must declare his assets, he said, "Does that mean that banks did not know my assets or look at my Parliamentary disclosures?"



In reference to a particular editor, he said that he needed to be in "prison clothes and eat prison food for libel, deceit, slander and absolutely sensational lies". The Mallya issue was once again raised in Rajya Sabha with Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad asking the government why the CBI amended its 'lookout' notice against him within a month last year.



Azad said the CBI had amended the lookout notice against Mallya issued in October 2015 which had sought his detention if he tried to leave India. However, in November, this order was changed to merely "inform" the authorities in case he left the country. "What made the CBI change its original notice?" he asked.






The Arab League today formally branded Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group a terrorist organisation, a move that raises concerns of deepening divisions among Arab countries and ramps up the pressure on the Shiite group, which is fighting on the side of President Bashar Assad in Syria.



The decision came during a foreign ministers' meeting of the Arab League at the organisation's seat in Cairo, the Egyptian state MENA news agency reported. It came just a day after the league elected veteran Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Aboul-Gheit as its new chief.



The move aligns the 22-member league firmly behind Saudi Arabia and the Saudi-led bloc of six Gulf Arab nations, which made the same formal branding against Hezbollah on March 2.



It also brings the league in line with the United States, which is closely allied with the Gulf states and has long considered Hezbollah to be a terrorist organisation. The European Union only lists the military wing of Hezbollah on its terrorist blacklist.



In Cairo, Saudi Ambassador Ahmed Qattan, told the satellite TV station Al Arabiya that the vote was not unanimous as Lebanon and Iraq abstained. Earlier in the day, the Saudi delegation stormed out of a league meeting in protest over a speech by Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari hailing Hezbollah and Shiite militias as "resistant movements."



"I only described Hezbollah as a resistant movement and rejected accusations against the Popular Mobilisation Forces (a Shiite Iraqi group) and other resistant movements," al-Jaafari told the state daily Al-Ahram.



The decision by the Arab League is a significant blow to Hezbollah and it is also likely to further aggravate tensions in Lebanon, undermining the country's delicate political balance amid fierce political infighting between groups loyal to Hezbollah and Saudi-backed factions.



The league's decision also reflects deep regional divisions between Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Shiite powerhouse Iran, Hezbollah's patron. Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic relations with Iran earlier this year after protesters angry over the kingdom's execution of influential Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr set fire to the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and another diplomatic mission in Iran.



In addition to diplomatic pressures, Saudi Arabia has just finished a three-week long counter-terrorism drill dubbed "Northern Thunder" that included 20 participating countries, in what observers say was a show of force by the kingdom against its foes. It also sent a strategic message to Iran, and extremist Sunni groups like al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.
Scott Kelly returned to Earth Tuesday night, but some of his blood cells arrived at Colorado State University from the International Space Station months ago.

CSU researcher Susan Bailey and her team are among scientists from 10 laboratories involved in the NASA twin study, which is examining the impact of prolonged space flight on the human body.

Kellys blood cells, those sent from space, as well those taken before he left and ones that will be taken upon his return, are being compared with cells taken from his identical twin, Mark, a former astronaut himself.

While Scott has been orbiting, Mark has been living an Earth life in Arizona, drinking margaritas or whatever it is that he does, said Bailey, a professor in the Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences.

Comparing samples from the twins will help determine how Scotts chromosomes changed during his year in space.

Blood draws done in space were planned to coincide with the arrival of Soyuz spacecraft that carried the samples, along with returning Russian cosmonauts, back to Kazakhstan.

From there the tubes filled with blood went to Houston and then by FedEx to CSU. The package arrived in Fort Collins within 48 hours of leaving the space station.

Bailey and her team are focusing on changes that radiation and stress produce in cells that could increase risk for aging and cancer.

The ends of human chromosomes are capped with telo meres, a coating that Bailey compares to the plastic tip surrounding the ends of shoelaces.

The telomeres protect the genetic code within the chromosomes from eroding.

Stress, environmental influences and normal aging lead to a breakdown in those caps, shortening the telomeres and increasing activity in an enzyme that helps cancers to grow and divide, said Lynn Taylor, a senior research associate at CSU.

The more rapidly we lose lengths, the more rapidly we age. You cant be precise enough to tell when someone will die, but you can tell the rate of change, Bailey said.

Radiation also can degrade the length of telomeres, said Miles McKenna, a doctoral candidate assisting with the research at CSU.

And radiation in space is a danger to astronauts. An increase in cancer risk is the principal concern for astronaut exposure to space radiation, and it is one risk that persists after landing, according to a NASA fact sheet.

The tests on Kelly, whose 340-day space station stay is the longest time an American astronaut has lived in space, should provide information that will help future astronauts prepare for deep-space travel.

NASA considers it crucial prep work for future Mars explorers, who will have to be in space much longer. In fact, this mission  which began with a launch last March  is all about Mars.

Testing will continue for weeks, if not months, once Kelly is home in Houston.

The CSU lab results will be sent to Houston, and will be shared with others involved in the study, Bailey said.

The twins study will cost NASA about $1.5 million, Bailey said. It has captured the publics imagination and drawn far more attention to the lab in CSUs Molecular & Radiological Biosciences building than Bailey ever imagined, she said.

I had no concept how this whole thing would catch on  around the world, Bailey said. It is beyond my wildest dreams.

Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671, tmcghee@ denverpost.com or @dpmcghee

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
By Joanna Chiu 10 March 2016 ULZIIT, Mongolia (Irin)  Daashka and his brother tear across the Mongolian steppe on a motorbike in a desperate search for somewhere to graze their herds. Pastureland is dwindling rapidly as the country is beset by a cycle of drought and harsh winter that is killing off livestock in droves. The summer ends early now and the fall is short and dry. Then theres the long winter, said Daashka, a 19-year-old herder who uses just one name and lives in the central Ulziit region. The familys herd, mostly sheep and goats, has shrunk from about 1,000 animals to 600, Daashka said, leaning against the motorbike on an exposed patch of dirt that, in other years, would have been covered by the roots of grass and other vegetation. Mongolia is experiencing a natural disaster called a dzud . The phenomenon, unique to the country, usually occurs after a summer drought is followed by heavy winter snowfall that makes already scarce pastures inaccessible to livestock. In the past, the country experienced widespread dzud about once in a decade, but they have recently been occurring every few years. Experts say the rising frequency is due to a combination of climate change and human activity, which has increased the size of herds to levels the grasslands cannot sustain. With temperatures dipping below -40C (-40F) in the evenings and extreme cold expected until April, Daashkas family saved enough money to buy feed, which they hope will keep their herd alive until the spring. Other nomads have not been so fortunate. Half a mile away, about 100 dead goats and sheep were piled up among the rocks. The family was elsewhere with what remained of their herd, leaving one goat clinging to life near the relative warmth of a yurt, the traditional tent dwelling with a coal-burning heater inside. [] Global warming is causing about 50% of the problems and local forces cause the other 50%, said Purevjav Gomboluudev, head of climate research at Mongolias information and research institute of meteorology, hydrology, and environment. About half of Mongolias 3 million people rely on livestock production. But with oversupply, prices have plunged on animal products such as milk, wool, meat and camel hair. Each sheep or goat  the most common livestock  is worth about $30. A cow is worth $250-500, depending on meat quality. A camel is worth about $500, and a horse $200-250, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Consequently, there is an incentive to increase animal numbers, leading to the colossal numbers we see today, at over 50 million head of livestock, which degrades the precious pasturelands, said Robert Schoellhammer, country director for the ADB. The trend has been devastating when combined with climate change. [ more ]

Climate change in Mongolia destroying pastures on which nomadic herders rely

By Hler Gudjonsson

23 February 2016 (IFRC)  On the vast Mongolian grasslands, livestock are dying in the thousands due to an ever worsening winter Dzud. Extreme temperatures, snow storms and heavy snowfall, and in many areas a thick layer of ice are preventing livestock from grazing efficiently. These current conditions have been compounded by the effects of last summers drought which has left pastures in a very bad condition. Millions of animals are likely to die from starvation in the coming weeks and months, depriving vulnerable herder families of their only livelihood. The situation is becoming truly alarming, and Red Cross is planning to launch an emergency appeal this month to attract international support so that we can help the most vulnerable herders, says Madame Nordov Bolormaa, Secretary General of the Mongolian Red Cross Society. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has already released funds from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) and is now preparing the distribution of food parcels and cash to more than 1,500 vulnerable herder families. The planned emergency appeal will be targeting several thousand households. The temperatures have dropped to -55 degrees and some of our animals froze to death where they stood, recounted Oyanbat, an elderly herder in Teshig Soum, Bulgan Province when he was visited by a Red Cross assessment team. He still owns 20 animals but that is all he has to support himself and his sister. If he loses what is left of his livestock he will have no livelihood at all. Finally the elderly siblings may have no choice but to abandon their home on the grasslands in order to survive. The prospect of losing all his animals and being forced to leave is truly daunting for Oyanbat, who has not visited his own district centre for 10 years, even if it is only 30 km away. He pointed towards his sister who is physically and mentally disabled and in need of constant care. I cannot leave her alone in the house except for a few hours at the time, which makes it difficult for me even to take proper care of the animals, not to speak of going to the district centre, he said. One of the biggest problems is the extremely low market prices for any animal products, said Madame Bolormaa. This is because many families with small herds are forced to sell their animals for next to nothing, either because they desperately need cash to buy vital necessities, or because they know that their animals will die in the Dzud. As so many other poor herders facing this terrifying dilemma, Oyanbat has no other choice but to wait for spring and hope that a part of his little herd will survive and that he will still have a livelihood in the summer. Without our animals we have no life on the grasslands, he said as he reflected on his impossible situation. He is grateful for the food that the Red Cross team gave him, but realizes all too well that it is no substitute for a steady income. While food and cash will ensure the immediate survival of the most affected herders, thousands of families are expected to lose their livelihood in this years Dzud. Some will be able to get a job herding other peoples animals for a minimum salary, but others will have to rebuild their lives from scratch, which usually means moving to the so-called Ger districts. These are big slums in the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar and other urban centres where people still live in traditional herder tents, mostly in extreme poverty. For former herders who have no professional skills it is very hard to earn a living in the city, and without assistance many families will be doomed to extreme poverty, said IFRC Programme Manager Dr Enkhjin Garid. This is why vocational training and small business development are such an important part of our emergency appeal. It is not enough just to keep people alive for a few months, we also need to ensure that the herders have a secure livelihood in the future.
By Bobby Magill

10 March 2016 (Climate Central)  The annual growth rate of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rose more in 2015 than scientists have ever seen in a single year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday. It was the fourth year in a row that carbon dioxide concentrations grew by more than 2 parts per million, with an annual growth rate of 3.05 parts per million in 2015. The spike comes in the same year that Earth reached an ominous global warming milestone  scientists last year measured the highest atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide ever recorded. Carbon dioxide emissions from people burning fossil fuels are the driving force behind climate change and have risen to greater than 400 ppm  more than 120 ppm above pre-industrial levels. Earth has warmed more than 1.6F over that period. As of February, the average atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration in the earths atmosphere was about 402.6 ppm, according to NOAA data. The findings are based on measurements made at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. Carbon dioxide levels are increasing faster than they have in hundreds of thousands of years, Pieter Tans, lead scientist of NOAAs Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network, said in a statement. The rate of increase in carbon dioxide concentrations is 200 times faster than the previous extreme jump between 11,000 and 17,000 years ago, when levels rose 80 ppm over about 6,000 years. NOAA scientists are blaming last years spike in carbon dioxide concentrations on what will likely be the most extreme El Nino ever recorded, as ecosystems respond to the changes in temperature and precipitation it has caused. [more]
Helios Towers Nigeria is selling over 1200 towers to infrastructure company IHS in an agreement billed as Africas first mobile infrastructure consolidation.

Both companies have established a strong presence in Nigeria since the turn of the millennium, when mobile infrastructure started to become more widespread in the market (fixed line infrastructure remains limited). The firms also spearheaded tower sharing in the region, with the practice now common across the continent.

IHS has stated that the Nigerian wireless industry is poised for a sustained period of network investment and growth as smartphones become more prevalent, and notes that the acquisition will cement its footprint in the market.

Issam Darwish, executive vice chairman and group CEO at HIS, said: We remain committed to the Nigerian tower market where coverage levels are yet to mature and explosive data growth continues.

Helios and IHS have established themselves in the region by buying towers from major African players such as Airtel and MTN during infrastructure sell-offs. By taking on the responsibility of managing the infrastructure, they are then able to operate as dedicated tower firms, making money by leasing the towers back to the operators.

IHS currently owns over 23,300 towers across five African markets, with Darwish noting that there is potential for up to 40,000 more towers required to meet [increasing] demand for data traffic.

Provided it receives regulatory approval, the deal is expected to close in Q2 2016.
Exane BNP Paribas downgraded Anglo American to underperform from neutral on valuation grounds and to reflect challenges associated with restructuring plans.

It also downgraded South32 and Antofagasta to neutral from outperform, both on vauation grounds.

The bank said sentiment on Anglo has changed drastically over the past month, with the shares more than doubling since their 20 January low.

The market had probably priced excessive fears at the end of FY15; commodity prices have now stabilised and the group has partly reassured on its ability to avoid burning cash this year, Exane said.

Nevertheless, it reckons the shares have now run ahead of what the group can deliver short term while significant headwinds remain, with current iron ore and platinum prices at odds whit fundamentals.

In addition, it said restructuring remains a challenge and there is a risk the company will disappoint on disposals again this year.

As far as Antofagasta is concerned, it said copper prices hold long-term upside and the company is well positioned with its low cost assets and strong balance sheets.

However, we believe these features are now fully discounted after the recent bounce in the shares (+53% from January lows).

The bank has a 430p price target on Anglo and 580p on Antofagasta.

Exane downgraded South32 but lifted the price target to 75p from 70p, saying it was a genuine restructuring story but this was priced in.

We still like the combination of the strongest balance sheet and operating leverage, and the stock still displays a c10% free cash flow yield in FY16e and FY17e (7.4% at m-to-m). However, the stock is up 47% year-to-date and has outperformed the sector by over 20%.

At 0920 GMT, Anglo shares were up 2.5% to 515.50p, Anto shares were 1.7% higher at 518p and South32 was up 3.7% to 83.50p.
UK stocks rallied on Friday as investors continued to digest the European Central Banks bigger-than-anticipated stimulus package.

The ECB took more action than expected on Thursday to help bring inflation back towards the target of just below 2%.

The ECB unexpectedly slashed its main interest rate by 5 basis points (bps) to 0.00% and increased quantitative easing (QE) by 20bn. The monthly purchases under the asset purchase programme will be expanded to 80bn starting in April. The market had priced in a 10bn increase.

The ECB also cut the deposit facility rate by 10bps to -0.40%, but the move was expected.

The decision to lower the marginal lending facility rate to 0.25% from 0.30%, however, was not anticipated.

Another surprise was that investment grade bonds issued by non-bank corporations will be included in the list of assets for regular purchases.

Following yesterdays wild, oil and Draghi-inspired, trading the European markets seem to have slept on the ECB stimulus package and decided it wasnt so bad after all, swiftly lifting away from the month lows hit at Thursdays close, said Connor Campbell, financial analyst at Spreadex.

An increase in oil price also provided a boost to the FTSE 100, with Brent crude rising 1.5% to $40.67 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate increasing 1.9% to $38.60 per barrel at 0850 GMT.

On Fridays economic calendar it will be relatively quiet with the only notable release being data on UK trade and construction output.

In company news, Old Mutuals shares fell as the company said it will separate its four underlying businesses - Old Mutual Emerging Markets (OMEM), Nedbank, Old Mutual Wealth (OMW) and OM Asset Management (OMAM). The group also reported annual revenue fell 12% to 13.7bn and adjusted pre-tax operating profit rose 4% to 1.7bn, although it was up 11% at constant exchange rates.

JD Wetherspoon shares climbed as the pub operator reported a 6.2% increase in first half revenue to 790.3m, and a 2.9% rise in like-for-like sales.

Aviva continued to gain a day after reporting a 20% increase in full year operating profit that was better than expected.

Computacenter slumped as it posted a 0.3% dip in full year revenue to 3.05bn, although it achieved a rise in adjusted pre-tax profit to 86.9 from 81.1m  a touch above consensus estimates.

Market Movers

FTSE 100 (UKX) 6,120.15 1.38%

FTSE 250 (MCX) 16,528.79 0.88%

techMARK (TASX) 3,087.44 0.99%

FTSE 100 - Risers

Aviva (AV.) 486.70p 4.49%

Barclays (BARC) 164.55p 2.91%

RSA Insurance Group (RSA) 445.40p 2.49%

Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.) 1,248.00p 2.38%

Land Securities Group (LAND) 1,048.00p 2.34%

Direct Line Insurance Group (DLG) 366.80p 2.29%

St James's Place (STJ) 873.00p 2.28%

Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 226.60p 2.21%

Standard Chartered (STAN) 458.20p 2.16%

Prudential (PRU) 1,348.00p 2.16%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

Marks & Spencer Group (MKS) 401.70p -1.23%

Old Mutual (OML) 184.30p -0.54%

Antofagasta (ANTO) 507.00p -0.49%

Rexam (REX) 609.50p 0.00%

Anglo American (AAL) 502.90p 0.02%

Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 6,370.00p 0.16%

Fresnillo (FRES) 920.50p 0.16%

BHP Billiton (BLT) 791.40p 0.19%

SABMiller (SAB) 4,233.50p 0.34%

Capita (CPI) 1,033.00p 0.39%

FTSE 250 - Risers

DFS Furniture (DFS) 319.40p 3.84%

Fidelity China Special Situations (FCSS) 127.50p 3.66%

Marshalls (MSLH) 312.50p 3.65%

Crest Nicholson Holdings (CRST) 519.50p 3.28%

Hastings Group Holdings (HSTG) 165.00p 3.06%

Just Retirement Group (JRG) 138.10p 3.06%

Fidelity European Values (FEV) 164.50p 3.01%

Worldwide Healthcare Trust (WWH) 1,714.00p 2.57%

Capital & Counties Properties (CAPC) 323.20p 2.51%

Evraz (EVR) 89.80p 2.34%

FTSE 250 - Fallers

Computacenter (CCC) 792.00p -4.12%

Petrofac Ltd. (PFC) 919.50p -2.54%

Polypipe Group (PLP) 309.50p -1.90%

Acacia Mining (ACA) 267.40p -1.66%

NMC Health (NMC) 904.50p -1.47%

Restaurant Group (RTN) 402.10p -1.35%

Lookers (LOOK) 161.90p -0.86%

Carillion (CLLN) 284.10p -0.77%

Barr (A.G.) (BAG) 543.00p -0.73%

JD Sports Fashion (JD.) 1,122.00p -0.62%
France's public auditor has raised concern over EDF 's plans to build two new nuclear reactors in Britain, citing disappointment from the company's other recent foreign investment.

The Cour des Comptes - France's national audit office - said EDF needed to take a close look at the risks of spending billions of pounds on two nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point in Somerset.

EDF is publicly traded in France, though it remained 85% owned by the state. The Hinkley Point project was worth 18bn, with a third of the cost being met by project partner China General Nuclear Power Group.

The report focused on the five year period up to 2014, which was before EDF struck a deal with the Chinese utility. It said the financing around Hinkley Point could be risky, with EDF's cashflow and high debt limiting its investment capacity.

It made mention of the massive cost needed in the coming years to upgrade the company's ageing nuclear assets in its native France.

"Even though the deal has not been finalised, the complexity of the deal and especially the way it could impact the responsibility of EDF suffice to raise serious questions," the auditor was quoted as saying.

It was the second alarm bell for the project in a week. On Sunday, the firm's finance director Thomas Piquernal stood down from his position after opposing to board members who wanted to green-light the project "within weeks".

EDF had initially wanted a minority stake in the Hinkley Point project, but as China General would only take one third, it was forced to assume the bulk of the construction of two European Pressurised Reactors (EPR).

Four other EPRs were under construction in China, Finland and France, and were billions over budget and years behind schedule.

"[This] makes one wonder whether Hinkley Point can respect its deadlines," the auditor said.

It was understood EDF planned to overhaul its French nuclear stock in the medium term, so was building nuclear reactors overseas to sustain France's industry and skills in the interim.

The auditor said the company's rate of return on foreign projects was 12% in 2014 and had been steadily falling, compared with a 30.6% rate of return at home.
Under a new law, workers will have to be guaranteed a minimum number of hours a week and can refuse extra hours without repercussions. The move was primarily aimed at protecting thousands of workers in the fast food industry.

The practice, which is growing rapidly in the UK, allows employers to force employees to be available but with no guarantee of work, attracting accusations of exploitation.

The New Zealand ban, possibly the first in the world, came after a the ruling National Party lost support for its Employment Standards Bill and was forced to enter negotiations with the opposition Labour Party to get it passed.

Labour said the law in its original form would have reinforced the nature of zero-hours contracts and tabled an amendment outlawing them altogether. Faced with defeat, the government was forced to climb down and accept the change.

Mike Treen, National Director of the Unite union, which campaigned for the change, said the Bill would now help provide security for thousands of workers.

"We had been trying to get what we called secure hours in the fast food industry since we launched the 'SupersizeMyPay.Com' campaign in 2003 and secured the first collective agreements in the industry in decades over the next few years," Treen wrote on the union's website.

"We had three demands: A substantial lift in the minimum wage; an end to youth rates and secure hours."

"We were successful on the first two counts but every attempt to get secure hours was thwarted by the companies. We got promises to offer hours to existing staff before new staff were hired written into our agreements but they were virtually unenforceable in such high turnover industries."

"The impact of a public campaign led by workers, combined with the strong media and public interest and support, eventually forced the companies to capitulate one-by-one. On the eve of May Day, the final hold-out - McDonald's of course - signalled their surrender."
Royal Dutch Shell has reportedly appointed investment bank Lazard to advise the oil giant on a $30bn asset sale programme following its acquisition of BG Group.

Reuters cited banking and industry sources as saying that Shell has also chosen Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley to work on the proposed asset sales, with more banks potentially in the pipeline.

A Shell spokesman confirmed to Reuters that Lazard has been brought in under a new mandate to advise its merger and acquisition team on the company's divestment strategy.

It also confirmed BofA Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley have been appointed to work on some assets sales.

"We don't have a broker relationship with any one bank. We choose banks on project-by-project basis, on the basis of price and suitability. We expect several banks to bid for and get transaction mandates for our $30bn asset sale programme," the Shell spokesman said.

Shell announced last year that it plans to sell up to $30bn of assets by 2018 as it looks to cut debt and raise funds for payouts to shareholders.
Minds + Machines extended its reach in the hospitality industry on Friday, announcing a cross-promotion agreement with the .club and .bar domains to market its own .beer and .vodka domains. The AIM-traded domain registry business said under the agreement, consumers buying or renewing .club names would have access to significantly discounted .beer, .vodka and .bar names.

Coal of Africa's bid for Universal Coal was progressing satisfactorily, its board said on Friday, with the company sticking to its planned timetable for the offer. The AIM-traded firm said it had received the written consent of Investec Bank to the implementation of the offer, satisfying a particular condition.

Aurasian Minerals' offer for Moroccan Minerals went further into unconditional territory on Friday, with the company revealing it had received acceptance from shareholders representing 88.95% of the outstanding shares. The AIM-traded company completed its due diligence and posted an offer to shareholders in Moroccan Minerals on 18 January. On 22 February, it announced it had received acceptance of the offer from shareholders representing 64.8% of the outstanding equity.

N4 Pharma expanded its IP portfolio on Friday, its part-owner Onzima Ventures reported, acquiring the exclusive global rights to a range of patents from Opal IP, for new uses and formulations of a number of off-patent and soon to be off-patent drugs. In addition, Opal entered into a consultancy services agreement with N4 Pharma, where it will provide patent and formulation support in connection with N4's Cocrys technology.

Marketing and public relations group Next Fifteen has acquired specialist technical content marketing specialist Publitek, which focuses on the global semiconductor and electronics markets, for an initial 6.2m mostly in cash.

Data communications outfit Avanti said it had signed its first pre-launch contract for capacity on the HYLAS 4 satellite. Avanti said it will supply Bentley Walker, one of its key existing customers, with capacity on HYLAS 4 across Sub-Saharan Africa in a $1m commitment.

Alpha Pyrenees Trust posted a loss for 2015 after disposing of most of its its portfolio.For the year to the end of December, the trust, which invests primarily in French commercial real estate, reported a loss of 41.3m, or 35.1p per share.

Rex Bionics said it has agreed the terms of a Materiel Transfer Agreement with the US Army's Medical Research and Materiel Command. The agreement is the start of a program of design modifications to REX's robotic mobility aid that will allow its use for early ambulation of patients with lower limb loss, the company said in a statement.
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Here's how to nominate prep athletes of the week in 2022-23
New leaders at Mahlum but they'll maintain the Norwegian tradition'



Journal Staff Reporter By LYNN PORTER Journal Staff Reporter

[enlarge] The Mahlum partners are (left to right) David Mount, Kurt Haapala, Mark Cork and Anne Schopf.

Mahlum has some new leadership, but don't expect big changes in direction for the Seattle architecture firm, which specializes in health care, education and student housing.

Operations Partner Diane Shiner and Managing Partner Gerald (Butch) Reifert will sell back their shares to the privately held firm, and retire March 31.

Mark Cork, David Mount and Kurt Haapala purchased shares at the end of 2015 and were named partners. They join Anne Schopf, a shareholder and partner in charge of design, in leading Mahlum.

Terms of the deal were not released.

This is the fifth generation of management for Mahlum, which was established in 1938. It has a staff of 70, split between Seattle and Portland.

Shiner

Reifert

Schopf said the new partners have been studio directors for years and worked with the current owners to help run the firm. A new strategic plan is under way outlining Mahlum's vision for itself in 2025, but don't expect big surprises.

Our roots are in conservative Norwegian tradition (although) none of us are Norwegian anymore, Schopf said. I don't see taking us in a dramatically new trajectory.

Mahlum provides architectural design, interior design and master planning. In 2014, it won the Firm Award from the American Institute of Architects Northwest and Pacific Region.

Most of its work is in the Northwest, but the firm has projects elsewhere, including New Orleans and San Diego.

Current work includes renovations at UW Medical Center, a residence hall and dining facility for University of Washington Bothell, and Northwood Elementary School in Mercer Island.

Schopf said Mahlum is doing well, with a lot of work now in elementary and secondary education.

Gross revenues rose 52 percent and staff levels are up 22 percent over the last two years, she said. Gross revenues were $20 million in 2015, and she said this year's look comparable.

The impact of the recession came later for Mahlum because of its focus on public K-12 projects. There's a lag between when school bonds are passed and work gets done.

We had a couple really dark years where it wasn't much fun, said Reifert. Things started to turn about three years ago, he said, as voters began passing school bonds again.

There's more voter confidence in where the economy is going than we've seen  in the last several years, he said.

But school officials have tighter budgets today and want to be sure their buildings are efficient, adaptable and durable, Reifert said.

Higher education also is adapting, Schopf said. Colleges are building more 5-over-1, wood-frame residence halls to compete with units on the private market.

More and more universities need to answer to a ... developer pro forma, she said. They have to become more entrepreneurial. The state is not just handing over a lot of money.

For instance, she said, schools want flexible dorms. That might mean designing a two-bedroom unit so it could accommodate three people, or adding amenities that conference goers want when they rent dorms in the summer.

Owners also must stay competitive in health care, she said. They want rooms with universal features that can be used for a variety of purposes and by all sorts of patients, to avoid down time and save money.

At Mahlum, Cork will oversee firm operations. He joined Mahlum in 1998 and leads the post-secondary education studio. His recent projects include UW's West Campus Housing Phase I.

Mount joined the firm in 2000. He leads the K-12 practice and oversees best practices, construction technologies and sustainability for all the studios. He was project manager for Gray Middle School in Tacoma.

Haapala joined Mahlum in Portland in 1998, and is based there. The firm said in a press release that he helped build the student housing studio, and brought in three clients over the last year: the universities of North Dakota, San Diego and Wyoming. He will lead business development.

Schopf will continue to oversee health care, student housing and education projects. The firm said that under her leadership, Mahlum won a 2015 AIA National Healthcare Design Award for the pediatric emergency department at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.

Shiner has been with Mahlum for over 30 years, 20 of them in Portland. She has done planning and design for school districts, universities and health care projects. She was principal in charge on Thurston Elementary School in Springfield, Oregon, which won a citation from the AIA.

Reifert joined Mahlum in 1988 and has helped build the education facilities studio. He was principal in charge of Wilkes Elementary School on Bainbridge Island and Nathan Hale High School modernization in Seattle. He has been a leader of the AIA Committee on Architecture for Education.





Lynn Porter can be reached by email or by phone at (206) 622-8272.




Google joins Facebook's Open Compute Project, proposes new design for server racks

Google has joined Facebook's Open Compute Project and proposed a new design for server racks that could help cloud data centres cut their energy bills.

The social network started OCP six years ago as a for end-user companies to team up and design their own data centre equipment, free of the features that were not required and which drove up costs for traditional vendor products.

Other big cloud providers such Microsoft joined up, but Google, known for operating some of the world's most advanced data centres, stayed away.

Yesterday at the OCP Summit in Silicon Valley, it said it had now joined in.

The search company's first contribution would be a new rack design that distributes power to servers at 48 volts, as against the 12 volts that was common in most data centres. The increase would help to accommodate more powerful computing equipment.

According to Google, the new design was more efficient than its old 12-volt system as it reduced electrical conversion losses by 30 per cent.

According to Google, it had deployed thousands of racks in its own data centres so the technology was ready for widespread use.

"The key thing that we figured out was, to get the efficiency in cost and power, you have to directly feed the 48 volts to the motherboard and convert it only in one step," Urs Holzle, the senior vice president in charge of Google's infrastructure, said at the OCP Summit.

"So these workloads have only one AC-to-DC transformation step, and you step down the 48 volts -- for example, at the CPU -- to around 1 volt."

"Today, Google joined the Open Compute Project. Google has always built some of the best infrastructure in the industry, so this is strong symbolic move that our open model of development is the best way forward for everyone," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a post on Thursday.

"Until five years ago, the largest technology companies all designed their data centres and computing infrastructure in secret. They viewed this technology as a competitive advantage to beat others in the industry," he added.
A farming group have called for an urgent review of government strategies designed to combat rural crime.

ICSA rural development chairman Seamus Sherlock has called for the review of government strategies. He was speaking following the airing a radio interview with Clive Clarke a farmer from Barna, Co Tipperary who has recently been the victim of rural crime for the sixth time.

Rural crime is an epidemic, people are living in fear of their lives. Now we are hearing that farmers are patrolling the roads at night, armed with loaded shotguns, trying to prevent themselves or their neighbours being targeted by these travelling gangs. We cant accept that people in rural areas should have to resort to such measures.

Mr Sherlock said, At the very least we need more support for community alert schemes, however, with instances of rural crime on the increase there are other measures that should be urgently considered. We need to look using the army to back up garda resources until a full complement of Gardai are in place to tackle these gangs.

He added: Farmers all around the country are petrified in their own homes. It is right that those living in rural Ireland are uniting to protect themselves but the onus should not be on farmers to patrol the roads in an effort to prevent these robberies. These gangs can be very intimidating and I agree with Mr Clarke when he said that its only a matter of time until someone gets killed.
Halloween creatures  owls, crows and bats  all live at Crossroads, and that makes us very happy, for these scary animals make a positive contribution to the habitats of the preserve. We don't even mind black cats, IF they are kept indoors. Feral and outdoor cats are exceedingly harmful to wildlife ... and that's not a superstition! But to tamp down superstitions, we at Crossroads will spend the week demystifying Halloween creatures.

On October 28, 2022, at 6 p.m. will be our Evening with Owls. The Open Door Bird Sanctuary will be at Crossroads, offering a one-hour presentation followed by the opportunity to meet and greet live birds. Learn all about owls and the other incredible birds in the care of the Sanctuary!

Down through the centuries, in many cultures throughout the world, owls have been associated with evil and death. Truth is, owls probably are not smart enough to be evil. But researchers agree that owls are about as dim as the nighttime forests in which they hunt.

Owls don't need to be smart. They have everything else going for them. They are muscular. They fly silently. Their huge eyes enable them to see in the dark. Their beaks and talons are strong and wickedly sharp. But their sensitive ears are what make owls extraordinary hunters.

Most people assume that the plumicorns (a.k.a. "horns) of an owl are its ears. Not so.

The actual ears lie under feathers on the sides of the head, and they aren't symmetrical. Because one ear is higher than the other and the ears are unequal in size, sound is different from different directions, helping owls locate prey, which they do almost unfailingly, even in total darkness.

Owls do not smell their prey. As with most birds, the sense of smell is insignificant, if it exists are all. Great Horned Owls frequently prey on skunks. Enough said.

But well-developed intelligence? Researchers have observed owls beating their wings on bushes to try to flush out little birds. Is this learned behavior? Is it problem-solving?

Maybe.

For the most part, owls do not have a lot of problems to solve. They appropriate abandoned nests of other birds, so they don't need building skills. They are stealthy by nature, and they pounce on and usually catch anything they hear, so they don't need hunting techniques.

In spite of ghost stories, legends of American First People, and superstitions from Europe and India, hooting owls do not foretell impending death, although their nocturnal calls are spooky. We hear them now and then this time of year, but we will regularly hear those eerie calls at Crossroads in January or February.

In contrast to owls, crows are noisy all year round and they are amazingly intelligent. They can learn. They can remember. They can solve problems. They can even identify individual humans. And they detest owls, though whether this is innate or learned behavior is not clear.

Those curious about crows will want to attend the Crossroads Book Club on Wednesday, October 26, at 10:00 a.m. This month, the book Crow Planet, Essential Wisdom for the Urban Wilderness by Lyanda Lynn Haupt will explore the fascinating world of these remarkable birds. The program is free and open to all, whether or not they have read the book.

So bring the family to our program on owls, learn about crows at the Crossroads Book Club, or learn about bats at our pre-school Junior Nature Club on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. or our Family Science Saturday program at 2:00 p.m. Costumes are encouraged but not required at Junior Nature Club and Science Saturday, and adult visitors are welcome.
dpa ElectionsData

With dpa ElectionsData you get access to a unique collection of data. Via a programming interface (Rest-API), your developers can access detailed information, candidate profiles and live results for all national elections in the European Union and important international elections, like the US Midterm elections etc.

The data pool also includes all heads of state and government as well as about 20,000 elected members of parliament throughout the EU. In addition to their data (name, party, constituency or list position), we collect social media profiles and official websites of individuals and parties.
BMW M5

The German brand's new high-performance mid-size sedan has been spotted for the first time.

There won't be any drastic changes to the hero car's look, but for the first time ever the BMW M5 will have the choice of an optional xDrive all-wheel-drive system. Unlike its direct rival from AMG, the upcoming new E63 which is expected to be only offered with all-wheel drive, The M5's traditional rear-drive configuration is expected to remain standard.

While the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 will also be retained, expect the Bavarians to get a bit more power out of it for the new iteration.

It is expected to be significantly lighter than the current version due to the brand's new carbon core platform that debuted with the new 7-series.

The new 5-Series is expected late this year, so the M5 will most likely appear in 2017.

Mercedes-AMG GT R

The new high-performance GT R - also referred to as the Mercedes-AMG GT3, but unlikely to be called so, due to Porsche's penchant for the moniker - has been spotted again while undergoing testing.

The German brand's race car for the road has a pumped image with a large rear spoiler, new air intakes in the front spoiler and a reworked front grille, along with a new single central exhaust and rear diffuser that help give it a more radical appeal than the already standard head-turning GT.

Expect the GT R to be light, thanks in part to more use of carbon fibre and it should also get a decent nudge in power to help it compete with the Porsche 911 GT3.

Porsche 911

Porsche has only just recently revealed its facelifted 911, with the big news coming from the turbocharged engines becoming standard across nearly the whole range. Clearly Porsche isn't slowing down any time soon as the next-gen 911's test mule has been spotted undergoing preliminary testing.

The eight-generation 911 is due out in 2018, so not many details will be available just yet. But it is likely that the German brand is looking to work on more hybrids and integrate its petrol-electric powertrain tech into the 911 for the first time.

Porsche will have to meet tighter CO2 regulations by 2020 and has also intimated a desire to build a legitimate rival to the Tesla.

Porsche already has a hybrid Cayenne and Panamera, plus the hybrid powered 918 Spyder hypercar, so the technology is there, but Porsche would have to look at how best to represent its marquee sportscar brand in hybrid form.

Porsche also revealed its Mission E concept at the 2015 Frankfurt motor show, an all-electric four-seater that the brand wants to be in production by the turn of the decade.

Audi A5 Sportback

Spy photographers have snapped the new Audi A5 Sportback undergoing testing.

The new hatch  which is expected to debut in 2016  will be based on the Volkswagen Group's MLB platform which the new Q7 is also built off.

The new A5's styling won't be anything revolutionary but rather an evolution of the current models aesthetics. The new TT and Q7 indicated it will take on a more angular appearance, especially around the front end.

From looking at the images the new coupe will feature a wide grille and rear LED taillights similar to those found on the new A4 sedan.

Audi will offer the new A5 in a range of petrol and diesel engines that includes 2.0-litre TFSI petrol that produces 141kW, a 2.0-litre TDI with power outputs of up to 165kW. Audi is also expected to offer a larger capacity 3.0-litre TDI with more than 200kW.

The Audi S5 should get a 3.0-litre turbo petrol and a twin-turbo diesel engine while the RS5 is expected to move away from its naturally aspirated 4.2-litre V8 to a 3.6-litre twin-turbo with about 370kW.

Expect to see the new Sportback towards the end of the year, possibly at the 2016 Paris motor show.

Nissan Micra

Japanese brand's pint-sized hatch has been spotted undergoing testing in Southern Europe.

The styling adopts the thinking along the lines of the Nissan Qashqai and Nissan Juke, moving away from the rounded look of the current Micra.

Much like other new city cars and baby SUVs the Micra seems to have adopted an in vogue floating roof.

The 2017 Micra will most likely be powered by a small capacity four-cylinder engine with outputs estimated to be about 81kW and 145Nm - a significant boost over the current car.

Mercedes-Maybach E-Class

The covers have only just been whipped off the new E-Class sedan and spy photographers have now already snapped the new long-wheel base Maybach version of the E-Class.

Mercedes had hinted at further examples of its luxury focused Maybach models, and the E-Class could soon join the Mercedes-Maybach S600.

While these are the first shots of a potential smaller Maybach, no plans have yet been confirmed if it will make it into production.

Rolls-Royce Wraith

A facelifted version of the Rolls-Royce Wraith coupe has been spotted undergoing testing.

The Wraith, a coupe version of the brand's most affordable variant, the Ghost, was launched in Australia in 2014 and costs about $650,000 locally.

With most Rolls-Royces the design will only be altered slightly, with subtle changes to the front bumper and headlights.

An interior makeover might be on the cards, which would bring it into line with its newly launched Dawn convertible sibling.

The Wraith is expected to still feature the behemoth 465kW/800Nm 6.6-litre V12 that currently powers it, and would be mated to the same eight-speed auto.
The days of Holden being just the Commodore car company are over.

The Aussie brand has long been a one-trick pony with its large family sedan the only car in its line-up that set any class benchmarks. Everything else it has offered in recent years has, frankly, been unable to support it with anywhere near the substance or character.

But that has just changed thanks to its cheapest, smallest new model, the Spark  a city-sized runabout designed primarily for first-time new car buyers.

Priced from $13,990 (plus on-road costs)  or $15,000 driveaway  for the entry-level LS with a five-speed manual it isn't as cheap as the micro cars it directly competes against, such as the Mitsubishi Mirage, Suzuki Celerio and Nissan Micra. But it is more cheerful with the value equation being offset by a more powerful engine and a decent level of equipment that ensures the Spark is the most affordable car on sale in Australia with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring technology.

While that will be a significant drawcard for younger buyers that simply can't live without being connected, the Spark is much more than a four-wheeled phone accessory.

Having sampled the little five-door hatch for the first time at Holden's Lang Lang proving ground this week with a series of fun exercises  including a slalom on a gravel road and a motorkhana in reverse  as well as a country drive on twisty back roads, the Spark brings a level of quality, comfort and charm well beyond its competitors.

That is partly due to Holden having input into the car's all-new underpinnings from the very beginning of its development cycle but moreover because of the fine-tuning work it has done to the suspension, steering and electronic driver aids to specifically suit local conditions.

For starters, the Spark drives like a grown-up car with a level of compliance and composure that is well beyond its rivals, and more than a match for larger hatchbacks that cost twice as much. The steering has a natural feel across the ratio with good on-centre stability at highway speeds, the suspension manages to iron out most bumps and, despite the base-model LS riding on cookie-cutter 165/65 14-inch tyres, it has predictable and sure-footed handling through the bends.

In fact, with its electronic stability control intervening gently only at the extreme (albeit easily accessible) limit of grip, it's fair to say the Spark is certainly more engaging to drive and feels much more planted when punted enthusiastically than its tippy-toed rivals.

The 1.4-litre four cylinder engine, which generates 73kW of power at 6200rpm and 124Nm of torque at 4400rpm, won't help the Spark win any green light grands prix, but it is well suited to the car as it pulls cleanly from low engine speeds and across the rev range. While it isn't as peppy as the 1.5-litre four cylinder in the Mazda2, it is smooth, refined and reasonably quiet at cruising speeds.

Like most small cars, it needs to be worked hard to get the best performance from it and requires dropping a few cogs to climb steep hills or overtaking out on the open road but the five-speed manual is easy to use with a light and precise action between gears.

A continually variable transmission (CVT) automatic is also available as an option on the LS (lifting its entry price to $15,690 plus on-roads) but is standard on the higher grade LT which brings larger 15-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry and push-button start as well as rear-parking sensors, a reverse camera and cruise control for its $18,990 (plus on-roads) price tag.

The CVT is one of the better units in the small car sector, offering quick access to the engine's mid-range around town without any of the flaring normally associated with gearboxes of its type. It also has in-built stepped ratios that means it acts and feels like a conventional transmission at higher speeds.

The Spark's interior provides a few other surprise-and-delight factors with the large 7.0-inch touch screen a clear focal point in the middle of the wing-shaped dashboard, which in itself highlights the Apple CarPlay/Android Auto functionality that essentially adds sat nav to the value equation as well as being able to read and dictate voice messages and access music apps such as Spotify, Pandora and TuneIn Radio.

There's also decent storage with a large binnacle at the base and two cupholders, the instruments are easy to read and the seats are comfortable even if they don't offer a lot of lateral support. The high-set driving position provides good vision through the expansive glasshouse and there's enough headroom to ensure taller drivers don't feel confined by its small exterior dimensions.

There's even enough space in the rear seat for two adults to travel short distances without the need to contort themselves but the 185L boot will need some clever packing to swallow enough gear for four.

While the plastics are hard and the cloth trim feels robust the cabin isn't offensive in any way and nor does it feel cheap as it is well screwed together with tight panel gaps. The ambience in the LS is a bit drab with its mostly grey palette but the LT breaks that up with a splash of colour thanks to white dash inserts in the wings.

What the Spark does best is showcase the future of Holden as it finally gives the brand a class-leading car in a segment other than the Commodore's dying large-sedan class. While micro cars might not be as heroic as V8 hot rods and sales of small cars are also slowing down, in part due to the boom in baby SUVs but also because the second-hand market is being flooded with newer cars for similar money, the Spark is the smart choice for first-time new car buyers.

And if Holden's engineering team can do what it's done with the cheapest car in its range, it bodes well for when it pulls the shutters on its local manufacturing operations next year and becomes a fully-imported brand with cars such as the award-winning Astra and when the new Opel Insigina morphs it way to carry the Commodore badge into the future.

The Spark isn't a big car, but it proves that good things do come in small packages.

Holden Spark pricing and specifications

On-sale: April

Price: From $13,990 (plus on-road costs)

Engine: 1.4-litre four cylinder petrol

Power: 73kW at 6200rpm

Torque: 124Nm at 4400rpm

Transmission: 5-spd manual, FWD

Fuel Use: 5.2L/100km
This is a business, not a charity  a phrase most of us, for one reason or another, have heard numerous times. Like the difference between good and evil, the former is driven by internal interests to make money, while the latter is driven by the needs of others to raise money. Their paths can never cross. Or can they? We are seeing increasing rhetoric around social entrepreneurship, in fact, some say the social enterprise is the new black in business. And by definition, its where business does indeed meet charity  at least, to some degree.

A social enterprise is an organisation that applies commercial strategies to maximise improvements in human and environmental well-beingthis may include maximising social impact alongside profits. (Wikipedia)

The core problem is that these technologies arent getting to the people

Dynamic Business speaks to Emma Colenbrander, one of six co-Founders of the Australian-Indian based start-up, Pollinate Energy. This business has been successfully applying commercial strategies to improve the well-being of families gripped by energy poverty across India since 2012.

The idea for Pollinate spawned when the six diversely skilled Australians travelled to Bangalore to educate children. Typical of life in the slums, they observed that many of their pupils were returning home each night to the dangers of kerosene lit tarpaulin tents. And with their varying backgrounds in energy economics, government, law, international development, engineering and construction  they felt equipped to do something about it.

Emma said Pollinate Energy came about from identifying a massive need. There are 1.3 billion people who live in the world without access to electricity.

At the same time, there are lots of high quality and affordable energy solutions on the market  the core problem is that these technologies arent getting to the people who need them most. We started Pollinate Energy to plug the gap.

Apart from the obvious fire hazards associated with the use of naked flames, Emma says kerosene also emits toxic fumes that can cause respiratory illnesses. Other than its availability, the fuel has no redeeming qualities:

Kerosene is expensive, costing around 8% of a customers annual income. It produces a very weak light, so kids cant do their homework when the sun goes down, and it also emits black carbon which is 800 times more harmful to the environment than CO2, Emma said.

The hallmarks of a successful and profitable commercial product

The core problem is that these technologies arent getting to the people.

With a clearly defined objective to bring technology to people, the Pollinate team set to work on the how. With customers earning an average of $1.52 per day by following work opportunities as they become available, the team knew their parameters. The solution needed to be both affordable and portable, and that solution was found in a simple solar powered lantern costing $37.

This is a big investment for slum dwellers, but when you realise that kerosene costs around $2 a week, you quickly see the financial benefits of such an investment  the product pays itself off in less than 5 months, said Emma.

The hallmarks of a successful and profitable commercial product: it solves a problem, is cost-effective, and has mass appeal:

Once our Pollinator makes his or her first sale, its easy for others in the community to see the benefit of the product, and trust in the Pollinate brand builds quickly.

We are highly cost effective, achieving large-scale impact with small-scale investment

But the path of the social enterprise diverges from the typical commercial enterprise when it comes to the generation of mass appeal. Its a far more focussed affair  not driven by social trends, convenience, or even consumer indulgence; but by real and genuine improvements to the well-being of people or their environment.

Four years on and still growing  Pollinate is testament to the fact that this model, centred around the need to maximise social impact alongside profits, really works:

I think Pollinate Energy has been so successful because its a simple, effective solution to what is a very big problem. We are highly cost effective, achieving large-scale impact with small-scale investment.

Two years after launch, Pollinate expanded into Hyderabad in the state of Telangana. Eight months ago, they set up operations in Kolkata. No longer a small team working crazy hours along side full time jobs in Melbourne, Pollinate now operates a team of 30 Pollinators from a local base who have so far reached more than 13,000 families. In August last year, the business reached a new milestone after selling their 10,000th solar light.

Emma said expansion of our solution is our teams number one priority. We aim to expand into 20 cities and 2 countries by 2020, reaching over 1.65 million people.

We have additional products in the pipeline to address a range of needs and complement our existing product offering.

Bringing solar lighting to 165,000 more people per year

Unsurprisingly, none of this goes unnoticed. In the next few days, Emma will be travelling to London to receive mentorship and training at Oxford University after being selected as the Australian representative for the global finals of Chivas Regals, The Venture. After a week of training, Emma will have the opportunity to pitch for a share of $1m to help fund Pollinates ambitions.

The Venture funding would allow us to scale our social enterprise into 5 more cities. That means well be bringing solar lighting to 165,000 more people per year who would otherwise live in energy poverty. It will also mean well generate enough revenue to break even financially, preparing us to expand across India and other countries globally.

As a leader of a successful social enterprise, Emma is a staunch advocate for the model. Recognising that lack of knowledge and know-how is often a challenge for any type of entrepreneur, Emma delivers the following message for other social entrepreneurs: youll be surprised at how much people want to help, especially if youre pursuing a social cause.

So next time someone says this is a business, not a charity, you might spare a thought for the idea that nowadays, this distinction is not necessarily that cut and dry.
13 million Brits wish they could save more

As the UK savings landscape evolves with new changes introduced this month, a new study from Santander has revealed that one in five Brits do not save anything. Brits who do save, save on average a quarter of their disposable income, equating to just over 120 a month. Whilst one in four adults (13 million or 26 per cent) wish they could save more regularly.

The study highlights the six different savings typologies found in the UK today. The most common kind of saver is the Sometime Squirreller (32 per cent) who saves for special occasions or big purchases but doesnt have a regular savings habit or save as often as they would like. Almost a quarter (23 per cent) are Superhero Savers, setting aside as much as they can and making the most of their savings.

Other personalities highlighted are the Save Another Dayers (17 per cent) who think saving is a great idea, if only they could get around to it and the Ravers Not Savers (six per cent) whod rather splash their cash and enjoy themselves. The Fence Sitters (11 per cent) never think about saving and for the All Gone Againers (11 per cent), payday cant come quickly enough. Once the bills have been paid, they have nothing left to save.

More than 30 million (61 per cent) UK adults admit to having been shocked by how much theyve spent when checking their bank balance with 13 per cent acknowledging this happens often. In an attempt to control their spending, over a quarter (28 per cent) have cut up credit cards, 36 per cent have avoided shops altogether and almost one in five (19 per cent) have cancelled all their cards.

Helen Bierton, Head of Savings at Santander, said: Our study shows that one in three of us have a good understanding of saving which is brilliant; we just all need to a get a bit better at putting it into practice.

Setting aside money each month may sound daunting, especially when budgets are tight, but getting into the habit of saving small amounts regularly is hugely beneficial in the long-term. Santander is committed to helping families make the most of their hard-earned cash and we have a range of products available for all different types of savers.

The most popular things Brits save for is a big purchase such as a holiday or car (34 per cent) followed by unexpected expenses such as a boiler breakdown (21 per cent). There are some saving gender disparities with more women saving for Christmas and birthday gifts than men (23 per cent compared to 16 per cent). 22 per cent admitted they needed better discipline and commitment to saving.

Dr. Peter Collett, Behavioural Psychologist commented: Its interesting to see the different types of savers in the UK; what motivates people to save and what personality traits stop us from saving. My own research shows a persons relationship with their future self has a big impact on their savings habits. How close you feel to yourself in ten, twenty years time influences the choices you make now; whether you save and look after yourself in the future, like the Superhero Saver, or you prefer to enjoy the present, as the Raver Not Saver.

Its also interesting to see the influence our parents have on us. The study revealed that 29 per cent of savers claimed it was their parents example that turned them into great savers.

More than three quarters (88 per cent) of the UK think they should have a rainy day fund, and on average Brits think they should have approximately 6,500 in savings set aside for this. Santanders savings quiz helps Brits understand their savings personality with useful tips on how to make small changes to their savings habits to improve their savings fund.

Regional Breakdown

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Londoners are the most likely to splash their disposable cash - 12 per cent of Londoners admit to being Ravers Not Savers, compared to only three per cent in the East of England and Wales. The Superhero Savers accolade goes tothose in the North East (30 per cent) whereas people living in the South East and South West are the most likely to fall into the Sometime Squirreller typology (both 36 per cent).
Nanotechnology and Advanced Technology

Energy and Sustainability

Biotechnology and Healthcare

Information Technology and Software

Products and Services

Social Entrepreneurship and Non-Profit Enterprise





Dr. Pradeep Haldar, SUNY Poly Interim Dean of the College of Nanoscale Engineering and Technology Innovation; Vice President of Entrepreneurship Innovation and Clean Energy Programs; and Professor and Head of Nanoeconomics said, As an annual testament to Governor Andrew Cuomos leadership that has directly kick-started a high-tech, sustainable business climate in New York State, the New York Business Plan Competition invites college students to pitch their most disruptive, game-changing ideas to shake up and further grow New York States wide-ranging business ecosystem. This unique competition showcases what is possible when world-class higher education institutions empower students by connecting them with the right resources and experts to chart a course from the classroom and laboratory settings to the business world. With Title Sponsor SEFCU providing significant support for this critical competition, in addition to support from sponsors NYSERDA, First Niagara, Center for Economic Growth, and Albany Medical Center, the competition has grown from only one dozen teams competing for less than $30,000 in prizes in 2010 to one of the largest student business competitions in the country. In 2016, participating college student teams will look to claim more than $500,000 in total prizes meant to encourage and nurture innovative ideas to the point where they can impact the states economy.



Michael J. Castellana, President and CEO of SEFCU, Title Sponsor of the competition, said, Since the competitions inception, SEFCU has been pleased to partner with leading educational institutions in New York State to encourage young entrepreneurs to bring their product ideas from simple presentations to market. This competition has played a critical role in the creation of new, transformative, and viable businesses that leverage New Yorks innovation ecosystem and encourage some of New Yorks brightest students to remain here in New York Statethe business capital of the world."



John B. Rhodes, President and CEO of NYSERDA said, Under Governor Cuomos Reforming the Energy Vision (REV), New York has become a national leader in clean energy and continues to advance innovative strategies to address energy challenges. The New York Business Plan Competition will generate fresh, innovative ideas from young minds, and NYSERDA supports this knowledge sharing and entrepreneurship spirit in developing energy solutions that will expand New Yorks clean energy economy.



More information regarding the 2016 New York Business Plan Competition, including details about each regional competition, how to apply online, and a list of filing deadlines by region can be found at:







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Since the competitions inaugural event in 2010, more than 1,600 student teams from 75 New York State colleges and universities have competed, claiming more than $1,800,000 in cash and in-kind prizes.Dr. Pradeep Haldar, SUNY Poly Interim Dean of the College of Nanoscale Engineering and Technology Innovation; Vice President of Entrepreneurship Innovation and Clean Energy Programs; and Professor and Head of Nanoeconomics said, As an annual testament to Governor Andrew Cuomos leadership that has directly kick-started a high-tech, sustainable business climate in New York State, the New York Business Plan Competition invites college students to pitch their most disruptive, game-changing ideas to shake up and further grow New York States wide-ranging business ecosystem. This unique competition showcases what is possible when world-class higher education institutions empower students by connecting them with the right resources and experts to chart a course from the classroom and laboratory settings to the business world. With Title Sponsor SEFCU providing significant support for this critical competition, in addition to support from sponsors NYSERDA, First Niagara, Center for Economic Growth, and Albany Medical Center, the competition has grown from only one dozen teams competing for less than $30,000 in prizes in 2010 to one of the largest student business competitions in the country. In 2016, participating college student teams will look to claim more than $500,000 in total prizes meant to encourage and nurture innovative ideas to the point where they can impact the states economy.Michael J. Castellana, President and CEO of SEFCU, Title Sponsor of the competition, said, Since the competitions inception, SEFCU has been pleased to partner with leading educational institutions in New York State to encourage young entrepreneurs to bring their product ideas from simple presentations to market. This competition has played a critical role in the creation of new, transformative, and viable businesses that leverage New Yorks innovation ecosystem and encourage some of New Yorks brightest students to remain here in New York Statethe business capital of the world."John B. Rhodes, President and CEO of NYSERDA said, Under Governor Cuomos Reforming the Energy Vision (REV), New York has become a national leader in clean energy and continues to advance innovative strategies to address energy challenges. The New York Business Plan Competition will generate fresh, innovative ideas from young minds, and NYSERDA supports this knowledge sharing and entrepreneurship spirit in developing energy solutions that will expand New Yorks clean energy economy.More information regarding the 2016 New York Business Plan Competition, including details about each regional competition, how to apply online, and a list of filing deadlines by region can be found at: http://www.nybplan.com

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo encouraged college students across the state to apply for the seventh annual New York Business Plan Competition, an event that has quickly become one of the largest contests of its kind in the nation. Each team that enters the competition will be able to pitch a business idea to an experienced panel of judges, made up of national venture capitalists, angel investors, investment bankers, and private equity investors  and potentially win more than $500,000 in total prizes, including a $100,000 grand prize.The regional semifinals are scheduled to take place in late March and early April, and the statewide finals will be hosted by SUNY Polytechnic Institute at its Albany site on Friday, April 29. A list of application deadlines by region is available at www.nybplan.com This competition provides some of our states most entrepreneurial students the opportunity to put their best business concepts to the test, said Governor Cuomo. This is a truly unique chance for todays brightest minds  and tomorrows business leaders  to transform their ideas into reality. Im proud to host this competition because it helps people across the state achieve their dreams and creates a stronger economy overall, and I encourage interested students to apply today.Hundreds of students from accredited colleges and universities throughout New York State are expected to participate. Interested students should submit their business plans for innovative ideas related to areas that include:SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher said, Once again, we are grateful to Governor Andrew Cuomo and our business partners for enabling this one-of-a-kind competition where SUNY schools, in partnership with colleges and universities across the state, play a pivotal role in encouraging students to take their often brilliant ideas and turn them into tangible products and services as they make life-changing connections with industry experts. SUNY is always proud to grow New Yorks high-tech economy through the promotion of game-changing ideas, and this is a perfect example that shows how SUNY sets the standard and continues to promote the kinds of advanced research and development that can turn into viable business opportunities and benefit the entire state.The semi-final round of competition will be held in 10 regions across New York State, based on Governor Cuomos 10 Regional Economic Development Councils, which have spurred grassroots economic growth, investment, and entrepreneurship. The semifinal competition will be held at Hilbert College on April 8; co-hosts include WNY College Connection and University at Buffalo.


Michigan Governor Rick Snyder Political Suicide by DonkeyHotey

This post has been updated to reflect that this is a legal complaint, not a lawsuit.

The Michigan Legal Defense Fund Act requires that a legal defense fund be established for any elected official that receives contributions for the purpose of defending an elected official in a criminal, civil, or administrative action that arises directly out of the conduct of the elected officials governmental duties.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has hired two legal firms to represent him in the myriad lawsuits he faces for his role in the poisoning of Flints drinking water with the powerful, tasteless, odorless, invisible neurotoxin lead, what has come to be known as the Flint Water Crisis. To pay for them, he has approved $1.2 million in tax dollars to paid to the law firms representing him. However, he has failed to form a legal defense fund to account for these taxpayer contributions. Therefore, Progress Michigan has filed a legal complaint challenging this violation of state law, a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 93 days or a fine of not more than $1,000.00, or both.

The state Administrative Board meets next week when it will decide whether or not to approve the expenditure of state tax dollars on behalf of Gov. Snyder.

Lonnie Scott, Executive Director of Progress Michigan, explained the rationale for the complaint in a statement released this morning:

Gov. Snyder is worth an estimated $200 million dollars, but he thinks that the working people of Michigan should pay for his legal defense. Rick Snyder has continuously passed the buck for his actions in Flint and now he wants to pass the hat to the taxpayers of Michigan to pay for his own legal defense. Any public money being used related to the Flint Water Crisis needs to go to fixing the pipes, full bill reimbursement and wrap-around services for the community. The Administrative Board should not approve these contracts next week because the taxpayers of Michigan should not be required to pay for Rick Snyders personal legal defense. Taxpayers were not asked to pay for the legal defense of Kwame Kilpatrick, Todd Courser or Cindy Gamrat and Rick Snyder is no better or different from them. It is incomprehensible that after destroying Flints water supply in the name of balanced budgets Snyder is seeking his own personal government bailout. The governors shame knows no bounds.

Boundless shame, indeed.

You can read the complaint HERE.

By the way, even if Gov. Snyder was using his own millions to pay for this, he would still be compelled to form a legal defense fund, according to the law.
NOTE: This post has been updated HERE.

As I wrote about earlier this week, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Attorney General Bill Schuette are asking the taxpayer of our state to foot the bills for their legal bills related to defending Snyder from the lawsuits filed against him for his response to the poisoning of Flints drinking water with the powerful, odorless, tasteless, invisible neurotoxin lead. Yesterday, the contract Snyder signed with the law firm Warner Norcross & Judd was released:

Gov. Rick Snyder has agreed to pay a Grand Rapids law firm up to $800,000 in taxpayer dollars for advice and representation related to any criminal investigations and prosecutions and related claims resulting from the Flint drinking water crisis, according to an engagement letter obtained Thursday by the Free Press. The letter and contract with Warner Norcross & Judd make no mention of searching, reviewing and processing e-mails and other records, which is how Snyders office had described the contracts purpose. Snyder spokesman Ari Adler said March 3 that criminal defense attorney Brian Lennon of Warner Norcross had been hired in an investigatory role to perform those functions related to processing records. [] Taxpayers have expressed outrage at the $1.2-million cost of Snyders outside legal representation, when a second contract, worth up to $400,000 with a firm providing representation in civil cases, is included. The contracts are in addition to legal representation Snyder is receiving through the office of Attorney General Bill Schuette.

Rick Snyder is purported to be worth $200,000,000. So, this multi-millionaire wants the taxpayers of Michigan to pay for his legal costs for actions he personally took. In fact, the very people suing him are among those paying for his legal bills.

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Brandon Dillon was among those who find this outrageous and ties it to the release of yet another batch of heavily-redacted emails yesterday:

The audacity of the Snyder administration has reached a disgraceful new level. Not only did Snyder lie about why he was hiring a criminal defense team, but the heavily redacted emails he released today are all the evidence we need of the truth. Hes paying a high-priced law firm  with money that belongs to the people of Michigan  to protect him from the truth of his role in the Flint water crisis, clearly contained within the documents hes releasing. Judging by how much information was removed, its obvious hes getting his taxpayer dollars worth. Its shameful that this governor would go to such lengths to hide the truth from the public, but its absolutely criminal that he would lie and use the publics money to pay for it.

Not only are his newly-hired PR people and attorneys helping him avoid personal scrutiny, as I reported on Tuesday they have crafted a new way to talk about Emergency Managers without actually using the phrase Emergency Managers, a title that is now synonymous with the failure of state takeovers of schools and municipalities and the concept of running government like a business. They are now calling them CEOs.

Gov. Snyder has more money than nearly every other Michigander. Only 4.4% of our residents are millionaires and he is a MULTI-millionaire. The reasons for him being sued are related to HIS mistakes, HIS poor judgment, and HIS failed policies. Asking taxpayers to pay for those lawsuits is beyond the pale and yet here we are, footing the bill for his lawyers.

Its just one more scandal in a very long line of Snyder scandals, aided and abetted by his Republican colleagues. Dont forget that in November.

[Caricature by DonkeyHotey from photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog]
Microsoft last week announced measures to improve security management and transparency for Azure cloud services and Office 365.

The features, which come from technology Microsoft acquired last year when it purchased Adallom, will bolster security in cloud apps such as Office 365, Box, Salesforce, ServiceNow and Ariba.

A security app for Office 365 called Microsoft Cloud App Security will provide security management and reporting features that will give customers better visibility, control and security for data hosted in cloud apps, the company said.

The reinforcements are the first of a series of planned measures. The goal is to integrate broad measures rather than make isolated patches.

We are talking to enterprise customers about evolving their security posture from a simple protect-recovery model to a more holistic posture that includes protect, detect and respond capabilities, Microsoft spokesperson Reed Turner said.

The company is investing in three key areas: secure platform, intelligent security graph and working with partners, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Planned Platform

Enterprises need an agile platform that will allow them to appropriately secure their identities, devices, applications, data and infrastructure wherever it is located  in the cloud, on-premises or both, the company said.

That requires a secure platform across all endpoints, from simple sensors to complex infrastructure inside data centers.

Microsoft has build an intelligent security graph that can learn from one area and apply that knowledge across the platform. Behavioral approaches to threat detection can rapidly recognize and respond to new threats, Turner said.

The platform is bolstered by a team effort with other technology partners that have particular strengths and innovative approaches.

Microsofts approach has evolved to reflect the realities of our mobile-first, cloud-first world, said Turner.

Security Plan Highlights

Key features of the security upgrade include the following:

Azure Security Center received additional security management and reporting options to allow customers to set different policies for different types of workloads.

A new Power BI Dashboard allows customers to better visualize, analyze and filter security alerts from any of their systems and devices to discover possible attack patterns and trends.

The Microsoft Operations Management Suite has a new dashboard to better show details about network activity, authentication events, malware incidents and system updates across customer data centers.

The Azure Security Center can collect crash events from Azure-hosted virtual machines, analyze them, and alert customers of potential compromises.

Azure Active Directory Identity Protection is a new feature to be previewed next week to detect suspicious end user activities by using Microsofts data on brute force attacks, leaked credentials, authentications from unfamiliar locations and known infected devices.

These enhancements, which cover both core security and content-level controls, will do well to reassure customers about their data in Microsofts cloud, said Scott Petry, CEO ofAuthentic8.

Browser Blunders

Regardless of the cloud security enhancements, the Web browser will remain a concern.

Bad guys favorite attack surface is not the cloud vendors infrastructure  it is the browser, Petry told the E-Commerce Times.

Users who access cloud-based resources use a browser that is fundamentally insecure and unmanageable. The company data may be safe within the Azure/365 environment, but when a user connects to other non-Microsoft Web services or accesses the data from home devices, these security measures can fall short and data can be exposed, he said.

To mitigate that issue, Petry urged the use of a policy-controlled virtual browser. By running a virtual browser in a secure, cloud-based container, no Web code ever reaches the client device.

With the browser running centrally, it can be configured to enable or restrict key functions like secure login, data access and data transfer, he noted.

Secure Borders

Consumers of Azure and Office 365 will gain deeper visibility into user activity and behavior. Security professionals will have the capability to see who is accessing what and what changes are made, said George Gerchow, faculty member at theInstitute for Applied Network Security.

This is very hard to do on-premises. I would argue that this functionality is easier to do off-premises by leveraging APIs, he told the E-Commerce Times.

In terms of security ratings, Azure is clearly the second best cloud provider on the planet behind Amazon Web Services, he said, crediting Microsofts attestation and certifications.

Critical Concerns Continue

Surveys once identified security as the top concern limiting cloud adoption, but now there is increasing recognition in the market that cloud providers are at least as secure as the typical corporate data center, according to Andrew Atkinson, senior director of product marketing atCloud Cruiser.

Security now often does not even break the top three. The types of cloud services being used by enterprises are changing, going from pretty benign test and dev to now running production applications in public cloud environments, he told the E-Commerce Times.

The growing list of services being offering is a testament to customers increased comfort with cloud services, Atkinson said.

After all, we tend to keep our money in banks, rather than under our mattresses, because we know that their facilities  vaults  and capabilities  guards, procedures  reflect more resources than we can dedicate to the task and more hard-won knowledge than we would care to accumulate, he said.

Hedging Success

The best news to come out of Microsofts cloud security announcements is the recognition that the company must work with others in the industry to better understand the current and future threats facing its systems, noted John Eustice, an attorney atMiller & Chevalier.

No single corporation, even one as large as Microsoft, can obtain sufficient intelligence on cybersecurity threats to identify larger trends and accurately assess risk, he told the E-Commerce Times. By pooling resources with similar providers and acquiring security-focused companies like Adallom, Microsoft is making an effort to provide better and broader security information to its clients.

Even with better information, however, clients will need to maintain proper security measures for their own employees using Microsofts cloud-based services, Eustice added.

The keys to turning its efforts into a competitive advantage over other cloud computing service providers are marketing, which Microsoft does quite well, and transparency in contracting, where Microsoft sometimes struggles, he maintained.

When a company contracts with Microsoft for cloud services, that company will need to understand both the benefits of increased security and the process through which it can work with Microsoft to minimize the risk of a cyberincident, Eustice concluded. Without clarity in the contract, a companys incident response plan will be unlikely to take advantage of the increased security measures offered by Microsoft.
Facebook has been preparing to push personalized ads through its Messenger app, according to a report last week in TechCrunch.

The company will allow brands to send their own marketing materials through the popular chat app, suggests a leaked document apparently intended for Facebooks advertising partners.

The changes could go into effect during the second quarter of the year.

Its not clear what the ads would look like. Companies might be able to use the system to deliver video and graphical content that would detail their offerings to consumers. They also could use reminders to prompt purchases, announce new products and services, send notifications of flash sales, and provide links to sale items.

Down to Business

Instead of sending a stream of ads after people in Messenger, Facebook will leave the matter between users and brands. Brands will have the ability to send ads only to users who have initiated conversations with them, a claim thats backed up by the launch of a URL: fb.com/msg/.

Businesses would tag their Facebook usernames to that end of that URL, and that would serve as a link to chats between companies and customers. Its an expansion of Facebooks efforts to facilitate customer service exchanges on its networks, doing so in a private chat rather than on a public page.

That just might be a lucrative way for Facebook to monetize Messenger, according to Karma Martell, president ofKarmaCom.

If Facebook can insert itself as a bridge to better and faster customer service, they will stand to make a fortune, she told the E-Commerce Times.

They could have hit on a value add-to-customer ad sales holy grail. It could be an amazing brand loyalty and brand-building tool if it is beta tested with a short list of brands and power users, tweaked and then rolled out, Martell said.

Ad Avoidance

Standing in the way of the plans success is a phenomenon that has curtailed the profits of websites: ad blockers and advertising avoidance in general, according to Jennifer M. Grygiel, assistant professor of communications/social media at theS.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

At this point, most people will have had several bad experiences with advertising in social networks, she told the E-Commerce Times. Facebook needs to be conscious of this and get it right out of the gate. Otherwise, there will be a lot of backlash from users.
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Considered to be the Ten Best UFO Photos Ever Taken I am sure that we could add more pictures to this list but these are considered ten o...
The New York State Constitution requires a good education for all children.

Unfortunately, the promise of equal access to education is being broken for many immigrant children living in New York as some of our school bureaucracies fail to provide them with the same education as children born in the United States.

In 2014, many of the thousands of unaccompanied minors who had arrived from Central and South America were settling with their extended families (or being resettled by the federal government) throughout New York state. My office soon began receiving reports that some of these children were encountering unprecedented barriers to enrolling in and attending their local schools.

So, for the past two years, we have been investigating dozens of school districts across New York for potentially discriminating against immigrant children by denying them equal access to an elementary and secondary education.

We have found that many districts have been stopping immigrant children from entering school or shunting them off to non-degree-bearing programsdespite the fact that state law grants everyone under the age of 21 the right to attend public school, regardless of immigration status or national origin. Many of these non-degree programs do not even offer students an opportunity to obtain a GED credential, let alone a high school diploma.

Providing all children with a quality education is the foundation of the American dream."

Some districts were actively trying to prevent them from becoming part of the school community. For example, enrollment for these children was often unreasonably and repeatedly delayed, in direct contradiction of state regulations.

Discrimination against immigrant students is unacceptable and, under the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Plyler v. Doe, unconstitutional. Thankfully, since our investigation began, we have made significant progress in breaking down these barriers and getting thousands of students off the streets and into the classroom.

One year ago, my office reached a settlement with 20 school districts throughout the state to ensure they stopped asking about students citizenship and immigration status in their enrollment materials, which can frighten immigrant children into abandoning their efforts to get admitted.

In March 2015, we secured a settlement with the 7,500-student Hempstead Union Free School District, which had been delaying the enrollment of these students through a variety of methods, including overly restrictive policies on proof of immunization, age, and residencyin violation of applicable laws and regulationsas well as regularly telling students or their guardians that there was simply no room at district schools for them. As part of the settlement, the district agreed to retain an ombudsman to provide new internal oversight over its enrollment policies.

So far, the results are encouraging. By the start of this school year, Hempstead had provided additional tutoring or extracurricular help to all the affected students who asked for such help. The district also hired a full-time monitor to oversee the enrollment process and trained every staff member involved in the enrollment process on proper procedures and rules.

In late February, my office announced a similar settlement with the Westbury Union Free School District in Nassau County to prevent the diversion of immigrant students into non-degree-bearing alternative education programs.

Our efforts have been assisted by our partners in the state government. In December 2014, the states education board issued new regulations that gave school districts more clarity and uniformity in how they must enroll and process students. Before the board issued these emergency regulations, many districts were putting unnecessary roadblocksincluding strict requirements for guardianship and residency documentationin the way of immigrant students who wanted to register.

But we still have more work to do. My office continues to pursue our lawsuit against the 10,000-student Utica City School District for engaging in practices similar to those we found in Westbury. And we will continue to take action against other districts engaging in these unlawful practices.

School districts cannot place arbitrary impediments and barriers in the way of immigrants and refugees who are struggling to achieve a better life for themselves and their families. Providing all children with a quality education is the foundation of the American dream. Every child taken off the streets and placed into a classroom raises up the whole community and makes our state stronger and more just.
Washington, Mar 10 (EFE).- President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday strengthened the bilateral relationship with agreements to fight climate change and facilitate trade between the two nations, but above all through their defense of common values and mutual admiration.

Trudeau, with his wife Sophie, is making the first U.S. state visit by a Canadian leader in almost 20 years and they were warmly welcomed to the White House, where Thursday evening the president and first lady Michelle Obama will fete the pair with a gala banquet.

"There is no relationship in the entire world like the Canada-U.S. relationship. Our great countries have been friends a long time ... (W)e bring out the best in one another," Trudeau said during the White House welcome ceremony.

Along the same lines, Obama said that the bilateral relationship is "extraordinary" and that the important thing is working together on pending challenges.

"The more aligned we are, the more we can shape the international agenda to meet these challenges," said Obama.

The president named climate change as one example, calling it "a big problem" for everyone, and mentioned the package of joint measures agreed to on Thurday by the U.S. and Canadian governments to deal with global warming.

At the ceremony and at the subsequent press conference the mutual admiration for one another professed by Obama and Trudeau was clearly on display.

Trudeau, in office as prime minister for five months, said that Obama has "tremendous heart and tremendous intellect," and thanked him for "being able to draw on his experience and his wisdom."

Meanwhile, Obama said Trudeau's coming to power had injected "new energy and dynamism" into both Canada and the bilateral relationship.

In reviewing the "common values" guiding the two countries, the president mentioned the "freedom to marry the person that you love," as well as the fact that healthcare is the "right" of all U.S. and Canadian citizens, "not a privilege."

Obama said that although he was certain that the next U.S. president, whoever he or she may be, will not agree with him on everything, "the U.S.-Canadian relationship will be fine."
Washington, Mar 10 (EFE).- President Barack Obama said Thursday that he decided at the beginning of his mandate not to treat his Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chavez, as a "giant adversary" because he did not see him as a "threat," and that reduced anti-American feeling in the region.

"When I came into office, at the first Summit of the Americas (2009) that I attended, Hugo Chavez was still the dominant figure in the conversation" in Latin America, he said in an interview with The Atlantic magazine.

"We made a very strategic decision early on, which was, rather than blow him up as this 10-foot giant adversary, to right-size the problem and say, 'We don't like what's going on in Venezuela, but it's not a threat to the United States,'" he added.

"When I saw Chavez (at the summit), I shook his hand and he handed me a Marxist critique of the U.S.-Latin America relationship," Obama recalled, referring to "Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent," by Eduardo Galeano.

Chavez died in 2013.

The president also recalled that at the same summit "I had to sit there and listen to (radical leftist Nicaraguan President Daniel) Ortega make an hour-long rant against the United States."

"But us being there, not taking all that stuff seriously - because it really wasn't a threat to us" - helped neutralize the region's anti-Americanism, Obama said.
Havana, Mar 11 (EFE).- Cuba and the European Union signed Friday in Havana a new political dialogue and cooperation accord, which brings to fruition two years of talks to normalize bilateral relations, marked since 1996 by the EU's restrictive Common Position.

The heads of the negotiating teams, deputy EU foreign service chief Christian Leffler and Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Abelardo Moreno, put their signatures on the text agreed upon, which will now undergo a process of deliberation for its final ratification by both parties.

The signing of the document took place at the Foreign Ministry in Havana in the presence of the EU's top foreign policy official, Federica Mogherini, and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, at a ceremony attended by ambassadors of the European Union's member nations.

Havana and Brussels thus reached a bilateral accord with which to launch a new era in their relations, just as Mogherini predicted Friday morning in Havana.

Negotiations for the new accord began two years ago for the purpose of overcoming the so-called Common Position, a policy promoted by former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, who based bilateral relations on signs of democratic progress on the island.

Cuba has been the only Latin American country up to now with which the EU had no bilateral accord, though in practice the EU is its second most important trade partner and third in the number of tourists who travel to the Caribbean country, after Canada and Latin America.
Miami, Mar 11 (EFE).- Cuba will change of its own accord and the United States will scarcely aid this process of transition, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama said here Friday.

Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes traveled to Miami to meet with the Cuban exile community days before Obama's March 21-22 visit to the Communist-ruled island.

The U.S. government will continue to champion democracy and human rights in Cuba, he said.

Rhodes said that following the normalization of diplomatic ties between Cuba and the United States, the U.S. is in a better position to influence an improvement of human rights on the island while fostering trade, among other advantages.

"We have a lot of confidence in the Cuban people," he said. "Our policy is rooted in the confidence we have in the Cuban people."

Rhodes said Obama will meet with dissidents during his trip to the island and that the opposition movement Ladies in White is the kind of organization to which the U.S. Embassy in Havana will send invitations, though he did not state specifically that this group would be one of them.

Cubans in Miami opposed to the president's trip to the island denounced the U.S. government's lack of clarity when it came to explaining exactly which members of the dissidence will meet with Obama.

Nonetheless, Rhodes said he will meet this Friday with dissident Martha Beatriz Roque, currently in Miami after receiving permission from the Cuban government to leave the island just this once.

The White House adviser said his goal is to have the group of dissidents meeting with Obama represent conflicting points of view, so that it includes those who support reestablishing relations and ending the embargo, as well as those who reject normalization, since that will be a useful learning experience.

He recognized that the Obama administration has no illusions that the tensions between the two countries will disappear, but did consider that this opening will contribute to the defense of human rights.

"This was not an easy call for the president politically," Rhodes said. "I was able to say to him, 'There is a community of people who will support this, and they will speak out for it, and a lot of this is young people.'"

Rhodes confirmed the existing limits on the Miami press traveling to the island to cover the first visit of a U.S. president to Cuba in 80 years, but said they are working to have that restriction removed.

He also said the talks began in 2013 with the initiative to free U.S. contractor Alan Gross, who was finally returned to the United States on Dec. 17, 2014, the date on which Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced the renewal of diplomatic relations.

The U.S. president is not expected to meet with Fidel Castro - Raul's older brother - during his visit, Rhodes said.
Mexican authorities wanted the US to hand over actress Kate del Castillo in return for notorious drug lord El Chapo following the revelation of their clandestine meeting with Sean Penn.

The furious Mexican government demanded del Castillo be handed over to them by the US after it was revealed she and Penn traveled to meet Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in the jungle.

A source tells us, "The Mexican government was embarrassed that they had told the US authorities that they didn't know where El Chapo was, then two actors from Hollywood were able to find him. After the Rolling Stone piece came out, they wanted to swap El Chapo for Kate. They want to embarrass her."

The Mexican telenovela actress, who is a US national and lives in LA, has not been accused of any wrongdoing, and US authorities would not turn her over. But she has hired power attorney Harland Braun, who told us, "She is a US citizen. There is no mechanism for such a handover." She is also working with LA-based political and p.r. guru Richard Grenell.

She is under investigation in Mexico, with reports saying that charges could be linked to money laundering in connection to a film she wanted to make about El Chapo or claims she was seeking his backing for her tequila brand. But Braun said, "It's absurd. There is no money laundering," and there was no financial transaction between her and El Chapo.
Ely, Cambridgeshire is best known for its majestic cathedral dubbed the 'Ship of the Fens' because it dominates the flat landscape. The city, which is the second smallest in England, is about 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about 80 miles by road from London.

08:11, 22 OCT 2022
Again on creches & garderies in Morges (VD)



So I need to start my search of a solution for our 2 yo again - I already regsitered him by the public waiting list, and they already found him a (actually 2) maman de jour -- but I am not really fond of this solution: the location is not so convenient, plus I would really like our boy to be in a more "structured" environment.



Besides my motivations: I am checking for private creches (while waiting for a public place) and cannot find much, especially NOTHING downtown! How is that possible?



I found 2 or 3 (Cap Canaille, Little Green House) that are quite far and all bilingual FR/EN (my boy already speaks Italian and German, I would like him to first learn French, English can wait...).



So, is any of you by chance aware of a place that keeps children all day long downtown/not far from the station? Or at least not bilingual?



I am tempted to scan to whole town via streetview, but I am not sure it is the most efficient approach



Thanks for any help! I feel bad asking again, as I posted a very similar question about Nyon, but apparently we are going to live in Morges, instead!So I need to start my search of a solution for our 2 yo again - I already regsitered him by the public waiting list, and they already found him a (actually 2) maman de jour -- but I am not really fond of this solution: the location is not so convenient, plus I would really like our boy to be in a more "structured" environment.Besides my motivations: I am checking for private creches (while waiting for a public place) and cannot find much, especially NOTHING downtown! How is that possible?I found 2 or 3 (Cap Canaille, Little Green House) that are quite far and all bilingual FR/EN (my boy already speaks Italian and German, I would like him to first learn French, English can wait...).So, is any of you by chance aware of a place that keeps children all day long downtown/not far from the station? Or at least not bilingual?I am tempted to scan to whole town via streetview, but I am not sure it is the most efficient approachThanks for any help!
Re: EU gives Greece deadline on borders Quote: amogles I think if you look at the reason those hotel projects were halted its mostly because they were started based on wishful thinking and projections of tourist growth that never happened, coupled with careless banks who were happy to lend crazy sums without looking too closely at the proposed business plan.



The best thing for these hotels would be to demolish them and restore the land to nature. Putting money into completing them is just throwing good cash after bad and postponing the problem.



Top and bottom of this is, if I had the money, and wasn't dependent on any loans, I would definitely be doing this now.



Quote: pilatus1 Wonderful! They must have gotten permission from the men in the family..



It is great that women have made advances in the workplace in Muslim-dominant countries. That doesn't change the fact that, in general, they are treated like a man's property and are relegated to the home.



If it were all my own money at stake, I'd be more than happy to take on the challenges. How many billionaires are there in the World? Isn't it folly to always rely on governments to make decisions? I go to Greece a few times a year and know how difficult it can be to find decent accommodation in high season. I also have an American friend whose been repeatedly asked to invest in development projects on the islands. American companies are buying up great swathes of land at rock bottom prices for development into all inclusive hotels, which personally, I hate. Never liked the concept, but understand it suits a lot of tourists.Top and bottom of this is, if I had the money, and wasn't dependent on any loans, I would definitely be doing this now.Make a list of all the possible job roles that would be required by such a project, then divide this by old fashioned gender appropriate roles. If would be more than feasible to observe the will of the more traditional families, whilst also pushing the boundaries with the more liberal people.If it were all my own money at stake, I'd be more than happy to take on the challenges. How many billionaires are there in the World? Isn't it folly to always rely on governments to make decisions?
The Uk and CH made bilateral agreements so that CH citizens pay the same amount of tuition as EU. Cannot help with specific scholarships undortunately. If you spend a year here your German is likely to improve to the point where you can study at a local Uni. And if your subject of choice is science based, it would not seem as challenging with language, as say a humanities subject.

If you have not considered it, take a look at Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany. Almost all Dutch unis offer English Bachelors and fees are reasonable. A couple Unis in Germany and Sweden also offer BA in Engl (I think Viadrina and Lund are two of them)

Good luck :-)
Re: Zurich to Venice by car

I have a few questions:

1 - Is it easy to park the car? Can we park in the street or we have to leave it in a park somewhere?

2 - Where did you stay over night? Any suggestions?

3 - How long does it take to Venice by ferry?

4 - How about toll roads in Italy? Do we have to buy in advance?



Thank you.





Quote: robyn.oz We drove to Venice via Milan and stayed in Lido di Jesolo (the beach to the north of Venice) Then we had a day trip to Venice via a ferry.



On the drive to Venice we left early to get through the Gotthard before any traffic began to build but then got stuck in the unsightly traffic as we by passed Milan. The rest is easy.



On the way home we had a day trip through Verona. Quite honestly it was me who just wanted to do the Romeo and Juliet tourist thing. Then we headed north through Austria to come home. It was a beautiful drive through the Tyrol but the toll roads were an unexpected expense.



You might want to avoid the Gotthard on the way home. And unless driving at 2am you could choose a different and probably faster route over the Alps. There is some spectacular scenery in the South Tyrol part of Italy. On our way home we decided to come back just to that area for another holiday/long weekend.



Enjoy We are thinking of having a similar route to Venice (Zurich > Venice), thank you for your input!I have a few questions:1 - Is it easy to park the car? Can we park in the street or we have to leave it in a park somewhere?2 - Where did you stay over night? Any suggestions?3 - How long does it take to Venice by ferry?4 - How about toll roads in Italy? Do we have to buy in advance?Thank you.
Gerade die Filmproduktion ist von signifikanten Veranderungen betroffen, mit denen wir uns beschaftigen mussen, um fur jetzt und die Zukunft gewappnet zu sein. Durch den Master habe ich wertvolle Impulse von Dozierenden bekommen  sowohl aus der freien Medienwirtschaft als auch dem akademischen Umfeld.

Paul Zischler | Filmproduzent | zischlermann filmproduktion GmbH (uber den Masterstudiengang, Stipendiat des 1. Jahrgangs) Foto: Moritz Laube
The SA REIT Conference is again proving to be the gathering place for the sharpest minds in property, finance and investment, and an exciting platform for debate and interaction.

The trailblazing one-day executive conference is focused on South Africas listed property sector with a highlight-packed programme and an exciting speaker roster of pioneers and thought-leaders.

The SA REIT Conference 2016 takes place on Thursday, 17 March at The Maslow in Sandton Central. It is hosted by the SA REIT (real estate investment trust) Association and sponsored by Property Finance at Nedbank Corporate and Investment Banking (NCIB).

Headlining speakers include Guillaume Poitrinal, Founder and Chairman of ICAMAP, non-executive Chairman of Woodeum, and ex-CEO of Unibail-Radamco; Andrew Parsons, MD of Resolution Capital (Australia); and Dr Reuel Khoza, President of the Institute of Directors of Southern Africa (IoDSA), Chairman of Aka Capital, and former Chairman of Nedbank Group Limited.

However, the appeal of its keynote speakers is easily matched by the calibre of its panellists  starting with the CEOs of the three largest South African primary listed REITs.

Parsons will mediate Norbert Sasse of Growthpoint Properties, Mark Stevens of Fortress Income Fund and Andrew Konig of Redefine Properties, who will explore SA listed property from a global perspective. They will be joined by Izak Petersen, who brings to the discussion his perspective as CEO of Dipula Income Fund, a growing REIT with exceptional BEE credentials.

South Africa: An emerging economy barely emerging is the compelling theme of the panel to be mediated by Dr Khoza. Its participants will probe what the country needs to be doing better, and differently.

Panellists feature Cees Bruggemans, Chairman of Bruggemans and Associates Consulting Economists and former Chief Economist of First National Bank (FNB); Laurence Rapp, CEO of leading retail REIT Vukile Property Fund; Sara Gon, Research Fellow at the Institute of Race Relations; and Shawn Theunissen, head of Corporate Social Responsibility and Transformation at Growthpoint Properties and founder of Property Point, Growthpoints enterprise and supplier development programme.

The final panel will consider the challenges facing South Africas property sector, and is mediated by Brian Azizollahoff, partner and MD of Capstone Property Group. Panel contributors include corporate finance executive and founding director of Java Capital, Andrew Brooking; retail development doyen, co-founder and Chairman of Flanagan & Gerard Property Development & Investment, Patrick Flanagan; and Consultant CEO of The Property Sector Charter Council, Portia Tau-Sekati.

In addition to the keynote features and panel discussions, Keith Engel, deputy CEO of the SA Institute of Tax Practitioners, will also host an update session on the status of SA REITs.

As an open platform for information and communication, the conference provides direct access to this compelling list of leading lights.

The SA REIT Conference is hosted by the SA REIT Association and takes place on Thursday, 17 March 2016 at The Maslow in Sandton Central.
The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine announces the recipient of the ACMG Foundation/David L. Rimoin Inspiring Excellence Award at the 2016 ACMG Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting in Tampa, Fla.

The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine is proud to announce that Bianca Russell, MD, from Cincinnati Children's Hospital is the recipient of the ACMG Foundation/David L. Rimoin Inspiring Excellence Award.

The David L. Rimoin Inspiring Excellence Award was created in memory of the late Dr. David L. Rimoin, one of the founders of ACMG who passed away in 2012. Dr. Rimoin touched the lives of generations of patients as well as trainees and colleagues. This award is a cash award given to a selected student, trainee, or junior faculty ACMG member whose abstract submission is chosen as a platform presentation during the ACMG Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting. Dr. Russell was selected to receive this award for her platform presentation, "A Novel Skeletal Dysplasia Caused by Homozygous Mutations in BMPR1A."

Dr. Russell completed her MD at the University of California at Irvine. Currently, she is completing her third year of residency at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital in pediatrics and human genetics and is also the Chief Medical Advisor for the Bohring-Opitz Syndrome Foundation, Inc.

"I am honored to receive the David L. Rimoin Inspiring Excellence Award. I never had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Rimoin but the stories of his passion for genetics, his commitment to his patients and his charismatic personality have challenged me to be a better physician and geneticist. I am truly humbled to have my name associated in any way with Dr. Rimoin. Thank you for this acknowledgement," said Dr. Russell.

"The ACMG and ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine would not be where it is today without the hard work of Dr. Rimoin, who was our founding president. This award will help keep his legacy alive in students, trainees and junior faculty ACMG members," said Bruce R. Korf, MD, PhD FACMG, President of the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine.

Ann Garber, Dr. Rimoin's widow said, "The Rimoin family enthusiastically congratulates Dr. Russell on her significant research achievements. We are pleased to acknowledge and support her work with the David L. Rimoin Inspiring Excellence Award. The important information Dr. Russell adds to the understanding of skeletal dysplasias, one of David's central research interests, makes her an especially impressive recipient of this award."

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The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is a community of supporters and contributors who understand the importance of medical genetics in healthcare. Established in 1992, the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine supports the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics; mission to "translate genes into health" by raising funds to attract the next generation of medical geneticists and genetic counselors, to sponsor important research, to promote information about medical genetics, and much more.

To learn more about the important mission and projects of the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine and how you too can support this great cause, please visit http://www.acmgfoundation.org or contact us at acmgf@acmgfoundation.org or 301-718-2014.
Jessica Tenney, MD was honored as the 2016 recipient of the ACMG Foundation/PerkinElmer Diagnostics Travel Award at the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) 2016 Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting in Tampa, Florida.

Dr. Tenney was selected to receive the award for her poster presentation, "Loss of Function Mutations in the Splicesome Component SF3B4 Produces Acrofacial Dysotosis, Rodriguez Type."

Dr. Tenney completed her MD at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Currently, she is a Clinical Instructor for the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and is also a Research Fellow for the International Skeletal Dysplasia Registry at UCLA.

"I am grateful for this generous award and appreciate the ACMG Foundation and PerkinElmer for their commitment to geneticists-in-training. I would also like to thank my P.I. and mentor, Deborah Krakow, for giving me the opportunity to work with the International Skeletal Dysplasia Registry at UCLA," said Dr. Tenney.

This award was created in 2008 by Signature Genomics to recognize an ACMG member, and first author of a platform presentation abstract for the scientific program. The ACMG Program Committee selects the Travel Award recipient based on scientific merit. In recognition of the selected presentation, PerkinElmer Diagnostics covers the travel costs for the recipient to the ACMG Meeting.

"The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine is grateful to PerkinElmer Diagnostics for its continued generous support of the development of medical genetic researchers through this Travel Award," said Bruce R. Korf, MD, PhD FACMG, President of the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine.

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The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is a community of supporters and contributors who understand the importance of medical genetics in healthcare. Established in 1992, the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine supports the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics; mission to "translate genes into health" by raising funds to attract the next generation of medical geneticists and genetic counselors, to sponsor important research, to promote information about medical genetics, and much more.

To learn more about the important mission and projects of the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine and how you too can support this great cause, please visit http://www.acmgfoundation.org or contact us at acmgf@acmgfoundation.org or 301-718-2014.
The American Thoracic Society applauds the collaborative effort of President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada to reduce methane emissions from the oil and natural gas sector. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to global climate change. Joint U.S.-Canada commitment to reduce methane emissions by 40-45 percent below 2012 levels by 2025 speaks volumes; it is a serious policy response that shows a willingness to embrace rigorous scientific research in advancing actions to address the human health risk posed by global climate change.

"This decision is a big win for communities and for public health," said Atul Malhotra, MD, ATS President. "Controlling methane gas emissions is an important step to addressing the myriad human health effects caused by global climate change. Hopefully this partnership between the U.S. and Canada will set the standard for more global initiatives."

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Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Ames Laboratory will play a key role in the Lightweight Materials National Lab Consortium, or LightMAT. The recently announced consortium consists of nine DOE national laboratories and will focus on developing and deploying lightweight materials for industry more quickly and at a fraction of current costs to strengthen U.S. manufacturing competitiveness.

Producing cleaner, cheaper, smarter, stronger, lighter and more corrosion-resistant materials for industry is vital, according to Ames Laboratory materials scientist Iver Anderson. Industry demands these materials for automobiles, trains, aircraft, farm machinery or any transportation vehicle in which reducing weight is the primary means to achieving energy savings.

"Every vehicle will go farther if it's lighter," said Anderson. "But at the same time lightweight materials must also be strong in order to combat denting problems and corrosion. These are great problems for LightMAT scientists to be addressing with industry."

Ames Laboratory will contribute to LightMAT through three core capabilities. The first will combine the Laboratory's strengths in lightweight powder processing, additive manufacturing, and nondestructive evaluation. "This effort focuses on lightweight metal powders," said Anderson, who also served as a technical capabilities expert on the LightMAT Steering Committee. "We call this expertise powder to parts."

The second core capability takes advantage of Ames Laboratory's expertise in pilot-scale materials processing through the Laboratory's Materials Preparation Center. "We'll be extending our current research in both conventional and unconventional materials processing, particularly in the area of single-crystal growth, one of the Ames Laboratory's strengths," said Anderson, who is also an adjunct professor in Iowa State University's Materials Sciences and Engineering (MSE) department.

The third capability will target Ames Laboratory's strengths in theoretical alloy development and rapid verification of new materials.

"This is the latest way to speed up development of new alloys," said Anderson, who adds the theoretical effort will be led by Duane Johnson, Ames Laboratory Chief Research Officer and MSE professor. "There are some alloy design theories out there that work well and we're lucky to have Duane who's been very successful at alloy development modeling to help," said Anderson.

Additionally, Jun Cui, Ames Laboratory materials scientist and MSE associate professor, will contribute to Johnson's alloy development efforts through his expertise in the verification of models through bulk combinatorial-synthesis experiments.

Anderson calls LightMAT a flagship program for its emphasis on problem solving. "Once LightMAT has established its menu of technical capabilities, our goal is to let industry 'shop the aisles' and tell us what types of problems they'd like us to help solve. This way we can assemble the right pieces for technologies that will help industry partners gain more market share or create new markets, said Anderson. "I think this consortium is definitely in the right place and doing the right things."

LightMAT is part of the DOE's newly created Energy Materials Network (EMN), which is sponsored by the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and aims to dramatically decrease time-to-market for advanced materials innovations critical to many clean energy technologies. LightMAT is managed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. In addition to Ames Laboratory, partners include Argonne National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, `Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories.

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More information on LightMAT can be found at: https://lightmat.or/.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) leads the U.S. Department of Energy's efforts to develop and deliver market-driven solutions for energy-saving homes, buildings and manufacturing; sustainable transportation; and renewable electricity generation.

Ames Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science national laboratory operated by Iowa State University. Ames Laboratory creates innovative materials, technologies and energy solutions. We use our expertise, unique capabilities and interdisciplinary collaborations to solve global problems.

DOE's 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 or our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.
Boulder, Colo., USA - Ancient super-eruptions west of Yellowstone, USA, were investigated by an international initiative to examine the frequency of massive volcanic events. Yellowstone famously erupted cataclysmically in recent times, but these were just the latest of a longer succession of huge explosive eruptions that burned a track from Oregon eastward toward Yellowstone during the past 16 million years.

The Cassia Hills of southern Idaho preserve evidence of twelve catastrophic large-scale explosive eruptions, which left widespread glassy deposits fused to the landscape. Each deposit preserves subtly distinctive magnetic, mineralogical, and chemical characteristics that allow them to be traced great distances.

Painstaking work by Thomas R. Knott and colleagues has revealed records of previously undiscovered large-scale eruptions, which caused Earth's crust in the area to subside by more than three kilometers, leaving a deep volcanic basin along the Snake River Plain. These older volcanic eruptions were hotter and probably more frequent than the Yellowstone eruptions.

FEATURED ARTICLE

Mid-Miocene record of large-scale Snake River-type explosive volcanism and associated subsidence on the Yellowstone hotspot track: The Cassia Formation of Idaho, USA

T.R. Knott et al., Department of Geology, University of Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK. This article is OPEN ACCESS online at http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/02/10/B31324.1.1.abstract

GSA BULLETIN articles published ahead of print are online at http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/content/early/recent; abstracts are open-access at http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/. Representatives of the media may obtain complimentary copies of articles by contacting Kea Giles.

Sign up for pre-issue publication e-alerts at http://www.gsapubs.org/cgi/alerts for first access to new journal content as it is posted. Subscribe to RSS feeds at http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/rss/.

Please discuss articles of interest with the authors before publishing stories on their work, and please reference GSA Bulletin in your articles or blog posts. Contact Kea Giles for additional information or assistance.

Non-media requests for articles may be directed to GSA Sales and Service, gsaservice@geosociety.org.

Other recently published GSA BULLETIN articles (see below) cover such topics as

1. Ghost glaciers;

2. Holocene climate change in California; and

3. How garnets mark an earlier collision for the southern Rocky Mountains.

Glacial history and landscape evolution of southern Cumberland Peninsula, Baffin Island, Canada, constrained by cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al

L.B. Corbett et al., Department of Geology and School of Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont 05405, USA. This article is online at http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/03/09/B31402.1.abstract

Most of Earth's glaciers and ice sheets are erosive, leaving behind ample evidence of their presence on the landscape. But in isolated areas at high latitude, glacial ice can be non-erosive if the basal temperature remains cold enough. Here, we investigate non-erosive glaciers that used to exist on Baffin Island, Canada. So-called "ghost glaciers" leave no physical traces on the landscape, so we resort to chemical evidence to study them. Non-erosive glacial ice has preserved subglacial landscapes for millions of years on Baffin Island, allowing ancient land surfaces to persist over many glacial-interglacial cycles. These ancient surfaces may hold valuable information about high-latitude climate changes over long time durations.

Climate-change versus landslide origin of fill terraces in a rapidly eroding bedrock landscape: San Gabriel River, California

D. Scherler et al., Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, California 91125, USA. This article is online at http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/02/10/B31356.1.abstract.

In the North Fork of the San Gabriel River, an arid bedrock landscape in the San Gabriel Mountains, California, a series of prominent fill terraces have previously been interpreted as a typical example of how landscapes respond to climate change. Dirk Scherler and colleagues suggest instead that the terraces are a consequence of the sudden supply of unconsolidated material to upstream reaches by one of the largest known landslides in the San Gabriel Mountains. New 10Be-derived surface exposure ages from the landslide deposits, previously assumed to be early to middle Pleistocene in age, indicate at least three Holocene events at about 8-9 thousand years ago, 4-5 thousand years ago, and ~0.5-1 years ago, with the earliest event predating the terrace formation. The authors infer that the lack of a continuous soil cover and the limited storage of hillslope sediments in steep and arid bedrock landscapes limits the potential for climatic changes to cause significant valley aggradation by fluvial deposition, as seen in other landscapes.

Redefining the Metamorphic History of the Oldest Rocks in the Southern Rocky Mountains

R.F. Arnoff et al., Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Department, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA. This article is online at http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/03/09/B31455.1.abstract.

Our paper proves that rocks in the southern Rocky Mountains collided with North America ~150 million years later than previously thought. We employed a new age dating technique that reveals when the mineral garnet -- occasionally a gem mineral -- grew in these rocks. This is the first time this technique has been applied to rocks of this region. Our garnet ages support the hypothesis that a newly recognized mountain belt, the Picuris orogen, existed in the southwestern U.S. during the Proterozoic era. This result changes geologists' understanding of how North America formed one and a half billion years ago.

Anatomy and paleofluid evolution of laterally-restricted extensional fault zones in the Jabal Qusaybah anticline, Salakh Arc, Oman

F. Balsamo et al., NEXT - Natural and Experimental Tectonics Research Group - Department of Physics and Earth Sciences "Macedonio Melloni," University of Parma, Italy. This article is online at http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/02/10/B31317.1.abstract.

We describe a peculiar type of extensional fault zones developed in the Cretaceous carbonates of the Jabal Qusaybah anticline (Oman), characterized by a complex fault network including strike-slip and extensional fault zones. Extensional faults zones are perpendicular to the fold axis, are best developed in the central sector of the anticlinal crest, and are laterally-restricted by oblique-trending strike-slip fault zones. Fault zones show widespread evidence for dilation in the form dilation breccias and calcite infillings, primarily localized at fault tips, fault overlaps, and interaction zones between strike-slip and extensional fault segments. Relative chronology and geochemical signature of fault-related veins indicate two major stages of faulting and fluid circulation during the growth of the anticline. The implication of our work is that, in this geological setting, the structural position, rather than fault displacement, is the parameter controlling the location of the more dilatants (and permeable) fault segments.

Origin of the Eastern Mediterranean: Neo-Tethys rifting along a cryptic Cadomian suture with Afro-Arabia

D. Avigad et al., Institute of Earth Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401 Israel. This article is online at http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/02/10/B31370.1.abstract.

From the abstract: The Eastern Mediterranean is a land-locked basin, a remnant of the Neotethys Ocean. It was formed in the Permian-Triassic as a result of the drift of the Tauride block from the Afro-Arabian margin of Gondwana. Herein, we show that rather than being a genuine Afro-Arabia crustal fragment, the Tauride block is underlain by late Neoproterozoic Cadomian basement, which differs significantly from the Neoproterozoic "Pan-African" basement of NE Africa from which it was detached.

Stratigraphy and physical parameters of the Plinian phase of the Campanian Ignimbrite eruption

C. Scarpati and A. Perrotta, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell'Ambiente e delle Risorse. Universita di Napoli "Federico II." Largo San Marcellino 10, 80138 Napoli, Italy. This article is online at http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/03/09/B31331.1.abstract.

The interest in this paper result from the iconic role of the Campanian Ignimbrite in the volcanological scientific literature and on the impact of this eruption on human ecosystems (possibly leading the transition from Neanderthal to Sapiens). Our detailed stratigraphy and laboratory analyses allow us to calculate all the main physical parameters acting during the sustained column phase of this eruption. For the first time we present the complete longitudinal variation from the coarse and 10-m-thick proximal (down to 15 km) sequence, through the well stratified pumice lapilli deposit in medial areas (30 to 80 km) to the distal tephra (100s to 1000s km). The calculated magnitude of the sustained column phase is 6.3. The duration of the Plinian phase of this eruption, based on the ratio of two parameters, erupted mass divided by discharge rate, was estimated to be about 20 h (including co-Plinian ash).

Controls on gravel termination in seven distributary channels of the Selenga River delta, Baikal Rift basin, Russia

T.Y. Dong et al., Department of Earth Science, Rice University MS-126, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, USA. This article is online at http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/03/09/B31427.1.abstract.

Here we provide science regarding the geomorphology of the Selenga River delta, Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia. Lake Baikal is the deepest and largest lake in the world, and the Selenga River is its largest fresh-water contributor. Our research included in-depth collaborations with Russian science colleagues, and two three-week long field expeditions during the summers of 2013 and 2014. We collected several data sets that were used to evaluate water and sediment movement from the river to the lake, over the delta surface. We combined these data with analytical models to establish the timing and magnitude of sediment transfer, considering century to millennial time scales. The findings included examining how tectonic earthquake events influence the dispersal of gravel dispersal on the delta, and its effect on stratigraphy. This examination is critical to science, because deltaic stratigraphy provides a window into previous (ancient) sedimentary environments, and an opportunity to constrain climates.

Long-lived shield volcanism within a monogenetic basaltic field: the conundrum of Rangitoto Volcano, New Zealand

T. Linnell et al., School of Environment, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand. This article is online at http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/03/09/B31392.1.abstract.

Rangitoto volcano is located in the metropolitan area of New Zealand's largest city, Auckland. Previously, it was considered to have erupted in one short episode about 550 years ago. Therefore, it was unlikely to pose a threat to the city in the future. However, drilling through the structure of the volcano reveals an episodic history extending back thousands of years. This gives a completely new prospective on the history of the volcano and its potential to erupt in the future. These types of small basalt volcanoes are common around the world. This study and emerging research elsewhere shows that some of these volcanoes have erupted over significant time periods and erupted different types of magma. Such behavior needs to be considered in assessment of future hazards and risks.

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http://www.geosociety.org
Montreal, March 11 2016  Millions of people today take statins to help lower their cholesterol level. Currently statins are prescribed to patients based on their future risk of cardiovascular disease  mainly driven by age  which excludes many individuals who may benefit from them. A new study led by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) in Montreal, with collaborators from the United-States, is changing the way we think about prescribing statins. The research team has developed a new approach to determine which individuals should receive these important medications. The findings, which are published online in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, could improve prevention of heart disease, especially in younger people.

Our study is changing the way we think about prescribing statins; we should not only be considering who is at risk of heart disease but, more importantly, who would benefit from these medications, says study-lead author, Dr. George Thanassoulis, who is the director of Preventive and Genomic Cardiology at the MUHC and an associate professor in Medicine at McGill University. For example, younger patients who have high cholesterol, are frequently considered too young to be at risk for heart attack in the short term, but our analysis shows that they would benefit from treatment, even in the short term, and therefore should be eligible for statin treatment.

The research team performed their modelling study using data from 2,134 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey - a nationally-representative US cohort, between 2005 and 2010, representing 71.8 million Americans potentially eligible for statins. Two approaches for statin eligibility were compared: a ten-year risk based approach, currently in use, and an individualized benefit approach. The latter method of determining who should receive statins was found to produce greater eligibility.

Using a benefit-based approach, we identified 9.5 million lower-risk Americans not currently eligible for statin treatment, who had the same or greater expected benefit from statins as higher-risk individuals, explains Dr. Thanassoulis. These individuals were lower-risk because they were younger but they also had higher levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol which we have known to be an important cause of heart disease. Targeting statin treatment to this group would prevent an additional 266,000 heart attacks and strokes over 10 years,

This strategy will transform cardiovascular prevention for the better, adds studys co-author, Dr. Allan Sniderman, MUHC cardiologist and full professor in Medicine at McGill University. For too many, the present approach starts too late; an earlier start will multiply the lives saved.

Dr. Thanassoulis and collaborators are now developing a Web interface to extend the use of this calculation model to physicians. Researchers hope this new way will help develop guideline recommendations that better identify individuals who meaningfully benefit from statin therapy.

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About the study

This study was funded by the Fonds de recherche du Quebec - Sante and by the Doggone Foundation. The paper was coauthored by George Thanassoulis and Allan D. Sniderman (Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada); Ken Williams (KenAnco Biostatistics and University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX); Kathleen Kimler Altobelli (KenAnco Biostatistics, San Antonio, TX), Michael J. Pencina (Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, NC), Christopher P. Cannon (Harvard Clinical Research Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA).

About The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre

The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) is a world-renowned biomedical and healthcare research centre. The Institute, which is affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University, is the research arm of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) - an academic health centre located in Montreal, Canada, that has a mandate to focus on complex care and is highly committed to working with partner organizations within the healthcare network, to ensure to the continuum of care in its community. The RI-MUHC supports over 500 researchers, and over 1,200 students, devoted to a broad spectrum of fundamental, clinical and health outcomes research at the Glen and the Montreal General Hospital sites of the MUHC. Our research facilities offer a dynamic multidisciplinary environment that fosters collaboration and leverages discovery aimed at improving the health of individual patients across their lifespan. Over 1,600 clinical research projects and trials are conducted within the organization annually. The RI-MUHC is supported in part by the Fonds de recherche du Quebec - Sante (FRQS). http://www.rimuhc.ca

Media contact:

Julie Robert

Public Affairs and Strategic Planning McGill University Health Centre

julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca

(514) 934-1934 ext. 71381

@cusm_muhc

muhc.ca|rimuhc.ca
Ice shelves, the floating extensions of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, are not simply resting on the ocean waters: they rise, fall and bend with the tides. Ultimately, these oceanic motions impact the flow of ice coming from the glaciers that these ice shelves buttress. Ryan Walker and Christine Dow, researchers with the Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, recently spent more than a month doing fieldwork in Antarctica to study the influence of tidal movements on a small, little-studied ice shelf.

The NASA scientists worked with personnel from the Korea Polar Research Institute to install instruments on the Nansen Ice Shelf, a roughly 30-mile-long ice shelf sticking out from the coast of Antarctica's Victoria Land. The ice shelf is near the new South Korean Jang Bogo Station, where Walker and Dow stayed during their field campaign.

"Nansen is a smaller ice shelf but we're hoping that it's representative of many of the smaller ice shelves that ring Antarctica," Walker said. "We also hope that the techniques that we're testing out in this campaign can be used in the future on larger ice shelves."

"Ice shelves are very important for holding back ice flow behind them because what they're essentially doing is acting as a plug; as soon as you remove them, there's nothing there preventing the ice mass from moving quickly down," Dow said. "It's a particular worry at the moment that the ice shelves around Antarctica are going to break up, and we're going to see an unprecedented speed-up in the ice coming from the center of the ice sheet."

Walker and Dow's instruments consisted of five GPS stations to measure the vertical and horizontal motion of the ice shelf, and two tilt meters, which are sensors that record subtle changes in the angle of the ice shelf as it bends with the ocean tides. They installed the GPS stations in the middle section of the ice shelf, where ice floats freely on ocean water, whereas the tilt meters were mounted in the grounding line area, or the boundary between the ice resting on land and the floating ice.

Despite being only a five-minute helicopter ride apart, the two field sites were very different.

"The ice shelf was all bare blue ice, with no snow on top of it and a fair amount of ridging. Those areas, because they're flat, they're very exposed - the wind coming out from the continent can be extremely strong in there and even on a relatively sunny day it can become very cold out there very quickly," Walker said. "The site where we put the tilt meters was in a small bay with mountain ridges on either side, with a pretty fair amount of snow. Absolutely the most beautiful place I've ever been to. We were completely sheltered from the winds by the mountains and it was a really sunny day - we wound up working with our jackets off because it was actually quite warm."

Both Walker and Dow are ice sheet modelers; they create computer simulations of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets to project how the ice will flow in the next decades and centuries and contribute to sea level rise. Walker will incorporate the GPS and tilt sensor measurements collected in Antarctica into his model of changes in ice shelf motion to further study how ocean tides both bend ice shelves vertically and affect the flow of ice toward the ocean.

"Examining how the ice shelf responds to tides helps us get at the dynamics of how the ice flows and we're hoping will help with future computer simulations, in particular of where the grounding zone is," Walker said. Pinpointing grounding lines is key to being able to observe how glaciers evolve, because changes in the grounding line can lead to rapid changes in ice flow.

The two researchers say that observing directly what an ice shelf looks like will help them with their modeling.

"If you're going to be making a model of the system, you want to know everything that you can about it," Walker said. "Actually seeing it gives you a bit more of a feeling for what sort of assumptions you can make, which things are essential and which things are oversimplifications."

Dow's work focuses on how lakes form underneath the ice sheet and how they impact the flow of the ice sheet. She joined Walker in his field trip primarily to help with installing the instruments, but since she is also working with South Korean researchers in modeling subglacial lakes in an area near the Nansen Ice Shelf, she also wanted to see the place firsthand.

This was Walker and Dow's first collaboration with the Korea Polar Research Institute, which they will continue over the next few years.

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To learn more about Walker and Dow's work on the Nansen Ice Shelf, visit their field blog:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/fromthefield/category/nansen-ice-shelf-antarctica-2015/
FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. - Health literacy is a critically important ability that allows people to become active participants in their health care. Yet, one in three Americans have little to no health literacy skills (National Center for Educations Statistics).

Further, 24 percent of Blacks (9.5 million), 41 percent of Hispanics (21 million), and 29 percent of people 65 or older (12.5 million) have below basic levels of health literacy. This suggests these individuals may be unable to use health information for even the most basic tasks such as following directions on how to take a medicine.

A research team led by Nova Southeastern University's (NSU) Raymond L. Ownby, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., recently received a prestigious R01 grant totaling $2,756,300 over five years from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to combat this major challenge to develop a user-friendly computer application (app) to help educate people on a variety of chronic health concerns at a level appropriate for them.

"With patients having to navigate an increasingly complex health care system, our goal is to provide people the information they need to manage their health in an easily accessible, personalized way they can understand and use," said Dr. Ownby, professor and chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, NSU College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Examples of some health-related topics the app will address include fatigue, pain or physical discomfort, shortness of breath, sleep problems, depression, anger, stress, memory problems, and medication adherence.

Once developed, the program will be accessible in English and Spanish via an app downloadable from the App Store or Google Play or available through the internet. Users will provide basic demographic information and answer additional questions to determine their health issues and literacy. From there, users will be able to view relevant educational videos with slides and audio narration.

Researchers will test the program at NSU's campus in Fort Lauderdale-Davie, Florida and at Emory University in Atlanta by measuring how much people learn and how they apply it to their health based on positive results.

The interprofessional research team includes: Dr. Ownby; Amarilis Acevedo, Ph.D., NSU College of Psychology; Ron Chenail, Ph.D., NSU; Michelle Doldren, Ed.D., M.P.H., CHES, Robin Jacobs, Ph.D., M.S.W., M.S.B.I., and Arif Rana, Ph.D., Ed.S., M.S., NSU College of Osteopathic Medicine; Michael Simonson, Ph.D., NSU Fischler College of Education; Kofi Kondwani, Ph.D., M.S., Morehouse School of Medicine; and Sara Czaja, Ph.D., University of Miami.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute On Minority Health And Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01MD010368. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. A private, not-for-profit institution with more than 26,000 students, NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. For more than 50 years, NSU has been awarding degrees in a wide range of fields, while fostering groundbreaking research and an impactful commitment to community. Classified as a research university with "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is 1 of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie's Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private, not-for-profit institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education's criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit http://www.nova.edu for more information about NSU and realizingpotential.nova.edu for more information on the largest fundraising campaign in NSU history.
ST. LOUIS - A lifesaving therapy for premature babies and people with injuries that prevent them from eating can cause severe liver failure and gut atrophy. A Saint Louis University researcher is studying how to prevent the damage from parenteral nutrition (PN), which is more commonly known as intravenous feeding.

Ajay Jain, M.D., a SLUCare pediatric hepatologist and gastroenterologist and the medical director of the pediatric liver transplant program at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, received a $703,620 grant from the National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to continue studying strategies for PN-associated injury.

The funds will further his work into the role of bile acid activated receptors FXR and TGR5 in PN-associated hepatic and gut disease. The grant also provides support for research into gut microbes.

The NIH grant builds on previous research. Jain, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Saint Louis University, received a $150,000 grant from the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) in 2015 and a $50,000 grant from the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) Rhoads Research Foundation in 2014.

People receive PN when part, or all, of their digestive system doesn't function normally. A solution containing carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients essential for normal nutrition is given intravenously.

It is a common and critical therapy for sick babies, children and adults all around the world. Despite being a life saver, PN causes several complications, Jain said, including a life threatening and potentially fatal liver and bowel disease - especially in fragile NICU babies.

The cause of the liver and bowel disease is unknown, Jain said, but is likely caused by several factors. No established therapies exist to treat or prevent the onset of the liver and bowel disease.

Jain's research focuses on understanding the interplay of bile acid regulated pathways that modulate the gut-liver axis during PN infusion. He says the way the gut and liver communicate to maintain normal health is disrupted while a patient receives intravenous nutrition.

In a clinical setting, Jain has found mitigation of PN-associated side effects if at least some nutrition can be provided via the gut.

"It almost appears as if some food delivery to the gut is of paramount importance to generate critical signals to maintain normal health and prevent such injury," Jain said.

Jain's research also will assess the role of the gut microbiome during parenteral nutrition.

"There are about a 100 trillion bacteria in the gut. In fact, microbial genome exceeds the human genome by almost a 100 fold, making us genetically 99 percent bacteria and 1 percent human," Jain said. "PN may change the finely regulated gut microbiome. Our measures are aimed at restoring the normal gut-liver cross talk and the gut microbiome to as close to normal again as possible."

Jain said his work on PN, funded through competitive SLU grants (Presidents Research Fund, Fleur-de-Lis grant, Liver Center grant) and foundation grants including the American Liver Foundation award, has yielded encouraging new data. With the NIH funding, Jain aims to:

Critically evaluate gut and hepatic injury during PN therapy;

Explore the mechanisms that regulate PN pathology; and

Address alteration in gut microbiota.

Jain's previous work has identified unique molecules and pathways that are altered during PN. In this project, he will assess these molecules and devise strategies and pharmacological therapies to correct the defect and mitigate complications.

Such research could help bring a paradigm change to current preventative strategies.

"It would be the biggest reward if we can ultimately devise interventions to help PN-associated injuries, which unfortunately maximally affects our most vulnerable and most precious population segment - the babies," Jain said.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award number K08DK098623.

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The Saint Louis University Liver Center enjoys worldwide recognition as a center of excellence for research and treatment of liver diseases and liver cancer.

Established in 1836, Saint Louis University School of Medicine has the distinction of awarding the first medical degree west of the Mississippi River. The school educates physicians and biomedical scientists, conducts medical research, and provides health care on a local, national and international level. Research at the school seeks new cures and treatments in five key areas: infectious disease, liver disease, cancer, heart/lung disease, and aging and brain disorders.
Today, The Holberg Prize -- the largest international prize awarded annually to an outstanding researcher in the arts and humanities, social science, law and theology -- named American author, scholar and literature professor Stephen Greenblatt as its 2016 laureate. Greenblatt is presently John Cogan University Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University. He will receive the financial award of NOK 4,500,000 (approx. USD 525,000) during a formal ceremony at the University of Bergen, Norway, on June 8, 2016.

Greenblatt will receive the prize for his distinctive and defining role in the field of literature and his influential voice in the humanities over four decades. He is regarded as one of the most important Shakespeare and Renaissance scholars of his generation. His scholarship has had an immeasurable impact on the practices of literary studies, history and cultural criticism, well beyond his own field of expertise.

Dr. Greenblatt describes his lifelong project as "opening literary studies to the historical, cultural and, in the broadest sense, anthropological energies that course through great works of art." "Art," he says, "is thoroughly bound up with the lives we lead, and, whether we know it or not, our lives are bound up with art." Greenblatt says he accepts the Prize with gratitude as recognition of the critical importance of the humanities in our everyday existence.

To date, Greenblatt has published more than a dozen books and numerous articles.

His most recent book The Swerve: How the World Became Modern (2011) earned him a Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction and a National Book Award for Nonfiction. The book tells the story of how a 15th-century papal emissary unearthed a lost copy of the Roman poet Lucretius's On the Nature of Things, thus reintroducing important ideas that sparked the modern age. In addition, Greenblatt is the General Editor of The Norton Shakespeare (2015) and the Norton Anthology of English Literature, to which he is also a contributor.

Greenblatt's most popular work remains the biography Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare, which has been translated into 16 languages. His current project centres on the story of Adam and Eve -- a story that defined the way in which people for centuries understood the nature of their lives and served as the human origin story for three great world religions.

Regarded by many as the founder of New Historicism, Greenblatt has introduced key concepts to the literary field, such as "cultural poetics," alluding to a set of critical practices, and "self-fashioning," a concept that has illuminated the distinctiveness of the Renaissance as a historical period.

"Greenblatt's work has brilliantly opened up new ways to think about the Renaissance and Shakespeare," says Chair of the Holberg Academic Committee, Dr. Pratap Bhanu Mehta.

"In doing so he has also provided us a vocabulary through which we can approach the task of understanding our times and its history. The new methods he has fashioned have helped us understand the relationship between the word and the world, the text and the context. Greenblatt has also masterfully combined the practice of exacting scholarship with an ability to communicate with wider audiences."

Greenblatt received his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1969. Following his graduation, he became Assistant Professor at University of California at Berkeley, where he became full Professor in 1979. He stayed at Berkeley until he took a position at Harvard University in 1997, where he was appointed John Cogan University Professor of the Humanities in 2000. Greenblatt is a founding editor of the literary-cultural journal Representations, established in 1983. In addition to the 2012 Pulitzer Prize and the 2011 National Book Award, his honours include the Modern Language Association's James Russell Lowell Prize (twice), Harvard University's Cabot Fellowship, the Distinguished Humanist Award from the Mellon Foundation, a Guggenheim Fellowship (twice) and the Yale's Wilbur Cross Medal.

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Greenblatt holds honorary doctoral degrees from Queen Mary College, University of London, and the University of Bucharest, Romania. He will also receive an honorary degree from The University of Alicante in 2016. Professor Greenblatt is a permanent Fellow of the Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has also been President of the Modern Language Association.

Greenblatt has also been a visiting professor and lecturer at such institutions as the Ecole des Hautes Etudes, the University of Florence, Kyoto University, the University of Oxford and Peking University.

This year, the Holberg Prize received 76 nominations, for a total of 74 candidates, from universities across the globe.

About the Holberg Prize

Established by the Norwegian Parliament in 2003, the Holberg Prize (@holbergprisen) is the largest annual international research prize awarded to scholars who have made outstanding contributions to research in the arts and humanities, social science, law or theology. The Prize is funded by the Government through a direct allocation from the Ministry of Education and Research to the University of Bergen (UiB). Previous winners include Julia Kristeva, Jurgen Habermas, Manuel Castells, Bruno Latour and Marina Warner. To learn more about the Holberg Prize and the call for nominations visit: http://www.holbergprisen.no/en

The Holberg Prize is named after writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright Ludvig Holberg. Holberg was born in Bergen in 1684 and played an important part in bringing the Enlightenment to the Nordic countries.

Visit http://www.holbergprisen.no/en/press for press photos, biography, the official statement from the Committee and various background information
Dr. Younjin Min, an assistant professor in the Department of Polymer Engineering at The University of Akron, will receive the 2016 Early Career Award from the Polymer Processing Society. This award recognizes productivity of early career researchers in the field of polymer processing as judged from their publications, patents and service to the PPS. Nominees include tenured/tenure-track faculty members, postdoctoral researchers and researchers working in industry or national laboratories within six years of receiving their Ph.D. degree at the time of nomination.

Min, who joined UA in 2012, will receive this award in Lyon, France, during the 32nd International Conference of the Polymer Processing Society, scheduled July 25-29. She is also a recipient of other prestigious awards, including the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation Scholarship and the Schlinger Scholarship for Excellence in Chemical Engineering Research, and the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund Doctoral New Investigator Award.

The overarching aim of Min's current research is to obtain a fundamental understanding of soft materials at the molecular level, with a specific goal of utilizing such knowledge to advance nanotechnology and biotechnology through rational design and processing. One of her current research projects deals with nanorheology and associated-intermolecular interactions that are of both fundamental and practical importance in areas of such as friction and lubrication, flow of multicomponent systems (e.g. polymer blends and nanocomposite materials), and polymer processing operations.

Another focus of Min's lab is on biopolymer process engineering to derive and/or modify natural resources such as silk and mussel protein polymers. Through this approach, her group has developed novel functional materials such as shear-thickening materials, transparent polymeric films, implantable polymer microneedles and electrospun core-shell fibers that are important in the health-care and optical applications.

Her research has culminated in 25 published journal articles in such journals as Nature Materials, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Nano Letters.

The PPS Early Career Award was established in 2015 from the proceeds of PPS-30, the 30th International Conference of The Polymer Processing Society held in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2014.

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UCR study shows biomass grown in areas of poor air quality releases more pollutants when burned than biomass grown in clean air

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (http://www.ucr.edu) -- When plant matter burns, it releases a complex mixture of gases and aerosols into the atmosphere. In forests subject to air pollution, these emissions may be more toxic than in areas of good air quality, according to a new study by the University of California, Riverside and the U.S. Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station.

The results suggest biomass burning of polluted forest fuels may exacerbate poor air quality--and related health concerns--in some of the world's most heavily polluted areas, among them, the Los Angeles metropolitan area, which is expected to suffer from more wildfires as drought conditions continue.

The study, which was led by Akua Asa-Awuku, a researcher at the Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) at UC Riverside's Bourns College of Engineering, was published online recently (March 2) in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

As people burn fuels--in cars, power plants and factories--nitrogen is released into the atmosphere and absorbed by plants. While essential for plant growth, an over-abundance of this biologically-available nitrogen can result in 'nitrogen saturation,' a phenomenon previously reported by Forest Service scientists in Riverside. Nitrogen saturation can cause a cascade of adverse effects including a decrease in biodiversity, changes in plant species, soil acidification and water contamination.

In this paper, UCR and Forest Service researchers teamed up to explore a previously unstudied aspect of nitrogen saturation: its effect on the gases and aerosols released during burning of forest fuels from an area experiencing nitrogen saturation.

Scientists conducted the study in the San Bernardino Mountains, a 60-mile stretch of federal and private forest land to the east of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Since the pollution concentration decreases from west to east, as the distance from Los Angeles increases, the forests offered a rare opportunity to compare emissions from wildland fuels subjected to different levels of chronic air pollution. At sites 55 miles apart, the researchers collected recently deposited material from the forest floor, called litter, which is a primary fuel in these forests. Both sites have a similar mixture of conifer tree species, and, at the time of collection, had experienced similar temperatures and rainfall.

As shown in previous studies, the litter from the polluted site, which had endured high levels of atmospheric nitrogen oxides and ozone, had higher nitrogen content than litter from the clean site. The researchers then burned the litter in controlled lab tests, collected the emissions and analyzed them. The results showed:

Fuel from the polluted site released more nitrogen oxides, which contribute to the formation of smog and ozone. In some cases, polluted fuels released 30 percent more nitrogen oxides than fuels from the clean site.

Polluted fuels released more small fine particles (PM<2.5), which are known cause of respiratory health problems.

The composition of the particles from polluted regions were different; they were less likely to evaporate but underwent similar atmospheric processing as emissions from clean fuels exposed to sunlight.

Asa-Awuku, an associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering at the CE-CERT, said agencies that oversee prescribed burns should consider these findings when they predict the likely impact of prescribed burning of forest fuels in areas subjected to chronic air pollution.

"The environmental impact of prescribed burns has historically been based on data from clean fuels in areas of good air quality, so we have likely been under-predicting the impact of biomass emissions in polluted areas," Asa-Awuku said.

She added that the study supports growing evidence that humans need to reduce our pollutant footprint associated with burning fossil fuels.

"This study, and specifically the concern that biomass grown and burned in polluted areas is potentially more toxic to human health, is additional evidence that human activities have consequences not yet explored and therefore not understood," she said.

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The research was conducted by Asa-Awuku and Michael Giordano, at UCR's CE-CERT, and Research Forester David Weise and Physical Science Technician Joey Chong from the Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station.
Like the gravitational forces that are responsible for the attraction between the Earth and the moon as well as the dynamics of the entire solar system, there exist attractive forces between objects at the nanoscale. These are the so-called van der Waals forces, which are ubiquitous in nature and thought to play a crucial role in determining the structure, stability and function of a wide variety of molecules and materials.

A group of researchers, led by Alexandre Tkatchenko, Professor at the University of Luxembourg, demonstrated that the true nature of these forces differs from conventional wisdom in chemistry and biology. The scientists showed that these interactions have to be treated as coupling between waves rather than as mutual attraction between particles. "In the simplest case, you can think of two chains of atoms and you could identify points in these chains that are attracted to each other. Typically, you would compute the van der Waals energy by just summing up all these pairs," explains Alexandre Tkatchenko, Professor of Condensed-Matter Physics at the Faculty of Science, Technology and Communication (FSTC) of the University of Luxembourg. "However, we demonstrated that at realistic distances between nanoscale materials this is not true, and instead of particles you have to view them as waves. This drastically affects the way we think about these omnipresent interactions."

The research is likely to have an important impact on material science. Over the last two decades, scientists managed to change the properties of existing materials by incorporating nanomaterials, for example they enhanced stress response or achieved high conductivity of polymer composites. "In order to understand all the properties of such nanocomposites you have to comprehend how they self-assemble at the nanoscale. The assembly of these materials is mainly driven by van der Waals interactions," Prof Tkatchenko adds. As van der Waals forces are critical for many industrial applications, such as the manufacture of nanocomposites, this work could have a great impact on the refinement of processing techniques in that area.

The article entitled 'Wavelike Charge Density Fluctuation and van der Waals Interactions at the Nanoscale' is the result of an international and multi-disciplinary collaboration among four research institutions (Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, University of Padova, Cornell University, and University of Luxembourg). "This work provides both a qualitatively correct conceptual framework for describing van der Waals forces at the nanoscale as well as a quantitatively accurate computational framework for predicting how these ubiquitous interactions influence the physical and chemical properties of matter," adds Robert A. DiStasio Jr., Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell University (USA) and one of the lead co-authors.

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A UTA interdisciplinary team is formulating recommendations for the North Texas Council of Governments that take into account public health measures in a regional transportation plan.

Colleen Casey, an associate professor of public affairs in College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, and Stephen Mattingly, an associate professor of civil engineering in the College of Engineering, are teaming up on the $40,000 North Central Texas Council of Governments grant that will yield:

An inventory of localized public health performance measures.

A data bank of transportation infrastructure elements that improve multiple public health objectives related to safety, air quality and physical activity.

Summary reports that document what's being used across the country and how those items affect socioeconomic and demographically diverse communities.

A final report for NCTCOG review and comment.

NCTCOG is a voluntary association that represents 230 member governments over a 16-county region that spans the Dallas-Fort Worth area and beyond. It counts as its members various counties, cities, school district and special district. The agency works on collaborative projects among its members and shares resources.

The NCTCOG grant is titled "Public Health Performance Measures and Their Role in the Regional Metropolitan Transportation Planning Process Project."

"Most transportation infrastructure decisions are made in relation to traffic and safety," Casey said. "We want to blend health decisions and impacts into the transportation decision-making process as well."

Casey and Mattingly said decisions about where to locate sidewalks can influence multiple public health objectives. For example, strategically locating sidewalks can encourage walking to school, hence improving physical activity among children, while also improving the overall safety of the pedestrian environment. Such information can help improve the overall health and safety benefit of Arlington school district routes between homes and campuses.

"Of course, cost always is a factor when governmental bodies are considering instituting some of these recommendations," Mattingly said. "But for too long, quantifying the benefits of such plans hasn't been a part of the process. Roads and their level of service should not be the sole method for assessing the efficacy of the transportation system. Cleaner air, improved access for all and fitter residents could be other criteria to consider and measure."

The project evaluates public health performance measures and their role in the regional metro transportation planning process. It links transportation decisions to public health, basically giving planners and decision makers a tool in which to measure these decisions. The system will take into account safety, air quality and physical activity.

NCTCOG establishes the Metropolitan Transportation Plan, which is a multimodal blueprint for transportation systems and services aimed at meeting the mobility needs of the NCTCOG area during the next 25 years.

Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, a UTA Distinguished Alumna, has made fitness a central theme of her public service.

"Integrating public health recommendations into transportation planning can tangibly help to improve the quality of life for our residents," Mayor Price said. "Healthier communities are more engaged, friendly and productive. As residents explore active options to get around, including places to walk, bike, commute and exercise, communities that provide alternative transit options are becoming more attractive. Transportation systems that consider public health are the ones that will be more successful in the long run."

NCTCOG Senior Transportation Planner Kendall Wendling said public health is an emerging topic in the transportation planning realm.

"NCTCOG plans to use the research from the study to integrate public health into its long-range transportation plan," Wendling said. "This is beneficial research because NCTCOG is interested in quantifying the effects that transportation has on public health by establishing performance measures in the long-range transportation plan."

Nan Ellin, dean of the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, said the blending of public health in a regional transportation plan mirrors the platform of creating more sustainable communities envisioned in UTA's Strategic Plan 2020 | Bold Solutions: Global Impact.

"The research will inform transportation decisions that will enhance, rather than compromise, livability," Ellin said. "Public health should be a vital part of any decision the region makes concerning transportation."

Khosrow Behbehani, dean of the College of Engineering, said communities must develop alternatives to the ever-increasing demand for roads.

"This is an exciting example of how data from multiple disciplines can be integrated in order to achieve a higher level of efficiency and ease of transportation," Behbehani said.

Casey and Mattingly said they want to make their recommendations user-friendly so that NCTCOG's entities can easily use their insights. The professors plan to compile best practices across the region and nation to create a menu of recommendations for NCTCOG members.

Their work builds upon Mattingly's 2013 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to conduct research on a variety of topics related to the development of Livable Communities. Mattingly's grant places UTA in partnership with Western Michigan University, Wayne State University, Utah State University and Tennessee State University as researchers of the Transportation Research Center for Livable Communities.

Co-principal investigators of the 2013 grant include Casey, Professors Sia Ardekani and James Williams of Civil Engineering and Professor Jianling Li in CAPPA.

Casey is leading a TRCLC research study with Mattingly that supports the work for NCTCOG titled "Developing Performance Measures To Capture the Effects of Transportation Facilities on Multiple Public Health Outcomes."

Other projects funded by the center focus on how the use of technology and crowd sourcing to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety, including transportation costs more effectively into affordable housing calculations and evaluating the transportation needs/gaps for the elderly non-driving population.

Casey co-authored a published paper in Public Works Management and Policy that explored opportunities for engaging public health organizations in transportation planning in 2015. Co-authors were Li and Lou K. Brewer, Tarrant County health director.

UTA has a robust education and research emphasis in transportation. Several professors and students make up the Transportation Research Group.

Recent research projects and studies include: developing a comprehensive pricing evaluation model for managed lanes, developing an Irving bicycle and pedestrian safety study, developing an integrated or smart corridor management demonstration project and on-road measurement of air quality. NCTCOG, TxDOT, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Texas Transportation Institute have supported these projects and others under way.

###

About The University of Texas at Arlington

The University of Texas at Arlington is a Carnegie "highest research activity" institution of more than 50,000 students in campus-based and online degree programs and is the second-largest institution in The University of Texas System. The Chronicle of Higher Education ranked UTA as one of the 20 fastest-growing public research universities in the nation in 2014. U.S. News & World Report ranks UTA fifth in the nation for undergraduate diversity. UTA is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is ranked as the top four-year college in Texas for veterans on Military Times' 2016 Best for Vets list. Visit http://www.uta.edu to learn more, and find UTA rankings and recognition at http://www.uta.edu/uta/about/rankings.php.
Madrid

Estos son los 80 centros sanitarios que abriran 24 horas en la Comunidad de Madrid desde el 27 de octubre
Reading the Darwinist explanations for the Cambrian explosion is like watching a game of Whos Got the Button? The biologists are sure the paleontologists have the reasons for this unprecedented appearance of animals in the fossil record. The paleontologists, in turn, point to the geologists for it. And the geologists rely on the opinion that the biologists have handfuls of explanatory buttons. When you inspect each ones hands, though, they come up empty.

It was the geologists turn to show their empty hands. In the Geological Society of America Bulletin, two papers undermine popular assumptions used by the biologists and paleontologists to account for the explosion. Ask yourself if their work sounds like settled science.

No Oxygen Rise Here, Mate

In the first paper by Sperling et al., geologists from Harvard and Queens College undermine the notion (commonly asserted by the biologists) that it was a rise in oxygen levels that triggered the explosion. Not that we ever found that explanation credible (#1, #2, #3, #4), but at least it gave the biologists a story with which to entertain the uninformed. No longer; these geologists found no evidence to support a global oxygen rise in the Ediacaran period that preceded the Cambrian.

The causes behind the appearance of abundant macroscopic body and trace fossils at the end of the Neoproterozoic Era remain debated. Iron geochemical data from fossiliferous Ediacaran successions in Newfoundland suggested that the first appearances correlated with an oxygenation event. A similar relationship was claimed to exist in the Mackenzie Mountains, Canada, although later stratigraphic studies indicated that the sections analyzed for geochemistry were incorrectly correlated with those hosting the fossils. To directly connect fossil occurrences with geochemistry in the Mackenzie Mountains, we conducted a multiproxy iron, carbon, sulfur, and trace-element geochemical analysis of stratigraphic sections hosting both the Cryogenian Twitya discs at Bluefish Creek as well as Ediacaran fossils and simple bilaterian traces at Sekwi Brook. There is no clear oxygenation event correlated with the appearance of macroscopic body fossils or simple bilaterian burrows; however, some change in environment  a potential partial oxygenation  is correlated with increasing burrow width higher in the Blueflower Formation. Data from Sekwi Brook suggest that these organisms were periodically colonizing a predominantly anoxic and ferruginous basin. This seemingly incongruent observation is accommodated through accounting for differing time scales between the characteristic response time of sedimentary redox proxies versus that for ecological change. Thus, hypotheses directly connecting ocean oxygenation with the appearance of macrofossils need not apply to all areas of a heterogeneous Ediacaran ocean, and stably oxygenated conditions on geological time scales were not required for the appearance of these Avalon-assemblage Ediacaran organisms. At least in the Mackenzie Mountains, the appropriate facies for fossil preservation appears to be the strongest control on the stratigraphic distribution of macrofossils. [Emphasis added.]

For non-specialists, this basically means that the evidence connecting oxygenation (a geochemical condition) with Ediacaran and Cambrian fossils is equivocal at best. The geologists appear to be trying hard not to rule it out (a potential partial oxygenation), but throughout the paper, they reveal contradictions with the oxygen hypothesis. Some of the best fossils appear in non-oxygenated rocks, and other well-oxygenated rocks have no fossils. Moreover, earlier studies that seemed to find a correlation were flawed.

The first step in distinguishing coincidence from correlation is determining whether temporal linkages represent a global pattern, regional events, or simply the unrelated appearance of organisms during a time interval characterized by broadly increasing oxygen levels. Neoproterozoic oxygenation, if present, is increasingly being recognized as regionally heterogeneous (Kah and Bartley, 2011). This is reflected in iron speciation data from the southern Canadian Cordillera showing an increased prevalence of anoxic conditions during the mid- Ediacaran (Canfield et al., 2008), in contrast to the Newfoundland data, and data from the Wernecke Mountains of northwestern Canada which show no change at all (Johnston et al., 2013). Other regions such as Namibia also show heterogeneous but generally anoxic and ferruginous conditions through the late Ediacaran (Wood et al., 2015). Analyzed collectively and statistically, a global database of Proterozoic and Paleozoic iron speciation data shows no overall change to the oxygenation state of marine environments between the Ediacaran and Cambrian (Sperling et al., 2015). These database analyses do not rule out an increase in oxygen through this time period, but they do limit the magnitude of such a change to much less than is normally depicted (e.g., Holland, 2006).

Their research in Canada also finds interesting geological evidence that contradicts the picture of slow, gradual deposition. For instance, some of the fossils are found in turbidites, which represent underwater landslides. Other fossils appear encased in strata that appear to have been formed in offshore storm surges. There are unconformities, slumps, and gaps.

In sum, the idea that biologists and paleontologists can expect to find a gradual increase in oxygen below the Cambrian boundary is mistaken. Figure 7 of the paper correlates outcrops from China, Africa, the U.S., and Canada. Theres no pattern. Redox change [i.e., change in reducing vs oxidizing conditions] may correspond to the appearance of megascopic fossils in some sections, but stable oxygenation on geologic time scales is not required. So if its not oxygen, what is it? The most obvious explanation is simply the distribution of beds capable of preserving fossils. Some places were suitable for preserving fossils, and some werent. Thats all.

Importantly, these data suggest that oxygenation of a basin is not required for the appearance of many Ediacaran taxa. To a first-order approximation, more so than oxygenation, the appearance of fossils of large eukaryotes throughout the entire Cryogenian and Ediacaran succession in NW Canada is dictated almost entirely by the appearance of event beds suitable for their preservation and presentation.

More on the second paper tomorrow.

Image credit: Golden spike indicating the base of the Edicaran period, by Bahudhara (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.
Hi Expats,



I am planning to get my skills assessed from VETASSESS. Although VA does not say explicitly that self SD are not allowed, I am still trying to take it from one of my colleagues who worked with me in one of my previous employer.



I am presently based out of Delhi and he is based out of Bangalore. Can you guys let me know how to get the SD done from him sitting at Delhi. Do I need to travel to Bangalore for this or can I do it from here only. Please help me.



Thanks in advance.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hi Everyone,I recently got engaged to my now fiance who lives in England and is a British citizen. I myself am a US citizen. We are trying to plan an elopement to Ireland in the fall, and navigating the decision of fiance visa vs spousal visa. One of the items that came up on a website was that if we had a fiance visa, we then had to get married in the UK in order to then transition to a spousal visa. However, I can't find this stipulation on the government site. Does anyone know if this is actually true? We don't want to put down deposits in Ireland for the wedding if the marriage won't be recognized. If thats the case we would then get married in the UK.Also the transition/application from fiance visa to spousal visa. Do we then to have pay another 895 pounds to do this?If we only go the spousal visa, do I have to be in the United States to apply for this? Or could it be done from the UK after we're married? I know my passport has to be surrendered. I also read that you might be able to apply for the spousal visa in person and get it the same day. Again, not sure if this is true. I greatly appreciate any feedback! Thank you


More than 100,000 international students studying in New Zealand will benefit from a new code of practice aimed at making sure they get the care and support they need.Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has announced the new code for education providers which he says will strengthen the care of international students in New Zealand."There are more than 100,000 international students who come to New Zealand each year. New Zealand was one of the first countries to adopt a code of practice in 2002. This new code will ensure we remain a world leader in the pastoral care of international students," he explained."The international education sector has been growing strongly and is now our fifth largest export sector. To sustain that growth, we must ensure that our international students receive a high quality education and have a positive, well-supported experience while they are in our country," he added.He pointed out that the previous code was ground breaking at the time, but following a review in 2013 cabinet decided it was time to update the code arrangements. Amending legislation was passed in 2015, and this new code results from that legislation.The code outlines ten outcomes sought from education providers for the care and support of international students. The New Zealand Qualifications Authority will administer the code and will impose sanctions against education providers who breach it.A new dispute resolution scheme that provides a faster and more effective forum for resolving contract and financial disagreements between students and providers has also been established. Both the code and the disputes resolution scheme come into force on 01 July 2016."International education contributes $2.85 billion a year to our economy and provides more than 30,000 jobs for New Zealanders. But it is about so much more than just income for New Zealand," said Joyce."New Zealand's future is about being well-connected to the world and especially the Asia-Pacific region. International education helps build strong linkages with our trading partners now and into the future," he added."The study experience for Kiwi students is enriched by international students studying here, and when our international students go home they become lifelong ambassadors for New Zealand," he concluded.The new code and the dispute resolution scheme are part of the Education Amendment Act 2015 and follow extensive consultation across the sector.
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The North Shearer Hills Neighborhood Association says its membership has been galvanized in opposition to the planned construction of five new homes that will house 25 priests and seminarians.

It might be unusual for a neighborhood to take a not-in-my-backyard stand against a religious order, but association president Lydia Rodriguez said residents are opposed for a host of reasons that will sound familiar: gentrification, potential increases in appraisals and tax bills, and architectural designs that clash with existing aesthetics.

I just dont trust these priests, Im sorry, Rodriguez said. Its making me crazy. Ive lost sleep over this.

Alack of transparency is adding to the anger, she said. A chain-link fence that went up a few weeks ago was their first inkling that the Washington-based U.S. Province of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate planned to demolish four existing single-family houses.

In their place will be five two-story, dormitorylike homes built at a reported cost of a half-million dollars each.

Some residents of the quiet north-central area adjacent to the Oblate School of Theology, worried about decades of cases of sexual abuse of children by priests and related coverups of those crimes, also say theyre worried about the children who live in the area, including group homes that house special needs children.

It didnt help that the new relationship between Father Ray John Marek of the Oblates Washington headquarters and the neighborhood, which is full of retirees and more than a few Catholics, never gelled.

At first he said, This is private property, and we can do whatever we want with it, Rodriguez said. Im a hothead, and I said, Father, you just try it.

She added, Were upset also because they didnt tell us, and then they lied to us.

Marek, who came to San Antonio Feb. 29 to meet with the neighborhood group, said the order has worked hard to fulfill every rule, regulation and permit required by law.

The Oblates didnt know of the existence of the Shearer Hills group, otherwise he would have contacted neighbors, he said.

Were trying to make it an improvement to the neighborhood, Marek said. We have been in that neighborhood long before the neighborhood was there.

Marek said Oblates and priests from other orders have resided in the neighborhood quietly and respectfully. About references to pedophilia, Marek was unequivocal.

Weve worked hard after these allegations of the situation in the church came to light, he said. We have been working very hard to protect everyone to who we minister.

Marek said a few residents see the project as a neighborhood improvement and spoke in favor of it. Rodriguez concurred but said they were in the minority.

Carlos Rodriguez, an architect who has lived in the area since 2008, said the biggest problem has been the orders evolving story about who will live in the new homes.

In November, the Oblates issued a news release about its groundbreaking that said seminarians, young men preparing for the priesthood, would live there. Marek said Wednesday that priests and even retired priests also might live in the homes.

They specifically said seminarians will live there temporarily, Carlos Rodriguez said. They already have dormitories for their seminarians over there (at the Oblate campus). Im not sure why theyre not just adding on more there.

He also said the Oblates have referred to the new development as a compound and that only one of the buildings would have a kitchen.

Marek said every home will have a kitchen.

Rodriguez, whos not related to the president of the association, said he has a problem with five half-million-dollar homes that are going to look exactly the same, in an area where the housing stock reflects a variety of architectural styles and home values run between $200,000 and $240,000.

He said elderly homeowners who arent able to keep up with repairs are especially vulnerable to gentrification and the kinds of newer development the new structures might trigger.

Demolition is set to being soon, and construction will be completed in a year, Marek said.

Bexar County chief appraiser Michael Amezquita said property owned by religious orders likely will be tax-exempt and might not affect the appraised values of neighbors if no improvements are made on their properties. Also, at age 65, their property tax bill is frozen, officials said.

Appraisals are affected by market values and, as with other desirable areas inside Loop 410, home prices are going up in general, Amezquita said.

District 1 Councilman Roberto Trevino, in whose district the area falls, said the religious order at least from our side has fulfilled every requirement to build the five homes.

I know the neighborhood is concerned about changing the size of structures, and that someday they may become multi-family structures, he said.

At this point, Trevino said, he was encouraging residents and the order to build better and constant communication, because they are neighbors.

Now its just a matter of feeling good about whats happening.

eayala@express-news.net
The Grassland Farmer of the Year competition run by the British Grassland Society and sponsored by DLF and Yara has been launched this week (Thursday 10 March).

The hunt is on to find the grassland champion for 2016, and is open to entries from affiliated Local Grassland Societies and BGS members in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The prize-winning farmer will be someone who demonstrates overall excellence in grassland management and who runs profitable and sustainable farming practices.

Previous winners include many of the UKs top dairy, sheep and beef farmers. They have all demonstrated excellence in their grazing, soil and nutrient management, reseeding policy, silage-making or alternative cropping, livestock production and environmental considerations, whilst still making a profit.

The judging panel this year will consist of head judge Glasnant Morgan, who is a former competition winner and beef and sheep farmer from Powys, John Read of seeds company DLF, John Moore of fertiliser manufacturer Yara, and last years winner Colin Boggs, a dairy farmer from Northern Ireland.





Over the coming months, Regional Council Members of the British Grassland Society will organise the judging of local society winners across their area, and inform BGS of the regional winner going through to the national stage of the competition.

The competition winner holds the title and glass trophy for a year, and also receives a cheque for 500.

Key dates for 2016

Friday 3 June  Local Grassland Societies to notify their Regional Council Member of their winner (excluding Wales where dates are set by the Federation of Welsh Grassland Societies).

Friday 15 July  Regional Council Members to notify BGS of their regional winner.

Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 August  National judging takes place to select the overall winner for 2016. Entrants must be available for the judges to visit the farm on one of these dates.
The PPA contingent observed the use of a dual loading ramp, which allows livestock to be efficiently unloaded from the top and bottom of a truck directly onto a vessel.
"After struggling to gets its name and Australia-wide industry reputation in front of WA rural families, and finally being rewarded with a healthy 30-plus first year students at Muresk this year, the highly-regarded Charles Sturt University degree in Agricultural Business Management is without its main champion," he said.
James Gunn has heaped praise on new Spider-Man actor Tom Holland calling him the best Peter Parker by a 'country mile.'

James Gunn

We have just caught our first glimpse of Holland as Spider-Man in the new trailer for Captain America: Civil War, where the character will be introduced before going on to star in his own solo film.

He is the third actor to take on the role in recent years - following in the footsteps of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield - and we are set to see a much younger Peter Parker this time around.

Gunn has already been raving about Civil War on social media and has taken to Twitter once more to heap praise on Holland's performance in the film.

I think @TomHolland1996 is the best Spidey/Peter Parker ever by a country mile. https://t.co/SiH9yP8NvW  James Gunn (@JamesGunn) 10 March 2016

Its his own thing. He is to Spidey as Downey is to Iron Man, Ledger was to the Joker, Pratt is to Star-Lord. https://t.co/uvp9qJb2Cx  James Gunn (@JamesGunn) 10 March 2016

Just how big a role Spider-Man will have in Captain America: Civil War remains to be seen, but he - along with Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther - are two of the big new additions the Marvel Universe.

A solo Spider-Man movie is set to hit the big screen next year and we could well see him in the upcoming Avengers Infinity War movies.

As for Gunn, is currently back in the director's chair filming the highly anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, which is due to be one of three Marvel films to be released next year.

As well as being in the director's chair, Gunn has also penned the sequel to the hugely successful 2014 film. The movie will see him reunite with Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel. This week, Sylvester Stallone has become the latest actor to be linked to the project.

Captain America: Civil War is released 29th April.

by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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On Friday, US State Department spokesmen John Kirby called troubling the decision by Turkish authorities to seize control of the Zaman Turkeys most circulated newspaper. He said, We see this as the latest in a series of troubling judicial and law enforcement actions taken by the Turkish government targeting media outlets and others critical of it.

Currently, in Turkey ruling single-party government AKP has direct and indirect control almost over all domestic TV, radio channels and news agencies. The few independent ones are subject of severe political and financial pressure. Some of them illegally forced to give de facto control to appointed trustees who are often happened to be the members of affiliates of AKP government. Zaman newspaper is known for its affiliation with the social movement called Hizmet or Fethullah Gulen Movement. AKP targets Zaman and all other interest groups, political parties, and businesses to scare population by publicly punishing independent voices who criticized wrongdoings of the government.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) is worried that a British ban on air cargo from the Dhaka airport could badly hit the country 's garment exports.

BGMEA President Md. Siddiqur Rahman has urged the government to take necessary steps to ensure that the UK's temporary ban on air cargo directly from Dhaka to the country is lifted soon.

Bangladesh exports apparel worth $3 billion to the UK annually, Rahman said. We are worried as we will incur a huge loss due to the ban, he added.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) is worried that a British ban on air cargo from the Dhaka airport could badly#

Rahman said the ban would hurt the Bangladesh garment sector badly as the UK is the second biggest garment export destination for Bangladesh among the EU countries after Germany. He called the government to hold discussion with the UK government to resolve the issue.

On March 9, the UK government announced the suspension of direct cargo flights from Dhaka citing inadequate security measures at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

The British government's ban follows a similar decision by Australia to stop lifting of cargo from the Dhaka airport.



A British delegation which recently visited the Dhaka airport found many security lapses.

According to industry insiders, the members of the British team found that the security personnel of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) involved in the screening of cargo were not well-trained nor was there any proper management, Bangladeshi newspapers have reported.



The sources said, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, had addressed security lapses on its part, like access control and positioning guards at the area where cargo is kept outside as well as training of its personnel.



The industry insiders said that Biman, which earns a substantial amount of revenue from lifting cargo on its direct flights to London, will be seriously affected by the latest decision. (SH)

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
Chloe, a luxury French fashion house, has entered India with an exclusive tie-up with Le Mill, multi-brand luxury fashion store exclusively housing Alaia, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Mary Katrantzou, Nina Ricci, and Stella McCartney, according to media reports.

Le Mill recently launched the spring/summer 2016 collection of Chloe bags.

The Egypt-born designer Gaby Aghion, with her business partner Jacques Lenoir, established the Chloe label in 1952. Known for lightweight fabrics and diaphanous silhouettes, the brand soon became the most sought after option among fashion lovers who wanted an alternative to restrictive formal couture styles, dominant in those days.

Chloe, a luxury French fashion house, has entered India with an exclusive tie-up with Le Mill, multi-brand luxury fashion store exclusively housing#

After Aghion's departure from the house in 1985, the Parisian label was later helmed by big names like Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney and Pheobe Philo. Currently owned by Swiss luxury group Richemont, the brand's present creative director is British designer Clare Waight Keller. (HO)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
India is the largest supplier of cotton to Bangladesh's textile industry and around 50 per cent of Bangladesh's total cotton imports were made from India last year, according to Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA).

India has become the single largest source of cotton import for Bangladesh due to quick shipment, better quality, price competitiveness and settlement of dispute in a relaxed manner, Tapan Choudhury, president of BTMA said in a media briefing prior to the Bangladesh India Cotton Fest 2016 to be held on 12 March at Dhaka.

Bangladesh imported around 6 million bales of cotton in 2015, out of which approximately 3 million bales were imported from India. In 2014, the country imported around 5.8 million bales of cotton in total. Approximately 2.92 million bales were from India.

India is the largest supplier of cotton to Bangladesh's textile industry and around 50 per cent of Bangladesh's total cotton imports were from India.#

Talking about the fest, Choudhury expressed confidence in the fest further enhancing trade relations between the two countries by providing the cotton buyers and sellers a platform to meet. It will also ensure uninterrupted cotton supply to Bangladesh.

The fest will also play a role in dispute settlements between the buyers and sellers of the two countries.

The event is supported by the two major trade bodies  Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI).

It will also enable them improve their supply chain with trust and reliability.(MCJ)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Swiss textile technology innovator Heiq has introduced a revolutionary textile finishing technology 'Heiq Real Silk' in the market.According to a Heiq press release, based on its recently developed and patented manufacturing technology platform for short polymer fibres, a perfect treatment for the fashion industry was created.

Swiss textile technology innovator Heiq has introduced a revolutionary textile finishing technology 'Heiq Real Silk' in the market.According to a#

With 'Heiq Real Silk' the key properties of silk are replicated by applying a minute amount of this precious natural raw material to the surface of any fabric, the Swiss company added.Heiq informed that 'Heiq Real Silk' transfers the prized characteristics and the luxurious feel of silk to other fabric types like polyamide, polyester cotton or its blends.The 'Heiq Real Silk' treatment makes use of formulated short silk fibres which are applied by standard textile finishing processes onto the surface of any kind of fabric.By applying silk to the surface, the tactile properties of silk are reproduced in a cost effective manner, it observed.New cost-sensitive market segments can be tapped, wrapping people in silk feeling and bringing a touch of luxury to everyone, Heiq noted.Bekaert Deslee, the world leader in mattress ticking, which is the first to adopt this technology aims at creating a comfortable, luxurious and indulgent sleeping environment.As per the company, Bekaert Deslee launched their mattress ticking with 'Heiq Real Silk' at the ongoing ISPA trade show being held in Orlando.The 'Heiq Real Silk' technology makes use of short polymer fibres which are created in the newly developed pilot production plant at Heiq's R&D subsidiary in Australia.It is a patented manufacturing process where a thin fibre is formed by a coagulation process, with this material opening new opportunity for innovative textile technologies, Heiq stated.Heiq is still in full process of scaling up its innovative manufacturing plant for the manufacture of short polymer fibres, so, Heiq has selected its long standing innovation partners as first adopters. (AR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
According to Uster, the new Uster Tester 6 opens up a whole new world of quality for filament yarn producers, with superb new sensor technology and innovative features aimed at being right first time.For the first time, spinners benefit from a built in knowledge based system and data about twist; two of the many reasons for a safe investment, Uster stated in a press release.

According to Uster, the new Uster Tester 6 opens up a whole new world of quality for filament yarn producers, with superb new sensor technology and#

As per Uster, for proper filament yarn evenness testing, only sensors with the highest sensitivity, accuracy and reliability can provide the precision data required.The new Uster Tester 6-C800 meets that description, with purpose-designed sensors which will set unique standards, making it an essential equipment in the laboratory of every filament yarn producer, it added.The new digital capacitive sensor CC of the Uster Tester 6-C800 offers higher accuracy and reliability than ever before.The new capacitive sensor has the power to assure filament producers that their yarn quality will be right first time, every time, the Swiss company informed.The Uster Tester 6-C800 also offers several completely new features to assist filament quality monitoring and features a graphical user interface, with an intuitive touchscreen monitor.A unique automatic twist scan facility makes twister settings easier, while measurement results for the Uster value CVm are presented as easy-reference graphics, with diagrams, spectrograms and histograms.The new Knowledge Based System (KBS) enables users to trace the cause of quality problems on the spinning machine quickly, without the need for extra settings or input from the machine supplier.A single click on the spectrogram display brings up the defective component on the screen, while the KBS saves time, as well as improving quality, avoiding expensive claims.Uster further added that designed-in ergonomics make it simple, even for untrained operators, to tackle any potential quality issues with confidence. (AR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The Assistant Minister for Health and Medical Services, Hon. Veena Bhatnagar today received donations of bed sheets, blankets and toys worth approximately $2000 from the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation staff.



The donation which will go towards the Childrens Ward of the Colonial War Memorial Hospital was collected by the staff of the six sister stations of FBC through a radio appeal conducted in the past two months with assistance from locals and those living abroad.



Minister Bhatnagar welcomed this initiative from the FBC staff and said that this timely donation will address the needs of the hospital as there is an influx of patients particularly in the aftermath of TC Winston.



CWM is a major referral hospital and the numbers have vastly increased particularly after TC Winston as the need for more resources is inevitable and I thank the CEO and the staff of FBC for their efforts, kindness, generosity and support towards our childrens ward, said Mrs. Bhatnagar.



FBC staff Ms. Pallavi Sweta said that they decided to join the MoH to contribute for a noble course in providing the much-needed relief to the patients and would continue to do so in future.


The commissioning of a new Honorary Consul for Fiji in the City of Bordeaux will strengthen Fijis position in France and Europe.



This follows the commissioning of Mr Bruno Francois Michel Finance as Fijis Honorary Consul in Bordeaux, with jurisdiction over France. The inauguration event was marked by the official presentation of the Consular Commission documents, which was also witnessed by members of the Fijian community in the Bordeaux region. The event was presided over by Fijis Ambassador to the European Union and Belgium, Deo Saran.



Ambassador Saran congratulated Mr. Finance, on behalf of the Fijian Government, on his appointment and expressed profound gratitude for his integrity and commitment to contribute towards advancing Fijis relations with France. With the establishment of the new Honorary Consuls Office, Ambassador Saran is confident that Fiji stands to gain much more from deepening its tourism, trade and investment promotion in Bordeaux and in other parts of Southern France. He added that bilateral cooperation between the two countries continue to strengthen over the years in several areas, most notably in sports. Currently there are over 200 Fijian players playing rugby in various clubs in France while more than 400 Fijians represents the Fijian community living in France.



Mr Finance graduated from Business School on Reims, France. He has a long international experience and a strong local network. He was the Fashion Coordinator in Tokyo/Japan for Public Representations of French Fashion Industry and Private French designers; Managing Director of a Trading House in Tokyo for promoting and distributing Japanese brands in air conditioning and electrical goods for Toshiba, Mitsubishi in French speaking countries in Africa and French Territories in West Indies and South Pacific; Managing Director of Marie Brizard Japan for French liqueurs, champagne, etc. covering Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and also served as Deputy Director of Marie Brizard Group based in Bordeaux, France. He is currently the Export Director of Yvon Mau (5th negociant of Bordeaux wine) subsidiary of Freixenet, Spanish family company which is No.1 sparkling wine in the world.



Ambassador Saran with the support of Mr. Finance and First Secretary Mesake Ledua attended bilateral engagements with the Direct Assistant of the Mayor of Bordeaux as well as the Vice President of the local representation of the French government in Bordeaux on the margins of the inauguration event.



Ambassador Saran also visited two of the major vineyards Chateau Lascombes and Chateau Angelus in the Bordeaux Region and had meetings with its owners as part and partial of promoting Fiji and exploring opportunities for investment and trade.



Ambassador Saran also visited the Bordeaux rugby club where five Fijian players are currently playing and held a talanoa session or informal talks with members of the Fijian community in the greater Bordeaux Region, There he was briefed and updated on the newly registered French Fijian Support Association to look after the welfare of the Fijian rugby players in France.



Ambassador Saran rendered the Missions support to our Fijian players/families. He also briefed them on the tragic loss of lives and the devastations caused by Tropical Cyclone Winston and any assistance rendered/offered will be greatly appreciated.



The Brussels Mission now has a total of three Honorary Consuls with the other two Consuls in Luxembourg and Greece. This augurs well with its vision in raising Fijis visibility and promoting it in an expanding Europe and the global market.


The private sector continues to complement the relief efforts of Government with Rotomould (Fiji) Limited today contributing 50 rota-tanks that will be distributed to areas affected by TC Winston.



Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and National Disaster Management Office permanent secretary Meleti Bainimarama, while receiving the tanks from the companys managing director Prakash Chand, extended Governments appreciation for the timely assistance.



He said the tanks will be used to alleviate the water woes being faced in affected areas in the interior parts of the country as well as the outer islands.



"This water tanks will be distributed to Koro, Lau and other islands that have been affected by the cyclone, as you might know that water is a basic need and every Fijian has the right to accessing clean and safe water," Mr Bainimarama said.



Mr Chand said it is part of their corporate social responsibility to come out and assist communities that are in need.



We are donating 50 pieces of rota-tanks which have a value of $15,000 to $16,000 and we hope this will be utilised by the affected communities around the country, he said.



Meanwhile, Mr Bainimarama has urged all Fijians to make use of the relief supplies donated to them for the purpose it is intended and to refrain from selling them.



"We have received reports of people selling relief items and this is warning to everyone engaged in this activity to refrain from this because if you are caught in the act then you will be prosecuted."



The company manufactures and distributes rota-tanks with operations in seven other Pacific island countries.


A few months back, rumours were doing the rounds that Imtiaz Ali is keen on signing Shahrukh Khan or Aamir Khan for his next, and that Shahrukh Khan, has raced ahead of Aamir Khan and already signed the film.

Shahrukh Khan, is currently busy shooting for Raees and Gauri Shinde's next. So what really happened to Shahrukh Khan & Imtiaz Ali's next?

As per reports, The Baadshah of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan was interested in doing a movie with Imtiaz Ali, but the hurdle the duo faced, was that they couldn't come to a conclusion on what to do. Well luckily, both SRK and Imtiaz have finally decided what to do!

Which Bollywood Film-maker Can Make A Movie On Vijay Mallya?

As per a leading website, Shahrukh Khan and Imtiaz Ali are brainstorming regularly on what their next project should portray. It is also reported that Imtiaz Ali does not want to break away from movies like Highway, Rockstar and Tamasha. Shahrukh Khan, on the other hand is thinking about a comedy film, and not an intense emotional movie of Imtiaz's genre.

20 Inspiring Quotes From Shahrukh Khan That Will Make Your Day!

In case if Shahrukh Khan gains upper hand in this brainstorming session with Imtiaz Ali, then it's really a good news as it's been quite a long time since we saw shahrukh Khan in a comical role.

Shahrukh Khan was quoted as saying,

"We are friends, and sometimes we just want to know what we are thinking, not with me in these projects necessarily. So, Imtiaz and I have done this exercise many times. We both feel that one day we will come together for a film, and if that happens, it will be very nice. I would love to work with Imtiaz."

Bikini Shopping! Neha Dhupia Hunts For The Best Bikini In Fiji
The annual fund-raiser event of 'Teach for Change' happened yesterday in Hyderabad, at Taj Falaknuma palace and Former Miss Universe Sushmitha Sen walked the ramp as the showstopper.

Good will brand ambassador of the initiative, Lakshmi Manchu along with a few Tollywood celebrities like Rana Daggubati, Lavanya Tripati, Sonal Chauhan, Adivi Sesh, Samrat, Poonam Kaur and many others, walked the ramp in Shilpa Reddy ensembles. Go through the slides below to have a look at the pictures.

Lakshmi Manchu shared her joy over walking the ramp along with Sushmita Sen and said she is an inspiration to her. "My inspiration and a rockstar #sushmitasen #falaknumapalace #charity #teachforchange", read a tweet from her.

The celebrities were styled by famous stylist of T-town, Indrakshi Patnaik and the show took place at the popular 100 seater table at the Falaknuma palace.

Attended by many socialites, the event turned out be a major hit and CEO of Teach for Change, Chaitanya expressed his happiness. He requested the interested people to come over, to volunteer, as there are needed in Hyderabad, Chennai and other major cities, to further promote the cause.

Teach for Change's primary motive is to offer high quality primary education for all, regardless of their family's income.
Chinas four so-called bad banks have made a lot of money from gorging on bad debts. But they risk having too much of a good thing.

On March 7, Lai Xiaomin, chairman of China Huarong Asset Management, said in a proposal to the National Peoples Congress that the countrys four bad banks, aka asset management companies, were struggling to cope with the latest surge in soured assets.

Huarong is one of four bad banks set up in 1999 to take on the troubled assets of the countrys four largest lenders  Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Bank of China and Agricultural Bank of China  so as to clean up their balance sheets ahead of planned public listings.

But debts in China have surged further since the global financial crisis of 2008 after Beijing encouraged local governments and state-owned enterprises to spend on investments, supported by cheap bank loans. That pole-vaulted the countrys debt level to an estimated 282% of GDP in 2015, according to McKinsey, with further rises potentially on their way. Lending in January alone reached Rmb2.51 trillion ($385 billion), a monthly record.

The skewed allocation of some of this debt is also becoming increasingly apparent. Sectors such as iron and steel, cement, and shipbuilding, notably, are suffering from severe overcapacity and many of the (predominantly state-owned) producers in them are effectively zombies, unable to pay back the debts they owe.

That has exacerbated the rise in bad debts as Chinas economy slows. Chinese banks total non-performing loans rose from 1.25% of bank assets at the end of 2014 to 1.67% in 2015, or Rmb1.27 trillion ($196 billion), according to the China Banking Regulatory Commission.

Some investment bank analysts believe the rate is probably far higher. Chinese banks are often unable to pressurise state-owned enterprises to repay their debts or are loathe to declare them insolvent because these companies are well-connected to local or national politicians. So instead they are forced to keep rolling the loans over while bad loans mount in the system.

That could lead to even bigger bad loan problems, more than the four AMCs can handle.

Hedge fund manager Kyle Bass argued in February that Chinas banks typically lose over 10% of assets in an NPL cycle. Based on where the market is today, that would mean lenders losing at least $3.5 trillion in equity -- a scary, indigestible figure by any measure.

At the same time, Beijing has stated that it intends to maintain the country's annual GDP growth rate at 6.5% or more over the coming year years. To support this, the banks need to lend to healthy companies. That means getting more of their assets out of the zombies.

Time for new bad banks

Three steps could help free some of these assets up. First, Beijing could create new national bad banks; second, it could encourage greater involvement from international private distressed debt companies; and third, it should create a transparent, meaningful debt resolution process.

The four existing AMCs simply lack the capacity to handle the level of bad debts found in the nation. So Beijing either needs to directly bail these banks out, in effect recognising the extent of the dud loans pervading its economy, or it needs to shift them to other institutions.

The latter might prove the more politically palatable. By creating  and capitalising  new AMCs, the Chinese government, in effect, will still be using its own capital to solve the problem. But it does so one step away from doing so directly.

Additionally, these bad banks will be able to raise capital themselves, by issuing bonds for example, to help fund their own needs. And they would be able to focus solely on renegotiating the bad loans, without having to worry about whether doing so will upset companies that are customers across multiple product lines.

The new AMCs would also help to address the sheer size of the countrys likely bad debts today as the four existing bad banks are far too small to handle such huge sums.

Encourage foreign investors

Another way to help diversify the growing debt risks in the financial sector would be to allow in more international bad debt companies, and to support them in subsequent negotiations over bad loans.

There have already been a few instances of foreign asset managers targeting China assets but it has not been simple. Oaktree Capital formed a distressed debt joint venture with China Cinda in November 2013 but after two years admitted that it was proving tough to buy assets cheaply. Meanwhile global private equity company KKR teamed up with China Orient to target distressed real estate assets.

The key complaint of one foreign investor who works in China is that the country's courts are slow-moving and seem better-disposed towards zombie companies than their creditors.

"China should streamline the workout process so it doesn't take so long for the courts to make a decision. At the moment we are snowed with bureaucracy," he said. "The judges are so conservative, they don't want disputes over collateral. Above all they don't want to provoke demonstrations and social unrest. If the borrower asks for more time they usually get it."

He notes SOEs in particular tend to get special treatment, while the courts tend to be less favourable to foreign distressed debt holders. "Maybe it's easier to say no to us."

Introduce a rigorous resolution process

China's central and regional governments also need to introduce a clear bad debt negotiation process if they are to encourage foreign and local companies to buy bad debts.

This should take into account explicit creditor seniority - another area of investor frustration often fudged in the legal process - and concrete timelines for restructuring discussions. Insolvency should be a real possibility in the event a solution cannot be reached.

The process would require explicit political and support to work, which might seem unlikely. But Beijing could essentially use these firms to push forward the SOE reforms that President Xi Jinpings government said are integral to reduce losses and improve efficiency in the country.

It would do so by fully empowering these distressed debt companies to conduct necessary debt resolutions with smaller, non-essental SOEs. This would offer the authorities a key benefit too - workers opposed to restructurings, lay-offs or asset sales would likely focus their anger on their distressed debt creditors, not Party officials.

It's never a pleasant task to battle zombie companies but the need to do so in China is mounting. Better the government address it now, rather than wait and risk seeing this horde of corporate undead infect the entire economy.

Additional reporting by Alison Tudor-Ackroyd
Taiwans E.Sun Commercial Bank, named after the islands highest peak Yushan, is seeking new growth drivers in the rapidly growing markets of Southeast Asia as part of its strategy to become a regional bank less than three decades since it was founded.

Having set up its first branch in the southern province of Dong Nai in September, Vietnam is E.Sun Commercial Banks latest destination. Before that, it opened up in 2012 in Singapore and established a subsidiary in Cambodia in 2013.

E.Sun Commercial Bank, established in 1992, is also one of the lenders to have won a banking licence in Myanmar, as the government attempts to draw foreign investment into the emerging economy.

We are looking to build up our Asean presence in order to capture the skyrocketing demand for banking, financial-related services as these economies grow, Joseph Huang, president of E.Sun Commercial Bank and president and chief strategy office of parent company E.Sun Financial Holding, told FinanceAsia in an exclusive interview.

Due to lower operational and labour costs, many Taiwanese businesses have set up their production lines in Asean nations  a trend E. Sun Commercial Bank hopes to benefit from.

We are seeing an increasing trend of Taiwanese operations in these countries and [the presence of a Taiwan-based bank] will facilitate them in terms of business financing and advisory as well as payment and remittance services, Huang told FinanceAsia.

Cambodia has been E.Suns key focus since acquiring a controlling 75% stake in Phnom Penh-based Union Commercial Bank three years ago. Since then it has opened another six branches on top of the five acquired from UCB, and is scheduled to open another three to four branches by the end of the year, according to Huang.

In the last three years, the scale of the E.Suns Cambodia business has nearly doubled in terms of deposits, lending, and profitability, Huang said.

Betting on tech

China too features in E.Suns regional expansion plans.

The lender currently operates in four business locations: Qianhai, Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Changan. Due to their proximity to Taiwan, the initial plan is to expand in Chinas southeastern coastal cities, not least Shenzhen, which fits into the banks growing bet on financial technology, given the citys growing reputation as a technological hub.

Shenzhen is considered one of the best innovative cities in China. Many technology-related companies like Tencent, Huawei, and BYD have their headquarters there and that provides a lot of opportunity for our fintech business, Huang said.

Joseph Huang

The partnership with Alipay was originated from a simple idea that allows mainland Chinese buyers to purchase goods from Taiwanese manufacturers online, Huang told FinanceAsia. That facilitates both parties and increases business because the buyer can pay in renminbi while the vendor can get Taiwan dollars. The currency exchange, clearing, and settlement procedures are handled by us.E.Sun is the first Taiwanese bank to be granted an e-payment licence and in 2012 teamed up with Chinese e-payment giant Alipay to develop a cross-border payment system.

Initially the cross-border e-payment services were designed as one-way sales of Taiwanese goods to Chinese buyers, but it has now been expanded to allow Taiwanese buyers to purchase goods from Chinese merchants that support Alipay.

Two years after clinching the partnership with Alipay, E.Sun sealed another collaboration agreement with Paypal that expanded its e-payment services to all of the 193 markets supported by the US company.

E.Sun has also been integrating new technologies into its daily operations in response to the challenges posed by the rise of fintech companies, which have disrupted the way traditional banks operate.

For banks we will have to think about improving our services through the integration of offline and online businesses, Huang told FinanceAsia.

One example is the ability to collect and integrate client information through internet and mobile banking.

The key will be how we apply the information collected from the online platforms, turn them into useful advice and provide a user-friendly experience when these clients visit our branches, Huang said. [Fintech companies] have taken a slice of the retail banking business but banks still possess the competitive advantage because our branches allow face-to-face meetings with clients.

As such, he believes fintech companies will continue to lag behind traditional banks in terms of value-added services such as investment advice, financial consultation, and trust and estate services.

In corporate banking too, fintech companies are unlikely to supplant the role of banks role because of the complexity of corporate transactions, Huang said. For example, peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding platforms are unable to process collaterals or provide add-on services such as corporate strategic planning advices.
Chinas huge acquisitive interest in foreign semiconductor business does not seem to be cooling down despite a slowing domestic economy. In fact, Chinese enterprises may now have more pressure to adopt the go-abroad strategy to stimulate growth.

Shanghai-listed Sanan Optoelectronics, Chinas biggest LED manufacturer by production volume, is the latest company to response to Beijing call to buy foreign semiconductor assets. On Friday, the company offered to fully acquire California-based semiconductor wafer maker Global Communication Semiconductors for $226 million.

According to its announcement on the Shanghai stock exchange, Sanan intends to purchase the company by acquiring its Taiwan-listed holding firm GCS Holdings, including all common shares and two batches of local convertible bonds due 2018.

The offer was made after GCS closed at an all-time high of NT$102.5 Thursday. The price tag of $226 million represents a 24.5% premium on GCS Holdings market capitalisation of $181.5 million as of Thursday, or roughly 25.8 times the Taiwanese companys last reported earnings.

Sanan said the acquisition will provide the company with new overseas clients as well as international management standards. GCS would also provide a good platform for Sanan to further expand overseas, according to the exchange filing.

Aggresive acquirers

Over the last few years, China's technology-focused asset management firms have been very aggressive in taking stakes in foreign chipmakers, as Beijing aims to reduce reliance on overseas semiconductor supply for the countrys electronics and automobile manufacturing industries.

Some of the landmark deals include Jiangsu Changjiang Electronics Technologys $1.8 billion acquisition of Singaporean chip packaging company STATS ChipPac last year, Uphill Investments $600 million buyout of American chip maker Intergrated Silicon Solution, as well as Tsinghua Unigroups $1.7 billion offer for a 25% stake in Taiwanese chip packaging company Silicon Precision Industries.

While most of these outbound M&As are backed by state-owned companies or asset managers, Sanans offer for GCS is the first major foreign acquisition attempt by a private company in the semiconductor industry.

GCS core optoelectronics business, which accounted for 64% of its revenue last year, will fit into Sanans LED production business and provides a stable source of chip supply. Meanwhile, GCSs radio frequency integrated circuit production sector would potentially allow Sanan to tap into Chinas fast-growing 4G mobile network.

But analysts suggest the transaction may face regulatory hurdles in the US and Taiwan because some of GCSs production lines are related to military and national security products.

Last month, Fairchild Semiconductor of the US rejected a $2.6 billion joint bid from China Resources Microelectronics and Hua Capital, claiming there was a high possibility that it would fail to obtain US regulatory approval because of national security concerns.

Market participants showed an apparent lack of confidence in the Sanan-GCS deal, sending GCS shares down 5.4% Friday, despite a 0.5% gain in the TWSE index.


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The 12th time was apparently the charm for the Republican presidential hopefuls, who finally managed to square off in a debate that was relatively light on hostility and strong on issues.



Facing off Thursday evening at the University of Miami, the remaining four GOP candidates largely avoided the toxic rhetoric and personal attacks that have permeated most of the other debates.



Business mogul Donald Trump - whose controversial brand of acerbic campaigning has won praise from some and condemnation from others - was on his best behavior.



Leading in the polls and having won a majority of state contests to date, he preached a message of unity within the party in an effort to heal some of the rifts that have developed.



Texas Senator Ted Cruz - probably the only other man with enough delegates in the bank to mathematically have a chance to clinch the nomination - repeatedly pointed to himself as someone who could recognize problems and offer solutions.



He took a few minor shots at Trump, but he generally didn't want to rock the boat.



Florida Senator Marco Rubio was obviously the partisan crowd's favorite, and he had arguably his best showing to date.



Failure to win his home state next week likely would spell the end of his run.



Ohio Governor John Kasich continued to hammer away at his experience and ability to get things done in bi-partisan fashion while running the Buckeye State.



Trump came into Thursday's debate with 458 delegates, followed by Cruz (359), Rubio (151) and Kasich (54).



There are 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the Republican nomination.



Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leads the Democratic contest with 760 delegates, while Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has 546.



Clinton also has 461 so-called super delegates pledged to her campaign, and Sanders has 25 - so she holds an unofficial lead of 1,221 to 571.



There are 2,383 delegates needed to clinch the Democratic nomination.



Next up is the Republican contests in the District of Columbia (19 delegates), Guam (nine) and Wyoming (29), while the Democrats compete in the Northern Mariana Islands (11).



The stakes get higher on Tuesday with dual races in Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio.



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Regulatory News:

The board of Industrial and Financial Systems, IFS AB ("IFS", the "company") has received proposals for resolution to the annual general meeting ("AGM") from the main owner, IGT Holding IV AB ("IGT Holding"), holding approximately 82.5 percent of the shares and 86.4 percent of the votes in the Company.

The IFS nomination committee was established in accordance with the guidelines adopted by the AGM of 2015, consisting of representatives of the company's largest shareholders on the basis of the ownership situation per the end of August 2015. As a result of the new ownership situation the conditions for the nomination committee have substantially changed, meaning that the current ownership structure cannot be meaningfully reflected in the nomination committee as composed according to the principles adopted by the AGM. IGT Holding has declared to the board that, for the forthcoming AGM, it intends to prepare the proposals that would otherwise have been the mandate of the nomination committee. The board has now received the following proposals from IGT Holding for resolution at the AGM:

- that adjunct professor Svante Johansson be appointed to chair the AGM;

- that the board be comprised of seven members and no deputies;

- that Neil Masom be reelected to the board, and that Lars Wollung, Mans Hultman, Jonas Person, Markus Roithmeier, Per Franzen and Johannes Reichel be elected to the board;

- that Lars Wollung be elected as chairman of the board and Per Franzen as deputy chairman of the board;

- that, as communicated in the notice to convene the AGM, the registered public accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers AB be reelected as the company's auditors until the end of the next AGM;

- that directors' fees amount to a total of SKr 2,300,000, whereof SKr 1,000,000 to the Chairman and SKr 300,000 to each of the other board members who are not employed by the Company and who are not employed by EQT Partners AB or its affiliates, and an unchanged fee of SKr 100,000 as additional remuneration for work as chairman of the audit committee;

- that, as communicated in the notice to convene the AGM, fees be paid to the company's auditors according to approved invoices.

Lars Wollung has previously been CEO for 15 years and management consultant for 15 years. He is the co-founder, and former president and CEO of the IT company Acando, and former president and CEO of the credit management company Intrum Justitia. At present, Lars Wollung is the chairman of the board of the communication group The Northern Alliance and board director of the IT company Tieto, the software firm Dlaboratory, the bank TF and the payment service provider Bambora.

Mans Hultman has previously been the CEO chairman of the board of Qlik Technologies, partner in Sundet Investment AB, board director of Hybris AG, Digital Route AB, Mamut AS, NetAdmin AB, Apptus AB. At present he is board director of Ikano Group, itslearning AS, StormGeo AS, Automic Holding AG, and Crossbow AB.

Jonas Persson is the former CEO of Microsoft Sweden and has held a number of senior positions within Microsoft, including as COO of cloud services and software development engagements. He has also worked as a sales leader for consumer mobility solutions and vertical industry solutions in Europe. At present Jonas Persson is an advisor to Microsoft and board director at Automic Software and Tia Technologies.

Markus Roithmeier has previously held positions within Investor Panopticon AB, and has been board director of DataVirtuality, VP Sales of QlikTech AB, VP Sales Marketing Jedox AG, and managing consultant with PA Consulting Group. At present he is board director of TIS GmbH and board observer of Automic Software.

Per Franzen has previously been board director of AcadeMedia, Duni, Securitas Direct and SSP. At present, he is partner at EQT Partners, board director of Anticimex, Automic Software, Eton, Evidensia, and board observer of Piab.

Johannes Reichel has previously held positions within Deutsche Bank. He is currently a director at EQT Partners and deputy board director of Automic Software, CBR Fashion Group and Lima Corporate.

The board of IFS has also received the following proposal for resolution to the annual general meeting from minority shareholders The Liverpool Limited Partnership and Elliott International L. P. (the "Shareholders"), holding approximately 12.1 percent of the shares and 9.5 percent of the votes in the Company.

"The Shareholders propose that the annual general meeting, in accordance with Chapter 18 Section 11 of the Companies Act, resolves on a minority dividend of SKr 3.18 per share [based on the assumption that 426,600 shares of series B are held by IFS in own custody]. March 16, 2016 shall be the record date for the dividend.

According to the annual financial statements for 2015, the annual profits for IFS amount to SKr 198 million. IFS has no accumulated losses from the previous year and IFS is not under requirement to allocate any part of such profits to non-distributable equity (and no such allocations have been made).

It can be concluded that the annual general meeting shall, in accordance with Chapter 18 Section 11 paragraph 1 of the Companies Act, resolve to distribute SKr 99 million, which equals half of the remaining profits for the year.

With reference to the fact that the annual general meeting is not obliged to resolve on a dividend of more than 5 percent of IFS's equity (SKr 1,563 million), compare Chapter 18 Section 11 paragraph 4 of the Companies Act, the Shareholders have accordingly decided to propose a dividend of a total of SKr 78.15, which equals SKr 3.18 per share.

Based on available information, such a dividend would, according to the Shareholders' opinion, be compliant with the provisions in Chapter 17 Section 3 of the Companies Act."

Statement of the board of IFS on the proposed minority dividend

In view of The Liverpool Limited Partnership's and Elliott International L.P.'s proposal for a dividend of SKr 3.18 per share, totaling SKr 78.15 million, in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 18, Section 11 of the Swedish Companies Act, and taking into account that the Company's main owner IGT Holding IV AB has declared to the Board that it will not oppose such proposal, the Board has reason to revise its assessment regarding the justifiability to pay dividends previously made in the notice to convene the AGM.

The proposed dividend will reduce the Company's equity ratio from 70 percent to 69 percent, and the IFS Group's equity ratio from 45 percent to 44 percent. The proposed measure is not expected to affect the Company's ability to timely fulfill current and future payment obligations. The Company's liquidity forecast comprises a readiness to handle variations in the current payment obligations. The Company's financial position does not give rise to any assessment other than that the Company can continue its business and that it can be expected to fulfil its short-term and long-term commitments.

The Board is of the opinion that the size of the equity as reported in the latest annual report is in reasonable proportion to the scale of the Company's operations and the risks associated with its operations, taking into account the proposed dividend.

In view of the above and based on what the Board is otherwise aware of, the Board considers that the proposed dividend, based on a comprehensive assessment of the financial position of the Company and the IFS Group, is justifiable in accordance with Chapter 17, Section 3, Paragraphs 2 and 3 of the Swedish Companies Act, i.e. taking into consideration the requirements imposed by the business' nature, scope, and associated risks as regards the size of the equity of the Company and the IFS Group and considering the need of the Company and the IFS Group to strengthen its balance sheet, liquidity, and financial position in general.

The AGM will take place on Monday, March 14th, 2016.

About IFS

IFS (http://www.ifsworld.com/en/) is a globally recognized leader in developing and delivering enterprise software for enterprise resource planning (ERP), enterprise asset management (EAM) and enterprise service management (ESM). IFS brings customers in targeted sectors closer to their business, helps them be more agile and enables them to profit from change. IFS is a public company (XSTO: IFS) founded in 1983 and currently has over 2,800 employees. IFS supports more than 1 million users worldwide from its network of local offices and through a growing ecosystem of partners. For more information visit: www.ifsworld.com.

Follow us on Twitter: @ifsworld (http://twitter.com/ifsworld)

Visit the IFS Blog on technology, innovation and creativity: http://blog.ifsworld.com/

IFS discloses the information provided herein pursuant to the Financial Instruments Trading Act (1991:980) and/or the Securities Markets Act (2007:528).

The information was submitted for publication March 11, 2016 at 8:45 a.m. (CET).

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160310006728/en/

Contacts:

IFS

Jesper Alwall, General Counsel

Telephone: +46 8 58 78 45 00

jesper.alwall@ifsworld.com

or

Frederic Guigues, Investor Relations

Telephone: +46 8 58 78 45 00

frederic.guigues@ifsworld.com


LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Old Mutual PLC (ODMTY.PK, OML.L) reported profit before tax of 1.32 billion pounds for the year ended 31 December 2015 compared to 1.36 billion pounds, previous year. IFRS profit to equity holders of the parent increased to 614 million pounds from 582 million pounds. Earnings per share based on profit from continuing operations was 12.6 pence compared to 12.5 pence.



Pre-tax adjusted operating profit was 1.7 billion pounds, up 11% in constant currency, up 4% in reported currency. Adjusted operating profit after tax attributable to ordinary equity holders of the parent increased to 931 million pounds from 868 million pounds. Adjusted operating earnings per share was 19.3 pence compared to 17.9 pence.



Total revenue was 13.69 billion pounds, compared to 15.48 billion pounds, previous year. Gross earned premiums was 3.59 billion pounds compared to 3.21 billion pounds.



Old Mutual also announced a new strategy to separate its Old Mutual Emerging Markets, Old Mutual Wealth, Nedbank and OM Asset Management. The managed separation is expected to be materially completed by end of 2018. The Board confirmed that Paul Hanratty, Chief Operating Officer, will step down from the Board on 12 March 2016. The Group said Paul Hanratty has agreed to continue to play an important role in the managed separation.



The Directors of Old Mutual have declared a second interim dividend for the year ended 31 December 2015 of 6.25 pence per share, which will be paid on 29 April 2016. Together with the first interim dividend of 2.65 pence, this represents a total dividend for the year of 8.9 pence, an increase of 2% in sterling and 25% in rand.



Old Mutual said it will be adopting a capital management policy which provides appropriate flexibility for the period of the managed separation. The Group will target a dividend cover equivalent to 2.5 to 3.5 times Group AOP earnings for each reporting period, with the first interim dividend based on a cover of 3.0 times Group AOP earnings for that interim period. During the period of the managed separation, Old Mutual also intends to reduce the Group holding company's current debt materially, mainly through asset disposals over time.



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Date 11 March 2015



U.S. Oil and Gas Plc.



("U.S. Oil" or the "Company")

Open Offer



NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATESOF AMERICA (INCLUDING ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA), AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, SWITZERLAND OR SOUTH AFRICAOR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE IT IS UNLAWFUL TO DISTRIBUTE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT

FURTHER, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND SHALL NOT CONSTITUTE, OR FORM THE BASIS OF AN OFFER TO SELL OR ISSUE OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY, SUBSCRIBE FOR OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRE ANY NEW OR EXISTING ORDINARY SHARES OF US OIL AND GAS PLC IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH ANY SUCH OFFER OR SOLICITATION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL

Open Offer of 10,744,663 new Ordinary Shares at STG 0.27 pence (EUR 0.35) per share

U.S. Oil & Gas Plc the oil and gas exploration company with assets in Nevada, makes the following announcement:

Open Offer

US Oil & Gas plc is pleased to announce the launch of an Open Offer to issue up to 10,744,663 new Ordinary Shares to Qualifying Shareholders at STG 0.27 pence (Eur 0.35) per share each on the basis of one open offer share for every four existing ordinary shares. A circular concerning the Open Offer (the "Circular") will be posted to Qualifying Shareholders today.

The Board has decided to provide an opportunity for Qualifying Shareholders to participate in an issue of new Ordinary Shares. The Open Offer is not being underwritten but, assuming take-up in full, will raise gross proceeds of STG 2,901,059 million for the Company (before expenses).

Eligible Shareholders may subscribe for Open Offer Shares on the following basis:

1 Open Offer Share for every 4 Existing Ordinary Shares held

Shareholders subscribing for their full entitlement under the Open Offer may also request additional Open Offer Shares through the Excess Application Facility.

The Open Offer Shares will, when issued, rank pari passu in all respects with the Existing Ordinary Share.

It is anticipated that the net proceeds of the Open Offer will be used principally for the following purposes:

1. Working capital to maintain the assets in good standing, cover general and administrative costs, financing costs, marketing and necessary corporate activity.

2. Re-entering the Eblana #1 well, drilling offset and to a greater depth than previously. The Company intends also to carry out associated surveying, data analysis and reporting and may drill a further well or wells and/or carry out further surveys in so far as available funds permit.

3. Obtaining a trading facility for the Ordinary Shares on a suitable market.

Completing the Open Offer is conditional, amongst other things, on the Open Offer raising a minimum of STG 300,000. If this minimum amount is not raised, remittances will be returned to qualifying shareholders. Shareholder should note that failure to raise at least STG 300,000 could compromise the company's ability to continue as a going concern.

Further details of the Open Offer, including the terms and conditions and what actions Qualifying Shareholders may take, are set out in the Circular. A copy of the Circular will be made available on the Company's website www.usoil.us shortly.

Unless otherwise stated, terms and expressions defined in the Circular have the same meaning in this announcement.

The Circular will be posted today to Shareholders and sets out in more detail the background to and reasons for the Open Offer.

The Board has been in discussions with certain institutional investors in relation to a possible placing of a maximum of 3,000,000 Ordinary Shares to raise up to a maximum of STG 810,000. It is proposed that if the Possible Placing does proceed it will be at the same price per share as the Open Offer Price per share. There is no guarantee, however, that the Possible Placing will proceed.



THE DIRECTORS OF THE COMPANY ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CONTENTS OF THIS

ANNOUNCEMENT

Neither this announcement nor the information contained herein constitutes an offer or solicitation by U.S. Oil and Gas plc for the purchase or sale of any securities nor does it constitute a solicitation to any person in any jurisdiction where solicitation would be unlawful.

For further information contact:

Brian McDonnell, Chief Executive Officer +353 (1) 631 9022

Alexander David Securities Ltd - Corporate Finance Adviser

David Scott +44 (0) 20 7448 9820

James Dewhurst +44 (0) 20 7448 9820

Email: james.dewhurst@ad-securities.com

Definitions: The terms 'Reserves' and 'Contingent Resources' are as defined in the 'Petroleum Resources Management System' of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

About U.S. Oil & Gas:

U.S. Oil & Gas plc is an oil and gas exploration company with a strategy to identify and acquire oil and gas assets in the early phase of the upstream life-cycle and mature them. The Company's

main asset is in Nye County, Nevada where it holds the entire share capital of US-based company, Major Oil International LLC ("Major Oil"). Major Oil has acquired rights to exploration and development acreage in Hot Creek Valley, Nye County, adjacent to the oil and gas rich Railroad Valley area of Nevada, both of which are part of the Sevier Thrust of central Nevada and western Utah, USA.

For further information please refer to our website at: www.usoil.us

Ends

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE OPEN OFFER

This announcement is not for publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States of America. This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States or into any jurisdiction where solicitation would be unlawful. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States, except pursuant to an applicable exemption from registration. No public offering of securities is being made in the United States.

Note regarding forward-looking statements

This announcement contains certain forward looking statements relating to the Company's future prospects, developments and business strategies.

Forward looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as "targets" "estimates", "envisages", "believes", "expects", "aims", "intends", "plans", "will", "may", "anticipates", "would", "could" or similar expressions or the negative of those, variations or comparable expressions, including references to assumptions.

The forward looking statements in this announcement are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by those statements.

These forward looking statements relate only to the position as at the date of this announcement.

Neither the Directors nor the Company undertake any obligation to update forward looking statements or risk factors, other than by the rules of applicable securities regulatory authorities, whether as a result of the information, future events or otherwise.

You are advised to read this announcement and, once available the Circular and the information incorporated by reference therein, in their entirety for a further discussion of the factors that could affect the Company's or the Group's future performance and the industries in which they operate. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the events described in the forward-looking statements in this announcement may not occur.

Neither the content of the Company's website (or any other website) nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other website) is incorporated in, or forms part of, this announcement.

If in any doubt about any of the contents of this announcement, independent professional advice should be obtained.

This summary should be read in conjunction with the full text of the announcement which follows.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE OPEN OFFER

(A) INTRODUCTION

The Company proposes to raise approximately 2,901,059 (before expenses) by way of a Open Offer of 10,744,663 Open Offer Shares at 0.27 per share with the aggregate consideration to be received by the Company from the Open offer limited to 2,901,059 (equivalent to approximately 3,756,291) up to a maximum of 10,744,663 New Ordinary Shares issued.

The Company considered a number of options to meet its current financial requirements and has concluded that the Open Offer would enable Existing Shareholders to participate in the issue by subscribing for their pro rata entitlement of New Ordinary Shares under the Open Offer as well as applying for further New Ordinary Shares (by virtue of the Excess Application Facility).

The Open Offer is only open to Qualifying Shareholders. No Qualifying Shareholder may subscribe for Open Offer Shares in excess of the 2,901,059 maximum aggregate subscription price. Qualifying Shareholders who are joint Shareholders may only apply for Open Offer Shares as joint applicants.

The Open Offer is not a rights issue and any Open Offer Shares not applied for will not be sold in the market or placed for the benefit of Qualifying Shareholders who do not apply under the Open Offer. Qualifying Shareholders will have an entitlement to subscribe for their Open Offer Entitlement.

If the Possible Placing were to proceed, and both the Open Offer and the Possible Placing were fully subscribed the aggregate number of Ordinary Shares in issue would be 56,723,316 shares.

The proceeds of the Open Offer will be used by the Group as outlined in Part I of this Circular.

(B) THE OPEN OFFER

1. Introduction

U.S. Oil and Gas proposes to raise gross proceeds of up to 2,901,059 (before expenses) (approximately US$4,106,739) through the Open Offer. The Open Offer is in respect of a maximum of 10,744,663 New Ordinary Shares, the amount to be scaled back by the Directors so as the sum raised by the Open Offer will not exceed the sterling amount that is per the exchange rate on March 4th 2016 the equivalent of 3,756,291 (before expenses), and the maximum aggregate number of New Ordinary Shares to be issued under the Open Offer will not exceed 10,744,663.

Qualifying Shareholders are hereby invited to subscribe for Open Offer Shares at a price of 0.27 per Open Offer Share on the following basis:

1 Open Offer Share at 0.27 (0.35) per Open Offer Share for every 4 Ordinary Shares

registered in the names of Qualifying Shareholders at the Record Date, and so in proportion for any other number of Existing Ordinary Shares then registered. Entitlements of Qualifying Shareholders will be rounded down to the nearest whole number of Open Offer Shares and shall be each Qualifying Shareholders' Open Offer Entitlement. Fractional entitlements under the Open Offer will be rounded down to the nearest whole number of New Ordinary Shares and any fractional entitlements to Open Offer shares will be disregarded in calculating each Open Offer Entitlement and will be aggregated and made available to Qualifying Shareholders under the excess application facility. Accordingly, Qualifying Shareholders holding fewer than 100 Existing Ordinary Shares will have no Open Offer Entitlement under the Open Offer. Shareholders with a nil Open Offer Entitlement will however be able to apply for excess under the Open Offer and these applications will be satisfied to the extent that Open Offer Shares have not otherwise been subscribed for by Qualifying Shareholders.

Qualifying Shareholders may apply for their full Open Offer Entitlement under the Open Offer. Excess applications are subject to the maximum number of Open Offer Shares being offered under the Open Offer and will be scaled down pro rata to the number of excess Open Offer Shares applied for, or otherwise at the absolute discretion of the Company. Any monies paid in excess of the amount due will be returned without interest by crossed cheque in favour of the applicant at his risk.

Qualifying Shareholders who wish to participate in the Open Offer may, if they wish, apply for fewer shares than their full Open Offer Entitlement under the Open Offer. There is no maximum subscription, but excess applications may be scaled down as explained above. Not all Shareholders will be Qualifying Shareholders. Shareholders who have a registered address, or that are located, in the United States, or who have a registered address, or that are located, in or, who are citizens or residents, of a Restricted Jurisdiction (regardless of the number of Existing Ordinary Shares that they hold) will not qualify to participate in the Open Offer.

Applicants are encouraged to submit their Application Forms early. In the event that applications are received for an amount in excess of a Shareholders' maximum entitlement under the Open Offer, the Directors reserve the right to exercise their discretion in the allocation of successful applications. The right is also reserved to reject in whole or in part any application or any part thereof for any reason whatsoever, including (without limitation) a breach of any of the terms, conditions, representations and/or warranties set out in this document and/or the Application Form and to treat as valid any application not in all respects completed in accordance with the instructions relating to the Application Form.

The attention of Overseas Shareholders is drawn to section 4 ("Overseas Shareholders") of this Part II. Holdings of Existing Ordinary Shares in certificated and uncertificated form will be treated as separate holdings for the purpose of calculating entitlements under the Open Offer as will holdings under different designations and in different accounts. The Open Offer is not a 'rights issue'. Invitations to apply under the Open Offer are not transferable unless to satisfy bona fide market claims and the Application Form is not a document of title and cannot be traded. Qualifying Shareholders should be aware that, in the Open Offer, unlike in the case of a rights issue, any Open Offer Shares not applied for under the Open Offer will not be sold in the market or placed for the benefit of Qualifying Shareholders.

No temporary documents of title will be issued. Definitive certificates in respect of Open Offer Shares are expected to be posted to those Qualifying Shareholders who have validly elected to hold their Open Offer Shares in certificated form by within 14 days of the Closing Date. In respect of those Qualifying Shareholders who have validly elected to hold their Open Offer Shares in uncertificated form, the Open Offer Shares are expected to be credited to their stock accounts maintained in CREST at 08:00 on 5 April 2016. The attention of Shareholders who wish to receive their Open Offer Shares in uncertificated form pursuant to the Open Offer is drawn to paragraph 2 below.

The Open Offer is inter alia conditional on a minimum of 300,000 being raised pursuant to the Open Offer. The Open Offer will proceed if the Conditions of the Open Offer are met.

The Open Offer will close at 11:00 a.m. in Dublin on 1 April 2016 or such later date as the Company may decide being not later than 08.00 a.m. on 08 April 2016. The Open Offer is not being underwritten. The Application Form and accompanying procedure for application sets out, in detail, how Qualifying Shareholders may participate under the Open Offer. Applications must be made on the terms and conditions set out in this Part II of this document and in the Application Form and by duly completing and returning the Application Form and appropriate remittance.

Any Qualifying Shareholder who has sold or transferred all or part of his/her registered holding(s) of Existing Ordinary Shares prior to 08.00 a.m. on 11th March 2016, is advised to consult his or her stockbroker, bank or other agent through or to whom the sale or transfer was effected as soon as possible, since the invitation to subscribe for Open Offer Shares under the Open Offer may be a benefit which may be claimed from him/her by purchasers. Further details of the procedure for application and payment are set out in paragraph 2 below.

The Open Offer Shares will be allotted and issued fully paid and will, on issue, rank pari passu with the Existing Ordinary Shares , including the right to receive, in full, all dividends and other distributions thereafter declared, made or paid after the date of issue together with all rights attaching to them and free from all liens, charges and encumbrances of any kind.



2. Procedure for application and payment under the Open Offer

2.1 If you have an Application Form in respect of your entitlement under the Open Offer

(a) General

Each Application Form shows the number of Ordinary Shares registered in the relevant Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholder's name on the Record Date, and the Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholder's Open Offer Entitlement (the number of Open Offer Shares for which such Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholder is entitled to apply under the Open Offer, calculated on the basis set out in paragraph 1 above. The Application Form incorporates further terms of the Open Offer. Valid applications for the relevant Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholder's Open Offer Entitlement will be accepted in full. In the case of applications in excess of the relevant Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholder's Open Offer Entitlement, applications will be satisfied to the extent that sufficient Qualifying Shareholders do not apply to take up their Open Offer Entitlement. If there is an oversubscription resulting from excess applications in respect of such excess, applications will be satisfied pro rata to the number of excess Open Offer Shares applied for.

(b) Bona Fide Market Claims

Applications for Open Offer Shares under the Open Offer may only be made on the Application Forms. Each Application Form is personal to the Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholder(s) named thereon and may not be assigned, transferred or split except to satisfy bona fide market claims.

The Application Form represents only a right to apply for Open Offer Shares. It is not a document of title and cannot be traded. A Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholder who has sold or transferred all or part of his holding of Existing Ordinary Shares prior to the Record Date should consult his broker or other professional adviser as soon as possible, as the invitation to acquire Open Offer Shares under the Open Offer may be a benefit which may be claimed by the transferee from his counterparty. Qualifying Shareholders who have sold all of their registered holding should, if the bona fide claim is to be settled outside CREST, complete Box 8 on the Application Form and immediately send it to the stockbroker, bank or other agent through whom the sale or transfer was effected for transmission to the purchaser or transferee.

If you have sold or transferred part of your registered holding of Existing Ordinary Shares prior to 08:00 a.m. on 11 March 2016, you should complete Box 8 on the Application Form and immediately send it to Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited, Heron House, Corrig Road, Sandyford Industrial Estate, Dublin 18, Ireland accompanied by a letter stating the number of Open Offer Shares to be included in each split Application Form.

If the bona fide claim is to be settled outside CREST, the beneficiary of the claim should follow the procedures set out in the accompanying Application Form. If the market claim is to be settled in CREST, the beneficiary of the claim should follow the procedures set out in the paragraph headed 'Market Claims' in paragraph 2.2 (b).

(c) Application Procedures

Any Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholder who wishes to apply for any of their Open Offer Entitlement, or an amount in excess of their Open Offer Entitlement, must complete the Application Form in accordance with the instructions printed thereon and return it by post or by hand (during normal business hours only) to Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited, Heron House, Corrig Road, Sandyford Industrial Estate, Dublin 18, Ireland with a cheque or bankers' draft for the full amount payable on application so as to arrive as soon as possible and in any event no later than 11:00 a.m. on 1 April 2016, at which time the Open Offer will close. Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholders may apply for Open Offer Shares in excess of their Open Offer Entitlements by completing Box 5 and Box 6 on the Application Form indicating the number of Open Offer Shares for which they may wish to make application (including their Open Offer Entitlements) and submitting the amount payable on such application.

Any Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholder who does not wish to apply for any of the Open Offer Shares to which he/she is entitled should not return a completed Application Form to the Receiving Agent.

Applications made under the Open Offer will not be acknowledged and receipts will not be issued for amounts paid on application. The Company reserves the right to treat any application not strictly complying with the terms and conditions of application as nevertheless valid. If you post your Application Form within Ireland you are recommended to allow at least two Business Days for delivery (or, within the United Kingdom to use first class post and you may need to allow a longer time for delivery). In the event of industrial action by postal workers, you should consider allowing a longer period of time for your application to be delivered. Applications may only be made on the accompanying Application Form, which is personal to the Qualifying non-CREST Shareholder's named therein and may not be transferred or split except in the circumstances described above.

(d) Payments

All Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholders, irrespective of their registered address must make payment in Sterling or Euro. The price per Open Offer Share is 0.27 (0.35). Payments made in Sterling and Euro must be made by cheque or bankers' drafts drawn on a bank or building society or branch of a bank or building society in Ireland or the UK or the Channel Islands which is either a settlement member of the Cheque and Credit Clearing Company Limited or the CHAPS Clearing Company Limited or a member of either of the Committees of the Irish or Scottish or Belfast Clearing Houses or which has arranged for its cheques and bankers' drafts to be cleared through the facilities provided by any of those companies or committees and must bear the appropriate sort code in the top right hand corner.

All cheques and bankers' drafts in Sterling and Euro must be made payable to 'CIS (Ireland) Ltd - re USOG Open Offer 2016' and crossed 'A/C Payee only'.

The Company reserves the right to have cheques and bankers' drafts presented for payment on receipt and to instruct Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited to seek special clearance of cheques to allow the Company to obtain value for remittances at the earliest opportunity. Any person returning an Application Form with a remittance in the form of a cheque warrants that the cheque will be honoured on first presentation. The Company may elect at its sole discretion to treat as invalid any acceptance in respect of which remittance is notified to it as not having been so honoured. If cheques or bankers' drafts are presented before the Conditions of the Open Offer are fulfilled, the application monies will be held in a separate interest bearing account, with any interest being retained for the benefit of the Company, until all conditions are met. If the Conditions of the Open Offer are not fulfilled by 11:00 a.m. on 8 April 2016 at the latest, the Open Offer will lapse and application monies will be returned, without interest, by crossed cheque in favour of the applicant(s) through the post at his/her/their own risk as soon as practicable after the lapse of the Open Offer.

All enquiries in connection with the procedure for application and completion of the Application Form should be referred to Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited, which is acting as receiving agent and paying agent in respect of the Open Offer. The Computershare Shareholder helpline is available on 01 447 5566 if you are a Shareholder resident in Ireland, or if you are a Shareholder resident in the UK or an Overseas Shareholder, on +353 1 447 5566 from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. on Monday to Friday (excluding holidays). Please note that Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited cannot provide advice on the merits of the Open Offer or give any financial or tax advice. For Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholders who have applied using an Application Form, definitive share certificates in respect of the Open Offer Shares are expected to be despatched within 14 days of the Closing Date. Pending despatch of the definitive share certificates, transfers of Open Offer Shares will be certified against the register. All documents or remittances sent by or to applicants, or as they may direct, will be sent through the post at their own risk. The Open Offer Shares will be issued in dematerialised or registered form as required by individual Shareholders on the Application Form.

(e) Incorrect sums

If an Application Form encloses a payment for an incorrect sum, the Company, through the Receiving Agent, reserves the right:

(i) to reject the application in full and return the cheque or bankers' draft or refund the payment to the Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholder in question; or

(ii) in the case that an insufficient sum is paid, to treat the application as a valid application for such lesser whole number of Open Offer Shares as would be able to be applied for with that payment at the Open Offer Price, refunding any unutilised sum to the Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholder in question, save that any sums of less than 10.00 will be retained for the benefit of the Company; or (iii) in the case that an excess sum is paid, to treat the application as a valid application for all of the Open Offer Shares referred to in the Application Form, refunding any unutilised sums to the Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholder in question, save that any sums of less than 10.00 will be retained for the benefit of the Company.

(f) Effect of valid application

A Qualifying non-CREST Shareholder by completing and delivering the Application Form will thereby:

a) request that the Open Offer Shares to which he will become entitled be issued to him on the terms set out in this Circular, subject to the memorandum and articles of association of the Company;

b) agree that all applications and contracts resulting therefrom under the Open Offer shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of Ireland and that such applicant submits to the jurisdiction of the Irish Courts and agrees that nothing shall limit the right of the Company to bring any action, suit or proceedings arising out of or in connection with any such applications, acceptances of applications and contracts in any other manner permitted by law or in any court of competent jurisdiction;

c) represent and warrant that he is not, nor is he applying on behalf of, or for the account or benefit of, a Shareholder who has a registered address, or is located, in the United States, or who has a registered address, or is located, in or, who is a citizen or resident, of any of the Restricted Jurisdictions and he is not applying with a view to reoffering, re-selling, transferring or delivering any of the Open Offer Shares which are the subject of his application to, or for the benefit of, a Shareholder who has a registered address, or is located, in the United States, or who has a registered address, or is located, in or, who is a citizen or resident, of any of the Restricted Jurisdictions;

d) confirm that in making such application he is not relying on any information or representation other than that contained in this Circular and, accordingly, he agrees that no person responsible solely or jointly for this Circular or any part of it or involved in the preparation of it, shall have any liability for such information or representation not contained in this Circular and further agree that having had the opportunity to read this Circular, he will be deemed to have had notice of all information contained in this Circular;

e) represent and warrant that he is the Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholder originally entitled to the Open Offer Entitlement or he has received such Open Offer Entitlement by virtue of a bona fide market claim;

f) represents and warrants that, if such applicant signs an Application Form on behalf of somebody else, such applicant has due authority to do so on behalf of that other person and such person will also be bound accordingly and will be deemed also to have given the confirmations, warranties and undertakings contained herein and undertake to enclose such applicant's power of attorney or a copy thereof duly certified by a solicitor with the Application Form;

g) confirms, represents and warrants that such applicant is not under the age of 18;

and

h) agrees that any monies returnable to such applicant may be retained by Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited pending clearance of such applicant's remittance and the completion of any verification of identity required by The Irish Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010 (as amended) or the UK Money Laundering Regulations 2007 and/or any amendment, modification, and/or re-enactment of the same and that such monies will not bear interest.

2.2 If you have Open Offer Entitlements and Excess CREST Entitlements credited to your stock account in CREST in respect of your entitlement under the Open Offer

(a) General

Each Qualifying CREST Shareholder will receive a credit to his stock account in CREST of his Open Offer Entitlement equal to the maximum number of Open Offer Shares for which he is entitled to apply under the Open Offer.

The CREST stock account to be credited will be an account under the participant ID and member account ID that apply to the Existing Ordinary Shares held on the Record Date by the Qualifying CREST Shareholder in respect of which the Open Offer Entitlements have been allocated. If for any reason the Open Offer Entitlements cannot be admitted to CREST, or the stock accounts of Qualifying CREST Shareholders cannot be credited, by 14th March 2016 or such later time as the Company may decide, an Application Form will be sent to each Qualifying CREST Shareholder in substitution for the Open Offer Entitlements to be credited to his stock account in CREST. In these circumstances, the expected timetable as set out in this Circular will be adjusted as appropriate and the provisions of this Circular applicable to Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholders with Application Forms will apply to Qualifying CREST Shareholders who receive Application Forms.

Qualifying CREST Shareholders who wish to apply for any of their Open Offer Entitlement to Open Offer Shares should refer to the CREST manual for further information on the CREST procedures referred to below. Should you need advice with regard to these procedures, please contact the Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited.

The Shareholder helpline is 01 447 5566 if you are a Shareholder resident in Ireland or, if you are a Shareholder resident in the UK or an Overseas Shareholder, on +353 (0)1 447 5566 from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. on Monday to Friday (excluding holidays). Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited cannot provide advice on the merits of the Open Offer or give any financial or tax advice. If you are a CREST sponsored member you should consult your CREST sponsor if you wish to apply for your Open Offer Entitlement to Open Offer Shares as only your CREST sponsor will be able to take the necessary action to make this application in CREST.

(b) Market Claims

The Open Offer Entitlements will constitute a separate security for the purposes of CREST. Although Open Offer Entitlements will be admitted to CREST and be enabled for settlement, applications in respect of Open Offer Entitlements may only be made by the Qualifying CREST Shareholder originally entitled or by virtue of a bona fide claim transaction. Transactions identified by the CREST Claims Processing Unit as 'cum' the Open Offer Entitlement will generate an appropriate market claim transaction and the relevant Open Offer Entitlement(s) will thereafter be transferred accordingly.

(c) USE Instructions

Qualifying CREST Shareholders who wish to apply for Open Offer Shares in CREST must send (or, if they are CREST sponsored members, procure that their CREST sponsor sends) a USE instruction to Euroclear which, on its settlement, will have the following effect:

(i) the crediting of a stock account of Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited under the participant ID and member account ID specified below, with a number of Open Offer Entitlements corresponding to the number of Open Offer Shares applied for; and

(ii) the creation of a CREST payment, in accordance with the CREST payment arrangements in favour of the payment bank of Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited in respect of the amount specified in the USE instruction which must be the full amount payable on application for the number of Open Offer Shares referred to in (i) immediately above.

(d) Content of USE instructions in respect of Open Offer Entitlements.

The USE instruction must be properly authenticated in accordance with Euroclear's specifications and must contain, in addition to the other information that is required for settlement in CREST, the following details:

(i) the number of Open Offer Shares comprised in the relevant Open Offer Entitlement for which application is being made (and hence that part of the Open Offer Entitlement to Open Offer Shares being delivered to Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited);

(ii) the ISIN of the Open Offer Entitlement; this is IE00BYZ0F529;

(iii) the participant ID of the accepting CREST member;

(iv) the member account ID of the accepting CREST member from which the Open Offer

Entitlements are to be debited;

(v) the participant ID of Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited, in its capacity as CREST receiving agent: this is RA86;

(vi) the member account ID of Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited, in its capacity as CREST receiving agent: this is USOILGAS;

(vii) the amount payable (in Sterling or Euro only) by means of a CREST payment on settlement of the USE instruction; this must be the full amount payable on application for the number of Open Offer Shares referred to in (i) immediately above;

(viii) the intended settlement date; this must be on or before 11.00 a.m. on 1st April 2016; and

(ix) the Corporate Action Number for the Open Offer; this will be available by reviewing the relevant corporate action details in CREST.

In order for an application under the Open Offer by a Qualifying CREST Shareholder for all or part of his entitlement to Open Offer Shares to be valid, the USE instruction must comply with the requirements as to authentication and contents set out above and must settle on or before 11.00 a.m. on 1st April 2016.

In order to assist prompt settlement of the USE instruction CREST members (or their sponsors, where applicable) may consider adding the following non-mandatory fields to their USE instruction:

(i) contact name and telephone number (in the free format shared note field); and

(ii) a priority of at least 80.

Qualifying CREST Shareholders and, in the case of CREST sponsored members, their CREST sponsors, should note that the last time at which a USE instruction may settle is 11.00 a.m. on 1st April; 2016. In the event that the Open Offer does not become unconditional by 08.00 a.m. on 8th April 2016 at the latest the Open Offer will lapse, the Open Offer Entitlements admitted to CREST will be disabled and the Receiving Agent will refund the amount paid by a Qualifying CREST Shareholder by way of a CREST payment, without interest, as soon as reasonably practicable thereafter. Any interest earned on such monies will be retained for the benefit of the Company.

Open Offer Entitlements held in CREST are expected to be disabled in all respects after 11.00 a.m. on 1st April 2016 (the latest time and date for applications under the Open Offer). If the conditions to the Open Offer described above are satisfied, Open Offer Shares will be issued in uncertificated form to those persons who submitted a valid application for Open Offer Shares by utilising the CREST application procedures and whose applications have been accepted by the Company on the day on which such conditions are satisfied (expected to be 5th April 2016. On this day, Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited will instruct Euroclear to credit the appropriate stock accounts of such persons with such persons' entitlements to Open Offer Shares with effect from the 08.00 a.m. on 5th April 2016. The stock accounts to be credited will be accounts under the same participant IDs and member account IDs in respect of which the USE instruction was given.

Notwithstanding this or any other provision of this Circular or the Application Form, the Company reserves the right to send to a Qualifying CREST Shareholder an Application Form instead of crediting the relevant stock account with Open Offer Entitlements or to issue any Open Offer Shares in certificated form for any reason. In normal circumstances this right is only likely to be exercised in the event of any interruption, failure or breakdown of CREST (or any part of CREST) or the facilities and/or systems operated by Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited in connection with CREST. This right may be exercised if CREST member account details held by Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited on behalf of Shareholders are incorrect or if Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited is unable for any reason to credit the CREST member account.

(e) Depositing of Open Offer Entitlements into, and withdrawal from, CREST

A Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholder's entitlement under the Open Offer as shown by the number of Open Offer Entitlements set out in the Application Form may be deposited into CREST (either into the account of the Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholder named in the Application Form or into the name of a person entitled by virtue of a bona fide market claim). Similarly, Open Offer Entitlements held in CREST may be withdrawn from CREST so that the entitlement under the Open Offer is reflected in an Application Form. Normal CREST procedures (including timings) apply in relation to any such deposit or withdrawal, subject (in the case of a deposit into CREST) as set out in the Application Form.

A holder of an Application Form who is proposing to deposit the entitlement set out in such form is recommended to ensure that the deposit procedures are implemented in sufficient time to enable the person holding or acquiring the Open Offer Entitlements following their deposit into CREST to take all necessary steps in connection with taking up the entitlement prior to 3.00 p.m. on the 30th March 2016.

In particular, having regard to normal processing times in CREST and on the part of Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited, the recommended latest time for depositing an Application Form with the CREST Courier and Sorting Service, where the person entitled wishes to hold the entitlement under the Open Offer set out in such Application Form as Open Offer Entitlements in CREST, is 3.00 p.m. on the 30th March 2016, and the recommended latest time for receipt by Euroclear of a dematerialised instruction requesting withdrawal of Open Offer Entitlements from CREST is 4.30 p.m. on 29th March 2016, in either case so as to enable the person acquiring or (as appropriate) holding the Open Offer Entitlements following the deposit or withdrawal (whether as shown in an Application Form or held in CREST) to take all necessary steps in connection with applying in respect of the Open Offer Entitlements prior to 11.00 a.m. on 1st April 2016.

Delivery of an Application Form with the CREST deposit form duly completed either in respect of a deposit into the account of the Qualifying Non-CREST Shareholder named in the Application Form or into the name of another person, shall constitute a representation and warranty to the Company and Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited by the relevant CREST member(s) that it/they is/are not in breach of the 'Shareholder Declarations' set out in the Application Form, and a declaration to the Company and Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited from the relevant CREST member(s) that it/they is/are not located, or does not/do not has/have a registered address, in the United States, or not located, or does not/do not has/have a registered address, in or, is/are not a citizen(s) or resident(s), of a Restricted Jurisdiction and, where such deposit is made by a beneficiary of a market claim, a representation and warranty that the relevant CREST member(s) is/are entitled to apply under the Open Offer by virtue of the bona fide claim.

(f) Validity of application

A USE instruction complying with the requirements as to authentication and contents set out above which settles by no later than 11.00 a.m. on 1st April 2016 will constitute a valid application under the Open Offer.

(g) CREST procedures and timings

Qualifying CREST Shareholders and (where applicable) their CREST sponsors should note that Euroclear does not make available special procedures, in CREST, for any particular corporate action. Normal system timings and limitations will therefore apply in relation to the input of a USE instruction and its settlement in connection with the Open Offer. It is the responsibility of the CREST member concerned to take (or, if the CREST member is a CREST sponsored member, to procure that his CREST sponsor takes) such action as shall be necessary to ensure that a valid application is made as stated above by 11.00 a.m. on 1st April 2016. In this connection, CREST members and (where applicable) their CREST sponsors are referred in particular to those sections of the CREST manual concerning practical limitations of the CREST system and timings.

(h) Incorrect sums

If a USE instruction includes a CREST payment for an incorrect sum, the Company through Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited reserves the right:

(i) to reject the application in full and refund the payment to the CREST member in question (with any interest retained for the benefit of the Company);

(ii) in the case that an insufficient sum is paid, to treat the application as a valid application for such lesser whole number of Open Offer Shares as would be able to be applied for with that payment at the Open Offer Price, refunding any unutilised sum to the CREST member in question, save that any sums of less than 10 will be retained for the benefit of the Company; or

(iii) in the case that an excess sum is paid, to treat the application as a valid application for all of the Open Offer Shares referred to in the USE instruction, refunding any unutilised sums to the CREST member in question, save that any sums of less than 10 will be retained for the benefit of the Company.

(i) Effect of valid application

A Qualifying CREST Shareholder who makes or is treated as making a valid application for his Open Offer Entitlement to Open Offer Shares in accordance with the procedures will thereby:

a. pay the amount payable on application in accordance with the above procedures by means of a CREST payment in accordance with the CREST payment arrangements (it being acknowledged that the payment to Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited in accordance with the CREST payment arrangements shall, to the extent of the payment, discharge in full the obligation of the CREST member to pay to the Company the amount payable on application);

b. request that the Open Offer Shares to which he will become entitled be issued to him on the terms set out in this Circular, subject to the memorandum and articles of association of the Company;

c. agree that all applications and contracts resulting therefrom under the Open Offer shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of Ireland and that such applicant submits to the jurisdiction of the Irish Courts and agrees that nothing shall limit the right of the Company to bring any action, suit or proceedings arising out of or in connection with any such applications, acceptances of applications and contracts in any other manner permitted by law or in any court of competent jurisdiction;

d. represent and warrant that he is not, nor is he applying on behalf of, or for the account or benefit of, a Shareholder who has a registered address, or is located, in the United States, or who has a registered address, or is located, in or, who is a citizen or resident, of any of the Restricted Jurisdictions and he is not applying with a view to reoffering, re-selling, transferring or delivering any of the Open Offer Shares which are the subject of his application to, or for the benefit of, a Shareholder who has a registered address, or is located, in the United States, or who has a registered address, or is located, in or, who is a citizen or resident, of any of the Restricted Jurisdictions;

e. confirm that in making such application he is not relying on any information or representation other than that contained in this Circular and, accordingly, he agrees that no person responsible solely or jointly for this Circular or any part of it or involved in the preparation of it, shall have any liability for such information or representation not contained in this Circular and further agree that having had the opportunity to read this Circular, he will be deemed to have had notice of all the information contained in this Circular;

f. represent and warrant that he is the Qualifying CREST Shareholder originally entitled to the Open Offer Entitlement or that he has received such Open Offer Entitlement by virtue of a bona fide claim;

g. represents and warrants that, if such applicant signs an Application Form on behalf of somebody else, such applicant has due authority to do so on behalf of that other person and such person will also be bound accordingly and will be deemed also to have given the confirmations, warranties and undertakings contained herein and undertake to enclose such applicant's power of attorney or a copy thereof duly certified by a solicitor with the Application Form;

h. confirms, represents and warrants that such applicant is not under the age of 18;

and

i. agrees that any monies returnable to such applicant may be retained by Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited pending clearance of such applicant's remittance and the completion of any verification of identity required by The Irish Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010 (as amended) or the UK Money Laundering Regulations 2007 and/or any amendment, modification, and/or re-enactment of the same and that such monies will not bear interest.

(j) Company's discretion as to rejection and validity of applications

The Company may in its sole discretion:

(i) treat as valid (and binding on the CREST member concerned) an application which does not comply in all respects with the requirements as to validity set out or referred to in Part II of this document;

(ii) accept an alternative properly authenticated dematerialised instruction from a CREST member or (where applicable) a CREST sponsor as constituting a valid application in substitution for or in addition to a USE instruction and subject to such further terms and conditions as the Company may determine;

(iii) treat a properly authenticated dematerialised instruction (in this sub-paragraph the 'first instruction') as not constituting a valid application if, at the time at which Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited receives a properly authenticated dematerialised instruction giving details of the first instruction or thereafter, either the Company or Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited has received actual notice from Euroclear of any of the matters specified in regulation 35(5)(a) of the CREST Regulations in relation to the first instruction. The matters include notice that any information contained in the first instruction was incorrect or notice of lack of authority to send the first instruction; and

(iv) accept an alternative instruction or notification from a CREST member or CREST sponsored member (or where applicable) a CREST sponsor, or extend the time for settlement of a USE instruction or any alternative instruction or notification, in the event that, for reasons or due to circumstances outside the control of any CREST member or CREST sponsored member (or where applicable) the CREST sponsor, the CREST member or CREST sponsored member is unable validly to apply for Open Offer Shares by means of the above procedures. In normal circumstances, this discretion is only likely to be exercised in the event of any interruption, failure or breakdown of CREST (or any part of CREST) or on the part of the facilities and/or systems operated by Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited in connection with CREST.

(k) Excess applications

Qualifying CREST Shareholders may apply for Open Offer Shares in excess of the Open Offer Entitlement to Open Offer Shares. Applications for Open Offer Shares in excess of a Qualifying CREST Shareholder's Open Offer Entitlement will be satisfied to the extent that corresponding applications by other Qualifying Shareholders are not made. If there is an oversubscription resulting from excess applications, allocations in respect of such excess applications will be made pro rata to the number of excess Open Offer Shares applied for, or otherwise at the absolute discretion of the Company. A Qualifying CREST Shareholder should not make an excess application unless such relevant Qualifying CREST Shareholder has applied for his New Ordinary Shares pursuant to his Open Offer Entitlements in full.

The CREST accounts of Qualifying CREST Shareholders are being credited with Excess CREST Open Offer Entitlements in order for any applications for excess New Ordinary Shares to be settled through CREST and the credit of such Excess CREST Open Offer Entitlements does not in any way give a Shareholder a right to the New Ordinary Shares attributable to the Excess CREST Open Offer Entitlements as the Excess CREST Open Offer Entitlements are subject to scaling back in accordance with the terms of this Circular.

Excess CREST Open Offer Entitlements may not be sold or otherwise transferred. However, should a CREST member become entitled to Open Offer Entitlements by virtue of a bona fide market claim, in circumstances where the CREST member was not otherwise a Qualifying CREST Shareholder and therefore does not already have Excess CREST Open Offer Entitlements credited to his CREST account, such CREST member may apply to Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited for the credit to his CREST account of Excess CREST Open Offer Entitlements and thereby apply for further New Ordinary Shares pursuant to the Excess Application Facility. Such requests should be made no later than 3.00 p.m. on the 30th March 2016.



Subject as provided in paragraph 4 of this Part II in relation to certain Overseas Shareholders, each Qualifying CREST Shareholder will receive a credit to his stock account in CREST of excess CREST Open Offer Entitlements on a 20 for 1 basis based on the record date holding. To apply for excess New Ordinary Shares pursuant to the Open Offer, Qualifying CREST Shareholders should follow the instructions below and must not return a paper form or a cheque.

The provisions of paragraphs 2.2(b) to 2.2(c) above, paragraphs 2.2(e) to 2.2(j) above and paragraphs 2.2(l) to 2.2 (m) below apply mutatis mutandis to applications in respect of Excess Open Offer Entitlements, save that: (i) where the context permits references to 'Open Offer Entitlements' shall be deemed to be references to Excess CREST Open Offer Entitlements; and (ii) should a transaction be identified by the CREST Claims Processing Unit as 'cum' the Open Offer Entitlements and the relevant Open Offer Entitlement(s) be transferred, the Excess CREST Open Offer Entitlements will not transfer with the Open Offer Entitlement(s). Should a Qualifying CREST Shareholder cease to hold all of its Existing Ordinary Shares as a result of one or more bona fide market claims, the Excess CREST Open Offer Entitlements admitted to CREST and allocated to the relevant Qualifying Shareholder will be disabled. Please note that an additional USE Instruction must be sent in respect of the Excess CREST Open Offer Entitlements.

Should the Open Offer become unconditional and applications for New Ordinary Shares under the Open Offer exceed 10,744,663 New Ordinary Shares resulting in a scale back of applications, each Qualifying CREST Shareholder who has made a valid application pursuant to Excess CREST Open Offer Entitlements under the Excess Application Facility and from whom payment in full for the excess New Ordinary Shares has been received, will receive a Sterling or Euro amount (whichever is applicable) equal to the number of New Ordinary Shares validly applied and paid for but which are not allocated to the relevant Qualifying CREST Shareholder multiplied by the Open Offer Issue Price. Monies will be returned as soon as reasonably practicable following the completion of the scale back, without payment of interest and at the applicant's sole risk.

Fractions of New Ordinary Shares will not be issued under the Excess Application Facility and fractions of New Ordinary Shares will be rounded down to the nearest whole number.

All enquiries in connection with the procedure for excess applications should be referred to Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited. The Computershare Shareholder helpline is available on 01 447 5566 if you are a Shareholder resident in Ireland, on +353 (0)1 447 5566 if you are a Shareholder resident in the UK or an Overseas Shareholder, from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. on Monday to Friday (excluding holidays). Please note that Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited cannot provide advice on the merits of the Open Offer or give any financial or tax advice.



(l) Content of USE instructions in respect of Excess CREST Open Offer Entitlements

The USE instruction must be properly authenticated in accordance with Euroclear's specifications and must contain, in addition to the other information that is required for settlement in CREST, the following details:

(i) the number of Open Offer Shares comprised in the relevant Open Offer Entitlement for which application is being made (and hence the number of the Excess CREST Open Offer Entitlement(s) being delivered to Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited);

(ii) the ISIN of the Excess CREST Open Offer Entitlements; this is IE00BYZ0FB88;

(iii) the participant ID of the accepting CREST member;

(iv) the member account ID of the accepting CREST member from which the Open Offer Entitlements are to be debited;

(v) the participant ID of Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited, in its capacity as CREST receiving agent: this is RA86;

(vi) the member account ID of Computershare Investor Services (Ireland) Limited, in its capacity as CREST receiving agent: this is RA86;

(vii) the amount payable (in Sterling only) by means of a CREST payment on settlement of the USE instruction; this must be the full amount payable on application for the number of Open Offer Shares referred to in (i) immediately above;

(viii) the intended settlement date; this must be on or before 11.00 a.m. on the 1st of April 2016; and

(ix) the Corporate Action Number for the Excess Open Offer; this will be available by reviewing the relevant corporate action details in CREST.

In order for an application under the Open Offer by a Qualifying CREST Shareholder for all or part of his entitlement to Open Offer Shares to be valid, the USE instruction must comply with the requirements as to authentication and contents set out above and must settle on or before 11.00 a.m. on the 1st of April 2016.

In order to assist prompt settlement of the USE instruction CREST members (or their sponsors, where applicable) may consider adding the following non-mandatory fields to their USE instruction:

(i) contact name and telephone number (in the free format shared note field); and

(ii) a priority of at least 80.

Qualifying CREST Shareholders and, in the case of CREST sponsored members, their CREST sponsors, should note that the last time at which a USE instruction may settle is 11.00 a.m. on the 1st of April 2016. Please note that automated CREST generated claims and buyer protection will not be offered on the Excess CREST Open Offer Entitlement security.



(m) Lapse of the Open Offer

If the conditions of the Open Offer are not fulfilled by 08.00 a.m. on 8 April 2016 at the latest, the Open Offer will lapse, the Open Offer Entitlements and Excess CREST Open Offer Entitlements admitted to CREST will be disabled and the Registrar will refund the amount paid by a Qualifying CREST Shareholder by way of a CREST payment, without interest, as soon as reasonably practicable thereafter. The interest earned on such monies, if any, will be retained for the benefit of the Company.

3. Anti-Money Laundering Legislation

It is a term of the Open Offer that, to ensure compliance with Anti-Money Laundering Legislation, the Company and/or the Registrar, may require verification of the identity of the person by whom or on whose behalf a Application Form is lodged with payment (which requirements are referred to below as the "verification of identity requirements"). The person(s) (the "acceptor") who, by lodging a Application Form with payment, as described above, accept(s) the allotment of the Open Offer Shares (the "relevant Open Offer Shares") comprised in such Application Form (being the provisional allottee or, in the case of renunciation, the person named in such Application Form) shall thereby be deemed to agree to provide the Registrars and/or the Company with such information and other evidence as they or either of them may require to satisfy the verification of identity requirements and agree for the Registrar to make a search via a credit reference agency where deemed necessary (a record of the search results will be retained).

If the Registrar determines that the verification of identity requirements apply to an acceptance of an allotment and the verification of identity requirements have not been satisfied (which the Registrar shall in its absolute discretion determine) by 1st April 2016, U.S Oil and Gas may, in its absolute discretion, and without prejudice to any other rights of the Company, treat the acceptance as invalid or may confirm the allotment of the relevant Open Offer Shares to the acceptor but (notwithstanding any other term of the Open Offer) such Open Offer Shares will not be issued to him or her or registered in his or her name until the verification of identity requirements have been satisfied (which the Registrar shall in its absolute discretion determine). If the acceptance is not treated as invalid and the verification of identity requirements are not satisfied within such period, being not less than seven days after a request for evidence of identity is dispatched to the acceptor, as U.S. Oil and Gas may in its absolute discretion allow, U.S. Oil and Gas will be entitled to make arrangements (in its absolute discretion as to manner, timing and terms) to place the relevant Open Offer Shares (and for that purpose U.S. Oil and Gas will be expressly authorised to act as agent of the acceptor). Any proceeds of sale (before expenses) of the relevant Open Offer Shares which shall be issued to and registered in the name of the purchaser(s) or an amount equivalent to the original payment, whichever is the lower, will be held by U.S Oil and Gas in trust for the acceptor, subject to the requirements of the Anti-Money Laundering Legislation. The Registrar is entitled in its absolute discretion to determine whether the verification of identity requirements apply to any acceptor and whether such requirements have been satisfied. Neither the Company nor the Registrars will be liable to any person for any loss suffered or incurred as a result of the exercise of any such discretion or as a result of any sale of relevant Open Offer Shares.

Return of an Application Form with the appropriate remittance will constitute a warranty from the acceptor that the Anti-Money Laundering Legislation will not be breached by acceptance of such remittance. If the verification of identity requirements apply, failure to provide the necessary evidence of identity may result in your acceptance being treated as invalid or in delays in the dispatch of a receipted fully paid Application Form or a share certificate.

The verification of identity requirements will not usually apply:

(i) if the acceptor is an organisation not required to comply with Anti-Money Laundering Legislation; or

(ii) if the acceptor is a regulated Irish broker or intermediary acting as agent and is itself subject to the Anti-Money Laundering Legislation; or

(iii) if the acceptor (not being an acceptor who delivers his or her acceptance in person) makes payment by way of a cheque drawn on an account in the name of such acceptor; or

(iv) if the aggregate subscription price for the relevant shares is less than 15,000.



Where the verification of identity requirements apply, please note the following as this will assist in satisfying the requirements. Satisfaction of the verification of identity requirements may be facilitated in the following ways:

(i) if payment is made by cheque or banker's draft in Sterling or Euro drawn on a licensed bank, building society or credit institution or branch of a licensed bank, building society or credit institution and bearing a bank sort code number in the top right-hand corner, the following applies:

Cheques should be made payable to CIS (Ireland) Ltd - re USOG Open Offer 2016 and crossed "A/C payee only".

Third-party cheques may not be accepted with the exception of building society cheques or banker's drafts where the building society or bank has confirmed the name of the account holder by stamping or endorsing the building society cheque/ banker's draft to such effect. The account name should be the same as that shown on the application; or

(ii) if the Application Form is lodged with payment by an agent which is an organisation of the kind referred to in (i) above or which is subject to anti money-laundering regulation in a country which is a member of the Financial Action Task Force (the non-European Union members of which are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States of America and, by virtue of their membership of the Gulf Co-operation Council, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE), the agent should provide written confirmation with the Application Form that it has that status and a written assurance that it has obtained and recorded evidence of the identity of the persons for whom it acts and that it will on demand make such evidence available to the Registrar or the relevant authority; or

(iii) if an Application Form is lodged by hand by the acceptor in person, he/she should ensure that he/she has with him or her evidence of identity bearing his or her photograph (for example, his or her passport) and evidence of his or her address. In order to confirm the acceptability of any written assurance referred to above or any other case, the acceptor should contact the Registrar.



4. Overseas Shareholders

The distribution of this Circular and the making of the Open Offer to persons located or resident in, or who are citizens of, or who have a registered address in, countries other than Ireland or the United Kingdom may be restricted by the law or regulatory requirements of the relevant jurisdiction. Any failure to comply with such restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of the relevant jurisdiction. Any Shareholder who is in any doubt as to his or her position should consult an appropriate professional adviser without delay.

In particular, the Open Offer Shares have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act, or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, and, subject to certain exceptions, may not be offered or sold in the United States. Accordingly, the Company is not extending the Open Offer into the United States and the Open Offer Shares and entitlements thereto are only being offered and sold outside the United States in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act.

Receipt of this Circular and/or the Application Form will not constitute an invitation to subscribe for Open Offer Shares in those jurisdictions in which it would be illegal to make such an invitation or any related offer and/or acceptance and, in those circumstances, this Circular and/or the Application Form will be sent for information only and should not be copied or redistributed. No person receiving a copy of this Circular and/or the Application Form in any territory other than Ireland or the United Kingdom may treat the same as constituting an invitation or offer to him or her, or use the Application Form, unless in the relevant territory such an invitation or offer could lawfully be made to him/her and such an Application Form could lawfully be used, and any transaction resulting from such use could be effected, without contravention of any registration or other legal or regulatory requirements.

Accordingly, persons receiving a copy of this Circular and/or the Application Form should not, in connection with the Open Offer or otherwise, distribute or send the same to any person in, or citizen or resident of, or into any jurisdiction where to do so would or might contravene local securities laws or regulations. If a copy of this Circular and/or the Application Form is received by any person in any such territory, or by their agent or nominee in any such territory, he or she must not seek to apply for Open Offer Shares. Any person who does forward this Circular and/or the Application Form into any such territories (whether under a contractual or legal obligation or otherwise) should draw the recipient's attention to the contents of this paragraph 4.

Any person (including, without limitation, nominees and trustees) outside Ireland or the United Kingdom wishing to apply for Open Offer Shares must satisfy himself/herself as to full observance of the applicable laws of any relevant territory, including obtaining any requisite governmental or other consents, observing any other requisite formalities and paying any issue, transfer or other taxes due in such territories. The comments set out in this paragraph 4 are intended as a general guide only and any Qualifying Shareholder who is in any doubt as to his/her position should consult his/her appropriately authorised professional adviser without delay. The Company reserves the right to treat as invalid any application or purported application for Open Offer Shares which appears to the Company or its agents to have been executed, effected or despatched in a manner which may involve a breach of the laws or regulations of any jurisdiction or if the Company believes or its agents believe that the same may violate applicable legal or regulatory requirements or if it provides an address for delivery of share certificates for Open Offer Shares, or in the case of a credit of Open Offer Shares in CREST to a CREST Member whose registered address would be, in the United States or in a Restricted Jurisdiction.

The Company reserves the right to treat as invalid any Application Form that appears to the Company or its agents to have been executed in, or despatched from, the United States, or that provides an address in the United States for the receipt of New Ordinary Shares, or which does not make the warranties set out in the Application Form or where the Company believes acceptance of such Application Form may infringe applicable legal or regulatory requirements.

Due to restrictions under the securities laws of the Restricted Jurisdictions and subject to certain exemptions, Shareholders who have registered addresses in, or who are resident or ordinarily resident in, or citizens of, any Restricted Jurisdiction will not qualify to participate in the Open Offer and will not be sent an Application Form nor will their stock accounts in CREST be credited with Open Offer Entitlements.

The New Ordinary Shares have not been and will not be registered under the relevant laws of any Restricted Jurisdiction or any state, province or territory thereof and may not be offered, sold, resold, delivered or distributed, directly or indirectly, in or into any Restricted Jurisdiction or to, or for the account or benefit of, any person with a registered address in, or who is resident or ordinarily resident in, or a citizen of, any Restricted Jurisdiction, except pursuant to an applicable exemption.

Qualifying Shareholders in jurisdictions outside Ireland or the United Kingdom other than the United States or any of the Restricted Jurisdiction may, subject to the laws of their relevant jurisdiction, take up Open Offer Shares in accordance with the instructions set out in this Circular and the Application Form. Such Qualifying Shareholders who have registered addresses in, or who are resident in, or who are citizens of, countries other than Ireland or the United Kingdom should, however, consult their appropriate professional advisers as to whether they require any governmental or other consents or need to observe any other formalities to enable them to take up their Open Offer Shares. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Circular or the Application Form, the Company reserves the right to permit any Qualifying Shareholder to apply for Open Offer Shares if the Company, in its sole and absolute discretion, is satisfied at any time prior to 11.00 a.m. on 1st April 2016 that the transaction in question is exempt from, or not subject to, the legislation or regulations giving rise to the restrictions in question. If you are in any doubt as to your eligibility to take up Open Offer Shares, you should contact an appropriate professional adviser immediately.

5. Open Offer Consideration

The total consideration raised from the Open Offer shall not exceed 2,901,059 (before expenses) and the Ordinary Shares issued shall not exceed 10,744,663 New Ordinary Shares , and (if necessary) the number of Open Offer Shares that may be issued shall be scaled back by the Directors.

6. Governing law

The terms and conditions of the Open Offer as set out in Part II of this Circular and the Application Form shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, Irish law. The Courts of Ireland are to have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute which may arise out of or in connection with the Open Offer, this Circular and the Application Form. By taking up Open Offer Shares in accordance with the instructions set out in this Circular and the Application Form, Qualifying Shareholders irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of Ireland and waive any objection to proceedings in any such court on the ground of venue or on the ground that proceedings have been brought in an inconvenient forum.

7. Times and dates

The times and dates set out in the expected timetable of principal events at the beginning of this document are indicative only and may be adjusted by agreement between the Company and its advisors, in which event details of the new times and dates will be notified to a Regulatory Information Service and, where appropriate, to Qualifying Shareholders.

8. Revocation of the Offer

Up until the Closing Date, the Open Offer can be revoked or suspended by the Company. Revocation cannot occur after the Closing Date . In the event of a revocation the Company will notify a Regulatory Information Service and, where appropriate, Qualifying Shareholders.

9. Results of the Open Offer

The results of the Open Offer will be announced via a Regulatory Information Service two business days after the Closing Date. This announcement will include a statement of the extent to which excess applications, if made, will be or have been satisfied.
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Japanese yen dropped against its key counterparts in early European deals on Friday. The yen slipped to more than 3-week low of 126.96 versus the euro, off its previous high of 126.06. The yen dropped to 113.88 against the greenback, 162.44 against the pound and 115.46 against the franc, from its early highs of 113.14, 161.53 and 114.85, respectively. The yen that ended Thursday's trading at 84.77 against the loonie, 75.42 versus the kiwi and 84.33 against the aussie weakened to 85.86, 76.22 and 85.41, respectively. The yen is likely to find support around 115.00 against the greenback, 164.00 against the pound, 116.00 against the franc, 128.00 against the euro, 86.6 against the aussie, 77.00 against the kiwi and 87.00 against the loonie. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Leading Location Data Management Platform Continues Global Expansion

NEW YORK, March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Yext, the global leader in location data management, today announced highlights that demonstrate tremendous momentum heading into its new fiscal year. The company not only saw its revenue run rate eclipse $100 million to close out its fiscal year ended January 31, 2016, but also released two new mobile engagement products, expanded international operations, and grew to over 455 employees globally. Yext also proudly welcomed Google to its PowerListings Network, enabling companies of all sizes to manage and update their Google Search and Google Maps location data in real-time.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150223/177279LOGO

"Yext has achieved an incredible amount in the past year thanks to our dedicated team and loyal customers," said Howard Lerman, Yext Co-Founder and CEO. "Passing a $100 million revenue run rate and launching the Google integration solidify Yext as the clear market leader. We have set ambitious goals for the coming year and remain laser-focused on delivering our customers the best technology, integrations, and innovations in the industry."

Highlights of Yext's past year include:

Strong Financial and Employee Growth

Yext generated $88.8 million in revenue in fiscal year 2016, a 48% increase since fiscal year 2015, passing a $100 million revenue run rate entering fiscal year 2017.

in revenue in fiscal year 2016, a 48% increase since fiscal year 2015, passing a revenue run rate entering fiscal year 2017. Yext added several industry veterans to its executive team, including Salesforce veterans Jeff Rohrs as CMO and Marc Ferrentino as EVP of Strategy, as well as Jonathan Cherins as EVP of Small Business & Partner.

as CMO and as EVP of Strategy, as well as as EVP of Small Business & Partner. Yext also grew its staff by 38%, with a total headcount of over 455 employees heading into the new fiscal year.

Yext Adds Google to the PowerListings Network

Yext launched an integration with Google, which provides customers worldwide with more control over how their location information appears on the world's leading search engine and map provider.

Yext now has over 100 maps, apps, search engines, and directories worldwide in the Yext PowerListings Network, further solidifying its position as the largest and most comprehensive global listings network.

Mobile-First Innovation

Yext launched Xone', a revolutionary new mobile audience engagement product that leverages Bluetooth beacon technology to create unprecedented opportunities for marketers to engage their mobile customers both in-store and post-visit.

Yext also launched Screens, a new core functionality of its Pages product, that helps customers create location layers within their branded apps in order to better serve and attract mobile consumers.

Geographic Expansion

Yext expanded both domestically and internationally, opening operations in Chicago , Dallas , Germany , and the UK.

, , , and the UK. Yext also expanded its New York headquarters at 1 Madison, which now cover a full city block in the Flatiron District's historic clock tower building.

Impressive Growth in Network and Customer Base

Yext's platform now powers over 600,000 customer locations worldwide.

Yext launched and grew the Xone App Partner Network, which now includes 97 location-based apps.

Industry Recognition

Forbes' "Most Promising Companies" (2nd year in a row)

Fortune's "Great Places to Work" (2nd year in a row)

Inc. 500 List of fastest-growing private companies in America

Crain's NY Business' "Fastest Growing Companies"

Street Fight's Local Visionary Awards "Best Solution for Enterprise Brands" "Innovator of the Year"



About Yext

Yext is the global location data management leader whose mission is to help people go places. The awardwinning Yext Location Management Platform enables companies of all sizes to manage location data across their websites, mobile apps, internal systems, and the industry's largest ecosystem of maps, apps, social networks, directories, and search engines including Google, Apple, Facebook, and Bing. Our solutions enable the world's 50 million businesses to drive faceto-Aface and digital interactions that boost brand awareness, drive foot traffic, and increase sales.

Yext is based in the heart of New York City with over 455 employees worldwide operating in Chicago, Dallas, Washington D.C., Germany, and the UK. Yext has been recognized as one of America's fastest growing companies by the Inc. 500 (#212 in 2015), one of Forbes' Most Promising Companies (2014 & 2015) and one of Fortune's Best Places to Work (2014 & 2015). Learn more about how we help people go places at www.yext.com.


MUNICH (dpa-AFX) - German commercial vehicles maker Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nurnberg or MAN SE (MAGOF.PK) reported Friday a decline in fiscal 2015 profit, reflecting weak sales revenues. Orders also declined from last year. Looking ahead to fiscal 2016, the company expects significantly higher operating profit and operating return on sales, while sales will be slightly lower than last year.



For fiscal 2015, profit attributable to shareholders declined to 140 million euros from 254 million euros last year. Earnings per share were 0.95 euro, compared to 1.73 euros a year ago.



The weak results mainly reflected the absence of prior year gain from discontinued operations. On a continuing operations basis, earnings per share were 1.02 euros, higher than last year's 0.88 euro.



Profit before tax also plunged to 95 million euros from 242 million euros last year. Operating profit fell to 92 million euros from last year's 384 million euros. Restructuring expenses and difficult market environment in Brazil weighed on operating profit, the company said.



Sales revenue declined 4 percent to 13.70 billion euros from 14.29 billion euros last year.



The Commercial Vehicles business area recorded sales revenue of 10 billion euros. MAN Truck & Bus generated year-on-year growth of 7 percent, with unit sales up by 8 percent to 79,222 vehicles. MAN Latin America's sales revenue declined and unit sales almost halved.



Order intake was also down 6 percent to 14.4 billion euros, with 4 percent drop in the Commercial Vehicles business area. MAN Truck & Bus received 9 percent more orders, while order intake at MAN Latin America declined by more than half. In the Power Engineering business area, order intake decreased 13 percent.



The company noted that the European commercial vehicles market recovered, while the situation in other regions, especially Brazil, and in the Power Engineering business area remains tense. Russia and Brazil continue to be of great concern.



For fiscal 2016, MAN SE expects unit sales in the Commercial Vehicles segment to be same as last year, while sales revenue will fall slightly short of the prior-year figure. Operating profit and operating return on sales on a reported as well as adjusted basis will be up significantly year-on-year.



In the Power Engineering business area, the company expects slightly higher order intake in 2016, while sales revenue will be noticeably lower than the previous year. Operating profit and operating return on sales will be significantly lower as strong competitive pressure will continue to weigh on the strained markets in 2016.



In Germany, MAN SE shares were trading at 94.25 euros, up 0.74 percent.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Treedom, the leading company exporter of Oud Oil from Thailand, stepped into a global perfume cosmetic market joining 48th Cosmoprof Worldwide at Bologna, Italy 18-21 March 2016, to reveal their potentiality to support world Oud Oil demand. With high quality and sufficient production capability, Treedom is confident to roar as high as they will.

Mr. Andrew Steel, the Treedom Group CEO mentioned about the 2016 mission, "For 2016, Treedom is putting on attention to Europe, America and Asia more than previous years. Treedom sales figures from year 2012 - 2015 shows that over 40% of the sales are from Europe compared to 60% of sales from the Middle East which is the biggest Oud Oil market. Treedom has supplied to various of the world's top 15 perfume houses with15% year on year growth sales. This sales trend is influenced by the fact that prestige designer perfume and cosmetic brands keep releasing more of exclusive range of Oud perfume such as Gucci Oud, Tom Ford Oud, Dior Leather Oud. Treedom sees potential in Europe market.

"In 2010, Treedom exhibited in Cosmoprof in Bologna, Italy and received positive signs as they had 230% increase in sales from (2012 2015) together with more proportion of European customers. This year, the Europe market attracted Treedom to again exhibit there at Cosmoprof Worldwide. Treedom competitive advantage is their capability which is derived from their quality control system as they have their own Agarwood plantations and distillery. In addition to that, the Oud Oil quality is certified by well-known international institute and CITES as well", added Andrew Steel.

"Cosmoprof is our choice this year as Italy is also another fashion hub and the center of world beauty industry, not to mentioned the main location of famous perfume houses as same as France. It is another well-known big exhibition held annually where cosmetics and perfumers from Europe join and meet to have business discussion as well as trend update on products and packaging development. Treedom anticipates to establish business partnership and increase distribution channels in Europe more extensively with a 50% increase in sales." added Andrew.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160311005198/en/

Contacts:

Treedom (Thailand) Ltd.

Sumolthip Puyngoen, +66-2259-6455 ext 305

sumolthip.p@treedom.com

www.treedom.com
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - British insurer Old Mutual plc (ODMTY, OML.L) Friday confirmed that Paul Hanratty, Chief Operating Officer, will step down from the Board on March 12. Hanratty will remain in post until May 31. During the balance of his notice period, which will expire on September 14, he will remain available to the Group providing advice to the Group Chief Executive and, until a successor is appointed, as Chairman of Old Mutual Emerging Markets. On September 15 last year, the company had announced Hanratty's departure from the firm. Hanratty has delivered exceptional contribution to the Group both in South Africa and in the UK over many years. He has dedicated over 30 years to Old Mutual both in South Africa and more recently at Group level. On February 26, Nedbank Group Limited, the majority-owned South African banking subsidiary of Old Mutual, announced that Hanratty would also cease to be a non-executive director of Nedbank Group and Nedbank Limited with effect from March 12. In London, Old Mutual shares were trading at 183.90 pence, down 0.76 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
PARIS, March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin is announced as the first "lifestyle partner" of Ferrari at the Geneva International Motor Show. The world renowned champagne House and prestige automobile company have renewed their partnership under this new status; a first in Maranello history. After a successful three years of celebrating both brands' legendary heritage in innovation and lifestyle, the new engagement will strengthen their communication and event activation platforms around the world. Veuve Clicquot will continue to support Ferrari in its international lifestyle events and will accompany Ferrari in its celebrations during their lifestyle events, Formula 1 races and new car launches.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160309/342187LOGO )

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160309/342908LOGO )



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"Veuve Clicquot is proud to continue our relationship with Ferrari now as the first lifestyle partner. We are looking forward to celebrating our mutual excellence in innovation and 'Art de Vivre' through events across the globe" - Jean-Marc Gallot, President & CEO Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin.

The new agreement will continue for the next three years, until the end of 2018.
BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - UTStarcom Holdings Corp. (UTSI), a global telecommunications infrastructure provider, reported a fourth-quarter net loss attributable to shareholders of $12.0 million, compared to net loss of $14.2 million, prior year. Net loss per share was $0.33, compared to a loss per share of $0.37. Non-GAAP net loss attributable to shareholders was $13.7 million, flat with prior year. Non-GAAP net loss per share was $0.37, compared to a loss of $0.36. Total revenues were $26.1 million, a decrease of 20.7% from $32.9 million, previous year. Total Non-GAAP revenues were $25.7 million, a decrease of 10.4% from $28.7 million. Looking forward, the company said, for the first quarter of 2016, it expects to generate non-GAAP revenue in the range of $15 million to $20 million. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
ZUG, Switzerland, March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The combined Hitachi Noblus and MedCom BiopSee systems will be showcased at the European Association of Urology (EAU) annual meeting in Munich, March 12th-14th, 2016, Booth E16.

MedCom GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany and Hitachi Medical Systems Europe, Zug, Switzerland, announce an agreement to distribute through Hitachi's subsidiaries sales network in Europe BiopSee, MedCom's fusion imaging system for stereotactic, navigated, targeted prostate biopsy & therapy guidance, for use in conjunction with Hitachi ultrasound systems. Hitachi will be the sole distributor of the BiopSee products in this territory for Hitachi's installed base and when bundled with Hitachi's products.

- Cross reference: Picture is available at AP Images (http://www.apimages.com) -

BiopSee fusion imaging station combines multi-parametric MRI with real-time ultrasound. It offers thereby exceptional precision in stereotactic and navigated interventions with intuitive workflow that can bring state-of-the-art technology to everyday urology practice. The BiopSee software supports 3D ultrasound image acquisition, rigid/elastic fusion with MRI, planning, navigation, reporting of interventional procedures, and interfaces to focal therapy devices. An electronically tracked stepper provides millimetric precision for a transperineal approach, while a magnetically tracked freehand probe can be used for navigated TRUS and abdominal procedures.

The combined forces of the MedCom BiopSee system, powered by urology's Gold Standard ultrasound from Hitachi, offer "the best of both worlds" to medical practitioners and patients alike: the superior quality of Hitachi's ultrasound with its wide variety of available transducers together with BiopSee's intuitive workflow, documentation and reporting, opening new possibilities for future patient management. 'I am excited at the potential of this partnership to bring new and innovative clinical solutions to our customers', said Mr. Chris Japp, President & CEO of Hitachi Medical Systems Europe.

The agreement allows Hitachi to respond rapidly to market needs providing flexible solutions for improved diagnostic and therapeutic image guidance in the field of prostate management.

Hitachi Medical Systems Europe are showcasing the combined Noblus and BiopSee systems at the 2016 European Association of Urology annual meeting in Munich, March 12th-14th, 2016, Booth # E16. In addition you can see & test both systems at the ESU/ESUT/ESUI Hands-on training in MRI Fusion, ICM building, Hall B0, level 0, Sunday, March 13th, 10.00-12.00 (HOT 29) and 14.00-16.00 (HOT 30).

About Hitachi Medical Systems Europe

Hitachi Medical Corporation is a globally acting enterprise, belonging to the Japanese Hitachi Ltd., a leading international electronics group with more than 320,000 employees worldwide. Hitachi Medical Corporation in Europe is represented by Hitachi Medical Systems Europe Holding AG, Zug, Switzerland. The company is a first choice supplier of open and powerful high-field MRI systems, multi-slice CT systems as well as medical ultrasound, endoscopic and topography systems (NIRS). Ultrasound expertise encompasses clinical applications such as radiology, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynaecology, cardiology, gastroenterology, urology and surgery. Hitachi Medical Systems Europe offers a complete range of solutions to address a wide range of medical challenges. For more information about Hitachi Medical Systems Europe Holding AG, please visit http://www.hitachi-medical-systems.eu.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, delivers innovations that answer society's challenges with our talented team and proven experience in global markets. The company is focusing more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes power & infrastructure systems, information & telecommunication systems, construction machinery, high functional materials & components, automotive systems, healthcare and others. For more information about Hitachi Ltd., please visit http://www.hitachi.com/.

About MedCom

MedCom was founded in 1997 and is specialized in the field of medical imaging. MedCom offers innovative and advanced imaging-based products with emphasis on interventional/surgical navigation and cancer treatment solutions (instrument navigation, brachytherapy, patient positioning & verification, virtual simulation). MedCom developed the first commercially released "fusion imaging" & navigation product for liver (2002) and prostate (2007). As an OEM/B2B company, MedCom is providing products for various global corporations offering integrated clinical solutions, as well as to high-end clinics in the research sector. For more information about MedCom GmbH, please visit http://www.medcom-online.de .

Contact information

Hitachi Medical Systems Europe Holding AG

Romea Wallnoefer

Sumpfstrasse 13

CH-6300 Zug

Phone: +41-41-748-63-33

E-mail: r.wallnoefer@hitachi-medical-systems.com


LONDON, March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Altamir (LTA) invests in and alongside European and global funds managed by private equity specialists, Apax Partners, whose approach is differentiated by sector specialisation - key in gaining insight and creating a wide network to facilitate transactions. Relatively concentrated company exposures demonstrate conviction in investment selections but the portfolio is well spread by sector and vintage. Altamir reported a 19.1% NAV increase in 2015 and has delivered NAV total returns ahead of the LPX Europe index over one, three, five and 10 years while the 10-year average valuation uplift on realisations of over 40% supports the contention that portfolio valuations are conservative. A wide discount to NAV and the 5.4% yield are further points for potential investors to consider.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130417/608168 )



Altamir's share price discount to NAV narrowed to less than 20% during 2014 but now stands at 44.6% despite the strong NAV performance in 2015. There may therefore be scope for a material narrowing on the back of more positive market sentiment or the announcement of further successful realisations. Altamir's current yield of 5.4% is one of the highest in its peer group.



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MADRID, March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Soft Tissue Sarcoma: Evidence and Experience, organised by PharmaMar, will bring together leading international experts in soft tissue sarcoma to analyse the latest advances in its treatment

The creation of a network of centres of reference and adopting measures that promote research and access to treatments are two key aspects for improving the prognosis of patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS), an uncommon type of cancer that originates in the tissues that connect, support and surround other body structures, such as muscles, fat, blood vessels, nerves, tendons and lining of the joints.

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This is one of the conclusions of the renowned international oncologists during the presentation of the Soft Tissue Sarcoma: Evidence and Experience seminar. This meeting, organised by PharmaMar, will bring leading world experts in this disease from, among other countries, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and the United States, to analyse the latest advances in its diagnosis and treatment.

"We are proud to lead this meeting, where the most influential oncologists in the world in sarcoma management share opinions, present new case reports, discuss the latest advances and the most effective treatments for these patients", explained Mr Luis Mora, General Manager of the PharmaMar Oncology Unit.

Incidence of sarcoma

According to figures quoted by Prof Jean-Yves Blay, Chair of the European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), STS represents less than 1% of adult cancers[i]. "There are more than 50 histological subtypes of soft tissue sarcoma. The most common are leiomyosarcoma and liposarcoma. In Europe, the incidence of this type of tumour in adults (not including gastrointestinal stromal tumour) is from 4 to 5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants[ii] and approximately half of the patients diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma have developed metastases or are expected to do so," said Prof Blay.

To prevent patients reaching the expert sarcoma team after having been operated on, measures are required to guarantee an appropriate diagnosis and treatment agreed upon by a multidisciplinary team. Dr Javier Martin Broto, Chair of the Spanish Sarcoma Research Group (GEIS), maintains that this coordination requires the creation of a network of centres of reference to guarantee that patients with suspected soft tissue sarcoma are diagnosed and treated by teams of experts in the disease. "Studies show that patients who are diagnosed and treated in a centre of reference specialising in soft tissue sarcoma survive for longer than those diagnosed and treated in a centre without such specialisation," he explained.

This is precisely one of the lines of research of the Spanish Sarcoma Research Group which, according to Dr Martin Broto, has been collaborating for years with the Ministry of Health for the recognition of sarcoma hospitals and CSUR (Centres, Services and Units of Reference) teams. In his opinion, "we are currently in the final phase and we expect these centres to be made official in the near future".

The Spanish Sarcoma Research Group was created in 1994 and has led 47 research projects that have included thousands of patients. In the last few years, it has sponsored a large number of international clinical trials and its protocols are used worldwide.

Advances in the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma

Professor George Demetri, Director of the Centre for Sarcoma and Bone Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston), presented the latest research projects related to the treatment of sarcoma, including the study conducted with trabectedin (Yondelis) in the United States, in which the compound was shown to reduce the risk of disease progression versus conventional treatment. Yondelis is developed and marketed by PharmaMar in Europe, while Janssen Products, L.P. has the rights to develop and sell Yondelis in the rest of the world except Japan, where PharmaMar has signed a licensing agreement with Taiho Pharmaceutical.

"Since Yondelis was first approved in Europe in 2007, approximately 50,000 patients in 80 countries have benefited from this therapy in all its indications," said Prof. Demetri, who explained that "advanced soft tissue sarcoma is a complex set of uncommon diseases that are virtually always life-threatening for patients with advanced stage disease. Patients need new treatment options that are more effective and well tolerated, and renewed hope has come with new drug approvals in the past decade based on sophisticated scientific research".

According to the data provided by this expert, the Phase 3 multicentre trial in the United States, Brazil and Australia is one of the largest conducted to date in sarcoma patients. This study showed a significant improvement in disease control (called "progression-free survival") with trabectedin versus dacarbazine in patients with advanced liposarcoma (LPS) or leiomyosarcoma (LMS) after failure of prior standard therapy with an anthracycline and at least one other chemotherapy.

All the experts present highlighted the importance of these advances in the treatment of sarcoma, a rapidly progressing form of cancer that requires new treatment options. "In soft tissue sarcoma, disease stabilisation is useful for evaluating the success of the treatment in advanced stage patients. The data from the latest clinical trials with Yondelis offer a more hopeful future for patients and a path forward for even more research to improve clinical outcomes," concluded Dr Demetri.

i.M. Leahy, et al. Chemotherapy treatment patterns and clinical outcomes in patients with metastatic soft tissue sarcoma. The SArcoma treatment and Burden of Illness in North America and Europe (SABINE) study. Ann Oncol published 6 April 2012, 10.1093/anno.

ii. The ESMO/European Sarcoma Network Working Group. Soft tissue and visceral sarcomas: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Annals of Oncology 25 (Supplement 3): iii102-iii112, 2014.

Contact: Paula Fernandez, Media Relations (+34-638-79-62-15) and Investor Relations (+34-914444500)
PUNE, India, March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The report "Pipe Coatings Market by Type (Thermoplastic, Metal, Fusion Bonded Epoxy, Concrete Weight, and Others), by End-Use Industry (Oil & Gas, Industrial, Chemical Processing, Municipal Water Supply, and Others), by Region - Global Forecasts to 2020", published by MarketsandMarkets, The global market is projected to reach USD 11.63 Billion by 2020, registering a CAGR of 4.5% between 2015 and 2020.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )



Browse 125 Tables and 50 Figures spread through 147 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Pipe Coatings Market"



http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/pipe-coatings-market-98303023.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

This growth is fueled by the high potential from the industrial end-use industry, increasing shale gas development in North America, and increasing infrastructure development activities in the Asia-Pacific region.

Thermoplastic Coatings: The largest type of pipe coatings

Thermoplastics such as PVC, PP, PE, and others are widely used in different applications of pipe coatings. These pipes are lightweight and cheaper than polyester, epoxy, and vinyl-ester-based pipes. They are predominantly used in sewage, irrigation, construction, mining, and chemical processing applications due to their excellent chemical resistance capacity. Thermoplastic coated pipes are environmentally friendly as compared to other pipes and can be recycled for reuse. Polyethylene thermoplastic coating provides excellent corrosion protection.

Oil & Gas: The largest end-use industry of pipe coatings

Pipe coatings are widely used in the oil & gas industry for smooth transportation of hydrocarbons from one place to another and also from country to country for the end-use consumption. Pipe coatings help to increase the shelf-life of the piping system and reduce replacement cost. Owing to their impressive resistance to corrosion, abrasion, and excellent mechanical properties, pipe coatings are the popular material preferred in the oil & gas end-use industry. Thermoplastic coatings are the most appropriate and adaptable pipe coatings in the oil & gas end-use industry. Oil & gas is the leading end-use industry performing significantly in the Pipe Coatings Market with growth in developing unconventional reserves and exploration & production activities.

North America: The largest market for pipe coatings

North America is the largest market for pipe coatings due to the presence of numerous key companies in the region. In North America, the demand for pipe coatings has grown due to increase in pipeline construction activities in the region. Abundance of shale oil & gas reserves in the country, upsurge in production from shale operations, and deep-water E&P in the Gulf of Mexico are also some of the major factors contributing to the demand of pipe coatings.

Inquiry Before Buying: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=98303023

The pipe coatings market has a few numbers of global players competing for the market share, who are actively investing in various strategies such as new product developments and joint venture & collaboration projects globally to increase their market reach. Also, companies are investing on R&D activities. Major players such as Arkema S.A. (France), LyondellBasell Industries Holdings B.V. (Netherlands), AkzoNobel N.V. (Netherlands), and BASF SE (Germany) among others have adopted various organic and inorganic developmental strategies.

This report covers the market by value and volume for pipe coatings and forecasts the market size till 2020. The report includes the market segmentation by type, end-use industry, and region. It also includes company profiles and competitive strategies adopted by the major market players in the global pipe coatings market.

Browse Related Reports:

Anti-Corrosion Coating Market by Type (Epoxy, Polyurethane, Zinc, Alkyd, Acrylic), Technology (Solvent, Water, Powder), and End-Use (Marine, Oil & Gas, Power Generation, Industrial, Infrastructure, Automotive) - Global Trends & Forecasts to 2019

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/anti-corrosion-coating-market-155215822.html



Protective Coatings Market by Resin Type (Alkyd, Acrylic, Epoxy, Polyurethane, Polyester & Others), by Technology (Solvent Borne, Water Borne, Powder & Others) & by Application (Construction, Oil & Gas, Automotive, Aerospace, Product Finishes & Others) - Global Trends & Forecast to 2019

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/protective-coatings-market-125206748.html



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BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Latvia's foreign trade deficit decreased in January from a year ago, as imports fell faster than exports, figures from the Central Statistical Bureau showed Friday. The trade deficit narrowed to EUR 109.8 million in January from EUR 136.9 million in the previous month. In December, the shortfall was EUR 155.5 million. Exports fell 10.9 percent year-over-year in January and imports plunged by 12.2 percent. On a monthly basis, both exports and imports tumbled by 13.0 percent and 15.6 percent, respectively at the start of the year. The country's main export partners during January were Lithuania, Estonia, Germany and Sweden. Imports largely came from Lithuania, Germany, Poland and Estonia. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
LONDON, March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The government's independent reviewer of jobseeker's sanctions says new approach is needed if disability employment gap is to be halved

A new report released today by the Social Market Foundation think-tank warns that, while effective for some, the threat of sanctions can do more harm than good and has not improved employment outcomes for disabled people.

In the current system, less than one in ten out-of-work disabled people find work each year, meaning that the government will not meet its ambition of halving the 'disability employment gap' unless radical changes are implemented.

The report, Closing the gap: creating a framework for tackling the disability employment gap in the UK, is written by Matthew Oakley, a former HM Treasury policy advisor who was commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions to conduct its 2014 Independent Review of Jobseekers Allowance sanctions.

The report finds that halving the disability employment gap within 20 years would mean at least trebling the growth of the disability employment rate achieved over the last 15 years. This achievement is highly unlikely under the current system where the majority of workless disabled people are discouraged from seeking employment.

The report recommends:

Splitting benefit eligibility from setting the setting of conditionality requirements by abolishing the controversial Work Capability Assessment;

Equalising the rate of benefit received in Universal Credit for jobseekers and disabled people;

Assessing eligibility for a new benefit to meet the costs of disability with a reformed version of the current Personal Independence Payment assessment;

Ensuring that benefit levels are adequate to support those with a disability to fully engage in society;

Instead of sanctions, providing voluntary assistance to disabled people who wish to engage with support to enter work; and

Giving a 'Steps to Work Wage' and support contract to disabled people who choose to engage with the system of support, whether at Jobcentre Plus, the Work and Health Programme, or wider services.

The detail of the reforms would need to be properly consulted upon, but should help increase the chance of the government reaching its ambition. Making progress towards halving the gap would also help the government meet its fiscal goals, with each additional 100,000 disabled people in work leading to a gain to the exchequer of around 1 billion a year.

The report's author Matthew Oakley, said:

"The government faces a massive challenge in meeting its ambition of halving the disability employment gap. The current system does not provide adequate financial support to disabled people who need it and pushes many further away from work. The system of benefits and requirements placed on disabled people needs a complete overhaul."

"Benefit 'conditionality' has been shown to work for non-disabled jobseekers, but with less than one-in-ten workless disabled people moving into work each year, a new approach is needed.

"The government should encourage disabled people to move towards work by paying a "Steps to Work Wage" to those who take on the support available. Doing so would turn the current system completely on its head by providing better support rather than the constant threat of sanctions."

Key findings from the SMF report:

To halve the disability employment gap, over 1.2 million more people with a work-limiting (WL) health condition or disability need to be helped into sustainable employment

Currently, just 8% of workless people with a work-limiting condition or disability [i.e. in the Work-Limited (WL) group] move into employment in any one year and flows into the workless WL group negate the majority of the impacts of these flows. So to achieve this within 20 years would require at least a trebling of the growth of the disability employment rate compared to the last 15 years. The growth rate will need to increase even faster if the non-WL employment rate - the rate of people without a work-limiting condition or disability - continues to rise.

For this to happen, many of those who are currently not seeking or not wanting work will need to be supported and helped to find work

Both of these groups are significantly more disadvantaged (in terms of their employability) than those in the WL group who are currently in work or seeking work

All of this is becoming more challenging as the prevalence of mental health conditions, particularly in young people, increases steadily over time.

To reflect the scale of the challenge, a more realistic ambition would be to increase the number of disabled people in employment by at least 190,000 in this parliament. Doing so would give the exchequer 1 billion a year in benefit savings and tax.

Policy recommendations from the report:

Splitting benefit eligibility from setting conditionality

The assessment of eligibility for benefit should be split from the assessment of an individual's ability to move towards and enter work. This would ensure that, regardless of benefit they receive, they still have an incentive to engage with the support available and move towards work if they can.

A mandatory meeting to discuss support options

All claimants with a work-limiting health condition or disability should be required to attend a meeting with a specialised case worker to outline support available, reassure them that their benefit would not be affected by taking on support and discuss next steps. Failure to attend without good reason would result in a sanction being applied but compared to the existing system, this meeting would not place extra burdens on the individual.

Voluntary support for those who want it

Further support would be voluntary. Individuals could choose whether or not to engage with the support. If they chose to disengage from the system, they would be able to do so, without fear of their benefits being affected.

Financial incentives

Those who did choose to engage with the system of support, whether at Jobcentre Plus, the Work and Health Programme, or wider services would be financially compensated for their time through a new 'Steps to Work Wage'. The level of payment and conditions involved would be agreed between the case worker, individual and support providers and written in a contract, like an employment contract. Failure to fulfil the contract's terms would mean compensation payment not being paid.

Notes to editors:


CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The euro fell against its major opponents in European deals on Friday, amid stark contrast in the European Central Bank's monetary policy from those of other major central banks in rest of the world.



In a surprise move, the European Central Bank expanded its stimulus measures on Thursday, which includes a cut in its key rates, increase in QE purchases to EUR 80 billion a month from EUR 60 billion a month, commencement of purchase of corporate debts and launch of bank funding plan, to prop up ailing eurozone economy.



The monetary polices of the Federal Reserve and Bank of England diverge from the ECB, causing gyrations in bond movements.



German bond yields fell, with the yield on benchmark 10-year note sliding 0.29 percent, while that of 2-year note was lower by 0.46 percent. Yields move inversely to bond prices.



Final data from Destatis showed that Germany's consumer prices remained unchanged in February from a year ago as initially estimated.



The consumer price index was unchanged after rising 0.5 percent in January and 0.3 percent in December.



The currency showed mixed performance in Asian trading. While the euro declined against the greenback and the pound, it held steady against the franc. Against the yen, it was higher.



In European deals, the euro weakened to 1.4669 against the loonie, 1.4752 against the aussie and 1.6782 against the kiwi, down from early highs of 1.4934, 1.5024 and 1.6548,respectively. The euro is likely to find support around 1.45 against the loonie, 1.46 against the aussie and 1.64 against the kiwi.



Pulling away from an early 3-week high of 126.96 against the yen and a 10-day high of 0.7848 against the pound, the euro eased back to 126.10 and 0.7748,respectively. The next possible support for the euro may be found around 125.00 against the yen and 0.76 versus the pound.



The euro pared gains to 1.1080 against the greenback and 1.0946 versus the franc, from its early highs of 1.1210 and 1.1017, respectively. If the euro extends slide, 1.10 against the greenback and 1.08 against the franc are seen as the next support levels for the euro.



Looking ahead, Canada unemployment data and U.S. import price index, both for February, are set to be published in the New York session.



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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Crude oil prices rose further Friday, after the International Energy Agency said prices have bottomed due to lower output from the US and other non-OPEC producers. WTI crude oil for April was up 81 cents to $38.64 a barrel, the highest since December. Non-OPEC output will fall by 750,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2016, compared to its previous estimate of 600,000 bpd, the IEA said in its monthly report. The Labor Department will release its report on export and import prices for February at 8:30 am ET. Economists expect import prices to have declined by 0.8 percent month-over-month, while export prices may have fallen by a more modest 0.5 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
LANSING, MI -- (Marketwired) -- 03/11/16 -- Andiamo Corporation (OTC PINK: ANDID), a Wyoming holding company, announced today that the Company's Corporate Action was approved by FINRA, enacting a 1 for 7,000 Reverse Split, effective today, March 11th, 2016. As a result of the split, the Company's Common Stock price will become $0.70 per share, and the immediate recapitalization of the Company's Common Stock will result in a Float of 234,897 shares. To view this action on the FINRA Daily List webpage, follow this link: http://otce.finra.org/DLSymbolNameChanges.

"This Corporate Action was a necessary step in Andiamo's drive to bring our Letter of Intent from last Quarter to the Final Agreement stage," stated William White, CEO of Andiamo Corporation. "This opportunity, along with other unique ventures, will help drive business and ensure diverse and continuously increasing revenue streams."

About Andiamo Corporation:

Andiamo Corporation, a Wyoming company, is a publicly traded company which specializes in prepackaged software services. Increased revenue and business opportunities have helped expand its role as a holding company. Specifically, we are looking for established companies with recurring revenues who need a capital infusion in order to move their business to the next level of profitability. With our additional resources, Andiamo now offers an end-to-end solution to ensure the success of our clients inside the micro-cap funding community, getting them the funding they need to bring their products to a national level with the aim of improving their bottom line. For more information on Andiamo Corporation, visit our website at http://www.andiinc.us, and sign up for our newsletter and receive the Company's latest news and updates delivered right to your email.

Safe Harbor Act: This release includes forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involves risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the impact of competitive products, the ability to meet customer demand, the ability to manage growth, acquisitions of technology, equipment, or human resources, the effect of economic business conditions, and the ability to attract and retain skilled personnel. The Company is not obligated to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release.

Contact:

Andiamo Corporation

Investor Relations

Email Contact




PUNE, India, March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

According to a new market research report "Lateral Flow Assay Market by Product (Reader, Kits) Application (Clinical Testing (Pregnancy, Infectious Disease, Cholestrol, Cardiac Marker), Veterinary, Drug Development) Technique (Sandwich, Competitive, Multiplex) End User - Global Forecast to 2020", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global market Is Expected to reach USD 6.78 Billion by 2020. The market was valued at USD 4.56 Billion in 2015 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.3% from 2015 to 2020.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )



Browse 174 Tables and 48 Figures spread through 211 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Lateral Flow Assay Market"

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/lateral-flow-assay-market-167205133.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

The Lateral Flow Assay Market recorded a healthy growth rate during the last decade, owing to technological advancements and increasing application areas of lateral flow assay techniques in medical diagnostics and drug development & quality testing. Lateral flow assays are used extensively in several applications, including pregnancy & fertility testing, infectious disease testing, cardiac marker testing, and drugs-of-abuse testing. The widening applications of lateral flow assay products for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes are expected to have a positive impact on the growth of this market in the coming years. Moreover, the uptake of lateral flow assay techniques is expected to increase due to the growing demand for home-based lateral flow assay tests. This trend is expected to support the growth of the market in the coming years. However, complex regulatory requirements and reluctance among physicians and patients towards changing existing diagnostic practices are expected to restrain the growth of this market to a certain extent.

In this report, the global Lateral Flow Assay Market is segmented based on techniques, products, applications, end users, geographic regions, and countries. Moreover, this report focuses on key market drivers, restraints, opportunities, trends, and challenges present in this market and its submarkets.

Talk To Our Research Analyst for More Information @

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalyst.asp?id=167205133

In 2014, North America accounted for the largest share of the global Lateral Flow Assay Market, followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific. Greater uptake of lateral flow assay products and the presence of a large number of lateral flow assay product manufacturers in North America and Europe are the major factors responsible for the large shares of these regions in the market. However, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to offer significant growth opportunities for players operating in the Lateral Flow Assay Market in the coming years. The high growth in this regional segment is primarily driven by the growing healthcare awareness, growth in geriatric population, rising per capita income, increasing investments in the APAC healthcare industry by key market players, rising demand for cutting-edge technologies, and low labor costs.

The prominent players in the Lateral Flow Assay Market include Alere, Inc. (U.S.), F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Switzerland), Becton, Dickinson and Company (U.S.), Abbott Laboratories, Inc. (U.S.), Johnson & Johnson (U.S.), Danaher Corporation (U.S.), bioMerieux SA (France), Bio-Rad Laboratories (U.S.), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (U.S.), and QIAGEN N.V. (Netherlands).

Browse Related Reports:

In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Market by Product (instruments, Reagents, Software, Service) Technology (Immunoassay, Clinical Chemistry, Molecular Diagnostics, Hematology) by Application (Diabetes, Cancer, Cardiology, Autoimmune Diseases) - Forecast to 2020.

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/ivd-in-vitro-diagnostics-market-703.html

Point-Of-Care Diagnostics / Testing Market by Products (Glucose Monitoring & Infectious Diseases Testing Kits, Cardiac & Tumor Markers), by End Users (Self & Professional Monitoring), Over the Counter & Prescription Based - Global Forecast to 2018.

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/point-of-care-diagnostic-market-106829185.html

About MarketsandMarkets:

MarketsandMarkets is world's No. 2 firm in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors.

M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers.

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ALBANY, New York, March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research "Home Networking Device Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023," the global home networking device market is expected to reach a value of US$23.24 bn by 2023. The market is estimated to expand at a CAGR of 7.0 % during the forecast period from 2015 to 2023. Further, in terms of volume, the home networking device market stood at 444.8 Mn Units in 2014 and is expected to increase at a CAGR of 10.1% during the forecast period from 2015 to 2023.

Full Research Report on Global Home Networking Device Market with detailed figures and segmentation at:http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/home-networking-device-market.html

Increase in demand for connected devices among end users is expected to support the demand for home networking devices in the coming years. Specifically, the high demand for wireless home networking devices can be attributed to the popularity of Wi-Fi based devices among end users. Further, there is an increasing demand to replace wired with wireless home networking devices in North America and Europe. Home networking device manufacturers are increasingly focusing on partnerships with service providers and dealers in order to expand their market share across different geographic regions. Manufacturers are focusing on product innovations based on the requirement to increase internet bandwidth and thereby enhance user ergonomics.

In 2014, Asia Pacific was the largest market for home networking devices, accounting for a share of around 28.9%. Asia Pacific has a high adoption rate of home networking devices due to increase in number of fixed broadband subscribers.

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By various solutions offered, wireless home networking devices held the largest share of around 62.6% in 2014. Wi-Fi, ZigBee and Z-Wave based home networking devices are expected to contribute to the growth of the wireless home networking device market in the coming years. Network line sub-segment is expected to contribute a higher market share owing to its popularity in developing nations. Wi-Fi based home networking devices are expected to grow at a consistent rate during the forecast period from 2015 to 2023.

Browse Regional Analysis at: http://www.europlat.org/home-networking-device-market.htm

By component, router was the largest segment of the home networking device market, accounting for approximately 34% of the total market in 2014. Increasing adoption of Wi-Fi based home networking devices is expected to support the growth of routers, extenders, and adapters in the coming years. The application of power line based home networking devices is expected to decline in the coming years owing to limited market exposure in the North American and European region. ZigBee and Z-Wave segment is expected to register high growth rate due to the increasing adoption of ZigBee and Z-Wave enabled smart lighting and security systems.

Customized solution for your any other market research needs: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=CR&rep_id=602

Belkin International, Inc., D-Link Corporation, Actiontec Electronics, Inc., Netgear, Inc., TP-Link Technologies Co., Ltd., Devolo AG, ZyXEL Communications Corp., Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., Legrand SA, ASUSTeK Computer Inc., and Buffalo, Inc. are major players that have been profiled in the home networking device market report.

The home networking device market is segmented as below:

Home Networking Device Market

By Solution

Wired

Network line

Powerline

Wireless

Wi-Fi

ZigBee and Z-Wave

By Component

Hub and Switch

Router

Extender

Adapter

Wireless Access Point (WAP)

By Geography

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Middle East and Africa

and Latin America

About Us

Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.

Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMR's syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.

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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The gatekeeper of Internet addresses has submitted to the U.S. Government a plan developed by the international Internet community that will lead to global stewardship of some key technical Internet functions, breaking from US oversight.



The plan, submitted Thursday to the U.S. National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA) by Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Board Chair Dr. Stephen D. Crocker, aims to maintain Internet governance under a multi-stakeholder model which avoids control of the online ecosystem by any single governmental body.



Dr. Crocker says that if the plan is approved by the U.S. Government, 'we will have reached an historic moment in the history of the Internet.'



If the US government approves the plan, then a contract between ICANN and the US government will expire on September 30 as is planned.



The plan provides a comprehensive package to transition the U.S. Government's stewardship of these technical functions, called the IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority), which are critical to the Internet's smooth operation. It also proposes ways to enhance ICANN's accountability as a fully independent organization. The transition is the final step in the long-anticipated privatization of the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS), first outlined when ICANN was incorporated in 1998.



The proposal, crafted with input from businesses, academia, governments and others, was endorsed at an ICANN board meeting in Morocco Thursday.



ICANN is a nonprofit organization that is responsible for coordinating the maintenance and methodologies of several databases, with unique identifiers, related to the name spaces of the Internet - and thereby, ensuring the network's stable and secure operation.



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BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Labor Department will release its report on export and import prices for February at 8:30 am ET Friday. Economists expect import prices to have declined by 0.8 percent month-over-month, while export prices may have fallen by a more modest 0.5 percent. Ahead of the data, the greenback traded mixed against its major rivals. While the greenback eased against the yen and the franc, it held steady against the euro and the pound. The greenback was trading at 1.1104 against the euro, 1.4296 against the pound, 113.67 against the yen and 0.9853 against the franc as of 8:25 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Gothenburg, Sweden, 2016-03-11 14:40 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --Bilia has concluded an agreement to sell the Ford operation in Gothenburg, Kungsbacka and Stockholm to Hedin Bil. The agreement is conditional on approval by the Swedish Competition Authority. The date of possession will be 1 May 2016 for the operation in Gothenburg and Kungsbacka and latest at the end of year 2017 for the operation in Stockholm. The purchase price is calculated to about SEK 90 M and the profit before tax to SEK 30 M, of which SEK 22 M will be accounted for in the second quarter of 2016 and remaining profit of SEK 8 M during 2017. The transfer includes a lease contract for a facility in Gothenburg and assets and liabilities which are connected to the Ford operation at the current locations.Per Avander, Bilia's Managing Director and CEO, comments:"It's gratifying to our staff at the Ford operation at the facilities in question and to the Ford customers that we have been able to carry out the deal with Hedin Bil, which is a stable and successful dealership chain in Sweden."Anders Hedin, Hedin Bil's CEO, comments: "It's gratifying to grow with Ford in Gothenburg and Stockholm. We look forward to a continued good cooperation with Ford's customers and staff."Gothenburg, 11 March 2016Bilia AB (publ)For further information, please contact Per Avander, Managing Director and CEO, or Gunnar Blomkvist, CFO, Bilia AB, tel: +46 31 709 55 00.Attachment:https://cns.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=551258

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 03/11/16 -- Light Reading (www.lightreading.com), the market-leading online community for the global communications sector, announced today that its annual Gigabit Cities Live event will open in Charlotte, N.C. this spring. The one-day conference, which is the largest independent event in the US focusing on the rapidly growing gigabit broadband phenomenon, will take place on Tuesday, April 5, 2016 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in downtown Charlotte.

Broadband infrastructure is now the driving force behind urban development, growth and innovation. Only months after the FCC declared 25 Mbit/s the new defining threshold for broadband, there are now dozens of cities with gigabit-per-second Internet speeds, and dozens, if not hundreds, more planning gigabit rollouts. The White House has also formed a Broadband Opportunities Council and introduced new funding initiatives to drive further investment, including $160 million for smart city research tied to high-speed broadband infrastructure.

Gigabit Cities Live examines the business case for deploying gigabit speeds in the last mile, the major challenges that must be overcome, the likely time frames for service rollouts and the monetization opportunities for the services and applications running across these urban hyper-networks. Gigabit Cities Live is the only industry event that will bring together all constituents to objectively explore the gigabit network economy.

Gigabit Cities Live will be led by two conference co-chairs -- Alan Breznick, Light Reading's Cable/Video Practice Leader, and Mari Silbey, Senior Editor for Cable/Video at Light Reading. The event will feature speakers from companies, organizations and government agencies across the gigabit ecosystem, including Adtran, AT&T, the City of Charlotte, Comcast, Commscope, Cox Communications, Charlotte Hearts Gigabit, EPB, the Federal Communications Commission, Fibrant, Google Fiber, LinkNYC, MCNC, North Carolina Next Generation Networks, US Ignite, and VeEx.

The lineup of Gigabit Cities Live keynotes and prime speakers features:

Gigi Sohn, Counselor to the Chairman, Federal Communications Commission

Jeff Stovall, Chief Information Officer, City of Charlotte

Venessa Harrison, President, AT&T North Carolina

Robert Howald, VP of Network Architecture, Comcast

Michael Slinger, Director, Fiber Cities Team, Google Fiber

Jeff Finkelstein, Executive Director of Strategic Architecture, Cox Communications

Jane Nickles, Director, Information Technology, City of Greensboro

Jean Davis, President and CEO, MCNC

Dennis Newman, Program Director, North Carolina Next Generation Network

Colman Keane, Director, Fiber Optic Technology, EPB

Joe Kochan, COO, US Ignite

"Gigabit Cities Live will tackle everything from choosing between public and private fiber network builds to creating gigabit states to powering next-gen broadband service to developing smarter cities," Breznick said. "We have assembled a stellar group of speakers to address the main forces shaping the growing gigabit broadband phenomenon and the implications of those developments."

So far, Gigabit Cities Live event sponsors include: Diamond Sponsor Adtran; Platinum Sponsor Commscope; Gold Sponsor VeEx; and Cocktail Sponsor Charlotte Hearts Gigabit; as well as Supporting Partners Bailantyne Corporate Park, Charlotte Regional Collaborative for a Global Economy, North Carolina Technology Association, Packard Place, and the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce.

To register for Gigabit Cities Live, please visit: www.gigabitcitieslive.com. Registration is free for verified employees of cable operators, telcos, fiber providers, ISPs, other service providers, financial & educational institutions, utilities and government agencies.

About Light Reading

Light Reading (www.lightreading.com) helps the global communications industry make informed decisions. The Lightreading.com site is the definitive source for next-generation communications analysis for more than 450,000 users each month, leading the media sector in terms of traffic, content and reputation. Light Reading also produces live events for executives charged with monetizing cable, New IP, optical, Ethernet, mobile, gigabit cities, security, virtualization, components, communications drones, next-gen analytics, Internet of Things and wireline networks.

Contact:

Julie Muroff

646-757-4684

muroff@lightreading.com






WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer shows that death rates in the United States continued to decline for all cancers combined, as well as for most cancer sites for men and women of all major racial and ethnic populations.



However, in contrast to the trends for most other cancers, an increase in liver cancer deaths has been noted, and is a cause for concern, the report says.



Among both men and women, death rates due to liver cancer have increased the most compared to all cancer sites, and liver cancer incidence rates have also increased sharply.



The overall cancer death rates for both sexes combined decreased by 1.5 percent per year from 2003 to 2012. Incidence rates-new cancer cases that are diagnosed per 100,000 people in the U.S. - decreased among men and remained stable for women between 2003 and 2012.



The ongoing drop in cancer incidence in most racial and ethnic groups is mainly due to progress in prevention and early detection, according to CDC. The report noted that tobacco control efforts have contributed to lower rates of lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women, as well as many other types of cancer.



The authors noted that, in the United States, a major contributing factor to liver cancer is hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. More than 20 percent of the most common liver cancers are attributed to HCV infection.



'But the growing burden of liver cancer is troublesome. We need to do more work promoting hepatitis testing, treatment, and vaccination,' said CDC Director Tom Frieden.



Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection also increases the risk of liver cancer. HBV is a common risk factor for liver cancer for Asian/Pacific Islander populations, especially among Asians not born in the United States, and CDC recommends universal HBV testing for this population.



Obesity and type 2 diabetes can cause cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver, which can progress to liver cancer and is associated with excessive alcohol use, 8 to 16 percent of liver cancer deaths are attributed to excessive alcohol use.



The Report to the Nation is released each year in a collaborative effort by the American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.



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CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Canadian dollar retreated from its early highs against its major rivals in European trading on Friday, as the economy unexpectedly shed jobs in February and jobless rate rose to the highest since March 2013.



Data from Statistics Canada showed that the economy lost 2,300 jobs in February as gains in part-time work were offset by losses.



Economists had forecast an addition of 10,000 jobs following decline of 5,700 jobs in January.



The unemployment rate rose by 0.1 percentage points to 7.3 percent, from 7.2 percent in January. Economists were expecting the jobless rate to match the January reading. The February's rise was the most since March 2013.



The currency strengthened in Asian deals, as the oil prices rebounded following the expansion of the European Central Bank's stimulus measures to jump start the sluggish euro zone economy.



The loonie slipped to 1.4807 against the euro, following an advance to 1.4669 at 5:55 am ET. The loonie is likely to find support around the 1.50 mark.



Final data from Destatis showed that Germany's consumer prices remained unchanged in February from a year ago as initially estimated.



The consumer price index was unchanged after rising 0.5 percent in January and 0.3 percent in December.



Resuming early slide, the loonie declined to a 2-day low of 0.9998 against the aussie from Thursday's closing value of 0.9945. The next possible resistance for the loonie is seen around the 1.02 level.



The loonie edged down to 1.3314 against the greenback and 85.29 against the yen, off its early highs of 1.3233 and 86.06,respectively. The loonie is seen finding support around 1.34 against the greenback and 84.00 against the yen.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Import prices in the U.S. saw a continued decrease in the month of February, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Friday, although the drop in prices was not as steep as economists had anticipated.



The Labor Department said its import price index dipped by 0.3 percent in February after tumbling by a revised 1.0 percent in January.



Economists had expected import prices to fall by 0.8 percent compared to the 1.1 percent decrease originally reported for the previous month.



Compared to the same month a year ago, import prices were down by 6.1 percent in February, reflecting the smallest year-over-year decline since December of 2014.



The modest monthly drop in import prices was led by a drop in fuel prices, which slumped by 3.9 percent in February after plunging by 21.9 percent over the two previous months.



The Labor Department said both petroleum and natural gas prices contributed to the decrease, falling by 4.0 percent and 6.3 percent, respectively.



Excluding fuel prices, imports prices edged down by just 0.1 percent in February after coming in unchanged in January.



Decreases in prices for foods, feeds, and beverages, automotive vehicles, and non-fuel industrial supplies and materials were partly offset by rising prices for consumer goods.



The report also said the export price index dropped by 0.4 percent in February after sliding by 0.8 percent in January. Economists had expected export prices to decline by 0.5 percent.



Export prices were down by 6.0 percent year-over-year in February, reflecting an acceleration from the 5.7 percent drop in January.



The monthly decrease in export prices came as a drop in prices for non-agricultural exports more than offset an increase in prices for agricultural exports.



Prices for non-agricultural exports fell by 0.4 percent in February after dropping by 0.9 percent in January, primarily reflecting falling prices for non-agricultural industrial supplies and materials.



On the other hand, the report said prices for agricultural exports rose by 0.6 percent in February after slumping by 1.3 percent in January.



The increase in prices for agricultural exports, the first since last October, reflected higher prices for fruit, meat and corn.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/dsgvbr/analysis_of_the) has announced the addition of the "Analysis of the Global Pigments Market" report to their offering.

Top industry drivers (e.g., regulations, specialty paints, packaging applications, vehicle coating), restraints (e.g., supply deficit/surplus, online publishing), regulatory (US and Europe) and technology trends (e.g., encapsulated pigments) affecting the global pigments market are discussed.

The product segments include organic, inorganic, and metallic pigments. Major end-user segments covered are automotive, construction, printing, and personal care while major application segments include paints and coatings, plastics, publication, packaging, and cosmetics. The supply-demand trends, price trends, revenue and unit shipment, along with consolidation trends are discussed. The base year is 2015 and the forecast period ends in 2020.

Supply disruptions leading to volatility in prices remain a key challenge for pigment manufacturers. Inventory management, supply chain management, and approving secondary sellers are key strategies that the pigment manufacturers are focusing on in order to tackle uncertainties in the marketplace.

Stringent regulations in Europe and North America (NA) have remained a key factor facilitating the adoption of products with superior quality and performance. The trend is rapidly moving into the APAC markets, especially China and India. This is likely to result in a higher share of performance products in the APAC region.

Following the spur in demand for pigments in the APAC and ROW regions, pigment manufacturers are rapidly restructuring production to strengthen their presence in these regions. Cost competitiveness in these regions further contributes to the regional shift.

Report Structure:

1. Executive Summary

2. Market Segmentation and Scope

3. Drivers and Restraints

4. Revenue Forecasts and Trends

5. Organic Pigments Segment Breakdown

6. Inorganic Pigments Segment Breakdown

7. Metallic Pigments Segment Breakdown

8. The Last Word

9. Appendix

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/dsgvbr/analysis_of_the

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160311005521/en/

Contacts:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Sector: Dyes and Pigments
Admiral Group Plc ('the Company') 11 March 2016 This disclosure relates to transactions of which notification is required under DTR 3.1.2. The Company has been notified that on 11 March 2016, Alastair Lyons, Admiral Group Chairman, sold 15,000 Admiral Group Plc ordinary shares by public exchange at a price of 19.25 per share. Alastair Lyons and Family now hold a total of 282,152 ordinary shares in Admiral Group Plc. For further information please contact: Karen Maguire, Investor Relations: 029 20434384 James Carnduff, Communications: 029 20434232 This announcement is distributed by GlobeNewswire on behalf of GlobeNewswire clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that: (i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and (ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: Admiral Group PLC via GlobeNewswire [HUG#1993776] A0DJ58B02J639R39 Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S.-led coalition battling the Islamic State in Iraq has launched multiple airstrikes against the terrorist group's chemical weapons capabilities, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told reporters Thursday. Cook said the strikes were based, in part, on information provided by an ISIL captive. During an operation in Iraq in February, coalition forces captured Sulayman Dawud al-Bakkar, also known as Abu Dawud, ISIL's 'emir' of chemical and traditional weapons manufacturing, Cook said. His capture removed a key ISIL leader from the battlefield and provided the coalition with important information about ISIL's chemical weapons facilities, production, and the people involved, the press secretary noted. Dawud was transferred Thursday into the custody of Iraq's government, Cook added. 'We're confident that the strikes that have been conducted have disrupted and degraded [ISIL's] chemical weapons capabilities,' he said. The information collected 'will continue to inform our operations in the future,' the press secretary added. Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve airstrikes have targeted ISIL units, equipment, oil refining and transport operations, cash collection centers and now chemical sites, he said. ISIL has shown its willingness to use chemical weapons, the press secretary said. 'We've seen their use demonstrated in Syria and Iraq,' he said, 'and we're going to continue to do everything we can, working with our coalition partners, and of course the Iraqi government as well, to try and address the use of these agents,' he added. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
According to the latest market research report by Technavio, the commercialaircraft seat actuation systems marketis expected to surpass USD 351 million in revenue by 2020.

In this report, Technavio covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global commercial aircraft seat actuation systems market for 2016-2020. This report covers market size and key drivers predicted to impact the global commercial aircraft seat actuation systems market over the forecast period.

"Seat actuation systems form an integral part of aircraft cabins. These modern systems are designed to offer skull and lower back support to passengers traveling in long haul flights. Lightweight seat designs with lower noise and maintenance have seen a marked increase in demand over the past few years. The global commercial aircraft seat actuation systems market is also fueled by premium activities for passengers and convenient seating," said Abhay Singh, one of Technavio's lead industry analysts for aerospace components

"In 2014, there were close to 14,140 single-aisle and 4,880 wide-body aircrafts globally, which are expected to be replaced by 17,830 narrow-body aircraft and 6,100 wide-bodies, by 2034. In addition, 2,000 orders for Airbus A330/A340/A350, 389 orders for Boeing 737, and 48 orders for Boeing 767 freighter aircraft were placed in 2015. Thus, increasing orders, backlogs, and deliveries of aircrafts are predicted to simultaneously drive the market during the forecast period," added Abhay.

Key leading regions (% revenue share)

EMEA 35.15% Americas 33.04% APAC 31.81%

EMEA: largest commercial aircraft seat actuation systems market

Technavio researchers expect the commercial aircraft seat actuation systems market in EMEA to grow from USD 65.94 million in 2015 to USD 122.6 million by 2020. Europe had more than 1.7 billion air passengers in 2014, which accounted for a growth of 3.2% from 2013. Countries in the Middle East accounted for a total air traffic of over 275 million passengers, an increase of 7% compared to 2013. In 2014, Dubai International Airport was one of the fastest growing airports in terms of passenger numbers with a 15% increase compared to that of 2013.

With growing air traffic and increase in the number of commercial aircrafts, the need for continuous maintenance and purchase of aircraft and aircraft components is on the rise. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and European Union (EU) have been investing towards the development of new actuators, and it is expected to further drive the market during the forecast period.

Americas: second largest commercial aircraft seat actuation systems market

In 2013, American Airlines and US Airways signed a deal worth USD 11 billion to merge their operations and create the world's biggest airline. Post their respective mergers, these airlines have accounted for close to 70% of the US aviation market. These airlines are investing in advanced actuation systems to enhance their flight safety and operations, a trend that is anticipated to propel the market during the forecast period.

Brazil has the fourth-largest domestic aviation industry worldwide, and it is expected that by 2019, its total domestic passenger load will reach close to 125 million. It is anticipated that by 2019, more than 3,000 aircrafts will be delivered to this region to help it emerge as the world's third-largest market. Overall, as compared to the previous year, 2014 witnessed an increase in the number of travelers from North American airports with close to 1.5 billion passengers during that period. This trend will continue to buoy the aircraft seat actuation systems market until 2020.

Commercial aircraft seat actuation systems market in APAC

Asia had close to 5,850 commercial aircrafts in 2014 that are expected to be replaced by over 14,000 aircraft over the next 20 years. Growing air travel in APAC resulted in an 8.7% increase in passenger traffic with over 2 billion passengers in 2014. In the same year, passenger traffic from Kuala Lumpur airport in Malaysia grew by nearly 19.1%. This trend indicates towards a substantial rise in passenger traffic in other major airports of the region during the forecast period.

Rising air travel in recent years can be attributed to the high growth rate in the developing countries, such as India and China. Hence, growing demand for air travel and an increasing number of commercial aircrafts will likely to result in heightened procurement of actuation systems until 2020.

Browse related reports:

Global Aerospace Fasteners Market 2016-2020

Commercial Aircraft Autopilot System Market 2015-2019

Global Commercial Aircraft Next-Gen Avionics Market 2015-2019

Purchase any three reports for the price of one by becoming a Technavio subscriber. Subscribing to Technavio's reports allows you to download any three reports per month for the price of one. Contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and a link to our subscription platform.

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160311005003/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com

media@technavio.com
UNiDTM Lab Services Collaborate with Spine Surgeons for Pre-operative Planning, Order Fulfillment and Post-Operative Analysis; MEDICREA Achieves More Than 500 UNiDTMSurgeries Performed Worldwide

MEDICREA (Paris:ALMED) (Alternext Paris: FR0004178572-ALMED), the leading medical device company for developing patient-specific solutions for the treatment of spinal conditions) has announced the groundbreaking UNiD Lab Services have been used in more than 500 surgeries worldwide. UNiD Lab Services include a real-time support team to surgeons in the pre-operative planning of spinal procedures, order fulfillment for the company's UNiD patient-specific spinal rod and a detailed post-operative analysis.

With UNiD's precisely customized rods, surgeons can perform spinal surgery more accurately, efficiently, and safely using the surgeon's design from UNiD's pre-operative planning and analysis phase. The patient-specific rods are available in two alloys (Titanium TA6V ELI/Cobalt Chromium) and two diameters (5.5 mm/6 mm), matching global standards. Eliminating the archaic method of manually bending rods in the operating room, UNiD provides a unique surgical solution to traditional spinal surgery.

In addition to its patient-specific rods, UNiD offers a team of experts trained in X-ray analysis, sagittal alignment, and the latest clinical data in spinal correction, who prepare a series of documents for the surgeon and the designated hospital staff. The pre-operative documents are provided to the surgeon and can be filed directly in the patient's medical record. The documents are also reviewed at the start of every surgery to align the operating room team on the strategy chosen by the surgeon. Post-operatively, UNiD Lab Services provide analysis of each surgical procedure and the surgeon's case series, including a comparison with normative data to provide the benefit of data analysis to the surgeon and ultimately the patient.

Denys Sournac, Founder, CEO and Chairman of MEDICREA, states, "The importance of individual sagittal alignment parameters in achieving superior long-term clinical outcomes has been demonstrated by leading research groups in the USA and published in peer-reviewed journals. Despite a growing body of evidence, most surgeons do not take into account the patient's parameters pre-operatively simply because no appropriate solution was offered by the medical device industry before MEDICREA introduced the UNiD platform and associated services, including the UNiD Lab. Now, surgeons can focus on executing their surgical plan without compromise or approximation

The UNiDTM Lab Services enhance MEDICREA's commitment to the development of personalized implants and surgeon-specific services for patient-specific needs in the treatment of spinal pathologies. The unique ability to collect, centralize and analyze large amounts of anonymous clinical data from surgical centers worldwide helps better understand the correlation between sagittal parameters and clinical outcomes as well as the efficiency of various surgical strategies for differentiating patients.

With the rapid adoption of UNiD across the world and overwhelmingly positive feedback from surgeons, MEDICREA's 500th surgery milestone with the UNiD patient-specific rod is a testament to the the company's position as an industry innovator. "We expect the continued adoption of this technology to become the standard of care for patients undergoing spinal surgery," continues Sournac. "At MEDICREA, we envision that all patients will soon request the complete pre-operative analysis of their spinopelvic parameters, offered by the UNiD Lab, to allow their surgeon to thoroughly analyze their condition and plan the appropriate treatment.

Dr. Peter G. Passias, an Orthopaedic surgeon in New-York, performed the 500th UNiD surgery and commented, "I have been using the UNiD rod and services consistently over the last year because this fulfills my obligation of means to deliver superior patient outcome through proper planning and respect of sagittal parameters. Bending a straight rod during OR time is a technique of the past and is at best a guess of whether we have obtained our surgical goals. Further it is not accurate, not repeatable and contributes to a loss of surgery time. I suspect other surgeons will continue this trend towards pre-operative customized design of the surgical rods in complex deformity cases

MEDICREA is also actively working to extend its platform of UNiD personalized products, notably into the cervical spine, with more on this later in 2016. "We are working to expand the indications-for-use to provide more patients with the opportunity to benefit from UNID, which is now possible through a variety of new technologies, like 3D printing, big data analysis and other proprietary processes we have developed internally," Sournac stated. "It is our mission to deliver personalized spine services and products to surgeons that will result in meaningful improvements to patient care.

UNiD patient-specific rods complement MEDICREA's PASS LP thoraco-lumbar fixation system, present in a worldwide market segment estimated at $3.6 billion. The PASS LP system is already used by numerous spine surgeons in 35 countries, especially in the United States where PASS LP accounts for the majority of MEDICREA USA Corporation's sales. In the next months, MEDICREA plans to complete its PASS LP portfolio with a range of tulip screws, the most commonly used screws in thoraco-lumbar fixation surgeries. MEDICREA will be able to address the needs of surgeons worldwide, anticipating to increase market penetration of its UNiD platform.

Next publication: 2015 annual results, on April 6, 2016 (after market)

ABOUT MEDICREA (www.medicrea.com

The MEDICREA Group specializes in the design, manufacture, and distribution of innovative proprietary technologies devoted exclusively to spinal surgery. Operating in a $10 billion market, MEDICREA's headquarters are based near Lyon, France with an implant and surgical instrument manufacturing facility located in La Rochelle, France, and four distribution subsidiaries in the USA, the UK, France and Germany.

Partnering with some of the most visionary and creative spine surgeons in France, the UK, and the USA, the products developed and patented by MEDICREA provide neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons with new and less-invasive surgical solutions that are faster and easier to implement than traditional techniques

MEDICREA has also become a pioneer and global leader in the manufacturing of customized implants for personalized spinal surgery incorporating software analysis of each patient, pre-operative planning of the surgical strategy, and production of customized spinal osteosynthesis rods (UNiD rod) and lumbar interbody osteosynthesis cages (UNiD ALIF cage) that are made to measure by a 3D printer.

MEDICREA is listed on ALTERNEXT Paris

ISIN: FR 0004178572 - Ticker: ALMED

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160311005474/en/

Contacts:

MEDICREA

Denys Sournac, +33 (0)4 72 01 87 87

Founder, Chairman and CEO

dsournac@medicrea.com

or

Fabrice Kilfiger, Tel: +33 (0)4 72 01 87 87

Chief Financial Officer

fkilfiger@medicrea.com

or

MEDIA

Brian Baxter for MEDICREA,

Tel: +1 646-871-8491

bbaxter@lazarpartners.com

or

NewCap.

Investor Relations Strategic Communications

Tristan Roquet Montegon, Tel: +33 (0)1 44 71 00 16

medicrea@newcap.fr
Today the Government Debt Management on behalf of the Treasury and primary dealers signed agreements regarding Issuance and Market Making in Treasury securities. The objective of the agreements is to maintain the Treasury's access to financing and to enhance price formation in the secondary market for Treasury securities.



As of 1 April 2015, four financial undertakings have been appointed as "primary dealers in Treasury securities". They are: Arion Banki hf., Islandsbanki hf., Kvika banki hf. and Landsbankinn hf.



The following bullet points describe the content of the Agreement:



-- Primary dealers have exclusive access to auctions of marketable Treasury securities. -- Primary dealers have exclusive access to securities lending facility offered by the Government Debt Management on behalf of the Treasury. -- Primary dealers are obliged to submit bids at each auction for a minimum of 100 m.kr. nominal value. -- Primary dealers are Market Makers in the secondary market for Treasury benchmark series. They are obliged to submit bid and ask offers on the stock exchange for at least 100 m.kr. nominal value in each benchmark series. -- Primary dealers are in their bid and ask quotes governed by maximum spreads as laid out in the agreements. -- Primary dealers are obliged to renew their offers within ten minutes after execution of transaction. The primary dealer is entitled to depart from the maximum spread requirement if certain conditions are fulfilled. -- The agreement is valid from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017.



A sample agreement is attached that provides comprehensive information on the primary dealers' rights and obligations.



Further information can be obtained from Bjorgvin Sighvatsson, head of the Government Debt Management at +354 569 9600.



Attachment:

https://cns.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=551303

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
LONDON, March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal will be visiting the 13th International Naval Engineering Conference and Exhibition (INEC 2016). INEC 2016 is being held Tuesday 26 - Thursday 28 April 2016 at The Passenger Shed at Brunel's Old Station, Bristol, UK and is an Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) Learned Society event.

"We are delighted that Her Royal Highness, an Honorary Fellow of our Institute, will be attending INEC 2016," says the Institute's Chief Executive, David Loosley. "As Admiral Chief Commandant for Women in the Royal Navy we believe she will find the conference, with its theme 'Engineering the Triple A Navy: Active, Adaptive, Affordable' of particular interest."

In the words of Cdr Matt Bolton RN, Chairman of the INEC 2016 Technical Advisory Committee: "INEC provides a unique and uncompromising forum for professional engineers and technologists from across the world's navies, defence industries and academic establishments to share the very latest thinking and developments in warship and submarine design and operation."

The biennial INEC, which HRH The Princess Royal attended in 2010, has a long and proud history. Over 300 delegates from nearly 20 countries are expected, including representation from navies at all levels; manufacturers and suppliers; and academics.

In addition to keynote addresses and over 75 peer-reviewed technical papers, more than 20 of which are eligible for the Sir Donald Gosling Award, designed to recognise young authors aged 35 and below, INEC has a small focussed exhibition, and delegates will be taking advantage of the excellent networking opportunities both within the exhibition hall, and within the social programme, which includes a reception aboard Brunel's ss Great Britain.

The Principal Sponsor of INEC 2016 is the Babcock International Group together with Major Sponsors: BMT Defence Services, Rolls-Royce, QinetiQ, and GE's Marine Solutions.

Further information on all aspects of INEC 2016 is at http://www.inec.org.uk and from inec@figsevents.co.uk. Online registration is now open; and all non-IMarEST member participants will be made complimentary IMarEST Affiliate Members for one calendar year, giving instant access to Institute services.

INEC 2016 Technical Advisory Committee and Patrons

The Technical Advisory Committee is a group of experts formed from the defence industry, academia and the military with the aim to develop and steer the technical programme for the event.

INEC 2016 Technical Advisory Committee includes:

Chairman: Cdr Matt Bolton RN, Ministry of Defence, UK

Dr Sal Ahmed , US Office of Naval Research Global

, US Office of Naval Research Global Jens Balle, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems GmbH

Lt Cdr Alex Davies RN, Ministry of Defence, UK

Lt Cdr Rinze Geertsma RNLN, Delft University of Technology

Ian Grant , QinetiQ

, QinetiQ Dr Alistair Greig , University College London

, University College London Tim Hardy , BMT Defence Services

, BMT Defence Services Lt Cdr Ian Hassall RN, Ministry of Defence, UK

Keith Howard , Babcock International Group

, Babcock International Group Paul Maillardet

Cdr (E) Mats Nordin RSwN, FOI Swedish Defence Research Agency, Sweden

Benjamin Thorp , Rolls-Royce

, Rolls-Royce Dr Phil Rottier , The MathWorks

, The MathWorks Oliver Simmonds , GE Power Conversion

, GE Power Conversion Rear Admiral ME (ret) Klaas Visser , Delft University of Technology

, Delft University of Technology Capt John Voyce RN , Ministry of Defence, UK

INEC 2016 Patrons:

Vice Admiral Sir Robert Hill KBE FREng HonFIMarEST

Vice Admiral Simon Lister CB OBE

Vice Admiral Dr Arie Jan de Waard

Rear Admiral Nigel Guild CB FREng

Rear Admiral (Ret) Ruurd Lutje Schipholt KNL OON HonFIMarEST

Cdre John Newell MBE RN (Rtd), BAE Systems, UK

Capt (N) Prof Dr hab Tomasz Szubrycht, Rector-Commandant, Polish Naval Academy

What is IMarEST?

IMarEST is the international professional body and learned society for all marine professionals. With over 16,000 members in 128 countries, the IMarEST is the first Institute to bring together marine engineers, marine scientists and marine technologists into one international multi-disciplinary professional body.

In addition to a wide range of services, including publishing The Marine Professional, the Institute organises Learned Society events for its members and the wider industry, these include: the Engine As A Weapon International Symposia (EAAW); Marine Electrical and Control Systems Safety Conference (MECSS) and the International Naval Engineering Conference and Exhibition (INEC); the Learned Society events are organised by FIGS Events Limited on behalf of IMarEST.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, a start-up that has adopted Elon Musk's ambitious project of high-speed transportation system, has signed a deal with the Slovakian government to start the first Hyperloop transportation track in Europe. The company is looking forward to build a three-country Hyperloop system, connecting three major cities in Austria, Hungary and Slovakia. 'Slovakia is a technological leader in the automotive, material science, and energy industries, many of the areas that are integral to the Hyperloop system,' HTT CEO Dirk Ahlborn, said in a statement. 'Having a European Hyperloop presence will incentivize collaboration and innovation within Slovakia and throughout Europe.' Hyperloop Test Technologies, a crowd-funded company, is currently building a full-scale model on five miles land in California's Quay Valley for testing purposes. Musk had unveiled plans for the $6 billion Hyperloop system in 2013. He had published a 57-page plan on both Tesla Motors' and SpaceX's blogs, allowing interested parties to use the design. The conceptual Hyperloop route runs from the Los Angeles region to the San Francisco Bay Area, and the system seeks to help travelers cover the distance in 35 minutes. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
SARNIA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 03/11/16 -- Note to editors: There is a photo associated with this press release.

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) advises the public that their seasonally operated lifeboat stations located on the Great Lakes, Georgian Bay and St. Lawrence River in Ontario will reopen on the following dates:

April 1, 2016: Kingston, Cobourg, Port Weller, Port Dover, Amherstburg

April 8, 2016: Tobermory, Goderich, Meaford

April 15, 2016: Thunder Bay

During the winter months, maritime search and rescue operations are carried out by the Canadian Coast Guard and the United States Coast Guard using icebreakers and may call upon other available vessels in the area to assist if required. Aircraft from the Department of National Defence and the United States Coast Guard may also be involved in search and rescue operations, as necessary.

Despite the recent milder temperatures, waters remain very cold at this time of year and take much longer to warm up compared to the air. For more information on cold water immersion, please visit http://csbc.ca/en/safety-campaigns/stretching-the-season/cold-water

Emergencies on the water can be reported 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, toll-free (within Canada) at 1-800-267-7270, or via marine VHF radio - channel 16.

More information regarding the Canadian Coast Guard's Search and Rescue program is available at http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/SAR/home

To view the photo associated with this press release, please visit the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20160311-1046539_800.jpg

Contacts:

Carol Launderville

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

(204) 984-4715




WALL TOWNSHIP, NJ -- (Marketwired) -- 03/11/16 -- Coates International, Ltd. (OTC PINK: COTE) (the "Company") management is pleased to report rapid progress with the Chinese industrial engines at the Company headquarters. This project is expected to be completed in the near future.

Management believes that this transaction is likely to open new markets worldwide for the patented CSRV green engine technology. There are many millions of these engines manufactured around the world for use in lawnmowers, farm machinery, pumps, water crafts, small transport vehicles, small home generators, and more.

Company President and CEO, Mr. George J. Coates, comments: "This transaction is a major step forward for the Coates organization in so far as the CSRV green engine technology is suitable to be utilized in literally millions of small engines. Numerous companies have contacted us in regard to various applications of our patented CSRV technology. For some time now, we have been desirous of starting up this business opportunity with these commercial engines for the Chinese market. We intend to seize this opportunity that I believe will expand the Company's growth and enhance shareholder value. We are working diligently to complete this project."

There can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in any of its endeavors.

Safe Harbor Statement:

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our public filings with the SEC may be viewed and printed on the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.

Contact Information:

Coates International, Ltd.

Phone: 732-449-7717

Fax: 732-449-0764

www.coatesengine.com

www.mostadvancedengine.com




Technavio's latest global wind automation market report highlights three key emerging trends predicted to impact market growth through 2020. Technavio defines an emerging trend as something that has potential for significant impact on the market and contributes to its growth or decline.

"Key findings of this market study predict the wind automation market in EMEA to reach close to USD 808 million by 2020. In Germany, more than 24.5% of the total electricity generated was produced using renewable energy in 2015. Similarly, in the UK, as per the 2009 EU Renewables Directive, the target is to use renewable sources to produce 15% of the total energy generation of the country. This trend is predicted to be emulated in other geographies as well and boost the adoption of automation solutions in the wind power industry over the next four years," said Bharath Kanniappan, one of Technavio's lead industry analysts for automation research.

"The wind power market in Africa also finds high investments by large international vendors. For instance, Google announced in 2015 that it would invest in a Lake Turkana wind power project in Kenya. This project is expected to generate close to 1,400 GWh of electricity per year on completion and account for close to 15% of the country's overall electricity consumption," added Bharath.

Technavio's market research study identifies the following three emerging trends expected to propel growth of the global wind automation market:

Steep growth in the offshore wind market

Rise in wind energy trade

Significant increase in technology research investment

Steep growth in the offshore wind market

Manufacturers and operators find it difficult to finance offshore wind farms as costs involved are higher compared to onshore wind farms. Countries worldwide have introduced subsidies and incentives to encourage offshore wind power projects. Worldwide, effective regulatory mechanisms and strong incentive schemes are being introduced to help developers build offshore wind farms. In addition, many governments have pledged close to 20% of their total energy generation through renewable sources. These favorable policies significantly drive the global offshore wind market.

With a high ROI, the global offshore wind power experienced a robust CAGR of around 20% during 2013-2015. With increased focus on offshore wind power globally, the demand for automation solutions from offshore wind power projects is expected to be more in comparison to on-shore wind power projects during the forecast period.

Rise in wind energy trade

Globally, wind energy power source is used as a supplement to coal, hydro, and oil and gas power sources. Owing to its growing popularity, wind installed sites are being used as the only source for electricity in some countries. These nations are not only able to use wind energy to fulfill their domestic demand, but also sell the surplus to other countries.

For instance, on July 9 and 10, 2015, Denmark produced more than 140% of its electricity demand from wind farms. The country then sold 80% of its excess power to Germany and Norway. A portion of it was also sold to Sweden. Denmark was able to achieve this feat due to the adoption of advanced technology, which includes automation solutions such as PLC, SCADA, and DCS, in their wind farms. We estimate that during the forecast period new and improved wind storage technologies will be implemented, and energy trade between different countries will take place in large volumes.

Significant increase in technology research investment

Investments made towards technology research for renewable energy worldwide include money set aside for biopower, geothermal, hydro, ocean power, solar, and wind. Several countries have taken initiatives to increase the use of renewable sources for power generation by 2022 and 2025. Thanks to this trend, the global renewable energy market finds a steep increase in R&D investments in new technology. These investments made towards technology research for renewable energy is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20% during the forecast period.

The wind power accounted for 16%-18% of the overall technology research investment made for renewable energy in 2015. We estimate that investments in the technology research for wind power will grow at a CAGR of 40% during the forecast period. These investments will include research for new and advanced turbines, control systems, advanced substations and wind farms, and new power generation and transmission grid technologies.

Browse related reports:

Wind Turbine Market in India 2015-2019

Global Wind Turbine Rotor Blade Market 2015-2019

Global Wind Tower Market 2015-2019

Global Offshore Wind Power Market 2015-2019

Purchase any three reports for the price of one by becoming a Technavio subscriber. Subscribing to Technavio's reports allows you to download any three reports per month for the price of one. Contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and a link to our subscription platform.

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160311005033/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com

media@technavio.com
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 03/11/16 -- Kerr Mines Inc. ("Kerr" or the "Company") (TSX: KER) is pleased to announce that it has arranged debt financings with an existing shareholder and creditor of the Company (the "Holder"). On December 17, 2015, the Holder loaned the Company an aggregate of CDN$1,350,000 under a convertible promissory note (the "December Note") and on March 9, 2016, the Holder loaned the Company up to US$1,000,000 under a convertible grid promissory note (the "March Note") pursuant to which the Company can draw upon for general working capital purposes. The December Note and the March Note each bear interest at an annual rate of 15% compounded monthly and are payable on demand. The Holder has the right to convert any part of the amount owing under the December Note into common shares (the "Common Shares") of the Company at a conversion price of CDN$0.02 per Common Share and any part of the amount owing under the March Note into Common Shares at a conversion price of $0.065 per Common Share. Each of the notes is secured by a general security agreement in the Copperstone Mine. The terms of the notes are subject to all necessary approvals, including the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange and a majority of disinterested shareholders of the Company.

The Company also wishes to announce the appointment of Chris Hopkins as Chief Financial Officer of the Company. Mr. Hopkins has over 25 years of experience in a variety of financial management roles in the resources industry. The majority of his career has been spent in senior financial roles with publicly-listed mining companies, including U.S. Silver, Rio Algom Limited, BHP Billiton, Suncor Inc. and several Canadian and international junior mining companies. He received his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto, his Chartered Accountant designation and his Master of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business at York University.

"Securing additional funding from supportive existing investors and strengthening the management team are further key steps in advancing our plans for Kerr and its core asset, the Copperstone Mine in Arizona," stated Greg Gibson, President and CEO of Kerr.

About Kerr

Kerr is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company based in Toronto, Canada. Kerr's focus is the acquisition, exploration and development of prospective mineral properties in North America. With a proven track record of making discoveries and managing mines, Kerr's team seeks assets in low risk jurisdictions to increase its existing resource base, from the exploration drill bit or through strategic acquisitions. Kerr acquired the Copperstone Mine in Arizona in 2014. The mine is fully permitted with significant mining infrastructure, mineral resources and processing infrastructure in place. Kerr has also established a sizeable footprint of contiguous gold properties near Virginiatown, Ontario on the prolific 200-km long Cadillac-Larder Lake Break that straddles the Ontario-Quebec border. Mining properties along the Break have historically produced over 95 million ounces of gold.

This news release contains forward-looking statements, including current expectations on the timing of the commencement of production and the rate of production, if commenced. These forward-looking statements entail various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in these forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on current expectations, are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks, and actual results may differ materially from those contained in such statements. These uncertainties and risks include, but are not limited to, the strength of the Canadian economy; the price of gold; operational, funding, and liquidity risks; the degree to which mineral resource estimates are reflective of actual mineral resources; and the degree to which factors which would make a mineral deposit commercially viable are present; the risks and hazards associated with underground operations. Risks and uncertainties about Kerr Mines' business are more fully discussed in the Company's disclosure materials, including its annual information form and MD&A, filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada and available at www.sedar.com and readers are urged to read these materials. Kerr Mines assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from such statements unless required by law.

No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

Contacts:

Kerr Mines Inc.

Greg Gibson

President and CEO

ggibson@kerrmines.com




Technavio analysts forecast the cardiac medical devices market in the USto reach over USD 7 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of almost 2%, according to their latest report.

The research study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the cardiac medical devices in the US for 2016-2020. Based on product type, the market is classified into the following segments: CRM devices, cardiac assist devices, and heart valves.

Technavio healthcare and life sciencesanalysts highlight the following three factors that are contributing to the growth of the cardiac medical devices in the US:

Prevalence of cardiac disorders

Shortage of heart donors

Increase in public awareness

Prevalence of cardiac disorders

The incidence of cardiac disorders such as bradycardia, sick sinus syndrome, atrioventricular blocks, ventricular fibrillation, cardiac arrest, and tachycardia is rising each year. With aging, heart muscles lose their elasticity and ability to respond to different pressure rates. This makes older people susceptible to cardiac disorders. Sudden cardiac arrests are noted to be a leading cause of death worldwide among adults aged above 40.

"In 2013, the American Heart Association estimated that cardiac disorders accounted for more than 450,000 deaths in the US each year. The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation estimated that the number of deaths related to cardiovascular diseases is almost equal to Alzheimer's disease, cancers such as breast, cervical, prostate, and colorectal, house fires, road accidents, and suicide combined," says Barath Palada, a lead analyst at Technavio for cardiovascular devices research.

Shortage of heart donors

People with a higher severity of cardiovascular diseases are required to undergo heart transplantation. However, it is difficult to obtain heart transplants due to the shortage of heart donors. The number of people worldwide that require a heart transplant is rising rapidly. This leads to a rise in the average waiting time for heart transplantation. The average waiting time for a donor heart in the US is 9-11 months. In 2013, the Health Resources and Services Administration estimated that about 18 people in the US die every day due to the shortage of donor hearts.

This has fueled the demand for cardiac assist devices such as ventricular assist devices (VADs) and total artificial hearts (TAHs). Unlike artificial hearts, VADs help the heart rest after cardiac surgeries. They are also implanted in people awaiting donor hearts and for long-term use in individuals with advanced congestive heart failure. Among VADs, LVADs are the most used devices as they help pump the blood to the body and other vital organs. LVADs help reduce the load on the heart, allowing potential patient recovery. However, these devices are difficult to manufacture due to their complex use and architecture and compatibility issues with different cell types.

Increase in public awareness

Various governments and organizations worldwide are implementing initiatives to spread awareness about sudden cardiac arrest. The Heart Rhythm Society in the US has commemorated the month of October as the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness month to raise awareness about the disorder. "The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Coalition that consists of 46 non-profit organizations aims to increase the survival rate of people with sudden cardiac arrest globally, particularly in the US. The coalition spreads awareness and funds research about sudden cardiac arrest. It also enables people that have suffered sudden cardiac arrest in the past to gain easy access to life-saving therapies," adds Barath.

Browse Related Reports:

Global Cardiac Rhythm Management Devices Market 2015-2019

Global Cardiac Prosthetic Devices Market 2015-2019

Global Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) Devices Market 2015-2019

Purchase these three reports for the price of one by becoming a Technavio subscriber. Subscribing to Technavio's reports allows you to download any three reports per month for the price of one. Contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and a link to our subscription platform.

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160311005039/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
GOODLETTSVILLE, TN--(Marketwired - March 11, 2016) - Dollar General (NYSE: DG) today donated $25,000 to the American Red Cross to provide aid to individuals and communities impacted by recent floods. Additionally, all Dollar General stores across the 43 states it serves have immediately begun collecting donations to further support ongoing relief efforts by the American Red Cross.

"Dollar General is deeply committed to our mission of Serving Others and helping the communities we call home in their time of need," said Todd Vasos, Dollar General's chief executive officer. "Through our partnership with the American Red Cross, we are working to provide resources to aid those affected by the floods, as well as support recovery efforts."

Over the past five years, Dollar General has donated more than $2.2 million to support the American Red Cross through corporate donations and in-store collections to better support recovery efforts and serve communities across the country.

"Even as the waters recede, these floods continue to have an impact on the lives of people across the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and in the surrounding areas," said Don Herring, Chief Development Officer for the Red Cross. "In the midst of our response, I wanted to take a moment to thank Dollar General for their generous support of the American Red Cross. Because of longstanding partners like Dollar General, we're able to be there in the aftermath of these floods as well as continue our support of those facing countless other disasters across the country."

Customers interested in making a donation to the American Red Cross may do so at their time of purchase at Dollar General stores through March 25, 2016.

For additional information, photographs or items to supplement a story, please visit the DG Newsroom or contact the Media Relations Department at 1-877-944-DGPR (3477) or via email at dgpr@dg.com.

About Dollar General Corporation

Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for over 75 years through its mission of Serving Others. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day! by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, housewares and seasonal items at low everyday prices in convenient neighborhood locations. Dollar General operates 12,483 stores in 43 states as of January 29, 2016. In addition to high quality private brands, Dollar General sells products from America's most-trusted manufacturers such as Clorox, Energizer, Procter & Gamble, Hanes, Coca-Cola, Mars, Unilever, Nestle, Kimberly-Clark, Kellogg's, General Mills, and PepsiCo. For more information on Dollar General, please visit www.dollargeneral.com.

Follow Dollar General:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dollargeneral

Twitter: http://twitter.com/DollarGeneral

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mydollargeneral

Contact:

Media Hotline

1-877-944-DGPR (3477)

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Seattle, WA-based adtech company Adseek Media acquired blogcatalog.com, a Texas-based ad blogging platform and community.

The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

Led by Antony Berkman, CEO, and Angelica Alaniz, President, Blogcatalog is a platform for bloggers interested in establishing and growing their audiences.

According to President Steve Udd, Adseek has spent the last year looking into many different opportunities to establish a presence in the online publishing space. The acquisition of blogcatalog.com represented the culmination of these efforts.

In the coming weeks, blogcatalog.com and the blog community will be changed as the companies are working to incorporate the latest in social media promotion, video, podcasting, content management and SEO best practices.

Anyways, the acquired company will honor all current VIB and promotional contractual obligations with current blogging partners.

FinSMEs

11/03/2016
Inmoji, a Boston, MA-based platform that connects brands with consumers on mobile messaging with branded interactive emojis, raised $5m in Series A funding.

The round was led by Dr. John Wigneswaran with participation from angels MIT Sloan School of Management community, including Leonard S. Coleman, Jr.

The company, which has raised $7.5m in total funding, intends to use the capital to accelerate growth of its media network.

Led by Michael Africk, co-founder and CEO, Inmoji leverages branded and clickable icons to connect people with brands including NBC Universal, iTunes, Interscope Records, Starbucks, Ticketmaster, MovieTickets.com and Walmart, discover and share content, locations and links without having to interrupt their conversations.

Messaging platform partners include Tango, Kik, Badoo and MeetMe. In addition to brands and platforms, the company has formed strategic relationships with more than 40 media agencies including Omnicom Media Group, OMD Worldwide and Mullen Lowe.

FinSMEs

11/03/2016
Paintbox Group, a UK-based full service supplier of premium exterior systems and advanced painting and finishing solutions to the automotive industry, secured debt and equity financings.

The Business Growth Funds investment, together with a c. 3m facility from Barclays, is facilitating the development of a fourth robotic paint line at the Birmingham site, operational in late 2016.

Founded in 1989 by James Sharp, Managing Director, and Karl Durham, Non-Executive Director, to provide services to the Formula 1 industry, Paintbox now operates three robotic and four manual paint production lines across its manufacturing sites in Birmingham and Banbury, employing more than 300 people and with an annual turnover close to 50m. Customers now include Rolls Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin and Jaguar Land Rover.

Gordon Clark joined as Chairman following an introduction made by BGF.

FinSMEs

11/03/2016
In the whole of Vijay Mallya saga so far, there is one question that holds the key for the liquor barons timely escape to the UK, a week before 17 Indian banks moved the Supreme Court seeking his detention, citing the Rs 9,000 crore he owes to them, and the first right over the Rs 500 crore severance pay from Diageo.

Why did the Central Bureau of investigation (CBI) alter the nature of the look-out notice it issued to immigration authorities on Mallya within a month, enabling him to plan his escape from the country without hassles?

In the first place, the CBI wanted Mallya to be in the country, which is why it issued the look-out notice. If the agency believed that the Kingfisher case is critical enough to detain Mallya within the country, what changed its stance within a month, prompting it to relax the restriction? Was the agency asked to do it? Also, one cant rule out the possibility that Mallya was tipped off about the banks move in the Supreme Court.

Consider this sequence of events:

On 16 October 2015, the CBI first issued a look-out notice on Mallya asking the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) to detain Mallya at the airport if he tries to leave out of the country. This notice made it impossible for the flamboyant King of Good Times to leave the country.

But in November, just a month later, another look-out notice came from the same agency, this time, asking the BoI only to inform it about Mallyas departure and his travel plans and not detain him.

On 25 February, Vijay Mallya resigns from the USL board as its chairman securing a fat $75 million (Rs 500 crore) severance pay from Diageo as part of a non-compete agreement. Mallya, in a statement, leaves a hint that he would want to move to UK to be closer to his family and is still in dialogues with banks for a One Time Settlement.

On 26 February: SBI, the lead bank in the consortium, approaches the Bangalore DRT seeking the arrest of Mallya, first right on his $75 million pay and impounding his passport, but the DRT postpones the case.

On 26 February: In a text message to Firstpost, SBI chairman, Arundhati Bhattacharya said the bank is taking further action in the context of Mallya hinting to leave the country. We are taking action as per law to protect our interests, said Bhattacharya.

On 1 March: Mallya attends the Rajya Sabha in his capacity as a Member of Parliament.

On 2 March: Mallya leaves India with seven bags and with an unidentified woman in a Jet Airways flight.

On 7 March: The Bengaluru DRT finally issues an interim order only putting a temporary ban on Mallya from drawing the severance pay. Earlier in the day, the Enforcement Directorate registered a money laundering case against him and others in connection with the alleged default of loans worth Rs 900 crore from IDBI Bank. Why did the ED take much time to register this case, which has been there for while?

On 8 March: The SBI-led consortium files a Special Leave Petition in Supreme Court seeking the intervention of the court to prevent Mallya from leaving the country. But, it was almost a week by then since Mallya left the country.

Assuming that banks were not aware of Mallyas exit on 2 March, one thing becomes clear. Mallyas move of leaving the country (if indeed he has moved out with an intention to move out of the law) wasnt decided in a day. It was planned in advance. Mallya knew what was coming and the idea was made possible only because the CBI changed the nature of its look-out notice. One should also note the fact that he had already received part of his severance pay ($40 million) by this time.

The issue is much more serious if someone indeed passed the information to Mallya about banks impending move, alerting him to plan his next step. It is logical that state-run banks would have surely kept the concerned government ministries in the loop before they planned such a big hunt on Mallya that reached till the Supreme Court. Also, when a prominent businessman is facing legal proceedings across various courts on his dealing with banks and alleged financial frauds, irregularities in using the bank money, it is surprising that the CBI let Mallya leave the country.

The fact is everyone knew the gravity of the Vijay Mallya case. The Rs 9,000 crore (including the accumulated interest amount) turned a non-performing asset (NPA) in early 2012 and, Mallya was tagged as a willful defaulter by three banks (though one bank reversed the decision after Mallya moved the Calcutta High Court).

Two questions arising here: One, who tipped off Mallya, enabling him to time his exit from the country just to escape the legal proceedings and just before the banks moved the court seeking his detention. Two, what exactly prompted the CBI to alter the nature of its look-out notice at a time when the Kingfisher case is becoming more and more serious? Was it under pressure to do so?

The answers to these questions will reveal the real story behind Mallyas great escape.
New Delhi: Bollywood actor Anupam Kher, who had criticised those behind a recent flashpoint event at JNU, on Friday alleged that the university has refused to screen his film "Buddha in a traffic" even as varsity authorities denied having received any such request.

Accusing the university of "stifling freedom of speech and expression", Kher said that he was told that the university cannot allow the film to be screened owing to the present atmosphere at the campus.

"Why are only certain people allowed to exercise their freedom of expression at JNU? They should practice what they are preaching. If they're talking about freedom of speech and expression, then they should follow it also," he said.

The university officials refuted the allegations saying no request from Kher has been received by them for screening of any film.

"We have not received any verbal or written request from Anupam Kher for screening of the film so there is no question of we having denied it," a senior university official told PTI, adding, "I am not sure if he had sent any request to any specific school but nothing has come to the administration".

The students' union of the university which organises film screenings frequently also denied having being approached by Kher. The controversial film 'Aligarh' was also screened at the varsity recently.

Directed by Vivek Agnihotri, the 2014 film called "Buddha Stuck In A Traffic Jam" also stars Arunoday Singh, Mahi Gill, Pallavi Joshi, besides Kher. Kher, a Padmabhushan awardee, made the comments after the film's director Vivek Agnihotri took to Twitter saying that the varsity did not give permission to screen the film.

The veteran actor said he plays a professor who transforms the minds of students and incites them to become the change. He said it talks about the relationship between students and the teacher and the politics within.

Kher said that the film, which was made two years ago and was waiting for producers, depicts the atmosphere that is prevalent in JNU on Friday.

"All kind of films are shown in JNU, it's a film which is very relevant considering what is happening in JNU since a month. I am sure there are many students who would like to see it... it is not a controversial film," Kher said.

"The filmmakers didn't have the budget of Rs 5-6 crore to market the film so they decided to take the film across institutions and organisations to raise an awareness," he said.

At a recent event in Kolkata, Kher had attacked JNU and its students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar for allegedly raising "anti-national" slogans at an event on February 9 to mark the hanging of Parliament attacks convict Afzal Guru.

PTI
Ahmedabad: Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel, who is behind the bars in a sedition case, on Friday filed a bail application in the Gujarat High Court. It is likely to come up for hearing next week, his lawyer Rafiq Lokhandwala said.

The sessions court here had rejected his bail plea on Tuesday. Hardik has contended in the application that sedition is a colonial law enacted by the British to suppress the freedom struggle and it was invoked wrongfully against him by the Ahmedabad police when he was only fighting for his community.

The police, who have relied on Hardik's intercepted telephonic conversations with his associates during the agitation last year, have failed to link it with the violence, the application says.

The sessions court had observed while refusing Hardik bail that if released, he might repeat the offence.

Hardik and three others have been charged with IPC sections 124(A) (sedition), 121 (A) (conspiracy to wage war against government) and 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy).

They are accused of inciting the violence to mount pressure on the government for accepting the demand of reservations in OBC quota for the Patel community.

Hardik is at present in Lajpore jail in Surat district where another sedition case has been filed against him.

PTI
New Delhi: In a candid admission, the IAF on Thursday said that given its depleting strength, it does not have the adequate numbers to "fully execute" an air campaign in case of a two-front war involving Pakistan and China

simultaneously.

It also sought more 5th generation fighter aircraft over and above the 36 Rafales since it was a requirement.

The revelation by the IAF comes at a time when the squadron strength of the force has come down to 33 in

comparison to the sanctioned strength of 42.

Of the 33, a very large chunk is made up of Russian origin Su-30 jets, the front line fighter aircraft of the

country.

However, the serviceability ratio of the aircraft is very poor with the figure hovering around 55 per cent. This means that out of 100 aircraft, only around 55 are available at a point of time with the rest being bogged down in service.

"Our numbers are not adequate to fully execute an air campaign in a two front scenario. Probability of a two front

scenario is an appreciation which you need to do. But, are the numbers adequate? No. The squadrons are winding down," said Air Marshal B S Dhanoa, Vice-Chief of the IAF addressing a press conference in Delhi.

He was asked if the IAF has the capability to fight a two-front war if it breaks out the next day.

IAF sources said that a two-front war is not a likely possibility for the next few years and in the meantime, the

force hopes to come up with the required capability.

"We have conveyed our concerns to the government. Government is seized of this problem and the reason why the

government signed the 36 aircraft (Rafale) on G2G basis is because of urgency that they felt because of the depletion in squadron numbers," said Dhanoa, a Kargil war veteran.

Asked if there is a requirement for more Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) type aircraft besides the 36

Rafales, he said yes.

"There are various avenues that are being explored. There is a requirement for us to buy a MMRCA class aircraft more than the 36 numbers that we have signed. Which platform may come in, that is something between us and the government. We (both) will have to take a call," he said.

Deputy Chief of the IAF Air Marshal R K S Bhadauria said that a decision on more aircraft will be take only after the conclusion of the contract for 36 Rafale fighter jets.

PTI
Nagaur: Condemning the raising of anti-national slogans in JNU, RSS on Friday said "subversive" elements have made universities the centre of their activities for long and should be checked by governments, as its top brass began a three-day brainstorming session in Nagaur.

Referring to Malda episode, the Sangh fountainhead also voiced concern over instances of violence and decried attempts to create "atmosphere of fear" as it asked political parties to give up their "policy of appeasement" and take such incidents seriously.

"We expect the central and state governments to deal strictly with such anti-national and antisocial forces and ensure the sanctity and cultural atmosphere by not allowing our educational institutions to become centres of political activities," RSS said in its annual report presented at the meeting of Akhil Bhartiya Pratinidhi Sabha, the top decision making body, that began here today amid tight security.

The RSS has said the meeting will focus on issues like education system, eradicating caste-based discrimination and social harmony, while deciding on steps like changing the uniform of its members "to keep up with the times".

The meet of BJP's idealogical mentor assumes importance in the backdrop of Narendra Modi government facing flak over handling of JNU row, dalit student's suicide in Hyderabad, allegations of saffronisation of education and the debate over intolerance ahead of crucial assembly elections.

Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh Chief Mohan Bhagwat offered floral tributes at the portrait of 'Bharat Mata' in the presence of BJP President Amit Shah at the start of the three-day meet.

"Reports about anti-national activities in certain universities have become a matter of concern for the patriotic people. In the name of freedom of expression, how can the slogans calling for breaking up and destruction of the nation be tolerated and how can the guilty, who had hatched the conspiracy to blow up Parliament, be honoured as martyr?" the RSS report presented by Sar-Karywah Suresh Joshi said.

The RSS said that those who do such things have no faith in the Constitution, judiciary and Parliament and "such subversive elements have made these universities the centres of their activities for long".

"When they find certain political parties supporting such anti-national elements, the concern (of patriotic persons) grows further," the report said.

"Incidents of violence and terror attacks have become a matter of grave concern. Under the pretext of small and big issues, people armed with weapon take to the roads creating atmosphere of fear, as has happened in Malda, and it has become endemic nowadays.

"Destruction of public and private properties, looting and burning business establishment specially those run by Hinuds, has taken place. Political parties, giving up their policy of appeasement, should take such incidents seriously and cooperate to restore the law and order situation and peace," the RSS said.

The saffron outfit said it will be possible only when parties "shed their petty and parochial political interests".

"Political parties should make a combined effort in the right direction. No political party or person is more important than national security.

"It is the responsibility of an efficient and strong government to instill confidence in the people about their security," the report said.

Krishna Gopal, Sah-Sar Karyawah of the RSS, today said issues of education, medical and health, and social harmony were on top of the agenda, but reservations and construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya could be discussed if they are raised at the meeting.

"We have three main issues on the agenda  education, medical and health, and social harmony. Beyond that, only if any such issue comes, we may look into that," he told reporters when asked whether issues of Ram Temple and reservations will also be discussed.

"Reservation has its own place. Constitution has given its nod. It is 'sanvidhan-sammat' and the country has accepted it.

"If anything comes, we would discuss," he said.

He evaded questions on Ram temple construction and only said, "We will look into it if such a thing comes." He said the body will issue a resolution on the issue of social harmony.

"Caste based discrimination exist in the country and it should be ended," he said.

On the issue of change in uniform, he said that there were several proposals and will be discussed in the meeting. "Discussions are on. Any decision will be taken as per the requirement of the present time," he said.

The RSS is likely to replace khaki knickers with trousers and the colour may also see a change. Gopal said that improving the accessibility and affordability of quality education, medical and health facilities and abolishment of untouchability and improving social harmony are the key issues.

"Education should be of good quality and every common man should have access to quality education," Gopal said. Similarly, good medical and health facilities should be available to all. "Health facilities are getting costlier and the common man is suffering. What should be done to provide relief to people will be discussed in the meeting.

"In the annual meeting, representatives discuss progress, new initiatives and other related issues," he said.

Close to 1,300 members are expected to participate in the meeting being held nearly 230 km from state capital Jaipur.

PTI
Tehran: Moscow is set to deliver Russian-made surface-to-air S-300 missile defence systems to Iran before the end of this year, an official said.

"I think we will deliver the S-300 by the end of the year... The first delivery will be in September or August," Press Tv quoted Sergei Chemezov, head of Russia's industrial conglomerate Rostec as saying on Friday.

Last month, Iran's Defence Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said the country would take delivery of the first batch of S-300 missiles in the first quarter of 2016.

Russia committed to delivering the systems to Iran under $800 million deal in 2007.

Moscow, however, refused to deliver the systems to Tehran in 2010 under the pretext that the agreement was covered by the fourth round of the UN Security Council sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.

Following Moscow's refusal to deliver the systems, Tehran filed a complaint against the relevant Russian arms firm with the International Court of Arbitration in Geneva.

In April 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a presidential decree, paving the way for the long-overdue delivery of the missile defence system to Iran.

The decision came after Iran and the P5+1 group of countries  the US, France, Britain, China and Russia plus Germany  reached a mutual understanding on Tehran's nuclear programme in the Swiss city of Lausanne on April 2, 2015.

Tehran also developed its domestically-built Bavar-373 air defence system, which was successfully test-fired in August 2014.

The long-range missile system, which is similar to the Russian S-300, has been manufactured by Iranian defence experts, and is capable of hitting air targets at a high altitude.

IANS
Washington: Pakistan is poised to get eight F-16 fighter jets from the US after the Senate rejected a resolution to block the $700 million proposed sale despite objection by some top lawmakers who called Islamabad an "unreliable" ally and questioned its commitment in fighting terrorism.

The joint resolution, which was introduced in the Senate by Senator Rand Paul, a former Republican presidential candidate, asking the lawmakers to block the sale of F-16 jets to Pakistan was defeated by 71 to 24 votes.

To the surprise of many, such a resolution got the support of 24 Senators which is quite significant given that similar motions of disapprovals in the past normally gets support of a few or a handful of lawmakers. India has opposed the sale of eight F-16 fighter jets worth approximately $700 million to Pakistan, saying it disagrees with Washington's rationale that such arms transfers would help combat terrorism. Before his resolution was defeated by the Senate, Paul said the US does not have the money to "give planes free" to Pakistan while the country is crumbling under a foreign debt of $19 trillion.

"We do not have the money to give to Pakistan," said Paul starting the debate on the sale of F-16 to Pakistan. "Should we give planes to a country who prison our heroes," Paul said, referring to the imprisonment of Pakistani-American doctor, Shakeel Afridi, who has been jailed on charges of helping the CIA find Osama bin Laden. Senator Chris Murphy, Ranking Member of Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counter-terrorism, alleged that Pakistan has been an "unreliable partner" over the course of the last ten years in the fight against extremism.

"But what I worry more is that these F-16s will provide cover, will provide substitute for truly meaningful action inside Pakistan to take on the roots of extremism. It is frankly too late in many respects to beat these extremist groups if they are so big, so powerful, so deadly that you have to bomb them from the air," he said.

The debate and voting was held a day after Pentagon commanders appealed to the lawmakers against restricting or conditioning US aid to Pakistan. The voting came as Paul invoked the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 in a bid to shoot down the sale with a resolution of disapproval.

"The relationship between US and Pakistan has been a troubled one. Though the government of Pakistan is considered America's ally in the fight on terrorism, Pakistan's behaviour would suggest otherwise. While we give them billions of dollars in aid, we are simultaneously aware of their intelligence and military apparatus assisting the Afghan Taliban," Paul said.

"In addition to Pakistan's duplicitous nature, it also has a deplorable human rights record. Pakistan often isolates and unjustly jails religious minorities and Christians like Asia Bibi," he said. "We have no money in the treasury. We are all out of money. This influences nothing other than to tell the Pakistanis they can continue doing what they want. I urge my colleagues to vote against subsidised sales of fighter jets to Pakistan, and I reserve the remainder of my time," Paul said for which he received support of 24 Senators.

PTI
This is the story of 23-year-old Manjula Balakrishnan from Chennai.

When she was just 10 years old, her father, then working as a building contractor at a daily wage of 100 rupees a day, suffered from an attack of paralysis that rendered him unfit to continue with his work. The family had already been feeling the pressures of low income that barely sustained their daily expenses, but this sudden loss of income hit them even harder as affording bare necessities was impossible without a steady income.

These circumstances forced Manjula's mother to start working as a housemaid, with she joining her mother on weekends and holidays to earn some extra income. Even then, there were times when their combined efforts fell short of providing them with sufficient money, and they often had to rely on financial support from their relatives. At times, the mother would bring leftover food from her employers to feed her family. Paying the house rent was another expense the family had to bear, which added to the financial pressure.

Despite all odds, Manjula did well in her state board exams by securing 86% in Class 12, making her family proud and surprising many.

Her good score ensured that she got admission in a government college in Chennai, but the additional cost of the college tuition fees stared Manjula in her face. This forced her and her mother to work for longer periods, taking up more jobs so that the fee could be paid.

After three more years of hardship and juggling between studies and helping her mother in her work, Manjula finally had a college degree. But soon, Manjula found that having a degree was not enough to get a job. Of the many interviews that she attended, her lack of good communication skills and presentation skills led to a series of rejections from various companies.

That's when a friend asked her to join the ICICI Academy for Skills (where she herself was studying), an academy that offered free-skill training to the underprivileged youth and made them employable. Manjula applied and got selected, and joined the Chennai centre of the academy to pursue a three-month course in Office Administration.

At the academy, Manjula learned different aspects of Office Administration such as office communication and etiquette, accounts, computer operation, etc. and also received training in presentation skills. All the training was imparted not just theoretically but also from a practical perspective. Discussions and role-plays were an integral part of the pedagogy and gave her a first-hand experience of practical problems and their solutions.

The faculty continuously encouraged her to ask questions and gave her the confidence to handle real-life situations on her own. Further, regular home assignments given by the faculty encouraged Manjula to gather more information on her own using reference books and the internet. The time spent at the academy also helped Manjula inculcate good habits such as setting personal goals, planning her activities and scheduling her tasks based on priorities.

These additional skills proved helpful when Manjula appeared for her first interview after completing the course. She could answer all the questions asked in the interview confidently and finally succeeded in getting her first corporate job.

Today, Manjula works at Dell BPO as a Senior Operations Associate (Healthcare) and earns a good salary. Her family's standard of living has improved and their continuous financial crunch has abated. Manjula is now helping her family build a new home for themselves!

From being a part-time housemaid to becoming the primary breadwinner for her family, Manjula is a shining example of how strong will coupled with right support and guidance can help the youth realize their true potential. Her story is also a heartening reminder of the adage that no dream is impossible if we really put our heart and soul into achieving it.

If you know any underprivileged youth like Manjula who have potential and desire but do not have the right skills or support to get a better livelihood, simply log in to giftalivelihood.com and refer them to the ICICI Academy for Skills for free-skill-based training. The Academy offers exclusive centers or women which are managed and run by dedicated faculty comprising only women. With 22 centers and 13 courses, the candidates have a lot to choose from. This free training, an initiative by ICICI Foundation, is imparted to youth below the age of 30 with household income of around 1.5 lakh per annum.

This is a sponsored post.
By Wasbir Hussain

Bent on snatching a victory in Assam, the BJP has stitched up electoral alliances and is offering a five-party coalition alternative to the Congress that is making a determined bid to hold on to power for the fourth successive time. All four allies of the BJP in Assam are regional political parties, the prominent among them being the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF). While the AGP is a product of the anti-foreigner uprising of the eighties in the state and had been in power twice, the BPF is an offshoot of a violent insurgency, and, has been ruling the autonomous council that is in charge of administration in the western and northern Assam Bodo heartland. The BPF has been ruling the Bodo Council for the past decade, having signed a peace agreement with the government. The two other allies represent the Tiwa and Rabha ethnic groups.

The BJP may have got a head-start with the tie-ups, but is faced with opposition from grass-root workers and supporters over the alliance with the AGP. Street protests, ransacking of some local party offices, and burning of effigies were witnessed. The primary grouse of the party workers is over the BJPs decision to leave 24 of the 126 Assembly seats to the AGP as part of the poll pact. They obviously believe this election was an opportunity for the party in these 24 seats as well to put up a good performance. The BJPs best tally had been ten seats in 2006, before it came down to five in the last Assembly polls in 2011. Some aggrieved BJP leaders in the districts who have seen their prospective seats being left in favour of the AGP are planning to contest as independents and are considering coming together under the banner of a new political formation called Trinamool BJP.

The aftershock of this alliance is felt much more in the AGP. In fact, the AGP has split over this issue with some leaders, including a former minister, Thaneswar Boro, forming the AGP Anchalikatabadi Mancha (AGP Regional Forum). This breakaway faction of the AGP is planning to contest at least 50 seats, a development that has the potential to split the regional partys votes or votes which can be bracketed as anti-Congress. In fact, the revolt in the AGP negates the very purpose of the BJP-AGP alliance which was to consolidate the anti-Congress votes and prevent a split in such votes.

The scale of the revolt in the AGP will impact more on the BJP, being the leading alliance partner that is out to grab power. Even former Chief Minister and founder president of the AGP, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, is unhappy with the nature of the alliance. I personally feel it is not really an honourable alliance because our party that had been in power in Assam twice has been given only 24 seats to contest, Mahanta told this writer on Wednesday. He said the unrest within the party rank-and-file over the shape of the alliance was not surprising.

The AGPs performance is going to be critical for the BJP because every seat will count in the final game of numbers. The BJP has already announced a list of 88 candidates and may contest at least two more seats (the rest have been left for its allies), but around 25 of these seats are actually strongholds of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) led by Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, a party that has a strong influence among the Muslim settlers who live in large concentrations in several districts. Therefore, if the BJP has to win the polls this time, along with it, its allies, too, would have to bag as many seats as possible to reach the magic figure of 64 in the Assam Assembly.

It would not be a cakewalk even for the BPF, the BJPs Bodo ally, which had bagged 11 and 12 seats in the 2006 and 2011 Assembly polls respectively. Anti-incumbency aside, the BPF faces a new party as its rival, the United Peoples Party (UPP), led by UG Brahma, a former MP and a one-time prominent leader of the influential All Bodo Students Union (ABSU). To add to the challenge, the ruling Congress has entered into an alliance with the UPP and has left four key seats in favour of the new party. Maulana Ajmals AIUDF had surprised everyone by fielding local Bodo candidates in the Bodo Council polls in April last year and winning four of the 40 elective seats. It is likely that the AIUDF will put up candidates for the 4 April and 11 April Assembly polls in the Bodo areas, adding to the BPFs challenge. Any drop in the BPFs tally again will impact on the BJP. The bottom-line is that if the ruling Congress is faced with roadblocks, starting with anti-incumbency, the main contender for power, the BJP, too, is faced with huge challenges.

(Wasbir Hussain is a Guwahati-based political commentator and television talk show host)
New Delhi: Amidst the ongoing row over the controversial Ishrat Jahan case, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said the affidavit describing her as LeT operative was changed by the then Home Minister P Chidambaram due to some "undue pressure".

"Personally, I feel that Chidambaram is a very experienced politician and is a very learned man. He will not on his own go to the extent of giving a clean chit to a terrorist. There must have been some kind of undue pressure on him," he told reporters here.

Rijiju said it was clear that there must have been something in the mind of Chidambaram and due to some consideration "which forced him to take such a drastic action which can be termed as anti-national".

"We will try to find out what went wrong and who all are responsible for that," he said.

The Minister of State for Home's comments came in the wake of his senior Rajnath Singh's statement in Parliament where he accused the erstwhile UPA government of hatching a "deep conspiracy" to frame Narendra Modi when he was then the Gujarat Chief Minister.

Singh also alleged that the previous government had done a 'flip-flop' on the links of Ishrat Jahan with terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Ishrat was killed in an alleged fake encounter in Gujarat in 2004.

The first affidavit was filed on the basis of inputs from Maharashtra and Gujarat Police besides the Intelligence Bureau where it was said that the 19-year-old girl from Mumbai outskirts was a Lashkar-e-Taiba activist but it was ignored in the second affidavit, Home Ministry officials said.

The second affidavit, claimed to have been drafted by Chidambaram, said there was no conclusive evidence to prove that Ishrat was a terrorist, officials said.

Referring to missing of some key files related to the case, Rijiju said it was very surprising that the matter has reached Parliament.

"We all are very very surprised with the missing of files.

Some of the important documents, specially when the then Home Minister was to make a substantial change in the affidavit. It amounted to giving a clean chit to a terrorist. Also the related files and documents, specially the draft portion which was vetted by the then Attorney General," he said.

Rijiju said the Home Ministry officials were yet to trace all these documents.

"What we have is the file noting and the affidavit which is being filed in the court. That's all. What is very apparent is that the then Home Minister very clearly approved a file which stated that a particular lady is a LeT operative and subsequently he changes his mind and said that there is no conclusive proof," he said.

PTI
Washington: The Indonesia that Barack Obama lived in as a child bore fresh scars from the darkest period in country's modern history. Shortly before Obama's arrival in 1967, hundreds of thousands of people had been killed in a bloody anti-communist purge.

Now Indonesian human rights officials want Obama's help in addressing unanswered questions about the bloodshed 50 years ago. They are requesting the declassification of secret US files that could shed light on how the killings were planned and the extent that the United States collaborated with Indonesia's military.

Despite nearly two decades of civilian rule, the prevailing account in Indonesia of those events remains the one planted by the military regime that swept to power after the killings, led by the dictator Suharto who ruled for 30 years. Indonesian text books portray it as a national uprising against a communist threat, and gloss over the deaths.

Joko Widodo, the first directly elected Indonesian president without links to Suharto, ran as a reformer who would look into episodes of military impunity, but since taking office in 2014, he has not pressed the issue due to opposition within his own government and the still-powerful military.

Indonesia's National Human Rights Commission in 2012 reported there was evidence that crimes against humanity were committed during the 1965-1966 crackdown, but the attorney general took no action.

Commissioner Muhammad Nurkhoiron met this week with State Department officials and has made a formal request to Obama that says the release of files from the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency and other agencies will help in "encouraging the Indonesian government to redouble its own efforts to establish the truth" and promote reconciliation.

"We need the US to immediately release those documents to help our efforts," Nurkhoiron said in an interview. He said when Obama leaves office early next year, momentum for US action could be lost.

Myles Caggins, a National Security Council spokesman, said it will review the commission's request. He said the administration supports the declassification of any relevant documents from the period which do not pose a national security risk. The US has already released many documents related to the period, but has withheld others.

The killings began in October 1965 shortly after an apparent abortive coup in which six right-wing generals were murdered. Suharto, an unknown major general at the time, filled the power vacuum and blamed the assassinations on Indonesia's Communist Party, which was then the largest outside the Soviet Union and China, with some 3 million members. No conclusive proof of communist involvement in the coup has been produced.

In his 1995 best-selling memoir, "Dreams From My Father," Obama recounted how his mother, who had moved them to Jakarta after marrying an Indonesian, learned about the recent killings through "innuendo, half-whispered asides." In words that still ring true, Obama wrote: "The death toll was anybody's guess: a few hundred thousand, maybe; half a million."

At that time, the Vietnam War was intensifying, and Washington's fears of communist takeovers in Southeast Asia were running high. Previously declassified State Department documents indicate that the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta passed the names of dozens of Communist Party leaders to the Indonesian army. Redacted meeting notes from a National Security Council covert action committee that were declassified last month  the result of a 2004 freedom of information request from a US historian  show that the US endorsed "obstructive action" against the Communist Party.

The historian, Brad Simpson from the University of Connecticut, said the US organized covert operations aiming to provoke a violent clash so the Indonesian army would crush the communists. Once the killings had started, the US sent technical assistance and clear signals that it supported the killings, he said.

But Simpson said releasing more detailed information would likely make clearer that the primary responsibility for killings lay with the Indonesian military and state, and not the United States. It could shed light on the command and control structure of the Indonesian armed forces, who was actually carrying out the killings in particular places, and the degree of coordination that was involved between the Indonesian army and its civilian supporters and affiliates.

"The more we release, the less tenable will be the conspiracy theories about the US role," Simpson said.

Thomas Blanton, director of the nongovernment National Security Archive, said the Obama administration has quite a good track record on declassifying documents for human rights accountability, as it did last October for Chile, revealing that former dictator Augusto Pinochet ordered the 1976 assassination of a Chilean diplomat.

But he said the US was unlikely to act without a strong push from the Indonesian government, particularly as some of the documents being sought are closely guarded CIA operational files.

That appears unlikely, as the bloodshed of 50 years ago, which is believed to have caught up many with only tenuous communist links, remains a deeply sensitive topic in Indonesia.

Authorities have in some cases blocked public viewings of two recent Oscar-nominated documentaries by the filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer, who tracked down former death squad members and found them unashamed, unrepentant and even willing to re-enact their brutal murders.

AP
Chennai: After keeping alliance aspirants on tenterhooks, actor-turned politician Vijayakanth on Thursday said his party DMDK would go it alone in the 16 May Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, belying the hopes of DMK, BJP and the four-party bloc PWF.

"I am making it clear that Vijayakanth (DMDK) is going to fight elections alone," he said to a thunderous applause from the gathering at the party's women's wing meet in Chennai.

The declaration by DMDK came against the background of sustained efforts by the DMK, BJP and People's Welfare Front PWF (comprising MDMK, VCK and CPI(M) and CPI) to rope in the Vijayakanth-led party into their fold.

It also has firmed up the election scenario in Tamil Nadu which looks set for a multi-cornered contest among AIADMK, DMK-Cong combine, BJP, PWF and DMDK.

DMDK was part of BJP-led NDA in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, and the saffron party was hoping to retain it in its alliance for the assembly elections.

Ridiculing speculation in the media about which alliance the DMDK would choose, he asked, "Why are you worried?"

Citing some media reports that claimed "bargain was going on (by DMDK) with potential allies," he said, "I did not bargain with anyone (party)."

Thanking all the political parties who sought an electoral tie-up with him, he categorically said that DMDK would face the elections alone. "I am (DMDK) standing alone in elections," he said.

Explaining the background to the party decision, he said his partymen were confused when TV channels owing allegiance to select political parties aired views according to their whims and fancies on the probable decision of the DMDK.

A seven-member party panel would choose DMDK candidates for the assembly election, he said.

Recalling his interaction with party workers in Kancheepuram last month, when he was asked whether he should be kingmaker or king (to which they said he should be the King), he said the DMDK would fight elections alone.

Stating that he was leading his partymen in the right direction, he said only his partymen had the right to question him on choosing electoral-tie-up and asserted that he need not answer the media in this regard.

Founded in 2005, DMDK fought the 2011 Assembly elections as an ally of the ruling AIADMK and later fell out with it.

PTI
WASHINGTON Some 20 women in Islamic hijab worried by rising anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States watched on a recent night as their self-defense instructor showed them how to punch a would-be attacker.

"Kiai!" shouted Rana Abdelhamid, an Egyptian-American with a black belt in shotokan karate, as she demonstrated the blow.

"I'm fighting - Kiai! That's how loud I want you to be," Abdelhamid, a Muslim human rights activist and native of Queens, New York, told the group.

The women followed her lead, some shouting the martial arts cry louder than others.

The workshops launched by Abdelhamid for women are among a number of similar classes around the United States that have sprung up as Muslims perceive themselves to be under increasing threat.

The feeling has intensified with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's call in December to ban Muslims from entering the country.

"You can be attacked at any point. You can be pushed off ... of a subway ledge," said Abdelhamid. She added that headscarves and the hijab can sometimes turn Muslim women into targets.

One of the women in the class, Kristin Garrity Sekerci, an American convert to Islam, said she wanted to be able to defend herself if she were attacked.

"You stand out. It's not fair, but it's the reality. And you have to equip yourself to be able to face that," said Garrity Sekerci, who works with the Islamophobia-tracking Bridge Initiative at Washington's Georgetown University.

Muslim advocacy groups like the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) say anti-Muslim bias crimes in the United States have tripled since attacks by Islamic militants in Paris in November and shootings by Muslim extremists in San Bernardino, California, in December.

About 80 percent of the victims in such incidents are women, CAIR officials say.

"There really is a need for Muslim women to protect themselves in this society," said CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper.

The Bridge Initiative says Muslims in the United States are five times more likely to be the victim of a hate crime than they were before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The women in Abdelhamid's class included a young Palestinian who works at the Pentagon and a middle-aged Yemeni who is learning English.

"You just feel this rush of adrenaline in your body and you just want to conquer the world," Hind Essayegh, a native of Afghanistan, said after the class. "It's really empowering."

(Writing by Ian Simpson; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Sydney: Australia declared war on outlaw motorcycle gangs on Friday, with the visas of more than 80 foreign nationals torn up in a crackdown on drug-dealing, extortion and gun-smuggling, which officials said was causing misery.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton revealed 81 biker gang members have had their visas cancelled or refused since

mid-2014 with 27 of them already kicked out of the country. The rest are in prison or immigration detention.

The government said they were from countries including New Zealand, Britain, Bosnia, Albania, Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam.

"Our government is very happy to declare war on outlaw motorcycle gang members," said Dutton.

He added that they were "causing misery and pain to thousands of Australians" and "this government is determined

to work to make sure that we can cancel visas of people who are non-citizens who are committing crimes in our country".

"I have no doubt these visa refusals or cancellations are disrupting the operations of these criminal organisations by removing key individuals from the hierarchies of the gangs along with their associates," Dutton said.

Motorcycle gangs linked to organised crime are an increasing problem across Australia.

The government said there were 38 active biker gangs with 4,500 members and thousands more associates, including lawyers and accountants, with the most prominent including the Comancheros, the Rebels, Hells Angels and the Mongols.

They are accused of drug dealing, extortion, money laundering, and the distribution of firearms and explosives with turf wars often leading to brazen violence.

Justice Minister Michael Keenan called them the "public face of organised crime in Australia".

"We know they are heavily involved in the drug trade, they continue to exert significant influence over Australia's

other black markets," he said.

"They are involved in money laundering, they are involved in extortion, they're involved in gun smuggling and they are responsible for a high level of violence in the community."

The crackdown involves numerous government departments, including border force, immigration, and the tax office,

working with police and the Australian Crime Commission's gangs intelligence unit.

AFP
Washington: US police launched a manhunt on Thursday after a brutal shooting at a backyard barbecue in Pennsylvania killed six people, including a eight-months pregnant woman and her unborn child.

Police said they were searching for at least two suspects, asking witnesses to come forward about the massacre late Wednesday in the town of Wilkinsburg, six miles (ten kilometers) east of Pittsburgh.

Three women and a man were killed at the scene and another woman died at the hospital, Allegheny County police in a statement.

One of the women killed was pregnant, police Superintendent Charles Moffatt later said at a news conference.

The medical examiner's office "officially determined that the eight-month-old fetus was also a homicide," he said. "So now we're up to 6 homicides at this point."

Most of the victims suffered multiple wounds, Moffatt said.

The injured were "still in very critical condition," he said, adding that they were cooperating with police, who had interviewed them at length.

The five adults killed were African-Americans aged between 25 and 37 years.

"They are related, cousins and a set of sisters," Moffatt said.

The first shots came from an alley next to the house where the barbecue was taking place. As the partygoers tried to flee inside, another gunman fired shots at the back porch.

There was no return fire, police Lt. Andrew Schurman told AFP.

The suspects arrived and left on foot, police said.

Neighbours said they heard between 30 and 40 shots, local KDKA television reported.

Police "don't have any firm suspects," Moffatt said. "We don't have enough at this time to make any arrests."

However, evidence at the crime scene pointed to two shooters who used an AK47 automatic rifle and a .9 millimeter handgun, he said.

Police did not recover the weapons but found 48 bullet casings at the scene.

"It appears it was targeted," Moffatt said of the shooters' motives. "They knew where they were going."

Seven ambulances were called to the scene and a large police force deployed.

"This street is always quiet, local resident Kayla Alexander told WPXI television. "There is nothing but kids on this street."

Police are considering drugs as a possible motive, however "everything is on the table," Moffatt said.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is offering a $20,000 reward for information relating to the shooting, the agency's Chris Taylor said.

Mass shootings - in which at least four people are killed or injured - take place almost daily in the United States, with 330 deaths recorded last year.

Firearms kill a total of 30,000 people each year, with each bloody attack reviving Americans' debate about the right to bear arms.

However, Republican lawmakers, many of whom are backed by the powerful lobby group the National Rifle Association, have blocked President Barack Obama's attempt to pass gun control legislation.

AFP
Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has ordered further nuclear tests, using the miniaturised warheads he claims his scientists have developed, state media reported on Friday.

While overseeing a ballistic missile launch on Thursday, Kim had stressed on the importance of conducting "more nuclear explosion tests to estimate the destructive power of the newly produced nuclear warheads", the North's official KCNA news agency said.

On Wednesday, state media had published photos of Kim visiting nuclear technicians and standing next to what was claimed to be a miniaturised nuclear warhead. During the visit, he had stated that his scientists had mastered the process of shrinking warheads to a size capable of fitting on a ballistic missile  a step that would present a heightened threat to South Korea, other countries in the region and, eventually the US mainland.

According to KCNA, the launch of two short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, which traversed the eastern part of the country before falling into the East Sea (Sea of Japan), was part of an exercise involving a nuclear counter-strike against invading forces.

The exercise was clearly a response to ongoing large-scale, South Korea-US military drills that Pyongyang views as provocative rehearsals for invasion.

The aim was to "simulate conditions for exploding nuclear warheads from the preset altitude above targets in ports under control of foreign aggressor forces", the agency added.

Having watched the exercise, Kim reiterated an earlier threat of launching an immediate nuclear attack if the "sabre-rattling"

South Korea-US drills should harm "even a single tree or blade of grass" on North Korean territory. "I will issue a prompt order to launch attack with all military strike means," he said.

Military tensions on the divided Korean peninsula have been on the rise ever since the North carried out its fourth nuclear test in January, followed by a long-range rocket launch last month.

The UN Security Council responded with tough, new sanctions, which Pyongyang condemned as a "gangster-like" provocation orchestrated by the United States.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced grave concerns over the tensions, and urged North Korea to avoid further "destabilising acts", including missile launches.

Kim, however, highlighted the need to develop a diversified nuclear strike force, capable of delivering warheads from the ground, air, sea and underwater. The North has conducted a number of what it claims were successful tests of a submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM).

Outside experts have questioned the results of those tests, suggesting Pyongyang had gone little further than a "pop-up" test from a submerged platform.

AFP
Dhaka: A 250km-long protest march against plans to build an Indo-Bangladesh coal-fired power plant near the Sundarbans began on Thursday with hundreds of people calling for scrapping the project they believe would harm the ecosystem of the world's largest mangrove forest.

The Rampal power plant, an India-Bangladesh joint venture on which preliminary work has already begun, will provide much needed electricity to the country when it becomes operational in 2018.

India and Bangladesh signed a deal in 2010 to jointly develop the power plant.

Demonstrators began a four-day "long march" from Dhaka to Khulna in protest against the power plant, which they believe is a threat to the world's largest mangrove forest -- the Sundarbans.

Environmentalists, cultural and political activists, and eminent individuals began the march from Jatiya Press Club in a bid to press the government to abandon the project.

The government is bent on establishing the 1,320 MW coal-fired power plant 14 kilometres upstream of the Sundarbans Reserve Forest, a world heritage site declared by UNESCO.

International rights bodies, environment organisations and many others have tried but failed to urge the Bangladesh government for relocation of the plant fearing for the safety of the ecosystem the forest beholds.

"It is a project of mass destruction," Professor Anu Muhammad, member secretary of National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports, was quoted as saying by the Daily Star.

He slammed the government for "dubious approach" to climate change and alleged that it was claiming recognition for contribution to environment on one hand while "trying to destroy the Sundarbans" on the other hand.

Engineer Sheikh Muhammad Shahidullah, president of the national committee, inaugurated the "long march" that will travel through Manikganj, Faridpur, Magura, Jhenaidah and Jessore to eventually reach Rampal in Khulna.

They will hold rallies at different places and raise awareness among the locals.

PTI
Washington: He has been attacked over countless issues in partisan Washington, but US President Barack Obama drew the line at this one: the idea that he is responsible for the rise of Donald Trump and the attendant Republican Party disarray.

"I have been blamed by Republicans for a lot of things, but being blamed for their primaries and who they're selecting for their party (nominee) is novel," Obama told a news conference on Thursday.

"What I'm not going to do is to validate some notion that the Republican crack-up that's been taking place is... a consequence of actions that I've taken," the Democratic president said.

Obama had been asked how he viewed being identified as the cause of Trump's ascent to front-runner in the Republican race to pick a presidential candidate for the 8 November election.

Obama seemed to relish the question, replying with both serious criticism of Republicans and some pointed mockery of Trump.

The New York billionaire is well ahead in the Republican race after the first six weeks of primary nominating contests but his bombastic style and statements on Muslims, immigrants and trade have dismayed many in the party establishment. Many party leaders worry Trump would lose to the eventual Democratic nominee in November's election to replace Obama.

Obama, whose White House tenure has been marked by steady resistance to most of his policies by Republicans in Congress, has said previously he regretted not being able to reduce the polarisation between the two parties in Washington. But he scoffed on Thursday at the suggestion that his presidency had fuelled the chaos among the Republicans.

Conservative news outlets on television, radio and the Internet had convinced the Republican political base for seven years that cooperation with him was a "betrayal" and that "maximalist absolutist" positions were advantageous, Obama said. He was holding a joint news conference with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

In a clear dig at Trump, Obama said he had not prompted critics to question his US citizenship or birth in Hawaii.

Before he launched his longshot presidential run last year, Trump was a high-profile leader of the so-called "birther" movement, which believed Obama was born abroad and not eligible to be president, until he produced his Hawaii birth certificate to put the issue to rest.

"What you're seeing within the Republican Party is, to some degree, all those efforts over a course of time creating an environment where somebody like a Donald Trump can thrive," Obama said. For good measure, he took a swipe at two of Trump's rivals for the Republican nomination, saying the real estate magnate's position on immigration was not much different from that of US Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.

Obama urged conservatives who were troubled by the party's position to "reflect on what it is about the politics they've engaged in that allows the circus we've been seeing to transpire."

Reuters
NEW YORK A Russian citizen whom U.S. authorities accused of posing as a banker while participating in a New York City spy ring that sought to collect economic and other intelligence pleaded guilty to a criminal conspiracy charge on Friday.

Evgeny Buryakov, 41, admitted in federal court in Manhattan to acting as an agent for the Russian government without notifying U.S. authorities.

"I would take certain actions" at the direction of a Russian trade representative, he said. Prosecutors said the representative was also an officer of the SVR, Russia's foreign intelligence service.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said the case showed that "more than two decades after the end of the Cold War, Russian spies still seek to operate in our midst under the cover of secrecy."

Under a plea deal announced on Friday, less than a month before Buryakov was set to face trial, prosecutors said they agreed to seek only 2-1/2 years in prison, for which he would receive credit for the year-plus already spent in custody.

Buryakov's lawyer, Scott Hershman, declined to comment. The Russian Consulate-General in New York did not respond to a request for comment.

Buryakov, who worked at Russian state-owned Vnesheconombank, was arrested in January 2015 as U.S. authorities unveiled charges against him and two other Russians, Igor Sporyshev and Victor Podobnyy.

Sporyshev officially worked as a Russian trade representative, while Podobnyy served as an attache to the country's mission to the United Nations. Prosecutors said they also worked as SVR officers.

U.S. prosecutors said the trio conspired to gather economic intelligence on behalf of Russia, including information about U.S. sanctions against the country, and to recruit New York City residents as intelligence sources.

On Friday, Buryakov admitted he participated in a May 2013 call with Sporyshev "about information that Mr. Sporyshev wanted."

Prosecutors said on that call, which the Federal Bureau of Investigation recorded, Buryakov helped formulate questions meant for intelligence-gathering purposes to put to the New York Stock Exchange.

The questions involved exchange traded funds, including the "mechanisms of their use to destabilize the market" and the "curbing of trading robot activities," prosecutors said.

The queries were submitted to the NYSE on July 2013 by a purported ITAR-TASS bureau chief, they said.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Lisa Von Ahn and Richard Chang)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Washington: A Russian media mogul and former Kremlin aide, found lifeless in a Washington hotel last year, died of blunt force trauma to the head, reports have said.

Mikhail Lesin also suffered injuries to his neck, torso and upper and lower extremities, the Washington Post reported, citing the US capital's medical examiner's office.

Lesin, who helped launch the Russian English-language television network RT, was found dead in November at the age of 57.

The findings contradict Russian state media reports, which said the former minister of media affairs died of a heart attack.

The Post quoted Washington police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck as saying that the case remains under investigation.

He declined to say whether the medical examiner's findings indicate that a crime may have been committed, it said.

Sternbeck and the medical examiner's office could not immediately be reached for comment.

A controversial figure, Lesin had been accused of limiting press freedom in Russia.

He was Russia's minister of press, television and radio between 1999 and 2004, and later served as a Kremlin aide.

In 2013, he became head of Gazprom-Media Holding, the media arm of state energy giant Gazprom, and oversaw the work of Russia's top liberal radio station Echo of Moscow.

Lesin resigned a year later, citing family reasons.

In Moscow, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova posted on Facebook early today that the Russian embassy in Washington had repeatedly inquired about the probe into Lesin's death but had never received a reply.

"We are waiting for Washington to give us the relevant information and official data about the investigation," Zakharova wrote, adding that Russia would send the US a request for "international legal assistance" if the information circulating in the media turned out to be true.

An unnamed representative of the Russian embassy in Washington was quoted by the RIA Novosti state news agency as saying: "We intend to make requests (to the US) in order to receive answers to the questions that are worrying the Russian side."

In 2014, Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi called for a probe into Lesin on suspicion of money laundering and corruption.

He allegedly amassed millions of dollars in assets in Europe and the United States while working for the government, including $ 28 million in real estate in Los Angeles.

AFP
DUBAI Saudi authorities on Friday killed six men who shot dead their relative, a Saudi soldier, in a video they posted online after they pledged allegiance to the leader of Islamic State.

Saudi state news agency SPA cited a statement by the Interior Ministry as saying security forces killed the men after they refused to surrender and exchanged fire with the police.

The video posted last month showed the shooting of a man identified as Badr Hamdi al-Rashidi, a member of Saudi Arabia's Special Emergency Force in the Qassim region, by men who pledged allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

It was not immediately clear if they acted on orders by Islamic State or on their own.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a series of bombings and shootings in Saudi Arabia since November 2014 that have killed more than 50 people, most of them Shi'ites but also more than 15 members of the security forces.

Saudi security officials say the group's supporters inside Saudi Arabia mainly act independently, depending on Islamic State for only limited logistical help and advice, making them harder to detect, but also less capable of attacks on well protected targets.

(Reporting by Mostafa Hashem; Writing by Rania El Gamal; Editing by Alison Williams)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Washington: US senators have strongly opposed the use of taxpayers' money for military aid to Pakistan in USD 700 million sale of eight F-16 fighter jets to the country as they questioned Islamabad's commitment to fight terrorist organisations.

However, for their own political reasons the senators did not approve tabling of a resolution suggesting blocking of sale of eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

Even though considered to be procedural in nature, the Senate by a vote of 71-24 disapproved the move to bypass the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in deciding against sale of F-16 jets to Pakistan, Congressional sources told PTI that the voting of some two-dozen influential senators reflects the strong anti-Pak sentiment prevailing at the Hill.

None of the senators, even though they voted for the motion to disallow tabling of the resolution seeking preventing sale of F-16 to Pakistan, spoke in support of Islamabad.

In fact, cutting across the party line the senators were quick to point towards the "duplicity" behaviour of Pakistan and said in unanimous voice that they would not let Obama Administration to use tax payers' money for the sale of F-16 jets to Pakistan.

In fact, Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which has jurisdiction over foreign military sale said that he would not lift the "hold" on the American subsidy for giving fighter jets to Pakistan.

"I continue to oppose any taxpayer dollars being used at this time to support this sale given that Pakistan is providing safe haven to terrorist groups and refusing to target the Haqqani network, which attacks US troops and threatens the future of Afghanistan," Corker said on the Senate floor.

"Prohibiting a taxpayer subsidy sends a much-needed message to Pakistan that it needs to change its behaviour, but preventing the purchase of US aircraft would do more harm than good by paving the way for countries like Russia and China to sell to Pakistan while also inhibiting greater cooperation on counterterrorism," Corker said.

Senator Rand Paul, the former Republican presidential candidate, who has moved a resolution against sale of F-16 jets and sought voting invoking the Arms Export Control Act of 1976, alleged Pakistan at best is a frenemy, part friend and a lot enemy.

"If Pakistan truly wants to be our ally, if Pakistan truly wants to help in the war on radical Islam, it should not require a bribe. It should not require the American taxpayer to subsidise arms sales. They already have 70 F-16s. They've got an air force of F-16s," he said.

"What what would happen if we didn't send them eight more that we're being asked to pay for? Maybe they'd listen. Maybe they would help us. Maybe they would be an honest broker in the fight against terrorism," he said.

At a time when the US is having a USD 19 trillion in debt, Senator Paul questioned the rationale of using over USD 300 million from the American taxpayer to go to Pakistan to pay for eight new F-16s for Pakistan.

"We don't have enough money to be sending it to Pakistan. I can't in good conscience look away as America crumbles at home and politicians tax us to send the money to corrupt and duplicitous regimes abroad," Paul said, whose resolution even during a procedural motion received the support of 24 Senators.

"If we move forward with these sales without putting some markers down, I think we potentially not only do damage to holding Pakistan's feet to the fire in terms of the threat of terrorists in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the region, but also potentially could do damage to one of the most important relationships our country has, and that is the strategic relationship between the US and India," Senator Mark Warner said.

"I want to commend the leadership of the Foreign Relations Committee for making very clear that even if this sale should go forward, the financing of this sale is still subject to further American review," he said referring to the involvement of terrorists from Pakistan in the Pathankot attack.

"The US can no longer give Pakistan a pass, whether it is actions in the region vis-a-vis Afghanistan or within their own country but also in terms of their unwillingness to meet India even halfway in terms of trying to bring a greater stability to one of the regions that could potentially be a tinderbox in terms of the border regions between India and Pakistan," he said.

Senator Chris Murphy, Ranking Member of Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counter-terrorism, alleged that Pakistan has been an "unreliable partner" over the course of the last ten years in the fight against extremism.

"But what I worry more is that these F-16s will provide cover, will provide substitute for truly meaningful action inside Pakistan to take on the roots of extremism. It is frankly too late in many respects to beat these extremist groups if they are so big, so powerful, so deadly that you have to bomb them from the air," he said.

The Pakistanis have done little to nothing to try to reduce the influence of madrasas, religious schools and foreign funding that often breeds intolerant version of religious teaching, he alleged.

"And we let them off the hook in a sense by selling them the weapons systems that will in effect constantly force the Pakistanis to chase their own tail. So I think it's important to understand that the Pakistanis are not making the real meaningful contributions to rooting out extremism and just handing weapons systems on the back end doesn't do the job," Murphy said.

"We've given USD 15 billion to Pakistan over the last decade. And yet their previous president admits that Pakistan armed, aided, and abetted the Taliban," he said.

"You remember the Taliban in Afghanistan that harbored and hosted bin Laden for a decade? Pakistan helped them. Pakistan was one of only two countries that recognised the Taliban," he added.

PTI
Nairobi: The many ways people have died during South Sudan's two-year civil war are well-documented, but the number killed is unknown.

Men, women and children have been shot, speared, burned, castrated, hung, drowned, run over, suffocated, starved and blown up, their corpses abandoned where they fell, bulldozed into mass graves or, in at least one case, eaten in ritual cannibalism.

But the UN has stuck to a guesstimate of 10,000 dead since the early months of the war, even as the killing escalated and spread across the country.

A year into the war, in November 2014, the International Crisis Group (ICG) which has closely tracked the fighting, told AFP at least 50,000 had died.

This month, the UN finally caught up, quoting the same figure but over a two-year span.

Sudan expert Eric Reeves, a professor at Smith College in the US, said failure to count the dead was a failure of morality.

"If we give up on establishing mortality estimates we are, in one way or another, saying that the lives don't really count," he told AFP.

Aid workers and officials who did not want to speak on the record said the true figure might be as high as 300,000 -- a figure comparable to the number killed in Syria during five years of fighting.

Two-thirds had relatives killed

"The level and intensity of violence has been above and beyond what we have seen almost anywhere else," said one worker for an international aid agency which operates in multiple conflict zones, and who asked not to be named. Over 30 aid workers have been killed since war broke out in December 2013.

The minimum figure of 50,000 is of those killed in direct conflict, but if those killed as a consequence of war are included the numbers skyrocket.

That would include starvation from aid blockades, such as the 40,000 people the UN warned last month were in "catastrophic" conditions -- potentially famine, if the areas were not too dangerous to gather the data needed to declare it -- as well as documented atrocities such as civilians suffocated in shipping containers.

It would also include those who died due to lack of healthcare following the targeted destruction of hospitals.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned of "far-reaching consequences for hundreds of thousands of people" with six of its clinics and hospitals attacked, looted or torched -- sometimes repeatedly.

In terms of health, easily preventable and treatable malaria has become the biggest killer, according to World Health Organization (WHO) morbidity statistics. The UN says recent malaria levels are "unprecedented" with numbers doubling, even quadrupling in some areas, from previous years.

Multiple armed forces have carried out ethnic massacres, and these are no low-level bush war skirmishes.

Battles have been fought with modern weaponry, including helicopter gunships, rocket launchers, heavy artillery and amphibious tanks able to hunt down rebels into once isolated swamps. State capitals have been razed.

Some figures are clearly documented: 2.3 million people forced from their homes, 6.1 million in need of emergency food aid, 15,000 child soldiers recruited, 200,000 civilians sheltering inside UN 'Protection of Civilians' camps, or the $1.21 billion the UN needs in funding.

PTSD like 'post-genocide Rwanda'

But deaths go largely unrecorded. "We've lost count," UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said this month although no one -- including the 14,000-strong UN peacekeeping force -- ever kept a tally.

Counting the dead in war zones is tricky but not impossible, and the handful of reports that have been done indicate staggering levels of killing.

A UN Development Programme (UNDP) survey -- based on over 1,500 interviews across the country -- reported 63 percent had a close family member killed.

Other indicators showed 18 percent had a child abducted, 14 percent were tortured, 33 percent had a relative "disappear", 55 percent had their home destroyed, and 48 percent had been sick without medicine.

In the worst battle zones, the figures are even higher.

Questionnaires conducted by the South Sudan Law Society (SSLS) in the UN peacekeeping base in the north-eastern town of Malakal -- home to 47,000 people fleeing conflict -- found the number with a relative killed was 77 percent.

The UN survey also found 41 percent showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

"These rates are comparable to those found in post-genocide Rwanda, post-genocide Cambodia," the report read.

Evidence rotting away

Another UN study in the northern Unity region, described its findings as "shocking": almost three-quarters of deaths recorded were from violence.

Of the 10,553 deaths examined, 7,165 of those were from violence, plus a further 829 people who drowned in swamplands, where many hide from fighting.

"Documenting the impact of war is also important for recovery processes, including accountability, reconciliation and healing," the January report read.

Analysts say the failure to clarify a clear toll dishonours victims, contributes to South Sudan's suffering staying off the international radar and enables impunity for the killers.

As war drags on, despite an August peace deal, the evidence of those killed is rotting away.

Human Rights Watch, which documented mass graves in the eastern town of Bor in January 2014, warned that, "evidence is literally disappearing into unmarked graves."

AFP
Danny Hale reviews the eleventh episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 3

I was eagerly awaiting Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.s return after its strong winter finale before Christmas and although it is an often used device, getting a glimpse 3 months into the future to the apparent peril of one of our agents was still an effective way of piquing my interest right from the start. We glimpse a few things; a gold crucifix on a chain and some blood floating through a ship apparently experiencing some difficulties above the Earth. Our first present day scene followed and here we saw a small regiment of police officers under attack from a seemingly invisible opponent. It became clear that the main point of interest was a crate of firearms located in the rear of a truck. The startled police officers find the crate of weapons stolen from under their noses but with no casualties to speak of. Our assailant is revealed but not before we get a deliberate look at her crucifix around her neck, not unlike the one we saw floating inside the doomed vessel during the prologue.

Coulson and the President met face to face this week and did a good job of establishing S.H.I.E.L.Ds status in this new world and I actually like the idea of keeping the ATCU active as a public face for S.H.I.E.L.D.s actions. Coulson makes it clear from the start that Malick is his target and number one concern. Ward may have pulled the trigger but Rosalinds death is on Malicks hands too. Learning Malick is out of the Presidents reach just reaffirms how far this mans influence stretches and just how much preparation he has done to secure his position.

It was great to see Joey out on a mission with Daisy; Ive been intrigued by him from the beginning and eager for him to get fleshed out a bit more so we can see a bit more of his powers and what he can really do. It doesnt take long for Mack to encounter our new speedy gun thief, Elena Rodriguez. I liked that they didnt speak the same language and as such it was hard to really place Elenas intentions although I had the feeling that there was a lot more to her than initially suggested. With a great display of her powers Yo-Yo manages to take Mack captive, proving that she has had time to learn and understand her abilities. In the lab meanwhile we get a brief conversation between Lincoln and Simmons. I enjoyed this as Lincoln raised the notion that Inhumans and their abilities are not random but in fact part of a grander plan. It wasnt clear how Simmons felt about this theory but I am inclined to think she doubts it. This nicely ties in with Elena when she tells Mack about her belief that her powers are a gift from God. I found it very refreshing to meet someone who has taken their powers in a positive way and as it transpires to use them for justice. It makes Elena stand out and speaks volumes about her character already.

Coulsons decision to bring in Von Strucker, who I thought we had seen the last of, was grim even though Werner was as abhorrent as any character weve met so far. Subjecting him to the Tahiti procedure was in one way a great link back to season 1 but also tough to watch as Von Strucker begged for death, echoing Coulsons own words so long ago. Thankfully, with a little help from Lincoln Coulson is able to gleam enough information to contact Malick. At this point it seems Coulson may really have exhausted all his options.

Malick meanwhile gives us our first proper introduction to the blue planets mythical creature, the Hive. It makes it so much more effective to see Brett Dalton really engage with this creature; I was half afraid it would just look like Ward, talk like Ward and act like Ward but you know, not be Ward. Its great to keep Brett Dalton on the show and I really cant wait to see where he takes the Hive. As the entity is existing inside Wards body, which due to Coulson is now dead, it is weakened and requires feeding. This leaves a nice time for it to gear up for the finale. The Hive has had a major build up and as it is essentially the reason HYDRA are around, the payoff has to be worth it.

I genuinely started worrying when Hunter and Bobbi approached Elenas cousin. Knowing he was innocent and knowing how gun happy Hunter can be placed the audience in a difficult situation which only meant when the local law enforcement, which included an Inhuman with a Gorgon like ability put a bullet in his head it genuinely hit me hard. It is a testament to Natalia Cordova-Buckley who portrays Elena that I was that invested in her well-being that quickly into her first episode. I was fearful that her cousins death would drive her away from S.H.I.E.L.D, that she would blame them. Instead she used it to give her fire and she really held her own on the mission. Although personally I think there may have been a better way to tell her that her cousin died without showing her his body so bluntly. But I guess they wanted her to know how he was murdered, to inspire her to fight. The result of her cousins death leads Elena to join S.H.I.E.L.D on their mission and she describes how her powers rely on her pulse so I believe she can move at super speed until her next heartbeat when she will snap back to her original position? Either way she was awesome on the mission; working very nicely with Daisy all the while using her own initiative to further help the cause. On a side-note it was cool to see Medusa-Eyes get retrieved by HYDRA; his powers are interesting and Im glad we havent seen the last of him.

Coulson finally gets his call to Malick and as impressive as it was that he managed to get on the end of the line it was hard not to feel like it was just a small prod in Malicks massive hide. Every step counts I guess. As a show it was sad to hear Elena wasnt going to stick around and join the team but for her character it makes perfect sense that she would want to remain in Colombia and help her people. Also it gives some space and prevents an already massive cast from becoming too crowded. I guess with Marvels Most Wanted still on the horizon there will be two big gaps in the cast once Bobbi and Hunter presumably leave Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Daisy also gave Joey the chance to return home but I wasnt clear on for how long, surely they havent written him out? It is more likely a way of thinning the cast for episodes where they dont need everyone.

In other news Fitz and Simmons start their relationship again in an attempt to shake off all the baggage theyve accumulated. I find it odd that Fitz feels guilty about killing Will when Will was dead before he even got to the blue planet. I get that the writers want to keep Fitz and Simmons apart to keep people rooting for them but I hope Fitz doesnt hold on to this for too long. May had very little in this return but Im certain she will get her time to shine next week. One thing I did love was that May knew about Coulson killing Ward (I think) from the beginning of the episode. Declaring him as part of the cavalry strengthened their bond and hopefully granted Coulson some peace of mind. It just further emphasises how close those two are. The final scene had an interesting moment when we see on Malicks face a glimpse of doubt or disbelief as the Hive watches the many monitors in front of him. The Hive to me seemed to read his mind or at the very least he sensed Malicks disquiet. The Hive then gave us his only display of his powers in the episode but we will have to wait until next week to see the results but we are assured that Malick will believe. Our post-credits scene gave a look at the presidents choice for the head of the ATCU. As I had hoped, Adrian Pasdars General Talbot is returning. I always enjoyed his relationship with Coulson and am interested to see him return to the show now that the stakes are that much higher.

Overall I thought Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.s return was a very positive one. I love the huge cast, I love the action and I think its great that weve gone from a show with very little powers to a point where the likes of Hunter start to feel left out for NOT having any. I want to see how Fitz and Simmons approach this new start, I cant wait to see what the Hive can do and damn that better not be Mack burning to death in space.

Danny Hale

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With an aim to up its game in the fiercely competitive e-commerce market, Flipkart is looking forward to secure a whopping $1 billion in a latest round of funding, according to a report from Tech Crunch.





The homegrown e-commerce giant had raised $700 million in funding last year in July which valued it at $15 billion. Now, as per the report, if the company secures a latest round of funding, its $15 billion valuation is expected to be downsized. According to the sources, the funding has been delayed by 3-4 months and will result into a downround. Giving more information about the funding, the report said that one of the prospective investor in the funding round will be Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce major.

Alibaba is already a top investor in Flipkarts rival Snapdeal. Apparently, Alibaba has already met with Flipkarts management in Hong Kong to discuss the investment at a valuation below $10 billion while another source says the funding round will happen at valuation in the range of $11- $14 billion. Flipkart recently made some leadership changes as Binny Bansal became the CEO while Sachin Bansal was appointed as Executive Chairman.

Flipkart is still a leader in the Indian e-commerce scenario but is facing a tough competition from the likes of Amazon.in and Snapdeal.
Vegetarians should celebrate because they have found an ally in D.C., a lobbyist for plant-based food business who is known for being a longtime food industry critic and researcher, Michele Simon.

The meat industry relies heavily on their battle of lobbyists and finance them by the trade groups like North American Meat Institute, the National Pork Producers Coalition, the National Chicken Council and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

A special interest's lobbying activity of the trade groups for the meat industry may go up or down over time, depending on how much attention the federal government is giving their issues. Particularly active clients often retain multiple lobbying firms, each with a team of lobbyists, to press their case for them. Note that the Total Lobbying Expenditures for Parent National Pork Producers Council is $1,080,000. That's a lot of bucks!

Plant or vegetable businesses do not have a mouthpiece like these huge meat producers that always get what they want. Then came Simon.

Simon launched the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA), with the aim to "ensure a fair and competitive marketplace for businesses selling plant-based foods intended to replace animal products such as meats, dairy, and eggs." Another ally is the brand-new trade group already has a part-time lobbyist, the longtime vegan- and organic-food advocate Elizabeth Kucinich, wife of former U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio).

Simon who is a vegan herself organized the PBFA to protect and support the alt-protein companies that are also becoming players in the food industry and their challenges in labeling their products. Simon is afraid that the Big Meat trade groups are shaping public policy that meat is good or that there is the blatant promotion of harmful foods and this is very dangerous to American consumers who rely on advertisement and marketing. That is why the PBFA will conduct services and develop a stand for companies that offer animal-free meat, dairy, and egg alternatives.

Well, this is good news for America!
The Nabisco's global brand biscuit, Oreo, is the world's best-selling cookies. Found in more than 100 countries, Oreo has written success stories and become a leading role of many other brands in the business.

In 1912, the National Business Company (Nabisco) produced Oreo Biscuit for the first time in Manhattan. It was said to imitate America's original Hydrox biscuit from Sunshine Company. in 1921, Oreo Biscuit changed its name to Oreo Sandwich with new varieties of filling from vanilla to lemon cream. The modern-day Oreo is now called Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookie. It features wreathed edges and the word 'OREO' at the center of the circle-shaped cookie. Beautifully embossed black wafers with cream filling - despite its unusual color, people rarely notice on what they actually lick, dip and dunk.

Oreo cookies geometric pattern shapes four triangles that signify the First Crusade. Cross pattee - the Knight Temple symbol was painted in red on the robes so they could identify their troops from other soldiers. This design is then adopted on the biscuit's emboss.

The two-bar cross you see on the top of the circle is Nabisco logo. It is a European symbol to signify quality. The design resembles the 11th century Cross of Lorraine - the Crusader's two-barred cross that Knights Templar carried in battles. It was a dark history of the Christian pilgrims and the Knights that were slaughtered as they arrived in Jerusalem.

It is uncertain where Oreo got its name. Some say it is derived from French word of dore that means gold - which was the original color of Oreo package but the Greek word of Oreo means hill or mountain. Despite the mystery, let's prepare the warm milk and dip in the Oreos!
Japan is home to delectables like ramen, sushi, sashimi, and other exotic food that are queer enough to pique the interest and tastebuds of diners worldwide. Its fastfood industry is also dynamic, with KFC being a huge hit among the Japanese fastfood diners.

McDonald's also has a huge following in the country, and we've heard of its weird selections, like the Black Burger. However, it does not end there: McDonald's Japan has recently introduced a new product which would make chocolate and French fries lovers salivate: chocolate-coated French fries.

The new item on the menu is dubbed as Choco McPotato, which is essentially McDonald's famous potato fries doused in chocolate and white chocolate syrup. A serving of this costs 330 yen, or $3. Despite fastfood being a big thing in Japan, McDonald's is sustaining heavy loses recently: it lost $318 million alone in 2015. This prompted the company to close several chains across the country.

"Undoubtedly, 2015 was the most challenging year we have faced in our 45-year history," McDonald's Japan president Sarah Casanova told Voice of America.

The Choco McPotato is the fastfood chain's attempt to recover sales. So far, numbers indicate that it is performing well.

"The chocolate fries have been extremely popular with customers, and actually not just customers in Japan," said Casanova.

Customer sales have increased slightly in January because of Choco McPotato - the first time in recent years. It's a small improvement, but something McDonald's Japan execs would take any other day.

The product is available for a limited time and is only exclusive in Japan (it was discontinued in February). Those outside the east Asian country will have to contend using the chocolate syrup on their sundaes to coat their French fries.

The first McDonald's restaurant opened in Japan in 1971. Since then, the twin golden arches have become a mainstay in Japanese towns and cities nationwide.
And so it ends -- the winter of Boeing's (BA 1.57%) discontent.

For one full month now, investors have greeted Boeing's weekly order reports with increasing levels of disappointment. For four long weeks, report after report has rotely recited, "Changes since last update: No Change." But no more. This week, as we all began preparing to "spring forward" out of winter and into sunnier months (by the way, check those clocks on Sunday), Boeing issued a sunny order update of its own:

Boeing just booked one of its best order weeks so far this year.

Specifically, Boeing says it sold one 767 to FedEx and four 777s to "unidentified customer(s)." Boeing also reported orders for 25 new 737s sold to "unidentified customer(s)." But seeing as United Airlines (UAL 3.56%) announced Tuesday that it will buy 25 737s from Boeing, I think we can guess who the buyer of the latter batch of planes is. (Either that or those two announcements constitute one of the biggest coincidences in airplane history).

For that matter, seeing as Boeing also announced the cancellation of four 787s... and United also announced that it is converting four Boeing 787 orders to 777s instead... that pretty much tells us that United is the "unidentified customer" behind the 777 order as well -- and also the party that canceled four 787 orders last week.

Order update

So where does this leave Boeing now? As of the first week of March, Boeing has in its order book firm orders for the following aircraft:

88 orders for single-aisle Boeing 737s

10 orders for widebody 777s

One order for a Boeing 767

One order for a 787 widebody

That's an even 100 gross orders total. Minus six cancellations year-to-date, Boeing heads into March with net orders for 94 aircraft on its books.

Boeing's "biggest order"? Well, sort of

This is all grand news for Boeing, of course, and a big relief for Boeing shareholders. But what investors really want to know is how it all plays out in dollars and cents on Boeing's income statement.

So here's how that works: Until today, Boeing's biggest order of the year was the one placed on Jan. 20, when United agreed to buy forty 737-700 aircraft. At a list price of $80.6 million each, that worked out to as much as $3.2 billion in potential revenue value for Boeing. (But probably less. Boeing is notorious for offering deep discounts to win big plane orders from commercial customers.)

By comparison, this week's news encompasses orders for twenty-five 737-700s ($2 billion at list price), four 777-300ERs ($1.4 billion for the batch), and one 767-300 freighter ($199 million). Altogether, that's $3.6 billion in potential revenue -- Boeing's single biggest weekly gross order for aircraft so far this year.

In fairness, to get the full picture, we probably have to dock Boeing for the value of the four 787s that got canceled last week as well -- presumably 787-9s worth $1.1 billion at list price. And that reduces the potential net revenue gain to $2.5 billion. But still, on balance this all works out to a pretty good week for Boeing.
A super PAC, powered by Earle Mack, is attempting to draft Paul Ryan to become the Republican presidential nominee.

During an interview on the FOX Business Networks Cavuto: Coast to Coast, Mack, the president of the Committee to Draft Speak Ryan, discussed why he wants to see Paul Ryan join the race for the White House.

All Im here for is to show the people that in the case of a deadlocked convention theres Paul Ryan, said Mack. I want to raise the consciousness of Paul Ryan and I want to show Paul Ryan that in case there is a deadlocked convention were going to have a million votes, a million signatures that are going to support Paul Ryan.

Mack, the former U.S. ambassador to Finland who was appointed by former President George W. Bush, said he will support the GOPs nominee.

I will vote and I will support any candidate that is the Republican standard-bearer, he said. If its Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Im happy to support. But if it happens that theres a deadlocked convention, a guy like Paul Ryana family man thats been firmly vetted beforehe not only is a great leader, but he is a great uniter. He will unite the party. He will unite America.

The former ambassador said he cant see anyone turning down an offer to be the President of the United States.

If anybody were asked to be the standard-bearer, to be the president of the greatest country in the world, the most powerful country of the world, thats a supreme honor. I cant see anybody turning down an honor like that.

Ryans operatives have reportedly sent a cease-and-desist letter to the group.
Image source: Johnson & Johnson.

Johnson & Johnson is a perennial favorite among investors, thanks to its long history and reliable dividend payouts. The company operates a plethora of consumer brands and has been able to withstand the test of time.

That being said, it is possible to find stocks that might be more appealing in more ways than one.

Brian Feroldi: It's hard for me to name a stock that I like more than Johnson & Johnson as the company is so well diversified that it's arguably one of the safest stocks that investors can purchase today. However, one stock that I like more than JNJ at the moment is biotech blue chipGilead Sciences , as its trailing P/E ratio of roughly 7 is far less than what Johnson & Johnson is currently fetching on the markets (around 19). That makes me think that Gilead's stock has more upside potential and is the better buy today.

Gilead's stock is so cheap right now because investors are worried that new competition for its multibillion-dollar blockbuster hepatitis C treatments Sovaldi and Harvoni will significantly hurt the company's business. Those worries have so far been well-founded as Gilead's management team is forecasting that its 2016 revenue will land between $30 billion and $31 billion, which would be a decline from the $32 billion in revenue that it recorded in 2015. That forecast all but confirms that competition is expected to be a big problem for Gilead and is a major reason shares are currently so cheap.

However, there's reason to believe that Gilead's management team is lowballing its guidance as the company has a long history of under-promising and then over-delivering on results. For example, last year the company guided for full-year 2015 revenue of $26 billion to $27 billion, only to later deliver more than $32 billion in total revenue for the year.

It's also possible that Gilead may be able to retain a leg up on the competition as it is slated to hear from the FDA about its new pan-genotype hepatitis C drug on June 28. If Gilead can gain approval, then it is likely it will be able to retain its dominant position in the hepatitis C market for quite some time. In the meantime, the company is buying back its own stock as fast as it can, which is knocking down its share count quickly, and it's also become a nice income play as its recently raised dividend gives its shares a yield of nearly 2%.

With a far more concentrated product portfolio than Johnson & Johnson, Gilead's business is much more risky and its future is far more uncertain. However, I think that its cheap valuation more than compensates investors for the risks they are taking in purchasing the company's shares, which is why I like Gilead's stock more than Johnson & Johnson's right now.

Sean Williams: Picking a better stock than Johnson & Johnsonis akin to finding a needle in a haystack. J&J has a 53-year dividend growth streak, a three-decade adjusted EPS growth streak, a well-diversified business model, and is one of just three companies to maintain a AAA credit rating from Standard & Poor's. But, if forced to pick a better stock, I believe Visa could give J&J a strong run for its money.

One of the most attractive aspects of Visa, the dominant global payment processor, is that the global transactions market is still largely untapped. Roughly 85% of transactions are still being conducted in cash, leaving Visa with a sizable expansion opportunity in Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Expanding infrastructure into these regions doesn't happen overnight, meaning the addition of merchants and cross-border transactions could trickle in over multiple decades and provide a double-digit growth percentage opportunity.

Another driving force is Visa's role as a payment processing facilitator. Its competitors, American Express and Discover Financial Services , get the pleasure of being double-dippers during economically strong periods. American Express and Discover lend money to consumers vis--vis credit cards and make bank on interest charged, and they reap the rewards from merchants when these cards are used on merchant networks. The downside is that AmEx and Discover are exposed to economic weakness via credit card delinquencies. Visa, as a pure payment facilitator, has no lending capacity to worry about, and thus is only minimally phased by economic slowdowns.

Visa is also working with almost $5.5 billion in net cash, and it produced a healthy $6.8 billion in operating cash flow over the trailing-12-month period. Although Visa's dividend yield of 0.8% isn't on par with J&J 2.82%, there's plenty of opportunity for rapid payout growth, and you'll get a superior growth rate that may be just as recession-resistant as J&J.

Evan Niu, CFA: Most investors love Johnson & Johnson for its diversified business, and the fact that it's a defensive consumer products company that is able to withstand macroeconomic ebbs and flows. Oh, and the dividend yield of nearly 3% also doesn't hurt. But there's another company that's arguably better in some of these respects: Verizon Communications .

Big Red is even less susceptible to shifts in consumer discretionary spending, since a cell phone bill is one of the last areas where a consumer would cut spending if times were tough; cell phones are such a basic mainstay of modern communication. Many people ditched landlines long ago and rely solely on their cell phones to talk and text with friends and family. That's not to say that Verizon is immune to these types of pressures. Average revenue per retail postpaid account last year fell 4.5% to $152.63, but that's a modest decline and the result of competitive pressures.

But Verizon maintains its top dog position in the U.S. wireless market, and has also been able to keep pricing power for the most part. That's particularly impressive considering the fact that cellular service is mostly a commodity these days, and all of the national networks are pretty comparable in terms of overall performance. The cherry on top is that Verizon's 4.4% dividend yield easily tops Johnson & Johnson's.

The article 3 Stocks We Like More Than Johnson & Johnson originally appeared on Fool.com.

Brian Feroldi owns shares of Gilead Sciences and Visa. Evan Niu, CFA has no position in any stocks mentioned. Sean Williams has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Gilead Sciences and Visa. The Motley Fool recommends American Express, Johnson & Johnson, and Verizon Communications. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The Republican presidential contenders toned down their disputes at Thursday's debate, discussing in a civil manner the issues of trade, education, and Social Security, rather than offering the rollicking clashes that defined their forum in Michigan last week.

The cautious opening rounds underscored the increasingly high stakes facing each of the four remaining candidates on stage, as well as the damage incurred by the loudest combatants during the previous event.

The 12th Republican candidates' debate sets the stage for judgment day next Tuesday for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich in their respective home states. Both need to win contests on their home turf to stay in the race.

Front-runner Donald Trump has been telegraphing for weeks that he was seeking to take on a more presidential posture and be a unifying figure in the party. And Texas Sen. Ted Cruz had little incentive to rock the boat as he emerges as the chief alternative to Mr. Trump by virtue of his primary wins rather than by confronting the New York businessman.

In a rare dust-up, Mr. Rubio took exception to Mr. Trump's recent comments about Muslims hating Americans. Using the evocative image of the Islamic star and crescent on U.S. military graves, Mr. Rubio said: "Presidents can't just say anything they want," Mr. Rubio said. "It has consequences, here and around the world."

The Florida senator then seized on comments Mr. Trump made defending his remarks, saying he was trying not to be "so politically correct."

"I'm not interested in being politically correct," Mr. Rubio shot back. "I'm interested in being correct."

For the most part, though, the candidates pulled their punches and steered the conversation away from direct confrontations, even when the debate moderators put them on the spot. The contest was a dramatic shift from the 11 previous debates that were defined by vitriolic arguments between the crowd of candidates. "So far, I can't believe how civil it's been up here," Mr. Trump remarked at one point.

He opened the night by urging his Republican doubters to take a step back and view his success--and the waves of new voters he is drawing into the system--as a boon for the party. He cited the "millions and millions" of people shattering turnout records as evidence he is expanding the party, attracting Democrats, independents and Republicans who don't often vote.

"Frankly, the Republican establishment, or whatever you want to call it, should embrace what's happening," Mr. Trump said.

The GOP candidates sidestepped their divisions, including the long-term structure of Social Security. When Mr. Trump was questioned about his refusal to call for a revision of the popular retirement program for seniors, he turned his ire on the Democrats rather than draw a contrast with his rivals who support broad changes to ensure its financial integrity for the future.

Even Mr. Rubio, who is desperate for a game-changing moment to rejuvenate his flagging campaign, dramatically shifted tone after two straight debates hammering Mr. Trump for his inconsistent statements on key issues, business practices that undermine his hard-line position on immigration and his personal behavior.

Mr. Trump hurled some barbs at Mr. Cruz, challenging his stance on ethanol subsidies and accusing him of supporting "amnesty" for immigrants in the U.S. illegally--a charge the Texas senator has denied and bait he refused to take in the Miami debate.

Instead, Mr. Cruz shot back by reminding viewers that Mr. Trump has been a longtime donor to Democrats as well as Republicans in what he called the Washington establishment.

"It's very hard to imagine how suddenly this candidate is going to take on Washington," Mr. Cruz said.

Mr. Trump also tussled--gently--with Mr. Rubio over how to make Social Security solvent. Mr. Trump, aligning himself with the Democratic candidates, said he would do "everything in my power" not to change the system and promised instead to "make this country rich again so we can afford it." Mr. Rubio, who has proposed gradually raising the retirement age, called out Mr. Trump's policy, saying, "The numbers don't add up."

Mr. Cruz doesn't face the same must-win crucible Tuesday as Messrs. Kasich and Rubio, but if Mr. Trump wins the two biggest battlegrounds of Florida and Ohio, the Texas senator will find himself in a deep delegate hole, with time running out to close the gap.

As he closes in on the nomination, questions are mounting about what kind of standard-bearer Mr. Trump would be for the Republican Party. Mr. Trump, who has been registered as a Democrat and an independent, said his views were supported by "millions of people pouring into the polls" and that he differed with his party on only one issue: trade.

"The jobs in this country are disappearing, especially the good jobs," he said. "Trade deals are absolutely killing our country."

Mr. Cruz said Mr. Trump is "right about the problems but his solutions don't work." He accused him of shifting positions frequently, saying "I don't know where he'll be tonight."

Mr. Trump responded by accusing Mr. Cruz of shifting positions on the renewable fuel standard. The Texas senator refused to respond to that attack as well, although during the Iowa caucuses he noted that he has always opposed the program as corporate welfare but has adjusted how quickly he'd end it.

The more civil tone might prove a welcome break for candidates, but it was unlikely to deliver the kind of breakout performance that Mr. Rubio, in particular, needs to get his campaign back on track heading into a must-win primary in the Sunshine state.

Polls in Florida heading into Thursday's debate showed Mr. Trump with a comfortable lead. Mr. Kasich, in contrast, is running close to Mr. Trump in his home state of Ohio.

Mr. Trump, asked whether his businesses' frequent hiring of foreign workers clashed with his campaign rhetoric on immigration, said he takes advantage of laws but would change them as president. "We're allowed to do it," he said. "Nobody knows the system better than me. Nobody else on this stage knows how to change it."

The candidates largely avoided clashes on immigration reform. Mr. Kasich, whose father was an immigrant, said he would be "running for president of Croatia" if the U.S. didn't allow immigration. Mr. Trump said foreign-worker employment practices that his own businesses use are "unfair for our workers," and called for pausing foreign-worker visas for at least a year.

Mr. Cruz accused Democrats of supporting illegal immigration "because they view those immigrants as potential voters" and said the U.S. is currently bringing in "far too many low-skilled workers." And Mr. Rubio said a key criteria for incoming immigrants should be "what skills do you have, what business are you going to open."

Write to Beth Reinhard at beth.reinhard@wsj.com and Rebecca Ballhaus at Rebecca.Ballhaus@wsj.com
Over the course of his presidential campaign, I came to admire and respect former GOP presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson.

I have to admit that as a practicing physician, I was thrilled at the prospect of having a doctor become president of the United States. And Carson is not just a doctor with an M.D. behind his name, but a recently retired pediatric neurosurgeon who, for decades, has led the charge in helping his field reach new heights.

As a high-risk obstetrician, the field of pediatric neurosurgery is very close to my heart. With many patients, we make a diagnosis in utero, which then requires the knowledge and care of skilled surgeons -- like Carson -- to ensure that children with brain abnormalities lead a healthy and vibrant life.

I also liked Carson as a candidate because his conservative views on America very much aligned with my own personal beliefs. His calls for civility and common sense in education and health care reform resonate with health care professionals nationwide. Carsons official stance as a candidate was to repeal and replace ObamaCare in an effort to empower Americans and ensure their access to high-quality care at lower cost.

A lifetime in medicine taught me the best health care decisions are made between patient and doctor. As decision-making moves further away from patients and providers, the medical outcomes become less effective, Carson said on his campaign website. ObamaCare has upended the patient-doctor relationship, restricting our doctors and specialists. As a result, patients face exorbitant increase in premiums, deductibles and co-pays, less access to the doctors they trust and fewer health care plans to choose from.

Carson was prepared to give patients back the power of choice, but could not muster enough support to complete his mission. When he dropped out of the race, I waited to see which candidate he would deem worthy of his endorsement. With careful consideration, he chose Donald Trump to carry on his message, and I support him in doing so. His chosen candidate tells me above all else, that Trump has the capacity to listen to informed experts such as Carson when shaping policies, specifically in health care.

In his endorsement, Carson hailed Trumps successful record as a businessman as a means to improve our countrys economic engine, and give a voice to those who lost theirs many years ago. Trump has also vowed to appeal ObamaCare, and I believe that with the correct guidance, he too can create a plan that empowers the people and improves patient-doctor relationships.

This is not my endorsement of Trump, as I have not yet chosen my candidate  but it is an endorsement for the concept of a good leader. Whoever the candidate may be, a leader must take in the advice and counsel of people that know what theyre talking about. I truly believe that Carson knows what it would take to fix Americas health care system, and I hope that after his endorsement, Trump will listen.


Grade school projects tend to bring to mind tri-fold poster board and reused egg cartons, but for a group of students in Grantville, Georgia, their latest accomplishment is far more advanced using a 3-D printer to create a medical device.

The fourth graders from Glanton Elementary School were challenged by their teacher, Valerie Buchanan, to design and build a knee brace for a child, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.

"What we want them to learn is the engineering process, the thought process, the higher thinking skills, Buchanan told the news channel.

Buchanans husband is a physical therapist and taught the students the mechanics of the knee and how a brace supports an injured knee. The students brainstormed ideas and chose a design plan.

To figure out how it is going to work, and which idea, student Kendarius Ward told the news channel. But it's also fun. Since it is a real knee brace and we're just in fourth grade."

The group used Tinker CAD 3-D software to build the brace on their laptops, which are connected to the schools 3-D printer. The process takes about eight hours and the students were in the process of printing the second version of their brace, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.

"[The first version] didn't fit on the fake knee that we had, Ward told Fox 5 Atlanta. Then, because it didn't fit and it was just like this, some of us asked if it could be a cup holder. And could we take it home as a souvenir?"

Its too early to tell whether the updated brace will work better, but Buchanan said watching her students take charge of a project has been fun.

We want them to know theres life beyond school, she told Fox 5 Atlanta.
Some pregnant women with Zika virus tend not to fare well, and neither do their fetuses, a new study finds.

Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that can also be transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse. Because of concerns that the disease may increase the risk of microcephaly (small brain size) and other developmental disorders in the fetuses of pregnant women infected with the virus, scientists decided to monitor the pregnancies of both healthy and infected women.

The researchers studied 88 pregnant women in Rio de Janeiro from September 2015 through February 2016, according to the study, published Friday (March 4) in the The New England Journal of Medicine. Of these women, 72 tested positive for Zika virus in their blood, urine, or both. [Zika Virus News: Complete Coverage of the 2016 Outbreak]

Among the Zika-positive pregnant women, the most common symptoms were rash, joint pain, red eye and headache, the researchers found. The doctors also performed a fetal ultrasound on 42 of the women with Zika and on all of the women without Zika. Among the Zika-positive group, 12 of them (29 percent) had fetuses with abnormalities, compared to none of the 16 Zika-negative women.

Among the 12 fetuses with abnormalities, two of them died  one at 36 weeks and the other at 38 weeks. Five of the fetuses were smaller than normal (and some had microcephaly), seven had central nervous system lesions, and seven had an abnormal amount of amniotic fluid or cerebral or umbilical artery flow, the researchers said. One fetus had additional problems, including microcephaly and other brain development challenges, growth restriction and a potential clubfoot, they added.

To date, eight of the 42 women who participated in the ultrasound have given birth, and the ultrasonographic findings have been confirmed, the researchers said.

"Despite mild clinical symptoms, Zika virus infection during pregnancy appears to be associated with grave outcomes, including fetal death, placental insufficiency, fetal growth restriction and central nervous system injury," the scientists said in the study.

The findings are "quite disturbing," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters today (March 10) in a news briefing.

Given that fetal abnormalities were found in 29 percent of the Zika-positive women, it's possible there may be "many more [abnormalities] that you don't realize until after the birth of the baby," Fauci said.

Moreover, the study shows that the fetuses had developmental problems even when their mothers caught the disease late in their pregnancies.

"In all three trimesters of pregnancy, there were definite fetal effects," Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters in today's briefing. "What we're saying basically is that the more we learn about Zika in pregnancy, the more concerned we are."

Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Kylie Armstrong of Melbourne, Australia took a brave step last Monday when she posted a public photo on Facebook showing her breast. The reason: The three dimples on the lower part of her breast are a sign of breast cancer. This is what MY BREAST CANCER looks like, she captioned the photo, the dimples circled in pink.

I felt no lump. The GP [general practitioner] felt no lump. However, she listened to me when I said my breast looked different to usual and when I raised my arm I could see very, very faint dimples on the underside of my breast, she writes. The GP sent me for a mammogram to be sure. It wasnt obvious on the scan so they sent me for an ultrasound. The ultrasound found the cancer deep in my breast close to the muscle. These 3 dimples have turned my world and my familys world upside down.

Related: 4 Myths About Detoxing That Are Totally False

Armstrong said she posted the photowhich has been shared more than 100,000 timesto show that breast cancer isnt always detectable by a lump. And shes right.

Dimpling might be a sign that theres a tumor thats actually pulling on the skin thats causing the change to happen, Dr. Andrea Barrio, a breast cancer surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, told SELF. The most common symptom women have is a breast lump, so most people know to look for a lump in the breast. But even sometimes cancer grows in such a way that you dont feel a lump, and the way its growing causes other changes.

The CDC lists irritation or dimpling of breast skin as a warning sign for breast cancer, along with other signs including changes in the size or shape of the breast and redness on the nipple or breast. In 2012, the CDC estimates that 224,147 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, early detection can save thousands of lives. This means regular mammograms are very important, as well as noting any changes in your breasts.

Related: This Woman Shared Raw Photos Of Her Skin Cancer Recovery For The Most Important Reason

Theres been a lot of press about not needing to do self breast exams, but I really do think its important to have self awareness about how things might change in the appearance of your breast, Barrio said. Just because you see the symptom doesnt mean you have cancer  but if you have a change in the appearance of your breast you should have it checked out by your doctor.

Related: 4 Things Men Hide From Their Wives

Armstrong hopes with her post, women can get treatment early. Please go straight to your GP if you notice ANY change in your breast. It could save your life, she writes. Hundreds have commented on the photo, with some women even sharing their own experience with breast cancer.

On Saturday, Armstrong posted a follow-up, thanking everyone for their support and for sharing her post across the world. She had surgery on Friday to remove the cancerwhich she writes went welland shes now in recovery awaiting further treatment.

MORE FROM SELF:

The One Thing Hairstylists Wish Youd Stop Doing

5 Reasons Youre Not Having An Orgasm (And How To Make It More Likely)
Whether youre a first-time mom or pregnant with your third baby, your doctor probably has talked to you about what to eat and what to avoid, why exercise is important and what tests youll need.

But lets face it, doctors visits are short, so there might be some things shes overlooked.

Here are 10 things you should know to make sure youll have a healthy pregnancy and be prepared once your labor starts.

1. Your doctor works for you.

When you choose a doctor, youre selecting that person to provide information and services much like you would hire a home contractor or a personal trainer. Of course the information is evidence-based, the services are premium and the cost is high, but its important to remember that ultimately youre in charge of your pregnancy, labor and delivery and you have choices.

Its your job during pregnancy to become informed and your physician is there to be your guide, said Jeanne Faulkner, a registered nurse in Portland, Ore., author of Common Sense Pregnancy: Navigating a Healthy Pregnancy and Birth for Mother and Baby and host of the Common Sense Pregnancy & Parenting podcast.

2. Dont rely on a missed period.

Instead of rushing to make an appointment the minute you realize you missed your period, take a drug-store pregnancy test first. Then see your doctor to confirm the results and find out how far along you are. If your periods are usually irregular, you could actually be further along in your pregnancy than you think.

3. Pregnancy is normal.

[Pregnancy] is probably the first time in your life that youre going to your doctor for something thats completely routine and normal, said Dr. Brian Levine, a board-certified OB-GYN and fertility specialist, and the New York practice director for the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine in New York City.

Although pregnancy in the U.S. is often viewed as a medical event or a condition that is difficult to manage and needs intervention, remember that your body is uniquely suited for it.

4. If you drank when you conceived, dont stress.

Had one too many drinks the night you conceived? Youre not alone. Fifty percent of pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended and chances are, many are a result of alcohol.

Although alcohol can impact fertility and you should never drink during pregnancy, if you were drinking when you conceived, it will have no effect on your baby, Levine said.

5. You might want a midwife instead of an OB-GYN.

More than 90 percent of women will choose an OB-GYN as their providers, but for some women who are healthy and not considered high-risk, a midwife might be a better option.

Midwifery care is slanted to look at pregnancy as a normal, healthy physiological process for the majority of women, Faulkner said.

Obstetricians on the other hand, are actually surgical specialists for high-risk patients and they use screening, diagnostic exams and interventions to rule out issues.

They have been trained to be medical specialists [and] to look for problems and thats how they look at pregnancy, Faulkner said.

6. You only need two ultrasounds.

Its exciting to see your baby and it can also put your mind at ease, but the reality is that you only need two ultrasounds throughout your entire pregnancy. The first one, a nuchal translucency (NT) scan, is usually done between 11 and 12 weeks, along with a blood test. The NT scan screens for birth defects like Down syndrome and it can also give you a good idea of your due date. The second ultrasound, which happens between 18 and 21 weeks, is a screen of the babys anatomy.

7. Ultrasounds arent always reliable.

Since ultrasound can be off by as much as 20 percent in either direction, physicians will also use a tape measure and their hands to estimate the babys weight. Ultrasound is also more accurate in the first trimester than in the third.

You can get a very clear idea of how big a baby is in the first trimester, but that doesnt necessarily correlate to how big [the baby] will be at delivery, Faulkner said.

Whats more, the only way to measure amniotic fluid levels is with ultrasound, yet if the umbilical cord or the babys hand is in the picture, it can skew the accuracy. If your physician is concerned, there are other tools she can use like a non-stress test to determine next steps, Levine said.

8. Just because you want to know the gender, doesnt mean you should.

Prenatal cell-free DNA screening, also known as non-invasive prenatal testing, is designed to look for chromosomal anomalies. Although you can also find out your babys gender early, its not a medical indication for the test and shouldnt be done just because youre curious, Levine said.

If you decide to have the test, understand that since its new technology, you should be prepared that if the results are abnormal they could turn out to be normal later on.

9. Your birth plan isnt a contract.

Having a birth plan is a great idea because it shows the nursing staff that youre prepared, you have an arsenal of tools to help you manage labor and you want to set the tone for the type of birth you want to have.

Yet there are so many unknowns. For example, you dont know what your pain threshold is, how your labor will progress and how your baby will tolerate labor. Instead of making hard and fast rules and expect everything to go as planned, go in a set with of really good ideas and then be flexible, Faulkner said.

10. Just because its past your due date doesnt mean youre overdue.

Some women and physicians may opt for an induction if a woman goes past 40 weeks, but a due date is really just a guess date. In fact, only about 5 percent of mothers actually go into labor on their due dates.

Women who are 42 weeks pregnant are considered overdue, but approximately 90 out of 100 will have contractions start on their own within 2 weeks.

The concern of going past 40 weeks is that the placenta will not work as well. Yet this is rare and your physician has tools to monitor your babys health.

We can put a woman on a fetal heart monitor or do an ultrasound and a biophysical profile to determine fetal well-being, Faulkner.
Editors note: The following article originally appeared in Acculturated, the online magazine about the virtues and vices of pop culture and why pop culture matters.

In death as in life, Nancy Reagan, the former first lady, who lived in the White House from 1981-1989, and who died Sunday at the age of 94, couldnt catch a break from the Washington Post. Lois Romano led off Mrs. Reagans Post obituary this way:

Nancy Reagan had an undeniable knack for inviting controversy. There were her extravagant spending habits at a time of double-digit unemployment, a chaotic relationship with her children and stepchildren that could rival a soap-opera plot, and the jaw-dropping news that she had insisted the White House abide by an astrologer when planning the presidents schedule.

Nancy Reagan wouldnt have been surprised; she always got the full Marie Antoinette treatment from the Washington press corps, and why should her obituary (later stealth-edited to be even more condescending but less overtly mean) be any different?

When, for example, Nancy Reagan enlisted private donors to buy new White House china, youd have thought she was going to take it with her when she left. It was portrayed as personal extravagance rather than a gift to the nation. But new china was overdue, the last set having been bought during the Johnson administration.

Mrs. Reagan noticed, when the couple hosted their first state dinner for British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that the condition of the White House china collection was deplorable, without a single pattern sufficient to serve the guests. Mrs. Reagan raised $210,399 from private sources to buy a new White House china service that would accommodate 220 people. She raised additional money to refurbish and repaint a White House that was badly in need of being spiffed up for official occasions.

And the praise from a grateful nation flowed? Well, no. While First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy had been praised for her work in restoring the White House, what Nancy Reagan got instead was quite differenther China policy was pilloried on late night TV. She was dubbed Queen Nancy, as if she and Ronald Reagan were going to use the 220 place settings for their suppers in the family quarters. The late Johnny Carson joked that her favorite junk food was caviar. I dont remember similar jokes when the Obamas served Kobe beef.

It was rarely noted that (unlike lavish spending on perks of the job in the current administration), the Reagan China, which is still in use, didnt cost the taxpayer a penny. And yet Mrs. Reagan got accolades like this (from Newsweek): Even her staunchest defenders concede that Nancy Reagan is more Marie Antoinette than Mother Teresa.

When it came to clothes, the same double standard applied. Democratic First Ladies such as Jackie Kennedy and Michelle Obama are lauded for the stylish clothes they wear, and nobody has suggested that in hard economic times Mrs. Obama scale back on her expensive designer wardrobe. Somehow, however, it was considered a minor scandal that Nancy Reagan wanted to be an elegant first lady, even though she either spent her own money or borrowed gowns from American designers to achieve this goal. There was no rule against either, but the press was shocked, shocked.

The coverage of Mrs. Reagans wardrobe was such that she had to do an act of obeisance to the ladies and gentlemen of the press. Mrs. Reagan curried favor by doing her famous 1982 skit at the Gridiron Club, when, in a surprise performance, the First Lady appeared on stage in rags and sang, Secondhand Clothes, to the tune of Barbra Streisands Secondhand Rose, seeming to temporarily mollify her media critics.

If you were living in D.C. during the Reagan years and not hostile to the Reagans, however, you remember it as a time of glamour and excitement.

Nancy Reagan may be the last First Lady to have been genuinely excited about coming to Washington, D.C. Instead of agonizing over how the role of First Lady was trivial and trying to think up ways to modernize it, she set about having quiet lunches with the doyennes of Cave Dweller Societyas permanent Washingtonians used to be called and still are, to the extent that such a society still exists. These Cave Dwellers were almost all Democrats but Nancy Reagan saw them as important for the tone of the town (like the media, hardliner conservatives distrusted her for her social ambitions). She saw her job as twofold: make Ronald Reagans life happy and give the nation a dignified White House.

Although the Reagans were the oldest couple to live in the White House, they are second only to the Kennedys in making our nations house glamorous. To this end, Mrs. Reagan imported her pals from Hollywood and New York to make Washington fizzier with celebrity. Who can forget pal Jerry Zipkin, who, asked by a waiter what he wanted, replied, Please remove the lady to my right. The Kennedys had Pablo Casals to the White House, the Reagans had Andy Warhol. The Kennedys were hailed as intellectuals, the Reagans were dismissed in the press as shallow.

In reviewing Kitty Kelleys tell-all book about Nancy Reagan, (which among other things posited a highly unlikely sexual affair between Mrs. Reagan and Frank Sinatra), New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote, Ms. Kelley asserts that Mrs. Reagan will go down in history as the cold and glittering icon for a morally vacuous era. Vacuous? The Reagan White House seems innocent and wholesome in retrospect, a time when the first couple was gracious and America was proud and respected. The company the Reagans kept seems, in retrospect, far more dignified than, for instance, potty-mouthed couple Beyonce and Jay Z, who have been at times intimates of the Obamas.

But I imagine Mrs. Reagans truly unforgivable sin was not her spending or that famous red-bordered china, but that she defined herself completely in terms of another personand that person was her husband. My life didnt really begin until I met Ronnie, she repeatedly said. It was anathema to feminists to define ones life in terms of a man and perhaps anathema to everyone to build a life around another human being in the Age of Me. It has been amusing to watch pundits and friends of the couple try to beef up her image in the days since her death by portraying her as a behind-the-scenes policy maven. It is true that she exerted immense influence in the White Houseit was her maneuvering to axe Donald Regan, the chief of staff that she felt served her husband badly. But she wasnt interested in any policy other than protecting Ronald Reagan. The Regan firing, by the way, is what led to revelations that Mrs. Reagan relied on astrologer Joan Quigley. It was daffy to hire an astrologer but Nancy would do anything to keep Ronnie safe.

The partnership of Ron and Nancy made two people happy and may have helped him become president, and that is her most enduring legacy. The iconic image we are likely to take away of Nancy Reagan is not of White House parties and borrowed ball gowns, but of her leaning over his flag-draped coffin for a last good-bye. Rest in peace, Mrs. Reaganyou were always a lady first.

Charlotte Hays is the Independent Women's Forum's senior editor and director of cultural programs.

Click here for more on the online magazine Acculturated.
Recently I had a chance to comment on some policy proposals put forward by Donald Trump.

I really didn't think I was making news. It was more like an observation, akin to saying that things that are dropped tend to move toward the center of the earth. You know. They fall.

What I said to Bill Maher was that I believed that American military members would simply not carry out an order that was, on its face, patently illegal. Maher had just asked me on his comedy/commentary show about Trump's promise to intentionally target and kill the families of suspected terrorists.

God no, I said. If he were to order that once in government, the American armed forces would refuse to act.

Thats quite a statement there. I thought the whole thing was, you had to follow orders, Maher replied.

You cannot  in fact, you are required not to follow an unlawful order. That would be in violation of all the international laws of conflict.

Although I quickly dismissed Maher's comedic overstatement about "a coup in this country," I was serious that the US military's traditional deference to civilian control would not include such a blatant offense.

American military professionals learn about these things very early in their formation. I got mine in an ROTC class in the mid-1960s. I'm sure today's cadets get the same lesson. They are still reminded that the defense mounted by Nazi war criminals in the Nuremberg trials ("I was just following orders") is not a defense at all and that you are always legally and morally responsible for your actions.

During a recent Republican debate, Bret Baier asked Trump about my comments. Trump responded, They wont refuse. Theyre not going to refuse, believe me....Im a leader, Ive always been a leader. Ive never had any problem leading people. If I say do it, theyre going to do it.

Let me translate that for you: "I'm going to use the power of my office and the force of my personality to direct twenty-somethings in America's armed forces to commit war crimes."

Trump then, after cataloging the truly bestial behavior of ISIS and claiming that "I'd go stronger", proceeded to create an alternative universe to justify his views. Apparently speaking of 9/11 (the alternative universe was hard to accurately discern), he proclaimed, When a family flies into the World Trade Center, a man flies into the World Trade Center and his family gets sent back to where they were goingThey knew what was happening. The wife knew exactly what was happeningThey left two days early, with respect to the World Trade Center, and they went back to where they went, and they watched their husband on television flying into the World Trade Center, flying into the Pentagon, and probably trying to fly into the White House....I have no problem with it.

Note: Few of the 9/11 hijackers were married. None had family in the United States. I know of no family members, even overseas, who were flown anywhere before or after 9/11.

We got a glimpse of another alternative universe the next day when Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson claimed to CNN's Wolf Blitzer that the candidate had been misunderstood, that people had mistakenly taken him "literally", and all he was saying was that "he wants to go after them with the full force of everything we have."

We took him literally? Really? I couldn't help but think of a loose version of the words of Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin's character) in "The Princess Bride": "So, those words do not mean what we think they mean." Or perhaps of Benicio del Toro's plaintive question in "Excess Baggage": "How stupid do you think I am, huh?"

Pierson referred to a walk back that the Trump campaign had tossed through the transom that day to the Wall Street Journal. In a written statement the candidate admitted that he understood "that the United States is bound by laws and treaties" and that he would "not order our military or other officials to violate those laws and will seek their advice on such matters."

It wasn't much of a walk back. First of all, it was a press release, not the candidate personally saying it. At rallies Trump quickly returned to the theme that we have to be tougher, much tougher, And, at the first opportunity, he chafed at the restrictions of the Geneva Convention, telling CNN's Anderson Cooper, "Let me explain something. We are playing at this level and they don't care....it's interesting what happens with the Geneva Convention everybody believes in the Geneva Convention until they start losing..."

So here we are. The leading candidate of a major American political party is, at best, offering a late, tepid and not altogether convincing concession that he understands that as president he would be limited by domestic and international law when acting as commander in chief.

What view of the world--what view of self--could make that a debatable point or even suggest that any other position was possible?

Good question.

We might want to find an answer before we pull many more levers around here.
Academic advocates of gun control apparently need to manipulate the data in order to argue for background checks on private gun transfers. Even the prestigious medical journal, the Lancet, does not seem to be above publishing junk science on gun control. There has been extensive, glowing media coverage from the Los Angeles Times, CNN, Reuters, and US News & World Report.

Currently, background checks must be performed when a gun is purchased from a dealer. Expanded background check laws would require that checks also be conducted on private transfers of guns (say between a father and a son or with a neighbor).

These laws exist in 19 states. Of course, previous public health researchers simultaneously carefully pick one state at a time to examine (Missouri or Connecticut), which years to look at, and what types of crime to study. To do the matter justice, a researcher really must look at all of the states that passed the laws, and then compare the changes in crime rates between those states that passed the laws to those that didnt.

Using data from 2010, the new Lancet study claims that these background checks on private transfers will reduce state firearms deaths (homicides plus suicides) by 57 percent. Yet, few researchers would look at firearm deaths across states in one year.

To put this in perspective, lets look at another simplistic comparison. A lot of people like to point to the UKs lower homicide rate and fewer guns and attribute this to strict gun control laws. Many cite this as proof that gun control reduces homicides. But there is a problem. The UK had an even lower homicide rate before the country banned handguns. After the ban, homicide rates rose by 50 percent over for the next 8 years.

The point is that homicide or suicide rates can differ for lots of reasons that have nothing to do with gun control, and that simply looking across countries or states is often quite misleading.

The most accurate option is to see how a places crime rates change after new laws go into effect and then compare that change with the changes that occurred in places where the laws didnt change.

Again, the cherry-picking of numbers is outrageous. Gun laws for 2009 are used to evaluate firearms deaths in 2010. Then 2013 is chosen as the year that firearm ownership is looked at. No explanation is offered for why these different years are used. The normal approach is to use all the available years of crime or suicide data. One must have a very good reason for omitting certain years data, and there really is no good explanation for what was done in the Lancet study.

There are many other problems with this study, such as looking at the impact of the different gun control laws in separate regressions instead of studying their impacts all at one time.

When I did my own study in the 2010 edition of "More Guns, Less Crime" (University of Chicago Press), I used data for all the states from 1977 to 2005. I found that these expanded background checks were associated with a very small and statistically insignificant 2 percent increase in murder rates.

Expanded background checks have become this years hot political issue for Democrats. After every mass shooting, President Obama has called for these new checks. Strangely, the recent shootings in Oregon, Colorado, California, and Paris are being used to push gun-control laws that already existed in those places and that evidently failed to prevent the attacks. Theres already evidence that these attacks dont decline in frequency as a result of expanded background checks.

Public health research has become completely corrupt. Too often, the conclusions seem to be more important than the accuracy of the research. With money flooding in from Michael Bloomberg, George Soros, and others, we are unfortunately going to be seeing a lot more of these types of studies in just the coming year.
In 1931, a Missouri farm woman sat down with pencil and lined paper to write her life story. She was Laura Ingalls Wilder, locally famous for her gingerbread and hospitality. When "Little House in the Big Woods" appeared, the 65-year-old was instantly famous in schools, libraries and homes. She still is.

Today, Wilder's renown is scarcely equaled by any other American author. The nine "Little House" books, chronicling life on the American heartland, still resonate. The adventures of the Ingalls family, as they forged west in the 1870s and 1880s, perennially enchant and instruct readers.

Wilder had a story to tell. "I understood that in my own life I represented a whole era of American history," she mused. Indeed. Her covered wagon treks, provided rich memories of building towns and family farms on the frontier. There were hardships --crop failures, fires, illness, weather and skimpy rations. But Wilder's family endured with grit, determination and unity. Their family security was unshakable.

"I wanted the children now to understand what made America," Wilder told an audience in 1937. "It seemed to me that my childhood had been much richerthan that of children today. Children clamored for more stories." Wilder's publisher, Harper Collins, urged her on; she finished her series at age 76. The saga concluded with her 1885 marriage to Almanzo Wilder, whose story she told in "Farmer Boy."

In 1894 the Wilders, with their only child Rose, settled on Rocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield, Missouri. Again they struggled against the elements, establishing a farm and building their home. Almanzo and Laura took pride in their work ethic. "It was a good and pleasant life," Wilder declared: "What we accomplished was without help from anyone." She infused her Little House stories with subtexts of self-responsibility and hard work, calling them "homely virtues."

Generations of children responded to the Wilder way of life. Teachers read the books aloud in classrooms, augmenting them with learning activities. During Wilder's lifetime--she died at 90, in 1957--she received thousands of fan letters. She responded to all, writing in precise longhand. Reader comments warmed her heart. "I could read your books a thousand times," one letter began. Another child said: "Your story helps us to understand life many years ago." A teacher confided: "The children call you Laura, as if you were their dearest friend." A dad wrote: "'Little House in the Big Woods' contributed to our family dream to have our own log cabin."

Wilder's genius as a storyteller included meticulous descriptions of pioneer ingenuity. She explained how log cabins were built, how horses were trained; she described growing and gleaning of crops, hunting, trapping, and frontier homemaking. In "The Long Winter" Wilder wrote of twisting hay for fuel and grinding wheat for daily bread. "Little House on the Prairie" told of digging a well, building a door, plowing up the prairie and rounding up cattle.

Twenty-first century children remain engrossed by such explanations. Homeschoolers adopted the Little House books as curriculum rite of passage. Readers flock to the book sites in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas, South Dakota, Iowa and New York State. Wilder's home in Mansfield, Missouri is the epicenter; most of her family's possessions are there. A new museum opened there this week.

Would Laura Ingalls Wilder be amazed at her continuing popularity? Probably not. She had an unflinching faith in America. In a message to her young readers, she said: "As long as Americans are free, they will never cease to make our country ever more wonderful."
Ben Carson, who dropped out of the Republican presidential race just last week, will endorse front-runner Donald Trump on Friday.

Trump confirmed the endorsement during the Republican presidential debate Thursday night.

The retired neurosurgeon plans to hold a press conference at 9 a.m. ET Friday to announce his support, sources told Fox News.

The backing from the outsider ex-candidate, who captivated conservative voters with his unconventional campaign, could give Trump a boost as the candidates charge into critical primaries next Tuesday in Florida, Ohio and three other states.

It also serves as a potential counterweight as other ex-candidates weigh in against him. Former HP CEO Carly Fiorina endorsed Ted Cruz earlier this week, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is meeting with Trumps rivals, though its unclear whether he might endorse someone before Tuesday.

The Washington Post first reported on Carsons expected endorsement. Sources told the Post that Carson agreed to the endorsement after a meeting with Trump at the billionaire's Mar-a-Lago luxury home in Palm Beach, Fla.

As Trump builds his delegate lead with a string of recent primary wins, the GOP candidates also faced off at a debate Thursday night in Miami.

Earlier on Thursday, Carson said he was "certainly leaning" toward endorsing Trump over Texas Sen. Cruz, during an interview with Fox News Radio's John Gibson.

"There are two Donald Trumps," Carson told Gibson. "There's the Donald Trump that you see on television and who gets out in front of big audiences, and there's the Donald Trump behind the scenes. They're not the same person."

He said the other Donald Trump is actually a thinking individual and someone you can reason with very easily.

Fox News John Roberts contributed to this report.
Seven congressional Democrats, including the ranking members of the Senate and House intelligence committees, have written to the State Department and Intelligence Community watchdogs demanding that their investigations of Hillary Clinton's private email be "impartial, independent and diligent."

The five-page letter accuses the inspectors general of politicizing the investigations. The letter was first reported by Politico and later confirmed by Fox News.

"Based on public reports and communications from your offices to Congress, we have serious questions about how this review is being conducted...Already, this review has been too politicized. We are relying on you as independent inspectors general to perform your duties dispassionately and comprehensively," the March 9 letter states.

The letter was signed by Sen.Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., ranking members of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees respectively.

A congressional source close to the email reviews said the letter appeared to be an extension of the Clinton campaign's "shoot the inspector general" strategy.

In recent media interviews, campaign spokesman Brian Fallon accused State Department inspector general Steve A. Linick of engaging in a fishing expedition.

He also accused Intelligence Community Inspector General I. Charles McCullough III of coordinating with Republican lawmakers to leak negative reports about Clinton. Both McCullough and Linick are Obama administration appointees.

The letter by the Democratic senators claims that a number of allegations about the classification of specific emails made by the (ICIG) appear to have been reached in error and contained inaccuracies, and specifically points to several emails sent to senators that purportedly had contained classified info on Aug. 11.

Since then, according to the letter, it became clear that at least one of those emails did not in fact contain classified information, and the initial claim that another email was highly classified was later reversed.

Classification determinations are complex, subjective, often in dispute between different agencies, and are not normally within the purview of Inspectors General, the lawmakers wrote.

We are concerned that those involved in the review process have not sufficiently taken these complexities or the interagency differences on each email into account.

However, the congressional source who spoke with Fox News said the letter missed the mark on several fronts, including a "completely false" statement about the classification process.

"The Intelligence Community Inspector General has not determined whether the Clinton emails contained classified information," the source said. "Recent sworn declarations from the CIA said the emails contained classified information when they hit Clinton's server. The ICIG was passing on the CIA's findings, and was not the decision maker. This is also true with the NGA (national geospatial) and other agencies."

One of the State Department's central arguments for explaining away the more than 2,000 emails containing classified information -- including more than 80 secret and 22 top secret messages -- is that the information came from parallel reporting in the news media.

"This is not a valid excuse for the mishandling of intelligence, the source said.

As Fox previously reported, an email sent by Huma Abedin, which kickstarted the FBI probe, contained detailed information about pro-government forces during the Libyan revolution. The intelligence was determined to come from Africom as well as satellite imagery and other sources.

The Democratic signatories gave the inspectors general until the end of the month to respond to their questions attached to the letter.

At the Democratic debate Wednesday evening, Univision Debate Moderator Jorge Ramos asked Clinton if she would withdraw from the presidential race if faced with criminal charges.

"That is not going to happen. I'm not even answering that question," she responded, adding that nothing she sent or received through her private email and server was marked classified at the time.

However, that statement is undercut by the January 2009 classified information non-disclosure agreement signed by then- Secretary of State Clinton. In that NDA, Clinton confirms her understanding that classified material is based on content, not on whether it is marked.
Marco Rubio, needing a breakout performance going into Tuesday's Florida primary, changed tactics and used substance during Thursday night's GOP debate to attack Donald Trump on several fronts  while Trump, subdued and trying to look more presidential, held steady to the campaign-tested themes that have made him the front-runner.

At the end of the two-hour debate, Trump  coming off a string of primary wins  summed up the reality that Rubio and rivals Ted Cruz and John Kasich face: that only two of us can get the delegates to win  meaning Trump and Cruz  and two of us cannot, referring to Rubio and Kasich.

That is not meant to be a criticism  thats just a mathematical fact, Trump said, urging the party to be smart and unify.

The reminder amounted to just about the toughest criticism of the night, at a debate where personal attacks were replaced by more substantive policy discussion.

But Rubio, in particular, who drastically changed his campaign approach in recent weeks to turn up the heat on Trump and even mock his physical appearance, dialed all that back onstage Thursday  after having said he regrets some of those personal insults.

Instead, he hit Trump on his defense of his Islam hates us" remarks, Trump's suggestion he'd do a deal with the Palestinians and his vow that he wouldn't touch Social Security  despite warnings it would start running out of money in two decades.

Trump's rivals, though, did not criticize him after he was asked about whether his tone is encouraging violence at his rallies, a reference to a recent incident where a protester was punched.

I hope not, I truly hope not," Trump said, saying he does not "condone" violence but also that some protesters are "bad dudes."

One of the most pointed debate clashes came over the diplomatic thaw with Cuba  a huge issue in Florida, host of the CNN debate and next weeks critical primary. Trump tangled with his rivals as he claimed hes in the middle on the issue.

Trump said something should take place after a decades-long freeze, but, I want to get a much better deal.

Heres a good deal, Florida Sen. Rubio snapped back. Cuba has free elections. Cuba stops putting people in jail.

Whether Rubios performance is enough is the big question. Pressure was already mounting on him to drop out, and Texas Sen. Cruz added to that pressure Thursday night.

There are only two of us who have a path to winning the nomination -- Donald and myself, Cruz said, while also jokingly referring to Trump as the son of a businessman.

Rubio entered the debate clinging to life in the GOP primary race after a string of losses. He depends on winning his home state of Florida on Tuesday  but polls show Trump well ahead there, and even if Rubio wins Florida, its still unclear whether he would have any path to the nomination.

But he  along with his rivals  did their best Thursday to draw distinctions between them and Trump.

Oftentimes, Trump seemed to lean on his art of the deal to explain his approach to global challenges. But it earned him criticism from the others on stage.

Cruz hammered Trump for suggesting hed be able to re-negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran.

I will rip to shreds this catastrophic Iranian nuclear deal, Cruz countered.

Trump also took heat from Rubio and others as he defended his claim that Islam hates us.

The Republican front-runner said theres tremendous hatred in the Muslim world and called for new laws to confront the threat.

We better expand our laws or were being a bunch of suckers, and they are laughing at us, Trump said.

But Rubio and Cruz both said of course they would not want to allow the targeting of family members of terror targets, as Trump has called for. And they chided him for his remarks.

The answer is not scream all Muslims bad, Cruz said.

The problem is presidents cant just say whatever they want, Rubio said. Im not interested in being politically correct.  Im interested in being correct.

Trumps rivals noted America must work with other Muslim nations to confront the ISIS threat.

Trump also took heat for saying hed try to do a deal with the Palestinians, as well as the Israelis.

For the most part, Trump and his three Republican presidential rivals held their personal fire Thursday night during their last debate before next Tuesday's primary in Florida  which votes alongside four other states.

Trump even remarked on the subdued tone: So far I cannot believe how civil its been up here.

"I think it was good that we had a substantive debate," Cruz told Fox News' Megyn Kelly late Wednesday. "The last two debates were pretty ridiculous [and] I was glad to see that nonsense ending."

Ohio Gov. Kasich also stressed at the debate that hes run an unwavering positive campaign all along.

But on the domestic front, they did battle on the best way to save Social Security -- with Trump breaking from his competition by saying he'd leave it alone despite warnings it would start running out of money in two decades.

I will do everything in my power not to touch Social Security, Trump said. He said hed instead get rid of waste, fraud and abuse  including by ensuring the government bids out contracts.

Rubio, though, said, Youre still going to have hundreds of billions of dollars of deficit that youre going to have to make up. He called for gradually raising the retirement age to 70.

Cruz echoed that call, saying the program is careening toward insolvency.

We need to see political courage to take this on and save and strengthen Social Security, he said.

Kasich also called for changes, though not necessarily to the retirement age.

Trump, meanwhile, openly discussed his plan to hit pause on green cards.

I would say a minimum of one year, maybe two years, Trump said.

As Trump consolidates support and builds his delegate lead, though, he kicked off the debate with a pointed message to the so-called Republican establishment, effectively telling them to get on board with his campaign.

He started his opening statement by claiming his campaign is bringing in Democrats, independents and others in huge numbers to the polls.

The Republican establishment, or whatever you want to call it, should embrace whats happening, he said, addressing tension between his campaign and senior GOP leaders. We are going to beat the Democrats.

The candidates faced off ahead of next weeks critical primaries in five states  including the valuable contests in Ohio and Florida, where the winner of each will take home all delegates at stake. Front-runner Trump is riding high after notching three more victories this past Tuesday, and is threatening to sideline his remaining rivals next week.

Pressure is highest on Rubio and Kasich, who each have vowed to win their home states; doing so widely is seen as essential for them to stay in the race. Meanwhile, Cruz is positioning himself as the best Trump alternative and the only candidate who could still defeat him.

He was buoyed Wednesday by the endorsement of former candidate Carly Fiorina.

Trump, though, is set to receive a significant endorsement of his own from an ex-candidate, Ben Carson  who, according to sources, plans to announce his support for Trump on Friday.
Thursday's Republican presidential debate was relatively free of friction, but Texas Sen. Ted Cruz did get in one barb at front-runner Donald Trump.

In response to a question from radio host Hugh Hewitt about what Trump would do if he was not nominated at a contested Republican National Convention in Cleveland this summer, the real estate mogul said, "First of all, I think I'm going to have the delegates. OK?", then added that whoever had the most delegates at the convention should be the nominee, regardless of whether his support was over the majority threshold of 1,237.

Hewitt then asked Cruz what he would do to win over possibly disaffected Trump supporters if he became the nominee, to which Trump interjected, "Make me President."

"Donald," Cruz rejoined, "You are welcome to be president of the Smithsonian", a reference to the 19 Washington D.C. museums run by the federal government.

The line got one of the night's biggest rounds of applause and provided Cruz a springboard to call for anti-Trump Republicans to unite around his campaign.

"If you're one of the 65-70 percent of Republicans who recognizes that if we nominate Donald Trump, Hillary [Clinton] wins ... then I want to invite you if you've supported other candidates, come and join us," Cruz said.
President Obama has a simple message when it comes Donald Trump: Dont blame me.

But then he continues with a not-so-simple message that happens to fit with Democratic campaign themes.

The capital may be buzzing about the visit by Canadas new prime minister, Justin Trudeau, but at yesterday's White House news conference, the press quickly got to The Donald.

CBS reporter Margaret Brennan asked whether Obama and his administration were contributing to the rise of someone as provocative as Donald Trump.

The president seemed bemused, saying: "I have been blamed by Republicans for a lot of things, but being blamed for their primaries and who theyre selecting for their party is novel.

Embedded in the question, it seems to me, is the implication that the Trump phenomenon is a bad thing and Obama might bear some responsibilitybeyond the obvious fact that voters often choose a president who is far different from his predecessor. Commentators have spent all kinds of ink and airtime trying to blame the media, the culture, and the Republican Party itself for Trumps dominance in the primaries so far.

In fact, Obama soon pivoted to faulting the GOPwhich happens to be a prime Hillary talking point. And no, I am not shocked that he is trying to help his former secretary of State (who he pretty obviously favors over Bernie Sanders) in the race to succeed him.

Obama accused the Republican Party of creating an environment where somebody like a Donald Trump can thrive. Hes just doing more of what has been done for the last 7-1/2 years. Then he zeroed in on immigration: Its not as if theres a massive difference between Mr. Trumps position on immigration and Mr. Cruzs position on immigration. Mr. Trump might just be more provocative in terms of how he says it, but the actual positions arent that different.

In other words, those Republicans, theyre all a little crazy. This, of course, ignores the fact that Cruz and Rubio are aggressively attacking Trump as unqualified for the presidency, and Trump is hitting them back even harder.

And hey,when Obama spoke of a GOP crackup and circus, some Republicans and conservative commentators have used similar language in ripping Trumps impact on the party. Its hardly amazing that a Democrat would pile on.

But Obama also wandered into familiar territory: blaming the conservative media.

He said he regrets the polarization and nasty tone of politics, and that he does soul-searching about how he can better unify the country.

But the president also saidobjectively--that the Republican political elites and many of the information outlets -- social media, news outlets, talk radio, television stations -- have been feeding the Republican base for the last seven years a notion that everything I do is to be opposed; that cooperation or compromise somehow is a betrayal; that maximalist, absolutist positions on issues are politically advantageous; that there is a them out there and an us, and them are the folks who are causing whatever problems youre experiencing.

Well, some conservatives have worked hard to block Obama, and the Republican Congress hasnt been very cooperative, with the Senate even ruling out action on a Supreme Court nominee before the president has picked anyone. But that is a two-way street, and Obama and the Democrats have also failed to find common ground.

But on the business about TV and radio and social media outlets: The president of the United States has the biggest megaphone of all. He can drown out any talk show host, blogger or tweeter. He often seems to use media criticism as a crutch to explain away his shortcomings and setbacks.

And now he has a new target in the Republican front-runner who wants his job.
President Barack Obama has strongly criticized the leaders of Great Britain and France for their policy toward Libya after the 2011 overthrow of dictator Muammar Qaddafi, saying that he was mistaken to believe the U.S.' European allies would be "more invested in the follow-up" to Qaddafi's fall.

Obama made the remarks in an interview with The Atlantic magazine. The criticisms of British Prime Minister David Cameron, in particular, are some of the strongest of a sitting U.K. leader by a sitting president.

In the interview, Obama calls the situation in Libya a "mess" in part because he says Cameron became "distracted by a range of other things."

"When I go back and I ask myself what went wrong, there's room for criticism, because I had more faith in the Europeans," Obama says.

The president also criticized then-French President Nicolas Sarkozy for being too eager to take credit for the intervention that overthrow Qaddafi, who was killed by rebel forces in October 2011.

"Sarkozy wanted to trumpet the flights he was taking in the air campaign," Obama said, "despite the fact that [the U.S.] had wiped out all the air defences and essentially set up the entire infrastructure."

Obama also said that he had warned Cameron that the so-called "special relationship" between Britain and the U.S. would end if the London government did not commit to spending 2 percent of its GDP on defense.

"Free riders aggravate me," Obama says at one point in the interview.

A spokeswoman for Cameron told Sky News that the prime minister still believes intervention in Libya was "absolutely the right thing to do."

Since 2014, an internationally recognized government has convened in the far east of Libya while a rival Islamist government is based in Tripoli. The United Nations has been trying to help forge a unity government to revive services to millions of people and confront ISIS extremists.

Meanwhile, a U.N. report published Thursday said that ISIS had "significantly expanded" the amount of territory in controls in Libya.

"While ISIL does not currently generate direct revenue from the exploitation of oil in Libya, its attacks against oil installations seriously compromise the country's economic stability," the six-member panel said, using another name for the terror group. "Libyans have increasingly fallen victim to the terrorist group's brutalities, culminating in several mass killings."

According to the experts, Libya has become increasingly attractive to foreign fighters and their presence in the south "is symptomatic of the regional dimension of the conflict." It added that countries in the region have been providing political support -- and possibly more -- to various groups, further fueling the continuation of fighting.



The experts said in the report to the U.N. Security Council that all parties in the conflict are continuing to receive illicit arms transfers, some with support from U.N. member countries.



The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Buzz Cuts:

 Rivals give Trump a pass

 Dispute deepens over Trump rally rough up

 Dubya chief of staff joins #NeverTrump

 Power Play: Can Cruz do it?

 Death to America and Snickers

RIVALS GIVE TRUMP A PASS

Donald Trump had his best debate so far, and he has Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio to thank for it.

Trumps campaign has been buffeted for weeks with unfavorable coverage about his business record, allegations of fraud, a lack of transparency and even claims of assault against a senior campaign staffer.



Given the tenor of the political discussion of late, one might have expected that the tone at Thursdays CNN debate would have been an even more singeing version of what we heard a week prior in Detroit  if only for the increase in combustible material.



Trump must have been ready for the fight of his life against Cruz and Rubio, and clearly came to the stage with a more tentative air. As it turns out, he neednt have worried. Trump adopted a more presidential-sounding persona and did his best to revert to his early-debate strategy of staying out of the fray whenever possible and his rivals obliged him.



In a campaign that has become a referendum on Trumps character, Cruz and Rubio didnt even raise the subject. And that was enough to put Trump in the drivers seat. Both raised issue-based critiques against Trump and tried to show him up on policy knowledge, but Trumps supporters have never been demanding on that count.



In Rubios case, it seems like he overlearned a lesson. The Florida senator was tut-tutted for making personal insults about Trump  his spray tan, his small hands, etc. That, especially the joke about Trumps junk, was too much.



But there is a difference between personal put downs and attacks on another candidates character.



Trump has managed to run a campaign intentionally short on policy details. He simply makes aspirational statements and then promises to hire the best people or be a great negotiator to achieve the free border wall, Chinese capitulation on trade or even dealing with ISIS.



(Trump seemed to stumble once in that regard Thursday when he backed the idea of 20,000 or 30,000 U.S. ground troops for the fight against ISIS.)



This election is not about issues. This election is about Trump. And certainly with only days to go before what may be the decisive batch of elections, its certainly too late to try to put this contest on another path.



Trumps supporters want a charismatic, strong leader who will shake up the country. Who wouldnt? The question before the rest of the Republican Party is whether Trump is actually that person or if he is, as Rubio has previously charged, a con man.



His coloring and the size of his digits are not material to that discussion. But his record  especially recent history like Trump University  certainly is.



The absence of those attacks clearly surprised Trump who commented, So far, I cannot believe how civil its been up here. Thats likely because Trump knew what he would have done as Cruz or Rubio: Go to your enemys weakest spot and hit it mercilessly.



Trump did it again and again throughout the cycle only to see his rivals start to learn the lesson. But on Thursday, they forgot what he had taught them.



Dispute deepens over Trump rally rough up - Breitbart News Editor-at-Large Ben Shapiro called on Trump to fire his campaign manager after Breitbart reporter and Fox News contributor, Michelle Fields, was reportedly assaulted at a Trump rally. Shapiro explained to Megyn Kelly on Thursdays The Kelly File. Watch here.



[Watch Fox: On the heels of endorsing Trump, Ben Carson joins Your World with Neil Cavuto at 4 p.m. ET]



Dubya chief of staff joins #NeverTrump - WashEx: Former President George W. Bushs White House chief of staff has launched an attack on GOP front-runner Donald Trump, claiming the businessman isnt fit for the office our former boss held with such distinction. In an email to the private Bush-Cheney Alumni list, Josh Bolten also said that a Trump nomination would cripple the Republican Party and kill its standing at the party of limited government. I don't have to tell you how important this election cycle is to the future of the Republican Party, and to our country. Im writing because I believe that nominating the current Republican front-runner would cost our party its standing as the defender of limited government, constitutional principle, and American leadership  leaving it crippled for years to come, he wrote.



WITH YOUR SECOND CUP OF COFFEE

On this Friday, we bring you the heartwarming story of the man who people of the Ventana Wilderness in central California refer to as the last of the mountain men. The story of Jack English, who discovered his love of the wilderness as a boy when he ran away from home during the Great Depression, is the tale of a man who achieved his dream and lived his life in the simplest and happiest of ways. LAT brings us the story: Visitors to the valley called him the last of the mountain men, a local treasure. They admired his ability to live out his dream. After years of camping beneath these lofty trees with [Englishs son] Dennis and his wife Mary, he bid $11,000 for five acres here and won the deed. In the late 1970s, they proceeded to build a cabin that became a well-known waypoint for day-hikers and overnighters. Eager to offer water from his tap or pancakes from his grill, Jack was quick to share his generosity, cheer and heartfelt aphorisms. Happiness, he said, is making other people happy. Its a darn sight better than making them feel bad. English died this month at 97-years-old.



Got a TIP from the RIGHT or the LEFT? Email FoxNewsFirst@FOXNEWS.COM



POLL CHECK

Real Clear Politics Averages

National GOP nomination: Trump 36 percent; Cruz 21.8 percent; Rubio 18 percent; Kasich 12 percent

Florida GOP Primary: Trump 39.9 percent; Rubio 25.2 percent; Cruz 18.2 percent; Kasich 8.6 percent

Ohio GOP Primary: Trump 36.5 percent; Kasich 34 percent; Cruz 16.3 percent; Rubio 7 percent

National Dem nomination: Clinton 51 percent; Sanders 39.6 percent

Florida Dem Primary: Clinton 63.2 percent; Sanders 29 percent

Ohio Dem Primary: Clinton 57 percent; Sanders 37 percent

General Election: Clinton vs. Trump: Clinton +6.3 points

Generic Congressional Vote: Democrats +1



POWER PLAY: CAN CRUZ DO IT?

After months of wishing he wasnt around, many in the Republican Party has come to see Ted Cruz as their only means to stop Donald Trump from winning the nomination. But can he really topple the Republican frontrunner? Republican message maestro Pete Snyder and Obama administration veteran Douglas A. Smith weigh in with Chris Stirewalt. WATCH HERE.



[FiveThirtyEight breaks down how Cruz can still stop Trump in the delegate lead]



Rubio PAC goes after Kasich to win Florida - WSJ: The super PAC backing Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio is trying a new tactic to help the Florida senator win his home states primary next week: going after Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Mr. Rubios chief rival for establishment support. The group, Conservative Solutions PAC, is airing $1.1 million in TV ads and another $180,000 in online ads in Florida attacking Mr. Kasich, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.



[GOP delegate count: Trump 458; Cruz 359; Rubio 151; Kasich 54 (1,237 needed to win)]



Fox News Sunday - Mr. Sunday sits down with Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, and with Ohio Governor John Kasich, whose home state is a crucial prize in Tuesdays elections. Can Kasich win his competitive state? Watch Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET on the Fox News Channel. Check local listings for broadcast times in your area.



[#mediabuzz - Host Howard Kurtz has an interview with Trump and breaks down the weeks media coverage. Watch Sunday at 11 a.m. ET, with a second airing at 5 p.m.]



Power Play: Take a Michigander at this - Tuesday saw a surprising upset on the Democratic side with Hillary Clinton coming in second to Bernie Sanders in a state she was leading in by a wide margin. Democrat Douglas A. Smith and Republican Pete Snyder give their thoughts to Chris Stirewalt. WATCH HERE.



[Dem delegate count: Clinton 1223; Sanders 574 (2,383 needed to win)]



DEATH TO AMERICA AND SNICKERS

Fox News: Fifteen tons of Snickers chocolate bars have met a sticky end in Gaza. Islamic Hamas authorities hurled boxes of the peanut chocolate candy bar into a bomb crater Thursday, dousing them with diesel and lighting them in a crackling bonfire following a company recall. Confectionary giant Mars recalled sweets from its Netherlands factory last month after a small piece of red plastic was found in a Snickers bar. Three children from a nearby Bedouin encampment managed to snatch some of the chocolate bars before they melted away.



Chris Stirewalt is digital politics editor for Fox News. Want FOX News First in your inbox every day? Sign up here.
If you cant beat em in Ohio, join em.

That may be the new mantra for presidential candidate Marco Rubio, who apparently has dismissed any hope of winning that state in Tuesdays primary.

So now he is urging Republicans there to vote for Gov. John Kasich in order to prevent Donald Trump from winning, according to published reports and comments from his own people.

"If you want to stop Trump in Ohio, Kasich's the only guy who can beat him there," Rubio spokesman Alex Conant said Friday in an interview with The Associated Press.

In turn, Florida Sen. Rubio is hoping to win in his home state on Tuesday, thereby splitting the day's two big delegate prizes and keeping them out of Trump's hands.

But it doesnt look like Kasich is willing to play the same game. AP reporter Katie Ronayne Tweeted a quote from Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols saying in reference to the reported Rubio strategy, "We were going to win in OH without his help, just as he's going to lose in FL without ours"

According to POLITICO, Rubio has denied any quid pro quo with Kasichs team. I have not talked with John Kasich, he said. He did seem to acknowledge to an MSNBC reporter on Friday, however, that Ohio may already be in the rear view mirror.

The reality at this stage is  we have a good team in Ohio, we will do as good as we can, but our focus is on Florida, Rubio said.

In fact, the entire suggestion that the men could work together to thwart Trump seemed to have the opposite effect, with Kasichs people publicly relishing Rubio's seeming forfeiture of Ohio.

We welcome the support of the Rubio campaign, Trent Duffy, another Kasich spokesman, told POLITICO, adding that any attempt to tell voters what to do was presumptuous.

The voters should vote their conscience, said Duffy. They should vote for the best person they think is best able to lead our country. We believe that man is John Kasicheverywhere across the country.

Ted Cruz, who is running second in most polls, also scoffed at the alleged strategy. Its real simple, Cruz told reporters. How do you beat Donald Trump? You beat him.

Polls suggest that Kasich has a better chance in his home state than Rubio has in his. According to the RealClearPolitics poll average of the last 11 surveys in the state, Trump is besting the GOP field by 14.7 points in Florida. On the other hand, Trump is leading the pack by an average of only 2.5 percentage points in the last four Ohio polls.

Trump continued to steal Rubios hometown thunder Friday when he formally announced the endorsement of former presidential candidate -- and longtime Floridian -- Dr. Ben Carson.

Standing at Trump's side in Palm Beach Friday morning, the retired neurosurgeon and conservative author gave Trump a hearty backing, and warned that a failure to rally behind him would "fracture the party in an irreparable way."

Rubio, who is coming in third in most polls, said it is Trump who could destroy the party, given the many Republicans who vow never to support him.

"I certainly think it would fracture it," Rubio said of a Trump nomination on CBS' "This Morning.

"There is a very significant number of Republicans that will never vote for him. And you can't win unless the party's united," he said.

Rubio said Friday that in no way is he giving up."As far as Florida's concerned, we feel good, we're making progress, we have real momentum here now."



The Associated Press contributed to this report
Two Republican senators are accusing the State Department of misusing taxpayer dollars by green-lighting $500 million for a United Nations climate change program without first obtaining congressional approval.

The senators now are demanding the department justify the cloak-and-dagger contribution to the Green Climate Fund (GCF)  even threatening legal action.

Lawyers cannot replace the constitutional requirement that only Congress can appropriate money, Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., said, adding that hes demanding a full legal analysis.

Gardner, in a statement to FoxNews.com, alleged the department was trying to wave a magic wand and write a half-billion dollar check to a Green Climate Fund that they admit was never authorized by Congress.

He also vowed to pursue legislative action that prevents cloak-and-dagger re-programming of money outside of congressional approval.

At the center of the dispute is whether the State Department abused its authority in shifting funds between an existing program and the climate fund.

The Obama administration  despite resistance from congressional Republicans -- has committed the U.S. to contributing $3 billion to the fund, a program established by the United Nations to help poor countries adopt clean energy technologies to address climate change. Nearly 200 other nations have agreed to provide $100 billion per year by 2020, from private and public sources.

Along with Gardner, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., maintains Congress has not allocated any funding for what he calls the international climate change slush fund and has in fact prohibited the transfer of funds to create new programs.

The State Department acknowledges the funding was never explicitly approved by Congress  but argues the department was within its authority to shift funding to the Green Climate Fund, because Congress did not explicitly prohibit funding the GCF.

Under questioning by Barrasso at a March 8 Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Heather Higginbottom told the committee the funds were diverted from the departments Economic Support Fund -- which provides economic funding to foreign countries -- to the GCF after a full review by department lawyers.

State Department spokeswoman Katherine Pfaff also confirmed to FoxNews.com the source of the funding was the economic fund, but could not say from which exact program the money came.

And she bluntly addressed the GOP senators accusation. Did Congress authorize the Green Climate Fund? No, she said, adding that department lawyers reviewed the authority and the process under which we can do it."

The administration, meanwhile, has requested another $750 million for the GCF in its fiscal 2017 budget.

Higginbottom also insisted they were not required to notify Congress about the transfer from the Economic Support Fund.

At the hearing, though, Barrasso said the first installment of the $3 billion pledge was a blatant misuse of taxpayer dollars.

Barrasso said because the GCF technically is a new program and not authorized by Congress, the department may have violated the Anti-Deficiency Act, a law that prohibits federal agencies from obligating or expending funds in advance or in excess of an appropriation.

According to Politico, Barrasso is prepared to go to court over the issue and to seek prosecution of individuals if they are found to have violated the Anti-Deficiency Act.

The Wyoming senators communications director, Bronwyn Lance Chester, confirmed to FoxNews.com that all options are being considered.

The department may have been able to effectively use a loophole to contribute the money  namely, because Congress did not include specific language barring spending to the GCF. Analysts say this dispute could have been avoided if Congress had simply included a specific prohibition on spending for the climate fund.

The problem is that the horse has already left the barn. There was not a specific line item in the budget prohibiting spending on the GCF. I am sure [State Department lawyers] have come up with some creative way to fund it, but it would not be an issue if Congress had explicitly prohibited it, said H. Sterling Burnett, a senior fellow with the Heartland Institute.

Senate Republicans backed away from including a specific rider in last years omnibus bill after President Obama threatened to veto if such a rider were included.

They were gutless, said Burnett, who noted the first installment is a drop in the bucket when compared with the $3 billion.

Because the omnibus spending bill was silent on the GCF, the White House argued this left the door open for the administration to fund the U.N. program. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in December there are no restrictions in our ability to make good on the presidents promise to contribute to the Green Climate Fund.

Gardner and Barrasso also were signatories to a letter sent last year to Obama asserting the deal reached at a United Nations climate change conference in Paris, including the $100 billion-a-year Green Climate Fund, must be submitted to Congress for approval before any funding could be made.
Donald Trumps rivals tried to make the most of their final debate with the Republican presidential front-runner before next week's Super Tuesday II slate of primaries  with do-or-die contests for Marco Rubio and John Kasich in Florida and Ohio, respectively  but whether it changed minds or won over enough undecideds to influence the outcome remains to be seen.

First out of the gate Friday was Trump, who got the endorsement of former rival Dr. Ben Carson, who said he forgave Trump -- "the Christian thing to do" -- for any campaign attacks and praised him as a man whose public image belies his true character, describing him as a far more cerebral candidate than hes given credit for. His endorsement appears to serve as a counterweight to Carly Fiorina coming out for Ted Cruz earlier this week.

At the Miami debate Thursday night, Trump summed up the reality, though, that Florida Sen. Rubio and Ohio Gov. Kasich face.

He said only two of us can get the delegates to win  meaning Trump and Cruz  and two of us cannot, referring to Rubio and Kasich.

That is not meant to be a criticism  thats just a mathematical fact, Trump said, urging the party to be smart and unify.

Rubio and Kasich are vowing to win their home states, which dish out all their delegates to the primary night winner.

But even if they win, their paths to the nomination remain unclear  and their best angle may still be to try and deny Trump the delegates needed to clinch the nomination going into the convention in July.

But Trump strongly suggested that as early as next week, the GOP contest could winnow down to a two-man race.

The states holding primaries Tuesday are Ohio, Florida, Missouri, Illinois and North Carolina.

The CNN-hosted debate Thursday saw Rubio change up his campaign approach once again  dialing back the personal attacks on Trump, which didnt do much for his numbers in the most recent round of contests.

Instead, Rubio hit Trump on more substantive issues.

One of the most pointed debate clashes came over the diplomatic thaw with Cuba  a huge issue in Florida, host of the CNN debate and next weeks critical primary. Trump tangled with his rivals as he claimed hes in the middle on the issue.

Trump said something should take place after a decades-long freeze, but, I want to get a much better deal.

Heres a good deal, Rubio snapped back. Cuba has free elections. Cuba stops putting people in jail.

He  along with his rivals  did their best Thursday to draw distinctions between them and Trump.

Oftentimes, Trump seemed to lean on his art of the deal to explain his approach to global challenges. But it earned him criticism from the others on stage.

Cruz hammered Trump for suggesting hed be able to re-negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran.

I will rip to shreds this catastrophic Iranian nuclear deal, Cruz countered.

Trump also took heat from Rubio and others as he defended his claim that Islam hates us.

The Republican front-runner said theres tremendous hatred in the Muslim world and called for new laws to confront the threat.

We better expand our laws or were being a bunch of suckers, and they are laughing at us, Trump said.

But Rubio and Cruz both said of course they would not want to allow the targeting of family members of terror targets, as Trump has called for. And they chided him for his remarks.

The answer is not scream all Muslims bad, Cruz said.

The problem is presidents cant just say whatever they want, Rubio said. Im not interested in being politically correct.  Im interested in being correct.

Trumps rivals noted America must work with other Muslim nations to confront the ISIS threat.

For the most part, Trump and his three Republican presidential rivals held their personal fire Thursday night during their last debate before next Tuesday's primary in Florida  which votes alongside four other states.

Trump even remarked on the subdued tone: So far I cannot believe how civil its been up here.

"I think it was good that we had a substantive debate," Cruz told Fox News' Megyn Kelly. "The last two debates were pretty ridiculous [and] I was glad to see that nonsense ending."

Ohio Gov. Kasich also stressed at the debate that hes run an unwavering positive campaign all along.

But on the domestic front, they did battle on the best way to save Social Security -- with Trump breaking from his competition by saying he'd leave it alone despite warnings it would start running out of money in two decades.

I will do everything in my power not to touch Social Security, Trump said. He said hed instead get rid of waste, fraud and abuse  including by ensuring the government bids out contracts.

Rubio, though, said, Youre still going to have hundreds of billions of dollars of deficit that youre going to have to make up. He called for gradually raising the retirement age to 70.

Cruz echoed that call, saying the program is careening toward insolvency.

We need to see political courage to take this on and save and strengthen Social Security, he said.

Kasich also called for changes, though not necessarily to the retirement age.

As Trump consolidates support and builds his delegate lead, though, he kicked off the debate with a pointed message to the so-called Republican establishment, effectively telling them to get on board with his campaign.

He started his opening statement by claiming his campaign is bringing in Democrats, independents and others in huge numbers to the polls.

The Republican establishment, or whatever you want to call it, should embrace whats happening, he said, addressing tension between his campaign and senior GOP leaders. We are going to beat the Democrats.
The U.S. military has no plans to hold captured Islamic State operatives for more than a month before turning them over to the Iraqi government, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition based in Baghdad told reporters Friday.

Fourteen to 30 days is a ballpark figure, but even that is not really completely nailed down, said Col. Steve Warren, a U.S. military spokesman based in Baghdad. There isnt a hard definition of short-term.

On Thursday, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook also made clear that the policy for holding operatives is, at best, evolving. He said they would be handled on a case-by-case basis over a short-term period.

The lack of a well-defined policy for handling captured ISIS terrorists is in turn raising concerns on Capitol Hill.

The law requires a comprehensive detainee policy, a congressional aide said. By definition, well figure it out if we ever capture anyone is not a comprehensive policy. 

Some on Capitol Hill are concerned the vague short-term detention policy hampers the U.S. militarys ability to gather intelligence, particularly in the wake of administration plans to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Many in Congress, though, are fighting the Gitmo closure push, and some see the center as the solution for what to do about captured ISIS soldiers.

On Thursday, 12 Republican senators, including presidential candidates Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, introduced a resolution to send the captured ISIS fighters to Guantanamo Bay.

Warren acknowledged Friday the U.S. military in Iraq is not equipped for long-term detention and not in that business.

As we take people off the battlefield were just going to have to make the decisions as we go, he said.

As one recent example, Cook announced Thursday that Sulayman Dawud al-Bakkar, an ISIS commander in charge of chemical weapons, was turned over to the Iraqi government after being captured by U.S. special operations forces last month.

Intelligence from al-Bakkars capture led to two U.S. military strikes near Mosul in the past week, destroying two chemical weapons facilities, Warren said.

Warren said any ISIS detainees turned over to the Iraqi government will be available to U.S. authorities in the future should the need arise to question them.

This is not a catch-and-release program, he said. If we have to go back and talk to them, well go back and talk to them.

Warren said the U.S. military was not considering building any detention centers to hold ISIS detainees long-term.

When asked about his confidence in the Iraqi governments ability to hold ISIS prisoners, Warren was absolute.

We are confident [the Iraqis] can hold them. If some escape, then well just go catch them again or kill em.

At the CNN Republican debate in Miami on Thursday, Rubio said ISIS detainees need to be put at Guantanamo Bay.

Theyre not going to go to a courtroom in Manhattan. Theyre going to go to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and we will find out everything they know and well do so legally, he said.
Great news for the teddy bear! U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced Thursday that the Louisiana black bear, which inspired the teddy bear, is being taken off the Federal Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife.

In a statement, the Department of the Interior explained that the bear became part of American culture after a hunting trip to Mississippi in 1902 by President Theodore Roosevelt, who famously refused to shoot a bear that was trapped and tied to a tree by members of his hunting party. The episode subsequently featured in a Washington Post cartoon, which in turn inspired a Brooklyn candy-store owner to create the Teddy bear.

President Theodore Roosevelt would have really enjoyed why we are gathered here today, said Secretary Jewell, during an event at the Tallulah office of the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge, where Louisiana's biggest black bear population is found. Working together across private and public lands with so many partners embodies the conservation ethic he stood for when he established the National Wildlife Refuge System as part of the solution to address troubling trends for the nations wildlife.

Related: Cute zoo babies

Jewell added that Louisiana black bear is another success story for the Endangered Species Act.

The black bear, which once roamed Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana, is now found in two parts of eastern Louisiana and in one place along the coast. Its removal from the federal list means the state will now take over work to protect it.

The majority of Louisiana black bear habitat falls on private lands, according to the Department of the Interior, which has worked with the Department of Agriculture and Louisiana farmers to voluntarily restore more than 485,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forests in priority conservation areas.

Related: Hollywood mountain lion may have killed koala at Los Angeles Zoo

However, Jewell also urged ongoing efforts to help conserve the bears habitat. "The work's not over," she said. "The work's really just beginning to bring back more of these hardwoods so Louisiana can help enjoy the kinds of animals that Teddy Roosevelt saw when he was here at the turn of the century."

Michael J. Robinson, a conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, said one of the groups being counted as Louisiana black bears may not be that subspecies at all, but descendants of black bears imported from Minnesota in the 1960s.

The group was initially excited by the bears progress but more recently became aware of a former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist's opposition because the upper Atchafalaya Basin area northwest of Baton Rouge, where the smaller eastern group is found, had no black bears until the Minnesota bears were brought in.

Related: Giant Scottish rabbit finds a home

"Rather than contributing to the black bear population, they threaten to hybridize it," and probably should be sterilized or moved back to Minnesota, Robinson said.

Deborah Fuller, a federal biologist based in Louisiana, said the most recent genetic study indicates "the upper Atachafalaya bear comes out as its own thing. Not as Minnesota," though it may have Minnesota genes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The United States could lose its long-held leadership position in space science, technology and exploration if the country doesn't renew its commitment to those fields soon, a coalition of space-industry organizations has warned.

Such a commitment should include the completion of a crewed launch system, stable NASA budgets and continued partnerships with other nations on projects such as the International Space Station, said the 12-group coalition, which jointly presented a white paper at the National Press Club on March 4.

"What we have is a rather unprecedented consensus of the space community in the United States," said Elliot Pulham, CEO of the nonprofit Space Foundation and one of three experts who shared their thoughts with reporters at the document's unveiling. [Giant Leaps: Top Milestones in Human Spaceflight]

Pulham added that one of the board members of the Space Foundation, journalist and writer P.J. O'Rourke, would have kept the message quite short if he had attended the event: "He would have said it should be one sentence: 'Space is good  keep investing.'"

The group plans to send the white paper, which is called "Ensuring U.S. Leadership in Space," to candidates for office, from the presidential race on down to local congressional campaigns.

The main problem, the report said, is that NASA's funding is decided at the whim of politics. And at the moment, NASA's budget is at a historic low as a share of the overall federal budget. Meanwhile, other countries, such as China, are ramping up their investments in space.

Eric Stallmer, president of the nonprofit Commercial Spaceflight Federation, said that politicians often regard space as a regional issue, one that affects jobs in Florida, Texas and other states. But that's a very limited, and limiting, view, he added.

"Space affects all 50 states," Stallmer said. "It's a national space program."

Another big threat to U.S. leadership in space is malaise, brought on partially by past successes, several experts said.

"We landed on the moon, and that cemented in our heads that we were leaders," said Sandra Magnus, executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Doing a great thing once, she added, doesn't guarantee leadership forever. [NASA's 17 Apollo Moon Missions in Pictures]

"Conquering malaise means allowing ourselves to be led by optimists and visionaries," Pulham said. Making this happen could boost the nation's "soft power," creating an environment in which other countries want to work with the United States, he added.

One of NASA's purposes is to "expand the bubble" of knowledge, Magnus said. Since the agency's establishment in 1958, NASA has built a base of expertise that has led to increased accessibility to space, Magnus said, citing the recent phenomenon of student groups launching cubesats as an example.

"For 50 years, we were kind of caught in low-Earth orbit, but now the edge of the bubble is expanding," she said. "Now people are engaged behind that in ways that aren't necessarily tied to government funding."

Investing in space allows new industries to develop, and that requires a commitment that is often lacking these days, Stallmer said. The coalition said it hopes Congress and the next president  whomever that might be  will commit to a plan of action, and fund the agency accordingly.

An important investment, the panel said, is a launch system able to get American astronauts into space, a capability the nation lost when the space shuttle program was grounded in 2011. (Right now, Russia and China are the only countries that can launch astronauts to space.)

NASA is currently developing the Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket and Orion capsule toward this end, and the coalition urged continued support of these efforts. SLS and Orion are designed to help get astronauts to deep-space destinations such as Mars. Meanwhile, SpaceX and Boeing have signed NASA deals to develop "astronaut taxis" that will get spaceflyers to Earth orbit and back, beginning in 2017.

During Friday's event, panelists were asked whether fully funding SLS  which is scheduled to fly for the first time in 2018  might actually hamper American leadership in space, since the program might not even survive into the next administration. And private companies  notably SpaceX, which is building a rocket called the Falcon Heavy  might soon be able to lift hefty payloads into space for less money.

But Magnus said developing SLS technology is still important. "That system [SLS] is the expansion of the bubble," she said. "You need to continue to push the boundaries of what you're doing. You need to bring the technologies to bear that can push us out further."

And SLS and other NASA technology will still transfer to industry at some point, she added.

The panel also stressed that the U.S. should continue to partner with other nations in ways that benefit the America's space industry and security.

Lowering trade barriers in some areas could help make this happen, Pulham said, noting that restricting sales of certain equipment overseas simply encouraged other countries to develop their own capability to launch rockets.

"Our allies could not buy from us, so instead [they] developed their own indigenous industries," he said. "There was a time when 75 percent of launch capability was built in Colorado. Now it's zero percent."

Pulham also noted that some advanced spacecraft parts are now being built by other nations. "Other people have technology that we should want to get our hands on as well," he said.

Some barriers need to be in place to address real security concerns, Pulham said. "But they should not be so high that we can't do common-sense work together."

You can read "Ensuring U.S. Leadership in Space" for free here: http://www.spacefoundation.org/sites/default/files/downloads/Ensuring_US_Leadership_in_Space.pdf

Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
The latest creature to turn up on the sandy shores of Acapulco's sunny beaches was not a surfer or a coed partying for spring break.



In this raw video from Civil Protection and Fire Acapulco that lasts a little over a minute and a half, an unidentified observer is seen prodding a very large, mysterious creature with a stick. As the observer continues to check it over, the mysterious creature lying on the sand does not appear to move or respond to being prodded.

Related: Louisiana black bear, inspiration for the teddy bear, removed from endangered list

Despite its appearance, the creature lacks a foul smell, according to Civil Protection and Fire Coordinator Sabas de la Rosa Camacho.

The carcass, which is more than 13 feet long and has bones, could be a squid or a whale, de la Rosa Camacho told 24 Hours.

Related: Swamp monkey born at the National Zoo

The official said that the creature had spent a long time floating in strong currents caused by bad weather, which brought it to the shore. The carcass has been reported to environmental agency Procuraduria Federal de Proteccion al Ambiente (Profepa).

After washing up on Acapulcos Bonfil beach, the strange creature has amazed tourists in the resort, 24 Hours reports.

Related: Giant Scottish rabbit finds a home

The carcass has already generated plenty of buzz on social media. The Civil Protection and Fire Acapulco video has been shared more than 107,000 times on Facebook.

In July 2008 the so-called Montauk Monster that was found on an East Hampton, N.Y. beach, garnered immense publicity and sparked intense speculation.
During a nine-month period, a Montana State Crime Lab technician is suspected of stealing drugs collected as evidence by law enforcement agencies from across the state.

Steve Brester is suspected of stealing prescription medications from lab evidence between September 2014 to June 2015. He was fired from the lab in June.

The thefts forced prosecutors from around the state to drop drug charges in multiple cases, including two drug charges against Nicholas Ellis Allison, a Billings man who punched a police officer while being arrested.

During Allisons trial in Billings this week, Montana State Crime Lab Administrator Phil Kinsey testified about the ongoing investigation into the crime lab being conducted by the states Division of Criminal Investigators.

Allison was arrested last year at a Billings casino after customers reported he was behaving suspiciously. While he was being frisked, Allison was found to have a gun. He hit the officer in the head and tried to run away.

Allison was also found to be carrying drugs suspected to be oxycodone. Those drugs were later sent for identification to the Montana State Crime Lab. Allisons drug evidence was one of as many as 6,000 various pieces of evidence handled by Brester during the total of nine months he spent at the lab.

The state Attorney Generals office said Thursday at least 50 drug cases were affected across the state. Investigators say Brester  a former Missoula Police lieutenant  tampered only with drug cases.

In Allisons case, Yellowstone County Chief Deputy Attorney Juli Pierce dismissed two drug possession counts because of the evidence tampering.

Pierce attempted to prevent testimony about the tainted drug evidence and state investigation from being entered during trial. That motion was denied by Yellowstone County Judge Gregory Todd.

The Yellowstone County Attorneys office became aware of the tampering in July 2015 after the Montana State Crime Lab conducted a quality control audit.

Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito and Pierce were both unavailable for comment Thursday. However, Deputy Chief of Criminal Operations Ed Zink said the crime lab was forced to contact prosecutors from across the state about the tampering.

We moved to dismiss counts that were affected, Zink said. If all the evidence in a case was affected, we dismissed the entire case. If one count in a case was affected and the rest of the evidence was intact, then we proceeded with the balance of the case.

Zink couldnt give an exact figure of the number of cases affected in Yellowstone County.

In court Wednesday, Allisons defense attorney Daniel O.C. Ball argued the whole case was tainted by the tampering. Allison was convicted of several felonies, including assaulting a police officer.

During the trial, Todd expressed his concern about the evidence tampering at the crime lab.

He said if a large portion of the cases Brester handled were tampered with, the justice system would be looking at a massive problem, something like the issues the state crime lab faced in the past regarding the scientific accuracy of hair analysis. One of those cases led a man to be wrongly incarcerated for the rape of a 9-year-old girl.
Two Australian surfers are trying to tackle the planet's water pollution problem head-on, by developing a device that functions as an automated floating trash bin for the world's oceans.

The device, called the Seabin, can be placed in the water, attached to a floating dock in a marina, and is connected to an onshore water pump. The pump generates a flow of water into the container that collects trash and other debris, according to the inventors.

Plastics and other forms of water pollution have become a big problem, according to the Natural Resource Defense Council. Plastics, in particular, make up a significant portion of the stuff floating around in the world's oceans; scientists estimate that 4.4 million to 13.2 million (4 million to 12 million metric tons) tons of plastic washed ashore in 2010, Science magazine reported. That is the same weight as more than 435 copies of the Eiffel Tower all stacked together. [In Photos: World's Most Polluted Places]

The Seabin's inventors, Pete Ceglinski and Andrew Turton, met through their mutual love of water sports, according to the project's Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign , which wrapped up in January. Eight years ago, Turton came up with the idea to create a rubbish bin for the water, Ceglinski told Live Science in an email.

There are a few existing ways to clean up marinas and waterways, the inventors said. One is to use trash boats with built-in nets to scoop up garbage as the boats motor around. Marina workers also walk around and scoop up trash where it gathers in the corners of docks. These methods are effective at removing debris, but they have some drawbacks, Ceglinskiand Turton said.

For one, trash boats are very expensive to operate and maintain, Caterina Amengual, general director of the environment for Spain's Balearic Islands, said on The Seabin Project's Indiegogo page. Marina workers face a similar problem: Their efforts cannot keep up with the amount of pollution in the water, Eli Dana, general manager of Newport Shipyard in Rhode Island, stated on The Seabin Project's Indiegogo page.

Turton and Ceglinski said their initiative could help solve these problems.

The Seabin is an "an automated marina rubbish bin that collects floating rubbish, debris and oil 24/7," the inventors said on their Indiegogo page. The basic design is pretty simple. The device consists of a cylindrical container lined with a natural fiber catch bag and a water pump system with an optional oil/water separator. [Top 10 Craziest Environmental Ideas]

The water pump (run by an onshore power source) would create a flow of water into the bin that carries floating trash with it. These pieces of garbage would get caught in the fiber catch bag (made from a natural fiber called hessian). The water would get sucked out of the bin and up the water pump, and then pumped back into the marina.

"The Seabins will [be] made from polyethylene plastics using a mix of recycled ocean plastics, recycled plastic and new plastic," Ceglinski wrote in an email. "All other components will be materials we [can] reuse or recycle (i.e. aluminum, stainless steel)."

The Seabin Project hopes to have a Seabin production operation in place by the end of this year. Additionally, the group wants to create a small carbon footprint for the product and put a strong emphasis on local production, using sustainable materials in production and finding a way to reuse or recycle the trash collected in the Seabins.

"Eventually, we expect to be reusing all our plastics we have caught and not have it go to [a] landfill," Ceglinski said.

The project's Indiegogo campaign ended Jan. 8 and raised a total of $267,667  more than 15 percent more than its original goal.

Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The Smithsonian National Zoo is celebrating the birth of a very special new addition to its Washington D.C. primate exhibit. The 9-year-old mother, Layla gave birth overnight on March 9, to an Allens swamp monkey, sired by 15-year-old father Nub Armstrong. Primate keepers have yet to identify the sex of the newborn since Layla is tightly holding and nursing the baby, which appears to be healthy. Visitors to the exhibit can see four adult Allens swamp monkeys, three Schmidts red-tailed monkeys, and the new born baby monkey.

Related: Louisiana black bear, inspiration for the teddy bear, removed from endangered list

Allens swamp monkeys are native to the swamp forests of Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Small and stout, with fur that varies in color, the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies them as Least Concern but they continue to face threats due to human conflict and wildlife trafficking, according to the Smithsonian National Zoo.
Samsungs new Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge phone are garnering positive reviews, but is it enough to claim victory over the iPhone? Read on.

The upshot is that Samsung has come through with a better camera, better battery life, and a bigger/better S7 Edge. Here's a look at those features, and more, based on reviews coming out over the last few days.

Design: Every sharp edge has been rounded out, according to Anandtechs review of the two phones. Thats important because it makes the phone more comfortable in the hand. Anandtech also points out that the larger S7 Edge (now with a bigger 5.5-inch display compared to the 5.1-inch S6 Edge) is the one you should choose if youre looking for phablet-like (aka, an extra-large smartphone) experience, like the iPhone 6s Plus.

Related: Giant future iPhone 7 could get bendable display tech, report claims

On the downside, the backs of the phones are fingerprint magnets and smudge collectors, like the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge.

Battery life: Samsung has fixed the battery-life shortcomings of the S6 and S6 Edge. As many reviews noted, the S6 typically wouldnt last an entire day. But the bigger batteriesmean the S7 and S7 Edge had no trouble lasting through a full day in our tests, wrote The Verge, which added that the S7 Edge  with its larger battery  gets the best battery life of the two.

Camera: This is probably the one area where Samsung and Apple compete most fiercely. And chalk one up for Samsung in the one-upmanship department. Smartphone cameras have traditionally struggled with low-light photos but Samsung has been working hard to rectify this and is now beating Apple, according to CNET. Although this camera has fewer megapixels than last year's S6, it takes better photos. Scenes are brighter, which makes the action easier to see, wrote CNET in its review. The review added that the S7 trumps the iPhone 6S by producing more usable photos in low light. Note that while the camera on the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge has fewer pixels, less means more in this case. The camera's pixels are now bigger and Samsung says the larger pixels let in more light.

Related: Apple rushing to catch up with Samsung on displays, reports say

Performance: This is another perennial battle fought with Apple. So did Samsung deliver on the S7? Anandtech is one of the best arbiters of comparative performance (because of the thoroughness its benchmarking) and its testing shows that its hard to declare a clear winner when comparing it to Apple's A9 [processor] on the iPhone 6s. In fact, certain key benchmarks show the iPhone 6s still beating the Galaxy S7's Qualcomm processor. That said, versions of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge outside of North America use Samsungs own Exynos chip, which is faster than the Qualcomm processor, according to TechRadar.

Display: Samsung is lapping Apple in this department. Not only because its organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays are advancing faster than the liquid crystal displays (LCDs) on Apples phones but because OLEDs allow Samsung to venture beyond simple flat-screen designs. The S7 Edge has a wrap-around display that is curved on two sides. This serves a few purposes: the curves lend an aesthetic cool factor and allow Samsung to make the S7 Edge more compact. Maybe more importantly, compared to the S6 Edge, the S7 Edge now has more usable edge features and "panels," which take advantage of the curved part of the display, according to PC Mag. For example, theres the Apps edge, Tasks edge, People edge, and highly customizable edges, such as news and weather panels, as well as more panels from Samsung's store, PC Mag. Some reviews, however, say the panel is still too gimmicky and not very useful. The Verge reviewer "turned it off after a few days."

Other goodies: Samsung made both phones more water resistant, now waterproof up to 30 minutes under five feet of water. Samsung also integrated a MicroSD card slot in the phone, allowing consumers to add up to 200GB more data capacity.

Related: Apple's success in China comes at a cost

Price: The standard Galaxy S7 is priced around $650 (depending on carrier) and the S7 Edge, around $750. Needless to say, pricing will vary, depending on carrier, deals, and plans.
Huge military trucks rumbled through neighborhoods in northern Louisiana on Thursday in search of families trapped by days of relentless rain, while men in rain gear waded through floodwaters up to their chests to rescue stranded animals.

The process repeated itself throughout the day and similar rescues were possible later Thursday in the southern part of the state, which also braced for heavy rain.

Davyon Hill, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's office in Shreveport, said skies have cleared in the region, but the area is not yet out of the woods.

"It's not over with," he said. "There's still part of a low pressure system that's in Central Texas that is moving this way and overnight it will likely bring another bout of rain to the region."

State officials said a 6-year-old girl was among three people killed in Louisiana during two days of severe weather that has left roads covered in water and sent more than 1,000 people fleeing their homes.

Docia Winters hugged her 20-year-old son, Ryan Ficca, when he got off the back of a big truck Thursday morning. She said she and her husband and daughter evacuated their trailer on Wednesday, but Ficca had stayed behind to look after their 11 cats.

She said the water rose so fast, however, that Ficca was forced to leave without the cats.

"We don't know if they went under the trailer or where they are," she said.

Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a statewide emergency in all 64 Louisiana parishes late Thursday because more rain and severe weather was expected, and the National Guard was sent in to help. The declaration remains in effect until Friday unless terminated sooner, the governor's office said.

Guard spokesman Rebekah Malone said the Guard has evacuated 361 people from homes in Bossier, Ouachita and Morehouse parishes since Wednesday morning, using trucks that can travel though water 20 to 30 inches deep.

Guardsmen have also evacuated 70 dogs, 16 chickens and even a guinea pig.

In Bossier City  across the Red River from Shreveport  about 3,500 homes were under a mandatory evacuation as a precaution because a bayou was approaching the top of its levee. National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Hansford said Thursday morning that the bayou may top the levee or be breached. One weather spotter just north of Monroe reported more than 18 inches of rain since Tuesday night, he said.

Dozens of people were at a Red Cross shelter at the Bossier Civic Center in northwest Louisiana, shelter manager Colleen Morgan said.

Authorities were using high-water vehicles to bring out about 1,000 people. Rescuers were working out of a staging area along Highway 71 in Bossier Parish on Thursday. Using boats and trucks high enough to drive through the water, they went through the community evacuating people from their homes.

Many residents brought with them dogs and cats as they fled. Two men could be seen in knee-deep water trying to secure horses in the muddy brown waters.

Rain also pummeled parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi.

In southern Arkansas, heavy rainfall prompted the closure of some schools and roads, and forecasters say the deluge will continue there for the rest of the week. Meteorologists with the National Weather Service say officials have reported water rescues and evacuations near Dermott, Arkansas, as water rises in low-lying areas. More than 14 inches of rain had fallen as of Thursday morning in Chicot and Ashley counties in the southeast corner of Arkansas.

In west Tennessee, schools shut down early and roads were closed Thursday because of flooding caused by heavy rain.

The National Weather Service says 3 to 10 inches of rain has fallen in counties along the Mississippi River in western Tennessee, eastern Arkansas and northern Mississippi since late Tuesday, flooding roads, parking lots and fields. The flood threat is expected to continue into Friday, as another 1 to 3 inches of rain could fall in the Mississippi Delta region, meteorologist Scott McNeil said.

One weather-related drowning was reported in both Oklahoma and Texas earlier this week.

In Louisiana, officials late Wednesday said a 63-year-old man died when a car was swept off a flooded road. Mike Steele, a spokesman for the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said a 22-year-old man and a 6-year-old girl in Ouachita Parish have also been confirmed dead.
One thing the parenting books fail to prepare you for is this: Once you have a child, you forever have an audience  even when you think no one is paying attention. Those little eyes and ears pick up everything.

Unfortunately, telling them to do as I say and not as I do does not work. The little stinkers know when were not on our best behavior and mimic exactly what we prefer they not notice.

Heres what you need to watch.

1.) Censor Your Language.

We all know to watch our mouths around babes. But some language is so ingrained we dont even know what were saying. One single mom from New York told Lifezette that her daughters first word was a certain 4-letter word. The mom didnt even think she used it such a word, until she realized she did. A lot.

Even when we censor what we say, we sometimes dont want our kids repeating it in the hallways of their school. A middle-aged dad from Alexandria said thats the reason hes trying to limit his use of "move over, morons" when hes driving.

2.) Ban the Backstabbing.

You think Tommys mom had a little plastic surgery or some other work work? Make sure your kids dont overhear you mention Botox, fillers or any other augmentation. Next thing you know, you might be getting a phone call about the rumors they started at school.

And do you think your kids dont hear you on the phone complaining about your mother-in-law? Just because they seem focused on their Legos doesnt mean they dont know what youre talking about. Its only a matter of time before what you say will get repeated, and likely in front of your mother-in-law.

3.) Don't Reward or Encourage Gross Behavior.

Bodily function noises or other unfortunate behavior may draw laughs from the younger crowd. Regrettably, it's often a dad or an uncle who commits said crime. Someone has got to undo that damage and teach the kids to say "excuse me" instead and don't make a big deal out of the aftermath of giggles.

Also, ban picking of any kind, and make sure they see you appropriately using tissues. Like mother, like kid.

4.) Put the Phone Down.

Lamenting about how "kids today" are always on their phones? Check yourself first. Are you texting at the dinner table? On social media in the car? You cant expect your kids to be engaged with other human beings when you dont engage with them.

A Northern Virginia mom of three told Lifezette, "I have to remind myself to put my phone away when Im with my one-year-old. Shes already fascinated by my phone. It makes sense; my face is always focused on a screen. She must be wondering whats so great about it."

5.) Drive as if You Are in Driver's Ed.

You cant expect your budding drivers to obey the rules of the road if theyve watched you ignore them whenever you're behind the wheel. Time to ease up on your lead foot, use your blinker, buckle up  and give those pedestrians the right of way (as is the law).

6.) Watch How You Treat the Family Pet.

Sure, Fido might have deserved a verbal lashing after stealing food from the counter for the umpteenth time. But all your kids see is you yelling at the dog. When you treat your pets with hostility, your kids will, too. Think about how you treat animals when your kids are around.

A 41-year-old father who lives in the Washington, D.C., area said that his kids had started yelling at their dog to "shut it" whenever the pup barked. Turns out thats what their mom had been doing whenever the dog got loud. The dad said, "Undoing that funny but nasty behavior has not been easy."

7.) Curb Your Meltdowns and Bad Habits.

Do you routinely lose your temper when the table isn't cleared after dinner? Do you routinely need a glass a wine at the end of a tough day? Think about what you do on a regular basis that might be fine for an adult who can make mature decisions, but demonstrates bad coping skills for children.

A mom from Columbus, Ohio, said that her daughter has picked up her anxiety. "I know its genetic, but she has also learned by watching my meltdowns."

Even your fun-loving self can backfire. "My daughter has taken to singing and dancing loudly in public places, which I used to do to embarrass her," said another mom. "I guess she has decided, if you cant beat em "

8.) Don't Forget to Be Kind.

Saying "please" and "thank you" is fairly easy. But being kind to our fellow human beings is the real goal. It's THE behavior that our kids should model.

Think about it. Kindness can take many forms: appreciating a meal someone made you even if it tastes awful; asking someone who looks upset if they need help; showing compassion in a world that is too caught up in the trees and can't see the much bigger forest. If you treat people with kindness and compassion, chances are your kids will, too.

More from LifeZette.com:

Smartest Money Moves for Baby Boomers

Heres Why Kids Flunk Life Skills 101

Veterans Contribute to a Booming Industry

Most Thoughtful Proposal Ever


When it comes to handguns, the U.S. Army wants the weapon of its choice, not whatever pistol the Pentagon's Byzantine procurement process draws.

The Pentagon is currently mulling over a host of proposals to replace the M9 9mm sidearms soldiers have carried since 1985 - when those guns replaced the venerable Colt 1911s that had been fixtures for decades. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley opened fire on the process at the Future of War Conference, saying he has asked Congress to grant service chiefs the authority to make the call.

"We are not exactly redesigning how to go to the moon, right?" Milley said at the conference according to Military.com. "This is a pistol. ... And arguably, it is the least lethal and important weapon system in the Department of Defense inventory."

I used the M9 when I was in Iraq and was not a fan at alli found it hard to use. It felt cheap.  Erik Shaw, Tactical 16

Milley did not say what his preference is, but soldiers are understanably picky about their firearms. And even though the handgun is often a last resort in combat, feelings run strong about them. And skepticism about a procurement process that must ultimately go through Congress is equally deep.

"Anything that Congress comes up with might not be the best choice, Erik Shaw, an Iraq War Army veteran and firearms expert, told FoxNews.com. They might make the best decision when it comes to cost, but not when it comes to whats best for on the battlefield."

Last August, the Pentagon launched its "XM17 MHS competition," in which gun manufacturers had the opportunity to present their best pistols for consideration to replace the current standard sidearm, which critics say does not have adequate stopping power.

Milley said at the conference that the program is an example of a bureaucratic system that makes it overly complicated to get field equipment to soldiers on the frontlines in a timely matter.

"We are trying to figure out a way to speed up the acquisition system," Milley said. "Some of these systems take multiple years, some of them decades to develop."

Milley also pointed out many issues and concerns with the MHS, particularly the $17 million price tag.

"[A] 367-page requirement document. Why?" Milley asked the crowd. "Well, a lawyer says this, and a lawyer says that, and you have to go through this process and that process and you have to have oversight from this that and the other."

"The testing -- I got a briefing the other day -- the testing for this pistol is two years," he added. "Two years to test technology that we know exists. You give me $17 million on the credit card, I'll call Cabelas tonight, and I'll outfit every soldier, sailor, airman, and Marine with a pistol and I'll get a discount on it for bulk buys."

Current plans call for the Army to purchase nearly 300,000 full-size handguns and 7,000 compact versions. The other military services participating in the MHS program may order an additional 212,000 systems above the Army quantity.

The program is set to cost at least $350 million and potentially millions more if it results in the selection of a more potent pistol caliber, according to Military.com.

Shaw said soldiers don't like the M9 and would much prefer some type of .45 cliber handgun.



If I had to pick, I would lean towards a Glock 17 or 19 or their .45 model," he said. "They are easy to maintain and you can beat the hell out of them.

Shaw also says that another replacement for the M9 would be the one that it originally replaced.

The 1911," he said. "The .45 caliber is a much better weapon now.
A large crowd attended a candlelight vigil Thursday night for a New Jersey trooper killed after he responded to the scene of a highway car fire.

Sean Cullen, 31, was struck by a car while on the scene of the accident on I-295 in West Deptford Monday. He died of his injuries hours later.

Up to 500 people attended the vigil in Burlington County, including a large number of police officers who came from across South Jersey to salute their fallen comrade, Fox 29 News Philadelphia reported.

Cullen had been a trooper two years ago, fulfilling a life-long dream, the station reported. The trooper also was a member of two N.J. township police departments.

Speakers at the vigil included Cullen's sister.

Fox 29 quoted Jenn Kelleher as saying that as a boy her brother thought he could fly and that he was an invincible super hero.

It was impossible for him to gain those wings when he was here on earth, she said. We're so happy that now he's watching over us. He gained super hero strength.

Cullen was born in Ireland, the Burlington County Times reported. He left Dublin with his family for the U.S. when he was 3. He grew up in Cinnaminson, N.J.

He was engaged to be married and had a 9-month-old son. Survivors include his parents, two brothers and his sister.

A funeral will be held Monday at St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church in Cinnaminson.

Click here for more from Fox 29 News Philadelphia.


Cops say they got their goat after an attempted home invasion in Northern California earlier this week.

Police in Sebastopol in Sonoma County nabbed the animal trying to bang its way into an occupied home at 1:38 a.m. Monday.

The startled homeowner, a woman, called 911 to report persistent knocking at her front door.

When officers arrived on scene the subject was still knocking on the front door, with their head, Sebastopol Police Chief Jeff Weaver said in a Facebook post Tuesday. The subject, a goat, was safely taken into custody and reunited with their owner later that morning.

The goats owner appeared to have been one of the womans rural neighbors, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported.

The chiefs Facebook post included a photo of officer Andy Bauer and the goat.

Within hours, the post received nearly 1,000 likes and more than 35,000 views, according to the paper.

Thats considered viral by our standards, Weaver told the paper.
Roads were submerged, bridges washed out, and cars abandoned in rivers and streams as Louisiana struggled Friday from days of severe weather that forced residents across the state to flee their homes.

The rain and flooding is part of a weather system that has affected Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama. At least three people have died in Louisiana alone.

The system that dumped as much as 20 inches of rain in some areas was slowly moving out of the region, but the effects could still be felt as rivers in some areas were waiting to crest, more rain was expected Saturday and water in other areas was still draining.

In neighboring Mississippi, the worst appeared yet to come as officials said as many as 1,000 residents could see their homes flooded by the rapidly rising Leaf River in Hattiesburg, Petal and surrounding areas.

In southwest Louisiana, a band of rain dumped 10 to 15 inches of rain across some areas late Thursday and into Friday, sparking vicious flash flooding.

Allen DeWeese was living in the Land-o-Pines campground in Covington with his 10-year-old son when the rushing waters of the Tchefuncte River destroyed his trailer.

"They're calling it Land-o-Lakes right at the moment," he joked, while smoking a cigarette at a shelter set up in Covington. His trailer? "It's destroyed. It's underwater."

He planned to spend the night at the shelter. After that, he wasn't sure. "I'll take it day-to-day," he said.

Parish officials there said three local rivers were reaching historic levels and would continue to rise.

In nearby Tangipahoa Parish, Sheriff Daniel Edwards said close to 50 roads were closed because of high water and an estimated 300 to 400 people had to evacuate.

Further to the east in Washington Parish, swollen rivers and creeks led to widespread flooding, prompting rescues from scores of homes. The Coast Guard even had use a helicopter to pluck someone trapped on a roof.

In northern Louisiana, the deluge has dumped 15-20 inches this week. In Ouachita Parish, well over 1,000 people have been evacuated, said Glenn Springfield, a spokesman for the sheriff's office.

He said they started doing water rescues early Wednesday morning and have been "doing those pretty much around the clock nonstop since then."

People were sandbagging their homes and water had washed out roads and bridges, he said.

In Bossier Parish, another area in northwest Louisiana clobbered by the rain, at least 1,000 people were evacuated by first responders, said Bill Davis, a spokesman for the sheriff's department. He said officials expect waters to overtop the Red Chute Levee but it's too soon to say by how much or what damage it could cause.

Brenda Maddox was forced to flee her home of 26 years. The couple left Thursday with four days of clothes packed. On Friday they came back to retrieve their car from the flooded streets and were going to an RV park to wait out the rain.

"We'd heard we'd get a lot of rain, but it all came so sudden," she said. "We hate to leave, but we thought we'd get out while we can."

At the Pecan Valley Estates mobile home park, Sam Cassidy and his wife were the last holdouts Friday  worried looters might come if they left.

Thursday morning, with waters creeping up his front steps, he stood in waist-deep water watching his neighbors evacuate. An alligator swam by. By night it looked like a "horror movie."

"It was pitch black, the houses were empty. It's been an adventure," he said.

The severe weather system that has dumped rain across the state has been feeding off of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, said Frank Revitte, from the National Weather Service in Slidell.

It was starting to move slowly to the northeast, he said, giving the state a chance to dry out, but additional showers are expected Saturday.

Gov. John Bel Edwards crisscrossed the state Friday checking on parishes. He said there had been recordflooding in some areas and called it a "major event."

Mike Steele, a spokesman for the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said Friday it was too early to provide estimates on damage as the number of flooded properties and evacuees was "changing by the minute."

Northeast Louisiana could see 2 more inches of rain by Sunday, he said.

Other states in the region have also been affected:

 In Mississippi, Emergency Management Agency Director Lee Smithson said more than 300 homes statewide have been flooded since Wednesday. No one has been killed, but the search is still on for two fishermen missing on the Mississippi River. State or federal highways were fully or partially closed in 14 of Mississippi's 82 counties because of flooding or flood damage.

In Forrest County, where as many as 1,000 residents could see their homes flooded by the Leaf River, officials urged people to evacuate and take precautions in advance of the river's predicted Sunday morning crest.

 The National Weather Service predicted Friday that nearly 6 inches of rain could fall by early Sunday around Mobile, Alabama.

 In Memphis, Tennessee, rescuers evacuated at least six people from a handful of homes.

 One weather-related drowning was reported in both Oklahoma and Texas earlier this week.
When a teen from Minnesotas huge Somali population pleaded guilty last year to planning to travel to Syria to join ISIS, a federal judge decided to give him one more chance.

It didnt end well for Abdullahi Yusuf, who was initially spared hard time and instead ordered to temper his radicalism by studying Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X, yet was caught with a contraband weapon and ordered back to prison. But U.S. District Judge Michael Davis, who offered Yusuf the break, is determined to prove radicalized Americans can be convinced to change.

"This seems to be an unachievable task due to the indoctrination process of a radical Islamic jihadist.  Paul Martin, ex-Naval Criminal Investigative Service special agent

"We're setting up the first program in the country, Davis said last week after announcing a program to de-radicalize terrorists. And it's baby steps."

Referring to the program he ordered designed as a proactive effort in trying to protect and serve the community, Davis made it available to four area men who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to ISIS. Details of the program have not been released, but Davis has brought in international experts to help launch it.

This approach is the first time in the history of the United States and will introduce a complete new strategy in dealing with home-grown radicalization, Director of the German Institute on Radicalization and De-radicalization Studies Daniel Koehler, who will help design the program, told FoxNews.com.

Some experts applaud the effort, but others are highly skeptical and say offering lighter sentences based on participation in an unproven program is dangerous.

As a matter of general policy, de-radicalization programs are unproven and their usefulness is doubtful, said Andy McCarthy, a former federal prosecutor who successfully tried the 1993 World Trade Center bombers. If the judge reduces the sentence that they would have otherwise imposed in a terrorism case by relying on the hope that de-radicalization will work, that just gives an unearned reward based on an unproven theory to a serious offender.

Trying to reverse a radical is a daunting task, and probably a waste of money, said another expert.

It is not cost effective, said Paul Martin, a former Naval Criminal Investigative Service special agent and the president of the PJM Group, a counter-intelligence and security consultancy firm. The goals are to win over the hearts and minds and illustrate a better perception of the U.S. This seems to be an unachievable task due to the indoctrination process of a radical Islamic jihadist.

While the four defendants now before Davis could still opt for a more traditional jail sentence, Davis program could be offered to other militants, and will likely be closely monitored by authorities and attorneys in other states for possible adoption.

De-radicalization programs have been implemented in other countries with varying degrees of success. The programs take up to five years, and often depend on the degree of radicalization and the subjects willingness to co-operate.

Other programs typically consist of a combination of counseling, religious teachings, creative therapies and vocational training. They usually involve input from various professionals ranging from psychologists and imams to job trainers and intelligence gathering experts. Ultimately, they seek to soften the extremist ideology and prepare the former jihadist to re-integrate into society.

Christiane Boudreau, a Canadian whose 22-year-old son Damien was killed in Syria in 2014 after running away to fight with Al Qaeda, told FoxNews.com that the freshly-minted U.S. program is definitely a step in the right direction and should be implemented around the world as high-security prisons simply cant be the only solution.

A close relative of a naturalized American currently jailed in the U.S. for engaging in terror-associated activities in Syria too praised the implementation of the program as a positive.

If you severely punish someone in jail, someone who thinks they did nothing wrong, he is going to come out angry and filled with a great deal of hatred, said the relative. But if you work to counter some of that hate, it is much better.

Since 9/11, de-radicalization programs have been tried in scores of countries, including Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Germany and Denmark. In 2007, U.S. forces implemented programs in Iraq and Afghanistan before releasing prisoners from detention facilities. Retired Green Beret and Army Col. Bill Aquino said tens of thousands of radicals went through the programs and that less than 10 percent returned to jihad.

How well future programs within the U.S. work out depends on when they are released. That is what is most important, Aquino said, pointing out that the most challenging part comes when terrorists are reintegrated back into the real world and confronted with all the external voices and influences.

The large Somali population in and around Minneapolis has made radicalization big issue in Davis courtroom. More than 20 men from the local Somali community have left to join the terrorist group Al Shabaab in Somalia over the past nine years, and at least a dozen more have joined various terrorist factions in Syria.

When Yusuf appeared before Davis, he was 18 and facing 15 years in federal prison. Davis approved a plea agreement that allowed him to instead live in a halfway house while undergoing specific de-radical counseling as part of a pretrial release strategy. The venture was billed as a test case for turning young people away from extremist Islamist dogma. However, Yusuf was soon ordered back to prison after it was discovered he was keeping a box-cutter under his bed, a violation of the plan.

Davis believes the answer is a more comprehensive program, customized to individual defendants and overseen by trained probation officers.

The jury is still out on whether any program aimed at softening the hearts of Islamic radicals can succeed, according to John Horgan, a professor of global studies and psychology at Georgia State University who has extensively studied such programs all around the world.

Of the 40 or so programs Im aware of, there have been no independent evaluations of any of them, Horgan said. Ive seen firsthand how programs in Pakistan have given child militants a second chance at life, but even when de-radicalization programs work we dont always know why they work.
As Montanans, we live close to the land. Our unique way of life is directly tied to the quality of our land, water, fish and wildlife, and we count on cold, clean waters and an abundance of trout for our livelihoods. We can say with certainty that climate change has begun to reduce our outfitting, guiding, and related business opportunities.

Each year guides, outfitters, fly shop owners, restaurants, hotels, and their employees watch Montanas snowpack anxiously. In an ever-increasing number of years, Montanans are confronted with low snowpack, warm temperatures, smoky skies, and severely curtailed fishing opportunities. In 2015, fishermen and women who traveled to Montana were forced to stop fishing at 2 p.m. to prevent fish mortality caused by unnaturally warm water temperatures. As this begins to happen more regularly, fishermen are reluctant to visit Montana in late July and August. Montanas already short season of opportunity becomes even shorter.

No one who spends time on the water can deny that climate change has already begun to reduce fishing outfitting and guiding opportunities as well as income for guides and other fishing-dependent businesses. We cant ignore the increasing effect climate change has on our industry.

Crowding out trout

Additionally, as waters warm, there are reports of also seeing warm-water species moving into traditionally cold-water fisheries. In the past year, anglers were catching smallmouth bass in Livingston. If we do not address climate change, we will eventually see smallmouth bass in Yellowstone Park. Bass should be caught in warm water fisheries. They should not be crowding out our trout, which make Montanas fisheries the envy of the world.

It is not only our world-renowned rivers on the line. Many Montanans and visitors enjoy chasing wild trout in our high-country lakes. As our alpine snowpack declines, these lakes are losing the steady flow of fresh, ice-cold melt water on which they depend. Some of our favorite clear, turquoise waters full of rising cutthroats are already turning into pea green algae soup. The fish populations that reside in them will undoubtedly suffer, if they can survive at all.

11,000 Montana jobs

There is an economic price to these new realities. Last month, the Montana Wildlife Federation released a report outlining the economic impacts climate change will have on Montanas outdoor economy. According to the report, 11,000 jobs and $281 million is at stake if we dont begin to take climate action seriously. For the fishing and angling industry this will mean a 33 percent reduction in viable fishing days, 1,800 jobs lost, and $49 million lost in labor earnings.

The need for climate action in Montana is real and it is urgent if we wish to remain a destination place for world-class fly fishing. Too much is at stake if we dont begin to tackle the threat of climate change. We encourage our elected officials to take climate change and the reduction of carbon emissions seriously, so we can preserve not only what makes this state so special, but also the thousands of jobs that rely on our outdoor economy.
A Brooklyn waiter was arrested for stealing from the rich and giving to the poor  after he allegedly handed out $3,000 in free drinks to customers at an IHOP restaurant in what he claims was a purely altruistic act.

I am the modern-day Robin Hood, William Powell, 27, told cops after he was busted for giving away free beverages at the Downtown Brooklyn IHOP where he worked.

I am not stealing, I am serving the ones in need. I take from the rich and give to the poor.

Powell allegedly failed to charge customers for their beverages for six months. A law enforcement source said he was trying to get bigger tips from happy customers. But Powell said he wanted to help his fellow New Yorkers.

I was just trying to be generous, he told The Post. Youd be surprised how many people are on a really tight budget in Brooklyn.

Click for more from The New York Post.
A rare letter written by the poet Walt Whitman for a wounded Civil War soldier has been found in the National Archives.

The Washington Post reports it was discovered last month by an Archives volunteer on a team preparing Civil War widows' pension files to be digitized and placed online. It's one of only three known to exist.

"It doesn't get much bigger, in my eyes," said Jackie Budell, an archive specialist who oversees the project. "It's just simply stunning. ... We're not going to find another one like this, probably, for a while."

The letter was written for Pvt. Robert N. Jabo of the 8th New Hampshire infantry, who was dying of tuberculosis in Washington's Harewood Hospital. He was sick and illiterate. So Whitman, a cheerful, bearded man who regularly visited hospitalized soldiers, offered to write for him. Sadly, Jabo died in a charity hospital 11 months after the letter was written.

Whitman, a poet, journalist and essayist, often made the rounds of the local hospitals, where he dispensed snacks and money. He also sat with wounded and dying soldiers and wrote letters for them.

"I do a good deal of this, of course, writing all kinds, including love letters," Whitman wrote in a dispatch for the New York Times in 1864.

A century and a half later, few of those letters have surfaced.

But volunteer Catherine Cusack Wilson found one Feb. 3.

The Falls Church librarian was sorting through pension files at the archives when she drew Jabo's file from its envelope.

"I'm looking through the file, and I see this letter, and I start reading it," she said. On the back, she found a surprise: "Written by Walt Whitman, a friend."

"Ah!" Wilson said she exclaimed. "Look what I found!"

Wilson showed the letter to Budell, who was cautious at first. "Part of my job is authenticating such finds," Budell said.

David S. Ferriero, who heads the National Archives, sent a scan of the letter to Whitman scholar Kenneth M. Price, at the University of Nebraska. Price is co-director of the Walt Whitman Archive and an expert on Whitman's handwriting.

Price noted the unique way Whitman wrote the letters x, d, and I, and how he often used a plus sign instead of the word "and."

Whitman's signature in the letter resembles other Whitman signatures, Price said in an email.

The letter will be housed in a vault at the National Archives with other valuable documents.
A small private plane made an emergency landing at a beach Friday morning on New York's Long Island.

A student and an instructor were on board when the Cessna 152 plane made the forced landing at Sunken Meadow Park on Suffolk countys north shore, according to News 12. Both walked away unhurt.

The Cessna, registered out of Farmingdale, Long Island, landed on the beach around 300 yards east of the parking lot and just feet from the water, according to Fox 5.

It's unclear where the plane was headed at the time or what caused the emergency landing.

Click here for more from Fox 5.
Two upstate New York sisters who disappeared last April were found alive this week, and a 29-year-old woman has been charged with abducting them.

Kylea Fortner, 16, and Shaeleen Fortner, 14, both of Binghamton, were found Wednesday at a home in nearby Vestal. 29-year-old Amanda Hellman pleaded not guilty Thursday to a felony count of second-degree kidnapping. She was being held without bail.

Authorities say the Fortner sisters were reported missing on April 27, 2015. They were last seen waiting to get on a school bus at the end of the day's classes.

Authorities allege that Hellman brought the girls to her home and "conducted numerous acts to prevent law enforcement from returning the two children to their foster parents."

Authorities describe Hellman as a "family acquaintance" of the sisters, but did not elaborate on how she knew them.

Broome County District Attorney Steve Cornwell that the sisters were "healthy" and had been handed over to Child Protective Services.

"Eleven months goes by ... and you think the worst," Cornwell told the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. "State police have honestly been working this case every single day. They didn't give up."

Cornwell did not elaborate on a possible motive for the alleged kidnapping, not did he elaborate on details of the phone call that he said led authorities to Hellman and the girls.

Click for more from the Press & Sun-Bulletin.
Federal prosecutors on Friday asked a jury to convict a Phoenix moving company owner of a terrorism charge, saying he provided the guns, ammunition and motivation to two ISIS followers in an attack on an anti-Islam event last year in Texas.

Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem is charged with providing support to the ISIS terrorist group for what prosecutors describe as a crucial behind-the-scenes role in a plot by two friends to shoot up a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in the Dallas area. They were killed in a police shootout outside the event.

Kareem, 44, is believed to be the first person to stand trial on charges related to ISIS. A trial in New York that started halfway through Kareem's trial concluded Wednesday with a guilty verdict against a U.S. military veteran charged with attempting to join the terrorist group.

Prosecutor Joseph Koehler told jurors in his closing argument that witness testimony shows Kareem knew that Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi were ISIS members and planning an attack at the cartoon contest and an Arizona military base.

Kareem taught Simpson and Soofi how to operate and maintain rifles and provided the guns and ammunition they brought to the cartoon contest, he said.

"He was a motivator. He was a bankroller," Koehler said. "He was a trainer and an intended participant."

Koehler noted that the two men printed out an ISIS flag and brought it to the cartoon contest.

"They want to announce to the world that we are here on behalf of ISIS," he said.

Kareem surprised many in the courtroom by taking the stand in his own defense, testifying steadfastly that he knew nothing about the plans for the attack. His lawyers believe it is a flimsy case that is nothing but guilt by association with Simpson and Soofi.

Kareem told jurors that he evicted Simpson from his home because he believed Simpson was putting tracking devices in his car. He also said he strongly disapproved of Simpson using Kareem's laptop to watch al Qaeda promotional materials.

Authorities say Kareem, Simpson and Soofi had researched travel to the Middle East so they could join ISIS fighters. It's unknown whether the attack was inspired by ISIS or carried out in response to an order from the organization.

Prosecutors said Kareem tried to carry out an insurance scam to fund the conspiracy to support ISIS and attempted to indoctrinate two teenage boys in his neighborhood on radical jihadism.

They also say Kareem, Simpson and Soofi initially wanted to blow up the Arizona stadium where the 2015 Super Bowl was held, but when that plan failed, they set their sights on the contest in suburban Dallas.

Simpson and Soofi regularly watched ISIS videos showing beheadings and mass executions. Kareem admitted that he saw on Simpson's phone images of a Jordanian pilot being burned in a cage by ISIS, Koehler said.

"He knew exactly what was going on with these folks," Koehler said.
A study conducted on the waters surrounding a nuclear power plant in South Florida has revealed an increased level of tritium, potentially leaking from the plants aging pipes.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez released the study Monday, according to the Miami Herald. The report revealed that water tests in December and January found an increased amount of tritium, a radioactive isotope, in the Biscayne Bay.

Tritium levels were up to 215 times higher than normal in ocean water.

The Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant apparently leaky canals could pose a major threat to the wildlife around the Florida Keys. The Miami Herald reported that the study confirms critics fears that the canals had been running too hot after Florida Power & Light revamped two reactors to produce more power.

This is one of several things we were very worried about, South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard told the Miami New Times. You would have to work hard to find a worse place to put a nuclear plant, right between two national parks and subject to hurricanes and storm surge.

Stoddard added that theres only two solutions to the problem, replace the canals with cooling towers or shut the whole plant down.

The study found that over the last five years, cooling canal water typically has tritium levels at 60 to more than 800 times higher in the bay. Tritium at the bottom of the bay near the canals was found to be between 130 and 215 times higher.

While Florida Power & Light is urged to address the issue, officials said there needs to be more studies issued to figure out why the canals are leaking and determine a long-term solution to fix the problem.

Florida Power & Light spokeswoman Bianca Cruz told the Miami New Times that it still needs to review the study. She defended the companys expansion two years ago, which the study points couldve caused the leak in the canals and the eventual contamination of the Biscayne Bay.

Cruz also said the utilitys own records dont indicate a larger pollution problem.

"We've collected this data for many years, and this data has reviewed by independent scientists," Cruz said. "We're going to continue to work closely with regulatory agencies."

Click for more from the Miami Herald.

Click for more from the Miami New Times.
Troopers investigating the disappearance of a college student nearly 20 years ago in West Virginia have reported the discovery of human remains that could be linked to the case.

The skeletal remains were found Thursday near the New River Gorge Bridge in Fayette County and West Virginia State troopers said the bones could be those of missing Virginia Tech grad student Robert Kovack, WVNS-TV reports.

Kovack's brother, Michael, told The Associated Press on Friday that he learned from investigators a positive identification is expected early next week.

Robert Kovack was 25 when he was last seen Sept. 18, 1998. His abandoned car was found four days near the bridge.

He vanished after withdrawing money from an ATM in Blacksburg, Virginia. His roomates had said that he was headed home to see his parents in Rivesville, West Virginia, for the weekend.

The remains were found by a bridge repair work crew, according to WSAZ-TV.

The Associated Press reported in 2012 that Kovacks vehicle was found locked and nothing was missing but the keys. The soft roof had been slit, but investigators found no fingerprints but Kovacks.

The AP report also said a state investigator suggested Kovack jumped from the bridge but the family had nearly 100 volunteers search twice, and no body was found.

It's still hard, Michael Kovack was quoted as saying at the time. There's not a day that I don't think about my brother, and my parents, their son. But the simple fact is, you have to draw the line.

He added, We still have hope, but as each day goes by, reality sets in, and you deal with it. The worst part is not knowing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Iran is preparing to launch a new long-range rocket into outer space as soon as this weekend, U.S. officials told Fox News.

The missile is known as a Simorgh, and officials are watching the missile on the launch pad as it is being fueled at an undisclosed location inside Iran.

Officials told Fox they have not seen this specific type of rocket launched in the past.



Iran has conducted four previous space launches.

Any test of a new ballistic missile would be an apparent violation of a UN resolution forbidding Iran from working on its rocket program.

A Simorgh rocket is designed to carry a satellite into space. Officials are concerned that any space launch uses the same technology needed to launch a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile or ICBM.

The Simorgh rocket was first unveiled by then-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2010.

Allthingsnuclear.org first reported the Iranian Simorgh missile was being prepared for launch last month and says it is capable of sending a heavier satellite into space at a higher orbit, showing greater capability then precious launches.

Iran has successfully placed four satellites into orbit beginning in 2009 the last occurring in 2015.

Iran's earlier space launches used a smaller rocket, a variant of the Shahab-3, according to allthingsnuckear.com

This week, Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles on one day for the first time since 2012, according to defense officials.

UN Security Council Resolution 2231 says Iran is not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology.

Thursday, a senior Revolutionary Guard commander said that Iran's ballistic missile program will continue to move forward, despite threats of international sanctions.

The U.S. State Department says the launches this week were not in violation of the nuclear deal, but inconsistent with UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which was tied to the nuclear deal when it went into effect.

Secretary of State John Kerry raised concerns about Irans recent missile launches in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Thursday, including reports that Iran scribbled Israel must be wiped off the Earth according to State Department spokesman John Kirby.

Both short and medium-range ballistic missiles tested recently by Iran are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

Iran should face sanctions for these activities, Hillary Clinton said Wednesday.

"The latest missiles launches are further evidence of Iran's aggression and of how its leaders intend to use the money it is receiving under the Obama nuclear deal." said House Armed Services Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas.

Kirby said earlier this week that reports of Irans recent ballistic missile launches would be brought to the attention of the UN Security Council.

The launches would not violate the landmark nuclear deal implemented in January, according to Kirby.

Vice President Joseph Biden, while meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Wednesday did not acknowledge the missile launch directly, but he issued a strong warning to the Iranians.

"A nuclear-armed Iran is an absolutely unacceptable threat to Israel, to the region and the United States. And I want to reiterate which I know people still doubt here: if in fact they break the deal, we will act," he said.

Despite reports of Iran repeatedly violating the UN resolution by launching ballistic missiles, the State Department is confident additional sanctions could be called upon unilaterally if needed.

We always have those tools available to us, said Kirby this week.

In January, the Obama administration sanctioned nearly a dozen individuals and companies tied to Irans ballistic missile program.

Appearing in front of the Senate Armed Services committee in Washington, the outgoing head of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Lloyd Austin said Tuesday, Some of the behavior we've seen from Iran of late is certainly not the behavior you'd expect from a nation that wants to be taken seriously.

Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic & International Studies says the Obama administrations policy toward Iran is muddled.

I don't think we've sent clear signals. We seem to be dealing with the nuclear agreement as if its some kind of legacy. It won't be a legacy if Iran acts out in other ways, he said.
North Korea has a missing submarine, two defense officials told Fox News Friday.

One official told Fox the submarine is a 70-foot Yono class "midget" submarine that is diesel powered and has a crew of two, with room for a squad of saboteurs. It was unclear who may have been onboard.

North Korea does not operate large ballistic missile submarines, such as the U.S. Navys Ohio-class fleet.

Fox News has learned North Korea has not asked the United States to assist in search and rescue efforts.

On Thursday, North Korea responded to new sanctions from South Korea by firing short-range ballistic missiles into the sea in a show of defiance and vowing to "liquidate" all remaining South Korean assets at former cooperative projects in the North.

The moves are the latest in an escalating standoff between the Koreas that began in January when North Korea detonated what it said was an "H-bomb of justice," its fourth nuclear test.

Since then, the North has launched a long-range rocket and the South has shut a jointly-run factory park, slapped sanctions on the North, and begun large-scale war games with the United States.

North Korea responded by threatening nuclear strikes on South Korea and the U.S. mainland.

The missile firing came a day after North Korean media printed photos of what appeared to be a mock-up of a nuclear warhead.

Also, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers Friday that the number of North Korean cyberattacks on the South has doubled over the past month.

On Monday at State of Air Force briefing at Pentagon, the Air Force's top officer, Gen. Mark Welsh, told Fox News that while the actions of North Korea are "very worrisome," the country does not have the capability to put a nuclear warhead on top of a missile and shoot it at the United States.

Hours later, North Korea warned of pre-emptive nuclear strikes after the United States and South Korea began holding their biggest ever war games.

This week Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said he was confident that the U.S. military could knock out any North Korean ballistic missile in the sky.

Tensions remain high after North Korea's recent nuclear test and rocket launch, which prompted the United Nations to adopt tough new sanctions.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un reportedly ordered officials Friday to improve the country's nuclear attack capability by conducting more weapons tests.

Reuters, citing North Koreas official news agency (KCNA), reported Friday that Kim also watched a ballistic missile test take place.

The KCNA report did not say when the test happened, but it was most likely referring to the country firing two rockets into the sea on Thursday as a response to South Koreas latest round of sanctions.

Dear comrade Kim Jong Un said work must be strengthened to improve nuclear attack capability and issued combat tasks to continue nuclear explosion tests to assess the power of newly developed nuclear warheads, KCNA reported.

When asked about the comments, South Korea's Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee described them as "rash and thoughtless behavior by someone who has no idea how the world works," according to Reuters.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Pyongyang a day earlier to "cease destabilizing acts."

On Thursday, North Korea also liquidated South Korean assets at the closed joint factory park in the North Korean border town of Daesong and at a scrapped tourism resort at Diamond Mountain.

In a continuation of bellicose rhetoric that has spiked in recent weeks, a statement from the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said North Korea will also impose "lethal" military, political and economic blows on the South Korean government to accelerate its "pitiable demise."

South Korea's government called the statement a "provocative act" and warned the North not to damage any South Korean assets.

The missiles fired by North Korea on Thursday flew about 310 miles before falling into the ocean off the country's east coast, according to Seoul's Defense Ministry. They were believed to be Scud-type missiles, ministry spokesman Moon Sang Gyun said.

Such missile firings by the North are not uncommon when animosity rises. North Korea hates the annual military drills staged by Seoul and Washington, calling them preparations for an invasion. The allies say the drills, which this year are described as the biggest ever, are defensive and routine. North Korea warned at the start of the drills Monday of pre-emptive nuclear strikes.

On Wednesday, North Korea printed photos in official media of a purported mock-up of part of a nuclear warhead, with Kim repeating a claim that his country has developed miniaturized atomic bombs that can be placed on missiles.

Information from secretive, authoritarian North Korea is often impossible to confirm, and the country's state media have a history of photo manipulation. But it was the first time the North has publicly displayed its purported nuclear designs, though it remains unclear whether the country has functioning warheads of that size or is simply trying to develop one.

South Korea's Defense Ministry on Wednesday disputed the North's claim that it possesses miniaturized warheads. The U.S. Department of Defense also said this week that it had no evidence that North Korea had succeeded in miniaturizing a warhead, Reuters reports.



The United States said Wednesday it has dispatched three B-2 stealth bombers capable of launching nuclear as well as conventional weapons to the Asia-Pacific region. The U.S. Strategic Command said the bombers will conduct training with the Australian military during their deployment, which amounts to a show of force at a time of mounting tensions with North Korea.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from Reuters.
A recent video released by Islamist militants that depicted three foreign hostages and a Filipino woman pleading for their lives is nothing more than a ploy to relieve the military pressure that is getting closer to them, a Philippines army spokesman said Friday.

Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla told Reuters that army units are hot on the trail of the band of Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants, who kidnapped two Canadians, a Norwegian and the woman from a beach resort in the Philippines nearly six months ago.

In the video, the three men -- all bearded and shirtless -- were videotaped while on their knees being threatened by a militant wielding a knife, the New York Times reports. The men said they would be killed in a month if their captors demands were not met, though no specific ransom was mentioned.

In a previous video clip that was released in November, one of the captives said the militants wanted $21 million in ransom for each hostage, Reuters reports.

"We're getting closer to them, hence, they needed to expedite the demand for ransom in order for them to escape from the hands of the law, which is closely catching up, Padilla said.

He added that the policy on no negotiations with kidnappers includes no payment of ransom."

The four hostages are believed to be held in a jungle on Jolo island, a stronghold of the militant group known for its bombs, beheadings and kidnappings.

Abu Sayyaf militants are also holding one person from the Netherlands, one from Japan, and an Italian missionary, Reuters reports. The group has killed at least two foreign hostages in the past, and another was killed in an army rescue mission.

Robert Hall, one of the Canadians, said in the video that Canada needs to do what is necessary to get us out of here soon, as his countryman John Ridsdel screamed in pain while his neck was being twisted by one of the militants, the New York Times reports.

Try to meet their demands in 30 days or we are all dead, said Kjartan Sekkingstad, the Norwegian.
A Ukrainian pilot on a hunger strike during her trial in Russia agreed to take water Thursday after receiving a supportive letter apparently signed by the Ukrainian president, but her lawyer said he eventually learned the letter was fake.

Nadezhda Savchenko, who served in a volunteer battalion against Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine and is accused of involvement in the deaths of two Russian journalists there, calls her trial a total sham. She started her hunger strike last week.

Still, she wrote that she agreed to take water after receiving the letter, adding, "I will do all I can in order to save myself for the fight ahead and victories for Ukraine and for the truth," according to attorney Mark Feygin.

The attorney on Wednesday posted the letter he said was signed by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, pledging to do "all it takes" to bring Savchenko home and saying he was ready to offer Savchenko a government job. However, Poroshenko's press office on Thursday said that the president had not sent the letter, and Feygin acknowledged it was a hoax.

"It was all subterfuge," Feygin told the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper.

Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday called on Russia to release the pilot, adding, "Her trial and continuing imprisonment demonstrate disregard for international standards."

Savchenko was captured by the separatists in July 2014 and later surfaced in custody in Russia. She says the separatists handed her over to the Russians, who took her across the border. Moscow claims that Savchenko escaped from the rebels and crossed the border on her own before she was arrested.

Top officials in Ukraine and elsewhere have been advocating for Savchenko's release and have called her a prisoner of war. "Ms. Savchenko has reportedly endured interrogations, solitary confinement, and forced 'psychiatric evaluation,'" Kerry added.

Russian officials have refused to discuss the possibility of a prisoner exchange while Savchenko is waiting for a verdict, expected at the end of March.

Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, on Thursday told reporters that the Kremlin "made a note" of Poroshenko's reported statement as well as Savchenko's decision to take water but he refused to comment further.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A jailed assassin who killed a prominent anti-apartheid leader in South Africa in 1993 won a bid for parole on Thursday, igniting bitter memories of racial unrest during white minority rule as well as fresh scrutiny of the balance between punishment and leniency for crimes committed during that era.

A Pretoria judge ordered parole within two weeks for Polish immigrant Janusz Walus, whose killing of Chris Hani stirred fears of all-out racial conflict at a time when delicate negotiations for a democratic transition were underway. Hani was head of the South African Communist Party and of the military wing of the African National Congress, the main anti-apartheid movement that later became South Africa's ruling party.

While Nelson Mandela and other leaders at the time tamped down the anger roiling the country, and euphoria ran high after the first all-race elections in 1994, the country still grapples with its troubled legacy. In recent months, there have been more calls for prosecutions of figures from the apartheid-era government, reflecting a belief that the drive for racial reconciliation let some perpetrators off the hook and failed to improve the lives of many in the black majority.

Some of those emotional wounds reopened as news spread that 60-year-old Walus, who has served 23 years of a life sentence, would be freed on parole this month.

Hani's wife, Limpho Hani, harshly criticized the white judge who heard a legal appeal from Walus' lawyer and overruled the South African justice ministry's refusal to grant parole.

"She is nothing but a racist," Hani's wife said in an interview with South Africa's Radio 702. "To her, black lives don't matter. She hardly made mention of my husband's murder in her judgment."

Limpho Hani also questioned South African courts, saying, "the judiciary wants to rule this country through the back door because they undermine executive decisions."

Judge Janse van Nieuwenhuizen referred in her ruling to South African legal guidelines on parole, including the fact that it is based on a "good prognosis" for rehabilitation, is subject to supervision and does not imply that a criminal has been acquitted.

Nieuwenhuizen noted that Walus had tried in vain to meet Hani's family and apologize to them.

"Their stance is simply that they will not forgive the applicant," the judge wrote.

Walus' lawyer, Julian Knight, said the justice ministry's decision to refuse parole was based on the "whims of politics," not the law.

Clive Derby-Lewis, a fellow conspirator of Walus who also got a life sentence, was released on medical parole last year after more than two decades in prison.

Walus said after his arrest that he and Derby-Lewis, a proponent of white minority rule, hoped the assassination would plunge South Africa into chaos ahead of the historic 1994 elections. The murder sparked some rioting, but the elections proceeded.

After white rule ended with those elections, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission investigated past atrocities and granted amnesty to some accused perpetrators. Walus and Derby-Lewis testified before the panel but were refused amnesty.

In a statement Thursday, the ANC said the parole order "is a "travesty of justice."

The ruling party said Walus almost set off a civil war by killing Hani, and that the immigrant should be immediately deported on his release.
Bob Walter To Become Non-executive Chairman Of Yum! Brands Effective May 20, 2016

Replaces David C. Novak, Who Will Retire As Executive Chairman Of The Company At That Time

March 11, 2016 // Franchising.com // Louisville, KY  Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) announced that Robert D. Walter, 70, was appointed by the Yum! Brands Board to serve as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board following the Companys May 20, 2016 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Mr. Walter succeeds David C. Novak, 63, who previously announced on January 5, 2016, his plan to retire as Executive Chairman and step down from the Board at the Annual Shareholder Meeting. Mr. Novak had retired as CEO of YUM in January 2015, succeeded by Greg Creed, the current CEO. Todays announcement completes Mr. Novaks retirement plan and ensures a smooth transition of executive leadership of the Company and its Board of Directors.

We thank David Novak for his many significant contributions to Yum! Brands over the years he served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. His dynamic leadership created a global powerhouse restaurant company, with a world-renowned culture and a performance orientation that well-rewarded shareholders over time. As Co-Founder of the Company, he is the visionary leader who made YUM the great Company it is today, and we will forever be grateful to him as we take the business forward, said Greg Creed, Chief Executive Officer, Yum! Brands.

At the same time, Im enormously pleased that Bob Walter has agreed to become Non-Executive Chairman of YUM, ensuring a smooth transition of the Boards leadership. Bob is extraordinarily accomplished and has served on the Board since 2006, currently as Lead Director. He has brought a unique business perspective to our Board from his time founding and growing Cardinal Health, one of the nations largest corporations. Bob will make an outstanding Non-Executive Chairman of Yum! Brands, Creed added.

Mr. Walter, currently the Boards Lead Director, has served on Yum! Brands Board since 2006. Mr. Walter is the founder of Cardinal Health, Inc., a company that provides products and services supporting the health care industry. Prior to his retirement from Cardinal Health in June 2008, Mr. Walter served as Executive Director from November 2007 to June 2008. From April 2006 to November 2007, he served as Executive Chairman of the Board of Cardinal Health. From 1979 to April 2006, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cardinal Health. Mr. Walter also serves as a director of American Express Company and Nordstrom, Inc. From 2000 to 2007, he was a director of CBS Corporation and its predecessor, Viacom, Inc.

About Yum! Brands, Inc.

Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, has nearly 43,000 restaurants in more than 130 countries and territories. Yum! is ranked #228 on the Fortune 500 List with revenues of over $13 billion in 2015 and is one of the Aon Hewitt Top Companies for Leaders in North America. The Companys restaurant brands  KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell  are the global leaders of the chicken, pizza and Mexican-style food categories. Worldwide, the Yum! Brands system opens over six new restaurants per day on average, making it a leader in global retail development.

SOURCE Yum! Brands, Inc.

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New Education Standards Cause Rise In Tutoring Services, Tutor Doctor Finds

Changes to the National Curriculum Lead to Questions, Stress for Australian Families

SYDNEY - March 10, 2016 - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Changes to the national curriculum have no doubt shaken up the educational system, leaving a stressful transition and lingering questions for students and their families. The added pressure for success and the new concepts are driving families to seek extracurricular help, leading to a boom in the in-home tutoring sector across the country, a $6 billion industry.

Answering the call for private tutoring is Tutor Doctor, a one-on-one in-home tutoring franchise with three locations in Melbourne and Sydney. Tutor Doctor is helping students cope with the changes made to un-crowd the curriculum, which resulted in consolidating geography, history, civics and citizenship into one subject, threatening the students understanding, while adding a new section on domestic violence. In addition to helping with these changes, Tutor Doctor provides specialized one-on-one help for primary students in subjects like maths, and helps HSC students with writing assignments.

Families continue to turn to our Tutor Doctor locations in Australia for the personalized in-home tutoring solutions that our franchise model offers, said Frank Milner, president of Tutor Doctor. Since opening our first location a few years ago, and adding on even more with new franchise partners, our brand has become a staple in the community, providing jobs and the support needed to educate the local youth.

In addition to working with primary and HSC students, Tutor Doctor offers services to adult learners still longing to increase their understanding of subjects required for work or lessons skimped on in school.

About Tutor Doctor

With nearly 450 territories in 15 countries, Tutor Doctor was named the No. 1 In-Home Tutoring Franchise by Entrepreneur.com in 2015. Founded as an alternative to the one-to-many teaching model most extra-curricular learning centres offer, Tutor Doctor provides a personalised one-to-one, in-home tutoring service to students of all ages. Now with offices internationally, the Tutor Doctor vision is becoming a reality, positively impacting students and their families worldwide. With the belief that all students can achieve academic success through academic foundation building and discipline, Tutor Doctor continues to lead the private tutoring industry. For more information, please visit www.tutordoctor.com.au. To find out about franchise opportunities, please visit,www.tutordoctoropportunity.com.

SOURCE Tutor Doctor

Contact:

Mary Pattara

Fishman PR

847-945-1300

mpattara@fishmanpr.com

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Dr. William Grady receives grant for esophageal cancer screening study



Dr. William "Bill" Grady, a clinical researcher and cancer geneticist at Fred Hutch, has been awarded a $180,000 grant from the DeGregorio Family Foundation for Gastric and Esophageal Cancer Research and the Price Family Foundation for a two-year project to develop a better way to identify people at highest risk for esophageal adenocarcinoma, the most common cancer of the esophagus.

Incidence of esophageal cancer is rapidly increasing in the United States. Last year, roughly 20,000 Americans died of it, which is more than a fivefold increase compared to the early 1970s.

The risk of adenocarcinoma increases with age, obesity and tobacco use. However, it is tenfold higher for individuals with Barretts esophagus, a change in the esophageal lining that occurs in people who have chronic heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux. Cancer in patients with Barretts esophagus can be prevented or treated successfully if caught early by endoscopy, a medical exam that allows doctors to look at the lining of the esophagus.

Endoscopies, unfortunately, are unpleasant and intrusive, and because just a fraction of those with Barretts esophagus ever develop cancer, most people with the condition likely do not need them. The problem is that doctors have no way to tell which patients with Barretts esophagus are at the highest risk for cancer. Gradys team aims to find a simple way to spot those patients who should get frequent endoscopies, while sparing others unnecessary discomfort.

He and research partner Dr. Georg Luebeck, a computational biologist and member of the Public Health Sciences Division at Fred Hutch, plan to achieve this with a test that can accurately determine the biological age of esophageal tissue, which results from biochemical wear and tear  and differs from chronological age, as told by the calendar. Their focus is on detecting a process of chemical build-up on DNA, called DNA methylation, which Grady likens to rust. More rust means faster biological aging and presumably a higher risk of cancer.

With the funding from this new grant, Grady and Luebeck will compare the rust profiles in tissue samples of Barretts esophagus patients who developed esophageal cancer with those who did not. Their goal is to use any differences between the profiles as the basis of a screening test that can tell Barretts esophagus patients in the future whether they should start getting endoscopies and how often they should get them.

The biological age of the esophagus will allow us to determine the true cancer risk for someone with Barretts esophagus, said Grady, who is a member of Fred Hutchs Clinical Research Division and a practicing physician at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. We think a person with an older esophagus will have a higher cancer risk than a person with a young esophagus.

The DeGregorio Family Foundation raises funds to financially support critical research grants to facilitate early detection and effective treatment therapies for the deadly diseases of stomach and esophageal cancer.

Lynn DeGregorio, founder and president of the foundation, said of the award, This year was our most competitive application process yet. The DeGregorio Family Foundation, along with a major contribution by the Price Family Foundation, are happy to support Dr. Gradys research. We believe the science proposed is novel and innovative and will feasibly lead to a better understanding of esophageal cancer.

 Sabin Russell / Fred Hutch News Service
Qeepr Announces New Episode of Acclaimed #TalkDeath Series: Bodies And Forensics

Episode three of Qeepr's #TalkDeath webseries to feature Vidal Herrera of 1-800-Autopsy. The public is asked to submit their questions on death, bodies and forensic science via social media using #TalkDeath in their message.

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Online memorial platform and death positive community leaders, Qeepr, has announced the third installment of their acclaimed #TalkDeath live web series where the public is given the chance to ask their questions to death professionals. Retired Deputy Medical Investigator, owner of 1-800-AUTOPSY and Hollywood consultant Vidal Herrera will join hosts Mandy and Jeremy for Episode 3: Bodies and Forensic Science.

The panel discussion will take place on March 18th, 2016 at 12pm EST/9am PST and will be broadcast on Google+ and streamed live via YouTube. The public can now ask their questions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #TalkDeath.

Qeepr founder Mandy Benoualid explains that, "the mission of #TalkDeath is to promote discussion about life's big questions on death and dying from different perspectives." #TalkDeath hosts professionals whose approaches to death and dying come from varied backgrounds and the public is given the opportunity to ask their questions via social media using the hashtag. Benoualid expresses that "it is important to provide an open, honest platform for discussion on the subjects surrounding death and dying; avoiding the conversation only adds to the fear and stigma surrounding it."

The #TalkDeath web series was inspired by the international movement of Death Cafes, and has proven to be a venue wherein death professionals and the general public can come together in conversation. #TalkDeath aims to change the reality that the public should only speak with death professionals when they are forced to do so by circumstance. Past #TalkDeath panelists include New York Times bestselling author and mortician, Caitlin Doughty, and About.com's Death & Dying editor, Chris Raymond.

#TalkDeath Episode 3: Bodies and Forensic Science, with Vidal Herrera can be streamed live via Google+ and YouTube on March 18th at 12pm EST. The public is invited to ask their questions to the panel via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram by including the hashtag '#TalkDeath' in their message.

About Qeepr:

Qeepr is a social utility dedicated to memorializing the lives of the departed with the aid of modern technology. The first of its kind, Qeepr's social memorials provide families with the tools and technology to preserve the memories a loved one online. Friends and family can leave condolences, upload photos, like, share, comment, connect, and remember those who are dearly missed. Qeepr's latest mobile application allows users to geotag and receive directions to any monument in a cemetery. Create a Free Memorial or Free Organization Page Today by visiting Qeepr.com

For more information about us, please visit http://www.qeepr.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Mandy Benoualid

Organization: Qeepr



Release ID: 106516

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Low Fuel Prices Create Travel Frenzy as the Summer Season Approaches

Online Travel Agency is booking mass travel arrangements due to low fuel prices as the summer season approaches.

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Low fuel prices have enabled families, friends, and loved ones to travel freely again. Gas prices alone are the lowest they have been in years, and the traffic increase especially during the holidays is proof. Statistics show that since January of 2014, the price of barrels of oil has fallen almost 70 percent. February 2016 prices show a continued drop in crude oil prices compared to January 2016, according to the EIA. Air fares have decreased slightly, providing customers with travel for business or pleasure at a price much easier on budgets. As the economy is increasingly stimulated and people head out for that much needed vacation they can finally afford, Justairticket.com is providing the best deals on hotels, flights, and transportation as it continues to lead with some impressive sales and customer service.

Online bookings for travel itineraries have seen an enormous increase in the last two months, in both domestic and international travel. Ashish Rathour of the popular travel booking website www.justairticket.com states that "business has continued to boom, and as the fuel prices remain at their lowest in years, online travel agencies will continue to see passengers book amazing deals and itineraries." The Consumer Airfare Index predicts that prices will continue to drop, making travel a reality for many who have put it off.

Customer Service Agents Continue to find the Best Deals in Accordance with Price Drop

As the experts as JustAirTicket continue to book vacations and trips in record numbers, the company is delighted in the new and returning customer base. As a member of the American Society of Travel Agents, the customer service representatives truly are professionals that are assisting customers with finding the best deals and the lowest fares to their desired destinations. The company is partnered with some of the top-tiered travel agencies and professionals across the globe. Customers can ask for and receive upgrades, complementary meals, bonus savings, and exclusive privileges if they so desire. Current deals to various locations are displayed on the website's main page, or through its easy search feature where users can also find a variety of flights, fares, hotels, and transportation choices. These low prices of crude oil have not been seen since 2003, and the current trends state that it will be years before we see the steep prices of 100 per barrel again. JustAirTicket continues to offer its services in assisting travelers with their travel plans, as people take advantage of some of the lowest fuel prices seen in a decade.

For more information on booking a trip, please contact www.JustAirTicket.com for all related business and leisure travel needs



For more information about us, please visit http://www.justairticket.com

Contact Info:

Name: Ashish Rathour

Organization: Infinity Waves, LLC

Address: 2500 Plaza 5, 25th FLoor, Harborside Financial Center, Jersey City, NJ 07311

Phone: 1-800-940-9345

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/low-fuel-prices-create-travel-frenzy-as-the-summer-season-approaches/106552

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John Pryor Announces New Review of Aquarium Depot "Clean It Up Crews"

An expert in the field of saltwater fish tank care and maintenance, John Pryor is announcing the immediate release of a review in which he carefully evaluates the "Clean It Up Crews" available through Aquarium Depot's online platform.

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John Pryor is announcing the publication of a new review drawing on his wide-ranging expertise in saltwater aquarium care and maintenance. Pryor's new review seeks to shed light on the efficacy of Aquarium Depot's live "Clean It Up Crews," which are often made up of some combination of hermit crabs, snails and shrimp, among others.

Published and immediately available for review, John Pryor's strength and effectiveness analysis focused on four different packages and discusses the specific results he was able to generate in four of the countless tanks he maintains in both his home and his office. With the stated goal of including a detailed account of the kinds of crews most suitable for use in tanks of varying sizes and inhabitants, Pryor introduced the crews into the tanks most likely to contribute to the creation of a relatively wide spectrum.

"I wanted to make sure that my review would benefit saltwater aquarists with tanks that range from very small to very large while also addressing the manner in which the 'Clean It Up Crews' interacted with the diverse inhabitants that occupy the different tanks I selected," said Pryor. "The review is therefore able to offer some insight into so much more than the efficacy of the crews in cleaning the tanks, as it discusses the impact on behavior and biodiversity as well."

Pryor did note in his review that the hermit crabs, snails and the other various members of each crew were indeed quite effective in cleaning each of the different tanks in which they were introduced. In the review, Pryor states that several of his tanks had highly specific issues with algae that required a specific strategy for correction. In every case, according to Pryor, the "Clean It Up Crews" were able to successfully remove and prevent the presence of the algae within the tank.

"I tried to make it quite clear in the review, but it is worth reiterating that the crews I ordered through Aquarium Depot bring so much more to the tank than added cleanliness," said Pryor. "There is a real positive impact on biodiversity within the tank and I found the hermit crabs to be an especially interesting specimen."

For more information about us, please visit http://aquariumdepot.com/

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Name: Christina Duncan

Email: brandonchopkins@gmail.com

Organization: Aquarium Depot



Release ID: 106686

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Educational Building Toy Company Click-A-Brick Launches In Germany

Click-A-Brick has continued its expansion into Europe, launching in Germany and making all its educational building toy sets available on the German Amazon site. With the German launch now complete, the company has set its eyes on Spain as the next European market to enter.

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Click-A-Brick has launched in Germany on that country's Amazon site, marking the fourth country the educational building toy is now available in. All of the company's sets are available on the German site, including the recently released 100-piece Rescue Squad set. This is the first time Click-A-Brick sets have been available for purchase on the European mainland, having been sold in the United Kingdom for several months now. In addition to Germany and the UK, Click-A-Brick is also available in the United States and a select number of sets are available in Canada.

The launch is part of an ongoing push to expand the brand's international footprint throughout Europe. With the brand's jump to the European mainland, the continued expansion means more opportunities, as well as challenges, Co-Founders Jason Smith and Georg de Gorostiza say.

"We're obviously thrilled to be expanding as quickly as we are," Smith said. "It's great to know that Click-A-Brick is now an educational building toy brand recognized in multiple countries. It brings a lot of new opportunity for us, but also some new challenges, which we appreciate because it's not good to get too comfortable in business. We constantly want to be pushing our horizons and international expansion is a great way to do that and to make sure we are keeping on our toes, so to speak. We have to adjust to the new market and adapt our marketing techniques."

The company's next endeavor will be to make the sets available for purchase in Spain and after that, the company wants to work on growing its infrastructure.

"We've targeted Germany and Spain as the two big markets that we want to enter in Europe," Smith said. "Between those two countries and the UK, we think we'll have a robust foothold on the continent and our next step is to shore up our operations internally to help cope with this rapid expansion. We're still a young company and now -- to use a person metaphor -- it's time for us to fill out our frame. Even though we have expanded rapidly, we're still a surprisingly small operation, so once we're in the Spanish market, we want to start working on adding to our already amazing team to make sure we are in a position to fully capitalize on our growth."

Future plans for the young company include expanding its product line with offerings for both younger and older children than it currently targets. Those plans include sets that have a robotic element to them.

For more information about us, please visit http://www.clickabricktoys.net/

Contact Info:

Name: Rob Swystun

Organization: Click-A-Brick Toys LLC

Phone: 855-976-3664

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/educational-building-toy-company-click-a-brick-launches-in-germany/106674

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Analytical Technology, Inc. Introduces Solutions To Combat Water Quality Problem

The company carries water quality monitoring systems that detect and alert agencies to the presence of a number of harmful substances, reports http://www.analyticaltechnology.com/.

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Simply put, water quality has become a problem across the U.S. While the U.S. has historically had one of the safest water supplies in the world, the Environmental Protection Agency recently reported that threats to the country's drinking water have been increasing as of late.

It is with these threats to water quality in mind that Analytical Technology is introducing their solutions to help combat the growing problem of water pollution. For many years, ATI has been a leader in the gas and water monitoring industry and has provided their customers with the knowledge needed to ensure a safe and healthy environment.

Bill Smith, a representative of Analytical Technology, stated, "Water quality is becoming a bigger issue in the United States than many people realize. In addition to recent EPA reports on the increase in water quality problems, there has been and will continue to be a rapid expansion of the waste water treatment industry in response to large amounts of industrial waste being discharged into water bodies over the last century. This waste has created serious pollution problems for the environment and health issues for citizens. The only way to combat it is with high quality monitoring equipment that is designed to specifically to test for the chemicals being discharged."

This is where the Water Quality Monitoring System that Analytical Technology has developed can help. The company has introduced solutions that test for the presence of substances like ammonia, suspended solids, and other things that might be harmful to humans if allowed to proliferate in the water supply. Many of the company's available monitors allow for sample stabilization and are designed to withstand the rigorous conditions of waste water and industrial process streams.

As Smith continues, "The consistent use of a Water Quality Monitoring System that can stand up to demanding use is key in any strategic approach to regulate and control water pollution. We are excited about the opportunity to supply agencies with the equipment needed to test and monitor their water supply so that they can continue to keep people safe and healthy for many years to come."

About Analytical Technology, Inc.:

From their U.S. headquarters in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, Analytical Technology, Inc. designs, manufactures, and distributes analytical instruments based on electrochemical and optical sensors. They specialize in the areas of toxic gas detection and water quality measurements, continuing to lead the way in development of reliable monitoring systems. Their capabilities in the area of sensor design and manufacture allow them to offer the kind of application support needed for the most demanding applications. In addition, local product support is available through their network of over 50 representatives throughout the U.S. and Canada.

For more information about us, please visit http://www.analyticaltechnology.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Bill Smith

Organization: Analytical Technology, Inc.

Address: Collegeville, PA 19426

Phone: 1-800-959-0299

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/analytical-technology-inc-introduces-solutions-to-combat-water-quality-problem/106734

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Numero Uno Web Solutions Expands Operations in Western Canada

Numero Uno Web Solutions expands operations to Western Canada in order to meet increased demand.

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Numero Uno Web Solutions (www.NumeroUnoWeb.com), a fast-growing internet marketing firm that caters to medium- and large-sized business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) companies, is pleased to announce it has expanded its business operation to Western Canada in an attempt to meet increased demand for its online marketing services.

"As the demand for online marketing needs grows, demand for Numero Uno's complete package of services has also been increasing, particularly across Western Canada," says Mike Todd, President of Numero Uno Web Solutions. "In order to meet this growth, Numero Uno has expanded its operations."

Todd explains that the new expanded operations are located in Canmore, Alberta and provide all of the same services offered at the Toronto headquarters. These include search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), social media optimization (SMO), content marketing services, web design, and development services.

The Western office is led by Cheryl Fraser, Business Development Manager. Fraser first joined Numero Uno Web Solutions as a Digital Media Executive in 2014, a position in which she excelled at building long-term client relationships and helping brands become more discoverable on search engines like Google, Yahoo!, and Bing.

As the Numero Uno Business Development Manager for Western Canada, Fraser is responsible for developing new business partnerships with brands that are seeking cost-effective, highly responsive, and unique, web marketing campaigns. Prior to joining Numero Uno Web Solutions, Fraser was Manager of Business Development for a national advertising company. She was also a regional sales representative for a national lifestyle magazine for women.

Most recently, Fraser received the Leading Women award from the Province of Ontario for her non-profit business GoodMom (www.goodmom.ca). Founded in 2012, GoodMom utilizes social media to help families in need by connecting them with over 2,000 members who provide essentials such as baby gear, clothing, food, diapers, toys, and books.

"The expanded operations in Western Canada allow us to more efficiently support our current customers in that area. The expansion also provides us with new opportunities to showcase our unparalleled SEO and online marketing services to new customers," Todd explains. "We're all excited that Cheryl is leading the new Western operations, and we know her enthusiasm and knowledge about online marketing and sales will help strengthen Numero Uno's customer base and increase brand awareness."

Numero Uno Web Solutions, a trusted Google Partner, is one of the top Internet marketing firms due to constant innovation and overall customer satisfaction. More information about Numero Uno can be found at www.NumeroUnoWeb.com. Information about the new Western operations can be found by calling (416) 508-7292 or 1-855-SEO-XPRT. Cheryl Fraser can be contacted via email at cheryl@numerounoweb.com.

For more information about us, please visit http://www.numerounoweb.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Elena Nicosia

Organization: Numero Uno Web Solutions Inc.

Address: 7000 Pine Valley Drive, Suite 200, Woodbridge, Ontario L4L4Y8 Canada

Phone: 905 856 2012

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/numero-uno-web-solutions-expands-operations-in-western-canada/106712

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Worldwide Insulin Pump Market with Focus on Patch Pumps 2016 - 2020 Now Available at MarketReportsOnline.com

MarketReportsOnline.com adds Global Insulin Pump Market with Focus on Patch Pumps 2016 - 2020 research report of 55 pages on the Insulin Pump industry to the medical devices intelligence collection of its research store.

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The report provides global diabetic population in terms of volume, global diabetic population by region and diabetes health expenditure etc. It provides detailed analysis of global insulin pump market in terms of value as well as volume. The report summarizes the revenue, number of pump users, pump penetration rate and top market players etc. In addition to traditional insulin pumps, the report also focuses on recent launched innovative insulin patch pumps in the market in terms of value and its market share.

Complete report available at http://www.marketreportsonline.com/448563.html.

The report titled "Global Insulin Pump Market with Focus on Patch Pumps 2016 - 2020" analyzes the significant trends and potential opportunities in the global insulin pump market. The market size and forecast in terms of US$ for global insulin pump market has been provided for the period 2016 to 2020, considering 2014 as the base year. Analysis of insulin patch pump, a latest technology, is also covered in the report.

Over the next five years the global insulin pump market revenue is expected to grow due to increasing diabetic population, increasing diabetes health expenditure and innovation in technology etc.

The report also provides the detailed analysis of the US insulin pump market. It provides detail on total diabetic population in the US with Type1 and Type2 diabetes. The US insulin pump market is measured in terms of volume and market share of top players has also been provided in the report. The US is the market leader of the insulin pump market globally.

The report also provides competitive landscape of the global insulin pump market. The global insulin pump market is very less fragmented as major part of market share has been captured by top market players such as Medtronic, Insulet Corporation and Animas Corporation etc. Medtronic is the market leader with the highest revenue earned in the fiscal 2014.

Furthermore the report profiles key market player such as Insulet Corporation, Medtronic, Animas Corporation, Roche and Cellnovo on the basis of attributes such as company overview, recent developments, strategies adopted by the market leaders to ensure growth, sustainability, financial overview and recent developments.

Purchase a copy of this Insulin Pump Market research report at USD 800 (Single User License) http://www.marketreportsonline.com/contacts/purchase.php?name=448563.

Country Coverage: The US

Company Coverage of Insulin Pump Market:

o Medtronic

o Insulet Corporation

o Animas Corporation

o Roche

o Cellnovo

A medical device that is used in for the management of insulin in the treatment of diabetes is known as insulin pump. It is a small automated device almost similar to the dimension of a mobile phone. It is very convenient in use, as this can be easily carried on a belt or inside a pocket. The device contains buttons to program insulin and navigate through the menu, LCD color screen to show the programming, battery compartment and a reservoir compartment. There are various types of insulin pumps available in the market and the latest pump available in the market is patch pump which is technologically more advanced than traditional pumps.

Major Points From Table of Contents (http://www.marketreportsonline.com/448563-toc.html) are listed below:

1. Executive Summary

2. Insulin Pumps

2.1 An Overview

2.2 Types of Insulin Pumps

3. Global Diabetic Population: An Analysis

3.1 Global Diabetic Population by Volume

3.1.2 Global Diabetic Population by Region

3.1.3 Global Diabetes Health Expenditure by Region

4. Global Insulin Pump Market: Sizing & Growth

4.1 Global Insulin Pump Market by Value: Actual & Forecast

4.1.2 Global Insulin Pump Market Share by Top Players

4.2 Global Insulin Pump Market by Volume

4.2.1 Global Insulin Pump Market by Number of Users

4.2.2 Global Insulin Pump Market by Penetration Rate

4.3 Global Insulin Pump Market Share by Geographical Segmentation

5. Global Insulin Patch Pump Market: An Analysis

5.1 Global Insulin Patch Pump Market by Value

5.2 Global Insulin Patch Pump by Market Share

6. Country Analysis

6.1 The US Diabetes Population: An Analysis

6.1.1 The US Total Diabetes Population

6.1.2 The US Type1 Diabetes Population

6.1.3 The US Type2 Diabetes Population

6.2 The US Insulin Pump Market: Sizing & Growth

6.2.1 The US Insulin Pump Market by Volume

6.2.2 The US Insulin Pump Market Share by Top Players

7. Market Dynamics

7.1 Market Drivers

7.1.1 Increasing Diabetic Population

7.1.2 Increased Life Expectancy

7.1.3 Ageing Population

7.1.4 New Product Innovation

7.1.5 Expansion of Global Market

7.2 Challenges

7.2.1 High Cost of Insulin Pumps

7.2.2 Undiagnosed Diabetes

7.2.3 Threat from Implantable Insulin Pump

7.2.4 Invention of Artificial Pancreas

7.2.5 Complicated Insulin Pump Software

7.3 Market Trends

7.3.1 Rise of Smart Pumps

7.3.2 Alarming Rise in Obesity

7.3.3 Regulatory Requirements

7.3.4 High Potential Market for Diabetic Products

8. Competitive Landscape

Explore more related reports on Medical Devices Market at http://www.marketreportsonline.com/cat/medical-devices-market-research.html.

For more information about us, please visit http://www.marketreportsonline.com/448563.html

Contact Info:

Name: Ritesh Tiwari

Organization: Market Reports Online

Phone: + 1 888 391 5441

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/worldwide-insulin-pump-market-with-focus-on-patch-pumps-2016-2020-now-available-at-marketreportsonline-com/106735

Release ID: 106735

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Walt Bayliss Releases Hydravid Cloud Upgrade, Free WordPress Plugin Download

Founder and CEO of the popular Hydravid video distribution service, Walt Bayliss, announces the release of a cloud-based upgrade for the software service. Provides additional free Wordpress plugin download for users. More details available at http://hydravid.link and http://imagepress.link

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Walt Bayliss, founder and CEO of the popular Hydravid video distribution app, has announced the release of a new cloud-based upgrade to their software service called Hydravid Cloud. The development of the upgrade was implemented over the past year, following increasing demand by users, as well as industry experts in YouTube marketing and promotion.

A full list of changes to the Hydravid video distribution app can be found on the company website:

- http://hydravid.link

Hydravid Cloud has multiple new features designed to make life easier for both digital marketers and YouTube celebrities alike, the most notable of which is the implementation of a cloud-based distribution structure. Previous versions of Hydravid were designed based on desktop and local distribution centers. The implementation of cloud-based distribution is expected to enhance performance, usability, and productivity.

Other key features reported include the delivery of faster nodes of traffic, as well as higher social performance profiles.

The changes in the video distribution service were bought about due to demands of the marketing and online video development community for greater productivity. As part of an ongoing effort to improve the user experience for Hydravid, customers can expect to see additional regular updates both now and in the future.

Bayliss, founder and CEO, had this to say about the recent release:

"Online video traffic is currently 55% of all consumer Internet traffic and is predicted to be 69% by 2017. It's just growing and growing, but video marketing takes time. Lots of time and effort. But it's not really the making that takes the time. It's the distribution. With the recent advances in video making software, we can be distributing out quality videos faster and easier than ever before."

Industry veteran, Allen Walker, The Mysterious Marketer, further commented on the new upgrade release:

"In today's digital marketing world, everything is going to the cloud. The use of computers and phones, with their limited working memory, make for slow work. Professionals involved in the field of video distribution, including best-selling authors, public speakers, and YouTube celebrities need a faster way to get the word out about their new public releases. So I think the upgrade is a timely one."

The company release of a free WordPress plugin, for the purposes of automating website image delivery, for both users and event participants was also reported. Customers and company followers interested in learning more about the free plugin can do so directly on the release website at:

- http://imagepress.link

New customers can also visit the company website to purchase or upgrade to the latest version of Hydravid Cloud.

For more information about us, please visit http://www.themysteriousmarketer.com

Contact Info:

Name: Allen Walker

Organization: The Mysterious Marketer



Release ID: 106758

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Doctors Health Press Announces Subscribership for Popular Newsletter Has More Than Doubled in Just 7 Months

Doctors Health Press announces that it has more than doubled its subscriber base for its monthly newsletter.

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Doctors Health Press Inc. (www.DoctorsHealthPress.com), a publisher of various natural health newsletters, books, and reports, including the popular free online e-letter Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin, is announcing that one of its most popular newsletters has more than doubled its subscribers in less than a year.

Over the past seven months, Doctors Health Press increased its subscriber base for The Doctor's Health Journal of Alternative Remedies & Cures newsletter from just over 3,400 in July 2015 to nearly 7,000 at the end of February 2016. That shows more than a 100% increase in the number of subscribers looking for the type of alternative health advice and information that Doctors Health Press provides.

"This is a testament to the valuable content and insight that we've been providing our readers for a long time," says Adrian Newman, publisher for Doctors Health Press. "People recognize quality when they see it, and we genuinely feel a responsibility to produce practical content that can improve the health and better the lives of our readers."

The Doctor's Health Journal of Alternative Remedies & Cures newsletter is published monthly, 12 times per year. It delivers expertly researched alternative cures and remedies to subscribers, along with other natural health breakthroughs. New subscribers are also entitled to receive a special report, titled 12 Kitchen Cures to Slash Deadly High Blood Pressure, as a "Thank you" gift for subscribing.



"12 Kitchen Cures to Slash Deadly High Blood Pressure is one of our most popular reports, as it reveals the natural ways to combat high blood pressure with nature's goodness: food," Newman continues. "High blood pressure affects one in three American adults, according to the CDC, and is a hot-button issue with our readership. That's why I'm proud to give a complimentary copy of this report to all new subscribers."

New subscribers to The Doctor's Health Journal of Alternative Remedies & Cures newsletter are also given a five-volume report, titled The Doctors Reference Guide to the Best Alternative Remedies and Cures, and the Encyclopedia of Natural Cures and Remedies at no additional cost.

"The Doctors Reference Guide provides so much information regarding alternatives to painkillers and prescription drugs along with advice on foods that help with pain," Newman continues. "And, while we don't advocate that the content of our newsletters be a replacement for a family doctor, our information is rooted in science, so we confidently stand behind everything we publish for our subscribers."

Doctors Health Press believes in the healing properties of various alternative remedies, including Traditional Chinese Medicine and nutrition-based disease prevention. The Doctors Press e-Bulletin is a daily e-newsletter that provides natural health news with a focus on natural healing through foods, herbs, and other breakthrough alternative health treatments. More information about Doctors Health Press can be found at www.DoctorsHealthPress.com.

For more information about us, please visit http://www.doctorshealthpress.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Adrian Newman

Organization: Doctors Health Press, Inc

Address: 60 State Street, Suite 700, Boston, MA 02109-1894

Phone: 1-866-744-3579

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/doctors-health-press-announces-subscribership-for-popular-newsletter-has-more-than-doubled-in-just-7-months/106820

Release ID: 106820

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Privatlakare Stockholm Informational Website Launched

Privatlakare Stockholm is a directory and informational website which promotes private doctors and health care centres.

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Privatlakare Stockholm provides information about different private doctors in the Stockholm area and the services which the doctors provide. Contact information is provided for each of the facilities and doctors. Private health care centers are easy to access for patients who need a quick, qualified medical procedure or test. The centres tend to be located throughout the area so that they are easy to reach and convenient. The private doctors offer personal and competent health care to both companies and individuals.

Health certificates are a common reason to visit one of the centres. The private centres offer a wide variety of medical certificates for all. The health facility can issue health certificates and a clean bill of health for patients. There could be many reasons why a medical or health certificate is necessary.

Some of the certificates which are available to individuals include adoption certificates, scuba diving (health certificate for diving certificate), health certificate and medical checks. People who are seeking driver's license categories C, CE, D or DE need certificates. To obtain a taxi license also requires a certificate. Mariners and others looking for a certificate when seeking education or employment can obtain one at the private centres. There is also a personal insurance certificate available to individuals.

Specialists at the centres also are available to perform health checks. The medical personnel check the patient's lifestyle factors, work situation and medical history as well as a complete physical examination. The health check includes factors such as height, weight, BMI, waist circumference, vision and hearing. The electrocardiogram tests the heart's capacity and lung function. For people over age fifty, stool samples are taken. Senior men may also be checked for PSA levels.

A wide range of blood and lab tests can be performed by the medical staff. They include haemoglobin, platelets, blood sugar, sodium levels and blood lipids. Tests for renal performance, liver, thyroid and urine status are also available.

For more information about us, please visit http://www.hittaprivatlakare.se

Contact Info:

Name: Privatklinikerna

Organization: Privatklinikerna

Address: Njupkarrsvagen 62 13546 Tyreso Stockholms lan.Banerry AB

Phone: +46738756705

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/privatlakare-stockholm-informational-website-launched/106796

Release ID: 106796

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Push Money APP System Released By The Daily Harrison Software

Push Money APP Review website has been launched by The Daily Harrison. Push Money APP Software System designed by Dennis Moreland And Mike Callahan, is a System to assist binary options trading.

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Push Money APP Review details are revealed in the new website launched by The Daily Harrison to describe new binary options trading strategies and features of the training program and in-depth trading software. Push Money APP Software is designed to trade binary options with more success and assurance. For novice traders, it can be difficult to get started in the market because of lack of information. The Push Money APP binary options trading Software provides the necessary education to improve performance in the market. In addition, Push Money APP signals are offered to traders which the algorithms show have the best likelihood of good performance.

Push Money APP software, which is free to download, provides traders with the system which will reduce the risk level involved in trading binary options. A simple five-step process is required to establish a trading account with a Push Money APP binary options broker. The cost to download Push Money APP software is Free. The download from the website is easy and convenient to accomplish.

In addition to Push Money APP systems required to identify appropriate trading signals and the educational materials to teach inexperienced traders the necessary information about the procedures involved in trading binary options, the system is backed up by a highly experienced and knowledgeable customer support staff. The mathematical algorithms which the system offers to traders will benefit new traders, as well as those who are much more experienced.

Watching the experts make trades is a benefit to those newly in the market. The monitoring of binary options industry is possible from desktops, laptops and mobile devices. As traders are more accomplished and knowledgeable, the use of Push Money APP Software signals from the software system serves as a confirmation tool that a particular trade is recommended. While not every trade will be successful, the track record is positive for identifying movements of the market. Push Money APP Binary signals which are defined by the system are the result of monitoring and reviewing thousands of market movements from around the world.

For more information about Push Money APP, please Go To http://thedailyharrison.com/reviews/push-money-app-review-is-push-money-app-scam-or-not

For more information about us, please visit http://thedailyharrison.com/reviews/push-money-app-review-is-push-money-app-scam-or-not

Contact Info:

Name: Dennis Moreland

Organization: Push Money APP



Source: http://marketersmedia.com/push-money-app-system-released-by-the-daily-harrison-software/106651

Release ID: 106651

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by BIS Correspondent

MUMBAI, MAR 11, 2016: Staff and students of Don Bosco Campus of Learning (DBCL) in Kurla participated in a host of events  that ranged from handicraft exhibitions, to advice on women's safety issues - to mark International Women's day on March 8.

The celebration began at 10.30 am, with the inauguration of a handicraft exhibition set up by women, who were a part of self-help group. They had undergone entrepreneurial training at the institute.

Guests also had the option to feast on traditional Konkani snacks and pickles available at the food stalls on display.

A ten-member strong team from JP Morgan, most of whom are senior software developers, then organised the second event of the day for around 70 final year engineering students. They divided the girls into seven groups of ten girls each and and talked about corporate culture and the importance of students in the industry.

Chitra Shingare, Senior MD of JP Morgan and Anirudha conducted the third session, that focused on entrepreneurship. They shared their experiences and hurdles associated with the business world.

Anand Mandya IPS, Mumbai Police who is DCP of Mumbai for security, then addressed the issue of women's safety. It was discussed in depth for the benefit of all the NSS volunteers, first year DBIT students, all girl students from DBIT and teaching, non teaching staff.

He used video presentations to raise awareness about dealing with certain dangerous situations that women face today. He also shared emergency phone numbers, which the students could contact if the need arises.

To end the day-long celebration, a girl's Common Room  the hub of the Women Development Cell of DBIT  was inaugurated.
Somerset Capital Management emerging market equities manager Mark Asquith has been stockpicking in Brazil and Chile, despite fears of another tumble for his asset class.

The manager said that while another decline in emerging market stocks remained possible, he had made additions in his Emerging Markets Small Cap portfolio, as well as boosting existing positions.

His decisions come at a difficult time for the sector, with the MSCI Emerging Markets benchmark down more than 14 per cent in the past year.

Although we are perhaps as pessimistic from a top-down perspective as many of our competitors, we are primarily driven by our bottom-up process and when opportunities come along we have to take them, he said.

There may still be another leg down the other side of this rally, but good names added to at cheap levels should make money in the medium to long term.

The tide among emerging markets has begun turning, according to some commentators.

Capital Economics last week reported only a slightly negative net purchase of equities by foreign investors in January, compared with the negative net figure of $10bn six months earlier. The research agency said it expected emerging market equities to grow by 25 per cent in the next two years.

Mr Asquiths 40m fund had around 10 per cent in cash at the beginning of last year because of a lack of compelling opportunities, but more recently the manager has put this to work.

The changes, implemented since October 2015, include the addition of Brazilian food company M Dias Branco and Chilean retailer Forus.

Mr Asquith has also added to existing positions in South African road builder Raubex and South Korean manufacturer SungKwang Bend.

Some changes to the fund, which had 4.4 per cent in cash at the end of January 2016, rest on Mr Asquiths belief that pressures could be easing for certain cyclicals.

Some of the value components of the portfolio had fallen particularly hard  such as Raubex, SungKwang Bend, [Turkish glass company] Trakya Cam and [Taiwanese manufacturer] Nak Sealing which provided opportunities to add, he explained.

These are in more cyclical industries, but have strong balance sheets and showed some improvement in earnings trends versus expectations and extremely cheap valuations.

The fund also benefited from a focus on fundamentally strong companies and limited exposure to China.

We outperformed the falling market, as we often tend to, because the companies in the portfolio tend to have an average net cash position on their balance sheets of double the universe profitability and double the dividend payout ratio, with strong governance and acceptable valuations, Mr Asquith said.

Chinese stocks did terribly in January. We only had one domestic Chinese name.

At the end of January the portfolio was heavily skewed towards India and South Africa, making up 16.5 and 14.7 per cent respectively, with 5.3 per cent in China.

The Somerset fund has shed 10.5 per cent in the past year, compared with the Investment Association Global Emerging Markets sector loss of 14.4 per cent, data from FE Analytics shows.
Insurance is an area we all end up spending more time researching than Im sure wed like  both for our clients and for our ourselves.

With the help of Sergei the Meerkat and Brian the Robot we trawl through pages of home, car, holiday and life insurance on a regular basis.

We insure against bad things happening, and in a way, you can look at an investment in the insurance sector in the same way. It is, after all, a must-have product for individuals and companies alike. As long as there is risk in the world, insurance will be bought.

Unlike most other areas of the market, valuations of insurance companies tend to stay sensible and are rarely too expensive or too cheap.

So the sector marches to a different drumbeat to the rest of the market, which makes it a good defensive investment and diversification tool within a wider portfolio. If you want cautious equities, it fits the bill.

Insurance companies also tend to produce a good overall yield  a yield that comes from both dividends and share buybacks  so total returns get a great boost. Its long-term compounding at its best, and another option for income-hungry clients.

My favourite fund in this sector is Polar Capital Global Insurance. For starters, its fortune doesnt depend on the whims of mother nature  it has a little bit of catastrophe insurance, but not much.

And rather than looking at the big insurers that we are all familiar with for our everyday insurance needs, the managers of this fund concentrate on the underwriting companies and niche players that have something different to offer.

The fund has a natural bias towards smaller and medium-sized companies listed in the US, Bermuda and London, as they are particularly keyed in to these markets.

They also prefer company management to have a stake in the business, so their interests are aligned with their shareholders.

The bias towards the US and Bermuda also means this fund can be, and often is, used as the dollar bucket in a wider portfolio.

There are usually around 30 to 35 stocks in the fund, so it really is investing in just their very best ideas. The managers run a watch list of around the same number  ready alternatives should they decide to sell a company.

The turnover is pretty low, however, as, in their words, the dispersion of quality is vast in this sector  good companies tend to stay that way and the bad ones go bust. So they typically change just two or three companies each year.

Even a possible Brexit, which may weigh heavily on London-based stocks in the coming weeks, should have little impact on the sector.

Most insurance business is placed locally, where companies have people on the ground. If the risk is complicated, then they go to the big global companies like Lloyds of London, as the deals they tend to underwrite need their technical knowledge and expertise.
Seven major dairy farms in west Wales with combined annual milk production of about 40m litres have been given nine months notice on their supply contracts by Freshways.

In a letter to producers, the company, which describes itself as the UKs largest independent processing dairy, blamed oversupply, with customers taking advantage of cheaper spot price milk.

The current average farmgate price paid to farmers by Freshways is 21.02p/litre.

See also: Expect more milk price falls, EU warns

One of the farmers affected, who asked not to be named, admitted the news had been a bombshell. The letter came out of the blue  we had no hint that this was on the cards, he told Farmers Weekly. The location of the farms, on the western tip of Wales, was a deciding factor.

The farmer had an element of sympathy for Freshways. The spot milk price is creating havoc in the market, he said. We have changed our feeding system to get rid of all our B-litres, because there is no profit to be made in producing milk at 12-14p/litre.

But other farmers need to wake up and realise if they dont make changes to their own systems to stop oversupply, the market is never going to recover.

He said he and the six other farmer suppliers faced the prospect of having no milk buyer from 3 December.

Loss of customer contracts

Bali Nijjar, managing director of Freshways, confirmed the contract terminations were the result of other processors sourcing cheap milk from the spot market and this had led to the loss of customer contracts.

We have lost some contracts as people look for raw milk and packed milk which is not aligned to farmgate prices, but more to commodity and oversupply based prices, he said.

Mr Nijjar suggested if there was a shift in the market, the seven farmers could see their contracts reinstated.

December is a long way away yet and if we can find additional contracts, then we will look at retaining them, but no guarantees are being given. We cannot be in a substantial oversupply position at any time.

Aled Jones, NFU Cymrus milk committee chairman, urged farmers to consider the value in producing milk from their marginal cows. There are different ways we can reduce production to get the market back into some sort of balance.
Milk producers are being asked to pave the way for a multi-million pound campaign that will promote and develop the market for UK dairy products.

Proposals by AHDB Dairy would see 1m of levy money earmarked to kick-start the campaign  with the same amount of money invested by Dairy UK.

Farmers representatives will be asked to approve the plan during an AHDB Dairy board meeting on (16 March).

See also: More effort needed to put dairy on the daily menu, say MPs

AHDB Dairy board chairman Gwyn Jones said the proposals represented a major market development for UK milk.

Highlighting milks health and nutritional benefits would lay the foundations for promotional campaigns for dairy processors, he suggested.

We have completely revamped our budget to make this money available, Mr Jones told Farmers Weekly.

If the plans were approved, AHDB Dairy and Dairy UK hoped to lever in further funding from the EU, he added.

With 6-8m you can really do something.

Rather than simply urging consumers to drink more milk, AHDB Dairy would promote dairy farming  encouraging a better understanding of dairying and its health benefits among consumers, said Mr Jones.

Processors would then build on that foundation to promote their dairy brands.

The proposal has been drawn up in response to calls from farmers for AHDB Dairy to do more to promote milk.

We need to ensure this is a professional campaign that is properly run, said Mr Jones. We have a great product and there is a great story behind it.

Research and development would continue, but would be scaled back so the 1m could be released although it was likely that further adjustments to the AHDB Dairy budget would be necessary.

We have listened and found this money  hard though it has been, said Mr Jones.

Dairy UK, which represents processors, said a properly funded industry development body was important.

There were opportunities for domestic market development as well as the development and expansion of overseas markets for British dairy products, it said.

A targeted, pre-competitive marketing campaign by AHDB Dairy would reinforce the value of dairy products to consumers, said Dairy UK.

Doing so would complement and magnify brand marketing activity by processors, it suggested.

A Dairy UK spokeswoman said: We think there is a lot more that we can do to stimulate demand  especially with the younger generation.

We need a campaign that complements processors efforts and underpins their expenditure.
More than 40 Gaffney High students will compete for titles in the 2023 Miss Cherokeean Pageant being held this Saturday, Oct. 22. The pageant will begin at 6 p.m. in ...

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As you go through life, you will likely have longand short-term financial goals. But how will your strategies for meeting your long-term goals differ from those needed for your short-term...
ROSE (roz) n. One of the most beautiful of all flowers, a symbol of fragrance and loveliness. Often given as a sign of appreciation.

RASPBERRY (razbere) n. A sharp, scornful comment, criticism or rebuke; a derisive, splatting noise, often called the Bronx cheer.

We hereby deliver:

ROSES to the Corvallis Public Schools Foundation, which celebrated its 20th anniversary on Thursday with a fundraising breakfast, Hands Across Corvallis, held at the Corvallis Country Club.

The foundation, a separate entity from the Corvallis School District, works to support students and teachers through grants and other programs. It also works to support economically disadvantaged and homeless students  and it always surprises people to learn that the Corvallis School District has about 220 homeless students.

Thursdays breakfast paid tribute to the oldest living graduates that foundation officials could find, and it was fun to hear about those three folks, all of whom attended the breakfast: Leighton Davis, Corvallis High School class of 1936; Steve Besse, Corvallis High class of 1937; and Mary Louise Beach, Corvallis High class of 1938.

But they were upstaged by a pair of soon-to-be Corvallis High School graduates, Adriana Monroy and Janet Amador. Both of these engaging and confident young women have benefited from the districts AVID program, which aims to help students gain the skills needed to succeed in college. (The program puts a particular emphasis on helping students who will be the first members of their families to attend college.) Monroy is headed to Linfield College in the fall; Amador will be studying at the University of Oregon.

It was inspiring to hear their stories. At a time when public schools come in for their share of criticism (not all of which is undeserved), it was refreshing to be reminded of the power of education to make a real difference in real lives.

ROSES, for real, to the Willamette Valley Chapter of Zonta Club, which again this week carried through with a lovely mid-valley tradition: On International Womens Day, which fell this year on Tuesday, club members fanned out through the region, delivering yellow roses to people who have performed exceptional service to their communities.

The theme this year for Zonta Rose Day was to honor people working on integration therapies through music, art and animal-assisted recovery and care. It was inspiring (theres that word again) to read about the recipients, each working in some way to provide art therapy or hospice services or to offer comfort to those in need. So, another round of ROSES to each recipient and also to the Zonta Club members for organizing this effort each year.

RASPBERRIES to springing forward. This weekend brings the start of daylight saving time, which begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, when were expected to set our clocks forward one hour and therefore lose an hour of sleep. We know that in theory, we get the hour back when daylight saving time ends, but you know what? It never seems to work out that way, and the older we get, the more we miss that hour.

No wonder, then, that a recent poll from PEMCO Insurance Northwest showed that only 21 percent of Oregon and Washington residents support the current practice of switching our clocks back and forth. Maybe this daylight saving time thing has run its course.

The time switch does have one benefit, however: It always makes for a good time to check to see if your smoke detectors are working. In Oregon, this worthwhile project comes with an asterisk: Before automatically replacing the batteries, check to see if the detector is working. Oregon law requires ionization-only smoke alarms that are powered solely by batteries to come equipped with a 10-year battery.

Regardless, these time-change weekends offer a good opportunity to make sure your smoke alarms are working. Because smoke alarms only save lives if theyre functional.

ROSES to the Oregon State University womens basketball team, for winning the Pac-12 Conference tournament for the first time on Sunday with a dominating victory over UCLA, a good team. Despite the teams recent success, the tournament title always had been elusive  until the weekend, when the Beavers put together three outstanding games.

Next stop for the team: The NCAA tournament. It seems likely that the Beavers will get to host the first two rounds, and it would be terrific if fans packed Gill Coliseum for those games.

As always, RASPBERRIES to scammers. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum this week released the annual list of the top consumer complaints referred to her office. The list had a new No. 1 complaint this year, and by a wide margin: More than 2,300 Oregon residents complained about the so-called impostor scam calls.

You know all about these calls, but heres the basic outline: Somebody calls you and says theyre from the jail or the IRS or some other official outfit. (This particular scam spawns plenty of variations.) In any event, the caller says youre in trouble or a loved one is in trouble, and the only way to get out of it is to send the caller some cash, preferably in the form of cash cards.

Ironically, the day after Rosenblum released the list, State Treasurer Ted Wheeler reported that scammers claiming to be from the Treasury were calling potential victims, trying to score cash from frightened people.

Dont fall for it. Hang up and call your local law-enforcement agency.
Since its development as a political movement in the 1700s, socialism has spread to numerous nations, especially in Asia and Africa. Yet even when the U.S. government began adopting socialist policies (see: the New Deal), Americans tended to reject any direct connections to socialism. Why is that?

One possible answer may be that America is simply too religious. As Andrew R. Lewis and Paul A. Djupe of FiveThirtyEight explain:

To understand the relationship between socialist values and religion, we used the 2013 Public Religion Research Institutes Economic Values Study. As part of the survey, respondents were asked how much they agreed with a battery of statements regarding economic values, including It is the responsibility of the government to take care of people who cant take care of themselves, The government should do more to reduce the gap between the rich and poor and The government should guarantee health insurance for all citizens. We combined these into a socialism scale, the results of which suggest the average American is just left of center. The conventional wisdom is that the individualist, evangelical style of American religion is a strong antidote to socialism. If faith alone can lead you to salvation, then efforts to reshape society are beside the point. But the animosity between them has been more pointed, especially regarding so called Godless communists who portrayed religion as the opiate of the masses. In these data, those who agreed that social problems would be resolved if enough people had a personal relationship with God were 20 percent less socialist than those who disagreed. A worldview that pits faith directly against collective action explains clearly why collectivist efforts have traditionally foundered in the U.S.

Based on this data, its not surprising that the Americans who are most supportive of socialism are the nones. As Lewis and Djupe note, Nones are 10 percent more socialist, on average, than religious Americans.
Lassa fever : American health worker dies in Cologne

Cologne An American health care worker in Togo was evacuated to Cologne and died one day later from Lassa fever. Officials do not see a danger for the public.

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An American man who was a health care worker in Togo died in Cologne of Lassa Fever. He had taken ill in Togo and was flown to Cologne on February 26 for medical treatment. According to the University Clinic in Cologne, the 46-year-old man, had been diagnosed with malaria when he was evacuated from Africa.

Lassa fever, like Ebola and Dengue fever is an acute hemorrhagic fever. University Clinic spokesperson Timo Mugge said the American patient died the day after he arrived in Cologne. It was first diagnosed after his death that he had suffered from Lassa fever.

Lassa virus can cause high fever, head and muscle ache, bleeding from the skin, vomiting and diarrhea. According to the Robert-Koch-Institute, affected persons must be strictly isolated. Professor Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit of the Bernard-Nocht-Institute says the virus is transmitted through contact with bodily secretions such as vomit and diarrhea, and especially blood. He says the virus is not an airborne transmitted virus.

Health authorities say the proper precautions were taken to keep the virus from spreading when the man was transferred from Africa to Germany. Apparently, the mans family had been doing missionary work in Togo. 33 workers from the University Clinic and twelve health authorities who have had contact with him are being quarantined at home and are under medical supervision. Officials do not see a health danger to the public.
Adolf Hitler did not say : The state must declare the child to be the most precious treasure of the people. As long as the government is per...
University of Bonn : Bonns University ranks in European top 50

Bonn A recent British publication ranks the University of Bonn in the top 50 European universities and top 100 worldwide.

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A recently published study in the British magazine Times Higher Education (THE) gave the Friedrich Wilhelms University in Bonn a high rating. In the annual scientific review of universities by the magazine, the Bonn university was able to position itself very well in an international field.

Published on Thursday, the study shows the university in first place in North Rhine Westphalia (NRW), and in eighth place in all of Germany. Worldwide, it ranked 94 among the top 100 universities. In Europe, the research institute founded in 1818 rated 39 place. Rector Michael Hoch said this high ranking from THE is a confirmation that the University of Bonn is making positive developments in the right direction.

In determining the rankings, THE collects data on 13 different criteria including how often the university is cited and how many international students are enrolled. Ratio of staff per student and the percentage of graduate students also play a role.
Burglar gang : Six men to have committed 100 break-ins

Bonn At the end of 2015, police were able to catch a band of six thieves who are alleged to be responsible for numerous burglaries not only in Bonn and Rhine-Sieg county, but nationwide and in all of Europe.

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More information was made available yesterday by the investigative unit deputy director, Stefan Thiel. Six Albanian men, ages 19 to 43 are alleged to have broken in to numerous homes between August and November.

Police say the men used a drill to make a hole under the door or window handle, then fed a wire through the hole and used this to lift the handle. After this type of method was seen more and more often by police, they sought contact with other colleagues in search of a pattern and discovered a connection to Gera, a German city south of Leipzig. Burglaries in Gera had been committed using the same drilling method.

Clues led police to two Albanian men who were asylum seekers living in a shelter in Gera, supported by welfare. Investigators allege the men came to Bonn regularly to commit burglaries, staying in a hotel in the Aldstadt (old part of Bonn city). Four other suspects also became known to police during their investigations, all of them in Germany illegally.

Apparently, the men rotated in committing the actual break-ins. Sometimes they broke in between 2:00 and 4:00 a.m. but Thiel said this was uncommon. On November 23, police searched the hotel where the men were staying and found many stolen items, mainly money and jewelry. It is thought that these items would be sold to a middleman somewhere in the vicinity, but police were not able to find this person. The six men were taken into custody, and are thought to have committed some 100 burglaries.
 Palestinian Evangelical Leader: Yep, We're Anti-Zionists | Main | CAMERA Tells Times Dispatch: No, 'Moderates' Did Not Win in the Iran Elections 

March 11, 2016

UPDATE: Peace Now Head Condemns Extrajudicial Killings, Not Self-Defense

(Note: This post was corrected on March 14, 2016. CAMERA, relying on a report from Israel National News, erred in saying that Peace Now's General Director, Yariv Oppenheimer, criticized terror victim Yonatan Azarihab for defending himself. In fact, Oppenheimer was criticizing those who, after Azarihab neutralized the Palestinian terrorist, killed him. CAMERA regrets the error)

The head of Peace Now, an Israel-based organization that repeatedly has opposed the policies of the Israeli government, has condemned Israeli responders to a Palestinian terror attack for committing an "extrajudicial" killing by shooting the terrorist.

Yariv Oppenheimer, the head of the organization, accused Israelis responding to the scene of an attack in Petach Tikva on March 8, 2016 of executing? the terrorist without trial.

Eleven persons were wounded in terror attacks that day in Jaffa and Petach Tikva. The Jaffa attacks took the life of tourist and U.S. Army veteran Taylor Force, 29, a graduate student at Vanderbilt University.

During the assault in Petach Tikva, one of the victims, Yonatan Azarihab fought back. After being stabbed in the neck, the Israeli removed the knife from his own body and then used it to stab the terrorist who reportedly had set about to find other victims.

According to Israel National News (Artuz Sheva), Oppenheimer took to the social media platform, Twitter, claiming Israeli responders executed the terrorist:

This is how it goes [,] from neutralizing terrorist to execution without trial.?

Contrary to numerous instances of poor and biased anti-Israel media coverage (for a list of some examples, see Wave of Palestinian Violence Accompanied by Spate of Bad Writing, ?CAMERA, Oct. 14, 2015), Oppenheimer claimed in the present atmosphere, no one in the media dares to report and deal with the issue.? Perhaps this is because in reality the issue? of Israeli extrajudicial killings as covered by news media has been minimal, unlike the wave of Palestinian Arabs wantonly trying to murder Israelis.



CAMERA has previously noted (Israeli Court: Peace Now Lied, Must Pay Now,? Dec. 23, 2008) Peace Nows credibility problem. Among other instances, the advocacy group falsely claimed that a large proportion of the settlements built on the West Bank are built on privately owned Palestinian land,? including 86.4 percent of the Jewish community of Maale Adumim and 35.5 percent of Ariel. After repeatedly refusing to address concerns with these numbers raised by CAMERA and others, the group was forced to admit that only 0.54 percent of Maale Adumims land was privately owned by Palestinian Arabsan error of nearly 16,000 percent.

In 2008, a similar failure by the group to admit another false claim regarding Israeli settlements and Palestinian-owned property led to a successful libel suit, in which Peace Now and some staffers were ordered to compensate aggrieved parties and to issue public apologies.

Despite this court decision, some media outlets still treat Peace Now as an unquestionably credible source, failing to provide details of the groups history to their readers (see, for example, Post-Watch: Washington Post Discredits Itself on Israel,? CAMERA, Dec. 9, 2011).

If Peace Now can document extrajudicial killings of terrorists already incapacitated by would-be victims, passers-by or police or other members of security forces, it should detail the evidence, not take to 140-character tweets.





Posted by SD at March 11, 2016 10:55 AM

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Pentagon spy drones flown over US: Report

Iran Press TV

Thu Mar 10, 2016 1:15PM

The US Defense Department has deployed drones several times to spy over American soil for non-military missions over the past decade, according to a new report.

The spy drone missions have occurred fewer than 20 times between 2006 and 2015 and always in compliance with existing law, according to a Pentagon report obtained by USA Today under the Freedom of Information Act.

The Pentagon has publicly posted at least a partial list of the drone missions that have flown in non-military airspace over the United States, USA Today reported on Wednesday.

Use of spy drones over the United States became public in 2013 when former FBI director Robert Mueller testified before Congress that the agency employed spy drones during investigations on rare occasions.

Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said it is good news no legal violations were found, yet the technology is so advanced that it's possible laws may require revision.

'Sometimes, new technology changes so rapidly that existing law no longer fit what people think are appropriate,' Stanley said. 'It's important to remember that the American people do find this to be a very, very sensitive topic.'

The inspector general analysis was completed March 20, 2015, but not released publicly until last Friday.

The analysis found that the Pentagon established interim guidance in 2006 allowed spy drones to be used for homeland defense purposes in the US and to assist civil authorities.

The United States regularly uses drones for airstrikes and spying missions in Afghanistan as well as Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt near the Afghan border. Washington has also been conducting targeted killings through remotely-controlled armed drones in Somalia and Yemen.

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B-2s conduct deployment to Indo-Asia-Pacific

By U.S. Strategic Command Public Affairs, / Published March 10, 2016

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. (AFNS) -- Three B-2 Spirits deployed from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, to the U.S. Pacific Command area of operations March 8.

While in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, the B-2s will integrate and conduct training with ally and partner air forces, and conduct a radio communications check with a U.S. air operations center.

This deployment will ensure bomber crews maintain a high state of readiness and crew proficiency, and will provide opportunities to integrate capabilities with key regional partners.

"These flights ensure we remain ready to deter strategic attack, now and into the future, and are one of the many ways the U.S. demonstrates its commitment to security and stability across the globe," said Adm. Cecil D. Haney, U.S. Strategic Command commander. "Additionally, these efforts provide invaluable opportunities to build relationships and interoperability between the U.S. and ally and partner forces."

"Strategic bomber deployments ensure our ability to project power at a time and place of our choosing and develop strong interoperability with our regional allies and partners," said Gen. Lori J. Robinson, Pacific Air Forces commander. "Recent events demonstrate the continued need to provide consistent and credible air power throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. Our ability to demonstrate credible combat power while training and interoperating with our network of like-minded partner nations is vitally important."

U.S. Strategic Command routinely demonstrates its capability to command, control and conduct global bomber missions, most recently by deploying B-52 Stratofortresses into the U.S. European Command area of responsibility earlier this month.

USSTRATCOM bombers regularly rotate through the Indo-Asia-Pacific to conduct USPACOM-led air operations, providing leaders with deterrent options to maintain regional stability.

One of nine Defense Department unified combatant commands, USSTRATCOM has global strategic missions, assigned through the Unified Command Plan, which include strategic deterrence; space operations; cyberspace operations; joint electronic warfare; global strike; missile defense; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; combating weapons of mass destruction; and analysis and targeting.

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Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, March 10, 2016  U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted five strikes in Syria:

-- Near Raqqah, two strikes struck an ISIL headquarters and an ISIL logistics facility.

-- Near Hawl, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL vehicle bomb.

-- Near Mar'a, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, fighter and ground attack aircraft and rocket artillery conducted 15 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:

-- Near Baghdadi, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Kirkuk, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

-- Near Kisik, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Mosul, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Qayyarah, a strike destroyed an ISIL rocket rail.

-- Near Ramadi, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL heavy machine guns, two ISIL supply caches, 11 ISIL improvised explosive devices, three ISIL vehicles and an ISIL vehicle bomb and denied ISIL access to terrain.

-- Near Sinjar, five strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area, an ISIL tactical vehicle, 12 ISIL rocket rails, an ISIL supply cache and six ISIL fighting positions.

-- Near Tal Afar, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

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Official Says ISIL Contained, Taliban Fracturing in Afghanistan

By Cheryl Pellerin DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, March 10, 2016  Fighters affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant are contained to one district in Afghanistan and the Taliban is fracturing into separate groups, the deputy chief of staff for communication for NATO's Resolute Support Mission said today.

Army Brig. Gen. Wilson A. Shoffner briefed the Pentagon press corps via teleconference from Kabul.

Shoffner said Afghan forces are keeping pressure on the Taliban and, thanks to new legal authority granted in January to conduct strikes against ISIL militants in Afghanistan, also on ISIL fighters in that country.

"[ISIL] is contained in Nangarhar province and the strikes we're [conducting] continue to have an effect," Shoffner said, adding that the effect is a combination of strikes and pressure by Afghan forces and the Taliban.

Operationally Emergent

The NATO coalition characterizes ISIL as operationally emergent, meaning they aren't able to orchestrate operations in more than one part of the country at a time, Shoffner said.

"We're also not seeing what we consider command and control by [ISIL] elements in Iraq or Syria orchestrating operations here in Afghanistan. We're not seeing a significant amount of external funding and that's one of the reasons [ISIL] has struggled here," he explained.

When ISIL tries to generate revenue streams in Afghanistan, they often muscle in on Taliban activities, Shoffner said, "whether it's illegal checkpoints or the narco trade or trade in other illicit goods."

Most ISIL activity is confined to Nangarhar province, the general said, although low-level attempts at propaganda and recruiting have been seen in more than 20 areas in Afghanistan, none of which have taken root.

ISIL in Afghanistan

Many ISIL-affiliated fighters are former Pakistani Taliban who shifted allegiance because of a push by Pakistan over several years against the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Shoffner said.

"If you asked me last summer to categorize [ISIL] in eastern Afghanistan, I would have said there were roughly six to seven provinces. If you asked me that question two months ago before the authorities changed, I would have told you it was four to five districts in Nangarhar province," he said.

Now, the general said, ISIL is mainly contained in one district in Nangarhar province, one of 404 districts in the country.

"That doesn't mean that they're not a strategic threat to Afghanistan  [or] to the region. That doesn't mean we take them any less seriously," Shoffner noted.

The ISIL-affiliated fighters are much more contained in Afghanistan than in Iraq or Syria, the general said, adding, "We want to keep it that way, that's why it's important to keep the pressure up on them."

Spike in Fighting

But the main effort in Afghanistan is centered on the train, advise and assist mission and helping Afghan security institutions, Shoffner said.

Afghan forces have seen a spike in fighting in central Helmand over the past two weeks tied to the poppy harvest, he added.

"The poppy harvest  will start here in late March. Once the harvest gets underway we expect  a lull in activity. What we're seeing now is the Taliban positioning itself so they have control over the roadways, the networks [and] the ways and means they need to get the poppy crop to harvest. Over half of the Taliban's income comes from poppies," the general said.

But over the past few months, infighting has produced new Taliban groups, Shoffner said, "and we see that manifest itself in Helmand as well."

Splintering Taliban

In northern Helmand the coalition has seen the emergence of three separate Taliban groups that don't seem to be loyal to Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, "so it will be very interesting to see where the revenue goes amongst those three groups and where their loyalties lie," the general said.

The splintering of the Taliban may provide opportunities for reconciliation with the Afghan government, or it could induce some of them to join ISIL, he added.

"We're seeing that more in the east than in Helmand although we did see some attempts of that in 2015," Shoffner said. "[ISIL] did not have a fundamental ideological appeal to them, but it may have appeal with regard to being able to provide better funding, better weapons and better leadership."

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Secretary General: NATO-EU cooperation essential in a challenging world

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

10 Mar. 2016

Visiting the European Commission on Thursday (10 March 2016), Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed the vital importance of the relationship between NATO and the European Union. After meeting Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Mr. Stoltenberg welcomed the organisations' deepening ties, saying, "that is something we need more than ever, because we face a more challenging security environment."

In responding to Europe's worst refugee and migrant crisis since the Second World War, the Secretary General said that NATO and the EU are working together more closely than before. He noted that NATO is now present in the territorial waters of Greece and Turkey, and that "we are planning to move further south in the coming days and weeks". This will help Greece, Turkey, and Frontex build a common picture of the situation, and support their efforts to cut lines of human trafficking.

The Secretary General welcomed that NATO's Maritime Command and Frontex have now agreed operational and tactical level arrangements, enabling the exchange of liaison officers and the sharing of information in real-time.

Secretary General Stoltenberg and President Juncker also discussed ways to increase joint work to counter hybrid threats in areas including early warning, supporting critical infrastructure, and cyber. The Secretary General underlined that the European Council in June and NATO's Warsaw Summit in July will be "important milestones", marking a unique opportunity to deepen our cooperation.

"I believe that a strong Europe is good for NATO, and that a strong NATO is good for Europe," the Secretary General said. "Based on that common understanding, we very much welcome that we are expanding our cooperation."

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USS Porter Conducts First SeaRAM Firing from DDG

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS160310-14

Release Date: 3/10/2016 12:16:00 PM

By Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems Public Affairs

ATLANTIC OCEAN (NNS) -- Sailors of USS Porter (DDG 78), a guided-missile destroyer stationed in Rota, Spain, successfully completed a live-fire test from a SeaRAM missile system March 4.

SeaRAM, which replaced Porter's aft Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) mount, is a self-contained detect-to-engage ship self-defense capability that combines the sensor systems of a CIWS with an 11-round Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) launcher.

'The addition of this advanced weapon system to Porter's arsenal is extremely welcome,' said Cmdr. Andria Slough, USS Porter's commanding officer. 'It is a culmination of the cooperation of several program offices and agencies, both at sea and ashore, ensuring that out here on the front lines, we receive the capabilities we need, when we need them.'

The SeaRAM installation aboard Porter took place as a response to a formal Urgent Operational Need for forward-deployed naval forces in Europe. Porter is the first of four DDGs to receive the Mk 15 SeaRAM Missile System equipped with enhanced capability RAM Block 2 missiles.

Additionally, the live-fire Combat Systems Ship Qualification Trial (CSSQT) represented the first cooperative effort between NAVSEA agencies and El Arenosillo Test Range off the coast of Huelva, Spain. The success of this CSSQT concluded a year's worth of ground-breaking effort for the engineering and acquisition professionals at NAVSEA.

'This team was able to go from white paper concept to live-fire testing in 12 months,' said Rear Adm. Jon Hill, of Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS). 'Our weapons, ship integration, and testing experts coordinated across a number of commands and organizations to identify assets, execute critical engineering requirements, deliver equipment, complete system installation, and conduct testing on a foreign test range ... all in record time; professionally and with the urgency of meeting a critical warfighting need.'

PEO IWS is an affiliated Program Executive Office of the Naval Sea Systems Command. PEO IWS is responsible for spearheading surface ship and submarine combat technologies and systems, and for implementing Navy enterprise solutions across ship platforms.



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Combat Logistics Regiment 35 Tours USNS Sacagawea Before Exercise Ssang Yong 16

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS160310-15

Release Date: 3/10/2016 12:21:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Madailein Abbott, Commander Task Force 73, Public Affairs

GWANGYANG, South Korea (NNS) -- The commanding officer of Combat Logistics Regiment 35 (CLR-35) toured Military Sealift Command's (MSC) dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2) March 8, prior to his organization's upcoming embark in support of exercise Ssang Yong 2016 (SY16).

'We're very excited to come aboard the Sacagawea, we feel like this is part of our home,' said Marine Col. Ronald C. Braney, commanding officer, CLR-35, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, out of Okinawa, Japan. 'We have a great command and control center onboard, which really brings us a lot of capability if we were ever needed for a crisis response mission. We're looking forward to working with Sacagawea (crew) in this upcoming exercise.'

Braney said while this was his first time working together with the Sacagawea, CLR-35 has worked with the Sacagawea crew before in previous offload operations.

CLR-35 provides integrated intermediate supply and maintenance support to III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) including isolated components in garrison and when deployed as a MEF or as a part of a Marine Air Ground Task Force in expeditionary conditions.

The tour consisted of visits to areas such as cargo spaces, weather decks, hangar capabilities and other storage spaces of interest to CLR-35 and the equipment they would likely bring with them as part of their routine operations. Capt. Robert Rochford, commodore of Maritime Prepositioning Ships Squadron 3 (MPSRON 3), also sat down with Braney and other Marines to discuss the details of the upcoming exercise.

SY16 is the largest multilateral amphibious exercise to date. It is a biennial exercise conducted by integrated Marine Expeditionary Brigade/Navy Expeditionary Strike Group, forward-deployed forces with the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy and Marine Corps designed to strengthen interoperability and working relationships across a wide range of military operations ranging from disaster relief to complex expeditionary operations.

U.S. Marines will deploy cargo offloaded from the MSC ships to the field for their participation in SY16 exercise, which includes more than 17,000 joint forces. The exercise takes place at various training areas primarily throughout southern and southeastern ROK. In addition to offload activities three additional MSC ships will be conducting seabasing operations as part of SY16.

All units will return to their home base at the conclusion of the exercises.

MSC operates approximately 115 non-combatant, civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world and move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners.

MPSRON 3, operating in the western Pacific, maintains tactical control of the 12 ships carrying afloat prepositioned U.S. military cargo for the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Air Force. The squadron's mission is to enable force from the sea by providing swift and effective transportation of vital equipment and supplies for designated operations.

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US, Kuwait Armed Forces Bilateral Amphibious Exercise Concludes

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS160310-23

Release Date: 3/10/2016 3:51:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aren Everett, USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) Public Affairs

KUWAIT (NNS) -- The Kearsarge Amphibious Readiness Group (KSGARG) participated in Amphibious Landing Exercise 2016 (PHIBLEX-16) Feb. 14 to March 9.

PHIBLEX-16 is a U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (USNAVCENT)-led bilateral amphibious and ground exercise between the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the Kuwait Armed Forces to increase tactical proficiency, broaden levels of cooperation, enhance mutual capability and support long-term regional security and stability.

U.S. Navy exercise participants included Amphibious Squadron 4 (CPR 4), amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) and amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24). U.S. Marine Corps participants included the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade Command Element, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), and Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force (SPMAGTF). Task Force 50, 51, 53 and 56 joined the Kuwait Armed Forces in the Arabian Gulf and ashore.

'The primary goal of PHIBLEX-16 is to train as an ARG/MEU,' said Marine Maj. James W. Birchfield, 26th MEU operations officer. 'This exercise provided us the ability to aggregate as a MEU and conduct amphibious assault operations, projecting the MEU ashore from amphibious ships.'

'The Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group, along with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, was able to enhance our operability and cooperation with our Kuwaiti partners,' said Capt. Augustus P. Bennett, commodore of Amphibious Squadron 4. 'The ship-to-shore movement of personnel and equipment by LCAC, LCU and AAV amphibious vessels, including MV-22 Osprey and CH-53 aircraft, were orchestrated and pre-planned events during PHIBLEX-16, executed flawlessly by all participants. The U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and Kuwait Armed Forces came together as one coalition force and increased the tactical proficiency of our ships and personnel, and enhanced regional security and stability in the region.'

During the exercise, nearly 1,000 Marines from the Echo, Fox and Gulf companies of the MEU embarked Arlington, Oak Hill and Kearsarge, and were transported to shore to participate in PHIBLEX-16.

As part of the exercise, Marines conducted scenario-based drills such as medical evacuations of injured personnel as well as an embassy reinforcement drill.

In addition to scenario-based training, Marines were able to train in basic warrior skills, such as combat-life savers, small unit leader courses and live-fire ranges.

'All in all, about a thousand Marines were able to participate in live-fire and sustainment training for 10 days,' said Birchfield. 'The combat logistics battalion was able to exercise their primary role, which is maintenance, sustainability and support of infantry operations.'

Arlington, on her maiden voyage, was moored in the Port of Shuaiba, Kuwait, during PHIBLEX-16. She was the reception platform for the 25th anniversary of the Liberation of Kuwait with music performed by the Air Force Central Command Band 'Galaxy.'

Among the distinguished visitors for the ceremonial occasion was the U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait Douglas Silliman; Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Vice Adm. Kevin M. Donegan; Commander of Naval Forces Kuwait, Maj. Gen. Khaled Al-Kandari and Commander of Task Force 51, Marine Maj. Gen. Carl E. Mundy.

The Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group consists of Amphibious Squadron 4 (CPR 4), USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), USS Arlington (LPD 24) and USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) and with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations.

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South Sudan troops deliberately suffocated 60: Amnesty

Iran Press TV

Thu Mar 10, 2016 6:47PM

Amnesty International has accused South Sudanese army troops of committing a war crime by deliberately suffocating dozens of people stuffed into baking hot shipping container last year.

The Britain-based rights group said in a report on Thursday that the perpetrators of the war crime, which took place at a Catholic church compound in town of Leer in Unity State last October, must be brought before a court of justice and face prosecution.

The Juba government has denied the allegations against its troops.

The report is based on accounts by nearly two dozen eyewitnesses who saw the victims being forced into the container with their hands tied or saw the bodies later dragged away and dumped.

"Witnesses described hearing the detainees crying and screaming in distress and banging on the walls of the shipping container, which they said had no windows or other form of ventilation," the report said.

"They said that civilian and military officials had direct knowledge that the detainees were in distress and dying but did nothing to help them," the report added.

Relatives of those killed told the rights group that the victims, "were cattle keepers, traders and students, not fighters."

According to Amnesty, one witness saw government soldiers open the container, remove four corpses and then, "close the container again on the remaining detainees who were still alive inside."

"What we saw was tragic... the container was full of people. They had fallen over one another and on to the floor. There were so many people," the witness added.

The massacre was first reported in Unity State last month by the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), a regional ceasefire body pushing peace efforts.

South Sudan plunged into violence in December 2013, when fighting erupted between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and defectors led by his former deputy Riek Machar around the capital, Juba.

The conflict soon turned into an all-out war between the army and the defectors, with the violence taking on an ethnic dimension that pitted the president's Dinka tribe against Machar's Nuer ethnic group.

Despite the August 2015 peace deal, battles persist across the country. There are numerous militia forces that do not abide by peace agreements and are driven by local agendas.

International organizations and rights group have accused both the government and rebel sides of committing war crimes during the civil war, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than two million people.

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China warns Japan over territorial dispute

Iran Press TV

Thu Mar 10, 2016 11:36AM

Beijing has accused Tokyo of interfering in disputes over the South China Sea after the Philippines said it would lease five planes from Japan to help patrol the contested waters.

On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Beijing was "resolutely opposed" to challenges to its sovereignty and security and would "remain on high alert."

China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, which is also claimed in part by Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

'We urge the Japanese side to mind its words and actions and refrain from undermining the peace and stability of the region,' Lei said.

Last week, defense ministers from the Philippines and Japan signed a defense equipment and technology agreement, formalizing an arrangement already approved in principle in November 2015.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino confirmed that the Southeast Asian state would lease "from Japan five TC-90 training aircraft to assist our navy in patrolling" what the Philippines views as its territory.

Aquino did not say when the Japanese aircraft would arrive.

The Philippine military is allocating 83 billion pesos ($1.77 billion) until 2017 to upgrade and modernize its air force and navy.

The US and South Korea, both allies of the Philippines, have already offered help to bolster the country's air capabilities. Aquino announced the arrival this year of two refurbished C130 transport planes from the United States.

The Philippine military already plans to acquire a squadron of multi-role fighters, air-to-ground missile batteries, early warning aircraft and drones.

Relations between China and Japan have long been troubled by a territorial dispute as well as by what China regards as Japan's failure to properly compensate its World War II-era atrocities.

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UN chief presents Security Council with special measures to curb sexual exploitation

10 March 2016  Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today presented to the Security Council special measures aimed at ending impunity, helping and supporting victims, and strengthening accountability as part of a more effective collective response to sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations personnel.

"I am determined that the United Nations must lead by example. Sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations personnel demands nothing less than decisive, bold action," the Secretary-General told the 15-member body.

He underlined that sexual exploitation "is a global issue" and "is not confined to any one region, mission or nation."

In his briefing, Mr. Ban stressed his strong commitment "to working with Member States to confront this criminal conduct, and to justify the trust of the people we serve, to ensure that this Organization remains a beacon of hope for the most vulnerable."

Special measures

The Secretary-General's report, which was made public on Friday, lists for the first time the names of the countries of alleged perpetrators, a measure meant to end impunity by increasing transparency.

The report shows an increase in the number of new allegations in 2015, with 69 of the total 99 allegations lodged against UN personnel serving in peace operations.

The UN is finalizing the establishment of a trust fund that will provide the victims, many of whom are children, with medical, psychosocial and legal services.

In his briefing to the Council, Mr. Ban encouraged Member States to make voluntary contributions to the fund. States have also been asked to approve the transfer to the trust fund of payments that will be withheld in substantiated cases of sexual exploitation and abuse.

Troop- and police-contributing countries have also been urged to designate paternity focal points, who will follow up "vigorously" to ensure that children borne of these abuses received the necessary support, Mr. Ban said.

"Member States must also consider how they will respond to claims from victims who pursue legal action to seek redress," he noted.

The UN is also calling for the development of "uniformly high standards of investigation" and the creation of immediate response teams to gather and preserve evidence.

"All investigations should be concluded within six months at most, with the most urgent cases concluded within three months," Mr. Ban said, urging Member States to adopt this standard and to cooperate with the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) in the conduct of investigations.

Monitoring accountability

Mr. Ban underscored to the Council his strong commitment to monitoring accountability for violations.

"Where appropriate, this will include taking action up to and including the repatriation of commanders, or of whole contingents," he stated.

This has already been put into practice in the Central African Republic (CAR), where troops have been repatriated due to alleged sexual exploitation and abuse.

"I will also consider ending the deployment of uniformed personnel from specific Member States if there is prima facie evidence of widespread or systemic exploitation and abuse," Mr. Ban warned.

He stressed that accountability demands that Member States bring to justice the perpetrators, as a matter of responsibility.

These proposed measures also include on-site court martial proceedings, collection of DNA samples of alleged perpetrators, and domestic legislation that can be applicable to sex crimes committed by nationals serving in UN peace operations.

"We cannot ensure the application of the principle of responsibility, including criminal responsibility, unless countries contributing troops and police personnel quickly and thoroughly investigate such allegations and the perpetrators are duly punished," Mr. Ban said.

Emphasizing prevention

In parallel to the punitive measures, the Secretary-General said that the UN will continue to emphasize prevention. This includes increasing support for pre-deployment training by Member States, including for the first time, the ability to vet all uniformed personnel for previous allegations of misconduct while in the service of the Organization.

The UN is also considering imposing new rules to limit the social activities of peacekeeping contingents, including the designation of certain areas as "out-of-bounds."

The report presented to the Council today follows the report released in December 2015 by an independent panel which reviewed the UN response to allegations of crimes committed against children by soldiers  not under UN command  sent to CAR.

Mr. Ban pledged to urgently study the recommendations set forth by the independent panel. As part of an immediate set of response measures, he appointed Jane Holl Lute as his Special Coordinator on improving the UN response to sexual exploitation and abuse.

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UN Chief Pushes to Curb Peacekeeper Sexual Abuse

by Margaret Besheer March 10, 2016

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday that "decisive and bold action" is required to end sexual abuse and exploitation by U.N. peacekeepers.

Speaking to the 15-nation U.N. Security Council, Ban said such abuse  69 allegations last year alone  undermines the trust between the U.N. and the people it is sent to protect.

'It...betrays the values and principles that the U.N. purports to advance, and tarnishes the credibility of United Nations peacekeeping operations and the United Nations as a whole," Ban said.

The U.N. mission in the Central African Republic, MINUSCA, has been the subject of the most allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation -- 22 last year and several more in 2016.

The U.N. chief has pursued a "zero tolerance" policy against such crimes for several years, but cases have continued to rise.

In a report last month on the subject, the Secretary-General proposed new initiatives to strengthen the U.N.'s response, including to help end impunity, assist victims and improve accountability for perpetrators.

The secretary-general has asked troop and police providing countries to conduct court martials at the missions where the abuse is alleged to have happened and he has called for the collection of DNA samples from alleged perpetrators.

Ban has also recommended that investigations into allegations be concluded within three to six months. And has also called for the salaries of peacekeepers, in cases where allegations are substantiated, to be transferred to a trust fund to compensate victims.

In situations where multiple members of the same contingent have been accused of sexual abuse or exploitation, the entire unit could be repatriated. This has already occurred, with a contingent from the Democratic Republic of Congo being sent home last month from the Central African Republic mission.

Council Action

The United States has drafted a resolution that endorses the Secretary-General's recommendations but it has been met with objections from some council members and negotiations are ongoing.

Russia's deputy ambassador Petr Iliichev told council members that "the draft is far from ideal" and that Moscow would prefer it be broader and include U.N. civilian staff as well as foreign troops that are sometimes deployed under U.N. mandates but not as part of U.N. peacekeeping missions.

A total of 30 allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation were made against civilian U.N. personnel in 2015.

The Russian and Egyptian envoys also said existing committees in the General Assembly that deal with conduct and disciplinary issues in peacekeeping missions should take the issue up, not the Security Council.

But U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power strongly disagreed, saying the Security Council, which has responsibility for all aspects of authorizing and mandating peacekeeping operations, must address the issue of abuse and exploitation. She also chided the General Assembly for not taking more "constructive action" and "aggressive steps" to curb the problem.

Egyptian Ambassador Amr Aboulatta also expressed concern about efforts to repatriate entire contingents where some members are accused, calling it "collective punishment."

"Accountability must be confined to those involved in the crimes, and not the others," he said.

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Captured IS Operative Provided US With Chemical Weapons Information

by Carla Babb March 10, 2016

U.S. defense officials say a key Islamic State operative captured by American forces last month has been transferred to Iraqi custody, after providing the U.S.-led coalition with valuable information about the militant group's chemical weapons capabilities.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook referred to Sleiman Daoud Al-Bakkar, aka Abu Daoud, as Islamic State's 'emir of chemical and traditional weapons manufacturing.' Cook said the suspect revealed details on IS chemical weapons facilities and production, as well as the people involved.

'The information has resulted in multiple coalition airstrikes that have disrupted and degraded ISIL's ability to produce chemical weapons and will continue to inform our operations in the future,' Cook said, using another acronym for Islamic State.

The capture of the IS operative by a U.S. 'expeditionary targeting force' was reported earlier this month, but his identity and role in the militant group's chemical weapons program was not disclosed until this week.

Recent attacks reported

New allegations of chemical attacks carried out by IS were reported this week.

Officials in Iraq told VOA on Wednesday that Islamic State fighters fired rockets loaded with mustard gas, also known as sulfur mustard, into a town north of Baghdad late Tuesday and early Wednesday. Iraqi and Kurdish officials said dozens of civilians were injured by the attack on Taza Khurmatu, a town whose residents are mostly Shi'ite Muslim ethnic Turkmen.

'The rockets spread a garlicky smell and caused nausea and vomiting,' according to Soran Jalal, head of Taza Khurmatu's civil defense office. He told VOA that investigators confirmed the weapons carried mustard gas.

A commander in Kirkuk, the Kurdish population center north of Turkmen town, estimated about 30 people required hospital treatment. Lieutenant Muhammad Qadir told VOA at least five of the wounded had facial burns caused by chemical agents.

Separately, a police official in Kirkuk, Brigadier General Sarhad Qadir, said it was determined the rockets were fired into Taza Khurmatu from territory controlled by the Islamic State group.

VOA's Sharon Behn in Iraq and VOA reporters Rikar Hussein and Dilshad Anwar contributed to this report.

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Daesh registration forms identify 22k militants: Report

Iran Press TV

Thu Mar 10, 2016 1:6PM

A batch of leaked documents from Takfiri Daesh terrorist group shows the militant group has recruited some 22,000 militants from 51 countries.

The files were handed over to Sky News by a disillusioned former member of the terrorist group, the British television channel reported.

They include recruits from the UK and the rest of Europe, the US, Canada, North Africa and Middle East.

The TV channel said it had informed authorities of the documents, which were on a memory stick.

They were stolen from the head of Daesh internal security force by a former member of the so-called Free Syrian Army militant group before joining Daesh.

According to the report, the man, who called himself Abu Hamed, handed over the memory stick during a meeting at an undisclosed location in Turkey.

The documents resembled a typical job application form with 23 personal questions, including names, date and place of birth, hometown, telephone number, education and blood type.

Sky News said some of the names in the documents were already well-known, but the files could also help identify some extremists who had already been unknown to authorities in their countries.

Daesh terrorists, who are in control of parts of land in Syria and Iraq, have been committing heinous crimes against all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians and others.

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Disillusioned Daesh Recruit Leaks 22,000 Jihadist Names to Media

Sputnik News

15:24 10.03.2016(updated 16:08 10.03.2016)

A memory stick containing tens of thousands of documents, including 22,000 names and contact details of Daesh militants has been handed to western media in what's been described as an unprecedented haul of information on the terrorist group.

The name, date of birth, hometown, telephone number, school and blood type of every potential Daesh recruit has been handed to UK's Sky News. The documents are forms that Daesh recruits had to fill out before being accepted into the terrorist network.

Sky News reported that a disillusioned ex-member of Daesh gave the broadcaster the memory stick that had allegedly been stolen from the head of the group's internal security police and contained details of unknown jihadis from 50 different countries. The majority of the European recruits are from France, followed by Germany and Britain.

Prospective members had to pick whether they would like to be a soldier or suicide bomber and stipulate if they had an previous 'jihadist experience.'

Britain's security agencies are examining the leaked documents to verify their authenticity.

If found to be authentic, 'the potential for security services identifying unknown terrorists is greatly enhanced,' according to Chris Phillips, head of counterterrorism consultancy firm, International Protect and Prepare Security, who told AFP it was a 'massive development' and 'shows how ISIS [Daesh] is vulnerable to its own people turning against them.'

Doubts have been raised over the authenticity of the documents. Wassim Nasr, FRANCE 24 expert on jihadists said on Twitter:

'Perhaps certain information is authentic but the layout of the documents has been altered in order to sell them at a high cost to different buyers.'

According to London newspaper the Guardian, German intelligence officials have also obtained the same documents. A spokesperson for the BKA, the German federal police, confirmed the agency had the documents and experts had determined their authenticity.

The man who allegedly stole the documents on a memory stick is a former Free Syrian Army member, who had joined Daesh but had become disillusioned with the group, claiming Islamic rules had collapsed inside the terrorist organization, which had been overrun by ex-soldiers from the Iraqi Baath party.

Security service in Europe believes 5,000 people have traveled to Syria to join Daesh. If these documents are found to be authentic, the figure appears to be a woeful underestimate of the number of terrorists from western countries who have joined the extremist group.

'More Data Sharing'

Following the leak of the Daesh recruitment documents, Britain's Home Secretary Theresa May announced her intentions to strive for better data sharing with the European Union.

'That's why today I'm going to be working to press, within the European Union alongside my French colleagues, for more data sharing,' May said in a statement.

Taking into account the serious challenge Daesh extremists pose to the security of the United Kingdom and Europe as a whole, it is highly important that member states work together to counter this threat, she stressed.

The leaked list reportedly features both notorious individuals and previously unknown Daesh supports.

 Sputnik

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Sky is the Limit: China to Buy Russian Su-35 With Modernized Radar Systems

Sputnik News

11:01 10.03.2016(updated 11:03 10.03.2016)

China will buy Russian Su-35 multi-role fighters equipped with modernized radar control system IRBIS-E, the head of the Russia's Ryazan State Instrument-Making Enterprise said Thursday.

RYAZAN (Russia), (Sputnik)  Moscow and China agreed on the purchase of 24 Su-35 fighters in 2015.

'Currently, the work on modernizing the IRBIS-E was finished, a contract for the supply of Su-35 aircraft to China was concluded,' Pavel Budagov told RIA Novosti.

IRBIS-E, developed by Russia's Tikhomirov Scientific Research Institute of Instrument Design, provides detection, tracking and coordination of targets day-and-night, under all weather conditions, as well as in the conditions of natural noise and jamming.

 Sputnik

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Key Resolve and Foal Eagle 16 Will Only Precipitate U.S. Final Ruin: KCNA Commentary

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

Pyongyang, March 10 (KCNA) -- The world's attention is riveted on the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

The U.S. and south Korean puppet forces are now confirming the possibility of carrying out OPLAN 5015 under the simulated conditions of an actual war through the largest-ever Key Resolve and Foal Eagle 16 joint military exercises. OPLAN 5015 includes the 'beheading operation' targeting the supreme headquarters of the Korean revolution and an operation to mount a preemptive attack on nuclear striking means of the DPRK.

The madcap nuclear war rehearsals kicked off by them after casting away even the spurious mask of 'annual' and 'defensive' are little short of saber-rattling of those who know nothing of the army and people of the DPRK.

They go so reckless as to stun the world public.

The U.S. seems to be utterly ignorant of the service personnel and people of the DPRK who, led by the great Songun brilliant commander, are possessed of such matchless grit and disposition that if an enemy wields a dagger, they beat it with a sword and if it comes out with a rifle, they retaliate against it with an artillery piece.

The revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK whose mission is to defend the dignity of the supreme leadership and the socialist system, their lifeline, have never allowed anyone to hurt it and destroy the system.

It is tragedy that the U.S. does not understand it even today though the confrontation between the DPRK and the U.S. has lasted for several decades.

The Korean War in the 1950s was the beginning of a downhill turn for the U.S. and a war in this century will lead it to its final ruin.

Gone are the days never to return when the U.S. could fight the Korean War without allowing any single bomb or shell to drop on its mainland.

Today the DPRK does not feel any need to hide its military capability any longer. It opened to public the fact that it has in place unprecedented ultra-modern powerful strike means capable of striking the U.S. any time and from any place.

The U.S. and south Korean puppet forces would be well advised to be well aware that the DPRK's army turned its mode of military counteraction against the enemy into that of preemptive attack in order to cope with the largest-ever joint military exercises being staged by the U.S. and south Korean puppet forces.

The DPRK's army will reduce all bases and strongholds of the U.S. and south Korean warmongers for provocation and aggression into ashes in a moment, without giving them any breathing spell.

Not only all the U.S. special operation troops and nuclear war means in south Korea but also the U.S. mainland are within the firing range of the ultra-modern strike means of the Korean People's Army which does not know any mercy and leniency.

It is a day-dream and way of precipitating its final ruin for the U.S. to try to stifle the DPRK which has proudly joined the advanced ranks of the nuclear weapons states.

Saber-rattling for a nuclear war will only precipitate the final ruin of the U.S. and south Korean puppet forces. -0-

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DPRK to liquidate all S. Korean assets, nullifies all inter-Korean economic cooperation

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 13:50, March 10, 2016

SEOUL, March 10 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) declared a plan on Thursday to liquidate all of South Korean assets in the DPRK, while nullifying all inter-Korean economic cooperation projects in response to Seoul's unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang.

The DPRK's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK) said in an unnamed spokesman's statement that its country declares all of inter-Korean agreements, which are relevant to economic cooperation and exchange projects, 'null and void' from now on.

The statement said the decision was made in response to a series of unilateral sanctions unveiled Tuesday by Seoul on the DPRK after the UN Security Council voted to adopt a tough resolution against Pyongyang earlier this month.

DPRK started off a new year with the testing of what it claimed was its first hydrogen bomb on Jan. 6 and followed up with the launch of a long-range rocket, which outsiders see as a disguised test of missile technology, on Feb. 7.

The UN Security Council unanimously approved new tougher sanctions on Pyongyang on March 2, including a ban on all cargo heading to and from the DPRK and its exports of coal and mineral resources.

South Korea imposed standalone sanctions on the DPRK, including a ban on third-country ships having docked at the DPRK within 180 days from accessing South Korean ports.

The standalone sanctions came after Seoul announced a plan to shut down the inter-Korean factory park in the DPRK's border city of Kaesong on Feb. 10, three days after Pyongyang's satellite launch.

The CPRK statement said that special measures will continue to be taken to bring forward a 'miserable demise' of the South Korean government by inflicting political, military, and economic damages. It didn't elaborate on which measures would be taken further.

The statement noted that DPRK forces turned to a 'pre-emptive' strikes strategy, which can put enemies in a sea of fire at a blow, threatening that South Korea's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae lies within a range of its first strike by DPRK forces.

The military threat was Pyongyang's repeated response to the largest-ever joint annual war games between Seoul and Washington that kicked off on Monday.

The drills, codenamed Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, will run by the end of April, mobilizing a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrierand its attendant fleet, a nuclear-capable submarine and aerial tankers to refuel fighter jets.

Calling the war games as 'undisguised nuclear war drills,' the DPRK warned of 'pre-emptive and aggressive nuclear strikes' against South Korea and the U.S. mainland, saying it had a military operation plan for such nuclear strikes.

Top DPRK leader Kim Jong Unhas ordered his country's nuclear warheads for national defense to be placed always on standby for use at any time.

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DPRK fires 2 short-range ballistic missiles into eastern waters

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:30, March 10, 2016

SEOUL, March 10 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired two short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern waters in an apparent show of force against joint annual war games between Seoul and Washington and new harsher sanctions against Pyongyang, Yonhap news agency reported Thursday.

Yonhap quoted the South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) as saying that two short-range ballistic missiles, believed to have been Scud missiles, were launched at 5:20 a.m. (2020 GMT Wednesday) from the North Hwanghae province in the DPRK's western region. The missiles flew about 500 km and landed in waters northeast of the DPRK's coastal town of Wonsan in the East Sea.

It marked the first time in 2016 that DPRK forces fired short-range ballistic missiles. Pyongyang fired off six rounds of its 300-mm multiple rocket launchers into eastern waters on March 3.

The firings of short-range missiles and artillery shells in the past week were seen as an apparent show of anger at the joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises that kicked off on Monday in the largest-ever scale.

The drills, codenamed Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, will run through April 30, mobilizing a nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrierand its attendant fleet, a nuclear-capable submarine and aerial tankers to refuel fighter jets.

The U.S. show of military strength during the drills would come after the DPRK's latest nuclear test and long-range rocket launch.

DPRK started off a new year with the testing of what it claimed was its first hydrogen bomb on Jan. 6 and followed up with the launch of a long-range rocket, which outsiders see as a disguised test of missile technology, on Feb. 7.

The UN Security Council unanimously approved new tougher sanctions on Pyongyang on March 2, including a ban on all cargo heading to and from the DPRK and its exports of coal and mineral resources.

South Korea imposed standalone sanctions on the DPRK, including a ban on third-country ships having docked at the DPRK within 180 days from accessing South Korean ports.

The JCS was quoted as saying that South Korea's military was closely monitoring the moves of DPRK forces while maintaining defense readiness against any possible DPRK provocations.

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North Korea has miniaturized nukes: Kim

People's Daily Online

(Global Times) 07:19, March 10, 2016

China urges calm after potential step toward strike on US

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said his country has successfully miniaturized a thermonuclear warhead, as Pyongyang continued to talk up its nuclear strike capabilities on Wednesday amid rising military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

While the North has boasted of mastering miniaturization before, this is the first time Kim has directly claimed the breakthrough that experts see as a game-changing step towards a credible North Korean nuclear threat to the US mainland.

Kim's comments came a day after the North's powerful National Defense Commission threatened pre-emptive nuclear attacks on South Korea and the US mainland, as Seoul and Washington began large-scale joint military exercises.

Military tensions have surged in the region since the North carried out its fourth nuclear test in January and a long-range rocket launch last month.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi called on all parties to keep calm, exercise restraint and avoid provoking each other after holding talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry via telephone on Wednesday.

'China's reasonable and legitimate strategic security concerns and interests must not be damaged when dealing with the current situation,' Wang was quoted as saying by foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei on Wednesday.

Hong also noted that China is firmly pushing for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

'We stay committed to promoting and realizing denuclearization and maintaining peace and stability on the Peninsula,' Hong said. 'Disputes should be resolved through dialogue and negotiations.'

The UN Security Council responded to North Korea's moves by imposing tough new sanctions last week, which Pyongyang has condemned and labeled as part of a US-led conspiracy to bring down Kim's regime by force.

'The nuclear warheads have been standardized to be fit for ballistic missiles by miniaturizing them,' Kim said during a visit with nuclear technicians that was reported by state media on Wednesday.

'This can be called a true nuclear deterrent,' he said.

Kim also stressed that the miniaturized warheads were 'thermonuclear' devices, echoing the North's claim that the nuclear test it conducted in January was of a more powerful hydrogen bomb.

The North Korean ruling party's newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, carried a large front-page picture of Kim standing in front of what some experts said appeared to be a sized-down nuclear device.

South Korea's defense ministry was skeptical, saying its own assessment was that North Korea had 'not yet secured miniaturized nuclear warheads.'

North Korea's claim to have successfully tested an H-bomb in January was greeted with skepticism at the time, as the estimated yield was seen as far too low for a full-fledged thermonuclear device.

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Pyongyang fires missiles amid Seoul-Washington war games

Iran Press TV

Thu Mar 10, 2016 8:14AM

North Korea has fired short-range ballistic missiles into the sea in response to the ongoing war games between the United States and South Korea.

The ballistic missiles, fired from North Hwanghae province on Thursday, flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles) and fell into the water off the country's east coast, according to the South Korean Defense Ministry.

Ministry spokesman Moon Sang Gyun said the missiles are believed to be Scud-type missiles.

South Korea and the US started large-scale military drills Monday with about 17,000 American troops and more than 300,000 South Koreans taking part in the two sets of war games which are to continue until the end of April.

Pyongyang said the exercises are "undisguised nuclear war drills," which threaten the North's national sovereignty.

It warned of "indiscriminate" nuclear attacks against the US and South Korea in response to "even the slightest military action."

The Korean Peninsula has been locked in a cycle of military tensions since the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended in an armistice. No peace deal has been signed, meaning the two Koreas remain technically at war.

Tensions have escalated escalated since the start of 2016 after the North's nuclear test in January and a long-range rocket launch on February 7.

Pyongyang says the rocket launch was aimed at placing an earth observation satellite into orbit but Washington and Seoul say the move was a cover for an intercontinental ballistic missile test.

North Korea has vowed to develop a nuclear arsenal in an effort to protect itself from the US military, which occasionally deploys nuclear-powered warships and aircraft capable of carrying atomic weapons in the region.

Pyongyang to 'liquidate' Seoul assets

On Thursday, the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said in a statement that it will "liquidate" South Korean assets at the closed Kaesong factory park and the Diamond Mountain resort, both of which are in North Korea.

The statement said Pyongyang will also take a series of steps to slap "lethal" military, political and economic blows on Seoul.

Early in February, Seoul pulled out of the jointly-operated Kaesong border industrial zone after Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket carrying what it called a satellite.

At the time, Pyongyang described the shutdown as "a declaration of war" and designated Kaesong as a military zone.

North Korea is already under UN sanctions over launching missiles considered by the US and South Korea as ballistic and designed to deliver nuclear warheads.

Senior officials in Pyongyang have frequently said they are merely 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 to its security.

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US intelligence service closely monitors Iran's missile might: Hajizadeh

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, March 10, IRNA -- Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said on Thursday that the US intelligence service is now closely monitoring Iran's missile program.

After implementation of the Joint comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the US intelligence force is now focused on Iran's missile might, the commander said.

The commander also defined consequences of the missiles fired during 'Velayat strength' war game.

The Americans seek to weaken Iran's defensive might through propagation, he said.

'Before Iran's nuclear dossier, there were a number of war games in the country but there was no sign of such propagation but now and after the implementation of the JCOA, the US intelligence forces have focused on Iran's nuclear might.'

The enemy tries to prevent increase of Iran's military might and they wish to turn Iran something similar to the countries such as Iraq, Syria and Yemen, he said.

Iran never and under no circumstances is to wage any war with others but is to increase its security through development of defensive systems such as missiles, he said.

'When Saudi Arabia invaded Yemen, they assumed that the country has been weakened,' he said, adding, 'If we become weak, we will be deprived of tranquility and security and the US hue and cry is for the same reason.'

'Iran regards the US and the Zionist regime as its enemies and we never trusts the US,' he added.

'We do not need to trigger to demolish Zionist regime and in case of any aggression, they will be given a crushing response but the path of Zionists will bring them annihilation within inside,' he said.

'In the event of any military attack on us, we not only defend ourselves but also will tit for tat with various means such as our missiles,' he said.

Test fires of the Iranian Missiles has nothing to do with the JCPOA, said the commander, adding that Iran's foreign ministry has sent letters in response to the resolutions and Iran never accepted such resolutions because we regard missile test fires as our red-line.

Iran used various range of missiles in this military war game, said the commander.

In this war game various range of missiles were fired from different geographic locations nationwide, he said, adding that some of these missiles carry one ton of TNT and some of them could carry 24 warheads which could destroy a- two kilometer district.

One type of these missiles can hit targets two thousands kilometer away within 12 to 13 minutes, he said.

1430**2050

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Iran says missile test did not violate UN resolution

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 16:52, March 10, 2016

TEHRAN, March 10 -- Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said here Thursday that the country's recent missile launch does not violate a United Nations resolution.

'The recent (missile) drills and the weapons used in them neither violate the JCPOA nor the UN Security Council resolution,' Jaber Ansari was quoted as saying by semi-official ISNA news agency.

JCPOA, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, is the formal title of a deal reached with major world powers on Iran's nuclear program, under which sanctions against Tehran were lifted.

Under UN Security Council Resolution 1929, Iran is prohibited from working on ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads.

'All Iranian short, medium and long range missiles and those of ballistic, some of which were test-fired in the recent military drills, are conventional and legitimate defensive tools and are not developed for carrying nuclear warheads,' Jaber Ansari said.

On Tuesday, Iran fired several ballistic missiles at the start of major missile drills by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

On Wednesday, the IRGC fired Qadr-H and Qadr-F missiles, with a range of 1,700 km and 2,000 km respectively.

The United States said Tuesday that although Iran's recent ballistic missile tests did not violate JCPOA, the issue could be the source of concern for the West and that it might be raised at the UN Security Council.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that if it was determined that Iran's ballistic missile tests were in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, Tehran could face 'some consequences.'

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Iran to build fast battleships cruising at 80 knots p/h: General

Iran Press TV

Thu Mar 10, 2016 2:57PM

A senior Iranian commander says the Islamic Republic plans to start building high-speed battleships that can cruise at 80 knots (approximately 150 kilometers) per hour.

Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, chief of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy, said on Thursday that Iran will start the project in the next Iranian calendar year (to begin March 21).

The commander said that Iran is fully ready to protect its maritime borders.

Fadavi made the remarks at a ceremony where tens of domestically-manufactured Ashoura-class and Zolfaqar-class speedboats as well as relief and aid vessels were delivered to the IRGC Navy.

Meanwhile, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan who attended the ceremony also highlighted the IRGC Navy's readiness to safeguard the country's borders.

Dehqan said Iran is boosting its naval capabilities to contribute to the establishment of regional peace, stability and security.

"Iran's military doctrine is based on effective deterrence, under which the Islamic Republic of Iran's military might does not threaten any country and it guarantees peace, stability and security," the minister said, adding, "Only aggressors should be afraid of it."

He also called for further upgrade of the country's naval military equipment in the face of threats.

In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and manufactured different types of military equipment.

Iran has repeatedly assured other countries that its military might poses no threat to other states, insisting that its defense doctrine is entirely based on deterrence.

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Enemies seek to sabotage missile program: IRGC

Iran Press TV

Thu Mar 10, 2016 1:3PM

A senior military commander says Iran's enemies are trying to sabotage its missile defense program, stressing that the program will not stop under any circumstances.

'They want to repeat their nuclear sabotage in the missile area,' head of the Aerospace Division of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh said.

He was apparently referring to recent US sanctions after Iran's testing of ballistic missiles and possibly the Stuxnet attack that sabotaged Iran's nuclear program in 2009 and 2010.

'The enemies are after neutering our defense capability through infiltration and sabotage,' the general said, citing sanctions including on many ordinary parts of duel use.

'Of course, we are careful and assured of the Guards and defense industry establishment. However, the enemy might influence political officials through ballyhoo,' Hajizadeh added.

The general said the US has shifted its negative anti-Iran campaign to its missile defense program after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached on the nuclear program.

'Before the nuclear issue when we held annual (missile) drills, there was no sign of the ballyhoo which we are seeing today.

'After the JCPOA, most of the focus of the intelligence services, especially by the Americans, has turned to the missile issue,' Hajizadeh said.

Hajizadeh said Iran's ballistic missile program will never stop under any circumstances.

'We have never accepted UN Security Council resolutions because these things are our red lines.'

The commander said, 'We are always ready to defend the country against any aggressor. Iran will not turn into Yemen, Iraq or Syria.'

The IRGC tested two more ballistic missiles on Wednesday, a day after launching several missiles from silo-based launchers in different locations across Iran.

Hajizadeh said some of the missiles carried 24 warheads and one ton of TNT.

He said Iran had no intention of starting a war, 'but the Zionist regime is our enemy and we don't trust American officials.'

'We have underground tunnels around the country and under mountains, where we store our missiles.These tunnels cannot be destroyed even if targeted by atomic bombs.'

Brigadier General Hossein Salami, the second-in-command of the IRGC, said the missile tests were to display Iran's defensive and deterrent power and to assess its missile capabilities.

"We have massive stockpiles of ballistic missiles waiting for orders and ready to hit targets at any moment from various points across the country."

The missile tests are the results of sanctions, which helped Iran develop its indigenous missile program, Salami added.

The senior commander also said Tehran will unleash a "volcano of missiles" at the enemy if attacked.

The Islamic Republic will never stop boosting its missile defense capabilities, nor will it review its program under "political resolutions," Salami said.

The commander stated that the message of recent missile drills 'to friendly neighbors and Muslim countries is the message of support, security, fraternity, and peace.'

'We will use all our defense capabilities to defend not only Iran's security but also Muslim countries," Salami added.

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Missile tests no violation of JCPOA, UN Resolution: Iran

Iran Press TV

Thu Mar 10, 2016 9:14AM

Iran says its latest launch of ballistic missiles does not violate the nuclear agreement it reached with the P5+1 group of countries and is not in contravention of a United Nations Security Council resolution.

The missile launch is "neither inconsistent with Iran's commitments under the JCPOA, nor is it against the Security Council Resolution 2231," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi-Ansari said on Thursday

He was referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed between Tehran and the P5+1 group  Russia, China, France, Britain, the US and Germany  last year.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) successfully test-fired two more ballistic missiles on Wednesday as part of military drills to assess their capabilities.

The missiles dubbed Qadr-H and Qadr-F were fired during large-scale drills, code-named Eqtedar-e-Velayat.

Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Division Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh said Qadr-H missile has a range of 1,700 kilometers while Qadr-F missile can hit targets some 2,000 kilometers away.

On Tuesday, Iran fired another ballistic missile called Qiam from silo-based launchers in different locations across the country.

Jaberi-Ansari said none of Iran's missiles are designed to carry nuclear warheads and thus, their production and test "are not in contravention of Resolution 2231 and its appendices."

The resolution, adopted by the Security Council on July 20, 2015, bars Iran from developing missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads.

'The Islamic Republic of Iran will not compromise over its security and defensive power,' said Jaberi-Ansari.

Iran, he said, 'will continue its completely defensive and legitimate missile program with the framework of its legitimate defense requirements.'

Tehran will observe 'its international commitments without entering into the fields of either nuclear warheads or designing missiles capable of carrying such warheads,' he added.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday the missile launch did not constitute a breach of the JCPOA.

Iran has repeatedly assured other countries that its military might poses no threat to other states, insisting that its defense doctrine is entirely based on deterrence.

Zarif-Kerry conversation untrue

Also on Thursday, an informed source at Iran's Foreign Ministry dismissed reports that US Secretary of State John Kerry had phoned Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to discuss the tests.

A US State Department spokesman claimed on Wednesday that the two sides had discussed the issue earlier in the day.

The Iranian source said Kerry had sent an email to Zarif a week ago, asking for a phone conversation, but the minister has not responded yet because of his current busy tour of six Southeastern Asian and Pacific nations.

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Tehran Insists Ballistic Missile Tests Don't Violate Iran Nuke Deal

Sputnik News

12:35 10.03.2016(updated 12:44 10.03.2016)

Tehran's recent ballistic missile tests do not violate last summer's landmark nuclear deal reached with international mediators, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Earlier this week, it was reported that Iran had fired short-, medium- and long-range precision guided ballistic missiles from several locations as a display of the country's readiness to confront any security threats.

'The Iranian missile program and tests, conducted in recent days during the military drills, do not violate [Iran's] obligations for use of the nuclear weapon and the nuclear deal, signed with the six countries,' Ansari told Iran's state broadcaster.

On July 14, Iran and the P5+1 group of countries comprising Russia, the United States, China, France and the United Kingdom plus Germany, signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The agreement guarantees the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

Following the adoption of the JCPOA, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2231, which prohibits Iran from engaging in activities related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

In January, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified Iran's compliance with the terms of the JCPOA. The confirmation led to the immediate lifting of UN, US and EU sanctions linked to the country's nuclear program.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif did not hold talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Washington's concerns over Tehran testing ballistic missiles, the Iranian Foreign Ministry's press service told Sputnik on Thursday.

On Wednesday, US Department of State spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that Kerry "relayed his concerns today with Foreign Minister Zarif about these reports."

The Iranian Foreign Ministry, however, denied that Zarif and Kerry discussed the issue on Wednesday and that Zarif had received a letter from Kerry two weeks ago.

"Zarif and Kerry did not have any talks. Kerry wrote to Zarif about two weeks ago that he wanted to hold a conversation to discuss Iran's missile tests, but the conversation didn't take place since Zarif had left the country," the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.

 Sputnik

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Iran: Missile Tests Not Violation of Nuclear Deal

by VOA News March 10, 2016

Iran said Thursday its ballistic missile program and the tests it conducted this week do not violate its commitments under a nuclear agreement reached last year with a group of six world powers.

State media quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi-Ansari saying Iran will continue the program and that it is legitimate and defensive in nature.

The U.S. State Department raised concerns about the test launches that Iran said it conducted Tuesday and Wednesday.

'We're going to take a look at it and we'll take whatever appropriate response is necessary, either at the U.N. or unilaterally,' said State Department spokesman John Kirby.

Kirby said that Secretary of State John Kerry raised the issue later Wednesday with Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif.

But Iran's Student News Agency said Thursday that Kerry had sent emails to Zarif asking for a telephone consultation, but it did not happen because Zarif is on an official visit.

The nuclear pact, negotiated by the United States and five other world powers, does not prohibit the missile tests. It brought a new U.N. Security Council resolution that calls on Iran to not 'undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology.'

Iran said two missiles launched Wednesday were inscribed with a message in Hebrew that 'Israel should be wiped from the pages of history.'

The semi-official Fars news agency showed pictures it said were of Qadr H missiles being fired from Iran's eastern Alborz mountain range, their target 1,400 kilometers away off the country's coast into the Sea of Oman.

'The reason we designed our missiles with a range of 2,000 kilometers is to be able to hit our enemy, the Zionist regime, from a safe distance,' said Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Hajizadeh stressed Iran would not start a war with Israel, with Tehran describing the tests as a show of its 'deterrent power.'

'We condemn all threats to Israel and we'll stand with Israel to help it to defend itself against all kinds of threats,' Kirby said.

The tests came as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden was in Jerusalem for a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Biden did not acknowledge the missile tests, but he warned Iran against any violations of the internationally negotiated nuclear deal that curbed Iran's nuclear activity in exchange for lifting sanctions that had hobbled its economy.

'A nuclear-armed Iran is an absolutely unacceptable threat to Israel, to the region and the United States,' Biden said as he stood next to Netanyahu, who had unsuccessfully opposed the nuclear pact. 'And I want to reiterate which I know people still doubt here. If in fact they break the deal, we will act.'

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon told Israel Radio the tests showed Iran's hostility toward the Jewish state had not changed since the January implementation of the nuclear pact, even with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's overtures to the West.

Yaalon said, 'To my regret there are some in the West who are misled by the honeyed words from part of the Iranian leadership while the other part continues to procure equipment and weaponry, to arm terrorist groups.'

The nearest point in Iran is about 1,000 kilometers from the key Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

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Iran Missile Launches Prompt Sanctions Push in US Congress

by Michael Bowman March 10, 2016

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee told VOA that Iran's missile launches are sparking stronger resolve in Congress to renew and boost U.S. sanctions on Tehran.

"There are three categories [of sanctions] that can be looked at in a bipartisan way, and we are attempting to do that now," Republican Senator Bob Corker said.

In particular, Corker said he is working to extend the Iran Sanctions Act, which was suspended as part of last year's landmark international nuclear accord with Tehran. The law targets international investment in Iran. It remains on the books but will expire at the end of the year unless Congress extends it.

President Barack Obama has stated repeatedly that sanctions will "snap back" if Iran violates the nuclear accord. Such leverage will be lost if the Iran Sanctions Act expires, according to Corker.

"In the event there are violations, the snap-back provisions that are a part of the [nuclear] agreement mean that there has to be something to snap back to," the senator said. "So extending that, dealing with conventional weapons and dealing with ballistic missiles are three areas that I think we have a possibility of reaching consensus on."

Another committee member, Democrat Robert Menendez, is also on record supporting the ISA's renewal through 2016.

In a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry last October, Menendez wrote, "Provisions of the Iran Sanctions Act expire in 2016. Failing to reauthorize these provisions is also a message to the Iranian regime."

Testifying on Capitol Hill last month, Kerry counseled against a "rush" to extend the ISA and suggested patience during the implementation of the international nuclear deal.

Patience at an end

"Iran is developing a nuclear program so that they can put it on top of a ballistic missile and destroy the nation of Israel," Republican Senator Cory Gardner told VOA. "They wrote as much on the ballistic missile [launched this week] itself."

"Absolutely Congress should increase our sanctions and efforts. But the president might veto it, because this president doesn't seem to want to stop Iranian bad behavior. In fact, in many ways, I think the Iran nuclear deal has enabled Iranian bad behavior," Gardner added.

Democratic Senator Chris Coons hopes for a unified international response to Iran's violations of the U.N. resolution.

"I think this calls for sustained active global engagement. I think the Security Council should act against this recent ballistic missile launch," Coons said. "I continue to urge the administration to be engaged and strenuous in enforcing our existing sanctions against their ballistic missile program, their ongoing human rights violations, as well as their support for terrorism in the region."

Corker said renewing the Iran Sanctions Act would be a unilateral U.S. move, but could cause other nations to act, as well.

"We've seen in the past, sometimes when we begin  just like with North Korea  there are follow-ons that are taken up by other countries," Corker said.

Iran has warned that punitive measures would cause it to terminate its adherence to the nuclear deal.

Asked about Iran's most recent missile launches, on Wednesday State Department spokesman John Kirby said the United States will "take whatever appropriate response is necessary, either at the U.N. or unilaterally."

"We condemn all threats to Israel, and we stand  will stand  with Israel to help it defend itself against all kinds of threats," Kirby added.

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Iraqi troops advance against Daesh in Anbar

Iran Press TV

Thu Mar 10, 2016 2:10PM

Iraqi forces have liberated an area from the grips of the Daesh terrorist group in the western province of Anbar, evacuating thousands of civilians, a security spokesman says.

"Counter-terrorism forces and army troops liberated the Zankura area in a swift military operation," Sabah al-Noman, spokesman of the elite Counter-Terrorism Service, said on Thursday.

Some 10,000 people were transferred to a safe area, Noman stated, adding that the Iraqi flag was raised on the highest building in Zankura.

Iraqi soldiers killed 80 Daesh militants in the operation and arrested 56 Takfiri elements, who were trying to flee along with the Iraqi families, he added.

Zankura lies on a bend in the Euphrates River, northwest of Ramadi, Anbar's provincial capital.

On Wednesday, the Iraqi security forces also retook villages from Daesh near Ramadi. Advancing west of Ramadi towards the city of Hit, the Iraqi troops evacuated people held hostage by the Daesh militants.

Residents of the villages of Zankura and Qariya Asriya were escorted to safety by the Iraqi forces.

"We suffered a lot, we suffered thirst and hunger, they are injustice, they hurt us and made us suffer, what can I tell you more than that," cried an unidentified woman as she described her suffering while in Daesh captivity.

Mohammed Ibrahim, battalion commander of Iraqi Army's 16th division, said Zankura was liberated "entirely" and cleared out of explosives.

"We freed the families that were in Daesh captivity, some of them were shot by Daesh and we rescued them . Now the whole area is under our control . Our next duty is to advance towards Hit, God willing," he stated.

Iraqi forces regained control over Ramadi last December and have since cleared most of the city. The Daesh elements still hold pockets in the northern and eastern outskirts.

Counter-terrorism forces, army soldiers, police and allied volunteer fighter have been conducting a joint operation since March 1 aimed at retaking militant-held areas near the capital city of Baghdad.

The Iraqi army is also conducting another operation to liberate Mosul, the capital of the northern province of Nineveh, which has served as the main seat of Daesh since the Takfiri group began its terror activities in Iraq in June 2014.

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UN meeting told of disaster if Mosul dam collapses

Iran Press TV

Thu Mar 10, 2016 10:36AM

A meeting has been held at the United Nations to discuss the possible collapse of Iraq's largest dam, with officials calling for prompt action to prevent a disaster.

During the meeting, hosted by Iraq and the US at the UN headquarters in New York Wednesday, briefings were made on a possible breach in the structure of Mosul Dam, which is built on the Tigris River.

Located in northern Iraq, the Mosul Dam has suffered structural flaws over the years. The foundation it is built on is unstable and continuously erodes, according to reports.

Its brief seizure by the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group in August 2014 caused a lapse in required maintenance and inflicted further damage on the structure.

If it collapses, the lives of as many as 1.5 million people living in the flood path could be endangered.

Iraqi Ambassador Mohamed Ali Alhakim hosted experts from the US Army Corps of Engineers and officials from the UN Development Program and Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and other senior diplomats participated in the event.

In a statement, US Ambassador Samantha Power urged all UN member states to take immediate steps to help prevent the dam's collapse.

"It is crucial that all UN member states quickly get informed about the magnitude of the problem and the importance of readiness to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions," she said.

If it collapses, a wave as high as 14 meters (45 feet) would be unleashed, she said.

The Italian Trevi Group is responsible for repairing the dam under a 273- million-euro (296-million-dollar) deal recently signed with the Iraqi government.

Rome has also announced plans to deploy over 400 troops to protect the site of the dam, which is close to territory held by Daesh.

Daesh terrorists launched an offensive in Iraq in June 2014 and took control of swathes of Iraqi territory. Their capture of the dam raised concerns that they would blow it up as a terrorist act.

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Independent Kurdistan: 'We Expect Russia to Support Our Referendum'

Sputnik News

21:03 10.03.2016(updated 21:07 10.03.2016)

Member of the Politburo of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of the Kurdish autonomy in northern Iraq, Ali Avni, spoke to Sputnik in an exclusive interview about the Kurds' plans to hold a referendum for the creation of an independent Kurdistan.

Throughout its history, the Kurds are constantly facing infringement on their rights. According to the Treaty of Lausanne, Kurdish territory was divided into four parts, with the result of which for the past century they have been forced to live without their own state, waging a constant struggle to defend their national identity, defending the right to speak in their mother tongue."

"This difficult period of struggle for survival lasted for a long time but it is coming to an end now. The Kurds will no longer allow anyone to trample on their rights. They no longer want to live under the sovereignty of other countries and other peoples," the politician explained.

There are forces that do not want the formation of an independent Kurdistan to happen. These countries are Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. The Kurds have never attacked any country or infringed upon the rights of anyone.

"This year we will hold a referendum on the independence of Kurdistan, currently the required arrangements are being made. We are convinced that our people want to establish an independent Kurdish state. According to our estimates, this event is already just around the corner. We believe that the Arabs, Turkmen and Iranians are our brothers. They are our neighbors, with whom we do not want to quarrel. We advocate for an independent Kurdistan through peaceful dialogue instead of bloodshed, hatred and warfare," Avni told Sputnik.

Avni stressed that Kurds are waiting for support on the matter of holding a referendum from many countries, primarily the US and Russia.

"Throughout history, Russia has demonstrated a welcoming, friendly attitude towards the Kurdish people. At a time when in the Kurdish region, Kurdish literature and culture was banned, in Russia the biggest Kurdish writers and poets were free to create. Russia has supported and contributed to the development of the culture of the Kurdish people. Many Kurds have been educated in Russia. We hope that Russia will support us in an effort to hold a referendum and will assist in the creation of an independent Kurdistan."

Talking about the economic crisis that Kurds are experiencing at the moment, the politician said that there are a number of reasons behind that.

"The price of oil fell. In addition to oil, we do not have other significant sources of income. For example, agriculture in our region is not adjusted adequately. We must recognize that our economic system has serious shortcomings and problems. In addition, the war with Daesh had a very negative impact on our economy. A significant part of the budget is spent on military action against jihadists."

He further noted that the embargo imposed by the Iraqi government is another cause of this crisis. Iraq is required to allocate 17% of the country's budget to the Kurdish region. "In practice this is not happening. We do not receive any payments. From 2013 to date, 17% of the established budget, allocations from the Iraqi government have amounted to less than 10%."

Avni said that, "Government autonomy of Iraqi Kurdistan is taking a number of measures to combat the economic crisis. It is planned to significantly cut costs and develop agricultural production and tourism. We will try to attract investors to the region."

 Sputnik

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US, Israel getting closer to new military aid deal despite tensions

Iran Press TV

Thu Mar 10, 2016 3:12PM

The United States has signaled that it is moving toward a new military assistance deal with Israel, even as ties between US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remain tense.

US Vice President Joe Biden, in Israel for a meeting with Netanyahu, said on Wednesday that Israel's military superiority in the Middle East should be preserved in terms of the quantity as well as the quality of its weaponry.

'We're committed to making sure that Israel can defend itself against all serious threats, maintain its qualitative edge with a quantity sufficient to maintain that,' Biden told reporters after meeting Netanyahu.

Israel's 'very, very tough neighborhood, a tough and changing neighborhood' necessitated such assistance, Biden said, adding that Obama had 'done more to help bolster Israel's security than any other administration in history'.

Washington and Tel Aviv are negotiating a new 10-year US military aid package to replace the $3 billion-a-year agreement that expires in 2018.

Israel last year requested $5 billion in future annual aid but its officials have since lowered their expectation to around $4.5 billion. However, US officials have given lower target figures of around $3.7 billion.

The dispute prompted Israeli officials to suggest last month that Netanyahu, in hope of better terms, may await Obama's successor to conclude the deal.

Israel's Minister of Military Affairs Moshe Yaalon travels to Washington next week for talks with US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter. Yaalon aides said he would try to make progress on a new aid package.

The US government is pressured to serve Israel's interests due to the influence of the powerful Zionist lobby in the United States. The pro-Israel pressure groups actively work to steer US foreign policy in favor of Israel.

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US plans massive air raids in Libya: Report

Iran Press TV

Thu Mar 10, 2016 2:1PM

The US is weighing military options, including air raids, in Libya which is engulfed in violence since Muammar Gaddafi was ousted after NATO airstrikes, the New York Times reports.

The Pentagon and the highly secretive Joint Special Operations Command have provided the White House with "the most detailed set of military options yet" in Libya, it said.

The plan includes potential airstrikes on Daesh training camps, command centers, munitions depots and other militant targets in four areas of Libya.

The daily said possible strikes are also aimed at helping the Western-backed Libyan militias battle Daesh on the ground.

The plan comes amid international efforts to find a political solution to the conflict in Libya and forge a unity government.

Libya has been grappling with violence and political uncertainty since former dictator Gaddafi was deposed and later killed in 2011 amid NATO airstrikes.

Since September 2014, the US has been conducting air raids against what are said to be Daesh targets in Syria without any permit from Damascus or a UN mandate.

The air assaults are an extension of the US aerial campaign in Iraq, which started in August 2014.

On many occasions, the airstrikes have targeted Iraqi and Syrian infrastructure and left many civilians dead, but failed to disband Takfiri groups.

Daesh took control of Libya's northern port city of Sirte in June 2015, almost four months after it announced its presence in the city.

The group made it the first city to be ruled by the Takfiris outside Iraq and Syria.

The US is also carrying airstrikes in Somalia. On Saturday, American aircraft hit an al-Shabab training camp that the Pentagon said killed about 150 militants.

The group rejected the claim as 'American propaganda", saying the death toll was exaggerated.

'We never gather 100 fighters in one spot for security reasons. We know the sky is full of planes,' an al-Shabab spokesman was quoted as saying.

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Pakistan Arrests 14 Afghan Taliban Insurgents

by Ayaz Gul March 10, 2016

Authorities in Pakistan say security forces have arrested 14 suspected militants linked to the Afghan Taliban in the southwestern city of Quetta.

The detainees are being questioned and more information will be shared with media, but it is not known if high-profile (Taliban) leaders are among them, security officials told VOA Thursday on condition of anonymity.

The officials said law enforcement agencies, acting on a tip, picked up the men from the city's eastern Pashtoonabad area, which houses mostly Afghan refugees.

"We have also seized important maps and documents about sensitive places and installations in the province," they added, without sharing more details.

Government officials did not immediately comment on the arrests in Quetta.

Peace talk delays

PeacePakistan was supposed to host peace talks between Taliban and Afghan government officials in the first week of March, but, in a last-minute announcement, the insurgent group refused to attend the meeting, citing certain pre-conditions.

Earlier, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, at his weekly news conference in Islamabad, reiterated Pakistan's commitment to promoting the Afghan peace efforts.

"It has been our consistent position that a political negotiated settlement is the most viable option for bringing lasting peace to Afghanistan. We will continue to play our positive role in this regard," he said

The Taliban leadership is believed to be sheltering and directing the Afghan insurgency from areas in and around Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, which shares a border with Afghanistan.

For years, Pakistan rejected Afghan and U.S. assertions that Taliban insurgents are using Pakistani soil for their insurgent activities.

Taliban leaders in Pakistan

Last week, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz, for the first time, publicly admitted that Taliban leaders are present in Pakistan and that leverage can be used to push them to the negotiating table for talks with the Afghan government.

"We have some influence on them because their leadership is in Pakistan, and they get some medical facilities; their families are here. So we can use those levers to pressurize them to say, 'Come to the table,'" Aziz said at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington.

Afghan officials say Pakistan has assured a four-nation contact group, which includes China and the United States, that Islamabad will take action against Taliban insurgents on its soil who oppose political reconciliation with Kabul and want to continue with their violent campaign in Afghanistan.

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Syrian army recaptures villages, areas in Aleppo

Iran Press TV

Thu Mar 10, 2016 7:15PM

Syrian army soldiers have cleared several villages and areas of Takfiri Daesh terrorists in the northern province of Aleppo, a military source says.

In a Thursday statement, the unnamed official said army units established control over the villages of Haiyat kabeera, Haiyat Sagheera, Zabad al-Taweeleh, al-Qleah, Heleh, Hakeel and Kherbet al-Mous as well as Dareehem field and al-Bohouth Hill after fierce clashes with Daesh militants, Syria's official news agency SANA reported.

The liberated areas extend 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) deep and 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) wide to the east of the town of Khanasir.

Engineering units dismantled the explosive devices and mines that the terrorists left behind before fleeing the troubled areas.

Elsewhere in the in west-central Hama Province, the Syrian forces killed more than 70 Nusra Front terrorists and destroyed five vehicles equipped with machine guns.

An unidentified military source told SANA that the militants had infiltrated into some parts of Hama.

Syrian forces have recently been making rapid advances against terrorists, who are committing heinous crimes against all religious groups, in several parts of the crisis-hit country.

The recent advances of the Syrian forces against Daesh and other terrorist groups have been expedited by the air cover provided by Russia, which began on September 30, 2015, at the request of the Damascus government.

The crisis in Syria, which flared in March 2011, has so far claimed the lives of over 470,000, according to some reports.

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ISIL top commander 'not dead' after US strike in Syria

Iran Press TV

Thu Mar 10, 2016 1:4AM

Despite US defense officials' assessments that Omar al-Shishani, a high-ranking commander of the Takfiri Daesh group in Syria, "likely died" in a US airstrike, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the militant has survived the attack.

'He's not dead,' Rami Abdel Rahman, the director of the UK-based organization, told AFP Wednesday.

American officials, speaking to various media outlets and news agencies on condition of anonymity, said Tuesday that the top Takfiri commander had been targeted in an airstrike near the town of al-Shaddadi, situated in the south of the Hasakah province in northeastern Syria, on Friday.

One official went even further, saying, he was "likely dead."

The director of the pro-opposition monitoring group rejected the allegations, saying the militant, was "seriously injured" and taken to a hospital in ISIL's de facto capital, Raqqah.

'He was taken from the province of Hasakah to a hospital in Raqqah province where he was treated by a jihadist doctor of European origin,' he said.

In September 2014, the US Treasury Department added Shishani along with 10 other militants to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists.

On Tuesday, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook referred to Shishani as 'a battle-tested leader with experience who had led ISIL (IS) fighters in numerous engagements in Iraq and Syria.'

The US State Department has placed a $5 million reward on the Daesh commander's head.

Georgian roots

Known for his signature red beard, Shishani is said to have once been a member of an elite Georgian military unit.

The terrorist, whose name was originally Tarkhan Tayumurazovich Batirashvili, was born in Georgia in 1986.

Also known as Omar the Chechen, he was reportedly fighting alongside the Georgian armed forces during the country's short war against Russia in 2008.

Georgia reacted to initial reports about his death, saying it was in tough with the United States authorities over the matter.

'Information about his death was released this morning, but there is still no official confirmation. We are actively maintaining contacts with the American government, and we were told this morning about the probability of Batirashvili's death, yet, I repeat that this is just a probability,' Georgian Defense Minister Tinatin Khidasheli told reporters in the capital Tbilisi on Wednesday.

From 2007 to 2010, Batirashvili was a contract serviceman of the Georgian army during war in South Ossetia, according to Georgian media.

He was dismissed due to falling ill with tuberculosis, and detained later over storing weapons.

After being released on parole in 2012 over his disease, he joined the Takfir ranks in Syria.

His father, Teimuraz Batirashvili, told reporters in the village of Birkiani in the Pankisi Gorge that he was clueless about the fate of his son, Interfax reported

'I know nothing about my son's death. His death is claimed on a practically monthly basis,' he said.

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Syrian Monitor: US Strike Did Not Kill Islamic State Commander

by VOA News March 10, 2016

A group that monitors violence in Syria says an Islamic State militant described as the group's military commander was seriously injured, but not killed, in an airstrike last week.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday that Tarkhan Batirashvili, also known as Abu Omar al-Shishani or 'Omar the Chechen,' was taken after the strike to the Islamic State stronghold in Raqqa, Syria for treatment.

U.S. officials had said he was likely killed by the airstrike near the northeastern town of al-Shaddadi.

An official speaking to VOA on the condition of anonymity Tuesday said Batirashvili was believed to be in the area to assess the strength of his forces and boost morale after losing territory to U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. The official said the airstrike killed as many as 12 Islamic State fighters.

Batirashvili is one of the most wanted terrorists by the United States, which is offering a $5 million reward for information that brings him to justice.

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Turkey Approves Billions in New Defense Projects

Sputnik News

22:26 10.03.2016(updated 22:28 10.03.2016)

Amid escalating tensions, the Turkish government has approved nearly $6 billion in defense programs, largely aimed at increasing Ankara's own military production capabilities.

'Today, we approved $5.9 billion worth of new defense projects,' Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said after a meeting with Turkey's Defense Industry Executive Committee on Thursday. 'Around $4.5 billion worth of these projects will consist of local production.'

The announcement comes as Turkey increases its military export industry. In the first two months of this year, defense exports have already risen by 35%.

The new programs will cover a large swatch of the defense sector. In addition to Turkish-made infantry rifles, which Davutoglu indicated will go into serial production later this year, the money will also go toward the development of more advanced weaponry.

One such product will be the Anka, a medium-altitude, long-endurance drone developed by Tusas Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). The UAV underwent successful test flights last month, reaching an altitude of 19,000 feet, and the company will soon move the aircraft into mass production.

TAI will also be involved in the production of T-129 attack helicopters, in association with Italian-British AgustaWestland. Ten of these helicopters were delivered to the Turkish Army last year, and Ankara plans to purchase 17 additional units.

Davutoglu also said that the money will support efforts to produce the engines used in the T-129s.

Sources familiar with the meeting told Defense News that one production program will focus on the development of a new fighter jet, though details have not yet been released, as well as a dual-purpose aircraft meant for both civilian and military use.

While the new agreement is focused on exports, the Turkish government is still spending heavily on military imports. Earlier this month, the Pentagon authorized a $682.9 million contract to provide Ankara with an undisclosed number of smart bombs.

'The deal came timely as we are deeply engaged in asymmetrical warfare and need smart bombs,' one Turkish military official said, according to Defense News.

Ankara has been engaged in security operations against Kurdish communities in the country's southeast and has been accused of shelling Peoples' Protection Units (YPG) positions in neighboring Syria. While the Turkish government insists these actions are necessary to defend its territory, Kurdish groups deny attacking Turkey.

'I want to appeal to Turkish society about the need to unite to oppose this AKP government policy,' Kamuran Yuksek, co-chairman of the Democratic Regions Party, told Sputnik Turkiye.

'The authorities' actions are creating serious and deep divisions in our society. By its actions, the AKP has formed a society of people who feel satisfaction and joy while reading reports of Kurds killed in Cizre, Silopi, and Sura.'

Ankara is also pushing its allies to launch a ground invasion of Syria.

'Turkey isn't going to engage in a warBut Turkey defends its sovereignty and will respond to any attempt of attack,' Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told 24 TV earlier this month. 'I hope that in this case, Turkey won't have to engage in the conflict alone.'

 Sputnik

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175 million military communications investment creates new jobs

10 March 2016

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has announced a new contract to provide enhanced communications kit to the UK Armed Forces.

The 175 million investment, awarded primarily to General Dynamics UK (GDUK), will create around 50 skilled jobs and secure a further 20 at the company's headquarters in Oakdale, South Wales.

The contract will allow for the Bowman tactical communications equipment currently used by the UK military to receive a series of enhancements and upgrades that will enable the system to continue to operate for the next decade. Software enhancements will make the kit faster, improve usability and make it more compatible with our allies' equipment. The contract will also provide 12,000 brand new data terminals for use in headquarters, on-the-soldier, as well as on ships, vehicles and aircraft.

Bowman equipment is used across the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force [RAF] including for the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank, Type 45 Destroyer and Chinook helicopter. It will be also be installed on our new armoured vehicles, ships and aircraft carriers.

The enhanced kit will deliver safe, secure voice and data communications, as well as live updates from an operational environment, helping commanders to make effective and accurate decisions in real time. Of the 175 million spend, 75 million will go towards the new 12,000 hard-wearing data terminals, while 23 million will be spent on software.

Mr Fallon made the announcement as he visited the Royal Anglian Regiment in Woolwich to witness a range of the equipment in use. He said:

'This is more evidence of what this Government's decision to grow our Defence budget can do for the UK. It will create highly skilled jobs in Wales and help our Armed Forces to keep Britain safe for years to come.'

Brigadier Richard Spencer, Head of the MOD's Battlefield and Tactical Communications and Information System delivery team said:

'This contract will replace the data terminals and update software across the Bowman system to ensure ease of use, more rapid and robust data services and improved interoperability.'

'This new deal is good news for the Armed Forces and ensures that they will have access to the best possible tactical communications equipment for the foreseeable future.'

The enhanced equipment will be delivered from 2018.

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As several companies from around the world of telecoms share their Q3 results, here is a financial round-up with all of the key points.
New U.K. Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt has reversed most of an economic package announced by the government just weeks ago, including a planned cut in income taxes. Hunt said Monday he was scrapping almost all the tax cuts announced last month by the Conservative government of Prime Minister Liz Truss, and also signaled that public spending cuts are on the way. It was a bid to soothe turbulent financial markets spooked by fears of excessive government borrowing. The move raises questions about how long the beleaguered prime minister can stay in office, though Truss insisted she has no plans to quit. She vowed to lead the Conservatives into the next general election, but many in the party want her gone.
An investment of more than $114 million in higher education  including $20 million for Virginias workforce training programs  could open up college opportunities for students who otherwise would never pursue education after high school, Danville Community College President Bruce Scism said Thursday.

This is significant step forward by the commonwealth of Virginia investing in training and education at the post-secondary level, Scism said.

On Thursday, Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed legislation establishing the first-ever pay-for-performance workforce training program  a bill also sponsored by state Sen. Frank Ruff, R-Clarksville, and other local lawmakers. Additionally, the General Assembly on Tuesday finished negotiations on a budget plan to invest $114 million in higher education.

Scism said the workforce legislation fundamentally changes how the training courses are funded by holding both schools and students accountable for success. Up front, students only will have to pay for a third of tuition. Schools will then receive a third when students graduate and the final third when students complete training requirements.

Ruff said in a news release the legislation would make higher education a possibility for an entire group of future students.

This legislation will provide the stimulant needed to jumpstart our community college systems ability to provide the needed skills for todays world, Ruff said. For too long we have let too many young people fall through the cracks  this will be an opportunity for them to quickly develop skills that will make them contributing members of our communities.

McAuliffe said the bill was a success of bipartisan efforts in the General Assembly.

I am proud to stand with the bipartisan group of leaders who worked together to make this important bill a law, and I look forward to building on the enormous progress we have made on this issue over the past two years, McAuliffe said in a statement.

Scism said credit courses traditionally require enormous time and effort to implement into curriculums, involving everyone from the Virginia Department of Education to accreditation teams and faculty groups.

Now, the workforce bill will make it possible for DCC to quickly work with employers to develop relevant and inexpensive training programs.

We can start tomorrow, Scism said he could tell employers.

Additionally, employers would be able to easily see which students were best prepared for the workforce through the third-party certifications and assessments, Scism said. DCC also would be implementing more workforce training courses into its curriculum in the near future.

In the past few years, more and more state governments were decreasing funding for higher education, which has resulted in higher tuitions for students.

The shift to personal funding is profound, Scism said.

He said the funding increase by Virginia in the budget was a welcome change to this trend.
VANCOUVER, March 11, 2016 - Corvus Gold Inc. ("Corvus" or the "Company") - (TSX: KOR, OTCQX: CORVF) announces the closing of a CAD $3,430,000 non-brokered private placement at CAD $0.70 per share. Under the terms of the agreement, the company issued 4,900,000 common shares with no warrant. The participants in the private placement include Tocqueville Gold Fund and AngloGold Ashanti (U.S.A.) Exploration, Inc.

Jeffrey Pontius, Corvus CEO states "Both Tocqueville and AngloGold have been strong supporters of Corvus from its inception and we are very pleased with their continued support of the company and our work to bring increased value to our shareholders. This financing has put Corvus in a strong position to continue our proposed exploration on the project. Driven by the results from the Company's recent North Bullfrog PEA study and new exploration discoveries, Corvus believes it is well-positioned for what it believes could be a new Nevada high-grade gold District."

The Company has determined that there are exemptions available from the various requirements of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 for minority approval and formal valuations for the issuance of any securities to insiders. There is no change of control, as a result of the Offering.

The foregoing securities have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any applicable state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) or persons in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the foregoing securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

On behalf of

CORVUS GOLD INC.

(signed) Jeffrey A. Pontius

Jeffrey A. Pontius,

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and US securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the proposed use of the proceeds of the private placement by the Company are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's latest interim Management Discussion and Analysis filed with certain securities commissions in Canada and other information released by the Company and filed with the appropriate regulatory agencies. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties.

This news release is not, and is not to be construed in any way as, an offer to buy or sell securities in the United States.

SOURCE Corvus Gold Inc.
CALGARY, March 11, 2016 /CNW/ - Connacher Oil and Gas Ltd. (CLC  TSX; "Connacher" or the "Company") announced today that its Board of Directors has initiated a process to investigate, evaluate and consider possible financing and restructuring alternatives available to the Company and has formed a special committee to assist the Board in this process. Connacher does not intend to make any further announcements in respect of this matter unless and until its Board of Directors has approved a particular course of action or otherwise determines that disclosure of such developments is material. There can be no assurance that this process will result in the completion of any financing or restructuring transaction.

The Company also announced that in accordance with the terms and conditions of the indenture dated May 8, 2015 relating to the issuance by Connacher of US$35 million of 12% convertible notes due 2018 (the "Notes"), it has elected to exercise its right to defer the cash payment of interest payable on March 31, 2016 upon all such Notes until June 30, 2016 (or such other interest payment date as Connacher may subsequently elect).

No cash interest will be due or paid on the Notes on March 31, 2016 related to the US$34,989,711 aggregate principal amount of Notes currently outstanding nor the US$2,492,142.17 of interest previously deferred.

For the three months ending March 31, 2016, deferred interest relating to the aggregate principal amount of Notes is US$1,124,455.59 and incremental deferred interest is US$181,409.27.

At March 31, 2016, total deferred interest will be US$3,804,007.03.

About Connacher

Connacher is a Calgary-based in-situ oil sands developer, producer and marketer of bitumen. The Company holds a 100 per cent interest in approximately 440 million barrels of proved and probable bitumen reserves and operates two steam assisted gravity drainage facilities located on the Company's Great Divide oil sands leases near Fort McMurray, Alberta.

SOURCE Connacher Oil and Gas Ltd.
Zumbo's salted caramel soft-serve in a doughnut cone, garnished with pretzels and chocolate. Photo: Supplied

If you don't have the bank balance to fly to Prague to buy doughnut ice-cream cones, don't worry - Adriano Zumbo is now serving his twist on this dessert craze in Australia. And he's not the only one.

Inspired by our story on the Instagram-fuelled trend - where we suggested creating a DIY local version by topping cone-shaped custard pastries from Zumbo's Little Frankie's cafe in Melbourne with a good swirl of soft-serve from his Fancy Nance outlet nearby - Zumbo has now done the hard work for you.

The patissier is serving straight-up doughnut cones loaded high with ice-cream and all-you-can-fit trimmings at Little Frankie's.

Adriano Zumbo's V8 Vanilla soft serve with Gummi Bears, popcorn and hundreds and thousands in a doughnut cone. Photo: Supplied

"We thought we would give it a shot," Adriano Zumbo says. "The response has been amazing. We started selling them on Thursday in Little Frankie's, we had people buying them at 9am on the dot as soon as we opened. Quite the breakfast."

So instead of corn flakes or toast (if you're an earlybird), you can start your day with Zumbo's salted caramel and V8 vanilla soft serve on doughnut cones. You can also turn up at a more dessert-conventional time.

And there's still some DIY fun involved with the ice-cream, because you can choose from eight toppings (pop rock chocolate chards, cookies or star-shaped pretzels, anyone?) and sprinkle and stack as many as you like onto the soft-serve cones (which are sold for $7 each).

If you live in Sydney and feel dessert-sparked jealousy - good news, Zumbo will be bringing doughnut ice-cream cones to a NSW outlet soon. And it's not the only Sydney eatery that's offering this sugary trend - Milky Lane in Bondi is scheduled to reopen in mid-April with traditional-style Trdelnik pastries (like in Europe, where this dessert craze first started overtaking Instagram feeds), and they'll be teeming with Nutella, dulce de leche, hot caramel fudge and other sweet-tooth-sating soft-serve flavours.

"We imported an original, authentic and traditional oven from Slovenia, which is used to cook the cones to perfection," says Milky Lane owner, Christian Avant. "Customs asked a few questions upon arrival but once we told them what it was and what it was for, the customs officer funnily enough said he had heard about them and wanted to come down."



He's embracing the classic European recipe, but the store has (in mash-up-embracing fashion) named its versions CoNuts (cone doughnut).



"Today is our first day cooking them with all of the traditional methods and equipment, which is very exciting," he says.

"We will be first coating the CoNuts in cinnamon sugar, amongst other things, and filling them with salted caramel, Belgian chocolate and vanilla soft-serve with liquid Nutella and more delicious toppings.

"We've also purchased lots of different chocolate bars and nuts that we will be crushing to then add into the soft serve for hidden surprises."

Little Frankie's, 21 Daly Street, South Yarra, adrianozumbo.com

Milky Lane, 141 Curlewis Street, Bondi, facebook.com/milkylanebondi
Ex-Melbourne resident Nick Stone and business partner Alexandra Knight own Bluestone Lane cafe in New York. Photo: Jessica Dale

Are Melbourne's baristas the best in the world? Nick Stone certainly thinks so, and he's in town this week hoping to recruit some crack locals to work at his chain of Melbourne-style cafes in New York, Bluestone Lane.

"I do think that Melbourne is the Silicon Valley of coffee culture," says Stone. "Silicon Valley recruits the best engineers. We want to recruit the best baristas."

Stone, a former investment banker and one-time AFL player, moved to New York in 2010. He opened the first Bluestone Lane  a hole-in-the-wall espresso bar  in the atrium of the Meredith building in midtown Manhattan in 2013.

Illustration: Matt Golding

Since then he has launched six other cafes that bring the full Melbourne experience to New Yorkers: avocado smash, corn fritters, table service  unusual in American cafes  and real baristas pulling great flat whites.

And it turns out it's not just New Yorkers who have fallen in love with our approach. The chain recently expanded to Philadelphia, and Stone has plans to open 10 more cafes in 2016.

Stone will be offering local baristas a chance to audition for a job in New York next weekend at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds.

"The main thing is for people to ... talk about the cafes they've worked in," Stone says. "The biggest drivers are personality and skill set. We're looking for people who have drive and pride in their work."

Stone turned the concept of a Melbourne-style cafe into a thing in New York:

"Everything we do is modelled around providing an authentic Melbourne cafe experience. It's more than just coffee, it's about a great healthy food offering, personable and engaging service, creating an environment where customers can escape. Most importantly, we are focused on developing intangible connections like knowing our customers' names, orders and predicting whether they want to engage and chat or not.

Advertisement

"These are the secrets of the immersive Melbourne cafe experience," says Stone.B

That and the product. Bluestone Lane cafes serve Niccolo coffee  roasted in Melbourne and flown to New York each week  and other familiar Melbourne brands such as Prana Chai and Matcha Maiden teas.

"We have an unlimited pipeline of opportunities to open cafes in America," says Stone. "The only restriction is the people we can recruit."

"Melbourne cafe staff really understand the need for engagement focused on relationship building rather than the typical American 'transactional' focus," he says. "They intuitively understand what a premium cafe experience is and appreciate it's not just about coffee."

Melbourne International Coffee Expo, March 1719, Royal Melbourne Showgrounds, see internationalcoffeeexpo.com
Photo courtesy of James D. Julia, Inc. Bill Stewart of Sonora spent much of his life collecting historic and rare Colts and Winchester rifles.

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By Staff Report

G. W. "Bill" Stewart of Sonora's collection of Colts and Winchesters will go to auction on Monday and Tuesday.

In the 1930s, Stewart walked into a hock shop in San Antonio, where he purchased an antique Derringer pistol. Later, he traded it for a Colt Army Revolver which began a lifelong passion for Colt pistols and Winchester rifles. Bill collected for more than 70 years and excerpts from his collection over the years have been featured in numerous antique shows throughout Texas and across the United States.

Stewart spent much of his spare time studying, collecting and displaying his discoveries. He took pleasure in sharing his knowledge of firearms with everyone he met, according to a news release from James D. Julia, Inc., an auction house based in Fairfield, Maine.

Stewart's entire collection, together with other noted collections, will be sold in a special auction in Fairfield. The total offering for the two days at Julia's carries a presale estimate of $14-18 million dollars.

Included in the auction are:

A Henry Model 1860 Lever Action rifle; one of the first Winchester rifles made. It is estimated to bring $20,000-35,000

A #2 Navy Size Lever Action Volcanic pistol with engraved breech and one of only 1,500 produced. The gun was made between 1855-1857 and is estimated to sell for $6,000-10,000

A rare Nimschke engraved Winchester Model 1866 Saddle ring Carbine. It was just discovered that this gun was ordered by the famous Mexican President, Portifiro Diaz, in 1872. Diaz ordered 10 of these models, according to the auction house. Inscribed on the butt strap, "J.D. Heaven," the gun is currently estimated at $6,500-12,500 but with this new information about early Mexican and Texas history, the auctioneer speculates it has a likelihood of bringing more.

A Colt SA Army "Officer's Model" Cavalry revolver with special nickel plate. It was ordered by the government and inspected by their inspector at the time, Henry Nettleton, and was one of the prizes of Stewart's collection. It is estimated to bring $12,000-20,000.

More details about the collection is available on www.jamesdjulia.com.
Ladder 1 attacks the structure fire at Schneider Dist. Co. this morning. Several streets in the area are closed while the fire department suppresses the blaze.

SHARE A structure fire at Schneider Dist. Co., 403 Martin Luther King Dr. November 15, 2013 destroys one building. Firefighters closed off the street for several hours while suppressing the blaze. From the city's Public Information Office: "Emergency dispatchers received a call at 4:46 a.m. today about smoke seeping from the building at 403 Martin Luther King Drive. Firefighters arrived from Central Fire Station, which is only three blocks away, to find the building billowing with thick, white smoke. Flames erupted as firefighters tried to gain entry into the building, forcing them to take defensive tactics to ensure the fire did not spread to neighboring structures. Four nearby propane towers were never seriously threatened, Battalion Chief Fred Barnett said." A structure fire at Schneider Dist. Co., 403 Martin Luther King Dr. November 15, 2013 destroys one building. Firefighters closed off the street for several hours while suppressing the blaze. A structure fire at Schneider Dist. Co., 403 Martin Luther King Dr. November 15, 2013 destroys one building. Firefighters closed off the street for several hours while suppressing the blaze.

A structure fire at Schneider Distributing Co., 403 Martin Luther King Dr., has closed the road from 3rd Street to Beauregard Avenue at least until 9 a.m.

There were no occupants in the building when San Angelo firefighters were called at 4:46 a.m. Friday, said Scott Farris, assistant chief for the department.

"We're still in the process of knocking out some of the residual flames," Farris said just after 7 a.m., but the fire was contained to a single building on the commercial propane distribution center within 20 minutes.

The cause is undetermined and is under investigation by the Fire Marshal's office, Farris said.

The building was an office for Schneider Distributing, he said, but storage space in the back of the building contained cases of motor oil.

"The concern was more for the runoff of that product," Farris said.

The Texas Commission of Environmental Quality has been notified, said Anthony Wilson, public information officer for the city. The city's operations division also brought sand trucks to contain the runoff and other heavy equipment to access unsafe areas, such as the building's sub-flooring.

The building is most likely a total loss, Farris said. The owner was on scene working with fire personnel.

Schneider Distributing was the site of another fire earlier this year. The engine compartment of a tanker truck caught fire on Sept. 19. Firefighters at the time were concerned about vapors, but put the fire out quickly.

"We're in the overhaul stage," Farris said after 7 a.m. Friday. Fire investigators were still on scene as of 9:45 a.m., said Fire Marshal Ross Coleman.

"It's going to be a while," Coleman said, because crews are having difficulty accessing parts of the structure. The investigator has not been able to gain full access to the building at this time.

Any information regarding cause of the fire will not be available until later this afternoon, Coleman said.

Check back for updates.

Follow Monique Ching on Twitter at Monique_SAST
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(The National Weather Service)

PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Jackson County Emergency Services Director Earl Etheridge said Friday morning that the county was only experiencing minor street flooding in some areas as a result of the heavy rains which arrived Friday morning.

"That's about it," Etheridge said. "No other problems so far."

Rain, however, is expected to continue to fall over through the remainder of the day Friday and well into Saturday.

"We're not out of the woods, yet," Etheridge said. "The heavy rain appears to have moved off towards the Mississippi - Alabama state line, but we've still got coastal flooding going on. It's all going to depend on how much more rain we get today and tomorrow."

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning Friday morning which runs until 11:30 a.m., with a flash flood watch in effect until Saturday at 6 p.m. A coastal flood advisory is also in effect until 6 p.m. Saturday.

The forecast now calls for rain totaling 7-11 inches to fall on the Mississippi coast by the time the skies clear Saturday night.

The chance of rain throughout the day Friday is 100 percent, dropping to 90 percent Friday night and Saturday.

Monday morning, the City of Ocean Springs joined Pascagoula, Moss Point and Jackson County in declaring a state of emergency, which allows for the sharing of resources between governmental entities.

In addition, garbage service in Gautier has been suspended for Friday and Saturday, although a Waste Pro representative said all other routes are being run as normally scheduled.
Rafael Rivera left Puerto Rico for Central Florida late last year, fed up with the island's escalating debt crisis and dwindling sales at his cellphone shop.Five months later, Rivera, 36, has a nice apartment in the Orlando suburb of Kissimmee and a job at a nearby Hyundai dealership. He's also registered to vote.Rivera is a part of a wave of Puerto Ricans fleeing the island's beleaguered economy and transforming the Florida electorate. Each week, as many as 1,000 Puerto Ricans arrive in central Florida, according to some estimates, joining a community of more than 1 million Puerto Ricans across the state that has grown tenfold since 1980.Like Rivera _ and unlike many other new Latino migrants _ they are all U.S. citizens and immediately eligible to register to vote.The surging Puerto Rican electorate, a swing demographic in the nation's quintessential swing state, supported Barack Obama for president but backed Charlie Crist for governor when he was a Republican. They could soon surpass Cubans, whose conservative leanings long dominated Latino politics here.Because Puerto Ricans are the fastest-growing group of voters in a contested corridor of a battleground state, "you could make the case that they're the most important voters in the United States," said Fernand Amandi, a Florida pollster."Puerto Rican voters have completely upended the understanding of how the state is going to vote in November," Amandi said. "They could wake up in San Juan, have breakfast and be registered to vote in the U.S. come dinnertime. You see both parties doing a full-court press to win over what could very well be the decisive vote."Faced with $72 billion in debt and soaring unemployment, Puerto Rico is losing tens of thousands of people each year. The Caribbean island's population dropped each year by 48,000 people from 2010 to 2013, according to data from the Pew Research Center.Many landed here, along the Interstate 4 corridor that connects Tampa and Daytona Beach, an area characterized by swamps and strip malls and plentiful jobs. The Orlando metro area led the nation in job creation last year, according to Gallup.Politicians from both sides of the aisle in this state have been paying close attention to Puerto Ricans ahead of Florida's March 15 primary and the November general election.Hillary Clinton's supporters festooned cars with flags over the weekend and embarked on a caravan through Puerto Rican neighborhoods _ a nod to the boisterous style of campaigning that characterizes elections on the island. Clinton backers in Puerto Rico will gather at a restaurant there Saturday to make phone calls to recent arrivals in Florida, urging them to vote for Clinton in the Democratic primary.On the Republican side, Sen. Marco Rubio, who is of Cuban descent, is also making a major play for Puerto Rican votes. His campaign organized several Puerto Rican leaders for a news conference in Orlando this week, and Rubio made multiple campaign stops on the island before the Republican primary there last weekend, which he won handily.As residents of a U.S. commonwealth, citizens in Puerto Rico are able to vote in presidential primaries, but they cannot cast votes in general elections.That's just one of the key differences between voting in the U.S. and in Puerto Rico.Turnout is another. On the island, elections are held every four years on a day designated as a national holiday, and voters typically turn out at very high rates. But once they arrive on the mainland, Puerto Rican newcomers quickly start voting at the same relatively low rate as other Latinos in the U.S.Elections are "a lot of fun over there, like a party," said Evelith Olmeda-Garcia, who was raised in Puerto Rico and is now the principal of Liberty High School in Kissimmee. "Here it's kind of lame."At her mostly Latino school, where about 1 in 4 students was born on the island, a voter registration group called Mi Familia Vota is trying to change that."The Latino community here is going to determine who is the next president," Esteban Garces, an organizer with the group, tells students at Liberty and other schools in the area. "You have a lot of power."On a recent day, Garces and another organizer, Jeamy Ramirez, fanned out around the school's outdoor seating area, where many students were speaking rapid Puerto Rican Spanish and playing games on their cellphones between bites of lunch.Ramirez, who left Puerto Rico four years ago because her job at a casino in San Juan wasn't paying enough, approached an 18-year-old senior, Anisah Garcia, who agreed to fill out a voter registration form so that she can vote against Donald Trump in November."I don't think he should be president," said Garcia, who is of Puerto Rican origin and was born in New York.Puerto Ricans moving from states such as Illinois and New York have been another big source of voter growth in Florida, according to the Pew Research Center, which predicts Florida may eclipse New York at the state with the nation's largest Puerto Rican community. Growing numbers of Mexicans, Venezuelans and Colombians are also helping to diversify the state's Latino electorate."If you go back 20 years, the Hispanic vote could be summed up by a few words: exile-era Cubans," said Steve Schale, a Democratic consultant who helped Obama win Florida in 2008. Competition for their votes "came down to who most hated Fidel Castro."Now, he said, new Latino voters are overwhelmingly voting as Democrats, although many register as nonparty voters, whose ranks in the state have surged by about 600,000 over the last four years. And political candidates must tailor their messages to reach a wide spectrum of Latino voters, including younger generations of Cubans who are more liberal than their parents.After all, the U.S. embargo on Cuba doesn't really matter personally to Puerto Ricans. Neither does immigration. They would probably care more about a candidate's plans to solve the island's protracted financial woes."It's hyper-complicated and expensive," Schale said.Although Puerto Ricans in New York and Chicago often skew Democratic, conservative groups and candidates believe they have a good shot at winning over new arrivals from the island, many of whom are frustrated by the Puerto Rican government's failures."When you have a government in Puerto Rico that is very big and involved in everything you do, there isn't any opportunity for growth," said David Velazquez of the Libre Initiative, a conservative Latino group backed by the Koch brothers that views the Puerto Rican neighborhoods around Orlando as fertile ground for conservatives."Our message is that limited government equals more opportunity," said Velazquez, who is of Puerto Rican descent and grew up in the Bronx in New York.On a recent afternoon, Velazquez and several of his colleagues donned baby blue polo shirts and went door-knocking in the middle-class neighborhood of Buenaventura Lakes, where one resident had raised a Puerto Rican and an American flag in his grassy front yard.At another house, Nelso Toro, 32, opened the door. The Libre workers, who don't support specific candidates but who aim to spread conservative ideas among Latinos, asked Toro about how the Affordable Care Act has affected his life and whom he would vote for if the November election was held today.Toro, a firefighter who moved to Florida from Puerto Rico at age 4, said he would vote for Sen. Ted Cruz."We're a military family," explained Toro, whose father and brother are veterans, "and Republicans tend to treat us a little better."The workers took down Toro's contact information and pledged to reach out to him about some of the free social services they offer, including a financial planning course.As he walked in the sun to the next house, Velazquez said he counted the interaction as a success."Everyone is after their vote," he said. "We want to make sure they know what we're all about."
San Joses Never-Ending Pension Battle

Public Retiree Buyouts?

A New Way to Pay for Family Leave?

A former San Jose, Calif., councilman who was instrumental in convincing voters to approve pension changes in that city four years ago is now filing papers in court to protect his legislation.Pete Constant, who's now a senior fellow with the libertarian-leaning Reason Foundation, is challenging San Jose officials request pending before a judge to strike down Measure B. City officials are now in talks with unions to abandon it in favor of other changes they're negotiating that wouldn't require voter approval.By doing so, Constant said in a press release Wednesday, the city will abandon its obligation to defend Measure B and is poised to sell-out the voters.The ballot measure was controversial because it proposed changing the citys charter to allow cuts to worker pensions. Voters in 2012 approved it by more than two-thirds. A similar proposal in San Diego was also approved by voters that year. Both measures received national attention because some believed other cities would follow suit as a way to cut pension benefits and control skyrocketing payments.But a judge eventually struck down the San Jose cuts that applied to current employees, meaning they only applied to new city employees. Unions continued to pressure the city, and it suffered a mini-exodus of its employees and police officers because of the pension battle. Because of all that, San Joses new mayor has promised to reach a compromise with unions.In other pension news, Philadelphias controller has a different idea for addressing the city's mounting unfunded liabilities. The city's pension plan is less than 50 percent funded and has a $5.7 billion unfunded liability. Controller Alan Butkovitz says the city could offer a lump-sum payment to employees in exchange for getting off the retirement systems books.The payment would be just a portion of what the employee would have received for the duration of the retirement. But Butkovitz said it could provide a cash windfall that employees can use to start a business, pay off a loan or invest in their own retirements."There's a persistent concern in the city about getting control of pension costs, and a lot of things have been tried that were nibbling around the edges," he told the Philadelphia Inquirers Claudia Vargas. "So, it seems like the environment is ripe for ideas that would actually result in significant savings.Still, the proposal isnt easy to pass.Other governments, such as Nashville,Tenn., have considered buyouts. But they have ultimately abandoned the idea, mostly out of concern that large cash payments would severely drain -- if not deplete -- the pension fund. Finding the money to cover all the buyouts would be a challenge for Philadelphia, especially as the city has one of the worst-funded school systems in the nation.Connecticut may be the next state to offer paid family leave to its workers, and its financing method could serve as a new model for other states.Three states -- California, New Jersey and Rhode Island -- offer state-run programs for employees who need to take time off to care for a family member or newborn. But they are all financed through an existing disability leave program, which most states -- including Connecticut -- dont have.Connecticuts proposed legislation would establish a Family and Medical Leave Compensation Trust Fund, which would be funded through a small percentage withdrawal (to be determined) from all workers paychecks. It would be run by the state Labor Department. (A similar proposal is pending in the District of Columbia.) The leave would be equivalent to 66 percent of the employee's average weekly earnings, up to a maximum of $1,000 a week for six weeks.Comptroller Kevin Lembo was among those who testified this week in support of the bill, saying a paid family and medical leave program would enable workers to continue to contribute to the economy during times they would normally be unable to do so and also avoid additional strain on limited state government social program resources.The idea has gained more traction in recent years , thanks in part to the U.S. Department of Labor giving states money to study the issue.
A sprawling Central Valley water district run by some of the state's wealthiest growers papered over its drought-related financial struggles and misled investors, federal regulators said Wednesday.The Westlands Water District shifted about $8.3 million in expenses and other obligations to the revenue side of its ledgers, solely to be able to represent that it had enough revenue to cover debt payments on $77 million in bonds without having to raise rates, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission.The district's general manager, Thomas W. Birmingham, jokingly called the moves "a little Enron accounting," a reference to the defunct Houston energy and commodities conglomerate whose fraudulent accounting led to its spectacular collapse in 2001, according to the SEC. Birmingham agreed to pay a $50,000 penalty, and the district paid $125,000 to settle the case. The former treasurer, L. David Ciapponi, paid a $20,000 penalty, according to the agency."The undisclosed accounting transactions, which a manager referred to as 'a little Enron accounting,' benefited customers but left investors in the dark about Westlands Water District's true financial condition," said Andrew J. Ceresney, director of the SEC enforcement division. "Issuers must be truthful with investors, and we will seek to deter such misconduct through sanctions, including penalties against municipal issuers in appropriate circumstances."Neither Westlands nor its administrators acknowledged guilt, and the district did not miss any bond payments, according to a statement issued by the district. The accounting procedures at issue were approved by an independent auditor, according to the district."Westlands, Birmingham and Ciapponi determined that entering into the settlement to fully resolve the matter was in the district's best interest," the statement said.At issue was a "debt service coverage ratio," a measure of the district's ability to meet its debt obligation. Because of the district's "extraordinary accounting procedures," that figure was 10 times higher than it would have been using conventional accounting procedures, the SEC said.That calculation obscured expenses incurred because of water cutbacks prompted by the state's drought and allowed the district to avoid raising rates to its clients, which include some of the biggest agricultural companies in the state, according to regulators.Stretching about 70 miles along the western side of the San Joaquin Valley, Westlands is one of the chief supporters of a $15-billion plan to build tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to bring more water directly from the Sacramento River southward.The SEC violation added vigor to charges by critics of the project that the state's growers will be unable to shoulder its costs."This could put the financing for the tunnels at risk," said Patricia Schifferle of the environmental group Pacific Advocates.Schifferle said she filed a complaint with the SEC in 2011, and last year sent the agency minutes of a 2010 Westlands finance committee meeting, obtained through the Public Records Act, that discussed the debt ratio and revenue shortfall."I thought it was going in the round file," she said. "Maybe they finally took a look at it."A public agency governed by landowners within its borders, Westlands had operating revenues of more than $120 million in 2014. It contracts with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for taxpayer-subsidized irrigation supplies, which it sells to growers.The district includes about 600,000 acres and is entitled to more than 1.1-million acre feet of water annually, roughly twice what the nearly 4 million residents of Los Angeles use in a year.Reductions in that water supply, and the cost of replacing it, meant the district could not generate enough revenue to meet the debt service ratio required to maintain its bond rating, which helps reduce the cost of borrowing money. Fitch gave the bonds a rating of "AA-"The district looked at its books and consulted its auditor to find ways to boost its revenue, at least on paper."We're not collecting any more money from the ratepayers, nor are we paying any more money" to service debt, Birmingham told a Westlands customer during a board meeting in 2010, according to the SEC.The district reclassified reserves originally earmarked for future expenses, including obligations to the Bureau of Reclamation, the agency charged."These reclassifications would not increase cash collections and were merely accounting transactions done for the sole purpose of maintaining the ratio," the SEC said.Two years later, the board made other adjustments "to create additional purported revenue" without reporting their effect on revenue or on its bond ratio, according to the SEC.
Nearly three years after Texas lawmakers passed a law requiring some applicants for unemployment benefits to pass a drug test, the state has yet to test a single applicant, and it remains unclear when the program will get going.The Texas Workforce Commission, the state agency tasked with implementing Senate Bill 21, is still waiting on guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor to designate which occupations will be subject to testing. When he signed the bill in 2013, then-Gov. Rick Perry predicted it would prevent people from abusing the program.The message is strong, Perry said at the bill signing. If youve got a drug problem, there are ways that we can help you get that licked, but were not going to entice individuals to not be responsible.A federal law passed in 2012 allowed states to drug test certain people who apply for unemployment benefits. But Texas isn't legally allowed to draft guidelines for the program until it receives direction from the Labor Department, which must outline the occupations that fall under the drug testing requirement in the federal law.A 2015 online posting by the Office of Management and Budget indicated that the "Final Rule" for the regulations related to the 2012 law was scheduled to be issued this month.Juan Rodriguez, a Labor Department spokesman based in Dallas, said Wednesday he could not speak to the department's timeline in the posting. He confirmed in an email that the rule had not yet been issued, but it is on track for later this year.When pressed for more specifics on the timeline or the cause of the delay, Rodriguez said, We are not in a position to answer your questions until the rule is issued.The projections for when Texas and states such as Kansas and Mississippi that passed similar laws could expect to get the information needed to proceed have changed over time. Back in April 2014, a Department of Labor spokesman said the rule was at least three months away from becoming final.Two years later, business leaders are skeptical the law will ever fully take effect under the current administration.They just simply dont want to do it, and thats why theyre dragging their feet, Texas Association of Business president Bill Hammond said. Weve seen this repeatedly with the Obama Administration in terms of using administrative authority in a way that thwarts the will of Congress.Hammond, who testified in support of the bill in 2013, called its delay unfair for the employers who pay the full cost of unemployment insurance and said it goes against the basic tenets that recipients remain ready and available to take a job.Critics say such laws are a waste of time and taxpayer dollars. Hammond admitted that theres no direct proof that laid-off workers seeking benefits are any more likely to use drugs than any other group.We do have a lot of evidence that a lot of applicants cannot pass a drug test, Hammond said. Therefore, its likely that some of them are receiving unemployment benefits.In the meantime, staff at the Texas Workforce Commission continues to do what preliminary work it can to prepare for the program's launch, according to spokeswoman Lisa Givens. That includes researching tools to administer the written drug screening requirement and looking into what contracts would be needed to carry out the drug testing.Only once they receive guidance from the Labor Department can the commission begin to decide which occupations Texas will subject to drug testing and how exactly the program will be administered.Once the law is implemented, a positive drug test would render a person ineligible for unemployment benefits for at least a month, and then only after they pass a subsequent drug test. Within a week of receiving notice of a failed drug test, an applicant can enroll in a treatment program to remain eligible for benefits.The law includes exceptions for positive drug tests if the Workforce Commission determines that a physician prescribed the substance found in the test or learns that the applicant is enrolled in a drug abuse treatment program.
port of pascagoula commissioners

Left to right, the newly sworn in Jackson County Port Authority commissioners are Greg Williams, Wallace Easley, Benny Lassitter, Pam Lindsey, Jimmy Colmer, Judge Robert Krebs, Charles Persons, Marisa Jackson, Drew Allen, and Marshall Smith. (Courtesy of the Port of Pascagoula)

PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- The Jackson County Port Authority has sworn in and elected leaders for its new Board of Commissioners, which sets policies for all Port of Pascagoula operations.

Newly appointed commissioners are Marisa Jackson, appointed by Jackson County District 2 Supervisor Melton Harris; Drew Allen, appointed by District 4 Supervisor Troy Ross; and Pam Lindsey, appointed by Gov. Phil Bryant.

Jackson said she looks forward to fulfilling her responsibilities on the commission to the best of her ability.

"The port is an important entity as far as economic impact on our area," Jackson said. "I know that for the survival of the Gulf Coast, and specifically Jackson County, it's very important we have a good operating port system here."

Returning commissioners are Charles Persons, appointed by District 1 Supervisor Barry Cumbest; Marshall Smith, appointed by District 3 Supervisor Ken Taylor; Greg Williams, appointed by District 5 Supervisor Randy Bosarge; and governor-appointed members Jimmy Colmer, Wallace Easley and Benny Lassitter.

Persons was re-elected to serve as president of the commission, while Jimmy Colmer was elected as vice president and Pamela Lindsey was elected to serve as secretary.

Lindsey said she has wanted to serve on the port board for years, and she's looking forward to learning all about the port's operations.

"Being born and raised in Jackson County, you think you know everything, but you don't," she said. "This is such an opportunity, and I want to do anything I can to help support the port and the industry here."

Lindsey said she's eager to work with the port that "always ranks in the top 20 ports in the country" and that affects the entire state of Mississippi.

The new board was sworn in last week by Judge Robert Krebs, and the commissioners' term will run 2016-2020.

The port authority has jurisdiction over the Port of Pascagoula public cargo facilities, Singing River Island and Jackson County's industrial parks and industrial water supply.
In Florida, GOP-Dominated Legislature Unites Against GOP Governor

Democrats Protect Shred of Power in South

Is It Time to Deregulate State Parties?

Last year, the Florida House and Senate spent a lot of time (and special sessions) squabbling over issues like Medicaid expansion and redistricting. This year, legislators in both chambers managed to unite against a common enemy: GOP Gov. Rick Scott.Florida's government is dominated by Republicans, but both the state House and Senate are expected to pass an $82.3 billion budget on Friday that has won more praise from Democrats than Scott. It would increase funding for schools (both K-12 and higher ed), while cutting the state workforce.Negotiators also agreed to drop language to defund Planned Parenthood. "They're actually putting together the kind of budget that we wanted to do," state House Democratic Leader Mark Pafford told theScott, by contrast, won't get his way on two key priorities. For one thing, the budget doesn't provide tax cuts totalling anything like the $1 billion he wanted. The Senate appropriations chair said that would be "fiscally irresponsible."Instead of $1 billion in mostly corporate cuts, as Scott proposed, the $400 million legislative package offers breaks for a variety of taxpayers, including property owners, cellphone users and back-to-school shoppers."Particularly in the Senate, they are recognizing that they are tying the hands of future legislatures when they give away recurring dollars," said Karen Woodall, executive director of the Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy, a progressive research group. "They are looking at governing, not just campaigning."Legislators also refused to give Scott the $250 million he asked for to close more economic development deals. Instead, they are giving him nothing."It's certainly been a contentious policy battle," said Andres Malave, communications director for Americans for Prosperity's Florida chapter, which ran ads opposing the incentives package. "The legislature is standing strong on that."Throughout Scott's second term, his fellow Republicans have sometimes been reluctant to give him a break. Last year, Scott's pick for state party chair failed to get the job. This week, Senate Republicans announced that they won't confirm Scott's choice for surgeon general. It will be the first time since 1995 that an agency head hasn't won confirmation in Florida.Scott earned the ill will of legislators last year by vetoing $461 million worth of earmarks. Legislators are practically daring him to do it again, reinserting a number of the canceled projects into the new budget.With the state capitol scheduled to undergo reconstruction, legislative leaders are already making plans to hold sessions in the historic Old Capitol to override any Scott vetoes -- "just in case," said Senate President Andy Gardiner this week.The Kentucky House is the last chamber Democrats control anywhere in the South. They will hold on to it at least a little longer, after winning three of the four special House elections on Tuesday."This was actually quite a surprise," said Dewey Clayton, a University of Louisville political scientist. "The momentum was on the Republican side, there was no doubt about it."The GOP had been eating away at the Democrats' majority through party switches and gubernatorial appointments since Republican Gov. Matt Bevin was elected last November. If Republicans had swept the four races this week, the chamber would have been tied, but the GOP would have had effective control since one Democrat is absent due to heart surgery. Instead, Democrats actually made a net gain of one seat and now have a 53-47 edge.Republicans hoped their voters would be motivated to turn out after heavy campaigning that coincided with the state's presidential caucus last Saturday. Bevin campaigned in each of the races. But he drew criticism for posting a snarky video on Facebook Monday that showed him walking into an empty House chamber, mocking Democrats for not working on the state budget.Despite their party's losses last fall, Democrats in the Kentucky House have proven to be tenacious. In 2014, when the GOP enjoyed sweeping victories across the country, they didn't lose a single seat. Unions, concerned about possible right-to-work legislation and other policies an unbridled GOP might push, played a big role in this week's contests.One Democrat got a push from a seemingly unlikely source. For years, Kentucky Republicans have tied Democrats to President Obama, who is highly unpopular in the state. But a robocall from Obama himself seemed to help elect Jeffrey Taylor to a House seat this week.Democrats are now claiming that their victory is a repudiation of Bevin's budget, which would impose draconian cuts, especially to higher education. Democratic leaders in the House plan to release a budget next week that will look nothing like the governor's.That will set up a battle that will continue for the rest of the session -- and provide fodder for the political fight that will continue until November elections, when the whole House will be at stake.With so much money flowing through super PACs and other outside groups, state parties have been losing strength . A lot of their basic work -- registering, educating and turning out voters -- ends up being highly regulated under federal campaign finance restrictions that don't apply to other players in the political process."The idea that we can't coordinate with a state Senate candidate because there's also a U.S. Senate candidate on the ballot seems absurd," said Jason Perkey, executive director of the South Carolina Democratic Party.Perkey spoke at a Brookings Institution event on Tuesday marking the release of a new paper advocating for state parties to be less regulated. The authors call for limits on contributions to state parties to be raised or abolished. It would be better for democracy, they contend, if campaign money flows through parties rather than so-called dark money groups that are mostly unregulated."It's simple math: If you restrict the party, you get more independent expenditures by non-party groups," said Raymond La Raja, a University of Massachusetts political scientist and coauthor of the paper. "We think that dark money groups and super PACs are here to stay, so why handcuff state parties?"State parties tend to be less polarizing than such groups because they have to worry about long-term results and the reputation of the party's brand for more than a single election cycle."A lot of these third-party groups are just a bank account with a few people controlling it," an anonymous Republican state party official told the authors. "A party has a history."Parties also have to worry about a wider range of offices than outside groups, which may only care about a single race on the ballot.La Raja and coauthor Jonathan Rauch, a Brookings senior fellow, surveyed 56 state parties. They found that while nearly all of them work to recruit candidates, they mostly stay neutral during primaries. Only six percent of the parties surveyed said they often take sides in competitive primaries, compared to 83 percent who rarely or never do.It seems to make perfect sense for the party itself to act as an honest broker. But by staying neutral, parties are failing at their traditional role of vetting candidates. Instead, they have to wait on the sidelines to work with nominees who had either been supported or pummeled by highly motivated, often ideologically extreme outside groups.Changing the rules to let state parties play a bigger role would help temper the polarized politics of our time, argue La Raja and Rauch. At any rate, they say, it couldn't hurt.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed legislation Thursday that would have stopped local governments from removing Confederate monuments.In a news release about his veto, McAuliffe also said he was directing Molly Ward, the state secretary of natural resources and former mayor of Hampton, to create a work group to study how to balance preserving history "with the legitimate concerns many Virginians have about certain types of monuments and memorials."McAuliffe's veto could affect Portsmouth, where some City Council members and residents want to remove the Confederate monument from its spot in Olde Towne, calling it a "vestige of racism."Portsmouth Councilman Mark Whitaker called for the removal in June and said if the monument is to be celebrated, it should be on private property. Mayor Kenny Wright said he supported Whitaker and that he wanted to root out hate.In response, monument supporters hired a lawyer and sent a warning letter to the city. Attorney Fred Taylor said his clients intend to pursue all available legal remedies.Whitaker recently called for the city to solicit bids to determine how much it would cost to move the Confederate monument. He did not get the necessary votes and some council members said they wanted to waitand see how the situation played out in court.McAuliffe's veto statement reads in part:"There is a legitimate discussion going on in localities across the Commonwealth regarding whether to retain, remove, or alter certain symbols of the Confederacy. These discussions are often difficult and complicated. They are unique to each community's specific history and the specific monument or memorial being discussed. This bill effectively ends these important conversations."The bill, HB587 by Del. Charles Poindexter, R-Franklin County, passed the House of Delegates 82-16 and the Senate 21-17.Because of confusion over whether current law forbids localities from removing war memorials erected before 1998, the bill clarified the law by saying localities could not remove war memorials "regardless of when erected."Debate over Confederate monuments and images intensified last year after Dylann Roof was charged with fatally shooting nine African Americans in a church in Charleston, S.C. Roof had posed for pictures with a Confederate flag and posted a racist manifesto.McAuliffe, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and others took steps to remove Confederate images.In Virginia in June, McAuliffe began a recall of Sons of Confederate Veterans license plates that had a flag symbol on them. In South Carolina, Haley called for a Confederate flag to no longer fly outside the state Capitol, and the legislature passed a bill in July to take it down.Confederate images are present in cities across Virginia including Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy that still honors Confederate commanders on Monument Avenue."I really thought the Civil War was over, but I guess this is Virginia," said state Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, when the bill was debated Feb. 29. "Localities might have good reason for wanting to remove or change a memorial or monument ... political reasons, social reasons, economic reasons, urban renewal, revitalization of a district.""The locality should have that authority if they want to."Sen. Tom Garrett, R-Buckingham County, however, supported the bill. "This is about history. It's about heritage. It's about conflict, and culture, and knowledge and awareness and legacy."Taking down Confederate memorials would equate to erasing history, he said.Whitaker, who is leading the effort to remove the Olde Towne monument, in a statement praised the veto as reaffirming the right of localities to determine land use.And, he said, the veto "demonstrates moral leadership and allows socially conscious leaders to further address symbolic racism while continuing to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice."
Lawmakers this legislative session had two fundamental responsibilities: Come up with a full plan for K-12 education funding and pass a supplemental budget.But as legislators and lobbyists filtered out of the Capitol building Thursday night -- the last day of the 60-day session -- there was no budget agreement in sight and lawmakers weeks ago had decided to largely defer action on the education money problem.Instead, Gov. Jay Inslee called a special 30-day overtime session, which began Thursday night, and after 10 p.m., vetoed 27 bills -- making good on a threat to reject various pieces of legislation if lawmakers failed to compromise on the big picture."There is no break and no rest, legislators need to balance the books," Inslee said at a news conference after issuing the vetoes and signing 10 other bills.The governor said the bills he chose to sign had the "common thread" of being related to public safety, health and law enforcement. The bills -- four sponsored by Republicans, six by Democrats -- addressed issues such as human trafficking, vehicular homicide and employment rights for members of the National Guard.The 27 stopped by Inslee included measures dealing with wholesale vehicle dealers, pharmacy assistants, fire-sprinkler systems and growing industrial hemp.Inslee said there is no reason the special session should last more than a few days, and he is willing to meet with lawmakers."I have remained willing to do any meeting, any time with legislators," he said, adding later: "You bet I'd like to help them, but fundamentally they have to themselves step up to the plate and make the hard compromises that are necessary to get a budget."Republican Sen. Joe Fain, the majority floor leader, said the vetoes are a distraction."I don't think it's an effective tool but it shouldn't in any way deter us from doing the job that we need to do to pass a balanced budget here in the near term," he said.Earlier in the year, lawmakers passed a modest plan-to-make-a-plan to address the state Supreme Court's K-12 funding order known as the McCleary decision. Among other bills, legislators also passed measures intended to close the educational-opportunity gap, and make charter schools constitutional by funding them through lottery proceeds.But they simultaneously continued a yearslong pattern of failing to negotiate a budget on time.Instead of the $38.2 billion 2015-17 state operating budget that kept lawmakers in Olympia last year into July, legislators now are quibbling over a few hundred million dollars on a supplemental budget."They had 60 days to make some relatively minor adjustments," Inslee said.Among other things, the budget is expected to pay for fighting last year's wildfires and increase mental-health funding.Inslee announced his veto threat Monday as a way to pressure lawmakers to finish. It didn't work."I recognize that this is perhaps the largest batch of vetoes in the state's history. But none of these vetoed bills are as important as the fundamental responsibility of the Legislature to produce a balanced budget," Inslee said Thursday. "I continue to hope that legislators will focus on negotiations to reach an agreement as quickly as possible."Lawmakers can override a veto with a two-thirds majority. Or they could reintroduce the bills in the special session and pass them again, according to Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island.Ranker, one of the Democrats' budget negotiators, said he had gotten a call from the governor's office that one of two bills he sponsored would be vetoed.That sort of pressure is necessary to force lawmakers into agreement, he said. "Maybe it will help."Shortly before the governor issued the vetoes, Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, said he was worried about his bill to help protect employment rights for members of the National Guard.But Senate Bill 6202 passed the governor's muster -- and was signed into law.The vetoes frustrated Sen. Jan Angel, R-Port Orchard.Angel was the prime sponsor of one of the bills shot down by the governor, Senate Bill 5458, which would allow health districts to perform certain banking functions."This was a good local solution to a need in our community," said Angel in a statement Thursday night. "It is unconscionable that the governor would [ax] a great plan to save our local public health efforts a lot of money. I am crushed by the thought of all the good we could have done for local health with the savings from this bill."Republican Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler, of Ritzville, said there were no budget meetings Thursday with the governor.Ranker, one of the Democratic budget negotiators, said he expected budget talks to resume sometime on Friday.Inslee's budget proposal and a separate plan from the Democratic-controlled House have called for more spending to address homelessness and a statewide K-12 teacher shortage.Those proposals would draw on money from state's reserve accounts to pay for nearly $200 million in wildfire costs from 2015's record-setting blazes. Using reserve funds for the wildfires would free up money in the general fund.For additional funding, those plans have suggested rolling back some tax exemptions.The supplemental budget proposed by the House adds $467 million in new spending.By contrast, the GOP Senate proposal adds about $34 million in new spending and would pay for the wildfires through the general fund.GOP lawmakers have said supplemental budgets serve to make small corrections to previous budgets, and not create policies through new spending. Republicans have balked at raising new revenue and using the reserve account for wildfire costs and spending on homelessness.The supplemental budget will add to the $38.2 billion, two-year state operating budget that lawmakers approved in a record-setting long session in 2015.
Putting Presidential Election Sites Under the Microscope

White House Trumpets a Score of Tech Initiatives

What do the 2016 presidential election websites say about their candidates?This was the question posed by Shane Snow, founder of the content marketing startup Contently, in a article that analyzed each site. Snow put a magnifying glass on user experience strategies, backlinks, advertising, cookies and the copious array of analytics used for visitor feedback.A look at homepage design revealed each candidate's voter engagement priorities.In the Republican field, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz showed a liking for credit card numbers, as a donation form was the first thing to greet visitors; Ohio Gov. John Kasich sought volunteer emails; Donald Trump had an infatuation with himself, spreading his reality TV visage across his homepage; and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio appeared to have a similar infatuation with Trump  asking voters to Stop Donald Trump and Join Marcos Team!Democrats nearly mimicked the priorities of their GOP counterparts. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders initially had a liking for voter emails, but in a recent site update, has  like Cruz  pointed his homepage toward donations. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has a home page that grabs at both volunteer emails and donations.Beyond the front porch, Snow indicated that as far as analytics go, Cruz was a close second to Clinton, who had more tracking and advertising services than any other candidate. Her digital outreach was only bested in the category of email marketing by Rubio, who employed four different types of email management systems.This tech heavy campaigning may have handed Clinton a slight lead against the competition. Snow said that based on responses to Clintons digital content and social media, she boasts a marginally higher amount of online influence. But he also noted that Trump had the most Twitter and Facebook followers, and Bernie had the most website shares.In a Thursday press call, White House U.S. CTO Megan Smith, Chief Digital Officer Jason Goldman and U.S. Digital Service Deputy Administrator Haley Van Dyck announced a series of recent tech initiatives that President Obama will highlight on March 11 at the Austin, Texas, arts and tech event South by Southwest (SxSW).The three, along with Deputy Chief of Staff White House Kristie Canegallo, said civic engagement and connectivity would be at the center of the message, with the president emphasizing his new ConnectALL initiative that sets a goal to connect 20 million more Americans to broadband by 2020. The White House hopes to achieve those numbers with the help of private-sector partnerships and a recommendation, submitted to the FCC March 9, to reform an outdated $1.5 billion phone subsidy program by turning it into a national broadband subsidy for low-income citizens. Smith said the policy shift is supported by a White House study on the economic importance of broadband.To add accountability and streamline the jumble of government software projects, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) drafted a federal procurement policy on March 10 that will require agencies to ensure new coding projects must be reusable with at least a portion accessible to the public as open source code. While seemingly a technical or mundane issue to outsiders, civic technologists know that open source and reusable code is vital for IT project success, longevity and efficiency. Of its own admission, the federal government has seen many IT project fail or become obsolete due to custom or proprietary code issues. The move is part of the Second Open Government National Action Plan, and the OMB is gathering citizen feedback on the legislation at the site Sourcecode.cio.gov . At SxSW, the president will encourage the tech industry to add input.The White House team went on to underscore a flurry of other recent announcements the president plans to reemphasize. Headliners in this are the White Houses TechHire initiative that, as of this week, has commitments from 15 new localities  now a total of 36 jurisdiction are committed to reducing unemployment by diversifying the technology workforce through public, private and nonprofit partnerships. The president will also talk about the Opportunity Project , a new curated open data portal, and his million-person cohort to propel precision medicine  medicines and therapies tailored to a patients lifestyle and genes.Despite openness on a bevy of administration objectives, Canegallo said the president would not be commenting directly on the Justice Departments attempt to compel Apple to help the FBI hack the iPhone of San Bernardino, Calif., terrorist Syed Farook. Even so, Goldman said that while the encryption issue is difficult, it shouldnt indicate a general government animosity toward the tech sector.The thing you have to start from is, first, that these are very hard problems," he said. "Second of all, the cooperation that exists between the government and the tech sector extends beyond the discussion on encryption."As an example, he highlighted national security officials like Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter who is considering a Silicon Valley Defense Department innovation center to collaborate with technologists, and Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco who, alongside the Justice Department, is reaching out to entrepreneurs and tech sector innovators to combat online extremism.I think when you think about how the government and the tech sector need to interact its really much more than a single issue of encryption, or even a single case, Goldman said.
Equity Imperative

Setting the right goals  expand the scope and metrics of economic development to reflect a more foundational and holistic understanding of how to expand the economy and opportunity;

 expand the scope and metrics of economic development to reflect a more foundational and holistic understanding of how to expand the economy and opportunity; Growing from within  prioritize established and emerging firms and industries, invest in the ecosystems of innovation, trade, talent, infrastructure, and governance to support globally competitive firms and enable small businesses to start and grow in the market;

 prioritize established and emerging firms and industries, invest in the ecosystems of innovation, trade, talent, infrastructure, and governance to support globally competitive firms and enable small businesses to start and grow in the market; Boosting trade  facilitate export growth and trade with other markets in the United States and abroad in ways that deepen regional industry specializations and bring in new income and investment;

 facilitate export growth and trade with other markets in the United States and abroad in ways that deepen regional industry specializations and bring in new income and investment; Investing in people and skills  incorporate skills development of workers as a priority for economic development and employers so that improving human capacities results in meaningful work and income gains; and

 incorporate skills development of workers as a priority for economic development and employers so that improving human capacities results in meaningful work and income gains; and Connecting place  catalyze economic place making and work at multiple geographic levels to connect local communities to regional jobs, housing, and opportunity.

Keeping Austin Weird, and Educated

With a fast growing tech economy and population, the city of Austin is a hotbed of growth and innovation well on its way to economic dominance or is it?Closer examination reveals an economy inaccessible to large swaths of the local workforce, with divergent income growth for Latino and African-American families and gentrification hostile to traditionally underserved populations. By the numbers , the Austin-Round Rock metro is second in the nation for overall strength and size of its economy and third for wealth and productivity  but the area comes in at an unimpressive 60th for inclusion. In other words, it ranks high among metros on traditional economic indicators, but low on how the benefits of this growth and prosperity reach all people in the region.Unfortunately, this trend is not unique to Austin. It is an inherent feature of local economies across the country, reinforced by traditional economic development. A new report released by the Brookings Institution,  Remaking Economic Development , calls on cities and regions to aim higher.Although local leaders can be lulled into a false sense that inequitable growth is nonetheless sustainable growth, the recent recession and disappointing recovery have proven it to be, at best, short lived. If the next generation of workers is not prepared to meet the needs of major employers, that stifles business development and retention efforts. If people are unemployed, they cannot purchase many of the goods and services the economy produces, hurting small businesses and entrepreneurs. Inefficient use of land and infrastructure hampers job access, limits productivity, and hurts property values, notes Amy Liu, report author and Vice President and Director, Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings.Todays equity imperative for local economic development is not only a moral one but an economic one.This new vision of economic development holds the promise to raise the standards of living for everyone, setting regions on a higher growth trajectory.Leaving market forces unchecked  or, worse yet, reinforcing them with traditional economic development tools  often means that growth occurs at the expense of lower-skilled, minority, younger workers.But, of course, this approach is easier said than done. Ensuring deep prosperity means turning the tides on seemingly intractable politics, complex systems and incentives that favor the status quo.But it can be done.The Brookings report suggests several actions that city leaders can take to start the hard work of remaking economic development:The city of Austin gets it. Although Austin weathered the recession better than many, rapidly rising poverty and inequality were becoming major economic concerns. In the not-too-distant future, businesses would not have a sufficient local workforce base to draw upon. Additionally, growing social service needs have become a serious fiscal drain on the city.Led by then-new Economic Development Director Kevin Johns, the city of Austin set out to create the prototype for how communities of the future compete in a global marketplace.We began this journey in January 2010 to eliminate poverty and come to a full employment economy. This was the principal path to exiting the Great Recession, and continues today as we gain speed towards the next recession, said Johns. It includes our commitment to help musicians, artists and creatives living in poverty, as well as equity to residents of color and all citizens seeking a prosperous future but drawn into poverty.The Einstein Project is one cornerstone of this approach. The project is a public-private economic and education partnership in which Austins high technology and scientific companies teach 40,000 children in poverty. There has been a groundswell of support for the Einstein Project from companies including IBM, Samsung, Silicon Labs, National Instruments, Google, GM Research and Apple.A key element of the Project is that it is incentivized through the companies receipt of small property tax breaks (also known as Chapter 380 agreements). Using this revamped financial incentives program as a contract for the partnership allows the city to hold companies accountable to performance measures, which are evaluated by the Ray Marshall Center at the University of Texas.This is important because the goal is substantial: to remove an entire generation of kids from poverty and get them on trajectory to be competitive for the worlds top STEM and entrepreneurial jobs but hopefully stay in Austin, of course. This could save us as much as $20-30 million a year. That could be 40,000 kids who will not need subsidies as they become heads of households. Instead, these kids will become a huge talent base for our high-tech companies, said Johns.Adapting its financial incentives program  a tool traditionally deemed to deliver economic growthlocal residents and businesses  is a signal that there is new era of doing business with and in the city of Austin. Maybe its easier for Austin because it already has a strong market, but its certainly an indication that taking the risk to remake economic development can pay steady dividends and make the world a better place in the process.
When volunteers in California sign up to help the state pilot test a program to replace its gasoline tax with a road use tax, they might get some high-tech perks to go along with their participation.Thats because the California Road Charge program, which will begin testing out its alternative tax program in July, announced via press release on Thursday that its selected four vendors to help track the mileage of volunteers  and three of them are already providing bonus services to fleet managers based on vehicle data.For example, the company Azuga currently offers fleets a device they plug straight into a vehicles OBDII computer  a standard component in all vehicles made after 1996. Aside from automatically reporting mileage back to fleet managers, the computer is what alerts drivers to specific problems in the engine and can also offer information about whats going on under the hood.Two of the other companies signed up to track the mileage of participants in Californias test program, Intelligent Mechatronic Systems and EROAD, offer similar services. The fourth vendor, Arvato Mobility Solutions, will manage the accounts.Azuga, IMS and EROAD may  provide value added services such as vehicle health reports or driver-safety feedback at no cost to participants for the duration of the pilot, the statement reads.Azuga is also providing services to volunteers in a similar pilot test underway in Oregon The road charge program is designed as an alternative to the states current gas tax, which provides funding for road maintenance and other transportation projects. Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed 2016-17 budget shows that the revenue from the gas tax has dropped from $5.3 billion in fiscal 2014 to $4.5 billion in fiscal 2015. In the coming fiscal year, its projected to bring in $4.2 billion  about a 21 percent drop from 2014.Meanwhile, the state is devoting money and resources toward bringing down gasoline usage even further. The Governors Office of Business and Economic Development has staff devoted to building out the infrastructure required to support the adoption of electric and hydrogen fuel cell cars, and it has a budget up to $220 million per year for boosting those efforts.The long-term plan is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. That would mean much less gasoline use, and therefore an ever-shrinking base of revenue for the state to fund transportation projects.The road use charge pilot program will seek to begin testing in July with 5,000 volunteers and run through the spring of 2017.
(TNS) -- For rural West Virginians who dont have access to high-speed Internet  or have slow and unreliable service  help wont be on the way from the state Legislature anytime soon.Although the state Senate passed legislation that aims to expand broadband Internet across the state, the House of Delegates declined to take up the bills, parking them in committees and dooming them to the legislative landfill with just two days remaining in this years regular session.Its unfortunate, said Sen. Chris Walters, R-Putnam, who pushed broadband expansion. I think not making that a priority [in the House] has been an issue.In recent days, Walters has tried to light a fire under House leadership, posting comments on his Facebook page, putting out a news release and urging constituents to call legislators and demand that they start running the Senates broadband bills.It hasnt worked. The bills remained on the sidelines Thursday, the last day to pass legislation out of committees. The House wants to study broadband issues during legislative interim meetings over the next 10 months.Im sure Senator Walters is disappointed about his bill, said House Majority Leader Daryl Cowles, R-Morgan. Theres support in the House for expanding broadband infrastructure in West Virginia, but theres still debate on how to best attack that issue.Last month, the Senate passed a bill ( SB 315 ) that would create a state-owned fiber-cable Internet network. The legislation allowed Internet companies  and perhaps cities and counties  to apply for grant money and bonds through the state government. The Internet providers would build the statewide network in segments.Walters contends that the project would spur competition, driving down prices and bolstering Internet speeds.It would create one of the fastest and most affordable fiber-optic infrastructures in the country, Walters said.Frontier Communications and cable companies lobbied against the bill, arguing that the project wasnt economically sustainable, and that it would leave taxpayers on the hook for tens of millions of dollars.Although the project was designed to link rural communities with high-speed fiber, the bill didnt guarantee that a single business or home without high-speed Internet would get broadband service. The House stuck the bill in its Political Subdivisions Committee, where it has languished for weeks.Our concern was: Does this [legislation] take away from trying to expand into those rural areas that need broadband today? Cowles said.Also last month, the Senate passed a bill that specifically targets potential rural broadband customers. The legislation ( SB 16 ) provided tax credits to companies that bring high-speed Internet services to homes and businesses in West Virginias most remote areas  places like Randolph, Pocahontas and Nicholas counties. About 12,000 homes and businesses stood to get Internet for the first time, thanks to the tax credit bill.But the legislation stalled in the House Finance Committee. The tax breaks were expected to cost the state about $6.1 million over the life of the program.All the tax credit bills this year have had close scrutiny because of the budget situation, Cowles said.At the start of the legislative session, the House Judiciary Committee briefly debated a bill [ HB 2551 ] that targets telecommunications companies that advertise high-speed Internet but deliver slow speeds. The legislation requires Internet providers to offer download speeds of at least 10 megabits per second if the companies advertise their broadband service as high speed.The Judiciary Committee appointed a subcommittee to analyze the issue, but the full committee never advanced any legislation to the full House.Staff writer David Gutman contributed to this report.
(TNS) -- Law enforcement officials and civil libertarians debated a bill Thursday that would limit how police use a tracking device that can locate a cellphone  and its user  to within six feet.Bipartisan legislation in the House of Delegates would require police to obtain a search warrant to use the cell site simulator, known as a "stingray," to track a suspect. It also would impose strict requirements that officers filter out and discard information about other cellphone owners caught up in any sweep.Proponents of the bill say it is needed to protect individuals' Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable search and seizure. Police and prosecutors say the bill is unnecessary and would hobble a vital tool for fighting crime.The Baltimore Sun reported last year that the city's Police Department had used the controversial technology thousands of times in recent years and hid that fact from prosecutors and judges, at the FBI's request. Del. Charles E. Sydnor III, lead sponsor of the bill, said it was prompted in part by articles in The Baltimore Sun.Sara Love, a lawyer with the Maryland ACLU, told the House Judiciary Committee that privacy concerns outweigh the technology's usefulness to police."Breaking into everybody's home and searching it also would help them catch bad guys, but we have a Constitution," she said.But Scott Shellenberger , the state's attorney for Baltimore County, told lawmakers the bill is based on "misinformation" about a technology that locates only a cellphone's unique identification signal."It does not listen to your phone call. It does not capture your text. It does not capture email. It doesn't capture anything that's in your phone," he said. Shellenberger was joined in opposition by witnesses from the state police and the Baltimore and Baltimore County police departments.
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Gov. Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency late Thursday afternoon and has mobilized the state's National Guard, with up to 80 of the troops to be deployed along the Gulf Coast.

"I have declared a state of emergency to assist local officials with any available state resources," said Bryant. "It is important for Mississippians to remember the phrase 'Turn Around, Don't Drown.'"

Rain has already begun to fall in parts of the Gulf Coast, including Jackson County, but the heavy rainfall is now not expected to begin until early Friday. Once it does, forecasters are calling for up to 13 inches of rain to fall Friday and Saturday.

A flash flood watch issued for the Mississippi coast remains in effect until 6 p.m. Saturday.

Elsewhere in Mississippi, the director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency says about 100 people have been evacuated in the Delta because of severe weather.

Lee Smithson says coastal tides could be three feet above normal. Creeks were rising in the Jackson area.

The severe weather is also hampering the search for two fishermen who went missing Wednesday on the Mississippi River.

Claiborne County Sheriff Frank Davis says search-and-rescue teams looked for the men Thursday but returned because of the heavy rain and floods. The search will continue Friday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Niki Lauda has defended F1's controversial new qualifying format on the basis that the alternative floated by Bernie Ecclestone was "absurd".

After some back and forth, the World Motor Sport Council finally rubber-stamped the new 'musical chairs' system that will debut in Australia next weekend.

However, Red Bull chief Christian Horner thinks there might still be some doubt.

"I can sort of understand the direction they are trying to go in. They are trying to shake it up a bit, like a wet qualifying," he told the Sun newspaper.

"But of course, Ferrari have the right to veto these things. To be honest, I have no idea whether the new qualifying will be in place in Melbourne."

Horner has been an advocate for sweeping change in F1, but he is among those who think tweaking qualifying was unnecessary.

"Did it need to be done? Not really. Will it dramatically change things? Not really. Is it confusing? Yeah," Horner said.

F1 legend and Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda acknowledges the controversy, but he told the German broadcaster Sky Sport News HD that what Ecclestone originally pushed for was much more extreme.

"About the new qualifying, you have to know the history," he said.

"Understandably worried about the (declining) audiences, he (Ecclestone) came to the strategy group with something completely absurd.

"Whoever took pole would have to start the race from tenth, and whoever is tenth would start from pole. An interesting idea.

"But for me it is against every rule of competition," the triple world champion said.

"To stop it, we all decided jointly to do this new system," Lauda explained, although like Horner he acknowledged there is still some doubt about whether it will actually debut in Melbourne.

"The stupid thing is that we decide something and maybe nothing will happen," he said. "I am anxious to see what happens.

"But if it cannot be implemented, it will not matter," Lauda added.

(GMM)
Christine Sizemore

Bossier Parish Sheriff personnel help Christine Sizemore out of a high water vehicle after she was evacuated from rising floodwaters in Bossier Parish, La., Thursday, March 10, 2016. Heavy rain has forced evacuations and caused flash flooding for more than a day.

(Gerald Herbert/The Associated Press)

ELM GROVE, Louisiana -- Huge military trucks rumbled through neighborhoods in northern Louisiana on Thursday in search of families trapped by days of relentless rain, while men in rain gear waded through floodwaters up to their chests to rescue stranded animals.

The process repeated itself throughout the day and similar rescues were possible later Thursday in the southern part of the state, which also braced for heavy rain.

Davyon Hill, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's office in Shreveport, said skies have cleared in the region, but the area is not yet out of the woods.

"It's not over with," he said. "There's still part of a low pressure system that's in Central Texas that is moving this way and overnight it will likely bring another bout of rain to the region."

State officials said a 6-year-old girl was among three people killed in Louisiana during two days of severe weather that has left roads covered in water and sent more than 1,000 people fleeing their homes.

Docia Winters hugged her 20-year-old son, Ryan Ficca, when he got off the back of a big truck Thursday morning. She said she and her husband and daughter evacuated their trailer on Wednesday, but Ficca had stayed behind to look after their 11 cats.

She said the water rose so fast, however, that Ficca was forced to leave without the cats.

"We don't know if they went under the trailer or where they are," she said.

Sixteen Louisiana parishes have declared a state of emergency, and the National Guard was sent in to help.

Guard spokesman Rebekah Malone said the Guard has evacuated 361 people from homes in Bossier, Ouachita and Morehouse parishes since Wednesday morning, using trucks that can travel though water 20 to 30 inches deep.

Guardsmen have also evacuated 70 dogs, 16 chickens and even a guinea pig.

In Bossier City -- across the Red River from Shreveport -- some 3,500 homes were under a mandatory evacuation as a precaution because a bayou was approaching the top of its levee. National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Hansford said Thursday morning that the bayou may top the levee or be breached. One weather spotter just north of Monroe reported more than 18 inches of rain since Tuesday night, he said.

Dozens of people were at a Red Cross shelter at the Bossier Civic Center in northwest Louisiana, said shelter manager Colleen Morgan.

Authorities were using high-water vehicles to bring out about 1,000 people. Rescuers were working out of a staging area along Highway 71 in Bossier Parish on Thursday. Using boats and trucks high enough to drive through the water, they went through the community evacuating people from their homes.

Many residents brought with them dogs and cats as they fled. Two men could be seen in knee-deep water trying to secure horses in the muddy brown waters.

Rain also pummeled parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi.

In southern Arkansas, heavy rainfall prompted the closure of some schools and roads, and forecasters say the deluge will continue there for the rest of the week. Meteorologists with the National Weather Service say officials have reported water rescues and evacuations near Dermott, Arkansas, as water rises in low-lying areas. More than 14 inches of rain had fallen as of Thursday morning in Chicot and Ashley counties in the southeast corner of Arkansas.

In West Tennessee, schools shut down early and roads were closed Thursday due to flooding caused by heavy rain throughout West Tennessee.

The National Weather Service says 3 to 10 inches of rain has fallen in counties along the Mississippi River in West Tennessee, eastern Arkansas and north Mississippi since late Tuesday, flooding roads, parking lots and fields. The flood threat is expected to continue into Friday, as another 1 to 3 inches of rain could fall in the Mississippi Delta region, meteorologist Scott McNeil said.

The state emergency management agency in Mississippi says about 100 people have been evacuated in the Delta as a result of severe weather.

One weather-related drowning was reported in both Oklahoma and Texas earlier this week.

In Louisiana, officials late Wednesday said a 63-year-old man died when a car was swept off a flooded road. Mike Steele, a spokesman for the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said a 22-year-old man and a 6-year-old girl in Ouachita Parish have also been confirmed dead.
Dolans in 1948.jpg

W.A. and Lucy Dolan (standing) with Howard McDonald in a photo taken around 1948 as the Dolans worked on his pardon.

(Courtesy)

Author Sandra Moncrief's long-anticipated non-fiction account of Pascagoula's Phantom Barber of 1942 is now available for purchase in paperback from amazon.com and at other locations.

Author Sandra Moncrief

In fact, Moncrief will be in Pascagoula for a book signing on Tuesday, March 22, when she will also make a presentation on her journey and research that led her to pen the story of William A. Dolan, a man thought to have been falsely accused and convicted of the crime of sneaking into the homes of young, blonde-haired girls to snip a lock of their hair while they were sleeping. Years later Dolan's body was found floating in the Mississippi River, or was it really Dolan?

The book signing and program will get underway at 6 p.m. at the Pascagoula Public Library meeting room for the event that is co-sponsored by the library and the Jackson County Historical and Genealogical Society and is open to the public.

Moncrief was a young girl during the Phantom Barber's campaign that struck terror in the homes of Pascagoulans. She is a blonde and her parents kept a "billy" stick handy to ward off any visit to their home by this mysterious criminal, mysterious because he never left a trace at his crime scenes.

The crimes occurred in different parts of the city and the convent boarding school was among the locations violated. Dolan was eventually convicted and sent to prison even though the evidence against him was very shoddy.

When Moncrief learned of the strong protestations of innocence raised by Dolan's daughter and wife and of the strange circumstances surrounding his death, she began to explore this crime, a perplexing one for a such a quiet southern city of the mid-20th Century. She then leaves it to her reader to judge whether or not Dolan was the culprit.

Moncrief told how she got involved in the story: "Both women (her mother and grandmother) always talked of the frightening and mystifying 'Phantom Barber' and I grew up with a special interest in the man and his purpose. My interest was again peaked when I was asked by a friend and university professor to research this story. I embarked with great gusto to discover the facts surrounding this strange tale, assuming it would be an easy task. Little did I know what a ride I was in for, what roads I would travel for discovery and the cooperative, helpful and intriguing people that I would meet along the way."

A native of Pascagoula and a graduate of Our Lady of Victories High School, the author now lives in Diamondhead, Miss. She earned a BS degree in history from the University of Southern Mississippi and her article, "The Married Women's Property Act of 1839," was published in the "Journal of Mississippi History." After 42 years working in the banking profession, she retired and worked summers on a ranch in Wyoming. Now she is busy promoting her book.

The public is invited to the March 22 book signing and program. Cost for the 156-page book, "The Phantom Barber," is $12.95.
New England and the Mid-Atlantic, including the Chesapeake Bay, have a long and storied history of fishing.

Fishing continues to define our culture today, with lobsters, sea scallops, crabs, and a variety of fish filling our menus and attracting tourists from all over the world. New Bedford, Massachusetts, is consistently among the highest value ports in the United States, thanks to the lucrative scallop fishery. Recreational fishing is a popular pastime, contributing billions to our economy. Many fishermen still fish in the same places and for the same species as their ancestors hundreds of years ago.

We are also dedicated to conserving, protecting, and rebuilding endangered and threatened marine and anadromous species in rivers, bays, estuaries, and marine waters off New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Our work helps ensure the survival of protected marine mammals, sea turtles, and fish for future generations.

Our work to maintain sustainable fisheries and protect marine life is a joint effort of the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office and Northeast Fisheries Science Center, offering sound science to help inform management decisions in an ever-changing environment. To find out more about our work, read our 2020-2023 New England and Mid-Atlantic Regional Strategic Plan.
Ford Smart Mobility LLC is part of Fords expanded business model to be both an auto and a mobility company. ( Earlier post .) The company is continuing to focus on and investing in its core businessdesigning, manufacturing, marketing, financing and servicing cars, SUVs, trucks and electrified vehicles. At the same time, Ford aggressively is pursuing emerging opportunities through Ford Smart Mobility, the companys plan to be a leader in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience and data and analytics. ( Earlier post .)

Ford Motor Company has created a new subsidiaryFord Smart Mobility LLCto design, build, grow and invest in emerging mobility services. The new subsidiary will have operations in Palo Alto, California, and Dearborn, Michigan. Jim Hackett, former Steelcase vice chairman and CEO, is leaving his position on the Ford Board of Directors to serve as chairman of the new subsidiary.

Ford Smart Mobility and expanding into mobility services are significant growth opportunities. Our plan is to quickly become part of the growing transportation services market, which already accounts for $5.4 trillion in annual revenue. Jim Hackett is the right visionary leaderwith extensive experience in business development and designto take us into the mobility services business in the future. Mark Fields, president and CEO, Ford Motor Company

The new Ford Smart Mobility LLC will build on the products, technologies and Ford Smart Mobility innovations and work already under way at Ford Motor Company. Working with Fords existing product development, research and advanced engineering, marketing and data analytics teamswhich will remain unchangedthe subsidiary will develop commercially ready mobility services and invest in promising mobility-related ventures.

Designed to compete like a startup company, Ford Smart Mobility LLC will design and build mobility services on its own, and collaborate with start-ups and tech companies.

Reporting to Mark Fields, Hackett, as chairman of Ford Smart Mobility LLC, will lead a team of business and technology leaders from inside and outside the company.

Ford Smart Mobility. Ford Smart Mobility, announced in 2015, is the companys plan to deliver the next level in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience and big data; the initial stage was the creation of 25 mobility experiments across the globe.

Ford says it has made significant progress already, including:
SAUCIER, Mississippi -- A 42-year-old Saucier man has been arrested for stabbing his landlord who had evicted him.

According to Harrison County Sheriff Troy Peterson, deputies responded to a stabbing call around 3:30 p.m. on March 8 in the 17000 block of Highway 15. When they arrived, they located the victim who had several knife wounds to the arm and hand.

The victim told the deputies that the suspect -- identified as Ronald Graham II -- had recently been evicted from the property, but came back and engaged in a verbal argument with the victim.

During the argument, Graham pulled out a knife and stabbed the landlord in the arm and hand before fleeing before deputies arrived.

The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

An arrest warrant was issued for Graham, who was taken into custody Thursday by Biloxi police during a traffic stop.

Graham was charged with aggravated assault and booked into the Harrison County Adult Detention Center under a $200,000 bond set by Justice Court Judge Melvin Ray.
HARTFORD - A key legislative committee on Thursday passed a bill mandating paid family and medical leave for all state workers, but the legislation faces more revision and an uphill battle.

I have concerns, but will vote to get it out of committee, said state Rep. Louis Esposito, D-West Haven. I think we have to work on this.

The General Assemblys Labor and Public Employees Committee moved the bill forward on a mostly partisan vote based on the strength of its Democratic majority.

If passed by the full Legislature, Connecticut would join Rhode Island, New Jersey and California in mandating paid leave for family issues and medical problems. The state now requires employers to grant only unpaid leave.

The legislation establishes up to 12 weeks of paid leave for pregnancy, non-work related illness or to care for family member. An employee would have to make at least $9,300 a year and the law would apply to any business with two or more employees.

A worker would receive 100 percent of their weekly pay, up to $1,000 a week.

The leave is funded through payroll deductions from each employee, although how much is not clear. The version passed Thursday states a percentage would be deducted but does not specify how much.

An earlier version set the percentage at a half percent deduction from each paycheck. Opponents have said the amount would have to be far more.

Employees who already have an equivalent or better paid leave plan would be exempt from the legislation. If their plan is less than the state mandate, the new law would apply.

Carolyn Treiss, executive director of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, praised the bill.

This is a great day for the women and families of Connecticut, Treiss said. Paid leave benefits everyone,

and we will all need it at some point in our lives, whether we are new parents, or for our own illness or that of someone we love.

But state Rep. Richard Smith, R-New Fairfield, raised objections to the legislation and said he cannot support the bill as written. Because the employee deduction is not established, he said it could grow as high as 10 percent.

I cant support it as it is, but I do appreciate the effort, Smith said. I think it has a way to go.

State Sen. Peter Tercyak, D-New Britain, and committee co-chairman, said actuaries will ultimately set the employee deduction based on the amount needed to make the plan solvent.

Tercyak added that initially, as the benefit is established, some state money would be used to fund the leave but stressed that money would be repaid as the trust fund set up to receive payroll deductions becomes stable.

This will be based on what it takes to have the plan be solvent, Tercyak said of the employee deduction. This is to be paid for by employees only.

State Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, said the bill simply offers employees much needed paid leave.

This is an insurance plan for employee taking time off, Osten said. It allows the employee to get paid so they can face the ultimate embarrassment of losing their ability to exist.

Business leaders have come out against the bill, saying it adds another mandate in a state where the cost of operating is already among the highest in the nation.

In contrast, more than 100 of the states most influential women leaders on Thursday sent a letter to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and legislative leaders urging passage of the bill.
Residents of three southwest Connecticut cities may be a little hard-pressed to talk about their finances than others.

Website Roadsnacks believes they found out who is most worried about money in Connecticut. Citing website searches compiled on Google Trends, the site put together the top 10 places people search bankruptcy and ways to fix bad credit throughout the state. The grading criteria for these two factors placed cities on an index between 1-100, 100 being the worst.
JACKSON, Mississippi -- A young Mississippi man pleaded guilty Friday to a terrorism-related charge, months after authorities said he and his fiancee thought about using their honeymoon as ruse to go to Syria to join the Islamic State.

Muhammad Dakhlalla, 23, pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorism and faces up to 20 years in prison, $250,000 fines and lifetime probation. His sentencing date hasn't been set.

His fiancee, Jaelyn Delshaun Young, is accused in new court documents of being the mastermind of the plan to join the Islamic State. Her trial is set for June 6.

Both remain jailed without bail in Oxford.

The couple was arrested Aug. 8 before boarding a flight from Columbus, Miss., with tickets for Istanbul. Authorities say they contacted undercover federal agents last year, seeking online help in traveling to Syria. The two, at one point, told federal agents posing online as recruiters for the Islamic State that they planned to disguise their journey to Syria as a honeymoon.

The couple's arrest stunned their families.

Dakhlalla is a 2011 psychology graduate of Mississippi State University who grew up in Starkville, a son of a prominent figure in the college town's Muslim community. He is the youngest of three sons and was preparing to start graduate school at Mississippi State.

Young, a sophomore chemistry major from Vicksburg, was the daughter of a school administrator and a police officer who served in the Navy reserve. She was a former honor student, cheerleader and homecoming maid at Warren Central High School.

Court papers filed with the plea portray Young as the mastermind of the couple's attempt to join the Islamic State, saying she had already expressed an interest in converting to Islam even before she began dating Dakhlalla in late 2014.

The papers confirm that both Young and Dakhlalla left farewell letters "that explained they would never be back, with Young acknowledging her role as the planner of the expedition and that Dakhlalla was going as her companion of his own free will."

The court papers reiterate earlier government claims that Dakhlalla, in online contacts, told an FBI employee that he was good with computers and media and wanted to contribute to the Islamic State's struggle. Court papers say Dakhlalla said online that he wanted to become a fighter and learn "what it really means to have that heart in battle."

The plea agreement drops a related charge against Dakhlalla, cutting the possible length of any imprisonment. However, in the plea agreement signed Wednesday, Dakhlalla and his lawyer acknowledged that the sentencing recommendation would be adjusted upward because terrorism is involved.
The latest Grub Street Podcast focuses on Chinese food in New York: As Adam Platt has said before, are the more traditional Chinatown restaurants tired and ordinary? Platt and editor Alan Sytsma visit Fung Tu, one of the New Age Chinese restaurants here, and talk to co-owner Wilson Tang, who also owns one of Chinatowns oldest restaurants, Nom Wah Tea Parlor. Listen to find out more about Tangs backstory  and, of course, what Platt and Sytsma think of the food.

The Grub Street Podcast is produced by the Slate Groups Panoply, and you can also listen via iTunes (or your phone) and directly in SoundCloud.
Tori-Mune Konsai: chicken breast, beets, arugula. Photo: Liz Clayman

Teisui is the latest international satellite restaurant to open in New York: Entrepreneur Takuro Hirabayashi owns the Teisui Hotel, located on top of a remote mountain in the Akita province of Japan, and, on March 18, hes opening a food-focused version of his concept in Flatiron. Through the sleek, serene 17-seat space, Hirabayashi seeks to re-create the experience of a traditional Japanese ryokan.

The ten-course, $150 (with gratuity) tasting menu is as elegant as the space, and instead of employing just one executive chef, Hirabayashi has tapped a collaborative team of Japanese cooks to oversee the food (there will be a roster of visiting chefs from his hotel in Akita, too). Opening-menu dishes include uni royale, a luxurious egg custard with edamame puree, foie gras, and sea urchin; miso-marinated rabbit; and a special miso soup thats theatrically brought to a boil with heated Mount Fuji rocks. Take a look:

Tsukune: chicken meatball, egg yolk. Photo: Liz Clayman

Hassun: king crab, kiritanpo, chicken burdock, watercress goma-ae. Photo: Liz Clayman

Uni Royale: edamame puree, foie gras, Santa Barbara uni. Photo: Liz Clayman

Ishiyaki Teisui Soup: miso soup with king crab and Japanese red snapper. Photo: Liz Clayman

The Mount Fuji rocks bringing the soup to a boil. Photo: Liz Clayman

Oooh, ahh. Photo: Liz Clayman

The space. Photo: Liz Clayman

Menu [PDF]

Teisui, 246 Fifth Ave., 917-388-3596
Usually, this is as close as the knife gets. Photo: Bernd Euler/the food passionates/Corbis

As far as restaurant mishaps go, a tipped-over wineglass or errant projectile roll is generally as bad as it gets. So imagine being the woman who walked away with this souvenir from a recent visit to a Dallas-area Texas de Brazil steakhouse:

Whitley was sitting at the table talking with a friend while her server cut a piece of meat for another man at the table.



I felt a searing pain, obviously something had happened to my arm, said Whitley.



Whitley looked down and saw that the carving knife used by the waiter had sliced into her arm.



Theres this cut as soon as I look, I see it fill with blood, said Whitley.



Whitley still doesnt know how the waiter lost control of the knife.

She says she left with a two-inch gash in her arm.

Churrasco-style service at restaurants like Texas de Brazil involves cutting giant skewers of meat at the table using a sort of comically large knife, and Whitleys server appears to have had an off-day coordination-wise. A manager quickly apologized, and even gave her the insurance information so the chain could pay her medical bill. But Texas de Brazils handling of that is actually what has her most upset:

She said the back-and-forth with the insurance company has gone nowhere.



Im left pushing everything along, demanding and nothing happens unless I make yet another call, said Whitley.



She was accidentally stabbed December 9, 2015 and is upset there is still no resolution by March of 2016.



They havent stepped up to say, gee, get to the doctor, let us know how much it will cost, said Whitley.

She tells CBS 11 that so far shes out about $5,000 for plastic surgery and $6,700 in lost wages. Shes also asked the insurance company to pay $12,000 for pain and suffering. A Texas de Brazil rep says theyre actively working to resolve the situation in a way that Whitley is comfortable with, and customer safety is always paramount. Either way, looks like the chain will have to scrap those plans to pair the meat-cutting with a capoeira weapon dance.

[CBS 11]
Only two days ago we got a glimpse at the upcoming LeEco Le 2 Pro smartphone, through some leaked images showing it. Back then we found out a couple of its most important specs, and today thanks to a new leak we get a more complete list.

LeEco is the Chinese company formerly known as LeTV, which grabbed the international spotlight when it was the first to release a device powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820. And it looks like it really likes that chipset, since it's going to use it again in the Le 2 Pro.

The image you can see above purportedly shows the back label from the box of the Le 2 Pro, which helpfully lists the handset's specs. The Le 2 Pro should thus come with a 5.7-inch QHD touchscreen, a 21 MP rear camera with LED flash, an 8 MP selfie snapper, the aforementioned Snapdragon 820 SoC on board, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of built-in storage, LTE support, a USB Type-C port, Dolby Audio, and a 3,100 mAh battery.

It will obviously run Android, but which exact version isn't clear yet. Nor is how much it will cost, or when it's getting official. Or, for that matter, whether it will ever be sold outside of China. Anyway, its specs certainly make it worthy of the flagship moniker.

Source (in Chinese) | Via
LG has announced that its recently unveiled G5 flagship smartphone is going to land in the US sometime in early April. Oddly enough the company hasn't revealed the actual release date for the handset, but that could very well be April 8 - because the G5 is launching on that day in both Canada and the UK.

You'll find the G5 in stock at such carriers and retailers as AT&T, Best Buy, B&H, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Verizon. Prices are still not known though.

Emulating a promotion that we've seen run many times for last year's G4 and V10, LG will give people who buy a G5 in the US a free second battery and charging cradle. This offer will be available for a limited time, but the company hasn't said exactly how long you'll have to take advantage of it.

At the same time as the phone, LG will also release the G5 Friends in the US. These are the modular accessories that were presented at MWC last month. Some of these help 'transform' the G5 into things like a "DSLR style camera" or a mobile virtual reality viewer.

Source 1  Source 2
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Samsung unveiled its own camera with Dual Pixel autofocus, a 12MP unit just like the Sony IMX260. And both of those are used in the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. But which one did you get? Does it even matter?

You can use AIDA64 to check, under Devices you'll find a Camera ID field that says either SONY_IMX260 or SLSI_S5K2L1 (this is the Samsung one).

Taskumuro procured phones with both camera sensors and went on a shooting expedition.

The results show that there are indeed some differences, but there's no clear winner. The Sony sensor has the edge in some shots, the Samsung comes out ahead in others. So, there's no win or lose here.



Samsung Galaxy S7 camera sample: Samsung sensor  Sony Sensor

Thanks for the excellent work, Juha!

Source (in Finnish)




Haiti - Politic : UN encourages and supports Haitian women





As part of the International Women's Day, United Nations team in Haiti reiterates that all social actors have a responsibility to promote gender equality. The UN in Haiti encourage ongoing efforts to enhance the participation of women in political, institutional, social and economic, as well as to eliminate gender violence and improve access of women and girls to equal education, to health services and quality employment.



The United Nations encourages the efforts of government and different social actors of Haiti to eliminate from public life and private life all forms of violence against women and girls, including trafficking and exploitation sexual and all other forms of exploitation. Despite progress, the physical and psychological violence continues to affect one Haitian woman out of four. In this regard, the UN strongly encourage special protection for women and girls in vulnerable situations such as migrant or displaced women in need.



The UN also supports the strengthening of the capacities of women who face multiple barriers, such as: the socio-economic pressures on households (especially in times of crisis or as a result of a natural disaster), insecurity the employment or maternity-related discrimination. This factor combined with a high fertility rate of 3.5 children per woman. One teenager 15-19 out of 7 (14%) has already had a birth or are pregnant for the first time; increasing dropouts.



The UN in Haiti also encourage the actions of civil society and government designed to assure the full and effective participation of women and their access full equality in leadership positions at all levels of decision making in the political, economic and public. Haiti remains one of the six countries in the world where both parliamentary chambers (Senate and Chamber of Deputies) have no woman representation, while the 1987 Haitian Constitution establishes the principle of quota of at least 30% . In this respect, it seems appropriate that legal instruments define the modalities of application of that quota.



In education, the UN encourages Haiti's efforts to advance in equal access to education for girls and women to education, in formal and non-formal education. In this regard, it is crucial to integrate the curriculum in gender equality and transformation of stereotypes, also by introducing it in textbooks and the training of the teaching staff. In primary and secondary education a gender parity is noted since 2000. At the secondary level, the enrollment of girls exceeds that of boys. However, the inequality becomes more obvious to people who have reached higher education (6.1% for women 35 to 39 years, against 11.8% for men). The low level of higher education that affects women predominantly explain their early entry and without qualification on the labor market.



The United Nations also support Haiti in its efforts for reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, and access to ownership and control of land and other forms of property, to financial services , inheritance and natural resources. In Haiti, 71% of women have neither land nor house. 20% have a good jointly and only 9% are owners.



Finally, the United Nations in Haiti welcome the ratification of international legal instruments for gender equality, such as CEDAW Convention and encourage the application of the laws already initiated by the Parliament and the Government of Haiti, including "the law on fatherhood, motherhood and filiation", "the law on the conditions of domestic work", the "Draft framework law on the prevention, punishment and eradication of violence against women and girls" and the minimum 30% quota provided for in the Constitution.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















>A recent decision of the Federal Circuit Court has drawn attention to employers legal requirements under discrimination law when dealing with sick or injured employees, writes Amber Chandler.In Huntley v State of NSW, Department of Police and Justice (Corrective Services NSW) [2015] FCCA 1827, Judge Nicholls of the Federal Circuit Court found the employer breached the Cth Disability Discrimination Act in dismissing Huntley from employment on medical grounds by failing to consider the inherent requirements of the disabled employees role and what reasonable adjustments could be made to accommodate the disability.In considering termination of employment of sick or injured employees, employers must be particularly mindful of both the federal and state anti-discrimination legislation, which prohibits direct or indirect discrimination on the grounds of disability in the workplace, including in dismissing an employee.The legislation provides a defence for an employer that may be raised in circumstances where the employee is, because of their disability,unable to carry out the inherent requirements of the particular work even if the relevant employer, principal or partnership made reasonable adjustments for the aggrieved person.The defence contains a two-fold test: the first being that the employee is unable to carry out the inherent requirements of their role, and the second being that reasonable adjustments cannot be made by the employer to assist the employee in meeting the inherent requirements.In the case before the Federal Circuit Court, Huntley, a probation and parole officer who had been employed since 2001, had subsequently developed Crohns Disease in 2009 and a condition called Idiopathic Hypersomnolance in 2011. One of her medical restrictions included that she could not drive for more than 30 minutes. Her duties were informally adjusted by the employer, but in 2011 her employer ended her secondment within a departmental group because she could not travel longer than 30 minutes, forcing her to take leave. They also advised her that her employment was to be terminated on medical grounds.Huntley filed a discrimination application in the federal jurisdiction. The employer defended the application and argued it had attempted to reasonably accommodate Huntley, but was not obliged to put reasonable adjustments in place because she could not meet the inherent requirements of her substantive role.Judge Nicholls found that the HR manager had relied upon factually incorrect reasoning as the basis for termination of employment, by misinterpreting the medical practitioners advice. Huntleys doctor had in fact qualified the restriction by stating she could take trips longer than 30 minutes if she could plan for breaks during the journey. His Honour was unable to identify any evidence that any of the managers had considered the inherent requirements of Huntleys role and any reasonable adjustments that could be made to allow her to continue performing that role.As a result, His Honour held these failures meant the employer treated Huntley less favourably as a result of her disability and breached the Cth Disability Discrimination Act, the employment contract and the employers own workplace policies. He ordered her leave entitlements be re-credited, and the employer to pay $75,000 in compensation for loss and damages and breach of contract and a further amount of $98,863 plus interest for loss of wages and other entitlements.Another case in a State jurisdiction has also drawn attention to the reasonable adjustments requirement under the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 2010. In Butterworth v Independence Australia Services (Human Rights) [2015] VCAT 2056, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal awarded $13,000 to a customer service officer of a not-for-profit disability service whose employer did not make reasonable adjustments to accommodate a workplace neck and shoulder injury and then terminated her employment on medical grounds.The Victorian legislation contains a specific provision that an employer must provide reasonable adjustments for an employee with a disability so they can perform the genuine and reasonable requirements of the position. The Tribunal Member considered this may involve employers moving an injured employee around within a classification to enable the employee to undertake other tasks.The Tribunal Member criticised the employer for failing to consider the genuine and reasonable requirements of the role, for taking a narrow approach in looking at the role and posing inadequate questions to the medical examiner assessing her fitness for duty. Specifically, the Member found the independent doctor had not been asked whether reasonable adjustments could be made to the role. The Member referred to another medical report which suggested the employee be moved to a role where less telephone work was involved, and noted there was no evidence which showed the employer had considered this option.These cases highlight the importance of not only obtaining a comprehensive fitness for duty assessment confirming an employee cannot perform the inherent requirements, but also giving thorough consideration to the reasonable adjustments element. From a practical viewpoint, this necessitates an employer conducting a full internal consultation with the relevant line managers and supervisors who have a familiarity with the workplace processes, roles and various types of equipment available in the industry and undertaking an internal review as to whether the company can provide facilities or services to enable the employee to perform those inherent requirements the doctor considers she cannot because of her disability.Reasonable adjustments do not involve modifications to the inherent requirements of the substantive role itself (X v Commonwealth (1999) 200 CLR 177, 208 [102]), but rather provision of a service external to employment to assist the employee overcome a disability. An excellent statement by a Federal Court judge, Heerey J in Cosma v Qantas Airways Ltd [2002] FCA 640 explains this approach:this provision does not require the employer to alter the nature of the particular employment or its inherent requirements. Rather it is a question of overcoming an employees inability, by reason of disability, to perform such work. This is done by provision of assistance in the form of services, such as providing a person to read documents for a blind employee, or facilities such as physical adjustment like a wheel chair ramp. The services or facilities are external to the particular employment which remains the same.It is recommended an employer seek some input from an occupational physician or the employees treating doctor to ascertain whether any reasonable adjustments could be implemented at the same time when a fitness for duty assessment is obtained.The above case summaries highlight employers obligations under discrimination legislation, in particular that it is of utmost importance that an employer explore all possibilities for reasonable adjustments to the role. Detailed records of such considerations should be maintained to support a defence to any subsequent discrimination claim which may be pursued.Amber Chandler is a Sydney-based partner practising in employment law at law firm Kaden Boriss. Amber regularly provides legal advice to employers, particularly in regards to HR issues and appears regularly before the Fair Work Commission , Federal Circuit Court and State employment tribunals. Kaden Boriss has offices throughout Australia and internationally and practices in areas including workplace law, workers compensation, insurance and commercial law.
By Jessica Isaacs | [email protected]

Hear from the Rev. Dr. Gary Chapman, a North Carolina pastor, marriage counselor and the accomplished author of The 5 Love Languages, at a special program hosted by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, March 22.

This New York Times best-selling author will speak to a local audience on The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, helping entrepreneurs and employees in the High Country better understand how to effectively communicate appreciation so that each individual understands that he or she is valued.

The discussion will help participating leaders and guests understand how to:

Discover what employees want most.

Increase loyalty and decrease turnover with employees and volunteers.

Reduce cynicism and create a more positive work environment.

Elevate employee engagement by making your staff feel truly valued.

Replace ineffective employee recognition with authentic appreciation.

His New York Times best-seller, The 5 Languages of Love, is kind of a staple. Its a guide for marriage, and he has applied those same principles to the workplace and how to treat your staff, said Barbara Armstrong, director of operations for the Boone Chamber. Its all in the communication. Our members are employers, and a more positive work environment produces better employees.

Its also good to apply this information to your everyday life and in any relationships that you have. If youre a nonprofit, then its important to know how to make your volunteers and your board members feel appreciated and valued. Nobody wants their staff to feel like theyre coming in, punching a clock and just doing their time. When that happens, it reflects all the way out, even to the customer that walks in.

The program will begin at 7 p.m. at the Samaritans Purse Training and Conference Center, 7691 Valley Blvd. in Blowing Rock.

Sponsorship by Caldwell Community College and Chuck Eyler Nationwide Insurance has allowed the chamber to offer this program to you at an extremely discounted rate!

Join the program for just $10 per person and find out what you can do to improve communication with your colleagues in the workplace and in the community.

Following the program, Dr. Chapman will be on-hand for a book signing and will have copies available for purchase.

Click here to register for the event if you plan to participate. This event will definitely sell out, so reserve your seat now!

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This article is intended for most of my US/international clients that are small e-commerce businesses that do not want to shut off their E...
By Jesse Wood

After a week of early voting, more than 5,500 people have voted early in the primary election so far, according to figures provided by the Watauga County Board of Elections.

Of the total amount of votes cast, about 83 percent of the voters marked their ballots at the Watauga County Administration Building in downtown Boone or on the polling site inside the Plemmons Student Union on the campus of Appalachian State University, which is currently on spring break.

See the early voting totals below, per early voting site:

Watauga County Administration Building= 1,791

ASU= 2,760

Blowing Rock= 334

Deep Gap= 214

Meat Camp= 177

Sugar Grove= 225

Total = 5,501

This compares to Avery County, which as seen 842 early voters and has a considerably smaller electorate, according to Avery County Board of Elections Director Sheila Ollis

Early voting ends on Saturday at 1 p.m.

See more coverage of the 2016 primary here.

See more details, such as sample ballots, voting locations and hours and more below:

Although the voter registration deadline prior to early voting has passed, same-day registration is available at any of the one-stop voting locations.

Voters should be ready to show their acceptable photo IDs, Watauga County Board of Elections Director Matt Snyder said.

A list of acceptable IDs and other voter information is available at the state sponsored, http://voterid.nc.gov. 2016 marks the first year of North Carolinas controversial Voter ID law. Student IDs are not an acceptable form of identification.

The last day to request an absentee ballot for the 2016 primary is Tuesday, March 8.

Another thing to note, especially in a county like Watauga, where unaffiliated voters outrank Republicans and Democrats on a one-on-one basis, is that if you are an unaffiliated voter, you must request a specific ballot or else precinct workers will automatically give you a non-partisan ballot, according to Snyder.

The non-partisan ballot only features the Connect NC Bond, while the partisan ballots feature races from within the Republican, Democrat or Libertarian ballots.

For more information, contact the Watauga County Board of Elections office at 828-265-8061 or the Avery County Board of Elections office at 828-733-8282.

To figure out your Election Day polling place, click here.

Early Voting Sites, Hours

AVERY COUNTY

Avery County Board of Elections Office in Courthouse, 200 Montezuma St. #307, Newland

March 11 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

March 12 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Early Voting Sites, Hours

WATAUGA COUNTY

Watauga County Administration Building, 814 West King St. Boone

March 11 from 9 a.m.  5 p.m.

March 12 from 8 a.m.  1 p.m.

ASU Plemmons Student Union, Blue Ridge Ballroom, 263 Locust Street, Boone

March 11 from 10 a.m.  6 p.m.

March 12 from 8 a.m.  1 p.m.

Blowing Rock Town Hall, 1036 Main Street, Blowing Rock

March 11 from 10 a.m.  6 p.m.

March 12 from 8 a.m.  1 p.m.

Deep Gap Fire Department, 6583 Old U.S. 421 South, Deep Gap

March 11 from 10 a.m.  6 p.m.

March 12 from 8 a.m.  1 p.m.

Meat Camp Fire Department  4797 N.C. 194 North, Boone

March 11 from 10 a.m.  6 p.m.

March 12 from 8 a.m.  1 p.m.

Western Watauga Community Center  1081 Old U.S. 421, Sugar Grove

March 11 from 10 a.m.  6 p.m.

March 12 from 8 a.m.  1 p.m.

See sample ballots for Avery and Watauga counties below:

Avery County Ballots

Note that young adults that are not yet 18 years old but will be by the November election wont be allowed to vote on the bond referendum. So 17-year-old voters will see similar ballots minus the bond referendum selection.

Republican Primary Ballot

Democratic Primary Ballot

Watauga County Ballots

Republican Ballot

Democratic Ballot

See language for Connect NC Bond referendum, which will be on all ballots for those 18 years and older as of March 15.

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Oh hello, my name is Helene Sula and one time I went to Asia months ago and barely recapped the trip. Yes, I made a quick video diary of our entire trip, and covered a 3 day Bangkok City Guide, and told you all about the Chiang Mai Lantern Festival. But I've made it a priority to (hopefully) recap this trip. Because it was incredible and weird and wonderful and if I don't recap it now then I won't be able to remember all the different facets as we went along.

Below you can find a map of all the places discussed in this post:

[powr-map id=2ae327a4_1511438797]

Chiang Mai is situated in the northern part of Thailand. Unlike Bangkok, it's a laid back, smaller community with more temples in it's one square mile city center than most places in the world. These ancient temples, or wats, were decorated ornately when we went in November since they were preparing for the Lantern Festival, Yee Peng.

How to Get There

We started our trip in Bangkok, and took a short plane ride from Bangkok to Chiang Mai on Royal Thai Airways. Once we arrived at the airport it was a quick taxi ride to the city's center.





How to Get Around

Once you're in Chiang Mai it's very walkable. There are also red taxis which are basically trucks with rickety wooden benches in the back and you gape out the open back as mopeds squeeze in and out of traffic. We spoke to the travel agency in Chiang Mai and asked why he rode in his car instead of just biking the short, flat 3 miles from work back home. He looked at us as if we were bonkers, I am not an athlete!

Thailand has a program called Bike for Dad that encourages people to take a bike rather than drive to work. You can see why, there is a lot of pollution, particularly in Bangkok. But it seems they feel like it just wouldn't be worth it. Like our friend in the travel agency noted, he'd rather wait an hour in traffic than bike just 3 miles.

Where to Stay

There are tons of hostels and hotels nearby. I suggest staying near Wat Chedi Luang. This is the main center of the city and puts you close to anything and everything you want to see.

I wasn't thrilled with our lodging (we stayed at Hotel Anodard). The beds were the hardest things I've slept on in my life. However, we did run into an interesting characters. To give you more ideas on budget accommodations and attractions in Chiang Mai, check out this blog on Where to Stay in Chiang Mai: Nimman or Old City by HotelsCombined.

One morning, before we left to go on an elephant ride, the power flickered out. This didn't bother us too much since we weren't spending much time in the hotel. We waited outside for our ride, the thick heat already beating down on us at 7am. The bell boy, as his name tag stated, was an old, thin, gray-haired man missing a few teeth, went outside to meet the electrician.

They peered into the broken transformer, and with bare hands, reached in and pulled out the culprit for the power outage: a squirrel. The elderly bell boy came back, delighted, squirrel in hand, and held it up to the hotel guests. A Chinese child, not older than 7, with pig tails was eating yogurt and asked to hold it. Her parents said Sure! and the bell boy gave her the squirrel. Her parents took a photo. Then she went back to eating her yogurt. I was in complete shock. A dead squirrel and she held it with her bare hands AND he brought it into the hotel. To do what with it? Eat it, I suppose.

What to See

Chiang Mai is full of temples and it's hard to pick which ones to go to. Just wandering around the city you'll discover ancient wats of all kinds. Wat Chedi Luang dates back to 1441 and has a fat Buddha. Many of the Buddhas in Thailand are the more traditional thin Buddhas, but you'll see fat Buddha here.

Wat Chedi Luang stands as a beacon, reflecting light, as monks pace the grounds. You see the monks, their bald heads and bright orange robes paint an interesting picture of life in Chiang Mai.

Here's a few more of wats that we saw:

Side note: make sure you have appropriate clothing to enter the temples (shoulders covered, no tight clothing). Otherwise you won't be able to go in.

Since we were only here for 3 days, we made the most of our time by walking around the city and trying out the local food as we went along. One of our friends bought a suit while he was there. It's a custom fitted suits and uses the same fabric that Giorgio Armani and the like use. for about 1/4th of the price!

When you walk through the markets (check out the Night Bazaar going on almost every night) you'll see lots of fresh fruit, tea, spices, and other goods on display. But one of my favorite items were the fresh flowers that were used as an offering to Buddha for the Yee Peng and Loy Krathong Festival.

For the Loy Krathong festival, you buy a small floating offering made from the leaves of banana trees and can place additional flowers. On top are candles and you have the option of putting a lock of your hair or nail clippings. Then, you place your krathong in the water to join the thousands of others floating down the river.

It's a unique way to pay homage to the city, the river, and its people.

There are hidden gems on every corner. You could stay for months and continue to explore the exttaordinary treasures and wats of Chiang Mai.

Another great place to check out is the Orchid-Butterfly farm. Lined with thousands of orchids and butterflies, it's a beautiful place to check out the flowers and relax. They also sell orchid flower necklaces, which are PERFECT gifts. Michael and I each bought one for our moms. They take the live orchid and put a clear glaze over it.

Where to Eat

One of the best spots we stopped to eat was Cafe de Thaab Aoan. We ordered chai tea and mango shakes. It was delicious and slightly different from what I was expecting.

The food was inexpensive and the small cafe had great service. Hot steaming bowls of chicken and spices with minimal wait times.

If you're sick of Asian food (like we were, since we were there for Thanksgiving) a great, upscale restaurant is Flora. This Italian restaurant has a twist on traditional pasta dishes.

What to Do

Of course, if you're there in November, go the Yee Peng Lantern festival! You can read my full post about how to get to the festival here. But there are so many things to do. First and foremost, you MUST get a massage.

They are so inexpensive, it's a crime if you don't get one. Speaking of crimes, the Women's Prisoner Massage Center (yep, that's real) is one of the top places to get a massage. Whether they're hardened criminals or not, they know how to work magic. It's only $3 for a massage. An HOUR massage.

We also went to Lila Spa, and Michael was called a giant and his tiny masseuse couldn't resist laughing the whole time she gave him a massage. You can see why:

Now that I've given you the run down of almost everything, it's time to get to my favorite and most controversial part: the animals. We saw elephants and tigers. One was extremely humane and well executed. One was so bad I cried looking inside their cages. I bet you can guess.

Elephants

If you ever go to Chiang Mai, I HIGHLY suggest Mr. Sun's Elephant Camp. Mr. Sun's story is one that should be written in a book. He started out very wealthy but unhappy. He changed his life and realized that what he wanted to do was give back.

Now, he's started an elephant sanctuary.

When you go to his home, you take a 45 minute bumpy ride outside of Chiang Mai to his elephant camp. There, the elephants have 1,000s of acres to roam. They are fed, washed, and taken care of by Mr. Sun and his few employees.

Now, I understand that some of you might have concerns. But remember this, elephants have been bred and trained for 1,000s of years to work with humans. Elephants, much like horses, were used to transport people. The way that the camp was run, Mr. Sun's in particular, is incredibly humane. You can tell this is a wonderful way to not only bring understanding of these incredible creatures, but awareness.

Tigers

The next day was a very different experience. We did our research and found that Tiger Kingdom was the most humane place to see the tigers. You pick your package (which tigers you'd like to see and have pictures with- you're given a photographer) and then you enter their cages.

We went early in the morning because apparently throughout the day they get tired of taking pictures with people. I would too.

Here's the truth: while the cages are fairly large, they're still in cages. The tigers are over weight so that they aren't hungry when visitors come by to see them (and subsequently, eat them). I truly do not think they are drugged (as some websites claim) but they are in captivity and so very bored.

Unlike the elephants, they are constantly taking pictures with people and being prodded to do so. While Tiger Kingdom does claim they are bringing awareness and support to Tigers it seems difficult in this setting.

Tigers are not domesticated animals. They are wild and need space to roam. While it was cool to get pictures with them, it was kind of hard to know that this was their life.

Out of all the places we traveled to in Asia: Bangkok, Thailand; Krabi; Thailand; Siem Reap, Camodia; Ha Long Bay; Vietnam; and Hanoi, Vietnam Chiang Mai was my favorite. There is so much rich history and culture and you will find unending treasures sprinkled throughout the friendly city.

I highly suggest you add it to your list! Have you been to Chiang Mai? Would you go?
The organisations' proposal to shift to the Finnish model is enough for the Government. It represents a major structural change, if realised  an important step, he said on Twitter.

Prime Minister Juha Sipila (Centre) has announced that the response of labour market confederations to a request to clarify their position on the round of union-specific collective negotiations scheduled for the latter half of 2017 is satisfactory.

The Government has devised the so-called Finnish model in order to follow in the footsteps of Sweden and continue wage moderation in 20182019 and make future wage increases contingent on export industries.

Labour market settlements will be used to promote the competitiveness of sectors vulnerable to global competition, long-term employment, greater productivity and the balance of public accounts, the labour market confederations state in their response, according to Helsingin Sanomat.

Sture Fjader, the chairperson of the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland (Akava), estimates in an interview with Uusi Suomi that the response bodes well for the deadlocked negotiations over measures to boost the competitiveness of domestic industries  or, the so-called social contract.

Akava presented the proposal to the Government along with the Finnish Confederation of Professionals (STTK), the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), the Local Government Employers (KT) and the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) on Thursday.

[The Government] asked for this in order to be able to discuss the possible tax concessions. We've answered their questions about our stance on the upcoming rounds of union-specific [negotiations], he tells.

Fjader underlines that the quintet of labour market confederations will wait for a response from the Government before making their proposal public.

This is not the Finnish model, but the actual model  if we can agree on one  won't be drafted until the social contract has been taken over the finish line, he clarifies.

A number of stakeholders have pleaded with the Government to introduce income tax concessions to offset the effects of the social contract on purchasing power and, thereby, facilitate the ongoing negotiations. Sipila has previously estimated that an agreement on wage formation could make the tax concessions a viable possibility.

He declined on Thursday to comment on the concessions and clarify his position on the response from labour market confederations. On Monday, however, he indicated that if an agreement on the issue is found, the Government would be close to being able to compensate for the transfer of employers' contributions to the shoulders of employees.

[The concessions] are currently contingent on what is decided on the Finnish model, he said.

The negotiations for a social contract ran into a deadlock on Monday after EK announced that an insufficient number of trade unions have committed to the preliminary agreement unveiled by labour market bosses on 29 February.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Markku Ulander  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
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A former paramilitary man who served two years of a life sentence for the murder of a British soldier has been spared jail for possessing 10,000 worth of stolen designer sunglasses in Dublin.

Joseph Magee (50) claimed he found the sunglasses, which cost 150 each, in a park.

Gardai believe he was holding onto them for a third party, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.

Magee, of Marsfield Avenue, Clongriffin, Dublin, pleaded guilty to possession of 55 pairs of stolen Maui Jim sunglasses at his home on April 2, 2015.

Magee is a former member of the INLA. He received his first conviction in Northern Ireland when he was 12 years old and by aged 17 was serving a three-year term for firearm possession.

He was jailed for three years here in 2001 for another count of possession of firearms.

In 1992 he took part in the murder of Sergeant Michael Newman, who was shot dead by the INLA outside a recruitment office in Derby, England.

The British government attempted to extradite Magee to face trial but the request was denied by the Irish High Court. He was later arrested by British authorities while attending a funeral in Northern Ireland.

The court heard he was convicted of murder in 2004 but released under the Good Friday Agreement after two years.

Housing

His defence submitted that the Irish and British governments had taken a certain attitude towards him under the 1998 agreement.

He asked the court to take a similar non-custodial position, which would allow Magee to keep his social housing.

Judge Melanie Greally said if Magee was to be jailed he would lose his house which would hinder his efforts to reform.

She also accepted that he wasn't the final beneficiary from the sunglasses and imposed a two-year suspended sentence.
Jonathan Dowdall arrived into Dublin City Council on the crest of a wave of support for Sinn Fein during the last local elections in May 2014.

Dowdall, a former ally of Sinn Fein deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald, got in on the 13th count in the inner city north district.

He was elected alongside his running mate Janice Boylan and Independent councillor Christy Burke, who went on to become Dublin City Lord Mayor.

In September 2014, Mr Dowdall made the decision to step down from his role on the local authority and initially cited health reasons. At the time, Sinn Fein thanked him for his hard work.

However, the following June, the father-of-four told the Herald, he quit Sinn Fein due to bullying within the party.

"There were numerous attacks on myself from a certain element within Sinn Fein, and there were attacks on my team members," he said.

Ill

He said after he fell ill the previous year, he was getting calls three or four times a day from Sinn Fein officials instructing him to return to work or give up his seat.

He also claimed he was barred from visiting certain areas of his constituency as it would upset other members of the party.

He said he could not "stand by" while this was going on and took the decision to leave the party.

Sinn Fein strenuously denied the claims and insisted Mr Dowdall never raised any bullying allegations while he was in the party.

Last night, the party said "there was no complaint of bullying made by Jonathan to the party".

A Sinn Fein spokesman said Sinn Fein deputy president Mary Lou McDonald "was aware of personality clashes" in relation to Mr Dowdall.

"Jonathan left Sinn Fein and is part of a rival political grouping in Dublin Central," the Sinn Fein spokesman said.
The parents of Savita Halappanavar have called on the government to apologise (Reuters)

The father of Savita Halappanavar has called on the Irish Government to officially apologise to the family.

Andanappa Yalagi said the settling of a civil court case against the HSE "changed nothing" for his family.

Speaking from his home in Belgaum, India, he told the Herald that, without an official apology, the family could not move on.

"We want an apology. It is the fault of the Irish government," he said. "I lost my daughter and it is their fault.

"Nothing has changed for us. We remember her every single day. There has not been justice for us.

"The Irish government is not taking any consideration of her parents."

Settlement

Savita's widower, Praveen, sought an official apology along with his civil suit against the HSE following the tragic death of his wife. However, sources confirmed that, while the HSE agreed to a "significant" settlement and admitted that her death was wrongful, the apology did not form part of the agreement.

Yesterday at the High Court, Mr Justice Kevin Cross was informed the case had been settled.

While the settlement is confidential it is believed to include a substantial payment to Savita's husband.

Issuing strike-out orders yesterday, the Judge also made orders for the equal distribution of an additional sum of 35,000, which is payable under the terms of the Civil Liability Act, to be divided between Mr Halappanavar; Savita's parents, Akkamahadevi and Andanappa Yalagi; and her brothers Sanjeev and Santosh.

However, Mr Yalgai said he was disappointed that an official apology had not been made.

"It should have gone to court. I lost my daughter without any apology or any justice," he added. "The Irish Government should still make an official apology. My wife remembers every day about Savita. Every day we are remembering.

"We have been kept in the dark about what is going on in Ireland. We still do not have answers - and this changes nothing for us."

Contact

The heartbroken father said he remained in contact with Praveen, who is in the US as part of a work contract with employers, Boston Scientific.

"[Praveen] has been to India last month and came to meet me, and he has phoned me inquiring about my health," he said.

Savita Halappanavar (31) was 17 weeks pregnant and miscarrying when she was admitted to University Hospital Galway on October 21, 2012.

She died just seven days later, on October 28, as a result of septicaemia caused by ecoli ESBL.

Three separate investigations were carried out into the 31-year-old's death, making a total of 33 recommendations.
310%

$1.8  $5  $ 9.



      

The U.S. Energy Department has approved projects that may send abroad as much as 283 million cubic meters per day of U.S. gas, and it is considering applications for another an additional amount.

Source: U.S Energy Information Administration, based on Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

The first export shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced in the Lower 48 states on February 24 is a milestone reflecting a decade of natural gas production growth that has put the United States in a new position in worldwide energy trade.

With the rapid growth of supply from shale gas resources over the past decade, U.S. natural gas production has grown each year since 2006. The resulting decline in domestic natural gas prices has led to rising natural gas exports, both via pipeline to Mexico and, since last week, to overseas markets via LNG tankers.

The United States is currently a net importer of natural gas, and gross imports represented nearly 10% of total supply in 2015, based on data through November. The United States imported 7.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas, mostly from Canada by pipeline, and exported 4.8 Bcf/d, mostly to Mexico by pipeline. For years, Alaska has exported LNG, mostly to Pacific Rim countries, but these volumes have been small. In addition to the Sabine Pass terminal that was the source of last week's LNG shipment, four other LNG export terminals are currently under construction.

When natural gas is cooled to -260 degrees Fahrenheit, it becomes a liquid that is 1/600th of its gaseous volume, making it easier to transport via vessel. The U.S. Gulf Coast has a large existing pipeline network, which makes the area attractive for developing export terminals. Many of the LNG export terminals now under construction or proposed are at sites that have functioned, and may continue to function, as LNG import terminals. Several LNG import terminals were built in the 1970s, and a new wave of terminals was constructed in the mid- to late-2000s. As domestic production increased, LNG imports declined, as many new terminals were barely used and the utilization rates of older terminals declined.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is responsible for authorizing siting and construction of LNG export terminals (as well as import terminals) that are onshore or that are close to the shore. FERC prepares environmental impact statements to assess the environmental consequences of the terminals under its jurisdiction. Although most of the LNG terminals fall under FERC jurisdiction, the U.S. Maritime Administration regulates deepwater terminals. Only one deepwater export terminal has been proposed, and if approved, it would be located about 50 miles south of the Texas-Louisiana border in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to approval for construction from FERC or the Maritime Administration, the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy issues separate authorizations to export to countries based on whether they have a free trade agreement with the United States.

Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass Liquefaction Project in Sabine Pass, Louisiana, consists of six different liquefaction units, or trains, the first of which began service in February after many delays. The other trains are in various stages of development and permitting. Total permitted capacity by FERC is 4.16 Bcf/d.

Four LNG export terminals are currently under construction:

Dominion Energy's Cove Point LNG facility in Cove Point, Maryland, is scheduled to bring one train totaling 0.82 Bcf/d online near the end of 2017.

Corpus Christi LNG, another Cheniere project, is under construction in Corpus Christi, Texas. The terminal is scheduled to begin service in 2018, with total permitted capacity at 2.14 Bcf/d.

Sempra Energy's Cameron LNG terminal, located in Hackberry, Louisiana, is under construction and is scheduled to bring three trains online in 2018. A total of 1.7 Bcf/d has been permitted.

Freeport LNG's terminal planned for Freeport, Texas, has three trains under construction totaling 1.8 Bcf/d. The first two are scheduled to begin service in 2019, and the third in 2020.

Another terminal, Southern Union's Lake Charles (Louisiana) LNG facility, has been approved by FERC but is not yet under construction. Lake Charles also has an LNG import terminal. Several more LNG export terminals, mostly on the Gulf Coast, have been proposed or have pending applications with FERC.

Source: U.S Energy Information Administration, based on Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

The new terminals are expected to take advantage of natural gas produced in the Appalachian Basin, particularly the Marcellus and Utica regions, the source of much of the nation's production growth over the past several years. The Sabine Pass Liquefaction project has secured 300 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of natural gas from the Texas Gas Transmission Ohio-Louisiana Access Project, which facilitates additional flows of Marcellus and Utica natural gas to the southern United States. Additionally, Cheniere's Corpus Christi Liquefaction project will receive 385 MMcf/d from the Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America's Gulf Coast mainline pipeline system. Dominion's Cove Point (which began operating as an import terminal in 1978) already has a dedicated pipeline with a link to three interstate pipelines that operate in the Marcellus area.

Market conditions have changed since many LNG export projects in the United States were initially proposed. Proposed LNG terminals in the United States face not only increased competition from other domestic and foreign terminals that have been completed, but they also face uncertainty in global LNG demand. Australia, already a major LNG exporter, plans to expand its LNG export capacity in the coming years. In late 2015, two terminals began service in Australia, Gladstone LNG and Australia Pacific LNG, both located on Australia's East Coast. At the same time, LNG imports by countries in Asia declined slightly in 2015.

Natural Gas

Temperatures were warmer than normal in February, which contributed to Henry Hub spot prices declining throughout the month and averaging $1.99/MMBtu. As a result of warmer-than-expected weather, this month's STEO revises upward forecast end-of-March 2016 working inventories to 2,288 Bcf, compared with 2,096 Bcf in last month's forecast.

Natural Gas Consumption

EIA's forecast of U.S. total natural gas consumption averages 76.8 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2016 and 77.3 Bcf/d in 2017, compared with 75.3 Bcf/d in 2015. Total consumption for 2016 in this month's STEO was revised upward by 0.5%, driven by increasing expectations of natural gas use in the electric power sector. Forecast electric power sector use of natural gas increases by 3.0% in 2016, then declines by 1.7% in 2017, as natural gas prices rise. Forecast industrial sector consumption of natural gas increases by 2.9% in 2016 and by 2.2% in 2017, as new projects in the fertilizer and chemicals sectors come online.

DOWNLOAD (billion cubic feet per day) (year over year change, billion cubic feet per day) U.S. Natural Gas Consumption Total consumption (left axis) Consumption forecast (left axis) Electric power (right axis) Residential and comm. (right axis) Industrial (right axis) Other (right axis) Jan-2014 Jan-2015 Jan-2016 Jan-2017 Jan-2018 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Source: Short-Term Energy Outlook, March 2016

DOWNLOAD (billion cubic feet per day) (year over year change, billion cubic feet per day) U.S. Natural Gas Production and Imports Total marketed production (left axis) Marketed production forecast (left axis) U.S. net imports (right axis) Federal Gulf of Mexico production (right axis) U.S. non-Gulf of Mexico production (right axis) 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 -3.0 -2.0 -1.0 0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 10.0 Source: Short-Term Energy Outlook, March 2016

Natural Gas Inventories

On February 26, natural gas working inventories were 2,536 Bcf. After withdrawals accelerated in January, they slowed again in February because of warmer-than-normal weather. February 26 inventories were 794 Bcf (46%) above year-ago levels and 666 Bcf (36%) above the five-year average for that week. Inventories are forecast to be 2,288 Bcf at the end of March 2016, an increase of 192 Bcf from last month's STEO, and 666 Bcf above the five-year average for the end of March.

DOWNLOAD (billion cubic feet) (percent) projections U.S. Working Natural Gas in Storage Storage level Deviation from average Jan-2012 Jan-2013 Jan-2014 Jan-2015 Jan-2016 Jan-2017 Jan-2018 -4,000 -3,000 -2,000 -1,000 0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 -60% -40% -20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120% Source: Short-Term Energy Outlook, March 2016 Note: Colored band around storage levels represents the range between the minimum and maximum from Jan. 2011 - Dec. 2015.

Natural Gas Prices

The Henry Hub natural gas spot price averaged $1.99/MMBtu in February, a decline of 29 cents/MMBtu from the January price. The February price decrease reverses gains in the Henry Hub price in January. Warmer-than-normal temperatures through most of the winter, record inventory levels, and production growth have contributed to sustained low natural gas prices. Monthly average Henry Hub spot prices are forecast to rise slowly beginning in May 2016, but they remain lower than $3/MMBtu through December. Forecast Henry Hub natural gas prices average $2.25/MMBtu in 2016 and $3.02/MMBtu in 2017.

Natural gas futures contracts for June 2016 delivery traded during the five-day period ending March 3 averaged $1.91/MMBtu. Current options and futures prices imply that market participants place the lower and upper bounds for the 95% confidence interval for June 2016 contracts at $1.27/MMBtu and $2.88/MMBtu, respectively. In March 2015, the natural gas futures contract for June 2015 delivery averaged $2.83/MMBtu, and the corresponding lower and upper limits of the 95% confidence interval were $1.92/MMBtu and $4.18/MMBtu.

DOWNLOAD (dollars per million Btu) projections Henry Hub Natural Gas Price Historical spot price STEO forecast price NYMEX futures price 95% NYMEX futures lower confidence interval 95% NYMEX futures upper confidence interval Jan-2015 Jul-2015 Jan-2016 Jul-2016 Jan-2017 Jul-2017 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 Source: Short-Term Energy Outlook, March 2016 Note: Confidence interval derived from options market information for the 5 trading days ending Mar. 3 2016. Intervals not calculated for months with sparse trading in near-the-money options contracts.
Five Thai fishing boat captains and three Indonesians were sentenced Thursday to three years in jail for human trafficking in connection with slavery in the seafood industry.

The suspects were arrested in the remote island village of Benjina last May after the abuse was revealed by The Associated Press in a report two months earlier. The men were tried separately in Tual, an island in southeastern Maluku province, about 2,900 kilometers (1,800 miles) east of Jakarta.

The three-judge panel also ordered the defendants to pay fines of about $12,250 each or serve two more months in jail. In addition, the Thai captains  Youngyut Nitiwongchaeron, Boonsom Jaika, Surachai Maneephong, Hatsaphon Phaetjakreng and Somchit Korraneesuk  have to pay a total of $67,800 in compensation to their crew members.

"They all have been proven guilty of violating the anti-human trafficking law," said Edi Toto Purba, who led the panel. "They deserve the jail sentences as well as the fine."

He gave one week for the prosecutors, who had sought heavier sentences, as well as the defendants to appeal the verdict. Indonesian prosecutors had demanded prison sentences of up to 4 1/2 years for the five Thais and Indonesian Hermanwir Martino, and 3 1/2-year sentences for two other Indonesians, Yopi Hanorsian and Muklis Ohoitenan. They also demanded compensation ranging from $3,750 to $26,000 for the crew members.

Thirteen fishermen from Myanmar testified under protection of Indonesia's Witness and Victim Protection Agency. They told the court they had been tortured, forced to work up to 24 hours a day and not paid. They also said they were locked in a prison-like cell in a compound owned by fishing company Pusaka Benjina Resources, which has since been shut down. Martino and Ohoitenan worked for the company, and Hanorsian was known as the "enforcer" among the fishermen, who accused him of beating and torturing them in front of an Indonesian flag until they collapsed.

Some workers were angered by the outcome.

"They should be sentenced more because they tortured many fishermen for years. It's not fair for us," said Win Ko Naing, 26, who was enslaved in Benjina for almost six years. He has been following the case closely from Myanmar, but did not testify at the trial.

"They will never pay us compensation because they know how to get away from punishment," he added. "I will never forget what they did to many people over many years. Three years imprisonment is too easy for them. "

The AP investigation found that thousands of poor migrant fishermen, mostly from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, were recruited in Thailand and brought to Indonesia using fake travel documents where they were subjected to brutal labor abuses. Some had been enslaved for years or decades. The AP found some men locked in a cage and saw others calling out for help over the railing of their trawler. A company graveyard with dozens of bodies buried under fake names was also located. The Indonesian government carried out a dramatic rescue in Benjina in April, just over a week after the report ran.

More than 2,000 men were freed and sent home last year as a result of the investigation, which traced slave-caught seafood to some of the most well-known U.S. grocery stores and pet food brands, including Wal-Mart, Sysco, Kroger, Fancy Feast, Meow Mix and Iams. In addition, U.S. congressional hearings have been held, legislation has been changed, more than a dozen people have been arrested and multi-million dollar seafood cargo ships have been seized.

____

Associated Press writers Ali Kotarumalos in Jakarta, Indonesia and Esther Htusan in Naypyidaw, Myanmar contributed to this report.
The Humane Society has pets who need a home. Will you open yours?
Shay Yossef and his wife, Efrat, with their children at their West Bank home in Har Bracha.

TEL AVIV (JTA)-Orli Malassa doesn't remember ever feeling anything but Israeli. To her parents, who came to Israel from Ethiopia in 1983 when she was 5 years old, Malassa's accent-free Hebrew, fluent use of Israeli slang and effortless assimilation into the Jewish state has felt nothing short of a miracle.

"To this day, they are just amazed," Malassa says of her parents' attitude toward life in Israel. "It's a prophecy coming true for them, and they are just so grateful."

An estimated 120,000 Israelis of Ethiopian descent are now living in Israel, and a huge chunk of that population can trace their roots in the Jewish state to Operation Moses, a series of flights orchestrated by the Israeli government that airlifted thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel beginning in November 1984.

Malassa, who grew up in Beersheba and now works as a filmmaker in Tel Aviv, came to Israel before the operation at an age young enough that she lacks a foreign accent and many other markers of an immigrant. But the poised, bubbly 38-year-old's skin is as black as her parents, meaning that no matter how effortlessly she negotiates Israeli society, she will always be identifiable as Ethiopian.

So when Beit Hatfutsot-The Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv asked Malassa to spearhead an ambitious exhibition exploring the lives of Israel's Ethiopian immigrants 30 years after Operation Moses, she understood she was being given carte blanche to also explore a piece of herself.

"Operation Moses: 30 Years Later" is based on the 1984 photographs of Doron Bechar, who created stunning black-and-white portraits of the new arrivals. Malassa selected 10 of Bechar's photos and tracked down their subjects through Facebook. She then created an exhibition of photos and video about their lives today.

The exhibition will open this summer at the Beit Hatfutsot-The Museum of the Jewish People. Malassa says the project was both a chance for her to tap into her own culture and present a more honest, unfiltered representation of her community to the world.

"There is so much to be told about us. We have such a rich history," she says. "The pictures we selected led me to the stories, but the individuals we chose-they told the stories themselves. And stories that are told from within will always be different than stories outsiders tell for them."

Shay Yossef, 36, is an engineer and father of four who lives in the religious West Bank settlement of Har Bracha. His wife, Efrat, is a native Israeli. Despite his training, Yossef has struggled to find work as an engineer, so he makes ends meet by working as a security officer.

Radi Tamasa, 45, a psychologist in the army reserves, lives in Beersheba with his wife, Yaffa, and their four children. To this day, Tamasa says, he hasn't forgotten the emotion of the moment he arrived in Israel at the age of 14.

"It was like euphoria," he says.

But despite his love for his adopted country, he continues to be shocked at the casual racism he encounters in Israeli society.

"The most difficult thing for Israelis is to encounter someone who is not like them," he says. "Someone who is not-I hate to use this word but I don't have a choice-who aren't the same color."

Abeba Brhan, a 60-year-old widow who lives in Ashdod, was subjected to brutal torture in Ethiopia. In Israel, her late husband, Ababa, a rabbi, struggled to establish a congregation for his community but died in 2004 without fully realizing his dream. The couple's son, Rabbi Moshe Baruch, is now carrying on his father's mantle.

"She is standing next to her picture from 30 years ago thinking, for sure, if it was worth it," Malassa says of Brhan. "She doesn't say it but you can see it. So she is willing, with all the things that happened to her, to see the glass half full and her son is now also a rabbi, continuing her dad's work."

It was Amnon Shalo's wedding portrait that first caught Malassa's eye. The photo shows a young, innocent-looking couple standing shyly in front of the camera, their faces filled with optimism. So Malassa was surprised to learn that 30 years later, Shalo is raising his young daughter as a divorcee. His young marriage faltered in their strange new home, Malassa says. Today, Shalo lives with his daughter in his parents' home, the two generations under a single roof forming a striking dichotomy.

"He is still trying to find what we lost by coming here," Malassa says. "The way marriages are different here and based on different things."

When Palago Yimar Samami was a child in Ethiopia, she dreamed of becoming a nurse. But in Israel, the language barrier proved daunting and only in the past few years has she felt confident enough to begin her training. Samami, 50, who now lives in Bat Yam with her husband and four children, is working at Wolfson Medical Center and finally realizing her dream.

"Within the 10 stories, there is an entire world that we are showing," Malassa says. "There are ups and downs and all kind of obstacles. At its core, it's just ordinary Israeli life."

One of the pictures that initially caught Malassa's eye was of a young woman making pottery with one hand while breastfeeding a baby. The woman was Berchco Adela, now 68, an Ashdod resident who had lost five babies before the birth of the boy in the picture. Because his birth had, in a sense, healed her, Adela decided to name him Doctor.

Malassa later learned that Adela had been abandoned by her own mother when she was 4 years old and that her love affair with traditional Ethiopian pottery-a craft she continues to hone today-is rooted in her love for the mother-child figurines common in traditional Ethiopian crafts.

"I love this story because it's so universal," Malassa says.

Zehava Mahari, 36, is married with one child. Despite coming to Israel at a young age and growing up here, she lives today in California. Despite the Golden State's sunshine, she says she misses Israel deeply, especially the freedom she felt as a child immigrant.

Dasa Livesi, 51, is considered the great success story of the 10 subjects, and one look at his resume makes it clear why. A married father of four, Livesi holds a degree from Israel's prestigious Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and is one of the top department managers for the Israel Electric Corp. In his original photograph, snapped shortly after his arrival in Israel, Livesi looks thin and shell-shocked as he holds the arm of his elderly grandfather-an image that feels a lifetime removed from his situation today.

"He has this beautiful family and this beautiful house, and has done everything in his life by thinking, 'OK, this is hard? I will beat it,'" Malassa says.

In Malassa's photo of Nane Negate, she is sitting alone at a dining room table holding a black-and-white image of her extended family with palpable pain in her eyes. Malassa had not set out to find Nane. She was looking for her father, who appeared in several of Bechar's photos as a boisterous family man wearing a constant grin. She learned that the smiling patriarch had been shattered by the struggles he faced in Israel and hanged himself a year after his arrival.

It was Nane who was left behind to tell Malassa her father's story.

Beit Hatfutsot Abeba Brhan with a photo of her late husband, Ababa.

"Suicide is shameful in any culture, but for Nane, I think the motivation to tell me his story was to explain what really happened," Malassa says. "She feels like no one here really knows who her dad was in Ethiopia, and this is her chance to tell his story."

Itzik Tamano, 35, has filled his life in Israel with music. Today he and his wife, Mor, with whom he has three daughters, live in north Tel Aviv, but as a child in the hard-knock Gaza border town of Sderot, music became Tamano's refuge and passion. He started working as a DJ at an early age and now is the owner of a company that provides music for all sorts of events.

This article is part of series sponsored by the Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot, the sole institution anywhere in the world devoted to sharing the complete story of the Jewish people with millions of visitors from all walks of life.
Head of School Matt Culberson says the McGillis School tries to inculcate the school's guiding Jewish principles across the curriculum.

SALT LAKE CITY (JTA)-It's Friday afternoon at the McGillis School in Salt Lake City, and students from the third through fifth grades are gathered for the weekly Shabbat celebration.

They read and discuss a passage about humility by former British Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Then a blonde girl with braided hair prepares to light the candles. A hush falls over the room as the flames are kindled, and the students recite the practiced benediction in unison:

"As we bless this source of light, the warmth these candles bring reminds us of times we gave light and received light," they sing, followed by a recitation of the traditional Shabbat candle-lighting blessing in Hebrew.

The ceremony is not dissimilar from weekly Shabbat celebrations held in Jewish schools across America.

Except for one thing: The student lighting the candles isn't Jewish. Nor is the one who follows her to recite the kiddush blessing over grape juice. Nor the one after that who recites Hamotzi over the challah bread.

"We have Muslims, Buddhists, atheists, Presbyterians, Lutherans and LDS students," said head of school Matt Culberson, using the acronym for Latter-day Saints, or Mormons. "But this school takes Jewish culture as its foundational point. We start with Judaism first."

The outgrowth of a JCC early childhood program that morphed into an independent K-8 school about 15 years ago, McGillis may be the only American Jewish school of its kind. The vast majority of its students-75 percent-are not Jewish, by the administration's reckoning. And though McGillis teaches Jewish values, Jewish holidays and Hebrew, it does not teach Judaism as a religion.

While there are a few other Jewish day schools in the United States with significant numbers of non-Jewish students-even majorities-they are invariably led by Jews and teach Jewish religion. At McGillis, none of the administrators is Jewish, and only about 10 percent of the staff are Jews.

But walk into the school in midwinter and you'll find McGillis' main gathering space festooned for Tu b'Shvat, the Jewish Arbor Day. Mezuzahs are on every doorway alongside benedictions penned by the children. Student-made Hebrew art adorns the walls, and the hallways are lined with prints of Israeli landscapes.

Practically everywhere you turn, identical blue posters advertise the school's guiding Jewish values: tzedakah (translated as "giving to others"); tikkun olam ("repairing the world"); gemilut hasadim ("doing good and kind deeds"); derech eretz ("having respect for all"); limud l'shma ("learning for the sake of learning"), and kehillah ("our community"). Students, teachers and administrators constantly reference these values, albeit sometimes straining to pronounce the Hebrew.

"We're trying to teach Jewish values broadly," said Liz Paige, the school's ethics and cultures teacher. "Though they are in Judaism, they are universal, and we're teaching them to a very wide community.

"We're not proselytizing here. We're teaching Torah as literature, philosophy, ethics-but not religion. When we say Adonai"-the Hebrew word for God-"it's a placeholder. Insert what is appropriate for you here-God, nature, source of life. The students construct it for themselves."

The McGillis School launched in 1990 as an extension of the Salt Lake City JCC's early childhood program, which also welcomes non-Jews. At the behest of enthusiastic parents, a first grade was added, and then another grade. By the late 1990s, there were about 80 students in grades 1-6 at the school, then called the Jewish Community Center Elementary School and housed at Congregation Kol Ami, the city's only non-Chabad synagogue.

In 2000, the school was renamed following a sizable donation from the McGillis family, and in 2002 it broke from the JCC and became fully independent. As the school has grown-it now has more than 400 students in grades K-8 and a $6 million annual budget-the proportion of Jewish students has fallen, from about 75 percent in the early years to 40 percent in the late 1990s to 26 percent today, according to Culberson. There is no other Jewish day school in Salt Lake, which has only a few thousand Jews.

"McGillis was never really exclusively Jewish because that model doesn't work here other than at a synagogue," said Alex Shapiro, executive director of the United Jewish Federation of Utah, which provides a small annual grant to McGillis.

As at other Jewish schools, Christian holidays are not celebrated or taught at McGillis. But the Jewish holidays are a major part of the curriculum. On the Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot, parents (mostly non-Jews) helped build the sukkah. The children made decorations, and teachers held some classes in the sukkah, teaching about the importance of gratitude and about harvest festivals in other cultures.

Ahead of Simchat Torah, the students made pictures illustrating the school's Jewish values and taped them together to create a scroll. On Simchat Torah day, parents, board members and teachers unspooled a Torah scroll borrowed from a local synagogue and connected it to the student-made scroll.

"You can be whoever you want here," said Ria, an eight-grader. "I feel wholeheartedly Jewish even though I'm not Jewish."

The non-Jews who come to McGillis are drawn by a variety of factors: Mormon dominance of local public schools, the school's strong academic reputation and a desire for a small school with a close-knit atmosphere.

"The academics are strong, and our teachers are great and professional," said Tim Brown, a McGillis parent and board member who is Jewish. "But a lot of people make the decision based on the sense of community created at the school. The Jewish stuff wasn't a factor in our decision-making at all."

Sofia, an eighth-grader, told JTA that when she started at McGillis in fifth grade, she didn't know any Jewish people or anything about Judaism.

"I came here and I thought: Oh my God, what am I going to do?" she recalled.

But Sofia started to feel at home almost immediately.

"It doesn't matter what you look like, or your beliefs-you just fit in," she said. "And going to a Jewish school is a great way for us to expand our horizons and understand there's more than one way to believe in God."

Sofia will be going to a Catholic high school next year. Her classmate, Leslie, said she's glad not to be in public school, where the Mormon majority "feels that they're better than everyone else."

Uriel Heilman The McGillis School holds a weekly Shabbat celebration every Friday for students, 75 percent of whom are not Jewish.

Leana, a Jewish eighth-grader, said she likes not having to explain her religious identity at McGillis.

While the McGillis School is an outlier today, it offers a glimpse of what the future could look like for Jewish schools in smaller Jewish communities. Jewish schools like McGillis already exist in Latin American communities with small Jewish populations. One day, Jewish schools inclusive of non-Jews could be as commonplace in America as Jewish community centers, hospitals and senior homes that today serve mostly non-Jewish populations.

"I really think there is a replicable model here," Culberson said. "I think it takes a big vision and people within the entire community being willing to give up a thing or two, but I think whatever gets given up is far more greatly rewarded with what is gained."
An overflowing, standing room only crowd at the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida welcomed Central Floridas own Mitchell Bloomer and Duke Universitys Imam Abdullah Antepli as they co-presented the Feb. 25, forum titled, Is History Repeating Itself: Jewish and Muslim Immigrant Experiences in America. The forum treaded near the grounds of the controversial, even as one of the speakers noted, and a significant police security presence was on the premises for the evening.

The contentious issue was brought about by some who are concerned with the potential for improper comparison between the respective immigrant groups of Jewish and Muslim. Although the title can lead to seem otherwise, the event was actually focused on the American responses to immigration over the past century, with actually little said about the immigrants themselves at all.

The only real comparison was across time periods, rather than across people groups. Beyond the observation that for the earlier part of the 20th century immigration receiving the most backlash was predominantly Jewish, and, as of late the same backlash is applied to Muslims, there was, again, little further mention of the immigrants themselves.

Bloomer began the evening addressing the American response to immigration in the era with the highest amount of Jewish immigration among respective time periods, that era being roughly the years between 1880-1920. That period saw the shift in formal American attitudes toward the immigrants, with the Dillingham Commission, so-called because of its head, Vermont Senator William P. Dillingham, stating that immigration from places other than the old countries of Western and Northern Europe should be drastically reduced.

Bloomer addressed the general question of why this ruling by the Dillingham Commission was the case, and why, concurrently, immigrants have historically been so degraded in the United States for almost the past 100 years, citing a perceived quality of otherness among the immigrants by the citizens of the United States.

This otherness extends among different subgroups of Americans to different perceived qualities among the immigrants, from their political affiliation to their religious practices to their appearance. Notably, even U.S. President Woodrow Wilson subscribed to the virulent notion of an insurmountable otherness among the immigrants, with his specific claim being that of an endemic opposition to Americas political principles among immigrants.

Additionally, this same otherness perception has been extended to the immigrant groups of modern times, of which the majority is Muslim. As Bloomer noted, the United States is at the same place regarding immigrants that it was in the 1920s- and that place is, to put it lightly, a gravely bad place to be. As Bloomer also related, this anti-immigrant attitude from the years prior to World War II is the main line of attack on which America utterly failed in its potential to save many hundreds of thousands of Jews who were murdered by the Germans.

As for the predominantly more modern experiences of Muslim immigrants, Imam Antepli shared his experiences as a Muslim in the collegiate field of work. He has had Muslim families connected with his school express to him their fear at violent backlash against their young people, repeatedly cited to him while explaining why the families names were so American sounding or why there was little outward expression of their Muslim identity.

The compulsion to hide ones identity is all too familiar for the American Jewish community. As Bloomer noted at the beginning of his portion of the presentation, the purpose of the Holocaust Center is to help create a world free of hate for all people. Some may object that Muslims should be treated differently because of differences in their faith, which do exist and cannot be denied.

The problem is that people are more than their faiththey are individuals, and especially when they move to America, when most often they came very close to alone, as was repeatedly mentioned by the speakers. The purpose of the evening was to communicate as such and advocate for the reorganizing of Americans perceptions of immigrants to stop the dangerous practice of seeing so much otherness.

Caleb R. Newton is a global affairs analyst living in Central Florida and the founder of Global News Breakdown. Find him at Global News Breakdown, Dissecting Society, and the Times of Israel. Contact him at calebrnewton@globalnewsbreakdown.com.
At the International Society for the Social Studies (ISSS) conference held at UCF on Feb. 25, Professor Terri Susan Fine led a session on "Teaching the Arab-Israeli Peace Process and Conflict."

Conference attendees included university faculty, teacher educators, curriculum specialists, social studies department leaders, undergraduate and graduate students, and K-12 teachers, with representation from countries as diverse as Turkey, Namibia, Barbados and Morocco.

Professor Fine's presentation, developed with the Institute for Curriculum Services, led participants through the origins of Arab Nationalism and Zionism, the connections among the broken promises made to Arabs and Jews during World War I and the current challenges in the Middle East, and the challenges and benefits of a peaceful resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Session attendees asked so many questions that the session ran over time, and Fine was asked by a Congolese attendee if the materials could be made available in French for those in Francophone countries.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando's Jewish Community Relations Council sponsored Fine, a professor of political science at UCF and the associate director of the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government, to speak at the conference.
Raanana, IsraelPurim is coming and in addition to reading the Book of Esther, dressing in costumes, and eating a sumptuous meal, Purim wouldnt be Purim without sending greetings, gifts and giving charity to the poor.

Leket Israel, the countrys largest food bank and leading food rescue network, offers a great way to fulfil these obligationsby buying Leket greetings cards to send your loved oneswith all proceeds donated to Leket Israels Purim campaign: Funny looking fruit is no laughing matter... its nutritious and should be rescued for those in need. To purchase a Purim greeting card, visit http://purim.leket.org/.

This Purim, we urge you to help Leket feed Israels most vulnerable while fulfilling the mitzvah of giving to the needy. Leket Israels greetings card are a great way to prevent food waste and say Happy Purim to your friends and family. Every $1 donated equals 10 lbs. of rescued food. Our goal this year is to feed 250,000 needy people in Israel over the holidays said Leket Israel Founder and Chairman Joseph Gitler.

On Thursday, Mar. 24, one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar will be celebrated around the world. Lets spread the joy to Israels needy, continued Gitler.

Leket Israel-The National Food Bank is the leading food rescue non-profit organization that rescues fresh, perishable food, which would otherwise be considered waste, from farms, hotels, military bases and catering halls in an effort to aid the quarter of the countrys population that lives below the poverty line. The organization works with 195 non-profits throughout the country to distribute nutritious food to over 175,000 Israelis weekly. Last year alone, Leket collected and distributed over 30 million pounds of food for the needy. For more information, please visit the Leket Israel Purim Campaign Homepage at http://purim.leket.org/.
By David Stanley

FLINT, Mich. (JTA)At 86, Jeanne Aaronson is blind and lives alone, but she has seen a lot over the years.

She lived in Flint when it was a manufacturing powerhouse, a center of the automotive business and a symbol of American industrial might and ingenuity. She lived through the citys decline in the 1970s and 80s as the auto factories closed and the population decamped for better opportunities elsewhere. And more recently, she witnessed the beginning of its revival, with the opening of new businesses and a slew of brewpubs and coffee shops on Saginaw Street.

Now Aaronson is living through yet another difficult period in Flint history, as the city copes with toxic levels of lead in its drinking water that has made Flint a national example of failed governance. Like all the residents here, Aaronson is surviving on bottled water, which she must even feed to her elderly dog.

Am I ticked? You bet Im ticked, Aaronson told JTA. Im ticked at the stupidity of our governor for appointing that emergency manager who decided to save a few bucks by poisoning us. Just stupid. Im ticked at everyone from the very top to the very bottom. Except our new mayor. Mayor Weavers doing a good job. But otherwise, I have no faith. None at all.

Flint has been facing a public health emergency since April 2014, when the city, under the direction of a state-appointed emergency financial manager, began to use the Flint River as its water source. The city used to get its water from Detroits water system, which relied on Lake Huron and the Detroit River as water sources. After the switch, the state chose not to use phosphates as an anti-corrosion agent, which caused lead to leach from old pipes into the drinking water.

The crisis was featured prominently in the Democratic presidential debate on Sunday, with both candidates addressing the water situation in the opening minutes. Clinton described meeting mothers terrified for their children. Sanders spoke of his broken heart at hearing of a child now developmentally delayed as a result of lead poisoning.

Whether this happened because of sins of omission or sins of commission doesnt matter, said Steve Low, the director of the Flint Jewish Federation, which has been helping deliver bottled water to local residents. It doesnt make the poisoning of Flints water supply any less heinous.

Aaronsons is one of only 66 identified Jewish households left in Flint, a city of 100,000 people 60 miles northwest of Detroit. About 200 more Jewish families live in the Flint area but outside the city limits, where the water hasnt been affected.

Like Aaronson, many Jews in Flint are elderly, and theyve been particularly battered by the crisis. For some with arthritic hands, merely opening the bottled water that is now an essential commodity here can be a challenge. Others have had difficulty getting assistance because they dont have Internet access or are hesitant about opening their door to strangers in a high-crime city.

For me, this is one giant pain. And yes, I am plenty angry. But I can take care of myself, said Sue Ellen Hange, 61, a member of Flints Temple Beth El who got skin rashes from showering in the contaminated water. I cant imagine what itd be like to be homebound and dealing with this.

The Flint Jewish community has responded with support both moral and material. To ease the fears of the citys older Jews, familiar faces from the federations senior services division often accompany the water delivery. Two of Flints synagogues have held informational meetings and offered special prayers for healing. Synagogue social action committees have also reached out to local residents to remind them theyre not alone.

Support has also come from further afield. The Metro Detroit Federation made a cash contribution of an undisclosed sum to the community. Several Detroit-area congregations joined forces and made the trek 60 miles north with a truck full of water. The Yad Ezra Food Pantry, a group of Detroit-area Chabad houses and the Jewish Federation in Toledo, Ohio, also made water donations.

From Indianapolis, Shapiros Deli sent a complete Shabbat meal for 150 in January, including corned beef, pastrami, knishes, chicken soup with matzah balls and even Dr. Browns soda. The Jewish relief effort even reached as far as California, where San Francisco chocolatier and Flint native Chuck Siegel sent over an array of sweets and beloved Flint nostalgia foods like Vernors ginger ale and Koegels hot dogs. In Los Angeles, Flint native and Hollywood publicist Howard Bragman helped stage the Hollywood Helps Flint fundraiser on Feb. 21, which has so far raised $33,000 for the city.

We may have left Flint, Bragman said at the fundraiser, but Flint never left us.

The crisis comes at a particularly unfortunate moment for Flint. After decades of mounting poverty and crime, the city had recently begun to rebound. Businesses as varied as a small maker of hip eyeglass frames to corporate giants had set up shop in the city. Renovated dowager buildings downtown are now trendy loft apartments. The Michigan State University Medical School opened a new campus downtown, and Kettering University and the University of Michigan-Flint both dramatically expanded their footprints in the city.

If its possible to see the good in this, Low said, its that the water crisis threw a big net over the community and has drawn us together. Going back to the 1950s, Flints Jews and the African-American community have always worked together. Lately, not so much. But the water has rekindled some of those passions we both share for social justice.

The crisis has also drawn the Jewish and Hispanic communities together. At a recent meeting at Flints Temple Beth El, congregant Melba Lewis pointed out that many local Hispanics are undocumented and are loath to open their doors to uniformed officers to distribute water. The synagogue wound up partnering with a large Hispanic church to distribute a pallet of water to the church for distribution.

But whatever silver linings Flint residents might find in the crisis, their faith in elected officials seems unlikely to be restored anytime soon. Low saw signs of racism in the crisis, likening the decisions that created the crisis in this majority-African American city to other government moveslike the Supreme Courts 2013 ruling invalidating a key provision of the Voting Rights Act and the nationwide trend to implement voter identification lawsthat have disproportionately impact on minorities. Aaronson simply feels abandoned.

I was listening to the Republican debate last night, 70 miles from here in Detroit, and theres one question about the water, she said last week. One question! Thats so wrong. It should have been on the top of the list.

David Stanley is a writer based in Flint, Mich. He served as a member of the Flint Jewish Federation board of trustees from 1990 to 1992.
Tampa Orlando Pinellas Jewish Foundation has been participating as a partner with the Grinspoon Foundation by implementing their Life and Legacy program as a commitment to the Jewish communities to ensure a strong tomorrow in all aspects of Jewish living.

At this point, Orlandos community has 60 signed Letters of Intent with a goal of 90 in the first year. This equates to $1.9MM intended for the Orlando community as after-life gifts.

There are 15 teams committed to securing at least 18 Letters of Intent by March 31, the last day of year one. Once that goal is reached, each team will receive a grant of $6,000, providing a double mitzvah for the organization benefiting from the legacy gift.

When asked why he decided to become a Legacy donor, Craig Polejes of Orlando replied, As a longtime resident of the Central Florida community whose family has benefitted tremendously from the many worthwhile Jewish Agencies and Synagogues in the area, I feel a responsibility to help these organizations through a legacy gift. Its an easy and often overlooked way to help ensure the future health and prosperity of the Jewish Community.

If interested in leaving a legacy and contributing to Orlandos Jewish Community, contact Congregation Ohev Shalom, Central Florida Hillel, Jewish Academy of Orlando, Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando, The Roth Family JCC of Greater Orlando.

On May 22, TOP Jewish Foundation will host two community-wide celebrations for new legacy donors, one for Orlando, the other for Tampa Bay.

The Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF) is a private foundation established in 1993 and located in West Springfield, Massachusetts. It is a non-profit charitable organization with the goal of enhancing Jewish and community life in Western Massachusetts, North America, Israel, and beyond.

PJ Library is a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

More information will follow in an upcoming issue of the Heritage.

To learn more about the Life and Legacy program, please contact Lori Karpay, TOP development officer, Life and Legacy coordinator, lori@topjewishfoundation or 813-961-9090.
The Orlando Chapter of Hadassah recently held the Bunny Rosen Women's Heart Health Fashion Show Luncheon at the Alfond Inn in Winter Park. Once again this annual event proved to be a great success, both as a fundraiser and as an enjoyable afternoon with genial company, excellent food and a beautiful venue.

This event contributes charitable funds to promote heart health awareness, training and information to women in the greater Orlando area. The chapter also provides funds for research to unravel the mysteries of heart disease through the Hadassah Medical Originations (HMO) Heart Institute in Jerusalem.

Currently, physicians at HMO are researching ways to use specialized stem cells to replace cells lost to heart attacks or disease. A technique is under investigation that would enable a patient's own cells to repair the heart, as opposed to transplanting foreign cells from outside the body. The hope is to induce parts of the heart to regenerate and limit the damage done by heart attacks.

In the not so distant future Hadassah doctors hope to take a CT or MRI picture of a person's heart valve, model the image with a 3D printer, and then build a personalized new valve to implant in an individual's heart. This work is preliminary but it may be the next frontier in personalized medicine as it relates to cardiology.

These are but a few of the concepts Hadassah researchers are working on to improve heart health in the U.S. and abroad.

Models (l-r): Roslyn Leventhal, Eva Braun, Lara Schwartz, Jo Fischer, Carleigh Masin, Melissa Masin, Emily Rotenberg, Susan Witt and Bernice Davids.

The members of the Orlando Chapter have contributed their time and funds to support these extraordinary medical projects as well to promote heart disease awareness among area women. Jointly, the members wish to thank those whose exceptional efforts led to the rousing success of this annual event, and express their appreciation to President Susan Livingstone for her overall support, to treasurer Emily Rotenberg for her financial supervision, and to principal sponsor Rita Weissmann for her advice and assistance.

Kudos to Paula Roth for creating the magnificent centerpieces and to Nancy Greenfield for handling the arduous job of taking reservations, meal requests and organizing the seating. Hats off to Joan Schwebel for preparing the beautiful gift baskets and handling the basket auction. Thanks to Marcia Wasserman for coordinating the event and designing the programs and place cards.

The Orlando Chapter of Hadassah also expresses gratitude to its sponsors, fundraisers, members, and Chico's Winter Park whose efforts made this event possible.
By Alina Dain Sharon

JNS.org

When navigating to http://www.bdsguide.com, I'm immediately confronted with a clenched fist on a red banner against a crisp white background, and the matter-of-fact wording that I'm viewing the site in the Safari browser on Mac OS X. As an Apple product, my computer has been provided to me under the direction of CEO Tim Cook, who has met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a trip to Israel for the inauguration of one of the company's offices in the Jewish state.

"Please uninstall Safari," the notice warns me.

I'm also told that Apple recently acquired an Israeli chip manufacturer, Anobit, and opened a third research and development center in Israel. So I should definitely "uninstall OSX."

Continuing to browse the website, I discover an extensive and evolving list of companies and individuals that support Israel. At a time when the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is working hard to make the case for taking a stand against Israel, the research accumulated in this guide could seemingly serve the boycotters well.

But there's more to this than meets the eye.

"If you really want to hurt the Israeli government because of the policies you disagree with, I don't think that's a valid thing, but... you should probably go after the things that bring the most tax revenue to allow Israel to carry on its policies," says Avi, an information technology worker and staunch Zionist who launched the pro-Israel website in disguise with his co-founder, Daniel. Both Avi and Daniel have chosen not to reveal their last names due to concerns of being personally targeted by BDS activists.

BDSguide.com, Avi explains, provides "an ever-growing list-certainly not a complete list, but the most complete I've seen-of what you would actually have to boycott if you're going to boycott Israel. And it's a very, very long list."

Launched in January, this platform is hardly the first pro-Israel website on the block. But what makes it unique is two-fold. First, Avi cites the website's "innovative" facet of analyzing its own users.

"The fact that it tells you what in your computer is from Israel is definitely something that catches the eye," he says.

Second, the website employs the tools of satire and irony to reveal the hypocrisy of the BDS movement, offering a genuine challenge to those who legitimately want to boycott Israel-which, considering the breadth of Israel's innovation, is nearly an impossible feat.

"I challenge anybody to go for one month without using anything that's on that list. One month would be next to impossible. You wouldn't be able to use a cell phone because almost all 4G chips are developed and manufactured in Israel. You wouldn't be able to use a computer because both Intel and AMD do their computer development in Israel. Intel just invested another $3 billion in Israel to expand there by 2030. Microsoft just celebrated 25 years there. High-tech accounts for at least 75 percent of Israel's industrial exports," Avi says.

Israel is also a beacon of medical innovations in areas such as MRI technology and cancer treatment. For instance, a U.S. cancer study hailed in February as potentially revolutionary for the treatment of leukemia is based on Israeli research (by Prof. Zelig Eshhar from Weizmann Institute of Science) showing that T-cells can be modified genetically to destroy leukemia tumor cells. Additionally, notes Avi, Israel's Teva Pharmaceuticals "is one of the largest, generic drug manufacturers in the world. If you've taken a generic drug, chances are it comes from Teva."

What spurred Avi-along with Daniel, a Web designer and developer-to launch BDSguide.com was the Cornell University chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine's uploading of a website built on the Israeli website-building platform Wix, with the logo of the platform clearly visible at the bottom of the page and the word "wix" appearing as part of the website's URL.

"We just found that kind of funny, so Daniel got in touch with me and said we should do something to point out this hypocrisy of them using Israeli technology to call for a boycott of Israel. There wasn't one definitive website that had everything, so we took on that challenge and decided to do it," Avi says.

In addition to the aforementioned features, the website hosts a section for BDS-related news. A recent post is dedicated to the mid-February controversy surrounding the cancellation of a conference dedicated to South Africa's water crisis because Israel's ambassador to South Africa, Arthur Lenk, was participating. BDS South Africa praised both the event's cancellation and the "principled" withdrawal of the University of Pretoria's Prof. Lorenzo Fioramonti, saying, "Water and water management is far too important for cheap Israeli gimmicks to advance its own oppressive agenda."

Israel, however, is a leading source of innovation in water irrigation and desalination technology, a feat that has recently allowed the country to help the state of California combat drought. An Israeli company, IDE Technologies, designed a desalination plant that will provide Californians with 50 million gallons of drinking water daily. The post on BDSguide.com, therefore, points out that those who really lost out due to the conference's cancellation were South African farmers.

The website also includes an interactive quiz intended to show the ubiquity of Israel's innovation across many fields; other sections highlight companies working or investing in Israel, or offer thoughts on the BDS movement in general. For example, a recent blog post focuses on BDS movement co-founder Omar Barghouti, noting that while he is calling for an academic boycott of Israel, the man himself is studying at Tel Aviv University.

While Avi performs the website's research, data collection, interaction, and social media engagement, Daniel handles the technical and artistic side of the platform. Born and raised in New York to Israeli parents, Daniel says the website has gotten largely positive feedback from the pro-Israel community.

"But possibly more important," he tells JNS.org, "is the attention that we've gotten from the BDS community, which is really our most unique angle here. If we were to make this site clearly pro-Israel, then we would be preaching to the choir and talking to only people who agree with our standpoint. [Since] it's initially a little ambiguous as to what our position is, [this] allows pro-BDS people to step in and view our material."

In fact, BDS activists have been sharing the website amongst themselves, first introducing it as a legitimate BDS website, and then correcting themselves when they've realized the website's true purpose.

"Most often when we engage in a conversation with them and we expose their hypocrisy...usually they have nothing to say in return" other than insults, Daniel says.

Some members of the pro-Israel community have raised the concern that the website may give the BDS community additional fodder that can be used to expand the boycott of the Jewish state-an idea the founders dismiss.

"We're coming out with a comic series that actually depicts what it would be like for someone to actually boycott Israel. It essentially depicts a caveman who is trying any method he has left to spread the message of BDS... hoping that someone is going to hear him because he can't use his Apple computer, his phone, Facebook, and so on. So we're really not worried about this supporting BDS movements in any way," Daniel says.

At the end of the day, "people don't like a hypocrite," adds Avi.

The founders' long-term goal is to continue finding new and creative ways to reach people and spread this message. In addition to the upcoming comic strip, they're planning an animated video. One specific way they hope to see their website used is in the realm of pro-Israel college campus activism. The campus arena "is where [BDS] is felt the most," and students need to be armed "with the tools to defend Israel, and not just to defend Israel but to go on the offensive," Avi says.

In some of the latest BDS-driven anti-Semitic incidents on campus, 10 students interrupted a faculty council meeting at Brooklyn College by calling for "Zionists off campus," and swastikas were discovered on desks and walls at the College of Staten Island.

While some BDS tactics are "despicable and shouldn't be used by anyone," it's important to recognize that "some of them we can actually learn from," Avi says.

BDS activists, he says, "are very theatrical about how they do things, and people respond to that... and we would like to get involved and help pro-Israel campus activism spread that message a lot more effectively."

Aviva Slomich, international campus director for the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA), says BDSguide.com's Israel-positive information can serve as a useful tool for pro-Israel students.

"When BDS petitions arise, the BDS Guide can be used by pro-Israel activists as an educational resource to share with the students and faculty on their respective campuses. It's good to see that efforts are being made to expose the hypocrisy of the BDS movement and its racist agenda," she tells JNS.org.

While Avi and Daniel don't believe their website can change the minds of committed BDS activists, they hope to reach those people who are on the fence on Israel.

Ultimately, says Avi, the goal is to show that "if you're going to boycott dates and hummus, you're not really making a dent."
By Ben Cohen

JNS.org

In his preface to a recent publication from Fathom, a British magazine covering the Middle East, British lawyer and anti-Semitism expert Anthony Juliusalways the author of a memorable phrasedenounced anti-Zionism and its creature, the BDS movement, as one of the major political stupidities of our time.

The import of Juliuss comment struck me as I was reflecting on the terrible fate of Ilan Halimi, the young French Jew who 10 years ago was kidnapped for ransom by a largely Muslim gang. Halimi spent nearly a month in the custody of these barbariansthat was what they called themselvesduring which time they beat him, burned him, and tortured him. Halimi was left for dead by a railway track outside Paris on Feb. 13, 2006, and indeed, he did die of his wounds just a few hours after being discovered.

In the tumult that followed the murder, it emerged that Youssef Fofana, the gang leader, had targeted Halimi because he was a Jew, and Jews have money. It was a brutal demonstration to a skeptical French public that anti-Semitism within the Muslim communityoften fueled by savage attacks on Israels right to exist and dark mutterings about the political influence of its Jewish supportersis all too real.

Speaking at the recent 10th anniversary commemorating Halimis murder, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazneuve confessed, Ten years after the murder we still feel this collective regret of hesitating to call the act by its true nameanti-Semitic hate.

That hate is also, as Anthony Julius might acknowledge, a monstrous form of political stupidity. Despite being one of the discredited ideologies that grounded totalitarianism in the last century, anti-Semitism has persisted into this one. Its followers have regrouped under the banner of the elimination not just of Israel, but of the empathy and affiliation with Israel that most Diaspora Jews feel towards it.

This onslaught upon Jewish empowerment and self-confidence has more than one symbol. At its depths, it is exemplified by the extraordinary cruelty Ilan Halimi was subjected to, solely because he was a Jew. In that regard, you might also include the murderous siege at a kosher supermarket in Paris last year, at the close of a week that began with an Islamist terror attack against the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

At its heightand I use that word with reservationit takes the form of either rationalizing anti-Semitism or denying that it exists altogether. Instead of understanding the Halimi murder as an act of hatred aimed at the Jewish people, some French intellectuals advise us that the sentiment that a large section of black and Arab French youth feel toward the Jews is something quite different, having nothing in common with historic anti-Semitism.

The authors of that claim, Messrs. Alain Badiou, Eric Hazan, and Ivan Segre, then explain that its all Israels fault: The young people we are referring to make an amalgam between the Israeli states anti-Palestinian repression and this distorted image of French Jews, which can lead them to believe all the Jews in the world, here and elsewhere, are their enemies.

It is distasteful to think of Ilan Halimis torment as an amalgam, but this kind of explanation isnt limited to these writers. Similar arguments have been made following other atrocities against European Jews, such as the murder of a teacher and three children at a Jewish school in Toulouse in 2012, and the 2014 attack on the Jewish Museum of Belgium in Brussels, in which four people were killed.

Again, the pattern in these attacks is the same: the perpetrators were local Muslims (although it should be clarified that no foreign Islamist organization was involved in the Halimi murder) and the rationalizers were the same folks who portray BDS (the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement) as a legitimate, non-violent cause. The net effect of both reinforces, quite simply, the sense that whether they are outside or inside Israel, Jews are overprivileged interlopers with malign and disproportionate influence. In other words, exactly the same political stupidity that prevailed in the darkest days of the 20th century.

Of course, anti-Zionism is unlikely to trigger another mass extermination of the Jews, but thats a miserable standard to live by. Right now, it is the main contributor to the insecurity that European Jews too frequently encounter. Paradoxically, legal measures against the hate speech practiced by BDS supporters may lead some of its wilder followers to pursue further violence targeting Jews in frustration at the blunting of their campaign against Israel.

What the Jewish community should register is that, over the last decade, we have accumulated more than our fair share of what might be called, in different circumstances, martyrs. There is Halimi, and with him the other victims in Paris, Brussels, Toulouse, and even Israel, where random Palestinian attacks on Jewish civilians are inspired by the constant repetition of anti-Semitic motifs in Palestinian media. There is also the example of Alberto Nisman, the Argentine federal prosecutor who was likely murdered while pursuing an investigation into the previous Argentine governments cover-up of Iranian responsibility for the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires.

Let me conclude with a thought in the form of a slogan: Jewish Lives Matter. As the AMIA and Nisman cases demonstrate, violence and terror against Jews and their institutions can go unpunished. As Europe demonstrates, living an openly Jewish life can mean going to shops and schools that are guarded by soldiers or armed police.

Ten years after Ilan Halimis death, governments no longer deny that theres a problem, but their response is necessarily limited in impactafter all, todays youthful bearers of anti-Semitism distrust their own politicians almost as much as they do the Jews themselves. Thereby do the Jews, once again, find themselves as the yardstick of Europes future social harmony. And thats the last place they want to be.

Ben Cohen, senior editor of TheTower.org & The Tower Magazine, writes a weekly column for JNS.org on Jewish affairs and Middle Eastern politics. His writings have been published in Commentary, the New York Post, Haaretz, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. He is the author of Some of My Best Friends: A Journey Through Twenty-First Century Antisemitism (Edition Critic, 2014).
(JTA)In her victory speech after the Nevada primaries, Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton said its time to invest in marginalized communities by ensuring that people with disabilities have the same opportunities to work and fully participate in our society.

That may seem like the standard campaign rhetoric of a serious presidential candidate, but what many people dont realize is that disability rights have rarely been mentioned in national campaigns.

Fortunately, Clinton is not alone. Sen. Bernie Sanders, another Democratic candidate, has also urged the full inclusion of people with disabilities in society. Among the Republican hopefuls, Gov. John Kasich of Ohio has named workers with disabilities as a target for programs to increase employment. Jeb Bush, before ending his run for the nomination recently, had featured a child with a disability in a campaign video. The video followed a campaign speech in which Donald Trump made jerky movements that mocked Serge Kovaleski, a reporter with a disability that restricts the mobility of his arms, prompting a widespread public outcry.

While pundits dont agree on how much such rhetoric lines up with voting records and possible presidential initiatives, at the end of the day, the rhetoric of inclusion is in and of itself important. It is important for our society to hear political candidates say, as Sen. Marco Rubio did last month, Most countries in the world, if you are disabled or you are born with a disability, you never go to school. They basically write you off and walk away. We have never done that and we will never do that. And it is important for people to hear that Sen. Ted Cruz finds the fact that 70 percent of people with disabilities are unemployed appalling and wants to change that number, as he said last November.

During this years contentious race for the White House, it is rare to find an issue that cuts across our bitter party lines, but disability inclusion is precisely such an issue.

The bipartisan embrace is evident in the fact that the ABLE Act, which allows families to set aside tax-free money to support family members with disabilities, passed with overwhelming support from both parties in 2014. Furthermore, Republican President George H.W. Bush proudly signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, a seminal piece of legislation that changed the lives of people with disabilities.

Fast forward to Feb. 10, and the most passionate legislators to address the Jewish Disability Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill included Rep. Jim Langevin, a Rhode Island Democrat and a person with a disability, and Republican Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington and Gregg Harper of Mississippi, each of whom has a child with a disability.

If you are cynically inclined, you may think this is just to win votes. But consider a White House gathering last week on the Jewish community and disability inclusion. The event was organized jointly by Maria Town and Matt Nosanchuk, the White House liaisons on disability issues and the Jewish community, respectively. In all likelihood, President Barack Obama will never face another election and does not need anyones vote, yet his administration continues to champion disability rights, including within the context of outreach to American Jews.

We will not always agree on the concrete ways to achieve change, but this inclusion climate is certainly a long way from when Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for president while hiding the fact that he had a disability. The fact that political candidates now believe that disability inclusion will earn them votes is a reflection of the nationwide change in attitudes toward people with disabilities. There has been a growing awareness that Americans with disabilities are the largest minority in our country, accounting for 20 percent of the population, and that this minority needs to be included in everyday life.

But despite the immense progress we have made, the cause of disability inclusion is not about one state primary or caucus. Its about actions and attitudes that continue long after the news cycle ends. For us in the Jewish community, which has made great strides in our messaging and in our policies, lets not forget that we have not yet reached our goal. People with disabilities remain one of the most systematically segregated and marginalized minorities in our country.

As thought leaders andon a good dayas role models, presidents, candidates and members of Congress can impact our thinking and our actions. Even the best-intentioned candidate may find it daunting to implement new policies once in office. As American Jews, we can draw inspiration from the increased visibility for our community and for the disability cause. Then we must turn around and push our leadersand American societyto do even better.

If we can accomplish this, we will truly win hearts and minds for a cause thats both inherently Jewish and American.

Jay Ruderman is the president of the Ruderman Family Foundation, which focuses on the inclusion of people with disabilities into society. Follow him on Twitter @jayruderman.
To mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which was Jan. 27, and remember another notorious event that would come nearly 50 years after the Holocaust, the Baku International Center for Multiculturalism and Baku Slavic University recently organized a high-level round table event titled The Holocaust and Khojaly Through the Eyes of Contemporaries.

An event dedicated to the study and remembrance of the Holocaust held in Azerbaijan, a Muslim-majority nation? Azerbaijan is located at the crossroads of many cultures and has played a seminal role in many aspects and scenes of history, giving the country the responsibility to ensure that the past is recounted accurately. Hence, in Azerbaijan, past is prologue.

Azerbaijan, in antiquity as well as the present day, stands at the crossroads of the celebrated Silk Road and thus at the intersection of numerous civilizations. Given its key geographic importance and its resultant exposure to myriad religions, ethnicities, and cultures, Azerbaijan has a keen sense of history and today maintains a tradition of tolerance and pluralism. This tradition is applied to governance, from the presidency to municipal governments, to business, and to average citizens. It is an ethic that is literally knitted into the fabric of Azerbaijani society.

Azerbaijan has for millennia been a safe haven for a wide array of diverse peoples fleeing persecution and oppression, perhaps most notably, the Jews. Today, the close bilateral relations of Israel and Azerbaijanowing much to the hundreds of thousands of Jewish Azerbaijanis who left during the dissolution of the Soviet Union, only to return to a free and prosperous Azerbaijanprovide an interreligious, geopolitical, and cultural map for how Jews and Muslims can and do act toward one another and how they can and do coexist.

The Middle East, Europe, and other parts of our world would be wise to take note of Jews and Muslims in Azerbaijan and of Israel-Azerbaijani relations.

During this auspicious International Holocaust Remembrance Day event, the Holocaust was discussed by scholars from around the world in the context of studying the proclivities of man and mans ability to rationalize horror, such as the atrocities of the Nazis. The role of Azerbaijan as a haven for Jews escaping the Nazis was discussed in detail, but also discussed were the horrors to come, ones that befell Jewish and Muslim (and other) Azerbaijanis alike with the fall of the Soviet Union.

The names and geography of the towns and cities involved represent much more than a point on the map. In a historical sense, they have evolved into symbols of cruelty and inhumanityBabi Yar, Lidice, Oradour, Khatyn.

In the early 1990s, for the Muslims, Christians, and Jews of Azerbaijan, another name was added to the listKhojaly. The tragedy that transpired in the small Azerbaijani town of Khojaly was also a crime against humanity. Armenian armed forces, like the Nazis before them, committed unspeakable atrocities and barbaric acts. A total of 613 people were killed, 487 people were crippled, and 1,275 civiliansmen, women, children, and the elderlywere captured, murdered, raped, and tortured in manners reminiscent of the Nazis. Most notably, the mass extermination of the civilian population of Khojaly was carried out for one reasonall were Azerbaijanis.

Unlike in the aftermath of World War II, the Nuremberg Trials, and the ongoing hunt for Nazis, the perpetrators of the extermination of Khojaly live freely in the modern-day Republic of Armenia. Many, even today, occupy high-level positions in governmentSeyran Ohanyan, Serzh Sargsyan, and Robert Kocharyan, to name a few of the notables. Each participated in atrocities and like the Nazis, they must be brought before an international court to answer for their crimes. Like the Nazis, copious records exist attesting to their involvement and complicity. Unlike the Nazis, who were personally secretive about their crimes, several of these men gave interviews to the media lauding their criminal acts. Their reign, too, will end, as the Nazis did and as Armenia grows out of its warring infancy.

It is important to note that Khojaly did not happen in a vacuum. History will not forget the cruelty of a 20,000-strong Nazi Wehrmacht Armenian legion during WWII. Led by an Armenian nationalist commander called only Dro, they participated in death marches and the annihilation of thousands of Jews and others disliked by the Nazi regime.

Unlike modern-day Germany, which meticulously teaches its young people about the horrors that Nazi Germany committed, a profound blemish on the modern Armenian society as a whole is the cult of personality that exists today around Dro and others. In honor of him and others, coins are minted with their likenesses, monuments are erected, and films are produced about their lives and deeds, as if they are some sort of diabolical folk heroes. Austrian historian Erich Feigl has written that in December 1942, Dro visited Nazi leader Heinrich Himmler. Dro had a practice and experience of killing without any compassion, and this strongly impressed Himmler, Feigl wrote.

As was made clear during the aforementioned conference, we and our progeny must honor the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent atrocities like Khojaly. We must honor those like the Allied forces who fought and died to defeat Nazism. Further, we must not ignore contemporary anti-Semitism or Islamophobia and must act against it. This is a commitment not only to the Jewish people, but to all others who stand to suffer the same fate.

The international community remembers the Holocaust, yet rampant anti-Semitism and xenophobia exists throughout Europe. Yet in independent and secular Azerbaijan, where multiculturalism is a way of life, the pain of the Jewish people is taken upon with brotherly love by fellow Azerbaijanis. Jews have lived in Azerbaijan for 2,600 years, and I say this with pride: the Jews were never betrayed by the Azerbaijanis.

Arye Gut is a noted expert on the former Soviet Union and the Middle East as well as the head of International Society Projects, an Israeli NGO.
Dear Editor:

In reference to the Feb. 25 meeting at the Holocaust Center about Jewish and Muslim immigrants, it was interesting to hear the history of Americans perceptions of immigrants over the last 100 years as Mitch Bloomer explained it.

I have friends on all sides of the specter: Jews, Christians, Muslims, blacks and Mexicansall of whom have been at one time or another immigrants to this great land. However, I do not believe that Muslim immigrants are on equal ground at this time in history with Jews, blacks and Mexican immigrants.

Bloomer focused on Jewish bigotry as equal to what the Muslims are experiencing now in America. He mentioned the anti-Semitism Henry Ford spewed out in a book that he wrote which laid out a laundry list of hatred toward Jews, which probably affected many Americans perception of the Jewish people as they entered this country. Bloomer then suggested exchanging Muslim for Jew and you see that things have not changed that much.

The wary eye on immigrants may not have changed much, however, I think Fords anti-Semitism was based purely on the fact that he hated Jews only because they were born Jews, much like many African Americans have faced prejudice simply because of the color of their skin. In other words, Jewish immigrants were not hated because they were violent people.

Muslims have lived peacefully in this country almost since the founding fathers wrote the Constitution. There was no Islamophobia that I am aware of until probably 1993, when Ramzi Yousef confessed that he directed the organization and execution of the first bombing of the World Trade Centers.

I am a terrorist and proud of it, he announced to the court in 1998 as he was sentenced to 240 years in prision. A total of six men were found guilty of carrying out that attack. They were called terrorists, the word Muslim was not mentioned.

Then, Sept. 11, 2001 happened. All those who organized and carried out this attack on innocent Americans were Muslims. Since that time the media has constantly reported terrorist activities carried out by Muslims. The Muslim Brotherhood, Sunni, Shiites, Hamas, Hezbollah, Fatah, ISISall are Muslim organizations. And they werent organized to maintain peace in the world. In recent years, France, Greece, Germany, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey and the United States have tasted savage acts of terrorism carried out by those who proudly call themselves Muslims.

So, in my humble opinion, there is a huge difference between the bigotry against Jewish immigrants and Muslim immigrants. Bigotry toward any group, whether they are immigrants or not, is not right. The attitude of many Americans toward Muslim immigrants isnt because they are Muslims. It is based on the violent actions of Muslims in Europe and the Middle East. I also happen to believe the statements made by these Muslimsi.e., Death to America. Death to Israel.

Until the majority of American Muslims speak out against the hatred and murder committed by Muslims anywhere in the world, and truly distance themseIves from these groups, I can understand why so many have a wary eye on them.

Gertrude Long

Altamonte Springs
I support Bernie Sanders, Democratic candidate for United States president 2016, and not because he is a Jew, that is just an added bonusalthough Judaism does contribute to my reasoning as to why I support him.

I believe that individuals should be strengthened above any sort of governmental machine. Individuals should come first, and everything else should be far behind in importance. Life and health should not be just another variable, rather, it should be the decider. I believe that Judaism generally communicates the same principle, through the well-known principle of pikuach nefesh, which is the understanding that the saving of a life far supersedes the importance of all other observances.

Based on this principle, from a policy perspective, if a certain policy will contribute to the wellbeing of an individual, there should be no question as to its acceptance. Conversely, if a certain policy practice will threaten the lives or wellbeing of individual members of society, then there should be no question as to its rejection.

So many policies, from opposition to a living wage to opposition to strict regulation in the financial sector, are pushed by stating that the society will get better in the long run. This society excludes peoplereal people, the people of society. It includes, at its core, a theoretical band of economic merry men who rob the poor to give to the rich in the long run, but John Maynard Keynes sums up the long run nicely, In the long run, we are all dead.

Bernie Sanderss policies support the strength of the people in the here and nowthey are not about helping us realize whats right for our future like a toddler in need of parental direction. The government of the United States has for too long not respected its population as human beingsthe true aim of both American conservatism and liberalism. Supporting Bernie, for me, has nothing to do with party affiliation or labels. He is the only candidate who is for the people.

Now, why do I, more specifically, support Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton? The reason is because in these important measures of emphasis on the immediate well-being of the individual members of society, she fails, largely because of her corruption. She has too many ties to financial interests and interests that work to keep society as it is, and one cannot deny that she has changed her stated position on so many relevant issues lately.

The ability to evolve on issues, cited as a defense for her changing positions, means that it is, even still, a question for her as to if the most important thing to her as potential president of the United States is to be the servant of the collective majority in this country, who have, up until now, had the system rigged against them. Her emphasis is on protecting the special interest groups of society and getting elected as much as it is in the protection of the average person, and that is unacceptable.

Bernie Sanderss emphasis is, far beyond any other topic, firmly centered on protecting only the immediate and tangible interests of the citizens of this nation. He continues to support single-payer healthcare, a living wage, reasonable gun control, the increased availability of education, and positively enforced equal rights for all communities and peoples.

To find more information about Bernie Sanders, please check out his website at berniesanders.com. As one last note, if you are registered to vote, I beg you to please do so. If the citizens do not actually exert their voice through voting, then a preventable outcome may occur that is totally unfavorable to us. The Florida primary is on March 15, and early voting is open now. Go vote!

Caleb R. Newton is a global affairs analyst living in Central Florida and the founder of Global News Breakdown. Find him at Global News Breakdown, Dissecting Society, and the Times of Israel. Contact him at calebrnewton@globalnewsbreakdown.com.
Langtangs whereabouts, one of the famous trekking routes in Nepal, was still a mystery after the April earthquake wiped out one of its village clusters into dust. Well, not now, as it has just been 5 days Ive been back from there. Our route was through Syarbu Besi, where we would access the Langtang Valley from the south and trek to the top of Kyanjin Ri overlooking the mountain.

When I was offered a visit to Langtang for its assessment a month ago from Himalayan Glacier, I was pretty excited. Our team included three HGT staff and one foreign national (Connor, U.S.A). In a weeks journey (5 days trek and 2 days bus ride), we discovered something worth sharing to the travel community, and here I am trying to include everything in writing.

Our journey started on Saturday, 13th of February from Kathmandu. We got on a Deluxe Express Bus in Kathmandu at around 8.30 am. The ride was 7 hours long to Syarbu Besi (Rasuwa) from where we would start the real trekking. On the way the bus stopped twice, once for a short break and once for lunch. There were also security checks from Police and Army personnel at three points after we approached Rasuwa District. The bus journey was cozy, with occasional bumps, which is pretty normal in the country.

Reaching Syarbu Besi at around 3.30 pm, we rested for a while in a local hotel. As we still had some time till dusk, we decided to trek uphill. A little walk along the highway brought us to a bridge, which we crossed, and climbed the hill for 2 hours to reach Khangjim, where we decided to call off the day in Small Star Guest House.

An old Tamang lady prepared our meals as we stayed in the fireplace talking to her. After eating we went to bed. Next morning was a treat watching the sunrise on Shanjim Mountain. After breakfast, we inquired some of other hotels in the cluster to see which was safe enough for people to stay. Sukra Hotel & Restaurant was a very nice tea-house a few steps further. It had bigger rooms, a big front yard and panoramic view of the hills.

See what we are giving back: Langtang Valley Trek with 2 days School Volunteering.

Our trip plan for the day was quite easy with a lot of rest along the way. We started our walk towards Sherpa Village at around 8 am. After a while, dense branches started to appear resembling our entry to the forest area. Once in a while we would end up head-on with lines of donkeys passing through. Coniferous trees were growing more in numbers with our every ascending step. The weather was fine and I enjoyed the walk a lot. We reached the Sherpa Village at around 11.30 am and had lunch (dal bhat). We also took an hour long break in the village. Talking with the host, a Sherpa woman, we came to know that the number of trekkers in the area had only recently started to rise. I ended up wondering why- the trail looked pretty normal except some cracked tea-houses.

Back to the trails again, we were off to Rimche, the next camp of our journey. The trip was only two hours long and treated us with panorama of hills and mountains along with some more donkeys and tradesmen. Our guide, Mr. Ashish was now explaining why it was necessary to shorten the trip for the first few days. We were acclimatizing. Starting from the height of 1,400 meters / 4,600 feet (Kathmandu), we were now at upper Rimche (2,450 m / 8,038 ft). We needed to rest. Raz, one of our group members, wanted to have some fun with the water. Langtang River was flowing right beneath us. So we headed down to the river. In the evening, our whole team was sitting on a bench and watching the sun as it dipped down a nearby mountain. We also happened to meet Jeremy on the lodge whom we had met two days before on the bus to Langtang. He was a French guy and was doing the trek on his own.

Next day we woke up pretty early as per the instruction of our guide. Ashish had big plans for us. After breakfast, we left Rimche. We were not sure where we would camp that day, as Ashish was told that most of the tea-house clusters on the valley ahead were abandoned. So we hiked. It was 7.20 am when we started. Porridge with Muesli was a great breakfast. Lama Hotel, a famous spot among trekkers, was abandoned.

Until now we had not come up with direct effects of the earthquake except some broken trees on the way. The devastation of the earthquake now materialized right in front of us. The abandoned cluster screamed of the awful experience it had had. Connor and I quickly took notes.

Every step we were taking, took us higher. I could feel the air getting thinner, and colder. We were headed to the origin of the Langtang River alongside which the whole trek would revolve. Shy mountains were peeking out and disappearing beyond the hills. Rhododendron tree-lines were now standing out, coniferous trees were gone. I noticed exactly three spots with landslide effects. Big stones or trees were lying on the hillside. As I watched, I was grateful they stopped without ever reaching the bottom.

After around two hours though, we came across a diversion on the tracks. It was an arrow on the ground, made up of pebbles. It told us to leave the old tracks, cross a bridge, and continue-an offer we couldnt resist. This diversion was right after Riverside Inn cluster (2,769 m/9,084 ft), which was abandoned too. A wooden bridge (with prayer flags) diverted us to the other side of the river. The diversion cost us about half an hour more trekking than the original one. There were fallen trees, which looked intentional for the development of the route.

Fresh cut wood smells proved our theory. The best thing about this route was a meadow, which was stretched about a kilometer. At one of the spots where Langtang view was great, we stopped to rest. We lied on the grass and sunbathed for a while. Another diversion a while later and we were back on the original track.

A security check point, which looked abandoned as well, was labeled Ghoda Tabela. It literally translates to Horse Stable, meaning the tea-house cluster was famous for horses. We came across some horses only a few moments later though. Talking about abandoned clusters, Thangsyap really caught my eyes. There was a modern menu lying on the floor. Ironically, most of the houses looked damaged, and there was no one to wait the menu. The third day had become our day of realization. We had realized how much the valley had suffered, along with other places in Nepal.

Moving on, yaks (mountain oxen) started to appear on hills. On the other side of the river, tree-lines were showing a different pattern. It looked as though there was an upward landslide.

We are fundraising for a local school in Langtang. You can check out the details here.

Was it a strong wind? Conner asked.

I dont think its the wind- must be water. I replied.

But thats impossible, man, Conner said.

Our concern was obvious, but even our guide had no clue what had happened. It was his first Langtang trek after the earthquake. We were to find later.

At one point, our guide pointed us to a wild boar. Connor was very fast to see it. We were coming across various birds species on the way but boar was the one that grabbed my attention, and of course the yaks.

Where are we eating lunch? I asked out of hunger.

Do you see the stone glacier? Ashish pointed out on the horizon. It looked forever away.

Oh, yes I do Raz replied.

There was a village somewhere beyond that point, where we were finally getting some food to eat. I had already been halfway through my lunch box. I had carried some chocolates and nuts, but they were not enough to replenish the hunger of a heavy meal.

As we approached the stones, Ashish said, This used to be Langtang village. We were shocked. The upward torn trees on the other side of the river started to make sense. There was an avalanche! 400 people had died there. As we descended to cross the rocky landscape, it was impossible to imagine a village there. Now there were just stones. It was heartbreaking. Hunger had vanished, for a while.

Uphill again- everyone was exhausted. Our resting breaks were getting bigger. We approached the long stone walls around 4 ft high, rocky in color, and harmonizing with the rest of the landscape. On the southern side of the walls was snow, probably due to the shade all day long. There were inscriptions on the wall, in Tibetan and Sherpa language. I found out they were prayers. Some more walking and we reached Mundu (3,000 m/9,842 ft), where we found remedy to our hunger with noodles. For the sake of the readers, there are 8 beds in Mundu where you can spend the night, the last camp available before upper Langtang village. I took note of that since its the first lodge we came across after nearly a days walk. From there it took us around 2 more hours to complete the days journey.

We had reached Sindhum (3,555 m/11,663 ft), around one and a half hour away from upper Langtang. When I was done climbing the last hill overlooking the village, I saw Raz waiting for me. Connor and Ashish were far across the village. I have to admit I was slowing down the whole group. But now I had a pretty full stomach. Snow started to appear more frequently, and the temperature was falling with the sun. As Raz and I walked past the Langtang Village, I took a video of the village, which was abandoned too. Lucky we found two places where we could stay. Raz and I were invited by an old Sherpa woman to stay. We stayed in another house where we had very basic food (dal bhat with egg) for which we were more than glad. The lady, our host, struggled through her tiny two-roomed hut as she prepared us beds on the floor. We were too tired to care about comfort  wed trekked for 10 hours!

Plans for tomorrow, Ashish exclaimed, We wake up at 5, and climb Kyanjin Ri. That way, we get to see the sun-rise. After watching the Milky-way and the full moon lighting up the mountains, we went to sleep. Kyanjin Ri was a hill overlooking Langtang and nearby mountain ranges. Next morning, we were all gearing up with whatever best clothes we had for the ultimate climb. Previously planned for about 1.5 hours, Raz and I took around 2 hours to ascend. Half of the climb was very cold. In fact, our water bottles were frozen. I wondered how those Yaks climbed up the mountain that early, that high- or did they spend the nights on the hill too? It was a steep climb. I stopped once in a while to look back! A rocky mountain behind us-as majestic as rocks could be. The higher I climbed, the better the view became. On the way we spotted some pheasants, hawks, and of course, more Yaks.

Yaks, yes they are aggressive but I just wanted a picture. I was nearly at the top of the hill. If Ashish hadnt seen a Yak charging at my back, and chased it away with a stone, it would have been a very unlucky experience for me. For future trek enthusiasts, know before you go.

Stones were clustered at various points to mark the Dont cross this line zone. It was a cliff we were standing on, and the other side was very steep. You dont want to fall over there. Its crazy, and Im sure it will be pretty cold until you wait for the rescue. Better to be patient Ashish said. I nodded with utmost belief. We were on top of Kyanjin Ri at 4,773 meters / 15660 feet.

On the north, the mighty Langtang itself! It was as close as one could get without climbing. Snow as far as you can see, cold as much as you want to get- that was the Langtang feeling for me. Stepping on the snow and feeling the crush on the shoes- that was something! The moment was right there. Was it worth it? Oh yes!

8.30 am and not an inch of determination was weak. So, lets make it back to Rimche, Raz said. We will have nothing to do all day if we decide to stay overnight here, he added. Well then, first we needed to complete the downhill trek back to the village then, Ashish said.

Off we went. Downhill- Dal bhat-Mundu-glaciers-rivers-horses-Yaks- like everything was reversing. At least we knew where we were camping then. But we had little time. So we walked hard. We had to reach Rimche before sunset, if possible.

We ditched the diversion as we saw some local people opting for it which I strongly DO NOT recommend for anyone until the tracks are restored safely. It is wise to follow the diversion. We found that out after we took the old route. There were round stones upon which we had to walk. I felt a very high risk of disaster anytime in that trek- even with small aftershocks or rain. Great to follow the rules on this one!

At Ghoda Tabela, some horses joined us while we were resting with soar feet, or maybe we joined them. May be they mistook us for their owners, but not for long. They neighed boringly reflecting their lack of interest towards us.

Langoors (white haired and long tailed monkeys), were a treat to watch too, as they jumped from and to branches. After a long walk, swollen feet and hard attitude, we were at Rimche. It was the same hotel where we had stayed on the way to Langtang. There were around 6 trekkers getting ready to leave the next day. As the night fell, we exchanged our experiences and they presented their enthusiasm for the trek. I grabbed a bottle of beer as I no longer had to hold on to the ascending and acclimatization requirements.

Next day, we would trek back to Sherpa Village, Khangjim and Syarbu Besi. It was nearly over.

The hotel/tea-house in Syarbu Besi had hot shower, and wide range of menus, for both of which we were glad. Before dinner, three of us (Raz, me and Connor) took a walk (without our trekking bags!) around the town. Pointing at a hill, I asked them For how many dollars would you climb that hill right now? Connor would do it for 1,000 dollars. Raz would do it for 2,000.

We found Chang, a journalist from Singapore-who was here to meet Langtang after the earthquake. He said he loved the trail very much, and this was his third time. Then we talked about social media, photography, life, work, attitudes and even exchanged our contact information. Then I remember we were talking about our next travel plan as we gulped down the dinner. Connor would go back to the States. Raz would like to go to Mustang. I would love to visit Lumbini.

After a while though, we would just go back to our beds and sleep  as we had to wake up early the next day to ride the bus back to Kathmandu.
The problem with the half hearted attempts at defining consent is that more often than not it focuses on the victim and not the act itself. A recent Mumbai high court judgment granted bail to a man who had been accused of rape by a woman, who he had been in a relationship with. The judgment stated that because the woman was educated, she was mature enough to understand the consequences of a physical relationship.

By defining her consent in the context of her privilege, this denies the complainant the right to present her experience as she experienced it. The focus should have been on the act itself and not the woman in question, thereby setting a legal precedent for dismissing charges of rape on the basis of a womans educational qualifications. How is this any different from the contextualising in terms of what she was wearing? Or why was she out late at night? It is but yet another caveat, She is educated and should know better!

Now consider the other side, recently the government said that the concept of marital rape is not suitably applied in the Indian context because of factors like poverty, illiteracy and religion. As a result of these limitations, a womans ability to understand the violations to her body is impaired!

It is a shocking subjugation of the rights of women over their bodies. The defence is that she is either illiterate or hyper-literate. In either case her body is separated from her. The act of violation otherised. Even an animal knows when it is being taken to a slaughter house for its inevitable demise, articulating its dissent in a language that it knows its human captors will not understand or heed. Despite knowing of the futility of its cries, it protests.

And yet a woman educated must be hyper conscious to rape and an uneducated one, numbed to it? Is a womans voice as incomprehensible as that of animal speak?

What is our takeaway then? A woman whether educated or not, married or single, has no right to define what she considers a violation of her body? If in one case her privilege impairs her right to call a sexual act rape, on the other her lack of privilege incapacitates her understanding of physical violation.

In the Mumbai high court judgment, it was stated in the context of the educated woman that,  if you consider western culture then this is consensual. Western culture also applies consent to situations when women have been in a relationship with a man, this is ignored. On the other hand, the government says that the western understanding of marital rape cannot be applied in the Indian context?!

We separate women from their bodies. We selectively apply western versus traditional concepts of understanding of rape to disempower women and invalidate their experience. We want women to believe that rape happens to them because of and worst of all we want them to understand that in most cases it does not happen at all.

We avoid defining consent because it empowers women, so instead we attempt to delete rape from our collective lexicon.

(Advaita Kala is a social commentator, award-winning writer of Kahaani and the bestselling novel Almost Single.)
Through his magnum opus Julius Caesar, Shakespeare perpetuated a tragic event in Roman history into an eternal superstition of the Ides of March portending ominous happenings. India too can boast of a million indigenous superstitions of ancient heritage. Nevertheless, the current security scenario in the Indian subcontinent must propel us to be more watchful.

Notwithstanding the overly macho anti-Pakistan campaign in 2014 by the current dispensation, the compulsions of fostering good neighbouring relations appear to have overwhelmed the Indian government. But the truism that the quest for peace is not a one way alley escapes some when in power.

Read | Pathankot probe key to opening door to foreign secretary-level parleys

It is unquestionable that PM Narendra Modi and his advisers have gone all out to drill some sense into the Pakistani establishment. Regrettably, they appear to have overlooked continuing Pakistani intransigence manifested in firing violations across the Line of Control and the International Border, increasing insurgency in J&K, terrorist assaults in Dinanagar and Gurdaspur in 2015 and the audacious but unsuccessful attack on the Pathankot air base in January. If this attack destroyed some IAF helicopters, it would have certainly led to a warlike situation. The recent discovery of a deep tunnel in the RS Pura sector, near Jammu, indicates that Pakistani security forces are still encouraging infiltration of terrorists into India.

In Afghanistan there have been repeated terror attacks on the Jalalabad and Kandahar Indian consulates worsening the security scenario. The Indian government has to factor in all these aspects when contemplating its security policy. Inexplicably, the terror attack by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists on the Indian consulate in Jalalabad on March 2 resulting in nine dead and 19 injured and damage to the chancery has not invited adequate Indian ire or condemnation. Hamid Karzai, former president of Afghanistan, said during the recent Raisina Dialogue that they (read Pakistanis) are simply attacking Indias presence in Afghanistan the whole spectrum of Indo Afghan relations, the relationship itself is the target of attacks.

Read | Are the two NSAs scripting the new India-Pakistan lexicon of peace?

And the Pakistanis have now bowled a googly to India by sharing some intelligence inputs about the alleged entry of 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists into India for attacks during the Maha Shivaratri celebrations. One must not be cynical about everything but we need to ask them, while expressing our gratitude, why the Pakistanis did not act and arrest them? As is universally known, the lines of State and non-State terror actors in Pakistan are blurred with both complementing each other. It is further hoped that Pakistans investigation team, ostensibly endeavouring to assist in the Pathankot probe, is not taken inside the air base.

As India, once again, gives peace and Pakistan another chance, it must remain on guard. Pakistan must know that as India wishes it well, it also must not keep testing New Delhis patience for we are able enough to exploit its many fault lines which we have desisted from doing so far.

Kamal Davar was the first chief of the Defence Intelligence Agency. The views expressed are personal
William Dalrymple has always been one to keep up with the times.

Opulent presidencies from the British Raj, imposing architecture, formidable forts, dashing Rajputs and debonair Mughals: just a handful of images one conjures up while reading William Dalrymples (50) books.

After having written acclaimed books such as In Xanadu (1989), The Last Mughal (2006) and Return of a King (2012), the Scottish writer has now turned his attention to reviving one of his earliest passions  photography.

His first book of photographs, The Writers Eye, is a collection of 60 black-and-white frames shot over a period of 18 months. And it has been shot on non-traditional equipment, the phablet Samsung Note  something he describes as an excellent little camera tucked away permanently in his back pocket.

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Dalrymple says that, much like his writing, his photography is also inspired by his travels. This collection is a record of a restless year between books, when I took the opportunity to visit some of the worlds remotest places, especially in Central Asia. Themes relating to Mughal architecture, the ruins of Afghanistan, the domes of Golconda run throughout the book. A major share of his inventory of images has been shot in Ladakh, Kannauj, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Yazd and the deserts of western Iran.

I am a fan of the app Snapseed. It helps me get the perfect dark, grainy tones for my work: Dalrymple (William Dalrymple)

Apart from his book, an exhibition of Dalrymples work (curated by bestselling writer and Sensorium Festival co-founder, Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi) will open at Sunaparanta: Goa Centre for the Arts in Panjim on March 18.

But while this may be the first time he is professionally venturing into photography, he is not new to the medium. His interest in photography goes back to his childhood, when he received a Kodak camera for his seventh birthday.

Untitled (William Dalrymple)

And the boy was hooked. Hed spend as many hours developing photographs in the dark room as he spent writing, he says. In fact, he says those who knew him as a teenager, still consider him a photographer and not a writer. I used to spend a lot of time leafing through photographic books. I particularly admired the bleak and grainy war photography of Don McCullin (British photojournalist) and the landscape work of Fay Godwin (British photographer). But my real hero was Bill Brandt (British photographer and photojournalist), whose brooding images were marked by a stark chiaroscuro, a strong geometrical sense of composition, a whiff of the surreal, and a taste for the uncanny and unsettling.

And though Dalrymple misses the dark room, he has kept up with the latest photo-editing apps on smartphones: I am a fan of the app Snapseed. It helps me get the perfect dark, grainy tones for my work. I am also a regular Instagram user, says Dalrymple, while clarifying he doesnt do selfies.

Not that wed expect him to.

William Dalrymple

Dalrymple shot Frozen Frames (all photos untitled) over the course of a year, when he travelled across Central Asia. The Writers Eye by William Dalrymple is available for pre-order; publisher: Harper Collins India; pre-order for Rs 999 on amazon.in.
Five years ago, Singur resident Shyamali Das was so upbeat about elections in her area that she named her grandson Poriborton: A catch word signifying change coined by Mamata Banerjee urging people to vote out the 34-year-old Left Front government.

But she doesnt call him by that name anymore.

We had lot of dreams once. But our hopes were dashed. I dont call him by that name anymore. Poriborton has lost its meaning, Das tells HT, elaborating about the bigha of land her family gave up in 2006 for a Tata Nano factory that never materialised.

Located barely 40 kilometres from Kolkata, Singur is where it all began: The epicentre of massive farmer protests against the state governments forcible acquisition of land for the Tata factory that gave Banerjee a potent issue to script a historic regime change in 2011.

But almost a decade later, the villagers who refused compensation packages are dissatisfied with Banerjee as the emotive issue of returning their land remains tangled in court.

Didi visited Singur 38 times between 2006 and 2011. And she did not visit us for once since becoming the chief minister, says Krishna Bag, a neighbour of Das.

Her father-in-law committed suicide when he realised he couldnt protect his land and both Krishna and her husband  Arun Bag  went to prison.

Land was required in Beraberi, Gopalnagar and KGD gram panchayat areas. (Subhankar Chakraborty)

They were accompanied in jail by their two-year-old daughter Payel, who went on to become the face of Singurs protests.

They arent the only ones. Hundreds of farmers in the area felt let down by Banerjee who rode to power in 2011 on the back of a promise to return 400 of the 997.11 acres of land used in the Nano factory plot.

Her (Banerjees) recent comment saying she had nothing to do even if the court took 50 years to pass a judgment has come as a rude shock to us, Bajemelias Gopal Dhara says, adding, During the days of the movement she never told us there could be legal complexities in getting our land back.

But in spite of the complaints, Singur is ready to vote for Trinamool Congress Rabindranath Bhattarcharya. Local residents point to development work done by the state government and say none of the other parties  the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Congress or BJP  stood by their movement.

Its true that Trinamool failed on its promise to return land but the administration is helping the families of unwilling land-losers with financial and other aids. There is no other way for these people but to bank on Trinamool, says Jaladhar Das of Beraberi, who willingly parted with his one-bigha land for the Nano plant.

Every shareholder of land belonging to a farmer who parted with their land unwillingly gets Rs 2,000 and 16 kg of rice at Rs 2 per kg every month.

For people not affected by the land acquisition or Banerjees movement against it, the development work Singur witnessed in the past five years is good enough reason to re-elect the Trinamool nominee.

Roads, water supply and irrigation system have improved. Singur has got a college. People are regularly getting benefits allotted through various central and state government schemes. There is no reason why Bhattacharya should not win again, unless local Trinamool leaders play spoilsport, Robin Ghosh of Gopalnagar tells HT.

Analysts say the development and welfare schemes is motivated by the administrations urge to compensate farmers in view of its inability to return their land.

Singurs roads are metalled and without potholes. The drains even inside the villages are lined with bricks and the street lights all function. Their number has also gone up, compared to a few years ago.

The culverts on canals and drains have all been refurbished. Locals have no complaint about the number of tubewells and deep tubewells.

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The Madhya Pradesh government has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident in which a minor girl died and four others fell sick allegedly after consuming food at an Anganwadi centre, officials said on Friday.

The four children are receiving treatment at various hospitals, district officials said.

The incident took place at Munjgawa village of Katni district, about 350 kilometres from Bhopal where reportedly 123 people had food at an Anganwadi centre on Thursday. However, the girl, identified as Gora Burman, along with four others showed signs of food poisoning. They were rushed to Katni district hospital where the girl died within 10 minutes and the two others, identified as Rani and Deepak, were rushed to Jabalpur hospital after their condition deteriorated. Whereas two others were receiving treatment at a local hospital, Katni in-charge civil surgeon KP Shrivastava said.

District collector Prakash Jangre said that a three- member probe committee led by sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) had been formed to probe into the incident. However, he said prima facie it seemed the five children of two families alone showed these symptoms after consuming food and the rest were fine. Maybe, they (the five) ate something at home or while returning home. But things will be clear once the committee submits its report, he said.

However, Shrivastava said he suspected that the children might have eaten something which contained neurotoxins as the children fell unconscious but didnt have bouts of dysentery. The picture will be clear after viscera of the deceased girl is sent for testing,he said.

District education officer Katni Sachchidanand Pandey said that he too had sent the block education officer to prepare a report about the incident. This is not first such incident in the area. In December last year, three siblings had died of food poisoning in Panna district. In January, 58 children and 10 women fell sick due to food poisoning after they ate kheer (rice pudding) following the Republic Day celebrations at Betul district. In August last year, over 45 children fell ill after eating mid-day meal at a government school in Khandwa district.
India plans to sign energy deals with Russian oil major Rosneft next week to buy stakes in Siberian fields, two sources privy to the deal said, as New Delhi accelerates a push to secure overseas energy assets.

India, the worlds third biggest oil importer, has to ship in three quarters of its oil needs and a substantial fall in oil prices has added an extra incentive to seal purchases of assets that are now relatively cheap to limit its reliance on imports.

Rosnefts Chief Executive Igor Sechin will visit Delhi on March 15-16 to stitch together the deals, the sources said.

Rosneft, the worlds biggest listed oil company by output, also stands to benefit as it has been scouting for partners as Western sanctions tied to Russias annexation of Crimea have limited its access to global funds and technology.

Russia is keen to develop and deepen its economic ties with India, one of the worlds fastest-growing economies, when its own economy is stagnant, hit by Western sanctions and a plunge in global oil prices.

During Sechins visit, an agreement is likely to be signed with Indian Oil Corp, Oil India Ltd and Bharat PetroResources Ltd (BPRL) for a 29 percent stake in the Taas-Yuriakh oil field, the sources said.

In December, IOC and Oil India signed a memorandum with Rosneft, which paves the way for acquisition of a stake in Taas-Yuriakh oil assets in East Siberia.

Later BPRL, the exploration arm of Bharat Petroleum Corp, joined the negotiations.

Taas-Yuriakh, which operates the Srednebotuobinsk field in east Siberia, is expected to produce more than 5 million tonnes of oil annually in the medium term.

Rosneft last year sold a 20 percent share in Taas-Yuriakh to BP for $750 million, and based on that valuation a 29 percent stake could be worth around $1 billion.

India also wants to raise its overall stake in the Vankor oil field in Siberia to 49.9 percent from the current 15 percent.

ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Rosneft to raise its stake in the Vankor field in Siberia to 26 percent from the current 15 percent, they said.

IOC, Oil India and BPRL may sign an MoU for buying an additional 23.9 percent stake in the Vankor project, they said.

The sources said the sale purchase agreement for raising the stake in Vankor field will be signed in June at International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg.

Oil India chairman and managing directors of ONGC Videsh and BPRL did not respond to Reuters phone calls seeking comment, while no comment was available from Rosneft.
The roadmap to the proposed consolidation of public sector banks is expected to be rolled out by the year-end but the process may take more time to kick off. No mergers will fructify before 2017-18, sources said.

The exercise has to be very planned and thought out, since this would mean crores of customers and over eight lakh employeesso it needs research and delicate handling if the number has to be brought down to less than 10, it will take some time, a government official on condition of anonymity told Hindustan Times.

The official also said that the process will be undertaken only after consultation with the unions and other stakeholders.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley announced on March 5 that consolidation was the way forward for state owned banks, which will have to deal with intense competition. While a committee will be set up to look into the issue, the Banks Board Bureau (BBB) to be headed by former Comptroller and Auditor General of India Vinod Rai, too will deal with this.

Sources said that the government may also look at setting up an asset reconstruction company to help banks, which are laden with non performing assetsloans that have turned unproductiveto help them clean up their books and thereby facilitate the merger exercise.

Banks, meanwhile, have started identifying their non core assets, which can be monetized to improve their financial condition.

The gross NPAs of the state owned banks increased from 5.43% as on March 2015 to 7.30% as on December 2015. The government has decided to infuse Rs 70,000 crore by 2018, of which Rs 25,000 crore of recapitalization would be provided in the current financial year and the next. As per finance ministry calculations, a sum of about Rs 1,80,000 crore was required by the state owned banks in the next three years over as and above the average profits they make.

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State Bank of India, the countrys largest commercial bank, on Friday opted to remain silent on the action it took in the Kingfisher Airlines case, talking instead about the growing relevance of credit information bureaus in India and on the sharing of information among banks to reduce cases of fraud.

Speaking at an event organised by Credit Information Bureau Ltd (Cibil), SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya avoided any reference to SBIs exposure to the defunct Kingfisher Airlines (KFA), promoted by beleaguered tycoon Vijay Mallya.

According to Ms Bhattacharya, credit information bureaus in India are different from that seen in the west mainly due to the demographics that the country boasts of, and due to the increasing number of young people in India, compared to the ageing population in the rest of the world.

A recent DBS report said that while the decline in the growth rate of major economies in Asia would continue, Indias favourable demographics would boost growth patterns.

SBI has been in the eye of a storm after reports that the bank had delayed taking measures against Kingfisher Airlines and promoter Vijay Mallya. SBI has an exposure of Rs 1,600 crore out of the Rs 7,000 crore lent to Kingfisher Airlines.

In a statement late on Thursday, SBI said that the bank had moved very promptly on taking appropriate legal steps to protect banks interest and public money. The news item about settlement between Diageo, USL (United Spirits) and Vijay Mallya was reported on 26/02/2016. On 26/02/2016 itself, State Bank of India moved DRT Bengaluru for advancement of the matter which was listed for hearing on 08/03/16. DRT later advanced the matter to 29/02/2016, said SBI.

March 2, DRT Bengaluru heard arguments and posted the matter to March 4. SBI filed a writ petition before the Karnataka High Court on March 3 and requested the court to list it for hearing on March 4, said SBI underscoring the promptness with which it acted.

SBI also said that the consortium of banks are fighting more than 20 cases in various courts including DRT from June 2013 and number of hearings held are in excess of 500 with more than 180 adjournments.
Vijay Mallya, the embattled chairman of the UB Group, on Friday morning took on the media with a series of posts on Twitter, even as he claimed that he is not an absconder.

Early Friday morning he tweeted I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish. He tweets from his personal Twitter account under the user name @TheVijayMallya.

Amidst his tweets assuring that he is not an absconder, Mallya also took a few verbal shots at the media. In his early Friday morning posts, Mallya was particularly harsh with one media group.

Watch | Vijay Mallya: Im an international businessman, not an absconder

<span itemprop="name" content="Watch | Vijay Mallya: &#x27;I&#x27;m an international businessman, not an absconder&#x27;"></span><span itemprop="description" content="Rubbishing claims that he had absconded from the country, liquor baron Vijay Mallya tweeted that he is an international businessman, who travels out of the country frequently, and not an absconder. &quot;I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish. As an Indian MP, I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media,&quot; tweeted Mallya. The apex court has asked Mallya to be present before it on March 30, along with his passport, after learning that he had left the country on March 2."></span><span itemprop="duration" content="38"></span><span itemprop="thumbnail" content="http://cfvod.kaltura.com/p/1679921/sp/167992100/thumbnail/entry_id/0_tj5ow1jn/version/100012/acv/152"></span><span itemprop="width" content="640"></span><span itemprop="height" content="362"></span>

The editor of Times Now needs to be in prison clothes and eat prison food for libel, deceit, slander and absolutely sensational lies.

English television channel, Times Now has been holding hour long debates on its popular prime time news broadcast under the Newshour banner on Mallya leaving the country and other related issues to the moneys owed to the consortium of 17 banks. The Newshour debates are anchored by the channels editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami

Mallya tweeted three more messages.

As an Indian MP I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media.

Let media bosses not forget help, favours, accommodation that I have provided over several years which are documented. Now lies to gain TRP? Television Rating Points or TRP as it is more commonly known is a sample-based index of the popularity of a particular television channel.

Once a media witch hunt starts it escalates into a raging fire where truth and facts are burnt to ashes.

Mallya who is believed to have left India on March 2, however did not specify where he is currently located or about his plans to return to India.
Seven students of Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology (SLIET), Longowal in Punjab, and a local guide, who were on a trekking expedition, have gone missing in Malana area of Parvati valley in the district. Malana is about 65 km from the district headquarters here.

Kullu superintendent of police Padam Chand said they received the information on Friday morning and efforts were on to locate the group. However, since there is forecast of rain, bad weather could jeopardise the rescue efforts, he said.

The group was in contact with the police till Friday afternoon through phone, which, too, were switched off by the evening.

The SP said he got a call from a relative of guide Bharat Parkash that the group had lost way during trekking between Malana and Chanderkahni pass.

All seven youths are students of Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology (SLIET) Longowal in Sangrur district of Punjab. The group arrived here on March 8 and hired Bharat Parkash as their guide for trekking. They trekked to Bijli Mahadev, before moving towards Malana village. The group, however, is not in a snowbound area, the SP said.

An 11-member team comprising police personnel, home guards and local trekkers has been pressed into service to rescue the tourists. We are waiting for updates from the team, said Chand.

Police have no information about the antecedents of the group members.

Reports of tourists getting lost in the hinterland of the valley are not new. At least 18 foreign trekkers have gone missing since 1991 in the district and they could never be traced. In August last year, Polish national Bruno Muschalik had lost his way and there was no trace of him ever since.
Major arterial roads in south and east Delhi are expected to witness severe traffic snarls for the next three days in view of the World Culture Festival, events hosted by the Radha Soami Satsang Beas, and more than 20,000 weddings scheduled in the city.

The Delhi Police and Noida Police are regulating the movement of traffic around the world culture festival venue along the DND flyway that connects the two cities.

Traffic movement at the Chilla border near Mayur Vihar will be regulated from early Friday morning to Sunday. Traffic personnel will be deployed on all Noida-Delhi borders, especially the Chilla border.

We are planning to divert traffic from Chilla towards the Kalindi Kunj bridge and DND as we expect the Chilla border to be completely choked by visitors. We are trying our best to inform commuters to avoid certain routes and take alternative routes, said Kiran Sivakumar, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Gautam Budh Nagar.

We held a discussion with Delhi Police and they informed us that at least one lakh people will take the Akshardham road after getting down from the Metro to reach the event venue. So it is better to block this road for vehicles, said Kiran.

The Delhi police have asked people to avoid Ring Road Bhairon Road to Ashram Chowk, DND Road, and NH-24 from Nizamuddin bridge to the Ghazipur Border.

The traffic police are getting numerous calls from city residents as they are worried about traffic for the next three days due to the event.

To reach Delhi from Noida, we advise people to take Ashok Nagar, Jhundpura, NH-24 Kondli, Sarita Vihar and DND routes. Meanwhile, we are doing a survey of other routes to see if there is need for more diversions. We do not have idea about the crowd. One lakh people is a huge crowd who will walk to the event site from the Metro station and we expect people from Uttar Pradesh will also try to attend the event in buses, cars, trucks etc. We are just gearing up to manage the traffic for the next three days, said traffic inspector Dharmendra Singh Yadav.
A massive cultural festival, a religious gathering, a protest march, 20,000 weddings and a spell of rain  and Delhi descended into traffic chaos on Friday.

Jams were reported from south, central and east Delhi with some vehicle queues running 3-4 kilometres long.

The opening of the Art of Living foundations controversial World Culture Festival on the banks of the Yamuna saw 150,000 people make their way to the east Delhi area. Several roads leading to the venue from south and central Delhi were closed to general traffic from 3.30pm. Strict security checks on other routes led to jams from noon itself.

A parking issue aggravated the problem with the festival organisers managing space for just 300 vehicles instead of the 5,000 promised. This resulted in buses and cars being parked on the DND flyway and on arterial roads in Sarai Kale Khan and Maharani Bagh.

Read | PM, thousands attend controversial Art of Living event despite rains

In the evening, brisk showers led to waterlogged roads, further slowing down traffic. Vikas Marg, Ashram intersection, ITO, Mathura Road, Nizamuddin, Ashram Chowk and Kalindi Kunj were among the most choked. The spillover went as far and wide as Dhaula Kuan, Tilak Marg, India Gate and South Extension.

If that wasnt bad enough, a gathering of the Radha Soami Satsang Beas saw over 3,000 people head towards Chattarpur in south Delhi, while jewellers protesting the imposition of 1% excise duty on non-silver jewellery marched from east to central Delhi via Vikas Marg, causing more jams and diversions.

Commuters may be in for trouble on Saturday too with both the culture festival and Radha Soami event on for the next two days and the weatherman predicting more rain.

Over 5,500 traffic personnel, 5,000 policemen and 100 volunteers were out on the citys roads on Friday while a helicopter made rounds in the evening for better traffic management.

Many VIPs and foreign dignitaries attended the culture festival. Security pickets were set up at several points around the venue and all our officials worked to ensure the event ran smoothly and that traffic was not affected too much, said Muktesh Chander, special commissioner of police (traffic).

Parking is on first-come-first-serve basis. Once the designated lots are filled, we send back vehicles, he added.

The Delhi governments transport department refused the organisers permission to use the Millennium bus depot, which can accommodate 1,000 vehicles.
To strengthen Delhis public transport, the government will soon allow private operators to run buses on commercial routes in the Capital. On the line of private companies such as Ola and Shuttl, the transport department of Delhi is working on a policy where they will allow the aggregator to take permit and run buses.

These buses are currently running without any permit and like the app-based taxi, they are not controlled by any government agency. The passengers can download the app and book a seat for the route they want to travel on.

Like app-based taxis, these buses are plying illegally. But they provide comfort to the commuters so they prefer travelling on these buses. Instead of banning them, we are planning to legalise them. Delhi Dialogue Commission (DDC), think-tank of the Delhi government, has asked Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Ltd (DIMTS) to finalise the policy within a week, said a Delhi government official.

Currently, these buses provide to and fro connectivity from Metro stations, mostly in Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad. Some of these also ferry workers from Gurgaon to Dwarka and vice-versa.

Sources said that chief minister Arvind Kejriwal wants to review the policy and has suggested some changes in the draft. There are two things the government is planning - to introduce high-end buses and allow aggregators to run buses. Transport minister needs to take a final call on whether they will allow only existing aggregators or any individual can run buses, the official added.

An electric bus introduced by DTC on Thursday. (Virendra Singh Gosain/ HT Photo)

These buses will not run under the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) but the government will fix the maximum fare. The operator and aggregators need to take permit from the transport department.

It will work like radio taxi permit. Government will just frame the rule and fare. Buses need to run on clean fuel and have safety features, the official added.

Ola and Shuttl together run over 1,000 buses, mostly in NCR areas and provide Wi-Fi and AC buses. Once legalised, they can run on longer routes as well.

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It took 16 years to get justice for Sushil Gulati, a Delhi man who was falsely implicated of gangraping a differently abled woman by Narender Singh, a former sub-inspector (SI) of the Delhi Police.

The SI did it to get revenge from Gulati, who had accused the cop of molesting his wife.

The charge led to Singhs suspension following which he plotted a revenge what the court termed as straight out of a Bollywood pot boiler.

Singh and his friends, including a lawyer named Hazi Altaf, falsely implicated Gulati of gang-raping a differently abled woman.

The plot is having strong resemblance which one can come across any revenge drama or potboiler of Bollywood. Accused was a police official of a substantial rank who was feeling fumed and humiliated because of slapping of molestation case against him and his friends, additional sessions judge Manoj Jain said during the hearing which came up two weeks ago.

The court sentenced Singh and Altaf to four years in jail for falsely implicating Gulati. Gulati died during the course of the trial.

Police and advocates play a pivotal role in justice delivery system in any criminal matter. They are unquestionably bound by probity, integrity and professional ethics... Though, any advocate enjoys privileged relationship with his client, he has, certainly, no business to frame anyone in a false case, said the judge, expressing his dismay that arms of the law meant to protect citizens were working to hatch such impish conspiracies, the court said.

Both the convicts did not blink for a second in tarnishing the character of an innocent man and displayed the audacity of playing with law like a pack of cards by conspiring to fabricate an innocent man in a serious case of gangrape.

Judge Jain observed he could not consider leniency when such protectors of rule of law become destructors, then court must respond with firm hands.

The court also said that officers of law and court had exploited the poor economic condition of the woman by making her agree to play the role of rape-victim by luring her with money. The judge said they had played havoc with her life as well, and that she was made a tool in the devilish plan.

Apart from jail time, the two surviving accused were also directed to pay a fine of Rs. 1.5 lakh each. Four men were accused in the case and proceedings were abated against two - the station house officer and the court staff, who helped Singh manipulate documents, died during the course of the trial.

He also directed that legal representatives of Gulati should be paid Rs 2 lakh out of fine as a token for causing damage to his reputation and character.

While asking for the maximum sentence for the accused, public prosecutor Sanjay Jindal argued that it would to bring some solace to the departed soul.

Unfortunately, Gulati is no more alive to see that his malefactors now stand nailed down finally. Culmination point has come little late but it is aptly said that mills of God grind slowly but they grind exceedingly small, the judge said.
The National Green Tribunal on Thursday refused to give an urgent hearing on a fresh plea seeking a stay on the three-day Art of Living event on the banks of the Yamuna from Friday.

Read more: 20,000 weddings, AOL event: Heres your traffic advisory for the day

The petitioner claimed the organisers had not taken permission from the competent authority as directed by the tribunal.

There is no urgency in it. You can file a proper application and point out the deficiencies in compliance with the directions of the tribunal. We will see if there is any breach or not as per the law, it said.

The green panel directed the Central Pollution Control Board, the ministry of environment and forests and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to instruct the organisers about the disposal of municipal solid waste and drinking water.

The counsel appearing for the DPCC informed the tribunal that as directed by it, a committee was already visiting the site and if necessary, directions would be issued.

Stage set for controversial Art of Living event in Delhi today

The tribunal, which had earlier in the morning asked the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) counsel whether the foundation had deposited the fine or not, had fixed the matter for in-chamber hearing at 4pm .

But later the green panel agreed to hear the matter in the open court.

AoL gets a day more to pay Rs 5-crore fine, Modi to attend event

The NGT had on Wednesday expressed its helplessness in banning the event, saying it was fait accompli.

It had imposed an initial fine of ` 5 crore on AOL as environmental compensation after coming down on it heavily for not disclosing its full plans and also on the DDA and Environment Ministry for their role.

Read more: Weather likely to play spoilsport on all three days of Art of Living festival

The green tribunal, which found several environmental violations by the organisers, blamed the delay on the part of environmental activists in raising the issue before it which compelled it to grant permission for event.
Victoria University of Wellington is offering 35 doctoral scholarships for international students. These scholarships are available for pursuing doctoral or PhD degree programme. Students will get $23,500 (about Rs 15.8 lakh) stipend annually and tuition fees. Scholarships will be tenable for three years. Applications close on July 1, 2016.

Scholarships will be awarded on academic merit and are open to students from any discipline. Those who have completed their studies at Victoria, must include a certified copy of their academic record from other institutions with this application. Applicants with a degree from a university outside New Zealand will be considered in two categories:

Category 1: Applicants from the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Germany or Australia must supply an original or certified copy of their university transcript.

Category 2: Applicants from any other country must have their transcript verified and assessed with a course by course evaluation by the educational evaluators.

Offers will be made approximately six weeks after closing date in July and November of the year of application. For more details, click here.

Monash University, Australia, is also offering up to 31 merit scholarships for international students. These scholarships will be awarded to undertake full time undergraduate or postgraduate (coursework) degree.

Read more: Apply for postgraduate scholarships to study in UK

Students will be assessed on their scholarship application statement (500 words) and their potential to be an ambassador for Monash University. Preference will be given to commencing students.

Total average value of scholarships is up to $50,000 (Rs 33.6 lakh approx based on a five-year degree); $10,000 (Rs 6.7 lakh) for a full-time study load (48 credit points) paid per year until the minimum number of points for degree are completed. Click here for more details.
The death of a nine-year-old kid in Damoh due to alleged caste discrimination is not an incident in isolation. The practice of untouchability is prevalent in many schools and anganwadis in rural Madhya Pradesh, social activists said on Friday.

Recently, a social worker in Panna came across a couple who hesitated in taking their malnourished child to a nutrition rehabilitation centre (NRC) because they were made to sit away from the upper caste children and served low quality food.

Social worker Yunus Baig said the problem was still prevalent in angandwadis and schools across Bundelkhand. A few years ago, dalit students in a government primary school in Harda alleged that the mid-day meal chapatis were almost thrown at them to avoid contact, they were served leftovers and even made to wash their own utensils.

Study found blatant discrimination on basis of caste, gender and community

A study conducted in 120 schools of six states, including Madhya Pradesh, by the human resources development ministry a few years ago found blatant discrimination on the basis of caste, gender and community.

The discrimination included seating arrangements and eating on the basis of caste during mid-day meals, girls asked to clean school toilets and cooks preferred from a particular caste or community.

Secretary of a Dalit Sangh Ratan Umre said two years ago they conducted a study in Hoshangabad district to know the condition of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students of different schools.

We found that in some schools, teachers had marked the plates of SC/ST students to enforce discriminatory identification. Even, SC/ST students were asked to wash their plates so that nobody else could come in physical contact with the SC/ST students plates. There was a separate arrangement for drinking water too for them. We realised how school students were being humiliated in the name of caste. There is a serious need to redress this major problem.

As per ActinAid officials, about 70 kinds of discriminations were identified during their survey.

Tragedy in Damoh was a clear cut case of casteist mindset: educationist

Educationist Anil Sadgopal said the tragedy in Damoh was a clear cut case of casteist mindset prevailing not only in schools but in society as well. Also, there is no concern in the education system to make teachers understand the deep rooted casteism, inequality and discrimination in society.

Child rights activist Prashant Dubey said, The act of teachers in Damoh is violation of Article 17 of the constitution. The caste discrimination is much rampant in the rural India. To stop a child from drinking water on the basis of caste is a sin. State government should take serious action against responsible authorities to set an example before wrong doers.

School education minister, however, Deepak Joshi on Thursday denied it, but expressed concern over the Damoh incident and said it needed to be looked into as to under what circumstances the boy went to the well to fetch water.

(With input from Anupam Pateriya from Sagar)
Indian Institute of Technology Indore (IIT Indore) will increase the batch sizes of three of its existing undergraduate programmes to 60 . It also plans to roll out BTech in civil engineering and material and metallurgical engineering with 40 students in each stream from the coming academic year 2016-17.

Currently, the institute offers electrical engineering, computer science engineering and mechanical engineering to batches of 40 students each.

Set up in 2008-09, Indore is one of the latest IITs to move to a permanent campus in Simrol after operating out of IET building, PACL campus and Simrol simultaneously for almost five years. We can give you a litany of the hurdles and obstacles we faced as a new institution and enumerate each of our struggles with respect to bureaucracy, finance and the rest of it. Dwelling on them is not the IIT Indore way. We prefer to focus on how far we have come and how much further we need to go, says Dr Nirmala Menon, faculty media coordinator, IIT Indore.

There are three buildings that are complete and occupied. All academic activities take place now on a single campus. The student hostels will also move to the new campus in the current semester. Currently, the institute bus takes them to Simrol for their classes, labs and other academic activities. Fully functional cafeterias on campus, libraries and other facilities ensure that their day on campus is well taken care of.

Read more: IIT-Indore student bags job with highest package of Rs 1.7 crore

The institute currently has 80 full time Phd faculty members, 480 undergraduate, 378 Ph Ds and more than 400 post graduate students. We have come a long way in increasing the quality of student intake. From taking in students with JEE ranks 3000s we now currently have students with ranks of 1238, says Menon. IIT Indore was in news in 2015 when a BTech (final year) student of computer science bagged a Rs 1.7 cr package from Google. In terms of placements too, the institute said all students taking part in the final placement process have been placed.

IIT Indore started functioning in 2008-09 along with IITs at Hyderabad, Gandhinagar, Patna, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur and Ropar. While IITs Jodhpur and Ropar are still to move into their new campuses, the rest of the institutes have already shifted to their permanent campuses.

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Gone Girl actor Rosamund Pike is in negotiations to co-star with Christian Bale in Scott Coopers Western Hostiles.

Cooper will write and direct and also produce with Black Mass producer John Lesher along with Ken Kao, reported Variety.

Read :Black Mass review: This film makes for a compelling watch

Set in 1892, Hostiles tells the story of a legendary Army captain (Bale), who agrees to escort a dying Cheyenne war chief and his family back to tribal lands.

Making the harrowing and perilous journey from an isolated Army outpost in New Mexico to the grasslands of Montana, the former rivals encounter a young widow (Pike) whose family was murdered on the plains.

Rosamund Pike in her Oscar nominated role as Amy in Gone Girl.

Together, they must join forces to overcome the punishing landscape and hostile Comanche tribes that they encounter along the way.

Read: Ive had so many accidents, my body is full of metal: Christian Bale

Production is set to begin in July. Sources say Cooper was drawn to Pike, 37, after seeing her in Massive Attacks music video Voodoo in My Blood, which recently caused an internet stir.

Watch the video here

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Director Ilya Naishullers Hardcore Henry, a Russian-American science fiction action film shot entirely in first person - like a videogame, is set to release in India on April 8.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and also won the Grolsch Peoples Choice Midnight Madness Award at the festival.

Watch the Hardcore Henry trailer here

The film follows the story of Henry, who is brought back from the dead by his wife. Hardcore Henry has been shot from a first person perspective. In the film, Henrys wife is abducted by the notorious warlord Akan, and Henry must get to him, plagued by a weak memory.

Read: Chappie review: This may be Hugh Jackmans worst performance ever

The film features actors Sharlto Copley, Danila Kozlovsky, Haley Bennett, Andrei Dementiev, Darya Charusha and Svetlana Ustinova.

Watch the Toronto International Film Festival trailer here

Hardcore Henry is being distributed and marketed in India by PVR Pictures.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Bollywood actor Anupam Kher said on Friday authorities at New Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University have refused to screen his film Buddha in a Traffic Jam and accused the university of stifling freedom of speech and expression.

JNU should practice what they are preaching. If theyre talking about freedom of speech and expression, then they should follow it also, Kher told India Today TV.

The actor, who is vocal about his support to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, made the comments after the films director Vivek Agnihotri complained on Twitter that the varsity did not give permission to screen the film.

Why isn't #BuddhaInATrafficJam allowed to screen at #JNU coz it exposes sinister politics? Or coz it features @AnupamPkher or selective FoE?  Vivek Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) March 11, 2016

Dear Kanhaiya,v want to show #BuddhaInaATrafficJam @JNU but they aren't https://t.co/NkCWbLGRVp shows how India can get real 'Azadi'.Pl Help  Vivek Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) March 11, 2016

Kher said he plays a professor who transforms the minds of students and incites them to become the change. He said it talks about the relationship between students and the teacher and the politics within.

The veteran actor told the news channel that the film, which was made two years ago and was waiting for producers, depicts the atmosphere that is prevalent in JNU today.

If were talking about freedom of speech and expression, then whats the problem with screening this film? Kher asked.

Kher said that the university told him it cannot allow the film to be screened owing to the present atmosphere in the campus.

JNU has been in the news for the last one month after its students union leader Kanhaiya Kumar and few other students were arrested after being charged with sedition for allegedly shouting anti-India slogans during an event to mark the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Kumar was released after spending 20 days in Tihar Jail.

Police had also accused two other students -- Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya -- of allegedly shouting anti-India slogans. They surrendered late last month. Khalid and Bhattacharya are in judicial custody.

The arrest of the students has reignited a debate over free speech in a country where supporters of the ruling BJP government have cast themselves as champions of patriotism and sought to stamp out dissent.

When reel reflects real, it becomes a significant film. Even if the film is controversial, what should be the problem in showing the film in the film society of JNU that is the most controversial place right now, for right or the wrong reasons.

Kher said the filmmakers didnt have the budget of Rs 5-6 crore to market the film so they decided to take the film across institutions and organisations to raise an awareness.

The movie is about an institution. There are certain sections of a connection between Maoists and the students and the professor who is cultivating a certain breed of students which are not necessarily nationalistic, Kher said.

When asked if that was the reason the movie was not allowed to be screened, he declined to comment.
Chinese troops again entered almost six km deep inside Indian territory near the Pangong lake area of Ladakh region on March 8 but a patrol of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) sent them back in two hours, sources told HT.

Security sources said a platoon of at least 11 Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) men led by a Colonel-rank officer crossed over Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China at Finger VIII Sirjap-I area close to the lake.

The Chinese troops were engaged by the ITBP men deployed there.

The ITBP men showed banners and told the Chinese troops to go back. After a two-hour long verbal duel, the Chinese men went back. Such incidents keep on happening because of difference of perception on the LAC, said a security official requesting anonymity.

Several times Indian troops have intercepted Chinese troops along the banks of the 90 sq km Pangong lake, two-third of which is in China. India and China had a three-week long stand-off in the Depsang plains of Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) in May, 2013. China has also managed to construct a road up to Finger-IV area which also falls under Sirijap area and is five-km deep into the LAC.
The Congress has decided to step up its attack on the NDA government by linking the escape of liquor baron Vijay Mallya and former IPL czar Lalit Modi to Prime Minister Narendra Modis failure to deliver his poll promise to bring back black money stashed abroad.

The Mallya issue has given the Congress fresh ammunition to revive the slogans of suit boot ki sarkar and the fair and lovely scheme. The party has drawn up a strategy to target the government for allowing Mallya and Lalit Modi flee the country and thus enable them to swindle thousands of crores of taxpayers money.

The principal opposition party has so far maintained that the Prime Minister is not keen to bring back black money stashed abroad as it belonged to his corporate friends.

Top guns from the Congress like Rahul Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mallikarjun Kharge have already upped the ante against the government for allowing Mallya to leave the country despite the liquor baron owing more than Rs 9000 crore to various banks and consortiums.

Azad and Kharge wanted to know why the government did not confiscate his passport given that he could have been easily identified at airports as most people recognise the chief of the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

The Congress is all set to vociferously raise the Mallya issue and also revive the Lalitgate controversy in and outside Parliament next week.

That the Congress would be unrelenting could be gauged from the fact that Azad even went to the extent of saying that those leaders and MPs, belonging to any party, having enjoyed Mallyas hospitality should be exposed and taken to task.

The other handle it has on Mallya is that he was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2010 as an Independent candidate from Karnataka for a second term with the support of the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) and the Janata Dal (Secular). He was elected to the Upper House as an Independent for the first time in 2002.

Mallya had then defeated Congress nominee TV Maruthi, one of the biggest silk merchants in Karnataka, with 27 votes of the JD(S), one independent and second preference votes of the BJP.
The son of a doctor, who was killed in an accident allegedly involving Union HRD minister Smriti Iranis cavalcade on the Yamuna Expressway last week, has said that his family will sit on a hunger strike on the city collectorates premises from Friday to seek action against her.

The family of Dr Ramesh Nagar, the deceased, accused Irani of driving away from the scene of the March 5 accident  creating an uproar on the social media. Dr Nagars son, Abhishek, told Hindustan Times on Thursday that the medical professional would have survived if the minister had stopped to help him as well as his daughter Sandili (12) and nephew Pankaj (8).

Read: Smriti Irani unhurt after accident on Yamuna Expressway

Irani, however, denied that the accident was caused by a vehicle from her cavalcade.

Meanwhile, the Mathura police have accused Dimple Arora, a resident of Delhi, of causing the accident. From the CCTV footage taken from the toll plaza, it can be seen clearly that a woman driving a Honda City was involved, said Mathura superintendent of police (rural) Arun Kumar Singh, adding that a notice has been served to Arora.

A case was registered at Mant police station in Mathura, after which police visited the house of Dr Nagars family and recorded Sandilis statement.

Read: Smriti Irani didnt help, allege kin of Expressway accident victim

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to Iranis defence, asking opposition parties to desist from playing politics over the issue. Claiming that the accident had occurred 20 minutes before the Union ministers cavalcade reached the spot, BJP (Agra unit) spokesperson KK Bhardwaj said, It was Smriti who informed the SSP Mathura about the accident and asked officebearers of the BJP Yuva Morcha to accompany the injured to the hospital. She left for Delhi only after that. Despite this, the minister is being falsely implicated in the case by other political parties and its leaders.

The opposition parties should not play their dirty politics through members of the aggrieved family they should stop blaming the minister for the accident, another BJP leader said, assuring aid to the deceaseds family.

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The Bombay high court on Friday questioned the service tax departments seriousness in recovering its dues running into crores of rupees and bringing the guilty to the book while hearing its plea to get back the money from industrialist Vijay Mallya and others.

Justice CV Bhadang also criticised the department for failing to serve two previous high court notices to Mallya and five other accused in the case on time.

In September and December 2015, the high court had issued the notices summoning them and seeking their response to the Service Tax Departments charges. However, the notices were served to them only in February this year, just a month before Mallya left India for London.

The notices were issued in September and December last year. If the service tax department was so serious about recovering its dues and bringing the guilty to book, why did it not serve all parties immediately? And why did it wait till March 2 to approach HC again? Justice Bhadang asked.

The court adjourned the hearing till March 28.

Justice Bhadang was hearing an application filed by the service tax department which was seeking that a previous order of the chief metropolitan magistrate (CMM) that granted Mallya bail in the case of service tax default be quashed. The department has been fighting the case in the HC against Mallya and his now defunct Kingfisher airlines since 2015.

According to its plea, Mallya defaulted on paying a service tax of Rs. 33 crore between 2008 and 2012. The department also alleges that Mallya owns the Centre over Rs. 500 crore as disputed service tax.

Following the plea, the high court issued two notices to Mallya and five others. It was later brought to the HCs attention that they had not been served the notices.

After Mallya left India for London earlier this month, the department moved a fresh miscellaneous application seeking an expedited hearing to quash the CMMs previous order.

In 2011, the service tax commissioner had filed a case of fraud and cheating against Mallya alleging that he had defaulted on payment of Rs. 33 crore as service tax dues to the centre. In February 2015, however, the CMM held that the offence was bailable and granted Mallya and five others bail.
Indias quota for the Haj this year has been fixed at 136,020 pilgrims, according to an agreement signed with Saudi Arabia.

A total of 100,020 pilgrims will come through the Haj Committee of India and the remainder through private tour operators.

The agreement on the Haj quota was signed during a high-level Indian delegations visit to Jeddah on Thursday, Arab News reported on Friday.

Saudi Arabia has reduced the Haj quota for all countries by 20% and for Saudi and Gulf Cooperation Council pilgrims by 50% because of the ongoing expansion of the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

The Indian delegation was led by minister of state for external affairs Gen VK Singh and included ambassador Ahmad Javed, consul general BS Mubarak, joint secretary Rakesh Mohan of the minority affairs ministry and Haj Committee chief executive officer Ataur Rahman.

The Indian officials held talks with Saudi Haj minister Bandar Hajjar, deputy minister for transportation Mohammed Simsim and Prince Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Saad Al-Saud, the deputy interior minister.

The two sides discussed various Haj-related issues, including better catering for pilgrims. They also agreed to work and coordinate closely for this years pilgrimage.
Real estate developers and industry experts have welcomed the passage of the much-awaited Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, though it is heavily stacked against builders.

The sector will now find it easy to claim infrastructure status, the benefits attached with it and tide over its negative image.

The Bill, first introduced in Rajya Sabha in 2013, will affect over a million home buyers every year, according to industry estimates.

Rajeev Talwar, CEO of DLF Ltd, Indias largest real-estate developer by market cap, said: The setting up of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) will usher in much-needed transparency and pave the way for implementation of standard practices across the sector.

However, he said, the Bill did not address single window clearance for approvals. It needs to hold local bodies and authorities, banks, contractors, financial institutions accountable and we hope they will come under its ambit in future, he said.

The developers umbrella body Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) said Bill created a roadblock by bringing ongoing projects under it.

This would mean stopping the work and ensuring the compliance of ongoing projects with the new legislation. If a project has already been sold to the extent of 50% and construction is underway, it is a practical impossibility to make 50% of the project compliant with the Act, a CREDAI statement said.

Making the project fully compliant would be inconvenient and expensive, it said.

Industry experts and analysts said the Bill will spur fresh investments but cautioned against the proposed regulator turning into just another approval authority for developers. That would bring back fears of the inspector raj back in the sector, they said.

Anshuman Magazine, chairman and managing director, CBRE South Asia, said, If implemented in the right spirit, it could facilitate greater volumes of domestic as well as overseas investment flows into the sector. Home buyer confidence in the property market is also likely to revive.

Others said the sector will now have strict definitions and disclosures to stick to. Neeraj Bansal, head (real estate and construction sector), KPMG in India, said developers will have to augment their project management skills as the Bill is likely to segregate quality-focused developers from the fly-by-night ones.
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition to quash criminal charges against Gujarat police officers facing murder trial for allegedly killing Ishrat Jahan and three others in a fake encounter in 2004.

Petitioner advocate ML Sharma had also asked for initiation of perjury proceedings against former home minister P Chidambaram under whose tenure the UPA government said Ishrat was not an LeT terrorist.

A bench of justice PC Ghose and justice Amitava Roy told Sharma his petition did not stand as he was not affected by the trial the police officers faced.

The petition, filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, was maintainable if his right was violated, the bench said. It, however, granted liberty to the accused officers or any other person having locus in the case to raise such a plea before the court.

Sharma pleaded that since Ishrat and the others were said to be part of an LeT suicide squad conspiring to eliminate then chief minister Narendra Modi, their encounter was justified because it was done in national interest.

He argued that in such cases, cops should not be prosecuted for any offence.

Sharma said he was espousing the cause of aggrieved police officers and military personnel who sacrifice their lives to protect the country from terror attacks but the bench remained unimpressed.

As it proceeded to dismiss the petition, additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta, who was present in the court for another matter, intervened and said the bench should give liberty to the aggrieved persons to approach the court for remedy, if any. The court accepted his request and recorded it in the order.
The Congress on Friday raked up the issue of CBI changing the nature of lookout notice against Vijay Mallya last November, just a month after its original issuance , from seeking his detention while leaving the country to that merely providing information about his travel plans.

When he had so many cases against him then why was #VijayMallya allowed to flee the country? Why was lookout notice amended? : Congress  ANI (@ANI_news) March 11, 2016

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Friday slammed Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for his rant against the ruling dispensation over liquor baron Vijay Mallya, saying that the current regime wont dole out any concessions like the Congress did with Ottavio Quattrocchi.

11: 35 am It would be better for Rahul Gandhi if he asks his mummy ji, and Manmohan ji as to how the biggest culprit in this country Quattrocchi could flee away from India, he added.

Naqvi further said in Mallyas case the law will firmly take its course.

Every single penny would be addressed, Rahul Gandhi doesnt need to worry about that,he added.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had on Thursday attacked the government saying the entire country is questioning why this government was helping people like Mallya by allowing him to escape and not fulfilling its promises made to people for bringing back black money and ?giving Rs 15 lakh into every persons bank account?

9:30 am: Mallya rejects claims he absconded

Vijay Mallya, who left the country as banks sought to recover more than $1 billion owed by his collapsed Kingfisher Airlines, has rejected suggestions he was an absconder and said he respected the law of the land.

Mallya, a former billionaire who built his fortune on Kingfisher Beer and a current member of parliament, left India last week. More than a dozen banks - led by the countrys biggest, State Bank of India had appealed to the countrys Supreme Court asking that he be prevented from leaving.

I am an international businessman, Mallya said in a series of postings on his official Twitter account on Friday. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder.

9: 00 AM Vijay Mallya issue to be taken up by Parl. ethics committee

The ethics committee of Parliament on Friday will take up the issue of liquor baron Vijay Mallya owing Rs 9000 crore to a consortium of banks led by the SBI.

We will see when the issue comes, I am the chairman of the ethics committee-Dr.Karan Singh on #VijayMallya pic.twitter.com/IgTlPbEBYL  ANI (@ANI_news) March 11, 2016

Mallya, who is currently a member of the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Standing Committee on Commerce, made it to the House a second time as an independent candidate from Karnataka.

8: AM Mallyas great escape rocks Parliament

Liquor baron Vijay Mallyas departure from the country led to a political slugfest inside and outside Parliament on Thursday with Rahul Gandhi slamming the government for allowing him to leave and finance minister Arun Jaitley hitting back by reminding the Congress vice-president of Bofors scam accused Ottavio Quattrocchis flight from India.

In the Rajya Sabha, leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad accused the government of being party to the criminal conspiracy to allow Mallya to leave the country when he was facing a probe for loan default. Jaitley responded by saying it was during the UPA regime that banks provided loans to him.

While the Congress and the Samajwadi Party attacked the government inside Parliament, Gandhi upped the ante outside, telling reporters, We simply asked that someone who stole Rs 9,000 crore from the country, how did he run away from the country? How did you allow him to escape? This is the simple question and we neither got a reply to this from Modi-ji nor from Jaitley-ji.

Jaitley said at a Cabinet briefing that Rahul-ji should remember that there is a basic difference in Mallya leaving and Quattrocchi going out When Switzerland officials informed that Quattrocchi was also among the beneficiaries of Bofors and though the person who was heading the CBI investigation earlier, K Madhavan, wrote a letter that his passport should be impounded, the then government had not stopped him and within two days he left India. That was a criminal case.

Responding to Azads charge, Jaitley said the first banking facility was given to Mallya and his companies in September 2004, which were renewed in February 2008. Though in April 30, 2009 Mallyas accounts were declared non-performing assets, the debts were restructured and more loans were given to him in December 2010, Jaitley said.

How these accounts were running, what facilities were given, the dates tell their own story, he said. In what circumstances were the loans given is an issue of investigation and the CBI is investigating.

Raising the issue during Zero hour, Azad held the government responsible for allowing Mallya to leave. Without the participation and without the active support of this government, he could not have left the country, Azad said.

Comparing Mallyas fleeing with that of Lalit Modi, the Congress leader said the government had failed to bring back the former IPL chief, too. One had escaped, the second Lalit Modi (Mallya) should not be allowed to escape.

Jaitley said it was during UPA rule that Lalit Modi left the country.

The Samajwadi Partys Naresh Aggarwal said the matter of Mallya, a Rajya Sabha MP, should be referred to Parliaments ethics committee.

Refuting Azads charges, Jaitley said there was no order to stop Mallya from leaving the country. Mallya had left the country before the banks moved the Supreme Court for seizure of his passport, he said. Jaitley added that banks had been asked to recover every penny that was due. The banks are taking all steps to recover every penny lent to him and they will recover it, he said to jeers from Opposition MPs.

The finance minister said there were 22 cases filed in different parts of the country against Mallya and some of his assets had been attached. Mallyas liabilities, including interest, totalled Rs 9,091.4 crore as of November 30 last year.
The BJP leadership on Thursday came out in strong defence of the World Culture Festival after Prime Minister Narendra Modis participation in the event was announced.

Taking on critics, parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu said: It is a prestigious event for India. Indias prestige is at stake in the event. No body should politicise the event.

The BJP pointed out that the AAP government, which is at loggerheads with the BJP on most of the issues, had maintained a silence on this occasion.

Naidu, who had been a vocal critic of the Opposition over the JNU row, told Hindustan Times, When people went to an event on Afzal Guru, there were no problems. There are no problems in praising Afzal Guru. But some people have discovered a lot of problems with the World Cultural Festival. If someone is opposed to such events, he or she should not go.

The government has come under fire for engaging the army to construct temporary bridges in the World Culture Festival, a private event.
A Delhi court summoned on Friday the Congress balance sheet for 2010-2011 in a case related to alleged misappropriation of party funds in the acquisition of the now-defunct National Herald newspaper.

This is likely the first time financial documents of the grand old party have been sought in a criminal case.

While balance sheets are filed before the Election Commission periodically and individuals submit their financial documents to courts, but the manner in which Congress financial documents have been summoned in this case is unconventional, to say the least, said a party source.

Launched by the countrys first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1938, the newspaper ceased publication in 2008.

Metropolitan magistrate Loveleen also summoned the balance sheet of Associated Journals Pvt Ltd (AJL), which published National Herald, for the same period observing that these documents could not be referred as personal documents of the accused.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy had charged Congress president Sonia Gandhi, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi and four other Congress leaders with cheating in the acquisition of AJL by Young India Pvt Ltd (YIPL). Sonia and Rahul own 38 percent stakes each in YIPL.

The court asked for the papers by March 21, the next date of hearing in the case.

The order came on a plea filed by Swamy who had sought financial documents of the Congress for three years starting 2010-11. However, after seeking some clarifications, the court said it would partly allow the application.

Swamy said the documents are relevant to prove his charges that the Gandhis and directors of YIPL -- Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda  had conspired to misappropriate funds in acquiring National Herald.

He said the documents were also referred to in the June 26, 2014 order summoning the Gandhis and others as accused in the case.

According to Swamy, the Gandhis and the four directors YIPL had conspired to misappropriate funds by helping AJL obtain a loan of over Rs 90 crore from INCs funds, of which just Rs 50 lakh was eventually paid back to the political party.

On February 20, the court directed that some documents summoned from the ministries of finance, urban development and corporate affairs, income tax department and other agencies in the case would be kept in a sealed cover till further orders, noting that Delhi high court was seized of the matter.

The court granted bail to Sonia, Rahul, Vora, Fernandes and Dubey on December 19, 2015. Pitroda was granted bail on February 20.
Some of the ongoing real estate projects that have defaulted in timely delivery may come under the scanner of the new Real Estate (Development and Regulation) Bill once it is enacted.

Ongoing projects will also come under the new law once it is notified and rolled out. When we frame the rules for the new Real Estate Law, this issue would be mentioned in details, Urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu told HT.

Sources in the government said that projects where homebuyers have paid the lions share of the price but the project is nowhere near completion, may attract penalties under the new act.

The developers umbrella body, Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI), however, dubbed the move as a roadblock.

This would mean stopping the work and ensuring the compliance of ongoing projects with the new legislation. If a project has already been sold to the extent of 50% and construction is underway, it is a practical impossibility to make 50% of the project compliant with the Act, a CREDAI statement said.

Sources said many projects, especially in Noida and Greater Noida of Uttar Pradesh and some projects in Bangalore may come under the scanner.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at critics of spiritual guru Ravi Shankars cultural festival held on the fragile floodplains of the Yamuna on Friday, asking them to have pride and honour in the countrys legacy.

Modi described as cultural Kumbh Mela the international event which environmentalists are opposing for allegedly causing irreparable damage to the ecosystem of the heavily-polluted river.

The controversial event got official sanction at the last moment after the National Green Tribunal asked the organisers, the Art of Living Foundation headed by the spiritual guru to immediately pay Rs 25 lakh of a Rs five crore fine. The rest will be paid over three weeks.

We can fulfil that demand (exporting Indias culture) to some extent, but that will be possible only when we take pride and honour in our legacy. If we keep calling ourselves bad, criticise everything, then why will the world look at us, he said while addressing the gathering at the festival.

Modi hailed Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for giving a positing image of the country and its culture to the world in the 35 years of the foundations existence.

He said that through Art of Living Foundation  which has millions of followers across several countries -- the world has known a distinct facet of India.

Giving the foundation the credit for exporting Indias soft power to the world, Modi said in international relations, it reaches where diplomacy cannot.

Modi recalled a visit to Mongolia, where he said Mongolians were carrying the Indian flag at a reception hosted by the foundation.

When the nation is seen through its culture, its true identity is revealed. This is art of living. Sankaton se jujhate, tab art of living; jab doosron ke liye jeete hain, tab art of living; jab main se hum tak chalte hain, tab art of living, Modi said, alluding to a metaphor of life well lived as the true art of living.

Talking of Indias journey from Upanishad to upgraha, he said India has travelled from being an ancient civilisation to a country that is launching satellites.

In his inaugural address, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar also took a dig at his critics for describing the festival as his private party, noting that obstacles do come when something great is done.

Somebody said it is the gurujis private party. I said yes. It is true because (the) entire world is my family. When one needs nothing for himself, then he belongs to the entire society, he said.

Heavy rains marred the start of the festival which lost some of its sheen after President Pranab Mukherjee and other dignitaries pulled out following the controversy over environmental damages.
DMDK chief Vijayakanth - fondly called Captain by his fans - has announced he will fight the 2016 Tamil Nadu assembly elections all by himself.

While bigger parties like the DMK and AIADMK are fearing to go it alone in this elections, Captains bold announcement on Thursday has sent shockwaves in political circles.

But Captain is not worried for he has decimated his enemies countless times in the 150 odd Tamil films he acted before wading into politics.

In fact, he earned his nickname after he portrayed an IFS officer in his blockbuster hit Captain Prabhakaran.

From local rowdies to high-profile Pakistani terrorists, the DMDK chief has killed hundreds of them ALONE and sometimes with his bare hands.

Here are the 10 times Vijayakanth fought his enemies alone:

A local don waves a gun asking Vijayakanth to back off! Captain decides to confront him. Don fires his weapon. Rest is history (captain is not).

Another time a bunch of rowdies surround him. Captain realises that there is no time to waste. He twirls his mustache... And...

Enough with dons and rowdies. Captain once tricked an entire police force and escaped from a high-security prison. This is what happened when police tried to torture him inside the prison...

After teaching the Indian police a lot of lessons, even London cops learnt a thing or two from Captain when he decided to catch some gangsters in England. Note how he stops the policemen from joining the fight and takes on the gangsters with bare hands.

Another epic fight where Vijayakanth takes on dozens of terrorists and a rocket launcher with just a pistol and, of course, his abundant intellect.

A lot of us believe that Pierce Brosnan copied this legendary scene in his James Bond flick Die Another Day from Vijayakanths film. Here is the proof.

Captains coding skills are so advanced that he once managed to type a document in Windows Media Player.

Not only is he a coder but also an expert surgeon. Once during a critical operation, the electricity goes off and Captain comes up with this insane idea to save the patient...

A scene which shows his infinite upper body strength...

Here is another Oscar-worthy performance ( Yes! He is our Leonardo.)

Captain learns that there is a bomb on a train. The villain who placed the bomb is right in front of him. He comes up with a genius of a plan. Here is how it goes...

Captain takes the villain to a place where the train passes and jumps inside a compartment with him. Yes! Now the villain has no other option but to defuse the bomb.

Here is another instance when Vijayakanth turned himself into a mini tornado and whooshed and twirled to kill 20 odd thugs...
One swallow doesnt a summer make. A spell of rain, hail and snow will bring bad and hazardous weather to many states, prompting worries that it could spoil harvests, clog highways and trigger landslides.

An intense western disturbance, or a squally weather pattern, that set off in Iran is headed toward India and will take hold from Friday onwards.

The stormy weather could ruin ripening winter crops, such as wheat, again this year. Most northwest states will get rain on March 11-13. Predictions that hailstorms could hit farms in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have prompted the government to issue a farm alert.

Daytime temperatures, which have been climbing steadily over many northern cities, will likely fall by 34C between March 12-14 and then rise again, an official said.

The weather could be severe enough in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, prompting a Met-office hazard warning. Heavy rains could hit pockets in these three states. Landslides are a potential hazard these states should watch out, a forecast official said, requesting anonymity. Driving in uphill regions could be risky too, he said.

A separate advisory from the India Meteorological Department called for immediate harvest operations, where possible. Last year, similar weather between February 28 and March 2, March 7-8 and March 14-16 flattened crops in about 10 million hectares in about 150 districts, or about a quarter of the country.

The wet and windy conditions are also likely in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Vidarbha, apart from Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal in the east.

Wheat, the main winter crop, is ready for harvest in most states. A series of weather shocks has already shrunk agricultural output and incomes, triggering a rural distress. Two-thirds of Indians depend on a farm-based living.

An advisory issued to farmers asked them to maintain proper drainage channels and postpone irrigation, apart from reaping mature crops immediately. Orchards in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir should use hail nets to protect from heavy snowballs, the advisory said.

Some of the havoc could occur in areas witnessing an acute farm crisis, including Maharashtras Vidarbha and Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh.

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The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) asked the government on Friday to crack down on subversive elements indulging in anti-national activities in universities.

We expect the Central and state governments to deal strictly with such anti-national and anti-social forces and ensure the sanctity and cultural atmosphere by not allowing our educational institutions to become centres of political activities, the Sangh said while presenting its annual report in Nagaur.

The three-day Pratinidhi Sabha, a meeting of the saffron groups highest decision-making body, assumes significance as the Narendra Modi government draws flak over its mishandling of the JNU row, the death of a Dalit student at the University of Hyderabad, allegations of saffronisation of education and growing intolerance in the country ahead of crucial assembly polls in five states.

The Sanghs pointed statement about anti-national activities was in reference to the University of Hyderabad, which it calls Bhagyanagar University and where the RSS has been accused of fanning anti-Dalit sentiments, and the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, where anti-India slogans were raised, resulting in nationwide uproar.

When renowned and premier universities, which are expected to groom patriotic citizens by imparting them the lessons of unity and integrity generate people who raise the slogan calling for breaking of and destroying the nation, this naturally becomes a matter of concern for the patriotic people, the Sangh said in its annual report at the meeting.

It dubbed the event organised to mark the death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru as incidents that pollute the social environment.

The Sangh also flagged the violence during Gujarat and Haryana quota agitations, the burning down of a police station in West Bengals Malda, and the Pathankot terror attack as challenges to the administrative machinery, which weaken social harmony and trust.

In addition, the RSS contradicted allegations of it perpetuating misogyny by describing the practice of barring women from temples as unfair traditions, in sharp contrast to an editorial in the RSS mouthpiece, Organiser, that defended the practice as a matter of faith for the temple trusts.

On Friday, the Sangh referred to old texts and traditions to emphasise that men and women are naturally considered to be equal partners and permitted entry into the temples without any discrimination.

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The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leadership will meet in Nagaur on Friday to firm up its strategy for the upcoming assembly elections in five states, and possibly endorse a makeover of the organisation.

This makeover will include a change in the RSS uniform  dropping the ubiquitous khakhi shorts for trousers.

The topics most likely to be taken up by the Sangh and its affiliates at the three-day Pratinidhi Sabha, the highest decision-making body of the Sangh Parivar, are affordable and quality education, health care and social harmony. A resolution will be passed to ensure that it becomes the duty of both the government and the society to provide quality and affordable health care and education to the poor and the deprived, a senior RSS functionary said on the eve of the meet, which will be attended by Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat, BJP president Amit Shah and top officials from both the parties.

Read: Imbibe Gita teachings to make India world leader, says RSS chief

Dominating the discussions would be recent students agitations as well as the strategy for the upcoming polls  a crucial matter, taking into account the BJPs setbacks in Delhi and Bihar as well as its ongoing struggle to form a coalition government with the PDP in Jammu and Kashmir.

Samajik samarasta (social harmony) and eradication of casteism, two subjects that the Sangh had passed a resolution on at its last Pratinidhi Sabha, are back on the discussion table. While RSS functionaries admit that the issue of caste-based discrimination persists, its ambitious one well, one temple, one crematorium plan for all Hindus is yet to take off.

The Sanghs decision to focus on education could set off alarm bells, given that it has been accused of spreading anti-Dalit sentiments on campuses and making attempts to saffronise education.

The recent students unrest  a result of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemulas suicide in Hyderabad and charges of sedition slapped against Left-leaning students of Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University  is perceived as an insurgence against the Sanghs growing influence in universities.

The governments outreach to popularise the Indian system of medicines through the Ayush ministry is also being seen as an RSS-inspired move.

The Sanghs agenda for the Nagaur meet will also include plans to celebrate the 12th birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar as well as the centenary of stalwarts Balasaheb Deoras and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.

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A 24-year-old worker was buried alive when construction workers failed to spot him in the dark and built over him at a dam project in Madhya Pradeshs Chhindwara district, officials said on Friday.

Jai Ram was sleeping at the Pench dam project site, where work was on to close a duct, when the accident occurred early on Thursday, officials said. The gravel, which was emptied over him, was levelled by road rollers to fill up the river duct.

Jai Rams body was discovered by other workers when they noticed a hand below the gravel and dug around half a feet to find him lying underneath.

Chhindwara superintendent of police GK Pathak said it is unclear whether he was buried under the gravel or hit by the dumper. Pathak said the workers body has been sent for an autopsy and the report is yet to come.

Police are in the process of recording the statements of workers, he added.

Chhindwara water resources department superintendent engineer PN Gaur said Jai Ram worked for HES Hyderabad, a private firm. The department has asked the private firm to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the labourer, Gaur said.

This is second such incident in the past six months of a man being killed on a construction site where work was carried on in the dark. In September last year, a 45-year-old man was found buried at the road construction site in remote Salaiya village in Katni district.

An apparently drunk man, identified as Latori Burman, got stuck under the sand and boulders which were spread by an earth moving machine and was levelled by a road roller.
A US roadshow will go to New Delhi, Gurgaon, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad next week to nurture innovation in clean energy technologies in the country.

A high-powered US delegation led by the assistant secretary of state for economic and business affairs Charles Rivkin and comprising of US energy and infrastructure companies will engage with government officials, civil society groups and entrepreneurs, the statement said.

Were going to focus this trip on clean tech in particular with an emphasis within that on infrastructure, the Special US representative for commercial and business affairs Zaid Haider told a group of Indian reporters in a media round table.

We have an agreement on emissions, but at the same time now every country needs to do its part in the clean energy space, and so thats a key focus for us, said Haider who would be accompanying Rivkin to India for the American Innovation Roadshow from March 14.

Haider said the US is focused on this because the Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is focused on it.

We all know the goals that Prime Minister Modi has laid out. Were talking about 175 GW by 2022. Were talking about a deficit of about $100 billion in terms of financing to hit that goal, he said.

We are talking about the fact that the Indian government has said that about 80% of the infrastructure, energy infrastructure is yet to be put in place, Haider said.

So this is a real opportunity for us as part of our partnership to help India as part of its urbanisation trend to develop a lower carbon urban infrastructure, and we want to be a part of that effort, intimately so, he added.

The US delegation among others comprises of representatives from 8-Minute Energy, a solar energy company based in Los Angeles; General Electrics, AES, a global power company with electricity generation and distribution business; First Solar, solar-focused customised energy solutions, applied materials; and Praxair, an industrial gases company.

Responding to a question, Haider said the US is looking forward to the release of draft national IP policy.

We are working toward the high standards with India which will be important providing that regulatory certainty, investment certainty for US companies that want to do business in India in this manner, he said.

Noting there is no question that India is an extremely innovative entrepreneurship country, Haider opined that that there are certain things that could allow even greater potential to flourish.

That goes back to these questions of investment for the regulatory and the investment certainty. So if foreign countries want to, for example, do R&D in India, itll be important for them to have the kind of assurances that a high standard allows, he said.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Majeed Memon on Friday said he suspected that the NDA Government helped former liquor baron Vijay Mallya flee the nation, and said that the entire episode was akin to former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi.Agency Photo

As far as Vijay Mallya case is concerned, there was a noise on the floor of the House in the Rajya Sabha yesterday. Leader of Opposition Shri (Ghulam Nabi) Azad did raise this point that how could he run away when there were serious allegations of huge money due to him. And if such a person can slip away from the country, it is only a failure of the administration. So, the government treasury benches were not able to give a satisfactory answer. None the less, the House has expressed its anxiety and anguish on this development of his disappearance suddenly and making himself beyond the reach of law, Memon told ANI.

It seems there was connivance in helping him slip out.There are proceedings against him, the law will take its own course although it will be very difficult now for the process of law to reach him since he is outside the jurisdiction of India and this is another case of Lalit Modi, he added.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, on Thursday accused the NDA Government of helping Mallya escape India.

This government is part and party in the criminal conspiracy in him fleeing the country. Without the help of the government, he could not have escaped, the Congress leader said.

Vijay Mallya is not a needle that cant be found. He is a tall and well-endowed man who can be seen from 1 km away. He doesnt travel alone; instead he is always accompanied by hoors and he disappears? he said.

The Supreme Court had on Wednesday brushed aside a plea by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to direct Mallya to appear personally before the court to force him to come back to India.

The case will be next heard on March 30.

The SBI, which leads a consortium of 17 lenders to King Fisher Airlines, declared Mallya a wilful defaulter last month. United Bank of India (UBI) and Punjab national Bank (PNB) have also declared Mallya as wilful defaulter.
Businessman Vijay Mallya on Friday morning commented for the first time since he reportedly fled India, rubbishing claims that he had absconded.

I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish. said the former Kingfisher Airlines boss.

He also tweeted that: As an Indian MP I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media.

I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 10, 2016

As an Indian MP I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 10, 2016

Claiming that he had bestowed favours he extended to the media, Mallya said the news channels should not lie simply to gain TRP.

Read: IDBI bank gave Vijay Mallya Rs 900 cr despite KFAs low credit ratings

Let media bosses not forget help, favours,accommodation that I have provided over several years which are documented. Now lies to gain TRP ?

Once a media witch hunt starts it escalates into a raging fire where truth and facts are burnt to ashes.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 11, 2016

News reports that I must declare my assets. Does that mean that Banks did not know my assets or look at my Parliamentary disclosures ?  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 11, 2016

The liquor baron had scoffed at claims that he had not publically declared his assets.

News reports that I must declare my assets. Does that mean that Banks did not know my assets or look at my Parliamentary disclosures?

Vijay Mallya owes a consortium of 17 public sector banks an amount close to Rs 9,000 crore. The Supreme Court had issued a notice to Mallya on a plea filed by the consortium, including State Bank of India, seeking to prevent him from leaving India and impounding his passport.

Read: Mallya went abroad 4 times before Mar 2 departure since look-out notice

Mallya was, however, reported to be out of the country even before the notice was served, finance minister Arun Jaitley told the Rajya Sabha after the issue caused a stir during Thursdays Question Hour.

Mallyas escape from India came to light when attorney general, Mukul Rohatgi, appearing before the Supreme Court, on behalf of the PSU banks, said that investigative agencies have informed him that the former UB Group chairman has left the country.

Meanwhile, the CBI clarified on Thursday that it had issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against Mallya in October but its mandate was not to prevent him from leaving the country.

Read: CBI changed nature of lookout circular against Vijay Mallya

CBI sources on Thursday said Mallya had travelled abroad in the last week of October and returned in November. He made two trips in the first and last weeks of December and a trip in January, in addition to his recent trip, reportedly to London, on March 2.

MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, As far as Vijay Mallya is concerned MEA has not been asked to take any action.

The SC bench issued notice to Mallya and sought his response on pleas filed by a consortium of banks by March 30 seeking direction for freezing his passport and his presence before the apex court.

Also read: Vijay Mallya joins long list of fugitives in London

Will comply with the Iaw, will not face a media trial: Vijay Mallya
A day after ruling RJD legislator Raj Ballabh Yadav, accused of raping a schoolgirl, surrendered in a court and was sent to judicial custody in Bihar, the rape victim on Friday sat for Class 10 examination amid tight security, police said.

Putting an end to speculations whether the victim would appear for the examination or not, her father said she has taken the exam. Finally, my girl has taken examination after the accused legislator was put behind bars, he said.

According to him, the family decided on Thursday that she should take the Class 10 examination after the Nalanda district administration, taking into account the family trauma and its fear for her life and limb, changed her examination centre to a nearby place.

With ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav, the rape accused who was on the run for last one month, surrendering and the Biharsharief civil court in Nalanda district sending him to judicial custody, the girl and her family have felt relieved.

Read: Bihar cops seize property of rape-accused RJD MLA

Earlier, with her attacker on the loose, the family feared for her life.

Yadav, who represents Nawada constituency in the Bihar assembly, is known for his muscle and money power.

He is accused of raping the school-going girl in Biharsharief on February 6.

Yadav was absconding for many days after the victim filed a police complaint and while on the run, he was petitioning courts to get anticipatory bail.

Last week, a lower court rejected his anticipatory bail plea. Four of his accomplices have been arrested.

Earlier, the legislators two houses, one each in Nawada and Patna, were attached in compliance with an order of the court.

Yadavs 13 bank accounts have been sealed. Police also said it has started the process of auctioning his plots at different places.

The authorities also suspended the licences of three firearms Yadav possessed.

According to the police complaint, a woman named Sulekha Devi, took the girl to an undisclosed location in Nalanda and forced her to have liquor, after which she was raped by a man, later identified as Yadav.

After she was raped, the girl said the woman gave her Rs.30,000.

Read: Bihar: RJD suspends Nawada MLA accused of raping a minor
Manish Mehrotra is the toast of the Indian culinary scene, with his restaurant voted the best in the country. Now, the chef has his eyes set on New York. And hes out with a book containing his prized recipes.

If theres one ingredient chef Manish Mehrotra cant do without, it is Amul butter. New York offers the best French butter and a lot of good local butter. But Amul butter has this unique flavour that goes well with Indian cuisine, says Mehrotra. Hes the man who helms the kitchen at Indian Accent, voted as Indias best restaurant for two years in a row by Asias 50 Best Restaurants. Opened only eight years ago, it beat legendary dining spaces like Wasabi by Morimoto in Mumbai and Bukhara in Delhi.

Now, Mehrotra is set to open the second outpost in New York, where the chef has been living and working since last December. In a city where food from every nationality has found representation (high-end and low-end), Mehrotra is keen to introduce flavours from India, in a modern avatar. And going by the buzz, diners in New York cannot wait to dig into his signature dishes like potato sphere chaat, white peas mash and dal moradabadi with chur chur parantha. Here, we can use beef and foie gras, so we have those on the menu. But for the first menu in NY, we wanted to give people a sense of what Indian Accent is all about. So there are a lot of dishes from the Delhi menu, says Mehrotra, over the phone from New York.

Indian Accent Kulfis

Booked and hooked

About 74 dishes from his repertoire have now made it to a cookbook called The Indian Accent Restaurant Cookbook, launched last month. It chronicles the journey of the restaurant: from a time when people didnt understand its food and would often walk out, to now when almost every new Indian restaurant wants to replicate its success. Writing a book is a hundred times harder than cooking, confesses the 42-year-old chef. As chefs, we take a lot of things for granted. We know a certain step follows the next. But a cookbook needs to tell its readers exactly what to do, he adds.

Also read: Meet Pablo Agular, Le 15 Cafes mystery chef

Alongside recipes are images that have been beautifully styled (by Mehrotra) and shot (by Rohit Chawla) to draw one in. Almost two-and-a-half years in the making, the book, Mehrotra says, should be seen as an inspiration. I dont want people to follow the recipes like the Bible, but rather look at them as reference points.

Mumbai, Delhi, New York

After graduating from the Institute of Hotel Management in Mumbai, Mehrotra trained under Ananda Solomon at Thai Pavilion before joining Old World Hospitality (that runs Indian Accent) in 2000. Apart from culinary knowledge, I learnt about guest experience from him, he says. Slowly, but steadily, Indian Accent rose to fame and was recognised by critics across the world. Noted food writer Vir Sanghvi once said, Manish Mehrotra is the most exciting modern Indian chef in the world today. He cooks for the toughest audience of all  Indians who understand Indian food  and he never fails to wow us, time after time, meal after meal Similarly, critics and food enthusiasts from New Yorks vast food scene are already lining up West 56th Street to get a taste of Mehrotras creations. Even amidst the excitement and pressure of a new opening, Mehrotra sent his staff for a meal at Eleven Madison Park (EMP), ranked fifth on the worlds best restaurants list. When they return, I will ask them about their experience, and it will be undoubtedly good, he adds.

Tadka vegetables and roasted sesame salan

And like his favourite restaurants in the city such as EMP, NoMad and Per Se, Mehrotra is keen on providing the whole package  food, ambience and decor. Right from the way food is served to the environment it is created in, it is all part of the experience. And if a restaurant can bring together all these different elements, it cannot fail, he says.

Tamarind glazed pork ribs and steamed potato chili salad

Though all of us have grown up eating Indian food, Mehrotras version offers a modern take on it. Think dishes like mishti doi cannoli, amaranth laddoos, and wasabi and cucumber raita. Indian food pleases every palate in the world. Right from oily, heavy food to super-healthy to spicy and sour, Indian food is so diverse that its repertoire can never end, he concludes.

Mehrotras Mumbai

Favourite bar: Leopold Cafe, Colaba

Favourite restaurant: Swati Snacks, Grant Road

Favourite street-side eats: Bademiyan, Colaba (of those days) and Pav Bhaji at Cannon, CST

Turn the Page

What: The Indian Accent Restaurant Cookbook

Price: Rs 3,499

Where: Available across major bookstores

Visit: indianaccent.com

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Film: Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum

Director: Nalan

Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Madonna Sebastian, Samuthirakani

Rating: 3/5

In what is certainly novel, Vijay Sethupathis Kathir is a bungling gangster in Nalan Kumarasamys Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum -- a remake of the Korean 2011 drama, My Dear Desperado. Its incredible for a hero like Sethupathi to be bashed up and brutalised ever so often during the 137-minute running time of the film. And this point is unabashedly driven home by the Premam actor, Madonna Sebastian, when she, playing a fresh Information Technology employee, Yazhini, asks with sarcasm dripping whether Kathir receives many more blows than what he actually gives.

Packed with wit rather than violence, the movie has us tickled with innumerable one-liners. For example, when Kathir asks fellow diners in a roadside eatery to keep their mouths shut, one lone female voice quips, but how do we eat then? A lovely scene this that reveals the start of an unlikely relationship between Kathir and a college graduate, Yazhini, who arrives in Chennai for a professional assignment -- a journey which her station master father (in small town close the metropolis) and mother are initially reluctant to let their daughter make.

Read: Nalan remakes Korean romance in Tamil as Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum

Packed with wit rather than violence, the movie has many one-liners that will make you smile. (Nikkilcinema)

In Chennai, the first flush of excitement which comes with her job gives way to disappointment and desperation when the company goes bust, and Yazhini is too proud to return home. So, she shifts to a more modest flat whose neighbour happens to be a once-upon-a-time gangster, Kathir, whose fairly long stint in jail leaves him physically and perhaps psychologically unfit to take on battles and brawls. He spends his days pleading with his boss to let him open a liquor bar. He even fancies himself as one with a smart business card and all the other trappings that go with such proprietorship. But, instead, he finds himself sticking posters on roadside walls, and that is what his boss thinks Kathir is fit for.

Watch the trailer of Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum here:

Yazhini, however, begins to develop a soft corner for Kathir, and the few times he helps her tide over impediments seem to cement the relationship. Till, she is bold enough to ask him to play her boss -- whom she can introduce to her parents -- who are by then highly doubtful about Yazhinis employment. The meeting does not go well. But, of course.

Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum is often predictable and ponderous, though there are some interesting shots that lift the narrative. The rain scene is one, but like most of Tamil cinema, Kumarasamys work also cries for greater refinement. A certain lack of finesse is apparent throughout, and the story could have been told more effectively had the movie been edited into a 100-minute slot.

Read: Cant say no to masala films, says Premam girl Madonna Sebastian

Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum is often predictable and ponderous, though there are some interesting shots that lift the narrative. (Nikkilcinema)

Add to this, Sethupathis tendency to mumble his lines (something which Hollywood star Marlon Brando did all the time) -- a lack of clarity in dialogue delivery that one has been noticing even in his earlier works -- is annoying, to say the least.

Yes, a certain redemption comes from Sebastian, who is very good essaying a girl in utter dilemma when she loses her job, and even when she finds herself drawn towards the rowdy as she calls Kathir. Can she fill the chasm between them, bridge their yawning differences in social status?

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Teraa Surroor

Cast: Himesh Reshammiya, Farah Karimaee, Naseeruddin Shah, Shekhar Kapur

Director: Shawn Arranha

Rating: 1.5/5

Will you be surprised if I tell you that Teraa Surroor  which, incidentally, is not a sequel to 2007 film Aap Kaa Surroor  is Himesh Reshammiyas ninth film as an actor?

If yes, then you are doing a great disservice to yourself. Theres no harm in a little fun every now and then. If no, then you deserve every single second of this mysterious, melodious, super cheesy, unintentionally funny, half baked, impractical and futile film.

The world has changed a lot, and so has Himesh Reshammiya. He has lost a lot of weight, brushed up his acting skills, and is ready to rub shoulders with the likes of Naseeruddin Shah, Kabir Bedi and Shekhar Kapur. But, is that as easy as it sounds?

Shekhar Kapur plays a diplomat Rajbir in the film. (YouTube)

Raghu (Himesh) is a tough Mumbai gangster who never smiles, at least when he should. He also likes to flaunt his shades and weird love quirks. Tara (Farah Karimaee) is Raghus girlfriend, and she and her mother live in his house. But you wouldnt expect her to know Raghus true identity, would you? No, thats almost a crime in a city as prone to terror attacks like Mumbai.

Anyway, Tara arrives in Dublin and gets detained on drug trafficking charges. Why did she come to Dublin? Simple, its because her Facebook friend wanted her to come. But she cant tell the local police anything about this mysterious guy because she has never met him. She hasnt heard his voice either, not even on the phone (and you thought Liam Neeson went overboard in Taken). You see, a phone call can get you killed. Turns out, the guy is called Anirudh Brahmin, and nobody can save him because Himesh has chosen him to showcase his combat moves.

This is Farah Karimaees debut film in Bollywood. (YouTube)

The sudden turn of events puts the Dublin Police to the daunting task of saving their citizens from the wrath of some hot-headed Indians. They talk about Osama Bin Laden and Bharat Mata in the same breath. You see, all the whites are racist, and those living in and around Dublin, Ireland, take the cake.

Titled Teraa Surroor - A Lethal Love Story, this film is all about unconditional, unbound swag. Bad guy gets killed, he smiles. Bad guy kills someone, he smiles. Nobody kills anybody, they smile. Only Himesh doesnt smile. That would make his jawline look less prominent.

And yes, there is a guy in the shadows who loves playing the guitar after every scene. Dont ask me why. Probably he just loves playing the guitar!

Raghu has a friend in The Bird a.k.a Enrique Santino, who speaks fluent Hindi. Why? Because he has spent many years in Indian jails. Otherwise, how would you justify Naseeruddin Shah playing Santino? And, dont you dare forget, the guitar guy is still playing in the background.

Read: Salman is a messiah in the industry, says Himesh Reshammiya

Read: Himesh Reshammiya scores a century. Want to know how?

Read: More film reviews

Ireland seems to be the perfect place for health commercials; after all, people here like to jog in slow motion. But then, thats less rewarding than watching Kabir Bedis maroon lipstick.

Teraa Surroor appears to be an international conspiracy, where the Irish are subjected to immense torture because an Indian guy is there to seek revenge on another Indian guy.

Watch: Himesh, Farah in Teraa Surroor trailer

Teraa Surroors music is its biggest attraction, provided youre a Himesh fan like me. The first half keeps featuring one song after another and you feel blessed. But then comes the interval, following which the movie turns into an illogical chase that ends nowhere. Even the movies glossy cinematography and sleek editing couldnt be of much help.

Himesh Reshammiya has tried hard, but its still not working for him. Farah Karimaee may get some films if looking good is the only criterion. Naseeruddin Shah is Naseeruddin Shah and Shekhar Kapur is Shekhar Kapur, absolutely undiluted.

Teraa Surroor is indeed a lethal love story.

(Interact with Rohit Vats at Twitter/@nawabjha)

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In a volte-face, less than 48 hours after he made his remarks, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Friday put on hold his agitation against migrant auto-rickshaw drivers. Thackeray, issuing a statement, asked his cadre to not attack any auto-rickshaws till he issues fresh instructions.

This came even as chief minister Devendra Fadnavis rubbished Thackerays allegations of corruption in issuing permits, saying that the government had not bent any rules. People are constantly looking to make their own space in politics and hence, make such statements. It is our responsibility to protect the auto drivers and we definitely will do so, he said.

Some party leaders hinted that Thackeray had jumped the gun. We realised later that these new autos that have been granted to migrants by flouting the rules have yet to hit the streets. Hence, rather than someone misusing the agitation and vandalising existing autos, we decided to put the agitation on hold, said a party leader.

Thackeray, through the statement, also asked his cadre to not take the law into their hands by indulging in violence. Many find this ironic, considering Thackeray himself had, on Wednesday asked his cadre to find new auto-rickshaws in the city and burn them down. He had alleged that the permits to drive these were being given to migrants by flouting norms.

Insiders said that Thackerays staying off the agitation may have been a result of the lack of enthusiasm shown by the cadre. For instance, the first time he announced a violent agitation on the issue of irregularities in toll tax contracts, across the state, toll plazas were attacked within hours. This time, one auto-rickshaw was burnt in 36 hours after his call, but the MNS ran too scared of even taking the credit for it.

Thackerays stand and his call for violence against migrant auto-rickshaw drivers also earned him immense flak on social media, with many calling for action against him.

Meanwhile, the largest autorickshaw union in Mumbai Friday wrote to CM Fadnavis, demanding immediate action against Thackeray for his provocative remarks wherein he appealed to party workers to burn the autorickshaws of outsiders.
In a major relief to CM Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government, the legislative council on Friday gave its approval to finalise the draft bill to regularise dance bars in Maharashtra.

The Upper House plans to constitute a joint committee comprising members of both the houses of the state legislature for it. The decision was taken after the chief minister convinced the Opposition that banning dance bars was not legally tenable. Moreover, the bill to regularise dance bars will be presented in the ongoing budget session and the joint committee will be asked to finalise the draft in three-five days.

The move assumes significance as the opposition has been against the Fadnavis governments changed stand of coming up with a new legislation to regularise dance bars, in the backdrop of the Supreme Courts orders.

The NCP- and the Congress-led opposition has a majority in the upper house because of which it was crucial for the government to win the oppositions support for the purpose.

The state is of the view that dance bars should not be allowed to reopen in Maharashtra. So the government imposed conditions such as live feeds to the police station through the CCTV cameras installed in dance bars, which was objected by the apex court, he explained. However, the Supreme Court has directed us to allow them to re-open. We have to fight it legally and not emotionally. We want to regulate it in a way that people should stop going to dance bars, CM Fadnavis said.

He told the House then additional solicitor general Gopal Subramanium and state advocate general Darius Khambatta had clearly told the government the amendments in the Maharashtra Police Act (to ban dance bars) were weak and would not stand before the court of law.

The new draft is not a law, but amateurish moral policing, Fadnavis said, reading out the letter being written by the then AG Khambatta on the second ordinance passed by the state to ban dance bars. Khambatta also prepared a draft to regularise dance bars, which was not used by then home minister RR Patil, the CM said.
The Grammy Award-winning rock musician Bryan Adams was in for a rude shock at Cairo airport when Egyptian customs officials scribbled a number in Arabic on his guitar with paint marker.

Adams, who was in Cairo for a concert at the Giza Pyramids on March 8, posted a picture of the vintage Martin acoustic guitar on his Instagram account.

A number and an illegible word in Arabic had been scrawled in green ink on the guitars mahogany side.

Airport customs graffiti on my 1957 Martin D-18 from Egypt. Back to the luthier #bryanadamsgetup, Adams wrote on Instagram, referring to his latest album Get Up!.

Adams, best known for his hits 18 Till I Die, (Everything I Do) I Do it For You, and Please Forgive Me, said his problems with customs had begun on his arrival at Cairo airport.

We almost didnt get the equipment into the country, and when we did it was all marked like this, he said in a Facebook message on Friday.

Read: I really want to come back to India, says Bryan Adams

A number and an illegible word in Arabic had been scrawled in green ink on the guitars mahogany side. (Bryanadamsofficial/Facebook)

There were absolutely no apologies.

A customs official at the airport said that instruments are marked with serial numbers, although usually with stickers. Regarding the ink, he suggested: Maybe it wasnt us?, although the script was Arabic.

Egyptian wits took to Twitter to mock the incident.

Doesnt Adams know that we glued together Tutankhamun with super glue? Its normal that we write something on a 60 year old guitar, one wrote, referring to a botched repair of the priceless Tutankhamun funerary mask in Cairos museum.

Read: India is a great audience, says Bryan Adams

The Oscar-nominated musician said he would still return to Egypt to perform.

Rest assured, apart from this incident, I love Egypt and look forward to returning again one day, he said. But without the green paint markers please.

It is not the first time that someone has scrawled numbers on one of Adams guitars.

In 2015, he complained on Twitter that Air Canada had taken a marker to his guitar, scrawling a serial number in black ink.
The Bihar government has intensified its campaign against drinking liquor in public places following announcement of prohibition and more than 5,000 offenders have been arrested across the state.

More than 5,000 people have been arrested so far across the state under the Excise Act, said Abdul Jalil Mastan, excise and prohibition minister.

The campaign would be intensified further once the ban comes into effect from April 1, he said.

The chief minister had announced that while country-made and spiced liquor would be banned completely from April 1, sale of Indian made foreign liquor would be restricted in towns and municipality areas.

The sale would be conducted by state-run Bihar State Beverages Corporation Limited.

Reffering to the chief ministers commitment to successfully impose ban on alcohol, Mastan said the excise department would make a proposal to increase the period of the jail sentence upto 10 years.

Assistant commissioner of excise and prohibition department, headquarter, Om Prakash Mandal said presently the offenders are jailed for a maximum period of three years on the charge of consuming and selling alcohol in public places in accordance with Excise Act of 1915.

The assistant commissioner said a total of 1,839 offenders were arrested in February while 869 have been caught and forwarded to jails in the past 10 days of March.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar recently said the state government would bring the new legislation in the current Budget session of the Assembly with a provision of capital punishment to manufacturers of hooch.
Two school-going cousins  identified as Kritika, 8, and Rihan, 7  died while seven other students suffered injuries when the school van carrying them back home overturned near a village in Jalalabad subdivision of Fazilka district, about 55km from here, on Friday afternoon. The accident occurred when the driver reportedly lost control in his bid to save a biker whod taken a sharp turn ahead of the van.

The van was carrying 35 students, mostly of them from primary classes, of Sacred Heart Convent School, situated at Khaire Ki village, 2 km from Jalalabad. It had gone barely five kilometres when, near Aamir Khas village on the Ferozepur-Fazilka road, driver Ramesh Chander, 50, lost control, the van overturned and two kids, resident of another village Khairewala nearby, died on the spot. The seven others and the driver got injured and later were admitted to hospitals at Jalalabad and later discharged after due treatment, said Avikesh Gupta, sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Jalalabad.

Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who represents Jalalabad segment in the assembly, expressed grief, according to Fazilka deputy commissioner Isha Kalia. Due compensation as per instructions of the higher authorities would be given to the families of the deceased, she added.

Police have been asked to report the cause of the accident; and whoever is found guilty would be taken to task, she further added.

Bus horror

9 August 2014: 16 children injured as school bus overturns in Kapurthala

1 April 2015: 20 children injured as a private varsity bus hits school van

Jan 22, 2015: Private school bus overturns at Dasuya; seven students injured

Jan 12, 2016 : 3 kids killed, 20 injured as school van falls into drain near Batala
Over-enthusiastic, pro-active, assertive, arrogant, fast, aggressive  these were some adjectives routinely used to describe Vijay Kumar Dev, the now-ousted adviser to the UT administrator, who had taken the chair barely 15 months ago and was transferred to Delhi on Wednesday.

In the process of garnering bouquets and brickbats, he ruffled many feathers within the government set-up.

A primary reason being cited for a premature end to his three-year tenure is his rubbing the local BJP leadership the wrong way, and also his alleged cold vibe with his boss, UT administrator Kaptan Singh Solanki, who is the Punjab and Haryana governor.

How the adviser ruffled feathers all around

PM visit overboard arrangement

The UT adviser came in the eye of a storm when the administration went overboard in making security arrangements for PM Narendra Modis visit in September 2015. This earned Modi, too, bad press across the country as schools were shut and the citys main cremation ground made out of bounds for residents. Modi later regretted the inconvenience in a tweet and an explanation was also sought. Even when French President Francoise Hollande and Modi met here two months ago, there was a much-panned effort to cover up the ugly side of the city by putting up a wall of bamboo straw to hide the facade of Hallomajra.

Cold to governor

Though Dev was only his adviser, so to speak, administrator Solanki, a BJP veteran who has Modis ear, was learnt to be unhappy with his centralised style of functioning for the past few months. The cold equation came to fore this year on Republic Day Dev as Dev had to cancel his At Home for officers and dignitaries as Solanki did not want him to hold one besides the one at the Raj Bhawan. The adviser and his coterie were seen taking major decisions not fully taking the administrator into confidence. A senior officer from the administrator office said, He (Dev) was flying too high. Chandigarh is a special UT as it is the capital of Punjab and Haryana, and officers cannot be sensitive towards the needs of the two states. Bureaucratic limits need to be followed. Note, that owing to citing the much-panned renovation at his office, Dev was using the UT administrators office at the secretariat ever since he had joined.

Differences with MP

Initially, Dev and MP Kirron Kher went along well, but with time the MP felt officers were not carrying forward her projects. The MP had said that being chairperson of the district advisory committee to ensure monitoring of central programmes such as employment generation, she had neither received any invitation to chair the meeting nor any details of previous meetings. Kher and Dev had a difference of opinion over the setting up of a Film City too, a pet project of the actor-politician who wanted it to be handled by private firms while Dev wanted it in government domain.

Local BJP anger

Local BJP chief Sanjay Tandon had met Union home minister Rajnath Singh against the proposal of shifting of 13 villages from UT administration to the MCs purview. In his representation before the election commission the adviser had recommended bringing the 13 villages under Municipal Corporation. But UT administrator and Sanjay Tandon did not want the villages to come under the MCs ambit and have an independent ambit.

Bureaucratic imbalance

During Devs tenure, the ratio of UT, Punjab and Haryana cadres was disturbed. Most important departments were with UT cadre, to which Dev too belongs. He even curtailed powers of current DC Ajit Balaji Joshi by taking away excise and taxation from the Haryana-cadre IAS officer. Before Joshi, Dev and DC Mohammed Shayin remained at loggerheads before Shayin was unceremoniously removed from the post. The reason for that was seen as leaked news reports about a Rs 2-crore renovation at the advisers residence. Lower officials were also unhappy with his disparaging remarks and fixing deadlines, though this had endeared Dev to the residents.

Style, a mixed bag

His large security entourage disturbed many while there was also praise over his accessibility to the public. His equation with the media depended on whether or not you sang paeans to him as he virtually blacklisted journalists who criticised his ways and moves. But his image of a tough taskmaster and attending almost all possible functions  from dancing to singing to cutting ribbons  made him popular as a peoples person. Yet, the quick and aggressive style resulted in anger too, such as

over the Sector-17 removal of over- and under-sized boards that left the central shopping district ravaged.

The almighty decides where one stays: Dev

What do you have to say about your sudden transfer from Chandigarh? I am totally illiterate on this. The ministry of home affairs is the controlling authority and they have decided the when and why. I believe that Jitna dana pani likha hota hai, utna milta hai. Uper wala decide karta hai. (It is the almighty that decides where one stays and how)

There are talks that your own colleagues were behind your sudden exit? I believe in positivity and no negativity for anybody at all. I have always maintained complete positivity all my life for everybody  be it politicians or officers. I also believe that whatever is destined will happen. Jo bhi uparwala script likhta hai uske hisab se hota hai. (God writes your script and you move accordingly).

City residents are reacting to your transfer. Your take on this. I have received 15,000 messages in two minutes ever since the news of my transfer came out. I have got tearful messages in which residents have poured out their love for me. I believe one should accept ones fate as a king. Jo upperwale ne likha hai wohi hoga, hamare pass jane ka order aayga hum chale jayenge rukne ka ayega toh ruk jayenge (What has been destined for you will happen. I will leave when ordered and if orders come for me to stay, I will stay).

Read: Chandigarh: Vijay Dev ousted as UT adviser, Parimal Rai to replace him

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The rise in the number of private schools and the strength of students in them has led some government schools to worry about the declining number of students in them and they have been forced to run awareness and publicity campaigns to attract students like private schools.

While a private school costs a student about Rs 50,000 per year on an average, the government school provides free education with some incentives. However, even then people prefer private schools for their children over government ones.

Worried about the decline in the number of students in the Government Primary School, Aulakh, its teachers are making all-out efforts to attract more children by distributing pamphlets, putting up flex signboards, meeting people and making announcements assuring them of quality education free of cost.

About 12 years ago, the school had nearly 270 students. But, over the years, the number of students has continuously declined and last year, the number of students in the school came down to 185 only.

We are providing all facilities and also teaching English from Class-1. We are going to people to tell them that we are at par with private schools and have highly qualified and trained staff. We charge no fees, rather provide books, uniform and midday meal too, said Gurdevinder Singh Dhillon, headmaster of the school.

We have started the campaign in advance because we are under pressure due to a number of private schools in the area. They admit children early and lure them in many ways. Says Gurdevinder.

However, Parminder Singh Brar, district education officer (primary), Faridkot, does not fully agree that private schools are the only reason for the declining number of students in government schools. Actually, the number of students in government schools is declining due to the impact of one child concept in society. However, people have a mindset due to the era of competition without properly understanding that there is no difference between government and private schools.

So, we have launched a drive using all means of communication. To make people aware that there is no difference in education in a government or a private education. Yesterday, we approached the people in Lambhwali to encourage them to admit their children in government schools, Brar said.

In about 248 government schools, there are only about 31,000 students from Class 1 to 5 and most of them come from economically backward categories.
The 15-year-old schoolgirl, Jhanvi Behal, who had earlier challenged Jawahar Lal University (JNU) students union president Kanhaiya Kumar for an open debate on the freedom of expression, has now alleged she has been receiving threats over social networking websites. In her complaint to the police, the teenager alleged most threats were from JNU students and Kanhaiyas supporters.

WATCH: 15-yr old student from Ludhiana, Jhanvi Behal challenges #KanhaiyaKumar for an open debate.https://t.co/QYegTs1zdk  ANI (@ANI_news) March 6, 2016

After bringing the matter to the notice of Punjab director general of police (DGP) Suresh Arora, the girl filed a complaint on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the DGP has directed the Ludhiana police to look into the matter.

Ashwin Behal, Jahnvis father, alleged that ever since his daughter gave an open challenge to Kanhaiya, her social media accounts had been allegedly flooded with threats. Some people have used abusive language against her, he alleged.

Kanhaiya and his supporters have been trying to evade the debate due to the fear of losing. Now they have started threatening me, said Jhanvi, adding that Kanhaiya has also given statements against the Army, which is condemnable. He is levelling allegations without any evidence just for political gains. We should not forget that our jawans sacrifice their lives for us, she added.

An activist of NGO Raksha Jyoti Foundation, Jhanvi had challenged Kanhaiya Kumar for a debate after the JNU row. Meanwhile, the NGO has also written to the Punjab DGP, demanding security cover for the teenager.

Read more: 5 things about Jhanvi Behal who challenged Kanhaiya to debate
A day after three members of a family at Majri village in Panchkula were killed after their car, a Tata Indica, fell into the Bhakra canal on Wednesday evening, hundreds of people gathered at their house to console the lone survivor of the accident and attend the cremation.

Amarjeet Singh ( 58), his wife Gurmeet Kaur (55) and daughter Amandeep Kaur (24) were killed in the mishap on Wednesday, while son Ankush (23) was rescued by locals.

The bodies arrived at the house on Thursday afternoon from Rupnagar after being fished out from the Bhakra canal.

The family had visited Bheora village along with his family to pay obeisance at a Sufi shrine on Wednesday evening and had parked the car near the canals bank.

Singh-Bhagwantpura station house officer inspector Dharampal said, Amarjit Singh had accidentally put the car in the first gear, when he actually wanted to reverse the vehicle. With the accelerator pressed fully, the car plunged into the canal and three members of the family were killed.

The youngest son of Amarjeet Singh, Avinash, who is a student of hotel management in Gurgaon probably escaped death as he was not at home when the ill-fated trip was planned.

Amarjeet Singhs joint family had been living in Majri village for the past 15 years.

In the three-storey house, Amarjeets younger brother Ashok lives on the first floor.

Former Chandigarh Member of Parliament Pawan Bansal also attended the cremation on Thursday where Ankush lit all the three pyres.
With little support from the state government, Punjabis pay more than three-quarter of the healthcare bill from their pocket.

The state health accounts report  which the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, and the Public Health Foundation of India in New Delhi have compiled for the year 2013-14  states that the households in the state bear more than 76% of the treatment cost, while the government contribution is less than a fifth  19.65%. In other words, for every Rs 5 spent on health care, government puts in just Rs 1.

The report was released at PGI on Thursday here.

In the year 2013-14, the current health expenditure in the state was 13,414 crore, 4.2% of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). Of this, the state contributed only a fifth (21.1%), which is less than 1% of the GSDP. Dr Shankar Prinja, associate professor of health economics at the PGI School of Public Health, said: The extent of Punjab governments spending in the public-health sector is very low. so the general public ends up spend more from own pocket.

The government spends just 0.9% of the GSDP on this, which is less than even the national figure of 1.2-to-1.3%.

Of every Rs 4 spent on health in the state, households contribute more than Rs 3 (76.5%), leading to inequity in spending and impoverishment due to catastrophic payments, mentions the report. It explains that only 23% of resources are paid through pooling like health insurance, whereas 77% of payments are paid in cash. It leaves a large section of Punjabs population vulnerable to inadequate pre-payment and risk pooling mechanisms in health care financing, reveals the report.

Almost (86%) of overall public health expenditure was on the wages and salaries of the human resource.

On the other hand, in case of private spending, maximum was on the consumption of medical goods (54%).

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Canadas British Columbia (BC) Supreme Court on Friday found Radio India MD Maninder Singh Gill guilty in the 2010 Surrey Sikh temple shooting.

In August, 2010, Gill had shot at Harjit Singh Atwal in the temple parking lot during a wedding ceremony.

Atwal had filed a defamation lawsuit against Radio India, alleging that it had tried to malign him through a news broadcast.

Gill, on the other hand, had claimed to have acted in self defence. He even accused atwals associates of attacking him in the temple. He had also claimed that the gun belonged to those who attacked him and that it came into his hands during the scuffle.

Gills claims, however, were rejected by the court which found that Gill had brought the gun with him and retrieved it from his car.

The sentencing will take place in May.

Since both Gill and Atwal are well known in the South Asian community, many prominent individuals were present in the court when the verdict was announced.

Read: Surrey broadcaster Maninder Gill feared for his life before Sikh wedding shooting
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has hailed the decision of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for acknowledging Mai Bhago as one of the most badass women in history.

This acknowledgement by the BBC came on International Womens Day. Besides Mai Bhago, the other two most badass women were the Ching Sheh of China and Jeannette Rankin, the first woman to hold high office in the United States Congress.

While making the selection, BBC said, Mai Bhago led 40-Sikhs into battle at Muktsar after they had deserted Guru Gobind Singh. She persuaded them to go back to the guru.

Mai Bhago remained a loyal disciple of the guru and accompanied him to the south where he breathed his last at Nanded. Mai Bhago then settled down near Bidar in Karnataka and preached Sikhi. A gurdwara stands in her memory there.
Actor Madonna Sebastian, who will make her Tamil debut with Kadhalum Kadhandu Pogum that releases this Friday, says she will have to do masala films despite having a preference for content-driven films.

Personally, I enjoy being part of films where Im not just a pretty face and have a solid role. I like to perform subtly, express using my eyes and smile. Though commercial cinema doesnt offer you scope to do such things, I cant say no to masala films, said Madonna.

She also said she cant turn down an offer to work with a star.

Its in these masala films that you get to work with stars. How can I say no to working with them? My latest Tamil release Kadhalum Kadhandu Pogum features Vijay Sethupathi who I really admire. I just couldnt miss an opportunity to work with him, she said.

Read: Kerala police arrest three teenagers in Premam piracy case

My next Malayalam release King Liar is with Dileep, who is a much bigger star. Its an out-and-out masala film, she added.

In Kadhalum Kadhandu Pogum, which released in cinemas on Friday, she plays a role of Yazhini, who works in the IT industry.

Watch the trailer of Kadhalum Kadhandu Pogum here:

Its a simple love story of a boy and a girl who, by the time they realise and fall in love, the film ends and they never get to live happily ever after. Still, this is a fun film and theres nothing tragic about the story, she said.

The film is the official remake of Korean entertainer My Dear Desperado.

Madonna has watched the original and she feels the Nalan Kumarasamy-directed Tamil version is much better.

Nalan has made it livelier, which makes the remake not a frame-to-frame copy of the original. The localisation of the content has worked very well and even those who have watched the Korean version will love the Tamil remake more, she said.

Talking about her co-star Vijay Sethupathi, she said: It took time for both of us to get talking on the sets. Ive learnt from him that its important to match the wavelength of ones co-star while performing and his valuable input really benefited me.

Read: Nalan remakes Korean romance in Tamil as Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum

Kadhalum Kadhandu Pogum is the official remake of Korean entertainer My Dear Desperado. (Madonnasebastianofficial/Facebook)

Most popular for playing the character Celine from last years Malayalam blockbuster Premam, Madonna feels the success of the film has already made her a known face in Tamil industry.

We knew Premam was a good film. However, none of us expected it to do so well. People still call me Celine wherever I go, which only shows how much they love me. Slowly, they are getting used to my real name, she said.

Not in a hurry to sign new projects, she will join the sets of Premam Telugu remake from next week.

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Two states in India have had a marvellous history of cinema. While Bengal catapulted the country to the world stage with men like Ritwick Ghatak, Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Buddhadeb Dasgupta and even Rituparno Ghosh making scintillating, sensible and meaningful cinema, Kerala had its own masters, such as John Abraham, Aravindan and Adoor Gopalakrishnan.

With the passing away of Ghatak, Ray and Ghosh, and with Sen too old and too ill to step behind the camera, Bengal is now left with Dasgupta from the old brigade, though a younger helmer like Aditya Vikram Sengupta has been trying out something unique. His Labour of Love, which premiered at Venice in 2014, is a work sans dialogues. His Memories of My Mother -- in the script stage -- has been chosen by the Cannes Film Festival (May 2016) as one among 15 from the world over which is promising and will be presented for funding. This section is called Cinefondation Atelier.

Read: Bengali film Labour of Love to play at Venice sidebar

Aditya Vikram Senguptas Labour of Love has no dialogues. (HT Photo)

However, Bengal seems still far away from its hey days in the 1950s, 1960s and the 1970s.

The picture is different in Kerala. Though Abraham and Aravindan are long dead, and Gopalakrishnan makes a movie after a long interval (the last he made was about eight years ago, Four Women and A Climate for Crime), a fresh crop of directors has emerged. These men are doing some really good stuff. A lot of this is being remade in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. And these sell, and the reasons are obvious.

Read: Malayalam filmmaker Rajesh Pillai dead at 42

The current Malayalam cinema is strong on plot and novelty. Rajesh Pillais (who died recently and he was just about 45) Traffic was a story that one had never seen on the screen. It was all about a heart being taken from one place to another in rush hour traffic -- from Kochi to Palakkad -- and time here was of paramount importance. Otherwise, the organ would degenerate. Malayalam writers Bobby and Sanjay were inspired to pen this story when they saw a newspaper report about an organ being transported in the busy Chennai traffic.

Bangalore Naatkal review: An engrossing remake of Bangalore Days

A still from the Malayalam film Traffic directed by the late Rajesh Pillai, who died recently. (Listin Stephen)

Traffic was remade in Tamil as Chennaiyil Oru Naal, and in Kannada as Crazy Star. A Hindi version is in the offing.

We saw this also with Drishyam, Jeethu Josephs nail-biting crime drama of an uneducated cable television operator completely fooling the cops, having picked up the methodology from the films he keeps watching day in and day out.

Papanasam review: An emotional Kamal Haasan matches cold Mohanlal

Drishyam was remade in Tamil as Papanasam. A still from the film starring Kamal Haasan and Gauthami. (Nikkilcinema)

Drishyam was made in Tamil as Papanasam with Kamal Hassan reprising Mohanlals part in the Malayalam original. The Hindi edition, also called Drishyam, had Ajay Devgn in the lead.

Recently, we saw in Tamil, Bangalore Naatkal -- remade from Anjali Menons Bangalore Days -- a delightful movie about camaraderie among three cousins, who migrate to Bengaluru.

Anjali Menons Bangalore Days was remade in Tamil as Bangalore Naatkal. Seen here are the films stars -- Dulquer Salmaan, Nivin Pauly and Nazriya Nazim.

A couple of weeks ago, Jeethu Josephs Memories from Kerala was spun into Tamil and called Aarathu Sinam -- a creepy tale about a serial killer and a drunk policeman on the trail of the murders.

Earlier, Bobby and Sanjays How Old Are You with Manju Warrier playing a Malayalee wife was remade in Tamil, 36 Vayadhinile -- where actor Jyothika made a comeback of sorts.

Some years ago, director Siddique wrote and helmed Bodyguard -- three times -- in Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi.

The list is long, and it is now well proven that the cinema from Kerala lends itself to appeal in the neighbouring states -- and even in Hindi belt. As Bobby said in a recent interview, we use emotion as a raw material, and it always works.

But one must add here that Malayalam cinema seldom goes overboard with its melodramatic content, and invariably has strong stories to spin. As the late Ismail Merchant once told this writer, a good film must tell a good tale. And Malayalam cinema has been trrue to this.

Sadly, Bengali cinema -- whose Ray introduced India to the world screen through his Pather Panchali (screened at Cannes in 1956) -- is languishing today for want of novelty and daring directors who are willing to experiment. Sengupta is an exception, though.

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Meet Tina Desai, the only Indian protagonist on the Wachowskis Netflix series - Sense8 (Hint: The Wachowskis made The Matrix series, so its a big deal)

Imagine eight individuals across different cultures: a police officer and a transgender blogger from America, a taxi driver from Nairobi, a South Korean boxer, a German theif, an Indian pharmacist, an Icelandic DJ, and a Mexican actor. As these characters go about their daily lives, suddenly they collectively see a vision: a woman is being murdered violently, and they are the next targets. Driven by fear, these eight individuals embark on a telepathic journey that will take them through the horrors of their lives, their newly-found powers, as they encounter a psychotic villain.

Such is the premise of Sense8, an original Netflix sci-fi series, and actor Tina Desai (29) is the only Indian protagonist on the show. I love being the only Indian on set. I get to understand the Indian culture from an international stand point with each episode, says Desai. The series is created by Lilly (formerly called Andy, till the revelation of being transgender) and Lana Wachowski, the creative geniuses behind the cult classic franchise, The Matrix.

We are in a cafe in Andheri, where Desai, dressed in a denim skirt and a white blouse, is meeting us just a few days before she flies to Berlin to start shooting for Sense8s second season. I have a lot of homework left to do before I leave. I need to revise my characters arc and predict what is going to happen to her this season, she says in all seriousness.

Also read: Heres our complete guide to Netflix in India

An unexpected journey

Desai, who grew up in Bengaluru, describes her 13-year-old self as a shy, scrawny kid who did not have the confidence to become an actor. But it was a Bollywood film  Shah Rukh Khans 1997 action film, Koyla  that got her hooked to cinema. Desai admits that, though the film wasnt all that inspiring, it transported her to a bubble and dissolved her sense of reality. I wanted the film to go on so I could escape from the real world. In hindsight, that was my eureka moment, says the 29-year-old.

Desai describes her 13-year-old self as a shy, scrawny kid who did not have the confidence to become an actor (Photo: Aalok Soni/HT; Location courtesy: Indigo Delicatessen, Andheri (W))

Subsequently, Desai made her debut with a Fastrack advertisement in 2007. By 2011, she had a Bollywood film to her name: Yeh Fasley opposite Anupam Kher. In 2013, she starred in Table No 21, a thriller that brought to light the adversities of ragging in educational institutions. I like playing fierce, gritty woman who have a dark streak to their personalities, says the actor who is a fan of thrillers.

In 2011, Desai also debuted in Hollywood with the British romantic comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Ask her how it was working alongside veterans such as Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Richard Gere, and Desai promptly replies, It felt like home. Everybody was so encouraging.

Also read: We get Netflix US to answer 5 questions weve all been wondering about

So much so that during a dance rehearsal for its 2015 sequel, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Gere filmed Desais rehearsal on his camera phone. It was sunset and he shot the whole session in silhouette. John [Madden], the director, was so impressed by it that he shot the actual sequence in the same way and added it to the final cut, Desai recalls.

The Wachowski spell

It was during the production of The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel when the Wachowskis approached Desai for their TV venture and interviewed her over a Skype call before confirming her as a cast member. They wanted to understand my take on Kala Dandekar (Desais character in Sense8), who is a rational scientist, yet believes in spirituality and religion, says Desai.

For her, working on a Wachowski set has been the toughest yet most exciting experience. Our unit travels to eight countries as part of the production. And since all the characters in the series are connected through telepathy, a single continuous conversation between two characters, on screen, spans three different locations. Imagine recreating a single sequence, with seamless continuity across three countries, adds Desai.

For instance, the scenes with Kala and Wolfgang (Max Riemelt) are divided between Mumbai and Berlin. We shoot one part of the dialogue here in Mumbai, and its continuation in Berlin five months later. We have to enact the exact emotions after that big a gap. Its challenging for us as actors, but Lilly and Lana bring it out in us. In fact, they are so good, they make us feel unbelievably dumb at times, says Desai.

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Actor Deepshika Nagpal has filed a non-cognizable complaint (NC) and will soon file an FIR against ex-husband actor Keshav Arora for entering her house without her permission and physically abusing her on March 8.

Nagpal went to Bangur Nagar police station in Mumbai to file a non cognizable complaint (NC) . She says her next step will be to file an FIR once her medical reports confirm the incident.

I decided to file the case because I dont want him to spoil any other girls life. He would flirt and lie to other women even when we were married. No woman should tolerate any kind of physical abuse. He cheated on me with other girls and I think every girl should now be beware of how he is, says Deepshikha, who had an amicable divorce with Arora on February 24, 2016.

Nagpal, who has been part of television shows such as Bigg Boss season 8 and Madhubala: Ek Ishq Ek Junoon, separated with Arora in 2014 after he threatened to kill her, but the two later reconciled with the hope of building a better future.

However, Keshav, who married Deepshikha in 2012 denied hitting her. But Nagpal is confident and says, My medical reports are out and the police know what has been done. I knew that he would deny all charges but I am very sure that I will get justice.

Read: He threatened to kill me and my kids: Deepshikha Nagpal

Deepshika with children and ex husband Keshav Arora (Hindustan Times)

Deepshikha had asked Keshav to not trouble her and live his life separately but he continued asking for money and contacting her. Other girls would inform her about Keshav flirting with them but she never took any action before. However, she now wants justice, says a source close to the actor.

He would party and she told him to live his life and let her live hers. Whenever she asked him to leave her, he would demand money, the source added about the actor, who was previously married to Jeet Upendra but the two got divorced after 10 years of marriage in 2007. They have two children  Vivaan and Vedhika

When contacted, Arora says, I dont know from where the injuries have come(on Deepshikha). When she filed an NC on March 8, there were no injuries. I did not hit her and only went inside the house with her permission. I have gone to her house for lunch post our divorce several times.

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The Arab League labelled Shia Muslim group Hezbollah a terrorist organisation on Friday, Egyptian state media said, as tensions rise between Sunni and Shia powers across the Middle East.

Sectarian wars are raging in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, and the league has become a forum for the mostly Sunni Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia, to air their grievances with Shia power Iran, the major backer of Hezbollah and other Shia groups in the region.

The Arab League foreign ministers committee has decided on Friday to consider Hezbollah a terrorist organisation, said a statement from the Arab League carried by Egyptian state news agency Mena.

The declaration came hours after the Saudi delegation stormed out of the meeting following a speech by Iraqi foreign minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari in which he defended the Shia Hashd Shaabi militia grouping, an Iraqi foreign ministry source told Reuters on Friday.

Iraqs army relies on the umbrella group known Hashd al-Shaabi in its battle against militant Sunni Islamic State.

In his speech (the minister) said that Hashd Shaabi and Hezbollah had preserved the dignity of the Arabs and those who call them terrorists are the terrorists, an Iraqi foreign ministry source said.

In January, Iraq summoned the Saudi ambassador after he suggested Iranian-backed Shia militias were exacerbating sectarian tensions in Iraq.

Iranian interference

The Arab League meeting on Friday also condemned what it described as continued Iranian interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain, the statement said, adding that Hezbollah, along with the Iranian revolutionary guard, financed and trained terrorist groups in Bahrain.

The Gulf island has a Shia majority population but is ruled by a Sunni dynasty.

Bahrains deputy foreign minister Mohammed Mubarak Sayar said in a news conference aired on Al-Arabiya channel there was a consensus on the decision but Lebanon and Iraq had reservations about it.

Saudis ambassador to Egypt Ahmed Kattan appeared on Al-Arabiya saying Gulf states would be taking further measures against Hezbollah.

We will deal with Hezbollah as we deal with any terrorist organisation. Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries have begun preparing measures it will take against that terrorist party and they will be announced at the right time, Kattan said.

Morocco said last month it would not host the 2016 Arab League meeting as scheduled, saying it wanted to avoid giving a false impression of unity in the Arab world.

The Arab League meeting welcomed a French initiative calling for a global conference for peace and called for effective global measures to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Any resumption of future negotiations with regard to resolving the Arab-Israel conflict must be based on ... a specific timetable for ending the Israeli occupation of the land of the State of Palestine, its statement said.
In a hate-fuelled attack, a 66-year-old Buddhist monk was assaulted in the US with the attacker apparently mistaking him for a Muslim.

Kozen Sampson, the monk, said he was attacked during a visit to Hood River in Oregon state.

The brown robe-clad Sampsons car door was kicked into his head by a man who abused him and then fled on foot, according to the Hood River Police Department.

Police described the assailant as a white male with brown hair. Investigators are probing the incident that took place on February 29 as a possible hate crime.

Sampson told the New York Daily News he suffered a small cut, some memory loss and was stunned for a minute or two after the man attacked him on his trip to take his dogs to obedience training.

I know that that was an angry thought that this person had, but Muslims have to deal with this every day, said Sampson. Could you imagine living with such anger? Our hope is that we can find a way that people can release this anger and fear, he said.

Its really not about me. Its about loving kindness and taking care of all of our people, Sampson said. He said the man, who seemingly thought he was Muslim based on his clothing, attacked him for no reason.

I pulled over, someone ran up and yelled. I turned around, they kicked the door, hit me in the side of the face and knocked my head into the frame of the car, Sampson was quoted as saying by KATU-TV.

He said the man also abused Muslims. But instead of anger and hatred towards that man, Sampson said he only feels forgiveness and compassion.

I dont know the Islamic faith well, but I do know that Muslims are our brothers and sisters and I would encourage everyone to just take a hard look at how supportive are you of all Gods children, Sampson said.
Many words, little action -- three years after Pope Francis election, victims of priest sex abuse are bitter and disappointed, accusing the Church of having failed to punish guilty clerics and end a culture of complacency on the issue.

The recent Australian Royal Commission hearings of Vatican number three George Pell and a preliminary criminal probe into accusations that Lyons archbishop, Philippe Barbarin, covered up for a paedophile priest has put the question of Church complicity in abuse back at the top of the Vatican agenda.

Francis came to power promising a crackdown on cover-ups and a zero tolerance approach to abuse itself.

But victims still feel they are not been listened to, that bishops are still failing to hand criminal priests over to the appropriate authorities and that a conspiracy of silence remains the order of the day, right up to the top of the Vatican hierarchy.

The growing discontent with Francis record on ridding the Church of the taint of paedophilia is in sharp contrast with how he has performed in other areas.

Faithful fill St. Peter's Square during a canonisation ceremony by Pope Francis. (AP File Photo)

As he prepares to celebrate Sundays third anniversary of his election, the Argentinian pontiff boasts genuine star status around the world thanks to his charismatic, simple style, his defence of the worlds poor and efforts to reform the Church and bring it closer to ordinary believers.

But despite an encouraging start, Francis has failed to definitively draw a line under decades of abuse that ruined the lives of thousands of young Catholics and tarnished the Churchs standing in the eyes of believers and society.

Francis has made it clear bishops who cover up for abusers have no place in the Church and has put in place legal structures enabling paedophile priests to be tried under Vatican law. He also established his own advisory panel on the issue.

But the panel is now disintegrating, with one prominent member -- Peter Saunders -- recently telling AFP he felt betrayed by Francis and that he had been tricked into taking part in a whitewashing exercise.

Francis won plaudits for meeting with victims in Rome and in Philadelphia during last years visit to the United States. But recently, he has come under fire for declining to repeat the gesture in Mexico or for the group that travelled from Australia to listen to Pell give evidence to the Royal Commission.

With the Oscar-winning film Spotlight further increasing public awareness of the abuse issue, there is a real risk of this issue becoming the thorn in the foot of this papacy, said Marco Politi, one of Francis biographers and a Vatican expert.

Politi said the decisive test of whether the Vatican hierarchy was serious about addressing the problem was whether Church authorities were willing to hand priests over to criminal authorities. Outside of cases where the judicial system gives them no option, the majority of bishoprics dont want to talk about that.

This handout picture released by the Vatican press office - Osservatore Romano -- shows Pope Francis arriving for his spiritual retreat, in Ariccia. (AFP Photo)

Ignazio Ingrao, Vatican correspondent for Italian weekly Panorama, said many local dioceses remained incapable of moving beyond the secrecy mentality and the reflex of burying scandals.

He also noted that the Vaticans ability to handle cases brought to its attention was severely compromised by staff shortages.

I dont doubt Francis desire to create a zero tolerance culture, he added. He has made it clear that the religious authorities must cooperate with civilian ones.

Direct to the point of bluntness on issues, Francis seems to have a gut-level hesitation when it comes to tackling the abuse issue, possibly fuelled by a belief that it is something he does not fully understand, said Vatican expert John Allen in a column for cruxnow.com.

Andrea Tornielli, who writes for the website Vatican Insider and knows Francis well, said he does not detect any reticence to speak about the subject or when it comes to sanctioning offenders.

The Pope has spoken unequivocally, referring to diabolic sacrifices. He is trying to change the mentality, Tornielli told AFP. One can very well understand the criticism levelled at him by victims and those close to them. But the most important task he has to accomplish is to create the conditions so that cover-ups do not happen ever again.
Britains local authorities are investigating reports that cow urine  believed by a section of Indians to have medicinal and purification properties  is being sold in shops that stock food items on the same shelf or nearby shelves.

Selling cow urine as a food item in the European Union is prohibited. The EU also banned the sale of Ayurvedic and other herbal medicines in 2011.

A Food Standards Agency spokesperson told Hindustan Times on Friday: EU law considers the urine and faeces of farmed animals as animal by-products (ABP) and these cannot enter the food chain.

If cows urine were to be placed on the market as a food in the EU, it is likely it would be considered a novel food, which is defined as a food that has not been consumed to any significant degree in the EU before May 1997.

If it were considered a novel food, its marketing in the EU would be prohibited until a safety assessment had been undertaken by the European Food Safety Authority and the foodstuff cleared.

However, the spokesperson added urine applied externally, for example to daub the skin, would not be considered food and its marketing would not fall under food law although other legislation could apply.

Cow urine is sold in shops and temples in areas with a large number of residents of Indian origin, such as some boroughs of London and cities such as Leicester, Manchester and Birmingham.

New Gokul, a farm in Hertfordshire run by the Hare Krishna temple in Watford, produces urine for worshippers. Its managing director, Gauri Das, told BBC that it has been selling cow urine since the early 1970s.

There has been a demand from the South Asian background. They use it for puja, medicinal purposes or even cleaning in order to purify things. I dont sell it (cow urine) for human consumption. It is down to the worshipper to do what they want with it, he said.

The Chartered Institute for Environmental Health said: If cow urine is on sale for human consumption, the business must be able to prove it is safe. If the business cannot prove the product is safe then it must not be on sale. We would strongly advise not to sell cow urine where food is present.

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US lawmakers on Thursday refused to block the sale of F-16s to Pakistan, but said they remained resolved to deny funding for it, citing Islamabads sketchy counter-terrorism record.

Republican senator Rand Paul had sought a senate vote on a petition to disapprove the sale. It failed in a 71-24 vote, getting support far in excess for a move doomed to fail.

But in refusing to support Rauls move, senate leaders, from both sides of the aisle, said they will continue to deny the Obama administration permission to finance it.

I continue to oppose any taxpayer dollars being used at this time to support this sale given that Pakistan is providing safe haven to terrorist groups and refusing to target the Haqqani network, which attacks US troops and threatens the future of Afghanistan, said Bob Corker, Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee.

Corker has put a hold, an informal declaration of opposition to an expense, on the sale making it conditional upon Pakistan acting resolutely against the Haqqani network.

Democrat Ben Cardin, the ranking member of the senate foreign affairs committee, has also announced a hold, which, he said Thursday, he has no intention of lifting yet.

In short, the sale is stuck for now, unless Pakistan pays for it, all of it. The eight new F-16 fighter jets are worth $699.04 million. The US proposes to subsidize it, not clear by how much.

Pauls move  described as a legislative procedure  was bound to fail, said source, because congress has never disproved an arms sale, conceding it as a prerogative of the administration.

The last attempt was made 30 years ago.

But lawmakers used the failed vote on a doomed move to vent their frustration with an ally. Paul called Pakistan duplicitous and a frenemy  part friend and a lot enemy.

If Pakistan truly wants to be our ally, if Pakistan truly wants to help in the war on radical Islam, it should not require a bribe, he added, implying the F-16s were exactly that,a bribe.

Democratic senator Chris Murthy said, The Pakistanis have been an unreliable partner over the course of the last 10 years in the fight against extremism.

But what I worry more is that these F-16s will provide cover, will provide substitute for truly meaningful action inside Pakistan to take on the roots of extremism, he added.

The Obama administration notified congress of the sale of eight new F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan on March 5 paying no heed to opposition from US lawmakers from both parties, and India.

The notification said Pakistan needs these F-16 to meet current and future security needs and enhance ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counterterrorism operations.

India has expressed displeasure over the sale and has said it disagrees with the Obama administrations rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism.
A leading Muslim civil rights group is calling on Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump to apologize for his claim that Islam hates us.

In an interview with CNNs Anderson Cooper that aired on Wednesday night, Trump was asked whether he thinks Islam is at war with the West.

I think Islam hates us, Trump responded. Theres a tremendous hatred. We have to get to the bottom of it. There is an unbelievable hatred of us.

The statement drew swift condemnation from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which called on Trump to apologize for the comment, as it has in response to other comments Trump has made.

Donald Trumps anti-Muslim rhetoric does not reflect leadership, but instead reflects a bigoted mindset that only serves to divide our nation and the world, Nihad Awad, the groups national executive director said in a statement. The group suggested Trump could do so at Thursday evenings Republican debate.

Asked during Thursday nights Republican debate in Florida whether he was referring to all Muslims across the globe in his comments, Trump replied, I mean a lot of them.

I will tell you: Theres something going on that maybe you dont know about, he said. But theres tremendous hatred. And I will stick with exactly what I said to Anderson Cooper.

Read | Trumps popularity is linked to working class anger at the elite

Trumps statement also became an issue for Floridas Republican governor, Rick Scott, who repeatedly sidestepped questions in an interview with MSNBCs Morning Joe. Scott, who says he will not endorse in the primary but is friends with Trump, was asked whether he thinks Muslims in the state of Florida hate America.

Scott instead shifted his answer to more general themes, calling Florida the best melting pot in the world and saying: We love everybody coming to our state. The avoidance prompted host Mika Brzezinski to suggest ending the interview early.

The questions come as Trump continues to dominate the Republican presidential contest, locking up delegates, despite a series of controversial statements.

Trump has called for a temporary ban on foreign Muslims entering the US and has advocated going after the wives and children of suspected Islamic jihadists in the wake of the Paris and San Bernardino attacks. Critics have argued that Trumps plans would only exacerbate problems by alienating more moderate Muslims.

Read | Why a Trump presidency may be good for India

Trump and other Republicans have criticized President Barack Obama and the Democratic candidates for failing to use the term radical Islamic when referring to Muslim jihadists or attacks by them.

Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton once explained she avoids the term because it sounds like we are declaring war against a religion.

Asked by CNNs Cooper whether he thought there was a war between the West and radical Islam or war between the West and Islam itself, Trump replied: Its radical, but its very hard to define. Its very hard to separate. Because you dont know whos who.

Trump was also pressed on his vow to work to broaden laws restricting waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques if hes elected president in order to level the playing field between militants and the US

Trump ruled out the US beheading Islamic State militants, but again did not provide additional specifics when pressed on what hes envisioning when he says, we have to play with a tougher set of rules.

CAIR claims that the rhetoric of Trump and other Republican officials is at least partially to blame for a spike in anti-Muslim incidents across this country in recent months.

Read | Fight with China, repeal Obamacare: What a President Trump would do
A South African teenager has found debris which will be sent to Australia for testing as part of the investigation into the disappearance of a Malaysian Airlines plane two years ago, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) said on Friday.

Liam Lotter, 18, told South Africas East Coast radio he found the piece of debris on a beach in Mozambique while on holiday in December and his family took it back to their home in South Africa.

He said that after a suspected part of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was found in Mozambique last week his family made the connection with his find.

That white, metre-long chunk of metal is being tested by officials in Australia, with help from Malaysian authorities and representatives of manufacturer Boeing Co. South African authorities plan to hand over the debris found by Lotter to the same Australian team.

We are arranging for collection of the part, which will then be sent to Australia as they are the ones appointed by Malaysia to identify parts found, SACAA spokesperson Kabelo Ledwaba told Reuters.

Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014, with 239 passengers and crew on board, shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing. It is believed to have crashed in the Indian Ocean.

A piece of the planes wing was washed up on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion in July 2015.
In France, more teenage girls than boys are drawn to joining Islamic State jihadists in Iraq and Syria, a high-ranking anti-terrorist official told AFP this week.

Among minors, females are over-represented to a proportion of 55% of those interested in making the journey, or who have already done so, the French source said on condition of anonymity.

Like young girls across Europe who dream of reaching Syria -- and often leave their unsuspecting families shocked when they do run away -- these girls are not just dreaming of becoming meek so-called jihadi brides.

While marriage to a jihadist fighter is their likely fate, the girls are as attracted by violence as their male counterparts, said sociologist Farhad Khosrokhavar, who has interviewed many radicalised French teenagers of both sexes.

Previously, violence was almost exclusively a male phenomenon (but) this generation has a different outlook, Khosrokhavar said.

I have spoken to many who say: My ideal is Kouachi -- the surname of the brothers who killed 12 people in an attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in January last year.

They dont want to be his wife, or his girlfriend: their dream is to be Kouachi himself.

However the complex road to radicalisation, during the fraught teenage years, has many sides to it, and one does have to do with sexual attraction.

Khosrokhavar said many of these girls were tired of the immature young boys around them in the West.

There is a new cult of heroism, of virility. The young jihadist becomes a masculine ideal for these teenagers... it is an anti-feminist post-feminism: that is, they want a man with traditional masculine virtues.

It is like punk rock

British researcher Erin Marie Saltman, author of Till Martyrdom do us Part, a report on the role of women in Islamic State, says many of these girls are also drawn to the humanitarian arguments of recruiters.

It would be wrong to consider these women just jihadi brides -- their reasons for going over are much more diverse.

Saltman, of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, said many girls truly believed the Muslim population was being persecuted and they were part of an effort to create security and a future for Muslims around the world.

It is almost like a sub-culture. Its like punk rock, its against the system to be joining this deviant movement, Saltman said.

So although we see it as a very conservative, chauvinistic, oppressive movement, this is actually being interpreted by people involved in it as being like an underground social movement. And that appeals, of course, to teenagers.

Saltmans report says more than 550 women are believed to be among an estimated 4,000 Western foreign fighters with Islamic State.
Mourners filed quietly past the casket of former first lady Nancy Reagan on Thursday for a second day at her husbands presidential library in Southern California ahead of a funeral to be attended by current First Lady Michelle Obama.

Reagans flower-bedecked, dark wood casket stood on a blue carpet, surrounded by an honour guard in an entrance hall of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, north of Los Angeles, as members of the public paid final their respects.

It was very emotional. It was a beautiful time gone by and I think shes kind of the last of all of that, said Kathy Sprinkel, 56, who works nearby. Mourners walked past a bronze statue of Ronald Regan and two 12-foot-tall portraits of the former first lady, dressed in a floor-length red gown, before entering the room where she lie in repose.

More than 3,100 members attended the first day of public visitation on Wednesday, library spokeswoman Melissa Giller said. Another 2,000 people were expected by the end of the day on Thursday.

A mother and her children pay their respects as former first lady Nancy Reagan lies in repose at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California March 10, 2016. (REUTERS)

Private funeral services have been scheduled for Friday and the White House has said that Michelle Obama would attend.

Nancy Reagan, a one-time actress who was fiercely protective of her husband throughout his Hollywood career, eight years in the White House, an assassination attempt and his struggle with Alzheimers disease, died on Sunday at age 94.

She was one of the most influential first ladies in US history during her Republican husbands presidency from 1981 to 1989.

Ronald Reagan died in 2004 after a long struggle with Alzheimers, the progressive brain disorder that destroys the memory.

President Obama, a Democrat, and his wife, Michelle, have said Nancy Reagan redefined the role of First Lady.
The US-led coalition carried out the first air strikes on Islamic State chemical weapons sites, the Pentagon has said, acting on crucial information from a captured senior insurgent.

The successful multiple bombings came as a result of intelligence from Sulayman Dawud al-Bakkar, also known as Abu Dawud, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said on Thursday, confirming the name of the IS group operative said to be a chemical weapons expert for the extremists.

His capture by US special forces in February -- Dawud was transferred on Thursday into Iraqi custody after interrogation -- appears to be a major boon in the fight against the IS group in Iraq and Syria, and Cook said it had yielded almost immediate results.

Cook described Dawud as ISILs emir of chemical and traditional weapons manufacturing.

His capture removed a key ISIL leader from the battlefield, and provided the coalition with important information about ISILs chemical weapons capabilities, Cook said, using an alternative acronym for the IS extremists.

Through Dawud, the coalition learned details about ISILs chemical weapon facilities and production, as well as the people involved.

The information has resulted in multiple coalition airstrikes that have disrupted and degraded ISILs ability to produce chemical weapons and will continue to inform our operations in the future.

On Wednesday, Pentagon spokesperson Jeff Davis declined to confirm that US forces had captured an IS chemical weapons expert.
A pair of twins born in Vietnam, one with thin, straight hair and the other with thick, wavy tresses, are a sight to behold. However, their DNA at the Center for Genetic Analysis and Technology in Hanoi has scientists baffled, as it confirms that they have different fathers.

Le Dinh Luong, president of the Genetic Association of Vietnam, told CNN that a couple in Vietnam brought their twin sons in for a test after the couple's family noted the obvious difference in the appearance of the two.

"Our Center for Genetic Analysis and Technology lab has tested and found a pair of bi-paternal twins," he said. "This is rare not only for Vietnam, but for the world."

When a woman has intercourse with two different men within the same window of ovulation, it can lead to a case of bi-paternal twins, also known hetero-paternal superfecundation.

Hilda Hutcherson, a clinical professor for obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University, said that cases of fraternal twins happen when a woman discharges two eggs instead of one during her ovulation and both the eggs are fertilized. In the case of bi-paternal twins, each egg is fertilized by a sperm of different man. She added that an egg lives for 24 hours in a woman's body but a sperm can live up to five days. So it is possible that if she has sex with one man on one day and then another man on the other day, these two sperms inside her could fertilize each egg.

Luong said the results were "100% correct" and referred to the situation as "an extremely rare case."

"There are less than 10 known cases of twins with different fathers in the world," he said. "There might be other cases but the parents and/or the twins were not aware of it or didn't want to announce it."

The Vietnamese couple was pressured by the family to undergo a DNA test to ensure that the twins were not mixed up in the hospital. However, the results revealed a different story. While the mother's DNA matches that of the twins, the father's didn't. After the test, a possible hospital mix-up was ruled out, as the wife was confirmed as their biological mother.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Calling Apple's concerns in the San Bernardino terror investigations a "diversion," the U.S. government on Thursday argued Apple should comply with a court that ordered it to unlock the iPhone of shooter Syed Rizwan Farook.

Investigating agencies retrieved the phone from Farook's black Lexus after he was shot dead in December. Through a court order, Apple's assistance was sought to unlock the device. Apple refused to comply, citing security and privacy concerns.

"The FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation," Apple had earlier said. "In the wrong hands, this software - which does not exist today - would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone's physical possession."

The company's public opposition set off a debate of privacy and security that saw many tech titans side with Apple. Others, including Bill Gates, opined the company could comply.

In Thursday's brief filed before the U.S. Central District Court of California, government attorneys argued the case was about one device. "As Apple well knows, the Order does not compel it to unlock other iPhones or to give the government a universal 'master key' or 'back door,'" the government said, while maintaining that the phone contained evidence linked to the shootout.

The administration also called Apple's arguments "rhetoric."

"Instead of complying, Apple attacked the All Writs Act as 'archaic,' the Court's Order as leading to a 'police state,' and the FBI's investigation as shoddy, while extolling itself as the primary guardian of Americans' privacy," the DOJ stated. "Apple's rhetoric is not only false, but also corrosive of the very institutions that are best able to safeguard our liberty and our rights."

Setting aside Apple's concerns that compliance in the case could force it to yield to foreign governments, the brief also suggested Apple had made special considerations for China.

"According to Apple's own data, China demanded information from Apple regarding over 4,000 iPhones in the first half of 2015, and Apple produced data 74% of the time," the brief reads. It also claimed that Apple moved data of its Chinese users to Chinese government servers.

Apple responded sharply through its general counsel Bruce Sewell, who called the brief an indictment. "In 30 years of practice, I don't think I've ever seen a legal brief that was more intended to smear the other side with false accusations and innuendo."

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Scientists have learned a bit more about diseases that can disrupt genes thanks to some new "maps." A team of researchers from Switzerland and the U.S. have used new software tools to construct "maps" of gene networks for about 400 different human cell and tissue types.

Genome-sequencing has allowed researchers to compare genetic variants between healthy people and those with specific diseases. In other words, researchers are able to pinpoint genetic variants that are linked to different diseases. However, very little is known how these genetic variants influence disease processes and progression, which is why researchers from the Department of Computational Biology at the University of Lausanne and the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, in collaboration with the University Hospital of Lausanne and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, have conducted a new study to map networks of interacting genes that are influenced by genetic variants linked to diseases.

"The challenge is that over 90 percent of disease variants lie outside of genes, in regions of the genome that are still poorly understood," Daniel Marbach, one of the researchers, said in a press release. "These regions can have regulatory functions, which are sometimes disrupted by genetic variants. Things get even more complicated as the regulatory relationships may vary between different tissue types. For example, a certain gene may activate another one in the liver, but not in the heart."

The research team theorized that genetic variants may impact genes that are connected within networks of tissues that are linked to certain diseases, which is why it used methods that were similar to those applied to social networks. This allowed the scientists to specifically examine the basis of the connections within these networks.

In the end, the researchers managed to create "maps" of the networks. In fact, they created the largest collection of these networks to date. In all, they described the regulatory interactions among 19,000 genes in about 400 human cell types and tissues.

"Our work shows that accurate maps of gene networks for different tissues will be of tremendous value to advance our understanding of how diseases start and progress, which is essential to design targeted treatments and to identify patient groups that respond to these treatments in a personalized medicine setting," said Sven Bergmann, one of the researchers.

The findings could be huge when it comes to better understanding diseases and the networks of tissues involved. These "maps" could be essential to help with further treatments to combat various diseases.

The study was published in the March 7 issue of the journal Nature Methods.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
NASA astronauts are more than ready to intrigue students at the ground by answering questions while orbiting Earth, as they have made educational contact for the 1,000th time while talking directly to the students and address enquiries from the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium in Grand Forks, N.D.

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) works with space agencies and amateur radio stations in several countries, including the U.S., Canada, Europe, Russia and Japan. These radio operators, sometimes referred to as amateur or ham, setup hardware and then place a call to the space station's radio, called NA1SS, in order to establish contact.

A select few students have to prepare and ask questions for the astronauts as hundreds of others, including teachers and parents, listen from classrooms and auditoriums. The reason for initiating this long-going experiment was to intrigue young minds towards science and mathematics and inspire them to explore space in the future.

A total of 10-20 questions are taken up by the crew members and mostly have to do with their life onboard the space station and the current research. Children typically present questions regarding food storage, the impact on human body due to zero gravity, emergency situations and what it is like to come back to Earth.

The 1,000th call participant asked NASA astronaut Tim Kopra about the experiments that he was conducting on the space station.

"We have lots of different kinds of experiments," Kopra responded. "Many of our experiments have to do with the effect of zero gravity on the human body, because it can be hard on the body - our muscles, our bones and our eyes. We'd like to learn how to solve those problems so that we can stay healthy and go into deep space, perhaps go back to the Moon or Mars someday."

Another student enquired about the future of amateur radio on the space station.

"Amateur radio is a great way for us to reach people on Earth, and try to share our experience when we can," Kopra said.

The 1,000 radio contacts made with the space station involved students from not just the U.S., but also 52 other countries around the world.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
News, events, history, and other mid-week tidbits.

Tuesday, October 25, 4:30  7 p.m.

Orr Area EMS Open House

Brats and burgers will be served. Event includes a new ambulance tour and blood pressure screenings. For more info: 218-780-3798.

Orr Fire Hall

4540 Lake St., Orr

Tuesday, October 25, 12  6 p.m.

Essentia Health Job Fair

Talent recruiters and department managers will be on-site at Essentia Health-Virginia. Candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to attendnurses, nursing and clinical assistants, surgery technicians, radiology technicians, respiratory therapists, human resource professionals, and those interested in environmental services or nutrition services. Essentia staff will greet candidates, conduct an initial screening and filter them to appropriate hiring managers for interviews. Select candidates will be verbally offered a position before leaving. Candidates are asked to bring a resume, but its not required. Attire is business casual. For more info: www.essentiacareers.org.

901 9th St. N., Virginia
The explosion of tourist arrivals from China to numerous destinations around the world represents perhaps the last great opportunity for the hospitality industry. Now, 7 Days Group wants to help hotels around the world cash-in on this phenomenon with a unique new marketing solution delivering direct access to what is for many, a largely untapped customer segment via the launch of 7 Days Booster.

7 Days Booster is an intriguing offering for hotels that combines elements of online distribution, property design and upgrades, and education, with access to more than 80 million potential customers from China. The offshoot startup, just announced today at the ITB press center, is a timely and intriguing late addition to a stable of like investments in the space.

"There is no other product on the market like it," beamed Goor Rosenberg,

Director of Development Europe at Plateno Hotels Group

, and Co-Founder and CEO of 7 Days Booster . "This new product fulfils the expectations of a large market segment, and we aim to address this niche, and be successful."

Normally, we would be quick to dismiss Rosenberg's comments as the usual hyperbole-laced PR speak that's become a mandatory accessory to any new product launch. But the more the startup CEO talks about the product's capabilities, the more convinced we become that he and 7 Days Booster might really be onto something.

"First of all, it's a flexible product with a low entry cost, offering access to the Chinese market and above all, it is simple and very easy to understand," Rosenberg insists. "China has become one of the biggest outbound travel markets in the world, and we have access to it of course, but this is only the tip of the iceberg."

Rosenberg went on explaining how the 7 Days Booster can benefit all types of hotels, from budget-friendly two-star properties to the most glamorous of five-star resorts. The product comes with three separate offerings, and hotels are free to use all or just one of them. The most important though is the e-marketing and e-commerce component, available in the Technology & Distribution package. This is a critical offering, because it allows a hotel that's located anywhere in the world to access the Chinese market via 7 Days Group's Plateno Club membership program, which currently boasts in excess of 80 million members. Using the platform, hotels can easily create brand awareness among this rich new audience.

Once they've tapped into this new audience, hotels may well want to move forwards by taking advantage of the additional packages 7 Days Booster offers. This includes a Property Upgrade package that lets hotels better cater to Chinese guests. The physical upgrades "includes a room refurbishment option for new fixtures, modern furniture, faster Wi-Fi and better visibility through external signage," Rosenberg informed us.

Last but not least, hotels can also take advantage of what Rosenberg calls "add-on services" which encompass educational offerings so hotels better understand Chinese traveler's needs and expectations. "We have a great team in place, and they're equipped to address most of our key customers' needs," he insisted.

Many hoteliers might ask why they need to target a Chinese audience that typically only buys package holidays using hotels which partner with China-based travel agencies. When I put this question to Rosenberg, his answer was that the stereotype of the Chinese traveler sticking rigidly to his or her pre-planned tour group itinerary is rapidly fading. These days, Chinese travelers are a becoming increasingly more independent than before, and that means they're more open to choices than those offered by traditional travel agencies.

"Technology is now an inseparable part of our hospitality world," the 7 Plateno Group executive explained. "More and more guests are using the internet to research, compare and book their accommodation on-line, and in China it's no different."

Tomasz Janczak

Chief Marketing Officer

49 2030814577420

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Lawmakers in Washington have passed a bill to resurrect the states fledgling charter school sector six months after the states Supreme Court ruled the original law unconstitutional .

Its the first time a states high court has ruled wholesale against a charter law.

While charter school advocates are celebrating their hard-fought victory squeezed out of the legislature right before the end of the session, several lawmakers in both chambers raised the specter of a second lawsuit, saying theyre not sure the revised law passes constitutional muster.

Washingtons charter law passed by voter referendum in 2012, but was struck down by the states Supreme Court in September. The court ruled that charters did not qualify as common schoolsbasically, public schoolsbecause they are not overseen by locally elected school boards and, therefore, were not eligible to draw money from the general fund.

A bill championed by advocates to revive the law was passed by the Republican-controlled Senate in January, but had stalled in the House education committee before Rep. Larry Springer, a Democrat, used a procedural maneuver to resuscitate the bill and bring it to the House floor for a vote on Wednesday.

Democrats control the House, but barely. And the effort to restore the law has met resistance from several groups, including the states teachers unions .

But after the measure, which directs charters to draw from a new funding source and layers more regulations on the schools, cleared the House on a bipartisan vote, 58-39, charter advocates felt they were in the clear.

On behalf of the teachers, school leaders, students and families that have spent months of persistent and impassioned effort to keep the doors of opportunity open for Washington students, we are in incredibly grateful to our champions in Olympia, said Thomas Franta, CEO of the Washington State Charter Schools Association, in a statement on Wednesday. But most importantly, I want to thank the families and advocates themselves who worked tirelessly for this result. They should all be immensely proud.

However, several lawmakers said they are concerned that without addressing the fact that charter schools are overseen by non-elected boards, the newly retooled law wont withstand the scrutiny of the High Court.

It tries to pretend that the only thing that was going on here was that the money was coming out of the wrong account and thats all we need to do to fix it, Jamie Pedersen, a Democrat, said during the Senate vote. I ... expect we will be seeing it again when it comes back from the Supreme Court.

The bill passed the Senate 26-23 on Thursday, the last day of the legislative session. It now goes to Governor Jay Inslee, who has threatened to veto all bills if lawmakers fail to finish the budget, according to local media.

Related stories:

Photo: Demonstrators rally in support of public charter schools on Feb. 25 at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Ted S. Warren/AP-File
AxisRooms is now Google's authorized Hotel Price Ads Certified Partner. From now on AxisRooms' clients will have opportunity to show live rates and availability as well as possibility for Google users to carry out online bookings directly through the most popular search engine in the world.

Google Hotel Price Ads offer a new way of collecting direct bookings without additional cost and initial investments. The hotel partner retains control over the process, including confirmation email, responding to guest questions and managing changes to or cancellation of reservation. Properties are placed on Google Hotel Finder so customer can easily decide which is suitable for him/her to stay as well as comparison of rates on the portals and hotel's website to freely decide where to perform a booking.

Google hotel ads makes it easier for hotels to participate by;

Making it easier for more hotels to generate qualified leads from Google

Making bookings easier for hoteliers and consumers

Bringing more hotel information to search

AxisRooms is Indias first & largest Hotel Distribution System technology provider for travel related services. Driven by the passion for simplicity and practice a religious approach for questioning and challenging the online business for hospitality and tourism. Technology is tailor-made to suit the likes of Large Chain Hotels, Boutique or Mid segment hotels to bed and breakfasts or even home stays. AxisRooms is continually updating and enhancing all the products to smart business tools and rich features that will assist properties to sell their rooms to multiple partners through online platform. Yes, AxisRooms understands hotels like no one does.

Contact AxisRooms for free trial: sales@axisrooms.com
Abu Dhabis February performance reflects the impact of events and conferences on the markets hotels. In February 2015, IDEX boosted RevPAR 29.9%. For the first day of the conference last year, RevPAR was up 162.0% due to a 125.8% increase in ADR.

STRs preliminary February 2016 data for Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, indicates performance decreases driven by an off year for the biennial International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX).

Based on daily data from February, Abu Dhabi reported the following in year-over-year comparisons:

an increase in supply (+4.0%) and a decrease in demand (-1.7%);

a 5.5% decrease in occupancy to 76.3%;

a 28.5% decrease in average daily rate (ADR) to AED493.02; and

a 32.5% decrease in revenue per available room (RevPAR) to AED376.17.

Abu Dhabis February performance reflects the impact of events and conferences on the markets hotels. In February 2015, IDEX boosted RevPAR 29.9%. For the first day of the conference last year, RevPAR was up 162.0% due to a 125.8% increase in ADR.

Additionally, STR analysts note that supply in Abu Dhabi continued to grow in February 2016, while demand softened due to a lack of events.

Abu Dhabi will host next years IDEX from 19-23 February 2017.

STR will release February 2016 results during the week of 21 March. The February edition of STRs Hotel Market Forecast is now available.

About STR

STR provides clients from multiple market sectors with premium, global data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights. Founded in 1985, STR maintains a presence in 10 countries around the world with a corporate North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and an international headquarters in London, England. For more information, please visit str.com.
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We've more quality fare from The Frank & Walters, Sinead O'Connor & Gavin James

It's a lean, mean Free Music Friday that stands before you today with lots of killer but absolutely no filler.

As incestuous as it may be, our favourite FMF thing this week is the [link]hotpress.com/Iggy-Pop/news/LISTEN-Iggy-Pop--Josh-Hommes-Post-Pop-Depression-album-in-full/17079918.html[/link] stream of the new Iggy Pop album, which finds him running amok with Josh Homme, Matt Helders and Dean Fertita. If it really is Iggy's studio farewell, what a way to bow out! Incidentally, the record company has to promote it with an Iggy Pop-up shop. We'll get our coats...

The hot streaming action continues with Southern Family, Dave Cobb's Americana concept album which includes Jason Isbell, Brent Cobb, Zac Brown, Brandy Clark and Shooter Jennings among its allstar cast; alt-folker Damien Jurado's trilogy-concluding Visions Of Us On The Land, and the newbie from American acoustic picker Glenn Jones.

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The SXSW preview samplers keep on coming with Lissie, Basia Bulat, Lily & Madeleine, Run River North, Wild Child and The Peach Kings starring on the 22-track Frye Days Mixtape.

Also free - but you're welcome to tip - from Noise Trade is the seven-track collection of local talent assembled by Queens, New York blog Play Too Much, and a full length offering from southern flavoured Raleigh rockers American Aquarium who come on like a younger Steve Earle.

It's a hearty Free Music Friday "howaya" to Down Memory Lane, a Montreal combo whose Recycled Punk Rockers EP ain't going to win any prices for originality but is good rambunctious fun.

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Recycled Punk Rockers EP by Down Memory Lane

Panda Bear's acid squelch version of 'All The Rage Back Home' is one of the tracks that will feature on Interpol's Record Store Day celebrating remix album. Tim Hecker, The Field, Factory Floor and Ghost Culture also get their fader fingers on the sharp suited New Yorkers.

Therapy? have premiered 'Tides', a song inspired by Andy Cairns' time living in Dun Laoghaire, and which got one of its first acoustic airings in the Hot Press Storeroom.

The Irish video premieres continue with this frenetic number for 'I Was Born', the new Otherkin single which Annie Mac played t'other night on her BBC Radio One show. It also got an acoustic runout when the Dubliners recorded a couple of tunes for Holland's The Wild Things Are Festival, which - cue infantile tee-hee-ing - were engineered by Fokke de Wit.

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Having last year announced her retirement from the music business, Sinead O'Connor returned to live duty last weekend. The Dubliner joined David Bowie tribute band, Silent Age, in Chicago's Metro venue for stunning versions of 'Life On Mars?' and 'Sorrow', the McCoys' 1965 chestnut which Mr. B covered on his 1973 Pin Ups album. Also making an appearance was Ava Cherry who was one of the fabulously funky backing singers that performed with Bowie from '74-'78.

Swiss radio listeners got a full-blooded blast of Gavin James when he dropped into the SRF 3 studio this week for a live session.

The Frank & Walters comprehensively whet appetites for April's Songs For The Walking Wounded album with new single, 'We Are The Young Men'. With a killer chorus and sleeve to match, they remain the dictionary definition of 'evergreen'.

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There's quality Irish hip hop to be had courtesy of Rapthor x Alan Newman's 'The Advocate's Way', which is lifted from their album, The Advocate. Available now from iTunes, it also includes the equally impressive 'Kamakazee'.

The first trailer has been released for Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, the Lonely Island comedy crew's America's Allegedly Got Talent spoof, which features cameos from Joanna Newsom, Snoop Dogg, Usher, Carrie Underwood, Simon Cowell and a holographic Adam Levine.

David Bowie fans will be fascinated by The Image, his first short film dating back to 1969, which is about an artist's painting that comes to life and haunts him. It's all very dark, atmospheric and low-budget with Mr. B starring as the bouffant haired apparition. His co-star, Michael Byrne, went on to feature in the likes of Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, Apt Pupil, Braveheart, Coronation Street and Casualty. Due to the violence at the end and hints of homo-eroticism, it got an X certificate when it originally came out.

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And that is your Free Music Friday lot for another week. Here's hoping that Ireland get to kick Luigi Foreigner's ass and that the sporting gods also smile tomorrow on Everton. In the meantime keep those lovely links coming to @stuartclark66
DARING FILMMAKER BEN WHEATLEY DISCUSSES HIS UPCOMING JJ BALLARD ADAPTATION HIGH-RISE, WORKING WITH CILLIAN MURPHY  AND SITTING ON THE MOST FAMOUS SEAT IN POPULAR CULTURE.

On an unusually balmy February in Dublin, director Ben Wheatley is chuckling nervously.

Ive told him that Ive come straight from a screening of his new movie, High-Rise.

It stars Tom Hiddleston as a charming doctor who, by movies end, is reduced to roasting a dog on a stick, as order breaks down in the luxury apartment complex which gives the movie its title. Why choose Hiddlestone for the role?

Hes very measured, very smart, but attractive like a matinee idol, Ben  who shot to prominence with his first, multi-award winning feature, Down Terrace, in 2009  replies.

Theres an edge to him, you cant quite work him out. I really liked all of that. Theres stuff going on beneath of the surface the whole time. I like the idea of a character that might be much cleverer than you are. Hell be in big budget movies and then in low budget movies, and he sees it all as part of the work. The variety of performances is what fuels his whole career. I really respect that.

Adapted from J.G. Ballards cult novel by screenwriter Amy Jump (also Wheatleys wife), High-Rise is a science fiction drama about a community living in a 70s apartment block racked by class violence.

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I read it when I was 16, he recalls. But when I went back to read it, when I was 40-odd, I felt Id been reading it all the time in between. The stuff is so prescient.

Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans and Elisabeth Moss are among the stars to feature. How did he persuade them to participate in a project he has described as fucked up?

Actors in general want to do stuff that is extreme, as much as stuff thats classical. Theyre always looking for the performances that push them to the edges, because theyre the most interesting roles. I dont think there was a risk necessarily for them. Obviously, they trusted me that it would be alright, that I wouldnt make them look stupid. Thats the contract between director and actor, always.

High-Rise was filmed in just seven weeks in Belfast and Bangor. The attraction of Belfast at the moment is that theyve got such a thriving film industry, because of Game Of Thrones, he acknowledges. Im a fan of the show. When we first went to Belfast, we got the big tour and went round all the studios. It was amazing. I think Neil Marshall was shooting the end of series four, when they have the big attack on the wall. Everyone was in costume. It was really crazy. I am not usually star-struck. Being on location, with all the actors in costume, its a bit overwhelming. I got to sit on the throne as well, which is great.

His next project, entitled Free Fire, is set in Boston in the 70s. Cillian Murphy and Michael Smiley turn up to buy guns for the IRA, from an American gun dealer and it all goes awry, Ben explains. They hire two local Boston guy's to help them put the boxes into the van. Then the gun dealers turn up, and theyve got two local Boston guys to move the boxes out of their van. These two sets of Boston guys were all in a horrible bar fight the night before and when they see each other, it becomes fraught (laughs).

Basically, Smiley and Cillian are going just calm down and it doesnt. Theyve got these guns  and it all goes off. The rest of the film is them stuck in this warehouse. Its almost like a real time gun battle that goes on for an hour. Its the minutiae of, how do you survive? How do you dress the wounds? How do you get from a to b? Theyre trapped.

The director says it was brilliant to at last collaborate with the Irish actor. Weve been trying to work together for a few years. Hed called my agent in 2012 or something. Wed had a few drinks and chatted. I wrote Free Fire specifically for Cillian and Michael. Id been reading FBI ballistic reports about gun battles and how they actually work, how people feel when they are doing it. When you read about how the cops fired a hundred

bullets at these people and missed them, you go oh theyre so stupid, they cant shoot straight. Its really difficult if something is moving and you have a pistol. If someones running, and youre running and firing, you just arent going to hit. All these things filtered down into Free Fire.

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High-Rise opens on March 18 and Free Fire is due to be released in September.
After SMA Alliance, Inc. ( PINK:SMAA SMAA message board ) published its financial report on May 15, the price and volume started going up, and today a promotion will kick in too.

The company hasn't issued any press releases since May 9, but it seems the quarterly report was enough to get SMAA a close up 61.18% at $0.137 on Friday. The volume reached 1.7 million.

Today's performance could easily be affected by the $60 thousand pump. A third party, Mercantile Ascendency, paid the above amount for a public awareness marketing campaign.

The report showed SMAA lost approximately $180 thousand for the first quarter of 2012, which is better than the $264 thousand loss for the last quarter of 2011. However, the revenues were significantly lower too.

Promotions often have a negative effect on the price, and SMAA's market cap at this price is about $34.6 million. The company may have to provide a more solid business performance to support such a valuation.
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has released a statement cautioning states and districts that allowing computer science courses to substitute for a high school math course could undermine students mathematics preparation.

Theres growing consensus that computer science has become an essential skill for college and the workforce. The president has voiced his support for the subject recently and state and local leaders have committed to bringing computer science to their K-12 schools .

As of now, about 28 states allow computer science to count as a math or science credit toward high school graduation. The number of states with such policies has increased quickly over the last several years , in part because groups like Code.org have advocated for computer science to be recognized as a core academic subject.

But Diane Briars, the president of NCTM, says this can be a bad move in states that only require students to take two mathematics courses to graduate. If you have a four-course requirement that started with Algebra I or its equivalent, then having a computer science count as a fourth-year requirement would make lot of sense, she said in an interview. When you only have a two-course requirement, thats a minimum mathematics requirement. In that case, allowing computer science to substitute for a mathematics course would really undermine students mathematics preparation very seriously.



California Should Be Wary

Just four states have two-course math requirements for high school graduation, according to the Education Commission of the Statesthey are Alaska, California, Maine, and Montana. Of those, only California allows students to use a computer science course for a math or science requirement.

But as Jennifer Dounay Zinth, the director of high school for ECS, notes, state graduation requirements are a floor, and districts can set additional requirements beyond them. So its not clear how many districts in these four states actually require only two units of math for graduation, she said.

Some states have considered allowing computer science to count as a foreign language requirement instead, saying coding is a language. However, those proposals have received pushback from both the foreign language and computer science communities .

Perhaps the best course of action, said Briars, is to add computer science as its own requirementa move many say has scheduling barriers. In thinking through these issues, while were very supportive of including computer science in curriculum, we want to make sure its done in a way that doesnt have unintended consequences for students, she said.
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Best Employers in North Carolina Celebrates Contributions of N2 PublishingHonor Comes for N2 after Banner Year in National Spotlight

Posted by Press Releases on Friday, 03-11-2016 12:37 am

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WILMINGTON, NC (PRWEB) MARCH 08, 2016N2 Publishing was recently named one of the 2016 Best Employers in North Carolina. The annual list is a creation of Business North Carolina, N.C. State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and Best Companies Group.This award means the world to us, said Katherine Daniel, director of human resources and marketing for N2 Publishing. Our goal is always to provide a culture that affords our team members to grow, both personally and professionally. To have our effort recognized by a regional influencer like Business North Carolina is honoring and humbling to us.N2 and others made the list following a survey and selection process which focused on the companies economic development, workforce and business community impact. Currently, N2 Publishing employs some 204 people at its Wilmington-based headquarters.A few of the N2 perks highlighted on the Best Employers in North Carolina list include an ons...

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Fraser Institute Media Advisory: How much does government spend on Aboriginal people in Canada? New study coming Thursday, March 10 Media Contact: Aanand Radia, Media Relations Specialist, Fraser Institute, (416) 363-6575 ext. 238, aanand.radia@fraserins

Posted by Press Releases on Friday, 03-11-2016 4:58 am

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TORONTOOn Thursday, March 10, the Fraser Institute will release a new study spotlighting federal and provincial spending on Aboriginal people.The study, Ever Higher: Government Spending and Own Source Revenue for Canadas Aboriginals, looks at spending over the decades. It also examines revenues generated by aboriginal governments through natural resource agreements and other businesses.A news release with additional information will be issued via Marketwired on March 10 at 5:30 a.m. (Eastern).-30-MEDIA CONTACT:Ravina Bains, Associate DirectorCentre for Aboriginal Policy StudiesFor interviews with Ms. Bains, please contact:Aanand RadiaMedia Relations Specialist, Fraser Institute(416) 363-6575 ext. 238aanand.radia@fraserinstitute.org Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter | Like us on FacebookThe Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a gl...

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Top Employers Institute Opens First U.S. Office and Launches Americas Headquarters, Announces Top Employers USA 2016 Certified Companies Top Employers Institute, which certifies leading employers around the world for company-wide excellence in human reso

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Alexandria, VA (PRWEB) March 09, 2016Top Employers Institute, which certifies leading employers around the world for company-wide excellence in human resource (HR) policies and practices, announced Top Employers USA 2016 certified companies during the Top Employers Americas Gala in Washington, D.C., last night. Top Employers Institute also announced the opening of its first office in the U.S. in Alexandria, Virginia, which will serve as the organizations Americas headquarters.The Top Employers USA 2016 companies are: BSH Home Appliances, Chiesi USA, DHL Express, Dimension Data, Faurecia USA Holdings, JT International USA, Orange Business Services-USA, Saint-Gobain North America, Tata Consultancy Services, Technip USA and Valeo North America.The Top Employers USA 2016 certified companies opened their doors and allowed us to analyze and validate through our comprehensive research that they are among the best of the best in human resource policies and practices that support ...

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Imagine walking into a 3rd grade classroom and watching students completing a worksheet where they had to use scissors to cut out coins from a paper and then paste the right coins to equal the monetary value next to each question. No continuing discussion with the teacher. No opportunity to create their own values and paste coins in extraordinarily creative ways on the paper while contemplating the value of money with a partner.

Now imagine asking a 3rd grader in the same class what theyre learning and having them answer that they have to paste the coins on the paper under each value. When I prod a little more to ask why theyre doing it, the student answers, My teacher told me to. Follow up question is to ask if this was a difficult task to complete to which the student says, No. Im in third grade. I learned how to add money last year. When asked what the student should do next, the student answers that they dont know because the teacher hadnt told them yet.

So much for the idea of a growth mindset which just happens to be a focus of one of the professionally made bulletin boards on the wall around the world (which is why it doesnt work).

In numerous classroom visits around the country, this has happened more times than I would rather admit. Not just with money in third grade, but other curricular areas and grades as well. Please do not think I am bashing teachers because Im not. There are millions of good teachers who would never think of doing activities that students have mastered long before they entered into the classroom.

But...there are plenty of teachers who have students completing mind numbingly boring activities when they could be engaged in learning.

What Are the Learning Intentions and Success Criteria?

When asked what the students are learning, they often respond by stating what they are doing. This has major potential to mean that the students have no idea why they do what they do. Remember, its important to ask students what they are learning and not ask them what they are doing, which is often a mistake leaders make when they do walkthroughs or ask students questions during formal teacher observations. I was guilty of this from time to time.

John Hattie (someone I work with as a Visible Learning trainer), Helen Timperley, Shirley Clarke and many others have researched and written about the importance of using learning intentions (LI) and success criteria (SC), which many educators have started using. The issue is that some teachers are using them both wrong. They believe, and yes I have seen countless examples, that finishing the activity is both the learning intention and success criteria.

Regardless of whether the teacher is using LIs or SCs, if the point is not about the learning instead of the activity, then all we are doing in the classroom is giving students the next task without really having any discussion around learning. And students of any age can have a discussion about learning. Having LIs and SCs is pointless if many of the students in the classroom already understand the topic being taught.

We need to stop re-teaching to students who have already mastered the content or we will continue to have students who become disengaged with school as they go from one grade to the next.

Using I Can statements or Learning Intentions and Success Criteria is becoming a standard practice in schools, but the problem is that they mean nothing if the point behind them is wrong. Why have an intention if students either know the material before they do the activity or worse, have no idea why they are doing the activity in the first place. When we do this to students, learning intentions and success criteria have very little positive impact.

Whats Worth Knowing?

Some teachers and leaders believe that they corner the market on providing students with learning opportunities, while other teachers and leaders believe students have the opportunity to learn regardless of whether they are in the classroom, school, home or outside.

In order to use learning intentions and success criteria with impact, teachers and leaders should utilize that structure known as the faculty meeting to discuss what learning means and what is worth learning. More importantly, if we truly want students to take responsibility over their own learning, then we should use the faculty meeting structure to figure out how to provide students with the knowledge and opportunity to know what to do next when they have mastered the learning that other students in their classroom may still be focusing on.

In the End

We should not be, regardless of the age, providing students with worksheets that take very little effort. We should be working in partnership with those students to have conversations about why they are learning, what they are learning, and how they can dive deeper into the subject on their own. If the students have mastered the concept, they shouldnt be forced to work on it over and over again, because we are at risk of losing some great minds when we do that to students, and it certainly doesnt foster the growth mindset that so many schools are touting they do.

For a great resource on Learning Intentions and Success Criteria developed by the Melbourne Catholic Education Office, click here .

Connect with Peter DeWitt on Twitter.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Souadnaji .
Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 16-03-10 Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/> TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW No. 47/16 10.03.2016 [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] Colak says that they must prevent Turkey's report from allegedly becoming worse on the Cyprus problem [02] Cavusoglu: "Cyprus problem should not be made a pre-condition in Turkey's EU accession process" [03] Delegation of the "assembly" held contacts in Strasbourg [04] Milliyet: PKK's plans to penetrate in "universities" in the occupied area of Cyprus are revealed [05] Turkish Cypriot politicians say they have a security weakness [06] "KTSO" held a meeting with the ambassadors of the Netherlands and Italy [07] Turkey and Ukraine boost ties amid growing tension with Russia [08] The Turkish Parliament receives official appeal that seeks to lift HDP Deputies' immunity [09] The Turkish government approves $5.9 billion on defense projects [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] Colak says that they must prevent Turkey's report from allegedly becoming worse on the Cyprus problem Under the title "We must prevent the report from becoming worse", Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (10.03.16) reports that Emine Colak, self-styled foreign minister of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, has alleged that the changes which the European Parliament (EP) demands in Turkey's report on the Cyprus problem are worrying and added that they have conveyed to "the persons concerned" their view that the wording to be used should protect and support the ongoing negotiations in the island. In statements at a lunch with Turkish Cypriot journalists in Strasbourg where she held contacts with both EP and Council of Europe officials upon an invitation by the EP's office in Cyprus, Colak argued that "those who brought these proposals and the side which supports them are dominant and influential" and added that in spite of the fact that a chapter on the guarantees exists in the negotiations, the draft-report provides for the withdrawal of the Turkish occupation army from Cyprus. She alleged: "Taking out this expression could be evaluated as optimism, but it could not be included in the report. The actual issue for us is to prevent the report from becoming worse than it is now and minimize to the possible extent the factors which will both spoil the existing good climate and the outside factors". Evaluating her meetings, Colak said: "The persons we had contacts with are interested on the Cyprus problem and ask the details of the process and how we predict the next stages. They listen to our stance as Turkish Cypriots. And the most important thing is perhaps that they ask how they could support us". Colak said that within the framework of her contacts she met with Johannes Hahn, Commissioner Responsible for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Gabriella Battaini ? Dragoni, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Gianni Pittella, President of EP's Friends of Turkey and Socialist Group, Rebecca Harms, Co-president of the Greens' Group and Kati Piri, EP's Reporter on Turkey. Evaluating the EP's draft-report on Turkey, Colak said that they asked from their interlocutors the report to be written with a perception that appreciates and encourages the existing situation on the island instead of remaining the same as two years ago. Referring to the points which the Turkish side wants to change in the report, Colak argued: "Reference is made to the 10th Protocol in the draft report. This protocol included some measures to the Cyprus' accession in case of a non-solution in 2004. We shared our view that while reference is made to something aimed at the solution and the future, there will be no use of talking about the 10th protocol and it would be better if this was not included in the report. We made a call on every official we met that we should at all events protect and support the process". (I/Ts.) [02] Cavusoglu: "Cyprus problem should not be made a pre-condition in Turkey's EU accession process" Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (10.03.16) reports that the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu made statements on Cyprus during a Foreign Affairs, Justice and Interior Ministers meeting in Ankara on March 9. Noting that Turkey's expectations on visa liberalizations and the necessity of opening new chapters for the European Union accession had been delivered to the Belgian Ministers, Cavusoglu said that the Cyprus problem should not be made a pre-condition in Turkey's EU accession process. He went on and added that until the solution of the Cyprus problem is not reached, Cyprus should not be allowed to block important issues and the EU and argued that pressure should be exerted for the solution of the Cyprus problem. "We see the unfair accusations targeting Turkey. It is as if this money is given to Turkey. It is as if Turkey is begging for money," Cavusoglu said, referring to the recent deal signed between Turkey and the EU to settle the migrant crisis. (CS) [03] Delegation of the "assembly" held contacts in Strasbourg The illegal Bayrak (09.03.16) broadcast that a "parliamentary delegation" consisting of Republican Turkish Party (CTP) "deputy" Armagan Candan, National Unity Party (UBP) "deputy" Hamza Ersan Saner, Democrat Party National Forces (DPUG) "deputy" Hasan Tacoy and Social Democratic Party (TDP) "deputy" Zeki Celer is visiting Strasbourg. During its contacts at the European Parliament, the delegation discussed the report on Turkey which will be voted on at the European Parliament, the Cyprus problem and the issue of the Turkish language becoming an official EU language. Candan said that they held meetings with MPs from different political groups at the European Parliament and added that they conveyed the demands of the Turkish Cypriots from the EU and the European Parliament. Reminding that the final discussions on Turkey's report were being held, Candan said paragraphs related to Cyprus on the report were more comprehensive than before. Saner on his part criticized the European Parliament for associating Cyprus with the report on Turkey. He also said that no progress had occurred on the Free Trade Regulation which was promised by the EU to the Turkish Cypriots before the Annan Plan referendum. Tacoy said it was important to enable Turkish Cypriot representation at the European Parliament and expressed his views on the issue of the Turkish language to become an EU language. Celer stated that there were important sections in Turkey's report which were so important for the Turkish Cypriots and added that they will continue to give support to the report to pass from the EU Parliament as it is. [04] Milliyet: PKK's plans to penetrate in "universities" in the occupied area of Cyprus are revealed Under the banner front-page title "Warning for PKK in Cyprus", Turkish daily Milliyet newspaper (10.03.16) reports that the plans of the Kurdistan's Workers' Party (PKK) to penetrate in illegal universities in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus have been revealed. According to Safa Karahasan, the paper's correspondent in the occupied area of Cyprus, an urgent high level security meeting was held with the participation of the so-called security forces commander of the breakaway regime, Major General Erhan Uzun, the self-styled general director of the "police" Suleyman Manavoglu and the administrations of the illegal universities. During the meeting it was said that the PKK is organizing meetings under the name of art, theater and music activities trying to create groups of 20-25 persons. The paper writes that the measures to be taken were determined in the meeting, where it was noted that around 70 meetings of the PKK had been organized in the occupied area of Cyprus in 2015. The organization's structuring was explained with slides and pictures in the meeting where it was pointed out that the organization's militants are registered as students with false documents. The "university officials" were warned that they should urgently do whatever is necessary on this issue. The paper writes that the "authorities" of the breakaway regime were alarmed after the bomb attack in Istanbul, after which it was found out that the perpetrator of the attack, a woman named Berna Yilmaz, member of the DHKP-C organization, had been born and raised in the occupied area of Cyprus. According to Milliyet, during the meeting it was noted that an organization named DEMGENC, which acts in Turkey, has been organized in the occupied area of Cyprus as well and some of its members are students in the illegal universities. It was said that PKK members started making propaganda under the slogan "We are constructing free areas" and established a "Communal Solidarity Network Association" in the occupied area of Cyprus. Some "university officials" pointed out to the necessity of cleaning up the "universities" from these students, adding that in the past the "authorities" were telling them to accept such students. Major General Uzun has reportedly said that the "rotten apples in the universities should be cleaned" and added "I will also clean my own rotten apples". (I/Ts.) [05] Turkish Cypriot politicians say they have a security weakness Under the title "We have security weaknesses", Turkish Cypriot daily Kibrisli newspaper (10.03.16) reports that the terror attacks in Turkey and some other places of the world have created concerns in the occupied area of Cyprus as well. The allegation that the breakaway regime's "security forces" had been warned on the issue by MIT "exploded like a bomb", writes the paper adding that in spite of a statement by the "police" declaring false the above allegation, the security measures in front of some buildings such as Turkey's so-called embassy in the occupied part of Nicosia and the self-styled assembly were increased. In addition, last night fully equipped anti-riot forces were patrolling in front of these buildings and in Dereboyu, the most crowded boulevard in the occupied part of Nicosia. The self-styled deputy with the Democratic Party (DP) Mentes Gunduz told Kibrisli that many statements are made on security issues and added: "I said that we have security weaknesses and the TRNC is not the old TRNC anymore. Therefore, every team is obliged to do its duty". Moreover, the self-styled deputy with the National Unity Party (UBP) Zorlu Tore argued that they do not know "when and where terror will occur", adding that terror attacks could be held in the occupied area of Cyprus as well. He claimed that no one can do anything from outside, but the attack could come from the inside. Furthermore, the self-styled deputy with the Social Democracy Party (TDP) Huseyin Angolemli told Kibrsli that they should be careful and anything could happen any time in the occupied area of Cyprus. He recalled that "we are a part of the Middle East" and that "many refugees came here as well". (I/Ts.) [06] "KTSO" held a meeting with the ambassadors of the Netherlands and Italy Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (10.03.16) reports that a delegation of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry (KTSO) paid a visit to the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Lefkosia Brechje Schwachofer and to the Ambassador of Italy to Lefkosia Guidi Cerboni. According to a statement issued by the "KTSO", the "chamber" pays visits to foreign representations in Cyprus aiming to improve its relations with EU countries and institutions. The issue of halloumi/hellim and the progress of the Cyprus negotiations were discussed during the meetings. (CS) [07] Turkey and Ukraine boost ties amid growing tension with Russia Turkish Hurriyet Daily News (10.03.16) reports that Turkey and Ukraine have deepened political, military and economic ties through consecutive high-level visits following the Turkish military's downing of a Russian warplane in November 2015 and the deterioration in ties between Ankara and Moscow. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was in Ankara on March 9 for a high-level strategic cooperation council meeting as the guest of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, only three weeks after Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu paid a snap visit to Kiev. On the same day as Davutoglu was in Kiev to hold talks with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Ukrainian Chief of General Staff Viktor Muzhenko met with his Turkish counterpart Gen. Hulusi Akar, in a sign of intensified military and defense relations. The situation of the Crimean Tatars was discussed in detail during the meetings. The main reason why Poroshenko was in Ankara was the holding of the fifth session of the high-level strategic council between Ukraine and Turkey. The two Presidents chaired the council meeting with the participation of their countries' Foreign, Defense, Trade and Energy Ministers in order to shape a new phase in bilateral political and economic relations. The two sides were scheduled to sign agreements to boost trade and increase mutual investment. Poroshenko will also hold meetings with Turkish business representatives on March 10, while he will encourage Turkish investors to remain in Ukraine despite the ongoing political crisis with Russia. Turkey and Ukraine currently enjoy bilateral trade worth $4.5 billion. [08] The Turkish Parliament receives official appeal that seeks to lift HDP deputies' immunity Ankara Anatolia news agency (10.03.16) reports that the Turkish Parliament has received Wednesday the official appeal that seeks to lift the legislative immunity of the co-chairs of the opposition Peoples' Democratic Party's (HDP), along that of three other Deputies. Parliamentary sources told AA that the Prime Ministry Office submitted a motion to life the parliamentary immunity of HDP Co-Chairs Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag and of party Deputies Selma Irmak, S?rr? Sureyya Onder, and Ertugrul Kurkcu. The Ministry of Justice sent a related summary of proceedings on Friday. The office of the Parliament Speaker then forwarded the motion to the joint parliamentary commission on constitution and justice, which will decide whether the general assembly should vote on lifting the immunity. If put to a vote, the motion to lift the HDP MPs' immunity requires an absolute majority, i.e. 276 votes. [09] The Turkish government approves $5.9 billion on defense projects Turkish daily Sabah (10.03.16) reports that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that the Turkish government has approved new defense projects totaling $5.9 billion, $4.5 billion of which will be designated to domestic production projects. He made the comments after a meeting with the defense industry. In the first two months of 2016, Turkey's defense industry exports increased 35% and, according to the Prime Minister, mass production of the national infantry rifle will begin this year. Davutoglu also said that research developments regarding the production of a joint fighter aircraft have been revised. The defense industry has seen a sharp increase in developments since the early 2000s, and today the sector's total exports have reached almost $2 billion. Moreover, in the last few years, national projects, including a warship, battle tank and warplane, have attracted international attention. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio (CS/AM) Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 16-03-11 Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/> TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW No. 48/16 11.03.2016 [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] Colak on the Cyprus talks [02] Ozgurgun and Denktas call on Akinci to reveal the minutes of his agreements with President Anastasiades [03] Director of Gezici Research Center said that Ozersay's party can reach 30% [04] Ozgur: If the "economic protocol" with Turkey is not urgently signed, we will be obliged to implement bitter recipes [05] Akansoy met with the Turkish Minister of Social Security and Labor [06] Problems at the dam in occupied Panagra village area [07] U.S. Special Representative for Religion and Global Affairs visited the Hala Sultan Teke mosque [08] Turkes rules out terrorist link to "TRNC" [09] Bozkir reiterated that Chapter 24 should be opened before June [10] Erdogan slams 'unjust' Russian interventions in Syria, Ukraine [11] Total of 464 probes opened against Turkish academics over 'peace petition' [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] Colak on the Cyprus talks Turkish daily internet newspaper T24 (online, 11.03.16) publishes an interview of the self-styled foreign minister Emine Colak evaluating the latest developments on the Cyprus talks to Germany's Deutsche Welle in Turkish. Asked to comment on the latest situation of the negotiation process, Colak said that there has been substantially progress in the four of total six chapters of the Cyprus talks. She noted that the most difficult chapter is the property one, adding that the issues of "guarantees and security" as well as the "territorial adjustments" will be discussed last. Colak argued that due to the upcoming parliamentary elections in "south Cyprus" (translator's note: as she refers to the Republic of Cyprus), there is an election campaign before the elections, and she hopes that the Cyprus talks not to become an election material. Colak said that they wish that the political parties who support the Cyprus settlement to win the elections and therefore to strengthen Anastasiades' hand in the Cyprus talks. Asked to comment on how the discovery of hydrocarbons is reflected in the Cyprus talks, Colak reiterated that with the Cyprus settlement, it is very important to improve the relations with Turkey in order to export the natural gas to Europe through Turkey. (DPs) [02] Ozgurgun and Denktas call on Akinci to reveal the minutes of his agreements with President Anastasiades Turkish Cypriot daily Demokrat Bakis newspaper (11.03.16) reports that Serdar Denktas, chairman of the Democratic Party ? National Forces (DP-UG), has called on Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci to urgently reveal together with President Anastasiades everything on which they agreed during the Cyprus negotiations. Addressing yesterday the "assembly" of the regime, Denktas referred to the Cyprus negotiations and raised the issue of the disclosure of the minutes of the National Council by the president of Socialist Party EDEK, Marinos Sizopoulos. Denktas said referring to Akinci: "They should urgently announce together with Anastasiades everything on which agreement is reached and not different things to us and different things to the Greek Cypriot side. If Anastasiades is not willing to agree on this, Akinci is in the position to share all the agreements. This is an obligation by the president to his people. Let us know what is happening before it is too late, what the agreements are, so that we raise our voice as people". Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Gunes newspaper (11.03.16) reports that Huseyin Ozgurgun, chairman of the National Unity Party (UBP), has called on Akinci to clarify the points of consensus, which the chairman of EDEK alleged that Akinci has reached with President Anastasiades. In a written statement issued yesterday, Ozgurgun argued: "[?] The statement by Anastasiades, who described as 'unacceptable' the disclosure of the minutes of the National Council by Sizopoulos and showed a great reaction to this, that this action gives a trump card to the Turkish side is far from being sincere and aims at deceiving. The fact that the Greek Cypriot leader Anastasiades has not denied the achievement of agreements on various issues on the way to the solution has not escaped attention. In this situation, starting from the reality that the Turkish Cypriot people have the right to learn the truths regarding their fate in this geographical area from the president, who is assigned with the duty of protecting their rights and interests, as UBP we urgently demand from him to clarify the issues on which consensus has allegedly been reached and relax our people". Finally, Ozgurgun criticized statements reportedly made by the Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Eleni Theoharous that the Turkish Cypriots are a minority of 17% in Cyprus which is a Greek island. (I/Ts.) [03] Director of Gezici Research Center said that Ozersay's party can reach 30% Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi newspaper (11.03.16) reports that Murat Gezici, the general director of Gezici Research Center stated that the newly established People's Party (HP) could establish a single-party "government". Evaluating the political strength of HP, Gezici said that it could receive around 30% if elections were to be held and stated that the party's leader, Kudret Ozerzay has won the trust of the "people". He went on and added that the 30% that the party could win does not come as a surprise because by voting for Ozersay during the last "presidential elections" the "voters" showed that they are sick of the status quo supporters. In addition Ozersay appears to be a good alternative that is in line with the world. Of course, Gezici stated, the other "candidates" of the party will also play an important role to the percentage that HP will receive when elections will be held. (CS) [04] Ozgur: If the "economic protocol" with Turkey is not urgently signed, we will be obliged to implement bitter recipes Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (11.03.16) reports that Birikim Ozgur, self-styled minister of finance of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, has said that the "public" finances are facing big problems and are "walking on a thin rope", because the "economic protocol" with Turkey has not been signed. Addressing the "assembly" of the regime yesterday, Ozgur noted that the "minister of finance" was not assigned with any duty on the issue of the "economic protocol" that will be signed with Turkey and added that there is no "coordinating minister" within the "government" on this issue. He said that it would be correct to ask the self-styled prime minister the questions as regards the "economic protocol". Ozgur expressed the view that the "economic protocol" must urgently be signed and explained the difficulties which his "ministry' is facing. Ozgur said that they are struggling to fix the "public finances" and that they want support to this struggle, otherwise they will be obliged to implement "bitter recipes". He argued that they have been able not to implement these bitter recipes because of Turkey's aid and donations, which he described as "a big advantage". Ozgur said that the payment of the salaries is possible with this support, but investments are also needed in the "country" and the private sector needs to be supported for developing the economy. However, he added, with this budget and structure only the salaries can be paid and no investment can be made. (I/Ts.) [05] Akansoy met with the Turkish Minister of Social Security and Labor Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (11.03.16) reports that a delegation headed by the "minister of interior and labor" Asim Akasony held a meeting with the Turkish Minister of Social Security and Labor Suleyman Soylu in Ankara. According to the paper, Soylu stated during the meeting that the project for the establishment of a "Labour and Social Security Joint Permanent Council" which aimed to increase the administrative capacity of the breakaway regime and to take up the problems experienced between the two "countries" in the field of labor and social security will be completed soon. "We are ready to sign this agreement which envisages the exchange of information through experts and the establishment of a joint working group between our ministries" Soylu said. Akansoy on his part stated that they are restructuring the "TRNC" and at the same time they are trying to reach a permanent and admissible solution on the island. He also stated that the strong support, contribution and experience of Turkey is significant for the Turkish Cypriots. "It is our priority to place our relations to an institutional dimension with Turkey and to further develop relations between the ministries of the two countries", he stated. (CS) [06] Problems at the dam in occupied Panagra village area Under the title "Fracture", Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (11.03.16) reports that many "scandals" exist at the dam of occupied Panagra village, into which the water which comes from Turkey to the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus is pumped. The paper writes that the injection of cement for overcoming the fractures in the tunnels under the dam has stopped, adding that only half of this work was completed within five months. The workers of the Akeli-NVS-Gursesler partnership, which had been assigned with this duty, abandoned their jobs because they were unpaid. According to Afrika, the last two workers returned to Turkey the day before yesterday. Around 60 workers of the company in the occupied area of Cyprus are unpaid for more than three months. In the beginning floods were caused because of leak of the water pumped from Turkey in the tunnels, writes the paper adding that even occupied Panagra village was flooded. After the dam was emptied, everyone thought that this was a tension between Turkey and the "TRNC", notes the paper adding that the complaints made by the workers to the so-called embassy of Turkey in the occupied part of Nicosia, the "labor department" and the "ministry of interior" had no result. The Akeli-NVS-Gursesler partnership owes a big amount of money in the market. Afrika describes as "nonsense" the statements that the water from Turkey will start flowing to the households within three weeks. (I/Ts.) [07] U.S. Special Representative for Religion and Global Affairs visited the Hala Sultan Teke mosque Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (11.03.16) reports that Shaun Casey, U.S. Special Representative for Religion and Global Affairs visited the Hala Sultan Teke mosque. The paper, citing information by the Religious Affairs Department, writes that Casey met with the Imam of the Hala Sultan Teke, Sakir Alemdar, who informed him about the mosque's history and replied to his questions. Casey who expressed his admiration for the mosque's history and beauty said to Alemdar that the use of the mosque is a natural right for the Turkish Cypriots. (CS) [08] Turkes rules out terrorist link to "TRNC" According to illegal Bayrak television (online, 11.03.16), the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister in Charge of Cyprus Affairs Tugrul Turkes has said that a terrorist killed in an attempted attack to a police station in Bayrampasa Istanbul last week had no links to the "TRNC" (editor's note: the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus). In a written statement issued yesterday, Turkes evaluated claims that one of the attackers had ties to "North Cyprus" and that the PKK terrorist organisation was using the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus as a base of operations. "It is true that one of the terrorists involved in the Bayrampasa attack had migrated to Cyprus from Turkey. The individual however had not been in contact with her family for a very long time and her family in no way approved of the attack. It's been understood that the attack and the attackers had nothing to do with the TRNC", he argued. Pointing out that there are around 85 thousand students studying in the "TRNC", 45 thousand of them from Turkey, Turkes said that it is a known fact that terrorist organisations such as the PKK are keen on infiltrating institutions of higher education, not only in Turkey and abroad but to the "TRNC" as well. He however added that "universities in the TRNC" provide a safe environment for students and that there is no way such organisations can hold ground within those institutions of higher education. Stating that the "TRNC security forces are always taking necessary precautions against possible activities of terrorist organisations, Turkes called on everyone to refrain from making claims which would stigmatize or label students studying in "universities in the TRNC". [09] Bozkir reiterated that Chapter 24 should be opened before June Turkish daily Milliyet (11.03.16) reports that the EU Minister Volkan Bozkir, evaluating the negotiations with the EU, argued that the Greek Cypriot administration (translator's note: as he refers to the Republic of Cyprus) unilaterally blocks the opening of five chapters. He noted that they should open and evaluate these extraordinary conditions that are included in the chapters, which are blocked unilaterally by a country. Speaking to the state-run Anatolia news agency on March 10, Bozkir reminded that issues like border security and illegal immigration are all included in the 24th chapter on "justice, freedom and security". He added: "We are discussing all these. We are organizing summits. We are taking steps. We cannot open this chapter due to the capriciousness of one country. Because of this, this chapter should be open absolutely and absolutely before June". Meanwhile, Ankara Anatolia news agency (10.03.16) reported that Turkey will not readmit refugees who have already reached Greek islands under a deal agreed with the EU earlier this week, Bozkir said on Thursday. "Turkey's readmission proposal to the EU will not apply to the existing refugees on Greek islands but to those who will come starting from a certain date after their evacuation," he told Anadolu Agency's Editors' Desk. The Minister, who also serves as Turkey's Chief Negotiator on EU affairs, said that the number of returnees would run into "maybe tens of thousands of refugees" if the readmission plan with EU is enacted. Despite insisting on the relaxation of visa regulations for Turkish nationals wanting to travel to the EU, Bozkir indicated that the deal would not be reciprocal. "Even after visas [for Turks] are all abolished and become a visa with work permit, we might [still] need to require visas from EU countries' citizens because the main flow will not be from Turkey into Europe but from Europe to Turkey," he told the meeting of senior Anadolu Agency editors. (DPs) [10] Erdogan slams 'unjust' Russian interventions in Syria, Ukraine Turkish Hurriyet Daily News (11.03.16) reports that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has slammed Russia's "unjust" interventions in Syria and Ukraine while reiterating Turkish support for the latter's government during a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Petro Poroshenko, in Ankara. The Turkish President called for the removal of foreign troops from Ukrainian territory and the re-establishment of control over the country's border with Russia. In return, Poroshenko expressed his appreciation for Turkish support in the face of the "brutal violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity" by Russia. "Turkey is a friend and partner," he said. The leaders also expressed agreement over the "illegal annexation" of the autonomous region of Crimea in 2014. While Erdogan told reporters that Russia had been "trampling over international law," Poroshenko defined the "transformation of Crimea into a military base" as unacceptable. They pledged to act in cooperation in order to end the "temporary invasion" of Crimea. [11] Total of 464 probes opened against Turkish academics over 'peace petition' Turkish Hurriyet Daily News (11.03.16) reports that a total of 464 investigations have been launched by public universities against academics who signed a petition calling for an end to military operations in Turkey's southeast since the controversy erupted in January. In addition, nine of the signatory academics have been fired and five others have left their jobs amid an angry public campaign over the petition, according to a statement issued on March 10 by a group of leading academics. "Regarding academics at public universities there have been 464 investigations, nine firings, five resignations, 27 suspensions, 153 criminal proceedings opened, and 33 detentions. At foundation universities there have been 21 firings, one forced retirement, and 43 administrative investigations [into terrorism-related allegations] since Jan. 11," said a statement read out at a press conference in Istanbul on March 10 by Esra Mungan, from Bogazici University's Psychology Department. The press statement said a "legal and verbal war" had been waged against signatory academics, even including death threats. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio (CS/AM) Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-03-10 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/> CONTENTS [01] FinMin Tsakalotos meets with institutions on taxation, new talks on Saturday [02] Mouzalas: Greece asked EU to activate relocation, readmission of refugees [03] NATO's Stoltenberg presents operation plan for the Aegean [01] FinMin Tsakalotos meets with institutions on taxation, new talks on Saturday A meeting between Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos, Alternate Finance Minister Giorgos Chouliarakis with the heads of the quartet of institutions ended on Thursday evening, with the two sides discussing the changes in the system of taxation. According to a senior ministry official, the institutions presented their own proposals on taxation and a new meeting has been scheduled for Saturday. Currently, the mission chiefs are meeting with Rural Development and Food Minister Vangelis Apostolou to discuss a national plan for the development of the agricultural economy. On Friday, at 11.00 (local) the government will meet again with the mission chiefs to negotiate on issues concerning the financial sector and the completion of the institutional framework on non-performing loans. Two more meetings will follow at 14.30 and at 18.00 on competitiveness and closed professions and on the setting up of the new public revenues body respectively. [02] Mouzalas: Greece asked EU to activate relocation, readmission of refugees BRUSSELS (ANA-MPA/M. Aroni)  European Union interior ministers discussed the implementation of the EU-Turkey action plan during their meeting in Brussels on Thursday, Alternate Minister for Migration Policy Yiannis Mouzalas after the meeting. The minister said his EU counterparts also finally discussed after a long time the issue of relocation and readmission of refugees and migrants to Turkey, with many member-states  except those of Eastern Europe - stating they will participate and promising to increase the number of people they accept. Member-states also pledged to cover the needs of Frontex and EASO in staff. Mouzalas said Greece noted the need to activate relocation and reminded his peers it is obligatory and he also suggested practical solutions on how Turkey can help in this. On the issue of readmissions, the minister said Greece asked the EU for help to speed it up, without stripping refugees of their rights. As to the issue of Turkey's designation as a "safe third country" Mouzalas expressed the opinion that insofar as Turkey hosts 2.5 million refugees and the EU and UNHCR intervene to check the living conditions in the camps, then the neighboring country is indeed a safe third country. [03] NATO's Stoltenberg presents operation plan for the Aegean BRUSSELS (ANA-MPA/M. Spinthourakis) - NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg presented the three parts of the organization's operation in the Aegean on Thursday, during a press conference in Brussels ahead of his meeting with European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker. The first part is the enlargement of the Alliance's activity areas in Greek and in Turkish territorial waters, in cooperation with Frontex, he said, highlighting the crucial role of Lesvos. The second part concerns strengthening NATO's cooperation with Frontex through the exchange of information and personnel and the third is the participation of five NATO ships and helicopters. Asked on whether rescued refugees will be returned to Turkey, Stoltenberg said that the country has agreed to that, but noted that NATO will also take into account the rules that apply to the country from which the ship comes from. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-03-11 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/> CONTENTS [01] PM Tsipras: 'Europe is crushed between austerity and closed borders' [02] Economy, Finance ministers conclude talks with mission chiefs [03] US Assistant Secretary of State Nuland expresses U.S. solidarity in migration crisis [04] ND leader: 'The sooner this government leaves the better for Greece' [05] Greece, Russia launch cultural cooperation with exhibition at Acropolis Museum [01] PM Tsipras: 'Europe is crushed between austerity and closed borders' PARIS (ANA-MPA/O.Tsipira) a Europe is stuck between a rock and a hard place, austerity and closed borders, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Friday during a speech at a press conference in Paris for an event titled "Europe must change", organized by Pierre Laurent, secretary general of the French Communist Party and president of the European Left. Tsipras was invited by French President Francois Hollande and will be a keynote speaker at a broad meeting on Europe organized by the Institute of International and Strategic Relations (IRIS). "Europe is stuck between a rock and a hard place. It is crushed between austerity and closed borders," he said in his intervention, adding that it is keeping borders closed for the downtrodden and open to extreme austerity policies. "We should reaffirm the guidelines of our policy and agree that Europe is at a political impasse." He continued to say that Europe is faced with the consequences of its actions and highlighted the wars in which European countries participated, such as Iraq, Libya, Syria, adding that it has been proved "incapable" of resolving the Palestinian issue. "Today, Europe is fearfully discovering that the problem has reached its courtyard. The Eastern European countries react with a nervous breakdown (...) not because their society could not absorb 1-2 million refugees, but because the austerity policies have nourish the monster of fascism in Europe's underbelly (.. .) which they feed by reacting spasmodically," he said and brought the result of Slovakia's elections as an example. He also said that despite the "disappointment", Greece is determined to fight within Europe's framework and not outside it. "However, today more than ever, we have to ring the alarm for its future and its course," he said. [02] Economy, Finance ministers conclude talks with mission chiefs The government's aims as reflected through the new draft law on growth and the contribution to growth through the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) toolbox was the main focus of the meeting between Economy Minister Giorgos Stathakis and the heads of the institutions on Friday. Following the meeting, the minister simply told the press the two sides "discussed issues relating to [economic] growth". The government, in agreement with the institutions, is expected to present its comprehensive draft bill for economic growth in about two months. In a separate meeting with the mission chiefs, the government's economic team discussed the full independence of the tax administration. Following the meeting, Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said there are no open issues with the institutions on this issue. However, concerning their request to reduce the tax-free threshold, he said that the government will submit a counterproposal tomorrow. The general secretary of public revenues, Giorgos Pitsilis also attended the meeting. On Saturday, the government's economic team will meet anew with the mission chiefs at 14.00 (local), instead of 15.00 as initially announced, to discuss fiscal issues. Earlier, the institutions will hold a meeting on reforms in public administration (10.30) and on social security (11.30). [03] US Assistant Secretary of State Nuland expresses U.S. solidarity in migration crisis In statements to the press on Friday, the second day of her visit to Greece, US Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Victoria Nuland repeatedly stressed that her visit sought to demonstrate US solidarity in the face of the intense challenges posed by the migration crisis and to better understand how the U.S. could be helpful. "I came at this time to express American solidarity with Greece during these difficult times with the migration crisis, since your border has closed to the north, and to better understand what is happening in northern Greece," she said. Nuland also declared herself impressed and repeatedly praised the "enormous generosity" of individuals and local people in Greece toward the refugees. The United States were closely watching the ongoing talks for an agreement on a European level, she added, both between the EU and Turkey and those between Turkey and Greece. "We want to help so that this agreement is concluded in a fair, clear and transparent way," she noted, referring to the resettlement process, in particular. Reporting on her visits to the refugee relocation centre in Diavata on Thursday and then to the refugee camp at Idomeni, Nuland said the former was very well organised and should serve as a model for others set up in Greece under the EU-Turkey resettlement agreement. In Idomeni, by contrast, she reported substandard conditions, with desperate families and children living in the mud, despite the great efforts of the Greek police, non-governmental organisations such as Doctors Without Borders to provide relief and the great generosity of the local people. The US official underlined the need to find better accommodation for the people there and said this was among the issues she discussed with the Greek side, namely how to build more centres like that in Diavata. "We want to support Greece by helping it implement the agreements with the EU and between the EU and Turkey," she said, repeating that her visit aimed to see how much the United States can help and how. Referring to her meetings on Friday, Nuland said she met Minister of State Nikos Pappas at the prime minister's office and the foreign ministry general secretary at the foreign ministry. She said the discussion had centred on the return of the institutions and the economic situation - where Washington encouraged Greece to reach an agreement so that it can then move on to the phase of discussing debt relief. They also discussed energy security, the Cyprus issue and other foreign policy issues, she added, while stressing that the main aim of her current visit was to get a better understanding of the situation relating to the migration crisis and how the U.S. can help. Nuland said that Greece has asked for U.S. assistance and she noted that the U.S. will likely respond in the next few days by providing emergency humanitarian aid, while continuing to work with Greece for a correct implementation of the relocation and resettlement programmes. Her visit, she added, aimed to assist the upcoming agreements on a European level between the EU and Turkey, as well as the cooperation of Greece and Turkey and other countries in the region in order to reinforce efforts for a ceasefire in Syria and a UN-brokered political settlement. [04] ND leader: 'The sooner this government leaves the better for Greece' Main opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that Greece will be better off if the current coalition government leaves power sooner rather than later, according to an interview wthat will be published in the Sunday edition of Eleftheros Typos. "Every day that goes by, I consolidate my belief that the sooner this government leaves, the better for the country," he was quoted as telling the paper. Commenting on the ongoing refugee crisis, the leader of New Democracy said his party chose to do everything in its power to form a national strategy on the issue, as "it is truly a critical issue of national dimensions", noting that this is the reason ND insisted on holding the political leaders' meeting on March 4, before the EU-Turkey summit meeting. "New Democracy is making every effort to reduce the damage, to promote and support Greece's just demands," he said and slammed Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras for his handling of the crisis, saying Tsipras' "fake humanism has drowned in the mud of Idomeni." "We don't need such humanism. It has nothing to do with dignity and the sincere solidarity of the Greek people." Turning his attention on Justice, Mitsotakis said the coalition government has developed "a very dangerous cancer that spreads aggressively in the functions of the State, the independent institutions and Justice. We will not allow them this digression." He also reiterated his decision that when ND is elected into power, it will set up a Committee of Inquiry that would investigate the activities of SYRIZA-ANEL coalition for the period January-September 2015. "We owe it to a people who were deceived and are paying a heavy price from Tsipras' incompetence and unreliability". [05] Greece, Russia launch cultural cooperation with exhibition at Acropolis Museum Greece and Russia launched their one-year cultural cooperation with the opening on Friday of a small exhibition of three selected golden objects from the Scythian collection of St. Petersburg's Hermitage Museum. The presentation of these objects is a precursor to a larger exhibition which will take place in during the year. On its side, Greece will lend Hermitage a marble statue of a 7th century BC archaic Kore from the collections of the Acropolis Museum. Culture Minister Aristidis Baltas and Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Prikhodko inaugurated the event at the Acropolis Museum by signing an agreement certifying the program exchanges and events organized by the two countries. The group of items consists of two vases and a piece of jewelry which were part of a unique Scythian burial set of the 4th century BC, found in 1830 in the royal tomb Kul-Oba, in the Crimea. These masterpieces of metalwork were made by Greek settlers in Crimea, with whom nomadic Scythians had established close trade relations. "It is a great pleasure for us to inaugurate today officially the Greece-Russia year between two countries with a long history and fraternal relations," said Baltas, noting that this cooperation involves two very well worked for both countries. "It is a dedicatory year that wants to highlight not only the ties with the past and the friendship of the two peoples but also to respond to the crisis facing Greece, Russia and the surrounding region," he added. On his side, Prikhodko said that the two countries count thousands of years of political, religious, historical and cultural ties. "Since ancient times, Greece was a source of scientific knowledge for Russia," he said. "We believe the Greece-Russia year will contribute to the effective strengthening of relations between our countries and will boost trade and economic cooperation which is not going through its best phase," he added. Commenting on the exhibition, the president of the Acropolis Museum Dimitris Pandermalis welcomed the event saying it is a testament to the close relations between Greeks and Scythians. "There could not be a better selection of items, which are the ambassadors of this year of friendship; these three articles which show in the most vivid way the close relationship between the Greeks and the Scythians," he said. The Director of the Hermitage Museum, Mikhail Piotrovski described the items as "the pride" of the museum. "It is a great pleasure and honor for the Hermitage Museum to present our exhibits in one of the most modern and large museums in the world. The exhibits are the pride of the Hermitage and Russian archeology. They are the best exhibits and truly reflect the very good relations between Greece and Russia," he said, adding that Russian often say the country is part of the European culture thanks to Russia's Greek roots. He also said that officials at Hermitage are already preparing the area where the Kore will be exhibited, noting that this will be followed by a Byzantine exhibition, which will be a joint collaboration between the two museums. The event was attended by State Minister for Coordinating Government Operations Alekos Flambouraris, Alternate Education Minister for Research and Innovation Kostas Fotakis, Deputy Foreign Minister Yiannis Amanatidis, as well as other officials, from the foreign ministry and the Russian embassy in Greece. The three objects will be exhibited at the ground floor of the Acropolis Museum from March 11 until October 2, 2016. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
"Over $2.4 billion worth of goods and services cross the border every day -- evidence of one of the largest and most mutually beneficial trading relationships in the world. And one of our most popular exports to the United States, and I need you to stop teasing him, has been another Justin. Now, no, no, that kid has had a great year. And of course, leave it to a Canadian to reach international fame with a song called 'Sorry.'"
Bloomberg via Getty Images First Lady Michelle Obama, right, and Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau share a laugh during a welcoming ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, March 10, 2016. Obama welcomed Trudeau for a state visit as the two leaders sought to join forces to combat climate change. Photographer: Olivier Douliery/Pool via Bloomberg

"Soul sisters" Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau and First Lady Michelle Obama took centre stage in Washington on girls' education.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau brought his entire family on his first trip to the U.S. since being sworn into office. While Trudeau and President Barack Obama were in the Oval Office, their wives attended an event that put a spotlight on the importance of education for girls.







The Washington, D.C., event was hosted by Let Girls Learn in honour of International Women's Day.

"Like most women, I know how it feels to be overlooked, underestimated, to have someone only listen to your ideas in a meeting," Obama said to the crowd of 200 people.

Mme. Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and @FLOTUS speaking on the value of Girls Education at @USIP#LetGirlsLearnpic.twitter.com/dn1ewoUVbp  Laura Lumsden (@MsLauraLumsden) March 10, 2016

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Obama pointed out that 62 million girls around the world are not in school. She stressed that education is not just important for the students, but their entire families. "What if you were told you werent going to get education?" she asked the crowd.

She also talked about the lengths some girls must go to, in order to get an education, including getting up before sunrise to do their chores before riding a bike for long distances to school. Education is so important to some girls that they are willing to risk rejection from their families and communities to go to school. Some, like Malala Yousafzai, risk their lives.







Obama and Gregoire-Trudeau seem to be getting along quite well during this visit. Obama introduced Gregoire-Trudeau as her "soul sister," who is the mom of three kids, including one "delicious" toddler (seriously, everyone loves Hadrien.)

Both women are passionate about empowering girls and women. "Canada truly understands that gender equality and gender empowerment is a priority," said Gregoire-Trudeau.

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She went on to say that she doesn't think youth are the leaders of tomorrow: "I think young people are the leaders of today."

"Girls around the world know that #education is their only chance to shape their own fate" - @FLOTUS#LetGirlsLearnpic.twitter.com/tfYgQYL7f4  UNICEF Education (@UNICEFEducation) March 10, 2016







And then there was this moment... because sisters always have to look out for each other.

That time Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau was there to save the @FLOTUS from falling pic.twitter.com/ETfHmORECf  ET Canada (@ETCanada) March 10, 2016





Here are some inspiring quotes FLOTUS tweeted about the event.

"The barriers to girls education isnt just resources. Its about attitudes and beliefs." The First Lady on #InternationalWomensDay.  The First Lady (@FLOTUS) March 8, 2016





"The belief that girls simply arent worthy of an education." The First Lady on the barriers to girls education. #LetGirlsLearn  The First Lady (@FLOTUS) March 8, 2016

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"The confidence to stand up and demand justice and equality  all of that starts with education." The First Lady on #InternationalWomensDay  The First Lady (@FLOTUS) March 8, 2016





"I truly see myself in these girlsin their hunger, burning determination to rise above their circumstances." The First Lady #LetGirlsLearn  The First Lady (@FLOTUS) March 8, 2016





"Were in this together. Because these girls are our girls." The First Lady on #InternationalWomensDay. #LetGirlsLearn  The First Lady (@FLOTUS) March 8, 2016





#OneDayIWill see a world where every child can go to school and fulfill their boundless potential. #IWD2016pic.twitter.com/FonwXCYQAC  The First Lady (@FLOTUS) March 8, 2016





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The Calgary Zoo has emerged victorious from a diplomatic meltdown with Toronto, after a politician from the 6ix intially said the city wasn't about to give away its adorable panda cubs.

On Thursday, Toronto Coun. Giorgio Mammoliti told CBC Radio's "Calgary Eyeopener" that  while the cubs' parents Er Shun and Da Mao will be headed west  the cubs would stay put before they go to China in 2018.

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"You're not getting the cubs," he said. "Even if you want them, you can't get them."

The cubs' parents came to in Canada on a 10-year loan agreement with China that was signed in 2012.

That contract stipulated that the animals would spend five years at the Toronto Zoo, before they were relocated to the Calgary Zoo in 2018.

Mammoliti said the deal would only see the two adults go to Calgary, while the cubs would go back to China in two years' time.

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However, Calgary Zoo spokeswoman Trish Exton-Parder said the entire panda family would be coming to Alberta, The Calgary Sun reported.

"They were hoping for offspring, so we had to make the accommodations," she told the newspaper.

"Maybe they'll have more when they're here  anything's possible."

For his part, Mammoliti apologized and confirmed the family of pandas will indeed be heading to Calgary in 2018, according to CBC News.

"There's been a huge misconception on, I guess, on the interpretation of the language," he said. "This was what we all thought was the case here in Toronto."

Today I had the pleasure to unveil the names of @TheTorontoZoos panda cubs! Say hello to Jia Panpan & Jia Yueyue: pic.twitter.com/iFCAlID7bc  Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) March 7, 2016

The panda cubs have drawn plenty of attention after they were born on Oct. 13, 2015.

And on Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed the cubs' names as Jia Yueyue and Jia Panpan.

The cubs began taking "solid steps" last month, the Toronto Zoo said  though they were still struggling with the basics.

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In the long run, Mammoliti hopes to petition the Chinese government to keep the animals in the Great White North.

He told the Eyeopener that he considers the cubs "Canadian citizens," and that they should stay where they were born.

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Add Ohio to your growing list of states griping about online exams.

A school district employee told the Cleveland Plain Dealer this week that, according to his research, students who got As on paper exams in 2014-15 school year received F grades on last years exam.

The online exam also had five times fewer A grades for students, according to the researcher, Michael Molnar, the director of educational services for the Amherst school district in Lorain County.

Superintendents, teachers unions and legislators have been questioning the results of the exam since they were released in February. The number of districts that received an A on the exam fell from 37 to six, with C now being the most common result on the exam.

In Ohio, where test scores determine some teachers pay , the ratings of charter schools , and more, legislators are already looking at Molnars study and determining whether to craft new legislation, according to the Plain Dealer.

Ohio legislators fired the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers from administering the state test last summer after parents complained that the test took up too much time and was too aligned to Common Core State Standards.

By comparing online testing districts to paper testing districts, the Ohio Department of Education is not providing accurate and fair information to the public, Molnar told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Clearly, the 2015 value added grades released by the Ohio Department of Education are unreliable and invalid.

Across the country, state education departments are running into some major problems with their foray into online testing, and legislators are responding, as I wrote about in the March 9 edition of Education Week.

According to Fair Test, an advocacy organization that tracks online testing problems and works to end the misuses and flaws of standardized testing, more than half of states have experienced problems with the transition from pencil-and-paper to online exam results.
U.S. president Barack Obama fudged the pronunciation of an Canadian city during his state dinner toast to Justin Trudeau on Thursday  but hey, it happens.

"Before I ever became president, when we celebrated my sister and Konrads marriage, Michelle and I took our daughters to Canada," Obama said at the star-studded event at The White House.

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"And we went to Burlington and this is always tough  Mississ-swa-a-ga. Mississauga, he said.

A chorus of laughs rippled across the room as Obama recovered from his tongue twist trip.

And then we went to Toronto and Niagara Falls, he said before giving the it another crack. Mississauga. I can do that. And everywhere we went, the Canadian people made us feel right at home.

But Mississauga officials dont seem too bothered that one of the most powerful leaders in the free world gave the pronunciation of their city name a try  or three.

It's all good! It happens to the best of us @BarackObama...#Mississaugahttps://t.co/cjl1JPk5F2  City of Mississauga (@citymississauga) March 11, 2016

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It's OK, Mr. President, it's not like we can pronounce Schenectady, N.Y.

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As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau basks in the afterglow of an historic visit to Washington, his Conservative rivals back home have made it clear they aren't impressed.

But a top Liberal said Friday that opposition Tories are looking at things from a place of bitterness.

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In question period, Conservative MP and natural resources critic Candice Bergen said the prime minister, select cabinet ministers, lobbyists, and Liberal donors were "partying it up" in Washington, D.C. in the midst of job crisis in Western Canada.

Candice Bergen is shown in the House of Commons, President Barack Obama and PM Justin Trudeau toast during the state dinner. (Photo: The Canadian Press)

"The prime minister seems too busy trying to get a pat on the head from President Obama and his anti-oil activists to bother standing up for Canadian jobs," she charged.

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Bergen wondered why Trudeau was "using the state visit as an opportunity to shine in the limelight" and give special access to friends instead of standing up for Canadian interests.

Predictably, Treasury Board President Scott Brison disagreed.

Lessons from PM Mulroney

Brison quoted former Tory prime minister Brian Mulroney's assessment that there is no more important foreign policy priority for a PM than to have a strong "personal relationship" with whoever is in the White House.

"This is a great week for Canada-U.S. relations, Brison said. "The previous prime minister didn't understand the importance of building those types of relationships and he failed to defend Canada's interests in Washington. That was bad for jobs. That was bad for growth."

Leaning on comments interim Tory Leader Rona Ambrose made in the House Thursday, Bergen accused the Liberals of erecting barriers in how Canadian oil is exported at a time when the U.S. is lifting restrictions for itself.

Trudeau and Obama announced a climate deal Thursday that seeks to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by as much as 45 per cent below 2012 levels by 2025.

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"The Conservatives, in their bitterness, are playing politics this week."  Scott Brison

Brison said the Tories failed to get market access to energy and build pipelines for 10 years. The past government not only strained relations with Obama, he suggested, but couldn't work with indigenous communities and meet with premiers.

Bergen shot back, saying the Liberals are "abandoning" oil exports and putting up roadblocks as the U.S. does the exact opposite.

"Why is the Liberal government doing everything they can to make Canadian oil uncompetitive and destroying the Canadian oil industry?" she wondered.

Brison seemed confounded Tories did not agree it was an "exceptional" week.

"The Conservatives, in their bitterness, are playing politics this week when in fact Canadians are proud to have a government, a prime minister, and ministers who are defending their interests in Washington," he said.

He urged Tories to "unite with Canadians" who he said are proud of Trudeau's performance in D.C.

Trudeau more interested in 'dining tables than negotiating tables'

Bergen wasn't the only Tory to cast a critical eye on Trudeau's three-day official trip.

Todd Doherty, who represents the British Columbia riding of Cariboo-Prince George, expressed frustration that a softwood lumber agreement wasn't struck.

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The announcement from Obama and Trudeau that the long-standing trade "irritant" would be resolved "in some fashion" wasn't good enough, he suggested.

David Lametti, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of international trade, said the softwood lumber issue is a priority. He added that both Trudeau and Obama have committed to tabling a joint report within 100 days.

"The prime minister is more interested in dining tables than negotiating tables," Doherty concluded.

Tory MP Alex Nuttall also took a shot at the fact that Liberal party bigwigs and donors made the guest list for the state dinner.

"When will Liberals start helping all Canadians rather than just those who fatten their coffers and fill their trough?" he wondered.

Again, Brison suggested Tories just don't get it.

"All Canadians benefit from what happened in Washington this week, from having a prime minister and a government stand face-to-face and shoulder-to-shoulder with the president of the United States to move our nations forward," he said.

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shutterstock high angle view of cropped...

By Leah Morris

Women are particularly impacted by HIV/AIDS, alongside stigmatized and discriminated populations such as MSM. UN Women reports that HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age, worldwide. What is even more alarming, almost 60 per cent of all new HIV infections among young persons occurred among adolescent girls and young women; this translates into almost 1,000 young women newly infected with HIV every day.

Why are women more affected? In many cases women are put in positions where they have no voice in their sexuality. This includes sexual violence and trafficking.

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Ending the AIDS epidemic requires that we discuss the invisible side of HIV/AIDS, such as cases of sexual violence. Only tackling the surface level of the problem will result in a resurgence of new cases. Many women may be aware of the risks of HIV during unprotected sex, but without equity and rights over their bodies, they may not be able to enact any measures of protection. Giving women and disempowered persons a channel to ask for help, network, and gain information is an essential ingredient to meeting the 2030 Target.

There is an increasing ability to use mobile phones, social media, and other communication technologies to tackle some of the world's most challenging issues. Target 3.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals aims to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. If we are going to reach this enthusiastic target, we need to rethink our approach. The amount of energy lost in administration and the slow snail track of bureaucracy cannot keep up with the racing pace of the data plowed into social media on the daily. The marriage of improved data management with increasingly universal access results in a tool of extreme impact.

Using mobile devices and social media as a tool to democratize access to medical care is in our future. This is an opportunity for citizen advocacy, to gather together virtually to discuss what is needed in communities locally and globally. The Arab Spring in 2011 demonstrated the potential for advocacy through social media platforms such as Twitter.

Mobile resources are getting off the ground for work in HIV/AIDS. For example, AIDS.gov has created apps to help connect people to resources such as HIV Testing and care sites within the United States. This is only the mustard seed of the potential for mobile networks.

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Access is increasing. According to the World Bank, around three-quarters of the world's inhabitants now have access to a mobile phone and to mobile communications. Additionally, networks are doubling in bandwidth approximately every 18 months [and] extending further into rural areas.

A headline from the United Nations University read in 2015, "Greater Access to Cellphones Than Toilets in India". These networks can disseminate information; connect people living with HIV (PLHIV), open forums for advocacy, discussion, and learning. In ensuring a safe community and harnessing the power of anonymity, massive amounts of data can surface when in-person discussions around the issue have become taboo and uncomfortable.

Anonymity is powerful and can be used to perpetuate stigma and discrimination or it can be used to liberate and empower. HIV/AIDS is one of the most stigmatized illnesses globally, making many who are impacted invisible. Mobile devices are especially useful to engage difficult to reach populations including LGBTQ, transgender persons, disadvantaged youth, sex workers, and women with little social power.

In the future, data collection arising from users of the internet can inform laws and policy. For example, many organizations work to encourage HIV testing among populations to ensure everyone knows their HIV status. This knowledge is essential to developing any kind of strategic plan. Similarly, we need to know why people are not getting tested, what the barriers to services are, and how to make these services more accessible.

Researchers could benefit from anonymous information that is typically ethically challenging to survey including sexual preferences, sexual behaviours, practices, current knowledge on HIV/AIDS, use of protection, drug use, etc. Careful eye needs to be kept to the ownership of this data, however if publicly owned this wealth of information could be beneficial.

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Additionally, PLHIV platforms for connecting could be a great tool to discuss drug regimens. Advice from others who are living with HIV/AIDS such as to what to expect, their stories, and improvements to their quality of life. Further, conversation amongst PLHIV, partners, and the public helps break down myths and creates capacity for daily conversation that Doctors and in person support groups simply can't keep up with.

More discussion and research needs to be undergone in gender and technology, recent research is finding differences in gender use and access. For example, Hill and Shaw (2013) found that there is a gender gap on Wikipedia; the majority of public editors are male. The reasons for this are complex and still being studied. Technological gender equity goes beyond permitted access to systemic social constructs, which we must be aware of when creating these platforms.

This is a brief discussion that only touches on the challenges and complex details of this approach. I hope to emphasize the need to move HIV/AIDS work towards grassroots, people driven, and universally accessible discussions. Modern technology gives us an opportunity to give a voice to women and move towards equity in resource access, as well as moving away from slow, exclusive, and expensive executive discussions.

Leah Morris holds a Bachelor of Arts Combined Hons. in International Development and Environment, Sustainability and Society from Dalhousie University/The University of King's College as of October, 2015. As an undergraduate Ms. Morris was published in the Underg(rad) Journal by NSPIRG (2015), Halifax, NS. She is currently interning through the Canadian International Youth Internship Programme with the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition, where she lives in Kingston, Jamaica pro tempore.

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This blog is part of an International Women's Day series produced by the Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development (ICAD) in recognition of International Women's Day 2016 (March 8). The series runs during the week of March 7, 2016 and will feature a selection of blogs written by our member and partner organizations who will share their broad range. Each provides their perspective and their insight on what must be done to achieve UN Women's campaign of "Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality" as we embark on the race to meet our 2030 Goals for Sustainable Development.
"Everyone knows what we have called the uvula fallen; but we may not imagine that this disease, which in general does not appear to be too dangerous, could eventually cost the life of the patient. A lady of about 40 years, residing in Province (France), showed herself having a fallen uvula. She consulted a surgeon who ordered usual medication, known gargles, etc. The disease gradually increased, but to the point that the lady had trouble swallowing. Without constantly occupied his throat, taking little food, not sleeping, she fell in a thinness and a state of languor to fear for his life. She was taken to Paris where I was not long to acknowledge the cause of her unfortunate state, I thought it attributed to the fall of the uvula. I promised her a certain and prompt recovery by cutting the uvula, and I successfully kept my word." [1]

The French surgeon Sauveur Francois Morand thus described in the 18th century the first pharyngotomy in a case that certainly presented severe symptoms of sleep apnea. But the first true description of the disease was made almost a century later, not by an illustrious physician but by English novelist no less illustrious: Charles Dickens.

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The Fat Joe Story

In his novel: the posthumous Pickwick Club papers or the adventures of Mr. Pickwick, the famous English writer Charles Dickens described as one of his characters: "His head was slumped on his chest; only a continuous snoring and occasionally, a partial suffocation noise, revealed at the hearing the presence of the great man." It was an obese teenager to whom he had given the name of Fat Joe and was server to the Pickwick Club.

It was not until the early 20th century that the disease is medically recognized and we owe to the great Canadian physician William Osler to have named it: Pickwick syndrome.

William Osler

Dr. Osler is a great Canadian doctor. Pastor's son, he was born in Ontario July 12th, 1849. He began religious studies in order to succeed his father but quickly changed career and attended medical studies at the Toronto School of Medicine. After two years in this institution, he moved to Montreal and completed his medical studies at McGill University who was then reputed to be the best in Canada and even the United States. He completed post-doctoral studies in Europe and returned to teach at McGill University. He has been a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, then head doctor at Johns Hopkins Hospital to complete his career as dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Oxford University.

His book: The Principles and Practice of Medicine did figure in the Bible teaching of medicine and has had multiple editions until 2001. Fascinated by the history of medicine, he bequeathed his collection of books to McGill University. At 70 years old, he was a victim of the Spanish flu and died December 29, 1919.

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Henri Gastaut

In 1965, a French doctor who specializes in epilepsy, Dr. Henri Gastaut, finds for the first time in patients suffering from the Pickwick syndrome the occurrence of frequent pauses in breathing during sleep. He classified sleep apnea as obstructive sleep apnea, central and mixed. A few years later, in 1972, another French physician, Dr. Christian Guilleminault, refine diagnostic criteria. He then defined the sleep apnea as: five stops breathing at the time whether or not alveolar hypoventilation and presence or absence of obesity.

Snoring, a symptom forgotten

A rather amazing fact remains noteworthy in the case of sleep apnea syndrome. Of all doctors who have studied the disease since doctors Morand in the 19th century, Osler in the early 20th century, and even Gastaut Guilleminault in the years 1960, 1970, none had noted snoring as a symptom of the disease. And this, although the writer Charles Dickens has been clearly identified with her character: "It was evening: MM. Pickwick Winkle, and Snodgrass went their merry host attend the nearby feast of Muggleton; Isabelle and Emily walked with Mr. Trundle; the deaf old lady had fallen asleep in her armchair; the hum of the big boy was coming, slow and monotonous, from the distant kitchen." It was not until the early 1980s that the pulmonologist, S. Fujita, notes that by treating sleep apnea, snoring also disappeared.

But snoring was also attracting the attention of researchers. Thus, the Italian pulmonologist, E. Lugaresi, was a pioneer in this field by the realization of the largest study on the subject. This specialist had an accurate census of the population of the Republic of San Marino snorers. This is the largest systematic study allowing to ascertain all demographics information's on snoring for a population of 22 800 people.

Thus we learned that:

"Among the entire population, including children, we found 35% of snorers, 20% consistently and 15% intermittently. Men snore more than women: 25% of men and 15% of women snore every night, while 15% of men and 13% of women snore only once in a time of triggering factors (alcohol, large meals, fatigue) "

The study also allowed to highlight the relationship between snoring and various other factors including age, obesity and other health problems including cardiovascular disorders.

Apnea: solutions.

Since the removal of the uvula by Dr. Morand in the 18th century, we will have to wait here until the mid-20th century until less radical solutions were considered. The first breakthrough in this sense was born in the late 1970s in Chicago with a pianist and her husband psychiatrist for the less clever.

To stop snoring, which prevented his wife to sleep at night and was affecting his musical ear pianist, Dr. Charles Samelson concocted a beeswax mold of his tongue, which, by suction, opens the respiratory tracts during the night. Following the success of his personal device, he undertakes study at Rush University Medical School. Today, more than forty devices operating on similar principles are on the market.

A few years later, in 1982, Dr. Colin Sullivan an Australian researcher makes the first device of positive airway pressure, better known here under the acronym CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) and in 1985, Dr. John E. Remmers, a professor at the University of Calgary invented the first CPAP under electronic controls. Dr. Remmers is known in Canada and the United States as the renaissance man, because he combines all the talents of the scientists of that time: researcher, therapist, inventor, manufacturer and distributor of its own inventions.

Oral-pharyngeal devices, CPAP and surgeries are now part of the therapeutic arsenal to fight effectively against sleep apnea.

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Reference:

[1] M. Morand & Berrier. Taille au Haut Appareil, Compagnie des Libraires, Paris, 1728, p. 29
ANNECORDON via Getty Images aHolding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2AC above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5AC above pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change.a

During the fall election, the federal Liberals committed to meet with the provinces within 90 days of COP21 negotiations in Paris to "develop a carbon pricing policy." This highly anticipated First Ministers' Meeting took place last week in Vancouver.

Much like the Paris Agreement itself, the Vancouver Declaration may have been the best consensus we could have reasonably hoped for. But also like Paris, it doesn't go nearly far enough.

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What was expected?

At COP21 climate change talks, Environment and Climate Change Minister, Catherine McKenna expressed support for global efforts to limit warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. She also made a strong push for human rights language - especially Indigenous rights - in the body of the Paris text, and clearly stated that the Harper government's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target (30% of 2005 levels by 2030) would serve as a "floor."

As for how Canada's plan would be operationalized, McKenna emphasized the importance of having all hands on deck, including the provinces, business, Indigenous peoples, civil society, as well as citizens. Details were still lacking, but the Minister clearly stated "that we are going to put a price on carbon."

Unfortunately, rather than a clear and comprehensive plan of action to address climate change, the First Ministers' Vancouver Meeting produced an agreement to study and then meet again in six months. They say they'll have a plan at that next meeting. But that's what they said that about this one.

What's needed?

Before the March 3 meeting even began, it was clear that the main point of contention would be carbon pricing. While several Canadian provinces have - or will soon have - carbon taxes or cap-and-trade programs already in place, others are adamantly opposed to implementing a carbon tax.

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The climate crisis should be reason enough to act. We cannot ignore the devastating impact of climate change on ecologies, economies, and societies the world over. At the same time, addressing climate change and shifting to renewable energy, if done well, offers tremendous economic opportunities in the short term and well into the future.

Add to this the fact that 80% of the Canadian population is already covered by a carbon price, and the federal government has repeatedly committed to set a common base price across the country. It is stunning that so little was done.

A harmonized carbon pricing system, consistent across jurisdictions, is important as it removes the risk that high-emitting business will go where they are allowed to pollute most heavily. And to effectively deter the consumption of fossil fuels, the price must rise steadily and predictably over time.

Canada needs a clear baseline price in order to move towards the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C. The absence of such a baseline - or even one set too low - would require firm regulations on Canada's major emitters. Either way, the federal government can and must offer leadership.

Reaching further

In order to achieve consensus, Prime Minister Trudeau has decided to navigate this current impasse through public consultation.

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The government wants to know that they have license to implement the measures necessary to reduce Canada's GHG emissions and decarbonize the Canadian economy.

It is essential that we, as citizens, speak our message clearly: we want action now!

Canada can no longer lag behind the global community, continuing to pursue fossil fuel-based development on the backs of the world's most marginalized. Canada cannot transition to a renewable economy at the expense of energy sector workers, or with regressive impacts to northern and low-income communities. Nor can the federal government cede all responsibility to the provinces and territories. The development of Canada's climate action plan requires collaboration and mutual respect among everyone involved; and it requires leadership commensurate to the challenge at hand.

As citizens and consumers, Canadians have a responsibility to be part of the conversation over the next six months: to share concerns and aspirations with others, to participate in public consultations, and to contact our political representatives to urge them to do better.

The Paris Agreement opens for signatures on April 22. Canada will sign, but won't yet have an ambitious GHG emissions reduction target. Setting a target consistent with limiting warming to 1.5C is a key piece of the work needed to develop a Canadian framework climate change over the coming months. The plan that is developed must clearly establish the federal leadership role and define expectations for federal, provincial, and territorial action. And, it is imperative that our federal government take immediate action to eliminate subsidies and tax breaks to the fossil fuel industry while making strong investments in developing a green economy.

The Vancouver Declaration may have offered just enough of a foothold to reach for more.

Though we don't yet know what will be done here in Canada to address climate change, one thing is abundantly clear: the Prime Minister will not act without the provinces and the Canadian public behind him.

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Let's let him know that we want bold, ambitious, and just climate action.
shutterstock close up of woman inject drugs...

I arrive at the fertility clinic just before 7:00 a.m. for the Running of the Infertiles: a stampede of pre-work day women running from the elevator to the clinic to sign up on clipboards for their daily blood test, ultrasound and meeting with the doctor.

I move in the opposite direction of the crowd because it scares me, signing up first for blood work even though this line moves the quickest.

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I have a tendency to pass out every single time I do a blood test if I don't lie down, but seeing as I am going to be getting roughly a thousand of these and this poor, busy, nurse has about a million other women in the waiting room, I decide to give it a go sitting up. Like a normal person.

"Wait!" I call, just before she puts in the needle. "I think I need to lie back. I'm so sorry."

She kindly pulls a lever on the chair and back I go. She points to a red button on the wall.

"Don't worry if you pass out," she explains, "This is the fainting button. You faint, I push it, another nurse comes running."

"Really?" I ask.

"Really."

We both laugh.

I love the idea of a fainting button-not just the efficiency of it but its necessity reassures me that I might not be the very worst patient they have after all. Maybe I'm just the second worst. I vow then and there to never need that button pushed.

I move along to the ultrasound waiting room and am ushered into a smaller waiting area when my number, 33, is called. This isn't just any ultrasound -- it's a transvaginal ultrasound. As I watch the nurse directing us women into different exam rooms it occurs to me that she has already seen 33 vaginas this morning. All before 9:00 a.m. 33! All I've done today is have a coffee and not faint during my blood test. As I put my feet into the stirrups I try and count how many times she has seen my vagina. Has it been 6? 7? 10? I can't recall and hope she can't either, that there isn't something unusual about mine that would make it memorable.

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"What if my vagina doesn't look like everybody else's vagina?" I ask my husband, panicked, when we meet up again in the doctor's office. "What if I have a particularly ugly vagina?"

"You don't," he tells me, which I think is kind of romantic.

After meeting with the doctor, we are shuffled along into a meeting with the nurse who instructs Stephen on how to give me hormone shots in preparation for my egg retrieval -- a process known as stimulation, or "stims" on fertility blogs. The nurse is extremely sweet and patient, walking us through the process of preparing the needle and administering the injection. Stephen asks questions and takes furious notes, I stand and lift up my dress so the nurse can point out exactly where to go and I can lose even more of my dignity. As they feel around my cheek, I am overwhelmed by the fact that $4000 is going straight into my ass. And it won't even look better! It'll look worse!

The hormones are making me, well, hormonal. I'm crampy. My ass hurts. I have a headache that no amount of Tylenol will touch and just generally feel like I have a really bad flu. I watch Rory go off to Yale on Netflix to distract myself and am completely beside myself with emotion. I cry, soaking the cat who has snuggled into my lap, overcome with the purity of beginnings. Rory has so much ahead of her! She has so many ways yet to shape and mold her future self and I feel like I don't. I feel like time is just ticking away here, as I lie on the bathroom floor in a nauseous, weeping heap worrying how the baby I'm not pregnant with is going to affect the writing career I don't have.

When my mother was dying of cancer, she handled her decline with so much grace. She was beautiful and alluring and strong and funny until the very moment she passed. If I could be anything like my mother, anything at all, I want it to be this. I want to be able to handle hardships with an emotional elegance, in a way that is poetic and worthy of writing about. But nothing feels decorous about my tears or my pounding head. There is nothing dignified about calling my husband at work to cry or burying my head into the dog's chest. I've handled infertility like a messy, uncertain, hormone ravaged human and in doing so, I feel like I have disappointed my mother. I am not living up to her strength of character.

"I died of cancer and you can't handle this!?" I hear her say as I heave, "This!? Making a baby!?"

My 11-year-old niece, Emma, who is one of the very best people I know, emphasizes the point when I see her at dinner Friday night. Picking up on my increased anxiety, she takes my hand.

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"You're alive Aunty Wendy. Just enjoy it."

Is there any more to it than that? I pack her words into the little cracks of my heart. I think about my nieces and how much I love them. How lucky I am to get to be their Aunt, what strong and beautiful and amazing people they already are. I think about my family and how kind and generous they are and how lucky I am to be their sister and daughter. I think about my best friend, Sarit, who has texted me every single day to offer support and how lucky I am to have a best friend like her.

I think about my husband and how patient he has been and how lucky I am to get to love him. I think about how he takes the time out of his busy day to talk to me when I am having a difficult moment, to massage my ass cheek after he injects it with hormones. I think about how we are both alive and how we should just enjoy it, even this.

These tests and needles and treatments will all be a part of the story of us, they will be something we got through together as a team. Just as we got through my mother's death, and our roof leaking, and rushing the cat to the emergency vet, and that time Stephen got sick on our honeymoon in Costa Rica.

"Remember when you had to inject me in my ass?" I'll say, recalling this time over dinner one night. And our son or daughter will pipe in: "Dad, you gave mom needles in her ass? Gross."

Wendy is currently making a web-series about infertility, called How To Buy a Baby. Check out the teaser at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLqSlmok9KA

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As one of the poster children for world animal conservation, the Rhino gets plenty of attention and plenty of column inches. But how much real help? How much real progress to protect it? Well, new figures published recently by the IUCN tell a chilling story.

Since 2007, roughly ten years, the escalation of poaching has been appallingly steep. Most Rhinos live in South Africa, which puts huge focus and pressure on that country for progress. However, nearby countries Namibia and Zimbabwe have had increases in poaching too; meaning the overall number of poached rhinos has grown from 2014 to 2015.

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South Africa on its own had a decrease in poaching incidents last year, and as it holds four-fifths of all Africa's Rhino, that's something to be acknowledged outright. The continent-wide increase however is the number to focus on, as overall poached Rhinos increased to at least 1,338 of the magnificent animals.

Huge pressure has been put on South Africa in recent years for their record on Rhino poaching, with less pressure being applied across the rest of the continent. The situation in South Africa is so bad that some private game reserves have begun to sell off their supply of Rhino to the South African government to be released back into the wild to bulk the population. This is considered an investment, as the presence of Rhinos is a huge boost to the South African economy due to tourism. In addition, these private game reserves fear for increased security costs and attacks on the animals since the wild population is scattered.

So who is poaching these animals and why? Well, fingers have pointed to Asian black markets due to the Rhino horns use in traditional medicines. Trade in countries like China, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Korea has sky rocketed in recent years. It's not difficult to see the correlation between increase numbers of illegal Rhino horns in Asia and increased poaching numbers in Africa.

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The threat level is ever increasing too, as demand constantly increases and the supply diminishes. The cost for a single horn has quadrupled in recent years since the trend started. If you wanted to buy an illegal rhino horn now, it will set you back somewhere in the region of $60,000 per pound of horn. This means it's closing in on the same price per weight as Gold and Cocaine. For the whole horn, intact, the price becomes astronomical.

As with many traditional medicines, the evidence for the medicinal benefits of Rhino horn is non-existent.

So why can't they be better protected, why is it so difficult to do so? Well to start with the scale of their habitat. Southern African is a vast, vast landscape with largely inaccessible terrain. Kruger National Park in South Africa, a relative hot bed of Rhino, is the same size as Belgium on its own. Add in two more wild countries like Zimbabwe and Namibia and you're already fighting an uphill conservation battle before you can even lace up your boots.

Another issue would be financial as South Africa has only recently started to pump money into conservation projects within its borders. As for Namibia and Zimbabwe, much of these funds come from international contributions.

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It's sad to think that the Rhino is on the brink, but it is. At the current rate of decline, all sub-species of African Rhino could be gone within 15 years. To stop this, an international effort surely must take place to tighten the laws around the world that govern the movement and use of Rhino horn.

A picture circulated in recent years of a baby Northern White Rhino being guarded by armed men AROUND THE CLOCK due to the existence of only three in total. Let's hope it doesn't come to that with all Rhinos, it soon could.

Follow the link to get involved in conservation efforts and projects to protect Africa's Rhinos.

By Guy Bezant - Online Journalism Intern

Frontier runs conservation, development, teaching and adventure travel projects in over 50 countries worldwide - so join us and explore the world!
Is Police Use of Sound Cannons to Disperse Crowds Legal?

We all have different ideas of appropriate communication based on our backgrounds, experiences, and occupations. Take the New York City Police Department, whose spokesman called sound cannons, "A safe and effective communication tool."

The police department is being sued by a group of 5 photojournalists, activists, and students who say they were injured by the sound cannons at a protest in December 2014, according to Reuters. The group is seeking unspecified damages for use of these allegedly deafening devices to disperse legal protesters, calling it unconstitutional.

Sound Waves

The plaintiffs claim that sound cannons are anything but a communications tool. Rather, the Long Range Acoustic Devices, or LRADs, give police unbridled and unconstitutional authority to suppress free speech, according to the suit.

The group complains of nausea, migraines, ringing ears, and hearing problems following the protest over the death of Eric Garner and police involvement in it. The demonstration arose in December 2014 after a grand jury declined to indict a white police officer for a chokehold that led to the unarmed black man's July death according to an autopsy.

The military grade sound cannons that police just started using regularly against protesters for dispersal in recent years are designed for multiple purposes. They can serve as loudspeakers to issue instructions in a chaotic situation. According to the manufacturer, they can easily be heard over sirens and other noises. But also, they can be used to disperse protests, apparently.

Is It Illegal?

The complaint in the lawsuit, Edrei et al v. City of New York et al, is not about sound cannons as louspeakers and communications devices, but with the LRAD for crowd dispersal. The sound cannon is obviously intentionally unpleasant when used for crowd dispersal. Is it illegal?

The NYPD stresses the fact that it's used as recommended by the manufacturer, LRAD Corporation of San Diego, which is not named in the lawsuit. Reportedly the device can reach 120 decibels and is louder than a power saw or sandblaster ... so it is an effective communication tool insofar as it communicates the desire of authorities to drown out angry crowds, like the one that followed the grand jury's decision in the Eric Garner matter.

Accused?

If you or someone you know has been accused of a crime at a demonstration or in any other context, talk to a lawyer. Many criminal defense attorneys consult for free or a minimal fee and will be happy to discuss your case.

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Scotland's deputy first minister has made an explosive suggestion about how The Sun newspaper's revelation that the Queen "backs Brexit" came about.

John Swinney recounted a "conspiracy theory" which alleged that conversations at Rupert Murdoch's wedding led to the story hitting the front page of the media mogul's tabloid on Wednesday.

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He said: "If the Queen's had a private conversation with senior members of the government on Privy Council terms, and we all know what those rules mean, they're supposed to be kept private."

John Swinney MSP recounted a "conspiracy theory"

The SNP MSP continued: "Then a member of the Government has thought it fit to go to Rupert Murdoch's wedding and then have a conversation there which miraculously results in this story being reported on the front page of The Sun.

"I think it says more about senior members of the Government than it says about the Queen."

He then turned to the panel to ask: "Is it just me who's been wound up by that conspiracy theory or is that maybe something that might have happened?

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"I think that essentially if the Queen is going to be outside of politics she's chosen to be, other than on some occasions, unless she says something definitively, publicly and with her own words. Then I think we should respect the Queen's decision not to get involved."

The SNP politician made the comments while responding to a question on Thursday's BBC 'Question Time'. Watch video, above.

The Sun's front page on Wednesday

It comes after Justice Secretary Michael Gove, one of the most prominent figures backing Brexit in June's referendum, was touted as the figure most likely to have leaked details to The Sun.

The newspaper reported on Wednesday that the Queen told then deputy prime minister Nick Clegg she believed the Union was headed in the wrong direction during a private lunch, citing two sources.

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Other names listed as having been in conversation with the Queen at the Windsor Palace event in 2011 include Gove; former Welsh secretary Cheryl Gillan; Lord McNally, who was a justice minister; and Judith Simpson, a clerk.

Gove attended Rupert Murdoch's wedding on Saturday with his wife Sarah Vine.

Buckingham Palace subsequently complained to press watchdog, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), over the offending article.

In response, the paper said it "stands by its story", claiming it was "based upon two impeccable sources and presented in a robust, accessible fashion". A spokesman added: "The Sun will defend this complaint vigorously".

Responding to claims Gove was the source, The Sun's editor Tony Gallagher told ITV News: "They can believe what they like. We would never reveal who our sources are.

"I think it's interesting to note that there is clearly a smear operation underway at the moment and an attempt to identify Michael Gove."

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Swinney wasn't the only one casting light on Murdoch's wedding on Thursday evening.

Speaking on 'This Week', veteran broadcaster Andrew Neil reported Gove's presence at Murdoch's wedding, who attended along with Rebekah Brooks, an executive of The Sun's publisher, and Gallagher, before quipping: "Hashtag just saying."

Thursday's Question Time came from Dundee

Thursday's Question Time came from Dundee, Scotland. The programme's panel included leader of the Scottish Conservatives Ruth Davidson MSP, deputy first minister of Scotland John Swinney MSP, Labour's health spokeswoman Jenny Marra MSP.
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who last year was called pathological by Donald Trump, delivered his backing for the bewigged real estate tycoon at an event in Palm Beach ahead of the Florida primary later this week.

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Donald Trump stands with Ben Carson as he receives his endorsement at the Mar-A-Lago Club on March 11, 2016 in Palm Beach, Florida

Speaking at a press conference, Carson praised Trump as a very intelligent man who cares deeply about America."

"There's two different Donald Trumps, he added. There's the one you see on stage and the one that's very cerebral, sits there and considers things very carefully."

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Carson briefly challenged Trump in the polls last year, provoking Trump to attack the mouse-voice doctor as pathological and akin to a child molester. However, Carson said the pair had buried the hatchet and called on the Republican Party, increasingly desperate to scupper Trumps White House bid, to unify behind the mogul.

"What I've been seeing recently is political operatives ... once again trying to assert themselves and trying to thwart the will of the people," Carson said. "I find that to be an extraordinarily dangerous place right now."

Carson dropped out of the campaign last week after a succession of poor primary and caucus results. In recent months, the surgeon had endured a fractious relationship with Texas Senator Ted Cruz, whose campaign was accused of duping Iowa voters by erroneously telling them Carson had dropped out of the race. Cruz is Trumps main rival for the GOP nomination, which could go some way to explaining Carsons ringing endorsement in Florida.

On Thursday evening in Coral Gables, the Republican candidates caused a shock by holding a sensible TV debate, with no reference to small hands, menstruation or Trumps dick.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Ohio Governor John Kasich, Cruz and Trump rarely strayed from policy, refusing to engage in the fractious name-calling and rancor that sparked outrage after the live TV bloodbath in Detroit last week.

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Rubio, Cruz, Trump and Kasich shake hands at the end of their debate on the campus of the University of Miami on March 10, 2016

Thursdays pillow fight marked a rare outbreak of civility within the GOP race. However, Trump faces mounting criticism about incidents of violence at his rallies.

On Wednesday, a man was viciously attacked at a rally in North Carolina, the latest incident of aggression carried out by supporters or security staff of the Republican Party frontrunner.

The assailant, wearing a ponytail and a cowboy hat, was arrested and charged by local police. He was later identified as 78-year-old John McGraw, who admitted to Inside Edition that he liked "knocking the hell out of that big mouth." When asked why he punched the protester, McGraw said: "Number one, we dont know if hes ISIS."

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"We dont know who he is, but we know hes not acting like an American," he added. "The next time we see him, we might have to kill him."

The physical attacks on protesters, often subtly encouraged from the podium, have caused considerable disquiet among US election commentators, some going as far as to compare Trump supporters to the Nazi Brownshirts.
Boris Johnson today backed the UK getting a post-Brexit deal with the European Union which would not involve the freedom of movement of peoples into Britain.

Speaking at a Vote Leave campaign event in Dartford, Kent, this morning, the London Mayor praised the trade deal secured by Canada with the EU, which does not support freedom of movement.

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Addressing workers of the logistics firm Europa, Johnson attacked those campaigning for Remain as gloomadon poppers as he talked up how the UK could thrive post-Brexit.

When pushed by the Huff Post UK to clarify whether he felt freedom of movement laws would have to be maintained with the EU to allow businesses access to the Single Market, Johnson said: I dont think that that is necessary - I think we can strike a deal as the Canadians have done based on trade and getting rid of tariffs.

Johnsons speech got off to an inauspicious start after arriving 40 minutes late, leaving workers waiting in the cold warehouse.

Has anyone calculated the economic impact of @BorisJohnson keeping all these people from working? pic.twitter.com/a3gpLsJwOp  Owen Bennett (@owenjbennett) March 11, 2016

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After blaming South East trains for his later arrival, Johnson delivered a typically rhetoric-filled speech to the more than hundred workers present  although he did get the date of the referendum wrong.

He said: If we hold our nerve and were not timid and were not cowed by the gloomadon poppers on the Remain campaign and if we vote for freedom and the restoration of democracy on June 3 [the referendum date is June 23] then I believe this country will continue to grow and prosper and thrive as never before.

Boris Johnson says long-term supporters of the EU are "hashtag wrong then, wrong now" #wrongthenwrongnow#EUrefhttps://t.co/fUUGgfBIVq  Sky News (@SkyNews) March 11, 2016

Boris Johnson finishes speech at warehouse. Shakes woman's hand. Boris: "Thanks for coming!" Woman: "We have to come, we work here"  Michael Deacon (@MichaelPDeacon) March 11, 2016

When asked by one worker what the downsides would be of the UK leaving the EU, Johnson replied: I dont think there are any substantial downsides I really dont. Ive thought about this for a long time I think the only thing we have to fear is fear itself, so to speak, and even fear isnt completely scary at the moment.

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Johnson drew applause from the crowed when he criticised BBC Radio Five journalist John Pienaar for asking if he had ambitions to be Prime Minister.

The Upminster MP said: Can I just say how deeply disappointing it is that you have come, youve tackled South East trains, youve come all the way here, youve stood with these wonderful people here in Europa and all you can ask about is this narrow question of personality politics.

After making the criticism, Johnson posed for selfies with Europa workers and then drove a specially-branded Vote Leave HGV across the warehouse forecourt for a publicity stunt.

Chuka Umunna MP, a backer of the Britain Stronger In Europe campaign, dismissed Johnson's comments, and said: "Boris Johnson may provide entertainment, but he had no answers on what Britain's future outside the European Union would look like.

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"He said we could have a relationship with Europe along the lines of Canada's. But that is a deal that would make British people worse off with higher prices in the shops and fewer jobs.

"Until we get a clear vision from the people who want to take us out of Europe, leaving is a leap into the dark that will put families' financial security at risk."
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on Friday heard first-hand accounts of young Londoners' battle to reject knife crime.

Kate Middleton and Prince William met with the founder of charity XLP, Patrick Regan, and the children who had benefited from his programme, and heard about their experiences with gang violence, crime and family issues at the Hallows on the Wall in London.

XLP currently works with 1,500 schoolchildren, from more than 70 schools, who live on some of London's toughest estates and are facing emotional, behavioural and relational challenges. The children, aged 11 to 18, are referred to the project by their schools, youth services and police and many face exclusion from school, or are at risk of becoming involved in gangs or anti-social behaviour.

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Kate Middleton and Prince William during their visit to charity XLP

The charity has around 200 volunteers, including mentors who provide a lifeline for those in most need of support. Mentors are selected from the local community and must commit to providing two hours face-to-face time each week for at least a year.

The royal couple, who visited another XLP project in Gipsy Hill last year, also met with XLP mentors and service users from three boroughs and watched the below film about the charity's battle to change young lives.

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Young people share stories about their experiences with gang violence, crime and family issues @xlplondonpic.twitter.com/3M4ZsGekDt  Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) March 11, 2016

TRH meet @xlplondon mentors who help teens on the verge of school exclusion/have been excluded or involved in crime pic.twitter.com/B9gJSRI6Hx  Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) March 11, 2016

The Duke and Duchess with @xlplondon founder @PatrickReganXLP who founded the youth charity almost 20 years ago pic.twitter.com/mflA4ANGLt  Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) March 11, 2016

@news4trinity speaking about their mentoring program and how it helps grow the pupils at the school #xlproyalspic.twitter.com/d1TF8v3z7m  XLP Lewisham Team (@XLPLewisham) March 11, 2016

TRH first visited @xlplondon#GipsyHill in 2015 to see how they are creating positive futures for young people pic.twitter.com/mPWqF6Uj7V  Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) March 11, 2016

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More than 90 percent of beneficiaries of the XLP programme have either remained in school or returned to school and are doing well after 12 months with a mentor.

The visit caps off a busy week for Duke and Duchess of Cambridge who on Thursday visited St Thomas' Hospital where they met Jonny Benjamin, who famously tracked down the man who saved him from throwing himself off Waterloo Bridge through the social media #FindMike search.
Loose Women star Saira Khan's road to becoming a mum-of-two was far from easy.

Not long after she married her husband, Steve Hyde, Khan realised something wasn't quite right with her body. She wasn't getting pregnant.

Khan, who is now mum to Zach, seven, and Amara, five, conceived her son via IVF and travelled across the globe to adopt her daughter.

"My husband and I realised that being parents was about caring for a child and nurturing them, whether we were blood-related or not," she told The Huffington Post UK.

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"We loved that aspect of parenting, we didn't mind who the child was we just wanted to have that experience."

Saira Khan went through one round of IVF to fall pregnant with her son

When Khan found she couldn't fall pregnant, doctors told her she had endometriosis - a condition where tissue that behaves like the lining of the womb (the endometrium) is found outside the womb.

Khan was classified as having stage three endometriosis known as "moderate". Stage one is classed as "minimal" and stage four is "severe". Stage three is considered as an advanced stage, according to the Endometriosis Institute.

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At stage three, there are "deep implants on your ovary and pelvic lining", which interfere with ovulation and the egg embryo transport, meaning it is very hard to fall pregnant. In the stages one and two women have more of a chance of conceiving naturally.

"It's quite a common thing in women, but I was told the only way for me to have children at this stage was through IVF - there was no alternative," she said.

Khan calls herself "lucky" because her first round of IVF worked and she gave birth to her son, Zach, in 2008.

Two years down the line when she wanted more children, she was told IVF would be the only option again.

Khan went through another cycle of IVF, but said she and her husband had already made the decision that if it didn't work the first time, they had a plan B.

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"It didn't work, and we had no doubt in our minds that we weren't going to continue - we wanted to adopt," Khan said.

"I had spoken to a few people who had IVF and were on their fourth cycle, but I couldn't put myself through it again. It's an intense procedure and a gamble.

"Why gamble when there are so many children out there who need a loving home?"

The day Khan found out her second round of IVF had failed, she picked up the phone to enquire about adopting another child.

She and her husband visited the local council straight away and were referred to discuss things with a social worker.

However in a frank and open discussion, they were told it would be hard to adopt because the adoption process law says you can't adopt a child unless there is a significant two year gap between the two children. Zach was only just two at the time.

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In order to have a big enough age gap between their children Khan and her husband would need to adopt a newborn baby, but they were told this would be hard in the UK and would take much longer.

Khan begun to think about alternative options.

"I come from heritage in Pakistan and I had visited an orphanage in Karachi two years prior to this and it made me think about intercountry adoptions," she said.

"I was told I could do that. Our local council outsourced the adoption process to the charity PACT and it was through them we managed to start the process.

"PACT were outstanding - they had time for us and genuinely engaged in making sure our adoption was how we wanted it."

The adoption process in Pakistan was slightly different, however. Khan had to go travel to the orphanage in Pakistan, unaware of what child she would be adopting.

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She explained: "One of the things with intercountry adoption is depending on where you adopt, there are different rules.

"Pakistan is not part of the Geneva Convention, which basically means when you go over to adopt, you have to physically go to that country and make contact, following their rules and regulations.

"This means you have no clue or idea about what child you're going to get."

Saira Khan and her daughter Amara, now five

Once Khan and her husband had reached the final stage of the adoption process with PACT, it was time for her to go to Pakistan.

"I literally went out there to the orphanage and said 'Hi, I've been approved by the British government for adoption, my papers are with the British embassy and I've come to adopt a child from your orphanage," she explained.

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Khan was told there were no newborns, so she should go to her hotel and wait until she was called.

Six days later, she received a call saying a baby girl had been left at the orphanage.

"I went in and sat and waited, and they brought a pink blanket over to me and put her in my arms," Khan recalled.

"What was really significant to me at this point was that I remembered everything I had been taught on the adoption course with PACT.

"I was elated, but nervous and anxious. I was given a baby with no medical record, no state of health and was told 'this is your child'."

Khan said PACT's advise parents adopting children from overseas to ensure that people are matched with the child they want and know they can look after them comfortably once in the UK.

"I was looking for obvious disabilities, at which stage we could decide whether we were going to go ahead with the adoption or not," she explained.

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"Adopting children from overseas means that if the child had a disability and we knew about it before entering the UK, the NHS would not pay for any medical care for that child and the whole health bill would then have to be handled by us.

"So for example if it was discovered that Amara had HIV before entering the UK, even though we are British citizens our baby would not have access to NHS services for that condition and her whole treatment for life would have had to be paid by us.

"I had no idea what Amara's health condition was, but I fell in love with her immediately and I didn't care what her health condition was as I was committed to look after her no matter what."

The procedure that PACT ask all parents to carry out when they are handed a newborn baby includes: Take off baby's clothes. Look into baby's eyes to see if baby can focus. Test hearing by clicking fingers. Check baby's grip. Check baby's spine, legs arms and head. Check breathing. Check nappy area. Take baby to hospital for blood tests.

Khan took Amara straight to the hospital in Karachi, where a paediatrician gave her a medical examination and she was told her daughter was very weak at just under five pounds. She wouldn't feed and was put in intensive care immediately.

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Khan named her daughter Amara, a muslim name that means 'eternal'.

It took seven days for Amara to come out of intensive care.

"Once we were out of the hospital, I phoned my husband and he came out for four weeks with my son, now we knew that she was well and going to survive," she said.

"In total I was out there for three months. I had to stay out there for so long because she was left with no name, papers or identification.

"I had to get her identified and liaise with the embassy before bringing her back to the UK."

Khan said the whole experience was overwhelming, but she learned when you're a mother, you'll do anything for your child.

"I didn't see myself as brave," she added. "I'm a mother and I did what I could to make sure she was okay.

"Watching a child grow because of the love you give it and everything you put into it amazes me," she added.

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"The power of love, you see that in an adoptive child - they're responding to your love, care and opportunities you provide."

Khan says adoption is an incredible experience, but she understands it's not something that works for everyone.

She said parents who are struggling to conceive should make sure they go and chat to a professional to understand if adoption is the right route for them.

But for those who are interested in this route, Khan said the adoption process in the UK is "outstanding" and gives parents the skills to cope with all eventualities, such as how to bring the topic of adoption into their children's lives and understanding what questions they will ask as they grow older.

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"Zach and Amara are inseparable now and they adore each other," she said. "I might as well have given birth to her - she's a mini me.

"Adoption has been part of our family since we brought Amara home. I got a painting commissioned which tracked Amara's life from Karachi to Oxford.

"It takes pride in our room and Amara can look up at it and see every day of her life - adoption should never be a surprise to her."

Khan said she calls Amara's birth mum her "tummy mummy" and both Amara and Zach know they came from different mummie's tummies.

"Adoption has a big stigma," she continued. "But if you celebrate it and make it part of your life, it's not a big deal and we talk about it all the time."

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Khan said Amara will never be able to find her tummy mummy because her identity is unknown, but she will never be forgotten about.

"Once a year, on Mother's Day, I think a lot about the mother who gave birth to my daughter," she said.

"I send her a wish and hope it gets to her because I don't know who it is, but I hope she feels her daughter is well looked after and is bringing so much joy to another family.

"She is the centre of our life. I send that wish and really hope it gets to her."
A makeup artist has died just weeks after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.

Demi Wright, 22, began to suffer pain in her side back in November 2015. Initially, she was admitted to a maternity ward as her body was producing hormones associated with pregnancy.

But doctors soon discovered that she had a large tumour growing inside her.

She was later diagnosed with terminal adenocarcinoma and died just three weeks later.

Her family said they are "devastated" by their loss and are trying to raise money in their daughter's memory.

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Demi Wright died just three weeks after being diagnosed with terminal cancer

After experiencing pain in her side, Wright visited her doctors who admitted her to a maternity ward because her body was producing hormones similar to those of pregnant women.

It was soon discovered that she wasn't actually pregnant and that the hormones were being emitted by a 12cm tumour.

She was later diagnosed with terminal adenocarcinoma, which had spread throughout her body.

Wright, who worked as a makeup artist for Lancome, was admitted to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge at the start of the year.

But her health deteriorated quickly and, tragically, she died just three weeks later on 23 February.

Since her death, Wright's family have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money in her memory. So far they have managed to raise almost 2,000, which will go to Cancer Research UK.

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Wright's father Chris said of his daughter: "Demi had an infectious, beautiful smile and it showed her personality off."

He explained that the whole ordeal had been "devastating".

"When we found out the cancer was terminal, she lifted herself up, she patted the bed and said, 'Dad, come and sit here'. She gave me a big hug and said: 'It's going to be okay'," he told the Daily Gazette.

"The next day, she passed away."

Adenocarcinoma is the name given to a cancer of the glandular tissue, which can occur in different parts of the body.

Dr Helen Webberley, the dedicated GP for Oxford Online Pharmacy, said: "In this unfortunate case, it occurred in the patients endometrial tissue. This type of growth is also known as a molar pregnancy."

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She explained: "Initially, a molar pregnancy acts in the same way as a conventional pregnancy, tests are positive due to the release of the HCG hormone and there is a growth in the uterus. It is only when the patient comes for their 12-week scan that a molar pregnancy is detected.

"The cells need to be removed and most women can expect a full recovery. However, close follow-up is needed because there is a small chance of developing a type of cancer, as appears to be the case with this patient.

"If a cancer does develop, effective treatment is available and most women can be cured."
The five things you need to know on Friday March 11, 2016

1) ACTION DAN

Dan Jarviss speech on the economy yesterday wasnt earth-shattering, but then again it wasnt meant to be. Instead, it was aimed at reassuring the soft left of Labour (which makes up much of its membership and a fair few MPs) that the ex-Para shared their Milibandite analysis of the worlds problems, but had some more practical solutions. An Action Dan, with grip hands, you might say.

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Chuck in a few neat references to Keir Hardie saying the British public dont like chasing bubbles and his tears at hearing his local youth choir and you see the beginnings of an offering. Although he ducked any such talk, for those of us in the room it felt like a very clear show of ankle for a future leadership bid. In sum, hes not the Messiah, but neither is he a very naughty boy.

Despite his protestations that he was in no way seeking to criticise Corbyn, the most striking message was how high Jarvis raised the bar for the May elections. Labour should be taking not losing English councils, he said. (Stephen Kinnock, Angela Eagles PPS, was even more outspoken on the test for Corbyn on our podcast HERE). As for leadership challenges, he made plain no one should be doing anything before the EU referendum on June 23. But after it?

2) KEN GOES NAGASAKI

Maybe thats why many on the Left were nervous about Jarvis yesterday. And maybe thats why Ken Livingstone really went nuclear on LBC, attacking Jarviss financial support from a hedge fund manager Martin Taylor as being a bit like Jimmy Savile fundraising [for] a children's group.

What was significant was the ferocity of the return fire from Jarviss troops and supporters. Jamie Reed ("There's no sewer so fetid that Ken won't swim in it) and Michael Dugher (Ken Livingstone is not fit to lace Dan Jarvis's boots.) told HuffPost of their disgust, while plenty of MPs retweeted their anger. Expect more, much more of this mano-a-mano combat if the summer coup really does happen.

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In the firefight between Corbyn supporters and those they see as the enemy, comedian Jeremy Hardy also took some flak after suggesting that ex defence minister Kevan Jones was suffering from depression because of his bleak pro-Trident views (a neat hit for BuzzFeed). PolHome reports Jones has written to Corbyn demanding he condemn Hardys remarks.

3) BLAIR FORCE AWAKENS

Mr Tony is back. He gave Nick Robinson a Today prog interview in which he rammed home Project Doubt, saying there would be years of economic uncertainty after Brexit and that he was concerned not enough was being done to counter the Outers. What caught my ear was him saying it was time for people to argue the In case with some passion - that sounded like a direct hit at Jeremy Corbyn (who on Monday was told by Barry Sheerman to show some passion). The rise of Clive Lewiss new leftwing In campaign worries several of his colleagues. Blair tried to turn on its head the elites v the people case of the Brexiters come on, you guys are just as elitist anybody else.

The row over the Sun/Queen story rumbles on with Cameron saying it would be very serious if Michael Gove had leaked Her Majs words. Nick Soames suggested Gove should suffer the same fate as Sir Thomas More.

John McDonnell is not exactly Blairs biggest fan but today he adopts a Blair-Brown pitch on fiscal rectitude (that sounds exactly like Ed Balls). Some have already pointed out its similarity to Liz Kendalls line that theres nothing progressive about running a deficit. Yet McDonnell is also keen on opposing cuts - cuts like the Mirrors splash showing the PMs mum has lost her voluntary job at an axed childrens centre.

BECAUSE YOUVE READ THIS FAR

Watch this baby sea otter snuggle up to its mum. Hey, its Friday

4) BISH BOSH

Just like the Bible itself, whatever your political persuasion you can pick and choose what you like from The House magazines excellent interview with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.

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His attack on the outrageous suggestion that fears about migration are racist (the ghost of Gillian Duffy returns) gets him the Mail splash and the lead on the BBC today. But he also attacked the PM for his really very thin programme to accept just 20,000 Syrian refugees, compared to the 1.1m Germany has taken in.

5) OBAMA SCARE

Barack Obamas Atlantic interview is a superb read. And a bit like Welbys interview, there are so many news lines that you can cherry pick what you like. Obama going public with the open secret in Whitehall - that he warned Cameron to commit to 2% defence spending - is picked up by the UK papers.

But so too are Obamas remarks about Cameron getting distracted after the toppling of Gaddafi. Theres Washington irritation with the way George Osborne tilted to China by supporting its Asian infrastructure investment bank. And the BBCs Jon Sopel points to another serious fracture: the Obama administration has grown frustrated that its requests for operational assistance from British special forces, including the famed SAS, are not granted with the same frequency that they were in the past. The criticism is that the UK is no longer punching its weight.

Yet the line that is exciting many in the US is Obama was deeply proud of his decision not to bomb Assad over chemical weapons. We learn that Ed Milibands Commons ambush of Cameron on the issue was one factor. But a bigger factor was Obamas own decision to stand up to his generals and find a different course: he reckons the deal with Russia to dismantle the weapons was in fact proof that action followed his red line being crossed. That, plus his wider approach of not jumping in to the Middle East unless it posed a direct threat to the US, is sure to be picked up by Jeremy Corbyn.

COMMONS PEOPLE

Jeremy Corbyn Under Pressure, International Women's Day and that Sunday Trading Defeat all feature in this weeks Commons People podcast. We also have our usual Quiz of the Week - guess which international day is real or fake. Plus Yvette Cooper and Stephen Kinnock interviews.

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If youre reading this on the web, sign-up HERE to get the WaughZone delivered to your inbox.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is interviewed by Maria Bartiromo during her Richard Drew/AP

Tony Blair has admitted it may not be entirely helpful for the pro-European Union campaign if he were to speak out more often.

"I dont know whether its the right time for me on the campaign trail. That carries with it negatives as well as positives," he said on Friday.

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The former prime minister told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he believed the British people were "sensible" and would vote to remain in the EU at the June 23 referendum. "Our destiny is to lead in Europe and we can and we should," he said.

However in what will be seen as a subtle warning to Jeremy Corbyn, he said it was "time for people to argue this case for Europe with some passion".

The current Labour leader has been criticised by some within his party for not showing enough enthusiasm for the pro-EU campaign.

Blair also rejected the suggestion that the pro-EU side of the debate was too elitist. "At some point the political class as a whole has got to get up and stand up for itself and the centre ground in-particularly has got to get some more muscularity in its position," he said.

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"When people go on about how the elites want Europe but he people don't. There plenty of elites on the anti European side. The powerful people in the newspapers who are driving this and others who are major politicians who fighting this case they are no less elitist than politicians on the others side. The question is what is right for the people."

On Monday, veteran Labour MP Barry Sheerman seized on Corbyns perceived lack of enthusiasm for the EU In campaign. "Without the Labour machinery to get the vote out, we will lose! he shouted at the Labour leader during a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party. "Jeremy I beg you, get out there and show some passion to win the referendum."
Yoga is such a wonderful way to maintain your pregnancy fitness. It has all the advantages of stretching with the added bonus of calming the mind and preparing your body for labour. The breathing techniques you practise during a prenatal yoga session are hugely beneficial when it comes to giving birth and you'll be glad of the improvements to your strength and flexibility as well.

Yoga in pregnancy promotes health and well-being, is great for alleviating stress and tension, improves your circulation and releases endorphins to make you feel good too!

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Studies have shown that women who practise yoga during pregnancy are less likely to develop high blood pressure or go into premature labour. Many 'asanas' will help create more space in your pelvis for your baby and can help ease back pain and there are a number of poses that can assist or even speed up labour, easing your baby's entry into the world. Breathing techniques can also be invaluable during labour, helping you to relax and manage pain.

You don't need any special equipment -although wearing a supportive pregnancy yoga top will help improve your posture and maternity leggings that stretch as you stretch and cover your bump will be more comfortable.

Yoga is also extremely helpful when you are feeling uncomfortable especially for many minor discomforts that are often dismissed as 'something to put up with'. If you can ease these with yoga poses it is worth giving a go!

Childs pose to help back pain

A relaxing pose that takes the weight of your baby of your spine and increases mobility of your pelvic joints!

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Eagle pose to help with stiff upper back

Fantastic for releasing tension between your shoulder blades and upper back - growing pregnancy boobs can make your shoulders stiff and achy.

Cow Pose to help with heart burn

This will create space in your diaphragm which eases the pressure on your stomach which exacerbates heart burn especially in the third trimester as your baby gets much bigger quickly. It's also great for reliving tension in your upper back and shoulders.

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Tailor Sitting pose to prepare for labour
Police using force last Saturday to prevent Spurs thugs from attacking visiting Arsenal fans.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) report on the use of force by police could have been headed "Ours is the Most Restrained Police Service in the World And Will Strive to Improve Still Further." Of course they didn't; instead we saw the IPCC attempting to justify their beleaguered existence and ingratiate itself with a public who, like front line police officers, distrusts them. The result; a morale damaging report on the police use of force.

The 105 page report, full of charts and statistics that include conclusions from ridiculously small samples, is almost totally devoid of any sympathy or empathy for front line officers who are facing increasing levels of violence, abuse and assaults on the front line.

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That, perhaps is not surprising, given that the person overseeing this report is Dame Anne Owers, the chairperson of the IPCC who wrote the introduction. If we look back to the Daily Telegraph in March 2014, this appeared.

How much faith can police officers have in the IPCC when its head makes comments which would be more appropriate coming from an extreme police hating activist? She is seemingly oblivious of the trust/approval ratings shown in various surveys which are way ahead of those of her political masters.

One factor that has been confirmed however, is that there is no major public concern in relation to the force used by police and, despite the best efforts by the IPCC, that situation is likely to remain unchanged. Members of the public are not fools. They can see for themselves either directly, or via the plethora of police 'fly on the wall' documentaries, the very real difficulties faced by police on the front line.

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All critical reports, whether by the Home Office, the IPCC or the HMIC, claim to have consulted police officers, doubtless those hand-picked for task, yet all those who carry out such research perhaps need to 'get out more' namely with front line officers preferably on a Friday or Saturday night.

Even allowing for those sections of the report that are not contentious as far as police are concerned, this report succeeded only in antagonising front line police officers with one recommendation in particular being greeted with a combination of dismay and disbelief.

Is it really being suggested that officers pay a 'customer service feedback call' to individuals against who the police have been compelled to use force to gauge his or her level of 'satisfaction?'

Let's take a situation where a lone officer comes across a brawl in the street where one male is savagely attacking another. The officer intervenes and himself is attacked and almost over-powered. Other officers responding to the 'urgent assistance' and with difficulty subdue the individual. The officer is treated in hospital for his injuries.

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Presumably in the aftermath, in the world of Dame Anne Owers, this thug would be contacted by police and asked for his 'feedback' on the level of force used by officers when affecting his arrest. He would, judging from the recommendation, be positively encouraged to make a complaint.

And what about where officers use force and no arrests are made? Recently in Dover, during a right wing protest against migrants, police had to 'wade in' to rescue left wing activists being attacked. Just last week thugs supporting Spurs attacked Arsenal fans as they were attempting to enter the ground and again police 'waded in' using force to stop the attacks. Throughout that morning before the match police had to deal with serious disorder much of which was captured on You Tube yet, as is often the way with serious disorder, just a handful of arrests were made.

Is Dame Anne Owers seriously suggesting that those Spurs thugs, and there were hundreds of them, be identified and contacted to give their views on the level of force used by police?

The IPCC report spent much time pondering the subject of those coming into contact with police who have mental health issues using a small sample. Front line officers need no reminding of the increasing workload and indeed difficulties posed by those with mental health issues. Like a drowning man reaching for a rope, those same officers would welcome any meaningful training (as opposed to that of the computerised tick the box variety) which would benefit them and those they are called to deal with.

Needless to say police are often the safety net after other agencies and organisations have failed (perhaps through no fault of their own) those suffering from the various forms of mental illness.

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The IPCC, from its tiny sample of cases, found fault with some yet no mention was made of the numerous occasions when police have successfully intervened in incidents involving those who feel they have come to the end of the line. Incidents of persons intending to take their own lives being' talked down' by police from motorway and river bridges or from tall buildings, abound.

Police force used against black and minority ethnic groups were also considered using again a small number of cases while force used against children revolved around an even smaller sample. I suspect Dame Anne and her acolytes have never had to deal with a muscular, violent 15 or 16 year old 'child.'

The IPCC must have felt an element of disappointment in its findings whereby 83% of those surveyed felt that police used reasonable force. They seemed buoyed however by the fact that this figure dropped to 61% amongst the black community. Even that figure however, given the fact that we are told how alienated the black community are from police, is surprisingly high.

Perhaps more relevant than the small samples used by the IPCC are the overall figures given in respect of complaints concerning the police use of force. I glanced at the overall figure for all forces; 33,791. Allowing for malicious and ludicrous complaints, the figure seemed quite reasonable considering the total number of arrests per year is around 1,000,000; each arrest is of course technically a use of force and of course not all complaints will be the result of an arrest.

However, when I looked again, this 33,791 was in fact over a FIVE year period during which time the arrest total was around 5,000,000.

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Another section of the report referred to actual investigations undertaken by the IPCC. Was this a dip sample or the entire figures over a 5 year period?

Assuming the IPCC are not referring to some sort of dip sample, which is why the extract has been reproduced here and accepting that these are the most serious incidents, are they really saying that out of 5,000,000 arrests plus non-arrest incidents, we are left with just 191 major investigations?

Other than the absurd recommendation above, whereby thugs who quite possibly have attacked and perhaps hospitalised officers, are asked by police for their 'feedback,' there may well be merit in some of the IPCC's twenty recommendations that are not linked to prohibitive bureaucracy.

However, to many weary serving officers this simply looks like another over-exaggerated example of police bashing published in the knowledge that the media would seize on the negative aspects. In fairness and, doubtless much to the frustration of the IPCC spin doctors, there was relatively little media interest.

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The problem however is that officers are facing increasing intimidation, abuse, face to face confrontation, violence and assaults on the streets from increasingly confident lawless elements and political activists. These elements can surely be only be encouraged by the contempt so frequently shown to police by the media, politicians, activists and indeed by an unsympathetic IPCC soon to be renamed and 'reformed' into the 'Office for Police Conduct.'

The phrase that includes leopards and spots springs to mind and who can forget Dame Anne Owers' comments, referred to above, as published in the Telegraph back in 2014.

Perhaps front line officers would have greater confidence in the IPCC/OFPC if that organisation actually admitted that, despite inevitable transgressions, the British police service is unparalleled in its restraint, compassion, and acts of kindness which can be seen on a daily basis.
"The days of irregular migration to Europe are over", announced European Council President Donald Tusk on 7 March 2016. If only this were true! Alas, this confident prediction smacks of wishful thinking.

Root Cause

Tinkering with the problem may possibly provide a certain amount of temporary relief, but until the root cause of the problem is tackled there can be no long-term solution.

So, what is the root cause of the migration crisis? The root cause of the migration crisis is surprisingly simple. It is largely a result of the wholesale disruption of the Islamic world, which in turn was essentially caused by over-population in the countries concerned.

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Syria: High Unemployment Driven by "Youth Bulge"

Syria is a good example. The Syrian civil war has been raging now for five years. It is usually thought of as a sectarian conflict between Sunni and Shia Muslims, but it has deeper roots. President Assad and the ruling elite belong to the Alawite sect, a branch of Shia (although Assad's wife comes from a Sunni family), but almost three-quarters of the population is Sunni - including the poorest elements. In 2011 the median age of the population was 23, meaning that half the population was below that age. (www.indexmundi.com/syria/median_age.html). According to the World Bank, youth unemployment - referring to people between the ages of 15 and 24 - stood at 33.7% in 2011. (data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.1524.ZS). The civil war began as a wave of protests driven by this disaffected "youth bulge", similar to what was happening elsewhere during the "Arab Spring".

The Syrian civil war has since spiralled out of control, resulting in over 350,000 Syrians seeking asylum in the EU in 2015 alone. Other countries account for fewer migrants, but the total number of irregular migrants entering Germany during 2015 topped the million mark, over 476,000 of whom applied for asylum. Little Hungary (population 10 million) has the dubious honour of being the second most popular destination for migrants, 177,130 of whom had applied for asylum by the end of 2015. (www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34131911).

ISIS Recruitment

The spectacular and alarming rise of the self-styled "caliphate" known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh is also largely based on its recruitment of disaffected young Muslims -- from the West as well as from the Islamic world. Ten years ago France (population 65 million) already had about 5 million Muslims, largely concentrated in the poorest parts of Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other large cities. Today about a fourth of young Muslims in France are unemployed and it is estimated that Muslims make up about half of all the inmates of French prisons,

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Common Origin

A solution can only be found once it is recognised that the disruption of Islamic societies, the rise of ISIS and the EU migrant crisis all have the same origin - high unemployment, alienation and disaffection among young Muslims driven by a high birth-rate and a "youth bulge".

The problem actually extends well beyond the Islamic world to third world countries generally. Here are a few figures produced by www.breathingearth.net:

Sudan

Population: 51,273,227

1 person dies every: 1 minute

1 person is born every: 19.6 seconds

Pakistan

Population: 206,932,301

1 person dies every: 24.2 seconds

1 person is born every: 6.8 seconds

Nigeria

Population: 172,362,346

1 person dies every: 12.7 seconds

1 person is born every: 5.7 seconds

There is a vicious spiral at work here:

High birth-rate coupled with declining death-rate

Youth bulge

High unemployment, especially among the young

Competition for scarce resources, including basic commodities like water

Disease

Internal disruption or civil war

Spilling over into irregular migration into Europe

Right-wing European backlash

Increased unemployment in Europe

Inter-community conflict in Europe

Threat to European values

Solution

There is no quick fix, but there is a long-term solution, which is to put pressure on third world countries to control their population growth. Foreign aid is the key here. No third world country should receive any aid unless it can prove that it has in place a successful programme of population control.

It is all very well to say that population growth will decline naturally with increased prosperity. That is far too long-term a goal, which may never be reached. Even the well-known left-wing French economist Thomas Piketty has admitted that black income inequality in South Africa is higher now than it was under apartheid 25 years ago.

The plan announced by Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, on 7 March 2016, after a "summit" with Turkey, is intended as further implementation of the joint Action Plan on migration subscribed to by 25 EU member states on 12 November 2015. It claims to have as its first priority to "address the root causes of migration", but it does no such thing. Third world birth-rates are not even mentioned!

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Visibility is an important factor to raising awareness of trans issues. Currently in the UK mainstream media, there's very little representation of trans people, let alone non-binary people. With the rise of a few American shows (Transparent, OITNB) there's a few more trans characters in existence, and sometimes they are even played by a trans actor!

This time last year, the Trans Acting course was a tiny thread of an idea. Once I got past the first few turbulent years of my medical transition, I was keen to do some acting and I wanted a bespoke course which covered the basics whilst being aware of the issues trans people may face (potential anxieties and having been socialised differently, when younger).

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As part of my commitment to Trans Acting, I created this film featuring many of us which took part, the various workshops we took part in and also features Monica and Misia who were invited to audition for acting roles on Casualty.

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Misia, who is 16, plays a 16 year old trans guy in the episode. I asked him what connection he felt with his character Robert. Misia says, "He was very similar to me in personality as well as age and gender identity. The fact he's not the most outgoing person also made my first acting job easier as I was nervous as hell already. Being trans has affected my self esteem but more and more I am becoming proud of who I am and acting really helps that, especially when I can play realistic trans characters like him."

I was keen to find out what response he's been getting from his peers and those who connected with his character. "So many young trans people have sent me messages saying how the scenes brought them to tears as they felt they were being properly represented and the emotions surrounding the trans storyline were authentic because I am trans. Some said that it even helped their parents to accept them or change their name legally."

Expect to see more of Misia, who already has an agent keen to sign him. "I've always wanted to be an actor but the idea of actually becoming one was too scary and didn't seem applicable to me. But the response to Robert from young trans people saying how the representation affected them really hit home and has given me a new drive."

So that's extremely positive for Misia and it's also one of the few fictional representations of trans masculine people that I've seen. However, despite seeing this representation of a trans guy in a mainstream drama, there is a the overall storyline in this Casualty episode is clearly problematic.

Sarah Lennox, who has been a massive force for change via Trans Media Watch and later All About Trans, shares her analysis. "It's not all about you ..." says the young trans guy to the young cis woman but clearly the storyline is all about her and her *struggle* to accept her trans friend's authenticity... and that would be OK except that in the process a trans woman is introduced as a dramatic device in a transmisogynistic way which is as smelly as a piece of old cheese. The two dimensional trans woman is portrayed as a bitter aggressive bitch who the cis woman is 'goaded' into striking out at, causing her to fall from a balcony and possibly fracture her spine. The young cis woman shows not the slightest remorse about this and it's dramatised in such a way that we are implicated in feeling the trans woman deserves no pity.

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In the last shot of her the trans woman is lying in a hospital bed staring daggers at the young cis woman who is smiling triumphantly. Would this not have stood out as deeply problematic if the trans woman character had been cis unless the character was being intentionally set up as a villain? Casting trans women as two dimensional villains or without redeeming qualities is problematic at a point when that is virtually the only role we've seen them play for the last half century.

Why was the young cis girl not faced with a possible charge of assault? If I knocked somebody off a balcony potentially causing them life threatening injuries and this was done with NO self-defence justification, I would assume I'd be facing a possible prison sentence. There's not even a suggestion that this might be the case. Tara Hudson received a prison sentence for a less serious assault on a man in a pub. What are we therefore supposed to take away from this scene? That trans women are lesser people who can be assaulted with impunity?

The wider implication of this is reflected in the number of trans people who find themselves involved in violent altercations as a result of being on the receiving end of transphobia in a public space. Trans women especially are frequently assumed to have initiated violence because their 'dishonest' presentation as a woman 'goaded' their attacker into resorting to physical violence. A trans person defending themself can easily result in an entirely unjustified criminal record for assault which can negatively impact on the difficulties they already face being trans in a depressing vicious cycle ... ie. employment, housing, family relations etc.."

Anyone who knows Monica will know how glamorous and well-presented she usually is. Was it a deliberate move to dress Monica as a trashy, false-eyelash, wig-wearing woman called Daisy? Monica tells us "I think it was brilliant as my first acting job. I do however feel that the character played was deliberately dressed and made up to look like a charichature of a trans-woman. I also felt like Daisy was portrayed as someone who was misguiding Robert and generally an unsavoury and manipulative character who ever after being thrown off a ledge, got no justice. On a more positive note, I think the story touches on the real life issues of my life and many trans people who watched."

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As an emerging community of trans people, we are generally well-versed in evolving language and issues affect our quality of life. Because there is not enough representation and these are early days, we are impatient to see aspects of ourselves represented in the media. We often get angry or upset when we don't see ourselves reflected in a mainstream character, no matter how authentic they may be.

And, as Sarah Lennox states, "Getting more trans actors on screen is defective if it does not include an equally important drive to encourage more trans writers and directors into creating the stories or cis writers and directors into including trans actors as emotionally rich equals to cis people in their dramas as Elliott Kerrigan has done in BBC Boy Meets Girl (as has been done in the USA Boy Meets Girl, Tangerine and Sense8). Having said that I'm very aware of the way Laverne Cox for instance played stereotype trans dramatic devices for years until she got into the position of choosing her roles."

Rachel Benson, the powerhouse behind Youth Cymru and Trans*Form (a trans support group) explains how the BBC Casualty team reached out to them last August. "They were in the very early stages of developing a storyline featuring a trans character and were keen to meet with trans young people to hear their experiences first hand. Some of the Trans*Form group met with a researcher and script writer. The conversation was a more general one around gender and identity and the young people's experiences rather than on the specifics of the episode. The young people emphasised the importance of casting trans actors in the roles, the importance of being aware of language and pronouns and being aware of the episode's educative role (for example, if showing a character binding, the importance of promoting good practice and not showing the character using ace bandages for instance). This was part of a much wider conversation around the representation of trans people in the media and the importance of positive portrayals and role models on the wellbeing and self esteem of young people."

Rachel states she wasn't involved in the development of the episode beyond those early conversations but we were really pleased that the young people's comments had been taken on board and two trans actors were cast in the roles.

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This week, for International Women's Day, I want to celebrate women of the North East of England, my constituency.

There are many women from the region who deserve to be celebrated, among them Ummee Imam, the Director of the Angelou Centre, Mary Midgely, the famous moral philosopher, Mo Mowlam, the MP for Redcar who brokered peace in Northern Ireland by overseeing the Good Friday Agreement, Steph Houghton, from Durham, who is the captain for England and Manchester City Ladies.

But perhaps most famous and most rightly celebrated is Emily Wilding Davison, the only suffragette who died in the fight for women's right to vote. Before she died under the King's horse at Epsom Derby, she was jailed nine times and force fed on forty-nine separate occasions. She hid in a cupboard in the House of Commons during the 1911 census so she could give it as her place of residence, and she saved her fellow suffragettes from force-feeding after throwing herself down a 10-metre iron staircase in protest while in prison. Her fight was long, and hard, and she did not get to live to see it succeed.

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On Tuesday, Priti Patel, the Minister of State for Employment, invoked the suffragette movement by claiming that the EU undermined the rights that the suffragettes fought for, because it undermines our democracy.

Ironically, the suffragette movement was incredibly internationalist, and fought in solidarity not only with women across Europe, but with women across the world.

Dr Helen Pankhurst, great-granddaughter of suffragette leader Emmeline, said in response:

"My great-grandmother fought tirelessly for women's rights and dedicated her life to making sure women could live their lives free from discrimination. It is unacceptable to use her achievements to argue for something that is so out of line with the spirit of international solidarity that defined the suffragette movement."

"To the contrary, I believe that my great-grandmother would have been the first to champion what the EU has meant for women, including equal pay and anti-discrimination laws."

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EU law protects equal pay for equal work - something the suffragettes themselves fought for in the 1910s - maternity rights, bans gender discrimination in employment and provision of services, tackles domestic violence, and has invested millions of euros to combat female genital mutilation.
I'm among the 93% of scientists who, in a recent survey by the UK's Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE), agreed that EU membership benefits UK science and engineering research.

It's not surprising that the scientific and technological community is overwhelmingly positive on this issue. Some of Europe's greatest technical successes - in particle physics and in aerospace, for instance - have required multinational collaboration. Such achievements show that Europe can fully match the US if its expertise is coordinated optimally. Bodies like CERN and the European Space Agency, for instance, are underpinned by international treaties: they aren't directly linked to the EU. However the EU has been an important 'facilitator' of collaboration across the whole range of 'wissenschaft'.

The EU fellowships and network programmes have been an effective stimulus and catalyst. The Erasmus programme has allowed 200,000 UK students to gain experience on the mainland. Our Universities currently host over 120.000 students from the rest of the EU.The European Research Council (ERC) supports outstanding individuals at all levels of seniority, on the basis of stringent peer review (and the UK receives more than its pro-rata share of the benefits).

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The improvement in quality, reach and impact - and the freedom of movement - facilitated by EU membership allows "Grand Challenge" problems to be tackled more effectively than any one country could achieve alone. Without multilateral collaboration, European nations are generally too small to foster as many peaks of specialized excellence as there are in the US, either in research or in high-tech industry. And in an ever more interconnected world, we need more trans-national harmonissation. At the level of individual consumers, this includes (for example) uniform roaming charges for mobile phones. At the industrial level Sir Andrew Witty, head of GSK, has emphasised that the existence of common regulations for drug approval across the community is a 'big deal'.

The challenges of dealing with environmental issues, and building a network for optimum low-carbon energy generation, will require new infrastructure on a continental scale. In the long run we need a new grid to link northern Europe with the sunny south, and to provide east-west links that can smooth peak demand by connecting different time-zones.

Academia, high-tech industry and the professions in this country benefit hugely from talent attracted from across the EU. In my own Cambridge college the strongest academic cohort are students from mainland Europe, many from the 'enlarged EU' - from Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and other nations with a strong academic tradition. Polls reveal the younger generation, overall, to be more positive than their elders about the EU. They see themselves as 'Europeans' with a shared culture, and recognise that our continent can best achieves growing prosperity - and tackle global challenges - through the exploitation of science and technology. Europe can be a progressive political force in a turbulent and multipolar world. Indeed, although the science-linked arguments are themselves compelling, they're trumped for many of us by these broader ones.

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But despite the strong support for the EU, especially among the young, the universities, the technical community, and a majority of our business and professional leaders, opinion among the public at large seems closely balanced between "inners" and "outers". All too many think of 'Europe' as the landmass across the England Channel: they should of course refer to 'mainland Europe' - we on this island are Europeans too. We can't yet rule out a frightening scenario where the UK votes to exit the EU; Scotland might then (with justification) seek independence -breaking up the union with England and Wales that has prevailed for more than 300 years, and seek to rejoin the EU as a separate nation. England would then try to negotiate new 'customised' links with the EU. But we'd be kidding ourselves if we thought these would be as benign as the EU's long-standing agreements with (for instance) Norway. You get a far better deal in a civil partnership than after an acrimonious divorce.

David Cameron has convincingly articulated the 'in' case. But by committing us to holding a referendum at this time, he's risking an outcome that irreversibly weakens Europe, and breaks up the United Kingdom too - what a devastating legacy that would be!
Soon Parliament will debate the second reading of United Kingdom Borders (Control and Sovereignty) Bill, calling for the restoration of UK Parliamentary Sovereignty. It will make particular reference to our British Parliament being able to decide the immigration policy of this country - a pledge first made in the 2010 Conservative Party Manifesto. The Bill is being put forward by the Conservative 'awkward squad' made up of Brexiteers, not the Government contradicting the pledge they made in 2010. It is an attempt to show the Great British Public how our ancient freedoms have been given away through EU membership. The Government had previously spoken about introducing a similar Bill, but since Boris Johnson did the honourable thing and announced his intention to join the Vote Leave camp, the Government has become eerily quiet on this - and it is unlikely to get through.

Over the next few months numerous establishment figures will claim our Parliament can be sovereign whilst also remaining inside the EU. Numerous laws and bills will be cited in an attempt to muddy the water to try and confuse the British electorate. The reality is a lot simpler. To put it succinctly: we cannot be a true democracy with a sovereign Parliament whilst being a member of the undemocratic and unaccountable organisation - the EU.

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Parliamentary Sovereignty means our elected Parliament should have the right to make any law it pleases and nobody should have the ability to overrule the will of our Parliament in Westminster. It is a principle which has developed over centuries and is respected throughout the world. Democracy and sovereignty walk hand and hand. You cannot have one without the other. We at Get Britain Out believe the buck should stop with our elected representatives and not with 28 unelected EU commissioners we can't hold to account.

Constitutional law expert Sir William Wade summed up Parliamentary Sovereignty in the best way: "the ultimate political fact upon which the whole system of legislation hangs."

Unfortunately, the EU has destroyed the entire principle of 'Parliamentary Sovereignty'. In 1964 the EU decided that EU law is superior to national law. However, the expansionist EU court was not satisfied with just this; it continued the power grab. These cases made it clear - national courts must apply EU law (made by the unelected commissioners) in its entirety and ignore any conflicting national laws created by their elected government. This means the EU can, in fact, even overrule the constitution of a Member State. This is an outrage and clearly runs at odds with the principle of Parliamentary Sovereignty, as our government should have the final say, not the EU.

The destruction of sovereignty isn't something which only impacts other EU countries, as the courts have applied the principle of the supremacy of EU law in UK courts too. In the UK, the highest form of law is an Act of Parliament. Due to the doctrine of 'no Parliament can bind another Parliament', the most recent Act repeals the earlier one - this is how our system of Parliamentary Sovereignty works in practice.

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However, there is one key exception - you guessed it, EU law. In 1988 our elected Parliament created an Act in order to prevent Spanish trawlers destroying the UK's fishing industry. This Act was not to last. The Court ruled the more recent Act should be removed, despite what Parliament had decided - as it was incompatible with EU law.

Under our principle of Parliamentary Sovereignty, the Act which made the UK a member of the EU, should have been repealed. The reasoning for this was that this Act is a constitutional statute, and the only way our Government could decide the laws of this country would be to leave the EU. This isn't just my view - as the eminent Lord Hope said "the supremacy of [EU] law restricts the absolute authority of Parliament to legislate." I must say the idea that the EU is a fundamental part of our constitution is morally repugnant. It means unelected bureaucrats who make laws in secret have greater legitimacy than our elected Government - and I can never and will never accept that.

We have heard suggestions from some in the Remain campaign about possible amendments to our national law in order to assert Parliamentary Sovereignty. This is completely false and is breathtakingly incoherent. The suggestion is we could repeal sections of the Act that made the UK members of the EU and assert Parliamentary Sovereignty in doing so. If Parliament were to repeal the relevant sections it would have no impact as it would be ignored as the courts follow EU law due to it being supreme. As we have seen, the supremacy of EU law comes from EU law itself and not an Act of Parliament, therefore changing domestic law to assert sovereignty is as pointless as Cameron's so-called renegotiation.

Another suggestion we have heard is our Supreme Court could become a Constitutional Court to review EU law. This is even more ridiculous than the first suggestion. The Constitutional Court would become a nodding court; it would review EU law, but could never overrule it. If the Court did succeed in overruling EU law, it would plunge the UK into a constitutional crisis, or the UK would be forced to leave the EU in any case. In summary, this proposal is unworkable from start to finish.

If the UK Parliament is sovereign how then is EU law supreme?

The truth is our Parliamentary Sovereignty is dead. It was killed off by our membership of the European Union in 1973.Sovereignty is alive only in one very narrow sense - which means the Great British Public can now vote to leave the EU on June 23rd, and restore our sovereignty and democracy.

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If we follow the advice of the Prime Minister - and turn a blind eye to his chicanery - we will surrender what should be our inalienable rights of democracy, sovereignty and liberty.

In this referendum, please use your heart and your head in tandem. Through using your head you will see the UK will be safer and more prosperous outside the EU. If you use your heart you will be voting for democracy and hoping the rest of Europe can free itself from the undemocratic shackles of the EU too. We will be voting to Get Britain Out of the EU. We hope you will vote the same way, by believing in this great country of ours and putting a cross against 'Leave the European Union' on the ballot paper.
It is a cold Friday in March and as I alight from the airport transfer bus into Connell Street in Ireland's capital city of Dublin. Tourists and locals throng the street, most ignoring the imposing building that houses the Post Office.

And yet in that building, on Easter Monday 1916, 100 years ago, a few hundred men started a rebellion against British rule in Ireland. They seized the General Post Office (GPO) and read out a proclamation inaugurating the Irish Republic. After a week of intense bombardment the rising was crushed, but within three years a rebel Parliament was formed. An act of great violent conflict and immense historical importance, now 100 years on, and yet Ireland today stands divided on how such events should be commemorated and remembered.

It is partly why I am here in Ireland today. To meet with Irish Government officials to discuss the ongoing process of peace and reconciliation on our islands and to offer the views of the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace on what they call in these parts - 'dealing with the past.' The way we remember, commemorate and help those affected by violence to cope and recover will be top of our discussions.

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Next week in Warrington we will commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the Warrington bombings that killed Tim and Johnathan, the boys who the Foundation for Peace works in memory of. In a few months we will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Manchester bombing, in April the Prime Minister will lead the nation in a memorial to those affected by the attacks in Tunisia in 2015 and then in July we will again remember the London July 7/7 2005 attacks. And of course this week the people of Dunblane, Scotland will again share in the immense pain caused by the shootings in a school. Many people affected will share their experiences and some will relive that trauma.

So why is it that in terms of these evil and tragic acts of violence cause us to come together to commemorate and open up our thoughts again, for some creating great pain and dividing many people on how we should remember or forget.

The Foundation for Peace was formed following an act of immense violence and was established by 'victims for victims.' It is perhaps in their wishes that we can view why commemoration is so important. In my experience all victims and survivors share one hope - that what happened to them does not happen to anybody else - and then as an addition to this, that above all else, nobody ever forgets what happened and the loss they continue to feel. Some people become campaigners, some want to hide away and forget, some want justice, some will even offer forgiveness to the perpetrator of the violence. It is never the same, but there are common features in that they want to be listened to, heard, acknowledged and above all their ability to cope and recover must never mean we see them as somehow forgetting, moving on and that we never use words like 'closure.'

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Terrorism and violent crimes such as that seen in Dunblane are a low frequency high impact event that affects a relatively small number of people. Survivors and those affected by terrorism and such violence, perhaps uniquely amongst victims, have suffered attacks that are intended ultimately to harm society. They largely have the same needs for protection and assistance as victims of any other serious violent criminal acts and, in the early stages after the event, must be supported in similar ways.

However, owing to the nature of the attack, victims can be under public scrutiny and often have a much greater need for social recognition and respectful treatment. They are often at risk of re-victimisation and can develop long-term physical and psychological needs for assistance in their lives.

Our charitable Foundation started its work 21 years ago. We created the Survivors Assistance Network (SAN), a self-help network providing assistance to people who are victims, survivors or affected by terrorism, unique to England & Wales. It is built on a project called "Survivors for Peace" that has developed over the last 12 years and developed to respond to contemporary needs of victims, survivors and those affected by terrorism, political violence and war.

SAN is a social, health and welfare self-help membership network for people affected by terrorism. It brings together those who share the same experience and trauma and provides a self-help forum and way to assist each other. A major part of what SAN does is to support the remembrance and commemoration and the myriad expressions of this and wishes of those involved. This week, again the media is focussing on Dunblane and our thoughts are with those affected. Those thoughts and our attention can be for a small number unwelcome, but for many they will be grateful that we as fellow humans are with them at this time.

Back in Ireland, the past weighs heavy, but there is a majority will to achieve a lasting peace on our islands and the process of dialogue I am engaged in today is not only about dealing with the past but also about dealing with the future. Commemoration is one way we further that understanding and as Easter looms there will be many diverse opinions about the 1916 commemoration, but ultimately understanding our past can help us make the right choices for the future and so at every opportunity, anniversary or commemoration we should reflect and remember and focus firmly on a future were we break the cycle of violence and build peace.

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Last weekend, the Education Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities, Nicky Morgan, proposed an inspired idea to help tackle the serious teacher shortage that the UK is currently facing. Suitably launched to coincide with International Women's Day, Mrs Morgan announced a drive to encourage women to return to teaching after having children, recognising that "too many parents feel they lack the support to juggle the demands of having a family and their career".

The new initiative is, according to Mrs Morgan, intended to offer flexible working opportunities for female teachers returning to the profession to "ensure there are no limits to what women can achieve so we make the most of the exceptional talent we have in the teaching profession".

This is particularly important in teaching, which is a heavily feminised workforce. According to the latest Department for Education (DfE) statistics, of the 512,000 full-time teachers working in the UK, 70 per cent are female. In the primary sector, this rises to 83 per cent, with 60 per cent of teachers in secondary schools being female.

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Contrast this with the number of females in leadership posts and it is evident that something is seriously awry - just 37 per cent of secondary head teachers are female, compared to 63 percent who are male.

Typically the number of teachers leaving the profession remains at a long-term average of about 10 per cent per year. This has been increasing slightly over the past few years - the current figure is 10.4 per cent, which amounts to over 50,000 teachers leaving each year. Of these, about 27 per cent retire. An in-depth academic study on teachers leaving the profession suggests that about nine per cent of these resign for maternity or family care. That is around 5,000 teachers each and every year. There are now believed to be almost as many trained teachers below retirement age who aren't currently working as teachers as there are teachers working in the classroom.

You don't have to look far to see why they struggle to return. Teachers forums online and popular blogs are filled full of comments from teachers who say they simply can't cope with a full-time teaching job alongside family commitments. One, Sushe, says: "I started my day as usual at 4.30am to work to try & fit it in (I tend to stop work around midnight exhausted having spent no time with my young children which appears to be the norm). My colleagues (non parents), joke that my children don't know who I am. I laugh but, as my youngest who used to be clingy to me can now only be comforted by his father, this is a painful truth."

She concludes that, "I will find something else, because I have to. My family are too important."

So Nicky Morgan's proposal to offer guidance to schools on how to offer flexible working opportunities to encourage them to think about how teaching roles can be designed for part-time, job sharing or flexible working are likely to be warmly welcomed by those wanting to reenter the profession they love but currently unable to do so due to time pressures. If this can become common practice, it could become an important step towards resolving the teacher shortage, and - indeed - helping teachers like Sushe stay in a career they love while maintaining a semblance of a family life.

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It is important, though, to offer a word of caution. Mrs Morgan has also announced that this initiative "will include the launch of a new dedicated website to make it easier for women to search for teaching roles which offer part-time or flexible hours - and to match them with schools that have suitable positions available, offering a win-win for both sides".

This sounds all well and good, however it raises the spectre of a disastrous government attempt to launch a teaching jobs platform back in 2009, under the final days of the New Labour administration. Dubbed the Schools Recruitment Service, it was launched with great fanfare, with government claiming that schools could 'save up to 30m by using a new recruitment website to hire teachers and support staff'.

The then-schools minister claimed, "Too often recruiting staff takes up far too much time and is a costly, long-winded process. This harnesses innovative online technology to make it a painless, speedy and more cost-efficient exercise."

It all sounded whizzy and amazing in theory, and a five-year contract was awarded. Upon launch, the Guardianlavished it with the "Government Computing Award 2010 for Shared Services". But fast forward just two years and it was already clear the project was an expensive White Elephant. "Little-used," as Education Investorpolitely put it at the time, its demise was announced in January 2012 with the final nail being put in its coffin in July that year.

This was a classic example of a government "build it and they will come" approach, with a centralised platform sounding like a panacea to many problems. In theory. But in practice, it was shunned by the teachers who were expected to flock to it. They built it, but no-one came. Primarily because there were preferable, efficient alternatives already readily available.

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Although well-meaning, the civil service in particular has a recurring tendency towards centralisation - which contrasts, certainly, with the Conservative government's ethos of working in partnership with the private sector to develop market-driven solutions. Another education example is the recently published Commission on Assessment Without Levels report recommending the establishment of a "national item bank of assessment questions".

It's important that this tendency towards centralisation is resisted. In the education recruitment space, there is a healthy, substantial ecosystem of platforms where teachers can already go to look for jobs. These range from long-established providers, like TES Global, Eteach and the Guardian to emerging players such as Schools Week, Talented Teacher Jobs and TeachVac.

There is no need, therefore, for government to reinvent the wheel when there are a multitude of potential partners in the sector to work with. Furthermore, the School Recruitment Service failed at a time when there was a huge surge of interest in joining the teaching profession, seen to be a "safe haven" during the recession. Any attempt at a variant of this now, at a time when applicants are scarce, is likely to fall even flatter on its face. The problem isn't that aspiring teachers don't know where to look for a job - it is rather that there are very few aspiring teachers out there at the moment. It's the root causes of this that the government needs to address.
Turkey is holding the EU to ransom. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan knows that Europe's leaders will do almost anything to stop more refugees arriving on their shores - so he is demanding a sky-high price for his (apparent) cooperation.

It is not a pretty sight, nor is the virtual capitulation of EU leaders to his demands. Their cynicism and their cowardice is shameful - not only because it will do little if anything to alleviate the despair of the refugees who are risking their lives to find sanctuary, but also because it will encourage President Erdogan to continue down the path from democracy to dictatorship.

Europe's leaders - and the US - are turning a blind eye to his renewed campaign against the Kurds (even though Kurdish fighters are the West's allies in Syria), apparently not caring that denying the Kurds their rights of free expression and self-determination seems to matter much more to him than bringing peace to Syria.

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After the wave of popular uprisings that swept through much of the Arab world in 2011, I reported from Turkey on whether that country might serve as a democratic model for some of its post-autocratic Arab neighbours. After all, Mr Erdogan's Justice and Development Party had been in power for nearly 10 years, winning three successive elections, each time with an increased share of the vote. Proof that democracy and Islamism can co-exist?

Not at all, said TV broadcaster Banu Guven, who lost her job after objecting to a ban on interviews with leading Kurdish campaigners. She told me then that there was already growing pressure on the media, even intimidation, leading to more and more self-censorship. And it's got a lot worse since then.

President Erdogan has much in common with another strongman leader who is waging war in Syria: Vladimir Putin of Russia. The two men may be at each other's throats, and there is a real risk of them going to war, but on one thing they can agree: Europe's leaders are so weak and divided that it is absurdly easy to run rings round them.

It's all very well announcing that Europe's borders have been sealed and that a deal has been struck to return refugees from Greece to Turkey. Desperate people will find desperate solutions: if Turkey to Greece is no longer an option, what about Libya to Italy, or Morocco to Spain?

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There are well over two million Syrian refugees in Turkey, and that country does deserve credit for offering them at least the opportunity to live free from the fear of being blasted to bits by one of President Assad's barrel bombs or one of President Putin's missiles. What Turkey will not offer them is a chance to make a future life for themselves on Turkish territory, hence the steady stream of refugees heading for Europe.

But now Nato warships, including a Royal Navy amphibious landing ship, are going to try to intercept them and turn them back. I can't help thinking that NATO forces would be far better employed using their considerable expertise in logistics and supplies to build and equip proper refugee camps in Greece where refugees could live safely, free from cold and hunger, with a chance to be screened and assessed for eventual settlement elsewhere, or to wait until it is safe to return home.

It is not so difficult to imagine a much better way to handle the crisis: first, accept that refugees will not stop coming to Europe, no matter how many barbed wire fences are built or how many warships are sent to patrol the eastern Mediterranean. Then build camps in Greece to house them - that's what the military are good at - and get the UN refugee agency UNHCR to run them and organise assessment programmes. Other agencies can take responsibility for the welfare of children (Unicef and Save the Children), the provision of clean water (Oxfam) and medical care (Medecins Sans Frontieres).

Refugees themselves can be employed to build, run and maintain the camps, and to work as teachers. Many are highly qualified, so why not use those qualifications and put them to good use? Joint enterprises with Greek entrepreneurs could be established, providing hundreds of new jobs for unemployed young Greeks as well as for refugees.

But wouldn't Greece inevitably become a refugee dumping ground? That's not how I see it - I see it as a way of treating refugees as if they are sentient, capable and resilient human beings, with skills as well as needs. And I also see it as a way of saying to the people of Greece, who have demonstrated the most remarkable humanity at a time of national crisis, that the arrival of refugees on their shores need not be only a negative experience.

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Of course, there is a risk that the refugee camps will become semi-permanent fixtures. But is that necessarily so much worse than continuing to try in vain to stem the flow and relying on ineffective crisis management as Europe's xenophobes gain in strength? Refugees want above all to be safe, and to have some hope that they can build a new and better life for themselves and their children, either in a new home or back in their old home once the conflict is over. Europe's voters want their governments to show that they are on top of the crisis, not paralysed into inaction.
Childhood is supposed to be a time of play, being carefree and happily learning about the world. Fortunately for most people, it is.

But for a percentage of young people, their upbringing doesn't fit this model and instead it becomes a steep learning curve, with harsh lessons to absorb along the way.

When I was younger, my home life was turned upside down after my parents separated. I didn't understand what was happening or the reasons why, I rarely saw my dad and I lacked the kind of stability a lot of people take for granted when growing up. Things came crashing down after my first year of secondary school when my mum passed away. I felt overwhelmed, like the world was closing in around me and there was no way out.

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I tried to adapt to the situation but things only became worse. I became stressed all the time, angry towards the people around me and suffered from alopecia. To make matters worse, I was bullied and school life became a real struggle. I became less engaged in my studies and reluctant to attend each day.

Around this time, I was offered a chance to attend The Prince's Trust xl programme, which helps young people who are struggling at school gain confidence and skills. I wasn't sure what I would get out of it, but I started going a couple of times a week to see if it could help.

I remember being really nervous at the start and I didn't want to talk about anything, but gradually, I began to really enjoy it. I felt less pressured than before and when I was offered the opportunity to spend the following year on xl full-time, I jumped at the chance. It felt good to want to go to school and enjoy learning again.

Previously, my attendance at school had been less than 50% but after starting xl, I was hardly missing a day. Given what I've been through, there are always going to be tough days, but now I'm excited about what lies ahead, whereas before I struggled to see beyond the next day.

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Last year, I sat all of my exams and I'm now doing an apprenticeship. I'm grateful to The Prince's Trust and the staff at Dacorum Educational Support Centre for all their support in helping me to get my life on track.

Being nominated for the Novae Educational Achiever of the Year award at The Prince's Trust & Samsung Celebrate Success awards is such an achievement for me. I was delighted to win the regional event in Stevenage and I'm over the moon to be going to the national final. Regardless of the result, I'm so proud to get to where I am today and I'm looking forward to challenging myself to fulfil my ambitions in the future.

The Prince's Trust and Samsung Celebrate Success Awards were held on Monday at the London Palladium. The Huffington Post supported the Novae Educational Achiever of the Year Award. Find out more here. The ceremony recognised young people who have overcome issues such as unemployment, drug addiction, homelessness and depression to achieve success.

In addition to partnering the Celebrate Success Awards, Samsung is working with The Prince's Trust to tackle the digital skills gap in the UK by creating digital classrooms at its centres.
Squeezing the last Peppa Pig puzzle and trusty bottle of Calpol into my carry on luggage, I get a last minute phone call from Mum: 'Make sure you don't take my Grandson to any of those cafes.' He's only three mum, steady on.

Could Amsterdam, the city famed for its hedonistic nightlife, red light district and its 258 cafes were you can legally smoke Bob Marley style, be a family destination too?

I was about to find out - and fast during a whistle-stop visit to the culturally rich capital - that's just an hour flight away from London. The short, jet-lag free journey is handy when you have a tot who wants to run up the aisle and high -five all the passengers - even the pilot.

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After touching down in Schiphol, transitioning to the city is straight-forward, you can take a 40minute taxi ride - or hop on the train, which will get you to the centre in under 20 minutes.

Stepping inside the striking piece of architecture that looks like a sunken ship, the Nemo Science museum was an unexpected delight.

The incredibly interactive space included a lab where you throw on a white coat and do an experiment, or get absolutely soaked in the giant bubble-maker. It's the first major attraction you see, so is pretty hard to prize your kids away for a live science demonstration afterwards. The view from the roof-top is a moment that should not be missed. Watching the purple-filled skies at sunset while taking in the sumptuous skyline of the historic city and famous canal is pretty special.

A traditional boat ride along the medieval canal will give you a general overview of the city - taking you from the south of Amsterdam, the oldest part of town - to the northern part, river Amstel, where city got its name. In the 1600's it was the most powerful trading port in Europe with cocoa shipped from west Africa to be made into chocolate and cocoa butter. More poignantly you sail by the Anne Frank museum where a two hour queue snakes along the canal. Booking online is recommended to avoid the wait.

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Blink and you would miss the red light district - in the daytime it sleeps and is a far cry from its hedonistic reputation, so you don't have to worry about your child catching something untoward.

'Sex and drugs - they are not important to us,' says our originals tour guide. 'There's much more to Amsterdam.'Indeed there is...

Night is falling and we head to our airport hotel for convenience of flying back the next day, instead of an inner-city hotel for the first time. The all-white-everything atrium at the hilton Amsterdam Schiphol airport had a futuristic vibe with its cubic shape. 'It's the starship enterprise' gasped my little boy, pointing up. The architecture had strong elements of the Dutch touch too taking in the history of the people. It was home to a Van Gogh exhibition with dainty statuettes in a myriad of colours which were pretty mesmerizing. On my travels I discovered despite there being a strong Indonesian vibe due to colonial connections, Dutch traditions were also so important when it came to food.

But when the only thing your 3-year-old says when it comes to diner-time is 'pizzaaaa', then you are quite frankly left scratching your head. The delicately made bitter-ballen - deep fried meat stew and vegetables - are a national dish. It's an acquired taste and certainly does melt in your mouth. But traveling with kids it's the little things that matter and I was touched by the family friendly vibe at The Bowery where the chef literally made a delicious and simple pizza that wasn't even on the menu just to keep the little man smiling. After a busy day we unwind in the lobby with a cocktail at axis bar, before going up to bed where the rain beats down on the diamond shaped window pane overlooking the runway.

Amsterdam has been an unexpected experience traveling with a family - don't let its stereotypes fool you. It's jam-packed with family-friendly activities that make it one of Europe's best cities for kids. And parents too!

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View from Nemo museum: Copyright Sarah Tetteh

Amsterdam's 'Starship enterprise': Copyright Sarah Tetteh

Museum madness at the light show: Copyright Sarah Tetteh
Screen legend and icon of horror Vincent Price stars as the leader of a bizarre cult of human immortals in 'War-Gods of the Deep,' a particularly fascinating piece of fantasy schlock not often mentioned in Price's impressive and somewhat intimidating film canon. This isn't due to Mr. Price, of course, because, as usual, he delivers a captivating performance as a man who rules over a large group of bearded men with an iron fist. As the gentleman pirate Sir Hugh, regularly referred to as The Captain by the other well-dressed buccaneers, Price keeps the others in line and in fear with his familiar menacingly deep voice and trademark sinister glower  his face showered with just the right amount of shadows to make his nose pointier than usual as he hollers commands with distinct articulation in every word to sound especially threatening. As always, Mr. Price is a delightful charismatic screen presence and the overall production is wildly imaginative, but the problem is an enthusiastically strange plot involving an underwater city with mermen, a volcano and chickens.

In other parts of the world, this low-budget sci-fi B-horror flick is known as 'City Under the Sea,' which is also the film's original title taken from one of Edgar Allan Poe's lesser appreciated poems, "The City in the Sea." As if often the case with many of the horror movies of the period claiming to be adaptations of Poe's works, the production actually has little to do with the original poem other than maybe being very loosely inspired by it and Mr. Price reciting a few lines from the Gothic rhyme. From that perspective, the film fits neatly in the series of Poe adaptations starring the incomparable Vincent Price which were trendy in the 1960s and into the early 70s. But in truth, the name and loose association with that fad was pure marketing meant to capitalize on the popularity of the Corman-Poe cycle of movies. Also, the script by Charles Bennett ('The 39 Steps,' 'The Man Who Knew Too Much,' 'Sabotage') and Louis M. Heyward ('Planet of the Vampires,' 'Witchfinder General') took more inspiration from the period fantasy productions by Disney and less from Poe's dark tale about Death.

Added to that, the movie that went to cinemas in 1965, the same one before us now, was not the original story penned by Bennett, but the result of heavy rewriting by Heyward. Price's character pitted against an American professor Ben Harris (Tab Hunter), who's searching for the kidnapped Jill Tregillis (Susan Hart) in the underwater city, was always central to the mystery, which is sadly pretty nonsensical. It has something to do with the pirates' immortality as guardians of the ancient structure and the mermen living in it, but Hugh and his men want a cure to their cursed gift and live again on the surface before an undersea volcano erupts. Heyward's contribution was the out-of-place humor lurking beneath much of the dialogue and the various character interactions. And much of this comes by way of the normally funny David Tomlinson ('Bedknobs & Broomsticks,' 'Mary Poppins') as the bumbling doofus Harold Tufnell-Jones, who's made to lug around a chicken in a picnic basket for no other reason than he can. Occasionally, this leads to a couple amusing gags, but otherwise, there is little to almost no point for the character or his unexplained love for his feathered companion.

Probably the most surprising aspect of 'War-Gods of the Deep' is seeing the name Jacques Tourneur attached as director and having this be his final film  he retired after this movie and passed away the following decade. The French filmmaker is best known for helming many film-noir, westerns and horror favorites, such as 'I Walked with a Zombie' and 'Night of the Demon.' However, his greatest contribution to cinema can be seen with the immensely influential classics 'Cat People' and 'Out of the Past.' Working with the talented cinematographer Stephen Dade ('Zulu'), Tourneur brought some of his talent to this production, giving the silly story some sense of danger and drama in the camerawork and movement. Unfortunately, even with his talented eye and allowing Price chewing up the scenery  his reaction to the chicken is oddly expected and funny  there is very little that could be done to save a strange story where mermen battle it out with other men in deep sea diving uniforms and be taken remotely serious.

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

Kino Lorber brings 'War-Gods of the Deep' to Blu-ray on a Region A locked, BD25 disc inside the standard blue keepcase. At startup, viewers are taken directly to a static main menu with music.
In five days, the Chancellor will deliver his eighth budget. He will be six years into his job. We already know that in almost every paragraph there will be a reference to "Labour's recession"/"clearing up Labour's mess"/"13 years" All designed to deflect from his own choices and decisions and to put the focus back on the last Labour government.

And all in the Labour movement will reflect on that, as we have always done since we entered opposition, because we do have to work out how to regain the trust of the electorate on the economy so that they will allow us to govern the country again. We have to craft an alternative that the public can believe in and trust us to deliver.

But we also have to expose this Chancellor's record AND make it stick. And on the Chancellor's record, it's this second bit, the making it stick, that we have struggled with since 2010. Its not for want of trying or lack of effort. But before you can successfully expose a record, you have to wait for there to be record. And you have to allow for a long enough period of time to let the Chancellor do what he said he would; for him to succeed or fail on his own terms. (Even if politicians don't want to do this, the British public do). But the Chancellor has now been in his job for long enough, he is failing on his own terms, and we finally have an opportunity to not only say it (loudly, and on repeat) but to make it stick.

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Next week, the Chancellor will point to GDP growth (sluggish, but he probably won't mention that), low unemployment and a budget deficit which is going down. But beyond that we have a lot to go at on the economic front. The Chancellor may be fixing the roof, but he, more than anyone, knows he is on shaky economic foundations.

Why? Because our economic recovery is overly dependent on consumer spending and services, the kind of growth that George Osborne himself said he didn't want. We are having a B&Q bounce-back. According to the ONS we splurged on furniture and furnishings in the last quarter of 2015 and in so doing propped up the nation's finances.

Stronger economic foundations would be based on increasing our exports. But the Chancellor's export strategy is a sorry tale of woe. By 2020 we're supposed to have doubled exports and increased the number of exporters by 100,000. But exports have only increased from 497,079million in 2011 to 511,213million; the number of exporters fell by 7,500 from 2013 to 2014; the value of Export Finance Guarantees has fallen; and UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is being "transformed" and "refocused" as of January this year because basically its unfit for purpose.

Emerging markets are obviously key and if we're actually going to succeed in getting their citizens to buy the stuff our citizens make then the government should at least know how many and which countries are in this group so that all efforts can be focused properly. But a National Audit Office report showed that the Foreign Office focused on 29 emerging priority markets; UKTI looked at 20; and the latest announcement in January determines that the magic number is 50. Good luck to anyone, particularly would-be exporters, trying to find out exactly which countries our government is targeting.

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Perhaps the government doesn't want us to see the full scale of the disaster? Maybe they don't want us to notice that the FCO business plan in 2012 highlighted India, Kuwait, Qatar, South Africa, Turkey, Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Colombia as countries where we would double trade by 2015; a task that we are on track to complete in exactly none of them.

Not surprisingly since our exports are so weak our trade balance is enough to make anyone wince and the size of the other deficit - the current account - is unprecedented. The OECD Forecast shows that as a percentage of GDP we have slipped from 22nd from bottom to fourth from bottom between 2011 and 2014. Thank goodness for South Africa, Turkey and Colombia who occupy the bottom spots in the table of 44 countries looked at.

Our economic foundations are shakier still when you consider that our productivity is 14% below the level that would have been achieved if pre-crisis trends had continued and in 2014 we were 18% points below the average of the rest of the G7 countries.

And it's not as if there aren't comparable advanced economies who are managing to sell stuff abroad. And it's not like there aren't policies out there that come under the category of 'no brainer'. If we want to make more stuff and need more skilled engineers to do it then we had better make sure we train them. As it is, the number of engineering degrees awarded has gone up - but three-quarters of the increase has been to students who will not have the right to stay here when they graduate. That's not no-brainer policy making, that's brainless policy making. If I had a billion quid to play with I'd spend it on measures like this to help with rebalancing the economy rather than tax changes which arguably put more money in the pockets of households who are already doing more than their fair share of propping up GDP growth.

The Chancellor is a smart man who managed to successfully sell the lie that the global economic recession was Labour's recession. He managed to successfully spin the line that the only measure of economic competency was the budget deficit. But this smart man knows that his luck is about to run out; his record is about to be exposed. It's not for nothing that he started the year (and in every public pronouncement since) warning about the Global Economic Cocktail Of Risk. He's clearly hoping that this will deflect attention from the failures and the weak foundations of the Long Term Economic Plan.

So the question for Labour is will we let him get away with it? The Chancellor wants to argue that only Labour politicians can affect the economy; on his watch it's global forces. In doing so he plays into a narrative that many people can relate to, which is about how little control they feel they have in their everyday lives. It's an easy pitch to make if we let him. The argument we have to make next week therefore is not about the detail; it's not even about austerity. It's about who's in charge. If we let the Chancellor shrug off that responsibility, then he will win the economic debate again.
I have been in space for nearly three months now - and what a journey it has been so far. Every day when I look out of the 'Cupola', I see Planet Earth passing beneath me, in all its fragile beauty. I can't get enough of it, as you can probably tell from the many pictures that I enjoy sharing on social media.

I will never forget the journey which brought me to the International Space Station - the raw power and acceleration of a rocket launch, my first time onboard the ISS, my first meal in space (bacon sarnie and a cup of tea!) and of course my first spacewalk. I am collecting unique memories which I will probably bore my wife, children and possibly grandchildren with for the rest of my life!

Becoming an astronaut was my dream. I worked hard to get where I am today; but I am acutely aware that I was given many opportunities in life to succeed. I had loving parents who gave me values and direction, a good education and inspirational role models to provide guidance and encouragement.

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For many young people in the UK, this is unfortunately not the case today. Unemployment, poverty, homelessness, addictions, abuse and mental health problems are issues which are real and prevent our children from fulfilling their potential. We simply cannot choose to ignore these issues, nor let them rob our children of their future.

One of the many privileges I enjoy whilst in space is that people across the UK and beyond are keenly following my mission. I have been slightly overwhelmed by the level of interest and enthusiasm. This has given me a great sense of responsibility and a unique opportunity to stand up for what I believe. I care deeply about Britain's young people, especially those often labelled as the "hardest to reach". That is why from space I have been involved in all kinds of educational projects to get children excited about science. That is why also, before embarking on my mission to the International Space Station, I decided to become an Ambassador for The Prince's Trust.

For over 40 years now, the youth charity has been helping disadvantaged young people turn their lives around. A staggering 825,000 people have been through a Prince's Trust programme, with three out of four of them moving into education, training or employment.

On Monday at the London Palladium, The Prince's Trust held its annual Celebrate Success Awards. HRH The Prince of Wales, its founder and President, joined over 2000 people and a host of celebrities to recognise the achievements of exceptionally inspiring young people who have been helped by The Trust. I sent a video message from space to offer my congratulations to all of them.

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Sarah, Callum and Connor, who were nominated for the Educational Achiever of the Year Award, have blogged for The Huffington Post about the journey they have been on since they got in touch with The Prince's Trust. My hope is that their stories will be an inspiration for many more young people who are in similar situations.

They remind us that with a little help and a lot of hard work, you can go on to achieve great things. From space, this is the message that I want to send to our Nation's young people.

People like me, like the many people who work for and in partnership with The Prince's Trust are rooting for you. Dare to take that first step, take support and advice when you need it and you will be amazed at what you can achieve!
Lisa Peardon via Getty Images Tourists and native dancers holding letters spelling 'Aloha'

More people than ever before are fleeing their homes around the globe, and the founder of social movement Welcoming America is in Australia to help teach communities how to make new migrants feel at home.

David Lubell is working with the Scanlon Foundation to launch Welcoming Cities in Australia, starting in Melbourne on Wednesday.

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Lubell, who founded Welcoming America, told The Huffington Post Australia there was never a more urgent time to show compassion for the world's less fortunate.

"I call it a 'welcoming moment'," Lubell said.

"The world is not what it used to be and we need to figure out as humans how we're going to respond to the real families and real humans -- especially those fleeing for their lives."

If the migrant is the seed, the receiving community is the soil. We need to enrich the soil for the seed to grow #citiesofwelcome  Community Hubs (@CommunityHubsAu) March 8, 2016

Lubell said Australia had an inconsistent reputation on a world stage when it came to welcoming migrants.

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"In general, people see Australians as being very welcoming and friendly people," Lubell told HuffPost Australia.

Minister @RobinScottMP at @citiesofwelcome Symposium "You're building the kind of society I want to be a part of" pic.twitter.com/dXAjRamYxi  Welcome to Australia (@welcome2aussie) March 9, 2016

"There are more people on the move in world than any other time in history and a lot of them are fleeing extreme violence and persecution. Others are seeking a better life or fleeing climate change.

"It's a nation of immigrants, so of course they'll be welcoming to immigrants, but the thing that seems a little inconsistent is offshore detention centres.

"Not everyone knows about it honestly but those who do, find it hard to understand."

"From fearful to tolerant to welcoming". How a welcoming movement & framework transformed a city. #citiesofwelcomepic.twitter.com/TKxHrCLW5I  Welcoming Cities (@citiesofwelcome) March 8, 2016

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Welcoming Cities will develop resources to help communities come to terms with newcomers, whether they be migrants or otherwise as well as growing a national network of practitioners and local governments committed to fostering social cohesion.

Lubell, however, said the most important factor was the individuals that made up a community.
Donald Trumps rallies have become freakish hybrids of timeshare presentations and the Gathering of the Juggalos. Hillary Clinton praised Nancy Reagan for contributing to the national AIDS dialogue, which is a bit like praising Rick Snyder for drawing attention to Flint, Michigans infrastructure issues. And Marco Rubio wants his Ohio supporters to vote for John Kasich, to which Jeff replied, sure. This is HUFFPOST HILL for March, 11th, 2016:

HEY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHO ENDORSED DONALD TRUMP: HOW DO YOU LIKE THE TRUMP BRAND OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE? HuffPost Hill asked spokespeople for lawmakers in the Trump Caucus how they feel about The Donald encouraging his supporters to attack protesters at his events, since this is the man they think would be a good president. A spokesman for Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said all questions are being referred to the Trump campaign. Sad! Couldn't get answers from flaks for Reps. Chris Collins, (R-N.Y.), Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and Tom Marino (R-Pa.), but a spokesman for Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.) said the congressman's out of country and couldn't be reached immediately.

TRUMP CAMPAIGN STILL DENYING REPORTER ASSAULT DESPITE STUPID AMOUNTS OF EVIDENCE - But but the ISIS supporting black guy in the grassy knoll! Michael Calderone: "Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields filed a police report Friday morning against Corey Lewandowski just as her own news outlet cast doubt that Donald Trump's campaign manager had roughly grabbed her after Tuesday night's press conference in Jupiter, Florida...On Friday afternoon, C-SPAN video emerged that showed Lewandowskiappearing to reach toward Fields.  On Thursday afternoon, the Trump campaign dismissed Fields' allegation that Lewandowski grabbed her as she tried to ask the candidate a question about affirmative action. Lewandowski mocked Fields soon after as an "attention seeker," and Trump suggested the reporter had fabricated her story when asked about the charge following Thursday night's Republican debate. But to believe Fields concocted a story about being grabbed is to ignore several pieces of evidence, including contemporaneous audio between her and Terris. Fields also tweeted a photo of her bruised arm on Thursday in response to the Trump campaign denying her allegations." [HuffPost]

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Lucia Graves: "When will the first pro-Donald Trump murder happen?" ( Guardian)

KURT BARDELLA IS DONE WITH THIS SHIT - Time is a flat circle that mostly consists of Kurt Bardella profile pieces. Ryan Grim: "Kurt Bardella, who quit as Breitbart's spokesman on Friday over the site's handling of the Michelle Fields assault, says he could no longer go on. 'It became untenable for me personally to continue in this situation. If you can't give 100 percent you can't represent your client,' Bardella, who also represents country music bands in Nashville, told HuffPost. 'This shit just sucks.' For Bardella, the violence is getting out of hand, and needs to be called out. 'There is this escalating pattern of behavior that's only happening at Donald Trump events. It's incredibly dangerous. His rhetoric is unmistakable and it is calculated and it is intentional,' he said. Asked why Breitbart seems to be siding with the Trump campaign over its own reporter, Bardella said he wasn't sure. 'I think there certainly appears to be conflicting agendas at play here. Your guess is as good as mine,' he said." [HuffPost]

RUBIO DOES DESPERATE THING - If this doesn't work, he, John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich can swap Iowa Caucus delegates. Elise Foley: "The campaign for GOP presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is now actively urging Ohio Republicans not to vote for him in the state's primary next week. Primary voters in Ohio should unite behind the state's governor, John Kasich, if they want to beat overall GOP front-runner Donald Trump, Rubio spokesman Alex Conant said Friday on CNN. His was an out-of-the-ordinary comment in an out-of-the-ordinary race that is leaving many Republicans struggling to come up with a plan to avoid Trump getting the nomination...Polling indicates that Conant is right on at least part of that equation: Rubio isn't going to win Ohio, and Kasich isn't going to win Florida. Rubio is polling at under 7 percent in Ohio, according to HuffPost Pollster averages, compared to about 35 percent for Kasich, about 30 percent for Trump and about 17 percent for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Trump is leading Rubio by wide margins in Florida, which also holds its primary on March 15. HuffPost Pollster averages indicate support for Trump at nearly 40 percent in the state, while Rubio is in second at about 27 percent. Cruz has support from 17 percent of Florida Republicans, followed by Kasich at about 10 percent." [HuffPost]

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LOL: "John Kasich's campaign on Friday flatly rejected Marco Rubio's suggestion that they swap voters in each others home states in order to ensure Rubio wins in Florida, and Kasich wins in Ohio. 'We were going to win in OH without his help, just as he's going to lose in Florida without ours,' Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols said in a tweet." [Examiner]

HuffPost's Sam Stein will be on "Real Time With Bill Maher" tonight! 10 pm EST on HBO.

DELANEY DOWNER - Even after the water crisis in Flint, Michigan reminded Americans that millions of homes across the country receive drinking water from dangerous lead pipes, there hasn't been much effort to dig up the pipes nationwide. Why? "The reason is they're out of sight, out of mind," Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) told HuffPost earlier this week. Listen to a recording of his comments on "So That Happened," the HuffPost Politics podcast. "People don't know that they're there," Cardin continued. "If people knew there were lead pipes underneath our grounds, if they knew that there's a potential risk to their children they would have demanded action. Unlike roads, which you see every day and you go over potholes, you don't see that with the water infrastructure."

Does somebody keep forwarding you this newsletter? Get your own copy. It's free! Sign up here. Send tips/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to huffposthill@huffingtonpost.com. Follow us on Twitter - @HuffPostHill

HILLARY SAYS INCREDIBLY DUMB THING - To be fair, Clinton was dodging Bosnian sniper fire when she was asked about Reagans legacy. She probably misheard the question. JamesMichael Nichols: "Speaking to MSNBC during the televised funeral for Reagan, who died on Sunday at the age of 94 from congestive heart failure, Clinton claimed that Nancy and her husband "started a national conversation" about the AIDS epidemic when 'nobody would talk about it.'  Reagan actually turned her back on thousands of people, many of whom identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), as they died from the virus during her time as first lady. Similarly, The Guardian reported last year that the former first lady withheld help from close friend Rock Hudson when he reached out to the White House while dying of complications related to AIDS in 1985." [HuffPost]

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Clinton statement:





DONALD TRUMP IS MUY BAD FOR MEXICO - In just about every possible way. Eric Martin: "Mexico central bank Governor Agustin Carstens said the possibility of a Donald Trump presidency is implicitly reflected in the risk models used by policy makers, after stressing the importance to Mexicos economy of the North American Free Trade Agreement. 'Explicitly, no,' Carstens told El Financiero-Bloomberg TVs Carlos Mota when asked if the risk of a Trump presidency is reflected in the central banks models, 'but implicitly all of us have it in our heads." Trump has pledged to renegotiate or terminate Nafta, saying it has been a disaster for the U.S. that has encouraged companies to move production south of the border. Asked about the U.S. campaign in the interview Friday, Carstens focused on the importance of a strong economic relationship between the U.S. and Mexico and the benefits that integration of production chains under Nafta brings to both nations." [Bloomberg]

ICYMI: LABOR TRYING TO KEEP ITS MEMBERS AWAY FROM TRUMP - Kelsey Snell: "'If left unattended, the anger and the frustration [Trump has] tapped into will carry the day,' Trumka warned Monday in an interview with the Washington Post. 'But when you give working-class people the facts, I think he falls apart. Hes a house of cards.' Trumka has an anti-Trump plan, the first parts of which will roll out next week: educate voters about what he says is Trumps history of anti-worker, anti-union policies. That campaign -- on which he would not put a price tag, but unions spent more than $9.3 million in the 2012 presidential race -- will eventually evolve into uniting labor voters behind a Democratic candidate.The campaign will be focused on grassroots contact with union members and potential Democrats to argue that Trump wants to cut workers wages and that his immigration and unionization policies would leave them worse off than they are today. Trumka said unions plans to work directly with activist groups, like the growing movement for a $15 minimum wage, that have already had success driving people to rally and vote." [WaPo]

CHUCKLEHEADS TAKING OVER JOHN BOEHNER'S DISTRICT - Merlot warning bumped up to four glasses. Patrick O'Connor: "Mr. Boehner resigned from his Ohio seat, which he held for 24 years, under threat of a conservative revolt within his own party. What remains of the former House speakers legacy here could soon be swept away by forces unleashed by Mr. Trump. Fifteen Republican candidates are battling in Tuesdays Ohio primary for the right to compete for Mr. Boehners former seat, the states Eighth Congressional District. Many want to distance themselves from Mr. Boehner. None has the backslapper personality that once made him so popular in Congress." [WSJ]

BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR - Here's Sesame Street singing Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's "Crossroads."

THE TINDER BROS OF CPAC - Rebecca Nelson: "'See those two girls? Those are your typical CPAC whores.' Its 6:30 P.M. at the Conservative Political Action Conference, the Rights premier politics and policy schmoozefest, and were on our way to a table. The Republican strategist, a 31-year-old CPAC veteran, says this matter-of-factly, seemingly knowing that its an egregiously misogynist thing to say to anyone, let alone a young female reporter. He nonetheless seems to relish the scandalousness. The women passing (maybe 19? 20?) are wearing short pencil skirts. 'What do you mean?' I ask, laughing a little bit for fear of being labeled a liberal feminazi. 'Did you see how they were dressed? They cant go down the elevator without flashing some cooch.' I met him on Tinder, because I swiped right on every guy whos distance registered as 'less than a mile away' from my geographical locale inside the heart of the most popular conservative conference in U.S., at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center just outside Washington, D.C." [GQ]

COMFORT FOOD

- The history of Wingdings.

- Magnetic darts is going to kill someone.

TWITTERAMA

@socarolinesays: I loved RENT, the musical by Nancy Reagan

@mobute: when you get a chance to lock down the "undecided single-issue do-they-ignore-facts-to-praise-Nancy-Reagan voter" you pul the trigger. 100%



@aedwardslevy: From the reporters who brought you GAME CHANGE and DOUBLE DOWN, the exclusive story of the 2016 campaign: SAD!



Got something to add? Send tips/quotes/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to Eliot Nelson (eliot@huffingtonpost.com) or Arthur Delaney (arthur@huffingtonpost.com). Follow us on Twitter @HuffPostHill (twitter.com/HuffPostHill). Sign up here: http://huff.to/an2k2e
In January of 2015, I wrote "Spirit & Truth: 52 Encouraging Messages for America's Law Enforcement." In March of 2015, I self-published that same book, and it sold all across the United States in paperback and e-book format. During promoting my book and handling all aspects of the marketing (while working a full-time job), I was approached by numerous small-business owners to consult with them on social media marketing, website design, and other business related issues.

I tell you all of this for a reason. You see, I was afraid to write this book because I felt like no one would ever buy it, that I would be ignored, perceived as irrelevant, or worse; rejected. Isn't this a basic fear of most writers, though? None of these could have been further from the truth. Because I was willing to overcome the fear of writing the book, I was positioned to succeed as a full-time small business owner. In September of 2015, I turned in my notice and resigned from law enforcement. I did not resign because I was in trouble or couldn't handle the job any longer. I resigned because demand for business caused me to reflect and make some tough decisions. Since the day I left, business has consistently increased and improved in all aspects. Overcoming fear positioned me for success in business.

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You see, in business, my mission has been to solve marketing problems. Fear tried to stop me. If I would have never written the book, my talents in marketing, speaking, and website development and design would have likely remained unseen. Deep down, I believe I have always wanted to leave my mark and make the world a better place, even if it was an infinitely small difference. I know life is short and how soon it can end for any of us, our loved ones or friends. I know, it may sound a bit narcissistic. However, I am candid with you. How can any of this help you? How does any of this apply to you?

Enter the "F" Word: Fear

Once we learn to handle fear, overcome fear, and act on the other side of fear, our decisions in life become a little easier, a little clearer and success is not near as far away as it was before. For me, the majority of things "fear" was saying to me were lies. They were possibilities but lies nevertheless. We face fear every day, whether we acknowledge it or not.

Many days, we overcome fear without even thinking about it. One of my good friends, Brett Smith, also the owner of Dothan Ice Cream Company in Dothan, Alabama, recently spoke at an American Advertising Federation meeting where I was in attendance. Brett mentioned some things about fear, and I wanted to relay them to you.

"Fear is a Horrible Driver. Fear fears Action. Fear is Fickle. Fear is not a Real Thing. We need to let fear know who's in charge." -- Brett Smith

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If you are in business, don't allow fear to keep you from achieving the next level of success. Fear is, in its truest form, a lie. In relationships do not allow fear to cause undue friction. In parenting, don't allow fear to keep you from saying, "I am sorry." In life, don't allow fear to keep you from pursuing your dreams, no matter how high the leap, how steep the climb, or how difficult the road may seem.

Tell fear it is a liar and go after what is yours. Regardless of where we are in life, what phase we may be in, fear can overwhelm us if we allow it. Take a step today and overcome fear, let it know who the boss is.
By Tom Hostler, Co-Founder, POKE  @hostler



We're told the world's population is set to double in the next 30 years, which poses all sorts of problems and challenges for the planet. Not least, the obvious question of where will we all live and work?

Many are expected to embrace some form of urban living and working. Cities are the hubs of the global economy, and are the focal points for a domestic transformation, the like of which we've never seen before. Experts predict that by the middle of this century, it is anticipated that some 6.5 billion people will call a city home - a staggering rise of over 60% compared to today.

We can't build entirely new cities to meet this demand, though there are plenty of genuinely new cities popping up in Asia & the Middle East, which will absorb some of this growth. It's clear that in tandem with genuine new development, we've got to rebuild and evolve our current cities to help meet this demand. Only when combined, can these two tactics will help us better utilize the one commodity we can't manufacture any more of - land.

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This societal challenge has long been predicted, which led to the rise of "Smart City" thinking over the last couple of decades - a broad concept that has two central areas of focus.

The first is one of how architecture and the built environment can leverage technological advances to improve design and construction techniques in building, boost the performance and utilization of dwellings, and better manage consumption of precious energy resources over their lifespan.

The second is how a population communicates constantly with the city infrastructure via networks of active and passive sensors, informing each other on their intent and progress towards goals. It's man & machine working in perfect harmony, leading to optimization of the environment they share.

Investment into Smart City solutions has never been higher, with much of it coming from the worlds construction giants. Experts predict a global market for smart city technologies and services to grow to over a staggering $1 Trillion by 2020.

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But given all this energy, enthusiasm and investment to date, where are the successful pilot schemes? Where are the promising new models of urban living that demonstrate a direction of travel towards meeting these challenges, and justifying these staggering investment levels? Why are there so few tangible examples of genuine improvements TODAY? Is it all just hype?

In many ways yes, it has been, because we've focused on the wrong things. We've been too fixated by the technology aspects of the equation, and not cared enough about the people who will inhabit these Smarter Cities. We've not designed around their needs or social habits.

The Smart City journey began around the same time as the birth of the commercial Internet and embraced many of the same technological advances along the way that the Internet brought - resilient networks, low-cost computing nodes, distributed intelligence etc - but it has largely overlooked the human centric and powerful social changes the Internet has unlocked and created.

Concepts like freemium business models, the sharing economy, crowdsourcing data, OpenSource and crowdfunding have all had profound transformative effects on the development of Internet brands and services by either putting people and their needs at the heart of their offer, or by tapping into and amplifying human behavioural traits.

Now, a new generation of genuinely transformative Smart City concepts are coming to market, powered by a powerful blend of technology, behavioural insight and disruptive business models as pioneered by Internet start-up brands.

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PLACEMETER is crowdsourcing a network of existing video feeds to build a platform of urban intelligence. By offering up your video feed, you will receive actionable insight on vehicular and pedestrian traffic relevant to your business, but the combined picture multiple feeds generate is where the urban intelligence can help shape a smarter environment for all.

The PiMi Airbox is a Chinese air quality sensor network which crowdsources data from polluted urban environments by providing residents with Asthma free high-quality monitoring boxes. Residents get better air quality readings than off-the-shelf monitors, and the city gets a map of INDOOR air pollution which was previously unattainable.

WHEELMAP is a German crowdsourced platform to map building accessibility for Wheelchair users, and filling in the knowledge gaps that Google Maps and others, have yet to solve.

Finally, WIKIHOUSE is developing an OpenSource building system to make it simple for everyone to design, print and assemble beautiful, low-energy homes, customized to their needs. A software platform of mass-customizable template components can be user-configured to meet personal needs, before brokering introductions to local manufacturers and fabricators.

Just four examples of next-generation, user-centric companies, who are advancing the Smart City agenda, all of who are delivering tangible, measurable and impactful municipal improvements now that we can measure & learn from - but crucially putting the citizen at the heart of their offer, rather than the technology.

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A migrant walks the stairway in a refugee housing block in Waltrop, western Germany, painted with a swastika graffiti and a writing "get out dogs," Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015. Unknown persons sprayed extremist anti refugee graffiti on and in several refugee homes in the city the night before. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

BERLIN -- Germans went to the polls last Sunday -- only in one state, Hesse, and it was only a local election. But it was a taste of what is to come in state parliament elections taking place in three of 16 German states in a couple of days.

It does not look good.

The new right-wing party Alternative for Germany raked in double-digit results at the Hesse voting booths, taking third place behind German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats, and ahead of the Greens. AfD had strong results in every major city in the state. The forecasts for elections in three other states likewise suggest it will get between 9 and 19 percent of the vote. The prospect of the AfD pulling even with or perhaps even surpassing the Social Democrats, the oldest party in Germany, is becoming real.

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"It's terrifying," a chairwoman of the Social Democratic Party told a German broadcaster.

Anne Applebaum commented that the West might be only several election cycles away from its end. She was referring specifically to the election victory of the extreme-right Marine Le Pen in France, the possibility of Donald Trump becoming the next president of the United States and the referendum in England over leaving the European Union. What she did not include in this panopticon of horror was Germany's relapse into barbarism.

Thousands of anti-immigration demonstrators organized by the AfD in Erfurt, Germany on Oct. 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)

In fact, of all the European countries, Germany has had the longest streak of keeping right-wing radical parties out of seats in state parliaments or in the Bundestag. The experience of the Third Reich made several generations of Germans wise.

That's over now. The right never went away -- that's something one must understand. It just had no real authority in public discourse. But the refugee crisis changed that.

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Vague fears in the West -- of globalization and digitization, of change in the working world through artificial intelligence and the Internet -- have resulted in a wish for things to remain the same. For the inhabitants of the richest countries on Earth, the fear of change has been funneled into a fear of refugees crossing the continent.

The refugees are dehumanized by the right in this discourse. The head of the AfD demanded, in all seriousness, that we shoot at refugees who come to the German border. There is public outcry over this discourse, but the tone of the response has been different than usual, and the voices of those saying "they're right" or "they should be allowed to say that" are louder than they would have dared to be several years ago.

For the inhabitants of the richest countries on Earth, the fear of change has been funneled into a fear of refugees.

At the moment, countries across the Western Hemisphere are experiencing something similar: populist, anti-liberal parties and their agents selling voters on a message that tries to present the situation "as it really is." Of course, it's not true. They are simplifying highly complex issues using ridiculously narrow formulas. The political left in Spain, Greece, Portugal and the U.S. employ this tactic as well. The two extremes of the spectrum share a propensity to attack democratic institutions. In Germany, like in the U.S., these attacks are often aimed at the political elite and the media.

The AfD in Germany is asking for the same index for the theater and arts establishment of the country: one that presents only works that promote German-ness. The bourgeois public seems to accept this notion.

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In January, an Iranian harpsichordist, for example, was booed during an event in Cologne. He was ridiculed at first because he did not address the crowd in German, and then chaos broke loose because some people in the audience thought the music was too modern, and therefore not music at all. The concert had to be cancelled.

And then this month, in Bavaria, a Catholic priest with black skin had to step down from his post due to vile racism and discrimination and death threats. His crime? He asked the sheep of his flock to view the refugees in a Christian light and not as a threat.

People march in support of Olivier Ndjimbi-Tshiende, the priest who was targeted with racist slurs and deaths threats, in southern Germany on March 9. (CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images)

This is Germany 2016. It is reminiscent of the era our great-grandparents were happy to have left behind: denigrating democratic institutions, dismissing the media as a "lying press," making a boogeyman out of a minority group. If the AfD is celebrating its entry into the national Parliament this weekend, it'll be enemies of democracy who will sit in those seats.

As of today, Angela Merkel is still the strong woman in German politics. The majority still trusts her to overcome this crisis, to save the country and all of Europe. But a right-wing party that's strong and growing stronger will negatively alter the political culture of the country for a long time to come. Unlike in the past, the right has the support of the middle class, well into the Christian spectrum. Some in the middle class believe that the values of the West and of Christianity must be defended against an Arab invasion. Do they want to sacrifice liberal democracy, the best and most Western of all Western achievements?

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The U.S. would do well to understand everything that is at stake in its presidential election. The U.S. president is the leader of the free world. If we are not careful, the free world will fizzle out before our eyes faster than we ever thought possible.

Earlier on WorldPost:
THE ESTABLISHMENT: Thank you for coming in today, Mr. Trump. We know it's been an awkward few months, and we appreciate your willingness to meet with us, so we can see if we're the right fit for each other.

DONALD TRUMP: I'm happy to be here. But you have been treating me very unfairly.

TE: We know that. But you are a wealthy, self-financing candidate without any experience outside of your financial empire, and as The Establishment, we consider it our responsibility to scrutinize the credentials of a candidate with no proven record of conservative values.

DT: Like you did with Steve Forbes.

TE: And point out your very mixed record of success in the business community.

DT: Like you did with Carly Fiorina.

TE: (awkward silence) Let's talk about you, and the scope of your curriculum vitae --

DT: There's no problem down there. I promise you.

TE: No, Mr. Trump, we mean your resume.

DT: Ah.

TE: According to the resume you posted on LinkedIn.

DT: By the way, I have more than 500 connections on LinkedIn. It's very impressive.

TE: You have, and I quote, "built a great company."

DT: Yes.

TE. That's what it says.

DT: Yes.

TE: You don't understand, Mr. Trump. That is all it says. Your resume is just four words long.

DT: What else should it say?

TE: Well, it could talk about a record of public service. Casting difficult votes when competing interests and values are at stake. An understanding of the real challenges facing our military, our interests abroad, college students, seniors and others. The type of experience that would prove your conservative values and principles, and demonstrate substance and pragmatic thinking.

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DT: You want more words. Let me tell you, the voters are tired of words and ideas. They don't want substance and pragmatic thinking. They want me. They want the Trumpicane.

TE: That's not --

DT: Look, we both know why we're here. You believe I'm not really a conservative, and the second I become the nominee, you're afraid I'll abandon all of these positions I've been taking in the primary just so I can appeal to a broader electorate. The Establishment is worried I'll do that, right?

TE: Not quite. We're worried you won't.

DT: Huh?

TE: With all due respect Mr. Trump, your ideas, and our ideas, are the same. You want a wall. We've been talking about walls for twenty years! You want massive, across-the-board tax cuts and to slash government spending. So do we! You want to rebuild our military, and have a more aggressive, muscular foreign policy. Well then, welcome to the club.

DT: So why do you keep attacking me?

TE: It's your tone, Mr. Trump, and how you approach some of these issues.

DT: Example?

TE: Immigration. We can't win this election unless we pick up more Latino votes.

DT: So no wall?

TE: Of course there will be a wall. We love walls. You don't think Rubio and Cruz want a wall?

DT: So what's the problem?

TE: The problem is our opponents will call us divisive, and argue that the wall is a symbol of our anti-immigrant sentiment.

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DT: So how am I supposed to show that I'm not anti-immigrant?

TE: What if we built the wall, but made it 10 feet lower?

DT: Interesting. Or maybe a moat.

TE: Even better! And instead of deporting all of the illegals, we keep them here. But we make sure we don't reward them with fringe benefits, like voting rights and a college education.

DT: Consuela, my housekeeper?

TE: She can stay.

DT: My hotel development in Washington?

TE: You can fly in every working-age male left in Poland to get it done.

DT: So you guys will stop attacking me for hiring illegal aliens? Some of that stuff happened decades ago. I mean, killing a person 35 years ago doesn't exactly make someone a murderer.

TE: Actually... never mind. Look, Mr. Trump, the Democrats will surely resort to their old playbook. They'll say we're the party of wealthy elites, and that we don't understand the plight of ordinary, working Americans.

DT: Have you seen the polls? I'm winning working class and upper class voters. Uneducated people love me.

TE: Still, you've been criticized for living in an insulated, Park Avenue bubble. Show them that's not the real you.

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DT: How?

TE: Well, do you know what the price of milk is?

DT: Oil?

TE: Milk.

DT: Milk futures?

TE: No, just milk. If you walked into a grocery store and bought a gallon of milk, do you know how much it would cost?

DT: (Pause) Like if my chef ran out of milk?

TE: Sure.

DT: Why can't I just send Ivanka or Donald Jr. out for the milk?

TE: That's not the point. I'm asking --

DT: Look, the American people don't care if a gallon of milk costs forty-five cents, or sixty-five cents, or whatever. They just want to know that the guy in the truck who delivers those bottles of milk to their house came here legally. And they want a strong leader. When I'm president, we're going to have more milk than ever before. Milk production is going to be big, and no one is going to be on the streets without milk.

TE: So you have no idea how much milk costs?

DT: Not a clue.

TE: Let's talk about women.

DT: I love them.

TE: No, Mr. Trump. I mean, we can't win this election without women. Take Hillary Clinton...

DT: I would never do that. She's like 50 years old.

TE: You've said she doesn't have the strength or stamina to be president. The Democrats will say you made that remark because she's a woman.

DT: Not true. A total lie. There are lots of women with more stamina than Hillary. Look at Melania. You want stamina? Believe me, Melania has stamina. BE-LIEVE ME.

TE: What would you say if a reporter asked you if Hillary was an attractive or unattractive woman?

DT: I would say that is not an appropriate question.

TE: Excellent response, Mr. Trump.

DT: If I asked a question like that, the press would rip me apart, saying I'm demeaning women, or whatever.

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TE: So you wouldn't answer the question?

DT: Of course I would answer the question. If Hillary somehow won, she'd be the most unattractive woman president we've ever had. EV-ER.

TE: Actually, we've never had --

DT: And is that what the voters want? Hell no. They want a woman in the White House who looks like Melania. So when people vote in November, they should think about whether they want a woman who looks like Melania or Hillary in the White House.

TE: Mr. Trump, you can't say that is what the voters should think about in November.

DT: (laughing) You guys. Haven't you learned? The more outrageous things I say, the more Republican votes I get.

TE: On that note, Mr. Trump, your harshest rhetoric in this campaign has been directed against an African-American, a woman and two Hispanics. The Democrats will say that you only attack minorities.

DT: I was very hard on Jeb Bush. Very hard. And he's not a minority.

TE: Very true.

DT: Although in fairness to me, he is married to a Hispanic.

TE: (Holding head in hands).

DT: Look, Establishment. I know you despise me, and think that I would be disaster for the country. But I promise you, whatever damage I do to our economy, or our diplomatic relations, or whatever, I will beat Hillary Clinton like we used to beat the scholarship kids at Wharton. So do we have a deal? Can I have the nomination?

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TE: Do we have a choice?
Co-authored by Pamela Villa (Founder of @AllTheWomen)

Hard as many try to move beyond race and become "post racial," the more we should realize how impossible that would be, as well as counterproductive. We cannot simply do away with race.

Racial classification's original intent to create social and political separation worked. Because of America's prejudiced history, skin color still matters and affects lives and opportunities. To gloss over race is to ignore these still-pertinent causes and effects.

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The national conversation remains bipolar. Those to the right often believe that we have advanced to a "colorblind" state. They may not see the need to explicitly bring up race, especially when the word that follows immediately behind it is "discrimination." Those on the left may be more willing to engage such issues, though even then, tension and awkwardness can ensue.

The presidential debates have epitomized this divide, with one side glossing over the issue and the other attempting to address it. In Monday's Democratic debate, both former Secretary Clinton and Senator Sanders were asked if they believe "everyone is a little racist" by admitting their own racial "blind spots."

Though Clinton initially dodged the question, she gave a direct answer, the second time, saying:

I think being a white person...I know that I have never had the experience that so many people...have had. And I think it's incumbent upon me and what I have been trying to talk about during this campaign is to urge white people to think about what it is like to have "the talk" with your kids, scared that your sons or daughters, even, could get in trouble for no good reason whatsoever like Sandra Bland and end up dead in a jail in Texas.

Senator Sanders answered anecdotally, first with a story from 20 years ago about a Black congressman he met during his first years in Congress. Sanders asked the congressman if he wanted to share a cab, but his colleague had stopped trying to hail cabs in D.C. because he felt humiliated after available drivers simply drove past him.

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Sanders followed with a more recent anecdote about a young lady from Black Lives Matter, who explained how some police terrorized her community. Beyond police shootings, Sanders spoke to the more prevalent, daily bullying the young woman described:

To answer your question, I would say, and I think it's similar to what the Secretary said, when you're white, you don't know what it's like to be living in a ghetto. You don't know what it's like to be poor. You don't know what it's like to be hassled when you walk down the street or you get dragged out of a car.

Sanders' remarks are problematic in that he conflates blackness with poverty; not all Blacks are poor and many whites do live in ghettos. Yet this verbal misstep itself shows the importance of continuing these conversations, so that we can uncover the differences between race, class, and opportunity and see where they also intersect.

Regardless of party ties, to completely deny existing racial inequality is either ignorant or apathetic. Such discrimination lingers everywhere, even in professional environments.

Recently, Facebook employees crossed out "Black Lives Matter" on a wall at the company's headquarters and replaced it with "All Lives Matter". Mark Zuckerberg discouraged the behavior. But employees continued to write over their colleagues' message. The wall where the rhetorical dispute took place two weeks ago is meant to represent a real-life version of the digital Facebook wall.



The instinct to remove "Black" and focus on "All Lives" is a product of the problem movements such as Black Lives Matter (BLM) and BYP100 are addressing. Language is powerful because of the conceptions and misconceptions that are linked to it.



The "Black" vs. "All" dispute is an important one. One cannot fight for justice or equity for a group of people without explicitly acknowledging them. Only 2% of Facebook employees are Black.

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Image: Tbilisi, Georgia. Stock Photo. Pixabay.com

Score one for public engagement in a former Soviet country.

Grassroots protests over Georgian leaders' plans to cozy up closer to the Russian energy giant Gazprom have led to the government dropping those plans.

It's good that the leadership has done this, because the Kremlin uses Gazprom as a geopolitical weapon. If the company had been able to grab a larger share of Georgia's gas supply, the Georgian government would have been subjected to ever-increasing political demands from Moscow.

Russia's dominance of Georgia's neighbor Armenia's gas and electricity businesses shows what could happen to Georgia: Since Russia could cut off Armenia's energy at any moment, Yerevan has no choice but to acquiesce to whatever demands the Kremlin makes on it.

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The story of Georgia's leaders deciding to play footsie with Gazprom involves duplicity and greed.

The duplicity started with Georgian Energy Minister Kakha Kaladze holding a series of negotiations with Gazprom over restructuring the company's energy deal with Georgia -- without telling the Georgian public.

The way to prevent a potential gas shortage in Georgia, Kaladze said when news of the talks surfaced, was for Gazprom to supply Georgia with more than the 12 percent of gas it now provides.

Another element of Kaladze's duplicity was his assertion that Georgia had to engage in dirty dancing with Gazprom because the country needed to diversify its energy supply.

The problem with that contention, as anyone in the former Soviet Union knows, is that increasing your deliveries from Gazprom does not equate to increasing your diversification but instead to increasing your dependence on a supplier that can't be trusted.

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Increased economic dependence on Russia means increased political demands from the Kremlin -- with the threat of a disruption to your economy if you don't meet the demands.

The most blatant component of the Georgian government's duplicity was Kaladze's phony contention that Azerbaijan, which supplies 88 percent of Georgia's gas, would be unable to meet additional Georgian demands. Azerbaijani officials all the way to the president quickly denied that assertion.

The greed in the Gazprom-Georgia saga revolves around the country's richest man, and chief political orchestrator, holding 1 percent of Gazprom's stock.

Although that is a small percentage, Gazprom earns tens of billions of dollars a year in revenue, so billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvill's stake generates a hefty annual return.

A former Russian oligarch and former prime minister of Georgia, Ivanishvilli is now the power behind the throne in his homeland. No important government decisions are made without his sign-off, Georgian political analysts say.

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This means Georgian leaders' intention to give Gazprom a larger slice of the country's gas market constituted a huge conflict of interest. One component of the conflict involved Ivanishvilli, because he stood to gain financially from a new Gazprom deal. Another component of the conflict involved his lackeys in Tbilisi, because their political fortunes are tied to obeying his dictates.

Unfortunately for Georgia's leaders, the public viewed the negotiations -- correctly -- as an attempt to help Gazprom and its Kremlin masters at the expense of Georgian sovereignty.

Public outrage started when news surfaced from outside Georgia that the country's energy minister had met with Gazprom three times in Europe to discuss restructuring the gas deal.

Although Kaladze tried to categorize the talks as routine, Georgians weren't buying it. One reason was that the talks were held in Milan, Vienna and Luxembourg. "If he wasn't tying to hide anything, why weren't the talks held in Tbilisi or Moscow?" many Georgians asked.

Another reason Georgians doubted Kaladze's categorization of the talks as routine was that they learned of the negotiations not from their own news media but from Russian news reports.

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When Georgian journalists asked Kaladze how he could increase their country's vulnerability to Russian economic blackmail, he replied that it was in any country's interests to diversify its energy supply.

Some Georgians laughed at such a ridiculous excuse; others seethed.

That's because Georgians know that making the country more reliant on Gazprom would mean a loss of political independence, since Russia uses oil and gas as geopolitical weapons to bend other countries to its will.

The Georgian public learned the Gazprom lesson all too well a decade ago. In 2005, Gazprom, which was then supplying most of Georgia's gas, demanded a huge price increase for the resource.

Azerbaijan stepped in to supply most of Georgia's need at a much more reasonable price. It has been the main supplier ever since.

When Georgians learned that Kaladze was in talks to restructure the Georgia-Gazprom gas agreement, most accused him of a sell-out.

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Kaladze responded by contending that Georgia needed more gas from Gazprom because Azerbaijan would be unable to meet Georgia's growing needs.

That bought a quick denial from Azerbaijan.

Kaladze then backtracked, announcing that Azerbaijan had fixed the "technical problems" that would have prevented it from supplying more gas to Georgia.

The Georgian public also expressed unhappiness about the chief demand that Gazprom was making in the deal-restructuring talks.

Since 2006, Gazprom has supplied most of the gas it delivers to Georgia under a barter arrangement. That arrangement entitles Georgia to 10 percent of the Russian gas flowing through a Georgian pipeline to Armenia, a major Gazprom customer.

Gazprom wanted Tbilisi to drop the barter arrangement and pay for the gas in cash. The danger in such a shift was that the company could quickly raise its prices, as it did in 2005, requiring Georgia to shell out a lot more for gas.

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Kaladze resisted this demand in the negotiations, knowing that Georgian consumers would howl about a jump in their gas prices.

But he was open to another Gazprom pitch: that the company was ready to supply Georgia with more of its gas.

The grassroots opposition to Gazprom supplying Georgia with a lot more of its gas led in early March of this year to the agreement that has been in place for years being extended rather than renegotiated.

This means the barter arrangement will remain in place, and Azerbaijan rather than Gazprom will meet any increased Georgian gas needs.

In 2018, Georgia will have access to even more of Azerbaijan's supply. That's when a third pipeline from Azerbaijan to Georgia is completed.

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Gazprom was hoping to achieve a larger presence in Georgia before the third pipeline opened.

It failed to reckon on public opposition trumping duplicity, greed and geopolitical ambitions.
While there may be times I lament a movie's tonal inconstancies, every now and again you get a movie that didn't have a sense of what it was going to be at the outset and just becomes an entertaining mess. These are movies that start out as heady character-driven films then change course towards becoming some sort of run-of-the-mill action thriller but then suddenly wind up being a gory cheap exploitation flick by the time the credits roll. John Frankenheimer's 1982 movie 'The Challenge' starring Scott Glenn and the legendary Toshiro Mifune. The film starts out earnestly enough as a cultural fish-out-of-water action movie but can't sustain its lofty aspirations before devolving into a bloody, gory, andviolently entertaining flick!

Former big time boxer Rick Murphey (Scott Glenn) has seen better days. Because of his lack of discipline and a stubborn nature, the man's left taking beatings as a sparring partner for younger fighters. The pay is low, and he endures beating after beating just to make a couple of bucks. When he knocks out an indignant up-and-coming fighter, Rick is fired from his gig but also inadvertently puts himself up as a prime candidate for a more lucrative job. Immediately Rick is visited by two Japanese people, a father and daughter looking for his services. Wheelchair-bound Toshio Yoshida (Sab Shimono) and his daughter Akiko (Donna Kei Benz) need Rick to carry an item to Japan for them. Rick thinking it has something to do with drugs, wants no part of the deal. When they explain it's not drugs but is in fact, an ancient family heirloom, an ornate family sword that people would likely try to rob in transit, Rick is more than willing to take on the job - because it pays $2000.

Sure enough, as soon as Rick sets foot in Japan, he's picked up by toughs working for Hideo Yoshida (Atsuo Nakamura). What rick soon realizes is that he's been tossed into the middle of a generational family feud that has been going on since before World War II. Both Hideo and his older brother Toru (Toshiro Mifune) desire the sword to complete a set that has been passed down from father to son for generations. While Hideo is more than willing to use hired gun thugs to get what he believes is rightfully his, Toru rests his methods in honor and tradition. Rick is caught jockeying between the two as he wrestles his own inner demons. Is Rick truly a punch-drunk has-been boxer who will do anything for a buck? Or is he a man of honor, someone willing to learn a new path towards a better way of life?

If one is going to start watching John Frankenheimer's 'The Challenge' expecting a strong character study film that looks at the balance between morality and greed, you'll get that movie, but you'll also be getting a wild and often bloody violent exploitation-style action movie too. Filled with some fantastic performances, especially between Scott Glenn and Toshiro Mifune, 'The Challenge' is a movie that at times feels like it doesn't know what it wants to be. Of course, when you have a family feud involving swords you naturally expect blades to lose their scabbards and start cutting into bad guys, but this film never quite finds the balance been character drama and hokey action flick. Even through these inconsistencies, 'The Challenge' is a heck of a lot of fun.

If you go into the film looking for a little bit of off the cuff dark humor and some ultra-violence, then you should be well served by 'The Challenger.' I would love to break down the deaths because as the film's themes and character dramatics become too unwieldy, it feels like Frankenheimer and crew decided to just go for broke and make the film as violent as possible in the closing moments. Whether you take to this movie or not I believe will depend on your level of expectations going in. If you're believing you're going to see one of Frankenheimer's better character pieces like 'Birdman of Alcatraz' or 'The Manchurian Candidate' - as this movie easily could have been - you'll probably come away from it disappointed. On the other hand, if you're gunning for a movie that works as a prelude to such movies as 'Year of the Gun' or 'Dead Bang' then you're going to be in the right mood for this particular John Frankenheimer flick.

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

'The Challenge' arrives on Blu-ray thanks to Kino Lorber and their Studio Classics line of releases. Pressed onto a Region A locked BD25 disc, the disc is housed in a standard Blu-ray case and loads directly to a static image main menu representative of the film's poster artwork.
Moving Out on Women-in-Service

Three months ago, I announced that the Department of Defense would be opening all remaining combat positions to women. As I said at the time, to succeed in our mission of national defense, we cannot afford to cut ourselves off from half the country's talents and skills. We have to take full advantage of every individual who can meet our standards.

At every stage in this process, I have emphasized that the implementation of this change must be handled the right way, because the combat effectiveness of the world's finest fighting force is paramount. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dunford and I agree that implementation should be done in a combined manner, by all the military services working together. And to make sure we did this right, I asked the military services to incorporate seven guiding principles -- transparent standards, population size, talent management, physical demands and physiological differences, operating abroad, conduct and culture, and assessment and adjustment -- into their implementation plans.

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Over the last three months, each of the military services and U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) have put a great deal of thought and effort into their plans to incorporate these guidelines. Having reviewed and approved their exceptionally thorough work, today I'm pleased to announce that each of them will be moving forward by the end of this month. While I encourage our men and women serving in uniform to read the implementation plans, which are publicly available from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and SOCOM, I'd like to provide a few key examples that illustrate how we will proceed in a deliberate and methodical manner that will make our force stronger.

Transparent Standards

My first and foremost guiding principle was that the services would need to continue to apply transparent and objective standards for all career fields to ensure leaders assign tasks, jobs, and career fields throughout the force based on ability, not gender. In this respect, the services have been able to leverage the great amounts of data they gathered over three years' worth of studies to make their standards up to date and operationally relevant. We found over the last few years that in some cases we were doing things because that's the way we've always done them.

For example, previously one of the tasks to earn the Army's Expert Infantry Badge required soldiers to move 12 miles in three hours with a 35-pound rucksack, but it turns out that the rucksack weight was based on a World War II-era airborne study. It was the minimum weight required to prevent the ruck sack from getting tangled in a jumper's static line, and had nothing to do with the equipment required for paratroopers to fight with once they landed -- let alone the modern equipment that infantry soldiers need to carry today.

This process drove us to take a closer look at our training, too, and going forward, we will be using standards informed by today's real-world operational requirements, informed by experiences gained over the last decade and a half of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a result, our military will be even better at finding and training not only the most qualified women, but also the most qualified men, for all military specialties.

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Population Size

Second, the fact that we're holding everyone to the same high standards may mean that in some cases, equal opportunity may not always equate to equal participation. Here, we'll incorporate lessons we've learned in the past, like how the Navy has integrated women onto surface ships and more recently, submarines. The Army and the Marine Corps will integrate women officers and senior enlisted into previously-closed units before integrating junior enlisted women, and where they can, they'll assign more than just one woman into a unit at a time. This will help ensure that women officers play a key leadership role, set the right example, and enhance teamwork wherever possible.

Talent Management

Third is talent management -- integration provides equal opportunity for men and women who can perform the tasks required; it does not guarantee women will be promoted at any specific number or at any set rate, as adherence to a merit-based system must continue to be paramount. This has been a particular focus area for all the military services, and they'll be paying extra attention to it as they pursue implementation, mindful that it will require sustained effort at all levels of leadership to ensure that when someone gets ahead or moves up a rank, they earned it. We have to remember that it takes decades to grow a general or flag officer, so it will take time to see these results.

Physical Demands and Physiological Differences

Fourth is the fact that, on average, there tend to be physical and other physiological differences between men and women. Accordingly, all the services have looked closely at ways to mitigate the potential for higher injury rates among women, and they've come up with creative methods to address this. For example, the Army intends to give all new recruits what they call an occupational physical assessment test, the results of which will help better match the recruits with jobs they either are, or with training could be, physically capable of doing.

Likewise, the Marine Corps plans to use the extra time provided by their delayed entry program so that women who are interested in enlisting in ground combat arms can better prepare themselves for the physical demands of the job they want to serve in. And as we gain new insights as more women integrate into previously-closed positions, all the services will leverage that information to develop new approaches to reduce the potential for higher injury rates. All of this will help maximize effectiveness in the fight and increase readiness.

Operating Abroad

Fifth, while we know the United States is a nation committed to using our entire population to the fullest -- as are some of our closest friends and allies who have already achieved full gender integration -- we also know that not all nations share this perspective. Our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines have long dealt with this reality, notably over the last 15 years in Iraq and Afghanistan, and because of this, the military services have many lessons to draw on when it comes to operating in areas where there is cultural resistance to working with women. This is an area where we will always have to be vigilant, and the services are prepared to do so going forward across the force.

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Conduct and Culture

Sixth, we must address attitudes toward team performance through education and training, including making clear that sexual assault or harassment, hazing, and unprofessional behaviors are never acceptable, and that everyone must be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. Our core beliefs in good order, discipline, leadership, and accountability are foundational to our success in integration. The services will be using new educational resources to train everyone up and down the ranks to prepare for the integration of women, from the newest recruits to four-star admirals and generals. While each service is different and will do this in their own way, I know that all of them will continue to hold our people to the highest standards of honor and trust we associate with the profession of arms.

Assessment and Adjustment

Seventh, it is absolutely critical -- and a core tenet of DoD's character as a learning organization -- that we embark on integration with a commitment to the monitoring, assessment, and in-stride adjustment that enables sustainable success. Every service is deeply committed to this. One example I want to highlight is U.S. Special Operations Command, which will continually measure and track a variety of categories for its personnel -- including physical performance, injury rates, health, promotion, qualifications, and retention -- to assess how integrating women into special operations forces can be further improved over time.

As I said in December, it's important to keep all of this in perspective. Since then, we've already seen some changes -- women servicemembers have started to volunteer for ground combat roles, and the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps are all beginning to step up their recruitment efforts. But even as we proceed with implementation going forward, it won't all happen overnight, and while at the end of the day this will make us a better and stronger force, there will still be problems to fix and challenges to overcome. We shouldn't diminish that.

At the same time, we should also remember that the military has long prided itself on being a meritocracy, where those who serve are judged not based on who they are or where they come from, but rather what they have to offer to help defend this country. That's why we have the finest fighting force the world has ever known. And it's one other way we will strive to ensure that the force of the future remains so, long into the future. Today, we take yet another step toward that continued excellence.

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Babylon Cinema, Berlin - by Mike Steele

Spring is at the door, but unfortunately for most of us Europeans, the weather often does not allow for outdoor fun yet. When the wind howls like a hammer, or it is raining cats and dogs, soon or later most of us chose to spend their evening at a cinema - a pleasant alternative to weekday nights made of randomly picked, bad quality films on streaming.

Nevertheless, there are moments when the latest releases are just not what we are after - yes, sometimes we might feel too hipster for that. Or probably we can't be bothered to drive all the way to that humongous multi-screen cinema city with bars-pubs-clubs-restaurants on the city outskirts. Then, independent, repertory cinemas is the option you are looking for.



Abandon cinema, Spain - by David Diego Garcia

Some of them specialise in older, notable films that have become milestones in the history of cinema; others gather an audience keen on discovering contemporary avant-garde's ultimate ruses of defying cinematic conventions. There are tiny and decadent, and majestic and palatial ones - but most of them are worth-visiting for the charm they retain. Throughout the last decades some had to shut their blinds or, amid citizens' and activists' protests, were tore down to make space for new developments. Luckily, many are still open and active, and often offer a rich cultural programme that goes beyond mere film screening.

So, no blockbuster tonight? Here's a list, in random order, of 10 among the most interesting and worth-visiting art house cinemas in Europe.

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Angleterre Hotel Lounge - by Dmitiy Ivanov

In one of Angleterre Hotel's ground-floor meeting rooms is hosted this 200-seat cinema lounge, often used as a venue for some film festivals too. Before entering the cinema itself, you will have to pass through the luxurious hotel lounge, and buy the tickets at the check-in desk - yes, you will have to queue with the hotel guests and it might take a bit, so be sure you get there in time. Small curiosity: the original hotel building was demolished in 1987; the hotel reopened on-site in 1991, in a modern building whose facade mimics the former one. A pity, considering that Angleterre Hotel had been standing there for more than a century. The new building retains an antique-ish twist, and with it the cinema too - but don't you worry: picture and sound quality are up to 21st century standards.



Cinemateque of Macedonia - by Bojana Trajkovska

Founded in 1974, the country's national cinema institute hosts a 120-seat cinema that screens both national and international films in their original language. Almost every month the rich programme of the cinema dedicates a week to the cinematography of a specif country, offering a fine selection of its best new and old films. But most important of all, the Cinematheque keeps playing a paramount role in defending and reclaiming the Macedonian cultural heritage - a tendency that has become even stronger after the country gained independence in 1991.



Illegal Cinema - by tkh-generator.net

In the last years many cinemas in Belgrade couldn't just stand the competition with the new, bigger and more modern ones opened in the city malls. As a result, most of them closed. This void has been somehow compensated by an alternative and bustling independent cinema scene that started to rise in opposition to the more mainstream one. Every Sunday the small cultural centre "Magacin" (Warehouse) hosts the screening of what is called "Illegal Cinema". With no more than 30 seats, the place is the tiniest one of the list, and one of the few venues in town where forbidden, underground and, more in general, marginalised films can be watched. As a plus, the entrance is free. Another plus: anyone can suggest a film for the screening - as long as they are keen on starting a discussion once the film is over.

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Artistic Metropol - by Lucio Lenzi

It's written in the website already: Artistic Metropol - a different kind of cinema. This cinema opened only three years ago, and it is specialised in horror, cult and B-movies. Not only Artistic Metropol is the only independent cinema in Madrid showing the aforementioned type of films: indeed, it also works as a window for any independent film maker seeking to officially release their last projects. In addition to that, Artistic Metropol is a well-known shop among the city's cinema aficionados - searching for a DVD of a quirky film, or an out-of-stock cinema book? Now you know where to go.



Nuovo Cinema Romano - by Dario della Zuana

Nuovo Cinema Romano's programme is a sophisticated one: you won't find crazy experimental or uber alternative films on its screen, but rather a selection of the ones that participated in the major niche film festivals. Beside that, this cinema stands out for its beautiful location. Nuovo Cinema Romano is hosted in the Galleria Subalpina, one of the three elegant shopping arcades built in 19th century in Turin. Inspired by the Parisian passages , the gallery - whose eclectic decoration fuses together elements of the Renaissance and Baroque style - has been itself the set of some Italian films, such as Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) and The Italian Job (1969 version).



Splendid Palace - by Martins Veidemanis

Inaugurated in 1923, Splendid Palace deserves 100 per cent its name: the building itself is a piece of art, outside but especially inside. The interior is richly decorated in a neo-Rococo manner, and its Large Hall boasts impressive ceiling paintings that you'll hardly see in any other cinema you've visited - no wonder that the building has been declared a national monument. Needless to say, their programme is as fine as its architecture - Splendid Palace is one of the few cinemas in the Latvian capital that show documentaries, and sometimes also some concerts and theatre plays. Can we possibly find a flow in this apparently perfect venue? Yes: no popcorn is sold - some class, if you please?



Pioner Cinema - by Meri Melkonyan

Like Splendid Palace, Pioner is a real beauty: when you walk in you'll be welcomed by elegant crystal chandeliers and polished marble floors. Also, like Splendid Palace, it is a member of CICAE (the International Confederation of Art Cinema). And - alas! - like Splendid Palace. Pioner serves no popcorn. Reopened in 2009 after a major refurbishment that brought it back to its former glory, Pioner is one of the most relevant and well-established cinematographic institution of Moscow (many Russian film festivals take place in here: Moscow Film Festival and 2-in-1 among the others). Inside the building you'll find a cosy restaurant (Pion) and a bookshop (Omnibus), too. Ah, and from May till October Pioner goes open air in Gorky Park - someone here knows how to spoil their customers!



Kino Xenix - by Roman Rey

Xenix's story is a fascinating one. Back in 1904, as a response to the increasing demand for additional space, the School Department of Zurich built a number of wooden pavilions around the city. Some decades later, in the 80s, when social and political unrest kicked off in the city, a group of cinema lovers with progressive ideas decided to establish an independent cinema in line with their principles. The cinema had to move location several times, up until the crew landed in one of those pavilions - where Xerix still is. Carefully refurbished in 2007, Xerix also has a bar where you can chill and have a drink while you're waiting to watch one of its groundbreaking movies - just a truly enjoyable venue.

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Grande Theatre - by Stefan Hedegaard

Established in 1913, Grand Theatre is among the oldest cinemas of the Danish Capital. Throughout the years it has constantly expanded, and now it has six auditoria, the biggest one counting just over 300 seats. Its repertoire consists mainly of quality European films (that have generally always made it to Cannes Film Festival). Grand Theatre is a well-established cultural institution, and in 2006 received the award for Europe's best cinema at the Europa Cinemas Awards.



Cineteca Portuguesa - by Nuno Lopes de Silva
By Caroline Costello for Bedandbreakfast.com

A beautiful space where you can retreat after day spent exploring is essential to a picture-perfect vacation. So we enlisted guest judge and interior stylist Kirsten Grove to help us uncover 10 truly exquisite rooms in B&Bs around the world. These light-filled, inviting and stylish spaces are full of beautifully integrated furnishings and accents, from custom local artworks to precious antiques. Here are 10 inspirational B&B bedrooms that set the bar for interior design.

The Macao Room at Siolim House

Goa, India

The Macao Room is "by far the best room at Siolim House," says Varun Sood, owner of this 17th-century heritage manor inn located in Siolim Village, in the Northern Part of Goa on the River Chapora. Sood describes the room as "a magnificently large bedroom with wood floors and a wood false ceiling between the tile roof and the room. ...Hand-painted frescoes on the walls make this room a historical wonder to sleep in. [The room has] antique furniture and collectibles sourced from across Goa and India, to match the style of the time, and an antique four-poster bed. The room itself is situated on the first floor of the main building, [and is accessed] via the old staircase and through an ancient large wooden trap door that would have been a security feature in the original house."

The Pearl Gazvin Room at Embassy Circle Guest House

Washington, D.C.

Laura Saba, owner of Washington, D.C.'s Embassy Circle Guest House, tells us, "The Pearl Gazvin room is named after its beautiful antique Persian carpet. The goals of the room design are comfort, spaciousness and light. The furniture and art are a mix of antique and modern. It is great fun when we are able to repurpose antique furniture--the elegant wall mirror is actually the door to the armoire that is serving as the first-floor bookcase. All four original paintings and collages are composed by guests who have stayed with us."

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Meem Two at Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm

Albuquerque, New Mexico



Built by celebrated New Mexico architect John Gaw Meem, and full of precious artwork made by local craftsmen, Los Poblanos is a manifestation of the region's deep artistic heritage. Nancy Kinyanjui, general manager of the property, told us that Meem Two was reconstructed "with painstaking attention to detail, to be true to John Gaw Meem's architectural and interior designs." The room features re-purposed beams and other elements salvaged from John Gaw Meem properties, as well as Mexican-tiled bathrooms and New Mexico artwork. There is a kiva fireplace and a king-size bed. A private patio offers beautiful views of the Sandia Mountains.

Guest Room Overlooking the Pacific at the Awtrey House

Nehalem, Oregon



The Awtrey House is one of the few places where you can spend the night in a space created by famed architect James Cutler. Dennis Awtrey, who owns the Awtrey House with his wife Peggy, tells us that the sea-facing rooms (there are just two rooms at the intimate inn) allow guests to "gaze at the hypnotic Pacific Ocean from a private terrace, watch the shadows play on the wood beams of soaring ceilings, fall asleep to the peaceful song of the ocean and wake to the morning sunlight filtering through walls of floor-to-ceiling glass." What's more, says Awtrey, "The guest rooms flow outside to a wind protected terrace, allowing for year-round outdoor enjoyment of the ever-changing ocean."

The White Suite at Kimber Modern

Austin, Texas

According to Kimber Modern innkeeper Kimber Cavendish, the White Suite at this Austin, Texas, property is "in a class of its own." With a king-size bed custom-built from maple, a glass desk, floor-to-ceiling windows, a large frosted-glass bathroom that has a six-foot Kaldewei soaking tub and large walk-in shower, and a complimentary fully stocked mini bar, the White Suite is a well-designed wonderland within the Lone Star State's capital city.





The Deluxe Double Room at Relais Genius Loci County Inn

Bevagna, Italy



Old World romance flourishes within the beautifully designed Deluxe Double Room at Relais Genius Loci County Inn. According to the inn's owner, Mary Thomas, "As an art historian, context and clarity of purpose in decor guided us throughout this project. Each room is distinct, with a focus on an important antique piece. ...Our goal was to ensure that the decor not only 'belonged' stylistically to the 1850s farmhouse and villa that is Relais Genius Loci, but also to the timeless Umbrian views from the rooms' windows. We strived for coherence among these important aspects." The features of the Deluxe Double Room, from the terracotta floors to the exposed hand-hewn beams in the ceiling, join style with history in this classically graceful Italian villa inn.

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The King Luxury Room at Farmhouse Inn

Forestville, California



The King Luxury Room at Farmhouse Inn, an award-winning California Wine Country B&B, has a spacious private deck with a double-sided fireplace, surrounded by forest; heated marble floors, a steam shower and a large Whirlpool tub in the bathroom; and a poured-concrete fireplace made to look like fieldstone. The enormous 700-square-foot room, decked in clean white decor with country-flavored accents of plaid, stone and gnarled wood, was created by noted interior designer Myra Hoefer.





The Sunrise Room at Port D'Hiver

Melbourne Beach, Florida



From a large latticed balcony with French doors and ocean views to a roomy spa tub for two, The Sunrise Room at Port D'Hiver, an oceanfront boutique B&B, has all the luxurious trimmings your beach vacation calls for. The room's bright but clean design mixes upscale elegance with tropical flair. The focal point of the room is a big, beautiful four-poster bed carved from mahogany and dressed in crisp white down.



The Presidential Yurt at Gan Hamlachim

Amirim, Israel

Nestled in a village in Upper Galilee, you'll find Gan Hamlachim, a couples-only retreat with two distinctive lodging options: a yurt and a suite. The Presidential Yurt made our list thanks to its stunning design and uniqueness. (It is, after all, a yurt.) According to Yuval Eli, owner of Gan Hamlachim, "We chose to combine the simplicity of a yurt with a minimalist design ... and the best technology to enhance the experience." The fully soundproof space contains a king-size bed, a home theater system with a 3D LED smart TV, a Jacuzzi bath, a fireplace and a kitchen. Catch views of the Sea of Galilee from the private balcony.





The Senator's Cottage at Tickle Pink Inn

Carmel, California

The historical Senator's Cottage at Tickle Pink Inn is the last remaining structure from the century-old estate of State Senator Edward Tickle. According to inn owner Al Gurries, "This two-bedroom hideaway includes a wood-burning fireplace, living room, kitchenette and Whirlpool tub. Its large private patio overlooks the ocean." A skylight above the bed drenches the room in light, and wide windows yield views of the surrounding flowers and pines.

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This headline splashed across the front pages of New York tabloids like a bomb shell.

New York reporters knew then that the Donald was the real thing. "The Donald" story, already fodder for the dailies, had legs and would continue on for years and years.

And so it has.

Marla Maples, Trump's second wife, said, "I had Mister Charm all over me, and it was very hard to say no. When that man wants something, he'll stop at nothing to get it. And I also believed in the good of him."

Today during an appearance on The View, Maples said that she "loved him for his hands," and that he "doesn't want to provoke violence. He wants to create more peace."

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I first met the Donald nearly 30 years ago at his office in Trump Tower.

Everything was the best: the best view (he pointed out the window toward 5th Ave and Central Park), the best marble on the floor (he even traveled to Italy to choose it!), the best boat (he vacationed on a 282-foot yacht, the Trump Princess), the best plane, and the most magnificent dresses on the most beautiful wife.

The self marketing master had twenty magazine covers plastered all over his wall. Each cover featured the face of Donald in front of some project or another.

He was braggadocious, boastful; his preening ostentation seemed to know no bounds. He seemed to believe everything he said, and he desperately wanted everyone else believe to it too.

I was flabbergasted. I had never met anyone like him.

I didn't believe a word he was saying.

I was so skeptical. But his charm and apparent sincerity and grandiosity were infectious. I soon came to admire the way he spoke. He was so innocent, so boyish. He didn't seem to understand the ways of the truly rich and powerful, the art of understatement.

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His models of boats and planes and buildings were scattered around his office like a small boy's toys. It smacked of a certain lack of self-esteem.

He reminded me of the scene in The Great Gatsby, when Robert Redford, in the movie, is frantically dragging down dozens of shirts to impress his true love Daisy:

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, "He took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them, one by one, before us, shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel, which lost their folds as they fell and covered the table in many-colored disarray."

Daisy cried.

Trump's flaunting material goods is reminiscent of the excesses described by Thorsten Veblen during the Gilded Age -- 1880 to 1900 -- when titans showed off their social status with flamboyant displays of conspicuous consumption: grandiose mansions, private railroad cars and the like.

Donald is a new money icon of quintessential Americanism of which there are many examples -- the richest, smartest and luckiest guy around -- the Music Man, writ large, carnival barker of the American culture, a caricature.

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Donald is a believer in the big-lie theory. If you say something again and again, the voters will believe you. Republicans have practiced such voodoo economics for years, according to Paul Krugman.

This is how Trump does his deals. His genius is in figuring out what people really want. The fantasies and the baubles that voters really want are: "Make America Great Again," keep us safe and out of wars, take us back to a time that made sense. The strong man will do it.

Is he a con artist? Of course. Goes without saying. All politicians are con artists. All presidents are con artists.

It would be sheer folly to expect unwavering consistency, or even complete honesty from politicians during an election, much less during a nominating process.

Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage, as H.L. Mencken once said. Trump is making politics fun again. He's an entertainer.

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Americans have become cynical about politics and politicians. They expect candidates to pander to the polls -- to become liars, unprincipled political opportunists. Americans know they need a president with a different skill set: someone who is strong enough to change the course of time. Someone who is not too fastidious to do what it takes to win and accomplish this.

Yes, Trump's proposal to deport 11 million Mexicans is sheer madness, grandiose megalomania.

But think of the madness of what the other Republicans have gotten us into: the invasion of Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, resulting in the deaths of more than a million people, the creation of more than 3 million desperate refugees, inciting the hatred of nearly the whole Muslim world.

Trump, who is fundamentally a nativist, opposed the Iraq War and called it folly. He seems to be committed to less aggressive, more isolationist policies. I don't believe he will get us into new wars. All the other Republicans supported the Iraq War and aggressive imperialism. They have brought us the worst foreign policy disasters in our history. And that's saying something.

Maybe I am being too kind and have been suckered. At least Trump will stop this foreign policy madness.

I believe that Trump will support a national health care policy and not leave people dying in the streets. He will keep Social Security as it is. All the other Republican want to destroy Obamacare, gut Social Security, and they don't really care what comes later.

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Trump has been a messenger to the Republican Party. He has correctly identified the problems. Money in politics is evil and pernicious. He knows firsthand. America has been too imperialistic. He doesn't say these words of course, but this is what he means. And he acknowledges that we need a form of universal health care.

His solutions are ridiculous and often ugly and outrageous, but they're designed to grab media attention.

In his book, The Art of the Deal, Trump wrote, "If you are a little different, or a little outrageous, or if you do things that are bold or controversial, the press is going to write about you."

The first rule in politics is: if you don't succeed in the short run, there will be no long run.

I cannot see myself ever voting for Donald Trump.

But when it comes to the Republicans, I agree with Paul Krugman of The New York Times, who wrote:

"Yes, he's a con man, but they all are. So why is this con job different from any other?"

"The answer... is that the establishment's problem with Mr. Trump is not the con he brings; it's the cons he disrupts."

Cruz and Rubio, and, yes, even Kasich are Tea Party neocons who are likely to get us into new wars, kill women's right to choose, and remove healthcare protections for tens of millions. Krugman says it's voodoo economics and neocon fantasies all the way down.

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But in the end, the reason I hope Trump wins the Republican nomination is that it will be good for the Democrats. Even the clever Trump will not be able to convince half the voters that he is qualified to be president according to most polls in Real Clear Politics.

Go Bernie! Go Hillary!
Canadian rock group Nickelback arrives at the 30th annual American Music Awards Monday, Jan. 13, 2003, in Los Angeles. Nickelback is nominated for the Favorite Band, Duo or Group-Pop or Rock 'n Roll Music award. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

The other day some of my friends and I began to share stories of people we knew who secretly supported Donald Trump but were too embarrassed to publicly admit their fervor for the GOP presidential frontrunner. This discussion reminded us of how similarly the rock band Nickelback is subject to widespread ridicule despite its tremendous commercial success in the 2000s. This juxtaposition led us to conclude that Donald Trump is the Nickelback of politics.

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Similarly, Donald Trump is dominating the Republican presidential primary. So far he has won 15 states and leads the delegate count with 458 delegates, which is 100 more than his nearest competitor. In spite of this success, the mainstream media's assault on Donald Trump could give someone the impression that he is a mere fringe candidate rather than the frontrunner of a major political party.

Congressman Duncan Hunter Jr. believes that the popular derision of Trump has shamed many supporters from publicly declaring their support for the real estate mogul's bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Additionally, a recent study by Morning Consult, a polling and data firm, suggested that Trump performs better in online polls than telephonic polls because people are too embarrassed to admit that they support his candidacy.

Righteous denunciations of Donald Trump have become fashionable in mainstream media, yet The Donald continues to dominate the Republican presidential primary. His stubborn success in the face of endless condemnations from both liberals and conservatives resembles Nickelback's continued success despite widespread mockery by music critics indicating that both Donald Trump and Nickelback have plenty of fans who are too ashamed to admit their fandom.

Donald Trump is deplorable and embarrassing to the Republican Party for reasons that plenty of ink has already been spilled over. Frankly, Donald Trump supporters deserve every bit of ridicule they receive. On the other hand, I love Nickelback.
A recent Nielsen report featured on Geek Wire showed the average American spends 11 plus hours a day on digital gadgets, and an article in Digital Trends reports Americans check their social media platforms 17 times a day. Wowza. It's hard to even walk down the street and make eye contact because most heads are down, thumbs scrolling madly while eyes are narrowed in a steely focus. It seems that all of this technology is depleting our culture and creating disconnection from the human experience. But like everything in this world, technology has a dark and a light side. And there are many people using technology to plug in and get conscious.

Yoga teacher and actress, Adriene Mishler is dedicated to just that. She has a successful online yoga community, Yoga With Adriene, which creates free creative content to inspire people of all shapes and sizes to connect to their bodies daily.

"I think it's possible to flex the muscles of what we want to evolve into and we can do that with technology," Adriene told me in a recent interview. "But it takes time and patience. We can direct and redirect our attention. It's a practice."

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Adriene's approach is simple and conscious. She is very mindful of the harm that both words and images broadcast over social media can cause. She's mindful of her own message.

"I grew up as a theater kid. I'm a performer and it has guided me in how I share Yoga with Adriene in a way that drops all the allure." And this can easily be seen in her videos. In some she's wearing tee shirts, often she doesn't have much make up on and the set up is pretty simple and no frills. It's rather refreshing.



Photo Credit: Yoga with Adriene

"From the very beginning the way we shot the yoga was very important." Adriene said in reference to her membership site, Find What Feels Good, and her desire to change the way women are viewed online. "I would shoot from the foundation of the body with the camera going down vs. moving up." To Adriene, all of this matters. And really this is what consciousness is all about -- the little things. We must take notice of the small ways we can wake up every single day. Because here's the thing, technology is a part of our world. It's not going anywhere. So instead of trying to fight it, we need to embrace it in a way that we can still remain grounded and in this world. We must use technology is a discerning way.



Photo Credit: Yoga with Adriene

In some ways it's about choice. Adriene talks about exercising our consciousness muscles. "Instead of going on our devices to check out an ex on Facebook, we can flex the muscles that choose yoga and Pranayama instead."

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Kevin O'Leary, Archway, 2001, Limited 24 x 16 in. print signed edition of 8. Printed on museum standard archival medium mounted in a 34.5 x 26.5 in. handmade frame. Courtesy Arcature Fine Art.

Snap Judgments



"Irreconcilable Images," the current exhibition of photographic images by Kevin O'Leary at Arcature Fine Art in Palm Beach, is a memorable event that examines the curious aesthetic merits of places and people that often display an inherent incompatibility, either by their irreconcilableness of circumstances, through images that initiate a double take, or by portraying juxtapositions taken by snap judgment of perspectives that offer the viewer a novel slant on otherwise familiar territory.

O'Leary, born in Montreal, Quebec in 1954, clearly has kept his eyes open and his camera ready to document key moments, as this collection of photographs provides undisputed evidence of many years of professional experience leading up to this fascinating show. As a young boy, he aspired to become a photographer and was a member of the photo club at Nepean High School in Ottawa, when he bought himself a Soviet Zenit camera and began to develop his own photos. Advised by his stepfather that to be a professional photographer was not financially viable or a stable career and that only a small percentage of photographers achieve fame and fortune, he put his artistic aspirations on hold and eventually earned an MBA in entrepreneurship at the University of Western Ontario in 1980. What followed was a string of highly successful business ventures in software and private equity, as well as his current presence on "Shark Tank," the TV program that showcases aspiring entrepreneurs, who as contestants make presentations to a panel of "shark" investors, hoping to persuade them to finance their products, among others, which serendipitously enabled O'Leary to seriously pursue interests beyond his vocation, including cooking, winemaking, playing guitar and photography. He cites his prosperous business career for giving him "ample time and resources" to further explore his "real passion" for photography. He also has a large collection of vintage cameras, including one of his most prized, a Leica M3. He has shot hundreds of thousands of photographs and produced over 300,000 negatives throughout his lifetime. Like many successful artists, from Damien Hirst to Dale Chihuly, O'Leary is a serious collector of objects and art. He also is a thoughtful and informed investor in photography by other artists with a concentration on Canadian photographers, including works by Edward Burtynsky, Barbara Cole and Joshua Jensen-Nagle.

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It is likely that O'Leary's time spent traveling due to his stepfather's position with the UN's International Labour Organization had a strong influence on his work as a photographer. He moved frequently, living in many exotic places, including Cambodia, Tunisia and Cyprus, where he learned about world cultures and certainly encountered exciting and provocative imagery that is a universal theme in his photographs. The show at Arcature Fine Art combines the foreign and unusual while alerting the viewer to a sense of foreboding about what you are seeing. O'Leary follows a great tradition of master photographers whose impact becomes a hallmark of timelessness. His work spans a multitude of decades and geographies that have a common denominator of exquisite compositional juxtapositions.

One timeless image on display, titled Kiev, was taken in 1986 in the Ukraine, prior to the demise of the Berlin Wall, and exudes an ominous atmosphere with good reason, as according to O'Leary, paranoia over "big brother" watching you ran high and people kept to themselves, eyes down as they walked through the city.



Kevin O'Leary, Kiev, 1986, Limited 16 x 24 in. print signed edition of 8. Printed on museum standard archival medium mounted in a 26.5 x 34.5 in. handmade frame. Courtesy Arcature Fine Art.

I was in Moscow during the same time period, and as I got to my hotel room the interpreter gestured with his finger towards the ceiling, silently pointing out that someone was listening in. That same chilling tone is evident in Kiev, as you can see a man suspiciously watching through the open archway door as Kevin took out his Leica camera. Nevertheless it's a great photograph that brings to mind the classic street shots of Eugene Atget and Henri Cartier-Bresson.

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The power and simplicity of a black and white photo is evident in Place Vendome, taken in the dead of winter with the dark turbulent skies above the odd silhouette of the sculpture below, accented by the vertical shapes of a monument and lanterns just behind it and the grand architecture of Paris in the background.



Kevin O'Leary, Place Vendome, 2000, Limited 16 x 24 in. print signed edition of 8. Printed on museum standard archival medium mounted in a 26.5 x 34.5 in. handmade frame. Courtesy Arcature Fine Art.

Another powerful image of contradictions is Woman on Chains, which was taken in St. Barths on Tri X 400 B&W film. In keeping with the title of the show, the setting is strengthened by the contrast between giant, solid, rusted nautical chains and the pretty girl in a soft, white, flowing dress perched on top as she inspects these relics of the shoreline.



Kevin O'Leary, Woman on Chains, 2013, Limited 16 x 24 in. print signed edition of 8. Printed on museum standard archival medium mounted in a 26.5 x 34.5 in. handmade frame. Courtesy Arcature Fine Art.

Another commanding and highly unusual image is Air Show #1, originally taken decades ago using black and white film, which was inadvertently misplaced and then years later when it was found again sent to the lab for processing. Over the years that the film was in storage, the fluctuation in temperature and humidity caused mold to grow, so when it was finally printed the eerie organic blossoms on the negative seemed to make the bi-plane look as if it was flying over the surface of another planet.

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Kevin O'Leary, Air Show #1, 1988, Limited 16 x 24 in. print signed edition of 8. Printed on museum standard archival medium mounted in a 26.5 x 34.5 in. handmade frame. Courtesy Arcature Fine Art.

The smoke contrails remind me a bit of an abstract expressionist gesture as it twists in midair and is caught at the best possible moment in time, like a classic Walker Evans smoking chimney image.

An ideal example of "Irreconcilable Images" is Lifeguard, shot while O'Leary was walking down the beach in Nantucket and observed a second lifeguard momentarily bent down to take a bite out of his sandwich at the precise instant the photo was taken--a decisive moment for sure, to quote Brassai.



Kevin O'Leary, Lifeguard, 2013, 1998, Limited 16 x 24 in. print signed edition of 8. Printed on museum standard archival medium mounted in a 26.5 x 34.5 in. handmade frame. Courtesy Arcature Fine Art.

A favorite image in my own photograph collection is by Elliott Erwitt, which has a similar humorous illusion where the eight legs depicted actually belong to one human and two dogs as they take an autumn stroll down the sidewalk.

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I have other favorites in O'Leary's exhibition, but space only allows me to present one more of my favorite shots: Greenland River, taken at 3,200 feet from a Sikorsky helicopter flying into the center of Greenland in late summer.



Kevin O'Leary, Greenland River, 2007, Limited 16 x 24 in. print signed edition of 8. Printed on museum standard archival medium mounted in a 26.5 x 34.5 in. handmade frame. Courtesy Arcature Fine Art.

The August sunlight causes the surface ice to melt, dividing the white snow into meandering blue ribbons captured from above. A memorable quote by the celebrated photographer Diane Arbus that's appropriate for this image is "My favorite thing is to go where I've never been." Another from Arbus that's apropos to this series is "A picture is a secret about a secret, the more it tells you, the less you know." This is very true, especially in much of O'Leary's work. The blue of the river against the frozen snow reminds me a bit of classic images taken by Ansel Adams and Andreas Gursky, aerial views of patchwork landscapes and surreal twisting highway cloverleafs shot from high above the clouds. This is an unusual exhibition that will heighten your sense of apprehension and mystery about what you are seeing, which is the hallmark of a great image that remains "timeless," observes O'Leary.



Nick Korniloff (Executive Vice President & Partner, Art Miami /Vice-President, Perry J. Cohen Foundation), Linda O'Leary, photographer Kevin O'Leary ("Shark Tank"), Pamela Cohen (Art Miami/President , Perry J. Cohen Foundation). Photograph by Christopher Fay.

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Sales of O'Leary's work are being handled exclusively by Arcature Fine Art and all proceeds will be donated to the Perry J. Cohen Foundation (PJCF) and Teenage Entrepreneurs. Perry Cohen is a 14-year-old boy who went missing at sea in July 2015, last seen leaving the Jupiter, Florida inlet on his friend's boat. He was an enthusiastic young entrepreneur, starting a car washing business when he was only six and he was a big fan of the "Shark Tank" program. This worthy foundation is a 501 (c)(3) organization, established by Perry's mom, Pamela Cohen, and his stepfather, Nick Korniloff. The mission of the foundation is to create awareness and education for all individuals around the safe enjoyment of recreational boating, fishing and water sports.
Religion's role in the public life of the United States has a complicated history, one that defies the easy generalizations that we see in popular media. While the federal government promised not to meddle in religion at the outset, the states were left free to do what each thought best. Some, such as Massachusetts, kept an established church (requiring those who did not worship at the designated church to jump through some hoops to be allowed to participate in the political process). They eliminated this centuries-old establishment only in the 1830s (more than four decades after separation was guaranteed at the federal level). Another approach--tried in the states of Pennsylvania and South Carolina--used fear of hell to keep voters and politicians honest.

This strategy limited political participation to men who believed in life after death and punishment for sin. As a religious test for politics went, this one was seen as minimal, allowing for broad political participation. The test invited into the political arena anyone holding traditional beliefs about punishment in the hereafter. Among the excluded were deists who thought of the Christian God as the creator but who rejected much traditional theology, as well as atheists. With this religious test, they intended to avoid examining the specific details of each individual's faith and practice (as was common in Europe) but to apply a broad standard that nominally kept religion in politics.

The logic behind the practice went like this: belief that sin would be punished in hell provided a check on bad behavior, which would help to keep the political process honest. The assumption, widely held, was that people who did not expect to be punished in the afterlife would do as they pleased in their present lives, to the determent of all. The idea was born out of a pessimistic view of human nature, one that assumed that people did right only if they thought they might get caught. Even as a few states passed this law, many Americans were turning toward a more optimistic view of human nature. According to the new view of human nature promulgated by the Enlightenment, people could be improved by education and by living in a well-run republic that permitted opportunity. Clinging to an older, more pessimistic view, these few states tried to use hell to motivate the populace to be virtuous.

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The scheme failed. Determining who believed in hell proved tricky. Assuming the determination was based on self-reporting, then unbelievers might be expected to lie about it. But the idea had a deeper flaw: relying on divine punishment did not ultimately offer the hoped-for deterrent. Just as today, believers lied and cheated and stoled. Our own news streams are occasionally filled with stories of preachers caught in some conduct they have been decrying from their pulpits for decades. Relying on fear of God's punishment proved ineffective. The requirements for belief in hell were eventually cancelled.
"A novel and absurd notion," is how leading legal scholars and historians describe Senate Republicans' obstinate refusal to consider President Obama's forthcoming nominee to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Antonin Scalia's death.

I couldn't say it better myself. Even Senate Republicans in moments of candor acknowledge the absurdity and hypocrisy of their stand. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) admitted this week that he and his colleagues are defying longstanding Senate precedent by blocking a potential justice. Similarly, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) told a radio talk show host that if the president were a Republican, there wouldn't be delay, putting the lie to the idea that a "lame duck" president is the issue.

The scholars, who include ACS current and former Board members Erwin Chemerinsky, Pamela S. Karlan, and Geoffrey R. Stone, eloquently explain why Senate Republicans are absurdly wrong on this matter. It comes down to what the Constitution says, and what prior Senates have done. AEI's Norm Ornstein, a longtime scholar of Senate procedure, was instrumental in coordinating the letter.

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It is standard practice, the scholars write in a March 10 letter, that "when a vacancy occurs on the Supreme Court to have a president, whatever the stage in his term, to nominate a successor and have the Senate consider it."

Ornstein and the scholars continue, "If we buy the logic that decisions made by 'lame duck' presidents are illegitimate or are to be disregarded until voters make their choice in the upcoming election, that begs both the questions of when lame duck status begins (after all, a president is technically a 'lame duck' from the day of inauguration), and why senators up for reelection at the same time should not recuse themselves from decisions until the voters have decided whether to keep them or their partisans in office."

The scholars correctly note that the Senate can "deny" the president's nomination, but only after a full and fair hearing, which means hearings in the Judiciary Committee and full debate on the Senate floor. Anything short of that the scholars conclude is a serious and unprecedented breach of "the Senate's best practices and noblest traditions."

Read the scholars' full letter here. For more commentary on this matter see this open letter from more than a dozen of the nation's top constitutional law scholars, organized by ACS, and these guest posts for ACSblog. Also, on Tuesday, March 15, a panel of experts including Ornstein, will discuss the Senate's constitutional duty to provide advice and consent for a forthcoming Supreme Court nominee. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) will give opening remarks. Click here for details of the ACS panel discussion.
By Fredrick McKissack, Jr.

This piece was originally published in Equal Voices.

What does it say about the value of Black lives when too many of those lives are in crumbling schools, drinking poisoned water, finding themselves chronically unemployed, or wasting away in prison?

The Black Lives Matter movement may have been born out of police shootings, but what happened on the streets of Ferguson, Baltimore, and Chicago, and on college campuses from the University of Missouri to Amherst was as much about opportunities deprived to a community as it was about depraved police officers.

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The link between economic security and social justice is self-evident and historical. Martin Luther King Jr.'s last great struggle was in support of 1,300 striking Memphis sanitation workers. In his last speech, "I've Been to the Mountaintop", delivered on April 3, 1968, King said: "We aren't engaged in any negative protest and in any negative arguments with anybody," he told the audience. "We are determined to be people. We are saying that we are God's children. And if we are God's children, we don't have to live like we are forced to live."

I thought about King and the sanitation workers as I listened to Melonie Griffiths deliver a stirring speech during a discussion on ending racial injustice at the Jobs With Justice (JWJ) conference held in early February in Washington, D.C. Griffiths, the organizing director for Massachusetts JWJ, told a crowd of union and worker activists that she was "the face of the movement." She was calling out economic depravation and social injustice for what it is: racism and white supremacy.

She echoed Rasheen Aldridge, from St. Louis, who the day before told conference goers that racial and economic justice are connected. The 21-year-old former fast-food worker, who became a leader in the Ferguson protests, said the Fight for $15 movement and the demonstrations are connected by corporate greed and ruthlessness and police harassment and brutality that have been leeching hope and humanity out of people of color.

Melonie's and Rasheen's resolve to end the disparities that oppress African Americans brought to mind the struggles of MarShawn M. McCarrel II, a Black Lives Matter activist from Columbus, Ohio, who shot himself on the steps of the Ohio Statehouse on February 8. He was 23. On Facebook, he said his "demons won today." It sounded so familiar to me, a constant fight for a country to live up to its promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

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Fifty years after King's death in Memphis, America is still one country with two nations, separate and unequal.

Unemployment nationwide is at 5.7 percent, its lowest level in eight years. Yet, Black unemployment is 10 percent, twice as high as the rate among white workers. And this is just the tip of a deep economic imbalance.

Almost a third of 20- to 24-year-old Black men nationwide were out of school and out of work in 2014, according to the University of Illinois Chicago's Great Cities Initiative. The numbers in Chicago for the same age range were appalling: 47 percent were out of school and out of work in Chicago, compared to 10 percent of white men in the same age group.

Of all the noted gaps between Blacks and whites in this country, the most inconceivable metric is probably this: while whites with less than a high school diploma have an unemployment rate of 7 percent, the Black unemployment rate at the same educational level is 17 percent, according to an Economic Policy Institute report from December. Only African Americans with a bachelor's degree or higher have an unemployment rate below the national average, EPI economist Valerie Wilson wrote. "Persistent disparities in unemployment are constant reminders of how race continues to have an undue influence on life in this country," Wilson added.

African Americans lead in an area where we are too often led: prison. The likelihood of a Black man going to jail or being in prison is 1 in 3; for white men it is 1 in 17, the Sentencing Project, a nonprofit dedicated to criminal justice reform, reports. There also are dramatic disparities among women: 1 in 18 Black women are likely to be locked up, compared to 1 in 111 white women.

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Such glaring statistics and anecdotal evidence are receiving more attention. So it should be a surprise to no one that Beyonce and rapper Kendrick Lamar took powerful positions documenting and affirming blackness on two of television's most watched events - the Super Bowl and Grammy Awards - as protests against systemic racism.

In performing "The Blacker the Berry" Lamar and several Black back-up dancers were in chains, against a prison backdrop. This wasn't a "woe is us" moment. As with Beyonce's homage to the Black Panthers, Lamar was moving toward defiance and pride.

"As Lamar progressed in the song, he and the dancers released their chains and danced, donned in glow-in-the-dark outfits," Variety reported. "Lamar moved across the stage to the head of a giant bonfire as he transitioned into his hit 'Alright,' performing along with African dancers. Near the end of the set, a picture of a map of Africa appeared behind Lamar, with 'Compton,' his hometown, written on it."

Such actions are fodder for kudos and assaults on social media, mainstream media, radio talk shows, and gab fests among friends at barbershops and coffee houses. But, without real efforts toward economic justice and ending racial injustice, the acts are futile reminders that entertainers are not as powerful as many think.

If public officials and private industry don't get the message that Black Lives Matter on the streets, inside boardrooms, and in legislative chambers, then something King recommended in that final speech ought to be taken seriously.

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"We've come by here to ask you to make the first item on your agenda fair treatment where God's children are concerned," he told the crowd. "Now if you are not prepared to do that our agenda calls for withdrawing economic support from you."

Black buying power matters, too.
Last months article ended with the following conjecture: Next months article will examine the various presidential candidates (those still standing) opinions and/or beliefs on several substantive subjects. This will provide you, the reader, with the ability to judge whether your favorite candidate practices policy-based evidence, or evidence-based policy. Policy-based evidence making is research done to support an already been decided upon policy. Evidence-based policy is public policy informed by rigorously established objective evidence. Past performance should tell the story."But there is another important ingredient related to these two views. What if a politicians stance (one that is obviously predicated on ideology, religious beliefs, or politics), completely controverts universally accepted scientific, empirically developed evidence? Is it then fair or logical to question that individuals ability or willingness to approach the decision making process without any sign of prejudice, precondition, or preconceived beliefs?I recognize that, after reading this article some might consider it politically oriented. It is not intended to be so. Its objective is to display how the historical record of current candidates might influence their future decision making process. If past decisions are indeed a precursor to future judgments, it might be interesting to debate whether scientific, empirically founded facts, would or would not trump an ideologically (policy based evidence) based belief.The issues covered here and in future articles are: CLIMATE CHANGE GMOS, ABORTION LIMITS, FETAL TISSUE RESEARCH, EVOLUTION, and VACCINATIONS. The candidates covered are those still in the running as of the third week of February.One of the most recent reports on climate change I could find was conducted by the Yale/Gallup/Clearvision Poll in December 2015. It stated, Overall, a large majority of the American public were personally convinced that global warming is happening (71%). Further, 69 percent of Americans believed that global warming is caused mainly by human activities (57%), or caused equally by humans and natural changes (12%), while only 29 percent believe it is caused mostly by natural changes in the environment.Relating to the oncoming election, according to a poll conducted last year by The New York Times, Stanford University and the nonpartisan environmental research group Resources for the Future, 67 percent of respondents, including 48 percent of Republicans and 72 percent of independents, said they were less likely to vote for a candidate who said that human-caused climate change is a hoax.NASA, the National Aeronautics and space Administration concludes, Multiple studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals show that 97 percent or more of actively publishing climate scientists agree: Climate-warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activities. In addition, most of the leading scientific organizations worldwide have issued public statements endorsing this position.In a September 2015 article, CBS News wrote that Republican candidates are mixed on the subject, quoting the candidates as follows:Quoted as saying, I'll tell you what I think about climate change. The temperature's either going up or down at any point in time, so it really is not a big deal. At an event sponsored by billionaire industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch in August,denied the existence of climate change.: We are not going to destroy our economy; we are not going to make America a harder place to create jobs in order to pursue policies that will do absolutely nothing, nothing, to change our climate, to change our weather, because America is a lot of things. The greatest country in the world? Absolutely. But America is not a planet and we are not even the largest carbon producer anymore. China is.Just last month Republican presidential candidateacknowledged humans contribution to climate change, though he stopped short of accepting that humans are the main driver of the global problem. I do not know how much that individuals affect the climate but heres what I do know: I know that we need to develop all of the renewables and we need to do it in an orderly way, and we need to have wind and we need to have solar.views on climate change broadly mirror those of his fellow Republican candidates. I believe theres weather, Trump told Hugh Hewitt in September. I believe theres change, and I believe it goes up and it goes down, and it goes up again. And it changes depending on years and centuries, but I am not a believer, and we have much bigger problems. Amplifying his stance Trump has stated,  The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.The two major Democratic candidates are strong believers that climate change exists and is exacerbated by man-made activity.A great amount of controversy has been generated recently related to the topic of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), but too few actually understand what a GMO is. Here is one of the best explanations that I have found: In genetic modification (or engineering) of food plants, scientists remove one or more genes from the DNA of another organism, such as a bacterium, virus, animal, or plant and recombine them into the DNA of the plant they want to alter. By adding these new genes, genetic engineers hope the plant will express the traits associated with the genes. For example, genetic engineers have transferred genes from a bacterium known as Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt into the DNA of corn. Bt genes express a protein that kills insects, and transferring the genes allows the corn to produce its own pesticide.In an article last August, Scientific American published the following Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have met with enormous public opposition over the past two decades. Many people believe that GMOs are bad for their health  even poisonous  and that they damage the environment. This is in spite of overwhelming scientific evidence that proves that GMOs are safe to eat, and that they bring environmental benefits by making agriculture more sustainable.Genetically modified seeds can be patented as intellectual property, which enables GMOs to be owned, sold, controlled, and legally protected by a corporation, giving these corporations ultimate power over food. This provides businesses to profit (substantially) from the sale of those seeds.The vast majority of the research on genetically modified (GM) crops suggests that they are safe to eat and that they have the potential to feed millions of people worldwide who currently go hungry. A careful analysis of the risks and benefits argues for expanded deployment and safety testing of GM crops. But with governments and consumers increasingly coming down against GM crops altogether, additional testing may be the compromise that enables the human race to benefit from those crops' significant advantages.As a result of the controversy, the strong suspicions exhibited by the general public related to the safety of GMO foods is reflected by the significant popularity for identifying GMOs with labels. Obviously, the food companies object to this procedure, so much so that Monsanto alone has spent some $60 million since 2006 lobbying for GMOs. However, the FDA has said labeling isn't necessary because there's no evidence genetic engineering changes a food's quality, safety, or any other attribute. In a report late last year, the American Medical Association also said there was no scientific justification for special labeling of genetically modified foods, as a class.Here is how the current candidates view GMOs:is a strong proponent for GMOs and an equally strong opponent of labeling. On the other hand, in a call to action said, Whether you like it or not, chances are Monsanto contaminated the food you ate today with chemicals and unlabeled GMOs. Monsanto controls much of the world's food supply at the expense of food democracy worldwide. Cant get much stronger than that.has called concerns over adverse effects [of GMOs] hysteria and believes that we should celebrate the positive impact that GMOs have had in the U.S. and across the globe. As another speaker at the Iowa AG Summit, Cruz claimed that politicians are blowing smoke in Washington over GMOs and people who want to buy organic instead of GMOs are welcome to do so.voted against an amendment that would have allowed states to enact their own local laws regarding GMO labeling. He has dodged questions on his position.: Seems to favor GMOs in principle, but also wants people to know what they are eating, thus favoring labeling.posted an insulting tweet about too much corn in the brains of Iowans, and then quickly removed the tweet. He has been silent about the subject since.I could find no information onopinion on this subject.The question here is whether politicians should respect what seems to be consensus favorable scientific conclusions regarding the safety and benefits of GMOs, or should they instead, respect the will of a vast majority of the population who consistently poll in the mid-90 percent range in favor of labeling GMOs. Although this is a contentious subject, the conclusion here may be a tossup, or at least, as mentioned above, some sort of (using that most endangered word) compromise.Next months column will examine even more controversial subjects, ones that will more easily adapt to the use of the principles of evidence based policy vs. policy based evidence, and which of the two, presidential candidates have implemented in the past.
Compared to the eleven previous Republican presidential debates in this election cycle, last night's two-hour event was downright civil. Donald Trump, a businessman-turned-Republican frontrunner who has immersed the airwaves since he made that trip down his escalator last July to announce his candidacy, wasn't his usual self. He didn't utter the phrase" Lyin' Ted" or "Little Marco" once during the entire debate. Marco Rubio, whose once-promising and inspiring candidacy is failing badly, stayed away from remarks about Trump's spray tan or his Minnie Mouse hands. The GOP debate on March 10 was one that Ohio Gov. John Kasich actually might have enjoyed being a part of -- there were no insults thrown, and everyone on the stage seemed to get along just fine.

The twelfth GOP debate was a dramatic shift in tone, but when the event turned to foreign policy and national security, the candidates on the stage exhibited about the same amount of cluelessness and hot air as the last eleven. Watching the back-and-forth, you could be forgiven if you forgot that Donald Trump once wrote a book called "The Art of the Deal" laying out how to negotiate, when to concede points to your negotiating partner, and what tactics should be used to sign a great and long-lasting agreement. Ted Cruz was just as bad, if not more so: his mindless talking points about ripping up the Iranian nuclear deal betrayed an utter lack of knowledge about what exactly was in the agreement to begin with.

Here are the top three most ridiculous foreign policy quotes of the night:



"We have a law that doesn't allow right now water boarding. They [ISIL] have no laws....we're working on a different set of parameters. Now, we have to obey the laws...But we have to expand those laws, because we have to be able to fight on at least somewhat of an equal footing." -Donald Trump

Trump has been flip-flopping on the subject of interrogation techniques and torture for his entire campaign (more on that in a later post). As early as a week ago, he essentially bragged that the U.S. military would be unable to refuse his orders if in fact he decided to authorize the torture of detainees in American custody. A day later, he revised his position, telling the Wall Street Journal that the U.S. is bound by international law just like everybody else. He switched his position again shorty thereafter: American soldiers must obey the law, but the law can be extended to include waterboarding. Nowhere in his answer tonight was any mention of the fact that current U.S. law, including the McCain-Feinstein amendment to the 2016 NDAA, prohibits any interrogation methods by U.S. personnel outside of the Army Field Manuel. Either the Republican frontrunner doesn't have a grasp about what current law is, or he doesn't understand how arduous and unwise it would be to override an anti-torture provision that was passed on a bipartisan basis just last summer.

"America needs a president who stands with our friends and allies, as I will do, and who stands up and demonstrates strengths to our enemies. That's why on day one, I will rip to shreds this catastrophic Iranian nuclear deal because the Ayatollah Khamenei must never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons." -Ted Cruz

No Republican or Democrat serving in Washington today would disagree with the notion that the Iranian regime is a "destabilizing" and "nefarious" actor in the Middle East. It is virtually impossible to find a foreign policy or national security analyst or fellow in a Washington think-tank that would support the unconditional re-opening of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran or the scheduling of an official state visit at the White House between Presidents Barack Obama and Hassan Rouhani. But Ted Cruz apparently forgets why the Iranian nuclear agreement was negotiated in the first place: to in fact deprive Tehran of the very nuclear weapons capability that he rightly says is a direct threat to the United States and its allies.

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Go beyond the bucker-sticker slogan and one can see just how ridiculous Cruz's position on the Iran deal is. The accord, which was negotiated over a period of three years and across two U.S. Secretaries of State, establishes a durable verification, inspection, and monitoring regime of Tehran's nuclear fuel cycle -- a regime that the international community has never had before. The same IAEA monitors that were previously stonewalled by Iranian officials are now granted access to all declared research reactors, centrifuge manufacturing facilities, and enrichment plants that are the lifeblood of its nuclear program. Iran is kept under a strict cap on the number of centrifuges it can operate, the amount of low enriched uranium it can produce and store, the quality of uranium that Iranian scientists can produce, and the amount of heavy water the country can stockpile at any given time.

Without those restrictions in place, the Iranians would be fully free to build as many centrifuges as it would like and conduct as much research and development as it wants. The JCPOA, according to the IAEA's first progress report, is so far working as it was intended. Why Cruz would "rip" apart an arrangement that is proving to be successful speaks more to his political partisanship than it does to his concerns about nuclear nonproliferation.



"There is no peace deal possible with the Palestinians at this moment. There just isn't. Because there's no one to negotiate with. The Palestinian Authority is not interested in a serious deal and they are now in union with Hamas, an organization whose specific purpose is the destruction of the Jewish state." -Marco Rubio

Leaving aside for the moment the fact that the Palestinian Authority (which has long been dominated by Fatah) and Hamas are not exactly best friends, Rubio's statement is unequivocally false. No one would be foolish enough to assume that getting Israelis and Palestinians in the same room would be a cakewalk -- particularly after America's last bout with peace crashed and burned less than two years ago. But to suggest that Palestinians as a people or the Palestinian Authority as an institution are uninterested in acquiring a state of their own through negotiations is ludicrous.

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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has his faults. He could have accepted Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's peace proposal in 2008, which by all accounts was a generous offer by the Israelis and a deal that would have paved the way for a full Israeli withdrawal from nearly 95% of West Bank land. Abbas could be a far more vocal critic of the Palestinian stabbing attacks that has killed dozens of Israelis over the past six months. His repeated threat to sue Israel for war crimes in the International Criminal Court and gain statehood through the U.N. Security Council have been beyond unhelpful towards the creation of a more positive environment for bilateral negotiations.

But the fact remains that Abbas has historically been open to new peace initiatives when they are brought to him, including the latest proposal from France designed to kick-start an international peace conference this summer. A President Rubio's policy on Israeli-Palestinian peace would apparently be a Mideast-version of the Obama administration's policy on North Korea: wait for things to happen.


Ixodes scapularis, the blacklegged or deer tick common to the Eastern United States.



After a hike in the park, you find a deer tick embedded in your skin. After queasily removing it with tweezers with mild concern, you check your child and are more concerned to find a tick on her, too. What do you do after you remove the tick?

If you've been paying attention, Lyme disease has reached epidemic levels, with upwards of 300 thousand new infections in the United States each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC recommends seeing a doctor "if you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick." Most doctors abide by CDC recommendations, considering the federal center to be the authority on responsible medical practice. What most people who aren't familiar with Lyme disease don't know is that the CDC recommendation isn't as cut and dry and you might assume.

Lyme and associated diseases aren't very well understood by science yet, and as we've seen in a number of articles and even among high-profile celebrities such as Avril Lavigne and Yolanda Foster, the disease is often misdiagnosed or missed entirely for months or years, and after a litany of diagnostic tests often show no abnormalities, many physicians suggest that their patients are either pretending to be ill or, more commonly, suffering physical effects rooted in depression, anxiety, or another mental illness. (Note that Lyme can infect the brain and cause inflammation, resulting in a number of neuropsychiatric symptoms ranging from depression and anxiety to psychotic episodes--but when treated, these symptoms often resolve fully.)

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Because of the prevalence of Lyme, some doctors, such as Dr. Steven E. Phillips, a former president of the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society, recommend treating patients who've been bitten by tick with doxycycline, within hours of having been bitten rather than waiting for symptoms to appear.

If you want to know whether you may have been exposed to the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, you can save the tick and send it to the Bay Area Lyme Foundation for free testing; or, for $50, you can send the tick off to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst's Tick-Borne Disease Network to find out whether the tick carries B. burgdorferi or any of many common Lyme coinfections, including Babesia sp.--a malaria-like infection that's increasingly common in the United States--Bartonella henslea, which causes "cat-scratch disease" with telltale skin lesions and can progress to severe neurological infection, and various others.

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More accurate Lyme disease tests are being developed, but in most cases are not made available to patients except by "Lyme-literate" medical doctors, or LLMDs, who are in high demand and are not available to all patients, as most reside in areas where Lyme disease has reached true epidemic proportions, from Virginia to the Northeast.
First Aid Sign

Would you know what to do in an emergency? A parent has suddenly collapsed; you're at the scene of a bad accident. Of course, call 911 -- but what can you do while waiting for help to arrive? In medicine, we label the early moments after an emergency the "Golden Hour" -- because what you do right then may determine the outcome.

That may sound scary. But as an ER doctor, I've seen countless patients whose lives were saved by a quick-thinking and knowledgeable bystander or loved one. We never know where life may lead -- and every single one of us can learn these life-saving techniques. (Cue ER theme music).

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1. Learn CPR and how to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). These are two of the most life-saving techniques you can learn. Why? Because of the 400,000 people who have a cardiac arrest every year (meaning they collapse and their heart suddenly stops), 88 percent occur at home and 16,000 of those are children.

Performing CPR until the ambulance arrives can TRIPLE someone's chances of survival. Learn CPR and how to use an AED by taking a class with the Red Cross or American Heart Association. After my daughter was born, I had everyone in my family (including grandparents) learn!

2. Stop bleeding safely. If someone has a cut that's bleeding, you should make a tourniquet, right? Wrong. Unless the injured person may bleed to death from an amputation, don't try it. Instead, #1: apply pressure and #2: elevate the injured area (if possible), higher than the level of the heart. To apply pressure, ideally use sterile gauze. If that's not available, grab a towel or t-shirt. A clot won't form while it's actively bleeding, so hold just enough pressure to stop the bleeding.

3. Do. Not. Move an injured person. Injuries are often made worse when someone's well-intentioned friends try to move them/make them more comfortable. Unless someone is someplace truly dangerous (i.e. in the middle of the highway, or at risk of fire or drowning), leave him or her in place.

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4. Know the "back blow" maneuver for choking. Did you know that the Red Cross now recommends doing back blows first, before the Heimlich maneuver? Start by leaning the person slightly forward and hitting them five times just between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand. If that doesn't work, give five quick Heimlich thrusts by standing behind them, grabbing your fists at their navel and giving five upward thrusts. Repeat back blows and thrusts until the person coughs out the object or they lose consciousness (at which point you start #1, CPR).

5. Keep aspirin on hand. In a heart attack, blood cells and platelets rush to the injured site - potentially causing more of a blockage. Aspirin prevents that clot formation in as little as five minutes from taking it. If you think a loved one is having a heart attack, call 911 first. If the emergency dispatch operator advises that they take an aspirin (ask the 911 operator), have them chew it to absorb quickest.

Saving someone doesn't start with fancy tools; sometimes it just takes the appropriate knowledge. Learn these five tips today -- it can make the difference between life and death for a friend, stranger or loved one.

What emergency tips do you teach your own loved ones? Tweet me @DrDarria with your stories.

This content originally appeared on Sharecare.com.
"I Feel It," is artist, producer, DJ, and song writer, Vein's gift of happiness to the world!

Gavriel Rafael Aminov, but mostly known as Vein, has toured the world, and collaborated with artists such as, Pitbull, Ashanti, Belinda, Leona Lewis, Robin Thicke, Red Foo (LMFAO), Jay Sean, J Balvin, and Enrique Iglesias, where he produced the smash 2014 hit, "Bailando." He is one of the few producers to bring artists and genres together in an innovative fashion.

Born in New York, and raised in Miami, this Puerto Rican-Russian began mixing popular songs, and became noticed by local radio stations. However, they were not the only ones to notice him. Internationally famous recording star, "Pitbull," also took notice, and shortly after the two did their first collaboration, "Midnight." The song was used by "Disney," in the hit dance movie, "Step Up 2."

Vein is quickly becoming a brand, and gaining popularity all over the world.

I am in love with "I Feel It," besides sending happiness to the world, and being musically brilliant, do you feel that perhaps the song is a lifeline for people you will never meet?

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Definitely!!! You know, its extremely hard to respond to every comment on social media just like its extremely hard to meet everyone that's at a show. Even though you would like to, sometimes its just impossible to do everything going on around you. With that being said, thats why I work so hard on the music. At the end of the day the music is a representation of myself. So if you love my music then mostly likely you'll love me in person.

What was it like working with Pitbull?

Working with Pitbull is sort of like working with a big brother in a way. Just by being around him you can learn so much. Anything from breaking records on radio to just bettering yourself as a human being.

What songs make up the soundtrack of your life?

Honestly, I don't have certain songs but I do have decades. I can say when hits from the 90's come on i get LOOSE!!!!! HAHA

Thus far you've had a very exciting life, what stands out in your mind as your most favorite experience?

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Well, my New Years Eve performance in Time Square was kind of unreal for me when it happened so I would have to say that.

You seem to have one of the most positive musical and life attitudes, how has that helped your career?

My positive vibes have helped me a whole lot. At the end of the day it all comes down to people wanting to work with you. No one wants to deal with a negative nancy.

So you are a DJ as well as a producer, artist, Grammy nominee, is there something you wish to achieve that you haven't yet?

Yes, a number #1 Billboard Charting record where the name "Vein" is first and not in the background.

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It seems sometimes that DJs have become just or even more popular than artists that perform on stage and at concerts. What's your feelings on that?

I tend not to look at anyone as an "Artist" "Dj" "Band" etc.... I look at everyone as a brand. The question is who can do the best job at getting your "brand" out there.



Do you believe that artists like yourself are born with the destiny to become entertainers?

Yes and no. Its one thing to be born with that desire to be on stage but it's another to know what kind of discipline it takes to get there.

I cannot believe the list of amazing artists that you have collaborated with, do you have a favorite?

J Balvin is one of my favorites. We both know how to have fun and not take things to seriously.



What were your musical influences while growing up?

Well, I started playing piano at the age of 5. Most of the music I heard at that age was classical but by the time I was 15-18 I was already into HipHop. I can recite so many different songs from Nas and Biggie.

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Tell me about "Translation."

Translation honestly was an experiment that we did while I was producing Belinda's album. I just heard the idea in my head and when I sung it to her she loved it. It ended up making it all the way into being my single with J Balvin and definitely took me to a next level. So THANK YOU J Balvin & Belinda for the opportunity.

What advice would you give the younger Vein?

Don't take anything for granted and work as hard and smart as you can.

Any future projects in the works?

Right now I'm just focused on my project. I've helped so many other artists get their projects off the ground and I just want to do that for myself now. Once I've succeed with that I'll get back to working on other projects that I'm passionate about.

Is there anything else that you would like to talk about that I haven't covered?

Yes, Follow me on all social media @VeinsWorld.

What is the one thing that you would want your fans to know about you, that they don't know already?

I want them to know that if it wasn't for them I couldn't have done the little bit that I've accomplished thus far. I say "little" because in my head there is so much more i want to do. O yea, and I want them to know they can follow me at "Vein" on soundcloud.

Follow Vein on Social Media at the links below:
A distinguished group of legal scholars, political scientists and presidential historians (including me) from across the political spectrum has written to President Obama to affirm that if the Senate Republicans carry through on their threat to deny the President's Supreme Court nominee a fair confirmation hearing they will be acting in a manner that is both unprecedented and unconstitutional:



Dear Mr. President:

We write to you as scholars of American history, politics, and the law. We express our dismay at the unprecedented breach of norms by the Senate majority in refusing to consider a nomination for the Supreme Court made by a president with 11 months to serve in the position. We believe the idea that a "lame duck" president should not submit a nominee when there is a vacancy on the highest court in the land is a novel and absurd notion, as is the claim that for 80 years or more, no Supreme Court vacancy occurring in an election year has been filled before the election.

In fact it is standard practice when a vacancy occurs on the Supreme Court to have a president, whatever the stage in his term, to nominate a successor and have the Senate consider it. And standard practice (with limited exception) has been for the Senate, after hearings and deliberation, to confirm the president's choice, regardless of party control, when that choice is deemed acceptable to a Senate majority. The most recent example, of course, is Justice Anthony Kennedy, confirmed by a Senate with a Democratic Party majority in February of 1988, during President Ronald Reagan's last year. It is true that Kennedy was nominated in November, 1987, but that is irrelevant--and, of course, the Senate commendably expedited the time between nomination and confirmation despite the election ahead.

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The claims of an 80-year precedent by Republican Senate leaders are artfully phrased deliberately to exclude the current situation, which itself is new: it is rare for a justice to die in office, and even more rare for that to happen in a presidential election year. History, however, is replete with instances where a vacancy on the Supreme Court was filled during a presidential election year. In 1912, a nominee of President Taft was confirmed to fill the vacancy created by the death of John Marshall Harlan; in 1916, Woodrow Wilson had two nominees confirmed by the Senate; in 1932, President Hoover had a nominee confirmed after Oliver Wendell Holmes retired; FDR had another vacancy filled with confirmation by the Senate in 1940.

President Eisenhower picked William Brennan in 1956 to fill a vacancy and used his recess appointment power to install Brennan, who was subsequently confirmed by a Senate controlled by Democrats in 1957. It is important to note that there was no objection to Eisenhower's use of the recess appointment--there was instead a widespread recognition that it was bad to have a Supreme Court operate for months without its full complement of nine members.

True, Lyndon Johnson's nomination of Abe Fortas to be Chief Justice, made in 1968, was blocked by the Senate via an extended filibuster. But there was at the time no vacancy on the Court; Chief Justice Warren stayed on until his successor could be confirmed, and Fortas was an associate justice. While some senators did object to Fortas on the grounds that it was an election year, most of the objections were based on ideology and ethical considerations. And it is important to note that the Fortas nomination was considered by the Senate and there were votes on the floor, even if those were votes on cloture.

Divided government can bring sharp differences of opinion about the qualifications and character of nominees to the Supreme Court. But consider the precedent set by a Democratic Senate with the highly contentious nomination of Clarence Thomas. The Senate Judiciary Committee deadlocked 7-7 on his nomination--but instead of letting the nomination die, the committee voted 13-1 to allow the full Senate to make the decision. Thomas ultimately was confirmed by a narrow margin with no filibuster.

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If we accept the logic that decisions made by "lame duck" presidents are illegitimate or are to be disregarded until voters make their choice in the upcoming election, that begs both the questions of when lame duck status begins (after all, a president is technically a "lame duck" from the day of inauguration), and why senators up for reelection at the same time should not recuse themselves from decisions until the voters have decided whether to keep them or their partisans in office.

It is technically in the power of the Senate to engage in aggressive denial on presidential nominations. But we believe that the Framers' construction of the process of nominations and confirmation to federal courts, including the Senate's power of "advice and consent," does not anticipate or countenance an obdurate refusal by the body to acknowledge or consider a president's nominee, especially to the highest court in the land. The refusal to hold hearings and deliberate on a nominee at this level is truly unprecedented and, in our view, dangerous.

We are well aware that politics intervenes when judicial nominations are made, and increasingly reflect the broader partisan and ideological polarization in American politics. We do not believe any party is without blame. But we also recognize that confirmation at all levels of the federal judiciary has been increasingly driven by partisan obstructionism, which has reached a peak during the Obama presidency. The refusal by the Republican Senate to confirm any nominees to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is the poster child for that phenomenon.

The Constitution gives the Senate every right to deny confirmation to a presidential nomination. But denial should come after the Senate deliberates over the nomination, which in contemporary times includes hearings in the Judiciary Committee, and full debate and votes on the Senate floor. Anything less than that, in our view, is a serious and, indeed, unprecedented breach of the Senate's best practices and noblest traditions for much of our nation's history.

Respectfully,

Vikram David Amar

Dean and Iwan Foundation Professor of Law

University of Illinois College of Law

Sarah Binder

Senior Fellow, Governance Studies

Brookings Institution

Professor of Political Science

George Washington University

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Erwin Chemerinsky

Dean of the School of Law

Distinguished Professor of Law

Raymond Pryke Professor of First Amendment Law

University of California, Irvine

Robert Dallek

Emeritus Professor, History

University of California, Los Angeles

Lee Epstein

Ethan A.H. Shepley Distinguished University Professor

Washington University, St Louis

Joel K. Goldstein

Vincent C. Immel Professor of Law

Saint Louis University School of Law

Doris Kearns Goodwin

Presidential Historian



Mark A. Graber

Jacob A. France Professor of Constitutionalism

University of Maryland

Frances King Carey School of Law

Pamela S. Karlan

Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Professor of Public Interest Law

Co-Director, Supreme Court Litigation Clinic

Stanford Law School

David M. Kennedy

Donald J. McLachlan Professor of History Emeritus

Stanford University

Harold Hongju Koh

Sterling Professor of International Law

Yale Law School

Thomas E. Mann

Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution

Resident Scholar, Institute of Governmental Studies

University of California, Berkeley

James M. McPherson

George Henry Davis '86 Professor Emeritus of United States History

Princeton University

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David M. O'Brien

Leone Reaves and George W. Spicer Professor of Politics

The University of Virginia

Norman J. Ornstein

Resident Scholar

American Enterprise Institute

Geoffrey R. Stone

Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor of Law

University of Chicago Law School
TALEK, KENYA - FEBRUARY 29: An elephant walks across the open plains of the Maasai Mara National Reserve on February 29, 2016 in Talek, Kenya. The east African country covers around 580,000 square kilometers and is synonymous with the safari. Boasting some of the finest natural parks and wildlife conservancies on the continent with potential for seeing many species of wildlife including the Big Five. The Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Rhinoceros and Cape Buffalo. (Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)

One day you're at home, spending time with your family, getting yourself a snack and thinking about taking a nap. In an instant, your world is turned upside down. Alien beings come in and grab you, tie you up and take you away. You have no idea what's going on. You find yourself in a strange and frightening environment. You desperately want to go home.

That scenario is precisely what just happened to 18 elephants who were forcibly removed from their African homeland to spend the rest of their lives behind bars at the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha, the Dallas Zoo, and Wichita's Sedgwick County Zoo. These 18 represent nearly half of the entire elephant population in Swaziland.

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Make that 17 elephants. One has already died in the process.

None of these elephant youngsters--15 are under the age of 12--will see their families or homelands ever again.

In a spin that would impress even P.T. Barnum, the zoos are portraying themselves as the good guys ... yet the transfer was done in the utmost secrecy and despite--or to thwart --a pending court proceeding. The elephants were jammed into crates and shoved into the cargo hold of a 747. The massive noise, vibrations and utterly alien feeling of becoming airborne must have been terrifying.

By the time you read this, these bewildered beings will be in a zoo enclosure. For them, the sights, smells and sounds of the African bush are gone forever. Memories of such things will become hazy and distant during the long winter months when frigid temperatures will keep these subtropical animals locked indoors.

But elephants have exceptional memories--they truly never forget. For the rest of their lives, these traumatized animals will long for the wide open spaces they left behind. They will sorely miss the counsel of their aunties and roughhousing with their cousins. They'll never again know the delights of the rainy season or using a marula tree as a back scratcher. Even though wild elephants may walk and explore for up to 30 miles every day, their entire world has now been reduced to an area that can be measured in square feet. Make no mistake: These elephants know that they are not where they belong.

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That any zoo can support the elephant slave trade exemplifies the industry's entrenched culture of duplicity. Breeding elephants in captivity has been a colossal failure. For every elephant born in a zoo another two die. According to investigative reporter Michael J. Berens, the overall infant mortality rate for elephants in zoos is an appalling 40 percent--nearly triple the rate of elephants in the wild.
BERLIN, GERMANY - MARCH 10: Thomas Heilmann, Berlin Justice Senator (CDU) hands over repaired cycles to refugee children next to a refugee accommodation center at Tempelhofer Flughafen on March 10, 2016 in Berlin, Germany. In Autumn 2015, pupils at Wetzlar Elementary School Berlin Neukoelln collected second hand bicycles in need of repair, the bikes were then put in a state prison to be fixes by prison inmates. (Photo by Christian Marquardt/Getty Images)

A specter is haunting Germany: Everyone fears that the country is at risk of being overwhelmed. Actually, it is a surprise that the Society for German Language has not declared "overwhelmed" the word of the year in 2015.

Around one million people arrived in Germany last year. And it doesn't look like 2016 will be any different. These migrants and refugees bring their different cultures and customs along with them. They've experienced what we can never imagine, and they will change Germany. Many think such change could easily overwhelm us.

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The word "overwhelming" doesn't merely echo in pubs around the country. It reverberates in the Bundestag, in opinion columns, and in churches. That's not to say things were quiet before the refugee crisis. The stress levels were high and employment conditions were unstable. But now, everything seems to be spinning faster and faster. Will we be knocked flat on our faces?

Here are six common fears among German society, and six ways we could manage the crisis.

"The refugees will collapse our administration."It is true that our government responded much too slowly to the rising number of incoming refugees in Germany. For years, the federal government sat back comfortably in the Dublin-deal, which kept the "refugees" far from away from Germany.

But then they came.

Now, the infrastructure is under intense strain, mainly because it hadn't been challenged in the past. Authorities are overburdened by this challenge, which is in part due to the fact that they are trying to use old practices to deal with this new situation. The Berlin LaGeSo refugee center authority is a prime example: Since management consultant McKinsey implanted new structures, the apparatus has started to come alive again.

The authorities will need to adapt to the situation and adopt innovative practices.

"The local authorities are overworked."Indeed, the municipalities have the greatest burden to bear. They need to handle integration and daily life in the cities. But we have seen that those who have incorporated inventive, solutions-oriented practices have been successful. Meanwhile, communities that have unloaded their refugees on green lawns and locked them up in shelters in the woods have not.

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There are many communities that have worked to set up accommodations that were more integrated. They were able to retrieve state and federal funding promptly. After all, the money is there, it just needs to be used creatively.

"Germany will be worse off with the refugees."Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel heavily contests this assumption. He has called for investment in projects for Germans in need in order to combat envy. Marcel Fratzscher, President of the German Institute for Economic Research, for example, ensures that no pensions or benefits will be compromised for the sake of spending on refugees.

"The refugees will take our jobs away."So what do we do now? Currently, there are 600,000 job vacancies in Germany. Of course, they cannot be filled entirely with refugees. In the short term, they will be be empty and costly. But in the medium and long-term, migration researchers believe that refugees will start to meet the needs of those vacant positions, at which point the current expenditure will yield a positive fiscal effect.

It will be important to continue to focus on developing the skills of these individuals. There can be jobs for everyone -- as demographic shifts clearly indicate. In the future, we will have fewer young workers, and more pensions to pay for. That's where the young refugees can help.

"We can't afford education for our children and for refugees."Education is key if we are going to make this a success story. In fact, many Syrian refugees and migrants have qualifications and degrees. But we still need new approaches. The economy calls for new workers -- but the larger companies must provide training for refugees.

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"They will always be different."These sentiments can be seen clearly in the schools. How many young refugees have been traumatized by discrimination so far? And teachers don't always know how to handle it. Again, we need to find new approaches to facilitate early integration.

Challenges have always strengthened a country, and led to innovations and new ideas. Germany has a great opportunity.
The 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival is almost here, and I can hardly wait. This year's festival -- which runs from April 28th-May 1st in Hollywood -- will feature Gina Lollobrigida as its special guest, a live orchestral screening of The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), and will celebrate "big-time emotions of big screen stories" with this year's theme of "Moving Pictures."

If you're like me, attendance at these marvelous events long ago ceased to be optional. If you love the movies, if they're important to you in an emotional way, then these festivals are a necessity -- for the same reason that owning a physical copy of a favorite movie (whether on Blu-ray, DVD or even VHS) is a necessity: because it makes your relationship to the film closer, more permanent.

If movies are something you have a passionate relationship with, then TCM's festivals give you the chance to seal that relationship with a personal memory -- and I'm already looking forward to what this year's memories will be.

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The best part of TCM's festivals -- their core appeal -- is in seeing classic movies with people associated with the film in attendance, usually introducing the film. At last year's TCM Classic Film Festival, for example, I had the pleasure of seeing Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer at the screening of The Sound of Music, Sophia Loren at the screening of Marriage Italian Style, and George Lazenby at the screening of On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Errol Flynn's daughter, Rory Flynn, even introduced a screening of her father's classic pirate film, The Sea Hawk.

Every one of these experiences was incredible -- like watching the Dodgers play while seated next to Sandy Koufax, or enjoying a night at the Met sitting next to Placido Domingo. Watching Sophia Loren being interviewed last year by her son, Edoardo Ponti, was especially poignant; I've never seen such an intense, personal interview of a major star before - let alone in person (the interview will be broadcast on TCM during this year's festival). If it's possible, I'm even more a fan of Sophia than I was before.

To describe these screenings as "emotional" doesn't begin to cover it. If you're like me, carrying around decades of memories of these films, seeing these people in person and hearing their recollections brings their films to life in a whole new way -- making them even more vivid and real than they were before.

Each year at the festival there's some new experience to marvel at. One year it was seeing How Green Was My Valley with Maureen O'Hara present; another it was seeing On the Waterfront with Eva Marie Saint; another it was seeing It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World with Mickey Rooney and the surviving cast; another it was watching American Graffiti poolside at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel with the cast. Or seeing Bell, Book and Candle with Kim Novak; or seeing Le Mans with Steve McQueen's son Chad and legendary Le Mans drivers describing their experiences working with the King of Cool.

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You get the idea. Seeing film history unspool in person this way is truly extraordinary -- almost too much to take in.

Indeed, the whole scene at TCM's festivals can be delightfully surreal -- in ways that no other film event can match. One minute you're quietly relaxing in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel -- ground zero for the festival -- and suddenly somebody's interviewing Mel Brooks, Shirley MacLaine or Max von Sydow over in the corner. The next minute you're chatting quietly with Diane Baker, or Kim Novak is winking at you, or you're snapping selfies with Errol Flynn's grandson (seriously, that happened).

You can't make this stuff up -- it's heaven for a classic movie lover.

TCM's yearly festivals in Hollywood can be emotionally overwhelming -- like a huge family reunion (filmed in CinemaScope) -- but they're also informative, and catnip for film history buffs. Some highlights for me last year were watching Ben Burtt and Craig Barron go in-depth on the sound effects and visual effects of Gunga Din, catching an interesting presentation on 2-strip Technicolor, and seeing a rare 70mm film print of Patton. Such presentations add immeasurably to our appreciation of cinema craft.

If I had a wish for this year's festival, it would be to see John Ford's The Searchers (1956) -- which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Shot in VistaVision in Monument Valley, The Searchers is indisputably John Wayne's greatest film, and likely the greatest Western ever made. It's also a feast for the eyes on the big screen, although non-digital screenings of the film are increasingly rare. (The Searchers was last screened at the TCM festival in 2012 in the TCL Chinese Theatre, digitally.) It would be great to see Patrick Wayne -- John Wayne's son, who played Lt. Greenhill in The Searchers -- introduce the movie, or perhaps John Ford's grandson Dan, and then let the big film roll.

That's ultimately the best part of these festivals: sinking into a seat in a darkened theater ... and watching a movie you love, savoring it for a brief moment with the people responsible for creating it. When that happens, memories are made -- and something old is made new again.

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New York City's chilly winter temperatures can make it a challenge to stage a photo shoot outdoors, and renting indoor studio space can get expensive. Galleries and museums with tolerant photography policies provide an amazing, creative option. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the best of them all: It's spacious, well-lit, full of interesting colors and backdrops, and the entry fee is by suggested donation.

I connected with model Scarlet Sage through Instagram, and we created this fun and varied set on a Sunday morning in just over an hour. Here's a tip: get there right when they open at 10:00, it will feel like you have the place to yourselves!



Temple of Dendur; Scarlet Sage (@scarlet_sage) photographed by Jill Shomer (@jillshomer)



The American Wing; Scarlet Sage (@scarlet_sage) photographed by Jill Shomer (@jillshomer)



Arms and Armor; Scarlet Sage (@scarlet_sage) photographed by Jill Shomer (@jillshomer)



Greek and Roman Art; Scarlet Sage (@scarlet_sage) photographed by Jill Shomer (@jillshomer)



Modern and Contemporary Art, "Lucas I" by Chuck Close; Scarlet Sage (@scarlet_sage) photographed by Jill Shomer (@jillshomer)

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European Paintings, 1250-1800; Scarlet Sage (@scarlet_sage) photographed by Jill Shomer (@jillshomer)
"I think Islam hates us." That's what Donald Trump said Wednesday night. He doubled down on it at Thursday's debate.

Trump must be denounced immediately by people of faith In America and around the world for saying something so hateful, bigoted, and dangerous. To conflate 1.6 billion people around the world with violent religious extremism is absolutely irresponsible, and will actually accelerate such extremism. Donald Trump has made millions of dollars working with Muslims in the Middle East and knows his statement that "Islam hates us" is not true. But like with racism, he is selling hatred for others and another religion to help him become President of the United States. As Christians, we should apologize to our Muslim brothers and sisters for Donald Trump and commit ourselves to opposing him.

Trump consistently uses falsehood and hate for his personal and political self-aggrandizement. He deliberately lies and manipulates the sins in our nation for his own self-advantage. That is a terrible sin itself. This is way beyond politics and partisanship now--it is a fundamental moral issue. Donald Trump is an evil and dangerous man who is unrepentant about his sins. Media pundits will say that Trump will get away with this again, like he has with his many other inflammatory, racist and dangerous statements, and that his rising constituency will actually like their man speaking this way. According to polling, 82 percent of Trump's supporters support his unconstitutional and morally indefensible proposed ban on Muslims entering the country.

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So it's time to denounce the views of those who support these hateful statements from Donald Trump. People of faith must denounce anyone who speaks this way, especially other people of faith--because this is now an issue of faith. Politically, it is time to remember Germany in the 1930's and pray that the Lord will have mercy on this country's political process with Donald Trump's rise to power.
"Thus all the work that King Solomon did building the House of the Eternal One was completed..." (I Kings 7:51)



If, as according to Rabbi Simeon ben Gamaliel, "Israel had no greater days of joy than the fifteenth of the month of Av and the Day of Atonement," (Mishnah, Ta'anit 4:8) it can similarly be said that Harvard College has no greater days of joy than Commencement and Housing Day.



On Housing Day, our freshmen, in their blocking-groups of mutually selected fellows in fate, are apportioned - as though by some all-knowing, Solomonic sorting-hat - into the twelve residential Houses (not to say tribes) that become, respectively, not only their homes, but also the principal sources of essentials ranging all the way from academic advising to coffee, for the remaining three years of their undergraduate careers.



Faculty Deans - until this year known as the Masters of each House - become mascot- if not Moses-like figures in the student experience. Instantly, and virtually without exception, each rising upperclassman joins an ages-old tradition of insisting that her or his is the best of all possible Houses. Immediately, one sees the incipience of personal identification with the semi-official polar bears of Pforzheimer House, the hares of Leverett, the stags of Dunster. Jewish students join with peers of all origins in the strains of a song about being "forever Lowell," which - for those who know anything of the late, eponymous Harvard President's attitude toward our people and other others - is how I like my irony.



All of this is all the more fascinating for the assignments' being, for some generations now (and in spite of various conspiracy theories), entirely random. And all this has now taken place - just yesterday - even as we arrive, in the Jewish cycle of Torah-readings, at the end of the book of Exodus and to the story of our people's completing, in the wilderness, the construction of a Dwelling Place for the Divine Presence.



"Life is with people" - as Mark Zborowski and Elizabeth Herzog aptly title their book about the culture of the Shtetl, the intensely cathectic town or village that is the subject of so many wistful Yiddish songs. Harvard gets that right. The medieval Jewish mystical tradition goes so far as to consider the community of the people as one way to conceive of the Shekhinah, the indwelling imminence of Divinity in the world, at least in the ideal. The point is that, for most of us, the essential and most influential experiences of life are relational.



The universal reprieve of Yom Kippur, and the ancient account of how, on the fifteenth of Av, the maidens of Jerusalem, ready to find their mates, would go singing and dancing into the fields, wearing white garments they had borrowed from one another to obscure distinctions of wealth and privilege, indicate an essential equality in the sacred joy that comes of constituting community together. One does not expect a thick cloud of mysterious, heavenly glory to descend and fill Mather House, or Cabot, or Currier, or Eliot - which is what happens in the Tabernacle, according to the scriptural verses we read this week, as God becomes manifest in the heart of the Israelite camp - but I will venture to say that something somewhat of that ilk does happen in the atmosphere of Housing Day.



It is to do with a convergence of people and of purpose. In the Shtetl, likely one hasn't personally appointed the baker, the butcher, the grocer, even the matchmaker or the rabbi - but one finds oneself saying, this is my butcher, my baker, my grocer, my Faculty Dean, and so forth, and we are in this together. This is the vehicle in which we travel for a time through life - not perfect, perhaps - perhaps in some ways rickety and peculiar - perhaps even, at times, precarious and less than perfectly comfortable - but ours together. I'm a sophomore in Adams, in Winthrop, in Kirkland, or in Quincy, our students discover themselves saying - and, happenstantial as that may be at root, it is a true statement about oneself, entailing a sense of belonging and rightful connection to a structure that helps one get somewhere.



Prophets of the biblical tradition remind us that a House can all too easily be an empty thing, if one considers the mere physical shell sufficient in itself. On the other hand, when we are mindful of what the House is intended to house - what it is meant to make possible, in a relational sense - then one can discover in the House a threshold of transcendence.
Bernie Sanders' historic upset in Tuesday night's Michigan Primary, which the nation's most influential polling aggregator estimated he would lose by 22 points, may prove to be the turning point in this election. That's because Sanders' two point victory in Michigan follows just a week or less after three other huge, but barely unnoticed poll-defying victories by Sanders in Colorado, Minnesota, and Kansas. Taken together with these other states, the Michigan upset is not, as America's foremost poll analyst Nate Silver claimed, a freak event not witnessed since the New Hampshire primary of 1984, but part of a new pattern of poll-defying results that will, if they continue, carry Bernie Sanders into the White House.

In the March 1st Super Tuesday contest, Sanders won Colorado by 19 points. The most recent poll there had shown him losing by 18% of the vote, adding up to a poll-to-reality discrepancy of 37 points.

The compelling question that eight days of election results in Michigan, Kansas, Colorado and Minnesota raises is how accurate are all the other recent polls showing Clinton victories on the March 15th Super Tuesday sequel? If Bernie surpasses the polls in these states by as much as he just did in Michigan, he stands to score historic upsets in the important delegate-rich states of Ohio and even North Carolina.

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If Sanders does nearly as well as the 35 percent average poll-to-reality discrepancy of the four state pattern described above, Bernie may even win Illinois and Florida next week. Should that happen, it will be Bernie, not Hillary, who will have become "inevitable."

Why Aren't Voters Listening to the Polls?

The media drumbeat that Hillary Clinton has the election in the bag has been going on for months now. A few weeks ago, New York Times Washington correspondent Nate Cohn confirmed Hillary's coronation in a column titled, "Hillary Clinton and Inevitability: This Time Is Different." Cohn looked at the delegate count and compared Clinton's performance in 2008 with how she was doing this year, and concluded, "If a candidate has ever been inevitable -- for the nomination -- it is Mrs. Clinton today."

Media experts like Cohn point to an abundance of polls masquerading as news as the basis upon which they inform voters that Hillary Clinton will be winning the primary election. Poll results translate into conventional wisdom and until the startling Sanders upsets during the past few weeks, become a sort of self-fulfilling prophesy. The March 6 press release by the Mitchell/FOX 2 Detroit Poll, viewable in its entirely here, is a great example of how this was supposed to work in Michigan.

Detroit's widely watched Fox News commissioned Steve Mitchell, the region's top polling firm, to do more than a half dozen polls in the weeks leading up to the Michigan primary. The pollster's pre-election press release was headlined:

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Clinton Opens Up Huge Lead in Michigan

(Clinton 66 percent - Sanders 29 percent)

It continued, "In a poll conducted Sunday afternoon and evening before the start of their CNN debate in Flint, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has opened up a huge lead over Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders among Democratic Party Presidential Primary voters in Michigan. Clinton leads Sanders 66 percent-29 percent, up from 55 percent-37 percent on Thursday night. Only 6 percent of the voters remain undecided."

The poll, the press release explained, was scientific and accurate. Mitchell's press release provided pages of tables and informed reporters that, "A quadruple filter was used to determine that we were surveying only likely Democratic Party Primary voters." The poll "has a Margin of Error of + or - 4.5 percent at the 95 percent level of confidence."

To spoon feed deadline reporters conventional wisdom, Mitchell provided this explanatory quote: "Hillary Clinton (66 percent), fueled by strong support from women and African-Americans, has a tremendous lead over Bernie Sanders (29 percent), Clinton is seems poised to win convincingly in Michigan on Tuesday. She came into the state earlier than Sanders and she really made the Flint water crisis her issue, adding to her already strong support among African-Americans, who could make up a quarter of all voters."

The message to be conveyed to readers, viewers and listeners the day before the big presidential election was clear: Pack it in, would-be Sanders voters. You're dreaming if you think your puny vote will make a difference! Might as well stay home.

But a funny thing happened in Michigan. Bernie voters didn't listen to the polls, or the pundits. They turned out anyway, as they did in Kansas, Minnesota, and Colorado. And during next week's big primaries, the purportedly scientific polls that today show a big Hillary sweep in every state are going to seem a lot less scientific.

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Other Indicators That Bernie Will Win the Nomination

In addition to the poll-to-reality discrepancy pattern described above, another encouraging indicator for the Sanders campaign is that his largest victories seem to lie ahead, while Hillary's are nearly all behind her. As Seth Abramson observed in this excellent Huffington Post column titled, "5 Reasons the Clinton-Sanders Race Is Much, Much Closer Than You Think", after Clinton's big wins in very red Southern States, "In virtually every other state left to vote -- twenty-eight states, to be exact -- the demographics are substantially more favorable for Sanders than they were in even the "friendliest" state for him in the South (Virginia). Perhaps this is why he's leading in the most recent polls in Wisconsin, Utah, and Idaho... This may be why even the Clinton boosters on CNN are now saying that they're worried Clinton will lose Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri to Sanders next week. In other words, Hillary performed impressively only in the South, and in less than a week there will be no more South for her to mine for votes."

One more indicator that Bernie will be the Democratic nominee is the least known, even though it has the most successful predictive track record. American University's Kogod School of Business tracked every Presidential primary since 1968 to determine which state primaries for each party were most likely to predict the eventual winner in the nomination contest. In their extensive study, only one state was found to predict the Democratic nominee 100 percent of the time for every presidential election during the last 50 years.

That state was Kansas.
With depressing regularity, it keeps happening. A child, sometimes as young as a toddler, gets hold of a firearm (usually owned by a parent or other family member) and unintentionally pulls the trigger with horrific results.

The most recent high-profile incident occurred this week in Florida, when a four-year-old sitting in the back seat of a pickup truck picked up a 45-caliber handgun and shot and injured his mother while she was driving. The boy's mother is an outspoken pro-gun activist who frequently writes about firearms and gun rights on her Facebook page. In a Facebook comment the day before the shooting, she wrote: "Even my 4-year-old gets jacked up to target shoot with the .22."

By now, these tragic news events have become well known throughout America. Less known is the fact that the NRA and the gun industry are currently engaged in a systematic effort to place firearms in the hands of children as young as grade-school age.

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As my organization, the Violence Policy Center, documented in our recent study, "Start Them Young" - How the Firearms Industry and Gun Lobby are Targeting Your Children, the firearms industry is facing a slow-motion demographic collapse. With household gun ownership on the decline, the gun industry has set its sights on America's children. They do this by advertising guns specifically for young children, designing compact "kid-friendly" rifles using child-specific designs and bright colors, and encouraging parents to introduce their children to firearms -- often when they are extremely young.

For some gun owners, there is almost a race to the bottom to see how young a child can be to handle, and eventually possess, a gun. In the comments section of an online article from the NRA's American Hunter magazine titled "Choosing Your Child's First Gun," readers detailed the ages at which they felt their own sons and daughters were ready for their first gun: five, six, seven, and older. One commenter did take issue with the author's hesitation to recommend an AR-15 assault rifle as a first gun for an eight- or 10-year-old, writing, "If you teach your child proper firearms basics an AR is the perfect way to go. I built my six-year-old son one and he loves it."

At the 2014 NRA-sponsored Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a constant stream of children could be seen at a display of Beretta assault rifles (see photo). One model was touted in a review on a gun store's website as a perfect holiday gift for kids. The website stated: "The Beretta ARX 160 is a great choice and the holiday gives you the perfect excuse to buy one and act like it is a gift for your son or daughter. Just be sure to bring them to the range and let them shoot it every once in a while." Surrounded by candy canes, a bow, and ribbon, this assault weapon was the gun dealer's "December Gun of the Month."

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The gun industry consistently ignores the tragic consequences that all too often occur as the result of putting firearms into the hands of young children. Here are just two of many:

In August 2014, 39-year-old firearms instructor Charles Vacca, a father of four, was shot and killed at the Last Stop gun range when he was teaching a nine-year-old on vacation with her family in Las Vegas how to shoot an UZI submachine gun. The girl lost control of the weapon as the result of the full-auto weapon's recoil. The gun climbed up out of her control and she unintentionally shot Vacca in the head.

In April 2013, a two-year-old Kentucky girl was unintentionally shot and killed by her five-year-old brother with a 22 caliber rifle he had received as a birthday gift. The gun was a Crickett rifle made by Keystone Sporting Arms, the self-proclaimed "leading rifle supplier in the youth market." On the company webpage, a friendly cartoon character known as "Davey Crickett," playing the Joe Camel role for the company, holds a rifle and stands atop the company's slogan: "My First Rifle."

Yet, as the gun lobby has made it perfectly clear, no level of tragedy will prevent them from aggressively promoting firearms for children. Just last month, on the recently revamped NRA Family website, the NRA cheerfully posted photos of a 10-year-old, a five-year-old, and a seven-month-old receiving their first guns. Five months earlier, the site featured a video of a seven-year-old girl firing an AR-15 assault rifle.

Contrary to the NRA's online celebration of guns in the hands of babies and small children, the American Academy of Pediatrics, recognizing the developmental and physical limitations of youth, emphatically advises parents that homes with children be gun free.

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Joshua W. Walker and Hidetoshi Azuma

Five years on, rays of hope are beginning to penetrate the gloom cast over Naraha, an idyllic coastal town in Fukushima, Japan. On March 11, 2011 triple disasters---earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown---wreaked havoc on this small town as well as much of Tohoku (Japan's northeast), turning habitable areas within the 20 kilometer- radius of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant into an "exclusion zone."

Naraha recently became the first town in the exclusion zone open to evacuees who have been displaced for the last five years. Returning residents have demonstrated tenacity in the face of adversity, united in their forward-looking pursuit of turning Fukushima into an alternative energy hub by 2020, a regional vision recently unveiled by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In turn, Naraha's commitment to a brighter future is becoming a model for other disaster-stricken areas as well as Japan's neglected, aging rural regions.

In fact, Naraha is a microcosm of Japan that found itself in an unprecedented political crisis five years ago today. In the run-up to the 3/11 disasters, Tokyo's leadership had changed almost annually, spawning five prime ministers in the 2006-11 period. The United Nation's General Assembly meeting held every September essentially served as the de facto platform to showcase the revolving door of Japanese prime ministers while inviting international mockery. Just as in rural neglect, Tokyo's leadership inertia led to political frivolity, leading evanescent leaders to toy with their risky agendas, including attempts to relocate the Futenma Air Base outside of Okinawa.

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Japan's feckless leadership reached the nadir of absurdity when the former prime minister Naoto Kan handled the 3/11 crisis. Poor communication and lack of disaster preparedness exacerbated Kan's crisis management, which he himself later acknowledged as "a fiasco." By contrast, Japan's American ally swiftly mobilized its military as part of Operation Tomodachi (friend) and shared crucial intelligence on radiation in Fukushima, which Kan's government failed to act on in a timely manner. Ironically, it took triple disasters for the two allies to reaffirm "friendship," but Tokyo largely failed to live up to Washington's expectations due to its years of leadership deficiency.

Despite the government's leadership paralysis, Japanese people largely remained steadfast in their commitment to recovery. Of course, various issues, such as unemployment, still linger among the approximately 100,000 displaced evacuees from Fukushima. Fukushima's slow recovery also casts a grim outlook on their ability to return home any time soon. Nonetheless, unlike in other countries, no riots, let alone revolution, have taken place despite the government's inept crisis management. From the ashes of Fukushima's nuclear wasteland, Japanese people emerged born again to rediscover their historical potential of maintaining exceptional national solidarity by "bending adversity" into prosperous new beginnings.

Just as in other past crises, such as Japan's surrender in 1945, the 3/11 also functioned as a bitter purgatory allowing the country to shed inefficiencies to realize its full potential. When Abe returned to office in December 2012, he went on to end years of Tokyo's leaderless drift with a series of his signature initiatives, including Abenomics. Moreover, he increasingly looks to leverage Japanese people's oft-overlooked potential. While boosting reconstruction efforts in Fukushima, Abe has been seeking to tap the potential of burgeoning young entrepreneurs who struggle to realize their ambitions in a risk-averse society. Although various challenges still remain, these initiatives represent Abe's eagerness to maximize Japan's potential.

On the fifth anniversary of 3/11, Abe is increasingly setting his sights overseas to showcase Japan's global leadership as this year's G7 chairman At a time most G7 members find themselves enmeshed in multiple regional crises, including the endless Syrian civil war, Tokyo is expanding its global security role and is in a strong position to channel its foreign policy energy around the world. In particular, Japan's incredible track record for recovery from major catastrophes, including 3/11, is a powerful soft power appeal for various development needs around the world. While Japan's competitors, such as China, often prioritize profit above all else, Tokyo could leverage the country's post-crisis reconstruction experience in Fukushima to inspire development recipients to find hope for the future.

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As spring dawns on snow-heavy Fukushima, a veteran carpenter Yasumasa Igari busily saws wood to meet the growing local demand for his business. Igari, a 66 year-old Naraha native, immediately resumed his occupation when his hometown reopened last year and feels a sense of mission to contribute his artisanship to Fukushima's reconstruction. To be sure, Fukushima's reconstruction is far from finished. Yet, Igari's commitment to "bending adversity" is a living testimony to Japan's national potential its people rediscovered after 3/11. Five years after Fukushima, Tokyo's leadership has largely caught up with its people's forward-looking pursuit of a better future. As Abe looks to boost Japan's global leadership this year, nothing could be a more powerful soft power appeal than the country's own track record for weathering apocalyptic crises.
Over the recent days it's become apparent to me that while GOP candidate Donald Trump has achieved his success by exploiting the news media, Democratic contender Bernie Sanders, in contrast and by necessity, has found his by going around it, relying upon a bottom-up and tech-savvy voter mobilization and outreach campaign.

Both of these media strategies say something about the normal operating terrain of the corporate news media, especially the cable news networks.

This space might best be thought of as one of transactional public relations, not journalism. The candidates and members of the press best suited for it operate in an implicit and mutual understanding of acceptability and competence. In a typical exchange, the outermost limit placed on pursuit of truth is the refutation of a question's premise, and the most rigorous of replies conveys substance only on the level of talking points. For both journalist and politician, an interview's standard script enables evasion, and its most routine accomplishment is to underscore status. It is neither persuasive nor illuminating, except to those predisposed to find it so.

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Trump has turned the predictability of these largely pro forma encounters to his advantage. In contrast to every other politician, he makes himself accessible to the news media on a near-constant basis. But in his appearances he does more than merely satisfy their hunger for superficial content; he makes news, at least according to the degenerate standards of cable news coverage. By tucking in some salacious comment or personable aside (sometimes both, at the same time) in almost every media appearance, Trump makes the encounter "newsworthy" in the eyes of infotainment or rewarding for viewers in search of spontaneity. Most politicians enter an interview hoping to avoid making a headline; Trump seems only to struggle with which among his several outrages he will select to lead the next news cycle.

Recently he took this strategy to the next level when he converted the typical primary night victory speech into a news conference, taking questions from the assembled reporters, and introducing an element of drama into what all other candidates regard as a moment to give a truncated form of their stump speech. On Tuesday night, after Trump added primary victories in both Michigan and Mississippi to his list of triumphs, all three cable news networks covered his appearance before the cameras live for forty-five minutes. Seizing the opportunity, Trump hawked some of his own product lines--Trump wine, Trump water, and Trump steaks--a blunt and discomfiting punctuation mark to the reality of what the news media has become. Trump is the nouveaux riche upstart exposing the pretension of old money.

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Where the news media would prefer to retain the veneer of respectability, Trump lays bear its shallow conceits. In doing so, he dominates the genre. He is like a magician--a hoaxster with a gift for captivating the audience with his tricks, like Thomas Mann's megalomaniac Cipolla, who drones on to his audiences about his greatness while incorporating their insecurities into his own power and casting his spell. Mann's famous allegory compels us to understand that fascist demagoguery is, among other things, a performance, and responsibility for it includes those who extend the magician a stage.

To date, this culpability has only been indirectly acknowledged by the news media. Tuesday night, after CNN broadcasted Trump's salesmanship from start to finish, the network's commentators denounced the appearance as "infotainment"--an observation that served more to indict than excuse those making it. Disparaging Trump, members of the news media hope to take the metaphorical shower after sex "to feel clean" once again.

If Trump has turned the prime time drama of news media coverage into reality television, the Sanders campaign has retreated from this space almost entirely, perhaps not by choice, but ultimately to their benefit. As the GOP frontrunner vends a steady stream of seductive lies, Sanders has shown a willingness to articulate painful realities unacknowledged by both establishment media and politics. Corporate media has proved unable to resist the one, and is deeply inhospitable to the other. On camera, as the Senator draws breath and pronounces the letters "TPP," cable news coverage invariably cuts away.

As a result, the Sanders campaign has developed their own tools to deliver their message. There is no "app" for democracy, and one can make too much of the bells and whistles. Along those lines, even as I applaud the campaign's ingenuity, I think it's imperative to realize that the success of their approach is made possible by the acres of content, and the countless voices, corporate media abandoned long ago.

To my mind, as I've written before, the Sanders campaign's most important contribution has been to organize a consensus around the disconnect between conventional wisdom and the lived experience of most Americans. Another more common way of saying this is, he is building a campaign to speak truth to power. Even to the most cynical among us, it is startling the extent to which the country's most prominent news outlets present themselves not just as indifferent, but actively hostile to this project.



This is more than just unfortunate; it is precarious. Recently I read that a single, college-educated white person in his or her twenties now has a one in five chance of becoming impoverished in the next ten years. This country is now failing even the well-situated and privileged. Change will most certainly come, and the only remaining question is how much the Democratic Party and corporate media will embarrass themselves in the process, and how long the news conversation will, like wealth itself, remain siloed in a fortress of its own making.
The Los Angeles art scene is booming! As an arts writer, each weekend I attempt to see as many exhibitions as possible. Saturday, March 4, 2016 proved to be another fast paced evening...I hit nine galleries, enjoyed the art, the wine and some music too. A quick note - I travel to art events with a driver, hence I am the designated drinker (in case you are concerned).

Santa Monica's Bergamot Station is always a good choice when time is a priority. Each Saturday, one can enjoy at least two to three openings while taking advantage of the free onsite parking.



Photo courtesy of LAArtParty.com; Opening reception at Peter Alexander's exhibition at Craig Krull Gallery

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Starting at 5:00pm, my first stop was the Craig Krull Gallery, which held an opening reception for two new exhibitions. "How Many Heartbeats in a Lifetime?," features the vibrant intricate paintings of Robin Mitchell. Also on view is the renowned artist Peter Alexander's exhibition "Strokes."

The opening reception was well attended, and I overheard art lovers clamoring to buy a Peter Alexander work. It's always exciting to witness people's appreciation for art and watch it move. Alexander is best known for his resin sculptures...of course, millennials may know him more for his glittering starry night works. However, "Strokes" features his small gouache drips on Yupo paper, a bold statement, using a broad brushstroke. Perhaps the only aspect reminiscent of his prior work is the contrast of color field background. Runs through April 9; Craig Krull Gallery (B-3) Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave, Santa Monica, 90404; 310.828.6410; http://www.craigkrullgallery.com

Next I made a quick detour to Peter Fetterman Gallery (which was not hosting an opening), to see the exquisite photography of Sebastiao Salgado. Be sure to stop by for a peek. On View through June 11; Peter Fetterman (A-1) 2525 Michigan Avenue, Santa Monica 90404; (310) 453 6463; http://www.peterfetterman.com

Another opening took place at Ruth Bachofner Gallery. I headed straight to the back gallery to view "The Art of Taking a Line for a Walk," featuring new works by A.M. Rousseau. I happen to be a fan of this artist and was impressed with this new series. This is the first exhibition with the gallery, and her works were well received by many. I spoke with a couple of people who did not know the artist but were equally moved by the work.

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Photo courtesy of LAArtParty.com; Art lovers enjoying the work of A.M. Rousseau at Ruth Bachofner Gallery

Also on view in the main gallery is "New Paintings" by Robert Kingston. Understated, yet offering a complex stream of consciousness, the exhibit runs through April 16; Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Bergamot Station, (G-2), 2525 Michigan Ave, SM, 90404; (310) 829-3300; http://www.ruthbachofnergallery.com

For my final stop at Bergamot Station, I took in an exhibition of works on paper by Francisco Toledo titled "Sobre Papel" at Latin American Masters. The exhibition, which includes a combination of mixed media, watercolors, and ink drawings (from the 70s), emphasizes the carnal nature of our society through Toledo's tongue-in-cheek portrayal. On view through April 23; Latin American Masters, Bergamot Station, (E-2), 2525 Michigan Avenue. Santa Monica, 90404; (310) 829-4455; http://www.latinamericanmasters.com/

In West Hollywood...Leica Gallery LA offers an exhibition titled "Rolling Through the Shadows." The group exhibit showcases the photography of iconic skateboarders and well-known photographers. Although the exhibition does spotlight some action inspired images, the majority of the photographs focus on skate culture, creating a dialogue surrounding the sport and its participants. Artists include: Anthony Acosta, Ray Barbee, Joe Brook, Thomas Campbell, Jerry Hsu, Jon Humphries, Greg Hunt, Atiba Jefferson, Dennis McGrath, Fred Mortagne, Arto Saari, Ed Templeton and Tobin Yelland. Exhibition run through March 31; Leica Gallery Los Angeles, 8783 Beverly Blvd. West Hollywood, 90048; 424.777.0341; http://www.leicagalleryla.com/

Time for some art and music...my next destination was Jack Rutberg Fine Arts, where New York oboist Keve Wilson headlined an Evening of Music & Art with the the Lyris Quartet. Presented by Music & Conversation 2.0, the program included compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and more. The music was divine, and the players were excellent. What a lovely stop on my art party hop!

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Photo courtesy of LAArtParty.com; The Lyris Quartet at Jack Rutberg Fine Arts



A beautiful setting, Jack Rutberg Fine Arts exhibited works by established artists such as Hans Burkhardt, George Condo, Max Ernst, Claire Falkenstein, Sam Francis, Frank Gehry, David Hockney, Ed Kienholz, Roy Lichtenstein, Henri Matisse, Ed Moses, Stas Orlovski, Pablo Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, Edward Ruscha, Tom Wudl, and many more.

Delicious wine was provided by Casa Torelli Imports/Deluca Trattoria. "Modern & Contemporary Works" runs through April 30. Jack Rutberg Fine Arts, 357 N. La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036; 323 938-5222; http://www.jackrutbergfinearts.com/ http://www.musicandconversations.org/

KP Projects | MKG debuted new work by Victor Castillo and Tara McPherson. Castillo's exhibition "Born in '73" touches on his experience growing up in the dictator run country of Chile in the 70s. Offering a poignant, yet sarcastic view, one can assume that the artist strives to evoke the political and social injustices of the time.



Photo courtesy of LAArtParty.com; An admirer taking in the art of Victor Castillo at KP Projects / MKG



On an entirely different note, artist Tara McPherson's exhibition "The Difference Between Here and There" celebrates heroines in dream-like portraits offering hope to the masses. Exhibitions run through April 2 at KP Projects / MKG, 170 S. La Brea Ave. (In the Art 170 Building), LA 90036; 323.933.4408; http://www.mkgallery.com

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Upstairs at LAUNCH LA, "Random Acts of Fire" artist Ryan McCann pokes fun at popular culture, with his own technique of painting dubbed pyrography. On view through April 2; Launch Gallery, 2nd floor, 170 S. La Brea Ave. (In the Art 170 Building), LA 90036; 323.933.4408; http://www.launchla.org/

For the last stop of the night, I headed east to a funky little neighborhood where MuzeuMM is located. Here, I enjoyed a compelling exhibition titled "Abstract Never Is" presented by the Venice Institute of Contemporary Art and MuzeuMM. The exhibition co-curated by Juri Koll and Mishelle Moross originated at Photo LA this past January, and has continued at MuzeuMM. Additional artists were invited to exhibit. See my Huffington Post article about this exhibition.



Photo courtesy of Jeff Ho, from left to right Mishelle Moross, Lisa Rosel, and Juri Koll



Artists include: Fatemeh Burnes, Sasha vom Dorp, Kio Grith, Diane Holland, Suda House, Juri Koll, KuBO, Lawrie Margrave, Stefanie Nafe, Kirk Pedersen, Osceola Refeto, Lisa Rosel, Edmund Teske, and others. Runs through April 9; MuseuMM, 4817 W. Adams Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90016; http://www.muzeumm.com http://www.veniceica.org

All of the exhibitions will remain on view through March (some longer) so be sure to stop in and enjoy the art! For additional info on art openings taking place each week, visit http://LAArtParty.com. Our weekend post goes up every Thursday at noon!


Still from Sophia Luvara's documentary, 'Inside the Chinese Closet.'

Directed by Italian filmmaker Sophia Luvara, Inside the Chinese Closet is a documentary that examines the rising phenomenon of fake straight marriages between LGBT men and women in China.

In the film, a gay man named Andy and a lesbian named Cherry are each on a quest to find, not love, but their 'other half' for a sham marriage. In China, such unions between gay men and lesbian women are often called xinghun, which means cooperative marriage. It's the only way for Chinese LGBT men and women to fulfil their filial duty of continuing the family's name, as well as to evade the social stigmas of being gay or being 'left on the shelf.'

In the film, the protagonists also attended a 'wedding fair' where gay men and women come together to 'speed date' and to openly negotiate their terms for marriage e.g. freedom to have their own same-sex partner, possibility of living separately, whether to have baby through IVF, so on and so forth.

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Based in Shanghai, the project had taken Luvara two years worth of research and a great deal of effort finding the right persons to star in the film. Luvara remarked that even in a big and highly populated city like Shanghai, there are very few men and women who are openly gay.

In China, it's estimated that there are around 20 million men are either gay or bisexual, and 80 percent of them have married a straight woman.

Even though homosexuality was decriminalized in 1997, and in 2001, it was declassified as a mental illness, being gay still carries significant stigma in the mostly conservative Chinese society. In certain parts, there are clinics that offer conversion therapies. Portrayals of same-sex relationships are also widely prohibited in the mainstream and online media.

With Inside the Chinese Closet, Luvara and her team hope to reach out to Chinese LGBTs and their families, and to raise awareness about homosexuality in the rural areas as well.

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As a young girl, I was educated in a system designed to teach Blackness as an inferiority complex for which Whiteness and being White-like was the cure. Unapologetically, I was taught to celebrate the European conquerors who discovered the already occupied land of native "Americans." I was taught to bow my head and pledge allegiance to a country whose constitution was crafted by White men who never envisioned liberty and justice for my ancestors.

Over 17 years, I spoke Jefferson Davis' name hundreds of times as I traveled on the highway for which he was named to obtain a miseducation. However, this misguided instruction never taught me that Jefferson Davis was the father of the Confederacy and the leader of an anarchist movement to defect from the United States. It wasn't until I was grown that I learned his actions helped protect the inhumane institution of slavery from which mostly White men profited from Black prostration.

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Though never explicitly told to fear White people, the elders in my community -- burdened with the memory of Black codes and encumbered with recollections of Jim Crow -- encouraged me to work three times as hard as White people in order to reach the Promised Land pastors preached about in pulpits. They pushed me to hustle in silence, conform without protest, and accept the unfinished accomplishments of African-American historical giants... not because they didn't know courage but because they understood the consequences of White cowardice.

I obeyed without question until I listened -- along with a nation -- to a Black boy's cry for help as a homegrown terrorist masquerading as neighborhood watch murdered Trayvon Martin then claimed himself as the victim. Along with Black people across the country, I felt a call to wake up and cast off the safe blanket of conformity in order to challenge a system that exonerated a killer.



"I was educated in a system designed to teach Blackness as an inferiority complex for which Whiteness and being White-like was the cure."



And along with many fearless Black people... I joined in tweeting, organizing, fundraising, marching and placing Black bodies in danger while simultaneously demanding change from a country priding itself on the unfulfilled promised of the 14th amendment: equal protection for all.

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During this time, I learned myself. My "self" not being who I was as an individual but as one thread in an intricately, woven brightly colored narrative of Black people whose uncompensated labor enabled this nation to become a super power. Specifically, a super power who exerted power on us but never shared it with us as descendants of Africans whose bodies, families and sacrifice made America possible.

Through discovering the historic truths of yesterday, I learned about slaves who fought for their freedom through entrepreneurship. I studied the economic liberty that the Reconstruction era briefly afforded Black people. I delved deep into the history of thriving economically viable Black enclaves like Raleigh, Jackson Ward, Tulsa and the District of Columbia.

Though I found atrocities, I also found an abundance of excellence: Black excellence. I found a people pregnant with purpose birth communities of exceptionalism, and deliver a progeny unshackled by enslavement and invigorated by the promise of freedom won by fearlessness.

So when two White men asked me was I afraid to walk through a Confederate Flag Rally to visit the spot where present-day, history maker -- Bree Newsome -- snatched down a symbol of racism and hate... my answer was "no."

As my co-worker and I approached, we were not scared when the protesters yelled their misinformed opinions at us.

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We were not scared when a small group of White men debated us in the midst of a sea of like-minded supremacists.

We were not scared when we enlightened them about how Confederate history represented a time when White men fought to protect the free labor of Black people, and how that flag symbolized the misguided opinions of a few and should not hang any place where a decision-making body was tasked to make laws for all.



"We were inspired by the Charleston 9 who welcomed a white supremacist into a holy space with love."



We were not scared when a White man told us a Black power fist was not welcome in their space, and neither were "half-blacks."

We were emboldened by the blood of my ancestors which fertilized the fields of a nation not yet free for all.

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We were inspired by the Charleston 9 who welcomed a white supremacist into a holy space with love.

We were encouraged by the activists in Mississippi -- the state in which Jefferson Davis was senator -- who continue to fight for legislators to take down the Confederate flag. Their effort inspired us to stand that day and remind the Sons of the Confederacy that their people chose the wrong side of history and their defeat was necessary for us to build one nation under God.

When I posted the above image on Facebook it went viral receiving over 29,000 likes and nearly 5,000 shares. Some people were proud of the visit, and many asked was I afraid and my answer was no.
If you're an aspiring student filmmaker or a K-12 teacher with some talented students, consider entering the What's Your Story video contest to share your or your students thoughts on what the Internet means to you. There are two $10,000 prizes with additional cash prizes for runners-up. One $10K prize is for an individual and the other for a K-12 school. It's open to folks in the U.S. and Canada.

The "'What's Your Story? video contest began in 2010 "to enable and empower kids, parents, teachers and communities around the world to use technology safely, responsibly, and successfully."

The contest is sponsored by Trend Micro's Internet Safety for Kids and Families Program.

This year's theme, said Lynette Owens, contest organizer and global director of Trend Micro's safety program, is all about "what the Internet means to its users. From the good to the bad, the necessary and the not-so-needed." The contest should reveal "what students and young adults' experiences actually are, rather than assume we know what they are," she said. Owens said that of the purposes of the contest is to "help us all best focus our efforts in supporting people, young and old, to thrive online."

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I've been one of the judges in this contest since it was first launched and it's one of my favorite projects, because I get to see some incredibly creative work. I can't help you with your video but I can tell you that authenticity matters. Don't show us what you think we want to see. Show and tell us what's on your mind. You can be funny, dramatic or both. This isn't quite a 15-second Vine video nor is a full length feature film. Videos should be between 30 seconds and two minutes. It needs to be a .mov or .mp4 file and no more than 100 MB. You can shoot it on any type of video camera you have, including a smartphone. And, all entries must be original and respectful of copyrights, including any music or images that you use.
On March 22, Christina Baker Kline will emcee the Poets & Writers' annual gala in New York. Kline is the author of five books, including Orphan Train, a New York Times bestseller, which sold more than 2.5 million copies in 38 countries. Kline tells the story of Molly, a 17-year-old who is aging out of foster care, and the unlikely friendship she strikes up with a 91-year-old named Vivian.

While Molly is helping Vivian clean out her attic -- a community service project to avoid a stint in juvenile detention -- Molly discovers that Vivian is an Irish immigrant who, as a child, rode an "orphan train" from New York to Minnesota.

The historic orphan train movement was started by social reformer Charles Loring Brace in 1854. Over a 75-year period, 250,000 children were shipped west, traveling from stop to stop until they were chosen by random strangers. Many ended up as farm laborers, separated from siblings, enduring hardship and abuse.

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I spoke with Kline recently about her obsession with trauma, the power of resilience, and the article of clothing she stopped wearing after turning 50. Here are the highlights from our edited interview.

Vivian bounces through several families in the novel and some are quite abusive. Talk about how you wove the history into the novel.

I went to four train rider reunions. I went to Ireland; I did research at the Library of Congress; Ellis Island; the New York Tenement Museum; New York Historical Society and the National Orphan Train Complex in Concordia, Kansas. I met 11 train riders and interviewed seven. In the absence of welfare and foster care and programs to protect the poor, people were absolutely desperate and felt they had no alternative than to give up their children.

How did orphan trains fit into the history of settling the American West?

The train companies subsidized the travel of these children in order to populate the Midwest. They banked on the idea that children would not return to the East Coast. And they could not have been more accurate. The vast majority of children stayed put.

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In one interview you said that you are "interested in the pervasive and insidious legacy of trauma -- the way events beyond our control can shape and define our lives." Why?

I always have been. I have three sisters, and two of them have had traumatic experiences... They were both assaulted, 15 years apart. They were both a big deal, and one was a very, very big deal, where [my sister] testified at the trial of this serial guy and he got put away for 75 years. It was horrifying, and it was a profound thing in our family. She's very good today. But it changes the way you see the world. And that was one of the things I wanted to show with the train riders. I was very interested in how trauma unfolds over time and across generations.

In 2012, as you were editing the book, you were diagnosed with breast cancer and lost your mother, a former Maine state legislator with whom you co-wrote a book about feminism. How did the work you were doing about the riders affect the way you navigated that difficult period, if at all?

It's a kind of chicken and egg question because I'm the oldest of four and I think I'm fairly resilient. My mother went back to work when I was 10 or 11 and I really did kind of mother my younger sisters. I starting cooking for the family at age 12, and was sort of a mini adult. And while probably creating all kinds of psychological problems (laughs), it also did make me very resilient. Doing the book on the train riders, if nothing else, gave me a perspective about how people just put one foot in front of the next and kind of get through.

You wrote four novels that were moderately successful before writing Orphan Train. What was that experience like?

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The whole thing has been surreal. My last book sold about 30,000 copies and to me that was great. I honestly would have been happy with that career. I had my fans, I had a publisher and an editor who seemed to be willing to keep taking a chance on me. Some years I made a living writing; some years I taught and I edited. I assumed that I would always do what I love -- writing -- and do other things that I like to make money. It's not like it changed my life in terms of 'now I'm really going to be a writer.' I did buy a house on the coast of Maine where my sisters are. And it's helped with putting my kids through college. I have three sons, two in college and one in high school.

How do you feel about almost being an empty nester?

So, so happy, I can't even tell you how thrilled I am. First of all, they're just so much more fun and interesting as they grow, I love being with them. And second, I think it's a great misconception that when children go to college they're leaving home. They come back -- often.

Now that you're over 50, what's one rule you feel you can break with impunity?

I don't feel the need to wear a bathing suit at the beach in Maine. Last summer I said to my sisters, 'why even bothering to put on bathing suits at this rocky beach? Let's just admit we're really not going to go swimming and act like adults.' I know that sounds like an old lady but it's kind of liberating.

What ignites your creativity?

Just staying open. I'm an omnivore for words. I love movies, I love good television, reading books, novels, poetry, memoirs and nonfiction. When I'm working on a novel in particular I feel like fly paper and everything I come into contact with sticks to me in one way or another. The most exciting part of creativity is the way it filters through your consciousness and comes out as something else. It's such an amazing alchemy, it always astounds me.

What's your biggest regret?

I had a great publishing experience with my first novel, and I went to the highest bidder for my next book. And my new editor was a very famous, mean, high-powered, dismissive person. I was at a vulnerable time in my life where I felt like a housewife with really young children and she was not very supportive. She was really terrible for my self-esteem and I gave her too much power. I think as a result my career got derailed a little bit. It worked out all right, but I would tell my own children to not worry so much about an outside voice, and try to listen more to your inner voice.

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What's the best advice anyone has ever given you?

The writer Honor Moore said 'if you don't put it in, you can't take it out.' I think writer's block is the fear of not measuring up to your own expectations. And a line like that frees you to just get it on paper, and know you can edit and take it away. And it changed my writing process. My first drafts are more messy, but have a little more movement and spark than earlier novels. Post script: I ran into Honor Moore and told her about her wonderful influence, and she said, 'I have no memory of saying that.'

What's the riskiest thing you've done since you turned 50?

Say yes to things that terrify me. When they asked me to [emcee the Poets and Writers Gala] I thought I would maybe say no. But now I'm kind of like, 'bring it on.' I'm supposed to be funny for five minutes. Even though it's scary it feels empowering and exciting.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Having written is my idea of perfect happiness. Writing is hard. Having written is delightful.

Christina Baker Kline will speak at the Des Moines Public Library on March 14th. Check out my podcast interview with her here.

Earlier on Huff/Post50:
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.
The notion that Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are two sides of the same outsider coin has become increasingly common, but it misses some key differences between the candidates. Mr. Sanders has a strong and consistent ideological view, while Mr. Trump's opinions range across the political spectrum. Mr. Sanders almost never speaks about himself, while Mr. Trump's focuses almost exclusively on his personality. Most significantly, Mr. Sanders has focused his anger and blame on an economic class, while Mr. Trump has fired his rancor on various ethnic groups, including Mexicans and Muslims.
As a boy in New Zealand, Edmund Hillary dreamed of becoming a mountain climber and as a young man, he set his sights on Mount Everest, at 29,029 feet, the world's highest peak, and one that no one had ever successfully summited. His first attempt to conquer Everest in 1951 ended in failure. Defeated, he faced his investors, the London Explorers Club, who had lost all their money. He stood at the podium in front of a projected picture of Everest and said, "I will defeat you, Everest, because you cannot get any bigger -- but I can." Two years later, on his second attempt to defeat Everest, Hillary and his Sherpa guide, Tenzing Norgay, reached the summit of Everest at 11:30 AM on May 29, 1953. The conquest of Everest was announced on the eve of Elizabeth II's coronation, and the new queen knighted Hillary when he returned to Britain.

Edmund Hillary had the imagination to envision an outcome that had previously been viewed as impossible by a large percentage of the world's population. Equally important, he was consumed by a drive to fulfill his vision that would possess him until he got big enough to accomplish that feat.

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Hillary, who as a child was smaller and physically weaker than his peers literally got bigger and grew to be six feet five inches in height by the time that he was out of high school. But it wasn't his physical growth that enabled him to fulfill his dream, but the growth of his determination and his capacity to embody his commitment.

While all significant achievements require great heart for their fulfillment, most do not require an Everest-sized commitment. They often, however, require a willingness to challenge the outer or inner voices that tell us not to even bother trying, giving us a wide range of reasons and justifications to talk us out of "going for the gold."

In the realm of relationships, the "gold" is the experience of a committed partnership that provides a haven of love, trust and support in which both partners experience an ongoing ascendance towards increasingly greater fulfillment, self-realization, and contribution.

Many of us possess doubts and fears that such a lofty goal is unattainable. Feelings of unworthiness, inadequacy, shame, or undeservedness can override our deepest desires creating a justification to reduce or even eliminate our vision of what we truly long for in our lives. There are always obstacles between ourselves and the realization of our dreams, most of which seem to be external, yet the biggest obstacles are our internal limiting beliefs and expectations that "protect" us from taking risks that could result in failure and disappointment.

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We've all heard that relationships require a lot of work, but rarely do we hear much about what the nature of that work actually is. Contrary to popular belief, it 's generally less about and your partner working on your relationship together, and more about each of you doing the inner work that you need to do in order to manage your protective, fear-based beliefs that keep you from giving a whole-hearted effort to the fulfillment of the vision of your deepest desires.

Doing so involves the cultivation of qualities such as courage, imagination, intentionality, and perseverance, among other things. Focusing on strengthening of the traits that can promote the development of our character, rather than continuing a preoccupation with the reasons why we are incapable or unqualified to fulfill our dreams can be the most direct path to success.

See if you can think of something in your life that you accomplished that at a former point you believed was out of your reach and impossible for you to ever achieve. Perhaps it was a physical or sports-related feat. Perhaps it was getting a degree or diploma. Or becoming the kind of parent that you really wanted to be but feared that you were unable to be. Or forgiving someone that you believed you could never forgive. Then try to remember how certain you were that there was no way that you could ever do this, but somehow, you did.

Even when we're positive of our inability to succeed at something, we can be wrong. The intensity of our efforts is directly linked to the degree to which we are willing to be honest we are with ourselves in regard to how important the fulfillment of our desire is to us.

Another component in this process is support. Frequently, our belief that we can't accomplish something doesn't take into account the support factor. Hillary made it to the top but he didn't do it alone. He had an enormous amount of support that was an essential ingredient in his success. He attracted this support to his project by affirming his confidence and his vision with such clarity, that it became almost irresistible to the many members of his team.

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There are some things that are more painful than failing. One of them is to fail to make the effort that we need to make in order to find out whether it is possible for us to succeed. In her ground-breaking book, The Five Top Regrets of the Dying, Bronnie Ware who spent a great many hours caring for people in the final stages of their lives reveals that the regrets of most of those with whom she spoke with had to do with things that that didn't do, chances that they didn't take, opportunities that they didn't accept, rather than things that they had done that they wished they hadn't.

Each time that we challenge the internal voice or the external voices that try to discourage us from owning and affirming the legitimacy of our dreams, and step towards them rather than invalidate them, we grow in courage, resourcefulness, and self-respect, whether we succeed or fail. Another term for failure is "learning experience," and as every successful person will tell you, we need to have them in order to succeed. Fortunately, there are usually plenty of opportunities to learn on the way to the summit.
As the news broke on March 7, 2016, that U.S. drone strikes had killed 150 people in Somalia, the White House announced it will reveal, for the first time, the number of people killed by drones and manned airstrikes "outside areas of active hostilities" since 2009. The tallies will include civilian deaths. This is a critical first step toward much-needed transparency. But it will not go far enough.

The Obama administration has been lying for years about how many deaths result from its drone strikes and manned bombings. In 2011, John Brennan, the former counterterrorism adviser, now CIA director, falsely claimed that no civilians had been killed in drone strikes in nearly a year.

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and other nongovernmental organizations that calculate drone deaths put the lie to Brennan's claim. It is believed that of the estimated 5,000 people killed on Obama's watch, approximately 1,000 were civilians. But the administration has never released complete casualty figures.

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Plus, the numbers by themselves are not sufficient. Even if the White House makes good on its promise to publicize death tallies, it must also publish the Presidential Policy Guidance, which has provided the legal justification for the US targeted killing program.

In May 2013, responding to international criticism about his drone policy, Obama delivered a speech at the National Defense University. He proclaimed, "America does not take strikes when we have the ability to capture individual terrorists -- our preference is always to detain, interrogate and prosecute them." Then why has Obama added only one man to the Guantanamo roster?

As he gave his 2013 speech, the White House released a fact sheet that purported to contain preconditions for the use of lethal force "outside areas of active hostilities." But the Presidential Policy Guidance, on which the fact sheet was based, remains classified.

Here is a quick summary of the fact sheet's main points, including some direct quotations from it:

- There must be a "legal basis" for the use of lethal force. It does not define whether "legal basis" means complying with ratified treaties. They include the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of military force except in self-defense or when approved by the UN Security Council; the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit the targeting of civilians; and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees due process and the right to life.

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- The target must pose a "continuing, imminent threat to US persons." The fact sheet does not define "continuing" or "imminent." But a US Department of Justice white paper leaked in 2013 says that a US citizen can be killed even when there is no "clear evidence that a specific attack on US persons and interests will take place in the immediate future." Presumably the administration sets an even lower bar for non-citizens.

- There must be "near certainty that the terrorist target is present." The fact sheet does not address "signature strikes" (known as crowd killings), which don't target individuals but rather areas of suspicious activity.

- There must be "near certainty that noncombatants will not be injured or killed." But the administration defines combatants as all men of military age in a strike zone "unless there is explicit intelligence posthumously proving them innocent."

- There must be "an assessment that capture is not feasible at the time of the operation." It is unclear what feasibility means. It was feasible to capture Osama bin Laden as he was not armed at the time the US military assassinated him.

- There must be "an assessment that relevant governmental authorities in the country where action is contemplated cannot or will not effectively address the threat to US persons," which is left undefined.

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- There must be "an assessment that no other reasonable alternatives exist to address the threat to US persons," also left undefined.

Finally, the fact sheet would excuse those preconditions when the president takes action "in extraordinary circumstances," which are "both lawful and necessary to protect the United States or its allies." There is no definition of "extraordinary circumstances" or what would be "lawful."

Releasing the Presidential Policy Guidance would clarify the gaps in the guidelines for the use of lethal force listed in the fact sheet.

In February 2016, the bipartisan Stimson Task Force on U.S. Drone Policy gave the Obama administration an "F" in three areas the task force had flagged for improvement in its June 2014 report. The first area is focused on progress in releasing information on drone strikes. The second involves explaining the legal basis under U.S. and international law for the drone program. The third is about developing more robust oversight and accountability mechanisms for targeted strikes outside of traditional battlefields.

Regarding the first area (about releasing information), Stimson concluded the administration has made almost no information public about the approximate number, location or death tolls of lethal drone attacks, which agency is responsible for what strikes, the organizational affiliation of people known to have been killed by strikes, and the number and identities of civilians who are known to have been killed.

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Speaking about the second area of focus (about the legal basis for the drone program), Stimson mentioned that a few official government documents have been made public that relate to the US lethal drone program, primarily through court orders. One was a redacted memo from the Department of Justice about the legality of the 2011 targeted killing of US citizen Anwar al-Awlaki "without due process of law," following a successful ACLU-New York Times Freedom of Information Act request. The only other released document was the Department of Defense's Law of War Manual, with three short sections on the use of "remotely piloted aircraft" in war. The only qualifications it contained was that the weapons cannot be "inherently indiscriminate" or "calculated to cause superfluous injury." But the Geneva Conventions prohibit the targeting of civilians in all instances.

Regarding the third area (about oversight and accountability), Stimson said the administration continues to oppose the release of any public information on the lethal drone program, which has obstructed mechanisms for greater oversight and accountability. "The lack of action reinforces the culture of secrecy surrounding the use of armed drones," according to the report.

The Stimson report noted that the administration has "as a rule, been reluctant to publicly acknowledge the use of lethal force by unmanned aerial vehicles in foreign countries." Stimson identified one "notable exception," however. After the discovery that two Western civilians held by al-Qaeda were killed by a U.S. drone strike in January 2015, the administration admitted the deaths, but provided few specific details.

Lethal drone strikes have been reported in Yemen, Pakistan, Libya, Afghanistan and Somalia, and against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Stimson also identified 12 countries believed to host US drone bases: Afghanistan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kuwait, Niger, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

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Former CIA director Michael Hayden mounted a full-throated defense of the U.S. drone program in a February 2016 New York Times op-ed. He claimed, "The targeted killing program has been the most precise and effective application of firepower in the history of armed conflict," annihilating the ranks of al-Qaeda. But his claims are impossible to verify without documentation.

Hayden has also said, "We kill people based on metadata." But Ars Technica recently revealed that the National Security Agency's (NSA) SKYNET program, which uses an algorithm to gather metadata in order to identify and target terrorist suspects in Pakistan, Somalia and Afghanistan, would result in 99,000 false positives.

The Obama administration has resisted transparency. We will see what it publicizes in the coming period. Regardless of the data the administration releases, we must demand full disclosure in order to attain real accountability.

Marjorie Cohn is a professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law and former president of the National Lawyers Guild. Her most recent book is Drones and Targeted Killing: Legal, Moral, and Geopolitical Issues. Follow her on twitter at @marjoriecohn.
END THE BOOK EMBARGO AGAINST CUBA

View list of signers at Publishers Weekly

In February 2016, a delegation of approximately 40 American publishing industry representatives met with their publishing counterparts in Havana, Cuba. The two days of meetings, held with the support of the Cuban government, represented an historic milestone. Its purpose was to build bridges of understanding and explore opportunities for greater cultural and economic collaboration.

The American delegates included authors, publishers, distributors, literary agents, service providers, consultants, and independent booksellers. Cuba was represented by officials from the Cuban Book Institute, the Ministry of Culture and the Cuban Writers Association, as well as Cuban authors, publishers, academics, and students.

The undersigned companies and individuals - drawn from the American delegation as well as other leading U.S. publishing industry participants - hereby call upon the U.S. Congress and President Obama to lift the economic embargo against Cuba as it pertains to books and educational materials. This call is consistent with the will of the American people, who, according to a 2015 Gallup and Pew polls, overwhelmingly support the elimination of the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba.

Our position:
This post originally appeared on Legal Action Center's blog.



Introduction

Two emerging hot-button issues of the 2016 Presidential campaign are addressing the growing heroin and opioid epidemic and reforming our criminal justice system to make communities healthier, families stronger, and neighborhoods safer.

We have also seen these issues take center-stage in Congress, where criminal justice and drug policy reform remain two areas where bipartisan progress appear possible.

Given the trends in public opinion, this should come as no surprise.

Below, I discuss two signs that public opinion has moved strongly in favor of criminal justice and drug policy reform.

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Then, I point the way to making needed changes recommended in Legal Action Center's recently released Roadmap for Promoting Health and Justice.

Results from LAC's Public Opinion Survey

Results from a survey commissioned by Legal Action Center (LAC) show strong support among Americans for expanding addiction treatment and making it a policy priority of the next president.

Highlights of the survey include:

57% support a presidential candidate who says additional investment is needed for more education, prevention and treatment of drug and alcohol addiction.

63% believe "we put too many non-violent drug offenders in prison instead of treating their addiction."

78% believe "we need to treat drug and alcohol addiction more as a health problem and less as a criminal problem.

Other Surveys Echo LAC's Findings

Findings in two other recent polls echo LAC's findings, providing additional evidence that the public is ready for evidence-based criminal justice and drug policy reform.

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The U.S. Justice Action Network's recently released polling from key presidential battleground states shows that:

Over 60% of voters agree that federal prisons house too many people with non-violent convictions.

More than 70% of voters agree that the main goal of our criminal justice system should be rehabilitation.

In five out of six states, more than 60% of voters agree the federal government should remove criminal record barriers to work.

Nearly three quarters of voters favor sentencing reform.

In addition, a broad swath of voters support significant changes to federal criminal justice laws, especially as they apply to drug offenses, according to polling from The Pew Charitable Trusts. Pew's findings include:

61% of respondents believe federal prisons hold too many people for drug offenses.

Three quarters of respondents support federal sentencing reform.

85% of respondents support significant sentence reductions for people who participate in recidivism-reduction programs.

The Way Forward

These findings- and daily news reports - make clear that an unusual consensus in public opinion favors serious reforms to America's drug policies and criminal justice system.

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As the only nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting for the civil rights of people with drug and alcohol histories, criminal records, and HIV/AIDS, LAC developed The Roadmap for Promoting Health and Justice: A Smarter, More Effective National Drug and Alcohol Policy to point the way for making these needed changes.

The Roadmap provides a comprehensive and detailed set of recommendations for improving our national drug and alcohol policies to improve health and public safety and save lives and resources.

A time to act

Our nation has an unprecedented opportunity to transform its approach to health and public safety, reducing mass incarceration and the associated fiscal and social costs that go along with it, while protecting public safety and helping people become healthier.
What was supposed to be a family vacation turned into the nightmare of our lives when my father, Salim Alaradi, was kidnapped into a mysterious black car on the streets of Dubai.

His captors were the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) State Security agents who have kept him locked up since August 2014. Silence and fear were the only possible reactions as we prayed that the Emirati government would step in to order his release. But month after month of delay and silence had shown my family that the UAE State Security has no intention of offering us any justice.

Our family has spent a great deal of time in the Emirates. My father, a Canadian businessman, was very successful, happy and content with his life in the UAE. I have the fondest memories of the country and my father was a believer in the promise of prosperity that the Emirates exuded. He was not a politician, nor an activist. His life revolved around his family.

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Yet, as we waited for the UAE government to sort out my father's unjust detainment and mistreatment, we realized that dead silence is not the answer. We came to understand that our case was no different than the many cases in which the UAE's State Security disregards the rule of law by using an illegal and systematic approach to arresting people, then torturing them and keeping them in jail for years while the world forgets about them, which is when they eventually throw these people out of the country.

"As we waited for the UAE government to sort out my father's unjust detainment and mistreatment, we realized that dead silence is not the answer."

We could not leave my father's fate in the UAE State Security's hands -- that was not an option for my family. So we started a campaign in Canada to raise awareness of his plight which today has become a global call for his freedom.

After many months and several trips by my family to Geneva, the United Nations investigated my father's case and recently condemned the UAE State Security's behavior. Our campaign has accomplished a lot and I have met many extraordinary people along the way. They've taught me that this work has less to do with empty rhetoric and noise. Rather, it requires a strategic approach to solving sensitive problems where many parties are invested differently in the situation.

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Our family has never been enemies or critics of the UAE, a country we've come to love and respect. Our contention is with the State Security establishment, which has been allowed to grow both in size and in unaccountability for many years and to function with impunity.

Amnesty International is among several global human rights organizations that have condemned the treatment of my father. Amnesty's Gulf researcher, Drewery Dyke, recently said that, "Marwa and her family's campaign for justice on behalf of Salim al-Aradi is inspirational. The unexplained and shocking removal of one's dad -- or husband or brother -- by UAE State Security is extraordinary challenge for anyone."

He also went on to say that, "I know it has been terribly difficult for her and her siblings, but she has carried herself with dignity. In contrast, the handling of his and others' cases before the State Security Chamber of the Federal Supreme Court, which does not provide for a right to appeal, has distinctly -- and sadly -- lacked respect for human dignity."

The UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers' report on the UAE clearly shows that the State Security violate Emirati law in a way that undermines human rights. The Special Rapporteur, Gabriela Knaul, reports that these violations and systemic corruptions of justice by the State Security establishment leads to miscarriages of justice that simply do not match the country's actual legal system.

Our campaign's objective has always been to raise global awareness in hopes that the UAE's just rulers will recognize that something unjust and illegal is being carried out in their country. The Emirates' State Security is using the threat of terrorism to misrepresent and distort the situation and to distract not only the international community, but its very own government, from its illegal methods, all in order to cover up the gross human rights violations it is guilty of.

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"As long as my father is not safe at home with us, we will keep on fighting."

Human rights groups have now said that it is typical for such intelligence and security agencies to become so powerful that they mislead their governments in order to protect its own position and status. The UAE's State Security is no different.

Quite frankly, it's the State Security that's systematically ruining the reputation of the UAE, primarily through its crude and imprecise methods of collecting intelligence, which often land them outside of what the law permits. Instead of upholding the UAE's legal standards while keeping the country safe, the State Security believes that they're above the law. They demonstrate this through the violation of my father's human rights and through the illegal procedures of collecting false and fabricated information.

We have no interest in leveling unfounded accusations. The fact is that UN, US State Department, and several mainstream human rights organizations have documented the UAE State Security's human rights violations. This tarnishes the reputation of the UAE and encroaches upon the life and dignity of thousands of foreigners residing in the country.
To my little world-changer:

When I first found out you were coming into our world, I knew I had so many things to tell you. While you were still a bundle of dividing dividing cells, I was already imagining how you might change the world -- and how we might do it together. Before I even had morning sickness, (and did I ever have morning sickness!) your dad and I had long conversations about how we would invite you into our work and vocations, how you would travel with us and be part of every aspect of our lives. We knew from the beginning that our most important job was to teach you how to create a more just world. Now as a 4-year-old, you still tell people that when you will grow up to be "a filmmaker and a professor." I guess this work of inviting you into our vocations is taking root.

In my own life, I've decided to never be only one thing. I hope you learn the importance of this as well. I am a professor with a Ph.D. in Christian Ethics, but I am also an activist, a minister, a mom, a wife, a community development practitioner, and a teacher. I've tried to teach you these things from the beginning.

When you were four months old, you marched in your first protest. Troy Davis was on death row and about to be executed, despite serious and widespread evidence to his innocence. Despite the fact that we tell our children "do not kill" but as a state, we tell them killing is justice. So we joined a friend and marched from Woodruff Park to Ebenezer Baptist Church. You were there, sleeping through the chanting, snuggled to my body in the baby wrap you loved so well. I remembered your presence in this first march four years later when I worked long hours on Kelly Gissendaner's campaign. I knew in the midst of that intense work that somehow I was part of this campaign for you as much as I was part of this campaign for Kelly and her kids.

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We marched again in Chicago when Mayor Rahm Emanuel decided to close 40 neighborhood schools. You were two during that protest, and you watched the marched from your daddy's high shoulders. This time you chanted along. But we had to make you stop when you kept forgetting to say "don't" before yelling "close our schools." That day we watched as minister friends got arrested in the protest. When you asked what was happening, I told you they were be brave.

I see already you have a fire in your bones. It's the fire that my mamma, who you call Mimi, and my Granny, who you never met, helped stoke through their constant compassion toward those who are on the margins. Right now, that fire in your bones comes out in your play. Last week I loved acting out Rosa Parks with you. But I also listened outside your door when you role-played school segregation and told your stuffed animals, all lined up for their lesson, that it is WRONG to have separate schools for "kids with brown skin and kids with light skin." I love that you know this, not only because we teach you, but because you have two amazing Pre-K teachers that also care about creating a more just world.

I knew from the moment you were born that there would be times when we would need to make difficult decisions. Because I am a mom, a minister, and an activist, I can not always be with you. There are other calls on my life. My work often requires that I teach in the evenings when you need to be tucked into bed or that I travel at times when you need to be in school. But as I follow these other calls, you will always be my priority. I will measure the worthiness of the work that I do by asking whether this might create a more just world for you and your children. And I will continue to invite you to come with me. To march, to listen, to learn, to travel, to be in community with other justice-seekers.

Yesterday, as we renewed the Passport that you were given as a 4-month-old, I realized that you will have traveled to six countries before you turn five. Possibly more if we ever let your globe-trotting grandmother know where we hide your Passport. This year, I loved watching you learn to speak Mandarin in China and practice your bow in Thailand. I am thrilled that this summer you will come with us to East Africa -- a place your dad and I have loved for so long. I cannot wait to see where else your life will take you.

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There are many things I can give you in this life. A roof over your head, food on the table, a Bible we read together, a school where you are welcomed, and love -- so much love. One thing I cannot give you is a just and perfect world.

We will need to work toward this together.
Recently, my partner Bill Lohse and I were invited to Japan to talk about The Future of Media. During our trip, we shared our view about the grounding and direction that is essential for any media company to prosper, or even survive in the years ahead. Here are the key points we made:

Media will matter as long as humans exist. Drop humans anywhere and they will start telling each other stories, dancing beneath the moon, sharing news, acting out. It is fundamental. And, in today's world, media use is growing dramatically. In fact, people are inhaling so much media simultaneously, it compels a 33-hour day to track it all. Digital is deepening the role of stories in our lives, work, politics and commerce.

But the forms of media are changing radically. Research from multiple sources, across multiple countries makes it utterly clear that digital already dominates media today and will completely dominate into tomorrow. Humans will keep feeding their innate content cravings, but increasingly in new ways unmoored to traditional forms.

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The future will be dominated by mobile, visual. The digital media future will be dominated by mobile screens and the primary form will be images and videos, not words. We are entering the era of the Visual Vocabulary. Tomorrow's images won't be enhanced by words, but by emojis. Since images hit humans at a deeper, more emotional level than words, this points toward new, powerful impacts for media -- even if not currently well understood. Exciting, but also perhaps a bit scary.

Words matter, but soon experience will matter more. Words won't vanish. In fact, we are seeing something of a revival of long form journalism in the US right now. But the capacity delivered by technology to provide people with direct experiences -- compare the written description of the ski run and the GoPro experience of the same run, and then jack that experience up to VR intensity -- will increasingly overmatch the ability of mere words to capture the breadth and depth of the moment. Words will need to find a new, not as utterly central role, in future communication.

Storytelling and commerce will merge. Already the best way to monetize content is to use the knowledge of person, situation, and location available in digital to actually sell the right goods and services to the right person at the right time for the right price. And we see the converse becoming equally natural. The best merchant won't necessarily be the best manufacturer, but the best storyteller. Even today, this can be seen in areas of commerce like cosmetics. We see ads as increasingly being displaced by direct commerce toward individual's demonstrated or even requested, needs and wants.

Media Baron & Merchant Prince will be one person. As a result, we see the leaders of content and commerce conflating into one person leading one company. If you think of the power of Rupert Murdoch and Starbucks combined, you can begin to understand just how powerful this shift will be.

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More than the sum of trends or a set of predictions, these core ideas illustrate the deep connection between human behavior and digital consumption. It's up to future media companies to recognize this connection -- and to create the products and services that translate it into action.
In the world of romance much has changed over the last few decades. For those who are looking to enter into a relationship, expect courtship and protocols for communication to be totally different than they were in the '80s or even the '90s. Nowadays, people live their lives, both personally and professionally, through their phones and wristwatches. Good luck getting a read on a facial expression, as the most common public pose is looking downward towards one's device. In these times of immediate gratification, dating moves so rapidly from introduction to intercourse that there is barely time to determine whether you like each other let alone love each other. Between the on-line dating sites and the apps available to us, people connect through a rapid fire whirlwind of options. Gone are the days of the slow and steady wins the race approach to finding love. Individuals looking to meet their future significant other seem to need a dating 101 guide to navigate today's waters of singlehood.

Benchmarks - When searching for a match, individuals are now making up profiles of must haves and deal breakers that they are ideally seeking in a partner so the odds of success are enhanced. Geography, religion, education, income, even height and hair color are considerations before an initial meet up happens. This may feel like a job interview rather than a personal encounter, but truth be told dating has morphed into a punch list of desirable qualities. People often are looking to lock down a certain type on paper before having drinks or dinner.



Properly Vetting - How does one vet a potential date? Years ago it was strictly word of mouth. Today all you have to do is follow the breadcrumbs that people leave on social media. A quick check on Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or the multitude of dating sites will provide a heads up about the good, bad and the ugly of the person's life story. Are they "Feeling the Bern" or are they looking to "Make America Great Again" ? The million dollar question is: Do opposites really attract or implode?

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Communication - Be prepared to have the initial "hello" come through in the form of a text message on your cell as opposed to a phone call. The same goes for the confirmation of a date as well as the post date wrap ups of "Had a great time. Would you like to go out again?" Word to the wise, texting, though handy, is not a conversation. Messages will inevitably get misinterpreted, especially given the cruelties that autocorrect can unleash. As archaic as it sounds, take the lead and dial their number with the goal of having at least a five minute verbal exchange.

Splitting the check - The era of men feeling the pressure to pay each and every tab is over. Even on a first date, it is good form for a woman to offer to split the bill. As your get-togethers progress, if one picks up the movie tickets, the other should offer to cover for the popcorn and Snow Caps! Incomes have progressed toward equalization, so have the rules of the road.

Condoms - The pill and diaphragm just don't cut it any more. Wearing a rain hat ought to be the standard operating procedure until you are in a committed and exclusive relationship. Both men and women need to have these plastic squares in their wallets next to their credit cards and ID's. Safe sex is paramount and the truth is that condoms are your best defense.

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No More Bases - Back in the day when couples would date for months, they worked toward the goal of rounding the corners of each base. Today it seems like romantic scenarios go from a good night kiss straight to the bedroom. The path has been redirected so that second and third base have essentially merged with home plate. Although sex is accelerated, that does not mean it should be taken lightly. Millennium or not, there are still people out there who don't view intimacy as a full contact sport but rather as an expression of connectedness. For the older group re-entering the dating world, don't be scared off and think that you need to get down to business right away. Always stay true to your morals and values no matter how fast times change!!
Natalia Goncharova, The Cyclist, 1913, oil on canvas. Saint Petersburg, State Russian Museum.

They say that competition breeds innovation. In art history, nowhere is this principle more perfectly illustrated than in the Russian avant-garde of the early 20th century. In a span of about 10 years, from 1910 to 1920, Russia experienced a veritable explosion of avant-garde styles, movements, schools, and associations. In the fire of impending political and social revolution, the avant-garde movements each promoted their own isms, each breaking with the past and espousing radical visions for the future of artistic production.

Natan Altman, Portrait of the Poet Anna Akhmatova, 1914, oil on canvas. Saint Petersburg, State Russian Museum  Bildrecht, Vienna, 2016.

Currently at Vienna's stately Albertina Museum, the range and scope of this artistic revolution is on display--from the wild expressions of Neo-Primitivism to the non-objective restraint of Suprematism. Curated by Albertina Director Albrecht Schroder and Evgenia Petrova of the State Russian Museum in St Petersburg, the exhibition "Chagall to Malevich: The Russian Avant-Gardes" overviews this dynamic period through opposing works by key figures such as Mikhail Larionov, Natalia Goncharova, Kazimir Malevich, Pavel Filonov, Aleksandr Rodchenko, Wassily Kandinsky, and Marc Chagall. Their art forms, the various isms, like Rayonism and Constructivism, were all "deeply original Russian adoptions of western European developments," Schroder points out. Integrating styles, to varying extents, from Paris, Munich, and Milan with Russian pictorial folkloric traditions, the Russian avant-garde sought to break away from aristocratic painting traditions, to celebrate every day, proletarian themes, and explore the future of painting through figurative expressionism or, on the other hand, pure abstraction.

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Natalia Goncharova, The Blue Cow (from the cycle Grape Harvest), 1911, oil on canvas. Albertina, Vienna - The Batliner Collection.

The exhibition marks the beginning of the Russian avant-garde with the introduction of Neo-Primitivism in the works of Natalia Goncharova and Mikhail Larionov in 1907. Drawing inspiration from Russian folk art, Neo-Primitivism embraced a kind of "unlearning" in art, using strong outlines, childlike, flat forms, and the brash and bold colors of Fauvism and German Expressionism. Inspired by electricity and the dynamism of rays of light, Larionov and Goncharova also established Rayonism, with a manifesto calling for the autonomy of painting from naturalism, an important precursor to the theories of abstraction and non-objective painting of later movements such as Constructivism and Suprematism.

Lyubov Popova, Man + Air + Space, 1913, oil on canvas. Saint Petersburg, State Russian Museum.

In the early 1910s, Goncharova and Larionov formed artistic societies with leftist leanings and Futurist aspirations, counting Malevich, Chagall, and Vladimir Tatlin as members, and laying the basis for the many offshoot groups and movements that would later develop in quick succession. Malevich, along with other artists, including Alexandra Exter and Lyubov Popova, first experimented with Cubo-Futurism, a combination of Futurism and Cubism, with gleaming machine-like surfaces and fragmented forms, before he moved towards total abstraction with Suprematism. Constructivism, led by Tatlin, Alexandr Rodchenko, and El Lissitzky, also advocated perfect abstraction and geometric forms, with an underlying social goal. These artistic movements not only concerned themselves with aesthetic developments, but also held political dimensions, and with the Russian Revolution and the triumph of Bolshevism, the artists of the avant-garde enjoyed the status as "official art" of the new left-wing regime.

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Kazimir Malevich, Black Square, circa 1923, oil on canvas. Saint Petersburg, State Russian Museum.

Not all of the avant-garde developments in Russia at the time followed the path toward pure abstraction. Many artists remained devoted to representation, forging their own competing theories and approaches in opposition to Cubo-Futurism and Rayonism. Pavel Filonov advanced his concept of Analytical Realism with figurative paintings incorporating the visual language of Russian icons with Cubist fragmentation. Boris Grigoriev, on the other hand, espoused Neo-Realism with highly expressive and haunting scenes of Bohemian city life and the poverty and strength of the Russian working classes. Even the figurative and representational painting of the time was rife with innovation, as artists rejected the staid academicism of naturalistic painting, and experimented with elements of space and form.

Boris Grigoriev, Portrait of the Theater Director Vsevolod Meyerhold, 1916, oil on canvas. Saint Petersburg, State Russian Museum.

As the country wrestled with establishing itself as a socialist state, competition between avant-gardes became ever fiercer, as certain artists became more insistent and polemical, bolstered by recognition, support, and appointments to public office. Aesthetic and conceptual differences fueled heated struggles for power in the new regime. Chagall, who had appointed Malevich to the public art college in Vitebsk where he served as director, was ousted by his own students, who had defected to Malevich's uncompromising Suprematist agenda and rallied against Chagall's "outdated" representational style. Kandinsky suffered a similar fate, when he was deposed from the Institute of Artistic Culture by Rodchenko and the Constructivists for his "spiritual" outlook on art. The heady days of forward-looking optimism were drawing to a close.

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Marc Chagall, Self-Portrait with Seven Fingers, 1912-1913, oil on canvas. Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Chagall,  Bildrecht, Vienna, 2016.

After the tumult of World War I and the Revolution, Russia's lack of infrastructure and art market made living as an artist impossible without an official appointment. The competition was no longer friendly. "The problem is that in Russia suddenly there was no broadly based society anymore that could have absorbed competing artist groups and competing styles and art systems," Schroder explains there was "just one collector - the Bolshevik state." The conflict between Chagall and Malevich, Rodchenko and Kandinsky, originally based in aesthetics, sharpened into jealous competition over the scraps of remaining orders for artwork, "a potentially deadly conflict," says Schroder. Destitute, Chagall left for Paris in 1922. Kandinsky quit Russia for the Bauhaus in Germany a year earlier. Out of all the avant-garde movements only Suprematism and Constructivism remained strong, but not for long.

Vasily Kandinsky, On White I, 1920. St. Petersburg, State Russian Museum.

In the end, none of the avant-garde groups emerged triumphant in Russia. Stalin came to power in 1924 with a new agenda for Soviet art. Malevich was compelled to adjust his vision of Suprematism into a new approach, Supronaturalism, depicting human figures in symbolic shapes, to accommodate Stalin's insistence on figurative styles. But even Supronaturalism would not satisfy the new decree, issued in 1932, that instated Socialist Realism as the only legitimate form of art in Soviet Russia. All other art forms and movements were prohibited. In the end, the vigor of competition was reduced to a single, state-issued, artistic monopoly.

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Kazimir Malevich, Man in a Suprematist Landscape, c. 1930/31, oil on canvas. Albertina, Vienna - Batliner Collection.

--Natalie Hegert
What a difference eight years make. Last week, I testified at the Connecticut Capitol in support of an ultrasound coverage bill for women with dense breast tissue without imposing a deductible. Joining me, with enthusiastic support of the bill, were practicing radiologists reporting Connecticut breast cancer detection data for women with dense breast tissue and its corresponding impact on an early diagnosis. It was surreal to hear the accolades from the radiologists about our advocacy and the critical importance of adjunct ultrasound in detecting invasive cancers, invisible by mammogram, in women with dense breast tissue. I was in the same Hearing Room when, in 2008, one of the current supporting radiologists, representing the Society of Radiologists, testified against our density reporting bill.

Since my advanced cancer diagnosis in 2004, within six weeks of my 11th normal mammogram, I've been on a laser-like mission for the disclosure of density to the patient as part of her mammography results. Shocked and confused that my cancer was so advanced, I questioned my docs why mammograms failed to detect cancer at an early stage. It was only after this inquiry was I informed of my extremely dense breast tissue and its impact on the accuracy of the mammogram.

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After scouring the literature about this dense breast tissue that masked my cancer for years, I was shocked to discover that there was a decade of research since 1995, concluding that dense breast tissue is the strongest predictor of the failure of mammography to detect cancer and later stage cancers would be reduced if adjunct tests were added to mammography. Additionally, I learned I was not alone as 40 percent of women have dense breast tissue. Armed with this knowledge, I went back to my new team of docs to ask them to include a woman's dense tissue in her mammography report. When each of them refused, my husband and I turned to the legislature.

In 2005, with little opposition, Connecticut passed the first law in the nation to require insurance companies to cover ultrasound as an added screening to women with dense breast tissue. This insurance law, strengthened in 2006, contained a barrier, which we later discovered, to women that had high deductible plans. The coverage would only step in once the deductible was met. In addition, most imaging facilities in Connecticut did not routinely offer ultrasound as a screening. It was a challenge for women to find a facility that would include adjunct ultrasound screening as part of their screening protocols.

In 2007, Dr. Gary Griffin, a Connecticut radiologist, contacted me to acknowledge the significant impact of our ultrasound coverage screening law, passed in 2005. His facility was one of the few that embraced our ultrasound coverage bill by offering adjunct screening to women with dense breast tissue. His screening data showed nearly a doubling of invasive cancers detected by ultrasound, on otherwise normal mammograms in women with dense breast tissue. Challenging the status quo, Dr. Griffin later testified in support of our density reporting bill in 2008, in spite of being strongly opposed by his own Society of Radiologists. It took a long arduous year before the density reporting bill crossed the finish line in 2009, catapulting the state of Connecticut as the pioneer in density reporting.

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Since that watershed moment, 24 states have followed Connecticut's lead with a density reporting law. Most of these laws were inspired by patients turned advocates; Tennessee, Arizona and Minnesota were led by radiologists. Additionally, a federal density reporting bill has been introduced in Congress.

Another study released this week in the Journal of Clinical Oncology reported supplemental screening detected cancers, invisible by 2D mammography, in 3,231 women. Half of the 24 additional cancers were seen by tomosynthesis and ultrasound detected almost all.

Connecticut radiologists, once in opposition to density reporting laws, have demonstrated through its data in clinical settings what has been in the literature for more than two decades. Overwhelming evidence exists that it's now time to include adjunct screening in breast cancer screening guidelines for women with dense breast tissue, leveling the early detection screening field for all and protecting the patient-consumer from missed, delayed and advanced-stage cancer.
As the United States expands its efforts to counter the threat presented by violent extremism, it continues to emphasize the need to confront the ideology that motivates and enables it. In the case of violent Islamist extremism, this includes the few militant Muslims, who carry out or support terrorist violence, and the far greater number who have developed a dogmatic view of Islam, characterized by intolerance and hostility towards non-Muslims or towards their co-religionists who hold different views.

Such intolerant attitudes contribute to violence by propagating an ideology that condones and affirms violence carried out in the name of defending religion.

Blasphemy laws, which impose religious orthodoxy and punish religious minorities, are both an indicator of problematic close-minded religious views that fuel the ideology of violent extremism, and a driver of the extreme idea that religious belief should be policed and imposed by force.

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Governments that enforce blasphemy laws signal support for a central premise of violent extremist ideology: hostility and intolerance towards those who believe differently. Such governments make themselves vulnerable to pressure from extreme political groups, which use blasphemy laws to pressure government officials and members of the judiciary to accede to their extreme positions by propagating the narrative that to be against blasphemy laws is to be against Islam.

These narratives drive extremism, undermine the rule of law, and lead directly to violence. In Pakistan, government officials who called for reform or repeal of the blasphemy laws have been assassinated. Blasphemy trials are routinely accompanied by violent mobs who target defendants and their legal representatives.

It is therefore a challenge for the United States that some of its main allies in the global struggle against violent extremism--countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan--are world leaders in imposing restrictive blasphemy laws that violate freedom of religion and freedom of expression and facilitate the persecution of religious minorities. Far from being allies in the ideological struggle against violent extremism, governments that impose blasphemy laws are part of the problem.

Governments like this have struck a Faustian bargain with Islamic extremism. In return for support from religious authorities, like the Council of Senior Scholars in Saudi Arabia or Al Azhar in Egypt, governments give such institutions license to spread extreme, intolerant views throughout society. The governments benefit politically from these arrangements, gaining religious legitimacy to head off challenges from Islamic political groups, while also acquiring useful allies to push back against advocates of political reform and human rights--which threaten authoritarian governments.

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The problem is that governments do not fully control these extremist movements, even less the dynamics set in motion by their violent ideologies that periodically produce domestic terrorism and even armed rebellion. Moreover, the influence of preachers and religious institutions from these large, influential states where extremist ideology is condoned and even fostered by state authorities spreads throughout the rest of world as the Internet and satellite broadcasting networks carry their messages of extremism and intolerance to countless millions of people every day.

When attempting to address the ideas that fuel violent extremism, the U.S. government may feel constrained in its ability to raise sensitive issues like blasphemy laws with these partners, whose cooperation it deems vital to counterterrorism efforts. Religious extremists point to any opposition to blasphemy laws from western governments as evidence of western hostility to Islam, and such claims have resonance.

Nonetheless, if the United States is to make progress in its efforts to counter and prevent violent extremism, it cannot afford to ignore the ideological struggle. Blasphemy laws engender extremism, strengthen violent extremist groups, and undermine vital state institutions, like the judiciary.

Human rights, the rule of law, and robust protections for basic freedoms, like freedom of expression and freedom of belief, are powerful antidotes to the intolerant ideologies that fuel violent extremism. But these values are also seen as a threat and therefore resisted by authoritarian leaders. It is no accident that in many countries where violent extremism has developed, a mutually re-enforcing cycle of conflict between state repression and violent extremism has also developed to the detriment of societies as a whole.
IDOMENI, GREECE - MARCH 11: Syrian refugees are seen in a refugee camp of Idomeni, Greece on March 11, 2016. Refugees wait at a makeshift camp along the Greece-Macedonia border in Idomeni village as they trapped at border after Macedonia closed the border for refugees. (Photo by Iker Pastor/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Seemingly reasonable, the intent of the EU to disburse during this year, mainly to Greece, 300 million euros for refugee emergency relief, is difficult to applaud. Particularly within the broader framework currently envisaged for centralized control by Brussels of all asylum claims, the short-term palliative measure proposed is almost a meaningless gesture.

Already socially, financially and politically destabilized, the country is now seriously inundated by well over 100,000 migrants. Critically undermining a fragile economy not likely to be able to survive an additional shock from the massive cancellations of tourist arrivals the humanitarian crisis increasingly causes. These refugees are trapped here because they continue to be agonizingly prevented by troops, dogs and tear-gas from crossing the barricaded border of the Former Yugloslav Republic of Macedonia -- on their way obviously elsewhere in Europe. The miniature state encouraged to persist here by the EU's complicit silence despite this truly harrowing spectacle.

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Sacrificing Greece will not save Europe from having to come face-to-face with awkward, complex and hazardous realities. Nor is the fundamental question here one of simply centralizing the processing of asylum claims -- generated by a basically flawed system. Less amateurish and deeper thinking is needed. It is also no use accusing others, mainly Russia at this point, of weaponizing the spreading Muslim exodus. Brussels could do better to review its own original commitment to an "open-house" Europe which lies at the heart of the European Union's present predicament.

Recently epitomized by a bizarre pledge of an extra 3 billion euro in aid to Turkey -- still in draft form -- following recent covert talks between the German Chancellor and the Turkish President. Which, if approved by the rest of European leaders and including the European Parliament, will risk opening a new "highway" for Muslim migrants to come to Europe. Having also promised to Turkey, apparently after waiving performance-related conditions, visa-free travel to Europe for its nearly 80 million citizens. In return for "trying" to stop the Syrian migrants passing through its lands to reach the European continent.

There has never been a popular mandate for the EU leadership to imagine, unwisely, that the European continent can also serve as a natural habitat for well-over one million (and rising) refugees fleeing Syria. Or that receiving such mass uninvited arrivals is consistent with Europe's best interests, especially in today's troubled times. When (radical) Islam, pretty freely active in its midst, is poised to capitalize on an opportunity to spread further its alien influence. Especially in the light of the recently seized treasure trove of data containing names and personal details of some 22,000 ISIS fanatics committed to battling at any cost the West in general and Europe in particular.

The sensible thing, therefore, is to consider as a priority at this juncture inviting individually all member-states of the Union to conduct each a referendum: to determine democratically whether or not the flow of migrants escaping the Syrian war -- disrupting social, economic and political stability in Europe -- will henceforth be allowed to freely enter, or indeed remain in, their respective sovereign territories. Such a key initiative would first contain, and eventually eliminate, a crisis that so far recklessly feeds on itself.

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No member-state of the Union would be inclined to produce a popular vote favouring these massive intrusions. And, to the extent some exceptions might exist, draconian terms and conditions would no doubt apply. Either way the European Union would emerge empowered legitimately to confront what perhaps may yet prove the greatest Trojan Horse ploy in history. The European Commission could then humanely begin coordinating repatriations of stranded refugees as required. The best hope for the war's civilian victims is that peace should return to their homeland. Otherwise they will continue perilously seeking an uncertain future as unwelcome refugees in Europe.

The EU can indeed secure its borders. Emphatically relying -- to the advantage of all concerned -- on the total engagement of NATO's state-of-the-art technology and strategic supremacy, instantly capable of intercepting any suspicious movement at its inception in the Mediterranean and elsewhere: using, for example, unmanned aerial surveillance systematically. This would appear in striking contrast to the Alliance's currently restricted mobilization and incoherent tactics that at present merely serve to compound the problem.
British novelist Angela Carter once declared, "Cities have sexes: London is a man, Paris a woman, and New York a well-adjusted transsexual." This feeling of perpetual movement--that the city is continually revealing new aspects of itself--is perhaps what makes it so universally beloved by residents and tourists alike. These twelve books place New York center stage as a living, breathing character in its own right.





Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

On a hot summer day in 1974, Philippe Petit walked across a tightrope strung between the Twin Towers. Colum McCann's National Book Award-winning novel introduces a dynamic cast of characters connected to this moment in ways large and small, from a grieving Upper East Side housewife to a prostitute in the Bronx. McCann's tender and impactful storytelling breathes life into the city that unites their stories.

Read the review here



A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

Jennifer Egan's bold, interlocking narratives circle the lives of a host of characters whose paths intersect over many years and locales, but who are all somehow connected to the New York music scene.



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Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos

This celebrated portrait of 1920s New York reveals the lives of wealthy power brokers and struggling immigrants alike. From Fourteenth Street to the Bowery, Delmonico's to the underbelly of the city waterfront--Dos Passos chronicles the lives of characters struggling to become a part of modernity before they are destroyed by it.





A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

This beloved classic tells the story of young, sensitive, and idealistic Francie Nolan and her bittersweet coming of age in the rundown neighborhood of Williamsburg. By turns sublime, heartbreaking, and uplifting, Betty Smith's novel has enchanted readers since its publication in 1943.





Underworld by Don DeLillo

This National Book Award finalist is about an artist and an executive whose lives intertwine in New York throughout the overarching conflict of the Cold War. A novel that confronts every challenge of this extraordinary time--it is Don DeLillo's greatest and most powerful work of fiction.





The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe

This quintessential story of 1980s New York centers on three characters--a WASP bond trader, a Jewish assistant district attorney, and a British expatriate journalist--as they navigate a cutthroat world of ambition, racism, social class, politics, and greed.



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We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas

The promise and tragedy of postwar America is charted in this riveting portrait of an Irish-American family as they chase the American Dream from their home in Woodside, Queens. As they build the life they have always imagined, an inescapable darkness enters their lives. At once expansive and exquisitely detailed, what readers will remember most is the huge heart at its core.





The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

This exuberant, irresistible winner of the Pulitzer Prize begins in New York City in 1939 when Joe Kavalier, a young escape artist, arrives on the doorstep of his cousin, Sammy Clay. Looking to cash in on the comic book craze gripping the nation, Joe and Sammy embark on an adventure that takes them deep into the heart of Manhattan and of old-fashioned American ambition.





Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem

This compelling and compulsive riff on the classic detective novel features Lionel Essrog, a misfit who works for a small-time mobster's limo service-cum-detective agency. Brooklyn--with its charming folkways and bad-guy swagger and sentimentality--becomes a major character itself.





Between Two Rivers by Nicholas Rinaldi

Farro Fesco, the concierge at Echo Terrace condominium, is intimately acquainted with the interior lives of the people who pass through his lobby--from a former World War II German fighter pilot to an Iraqi spice merchant. In this beautiful tribute to the human spirit, Farro comes to know himself as he learns the secrets of the residents of Echo Terrace.





The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

Set in 1870s New York high society, this was the first book written by a female author to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The plot centers on an upper class couple's impending marriage, and the introduction of the bride's cousin, plagued by scandal, whose presence threatens their happiness.



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Time and Again by Jack Finney

If you've never read Jack Finney's beautiful New York novel, now is the time to fall in love with this much-admired, time-honored classic. It is admired for its rich, painstakingly researched descriptions of life in New York City more than a century ago, and for the swift adventure at its core.

Read the review here


The 2015 tax season is here. Tax planning is a critical part of a small business owner's financial plan. The majority of small business owners ignore tax planning; yet good tax advice is a very valuable for a successful business. There are many tax planning strategies available to small business owners. Below are a just a few:

Lowering your tax rate to reduce the amount of taxable income

Taking advantage of available tax credits

Controlling the effects of the AMT (Alternative Minimum Tax)

I encourage business owners to work with a competent accountant or CPA on at least a quarterly basis to take full advantage of all the tax provisions that are available. As a CFP (Certified Financial Planner) I work from a team approach and refer clients to a local accountant that I know will provide excellent tax planning advice to small business owners.

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I work with a lot of small business owners and their #1 goal is to have enough money saved up in order to retire. A great retirement planning vehicle for small business owners is a Simplified Employee Pension Retirement Arrangement (SEP IRA). Business owners like SEP IRAs because it provides tax and retirement benefits for themselves as owners and their employees. A SEP IRA allows each owner to make contributions that cannot exceed the lesser of:

25% of compensation (based only on the first 265,000 of compensation for 2015 and 2016), or

$53,000 (for 2015 & 2016)

Contributions are made directly to an IRA set-up for each owner's/employee's SEP IRA. The maximum deductible amount for SEP IRA contributions is determined by the IRS and can significantly reduce the taxable income for the owners of the business.

Employees can be excluded from the SEP IRA until they have achieved the following requirements:

Has reached the age of 21

Has worked for the employer in at least 3 of the last 5 years

Received at least600 in compensation from the employer during the year (for 2015 and 2016)

The SEP IRA is a great option as a retirement savings vehicle for small business owners. But, do small business owners have retirement saving options outside of their company sponsored plan?

Yes, small business owners do have options. One option is the Roth IRA. A Roth IRA is a fantastic vehicle to prepare for retirement and can be established in addition to a SEP IRA. The maximum contribution amount allowed into a Roth IRA is $5,500. Initial contributions are not tax deductible however distributions after the age of 59  are tax free. As a financial planner, I am a huge fan of creating a tax free income environment during retirement and a Roth IRA can accomplish this strategy.

However, from my experience small business owners are high income earners thus limiting their ability to contribute into a Roth IRA. Thus, a Traditional IRA is a great alternative. With a Traditional IRA initial contributions may be deductible, but distributions after the age of 59  are fully taxable. The deductibility may be reduced or eliminated because of the establishment of the SEP IRA.

If the business owner is not able to deduct their Traditional IRA contributions (and their income exceeds Roth IRA contribution limits), I recommend a strategy called the "Backdoor Roth IRA". Since there is not an income limit to convert assets from a Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA this is a great strategy to generate tax free income for retirement for high income earners.

The following tax planning strategies sound great, but if I cannot provide my clients with the necessary investment growth within their retirement planning vehicles then the best tax planning strategies are useless.

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That is why I submit to you that there is a better way to manage your investment portfolio in spite of the recent stock market volatility of 2016. In my previous article, There is a Better Way! - Why No One Talks About the Stock Market the Right Way discusses in more detail my approach to investment management through tactical portfolio management.

To learn more about Blake Fambrough and his approach to financial planning view his Paladin Registry profile.

Article originally posted at Paladin Registry.com
One of the most pleasant views a mayor can experience is a skyline with plenty of tower cranes. This is a visible sign of city's development, its attractiveness for residents and investors. Years ago the local government of Gdansk made a decision to support the development of high-quality office space market and today I am very proud to see it flourishing. Tower cranes in Gdansk have been very busy on construction sites of new business parks. According to JLL report, approximately 140 000 sq. meters of office space are currently under construction in our metropolis.

Gdansk is a perfect location for ICT companies. Here - Sii headquarters in Gdansk. Photo: J. Pinkas

Gdansk is among first choice cities for international business in Poland. Perfect location not far away from Scandinavia, Germany and Eastern markets, availability of qualified work-force, strong cooperation with local universities and friendly environment for investment have already been appreciated by many global companies. It is hard to mention here all the great companies that decided to run a part of their operations in Gdansk. Let me name just few: Intel, Bayer, PwC, State Street, ThyssenKrup, Jeppesen (Boeing), Amazon and Arla Foods.

The above-mentioned 140 000 sq. m of new office space is still the song of the future, but a lot has already been achieved. Just a few weeks ago we were pleasantly surprised with a prize for the "best new office development for SSC/BPO sectors" for Gdansk's Olivia Six building, awarded by CEE Shared Services And Outsourcing Award. Certified with BREEAM Excellent certificate, the centre is considered one of the greatest locations for business in Gdansk and Poland, along with other buildings constituting Olivia Business Center (OBC). It is a hot spot for business in the Tri-city, where - among others - Epam Systems, Sii, Energa, ThyssenKrupp and PwC have their headquarters. OBC has currently 75 000 sq. m of office space, with another 100 000 sq. m planned.

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The location couldn't be better - along Grunwaldzka Ave., the main thoroughfare connecting Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia, running along the coast of the Baltic sea bay, within a walking distance to a commuter rail service and a university campus, 15 minutes away from the airport. Not to mention a great view from the OBC windows - just onto the bay.

Inside the Olivia Six building. Photo: W. Jakubowski

Good things come in pairs! Another office park we are proud of - Alchemia, located just across the street from OBC. It has already added about 40 000 sq m. to the city's office space, with another 40 000 currently under construction. Boasting its perfect location with a direct access to a commuter rail platform and fitness facilities, Alchemia is a place which has attracted such companies like State Street, WIPRO IT, and Alexander Mann Solutions. It is also worth mentioning that Alchemia has won Eurobuild Awards 2015 in the category "office building of the year in Poland".

Alchemia II by Torus. Photo: Alchemia

Travelling south on Grunwaldzka Ave., we get to the Neptun Office Center, offering 16 000 sq. m on its 19 floors. The building, one of the top three tallest office buildings in the Tri-city, is hosting companies like Arla Foods, Comarch and Deloitte.

Neptun Office Center. Photo: J. Pinkas

Getting closer to Gdansk old town we approach a place where events crucial for European history took place. Just in the front of the Gdansk Shipyard and European Solidarity Center, the new investment has already been completed - Tryton Business House. It is a great change for the old town, since there was a significant shortage of modern office space in this part of the city. I like the fact the new building interacts well with its historical surroundings of the Solidarity Square. ICT companies Ciklum, Kainos and PGS Software as well as a new office of Ernst & Young have already been announced as tenants of the space in the building.

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During the presentation of Tryton Business House. Photo: J. Pinkas

Half a year ago the Financial Times described my city as the next hot outsourcing town. The article emphasized the fact, that "Gdansk [...] now derives almost a third of its economic activity from service centres for global business".
Donald Trump, president and chief executive of Trump Organization Inc. and 2016 Republican presidential candidate, speaks during a news conference at the Mar-A-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., on Friday, March 11, 2016. Ben Carson, who recently ended his quest for Republican presidential nomination, endorsed his onetime rival Donald Trump Friday striking a blow to presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz, who had courted Carson because they appeal to many of the same religious-minded voters. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Should it matter to us if the American people select Donald Trump to be their next president? Of course. Donald Trump is a primitive man, unwinding before us in real time, a barking neo-fascist racist activating primitive emotions of scared, vulnerable, and angry Americans (mostly white, older, uneducated, and male). Barack Obama has presented us with a remarkably thoughtful and cerebral presidency. By contrast, Donald Trump might well become our first gall bladder president, secreting bile into the body politic, excrescence of aggression and depression.

Political polarization has landed us in a space in this nation where emotional responses, personal responses, overwhelm (trump!) our capacity to consider what makes sense, what is reasonable -- what interests, positions, and policies might reasonably align with ways the world is changing and with our long-term goals and aspirations, individually and as communities and as a nation. Social media obviously reinforces this tendency -- which has now, after numerous Internet election cycles, become a civic habit -- to react, rather than to act, to shout and scorn rather than deliberate. We live in our fears and sit on what we hate. Everyone is building walls.

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As citizens, one rational response to the prospect of a Trump presidency is to think tactically. Draw analogies from the past and consider our response. Should we move to Canada? Buy a gun? Sterilize ourselves? We are all asking these questions, and with good reason, because a Trump presidency introduces enormous uncertainty. That is what happens when a democratic people select a crazy person to be their leader (or a manipulative person who wants us to believe he is crazy).

But spinning (surely false) historical analogies to help us understand the meaning of a Trump presidency (he's a Teddy Roosevelt, an Andrew Jackson, a Huey Long, a Benito Mussolini), and to help us construct a tactical framework for adjusting our lives, is fruitless. A Trump presidency takes us into uncharted territory because the circumstances that make him a viable candidate are new and unique. We are witnessing our first reality television presidential election, which promises to usher in our first reality television presidency.

Amidst all of the theatrics, however, and the frenzied focus on how quickly and how permanently Donald Trump will lead us into the gutter (or the abyss), we need to remember that he is a small, weird, and likely self-destructing product of much deeper and longer-term environmental, demographic, and technological forces that can either lift us to new heights or cast us into shadow, but which either way will change our world in directions Donald Trump can barely comprehend and can certainly not control. Trump is the one being moved. He is not the mover.

We already know financial and economic markets are much larger, more mysterious, and more powerful than any human agent. Global demographic shifts also matter more in an interconnected world. And we know, as well, that nature can and will follow its own imperatives. Some among us imagine the world magically, and symbolically condense these manifestations of transpersonal randomness into concepts of God. Whatever lens we choose to use to understand our world, it's fair to say that markets and populations and nature and God all do not care about you and me (and our inconsequential interests and concerns), and certainly do not care about Donald Trump (or his towering penis).

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Do we want Donald Trump's finger on the nuclear button? Do we want Donald Trump making life and death decisions on our behalf? Do we want Donald Trump as our Commander in Chief? Do we want Donald Trump selecting our Supreme Court justices? Of course not. We can all agree we don't want to give Donald Trump those god-powers.

But once we settle on this axiom -- no god-powers to Donald Trump, ever -- the fact remains that even if he were to become president the world will remain much larger and more inscrutable than someone like Donald Trump (whose truly unhandsome reflection consumes his entire universe) can even fractionally comprehend.

Politics. We are in a major election year, in which voters will literally cast ballots for thousands of candidates for office, from the mayor in the smallest municipality, to county sheriff, to state legislator and state judge and state governor, to US senator and US representative. Moreover, each of these elected officials will be responsible for approving budgets and staffing government offices and making decisions, virtually all interconnected and empowered by data-sharing and social-sharing regimes that are transforming public service. And so politically-driven change will seep into our lives, and influence our investments, from hundreds of different directions and sources that have nothing to do with Donald Trump and that really care not at all about Donald Trump.

Finance. The finance vampire squid now penetrates all aspects of our lives, from the impact of high-speed trading to the prevalence of financial engineering to the deliquescent flood of right-wing money into politics in the wake of Citizens United. Donald Trump's spurious claim to be self-funding his presidential campaign, with its ridiculous subtext about self-reliance and self-creation, will fold like cardboard against the tsunami of money that already buffets our society from all directions.

Demographics. The United States is a nation demographically remaking itself. We are becoming more diverse with reference to ethnicity, race, gender, and sexual orientation.The old binaries are breaking down. This is a millennial thing to say, but in this instance millennials see things far more clearly than their parents. And that is why millennials do not support Donald Trump. In this sense, the rearguard fulminations of the old white men left behind matter little and are mere sound and fury against a tide they cannot reverse.

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Technology.We know the digital age has changed everything. And changed nothing. Technology has connected us and empowered us, but also agitated our silliest and most primitive and most terrifying instincts. And so we live with and must come to terms with genomic databases and gravity waves, alongside artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles, alongside pervasive surveillance and drone assassinations and ISIS beheadings. All technology enabled. With propulsive, wrenching impact on our lives that Donald Trump, with his shitty tweets, can barely comprehend.

Nature. And there's human-induced climate change. And landform change. And species change. We might profitably address the affinities between Trump's birther challenges to Obama's origins and Trump's ethno-bilious climate change denials (The Donald has received "many environmental awards" / It's a Chinese hoax). Both forms of denial reflect Trump's balls-up / walls-up hatred of the world. But nature, especially, doesn't care about Donald Trump.

Obviously we give the president god-powers. And obviously Donald Trump is one of the last people in the world with whom we can trust those god-powers. So the 2016 presidential election matters. By all means, vote. Please vote your pocket book or your portfolio or your children. And please do not vote for Donald Trump. Because he is probably insane. And will not be good for the United States. Or the world. Or you.


Brett Ratner and Mariah Carey at the Silver Circle Gala 2016

Monday Evening the Beverly Hilton Hotel's grand ballroom was the venue for the Silver Circle Gala, benefitting the famous free Venice Family Clinic which has been in operation since 1970 and serves over 24,000 needy families, children and teens every year.

This year the clinic honored Producer and Director Brett Ratner, known for the Rush Hour films, X Men Last Stand and Tower Heist, and presented him with the Humanitarian Award, following in the footsteps of previous recipients and Hollywood luminaries including CBS President Les Moonves and filmmaker Judd Apatow. Mariah Carey, Anthony Michael Hall, Claire Fiorlani, Brian Grazer as well as Warner Brothers CEO Kevin Tsujihara and Sue Kroll, President of Warner Brothers worldwide distribution were in attendance and Larry King was the master of ceremonies.

Supported generously by the philanthropy of Los Angeles as well as the Hollywood establishment, the star-studded event felt at home in the same ballroom that the Golden Globes had occupied only a few weeks ago. Blind auction bidding and other donations during the evening raised $1.55 million dollars for the clinic that night.

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CEO of Dreamworks Jeff Katzenberg took the stage to present the award to Ratner in a speech showing his admiration and friendship while poking fun. "Brett is renowned for many things," said Katzenberg. "His attention span is not one, so hang in there Brett and I'll try to make this quick," After the laughter died down Katzenberg extolled Ratner's virtues.

I talked to 12 of his closest friends, and the same words came back to describe him: generous, charitable, always ready to give his time, or himself. With Brett you can always find a house full of people, probably because being around him just makes you happy. And he's most amazing with his family. His grandmother still lives with him.

Venice Family Clinic CEO, Elizabeth Bensen Forer, spoke of how the clinic started with two doctors in a borrowed dental clinic 45 years ago. One of those doctors, Dr. Meyer Davidson, was there that night and received a round of applause. Today they have 10 clinics that provide health, dental, eye and abuse counseling serving the poor, the unemployed and uninsured. She reminded the packed ballroom that Los Angeles has more homeless people than anywhere else in the county.

She extolled the leadership of William Flumenbaum of The Capital Group Companies, the second winner of the night, with the Irma Colen Leadership Award for his work and involvement with the clinic. Flumenbaum, who's worked with the clinic for 20 years, thanked them for the honor, and "20 years of work, marked by real growth. My mother was a volunteer as long as I can remember, and I'm grateful for this award."

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Brett Ratner and William Flumenbaum

When Brett Ratner accepted his award, he thanked Katzenberg for his mentorship in Hollywood. He kept the moment light mentioning how he himself had been one of the producers of the Revenent, and could now reveal the truth that Katzenberg was actually the one in the bear suit for the famous attack on Leonardo DeCaprio.

But his reflections quickly turned serious, mentioning how Katzenberg always talked about his own Mentor Kirk Douglas. And how Douglas always talked about giving back and how meaningful that had been to him.

I grew up in one small house and my roommate was my great grandmother. Until I was 13. And I had to help dress her in her girdle every day, where she also kept her cash. We lived with my grandparents as well. So when I moved to Hollywood, and I was on my own, I felt that something was missing, and I realized that it was my family. And I brought them to live with me. But my dad hadn't been with us. And I later found out he was homeless and didn't have a place like this clinic. So working with them, is 'bashert', which is Yiddish for 'meant to be.' My great grandmother said everything in life is 'bashert'. It's a word used about life and how things work out.

Ratner also spoke about his grandfather, and how he inspired him.

I go to the doctor anytime I feel sick, but that's because I'm a hypochondriac. But when I saw the clinic, and the work they do, it made me think of my grandfather who I saw giving back to the veteran's administration for so many years. So tonight I want to dedicate this award to Dr. Mario Presman, my grandfather.

Before closing, Ratner brought Maria Carey up on stage with him. She was not there to sing, as she was on ordered vocal rest preparing for an upcoming show in Las Vegas, but Ratner auctioned off VIP tickets to that Vegas Show along with backstage passes, and transportation on a private jet. As Mariah laughed and encouraged him, that bid alone went for $20,000.

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Frankie Vali and the Four Seasons

The evening culminated in an astonishing performance by Frankie Vali and the Four Seasons, who at 81 is still in excellent voice and rocked the ballroom with a string of his hits across the decades while the audience cheered in delight.

The event was presented by UCLA Health and the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.
That's a question currently being asked by legislators in the halls of Congress. Without a muscular pushback from the public, the big airlines could claim the American airspace as their own to tax and regulate, without any significant compensation to the American taxpayer and no oversight from elected officials. Talk about getting skyjacked!

An amendment in the 273-page FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) reauthorization bill H.R. 4441 currently moving through Congress means to remove air traffic control from the authority of the FAA and hand it over to a private, not-for-profit corporation. This new corporate-controlled body would be responsible for the over 50,000 flights that take off each day without any input from Congress or the American people. The Washington Post reports: "The House bill to create the federally chartered corporation would transfer about 38,000 federal workers, including 14,000 controllers who now work for the Federal Aviation Administration." This amounts to a staggering nearly 80 percent of the FAA's workforce. It would also give away billions of dollars' worth of air traffic controller equipment to this private body.

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Spearheading the charge for air traffic control privatization is House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) who states that his bill, called the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization [AIRR] Act, will lead to the "transformational improvements we need in order to modernize our nation's aviation system." Perhaps it should come as no surprise that Rep. Shuster is the top recipient in the House of Representatives of airline industry contributions, and has even admitted to being involved "personally" with a top lobbyist from Airlines for America, a trade association representing most of the major airlines, which is a leading advocate for air traffic control privatization.

This old song and dance routine might sound familiar to those who have paid attention over the years to the corporate-funded propaganda campaign that aims to convince the public that corporations can manage and deliver services more efficiently and at less cost than democratically-controlled governments.

One chief criticism against the current air traffic control system is a $40 billion FAA modernization program known as "NextGen" that is behind schedule. However, implementing a seismic shift in airspace authority is choosing to solve a problem that isn't causing any major issues for travelers - the air transportation system - as it is not fundamentally broken, and the United States has the safest air travel in the world, which is remarkable when you consider that it is also the most active and most complex system in the world. Under this new plan, air traffic control navigation would shift from a ground-based radar system to a new, satellite-based method.

"Running a science experiment with the most complex airspace in the world comes with a lot of risk, including the uncertain futures of thousands of workers at FAA," said Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA) at a recent House Transportation Committee panel. (The airline-industry dominated panel approved the bill on a 32-26 vote and it will move on to the House floor.)

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Most of the major airlines are, not surprisingly, in support of this new measure with one notable holdout -- Delta Airlines. Delta released a study that found that "Travelers could have to cover 20-29 percent higher costs if the U.S. moves to a private ATC [air traffic control] organization." Advocates for privatization often cite the privatized air traffic control systems of Canada and the United Kingdom as models to aspire to. According to Delta's study however, during the first six years of implementation of the private model, "Canada saw an additional 59 percent increase on ATC-related fees. In the United Kingdom, ATC fees rose 30 percent."

With potential higher costs to travelers, not to mention the risk of transitioning to a new untried and untested satellite system, what exactly is the American flying public gaining from this deal?

In an op-ed in USA Today, Captain Steve Dickson, senior vice president of flight operations for Delta Airlines, writes: "It just doesn't make sense to remove the system responsible for the safe operation of our skies from the safety oversight of the FAA. The FAA is the gold standard against which every other nation's airspace is measured. Do we have more work to do to improve the efficiency of our nation's airspace? Yes. Is privatizing the answer? No."

With a March 31st deadline looming to reauthorize funding for the FAA, Congress must either pass a new bill or extend the current legislation. This must-act scenario is like blood in the water to the privatization sharks that see an opportunity to reap even greater profits out of America's skies.

Call (202-224-3121) and write your member of Congress and let them know that corporatizing America's air traffic control system is a bad deal for the flying public.

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Flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Dear Fellow Compatriots,

A few days ago, a number of you willingly or unwillingly participated in the ballots of the Islamic Republic with the hope of reformation for achieving your basic rights.

Additionally, a significant group of you have demonstrated in unison your opposition to the status quo by refusing to vote and by seeking fundamental change to allow for a new Iran.

I speak today with both sides; let's not forget that both groups of voters and non-voters are from one nation, the great nation of Iran.

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And all of us have our hearts set on our homeland.

In commencement, I salute the fellow citizens who have saved their votes for the day their national goals are achieved.

This is because we have aspirations:

- The separation of religion and state institutions in order to guarantee the freedom for all religions and beliefs

- To create a healthy and free market economy

- To promote innovation and enhance the country's standing in the fields of science and technology

- To advance the economic and political standing of Iran amongst the top twenty countries of the global village

- The establishment of social justice

- Allowing for every Iranian to have the opportunity for prosperity,

- Providing a free education for every Iranian child until the age of 18

- Protecting the ecosystem and securing sustainable development

- The abolition and prohibition of torture and the death penalty

- Full civil rights equality amongst all Iranians irrespective of political, religious, and cultural background

- Equality of women and men within all economic, political, social, and cultural spheres

- Freedom of thought and expression

- Freedom of the press and media across the country

- The right to free access of information for all citizens

We have aspirations that will only be possible within the context of a secular, parliamentary government based on a decentralized political and administrative organization, in which the three branches of the government operate with autonomy and can concentrate on their respective affairs pertaining to the country.

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Your support and solidarity for not voting in the election has served to "reject" the totality of the Islamic Republic and is a glorious start towards us achieving our national aspirations together.

My fellow compatriots, those of you who knowingly or unknowingly, intentionally or unintentionally, went to the polls with the hopeless goal of having an opportunity for winning your basic freedoms, a very important responsibility bears on your shoulders.

It is expected that you not remain silent, for the heavy costs of your votes claim the rights of each your fellow Iranian citizens at the hands of your elected representatives.

Now, you bear the heavy responsibility to serve as the voice of civil and political activists.

At a night during which a concert is banned, break down the banned walls with your voices.

At a time when an innocent Reyhaneh is being hanged, your voice should rip apart those ropes.

Stand with those who fight day and night in front of the tall walls of the Evin Prison and scream for liberty, justice and freedom and break down those prison walls.

Take the whip out of the hands of criminals and bring news of Saeed to his father and the message of Omid's freedom to Simin.

Hold a candle and light up the dark nights of the all the despairing mothers.

Ask about the children whose fathers have been executed in Sistan and Balouchestan and the shameful state of the schools in Kurdestan.

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Understand the gravity of your vote.

Lastly, I reiterate that we are a nation with an ancient history and precious land. We have proudly kept our great identity alive in the name of Iran.
SEASIDE -- We heard an impassioned plea last week at the Seaside City Council.

John Hagerty stood before councilors during public comment and said "I need a simple, inexpensive apartment in Seaside."

His words stirred councilors. In a city where housing is the key to a functioning workforce, they didn't need explaining.

"I am currently employed and work 30 to 40 hours per week," he said. "I generally net between $1,200 to $1,500 per month. I have no criminal record. I have good credit. I have no pets. I do not drink, smoke or do drugs. I rarely have company visit. I have no prior evictions."

Hagerty's problem is his owner is moving back into his apartment. Hagerty must be out by March 19.

"The rental market in Seaside is extremely limited," he said. "I have exhausted all the more traditional ways of looking for an apartment. I describe my references from previous landlords as 'absolutely golden.'"

No shrinking violet, Hagerty took his campaign to the streets as well, standing in the Safeway lot with a sign dramatizing his plight.

He not only designed and held a sign seeking an affordable rental, but provided a "fact sheet" with contact information, rationale, a work resume and even a list of his previous landlords for the past 10 years, with phone numbers and contact emails included.

Hagerty is an articulate voice for those he described as "the working poor."

"You have a serious problem in Seaside that has a very dramatic effect on the citizens you are responsible for," he told councilors.

"There are not enough apartments in Seaside to provide housing for its residents who are unable to afford to purchase their own home. The result of that shortage is that apartments that do become available are overpriced in a seller's market, making them unaffordable to the people who work the minimum- to low-wage jobs that support this town."

Out of price range

If Hagerty were a politician, he'd probably be pretty good at it. His presentation was as robust as his plea.

"Currently, I can only find one apartment to rent in the city of Seaside, a three-bedroom for over $1,000 a month, way out of my price range," Hagerty said. "I have people who are supportive and helpful who are networking for me and acting as references. The company that currently manages the place I live in is working to find me an affordable alternative. I'm on a first-name basis with every landlord in this city who will allow me to talk to them. I may now have to quit my job, apply for unemployment, try to explain this to them, and then move away to the charity of relatives on the other side of the state if I cannot find a place to live.

"I have not been late with my rent since 1990," he continued. "They like me at my job. I love my job. But I'm old. I'm broke-down. There's not that many jobs that I can physically do, but I'm still an asset to this community and I go out of my way to maintain that status wherever I live.

"The city of Seaside needs to do something for our citizens."

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Response

Hagerty is not alone. At every level from high to low, a housing shortage exists, a result of the enticing environment and economic opportunities. There are jobs as Hagerty points out, but local businesses are hard-pressed to exceed the minimum wage.

The U.S. Census Bureau deems "30 percent rule" a guideline for the portion of income a family can spend for rent and still have enough left over for other nondiscretionary spending.

The 2014 U.S. Census reports a population of 6,481 in Seaside, with 4,501 housing units to serve them.

With the Oregon minimum wage at $9.25 per hour or $390 for a 40-hour week before taxes, that would represent a gross income of $1,560 per month. Forty percent of that for rent would be $624 per month.

On Craigslist, the only apartment fitting that bill was a 400-foot cabin in Seaview, Washington, for $625. The best bargain we found was in Ocean Park, Washington, a 600-foot cabin can be found for $550. In Seaside, a duplex for $925 is the lowest-priced listing.

On Zillow, we found a two-bedroom, one-bath apartment on Avenue I for $850 a month, and the same rental home on Craigslist.

Even if Hagerty or other minimum-wage workers pay 50 percent of their gross income -- $780 per month -- they still would not be able to afford the cheapest listing in Seaside.

Consider that year-round tenants are also competing with short-term renters who generally pay a far higher amount, the numbers are daunting.

Council is listening
Rabbi Steve Gutow, former president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and former head of the National Jewish Democratic Council, countered that there is nothing wrong with being "even-handed" and suggested the remarks would not hurt Sanders with Jewish voters.

"To say that you favor Israel over the Palestinians (would be) an odd way to move the parties toward peace," Gutow said, noting that Sanders has made clear many times his support for Israel.
A lot of investors say that they'll back great ideas anywhere. But in most markets, building impactful businesses is a "chicken and egg" situation--investors say there are no good deals, and entrepreneurs say there's no capital.

This is the "Pioneer Gap," the period when entrepreneurs are the most vulnerable--you've taken the plunge, but haven't raised serious financing or don't have sufficient revenue to grow your ventures.

Entrepreneurship has the potential to transform society and spur dramatic social change, but the vast majority of mainstream capital goes to a small number of entrepreneurs in a few places. 51% of venture capital in the world goes to three U.S. states, and more startup investments happen each week in Silicon Valley than in each year in Africa. The "Pioneer Gap" isn't closing. How can we fix it?

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Last month Village Capital launched VilCap Communities Global, a new initiative to support organizations worldwide provide resources to great entrepreneurs--regardless of their country or postal code. In mid-February, we gathered over 60 active investors in emerging markets in Amsterdam to discuss how to bridge the gap.

Strong on-the-ground intermediaries--accelerators, seed funds, and entrepreneur support organizations--are the critical leverage point we're focusing on. We launched a class of 11 Pioneer Communities--leading entrepreneur support organizations from cities from around the world. Spanning four continents, leaders came from places such as Guatemala, South Africa and Pakistan.

Each of these communities had an entrepreneurial leader building a strong intermediary to support entrepreneurs in their own country--by pairing big, game-changing ideas with their own region's particular strengths. Each is ready to take their efforts to the next level. By joining the VilCap Communities leadership class, they have each committed to providing three "Cs" for entrepreneurs back home.

First, community. Over the next year, each Community Leader will operate a formal program for entrepreneurs in their home community, with a specific focus on using competitive local assets and strengths to build great businesses. As one example, off-grid renewable energy in India has a market of 300 million people--hardly a niche product.

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Second, capital. Fifty percent of the entire world's venture capital is invested in three US states. Each Community Leader has pre-committed at least $50,000 in investment capital to award to entrepreneurs in their home markets, through Village Capital's' unique peer-selected investment model. Our model puts the power of investment in the hands of the entrepreneurs themselves. Early results from the Global Accelerator Learning Initiative, a study managed by Emory University, show that peer-selected investment closes the capital gap for traditionally underserved entrepreneurs.

Finally, commentary. Each leader will gather data on entrepreneurs coming into their program and track long-term progress, with plans to share the results, along with specific design and intervention methods, with the rest of the group. By sharing best practices, we will discover broad patterns and uncover lessons about what works and what doesn't in helping bridge the Pioneer Gap.

A few of these broad patterns began to emerge just from the conversations in Amsterdam. We heard over and over that outside of capital-rich environments, the investor marketplace is confusing, opaque, and not functioning: there's no real "AngelList" for companies in emerging markets, so investors continue to struggle with identifying the best entrepreneurs. Second, intermediary organizations - while of varying quality - can bridge that pioneer gap, but they need more support. One investor at the conference even proposed an "early-stage tithe" - everyone serious about impact investing should tithe anywhere from 1% or 10% of their investment dollar to seed-stage ecosystem building activities -- with the expectation that it will be repaid many times over.
As the legal dispute between the FBI and Apple continues to dominate headlines, there's a great deal that privacy advocates and consumers should be concerned about. What if the FBI gets it way? Does that set a terrible precedent that will trickle beyond cases involving terrorism? Is this the first step towards opening a backdoor into encryption? How will that decision impact the tech sector? The litany of questions goes on and on.

But rather than focusing on the potential worst-case scenarios, here are four reasons that, no matter the outcome of the legal battle being waged, we should be optimistic about the future of encryption.

1. There are still plenty of encryption platforms outside the reach of the U.S. government.



A recent report from the renowned cybersecurity expert Bruce Schneier identified "865 hardware or software products incorporating encryption from 55 different countries." Of that total, 546 encryption products were from foreign-based producers, with almost half of those products offered for free. Clearly, the United States has no effective means for putting the encryption genie back in the bottle. This should come as no surprise in an age of ubiquitous, nigh uncontrollable flows of digital information--a global network that can neither be controlled nor confined to individual nation-states. Milton Mueller expressed this sentiment quite aptly in his book Networks and States:

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The Internet made a major contribution to global society by disrupting the regulation of media content by nation-states. It took the libertarian principle of "absence of prior restraint" and globalized it: no one had to ask for permission, or be licensed, to make their ideas and publications globally accessible.



Mueller was specifically referencing the ability for states to regulate content (i.e. free speech) online, but the idea applies just as much to the proliferation of open source code, of which, Schneier estimates, approximately 34 percent of all foreign-based encryption platforms utilize. The U.S. government can pass all the anti-encryption laws it likes--as long as the Internet remains a free and open platform for public engagement and open communication (as it should remain), people will still be able to get access to encrypted communications tools. Of course, this unfortunately means that criminals and terrorists will have access to these tools as well. However, no domestic law will ever be able to forestall the proliferation of such tools amongst those who would wish to do us harm.

But it's important to remember that this debate isn't just about terrorists and criminals communicating in secret in online "dark spaces."

There are those innocents who rely on encryption to defend their lives (e.g. dissenting voices in authoritarian regimes, international journalists, and human rights advocates). This is incredibly important for those who struggle daily against the yoke of oppression in countries like Iran, North Korea, Russia, Venezuela, and elsewhere--indeed, the United Nations Human Rights Council, as well as a wide array of civil society organizations, pointed to the value of encrypted communications playing a pivotal role in protecting free speech online. Luckily for them, the existence of all those foreign-produced encryption platforms will allow lovers of freedom and liberty the world over to continue fighting against oppression.

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The U.S. government will never be able to control the global dissemination of these products. But what about here at home? Surely there's good reason to be concerned about bad domestic policy making it through Congress. Possibly, but leaving aside foreign-based encryption products, there's a good reason to suspect anti-encryption legislation will never acquire the necessary support to become law: the modern digital economy relies on cryptographic security.

2. As the digital economy continues to boom, so will the continued need for stronger encryption.



As noted in a Niskanen Center paper from last November, the economic benefits of encryption are staggering. Over the past quarter century, annual online e-commerce retail revenues have jumped from $100 million in 1994 to over $250 billion in 2013. The reason? Trust in the online ecosystem. If consumers are unwilling to trust online retailers with their personal financial information, they are unlikely to engage in commercial transactions on sites such as Amazon or eBay. Encryption has been the silent and largely unrecognized impetus for the proliferation of that trust--any attempt to weaken those security mechanisms will have dire consequences for the online economy.

Additionally, as I discuss in the paper, the need for regulators and lawmakers to abstain from knee-jerk legislative reactions to regulating this online ecosystem is vital to ensure its continued growth, as well as to ensure the American economy continues to capture the many benefits of online commerce:

Innovation never occurs in a vacuum; it is in part the byproduct of the institutional environment produced by policymakers. It is imperative that regulators and legislators remain humble in the face technological change and progress. They must recognize that attempts to regulate vital elements of the Internet ecosystem are likely to lead to a series of unintended consequences. ... Given the trillions of dollars of daily electronic financial transactions that rely on encryption, as well as the broader economic impact of its use by consumers and producers, any mandate that would reduce online security risks doing significant damage to the modern economy. The physical world is increasingly wired to the Internet. Water treatment plants and automobiles now constantly exchange information over the Internet, creating whole new concerns about the security of networks. Encryption will only become more important in the coming years as more and more "things" become interconnected.

As long as encryption continues to serve the role of securing our online transactions--and as long as those in Congress understand the role it plays in shaping these economically beneficial outcomes--the deck will likely be stacked against those who would advocate for weakening online security protocols. Companies like Amazon and other online retailers recognize the vital role encryption plays as the "white blood cells of the modern digital economy," keeping the Internet lifeblood free from "infection." That's why I'm optimistic that those industries whose growth and economic flourishing are inextricably tied to trust-enhancing tools like encryption, will continue to oppose legislative efforts to weaken the online bonds of trust between consumers and producers.

And as more people come to recognize the vital role this technology plays in shaping the online landscape--whether protecting the lives of foreign dissidents, the civil liberties of average Americans, or the economic backbone of the global economy--it is inevitable that more people will start advocating on behalf of encryption. Which leads to the third reason we should be optimistic about the future of encryption: people will invariably recognize the complexities of this issue as they continue to become socially acclimated to its benefits.

3. An increasing number of people are coming to the realization that encryption is a good thing.



At a Senate Judiciary hearing yesterday, Sen. Lindsey Graham offered a refreshing bit of intellectual humility when questioning Attorney General Loretta Lynch. In reference to the complexities of the encryption debate broadly, and the Apple vs FBI issue in particular, the Senator from South Carolina made an about-face on his previous hardline position on encryption:

[I]t's just not so simple...I thought it was that simple, I was all with you until I actually started getting briefed by people in the intel community. And I will say, I'm a person who has been moved by the arguments of the precedent we set and the damage we may be doing to our own national security. So I have definitely moved. To any member of the committee who feels very passionate about this. Introduce some legislation requiring the technology companies to do what you want the judges should do. I'd like to look at it. It's not enough to complain. If you think companies should be required to do this, let's sit down and see if you can introduce legislation. I doubt if many people will do that.



Admitting the complexity of this debate, and displaying a willingness to be "moved," is a hallmark characteristic we should praise lawmakers for embracing. Indeed, it's not only Sen. Graham who has changed his tune on this debate, but many former senior officials from the intelligence community have also come out unabashedly in favor of strong encryption. Similarly, the White House also backed away from supporting legislative efforts that would undermine strong cryptography last fall, much to the applause of organizations--including the Niskanen Center--that had been advocating on behalf of encryption.

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Unfortunately, Congress has yet to reach a compromise on how best to address encryption or the broader issue of digital security and privacy. Currently, there are three competing perspectives meandering about the halls of the House and Senate office buildings.

One supports the recently announced Feinstein-Burr approach, which calls for legislative action to compel companies to unlock digital communications, championed by Sens. John McCain and Tom Cotton, among others. Another perspective champions the McCaul-Warner Commission, which would establish a Congressional commission to study the challenges faced by law enforcement in the digital age, supported by Sens. Ron Johnson and Cory Gardner, as well as many other members of both the House and Senate. And still other elected representatives are coalescing around a third perspective, uncertain of the appropriate action to take in the wake of the ongoing Apple vs FBI legal battle and the sheer legal, policy, and technical complexities of the debate.

As the clear benefits of encryption for free speech online, the digital economy, and the proliferation of freedom-enhancing values overseas becomes apparent, more and more lawmakers will likely come to the conclusion that there is immense value in this technology. And even if the luddites amongst our elected representatives continue holding fast to their intransigent anti-encryption position, we can take comfort in yet the final, perhaps most compelling, reason to be optimistic about an encrypted future.

4. There's no turning back time on technological progress.



Simply put, this technology is here to stay. We can no more discard encrypted communications tools than we can any other technological advancement. The future seems bright for encryption, and it will likely become stronger as the speed of computational processing power increases (especially with the impending advent of quantum computing). Yes, you can spin out apocalyptic scenarios of nuclear holocaust, mass economic collapse, or mass human extinction scenarios that would essentially destroy civilization as we know it, but barring such catastrophic and highly unlikely events, technology is poised to continue developing at breakneck, historically unprecedented speeds. And that's not only good for encryption, but humanity writ large.
On February 3, 2016, Kazakhstan's president Nursultan Nazarbayev made a symbolically powerful decree on how Kazakh soldiers should march during military parades. The abolition of the Soviet goose step formation, utilized by Russia, was a striking display of the Kazakh military's increasingly independent identity. As Georgia in 2007 and Estonia in 2008 abolished the formation during periods of tense relations with Russia, Nazarbayev's decision raised fresh questions about the strength of the long-standing Russia-Kazakhstan partnership.

Kazakhstan's accession to the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) in 2015 has been followed paradoxically by escalating anti-Kremlin defiance from Almaty. Over the past few months, Kazakhstan has made diplomatic overtures towards Ukraine, which included meetings between Nazarbayev and Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko and a landmark deal to expand trade linkages in the energy and agriculture sectors. Poroshenko commended Nazarbayev for his pledge to support Ukraine's territorial integrity. Nazarbayev also contradicted Putin's disparaging comments about the lack of history underpinning Kazakhstan's national identity by holding a celebration commemorating 550 years of Kazakh statehood.

Despite these provocative actions, the notion that Almaty is abandoning its long-standing alliance with Russia is gravely mistaken. Kazakhstan's attempts to break free from Russian hegemony are not a harbinger of a seismic geopolitical shift in Eurasia, as Nazarbayev's actions are tactical and driven primarily by domestic politics. Creating a coherent Kazakh foreign policy identity that is distinct from Russia will prevent Kazakhs from defecting from the regime over deteriorating economic conditions. Nazarbayev's actions are also underlaid by the tacit recognition that Kazakhstan cannot convert this rhetoric into genuine anti-Russian policies as it lacks a viable alternative ally that can supplant Moscow's lead role.

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The Linkage Between Kazakhstan's Assertiveness Towards Russia and Regime Consolidation

As Kazakhstan's economic growth has slowed due to the ongoing recession in Russia, low oil prices and steep currency devaluation, the risk for political instability resembling the Electric Yerevan protests in Armenia and recent unrest in Azerbaijan has heightened. As Kazakhstan's long-term political future remains unclear due to the absence of a designated successor to replace the 75 year old, Nazarbayev, Kazakh elites have used an independent and increasingly anti-Russian international identity as a mechanism to rally the Kazakh public around the regime.

Kazakh nationalism is arguably the most developed in Central Asia, as popular pressure for secession from the Soviet Union and for the expanded use of the Kazakh language emerged earlier than most other CIS countries, during the June 1989 mass protests. Even though only 40% of Kazakhstan's population was ethnic Kazakh in 1991 and the majority of people did not speak the Kazakh language, Nazarbayev made speaking Kazakh mandatory for bureaucrats at all levels. To prevent mass emigration or unrest from the Russian-speaking minority, the Kazakh regime embraced a multicultural identity, with Nazarbayev frequently praising the diversity of Kazakhstan, which contains 130 ethnic groups within its borders.

The articulation of Kazakhstan's independent foreign policy identity at the policy-level has become more pronounced since the 2014 annexation of Crimea, due to fears amongst Kazakh elites that Russia could use a Ukraine or Georgia-style pretext to intervene militarily in order to "protect" ethnic Russians in northern Kazakhstan.

The creation of a siege mentality to unite the public around the inviolability of Kazakhstan's sovereignty is crucial for Nazarbayev's regime security, as it offsets the destabilizing consequences of Kazakhstan's economic malaise. Nazarbayev's pledge to "not cede an iota of Kazakhstan's independence" to Russia in the wake of Kazakhstan's accession to the EEU highlighted his credibility as a resolutely nationalist unifying figure and improved his public image ahead of the dubiously non-competitive April 2015 elections.

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Why Kazakhstan Remains in Moscow's Fold

Cutting a level deeper, Nazarbayev's anti-Kremlin defiance is more an image-building ploy than a real policy shift. In order to appease Russian nationalists who support his regime but are sympathetic towards Putin's revanchist policies in the post-Soviet region, Kazakh leaders have made numerous public statements supporting Putin's belligerent actions. Nazarbayev gave credence to the notion that the Euro-Maidan revolution was effectively a fascist junta in Ukraine, a belief prevalent amongst ethnic Russians in northern Kazakhstan. His rhetorical solidarity with ethnic minorities in Ukraine has caused prominent Russian nationalist figures like deputy head of the Russian Cultural Center Vadim Obukhov, to insist that inter-ethnic relations between Kazakhs and Russians are harmonious and peaceful.

Nazarbayev is also keenly aware of the limits of acceptable defiance of the Kremlin line. On October 16, 2015, Vladimir Putin announced his intention to establish a NATO-style Russian border force to secure Central Asian countries from the potential spillover resulting from Taliban gains in Afghanistan. This military presence demonstrates Russia's capacity to militarily intervene against Kazakhstan on very short notice, should Kazakhstan act against the Kremlin's interests. While China has pledged to protect Kazakh sovereignty under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's mandate, China's unwillingness to extend economic investment to an interventionist foreign policy has heightened Kazakh perceptions of vulnerability to Russian aggression.

In response to the overhanging threat of Russian military force, Kazakhstan has embraced an identity of being an international mediator, bridge building between Russia and countries that have strained relations with Moscow, like Ukraine and Turkey. While increased trade revenues and an expanded geopolitical profile beckon if Kazakhstan's balancing strategy proves successful, Nazarbayev is firmly aware that diplomatic overtures with anti-Russian leaders cannot evolve into real alliances. Putin's recent attempts to restrict Ukraine-Kazakhstan trade illustrate this unwritten constraint on Kazakh conduct. In order to reverse the decline in trade with EEU member states observed in the first year of Kazakhstan's membership in the customs union, Putin signed a decree forcing all Ukrainian goods entering Kazakhstan to pass through Russia first.

Nazarbayev has also deftly exploited Russia's expanded military presence in Central Asia to further its own anti-Islamist campaigns at home. Cooperating with Russia in the struggle against ISIS prevents the radicalization of economically disadvantaged Muslims in Kazakhstan and creates an Islamic extremist enemy that the Kazakh public can effectively rally against. It also puts pressure on Putin to grant the Kazakhstan's defense establishment's request for higher Russian rent payments in exchange for access to Kazakh military facilities.




Blanketed under thousands of stars, the warmth of the sun, and the shade of skyscrapers, it's easy to become too relaxed that one just daydreams. But what can wake him up?

Dreaming in a state of complete security, although beautiful in its sound, has similarly become an omen to the economy. The marriage of rote learning and a pampered environment has universally done damage in the region.

Education in the twentieth century became globalized, thus, we focused on measuring performance by exam scores through rote learning - so that our services and knowledge are transferable to other parts of the world - from universities to the workforce.

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In the GCC specifically, more often than not, most locals are sponsored by a company that they will work for upon graduating for a contracted amount of years. This brings up two concerns, that people who score higher and possess great intellect are often priority choices by sponsorships, which means the intellectually elite are being weeded out and hoarded by sponsors; the public sector.

Secondly, the problem we face regarding sponsorships is that university years and years following are among the most pivotal and mentally astute times for an individual, and because the individual is sponsored throughout university, there is no real incentive through his academic journey to wonder how he can apply his skills.

In my humble opinion, as I've briefly touched on in Beyond the Barrel, I believe that the leading problem is not rooted in the type of system government rules by, as many monarchies are successful -rather the policies that inhibit development.

Hoarding in the Public Sector:

A way to dull the damaging end of sponsorship's double-edged sword is by having sponsors collaborating with entrepreneurial incubators and accelerators. This collaboration could give the student job security, but at the same time signal it is not mandatory by giving him the chance to explore the entrepreneurial route upon graduating instead. This will knock three birds with one stone. Firstly, it will enhance the sponsored company's human capital by ensuring only those passionate will be working within them. Secondly and simultaneously, it will restore the individual's capacity to think and apply as he moves through university -because although he has job security with his sponsorship, a part of him knows he is insured and secured to create -if a good idea hits him before and upon graduating. Thirdly, it will end the hoarding of human capital in the public sector.

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Like for every country, there's always an "if we had only done this, then we wouldn't burden this today" moment. The positive news is that regional leaders today have that realization and have been since pushing locals to diversify themselves throughout all sectors.

According to the 2015 Gulf Labour Markets and Migration Report from the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute, "Emiratis comprised 60 per cent of the total workforce in the public sector in 2013, but only 0.5 per cent of the private sector's workforce."

In the United Arab Emirates, much of this statistic is attributed to its recent history. Foreign workers in Sharjah soared from 44,000 to 420,000 from 1960 to 1980s, similarly in Abu Dhabi the foreign workforce went from 59,000 to 279,000. This was due to the expansion of the union, from the exportation of oil in the 1960s which called for more workers to the unification of the Emirates in 1971.

The oil was a blessing at this time, as it supported the early foundations of the union, but also ushered in an economic learning process that made them realize they must invest beyond the barrel.

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According to the report, the 2000s led to introspective thinking on ways to diversify the economy -which led to focuses on education, tourism, community development projects and international business. Inevitably, this ushered the need for more foreign specialists, which grew into greater foreign interest, which has led to the domination of foreigners in the private sector.

The aforementioned is relevant to sponsorship systems, as sponsorship systems can alleviate the inundation of locals in the public sector as it encourages exploration of the private sector.Incubate Destiny:

Incubators play a large role in pushing individuals to take a jump. In particular, as this piece is focused on sponsorships and the pivotal time of the young adult; university incubators and accelerators are the most vital. Incubators are innovation labs that encourage an entrepreneurial environment, often leading to greater contributions of goods and services to both the nation and possibly exported internationally.

The United Arab Emirates boasts the prestigious NYU Abu Dhabi, which I praise in that it provides locals with an international experience within the reach of their home, and provides for a fruitful exchange between locals and internationals.

However, national universities have the capacity to revise curriculums and expand the academy itself on their terms because they are not defined by contracts and restrictions from external parties. This agenda can be pushed forward through the growth and maintenance of university and incubation collaborations.

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This is one of the reasons I admire national universities, and if I was a local, I would equally encourage my child to enroll in a national university as a prestigious international university, as they both offer different great experiences.

Parents are always wondering, founding fathers of the country, and men who stay up late penning policies, all always wonder how can we push our children to jump, create, innovate, fly beyond the natural habit they grew into of being absorbed in the public sector - and produce.

Sponsorship system revisions and enhancement of national university accelerators and incubators will ensure this.

Already the University of Dubai has CEI, The Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Abu Dhabi University boasts Adu Enterprise. And now recently last month the American University of Sharjah innaugurated Sheraa.

At the launch of Sheraa, HE Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal said, "Entrepreneurship is one of the most important determinants of economic growth in the various countries of the world. Why the university? Because the university embraces the youth, global entrepreneurs started their work at universities."

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The equipment is in place; incubators. Now we must show the youth that parachutes will catch them if they jump and are unable to assemble an airplane on their way down. The parachutes will induce a risk-averse individual into a skydiver. This parachute is a sponsorship system that cultivates, not confines.

Once one's mind is unlocked to think beyond and experiences the flight of an idea, he'll forever yearn to return to that sensation; of thinking and prospectively creating.
Pope Francis leaves after the Divine Lithurgy at St George church, the principal Greek Orthodox cathedral, on November 30, 2014 in Istanbul as part of a three day visit in Turkey. Pope Francis held an ecumenical prayer, yesterday, in the Orthodox Church of St. George and a private meeting with Patriarch Bartholomew I, the 'first among equals' of the world's estimated 300 million Orthodox believers. In a highly symbolic gesture, the pope asked Bartholomew to kiss his brow in a blessing and bowed his head to show humility. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

"Following Francis" is a monthly blog on the latest happenings of Pope Francis. It is prepared exclusively for The WorldPost by Sebastien Maillard, Vatican correspondent for La Croix, Rome.

ROME -- Jorge Bergoglio became the 266th pope on March 13, 2013. With the utterance of his unforgettable first words as pontiff -- "buona sera" -- as he waved from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica, Francis instantly became a star. His style, language and leadership have rebranded Catholicism, plagued by scandals, starting from the Vatican itself. Three years later, he can still walk St. Peter's Square on Wednesdays amidst a cheering crowd, tweet to now over 27 million followers and enjoy large media attention. Yet the Curia grumbles against what is perceived from the inside as an authoritarian and unpredictable boss. A large array of conservative bishops, notably from Africa and Eastern Europe, fear that Francis' openness and pastoral outreach towards those out of the Catholic Church may lead him to bypass its doctrine. And some priests feel he has too often been harsh on them and on the church as a whole.

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Regardless of who loves or loathes Francis, one question is on people's minds as his pontificate enters its fourth year: how long might he last?



Regardless of who loves or loathes Francis, one question is on people's minds as his pontificate enters its fourth year: how long might he last? The answer is not obvious because a pope, unlike many other heads of state, has no fixed term. John Paul I died just one month after his election. The reign of his successor, John Paul II, lasted over 26 years. And Benedict XVI, with his unexpected resignation in 2013, has since widened the duration question to more than one defined by just health and old age.

Pilgrims and clergy members hold a candlelight vigil in St. Peter's Square after Pope Benedict XVI's final weekly public audience on Feb. 27, 2013. (Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

'I Would Do the Same'

Today, Jorge Bergoglio is 79. He appears to be in good physical health despite the occasional pains. He has worked tirelessly since the very first day in office, never taking a break, including during the summer days spent inside the Vatican. Greeting crowds for Francis is like recharging batteries -- it gives him new energy. So if the pope's health is not a problem for now, the remaining question is: would he consider resigning? Francis answered the question clearly himself in August 2014, during a press conference on a return flight from South Korea:

"Our span of life increases and at a certain age we no longer have the ability to govern well because our body is weary; our health may be good but we don't have the ability to deal with all the problems of a government like that of the Church," he explained. "I believe that Pope Benedict XVI took this step which de facto instituted Popes emeriti. ... You can ask me: 'What if one day you don't feel prepared to go on?' I would do the same, I would do the same! I will pray hard over it, but I would do the same thing," he said paying tribute to his predecessor's resignation. "[Benedict] opened a door which is institutional, not exceptional."



'[Benedict] opened a door which is institutional, not exceptional.'



But, at this stage, Francis has not made remarks publicly suggesting he would not feel fit to go on anymore. One year ago, in an interview on Mexican television, he did affirm he had the feeling his pontificate would "be brief "-- "four or five years, even two or three. ... It's like convincing yourself you'll lose so as not to be disappointed and if you win, you're happy."

And Francis wants to win. He has now reached three years and has not repeated those remarks since. Besides, one should not pay so much heed to them. The first time he met the press on an international flight, the new pope said softly, like a shy boy, that he did not like giving interviews. He now gives all sorts of statements. He also defined himself as "a homebody," saying he never enjoyed traveling. Now he travels worldwide. Just this year he plans on visiting Poland in July, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia most probably in September and then Sweden in late October.

The pope warns Vatican administrators that their work can take a downward spiral into mediocrity, gossip and bureaucratic squabbling if they forget it's service to the church. (AP/Claudio Peri, Pool)

Following Through on His Reforms

Other facts suggest this would not be the right time for him to step down. Firstly, Benedict XVI is alive -- he is 88. Having two living emeriti would look, if anything, awkward. Secondly, Jorge Bergoglio will turn 80 in December. Resigning at this specific and symbolic age would set a benchmark for his successors. Thirdly, whatever the age, having two popes in a row resigning would definitely set a trend. And Francis may not want this to become a new tradition.

For now, he plans to at least stay long enough to ensure his reforms are irreversible. The reform of the Curia is an ongoing process that will not end anytime soon. If Francis' "finance minister," Australian Cardinal George Pell, were to leave in light of a past clerical sexual abuse scandal being investigated in his native country, the pope would need someone strong enough to replace him in order to keep the Vatican's economic reform on track.



Having two popes in a row resigning would definitely set a trend. And Francis may not want this to become a new tradition.



The pope's proposed changes also include making his church more decentralized and more open to families from all walks of life. His much awaited document on this sensitive issue will be signed on March 19 and published later after Easter, according to Vatican sources. Francis has to remain in power for all these to be implemented.

"Francis' pontificate has perhaps only just really started." (Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

'Papabile'

But for reforms to be secured after him, Francis also needs a reliable successor. For the moment, the cardinal regarded in the pope's entourage as his favorite candidate is Luis Antonio Tagle, archbishop of Manila, who is only 58. When this cardinal from the Philippines was elected president of Caritas, the Catholic Church relief network, in May of last year, he was known to benefit from Francis' support. Heading the Caritas network gives Cardinal Tagle larger international exposure within the church, which could become useful in a future conclave.

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Those, on the contrary, who fear Francis has already gone too far prefer African Cardinal Robert Sarah, a 70-year-old native of Guinea, while others may bet on the Holy See's secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. But it is far too soon to have a discussion on "papabile" -- a favorite topic for Roman-based Vaticanists -- anyhow. Francis' pontificate has perhaps only just really started.

More From Following Francis:

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St. Patrick's Day is an Irish celebration of all things green. It is the ancient commemoration of the birth of Ireland's favorite son, and an opportunity for nonconformists to drink green beer.

Or not. Almost everything in the previous paragraph is wrong, except for the part about green beer.

First of all, St. Patrick's Day is not really an Irish celebration. Well, it is now, but it didn't start in Ireland. It started in Boston in 1737, when Irish immigrants marched in protest over social conditions. The first real celebration of Irish heritage took place in New York City in 1762, when Irish soldiers in the British army joined local Irish immigrants in an all-Irish parade.

And what's with the color green? St. Patrick's color was blue, or at least a shade of blue that has been associated with Patrick from very early times and is still used in Irish state symbols. The color green represented the Irish separatist movement and came in time to represent the entire country. (And, after all, it is the Emerald Island.)

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Then St. Patrick's Day does not commemorate the birth of the saint, but his death. Patrick probably died in the fifth century, though historians disagree about whether it was in the middle of the century or closer to its end.

And finally, while Patrick is Ireland's patron saint, he is not her favorite son. Patrick was not Irish but a Roman Britain, born to a church deacon and his wife. The story of how he came to be associated with Ireland is a fascinating one.

When he was sixteen, Patrick was kidnapped by Irish pirates, from his home in Scotland or Whales. He was taken to Ireland and sold to a Druid tribal chieftain as a slave. Patrick was forced to herd the chieftain's pigs.

In the midst of squalor and poverty, the young man began to think about and talk to God. In spite of his upbringing, he had not been a follower of Jesus prior to his captivity. In Ireland that changed. In his Confessions, one of only two surviving works by Patrick, he wrote:

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I was sixteen and knew not the true God, but in a strange land the Lord opened my unbelieving eyes, and I was converted.

Patrick began to change. His fear and hatred were replaced by a confidence in God, and a serenity he had not known before. When, six years into his life of slavery, he saw a chance to escape, he took it. He convinced a ship's captain to transport him back to his native land. His family was overjoyed to see him, and he finally felt safe again. He was done with Ireland forever.

Or so he thought. There were a number of things that changed his mind, but chief among them was a dream. In his dream, a man coming from Ireland gave him a letter, imploring him to return and live among the Irish people as a messenger of the gospel of God.

Over the strong objections of family, Patrick returned to Ireland as a missionary. People responded to the former slave's message of love and justice and, by the time of his death, Patrick had baptized thousands of people into the Christian faith and left an indelible mark on Ireland.

The servant of God was also a champion of the people. Besides his Confessions, his only other extant work is a withering letter sent to King Coroticus to protest abuses against the Irish people. It was that protest, some historians believe, that landed him in prison.

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Patrick was not only a great man, he was a humble one. He described himself as

a dumb stone, lying squashed in the mud; the Mighty and Merciful God came, dug me out and set me on top of the wall..
On the afternoon of the 10th April, 1993 anti-apartheid leader Chris Hani pulled up out outside his home in Boksburg, a quiet suburb of Johannesburg. As he stepped out of his car he was unaware that he was being watched. "I tucked my Z-88 pistol into the back of my trouser belt and got out of my car," Hani's assassin, Polish neo-Nazi immigrant Janusz Walus, recalled some years later. "I didn't want to shoot him in the back. I called, 'Mr Hani'. When he turned, I drew my pistol from the belt and shot him in the stomach. As he fell, I shot a second bullet into his head. When he fell on the ground, I shot him again twice behind the ear." Hani died instantly.

At the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings in 1997, Walus and Clive Derby-Lewis, the other man sentenced for Hani's murder, admitted their intent: to provoke a race war and derail a negotiation process that would inevitably lead to the end of white minority rule. But their plan backfired and ironically it was Hani's assassination that accelerated the then faltering progress towards a democratic South Africa.

Almost twenty three years after he killed Chris Hani, Pretoria's High Court ruled this week that Walus, whose death sentence was commuted to a sentence of life imprisonment in 1995, should be released on parole within the next 15 days.

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Chris Hani was one of the anti-apartheid movement's most charismatic leaders and Mandela's likely future heir. "[He] often appears on public platforms in the townships wearing quasi-combat fatigues and delivering fiery speeches that arouse and delight the audience," wrote a Pretoria-based US diplomat in a confidential 1991 cable released by Wikileaks in 2013. "Many observers believe that Hani would trounce Mbeki if there were a popular vote among ANC supporters," the communique continued. But, unfortunately, that theory was never given the chance to prove itself.

Hani was an important player in the delicate negotiation process that had progressed in fits-and-starts since Mandela's release in 1990, and - at the time of Hani's death - was on the verge of a significant breakthrough. Walus, had gone to Boksburg to in the hope that killing Hani would create nationwide anger and violence which would inevitably scupper ensure that this breakthrough did not happen. And the plan almost worked.

As former head of the African National Congress's (ANC) armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe, Hani commanded huge support among the "young lions" in the townships. "I fear for our country," said Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the time of his murder. "Chris Hani, more than anyone else, had the credibility among the young to rein in the radicals."

What stopped South Africa descending into civil war after the assassination was down to a combination of factors. Firstly, arresting Walus within hours of the murder helped to dispel some of the suspicions that the hit had been planned by the South African security forces. Most important, however, was a televised address to the nation that same evening by Nelson Mandela. In it, Mandela appealed to black and white South Africans to stand together against, "the men who worship war" and, "move forward to what is the only lasting solution for our country - an elected government of the people, by the people and for the people".

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Despite the violence following Hani's death, which ended up claiming more than 70 lives, the country didn't slip into a race war. Although still a significant death toll, it is perhaps a fraction of the number who no doubt would have died had it not been for Mandela and the ANC's call for restraint.

Ironically, the assassination had the opposite effect of that intended by Walus and Derby-Lewis. Instead of leading to an explosion of violence, Hani's murder demonstrated to white South Africa that only the ANC leadership could hold the country together. Rather than scuppering negotiations, the process was sped up and, on the 1st of June - just seven weeks after Hani's death - the Negotiating Council agreed that the 27th of April, 1994 would be the date of South Africa's first ever non-racial democratic elections.

Twenty-three years on, the question of how different South Africa might have looked had Hani lived still floats above the Rainbow Nation, as do questions of what Hani would have made of the country today. "The days of Sisulu, Tambo, Mandela, Mbeki, Slovo and Hani are over," reads another Wikileaked US cable from 2008 assessing the prospects of the ANC government. "Without a strong, intellectual centre, the party probably will struggle and become vulnerable to the phenomenon of the 'cult of personality' and access to state patronage."

It's not clear whether Hani would have stayed in politics had he lived, and - if he had - whether he would have beaten Thabo Mbeki in a race to succeed Mandela to the presidency. Whatever his decision, Hani would undoubtedly have been an energetic part of the post-apartheid nation-building process that transformed South African institutions and implemented one of the world's most progressive constitutions, all supported by an independent judiciary and a free press.

Shortly before he was killed, Hani was asked by an interviewer if he had ministerial ambitions: "The perks of a new government are not really appealing to me," he said. "What is important is the continuation of the struggle... what we do for social upliftment of the working masses of our country."

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Walus' imminent release has reopened old wounds. Throughout his decades in prison neither he nor Derby-Lewis expressed remorse for their actions and the Hani family have consistently opposed the granting him parole. The ANC responded with a statement criticising the court's decision saying it was "devoid of any appreciation of the devastating impact the murder of Comrade Chris had, not only on the African National Congress, the South African Communist Party, but South Africa as a whole."

Despite these protests, it seems inevitable that, within a fortnight, the man who robbed the country of one of its outstanding leaders and almost sparked a civil war, will step onto the streets of the democratic South Africa for the first time.

Stefan Simanowitz was working for the ANC at the time of Chris Hani's assassination.


Jeff Daniels and Michelle Williams in David Harrower's Blackbird.

Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

High-octane, provocative, brutally-lacerating drama is back on Broadway with David Harrower's Blackbird. Jeff Daniels and Michelle Williams give frenzied, uncompromising performances as a pair of irremediably-ruined souls frozen by a bubbling mix of guilt, retribution, revenge and what seem to be dangerous crosscurrents of desire.

The pair--a middle-aged man turning dumpy, a vibrant woman half his age--rush into a rubbish-strewn break room at a sleekly cold corporate headquarters. One is visibly shaking, confronted by an onrushing ghost of the past; the other's demeanor borders on vicious. One warily eyes the surroundings, keeping the door ajar (as if that's going to make anybody safe); the other slides by, repeatedly, pointedly nudging that door closed. They circle the table, one stalking the other like a cat having cornered its prey. After several minutes of conversation, we understand the enormity of the situation. Fifteen years earlier, the then-forty-year old Ray had an extended affair with twelve-year-old Una, and here they are facing off across the refuse-strewn lunch table.

Playwright Harrower switches tables on us, though, starting with an unsettling question: which one is the victim? The twelve-year-old was clearly the victim, of course; there's no question about that; neither Ray, Una, Harrower or director Joe Mantello suggest otherwise. But Ray is clearly haunted by, and petrified of, Una; and she is clearly gunning for this man who irremediably destroyed any hope of a normal life. (He did his time in jail, yes; but Harrower implies that Una is still and will always be serving her sentence.) The affair destroyed them both, for life; and, as the 80-minute play rushes by, the playwright suggests that there is nevertheless an unbreakable bond between them.



Michelle Williams in David Harrower's Blackbird.

Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

This is a controversial view, yes; and it's hard to say how Una's clearly-defined sense of guilt would strike abuse survivors. Dramatically, though, it is a dynamite play in a dynamite production with dynamite performances.

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The new production at the Belasco is New York's second go-round with the play. Blackbird was first staged in 2005 at the Edinburgh Festival (playwright Harrower is Scottish). The play quickly moved to London, where it was mounted at the Albery--taking that season's Olivier Award for Best New Play over such competition as Peter Morgan's Frost/Nixon , Tom Stoppard's Rock 'n' Roll and Conor McPherson's The Seafarer. Joe Mantello staged it in 2007 at Manhattan Theatre Club, with Mr. Daniels and Alison Pill in the roles. That production was well-received, but did not transfer.
This week, tens of thousands of collectors, specialists and curators converge in the Dutch town of Maastricht for the annual art and antiques fair, TEFAF. Over thirty thousand objects will be showcased by some 275 art dealers (March 11-20).



One of the most intimate displays at this year's fair isn't for sale. Organized by Rotterdam's Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, "Collecting Collectors" features thirty jewels from the museum's storied Print Room. Though many of these works on paper were created as preparatory aids for paintings, all are works of art in their own right.



Michelangelo Buonarroti, Studies of an outstretched arm for the fresco 'The Drunkenness of Noah' in the Sistine Chapel, ca. 1508-1509. Black chalk. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (Collection F. Koenigs)

Hands and feet are a recurring theme. From Michelangelo comes a beautiful sheet, Studies of an outstretched arm for the fresco 'The Drunkenness of Noah' in the Sistine Chapel. There's an exquisite Study of Two feet for the Apostle Paul in the Heller Altarpiece by Albrecht Durer and red and black chalk Woman with Folded Hands by Peter Paul Rubens. Fast forward three centuries, we meet Salvador Dali in a self-portrait with his arm outstretched.

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Peter Paul Rubens, Young woman with Folded Hands, ca. 1629-1630. Red chalk, black chalk, heightened with white. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (Collection F. Koenigs).

Alongside these works are three equally remarkable drawings by a lesser known contemporary of Michelangelo. Fra Bartolommeo, son of a Tuscan mule driver, became a Dominican monk after watching the charismatic preacher Savonarola being dragged off to prison. Reportedly burning his non-religious works, Bartolommeo resumed painting at Florence's convent of San Marco, focusing exclusively on religious subjects.

Fra Bartolommeo, Man Walking to the Right, Study for a Bystander in the painting 'Madonna della Misericordia', ca. 1514-1515. Red chalk. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (Collection F. Koenigs).

One sheet with red chalk drawings relates to Fra Bartolommeo's late altarpiece, Madonna della Misericordia (Lucca, Museo Nazionale di Villa Guinigi, 1515). A third drawing in black chalk is a study for St. Bernard in the 'Carondelet Madonna' Altarpiece (c. 1511-1512). It's been remounted for this exhibition in its original gold-tooled, red leather-bound album, assembled in 1729 by Florentine collector Niccolo Gabburri. In 1989, some 500 drawings on 400 sheets by Bartolommeo were removed from Gabburri's two luxurious albums to help conserve them.

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According to Albert Elen, senior curator of drawings and prints at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, black chalk was Fra Bartolommeo's predominant drawing medium. The artist started using red chalk in 1511 for preparatory drawings for the Pala del Gran Consiglio in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio. With its warm tone, red chalk soon became his preferred medium for detail studies of nude figures.

A master draftsman, Bartolommeo left nothing to chance. He drew preparatory studies for his compositions, making numerous pentimenti, and often elaborated his figures and groups in separate studies. He'd transfer these scale drawings onto canvas, and then painted with a rich Venetian palette and subtle blending of color, known as sfumato.

The drawings are a sneak preview of an upcoming exhibition in Rotterdam marking the 500th anniversary of the artist's death. "Fra Bartolommeo - The Divine Renaissance" (October 15, 2016 to January 15, 2017) will feature 150 drawings and eleven paintings, from a small diptych for private devotion (Uffizi, Florence) to the 13 foot tall Madonna of Mercy recently transferred from panel to canvas. The Museo Nazionale di San Marco is lending Bartolommeo's portrait of Savonarola.

Displayed together, the preparatory drawings and paintings will offer unique insights into Fra Bartolommeo's working process. "It's an opportunity to experience the creative process leading up to these magnificent paintings," says Elen, "by an artist who belongs to the Fabulous Four of the High Renaissance: Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo and Fra Bartolommeo."


Why do special educators leave teaching? US Department of Education Follow, CC BY

A shortage of special education teachers is threatening the ability of schools in many states to provide high-quality education to students with disabilities. On a national level, 49 states identified a shortage of special education and related service personnel during the 2013-14 school year.

In Arizona, for instance, where districts reported a 29 percent increase from 2013 to 2014 in the number of positions that remained vacant, special education was one of the areas with the highest vacancy rates.

Special educators serve students with significant learning and behavioral needs. To effectively serve their students, they must have sophisticated knowledge and skills about content, pedagogy and students' learning. Special educators who are fully qualified in special education through a teacher preparation program provide more effective instruction, resulting in stronger achievement among their students.

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When no qualified special educator can be found, open positions may be filled by substitute teachers who are not qualified to teach at all, by prospective teachers who have not yet completed their teacher preparation or by teachers who are licensed in other areas, but have no specialized preparation for special education.

Dr. Loretta Mason-Williams from SUNY Binghamton analyzed a nationally representative survey of teachers; 16 percent of special educators were not certified in special education. This rate was higher in high-poverty schools, which have greater difficulty attracting and retaining all kinds of teachers.

In this context, special education teacher attrition is a major problem - for when a qualified special educator leaves, schools struggle to find a skilled replacement.

So the question is, why do special educators leave their schools?

Here's why we left

In the mid-2000s, we began our careers in education as emergency certified teachers - that is, we were hired to teach students with disabilities through "provisional licensure programs" (such as this one) that allowed prospective teachers to be considered highly qualified without full preparation or licensure.

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We both served as special education teachers for students in middle and high school settings in high-poverty, urban communities - Elizabeth in Tucson, Arizona, and Kristin in New York City.

We served students who qualified for special education because of emotional disabilities. Most of our students had been identified with mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder and anxiety disorders. Many had histories of trauma and abuse.

Our students relied on us to teach them grade-level standards in all areas. They also relied on us to teach the foundational skills they had missed, such as phonics and math facts. In addition, they relied on us to help them develop the social and behavioral skills necessary to live healthy lives and build positive relationships.

In other words, in our first year as uncertified teachers, we were responsible for the totality of our students' learning experiences during the school day, for everything they needed to know to be successful in school and beyond.

We struggled to meet these responsibilities with sparse resources - we had few books and curricula, limited mentorship and minimal professional development opportunities. We were planning and delivering instruction in all content areas completely on our own, despite the fact that we had never been trained to do so. We knew our students needed far more than we were capable of providing.

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We both improved our skills over time, yet within five years, we both left our schools. We were committed to our students, but we left because we knew that no matter how hard we worked, no matter how much we grew as educators, we couldn't provide high-quality instruction in all content areas - the kind of instruction our students deserved - without better support.

Our failure to adequately meet our students' needs was not our failure alone - it was the failure of an educational system that systematically places unqualified teachers in classes serving students with the most significant needs. And then it fails to support them.

As academics, we now study the systems that lead to difficulty recruiting and retaining effective special educators, including how schools can support them, so they can better serve students.

And here are stories of teachers

In our research, we find that our own experiences are not unique.

In one study, we interviewed eight special educators in classes for students with significant emotional disabilities. Like us, they felt deeply committed to providing high-quality instruction and being a constant source of safety for students with serious social-emotional needs.

They also spoke about the challenges of planning high-quality lessons in all content areas for students in multiple grade levels while meeting students' social-emotional needs and fulfilling all of their other responsibilities as teachers, such as bus duty, lunch duty, administrative paperwork and so on.

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These challenges left them feeling as though they were failing their students.

Take Diedre (name changed), an elementary school special educator. She was responsible for teaching all content areas to students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Diedre had no scheduled planning time, limited curricular resources (e.g., math and reading curriculum) and no lunch break away from her students.

Whereas the general education teachers in her school coplanned instruction for all students within a single grade level, Diedre was planning, completely on her own, for students in every single grade level. She didn't have colleagues with whom she could share resources and ideas, or go to for help when a student struggled with a standard.

Further, she had extensive extra responsibilities - she planned professional development for all of the teaching assistants in her school, supervised afterschool activities and did bus duty, among other things.

In her interview with us, she shared,

[As a consequence], I end up feeling like I'm never really doing my job, and I'm always letting the kids down.

Exhausting workloads

Other studies confirm that Diedre's experience is not unique.

For instance, when Dr. Susan Albrecht and her colleagues from Ball State University surveyed 776 special educators who teach students with emotional and behavioral disabilities, they found that more than half felt they had inadequate time to fulfill their responsibilities.

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Similarly, Dr. Bonnie Billingsley from Virginia Tech and her colleagues found in their analysis of a survey of new special educators, more than 75 percent reported that routine duties (such as paperwork, supervising students in nonacademic activities, etc.) interfered with their teaching.

In a recent (not yet published) study, we worked with Dr. Nathan Jones from Boston University and Drs. Mary Brownell and Maureen Conroy from the University of Florida to analyze data from a survey Dr. Peter Youngs from the University of Virginia conducted with 245 special and general educators who were in their first three years teaching in urban districts in Michigan and Indiana.

Unsurprisingly, teachers who felt more overwhelmed were more likely to be emotionally exhausted, and more likely to plan to leave. And, new special educators were significantly more likely to report feeling overwhelmed than new general educators.

Working conditions matter

A growing body of research indicates that, when teachers work in more supportive conditions, their students show better academic achievement gains.

For instance, when Dr. Susan Moore Johnson and her colleagues at Harvard University analyzed data on all schools in Massachusetts, they found that schools in which teachers rated their administrative support and their school culture more highly had stronger student achievement gains in reading and math. This was so even when controlling for school demographic characteristics, such as the proportion of students living in poverty.

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Subsequent analyses with large data sets have obtained similar results, showing that teachers are more effective in schools in which they have supportive administrators and collaborative relationships with skilled colleagues.

Teachers whose schools had more collaborative cultures become more effective more rapidly than teachers whose schools were less collaborative.

Studies have shown that special education teachers are also more likely to want to continue teaching when they work in a culture of collective responsibility for all students, when they can trust their colleagues and have opportunities to collaborate with them.

In our study of new special educators in Michigan and Indiana, we found that special educators felt less overwhelmed when their schools had cultures of collective responsibility for students with disabilities, and when they interacted with their colleagues around instruction more frequently.

Teachers need support

Special educators often choose to teach because of their commitment to serving students with more significant needs.

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And, as we know through our research and experience, they often leave, not because of their students, but because of the unsupportive conditions in which they are expected to serve those students.

Retaining special educators in their schools over the course of their careers is essential for ensuring that students with disabilities are served by qualified and skilled special educators.

For that to happen, our educational system must fulfill its commitments to them - by providing them with adequate time to do their jobs, administrative and collegial support for learning to teach, high-quality professional development opportunities and the material resources necessary to teach.






Credit: Wikimedia Commons

By: Jessica Ferri

It's been nearly 130 years since the mutilated corpses of five women, all prostitutes, were discovered in London's Whitechapel district. Due to the brutal condition of the victims--slashed, and in some cases, ripped wide open with major organs removed--the police called their suspect a "ripper." And with that, the world's most notorious serial killer was born.

The case of Jack the Ripper has torn its way through popular culture, inspiring everything from the stories of Sherlock Holmes to Hannibal Lecter. Historians and true crime writers alike have offered their theories as to the identity of the Ripper, assembling a suspect list of over 100 names.

Yet the question remains: Just who was the man (or woman) behind the crimes?

While it's far too late to bring the Ripper to justice, here are five of the most compelling Jack the Ripper theories, from a member of the royal family to a well-respected English painter. Perhaps he or she can finally be brought to justice--in spirit--if this case is ever solved.

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READ MORE: JACK THE RIPPERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

1. THE ROYAL: PRINCE ALBERT VICTOR



Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Even the royal family is not above suspicion. Queen Victoria's grandson, Prince Albert, suffered from syphilis. His sexual proclivities and rumored patronage of prostitutes placed him in the vicinity of the crimes and victims. In 1970, a British physician claimed that syphilis-induced insanity could have driven Prince Albert to commit murder. Others have argued that his status as a royal aided in a massive cover-up, and explains why the Ripper was never identified.

2. THE PHYSICIAN: SIR WILLIAM GULL



Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The nature of the murders indicated that the perpetrator had medical knowledge, someone like a surgeon or a coroner. The motive, claimed by movies like 2001's From Hell, is that Queen Victoria wanted Prince Albert's secret marriage with a former prostitute suppressed, so she ordered the royal family's physician Sir William Gull to enact a murderous rampage through Whitechapel. Gull then sent a letter to police penned in an illegible scrawl, now known as the "From Hell" letter, to throw authorities off his track.

3. THE PAINTER: WALTER SICKERT



Credit: Wikimedia Commons

In one of the more intriguing theories, Patricia Cornwell, in her 2002 book Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper-Case Closed, argues that painter Walter Sickert was Jack the Ripper. She points to possible clues in the artist's own paintings, many of which seem to mirror the Ripper's crime scenes. In one painting, a woman is stretched across a bed, echoing the position of final Ripper victim Mary Jane Kelly. Another depicts a well-dressed man at the foot of a bed with his head hung and hands clasped, while a naked woman lies rigidly behind him, her face turned in shadow.



Walter Sickert's 1908 painting, "What Shall We Do to Pay the Rent?" Alternatively "The Camden Town Murder". Credit: Wikimedia Commons

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Sickert himself made no secret of his fascination with the Ripper case, going so far as to dub one of his paintings "Jack the Ripper's Bedroom". Still, skeptics counter that the similarities are mere coincidence, noting that the ominous Sickert painting displayed above is actually related to the infamous Camden Murder of 1907. Undeterred, Cornwell sought to further prove her theory. She analyzed a series of letters sent to Scotland Yard that many believe had been penned by the Ripper. Cornwell compared the artifacts to Sickert's own writing paper. The two reams bore the same rare watermark, which was made by Sickert's father. "If a jury had seen that," Cornwell said, "they would have said, 'hang him.'"

4. THE MERCHANT: JAMES MAYBRICK



Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Three years before the Ripper murders occurred, a rash of eerily similar serial murders, this time of servant girls, took place in Austin, Texas. Dubbed "The Servant Girl Annihilator," the murderer was never brought to justice. In her book Jack the Ripper: The American Connection, Shirley Harrison argues that the Austin killer and Jack the Ripper are one in the same. She purports to have evidence that her suspect, a cotton merchant named James Maybrick, was in Austin and London at the time of both crimes.

5. THE SURGEON: SIR JOHN WILLIAMS



Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Yet another deadly doctor theory posits that the Ripper was Sir John Williams, Queen Victoria's royal surgeon. Much of the case stems from The Fifth Victim by Antonia Alexander, a writer who claims to be the great-great-great granddaughter of Ripper victim Mary Jane Kelly. Alexander's investigation began after she found a locket of Reilly's containing what seems to be a photo of Sir John-proof that the two were close, and possibly secret lovers. Sir Williams specialized in obstetric surgery, and believers of the theory assert that he butchered the women of Whitechapel to inspect their reproductive organs in hopes of curing his wife Lizzie Williams' infertility.

READ MORE: 6 DEADLY BRITISH SERIAL KILLERS

6. THE WOMAN: LIZZIE WILLIAMS

Then again, perhaps Jack the Ripper was actually a Jill. Some have proposed that the real reason the Ripper case went cold is that London police were looking for the wrong man. A retired lawyer has put forth the theory that Lizzie Williams, the wife of aforementioned Ripper suspect Sir John Williams, was driven to murdering prostitutes out of sheer rage and jealousy. Three of the Ripper victims had their reproductive organs torn from their bodies. As stated in the Sir Williams theory, Lizzie was infertile. The Lizzie theory is explored at length in Jack the Ripper: The Hand of a Woman, by John Morris.


Credit: Wikimedia Commons

By: Jamie Bogert

Sarah Wildes' troubles began long before she was sentenced to death for witchcraft in 1692. As a young woman, she caught dirty glances from her fellow townspeople who were critical of her outgoing personality and alleged promiscuity. In 1649, Sarah was sentenced to flogging for fornication and in 1663 she was charged for the scandalous act of wearing a colorful silk scarf.

Such were the ways of Puritan Massachusetts in the 1600s. Visitors of the era joked that these New Englanders could "neither drive a bargain, nor make a jest, without a text of Scripture at the end of it."

Indeed, a fervent belief in religion and fear of the supernatural went hand-in-hand in 17th century Salem. If milk spoiled faster than usual, it was no doubt a result of the devil. If a child was born with mental disabilities, the mother and her cursed womb was to blame. Even harsh weather sent a paranormal chill down the spines of inhabitants.

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Credit: Wikimedia Commons

So in February of 1692, when a set of Salem girls began having demonic fits and swore they had been enchanted by malevolent forces in the night, villagers listened. Accusations of sorcery surfaced, they intensified. Soon, a full-blown witch hunt hysteria swept through the streets of Salem and beyond.

By the summer of 1692, Sarah Wildes, along with 13 other women, five men, and two dogs were all executed on charges of witchcraft. One 75-year-old man, also accused of witchcraft, was crushed to death during a torturous interrogation. While Salem is most commonly associated with the trials, the hysteria also took root in nearby communities like Ipswich and Andover.

Following the final hanging in September of 1692, a darkness fell over Salem. Citizens, emerging from the spell of their fanaticism and bloodlust, were stunned by what they had done. Survivors rarely spoke of the summer of hangings, and left behind precious few documents that recorded the event.

For historians, however, the Salem witch trials remain a profoundly important chapter in American history, and one that deserves examination. In January of 2016, over three hundred years after the final hanging took place, a startling discovery shined new light onto Salem's dark summer of 1692.

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Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Overlooking a Walgreen's parking lot is a low-lying hill, now believed to be the true location of the Salem witch hangings where over a dozen accused witches were put to death. The location, known as Proctor's Ledge, is a small city-owned plot between two residential streets. The discovery contradicts the previously held belief that Gallows Hill served as the execution site.

Researchers from The Gallows Hill Project made other important discoveries as well. Evidence shows that the victims were likely not buried at the site, as the ground was too rocky and soil too shallow. In addition, Proctor's Ledge probably never had an actual gallows. Instead, executioners simply tossed a noose over the branch of a tree.

Emerson W. Baker, a history professor at Salem State University, says such findings aren't about academic clout. "This is all about healing, not about the discovery," he said.

In addition, Stacy Schiff's recent release, The Witches: Salem, 1692, offers a raw and unflinching glimpse at the lives and times of those living in Salem. It serves as an eerily timed companion piece to the recent Salem hangings discovery.
Spring Break really is the great American contribution to leisure travel. A week every year where the youngest, sexiest people in America go somewhere hot, with virtually no rules, and nobody there to recognize them. It's a week where you can be whomever you want, do things you wouldn't dare do back home, and generally enjoy life without much consequence.

For years, cities in Florida like Daytona and Ft. Lauderdale dominated the spring break scene. But they've worked hard to shed that image and, in their place, a dozen destinations -- from Denver to the Dominican Republic -- have stepped in as the top spots for American college students to cut loose.

To find out to which SB spots all the cool kids are hitting this year, we asked a bunch of them. And then we took their answers, combined them with data from STS Travel (a company that specializes in planning large-group spring break adventures), and ranked the 12 most popular.

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12. Panama City Beach

While PCB has worked hard to shed its Spring Break image, it's still the biggest party destination in the Redneck Riviera, and students from all over the SEC flock there in early March. While the city is home to Club La Vela -- the biggest nightclub in the world and ground zero for all Spring Break activity -- it has recently banned drinking on the beach. Consequently, this year is expected to be much tamer. Whether that's true remains to be seen, but this could be the last time Panama City makes an appearance on this list.

11. Los Angeles

For upperclassmen on the west coast who want grown-up nightlife and beaches that aren't connected to a hotel pool, LA has become a big Spring Break destination. Truth. A quick, cheap flight from most western states, here you can lounge by day in South Bay, one of America's sexiest neighborhoods, and then hit the Santa Monica bars or clubs in Hollywood at night. Or go hiking. Or surfing. The abundance of hotels and the variety of activities make this a safe, solid school break locale. And what it lacks in wild, it more than makes up for in options.

10. Miami

At first glance, Miami might seem like the ultimate stateside Spring Break destination. Crazy nightclubs, raging pool parties, and strip clubs that stay open 24 hours. That all said, the city can get expensive, and if your Spring Break coincides with Ultra, the price of hotels might necessitate stuffing six people in a room. Drinks can get costly too, so don't forget to pack your wallet. The upside (if you're a guy): The ratio of guys to girls is always favorable, since the clubs here keep a hyper-strict door. The trick, of course, is getting past the bouncer.

9. Orlando

Your first reaction might be, "Yeah, great, Spring Break... from FIFTH GRADE!" But look a little deeper: Orlando's glut of theme parks isn't just for families looking to ride the Tea Cups -- some of the best roller coasters in the world are at Universal's Islands of Adventure. And where else could you spend your week drinking with Homer Simpson? Of course, your theme-park boozing doesn't have to limit itself to Springfield, or even the USA. With a little help from us, you can drink in 11 countries in one day at EPCOT. And yes, Mexico is one of them. Add in crazy cheap off-property hotels and this is one of the more underrated Spring Break destinations in America.

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8. Cancun

Despite its "Man-cun" reputation, the dude-heavy originator of all-you-can-drink SB debauchery is still going strong. No, it's not the world capital of Spring Break that it once was, but what the city has lost in US college kids, it's picked up in students from South America, Europe, and Canada. In Cancun, you can party with people from all over the world without crossing an ocean, and the international draw means A-list DJs perform at the bigger clubs during March. The Hotel Zone has ten of those to choose from, whether it's high-end ultra lounges like Elevate or the high-energy EDM scene at Coco Bongo.

7. Punta Cana

The Dominican Republic has become the world's hottest new tropical Spring Break destination. And while Punta Cana has a long way to go to catch Puerto Vallarta and Cancun in terms of bars and nightlife, the slew of all-inclusive resorts like Barcelo Bavaro and Occidental Grand make it so you don't really need to leave your hotel to get the full experience. And if you do choose to leave, the outdoor activities are some of the best in the Caribbean -- a nearby tropical rainforest is full of hiking, zip-lining, and ATV adventure.

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By Enas Fares Ghannam

What happens when a person is forced to struggle for years without enough money to support his family, and there is--literally--no way out? Now imagine that same desperation and hopelessness is reverberating across hundreds of thousands of people crammed into a tiny space?

"I tried to control myself and make myself think logically, but something was telling me to continue. Ending my life would be a relief: No one would call for money any more, no problems, no stress."--Rezeq Abu Setta

There is a strong taboo against suicide in the Gaza Strip, where Islam is the predominant religion. But on February 9, Rezeq Abu Setta, 38 and a father of seven, joined a growing trend in the blockaded Palestinian territory. He attempted suicide.

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Abu Setta was one of the estimated 80 Gazans a month who tried to or succeeded in taking their lives in January and February--an alarming increase of 35-40 percent over previous years. And some sources suggest the total may be even higher.

The small "blob" near the top of the tower is Abu Setta.

Abu Setta's story is individual in many respects, but common in one essential way: He could not earn enough money to support his family.

In Abu Setta's case, he had worked as a guard for the Fatah-affiliated Palestinian president until 2006, when Hamas took over Gaza. In the wake of the dispute between the two political movements, Abu Setta was paid by the Palestinian Authority (controlled by Fatah) to stay home, along with hundreds of other Fatah employees. He continued to receive his salary--until he made a big "mistake."

"I travelled abroad for one month, just for a break. I knew I should have asked permission, because it was against the law, but it was common practice at that time," he told me. Abu Setta has been forced to pay for his "transgression" ever since that fateful trip in January 2011.

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"My salary was taken from me and my life as well. I accumulated lots of debts and was reduced to borrowing from everyone I could. There are many needs for me and my family. I have seven children in addition to my mother and sister, and they all depend on me. Where can I go? There is no hope or other opportunities. I didn't get any training in the military that is useful outside, and anyway, there is no work for anyone."

Tuesday, February 7, should have been a happy day for Abu Setta. His wife delivered their seventh child. But he couldn't pay for the hospital and since he no longer had a salary, he also had no insurance. "I went to the Ministry of the General Authority of Insurance and Pensions to ask for help in getting vaccinations for my baby. But they said that according to their records, my salary was not cut. I asked what I could do to prove it. They told me to go to my department and bring a letter. But how can I go to Ramallah?"

Abu Setta tried other people and was told to wait for awhile, since the reconciliation process between the two political parties was complicating matters. "But how long do I have to wait? I was told, 'you waited for five years, you can wait for five months.' I left."

On the way home, Abu Setta received a phone call from someone asking for money he had borrowed. "I can't," Abu Setta told him. "Just wait until I get my salary back or at least borrow more from someone else."

They argued and Abu Setta became stressed and couldn't think logically. He wanted to end it all. He kept walking and from afar he saw a tower. He said to himself, "What if I climbed it and jumped?" That's what he decided to do.

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When people saw Abu Setta climbing the tower, they called the police. Many members of Fatah, including a senior member of the party, talked to Abu Setta on his mobile phone and promised to solve his problem. But since he had been promised before, he didn't believe them until his department in Ramallah contacted him through his mobile and backed up the pledges. The prime minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, and President and Fatah member Mahmoud Abbas even got involved. When officials brought his mother to the scene, Abu Setta cried and climbed down.

We Are Not Numbers writers meet with Abu Setta.

"I only asked for my right. I wasn't asking for charity or a donation," he says now. "Why should I have had to go to that extent, to endanger my life, in order to have my problem solved? What if I had slipped while I was going up or down? Or what If they didn't agree and I died? Who would have suffered the most from this? Only my children and family."

Note: As of March 10, Abu Setta has not yet begun receiving his salary, despite the promises.

***

With around 1.85 million Palestinians on some 362 square kilometers, Gaza ranks as the sixth most densely populated enclave in the world.

For around 10 years Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade that lately has been worsened by an almost continuous closure of the crossing into Egypt. Israel controls Gaza's air and maritime space, and six of Gaza's seven land crossings. It reserves the right to enter Gaza at will with its military and maintains a "no-go" buffer zone along its border with Gaza, where much of the best farmland is located. Gaza is dependent on Israel for its water, electricity, telecommunications and other utilities. Eighty percent of Gazan households now live below the poverty line. Forty-three percent of adult residents are out of work.

According to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, suicides and attempted suicides averaged about 25-30 a month in 2013-2015. During January and February of this year, however, reliable statistics indicate that about 80 people per month either tried to kill themselves or succeeded--with some unconfirmed estimates even higher. That's an increase of 35-40 percent.

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"The situation has never been worse," says Zahia Al-Qarra, MD, a psychiatrist with the Gaza Community Mental Health Program. "In the past, Gazans have always been able to find a way out when it got very bad. They would work in Israel or abroad in Saudi Arabia or Kuwait. Even when those options were not available, they could escape through the tunnels into Egypt. But now that Israel and Egypt have destroyed most of the tunnels, there is no way out. We are trapped in Gaza. Everyone appears to be against us. All of the doors are locked."
I watched last night's Republican debate from Florida (transcript here) and then checked this morning's coverage from major networks such as NBC and CBS. The focus of media coverage was the "civility" of this debate compared to previous ones, combined with typical horse race speculations about which candidate won and which lost.

Well, I can't tell you who won, but I can tell you who lost: the American people lost.

Several lowlights from the debate that stick in my mind:

1. Marco Rubio was asked about climate change and whether human action, such as the emission of greenhouse gases, contributed to it. Rubio essentially denied that human action had any significant impact on global warming. The essence of his answer: the climate is changing because the climate always changes. And the U.S. government can take no action to reduce it.

2. Donald Trump held to his position on torture. He believes waterboarding should be used, that laws should be changed to allow harsher means of torture, apparently because the enemy (ISIS) beheads its opponents or drowns them in cages. He was not challenged on how he would change international laws against torture, nor was he challenged on consistent evidence that torture does not work in efforts to gain accurate intelligence. Nor were any questions raised about the morality of torture and its proposed expansion if he wins the presidency.

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3. All of the candidates expressed support for sending U.S. ground troops, perhaps 20,000 to 30,000, to combat ISIS in the Middle East. The situation was presented as a civil war within Islam between radical Sunni and Shia forces, but no candidate explained how U.S. combat forces could win someone else's civil war, a war driven by fierce ideological differences. Somehow, magically, the reappearance of big battalions of U.S. troops and massive displays of air power would "shock and awe" radical jihadists into collapse and capitulation.

4. For the candidates, nothing Obama has done in the last seven years is worthy of the slightest praise. Obamacare must be repealed. The Iran nuclear deal is a disaster. His forthcoming trip to Cuba represents a capitulation to communism. His executive actions are illegal; all of them must be reversed.

5. Each candidate tried to best the other on who is more pro-Israel. According to Trump, "there's nobody on this stage that's more pro-Israel than I am." Apparently Israel is the only U.S. ally that is worthy of total support and unconditional love by Republican candidates.

6. Trump refused to qualify his statement that there is "tremendous hate" in the Islamic world directed against the United States. However, there was no reason given for this hate, and no sense that U.S. military actions overseas, to include invasions, drone strikes, and special ops raids, contribute in any way to Islamic animosity. The candidates were simply not asked why some, most, or nearly all Muslims "hate" America.

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7. Finally, topics that weren't discussed at this debate but which are commonly discussed at Democratic debates: racism, shootings by police against Blacks, prison and justice reform, raising the minimum wage, the rising gap between the richest 1% and everyone else, reducing the cost of college education, and efforts to guarantee affordable health care for all. Nor were women's issues, such as equal pay for equal work, mentioned. Indeed, with the exception of Trump's comment about women being mistreated by the Muslim world, women's issues simply didn't exist, not in this debate and not in most of the others. Indeed, my wife turned to me during a previous Republican debate and said, "Not one of these guys cares one whit about women's issues -- they're offering us nothing."

And on that sad yet telling note, I'll end.
Sorry, no sale. The Republican Party establishment really is not this weak. And Donald Trump, while far stronger than all but a few media experts thought until, well, a few weeks ago, is not this strong.

Trump rolled to three more easy victories this week in Michigan, Mississippi, and Hawaii, with the establishment-reviled falangist Texas Senator Ted Cruz taking Idaho. Trump did so in the face of what is supposedly the big GOP establishment counter-attack against the billionaire bully boy's front-running presidential campaign. Reality check: The big push against Trump isn't making a damn bit of difference in the Republican race. (Even his opponents backed away from taking him on in tonight's Florida debate.)

Of course, it isn't really a big push. It just has the surface atmospherics of one. I'm sure the "reality" TV superstar can smell a reality TV scenario. We're voting him off the island ... Cut to commercial.

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Is it because Trump has settled down or changed his neo-fascist stripes? Nope. Trump, if anything, is pushing right on forward with his incendiary, supposedly "populist," aggressive know-nothingism. And, if anything, he has doubled down on his fascist atmospherics. See the video below in which Trump, campaigning for the upcoming North Carolina primary, has his followers raise their right hands and pledge allegiance to his presidential candidacy, then ostentatiously kicks out a lone protester, bellowing: "We don't have to take this anymore!"

Donald Trump leads supporters in next week's North Carolina primary in a pledge of allegiance to his candidacy, then turns on a lone protester (who can't be heard), ordering him expelled while he eggs the crowd on to boo and jeer the man.

Obedient followership, theatrical scapegoating, classic sociological hallmarks in the fascist communal experience. What next, a theme song of anger, resentment, and triumph? Hold on, there already is one. The same one used by Arnold Schwarzenegger when he swept to the California governorship in 2003. Stay tuned for much more compare-and-contrast between greenhouse denier Trump and Arnold, a world leader on renewable energy and climate change policy who backs Ohio Governor John Kasich.

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But so ineffectual is the Republican establishment counter-attack on the supposedly reviled Trumpism that Kasich, a quite decent governor who is hardly unpopular in his big Midwestern state, may nonetheless lose it to Trump on March 15th. And establishment fave rave Senator Marco Rubio will almost certainly lose his home state Florida, where he trails Trump by a whopping 20-plus points in the latest polling.

What's been most interesting, aside from what has not happened, during the supposed big establishment attack on Trump is how its target has behaved.

Trump, of course, is trying to project a superhero mystique. But even given the acting chops playing, er, a version of himself that he has developed in reality TV, he has been utterly unrepentant and seemingly unconcerned throughout the "onslaught."

Perhaps because a master con man can smell a con.

After all, what has the big GOP establishment counter-attack on Trump actually consisted of? A rambling speech by Mitt Romney who, by himself at least, is if anything a perfect foil for Trump. A letter denouncing Trump's geopolitics signed by a bunch of neoconservatives, most of whom even I have never heard of. A scattering of negative statements from a mostly random assortment of Republican names. A few super PACs spending big on some ads, none of which look good enough to even be submitted for a Clio.

Belatedly, a majority of the ads in the Republican primaries are now anti-Trump ads. But it's very late in the day and the ads are all over the map substantively, with no unifying message. Tellingly, until three weeks ago, only four percent of GOP super PAC spending was devoted to taking down the notorious Obama birther.

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That's it. That's it?!

What would a real Republican establishment takedown of Twitter-master Trump look like? Try every Republican presidential nominee since the late Ronald Reagan appearing together to explain why Trump constitutes a clear and present danger not only to the honor of the Republican Party but also to the future of the United States. And a full-tilt, intelligently coordinated, massively funded multi-media attack devised by the best of Madison Avenue and the exceptionally well-paid GOP consultant class.

Why aren't we seeing that, instead of the active yet half-baked display that allows many to say they tried and that Trump obviously feels free to ignore? (When he's not having fun mocking Mitt Romney, that is.)

Is it because a party which has always anointed a credentialed safe choice as its presidential nominee is suddenly too disorganized to pull its act together?

Is it because Trump has been allowed to generate such a head of steam that taking him down now would either be too difficult or just too dismissive of his backers, who after all now constitute most of the popular core of the party?

Or is it because Trump -- who offers the biggest tax cuts for the super-rich and big corporations of any candidate and whose other policy positions are actually very similar to those of principal challenger Cruz and fast fading establishment fave Rubio -- also offers an opportunity to a party which has real trouble igniting a sense of excitement?

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Some polls suggest that it can't be the latter, that Trump is simply too offensive to be elected. But that implies a very static view of the election.

If he succeeds next week, Trump will undoubtedly move to broaden his appeal, morphing his rough-and-ready style into one more consonant with his popular reality TV star persona as an authoritative and tough but hardly unsympathetic truth teller.

And Trump's likeliest opponent -- still Hillary Clinton, despite her loss to Bernie Sanders in Michigan, so unexpected due to bad polling that even Sanders was not prepared for it, as his hastily advanced victory speech showed -- has problems that Trump may be able to exploit to ruinous effect. (So does Sanders, for that matter.) The question of how Trump can run a general election race against Hillary naturally deserves a great deal of space all its own.

In this regard, something else that is not happening in the Republican Party seems most telling. Few of Trump's sharp GOP critics say they won't support Trump if he is the Republican presidential nominee. Belying their very warnings.
By Michelle DeFreese

As migrant laws and international conventions governing the treatment of asylum seekers come under greater scrutiny, long-term plans for the repatriation of refugees to African countries are being negotiated as a part of the solution to the global migration crisis. An unprecedented 60 million people are currently displaced, the greatest number in recorded history. What are the challenges facing African nations as both hosts of asylum seekers and as destination countries for repatriated asylum seekers and refugees?

The majority of the world's refugees live in developing countries. In 2013, seven out of the ten largest refugee camps in the world were in Africa. Dadaab in Kenya is currently the largest refugee camp in the world. The migration and refugee crises have become prominent features in international media coverage. The issue of repatriation of failed asylum seekers is also of increasing concern. Large-scale deportation schemes are currently being considered while repatriation commitments are being increasingly utilized to negotiate the settlement of refugees.

Bilateral and trilateral agreements are also being used to facilitate the return of refugees. In January 2016, Sweden signed an agreement with Morocco to accept unaccompanied minors that are failed asylum seekers. Kenya and Somalia signed a tripartite agreement with the UNHCR to facilitate the voluntary return Somali refugees in 2013. The repatriation of refugees became a central issue following the attack at Garissa University College in Kenya in 2015, prompting the government to urge for the closing of the Dabaad refugee camp.

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A critical aspect of today's migration crisis is the ongoing deportation and repatriation of failed asylum seekers that lack documentation and proof of nationality. Approximately 130,000 undocumented migrants arrive in Greece each year. An estimated 80% of asylum seekers arrive in Germany without documentation or with counterfeit paperwork, resulting in delayed repatriation or ineligibility for deportation.

In West Africa, asylum seekers fleeing Boko Haram often depart without the passports needed to prove their identity. Without the necessary paperwork, individuals are either considered stateless or deemed "unreturnable" due to administrative technicalities. An estimated 10 million people worldwide are currently considered stateless including 750,000 living in West Africa.

Complications caused by either missing or destroyed documents have resulted in alternative (and inadequate) strategies for processing stateless asylum seekers. One of which is the use of lengthy detentions as described in an awareness raising report by the A Face to the Story project funded by the European Programme on Integration and Migration. The report documents the stories of 39 "unreturnable migrants" and the circumstances that have led to them spending an average of eight years in protracted detention due to their ambiguous legal status.

In the current environment of migration and asylum, foreign aid is becoming increasingly conditioned on the agreement of countries to accept failed asylum seekers. Germany has signed bilateral readmission agreements with Algeria and Morocco that are directly tied to development aid commitments. Similarly, Israel signed an agreement with Rwanda to facilitate the deportation of both failed asylum seekers and stateless individuals. According to a report in the weekly publication, The East African, the agreement will enable the deportation of hundreds of Eritrean and Sudanese asylum-seekers to both Rwanda and Uganda in exchange for millions of dollars in grants and sales.

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New bilateral agreements are being formed, outpacing the reconciliation of international conventions with current demands. The European University Institute (EUI) recently released an inventory of bilateral readmission agreements demonstrating the complexity and broad usage of a system of agreements that currently links over 125 countries. These agreements have had questionable effects on the consequences for individuals. Researchers and policy analysts argue that the commitments create a system of unbalanced reciprocities that confer asymmetric costs and benefits that capitalize on unequal power dynamics between nation states. A policy brief on Norway's Readmission Agreement with Ethiopia by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) noted that migration policies are often viewed as a reflection of "North-South disparities, rendering migrant-sending states as powerless actors." At the same time, the brief found that "Norway's keen interest in return may give Ethiopia a strong hand in other diplomatic negotiations." A similar dynamic is evident in ongoing EU negotiations with Turkey to ease the flow of migrants in exchange for financial and diplomatic incentives.

In terms of both the number of displaced and complexities inherent in current norms and conventions governing asylum, the current migration crisis has proven to be as intractable as it is unmanageable. In order to process and coordinate the eventual repatriation of failed asylum seekers, greater cooperation and consistency will be needed. As nations scramble to negotiate sufficiently attractive incentives for the return of refugees, bilateral agreements are often compromised in terms of their commitment to human rights; leaving limited options or legal remedies for individuals that have been effectively traded as geopolitical capital in-line with state-led interests.

Above all else, the international community needs policies that enable the integration of migrants and ultimately prevent asylum seekers from falling into a cyclical pattern of failed asylum, repatriation, and repeated migration.


Image by DonkeyHotey

Have you heard much science-talk in the presidential debates? Or on the campaign trail? Or maybe in interviews by the leading candidates? Me neither. Yet, nothing is going to change our lives more in the next 10 years than the radical science and technology starting to engulf us.

CRISPR genetic editing technology--performed last year on human embryos in China--has the ability to eradicate diseases so we never get ailments in the first place. Exoskeleton technology has the ability to wipe out the wheelchair--and thus end disability and mobility issues for tens of millions of people. Tiny chip implants could thwart many of the two million domestic violence cases in the US every year by alerting authorities when a crime is committed. The robotic heart could end heart disease--something that will kill a third of everyone we know. And robots will take as much as 75 percent of the jobs from people in the next 25 years. And like it or not, capitalism won't survive as we know it when that happens.

Do these sound like important conversations our nation's potential leader should be having? Of course. Yet, are they having them? No--basically not whatsoever.

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Sadly, politics has become "politically correct" business. And this makes politicians happy to play to a largely science-illiterate public that assumes taxes, immigration, terrorism, and faith are what really matter.

Cut that dishonest politicking out! It's hard to imagine anything mattering more to our species and planet Earth than the burgeoning field of transhumanism. Nothing will change the world more than radical technology and science. Consider the matter of designer babies--and whether in five years we can augment our children's intelligence. Because if we don't, and China does it first, a generation of Chinese kids will be literally wired way better than Americans--leaving us unequipped to lead the world.

What about AI and the global arms race all national militaries are engaging in? Whoever creates a superintelligence first will indubitably rule the world if they want. Their AI will be able to control the internet, power grids, drone armies, and maybe even nuclear weapons. Yet, no politician is even mentioning this incredible fact--that in 10 or 20 years time, we may create a superintelligent machine that laughs at the 3-pound piece of meat we all carry around on our shoulders.



2016 Presidential candidate Zoltan Istvan speaks with university students in Arizona in front of the science-spreading Immortality Bus -- Photo by Roen Horn

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What ails me most about our science-silent presidential candidates is that the media would have a field day with them tackling these issues. It would be good, worthy news; coverage and the national conversation would spike. Let Hillary Clinton address the growing promise of artificial wombs, and whether it will fundamentally change the abortion question. Let Donald Trump talk about building skyscrapers when drones and robots do all the labor and lifting--leaving no one with jobs. And if no one has jobs, let Bernie Sanders discuss whether a Universal Basic Income is needed to keep a violent revolution from happening in his new socialist world. Finally, let Ted Cruz discuss his supercharged faith with a younger generation quickly going godless. While we're on it, we all want to know if Cruz is going to limit life extension technology and research because it challenges the Christian deathist version of needing to die to meet Jesus in heaven. Why not? George W. Bush stopped federal funding on stem cell technology for years for religious reasons--even though stem cell technology has now helped millions around the world and shows promise of being one of the most important technologies of the 21st Century.

It's time to have these thorny science conversations--to ask ourselves how far science can go and if we're ready to take it that far. Do we need a Transhumanist Bill of Rights in the age of cyborgs, biohackers, and sapient artificial intelligences? Can the 2nd Amendment about the right to bear arms handle all the complexities of the 3D printing revolution--where you will soon be able to print grenades and rocket launchers in your home? Also, should we allow human soldiers into combat (where they might lose their lives) now that we have drones and robots to replace them?

These are tough questions with no easy answers. But America was founded on the promise of rising up to challenges--and being the very best in the world at overcoming those challenges. Let's continue on that road. Let's ask the questions and move the dialogue forward. Demand your potential leaders talk about transhumanism and how they feel about radical science upending the human species and civilization.

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PTI

Indias first women fighter pilots in training  Bhawana Kanth, Mohana Singh and Avani Chaturvedi  have been advised by the Indian Air Force to delay motherhood for at least four years after they get commissioned.

This advisory was issued to ensure that the womens training schedule can continue without any disruptions, said IAF vice chief Air Marshal BS Dhanoa in an interview with the Hindustan Times. Undisturbed training is required for a minimum of five years for fighter pilots to become combat ready. Thats the practice in all major air forces, said Air Vice Marshal NK Tandon, stressing that this advisory wasnt a no-pregnancy clause.

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On Womens Day (8 March) this year, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha announced that the three women cadets who had all volunteered for a combat role would be inducted in the Indian Air Force on 18 June.

In 2014, the Chief Marshal attracted severe criticism when he addressed the issues of employing women in the IAF. The Times of India quoted Raha as saying, "As far as flying fighter planes is concerned, it's a very challenging job. Women are by nature not physically suited for flying fighters for long hours, especially when they are pregnant or have other health problems.''

The Defence Ministry cleared the proposal of inducting women as fighter pilots last year in October, effectively ending an 83-year-old exclusion policy.

Currently nearing the end of the second phase of their training that involves working with Kiran Mk-11 planes at Hakimpet for six months, the women cadets are gearing up for the final phase. They will be trained to manipulate British Hawk advanced jet trainers, before they can fly supersonic warplanes, in Bidar, Karnataka. They graduated from the Air Force Academy at Dundigal on 19 December, where initially six women had enlisted for the fighter stream.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS India's spiritual leader and founder of Art of Living Foundation Sri Sri Ravi Shankar looks to the crowd through a heart formed with his hands before leading a meditation with thousands of participants in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

All's fair in love for Sri Sri. Even if it involves joining hands with someone you are at war with over everything else. Yes, we are looking at you AAP and BJP.

The self-proclaimed 'spiritual guru', who now stands accused of hammering that last nail in the polluted, choked Yamuna's coffin, seems to have united two political parties who otherwise don't miss a single opportunity to bring each other down.

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The National Green Tribunal gave the green signal to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's mammoth Art Of Living birthday bash, also called the World Culture Festival, yesterday. They also slapped a fine of Rs 5 crore on AOL 'as an interim compensation for the events impact on the environment'.

And guess who breathed a sigh of relief, apart from Sri Sri himself? Arvind Kejriwal.

Preparations underway for the AOL festival.

The Delhi chief minister immediately took to Twitter to ask people to stop attacking Sri Sri's event and even went to the extent of holding the AOL festival up as a model cultural festival. Following are his tweets:

Now that NGT has given its verdict, all politics n controversies around AOL event shud be put to rest(1/2)  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 9, 2016

Its a huge cultural event wherein people from 155 countries are coming. Delhi welcomes all guests(2/2)  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 9, 2016

Let's consider what he is actually 'welcoming': nearly 3.5 million people trampling over the ecologically fragile bank of the Yamuna river. 'Guests' for whom, the natural occupants of the banks - vegetation, birds, animals and farmers - have been uprooted. The Delhi High Court had called the assault on the floodplains an 'ecological disaster'.

An earthmover is used to level the surface for traffic movement at the site of World Culture Festival.

Chances are that both the BJP and AAP know what the high court is talking about.

In December 2015, the BJP organised a 'Yamuna Cleaning Campaign'. The BJP Delhi website proudly shows off its lawmakers and members lined along the Yamuna Ghat near ITO. Prakash Javadekar and Harsh Vardhan attended the first leg of what they called the 'Swachh Yamuna Campaign'.

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Kejriwal, on his part, had announced in November last year that the Yamuna will be cleaned and the floodplains restored in the next five years.

In fact, in August last year, the Centre and the Delhi government had claimed to have set the ball rolling on the cleaning and restoration of the Yamuna.

The fact that both parties had acknowledged the need to restore the river points at their awareness of the fragility of the area. How they managed to accommodate the World Culture Festival into their 'Clean Yamuna' plans, no one will ever know.

Kejriwal's announcement of support for Sri Sri, comes following an uncharacteristic silence over an issue which saw the BJP being taken to the cleaners. One has to look no further than the controversial pontoons being built by the Army to see where it came from. As defence minister Manohar Parrikar painstakingly explained that the government had employed the Army to build pontoons for a private event solely because they wanted to avoid 'accidents', it was revealed that Delhi water minister Kapil Mishra had written to the defence ministry asking for another pontoon to be built.

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New structures created on the floodplains for the culture festival.

Parrikar defended the employment of the Army saying the troops have experience with crowd management in events like the Kumbh Mela (which by the way is state-sponsored) and were best suited to ensure the safety of the visitors to Sri Sri's event. One cannot deny the identical 'atithi devo bhava' sentiment that runs through Parrikar's explanation and Kejriwal's 'welcome' tweet.

Kejriwal's minister Mishra, on his part, accused the media of misconstructing his statement. He said emphatically that he just wanted another bridge made for safety purposes, since one was being constructed anyway. In other words, he was just adding fuel to the fire someone else started.

A report on The Indian Express, however, contradicts Mishra's claims and points out that the request seeking the help of the Army to build pontoons was originally raised by the Delhi government. The report quotes a Defence ministry official as saying, "Existing guidelines enable state governments to requisition the Army for aid to civil authorities. A request was received from the Delhi government and the Ministry asked the Army to extend help."

Arvind Kejriwal (L), Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu (C), Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Uma Bharti (R) before their meeting over specifics of Yamuna rejuvenation plan at Nirman Bhawan on August 26, 2015 in New Delhi, India.

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If that is indeed the case, did the defence ministry just deflect a storm that could have well engulfed the AAP, towards its own party and government? In his interview to India Today, Parrikar makes no mention of the Kejriwal government's involvement in the issue. He doesn't even bring up the request for the second pontoon which Mishra himself has admitted to. One is tempted to point out that is one example of great teamwork!

Alongside the news of the Rs 5 crore fine slapped on AOL, it was revealed that the culture ministry, headed by Mahesh Sharma, had extended a Rs 2.25 crore grant for the event.

"The government funding was allotted to the Vyakti Vikas Kendra Trust in Bengaluru, run by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, as part of the Culture Ministry's programme of Financial Assistance to Cultural Organisations," reports NDTV. With close to 300 million followers spread across 151 countries, it's slightly difficult to see how AOL desperately needed financial assistance from the Indian government. Kejriwal, who had portrayed himself as the torchbearer of the crusade against bogus spending and 'favours' extended by governments to corporations didn't see red when this news was reported.

Let's make this clear: the Delhi CM is not exactly on a hiatus from BJP-bashing. He has been after the government at the Centre over the JNU sedition row and the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar.

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However, a little investigation reveals that Kejriwal's respect for Sri Sri goes long back in time. In fact, known as a person to hit back at criticism, Kejriwal merely sounded heartbroken and sad, when Sri Sri had criticised his party in 2014. In a blog, Sri Sri had said that Kejriwal had been resorting to gimmicks to run his party. This is what the Delhi CM said in response:

Pujya Guruji Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji. I am deeply hurt that u have written such strong sentiments against me......  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 4, 2014

Who knows, perhaps he was hoping to literally build back the bridges he had burnt with Sri Sri?

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Mint via Getty Images MUMBAI, INIDA NOVEMBER 15: Vijay Mallya, Chairman of Kingfisher Airlines at press conference to announce the results at Regency Ballroom, Hyatt Regency, Andheri (E) on November 15, 2011 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by S Kumar/Mint via Getty Images)

NEW DELHI -- Businessman and Indian Member of Parliament Vijay Mallya denied reports suggesting that he has fled the country, saying he will comply with the law.

"I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish," he tweeted early Friday morning. "As an Indian MP I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land. Our judicial system is sound and respected."

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Mallya is facing legal proceedings for allegedly defaulting loans of over Rs 9,000 crores from various banks.

ALSO READ: Vijay Mallya Left The Country A Week Ago

He lashed out at the media for calling him an absconder, and said he refused to stand on trial by it. Interestingly, he referred to his "favours" and "accommodation" to media publications over the years, seemingly to suggest that journalists owed him a debt of gratitude.

Let media bosses not forget help, favours,accommodation that I have provided over several years which are documented. Now lies to gain TRP ?  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 10, 2016

"News reports that I must declare my assets. Does that mean that Banks did not know my assets or look at my Parliamentary disclosures?" he said. "Once a media witch hunt starts it escalates into a raging fire where truth and facts are burnt to ashes."

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ALSO READ: Making Mallya Pay Up Is Important

His whereabouts were tracked down yesterday to his sprawling country home in London. There was furore in Parliament on Thursday, where the Opposition staged a walk out, demanding his arrest. Mallya, who is also an Indian MP, was apparently in Rajya Sabha even a day before he flew out of the country.

Mallya reportedly left India last week in a Jet Airways flight, carrying seven bags with him. As usual, the debt-ridden liquor baron flew first class.

The CBI, which is facing heat over allowing Mallya to go abroad, had changed the nature of lookout notice against him within one month of issuance from seeking his detention while leaving the country to that merely providing information about his travel plans.

The information came as further embarrassment to the agency which has been accused of going soft on Mallya, facing a CBI probe for defaulting on repayment of a loan of Rs 900 crore taken from IDBI.

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Anadolu Agency via Getty Images NEW, DELHI - INDIA: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C) performs yoga along with others at Rajpath during mass yoga session to mark the International Day of Yoga on June 21, 2015 in New Delhi, India. An estimated 40,000 people participated in the celebrations at Rajpath, with around two billion people taking part across the world. The yoga celebrations are being organised after the United Nations had in December last year declared June 21 as International Yoga Day. (Photo by Vinod Singh/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Update No. 4: Police has arrested Pushp Sharma, the author of the Milli Gazette report, for forgery.

Update No. 3: Milli Gazette has termed the ministry's denial misleading. "The ministry is talking about a different RTI filed by the same journalist at about same time, and concerns foreign yoga experts invited to attend the Yoga conference last year while our story talks about Yoga teachers sent out from India." The publication has released a tranche of related correspondence online, including the contested Annexure I.

Update No. 2: The ministry of Ayush has denied that it had issued the RTI response that Milli Gazette has published. Milli Gazette continues to stand by its story, saying the reporting involved multiple RTI applications and that it will be publishing more information online shortly.

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Update: Since this story broke online Friday night, AYUSH minister Shripad Naik has responded saying the document is "bogus and fabricated". But the ministry is yet to release the genuine response, which it claims it has. Milli Gazette is standing by the document it published online and says it will release more evidence online this evening. These details and more can be read here.

NEW DELHI -- In a startling response to a Right to Information query, the AYUSH Ministry has said that it did not hire Muslims for short-term positions as trainers for World Yoga Day as it was against government policy.

AYUSH stands for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy, and is the Ministry that promotes these branches of traditional medicine.

The AYUSH Ministry, under Sripad Naik, organized the first World Yoga Day on October 15, last year.

The RTI query filed by journalist Pushp Sharma sought to know how many Muslim candidates had applied and had been hired for short-term assignments during World Yoga Day.

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The two questions were as follows:

* Please provide the details, how many (total numbers) Muslim candidates had applied for short-term abroad assignment (Trainer/Teacher) during World Yoga Day 2015? * How many Muslims applied for the post of Yoga Trainer / Teacher so far?

In its response, the Ministry said that none of the 3,841 Muslim candidates, who had applied for the position of Yoga trainer or teacher till October 2015, were hired by the AYUSH Ministry, Milli Gazette reported.

It also revealed that none of the 711 Muslim yoga trainers, who had applied for the foreign assignment during the World Yoga Day, were hired.

While no Muslims were even called for an interview, the Ministry selected 26 Hindu trainers.

"As per government policy  No Muslim candidate was invited, selected or sent abroad," the RTI response said.

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HuffPost India has not independently verified the authenticity of the document posted online by Milli Gazette.

The United Nations General Assembly declared in 2014 that June 21 will be celebrated as International Yoga Day partly due to India's efforts to popularize yoga around the world.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken the lead in championing the adoption of yoga. He is himself a yoga practitioner.

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Vimeo/ Blackpepper

Last month, 64 beautiful beagles adopted human families as they were set free from a Bengaluru laboratory after the state government declined the labs request to use them for certain experiments.

Blackpepper Studio documented the emotional adoption day organised by the NGO CUPA (Compassion Unlimited Plus Action) where the freagles (as they termed the dogs) went from the labs to loving homes.

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The first beagle to get adopted at the adoption drive

Having spent time at the testing facility since birth, these dogs require special care and attention. A volunteer from the adoption camp said that unlike regular dogs, they didnt respond to doggie treats or a ball thrown for them, simply because they have never experienced these basic pleasures.

The traffic, the ring of a bell, the noise of a dropped spoon, among others, are all completely new sounds for these dogs, said Sanjana Madappa.

A Hindustan Times report disclosed that 70 beagles had been rescued in 2012, and 102 from different laboratories the following year.

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An owner names her dog, who was previously referred to as Number 1643, Debbie

Everyone present was moved when the dogs were quick to respond to their new names instead of the numbers that was their identity in the labs. People from Mysore, Coorg, Pune and Chennai had signed up to become proud beagle owners.

The "Furry Godmother" from CUPA, Chintana Gopinath, spoke passionately about not entertaining adopters who were only in it for the social media attention.

After two days, it is going to be you, your dog, his fears and anxieties. His pee and poop all over your house. Its going to be hard work, she said, adding that adopting a dog changes a persons life much more than the dog's.

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A proud owner of two beagles.

Gopinath said that beagles made for popular lab rats due to their docile nature, in an interview with Scroll. Even when they are kept in a cage and hands are constantly going in and pulling them out for injections or dissections, even then they are not given to aggression.

She also said that most laboratories shockingly euthanised these poor canines once they were finished with experiments.

Heres the heartwarming video.

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Narendra Modi PM

NEW DELHI -- As the World Culture Festival kicked off on the banks of the Yamuna amid rains and in the backdrop of a raging controversy over damage to the river's flood plains, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the event the "kumbh mela of culture" in his opening remarks, to wild cheering from lakhs in the gathering.

But he was silent about the environmental concerns about the event. The Art of Living Foundation, which is led by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, was asked to pay a penalty of Rs5 crore by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for damage to the flood plains.

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Instead, Modi made a remark which appeared to be dismissive of the concerns raised by environmentalists and others.

"If we keep criticising everything we have, instead of taking pride in our culture, then why would the world look at us," Modi said.

In the wake of the controversy, President Pranab Mukherjee decided to skip the three-day event, which will be attended by more than three million people from over 150 countries. The weekend will be packed with cultural performances, yoga and meditation sessions. Around 37,000 artists will perform on a mammoth 7-acre stage.

Modi today congratulated Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for promoting India on the global stage.

"I congratulate Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for spreading his message to more than 150 countries and representing Indian culture on a world stage," he said.

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Modi also added that India was full of diversity and has a lot to give the world. "We must be proud of our heritage," he said.

Describing the event as "fait accompli," this week, the NGT said that it was too late to stop the event and rued that this issue was not brought to its attention sooner.

"It is sufficiently evident that the flood plains have been drastically tampered with while destroying the natural flow of the river, reeds, grasses, natural vegetation on the river bed have been removed. It has further disturbed the aquatic life of the river and destroyed water bodies and wet lands on the flood plains," the NGT said.

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The India Today Group via Getty Images NEW DELHI,INDIA SEPTEMBER 17: Union Cabinet Minister for Women & Child Development Maneka Sanjay Gandhi addressing a press conference in New Delhi.(Photo by Yasbant Negi/India Today Group/Getty Images)

NEW DELHI -- Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi's statement about marital rape has caused a massive uproar.

It also surprised many because it is a departure from her public statements on the issue in the past.

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Gandhi seemed to have been reiterating word-by-word the government position that had already been articulated in April 2015 by Minister Of State For Home, Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhury.

Responding to DMK lawmaker Kanimozhi's question then, he gave the exact same response in Parliament.

"It is considered that the concept of marital rape, as understood internationally, cannot be suitably applied in the Indian context due to various factors, including level of education, illiteracy, poverty, myriad social customs and values, religious beliefs, mindset of the society to treat the marriage as a sacrament, etc," he said.

Shock, Surprise

Gandhi might have been reading a stock response, but her words have drawn ire nonetheless.

Human rights lawyer Vrinda Grover drew attention to the remarks made by Attorney General Mukul Rohtagi at a Women's Day event organized by NDTV on March 8.

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"The first thing that Mukul Rohtagi said was 'marital rape should be made a crime' and 'marital rape not being a crime is a blot on this country.' He said that in the public forum. This is the highest judicial officer of the government saying that marital rape should be a crime. And then you have its minister say something else. So, I don't know what is going on with this government and what it wants to say," she said.

Presently, a husband raping his wife is not a crime in India.

In February 2015, the Supreme Court rejected a plea of a Delhi-based executive to declare marital rape a criminal offense, on the grounds that it could not change the law for one woman.

Indian law currently states: "Sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age, is not rape.

Marital Rape Is Not A 'Concept'

Activists expressed dismay about the marital rape being described as a "concept."

"Calling marital rape a 'concept' is such nonsense. It is a crime. It is rape. It is violence," said Farah Naqvi, a women's rights activist. "Marriage is not a contract that allows unfettered access to a woman's body"

Even if Gandhi is allowed some latitude for the words she chose, is she suggesting that Indian women are held up to different standard than their counterparts "internationally," when it comes to violence and sexual crimes.

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"The Minister has chosen to call marital rape a 'concept' alien to India--she is therefore suggesting that women's autonomy and bodily integrity are foreign to India," said Kavita Krishnan, secretary of the All India Progressive Women's Association.

"The Minister is implying, shockingly, that marital rape is part of 'Indian culture' and husbands' entitlement over their wife even without her consent will be defended by the Government. Such statements seek to confer cultural sanction on domestic violence and marital rape," she said.

Grover doesn't even go into the India/international distinction.

"The Indian constitution guarantees a man and a woman equality under Article 21. I carry that right with me in the private space. The Constitution does not stop at the bedroom door," she said.

'Forced Sex Is Routine'

Gandhi invoking reasons like education, religious beliefs, social customs, lack of education, etc., have surprised activists because it can be used to resist any societal reform.

"This is completely befuddling. Indian society prefers boys to girls so why don't we just make sex selective abortions legal, as well? This is quite alarming," said Naqvi. "Laws are morals standards to which society aspires."

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Grover said it is existing social customs and religious beliefs which had created the gender imbalance within a marriage, and relegated women as the subordinate in their partnerships.

"Forced sex is routine in this country," she said.

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Are Independent Artists Better Off? [Gabe Dixon]

Here Nashville-based artist Gabe Dixon weighs in on the advantages and creative freedoms which working as an independent artist provides, as apposed to the limitations that come with being signed to a major label.

_______________________________

Guest Post by Gabe Dixon on American Songwriter

Photo by Shervin Lainez

Until now, all of my studio albums have been released with the help of a major record label. For my current release, Turns To Gold, I chose a different path.

Funding, recording, and releasing this album independently has offered me more freedom than I had when I was on a major label. While being on the roster of one of these goliaths can provide some advantages, such as up-front money, the prestige of being a label artist, and sometimes more media leverage, the number of creative cooks in the kitchen is often too high, at least for my taste. Also, the major-label artist is always at risk of being orphaned or forgotten if and when a new head-honcho descends and fires all of the people who loved their music. I am one of a multitude of major label performers who have been in that unfortunate situation. It can be extremely frustrating and demoralizing, especially for a young artist.

When youre hot, youre hot, but its fleeting. Major labels have A.D.D. when it comes to the vast majority of their artists. Since they tend to have more money to work with than independent labels do, they sign more artists in order to hedge their bets. This means that you may have a whole bunch of people at a major label working hard for you right when your album comes out, but if it hasnt gained much traction within the first few months after its release, its in the labels interest to shift their attention to one of their many other artists, rather than give your record that extra push it needs to make it to the top of the hill.

However, even small independent labels can do their artists the disservice of signing on a larger roster than they can handle, which leads to some musicians getting lost in the shuffle. I would say that, aside from making the best music they can make, the most important thing an artist can do is to assemble a team of dedicated people around them: a great manager and a great booking agent will be there for the artist before and after most record labels will.

The main difference I have seen in my career since going independent is freedom. I feel more in-control of my career and more responsible for it too. Before going independent, I never owned more than 10% of a recording. But of Turns To Gold, I own 100%. This means that I dont have to sell an unrealistically large number of records just to break even, and while my budget to make this album was smaller, my ownership percentage of the recording is much larger. This combination means I can sell many fewer albums and still sustain my career. This seems like a much more realistic world to live in from a business standpoint, especially given the overall decline in record sales seen over the past decade.

Without the backing of a major label, I do miss out on a few things, such as more money in the short-term, and I miss out on having more people on hand to promote the release. Also, being on a major label lends a cachet that makes certain risk-averse media outlets, desperate to stay relevant in a chaotic media environment, pay more attention to what I am doing. But there is always a trade-off. A major label deal could be the perfect foot in the door for some artists. Right now, as other people recording my songs becomes a bigger part of my career, I see my own albums as being less subject to some A&R persons idea of where I fit into the marketplace and more subject to what I think is good, and what uncompromisingly represents me as an artist.

Im better off being independent. Throughout my career I have mostly tried to break into other peoples worlds, looking outside of myself for a ticket to success. I think its time to build my own world now. Hopefully music fans will like what they see and want to come into it. I believe that if you keep making the best music you can, if its genuine and authentic to who you are, eventually, people will sit up and take notice.

Gabe Dixon is a judge for the 2016 American Songwriter Lyric Contest.

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Business owners often find that following a period of early rapid growth, things start to tail off because they simply cant handle more business without sacrificing the quality of their service.If this sounds like you, its likely your business is experiencing growing pains and its sustainability may be at risk. Like a shallow rooted tree, your business is susceptible to the next big storm, which might be hard to predict but is certain to come.Chances are you are also working longer hours than any of your staff, and are the last to get paid. Your business is a victim of its own success.If you do ever get a chance to take time off, when you return you wish you had never left. Its as if nothing happened at all when you were absent. Sure, work was done, but nothing progressed, and your inbox is full of unanswered enquiries. Your business has become its own version of Groundhog Day. While it feels like a trap and seems unsustainable, this is also an opportunity.A sustainable business needs to be like the oak tree that establishes deep roots preventing it from being blown over before it grows to its mature height and is able to withstand decades of severe storms.But before checking the roots of your business, you also need to check its direction. Like a teenage boy growing out of his clothes ever half year, your business may have outgrown its strategy. What worked in the past no longer fits, and you need a whole new wardrobe. The opportunity arises when you diagnose this situation, and recognise that its unsustainable, and have no choice but to take action.Here are the five Rs that will allow your business to overcome the growing pains and put it on the path to sustainability.While your business depends so much on you, there is no time to step back and review it, let alone to take action to change it. So creating time is the first priority.Often owners spend significant amounts of their time fighting fires. To get out of the firefighting business, owners need to look for opportunities to outsource, delegate and re-organize. This will require putting in place simple systems that will allow you to pass work onto others to create the space you need. While there is a temptation to hang onto this work yourself because owners dont believe that others can perform this work as well as themselves and because they think they are saving money, this is an opportunity cost to your business.Owners become micromanagers, which stunts their growth and is unsustainable. They need to learn what brain surgeons do. The brain surgeon doesnt run the operating theatre. The theatre nurse does. The brain surgeon doesnt open up and close. They have junior surgeons to do that for them, and they certainly dont mop up the blood from the floor. All the brain surgeon does is brain surgery, plus a little bit of marketing beforehand  client needs, and a little bit of marketing afterwards  client satisfaction.Owners need to discover where the brain surgery is in their business. When you stop spending dollar time on penny jobs, you will have the time to take the next steps.Investigate where your business really makes its money. There are often pockets of gold hidden amongst cross subsidies to other parts of your business. Which products and services and which customers make the biggest contribution to your bottom line? Where are you and your staff spending most of your time? Is it in your gold mine? Analysing the financial structure will let you know where you need to start.If instead you are having difficulty managing all your customers, perhaps its time to dampen growth to give you time to work on your business. Rather than continually struggling to finance expansion and grappling with the gap between paying your bills and getting paid while trying to increase capacity, consider increasing your prices on your in-demand services to moderate growth to a sustainable level. If this doesnt work, increase them again!Look at your customers. Who are your best buyers? Airlines understand who their best buyers are. They get the free upgrades, and get served French champagne in First. Are you giving out too much champagne to your noisy economy customers and ignoring the ones in First?In light of your review, which products, services and customers will you be focusing on? How will this affect the way you promote your business? Will you change the way you deliver your products and services? This enables you to get the biggest bang for your buck, which is essential in small business where the bucks are fairly limited.Have you analysed your cost structure, not just on service delivery, but also on your cost per lead, and cost per sale? This should not only be done by customer type, but also service type. What looks like a profitable service based on delivery costs may actually have a proportionately high cost per sale.Its quite common in many businesses for the cost per sale to be similar for low and high-value services. Changing the way you sell low-price services may be needed to prevent your attention being diverted from converting high-value sales.Once you have re-engineered your business, you will need to redefine roles in your organization, complete with business systems, job descriptions and performance standards.Your business management system should be built around your workflow process which documents all your activities from the time you get the phone call to the time you bank the cheque. There should be systems such as procedures, templates, checklists and even scripts for each part of the workflow process. Each should be assigned to roles as well as a description of what a good job looks like. This enables you to measure the performance of your staff, rewarding those that exceed expectation and supporting those that have not yet attained it.Your staff will now be in a position to manage more of your business so you can focus on your brain surgery.While a well-constructed business management system is an essential prerequisite for a sustainable business that runs without you, its not sufficient on its own. Without a driver for your systems, they can become dusty manuals on a shelf that no-one follows, a waste of your time and money.To ensure that your business is run the way it is meant to, that mistakes are avoided, that the customer experience is consistent, that the business management system is followed, there needs to be one final system to drive all the other systems in your business  a reporting system. This ensures that staff are following your business management system, and gives you the confidence to delegate.Ultimately, this gives you a business that will run without you and turns it into a saleable asset.Once these five steps have been taken, you will be confident that your staff can manage the business for you so you will delegate, giving you more time to plan the future. Your business will be able to weather the storms because of its deeper roots and will become sustainable, enabling it to continue to prosper and grow to its full potential height.This is a slightly amended version of an article written by Dr Greg Chapman is author of the award-winning small business bestseller The Five Pillars of Guaranteed Business Success. It has been shortened to make it suitable for web publishing.
Competing signs in Lanesborough on the upcoming school project vote.

Mount Greylock Building Debate Echoes Monument Mountain's

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  A group of volunteers labored for years to create a school building plan that passed muster with state officials and held the promise of state money to renovate an outdated and unsound high school building.

In the 11th hour, residents concerned about the potential impact on local taxes campaigned to block the plan, arguing that the school could be repaired more cheaply and the state would still help.

Mount Greylock Regional School District in 2016? No, Berkshire Hills Regional School District in 2014.

The story of the effort to renovate and repair Monument Mountain Regional High School will sound familiar to folks involved in the effort to renovate and add to Mount Greylock. And it is a story that advocates of the Mount Greylock project hope will not be repeated when Lanesborough voters go to the polls on March 15.

Twice, voters in Great Barrington, Stockbridge and West Stockbridge had an opportunity to approve a $51 million project at Monument Mountain. And twice the question was defeated when voters in one of the district's member towns opted not to stay in the Massachusetts School Building Authority funding pipeline.

Fifteen months after the November 2014 vote to kill the project once and for all, one of the leaders of the Monument Matters group that advocated for the renovation, does not know what the group could have done differently to turn the tide.

"I've thought about that," Rebecca Gold said recently. "It's hard to say, 'No, we couldn't have done anything differently.'  But I don't know what we could have done differently.

"I've seen it with other things in town. There have been other really controversial things in Great Barrington. I've seen over and over again that some people don't want to engage in the process in a really productive way. And I think there's this deep distrust."

Building project proponents at Mount Greylock have been making the case that the MSBA  funded by 1 penny on the state sales tax  is going to spend its money to fund a school project somewhere. If it can't give upward of $33 million to Lanesborough and Williamstown because Lanesborough voters won't authorize about $10.6 million in debt (Williamstown OK'd its $22.3 million share last week), then the state authority will happily give the money to another school district.

According to the MSBA's website, the authority has 300 projects currently in its funding pipeline. Since 2004, only 12 projects  including Monument Mountain  have been rejected by a vote in their respective districts.

That is not to say the votes are always easy or undisputed. In neighboring North Adams, an MSBA-backed elementary school project was a hot-button issue in last fall's mayoral campaign even as finishing touches were being put on the building.

Distrust of government was a major factor in the failed Monument Mountain votes in 2013 and '14, Gold said.

"I think as soon as there is government money involved, there is such distrust in government," she said. "And that's part of the problem. For some people, if we're taking state money, we should be really wary of it. I think it's really hard to overcome.

"Obviously, people didn't want to pay for it, but what they didn't want to believe is we will be paying that and probably more because we didn't take advantage of that deal."

That points to another argument of the Mount Greylock project proponents: The district can either partner with MSBA and pay a district share of $31.5 million to $35.3 million or the district can make needed repairs to the existing building on its own at a price tag estimated to be more than $50 million.

And instead of a new, efficient building that serves the school's educational program, Mount Greylock will get the same 60-year-old structure brought up to contemporary building codes.

"You can pay less and get more, or you can pay more and get less," Mount Greylock School Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Greene told a Lanesborough special town meeting, at which several residents and town officials spoke against supporting the building project.

Renovation opponents in South County are learning that lesson now.

"Our Building and Grounds Committee has put together an $11 million [repair] plan, but we have not acted on it yet," Berkshire Hills School Committee Chairman Stephen Bannon said. "In FY17, there is a recommendation of $100,000 to do what I guess would be minor repairs."

School officials have characterized the $11 million plan, which includes asbestos abatement and roof repairs as "Band-Aids" that do far less than the $52.1 million renovation (with $23 million from MSBA) would have accomplished.

"The vote failed because of a disconnect between the school and voters about what needed to be done and how much that project was going to accomplish," Bannon said. "People thought the money we needed was too much  and people thought we could go through the [MSBA's] Accelerated Repair program when it was clear [before the vote] and even clearer after the vote failed that that would not happen."

Bannon said MSBA did not give the district an official opinion about Monument Mountain's prospects for the Accelerated Repair program prior to the vote. But immediately after the second failed vote, the authority notified the district that the program would not be an option.

Accelerated Repair "targets school facilities with limited scope needs including roofs, windows and boilers in cases where all other systems are functioning and programmatic offerings are meeting standards," according to a November 2014 post-vote letter from MSBA quoted by Great Barrington's Berkshire Edge.

In Mount Greylock's case, no one is talking about Accelerated Repair, but project opponents are saying a failed vote in Lanesborough could lead to a cheaper alternative, a claim Greene repeatedly has refuted, most recently on social media.

"The project will not change," Greene wrote in a March 6 Facebook post. "If there are cost reductions, they will be minimal. [$]1-2 million at most. And these are savings we expect to gain through Value Engineering."

The Monument Mountain votes have been used as an example by people on both sides of the Mount Greylock issue.

Opponents have said the Great Barrington voters showed wisdom by not rushing to renovate Monument Mountain ahead of what some are predicting to be school consolidations  even going so far as to cite the work of the Berkshire County Education Task Force, even though the chairman of that group and its members refute that notion.

Proponents of the Mount Greylock project say Monument Mountain is a cautionary tale of what happens when voters are penny wise and pound foolish.

If there is a political lesson to be gained from the Monument Mountain experience, it may be that Mount Greylock proponents need to continue one-on-one advocacy with voters.

"One of the benefits of living in a small town is you can get in touch with the people in the government who are in charge of this," Monument Matters' Gold said. "But a lot of the people who were opposed to it didn't want to engage.

"[Opponents] were vocal. A lot of misinformation was conveyed by people who were not really knowledgeable and came up with their own theories about how this could be solved and publicized those things. It's hard to counter that once it's out there.

"We are definitely going to be paying for this, and we could have gotten so much more for our money."
Cheshire Interested In Community Compact And Forestry Program

CHESHIRE, Mass.  The town will pursue the state Community Compact Program in hopes of receiving grant funding for its master plan.

Thomas Matusko, of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, urged the Selectmen on Tuesday to sign the agreement developed by the Baker administration that allows municipalities to take advantage of state services and assistance to complete agreed-upon best practices.

Matusko said the board can pick three projects to complete or resources to take advantage of from the list; one of the items is the development of a master plan.

"I think not too many communities in Berkshire County have really signed up for this," Matusko. "I think it is somewhat of a missed opportunity."

Cheshire has created a Master Plan Committee but with no funds, its members have found it difficult to really put any plan to paper. Matusko has been guiding the committee through the process and said the state would likely supply a match grant for a master plan if the town signs up.

Town Administrator Mark Webber said he will fill out the application.

The Selectmen also agreed to send a letter to support legislation that would designate the forested area in the northwestern corner of Massachusetts in the Mohawk Trail Woodlands Partnership.

"Few things seem to make as much sense as this does," Selectman Robert Ciskowski said. "I have been through it and I can't really see any down side to it."

Matusko said the BRPC-driven project has been in development for two years and would provide 21 municipalities in Berkshire and Franklin counties with financial and technical resources to increase economic development through sustainable forestry practices.

Municipalities and land owners can benefit from the program.

"You know this area it is extensively forested and we are trying to capitalize on these extensive resources," Matusko said. "We want to increase economic development related to forestry through sustainable forestry practices."

He said BRPC now has a solid proposal for legislation. He said if the legislation passes at the state level, then it could be brought to the National Forest Service. The is no National Forest in Massachusetts.

"They haven't had a very good program for dealing with privately owned land so they are very interested in working with a program such as ours, which would be somewhat of a pilot program in the country," he said. "There is nothing really established like this now that would allow them to provide resources."

He added if the state legislation passes, BRPC will ask the state and federal government for $25 million to place in a trust fund.

"Most of that will be put into a revenue generating trust fund that could sustain this effort going forward," Matusko said. "I think sometimes with these initiatives ... you get a flash-in-the-pan program that is good for a few years and then they go away so our plan is that here would be a trust fund."

He said eventually the selectmen could vote to formally opt in, however this would be a year down the road if the state passes the legislation. He said it is normally difficult for single communities to get their hands on these resources and by teaming together there is a better chance the government will support it.

Matusko said currently they are undergoing a feasibility to see if it would be possible to utilize the abundant low grade wood in the area and build a heat wood pellet plant. Also, he added that there could be a multi-use center built.
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Press Release: IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde Congratulates Winners of Youth Video Contest

Press Release No. 16/99

March 11, 2016

Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, recognized the winners of the Youth Video contest at the open of the Advancing Asia Conference in New Delhi, India.

The winners are Jayson Cantores Berto for Rice Hull Is Not a Waste and Lee Kwok Kin for Wait! Gender Equality Is also Important! Both winners were selected to participate in the conference, and the top ten videos will be shown throughout.

I congratulate the winners of the Advancing Asia Youth Video Contest. Their videos show how Asias youth have their own creative solutions for some of the same issues we have gathered in New Delhi to discuss. Their creativity and innovation show great promise for Asias future, said IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde.

The contest called on young videographers ages 18-30 to submit original videos reflecting the themes of the conference including economic development, infrastructure investment, gender equality, and solutions for a better future. The general public voted for the top ten videos and from there, a panel of judges including both broadcast journalists and IMF staff picked the top two, taking into consideration both the theme of the video and its relevance for the conference and the technical quality.

Further information on the contest is available at www.advancingasia.strutta.com .
Imperial Valley News Center

Not So Fast: Overlooked Resistance May Inflate Estimates of Organic-Semiconductor Performance

Washington, DC - Its hardly a character flaw, but organic transistorsthe kind envisioned for a host of flexible electronics devicesbehave less than ideally, or at least not up to the standards set by their rigid, predictable silicon counterparts. When unrecognized, a new study finds, this disparity can lead to gross overestimates of charge-carrier mobility, a property key to the performance of electronic devices.

If measurements fail to account for these divergent behaviors in so-called organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), the resulting estimates of how fast electrons or other charge carriers travel in the devices may be more than 10 times too high, report researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Wake Forest University and Penn State University. The teams measurements implicate an overlooked source of electrical resistance as the root of inaccuracies that can inflate estimates of organic semiconductor performance.

Already used in light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, electrically conductive polymers and small molecules are being groomed for applications in flexible displays, flat-panel TVs, sensors, smart textiles, solar cells and Internet of Things applications. Besides flexibility, a key selling point is that the organic devicessometimes called plastic electronicscan be manufactured in large volumes and far more inexpensively than todays ubiquitous silicon-based devices.

A key sticking point, however, is the challenge of achieving the high levels of charge-carrier mobility that these applications require. In the semiconductor arena, the general rule is that higher mobility is always better, enabling faster, more responsive devices. So chemists have set out to hurry electrons along. Working from a large palette of organic materials, they have been searching for chemicalsalone or in combinationthat will up the speed limit in their experimental devices.

Just as for silicon semiconductors, assessments of performance require measurements of current and voltage. In the basic transistor design, a source electrode injects charge into the transistor channel leading to a drain electrode. In between sits a gate electrode that regulates the current in the channel by applying voltage, functioning much like a valve.

Typically, measurements are analyzed according to a longstanding theory for silicon field-effect transistors. Plug in the current and voltage values and the theory can be used to predict properties that determine how well the transistor will perform in a circuit.

Results are rendered as a series of transfer curves. Of particular interest in the new study are curves showing how the drain current changes in response to a change in the gate electrode voltage. For devices with ideal behavior, this relationship provides a good measure of how fast charge carriers move through the channel to the drain.

Organic semiconductors are more prone to non-ideal behavior because the relatively weak intermolecular interactions that make them attractive for low-temperature processing also limit the ability to engineer efficient contacts as one would for state-of-the-art silicon devices, says electrical engineer David Gundlach, who leads NISTs Thin Film Electronics Project. Since there are so many different organic materials under investigation for electronics applications, we decided to step back and do a measurement check on the conventional wisdom.

Using what Gundlach describes as the semiconductor industrys workhorse measurement methods, the team scrutinized an OFET made of single-crystal rubrene, an organic semiconductor with a molecule shaped a bit like a microscale insect. Their measurements revealed that electrical resistance at the source electrodethe contact point where current is injected into the OFET significantly influences the subsequent flow of electrons in the transistor channel, and hence the mobility.

In effect, contact resistance at the source electrode creates the equivalent of a second valve that controls the entry of current into the transistor channel. Unaccounted for in the standard theory, this valve can overwhelm the gatethe de facto regulator between the source and drain in a silicon semiconductor transistorand become the dominant influence on transistor behavior.

At low gate voltages, this contact resistance at the source can overwhelm device operation. Consequently, model-based estimates of charge-carrier mobility in organic semiconductors may be more than 10 times higher than the actual value, the research team reports.

Hardly ideal behavior, but the aim of the study, the researchers write, is to improve understanding of the source of the non-ideal behavior and its impact on extracted figures of merit, especially charge-carrier mobility. This knowledge, they add, can inform efforts to develop accurate, comprehensive measurement methods for benchmarking organic semiconductor performance, as well as guide efforts to optimize contact interfaces.

E. G. Bittle, J. I. Basham, T. N. Jackson, O. D. Jurchescu, and D. J. Gundlach, Mobility overestimation due to gated contacts in organic field-effect transistors, Nature Communications 7, Article number: 10908, March 10, 2016; http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms10908
A road map for advancing women in tech

Los Angeles, California - The importance of quality mentorships is one of eight key recommendations in a new Luskin Center for Innovation report about strategies for increasing diversity and retaining women in high-tech careers.

The Luskin Center report, What Are We Missing? Rethinking Public, Private and Nonprofit Strategies to Advance Women in Technology, is a compilation of feedback from those who attended the April 2015 Women in Tech conference at UCLA and a review of salient literature. The Luskin Center is part of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.

The conference brought together 250 influential leaders in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. With a focus on systemic change, the conference strategically explored ways to reduce inequality in the tech sector in three main categories: personal, private and public. The conference was sponsored in part by Google and Cisco.

The most important feedback we received from the people who attended - accomplished men and women at all levels of private tech companies, government agencies, nonprofits, startups, academia - was the importance of mentorship, said Rebecca Sadwick, co-author of the report, one of the conference organizers and a former project manager at the Luskin Center. The importance of informal mentorship to career advancement didnt occur to me before we began. Or how these mentorships tend not to cross gender lines. But the importance of understanding this and actively seeking resources to advance men and womens careers equitably is vital.

According to the study, technology is one of the fastest growing and most profitable fields. Yet, in the U.S., women and minorities continue to be underrepresented at every stage of the tech pipeline. Despite recent efforts by prominent companies to address the gender and diversity gaps, womens representation in both technical and executive leadership roles has not greatly improved.

We are entering into a digital era which will require millions of new tech-related positions to be filled, the report states. To the detriment of the American workforce and economy, we currently lack the talent to fill such positions. Educating, recruiting, hiring and retaining women and minorities in STEM professions would not only increase companys profitability but it would alleviate the societal and economic repercussions of disenfranchising half of the workforce.

We have this push to educate computer science to all students, said Sarah Godoy, lead researcher on the Digital Technology Initiative at the Luskin Center. Its wonderful, but if women get into the marketplace, and theyre going in looking for a career, and if they work for a company that doesnt value them, then theyre not going to succeed. Theyre dropping off.

There needs to be more strategies from both the private and public sectors to really affect change comprehensively, Godoy added.

Eight overarching themes emerged from the literature review and crowd-sourced knowledge from UCLAs conference. These themes served to guide the report:

Using data to assess diversity Providing female entrepreneurs with access to funding models that reduce bias Focusing on the hiring process to reduce subconscious biases Standardizing performance reviews Increasing quality mentorship Expanding public-private partnerships Building upon mandate-driven public policies Commitment to diversity at all levels of leadership

The report outlines strategies for startup and small companies, medium and large companies, resource providers, the public sector, and academia and the education pipeline.

We knew going into the conference that public policy strategies were limited and fragmented, but the research that followed really underscored just how limited public strategies are, Sadwick said. With few exceptions, strategies to advance women and diversity in the tech sector remain fragmented by state and local municipalities.

Companies themselves still play the most direct role in addressing the diversity gap, Sadwick added. Companies that make it a priority at all levels of leadership to counter systemic inequalities that limit their talent pool have remarkable success.

Lessons learned from the companies that get it right can be the guideposts for everybody, according to the study.

By observing the strategies that have been effective in other companies and countries, Sadwick said, and measuring the impact of the tactics tried throughout an organization, they are more likely to implement tactics that directly impact their companys ability to attract and retain top talent of all backgrounds.
Biophysicists Discover How Hydra Opens Its Mouth

San Diego, California - A team of biologists and physicists at UC San Diego has uncovered in detail the dynamic process that allows the multi-tentacle Hydra, a tiny freshwater animal distantly related to the sea anemone, to open and close its mouth.

The researchers report their findings in the current issue of Biophysical Journal. They say their discovery not only solves a long-standing puzzle of how Hydra feeds, but also enabled them to address a complex phenomenon in a living animal using relatively simple physics.

The reasons why this work is exciting is that there are very few systems in which you can do quantitative measurements in vivo, said Eva-Maria S. Collins, an assistant professor of biology and physics at UC San Diego who headed the research team. Hydra is such a simple organism; it allows us to perform controlled perturbations and quantitative measurements in the natural context.

Known for its ability to regenerate its body when ripped apart, Hydra must tear a hole through its epithelial tissue each time it opens its mouth. But the biomechanics of how it achieves this feat at the cellular level was unknown, basically because biologists couldnt see it.

The development of transgenic Hydra several years ago by Robert Steele of UC Irvine, however, has enabled biologists for the first time to track individual cells within the freshwater animal. Steele, who is a co-author of the paper, provided transgenic Hydra with green fluorescent and red fluorescent proteins tagged to cytoplasmic proteins in its ectodermal and endodermal epithelial cells, respectively. This allowed the team of researchers, which included UC San Diego biology masters student Jason Carter and postdoctoral fellow Callen Hyland, to observe the cellular dynamics of the opening of the Hydras mouth for the first time.

Because mouth opening involves major morphological changes, other biologists had suggested that in order to open its mouth, Hydra had to rearrange the positions of the cells between its tentacles to create and then expand the opening. But through live imaging, the UC San Diego scientists discovered that the process by which Hydra opened its mouth fully occurred on fairly fast time scales, on the order of 60 seconds.

Its fascinating that Hydra has to tear a hole every time it opens its mouth, said Collins. And that this process happens so quick; this was the first indication to us that mouth opening did not involve cellular rearrangements.

By tracking the position of the tagged cells and analyzing the changes in position, the researchers confirmed that the process did not involve rearrangement of cells. Instead, using shape analysis, they discovered that mouth opening was achieved through dramatic elastic deformations of the cells surrounding the mouth.

The driving force responsible for mouth opening are radially oriented contractile elements called myonemes in the animals ectodermal cells, which basically act like muscles. This was confirmed experimentally by using magnesium chloride, a muscle relaxant, which prevented the mouth from opening.

The scientists also found in their experiments that individual Hydra were able to open their mouths consecutively by different amounts, varying up to an order in magnitude in final opening area. However, by scaling each opening curve by its maximum opening, they found that the relative rate of opening was conserved, suggesting that the degree to which the mouth opens is controlled by nerve signaling.

Collins said that because Hydra is such a simple animal and because it is able to regenerate after complete dissociation into individual cells, it offers researchers the opportunity to use similar techniques as the ones employed in their experiments to examine how an organism develops from an unstructured group of cells into a complex body plan.

We can now use this system to examine more closely two processes that are fundamental to all organisms: tissue formation and patterning, she said.
DOEs Innovative Small Business Vouchers Pilot Selects 33 Small Businesses for Lab Collaboration

Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced that 33 small businesses have been selected to work directly with DOE national labs to accelerate the transformation toward a clean energy economy. The selected businesses will be afforded access to world-class laboratory resources to help move these innovative ideas and technologies closer to the marketplace.

The department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy will invest nearly $6.7 million under Round 1 of the new Small Business Vouchers (SBV) pilot. These partnerships between clean energy small businesses and DOE national laboratories help promote economic development and American innovation by pairing DOE's unparalleled laboratory resources and expertise with small business drive and creativity.

Across the nation, small businesses provide a tremendous opportunity to accelerate America's clean energy economy. Small businesses develop innovative technology and produce more than 15 times as many patents per employee as larger patenting firms, according to the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy. Through these SBV projects, the department and its laboratories will gain valuable private sector insight into the technological and commercialization challenges facing the clean tech economy.

"The U.S. Department of Energy is firmly committed to maximizing the impact of the national lab system on the clean energy economy," said Dr. David Danielson, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. "The Small Business Vouchers pilot allows innovative entrepreneurs greater access to the world-class resources and brilliant minds in our labs. These partnerships can help small businesses solve their most pressing technical challenges - and help bring clean energy technologies to commercialization much faster."

The selected small businesses, from more than 20 states, will work with scientists at nine department laboratories--Oak Ridge National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

SBV is a collaborative, national effort that provides $20 million for U.S. companies to help improve industry awareness of national laboratory capabilities and provide small and mid-size businesses access to the resources available within the national laboratory system. Vouchers range from $50,000-300,000.

The companies were competitively chosen from a pool of hundreds of applications. Almost 40 percent of the businesses represent new DOE-industry partnerships and relationships with the national labs. Building on the tremendous response of Round 1, the department also announced today it will start accepting applications for Round 2 of the SBV pilot. A total of $13 million worth of funding remains; over the course of the year, up to 100 vouchers will be awarded.

For Round 1, the small businesses and laboratories will collaborate on advancing several clean energy technologies, including water, wind, bioenergy, solar, buildings, vehicles, fuel cells, geothermal technologies, and advanced manufacturing. Specifics follow for each area.

Water: Work in the water area will focus on developing technologies to convert the ocean's waves, as well as other sources, such as canals, into clean, cost-competitive energy;

Wind: Work in the wind area will focus on eliminating market barriers for the adoption of commercial wind turbines by improving prediction models;

Bioenergy: Work in the bioenergy area will focus on improving methods and processes for converting cellulosic biomass into usable bio-based chemicals, made from renewable, domestic components;

Solar: Work in the solar area will focus on developing new, more efficient solar collectors, as well as integrating new solar technologies into the grid;

Buildings: Work in the buildings area will focus on improving the efficiency and cost effectiveness of building energy systems, including HVAC systems;

Vehicles: Work in the vehicles area will focus on improved technologies for making vehicles safer, more efficient, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions;

Fuel Cells: Work in the fuel cells area will focus on developing several projects, whose aims include creating cheaper, more durable fuel cells;

Geothermal: Work in the geothermal area will focus on improving tools used to access and test geothermal power;

Advanced Manufacturing: Work in the advanced manufacturing area will focus on reducing manufacturing costs, optimizing methods and evaluating new processes in applications for 3D printing, LED devices, sensors, catalyst development, and bio-derived lignin, as well as developing pathways toward zero-emissions fuel cell electric vehicles.

To see a full list of small businesses competitively selected under Round 1, please visit www.sbv.org.
NIST Participates in Hannover Messe 2016 as the U.S. Serves as the Official Partner Country

Washington, DC - Hannover Messe is the worlds largest trade show for industrial technology, and an excellent opportunity for U.S. companies, institutions, and economic development organizations! Hannover Messe is five industry-leading leading trade shows in one, with separate pavilions for Industrial Automation, Industrial Supply, Digital Factory, Energy, and Research and Technology.

Established in 1947, Hannover Messe attracts more than 200,000 attendees from 70 countries. For the first time in the Fairs history, the United States will be the partner country, which provides American businesses and economic development organizations an unprecedented opportunity to be prominently featured in U.S. exhibition halls and during special events.



The Department of Commerce will also host the U.S. Investment Pavilion, a centerpiece of the fair and host to state and local economic development organization exhibitors.

http://www.hannovermesse.de/home
The IMO AGM in the Clarion Hotel, Sligo, later this month will be held under the theme A new prescription for health.

According to the latest available AGM 2016 programme, IMO members will be able to attend a number of interesting educational sessions between March 31 and April 3, including one on Keeping politics out of healthcare policy  the first session on Friday, April 1  which will examine the relationship between politics and health, and asks how medical practitioners can ensure policy decisions in healthcare are evidence-based.

Bearing in mind that just 0.3 per cent of the Irish healthcare budget goes into healthcare research, the AGM will discuss the need for more data and research to ensure policy decisions in healthcare are evidence-based. Guest speakers to address the topic include Noel Whelan and Dr Ronan Glynn.

Two further sessions the following day (April 2) will be on Protecting the doctor-patient relationship  dangers of corporates, and Preserving medical professionalism in an increasingly commercial healthcare environment.

Prof Allyson Pollock, Professor of Public Health Research and Policy at Queen Mary, University of London and author of NHS plc: the Privatisation of Our Health Care, is the guest speaker for this session, and has spoken out in the past against the corporatisation of the NHS and commercial interests that are taking over healthcare in the UK.

Two of the four CPD workshops on Business of Practice  Session for GP Trainees and Newly Established GPs, and, Advocacy and Whistle-blowing, kick-off on Thursday, March 31, while Fridays workshop is on, Mobile Health, Telemedicine and Patient Confidentiality, and will look at how the growth of new technology is changing healthcare, simultaneously raising issues of data protection and patient safety.

lloyd.mudiwa@imt.ie
The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is due to commence a first review of the implementation of the recent Emergency Department (ED) escalation policy agreement at a meeting with the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), the HSE and the Department of Health next Monday (March 14).

In advance of this, the INMO was due to convene a national meeting on Wednesday (March 9) of its representatives in EDs to review the local implementation of the agreement. The INMO said it continued to implement the WRC agreement, which included a system-wide escalation policy and the requirement to recruit additional staff.

Meanwhile, INMO Trolley/Ward Watch figures have reported an 8 per cent reduction in the number of admitted patients on trolleys, in February 2016 compared to February 2015. Last month, there were 8,885 admitted patients, on trolleys, as compared to 9,657 in same month in 2015.

An increase between 2014 and 2016 of 23 per cent was reported and there was an increase between 2013 and 2016 of 61 per cent.

However, looking back further, between 2012 and 2016, 2009-2016, and 2008-2016, there were increase of 24 per cent, 60 per cent and 74 per cent. respectively.

When the figures are examined on a hospital-by-hospital basis they confirm a mixed picture, with some hospitals showing reductions. These include Letterkenny Hospital (-373), Connolly Hospital (-263), Wexford General Hospital (-227), Drogheda (-185) and Beaumont (-111).

Other hospitals continued to show a worsening situation, including CUH (+193), St Vincents (+173), University Hospital Waterford (+153), St Lukes, Kilkenny (+62), and Tullamore (+56).

These figures confirmed that the system, notwithstanding some increased capacity, continued to be under unsustainable pressure, the INMO said. The ongoing crowding compromised patient care and the working environment of nursing staff, the union said.

INMO General Secretary Liam Doran said: While this marginal reduction is welcome, the figures confirm we continue to face a deep crisis with regard to EDs. In the context of these figures, at this review, the INMO will be requiring swifter implementation, of all aspects of the agreement, in the interests of patient care and our members working in the frontline.

gary.culliton@imt.ie
Sikh Man Breaks into Bhangra in 'Legendary Welcome' to Friend at Heathrow Airport
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How can you make ruins look even worse than they do already? That is the question that's been raised by some restoration attempts in the last several years. Whether it's the work of cost-cutting governments, plucky amateurs or hapless experts, there seems to be a myriad of ways to spoil a piece of cultural heritage.

The latest example comes in the form of El Castillo de Matrera, a ninth century Spanish castle that became a national monument in 1949. After it was damaged by rain in 2013, a project was set up to restore it to its former glory. Three years later, and it's now like no-one has ever seen if before, and not in a good way. Each brick seems to have been stuck onto a marble block, partially covering the strange white walls like some sort of grey ivy.

The restoration has been described as a "heritage massacre" by one Spanish conservation group. In a statement on their website, Hispania Nostra said:

The consolidation and restoration  as the architects involved call it  [is] truly lamentable and has left locals and foreigners deeply shocked. Comments arent really necessary when youve seen the photographs. Foreigners have written to us saying they cant understand why these follies [...] still go on. And that is indeed what they are.

As well as upsetting locals, the project has also been widely mocked on the internet. And this is by no means the first time such a cock-up  or amusing disaster, depending on which way you look it it  has happened. Here are five more restoration failures where you may not know whether to laugh or cry:

1. Ecce Homo  Spain, 2012

(AP)

A note to anyone in charge of a highly valuable Jesus fresco  do not let let an elderly woman called Cecilia Gimenez anywhere near it. In 2012 she decided to pick up a paint brush and have a go at restoring Ecce Homo, a painting by Elias Garcia Martinez that had been on the wall of her local church for almost 100 years. Unfortunately, she ended up producing what looked much more like a monkey than the Messiah, and her work quickly transformed into a hilarious internet meme. Although some people didn't find it funny  namely, most of Spain. However, it turns out that her botched job put her small town on the map, and has brought in over 150,000 tourists since 2012.

2. Yunjie temple frescos  China, 2013

One of the ancient frescos that are currently covered by cartoon-like paintings in Yunjie Temple in Chaoyang (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

The current fresco in Yunjie Temple in Chaoyang (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Can you spot what went wrong here? Your eyes aren't deceiving you: local Chinese officials actually thought it would be ok to paint over the centuries-old paintings of the Yunjie Temple with scenes reminiscent of Disney's Mulan. They had hired an unqualified local company to do the work, and didn't even request approval from the provincial government. Those responsible were promptly sacked, but it was too late. As one Chinese blogger wrote at the time, "The last trace of history inside [the temple] has been erased."

3. Tutankhamun's burial mask  Egypt, 2015

The burial mask of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun is one of Egypts biggest tourist attractions (Getty)

There was outrage last year after the beard of Tutankhamun's mask  one of Egypt's most visited tourist attractions  was found affixed to his face with a big crust of super glue (you can see the photos here). Eight museum workers were accused of being behind the botched job, and now face charges for negligence and violating professional standards. It is believed that the Pharoah's facial hair was either accidentally knocked off before the desperate attempt to reaffix it, or that it was removed after becoming loose.

4. The Tree of Fertility  Italy, 2011

This 13th century fresco found itself at the centre of a censorship row after so-called resoration experts managed to remove many of the penises that decorated its leafy centrepiece (you can see the photos here). Those responsible for the restoration responded to accusations that they had "castrated" the painting by saying that it was already damaged beforehand, and that there was nothing they could have done.

5. The last remaining portraits of Shakespeare  England, 2009

The portrait of Shakespeare before and after its restoration (Folger Shakespeare Library)

After two of the only-known portraits of William Shakespeare were restored in 1988 and 2002, it looked like all had gone well and ended well. Details thought to have been unnecessarily added to each painting had been gently wiped off, revealing a much fresher faced Bard below. But several years later it was revealed that the images had in fact been altered over Shakespeare's life in order to reflect his age, leaving everyone involved with a face even redder than the one they had given old Will.
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As Ballard-ian places go, an abandoned 1970s leisure-centre on the edge of Bangor, Northern Ireland, isnt bad.

The Speedo swimming-pool clock, which decades ago looked down on chlorinated birthday parties and school lessons, now sits motionless above a waterless deep end.

Here, in desolate former gymnasia and decaying squash-courts, JG Ballards novel High-Rise, published in 1975, is being adapted for the screen.

At the heart of this adaptation is the independent film-producer Jeremy Thomas who, for more than 40 years, has made films with a bewilderingly extensive catalogue of auteur directors that includes David Cronenberg, Nicolas Roeg, and Bernardo Bertolucci, with whom he won nine Academy Awards for The Last Emperor.

The films he had produced all required courage and ambition, Bertolucci tells me. He was the indie producer we all dreamed of.

He is, High-Rises director Ben Wheatley says, almost like a genre himself: the last of the great international cigar-smoking producers. The British producer is the last of a dying breed: an independent operator who stands between the money and the creativity, producing big-screen art films that are often way ahead of their time.

High-Rise, which stars Tom Hiddleston as the smoothly adaptable Dr Laing, sits firmly in the middle of the Thomas canon. It is a sophisticated film made by people with sophisticated taste. In Ballards novel, the veneer of civilisation is stripped away as the privately-developed towers services begin to malfunction, sending its well-heeled residents spiralling into a feral struggle for supremacy in which rape, murder and the eating of dogs is blithely accepted.

The film is also a testament to Thomass friendship with Ballard, whom he got to know in the 1990s when he produced Crash.

The movie was a scandal, banned in Westminster by politicians who hadnt seen it and inspiring the Evening Standard headline, A film beyond the bounds of depravity. Ballard loved it.

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Thomas describes Ballard as a prophet, a very happy man who was troubled by the world  because how can you not be? Its a voice reminiscent of jazz poetry, says Wheatley, you have to pay close attention. Often Thomas connects thoughts in fragments. Speaking of the potential appeal of his latest film, he says: High-Rise. Ben Wheatley. Ballard. Fabulous. Poetry.

Bertolucci recalls a producer with the enthusiasm of a teenager, ginger-blond hair and the reassurance of a teddy bear. I decided on the spot to put the film in his hands.

This still-enthusiastic, still teddy-bear-ish man works with the kinds of budgets Hollywood looks down its nose at. Without millions of marketing dollars, Thomass films live or die on their quality and cultural cachet.

Today, Thomas says that he has a particular recipe for how I put my films together: independent films with unusual and original themes with specialised material that is not treading the usual path I dont know how to make a blockbuster. Whats interested me over all these years sits squarely in the counter-culture.

He didnt always recognise this. When he produced his first film, Mad Dog Morgan, in 1976, Thomas was in his mid-20s. Out in the Australian bush with a crew in excess of 100 and a star, Dennis Hopper, in the most extreme stupor of excess, the producer thought he was making a Peckinpah film, with many explosions and people being hacked to pieces.

Mad Dog Morgan was an interesting choice for a producer who grew up amid the great churning mill of the British popular-film industry. Thomass father, the director Ralph Thomas, made a string of hit movies in the two decades following the Second World War.

His uncle, Gerald Thomas, directed all 31 of the Carry On films. My first memory is playing on the set of Carry On Sergeant, in 1958, Thomas says. I was born in Ealing near the studios, moved to a country house near Pinewood, where I grew up around people who I didnt realise were Katharine Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot and Dirk Bogarde.

Thomas went straight from the boarding school Millfield to a job in a film laboratory, aged 17. He quickly worked his way up until, in his early twenties, he was editing Ken Loachs 1973 TV film, A Misfortune.

Meeting Loach was a pivotal moment. My father wasnt what youd call a Tory, says Thomas, but he fought in the war, got a Military Cross and had middle-class values When I met Ken, I didnt have a philosophy. I listened to him and my eyes were opened to a completely different kind of politics. I started thinking about the rights and wrongs of the world and it changed my outlook on things a lot. Loach remembers Thomas as a good lad to have around.

The Doctor and Carry On films that Thomass father and uncle made represented everything that Loach and the British New Wave were kicking against, and the younger Thomas was carried forward on the rising tide of his generation. Seeing his father and very funny uncle Gerald work had a big impression on him, but sub-consciously, I moved in a different direction and from the beginning of my time choosing what to produce, I revered the off-beat.

A still from the film High-Rise

On Hanway Street, Soho, the off-beat lives and breathes in the offices of the production company Thomas founded in 1974, and of his international sales arm.

Here, a whip from David Cronenbergs Naked Lunch, there, a samurai sword from Takashi Miikes 13 Assassins. Thomas shows me a Donald Duck cell signed to Jeremy from Walt Disney, and a Best Picture envelope sent to him after the 1987 Oscars by Eddie Murphy.

They perch above a wall of photos that includes Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast and a Polaroid of Dennis Hopper in New Mexico, faded now. Hopper remained a treasured friend of Thomas, who often returns to the admiration he has for the master film-makers he has worked with: Ken Loach, Nicolas Roeg, Nagisa Oshima, Bernardo Bertolucci.

The admiration is mutual. After many movies and many years I look at his career and admire somebody who can today be as ambitious as he was when I first met him, says Bertolucci. Jeremy doesnt know it but he has inspired me many times when I was feeling empty, drained and hopeless.

I think Jeremy has always been a champion of individuals and, to some extent, the rebels of cinema, says Hiddleston, You can see hes interested in and incredibly supportive of filmmakers who are... independent.

My conversations with Thomas are not without melancholy, though. In his Academy Award acceptance speech for The Last Emperor, he said the films victory was a real affirmation for me that independent cinema can be epic and popular. He no longer believes this. Digital effects and a lack of money mean that ambitious independent films either dont have to be made  or, more often, cant be made  on location with large crews.

He remains, though, smuggling the impossible into reality through the medium of film. Thats one of my private theories. Its about smuggling these counter-cultural ideas into our culture through third parties.

High-Rise is out on 18 March
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Halle Berry is in talks to join the cast of Kingsman 2.

If she signs the deal, as reported by Deadline, she'll be secured to play the head of the CIA for both Kingsman 2 and a second, presumably planned sequel for the highly-successful espionage spoof; with the first originally grossing over $415M globally for studio 20th Century Fox.

Also rumoured is Julianne Moore, who's been pitched as the follow-up villain to Samuel L. Jackson's Richmond Valentine. Both Moore and Berry's attachment, alongside Colin Firth's Harry Hart in the first film, proves the Kingsman franchise is turning out quite attractive to Oscar-winners; though its stark mix of ultra-violence and dark humour is perhaps attractive precisely because it's the ultimate opposite of schmaltzy awards bait.

Filming is set to commence in May, with star Taron Egerton hinting the production is will become a rather international affair, which is presumably how both Moore's villain and Berry's CIA head could become interlinked in the action.

Egerton is confirmed to return as Eggsy. Obvious reasons may abstain Firth from returning; and though director Matthew Vaughn did hint he may be able to work something out for the gentleman's spy, it appears as if those hopes have now been subdued.

Kingsman 2 is set for a US release on 16 June 2017, though there's no confirmation on when the film will be released in the UK.
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The internet fell to pieces over the surprise appearance of your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man at the end of Captain America: Civil War's final trailer.

It's a testament to the sheer popularity of the character that we've reached a third onscreen iteration of the character in the space of 14 years; yet everyone still has the energy to lose their minds over 10 seconds of a new Spidey.

Though, in the majority, we were dealing with a lot of (justified) incoherent screaming at that shield-grab, flip, and meek "Hey, everybody"; the denizens of the internet, being as they are, also had plenty of jokes up their sleeves, too.



One thing that's immediately striking about new Spidey is his youthfulness; with Marvel finally deciding to cast an actor more appropriate to the high schooler Peter Parker of the comics. Actor Tom Holland is 19-years-old; which is why Tony Stark so obviously feels obliged to call him "underoos", the name of a US brand of children's underwear. It didn't stop the jokes rolling in, though.





Sure, not everyone was entirely happy with Spidey's new appearance. Some called the suit and its squinting eyes a little too CGI-looking for their tastes; others appear to have simply reached their limit of new Spider-Man actors.





We'll get to see exactly how the MCU's own Spidey matches up to his predecessors when Captain America: Civil War hits UK theatres 29 April.
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For those of you worried that the Trainspotting sequel may be nothing more than a pipe dream, your concerns will dissipate with the knowledge that filming is officially underway.

Danny Boyle confirmed the news in a post via Humans of Edinburgh's Facebook page where he revealed he had returned to the Scottish capital for the first time since filming his 1996 cult.

"Coming back to Edinburgh has actually been really fascinating, since filming the first Trainspotting. Edinburgh has changed dramatically," he wrote.

Things have changed quite a bit since the film's release in 1996: for starters, McGregor has since played Obi-Wan Kenobi in George Lucas' Star Wars prequels and Boyle is no longer a relative British newcomer but a globally successful Oscar-winning filmmaker (taking home the trophy for Slumdog Millionaire in 2009).

The sequel will be based on Welsh's sequel Porno which was released in 2002; the author and Carlyle - who played Begbie - are set to discuss the character's influence during a talk hosted by the Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) in April.

The original centered on the lives of a group of heroin addicts residing in Edinburgh during the late Eighties.

No title or release date has yet been announced.
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There are two new events on the UK festival calendar this year. But theyre not brought to us by any of the major promoters.Theyre put on by stars themselves: in this case, Madness and Nile Rodgers.

Twenty thousand Madness fans are scheduled to attend the bands new one-day event, House of Common, on Clapham Common, south London, on the August bank holiday. The headliners (Madness, of course) will be joined by 20 like-minded bands and DJs chosen by the band.

Madness are no strangers to putting on an event; House of Common follows their Madstock! festival which first took place as a reunion concert in 1992, and was such a success that they repeated it three times, with a revival in 2009.

A statement from the band suggests House of Common will be annual. Meanwhile, 15,000 people will attend Nile Rodgerss three-day festival from 24 to 26 June, at Fulham Palace in south London.

Buy tickets for House of Common

Aside from being a mere vanity project (putting on your own festival automatically bumps you up to headliner), theres a lot to be gained by a band putting on their own festival rather than just turning up to play at an event and receiving a cheque.

Its a chance to curate the bill, giving a platform to rising artists they admire and whose careers they want to boost, and also putting on bands theyve long revered. Fans trust the tastes of their favourite band, as proven by the successful musicians-curated All Tomorrows Parties festivals.

Artists and artist-managers are looking at new ways to invigorate how they approach a headline show, and taking control of this and therefore hosting and curating an event of their own seems the most logical thing to do, says promoter Tom Baker, who runs Field Day.

Musicians and Actors on Growing Old Disgracefully Show all 5 1 /5 Musicians and Actors on Growing Old Disgracefully Musicians and Actors on Growing Old Disgracefully Lemmy The Motorhead frontman recently revealed his excessive lifestyle - rumoured to involve drinking a bottle of whisky a day - had to be scaled back after he started being unable to stand up during a recent show. Getty Images Musicians and Actors on Growing Old Disgracefully Willie-Nelson 82-year-old Nelson says he started smoking cigarettes when he was just six, and that his love affair with marijuana was the smoothest of all his marriages. He even has his own brand of marijuana called 'Willies Reserve'. Getty Musicians and Actors on Growing Old Disgracefully Shane-MacGowan The Pogues singer was kicked out the band in the nineties for his excessive drinking, and was given just six weeks to live, and is still partial to a G&T after a doctor suggested he stick to clear liquids. Getty Musicians and Actors on Growing Old Disgracefully Keith-Richards The Rolling Stone guitarist is still a fan of marijuana. "I smoke regularly, an early morning joint. Strictly Californian, he told Mojo. Getty Images Musicians and Actors on Growing Old Disgracefully Jack-Nicholson The legendary actor knows his limits, even if they are extreme. Ive woken up in trees, Ive woken up almost hanging off cliffs, but Ive always known how to sort myself out. Getty Images

It gives the headline bands a platform to showcase artists they are fans of. Mumford and Sons are a perfect example when they staged an excellent series of mini-festivals in Cape Town, South Africa with local but rapidly rising artists John Wizards and Beatenberg.

And with bands no longer able to rely on record sales, there are the elements of self-promotion and reaching out to a wider net of fans, and revenue.

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Bands have experience when it comes to what works at festivals. Folk-pop band Keston Cobblers Club, who started Camp Wildfire in 2015 having played getting on for 100 festivals over the years, wanted to create an event with a difference.

Madness' House of Common follows their Madstock! festival which first took place as a reunion concert in 1992

I had never been to any festival where the main focus wasnt on listening to music all day, band member Jules Lowe explains. We wanted adults to go back to work on a Monday with far more than just a hangover.

At Wildfire, you can pack your days with adventure sports, expeditions, puzzles; the style is loosely based on a 1950s British scout camp, but actually feels quite other-worldly.

They keep the line-up and location secret, just like In the Woods, the tiny 1,000-capacity boutique festival from members of Laurel Collective, creating an exclusive atmosphere.

For David Gedge, the creative core of both indie band The Wedding Present and orchestral-pop band Cinerama, the festival hes held since 2009  At the Edge of the Sea  is a chance for both his acts to perform. The idea for a festival came over breakfast at a Wakefield Little Chef while on tour with The Wedding Present: The conversation turned to the huge number of bands wed met over the years.

"Many of these people have remained good friends and we were discussing how it was a shame that we didnt get to see them more often. Then I had the idea of an annual event to which we could invite all the bands weve encountered and also bands that we wanted to see ourselves.

A festival needs to stand out. For Gedge, its about providing the unexpected. The last thing I want is for At the Edge of the Sea to be just a bunch of indie bands, so I go out of my way to try and invite artists who are going to do something slightly unusual. A highlight for me was in 2012 when we had an orchestra of saw players. The first band to play in 2009 were on stilts.

Perhaps the most long-standing music festival run by a band is Beautiful Days held by The Levellers since 2003. It began as an alternative to corporate festivals, to bring weirdness back into music festivals.

Nile Rodgers came up with the idea for his own event in 2012 at Montreux, when the jazz-festival organisers discussed honouring the Chic frontman.

Rodgers suggested honouring the artists who played a part in his career, including Grace Jones, Taylor Dayne, Alison Moyet, Mark Ronson and Felix da Housecat: We did 11 continuous hours of dance music. I was trying to show that seemingly disparate artists work extremely well together, he said. It inspired his first Fold, at Marthas Vineyard last August.

This years first UK Fold spans genres, with Alison Moyet, The Thompson Twins Tom Bailey, John Newman, Emin, Grace, Angie Stone, and Incognito, and Chic headlining all three nights.

Band festivals guarantee a unity among the crowd from a shared love of the band putting on the event. And that creates a magical atmosphere for all, not just the headliners.
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Exactly a year ago, the woman Pitchfork once called a human Tumblr took to the medium to explain why she scrapped her entire fourth album.

The album was scrapped cuz it was depressing and I didnt want to tour it, wrote Canada's Claire Boucher, the internet phenomenon better known as Grimes.

Art Angels, when it arrived last November, bubbled with righteousness. It traced its roots in the technicolour dreamland of Visions, through K-pop, classical music and the manufactured bubblegum of Mariah Carey or Katy Perry.

Grimes went from name-checked outsider to gamechanging proposition: a female pop star who writes, records and produces crossover hits that leave the work of massive major label teams in the shade.

So the screaming that starts up at Brixton Academy before Grimes is even on stage - hysterical Bieber or Swift-pitch screams that don't fit with the dolled-up hipsters present - isnt unexpected. But the woman they're waiting for can out-scream everyone in the venue.

Grimes has grappled with being a one-woman band, trapped behind keyboards and synths at shows. Now she owns the front of the stage, flanked by dancers, mic in hand. On Realiti, one of the few tracks to survive from the lost interim album, she bounds towards the crowd and bounces back as if propelled by their singing.

Hey guys! she squeals when the lights come up between songs, breathlessly introducing Scream, in which she raps in Russian, then Venus Fly, a collaboration with Janelle Monae that has strains of Beyonces Run The World (Girls).

So much of what Grimes writes could and maybe will be repurposed for mainstream, charting artists. But when she gets to keep the songs for herself, as with Go, the results are explosive. A massive EDM number written for Rihanna, Go gets the crowd so riled up under the neon lights that someone throws a bra onstage. Grimes giggles and steps over it to press a button.

Hey guys! Please drink water and be careful not to crush your peers! She squeaks before Oblivion, the biggest hit off Visions. It feels stately next to the crystalised hyperactivity of her newer material.

By the next Hey guys!, Grimes can barely be heard. She is forced to wait, pretending to hide behind her hair, as Brixton erupts in applause.

Music festivals guide 2016 Show all 20 1 /20 Music festivals guide 2016 Music festivals guide 2016 Horizon Where: Bansko Ski Resort, Bulgaria When: 12-17 March Price: From 175 Line Up: Ame, Goldie, Nina Kraviz, John Talabot, Lady Leshurr, Craig Charles Music festivals guide 2016 Live At Leeds Where: Leeds, UK When: 30 April Price: 32.50 Line Up: Jess Glynne, Circa Waves, Mystery Jets, Band of Skulls, We Are Scientists Music festivals guide 2016 Primavera Sound Where: Barcelona, Spain When: 1-5 June Price: 175 Line Up: Radiohead, LCD Soundsystem, Sigur Ros, PJ Harvey, Tame Impala, Beach House, Suede, The Last Shadow Puppets Primavera Music festivals guide 2016 Best Kept Secret Where: Hilvarenbeek, The Netherlands When: 17-19 June Price: 147.50 Line Up: Beck, Editors, Two Door Cinema Club, Beach House, Bloc Party, Caribou, Half Moon Run Best Kept Secret Festival Music festivals guide 2016 Glastonbury Where: Worthy Farm, Somerset When: 22-26 June Price: 220 Line Up: Coldplay, Muse, Jeff Lynnes ELO, PJ Harvey, Jess Glynne (TBC) Music festivals guide 2016 Roskilde Where: Copenhagen, Denmark When: 25 June-2 July Price: 2,020 DKK Line Up: LCD Soundsystem, New Order, PJ Harvey, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foals, Tame Impala, Savages, Skepta, Tenacious D Simon Frsig Christensen / Roskilde Festival Music festivals guide 2016 Hideout Festival Where: Zrce Beach, Croatia When: 26-30 June Price: From 152.90 Line Up: The Martinez Brothers, Joris Voorn, Waze & Odyssey Hideout Festival Music festivals guide 2016 Bilbao BBK Where: Bilbao, Spain When: 7-9 July Price: From 69 Line Up: Arcade Fire, Pixies, Tame Impala, Foals, New Order, Hot Chip, Father John Misty, Years & Years, Wolf Alice Music festivals guide 2016 Open'er Where: Gdynia, Poland When: 29 July-2 August Price: From 130 Line Up: Bastille, Florence + the Machine, Foals, LCD Soundsystem, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The 1975, The Last Shadow Puppets, Wiz Khalifa Open'er Festival Music festivals guide 2016 Electric Love Where: Plainfeld, Austria When: 7-9 July Price: 119 Line Up: Alesso, Zedd, Tiesto, Chase & Status, Steve Aoki, Knife Party Music festivals guide 2016 Melt! Where: Ferropolis, Germany When: 15-17 July Price: From 136 Line Up: Two Door Cinema Club, Disclosure, Jamie xx, Sleaford Mods, Skepta, Jamie Woon Music festivals guide 2016 Sziget Where: Budapest, Hungary When: 10-17 August Price: From 215 Line Up: Bastille, Bloc Party, M83, Sigur Ros, Bring Me the Horizon Music festivals guide 2016 Flow Where: Helsinki, Finland When: 12-14 August Price: 165 Line Up: Sia, New Order, The Last Shadow Puppets, Jamie xx, M83, Chvrches, Four Tet, Stormzy, Daughter, The Kills Flow Festival / Jussi Hellsten Music festivals guide 2016 Rock En Seine Where: Paris, France When: 26-28 August Price: From 119 Line Up: TBC Music festivals guide 2016 Oasis Where: Marrakech, Morocco When: 16-18 September Price: From 110 Line Up: Bicep, Derrick May, Tale of Us, Dixon, Dusky, Hunee Music festivals guide 2016 Latitude Where: Henham Park, Suffolk When: 14-17 July Price: 205.50 Line Up: The Maccabees, The National, New Order, John Grant, Beirut, Father John Misty, Chvrches, Grimes Music festivals guide 2016 Bestival Where: Robin Hill, Isle of Wight When: 8-11 September Price: 190 Line Up: The Cure, Major Lazer, Hot Chip, Fatboy Slim, Craig David, Years & Years, Wolf Alice, Tourist, Katy B Music festivals guide 2016 Isle of Wight Where: Newport, Isle of Wight When: 9-12 June Price: From 186 Line Up: Queen + Adam Lambert, Stereophonics, Faithless, Iggy Pop, Adam Ant, Buzzcocks, Sigma, Jess Glynne Music festivals guide 2016 Citadel Where: Victoria Park, London When: 17 July Price: From 54 Line Up: Sigur Ros, Caribou, Lianne La Havas, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats Music festivals guide 2016 End of the Road Where: Larmer Tree Gardens When: 2-4 September Price: 195 Line Up: Joanna Newsom, The Shins, Animal Collective, Bat for Lashes, Teenage Fanclub, Devendra Banhart, Savages, Cat's Eyes Sonny Malhotra

"I have a contentious opinion in that I am terribly shy so once I'm gone it's just too much, so if it's ok with you I'm going to play my encore now, she gabbles, starting up Kill V. Maim, which nails the alpha male curse of ultimate power. Im only a man, I do what I can, she sings as bass rattles the speakers, dismissing the patriarchy with a shrug.

Its difficult to imagine that this fourth album could have ever been depressing. Grimes has steered it into bonkers, future territory. She once told an interviewer that if she sounds current, its because she made the new current. Right now, all her peers can hope is that she tosses them a few tunes in the tide.

Genesis

REALiTi

Flesh without Blood (Extended Outro)

Scream (Russian Lyrics Version)

Venus Fly

Butterfly

Be a Body (New Version)

Go

Symphonia IX (My Wait Is U)

Oblivion

World Princess Part II

Kill v. Maim
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Honeybees across Europe are being poisoned by up to 57 different pesticides, a scientific study has found.

The worrying discovery was made by a team from the National Veterinary Research Institute in Poland, who used a method more commonly used to detect pesticides in food to analyse poisoned bees for a range of substances.

The method can be used to detect up to 200 different pesticides, and by investigating more than 70 honeybee poisoning incidents, they detected 57 different types, the vast majority of which are approved for use in the European Union.

Tomasz Kiljanek, lead author of the study, which has been published in the Journal of Chromatography, said: "Bee health is a matter of public concern - bees are considered critically important for the environment and agriculture by pollinating more than 80 per cent of crops and wild plants in Europe."

Combinations of pesticides, levels of exposure and different environments are all factors that can affect bee health. And when so many pesticides are in use, it's difficult to find out which ones are responsible for harming the bees.

Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary

But finding out what pesticides are at which concentration levels in bees is vital to understanding the situation, so that measures can be taken in future to ensure their survival.

Kiljanek said: "This is just the beginning of our research on the impact of pesticides on honeybee health."

"Honeybee poisoning incidents are the tip of the iceberg. Even at very low levels, pesticides can weaken bees' defense systems, allowing parasites or viruses to kill the colony. Our results will help expand our knowledge about the influence of pesticides on honeybee health, and will provide important information for other researchers to better assess the risk connected with the mix of current used pesticides."

Bee decline isn't entirely due to pesticide use - other factors, like the decline of the UK's flower-rich grassland, climate change and the spread of diseases have all taken their toll on bee populations.

But when countries around the world are expecting future food security issues due to the decline of pollinating insects like bees, getting to the bottom of the pesticide problem is an important step.
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Bright artificial lights which glare all night may cause residents of nearby homes to become obese, a recent study has suggested.

Researchers made the findings by analysing satellite images of artificial light at night (ALAN) taken by the US military alongside World Health Organisation data on obesity rates.

The team at the University of Haifa in Israel found a statistically significant link between a man or a woman being overweight or obese when living near ALAN.

N.A. Rybnikova of the University of Haifa in Israel told Reuters said that artificial light could cause people to eat after the natural dusk when metabolic processes in the body slow down.

It is believed that artificial light interferes with the bodys product of melatonin, which controls the sleep cycle.

Health news in pictures Show all 40 1 /40 Health news in pictures Health news in pictures Coronavirus outbreak The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health AFP via Getty Health news in pictures Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows Getty Health news in pictures Vape related deaths spike A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought off the street Getty Health news in pictures Baldness cure looks to be a step closer Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin Sanford Burnham Preybs Health news in pictures Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing Shutterstock Health news in pictures Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause Getty/iStock Health news in pictures Junk food ads could be banned before watershed Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said PA Health news in pictures Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. While humans were weak to the diseases of the new lands, breeding with the resident neanderthals made for a better equipped immune system PA Health news in pictures Cancer breath test to be trialled in Britain The breath biopsy device is designed to detect cancer hallmarks in molecules exhaled by patients Getty Health news in pictures Average 10 year old has consumed the recommended amount of sugar for an adult By their 10th birthdy, children have on average already eaten more sugar than the recommended amount for an 18 year old. The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause Reuters Health news in pictures Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide Getty Health news in pictures Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar iStock Health news in pictures Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain 'steadily high' sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades Getty Health news in pictures Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active PA Health news in pictures New menopause drugs offer women relief from 'debilitating' hot flushes A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been sitting on a shelf unused, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism REX Health news in pictures Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised ideological reasons doctors use to avoid doing so. Getty Health news in pictures Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later. Just Giving Health news in pictures Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants. Getty Health news in pictures Jeremy Hunt announces 'zero suicides ambition' for the NHS The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a zero suicide ambition being launched today Getty Health news in pictures Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour. Nephron Health news in pictures Babies' health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues Getty Health news in pictures NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of procedural issues in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory. Rex Health news in pictures Potential key to halting breast cancer's spread discovered by scientists Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties. Getty Health news in pictures NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago. REX Health news in pictures Cannabis extract could provide new class of treatment for psychosis CBD has a broadly opposite effect to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component in cannabis and the substance that causes paranoia and anxiety. Getty Health news in pictures Over 75,000 sign petition calling for Richard Branson's Virgin Care to hand settlement money back to NHS Mr Bransons company sued the NHS last year after it lost out on an 82m contract to provide childrens health services across Surrey, citing concerns over serious flaws in the way the contract was awarded PA Health news in pictures More than 700 fewer nurses training in England in first year after NHS bursary scrapped The numbers of people accepted to study nursing in England fell 3 per cent in 2017, while the numbers accepted in Wales and Scotland, where the bursaries were kept, increased 8.4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively Getty Health news in pictures Landmark study links Tory austerity to 120,000 deaths The paper found that there were 45,000 more deaths in the first four years of Tory-led efficiencies than would have been expected if funding had stayed at pre-election levels. On this trajectory that could rise to nearly 200,000 excess deaths by the end of 2020, even with the extra funding that has been earmarked for public sector services this year. Reuters Health news in pictures Long commutes carry health risks Hours of commuting may be mind-numbingly dull, but new research shows that it might also be having an adverse effect on both your health and performance at work. Longer commutes also appear to have a significant impact on mental wellbeing, with those commuting longer 33 per cent more likely to suffer from depression Shutterstock Health news in pictures You cannot be fit and fat It is not possible to be overweight and healthy, a major new study has concluded. The study of 3.5 million Britons found that even metabolically healthy obese people are still at a higher risk of heart disease or a stroke than those with a normal weight range Getty Health news in pictures Sleep deprivation When you feel particularly exhausted, it can definitely feel like you are also lacking in brain capacity. Now, a new study has suggested this could be because chronic sleep deprivation can actually cause the brain to eat itself Shutterstock Health news in pictures Exercise classes offering 45 minute naps launch David Lloyd Gyms have launched a new health and fitness class which is essentially a bunch of people taking a nap for 45 minutes. The fitness group was spurred to launch the napercise class after research revealed 86 per cent of parents said they were fatigued. The class is therefore predominantly aimed at parents but you actually do not have to have children to take part Getty Health news in pictures 'Fundamental right to health' to be axed after Brexit, lawyers warn Tobacco and alcohol companies could win more easily in court cases such as the recent battle over plain cigarette packaging if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, a barrister and public health professor have said Getty Health news in pictures 'Thousands dying' due to fear over non-existent statin side-effects A major new study into the side effects of the cholesterol-lowering medicine suggests common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness are not caused by the drugs themselves Getty Health news in pictures Babies born to fathers aged under 25 have higher risk of autism New research has found that babies born to fathers under the age of 25 or over 51 are at higher risk of developing autism and other social disorders. The study, conducted by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, found that these children are actually more advanced than their peers as infants, but then fall behind by the time they hit their teenage years Getty Health news in pictures Cycling to work could halve risk of cancer and heart disease Commuters who swap their car or bus pass for a bike could cut their risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, new research suggests  but campaigners have warned there is still an urgent need to improve road conditions for cyclists. Cycling to work is linked to a lower risk of developing cancer by 45 per cent and cardiovascular disease by 46 per cent, according to a study of a quarter of a million people. Walking to work also brought health benefits, the University of Glasgow researchers found, but not to the same degree as cycling. Getty

However, the researchers stressed that light bulbs do not cause obesity, and further studies are needed to investigate whether lights from electronic devices like smartphones can affect a persons weight.

Laura Fonken, a researcher at the University of Colorado who had no involvement in the research, told Reuters that evidence is building that artificial light could disturb the metabolism.

She added: Overall, it seems that there arent any downsides to trying to keep a consistent sleep schedule and avoid nighttime light exposure.

Previous research by the Cancer Research Institute in London found an association between sleeping in a room that was too bright and being overweight.

Those who slept at night in a room light enough to see across had larger waistlines than those who bedded down in darkness, the study of 113,000 women found, BBC News reported.

However, researchers stressed that the evidence was not strong enough for them to advice people to buy thicker curtains or turn off lights.
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Alzheimers patients with gum disease appear to experience faster congnitive decline than those with better dental health, a new study has shown.

The research on patients with mild to moderate levels of Alzheimers disease builds on previous evidence which has linked periodontitis with higher levels of inflammatory molecules associated with deteriorated mental health.

Teams at the University of Southampton and Kings College London carried out conginitive assessments on 59 people, and also took their blood samples to test for inflammatory markers.

A dental hygienist also assessed their oral health.

The majority of the participants were then assessed once more six months later.

Researchers found that participants with gum disease had a six-fold increase in the rate of cognitive decline.

Gum disease is common in older people and could be worsened in those with Alzheimers as it becomes more difficult for patients to care for their teeth.

The study which was published in the journal Plos One suggested that the bodys inflammatory response to gum disease could explain the link between gum disease and cognitive deterioration.

The seven Alzheimer's risk factors Show all 7 1 /7 The seven Alzheimer's risk factors The seven Alzheimer's risk factors Hypertension 8 percent of Alzheimer's cases are linked to mid-life hypertension Getty The seven Alzheimer's risk factors Smoking Smoking accounts for 11 percent of Alzheimer's cases Getty The seven Alzheimer's risk factors Obesity Midlife obesity accounts for 7 percent of Alzheimer's cases PA The seven Alzheimer's risk factors Low Educational attainment Low education or simply not using your brain enough accounts for 7 percent of Alzheimer's cases Getty The seven Alzheimer's risk factors Diabetes Problems with blood sugar control kick off the list of modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer's.The study suggests that 3 percent of Alzheimer's cases are linked to diabetes The seven Alzheimer's risk factors Depression 15 percent of Alzheimer's cases may stem from depression Rex The seven Alzheimer's risk factors Too little exercise Not enough physical activity is the number one preventable factor that contributes to Alzheimer's cases Rex Features

Professor Clive Holmes, senior author from the University of Southampton, said that further research is needed to develop the findings of the small trial.

"However, if there is a direct relationship between periodontitis and cognitive decline, as this current study suggests, then treatment of gum disease might be a possible treatment option for Alzheimer's."

Mark Ide, from the Dental Institute at King's College London, said that studies have also shown a link between developing dementia and having fewer teeth.

Research has suggested that effective gum treatment can reduce the levels of these molecules closer to that seen in a healthy state."

Commening on the research, Dr Doug Brown, Director of Research and Development at Alzheimer's Society said it is unclear whether gum disease is a cause or effect for faster decline in dementia, visa versa.

"This study adds evidence to the idea that gum disease could potentially be a contributing factor to Alzheimer's, but we would need to see clinical trials to provide more solid evidence. If this is proven to be the case, better dental hygiene would offer a relatively straightforward way to help slow the progression of dementia and enable people to remain independent for longer.

He added that carers can speak to a dentist or hygienist if they are concerned a person with dementia has stopped brushing their teeth.

Additional reporting by PA
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A spike in scarlet fever cases in the south of England has raised fears that it could signal an outbreak in the UK.

Authorities in Surrey have recorded 33 suspected cases of the bacterial illness in the past four weeks: 43.5 per cent higher than during the same time last year, The Mirror reported.

The condition has also been reported in a school near Brighton, East Sussex, prompting officials to carry out a deep clean of the institution, The Argus local newspaper reported.

In recent years there has been a significant rise in outbreaks, but the cause is unknown according to the NHS website.

What is scarlet fever?

A bacterial illness, scarlet fever is caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, or group A streptococcus, which live on the skin and in the throat, according to the NHS.

In general, it strikes after a sore throat or skin infections such as impetigo.

What are the symptoms?

Scarlet fever can cause a temperature of above 38.3 degrees, as well as a sore throat and a headache. Flushed cheeks and a swollen tongue are also signs.

A pink rash which feels like sandpaper will appear on the chest or stomach after one or two days. It can then spread to other past of the body.

The illness has an incubation period that can last from one to seven days after a person is infected.

Who is most at risk?

80 per cent of scarlet fever cases are seen in children under 10-years-old because their immune systems are not yet developed, but anyone can catch it. But it is rare to catch it more than once.

How is it spread?

Scarlet fever is an airborne illness, which can be caught by inhaling bacteria spread by coughs and sneezes. Touching skin infected with impetigo as well as sharing bed sheets, clothes, towels and baths can pass scarlet fever on.

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What should I do if I or someone Im caring for has the symptoms?

Your GP will be able to treat you or your child for scarlet fever. While scarlet fever used to be serious, it can now be easily treated with antibiotics.

To stop the bacteria from spreading, adults should stay off work and children should be kept away from school or nursery for 24 hours after they start their course of antibiotics.

However, meningitis - a bacterial illness which can be fatal if not treated immediately - has similar symptoms, and parents should take action.

Dr Ivan Ratnayake of the Ashley Centre Surgery in Epsom, Surrey, told The Mirror that parents who identify the symptoms of scarlet fever should visit the doctor.

I wouldn't even discourage them to go to the hospital if they can't be seen by a GP immediately - you want to get your child looked at as soon as possible, she said.

The Independent has contacted Public Health England for a statement on the potential of a scarlet fever outbreak.
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The German insurer Allianz has hired a former Prudential executive to oversee Pimco, its struggling funds division and the former home of bond king Bill Gross.

Jackie Hunt, who ran the Prus UK and European life business for two years, has been appointed to lead Allianz Asset Management, which owns Pimco.

She will replace Allianz Asset Managements current boss, Jay Ralph, who is stepping down in June. She will also take on the firms US life business.

Allianz boss Oliver Bate said: Jay Ralph adeptly implemented the two-pillar strategy in our Asset Management segment and will be missed after almost 20 years in the company.

I am delighted to welcome Jackie Hunt, a highly respected and accomplished professional, to Allianz.

Gunther Thallinger has been promoted to lead Allianzs investment management and global life and health teams and will join the board next year. He takes on the new responsibilities from Maximilian Zimmerer, who is retiring from the board.

Ms Hunt left the Pru in October, months after missing out on the top spot. She had been one of the contenders to succeed Tidjane Thiam, who left to run Credit Suisse.

The top job went to the head of the Prus US division, Mike Wells, who took over the helm at the insurer in June 2015.

John Foley, a long-serving company man, has since taken charge of the UK and Europe division.

Ms Hunt will move to Munich in her new role but she faces a tricky challenge at Pimco, which has been hurt by a string of high-level departures.

The fund division has come unstuck recently after Mr Gross left following an acrimonious split with staff. It was best known in its heyday for running the worlds biggest bond fund, the Pimco Total Return Fund. The trouble started when Mohamed El-Erian, the chief executive, left in early 2014 after a split with Mr Gross.

The California-based funds firm  led in London by Andrew Balls, brother of the former shadow Chancellor Ed Balls  is being sued by Mr Gross for wrongful dismissal. Pimco says the lawsuit has no merit.

Mr Gross now spends his time at Janus Capital, running a much smaller bond fund.

Investors have fled the group after a downturn in performance at the flagship fund. The fund was $293bn in size in April 2013 but had shrunk to $88bn at the last count, with investors continuing to pull out cash.

Pimco had about $1.4trn in funds under management at the end of December 2015.
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Tesco has agreed a deal to donate all the unsold food from its stores to charity.

The supermarket giant announced plans to work with 5,000 local charities across the UK in an initiative that aims to eradicate all its food waste by the end of 2017.

It said the plan followed a "farm to fork" commitment to tackle food waste by its suppliers.

The latest figures released by the company show 55,400 tonnes of food were thrown away at its stores and distribution centres across the country in 2015.

The plan is part of a nationwide roll-out of a 14-store pilot programme called the Community Food Connection.

The project, which lasted over six months, has provided more than 22 tonnes of food for vulnerable people - the equivalent of 50,000 meals.

The plan is part of a nationwide roll-out of a 14-store pilot which has already provided 50,000 meals for vulnerable people (Getty Images)

The roll-out began in 15 big cities and regions, including Manchester, Birmingham, Southampton and Portsmouth, this week and will gradually be introduced in all stores.

It is the second major retailer to announce a major food waste initiative after Morrisons announced its own distribution scheme using "community champions" last year which has now been rolled out nationwide.

Tesco has partnered with food waste FareShare to launch a digital open platform called FareShare FoodCloud which allows staff and charities to liaise to distribute surplus food.

They are appealing for 5,000 charities and community groups to join up and receive the food.

The supermarket has also called on other retailers to adopt the FareShare FoodCloud to create an industry-wide platform.

Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis said: "We believe no food that could be eaten should be wasted. That's why we have committed that no surplus food should go to waste from our stores.

UK supermarkets ranked by value for money Show all 10 1 /10 UK supermarkets ranked by value for money UK supermarkets ranked by value for money 1. Waitrose Getty Images UK supermarkets ranked by value for money 2. Aldi Getty Images UK supermarkets ranked by value for money 3. Sainsbury's Getty Images UK supermarkets ranked by value for money 4. Marks & Spencer UK supermarkets ranked by value for money 5. Lidl Getty Images UK supermarkets ranked by value for money 6. The Co-op Getty Images UK supermarkets ranked by value for money 7. Morrisons Getty Images UK supermarkets ranked by value for money 8 = Asda Getty Images UK supermarkets ranked by value for money 8 = Tesco Getty UK supermarkets ranked by value for money 10. Iceland Getty Images

"We know it's an issue our customers really care about, and wherever there's surplus food at Tesco stores, we're committed to donating it to local charities so we can help feed people in need."

FareShare chief executive Lindsay Boswell said: "We are delighted to be offering our store level solution in partnership with Tesco who are demonstrating real leadership in tackling food surplus.

 Mixed reaction to French plans to force supermarkets to donate unsold food

"FareShare FoodCloud is a natural extension of our work together which has already provided nine million meals to help feed vulnerable people."

Additional reporting by PA
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Zero-hours contracts have been banned in New Zealand in a unanimous parliamentary vote in a decision that union leaders say will affect hundreds of thousands of workers in the country.

Politicians from across the spectrum voted to outlaw the practice of hiring worker with no guarantee of minimum hours.

Mike Treen, leader of the Unite union in New Zealand, said that fast food workers around the world were closely following the parliamentary decision as many had joined forces to support the local campaign last year.

It was like we had God sitting on our shoulder helping us out  it just went wild, Treen told the Guardian.

This is an incredible victory and I am still shocked by it to be honest  the fact that the ban was unanimously supported in parliament is pretty unbelievable.

Jeremy Corbyn responded to the news on Twitter. "Zero-hour contracts have been banned in New Zealand - look what's possible when you put your mind to it," he tweeted.

Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled  leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year.

The number of workers on zero hours contracts in the UK increased by 15 per cent to 801,000 in the last three months of 2015 compared with a year earlier, an increase of 104,000 contracts, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

One in 40 UK workers in the UK is on a contract that does not guarantee a minimum number of hours, the figures show.

Those people are statistically more likely to be young, part time, women or students compared to other people in employment.

Research published by the Trade Union Congress in the UK shows that average weekly earnings for zero-hours workers are just 188, compared to 479 for permanent workers.
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University College London has been accused of bullying after a student journalist was warned she could face dismissal for obtaining classified forecasts showing that the university expected to generate increased income from student accommodation.

The free speech row comes amid an increasingly bitter rent strike at the university, as hundreds of students withhold money in protest at rising accommodation fees.

An internal report detailing financial forecasts for the next three years was left openly accessible to university staff and students via a UCL executives Microsoft Outlook Calendar last month.

It is understood that the document contained forecasts that the university would make an increased cash surplus from its student accommodation this year.

Recommended Read more Students to be evicted after being in occupation for more than a week

Student-journalist Rebecca Pinnington, one of many UCL students and staff able to access the document, was threatened with disciplinary action - potentially including expulsion or court action - after publishing an article revealing its existence on UCLU news website Pi Media.

No figures from the document were disclosed in the article, but Ms Pinnington told The Independent that she was threatened with repercussions if she published confidential information.

I felt intimidated, anxious and scared, said Ms Pinnington, 21, who is president of the student-run website. As a student journalist I felt sad because this was information that was interesting and integral to student life, but it was made very clear that if I were to publish anything more I could lose my degree.

In a meeting set up with UCL Vice Provost Rex Knight, Ms Pinnington was asked to sign an agreement to immediately deliver up or destroy all copies of the UCL Confidential Information in her possession.

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Mr Knight said he knew he couldnt make anyone unread documents, but that he couldnt allow Pi Media to publish anything on it, said Ms Pinnington. All the documents had to be deleted or anyone involved would be disciplined - which to me meant dismissal from the college. He presented me with the letter and said I had to sign it.

The Independent has seen a copy of the written agreement, which makes clear that UCL reserved the right to pursue action including dismissal against Ms Pinnington if she did not hand over the files.

It reads: UCL has the ability to invoke various sanctions following an event of unauthorised use, including, against individuals, the Student Disciplinary Code with penalties that could include suspension from the use of all UCL computing facilities for extended periods, dismissal without notice and potential exposure to court proceedings.

Ms Pinnington, who is in the fourth year of a French and German degree has now decided to go public - despite the risk to her future - to challenge the universitys attitude to free expression. She said: I think the role of student media is to hold the university to account and question things, she said. I just wanted to report facts and that was opposed. Universities should be about the free exchange of ideas and yet were not allowed to publish what was freely available.

Last night Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of Index on Censorship, expressed shock at UCLs conduct. She said: It is astonishing that - because of its own mistakes - the university should now be putting pressure on the editor of the student paper over a story she reported with information obtained entirely legitimately. This is the hallmark of the best kind of public interest journalism and UCL must stop trying to censor Ms Pinnington.

Student Vix Nowak from Cut the Rent, the group behind the UCL rent strike, said: UCL managements repeated attempts to bully and threaten students are indefensible and we will make our outrage clear at the demonstration at UCL on Thursday. The rent strike will not be intimidated.

In a statement, UCL denied threatning the student. No disciplinary action has been taken and no student threatened with expulsion. We were made aware of a potential breach of our computer regulations governing the downloading of confidential content, These are standard regulations that would expect to find in place at any major organisation. The student involved was made aware that any publication or passing to a third party of material downloaded in breach of regulations was a potential disciplinary matter, and the student agreed to comply with the regulations.

The UCL rent strike has seen more than 500 UCL students living in residential halls pledge to withhold their rent until fees are cut by 40 per cent, in protest against soaring rent prices and disputes over how student rent is spent,

Earlier this month The Independent revealed that Head of UCL Estates Andrew Grainger had enraged protesting students by telling them it was a fact of life some people cannot afford to study in London.
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Cara Delevingne has explained why she left modelling after becoming one of the industry's most popular figures.

The London-born model and actress launched her career at 16 and quickly rose up the ranks. As her face and distinctive eyebrows became ubiquitous across catwalks and in magazines, Delevigne established a strong social following for sharing candid photos that rallied against the 'perfect' images presented on Instagram.

Delevingne fronted major campaigns for Burberry, Chanel, Yves Saint Lauren and Mango to name but a few. Comparisons with Kate Moss came in quick and fast.

Her move away from modelling after such a successful career came after Delevingne was awarded Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in April 2015.

Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Show all 54 1 /54 Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne for Mango AW15 Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne is 'Mother Chucker' in Taylor Swift's Bad Blood music video Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne and Natt Wolff in Paper Towns Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne and Daniel Bruhl in The Face of an Angel Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Kendall Jenner and Cara Delevingne for Love Magazine photographed by Slve Sundsb, Styling: Katie Grand Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne star in the My Burberry campaign Burberry Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne star in the My Burberry campaign Burberry Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara is the face of Topshop's Christmas campaign topshop.com Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne Behind the scenes: Cara Delevingne star in the My Burberry campaign Burberry Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne for Topshop's first solo campaign Topshop Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne for Topshop's first solo campaign Topshop Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara for Topshop's festive campaign topshop.com Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne's sportswear collection for DKNY Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne for Topshop's first solo campaign Topshop Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne models a piece from her collection for Mulberry Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne Model Cara Delevingne poses at a photocall to launch the Mulberry Cara Delevingne Collection during London Fashion Week at Claridge's Hotel in February 2014 GETTY IMAGES Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne Balmain's autumn/winter 2014 campaign, shot by Mario Sorrenti and featuring Binx Walton, Cara Delevingne, Jourdan Dunn, Ysaunny Brito, Issa Lish and Kayla Scott Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne Cara Delevingne on the September 2014 cover of Vogue Vogue Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne Cara Delevingne presents a creation for Chanel during the 2015 Spring/Summer ready-to-wear collection fashion show in Paris AFP Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne lead the 'feminist riot' at the Chanel show Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne Cara Delevingne on the runway at Givenchy Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne in La Perla's new campaign Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne for Mulberry's autumn/winter campaign Mulberry Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara's behind the scenes shot during the filming of Sky Arts series Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne kicks off her acting career starring alongside Sylvia Syms in Sky Arts' 'Playhouse Presents' Sky Arts Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne on the March 2013 cover of Vogue Vogue Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne on the January 2014 cover of Vogue Vogue Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara at the Met Ball in New York this year wearing Stella McCartney Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara for Mulberry's campaign Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Suki Waterhouse and Cara Delevingne at the Burberry brings London to Shanghai event in April Getty Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne dances down the Stella McCartney catwalk with model Joan Smalls during fashion week Getty Images Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures and more dancing on the catwalk... AP Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne on the runway for Stella McCartney before the closing dance AFP/Getty Images Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, flanked by British model Cara Delevingne, acknowledges the audience at the end of Chanel 2014/2015 Autumn/Winter ready-to-wear collection show Getty Images Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne at the spring/summer 2014 Haute Couture collection by German designer Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel fashion during the Paris Fashion Week EPA Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld acknowledges the public along with his godson Hudson and British model Cara Delevingne during Chanel show AFP Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne presents a sporty creation during Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York in November 2013 Reuters Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne at the Mulberry spring/summer 2014 fashion show Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne on the cover of W magazine Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne wearing chopard jewels on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival Getty Images Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Full outfit of Cara Delevingne at the Opening Ceremony and 'The Great Gatsby' Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival 2013 Getty Images Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne's third and most recent tattoo: 'Made in England' brand on the sole of her left foot, proving she's proud to be British Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne with fellow British model Jourdan Dunn at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards 2013 Getty Images Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne presents a creation by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel fashion house during the Paris Fashion Week EPA Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne features on the billboards for Burberry's cosmetics campaign Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne wears a design created by Burberry Prorsum, as musician Tom Odell performs on the piano during the show AP Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Another shot of Cara Delevingne walking the runway during the Burberry Prorsum show during London Fashion Week autumn/winter 2013 at Kensington Gardens Getty Images Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne walks the runway during the Burberry Prorsum show during London Fashion Week autumn/winter 2013/14 at Kensington Gardens Getty Images Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne is way out in front of the model crowd at the Burberry's finale Getty Images Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Cara Delevingne at the Victoria's Secret fashion show Getty Images Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Jonathan Saunders and Cara at the British Awards 2012, where she was named Model of the Year Getty Images Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures ActorEddie Redmayne and Cara Delevingne in Burberry's ad Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Miley Cyrus and model Cara Delevingne pose backstage at the Marc Jacobs Collection Fall 2013 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at New York in February 2013 Getty Images Cara Delevingne's career in pictures Cara Delevingne in pictures Plump up the volume: Cara Delevingnes bold brows by Nars for Marc Jacobs s/s13

She began focusing her efforts on acting with roles in The Face of an Angel, Paper Towns and Suicide Squad. Meanwhile, Delevingnes relationship with the paparazzi became increasingly fractious as her profile grew and she spoke regularly of her frustration at being treated like a zoo animal by photographers. After a paparazzo allegedly tried to take an upskirt picture while she was attending a charity gig in London, Delevingne and her partner Annie St Vincent greeted photographers waiting outside her home with water pistols.

She wrote about her experience of the industry and her decision to leave modelling in a blog for Motto. The 23-year-old said that as she became increasingly successful, she was also increasingly relying on validation from others to feel good about herself.

I was nearly 20 and had been modelling for several years. My vantage point had changedand I had changed. I knew I had to reevaluate my life and my goals for my future. I didnt want to resent fashion or my success. The process didnt happen overnight, but it was imperative for me to preserve my integrity.

Over time, I came to realise that work and getting others' approval isn't the most important thing.

Yes, your career is very important - but it's not the most important. Of course I was proud of my accomplishments, but I wasn't genuinely happy.
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He is the man who became famous for his seemingly magical, self-taught ability to calm and train even the most unruly dog.

But now Cesar Millan, the so-called Dog Whisperer, is under investigation for alleged animal cruelty.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles County of Animal Care and Control told TheWrap that officers had visited the 46-year-olds training facility in Santa Clarita, California on Thursday. It was not clear whether Mr Millan has been interviewed about the allegation, but it was reported that he was out of town on a business trip.

Mr Millan is being investigated for an injury suffered by a pig during the making of his show (AP)

It was also reported that officials issued a 24-hour notice, requiring Mr Millan to make contact with investigators.

The investigation reportedly stems from a recent episode of Mr Millans show Cesar 911, in which a live pig was used in a behavioral training session with a dog that had recently attacked two other pet pigs. The dog bit the pigs ear, drawing blood, before it could be subdued.

Los Angeles County Animal Control Deputy Director Danny Unbario told The Wrap that it had received a single complaint about the incident and described the case as active.

Nat Geo WILD, which broadcasts Cesar 911, acknowledged in a statement that the segment caused some concern for viewers who did not see or understand the full context of the encounter.

The channel added: The pig that was nipped was tended to immediately afterward, healed quickly and showed no lasting signs of distress ... as a result, [the dog] did not have to be separated from his owner or euthanised.

Cesar Millan has dedicated his life to helping dogs and to showing how even the most difficult problem dog can be rescued and rehabilitated.

Cesar 911 is Mr Millans second show featuring his behavioral work with dogs. The Dog Whisperer aired between 2004 and 2012 and shot the Mexico-born Mr Millan to international fame. He has also written six books.
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The first of two European spacecraft designed to search for vital signs of life on Mars is scheduled to be launched on Monday from the Russian cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Two ExoMars missions are to be launched in the next two years in the hope of finding evidence of living organisms beneath the radiation-scorched surface of Mars.

The first, ExoMars 2016, will sniff out methane gas in the Martian atmosphere and determine whether it comes from volcanic activity or as the metabolic by-product of life  most of the methane on Earth comes from living microbes.

In 2018, the second ExoMars mission will send a British-built rover to Mars, armed with sensitive instruments for burrowing down beneath the surface to try to identify any chemical signatures of life.

Russian Proton rockets will launch the first part of the 1.2bn (924m) mission, which will be the most targeted attempt at finding direct evidence of life on Mars.

Peter Grindrod, a planetary scientist at Birkbeck, University of London, said: This is a series of missions thats trying to address one of the fundamental questions in science: is there life anywhere else besides the Earth? Finding that life exists elsewhere in the solar system would be a huge discovery, so the evidence has to be strong. As they say, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

Methane is quickly broken down by sunlight and has to be continually regenerated from some source to persist in a planets atmosphere.

On Earth, the primary source is life. Billions of microbes, including many that thrive in the guts of animals such as cattle and termites, belch out the gas. But methane can also be released by volcanic activity and geological chemistry. ExoMars should be able to determine the source of any methane on Mars.
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A married couple have been found guilty of sexually assaulting a 13-month old baby.

Michael and Lara Chase, 52 and 46, took pictures as they abused the baby, Peterborough Crown Court heard.

Michael Chase pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault and possession of extreme and indecent images, while his wife denied the charges.

She told the court they had now separated, and would like to see her husband "hung, drawn and quartered," The Sun reports.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. 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During the trial, Lara insisted she had been unaware of the photographs of her husband and the victim.

Sally Hobson, prosecuting, asked if she had known her husband was taking pictures of the victim with the flash on while all three of them were in the same room.

However, Lara said she only found out about the indecent images in her first police interview.

The jury dismissed her claims and found her guilty of two counts of sexual assault and distribution of the indecent images Michael admitted taking.

Detective Constable Lloyd Metselaar, from Cambridgeshire Police, said: "I am pleased that the family of the victim in this case have received justice for what can only be described as every parent's worst nightmare.

"The appalling acts committed together by both Mr and Mrs Chase on such a young child, who had been entrusted in their care, demonstrate the most serious breach of trust.

"This case demonstrates the determination and dedication of Cambridgeshire's specially trained officers who will bring to justice anyone involved in targeting the most vulnerable of society."

Michael and Lara Chase will be sentenced on Friday.
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Each time a doctor treats a sick passenger aboard a flight and averts the need for an emergency medical diversion, an airline saves many thousands of pounds. Some airlines reward health professionals who volunteer to help during inflight emergencies with free flights. Yet when Dr Edward Southall treated a fellow passenger on an easyJet flight to Greece, he was given a complimentary coffee - but asked to pay for the accompanying KitKat.

Flight EZY5091 from Gatwick to Thessaloniki took off at around 9am on 14 January. Dr Southall, a retired GP from Totnes in Devon, was in the front row.

For the first half-hour, the flight proceeded normally. Then, he says: The senior cabin crew member stood right next to me when he phoned through to the flight deck and said A woman is seriously ill and we may have to consider diverting. A moment later a call came over the PA asking if a doctor or nurse was on board and I responded immediately.

Recommended Read more Six secrets airlines do not share with passengers

Dr Southall was asked to attend to an elderly Greek lady. He recalls: She was very pale and sweating, and appeared breathless and distressed. With the aid of the on-board emergency kit, I was able to listen to her chest, take her blood pressure and pulse and generally assess her condition.

I explained to the crew that I felt it was possible to monitor her for a while and continue to Greece without diverting to another airport."

As the aircraft flew across Europe, Dr Southall continued to monitor her condition. Fortunately she gradually showed improvement in her colour and breathing. After about an hour she was able to have some sleep and I was free to rest for the remainder of the journey.

 Passenger gives birth on plane

Shortly afterwards, when the catering trolley appeared, Dr Southall asked for a coffee and a KitKat. The senior cabin-crew member said that he could have a free hot drink but must pay 1.20 for the KitKat.

At the end of the flight, Dr Southall waited to accompany the elderly lady off the plane. She and her family were very appreciative and were able to continue to their home unaided, he said.

Best low-cost airline in Europe awards Show all 10 1 /10 Best low-cost airline in Europe awards Best low-cost airline in Europe awards 1. Norway Airlines Norwegian flies to over 126 destinations, and recently introduced long-haul flights to New York and LA Best low-cost airline in Europe awards 2. EasyJet Airlines British airline easyJet operates domestic and international scheduled services on over 600 routes in 32 countries. Getty Best low-cost airline in Europe awards 3. Germanwings Airlines Cologne-based Germanwings flies to destinations and airports across Europe Getty Best low-cost airline in Europe awards 4. NIKI Airlines Unlike many airlines described as low-cost, NIKI does provide free refreshments, newspapers and baggage on some services Best low-cost airline in Europe awards 5. AirBaltic Airlines Latvian low-cost carrier AirBaltic flies to over 50 destinations including Rome, St. Petersburg, and Prague Best low-cost airline in Europe awards 6. Wizz Air Airlines Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air serves 35 countries Best low-cost airline in Europe awards 7. WOW Air Airlines Iceland's low-cost airline operates flights to 16 destinations including London, Milan and Barcelona Best low-cost airline in Europe awards 8. Pegasus Airlines Turkish based Pegasus Airlines flies to 97 destinations Best low-cost airline in Europe awards 9. Onur Air Turkish based Onur Air operates flights to 80 destinations in 20 countries Best low-cost airline in Europe awards 10. FlyBe Airlines Devon-based Flybe operates over 180 routes to 65 European airports

After this demanding journey, the doctor contacted easyJets public affairs office to discuss the airlines policy on recognising health professionals who volunteer to help passengers. He wrote: I believe my intervention helped avoid an emergency landing. It therefore saved the company thousands of pounds. Was it therefore appropriate or proportionate that I should be offered a free coffee but be asked to pay for the KitKat?

His email was ignored. Eventually easyJet customer services responded with an improved reward: one free piece of checked luggage, one way, on his next easyJet trip - worth around 20.

Dr Southall asked for the matter to be escalated, but was told: We adhere to our policy. He then contacted The Independent, saying I do not care about free KitKats or hold luggage. It is the principle of how much our goodwill saves them.

A spokesman for easyJet said On this occasion, a diversion was unlikely, though Dr Southall refutes this assertion. The statement continued: easyJet is grateful for the help Dr Southall provided to our crew and to the many doctors and medical professionals who assist passengers onboard each year.

"We are sorry we didnt get this right on this occasion and would like to offer Dr Southall a free flight as a gesture of goodwill."
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One of the UKs foremost rodent experts has cast doubt on claims a rat found in London measured around four foot and was "as big as a cat and a Jack Russell put together".

Pictures of the animal circulated widely after gas engineer Tony Smith found it near a playground in the Hackney Downs area of London.

He said it was "about four foot" and "the largest rat I've ever seen in my life".

But Professor Steven Belmain, of the University of Greenwich's Natural Resources Institute, said no species of rat found in England can grow to the size described in reports.

He insisted it was instead just a fine large specimen, which likely weighed no more than 500 grams.

(SWNS)

All wild rats in England are Norway rats," told The Independent.

"I accept that they may find very well fed and mature animals that are at the upper limit of size, but they are certainly not going to reach two stone.

There are rodents in the Tropics such as cane rats that get that big, but there is no way a Norway rat will get that big.

The weirdest and most shocking news stories Show all 30 1 /30 The weirdest and most shocking news stories The weirdest and most shocking news stories What do horse semen, an elephant and a yurt have in common Leading removals company AnyVan.com operates on the premise that they can move anything anywhere, an undertaking which has certainly given them more than they bargained for over the years. In addition to the more common requests to move homes, furniture and pianos, listings have included a horse semen, live elephant, a cabinet engraved with the Kamasutra, a phallic statue, a dungeon gynaecological bondage chair, a yurt and an ice cream van The weirdest and most shocking news stories Couple find dead lizard inside the can of tomatoes A couple in Birmingham were making lunch when they found the surprise addition of a dead lizard in a can of tomatoes. Muhammad Hussain and his wife Sanam discovered the critter had managed to get into the can that Mrs Hussain had been using to cook a curry. Mr Hussain was alerted to the presence of the lizard when he heard his wife screaming as she made lunch BBC The weirdest and most shocking news stories Greggs (a bakery) has actually stopped selling loaves of bread You'd have thought a bakery would be the one place you'd be guaranteed to buy a loaf of bread. Well, not at Greggs. According to the companys website, customers are able to buy white or malted sliced loaves which are freshly baked every day. So when one customer went into his local Greggs in Burton-upon-Trent, he was surprised to be told they didn't stock them any more. According to the company, they will now focus on the food to go market, which means most of the bread that the company sells is in sandwiches AFP The weirdest and most shocking news stories Man trolls plane passengers by painting sign on his roof welcoming them to the wrong city One US homeowner has taken trolling to another level by painting a message on his roof top to deliberately trick aeroplane passengers into thinking theyve boarded the wrong flight. Mark Gubin painted the sign Welcome to Cleveland on his home which is next to Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee. Milwaukee is a city in Wisconsin, some four hundred miles away from Cleveland, in the state of Ohio, prompting passengers to fear theyve accidentally boarded the wrong flight as they spy the trick lettering from the aeroplane window Google Maps The weirdest and most shocking news stories Missing cat found after spending 64 days trapped inside a mattress A family who thought theyd lost their cat as they prepared to move 3,000 miles across the US, were relieved when they found their pet inside a mattress some 64 days later. Moosie, a 2-year-old tabby cat, disappeared when Kymberly Chelf and her husband Jesse Chelf boxed up their belongings in preparation for their move from El Paso, Texas, to Anchorage, Alaska. In early June, the familys belongings arrived at their new home along with a big part of their old life. When the Chelfs heard a meow coming from inside the box, Mrs Chelf said: "it just sounded like he [Moosie] was giving it everything he had just to let us know he was there." The cat had been trapped for over two months without light, food or water. Moosie emerged from the ordeal suffering from severe dehydration and with a damaged liver, but vets have said he is in a good condition, CNN reported AP Photo/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Eric Engman The weirdest and most shocking news stories There's a lottery in which the prize is a 20-year supply of bacon Indiana's Hoosier Lottery is switching from cold, hard cash to hot, crispy bacon for its prize, offering players the chance to win 20 years-worth of the stuff. $5,000 of bacon will be dished out in 20 annual instalments to winners, according to the rules, presumably because no-one has the freezer space for 20 years of bacon. It's an ingenious ploy, given that anyone who tried to eat 20 years of bacon would probably struggle to live 20 years The weirdest and most shocking news stories Demonic CIA Osama Bin Laden doll goes up for sale at auction for $5,000 One of the strangest propaganda weapons of the War on Terror has gone up for sale at auction, and it could be yours for only $5,000. The item in question is a doll of Osama Bin Laden, designed to terrify the children of the Middle East so much that they would be permanently put off from joining Islamist groups. The doll is a fairly faithful recreation of the late terrorist leader, complete with white robes, combat boots, and a scraggly black beard. The propaganda value in the bizarre toy comes from the heat-sensitive paint used on the doll's face. When children played with the doll, the heat from their hands would activate the paint, and change Osama into a terrifying green-eyed, red-faced demon, with black markings all over his face Nate D. Sanders The weirdest and most shocking news stories The mystery of the 25-year-old Australian cat which turned up in Northern Ireland An Australian cat has been mysteriously found in Northern Ireland, sparking speculation as to how he made the 12,000 mile journey. The ginger cat was picked up by Cat Protection helpers in County Armagh last week. When animal welfare officers took him to the vet for a health check, it was discovered that he had been micro-chipped in Australia. The plot thickened as the chip revealed he has also been found as a stray across the Irish Sea in London Photo: Cat Protection The weirdest and most shocking news stories Replacement found after 'over-enthusiastic' bull breaks his own penis A prize bull has had to be taken off his farmers breeding programme after he suffered a broken penis. The injury, which the Simmentall bull sustained at the beginning of the breeding season, was probably due to being over-enthusiastic, according to his owner, Tommy Moyles. According to the Irish Mirror, Mr Moyles was then forced to bring another bull, which was previously destined for the slaughterhouse, out to provide his services Ian Forsyth/ Getty The weirdest and most shocking news stories Thieves steal four pints of bull semen from Minnesota farm A group of thieves have stolen about four pints of bull semen from a farm in southern Minnesota in the US - and could sell it on for an extraordinary amount of money. Police in the town of Leroy said they are investigating the theft of a $500 storage container with around 90 filled vials. On the open market, that amount of semen would be worth around $70,000 (47,000) Screengrab via CBS News The weirdest and most shocking news stories Charcoal has become the hot new flavouring If you want to be in on the latest trend in Britain's restaurants and bars, you're going to have to feel - and indeed taste - the burn. Some words of comfort next time you overfry, overbake, overboil or otherwise burn your dinner to a crisp: charcoal, in all its dark and mysterious forms, is being embraced by some of the best in the food and drinks business. It's not just about cooking on a grill (although that's also a booming market), but charcoal as an actual ingredient  bringing flavour, colour, texture and a touch of playfulness to plates of food and bottles of juice. This news comes on the heels of Burger King Japan's Kuro Pearl offering, a burger with a jet-black bamboo charcoal bun, which met with a mix of hysteria and confusion upon its launch last year. It turns out that the fast food giant was bang on: charcoal is the new, well, black Victor De Jesus The weirdest and most shocking news stories Woman claims ski accident has given her extraordinary mental powers An anonymous woman in America has told an incredible story of how she was left with extraordinary mental abilities after hitting her head in a skiing accident. The ex-student revealed that she now has a condition known as acquired savant syndrome following the heavy fall on the slopes during a family holiday. The syndrome now lends her incredible powers of memory and the writer explains how she can draw diagrams of thousands of places, with thousands of rooms, branches and doorways right down to the smallest detail in a piece for xojane.com. An individual with savant syndrome will display remarkable and sometimes spectacular talents, according Jonathan Hiles, Principal Lecturer of Health and Life Sciences at De Montford University, in an online article regarding the condition Getty The weirdest and most shocking news stories This octopus learned to use a camera faster than some humans A brainy octopus at a New Zealand aquarium has learned how to take photos - using a waterproof camera specially designed to be operated with tentacles. Rambo the octopus, a popular attraction at Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium in Auckland, New Zealand, stunned her trainers with how quickly she got to grips with the camera. Speaking to Cult of Mac, Mark Vette, Rambo's trainer, said: "When we first tried to get her to take a photo, it only took three attempts for her to understand the process. That's faster than a dog." He added: "Actually, it's faster than a human in some instances" ULI DECK/AFP/Getty Images The weirdest and most shocking news stories 4-year-old leaves home at 3am to buy a 'Slushie' drink Its commonplace to see strange sights on the night bus. But passengers were completely baffled to witness a little girl boarding the vehicle alone at 3am just to satisfy her sweet-tooth. Four-year old Annabelle Ridgeway climbed onto a bus, having been drenched in the rain and without her parents knowledge, to find a place to buy a crushed-ice beverage. Bus driver Harlan Jenifer, 52, quickly called for assistance and Annabelle was taken to a local hospital to wait for her mother YouTube The weirdest and most shocking news stories Little girl goes off on surprising tangent after being told she's going to be a big sister It starts like one of those classic, schmaltzy parent-and-child YouTube videos. 3-year-old Kathryn's dad informs her in no uncertain terms that she's going to get a little sister. Kathryn pauses for a second, apparently stunned by the news. But no! There's no tearful excited, she just whispers "I farted" The weirdest and most shocking news stories Shia LaBeouf's heartbeat is now available for livestreaming Walking Hollywood masterpiece Shia LaBeouf is offering the internet the chance to get closer to him than ever before. But dont let that utterly terrify you  the actors latest offer has nothing to do with paper bags, paraphrasing footballers or running around museums in Amsterdam 144 times sporting lycra and a single dreadlock. Instead, the 28-year-old will be livestreaming his heartbeat for the next week as part of a new metamodern performance art piece with his previous #IAMSORRY collaborators Nastja Sade Ronkko and Luke Turner. The project, called Follow My Heart, was announced at the SXSW festival The weirdest and most shocking news stories What color is this dress? The internet has been divided into two warring tribes by a picture of a dress functioning as an accidental colour perception experiment. #TheDress, as it has become known, was spotted by a blogger who turned to Tumblr for help when the garment started an argument among her friends. The question of whether it is blue and black or gold and white has divided friends, families and the celebrity world. This dress has sparked an internet frenzy the likes of which has not been seen since Left Shark took the Super Bowl by storm Caitlin McNeill/Wired The weirdest and most shocking news stories Llamas on the run The world didn't know how to contain itself when it saw two llamas running around a city but for motorists in Arizonas Sun City, it was no doubt an a-lama-ing sight. Two of the animals, one black and one white, decided to dash through the centre of the city, doing their best to evade local residents trying to catch them. After a number of near things, the animals were captured by means of a lasso. The owner of the llamas told local media there had actually been three llamas that got spooked and ran away near the centre of the town. He said the animals were part of a mobile petting zoo at a Sun City care centre The weirdest and most shocking news stories Madonna falls off stage at Brit Awards This years Brit awards ceremony looked set to fade from memory like so many others in recent history until Madonna fell down the stairs after a serious wardrobe malfunction. The queen of pop, 56, was making her first performance at the Brits in two decades, when just seconds into Living for Love she was pulled backwards down a flight of stairs by her backing dancers. She fell heavily on to her back, the long cape and hood she had been wearing failing to separate from her other clothes. She fell heavily on to her back, the long cape and hood she had been wearing failing to separate from her other clothes The weirdest and most shocking news stories 'Left Shark' steals Super Bowl 2015 as Katy Perry is upstaged by her out-of-time support dancer While Katy Perry strutted her stuff during the half-time show  which involved multiple costume changes, an entrance on a large metallic lion and duets with Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott  social media users were left star-struck by the figure now known as Left Shark. Within minutes, Left Shark had its own Twitter account  which has since expanded to no fewer than six different accounts  but it was not the sharks killer moves and deadly accuracy on stage that gained so much attention, but rather the fact that it had no idea what it was doing. Perhaps even drunk, Left Shark was out of time with Right Shark, who was a picture of perfection as he moved with the beat and in time with Perry  who by this time was already onto her third costume change and bursting into a rendition of Teenage Dream Getty Images The weirdest and most shocking news stories Kim Kardashian breaks the internet Kim Kardashian West has recreated the iconic "champagne incident" image by Jean-Paul Goude for the December issue of Paper magazine. Kardashian West is pictured on the cover of the magazine popping open a bottle of champagne which lands in a glass perched on her bottom. In another image released by the American publication, Kardashian-West is pictured naked from behind provocatively dropping her dress. Two further images were released by the magazine last night which show the reality TV star baring all; in one full-frontal shot and another topless image The weirdest and most shocking news stories Zombie cat A US cat owner has been left baffled after he claimed his dead pet turned up outside his front door  five days after being buried. Ellis Hutson told vets in Tampa Bay, Florida, that he had found his black and white cat Bart lying in a pool of blood after he was hit by a car. According to Fox 13, Hutson told the Human Society of Tampa Bay that he had taken Bart away and buried him, and could not explain how the cat came to be spotted by neighbours a full five days later YouTube The weirdest and most shocking news stories 'F*ck it, I quit': KTVA reporter Charlo Greene quits live on air in spectacular fashion KTVA reporter Charlo Greene quit her job on live TV last night, outing herself as the owner of an Alaskan cannabis club and declaring "f*ck it." Having grown weary of reporting the news, Greene told viewers she would instead be putting all her energy into the fight to legalise marijuana in the state, having previously reported on the Alaska Cannabis Club without mentioning her connection to it KTVA The weirdest and most shocking news stories Nation in shock as Cadbury's changes the Creme Egg recipe In a bilateral attack on the glory of Easter, Cadbury's has stunned consumers by changing the recipe of its Creme Eggs and reducing their number in boxes from six to five. Reports that the latest batch of Creme Eggs tasted different were followed up by The Sun, wih Cadbury's confirming to the tabloid that it has switched out Dairy Milk for a "standard cocoa mix chocolate" in the shell Cadbury's The weirdest and most shocking news stories Chocolate Digestives revelation could change the face of biscuit eating forever Shut the biscuit tin, defenestrate your cup of tea, this is serious snack news: you have been eating chocolate biscuits upside down. Biscuits in fact have the chocolate on the bottom of the biscuit, not the top, McVitie's have confirmed, meaning Digestives, Hobnobs and more have a history of being eaten the wrong way up. The news sent shockwaves across the UK's subreddit, after a user posted an email from United Biscuits explaining their composition. "For your information," a spokesperson wrote, "the biscuits go through a reservoir of chocolate which enrobes them so the chocolate is actually on the bottom of the biscuits and not on the top" The weirdest and most shocking news stories Dollar store toy wand has hidden picture of demonic child cutting herself with a kitchen knife A mother in Dayton, Ohio was shocked when she purchased a toy wand for her child at a dollar store only to find it ran not on unicorn hair but a picture of a child slicing her arm open. In fairness to the dollar store (literally called '$.100 store') the product was named 'EVIL STICK', though the pink lettering, fairies, swirls and snowflakes on the packaging ensured it would catch the eye of toddlers. The fact that the wand emits a cackling laugh when activated is probably permissible, the horrific hidden image less so WHIO The weirdest and most shocking news stories Hello Kitty is not a cat - she's a British girl The revelation comes from Sanrio, the creators of the international toy, who contacted University of Hawaii anthropologist Christine R. Yano who was putting together a 40th anniversary retrospective of Hello Kitty in Los Angeles. Professor Yano, speaking to the LA Times, said: That's one correction Sanrio made for my script for the show. Hello Kitty is not a cat. She's a cartoon character. She is a little girl. She is a friend Getty The weirdest and most shocking news stories Cannabis-eating sheep munch through 4,000 in plants dumped in bag near farm Cannabis is known to leave its smokers feeling woolly-headed, but it seemed to have little effect on a flock of sheep who chomped their way through thousands of pounds worth of the drug. The hungry hash-eaters came across seven black bags containing the class B banned substance that had been dumped at the edge of their farm in Merstham, Surrey, and started scoffing Getty The weirdest and most shocking news stories Tesco cash machine offers 'free erection' because of mistake translating sign into Welsh Aberystwyth councillor Ceredig Davies took this picture after the new cash machine became the talk of the town, explaining that 'codiad am ddim' translates colloquially as 'free erection' Ceredig Davies The weirdest and most shocking news stories Parrot returns to British owner speaking Spanish - four years after disappearing Nigel, a grey African parrot, flew away from his home in California in 2010 but was returned to his British owner, Darren Chick, after he was discovered in Torrance, California. Although the Spanish-speaking bird bit Mr Chick when he first saw him, the happy owner said: "He's doing perfect. Mr Chick says his birds British accent is gone, replaced by fluent Spanish  and someone called "Larry". Even though he has no idea where the bird has been for the last four years, he claimed: "It's really weird, I knew it was him from the minute I saw him" Getty

Prof Belmain also called said there was no verified evidence of the rat.

They are never handed to experts and photographic evidence is often misleading," he said.

For example, the rat is relatively close to the camera, making it look much bigger in reference to the man behind.

Hackney Council provided its own example of how this could look as it disputed the alleged size of the rat:

Only one photo of the rat has been circulated in the media, and the workmen who found it said it had been disposed of.

Prof Belmain said the excitement behind the sight of large rats was down to their covert nature.

He said: Part of the explanation is that people dont actually see rats very often or only catch a glimpse of them as they move so quickly, so when they do see them up close they are surprised how big they are.

He also dismissed the idea it could be a more exotic species, saying: The only other potential explanation is that it is an escaped pet rat of a different species. Some people keep giant African pouched rats as pets, which do get that big.

However, these have a very distinct appearance, and the photo in the link you provided is clearly an ordinary Norway rat, a fine large specimen no more than 500 g at the extreme.
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A writer who charted Mohammed Emwazis passage from misfit schoolboy to the Isis executioner known as Jihadi John has pulled out of a speaking event at the extremists former university, claiming that he is being gagged.

Robert Verkaik was told he could not talk unless he signed the University of Westminsters code of practice for external speakers. The code is inspired by the Governments controversial counter-radicalisation policy Prevent  the very subject he was meant to be critically debating.

Mr Verkaik refused to sign the document, for fear that it would leave him unable to raise difficult issues, such as complaints by young Muslim men that they have been radicalised because of MI5 harassment. Such opinions have previously been criticised as extremist by the authorities.

When Islamic advocacy groups like Cage tried to argue this point, the Prime Minister called them apologists for terrorists, said Mr Verkaik. I dont see how I can take part in a debate when the issues I wish to raise may end up with the university and me falling foul of counter-terrorism policy.

It seems to me if I sign the University of Westminster guidance then I will be gagging myself, said Mr Verkaik, a former journalist at The Independent.

The Governments Prevent strategy sets out to stop people being drawn into terrorism. It includes warnings to institutions about the threat from speakers expressing non-violent extremism that could be exploited by terrorists. A university speakers code was introduced because of concerns that students were being exploited by hate preachers.

Mr Verkaik also expressed astonishment at being told by the university that it had a policy of not confirming that its former student Emwazi was indeed Jihadi John.

The university said in an email to the writer that it did not want to be distracted by the issue. The university said that inviting Mr Verkaik and other guests to discuss counter-terrorism had been a courageous step given the focus on the institution.

Westminster also declined to discuss the potential significance of Emwazis years at university in his radicalisation with Mr Verkaik while he was researching his book, saying that it would technically be in breach of its data protection rules, the writer said.

The university commissioned its own report into campus extremism, which reported in September that its Islamic students society was dominated by ultra-conservative elements who had refused to speak to female Muslim staff members. Following the identification of Emwazi, who appeared masked in Isis videos depicting the murder of Western hostages, the university cancelled a planned address by a radical preacher who had described homosexuality as a criminal act.

Index on Censorships chief executive Jodie Ginsberg said she was concerned that aspects of the governments anti-extremism strategy meant that discussion of the issue was being stopped.

Increasingly, people cant even talk about extremism without being accused of being extremists themselves or of encouraging extremism, she said. Thats leading to a ridiculously high level of caution that in turn leads to censorship  in arts, in academia, and in the media.

Raffaello Pantucci, director of international security studies at the Royal United Services Institute, who has written his own book on domestic extremism, said the universities had to weigh free speech against its duty to students.

Its a very difficult space, he said. Individuals have to make their own decisions about this. But part of the issue is that it hasnt always been clearly indicated by Government who it is that schools are meant to be keeping out.

A University of Westminster spokesperson said that no other speakers had declined to sign the code before speaking.

We are working hard to counter any form of extremist narrative through the Prevent duty, but we are also striving to maintain freedom of speech and open dialogue with events and debates that demonstrate a balanced approach, however challenging that may be.
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It was the signal that marked the end of the First World War  the moment when thousands of soldiers put down their weapons and all went quiet on the Western Front.

Now burglars have stolen one of the Morse code messages that announced the end of the conflict nearly a century after a British signalman brought it home from the trenches.

Private John Smith, of the 12th battalion of the London Regiment, was in a frontline signal hut on 11 November 1918, when that message came through on a telegraph machine signalling that the war would end at 11am.

Recommended Read more Forgotten role of Indian soldiers in First World War marked at last

He put the transcribed message into his pocket and it stayed in his possession after he returned home and married his sweetheart, Grace. He kept it for the rest of his life.

But decades after John died in the 1950s from lung damage caused by wartime gas attacks, his granddaughter, Suzie Smith, has been left devastated after burglars stole the document and Johns medals after ransacking her grandmothers jewellery box.

She is now urging the thieves who broke into her home in Stockport to hand back the signal which marked the final act in the worlds most devastating conflict.

Its a piece of paper that has no financial value, but its so precious to me. Its irreplaceable. They also took my grandfathers two war medals, she said.

Private John Smith brought the message home from the trenches (Manchester Evening News)

I felt like a custodian who was keeping them for the familys sake and I was especially proud of that signal. I just hope that whoever took it might have the heart to give it back and I hope they havent just scrunched it up and tossed it under a tree.

The 12th battalion of the London Regiment served at the second battle of Ypres, the battle of Loos and the battle of Amiens. On 11 November 1918, it was stationed near Peruwelz, south east of Tournai in Belgium.

The signal marking the Armistice was sent from Army headquarters to the battalion at 10am that day, declaring that the war would end exactly one hour later. A fellow signalman in Johns hut decoded the message and then wrote it out in pencil on official Army notepaper.

It declared: Hostilities cease 11.00 today. Troops will stand fast on the outpost line already established. All military precautions will be observed and there will be no communication with the enemy. Further instructions later. Acknowledge.

This is a message that was sent to units along the Western Front, telling the men that the war was over. It was last signal of the war and its historically significant to the battalion and to anyone who served in it, Ian Kikuchi, a historian at the Imperial War Museum London told The Independent.

What we dont know is how the men in that signal hut felt when they received the message. Were they elated or did they sit there wondering what would happen at 11am? We will never know.

Ms Smith, said the theft of the document has also brought back painful memories of losing her father, Tony Smith, when she was 15 in 1996. Her partner has been visiting memorabilia and antique shops in the town in the hope that it has been handed in and she has also posted messages on Facebook urging people to look out for the document.

Click HERE for larger annotated version of the graphic

Burglars have stolen one of the Morse code messages that announced the end of the WW1 conflict

The Morse code transcript was one of only two mementos I had of my dad, Ms Smith said. It was one of a small handful of things that I felt I was looking after for him. It was one of the few things I had left.

Its a piece of history and it had such emotional significance for me. I just hope somebody sees this and gives it back.

Historical signal: The transcribed note

Hostilities cease 1100 today. Troops will stand fast on the outpost line already established. All military precautions will be observed and there will be no communication with the enemy. Further instructions later. Acknowledge.
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London and Washington have scrambled to soothe transatlantic tensions after President Barack Obama mounted an extraordinary public attack on David Cameron for his record over Libya.

Mr Obama took Downing Street by surprise when he hit out at Britain and France for failing to stop the north African state degenerating into a s*** show following the western military action which helped to topple Muammar Gaddafi from power.

He said part of the reason for the chaos in Libya  underlined by a United Nations report warning of major advances by Isis in the country  was that Mr Cameron had become distracted by a range of other things.

After Mr Obamas undiplomatic language in an interview in The Atlantic magazine emerged, a spokesman for the US National Security Council said Mr Cameron had been as close a partner as the President has had.

He said: We deeply value the UKs contributions on our shared national security and foreign policy objectives, which reflect our special and essential relationship.

Matthew Barzun, the American ambassador to Britain, insisted on Twitter: Our relationship is essential. It is special. True yesterday, true today and will be true tomorrow.

Weve long worked together for a more peaceful, prosperous and just world. Look at Nato, Iran deal, counter-terrorism, Ebola, trade and aid.

David Camerons spokeswoman welcomed the White Houses olive branch and maintained that the Prime Minister did not regret any of his actions over Libya. She said: Weve done all we can and we think its been the right approach.

Andrew Mitchell, who was the International Development Secretary at the time of the Libya intervention in 2011, said it was extremely unfair and completely untrue to suggest Mr Cameron had lost focus on Libya.

Mr Mitchell said: [Mr Obama] certainly doesnt appreciate the full extent of the plans made for stabilising the situation in Libya when the immediate conflict stopped.

The problem was, of course, that there was no peace to stabilise. Thats why Libya has proved to be so challenging.

But John Baron, the only Conservative MP to vote against British involvement in Libya, said: President Obama is right that Libya is a shambles.

We did not understand the complexities of the situation, or how events would play out post-conflict. This lack of knowledge has once again caused a worse situation, including the presence of extremists such as [Isis] as well as an immigration crisis.

In a report to the UN Security Council, the team monitoring arms sanctions against Libya warned that Isis had recruited marginalised groups in the central city of Sirte, which it controls, and boosted its strength in the capital, Tripoli, as well as in the city of Sabratha.

The six-member panel said: While [Isis] does not generate direct revenue from the exploitation of oil in Libya, its attacks against oil installations seriously compromise the countrys economic stability.

Libyans have increasingly fallen victim to the terrorist groups brutalities, culminating in several mass killings.

Mr Obama said the Libya intervention had averted large-scale civilian casualties and almost certainly prevented a prolonged and bloody civil conflict.

But he added: Despite all that, Libya is a mess. According to the magazine, the President privately used the phrase s*** show to describe the turmoil in the state.

Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the former Foreign Secretary, said it was a bit rich for the President to single out Britain and France for blame as they had carried out more air operations over Libya than any other country.
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More than half of disabled people declared fit to work by the Department for Work and Pensions who appeal the decision are later found to actually be ill, departmental figures show.

Figures released by the DWP show tribunals overturned 52 per cent of Employment and Support Allowance appeals claims in the given period.

Despite the worrying rate of errors, the Government this week confirmed it would put even more responsibility on the assessment system.

MPs this week passed a 30-a-week cut for new ESA claimants put in the so-called work-related activity group  meaning that from April 2017 being judged to be in the wrong group could end up costing disabled people over 1,500 a year.

Previous research by the Disability Benefits Consortium of charities suggests that 28 per cent of people on the current, higher WRAG rate have been unable to afford to eat, while 38 per cent have been unable to heat their homes.

Protesters demonstrated outside the DWPs offices at Caxton House in Westminster yesterday. One of the protesters carried a banner bearing the names of 96 people she claimed to have died while as a result of benefits sanctions.

In total 36 per cent of all fit-to-work ESA decisions to date have been appealed  meaning the errors likely make up a significant proportion of total claims.

The latest appeals success analysis released by the DWP on Thursday refers to claims starting in October 2014 to December 2014 because the figure refers to cases where the lengthy assessment process has been completed. It represents the latest dataset made available by the Department.

Rossanna Trudgian, head of campaigns at the learning disability charity Mencap, said the ESA system needed a fundamental redesign.

Todays figures show yet again that the Work Capability Assessment is failing the people it is designed to support, she said.

Not only is the Government pushing through cuts to disability benefits, but its benefits system is continually making wrong decisions and directly harming peoples chances of finding work.

7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Show all 7 1 /7 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Closing Remploy factories The Work and Pensions Secretary called time on Britains system of Remploy factories, which provided subsidised and sheltered employment to disabled people. People employed at the factories protested against their closure and said they provided gainful work. Is it a kindness to stick people in some factory where they are not doing any work at all? Just making cups of coffee? Mr Duncan Smith said at the time, defending the decision. I promise you this is better. The Remploy organisation was privatised and sold to American workfare provider Maximus, with the majority of the organisations factories closed. The future of the remaining sites is unclear 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Scrapping the Independent Living Fund The 320m Independent Living Fund was established in 1988 to give financial support to people with disabilities. It was scrapped on July 1 2015, with 18,000 often severely disabled people losing out by an average of 300 a week. The money was generally used to help pay for carers so people could live in communities rather than institutions. Councils will get a boost in funding to compensate but it will not cover the whole cost of the fund. This new cash also doesnt have to be spent on the disabled 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Cut payments for the disabled Access To Work scheme Iain Duncan Smith is bringing forward a policy that will reduce payments to some disabled people from a scheme designed to help them into work. The 108m scheme, which helps 35,540 people, will be capped on a per-used basis, potentially hitting those with the more serious disabilities who currently receive the most help. The single biggest users of the fund are people who have difficulty seeing and hearing. The cut will come in from October 2015. The charity Disability UK says the scheme actually makes the Government money because the people who gain access to work tend pay tax that more than covers its cost. The DWP does not describe the reduction as a cut and says it will be able to spread the money more thinly and cover more people 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Cut Employment and Support Allowance The latest Budget included a 30 a week cut in disability benefits for some new claimants of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). The Government says it is equalising the rate of disability benefits with Jobseekers Allowance because giving disabled people more help is a perverse incentive. The people affected by this cut are those assessed as having a limited capability for work but as being capable of some work-related activity. A group of prominent Catholics wrote to Mr Duncan Smith to say there was no justification for this cut. Mental health charity Mind, said the cut was insulting and misguided 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Risk homelessness with a sharp increase disability benefit sanctions Official figures in the first quarter of 2014 found a huge increase in sanctions against people reliant on ESA sickness benefit. The 15,955 sanctions were handed out in that period compared to 3,574 in the same period the year before, 2013  a 4.5 times increase. The homelessness charity Crisis warned at the time that the sharp rise in temporary benefit cuts was cruel and can leave people utterly destitute  without money even for food and at severe risk of homelessness. It is difficult to see how they are meant to help people prepare for work, Matt Downie, director of policy at the charity added 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Sending sick people to work because of broken fitness to work tests In 2012 a government advisor appointed to review the Governments Work Capability Assessment said the tests causing suffering by sending sick people back to work inappropriately. There are certainly areas where it's still not working and I am sorry there are people going through a system which I think still needs improvement, Professor Malcolm Harrington concluded. The tests are said to have improved since then, but as recently as this summer they are still coming in for criticism. In June the British Psychological Society said there was now significant body of evidence that the WCA is failing to assess peoples fitness for work accurately and appropriately. It called for a full overhaul of the way the tests are carried out. The WCA appeals system has also been fraught with controversy with a very high rate of overturns and delays lasting months and blamed for hardship 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people The bedroom tax The Governments benefit cut for people who it says are under-occupying their homes disproportionately affects disabled people. Statistics released last year show that around two-thirds of those affected by the under-occupancy penalty, widely known as the bedroom tax, are disabled. There have been a number of high profile cases of disabled people being moved out of specially adapted homes by the policy. In one case publicised by the Sunday People last week, a 48 year old man with cerebral palsy was forced to bathe in a paddling pool after the tax moved him out of his home with a walk-in shower. The Government says it has provided councils with a discretionary fund to help reduce the policys impact on disabled people, but cases continue to arise

We now urge the Government to consider a fundamental redesign of the WCA, and to think seriously about the impact of its repeated cuts to benefits and social care on the on the 1.4 million people with a learning disability in the UK.

The DWP stressed that is had since introduced mandatory reconsideration for people found fit to work, removing the initial requirements for people going to appeal.

A DWP spokesperson said: The decision on whether someone is well enough to work is taken following a thorough independent assessment, and after consideration of all the supporting evidence from the claimants GP or medical specialist.

Most overturned decisions are the result of additional evidence being provided which was not available to the initial decision-maker. This does not mean the original decision was wrong.

The majority of people who have a WCA are given the highest rate of support available, which reflects the many improvements that we have made to the system in recent years.
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Brexit campaigners have been accused of putting international security co-operation at risk, after the Home Office disclosed that nearly 140 suspected criminals were brought back to Britain to face justice last year under a European Union system.

In the past six years, 785 European Arrest Warrants have been served by police forces to repatriate UK nationals accused of crime and terrorism from other member nations. But this mechanism would come to an end if Britain left the EU.

Over the same period, 6,165 suspected offenders have been removed from Britain to stand trial in their home countries following requests from European courts.

In 2014-15, 138 people were returned to Britain under the system, while 1,093 foreign suspects were sent back to other EU countries.

Recommended Read more Worried EU nationals dash for UK citizenship amid Brexit fears

The heavy use of the warrant system which has long been criticised by Eurosceptic campaigners  emerged in a written answer by the Home Office minister James Brokenshire, received by the Liberal Democrats.

Tim Farron, the partys leader, told The Independent: Working together to catch criminals shows why we need to lead in Europe and not leave. This vital co-operation would be put at risk if we vote to leave. For all these supposedly law and order Conservatives to turn their backs on that shows how determined they are to pull up the drawbridge. They seem to want to go back to the bad old days of the Costa del Crime.

Sir Hugh Orde, former president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: These new figures demonstrate why being in Europe is so vital to the safety of Britains streets. For our police forces, the ability to quickly deport foreign criminals, and bring villains back to face British justice, is invaluable.

If we vote to leave ... we will no longer be able to use this crucial tool to fight crime.

Leave campaigners retort that the warrant system is open to abuse because it assumes common standards of justice across Europe and does not have enough safeguards against mistaken identity and people being pursued on flimsy evidence.

In 2014 the coalition government withdrew from more than 130 EU criminal justice measures and immediately opted back in to 35 which it believed benefited Britain.

Theresa May, the Home Secretary, is a strong advocate of the warrant system for detaining terrorists and breaking up paedophile networks, after forcing through changes to prevent its indiscriminate use.

Data from the National Crime Agency shows the largest number of arrests of wanted people under the warrants takes place in Spain, followed by Ireland and the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, David Cameron took his campaign for a vote on 23 June to stay in the EU to the Welsh Tory conference, where he argued British farmers could suffer enormously if the UK leaves.

The London Mayor, Boris Johnson, told a rally in Dartford, Kent, that Britain could adopt a Canadian-style trade deal with the EU if it voted to go. But Mr Cameron retorted that the proposed Canadian deal was still not in force seven years after negotiations began on its detail.

Tony Blair called on the pro-EU side to get out there with a bit of passion and vigour to make the case for membership. However, he conceded it might be counterproductive to the cause if he himself took part in the campaigning.

Mr Cameron suffered a setback when a senior Conservative MEP, Syed Kamall, who helped him negotiate last months new deal over Britains relationship with Brussels, announced he was backing Brexit.

Mr Kamall, chairman of the Conservatives and Reformists Group in Strasbourg, told the London Evening Standard he had really struggled with his decision but had been swayed by EU rules preventing talented non-European migrants from working in Britain.

Leading Leave campaigners stepped up accusations that their opponents were guilty of scaremongering.

Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said: I listen to these endless comments and speeches about the dire warnings, they are almost biblical; you are expecting a plague of frogs and the death of the first-born.
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An executive of an oil company chaired by former Conservative leader Michael Howard is being investigated by the UN over possible links to the Islamist group al-Shabaab.

A leaked letter, from the UNs Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group to Norwegian diplomats, reveals Soma Oil and Gas is the subject of an inquiry into alleged bribery of Somalian government officials. The UKs Serious Fraud Office said last July that it was investigating Soma over allegations of corruption in the country.

But Christophe Trajbet, the monitoring groups coordinator, writes that the London-based firms East Africa director, Hassan Khaire, may have connections with extremists  a claim denied by the company. The letter, published by news website BuzzFeed, also seeks details of the Norwegians tax records, bank accounts and credit cards.

Soma said: Mr Khaire does not have any links with East African extremist groups including al-Shabaab. He has no link or affiliation to any known terrorist organisation or member of a terrorist organisation. [Such] suggestions are highly damaging and defamatory.
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Unspecified elites shut down debate on the issue of immigration, a Cabinet minister and former leader of the Conservative party has said.

In an interview with the Today programme Iain Duncan Smith said even a mere mention of immigration in previous years had led to the speaker being immediately labeled as a racist.

For far too many years whats happened is that in a sense the elites have said its terrible to talk about immigration, and if you do youre racist. They shut down the debate for many years, he told the programme.

Recommended Read more Immigration has not increased unemployment or reduced wages

I can even remember back when Tony Blair was prime minister to even mention immigration was to be accused of being a racist, if you talked in terms about asylum seekers.

That accusation probably silenced legitimate discussion. It mean that if you do that what happens is you push this debate to the margins - which what youre seeing in Europe. Then political parties with very poor intentions and nasty motives take control.

Jonathan Portes, principal research fellow at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, described Mr Duncan Smiths comments as an astonishing rewriting of history.

The Cabinet ministers claim came in response to a the Archbishop of Canterbury arguing that it was outrageous to say people worried about immigration were racist.

The Christian cleric told Parliaments internal House magazine that there was a genuine fear of foreigners when it came to their impact on health services, jobs, and housing.

In fragile communities particularly - and I've worked in many areas with very fragile communities over my time as a clergyman - there is a genuine fear: what happens about housing? What happens about jobs? What happens about access to health services? he said.

Refugee crisis - in pictures Show all 27 1 /27 Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugee crisis - in pictures A child looks through the fence at the Moria detention camp for migrants and refugees at the island of Lesbos on May 24, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Ahmad Zarour, 32, from Syria, reacts after his rescue by MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) while attempting to reach the Greek island of Agathonisi, Dodecanese, southeastern Agean Sea Refugee crisis - in pictures Syrian migrants holding life vests gather onto a pebble beach in the Yesil liman district of Canakkale, northwestern Turkey, after being stopped by Turkish police in their attempt to reach the Greek island of Lesbos on 29 January 2016. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees flash the 'V for victory' sign during a demonstration as they block the Greek-Macedonian border Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants have been braving sub zero temperatures as they cross the border from Macedonia into Serbia. Refugee crisis - in pictures A sinking boat is seen behind a Turkish gendarme off the coast of Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016. At least 33 migrants drowned on January 30 when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A general view of a shelter for migrants inside a hangar of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Germany Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees protest behind a fence against restrictions limiting passage at the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Since last week, Macedonia has restricted passage to northern Europe to only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans who are considered war refugees. All other nationalities are deemed economic migrants and told to turn back. Macedonia has finished building a fence on its frontier with Greece becoming the latest country in Europe to build a border barrier aimed at checking the flow of refugees Refugee crisis - in pictures A father and his child wait after being caught by Turkish gendarme on 27 January 2016 at Canakkale's Kucukkuyu district Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants make hand signals as they arrive into the southern Spanish port of Malaga on 27 January, 2016 after an inflatable boat carrying 55 Africans, seven of them women and six chidren, was rescued by the Spanish coast guard off the Spanish coast. Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee holds two children as dozens arrive on an overcrowded boat on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures A child, covered by emergency blankets, reacts as she arrives, with other refugees and migrants, on the Greek island of Lesbos, At least five migrants including three children, died after four boats sank between Turkey and Greece, as rescue workers searched the sea for dozens more, the Greek coastguard said Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants wait under outside the Moria registration camp on the Lesbos. Over 400,000 people have landed on Greek islands from neighbouring Turkey since the beginning of the year Refugee crisis - in pictures The bodies of Christian refugees are buried separately from Muslim refugees at the Agios Panteleimonas cemetery in Mytilene, Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures Macedonian police officers control a crowd of refugees as they prepare to enter a camp after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee tries to force the entry to a camp as Macedonian police officers control a crowd after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees are seen aboard a Turkish fishing boat as they arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast to Lesbos Reuters Refugee crisis - in pictures An elderly woman sings a lullaby to baby on a beach after arriving with other refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A man collapses as refugees make land from an overloaded rubber dinghy after crossing the Aegean see from Turkey, at the island of Lesbos EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures A girl reacts as refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees make a show of hands as they queue after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures People help a wheelchair user board a train with others, heading towards Serbia, at the transit camp for refugees near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija AP Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees board a train, after crossing the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Macedonia is a key transit country in the Balkans migration route into the EU, with thousands of asylum seekers - many of them from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia - entering the country every day Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures An aerial picture shows the "New Jungle" refugee camp where some 3,500 people live while they attempt to enter Britain, near the port of Calais, northern France Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A Syrian girl reacts as she helped by a volunteer upon her arrival from Turkey on the Greek island of Lesbos, after having crossed the Aegean Sea EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Beds ready for use for migrants and refugees are prepared at a processing center on January 27, 2016 in Passau, Germany. The flow of migrants arriving in Passau has dropped to between 500 and 1,000 per day, down significantly from last November, when in the same region up to 6,000 migrants were arriving daily.

A major study by the London School of Economics published last year found that immigration had not overall reduced wages or increased unemployment.

Academics at the University of Oxford conducted research into the impact of immigration on the NHS and found that areas with higher foreign-born populations had lower waiting times than areas with low foreign immigration.

An analysis by the National Housing Federation published in October last year concluded that migration has not resulted in a disproportionate allocation of social rented homes to newly arriving migrants and that a higher proportion of foreign nationals live in the private rented sector.
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MPs are due to vote on a Bill to reverse the introduction of private-sector and market-based influences on the National Health Service.

The NHS Reinstatement Bill, introduced by the Green Partys MP Caroline Lucas, would strip out the internal market, first introduced in 1991, as well as the Conservatives latest reforms to NHS commissioning.

The law would abolish the purchaser-provider split, end the contracting out of services, and aims to re-establish public bodies and public services directly accountable to local populations.

Green MP Caroline Lucas is proposing the Bill with the support of the SNP and some Labour MPs (Getty Images)

The Bill has cross-party support and has been signed by Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell  but Labour has yet to make a formal party statement on the Bill.

The Scottish National Party and other individual Labour MPs also support the proposed law.

The proposal will be looked at MPs on Friday. It is very unlikely to pass without the support of Labour and a significant rebellion by Conservatives  of which there has been no sign.

Private bills proposed by individual MPs are also very vulnerable to filibuster by MPs who are opposed and do not wish a vote to be held on the item.

 Junior doctors' plea to David Cameron

Other provisions in the Bill include the re-establishment of community health councils, the abolition of the NHS Commissioning Board, and the integration of Health and Social Care services.

Ms Lucas the proposal would reverse the creeping marketisation of the service and urged Labour to back it.

This Friday MPs have a chance to show their commitment to our NHS. The NHS needs Labour to back this Bill, she said

In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK 20,000 Junior Doctors marched through central London in protest at the new contract changes the government is trying to impose which they say will be unfair and unsafe In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors protest in London In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK 4 year old Cassius takes part in a demonstration in Westminster, in support of junior doctors over changes to NHS contracts, London In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Protest over proposed changes to junior doctors' contracts, Leeds In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors and NHS staff protesting against the health service cuts and the proposed contract changes offered by the government outside Parliament In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors and NHS staff protesting against the health service cuts and the proposed contract changes offered by the government outside Parliament In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Over 5000 junior doctors rallied in Waterloo place, before marching through Whitehall and onto Parliament Square, in opposition to Jeremy Hunt's new working conditions for doctors In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Demonstrators listen to speeches in Waterloo Place during the 'Let's Save the NHS' rally and protest march by junior doctors In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors marched in London to highlight their plight In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK A protester at a demonstration in support of junior doctors in London

Its the best chance weve got to bring peoples anger about whats happening to our NHS into Parliament  and to then move towards reversing the failed privatisation experiment.

Across the country were seeing people making a stand against the ongoing marketisation of our health service. The NHS is saddled with a wasteful internal market, and increasingly widespread outsourcing of services to the private sector.

When you add this privatisation to the near-constant Government attacks on the NHS workforce, including forcing junior doctors to strike again today, you can see why so many people are supporting the NHS Bill.
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Backbench Conservative MPs have blocked plans for a debate and vote on a bill to reverse private sector involvement in the NHS.

Green MP Caroline Lucas had sponsored the so-called NHS Reinstatement Bill, which campaigners say would roll back the health services internal market, end contracting, and return the NHS to purely public provision.

The Bill is backed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and shadow chancellor John McDonnell in a private capacity, as well as by the SNP.

Recommended Read more Tory MP speaks for 90 minutes to block carers parking bill

However despite scheduling on Friday the Bill did not receive a full debate because backbench Conservative MPs discussing a short bill to deport foreign criminals  which had already been debated before  used up available parliamentary time by talking for four and a half hours.

The Foreign National Offenders (Exclusion from the UK) Bill has only two clauses and would make provision to exclude from the UK foreign nationals found guilty of a criminal offence committed in the UK.

That Bill has already been introduced to the House in a previous session and withdrawn after it met opposition.

Ms Lucas raised a point of order an hour before the end of the discussion on deportation, arguing that the MPs were taking too long.

Madame Deputy Speaker, is it within your power to suggest to the opposite benches that they do begin to bring their comments to a close? she asked

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas sponsored the bill (PA)

They have now been debating for three and a half hours on a two-clause Bill, a bill that was actually already debated last year and then withdrawn from the floor of the House.

I think it does risk bringing this house into disrepute  there are so many people who want us to get onto the next business, the NHS, it is very important and I do think them talking for so long simply isnt courteous  either to the rest of the House or to the people outside this building who want to see whats going on.

The Deputy Speaker replied: She knows the answer to the questions she has put  I think she is voicing the frustrations that many honourable members have had on Fridays for private members bills.

Tory MPs who spoke at length on the deportation bill included Philip Hollobone, Sir Edward Leigh, Philip Davies, David Nuttal.

Philip Hollobone alone spent over an hour introducing the deportation bill

Tory backbenchers regularly talk out backbench legislation they do not like. Mr Davies has argued that such legislation can be badly designed.

He suggested that Ms Lucas moved a cloture motion to end the debate. These motions are difficult to bring on Fridays as they require large numbers of MPs, many of whom have returned to their constituencies.

After the conclusion of proceedings Ms Lucas tweeted: Just tried  without success  to stop Tory backbench filibuster.

Parliamentary process needs radical change  makes mockery of this place.

In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK 20,000 Junior Doctors marched through central London in protest at the new contract changes the government is trying to impose which they say will be unfair and unsafe In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors protest in London In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK 4 year old Cassius takes part in a demonstration in Westminster, in support of junior doctors over changes to NHS contracts, London In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Protest over proposed changes to junior doctors' contracts, Leeds In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors and NHS staff protesting against the health service cuts and the proposed contract changes offered by the government outside Parliament In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors and NHS staff protesting against the health service cuts and the proposed contract changes offered by the government outside Parliament In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Over 5000 junior doctors rallied in Waterloo place, before marching through Whitehall and onto Parliament Square, in opposition to Jeremy Hunt's new working conditions for doctors In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Demonstrators listen to speeches in Waterloo Place during the 'Let's Save the NHS' rally and protest march by junior doctors In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors marched in London to highlight their plight In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK A protester at a demonstration in support of junior doctors in London

Other bills that have been blocked by filibustering backbenchers since the election include one to remove hospital car parking charges for carers, one to ensure in law that rented homes are fit for human habitation, and one to mandate that children are trained in first aid at school.

Campaigners on a number of issues have recently called for Friday sessions  where private members bill put by backbenchers are discussed  to be reformed.

A petition calling for changes to the way MPs can filibuster bills has gained over 33,000 signatures. If the petition reached 100,000 signatures it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

In a response to the petition, the Government said: Procedure within the chamber is a matter for the House of Commons authorities and the Speaker or Deputy Speaker chairing the debate.
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The leader of the Conservative MEPs in the European Parliament - who helped broker David Camerons renegotiation package - has said he wants to leave the EU.

In a symbolic blow to the Mr Cameron, Syed Kamall said he believed that on balance we could forge a better future outside the bloc.

The top Tory in Brussels said that he thought the Prime Ministers EU renegotiation had given the UK a better deal but that it was not good enough for him to stay in.

David Cameron's EU deal has left some Tories wanting to leave the bloc (Corbis)

He cited wanting a fairer immigration policy for people coming to Britain outside the EU as his main reason for wanting to leave.

After much thought, my personal decision is to vote to leave the EU; not because I think David Cameron did a bad job, but because I believe that on balance we could forge a better future outside, he said.

Mr Kamall acted as a go-between for the Prime Minister and EU officials during exchanges over the reforms.

He made his statement on Friday morning as Boris Johnson claimed that leaving the bloc would be win-win for all of us.

The Mayor of London said at a speech in Kent that there were no downsides to leaving the bloc and that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

David Cameron has permitted his MPs and Cabinet ministers to campaign on either side of the European Union referendum, which is due to take place on 23 June.

The PM secured provisions to cut EU red tape, protect the single market for non-eurozone members, and exempt Britain from ever closer union.

He also secured a more limited version of the four-year freeze on in-work benefits for EU migrants that he had set out to achieve.

Some Conservative eurosceptics have described the package as thin gruel and watered down, however.

Grassroots Out, one of the campaigns looking to leave the European Union, is holding a national day of action on Saturday urging voters to leave the European Union.

Mr Kamall leads the Tories in the European Parliament (EPA)

Tom Pursglove, the co-founder of the group, said the campaign to leave the bloc was attracting support from all corners of the political world.

Every week more and more people are coming out to support the GO campaign to get Britain out of the EU, he said.

As well as having campaigners from across the political spectrum GO is attracting many people who have never been aligned to a political party but want to be a part of this vital cause of making Britain an independent and global facing country once again.

But campaigners looking to remain in the bloc have warned that leaving could have serious negative consequences for Britain.

Richard Howitt, a Labour MEP who co-presides European Parliament's all-party Disability Rights Group, said in a speech today that disabled people could lose out from Brexit.

87,000 British disabled people were helped towards work by European-funded training last year  and would not have been so if Britain was no in the EU, he argued.

What has the EU ever done for us? Show all 7 1 /7 What has the EU ever done for us? What has the EU ever done for us? 1. It gives you freedom to live, work and retire anywhere in Europe As a member of the EU, UK citizens benefit from freedom of movement across the continent. Considered one of the so-called four pillars of the European Union, this freedom allows all EU citizens to live, work and travel in other member states. What has the EU ever done for us? 2. It sustains millions of jobs A report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, released in October 2015, suggested 3.1 million British jobs were linked to the UKs exports to the EU. What has the EU ever done for us? 3. Your holiday is much easier - and safer Freedom to travel is one of the most exercised benefits of EU membership, with Britons having made 31 million visits to the EU in 2014 alone. But a lot of the benefits of being an EU citizen are either taken for granted or go unnoticed. What has the EU ever done for us? 4. It means you're less likely to get ripped off Consumer protection is a key benefit of the EUs single market, and ensures members of the British public receive equal consumer rights when shopping anywhere in Europe. What has the EU ever done for us? 5. It offers greater protection from terrorists, paedophiles, people traffickers and cyber-crime Another example of a lesser-known advantage of EU membership is the benefit of cross-country coordination and cooperation in the fight against crime. What has the EU ever done for us? 6. Our businesses depend on it According to 71% of all members of the Confederation of British Influence (CBI), and 67 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the EU has had an overall positive impact on their business. What has the EU ever done for us? 7. We have greater influence Robin Niblett, Director of think-tank Chatham House, stated in a report published last year: For a mid-sized country like the UK, which will never again be economically dominant either globally or regionally, and whose diplomatic and military resources are declining in relative terms, being a major player in a strong regional institution can offer a critical lever for international influence.

In all the talk of 'free movement', what about the right of a wheelchair user to move freely to visit another European country? he said.

Discrimination doesn't stop at borders. On the table, we have a European-wide general Accessibility Act, that could further transform the lives of millions of people.

People with disabilities will always campaign to pull down barriers. In the European referendum, the Disability Movement should campaign against erecting new barriers.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister will later give a speech in Wales arguing that British farmers will be worse off outside the EU.

Mr Cameron will claim that the move will push up the cost of British beef exports by 240m a year.

Labour MP Chuka Umunna also told BBC News this morning that the Leave campaign was playing fast and loose with jobs that relied on EU exports.
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Dan Jarvis is not another New Labour smoothie. He isnt intensely relaxed about anything. Hes going to be tough on inequality and tough on the causes of inequality. And as if to prove it, he invited the Westminster press corps to a room rented out by a leading New Labour think-tank and plied them with cucumber water.

It was surprisingly refreshing. Who knew that if you drop something thats 96 per cent water in to water, the ensuing change in flavour is just subtle enough to think youre getting something youve never tried before?

As politicians go, Jarvis has the sort of backstory that makes Odysseus look like a spad from Defra. Paratrooper. Widower. Northerner. Ive been to three war zones and managed to do it without shedding a tear, he began. But I cried the first time I heard the Barnsley Youth Choir. This was meant to be a compliment.

What the member for Barnsley Central needs now is a front story  some actual politics. He made extensive flirtations with running for the Labour leadership last year, before ultimately swiping left and inadvertently rubbing the Corbyn lamp as he did so. There are council and London mayoral elections in May. If Labour underperforms there will be manoeuvres to get the Genie of Islington North back in his backbench bottle (Stephen Kinnock said as much in an interview with the Huffington Post barely an hour later). Even the most right-wing of the partys moderates know that anything that tastes like a Blairite wont be able to do it, not now.

New Labour were intensely relaxed about things they shouldnt have been intensely relaxed about, he continued. Labour needs to be tough on inequality, tough on the causes of inequality. Whats that familiar taste?

The people I meet, the people I am talking about, dont attend economic seminars, he said. They dont follow the doctrinal discussions of the Labour Party. It was as unveiled an attack on his shadow Chancellor as youre likely to get, and only fractionally undermined by it having taken place right at the start of an event billed as a Keynote Address on Labours Economic Agenda.

Jarvis, he told us, would not be talking language from another planet but rooting my remarks today in a place and an experience 175 miles from here  Barnsley. Not that that meant he didnt have time or the inclination to carry on into a third decade the discussion about who has or hasnt fixed the roof in various weather conditions.

Stop gazing at the stars and start focusing on the foundations, he warned George Osborne, who we must now assume has been fixing the roof at night, or at least staring out of the hole thats still in it.

You dont get to be a major in the Parachute Regiment without knowing a bit about when to engage the enemy. Such is Corbyns unprecedented popularity among the membership Jarvis also knows, to paraphrase another popular combatant, that if he strikes Corbyn down he may well become more powerful than he can possibly imagine. How could a leadership challenge possibly work? I dont spend a large amount of time worrying about the processes of the Labour Party, he said.

Cucumbers can be frightening. One of the biggest YouTube sensations of the past year has been the discovery that, should you clandestinely lay one on the floor behind a cat, it is liable to mistake it for an unimaginably large stool, assume there is a lion in the area, jump 10ft in the air and bolt for its life.

As a political metaphor, thats not particularly instructive. But at least its not watery.
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Pro-government militias in South Sudan are being offered women to rape in lieu of wages as sexual violence is used as an instrument of terror, a UN report has found.

More than 1,300 rapes were recorded in just one of the countrys 10 states in a five-month period last year and all sides in its bloody civil war are accused of responsibility.

Credible sources indicate groups allied to the government are being allowed to rape women in lieu of wages but opposition groups and criminal gangs have also been preying on women and girls, the UNs human rights office said.

 South Sudan: UN report contains "searing" account of killings, rape and destruction

Its report contains graphic accounts of civilians suspected of supporting the opposition, including children and the disabled, being killed by being burned alive, suffocated in containers, shot, hanged from trees or cut to pieces.

One woman described how she was stripped naked and raped by five soldiers in front of her children by the side of a road, then raped by more men in the bushes only to return and find her children missing.

Another victim was tied to a tree after her husband was killed and had to watch her 15-year-old daughter being raped by 10 soldiers.

Others said they were attacked after leaving the protection of UN camps to search for food, while some were abducted as sex slaves or wives for soldiers living in government barracks.

In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan Show all 20 1 /20 In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan The international Red Cross said that the road from Bor to the nearby Awerial area 'is lined with thousands of people' waiting for boats so they could cross the Nile River and that the gathering of displaced 'is the largest single identified concentration of displaced people in the country so far' In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan People unload the few belongings at Minkammen, that they were able to bring with them to the camps In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan Hundreds of civilians fleeing violence in Bor region arrive at dawn to one of the many small ports that run alongside the camps in Awerial region, having crossed over the Nile River by night In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan Thousands of exhausted civilians are crowding into the fishing village of Minkammen, a once-tiny riverbank settlement of a few thatch huts 25 kilometres (20 miles) southwest of Bor In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan Many people had spent days hiding out in the bush outside Bor as gunmen battled for control of the town, which has exchanged hands three times in the conflict, and remains in rebel control In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan People on a boat that arrives at the camps in Minkammen In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan A man who arrived a number of days earlier helps a young newly arrived displaced boy from a river barge, some of the thousands who fled the recent fighting between government and rebel forces in Bor by boat across the White Nile, in the town of Awerial In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan Displaced people who fled from recent fighting in Bor queue outside a clinic run by Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) set up in a school building in the town of Awerial In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan Mothers and their babies who fled from recent fighting in Bor, many of whom are suffering from dehydration and diarrhea due to the lack of any sanitation, queue outside a clinic In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan Local residents tend to their livestock in the town of Awerial which has received a sudden influx of thousands of displaced people who fled the recent fighting between government and rebel forces in Bor by boat across the White Nile In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan A young boy pulls his suitcase of belongings as he walks to find a place to rest after getting off a river barge from Bor In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan A displaced family camp under a tree providing partial shade from the midday sun In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan The UN warns that the people caught up in the conflict in Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, are in dire need of food, water, sanitary facilities and medical supplies In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan Almost 200,000 people have fled their homes and there are reports of mass killings along ethnic lines In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan A boy carries a fish, caught from the nearby Nile river, in a cardboard box on his head back to his relatives to eat In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan A mother and her baby, one of the few to have a mosquito net, wake up in the morning after sleeping in the open In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan People queue for medical care at a clinic run by Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) set up in a school building in the town of Awerial In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan A girl returns from gathering firewood while others extract water from a well In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan A displaced woman arrives with what belongings she had time to gather by river barge from Bor In pictures: Victims of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan A boy carries his belongings through mud after arriving by river barge from Bor

Investigators said the assaults have been characterised by extreme brutality, with even a sign of resistance or struggle, or looking a rapist directly in the eye, resulting in women being killed.

If you looked young or good looking, about ten men would rape the woman; the older women were raped by about seven to nine men, one witness said.

The prevalence of rape suggests its use in the conflict has become an acceptable practice by SPLA (government) soldiers and affiliated armed militias, the report says.

Women and girls were considered a commodity and were taken along with civilian property as the soldiers moved through the villages.

Some were forced to marry their attackers, while those who fell pregnant often became victims of stigmatisation and domestic violence in their communities.

Displaced South Sudanese women walk towards the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) base in Malakal on January 12, 2014. (AFP/Getty Images)

And the horror has not been confined to women  the UN has received reports of 702 children affected by incidents of sexual violence since the start of the conflict in 2013, with some victims of gang rape as young as nine years old.

The scale and types of sexual violence - primarily by government SPLA forces and affiliated militia  are described in searing, devastating detail, as is the almost casual, yet calculated, attitude of those slaughtering civilians and destroying property and livelihoods, said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Raad Al Hussein.

However, the quantity of rapes and gang-rapes described in the report must only be a snapshot of the real total.

This is one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world, with massive use of rape as an instrument of terror and weapon of war - yet it has been more or less off the international radar.

Conflict between rebels and the regime has continued unabated in the wake of the worlds newest countrys declaration of independence in 2011.

Child soldiers sit with their rifles at a disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration ceremony in Pibor overseen by UNICEF and partners on February 10, 2015 (AFP/Getty Images)

The governments Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), backed by mostly Dinka loyalist militias, is battling the mainly Nuer opposition group the SPLM-IO and its allies.

Although all sides have committed atrocities that may amount to crimes against humanity, government forces bore the greatest responsibility in 2015 as opposition forces were weakened, the report said.

It lists attacks against civilians, rape and other crimes of sexual violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, abduction and deprivation of liberty, disappearances and attacks on UN bases by all parties.

Government forces are accused of implementing a scorched earth policy and deliberately targeting civilians for killing, rape and pillage in strategic areas, destroying more than 10,000 homes while burning crops and looting food stocks.

The bodies of 16 people, allegedly civilians killed when they took cover near a church in Bor town, on January 27, 2014 (AFP/Getty Images)

Some of the most serious abuses took place in 2014 in Bentiu and Rubkona in Unity State, when pro-government militias massacred hundreds of civilians as they attempted to shelter from the fighting in churches, mosques and hospitals.

Both regime and opposition forces have used child soldiers, whose numbers were put at 617 but are believed to be far greater. Meanwhile, journalists and activists attempting to expose the atrocities have been murdered and detained.

The report called on the Transitional Government of National Unity, which was promised in an August peace agreement but has not materialised, to take effective action to stop the catalogue of abuses.

South Sudan's war began in December 2013, throwing the world's newest country into chaos, killing tens of thousands, displacing more than 2 million, and plunging at least 40,000 into famine.
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Donald Trump should be getting an endorsement from another competitor, as it appears Ben Carson is set to throw his evangelical support behing the Republican front-runner.

The Washington Post reported that two sources say Mr Trump and Mr Carson met on Thursday, and that Mr Carson will announce his endorsement on Friday from Mr Trump's luxury Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. The two sources asked The Post to remain anonymous.

Mr Carson dropped out of the Republican presidential race last week, as he was never able to recapture the popularity he had early in his campaign. Mr Trump, on the other hand, has stormed through the Republican primaries, winning 15 states and is now clearly the top man in the race.

Support from Mr Carson could bring more evangelical voters into Mr Trump's corner, though he has been especially dominant in southern states, home to many evangelical voters.

This is the second endorsement Mr Trump has received from a former foe on the campaign trail. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie endorsed the brash businessman shortly after he dropped out of the race. Mr Christie has been seen at a few Trump rallies since.

Mr Carson's endorsement comes at a good time for Mr Trump, as voters will go to the polls in several important states next Tuesday, including Florida, North Carolina and Ohio. Mr Trump holds a lead in all three of those state and big wins on Tuesday would push him even closer to the Republican presidential nomination.

Follow @PaytonGuion on Twitter.
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A black student has been thrown out of a Donald Trump rally without saying a word, it has been reported.

East Carolina University student Adedayo Adeniyi attended a political rally held by the Republican presidential hopeful on Wednesday night. The 20-year-old says that he went not to protest or demonstrate but because he was curious to see for himself what a Trump rally would be like.

Video footage captured by Mr Adeniyi appears to show police and Trump supporters approach him and demand that he leave.

This was instigated because black members of the crowd nearby were protesting and Mr Adeniyi was wrongly implicated by the crowd on the basis of his skin colour, he has told New York Daily News. The footage appears to capture the students shocked response: Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Thats not me, thats them. I dont even know them. What? I dont even know them.

He told New York Daily News: I was there just to watch and experience the surreal moment of someone like Trump running for president and speaking to thousands of people.

At first I refused to leave because it was all just a product of being black at a Trump rally. Basically in that environment Im guilty by association. But common sense told me to just listen to the cops and move along.

He added: These are presidential rallies. Im not at a KKK rally. The fact that I experienced hate at a candidate rally tells you everything you need to know about Donald Trump and the people that support him. People will act more hateful and racist in environments that they feel not only encouraged to do it, but accept it as normal.

Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall  and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY

In the same stadium a further, separate incident occurred when another black man was allegedly seriously assaulted by a Trump supporter. A 78-year-old man has been charged with assault, battery and disorderly conduct.

In addition, police are investigating two alleged assaults at a recent Kentucky rally. One relates to an alleged incident in which a black woman was reportedly shoved and called scum by members of the crowd.

Mr Trump has been criticised for not condemning violence at his rallies and for appearing to make light of such allegations. The politician said of a protestor last month: Id like to punch him in the face. At a Kentucky rally addressed the crowd: Get him [a protestor] out. Try not to hurt him. If you do Ill defend you in court Are Trump rallies the most fun? Were having a good time.
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A Mexican journalist has been targeted by trolls after posting footage of her alleged sexual assault online.

Andrea Noel says she was walking along a pavement in the Colonia Condesa neighbourhood of Mexico City when a man walked up behind her, pulled down her underwear and ran off.

The incident took place during International Women's Day on Tuesday 8 March.

Alongside the video, she wrote on her Facebook page: "Once again, as usual with women all across Mexico, I was harassed in broad daylight, in a beautiful street. #HappyWomensDay

"If you recognize this idiot please ID him. #Condesa."

After denouncing this act against her, Ms Noel was barraged with a series of rape and death threats.

One troll commented in a tweet found by Buzzfeed that he hoped he would find the attacker "just to give a prize and a cape to this anonymous hero" before saying Ms Noel "deserved rape".

Many people across Mexico have offered their support shaming the trolls for laughing at the incident.

Ms Noel said: "Thanks to hundreds of people who have supported me/helped to silence the hundreds of rapists and murderers future online threatening me."

The man depicted in the footage is yet to be identified.
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A former top aide to Vladimir Putin, whose body was found in a Washington hotel room, died of blunt force injuries to the head, according to the results of an autopsy carried out by US authorities.

Mikhail Lesin, who died at the Dupont Circle Hotel in November last year, also suffered blunt force injuries to the neck, torso, arms and legs, a report by District of Columbias Chief Medical Officer and police said.

Following the death of Mr Lesin, 59, his family members were quoted in Russian state media claiming he had suffered a heart attack.

But Russian journalists and opposition figures have questioned why Mr Lesin, who served as media minister under Presidents Putin and Boris Yeltsin, had been staying in a $215 per night hotel.

Recommended Read more Vladimir Putin supporter found dead in US hotel room



The autopsy report, posted online, recorded the manner of death as undetermined. A police investigation could now begin working under the assumption that Mr Lesin was murdered, according to reports.

After serving as an adviser to Mr Putin, Mr Lesin headed state-controlled Gazprom-Media from 2009, helping to launch the English language channel RT. But the FT reports that his star waned and that he resigned in 2014 after a spat with a liberal newspaper editor.

Before Mr Lesins death, Roger Wicker, a US senator from Mississippi, asked the authorities whether the Russian had breached the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by buying multiple homes worth millions of dollars in Los Angeles. Mr Lesins death marked the end of the investigation.

According to a police incident report, Mr Lesin, who was also President Vladimir Putin's press minister from 1999 to 2004, was found unconscious on 5 November on the floor of his room in the Doyle Washington Hotel, also known as the Dupont Circle Hotel. An ambulance was called and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

A US law enforcement source told Reuters that the investigation into Mr Lesin's death was being led by city police.

The investigation was focused on Mr Lesin's death, but that did not rule out a possible change to a murder probe, said the source.

The source added that when police first investigated the hotel room where Mr Lesin's body was found, they did not find any damage or evidence indicating foul play.

Additional reporting by Reuters
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In an increasingly desperate attempt to halt Donald Trumps attempt to secure the Republican nomination, Marco Rubio has told his supporters in Ohio they should make a tactical decision and vote for the states governor, John Kasich. Mr Rubios campaign also urged Mr Kasichs supporters in Florida to likewise vote for him.

In a development that underscored the extent to which Mr Rubio has his back against the wall ahead of next weeks five primary races that could doom the Florida senators chances, he admitted that Mr Kasich had a better chance of beating Mr Trump in Ohio than he did.

If a voter in Ohio is motivated by stopping Donald Trump and comes to the conclusion that John Kasich is the only one that can beat him there, then I expect thats the decision theyll make, he said at a press conference in West Palm Beach, according to the Associated Press. I never talked to John Kasich about this.

Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, John Kasich and Donald Trump (AP)

Both Mr Rubio and Mr Kasich are under intense pressure from those opposed to Donald Trump to withdraw from the race to give Texas senator Ted Cruz a clear run at beating him.

Mr Rubio is fighting desperately to keep his presidential hopes alive ahead of next weeks primaries in which the five states award their delegates on a winner-takes-all basis.

He knows that to have any hope of continuing, he must win his home state. But an average of polls collated by Real Clear Politics puts Mr Trump on 40 points, Mr Rubio on 25, Mr Cruz on 25 and Mr Kasich on 9 points.

The Ohio governor also understands he needs to win his home state if he is to continue to make an argument for staying in the race. An average of polls there puts Mr Trump just two points ahead of Mr Kasich, with Mr Cruz on 16 and Mr Rubio a distant fourth on 7 points.

Earlier in the day, Mr Rubios communications director, Alex Conant, had spelled out for the logic for tactical voting.

 David Usborne on another Super Tuesday

John Kasich is the one candidate in Ohio that can beat Donald Trump, Mr Conant said on CNN.

Thats stating the obvious. So if you're a Republican primary voter in Ohio and you don't want Donald Trump to be the nominee, John Kasich is your best bet.

He also emphasised that Republican voters in Florida who do not want Trump to be the nominee need to vote for Mr Rubio. If you want to defeat Mr Donald Trump here in Florida, where there's 99 delegates at stake, you need to vote for Marco Rubio, he said. Hes the only one with a mathematical shot.

Mr Cruz, speaking in Orlando on Friday, dismissed the strategy, and laughed when asked about it.

Its the Washington establishments last gasp: Lets divide things up. Lets play games, he told Fox News. Its real, real simple. How do you beat Donald Trump? You beat him.


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Donald Trump refused at a Republican debate in Miami on Thursday to back off his assertion that Islam hates us, saying amending his words would be surrendering to political correctness.

At a two-hour, televised melee that was striking mostly for its relative civility, the four remaining rivals  also on stage were Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Ohio Governor John Kasich  highlighted their differences and their areas of agreement on topics ranging from normalising relations with Cuba and climate change, both hot topics in Florida, to immigration and trade.

But the static returned with Mr Trump continuing to suggest that Islam as a whole has pitted itself against the US. I am not interested in being politically correct. I am interested in being correct, Mr Rubio declared to loud applause. We are going to have to work together with Muslims who are not radicalised. We are going to have to work with the Jordanians, with the Saudi Kingdom.

It has been his stance on Muslims, especially his pledge to keep them from entering the US, that has both been a main engine of Mr Trumps campaign, and the main source of angst in the party establishment that such positions will make him a catastrophic nominee. Asked specifically whether he meant all of Islam when he made the comments earlier this week to CNN , Mr Trump would only say: I mean a lot of themwe have a serious, serious problem of hate. There is tremendous hate.

Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, John Kasich and Donald Trump (AP)

Mr Rubio, for whom voting in Florida, his home state, next Tuesday represents his last chance to keep standing, took the bait from moderators to lambast President Barack Obamas courtship of Cuba, even though polls show that most Americans and even most Cuban Americans in Florida, of whom he is one, favour improved relations. Mr Cruz similarly torched the rapprochement.

The Florida Senator similarly declined to moderate his skeptical stance on mans part in global warning, despite Miami having more angst related to rising of sea levels than anywhere else in the US. Sure the climate is changingthe climate has always been changing, he said, ridiculing the notion that laws passed in Washington can change the weather.

The mission of three men on stage was as it has been for weeks now: to stop Mr Trump. But the moment of truth may now be upon them. If the billionaire wins Florida and sweeps away Mr Kasich in Ohio on Tuesday  for the first time in this race, both will be winner-take-all states in terms of delegate numbers - he may be in the fast lane to the nomination with no hay bales or tyre spikes left to stop him.

Mr Cruz dismissed what he called the fevered dreams of some in the party establishemnt about open convention in July when a new candidate might be parachuted in if none of the current candidates have 50 per cent plus one of the available delegates. He implored the party to rally behind him as the only viable alternative to the property tycoon. If people watching this recognise that if we choose Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton wins. If you recognise that, come and join us.

For his part, Mr Trump, who showed a far more sober side, pointed to the record turnout being seen in the Republican primaries. They are voting out of enthusiasm, they are voting out love. Some of these people have frankly never voted before. the whole world is talking about it. The Republican establishment or whatever you call it should embrace whats happening.

Touching on a nerve in Florida, Mr Rubio said what many in his party have said before: that changes will have to be made in the social security programme if it isnt going to run out of money, suggesting a hike in the retirement for men to 68 soon and 70 a few years hence. Mr Trump, however, said he would do no such thing and the cash shortfalls would be made up by removing abuse and inefficiencies.

Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall  and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY

Its my intention to leave Social Security as it is, Mr Trump said. I want to make our country rich again we can afford it.

Mr Trump confirmed that Dr Ben Carson would be endorsing him early on Friday morning. That once unlikely joining of hands is set to be meticulously staged before the cameras at Mar-A-Lago, Mr Trumps opulent Palm Beach home that doubles as a high priced beach club.

On immigration, Mr Trump in one breath admitted he has repeatedly exploited the H1B programme of temporary visa for skilled foreign workers to take jobs at his businesses, and in the next said those visas harmed American workers and should be outlawed. Im a businessman and I have to do what I have to do, he replied to mutterings from the audience.
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A wild mountain lion known as P-22 is suspected of breaking into Los Angeles zoo and mauling a koala to death.

P-22 lives in Griffith Park and gained fame when it was photographed striding past the Hollywood sign.

Surveillance cameras showed the lion prowling around the zoo the night of Killarney the koala's death.

The animal is thought to have jumped over an 2.4m-high wall to enter the 14-year-old koala's enclosure.

L.A. Zoo director John Lewis told the L.A. Times the koala had been "very individual".

"At night, for whatever reason, it was typical for her to walk around," he said. "The other koalas were up in the trees.

"He had to jump down into the enclosure and jump back out with the koala.

"Its a pretty good feat in itself. ... It was a pretty quick snatch."

Killarney weighed 15 pounds and arrived at L.A. Zoo in May 2010. She was born in 2001, Mr Lewis said.

Deputy Los Angeles Mayor Barbara Romero said that precautions were being taken to safeguard the other animals at the zoo.

"Unfortunately, these types of incidents happen when we have a zoo in such close proximity to one of the largest urban parks in the country," he said.

Los Angeles at night Show all 12 1 /12 Los Angeles at night Los Angeles at night Los Angeles, California Vintage car parked by tree at Griffith park at night Los Angeles at night Los Angeles, California A skateboarder on the Manhattan Beach pier Los Angeles at night Los Angeles, California Street lights in fog Los Angeles at night Los Angeles, California 4th Street Bridge, downtown Los Angeles at night Los Angeles, California Downtown Los Angeles at night Los Angeles at night Los Angeles, California High angle view of L.A lit up at night Los Angeles at night Los Angeles, California Los Angeles at nightfall Los Angeles at night Los Angeles, California Los Angeles freeway at night with traffic Los Angeles at night Los Angeles, California A businessman hails a taxi in Los Angeles Getty Los Angeles at night Los Angeles, California Twilight Los Angeles at night Los Angeles, California Streetlight and illuminated oak tree at night Los Angeles at night Los Angeles, California Vincent Thomas Bridge

"We are investigating the circumstances of the koalas disappearance, but in the meantime, we are taking action to ensure that all of our animals are safe.

"The koalas have been removed from their public habitats for now, and other animals are being moved to their night quarters when the zoo closes."

Others have claimed this incident highlights the need to relocate P-22 into a safer environment away from human interaction.

City Councilman Mitch O'Farrell said: "Regardless of what predator killed the koala, this tragedy just emphasizes the need to contemplate relocating P-22 to a safer, more remote wild area where he has adequate space to roam without the possibility of human interaction.

P-22 is maturing, will continue to wander and runs the risk of a fatal freeway crossing as he searches for a mate.

"As much as we love P-22 at Griffith Park, we know the park is not ultimately suitable for him. We should consider resettling him in the environment he needs."
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Two senior executives from the USs largest military veterans' charity have been fired agefter an investigation raised questions about the organisations spending.

Reports said the board of the Wounded Warrior Project had fired the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Operating officer. The action was taken after an investigation by CBS News probed its spending.

CEO Steven Nardizzi and COO Al Giordano were terminated after dozens of former Wounded Warrior Project employees had accused the charity of needlessly spending millions of dollars in donations on lavish conferences and parties.

CEO Steven Nardizzi and COO Al Giordano were terminated (CBS)

In 2014, the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) received more than $300 million in donations but only spent roughly 60 per cent of that on veterans, reports said.

Other respected charities for wounded veterans, like the Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust and Fisher House, reportedly spent more than 90 per cent of their donations on veterans.

Their mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors, but what the public doesnt see is how they spend their money, Army Staff Sgt Erick Millette, who recently quit his job as a public speaker for WWP, told CBS. Youre using our injuries, our darkest days, our hardships, to make money. So you can have these big parties.

Spending on conferences and meetings went from $1.7m in 2010, to $26m in 2014, which is the same amount the group spends on combat stress recovery, its top programme, according to the charitys tax forms.

The Wounded Warrior Project initially demanded CBS retract the story before making the terminations Thursday. There were no immediate comment from the charity or the two executives.


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Beijing now allows users to search for "Kim the third-generation pig" on the internet, a title previously blocked on Chinese search engine Baidu.

Apparently users were able to search the term on Wednesday morning, after previously being offered no results  instead showing a message informing them it did not conform to regulations and policy, Korea Times reports.

There has been speculation the move could be a response to North Korea's military actions, as China joined the UNs sanctions on the country following recent claims they have been testing hydrogen weapons and plan to extend their nuclear capabilities.

According to China Internet Watch, Baidu dominates the countrys search engine market with a 70 per cent share.

The North Korean leader's nickname was previously one of many search terms banned in China on political grounds.

Some of the more widely known examples include democracy, human rights, dictatorship, oppression and genocide.

However, political nicknames have also featured quite highly. Weibo  often described as the countrys Facebook  banned the word 'toad' as it became a nickname for the countrys former president Jiang Zemin, International Business Times says.

Another example they cited is the removal of the phrase "Wen Shen", which means the "god of plague", as it was used to refer to former premier Wen Jiabao.

Earlier this year another search engine, this time Google, found itself on the receiving end of speculation it had censored Conservative search results in response to a generous tax deal from the UK government.

In February, the search engine was accused of returning no autocomplete results for 'Conservatives' or 'Tory', while giving plenty of negative suggestions when searching Labour or Lib Dems.
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A three-year old girl is the sole witness to the brutal gang rape of her mother and death of her baby brother.

A 28-year-old woman was reportedly attacked on a private bus in Utter Pradesh by two men while her daughter was hiding in the corner.

The pair forced the woman to drink alcohol before the rape occurred, and so she was unable to explain the attack to the police, the Times of India reports.

However, her three-year-old daughter had witnessed the whole ordeal, and told the police what had happened.

There are conflicting reports about exactly what happened to the womans 14 day-old son, with the Times of India saying he was flung to death by the two assailants, while The Indian Express said that the boy reportedly fell from her lap and died.

Two men - conductor Ishwari Prasad and helper Shiv Kumar - both residents of Uttar Pradeshs Bareilly district, have since been arrested and charged with gang rape and culpable homicide not accounting to murder - and will also be charged under the Gangster Act.

The Indian Express says the incident happened at a bus station in Shishgarh, which is 50 kilometers from Bareilly.

India protests against sexual violence Show all 20 1 /20 India protests against sexual violence India protests against sexual violence April 2015 School girls wear black bands on their faces during a protest rally against the rape case of a 16-year-old girl at Dhupguri town in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal Reuters India protests against sexual violence March 2015 Students of Convent of Jesus and Mary School participate in a protest against the alleged gang rape of a nun in her 70s AP India protests against sexual violence March 2015 Official figures for the number of women raped in India are often disputed by Women's Rights experts who claim the numbers are far higher SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images India protests against sexual violence March 2015 Women protest after the horrific rape and murder of Jyoti Singh in India BBC India protests against sexual violence June 2014 Women in India protest against rape and other attacks on women and girls in the country AP India protests against sexual violence June 2014 Indian activists from the Social Unity Center of India (SUCI) shout slogans against the state government in protest against the gang rape and murder of two girls in the district of Badaun in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and recent rapes in the eastern state of West Bengal, in Kolkata AFP/Getty India protests against sexual violence June 2014 Supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were protesting against the rape and hanging of two girls Reuters India protests against sexual violence May 2014 Members of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union shout slogans during a protest against a gang rape of two teenage girls in Katra village, outside the Uttar Pradesh state house, in New Delhi. A top government official said the northern Uttar Pradesh state has sacked two police officers who failed to respond to a complaint by the father of the two teenage girls who went missing and were later found gang raped and killed. The placard at right reads, "Punish the culprits of gang-rape and murder of two Dalit girls" AP Photo/Manish Swarup India protests against sexual violence January 2014 Student protesters outside a Suri hospital where a rape victim is being treated Andrew Buncombe India protests against sexual violence January 2014 West Bengal Women's Forum activists walk a protest rally against a rape case in Calcutta, eastern India. A young girl was gang-raped on October 25 and afterwards repeatedly threatened by the accused, following which the disturbed girl set herself on fire December 23. She was admitted to the hospital with 40 percent burns and finally succumbed to her burn injuries on 31 December EPA India protests against sexual violence August 2013 Republican Party of India supporters protest in Mumbai against the rape of a female photographer Reuters India protests against sexual violence May 2013 Indian demonstrators shout slogans at the police during a protest calling for better safety for women AFP/Getty Images India protests against sexual violence April 2013 An Indian woman holds a poster as she protests with others against how Indian authorities handle sex crimes near the Parliament in New Delhi, after a second suspect was arrested in the rape of a 5-year-old girl. Child rights activists say the rape of the girl is just the latest case in which Indian police failed to take urgent action on a report of a missing child. Three days after the attack, the girl was found alone in locked room in the same New Delhi building where her family lives AP India protests against sexual violence March 2013 Indians protests against all-too-common gang-rapes in their country Getty Images India protests against sexual violence January 2013 Indian students of various organisations hold placards as they shout slogans during a demonstration in Hyderabad Getty Images India protests against sexual violence January 2013 A protester chants slogans as she braces herself against the spray fired from police water canons during a protest against the Indian government's reaction to recent rape incidents in India, in front of India Gate on December 23, 2012 in New Delhi Getty Images India protests against sexual violence January 2013 Indian children paint messages during a gathering to mourn the death of the 23-year old rape victim. Her statement was used in the trial AP India protests against sexual violence January 2013 Indians hold a candlelight vigil in Delhi in memory of a gang-rape victim. Five men have been charged with murder AP India protests against sexual violence December 2012 Indian protesters are escorted by police as they demonstrate against the brutal gang-rape of a woman AP India protests against sexual violence December 2012 Indian protesters destroy a police van during a violent demonstration near the India Gate against a gang rape and brutal beating of a 23-year-old student on a bus AP

Bareilly police officer Yamuna Prasad told the website: Her child had been sick for some time and she went to visit her sister to meet a tantrik.

She was returning to Rampur when she met the two accused at the bus station. She was allegedly raped inside the bus at the bus station. Later, she found her child dead.

Many have drawn parallels between this case and that of Jyoti Singh, the 23-year-old medical student who died of her injuries following a gang rape on a bus in Delhi, prompting outrage across the country.

Nandita Bhatla, Senior Technical Specialist in gender, violence and rights at the International Centre for Research on Women, told the Independent: News of rapes continue unabated in the national newspapers.

One is forced to think what has changed since the uproar following the rape of a young woman in December 2012.

True, there were landmark changes in sexual harassment laws and in specific police procedures to prioritise crimes against women resulted after the incident, but it is obvious that there is a deep chasm between changes at policy and their impact on society at large.

Issues of changes in the mind-set are difficult and thus often talked about but rarely acted upon. And that perhaps is why, for the common person, the reality does not change.

She said questions need to be asked about whether the way men think about women has changed, including their attitudes towards using power to abuse them when they have the opportunities. Also, whether women have less fear when they step outside, and if they feel more able to report crimes and receive justice.

If the answer to these questions is a resounding no, then it is difficult to imagine how change in the concurrence of sexual crimes against women will happen.

Ms Bhatla continued: If men know they will escape, and women know no one will intervene  if the apathy and impunity remain, little will change.

Dialogue needs to happen in every school and every institution to question rape  and who is to blame for it.
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Police have issued an appeal for a British woman who has gone missing while travelling in Australia.

Anne Collinson, 62, has made no contact with friends or family in the UK since leaving her home in Repton, Derbyshire, more than a month ago.

Ms Collinson is thought to have caught a plane to Australia and is believed to be in the Alice Springs area.

She is described as white, of slim build, with blonde shouder length, wavy hair and wearing glasses.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. 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Ms Collinson asked her neighbour, Zoe Storey, to look after her cat.

She told the Derby Telegraph: "Anne told me she was going down south for a few days on February 8. I assumed it was because it was half term as she works as a cleaner at Repton School.

"She put a note through my door and I got the cat's feeding instructions which Anne had left inside the house.

"The following day one of her work colleagues came to the house to say she had not been to work and wondered if she was OK. I told them she had gone away for a holiday for a few days but they said she had no holiday booked.

"On the Friday I went to a school play in the village with my children, and I told one of the other parents I was worried about Anne and as he is a policeman he told me to report it which I did."

PC Tony Wilson, missing persons officer in Derby said: This is very out of character for Miss Collinson. Her workplace were not aware of her going away and prior to her departure she has told her neighbours that she would be back within a week.

If anyone is on holiday in the Alice Springs area of Australia or knows anyone that lives there I would urge them to look at the picture of Miss Collinson and if she is sighted to contact Derbyshire police on +441773 730215 or the Australilan Northern Territory Police on 131 444.

Facebook is always a very powerful medium when searching for missing people. I would ask anyone that has friends or family in Australia to share the appeal.
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A young mother was forced to drop her two children  a two-day-old baby and a two-year old boy  out of a second-storey window as flames engulfed her home in Australia.

The woman, 27, had no option but to throw her children to residents on the ground as a deadlocked door prevented their escape following a kitchen fire in their home.

The youngsters were caught by neighbours and survived the ordeal unharmed, Australias Daily Telegraph reports.

The father of the familys neighbour came to the rescue with a foam mattress and a bed sheet  which he held with seven others to break the childrens fall.

Khaoula Yahiaoui, who apparently suffered smoke inhalation in her efforts to help the family, said her fathers training in the Tunisian army gave him the idea to use the sheet.

The blaze started at around 9.30pm on Thursday when the mother was cooking in her home in South-West Sydney, and quickly spread through the building.

She was reportedly rescued from a window by the New South Wales Fire Department, who sprayed her with water to keep her cool as she waited.

According to the website about 50 people were evacuated from the Lakemba apartment block in Wangee Road.

The woman was taken to St George Hospital along with a 65-year-old man for smoke inhalation. She also suffered cuts to her feet from standing on the ledge of a broken window.

Superintendent Adam Dewberry told the Telegraph the incident could have been a horrific tragedy.

Neighours did a fantastic job, putting mattresses on the floor and catching the baby, it was a really good support network from the neighbours.
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The European Unions controversial refugee deal with Turkey risks being torpedoed by Cyprus, which says it cannot accept the restart of Turkeys bid for EU membership.

Under the planned deal, which leaders hope to confirm at another summit next week, Turkey would take back Syrian refugees who land in Greece in exchange for 6bn in aid, easier visa access to Europe for Turks and a speeding up of stalled EU accession talks.

But now Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades has said he will not lift his countrys veto on opening five new chapters in Turkeys EU membership negotiations. I will never accept being forced, and I will never give my consent, because otherwise I have no other choice but to not return back home, he told the Financial Times.

The veto has been in place since 2009, over Turkeys refusal to recognise the Greek Cypriot government in Nicosia or allow Cypriot ships to dock in its ports.

An attempt to resolve the dispute that erupted when Turkey invaded northern Cyprus in 1974, dividing the island, had been making headway. Cyprus argues that this is the wrong time to give away any diplomatic leverage. Although Cyprus is blocking six of the 33 chapters, both Germany and France have also blocked parts of the negotiations.

The proposed arrangement would mean sending back to Turkey every Syrian refugee who crosses into Greece illegally. In exchange, the EU would accept, on a one-for-one basis, Syrian refugees applying through legal channels from Turkey. It is due to be confirmed at a summit in Brussels at the end of next week.

Refugee crisis - in pictures Show all 27 1 /27 Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugee crisis - in pictures A child looks through the fence at the Moria detention camp for migrants and refugees at the island of Lesbos on May 24, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Ahmad Zarour, 32, from Syria, reacts after his rescue by MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) while attempting to reach the Greek island of Agathonisi, Dodecanese, southeastern Agean Sea Refugee crisis - in pictures Syrian migrants holding life vests gather onto a pebble beach in the Yesil liman district of Canakkale, northwestern Turkey, after being stopped by Turkish police in their attempt to reach the Greek island of Lesbos on 29 January 2016. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees flash the 'V for victory' sign during a demonstration as they block the Greek-Macedonian border Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants have been braving sub zero temperatures as they cross the border from Macedonia into Serbia. Refugee crisis - in pictures A sinking boat is seen behind a Turkish gendarme off the coast of Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016. At least 33 migrants drowned on January 30 when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A general view of a shelter for migrants inside a hangar of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Germany Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees protest behind a fence against restrictions limiting passage at the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Since last week, Macedonia has restricted passage to northern Europe to only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans who are considered war refugees. All other nationalities are deemed economic migrants and told to turn back. Macedonia has finished building a fence on its frontier with Greece becoming the latest country in Europe to build a border barrier aimed at checking the flow of refugees Refugee crisis - in pictures A father and his child wait after being caught by Turkish gendarme on 27 January 2016 at Canakkale's Kucukkuyu district Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants make hand signals as they arrive into the southern Spanish port of Malaga on 27 January, 2016 after an inflatable boat carrying 55 Africans, seven of them women and six chidren, was rescued by the Spanish coast guard off the Spanish coast. Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee holds two children as dozens arrive on an overcrowded boat on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures A child, covered by emergency blankets, reacts as she arrives, with other refugees and migrants, on the Greek island of Lesbos, At least five migrants including three children, died after four boats sank between Turkey and Greece, as rescue workers searched the sea for dozens more, the Greek coastguard said Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants wait under outside the Moria registration camp on the Lesbos. Over 400,000 people have landed on Greek islands from neighbouring Turkey since the beginning of the year Refugee crisis - in pictures The bodies of Christian refugees are buried separately from Muslim refugees at the Agios Panteleimonas cemetery in Mytilene, Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures Macedonian police officers control a crowd of refugees as they prepare to enter a camp after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee tries to force the entry to a camp as Macedonian police officers control a crowd after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees are seen aboard a Turkish fishing boat as they arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast to Lesbos Reuters Refugee crisis - in pictures An elderly woman sings a lullaby to baby on a beach after arriving with other refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A man collapses as refugees make land from an overloaded rubber dinghy after crossing the Aegean see from Turkey, at the island of Lesbos EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures A girl reacts as refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees make a show of hands as they queue after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures People help a wheelchair user board a train with others, heading towards Serbia, at the transit camp for refugees near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija AP Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees board a train, after crossing the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Macedonia is a key transit country in the Balkans migration route into the EU, with thousands of asylum seekers - many of them from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia - entering the country every day Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures An aerial picture shows the "New Jungle" refugee camp where some 3,500 people live while they attempt to enter Britain, near the port of Calais, northern France Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A Syrian girl reacts as she helped by a volunteer upon her arrival from Turkey on the Greek island of Lesbos, after having crossed the Aegean Sea EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Beds ready for use for migrants and refugees are prepared at a processing center on January 27, 2016 in Passau, Germany. The flow of migrants arriving in Passau has dropped to between 500 and 1,000 per day, down significantly from last November, when in the same region up to 6,000 migrants were arriving daily.

Turkey has addressed a key concern of human rights activists: that it is a safe country for the return of illegal migrants. Officials say they are planning new legislation, including readmission agreements, with 14 countries, such as Afghanistan.

Ankara also says it will introduce a new personal data security law, roll out biometric passports, and tighten regulation of its border security agency as it prepares for the planned liberalisation of visa rules. The deal has nonetheless been criticised by the leader of Turkeys opposition party, which says Ankara should have offered the EU 6bn to take all the refugees, rather than the other way round.

Let us give 6bn to them and let them take all Syrians, Afghans and Pakistanis themselves, Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the Republican Peoples Party (CHP) told the Hurriyet newspaper.

Meanwhile, EU justice ministers agreed to adopt new anti-terrorism rules criminalising preparatory acts such as training, travelling abroad and financing terrorism. The attempt to harmonise EU states rules and crack down on foreign fighters follows last Novembers Paris attacks.
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A judge who reportedly asked a rape victim whether she had closed her legs during the assault is facing a mounting campaign for her removal.

Activists are calling for an investigation into Judge Maria del Carmen Molina Mansillas alleged comments, while a petition has been started demanding a public condemnation by the Spanish Prime Minister.

The judge showed obvious disbelief as she listened to the womans complaint of repeated sexual and physical abuse at a court in Basque Country, the Clara Campoamor Association claimed.

A clear example of this attitude is the judges repeated questions to the victim on whether she made any attempt to resist aggression including asking her 'did she close her legs firmly?' and 'did she close all of her female organs?', a spokesperson said, according to a translation by The Local.

Judge Mansilla was considering the womans request for a restraining order against her accused attacker at the time.

Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Show all 19 1 /19 Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Afghanistan Recommendation: I urge the Government of Afghanistan to adopt legislative reforms to ensure that sexual violence offences are not conflated with adultery or morality crimes and to establish infrastructure for the delivery of protection, health and le gal services to survivors. I call on the Ministry of the Interior to accelerate efforts to integrate women into the Afghan National Police, thereby enhancing its outreach and its capacity to address sexual and gender-based violence Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Central African Republic Recommendation: I urge the authorities of the Central African Republic to ensure that efforts to restore security and the rule of law take into account the prevention of sexual violence and that monitoring of the ceasefire and peace agreement explicitly reflects this consideration, in line with the joint communique of the Government and the United Nations on the prevention of and response to conflict-related sexual violence signed in December 2012. I further encourage the authorities to make the rapid response unit to combat sexual violence operational and to establish a special criminal court Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Colombia Recommendation: I commend the Government of Colombia for the progress made to date and its collaboration with the United Nations, including through the visit of my Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict in March 2015. I encourage the authorities to implement Law 1719 and continue to prosecute cases of sexual violence committed during the conflict to ensure that survivors receive justice and receive reparations. Conflict-related sexual violence should continue to be addressed in the Havana peace talks, as well as in the resulting accords and transitional justice mechanisms. Particular attention should be paid to groups that face additional barriers to justice such as ethnic minorities, women in rural areas, children, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex individuals and women abused within the ranks of armed groups. I encourage the Government to scale up its protection measures and share its good practices with other conflict-affected countries Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Congo Recommendation: I urge the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to ensure full implementation of the armed forces action plan against sexual violence, to systematically bring perpetrators to justice and to deliver reparations to victims, including payment of outstanding compensation awards. I call on donors and the United Nations system to support the Government in its efforts and to pay increased attention to neglected areas, including unregulated mining regions Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Iraq Recommendation: I commend the Government of Iraq for its national action plan for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) and urge its swift implementation, including by training its security forces to ensur e respect for womens rights. Programmes to support the social reintegration of women and girls released from captivity by ISIL are urgently needed, as is community-based medical and psychological care. The capacity of the United Nations system should be enhanced through the deployment of Womens Protection Advisers or equivalent specialists Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Libya Recommendation: I urge the national authorities in Libya to implement Decree No. 119 and Resolution 904 of 2014 to ensure redress for all victims, including those affected by the current conflict, through the establishment of multisectoral services and the adoption of legislation to categorically prohibit sexual violence Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Mali Recommendation: I urge the Government of Mali, with support from United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict, to develop a comprehensive national strategy to combat sexual and gender-based violence and to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers so that services can reach remote areas. I further call on all parties to ensure that conflict-related sexual violence is addressed in the inter-Malian dialogue and that perpetrators of sexual violence do not benefit from amnesty or early release Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Myanmar Recommendation: I urge the Government of Myanmar to continue with its reform agenda and, in the process, take practical and timely actions to protect and support survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and to ensure that security personnel accused of such crimes are prosecuted. Sexual violence should be an element in all ceasefire and peace negotiations, excluded from the scope of amnesty provisions and addressed in transitional justice processes. It is critical that women be able to participate consistently in and influence these processes Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Somalia Recommendation: I reiterate my call to the Federal Government of Somalia to implement the commitments made under the joint communique of 7 May 2013 and its national action plan to combat sexual violence in conflict, including specific plans for the army and the police. I encourage the adoption of a sexual offences bill as a matter of priority Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life South Sudan Recommendation: I urge the parties to the conflict in South Sudan to adopt action plans to implement the commitments made under their respective communiques. I call upon the Government of South Sudan to address the negative impact of customary law on womens rights and to reflect international human rights standards in national law. I also encourage the African Union to make public and act upon the report of its Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Sudan (Darfur) Recommendation: I call upon the Government of the Sudan to grant the United Nations and its humanitarian partners unfettered access for monitoring and the provision of assistance to people in need in Darfur. Given that there has been grave concern over sexual violence in Darfur for more than a decade, I encourage the Government to engage with my Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict to develop a framework of cooperation to address the issue comprehensively Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Syria Recommendation: I acknowledge the Governments invitation to my Special Representative to visit the Syrian Arab Republic and call upon the authorities, in the context of such a visit, to agree on specific measures to prevent sexual violence, including by members of the security forces. I condemn the use of sexual violence by ISIL and all other parties listed in the annex to the present report and call on them to cease such violations immediately and allow unfettered access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Yemen Recommendation: I urge the authorities in Yemen to undertake legislative reform as a basis for addressing impunity for sexual violence, ensuring the provision of services for survivors and aligning the minimum legal age of marriage with international standards. I further call on the authorities to engage with local community and faithbased leaders to address sexual and gender-based violence and discriminatory social norms Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Bosnia and Herzegovina Recommendation: I urge the relevant authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to harmonize legislation and policies so that the rights of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence to reparations are consistently recognized and to allocate a specific budget for this purpose. I further call upon the authorities to protect and support survivors participating in judicial proceedings through, inter alia, referrals to free legal aid, psychosocial and health services, as well as economic empowerment programmes Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Ivory Coast Recommendation: I urge the Government of Cote dIvoire to ensure the effective implementation of its national strategy to combat gender-based violence and the action plan for FRCI, and call on the international community to support these efforts. It is critical to accelerate disarmament, demobilization and reintegration and strengthen law enforcement to ensure that ex-combatants who have been reintegrated into the transport sector do not pose a risk to women and girls who are reliant on those services. The Government and the international community must provide monitoring and awareness-raising to mitigate the possibility of a recurrence of sexual violence in the context of the presidential elections to be held in October 2015 Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Liberia Recommendation: I call on the Government of Liberia to continue its critical efforts to combat sexual and gender-based violence including through the United Nations-Government of Liberia Joint Programme, and in the context of recovery from the Ebola virus epidemic Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Nepal Recommendation: I encourage the Government to ensure that survivors of conflict-related sexual violence are recognized under the law as conflict victims, which will enable them to access services, judicial remedies and reparations. I further call on all parties involved in the transitional justice process to ensure that the rights and needs o f survivors of sexual violence are addressed in institutional reforms and that these crimes are excluded from amnesties and statutes of limitations Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Sri Lanka Recommendation: I call upon the newly elected Government of Sri Lanka to investigate allegations of sexual violence, including against national armed and security forces, and to provide multisectoral services for survivors, including reparations and economic empowerment programmes for women at risk, including war widows and female heads of household Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Nigeria Recommendation: I encourage the Government to implement its national action plan on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) to ensure that womens protection concerns are mainstreamed throughout its security operations. I also call upon the authorities to guarantee security in and around internally displaced persons camps and to extend medical and psychosocial services to high-risk areas

The Clara Campoamor Association, named after a famous Spanish womens rights activist, is calling for her suspension and an investigation into her handling of sexual violence cases.

Reports on the case provoked a strong response on Twitter, with commenters saying they were disgusted and condemning the alleged comments as outrageous.

Judge Maria del Carmen Molina Mansilla should not be a judge, one person wrote.

This is what victim blaming looks like, another added. The judge should be fired for sure.

Meanwhile, a petition has also been launched asking Mariano Rajoy, the Prime Minister of Spain, to publicly denounce the judges comments and take a stance for victims rights.

Officials at the Juzgado de Violencia sobre la Mujer Vittoria (Court of Violence against Women) told The Independent that the judge will not be commenting on the matter.


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A man has been arrested in Germany after attempting to enter the US Embassy in Berlin and claiming he had a bomb in his suitcase.

The luggage was found to contain clothes and other personal belongings but the alert sparked the partial closure of Pariser Platz, by the famous Brandenburg Gate, on Friday morning.

Police did not confirm German media reports that he claimed he wanted to avenge" the death of Osama bin Laden, the former leader of al-Qaeda, as he was being subdued.

Police officers examine a suitcase in front of the US embassy in Berlin, Germany, Friday, March 11, 2016. (AP)

The incident started at around 7.30am, when the man was turned away by security guards at the entrance to the nearby US Embassy, a spokesperson for Berlin police said.

He then allegedly became violent and attempted to punch the guards before being detained at the scene.

The suspect, a 23-year-old German man, then shouted that there was a bomb inside the suitcase he left in front of the embassy entrance, causing a security alert.

A spokesperson for the US Embassy said the man had presented an American passport to staff that he said he wanted to renew but became angry when he was directed elsewhere.

When the embassys local guard offered a card with the address for passport services, the man struck the guard with his fist, a spokesperson said.

The embassy guard pinned the man to the ground, then German police handcuffed him. The man yelled that he had a bomb in the suitcase as the German police led him away.

A specialist bomb disposal unit dispatched a robot to open the bag, which was found to contain clothes and other harmless items.

It was later destroyed in a controlled explosion as a precaution and operations in the embassy building have returned to normal.

Few details about the man were immediately available, but a police spokesperson said there are many indications he is psychologically disturbed.

German authorities have increased security measures at public buildings, tourist attractions and landmarks in Berlin following Paris attacks carried out by Isis in November.

Additional reporting by AP
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When Vladimir Putins former propaganda chief was found dead five months ago, in a hotel room just a few streets from the White House, any speculation about the manner of his demise was swiftly quashed. Russia Today, the state-funded news channel that Mikhail Lesin had helped to create on behalf of the Kremlin, quoted an unnamed family member as claiming he had passed away from a heart attack after a lengthy illness.

However, authorities in the US capital told a different story. An autopsy has revealed that Mr Lesin, 57, died not from natural causes, but from blunt force injuries to his head. According to the office of Washington DCs chief medical examiner, Mr Lesin, whose body was found on 5 November 2015 at the citys five-star Dupont Circle hotel, had also suffered extensive trauma to his neck, arms, legs and torso.

Although police have not declared Mr Lesins death a criminal act, the circumstances of his death are classified as undetermined. Mr Lesins case is still under investigation, said the DC police departments chief spokesperson, Dustin Sternbeck. We are not willing to close off anything at this point, he added. According to the medical examiners chief of staff, Beverly Fields, Mr Lesins was among the 10 per cent of cases that take more than the 90 days normally required for the coroner to release their report, falling into the more complex category.

Following the revelations from the US authorities, Russias foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova complained on Facebook that numerous calls from the Russian embassy in Washington enquiring into the circumstances of Mr Lesins death had not been answered.

We are waiting for Washington to give us the relevant information and official data about the investigation, she wrote. If the information published... in the media is true, the Russian authorities will send their American counterparts a request for international legal assistance.

That call for information was echoed by the spokesman for President Putin, Dmitry Peskov, who said that Russia havent received any detailed information via formal channels of communication that [we use] for such cases.

In a world where Kremlin turncoats often meet sticky ends, the news of Mr Lesins fate has fed conspiracy theories among Mr Putins critics as to how he died and who, if anybody, might have wanted him dead. Though he and family members had business interests in the US, his reasons for being in Washington are unclear. Mr Lesin is thought to have been under scrutiny from the FBI and the US Department of Justice for alleged money laundering and corruption. Some have suggested he may have been planning to cut deal with the FBI.

But Mr Lesin was no enemy to the Russian state. Credited for setting up Russia Today, the nations first state-funded English-language news channel, he was known as one the countrys most influential media operators and a long-time confidant to President Putin. Mr Lesin, who rode into media management on a wave of successes from his previous career in advertising, was responsible for conceiving the ad campaign that helped Boris Yeltsins re-election in 1996.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

After a five-year stint as press minister from 1999 to 2004, during which his no-tolerance attitude to anti-Kremlin voices earned him the nickname The Bulldozer, he spent years working on the expansion of the Russian governments control over television media.

In 2013, he was named head of Russias largest and most powerful media holdings, Gazprom-Media, a position he left abruptly in 2015 after a row with a prominent liberal radio editor over whether to fire a journalist that had been critical of the Kremlin. Russian media reported that Mr Lesin had also recently butted heads with Yury Kovalchuk, a major Gazprom-Media shareholder and one of Mr Putins closest friends and business allies. At least in public, however, Mr Lesin remained on good terms with the Kremlin. Following his death, a Kremlin spokesperson insisted Mr Putin appreciated his enormous contribution... to the formation of the contemporary Russian media.

It is not yet clear whether Mr Lesin was being investigated by US authorities, despite calls in 2014 from Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker to look into his affairs. Mr Lesin owned multi-million-dollar properties in the US and Europe, including a reported $28m (19m) in Beverly Hills real estate. That a Russian public servant could have amassed the considerable funds required to acquire and maintain these assets raises serious questions, Mr Wicker said.
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A prominent Danish rights activist and author has been fined 2,300 for people trafficking after giving a Syrian refugees a lift.

Lisbeth Zornig and her husband Mikael Lindholm were handed a combined fine of 45,000 krone (4,700) by judges in the city of Nykbing Falster today.

Ms Zornig was prosecuted for picking up a Syrian family of four adults and two children in southern Denmark and driving them to Copenhagen on 7 September last year.

 Denmark blocks rail and road links with Germany to stop refugee flow

After giving them coffee and biscuits, her husband later drove them to the capitals railway station and bought them tickets onwards to Sweden, the Guardian reported.

The couple, who pleaded not guilty, said they were unaware that they were breaking the law, believing that only crossing borders or taking money for the ride would be illegal.

The family they helped were among a large group of refugees attempting to cross Denmark on foot after their train from Germany was stopped in the town of Rdby.

Footage broadcast by TV2 showed scenes of confusion and panic as asylum seekers fled police on the station platform, running across disused train tracks into the surrounding fields to start their long walk to Sweden.

Migrants, mainly from Syria, walk on the highway 12km north of Rodby, Denmark moving to the north on September 7, 2015. (AFP/Getty Images)

Ms Zornig told the Berlingske newspaper she saw the family walking along the roadside and was seized by an urge to help.

It was a very surreal experience, she said. Everyone had a feeling that what we were used to seeing on the television what happening right in front of us.

She and Mr Lindholm are just two of several hundred people charged with contravening the Danish Aliens Act in recent months, which makes it illegal to transport anyone without residence permits.

Supporters hailed their action as part of a small miracle on Lolland island as Danes grouped together to help the arriving refugees.

Ms Zornig was one of several Danes to pick up refugees as they walked along the motorway from Rodby on 7 September (Getty)

It is not a criminal offence to help fellow human beings fleeing from war, a statement on Facebook said. There are many of us who believe that those who are accused of trafficking acted with humanity.

Let us show that decency and sense of duty still exists in Denmarkcivil society showed courage and stepped in where politicians failed.

Ms Zorning, the former head of Denmarks National Council for Children, said Fridays verdict sent a clear political signal as the countrys government continues efforts to stem the flow of refugees.

She became known through a documentary on her abusive childhood and an ensuing autobiography, and has gone on to campaign for abuse victims and vulnerable groups.

Denmark's controversial law allowing authorities to seize asylum seekers' cash and valuables to pay for their stay sparked international condemnation earlier this year but several other countries have introduced similar measures as Europes attitude towards asylum seekers hardens.

Refugee crisis - in pictures Show all 27 1 /27 Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugee crisis - in pictures A child looks through the fence at the Moria detention camp for migrants and refugees at the island of Lesbos on May 24, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Ahmad Zarour, 32, from Syria, reacts after his rescue by MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) while attempting to reach the Greek island of Agathonisi, Dodecanese, southeastern Agean Sea Refugee crisis - in pictures Syrian migrants holding life vests gather onto a pebble beach in the Yesil liman district of Canakkale, northwestern Turkey, after being stopped by Turkish police in their attempt to reach the Greek island of Lesbos on 29 January 2016. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees flash the 'V for victory' sign during a demonstration as they block the Greek-Macedonian border Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants have been braving sub zero temperatures as they cross the border from Macedonia into Serbia. Refugee crisis - in pictures A sinking boat is seen behind a Turkish gendarme off the coast of Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016. At least 33 migrants drowned on January 30 when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A general view of a shelter for migrants inside a hangar of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Germany Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees protest behind a fence against restrictions limiting passage at the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Since last week, Macedonia has restricted passage to northern Europe to only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans who are considered war refugees. All other nationalities are deemed economic migrants and told to turn back. Macedonia has finished building a fence on its frontier with Greece becoming the latest country in Europe to build a border barrier aimed at checking the flow of refugees Refugee crisis - in pictures A father and his child wait after being caught by Turkish gendarme on 27 January 2016 at Canakkale's Kucukkuyu district Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants make hand signals as they arrive into the southern Spanish port of Malaga on 27 January, 2016 after an inflatable boat carrying 55 Africans, seven of them women and six chidren, was rescued by the Spanish coast guard off the Spanish coast. Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee holds two children as dozens arrive on an overcrowded boat on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures A child, covered by emergency blankets, reacts as she arrives, with other refugees and migrants, on the Greek island of Lesbos, At least five migrants including three children, died after four boats sank between Turkey and Greece, as rescue workers searched the sea for dozens more, the Greek coastguard said Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants wait under outside the Moria registration camp on the Lesbos. Over 400,000 people have landed on Greek islands from neighbouring Turkey since the beginning of the year Refugee crisis - in pictures The bodies of Christian refugees are buried separately from Muslim refugees at the Agios Panteleimonas cemetery in Mytilene, Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures Macedonian police officers control a crowd of refugees as they prepare to enter a camp after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee tries to force the entry to a camp as Macedonian police officers control a crowd after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees are seen aboard a Turkish fishing boat as they arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast to Lesbos Reuters Refugee crisis - in pictures An elderly woman sings a lullaby to baby on a beach after arriving with other refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A man collapses as refugees make land from an overloaded rubber dinghy after crossing the Aegean see from Turkey, at the island of Lesbos EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures A girl reacts as refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees make a show of hands as they queue after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures People help a wheelchair user board a train with others, heading towards Serbia, at the transit camp for refugees near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija AP Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees board a train, after crossing the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Macedonia is a key transit country in the Balkans migration route into the EU, with thousands of asylum seekers - many of them from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia - entering the country every day Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures An aerial picture shows the "New Jungle" refugee camp where some 3,500 people live while they attempt to enter Britain, near the port of Calais, northern France Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A Syrian girl reacts as she helped by a volunteer upon her arrival from Turkey on the Greek island of Lesbos, after having crossed the Aegean Sea EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Beds ready for use for migrants and refugees are prepared at a processing center on January 27, 2016 in Passau, Germany. The flow of migrants arriving in Passau has dropped to between 500 and 1,000 per day, down significantly from last November, when in the same region up to 6,000 migrants were arriving daily.

Volunteers across Denmark have continued to help migrants on their journeys but could be discouraged by a mounting wave of prosecutions, which reportedly saw a 70-year-old pensioner fined earlier this week.

Critics have called the laws outdated and inhumane but campaigns to change it seem unlikely to see success as Scandinavian nations continue to tighten border controls.

A 2002 directive from the Council of the European Union stipulates that anyone who intentionally assists foreigners to enter or transit across a country in breach of national law can be prosecuted  particularly those take payment to do so.

It says that sanctions can be lifted in cases where the aim of the behaviour is to provide humanitarian assistance, but the waiver is optional.

A United Nations protocol on migrant smuggling, however, defines the act exclusively motivated by a financial or other material benefit.


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A dog has saved the life of a drowning man at Malaga Port in Spain.

The chocolate labrador, Nanook, was being walked nearby by his owner, Jose Ignacio, on Thursday.

Nanook began to bark unexpectedly and pull his owner towards the sea wall, The Local reported.

The behaviour was unusual, as Nanook is usually very calm, well behaved and playful, according to Mr Ignacio.

Nanook led him to a spot where a man, described as "thin and in his sixties" was flailing in the water, Euro Weekly News reports, but his calls for help were being drowned out by the sea.

(Undoubtably, the hero of the day [Nanook])

Mr Ignacio immediately went for assistance, and the man was rescued by police and port workers.

"He was freezing and close to drowning," Mr Ignacio told local media. "He was hauled into a boat and wrapped in a blanket. He was saved thanks to Nanook."

The dog was later praised by port authorities.
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His campaign speeches have been compared by some to the wartime propaganda of Joseph Goebbels, yet the new bogeyman on Germanys xenophobic right seems not to give a damn. When Bjorn Hocke talks about 1,000 years of Germany and the threat posed by migrants to the Fatherland and the German Volk [people], his supporters go wild with enthusiasm.

Mr Hocke, 43, an ex-schoolteacher who was raised in the former West Germany, is the most popular and radical politician in Germanys recently formed Alternative for Germany (AfD). The vehemently anti-immigration party is set to make sweeping gains in this weekends so-called Super Sunday elections in three states because of its outright opposition to Chancellor Angela Merkels refugee policies, which meant the country registered nearly 1.1 million people as asylum-seekers last year.

Mr Hocke, the AfD leader in Thuringia, in eastern Germany, draws crowds of up to 8,000 to his rallies. He takes delight in breaking with Germanys politically correct post-war consensus which still holds that anything that hints even vaguely of the Third Reich is out. His liberal detractors are appalled.

Die Welt newspaper recently commented: For decades success in German politics for a man like Bjorn Hocke seemed impossible. In the meantime, the seemingly impossible has become possible.

We are the tortured German Volk! Merkel is ruining Germany <p>Bjorn Hocke</p>

In a rainy, windswept market square in the down-at-heel town of Raguhn in eastern Saxony-Anhalt earlier this week, Mr Hocke was doing his best to sustain his reputation as a Teutonic Donald Trump as he campaigned ahead of Super Sunday.

We are the tortured German Volk! he bellowed at hundreds of his supporters from the back of a truck. I am no longer prepared to accept the policies of Merkel. They are ruining Germany. This Chancellor  she must go  we need a patriot in the Chancellery, he added to loud applause. A Refugees welcome sign showing a queue of migrants entering Ms Merkels office waved above heads in the crowd.

Tomorrows state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Baden Wurttemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate are set to be a referendum on Ms Merkels policies and a bellwether for next years general election. Before the recent EU-Turkey summit on the migration crisis, opinion polls showed that 81 per cent of Germans believed that Ms Merkel had lost control of the refugee crisis.

In Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD is expected to win up to 20 percent of the vote and become the third most powerful political party in the state after Ms Merkels Christian Democrats and the reform communist Die Linke (The Left) party. In the two other west German states, the AfD is also on course to notch up double-digit percentage. While other parties have said they will not share power with the AfD, its performance could complicate efforts to form coalition governments. Big gains in this weekends elections are also likely to mean that the AfD will end up with parliamentary seats in eight of Germanys 16 federal states and have a serious chance of entering the national parliament in Berlin in 2017.

The AfD advocates the return to a Europe of Fatherlands and the expulsion of criminal asylum-seekers. Last month, the partys leader, Frauke Petry, suggested that border guards should be empowered to shoot illegal immigrants. The 40-year-old businesswoman later claimed that her remarks had been taken out of context.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

In Raguhn, Hannes Loth, a local AfD politician, attempted to downplay claims that his party was xenophobic. He insisted that its chief concern was to expel rejected asylum-seekers who were taking up scarce hostel space that could accommodate genuine Syrian war refugees. The Merkel government wont kick them out, he told The Independent, adding: I admire your David Cameron. He leads the way on how to deal with welfare scrounging in Europe.

The party started out in 2013 with a Eurosceptic agenda opposing the single currency. But in an internal putsch in July last year, an initially moderate leadership under economics professor Bernd Lucke was ousted. Ms Petry and other vociferous anti-immigration politicians took the helm.

The AfDs agenda is not just about migration. Its policies aim to make Germany a Fatherland once again. It wants schools to bring back 19th-century Prussian values of order and discipline, and laws that will oblige museums and theatres to strengthen identification with ones own country.

Germanys political pundits are divided on whether the AfD will remain a serious political force. Manfred Gullner of the Forsa public polling group argues that the party has already reached its zenith and that its popularity will wane as soon as the refugee crisis eases. But Werner Patzelt, a political scientist at Dresden University of Technology, thinks that the polls this weekend may be the beginning of a major shake-up. He believes the AfD could even end up sharing power with Ms Merkels conservatives in Berlin. A horrific scenario threatens us, he said.

Mr Hocke is not angling for the job of Chancellor just yet: I am a long-distance runner, not a sprinter. I dont have to put myself in the top position immediately, he has insisted.
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Turkeys first lady has praised harems for "preparing women for life" in a speech to Ottoman sultans in Ankara.

Emine Erdogan was speaking in the countrys capital when she made the remarks, which were picked up by the Turkish media.

She said: The harem was a school for members of the Ottoman dynasty and an educational establishment for preparing women for life,according to Deutsche Welle.

Harems are generally associated with concubines, servants and powerful men with multiple beautiful partners, among other things.

However, in the Ottoman period - which lasted from 1299 to 1923 - Sultan's harems also followed strict rules, and women in them would receive an education. Some women would live in them for many years and become quite powerful members of the court.

Mrs Erdogan and her husband  Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan are known for promoting the values of the Ottoman Empire and Islamic principles.

Her comments came just a day after the president sparked protests in the country for saying a woman is above all else a mother in a speech -delivered on International Womens Day, as reported in the Guardian.

His speech, delivered to an audience in Ankara, featured numerous references from the Quran and claimed the capitalist system is enslaving women. He also said: You cannot free women by destroying the notion of family.

Mr Erdogan has a history of espousing his views on the role of women, in May 2012 he suggested abortions were akin to air strikes on civilians and in December 2014 he described birth control as a form of treason.
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Israels leading human rights organisation has called for a transparent investigation into the conduct of a police officer who was captured on video apparently shooting a Palestinian assailant as he lay on the ground motionless.

The countrys Justice Ministry has said it is looking into the incident but that no formal investigation had been opened on Thursday.

The incident came after the Palestinian, Bashar Masalha, stabbed to death an American tourist and wounded a number of Israelis in an attack in Jaffa, near Tel Aviv on Tuesday, that was one of the bloodier episodes since a wave of Palestinian violence began in October.

Video of the incident appears to show the policeman standing near Mr Masalha who is lying on the ground and not moving, having already been shot by officers. A man from the crowd apparently encourages the policeman to shoot, urging Give it to him in the head. Give it to him in the head my brother. Way to go. What sounds like a shot rings out and another voice says: Why are you shooting needlessly? Another person adds: Dont fire any more.

The aftermath of the stabbings has focused renewed attention on charges by human rights groups that Israeli forces are killing Palestinian assailants after they no longer pose a threat. Police deny the accusations.

Sarit Michaeli of the Btselem group called for an investigation and said that it needs to be effective, prompt, transparent and unbiased.

On its face this seems like something that raises suspicions of disproportionate use of force against a person already subdued. Ms Michaeli said. Our concern is that there are cases of people being killed when they could be arrested.

Among previous cases Ms Michaeli cited was an officer in October shooting a Palestinian teen as she lay on the ground injured after she and a cousin had carried out an attack using scissors. The policeman was investigated and cleared. Officials told Channel Two television that there was no evidence of criminal intent.

The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Show all 10 1 /10 The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Medics evacuate a wounded man from the scene of an attack in Jerusalem. A Palestinian rammed a vehicle into a bus stop then got out and started stabbing people before he was shot dead AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Israeli ZAKA emergency response members carry the body of an Israeli at the scene of a shooting attack in Jerusalem. A pair of Palestinian men boarded a bus in Jerusalem and began shooting and stabbing passengers, while another assailant rammed a car into a bus station before stabbing bystanders, in near-simultaneous attacks that escalated a month long wave of violence AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Getty Images The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians throw molotov cocktail during clashes with Israeli troops near Ramallah, West Bank. Recent days have seen a series of stabbing attacks in Israel and the West Bank that have wounded several Israelis AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Women cry during the funeral of Palestinian teenager Ahmad Sharaka, 13, who was shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes at a checkpoint near Ramallah, at the family house in the Palestinian West Bank refugee camp of Jalazoun, Ramallah AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A wounded Palestinian boy and his father hold hands at a hospital after their house was brought down by an Israeli air strike in Gaza Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians look on after a protester is shot by Israelis soldiers during clashes at the Howara checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus EPA The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A lawyer wearing his official robes kicks a tear gas canister back toward Israeli soldiers during a demonstration by scores of Palestinian lawyers called for by the Palestinian Bar Association in solidarity with protesters at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, near Ramallah, West Bank AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Undercover Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian in Ramallah Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinian youth burn tyres during clashes with Israeli soldiers close to the Jewish settlement of Bet El, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after Israel barred Palestinians from Jerusalem's Old City as tensions mounted following attacks that killed two Israelis and wounded a child

In December, Btselem listed 12 cases in Israel and the West Bank from the previous three months which it said paint a grave picture of excessive and unwarranted use of lethal gunfire, which in some cases is tantamount to summary executionof assailants or suspected assailants.

Micky Rosenfeld, the police spokesman, dismissed Btselems criticism and says that police use of force is proportionate. Each terrorist attack is different. Where police can make arrests, they arrest. In immediate life threatening situations our police have to open fire and kill the terrorists, he said.

Last month, the Israeli army chief of staff, Lt-Gen Gadi Eisenkot, implied that on some occasions security forces were using unnecessary lethal force against young Palestinianscarrying out stabbing attacks. When there is a 13-year-old girl holding scissors or a knife and there is some distance between her and the soldiers, I dont want to see a soldier emptying his magazine at a girl like that even if she is committing a very serious act. Rather he should use the force necessary to fulfil the objective.
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Five years after the Arab Spring, the fragile Syrian ceasefire is seeing thousands of pro-democracy protesters return to the streets to call for the removal of Bashar al-Assad.

But whereas 2011 saw protesters shot in the streets by security forces, a new crackdown is being launched against demonstrators by Islamist rebel groups.

Protesters have reportedly been beaten, threatened and forcibly detained by Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda affiliate that was once linked to Isis.

Protesters carry Free Syria Army flags and shout slogans during an anti-government protest after Friday prayers in the town of Marat Numan in Idlib province, Syria, March 11, 2016. (Reuters)

One such attack came on Friday in the town of Maarrat al-Numan, a Free Syria Army (FSA) stronghold in Idlib province.

Footage showed jubilant protesters waving the three-starred opposition flag, performing folk dances and singing anti-Assad songs.

But the mood quickly changed as a squad of Jabhat al-Nusra militants and supporters swept into to square, riding motorbikes and waving the black flag of jihad.

Masked extremists could be seen forcing their way into the crowd and seizing control of the sound system to drown out the pro-democracy chants with shouts of Allahu Akbar.

Jabhat al-Nusra supporters drowned out the pro-democracy protesters after crashing the protest (Reuters)

Scuffles broke out after they took the stage from the prominent opposition activist, Abu Elias al-Mairi, who had been leading the singing.

Charles Lister, a fellow at the Middle East Institute, said Maarrat al-Numan has been under the control of the FSAs 13th Division and Fursan al-Haq (Knights of Justice) rebel group.

Jabhat al-Nusra and the FSA have co-operated sporadically during the five-year civil war but the groups remain rivals and have fought for control of strategic areas.

Jenan Moussa, a reporter for Al Aan TV, wrote on Twitter that the Islamists see the FSA flag as a symbol of democracy and secularism  both of which they want to destroy.

She said Jabhat al-Nusra had attempted to ban the symbol in Idlib and stipulated that only jihadist banners could be carried, but was having difficulty enforcing the prohibition.

Several other Syrian towns and cities saw protests on Friday, including Azaz in Aleppo province, where Islamist leaders from the Ahrar ash-Sham group reportedly joined demonstrators.

They came days after militants were filmed detaining activists, smashing cameras and ripping revolutionary flags at a pro-democracy protest in the northern city of Idlib.

Witnesses told the AFP news agency Jabhat al-Nusra militants threatened to kill them while waving al-Qaedas black flag, but activists have vowed to continue fighting oppression.

Protesters carry a Free Syrian Army flags during an anti-government protest in the al-Sukari neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, March 11, 2016. (Reuters)

The Nusra fighters came out and began to fight the protesters, to threaten them with their guns saying, 'If you don't leave the streets, we'll start to fire,' a man calling himself Ibrahim al-Idlibi said.

Mohammed Alaa Ghanem, from the Syrian American Council in Washington, said the temporary cessation of hostilities that started last month has sparked a resurgence in political rallies.

Without the fear of being caught in fighting or bombed, civilians have been taking to the streets once more in scenes reminiscent of the more optimistic days of 2011.

But Jabhat al-Nusra is not happy with the development, Mr Ghanem wrote on the Huffington Post website.

Many analysts have wrongly interpreted Nusra's growth as a sign that Syrians have abandoned their demands for democracy and that the Syrian conflict is now a sectarian war, he added.

The recent protests in Syria have corrected this notion as well, reaffirming that even after five long years of war, Syrians still desire democracy and do not embrace Nusra's vision for Syria."

In pictures: Syria conflict Show all 40 1 /40 In pictures: Syria conflict In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrians carry children amid debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian man carries a girl on a street covered with dust following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrians react as they stand amid debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian man carries a girl amid debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis An injured Syrian man walks out from the rubble of a destroyed building following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian woman makes her way through debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis People stand on the rubble of collapsed buildings at a site hit by what activists said was a barrel bomb dropped by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, in the Al-Fardous neighbourhood of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrian residents stand amid the rubble of destroyed buildings In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian resident grasps a mattress amid rubble in the al-Firdous neighborhood of the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A view taken from Tel al-Sawadi shows a large explosion allegedly at the Wadi Deif Syrian army base in northwestern Idlib on May 14, 2014, which opposition fighters have been trying to capture for more than a year. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Islamist rebels detonated explosives planted in a tunnel under the army base killing or injuring dozens. AFP In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A bullet-riddled parking sign stands amid debris in a deserted street leading into the old city of Homs In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A general view shows abandoned buildings on a deserted square in the old city of Homs after Syrian government forces regained control of rebel-controlled areas In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A military vehicle that belongs to the Free Syrian Army is seen in Al-Amariya district in Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A mosque is pictured through shattered glass in the old city of Homs, as rebel fighters withdrew from the city centre in line with a negotiated withdrawal deal with the government after having held out under tight siege for nearly two years In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Buses carrying Free Syrian Army fighters leaving Homs. Exhausted and worn out from a year-long siege, hundreds of Syrian rebels left their last remaining bastions in the heart of the central city of Homs under a cease-fire deal with government forces. The exit of some 1,200 fighters and civilians will mark a de facto end of the rebellion in the battered city, which was one of the first places to rise up against President Bashar Assad's rule, earning it the nickname of "capital of the revolution" In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrian government forces hold up a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad (L) while others raise the national flag on top of a pole in the old city of Homs In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad run through Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr crossing after their release by rebels. They were freed as part of a larger deal which saw the last remaining Syrian rebels in central Homs city evacuate their positions and free captives in several locations in northern Syria In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian woman and two children walk past heavily damaged buildings in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A man carries a wounded girl following a reported bombardment with explosive-packed "barrel bombs" by Syrian government forces in the al-Mowasalat neighborhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A wounded man sits as he is treated at a makeshift hospital following a reported bombardment with explosive-packed "barrel bombs" by Syrian government forces in the al-Sakhour district of the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Debris rises in what Free Syrian Army fighters and Islamic rebels said was an operation to strike Al-Sahaba checkpoint, which is considered a gateway to Al-Dayf valley, and remove forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad in Maarat Al-Nouman, Idlib province In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Men try to put out fire at a site hit by what activists said was an air strike by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Azaz, north of Aleppo, near the border with Turkey In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Civil Defence members try to put out fire In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Survivors react at a site hit by what activists said was an air strike by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Azaz, north of Aleppo, near the border with Turkey In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Residents queue as they wait to receive food aid distributed by the UNRWA at the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk, south of Damascus In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Belongings of Syrian rebels inside a chapel at Crac des Chevaliers, the world's best preserved medieval Crusader castle in Syria. The village was destroyed in fighting between the government and rebel forces while the castle, listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, also has been damaged over the past two years In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Hosen Sabah, a 16-year-old student is comforted by his mother at a hospital in Damascus. Nosen was wounded by a mortar outside his school, while 14 other students were killed and over 80 wounded In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Free Syrian Army fighter works on a locally made launcher before firing it towards forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad in Mork town In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrian policemen and citizens inspecting the site of a car bomb at the entrance of Moadhamiyet al-Sham neighborhood in rural Damascus. According to Syria's Arab News Agency (SANA), a car bomb explosion has gone off in the countryside of Damascus and initial information say there are casualties, where a car rigged with explosions was remotely detonated at the entrance of Moadhamiyet al-Sham neighborhood in rural Damascus during engineering units it was trying to dismantled it In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Opposition fighters carrying a rocket launcher during clashes against government forces in the Sheikh Lutfi area, west of the airport in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian man helps a woman to make her way through debris following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian man reacts as he carries the body of injured boy following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 33 civilians were killed in the attack In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrian rescue workers carry the body of a woman following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian woman walks past the burning wreckage of a car following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A man and two children run to a safer place following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A man holds an injured child after, according to activists, two barrel bombs were thrown by forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad in Hullok neighbourhood of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis An injured man talks on a walkie-talkie after, according to activists, two barrel bombs were thrown by forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad in Hellok neighbourhood of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A man walks inside a mosque damaged by, according to activists, a barrel bomb thrown by forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad in Old Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrians gather at the site of reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Rebel fighters carry their weapons as they run to avoid snipers loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Morek in Hama province

UN-brokered talks between the Syrian regime and rebels, excluding Isis, al-Nusra and other designated terrorist groups, are due to start in Geneva on Monday.
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Irelands prime minister has resigned  but will continue as caretaker Taoiseach until his successor is appointed.

Enda Kenny gave his notice after a failed bid to win majority support in the Dail, the Irish parliament.

The country is currently going through a series of coalition negotiations on the formation of a new Government after a general election on 26 February.

The first sitting of the 32nd Irish parliament ended on Thursday night with an adjournment, after failing to nominate a new PM. It next meets on 22 March.

My Kennys party took significant losses with Fine Gaels share of the vote down from 36 per cent to 25.5 per cent.

His losses were match by gains from his partys traditional rivals, Fianna Fail, who won 24 per cent, up from a low-water mark of 17.4 per cent in the previous 2011 elections.

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The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. 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Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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Sinn Feinn saw moderate gains, up to around 14 per cent of the vote from 9 per cent, while Mr Kennys coalition partners, Labour, were gutted, losing 26 or their 33 seats.

Ireland elects its parliament using the Single Transferrable Vote system of proportional representation, which give smaller parties representation in parliament if they win votes.

The immediate results did not present any obvious coalitions. One suggested solution has been a grand coalition between Mr Kennys party and Fianna Fail.

The rise of Sinn Fein also presents a problem for forming coalitions as most other parties have tended not to deal with the party, which has been accused of being associated with the paramilitary IRA in Northern Ireland.

Mr Kenny became Taoiseach in March 2011 after forming a coalition with the Labour Party. He apologised during the election campaign after describing some voters as "whingers".
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The Governments damaging visa policies are making Britain a difficult and unattractive place to study for international students, a new report has warned.

According to the findings from the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS), last years business school student intake from outside the EU fell sharply by almost nine per cent. This, in turn, could have a detrimental effect on postgraduate taught programmes - such as the MBA - where 52 per cent of students are international.

Despite business and administration courses being among the most popular in the UK, and the country having some of the worlds top schools - from where both undergraduates and MBA graduates can expect above average earnings when compared with other subjects - business school leaders have told the report prospective overseas students are being turned off by Britains post-study work restrictions. Instead, they are choosing other countries to study in.

One business school dean said: The UK, as a destination, has become less attractive than the US, Canada, or Australia. This is largely the consequence of post-study work visa issues.

Another has been quoted as saying: Increased forecasts for student recruitment to the UK is la-la land.

On the whole, CABS said international students studying business contribute 2.4 billion to universities and the UK economy. However, its latest figures have revealed this to be in decline.

Now, though, together with its members, CABS said it is calling on the Government to change the policy on student visas to make Britain a more attractive place to study again.

Read the report here:

Chair of CABS, Professor Simon Collinson, described how, in 2014/15, UK business schools experienced the sharpest decline of international students, and said the new report shows this to be damaging for, not only the institutions, but for jobs and communities beyond that rely on the income from international students.

He said: Although our business schools remain competitive and our universities are amongst the best in world, international students are choosing other countries for their education because our immigration regulations make this country difficult, or unattractive, to enter.

Not only are we turning away investment, we are turning away international talent. These skilled, entrepreneurial and globally mobile students are the leaders of tomorrow and the UKs immigration policies should be designed to attract them so that our universities and our economy can benefit from the diversity and added value they bring.

Gordon Marsden, shadow minister for further education, also told PoliticsHome the report has show an increasingly adversarial approach being taken by the Home Office.

The Governments new rules were confirmed by the Home Office last July and were designed to crack down on visa fraud in the UK and control immigration for the benefit of Britain.

At the time of the announcement, immigration minister, James Brokenshire, said: Immigration offenders want to sell illegal access to the UK jobs market - and there are plenty of people willing to buy.

Hardworking taxpayers who are helping to pay for publicly-funded colleges expect them to be providing top-class education, not a back door to a British work visa.

The CABS report has come out on the same day Times Higher Educations (THE) European University Rankings were released, showing that, despite the UK coming out on top as having the most top institutions on the continent, other countries - particularly Germany - are beginning to catch up as students opt to study elsewhere to avoid the UKs tough visa rules.

Editor of the rankings, Phil Baty, said: Not only are our restrictive immigration policies and noisy rhetoric leading many students to perceive they are not welcome in the UK, we are also seeing the increasing popularity of European universities which are often just as highly ranked as their UK competitors but also much, much cheaper to study with.

The top 10 universities in the world Show all 10 1 /10 The top 10 universities in the world The top 10 universities in the world 1. California Institute of Technology The top 10 universities in the world 2. University of Oxford The top 10 universities in the world 3. Stanford University The top 10 universities in the world 4. University of Cambridge The top 10 universities in the world 5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology The top 10 universities in the world 6. Harvard University The top 10 universities in the world 7. Princeton University The top 10 universities in the world 8. Imperial College London The top 10 universities in the world 9. ETH Zurich  Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich The top 10 universities in the world 10. University of Chicago

These powerful universities on the continent are actively challenging UK market share: delivering more and more degree courses fully in English to attract students who, in the past, would only have chosen the UK, US, or Australia.

Emphasising the huge importance of international students to the health of the UK higher education system, and the wider economy, Mr Baty added: They spend about 4.5 billion on tuition fees and accommodation alone, but they also add much to the overall student experience by supporting a rich, multicultural campus life for all students.

But this vital lifeline is increasingly at risk - for the first time this year, the UK saw international student numbers stagnate, with significant drops from some countries.

The NUS also released data on Wednesday which showed student numbers across England have plummeted from six million in the 2012/13 academic year, to 5.2 million in 2014/15 because of the Governments regressive policies.

NUS vice president for higher education, Sorana Vierum warned: Every time the Government launches a new attack on students, they tout out that the numbers havent been affected or have increased.

This is blatantly untrue and the Government needs to realise the damage its policies are causing.
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Students at the University of Warwick have praised the staffs decision to condemn the Governments higher education green paper and Prevent scheme having passed two motions after a debate.

Activists with the Warwick for Free Education movement greeted staff with cheers and applause outside a very important assembly where two motions opposing the Governments measures were passed with resounding majorities.

The students said: We have been working alongside staff on these issues for months now, and we look forward to continuing the campaign with them in the future.

In the democratic forum called by members of administrative and academic staff, known as the Assembly, assistant professor in modern British history, Dr Laura Schwartz, referred to the green paper as being potentially the death knell of public higher education in this country, and said it would directly threaten the universitys core educational mission.

The Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) was said to have been torn apart by Warwicks own consultation submission, and labelled as being potentially damaging to the international reputation of the university.

Complaints against the green paper included the possibility of academic rigor being sacrificed in order to promote higher student satisfaction, and the burdening of students with unsustainable levels of debt due to soaring tuition fees.

The moment staff broke the news to students:

When it came to the second motion regarding Prevent - the Governments controversial program which requires higher education staff to report students they believed to be at risk of radicalisation - the Assembly discussed how this had already led to the disproportionate and discriminatory targeting of Muslim and black and minority staff and students.

The Assembly noted the widespread opposition to the policy on campus, with hundreds of university staff and students having signed an open letter to the vice-chancellor in just over three weeks. The Assembly resolved to make sure the university did no more than the absolute minimum to satisfy the requirements of Prevent.

Dr Justine Mercer - associate professor in the Centre for Education Studies - said: The Prevent strategy...damages our community by fostering an environment of surveillance, paranoia, and racism.

It encourages the continual monitoring of both staff and students. It destroys the trust needed for a safe and supportive learning environment.

The mood in the Assembly was described as overwhelmingly supportive of both motions with staff from across the university noting the ways in which the changes threaten the universitys public mission, therefore, undermining academic freedom.

Having left the assembly, Both Dr Schwartz and Dr Mercer were greeted by students who had gathered outside. Both said the successful Assembly was an important step in support for further action, locally and nationally.

Warwick for Free Education spokesperson, Hope Worsdale, said: Students are delighted by the outcome of the Assembly and will continue in their actions, alongside staff, to campaign for a free and progressive education system.

Both motions were said to have received resounding support; the green paper motion was passed by 98 people in favour, eight against, and eleven abstentions, while the Prevent motion was passed by 96 in favour, five against, and 13 abstentions.

The university said motions from Assembly go to the institutions Senate Steering Committee. Both of Fridays motions will be considered there.
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Pausing to suck in another lungful of thin, biting air, I take in the natural drama of Ladakh's Ulley Valley. Scree-covered ridges arc upward in every direction, while far below, on the valley floor, a small group of yaks graze on the meagre pasture. As the late afternoon sun bathes nearby mountains in short-lived warmth, an ominous mass of dark cloud sweeps across the snow-clad horizon.

Located in the Indian Himalaya in the state of Jammu and Kashmir bordering Tibet, Ladakh is as harsh as it is beautiful. A land of fast-flowing rivers, golden-leaved poplars, remote Buddhist monasteries and shimmering lakes, the region is essentially a cold, high desert. It is also home to a sizeable population of the world's most elusive big cat  the snow leopard.

To the villagers of Ladakh, the snow leopard is known as the grey ghost. After a few hours of breathless hiking, I'm starting to see why.

Snow leopard Daniel Allen (Daniel Allen)

Adapted to their elevated environment in a way that humans never will be, the dappled, grey- yellow fur of this superbly camouflaged cat is almost invisible against rocks and snow. A wheezing, energy-sapped urbanite could be a few metres away from one and never know it. Luckily I have the eagle eyes of my young Ladakhi guide, Tsewang, to depend upon. Tsewang, however, doesn't fancy our chances.

There may be as many as 10 leopards in this valley, he explains, as we take yet another break. But December is not a good time to see them. In January and February, when the heavy snows arrive, they come lower to hunt and mate.

I'm under no illusion as to my chances of actually spotting a leopard. In his evocative 1978 book The Snow Leopard, American author Peter Matthiessen recounts his (ultimately fruitless) two-month search for a cat in the Nepalese Himalaya. Considering I have less than 48 hours in and around Ulley, the odds are heavily stacked against me.

With the sun dipping below the horizon, Tsewang and I decide to call it a day. Running his heavily dented binoculars over our spectacular surroundings one more time, my guide turns and heads for the village of Ulley, lower down the valley.

In the deepening gloom we pass a couple of whitewashed mud-brick buildings adorned with Buddhist prayer flags. Close by, an elderly farmer corrals his herd of yak for the night, while his equally wizened wife collects dried yak dung in a wicker basket. We exchange tashi deleks (hellos) before hurrying onward. One yak seems to have half its tail missing.

A snow leopard did that, says Tsewang. If livestock is not properly locked up or guarded, it will be preyed on. It is hard enough for people to survive here as it is. When an animal is lost it can cause serious hardship.

Ulley proves to be little more than a scattered collection of mud-brick houses. However, the village enjoys a stunning view down the valley, as illuminated wisps of cloud dance above snow-clad peaks in the dying light.

After a dinner of beef stew, rice and a bottle of Royal Stag whisky, Tsewang and I make our way over to visit the village headman, Norbu. We are invited to share yak butter tea in the main room of his two-storey house, together with the rest of his family. Seated cross-legged on an ornate rug, Norbu confirms Tsewang's words.

Yes, leopards take our animals from time to time, he explains through my guide. A few times I have had to shoot them. I don't like to do this, but in the past it was a case of them or us.

The next morning, Norbu's wife hands around fresh chapatis and mugs of milky instant coffee. Norbu takes down a dog-eared book to show me. Inside, on every other well-thumbed page, photos of livestock carcasses depict local leopard kills in graphic bloodiness. Yet today these kills are less frequent and are far less likely to result in retribution.

The reason for this is largely down to the work of the Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust (SLC-IT), a non-governmental organisation founded in 2003 and based in Leh, the Ladakhi capital. Providing wood and wire netting, the SLC-IT has helped many Ladakhi farmers make their corrals and pens leopard-proof. It has also started a compensation scheme (hence the photo book), and taught villagers how to make stuffed animals. These are then sold to tourists as profit-making souvenirs.

But the SLC-IT's biggest success has been its burgeoning homestay scheme. In return for training in hospitality, hygiene and housekeeping, and items such as blankets and bed sheets, all Ladakhi households involved in the scheme must agree to stop killing snow leopards, even if they lose livestock. With snow leopard sightings apparently on the increase, the scheme already seems to be working.

More cats is better for us, because it means more tourists, says Norbu. The income from tourists is important. A live snow leopard is now worth more to us than a dead one.

After breakfast, we prepare to hike over to the neighbouring village of Saspotsey, where the SLC-IT's director, Tsewang Namgyail, has invited us to a training session. The villagers will be taught how to spot leopards and then engaged on a survey of the area.

With a freshly purchased toy leopard squeezed into my camera bag, I say farewell to Tsewang. Norbu invites me to come back in February and offers to guide me himself.

Tsewang, who seems none the worse for the previous night's merrymaking, is happy to be returning to Leh and his young family. In the next few months I will be away a lot on leopard-watching tours, he explains. I need to make the most of this quiet time.

As we're leaving the village, my guide stops and bends down on one knee. Look, he says, pointing out a line of four-toed pugmarks running across the dusty path. Fresh leopard tracks from last night. The grey ghost came calling, but we were asleep.

Getting there

Leh can be reached via Delhi on connecting flights from Heathrow on Air India (020 8560 9996; airindia.com). Emirates (0844 800 2777; emirates.com) flies from a range of UK airports via Dubai and Delhi, connecting to Leh on Jet Airways.

Staying there

Mystic India (020 7931 8273; mysticindia.co.uk) offers a range of Ladakh tours, including snow leopard-focused packages.

Homestays in Ulley and other Ladakhi villages can be booked through Himalayan Homestays (himalayan-homestays.com) and cost from around R500pp (5.50) per night.

More information

British tourists need a visa to visit India, available for US$60 (40) in advance; see bit.ly/VisaIndia

incredibleindia.org
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Manchester was a world-leading city back when New York City was still in short trousers; the neo-gothic architecture of Cottonopolis prefigures the skyscrapers of the Big Apple. Today, both have a similarly brooding atmosphere. But now, as the jewel in the crown of George Osborne's multibillion-pound northern powerhouse plan, a bright new sun is rising over the River Irwell. All of which left me baffled as to why Hotel Gotham has taken 1920s Manhattan as its theme. Is a theme ever necessary?

Hotel Gotham is housed in the top six floors of 100 King Street, one of the city's most impressive buildings, designed by Edwin Lutyens. There is the Batman reference in the name (his motif is on the do-not-disturb signs) but the theme owes more to Baz Lurhmann's interpretation of The Great Gatsby. Rooms are furnished with period travel chests, while Art Deco metalwork adorns the top-floor bar. Fictional characters, including Lady Didsbury and Tony Trafford, crop up in the hotel's literature, including a daily newspaper left in the room. Which is, to be frank, infantile.

Thankfully, these gripes are aesthetic. The basics are as sturdy as the building itself. The service is top-drawer Mancunian: dedicated and ebullient. With perfectly twizzled moustache and a bounce in his step, the concierge is a particular asset. Honey, the hotel's seventh-floor restaurant, is another. Our window table gives ringside views of gargoyles and mansard roofs, while out over the buildings, lie the rolling hills of Lancashire. The floor above hosts a private members' club, open to 500-a-year membership holders and hotel guests. It has two terraces to take in the views.

Hotel Gotham, which opened last April, is only the city's second five-star hotel and is particularly welcome at the boutique end of the market. It sits in a district known for two Fs that are essential for any city on the up: finance and fashion. The building, known as the King of King Street for its imposing stature, used to be a Midland bank  a history that's referenced in swag bags and bullion bars in the rooms.

The balcony

Hotel Gotham's ritziness will appeal to moneyed Manchester  a demographic that likes to flash its cash and is, all going to plan, set to grow. However, 800 hotel rooms opened in the city last year, with plenty more planned. This means competition. If times get tough, I'd suggest taking down the Manhattan photos and giving those patronising characters the boot. In their place, the hotel could foreground its strengths: great staff, a fantastic building and a prime location.

Location

It takes little more than 20 minutes to walk from one side of Manchester's centre to the other. The brilliant Manchester Art Gallery is two minutes from Gotham. The Northern Quarter is a 10-minute walk; a hub of the Eighties and Nineties music scene, it is still first port of call for those wanting a night out.

For upmarket shopping, Deansgate is five minutes' walk away. Nearby, Simon Rogan's The French is probably the city's best restaurant, and a sunset drink at Cloud 23 at the Beetham Tower is a must.

Comfort

Hotel Gotham has 60 bedrooms, five of which are inner sanctum suites, with prices ranging from 150 to 1,000 a night. The design is bold: zig-zagged carpets, leather headboards, faux fur throws and bright, button-backed chairs.

Our standard room feels a little pokey, partly due to the combination of grey walls and heavy curtains. A TV sits atop a low wall at the foot of the bed. This dividing island makes the end section of the room a little redundant. But the bathroom is spacious and the bed is as comfortable as any you'd expect at a hotel of this calibre. Room service is speedy and the fry-up exemplary. The perfect way to say good morning to Manchester 2.0.

Travel essentials

Hotel Gotham, 100 King Street, Manchester, M2 4WU (0161 413 0000; hotelgotham.co.uk).

Rooms 

Value 

Service 

Doubles from 150, room only.
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Star turn

Canadian astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield will join a group trip with Exodus in August, exploring Greenland and the Canadian Arctic by ice breaker. The 18-day expedition departs 22 August and currently costs 9,900pp for bookings made before 15 April.

bit.ly/ExodusArctic

Scilly season

After the winter break, ferry services begin on Monday 14 March between Penzance and St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly. Scillonian III will make one return voyage a day on most days up to 6 November. A day-trip to the islands from Penzance costs 39.50.

bit.ly/Scillink

Catching Krabi

In time for Christmas, the Thai resort of Krabi will be accessible without a change of plane in Bangkok. From 6 December, Qatar Airways will make the seven-hour flight from its hub in Doha four times weekly, with connections from Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh.

qatarairways.com

Falls rise

Access to Zimbabwe's prime tourist spot, Victoria Falls, becomes easier from 25 March when Fastjet Zimbabwe starts flying from Johannesburg, in competition against Comair. The 100-minute flight to and from South Africa's main aviation hub will initially operate on Fridays and Sundays. Fastjet is Africa's leading budget airline.

fastjet.com

Colombia: Increasingly popular

Latin lessons

Capitalising on Colombia's growing popularity among holidaymakers, new tour operator Amakuna offers specialised itineraries and tailor-made trips across the country, including to the multi-coloured river Cano Cristales, plus horse rides in coffee country and pink dolphin spotting in the Amazon.

amakuna.com

Lisbon lux

AlmaLusa Baixa/Chiado is a new boutique addition to Lisbon's hotel scene. Opening on 17 March, the 28 rooms and suites are all individually designed in a modern Portuguese aristocratic style, while the restaurant, Delfina, specialises in regional cuisine.

almalusahotels.com

Stop and go

Explore Singapore for 1 this spring. Singapore Airlines' offer is for passengers transiting in the city-state from Heathrow or Manchester to any of its 60 destinations between 1 April and 30 June and includes a night's accommodation, transfers and entry to 15 attractions. Book by 30 April.

singaporeair.com/ssh

Tag team

My Buddy Tag is a waterproof wrist band for children that allows parents to monitor their whereabouts on mobile devices via Bluetooth technology. It features a panic button that can be pressed if a child feels fearful and an alert if the band is submerged in water for a long period of time, or if the child goes out of range. Price: 39.99.

buddytag.co.uk
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Is there a doctor on the plane? When the call goes out, health professionals respond  not for any reward, but from a sense of duty. Dr Edward Southall, a retired GP from Devon, was on an easyJet flight from Gatwick to Greece. He says he heard the crew discussing a possible medical diversion because of a poorly passenger. So, he volunteered to treat an elderly Greek lady who was having breathing difficulties, and stayed with her for an hour.

Later, when the cabin crew wheeled the inflight sales trolley to Dr Edward Southall's row, you might imagine they would not ask Anything from the trolley? but instead offer Anything from the trolley  you've helped us out, now choose your reward. Instead, when Dr Southall asked for a coffee and a KitKat, the hot drink was free but the snack cost him 1.20.

After the flight, Dr Southall tried to engage with easyJet about the airline's attitude to medical assistance. Its website invites people who want to talk about policy issues to contact our public affairs team at publicaffairs@easyJet.com.

He wrote: Medical personnel are being increasingly asked for their help on flights and I believe your airline should have a policy to recognise the value that their assistance provides. I would be very interested to hear your views.

The public affairs team didn't answer. So, Dr Southall sent the same message to customer services. The response: In relation to your complain I would like to inform you that as an appreciation we are offering you 1 hold luggage of 20 kgs absolutely free of cost on your next flight with easyjet. I do understand on the day of your flight it is very less that the staff could do for you.

Deciphered, that's an offer to check in a bag free of charge on a one-way flight.

He tried again, asking the customer-service team to escalate the matter. Once again he received an incoherent response. First the offer was repeated: All we can offer you is one free Hold bag for your next flight you book with us, and as it was informed to you earlier. Then he was told there was no point escalating the issue: Even if you speak to our manager they will also advise you the same.

In the complex and challenging world of air travel, with potential problems ranging from air-traffic control snarl-ups to air rage, not everything is handled perfectly.

Sensible travellers, including Dr Southall, accept that. But he gave easyJet three chances to address his concerns and ended up with what looks to me like the customer-service version of giving a passenger the finger. Of KitKat.

Free flights for free care

Dr Southall then contacted me, saying: I am dismayed by easyJet's lack of concern for the seriousness of this problem. They appear to have no policy that acknowledges the value of volunteer medical personnel who are travelling on their flights. I was also very disappointed that easyJet management did not contact me on my return home.

The number of in-flight medical emergencies is rising because there are more passengers in the air than ever, and the countries in which people have the highest propensity to fly also have ageing populations  increasing the risk of heart and breathing problems that may be triggered by the stress of the airport experience, the low cabin air pressure at altitude and, I dare say in some cases, excessive drinking.

Health professionals who volunteer to help out during in-flight medical emergencies do so from a sense of professional duty, not because they want anything in return. But some airlines have impressive reward policies in place. BA says, depending on the circumstances of the event, it may provide complimentary flights.

Southwest, the world's biggest and most successful budget airline, says: We typically provide a note of thanks for the assistance that the medical professional provided along with a voucher that can be applied toward a future fare purchase.

Lufthansa encourages doctors to sign up in advance for its frequent-flyer programme. After their medical credentials are checked, volunteers are offered a 50 flight voucher simply for registering. It's a smart move, because the presence of a doctor on a flight is then flagged up on the passenger manifest  and cabin crew even know where he or she is sitting.

The right thing to do

Dr Southall has now been offered a free flight by easyJet, which says: We are sorry we didn't get this right on this occasion. But the airline also says of the flight: On this occasion, a diversion was unlikely. The doctor expressed incredulity when I relayed this statement: The seriousness of the emergency was never in doubt. Without my intervention, the plane was diverting.

I wasn't there, so I don't know who's right. I do know, though, that I would welcome the presence of Dr Southall on board my next flight.

An elderly lady was cared for. Hundreds of passengers enjoyed journeys without delay and disruption. The possibility, however remote, that easyJet would get a large bill for a diversion, was avoided. And the airline even profited from the handsome mark-up on that 1.20 KitKat.
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If you break it, you own it. So said former Secretary of State Colin Powell, explaining why American troops remained in Iraq long after the 2003 invasion. Today, there can be no question that Libya is broken. There are three nominal governments, none of which holds much authority. The economy is flatlining. Refugees flood to the Mediterranean. And Isis has put down roots in Sirte and, increasingly, Tripoli.

But Western powers, whose 2011 intervention to depose Muammar Gaddafi was critical in reshaping the country, have turned their back on the consequences. President Barack Obama believes it is his European allies who own this mess, and signalled his discontent in an interview with The Atlantic. I had more faith in the Europeans being invested in the follow-up, he said. Mr Obama is right to issue the reprimand. David Cameron stood in front of a crowd in Benghazi in 2011 and said: Your friends in Britain and France will stand with you as you build your democracy. Such words have proven empty.

As with so many of the Wests wars in the Middle East, there was no serious post-conflict planning. The move to prevent Gaddafi from slaughtering the citizens of Benghazi remains, on balance, justifiable. Even Russia, no fan of revolutions in the Arab world, gave its approval via the UN Security Council. But the humanitarian concern of the first intervention is thoroughly undermined by the almost total disregard in the years that have followed. It is telling that the Western figures with the most influence in Libya these days are not world leaders or diplomats, but special forces that have begun carrying out raids against Isis.

In criticising Mr Cameron, however, Mr Obama rather ignores the stick in his own eye  or, at least, in the eye of his administration. The President no doubt rues being drawn out of his instinctive caution on deploying Americas military in the Middle East. He wants to go down in history as the man who withdrew the US from costly, failed wars  witness Iraq and Afghanistan  not one who brought more on to the ledger books. But the American footprint in Libya is larger than he would perhaps care to admit: America supplied drones, precision munitions and surveillance that the Europeans could not muster.

Perhaps a more appropriate target for Mr Obamas displeasure would be Hillary Clinton, who was Secretary of State at the time. It was Ms Clinton who convinced the reluctant Mr Obama to engage. It was Ms Clinton who successfully pushed for the US to provide lethal assistance to the rebels  arms that have fuelled Libyas civil war. If it had not been for Ms Clintons advocacy, there is a good chance America would have played no part in the war. She is a fine candidate for president. But the furore over her handling of the Benghazi embassy attack overlooks this rather more significant blot on her record. Ms Clintons similarly gung-ho policy on Syria deserves to be treated in the context of her misjudgement of the strength of the Libyan opposition, and its ability to evolve into a stable, liberal government.

It is in Western interests to focus on Libya once more. Sanctions should be placed on those politicians deemed to be obstructing the formation of a unity government, as France suggests. The most important first step is to end the fighting between the two main rival factions, the Islamists in Tripoli and the internationally recognised government in Benghazi, which is composed of many former Gaddafi loyalists. A broader campaign of air strikes against Isis is under consideration by the Pentagon. That would be unwise. It was foolish to think air strikes could solve Libyas problems the first time around. It would be sadistic to make the same mistake again.
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It has been announced that oil company BP will no longer sponsor art gallery Tate. This is a momentous shift in the debate around oil sponsorship of the arts.

BP had sponsored Tate for 26 years, and it will have been hard for the company to let the deal go. The amount of given was tiny considering the scale of visibility of the brand in the gallery - between 1990 to 2006 BP paid on average 224,000 a year, just half a percentage of Tates annual spending - to appear around the buildings.

The deal was worth hundreds of times as much in advertising terms. As Wendy Stephenson, whose Sponsorship Consulting assists BP, said in 2005: Ten years ago a company would sponsor something, invite some people, have a nice party and walk away. Now they milk the sponsorship for what its worth because its a marketing activity just like advertising, or PR, or direct mail.

Recommended Read more Obama is wrong to blame Cameron for the rise of Isis in Libya

For Tate, this turn of events follows widespread criticism of the partnership, the incongruence of which sat uneasily with Tates programming and public persona. BP is a company whose business model is seen by its critics as contributing toward destruction of the environment. April will see the sixth anniversary of the start of BPs Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster.

On the other hand Tate has recently installed solar panels on Tate Moderns roof and held several events dealing directly with the climate change. Its collection contains the works of numerous artists that have spoken out against BP, such as Conrad Atkinson, Sonia Boyce and Margaret Harrison and deceased artists I imagine would have strong reactions, like co-founder of the German Green Party Joseph Beuys.

This shift shows the power and importance of grassroots groups to build pressure and make change happen. Emblematic of these efforts is the art collective that I am part of, Liberate Tate, an entirely unfunded artists' collective which has made numerous unsanctioned performance interventions inside Tate gallery spaces to open up a critical and creative debate around BP sponsorship over the past six years.

Recommended Read more It is racist to blame migrants for your fears about jobs and wages

We poured oil over a naked man in Tate Britain in 2011. We assembled a 16.5 metre long wind turbine blade in Tate Modern in 2012. We slept overnight in the Turbine Hall scrawling texts on oil, art and climate change across the floor in charcoal in 2015. On the eve of the Paris climate talks we tattooed twenty performers with the parts per million of carbon dioxide in the earths atmosphere in the year of their birth.

Numerous other groups around the world have cropped up to challenge oil sponsorship, with successful campaigns in Norway and the US to protect cultural institutions from Statoil, the Koch dynasty, Shell and others. In December ten performers were arrested at the Louvre, Paris, protesting Total and Eni sponsorship.

The impetus is now on other cultural institutions in the UK to follow suit and end oil sponsorship. Tate is a global leader, and the likes of the British Museum, the Royal Opera House, the National Portrait Gallery and the Science Museum must now end their sponsorship deals with BP too.
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I ask this today because it's my parents' 49th wedding anniversary and they are enjoying a mini-break in Bruges to celebrate. I'll see them tonight to see how they liked their first ever trip on the Eurostar.

Forty-nine years. It's hard to get your head around, by today's standards. I thought it would be fitting to hand the reins to them this week. So what's their secret? "Well we never really argue," says Dad. I remember that. The lack of rows just made my teenage strops ring out all the more ridiculous. "I think your mum thinks we should've shouted at each other a bit more", he says. "But we never really had an EastEnders moment."

Mum adds: "We are good friends and we discuss things. We've always talked things over, whatever it might be. You shouldn't keep things to yourself."

"Do you still have a laugh?" I ask. Mum pipes up: "He can still make me laugh at the same silly things he's been saying for 40-odd years." To be fair, my dad is a gentle  if at times unwitting  comic genius. And how could you be angry with someone like that?

Then, and I can tell I'm going to get The Big One: "Finances", says Mum, in that matter of fact way she does. Uh-oh. "We have never had separate money. We've always had the one joint account  and no secrets about what we're spending."

Then with a hint of glee in her voice, she adds: "We even share a mobile phone. That's love isn't it  sharing a mobile phone?!" With what we know about mobiles, I suspect they're on to something there.

"So do you think it was love at first sight then, Mum?" I deliver my final, cut-throat question. "Oh no!" she exclaims, with not a moment's hesitation. "There was certainly an attraction though," pipes up Dad. "What's this love all about anyway?!"

@lovefoolforever
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Authoritarianism and isolationism, and that, in essence, is what Donald Trump et al are offering, are not an answer. Such was the rather prim warning in the Financial Times about the dangers of a possible Trump presidency. In cosying up to Europes right wing populists, condemning the war in Iraq, and praising Russias role in Syria, the Republican juggernaut has made no secret of his disdain for the status quo in Americas dealings with the world. Yet, like the man himself, Trumps heretical foreign policy is not as dumb as it seems. By upending a discredited rule book, this most undiplomatic of men might just succeed in repairing Americas leadership in the world.

Americas foreign policy is broken. For nearly two decades, it has been predicated almost exclusively on bombing the Middle East and isolating Russia. The results are clear: a string of failed states from Libya to Syria, the rise of the Islamic State in formerly secular Iraq, a refugee crisis in Europe and an irredentist Russia marching across its former domains.

Trumps prescription is to turn the failed doctrine on its head through isolationism in the Middle East and engagement with Moscow. The first point seems obvious. Alone among the American political establishment, Trump has acknowledged the true cost of his countrys adventurism. Iraq is a disaster  Libya is not even a country, he told an interviewer. What we did there  its a mess.

The second prong of the Trump doctrine is even more overdue. Americas top general Joseph Dunford recently called Russia the greatest threat to our national security. Yet the current policy of sanctions and bluster has only strengthened President Vladimir Putins grip on power and ambitions in Ukraine and Syria.

Despite all that, Trump remains the only politician in America to call for engagement with the Kremlin. He publicly described Putin as a strong leader and praised his military intervention in Syria. Putin returned the favour, calling Trump very talented and welcoming his desire to improve relations. How can we not welcome that?, Putin told journalists in his annual Q&A with the press.

The effects of a potential detente are hard to underestimate. Russia is holding the US to ransom over Iran, Syria and Ukraine. Obtaining its cooperation would help unlock  in one fell swoop  some of Americas largest foreign policy challenges. Historically, it has been the maverick Republicans who have done most for American diplomacy. Like Nixon in China, only a hardliner like Trump could go to Russia and come back with a deal.

Trumps views on foreign policy have met with disbelief and ridicule in American mainstream media and political circles, where he is portrayed as an eccentric anomaly. Yet by clinging to the shibboleths of free-market capitalism and liberal interventionism, it is the US establishment that has become increasingly out of step with the rest of the world. From Greece to Poland, citizens are ejecting milquetoasts liberals in favour of the extreme left and right. Voters would rather elect true wolves than the wolves in sheeps clothing who hide their indifference to the plight of ordinary people behind politically-correct platitudes. Who is the world coming to resemble more: Trump or his opponents?

Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall  and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY

The sociologist Zygmunt Bauman referred to the winners and losers of globalisation as travellers and vagabonds. Having thrown in its lot squarely with the former, America has lost its relevance for  and, crucially, influence over  the growing mass of the worlds discontented. Ironically it is the billionaire Trump who speaks their language. Adrift and unmoored, in his calls to build walls and close borders they hear words of shelter and compassion, not hate and division. It is these vagabonds, and the leaders they increasingly choose, whom America must get onside if it wants to have any say in the worlds future.

From Putin to Hungarys Viktor Orban, from Frances Marine Le Pen to Egypts Abdel Fattah el Sisi, Indias Narendra Modi to Turkeys Reccep Erdogan: these are the people gathered  or gathering  around the high table. Ignoring or hectoring them is not an option. Who is best qualified not just to sit among these rogues, populists and snake oil salesmen, but preside over them like a mafia don? Only someone like Trump has the bigotry and bluster it takes to strike hard bargains with these blusterers, and haggle with them in a language they understand: the language of money, sovereignty and real-politik.
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G4S has finally announced that it will be selling its subsidiary, G4S Israel, in the next 12 to 24 months. The news has been greeted with jubilation from campaigners who have led a sustained boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign against the organisation over the last four years.

According to a G4S spokesperson: "G4S provides and maintains technical equipment such as access systems, cameras and baggage screening machines in some Israeli prisons and at some crossing points along the separation barrier."

The domination of G4S annual general meetings over several years by protests against the companys involvement in Israeli prisons was undoubtedly a factor in the companys announcement two years ago that it intended to pull out of Israeli prisons.

Recommended Read more It is racist to blame migrants for your fears about jobs and wages

Not only have many student campaigns convinced their universities to drop G4S, but globally many organisations  public and private  have dropped G4S. At the end of last year Labours National Executive Committee decided to end their conference security contract with G4S following a discussion about their complicity with human rights abuses.

G4S claim that its decision to sell its subsidiary had nothing to do with the BDS campaign. A spokesman for the company told Newsweek: We have now got 65 businesses that since 2013 that have been identified for sale or closure, so Israel is actually just one of those. It is an entirely commercial decision.

G4S werent the first company to be targeted by the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. The campaign has already had a string of successes.

Veolia, a French corporation, came under the spotlight because of their involvement in the development of a tram system connecting West Jerusalem to Israels illegal settlements in occupied East Jerusalem.

This was met by a seven year campaign to persuade public bodies not to renew their transport or waste management contracts which, weve assessed, cost Veolia more than $20 billion. In September 2015, Veolia sold off all of its businesses in Israel. The company said at the time: This transaction will contribute to Veolias debt reduction by around 250 million. It is part of Veolias strategy to refocus the Group geographically and to concentrate on areas where it can seize less capital intensive opportunities.

Even an Israeli company, Sodastream, moved its factory out of one of Israels most notorious illegal settlements, after an advertisement for their product featuring the actor Scarlett Johansson led Oxfam to part company with her as their ambassador.

Other companies based in settlements live in fear of publicity. One company promised a human rights organisation to move their factory in order to avoid being mentioned in a report on companies operating in illegal settlements.

Even the Foreign Office and the Business Department have issued guidance to UK businesses warning them not only of the legal and financial risks, but also the reputational risk of operating in Israels illegal settlements.

Whilst trying to dismiss the importance of the boycott campaign, Israeli government defenders are focused on how to counter the boycott movement. They have even enlisted the support of British Cabinet Office minister Matthew Hancock who announced new government-imposed restrictions on the right of councils to make ethical procurement decisions  at a Jerusalem press conference with the Israeli Prime Minister.

One of their counter arguments is that Palestinians interests will be damaged as they will lose their jobs as a result. It is worth noting, these same arguments were employed to defend apartheid South Africa from the boycott campaign. In reality, as a World Bank report set out in 2013, the Palestinian economy loses $3.4 billion a year - 35 per cent of its GDP - as a result of the Israeli occupation.

Our advice to the Israeli Government is simple. If you want to end the boycott campaign, end your occupation of Palestinian land, and stop your human rights abuses.

Sara Apps is Interim Director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign
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Were right back to the its not racist to be racist debate, courtesy of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. Speaking to House magazine, Welby said it is reasonable for people to fear the colossal crisis of migration currently experienced by Europe (not to be confused with the crisis experienced by the actual refugees fleeing brutal war and persecution; after all, migration isnt about them). Adding that it is outrageous, absolutely outrageous to describe such anxieties as racist, the Archbishop also noted that the UK should find a way of taking its share of the load.

Welbys comments may well be an attempt to expand the debate about migration, but their inevitable effect is to reinforce the ludicrous idea that people who express concerns about migration are being constantly shut down. Because you never hear anybody complaining about migrants, ever, do you? And our media and politicians arent constantly panic-mongering about dangerous, scrounging migrant floods?

Nobody has ever said that it is racist for British people to worry - especially during a time of crippling austerity cuts, wage stagnation and job instability set against spiralling living costs - about access to employment and resources. What definitely is racist, however, is the idea that migrants are somehow to blame.

With tedious reliability, Ian Duncan Smith, the man responsible for so many of those savage cuts, supported Welby's view, claiming on the Today programme that for years elites have said its terrible to talk about migration, and if you do, youre racist. Even worse, Duncan Smith suggests this supposed muzzling of debate has fuelled the far right across Europe. Yet what has actually fuelled the rise of the far right, and its attendant racism, is austerity - of exactly the kind imposed by the Work and Pensions Secretary and his Conservative government.

Here is how Daphne Halikiopoulou, professor in comparative politics at Reading university, put it a few months ago: When a crisis hits, those who have a job fear that they will lose it. Those who dont have a job fear that they will have no safety net or alternative." The more insecure people feel, the more support swings in favour of the far right.

Britains main political parties have also fuelled this process, deliberately and cynically shifting ever rightwards on the subject of migration, in attempts to stem any potential voter exodus to the migrant-bashing Ukip party.

The suggestion that we are being swamped by migrants, and that elites (presumably latte-drinking and metropolitan, for the full-scope insult) are stifling the concerns of white, working class Brits manages to patronise and diminish both groups of people at the same time. Its a way of outsourcing your own prejudices onto people worse off than you, while simultaneously creating a terrifying migrant bogeyman to scapegoat for the result of austerity policies imposed by the government.

Time and again, research suggests that tolerance is higher in migrant-dense and ethnically diverse parts of the country. Prejudices fall away in the face of positive interactions within diverse communities - an effect given its very own label: passive tolerance. It is fear of the unknown, fuelled by scaremongering politicians and the media, and not the actual experience of living in ethnically mixed areas, that causes prejudice.

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If we want to talk about migration, lets talk about it. Nobody is stopping us. But lets also talk about why, in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, people are so worried and insecure about work and access to public services. If we do that, the conversation we end up having might not focus on migrants at all.
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In 2013, the UK Government introduced the mandatory carbon reporting requirements that require listed companies to report annually on their global greenhouse gas emissions in the directors report of the annual report.

The introduction of these requirements has helped provide greater levels of board oversight and investor engagement on how to improve the resource efficiency of their businesses, thereby boosting productivity. These requirements provide standardised and comparable information to institutional investors, who are increasingly demanding information on companies greenhouse gas emissions and financial risks relating to climate change to help guide their investment decisions.

The Government is currently reviewing the future of these regulations as part of its consultation on business energy efficiency policies.

At a time when important international initiatives such as the Financial Stability Boards climate-related financial disclosures taskforce are investigating the potential for greater levels of disclosure on climate related risks, it is critical that the UK retains its market-leading mandatory carbon reporting requirements in place.

We urge the Government to confirm on Budget Day that this will indeed be the case.

Nick Molho

Executive Director, Aldersgate Group

Steve Waygood

Chief Responsible Investment Officer, Aviva Investors

Niall Dunne

Chief Sustainability Officer, BT

Meryam Omi

Head of Sustainability, Legal & General Investment Management

Mike Barry

Director of Sustainable Business, Marks & Spencer

Stuart Bailey

Head of Sustainability and Climate Change, National Grid

Andrew Griffiths

Head of Environmental Sustainability, Nestle UK & Ireland

Fiona Ball

Head of Responsible Business, Sky

Stephanie Pfeifer

Chief Executive, Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change

Jane Stevensen

Managing Director, Climate Disclosure Standards Board

Paul Simpson

Chief Executive Officer, CDP

Roger Ponting

Group Finance Director and Business Support, Energy Saving Trust

Matthew Farrow

Executive Director, Environmental Industries Commission

Martin Baxter

Chief Policy Advisor, Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment

Simon Howard

Chief Executive, UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association

Robert Lambe

Managing Director, Willmott Dixon Energy Services

David Symons

Director of Environment, WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff

Brexit a licence for food fakery

Fancy tucking into Cumberland sausage or Stilton for tea, bought from some geezer on the market, and enjoying the thrill of not knowing where it is from? Brazil, Samoa, China? If so then Brexit is for you.

Pesky EU red tape (Regulation 1151/2012) means that regional foods from all over Europe, including in the UK, have geographically protected status. Because of those meddling MEPs, a Cornish pasty has to be made in Cornwall to a traditional recipe. Would you believe it? And, worse still, nasty EU trade agreements with the rest of the world mean that these regulations covering regional specialities are respected in countries around the planet, protecting UK traditions and jobs.

Once out of the EU, everyone will be free at last to make fake versions of treasured British foods and sell them wherever they like, because EU regulations will no longer apply. Hurrah!

Even better, out of the EU, our very own UK wideboys will be free to produce fake Parma hams, camembert and Wensleydale in warehouses in Chingford, and flog them in Greenland, Swaziland and Taiwan, beside the fake Melton Mowbray pork pies from the Philippines. Whats not to like?

Christian Vassie

York

At a time when the Conservative Party, elected in by only a fraction of the electorate, seeks to strengthen its future with further advantageous boundary changes, voters would do well to remember that membership of the European Community offers important laws that protect our society.

I am very afraid of an unfettered Tory fiefdom that may result if we exit from the European Union. The EU, for all its faults, appears to seek to protect vulnerable citizens and the environment, which the current Conservative Party appears to disregard.

Simon Watson

Mamble, Worcestershire

In view of the shaky mandate the Conservatives got from the last general election  less than 25 per cent  and as they were the only party with an EU referendum in their manifesto, one concludes that over 75 per cent of the electorate werent bothered about having one, not even the minority voting for Ukip, who wanted Brexit without a referendum.

So couldnt we call the whole thing off and get on with our lives?

Geoffrey Downs

Bradford

Lavish spending will make you rich

Simon Read (5 March) tells of his effort to teach his children a lesson in thrift by saving up coins they found in the street.

Look after the pennies... is one of the many maxims which purport to give a clue to the hoi polloi as to how they can become millionaires, but which are meant to keep them in their place.

It gains its bogus authenticity from stories of reclusive tycoons dying in filth and privation, but with several billions in stockholdings. The confusion which the billionaires aim to foster through their phoney axiom is that parsimony makes people rich. The truth is that meanness is an eccentricity which occasionally accompanies great wealth, but it isnt the explanation for it.

Instead, one millionaire biography after another tells how rich people became extravagant even before they had much money. There is a sort of homeopathic principle here, that a sniff of the good life, even if it is initially on credit, will attract more money. And its true.

Do you ever hear a Murdoch or a Branson moaning about a penny increase in the price of a pint of milk? Have you ever come across a wealthy person who even knows the price of a pint of milk? The truth is that looking after the pennies will simply ensure that you end up with a world-class collection of pennies.

Victoria Watts

Crumlin, Caerphilly

The Queen dragged into EU quarrel

The Brexit campaigners must be getting desperate if they have to drag up a five-year-old conversation the Queen supposedly had supporting Brexit before the term had even been invented or a referendum mooted.

Like many of us the Queen may well have reservations about the EU but would still support our remaining in it.

Valerie Crews

Beckenham, Kent

Dave Brown (cartoon, 10 March) has got it wrong. The Queens name is not Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. It is an ex-name, it has ceased to be, changed to Windsor 99 years ago by her grandfather.

But the point of the cartoon is that the Queen, distantly descended via a bundle of Germans from a 16th-century Scotsman and a Dane, can hardly call herself British. She, like most of us, must envy Dave Browns direct descent, with pure unmixed blood, from the Ancient Brits themselves.

Peter Forster

London N4

Somewhere to live for students in London

Contrary to the impression conveyed in your report and editorial (4 March), UCL is extremely concerned about the affordability of student accommodation in London. We want every student who is offered a place at UCL to be able to afford to come here. However, providing cheap housing in the heart of one of the worlds most expensive cities is a considerable challenge, and not just for UCL.

As a non-profit organisation, we do not make any financial gain on rent. Any surplus is ploughed back into residences. The rents we charge are on a par with those charged by other London universities, and less than those charged by private providers, who do make a profit, and currently provide 59 per cent of the student housing stock in London. I want universities  not driven by profit  to continue to provide accommodation, but we can only do so on the basis of setting rents at a level that enables us to cover our costs and invest in upkeep.

We are taking active steps to keep our rents down. Last week we announced that we are either reducing or freezing rents in over 1,200 rooms next year. No one should underestimate the challenge of delivering affordable accommodation while London property prices remain at their current level and our student funding system does not reflect the true cost of living in the capital, but we will continue to work with our students to find solutions to lessen the burden.

Andrew Grainger

Director, UCL Estates

University College London

The rewards of democracy?

According to Stephen Lewis (letter, 8 March), Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East.

Would Mr Lewis  or anyone else  care to explain how that entitles it to dispossess and oppress the Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza?

Roberto Mercatali

Oxford
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Would it be eccentric to suggest that Jeremy Corbyn is irresponsibly disappointing us in one vital area: offering an opposition to this extremist neoliberal Government? Isnt that what Labour is meant to be doing, rather than indulging in self-indulgent internal bickering?

Its clear that the Conservatives are intent, on ideological grounds, on destroying the NHS (as at least Caroline Lucas points out) although this may not be in the more general interest of the British public. Why does no opposition politician (save Lucas) highlight the issue?

And in the real world anyone who displayed the sheer incompetence so conspicuous in Jeremy Hunts management of the ministry under his care would be sacked. Why is no Labour MP pointing this out?

Michael Rosenthal

Upper Brailes, Warwickshire

Pete Rowberry (letter, 10 March) is wrong to claim that the move to reduce the power of sitting Labour MPs to select their leader is undemocratic.

The eight members who opposed Corbyn for leadership or entered the contest for deputy leadership all have safe constituencies. They were awarded these constituencies by an unelected clique; hardly a democratic procedure.

Seven of the eight voted against their leaders wishes in the first significant division  not much loyalty there. All of them had been prominent members of the Labour Party in power which decided children should pay for their education and, with their PFI policy, led the way with the first major step towards the privatisation of the NHS; not a mandate they were given by the voters.

This group was not only decisively rejected by the Labour Party members but also thrown out of Scotland and routed by the Conservatives in England.

What possible claim to democratic rights do they deserve?

Clive Georgeson

Dronfield, Derbyshire

It is time correspondents such as David Felton (letter, 10 March) woke up and smelled the coffee. Jeremy Corbyns leadership of the Labour Party has been nothing short of a disaster and it no longer washes that he should be untouchable simply because the majority of party members voted for him. He has done little to build the broad-based coalition necessary to bring about another electable Labour Party. Instead he has surrounded himself with advisers more concerned with settling scores with Tony Blair and his associates for having the temerity to win three general elections on platforms people actually wanted to vote for.

The party lost in 2015 because it had a leader without credibility, and voters had no confidence in its ability to manage the economy, welfare or immigration.

Corbyns supporters need to make a choice. Do they want a narrow, self-serving debating society focused around Corbyns hobby horses or are they prepared to get their hands dirty by compromising with the electorate and building a policy platform voters will support? If they are not, they should stand aside and let those who wish to see another Labour government acting in the interests of those who have suffered under the Tories, while at the same time promoting the Labour Party as one of work, family and aspiration, supporting wealth creators and entrepreneurs, to take over.

Keith Nieland

Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

A reminder to some people who believe Corbyn was voted as leader by grass-roots supporters: he wasnt. Grass-roots supporters see him as an absolute disaster who has no chance of winning the next election. He was voted in by a lot of young people  who are not so forthcoming with campaigning.

Linda Theobald

London NW9

P&O knew how to say thanks to a doctor

Your report GP charged for KitKat after treating easyJet passenger (11 March) reminded me that some years ago I responded to an Is there a doctor on board? call while returning to Dover on a P&O ferry.

Having diagnosed the patient, I advised that an ambulance would need to meet the ferry at Dover. I remained with the patient until she was safely dispatched to hospital.

I later received a kind thank-you letter from the patient and a formal letter of thanks from P&O. My husband was running the church fete that year, so we wrote back to P&O asking if it could donate a raffle prize. It donated a Dover-Calais day trip ticket for a car and four passengers. That years event became a Euro Fete. We accepted any currency for raffle tickets (it was pre-euro), so people could offload spare foreign coins. It was hugely successful.

Dr Audrey Boucher

Oakley, Hampshire

Councils will have more for social care

Your article Biggest council tax rise in years expected (11 March) fails to mention the historic four-year funding deal we have offered councils, both giving them the certainty they need to plan ahead, and meeting their clear request to prioritise care for our elderly population.

Councils will have almost 200bn to spend on local services over this Parliament. This includes a 3.5bn social care funding package, which gives councils the freedom they asked for to set a social care precept as part of local council tax bills  but excessive council tax increases will still be subject to local referendum to protect council taxpayers.

Even with these changes, council tax will be lower in real terms in 2019-20 than in 2009-10. And if the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy figures are correct, this years increase will still be lower than the average 6.2 per cent annual increases we saw between 1997 and 2010.

Rt Hon Greg Clark MP

Communities Secretary

London SW1

Think again about this wealthy nation

Paul Donovan, in his thoughtful letter about pensions (9 March), ends by commenting about our economy being the fifth-biggest in the world. This is a mantra fast becoming the received wisdom.

It is often used by pundits and politicians of every hue, often in television interviews and on programmes such as Question Time. Yet these are weasel words which clarify nothing. It is my guess that the figure derives from the amount of money sloshing about in the system, particularly in the City of London. The words are an effective way to mislead.

Where would we be in this league table if we considered the quality of life and standard of living of our citizens? I suggest that we would be much lower down. We spend less on our health service and our education system than our European neighbours do. Our infrastructure is an inadequate disgrace. Extortionate house prices, housing shortages and poor-quality housing put us well down the table of developed nations.

There are now more than a million people on zero-hours contracts. If this is success, what is failure? Decades of making money from money at the neglect of real wealth creation have left us in a sorry state. However much money bedazzles the City, politicians and media, we are not the wealthy nation they would have us believe  and certainly not fifth in the world.

David McKaigue

Wirral, Merseyside

When did we ever control our borders?

The Brexit campaign makes much of taking back control of our borders but what does this mean? In fact, the UK has never had a full border control to take back (Commonwealth flows, the EC/EU after 1973, and always the Irish).

In the unlikely event of an acceptable level of movement being agreed, what I have not yet seen is any reasoned set of proposals for bringing this additional control about.

Who will be controlled  all entrants including visitors? How much bigger than at present will the necessary border force be? What will it cost? What additional in-country checking procedures will be required to prevent transgression? What is the projected cost of finding and removing over-stayers? What feasibility studies have been carried out? Will there be common controls for everyone, European Economic Area (EEA) citizens and non-EEA citizens alike? What is the projected timescale for bringing all this about?

Professor John Salt

Migration Research Unit,

Department of Geography,

University College London

We know a large majority of UK citizens have little or no grasp of the economic, social and political implications of leaving the EU. If there is a massive abstention from voting for this reason, will the referendum have any validity?

Gloria Cigman

Oxford

NHS: the blame is aimed at one man

Jeremy Hunt claims he wants an NHS based on openness and learning, not blame. Unfortunately, it is too late. The NHS is in crisis and there is a widespread blame culture, with everyone blaming one man: Jeremy Hunt. Maybe it is time Mr Hunt listened to those on the front line and packed his bags.

Dr Jonathan Barnes

London N4
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We all know that Britain and America are in a special relationship. The pairing makes sense. Both countries are relatively liberal, love free trade and are keen on cruise missiles  but like all relationships, Britain and America do have the odd lovers spat.

Today, the Obama administration is doing some frantic damage control after the US President delivered some hard truths on Britains role in our shared 2011 military intervention in Libya. According to Obama, David Cameron and his fellow Westminster warhawks were far more interested in destroying Tripoli than they were in helping its survivors to pick up the pieces.

The apologies have already started to fly, but lets get one thing straight: the White House shouldnt be trying to play down these remarks. Obama is absolutely spot-on. Britain didnt do its part to help Libya rebuild its tattered infrastructure, and David Cameron should be ashamed of that.

But this is all a bit rich coming from the Obama administration. America cant pin this one on Britain alone.

First things first: does anyone even remember Muammar Gaddafi? He had chairs made of solid gold and his sons were huge Mariah Carey fans, if that helps at all. Well, after scoffing at peaceful demands for a fair election and overseeing a few mass slaughters, Gaddafi ended up kicking off a bloody civil war that created a colossal humanitarian crisis and pissed off everybody in Nato.

In the name of democracy, we all agreed to bomb Gaddafi into oblivion. Within weeks, western forces were able to hand Libya over to a secular assembly of opposition groups. We all patted ourselves on the backs, flew home and toasted to a job well done.

What on earth were we thinking? Within months, rookie Prime Minister Ali Zeidan had completely lost control of Libyas diverse array of political factions. Mutinous military units started to hijack oil fields in lieu of payment, mass shootings began to erupt and headless government officials were turning up everywhere.

All of that should have been a red flag  yet still, neither American nor British politicians expressed a lot of interest. After all, David Cameron was busy trying to turn Big Society into a thing, and Barack Obama had a re-election campaign to be thinking about.

Its not as if we stopped answering Tripolis phone calls altogether. We gave the fragile Libyan government lots of money and advice  but thats pretty much as far as we were willing to go. After all, it would have been bad politics for Cameron or Obama to admit their intervention had given way to anarchy, and isolationist voters on both sides of the Atlantic wouldnt stand for much-needed boots on the ground after that whole Iraq fiasco. Our hands were simply tied.

The so-called Islamic State has now created a nice little cubbyhole in the middle of Libya  and by refusing to extend Tripoli the same level of post-intervention support we showed countries like Afghanistan, both Britain and the United States are responsible for enabling that demonic presence.

When it comes to Libya, were all at equal fault  and so the White House shouldnt be quick to dish out blame without taking a long, hard look in the mirror.

The fall of Muammar Gaddafi has got to serve as a cautionary tale. Nation-building is a rocky, decades-long process that takes a lot of commitment from every combatant on all sides of the political spectrum. If western leaders arent willing to see that journey through, they shouldnt bother getting involved in the first place.
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There is a clear pattern about the entire thing.

Every couple of years, a British or US leader will visit the others country, or else make a comment, or fail to make a comment, and acres of news copy will spew forth about the state of America and Britains special relationship.

Usually the writer prattles on about how it aint quite like it was in the days of Churchill and Roosevelt, but concludes but its still pretty good, because of so-called shared values, history and language.

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With clockwork timing, the issue has erupted once again because of an extended interview Barack Obama gave to The Atlantics Jeffrey Goldberg in which he said he was disappointed by the s**t show left in Libya by David Cameron and other European leaders. The criticism, headline writers gasped, was unprecedented.

The truth is the US has not considered its relationship with Britain any more special than its relationships with a host of other countries for a number of years. And in an increasingly complicated, globalised world, nor does it even make any attempt to hide this.

Despite the personal toxicity between himself and Benjamin Netanyahu, President Obama tells Israel that it has no greater ally than America. Mr Obama flies to Delhi - the capital city of a country that has long been considered at best a testy ally in Washington - and vows that the relationship between the nations will be one of the most important of the century.

Last November, in the aftermath of the attacks in Paris, Mr Obama reminded French President Francois Hollande that America was Frances oldest ally and Nous sommes tous Francais.

Britain, of course, refuses to accept this, despite the Americans telling it so very clearly to our faces.

And the reason for this self-delusion is clear; it has long been a strategic hope of Britain that by clinging to this notion of a special relationship it somehow justifies our claim to be a major world player, to retain a permanent seat at the Security Council, to stick our noses into events around the world, to involve ourselves in an intelligence sharing relationship that raises questions about the infringement of civil liberties and to persuade ourselves of the need to renew the Trident nuclear programme at a cost of 31bn.

Some will say that these rewards are worth it. But Britains pandering to the US comes at a price, most tellingly the decision taken by Tony Blair to join an invasion of Iraq based on evidence we knew to be questionable but which he decided was worth it. (One prominent article published at the time that suggested, incorrectly, of a link between Saddam and al-Qaeda was written by a certain Jeffrey Goldberg.)

The US did not require Britains involvement in the invasion - that was made bluntly clear by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld - but we joined in any way.

The hundreds of thousands of lives, and the chaos now being wrought in Iraq now by Isis are the bloody price of that dangerous delusion.

The special relationship is dead. Long may it remain so.
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Last week, I had dinner with an American actor who was enthusiastically extolling the benefits of state-controlled cannabis. He was describing how, in places where it is legal, customers can go into a shop and choose a product to give exactly the effect they want to achieve, like with wine or fine Scotch. His personal aim was to feel mellow  and have great sex.

If legalising dope would make everyone in Britain just one per cent more smiley and less hostile, can you think of a better reason to bite the bullet and change the law? We are definitely going through fearful times, guaranteed to increase our levels of anxiety. Turn on the telly or radio and politicians on all sides compete to ramp up the doom-laden consequences of leaving (or staying in) Europe. Depending on who you listen to, well either be paying more for food (or less), be out of work (or have more opportunities), and be over-run with immigrants  no wonder most people I meet cant make up their minds which way they want to vote.

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Today, the Liberal Democrats have a chance to become the first British mainstream party with a distinctive policy that doesnt play on the politics of fear, immigration or leaving the EU. At their spring conference in York, the party is debating whether to make the legalisation of cannabis a manifesto policy.

The impetus comes after the publication of a report they commissioned into the pros and cons of introducing state control of marijuana. Drug experts, scientists, police chiefs and scientists all concluded that to legalise cannabis would be safer than leaving it in the hands of criminals. The report suggests cannabis should be strictly regulated, produced under licence and sold in state-controlled shops to adults over the age of 18, with controls on pricing and potency, in plain packaging. If taxed like cigarettes or alcohol, the market for cannabis could yield as much as 1bn a year in revenue to the Treasury.

Every year, thousands of citizens get a criminal record for possessing dope. I was fined 5 back in 1968 for being caught with a piece of hash the size of my little fingernail. Ridiculous.

Most senior police officers recognise that the war on drugs is never going to be won. It is a complete waste of their time and hard-pressed resources to fingerprint and charge every person caught using cannabis.

In other countries, the tide is turning. In 23 US states, cannabis has been decriminalised for medicinal use. Four states, and many major cities, allow it to be sold for recreational purposes. It has not led to an increase in users, according to a study earlier this year.

Sadly, the Lib Dems have only allowed an hour to debate a proposal that merits far longer consideration. Its about time we managed to talk about drugs in a non-emotional, calm way. It costs millions of pounds to drag people into court for a pastime that is never going to change and can never be policed properly. I fail to see why state-produced cannabis of a guaranteed quality should be any more dangerous than a bottle of wine.

The same politicians who are so over-exercised about immigrants entering our country illegally in search of work seem perfectly relaxed about a major industry in the UK being in the hands of organised gangs, with its products sold by petty criminals who deal in cash, thus avoiding tax or getting a real job.

A report commissioned by Nick Clegg when he was Deputy Prime Minister argued that legalising drugs would bring in 1bn in taxes a year. The Home Office swiftly said there were no plans to change the law and the report has probably been shredded.

Drug use is the single subject guaranteed to get most people in the public eye talking utter nonsense. The Lib Dems must grasp their chance today, because then theyll stand for something I believe in.

Confront the baby-boomers and face the consequences

Suggest that some pensioners might be comfortably off and youll get monstered on social media.

Yesterday, my Twitter account was bombarded with complaints from hundreds of angry senior citizens after I presented a film on ITV that discussed the huge financial imbalance between my generation of baby-boomers and todays 20- and 30-somethings. Condemned to live with their parents, this generation find it almost impossible to raise the cash for a deposit on a home of their own.

Its been estimated that a 25-year-old currently needs to save around 800 a month and work until they are over 70 in order to achieve the average pension most older people currently enjoy. Of course, there are many pensioners coping on low incomes and who lost thousands in the financial meltdown, but a third of all home-owners are aged over 65 and have paid off their mortgages.

Im full of sympathy for one group: women who were born on or after April 1951. It seems grossly unfair that they will have to work for another six years in order to qualify for a state pension. In February, our male-dominated House of Commons voted against making any changes to help them, which is shocking. But is it so insulting to point out that some pensioners have no debts?

Drama doesnt have to be all murder, misery and menace

Theres no point in turning on the telly for light relief. The frothiest drama series on the box, Mr Selfridge, has tottered to an implausible conclusion. In recent weeks most of the quality drama involves unrelenting misery and grim-faced men and women.

Happy Valley does not feature a single male character who is not creepy and everyone looks like theyve drunk a pint of sick. Shetland, which has just concluded, featured lovely scenery and a male lead with two expressions: dour and even more po-faced. Week after week, The Bridge featured an implausibly large number of sadistic ritual killings, with bodies sawn up and decapitated.

On Saturdays, Im reduced to yearning for Montalbano to return. At least the weather is good and the inspector eats some delicious lunches. Sadly, Mimi and co have been replaced by a load of unsmiling Icelandic actors in Trapped, where body parts vanish from the freezer and its permanently snowing.

Sundays arent what they were  thank goodness

Its regrettable that MPs chucked out proposals to extend Sunday opening hours by just 31 votes. The SNP opposed the changes  rather hypocritical of them, as extended Sunday trading in Scotland is left to individual councils to decide and workers are paid extra.

Conservative MPs who claimed that they were protecting family life seem to be out of touch. Modern Sundays are a long way from the routine I endured as a child in the 1950s, when all the shops were shut and you were sent to Sunday school after lunch.

These days, family-owned corner shops and mini-markets are open most of the day, theres loads of live sport and church attendances have plummeted.

By refusing to extend Sunday trading, MPs are enforcing their antiquated notion of how we should be spending the day. I doubt many of them do any supermarket shopping, anyway.
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In the post-crash world, all Budgets are tough but next week's is tougher than normal. The usual book-balancing problems facing George Osborne are compounded by the tricky political context - according to a new poll, Boris Johnson is significantly more popular among Tory selectorate who will choose next leader and Prime Minister. Does the Budget offer the Chancellor an opportunity to win back their attention?

Its looking increasingly likely that the Office for Budget Responsibility will pose the Chancellor a dilemma. The consensus of independent forecasters is that growth in future years wont be quite as strong as thought in the autumn. This means that the Chancellor will miss his target to close the deficit by 2019. That would politically be very difficult for him - not least because it means going into the Conservative leadership election with nine years at the Treasury and still a deficit.

Tacking right on deficit reduction would mean imposing another round of spending cuts at this Budget. That goes against a lot of advice from economists, but also means striking at budgets that cabinet colleagues thought were now settled for them to manage as secretaries of state. Negotiating new cuts with those who are lined up on the Leave side  Ian Duncan Smith, for example, at the Department for Work and Pensions, or Michael Gove on justice  wont be easy.

Even if the Chancellor prevails though in making new cuts, this doesnt resolve a bigger problem: he still doesnt have any room to deliver the tax cuts promised in the Conservative manifesto. Specifically the manifesto promised to raise the personal allowance to 12,500 and the higher rate threshold to 50,000. Those measures taken together represent a chunky tax cut for those on middle incomes. The trouble is they cost something like 6bn per year. Giving up that amount in tax revenues will mean the Chancellor misses his deficit elimination target for sure. But then can he afford to go into the leadership contest without having delivered the tax cuts?

What else can he do? The Chancellor has strong centrist instincts. He's unafraid, as weve seen through the National Living Wage, of stealing moves from the soft left. He could recognise that his deficit target is too inflexible and that, given economic headwinds, the UK needs more infrastructure investment. He could unwind such investment from his target, giving himself the room to deliver the tax cuts. At the same time he could reassure Conservative hawks about his own fiscal rectitude by handing control over the money to the National Infrastructure Commission he recently created. Intriguingly, some of the top talent from the Treasury has recently moved there.

But Osborne's political problem remains  these are worthy but essentially technocratic measures. Boris and others have more compelling tunes which play to the Tory selectorate. We already see that in the EU debate where Gove talks about how the EU stops us from enjoying glorious heathland. Johnson suggests that to vote Leave is to energise our democracy, cut bureaucracy, save 8bn a year, control our borders and strike new trade deals with growth economies."

Camerons comments this week - that he's not running for any other office so he can put the national interest first - were meant as a jibe against his biggest rival, Boris. But Osborne also has his eyes on the top job. Next week's budget will give some clues as to how he'll try to combine the roles of Chancellor and candidate for his party's leadership and the premiership.

Emran Mian is director of the Social Market Foundation
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Imagine a great debate conducted by the BBC (British Broadside Corporation) on the burning issue of 1792: Slavery: Abolish or Retain? The corporation tries its best to field two teams evenly matched in heft and lustre. Afterwards, however, an avalanche of complaints descends. How dare the BBC pretend that a pair of frothing extremists merits equal billing with statesmen and business leaders of proven judgement and distinction? Only a perverse and skewed notion of impartiality would pretend that fringe campaigners such as (what were their names?) Thomas Clarkson and William Wilberforce justify respect and attention on the same level as those pillars of society, the Duke of Portland and the Hon Henry Dundas. The public can judge a notable against a nobody.

Thats the problem with balance, and the organisations tasked to maintain it in a storm. The agreed centre of political, and ethical, gravity moves from decade to decade. The location of consensus twists and drifts. Normality progresses  or regresses. Wild eccentricity morphs into common sense. Back to slavery: in 1792, even the great philosopher-politician Edmund Burke thought the practice an incurable evil, and so proposed a sort of gradual shrinkage to make it as small an evil as possible. That was the sensible way forward.

Establishment orthodoxy has been wrong before. It will be wrong again. However, that does not mean  frivolous or mischievous Brexiters take note  the great and good back a dud horse every time. Neither camp in our EU referendum quarrel deserves a whisper of comparison with the abolitionists. All the same, both Inners and Outers have to operate not on solid rock but shifting sands. Reality has changed. Brexit has gone mainstream and legit. Five cabinet ministers support departure. Polls hint at a rough parity between In and Out. And so our state broadcaster, committed by charter to due impartiality in vital questions of the day, must resurvey and returf its level playing field.

Every day, in news bulletins and website stories, you may detect the sweaty, anxious managerial hands of New Broadcasting House as they strive to balance Leave against Remain. The BBCs new internal guidelines warn programme-makers that, during the campaign, scrutiny will be intense and high profile. Given the vicious bias of the press, much will be (and is) kneejerk hostile too.

The corporation insists on broad balance between the arguments, and across the campaign as a whole. It does not demand a qualifying caveat in each sentence or an instant rebuttal of each statement. Tell that to the hapless reporters who now tie logic and syntax into bizarre knots in order to compromise or even contradict almost every clause they speak. Balance has dwindled into shorthand for fudge. If Leave proposes that the sun will still rise on the day after a Brexit vote, then Remain must be able to cite an astronomer prepared to say that past performance is no guarantee of future returns.

Dont (entirely) blame Auntie. A public-service broadcaster which carries that precious millstone of due impartiality round its neck will always stumble as its tries to catch up with the new normal. Balance is a perpetual work in progress. On the EU front, the BBC last mounted a large-scale independent survey of its output in 2005. Then, Lord Wilsons report found not deliberate prejudice but unintentional bias fuelled by incuriosity and ignorance. In 2013, in a study with its focus on immigration coverage, a BBC Trust report noted that the BBC had been slow to recognise the rising of an anti-EU tide.

It has certainly tasted the rough salt and felt the chilly waters now. Harried by Europhobic print media mostly owned by offshored billionaires, the BBC in its approach to Leave currently hovers between courtesy and deference. Its like watching a catloving veggie having to feed a pen full of famished Dobermans with bleeding chunks of steak. You sense, with some journalists, that the heart isnt really in it. But a potentially fatal mauling awaits if they fail to do the job.

That statutory duty of impartiality hides the devil in the detail. In this case, the devil lurks in the three little letters that spell due. The BBC has never undertaken to give equal weight and space to reason and madness, sense and nonsense, respect and hatred. With the referendum, its hunt for the elusive butterfly of balance means having to decide  on the hoof  where the edges of reason or the boundaries of civility lie. A traditional contest between two or even three strong parties means that balance more or less defines itself. With the referendum, the lines can wobble and blur from day to day.

I consulted Jean Seaton, official historian of the BBC and professor of media history at the University of Westminster, who has studied Aunties ever-churning entrails with a depth and rigour that would defeat the most zealous Kremlinologist. She affirms that impartiality doesnt mean having balance between views when those views cant be balanced. The FlatEarthers cannot expect an equal voice against 2,000 years of science.

For Professor Seaton, the EU campaign  like Northern Ireland spats before it  counts as a textbook example of those messy non-party or inter-party contests where no neat recipe for impartiality exists. The BBC, she says, always takes flak when the nation is divided but not along conventional party-political lines. This referendum is a particular class of that general category of event.

So the lines of credibility and authority must be redrawn by the day. A telling example arose on Thursday. High up in the main BBC news bulletin came the usual ding-dong claim and counterclaim between the Prime Minister and his opponents over the danger of post-Brexit job losses. No one really knows. No economist has a working crystal ball. Opinions can be squared, sliced and balanced in an almost fact-free void. No sweat for the due impartiality crew.

Much further down the running order, we heard about the 150 leading scientists  all Fellows of the Royal Society  who had warned of the likely damage to research funding and to the stature of UK universities in the event of EU withdrawal. This storys relegation was itself a sop to Leave.

On the one hand spoke Stephen Hawking, astronomer royal Martin Rees, Nobel Laureate Paul Nurse, and scores of other eminent figures. On the other, a group of anti-EU activists known as Scientists for Britain lauded the strength of research beyond Europe, in countries such as Korea. Both views had more or less equal time.

Could this be an instance of Flat-Earthers vs Galileo, where the reflex pursuit of balance flatters wacky outliers and distorts the map of informed opinion? As its intellectual figurehead, Scientists for Britain can boast Professor Angus Dalgleish: a distinguished cancer immunologist and consultant oncologist who co-founded a biotech company called Onyvax. Last year, however, he also stood as a Ukip candidate (Sutton and Cheam; 10.7 per cent). Onyvax transferred the intellectual property in its vaccines in 2009 to a company called KAEL-GemVax (formerly VaxOnco Inc) of Seoul, Korea.

Brexit does have some supporters in science, although Scientists for Britain can offer no more champions to equal Dalgleish. Its other leaders are a Leicestershire GP and a strategic projects co-ordinator in astrophysics at John Moores University in Liverpool. Here we have a test case: the overwhelming bulk of credible professional opinion in a sector vital to the nations future lies on one side of the scales. Yet the state broadcaster must  through no fault of its own  give matching prominence to foes that would strike a neutral as (at best) lightweight. Thus the duty to balance tips away from fairness and equity into what John Birt and Peter Jay once called a bias against understanding. At least for the duration of the referendum battle, I suspect that the enforced fetish of balance has put a brake on investigation and a curb on curiosity inside the BBC.

Auntie has more spiky obstacles to dodge. Culture Secretary John Whittingdale not only backs Brexit. He employs as his senior policy adviser (not a mere spad, but something grander and more strategic) Ray Gallagher, the former head of public affairs at Sky plc. So Sky, the BBCs principal competitor, has a long-standing friend at court  although, as a civil servant now, Gallagher has his own duty of impartiality. Whatever happens on 23 June, Whittingdale will then begin to renegotiate the BBCs charter and  possibly  adjudicate another Murdoch family bid to take control of all of Sky, beyond the present major stake of 39 per cent. The EU-averse Murdochs want not so much to clip the BBCs wings as to slit its windpipe. As thunderclouds mass, the quest for balance between Leave and Remain amounts to a lot more than a brain-stretching exercise over insipid coffee in the meeting-rooms of W1A.

Every tiny step the corporation takes  or fails to take  in the EU debate will now become a move in the battle over its destiny with rivals and government. On Thursday, Stephen Hawking and his colleagues called the prospect of Brexit a disaster for UK science. The toxic fusion of referendum balance rows with the future of the BBC may prove a disaster for our democracy as well.
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Assistant Chief Constable Will Kerr speaks during a PSNI press conference at PSNI headquarters in Belfast, where he warned that dissident republicans are planning a Christmas terror blitz in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland's police are thwarting up to four planned dissident republican attacks for every one the extremists manage to pull off, a senior commander has warned.

The officer leading the fight against the violent renegades said a number of murder bids were prevented in the seven days since dissidents injured a prison officer in an under car bomb in Belfast last Friday.

Will Kerr, assistant chief constable with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), said a hard core of veteran terrorists are directing hundreds of active dissidents in their campaign of violence.

Mr Kerr said the dissidents' widening attack capabilities, ranging from car bombs to rocket fired grenades, were "deeply concerning".

But he stressed their activities also needed to be put in "perspective" and insisted there was no likelihood of a return to the widespread violence of the Troubles.

Mr Kerr, who emphasised the need for more community help in thwarting the dissident threat, also said there was no evidence that loyalist paramilitaries planned to re-engage in conflict in response to recent dissident actions.

The overview from the head of the PSNI's serious crime branch comes amid warnings from Northern Ireland's police that dissidents are hell-bent on marking the forthcoming centenary of the Easter Rising against British rule by killing security force members in the region.

Last Friday a 52-year-old prison officer required surgery after a dissident bomb detonated under the van he was driving in east Belfast.

"We stop three or four attacks for every one that gets through," said Mr Kerr.

"That is a broad comparator but it is a reasonably accurate one as well.

"We stop the vast majority of attacks. We are not in any way complacent about that and never will be complacent."

The assistant chief constable added: "There are a few hundred active DRs (dissident republicans) who are involved in active dissident republican operations but there would be a much smaller number, most of whom would have very significant terrorist experience, who are involved in directing terrorism and the leadership of these groups as well.

"These DR groups are dangerous, but we need to keep a bit of perspective around them as well.

"They are not in the same scale in terms of numbers and capability as terrorist campaigns we have experienced in the past - it's not the same pace of attacks, it's not the same volume of attacks.

"It's very unlikely and it won't return to the scale and pace of attacks in the past.

"These groups have very limited community support and traction - it just isn't there, despite their protestations and public statements that they do have support, they very clearly don't - certainly not within republican communities.

"They have no strategy, no rationale, no objectives - it's an entirely futile campaign where violence of itself seems to be an end of itself."

He added: "It's like playground bullies in a school where everyone else has moved on and you have these bullies looking round them who don't quite understand what's happened but whose only default mechanism is the use of violence, they know nothing else."

Mr Kerr said the dissidents would use the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising as an "excuse" to commit violence.

He also moved to counter speculation that loyalist paramilitaries were planning a violent response to the dissident threat.

The officer nevertheless issued a blunt warning to any loyalists who might consider such a move.

"The response to DR activity, the only legitimate response is by the police service," he said.

"We will not allow and will have no tolerance whatsoever for any misplaced retribution by any element of loyalism and we will stamp down on that very hard if that happens."
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has blasted comments being disseminated by the Irish Airline Pilots' Association (IALPA) regarding the Ireland-based subsidiary of Scandinavian airline Norwegian, describing the remarks as "significant false inaccuracies".

The remarks were contained in a letter sent by IALPA union president Evan Cullen to west Cork Fine Gael TD Jim Daly, as Norwegian Air International (NAI) tries to secure US department of transport approval for its planned service from Cork to Boston.

Regulatory delays in the United States prompted by pressure from airline unions there, have forced Norwegian Air International, which is registered in Ireland, to defer the planned launch of the Cork service. NAI requires a foreign carrier permit from US authorities, which have so far not issued one.

The route would be the first ever transatlantic service from Cork, and Norwegian had hoped to have it up and running by May. A second service, between Cork and New York, is planned by Norwegian to launch next year.

US airline and pilot unions have spent the past two years trying to prevent the Ireland-based Norwegian subsidiary, which now has 33 aircraft registered here, from being granted clearance by US authorities from flying to America from Ireland.

However, increasing pressure is being put on the US, by both Irish politicians and EU officials, to allow NAI to commence services.

It's expected that the matter will be raised by Irish politicians in the United States next week during St Patrick's Day meetings.

Mr Cullen wrote to Mr Daly claiming that Norwegian Air Shuttle, the parent of the Irish subsidiary, could operate between Ireland and the US with its current licence if it chose to do so.

"Norwegian seeks a separate US permit for its NAI subsidiary, a company that continues to employ flight crews under individual Asian contracts," claimed Mr Cullen.

"Those who seek to advance aviation in Ireland and the standards attached to it should not condone nor be drawn into Norwegian's gamesmanship in using Cork as a pawn in a transatlantic legal battle with the US Department of Transport over Asian-contract flight crew," he alleged in the letter.

But the Irish Aviation Authority then wrote to Mr Daly, denouncing Mr Cullen's comments.

"This letter contains significant false inaccuracies regarding the status of the Irish airline," the IAA head of corporate affairs, Donal Handley, wrote.

He said that the IAA is aware that all NAI crews are contracted locally and "comply fully with the legal social requirements" of the EU states.

"NAI do not have any employees contracted under any Asian jurisdiction," he wrote.

Mr Handley added: "The correspondence you have received expresses the views of stakeholders who oppose competition on the transatlantic in order to protect the status quo.

"The Munster region has lost out for now, but we hope that this matter is resolved quickly and that the new transatlantic routes can commence between Ireland and the US for the benefit of the consumer and the wider economy."

There's some speculation that NAI could still manage to launch the Cork-Boston service by mid-summer, if US approval is received soon.
Labour leader Joan Burton and Ged Nash at the Forum for a Living Wage in Dublin Castle recently. The Government report on The prevalence of zero-hour contracts should mainly have been looking for unscrupulous employers who break the rules and put workers on outlawed contracts

New Zealand has passed legislation banning 'zero hour' contracts, in a move to ban deals criticised by many as exploitative.

The Employment Standards Legislation Bill was introduced to end the use of deals that require employees to be available for work yet they have no guaranteed minimum hours.

Opposition Labour MP Iain Lees-Galloway said: "To the best of my knowledge it's the first of its type (in the developed world), certainly in terms of the US and UK. "It's possible Denmark doesn't have them because these type of contracts are all about exploiting loopholes and I don't think Denmark had the loopholes in the first place," he told AFP.

The bill comes into place on April 1.
Aviva Ireland bucked the trend by making money in the general insurance market here last year.

It spotted three years ago that there was a problem with rising claims costs, and took action to raise its rates and aggressively fight fraudulent and exaggerated claims.

The company made a profit of 40m last year in general insurance, which includes motor cover for private and commercial drivers and property insurance.

Profits were up 38.5pc when compared with the results for 2014.

The move comes despite a crisis in the motor insurance market, with separate figures from the Central Statistics Office showing a rise of 29.5pc in motor premiums in the year to February.

Across the market, drivers with a claim on their policy are being turned down for cover, with insurers, including Aviva, refusing to cover cars that are more than 15 years old.

Young drivers are being priced out of the market and even drivers with a full no-claims bonus and no penalty points are being hit with huge premium rises.

Across all its activities here, Aviva Ireland said its operating profit rose by 39pc at 85m for last year - up from 61.1m the previous year, and its best performance in five years.

Most rivals are making losses on general insurance, with a number of them hiking motor premiums by up to 50pc for private drivers.

Aviva Ireland boss Hugh Hessing said the company realised in 2011/2012 there was a "problem on the liability side".

He said: "We saw a negative claims environment two to three years ago and we addressed our prices."

He would not say how much its motor rates went up last year, but said the rises this year will be modest.

The insurer also beefed up its claims detection department, appointing former Garda superintendent Rob Smyth to head up this section.

Meanwhile, the Motor Insurers' Bureau of Ireland has decided to challenge the Court of Appeal decision to find it liable for the 90m liabilities of collapsed Setanta Insurance.
It takes more than three years for construction work to begin on housing projects after the plans are first lodged with local authorities, a new report says.

The Building Information Index says that work began on some 18,273 homes last year, which will yield 8,215 units in Dublin alone, but warns of long delays between planning applications being lodged and work commencing on site.

The warning comes as the number of homes being built falls way short of the number needed to keep pace with demand.

Just over 12,000 units were completed in 2015 - but around 25,000 a year are needed.

However, the index says that investment in housing has substantially increased, with a sharp rise in the number of starts in Dublin, where demand is highest.

"The really good news for all those looking at the residential construction sector is that the growth in project commencements was up 114pc, a doubling of output up to 2.74bn in 2015 when compared with the previous year," said Danny O'Shea, managing director of Building Information Ireland, which compiles the index.

The total value of all construction projects started last year doubled compared with 2014. Projects totalling 6.12bn were started, compared with a value of 3.19bn in 2014.

Residential construction is the most dominant sector.

The report also says that projects with a total of 18,273 residential units commenced construction in 2015, up from 9,883 in 2014, a rise of 85pc.

The largest growth was felt in Dublin, up 134pc, where work on 8,215 units began.

It was followed by the rest of Leinster, with 5,382 units (up 82pc).

Munster saw growth to 3,159 units (up 64pc), but there was little change in Connacht/Ulster, where work started on 1,517 homes, up just 2pc.

"The focus on residential construction remains strong and all of the vital signs are positive according to the data contained in the Building Information Index," Mr O'Shea added.

Last year, planning permission was sought for 44,733 homes, an increase of 27pc, which involved a construction value of 8.23bn.

But while it takes an average of 75 weeks for a construction project to get from the planning application stage to work starting on site, the period is far longer for homes.

It can take 138 weeks for residential projects to get through this process, eight weeks longer than in 2014. The best sectors for speed from application to commencement were education and agriculture (both 52 weeks), followed by industrial at 54 weeks.

"Construction projects are slowing down getting from application phase to commencement on site, with the average length of time for a residential project to get from application to actual construction work [being] 964 days," Mr O'Shea added.
Mergers and acquisitions increased in value from 45.3bn to 189bn last year but reduced in volume, down to 104 from 120 in 2014, according to the William Fry M&A Review 2015.

The figures included the 172.6bn mega-deal between Pfizer and Allergan, which was announced in November.

Despite the sizeable deal, the mergers and acquisitions sector still recorded a 41pc increase in the value of deals when compared to the previous year.

Outbound deals accounted for half of all transactions last year but inbound deals dominated the value of the overall deals with 90pc of the largest deals by value involving foreign bidders.

William Fry head of corporate Shane O'Donnell said Irish businesses are becoming more confident of growing their global footprint.

"We also saw a change in the mix of sectors recording deals, with technology, media and telecommunications dominating deal volume for the first time ever, reflecting the fast-paced evolution of these businesses and the opportunities being seized by mid-market sized firms to either grow through acquisition or to sell their business," Mr O'Donnell said.

The report attributes much of the Irish growth to greater access and choice of sources of finance. The firm says access to affordable finance increased due to the ECB's quantitative easing programme.

"Whilst the global macro-economic outlook for 2016 shows uncertainty over the varying degrees of recovery across Europe and the slowing down of Chinas economy, Ireland is still forecast to experience economic growth and we would expect M&A deals to continue strongly this year.

Recovery in the property sector continued into 2015, recording an overall increase of 6pc in the volume of deals completed.

Over 500 construction projects began last year with 3.7bn being invested in commercial property, which included the sale of the Project Jewel portfolio by Nama for 1.8bn.
Thordur Oskarsson is in the departure lounge of Heathrow airport heading for Aberdeen.

Icelands ambassador to the UK is off to formally open Scotlands second and Britains sixth direct air route to Reykjavik. Aberdeen will become the 60th and perhaps most improbable global destination offering round-trip travel to and from the Icelandic capital when it launches this week.

The four-weekly flights from Icelandair are evidence of the countrys new boom.

Eight years on and one $4.6bn bail-out later, the Nordic isle with a population smaller than Croydon, has cast off the demons of its banking meltdown.

An explosion in tourism is a large part of Icelands nascent bust to boom tale. More than 1.5m foreign visitors landed at the sleek Keflavik airport outside the capital in 2015 - five times Icelands entire population.

Visitor numbers have tripled in just four years. Its a sudden burst in popularity which has surprised the ostensibly boring fishing nation once famously described by an IMF official as more like a hedge fund than a nation state.

Iceland is now cool," says Asgeir Jonsson, an economist at the University of Iceland.

We never thought people would want to come here in the winter because its dark and harsh, but every hotel in Reykjavik has been full in February.

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Even Beyonce and Jay-Z holiday in Iceland now."

Hotels in the capital are having to turn away bookings for the summer season. Airbnb, a popular home-sharing alternative, boasts more than 3,500 apartments in a city of just 120,000 residents.

The film crew of Hollywood blockbuster series Fast & Furious will descend on the island later this year, and have reportedly hired out Iceland's entire rental car fleet.

It's all given rise to a searing construction blitz as hotels and homes spring up to accommodate waves of new visitors arriving from countries ranging from the US to China.

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When Project Fear lost

Iceland has reinvented itself from the days of casino capitalism.

Relative to the size of its banking sector, the countrys 2008 financial collapse was the worst any economy has suffered in modern history.

Its trio of "New Viking banks, who accounted for 90pc of its entire financial sector, crumbled in the space of days.

The economy was left saddled with debt of 850pc of GDP, or 224,000 owed by every Icelandic man, woman and child.

As pro-Brexit campaigners decry the Project Fear tactics deployed in the UKs referendum debate, Iceland witnessed something more akin to Project Apocalypse in the aftermath of the crash.

Where Britons are warned of the potentially cataclysmic implications of a UK exit from the European Union, Icelanders were sold a tale of perma-doom that would plague the island until it became a member of the bloc.

It was in the wake of this turmoil that Iceland formally launched its bid to become a full member state of the European Union in July 2009.

Lumbered with a currency that lost 60pc of its value, draconian capital controls and mass austerity, the rationale for membership was simple: as part of the EUs supranational institutions and monetary union, Iceland would finally have shelter from the market speculators that bought the country to its knees.

2009 also marked the euros first decade in existence. With financial calamity having descended on British and American shores, Brussels pronounced monetary union an unmitigated success.

In commemoration of its 10th anniversary, the European Commission released a 53-page report excoriating an entire body of mainly US economic literature which had prematurely doomed the single currency to collapse.

The euro is one of the most exciting experiments in monetary history, declared the authors.

Euro

Thousands gather in Frankfurt's banking district to mark the launch of the euro on January 1, 1999

It was amid this triumphalism that Icelands then left-leaning government began accession talks.

Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson, Icelands current prime minister, says the membership debate was dominated by fears over Icelands very survival.

Without membership we were doomed," says Gunnlaugsson, who became Icelands youngest prime minister aged just 38 in 2013.

"There was never any discussion about the ideals and nature of the European Union or whether that was something Icelanders wanted to be part of," he says.

The application was simply presented as an economic necessity with claims that as soon as we applied, we would improve our credibility internationally and the euro would be the solution to all our problems."

But Icelands Project Fear failed.

Free to operate an independent monetary policy and allow its currency to slide, Iceland was soon brought back from the precipice. Its export sector - dominated by fisheries and energy - quickly began to thrive.

With the currency acting a natural shock absorber for the economy, wages remained steady and unemployment bottomed out at around 9pc.

Growth has since averaged 2.6pc over the past six years, and will exceed 3pc in 2016, according to the IMF. The jobless rate is also a far cry from the 25pc seen in the worst parts of southern Europe, at just 2pc.

Not being a member of the euro proved indispensable in our quick recovery, says Gunnlaugsson.

There is hardly any doubt that if we would have been members of the EU and the euro at the time, the country would have been bankrupted and put in an economic position more resembling that of Greece than what we see in Iceland today.

This fantastic reversal of fortunes has all but eliminated any lingering case for EU membership. Gunnlaugssons centre-right coalition government formally withdrew from the accession process last year and public appetite for restarting talks has dwindled.

Polls carried out in the wake of the move - which was not put before a referendum - show an overwhelming 70pc of Icelanders are happy to remain out of the EU.

Instead, Iceland is one of the three countries who make up the European Economic Area (EEA).

Along with Norway and Lichtenstein, since 1994 Iceland has been granted full access to the EUs internal market, in a model often dubbed as the pay but no say alternative facing the UK.

Also part of the Schengen passport-free area, Iceland does not pay directly into the EUs budget but stumped up around 30m to the EEAs joint grant scheme between 2009-14, a 3pc contribution, dwarfed by Norways near 96pc.

Meanwhile, Reykjavik transposes 18pc of all the EUs directives, regulations, and decisions, into national law in return for securing the EUs four freedoms - goods, movement, capital and people.

But unlike its larger, more problematic neighbour Norway - which periodically stalls on implementing Brussels' initiatives - or the Swiss, wracked by immigration fears, Iceland seems to have struck a happy medium with the EU.

For Iceland, the EEA Agreement is the best of both worlds," says foreign minister Gunnar Sveinsson.

We have chosen a way that fits Iceland as a small European export-driven economy, he says.

Despite having one of the smallest civil services in Europe, Icelanders have proven to be reliably compliant partners.

Of the the 761 single market directives listed on the European Commissions surveillance watchdog, Iceland shows a sea of green on everything from veterinary issues to the directive on solvents used in the production of foodstuffs and food ingredients.

The list itself is enough to make even a hardened europhile bristle.

Prime minister Gunnlaugsson says compliance has proven to be quite a burden and even plain annoying at times, but all the stuff that really matters is still under our control.

Chief among them is fisheries. Exempt from the EUs common agricultural and fisheries policies, Iceland has managed to protect its sacrosanct fishing industry from the reach of Brussels quotas.

Accounting for 40pc of all export earnings and making up 6pc of the countrys entire economic output, fishing has been instrumental in helping the country get back on its feet in the aftermath of the crash.

As a result, even Icelands hardened eurosceptics show little agitation at the countrys current settlement.

I am happy with the relationship, says Guthlaugur Thor Thordarson, a eurosceptic MP and former Icelandic health minister.

Compared to the alternative, which is being a full member, there is no doubt we are in a better and stronger position."

Iceland has also managed to achieve the holy grail for many pro-Brexit campaigners: a free trade deal with China.

In 2013, Reykjavik became the first European nation to conclude a trade agreement with the Asian giant.

We have a free trade deal with China and a free trade deal with the Faroe Islands - some of the biggest and smallest economies in the world," says Thordarson, a vocal advocate for Brexit who has urged the UK to take part in an EEA-like arrangement.

Come on in: the waters lovely," he wrote in the pages of this newspaper last summer.

For a nation the same size as the US state of Kentucky, many Icelanders seem baffled at the suggestion Britain cannot go it alone.

One of the deterrents used by Remain campaigners is that the UKs European partners would quickly turn vengeful in a post-Brexit world - making the prospect of striking up 27 potential bilateral trade agreements all but an impossibility.

But Thordarson dismisses the scaremongering.

The EU has enormous problems and they would be piling plenty more on their public if they decided it was time to get even with Britain," he says.

It would mean German or Dutch politicians turning to their workers and industry and telling them they have to suffer because we are getting even with Britain after they voted to leave. That would have serious economic consequences for the entire economy of the EU.

Fighting back

Yet for all the apparent benign neglect towards the EU, Iceland hardly finds itself in constant harmony with Brussels.

Periodically, a rule or regulation comes along that threatens to derail the Nordic nations crash-prone economy.

Chief among them is a bank deposit directive that would require the state to guarantee up to 100,000 of customer deposits, up from its current level of 20,000.

The regulation strikes at the heart of Icelands past banking misdemeanours.

A woman gestures during a demonstration outside the central bank in Reykjavik October 10, 2008

A woman gestures during a demonstration outside the central bank in Reykjavik on October 10, 2008

In a country still dominated by three big banks, critics say the measure would plunge the economy back to the days of moral hazard, when Icelands banking system bloated to 10 times the size of the economy.

Crucially, any insurance law would have prevented the government from liquidating banks as it did back in 2008 to extricate itself from crisis. Back then, the states coffers were insufficient to cover the collapse, forcing it into an international bail-out. The government now argues that its rainy day deposit fund is all but dry.

But in reality, Iceland will have little choice but to submit. Campaigners have tried to kick the deposit scheme into the long grass but observers are not hopeful Reykjavik will win the fight.

Britain can tell similar tales of taking on the EU and losing in matters related to financial services - namely its fight to resist imposing Brussels banker bonus cap.

Yet the EEA arrangement, for all its obvious benefits for a small, open trading nation like Iceland, affords the minnow almost no clout in shaping the course of EU laws.

It is one of the reasons Prime Minister David Cameron has fought to win safeguards against the eurozone forging ahead with reforms it deems antithetical to Britains financial interests.

For Iceland however, a former vassal state of the Danes which only gained independence at the start of the 20th century, they seemed to have accepted their place in the continents patchwork of relationships.

And with the boom times back, prime minister Gunnlaugsson is staying sanguine about whatever may lie ahead.

Iceland will be in a positions to weather its storm outside of the European Union, he says.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
A letter from Elvis Presley attempting to persuade the American president to grant him federal agent status prompted roars of laughter at the 2016 Letters Live launch.

It was one of a series of historic letters read out by an array of famous actors, musicians and writers at the event on Thursday night.

British actor Matt Berry opened the show with a boastful letter from the iconic entertainer to President Richard Nixon urging him to let him in to the American secret service.

Berry was followed by a string of celebrity performers including X-Files actor Gillian Anderson, author Will Self, actress Samantha Bond, and musician Jarvis Cocker to bring to life romantic, personal and funny letters.

Expand Close Elvis Presley is shown in this 1970 photo, dateline unknown. To ensure Elvis fans and the general public don't forget the jumpsuit years, the Presley estate is re-releasing the 1970 concert film ``Elvis, That's The Way It is,'' with new concert footage. The 97-minute documentary on Presley's Las Vegas concerts will debut Saturday, Aug. 12, 2000, in Memphis, Tenn., as part of Elvis Tribute Week, the annual fan pilgrimage to the King's hometown to commemorate the anniversary of his death, Aug. 16, 1977. (AP Photo/Permission by Elvis Presley Enterprises) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Elvis Presley is shown in this 1970 photo, dateline unknown. To ensure Elvis fans and the general public don't forget the jumpsuit years, the Presley estate is re-releasing the 1970 concert film ``Elvis, That's The Way It is,'' with new concert footage. The 97-minute documentary on Presley's Las Vegas concerts will debut Saturday, Aug. 12, 2000, in Memphis, Tenn., as part of Elvis Tribute Week, the annual fan pilgrimage to the King's hometown to commemorate the anniversary of his death, Aug. 16, 1977. (AP Photo/Permission by Elvis Presley Enterprises)

The event is based on the collection of letters published in Shaun Usher's international best-seller Letters Of Note.

The 2016 series, at London's grand Freemason's Hall, will feature Benedict Cumberbatch, Caitlin Moran, Russell Brand, Shami Chakrabarti and Tom Odell as well as dozens of other famous performers over the next five days.

Letters Live first launched last year and quickly became a sell-out success.

The revealing letters give an intimate insight in to historic events and personalities, ranging from the romantic and funny to the powerful and tragic.

Expand Close Elvis Presley is shown with his Gibson J-200 guitar in a 1957 MGM studio publicity photo. Born in Tupelo, Miss., Elvis was an immediate sensation in the mid-1950s with his blend of blues rock and rockabilly. Because of his stage gyrations, television producers initially refused to show him below the waist on screen. Critics called him "Elvis the Pelvis," but his fans called him the "King of Rock 'n' Roll." The Elvis empire grew with live performances, records, films and a grand estate in Memphis,Tenn., known worldwide as Graceland. Elvis died at Graceland on Aug. 16, 1977. He was 42. (AP Photo) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Elvis Presley is shown with his Gibson J-200 guitar in a 1957 MGM studio publicity photo. Born in Tupelo, Miss., Elvis was an immediate sensation in the mid-1950s with his blend of blues rock and rockabilly. Because of his stage gyrations, television producers initially refused to show him below the waist on screen. Critics called him "Elvis the Pelvis," but his fans called him the "King of Rock 'n' Roll." The Elvis empire grew with live performances, records, films and a grand estate in Memphis,Tenn., known worldwide as Graceland. Elvis died at Graceland on Aug. 16, 1977. He was 42. (AP Photo)

Publisher Jamie Byng, who is behind the live events, said they celebrate the "enduring power of literary correspondence".

"This is the most ambitious run of shows to date," he said.

"Letters Live tries at the most fundamental level to connect people through words."

Last month British actors Jude Law and Matt Berry were among the stars joined by refugees to stage a reading at the Calais refugee camp.
Daniella Moyles with John Sheahan from The Dubliners on the Seven O'Clock Show

Daniella Moyles was forced to defend herself on Twitter last night after a barrage of criticism for wearing a revealing outfit on the 7 OClock show on Wednesday.

The top model (26) raised eyebrows after opting for a cherry red jumpsuit with a plunging neckline for TV3s magazine-style chat show.

But while she was there to talk about her recent charity trip to The Lebanon with Concern, it was her eye-catching ensemble that set social media alight instead.

One viewer fumed: Daniella looks an absolute disgrace! Not right for a family show. Safe to say my dinner is ruined. #inappropriate.

Another one said it wasnt her right choice of outfit for pre-watershed and remarked how Daniella wasnt in Coppers now.

At one point, Daniella sent viewers blood pressure sky-high after revealing even a little more of her chest area than she may have intended while she was talking.

Sitting on the couch beside John Sheahan from The Dubliners, viewers remarked how he did a fine job of not looking down at the pretty model beside him.

However, she took it all in her stride when challenged on Twitter about her daring ensemble, which came from Pretty Little Things.

Have to say @daniellamoyles looks stunning on @SevenOClockShow but poor John from the #Dubliners didnt know where to look re breast flash  Robbie Kane (@robbiekane74) March 9, 2016

Didnt realised. My mam wont be happy either #woodenspoon.

Asked about Johns studied pose, she remarked: Stop! Hes a gentleman. My fault, should have brought some tape!

@SevenOClockShow Daniella Moyles looks an absolute disgrace! Not right for family show. Safe to say my dinner is ruined. #inappropriate  MeabhR (@ProSkip12) March 9, 2016

On Thursday night Daniella took to Twitter with a more sober message.

She wrote, "I understand that there's easy press to be made here but don't let my fashion choices or my very tiny cleavage distract from what I was there to highlight.

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"I saw one woman comment on an image of me that money can't buy class. Firstly I'm smashed until pay day thank you very much but after I make my donation to Concern I will be sure to look into that.

"Grateful that this is my biggest problem today.

"I don't have to deal with no running water or deciding whether or not to sell my body to provide for my starving child. I am safe, healthy and happy and privileged to be so."

Daniella included a link to Concern.net and requested donations.

A TV3 spokeswoman said that the station had received "quite a few complaints" about the revealing outfit, but also some positive responses supporting the model's ensemble.

The Spin 103 DJ is one of our best-known models and social media stars and recently started her own travel blog called The Travel Two.

Shes currently dating fellow radio presenter Dara Quilty from 98fm.
Forget the Kardashians and their bland, too-slow conversations punctuated by blank stares, selfies, shameless plugs, and food porn.

Mariah Carey is filming a reality show and it promises to be everything, if her 2002 episode of MTV's Cribs is anything to go by.

Back then she took a bubble bath in front of the camera crew, changed costume just because, and demonstrated how to use a treadmill in high heels.

More recently she was the first to join James Corden for Carpool Karaoke and she was a hoot.

Fourteen years after her Cribs appearance she has just married an Aussie billionaire, is mum to twins Monroe and Moroccan, and is living just as fabulous a life as ever.

Expand Close US singer Mariah Carey and co-chairman of Melco Crown Entertainment James Packer stand on the red carpet ahead of the opening ceremony of the Studio City casino resort in Macau / Facebook

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Whatsapp US singer Mariah Carey and co-chairman of Melco Crown Entertainment James Packer stand on the red carpet ahead of the opening ceremony of the Studio City casino resort in Macau

Mariah's show, reportedly titled Marian's Squad, will, according to US magazine, chronicle "the behind the scenes drama of her Las Vegas residency, Mariah #1 to Infinity, and, come this spring, her two-month European tour".

She recently filmed scenes at Elton John's Oscar party. Try beating that Kardashians.

Its nuts. Mariah is very funny on camera," said a source.

However, Page Six reports that all is not well in Camp Mariah as some of the people close to her believe she's above reality TV.

Someone of Mariahs stature should not be doing this. Whitney Houston did a reality show and that was the real end of it. We hope that it doesnt end up being like when Whitney did Being Bobby Brown," said a source.

Mariah's manager is reportedly the instigator behind the TV series and the source is unhappy with her approach.

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Mariahs amazing and treats people with the utmost respect and kindness and Stella is the total opposite. She comes from producing reality TV and calls herself the Russian dictator, they add.

I guess Mariah is just in love and not paying attention to whats happening around her.

Whatever the feeling behind the scenes the show promises to be TV gold. However, a network and air date have yet to be confirmed.
Students of Malahide community school James Clegg (Thomas McDonagh) and Chelsea Warren (playing Elizabeth O'Farrell) during rehearsals for their 1916 proclamation school play at Malahide community school. Photo: Mark Condren

Students from Malahide Community School, Co Dublin promise a touching, if rousing re-enactment of a week that changed the course of Irish history, in a special 1916 commemoration concert to mark Proclamation Day , next Tuesday.

They will tell the story of the Rising, from Easter Monday through to the execution in Kilmainham, through music, song and dance with well-known ballads such as The Rising of the Moon, The Foggy Dew and The Parting Glass serving as musical accompaniments to key events.

The production, which involves students from first year to sixth year, will be performed for pupils during the day , while there will be a public concert , "Night for 1916", on Tuesday evening, as part of the series of centenary events running in the school next week.

Mark Condren's photo shows 4th year pupil, James Clegg, playing Thomas McDonagh, and 5th year pupil, Chelsea Warren, as Nurse Elizabeth O'Farrell, in rehearsals for the scene depicting British retaliation at the GPO.
A Donegal born BBC journalist is to go on trial at the Derry Crown Court charged with raping a woman in the city almost two years ago.

Sean O'Halloran, 29, a reporter with BBC Radio Foyle in Derry, from Northland Road, is charged with committing three sex offences against the woman.

At his arraignment before Judge Philip Babington the defendant replied "definitely not guilty" to a charge of raping the woman, "definitely not guilty" to a charge of indecently touching her in a sexual manner without her consent and "definitely not guilty" to a charge of sexually assaulting her by digital penetration.

He denied committing the three offences on May 11, 2014.

Defence barrister Eilis MacDermott told Judge Philip Babington that she would be seeking medical reports and records, records from Victim Support and from Nexus and possibly from the Compensation Agency.

A Public Prosecution Service barrister said he believed some of the witnesses in the case could be agreed and that he would need two weeks to obtain witness availability.

The case was adjourned until April 8 when a date for the trial, which is expected to last five days, will be fixed.

Meanwhile the defendant was released on continuing bail.
A Donegal man has been charged with possession of assault rifles and ammunition at an out-of-hours sitting of the Special Criminal Court.

Shane Rowan (39), of Forest Park, Killygordan, County Donegal was charged at the non-jury court this evening with possession of three assault rifles, including a Chinese Type 56, a Romanian PM63 and a Zastava M70, as well as three magazines suitable for use in each rifle, at Tuiterath, Balrath, Slane, County Meath on March 9th.

He was also charged with possession of 75 rounds of assorted manufactured 7.62 by 39mm calibre ammunition at the same place on the same date.

Additionally, Mr Rowan was charged with membership of an unlawful organization styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the IRA, also on the same date.

Detective Sergeant Padraig Boyce, of the Special Detective Unit, told the three-judge court that he arrested Mr Rowan under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act in Drogheda today.

The detective sergeant said he explained to Mr Rowan the reason for his arrest and cautioned him to which he made no reply.

In the vicinity of the Special Criminal Court today, Det Sgt Boyce showed Mr Rowan a copy of the original charge sheet, to which the accused man again made no reply, the court heard.

Wearing a navy V-neck sweater, Mr Rowan stood up when requested by the registrar of the Special Criminal Court.

Mr Justice Paul Butler, presiding alongside Judge Martin Nolan and Judge William Hamill, remanded Mr Rowan in custody until March 16th, when his case is listed for mention again.

Barrister Peter Nolan, for Mr Rowan, consented to the remand order.
Alice Warnock (54) of Rathbeale Court, Swords, Co Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to nine sample counts of stealing from bank branches on Talbot Street and Malahide Road, Coolock, between November 2004 and March 2012. Pic Collins Courts

A former Bank of Ireland worker who took 144,089 from the bank to put in her own accounts and those of family members will be sentenced in October.

Alice Warnock (54) told gardai she was sorry and felt like a fool after the six year fraud was uncovered while she was on sick leave in 2012. The court heard that Warnock's family had been unaware she had lodged money into their accounts.

The mother-of-two of Rathbeale Court, Swords, Co Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to nine sample counts of stealing from bank branches on Talbot Street and Malahide Road, Coolock, between November 2004 and March 2012. She has no previous convictions.

Detective Garda Siobhan Moore said that Warnock, who had been employed with Bank of Ireland since 1980, took amounts ranging from 600 to 5,000 out of the bank's internal administration account.

The detective told Fiona McGowan BL, prosecuting, that Warnock inputed narratives to make the transactions appear genuine.

She said the bank began an investigation in May 2012 while Warnock was on sick leave and got details of all her accounts where misappropriated amounts were seen as lodgements.

Expand Close Alice Warnock (54) of Rathbeale Court, Swords, Co Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to nine sample counts of stealing from bank branches on Talbot Street and Malahide Road, Coolock, between November 2004 and March 2012. She has no previous convictions.Pic Collins Courts / Facebook

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Whatsapp Alice Warnock (54) of Rathbeale Court, Swords, Co Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to nine sample counts of stealing from bank branches on Talbot Street and Malahide Road, Coolock, between November 2004 and March 2012. She has no previous convictions.Pic Collins Courts

Warnock told gardai the offending had all got out of hand and that her family had not been aware of what she was doing.

Det Gda Moore said Warnock, who had since lost her job, co-operated and took full responsibility. The detective agreed with Lorcan Staines BL, defending, that she had family support and was a full time carer for her sick, elderly parents.

She agreed Warnock had 7,000 in court and would undertake to pay 3,500 per quarter to eventually compensate the bank in full.

She further agreed that the family was downsizing their home to also help with the repayment.

Mr Staines handed testimonials and documentation to Judge Melanie Greally.

Judge Greally ordered that the 7,000 in court be paid over and adjourned sentencing for six months to see how Warnock progressed with her intended repayments and the sale of the house.
A woman has told a coroner's court she was lucky to escape when paedophile Robert Howard tried to rape her during a game of hide-and-seek.

In a graphic account, given to the inquest for murdered teenager Arlene Arkinson, the witness described having to fight off the convicted child killer, who had pinned her down in the bedroom of his flat.

The woman, who cannot be named, said she was terrified.

She said: "I thought we were playing an innocent game of hide and go seek.

Expand Close Convicted child killer Robert Howard, as a long-delayed inquest into the death of murdered schoolgirl Arlene Arkinson will finally start on Monday, nine years after it was ordered / Facebook

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Whatsapp Convicted child killer Robert Howard, as a long-delayed inquest into the death of murdered schoolgirl Arlene Arkinson will finally start on Monday, nine years after it was ordered

"I know that Bob Howard was going to have sex with me against my will and I was so lucky to get away."

The alleged incident happened at Howard's home on Main Street in Castlederg, Co Tyrone - about a year before Arlene vanished in August 1994 - when the woman was aged 14.

Details were given in a statement made to police investigating Arlene's disappearance in July 2002.

The woman said she had known Howard but had never liked him, adding that she thought he was "creepy".

She had been at the flat on a number of occasions without any incident.

On this day, it was suggested that they play hide-and-seek and the lights were turned off, Belfast Coroner's Court was told.

When Howard found the teenager hiding in his bedroom, he said "you've been caught" before pushing her on to his bed, covering her mouth and pinning her down forcefully, she said.

"I was thinking that he was going to rape me," she said. "I knew I had to do something.

"I couldn't let him have intercourse with me. I struck him. I was aiming for his privates and I believe I did strike him there."

After fleeing, panic-stricken, the witness said she ran to find Donna Quinn who was also allegedly in the flat.

"I wanted to find Donna and tell her what happened," she said. "Donna was sitting on the chair. I saw a smirk on her face and she kept looking at me.

"I was going to tell her what had happened but I felt by that look on her face that this was planned.

"I ran down the hall and out of the flat."

The woman said she did not tell anyone and for years tried to block out the "nightmare".

She avoided Ms Quinn and never had any further contact with Howard.

She also warned Arlene to be wary of him, the court was told.

"I have kept this to myself," she said. "I have often thought why did I go into his bedroom? I have blamed myself for this all these years."

Fifteen-year-old Arlene, from Castlederg, disappeared in August 1994 after a night out at a disco across the border in Co Donegal.

She was last seen with Howard, who was acquitted of her murder in 2005 by a jury which was not told of his conviction for killing a schoolgirl in south London.

However the 71-year-old remained the prime suspect until his death in prison last year.

Despite extensive searches the teenager's body has still not been found.

The inquest, which is in its third week, continues.
Fianna Fail TD Sean O Fearghail was elected to the position of Ceann Comhairle after securing significant support from Fine Gael.

Mr O Fearghail comfortably defeated four of his Dail colleagues in the race to become the chairperson of the 32nd Dail.

He is also the first Ceann Comhairle to be elected by secret ballot.

The Kildare South TD will now immediately head up a new cross-party committee to examine proposals for Dail reform.

But an examination of the voting patterns shows many Fine Gael TDs gave their second preferences to Mr O Fearghail instead of following party lines.

And the move was part of a concerted effort by Fine Gael to ensure Fianna Fail secured the position of Ceann Comhairle, which resulted in the party having one fewer vote in election of An Taoiseach.

It is understood a number of senior Fine Gael figures actively encouraged deputies to transfer to Mr O'Fearghail just days before the vote.

Following the fourth count, Mr O Fearghail secured 79 votes compared with the 58 votes secured by Fine Gael TD for Wicklow/East Carlow Andrew Doyle. More than two-thirds of the first preference votes secured by Mr Doyle transferred to Mr O Fearghail.

Earlier, Independent TD Maureen O'Sullivan, Sinn Fein TD Caoimhghin O Caolain and Fine Gael TD Bernard Durkan were eliminated.

But it was claimed Fianna Fail only managed to secure the coveted position because of the support given by Fine Gael in terms of transfers.

"It seems to me Fianna Fail couldn't have got the Ceann Comhairle position without transfers from Fine Gael," left wing TD Richard Boyd Barrett told the Dail.

"So let's stop the pretence. Let's move away from factional Civil War politics and let's have a proper left-right debate in this country."

Mr O Fearghail was congratulated on his election from all sides of the House, with Taoiseach Enda Kenny saying his election by secret ballot was "historic".

But during the first sitting of the Dail, the new Ceann Comhairle allowed deputies to stray somewhat from the topic at hand.

While Mr O Fearghail has a relatively low profile nationally, he is deeply respected within political circles.

During the last Dail term, he served as the Fianna Fail whip and had the responsibility of ensuring the party's TDs turned up to vote.

He also served on the Committee for Procedure and Privileges (CPP) which has the powers to sanction deputies who step out of line.

Prior to the vote, he told deputies that many people have "struggled to interpret" the electorate's decision on February 26.

But he said that every TD elected has a mandate and there is a "parity of esteem" that must be respected.

"The Irish public require us to restructure this government and re-manner this Dail," he added.
Prominent Fianna Fail TD Timmy Dooley was attacked by a protester outside Leinster House on the first day of the new Dail term.

Mr Dooley was set on by the protester near Molesworth Street in Dublin City Centre as he returned from lunch with his wife. The protester lunged at the newly elected Clare TD and grabbed his tie before attempting to swing a punch at him.

Mr Dooley's Fianna Fail colleague Billy Kelleher, a Cork North Central TD, intervened in the incident before he was also attacked by the protester.

Gardai where then forced to remove the protester from the scene. Gardai asked the Dail deputies if they wanted to make a statement on the incident which happened on the foot of Leinster House.

Protest

However, Mr Dooley decided that he would not pursue the matter further.

A group of around 200 anti-water charge protesters had gathered outside Leinster House to demonstrate against the introduction of water charges as TDs arrived for the first day of the Dail term.

A significant garda presence was in place on Kildare Street where the protest was taking place. There were no other reported incidents.
Supporters of Michael and Danny Healy-Rae get ready to board the 7.36 train at Killarney bound for Heuston Station in Dublin. Photo: Don MacMonagle

Supporters including Ruairi OSullivan get ready to board the 7.36 train at Killarney bound for Heuston Station in Dublin. Photo: Don MacMonagle

Skellig Michael may have Star Wars but Kilgarvan has the Healy-Raes, and as TDs descended on the Dail for the first day of term, it was clear the force is strong in Kerry.

Danny Healy-Rae arrived at the Oireachtas in his very own Millennium Falcon with flashes of Kerry green and gold.

"This is our All-Ireland," boasted his son Johnny.

Four weeks ago, only one Healy-Rae, Michael, was in the running for election - but who else would be capable of raising two TDs to the chamber in such a narrow window?

More than 100 friends, family and supporters who canvassed and worked on the election campaign for brothers Michael and Danny got a train from Kerry to Dublin yesterday to send the Healy-Raes into the Dail.

The journey has been a post-election tradition since 1997. Back then, a carriage of Jackie Healy-Rae's supporters, led by his son Danny and an accordion, escorted Jackie to Government Buildings for the first time.

They were refused entry to the Dail because there were so many of them. Instead they filled Buswells Hotel bar and watched Jackie's first Dail speech on television.

It is a tradition that still stands, and this time they were cheering on Danny as he took a seat for the first time alongside Michael.

However, the biggest cheer of the day came for Black Beauty, Danny's grey 1990 Mitsubishi Pajero.

"I have had it since 2002 and any election that has happened since then, whether it is a general election, council election or whatever else, it has been up and down every boreen and it has had many a fast drive.

"I remember one morning coming from Mass in Muckross to Scartaglen. I didn't have much grass under me because the priest in Muckross went on a bit long and I was on a deadline but they were only coming out of Mass in Scartaglen when I got there.

"I use it for everything. I use it for elections and I use it all day every day. I pulled a lorry home from Sneem with it," he boasted.

A trip of 40km? "Most definitely," he insisted. "I pulled a high-load lorry all the way home from Sneem."

Black Beauty's mechanic, John Finnegan, even made the trip from Kilgarvan in case the vehicle needed some urgent care.

He warned that it is jumping out of first and third gears.

"But there are three more gears in it," quipped Danny. "It starts off in second and there is no need for third - only to slap it into fourth and away you go."

Black Beauty is synonymous with Danny and is essentially an extended part of the family, said daughter Elaine.

"They have all been telling him that it's on its last legs for the past 10 years," she said. "This is the furthest from home it has been."

As it pulled up at the Dail gates a half-hearted Garda protested, but could not defeat the sizable crowd and leave them go home unhappy.

"I couldn't make eye-contact with the guard," said Danny's driver. "I had to be a bit brazen with it."

Danny Healy-Rae then climbed on top of Black Beauty with John Whelan, a piper from Killorglin.

By the time Danny was joined by his brother, wife Eileen, son Johnny and daughters Elaine and Maura, more musical instruments had appeared and a mini-ceili broke out as Danny did a short jig on his bonnet.

Michael said it was a simple thank you to their supporters, as they filed into Buswells again for some soakage before the train journey home.

"What is very important about today is to acknowledge the people who took time off of work and gave hours to make themselves free to canvass for us, which is not a very glamorous job.

"There is nothing fancy about knocking on doors, putting posters up and running a campaign.

"Today is a very happy day. It's all about work now, and I hope the politicians will knock their heads together and be sensible about this.

"Fine Gael and Fianna Fail standing back from each other is like a boy and a girl looking to go with each other. They have been standing back - but would they not be better off sort of engaging now, putting together a programme for government?"

Jackie was 'Healy-Rae: Episode One', but the family's force has remained strong, with Michael being the sequel, embodying a political lineage that seeps all the way though to Jackie's grandchildren. Two of them will sit as local councillors from next week. The Healy-Raes have now developed into an entirely different machine and yesterday marked the dawning of a Dail trilogy. Danny is 'Healy-Rae: Episode Three'.

It is clear the 120 supporters the family brought to Dublin yesterday, and more, will stand by them. "Tis' a proud day for the people of Kilgarvan to have two people representing a small community," said Ruaidhri O'Sullivan.

"It wasn't for the good looks that Danny got all the votes but for all the work he has done locally. I'm very proud and hopefully there will be a government for them."
Outside Leinster House there was still a relatively small bunch of people calling for Fine Gael, the Labour Party and Fianna Fail to be put "out, out, out".

It was a strange spectacle just two weeks after a seismic election where the left rose, new independent voices emerged and the mainstream parties found themselves in a twilight zone.

The people have spoken - although their statement was a touch blurry. They voted Fine Gael and Labour out, but didn't really vote anybody in to replace them. Fianna Fail says it has no mandate to work with Enda Kenny, and Fine Gael is in a complete spin about what to do.

But there was some value in yesterday's proceedings because we, as a nation, got to see what we voted for.

We have for a long time been warned of the "dolly mixture of Independents", the "loony left" and those small parties that sit so far up on the moral high-ground they can't cut it at the coalface. Those derogatory descriptions are redundant now in Irish politics, because a new Dail has dawned and its make-up is like nothing we have seen before.

Nobody from Fine Gael -apart from Enda Kenny and the two Dublin TDs Noel Rock and Catherine Byrne, who nominated for Taoiseach - spoke during the afternoon session when the floor was opened for statements.

There was an element of them having nothing positive to say, so there was no point in saying anything.

The Fianna Fail deputies were practically bouncing around Leinster House, playing mind games with the media over their intentions for the coming weeks. Micheal Martin said there was no panic at all. Everyone else disagreed.

The Labour Party backed the re-election of Enda Kenny as Taoiseach but its leader Joan Burton said the seven votes "bookends" their relationship.

Sinn Fein didn't even pretend it wants to be in government - while at the same time it pronounced the death of Fine Gael.

The AAA-PBP put forward Richard Boyd Barrett for Taoiseach but Brid Smith summed it up when she said the politicians were "in a theatre" and the "radical left has as much of a right to be players as anyone else". In other words they were looking for airtime.

Shane Ross of the Independent Alliance announced that "something revolutionary that has happened must be recognised".

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan told a story about people getting into bed together and the Social Democrats made no contribution at all.

Everybody spoke of the need for government - but nobody offered up a way of forming one.

We heard there is an "onus" on the left-wing parties to work together.

We also heard that there is an "onus" on the big two parties to work together.

There was so much peer pressure wafting around the Dail chamber that the new Ceann Comhairle, Sean O Fearghail, asked all sides to try "not to provoke or to be provoked".

The recent election has been described as an earthquake, but for all the smiling faces posing for pictures outside Leinster House yesterday and the diminished numbers of protesters outside the gates, it was clear that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

It might not exactly be the outcome that people wanted - but it's the one that we voted for.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has told TDs that Fine Gael ministers will continue to meet with other parties and independent deputies while he is away in Washington next week.

In an email to his parliamentary party this afternoon, Mr Kenny said all TDs have a responsibility to 'intensify' efforts aimed at forming a stable government.

While Mr Kenny said talks will continue next week, he made no reference to any talks with Fianna Fail.

"Following our recent meetings of the Parliamentary Party, I would like to update you," Mr Kenny said.

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"As I said in the Dail last night, all those elected to the 32nd Dail have a responsibility to intensify efforts at the formation of a stable and lasting government that is needed to sustain the progress of recent years and address emerging domestic and international challenges. Fine Gael is fully committed to that objective.

As you know, next week I will be representing the country at the St Patricks Day events in Washington and at the European Council meeting in Brussels.

"During this time, I am arranging for several of our Fine Gael ministerial colleagues to continue our meetings and engagements with other parties, groupings and independent deputies, he added.

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Fine Gael sources say the party is currently leaning towards the idea of forming a minority government and that talks with Fianna Fail could be a long way off.
Search operations commenced at premises at 10 private residences in the Kevin Street and Pearse Street areas in Dublin involving 80 Gardai today

Gardai at the scene of the search this morning

Gardai at the scene of one of the raids this morning. Inset, Eoin 'Scarface' O'Connor

Gardai investigating a south Dublin criminal gang this morning have seized over 50k in cash, drugs, jewellery, high value watches, and tracking devices in a series of raid this morning,

In the series of raids which targeted 10 premises throughout Dublin, gardai also seized a quantity of drugs and financial documents.

Up to 80 gardai were involved in searching ten different homes in the capitals south inner city in raids that began at 6.30am.

Addresses that were the focus of attention this morning included flats, apartments and houses in the Dublin 2, Dublin 8 and Inchicore areas.

Expand Close Search operations commenced at premises at 10 private residences in the Kevin Street and Pearse Street areas in Dublin involving 80 Gardai today / Facebook

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Whatsapp Search operations commenced at premises at 10 private residences in the Kevin Street and Pearse Street areas in Dublin involving 80 Gardai today

At one address in the Liberties, a sniffer dog was brought in to assist in the search of a house which had multiple CCTV cameras on it.

Cousin

Among the properties targeted was a house linked to Eoin Scarface O Connor (33), who is a first cousin of Regency Hotel murder victim David Byrne and gangster Fat Freddie Thompson.

Byrnes family home was raided by armed officers on Wednesday, but Thompsons home was not targeted in the course of either search operation this week.

However, a property linked to his cousin Scarface O Connor in Inchicore was raided by armed gardai today.

OConnor first came to prominence when the Herald exposed the facial injuries he incurred in an attack at the Planet Love music festival in 2008.

In 2010 OConnor  who has multiple previous convictions  was sentenced to 18 months in jail after he struck an off-duty garda during a football game.

Another Inchicore property raided was the home of a very close associate of convicted cocaine dealer Gareth Chubb.

Also targeted was a north inner city address linked to Dean Howe, who was previously arrested by gardai investigating the non fatal shooting of Martin The Viper Foley at a Kimmage gym in January 2008.

Gardai also raided a flat in the McDonagh House complex in the south inner city in which a dangerous 28-year-old criminal resides.

This suspect is considered an enforcer and manager for the Kinahan cartels drug dealing operations in the south inner city.

He is very closely linked with Fat Freddies brother Richie Thompson (40).

A man was arrested at the McDonagh House complex on foot of an outstanding bench warrant.

A flat of a female associate of the gang in the Pearse House complex on Dublins southside was also raided.

Also targeted was the south inner city home of a 33-year-old criminal who is currently facing charges before the courts.

He is the suspected gunman for a number of shooting incidents, including the attempted murder of car dealer Michael Frazer in Islandbridge in November 2014.

Bomb

He was also arrested by gardai in a major operation in July 2011, in which a viable pipe bomb was seized, but escaped charges in that case.

The south inner city home of a criminal aged in his 20s who acts as a driver for convicted drugs trafficker Greg Lynch was also targeted.

However, Lynchs home was not raided as part of todays operation.

Gardai were equipped with battering rams and were prepared to enter homes by force if necessary.

It is understood that detectives do not expect to seize anything approaching Wednesdays haul, when over 1m worth of assets was taken from close associates of Kinahan gang members.
Darragh McCullough and Eleanor Meade with some of the flowers they distributed for the Irish Cancer Society, in Gormanston, Co Meath. Photo: Ciara Wilkinson

Daffodil Day without daffodils would be like Cheltenham without horses  it just wouldnt make sense, said Meath flower grower Darragh McCullough.

When he heard that volunteers were being told there were no daffodils available last Monday on RTEs Liveline radio programme, he called in to offer 150,000 flowers to the Irish Cancer Society.

Our fields are so full of flowers at the moment that we are exporting them to Holland, said Darragh, who is also deputy editor of the Irish Independents Farming section. He asked local distributors Meade Potato Company if they would take on the task of getting flowers out to the nationwide network of Irish Cancer volunteers.

We were just delighted to be able to help. Cancer has touched us all in some way, said Eleanor Meade.

To support Daffodil Day call 1850 60 60 60 or text DAFF to 50300 to donate 4 to the campaign. Donations can be made online at www.cancer.ie or you can download the Daffodil Day app from app stores in Ireland.
Breast cancer survivor Stephanie Loughran (63), who is the face of the Daffodil Day campaign this year, has spoken about how her illness has made her stronger.

It helped give her the courage to tackle a bucket list of ambitions, including getting married again and riding a Harley Davidson motorbike.

The lively grandmother from Newbridge, in Kildare, was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2011 after hoping for months a persistent lump would go away .

I was referred to St Jamess Hospital and got great care there, she said. Stephanie had an aggressive form of cancer and had the lump removed, followed by six months of chemotherapy and a course of radiotherapy.

I really missed being able to go for a walk. I kept a diary and made a bucket list. The last one was to get married again. I met Tony two years ago and we married last year, said Stephanie, who has two grown-up daughters from a previous marriage.

During the treatment, which would leave her very weak, Stephanie resolved to keep herself as busy as possible. I would get up early every morning, light the fire and visit my lovely neighbours.

She lost all her hair, but wore a pink wig on one of her hospital visits to cheer up other patients.

She dressed up as Santa on another occasion. Her treatment also involved a course of the drug Tamoxifen.

Stephanie is anxious to advise other women not to make the mistake she did in not keeping her appointments with Breastcheck, the free screening service, before she was diagnosed. She was busy looking after her sister but now realises how vital the screening is.

Stephanie also urges women to get any lumps checked out and not wait and hope they will disappear.

She is still working her way through her bucket list and her wish to meet comedian Brendan OCarroll remains a big ambition.

I have all his DVDs. He kept me laughing through my illness. I am determined to meet and thank him, said Stephanie.

To support Daffodil Day call 1850 60 60 60 or text DAFF to 50300 to donate 4 to the campaign. Donations can be made online at www.cancer.ie or you can download the Daffodil Day app from app stores in Ireland.
A daily drink which manufacturers say can 'manage' Alzheimer's disease actually stops the brain from shrinking, a two-year trial has shown.

Souvenaid, which was created by south Dublin-based firm Nutricia Advanced Medical Nutrition, contains a cocktail of vitamins and nutrients which have been shown to boost brain function.

It has been on sale for over two years, but had never been independently tested before to see if it actually worked.

Now a clinical trial, funded by the European Union and carried out by the University of Eastern Finland, has shown that it reduces brain shrinkage by 38pc over two years in people with Alzheimer's disease.

It was also shown to improve memory in people with mild cognitive impairment, which often precedes full-blown dementia, although it was found to have no overall cognitive benefit in people who had Alzheimer's.

Professor in Neurology at the University of Eastern Finland, Hilkka Soininen, who headed the clinical trial, said: "Today's results are extremely valuable as they bring us closer to understanding the impact of nutritional interventions on Alzheimer's disease which we are now better at diagnosing but unable to treat due to a lack of approved pharmaceutical options."

The drink contains omega 3 fatty acids, the nutrient found in oily fish, as well as high doses of Vitamin E, B, B13 and C.

Other ingredients include uridine, which is produced by the liver and kidneys and found in breast milk, and choline found in meat, nuts and eggs.

There are no effective drugs to combat dementia, and most experts believe treatments are at least five years away.

Dr Rosa Sancho, Head of Research at Alzheimer's Research UK, cautioned that the findings were from a trial in people with very mild memory problems, not severe enough to be considered dementia.

"While the initial results seem to suggest those using the drink may have reduced brain shrinkage, the product didn't show an overall benefit on memory and thinking, which was the primary goal," she said. ( Daily Telegraph London)
A former Sinn Fein councillor has categorically denied any involvement with criminality following a raid on his home by Gardai.

Jonathan Dowdall (38) says he was as surprised as anyone to see armed Gardai units pulling up outside his home on Thursday, saying he managed to open the door just in time to stop them bursting through.

I wasnt cautioned or arrested at any point, and Ive no idea what it was in relation to, he told RTEs Liveline.

Mr Dowdall said that between 10 and 15 armed Gardai searched his home on the Navan Road, near Cabra in West Dublin. The former Dublin City Councillor confirmed reports that a luxury BMW and high speed motorbike, alongside documentation and other valuables in the home, were taken by officers.

Asked about the BMW by RTE broadcaster Joe Duffy, Mr Dowdall replied: I like cars since I was a child to this day Im still breaking my arse to pay for that car Ive a loan for it like everyone else in the country.

Ive got papers for all the cars and Ive up to date tax clearance, he continued.

Denying any connections to criminality or any crime organisation, Mr Dowdall said if he had had any link to crime, it would have come out doing the election.

Mr Dowdall lives in the west of the city now, but hails from the north inner city and knows people who are related to Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch, many of whom have no links to crime.

Queried about his association with the Hutch family, the 38-year-old said: You know how the inner city works, everyone knows everyone some of them Im proud to know, and theres plenty others Ive never met.

Just because someone has the name Hutch doesnt mean anything Patrick Hutch is the father and has been a good friend of mine since I was a child.

Its been in the media all along that this man has no involvement in crime.

I know that man, that man is a friend of mine and this [raid] is probably linked to that."

Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Gardai at the home of Jonathan Dowdall at 270 Navan Road. Photo: Steve Humphreys Mary Lou McDonald with Jonathan Dowdall Members of the garda water unit outside the home of Jonathan Dowdall on the Navan Road. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / Facebook

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Whatsapp Gardai at the home of Jonathan Dowdall at 270 Navan Road. Photo: Steve Humphreys

Responding to reports that Gardai called in the Water Unit to examine a large aquarium at his home, the 38-year-old said that, as a hobby, he keeps Japanese carp fish.

I grow them up and sell them on to some of my friends. Its a hobby and [the aquarium] is something I built myself.

Its a pond, he continued, saying he has no idea if Gardai were forced to wade though it during their search.

The former Sinn Fein councillor alleged his wife came back to the family home yesterday evening only to find a Garda sitting in the house alone on the sofa watching telly with a machine gun beside him.

He claimed the future of his electrical business is now in doubt following the raid.

There are at least nine electricians with mortgages who are probably going to lose their jobs now.

Im worried here Ive worked my arse off since I was 16 and now my whole life has been turned upside down.

Like any business today, my company is always in overdraft. I borrow, which Ive prove of, from the Credit Union down the road for the weeks Im waiting for payment to come in its not a cash business.

Ive been doing work for a particular company in the city centre and one of my staff members was greeted by a management figure [this morning] who put a paper in his face and asked Whats all this about?!

Im going to lose company over this [raid].

The father-of-four was first elected to Dublin City Council in 2014. Serving the North Inner City, he left Sinn Fein and public office less than a year later.

Mr Dowdall, who operates Dowdall Electrical Ltd, trading as ABCO Electrical, said he was leaving the party in September 2014 for health reasons before later agreeing to stay on. He finally quit the party and the city council in February 2015.

He said he was bullied by unnamed party members but never lodged a formal complaint.

In an interview last year, Mr Dowdall, who is originally from the north inner city, said he was targeted by "a certain element within Sinn Fein".

"Bullying is allowed go on in certain parts of Sinn Fein," he said. "There were numerous attacks on myself from a certain element within Sinn Fein, and there were attacks on my team members."

Earlier today, Sinn Feins deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald sought to distance the party from its former Dublin City councillor, saying he had no political affiliation to Sinn Fein.

"The person concerned, Jonathan Dowdall, left [the party] some time ago," she said.

"In terms of that particular Garda operation  I dont know why it was carried out.

"I dont believe that the Gardai have made a statement on that matter but I would just reiterate that the Gardai have to carry out their duties and of course people are entitled to due process and that is how it is."

Asked if she was concerned that the home of her former colleague, Mr Dowdall had been searched by Gardai she replied:

"Im very concerned as Ive said that the Gardai pursue matters in an appropriate and an efficient and an effective way but on the issue of Jonathan himself, he left Sinn Fein,"
The former Garda Commissioner who led the inquiry into the tapping of journalists' phones in the 1980s has died.

Laurence 'Larry' Wren served as head of An Garda Siochana from February 1983 to November 1987.

He died peacefully in his home in Castleknock, Co Dublin, on Wednesday.

Mr Wren was given the top role in the force shortly after conducting the phone tapping inquiry.

The investigation was prompted after it was revealed the phones of journalists were tapped on the orders of the then Minister for Justice, Sean Doherty.

Minister Doherty had signed warrants to access the phones of Geraldine Kennedy and Bruce Arnold.

At the time, Mr Wren found that neither of them had been connected with criminal or subversive activities, and that the warrants would not have come from gardai.

The findings eventually led to the resignation of Minister Doherty, as well as Charlie Haughey almost a decade later.

As Commissioner, he also criticised the handling of the Kerry babies case over 30 years ago, which investigated the murder of an infant whose body was washed ashore near Cahirciveen, Co Kerry.

State papers released last year revealed Mr Wren thought gardai investigating the case had been "grossly negligent" in carrying out their duties.

Previously, he had also been involved in the investigation into the 1974 Dublin bombings.

He is survived by his wife Maureen Lee and daughters Mary and Anne.

His funeral mass takes place at St Brigid's Church in Blanchardstown on Monday at noon, with burial at Derrockstown Cemetery, Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, afterwards.
Siptu has described the move to hire in buses during the Luas drivers' strike as 'provocative'.

Divisional organiser Owen Reidy said it was also regrettable Transdev wouldnt talk to drivers.

As long as they continue that, industrial action will continue, he added.

The Luas talks at the Workplace Relations Commission have been adjourned until Monday.

Transdev MD Gerry Madden described them as "positive".

It was organised earlier THAT stranded Luas passengers will be able to use a bus service to get into Dublin city centre on St Patricks Day.

Luas operator, Transdev, said they would put on a special service as trams on the green and red lines are due to grind to a halt during another strike on the national holiday.

Workers are set to hold a 24-hour work stoppage in a dispute over pay rises and better working conditions. The prospect of the threat of strike action being averted is still bleak as drivers are not part of last ditch talks to end the dispute, which continue with three groups of staff, at the Workplace Relations Commission today.

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The special bus service will run from Luas park and ride stops to and from the city centre.

The service will run from 7.30am to 7pm, every 10 minutes.

Luas pre-paid tickets (seven day, 30 day, monthly and annual) and Leap cards, including Family Leap cards, will be accepted on the buses.

Bus tickets can also be purchased at Luas park and ride stops and city centre Luas or bus stops.

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A single adult ticket is 2.00 and a single child ticket is 1.00.

Transdev said passengers, particularly families, should allow extra time to travel to and from the parade.

Transdev once again apologise to Luas customers for the inconvenience employee strike action is causing, it said.

Three groups of staff, ticket inspectors and their supervisors and control room staff, began talks at the Workplace Relations Commission this morning in a bid to end the dispute, after lodging more moderate pay claims.

However, drivers are still not part of the talks after Transdev claimed their pay demand of 27pc over five years, or between 5pc and 6pc a year plus a 10pc bonus, is still too high.

Red Line Special Bus Service Route:

To City: Buses depart Cheeverstown and Red Cow Park and Ride stops and travel direct to Wolfe Tone Quay (beside the Croppies Acre Memorial Park).

From City: Buses depart Victoria Quay (between Guinness Entrance and Heuston Station) and travel direct to Red Cow and Cheeverstown Park and Ride stops.

Green Line Special Bus Service Route:

To City: Buses depart Carrickmines, Balally and Stillorgan Park and Ride stops and travel direct to Adelaide Road (between Charlemont Street and Richmond Street South).

From City: Buses depart Hatch Street Upper (near Dublin Bikes Station) and travel direct to Stillorgan, Balally and Carrickmines Park and Ride stops.
Derek Carroll shows the walking stick his father Johnny was beaten with at his rural home. . Photo: Steve Humphreys

A 93-YEAR-old man was beaten with his own walking stick by a four-man gang who attacked him in his rural home and demanded money.

The incident, which lasted an hour, happened in the Balrath area of Co Meath at 8.15pm on Wednesday.

Johnny Carroll was at home in his farmhouse with his son Noel when the men burst into the house.

His other son Derek then arrived home and walked into the house and was immediately tackled by the gang.

Derek told the Irish Independent how the burglary unfolded: "When I arrived home at around 8.15pm I noticed that the security light in the driveway didn't work and I thought the bulb must have blown, but I found out afterwards that the gang had smashed the light so the house would be in darkness," he said.

"When I walked in, one of them grabbed me and moved me into a room with my father and brother. They had turned off all the lights and were shining torches in our faces. We couldn't see them.

"They had got one of my father's walking sticks and beat him across the hands with it, and roughed himself and my brother up.

"They took our mobile phones and searched us for money, and they were searching the house for cash. They broke into my brother's jeep as well," Derek said.

Forced

"In the end they got about 300 from my father and about 80 from my brother, and they even took the little box of change my father uses to pay the milkman," he said.

"Then they forced us into a bedroom and locked us in and left. I didn't see any cars here when I arrived so I don't know how they left or where they went.

"I eventually got out the window and came around the front and released my brother and father and rang the gardai on the house phone."

Derek said his father was shook up since the robbery and they feared it would have a lasting effect on him.

Although he is an elderly man, Johnny still drives to Mass and to the shops and is quite independent. He has lived in Balrath all his life.

The Garda helicopter was used in the search for the culprits last night but no arrests have been made.

The gang members were said to have spoken with rural Irish accents.

Gardai say the four-man gang were described as being about 6ft tall, wearing dark clothing and peaked caps, with scarves covering their faces.

The tight-knit community of Balrath has rallied around the Carroll family since the terrible ordeal, and neighbours and friends, many of them elderly, yesterday made their way to the rural farmhouse to check on Johnny and his sons.

Gardai say the investigation into the aggravated burglary is ongoing.
Michael McDowell at the funeral of Supreme Court Judge, Adrian Hardiman at the Church of the Holy Name, Ranelagh, Dublin. Photo: Colin Keegan

Pat Rabbitte at the funeral of Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman in Dublin yesterday. Photo: C O'Riordan

The coffin of Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman is carried from the Church of the Holy Name in Ranelagh, Dublin, yesterday. Photo: Colin Keegan

Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman was remembered both as "an original thinker" and a devoted grandfather at a packed funeral ceremony.

Hundreds of mourners filled the Church of the Holy Name in Ranelagh to pay tribute to the accomplished Supreme Court judge who died suddenly on Monday.

In a moving eulogy, former Justice Minister and lifelong confidant Michael McDowell also described the father of three as "a loyal friend".

He said: "The fates have robbed us of someone who simultaneously excelled in his many different personae as husband, father, grandfather, an original thinker, an advocate and, for so many who are here, simply that of a loyal friend.

"During my acquaintance with Adrian, which started as a schoolboy at inter-school debates and lasted until Sunday, the one thing that I found about him was the constant fun and enjoyment that always surrounded Adrian in his leisure time."

Senior Counsel Mr McDowell, who studied alongside the respected author and historian at University College Dublin, continued: "So many people saw in him the stern judge, the relentless pursuer of a legal point - what many people never appreciated about him was his huge capacity to laugh at himself.

"He crossed swords with many people on many issues but he never, ever took any courtroom advocacy to the point of personal animosity.

"He was indeed a remarkable man."

Family, friends and colleagues from as far afield as the US and Australia began filing into the suburban church on Beechwood Avenue almost an hour before the 10am mass.

President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina, US Ambassador Kevin O'Malley and Chief Justice Ms Justice Susan Denham were just some of those who turned up to pay their respects to the 64-year-old who passed away at home.

Ex-TDs Lucinda Creighton, Mary Harney, Des O'Malley and Pat Rabbitte were also among the congregation who queued to sign a book of condolence. Taoiseach Enda Kenny was represented by his aide-de-camp.

During his long and illustrious career, Mr Justice Hardiman - who is survived by his wife Yvonne Murphy, a former Circuit Court judge, and their three sons, Eoin, Hugh and Daniel - helped found the Progressive Democrats and remained a member of the party until his appointment to the Supreme Court in 2000. An avid Joycean and fluent Irish speaker, he wrote numerous books, including one which is set to be published posthumously by Faber & Faber in London.

But his proudest moment, according to his best friend, was becoming a granddad.

Paying homage to the "prodigious talent", Mr McDowell said: "In addition to knowing and loving the work of our great poets, Adrian was himself no mean poet.

"On the occasion of the christening of each of his grandchildren here in this church, Adrian would compose and recite at the baptismal font an ode of welcome and joy for each of his infant grandchildren.

"Many's the time I went out with him for meals and his attention was focused entirely on the words spoken, the gestures made and the smiles of his grandchildren.

"He was truly blessed."

Speaking after the funeral mass, Mr Justice Hardiman's son Eoin, who is also a barrister, told how the family took comfort in the fact that he hadn't suffered in death. He said: "It's a great source of solace to the family that right up to his last day he never suffered any illness or felt any pain, and the only medic he had to see at the end was his dearly beloved son, Dr Daniel."
Taoiseach Enda Kenny presents a bowl of shamrocks to US President Barack Obama on St Patricks Day last year. Photo: Reuters

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has cancelled the second day of his two day St Patricks Day visit to Washington ahead of potential talks on forming the next Government.

Mr Kenny was due to spend two days in Washington next week but has decided to cut the trip short.

The now caretaker Taoiseach will arrive in the US on Monday, March 14.

The next day he will meet with President Barack Obama in the White House and also attend a breakfast with Vice President Joe Biden the following

On Wednesday, he was due to attend an economic lunch hosted by the Irish Embassy and a dinner organised by the American Ireland Fund where Mr Kenny was due to meet Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan and his predecessor John Boehner.

Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan will replace Mr Kenny at these events.

Meanwhile details have been released of the destinations for the trips by other Cabinet members in what has been described as a significantly reduced St Patricks Day programme amid the uncertainty of the election result.

Last year Mr Kenny, Ms Burton and 27 ministers took part in the St Patricks Day programme abroad. This year ten will travel.

Tanaiste Joan Burton will go to Rome and Milan to promote tourism. Foreign Affairs Minister Charles Flanagan will travel to New York and Washington DC where he will take over from Mr Kenny when he leaves.

Mr Kenny will meet Mr Obama on Tuesday and will have breakfast with vice-president Joe Biden on Wednesday.

He was due to attend an economic lunch hosted by the Irish Embassy and a dinner organised by the American Ireland Fund.

Mr Flanagan will replace Mr Kenny at these events.

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald will travel to London, jobs minister Richard Bruton will go to Paris and transport minister Paschal Donohoe is going to Madrid. Arts minister Heather Humphreys will visit Boston while government chief whip Paul Kehoe goes to Philadelphia, Albany, Trenton and Savannah.

Environment minister Alan Kelly travels to California.

Public expenditure and reform minister Brendan Howlin will go to India where he will promote Irish education and pharmaceutical industries.

Ministers who lost their seats, including James Reilly and Alex White, will not travel.
A Social Democrats Senator was arrested last night in Dublin City Centre.

Former Labour man, James Heffernan (36) from Limerick was arrested in Temple Bar last night when he failed to comply with orders from Gardai.

Mr Heffernan had allegedly been drinking when he breached a crime scene and failed to comply with a Garda order to leave the scene.

A Garda spokesperson confirmed to Independent.ie that arrested a man in his 30s for public order offences in Temple Bar on Thursday, March, 10.

The incident occurred just after 8:15pm last night and Mr Heffernan was taken to Pearse Street Garda Station, before being released later without charge.

A spokesperson for the Social Democrats told Independent.ie, there was a crime scene in Temple Bar, hed been out with some friends and he stumbled through the middle of it.

[Gardai] thought at the time the incident that had occurred that led to the crime scene was potentially a murder scene, so they reacted very heavily to James stumbling through it.

He was charged on the scene with refusing to comply with a direction from a member of An Garda Siochana, he was brought to Pearse Street Garda station and later released without charge and he apologises for any confusion caused, the spokesperson added

Mr Heffernan ran unsuccessfully in the general election in Limerick county securing over 3,000 first preferences in the constituency.
Lyndsey Connolly revealed that cancer survivors never shake the fear that the disease will return

In support of The Irish Cancer Societys annual Daffodil Day campaign, Hodkin's Lymphoma survivor Lyndsey Connolly (28) opens up about the vital support the organisation lends to those coping with the disease.

The day Lyndsey Connolly graduated was a bittersweet occasion. On one hand, she was celebrating the Masters degree she had worked so hard to achieve but on the other she was coping with a cancer diagnosis of which she did not know the outcome.

After months of fatigue and coping with infection after infection, Lyndsey fell ill with viral meningitis in October 2013, which eventually led to doctors discovering a large tumour in her lung.

At the time I was doing a full time masters while working full time and I was exhausted. Towards the end of the summer I just kept getting infections but I put this down to just being run down and because I was working so hard.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Lyndsey pictured with her Daffodil Nurse Teresa during her treatment Lyndsey Connolly revealed that cancer survivors never shake the fear that the disease will return Cancer survivor Lyndsey Connolly is a supporter of the Irish Cancer Society's Daffodil Day Lyndsey Connolly pictured during her treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma Cancer survivor Lyndsey Connolly is a supporter of the Irish Cancer Society's Daffodil Day / Facebook

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Whatsapp Lyndsey pictured with her Daffodil Nurse Teresa during her treatment

That October, I fell ill with viral meningitis. I had gotten the flu shot a week previously. While I was being treated, one of the doctors booked me in for a chest x-ray which was quite an unusual test for someone in my position at that time. During that x-ray, they discovered a tumour in my lung.

After many biopsies and tests I was diagnosed with Hodkins Lymphoma, a cancer of the blood. I was very lucky because my doctor told me that had it been a month later and the cancer had gone into my heart there would have been nothing they could have done for me.

It was ironic that viral meningitis actually saved my life, said Lyndsey, from Blessington Co Wicklow.

The shock diagnosis wrecked its way through Lyndseys life, forcing her to consider things she hadnt before. To protect her chances of having children in the future, doctors advised Lyndsey to freeze her eggs and she found the procedure difficult to cope with while processing her illness.

At that point in time, my doctor suggested I freeze my eggs if I wanted to have the possibility of having a family in the future. Its so difficult because that procedure is so invasive and intrusive that its really hard to even put your mind to that when youre dealing with the fact that you have been diagnosed with cancer.

Two weeks after I was diagnosed, I graduated from my masters and that was bittersweet. On one hand I was proud to have finished something I had worked so hard on, but on the other I had just been catapulted into a life where I had to battle cancer.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Cancer survivor Lyndsey Connolly is a supporter of the Irish Cancer Society's Daffodil Day Cancer survivor Lyndsey Connolly is a supporter of the Irish Cancer Society's Daffodil Day Lyndsey Connolly pictured during her treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma Lyndsey Connolly revealed that cancer survivors never shake the fear that the disease will return Lyndsey pictured with her Daffodil Nurse Teresa during her treatment / Facebook

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Whatsapp Cancer survivor Lyndsey Connolly is a supporter of the Irish Cancer Society's Daffodil Day

Although it ended up being a lovely day in the end, it was tainted, said Lyndsey.

An intensive chemotherapy regime soon proceeded but Lyndsey admitted she was surprised by people who began to avoid her because they didnt know how to cope.

When people hear that you have cancer they often dont know what to say or how to behave around you and thats so difficult.

A few people distanced themselves from me and although it hurt, I just had to focus on getting better.

Funnily enough the people I thought would be a great support for me actually werent and those who I didnt expect to be so good were fantastic, she said.

Lyndsey, who has been in remission for two years, admitted that many people assume you are better after chemotherapy ends, but in fact, dealing with the aftermath is perhaps the hardest part.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Lyndsey Connolly revealed that cancer survivors never shake the fear that the disease will return Cancer survivor Lyndsey Connolly is a supporter of the Irish Cancer Society's Daffodil Day Lyndsey Connolly pictured during her treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma Cancer survivor Lyndsey Connolly is a supporter of the Irish Cancer Society's Daffodil Day / Facebook

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Whatsapp Lyndsey Connolly revealed that cancer survivors never shake the fear that the disease will return

People think that when chemotherapy is over and youre in remission its all done, but thats not the case. People forget the damage left behind by cancer. For me, I have a lot of damaged nerves in my legs and in my hands that make things more difficult for me. The fatigue you feel long after the chemo has finished stays with you and theres been damage to my ovaries and my fertility.

Its hard because people think that once you go into remission you dont need them anymore but actually its the opposite. You need people more than ever because you are so afraid. You arent fine, she said.

Living with the fear that her cancer will return is crippling, revealed Lyndsey.

The hardest thing to live with after cancer is the fear that it will come back. It never leaves you.

Before Christmas I thought the cancer had returned and it was frightening. You are constantly living in fear thinking Will I beat this again? Next time will I die?

Lyndsey, who now works as a Health Care Assistant with Laura Lynn, revealed that the support of The Irish Cancer Society throughout her treatment and in the years after have been vital to her emotional wellbeing.

The Irish Cancer Society is such an important charity. Its brilliant. During my treatment in Tallaght Hospital, I was often on wards with older people. I was the youngest by decades. Although I got on well with them, the age gap was hard. My Daffodil Nurse Teresa was such a huge support to me. I could just tell her everything, and that confidante is so vital to people going through what I had. She was beside me the whole way through.

I have become involved with the Irish Cancer Society as a volunteer and its really helped me. Its so nice to speak to other people whove been in your position and be able to say Ive been there too, she said.

To support Daffodil Day call 1850 60 60 60 or text DAFF to 50300 to donate 4 to the campaign. Donations can be made online at www.cancer.ie or you can download the Daffodil Day app from app stores in Ireland.
All sorts of 'solutions' have been tabled by the outgoing Government and various panels and committees (and all and sundry) as to how the housing crisis should be solved.

The latest comes in a report this week from the ESRI suggesting we incentivise older people to leave "empty nest" homes. Some have compared chucking people out of their homes as akin to the wrong type of solution.

For its part the ESRI says around 26,000 homes could be freed up this way but also points out that this cannot be enough - because the ESRI also stated last year we need 25,000 new homes annually to solve the problem. Where these people might go is also a mystery given there is also a shortage of smaller homes. Large numbers of younger and expanding families are currently trapped in unsuitably small accommodation like apartments and there is a general lack of choice of homes of all sizes and types on the market. Last week we revealed that supply of property for sale in Ireland had hit a record low.

It's a chicken and egg conundrum: we need the younger families out of smaller accommodation in order to provide the homes for those trading down and vice versa.

In fairness to the ESRI, the body was asked by Government to investigate the potential of freeing up homes in this way. The trouble is, here we are again looking at any sort of novelty sideline scheme rather than just get to grips with a problem that has been with us for three years.

It's farcical, like most of the 'solutions' tabled by the last Government. These include rent controls; another useless living-over-the-shop scheme to incentivise the use of empty upper commercial floors; promises to build temporary dwellings (which became 'permanent' dwellings and then got canned); and now we have reports commissioned into moving older folk out of their homes. It's all about rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

But it's not just Government to blame - some of the solutions being tabled by the anti-Government lobby and housing associations are equally useless. For example, the clamour to raise rent allowances will absolutely do nothing but hike up the prices of rent, and therefore perhaps the price of existing property. The outgoing Government has been absolutely right on this. It can only make things worse.

For many years, there has been only one solution to the housing crisis - to build more houses. To do this, we should have been enabling builders and construction, whether by tax incentives (I know!) or by abolishing the many barriers we have set up to prevent home construction: high local authority levies, new building standards set to an unaffordable level and regulations to close bedsit accommodation without offering a viable alternative.

We have probably now reached the point in parts of our cities where building more houses possibly won't make enough difference in isolation. Why? Because the Central Bank's lending restrictions, combined with an assortment of other key real-income factors, mean people won't be able to get a mortgage for these new homes on ordinary salaries.

Without doubt we need them, but can we buy them? It's why, despite a situation of record low supply, many perfectly good average homes in Dublin are sitting unsold. The deposit requirement is much talked about and it does have a huge impact. A quite average Dublin home can require a deposit of 80,000 at this point. But there's also the 3.5 times salary stipulation. If a person is on a respectable 40,000 a year, then they're looking at a total mortgage of 140,000 when it costs at least 200,000 to build a house. Work it out.

There's also been a reduction in purchasing power at the buyer's end because of additional taxes like the USC, bin charges, water charges, property taxes - and then there's the increases in existing essential charges like fuel and heating bills, health insurance (probably now a luxury) and car insurance. Add to this the cutting back of salaries through the recession years.

So the cost of housing has gone up and our ability to pay for it has plummeted.

Some 'solutions' to the housing crisis applied these last few years have now actually made fixing the problem more complicated. For example, simply removing the Central Bank controls on lending (in the absence of supply) will now cause a sharp surge in city prices as a pent up lot of postponed buyers are released. But to create the necessary supply to prevent such price rises, we need to have the lending controls removed. Another chicken and egg.

It's why we've now moved beyond one simple solution that would have worked up to last year - building more houses. From now on, solving Ireland's housing crisis requires a concerted and carefully considered approach involving a body of varied experts on a number of fronts. And led by a dedicated senior minister for housing.




You're a douche.

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up

Hey  it's a shame that you have little to do with your meagre talents but pedal your sub hack film reviews as 'writing'. You are a facile bottom feeding cunt

I agree  this this little gem deserved better than a direct to DVD release. But then again, I directed it, so I'm probably biased...

Great write up

LOLOL funny shit! really enjoyed this. i just downloaded this movie and now I wonder  why the heck did i waste my bandwith. Ur comments are funny as hell. Do u have any comments on the recent beowulf and grendel flicks

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

You're kind of an asshole.

[Anonymous @ The Dark Lurking [Anonymous @ Leviathan [Anonymous @ James & the Giant Peach [Connor Black @ Kamikazi 1989 [Anonymous (P.J. Pesce) @ From Dusk till Dawn III: Hangmans Daughter [William S. Wilson  Deranged ? [Anonymous (rajivness@gmail.com) @ Beowulf [Graciela @ Come Back, Charleston Blue [Anonymous @ The Quiet Earth [Anonymous @ The Quiet Earth [Anonymous @ Diler Indian Jones
Premium

John Downing Opinion Pension reforms are dicey territory  but grand plan by minister Heather Humphreys just might win through

Pension system changes all across the western world have a great propensity to infuriate those most feared by politicians: the grey brigade. And when the oldies take to the streets, they usually play for keeps.
Two weeks post-election and all we have are vague mutterings about the formation of a possible government comprising the two big parties down the road.

However, the election of a Ceann Comhairle by secret ballot is a refreshing change from the traditional sinecure and may strengthen both the office itself and the primacy of the Dail in holding the government of the day to account. For the public, the Ceann Comhairle is that embattled, red-faced figure on the TV news trying to control unruly deputies in the chamber. But the role is much wider than that.

The Ceann Comhairle and his office essentially manage the business of the Dail, legislation and motions and adjudicates on the admissibility of parliamentary questions. He does so under the Standing Orders of the House and his office at times mediates with government departments on the affairs of the Dail.

Above all, he - and it is a 'he' as Maureen O'Sullivan's bid to get elected came to naught - is the guardian of the House and protector of the rights of elected members. As such, independence from Government is essential.

Maureen's ultimately unsuccessful attempt to become the first female Ceann Comhairle set me thinking about the importance of women's voices being heard in the Dail and in public life.

This week, many events marked Global International Women's Day. The idea of celebrating women's achievements in society and advocacy for greater gender parity is not new. Despite real progress for women's rights in Ireland over the last 30 years, due to EU equality directives and greater access to education and opportunities for women across all employment sectors, there remain areas of gender imbalance, particularly when it comes to women on boards and senior management. The percentage of women on corporate boards is still only 12pc.

But since the foundation of the State, politics has been a cold place for women. Only 15 women have ever been appointed to Cabinet and for years Ireland has languished at the bottom of the EU league for women in parliament, at under 15pc. Election 2016, thanks mainly to the quota, delivered 35 women TDs, an extra 19 women, or 22pc.

Already, I detect a noticeable difference in political discourse. For example, when women TDs across all parties and none have been asked for their analysis of the current stalemate over government formation, to a woman they have been more flexible and innovative in their responses. In contrast, their male colleagues, particularly in the two big parties, have invariably been stuck in fixed positions, displaying intransigence and a marked inability to contemplate the novel concept of sharing power with each other.

Eamon O Cuiv incredibly pleaded that the majority would be too big in such an arrangement and appears trenchantly opposed. He is not alone and Micheal Martin will have a ferocious job to get agreement with colleagues to share power with Fine Gael.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fail is courting favour with independents and smaller parties with a newfound interest in Dail reform, which is so transparently a distraction as to be laughable. Some Fine Gael luminaries too, although softening around the edges, are clearly repulsed by the notion of working with the old enemy. Although all roads lead towards the inevitable grand coalition, which would provide stability and experience to steer Ireland through the next five years, the playacting continues.

The dangers of an alternative, comprising a spectrum of independent deputies headed up by Shane Ross, were exposed when the TD and business journalist referred to Taoiseach Enda Kenny in a Sunday newspaper as being "like a political corpse" after what was supposed to be a confidential meeting. No government could operate effectively with that type of behaviour relating to government business. In a way, the incident, which was widely criticised and for which there was no apology, was a salutary lesson.

The new Ceann Comhairle, Sean O Fearghail of Fianna Fail, will have a tough job to control an unruly chamber. So many new deputies will have high expectations of what they personally can achieve to prove their mandate. The growth of anti- austerity and hard-left deputies and an increased cohort of Sinn Fein TDs will make for plenty of noise and high dudgeon. But, as economist Colm McCarthy memorably said, "anger is not a policy" and after a while people tire of it.

Labour, while nursing its wounds, has great experience and will be savvy at carving out the party's recovery, even on the crowded opposition benches. Liberated from the responsibility of office, it can articulate a progressive agenda which will resonate again with traditional left voters who migrated elsewhere. Sinn Fein is back in greater numbers and will in the event of a grand coalition be the biggest opposition party; a prospect which is spooking the big parties and which may in the end scupper any coalition being acceptable.

My own instinct is that the weight and impatience of public opinion may propel the two big parties to agree a programme for government albeit with gritted teeth. Of the two partners, FF is the least enamoured by such an alliance.

Its populist, irresponsible stance on Irish Water too is a big obstacle to agreement, but one which must be ditched if it is to be credible as a party of government.

The most frequently expressed reservation by senior FG and FF deputies to a coalition is that there are real and material differences in the parties' approaches and policies. This, of course, does not stand up to any scrutiny. The main difficulty is one of mutual distrust and cultural and historical enmity.

But, more than anything, it looks like an inability to embrace change and challenge. Saying something is "very difficult" is not very convincing to citizens impatient for action on serious problems requiring good governance and continued social recovery.

The Progressive Democrats and Fianna Fail were very different in culture, history and ideology. Yet on the basis of an agreed programme for government, successful coalitions were made and functioned for over a decade. Relations were civil despite occasional policy disagreements and that is how such governments work. Programme managers from the respective parties anticipate disagreements and avoid disputes. The programme of work is the agenda, not the hubris of ministers or party preservation.

It's called the national interest.
Figures leap in and out, there is much tick-tocking; time disappears, but nothing to show for it: Welcome to the cuckoo-clock politics of the 32nd Dail. On February 25 the electorate voted. They gave our politicians a dose of the truth; whether or not they like its taste is of no import. They have a duty to swallow hard and get on with the job of forming a government.

Fianna Fail is prancing about like a sulky bride who will not have her virtue sullied or her dowry squandered on a bunch of boorish unworthies. Having being hoist by its own petard, Fine Gael appears to be still in deep shell-shock. Instead of being a repository of leadership and good governance as might befit the parliament of a nation celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Rising, the Dail has sunk into a trough of depression and despond.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin, who still seems to be intoxicated by the perfume of his own success, was out yesterday decrying the fact that "there is a media obsession with Fine Gael and Fianna Fail. The people have voted a different kind of Dail in." No, Mr Martin, there is no media obsession. If you are too insensible to heed what the voters have decreed, we will spell it out for you.

The only parties with sufficient numbers to form a Government happen to be the two largest ones. The antics displayed over the last two weeks have been nothing short of disgraceful. When a creche was installed in Leinster House in 2005, it was expected that the infants would keep out of the main chamber. Seeking political advantage and playing poker - with all the problems of this country piled high on the table - is grossly insulting to all those who voted in the election.

There seems to be an alarming disconnect between our TDs and the notion of civic responsibility in public office. After all the clucking about stability, we are instead getting a sense of: "This is all fierce, shocking, terrible, but what has it got to do with me?" Meanwhile the Independents and Sinn Fein enjoy the view from the fence. There is a longstanding tradition in this country that holds it indecent to proceed with the next election before an attempt has been made to establish a government. Elections are not like rattles that can be thrown out of a pram whenever a politician loses the plot.

Our country has come through the most difficult economic time in its history. A good portion of the blame for this still hangs about the heads of many of those still within Leinster House. Instead of looking for redemption by putting all their efforts into building and securing our future, their energies are concentrated instead on securing a greater share of power for their own parties. We have crises in health, housing and homelessness; we are facing another potential economic tsunami with a possible Brexit; and yesterday we saw the ECB taking unprecedented action to try to stimulate a flat-lining European economy. When we need the best minds in the country formulating strategies, we instead have complete political paralysis. The first order of business yesterday was to elect a Ceann Comhairle. The second was the formation of a government. Instead, we saw a dreary procession as each one, with less hope than the next, stepped forward to offer themselves as leaders of our land. It was a tedious show of futility.

Our putative custodians of the national interest fiddle as the flames lick their feet. Niccolo Machiavelli did not hail from Cork or Mayo, but his political nous has stood the test of time. He warned: "Men ought either to be indulged or utterly destroyed, for if you merely offend them they take vengeance." We have seen the people take their vengeance twice in the past two elections; to pull the tiger's tail a third time, with a wholly unnecessary, and wildly irresponsible, election, would be foolish beyond belief. If this crop of politicians is not capable of national politics let them go back to their local councils. We need governance, not self-serving parish pump guff.
In the populist race to dismantle Irish Water, a simple fix is being overlooked: dismantle Irish Water for the purposes of collecting water charges from individuals, but keep it as the State body briefed with the task of securing safe and efficient water supply and sewerage disposal service for properties in Ireland.

Next, increase property tax (a tax for the wealthy and privileged) by the amount required to run the water and sewerage service. Make it tax deductible. Then pass on this part of the property tax to Irish Water to run its services.

The amount people are charged could initially be linked to the number of toilets/baths/rooms in the property. Metering for quantity (as with electricity) could come later and landlords could choose to pass this on to their tenants (or not).

Those in social housing would be protected as the landlords would not be allowed to pass on this charge.

This is fair. Water charges existed before as rates and no one minded - they were a necessary evil, like all tax. Why were they stupidly removed by a former government? To buy votes.

Alison Hackett

Dun Laoghaire

Tax and childcare provision

All our politicians are wanting to offer affordable child care. Childminding businesses are already getting huge subsidies, supplied by Irish taxpayers, including married couples. Instead of taxing married couples to pay for said childminding businesses it would be far more economical and efficient to leave the money with the married couples and let them decide for themselves.

When we see the mess politicians have made of so many things, the further they are kept from families the better - after all, no one cares more about their children than parents.

David Kelly

Crumlin, Dublin 12

Presidents and voter naivety

In his letter (Irish Independent, February 1) Mr La Malfa expresses fear that the US public might be naive enough to vote for Mr Trump this November. There is no need for such speculation as the American public has already demonstrated its naivety in the last two elections via President Obama. Voters somehow fell for his promise to eradicate PAC funding while believing he would never use military force unilaterally or without UN and Congressional approval, which he promptly did in Yemen, Libya and Syria.

As for the accusations of racism, Mr Trump has merely suggested things that Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria, Sweden and Macedonia have already done regarding immigration.

In terms of the all-guns-blazing policies of Obama's predecessors, Mr La Malfa should recall that the EU's greatest achievement has been the fact that it has not gone to war with itself in 60 years, with the Balkans as an exception. Also, it should be noted that President Obama has presided over soaring US gun sales over the past seven years.

Yes, Mr La Malfa is correct regarding the naivety of the US - as its voters are clearly naive enough to vote for someone based on the colour of their skin. The question is, are they naive enough to vote for someone based on their gender?

Joe Caulfield

Offaly

The betrayal of young teachers

In response to Alison Hayes's excellent article on young teachers' pay (Irish Independent, March 9), I agree that they were and are being discriminated against by the Government. However, what she failed to say was that they were betrayed by the existing older teachers who did not resist this age discrimination. "We're all right Jack" was their attitude.

Other employers are presently trying to impose the same regime. It is up to the established employees to support their new colleagues and halt the race to the bottom. The betrayal demonstrated by the teachers, guards, nurses, etc, is hardly comparable to the philosophy of those who had their last glimpse of the sky over the neatly built wall of the Stone Breaker's Yard before the firing squad 100 years ago.

Paddy Murray

Dublin Road, Castlepollard

Even shorter-termism

The 32nd Dail... or the 30-second Dail?

Eve Parnell

Address with editor

Good wishes for a new Dail

To all the newly elected TDs, welcome. To all those who were re-elected, congratulations. To those who lost their seats, I feel your loss.

As a collective, please have respect for those who voted for you and form a balanced government.

To the people who voted for the TDs, I hope your vote was not wasted.

Damien Carroll

Kingswood, Dublin 24

Time for anti-poverty policies

In forming a Government, unlike 'Lanigan's Ball', the identity of who is stepping in and out again is less important than what policies they agree on.

All of the parties to the current dance have explained during the election that their priority is to "protect the most vulnerable", but now we need to turn this into detailed multi-annual policies to seriously reduce poverty.

The first step is to recognise the shocking scale of the problem. The CSO has found that, between 2008 and 2013, the proportion of our people experiencing 'deprivation' nearly trebled to 29pc.

This means being unable to afford two from a list of items such as heating your home or eating a substantial meal every second day, a very basic measure in the 21st century. More than a third of children and one in five people at work were classified as experiencing deprivation, while the picture is worse for groups such as Travellers, lone parents, the long-term unemployed and the homeless.

For decades we have danced around in the same pattern. In boom times, people in poverty are left behind, while in more austere times, the same groups suffer the most.

Breaking this cycle will need a long-term commitment to policies and investments to provide adequate income, quality work and services, funded by sufficient and fair taxation.

There has been plenty of research and experience to show what makes the difference between a countries with high and low levels of poverty. Nearly 20 years ago, the all-party National Anti-Poverty Strategy pointed to most of the instruments needed.

However strategies alone don't change the world - we need solid commitments in the programme for government to end the dance of poverty and despair.

Anne Loftus (Chairperson) and Robin Hanan (Director)

European Anti Poverty Network Ireland, Dublin 7
A Malaysian woman lights a candle for the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 at a church in Kuala Lumpur on the second anniversary of the plane's disappearance (AP)

A teenager may have found part of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 on a beach in Mozambique.

Casper Lotter said his son Liam found the piece on December 30 near the town of Xai Xai and returned to South Africa with it. The curved piece has a five-digit number on it.

Mr Lotter said his wife contacted Australian aviation authorities last week after another piece was found in Mozambique. He said the authorities said the number indicates it may belong to a Boeing 777.

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A South African Civil Aviation Authority spokesman said they will send the part to Australia to be examined.

The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 vanished while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8 2014.

Mr Lotter said he dismissed the item as a "piece of rubbish" that was probably debris from a boat, but 18-year-old Liam insisted on bringing it back to South Africa, convinced it was part of a plane.

"He was adamant he wanted to bring it home because it had a number on it," said Mr Lotter, adding that his son is not an aviation enthusiast but was simply drawn to the piece of debris.

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"It just grabbed him for some weird reason."

His son told East Coast Radio, a South African station: "We picked it up and I turned it around and it had like a curve to it. You could see where it'd been pop-riveted almost, like there's holes on the side."

The teenager's research did not yield much until the family heard about another piece of possible plane debris also found in Mozambique, about 186 miles from where he made his discovery.

Australian authorities contacted South African counterparts to arrange to have the new part taken from his home in the town of Wartburg in KwaZulu-Natal, according to South African officials.

"We have arranged for collection of the part, which will be sent to Australia as they are the ones appointed by Malaysia to identify parts found," said Kabelo Ledwaba, spokesman for the South African Civil Aviation Authority.
America has called for a vote on what would be the first United Nations Security Council resolution to confront the escalating problem of sexual abuse by the world body's peacekeeping troops.

Such a measure was critical to help end sex crimes, especially against children, the UN's US ambassador Samantha Power said.

In an impassioned speech, she pressed the UN to go further and provide information on why numerous cases were not investigated.

She also criticised the UN peacekeeping department for not quickly repatriating a Congolese contingent which had seven allegations of sex crimes in 2015, instead waiting until February for "operational reasons".

In the first two months of this year, Ms Power said there were eight new allegations against the same unit, seven involving children.

"How can we let this happen? All of us?" she told security council members, her voice rising with emotion.

"The experience should force us all to ask, what if those soldiers were sent home sooner? How many kids could have been spared suffering unspeakable violations that no child should ever have to endure, and that they will have to carry with them for the rest of their lives?"

The exchanges took place at a security council meeting where UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon presented his recent report detailing the 69 allegations in 2015, which for the first time named the countries of alleged perpetrators.

Since the beginning of the year, the UN peacekeeping department said there had been 25 additional cases.

The final draft of the resolution, obtained by The Associated Press, endorses Mr Ban's decision to repatriate military or police units "where there is credible evidence of widespread or systemic sexual exploitation and abuse".

It also asks the UN chief to replace contingents where allegations are not properly investigated and perpetrators are not held accountable.

All 15 council members stressed that perpetrators should be punished, but Senegal's UN ambassador Fode Seck and others stressed that the security council "must ensure individuals do not fall victim to collective punishment".

Egypt's UN ambassador Amr Abdellatif Aboulatta said the issue should be addressed by the General Assembly, where all nations are represented, but whose resolutions are not legally binding, unlike the 15-member security council.

He also argued that the issue shouldn't be used "as a tool to attack troop contributing countries" or undermine their reputation and significant sacrifices.

Russia's deputy UN ambassador Petr Iliichev said disciplining peacekeepers was not part of the security council's mandate to maintain international peace and security and it would be "wrong to set the council up against the General Assembly".

He stressed that countries contributing troops must play "the key role" in reducing and eliminating "these shameful statistics".

Mr Ban apologised for the growing sexual abuse scandal in peacekeeping operations that has tarnished the reputation of the UN and defended his decision to "name and shame" the home countries of alleged perpetrators "to improve their way of conducting their business".

He also pledged to speed up investigations, three dating back to 2013, and to expand the information about recent sexual abuse and exploitation cases on a new UN website to cover all outstanding allegations.
Former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson says he and Donald Trump have "buried the hatchet" after months of political wrangling, and confirmed he is endorsing the party front-runner's White House bid.

At a press conference in Palm Beach, Florida, Mr Carson - who left the race earlier this month - described "two Donald Trumps" - the persona reflected on stage, and a private, "very cerebral" person who "considers things carefully".

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Mr Carson warned that it is "extremely dangerous" when political parties attempt to "thwart the will of the people", and urged politicians to "strengthen the nation", rather than create divisions.

The new show of harmony came after footage of Mr Trump's supporters attacking protesters and allegations that he is inciting violence cast new attention on the divisive nature of his candidacy.

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He rejected the idea that he was responsible for the incidents and allegations that he sets a tone at his rallies which encourages violence.

He said: "I hope not. I truly hope not."

Mr Trump also pledged to defeat Islamic State if he is elected president, but said he will let the generals "play their own game".

He said he would "find the right generals" to do the job, but will allow them to then call the shots on how the military should approach the fight.

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Mr Trump has said he wants to loosen laws that limit the use of torture if he is elected to the White House, but then appeared to reverse his stance on the use of torture after he was criticised by Republican national security experts who called his policy views "wildly inconsistent and unmoored in principle".

He was speaking the day after he refused to back away from his recent statement that "Islam hates the West", saying he would not change to be "politically correct"

A victory for Mr Trump in the presidential election could spark a "clash of civilisations", according to a senior security official in Dubai.

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Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, the deputy chairman of police and general security in Dubai, said : "If Trump beats Hillary (Clinton), that means that the scenario of the clash of civilisations ... will come to light at the hands of the candidate and al-Baghdadi," referencing Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
U.S. Senator and Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio speaks during a campaign event at Temple Beth El in West Palm Beach, Florida March 11, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump is calling for the party to unite behind him, but opponents are taking unusual steps to block him from victory in critical primary states Ohio and Florida on Tuesday.

On Friday, Florida senator Marco Rubio urged voters in Ohio to cast ballots for fellow challenger John Kasich, the state's governor.

"If you want to stop Trump in Ohio, Kasich's the only guy who can beat him there," Rubio spokesman Alex Conant said.

In turn, Mr Rubio is hoping to win in his home state, splitting the day's two big delegate prizes and keeping them out of Mr Trump's hands.

While only Mr Kasich can take on Mr Trump in Ohio, "Marco is the only guy who can beat him in Florida," Mr Conant said.

Polls suggest Mr Kasich has a better chance in his state than Mr Rubio has in Florida, but it is important to both of them, and to other remaining candidate Ted Cruz, to keep Mr Trump from sweeping the two big states and taking a big step toward securing the Republican nomination.

Expand Close Behind every great man: Trump and wife Melania. / Facebook

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But Mr Trump picked up an endorsement on Friday from one-time rival Ben Carson.

The developments came a day after a surprisingly civil Republican debate in which Mr Trump warned the party to end its civil war over his candidacy and to "be smart and unify".

Expand Close Melania Trump, wife of Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, talks to the media as she visits the "spin room" with her husband after the conclusion of the Republican U.S. presidential candidates debate sponsored by CNN at the University of Miami in Miami, Florida March 10, 2016 / Facebook

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Whatsapp Melania Trump, wife of Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, talks to the media as she visits the "spin room" with her husband after the conclusion of the Republican U.S. presidential candidates debate sponsored by CNN at the University of Miami in Miami, Florida March 10, 2016

While the debate focused on issues rather than insults, it was not clear that Mr Cruz, Mr Rubio or Mr Kasich were able to gain ground on the New York billionaire.

In all, 367 Republican delegates are at stake in Tuesday's voting that also takes place in Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, and the Northern Mariana Islands, which could go a long way toward determining the Republican nominee.

Expand Close Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump, right and Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speak during a break in the Republican presidential debate sponsored by CNN, Salem Media Group and the Washington Times at the University of Miami, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Coral Gables, Fla / Facebook

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Whatsapp Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump, right and Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speak during a break in the Republican presidential debate sponsored by CNN, Salem Media Group and the Washington Times at the University of Miami, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Coral Gables, Fla

In the race for Republican delegates, Mr Trump has 459, Mr Cruz 360, Mr Rubio 152 and Mr Kasich 54. It takes 1,237 to win the Republican nomination for president

Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders also will be competing on Tuesday, with Mrs Clinton out to regain momentum after her startling loss to Mr Sanders in Michigan this week.
Former Russian Media Minister Mikhail Lesin gestures during a news conference in Moscow in this September 20, 2000 file photo

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) listens during his meeting with Minister for Mass Media Mikhail Lesin (R) in the Kremlin in this August 28, 2000 file photo

A former aide to Vladimir Putin who was found dead in a Washington hotel room died of blunt force trauma to the head, a post-mortem has found.

District of Columbia police spokesman Hugh Carew confirmed the results for Mikhail Lesin, who was found at the Dupont Circle Hotel in November.

Expand Close Former Russian Media Minister Mikhail Lesin gestures during a news conference in Moscow in this September 20, 2000 file photo / Facebook

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The DC Medical Examiner's Office said in a statement that other contributing causes were blunt force injuries to the neck, torso, arms and legs.

Russian media had reported that Mr Lesin suffered a heart attack, citing relatives.

Mr Carew said police continue to investigate the death.

Mr Lesin was a media adviser to the Russian president who helped found the English-language news service Russia Today.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the Russian Embassy in Washington has made multiple requests for information about the investigation into the death, but has received no substantive material.
People gather in Bronson Park in Kalamazoo, Mich., Monday, Feb. 22, 2016, for a candlelight vigil for the victims of a series of random shootings in the Kalamazoo area

Jason Dalton is seen on closed circuit television during his arraignment in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, February 22, 2016 Photo: Reuters

A teenage girl who was declared dead after being shot in the head by the man charged with carrying out a spate of murders in Michigan last month has miraculously walked out of hospital.

Abigail Kopf was shot through the right-hand side of her head on the evening of February 20 as she made her way home from a musical with a close family friend described as her honorary grandmother.

Expand Close Jason Dalton is seen on closed circuit television during his arraignment in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, February 22, 2016 Photo: Reuters / Facebook

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Whatsapp Jason Dalton is seen on closed circuit television during his arraignment in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, February 22, 2016 Photo: Reuters

Jason Dalton has admitted shooting six randomly chosen victims in and around the city of Kalamazoo  attacks apparently carried out over hours during which he ferried passengers around the city as an Uber driver.

Abigail's heart stopped and despite the frantic efforts of several doctors and medical professionals, she was declared dead at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo later that night.

Her parents, Vickie and Gene Kopf, were allowed into the operating room to say goodbye to their daughter.

It was a scene that "no horror movie will ever match," Mr Kopf told the Battle Creek Enquirer, while Mrs Kopf said: "It's an image no human being will ever get out of their head.

Expand Close People gather in Bronson Park in Kalamazoo, Mich., Monday, Feb. 22, 2016, for a candlelight vigil for the victims of a series of random shootings in the Kalamazoo area / Facebook

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"And every night, when I close my eyes, that's the image I see. And I don't know if it will ever fade."

However, as Mrs Kopf lay her head on what she thought was her dead child's still chest, she detected a sign of life  a breath or a feint heartbeat.

"I felt that she was still there, even though they kept telling me she wasn't," she explained.

The doctors rushed back in and Abigail was placed on a ventilator.

Mr and Mrs Kopf were warned that she could be brain-dead and Mrs Kopf asked staff what the procedure was for donating her daughter's organs if necessary.

But, hours later, as the parents sat with their daughter still fearing the worst, Mrs Kopf held Abigail's hand and felt her squeeze back.

The doctors again advised caution, stating that it could be a twitch that can happen as patients fade away.

Abigail kept squeezing, though, and, when Mrs Kopf asked her if she could hear her, the girl entwined her fingers with her mother's.

She underwent emergency brain surgery that night, which was successful, and so began the path to recovery.

Abigail opened her eyes for the first time last week and was released from hospital and taken to a rehabilitation centre on Wednesday.

One doctor suggested the broken skull had given Abigail's injured brain room to swell without putting fatal pressure on the brainstem.

Mrs Kopf explains it differently.

I think she has a lot of spitfire in her, and I think she just willed herself back," she told the Battle Creek Enquirer.

Because she was not ready to go yet, and shes got many more things that she wants to do. I dont know if I can say its a miracle. I think shes just one strong-willed child, that [said], Im not finished yet. And shes gonna finish what she started.

The Kopfs are hopeful that Abigail will now make a full recovery.

"With a little rehab, she'll be very close to functional, if not entirely functional, with no serious repercussions," Mr Kopf explained.

"I'm always a little dubious of the word 'miracle'. Because you can say miracle  what does that mean? Most people tend to use that as an argument from ignorance. We can't explain it, therefore it's a miracle. Fortunate? Absolutely."

Mr Kopf grilled Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders on gun control at the televised presidential debate last Sunday.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Melania Trump, the Slovenian ex-model wife of Donald Trump, has kept a low profile during his bid to win the Republican presidential candidacy

It now looks increasingly likely that Donald Trump will become the Republican candidate for the US presidency. If that happens, there is an obvious possibility that Melania Trump will become the next First Lady.

To the best of my knowledge, that would make her the first and the only one to have posed in the nude for a lads' magazine (on a bearskin rug in Donald's private jet, since you ask.)

When I produced a documentary about Donald Trump some years ago, I also filmed with Melania.

At that time, she had been in an on-off relationship with Trump for a couple of years. They had met at a party in the Kit Kat Club in Manhattan, which was then a fashionable place to be seen. She was a 29-year-old model from Slovenia who had enjoyed considerable success, but had never quite made the top rank.

He was almost 25 years older. He had been married twice, and had four children. He was also extremely rich.

I met Melania Knauss - as she was then - at a fashion shoot in New York. I found her very attractive, with slanted eyes like a cat, and very likeable.

When I asked her if she was ever upset by accusations that she was a gold-digger, she answered in a soft Slovenian accent. "I don't need Donald's money," she told me. "I have my own career. I've just come back from a shoot for 'Sports Illustrated', for the special swimwear edition. I can make enough money on my own."

I mentioned that Trump was almost 25 years older than her. "I never think about that," she said. "Besides, he has the energy of a young man and he is very ... virile."

Melania and Trump got married in 2005. The bridal gown was designed by the now-disgraced John Galliano. It had a 13-foot train, and was so heavy and wide that Melania had to sit on a bench instead of a chair.

The wedding cake was five feet high, weighed 90kg, and was covered with 3,000 white roses.

The asking price for the wedding ring was $1.5m, but Trump managed to cut a deal, and bought it for $500,000.

Wedding guests included Oprah Winfrey, Luciano Pavarotti, Elton John - and the Clintons.

Hillary Clinton has recently been asked to explain her presence there. She claimed that she just "happened to be in Florida, and thought it would be fun to go to the wedding".

She added that she "didn't know Trump that well", and, besides, she hadn't bought the couple any wedding present.

Trump gave a rather different - and, perhaps, more credible - account: "I said, 'Be at my wedding', and so she came."

Trump explained that he had just made a large donation to the Clinton Foundation, which meant that Hillary "had no choice".

When she first met Trump, Melania was living in a cramped one-bedroom apartment in New York.

Her current town home spans the top three floors of the massive Trump Towers in mid-Manhattan. The huge triplex offers spectacular views of the city, and includes a dazzling Hall of Mirrors, pristine marble fountains, and ceilings that have been hand-painted with heavenly cherubs.

The White House might seem somewhat down-market in comparison.

Despite his strident opposition to further immigration to the USA, two of Trump's three wives are migrants from Eastern Europe. But that is where the similarity between the two women seems to end.

His first wife, Ivana, was brash and sassy. She clearly loved being in the media spotlight, but her character may have been too similar to her husband's. At any rate, their marriage ended amid allegations of sexual affairs, as well as reports of monumental fights.

Melania is at the other end of the spectrum. When I met her, I must confess that I had expected she would conform to the stereotype of an airhead model. However, she struck me as an intelligent young woman, though rather old-fashioned in her attitudes.

Her mother worked in the fashion industry, and Melania first appeared on the catwalk when she was just five years old.

Unlike Trump, she seemed modest and even-tempered. She has claimed that she and Trump have never argued, and I think that may well be true.

Melania has attended some of her husband's election rallies and debates, but she has said very little in public. Most of his rivals expect their partners to go on the stump with them, but Trump seems to have respected his wife's wish to keep a low profile. They have a young son called Barron - Trump's choice of name - and Melania has said that she doesn't like both parents to be away from home at the same time.

Trump has claimed that, when he told her of his plans to run for the presidency, Melania's immediate response was to say: "Then, you will win." At that time, it seemed incredible to many - including most seasoned political observers - that Trump would ever secure the Republican nomination.

Now, it appears all those seasoned observers may have been wrong, and the Slovenian ex-model might have been right after all.
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea yesterday, Seoul said, as South Korea and the US conducted massive war games.

The North also announced it has scrapped all agreements with the South on commercial exchange projects and would "liquidate" South Korean assets left behind in its territory.

North Korea has a large stockpile of short-range missiles and is developing long-range and intercontinental missiles as well.

The missiles fired yesterday flew almost 500km off its east coast city of Wonsan and were likely from the Soviet-developed Scud series, South Korea's defence ministry said.

Japan, which is within range of the longer-range variant of Scud missiles or the upgraded Rodong missiles, lodged a protest through the North Korean embassy in Beijing, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported.

North Korea often fires short-range missiles when tensions rise on the Korean peninsula. Pyongyang gets particularly upset about the annual US-South Korea drills, which its says are preparations for an invasion.

The US and South Korea remain technically at war with the North because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armed truce instead of a peace agreement.

Around 17,000 US military personnel are participating alongside some 300,000 South Korean troops in what South Korea's Defence Ministry has called the "largest-ever" joint military exercises.

North Korea on Sunday warned it would make a "pre-emptive and offensive nuclear strike" in response to the exercises.

After the short-range missile launches yesterday, North Korea announced it would "liquidate" South Korean assets left behind in the Kaesong industrial zone and in the Mount Kumgang tourist zone.

Seoul suspended operations in the jointly-run zone last month as punishment for the North's rocket launch and nuclear test.

Mount Kumgang was the first major inter-Korean cooperation project. Thousands of South Koreans visited the resort between 1998 and 2008. Seoul ended the tours in 2008 after a North Korean soldier shot dead a South Korean tourist who wandered into a restricted zone.

North Korea is also livid about stepped up United Nations sanctions following its recent nuclear test and long-range missile launch.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said his country has miniaturised nuclear warheads to mount on ballistic missiles, state media reported on Wednesday, and called on his military to be prepared to mount pre-emptive attacks against the US and South Korea.

It was his first direct comment on the technology needed to deploy nuclear missiles. North Korean state media released photographs it said showed Kim Jong-un inspecting a spherical miniaturised warhead.
Undated handout photo issued by the European Space Agency of the ExoMars 2016 spacecraft composite during the final stages of encapsulation

Undated handout photo issued by the European Space Agency of an artist's impression of the ExoMars 2016 fourth stage separation during its launch sequence

Undated handout photo issued by the European Space Agency of an artist's impression of the ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter entering orbit

Undated handout photo issued by the European Space Agency of the ExoMars 2016 team in front of the proton rocket

Undated handout photo issued by the European Space Agency of an artist's impression of the ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter (top left) and Schiaparelli (bottom right) after discarding it's heatshields and parachute

Undated handout photo issued by the European Space Agency of an artist's impression of the ExoMars 2016 Schiaparelli separating from Trace Gas Orbiter

Undated handout artist impression issued by the European Space Agency of the separation of the payload fairing during the ExoMars 2016 launch sequence

Europe's historic search for life on Mars is set to take off on Monday as a heavy-lift Russian rocket blasts into space from Kazakhstan.

The Proton rocket will launch the first of two ExoMars missions, together costing 1.2 billion, designed to uncover signs of past or present life on the Red Planet.

Expand Close Undated handout photo issued by the European Space Agency of the ExoMars 2016 team in front of the proton rocket / Facebook

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An orbiter carried on the ExoMars 2016 mission will hunt for methane in the Martian atmosphere and show if it is likely to have been generated by geology or biological processes.

Then in two years' time, ExoMars 2018 will send a British-built rover bristling with cutting- edge technology to Mars.

Expand Close Undated handout photo issued by the European Space Agency of an artist's impression of the ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter entering orbit / Facebook

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Equipped with a drill that can burrow deep below the radiation-baked Martian surface, it will look for the chemical fingerprints of life.

If the scientists find evidence of life - even primitive life that existed billions of years ago - it will be one of the biggest discoveries of all time.

Expand Close Undated handout photo issued by the European Space Agency of an artist's impression of the ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter (top left) and Schiaparelli (bottom right) after discarding it's heatshields and parachute / Facebook

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Humanity will have to re-assess its place in the universe, just as it did when Copernicus showed that the Earth and its sister planets orbited the Sun.

While American rovers have paved the way by investigating whether the Martian environment is or ever was suitable for living microbes, none of them has been equipped to search for life itself.

Planetary scientist Dr Peter Grindrod, from Birkbeck, University of London, who is funded by the UK Space Agency, said: "It's incredibly exciting.

"This is a series of missions that's trying to address one of the fundamental questions in science: is there life anywhere else besides the Earth?

"Finding that life exists elsewhere in the solar system would be a huge discovery, so the evidence has to be strong.

"As they say, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

The ExoMars missions are being undertaken jointly by the European Space Agency (Esa) and Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos.

Monday's launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome will send two unmanned probes on a journey across space lasting seven months.

One Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) will sniff the Martian atmosphere in search of methane, water vapour and other trace gases.

The other, Schiaparelli, is a lander whose primary job is to undertake a trial run of the parachute and retro-rocket technology needed for the later rover mission.

Methane is quickly broken down by sunlight and has to be continually regenerated from some source to persist in a planet's atmosphere.

On Earth the primary source is life. Billions of microbes, including many that thrive in the guts of animals such as cattle and termites, belch out the gas.

But methane can also be released by volcanic activity and geological chemistry.

TGO is equipped to look for methane hotspots on the Martian surface, and using highly sensitive instruments, test whether it is likely to be the product of biology or geology.

Sue Horne, head of space exploration at the UK Space Agency, said: "We hope TGO will answer once and for all the question of whether the methane has a biological or geological origin.

"If it is shown to be biological, created by life, that would be amazing."

The orbiter also carries a high resolution colour 3D camera called CaSSIS (Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System) that can snap photos of surface objects as small as 15 to 20 metres across.

CaSSIS will look ahead and behind the spacecraft to build up stunning 3D maps of craters, mountains, dunes and other surface features.

Dr Grindrod said: "We can definitely expect some spectacular pictures."

Scientists will need to be patient. Although the TGO is due to reach Mars in October, it will have to undergo a lengthy series of orbital manoeuvres before the five year scientific mission can begin in December 2017.

Schiaparelli meanwhile is programmed to detach from the orbiter on October 16 and land on a flat region of Mars known as Meridiani Planum three days later.

The disc-shaped descent and landing demonstrator module measures 7.8ft (2.4m) across with its heatshield and weighs 1,300lb (600kg).

It will deliver a small science package to the surface designed to probe the weather around it - measuring wind speed, humidity, pressure, and the amount of dust in the air.

But its chief purpose is to test technology to be incorporated into the ExoMars 2018 landing system.

Landing on Mars is so fraught with difficulty, the scientists are leaving nothing to chance.

Like the rover-carrying spacecraft, Schiaparelli will use a parachute to brake its descent through the atmosphere and then fire clusters of retro rockets shortly before touch-down.

The six-wheeled rover, weighing 680lb (310kg), is being built by the British division of Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage.

It will have a drill capable of extracting soil samples from a depth of 6.5ft (2m).

If bugs do live on Mars, they could only be found beneath the radiation-baked surface.

Instruments on the rover will analyse the samples and look for signatures of life, including mineral residues left by long dead microbes and organic molecules with the correct left or right "handed" configuration.

The ExoMars mission has had a bumpy ride so far. Originally it was supposed to have been a partnership between ESA and Nasa, but the American space agency dropped out in 2012 because of budget cuts.

A year later, ESA signed a new deal with Roscosmos, which is now responsible for the rover landing system.

Dr Manish Patel, from the Open University, who heads TGO's small team of British scientists and is in charge of the probe's ozone-mapping ultraviolet (UV) spectrometer instrument, said: "This is a fantastic mission; massive.

"I spent the last 13 years of my life working on it so I am somewhat excited and nervous.

"You're strapping an instrument you've devoted your life to on top of a great big bomb.

"It's scary but it's why I'm in this business.

"There won't be many nails left on launch day."
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump is calling for the party to unite behind him, but opponents are taking unusual steps to block him from victory in critical primary states Ohio and Florida on Tuesday.

On Friday, Florida senator Marco Rubio urged voters in Ohio to cast ballots for fellow challenger John Kasich, the state's governor.

"If you want to stop Trump in Ohio, Kasich's the only guy who can beat him there," Rubio spokesman Alex Conant said.

In turn, Mr Rubio is hoping to win in his home state, splitting the day's two big delegate prizes and keeping them out of Mr Trump's hands.

While only Mr Kasich can take on Mr Trump in Ohio, "Marco is the only guy who can beat him in Florida," Mr Conant said.

Polls suggest Mr Kasich has a better chance in his state than Mr Rubio has in Florida, but it is important to both of them, and to other remaining candidate Ted Cruz, to keep Mr Trump from sweeping the two big states and taking a big step toward securing the Republican nomination.

But Mr Trump picked up an endorsement on Friday from one-time rival Ben Carson.

The developments came a day after a surprisingly civil Republican debate in which Mr Trump warned the party to end its civil war over his candidacy and to "be smart and unify".

While the debate focused on issues rather than insults, it was not clear that Mr Cruz, Mr Rubio or Mr Kasich were able to gain ground on the New York billionaire.

In all, 367 Republican delegates are at stake in Tuesday's voting that also takes place in Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, and the Northern Mariana Islands, which could go a long way toward determining the Republican nominee.

In the race for Republican delegates, Mr Trump has 459, Mr Cruz 360, Mr Rubio 152 and Mr Kasich 54. It takes 1,237 to win the Republican nomination for president

Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders also will be competing on Tuesday, with Mrs Clinton out to regain momentum after her startling loss to Mr Sanders in Michigan this week.
Israel Kristal moved to Israel in 1950 with his second wife and son

A 112-year-old Israeli who lived through both world wars and survived the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz is the world's oldest man, Guinness World Records has announced.

Guinness said in a statement that Israel Kristal was 112 years and 178 days old as on Friday.

Marco Frigatti, head of records for Guinness, awarded Mr Kristal a certificate at his home in Haifa.

Mr Kristal said: "I don't know the secret for long life. I believe that everything is determined from above and we shall never know the reasons why.

"There have been smarter, stronger and better looking men then me who are no longer alive. All that is left for us to do is to keep on working as hard as we can and rebuild what is lost."

Guinness said Mr Kristal was born in 1903 to an Orthodox Jewish family near the town of Zarnow in Poland, and he moved to Lodz to work in the family confectionery business in 1920.

During the Nazi occupation of Poland he was confined to the ghetto in Lodz and was later sent to Auschwitz and other concentration camps. His first wife and two children were killed in the Holocaust.

Mr Kristal survived the Second World War weighing about 5st 7lb - the only survivor of his large family. He moved to Israel in 1950 with his second wife and their son.

In Israel, Mr Kristal "continued to grow both his family and his successful confectionery business".

Yasutaro Koide of Japan was the previous oldest man. He died in January at the age of 112 years and 312 days.

Susannah Mushatt Jones, 115, an American born in 1899, is the world's oldest living person and the oldest woman, Guinness said.
A locked iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino killers is thought to hold evidence of the eventual attack, the US Justice Department has said (AP)

A decision to reset the password on an iCloud account tied to one of the San Bernardino attackers did not thwart the investigation into the shooting, the FBI has said, in a court filing during the Justice Department's encryption dispute with Apple.

FBI director James Comey told Congress last week that "there was a mistake" made when the agency asked California's San Bernardino County, which owned the phone, to reset the password for an account tied to Syed Farook, who, along with his wife killed 14 people in the terror-related December 2 shootings.

But in a sworn declaration on Thursday, Chris Pluhar, an FBI agent involved in processing the evidence, said the password reset did not make a difference.

Farook's iPhone, which was found switched off, had the iCloud back-ups turned off for his mail, photos and notes, and were not believed to be complete, Mr Pluhar said.

Even with a full set of back-ups, the Justice Department said, the government would still have needed to search the phone "in order to leave no stone unturned" in the investigation.

The statement is aimed at rebutting earlier claims from Apple that said if the FBI had not changed the iCloud password, its engineers could have helped investigators use a known - and therefore trusted - wireless connection to trick the iPhone from automatically backing up to iCloud.

The statement was part of a broader Justice Department filing designed to encourage a federal magistrate to affirm her decision last month to force Apple to help the FBI gain access to Farook's phone.

In the filing, federal prosecutors argued that the phone probably holds evidence of the eventual attack and the government and community "need to know" what is on the device. Apple alone has the ability to help and doing so is not unduly burdensome, the government said.

The brief, which sets the stage for a March 22 hearing in Southern California, marks a further escalation of rhetoric between the government and one of the world's largest technology companies.

"In short, Apple is not some distant, disconnected third party unexpectedly and arbitrarily dragooned into helping solve a problem for which it bears no responsibility," Justice Department lawyers wrote.

"Rather, Apple is intimately close to the barriers on Farook's locked iPhone because Apple specifically designed the iPhone to create those barriers."

Apple responded by saying the Justice Department was "so desperate at this point that it has thrown all decorum to the winds".

"Everybody should beware because it seems like disagreeing with the Department of Justice means you must be evil and anti-American, nothing could be further from the truth," Apple senior vice president and general counsel Bruce Sewell said.

The Justice Department repeatedly argues that as "one of the richest and most tech-savvy" companies in the country, Apple could easily comply with a judge's February 16 order and create specialised software to help the FBI get into the phone.

And it mocked as sensationalised arguments by Apple and its supporters that following the judge's decree could weaken the security of its products, noting that the software is designed for only one phone and that Apple could retain it during the entire process.

Though Apple has suggested that the code could be modified to run on other phones, the Justice Department says Apple devices will only run software that has been electronically "signed" by the company.

"Apple desperately wants - desperately needs - this case not to be 'about one isolated iPhone'," Justice Department lawyers wrote.

"But there is probable cause to believe there is evidence of a terrorist attack on that phone, and our legal system gives this court the authority to see that it can be searched pursuant to a lawful warrant.

The government also rejected Apple's arguments that the software - intended to bypass an auto-erase function on the phone so that the FBI can remotely enter different passcodes without losing data - violated Apple's First Amendment rights by forcing it to create a new computer code.

"Apple's claim is particularly weak because it does not involve a person being compelled to speak publicly, but a for-profit corporation being asked to modify commercial software that will be seen only by Apple," the brief states.

The Justice Department also dismissed concerns that Apple could be compelled to provide access to China or other foreign governments, saying the judge's order had no bearing on the company's relationships to other countries.
An employee of the Falestine al-Youm TV station inspects damaged equipment after an Israeli raid (AP)

Israeli forces have raided a TV station run by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in the West Bank as part of a crackdown on violence Israel says has been fuelled by incitement in the Palestinian media.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the head of Falestine al-Youm - or Palestine Today - was detained in the raid in Ramallah. She said Farouq Elayan, 34, had been incarcerated in the past for activities in the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad group.

The outlet, which also publishes material on social media sites, encouraged Palestinians to attack Israelis, she said.

In a statement, Falestine al-Youm said two other staff members were also arrested and their equipment was confiscated. Islamic Jihad has carried out suicide bombings and shootings in the past.

Ms Samri said shutting the station was part of efforts to stop incitement to violence.

The raid came as Israel struggles to contain near-daily Palestinian assaults on civilians and security forces that have killed 28 Israelis and two Americans since September.

At least 179 Palestinians have died by Israeli fire in that time, the majority of them said by Israel to have been attackers while the rest died in clashes with Israeli forces.

On Friday afternoon, a Palestinian attacker stabbed and wounded a 29-year-old Israeli man, before running away in Jerusalem's Old City, police said. Officers later displayed a picture of a weapon left at the scene, a kitchen knife with a white handle. The Palestinian attacker was found and arrested after a short chase, police said.

Israel has long pointed to the glorification of attackers in Palestinian media and social networking sites as a major factor in the recent bloodshed.

Palestinians say it stems from anger at nearly five decades of Israeli rule in the West Bank and east Jerusalem and frustration at not achieving statehood.
Libya has been in turmoil since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, pictured, in 2011

The political and security vacuum in Libya is being exploited by the Islamic State extremist group which has "significantly expanded" the territory it controls in the conflict-torn nation, United Nations experts have said.

In a report to the world body's Security Council, t he experts monitoring UN sanctions against Libya said IS had successfully recruited marginalised communities in the central city of Sirte, which it controls.

They said IS, also known as Isil, had also increased its operational capacity in the city of Sabratha and the capital Tripoli through local recruitment reinforced by foreign fighters.

"While Isil does not currently generate direct revenue from the exploitation of oil in Libya, its attacks against oil installations seriously compromise the country's economic stability," the six-member panel said.

"Libyans have increasingly fallen victim to the terrorist group's brutalities, culminating in several mass killings."

Libya has effectively been a failed state since the 2011 ousting and death of long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi, which led to the country's military collapse and fragmentation by powerful militias.

Since 2014, an internationally-recognised government has convened in the far east of the vast, oil-rich country while a rival Islamist government is based in Tripoli. The United Nations has been trying to help forge a unity government to revive services to millions of people and confront IS extremists.

According to the experts, Libya has become increasingly attractive to foreign fighters and their presence in the south "is symptomatic of the regional dimension of the conflict".

It added that countries in the region had been providing political support - and possibly more - to various groups, further fuelling the continuation of fighting.

The experts said that all parties in the conflict are continuing to receive illicit arms transfers, some with support from UN member countries.

These weapons are not only influencing the instability but are having "a negative impact on the security situation in Libya and its political transition," the report said.

The report called for the arms embargo - which allows the government to seek exemptions - to remain in place and be enforced.

On the financing of Libyan armed groups, the report said "government salaries are continuing to be paid to enlisted combatants, regardless of their human rights record or their ties with spoilers or terrorist groups".

The experts said armed groups and criminal networks in Libya had further diversified their sources of financing, including through kidnapping and smuggling migrants, oil products, subsidised goods and profits from foreign currency exchange schemes.

The report said asset freezes and travel bans on individuals from the Gaddafi regime continued to be broken, with large amounts of assets remaining hidden and unfrozen and travel bans repeatedly violated.

Meanwhile, European Union countries are preparing possible sanctions against officials in Libya blamed for undermining the peace process and blocking the formation of a unity government.

EU diplomats say a small list of "spoilers" could be targeted as soon as next week.

Unconfirmed reports suggest Nouri Abu-Sahmain, head of the Tripoli parliament, and Khalifa Ghweil, prime minister of Tripoli Salvation, could be in the EU's sights.

EU foreign ministers will hold informal talks on Libya in Brussels on Monday.
Pneumonia is the biggest cause of death among children under the age of five in India Credit: AP

The charity Medicins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) has launched a campaign to stop Pfizer from obtaining a patent on a highly effective pneumonia vaccine, a move which could denied most developing nations access to the drug.

The US pharmaceutical giant has applied to an Indian court for a patent on Prevnar 13  a powerful pneumonia vaccine  so that it can effectively shut down local firms from producing cheap copies of the drug .

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To make sure children everywhere can be protected from deadly pneumonia, other companies need to enter the market to supply this vaccine for a much lower price than what Pfizer charges," Manica Balasegaram, executive director of MSF's access campaign, said in a statement on Friday.

Prevnar 13 is the world's biggest-selling vaccine, and Pfizer earned $6 billion from its sales in 2015.

The US pharmaceutical firm made the vaccine available at discounted prices under the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) - an international public-private partnership to improve access to vaccines in the world's poorest countries.

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As of November 2015, 58 countries were eligible to procure the vaccine through GAVI, according to the organisation's website.

MSF says however many other developing countries cannot afford it.

Indian firms are eligible to procure the vaccine under the GAVI alliance but is not allowed to sell it then.

The vaccine costs about $170 per child in India, while the GAVI price is $10 per child.

The Indian firm Serum Institute of India supplies the drug to MSF and other countries in need for $6.

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MSF said it had filed a "pre-grant opposition," a filing through which patents can be opposed in India before they are granted.

The charity is arguing that the process Pfizer has sought a patent on is "too obvious to deserve a patent under Indian law."

The charity said its decision to oppose Pfizer's patent application came after "years of fruitless negotiations with Pfizer to lower the vaccine's price for use in its projects."

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Pfizer spokespersons in New York did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday, according to Reuters.

Pneumonia kills nearly a million people each year, and is the biggest cause of death among children under the age of five in India.
A long-time confidant of Aung San Suu Kyi has been confirmed in a parliamentary vote as one of the three final candidates to be Burma's next president, albeit as a proxy for the Nobel laureate.

Htin Kyaw, of the National League for Democracy party, was approved by a 274-29 vote in the lower house of parliament to be a finalist for the presidential election next week.

A second NLD candidate, Henry Van Tio, was chosen as the second finalist by the upper house with a 148-13 vote. A third candidate will be put forward by the military bloc, which has a constitutionally mandated 25% of reserved seats in parliament.

Legislators from both houses of parliament will hold another round of voting - for which no date has been set - to choose one of them as president, which almost certainly will be the 70-year-old Htin Kyaw . The other two will become vice presidents.

"We are satisfied that Htin Kyaw has won to become one of the presidential candidates. We believe that we soon will be able create a better future for our country. We chose him because he is skilful and a very suitable person to be the president," said Myo Zaw Aung, an NLD legislator.

Friday's vote became necessary because, in an unexpected move, the outgoing ruling party put forward its own two candidates on Thursday, even though their candidacy was doomed from the start.

The NLD has an overwhelming majority in both chambers following its landslide victory in the November 8 general elections, which paved the way for the country's first democratically elected government since the military took power in 1962.

The new president will take office on April 1. But for all practical purposes Htin Kyaw will be a proxy for Ms Suu Kyi, who has said she will be "above" the president and rule from behind the scenes.

This arrangement came into being because Ms Suu Kyi is barred from being president by the constitution, which says that anyone with a foreign spouse or children cannot hold the executive office. Ms Suu Kyi's two sons are British, as was her late husband. The clause is widely seen as having been written by the military - Ms Suu Kyi's long-time bitter adversary - with her in mind.

Ms Suu Kyi fought for decades to end dictatorship in Burma, and remains her party's unquestioned leader. She was awarded the 1991 Nobel prize while under house arrest, where she spent 15 years locked away by a junta that feared her political popularity.

For the past few weeks she is believed to have held closed-door talks with the military generals to suspend the constitutional clause that bars her from the presidency, apparently without success.

Ms Suu Kyi did not attend Thursday's high-profile nomination session but posted a letter on Facebook to her legions of supporters. She called it a "first step toward realising the expectations and desires of the people who overwhelmingly supported the National League for Democracy in the elections".

"It is our will to fulfil the people's desire," she said in the letter. "We will try as hard as we can to do that."

Kyaw Thiha, an upper house NLD politician, said on Thursday that the new president will take orders from Ms Suu Kyi.

"She cannot become the president, but it doesn't really matter because she will be controlling everything. She will be the one to control us," Kyaw Thiha said. "It doesn't really matter that she is not becoming the president."

Htin Kyaw is a computer science graduate from the University of London, and is a contemporary of Ms Suu Kyi, who also is 70. He enjoys her full confidence, and was usually seen by her side during her long struggle to bring democracy in Burma.

His father was a national poet and a National League for Democracy politician from an aborted 1990 election, while his wife is a prominent legislator for the party in the current house. His father-in-law, a former army colonel, was a co-founder of the NLD.

A Burma expert expressed misgivings about having a proxy president and the repercussions it will have.

Ms Suu Kyi and and her supporters "are quite rightly indignant about the nakedly political nature of the prohibition against her", said John Ciorciari, an assistant professor at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michgan.

"Yet by insisting that she will pull the strings and continue pursuing the office, she virtually ensures that Htin Kyaw will be perceived as a pass-through president. This makes him an easier target for military leaders keen to reassert control," he said in comments emailed to the Associated Press.
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By Independent Mail

An Anderson woman and an Anderson company, American Screw and Rivet, have been indicted on federal charges of bank fraud and unlawful storage of hazardous waste.

Nancy Marie Stein, 62, and the company were charged in a 12-count federal indictment with bank fraud, according to a statement from the office of Bill Nettles, U.S. district attorney for South Carolina.

The maximum penalty Stein could receive for each count of the indictment, if convicted, is 30 years imprisonment and a fine of $1 million. The maximum penalty the company faces on each count is a fine of $1 million.

Stein and American Screw and Rivet were also charged Friday in a single-count indictment with unlawful storage of hazardous waste, according to the statement from Nettles. The maximum penalty Stein could receive for that count, if convicted, is five years imprisonment.

Each defendant faces a maximum fine of not more than $50,000 for each day of the violation.

The bank fraud case was investigated by U.S. Secret Service agents and the hazardous waste case was investigated by agents of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Both cases are assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorney William C. Lucius of the Greenville office for prosecution.

In May of 2011, environmental inspectors discovered thousands of gallons of unpermitted hazardous waste at the former finishing plant for American Screw and Rivet in Anderson.

By late summer that year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had spent $1 million cleaning up spills in and around the defunct manufacturer's facility off Manse Jolly Road. More than 35,000 gallons of corrosive materials had collected over the years, and a leaky roof on the building ? all but abandoned for six months as its owners were caught up in bankruptcy proceedings ? turned the legal oversight into a major environmental mess.

Bankruptcy court documents released over the course of 2011 outlined a history of creative financing at the 50-year-old company that led, creditors say, to multiple banks extending loans to the company on nonexistent collateral. Court officials found multiple machines with missing or altered serial numbers.

Creditors had forced the manufacturer, owned by siblings Nancy and Bill Stein, into bankruptcy in late 2010, shuttering the main plant near the junction of S.C. 81 and U.S. 85 and the finishing facility on Manse Jolly. Documents obtained in 2011 showed the company, whose assets were auctioned for $1.6 million in spring of that year, owed more than $24 million to creditors.

In other federal cases, Linda M. Hughes, 40, of Liberty was charged in a single-count indictment with delay of mail by a postal employee. The maximum penalty Hughes could receive, if convicted, is five years imprisonment, according to a statement from Nettles.

The case was investigated by U.S. Postal Service agents and is assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Stephens of the Greenville office.

Kevin William Pearson, 30, of Anderson was charged in a single-count indictment with delay of mail by a postal employee. The maximum penalty Pearson could receive, if convicted, is five years imprisonment. The case was investigated by U.S. Postal Service agents and is assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Stephens of the Greenville office, according to a statement from Nettles.
Photos by Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail Katie Logue (left) and her friend Ashley McCarter, both Clemson University students from York, S.C., pet Big Orange, a male cat for adoption at the Tri-County Technical College Veterinary Technology Animal Housing & Student Learning Facility in Pendleton. See more photos at independentmail.com.

SHARE Tina Kluge hugs Luke, a border collie mix for adoption at the Tri-County Technical College Veterinary Technology Animal Housing & Student Learning Facility in Pendleton. Ashley Fowler-Brady (left), department head at the Tri-County Technical College Veterinary Technology, walks with Tammy Fiske in the addition under construction at the Animal Housing & Student Learning Facility campus in Pendleton. Jonathan Holt paints the floor at the Tri-County Technical College Veterinary Technology addition under construction at the Animal Housing & Student Learning Facility on campus in Pendleton. Katie Logue (left), a Clemson University student from York, S.C., holds Big Orange at the Tri-County Technical College Veterinary Technology Animal Housing & Student Learning Facility in Pendleton.

By Michael Eads

PENDLETON  Tri-County Technical College students had to say goodbye Thursday to the dogs and cats that helped them learn about veterinary care.

Tri-County's Veterinary Technology program takes in cats and dogs from local animal shelters every semester. Students learn how to provide basic medical care and teach the animals basic commands and socialization skills. The animals all get spayed or neutered and get their first vaccinations.

The students get attached to their subjects. Some foster the animals over school breaks or adopt them if they don't get placed at one of the semiannual campus adoption fairs.

Sadie Hagins worked with Grover, a 2-year-old shepherd mix. She helped him overcome his timidity around other dogs. He trusted her immediately, she said, and she was able to use that to show him that the other dogs were OK to play with.

Grover found new owners in the first hour of Thursday's adoption fair.

"I did not cry," Hagins said proudly. "I foster dogs back home (in Lancaster, South Carolina), so I see this as more of my job to get Grover into a really good home."

Greenville native Mollie Fowler worked with Tippy, a year-old domestic short hair. She was also rooting for all of the animals to find homes; however, "I'm sure I'll get sad when Tippy gets adopted."

The turnout Thursday was strong, with one woman showing up four hours early to be first in line. Clemson University sophomores Katie Logue and Ashley McCarter showed up in the first hour, looking for a cat and a dog, respectively. Logue locked onto Big Orange, a 2-year-old ginger tabby, and McCarter found Britney, a 2-year-old beagle mix who spent three semesters at Tri-County.

"She came in heartworm positive, and a lot of shelters won't take dogs with heartworms," Hagins explained.

McCarter wasn't dissuaded.

"I'm a definitely a dog person," said McCarter, who hails from York, South Carolina. "I live on a 54-acre farm back home and have border collies."

The adoption event was hosted in Halbert Hall, the cramped home of the veterinary technology program. Department head Ashley Fowler-Brady said 90 percent of the animals usually get placed; the ones who don't will get another shot April 20 when the program hosts its next adoption fair. Should any remain after that, they will go to the adoption room at the Oconee County animal shelter.

A new $1.5 million animal house and learning facility should open next to Halbert Hall within the next month, according to Fowler-Brady. Its 5,500 square feet includes indoor/outdoor dog runs, more quarantine space and more natural lighting than the animals now have.

Fowler-Brady said renovations to Halbert, including improved labs and classrooms for her program, would begin once the new building is ready for business.

A capital campaign has raised over $30,000 so far to improve surgical facilities, buy medicines and better accommodate students, said Director of Annual Giving Tammy Fiske.

The program was established in 1977 with plans to take on 30-40 student at a time  there are over 150 vet tech students now. It has a high job placement rate and draws students from across the Southeast.

"This program has 400 percent more students than it was originally intended for," said Fiske.

To learn more about donating to the capital campaign, visit http://bit.ly/1Lfcy1B or call 864-646-1348.

Follow Michael Eads on Twitter @MikeEads_AIM
Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) will try to sell stakes in few steel units, set up JVs with companies in Asia and Europe, and seek a buyer for its power assets in India in a bid to pare debt, CEO Ravi Uppal has been quoted as saying. Domestic credit ratings agency CRISIL has downgraded Naveen Jindal-led Jindal Steel & Power Ltd. (JSPL) to default grade just three weeks after it had slashed the company's credit rating.: Blue Star is in talks with renowned professional institutes such as IIT-Mumbai and IISc-Bengaluru for a tie-up to develop new innovative products, reports a business daily.: The company has announced that its consortium has bagged contract for EnBW Hohe See Offshore Wind Farm.: United Spirits has hastened the process of selling 13 residential properties and mandated a leading banker to re-evaluate these assets, a person with direct knowledge of the development said.BSNL is in preliminary discussions with Bharti Airtel for spectrum sharing in four circles and the deal is likely to be finalised by June, reports a business daily.: Around 3.8 lakh cartons of an osteoporosis drug manufactured by Sun Pharmaceutical Industries are being recalled in the US and Puerto Rico due to the presence of 'unknown impurity', as per media reports.The company expects a sales revenue of about Rs 700 crore from the second phase of its luxury housing project at Vikhroli in Mumbai launched today.: Omaxe's promoter and CEO Mohit Goel has started an e-commerce portal, Supplified.com, in his personal capacity to market construction materials and will invest $1 million as seed funding, as per media reports.: Hero MotoCorp is planning to enter new markets globally, including Mexico and Nigeria, as it eyes 1 crore unit sales by 2017-18.The company is reportedly planning to re-introduce earlier variants of Maggi noodles besides launching new variants in the next few months, reports a business daily.: RIL said that it will pay a total of Rs.3,140 crore in interim dividend to shareholders, including the promoters.: The board of directors of National Buildings Construction Corporation will meet on March 11 to consider a proposal for a stock split.: Britannia may enter the 'ready-to-cook' chapati and parotha segment soon after the Bengaluru-based start-up iD Fresh Food introduced the staple Indian breads in the market, reports a financial newspaper.: IndiGo received the first of its 430 ordered Airbus A320 neo (Neo Engine Option) plans, kickstarting the next phase of expansion for India's biggest carrier by market share.: A bill seeking to regulate the real estate sector, bring in transparency and help protect consumer interests was passed by the Rajya Sabha which could boost demand for real estate and hence positive for real estate developers.: Power Grid Corporation of India said its board has approved a total investment of Rs.885 crore in projects to strengthen transmission and augment transformation capacity.: CRISIL has downgraded its ratings on the debt instruments of eight public sector banks, and revised its outlook on five others to 'Negative' from 'Stable'.: The Cabinet decided to revert to the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation the Ratna and R-series oil and gas fields, off the Mumbai coast, which were previously awarded to Essar Oil but the contract could not be signed.: TCS announced it has been recognized as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape report, Worldwide Manufacturing PLM Strategic Consulting 2015 Vendor Assessment.:The IT company announced a strategic collaboration with Tableau, a global leader in rapid-fire, easy-to-use business analytics software, to offer solution accelerators and innovative delivery models for Wipros and Tableaus customers across the globe.: As many as eight investors, including global private equity (PE) firms KKR, Bain Capital and General Atlantic, have been shortlisted for the purchase of GE Capitals stake in a credit card joint venture with State Bank of India (SBI), reports a business daily.
Maruti Vitara Brezza, compact SUV from India's largest passenger vehicle manufacturer, received overwhelming response after its launch and has got 2,600 bookings within a day of its launch, according to reports. Maruti Vitara Brezza was launched with introductory prices of Rs. 7.35 Lakh to Rs. 10.14 Lakh (ex,showroom, Mumbai). The "Make in India" concept is a key highlight of the SUV, as R.S. Kalsi, Executive Director Marketing & Sales at Maruti, said during the launch that the car has be designed, developed, conceptualised, and manufactured in India. (IndiaInfoline)Hero MotoCorp, country's largest two-wheeler maker, declared an interim dividend of Rs. 40 per equity share for the financial year ending March 31. "The Board of Directors of the company at its meeting held on March 10, 2016 has approved and declared the interim dividend at the rate of 2,000 per cent i.e. Rs 40 per equity share of Rs 2 each for the financial year ending March 31, 2016," Hero MotoCorp Ltd said in a BSE filing. (IndiaInfoline)Passenger Vehicle sales for February stood at 2.3 lakh units, according to Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers ( SIAM) showing a decline of 4.21% at 1,64,469 units. Commercial Vehicle Sales saw a higher demand as sales jumped 20% yoy to 62,359 units. The total 2-wheeler sales rose by 12.8% yoy to 13.6 lakh units. Motorcycles sales were at 8,59,624 units. (IndiaInfoline)Cab aggregator Ola, on Friday announced that Sunil Shirguppi, former Vice President at Goldman Sachs, will join Ola as Vice President - Engineering and will primarily be working towards enhancing capabilities in data science and machine learning. (ET)Online retailer Flipkart sees a big opportunity in selling automobiles and accessories online as it scouts for categories to both boost revenue and deliver profits. The Bengaluru-based company plans to aggressively push sales of motorcycles, scooters and cars on its platform besides selling spare parts and services, according to a top official. (ET)Less than a week of piloting its bike taxis in Bengaluru, Ola has apparently withdrawn the service. The option to hail a bike taxi was unavailable on the Ola app right through Thursday.The reason is not clear. For now, it looks to be the state gov ernment's move to call the service illegal. The government has even advised citizens against using bike taxis. (ET)Indian two wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp has inaugurated its 'Global Centre of Innovation and Technology' (CIT) in Jaipur, Rajasthan, on Thursday. Built with an investment of Rs 850 crore, the CIT is a reinforcement of Hero's commitment to innovate sustainable mobility solutions, for the world, in India. (ET)The first person in Singapore to own a Tesla has been fined 7,600 because his all-electric car was deemed to produce more harmful emissions than a petrol-powered V8 Range Rover. Instead of receiving a grant from the Singapore government, the man was banned from driving his Model S until he paid the fine. (zigwheels.com)
Laying bare his intentions for expansion of the food business, Kishore Biyani plans to clock Rs.45,000 crore in his food retail business in the next 5 years."Food is becoming a status symbol", believes Biyani, saying "There is no bigger canvas than the food industry in the market." He has introduced 37 brands in 64 categories. He has a vision to grow to Rs. 20,000 crore sales in business by 2021."The company has planned to open multiple stores - 360 hypermarkets and hundreds of small stores. If the group is successful in doing this, then our business on the food retail side alone will be close to Rs. 40-45,000 crore. Our brands can be a part of this growth," added Biyani, CEO of Future Group.Biyani has launched about 15-20 own brands with a thought to clock 70% of the total earnings. The new brands are in varied categories like food, home and personal care brands. The new in-house brands like Golden Harvest is thought to make 3,500 crore by 2021. Another home grown brand, Tasty Treat, Biyani believes, has been widely accepted by the customers, so he is eyeing a turnover of 1,500 crore by 2021. Nilgri, a bakery and dairy company, which replaced Amul on the shelves, is expected to touch Rs. 700 crore by 2021.While other companies sell breakfast oats, Future Group will soon launch its oats brand called Kosh which will be producing oats with combinations to be served as lunch and dinner. They are also going to launch a personal care product in a partnership with Swiss firm Mibelle of Sri Lanka.Kishore Biyani is in full swing to raise the bar to stay in the business by launching new brands in several categories. He also plans to have manufacturing units in the country which will boost not just the production but the Make in India plan as well.
Bharat Forge Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016 has declared Second Interim Dividend of Rs. 4/- per equity share of face value of Rs. 2/- each for the financial year ending on March 31, 2016.Welspun India Ltd has informed BSE that the pre-stock split rate of dividend is Rs. 6/- per equity share having nominal value of Rs. 10/- and the post-stock split rate of dividend is Re. 0.60/- per equity share having nominal value of Re. 1/-.Nucleus Software Exports Ltd has informed BSE that a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company will be held on March 16, 2016, inter alia, to consider declaration of interim dividend for the financial year 2015-16.UFO Moviez India Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, has approved payment of Interim Dividend for the financial year 2015-16 @ Rs. 5 per equity share on the face value of Rs. 10/- each.Manappuram Finance Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016 declared an interim dividend of 45 paise per equity share of Rs. 2 each.GP Petroleums Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, inter alia, has declared an interim dividend for the financial year 2015-16 @ 8% amounting to Rs. 0.40 per share on equity share of Rs. 5/- each for the financial year 2015-16.TVS Srichakra Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, has declared second interim dividend of Rs. 30/- per share (300% on the face value of Rs. 10/- per share) for the financial year 2015-16.Elixir Capital Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, have approved the payment of Interim Dividend @ 12.50% (Rs. 1.25 per equity share) for the financial year 2015 - 2016.CCL Products (India) Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, has Declared an interim dividend of Rs. 1.50/- per equity share of nominal value of Rs. 2/- each for the financial year 2015-16.Sukhjit Starch & Chemicals Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, have approved an Interim dividend of 50% (i.e. Rs. 5.00 per equity share of the face value of Rs. 10/- each) for the financial year 2015-16.Blue Star Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, has declared a First Interim Dividend for the Financial Year 2015-16 of Rs. 6.50 per share of Rs. 2 each (face value) on 8,99,36,105 equity shares of the Company.Pix Transmissions Ltd has informed BSE that a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company will be held on March 18, 2016, inter alia, to consider the declaration of interim dividend, if any, on the Equity shares of the Company, for the financial year 2015-16.Emkay Global Financial Services Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, has declared interim dividend at Rs. 1/- per share.PI Industries Ltd has informed BSE that the Company has fixed March 23, 2016 as the Record Date for the purpose of Payment of Second Interim Dividend, subject to approval of the board in its meeting scheduled to be held on March 14, 2016.Forbes & Company Ltd has informed BSE that the Company has made timely payment of interest due on March 10, 2016 on Secured Redeemable Non-convertible Debentures of face value of Rs. 10,00,000 each fully paid up issued on private placement basis.Meghmani Organics Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, has declared interim dividend @ 30% (i.e. 0.30 paise) on equity shares of Rs. 1.00 each.Carborundum Universal Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, has approved the payment of an interim dividend of Re. 0.50 per equity share (on a face value of Re. 1/-) for the year ending March 31, 2016.Weizmann Forex Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, has declared an interim dividend @75% i.e., Rs. 7.50/- per equity share on 1,15,64,357 Equity shares of the Company of Rs. 10/- each for the financial year 2015-16.Nucleus Software Exports Ltd has informed BSE that the Company has fixed March 28, 2016 as the Record Date for the purpose of Payment of Interim Dividend for financial year FY 2015-16.Grindwell Norton Ltd has informed BSE that the Company has fixed March 24, 2016 as the Record Date for the purpose of Payment of Interim Dividend, if declared.EIH Associated Hotels Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, inter alia, has declared an Interim Dividend of Rs. 3 (30%) per share for the financial year 2015-16.Ramco Industries Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, have declared an Interim Dividend of 50 paise (50%) per Equity share of Re. 1/- each for the year 2015-2016. The dividend will be paid to the Members of the Company on or after March 22, 2016.Vardhman Textiles Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, have declared an interim dividend @ Rs. 15/- (i.e. 150%) per Equity Share of face value Rs. 10/- each of the Company for the Financial Year 2015-2016.Weizmann Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, has approved payment of interim dividend @ 5% i.e., Re. 0.50 per equity share on 17271536 Equity shares of the Company of Rs. 10/- each for the financial year 2015-16.Sakuma Exports Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, has approved the payment of Interim Dividend @ 10 % (Re. 1 per equity share) for the financial year 2015-2016.NESCO Ltd has informed BSE that a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company will be held on March 17, 2016, inter alia, to consider and declare Interim Dividend for the Financial Year ending March 31, 2016.CESC Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, has declared an Interim Dividend @ Rs.10/- per share (100%) payable on and from March 22, 2016.Rupa & Company Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, has declared Interim Dividend to the shareholders of the Company for the Financial Year 2015-16 @ 275%, i.e., Rs. 2.75 per equity share of the Company.Sagar Cements Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, has declared an interim dividend of Rs. 5.00 per share (50%) for the year ending March 31, 2016 on the 1,73,88,014 equity shares of Rs. 10/- each of the Company.OM Metals Infraprojects Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016 has declared an Interim Dividend of Rs. 0.30 per fully paid- up equity shares of Rs. 1/- each of the Company. The interim Dividend will be paid/dispatched to the shareholders on or before March 31, 2016.Shardul Securities Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, has approved payment of Interim Dividend of Rs.0.60 per Equity Share for the financial year 2015-16.Metal Coatings India Ltd has informed BSE that a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company will be held on March 16, 2016, to consider and declare the Interim Dividend for the financial year 2015-16.Biocon Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company has approved the payment of interim dividend at a rate of 100% i.e. (Rs. 5 per share) for the financial year 2015-16 vide circular resolution dated March 11, 2016.Emkay Global Financial Services Ltd has informed BSE that the Company has fixed March 23, 2016 as the Record Date for the purpose of Payment of Interim Dividend for the financial year 2015-2016.APM Industries Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, inter-alia, declared 2nd Interim Dividend @ Rs. 2.00 per equity share (i.e. 100%) on face value of Rs. 2/- per share for the Financial Year 2015-2016.Thirumalai Chemicals Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, have declared the 2nd interim dividend @ Rs. 6/- per equity share having a face value of Rs. 10/- each, for the financial year ending March 31, 2016.Maithan Alloys Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on March 11, 2016, have declared payment of Interim Dividend of Rs. 2/- (Two) per share of Rs. 10/- each (excluding Corporate Dividend Tax).Renaissance Jewellery Ltd has informed BSE that the Company has fixed March 23, 2016 as the Record Date for the purpose of Payment of Interim Dividend.
Extending a $2 billion credit line, India has signed the dotted lines of a pact with Bangladesh for providing development financing, as per Exim Bank, says a Reuters report.The aforesaid agreement between India and Bangladesh comes in line with what PM Modi had promised the latter uring his Dhaka visit in June last year. The announcement of a new credit line for Bangladesh follows $1 billion in assistance provided to Bangladesh in 2011 for infrastructure development, as per the report.The financial aid provided to Bangladesh would be instrumental in developing sectors like power, road transportation, railways, shipping, information and communication technology, health and technical education sectors, as per Indian government's external lending arm, the report said.An amount of $1.60 billion is also likely to be extended by Exim Bank in buyer's credit, for a joint venture between India and Bangladesh to build a 1,320 megawatt thermal power plant project in Bangladesh, as per the report.
A whopping 51,000 tonnes of naphtha has been sold by the Indian Oil Corp (IOC) from late March to early April at rarely seen discount levels, says a Reuters report.Loaded from Kandla to Thai firm PTT, about 24,000 tonnes of the fuel was sold by the company for March 28 to April 3, at an unusual discount. The company also sold 27,000 tonnes for March 28-30 loading to Japanese Itochu at a discount of about $7 a tonne, to its own price formula, as per the report.An abundance of supply is taking a toll on the sellers, traders are of the view. Traders selling cargoes on a cost-and-freight (C&F) basis to North Asia, as well as Indian refiners got marred by the same, as per the report.Owing to the shipments arriving in Asia from the West, which also includes Europe and the Mediterranean, supplies have been augmenting in the midst of a steady demand, added the report.
Cab aggregator Uber announced the inauguration of its first engineering centre in Asia in Bengaluru. The Bengaluru centre is Ubers sixth engineering centre globally.This facility will focus on addressing local problems around poor Internet connectivity, accuracy in routing vehicles and supply projection among others.Ride hailing companys Bengaluru centre will house software engineers, product developers and others working initially on problems specific to users in India, but will eventually play a role in improving Ubers customer-facing technologies worldwide.The centre currently houses about 8 engineers, with former Google executive Jaikumar Ganesh at vanguard. The company plans to recruit hundreds of engineers in coming years to ramp it up.Uber currently has 10 engineers at its Hyderabad centre working currently on the companys internal system.Ride hailing service Uber Inc has offices in San Francisco, Amsterdam, Sofia in Bulgaria, Aarhus in Denmark and Vilnius in Lithuania employing more than 1,000 engineers.Just recently Uber announced the launch of its first Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Asia at Kondapur, near Hitech City in Hyderabad. The facility would help to create 500 jobs by the end of 2017 besides providing efficient support experience for riders and driver partners in India.The world most valued startup also recently signed a pact with government of Haryana. The taxi-hailing app is planning to invest $17.7 million in technology based ride-sharing services to promote efficient, eco-friendly and smart transportation in the state and the NCR region.Uber Technologies Inc. is an American multinational online taxi dispatch company headquartered in San Francisco,California. It develops, markets and operates the Uber mobile app, which allows consumers with smartphones to submit a trip request which is then routed to Uber drivers who use their own cars. It has services in over 58 countries and 300 cities worldwide. Uber is currently estimated to be worth $62.5 billion.
moviepilot

Just a few days ago we got to know that Spiderman (yes!) is joining Captain America in the upcoming flick Captain America: Civil War, and we couldn't be more excited! One look at the new trailer, and you'd know it's going to be simply E.P.I.C! As if Captain America and Iron Man pitted against each other wasn't enough, there's Ant-Man, Black Widow, Hawk Eye, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther, and of course, Spiderman!

But it's not just this one we're looking forward to. There's a bunch of amazing superhero films coming out soon and each looks more kickass than the other! And of course, here's why it looks like 2016 will be a really exciting year for all superhero fans!

1. Thanks to Deadpool, we saw that a superhero can be ultra cool with a foul-mouth and an anti-hero personality!

foxmovies

We finally learnt that not all superheroes have to have a messiah-like, do-gooder personality all the damn time, thanks to Deadpool! The audience loved Deadpool's anti-hero personality and the movie broke quite a few records internationally. Ryan Reynolds broke free from his Green Lantern curse and earned the title of a superhero with this one.

2. You'll get to see two of the biggest and most popular superheroes - Batman and Superman - lock horns with each other in Batman Vs Superman Dawn Of Justice.

deadline

These two are probably the oldest superheroes we know of, and they are both our favourites! Which is why it's going to be simply E.P.I.C to see both of them fight it out with each other. Oh yeah, there's Wonder Woman too! But the question is, whose side are you on?

3. What's more exciting than two superheroes fighting it out with each other? Two freaking gangs of superheroes fighting it out with each other!

screenrant

Captain America Civil War will not only see Iron Man and Captain America turning against each other, but will also get their respective gangs of superheroes pitted against each other. There's Black Widow, Bucky Barnes, Falcon, Hawkeye, Black Panther, Scarlet Witch, Vision and more! Phew! If that doesn't get you excited, we don't know what will!

4. There's going to be the return of X-Men as well in X Men Apocalypse and this one is going to decide the future of X-Men flicks in the years to come.

screenrant

Apparently there's going to be a ton of new characters introduced in this one, including a mutant antagonist with god-like powers! We'll get to see Raven and Charles Xavier lead a team of young X-Men to face the supervillain Apocalypse and defeat him.

5. A superhero movie full of supervillains - how exciting is that going to be? Suicide Squad promises to be just that!

youtube

There's the Joker, Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Boomerang, you name it and they have it! And all these supervillains are going to execute a dangerous black ops missions in exchange for mercy.

6. You might just get to see Gambit on the big screen this year, with Channing Tatum making his superhero character debut!

forbes

Although the release date of the film hasn't been finalised yet, there are good chances that the film will hit the screens this year. It's the story of a kinetic energy-controlling mutant and would further expand the X-Men series.

7. Benedict Cumberbatch will also finally join the superhero bandwagon with Marvel's Doctor Strange.

wikia

This one tells the tale of a brain surgeon who tries to find a cure for his damaged hands, and is granted magical powers by a hermit. And of course, he'll use these powers to defend the world against evil!

8. Hugh Jackman will don the metal blades for one last time in the yet untitled Wolverine flick.

twitter

This is probably one sentence which makes us go yay and nay at the same time! Good news is Jackman is going to be back on the big screen playing Wolverine. Bad thing, it's going to be for the last time ever.
Business tycoon Vijay Mallya is in the news for failing to repay the nearly Rs. 7,000 crores to various banks and his subsequent fleeing from India.

PTI

It is still unclear whether Mallya will be returning to India, or how the banks will recover the huge amount he owes them if he does come back.

While the Mallya episode is being described as the biggest fraud in Indian history, we take a look at some of the biggest corporate scams in recent years.

1. Subrata Roy, Sahara

Sahara Group chairman Subrata Roy and Vijay Mallya had a lot in common. Both successful businessmen had a passion for sports. The two also had their own IPL teams, Sahara Pune Warriors and Royal Challengers Bangalore (after resigning as the chief of UB Group Mallya is technically not the owner of RCB). In fact, the duo jointly owns the Sahara Force India Formula 1 team.

Reuters

Sahara Group was accused of failing to refund over Rs. 20,000 crore to its more than 30 million small investors which it collected through two unlisted companies of Sahara.

Reuters

In 2011, SEBI ordered Sahara to refund this amount with interest to the investors, as the issue was not in compliance with the requirements applicable to the public offerings of securities.

Roy was arrested on 28 February 2014 and still remains behind bars as an under-trial. His proposal to settlement of the matter was rejected by the court and SEBI.

2. Ramalinga Raju, Satyam Computers

B Ramalinga Raju, the founder of Satyam Computers, got into trouble after he admitted to inflating the company revenue, profit and profit margins for every single quarter over a period of 5 years, from 2003-2008. The amount embezzled by him is estimated to be around Rs. 7,200 crore.

PTI

In April 2015, Ramalinga Raju and his brothers were sentenced to 7 years in jail, and fined Rs. 5.5 crore.

3. Sudipta Sen, Saradha Chit Fund

Saradha group which ran a chit fund in West Bengal had collected around 200 to 300 billion from investors with a promise of high returns for their investments.

Saradha

The company which enjoyed strong political backings collapsed in April 2013. The amount investors lost is estimated to be between Rs. 2060  2400 crores.

4. Ketan Parekh

Parekh was involved in circular trading and stock manipulation through 1999-2001 in a host of companies. He borrowed from banks like Global Trust Bank and Madhavpura Mercantile Co-operative bank, and manipulated a host of stocks popularly known as K-10 stocks.

BCCL

Parekh has spent only 1 year in jail but has been banned from trading in the Indian stock markets till 2017.

5. Ram Sumiran Pal, Speak Asia

Speak Asia was an online trading company founded by Ram Sumiran Pal and his brother. Pal and his associates duped at least 24 lakh investors for Rs 2,200 crore in the scam extending to Singapore, Italy, and Brazil, among others.

BCCL

They took over or set up multi-level marketing companies registered in foreign countries attracting investments due to their global profile. There were some buyouts in Brazil as well. These were later used to launder money. One such company, Speak Asia, in Singapore, was introduced in India in 2010.
India is all set to have its first batch of female fighter pilots on June 18 this year. Currently, three women fighters, Bhawana Kanth, Mohana Singh and Avani Chaturvedi, who have been shortlisted, are undergoing their stage-11 training.

BCCL

Stage-II training is critical as the performance of the cadets will decide whether they are fit for the final stage of preparation.

But according to reports, the IAF has put some strange demand to them, if they are to be selected.

BCCL

An advisory to avoid pregnancy was issued to the women training at an IAF facility near Hyderabad so that their training schedule was not disrupted, Hindustan Times quoting IAF vice chief Air Marshal BS Dhanoa reported.

He also clarified that it was not a "no-pregnancy clause", but just an advisory.

The government had in October last year approved their induction in combat roles, the first time in its 83 year history.
While the entire country is discussing the Rs 7,000 crore loan to liquor baron Vijay Mallya and how the banks and authorities went soft on him, a case of sharp contradiction has emerged.

Indian Express

G Balan, a farmer from Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, was roughed up by loan recovery agents of the bank and cops as they tried to impound his tractor after he defaulted on a loan.

He had taken a loan of Rs 3.80 lakh to buy a tractor in 2011 and signed an agreement to repay it in eight installments - in intervals every six months.

So far, Balan has paid Rs 4.11 lakh including the interest in six installments. Only two installments, each Rs 65,000, were due, he claimed.

I could not continue to pay the amount as I suffered after my crops were washed away due to heavy rains and floods, Balan said.

Since he wasn't able to pay the due amount for the last two months, nearly 20 persons from the bank accompanied by police reached his place to recover the tractor.

Even though Thanjavur police said they acted on a court order, Balan claimed that no one had served notice to him before the recovery of his tractor.
Vijay Mallya has finally broken his silence following his flight from the country this week. In a series of tweets, Mallya jumped to his own defence this morning and tried his best to refute the allegations levelled against him.

I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 10, 2016

As an Indian MP I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 10, 2016

The man also alleged a "witch hunt" by the media.

Once a media witch hunt starts it escalates into a raging fire where truth and facts are burnt to ashes.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 11, 2016

Mallya owes an enormous debt of Rs 7000 crore from 17 lenders. The businessman left India on March 2 as there was no bar on him from travelling abroad. He took a Jet Airways' Delhi to London flight where he travelled first class with 7 heavy bags of luggage. His exit, however, couldn't be prevented as the banks had moved the Supreme Court only after his departure.
Even the top executives of Google don't shy away from quitting their jobs for the love of travel. Last year, Google's ex-CFO Patrick Pichette left the tech giant to go globetrotting with his family. At the time of his leaving announcement, Pichette wrote the most unconventional notice that warmed millions of hearts worldwide.

The first half of his memo read:

After nearly 7 years as CFO, I will be retiring from Google to spend more time with my family. Yeah, I know you've heard that line before. We give a lot to our jobs. I certainly did. And while I am not looking for sympathy, I want to share my thought process because so many people struggle to strike the right balance between work and personal life.

entrepreneur

This story starts last fall. A very early morning last September, after a whole night of climbing, looking at the sunrise on top of Africa - Mt Kilimanjaro. Tamar (my wife) and I were not only enjoying the summit, but on such a clear day, we could see in the distance, the vast plain of the Serengeti at our feet, and with it the calling of all the potential adventures Africa has to offer. (see exhibit #1 - Tamar and I on Kili).

And Tamar out of the blue said "Hey, why don't we just keep on going". Let's explore Africa, and then turn east to make our way to India, it's just next door, and we're here already. Then, we keep going; the Himalayas, Everest, go to Bali, the Great Barrier Reef... Antarctica, let's go see Antarctica!?" Little did she know, she was tempting fate.

Radio Canada

I remember telling Tamar a typical prudent CFO type response- I would love to keep going, but we have to go back. It's not time yet, There is still so much to do at Google, with my career, so many people counting on me/us - Boards, Non Profits, etc

But then she asked the killer question: So when is it going to be time? Our time? My time? The questions just hung there in the cold morning African air.

Tabloids called his message "powerful", for the simple reason that Pichette realised that he had served a good number of years working and that the time had come to pursue his dreams. More like his wife's dreams. He, therefore, bid goodbye to a hefty paycheck of $5 million dollars and began exploring the world with his family.

Pichette realised that since his children had grown up and moved on to find their ways in life, it was now time to fulfill the promises he had made to his wife.

Pichette's adventures

In the last year alone, Pichette has achieved what his full-time stint at Google wouldn't have otherwise allowed him to. He first participated in an Ironman competition with his daughter in Canada, followed by a visit to Burning Man, and ending that on a "high" note by rock climbing his way up at Yosemite National Park in California.

Pichette also took flying lessons!

www.pichette.org

And soon began the exciting adventures that took him and his wife to Nepal amidst the Himalayas, perfectly cushioned by two separate visits to India.

www.pichette.org

Now he's back in Canada - his native land - to spend the holidays. At the end of it, Pichette will pack his bags once again to fly off to Buenos Aires, Patagonia and Antarctica.

Just reading about his travels is giving us jet lag.

Google is still on his mind

Pichette was still travelling when Google went through its biggest restructuring last year. And while his replacement, Ruth Porat, joined the company, Pichette was proud to see things fall in place that he himself had worked on while he was still CFO.

www.pichette.org

When Pichette left Google, he left behind the public appreciation that came with it. But he's not complaining. In fact, he is still in touch with the top three execs at Google - Larry, Sergey and Eric.

And he's all praises for his successor: "Ruth is doing a good job."

Pichette, in fact, hasn't completely severed his ties from the corporate world. An advocate of work/life balance, Pichette is still continuing his 'work' stint at many non-profit and for-profit businesses.

Think it's time to take a cue from Pichette and rework our work/life goals, yeah?
Five years ago, a terrible earthquake caused a tsunami in the Pacific Ocean that tore the world apart, sinking all signs of some islands around Sumatra and bringing new islands to light. In the midst of it all, three nuclear plants suffered a meltdown at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in Japan, causing the release of radioactive materials into the atmosphere and, more importantly, into the water. This is the largest nuclear accident since the Chernobyl accident of 1986 and has led to the relocation of 1,60,000 inhabitants of the area, out of which 1,20,000 have not been able to return since.

Charity Owl

While the world seems to have recovered from the tragic loss the tsunami brought with it, no loss to human life was recorded owing to the Fukushima incident.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) works as a watchdog for the United Nations, and has said that while Japan has been able to make a significant progress in recovering, Fukushima still faces a radioactive threat. The IAEA calls it a "very complex scenario". The Japanese government, in 2013, had admitted that a minimum of 300 tonnes of contaminated water has been pouring into the Pacific Ocean. That means that approximately 3,00,000 tonnes (minimum) of contaminated water made its way into the Pacific Ocean by March of 2013.

But that's not all

Wikimedia Commons

The nuclear facility's operator, TEPCO, had dumped over three million gallons of contaminated water into the ocean while trying to save the remaining plants and emptying the contaminated lakes and ponds around the facility.

The far-reaching effects of radiation are scary

mirror.co.uk

It has taken a long time to prove that the damaged nuclear plants of Fukushima had been leaking radiation into the water every day for the first two years. There has also been proof to show that there have been several more leaks in the days in the years after.

Over the years, the radiation has been carried to distant shores and affected all of marine life, including a variety of seafood, particularly seaweeds, according to a study a high school student from Alberta, Bronwyn Delacruz, in 2014. Northern California also recorded the impact at an early stage which included a rise in neonatal diseases and hypothyroidism among babies.

collective-evolution.com

There have been wide-spread mutations being reported as a result of the radiation in the water. Researchers in the Pacific around America carried out tests on 26 albacore tuna caught prior to the 2011 power plant disaster and those caught after. Although levels were small, less than the amount of radioactivity found naturally in a single banana, evidence is still present on the fish from the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

whatdoesitmean.com

This could have been avoided

The biggest problem wasn't the earthquake that triggered the tsunami. The problem, in fact, lay with the location of the nuclear plant. It was constructed on a fault line. Turns out that an alarming number of nuclear plants in the world are built on fault lines.

fukushimaupdate.com

Instead of moving to cleaner, renewable energy to serve our energy needs, we still choose to tamper with radioactive energy, the slightest leak of which can lead to mass damage and death, for generations.
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By Kelly M. Pyrek

Enhancing quality, promoting patient safety and ensuring value is the healthcare industry's current trifecta, but there are many more imperatives from a regulatory perspective, including shifting from volume-based to value-based reimbursement, enhancing transitions and reducing hospital readmissions, and improving patient satisfaction and engagement. In concert with these efforts comes the prevention of adverse events and infections. In today's environment of transparency and reform, understanding legal liability for healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) is more critical than ever for infection preventionists as they assist their risk managers and patient safety officers with quality improvement initiatives.

Goguen (2015) reminds us that failure to follow evidence-based practices can amount to medical negligence, and outlines three risk factors for acquiring an infection:

1. Patient Risk Factors: These include the duration of the patient's stay in a clinical setting, the severity of the illness or injury for which the patient was admitted, and the function and capacity of their immune system during their visit.

2. Organizational Risk Factors: These include the cleanliness of the hospital and treatment setting in general, including the filtration of the HVAC system, concentration of patient beds, cleanliness of water systems, cleanliness of building surfaces, and sterility of medical devices.

3. Iatrogenic Risk Factors: These include the care with which the doctors, hospital staff, nurses and other care providers perform. This includes the frequency with which hands are washed, use of antibiotics, and especially care used during invasive procedures such as intravenous administration of medication, intubation, and urine catheterization.

As Goguen (2015) notes, "Because it's so difficult to show exactly how the infection was transmitted -- only that it occurred while in treatment -- the hospital itself is the most likely to be held responsible  Determining liability for injuries or death resulting from HAI and sepsis can be very challenging from a legal perspective, and requires an investigation into the specific circumstances of how the infection was acquired, why it was not promptly treated, and whether it could or should have been prevented. Where hospitals are involved, it isn't always clear who is liable for the patient's infection, and if a doctor seems to be the one responsible, the hospital may not be on the legal hook if the doctor was actually an independent contractor as opposed to an employee. In order to bring a successful lawsuit for damages resulting from HAI and sepsis, the defendant's liability will need to be established, usually by a qualified expert medical witness (a neutral third party medical doctor) who examines the treatment situation and determines if there was compliance with the appropriate medical standard of care at every turn. If it is found that the infection was preventable, and that it occurred due to the negligence of a medical professional, then a lawsuit has a good chance of success. The patient can bring a medical malpractice lawsuit within a short time frame, or, in the worst case scenario, family members can sue the hospital for wrongful death."

Brigid Sheridan, RN, JD, associate general counsel and director of legal accounts for University Health System in San Antonio, Texas, explains that in general, for a person to bring a cause of action against another, the plaintiff must have an interest that is protected by law; must show the defendant had a legal duty to act; must prove the defendant breached the duty to act; must show injury or damage to the protected interest; and must prove that the defendants breach of duty caused the injury.

As author of the Legal Issues chapter of the APIC Text, Sheridan says that initially, the burden of proof rests with the plaintiff: "The plaintiffs case must establish a burden of proof by a preponderance of the evidence. If the plaintiff succeeds in establishing proof, the burden of proof shifts to the defendant. If the plaintiff establishes liability, the plaintiff must then prove damages. In some cases, the court may decide there are no material fact issues and that the required elements of the cause of action do not exist or that a legal defense exists. In these cases, the court grants summary judgment in favor of the prevailing party without a trial."

Franchesca Charney, RN, MS, CPHRM, CPHQ, CPPS, CPSO, FASHRM, director of risk management for the American Association of Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM), notes that "Infections occur for many, many reasons, but if someone sues a hospital or clinician as a result of acquiring an infection, then they are suing because they believe there was malpractice."

Sheridan says that HAI-related litigation is separate from medical malpractice "because it is geared more toward the healthcare institution than the actual physician, and so it is more of a civil, wrongful tort action that would be primarily aimed against the hospital," she says.

According to the APIC Text, "Medical malpractice is legally defined as professional negligence by act or omission by a healthcare provider in which the treatment provided falls below the accepted standard of practice in the medical community and causes harm to the patient. Physicians generally obtain professional liability insurances to offset the risk and costs of lawsuits based on medical malpractice. Other healthcare providers can also procure their own professional liability insurance but most do not because of the high cost of the insurance coverage and rely solely upon the general liability coverage provided by their employer. The medical malpractice cases filed in the in the legal system generally seek large amounts of monetary compensation, and no matter how small or large the claim, the cost of defending the claim impacts health care professionals and the healthcare organization involved. Large monetary awards in medical malpractice cases that proceed to a jury trial receive notoriety that in turn encourage the filing of medical malpractice claims by others, thus perpetuating the cycle of litigation that impacts the cost of delivery of healthcare and threatens the overall accessibility, affordability, and quality of healthcare in this country."

Sheridan says that an individual acts negligently if he or she departs from the conduct expected of a reasonably prudent person acting under similar circumstances. Departure from reasonable conduct may take the form of an omission or commission of an act. Omission of an act includes failing to administer medications; failing to order diagnostic tests; or failing to follow up on abnormal test results. Commission may include administering the wrong medication to a patient; administering medication to the wrong patient; or performing a surgical procedure without patient or family consent.

According to Sheridan, for a plaintiff to recover damages resulting from a negligent act, the plaintiff must address the following four elements.

1. Duty: an obligation to conform to a recognized standard of care.

2. Breach of duty: a deviation from the recognized standard of care.

3. Causation: an act or conduct departing from the recognized standard of care that caused injury.

4. Injury: the result of the deviation from the recognized standard of care

As Sheridan writes, "To illustrate negligence, consider an example of a patient who acquires an infection during his or her hospital stay. The patient must establish: He or she contracted an infection in the hospital; the hospital, through an act of negligence, breached its duty to the patient and did not follow a policy or procedure to prevent the infection; the hospitals negligence caused the infection; the patients condition worsened because of the infection. The test for negligence in this example rests on whether the hospital care or lack of care caused the infection and whether the hospital and the personnel working with the patient acted in a reasonable and prudent manner to recognize, report and try to control the infection."

Going to the heart of the matter is if and how healthcare institutions have followed practice parameters, Sheridan explains. These practice parameters are medical guidelines that encompass a broad range of strategies designed to assist practitioners in the clinical decision-making process. Sheridan says they are standardized specifications for care developed through a formal process that incorporates the best scientific evidence of effectiveness with expert opinion. Medical professionals in specific areas set these guidelines in order to advise colleagues of the recommended standard of care to use in a given situation. Practice parameters also help healthcare facilities to meet national quality indicators, as they often include strategies to meet these indicators.

Sheridan warns that practice parameters are not absolute rules of conduct. "Because compliance is voluntary, most practice parameters include incentives for physicians, healthcare institutions, and healthcare workers. Incentives may include full reimbursement for care, reduced length of stay in a hospital, national recognition from accreditation associations, higher patient satisfaction, lower risk management premiums, and fewer survey enforcement activities from state and federal regulators," she writes in the APIC Text. "Such incentives help shape the conduct of physicians, institutions, and other healthcare workers, thereby improving patient care, patient outcomes, and quality of life."

Sheridan emphasizes that although healthcare institutions have a duty to protect patients from injury due to infections, courts never maintain that organizations guarantee that patients will not acquire an infection while in the institution. However, organizations must realize that the potential of liability exists if a patients infection results from negligence of its physicians or employees.

As Sheridan explains in the APIC Text, "To determine a standard of care, organizations must monitor patient outcomes. At a minimum, monitoring includes conducting quality assurance activities such as performing infection surveillance; reviewing and revising infection prevention policies and procedures; providing in-service training sessions for staff about appropriate infection prevention practices; and adhering to the National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs). Two NPSGs that relate to infection prevention include compliance with the hand hygiene guidelines and managing identified cases of unexpected death or major permanent loss of function associated with HAIs as a sentinel event. If a patient establishes that he or she acquired an infection at a hospital, the hospital may have to prove infection prevention policies and practices were in place and that the physician and staff took immediate and appropriate interventions to treat and minimize the patients infection. To ensure that the hospital meets its standard of care, the hospital should continuously evaluate how staff use aseptic technique and follow infection prevention procedures. Organizations should monitor with consistency through direct observation of staff performance to validate proper compliance. The organization should make sure that all members of the healthcare team follow state and federal infection prevention regulations, accreditation standards, and practices and procedures. In addition to staff compliance with infection prevention practices, organizations should establish clear, useful internal practice manuals that are readily available to all staff members."

A study that sampled populations in the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands and the U.S., found that most likely to sue following a serious Hai were French patients, followed by those in Germany and the UK. In the U.S., the report said, the propensity to sue was lower than in the UK and Europe, possibly because state support for plaintiffs is less, and only one-quarter of cases end up in the plaintiff's favor, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice.

A Google search yields instances of plaintiffs successfully suing hospitals and healthcare systems due to failure to diagnose and/or treat hospital-acquired infections. For example, a Dallas jury in 2009 awarded an amputee $17.5 million in a high-profile MRSA case (later reduced to $7.5 million under Texas damages cap ruling).

As Kennerly (2012) confirms, "Whenever you find someone winning a nosocomial infection case, it turns out to be a case involving the failure to properly diagnose and treat the infection, rather than causing the infection in the first place. In the end you find some unique factual situations - like a treating surgeon testifying quite clearly that MRSA had to originate from within the spine (and thus a contaminated instrument rather than from the skin) - and generally conclude that 'The key to increasing the likelihood of success in such cases is obtaining concrete evidence on the possible sources of infection coupled with an expert witness with sufficient skill to examine that evidence.' [Robert Steinbuch, Dirty Business: Legal Prophylaxis for Nosocomial Infections, 97 Ky. L.J. 505, 512 (2009)]."

Kennerly (2012) points out that, "Hospital-acquired infections are a serious and shockingly commonplace matter, causing somewhere around $30 billion in direct medical costs annually - ten times the entire cost of our malpractice liability system - and so every medical malpractice law firm has its fair share of potential clients calling us up to ask what can be done after a severe MRSA or C. difficile infection  we look both for negligence in causing the infection and in diagnosing and treating it, but the former often stalls out at the lack of ironclad evidence that courts these days demand of medical malpractice plaintiffs."

HAI-related litigation notwithstanding, Sheridan says that the bigger challenge is patients and other whistleblowers reporting healthcare institutions to the accreditation bodies such as the Joint Commission or to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) directly, "because it is the sanctions from CMS that are pretty significant now," she emphasizes. "What we are seeing is an increase in people making complaints because they have figured out that it really doesn't cost them any money to make that complaint to CMS or to the Joint Commission, or to a state's health services department." She adds, "I think people are also afraid of the CMS rules and Joint Commission regulations. If they are going to get cited by Joint Commission, the institution could lose its accreditation or its licensure with the state, or in the worst-case scenario, CMS could ban you from the Medicare program, and that can be financially devastating for any institution. It's not just the litigation fear but it's also the regulatory issues at stake."

This leaves hospitals and other healthcare facilities vulnerable, and they must balance life-saving responsibilities to patients, with risk management strategies to save their profits and their reputations.

"I think hospitals are bending over backwards, trying to cooperate and trying to be transparent, to show that they are cooperating and they are sharing their infection and adverse event data," Sheridan says. "The double-edged sword that comes from that is you put all that data out there and the consumer, through malevolence or through wanting revenge -- thinks, 'How can I use and manipulate this data to support my position and what happened to me. One of the things that comes with transparency is you are putting it out there but you better be able to defend it as well."

In an era of public reporting, transparency may lend itself to either staving off or encouraging HAI-related litigation, depending on the intent of the individual using the data.

"We encourage patients to use publicly reported information to talk to their physicians, nurses and other caregivers about the course of their treatment and any concerns they may have, including what steps they can take to reduce the chance they will get an infection," Charney says.

Hospitals are seemingly on the defense at all times. "It starts from the very get-go in the emergency room," says Sheridan. "It's sort of damned-if-you-do and damned-if-you-dont scenario. For example, in the case of an automobile accident, if you test patients that have been involved in that wreck -- are you going to be the doctor sitting on the witness stand later in court and asked, 'Why didnt you do this test?' versus the auto insurance company saying 'You did too many tests and we are not going to pay you.' So it's which seat do you want to be in? Even from an infection control perspective, you can find yourself in a situation where you could be asked, 'Why didn't you test the products that your housekeepers were using?' Or 'Are you part of the decision-making and purchasing and what kind of guidelines do you have out there about what your housekeeping staff should be buying?' Or 'If you're not part of the decision-making process, why aren't you?' Hospitals must constantly consider all aspects of potential liability."

Some infection preventionists (IPs) are finding themselves to be part of their institution's risk management strategy, with key roles in enforcement of the aforementioned practice parameters and quality measures.

"Infection preventionists are being used by hospitals as safeguards for compliance and being recognized as doing the right thing by patients," Sheridan says. "Organizations are also hiring them to come in as consultants to review processes that are in place, to review practices and provide recommendations for improvement. By doing so, healthcare institutions are being much more proactive in trying to prevent potential litigation. Examining your policies is also very important -- do they reflect best practices in the institution, and what are your processes for educating personnel about your standards? And how are you determining competency in implementing those processes? Those are big issues, and the attorneys are looking at them from a litigation standpoint -- that's why more and more organizations are adopting risk management strategies to prevent the litigation in the first place. HAIs have forced hospitals to hold themselves accountable."

Sheridan writes that infection preventionists must ensure that "the organization and its employees follow established standards of care to protect employees, patients, and patients family members from exposure to infection and to maintain an environment of safety and protection from injury. In order to do so, infection preventionists must ensure: accurate and complete documentation reflects the care provided; organizations implement and monitor compliance with National Patient Safety Goals; organizations maintain patient and employee confidentiality; institutions develop clear policies and systems to control and prevent the spread of infection from healthcare personnel to patient and vice versa, and to the community; and that the infection prevention department works in concert with the risk management and quality assurance departments.

Sheridan says, "The take-home message for infection preventionists -- sometimes they are the bad guys and sometimes departments and administrators don't want to hear what they have to say but they have to move forward and know they are doing the right thing in serving the public and the institution and they did speak up and there wouldn't be that accountability -- so even on their worst days they need to remember that they are trying to do the right thing so don't take it personally when an administrator says you want me to spend how much on what?"

Tort reforms and patient safety initiatives are working to curb some potential litigation.
Bibi Cancels Meeting With Obama, Demands More Money Instead By Daniel McAdams March 10, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " RPI " - On his own and through his proxies in what is called the US "Israel Lobby," Benjamin Netanyahu expended enormous political and financial capital in attempt to sink President Obama's nuclear deal with Iran. Though the deal is already done, the pro-Likud lobby in Washington with the backing of a significant number of elected Members of the House and Senate is still determined to turn back the hands of time to a US war-footing against Iran. They may well succeed, particularly as most presidential candidates have promised to rip up the Iran deal on day one.



But Netanyahu is no dummy. Once he saw the writing on the wall -- even if only temporarily -- he decided to make lemonade from Obama's lemons. "OK, you are going to go through with this deal with Iran? Pay me! You want rapprochement and trade with Iran? Pay me. You're not going to invade Iran? Pay me. First I am going to humiliate you, then you are going to pay me."



So Bibi's plan B is now in full motion. First he blindsided the White House by suddenly canceling a meeting with Obama scheduled for this month. Much preparation had already gone into the meeting and a last-minute cancelation sent a very clear message to the White House.



But the coup de grace is Netanyahu's masterful manner of cancelation. He didn't bother to notify the White House of his change of plans. Instead, the news came out today in a report by the liberal Israeli newspaper Haaretz.



White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest tried to put a brave face on Bibi's backhand, but his explanation lacked believability: There's no reason to consider this a snub. I think the question is simply a matter of scheduling. We would have preferred to have heard about that in person before reading about it in media reports. I think that's just good manners. Timing is everything, and in this Netanyahu is also a master. As Obama was reading in the media that his March schedule just got a bit lighter, Vice President Joe Biden was on a plane to Tel Aviv with the White House's latest offer of significantly increased US military aid to Israel as a way of placating Israel's anger over the Iran deal. Last year's $3.1 billion in US military aid to Israel was no longer acceptable, Netanyahu made clear. Instead Biden is expected to swipe the national credit card for a super-size contribution of between $4.2 and $4.5 billion in military aid -- in addition to the customary half billion in missile defense assistance and another billion worth of military equipment stored in Israel.



Touche, Bibi! Copyright  2016 by RonPaul Institute
Politics and the Golden Rule By Robert C. Koehler March 10, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - What Im not trying to do is just pass legislation. Im trying to change the face of American politics. Pull these words out of the context of the news and let them pulse like the heartbeat of the future. The words are those of Bernie Sanders, of course  engaged last week in a confrontational interview with Chris Matthews. Free college tuition? Matthews loosed his skepticism on the presidential candidate, who pushed back: You and I look at the world differently. You look at it inside the Beltway. Im not an inside the Beltway person. But the people that vote on taxes are inside the Beltway, Matthews retorted. Those people are going to vote the right way when millions of people demand that they vote the right way on this issue. I have no doubt that as president of the Untied Stated I can rally young people and their parents on this issue. . . . As president of the United States, I would have the bully pulpit. What Im not trying to do is just pass legislation. Im trying to change the face of American politics. I listen in disbelief and feel hope percolate as poll results come in. This week Sanders triumphed in my wounded home state of Michigan, confounding the media and political status quo yet again. Is this really a revolution emerging from a presidential race? Thats not supposed to happen. And I find myself skeptically embracing the possibility, spurred by the near total cynicism and intentional cluelessness of the mainstream media. For the past half century, the American media, in collaboration with the military-industrial corporatocracy  the Beltway  has delivered up issueless presidential campaigns to the American public. Business as usual, in all its manifestations, is not to be disrupted. Until now. Something uncontrolled is happening in American politics. Trump supporters raise their hands in pledges of brand allegiance and the ghost of fascism smirks. Americas racists, so marginalized all these years, converge at the edges of his campaign, knowing that his disavowal of the Klan is a wink-wink, nudge-nudge sort of thing. Hes their man. Allegedly respectable Republicans convulse. Among the Dems, Sanders is bringing democracy to the disaffected, calling not for slivers of social fairness but a full-blown re-emergence of the New Deal, in defiance of the Democrats post-Reagan allegiance to compromised ideals. Hes standing up for the sovereignty not of Beltway politics but of working-class America  the people!  reopening the door of participatory politics and declaring that the American government should not be for sale. Im so close to believing in the revolution  in this reclamation of the United States of America. At a recent debate, a woman in the audience asked Sanders: Do you think God is relevant? He answered yes, to serious applause, explaining: What we are talking about is what all religions hold dear, and that is to do unto others as you would like them to do unto you. . . . I believe morally and ethically we do not have a right to turn our backs on children in Flint, Mich., who are being poisoned or veterans who are sleeping out on the street. . . . I want you to worry about my grandchildren and I promise you I will worry about your family. We are in this together. And the Golden Rule enters the presidential race and I stand in awe of the potency of this ethical imperative. Its the opposite of the spectator idiocy of my guy is better than your guy, the state to which the media has reduced American democracy. If the Golden Rule is not simply a personal but a political principle, we cannot wage war. And knowing this, I cant think about social fairness without feeling a shattering sense of despair . . . The United States launched a series of airstrikes on an al-Shabab training camp in Somalia on Saturday, killing more than 150 militants and averting what a Pentagon official described as an imminent threat posed by the group to both U.S. and African Union troops stationed in the war-torn country. As Glenn Greenwald put it, reflecting on this latest impersonal news about dead bad guys: We need U.S. troops in Africa to launch drone strikes at groups that are trying to attack U.S. troops in Africa. Its the ultimate self-perpetuating circle of imperialism: We need to deploy troops to other countries in order to attack those who are trying to kill U.S. troops who are deployed there. And heres the beginning of an open letter written by four former U.S. Air Force drone operators, which they sent last November to President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and CIA Chief John Brennan: We are former Air Force service members. We joined the Air Force to protect American lives and to protect our Constitution. We came to the realization that the innocent civilians we were killing only fueled the feelings of hatred that ignited terrorism and groups like ISIS, while also serving as a fundamental recruitment tool similar to Guantanamo Bay. This administration and its predecessors have built a drone program that is one of the most devastating driving forces for terrorism and destabilization around the world. When the guilt of our roles in facilitating this systematic loss of innocent life became too much, all of us succumbed to PTSD. . . . Changing the face of American politics is a profound, unfathomably difficult undertaking, but its nothing at all if it doesnt begin with the Golden Rule. And this rule cannot be selectively applied. Robert Koehler is an award-winning, Chicago-based journalist and nationally syndicated writer. His book, Courage Grows Strong at the Wound (Xenos Press), is still available. Contact him at koehlercw@gmail.com or visit his website at commonwonders.com.  2016 Common Wonders
Refugee Bloodlines: America and Europe Cant Be Hypocrites Any Longer By William Hawes March 10, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - As the Middle East-North Africa region continues to convulse with earth-shaking war, Western-backed jihadi terror, and sectarian divisions, the modern worlds media continues to avert its eyes. As the US presidential race gains steam, American journalism, even the well-meaning left, chronically under-report progress made in Syria, the cease-fire, the Syrian Arab Armys (SAA) progress, and NATO-Gulf Nations utterly destructive policies, lies, and duplicity. Saudis illegal war in Yemen barely registers as a blip on mainstream outlets. As all this goes on, disturbingly, refugees from the whirlwind of chaos and destruction are being denigrated as second-class citizens as they enter the European Union. In the US, the problems are just as bad, as Congress and the Washington establishment seem intent on pursuing blatantly anti-immigrant policies. In 2015, approximately 1.3 million migrants applied for asylum in the European Union. Estimates show an expected similar or higher amount for this year, in the range of 1.5-2 million. Over 3,000 refugees died trying to cross the Mediterranean in 2015. Conditions are simply brutal for those who do make it to the EU. In Greece and Hungary, refugees wait patiently as surveillance is increased, checkpoints and fences multiply, militarized police battalions patrol, and razor wire is strung up on their way to their destinations. In Sweden, thousands of unaccompanied minors and also adults are having problems finding employment and integrating. In Denmark, authorities are considering confiscating refugee assets worth over something like $1,400 dollars- a pittance. In Germany, migrants are being told their families may not be eligible to make the journey to join them, causing many to return to Iraq and Syria. In Calais, France, violence and arson continue as refugees live in make-shift shacks, endure freezing temperatures, and the brutality of riot police. In the US, last November the House voted in favor of the SAFE Act, 289-137, on a bill that would expand background checks and halting refugees entering from Syria and Iraq. In January, the Senate barely overturned the bill 55-43. The US has only let in approximately a meager 2,300 Syrian refugees, and most are women and children. (1) The process currently can take as long as two years, with vetting from FBI and DHS. Certainly, the US Congress has fallen off the deep end into paranoia and xenophobia to even consider such racist measures as the SAFE Act. As has been pointed out many times, the one million refugees so far taken into the EU represents only 0.2% of the total EU population of 500 million. Surely, a responsible and humane program could be implemented throughout the Schengen area with minimal problems, if only member nations overcome their fears and delusional projections of the minority migrant Others. The issues blocking such progress are not social integration, assimilation, and demographic cultural problems, but are ultimately political. They relate to the way national politicians use identity politics to disparage and dehumanize refugees and immigrants. Ultimately, news stories and sympathetic photo-journalism do little to express what refugees are going through. If a picture paints a thousand words, then engaging face-to-face with dialogue and compassion for refugees and immigrants and their struggles can paint a million. The words may not pour out, but be sure to look your companion square in the eyes. When I spoke with my own grandfather, the words were not plentiful, to put it lightly. His look, the depth of sorrow in his eyes, spoke for itself. He seemed to be saying: Please, I do not want you to know about this. I cant talk about this. It is too painful. Ever since then, I have never blinked when expressing solidarity with refugees worldwide. It is seared into my consciousness, my blood, into my bones. I have seen the look elsewhere. When I asked my friend from Lebanon about what he had seen in the civil war, he simply replied: Everythingeverything. His eyes shone, and I saw and felt the same tinges of anger and sadness. He was staring directly at me, his eyes steady. I did not push him after that. I had seen the look before. At university, I experienced the look again: my friend from Germany was from the former GDR. He spoke of his elder family member, who was in the secret police. His eyes had the same knowing, the same endurance of immense suffering, the same desire for liberation, the desire for the unadulterated freedom of the human spirit. Here was a real-life analogy to Harry Potter: just as Voldemort was he-who-must-not-be-named, my friend would only use the phrase secret police. He could not bring himself to say Stasi, even though they had not existed for over fifteen years when we discussed this. The UN documents about 60 million worldwide refugees. (2) This figure is almost certainly an under-estimate, as it doesnt factor in massive numbers of political and economic migrants. A more thorough accounting might put the number at anywhere from 75-150 million: about 1-2% of the entire worlds population. If the US and European politicians continue to use xenophobia and racism to promote hate against refugees, our entire civilization will crumble into the dustbin of history. Of that there can be no doubt. The Enlightenment project of emancipation and universal rights cant be allowed to be rolled back because of anti-immigrant fear. After the tragedy of the Vietnam War, the US response to calls for help was abysmal. However, the US did help resettle over one million people. The terrible events unfolding in North Africa and Southwest Asia deserve a similar response, starting now. If there is any sense of goodwill and humanism left in world leaders, they must accept the UN Declaration of Human Rights (3) in its entirety and begin to build a framework for accepting millions of refugees into the developed world. The undeniable truth is that many of us in the US and Europe are descendants of immigrants and refugees ourselves. Despite the prejudices of the past, our ancestors were not turned away by tear gas, guns, batons, labyrinthine legal troubles, and barbed wire. Citizens in Europe and the USA must speak out and join hands in unity with refugees against the tides of intolerance, before it is too late. William Hawes is a writer specializing in politics and environmental issues. Notes : http://www.factcheck.org/2015/11/facts-about-the-syrian-refugees/ http://www.unhcr.org/558193896.html http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/
US Claims to Have Killed ISIS' US-Trained 'Minister of War'



Well how about that. First you train them. Then you kill them! Or at least you do if you're Uncle Sam



By Mark Nicholas



March 10, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " RI " - In latest Syria news US claims to have carried our a series of airstrikes against ISIS in eastern Syria. It also claims these strikes "likely" killed a top ISIS commander. The Chechen-Georgian Abu Omar al-Shishani (born Tarkhan Batirashvili): An Islamic State commander described by the Pentagon as the group's "minister of war" was likely killed in a U.S. air strike in Syria, U.S. officials said on Tuesday, in what would be a major victory in the United States' efforts to strike the militant group's leadership. Abu Omar al-Shishani, also known as Omar the Chechen, ranked among America's most wanted militants under a U.S. program that offered up to $5 million for information to help remove him from the battlefield. Now this would not be particularly humorous but for the fact the man Pentagon describes as ISIS' "minister of war" was originally trained by Pentagon in the build up to the Georgian-Russian war of 2008: According to Batirashvilis ex-comrades in the Georgian military, Batirashvili was tapped immediately upon his enlistment to join Georgias U.S.-trained special forces. He was a perfect soldier from his first days, and everyone knew he was a star, said one former comrade, who asked not to be identified because he remains on active duty and has been ordered not to give media interviews about his former colleague. We were well trained by American special forces units, and he was the star pupil. What's more, in between his stint in the Georgian army and his currrent engagement with ISIS Batirashvili al-Shishani ran with Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar, a foreign jihadi group in Syria that "comingled" with the US-backed Free Syrian Army and the Al Nusra front. Al-Shishani was specifically praised for contributing to FSA gains around Aleppo: Thanks to Abu Omars willingness to speak to Al Jazeera, we also have video confirmation of his emerging star status within rebel ranks and relationship of direct cooperation with the US backed FSA commander. Omar Shishanis interview was archived online by Al Jazeera Arabic. While offering a simple statement about conquering all of the Syria from the kuffar, Abu Omar is surrounded by some of the same men, including emir Abu Jandal (identified above by the New York Times)  the same Abu Jandal that is presented as second in rank under Robert Fords friend Col. Okaidi in the latters victory huddle. In another video where he stands proudly amidst a mix of fighters, Omar addresses the camera in Russian and recognizes the FSAs valiant efforts in its eight months long siege of the government airbase. So, let's review the timeline: 2006: USA trains Batirashvili al-Shishani 2013: USA allied to Batirashvili al-Shishani 2016: USA glows with pride for having "likely" killed Batirashvili al-Shishani Maybe USA doesn't know what the eff it's doing??? Batirashvili al Shishani in his non-bearded days (second from left) See also - Isis 'minister of war' was wounded not killed in airstrike, say activists : Commander known as Omar the Chechen is being treated near Raqqa, activists report after US officials said he was probably dead
Obama's Great Whitewashing By Moon Of Alabama March 10, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Moon Of Alabama " - The Atlantic publishes Obama's great whitewashing of his own foreign policy. It is the result of a series of interviews with Jefferey Goldberg written up into one gigantic piece under the headline "The Obama Doctrine". Throughout the piece Goldberg and Obama touche various foreign policy issues, mainly in the Middle East. The ostensible purpose is to refute hawkish critics of Obama who say that he has not been militaristic enough or was 'leading from behind.' Judging from comments to the piece in various media the readers seem to fall for that. But the real purpose of the piece is to hide the militaristic, dangerous to catastrophic decision Obama has made on many foreign policy issues. The real Obama has used the military to wage open or hidden wars in more countries than any president since the second world war. Obama has ordered thousands of unknown people be killed by drone strikes in ten or so countries. He has used clandestine means for illegitimate regime change from Honduras over Ukraine to Iraq where, as he admitted in an earlier interview, let the evil of ISIS grow for the sole purpose of ousting Prime Minister Maliki. Instead of making room for the inevitable growth of China, Obama is preparing to wage a preemptive war against it. The whitewash includes a lot of juicy, diverting quotes that many people will like. It bitches about foreign paid think tanks in Washington and the Saudis. It lambastes Cameron and Sarkozy. It badmouths his own hawkish advisers. When it discusses why Obama let his 'red line' on chemical weapons in Syria slip and did not bomb the country it tries to paint Obama's decisions on Syria as sensible and reasoned. But what is sensible or reasoned in ordering the CIA to ship thousands of Jihadis, recycled from his war on Libya and earlier conflicts, to Syria? What is peaceful in arming and paying sectarian "rebels" with billions of dollars to overthrow the legitimate Syrian government? The piece does not mention those facts and the interviewer never touches those questions. Obama criticizes the Saudis and Iran for waging proxy wars in Syria and Yemen. But Iran came in only after Obama and the Saudis waged war on those countries. Without him Yemen would not be bombed and Syria would be peaceful. It is he who enables the Saudi misdeeds. On Libya the president blames France and Britain for dropping the ball after Ghaddafi was killed. But it was the U.S. that enabled and directed the war, flew most attacks, dropped 7,700 bombs and had its people on the ground training and organizing the Jihadis for attacks on government positions. Here the fake 'leading from behind' is used to blame the allies when the inevitable consequences of the war, the destruction of the functioning state Libya, appear. In general the piece is somewhat interesting and shows some insight into Obama's thinking. But if you take the hour that is at least needed to read it keep in mind that this was published for a purpose. Obama is preparing his next career step. With the Goldberg interviews and this piece he is attempting to wash the blood off his hands and to whitewash his legacy.
Home Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter What the Trump Phenomenon Means for Israel By Lawrence Davidson March 10, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - On 3 March 2016 Chemi Shaley, the U.S. correspondent for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, wrote an interesting piece on what the Donald Trump phenomenon means for U.S.-Israeli relations. Here are some of his points: 1. Trumps insistence on staying neutral when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian problem has not cost him any popular support. Both Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio have sneeringly lambasted Trump for not supporting Israel, but to no avail. Trump just laughed all the way to the top of the Republican presidential field. 2. Republican evangelicals are paying no mind to Trumps equivocations about Israel. They vote for Trump despite this. Evangelical leaders  are heartbroken that so many Believers are flocking after the thrice married, dirty-talking reality star. They are less perturbed by his deviation from the strict pro-Israel party line, however, and more by the sinful ways for which he has not asked forgiveness. 3. Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus policy decision to put all of Israels eggs in the GOP basket  a decision confirmed when he appeared before Congress in 2015 to denounce the Iran nuclear agreement  has turned into a political disaster. Part II  Waning Interest in Israel (U.S. Gentiles) The rise of Donald Trump certainly suggests that the right-wing Israeli politicians badly misread the Republican political scene. Trump has tapped into a large and growing stratum of citizens who never cared very much about foreign policy, much less Israel-Palestine specifically. And, now that that indifference has been plainly revealed on the Republican side of the ledger, it may not be long before Democratic voters also start to say, loud enough for their leaders to hear, that Israel isnt important to them either. As Shaley suggests, what is happening here is the exposure of Israels weakness in the United States. Thus, for the first time it is becoming publicly noticeable that a lot of voters dont regard Israel as a linchpin ally upholding democracy in the Middle East. In fact, Israel simply is not a priority as far as they are concerned. However, start emphasizing to this largely isolationist-minded crowd the huge amount of their tax money that goes to Israel, and not caring might quickly turn to hostility. Mr. Trump is certainly not above providing the little push necessary for this to happen. How might this scenario play itself out? If Trump becomes president and, like most of his predecessors, tries to settle the Israel-Palestine problem, he will no doubt be met with not only the usual Israeli stonewalling, but outright hostility. After all, Trump as president will have to deal with Netanyahu as prime minister and they are alike in that both tend to shoot from the lip. As Shaley points out, Trump refuses to acknowledge United Jerusalem [and] wants to remain neutral so that he can broker a peace deal with the Palestinians, which is a challenge worthy of a master dealmaker like him. Netanyahu will loudly express his opposition. Perhaps he will refuse to deal with Trump at all. But Trump, unlike Obama, will not respond to Netanyahus insults with discretion. He will readily blame Israel for any failure and do it loudly and disparagingly. Then he might start to publicly question why the U.S. should be wasting vast amounts of treasure on such an unthankful nation as Israel. This could be a public relations disaster from which the Israelis will not be able to recover. Part III  Waning Interest in Israel (U.S. Jews) As an Israeli born and bred to the perennial fear of anti-Semitism, Shaley senses a danger in Trump not only to Israel but to Jews in general. The Jews will run away from Trump because he scares them. Because his demagoguery is ominous, his willingness to slash and burn anyone standing in his way is disturbing, his tendency to incite his supporters against other ethnic groups  is a source of deep anxiety. All of this may be true, but so is the important point Shaley makes that the Jews wont be fleeing Trump because of his policies toward Israel. In other words, increasing numbers of U.S. Jews are losing patience in the ever stubborn shenanigans of the Zionist state. And as they do so, Israel loses their support. Part IV  Conclusion The truth is that todays Zionists have bought a political elite and not much more. Right now they can rely on a thin veneer of politicos who are in the process of losing influence with an alienated citizenry. When the politicians make their adjustments to this new environment, one of the casualties may well be the U.S. alliance with Israel. Hillary, Bernie, Ted and Marco may be the last generation of American politicians who will give Benjamin Netanyahu and his ilk the time of day. Lawrence Davidson is a retired professor of history from West Chester University in West Chester PA. His academic research focused on the history of American foreign relations with the Middle East. He taught courses in Middle East history, the history of science and modern European intellectual history.http://www.tothepointanalyses.com Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. What's your response? - Scroll down to add / read comments Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter For Email Marketing you can trust Donate



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Putins Invitation to War By Felix Imonti March 10, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - Putins unwelcomed invitation to rescue Bashar Al-Assad from collapse was issued on television in the summer of 2015 when the world was told that four years of constant warfare had decimated the ranks of the Syrian National Army. The revelation of a pending disaster was in fact an ultimatum to Putin. The collapse of Al-Assads regime would result in Russias losing its only foreign port at Tardus and Russias remaining regional influence. Putin had no options but was forced into a war that he cannot afford to lose nor afford to fight. Preserving national dignity and his own political career left Vladimir Putin with no other choice than to join forces with Assad. However, he is faced with the dilemma of how to engage in a war without becoming embroiled in that war. He faced a similar problem in the Ukraine and managed successfully to achieve his limited objectives of neutralizing the Ukraine by blocking it from joining NATO and the EU. This was accomplished by keeping the conflict below a level at which NATO would be forced to be involved. The tool was those infamous little green men who organized local resistance to the Kiev administration. The real Army remained on the Russian side of the frontier as a warning to NATO. While Russia has to minimize its profile in the Ukraine, it has to maximize it in Syria. Putin is being forced to deploy the military when its modernization is still in its early stages and is handicapped by budget restrictions from collapsing oil prices and sanctions. Creating from the outset the image of a powerful modern military was an essential part of what was Surprise and Awe. Russian air forces arrived in Syria in grand style by reaching their base in Latakia undetected. Once the bombing was underway, cruise missiles were launched from ships in the Caspian Sea and from the Rostov-on-Don submarine in the Mediterranean. It was an opportunity to impress the world with the quality of its weapons. High on the list of vital objectives was to interdict the corridor between Turkey and the Islamic State in Syria which the United States has avoided attacking. Convoys of oil tankers were carrying crude oil for sale in Turkey at a third of world prices and supplies as well as fresh recruits were crossing into Syria. The target is a stretch of land sixty-two miles wide along the Northern border of Syria. It is that territory of 1,550 square miles under the control of the Islamic State, Jabhat al-Nusra and the FSA that Erdagon of Turkey has been attempting to make a no-fly-zone or safe-zone where refugees from Syria can be held outside of Turkish territory. The presence of thousands of refugees offers the extra benefit of providing a shield against efforts to interdict the vital trade route between the Islamic State, Jabhat al-Nusra, and Turkey. Recep Tayyip Erdagon has begun a sustained artillery bombardment on Kurdish positions crossing the Euphrates River in order to occupy the territory. If the Turks do move against the Kurds, it will have to be without the backing of NATO or the U.S. The recent acquisition of the Rmeilan airfield in the Kurdish province of Hasakah in Northern Syria by the U.S. is a clear signal to Ankara that Washington is shifting its support to the Kurds. The reversal of the U.S. stand towards the continuation of the Al-Assad administration and the agreement to accept Russian bombing around Aleppo confirms that Washington has accepted Russian-Iranian strategy. Supported by Arab units of the U.S. sponsored Syrian Democratic Force, the Kurds are moving against the towns of Azaz, al-Bab, Manbaj and Jarabulus. When they gain control of the stretch of land, they will complete the bridge between the two Kurdish enclaves that comprise Western Kurdistan, Rojava. Erdagon fears that a contiguous Kurdish territory from the Iraq border to the shore of the Mediterranean will be followed by a declaration of independence. He is likely correct that an independent Rojava is on the horizon and will encourage the twenty million Kurds of Turkey to seek their separation from a country that denies them equal standing. Already, the Kurds in Rojava have formed local administrations in a unique structure that incorporates the various ethnic groups. The infrastructure for an independent state is being put in place and Bashar Al-Assad has granted de facto independence to the Kurds. They have established what is, in effect, a diplomatic office in Moscow with additional offices planned for other capitals. By aiding the Kurdish aspiration for a single united geographic state, Vladimir Putin can build a Kurdish Wall that is his ultimate weapon against the Islamic State at little cost to Russia. If IS cannot sell its oil and import recruits, the caliphate will slowly wither. Putin does not need to commit large numbers of Russian troops onto the battlefield. He has thousands of little green men in the form of Kurds, the Syrian National Army, and the Iranian IRG to provide the combat forces. Russia has the fire power from its aircraft, and the newly introduced long range artillery and tanks to force the opposition into a grinding war of attrition. The Russians can declare that their strategy is proving to be successful, but there is a potential flaw in the plan, namely Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The Saudis along with the Turks are seeing their five yearlong campaign to overthrow the Al-Assad regime facing defeat. Their last hope is to persuade Washington to lead an invasion into Syria, but the United States has no interest in jumping into another minefield. Washington is opting for what is believed to be the better strategy of having the Kurds, Russians and others do the fighting while the United States does the minimum. Felix Imonti studied international relations at UCLA. He was the director of a private equity firm and has lived in seven countries.
Bazooka Joe Biden Goes Ballistic With Hypocrisy By Finian Cunningham March 10, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " American Herald Tribune " - While on a visit to nuclear-weaponzied Israel this week, US Vice-President Joe Biden threatened Iran with unspecified actionover its testing of two long-range ballistic missiles. Biden, who is nicknamed Bazooka Joe for his blunt rhetorical style, displayed typical American hypocrisy over his warning to Iran. He issued his admonition while in Tel Aviv alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose state is known to be armed with as many as 300 nuclear warheads in defiance of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Earlier, Iran reportedly tested the ballistic missiles on its own remote territory. Each were said to have range of over 1,000 kilometers, and an Iranian military spokesman said the weapons were capable of hitting Israel. Biden did not specify what the US action towards Iran would entail. But given that Washington has repeatedly violated international laws forbidding the mere verbalizing of aggression by threatening that all options are on the tablewith regard to Iran, the US action could mean a military response. Or it could mean the US blocking the lifting of economic sanctions as part of the international nuclear accord signed last July with Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers. For its part, Iran said that the missiles tested this week were for conventional, non-nuclear warheads. Tehran rejected US claims that it had violated the P5+1 nuclear accord, which mandates that Iran foregoes any nuclear weapons development. Iran says it has the right to develop all conventional weapons for defensive purposes. Given that Israel actually does possess nuclear missiles and, like the US, has illegally threatened Iran on countless occasions with pre-emptive military strikes, one could reasonably expect Iran to develop long-range missiles for defense. Only two weeks ago, the US test-fired two Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), according to Reuters. The Minuteman III missiles were launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to hit targets more than 6,500 kilometers away in the South Pacific. The difference with the Iranian missile tests this week is that the American weapons are expressly designed to carry nuclear warheads. Though the California test-fired missiles were on that occasion reportedly not armed with nukes. But as deputy defense secretary Robert Work said at the time: We and the Russians and the Chinese routinely do test shots to prove that the operational missiles that we have are reliable. And that is a signal that we are prepared to use nuclear weapons in defense of our country if necessary. According to Reuters, the US launch was the 15th such nuclear-capable ICBM test-fire since January 2011. Thats a rate of three per year. Russia has reportedly carried out a total of 16 nuclear-capable ICBM test launches over a 25-year period since the end of the Soviet Union. That is less than one per year. A report earlier this month said that Russia was about to conduct ICBM test-launches from nuclear-powered submarines in the Barents Sea. Many analysts reckon that the world is witnessing a new nuclear arms race. The US appears to be leading this race, with the administration of President Barack Obama having committed more than $1 trillion over the next three decades to upgrade the US nuclear arsenal. The US has more than 4,700 warheads in military service, according to the Arms Control Association. This is more than any other country, although Russia is close behind with 4,500. Between them, the US and Russia possess 90 per cent of the worlds entire stockpile of these weapons of mass destruction. And lest we forget, the US is the only country to have ever actually used nuclear weapons when it destroyed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, killing over 200,000 mainly civilians instantly. This is the reality check that Washington needs, but few of its politicians seem amenable to. Instead, US politicians have an in-built double-think mental device that comes with years of indoctrination on American exceptionalism. For more than 40 years since the signing of the NPT, the world is nowhere near the nuclear disarmament that it mandates of more than 160 signatory nations, including the US. Israel being a US-sponsored rogue state is not even a signatory of the NPT. President Obama received a Noble Peace Prize back in 2009 because of a speech that ostensibly committed his nation to nuclear disarmament. Reuters described Obamas renewed spending on nukes an ironic turn. Some would simply call it a gross deception. With North Korea last week threatening pre-emptive nuclear strikeson top of an alleged ICBM test only weeks before, it does seem that the world has indeed entered a new, dangerous arms race. The only reasonable way forward is for a concerted international program of mutual disarmament. The logistics of a verifiable process of reduction are not beyond the means of practical human feasibility. This call was made 53 years ago by US President John F Kennedy in a landmark speech at the American University in Washington on June 10, 1963. The main insurmountable problem since then has been official American hypocrisy. The US evidently presumes the right to maintain the worlds biggest arsenal, while excoriating other states like North Korea and Iran for allegedly contemplating the development of the same weapons. Joe Biden speaking in a state this week that continues to illegally occupy Palestinian land in defiance of countless UN resolutions, a state which possesses nuclear weapons outside of any international control, and yet Biden chooses to focus his admonishment on Iran based on spurious complaints now that demonstrates that American hypocrisy really has gone ballistic and is not coming back to Earth any time soon. Finian Cunningham (born 1963) has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. For over 20 years, he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organisations, including The Mirror, Irish Times and Independent.
A senior al-shabab commander has made a public appearance to deny claims that he and another group leader were killed in US air strikes last week at a training camp in southern Somalia. Washington said on Monday it had carried out several strikes in Somalias Hiiraan region, in which it claimed more than 150 of the al-Qaeda-linked groups fighters had been killed.

Somali officials said later on Monday that five al-Shabab commanders had been killed in Saturdays attack, including Mohamed Mire, the groups Hiiraan governor, and Yusuf Ali Ugas, al-Shababs former Hiiraan chief. But Mire appeared on Thursday in the village of Buqa Qabe  in the same province the air strikes took place  to dismiss the claims.

It is all lies. They said I was among those killed. But Im here and doing well as you can see, he told a crowd that had gathered to see the public execution of a man the group accused of being a Somali government soldier. Al-Shabab, which is fighting Somalias internationally recognised government, has recently attacked and overrun military bases belonging to the African Union peacekeeping mission, AMISOM.

The US air strikes occurred at 14:00 GMT on Saturday at a camp about 130km from Belidogle airport in the Lower Shabelle region  a major base for AMISOM troops. American soldiers are also present at the Belidogle base. The al-Shabab fighters were training for a large scale attack and posed an imminent threat to US and African Union forces in Somalia, according to the Pentagon.

Aljazeera.
The Code of Conduct Tribunal Friday fixed further hearing in the case brought against Senate President Bukola Saraki by the Federal Government for March 18.

The tribunal adjourned the case when the accused persons new lawyer, Kanu Agabi, SAN, apologised for not serving the prosecutor, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, personally with a fresh motion challenging the jurisdiction of the tribunal.

Mr. Jacobs, however, insisted that the matter must proceed, adding that Agabis motion was not ripe for hearing.

Mr. Saraki was alleged to have corruptly acquired many properties between 2003 and 2011 while he was Governor of Kwara State but failed to list them in his assets declaration form earlier filed and submitted to the relevant authorities.

It was also alleged that Saraki made anticipatory declarations of assets upon his assumption of office as Governor of Kwara State, which he acquired later.

It was further alleged that the Senate president sent money abroad for the purchase of properties in London and that he maintained accounts outside Nigeria while serving as Kwara State Governor between 2003 and May 2011.

Based on the alleged violations of the Code of Conduct for public officers, the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) began a criminal proceeding against the former Kwara governor before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

However, Saraki, who pleaded not guilty to all the charges, has challenged the competence of the tribunal to try him, saying that the case was not initiated by due process of law.

The Senate president through his lawyers led by Mr. Agabi, filed an application asking the chairman of the tribunal, Danladi Umar, to hands-off trial of the 13-count charges preferred against him by the FG.

According to Saraki, the charges against him were brought in bad faith and not in public interest, adding that the Attorney General of the Federation did not fulfil all the condition precedents capable of conferring jurisdiction on the tribunal to try him.

He, therefore, applied for the charges to be quashed, as well as an order discharging him.

Opposing the application, the prosecutor accused the Senate president of engaging on what he termed judicial forum shopping in a desperate attempt to frustrate his trial.

Stressing that the business of the day was for full-blown trial to commence, Mr. Jacobs told the tribunal that he was yet to be served with a copy of the motion even as he urged it to dismiss the frivolous application and proceed with hearing on the case.

The prosecutor argued that the issue of jurisdiction raised by Mr. Saraki in his fresh motion had already been decided by the Supreme Court and the Abuja Division of the Appeal Court.

Relying on section 396 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015, the Mr. Jacobs contended that since the defendant had earlier entered his plea to the charge, any further objection he has against the proceeding ought to be considered at the end of the trial.

After listening to arguments from both sides, Justice Umar adjourned till Marc 18 for moving of the motion and possible hearing of the substantive case.

The tribunal chairman also directed Mr. Agabi to serve all the relevant processes to the prosecution before the next adjourned date.
Superstar Tanzanian singer, Diamond Platnumz was reportedly in tears after the DNA test which was conducted in a South African hospital proved that he was the father of his daughter, Latifah Dangote.

A Tanzanian newspaper reports that the Bongo Fleva giant gave in to pressure from fans and critics who claimed there could be a possibility that he was not the father of Latifah Dangote, but his baby mamas ex-husband, Ivan Ssemwanga.

In a bid to put the rumours to bed, Diamond Platnumz, Zari Hassan and Latifah Dangote traveled to South Africa to conduct the DNA test on baby Tifah.

In an interview with Citizen TV, the Tanzanian star was filled with joy as he spoke to the media saying; People talked a lot, created a lot of lies. I was not worried nonetheless. All through, I knew the baby is mine; though just to make myself happier and more peaceful, I decided to conduct a DNA test on Tifah. Tifah is my daughter, completely! I am extremely overjoyed by the results (DNA). Thats why I am now freer, happier and having a good time. When you happen to visit my office, you will notice I have hung framed photos of Tifah everywhere. I am not worried at all. I can now courageously face my critics.

Diamond disclosed he embraced DNA testing of his child, a practice he says is not popular among Tanzanians, because he wanted to be a hundred percent sure of his status as a father.

Diamond Platnumz and Zari Hassan welcomed Baby Latifah Dangote in August 6, 2015.
A former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has turned down his nomination by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra as one of its representatives to negotiate or discuss on behalf of the group.

IPOB had on Wednesday listed Anyaoku as one of the elders of proven integrity that would represent it in negotiations and discussions with some United States (US) Congressmen, who are reportedly in Nigeria on a fact-finding mission concerning the agitation for a Biafran State.

IPOB also listed former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme; Constitutional lawyer, Prof. Ben Nwabueze; the Archbishop of Owerri Catholic Diocese, Archbishop Anthony Obinna; a Biafran civil war army commander, Gen. Alex Madiebo (retd.); and an activist, Dr. Arthur Nwankwo.

But Anyaoku in a brief response to a PUNCH enquiry, said while he had yet to be contacted by the Pro-Biafra group, he would not accept the appointment.

He said, I have not been approached nor would I be willing to undertake such an assignment in the present circumstances.
The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has said that for the country to make any appreciable gains, the bloated size of governments at different levels of Nigerias political system must be done away with.

The emir, who spoke on Thursday at the inaugural lecture and launching of a N250 million endowment fund for the Oba Sikiru Adetona Professorial Chair in Governance, Department of Political Science, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, called for the restructuring of the country.

According to him, it is now glaring to all and sundry that Nigeria can no longer afford to maintain the number of political office holders in the country, especially in the face of current economic downturn.

If you really reflect on the problems of this country, it seems to turn common sense on its head, he said.

You sometimes wonder if anyone needs to tell any group of people that if you are a poor country, you do not need 36 governors, 36 deputy governors, with members of house of assembly, commissioners and advisers, Special assistants, a president, a vice president, 36 ministers, special advisers, federal legislature and so on.

Simple arithmetic will tell you that if you have that structure, you are first of all doomed to spending 80 or 90 per cent of everything you earn maintaining public officers. It is really common sense but it seems to be a problem for us to understand it, he added.

Mr. Sanusi also advocated a reform of the countrys political system to encourage a lean government to save resources for projects that of benefit to the people.

If you dont free up the resources and put them up for capital projects, you are laying the foundation of what we are seeing today. We need to have structural reform.

Kano State today is much smaller than Kano emirate, because there are two other emirates in Dutse and Ringim which were carved out from what was the Kano emirate just to create a new state.

There are two governors in Kano and Jigawa, two deputy governors, maybe 40 members of the House of Assembly, 40 commissioners and advisers, 70 local governments, chairman and councillors but for nine years, Governor Audu Bako with nine commissioners, one governors and nine commissioner managed the entire territory and they were doing much better services than we are doing now. Is it not time to face reality?

In his remarks, the guest speaker of the lecture, Prof. Akin Mabogunje, while delivering a lecture titled: Issues and Challenges of Governance in Nigeria, said the abundance of free oil money has created a culture of imprudent spending by successive governments.

According to the renowned professor of urban and regional development, this free money, which he described with the pidgin English term awuff, encouraged laziness and corruption in the polity.

[Awuff] is a word used commonly in pidgin English to signify free money or unearned income which is not the product of a persons labour and therefore can be squandered or spent imprudently, he explained.

In applying it to governance, it is meant to describe a situation in which fiscal resources accrues to government not from tax revenue assiduously and diligently collected from citizens but from royalties and rent from the exploitation of mineral resources particularly petroleum which can therefore be squandered, spent imprudently or unaccountably or simply misappropriated into personal accounts, Mabogunje added.

He said instead of the government to invest the oil windfall of the 1970s, it declared a bazaar for civil servants who spent the money on expensive household items.

He further explained that the awuff mentality festered and led to a culture of corruption and lack of accountability, first in the public sector, but later spreading to every part of our national life.
A disillusioned former member of Islamic State has passed a stolen memory stick of documents identifying 22,000 supporters in over 50 countries to a British journalist, a leak that could help the West target Islamist fighters planning attacks. Leaks of such detailed information about Islamic State are rare and give Britains spies a potential trove of data that could help unmask militants who have threatened more attacks like those that killed 130 people in Paris last November.

A man calling himself Abu Hamed, a former member of Islamic State who became disillusioned with its leaders, passed the files to Britains Sky News on a memory stick he said he had stolen from the head of the groups internal security force. On it were enrolment forms containing the names of Islamic State supporters and of their relatives, telephone numbers, and other details such as the subjects areas of expertise and who had recommended them.

One of the files, marked Martyrs, detailed a group of IS members who were willing and trained to carry out suicide attacks, Sky said. Richard Barrett, a former head of global counter-terrorism at Britains MI6 Secret Intelligence Service, said the cache was a fantastic coup in the fight against Islamic State. It will be an absolute goldmine of information of enormous significance and interest to very many people, particularly the security and intelligence services, Barrett told Sky News.

Sky said it had informed the British authorities about the documents which were passed to its correspondent, Stuart Ramsay, at an undisclosed location in Turkey. Western security sources said that if genuine, the files could be gold dust as they could help identify potential attackers and the networks of sympathizers behind them, and give insight on the structure of the group. Reuters was not able to independently verify the documents, given their provenance. A selection of them was published in Arabic.
More damning discoveries into how the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan squandered Nigerias resources have been made by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with the latest being the disbursement of N2.2 billion to Islamic clerics to offer prayers against Boko Haram.

An executive director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Aminu Baba-Kusa, said that the money was spent on prayers in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia to win the war against insurgency in the country.

The N2.2 billion paid to the clerics is different from the $2.1billion arms fund for which former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd.), is currently standing trial.

According to The Nation, the monies for the prayer was disbursed through the Office of the NSA as proposed by Baba-Kusa.

These revelations were contained in a statement of witness/caution by Baba-Kusa himself and filed in the high court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Baba-Kusa, Dasuki and three others (Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited (owned by Baba-Kusa) and a former director of finance in ONSA, Shuaibu Salisu, are standing trial before the FCT High Court.

The NNPC director confessed that the money was spent on prayers to hasten the defeat of the insurgents, and that it was released in two tranches of N1,450,000,000 and N750,000,000, adding that the proposal was verbal.

I approached the former NSA and discussed Boko Haram problems and I suggested there is need for prayers and he considered and accepted in 2013 when he first came to office.

I personally sponsored many people locally and some few to Saudi Arabia. Some monies were later paid into our companies, which we paid to some of the mallams.

I then arranged to recover my personal expense which I put into our own businesses.

We have been spending a lot from our businesses and personal accounts. Money paid through UBA, First Bank and ECOBANK. For Acacia Holdings Limited (A/C 1017330319-UBA); ECOBANK(0122012650); and First Bank(Reliance Referral Hospitals Limited A/C 2022394057). The total amount is N2,200,000,000 from October 2014 to April 2015, Baba-Kusa confessed.

According to him, he may not be an expert, but I used some of the mallams to organise prayers in Abuja, Zaria, Kano, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Kaduna and Saudi Arabia covering 2013 to 2015.

I give them funds as required from time to time, ranging from N500,000 to N30million, depending on their needs, traveling, sadaqat and others for local expenses and travels to Saudi Arabia for Umrah and Hajj.

I reminded the NSA many times before payments were made. We grew up together with the former NSA with common friends in ABU.

Most of the payments in cash were meant to give out cash to people that have been organising prayers. Some transfers to Acacia to other banks were for logistics and also to some mallams in cash.

On how the prayer contract was arrived at, the accused said: The proposal made to the former NSA was not documented by him or myself. The verbal proposal to him was for prayers to overcome Boko Haram within the shortest possible time.

The engagement for prayers by organising some people to be praying was not formally written down.

There was no amount of money agreed on. I said to him, I will start organising, which he agreed and said he will see what he would give at a later time.

Baba-Kusa, who noted that he spent an estimate of over N700million from his own purse before asking for money from the ONSA, noted further that some of these funds came from disposal of some of my land in Abuja. One in Maitama, one in Gudu and one in Guzape. The Maitama was a little over N200million; Guzape (N80m), Gudu (N18m).

He added that he kept no records of the money he handed over to the various people they contracted for prayers but assured the EFCC that he would refund the said cash if he is able to dispose of his landed properties.

I am making efforts to dispose of my properties in Abuja which would be over the total amount of N2.2billion. If the sales go through and the amount from the sales is made in full, I will make full payment, he was quoted to have said.

The 19 charges against the five suspects read that, Baba-Kusa, Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited are alleged to have between October 2014 and April 2015 in Abuja agreed to do an illegal act to wit: dishonestly receiving property to wit: an aggregate sum of N2,200,000,000 being part of the funds in the accounts of the Office of National Security Adviser and that the same act was fine in pursuance of the agreement among you and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Vol.4, LFN 2004.
The immediate-past governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, has reacted to a threat by the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to suspend him for staging a violent rally.

The former governor had on Monday visited Ganduje town to condole with his former deputy and incumbent, Abdullahi Ganduje, who lost his mother recently.

The Kano chapter of APC, however, said the condolence visit was deliberately turned to a violent rally to cause mayhem in the state, abuse the governor and President Muhammadu Buhari.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, the Kano APC chairman, Umar Doguwa, alleged that Mr. Kwankwaso had exhibited acts of indiscipline which should not be allowed to go unpunished.

Mr. Doguwa said the party leadership and elders had approved the constitution of a disciplinary committee to penalise Mr. Kwankwaso.

Responding to the alleged threat to penalize him, the camp of the former governor, on Friday, issued a statement, saying Kwankwaso had refrained from visiting the state since May 29, 2015 when he handed over to Mr. Ganduje in order not to be seen as meddling in the internal affairs of the state.

According to the statement, Mr. Kwankwaso had given his successor space and time to settle down and consolidate on Sen. Kwankwasos successful programmes and projects that resulted into 100% APCs success in the 2014 local government and 2015 general elections respectively.

The statement, signed by Mr. Kwankwasos aide, Yunusa Dangwani, also said the senator found it imperative to visit his successor and condole with him over the death of his mother.

The statement pointed out there had been close ties between Messrs. Kwankwaso and Ganduje, being his former deputy for eight years and also his former Special Adviser when Mr. Kwankwaso served as Minister of Defence.

The statement added that Mr. Kwankwaso also deliberately gave short notice for the condolence visit, but was pleasantly surprised by the turnout of the good people of Kano who came to receive him at the Malam Aminu Kano Airport and escorted him to Ganduje village.

The statement added that by the time the senators convoy arrived Ganduje town, they were surprised that some local people brandished local weapons, not minding the somber occasion. It is unfortunate that they could not be chided, thus we left them with their weapons at Ganduje.

It is therefore appalling and rather unfortunate that the good gesture of Sen. Kwankwaso has been mischievously interpreted wrongly.

It is also disheartening that few hours after the death of our state Deputy Chairman Alhaji Isa Ali Danmaraya the government was busy coercing and misleading some party leadership into addressing a press conference that will only culminate in splitting the APC in Kano, the statement said.

The statement further warned Mr. Ganduje to desist from dragging the name of President Buhari to cover for his administrations obvious weaknesses.

Mr. Kwankwaso also advised the governor to strive to concentrate on facing the enormous challenges of governance such that, perhaps, he may also be revered and respected by the good people of Kano State.
A trader, Raimotu Jubril, on Friday pleaded with an Orile Agege Customary Court to dissolve her 24-year-old union to her husband, Taiwo, over his alleged fetish practices.

My husband is fetish, he rubs his male organ with a substance whenever he wanted to make love to me, Raimotu, 41, told the court.

According to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Raimotu, of 45 Adealu Street, Orile Agege, a suburb of Lagos, said her husband beats her whenever she complained and insisted that her husband stopped using the substance.

He beats me at will and does not allow me to go out, neither did he allow my family to visit me. It was as if I was in prison while in his house.

He comes home late at night and would not tell me his where about. I left his house since 2009 and I want a divorce, she said.

The mother of three told the court that her husband was a womaniser and he had married another wife.

Taiwo, 44, a mechanic, who lives at 1, Ilepa Eniola Street, Iyana Ipaja denied being fetish.

He, however, admitted to using a love charm to win back his wifes affection.

My wife denied me sex for one and half year and because of this, I did a love charm to win her back. The love charm was the substance I used to rob my male organ whenever I want to have sex with her.

I am not a womaniser, it was her non-challant altitude that led me into the arm of another woman, Taiwo said.

He told the court that he still want his wife back and beg for his wife return.

The court President, Dr Kayode Whenu, told the couple to maintain the peace in their marriage, and adjourned the case till April 5 for further hearing.
Its now a common trend that a lot of Nigerian celebrities have been getting involved in politics.

Veteran Nigerian actress Hilda Dokubo was once the Special Adviser to the former Governor of Rivers state Peter Odili.

Nkiru Sylvanus was appointed the Special Assistant on Lagos State Affairs to Imo State Governor Rochas Okorochain 2011.

Lets not forget the hunky and handsome Nollywood star, Richard Mofe Damijo who was once the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Delta State.

A lot of celebrities took part in the general elections last year; even though many of them didnt win.

Below is a list of 5 celebrities in political offices: 

1) Desmond Elliot

In 2014 Nollywood star and director Desmond Elliot moved into politics and joined the political partyAPC. The following year he ran for a seat in the Lagos state of Assembly. Desmond Elliot shocked everyone by winning.

Months later he was sworn into office at the Lagos State House of Assembly as a member representing Surulere 01 Constituency.

2) Ini Edo

In February 2016, superstar actress Ini Edo, 33, was appointed Special Adviser on Tourism to the Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel. Speaking about her appointment she said To be called to serve is an honour. I give God all the glory. Am grateful to my state, my Governor, every one of you with your constant prayers and support God bless u.

3) Femi Adebayo

Also in February 2016 popular Yoruba actor Femi Adebayo was made the Special Adviser to the Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed on Arts, Culture and Tourism. Today I was appointed as a Special Assistant to the Kwara state governor on Arts, Tourism and Culture. Thank God for an opportunity to transform my state into a foremost tourist state that will attract foreign and domestic tourists announced Femi Adebayo on Instagram. This month he shared the first photo from his office.

4) Dayo D1 Adeneye

In November 2014 media personality Dayo D1 Adeneye announced that he was running for office. He released a poster and wrote My dear friends. Having succumbed to the wishes and requests of my people in Ogun state I have decided to contest in the 2015 elections. Kindly keep me in your prayers as I embark on this next phase of my life.

Dayo Adeneye lost at the primaries but a year later he was appointed as the Commissioner for Information & Strategy in Ogun state.

5) Kate Henshaw

Veteran actress Kate Henshaw also ran for office. She however lost at the PDP primaries in Calabar state. In December 2015, Kate Henshaw was made Special Adviser, Liaison, Lagos to Cross River state
Punch

The Lagos State Police Command says it has arrested the Managing Director of Lekki Gardens, Mr. Richard Nyong, for the collapse of a five-storeyed building under construction on Kushenla Road, Ikate Elegushi, Lagos State, which killed no fewer than 35 persons.

Vanguard

ABUJA  MINISTER of State for Petroleum and Group Managing Director of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu yesterday said that the four refineries in the country will require between $300 million to $500 million to function effectively.

Thisday

No fewer than 184 top government officials from various ministries, departments and agencies (MDA) of the federal government have been redeployed in a major shake up triggered by the controversy over the 2016 budget.

Daily Times

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has stated that the state government was supporting the police and the Department of State Services (DSS), to tackle cult-related violence in some communities in the state accusing cultists of being behind the killings and not politicians as generally believed.

Guardian

Members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly yesterday blamed President Muhammadu Buhari for the arrest of their colleagues by operatives of the Department of Security Service (DSS)
An Ohio woman was able to rectify one of her lifes greatest regrets by receiving her high school diploma more than 70 years after she would have graduated. Dorothy Liggett, 93, celebrated her birthday by finally receiving her high school diploma in a small ceremony in front of her home, attended by family members and the Superintendent of Akron Public Schools.Liggett was unable to complete her senior year of high school after being expelled from North high school in 1942 for revealing that she was married.

In those days, if you were married you couldnt go to school, she told newnet5.com. Liggett ran away to Kentucky to marry her then fiance, John Huston, after he had been called to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corps. She accidentally revealed that she was married to a gym teacher after she felt belittled for forgetting her gym clothes. At the time Liggett also learned that she was pregnant with her daughter Janice Larkin, who wrote a letter to the school board requesting her mother receive her diploma.

She always felt that by not getting her high school diploma, she had not done what she should have, Larkin, 73, told the Akron Beacon Journal. I feel responsible because she was pregnant with me when she was expelled. Larkins letter explained her mothers deep regret and noted how she constantly stressed the importance of education to her children and any other young people she met. Her story caught the attention of Superintendent David W. James who sought to rectify the mistake.

When I read the letter, and did some follow-up research, I felt terrible for the way Mrs. Liggett was treated all of those years ago and wanted to do what we could to make it up to her, he said. To have invested 13 years in school, to have been a good student and still not receive a diploma because of that, was simply wrong.During the ceremony Liggett was presented with a black cap and gown as James shook her hand while presenting her with her diploma.

UPI.
A new rivalry may be brewing among Yoruba traditional rulers if the comments credited to the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, are anything to go by.

The Awujale had yesterday berated the Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, over his comments on the hierarchy of traditional rulers in Yorubaland.

It would be recalled that Oba Gbadebo had while receiving the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi in his Ake, Abeokuta, Ogun State palace early last month, declared that the Ife monarch is the highest of the five principal traditional rulers in Yorubaland.

The Alake listed the other Obas below the Ooni to include the Alaafin of Oyo and Oba of Benin in second and third positions respectively, in the order of ranking while his own title ranked fourth and the Awujales rounding the top five.

But Oba Adetona said that by ranking his (Alakes) crown above that of the Awujale, Oba Gbadebo demonstrated limited knowledge of the Yoruba traditional system.

The first class traditional ruler made the comment on Thursday during the launch of the endowment fund of Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona Professional Chair in Governance at the Department of Political Science, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State.

Adetona said: The Alake, while receiving the Ooni at his palace said that Yoruba Obas (the Big Five so to say) had been categorised with the Ooni in the first position followed by the Alaafin, the Oba of Benin, with the Alake coming fourth and the Awujale as the fifth in that order.

He also went further to quote wrongly from a 1903 Gazette to support all the fallacies in his statement.

The Awujale said on learning of the statement credited to his Egba counterpart, he called to confirm if he actually made the statement, but that the Alake denied it.

According to him, the refusal of the Alake to publicly deny repeated newspaper reports quoting him as making the statement lent credence to the fact that the statement was rightly credited to him.

Therefore, I consider it necessary to debunk the aforementioned falsehood and misrepresentation of facts from Akes palace so as to put the records straight, he explained.

First, I would like to make it abundantly clear that the 1903 Gazette referred to by Alake was just a newspaper publication that he, in his self-serving role is now presenting as an official Government Gazette.

The first question to Alake is: who categorised the Yoruba Obas and when? I challenge him to produce the document of the said categorisation.

It is a known fact that Alake was a junior traditional ruler under the Alaafin at Orile Egba before he fled to Ibadan for refuge as a result of the war then ravaging in Yorubaland.

Following the defeat of Owu by the Ijebu Army in 1826, the Owus became refugees all over Yorubaland. Some of the Ijebu troops that fought the war proceeded to Ibadan where they met Alake and sacked him, consequently forcing him to seek refuge at Ake in Abeokuta in 1830 where of course, he met the Osile, Olowu, and Agura already settled at Oke-Ona, Owu and Gbagura sections of Abeokuta Township respectively.

Even then, the Olubara, of Oyo origin had always argued that all the aforementioned four rulers met him in Abeokuta and therefore claimed to be their landlord. To even refer to Alake as Alake of Abeokuta not to talk of Egbaland, is a misnomer, as his control since his arrival at Ake in 1830 and till today is restricted to Ake section of Abeokuta. The official Government Gazette testifies to this fact.

In short, the Alake from history and all available records is a very junior traditional ruler in Yorubaland. His peers in Ijebuland are the Dagburewe of Idowa, Ajalorun of Ijebu-Ife, Akija of IkijaIjebu, Olowu of Owu-Ijebu, Oloko of Ijebu-Imushin, Orimolusi of Ijebu-Igbo and Ebumawe of Ago-Iwoye.

Oba Adetona also recalled that he, the late Alake, Oyebade Lipede and the late Oba Okunade Sijuwade, the Ooni of Ife, at one time sat over the issue with former President Olusegun Obasanjo at Aso Rock, Abuja.

He urged the Alake, as a young and inexperienced traditional ruler, to contact Chief Olusegun Obasanjo for proper education so as to save himself and his people from further embarrassment.

It is important for Alakes education to appreciate that Ijebu has been in existence for almost 1,000 years and that we are the only people that still remain in our original homestead while other Yoruba towns and villages have relocated twice or more, Mr. Adetona said.

If only he cares to obtain a copy of the Book: The Ijebu of Yorubaland 1850-1950 by the late Prof. E. A. Ayandele, that erudite Professor of History and endeavour to read it, there, he will know who the Ijebus are and appreciate that from time immemorial and since our settlement on Ijebu soil, Ijebu was indeed a nation until 1892 when we were defeated in the Magbon War by the British colonial forces.

Notwithstanding the conquest, our early contact with the expatriates was quite significant and rewarding. It was during this period that our God-given commercial acumen was brought to play, resulting in enormous prosperity for the Ijebus to the envy of our neighbours.

I hereby strongly admonish Alake to refrain from making such unsavoury, unguarded and unfounded statements, which if not checked, may seriously jeopardise the unity of Yoruba Obas and their people.
Dozens of residents in a besieged town outside the Syrian capital have staged a demonstration urging the United Nations to allow humanitarian aid into the area. The protesters, mostly women and children, took to the streets on Wednesday in rebel-held Darayya, which has been encircled by President Bashar al-Assads troops for more than three years.

The children in the protest lined-up to form the letters SOS, while banners called on UN officials to help. [UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria] Mr Yacoub El Hillo, what are you doing to help us, one banner read. If you can stop the shelling, you can break the siege, another read. No aid has entered Darayya since the beginning of its siege.

The town continued to witness heavy bombardment until a US-Russia brokered ceasefire came into force on February 27. The opposition Media Centre in Darayya said that the reason the protest was attended mainly by women and children was to dispel the regimes claims that the town is only inhabited by combatants.

Darayya borders a military airport used by Russian planes  which started conducting air strikes in support of Assad in late September  and the Syrian government is keen to wrest back control of the area. The UN has said that humanitarian aid efforts in Syria have made great progress since the ceasefire went into effect. In recent weeks, the UN and its partners have sent 536 trucks filled with aid to nearly 240,000 people, and the relief supplies have reached 18 besieged areas in the war-torn country.

Aljazeera.
On this day in 2008, Soldiers stalked Niger Delta gang leader, Ateke Tom and reported that they found a huge cache of arms and ammunition along with an illegal pipeline used to tap stolen oil, in a raid on one of his bases

 In August 2007 following days of gun fights between various militia groups and security forces in Port Harcourt, Ateke Tom wrote to the Governor, Celestine Omehia, requesting for amnesty in response to an offer of clemency and rehabilitation the government had offered to militia who surrendered.

 On 1 October 2009, the 49th anniversary of Nigerian independence and three days before the closing of a government amnesty program, Tom willingly surrendered to President Musa Yaradua at the Government House, Abuja. The presidential jet was sent to fly Tom to Abuja, and the President stated that Today, Chief Tom Ateke you have given me my 49th independence anniversary gift and I cherish it so much.
The Nigerian Army has announced that one of the suspected Boko Haram Terrorists leader declared wanted by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has died from fatal wounds sustained during an encounter with troops of 7 Multinational Joint Task Force Brigade Quick Response Group (QRG) stationed in Baga and 118 Task Force Battalion.

The suspected terrorists leader, whose identity was not disclosed in the statement issued by the army spokesperson, Sani Usman, was fatally wounded on Thursday when the troops sprang an ambush along Daban Masara axis used by Boko Haram to convey logistics.

At the encounter, one of the suspected wanted Boko Haram terrorists leaders, who is serial number 95 on the first Nigerian Army wanted list of 100 Boko Haram terrorists leaders, was fatally wounded in the exchange of fire.

He later gave up while receiving medical attention at the base, while other members of his team escaped with gunshot wounds, Usman, a colonel said.

The statement added that troops recovered 7 Jerry cans of 30 litres containing 210 liters of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), motorcycles and food stuff in addition to arms and ammunition.
Its been a big month for Microsoft and open source. The company joined the Eclipse project and open-sourced some plug-in code. It announced SQL Server will be made available for Linux (presumably for the benefit of Azure). It now has a range of Android apps available. The news keeps flowing in, and plenty of people are impressed by the efforts.

Microsoft wants to be seen as a community member on both Linux and Android, plus in a wide range of developer technologies. An enormous charm offensive is in progress. A Microsoft employee is president of the Apache Software Foundation. Microsoft is buying open source companies like Revolution and Xamarin, and it's partnering with Red Hat. Microsoft is donating pocket change to all sorts of communities and conferences. The company's activities seeking open source community recognition and approval are too numerous to list here.

[ See what hardware, software, development tools, and cloud services came out on top in the InfoWorld 2016 Technology of the Year Awards. | Cut to the key news in tech with the InfoWorld Daily newsletter, our summary of the top tech happenings. ]

But while this has been going on, you're not hearing about another part of Microsoft. Simultaneous with the Eclipse and SQL Server announcements, Microsoft announced it had successfully extracted patent licenses out of Wistron of Taiwan for its use of Android and out of Rakuten of Japan for use of Linux and Android. Though theres been something of a lull in patent aggression lately, it has a long history and generates a significant revenue stream.

Yes, thats right: With one face, Microsoft wants us to forgive and forget the cancer comments, the dirty tricks, and the standards fixing. Even as the body of SCO lays slightly warm following the Redmond-financed fight against Linux, Microsoft wants us to overlook more than a decade of hostility and accept it as a full-status community member because it showed up with code, cash, and compliments. But with the other face, Microsoft wants members of the Android and Linux communities where it claims membership to pay up crates of cash for patent licenses or face destructive litigation.

Which community member is next, and for which project Microsoft claims to love?

Open source depends for its success on having guarantees in advance: that users and developers may freely use, improve, and share the software involved. Its antithetical to open source for those engaged in it to seek permission (and payment) from users or developers on top of the rights delivered through an OSI-approved copyright license. Thats why so many companies involved in open source -- nearly 2,000 -- have forsworn patent aggression by joining the Open Invention Network (OIN). All have exchanged the patent aggression for open collaboration.

Doing so isnt an obstacle to using patents for self-defense -- thats clearly stated in OINs license agreement. Its not even an obstacle to patent aggression outside the world of open source. IBM, a founder and cornerstone of OIN, has a chain of patent kills to its name and currently has its fangs embedded in Groupon as its next intended victim.

But joining OIN is a clear signal to the open source community at large that you count yourself as a participant and not as a parasite. Thats why my repeated response to Microsoft news on Twitter remains the same: But have they joined OIN yet?

Its very well for Microsoft to proclaim its love of open source, but it cant have it both ways. Should it truly decide to become one of us, collaborating in an environment where everyone has permission to use, improve, and share code for any purpose, Microsoft would be welcome. Or it can be a hostile predator, stalking users and developers of Linux and Android and shaking them down for patent licenses. In that role, everything it does will be met with suspicion.

Which will it be? Its time for Microsoft to put up or shut up. Join OIN, or admit that you cant be trusted in the open source community you now claim to love.
Triple Digit Hog Rally Barchart - Fri Oct 21, 4:40PM CDT Lean hogs extended their rally into the weekend with another $0.20 to $2.10 gains in the front months. December was up the most on Friday, but is still a $1.40 discount to Feb. Through the week, December... HEZ22 : 89.125s (+2.41%) HEJ23 : 93.850s (+0.78%) KMZ22 : 98.000s (+1.16%)

Cotton Limits the Weeks Pullback with Friday Strength Barchart - Fri Oct 21, 4:40PM CDT Cotton futures traded in a wide 413 point range from +253 to -160 (Dec). At the close the front months were 32 to 173 points in the black. December closed the week at a net 402 point loss, having spent... CTZ22 : 79.13s (+2.24%) CTH23 : 78.55s (+1.67%) CTK23 : 78.15s (+1.44%)

Wheats Closed Mixed on Friday Barchart - Fri Oct 21, 4:40PM CDT CBT SRW futures ended the last trade day of the week with 1 to 1 1/2 cent gains. For the December contract that meant a net 9 cent loss for the week. KC futures pulled back by 1/2 a cent to 2 cents on... ZWZ22 : 850-6s (+0.18%) ZWH23 : 869-4s (+0.17%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.8533 (+0.24%) KEZ22 : 948-2s (-0.16%) KEPAWS.CM : 9.0581 (-0.16%) MWZ22 : 961-4s (-0.10%)

Nov Beans Held under $14 Barchart - Fri Oct 21, 4:40PM CDT The Friday session ended with soybean futures 3 1/4 to 4 cents higher with November options having expired. Nov soybeans spent the week in a 41 1/2 cent trading range and ended 11 3/4 cents higher from... ZSX22 : 1395-4s (+0.29%) ZSPAUS.CM : 13.5026 (+0.29%) ZSF23 : 1404-4s (+0.32%) ZSH23 : 1411-6s (+0.28%)

New Contract High for Dec Cattle Barchart - Fri Oct 21, 4:40PM CDT Cattle added another 62 to 75 cents to the upside on Friday, with December printing a new life of contract high of $152.50. Dec gained a net $4.65 for the week. The weeks cash trade picked up on Thursday... LEV22 : 150.475s (+0.47%) LEZ22 : 152.425s (+0.49%) LEG23 : 155.525s (+0.44%) GFV22 : 175.275s (-0.17%) GFX22 : 178.350s (+0.45%)
Zika is spreading panic through Latin America and has jumped its borders, making its way to U.S. territories. This prompted the WHO to warn the world that the virus is expected to spread to across nearly all of the Americas. Zika is a vector-borne virus; no vaccine exists, there is no treatment protocol and no cure. Those that contract the disease can do little but suffer through the symptoms, which include fever, headache, and joint pain.

Those symptoms may seem relatively mild, especially when compared to diseases like Ebola. But Zika is suspected of causing birth defects like microcephaly, which can cause expectant mothers to miscarry and babies to die at birth. Babies that survive are typically extremely disabled. Additionally, Zika can also trigger Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults. Guillain-Barre is a rare auto-immune disease that can cause paralysis. Finally, it could be transmitted sexually by men.

Scary stuff, indeed, but there hasnt been as much funding movement as expected here.

As we've reported, Paul Allen and his Vulcan Inc.are a notable exception, pitching in over $2 million to combat the spread of the virus. About $1.5 million of those funds are being used by the American Red Cross to support integrated vector-control activities in Zika-affected areas, including health, sanitation, and hygiene projects. Allen gave an additional $550,000 to Chembio Diagnostic Systems toward the support of the companys rapid diagnostic tests.

Related: Getting Ahead of the Next Epidemic: Paul Allens Rapid Response to Zika

Otherwise, its been pretty quiet on the Zika front as far as major NGO dollars are concerned. The funding tide still doesnt seem to be rising very quickly here, but another tech funder has joined Allen and company to prevent what has been declared a public health emergency by the WHO, from reaching full-blown outbreak status.

Like Paul Allen, Google.org is opting to err on the side of caution when it comes to Zika. The foundation awarded UNICEF a $1 million grant to raise awareness, reduce the populations of mosquitoes that transmit the virus, and support the development of diagnostics and vaccines to prevent disease transmission.

So as not to go at it blind, Google is mounting a Zika mapping campaign to anticipate where the virus will spread next. The project includes a team of Google engineers, data scientists and designers who are working alongside UNICEF to analyze weather and travel patterns to determine which regions Zika is expected to hit next.

Related: Will Data Mining Help Fight Malaria? Google.org Thinks So

According to Google.org director Jacquelline Fuller, the foundation hopes to make its mapping campaign available on an open source platform to identify the risk of Zika transmission for different regions and help UNICEF, governments and NGOs decide how and where to focus their time and resources. Fuller also noted that while the current project is specific to Zika, it will be applicable to future emergencies.

It's worth recalling that Google also jumped in on Ebola, with Larry Page leading the charge and contributing his own money.

Related: Google's Larry Page Just Gave Big for Ebola. Where's His Philanthropy Headed?

Still, as I said, not a lot of other funders are tuning in to Zika. It could be due to the comparatively mild symptoms, but so far, not too many foundations have jumped onboard to prevent the further spread of Zika. As this will likely grow from public health emergency to epidemic or even pandemic, we imagine more funders will join the effort. Nobody wants to see the likes of another disease outbreak, especially one that spreads as quickly and is as difficult to contain as Zika.
Sovran Self Storage Inc., the real estate investment trust (REIT) that operates the Uncle Bob's Self Storage brand, has purchased a facility in Thornton, Colo., from TRC Cos., a private investment group that owns numerous storage facilities across the Colorado Front Range. The property was previously managed by Extra Space Storage Inc., another industry REIT.

The property at 9000 Gale Blvd. is about 10 miles north of downtown Denver. Built in 2011, the 521-unit facility features a three-story, split-level, climate-controlled building and three single-story, traditional buildings. Security features include keypad access and 18 video cameras with multiple display monitors.

The total sales price, which was not disclosed, equates to $203 per square foot. Its the highest price per square foot achieved for a self-storage facility in Colorado, according to a press release from Marcus & Millichap, the real estate investment company that brokered the transaction.

Demand for institutional-quality assets in markets like Denver has reached an unprecedented level, said Adam Schlosser, vice president of investments in the Marcus & Millichap Denver office. Its difficult to feed the staggering amount of capital trying to enter into or expand in self-storage investments, and current pricing is creating opportunities to acquire assets that would otherwise rarely come to market.

Schlosser and Charles Chico LeClaire, a senior vice president of investments who also works in the firms Denver office, represented the buyer and seller in the deal.

Based in Buffalo, N.Y., Sovran operates more than 500 facilities in 26 states. Its portfolio of owned and managed facilities comprises more than 36 million square feet.

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Extra Space owns or operates 1,347 self-storage properties in 36 states; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico. The companys properties comprise approximately 900,000 units and 101 million square feet of rentable space.

Marcus & Millichap has more than 1,500 investment professionals in offices throughout the United States and Canada.
New South Wales is to launch a review of its CTP insurance scheme as ride-sharing services like Uber continue to shake-up the transport sector.Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation in New South Wales, Victor Dominello, announced a CTP review yesterday in the point-to-point transport sector as services such as Uber continue to shape the landscape.This review will clarify the CTP price and regulatory disparities that currently exist between taxis, hire cars and ride-share services, and offers six options for reform, Dominello said.A 10-fold disparity currently exists between what taxi drivers pay in CTP in the state and what private vehicles pay, and Dominello hopes that the review can increase fairness in the sector.Since the government legalised ride-sharing in December, new entrants to the market have been welcomed. However, we need to reconsider how CTP rules and prices are set to ensure greater fairness in the sector.The review has been welcomed by the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA), which advocated for the creation of a separate class of CTP insurance for ride-sharing services as part of a government taskforce on the point-to-point transport industry last year.The discussion paper appropriately recognises that the growth in ride-sharing services has dramatically altered the landscape for point-to-point transport, Whelan said.To keep the NSW CTP scheme sustainable and fair for all motorists, its imperative that premiums paid by private and commercial drivers reflect the risk they represent in causing accidents that result in people being injured.The ICA strongly supports the principle of competitive neutrality whereby like goods and services are treated the same.On that basis, the ICA welcomes moves to level the playing field and ensure ride-hail drivers face similar consumer and safety regulations to other point-to-point service providers.Whelan noted that requiring motorists to register as ride-sharing drivers would allow insurers to better understand the risks they face from these drivers.By calculating the risk profile of this emerging market, CTP insurers can charge appropriate premiums for ride-hail drivers to ensure there are adequate funds to meet claims arising from this category of point to point transport, Whelan continued.New South Wales officially legalised ride-sharing services in December 2015
Gen Re, one of the giant reinsurance businesses at Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway Inc., said its exiting property and casualty operations at six smaller locations amid a global reorganization.

The reinsurer said Thursday that it plans to shutter operations in Hong Kong; Melbourne; Riga, Latvia; Seattle; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Charlotte, North Carolina. The company will continue to serve those markets out of larger offices.

We have reviewed our entire global footprint, and with this change, we are positioning Gen Res property and casualty operation to address the realities of todays markets, Bob Jones, a president at the reinsurer, said in a statement. We need to deliver underwriting and claims expertise in the most effective manner, while not compromising the quality of our products and promises.

Buffett has soured some on the prospects for reinsurers, which help primary carriers spread out risk and shoulder the costliest claims. The price of coverage has slumped amid a glut of capital in the industry, and as Wall Street dreamed up other ways to provide the protection.

As a result, Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire has increasingly focused on building primary insurance operations. One of those businesses announced an expansion into Europe Thursday.

While Gen Re has managed to boost sales in its international life operation in recent years, property & casualty has turned down business because rates are too low to compensate for the risk assumed. Policy sales in that segment slipped 9 percent to $2.7 billion in 2015 from a year earlier, after adjusting for foreign currency exchange rates. Pretax underwriting profit fell 26 percent to $150 million.

In addition to the office closures, Gen Re said it would organize its European Treaty operation around five types of business. Teams representing those areas will now serve the entire region, according to the statement.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Reinsurance Property Casualty
Zurich Insurance Group AG needs a clear and simple strategy to rebuild investor confidence as the company tries to turn around its struggling general insurance unit, said Mario Greco, the firms new chief executive officer.

We need to rebuild the trust of the markets in our ability to reach our goals as soon as possible, the Naples native told employees in a memo seen by Bloomberg. To achieve that, we need to carry out our plans in a disciplined manner and set the right priorities.

Zurich is reshaping general insurance and revamping its top management after a year that saw the company abandon a high-profile takeover bid for RSA Insurance Group Plc following unexpectedly high claims. Greco, previously CEO at Assicurazioni Generali SpA, took over in March after Martin Senn stepped down in December. The stock is down about 14 percent this year.

Greco is a doer. If something doesnt work, he quickly delivers results, said Georg Marti, an analyst at Zuercher Kantonalbank with an outperform rating on the stock. This is what Zurich Insurance needs right now.

Zurichs combined ratio in general insurance, when including disaster losses was 103.6 percent last year, according to the statement. A measure of more than 100 means the unit is paying out more in claims and costs than its collecting in premiums.

We all want to bring Zurich back to the top, Greco said. What matters is the result of the group.

Zurich Insurance confirmed that Greco sent a memo to staff on March 7, his first day as CEO.

With assistance from Jeffrey Vogeli.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
Old Mutual Plc plans to split into four units as Chief Executive Officer Bruce Hemphill breaks up the U.K. financial services company to reverse years of flagging returns.

The insurer will spin off its controlling stake in South African lender Nedbank to shareholders and separate the U.S.-based OM Asset Management business, its U.K. wealth operations and its emerging-market unit by the end of 2018, London-based Old Mutual said in a statement on Friday. The company may consider an initial public offering of some businesses and will use proceeds from any sales to pay down debt and boost payouts to investors, the CEO said.

The split is the culmination of a strategic review started by Hemphill in November to boost profitability and a share price thats trailed peers. The 171-year old companys main South African operations are under pressure from a slumping rand and slowing economy, while the four businesses have different funding needs and lack synergies.

Old Mutual shareholders will highly likely receive a substantial value uplift as a result of the break up, said Richard Bottger, a money manager at Tower Capital Management (Pty) Ltd. in Johannesburg. Its interesting to see that rather than sell Nedbank they are distributing shares to shareholders. This could put further pressure on the Nedbank share price.

Nedbank slid 2.1 percent to 177.29 rand by 10:30 a.m. in Johannesburg, heading for the lowest level since Jan. 27. Old Mutual declined 0.3 percent to 184.7 pence in London, reversing an earlier gain of as much as 3.4 percent.

There could be some dissatisfaction by certain shareholders who do not necessarily want to be shareholders of Nedbank, said Ryan Cloete, an equity analyst at Cape Town-based hedge fund manager Fairtree Capital Pty Ltd. The actual terms of a potential sale of the U.K. wealth business will be key to assess, as and when they are finalized.

Hemphill said on a conference call Friday that he sees staff reductions at the companys head office in London and will put himself out of a job with the split into four businesses, without giving more detail. The insurers change of strategy will allow each business improved access to capital markets to fund their growth and simplify regulatory arrangements, he said.

Jewel in Crown

While Old Mutual hasnt finalized plans on how to handle the separation of all the units, other than retain a minority stake in Nedbank, it may consider IPOs for businesses that dont yet trade their securities, the CEO said. The unbundling of Nedbank comes as Barclays Plc seeks to cut its controlling stake in Barclays Africa Group to reduce demands on its capital.

Old Mutual also released full year results to December that showed adjusted operating earnings per share gained 8 percent on a reported currency basis to 19.3 pence, beating the 19.1 pence median estimate of 10 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

Old Mutual wealth continues to be the fastest growing business unit and proved once again why it is the jewel in Old Mutuals crown, said Nico Smuts, an analyst at Johannesburg-based 36ONE Asset Management (Pty) Ltd. said by e-mail on Friday. Old Mutuals African business units posted high single-digit earnings growth in constant currency, but the weak rand erased these gains for sterling investors.

Private-equity investors Cinven Ltd. and Warburg Pincus LLC have already made a bid for the wealth business, Sky News reported on March 5, without saying where it got the information.

Conglomerate Discount

The OM Asset Management business, which trades in New York, could also be spun off to investors, said Brad Preston, chief investment officer of Mergence Investment Managers (Pty) Ltd., who also said some analysts see a 20 percent conglomerate discount in Old Mutual stock.

The main uncertainty and probably the main potential for value uplift comes from how the Old Mutual wealth business will be dealt with, he said, adding that the emerging markets business may come back to Johannesburgs stock exchange.

Old Mutuals return on equity, a measure of profit, has declined since the company moved its head office to London from Johannesburg in 1999 to escape foreign exchange laws that made it difficult to pursue acquisitions outside the country. With the move also came increased regulation and Old Mutual must follow international solvency rules.

Old Mutuals top two executives are South Africans. Hemphill was previously the head of wealth and insurance at Standard Bank Group Ltd., Africas biggest lender by assets, which last year sold a controlling stake in its U.K. operations after increased regulation tied up capital and caused costs to rise. Old Mutual Finance Director Ingrid Johnson spent 20 years with Nedbank before joining the lenders parent in 2014.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Legislation London
Itasca, Ill.-based insurance broker, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., has acquired Vincent L. Braband Insurance Inc. in Arlington Heights, Ill. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Established in 1930, Vincent L. Braband Insurance Inc. (Braband) is a retail insurance broker providing commercial property/casualty, risk management consulting, employee benefits and personal lines insurance services to middle-market clients throughout the Midwest. They specialize in providing insurance coverage for law firms and the transportation industry.

Vincent Skip Braband and his associates will continue to operate under the direction of Michael Pesch, head of Gallaghers Midwest region retail property/casualty brokerage operation.

Source: Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Illinois A.J. Gallagher
The top U.S. auto safety regulator said Thursday the agency is seeking additional details of a recent crash of an Alphabet Inc. Google self-driving car in California.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief Mark Rosekind told Reuters on the sidelines of an event on highway safety that the agency is collecting more information to get a more detailed exploration of what exactly happened.

A Google self-driving car struck a municipal bus in Mountain View, Calif. in a minor crash Feb. 14, and the search engine firm said it bears some responsibility for the crash in what may be the first crash that was the fault of the self-driving vehicle.

Rosekind said he spoke to Google officials Wednesday and the company has been very forthcoming in answering requests for details on the crash. A Google spokesman didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Topics Auto Personal Auto Google
The U.S. Transportation Department and NXP Semiconductors NV are joining forces in a pilot project to use communication technology to reduce congestion and speed traffic, they said on Friday.

The department said in December that it would award up to $40 million to a mid-size U.S. city to pilot the efforts.

NXP and partner Cohda Wireless will give the winning Smart City wireless communication modules that allow cars to securely exchange data like hazard warnings over more than a mile to prevent accidents and improve traffic flow.

Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle to infrastructure communication could prevent up to 80 percent of crashes where alcohol is not a factor by alerting drivers to hazards like an icy bridge or speeding car, the government said.

In the near term, its not about automated driving as much as its about assisted driving, NXP Chief Executive Officer Rick Clemmer said in an interview.

The technology could be added to police, fire or other municipal vehicles, but that depends on the winning bid and how the city wants to deploy it, he added.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx on Saturday will announce the five finalist cities in Austin. Nearly 80 U.S. cities applied, including Detroit, Boston, Anchorage, Alaska, San Francisco, Baltimore, Cleveland, Las Vegas and Pittsburgh.

Finalists will each get $100,000 to refine their plans before the winner is named in June.

Foxx said in an interview on Thursday that he thought the winning city would serve as a catalyst for widespread change.

The goal of the Smart Cities project is a fully integrated, first-of-its-kind city that uses data, technology and creativity to shape how people and goods move in the future, the department said.

The effort is the latest bid by the Obama administration to advance technology fixes to address the nations clogged roads.

In January, President Barack Obama proposed nearly $4 billion over 10 years to speed deployment of connected and self-driving vehicles.

Topics USA
A North Carolina therapist who said she was fired after reporting patient neglect has won a $3.6 million award from a Buncombe County jury.

The Asheville Citizen-Times reports the Superior Court jury awarded the money earlier this month to Laura Haas, who was fired by mental health care provider CooperRiis in 2009. Attorney Harvey Kennedy says the award is the largest jury verdict in North Carolina for an individual in a wrongful termination case.

Haas charged that CooperRiis fired her after she complained about illegal administration of medication, overdoses because of self-administration of medication and problems with prescription refills.

CooperRiis board chairman Donald Cooper said in a statement that the company will not appeal the decision. He says the company has adopted new employment policies to help avoid similar situations.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics North Carolina
An Orlando-based hotel chain is reporting that some of its guests credit card information may have been breached.

Rosen Hotels & Resorts Inc. said on its website that malware was installed on its payment card network, and in some instances, it may have identified the name, credit card number, expiration date and verification code on the credit cards of its guests.

The company said on its website last week that its still trying to identify which guests may have had their data breached. Cards used at the hotel chain between September 2014 and February 2016 may have been affected.

Company officials said they hired a cybersecurity expert last month after they were first made aware that the data may have been breached.

Rosen operates seven hotels in the Orlando area.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Florida Cyber
A longshot proposal introduced this week would make California the first state to allow rideshare drivers and all other independent contractors to unionize.

The legislation comes one week after the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sued Seattle over the nations first city ordinance allowing for-hire drivers to organize labor coalitions.

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, authored the California proposal to allow gig workers not formally recognized as employees to jointly negotiate their pay and working conditions. The proposal would open the door to unionized truck drivers, real estate agents, barbers, fundraisers and other independently contracted workers operating on a single platform.

Federal law does not extend collective bargaining rights to independent contractors. Attorneys for the U.S. Chamber have invoked those federal antitrust and labor laws to fight the Seattle ordinance.

Gonzalez and her legal adviser, labor attorney Rich McCracken, believe the states have the right to supervise a process by which independent contractors would be able to organize.

The Internet Association, whose members include most major cloud and mobile application-based businesses, opposed the proposal Wednesday.

Michael Beckerman, president and CEO of the association, said in a statement that individuals are already offered flexible earning opportunities within the sharing economy.

Independent contractors are prevalent in every industry, but this proposal unfairly targets the Internet sector in a way that could hurt the very people it purports to help, Beckerman said in the statement. The associations members include Google, Facebook, PayPal, Amazon, Uber, Lyft and other companies that rely on the Internet and new technology to do business.

I dont know in our history a time when weve had businesses say: Thats great, lets have workers unionize,' Gonzalez said.

Uber and Lyft, organizations that allow riders to hail a driver using a mobile application, opposed Seattles ordinance.

We share Assemblywoman Gonzalezs dedication to workers and agree with the starting point that people engaging with platforms are independent contractors, Lyft spokeswoman Chelsea Wilson wrote in a statement.

Gonzalezs bill has one co-author, Democratic state Senator Benjamin Allen of Santa Monica.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics California Contractors
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez arrived this week in her first Uber ride and signed a bill allowing ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft to operate in the state.

The Republican governor said the measure ends the confusion over whether the companies are welcome in New Mexico.

After one ride I can see why Uber is so amazing, Martinez said. It makes the state accessible.

Martinez said the companies will help reduce drunken driving in the state and allow tourists to roam.

Uber and Lyft use smartphone apps to connect their drivers with people seeking rides.

The legal status of the companies in the state had been in limbo since they began offering service in 2014. The companies had argued that the states Motor Carrier Act did not apply to them because they do not operate as commercial taxi businesses.

The dispute forced Lyft to pull out of New Mexico after state regulators couldnt come up with a solution. Martinez said she hoped Lyft would give New Mexico another look after she signed the new legislation into law.

In a statement, Lyft praised the passage of the bill but did not say if it would return to New Mexico.

The new regulations include background checks for drivers against criminal and sexual offender databases.

Rep. Monica Youngblood, R-Albuquerque, said it was a two-year fight to get the legislation through the GOP-controlled House and the Democrat-led Senate.

Traditional taxi companies had fought bills to allow Uber and Lyft to operate in New Mexico over safety concerns.

Uber spokeswoman Taylor Patterson said the company was pleased to have another state with a regulatory framework.

She said Uber already is active in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos and Las Cruces. In Las Cruces, the district attorneys office has helped Uber promote its services as a safe alternative to drinking and driving.

Even though New Mexico is a newer market for Uber, it certainly is no less important than any other market were in, in terms of our focus to expand, she said.

Associated Press writer Morgan Lee contributed to this report from Santa Fe, N.M.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation Mexico New Mexico
Faine is a part of the private and sovereign investment fund in the Abu Dhabi office. She advises fund sponsors and foreign institutional investors on the legal and tax aspects of structuring and participating in investment funds.

Before joining Squire Patton Boggs in 2011, Faine was an associate at Schulte Roth & Zabel in New York and, before that, an associate at Faegre & Benson.

Hutchinson has been a public finance tax lawyer in the New York office since 2007. He specialises in complex tax issues relating to public finance as well as acts as tax counsel in all varieties of tax-advantaged state and local debt in the US.
A poco piu di due settimane dallinizio delle Olimpiadi di Rio de Janeiro, una vasta operazione antiterrorismo ha portato allarresto di un gruppo di 10 persone, mentre altre due sono ricercate, con laccusa di aver pianificato attentati durante i Giochi Olimpici. La polizia federale, che ha fatto scattare le manette ai polsi dei sospettati, ha comunicato che le 10 persone facevano parte di un gruppo reclutato dallIsis via web.

Si tratta di una presunta cellula terroristica che e passata da messaggi sospetti su internet ad atti preparatori per il presunto attacco, ha spiegato il ministro della Giustizia, Alexandra Moraes, durante una conferenza stampa. Il ministro, ha inoltre spiegato che si tratta del primo caso di alleanza tra il sedicente Stato Islamico e un gruppo sudamericano. Gli arresti sono stati eseguiti negli Stati di San Paolo e Parana.

Gli inquirenti ritengono che possa trattarsi dello stesso gruppo che soli pochi giorni fa ha giurato fedelta allIsis ed ha aperto un canale su Telegram dal nome Ansar al-Khilafah, piattaforma scelta perche i messaggi non sono rintracciabili. La minaccia era stata denunciata via Twitter anche da Rita Katz, direttrice del Site, che aveva svelato lesistenza della nuova sigla dellintegralismo islamico. Secondo la Katz, il gruppo ha approfittato del momento, il recente attacco a Nizza e quello in un treno in Germania, per diffondere ancora di piu la propaganda di terrore sui social a livello mondiale.
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are a type of financial instrument whose unique advantages over mutual funds have caught the eye of many an investor. If you find the tasks of analyzing and picking stocks a little daunting, ETFs may be right for you.

What Is an ETF?

Think of an exchange-traded fund as a mutual fund that trades like a stock. Just like a mutual fund, an ETF represents a basket of securities (such as stocks) that reflect an index such as the S&P 500 or the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index.

An ETF, however, isn't a mutual fund; it trades just like any other company on a stock exchange. Unlike a mutual fund that has its net asset value (NAV) calculated at the end of each trading day, an ETF's price changes throughout the day, fluctuating with supply and demand. It is important to remember that while ETFs attempt to replicate the return on indexes, there is no guarantee that they will do so exactly. It is not uncommon to see a small difference between the actual index's year-end return and that of an ETF.

By owning an ETF, you get the diversification of a mutual fund plus the flexibility of a stock. Because ETFs trade like stocks, you can short sell them, buy them on margin. Another advantage is that the expense ratios of most ETFs are lower than that of the average mutual fund. For example, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) has a low expense ratio of 0.0945% as of 2022. When buying and selling ETFs, you pay your broker the same commission that you'd pay on any regular trade.

Different ETFs

The first ETF was the S&P 500 index fund (nicknamed "spiders" because of their SPDR ticker symbol), which began trading on the American Stock Exchange (AMEX) in 1993. Todaytracking a wide variety of sector-specific, asset-type-specific, country-specific, and broad-market indexesthere are thousands of ETFs trading on the open market.

You can pretty much find an ETF for just about any kind of sector of the market. For example, if you were interested in getting exposure to some European stocks through the Austrian market, you might take a look at the iShares MSCI Austrian Index fund (EWO).

Some of the more popular ETFs have nicknames like cubes (QQQ) and diamonds (DIAs). Many ETFs are passively managed, meaning investors save big on management fees.

Nasdaq-100 Index

This ETF tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index (QQQ), which consists of the 100 largest and most actively traded non-financial domestic and international companies on the Nasdaq. QQQ, or "cubes", offers investors broad exposure to the tech sector. Because it curbs the risk that comes with investing in individual stocks, the QQQ is a great way to invest in the long-term prospects of the technology industry. The diversification it offers can be a big advantage when there's volatility in the markets. If one tech company falls short of projected earnings, it will likely be hit hard, but owning a piece of a hundred other companies can cushion that blow.

SPDRs

Usually referred to as "spiders", these investment instruments bundle the benchmark S&P 500 and give you ownership in the index. Imagine the trouble and expenses involved in trying to buy all 500 stocks in the S&P 500. SPDRs allow individual investors to own the index's stocks in a cost-effective manner.

Another nice feature of SPDRs is that they divide various sectors of the S&P 500 stocks and sell them as separate ETFs  there are literally dozens of these types of ETFs. The technology select sector index, for example, contains around 70 different holdings covering products developed by companies such as defense manufacturers, telecommunications equipment, hardware, software, and semiconductors. This ETF trades under the symbol XLK on the NYSE ARCA.

iShares and Vanguard

iShares is BlackRock's brand of ETFs. In 2020, there were over 800 iShares ETFs globally with more than 2 trillion dollars under management. BlackRock has put out a number of iShares that follow many of the major indexes around the world including the Nasdaq, NYSE, Dow Jones, and Standard & Poor's. All of these particular ETFs trade on the major exchanges in the U.S. just like normal stocks.

Just like iShares are BlackRock's brand of ETFs, Vanguard ETFs are Vanguard's brand of the financial instrument. Vanguard also offers hundreds of ETFs for many different areas of the market including the financial, healthcare, and utility sectors.

Targeting Resources

Funds can also provide a way to invest in natural resources such as the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG). These investments give a replication of natural gas prices, after expenses and try to follow the prices of natural gas by buying futures contracts on natural gas in the coming months. As with all the funds, you need to keep an eye on the total expense ratio before investing.

Emerging Market Focus

This investment attempts to mimic the returns seen in the BlackRock Institutional Trust's, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index (EEM). This ETF was created as an equity benchmark for international security performance. If you would like to gain some international exposure, specifically to emerging markets, this ETF might be for you.

Inverse/Opposite Movers

Not all ETFs are designed to move in the same direction or even in the same amount as the index they are tracking. Inverse ETFs have prices that go up when the markets go down and vice-versa. For example, the Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3x Shares (FAZ) is a triple bear fund. It attempts to perform 300% in the opposite direction of the Russell 1000 Financial Services Index using derivatives and other types of leverage to boost performance returns of the underlying index. This fund became popular in 2008 and 2009 when the financial crisis placed downward pressure on financial stocks.

DIAMONDs

These ETF shares, SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF, tracks the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The fund is structured as a unit investment trust. The ticker symbol of the Dow ETF is DIA, for Dow Industrial Average, which is where it gets its moniker, "diamonds." It trades on the NYSE ARCA.

The Bottom Line

A great reason to consider ETFs is that they simplify index and sector investing in a way that is easy to understand. If you feel a turnaround is around the corner, go long. If, however, you think ominous clouds will be over the market for some time, you have the option of going short.

The combination of the instant diversification, low cost, and the flexibility that ETFs offer, makes these instruments one of the most useful innovations and attractive pieces of financial engineering to date. There are a number of brokers who provide ETF investments.
What Is an Investment Manager?

An investment manager is a person or organization that makes investment decisions about portfolios of securities on behalf of clients under the investment objectives and parameters the client has defined. An investment manager may handle all activities associated with the management of client portfolios, from day-to-day buying and selling of securities to portfolio monitoring, transaction settlement, performance measurement, and regulatory and client reporting.

Key Takeaways Investment managers are people or organizations who handle all activities related to financial planning, investing, and managing a portfolio for individuals or organizations.

Clients of investment managers can be either individual or institutional investors.

Investment management includes devising strategies and executing trades within a financial portfolio.

The type of investment manager required depends on an individual's specific needs and stage of financial planning. Experts suggest evaluating a number of factors, such as performance and fees, before selecting an investment manager.

The four largest investment management companies in the world are BlackRock Inc., Vanguard Group, State Street Global Advisors, and Fidelity Investments

Understanding Investment Managers

Investment managers can range in size from one- or two-person offices to large multi-disciplinary firms with offices in several countries. Investment managers typically base the fees they charge to clients on a percentage of client assets under management.

For example, an individual with a $5 million portfolio that is being handled by an investment manager who charges 1.5 percent annually would pay $75,000 in fees per year. According to Willis Towers Watson, as of 2020, the four largest investment management companies in the world based on AUM were BlackRock Inc. at $7.4 trillion, The Vanguard Group at $6.2 trillion, State Street Global Advisors at $3.1 trillion, and Fidelity Investments at $3 trillion.

Types of Investment Managers

Investors must understand the various types of investment managers. Certified financial planners typically develop a holistic financial plan for investors that takes information such as income, expenses, and future cash needs into consideration when planning a portfolio. A financial advisor, however, is often a stockbroker. Portfolio managers directly invest investors capital to achieve positive investment returns.

Currently, the industry is changing and financial advisors can now be personal financial consultants working with stockbrokers. Robo-advisors, moreover, are fintech platforms leveraging technology and investment knowledge to advise individuals about their money and investments and provide automated investment management on behalf of ordinary investors.

Factors to Consider When Selecting an Investment Manager

Investors must determine what type of investment manager they require. This is likely to depend on what stage they have reached in the financial planning process. For example, an investor who is just starting off on her savings journey may not need the services of a portfolio manager. Instead, she would be better off with a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), who can teach her the basics of retirement planning. In contrast, an investor who has income left over after savings and wishes to invest it in securities is better off with a portfolio manager.

A background check of the investment managers professional regulatory qualifications will reveal any previous complaints and ensure the manager has the required skills and experience. Most investment managers and funds outline their investing philosophy on their sites or brochures. Investors should determine whether that philosophy (and risk level) is appropriate to their goals.

An investment manager should be easily contactable and take the specific needs of the client into consideration. As financial needs are continually changing, investors must feel comfortable reaching out to their investment manager at short notice to customize service.

Performance and Fees

An investor should review and evaluate an investment managers performance. It is prudent for investors to review at least five years of investment returns to determine the investment managers performance in various market environments. It is also helpful to consider their performance relative to peers to determine their deviation from the standard. Some sites, such as US News mutual fund rankings, provide this information on their sites.

Some experts are of the opinion that an investment manager should have skin the game, meaning that her salary should be tied to her performance and returns. But that may not always be the optimal solution as it could amplify the amount of risk that a manager takes on to achieve returns in line with benchmarks.

Investors should consider fee structures when comparing investment managers. Investment manager fees are a function of the investment asset class. Investment managers with higher fees often outperform those that have a lower fee structure, and investors should use caution if an investment manager has an excessively low fee structure. Investment managers' fees and expenses typically include management fees, performance fees, custody fees, and commissions.

Example of an Investment Manager

Sheena and Greg are both 30 years old and are expecting their first child. They have some savings stacked away but also have other commitments, such as mortgage payments on their new home. They are not sure whether the available cash is enough to help them plan for the new arrival. They consult a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) to help plan out their finances. The CFP suggests various options, such as putting some cash away in an education fund, to help them plan for the child.
Halliburton Company (HAL) is trading higher by more than 2% in Tuesday's premarket after beating fourth-quarter 2020 earnings estimates and meeting modest revenue guidance. The oil equipment provider posted a profit of $0.18 per share, $0.04 better than expectations, while revenue fell a whopping 37.6% year over year to $3.24 billion. Earnings per share (EPS) marked a 44% profit decrease compared to the same quarter in 2019.

Kay Takeaways Halliburton is trading higher after meeting quarterly estimates, despite a 37.6% revenue decline.

The stock has been in a major downtrend for more than six years.

The rally that started in March 2020 is approaching steep resistance in the mid-$20s.

The company has cut costs, slashed its dividend, and laid off workers to deal with a long-term industry slump. Demand is now recovering in lockstep with rising crude oil prices, underpinning the stock's impressive performance into January. Even so, oil service companies have been forced to provide steep discounts to maintain business, lowering revenue while generating Halliburton's fourth straight year of negative returns.

In addition, the strong recovery wave that started at a multi-decade low in March 2020 is rapidly approaching resistance in the mid-$20s. The crude oil contract is approaching a major technical barrier as well, suggesting that the fossil fuel rally will falter, giving way to range-bound action that could last for months or years. As a result, sector investors may wish to tighten stops and take partial profits to lock in a portion of the big bounce.

Wall Street is taking a "wait and see" approach, posting a consensus "Hold" rating on Halliburton stock based upon five "Buy" and six "Hold" recommendations. Two analysts still recommend that shareholders close positions and move to the sidelines. Price targets currently range from a low of $12 to a Street-high $25, while the stock is set to open Tuesday's session just $4 below the high target. Further upside will be difficult to achieve without upgrades and higher targets.

Tip Cost-cutting refers to measures implemented by a company to reduce its expenses and improve profitability. Cost-cutting measures are typically implemented during times of financial distress for a company or during economic downturns. They can also be enacted if a company's management expects profitability issues in the future, where cost-cutting can then become part of the business strategy.

Halliburton Weekly Chart (2014  2021)

TradingView.com

The stock broke out above six-year resistance in the mid-$50s in February 2014 and posted an all-time high at $74.33 in July. The subsequent pullback failed the breakout in October, signaling a downtrend that has now been in force for more than six years. The decline initially found support in the upper $20s in 2016, establishing a trading floor, ahead of lower highs in 2017 and 2018. It broke range support at the end of 2018, posting steep losses into March 2020's 46-year low.

A recovery wave stalled at 50-week exponential moving average (EMA) resistance in August, yielding a higher September low, ahead of a November breakout that posted an 11-month high ahead of this morning's report. Price action is now testing resistance at the .786 Fibonacci sell-off retracement near $21, with a breakout favoring a rapid advance into the January 2020 peak at $25.47. That level marks resistance that could take weeks or longer to overcome.

The stock has entered a weekly stochastic sell cycle that favors lower prices into February. However, the monthly indicator is grinding through a buy cycle that has gathered strength in recent weeks, with the conflict between time frames predicting two-sided price action favoring bulls over bears. Even so, long-side exposure here may not be worth the trouble, given the few points into resistance and Wall Street's most optimistic targets.

Tip Fibonacci retracement levels are horizontal lines that indicate where support and resistance are likely to occur. They are based on Fibonacci numbers. Each level is associated with a percentage. The percentage is how much of a prior move the price has retraced. The Fibonacci retracement levels are 23.6%, 38.2%, 61.8%, and 78.6%. While not officially a Fibonacci ratio, 50% is also used.

The Bottom Line

Halliburton is trading higher on Tuesday despite reporting a 37.6% decline in quarterly revenue.

Disclosure: The author held no positions in the aforementioned securities at the time of publication.
Top News - Investor Idea

Mullen (NASDAQ: MULN) Continues Acquisition Path With Purchase of ELMS Assets Including Factory in Mishawaka, IN., Enabling EV Production for Retail and Commercial Vehicle Lines

BREA, Calif. - October 19, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), an emerging electric vehicle ("EV") manufacturer, announces the US Bankruptcy Court approval on Oct. 13th, 2022 of its acquisition of electric vehicle company ELMS's (Electric Last Mile Solutions) assets in an all cash purchase.

Top EV Stock News - Investor Idea

Breaking EV Stock News: Mullen Automotive (NASDAQ: $MULN) Taps Former GM Executive John Schwegman as Chief Commercial Officer for Next Phase of EV Growth

BREA, Calif. - October 21, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), an emerging electric vehicle ("EV") manufacturer, announces today the hiring of John Schwegman as its Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) for Mullen's line of commercial vehicles.

Top EV Stock News - Investor Idea

EV Stocks Driving Higher: (NASDAQ: $MULN) (NASDAQ: $TSLA) (NYSE: $NIO) (NYSE: $F)

Vancouver, Delta, BC - October 20, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Investorideas.com, a leading investor news resource covering EV and automotive stocks releases a special report featuring Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), covering the continued growth of the EV market as government policy and infrastructure plans sync up with consumer and investor interest in the EV space.

Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea

Breaking AI Stock News: FatBrain (OTCQB: LZGI) Acquires Confidential Computing Platform ZeroTrust to Protect Data Privacy and Accelerate Innovation for Millions of Growth Businesses

NEW YORK, NY - October 19, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.) (OTCQB: LZGI), the leader in powerful and easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for star enterprises of tomorrow, has acquired the confidential computing and privacy intellectual property (IP) plus software assets of Zero2A PTE LTD ("ZeroTrust Platform"), a software company based in Singapore.

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Press Release

Worlds young MPs aim to take lead on global development

Geneva, 10 March 2016

Young MPs are committed to making sure no-one is left behind in the delivery of the sustainable development goals. REUTERS/Marko Djurica

Young Members of Parliament from across the world will map out how they will help to deliver on the new generation of development goals at a global conference next week.

The IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians taking place in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, on 16-17 March, aims to engage young MPs at the forefront of efforts to ensure the successful implementation of the ground-breaking Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), agreed by world leaders in 2015. The SDGs commit nations to a series of ambitious targets on reducing inequalities, sustainable economic growth, climate action as well as the eradication of extreme hunger and poverty by 2030.

Under the theme Agenda 2030: Youth leading the way, leaving no one behind, the IPU conference will provide input on enhancing youth political representation and participation. Discussions will be informed by a new IPU report to be launched at the conference on levels of youth representation in parliament globally. The young MPs will also identify what action they can take to address marginalization so that no group in society is excluded from the fair, equitable and sustainable development promised by the SDGs.

During the conference, jointly organized by IPU and the Zambian Parliament, with support from the Japanese non-profit organization Worldwide Support for Development, the young MPs will explore what needs to change among current economic models to ensure equitable development. It will be an opportunity to spotlight young peoples innovations for sustainability, fairness and equity.

Action on climate change and the concerns of future generations will also shape discussions at the IPU Conference. An outcome document to be adopted at the events conclusion will feed into the 134th IPU Assembly that immediately follows the young MPs conference and which focuses on how to rejuvenate democracy.

This young generation of MPs has to be at the forefront of enacting the global agreements on climate change and SDGs agreed by world leaders last year because they are uniquely placed to ensure no one is left behind, said IPU President Saber Chowdhury. Those with a vision for the future are eager to take action now to build a better world for their own generation and those to come. IPU will assist, equip and empower them in this vital work.

An international line-up of speakers will include the UN Secretary-Generals Representative, Ahmad Alhendawi, and Vinay Nayak, a young specialist in the use of modern technology in politics and digital constituency manager in the Obama 2012 re-election campaign. Zambian Minister for Youth Vincent Mwale and Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Greyford Monde  himself a young MP - will take part in an interactive dialogue on a new era for young peoples rights, freedoms and well-being with the conference participants.

We are thrilled to be welcoming young MPs from across the world to Zambia, to focus on such a critical policy area as the development agenda, says Minister Monde. Young MPs bring a unique perspective to democracy and the work of parliaments. We look forward to drawing inspiration from one another and defining how to deliver better lives to all the citizens we serve.

IPUs Global Conferences of Young Parliamentarians enable young MPs to address and influence issues of global significance. They are part of the work of IPUs Forum of Young Parliamentarians, which works to empower the MPs and support youth engagement in politics.

Watch the Conference webcast live on www.ipu.org

Take part in the debate on Twitter using #youngMPs

Photos will be available on Flickr

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the global organization of national parliaments. It works to safeguard peace and drives positive democratic change through political dialogue and concrete action.
Joanna Krupa appeared for two season on The Real Housewives of Miami, but how has her life changed since appearing on the Bravo reality series? In a recent interview with Bravo, the Polish model opened up about her very busy life, the prospect of motherhood and which RHOM 'Wives she's still hanging with today. Check it out below!

Joanna Krupa: I miss shooting. I just love to work. Obviously there were some moments in there with certain people that weren't the greatest, but I'm very grateful that I was part of that show because it did save my relationship with Romain. We had a little bit of a bumpy road when we started filming, so obviously it could have either broken our relationship or made it stronger. Because we obviously truly love each other, we overcame any obstacles we did have and it made us stronger, which led us to the wedding. I'll always be grateful for the fact that I got to share my ultimate dream wedding on national TV with my fans. And the producers were amazing, everybody  aside from some of the cast members that made my life a little bit of a living hell. For the most part it was an amazing, fun opportunity. And I'm always going to be grateful.You know, never say never. Right now I'm really focusing on other projects and the acting as well, but this business every day changes, so, hey, you never, never, never know. I won't say definitely no as of right now. I guess if I would be put in that situation then I would decide at that moment. But I haven't thought about it for a long time.I do. I keep in touch with Karent [Sierra], and I'm very close with Lea Black as well. Those two [relationships] are, I will say, my true friends that have developed [from when] we met on the show that turned into a beautiful friendship that I treasure to this moment.I will admit it's very sad that our society has to see something that's very shocking [to get their attention]. We know sex sells, we know nudity sells, we know shocking images sell, so the only way for people to be like, "Holy s***, what is this?" [are] those [images that] get their attention, and then maybe they'll be open-minded to further research the subject. It's sad but that's how human beings are. Unless it's something really in your face they're just going to go on with their day.It's definitely exciting... The acting subsided for a little bit and now I feel like I'm ready because modeling's not my priority right now. Obviously TV and acting is where I'm really passionate about now and really focus on. The acting is coming back naturally into my life, which is great. It's something that I always wanted to do, but it's great that now I can actually be available for it because I don't travel as much as when I did the modeling gigs. After a certain time you just want to be more diverse and spread your wings a little bit more.Yes! We're bringing in a sixth season this year. It's been such an amazing honor to host this show that's so successful out there. And my dream was always to be a host. On Top Model, not only did I get thrown into the hosting world without having any experience  and hosting the best show in Poland  but [I was] also learning how to be a host and also learning how to host a show live because every finale is a live show. It's just been a great learning experience for me. I do have a project that I'm working on that's in development here in the States where I would be one of the main hosts, which is ultimately my dream job.I'm definitely as outspoken and unfiltered as I've always been, but I think what changed is I just grew up a little bit more. I'm more focused on spreading my empire and just really working hard. I think it's more about focusing on other businesses, building my brand more. I don't know if that really changed me in any way, but I think I'm just more ambitious. Maybe I'm just a little bit more mature? No, not really. [Laughs.] The thing that did change is I'm closer to being ready for motherhood and I think I'm less selfish when it comes to my husband.Source/Photo Credit: Bravo
The New York City St. Patricks Day Parade, the largest and most renowned St. Patrick's Day parade in America, will be broadcast live for the first time ever in Ireland and the UK on March 17. NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade officials have partnered with IRISH TV to facilitate the international broadcast of the 255th annual Parade that will see over 200,000 people walk up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on March 17th.

We are honored that IRISH TV allows us to share this great celebration of St. Patrick and of Irish-American traditions and values with the people of Ireland, said St. Patricks Day Parade Board Chairman John Lahey. As we march behind Sen. George Mitchell, our grand marshal and a man respected and beloved in Ireland, and as we mark the 100th Anniversary of the Easter Rising, we send a message of unity back to our brothers and sisters in Ireland.

When you think about the history of the parade since 1762, its such an iconic celebration of all things Irish, just a perfect alignment, said Eamonn Donlyn VP of IRISH TV America. As we get set to launch IRISH TV across the US, it is great for us to be able to connect Irish communities on both sides of the ocean with this live broadcast, which is exactly the premise of IRISH TV.

IRISH TV is our ideal international TV partner and we are thrilled to have them onboard, and we are thankful to have them join our wonderful host station, WNBC-TV 4 in New York, who have been great partners in bringing this international broadcast to fruition, said Hilary Beirne, Executive Secretary of the NYC parade.

IRISH TVs LIVE coverage from 3pm  7pm on March 17 with have husband and wife team, Louth native Tommy Smyth and Treasa Goodwin Smyth anchoring the coverage. This years Grand Marshal is U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, who negotiated the Good Friday Peace Agreement. The parade commemorates the 100th Anniversary of the Easter Rising. All of the traditional Irish organizations including 49 Ancient Order of Hibernians groups will be marching. There will be 150 bands, including the New York Police Department Emerald Society Pipes & Drums and the FDNY Emerald Society Pipes & Drums, as well as pipers from Galicia, Spain.

Mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio announced this week that he is to end his boycott of the city's St Patrick's Day Parade and will take part this year. The mayor had refused to march in the parade in 2014 and 2015 because of a ban on LGBT groups marching under their own banner. New York has always been so connected to Ireland, and in the year of 2016, we are excited to transport our viewers to New York for one of the best and biggest St. Patricks Day events on the planet, said Eamonn Donlyn VP of IRISH TV America.

The New York City St. Patricks Day Parade, dedicated to St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland and of the Archdiocese of New York, starts at 11 am every March 17th at 44th Street and proceeds up Fifth Avenue to 79th street in Manhattan. The Parade marched for the first time in 1762, fourteen Years before the Declaration of Independence was signed in Independence Hall, Philadelphia. Each year it hosts some 200,000 marchers and two million spectators, with many outstanding marching bands, bagpipers in marching formations, high-school and college bands from throughout the United States and from all over the world. The occasion is televised live to millions of households across the United States for four hours by host station WNBC-TV 4, and now to 15 million homes in Ireland and the UK on IRISH TV.

IRISH TV is Ireland's first international TV channel, and is rolling out in the United States and international markets on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Google Chromecast, plus Apple and Android phones, tablets and iads in April of 2016. The channel is available on SKY TV 191 in Ireland and the UK, and is also available on FREESAT Channel 400 across Europe, on Eircom's eVision 191 and on all Free to air boxes. IRISH TV has witnessed exceptional growth since its launch in May 2014.
Ireland and all things Irish come into sharp focus during the month of March, and one marketing executive has made it her mission to ensure that Irelands vibrant fashion industry shares in the recognition.

Margaret Molloy, the New York-based global chief marketing officer for the branding firm Siegel+Gale, is spearheading a campaign this month called #wearingirish which encourages people to wear Irish-made fashion, accessories and jewelry every day in March.

I enjoy fashion. I enjoy exploring the possibilities of social media for brand building. And Im Irish. This March Im combining all three passions in an effort to showcase Irish fashion. And I invite you to join me on this pilot, wrote Molloy in a recent piece for the Huffington Post.

Molloy, a native of Co. Offaly, has taken to wearing something green every day in March in years past, but for 2016 decided to broaden her campaign to include all aspects of Irish fashion.

I decided to be less literal this year and go Irish designers versus color green. It's getting a great reaction all over social media, Molloy says.

Each day Molloy posts a photo on her Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds with the hashtag #wearingirish, and caption credits to the Irish designer shes showcasing.

Read more: Networking gems with Siegel+Gale Global CMO Margaret Molloy

Molloy encourages fashionistas to commit to posting once or many times during the month. Dress head-to-toe in Irish fashion or pick one item or accessory to celebrate. Go casual, work wear, party, occasion, traditional or contemporary. The idea is that you are wearing Irish without compromising your style, she writes.

I see an opportunity for everyone who is both a fan of fashion and a fan of Ireland to come together, using social media, to support Irish designers. Imagine the possibilities if all fans use our influence to spread the word by posting the pictures that show how wearing Irish fashion is a choice we are making. My vision is to make this 2016 pilot a broad movement in the coming years with women and men globally wearing Irish and posting pictures in March.

Molloy writes that the quality and creativity of Irish fashion designers is world-class -- a little-known fact, she says, that needs to be publicized to a greater audience.

The biggest revelation of my personal hunt was that the awareness of modern Irish fashion brands and the Irish fashion industry as a whole is very low, even among people who love fashion. This is a pity, says Molloy.

For more, follow Molloy on Twitter at @MargaretMolloy.

Read more: An Irish model on how to make it in the New York fashion scene (PHOTOS)
All Garda leave is being cancelled in Dublin in the days before the 1916 centenary celebrations of the Easter Rising.

This follows a bomb attack on a prison officer in Northern Ireland, and a warning by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) that dissident republicans want to kill members of the security forces in the run up to the celebrations.

Garda Commissioner Noirin OSullivan pledged that every step would be taken to secure the safety of the public during commemoration events.

She said the threat posed by dissidents remained a top-security priority on both sides of the border, and Gardai were working closely with the PSNI in the wake of last Fridays bomb attack which severely injured a prison officer in Belfast as he drove to work.

The bomb partially detonated under his van as he drove over a speed ramp. The 52-year-old father of three was later said to be stable in hospital.

In a statement to the BBC a dissident republican group calling themselves the New IRA said the officer was targeted because he was involved in training other guards at Maghaberry Prison, near Lisburn.

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Stephen Martin said the threat from dissidents is severe.

Read more: Urgent appeal to the Irish in the US to check their attics for 1916 memorabilia

There are people within dissident republican groupings who want to mark the anniversary in an entirely sinister way, who want to kill police officers, prison officers or soldiers, he said.

Northern Irelands First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said in a joint statement that it was a disgraceful and despicable attack.

In Dublin, up to 250,000 people are expected to line the streets during planned events.

A total of 2,300 serving personnel from the Defense Forces and 400 veterans will march in the parade, which is expected to be watched by a couple of hundred thousand people.

Garda assistant commissioner in charge of security and intelligence, John O'Mahony, pointed out that interventions by the Gardai had thwarted dissident terror plans for the visits of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles.

Read more: Irish honor US Civil war hero at first 1916 Easter Rising commemoration event
Enda Kenny, who has served as Irelands Taoiseach (Prime Minister) for the last five years and is now serving as a temporary caretaker Taoiseach in the wake of Irelands general election, will be cutting his St. Patricks Day visit to the US short in order to address the political uncertainty at home.

He was scheduled to be in the US on March 15 and 16 for two full days of events and official visits. Now, however, Kenny will spend the 15th in Washington and at the White House with President Obama, but will return to Ireland on the 16th, missing key events like the American Ireland Funds annual dinner.

Charlie Flanagan, Irelands Minister for Foreign Affairs, will attend all commitments on the 16th in his place.

A press release from the White House noted that St. Patricks Day is being celebrated at the White House early this year as the Taoiseach must attend an important European Council meeting in Brussels on March 17.

But, as the Irish Times reported, Kenny is said to be eager to return home to be available for potential discussions around the formation of a new government.

Yesterday, Irelands 32nd Dail (lower house in Irish parliament) convened to vote on Irelands next Taoiseach, but none of the four TDs who had been nominated by their parties  Kenny by Fine Gael, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams and Richard Boyd Barrett from Anti-Austerity Alliance-People Before Profit Party  secured the 80 votes necessary to assume office.

There will still be plenty going on during Kennys truncated US visit.

In the morning of March 15 Vice President Biden will host the Kenny for breakfast at the Naval Observatory, and the President and Vice President will meet with the Taoiseach in the Oval Office. That afternoon, Obama will host a reception to celebrate his eighth St. Patricks Day at the White House, during which he and Kenny will participate in the annual Shamrock ceremony started by President Truman, in which the US president received a bowl of shamrocks from the Irish leader.

In any case, the shamrocks are promptly confiscated by the secret service after the ceremony.

Also on March 15, Biden will meet with First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness of Northern Ireland to discuss the Stormont House and Fresh Start agreements and progress being made for continued peace in Northern Ireland.
By Daniel McConnell, Political Editor

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has failed in his bid to be re-elected as expected.

The veteran Mayo TD still hopes to form a government in the coming weeks.

Mr Kenny was rejected by a margin of 94 votes to 57 votes, while five abstained.

A total of 50 Fine Gael TDs were re-elected to the 32nd Dail, while the seven members of the Labour Party also supported Mr Kenny's bid.

The five abstentions in the Enda Kenny vote were TDs Michael Harty, Noel Grealish, Denis Naughten, Michael Collins and Mattie McGrath.

Mattie McGrath and the four other independent TDs said they will abstain on each vote for Taoiseach in an indication they are willing to hold further coalition talks.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin also failed in his bid to be the next Taoiseach. His votes stood at: For 43, Against 108, 5 Abstain.

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams also failed in his bid. The votes stood at: For 24, Against 116.

The final candidate for Taoiseach was Richard Boyd-Barrett of the People Before Profit Alliance, and his votes stood at: 9 For, Against 111, 36 Abstain.

After the votes, Mr Kenny travelled to Aras an Uachtarain to officially tender his resignation to President Michael D Higgins.

"Let me assure the Irish people that a government remains in place," he said.

"I and my Cabinet colleagues will continue to work hard in the best interests of the country and all the people."

Amid the uncertainty about a future administration, Mr Kenny will continue with official duties representing the country at a meeting with US President Barack Obama in Washington on St Patrick's Day and at the European Council meeting in Brussels next week.

The Dail will now adjourn and talks will take place to see if a Government can be put together in the coming weeks.
A border poll on the reunification of Ireland should be held if Britain votes to leave the EU, Martin McGuinness said.

The Sinn Fein leader predicted any exit would be against the democratic wishes of the Irish people.

The Democratic Unionists are the only large party in the North to campaign for Brexit in the June referendum.

Mr McGuinness said: "Such a negative development would represent a political and economic game changer."

Sinn Fein, the Ulster Unionists and the nationalist SDLP are campaigning to stay in the European Union.

Mr McGuinness added: "Ireland's place north and south is in Europe and leading change in Europe.

"If Britain votes to leave the European Union then that could have huge implications for the entire island of Ireland and, given all the predictions, would run counter to the democratic wishes of the Irish people.

"If there is a vote in Britain to leave the EU there is a democratic imperative to provide Irish citizens with the right to vote in a border poll to end partition and retain a role in the EU."

He said the 1998 Good Friday Agreement which ended decades of the Troubles provided for a border poll to be conducted, with Britain bound to legislate for any change arising.

"I have proposed to (the Norths Secretary) Theresa Villiers that, given the enormous significance of these issues, the British government now give a firm commitment to an immediate border poll in the event Britain votes to leave the European Union."
President Michael D. Higgins is today hosting an event to promote women's rights and equality.

The UN Women HeForShe event celebrates the powerful role of men in promoting and supporting equality for women.

This morning's event is also supported by SAFE Ireland, the national organisation of domestic violence services, to highlight their MAN UP campaign.

The event will also feature a performance by Hozier of his new single Cherry Wine.

The song and its video, which features Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan, was released to raise awareness of the complexity of domestic violence.
The insurers 39% increase in operating profit was helped by the value of new business and pensions almost doubling to 22.m in the year.

Stripping out the impact of funding a pension deficit, the insurers profit totalled 91.2m in 2015.

The business also saw its customer numbers up 6% with growth in its gross written premium of 48m achieved too.

Commenting on the results, Aviva Ireland chief executive Hugh Hessing said he was satisfied with the insurers performance and indicated the companys commitment to tackling fraud.

In our general insurance business, gross written premium grew by 48m year-on-year while our customer numbers grew by 6%. Our combined operating ratio, our key measure of profitability in general insurance, improved by 2 percentage points to 94.6% despite the increase in claims costs in the market.

Continued focus on net profitable growth contributed to a 38.5% increase in profit, largely driven by our commercial and personal property products. Despite floods in December, overall, 2015 was a benign year and the impact of weather was lower than our long-term projections. We remain committed to fighting all suspected fraud, irrespective of the cost and in the interests of our customers, he said.

The full-year results come on the back of Aviva offloading its health division to Irish Life on Wednesday.

Irish Lifes takeover combined with with its ownership of GloHealth will give it a 20% stake of the Irish health insurance market.

Meanwhile, Aviva Group chief executive Mark Wilson said the insurer could give cash back to shareholders, after forecasts exceeded a 20% 2015 operating profit.

Wilson said the companys strong capital position meant it could grow businesses organically, and reiterated it could also make bolt-on acquisitions in markets such as Poland.

Capital returns to shareholders are also on our radar, he said on a media call following the results.

* Additional reporting: Reuters
The ECB is engaging with the lenders individually and is encouraging firms to be prepared for all the potential impact from the vote, say sources.

Bank of England governor Mark Carney has warned Britains exit from the EU would hurt the City of London and worsen risks to financial stability.

European lenders including Deutsche Bank and ING have said they may move staff away from Britain in the event the country votes to leave the 28-nation EU in the June 23 referendum.

Banco Santanders UK unit has assessed the potential consequences for our business of the UK leaving the EU as well as the potential impact of market instability in the lead-up to the referendum and in any implementation period following a potential leave vote, it said in its annual report.

ING chief executive Ralph Hamers said last month that the Dutch lender would probably cut London staffing levels if the UK withdrew.

ING, the Netherlands largest lender, has about 650 employees there.

A Brexit would deprive the EU of one of its best-rated members, leaving the bloc and its investment bank vulnerable to credit rating downgrade, analysts warned yesterday.

While ratings agencies have warned a vote to leave could hurt the UKs rating, a Brexit could also have consequences for institutions which Britain supports via its EU membership.

Britain accounts for some 16% of the EUs nominal GDP, makes a net annual budget contribution of about 6.5bn and is among the highest-rated of the EUs 28 members.

* Bloomberg and Reuters
The Dublin-headquartered drinks group  most notable for its twin Bulmers/Magners cider brands and Tennents lager  yesterday said that profit for the 12 months to the end of February is likely to be in the region of 103m.

That would be down by over 10% on the 115m operating profit generated in the preceding year, which itself represented an annual decline of 9.2%.
Danske Bank, which claims that Mr Nugent owes it 9.5m, applied to have the debtor adjudged bankrupt. Last month the Personal Insolvency Practitioner (PIP) had been granted an ex parte protective certificate.

The bank was successful yesterday in its application to have that protective certificate set aside.

Ms Justice Marie Baker said in her judgment yesterday: In my view there has been material and culpable non-disclosure and in the circumstances I propose making an order setting aside the order made ex parte on February 10.

An application had been made for the period of the protective certificate to be extended on the grounds that Mr Nugent expected to be in a position to complete the contracts for the development of 1,000 nursing home beds in respect of which he hoped to recover 4m for distribution to creditors in the context of a personal insolvency arrangement.

Ms Justice Baker noted that the application by PIP sworn by Tom Murray last month described the debtors financial affairs as extremely complex but were expected to provide a brilliant return for creditors if successful.

The judge also noted that Danske Bank argued that the debtor had failed to disclose the true details of the possible source of funds.

Ms Justice Baker commented yesterday, It is not my role at this hearing to consider the true position of the finances of Mr Nugent, but I do consider that the affidavit grounding the application for the extension of a protective certificate wholly failed to identify the true picture with regard to the projected funds.

I consider that the PIP failed to make appropriate disclosure and that some of the matters are matters which might have affected my mind in hearing the application for the extension of the protective certificate, she said.
As the clerk of the Dail read out the opening prayer, Richard Boyd Barrett stood at the back of the chamber looking down on the assembly of newly washed and well-worn TDs.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he continued to peer down with a baffled expression at a giddy collection of first-time TDs and an even giddier Micheal Martin.

Boyd Barrett was late for the first day of the 32nd Dail and now someone had stolen his seat.

Spotting fellow members of the motley Anti Austerity Alliance-People Before Profit (AAA-PBP) grouping, he made a dart for a seat among Fianna Fails swelled ranks.

Like a bold child at Mass, he was the main diversion for a good two minutes as new Fianna Fail TD Anne Rabbitte  clearly eager to make friends on her first day in the big house  offered up the seat beside her.

Richard Boyd Barrett

That was quickly ruled out of line by the more seasoned Sean Fleming. First lesson learned by Rabbitte.

Boyd Barrett, who later failed in his bid to be named taoiseach, was then forced to leave comrades Ruth Coppinger and Paul Murphy behind to find a pew among the Independents.

Day one of the Dail and there had already been a split in the alliance.

The problem arose when Independent Mattie McGrath, a returning Dail representative and creature of habit refused to budge.

He had sat in the same seat for the last five years and no increase in Fianna Fails representation would make him move.

He had arrived in the chamber early to lay claim to his Dail throne, despite it being allocated to members of his former party, Fianna Fail. The newly formed Healy-Rae party  who came up to Dublin with two train carriages of supporters and a piper in tow  backed him up and got comfortable beside him.

I asked last night and they told me it would be fine to sit in my seat, McGrath later said, but nobody had told the tardy Boyd Barrett, who was forced to shuffle across the chamber.

The newly formed Healy-Rae party

The musical chairs continued after lunch as the Dail resumed to vote not to elect a taoiseach, and Boyd Barrett stepped back to the left.

A reunited AAA-PBP found its allocated seats by giving a number of Fianna Fail TDs the boot.

Once a ducal palace, the chamber was used as a grand ballroom. It is likely to bear witness to a number of shimmies and sidesteps in the coming weeks as Martin and Enda Kenny make moves.

Three long weeks were spent in Dublin learning to dance for Lanigans Ball and yesterday all involved believed that it would be a drawn-out affair in getting Fianna Fail and Fine Gael ready to partner up.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan couldnt fathom the side-stepping thats been going on in the past two weeks  if his grandparents could do a deal anyone could.

One of those was as dyed-in-the-wool Fianna Fail Sliabh Luachra as possible and one was a staunch Michael Collins West Cork Fine Gael supporter, he told the Dail.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan speaking to his children outside Leinster House yesterday

They hated each others politics but they got into bed together for 50-odd years and it seemed to work as a relationship despite their dramatic differences.

Danny Healy-Rae claimed ignorance of the Civil War; it was long before my time, the bearded Kerryman claimed, though admitting there had been a lot of talk about it.

He urged the bigger parties to set aside the much talked about historical difficulty he knew nothing about because time is slipping by and a solution is needed.

There is talk about four weeks. That is too long. Two weeks is too long. The parties will have to get together, said one half of the Healy-Rae party.

But like his former party colleague McGrath, Micheal Martin was not for budging and hinted that he would be in no hurry to step out with Fine Gael. In 1992 the formation of a new government took nearly two months, he pointed out.

In fact Ireland is relatively unusual in how fast it normally carries out the business of government formation. This may well be one of the reasons why so often the focus is placed on who holds power rather than what they do with it.

As the Dail broke up and Kenny later made his way to the Aras it was back to dance class for them all.
With no sign of a government being formed in the coming weeks, TDs yesterday dismissed suggestions of another election and called on the two big parties to form a stable partnership.

Mr Kenny has now taken on the role of a caretaker taoiseach after four nominations for a new government leader yesterday failed to get the numbers required.

Mr Kenny was nominated by Fine Gael TD Noel Rock, who cited his party leaders successes in introducing marriage equality and from saving the countrys finances from the abyss.

Yes, it hasnt been perfect and yes there is so much more to do, said the newly elected Dublin North West TD. The nomination was seconded by Dublin South Central TD Catherine Byrne, who said Mr Kenny was a man of integrity, honour, and vision.

Mr Kenny received 57 votes for Taoiseach and 94 against.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin was nominated for the role by TD Lisa Chambers, who said that he had tried, in opposition, to highlight negative changes that had affected communities.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin

People want an Ireland for all and not just for a few, said the Mayo TD, whose nomination of Mr Martin was seconded by Meath East TD Thomas Byrne. Mr Martin received 43 votes for and 108 against.

Gerry Adams, proposed for taoiseach by his party Sinn Fein, received 24 votes for and 116 against.

Gerry Adams

The AAA/PBP movement proposed Dun Laoghaire TD Richard Boyd Barrett, who received nine votes for taoiseach and 111 against.

Dun Laoghaire TD Richard Boyd Barrett

Mr Kenny, after losing the vote, said he would give his resignation to President Michael D Higgins but that he would continue to try and form a government.

Despite having already held a week of talks with smaller parties and Independents, Mr Kenny said he would now intensify efforts to form a lasting and durable government.

There were options open to his party, he said, and Fine Gael would now have to examine all of those to form a government.

His comments came following widespread suggestions in the chamber from Labour, Sinn Fein and the Greens among others that Fine Gael and Fianna Fail should end their differences and do a deal.

Enda Kenny

Mr Kenny, responding to calls for Dail reform, also said there would be changes to how business was done in future in the parliament. The next cabinet would also make more informed decisions in future, he pledged.

Mr Kenny also signalled that talks on forming a government were a priority because of other issues coming down the line, including the need for a spring spending statement from a new government as well as Britains pending vote on staying in the EU in June.
Joseph Magee, 50, claimed he found the sunglasses, which cost 150 each, in a park and was planning to give them away or sell them. Gardai believe he was holding onto them for a third party, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.

Magee, of Marsfield Avenue, Clongriffin, Dublin, pleaded guilty to possession of 55 pairs of stolen Maui Jim sunglasses at his home on April 2, 2015. The sunglasses had been taken from the car of a salesman but Magee was not charged with the theft.
Some ministers are not travelling abroad for St Patricks Day events amid expectations that Fine Gael will keep lines of communications with other parties open while Taoiseach Enda Kenny is out of the country.

Senior Fine Gael sources have told the Irish Examiner that if some spending estimates cannot be pushed through the Dail next month, that the parliament will have to be dissolved.

Sources close to Health Minister Leo Varadkar say parts of spending estimates in the health sector will need to be approved in the coming weeks, but require agreement in the Dail.

With no government or taoiseach agreed during the first day of the Dail yesterday, the next vote on who will lead the country is unlikely to take place until early next month.

Without agreement from a government or a majority of deputies on votes for spending in health, sources said the Dail would have to be dissolved in such a scenario.

The Irish Examiner has learned that Mr Varadkar will not travel to Dubai, where he was scheduled to attend St Patricks Day events. Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney will not be travelling to Boston where he was scheduled to attend events in an official capacity.

While the numbers of ministers travelling for St Patricks Day have been reduced this year, the reluctance of the two senior ministers to travel indicates that the party intends to keep negotiating with other parties and TDs about forming a government.

This is despite the fact that Taoiseach Enda Kenny will be out of the country in the US for the commemorations and will also attend an EU summit in Brussels all during next week.

Sources confirmed that talks would continue in his absence.

Fine Gael sources admit the party is in a stand-off with Fianna Fail about who should approach whom first to open talks about any government options. The Dail yesterday heard calls from TDs for the two parties to forget their differences and lift the phone to each other.
Maeve Bell, aged 37, of Shanmullagh, Hackballscross, Dundalk, Co Louth, appeared at Dublin District Court where she was served with a book of evidence.

She is accused of stealing various sums from a named female at Highfield Healthcare, which provides specialist care to elderly people, and is located on the Swords Rd in Dublin 9.

The 75 charges are under the Theft and Fraud Act; the offences are alleged to have taken place on dates in 2013 and 2014.

Detective Garda John Griffin from Santry Garda Station said the DPP had directed that Ms Bell must face trial on indictment.

Judge John Cheatle warned the woman that if she intended to rely on an alibi she must inform the prosecution within 14 days. He said she was being returned for trial and will face her next hearing on April 8 at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

She has not yet entered a plea to the charges and there was no objection to bail.

She has agreed to abide by conditions sought by gardai. She has surrendered her passport and cannot apply for new travel documents; she must sign on twice a week at Dundalk Garda station and notify Det Garda Griffin of any change of address.

The court also ordered that she have no contact with staff at Highfield Healthcare and to have no contact with employees and patients at a connected facility, the Elmhurst Nursing Home, at Hampstead Avenue in Dublin 9.

Legal aid has been granted.

At her previous hearing in January, a statement of her means was furnished to the district court, which heard she was unemployed.
Up to three separate gangs are to be targeted and more than 10 premises are expected to be searched.

The swoop comes on the back of Wednesdays operation, which specifically targeted the wealth and assets of the Kinahan gang in Crumlin, south Dublin.

The Irish Examiner understands that todays operation is concerned with tackling organised criminal activity, particularly drug dealing.

It is being led by local detective units from one Dublin division and is expected to be assisted by gardai from a neighbouring division and by armed support units.

It is thought that members of the Criminal Assets Bureau, which led Wednesdays operation, may support the operation.

This operation is about criminal activity, namely drugs, not assets as such, said one source.

The gangs being hit, which centre around families, operate large-scale drug dealing operations across two garda divisions.

Key members of the gangs are understood to have a number of dwellings.

Some of the gangs are interlinked through marriage and personal relationships.

CAB officers yesterday continued a lengthy analysis of computers and documentation seized on Wednesday.

An indoor bar with 20 bottles of Dom Perignon champagne and a sunken bath with a jacuzzi were among the trappings of wealth uncovered during one of searches on associates of the Kinahan crime cartel.

A total of 29 high-powered luxury cars, along with six high-end motorbikes, were seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau and local gardai in the massive operation.

Up to 70,000 in euro and sterling notes were confiscated, along with 10 Rolex and Breitling watches.
They arrested a known dissident on Wednesday night and seized three AK47s, similar to the ones used by gunmen dressed as gardai at the north Dublin hotel on February 4.

Crumlin gang figure David Byrne, a lieutenant in the Kinahan crime cartel, was shot dead in the attack.

Daniel Kinahan, the elder son of Christopher Kinahan, the leader of the cartel, escaped death after he jumped out a hotel window with his bodyguard.

Gardai believe the attack was carried out by members of the Hutch gang in retaliation for the shooting dead of Gary Hutch in Spain last September.

The Kinahan cartel exacted revenge four days later when they gunned down Edward Hutch  uncle of Gary and brother of Gerry The Monk Hutch  at his home in the north inner city.

The detective team at Ballymun Garda Station has made significant progress in its investigation, including the identification of the entire six-man gang involved in the Regency attack.

And they secured a major breakthrough on Wednesday evening when intelligence was received about a person of interest in Co Meath. A team from the Special Detective Unit stopped the mans car near Slane and conducted a search, retrieving three AK47s.

The 39-year-old man from Co Donegal, a known dissident republican, was arrested and detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. The weapons were taken to the technical bureau at Garda HQ in Phoenix Park on Wednesday night and underwent ballistics and forensic tests yesterday.

This is a huge positive for the investigation. The guns were brought to the depot to test fire and see if they match the shells and bullets from the Regency, said a senior garda source.

The weapons will also be subject to fingerprint and DNA analysis.

Gardai suspect that one of the six-man gang, known as the flat cap man, who was photographed running from the Regency with an accomplice dressed as a woman, supplied the three automatic weapons. This 46-year-old man from Co Tyrone was a former member of the Provisional IRA and, post-ceasefire, joined a range of dissident groupings including the Continuity IRA. It is thought he took the weapons from one of these groupings without authorisation.

Gardai have identified the remaining members of the six-man gang, many from the north inner city.

It is understood after the gang made their getaway they got into their own cars and were captured doing so on CCTV.

Gardai later seized four of the cars and conducted forensic tests on them.
The volunteer efforts of Garda Eoin Cox and his parents, RTE reporter Valerie Cox and father, Brian, are captured in a Would You Believe? documentary to be shown on RTE One this Sunday.

Just weeks after giving up his holidays to help out with the thousands of Syrian refugees making the perilous crossing to the Greek island of Kos, Garda Cox was beaten and stabbed by up to six men after he pursued a suspected car thief into a South Dublin estate.

The 35-year-old was treated in hospital but is recovering at home where he and his partner are expecting their first baby shortly.

Valerie described how proud she had been of Eoin for dropping everything to travel with his parents to Kos.

The couple first went there last September after deciding they had had enough of watching the suffering on television and should be doing something about it. Eoin returned with them in January where, if anything, the situation had deteriorated further.

It was -8C one night and people were still arriving in these tiny, flimsy little boats. Eoin would literally have to carry them out. They had nothing left. They were shattered.

The trio brought with them donations from family and friends and provided the traumatised new arrivals with their immediate basic needs.

Youre clothing and feeding them because they have absolutely nothing. Were so small scale but when people have nothing but the child in their arms, the small bit we can do means something.

Valerie witnessed distressing scenes as people waited for accompanying boats that didnt arrive  or arrived empty. When the navy rescues people, they paint the side of the boat white so that you know when it comes ashore, the occupants are OK.

The worst is when an empty boat washes up and theres no paint and you have to start watching out for bodies. We found a childs used life jacket washed up and the feeling of knowing that that child was out in that sea somewhere was just desperate.

Valerie, who retired from RTE this week on her 65th birthday, will be appearing with her family on The Late Late Show tonight.

I have been struck silent by the kindness of colleagues and listeners on my retirement! Thank you all so much! pic.twitter.com/I7mar7pGeW  Valerie Cox (@Valacox) March 8, 2016

The Would You Believe? special, Exodus, is on RTE One at 10.40pm on Sunday night.
INMO general secretary Liam Doran said there was no doubt that hospitals were under pressure but in the last 10 days there had been some avoidable overcrowding.

Hospitals can be fined 10,000 each time they fail to deal adequately with emergency department overcrowding under a framework to tackle the problem. The framework gives effect to a directive issued by Health Minister Leo Varadkar and HSE officials last November aimed at cutting trolley numbers.

INMO emergency department members have raised a number of difficulties in implementing the emergency department agreement.

Mr Doran said that while improvements had been made in a number of hospitals, there had also been a relapse in managing overcrowding in some facilities. There had been avoidable breaches of the ministerial directive because management or, in some situations, a small number of consultants, were not prepared to recognise that the emergency department has to be managed above all other areas in the hospital in the interests of patient care.

On Tuesday there were 554 patients recorded on trolleys across the State  the second highest figure recorded this year. On the same day last year there were 438.

Yesterday, there were 511 patients on trolleys and University Hospital Limerick had the highest figure at 47, according to figures from the INMO.

St Vincents University Hospital in Dublin had the second highest figure, at 45, but the hospital was not in a position to provide a ward figure for patients still waiting to be admitted to a bed.

The highest trolley figure so far this year was 558, recorded on January 5, while the highest ever figure, 601, was reached in January 2015.

Mr Doran said there had been an 8% reduction in trolley figures last month, compared to February 2015, but the situation had gone backwards in recent days.

He pointed out that while University Hospital Limerick had recorded the highest trolley figure yesterday, management were engaged in implementing the agreement.

The hospital is overwhelmed but there has been no lessening in managements efforts to deal with the situation. If they were not doing what they were doing. the situation would be twice as bad, said Mr Doran.

However, INMO members believed management at Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar, Letterkenny General Hospital and University Hospital Galway were not doing enough. They also complained that management at St Vincents Hospital were not engaging with staff and had cancelled meetings in the last week.

Mr Doran said he would be raising the difficulties reported by emergency department members at a meeting of the HSE emergency department taskforce implementation group today.

He will also be meeting with the HSE and the Department of Health under the Workplace Relations Commission on Monday.
Dermot P McArdle told the Circuit Civil Court that last September he had been trying to sell his property at The Pine Trees, Kilgobbin Road, Stepaside, Dublin, and had been shocked to find his next door neighbour Colin Kilgannon, of Sans Souci, Kilgobbin Road, had carried out the tree felling.

Mr McArdle told his barrister Andrew Walker that he and his wife, Margo, had been living at a different address at the time and had been unaware of Mr Kilgannons plans.

He said that before the incident, his property had been valued at nearly 900,000, but a last purchase offer had shown the property valuation had been reduced to 810,000.

Mr Kilgannon claimed Mr McArdle had given him permission to cut down the trees, the roots of which were underlying his property and causing damage to his house foundations.

Mr McArdle denied having granted such permission.

Angus Buttanshaw, counsel for Mr Kilgannon and his wife, Jelena, told Circuit Court president, Mr Justice Raymond Groarke, that according to a surveyors map, the trees were on the Kilgannon property.

Mr McArdle told the court that in 1968 he had planted the trees on his property. The Kilgannons had bought Sans Souci in December 2014.

There had been talks between Mr McArdle and Mr Kilgannon last September about the removal of the trees.

Mr McArdle denied having given Mr Kilgannon permission to cut down the trees and had told Mr Kilgannon, that since he was selling The Pine Trees he, Mr Kilgannon, might have to deal with new neighbours.

Mr Kilgannon said his wife Jelena was seven months pregnant at the time and was very distressed about the trees causing damage to their house.

The court heard that after Mr McArdle allegedly agreed to the trees being removed, Mr Kilgannon went and cut them down himself.

The case continues.
Mohammad Boodoo, aged 51, who is from Mauritius and of no fixed abode, was found guilty on three charges of threatening to kill or cause serious harm to members of a Co Meath family and a further count of threatening to kill or seriously harm a garda.

The court heard the threats to the family were made by email on August 13 and 15, and October 20, 2015.

Priscilla Connolly told Carl Hanahoe, prosecuting, that Boodoo had worked as a spray painter for a Co Meath- based firm operated by herself and her partner Fergal Rooney between June and August last year.

Ms Connolly said her partner had been unhappy with the quality of work carried out by Boodoo over the August bank holiday weekend and it was decided not to pay him in full for this work but to pay him 200 instead of 400.

She said she later received a number of emails from the defendant on August 13 demanding payment.

In one, Boodoo accused her of being a robber and warned she had until 4pm that day to pay him his money otherwise he would destroy the serpent, the partner serpent and the baby serpent.

In another he warned her soul would never be at peace in her grave.

In an email later that month entitled Kids Involved he said: you are the serpent. I will destroy you one by one.

Ms Connolly said she had not responded to any of the emails and felt extremely alarmed and upset and contacted the gardai.

She said in an email on October 20 after the defendant had been questioned by gardai Boodoo warned: I am coming to drain your blood. I am just close to your jugular vein.

Fergal Rooney told the court that after getting a phonecall from Boodoo he felt scared and frightened for himself and his family.

Garda Michael Kilkenny said he had phoned Boodoo about the allegations and the defendant went into a rant over the money owed to him and threatened he would kill the garda as well the family.

When the defendant was arrested and questioned he told gardai he had sent the emails as he only wanted his money and said he could not even kill an insect.

Boodoo claimed Ms Connolly and Mr Rooney had gone to the gardai to avoid paying him.

In evidence to the court Boodoo said he had been in Ireland for nine years, was homeless by choice and worked to send money home to his family in Mauritius and pay college fees for his son who was studying medicine in China.

Judge Griffin was told that Boodoo was already the subject of a deportation order and the judge imposed a five-year sentence which he suspended on condition that Boodoo agree to his deportation and not return to Ireland for at least 10 years.
The agreement, first made in 2004 when the EU showed that the three major companies were colluding with the black market in tobacco smuggling that costs EU governments at least 10bn a year in lost taxes, is due to be renewed or ended by July.

But furious members of the European Parliament voted to end the agreement first drawn up by the European Commission in a deal to settle a court action against the companies long believed to be part of the smuggling racket.

They were even more incensed when it emerged that part of the 2bn being paid over 15 years by the big three companies was helping fund OLAF, the EUs anti-fraud office that has been investigating dirty tricks by the industry.

Northern Ireland Sinn Fein MEP Martina Anderson said the agreement had failed miserably. They have been used as a fig leaf to mask the inadequacies of the European Union in dealing with the scourge of illicitly traded tobacco, which still costs the EU an estimated 10bn each year.

MEPs were also furious that the Commission would even consider renewing the agreement given that one of the companies, Philip Morris, was challenging the new Tobacco Products Directive in the courts. It bans pretty packaging and different flavours and insists on special markings on cigarette packs so they can be traced if part of the black market.

Dublin Independent MEP Nessa Childers, a member of the health committee, said, This most awkward, smoke-stained expedient has long become obsolete and a source of chicanery on the part of big tobacco, who now hail it as part of their corporate social responsibility schemes.

An open letter from Dr Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva of the World Health Organisations convention on tobacco control, asked, is it wise to put a fox in charge of a henhouse?, and pointed out that the tobacco industry is trying to prevent countries and organisations joining the international anti-smoking protocol.

The tracking and tracing systems and the EUs new directive used a system invented by Philip Morris and just generates a code for products and does not effectively track or trace their illegal use.

Its essentially a black box that is protected by a tobacco industry patent. We dont know whats inside, but we do know that its managed and controlled by the tobacco industry, she said.

The commission, in an assessment of the agreement, said it had resulted in a drop of around 85% in the amount of illegal PMI cigarettes seized by member states between 2006 and 2014, and that information from the company had led to seizures and the dismantling of criminal networks.

It added, however, that new anti-tobacco agreements supersede it and agree that it may be against some international obligations.
Anthony Callaghan, aged 45, and Paul Zambra, aged 39, face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for the offence. A mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years applies to Callaghan as he has a previous conviction for a firearms offence. The court may deviate from the 10 years in the case of Zambra.

Callaghan, of Millrace Road, Phoenix Park Racecourse, and Zambra, of Inagh Road, Ballyfermot, both pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of a Ruger revolver and semi-automatic pistol with intent to endanger life at Clonshaugh Avenue, Coolock, on May 29, 2015.

Zambra also pleaded guilty to driving without insurance on the same occasion.

Callaghans previous convictions include attempted robbery and possession of a firearm. Zambra has convictions for robbery, larceny, and road traffic offences.

Judge Melanie Greally adjourned sentencing until next Wednesday.

Detective Garda Glen Somers told Vincent Heneghan, prosecuting, that gardai, acting on confidential information, mounted a surveillance operation over several days on the movements and activities surrounding a number of vehicles driven variously by Callaghan and Zambra.

On May 29, gardai became aware that a white Nissan van, driven by Callaghan with Zambra as a front seat passenger, was on its way to Coolock. Zambra was dropped off at Clonshaugh Crescent where a blue BMW Estate was parked.

Zambra got into the BMW and drove onto Clonshaugh Avenue, in a direction in close proximity to Riverside Estate. Callaghan drove off onto Clonshaugh Rd.

Gardai made tactical stops of both vehicles at about 12.15pm and arrested the men. Inside the BMW, gardai recovered a full 5-litre petrol container, a semi-automatic pistol wrapped in newspaper, and a revolver inside a neck warmer.

The semi-automatic pistol had a silencer attached and its safety catch was off. The Ruger revolver was loaded with five rounds and had its serial numbers drilled off.

Garda Somers agreed with Sean Guerin, defending Callaghan, that when his client was stopped he was driving away from the Riverside area. He agreed there were no other outstanding matters in which Callaghan was a suspect.

Mr Guerin submitted there was case law outlining a clear distinction between intent to endanger life and intent to kill. He asked the court to take into account his clients early guilty plea.

Michael OHiggins, defending Zambra, said his client was a father of one who was separated from his partner.

He said Zambra has applied himself well while in custody and asked the court to take into account his prompt guilty plea.
Andrzez Piolunowicz, 32, had been found seriously injured in the family apartment in Killarney where the body of baby Karol Rozycki was discovered last weekend.

Mr Piolunowicz had been taken to Kerry University Hospital in Tralee on Sunday evening.

However on Tuesday, after his condition deteriorated and because of the nature of his injuries, he was transferred to Cork University Hospital.

Informed sources had said his condition continued to worsen and he remained on life-support.

Yesterday evening, it emerged steps were being taken to prepare his organs for donation in the event of his death. Just before 9pm gardai confirmed that Mr Piolunowicz had died. It is not known whether his family members had arrived at the hospital.

Earlier this week a postmortem was conducted on the body of the baby. For operational reasons gardai did not divulge the outcome.

Meanwhile, the body of little Karol Rozycki is being flown to Poland today on a scheduled Aer Lingus flight from Dublin.

Undertakers, OSheas, and Aer Lingus have met the expenses of the repatriation.

The babys mother, Anna Rozycka, through a friend, thanked the airline and the Killarney undertaker as well as the wider Killarney community for their support and kindness to her.

She has also thanked the gardai, the owner of the town centre apartment complex where the family lived, the interpreters, garda liaison officers and all others who have helped her.

Ms Rozycki raised the alarm at about 6pm on Sunday after she returned from work at the Aghadoe Heights Hotel where Mr Piolunowicz also worked.

Gardai said the apartment remains sealed off and investigations are continuing.

Statements have been taken from a number of people. Gardai had also been hoping to interview the injured man.

A special Mass, celebrated in Polish and English for baby Karol and his family in Killarneys St Marys Cathedral on Tuesday, drew a large attendance from both the Polish and Irish communities.
Irish Water denies the claims and its counsel Cian Ferriter argued Dermot Murphy was seeking to use the court as a platform for his political views and campaign against Irish Water.

Mr Murphy, Lakeview, Mullingar, is seeking orders against the company requiring it to replace the plastic covers of which, the court heard, 600,000 have been installed.

Representing himself, Mr Murphy claims his constitutional right to bodily integrity had been infringed by Irish Water in installing plastic covers that were not fit for purpose.

He had written to former environment minister Alan Kelly about the matter but was told to take it up with Irish Water, he said.

He said he was very concerned the new meters could be tampered with. There were examples where a child, as a joke played on his mother, interfered with the meter and put washing up liquid in it which led to bubbles coming out of a tap, he said. There was also a videoed incident where red dye came out of a tap after someone took out a meter, he added.

He said the plastic meter cover could take a weight of 2.2 tonnes while the older castiron covers could take four times that. He sometimes used a mini-digger which he was unable to drive over the plastic cover, he added.

He said there were guidelines suggesting the plastic covers were only suitable for pedestrian areas and should not be put in locations involving vehicle access.

While Irish Water had said it had manufacturers reports stating the covers could be used in this way, he disagreed.

Mr Ferriter, for Irish Water, argued Mr Murphys case was fundamentally legally misconceived and he had made out no case entitling him to injunctions against the company.

Ms Justice Miriam ORegan, having heard arguments from both sides on Thursday, said she will rule on Mr Murphys application next week.
The Norths Assembly finance committee said it was unclear why Mr Noonan did not intervene when issues emerged with one of the bidders for Namas massive Northern Ireland property portfolio.

Frank Cushnahan was appointed to advise Nama in 2010. He had been involved in trying to set up the sale of the property portfolio to US investment firm Pimco, and, according to evidence in the Dail, stood to be paid 5m (about 6.3m). It was to be part of a three-way split of a 15m pot for getting the billion-pound Project Eagle deal over the line.
Ordinate Survey Ireland (OSI) has confirmed that a plebiscite, similar to the one which took place in Dingle-Daingean Ui Chuis in 2006, would be needed before any changes can be addressed.

This issue arose in 2011 when Transport Infrastructure Ireland, formerly the NRA, updated all the signage on the N67 route, using the historical legal names for the towns and not the names in local and official use for the past 100 years.
The culprit was jailed for eight months for this offence yesterday and for a total of ten months when other charges against him were taken into consideration.

Inspector Eileen Foster said the crime was committed on Oliver Plunkett St, Cork, on March 28, 2014.

There was a theft of a handbag from a young woman. She was visibly upset and crying and told gardai a man approached her from behind and snatched her handbag containing 70 in cash and her white iPhone 5.

None of the stolen property was recovered.

At Cork District Court yesterday, Damien Morley, aged 27, of Cork Simon Community, pleaded guilty to carrying out the theft.

He had 84 previous convictions. One of those involved a suspended seven-month sentence. In light of his latest theft conviction, that suspension was revoked and another three months was imposed for the theft.

The original crime for which he got the suspended sentence was a burglary at St Kevins Secondary School, Langford Row, Cork, last May.

Donal Daly, solicitor, said Morley had been struggling with a heroin addiction and had found a Christian church very helpful. Unfortunately he had slipped back on the heroin, he said. He is very sorry, his crimes are purely to feed his addiction.
Like, I met this hot Cork guy on the plane the other day. He suggested we should go for a dirty weekend in Amsterdam, which is like totes inappropes, but kind of cool too, dya know what I mean. Anyway, he told me that hes from Bishopstown. Is he good enough for me?  Portia-Bell, Ballsbridge, Daddy owns an island.

No, hes playing out of his league. Bishopstown is where Cork people live when they cant afford a place in Douglas. And Douglas still has a fair few people living in semi-ds. (Not that theyd admit it in public.) In fairness, youll find some doctors like to live in Bishopstown. Youll also find that theyll tell you their salary in the first 30 seconds of conversation. So I doubt if this guy fits the bill. Which is pretty high in your case, Portia-Bell. (You should do something about your name.)

Cmere, I read that we might have Cork men at the helm of three major political parties soon, with Micheal Martin, Simon Coveney and Sean Sherlock. Is it too soon to hire a plane to fly over Dublin with a banner out the back saying Take that, the lot of ye.  Jerry One of Our Own, Ballyvolane, my dog is called Roy Barry-Murphy.

There is obviously never a bad time to insult someone from Dublin. But there are a lot of Cork people looking to fly planes over the capital saying things like, Ye think yere it. So youll need a licence. Also, Sean Sherlock has been mentioned as the next leader of Labour. Im not sure you can put them in the same sentence as major political party. It doesnt look good that they have barely more seats than the Healy-Raes. And that they make even less sense when they open their mouths!

Im really struggling here. I know I should be doing something on Paddys Day to ram my wealth down everyones throat. (Kenny sold his software company to a bunch of gullible nerds from San Fran. Were worth more than Japan!) The problem is all the green Leprechaun gear looks like it comes from those Euro discount shops for norries. I saw an emerald ring in town for eight grand. Do you think I should buy it for my daughter?  Clodagh, Blackrock, it would look great on her in Montessori.

I wouldnt pick Paddys Day to show off your fabulous taste. Lets just say the definition of sophistication in Cork during March is someone who doesnt have a puke on Oliver Plunkett Street. So the bar is pretty low. As for buying an eight grand ring for a toddler. That isnt considered classy anywhere. Except maybe Waterford.

Hey, Im like a geek. I read that the next Star Wars film is going to be shot in some place called the Dingle Peninsula. I totally want to go there and take some selfies and make my friends feel-like inadequate. Do you know anything about this Dingle peninsula?  Zach, San Francisco, The Big Bang Theory was written about me, isnt that cool?

No. Its a worry. Cork people are very familiar with the Dingle Peninsula. Its where our parents sent us to learn how to have sex while speaking a new language. I think its where I got my fetish for Italian men. Go hiontach. The locals on the peninsula speak English and Irish. You wont be able to understand them either way. Youll also find a lot of long-haired types who want to get away from it all. Particularly when it all involves having a job.

Ciao. I am going to watch the rugby match in town tomorrow in a pub and have managed to persuade my girlfriend not to come along! What is the best way to attract a beautiful Irish rugby girl for sweet love?  Fabio, Venice and Victoria Cross.

Just stand there in your Italian jersey and dont say anything. Your oily chat up lines are no good until the women have downed five Heinekens. This is a tipping point for Irish women. From then on any guy in a jersey is actually hotter than a fireman at a hen party.

I have 18 entries in my phone for Guy from the Sextant. (Two more and I get a t-shirt. Bring it on!) There is however one thing the rugby chicks will want to know before they consider you as suitable material. So make sure you practice the following sentence.... Ciao bella, I went to the Pres of Venice. After that its just a matter of putting in and Flynn in a sentence.

Cork people are very familiar with the Dingle Peninsula. Its where our parents sent us to learn how to have sex while speaking a new language
Jon Bernthal, who will soon appear in Daredevil Season 2 in the role of The Punisher, revealed that he and Tom Holland (Spider-Man) teamed up to create audition tapes for their respective roles while working together on Irish medieval thriller, Pilgrimage.

Speaking with the New York Daily News, Bernthal said, We were making tapes from Ireland in the process of getting him cast in Spider-Man and then he and I made a tape for The Punisher." He added, During this independent movie that we did in Ireland we were constantly making tapes for Marvel  just acting together.
SEEMINGLY unrelated controversies in India have a common element: they all relate to criminal offences codified by Indias British imperial rulers in the mid-19th century and which India has been unable or unwilling to outgrow.

The problematic features of the British-drafted Indian Penal Code include the prohibition of sedition, defined loosely as speech or actions promoting disaffection against the government established by law; the criminalisation of homosexual acts; and the uneven prosecution of adultery.

The first two have lately been the source of considerable public outrage, and rightly so. These provisions  as I argued when introducing amendments to them, in the lower house of parliament (of which I am a member)  can easily be misused by the authorities to infringe upon Indians constitutional rights. Consider sedition, against which a draconian law was established in 1870 to suppress criticism of British policies  even criticism that, as one Briton candidly put it, did not involve an breach of the peace.

The result was Section 124A of the penal code, under which any person who used words, signs, or visible representation  to excite disaffection against the government could be charged with sedition and potentially sentenced to life imprisonment. In other words, no free speech for Indians.

But even that was not sufficient for Britains leaders, who tightened the law further in 1898, making it even harsher than the sedition law in England. The British had concluded, in the words of the British lieutenant governor of Bengal, that a sedition law which is adequate for a people ruled by a government of its own nationality and faith may be inadequate, or, in some respects unsuited, for a country under foreign rule.

Sedition was thus explicitly intended to terrorise Indian nationalists; indeed, Mahatma Gandhi was among its prominent victims, though far from its last. Just last month, students at New Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University were arrested on charges of sedition, for using anti-Indian slogans in their protests against the execution of the convicted terrorist, Afzal Guru. These arrests, which shocked many Indians, would not have been possible without the loose wording of the law.

My amendment would limit sedition charges to situations where an individuals words or actions lead directly to the use of violence, or they incite violence, or where they constitute an offence  such as murder or rape  that, under the Indian Penal Code, is punishable by life imprisonment.

By clarifying that criticism of the governments actions does not constitute sedition, such an amendment would reinforce freedom of speech  fundamental to any democracy  while safeguarding against speech that incites violence.

Then, there is Section 377 of the penal code, which was enacted in 1860 and which criminalises carnal intercourse against the order of nature. That is, wording so archaic that it would invite derision in most modern societies. Even in the past, there was no taboo against homosexuality in Indian culture and social practice; it was the British Victorians who introduced it.

By criminalising sexual acts in private between consenting adults, Section 377 violates the fundamental rights guaranteed under article 21 (life and liberty, including privacy and dignity), article 14 (equality before the law), and article 15 (prohibition of discrimination) of Indias constitution. The real-world consequences of this are jarring: In the last two years, 58 Indians have been arrested under Section 377, for acts carried out in the privacy of their homes.

My amendment to Section 377 would have decriminalised sex between consenting adults of any gender or orientation. Unfortunately, conservative members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) voted against the bills introduction in parliament, citing a 2013 Supreme Court judgment upholding the law. But there is still some reason for hope: The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a curative review petition against its earlier judgement.

The Indian Penal Code is not much easier on heterosexual women than it is on homosexuals. According to Section 497, a husband can prosecute his adulterous wife, and the man with whom she had sexual relations, but a woman cannot sue her adulterous husband, unless his partner is underage or married. This is an appalling and outdated double standard. It is time for Indias government to get out of its citizens bedrooms, and also to recognise that a pernicious sedition law has no place in a lively and contentious democracy.

Indeed, the British, who created these problematic offences, have since eliminated all of them at home  a reflection of the changing times. (One of the worst legacies of colonialism is that its ill-effects outlasted the empire  in India, occupied Palestine, the Caribbean, and elsewhere.)

President Pranab Mukherjee, for one, feels it is time to take Indias penal code into the 21st century, underscoring last month, on the codes 155th anniversary, the need to revise it thoroughly. Indias criminal law, he declared, was largely enacted by the British to meet their colonial needs, and must be revised to reflect our contemporary social consciousness. Only then can it be a faithful mirror of a civilisation, underlining the fundamental values on which it rests.

With that speech, Mukherjee threw down the gauntlet to the right-wing BJP government. One hopes that its leaders respond, though their fondness for autocratic measures and indulgence of illiberal and intolerant statements by their supporters  behaviour that has spurred serious concern across the political spectrum  raises doubts that they will.

As long as they exist, laws that can be misused will be misused. In order to prevent this, and to create a liberal legal framework fit for a modern democratic country, homosexuality and adultery must be decriminalised, and sedition must be approached from a far more liberal perspective. As the recurring debates consuming the country indicate, it is manifestly time for a change.

Shashi Tharoor, a former UN under-secretary-general and former Indian Minister of State for External Affairs and Minister of State for Human Resource Development, is currently chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, and an MP for the Indian National Congress.

Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2016.
The word trump, according to the dictionary, is an alteration of the word triumph. And because Donald Trump, the US presidential candidate, appears likely to become the nominee of the Grand Old Party of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan, we owe it to ourselves to ask how and for whom he represents a triumph.

One thinks of a segment of the US population angered by the eight years of Barack Obamas presidency, a group now feeling vengeful. And one also thinks of the white supremacist, segregationist, nativist strain represented by former Ku Klux Klan leader, David Duke, whose noisy support Trump was so hesitant to reject last week and for whose constituency Trump may be a make-or-break candidate.

One easily gets the sense, when trying to take seriously what little is known about the Trump platform, of a country turning in on itself, walling itself off, and ultimately impoverishing itself by chasing away the Chinese, Muslims, Mexicans, and others who have contributed to the vast melting pot that the most globalised country on the planet has alchemised, in Silicon Valley and elsewhere, into prodigious wealth.

However, as is so often the case with the US, there is in the Trump phenomenon an element that extends beyond the American national scene. So one is tempted to ask whether Trumpism might not also be the harbinger  or perhaps even the apotheosis  of a truly new episode in world politics.

I watch the head of this Las Vegas croupier, this kitschy carnival performer, coiffed and botoxed, drifting from one television camera to another with his fleshy mouth perpetually half-open: you never know whether those exposed teeth are signs of having drunk or eaten too much, or whether they might indicate that he means to eat you next.

I listen to his swearing, his vulgar rhetoric, his pathetic hatred of women.

I hear his smutty jokes in which the careful language of politics has been pushed aside in favour of supposedly authentic popular speech at its most elemental  the language, apparently, of the genitals. IS? Were not going to make war against it, were going to kick its ass. Marco Rubios remark about Trumps small hands? The rest is not so small, I guarantee you.

Then there is the worship of money and the contempt for others that accompanies it. In the mouth of this serially bankrupt billionaire, they have become the bottom line of the American creed  so much mental junk food full of fatty thoughts, overwhelming the lighter cosmopolitan flavours of the myriad traditions that have formed the great American pastoral.

In the sequence about small hands, even an ear untuned to the subtleties of that pastoral might have caught (though in a version perverted by the abjectly low level of the exchange) the famous line from ee cummings, the American Apollinaire: Nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands.

Confronted with this leap forward into coarseness and pettiness, one thinks of Silvio Berlusconi, Vladimir Putin, and the Le Pens, father and daughter. One thinks of a new International, not of communism, but of vulgarity and bling, in which the political landscape shrinks to the dimensions of a television stage.

Silvio Berlusconi

The art of debate collapses into catch phrases; peoples dreams become bombastic illusions; the economy takes the form of the grotesquely physical contortions of verbally deficient Scrooges who despise anyone who thinks; and striving for self-fulfillment deteriorates into the petty swindles taught in the now-defunct Trump University.

Thats right: an International with a capital I: Globalised corruption in the mutual admiration society of Putin, Berlusconi, and Trump. In them we see the face of a cartoon humanity, one that has chosen the low, the elemental, the pre-linguistic to ensure its triumph.

Here is a fake universe in which one consigns to the oblivion of a now-obsolete history the precariousness of the exiles, migrants, and other voyagers who, on both sides of the Atlantic, have built the true human aristocracy. In the US, it is that great people composed of Latinos, Eastern European Jews, Italians, Asians, Irish, and, yes, Anglos still dreaming of Oxford-Cambridge sculls now cleaving the waters of the Charles River.

Vladimir Putin

Berlusconi invented this cartoon world. Putin intensified its macho element. Other European demagogues are hitching it to the foulest forms of racism. As for Trump, he gave us his tower, one of the ugliest in Manhattan, with its clunky, derivative architecture, its 25m waterfall to impress the tourists  a Tower of Babel in glass and steel built by a Don Corleone from the dregs in which all of the worlds languages will indeed be fused into one.

Careful, though. The new language is no longer that of the America we dreamed would be eternal, the America that has sometimes breathed life back into exhausted cultures.

It is the language of a country with balls that has said its goodbyes to books and beauty, that confuses Michelangelo with an Italian designer brand, and that has forgotten that nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands.

Bernard-Henri Levy is one of the founders of the Nouveaux Philosophes (New Philosophers) movement. His books include Left in Dark Times: A Stand Against the New Barbarism.
Since the counting of votes completed ten or so days ago, and the last of the 158 seats of Dail Eireann was filled by Willie Penrose, a rather futile exercise has taken place under the pretense of attempting to form a Government.

For all his talking with Independents and smaller parties, Enda Kenny was only able to muster the 57 votes of the Fine Gael and Labour parties. Micheal Martin could only manage 43.

So Kenny is now a caretaker taoiseach and the process of trying to form a Government begins in earnest.

For the past 10 days, we have all waited to get the business of yesterday out of the way, knowing that the talks between various parties were essentially meaningless.

Yesterday, Kenny having failed to be re-elected, signalled his intention, to tender his resignation as taoiseach to the President.

Since losing the election, Kenny is wounded and weakened. Yesterday, he stood visibly diminished as the impact of his losing of the election became clear.

The Dail was left in a mess with no clear majority anarchy reigned.

Several hours of bickering in the chamber last night as to the next steps delayed Kennys trip to the Aras.

Poor Sean O Fearghail was given a torrid time from Sinn Fein and the AAA-PBP deputies who sought to exploit the political quagmire.

Sean O Fearghail

In what Sinn Feins Pearse Doherty described as an attempted power grab by the parliament from the Cabinet, deputies tormented both Kenny and O Fearghail to accept amendments on Irish Water and other matters.

But aside from the bickering and the farce in the chamber, the political system finds itself in a state of uncertainty.

Three days ago, a lead story in this newspaper told us that Enda Kenny was to make a move to begin talks with Fianna Fail very quickly after the events of today transpired.

Rather than help matters along between the two old enemies, the story and a subsequent follow up in the Irish Times a day later have only served to widen the gaps.

The grassroots in Fianna Fail have reacted with fury to any suggestion of a grand coalition and TDs yesterday told us of how they were getting it in the neck from their supporters, warning them to reject such approaches.

That opposition to a deal manifested itself in Martins categorical comments yesterday that he and his party have no mandate to return Fine Gael to Government.

Micheal Martin

Martins comments came amid growing concern the stalemate could cause a second election.

While Fine Gael has hinted at a 50:50 cabinet breakdown and a rotating taoiseach scenario in exchange for support, the Cork South Central TD insisted the plan will not happen.

Theres a media obsession with Fianna Fail-Fine Gael. The people did not vote for the return of this government, he reiterated.

Such trenchant comments from Martin have removed the only really viable option for a stable majority government from the table. They also significantly increase the chances of a second election before the summer.

Kenny in his speech to the Dail appealed to those who share his desire to form a Government to step up to the mark in the national interest. Without naming Fianna Fail, his overtures were clear.

But Martin is in a bind and will not be tempted easily. With an emboldened Sinn Fein, eager to show their increased strength, breathing down his neck, he has a tightrope to walk. What is clear out of yesterday, nothing will be decided easily or quickly.
Unofficially, she has vowed to be the de-facto leader by calling the shots from behind the scenes, and party members said thats how things will work in Burmas first democratically-elected government in more than half a century.

The party nominated two Suu Kyi loyalists for the post including the front runner Htin Kyaw a 70-year-old Oxford graduate. The nomination will be followed by a vote among legislators later this month before the new president is installed April 1.

Im very happy and very pleased and I believe he (Htin Kyaw) will work together with Aung San Suu Kyi for the benefit of the people, said Khin Su Su Kyi, an NLD lawmaker.

For the past several weeks Suu Kyi is believed to have held closed-door talks with the powerful military generals to suspend a constitutional clause that bars her from presidency.

The outcome of the negotiations was not known until yesterday when the names of the loyalists were announced, signalling the end, at least for now, of Suu Kyis longtime ambition to be Myanmars leader.

Suu Kyi did not attend yesterdays high-profile nomination session but posted a letter on Facebook to her legions of supporters. She called it a first step toward realizing the expectations and desires of the people who overwhelmingly supported the National League for Democracy in the elections.

The longtime former political prisoner led her National League for Democracy to a landslide victory in Nov. 8 general elections, paving the way for the countrys first democratically elected government since the military took power in 1962.

Despite her massive popular support, the 70-year-old Suu Kyi is blocked from the presidency because the constitution bars anyone with a foreign spouse or children from holding the executive office.

Suu Kyi has made clear that even if she is not president she will be in charge.

Suu Kyis two sons are British, as was her late husband. The clause is widely seen as having been written by the military with her in mind.

Suu Kyi fought for decades to end dictatorship in Myanmar, and remains her partys unquestioned leader. She was awarded the 1991 Nobel prize while under house arrest, where she spent 15 years locked away by a junta that feared her political popularity.

During Thursdays parliament session, the NLD nominated, from the lower house, Htin Kyaw, a longtime confidante and associate of Suu Kyi. He is widely respected and seen as a front-runner.

Htin Kyaws father was a national poet and a National League for Democracy lawmaker from an aborted 1990 election, while his wife is a prominent legislator for the party in the current house.

From the upper house, the NLD nominated Henry Van Hti Yu of the an ethnic Chin minority.

The outgoing ruling party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, also nominated two candidates  Sai Mauk Kham, currently a vice president, and former upper house speaker Khin Aung Myint.

The military bloc, which holds a constitutionally mandated 25% of seats, is also allowed to nominate one candidate. His name has not yet been announced. But he will likely become the countrys other vice president.

A vote will be held later this month to elect the president and two vice presidents.
Claire Darbyshire, aged 36, killed 67-year-old Brian at their home in Dagenham, east London, on September 2 last year.

Afterwards, she claimed they had made a suicide pact as his illness had become intolerable and she did not want to go on without him.

But following a trial at the Old Bailey, a jury found Darbyshire guilty of murder  rejecting the lesser offences of manslaughter or assisting a suicide.

The Recorder of London, Nicholas Hilliard, jailed her for life with a minimum term of four years, saying he accepted that she believed it was an act of mercy.

He said the key to the case was that she failed to establish that her father had agreed she would also kill herself in a suicide pact.

He said she had unlawfully killed her father behind closed doors and no defences to murder applied.

Prosecutor Jonathan Rees told jurors Mr Darbyshirehad not expressed any suicidal thoughts or complained about being in pain to nurses who visited him.

Darbyshire complained to a friend about having to look after him and appeared to be getting more and more stressed.

After the killing, she caught a train to the Dover area, having texted the district nurse to visit asap.

On September 3, Darbyshire approached a National Trust worker on the cliffs for help and ended up with support services in Canterbury.

Five days later, she mentioned the suicide, saying they had both taken an overdose which failed to work on September 1, before she suffocated her father.

On September 10, police discovered Mr Darbyshires body in his bed with a suit, teddy bear, and various handwritten notes nearby.
In a letter seen by Reuters yesterday, Chinas diplomatic mission in Geneva raised objections about the presence of Tibets exiled spiritual leader on the panel of Nobel laureates, being held at the Geneva Graduate Institute.

Inviting the 14th Dalai Lama to the aforementioned event violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China, in contravention of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. China resolutely opposes the 14th Dalai Lamas separatist activities, it said.
Judge John Hlophe, in Cape Town, convicted the woman of kidnapping, fraud and contravening child protection laws, said Eric Ntabazalila, spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority.

The judge revoked bail and the woman will be detained until her sentencing on May 30, he said. The judge mentioned in court that she could be looking at a 10-year prison sentence, said Mr Ntabazalila.

State prosecutors said the woman snatched a three-day-old baby from her sleeping mothers hospital bedside in Cape Town in April 1997. The prosecution also said the woman defrauded authorities when she registered the child as her own daughter in 2003, also changing her birth date.

The defendant, now 51, pleaded not guilty to all three charges. During the trial she testified that she adopted the child.

Zephany Nurse was snatched from a maternity ward in Cape Town in 1997. Unravelling her mystery disappearance only began by chance in 2015 when the Nurses second child, Cassidy, started at a new high school  and friends commented on the uncanny resemblance between the two girls

I didnt know the baby was stolen, the woman testified, according to the African News Agency (ANA).

The girl was reunited with her biological parents, Morne and Celeste Nurse, last year after their second daughter befriended a girl at school who looked remarkably like her. After a police investigation and DNA tests, that new friend turned out to be their missing child.

The family had been living only miles away from their daughter.

The biological parents sobbed as the judge read the verdict, ANA reported.

Zephanys father, Morne Nurse, is surrounded by reporters as he leaves the court in Cape Town

The girl, now 18, was not in court and is taking high school final exams. The judge ordered that neither the defendant nor the girl may be identified.
Macedonias bid to join the defence bloc has been blocked because Athens has disputed the countrys name since Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, saying it implies territorial claims to a Greek province of the same name.

I hope Macedonia will get its ... place at a Nato table. We have shown that we are a responsible member of the international community, Jolevski said when asked whether Macedonias conduct in the crisis could enhance its Nato bid.
But if Britain votes to leave, Europe is divided on whether it should be allowed to remain part of the single market, according to analysis by the University of Edinburgh and German think-tank dpart.

Researchers who surveyed attitudes in Germany, France, Ireland, Poland, Sweden and Spain, found broad support for Britain remaining in the EU.
They were echoing the reaction of many members of the European Parliament to decisions by EU leaders with Turkey earlier this week, and to the announcement of a trebling of funds to help countries, mainly Greece, to cope with the thousands of refugees now trapped as other countries closed their borders.

The original EU budget to help refugees for this year was 188.98m and has now been increased to 464m following a request from member state leaders.

They also agreed on a mechanism to allow emergency money to be distributed more quickly to those dealing with large numbers of refugees.

But the outcry from politicians and international bodies has been growing as the details are being finalised by experts behind the scenes in time for next weeks summit when EU leaders are expected to sign off on a deal with Turkey to take back and keep migrants from crossing their border.

MEPs demanded to know the details of the deal with Turkey and warned that international asylum rules must be respected.

The European Parliament also reminded the European Commission and member states that the Parliament will have to agree to money from the EU budget for Turkey.

Turkey has been promised 6bn over a number of years with 2bn coming from the EU budget. The Parliament will also have to agree to a change in visa rules allowing Turks visa-free entry to the EU for short stays of up to three months.

The deal to send back all asylum seekers to Turkey that enter after the deal comes into force was specifically condemned by many, including the leader of the left-wing GUE party, Gabi Zimmer.

No one including the European Union, is allowed trade in human being and fundamental rights agreements, she said.

Anyone who shakes the hand of this Turkish government is completely giving up on the values of human rights and solidarity. The current Turkish government kills its own citizens.

Caritas Europa said the funds suggested the EU was now willing to consider the situation as a humanitarian crisis, and so surrendering to populists and fear mongers.

However, while the funding was needed, the EU needed to deal with the solidarity crisis which was putting at stake the entire EU project.

EU member states must start by abiding to the pledge of relocating 160,000 people and find solutions that will give people a future to believe in, they said in a statement.

They should change plans to erect borders around Greece and stop outsourcing the management of migration to non-EU countries.

They quoted the national co-ordinator for Caritas Greece, Evelyn Karastamati, as reporting that the atmosphere was very tense with people lacking tents, warm food, clothes and enough water to keep clean.

This is a European problem that requires European solutions. Solidarity between member states is needed now more than ever to defeat the globalisation of indifference and the uprising of populistic movements.

Quick-fix emergency funding alone will not suffice. On the contrary, the solutions must consider the long-term reality, the statement said.
Gross abuses have been revealed in two books.

The rules require external vigilance over Vatican bank accounts created for beatification and canonisation causes, as well as regular budgeting and accounting.

This is to make sure the donations from the faithful are being used as intended.

The reforms were imposed after Francis tasked a fact-finding commission to investigate Vatican expenditures. Two books by Italian journalists, based on the commissions confidential findings, revealed that the Vaticans secretive, saint-making process brought in hundreds of thousands of euros in donations for each saintly candidate, but had no financial oversight on how the money was spent.

The books estimated the average cost for each beatification at 500,000, with the proceeds going to a few lucky people given contracts to investigate the candidates lives. While candidates with wealthy donors sprinted ahead, those with less wealthy ones languished.

The new rules call for an administrator for each saintly cause, who must scrupulously respect the intention of each donation. The administrator must keep a running tab on expenditures and donations, prepare an annual budget, and be subject to the oversight of the local bishop or religious superior.

That person must approve the annual budget and send it to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints  the Vatican office responsible for reviewing saintly candidates, investigating miracles, and preparing the cases for the Popes ultimate decision.

They also set out the mechanism by which each cause pays the congregation for its services, finalising the beatification or canonisation.

Once the candidate is made a saint, the congregation decides what to do with any remaining funds, including sending them to a special solidarity account for less-well funded candidates, the norms say.
But the baby she carries around the clock in a colourful flannel pouch is not a little human, its an orphaned kangaroo.

Amanda Dukart is a zookeeper at the Chahinkapa Zoo in Wahpeton.

For the next six months, she will carry the joey wrapped around her throughout the day to help it develop.

WDAY-TV reports the zoo is hoping the joey survives after its mother died unexpectedly several weeks ago.

Dukart says most of the animals development happens inside the mothers pouch. She says she can now sympathise with working moms because she works all the time and also cares for baby Barkley. Barkley will join the kangaroo exhibit when it turns 18 months old.

Lego loot

USA: Portland police say they arrested a man who agreed to sell stolen Legos to undercover investigators.

Officers say 25-year-old Pavel Kuzik was arrested in a stolen car last week. He was booked him into jail on multiple warrants.

Police say Kuzik was stealing expensive Lego sets and other items from stores and reselling them on a website.

Better late than never

USA: A 93-year-old Ohio woman has received the high school diploma she was denied because of rules that expelled married students.

Dorothy Liggett was a few weeks from graduation from Akrons North High School in 1942 when officials discovered she was married.

The Akron Beacon Journal reports Akron Superintendent David James hand-delivered the diploma to Liggett in suburban Fairlawn on Wednesday as part of a surprise ceremony.

Liggetts daughter Janice Larkin had written to James about her mother.

James said it was wrong that Liggett was denied the diploma after being a good student all her years in school.

Liggett and her late husband, John Huston, ran away to Kentucky to marry after her husband was called into the air corps during the Second World War.

Top chimp

LONDON: A chimpanzee in a top hat and tie was among 18 exotic stuffed animals stolen by thieves from a taxidermy warehouse.

Creatures including lions, a giraffe, a zebra, and a sloth were crammed into a van during the raid in Wandsworth, south London. Thieves used angle grinders to force their way into the warehouse , escaping with a haul worth an estimated 100,000 (128,000).

Beach smoking ban

WALES: A beach in West Wales is thought to be the first in Britain to ban smoking.

The ban at Little Haven in Pembrokeshire, which also applies toe-cigarettes, came into effect on Wednesday and coincided with National No Smoking Day.

Smokers labelled the scheme as stupid and pointless  given that those who break it cannot be fined.

However, officials hope will the ban will discourage children from picking up the habit.

On the prowl

QATAR: Drivers got a surprise when an escaped tiger was seen prowling among cars on a motorway. Police were looking into footage circulating on social media showing the tiger making its way between vehicles in Doha.

Other images showed a man holding the big cat on a chain, suggesting it had been recaptured.

Some wealthy Arabs keep big cats as status symbols despite prohibitions against the practice.

Lost village found

SCOTLAND: A lost village has been found after the discovery of coins and artefacts possibly dating back 1,000 years were unearthed during motorway construction work.

Archaeologists also found what is believed to be 14th century medieval pottery, gaming pieces, and fragments of a clay smoking pipe on the site of the former village of Cadzow in South Lanarkshire.

Construction workers made the initial discovery while expanding the M74 motorway.

Irritating phrases

ENGLAND: Workers are being driven mad by irritating phrases such as Can I borrow you for a sec and Think outside the box.

A survey of 2,000 adults by employment group reed.co.uk also showed that online terms such as OMG and lol were starting to creep into conversations. Bosses may think they motivate staff by trotting out phrases such as Teamwork, dreamwork and Win-win  but it has the opposite effect on many workers, the study revealed.
The open letter, published in the newspaper, came a day after the digital publication, eldiario.es, reported messages in October, 2014, between Letizia and Javier Lopez Madrid, a long-time friend of King Felipe VI and former Bankia bank board member.

Letizia used an expletive to describe to Lopez Madrid the section of El Mundo that printed a story about him and the credit-card scandal, adding we know each other, like each other, respect each other.

Lopez Madrid, one of dozens of former bank executives and board members being investigated for the credit-card purchases, thanked Letizia and wrote: Ill make every effort to be careful in the future. We live in a difficult country and I will be even more conscious about my conduct.

Felipe then joined in the text conversation and said he wanted to have lunch with Lopez Madrid soon. Spains royal palace does not dispute the validity of the text messages.

Felipe has broken all ties with Lopez Madrid, the official said.

Lopez Madrid is also under investigation for alleged illegal financing of the Madrid branch of Spains conservative Popular Party. The party ruled the country from 2011-2015 and now leads a caretaker government, following an inconclusive December election.

El Mundos open letter was written by Inaki Gil, editor of the society, fashion and gossip section, which published the original story criticised by Letizia (Letizia was a television journalist before marrying Felipe).

Separately, acting justice minister, Rafael Catala, said an investigation would be opened to determine how the text messages were leaked. He said he was concerned the messages could be associated with a judicial proceeding.

Felipe has worked hard to restore the credibility of Spains monarchy, following the abdication of his father, Juan Carlos, in 2014.

Juan Carlos was roundly criticised for going on an expensive elephant-hunting trip at the height of Spains economic crisis, and his popularity also suffered because of a public-funds embezzlement investigation targeting Inaki Urdangarin, the husband of Princess Cristina, Juan Carlos daughter.

They are both defendants in an ongoing fraud trial. Cristina could get a maximum sentence of eight years in jail, if found guilty of tax fraud, and Urdangarin faces a possible penalty of nearly 20 years, for more serious charges.
Burma Military VP Revealed As Executive Trio Finalized

A military candidate joins two NLD nominees in deliberations next week for the top executive offices in Burmas new government.

RANGOON  A military candidate joins two National League for Democracy (NLD) nominees in deliberations next week for the top executive offices in Burmas new government.

The selection of a president and two vice presidents from among one military and two NLD picks will take place Monday in the Union Parliament; results are expected to be announced on Tuesday.

The sitting military lawmakers from both houses put forward former Rangoon Chief Minister Myint Swea Lt-Gen with a checkered pastfor one of the vice presidential positions on Friday afternoon.

In Fridays parliamentary session, Htin Kyaw, an executive committee member of an Aung San Suu Kyi-led foundation, was voted in as the Lower Houses NLD nominee for the post, and another NLD candidate, Henry Van Thioan MP from Chin Statewas selected by the Upper House.

Htin Kyaw, a close aide of Suu Kyi, garnered 274 votes against the Union Solidarity and Development Partys (USDP) Sai Mauk Kham, the current vice president, who collected 29 votes. A total of 317 lawmakers participated in Fridays voting session, with 14 votes invalidated.

In the Upper House, ethnic Chin lawmaker Henry Van Thio secured 148 votes, while former Upper House Speaker Khin Aung Myint, a sitting USDP parliamentarian, earned just 13. A total of 167 lawmakers attended Fridays voting session, with six votes invalidated.

Of both NLD candidates, Htin Kyaw is expected to become Burmas next president after the upcoming parliamentary vote.

Bertil Lintner, journalist and Burma expert, told The Irrawaddy that he wondered why the NLD had nominated Henry Van Thio for the vice presidency.

As far as I know, he is a former army officer and was very close to Aung Thaung at the Ministry of Industry, and then made lots of money for himself, Lintner said of the Chin lawmaker, who is a retired Burma Army major and reportedly also managed a state-run tobacco processing plant. The late Aung Thaung was one of the wealthiest men in Burma and also a notorious USDP hardliner.

The NLD has made some very strange choices when it comes to minority representatives, Lintner continued, pointing out the Lower House deputy speaker appointment of T Hkun Myat, an ethnic Kachin lawmaker with ties to a militia that has been accused of involvement in the drug trade.

Additional reporting by San Yamin Aung.
Burma Over 500 IDPs Flee Latest Shan State Hostilities

Hundreds displaced by fighting in Shan State arrive to a Kutkai Township village amid ongoing hostilities between the Taang National Liberation Army and government troops.

RANGOON  Hundreds displaced by fighting in northern Shan State arrived this week to Nam Pa Kar village in Kutkai Township amid ongoing regional hostilities between the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and Burma Army, according to a Lashio-based group providing food supplies to the affected.

The internally displaced persons (IDPs) are ethnic Palaung from Ngegge village, also in Kutkai Township, where fighting that began Tuesday forced them to flee their homes.

They fled on March 8 from their village, and arrived in Kutkai yesterday, De De Poe Jaing, joint general secretary No. 2 of the Taang Womens Organization (TWO), said on Thursday, estimating that more than 500 people had fled to Nam Pa Kar, where they are sheltering at an events hall.

There have been some local charitable groups, including our organization, providing them food. They will be able to have food for some days, but this [adequate food provision] may become a problem if they have to stay a long time, said De De Poe Jaing.

Another civil society group, the Taang Students and Youth Organization (TSYO), has sent some of its members to Mong Yu village, where some civilians are believed to have been pinned down by recent hostilities.

We do not know yet how many villagers were hosting in the village. Some of our people went to help them today to bring out those [Mong Yu] villagers from the conflict-affected village, De De Poe Jaing said.

The TNLA has said thousands of Burma Army troops have been deployed to the conflict zone, a territory that spans several townships in northern Shan State including Kyaukme, Kutkai, Namtu, Manton, Namhsan and Mongmit.

Intense fighting continued on Thursday in Kyaukme and Mangton townships, where the TNLA claimed a government offensive included two helicopter gunships in the village of Kyauk Phyu, part of Kyaukme Township.

Locals from the villages of Kyauk Phyu and Pan Loi have also been displaced in recent days, with those affected taking refuge in Kyaukme town.
Burma Ranks of Burmas PR Holders Modest but Growing

Burmas Ministry of Immigration and Population issues more than 170 permanent residency (PR) certificates to successful applicants, while nearly 100 applications are still being processed.

RANGOON  Burmas Ministry of Immigration and Population has issued more than 170 permanent residency (PR) certificates to successful applicants while nearly 100 additional applications are still being processed, according to an official from the ministry.

We have released a total of 171 certificates and are now arranging to release more for the approved applications, deputy director Min Zaw from the permanent residency section of the ministry told The Irrawaddy on Friday.

I still cant tell the exact number of successful applications for the last intake, he added.

The scheme was launched in late 2014 by the Immigration and Population Ministry and has so far issued three intakes last year, according to Min Zaw.

According to the Immigration and Population Ministry, successful applicants are granted an initial five-year period of residency. Foreign professionals, technicians, investors who have resided in Burma for more than one year, family members of Burmese citizens and former citizens are eligible for consideration.

After the initial five-year period, former nationals can reapply for citizenship while foreigners can apply to extend their status. Applicants must pay a $500 non-refundable application fee, as well as an annual fee of $500 for former citizens and $1,000 for all others.

According to a report in state-owned newspaper The Mirror on Wednesday, a central implementation committee is scrutinizing the last applicants for the approval process and hopes to issue its fourth batch of successful applicants next week.

The report quoted the chairman of the central implementation committee, Union Minister Ko Ko of the Immigration and Population Ministry, who said the permanent residency system was intended for those who want to contribute to national development and Burmas reform process.

The scheme, however, has been criticized by many Burmese exiles because those who have sought political asylum or refugee status are ineligible and successful PR applicants are barred from taking part in any political activities in Burma.

Former exile Aung Myo Min, the executive director of Equality Myanmar who is not eligible to apply for PR because he was granted refugee status by the Czech Republic, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that the government should welcome all former citizens and foreign professionals rather than limiting the applicants political activities.

When a country is in a reform process, it needs experts and professionals from every sector, he said.

Banning successful applicants from taking part in political activities can become an obstacle for those who want to contribute to the countrys reform process.

According to the 1982 Citizenship Law, dual citizenship is prohibited in Burma. Tens of thousands of Burmese exiles, who fled the country for various reasons under the former military regime, effectively lost their Burmese citizenship while living abroad after being granted refugee status, residency or citizenship in foreign countries.
Commentary The Ladys Man

Htin Kyaw will soon show the world whether he has the political skills, maneuverability and diplomacy to handle the burden of Burmas proxy presidency.

Htin Kyaw, soft-spoken and often sporting a white traditional Burmese jacket, can be seen over the years in a smattering of photographs for which he, inevitably, was never the lens focus. But there he is, nonetheless, a regular presence in public appearances made by Burmas charismatic pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi since her release from house arrest in November 2011.

Now, barring an unforeseen turn, Htin Kyaw will become Burmas first civilian president in a half-century. The good news for Burmese people is this: Like his preferred white jacket, Htin Kyaw is known to be clean, with no trace of corruption tainting his respected if little-known resume.

Few outside the country would have known the name before Thursday, when he was put forward by Suu Kyis National League for Democracy as the partys presumptive presidential pick. Asked to bet on a class of foreigners most likely to know the man, the money would be on diplomats, who would have known Htin Kyaw as a close confidante of Suu Kyi who kept lines of communication between her and the outside world open during her years under house arrest.

He might be an understated entity, but a political novice Htin Kyaw is not.

His late father, U Wun (better known as Min Thu Wun), was a highly respected national scholar and poet of mixed ethnic Mon and Burman stock. He was one of the pioneering writers of a literary movement in Burma known as Khit San, penning short stories and poems in the early 1900s.

U Wun attended Oxford University, where he received a bachelors degree in literature in 1939 before returning to teach at the famous Rangoon University. There he met Suu Kyis father, Aung San, then a student with a rebellious streak. Decades later, in 1988, U Wun joined Suu Kyis party and won a seat in the election that followed two years later. Though he was a respected literary light, the military regime banned his publications and he died in 2004, nearly a decade before Burmas democratic spring.

It was this family connection that brought Suu Kyi and Htin Kyaw, who is one year her junior, together as high school classmates in Rangoon, the beginning of a decades-long friendship that has improbably led him to the verge of Burmas presidency.

Like his father before him, Htin Kyaw also writes articles in Burmese-language magazines under the pen name Talaban, a famous Mon warrior who fought against Burmese King Alaunghpaya, founder of the Konbaung Dynasty.

His late father-in-law, U Lwin, was one of the cofounders of the NLD. A former colonel who joined the Burma Independence Army in 1942 and then trained in Britain after the country regained its independence, U Lwin served as deputy prime minister under the Ne Win government but resigned in 1980. Like U Wun, U Lwin ties his NLD loyalty to the year of its founding in 1988.

Htin Kyaws wife Su Su Lwin is also a loyal Suu Kyi supporter. Under the military regime, she worked as an NGO worker to provide education under tight surveillance. Today she is a lawmaker in Parliament and was recently appointed chairperson of the Lower Houses International Relations Committee.

Over the years, the 69-year-old Htin Kyaw has clearly become a close confident of Suu Kyi. Today he serves as an executive committee member of the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation, a charitable organization named after the late mother of Suu Kyi, who is its chairwoman.

Unlike many hardcore political activists and NLD politicians, he did not spend many years in prison, but did spend some months in detention due to a political crackdown in the late 1990s, when he accompanied Suu Kyis aborted up-country trip. Some former political prisoner who shared a tiny room in Rangoons infamous Insein Prison recalled him as gentle and kind to other prisoners.

Htin Kyaw has clearly been deemed by Suu Kyi to be the best-qualified person to lead the nation and new government in light of the fact that she cannot become presidentloyal, disciplined, organized and able to reach out to domestic and international communities with equal ease.

Aside from his rock-solid family background, there is an impressive education pedigree: He attended the University of London and has also studied in the United States and Japan, bringing English fluency to Burmas highest civilian office. That will be important in international exposure going forward, as he will be expected to articulate Suu Kyis vision and wishes in a proxy arrangement that will be awkward, if nothing else.

Since Suu Kyi came to accept that she would not, at least for now, be Burmas president, several candidates undoubtedly sprung to mind, with Htin Kyaw an obvious contender for the shortlist. She knows that as a close confidante, he will be loyal and faithful to her, but he also needs to build trust and confidence with Burmas military leadership. A fire-breathing dragon for the pro-democracy cause would be likely to chafe the generals, and consequently would not have appealed to Suu Kyi.

In domestic politics, Htin Kyaw will have to work, with Suu Kyi by his side, to address several thorny issues facing the country, including achieving peace with Burmas ethnic armed groups, spurring economic development and building trust with generals who are still reserved one-quarter of the seats in Parliament, three ministerial portfolios and more, making a near-term exit of the brass from politics unlikely.

Htin Kyaws absolute loyalty lies in Suu Kyi, but his duty is to move the country forward. Her followers and the public seem ready to support him and a government that he will ostensibly lead, even though he is not as well-known as heroic second-fiddles in Burmas democracy movement like Min Ko Naing, Tin Oo or the late Win Tin.

Indeed, the people have yet to see how Htin Kyaw handles a difficult political posting, balancing competing interests that will inevitably give rise to tension with the military. On Friday, the public learned that even within his cabinet there will be personnel challenges: One of his vice presidents, the military announced, will be Myint Swe, the current chief minister of Rangoon Division, whose past does not bode well for future prospects.

Burmas presumptive, untested leader will soon show the world whether he has the political skills, maneuverability and diplomacy to handle the burden of Burmas proxy presidency.
Burma Who Will Be The Next To Take Burmas Top Job?

As Burma contemplates who will serve as its ninth president, The Irrawaddy reviews the previous eight people who held the position over the last 68 years.

Since the country gained independence in 1948, Burma has seen eight presidents in 68 years under three constitutions. With presidential candidates put forward by Parliament on Thursday, National League for Democracy (NLD) nominee Htin Kyaw looks likely to become Burmas ninth president; the power transfer is scheduled for March 31. The Irrawaddy reviews the personalities who previously held the position in Burmas past governments.

Sao Shwe Thaik (1894 1962)

Sao Shwe Thaik, an ethnic Shan, was the first president of the Union of Burma and the last Saophaor hereditary princeof Shan States Yawnghwe. Sao Shwe Thaik served as the head of state alongside Prime Minister U Nu, from the date of Burmas independence on Jan. 4, 1948 until March 12, 1952. Before he was President, Sao Shwe Thaik had served in the British army. When Gen Ne Win took power in a military coup in 1962, the Shan prince was arrested. He later died in prison.

Dr. Ba U (1887  1963)

Dr. Ba U was the second president of Union of Burma and an ethnic Bamar. Ba Oo graduated with a law degree from the University of Cambridge and served as the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Burma before he succeeded Sao Shwe Thaik as the President in March 1952. He served in the position for five years, until March of 1957.

Mahn Win Maung (1916  1989)

Mahn Win Maung was an ethnic Karen Buddhist and the third president of Union of Burma. As a former government minister, he was selected by Prime Minister U Nu for the Presidency and succeeded Dr. Ba U in March 1957. Mahn Win Maung served until March 1962 when General Ne Win ousted U Nus government in a military coup. He was then imprisoned for five years.

General Ne Win (1910  2002)

Born as Shu Maung, Ne Win briefly took control of Burma in 1958, during a period of military rule known as the Caretaker Government. He came to power more permanently in March 1962 through a military coup, and would act as Burmas head of state for nearly 20 years, until Nov. 9, 1981. A military commander of Bamar-Chinese descent, he founded the Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) in 1962 and served as its chairman until 1988, resigning during the student uprisings that year. Throughout this period, the BSPP was the only legal political party in the country, and through it, Ne Win championed the nationalization of business and ushered in a period of intense xenophobia. Ne Win remained the commander-in-chief of the military for a total of 26 years. He later died while under house arrest in Rangoon.

General San Yu (1918 1996)

Gen San Yu, also of Bamar-Chinese descent, was the commander-in-chief of Burmas military and the fifth president of the country, which was then known as the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma. He served from November 1981 until July 1988, a time during which Ne Win was still the BSPP party chairman. Before San Yu became president, he played an integral role in drafting the militarys 1974 Constitution.

Brig-Gen Sein Lwin (1923 2004)

Sein Lwin, an ethnic Bamar, served as the sixth president of Burma for only 17 days, during a period of intense pro-democracy uprisings. During his rulefrom July 27 to August 12, 1988he was better known as the Butcher of Rangoon for giving the order on Aug 10, 1988 to open fire on student demonstrators near Rangoon General Hospital. The protests continued until Sein Lwin stepped down. He was reportedly taken care of by the government, and provided with cars, food and support for many years that followed.

Dr. Maung Maung (1925 1994)

Dr. Maung Maung, an ethnic Bamar, was the seventh president of the Union of Burma and a well-known writer. He studied law in Netherlands Utrecht University and at Yale University in the US, and served as the Chief Justice under Ne Wins BSPP government. He served as the president for only one monthfrom August 19, 1988 until September 18, 1988, before being ousted in a military coup led by Gen Saw Maung. Burmas government would undergo name changes, from the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) to the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), led by military men like Snr-Gen Than Shwe. The country would not have another leader with the President title until 2011.

Thein Sein (1945  )

Selected by the Union Parliament for the presidency in March 2011, the general-turned-politician became Burmas eighth president after an election which was boycotted by Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD) and described by Western countries as neither free nor fair. Thein Sein served as the prime minister in the previous military regime from 2007 to 2011. In 2010, he retired from the military, where he had attained the rank of Brig-Gen, and instead led the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). His tenure as the countrys president ends on March 30, 2016.
Myitsone: The Incoming NLD Govts First Big Test

One of the most urgent questions that the incoming National League for Democracy government must answer concerns the fate of the suspended Myitsone dam.

As the inauguration date of the new Myanmar government draws close, one of the most urgent questions that the incoming National League for Democracy (NLD) administration will have to answer concerns the fate of the suspended Myitsone dam project in Kachin State. The issue touches upon some of the most sensitive nerves in Myanmars domestic politics and has major implications for the countrys delicate relations with its big neighbor to the north China.

While the temptation might be strong to postpone the decision until much later, a significant delay in fact will prove costly, both politically and economically. Its handling of the Myitsone issue will be one of the first major tests for the NLD government and its leader Aung San Suu Kyi. This week, the Chinese foreign minister expressed confidence that the Myitsone impasse would be resolved appropriately, according to Reuters, which reported that Beijing also had full faith in Myanmars future under the leadership of Suu Kyis NLD.

The truth is this: The Myitsone dam conundrum has dragged on for too long. Since its suspension by outgoing President Thein Sein in September 2011, the issue has remained a sore spot for Burmese society and Sino-Myanmar relations. The Myanmar general public continues to hold a profound grudge about the project as a symbol of Chinese exploitation during the military government that ceded power five years ago. Many have remained on alert, vigilantly opposed to any potential push for the projects resumption.

China, on the other hand, feels a victim of Myanmars political transition and grieves for the suspension of such a large investment project. Indeed, Myitsone has become the negative example for the Chinese foreign investment community and is often singled out in discussions about the ambitious, Beijing-led One Belt, One Road initiative as an expensive lesson learned.

The Myitsone dam has festered as an ulcer for the bilateral relationship between China and Myanmar that can neither be forgotten nor ignored. The key reason is that Thein Sein only suspended, rather than completely canceled, the project. While his decision was perhaps motivated by concern over Chinas feelings and reaction, it also left the door open for China to hold out hope for its resumption one day.

The urgency of the issue for Suu Kyi and the NLD government precisely lies in the timing. Because Thein Sein only sanctioned the suspension of the Myitsone dam during his term, the deferral logically would expire on the last day of his term at the end of March. Beyond that date, the status of the project becomes a question. Without the new governments decision and/or a negotiated resolution, China will have more ground to push for the projects resumption, or at minimum raise the issue.

Watchers who know Myanmar well understand that the Myitsone dam has become so toxic in the Southeast Asian nation that its resumption at this stage is rather unthinkable. Even with major revisions to its design and construction, a restart would provoke tremendous nationalistic backlash among the Myanmar people, raising questions about the nascent NLD governments credibility, capability, or even more problematically, its patriotism and political standing.

The Chinese investor, China Power Investment (now renamed State Power Investment), has been actively lobbying for Myitsones resumption, citing Myanmars dire electrification needs and experts opinions on the soundness of the project. However, given the emotional and political factors involved, as well as the debatable cost-benefit analysis associated with the dam, any normal, sensible conversations about the pros and cons of the project itself can be safely ruled out. In fact, even if it is offered the opportunity to have a public debate about the projects merits, China most likely will reject the invitation for fear of public humiliation.

The Myanmar people are watching to see whether Suu Kyi and the NLD government will stand up to China, especially on such a symbolic and toxic issue. Under the circumstances, if the new government is to make a decision in favor of resumption, it will cost dearly in terms of public opinion and domestic political capital.

Even if they understand the risks and proceed with scrapping Myitsone, Suu Kyi and her government have to also understand that time is not necessarily on their side. In 2015, the Thein Sein government and CPI engaged in conversations about the abandonment scenario and dissolution of the agreement. The key question is not about whether it will happen but about the financial consequences.

Specifically, it is about how much investment has been disbursed and how much compensation the Myanmar government will have to pay for revoking a legitimate commercial contract. The Thein Sein government is believed to have committed to a compensation scheme that would see the amount of money disbursed on the project paid back, with interest. That would presumably mean that for the Chinese, there is no urgency to push for anythingthe interest on the disbursed capital will simply keep accruing as long as the Myanmar government does not make a final call.

If Myitsones ultimate fate is the dustbin, it will be best for Suu Kyi to make this important decision sooner rather than later. China is more than eager to establish a good relationship with the NLD chairwoman at the beginning of her governments term and cancelling the project now runs the least risk of retaliation from China. On the other hand, if Suu Kyi and the NLD government decide the drag the issue further into the future, fearing the prospect of angering China early in its term, the inescapable Myitsone problem will continue to haunt them and could potentially bring more damage when the government eventually decides to give it up.

Making the decision early is not the same as treating the issue lightly. If Suu Kyi and the NLD government are to cancel the project, delicate handling and diplomacy will be in order. They will need to present convincing evidence in terms of the projects negative economic, environmental and social impacts to support their decision. They will need to convey the message to China that the decision is merit-based and that Myitsone is a problem they inherited from the Thein Sein government. Most importantly, they will need to clearly state that their decision is based on principle matters, but does not in any way indicate an overarching anti-China policy course into the future.

Suu Kyis government will face many competing prioritiesfrom national reconciliation to spurring economic development; from the Rakhine issue to civilian-military relations, everything will seemingly demand immediate attention. While the Myitsone project might easily be put on the backburner, such a decision would be unwise. After all, not many issues are so clearly pegged to the calendar as Myitsone is; nor do other concerns continue to generate a potentially astronomical interest payment with each passing day.

As the incoming government tries to start with a clean slate on China and put its relationship with the Asian giant on the right path, the NLD has to get Myitsone right.

Yun Sun is a senior associate with the East Asia program at the Henry L. Stimson Center and a non-resident fellow with the Brookings Institution.
Friday, March 11th, 2016 (9:44 am) - Score 1,199

Fixed wireless ISP Quickline has confirmed that theyve completed the roll-out of their alternative 50Mbps capable superfast wireless broadband network in northern Lincolnshire (East England), which is being funded by 2m of state aid from the Governments Broadband Delivery UK project.

The deployment was one of seven Market Test Pilots (MTP) to proceed as part of the BDUK supported 10 million Innovation Fund, which was only last month hailed as a success (here). All of the pilots are required to have deployed their networks by the end of March 2016.

The setup is based off a network of primary wireless mast distribution sites that are connected by 28GHz (Ceragon) links as part of a mesh backbone architecture. After that the service itself is distributed out to end-users via Cambium Networks kit working in the 5GHz band and customers also need to have a small antenna (aerial) installed on top of their homes.

Quicklines Trial Details NGA technologies:

Testing a range of line of sight, near line of sight, and non-line of sight technologies to build a superfast wireless network. Project size

Premises cleared for State Aid (intervention area): 4,211

Forecast premises passed by the pilot: 4,211 (100% of the intervention area)

Forecast premises connected by March 2016: 2,305 (55% of the premises passed) Summary project costs

BDUK funding for infrastructure capital costs: 2,000,000

Total infrastructure capital costs: 2,447,037.87

Public subsidy per premises passed: 475

Cost per premises passed (intervention area): 581

However at present the local take-up of Quicklines service remains below the above target and sits at around 200 customers, although in our view this isnt surprising given how recent the network deployment is (it often takes a year or more before you can start to get a good gauge of real-world adoption).

Steve Jagger, Managing Director of Quickline, said: Project delivery is within both budget and timescales set by the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) and we are very pleased to have achieved 100% coverage of the area we were allocated. This demonstrates that wireless internet is one of the potential solutions to the UKs broadband coverage problem and provides a viable alternative to traditional telecoms providers. To prove the commercial viability of the project we are connecting customers to the network. We have had early success with new customers, and our marketing campaign is underway, the success of which will determine the pilots full potential.

Ed Vaizey, Digital Economy Minister, said: Our Market Test Pilots have demonstrated that there are a range of technologies that can successfully deliver superfast speeds in rural areas, and Quickline have demonstrated how effective wireless technologies can be in connecting some of the hardest to reach areas of the UK. Lessons learned from the pilots will be instrumental in helping us reach our target of fast broadband for all by 2020.

Assuming the packages being offered are the same as on Quicklines website then the installation fee for their service is usually 150 (could be less in the pilot areas) and the monthly rental options are as follows (remember that you dont require separate fixed line rental for wireless connections).
IDC says 3D printing research reveals that the APAC region, excluding Japan, holds the majority share of hardware spending in revenue compared to the Americas  but the usage of these 3D printers is smaller than the US, Canada and Latin America combined.



Companies in this region have the capital to invest in 3D printers but have yet to fully utilise the printers to the point of continuous use for production indicating a relatively lower print volume. IDC expect to see stronger growth in the coming years as organizations explore the use of 3D printers unique to their markets, said Rachel Selvaranee, Market Analyst of IDCs Imaging, Printing and Document Solutions research.



IDCs spending guide explores the adoption of 3D printing based on used cases across several industries and reveals that discrete manufacturing is the leading vertical market for 3D printing in APeJ in 2015, accounting for more than 60% of the total market and expected to post a 15% CAGR from 2015 to 2019.





And, according to IDC, aerospace and defence leads in terms of IT spending in 2015, accounting for more than 20% of the total Asia Pacific 3D spending  and, with a booming aviation industry in Asia Pacific led by China and Singapore, 3D printing spending is expected to hit close to $550 million by 2019 as 3D printing facilities ramp up production capacity.Over the 5 year forecast, IDC says it we anticipates the tools and components application of 3D printing to climb up to a 23% share of overall AP 3D IT spending pie by 2019 - the market for this segment is visible in countries such as Australia, where 3D printing service solution now caters to the needs of end-users who have no plans in investing in an in-house 3D printing facility.According to IDC, the application of 3D spending in the dental sector is another key growth market in the region, with CAGR growth forecast of 26% by 2019."We are witnessing the growth of commercial 3D printing facilities catered to dental and medical sectors in Asia to cater to the demands of the overseas markets. The healthcare market will witness rapid growth in the future stemming from greater application discovery in the healthcare industry, Selvaranee said."Supportive government policies and research funding from countries like Singapore, China, Korea, Taiwan and Australia are the backbone of the exploration 3D printing in Asia. With this support, 3D printing will fuel growth for innovation in steering the region to increased efficiency and productivity gains."IDC says that China will continue to be the frontrunner in 3D printing in the region arising from the growing support of the Chinese government's "Made in China 2025" initiative as part of the countrys 15th 5-Year industrial transformation plan to promote hi-tech manufacturing in key sectors such as aerospace, aviation and automotive industries - as well as educating the next generation of workforce to be equipped with the knowledge of 3D printing technology though the implementation of 3D printers in schools."From aerospace manufacturing mainstream to the unprecedented presence in almost all industries, 3D printing is shaping up as smart solution to improve production quality, accuracy and speed. Our research suggests the 3D printing technology foot prints are now perceptible in retail and food processing industries," concluded Rubal Sabharwal, Manager, IDC Consumer Insights and Analysis Group.
ThoughtWorks chief scientist and co-author of the agile manifesto Martin Fowler told the ThoughtWorks Live conference that digital transformation could not succeed without the technical capability to deliver.



Most organisations try to prevent failure, rather than invest in ability to recover rapidly. Organisations need to embrace a new way of thinking to thrive in the digital world.



The Federal Governments Digital Transformation Office (DTO) CEO Paul Shetler said even the Australian government now needed to compete with the Ubers and Googles of the world.





The only way we can do that is by taking a user first approach, understanding how they want to interact with the government and not the other way around, by using agile approaches similar to the tech companies in Silicon Valley.Drawing on his experience in establishing the UK's Government Digital Service, Shetler set up the DTO as an incubator where technology companies, including ThoughtWorks, develop user-centred digital services in partnership with government departments.Shelter said that in just 20 weeks, each public service transformation is designed to end with a market-ready product.By default, people dont want to engage with government agencies. They just want to get stuff done. We want to make sure our service is simple enough so users succeed the first time around without any assistance. And if they can't achieve what they are trying to do first time, we won't go live.ThoughtWorks Asia Pacific managing director Ange Ferguson and ThoughtWorks China managing director Hu Kai outlined for the conference what they said was the Chinese opportunity for Australian companies and the pitfalls to avoid.The Chinese market is so large that a segment considered too niche to bother within Australia could have considerable upside in China, Ferguson said.From varying user behaviours to understanding the countrys internet regulations, making a product ready for the Chinese market goes beyond translating a website. China is a massive opportunity, if you can get it right.
THE NEW Chief Constable of Hertfordshire has quickly began laying down his policing plans for the county.

Paul Acres QPM rose to the challenge of his new role by laying out his plans and priorities during the first week of his position at the helm of the force.

He joined the force with just six weeks until the introduction of the county's boundary changes on April 1 when the Constabulary will police the whole of the county for the first time in history.

Outlining the new challenge he said: 'The boundary changes on April 1 present a huge opportunity as the Constabulary is growing by nearly a fifth. That's good news.

'Getting to know the communities of Hertfordshire is high on my list of priorities and I am lucky to be working with such a supportive Police Authority.

'In my visits to the force before taking up my post on Monday and walking around the force this week, I've been impressed by many things. This is a constabulary which enjoys a good reputation for getting things done.'

And paying tribute to his predecessor, he said: 'Peter Sharpe and all his team have achieved much in the last five years and that has been recognised by Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary.

'We owe it to him to ensure that we take the opportunity to build on that and go forward from strength to strength.'

He added: 'Reducing crime and tackling its causes are the priority, together with answering the public's call for help in an emergency. It's important that everyone living in Hertfordshire is safe and feels safe.

Paul Acres started his policing career with the Liverpool and Bootle Constabulary in 1968 and served in a wide range of posts before being appointed as acting assistant chief constable in 1992.

He attended the Royal College of Defence Studies during 1994 and in 1995 was promoted to Deputy Chief Constable in Merseyside with his responsibilities including corporate development, communications and media relations.

A native to the City of Bath, Mr Acres is married to Jean and they have three sons. His interests include golf, walking, cycling and motorcycling.
The Duke of Cambridge Prince William and his wife Princess Kate Middleton will be paying a two-day visit to Assam starting Apr. 12, 2016, Economic times reported on Monday.

Assam's Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has made sure with the Chief Secretary to take all precautions and steps so that the Britain's Royal couple could back to their home country with the fondest of memories throughout their visit in the North eastern India. Gogoi also wished that Assam's historical connection with the British people through its oil and tea industry would be showcased during Prince William and Princess Kate's visit to the rhino habitat which is the Kaziranga National Park (KNP).

Meanwhile, Times of India reported that the Royal couple have been refused a room at a luxury hotel in France. Prince Harry himself said that it would be "unethical" to cancel existing reservations just to make way for them.

Le Hotel Marotte in Amiens stated that they would not be able to accommodate more guests as they represent Britain to the centenary of the Battle of the Somme in France because they were already "booked solid". The Royal Family have requested four suites for two nights between 30 June and 1 July at the only five-star hotel near the battle fields, French newspaper Courrier Picard reported.

Oliver Walti, the manager of the said hotel, told the paper that they were contacted by the French Foreign Ministry about the Royal Family's request, but were not able to accept the offer. "The Foreign Ministry has contacted us in January to see if we were able to accommodate the Royal Family on the occasion of the Somme commemorations. We had to decline the offer, it is impossible, we are already booked solid. We could not tell people who have booked with us for months and who have already paid for their stay, sorry, but the Royal Family is coming, we will have to cancel. It's just unthinkable ethically, Walti said.
Lockheed Martin Corp. disclosed that its looking to let go of up to 1,000 workers from its aeronautics division. This is part of their strategy to stay competitive and keep the rest of the members aligned with orders.

Moreover, the company is proposing a voluntary program to its mid-level employees. Such program is available in seven locations, such as Edwards Air Force Base and Palmdale, California; Marietta, Ga.; Fort Worth, Texas; Clarksburg, W.Va.; Meridian, Miss.; and Patuxent River, Md.

LA Times reported that the company, through its company spokesman Ken Ross, revealed that the "layoff follows an analysis of the division's competitiveness and is 'not related to a specific program.'"

WSBRadio further released a statement from Ross sent through email. It said: "Over the last year we've conducted a thorough analysis of (the aeronautics division) with an emphasis on designing and developing a workforce that positions us to be competitive in the future marketplace, secure additional business, and keep our resources and infrastructure appropriately aligned with demands."

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, which is based in Fort Worth, is responsible for making fighter jets such as the F-35 and the F-22.

The same LA Times report stated that it was just only last month when a federal agency rejected a protest by Lockheed Martin and Boeing Co. in favour of Air Force's decision to award a new bomber contract to Northrop Grumman Corp.

However, according to the Government Accountability Office said at the time that "the Air Force's review of bids was reasonable and that it saw no reason to reject the deal."

The GAO said the contracts had two parts: an engineering phase and an option to build the first 21 bombers. The former has an estimated cost of $21.4 billion in 2010 dollars.

The parent company, based in Bethesda, Md., employs more or less 126,000 workers globally.

Of this global employees, about 9,000 salaried employees from its aeronautics division, which includes 1,800 from the Marietta plant, are eligible for the buy-outs. The buy-outs also include up to 26 weeks of severance pay, depending on the number of years the employees have provided services for the company.

"We're hoping that 1,000 will accept," Lockheed Martin spokesman said.
A lot of us come home excited to see a package on the doorstep; however, some are disappointed to see the doorstep empty - no package at all. We call the delivery company, but their records prove that the package was indeed delivered. Where did our packages go?

One of us know someone who lost a package or two to thieves. For some, it's not someone they know, but for others, it's themselves.

Thankfully, Mike Grabham came up with a brilliant idea that might just be the answer to our lost packages. He decided to address the problem. The result? "The Package Guard."

The Package Guard is a frisbee-sized sensor plate that you can place on your doorstep. It is marked with the words "Place package here" and is designed with a special feature that can detect when a package is placed on it.

So what? How does that make your package safe? Well, the only way to to remove the package without setting of an alarm is by replying to either a text message or email sent to your phone. The message serves as a notification of your delivery.

Meaning to say, if someone attempts to steal your package and you still haven't replied to the message or email, an alarm sets off. That would be enough to scare the thieves, Grabham hopes.

Grabham's ultimate goal with his innovation is to be able to integrate the system with surveillance cameras. Through this, thieves not only will be alarmed but also be recorded through the cameras: package safe, thieve known.

The developer said:

"We know the Package Guard works and we are on track for this to be successful. Two main reasons leading to our success are; one, it is a straight forward product, we are using existing technologies to deliver the solution, we are not trying any new technologies that have not already been 100 percent tested and two, the device has only a few moving parts so the complexity is greatly reduced, making it easier to manufacture."

The project's Kickstarter campaign has reached $3,800 of a $45,000 goal.

The Package Guard's only fear? A thief brave enough to take it with him upon getting your package and just maybe destroy it afterwards.
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Ministry Health Care, part of Ascension Wisconsin, has tentatively agreed to sell St. Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield, its flagship hospital, to Marshfield Clinic Health System, which planned to build a competing hospital in the city of roughly 20,000 people.

Marshfield Clinic announced plans to build the new hospital, projected to cost $150 million, last year.

Susan Turney, a physician and chief executive officer of Marshfield Clinic, said that owning its own hospital would improve the integration of care and give the health system control over the total cost of caring for patients.

Marshfield Clinic employs most of the physicians who practice at St. Joseph's Hospital.

That put Ministry, which operates 14 hospitals across Wisconsin and one in eastern Minnesota, in a difficult position.

The health system was left with the prospect of having to hire physicians to staff St. Joseph's Hospital while competing with the new hospital.

As part of the agreement announced Friday, Marshfield Clinic would sell its stake in the Diagnostic & Treatment Center in Weston, about 10 miles southwest of Wausau, to Ministry.

Ministry had planned to make St. Clare's Hospital in Weston its flagship hospital for north-central Wisconsin and to offer fewer services at St. Joseph's Hospital if Marshfield Clinic built its own hospital.

The sale is expected to close in four to six months, Turney said.

"I think we are in a really good place," she said.

The potential sale price is confidential.

Marshfield Clinic plans to invest an undetermined amount in upgrades and other improvements at St. Joseph's Hospital.

"This is our 100th year," Turney said. "This really is a defining moment for us."

Marshfield Clinic Health System employs more than 6,500 people, including 700 physicians, and includes Security Health Plan of Wisconsin Inc., Flambeau Hospital in Park Falls and Lakeview Medical Center in Rice Lake.
Milwaukee Tool has launched a new kind of adjustable wrench with a proprietary adjustment screw that keeps the jaws from losing their grip on a fastener. Credit: Milwaukee Tool

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The adjustable wrench, a basic hand tool that hasn't changed much in the last 150 years, has received a makeover from Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp.

The Brookfield-based company, also known as Milwaukee Tool, says it has a new line of the wrenches, with a proprietary adjustment screw that keeps the jaws from losing their grip on a fastener.

"The number one user frustration with adjustable wrenches are jaws that loosen, or back off, during use," said Bobby Shaw, marketing director for Milwaukee Tool's hand tools division.

The company says it spent about 15 months designing the adjustment screw with more threads and tighter tolerances, including a rigorous testing process.

"We videotaped the wrench in super slow motion and watched the interaction between the adjustment screw and the jaws under load, to really identify what was happening," said Brian Barbour, product manager of the hand tools division.

There are various accounts of the history of the adjustable wrench, with one of them tracing its origin to the 1850s.

It's a beautiful, simple tool, Barbour said, but the slipping jaws can be a source of intense frustration.

The new wrenches are designed to be durable.

"We know an adjustable wrench is sometimes used as a hammer," Barbour said, although he certainly wouldn't encourage that.

Milwaukee Tool also is introducing an 8-inch adjustable wrench with the jaw capacity of a 12-inch model, which could be useful when working in tight spaces.

The new wrenches will be available soon at Home Depot and other stores. Also, Milwaukee Tool has a new pipe wrench that comes with two extendible handles.

Pipe wrench users sometimes slip a piece of pipe, called a cheater, over the wrench handle for extra leverage.

The threaded, interchangeable handles on Milwaukee Tool's Cheater Pipe Wrench allow it to operate in three modes: 10 inches for access in confined areas, 18 inches for general purpose work and 24 inches for more leverage and reach.

"We saw a real opportunity to redesign that product and make some simple, yet demonstrable improvements," Barbour said.

Milwaukee Tool is a 92-year-old company that's now a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd. and manufactures hand tools in Taiwan and China.

Worldwide, hand tools represent a multibillion-dollar market.

"From a functional standpoint, there's always going to be a need for hand tools. However, in a lot of these categories, there hasn't been a ton of innovation," Barbour said.

Last fall, the company announced a 200,000-square-foot office expansion at its corporate headquarters at 13135 W. Lisbon Road. Along with adding jobs, the project would retain around 800 jobs in Brookfield, according to a company statement.
Brooks stares down judge on Day 15 of Waukesha Christmas Parade trial

Darrell Brooks called his ex-girlfriend as a defense witness Friday morning. His examination was cut short after an argument over some photographs.
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A community solar project in Middleton could be generating power this year, after state officials approved the project Friday morning.

The state Public Service Commission approved Madison Gas and Electric's plan to launch a community solar pilot project in conjunction with the City of Middleton.

Under the plan, utility customers who want to invest in solar power will be able to obtain half of their annual electricity needs from the solar panels that would be installed at the Middleton municipal operations center.

The project still needs final approval in Middleton but could start construction this summer, spokesman Steve Schultz said.

The project fits with the utility's goal of supplying 30% of its retail electric sales from renewable energy sources by 2030, MGE said.

"By continuing to partner with our customers in a variety of ways, we continue to transition to a more environmentally sustainable energy supply and further reduce carbon emissions," Gary Wolter, the utility's CEO, said in a statement.

MGE and the City of Middleton have been working together for more than a year to design and develop the details of the 500-kilowatt project. About 250 customers are expected to buy into the project, with subscribers expected to sign up for an average of 2 kilowatts each.

Renew Wisconsin, an energy advocacy group, said the MG&E project is different from other community solar projects in Wisconsin, because participants will pay a small upfront fee of 10% of the cost per solar panel, as opposed to paying the entire fee for a panel at once.

In addition, subscribers will then pay a rate of 12 cents per kilowatt-hour for up to 25 years. While higher than today's energy-only rate, Renew said, standard electric rates are expected to rise over time and exceed the 12-cent energy-only rate in about 10 years, meaning customers will start saving money at that point.
Katherine Duffy performs in The Amish Project at Third Avenue Playhouse in Sturgeon Bay. Credit: Edward DiMaio

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Sturgeon Bay  Jessica Dickey's "The Amish Project" begins with an ending, as one of the seven characters played by a single actor strides into the darkened theater, announcing that a man has entered an Amish schoolhouse and opened fire.

But when the lights come up on the Third Avenue Playhouse stage, an extraordinary Katherine Duffy has begun again, morphing into a six-year-old Amish girl named Velda. Precocious and guileless, Velda writes some of the letters she's learned on a chalkboard.

As simply as that, the drama unfolding during the ensuing 70 minutes has been defined: How does one learn the letters to tell a story when those writing them are so readily erased? "Something can be written down," another character tells us, but "that doesn't make it true." Or mean it will last. Or mean one can start over.

But the Amish did, following the Nickel Mines, Pa., killings being remembered here. They didn't forget, but they forgave, enfolding the shooter's widow and family into their grief and recovery.

Dickey tells that story through Velda and her 14-year-old sister; the killer and his widow; a pregnant, 16-year-old Hispanic cashier; a 50-something professor of Amish culture; and an embittered, 53-year-old local woman stewing in hate and hurt. We're also given brief glimpses of the never-embodied but very present father of the slain sisters.

In the cerebral and cool Milwaukee Repertory Theater production of "The Amish Project" one year ago for which Duffy was the understudy, director Leda Hoffmann and a technically flawless Deborah Staples emphasized all that these characters share; even the Rep's abstract stage design encouraged us to look at a bigger picture, in which we might be graced by loving forgiveness even if we didn't grasp how it was possible.

Conversely, the approach taken by director James Valcq and an emotional, more vulnerable Duffy suggests how unlike we are and how hard forgiveness can be. Valcq and Duffy underscore the pitched battle between an innocent like Velda and the darkness eating the killer alive.

Third Avenue's more realistic set, including that blackboard on which Velda writes, gives this production a granularity the Rep production lacked; ditto Valcq's spot-on lighting design, which dramatically highlights the struggle between good and evil.

As a result, we worry less here about an Amish ability to forgive that passeth all understanding, concentrating instead on how such forgiveness influences others. That's why the script calls for its actor to wear the traditional clothing of an Amish girl while playing each character; wearing those clothes invites the five non-Amish characters to try on a world view filled with mercy.

In Duffy's hands, no one is touched more than the widowed Carol Stuckey. Notwithstanding that name, Duffy's Carol travels a wrenching journey from self-hating despair to something resembling peace, offering hope that Velda is right: Even when things seem darkest, God is indeed present.

IF YOU GO

"The Amish Project" continues through March 20 at Third Avenue Playhouse, 239 N. 3rd Ave., Sturgeon Bay. For tickets, visit thirdavenueplayhouse.com.

TAKEAWAYS

From the Particular to the General, Part I: In the Rep production, Staples' Velda began by figuratively tracing letters in the air; as noted above, Duffy's Velda makes her first appearance by writing actual letters on a blackboard. By play's end, Staples was pinning clothes belonging to each of the ten shot girls on a line as she describes them; conversely, Duffy is figuratively drawing figures of the ten shot girls as she describes them.

From the Particular to the General, Part II: As these contrasting approaches suggest, the Rep started with the abstract and grew more particular while Third Avenue moved from the particular to something more abstract. These different trajectories reflect two markedly different visions of the play.

Working deductively, Hoffmann focused on philosophical, big-picture ideas involving what drove the Amish to forgive, with the hope that we might thereafter be prepared to confront particulars involving the dead girls themselves.

Working inductively, Valcq challenges us to immediately confront the tactile reality of who Velda is, what she is trying to create and all she stands to lose; only when we've faced this horror, he suggests, might we risk grappling with the big, ultimately unanswerable philosophical questions Dickey's play raises.

As Velda closes the play by asking whether we can see God, the fluttering clothes on the Rep's set suggest we can indeed, through this visible memorial to dearly departed we'll never forget. Conversely, Third Avenue's existential, open-ended conclusion places Duffy's Velda in a narrowing pool of light, surrounded by the dark. This less sentimental and certain close feels truer to these characters, all they've gone through, and just how much farther they must still go.

Valcq's Lighting Design: Long before Duffy is bathed in that final spotlight, I'd been impressed with how smart Valcq's straightforward but effective lighting design was in driving home the struggle being dramatized in this play. We move from a schoolroom initially filled with light to one enveloped in gloom; the killer darkening the door is flecked in greens and reds, suggesting the sickness consuming him and the bloodshed he'll cause. In contrast to Velda's sunny beginning, the killer's widow first greets us from the near dark; that darkness is later juxtaposed with the sunshine enveloping the resolutely hopeful Hispanic cashier. There are many light cues like these, all of them heightening the dramatic struggle in this play between hope and despair and between loving forgiveness and hate-filled revenge.

Through the Prism of Katherine Duffy: Valcq's lighting design works in tandem with Duffy, whose own shading between light and dark is adeptly handled. Duffy can be very funny; I hadn't previously appreciated all the humor in this piece, seen most fully through Velda and America, the irrepressible Hispanic cashier. She can be hopeful, best seen through her depiction of America and the slightly younger Anna (Velda's 14-year-old sister). She captures the self-hatred and consequent meanness within the killer and the older local woman (who, we'll see, has her own reasons for hating this killer). And, as suggested above, her portrait of the widowed Carol covers the waterfront, best seen through countless renditions (and inflections) of the word "sicko" through which Carol channels her rage and despair. It's early days, yet, but those few moments of stage time are among the best I've seen from anyone yet this year.

If you can't make it to Sturgeon Bay for this latest spellbinding chapter in the developing story of a rising actor, you'll soon have two chances to see Duffy on stage here. This coming Monday and Tuesday, she appears in "Broadway Buddies" at Sunset Playhouse alongside Doug Clemons, Erin Hogan, Joel Kopischke and Tamara Martinesek as well as narrators Bob Hirschi and Susan Loveridge. Order tickets at www.sunsetplayhouse.com/ Beginning in mid-April, she'll be onstage as Cecily's maid in the In Tandem Theatre production of "Ernest in Love," with a blockbuster cast that includes Angela Iannone, Zachary Woods, Clemons, Kristin Hammargren, Peyton Oseth, Carol Greif, David Flores, James Nathan, Cecilia Davis and Chris Flieller. Tickets: www.intandemtheatre.org/events/ernest-in-love/.

American Song: In the talkback following Thursday night's performance, Duffy responded to a question about one-actor shows by giving props to one opening at the Rep this next week and starring James De Vita: the world premiere production of Joanna Murray-Smith's "American Song."

As it happens, Murray-Smith's play is concerned with some of the same issues raised in "The Amish Project." Both plays involve the aftermath of a mass shooting. Both ask whether and how we might move on after such a life-altering event. Both raise the issue of how hard it is to be a parent in such a violent world. And both ultimately suggest that there are some things about that world we'll never understand. "American Song" begins previews March 15 and opens March 18. Read my preview at tapmilwaukee.com. Look for my review next weekend.
An aerial view shows students being led from Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., during the 1999 shootings. Incidents like Columbine led the Milwaukee Repertory Theater to commission the new drama American Song. Credit: Rodolfo Gonzales / AP

SHARE Actor James DeVita makes a note during a rehearsal for American Song. Joanna Murray-Smith wrote American Song for the Milwaukee Rep. Brent Hazelton Mark Clements

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Chatting with Australian playwright Joanna Murray-Smith about commissioning a new play for the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, artistic director Mark Clements raised the prospect of a piece addressing one of his hot-button issues: guns in America.

"I thought, 'That's ridiculous  I'm not going to be able to write that,'" Murray-Smith recalled, during a conversation in Clements' office involving her, Clements and Rep associate artistic director Brent Hazelton. "So I said, 'Good luck  I'm sure our paths will cross.'"

They have indeed, in a one-actor play called "American Song" featuring James DeVita, who gave legendary one-man performances in renditions of "An Iliad" at the Rep in 2014 and American Players Theatre last summer. "American Song" is not only about guns in America, but also about what it means to be the parent of a child who uses one.

Andy Mancheski's teenage son says "bye" and leaves for school on what's ostensibly just another Wisconsin morning. But it isn't: Robbie will make the news that day, for all the wrong reasons. Andy and his family will never be the same.

Murray-Smith tells this distressingly familiar story through Andy, looking back over his life and wondering what he might have done differently, as a husband and a father. Imagining how this grieving parent might feel was the breakthrough convincing Murray-Smith she could write this story.

"The whole problem with the subject of guns and violence is that it's too big; no playwright can cover its many angles," Murray-Smith said. "There was something very freeing about reducing such an enormous subject to a single person's voice."

Through a parent's eyes

"A gun action is the violent catalyst for the story, but it's also a play about parenting  about transforming teenagers into well-rounded adults," Clements said.

How does one protect one's children from the world while allowing them to grow up? How does one reconcile worries about all that could go wrong with the reality that one can only ever do so much to make things right?

"I could have chosen any family member, but choosing a parent involves that fundamental puzzle of creating a human being over whom one has increasingly little control," said Murray-Smith, a mother of children ages 21, 14 and 11.

"The older my children became, the clearer it became to me that even with the best will in the world, who and what they became would  in a million confusing and contradictory ways  both be influenced by and also a rebellion against me. Children establish who they are by differentiating themselves from you. And that's a good thing."

Except that sometimes it isn't.

Murray-Smith freely admits what every parent knows: Because one's children are increasingly closed books as they come to write their own stories, no parent can be entirely sure that a beloved, seemingly well-adjusted child won't go the way of Robbie in this play.

"The years of adolescence are fraught with terror, for both parents and their children," Murray-Smith said.

"Adolescents are chemically combustible. They're dealing with extraordinary social and academic pressures. There's drinking and there's drugs.

"It's hell for them, and for us as parents. Human beings are such fundamentally mysterious creatures. The fact that we cannot always explain why people are the way they are is terrifying."

Trying to tell the story

The grieving Andy tries to stare that terror down by telling us the story of his life. "It's only human nature to want to go back, to be a curator, to shape the turns of  the story of a life," Andy tells us early on. That gap here in the text  between the turns one never saw coming and the story whose shape one can't entirely control  speaks volumes.

"Andy is in a place of transition," Clements said. "He's looking for a way to manage what he's feeling, and he's conducting a personal audit. But he's also seeking a solution  and an absolution  that will never be fully administered or given to his satisfaction." "It's the lack of an explanation that's the most terrible thing," Murray-Smith said.

Andy tries to find one, taking us all the way back to when it began, as he recounts falling in love with the woman who becomes his wife and with whom he'll create Robbie.

It's a seemingly ordinary story, involving a man making predictably pedestrian mistakes while climbing the career ladder, experiencing the evolution of a marriage and watching his son grow.

Andy is a man of few settled political convictions; he distrusts philosophical abstractions. He's living in the here and now, the way most of us do. He's flawed, but also accessible and likable. He may remind you of your neighbor. He may remind you of yourself.

Whitman's America

That's the point, in a play that skips the sermonizing about why guns are bad to focus on how, in the here and now that is 21st-century America, we've reached a point where it's become harder than ever for parents to reach their children  or for any of us to reach each other.

"What happened to Whitman's America?" Andy agonizes at one point, having told us earlier how much he'd loved "Leaves of Grass" in college. As Andy recognizes, Whitman's expansive poem makes room for many unique voices even as they harmonize together, singing that exuberantly American song that gives Murray-Smith's play its title.

"There is no unified song," Andy laments. "Each voice strives to drown the others out. Each voice fails to question itself or to seek to learn ... the voices are angry. They are petulant. They are fearful. Each voice fills its own house but cannot reach, any more, into the houses of its neighbors."

The ready availability of guns in America certainly exacerbates this problem, but "American Song" is also attuned to the fact that guns don't kill people by themselves; people kill people by first deciding to pull the trigger.

"That all seemed to me at least if not more interesting than the civic issue of guns," Murray-Smith said.

"The guns play into that, making an already deeply complex situation potentially catastrophic. But even without guns, we're all wrestling with these bigger questions. I didn't want to write a politically contrived piece of theater. It needed to have a certain amount of openness and some unresolved angles."

That's par for the course with this prolific playwright; as I noted in my review of the Renaissance Theaterworks production of Murray-Smith's "Honour"  which chronicles how a marital affair forever changes a family  she helps us see new things in stories we thought we knew.

"American Song" isn't interested in telling us what we assume we know; it clearly hopes to foster thinking about what we've simultaneously forgotten. "The plays that I like prompt more questions than they can answer," Murray-Smith said.

An innovative Act II

The Rep is hoping that audience members might tussle with those questions through what it's dubbed "Act II."

Murray-Smith's play is projected to run between 80 and 90 minutes. On each night, a different guest respondent  from a list that includes Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Milwaukee Public Schools' Superintendent Darienne Driver and WNOV radio host Eric Von  will offer a brief response to the just-seen play.

Following intermission, audience members will return for discussions in groups of six to eight, with each group led by a facilitator trained by the Frank Zeidler Center for Public Discussion. Exploring some of the issues "American Song" has raised, those discussions will cap a night which, in its entirety, will run 2.5 hours.

"The idea is reflection," said Hazelton  who is also the Rep's director of new play development and who provided extensive feedback to Murray-Smith during the multiyear process that resulted in "American Song." "The Zeidler Center has structured the discussions around open-ended questions designed to humanize a viewpoint you might not share."

"One of the larger questions in Joanna's play involves what happened to the voices in Whitman's poem," Hazelton continued.

"Act II creates a space in which we can stop shouting for a second, take a breath and understand that the people we're talking to are more than just a viewpoint. It allows us to take the core ideas from Joanna's play off the stage and into the community."

Making it sing

If audience members are going to stick around for Act II, they'll need to be inspired by the voices and visions collaborating to bring us Act I; we'll be more inclined to hear America sing if we're first hooked by "American Song."

Watching rehearsal one week before the first preview performance, it was clear that Clements, DeVita and Murray-Smith were harmonizing well as they worked through final revisions, each of them designed to clarify Andy and his story without making either so definite that it foreclosed all he  and each of us  will never know, about America or ourselves.

"Any play that attempts to pin up all of these topics and then give a satisfactory and neat conclusion at the end is destined to fail. This play is designed to ask questions," Clements said.

"One of the incentives for me in writing this play was to strip away all the political allegiances and claims and focus on a human voice  the voice of a father  we can all hear," Murray-Smith said.

"Fathers cross every cultural and political border. What happens when we follow them? Is there room for a conversation that's more complicated? More interesting? More real?"

A TALK WITH THE PLAYWRIGHT

Joanna Murray-Smith will discuss her play "American Song" with Mike Fischer at 7 p.m. March 14 at the Stiemke Studio, 108 E. Wells St. Admission is free. Please call (414) 290-5614 or email celebration@milwaukeerep.com to R.S.V.P.

IF YOU GO

Previews for "An American Song" begin Tuesday. The play opens March 18 and runs through April 10 in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater, 108 E. Wells St. For tickets, visit www.milwaukeerep.com or call (414) 224-9490.
Saehee Chang

When Saehee Chang makes a jar of her Kosari Kimchi, she is giving you a taste of her past. It started with a recipe learned from her mother, and Chang is now making it with her own daughter.

In fact, it was her daughter who inspired her to make kimchi the same way she had been taught. The flavor is as important as the tradition behind her cooking. Chang now teaches cooking classes and sells her homemade kimchi.

Sold under the label Kosari Kimchi, Chang's traditional and vegan kimchi is available at local farmers markets, including the Shorewood Farmers Market, and Body and Soul Neighborhood Market, 3617 N. 48th St., on April 9.

Early adventures

I was born in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in different parts of the world. My family lived in Vietnam, Kenya and South Korea, and then eventually moved to the United States.

Our family meals were typically Korean food, always made fresh by my mother, Inja. She was a fantastic and still is an amazing cook. Sometimes, we would incorporate new dishes and try new ethnic foods, such as goat meat barbecue or spicy Indian curry, or cooking turkey for the first time in the U.S. when we cooked our first Thanksgiving dinner. My Korean elementary school had a pet turkey, and Koreans don't eat turkey. We were a bit shocked when we saw turkey in the U.S. supermarkets!

First foods

The first food I learned to make was rice. I was taught how to make the "perfect" rice by my mother. She showed me how to measure the water in the pan using my hands. ... Today, I use my fabulous electric rice cooker, which does everything for me.

One thing she won't eat

Pig's feet. It is a common Korean dish I never wanted to try. I don't eat a lot of pork, so I guess this is not a surprise.

Travel informs taste

I still remember tasting samosas for the first time in Nairobi at an Indian wedding and just loving the flavors, which were so different from Korean spices. My parents also introduced us to Vietnamese cooking. Thanks to them, I still appreciate a great bowl of pho.

After I met my husband, who is German, I also experienced different European and other types of restaurants and foods in Germany.

No recipe required

I don't use recipes when I cook. It was hard for me to come up with recipes for my cooking classes. Participants would keep asking me how many cups, ounces, tablespoons etc. It was not easy for me to explain that I just used my intuition and taste buds. In Korea, we have a phrase called "son mat," which literally means "hand taste." You learn to use your hands to touch, feel and season the food.

Making her own kimchi

I started making kimchi because of my daughter. She will be 12 years old this year. ... When she was a few years younger, she loved eating kimchi and asked for kimchi when we made Korean food. Homemade kimchi is so much better and less expensive in the long run.

Her kimchi

My kimchi is definitely traditional, following the authentic Korean way. I use traditional ingredients such as Korean chili pepper, Korean brining salt, sweet rice flour, fish sauce and, of course, salted shrimp.

My vegan kimchi does not have any fish sauce or shrimp. It is made with kelp broth, which adds the umami flavor. This is definitely unique, and my vegan kimchi is quite popular.

Building a brand

Kosari Kimchi stands for Korea Saehee Yori. It plays with the letters of the name. Yori means cooking. Kosari also means "fern" or "bracken" in Korean. Sometimes the word "fiddlehead" is used also. This is a root plant that Koreans like to forage in the mountains.

Her weekly production

I make about 30 to 40 jars of kimchi, depending on how busy or popular the markets are during the week. If I have more than one market on the weekend, I will try to make a bit more. The tricky part is getting the right quality Napa cabbage.

Ingredient she can't live without

Garlic. I have to have it in almost all of my food, especially Korean food.

Memorable mishap

I accidentally used sugar instead of salt in my kimchi soup. That was a disaster!

Cheap eats around town

Vientiane (Noodle Shop), El Rey and any pho noodle restaurant.

Teaching tradition

I teach Korean cooking because this is how I connect with people who are totally different from me and educate them about Korea. I also work as a teaching artist at Milwaukee Public Schools and work as a Korean traditional drummer.

For me, when I teach about my culture, this is how I respect and connect with my family, my mother, my ancestors and my cultural heritage.

Fork. Spoon. Life. explores the everyday relationship that local notables (within the food community and without) have with food. To suggest future personalities to profile, email nstohs@journalsentinel.com.
Spring breakers fill the sand behind Club La Vela and Spinnaker Beach Club last year in Panama City Beach, Fla. Credit: Associated Press

Tourism officials in Panama City Beach, Fla., are shutting the door on wild spring breakers.

Seeking to shed its reputation as a spring break mecca, the city recently passed ordinances that ban alcohol on the beach, mandate that bars close at 2 a.m. and prohibit loitering in parking lots.

The first test of whether the new laws will work to slash the normal volume of 250,000 spring breakers will come this week through the end of March, when colleges go on spring recess.

Lodgings that cater to spring break travelers have seen a downturn in reservations, said Dan Rowe, president and CEO of Visit Panama City Beach.

The city hopes to counter that by offering more family-friendly draws such as its first SpringJam country music show in April. It also launched a $1 million marketing effort aimed at families.

The Florida Panhandle city has 27 miles of beach and two state parks.

"We are looking at how to inspire families to come back to Panama City Beach," Rowe said.

Unlike in hotter parts of Florida, summer is the overall busiest tourist season in the resort city, but spring breakers in March have been part of the scene for 25 years.

 Detroit Free Press

Minimum airline seat size standard sought

Another federal lawmaker has pushed for minimum seat size standards on commercial planes to combat the airline industry's efforts to shrink leg and hip room on U.S. flights.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) is the latest lawmaker to introduce an amendment to a Federal Aviation Administration funding bill, calling for the FAA to adopt minimum seat sizes. Rep. Janice Hahn (D-Calif.) and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) offered up a similar amendment in January but it was rejected in a subcommittee.

Schumer said the average legroom on airline seats has shrunk from about 35 inches in the 1970s to nearly 31 inches, with seat width narrowing from 18.5 inches in the 1990s to about 17 inches.

The federal government doesn't impose a minimum seat size. Instead, federal law allows airlines to squeeze as many seats in a cabin as the companies want as long as the passengers have enough room to escape the cabin in an emergency within 90 seconds.

 Los Angeles Times
Milwaukee was 23rd on WalletHubs list of best cities for St. Patricks Day celebrations. Credit: John Klein

By of the

There's a whole lot of blarney surrounding St. Patrick's Day celebrations in this country.

So naming some the best or the worst is certainly a matter for debate. WalletHub was up for the challenge, however, and compiled a list of the country's best cities for St. Patrick's Day celebrations based on things like St. Patrick's Day parades and number of Irish pubs and restaurants per capita.

Madison came in at No. 7 on the list, and Milwaukee was 23rd. Boston claimed the list's top spot.

If you want to get away from the shenanigans, head to the American Club Resort in Kohler. The resort  Wisconsin's only AAA Five Diamond resort-hotel  was named Wisconsin's best hotel by U.S. News & World Report.

The magazine determined the rankings based on an analysis of awards, expert recommendations and visitor ratings.

The Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee and Canoe Bay resort in Chetek were second and third on the list, respectively.

It's the muddy season, which means most mountain bike trails across Wisconsin are closed. But once they dry out, many will head to Cable, dubbed the mountain bike capital of Wisconsin by Singletracks.

The website selected capitals in each state based on trail reviews from its database, total trail mileage, difficulty and more.

The Cable area is home to more than 300 miles of marked routes maintained by the Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association. The area annually plays host to major events like the Fat Bike Birkie and the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival.



ABOUT THIS FEATURE

How do we rate? There is no shortage of lists, rankings and charts to tell us. Adding Us Up is a recurring look at where Milwaukee and Wisconsin rank on the latest lists, from the semi-serious to the silly. If you spot a ranking that rates, share it with us at greensheet@jrn.com.
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Milwaukee's first recorded St. Patrick's Day parade was part civic boosterism and part temperance rally.

On March 17, 1843, Father Martin Kundig, pastor of St. Peter's Church and leader of the Catholic Church in Milwaukee, organized a parade for the area's burgeoning Catholic community, ostensibly to mark the anniversary of the Wisconsin Catholic Total Abstinence Society.

Despite the party atmosphere that comes to mind for modern-day St. Patrick's Day celebrating, that made more sense in 1843, said Tom Cannon, a retired Milwaukee lawyer and Irish historian.

"The two great movements of that period in Ireland were the Catholic emancipation"  the movement giving Catholics back their political rights under British rule  "and the temperance movement," Cannon said. "Temperance societies were a big part of the Irish Catholic milieu.

"Of course," he added with a chuckle, "they weren't 100% successful."

The abstinence movement might have been the public focus of Milwaukee's first St. Patrick's Day parade, but Kundig's plans for what is one of the oldest St. Patrick's Day parades in the United States also had an ulterior motive.

In 1843, Milwaukee was in the running to be the seat of a new diocese for Wisconsin, but it had competition from Catholic strongholds in Green Bay and Prairie du Chien. Kundig was looking for a way to get the attention of the nation's Catholic bishops, who were scheduled to make a selection at their meeting in May in Baltimore.

The pastor "had the idea of staging a big parade, and then having it covered in the Milwaukee Sentinel," the city's biggest newspaper, "and then sending the account in the Sentinel around the country," Cannon said.

Kundig and his supporters recruited 3,000 Catholics from congregations around the state to take part in the parade  not just those of Irish descent but French, German and other ethnic backgrounds as well.

For perspective, some contemporary reports have Milwaukee's population in 1843  three years before it formally became a city  at about 6,000.

According to the extensive write-up on the parade in the Sentinel on March 22, 1843, the day began at 4 a.m. with a band playing "Hail Columbia" and "Garryowen," a traditional Irish dance tune, followed by an artillery barrage.

The 32-unit procession then gathered for a Mass at St. Peter's Church, then at the northwest corner of Martin St. (now State St.) and N. Jackson St. Following the Mass, the Sentinel reported, "some 100 or 200 persons were enlisted in the Temperance Cause by taking the pledge at the foot of the altar and in presence of the assembled multitude."

The parade's head marshal was Solomon Juneau, one of Milwaukee's founder, a prominent Catholic and, perhaps not coincidentally, publisher of the Sentinel.

The procession started down Martin St. to Milwaukee St., to Mason St., to Water St., then over the drawbridge to what's now Westown before doubling back to Water St. The tangled route  each zig and zag included in the Sentinel's account  ended at the Academy next to the church, "where a sumptuous banquet had been prepared for them by the (temperance) society," the Sentinel reported.

"A gun was fired every 20 minutes during the procession."

If Kundig was looking for favorable publicity, he got his money's worth from the Sentinel, which gushed over the proceedings in nearly two full columns.

"It may be considered by our distant friends as bordering on romance if we have the boldness to assert that, however great may have been the exertions of our numerous fellow countrymen in the States to celebrate that memorable day, Milwaukee, the infant city of the Far West, has been exceeded by none in the order of her procession, the splendor of her flags and banners, and the union and harmony of heart and soul called into existence between numerous Catholic congregations in various and distant parts of this delightful and happy territory...," the Sentinel wrote.

In his two-volume "Pioneer History of Milwaukee," written in 1881, James S. Buck called the parade "a great day in Milwaukee."

"It was a gala day among the Catholics, nor have they had a celebration since that began to come up to it," Buck wrote.

More importantly, it worked. Milwaukee was named the headquarters of the new Catholic diocese for the Wisconsin Territory. And, although the parade included an eclectic group of Milwaukee Catholics, its Irish flavor, on St. Patrick's Day, gave a boost to the local Irish community.

"It was a very modern, media-savvy strategy, and it took public relations ability, and also political ability" to pull off, Cannon said.

"It's definitely one of the formative events in the history of the Irish community in Milwaukee," Cannon said.

PARADE'S 2016 EDITION

The Shamrock Club of Wisconsin is holding its 50th annual St. Patrick's Day parade Saturday at noon, starting at N. Old World 3rd St. and W. Wisconsin Ave. The parade goes east to Plankinton Ave., then north to Kilbourn Ave., west to Old World 3rd St., then north to Juneau Ave., and then east to Water St. before ending at Highland Ave. The parade features more than 140 units, including Irish and Celtic dance troupes, bagpipe and marching bands, floats and more.

Additional events tied to the parade include Jake's Bash O'Corned Beef, a corned-beef-eating contest Friday at 12:30 p.m. in the Center Court at the Shops of Grand Avenue, 275 W. Wisconsin Ave.

For details on the parade, the corned-beef-eating contest and more St. Patrick's Day Parade-related activities, go to saintpatricksparade.org.
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A 16-year-old Milwaukee boy was arrested Thursday evening on suspicion of making bomb threats at West Allis Central High School this week, according to the West Allis Police Department.

Police were notified of a telephoned bomb threat at the high school, located in the 8500 block of W. Lincoln Ave., about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. The caller indicated that the school would blow up. School officials evacuated students from the building. School remained closed on Thursday.

No explosives were found when the area was searched by West Allis and Milwaukee police. This was the third bomb threat at West Allis Central High School in three days. No one has been injured as a result the threats.

The suspect is being referred to the Milwaukee County district attorney's office for charges. The West Allis Police Department continues to investigate the case.
University of Wisconsin professors from all over the state attend a Board of Regents meeting wearing caps and gowns at Gordon Dining Events Center on the UW campus in Madison. Credit: Wisconsin State Journal

SHARE Regent President Regina Millner speaks during a Board of Regents meeting on the UW-Madison campus. Wisconsin State Journal University of Wisconsin professors from all over the state attend a Board of Regents meeting wearing a cap and gown at Gordon Dining Events Center on the UW campus in Madison. Several stood up held a large banner that said: Get politics out of education. Karen Herzog Related Coverage UW-Madison spends nearly $9 million to retain faculty stars

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Madison  The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents sent a clear message Thursday that cost cannot be separated from educational merit when deciding whether to shut down an academic program and potentially lay off faculty members.

Regents approved the new tenure policies after 21/2 hours of intense discussion. Faculty argued that educational merit should be the primary driver of decisions on academic cuts.

The new policy will broadly apply to all campuses, but some of the language is intentionally permissive to allow each campus to develop its own procedures to implement it, according to UW System President Ray Cross. Any campus-specific differences must be consistent with the umbrella policy, though, and be approved by the regents, he said.

The tenure controversy in Wisconsin has been in the national spotlight for months. The American Association of University Professors in Washington, D.C., issued a statement after the vote that could prove damaging to faculty retention and recruiting efforts.

"Weakening tenure at the University of Wisconsin weakens the University of Wisconsin," the AAUP statement said.

Regents President Regina Millner was adamant that the new tenure policies would preserve academic freedom and free speech, and be comparable to policies at peer institutions. She said the policies "strike the right balance" between protecting tenured faculty and giving chancellors the flexibility to make difficult decisions in the wake of state funding cuts.

"We're at a point in time where we really have to consider the finances of the institution," Millner said.

Cross said the new policies also put to rest public perceptions that tenure means "a job for life."

The new post-tenure review policy requires faculty to have regular reviews after they have earned tenure a rigorous process that spans nearly seven years. The policy also sets up a process if faculty performance is deemed unsatisfactory, which ultimately could lead to termination.

"This is not to get rid of faculty," Cross said. "It's a formative process to help faculty if they're falling behind."

Immediately after the final vote, faculty from several campuses wearing academic regalia usually reserved for celebratory occasions such as graduation stood up and held a large banner that said: "Get politics out of education."

GOP cuts criticized

Regent Jose Vasquez received thunderous applause from faculty in the front rows when he addressed the elephant in the room  the actions by Republican lawmakers that prompted the regents to draw up new tenure policies.

"I'm very frustrated," Vasquez said. "I have asked on several occasions ... what's the problem we're trying to fix? I was never given an adequate answer. ... We are brought to this decision by outside forces that have a very interesting view of the university system."

Vasquez did not specifically mention state lawmakers, but said: "Let's be clear, folks, it was not a financial crisis internally created. The fiscal crisis we have has been imposed on us."

The Republican-led Legislature last summer cut $250 million from the UW System's 2015-'17 budget. Lawmakers also removed long-standing tenure protections from state law and directed the regents to draft new policy.

Lawmakers added language to statute that gives chancellors clear authority over program decisions, and the ability to lay off tenured faculty if an academic program is discontinued.

Regents Vice President John Behling, who chaired the committee that guided the new tenure policy, summed up the bottom line of layoff policies as "flexibility, flexibility, flexibility."

He said educational considerations are critical to decisions about whether to continue an academic program, but, "at the end of the day, we also need to focus on economics."

Previously, if a program was discontinued, faculty with tenure protections had to be placed in a different position if they did not leave on their own accord. Tenured faculty could be laid off only in a campuswide financial emergency or be terminated for just cause.

The regents did not take full advantage of the flexibility lawmakers wrote into state law. The board chose to limit potential layoffs to programs being cut, rather than leaving the door open if programs were modified, curtailed or redirected.

The regents voted down three proposed amendments supported by professors that would have given faculty stronger protections. The amendments were introduced by regent Tony Evers, state superintendent of public instruction. Faculty were clearly dismayed.

"I am shocked and appalled that the Board of Regents would not adopt a single amendment that all the elected faculty reps and all the faculty members on the Tenure Policy Task force requested," said James Hartwick, a professor and chair of the Faculty Senate at UW-Whitewater.

"Tenure has suffered a serious blow in Wisconsin, and I am deeply concerned about our ability to hire and retain the best and brightest faculty in the future," Hartwick said.
With Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Sen. Ron Johnson (right) is shown during a joint hearing by the House Veterans Affairs Committee and the Senates Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in March at the Cranberry Country Lodge in Tomah. Credit: Mark Hoffman

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I'm proud of how Sen. Tammy Baldwin and I worked together, at least for a while, to fill judicial vacancies on Wisconsin's federal courts. That kind of cooperation is what voters have a right to expect, and I've pursued it in good faith every step of the way.

The history of how our cooperative effort was derailed provides valuable insight into why filling the current Supreme Court vacancy has become so highly politicized.

In January 2009, President Barack Obama was sworn into office with Democrats controlling the House of Representatives and enjoying a filibuster-proof majority of 60 in the Senate. That same month, a vacancy opened on the federal district court for Wisconsin's Western District. It took Obama eight months to nominate Louis Butler to fill it  a judge who had twice been rejected by Wisconsin voters.

In January 2010, a vacancy opened for Wisconsin's seat on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Six months later, Obama nominated Victoria Nourse, a former Senate aide to Joe Biden with no judicial experience and little connection to Wisconsin.

All that time, Senators Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl were members of the Democrats' filibuster-proof majority. They could easily have filled both those vacancies, but they failed to do so. Those two nominations died when the 111th Congress ended.

Only days into the 112th Congress, Obama renominated Butler and Nourse without consulting or receiving input from Wisconsin's new senator  me. By asking me to approve these two holdovers, the administration completely disrespected the voters who elected me. Those Wisconsin voters deserved a voice, so I did not release the holdovers for consideration by the Judiciary Committee.

But I did immediately reach out in good faith to Kohl to establish a judicial nominating commission with equal representation from each senator. For two years, he steadfastly refused to accept a fair nomination process, so those vacancies remained open.

Baldwin replaced Kohl, and, to her credit, she accepted a fair process, agreeing to a judicial nominating commission with three representatives appointed by each senator. Nominees would need support from at least five of the six commissioners. The bipartisan compact worked beautifully, filling the Western District vacancy as well as a vacancy that opened on Wisconsin's Eastern Federal District Court.

Our commissioners then began working on the appeals court vacancy. We worked on this last because it was not a judicial emergency and we knew there would be a smaller pool of applicants. Because of the smaller pool, our commissioners were unable to agree on the minimum required number of candidates  four.

I offered to waive the four-candidate requirement and consider the two who had received at least five votes from commissioners. Baldwin refused this accommodation and instead breached the compact, violated the confidentiality of the process and submitted all eight candidates who had been interviewed by our commissioners. She sent the White House applicants who received only one or two votes, and one who failed to receive any vote, even from her own commissioners.

She blew up this process on May 8, 2015  only six days before former Sen. Russ Feingold announced his candidacy. Mere coincidence? I doubt it. Immediately after Baldwin stopped our cooperative process, liberal writers began a well-coordinated attack, accusing me of obstructing the nominating process.

I immediately contacted the White House to say I would consider the two candidates who had received at least five votes from Wisconsin's judicial commission. The White House waited eight months, until Jan. 12, 2016, to nominate Don Schott. By all accounts, Schott is a well-respected and well-qualified attorney  but with no experience as a judge. He has made political contributions to Feingold and Baldwin and to Obama.

I have interviewed Schott and reviewed his FBI file. He comes highly recommended as a person of integrity, and I have "signed the blue slip" to recommend that the Judiciary Committee consider him.

Baldwin's partisan decision to blow up our bipartisan process, and the White House's foot-dragging have put Schott's nomination in jeopardy. Throw in the politics that have unnecessarily erupted over the Supreme Court vacancy, and the outcome is impossible to predict.

I also have recommended to the White House that Obama should nominate the other qualified candidate, Richard Sankovitz, to fill the vacancy that recently opened on the Eastern District Court. I sincerely hope the president accepts my recommendation.

I do not control the process for either the appeals court or Supreme Court vacancies. Those decisions are under the jurisdiction of the Senate Judiciary Committee. According to the Constitution, the president nominates and appoints justices with the "advice and consent" of the Senate as a co-equal branch of government.

The advice of the Senate Republican majority is to let the American people decide the composition of the Supreme Court. Instead of a lame duck president and Senate nominating and confirming, a new president and Senate  elected by the people only a few months from now  should make that important decision. I can't think of a fairer or more democratic process.

Ron Johnson, a Republican, is the senior U.S. senator from Wisconsin.
Takeila Hilliard, 31, consoles her two sons Keylan, 4, and Landen, 2. Hilliard said she has run out of options and may be homeless soon. Credit: James E. Causey

By the time you sit down to read this article, Takeila Hilliard and her four children may be on the street.

Hilliard, 31, is technically homeless, although she's been staying at the Diamond Inn motel as a last resort for the last few weeks because she said she didn't have anyplace else to go.

It was either pay $300 a week cash to stay in the northwest side motel with no kitchen or try to make it on Milwaukee's city streets with four children ranging in age from 2 to 8 years old.

You may be thinking: Wasn't there a better way to spend $600 for two weeks in a motel?

I asked Hilliard the same question.

She was only able to look at a few apartments because the bus is her only means of transportation. And she didn't have enough money to cover her first month's rent and security deposit, which in most cases was equal to a month's rent.

Her only choice was to get her children off the streets and someplace warm.

"I wasn't going to be on the streets with my babies," she said.

Now, Hilliard finds herself in an even worse position because she doesn't have any money left, and she won't receive assistance from the state until April 1.

Hilliard's plight was brought to my attention by Heather Perkins, the founder and director of a local nonprofit, who once worked with homeless teenagers. A friend brought the family to her home on New Year's Eve, after he found them on a bus stop with nowhere to go.

Perkins thought it would be easy to find housing for the family because of her connections. Wrong. The homeless shelters and temporary housing facilities were full. Hilliard has a rent certificate for $650, to help with her move-in expenses but with no job its been difficult to find a landlord who will rent to her.

Perkins said stable housing appears to be Hilliard's only obstacle, but it's not that easy. Pulling someone out of poverty is complicated and often it's more than just money. It requires a lot of resources, but it must be done to keep some of our most vulnerable families safe.

Hilliard graduated from high school in 2003 and had dreams of going to nursing school, but that changed when she had her first child. Then she had another child.

Her work history is spotty due to her youngest child being sickly. In June, an arrest warrant was filed due to one of her kids missing too many days of school, according to Wisconsin's online court records system. I think she needs a case worker, not jail. What happens to her kids then? Foster care?

Homelessness and evictions are big problems in Milwaukee.

Efforts were launched in Milwaukee in 2008 to end homelessness by the end of 2018, but officials are nowhere near their goal. Milwaukee is the second-poorest city in America and has a poverty rate of more than 29%, which accounts for more than 170,000 poor people in our city. Many are just a paycheck away from being homeless.

During the last official count, more than 1,500 homeless men, women and children sleep on city streets on any given night. However when you cast a wider net and include people couch surfing, those living in cars, those living with relatives and those like Hilliard who are in temporary spaces, it more than triples the homelessness numbers.

We do not have enough beds to house all the homeless, and creative ways must be found to house this population.

When I first heard about Hilliard's story, I was reluctant to tell it because her story doesn't fit the homeless narrative we all accept. We have more compassion for a homeless veteran than we do for a young, able-bodied adult with children.

I agreed to meet with Hilliard and her two youngest children, Keylan, 4 and Landen, 2, at the Starbucks at Midtown. She became homeless in July 2015 after she lost her apartment. Over the next seven months, she stayed with her father, her grandmother, twice at Joy House; moved to North Carolina, moved back and then to the motel.

As we talked, Landen drank fruit punch and ate chips that Hilliard pulled from a backpack. Keylan is a handful, and he wandered all over the coffee shop talking with customers and at one time trying on a man's glasses. Keylan's behavior has gotten worse since they have been homeless, Hilliard said.

"This has been stressful on me and them," she said. "Keylan hasn't adjusted well."

She talked about moving to North Carolina to stay with her aunt in order to find housing and get a fresh start. After she discovered that there is a five-year wait list for affordable housing, she moved back to Milwaukee.

She told me that she needs the children's father "to do more." She also needs safe, affordable housing.

With all of the boarded up houses in the city, it makes one wonder why a poor family would be forced to live on the street in the first place. I would think that it would be much safer for a family to be in a vacant home than under a bridge in the cold.

Hilliard realizes that there will be little compassion for a single mother of four who made mistakes, but regardless of what you think about her decisions, no one  especially children  should be on the street.

A "Homeless with 4 Kids" gofundme page for the Hilliards was set up to help bridge the gap until she can secure affordable housing. To give, you can go to tinyurl.com/zryhdv2.

James E. Causey is a Journal Sentinel columnist and blogger. Email james.causey@jrn.com. Facebook: fb.me/jamescausey.12 Twitter: jecausey
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Fayetteville, N.C., Wednesday, March 9. Credit: Associated Press

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When Mexican President Enrique Pea Nieto compared Republican hopeful Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler this week, he blew it. He should have compared him to Herbert Hoover.

Hoover, you may remember, was the U.S. president who presided over the country's Great Depression of the 1930s. He was a Republican populist who, like Trump today, campaigned for raising import duties on foreign goods to allegedly protect American workers. Once he became president, he started a trade war that contributed to the U.S. depression.

In an interview published March 7 by the Mexican daily Excelsior, Pea Nieto likened Trump's rhetoric to that of Hitler and Italy's Benito Mussolini. Referring to Trump's tirades against undocumented Mexican immigrants, the Mexican president said, "That's how Mussolini got in, that's how Hitler got in."

But the comparison was neither original nor suited to be made by a Mexican president. It already had been done a zillion times in the U.S. media after former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke announced that he would vote for Trump, and was even the subject of a hilarious spoof titled "Racists for Trump" on NBC's Saturday Night Live.

Problem is that, coming from a foreign president, it trivializes the deaths of the millions of victims of the Holocaust, and helps spread the notion among Trump supporters that their candidate is the victim of a smear campaign.

Instead, the Mexican president should have referred to Trump more realistically, with an example that would be more credible, and closer to home. That would be Hoover, the 31st president of the United States.

Hoover's campaign platform for the 1928 election called for raising import duties of agricultural goods to help U.S. farmers. Problem was, once he was elected and the U.S. government started raising tariffs on agricultural imports, other U.S. industries demanded similar tariffs to help protect their own businesses.

Pretty soon, all U.S. industries  by then barely affected by a 1929 Wall Street crash  were asking for higher tariffs on imports. In 1930, Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, which raised import duties to record highs. That led other countries to retaliate, raising their own tariffs on U.S. goods.

The ensuing trade war led to a 66% drop in international trade between 1929 and 1934. According to U.S. State Department figures, U.S. exports to Europe fell from $1.3 billion in 1929 to $784 million in 1932.

Economists are debating to this day whether the trade war was a major cause of the Great Depression. But few dispute that it was a factor in the collapse of the U.S. economy in the early 1930s.

Trump has said that he would slap a 35% import tax on Mexican car imports. When asked at the Feb. 25 Republican debate whether that wouldn't trigger a trade war with Mexico, Trump responded, "Well, you know, I don't mind trade wars when we're losing $58 billion a year."

Aside from the fact that his figure is deceiving  it doesn't count the 40% of U.S. components that are included in Mexican-made cars that are exported to the United States  Trump's disdain for the possible impact of a trade war is a reminder of the populist-isolationist position that U.S. politicians were taking before the Great Depression.

In addition, Hoover  like Trump today  blamed undocumented Mexican immigrants for much of America's economic problems. In 1929, Hoover launched the Mexican Repatriation program that forced a half-million undocumented Mexicans to return to their home country.

My opinion: No, Mr. Pea Nieto, your analogy may be good for domestic consumption in Mexico, but it trivializes the Holocaust and misses the opportunity to tell Americans that Trump's simplistic populism could bring about a new Great Depression to the United States.

Your argument should be that Americans who now pay $24,000 for a Ford Fusion made in Mexico would pay $32,000 with Trump's import tax, and that the U.S. car industry could no longer compete in other markets without low-cost Mexican car parts. As long as Trump doesn't have blood on his hands, you should not compare him with Hitler, but with Hoover.

Andres Oppenheimer is a Latin America correspondent for The Miami Herald. Email aoppenheimer@miamiherald.com Twitter: @oppenheimera
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Bradley's hate speech

State Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley, columnist Christian Schneider, Gov. Scott Walker and probably many others want to dismiss Bradley's hateful rants as being in a different age by a "young college student" ("I care about what she thinks now," Opinions" and "Bradley's student writings aired," March 8)

And, yes, 1992 was 24 years ago. But even in 1992, the language Bradley used would have been regarded as hateful on the best college campuses and would not have been countenanced in civil discussions among educated people of any reasonable political persuasion. It is hate speech now and it was hate speech then.

What kind of environment was Bradley raised and educated in that would have led to the hate she flaunted with such bravado? And now she apologizes. But it is a conditional apology  "to those offended." Her language was offensive. Period. If her apology is sincere, she should apologize to everyone for helping create an uncivil and unsafe public arena.

Peter Larson

Whitefish Bay



Reject smear campaign

State Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley, who is running for re-election, wrote, 24 years ago as a college student at Marquette University some very offensive letters and columns for her student newspaper ("Bradley's student writings aired," March 8).

At my age (63), I would never support the views of the then 22-year-old Bradley. But who of us would want to be defined by the most foolish beliefs that each of us held as very young adults?

Normally, I would vote for Bradley's opponent, JoAnne Kloppenburg, in the next election because of my own liberal ideology. But I will rethink that vote if Kloppenburg does not publicly reject the smear campaign against Bradley.

Neil Steinbring

Glendale



Romney, Trump and character

In David Haynes' column of March 4, he in essence writes that Mitt Romney's dressing down of Donald Trump also should be done by House Speaker Paul Ryan and other Republican leaders ("Trump's dressing down," Opinions).

Romney called out Trump as "a phony and a fraud." Romney methodically disassembled Trump's arguments, and in conclusion, Haynes writes: "Romney, in fact, has something Donald Trump will never have. It's character."

So, if the above comments by Romney define "character," as Haynes stated, then, as a retired teacher and high school principal, we as educators must have been totally off base with our school mission and teaching. Our emphasis was consistently on demonstrating kindness, tolerance, understanding, forgiveness, no bullying, no degradation, no harassment and no name-calling. This is what we emphasized with our students and teaching staff.

I firmly believe that Haynes' column does not reflect his belief as a journalistic expert that what is stated in his article is his definition of "character."

Think about it. He would not teach his children to dress down, call names, degrade and harass others. God bless him.

Joseph (Joe) Klucarich

Brown Deer



Angry with the church

I can't believe what I read. Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki thinks anti-Catholic bias attacks are back and on the rise ("That old, ugly anti-Catholic bias is back," Crossroads, March 6)?

Maybe I don't know the archbishop, but I do know the Catholic Church. Can it be, oh no, certainly he is not that naive and out of touch that he doesn't realize the fact that many good people, yes even good Catholics, are angry, very angry, to say the least, with the corruption, abusive power, control, sexual abuse and bias of church leadership.

Please don't confuse hate and bias with legitimate angry calls for justice. With prayers for your clarity and vision, archbishop, and also reform.

Jim Sustman

Mishicot
The Nekoosa Mill in Nekoosa sits on the banks of the Wisconsin River. The Nekoosa Paper Company was first established in 1883. In 2001, the mill was sold to Canadian paper company Domtar. Credit: Mike De Sisti

A debate over trade is about to erupt in Wisconsin, and we have the tough-talking presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump to thank.

Sanders and Trump bluntly argue that free trade deals over the last 25 years have hurt Americans. Their rhetoric, often without nuance, can sound surprisingly similar.

"Look, I was on a picket line in the early 1990s against (the North American Free Trade Agreement) because you didn't need a PhD in economics to understand that American workers should not be forced to compete against people in Mexico making 25 cents an hour," Sanders said during a recent debate.

"This is a country (China) that is ripping off the United States like nobody other than OPEC has ever done before," Trump told CNN in January. "The only thing you can do to get their attention is to say to them 'We're not going to trade with you any further or, in the alternative, we're going to tax your products as they come into the United States.'"

In a flat, globalized world, no nation can wall itself off. It didn't work in the past (for those who know history, do the names "Smoot" and "Hawley" mean anything?) and it won't work now. The sky-high tariffs proposed by Trump may protect some jobs but could mean much higher prices for everything from iPhones to automobiles to groceries.

Blue-collar workers in Wisconsin have a right to be angry. The state has shed high-paying manufacturing jobs at a furious clip over the past 30 years. In the past decade alone, Wisconsin lost about 30,000 manufacturing jobs, according to federal statistics, and the quality of jobs, in both pay and benefits, frequently is not as high as it once was.

This is a legitimate issue to debate. The paper industry is under siege from cheap Chinese imports. Jobs in a host of industries have moved offshore. These are tough-to-take facts for people who worked hard, paid their taxes and got kicked in the teeth while their CEOs banked fat bonus checks.

But Trump's mercantilist message fell out of favor 200 years ago for good reason, as Binyamin Appelbaum of The New York Times noted in an article on Thursday. Trump is arguing that the U.S. will thrive by selling more to other nations than it buys from them  and that the federal government should encourage this through protectionism.

While Trump has backed off a bit from the 45% tariff on China that he was touting, the New York real estate developer and leading Republican candidate is not backing down from his premise: President Barack Obama and his trade negotiators are patsies.

But what happens when you slap a big tariff on trading partners? They retaliate, and if they do, more than likely the price we pay for imported goods rises. U.S. producers, including perhaps Wisconsin farmers and makers of heavy equipment, might lose access to lucrative markets. In a trade war, Wisconsin could lose jobs.

Sanders beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Michigan's Democratic primary on Tuesday with a tough message on trade that sold well in a state where large swaths of the auto-dependent economy never recovered from the Great Recession. Michigan Republicans gave Trump an easy win as well. In an exit poll, 55% of Republicans agreed that trade kills U.S. jobs. Among Democrats, 57% thought the same.

The messages of Trump and Sanders on trade will sell in Wisconsin. If Wisconsin still matters in the presidential sweepstakes when we go to the polls April 5, then we're sure to hear their arguments loud and clear. Sanders is in a dead heat with Clinton here, based on February polling, and Trump is leading among Republicans.

Negotiators have to be careful that trade deals treat American workers fairly. In the past, the U.S. did precious little for displaced workers, which explains some of the anger.

But money and information flows easily around a world with vastly different wage scales. There are no easy answers, though Sanders and Trump would love for you to believe that there are.

Caveat emptor.

David D. Haynes is editorial page editor for the Journal Sentinel. Email dhaynes@jrn.com
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The Precious Lives project, a media-led effort to examine the causes and consequences of gun violence on Milwaukee's youth, has been named a finalist for an award from the American Bar Association.

The ABA's Silver Gavel Awards recognize work that "fosters the American public's understanding of the law and the legal system," including work from newspapers, television and radio, as well as books and even drama and literature.

Precious Lives was named a finalist in the "other media" category, which includes multi-media partnerships. The other finalist in that category is coverage of the police shooting death of Michael Brown by St. Louis Public Radio. Winners will be announced May 11.

The Precious Lives project, which includes weekly podcasts and corresponding stories, includes the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 371 Productions, the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism and radio stations WUWM and WNOV.

Finalists in other categories include The New Yorker, the Associated Press and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Netflix series Making a Murderer, which traces the 2007 murder conviction of Steven Avery in Manitowoc County, is a finalist in the documentary category.
State Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley said last week members of the high court almost never skip out of oral arguments early after a colleague did that  but it turns out she did the same thing when she was up for re-election last year. Credit: Associated Press

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Madison  State Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley said last week members of the high court almost never skip out of oral arguments early after a colleague did that  but it turns out Bradley did the same thing when she was up for re-election last year.

Justice Rebecca Bradley  who is not related to Ann Bradley  took criticism last week after it came to light she had left arguments about 15 minutes early on Feb. 24 so she could speak at a conference put on by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, which often spends heavily on conservatives in Supreme Court elections.

Rebecca Bradley was appointed to the high court in October by Gov. Scott Walker and is running against Appeals Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg in the April 5 election. Rebecca Bradley has the backing of conservatives and Kloppenburg of liberals.

Ann Bradley, a liberal, won re-election last year against Rock County Circuit Judge James Daley.

Describing how unusual it is to leave arguments early, Ann Bradley said last week the only time she knew of Justice N. Patrick Crooks to step away from arguments early was the day he died in his chambers in September.

But she acknowledged Friday she had left early on Feb. 3, 2015, to give a speech as her re-election campaign geared up. Ann Bradley left about 30 minutes early that day, according to footage of arguments by the WisconsinEye Public Affairs Network.

That gave her a chance to speak to a block away to a gathering of the Wisconsin Counties Association. She was listed on the group's agenda as a candidate, not just as a justice.

She was introduced by David Callender, then a lobbyist for the association, who noted it was unusual to have a speaker over the lunch hour. She was scheduled at that time to accommodate oral arguments, Callender said in introducing her.

"This is unfortunately the only time that Justice Ann Walsh Bradley could join us for our legislative exchange," Callender said, according to video from WisconsinEye. "As you may be aware, the state Supreme Court is hearing cases both today and tomorrow. And Justice Bradley and her fellow justices are on the bench. And we want to make sure that everybody that's appearing before the Supreme Court has a chance to fully argue their cases. As important as we know we are, obviously the justices have an obligation to the residents of the state."

When she took the stage, Ann Bradley also took note of how arguments had affected the timing of her speech  without saying she was missing part of the arguments to be before the association.

"Indeed we are in oral arguments," she said. "It's a little unusual for me to be appearing before this august group (at lunch time). I have seen many of you over the years at your evening reception."

On Friday, Ann Bradley acknowledged she had left arguments early that day but added that was atypical.

"It is highly unusual for a justice to leave oral arguments before they are concluded," she said. "I did not recall ever doing so myself. However, upon checking the record, I find that I had accepted an invitation to speak to the Wisconsin Counties Association at 12:30 p.m., expecting that oral arguments would be finished at noon, as scheduled. Arguments lasted longer than expected and as it turns out, I left in order to fulfill my 12:30 p.m. commitment."

That is, in essence, what Rebecca Bradley did last month, when she departed early to speak to WMC.

At the time, former Justice Janine Geske said leaving argument early was unusual, particularly to give a political speech.

Justice Michael Gableman  who also left arguments early to attend Rebecca Bradley's speech  said then that it was not uncommon for justices to leave early on occasion.

Ann Bradley disputed that assessment at the time.

"The only time that Justice Patrick Crooks in his almost 20 years on the bench left the bench early that I can recall is the day he left the bench early and died later that day in his chambers," she said then.

Pat Garrett, a spokesman for the state Republican Party, used the situation to blast Kloppenburg, who has criticized Rebecca Bradley for leaving arguments early.

"Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg's attempt to score political points by attacking her conservative opponent, while ignoring that a liberal justice did the exact same thing, exemplifies a double standard," Garrett said in a statement. "Kloppenburg didn't tell the full story, and it further proves that she will say and do anything to try and get ahead in an election  Wisconsin deserves far better than that."

Campaign manager Melissa Mulliken said Kloppenburg first heard of Ann Bradley's early departure on Friday.

"It's not routine for judges to leave to go to WMC to curry favor," Mulliken said. "If Justice Rebecca Bradley did it or any other justice did it, it's not appropriate."
State Appeals Court Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg talks to supporters in Madison last month after advancing out of the primary to face state Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley in the April 5 election. Credit: Andy Manis

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Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg said Thursday that she misspoke when she said to a youth group that President Abraham Lincoln had slaves.

"I don't remember what I was thinking when I said it," Kloppenburg said during a meeting with reporters and editors of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

At the time she misspoke, Kloppenburg, a judge on the Court of Appeals in Madison, and her opponent, Justice Rebecca Bradley, were appearing before the West Allis Youth Commission last month. The winner of the April 5 election earns a 10-year term.

On Thursday, Kloppenburg said the students had asked who the candidates thought were the best presidents.

Both cited Lincoln, among others, but Kloppenburg said she was trying to make the point that everyone, even the most admired leaders, had flaws, and said Lincoln had slaves, yet signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves.

Kloppenburg said she might have confusing the fact that Lincoln's wife's family owned slaves in Kentucky. She said she realized as soon as the question was over that she had misspoken.

The gaffe was first reported by Right Wisconsin.

"Again, they're really good taking, like the crime stuff, taking three or four second sound bites out of context," she said.

Kloppenburg was referring to an TV ad against her by the Wisconsin Alliance for Reform that suggests a Court of Appeals opinion she joined had overturned a sex offender's conviction. It actually only said he was entitled to a hearing on whether he should be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea.

After a hearing, the trial judge denied the request to withdraw the plea. The appellant never left jail, and his conviction stands.

Kloppenburg said the ad was changed after her campaign complained about the wording, "Conviction overturned."

On Thursday, the Wisconsin Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers issued a news release attacking the ad as "scurrilous" and saying it distorts how the criminal justice system works. The group said it isn't endorsing either candidate.

During her meeting with the editors and reporters, Kloppenburg stressed her experience as an assistant attorney general and, since being elected to the appellate bench in 2012, as a judge.

She repeated claims that Bradley, appointed to the Supreme Court in October by Gov. Scott Walker, is overly influenced by Republican politics.

Bradley has also been invited to appear before the Journal Sentinel editorial board.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, shown in 2015 at a gathering of governors in Washington, issued an executive order Friday to speed up responses to public records. Credit: Associated Press file photo

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Madison  Gov. Scott Walker issued an executive order Friday to speed up state responses to public records requests, better track them and give clearer guidelines on how much they should cost and how long they should take to fulfill.

His executive orders come in the run-up to Sunshine Week, when media outlets emphasize the importance of government transparency. They also come at a time when Walker's administration has faced criticism for its handling of records and public information.

"We go above and beyond what is required by the law when it comes to public records requests to make sure we are being as open and transparent as possible for our citizens," Walker said in a statement.

The executive order requires all agencies to put in place a common set of standards that citizens, journalists and others can use to measure the state's work in responding to open records requests. Because it applies to departments in Walker's cabinet, the order doesn't require sign off from the Legislature.

Under the order, the state Department of Administration will work with agencies to:

Fulfill "any small and straightforward request" within 10 days whenever practicable. A spokeswoman for Walker had no immediate comment on how those requests will be defined.

Acknowledge by the next business day each open records request received.

Respond within five days to questions about the status of an outstanding open records request.

Set aside enough staff resources at agencies to create a tracking system for public records requests to ensure they're handled promptly.

Provide electronic copies of records when it's possible and, when the records are already in electronic format, provide them without charging the copying fees that can come with hard copy records.

Bill any charges for the cost of locating records at the hourly compensation rate of the lowest-paid employee capable of performing this task. The agencies should not bill at all if the total cost of finding the records is less than $50.

In July, the GOP governor and Republican legislative leaders spearheaded an effort to gut the open records law, but they backed off within days after facing a public backlash. Walker has defended a decision to withhold some records about a budget provision  a proposal later disavowed by the governor  that would have rewritten the University of Wisconsin System's mission statement, removing from it the Wisconsin Idea that says its purpose is to improve people's lives beyond the classroom.

In an ongoing case, the liberal Center for Media & Democracy and the Progressive magazine sued Walker last year to get those records.

The state Public Records Board also faced a fierce backlash recently from members of the public and open government groups after its August decision that expanded the definition of records considered to have temporary significance, known as transitory records.

The board voted unanimously in January to revoke that decision on transitory records after nearly 1,900 emails and letters poured in from around the state to protest the decision. Before it was reversed by the board, the August decision had allowed those records to be immediately destroyed by government officials.

Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) said the "small steps" in Walker's Friday order didn't do enough to change his overall record on public records.

"When it comes to his adherence to open government, Governor Walker's actions speak louder than his words," Barca said. "These proposed changes do nothing to address Governor Walker's overall track record of obfuscating records and denying the public access to information."

Christa Westerberg, an attorney and vice president of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, welcomed the news and said the council wants to see how the administration will implement new tools being promised to track agency performance on their core functions.

"We view this announcement as good news, and will be interested to see how some of the new tools featured in this announcement, like open government performance dashboards, are developed and used," she said.

According to Walker's office, he has received 841 records requests since he took office in 2011 and released more than 6 million pages of records. His predecessor, Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, had received 360 records requests at an equivalent point in his tenure, according to the figures from the governor's office.
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Berlin  Thousands of files have surfaced with personal data on members of the Islamic State group  documents that might help authorities track down and prosecute foreign fighters who returned home after joining the extremists or identify those who recruited them in the first place.

Germany's federal criminal police said Thursday that they are in possession of the files and believe they are authentic.

The announcement came after Britain's Sky News reported that it had obtained 22,000 Islamic State files that detail the real names of fighters for the group, where they were from, their telephone numbers and even names of those who sponsored and recruited them.

In a joint report, Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper in Munich and broadcasters WDR and NDR reported independently Monday they had obtained "many dozens" of pages of such documents.

"This is a huge database  there are more than something like 22,000 names, so this is very, very important," said Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck, a research analyst at the Carnegie Middle East Center.

She said the files would "definitely" help international security services, including those in Arab countries, to confirm the identities of those who already have left to fight for Islamic State, to discover the identities of new fighters and to help them in identifying those who return home from Syria and Iraq.

Sky said the files, obtained at the border between Turkey and Syria, were passed to them on a memory stick stolen from the head of the Islamic State's internal security police by a former fighter who had grown disillusioned with the group.

Sueddeutsche Zeitung and the German broadcasters reported that they also had obtained the files on the Turkey-Syria border, where they said Islamic State files and videos were widely available from anti-Islamic State Kurdish fighters and members of the Islamic State itself.

The documents highlight the bureaucratic work of the highly secretive extremist group that has spread fear through its brutal killings and deadly attacks in its self-declared caliphate of Syria and Iraq, as well as in places including France, Turkey, Lebanon, Yemen and Libya.

The information could help the U.S.-led coalition that is fighting the Islamic State group by aiding in a crackdown on the extremists' foreign fighter networks, said U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren, a spokesman for the coalition.

He said that while he was not able to verify the documents, he hoped that "if there is a media outlet that has these names and numbers, I hope they publish them." That would help bring attention to the problem of foreign fighters joining Islamic State and would help authorities to crack down on the problem, he said.

"This would allow the law enforcement apparatus across the world to become much more engaged and begin to help do what we can to stem this flow of foreign fighters  so we're hopeful that it's accurate and if so we certainly plan to do everything we can to help," he said.

As of last month, the U.S. estimates that the Islamic State had 19,000 to 25,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria, down from an estimated 20,000 to 31,500 fighters  a number that was based on intelligence reports from May to August 2014.

The decrease reflects the combined effects of battlefield deaths, desertions, internal disciplinary action, recruiting shortfalls and difficulties that foreign fighters face traveling to Syria, according to a U.S. official.

The documents appear to have been collected near the end of 2013, Sky News reported. At that time, the Islamic State was "at a pretty early stage of its state-building capacity," Ghanem-Yazbeck said.

"I wouldn't say that this is the most dangerous leak, but it is very interesting to see what does it mean exactly for IS," she said at her office in Beirut. "It shows that the organization is not that ... hermetically sealed."

Haras Rafiq, managing director of the London-based Quilliam Foundation, an anti-extremist think tank, noted that the data was from 2013, and thus might not be "that important."

But he added: "Clearly, there is a fracture in the organization, people are disillusioned, the price of oil is dropping  and that is having an effect on their operations and paying people."

Both Sky and Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported the documents were forms with 23 questions to be filled out by recruits when they were inducted into the Islamic State. Sky said they included nationals from at least 51 countries, including the United States and Britain.

Markus Koths, a spokesman for Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office, the Bundeskriminalamt, said the agency had Islamic State documents such as those obtained by the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. He would not comment on specifics about either media report amid an ongoing investigation, and he also would not say how German intelligence obtained the documents, or how long they have been in its possession, "for tactical reasons." He said, "These documents are of significance for us for prosecutorial reasons and for threat prevention."

Koths would not say whether other intelligence agencies had the same files, and the CIA declined to comment on the authenticity of the documents or whether U.S. officials have seen them.
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A Ho-Chunk elder was heckled with stereotypical "war cry sounds" by a group of people in a UW-Madison dorm room while performing a healing ceremony Wednesday night, according to campus officials.

The university is investigating the incident, which took place in front of a residence hall during a ceremony recognizing Native American victims of sexual assault.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports that the Ho-Chunk elder had been singing traditional songs as part of the ceremony, which was held at an outdoor fire pit, when attendees said multiple people in a dorm room began shouting out of the window, drowning him out.

A witness described the sounds as "really stereotypical, like you hear when they try to portray Natives in the old western movies."

The ceremony continued, and participants later notified staff members at the Dejope residence hall, where the ceremony was taking place. The residence hall takes its name from a Ho-Chunk word for the Madison area.

Because the noises were coming from a dorm room, officials believe those involved are UW-Madison students. The hecklers have not yet been identified, according to the State Journal.

University officials are investigating the incident, and have not yet decided if those involved will face disciplinary action.
At left, Ashlee Martinson is shown with her mother, Jennifer, when she was 10 or 11 years old. Ashlee Martinson, now 18, pleaded guilty Friday of killing of her mother and stepfather. Credit: Lou Ann Kibbee, Associated Press

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An 18-year-old Rhinelander area girl pleaded guilty Friday to killing her mother and stepfather at their rural home a year ago, a crime that shocked and mystified the community.

New court records provide some explanation: Ashlee Martinson had witnessed and endured years of abuse and neglect from the victims and her mother's prior boyfriend and was about to take her own life when her stepfather began pounding on her bedroom door.

Martinson entered the pleas to reduced counts of second degree intentional homicide and withdrew her prior plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. Each is punishable by up to 40 years in prison and 20 years of extended supervision.

Prosecutors are expected to seek 20 years prison on each count, while the defense will argue for eight years of prison and 30 years of supervised release. Martinson's sentencing was set for June 17.

She had originally been charged with two counts of first degree intentional homicide, which carry mandatory life sentences upon conviction.

Prosecutors agreed that second degree intentional homicide was appropriate because they were convinced that Martinson "acted under the influence of adequate provocation" and suffered a "complete loss of self control."

Martinson, who had just turned 17 at the time, was arrested in Indiana the night of March 8, 2015, with her boyfriend, Ryan D. Sisco, 22. She was charged with killing Jennifer Ayers, 40, and her husband, Thomas H. Ayers, 37.

In addition to the homicides, Martinson was charged with three counts of false imprisonment. Authorities say she put three other girls  ages 9, 8 and 2  in a room with juice and crackers, and then tied the door shut.

Those charges were dismissed.

By the morning of March 8, a Sunday, the girls had somehow escaped the room or found a phone at the home and started to call 911. After a few dropped calls, authorities were able to respond to the house at 1625 Highway C in Piehl.

They rescued the girls and quickly put out a national bulletin for Martinson and Sisco, who were stopped hours later near Lebanon, Ind.

Friends said Martinson's stepfather did not approve of her dating Sisco.

The plea agreement revealed that on her birthday, Martinson had texted Sisco that she feared Thomas Ayers would kill her mother, that she hated them both and wanted to kill her stepfather.

The next day, after reading her Facebook page, the victims confronted Martinson about Sisco, took her keys and phone and forbade contact with Sisco. She sneaked away to a friend's house but was caught quickly by Thomas Ayers and brought home, where she ran up to her room after grabbing one of the many loaded guns he kept in the house.

When he then came angrily to her door, she shot him with a shotgun, once in the chest and second time in the head, "to ensure he was dead and could not hurt her."

When her mother ran up the stairs, Martinson said, she sought her comfort for what she had just done, but instead her mother grabbed a knife and attacked her for shooting Thomas Ayers.

In the ensuing struggle, Martinson stabbed her mother 30 times.

Martinson's mother had met Thomas Ayers over the Internet in 2010 then left Kansas in 2011 with her daughter to join Ayers in North Dakota, where he was working in the oil industry.

The couple moved to Wisconsin in the summer of 2014 with Martinson, two of Ayers' daughters from a prior marriage, and their own child.

Jennifer Ayers' former boss, friend and mentor in Kansas said Jennifer was not a bad parent and Ashlee was not a tormented child when they moved away.

But the new court records show Jennifer Ayers, who herself had been serially sexually abused by her father, endured extreme abuse from Martinson's father and, after she divorced him when Martinson was 6, a live-in boyfriend had sexually abused Martinson before he eventually was sent to prison.
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Maan News Agency |  

BETHLEHEM (Maan)  British security giant G4S announced Wednesday plans to sell its Israeli businesses in the next 12 to 24 months citing commercial reasons, according to the official website of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement.

The worlds largest private security company has been a major target for the movement, and has lost millions of dollars in contracts in more than a dozen countries as a result of a four-year long BDS campaign against them.



h/t Palestinecampaign.org

The announcement to close the Israeli subsidiary of the company was reported in their full-year results released Wednesday that showed a 40 percent fall in pre-tax profits.

Private businesses, universities, trade unions, and UN bodies are among the companys lost clients, including the Bill Gates Foundation, which divested its $170 million stake in the company in 2014 following protests at its offices in Seattle, London and Johannesburg.

Earlier this month the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) in Jordan also ended its contract with G4S.

In April 2012 the companys involvement in Israeli prisons came under the spotlight as thousands of detainees in Israeli jails launched a mass hunger strike against poor treatment in custody.

G4S provides assistance to prisons inside Israel as well as equipment for Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank, and other detention facilities, activists say.

The company announced in 2013 its intention to end its role in illegal Israeli settlements, checkpoints and the prison by 2015 but did not implement the withdrawal.

G4S announced in 2014 it did not intend to renew its contract with the Israeli Prison Service when it expired in 2017 but has not yet implemented decision, according to the BDS Movement.

The Palestinian prisoners rights group Addameer called for the United Nations late last year to take action against G4S for its role in violent abuses that have taken place in detention centers worldwide.

In another recent victory from the BDS campaign, French telecoms giant Orange has announced the termination of its franchise relationship with Israeli company Partner Communications.

The Palestinian civil society campaign for BDS calls for applying broad boycott, divestment and sanctions initiatives against Israel, similar to those applied to South Africa during the apartheid era, until Israel meets its obligations under international law by respecting the basic right of the Palestinian people to self determination.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has slammed the BDS movement, and a recent EU decision to prohibit settlement products from being labelled Made in Israel briefly drove a wedge between EU and Israeli leadership at the end of last year.

British proposals to forbid a boycott of Israeli settlement goods by publicly-funded British institutions brought heavy criticism from the BDS movement last month.

Rafeef Ziadah, a spokesperson for the UK branch of the Palestinian BDS National Committee, slammed the British proposal at the time.

By undermining local democracy in service of Israel, David Cameron is standing on the wrong side of history, just as Margaret Thatcher did with her support for apartheid South Africa, Ziadah said.

The BDS movement in the UK has achieved wide support precisely because of the failure of successive UK governments to take action in response to Israels war crimes.

Via Maan News Agency
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

The headlines Friday about the GOP debate in Miami stressed how relatively civil it was, with less name-calling and pissing matches among the remaining candidates.

Those editors have a weird definition of civility.

So here is Marco Rubio:

Let me give you an example of a Muslim for example, we ought to be standing with, President el-Sisi of Egypt, a president of a Muslim country who is targeting radical (BELL RINGS)  Islamic terrorist. HEWITT: Senator Rubio. CRUZ: Hes hunting them down and stomping them.

Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took advantage of massive popular demonstrations against Muslim Brotherhood leader and elected Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi in summer of 2013 to make a brutal military coup. His soldiers used unnecessary force to clear largely peaceful Muslim Brotherhood sit-ins, killing hundreds with live ammunition. Al-Sisi then declared the former ruling party, the Muslim Brotherhood, a terrorist organization and had his corrupt judiciary sentence thousands of its members and leaders to death. In fact, the Muslim Brotherhood renounced violence in the 1970s, and while I am critical of the way it tried to rule Egypt in 2012-2013, I consider painting it as a terrorist organization to be mere propaganda.

It is not only the Muslim Brotherhood that has suffered. The al-Sisi military junta is now the worlds second-biggest jailer of journalists for doing their job. Peaceful civil society movements such as April 6 have been forcibly disbanded and banned. Activists like Ahmad Maher, Mahinour al-Masri and Alaa Abdel Fattah, heroes of the 2011 youth protests, are behind bars being mistreated. Egypts newspapers are assiduously self-censoring. The country is a political and intellectual dead zone, with creepy secret police spying on everyone who makes a peep.

Even foreign academic researchers are not safe, with a young Italian academic at Cambridge, Giulio Regeni, having been kidnapped, tortured and his burned body dumped in the desert. Observers say these are the hallmarks of the secret police. The European Parliament has just urged the EU to cease military cooperation with Egypt over the young mans murder:

EU Parliament passes resolution to suspend military cooperation with Egypt following Regeni's murder https://t.co/Q4T6YQWek0 via @madamasr  Ted Swedenburg (@tsweden) March 11, 2016

So lets get this straight. The European Parliament is so disturbed at the human rights situation that it has urged an EU cut off of military cooperation with the Egypt of Gen. al-Sisi. But this is the regime that Marco Rubio demands we admire and support.

Ironically, Rubios family fled a similar right wing military dictatorship, that of Fulgencio Batista, in Cuba in 1956. Batista abrogated the 1940 constitution and ruled ruthlessly, as al-Sisi does. To now have Rubio pimp for a regime just like the one his family ran away from in the 1950s is surely among the most disgusting displays in a political season full of disgusting displays.

Then there was the nauseating display of far rightwing propaganda against the poor Palestinians, many of whom were ethnically cleansed from their homes in what is now Israel by Zionist forces in 1948 and again in 1967. They have been deprived of their property and any claim to the rights of citizenship in a state by ongoing Israeli theft and confined to cantons that best resemble those imposed by Apartheid South Africa. All resistance they offer to Israeli military rule and Israeli further encroachments on what little they have left is assiduously branded as terrorism. Anyone who so much as sympathizes with the plight of the worlds largest group of stateless people is branded an inciter to terrorism. Actual terrorism (violence committed by an organized non-state group against innocent civilians for political purposes) is always wrong, and some desperate Palestinians have engaged in it (as have Israeli Jews). But people do have a right to resist occupation, and you would think from the GOP debate that it was the Palestinians who were in power and oppressing the Israelis rather than the other way around.

Rubio again attacked Donald Trump for saying he wanted to restart a peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, and that he would try to be neutral, i.e. a good faith mediator:

The policy Donald has outlined, I dont know if he realizes, is an anti-Israeli policy. Maybe thats not your intent but heres why it is an anti-Israeli policy. There is no peace deal possible with the Palestinians at this moment. There just isnt.

Rubio is of course being told to say this by wealthy far-right Jewish donors to his campaign. The idea that Palestinians should just be left under military rule or under blockade, and should continue to have their territory stolen from them by the Israelis, and that all this is their own fault, is just obscurantism in the service of the Israeli expansionists on the far right. It will one day explode on Israel with extremely unpleasant consequences, and people like Rubio will bear a good deal of the blame.

Ted Cruz menaced us with a non-existent Iranian nuclear weapons program. Any old demon will do.

Trump again defended his plans to torture prisoners and to murder their women and children.

The candidates didnt talk so much last night about the four new wars they had proposed last week.

The poor CNN moderators were often visibly uncomfortable with the bizarre and bloodthirsty answers they got to their sober foreign policy questions.



Related Video:

CCTV Africa: European Parliament passes resolution to suspend military cooperation with Egypt
VANCOUVER, March 11, 2016 /CNW/ - Corvus Gold Inc. ("Corvus" or the "Company") - (TSX: KOR, OTCQX: CORVF) announces the closing of a CAD $3,430,000 non-brokered private placement at CAD $0.70 per share. Under the terms of the agreement, the company issued 4,900,000 common shares with no warrant. The participants in the private placement include Tocqueville Gold Fund and AngloGold Ashanti (U.S.A.) Exploration, Inc.

Jeffrey Pontius, Corvus CEO states "Both Tocqueville and AngloGold have been strong supporters of Corvus from its inception and we are very pleased with their continued support of the company and our work to bring increased value to our shareholders. This financing has put Corvus in a strong position to continue our proposed exploration on the project. Driven by the results from the Company's recent North Bullfrog PEA study and new exploration discoveries, Corvus believes it is well-positioned for what it believes could be a new Nevada high-grade gold District."

The Company has determined that there are exemptions available from the various requirements of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 for minority approval and formal valuations for the issuance of any securities to insiders. There is no change of control, as a result of the Offering.

The foregoing securities have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any applicable state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) or persons in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the foregoing securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

On behalf of

CORVUS GOLD INC.

(signed) Jeffrey A. Pontius

Jeffrey A. Pontius,

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and US securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the proposed use of the proceeds of the private placement by the Company are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's latest interim Management Discussion and Analysis filed with certain securities commissions in Canada and other information released by the Company and filed with the appropriate regulatory agencies. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties.

This news release is not, and is not to be construed in any way as, an offer to buy or sell securities in the United States.

SOURCE Corvus Gold Inc.
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX, March 11, 2016 /CNW/ - Uranium Energy Corp (NYSE MKT: UEC, the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has now closed its recently announced (March 7th) offering with certain institutional investors, including J.P. Morgan Asset Management UK Limited and Resource Capital Investment Corp., a division of Sprott Inc., for gross proceeds of $10,510,000 (the "Offering"), and pursuant to which the Company has now issued an aggregate of 12,364,704 units of the Company (each, a "Unit"), at a price of $0.85 per Unit, with each Unit being comprised of one share of common stock and half of one share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant") of the Company, and with each whole Warrant being exercisable for an additional share at an exercise price of $1.20 for a three-year period from the date of issuance.

The Company offered and sold the Units pursuant to Securities Purchase Agreements, dated March 6, 2016. Net proceeds of the Offering will be used for general corporate and working capital purposes.

In connection with the Offering, Dundee Securities Ltd., and Rodman & Renshaw, a unit of H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC, acted as the co-lead placement agents, and Haywood Securities Inc. and Cantor Fitzgerald Canada Corporation acted as financial advisors.

The Units were offered by the Company pursuant to a prospectus supplement to the Company's effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-193104) as previously filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). A prospectus supplement relating to the Offering was filed by the Company with the SEC yesterday. Copies of the prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus relating to the Offering may be obtained from the SEC's website, at http://www.sec.gov,, by sending an email request to Rodman & Renshaw, a unit of H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , by calling Dundee Securities Ltd., at 416 849 7887, or by contacting the Company, at Suite 800N, 500 North Shoreline Boulevard, Corpus Christi, Texas 78401.

This press release does not and shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any state or jurisdiction. The securities being offered have not been approved or disapproved by any regulatory authority, nor has any such authority passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the prospectus supplement, the prospectus or the Company's shelf registration statement. A registration statement relating to the securities has been filed with the SEC and became effective on January 10, 2014. A prospectus supplement relating to the Offering was filed yesterday with the SEC.

The Company is also pleased to report, in accordance with NYSE MKT requirements, the filing of the Company's quarterly report today on Form 10-Q for the six months ended January 31, 2016 with the SEC. This Form 10-Q filing, which includes the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements, related notes thereto and management's discussion and analysis, is available for viewing on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml or on the Company's website at www.uraniumenergy.com.

About Uranium Energy Corp

Uranium Energy Corp is a U.S.-based uranium mining and exploration company. The Company's fully-licensed Hobson processing plant is central to all of its projects in South Texas, including the Palangana in-situ recovery (ISR) mine, the permitted Goliad ISR project and the development-stage Burke Hollow ISR project. Additionally, the Company controls a pipeline of advanced-stage projects in Arizona, Colorado and Paraguay. The Company's operations are managed by professionals with a recognized profile for excellence in their industry, a profile based on many decades of hands-on experience in the key facets of uranium exploration, development and mining.

Stock Exchange Information:

NYSE MKT: UEC

WKN: AJDRR

ISN: US916896103

Safe Harbor Statement

Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented in this news release constitutes "forward-looking statements" as such term is used in applicable United States and Canadian laws. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any other statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans, "estimates" or "intends", or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and should be viewed as "forward-looking statements". Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, the actual results of exploration activities, variations in the underlying assumptions associated with the estimation or realization of mineral resources, the availability of capital to fund programs and the resulting dilution caused by the raising of capital through the sale of shares, accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry including, without limitation, those associated with the environment, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, title disputes or claims limitations on insurance coverage. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this news release and in any document referred to in this news release. Certain matters discussed in this news release and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the Federal securities laws. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Many of these factors are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially and that could impact the Company and the statements contained in this news release can be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities.

SOURCE Uranium Energy Corp
Magna says it is to supply its new Eyeris Generation 3.0 camera system for the 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee, the first FCA US vehicle to feature the camera technology and for the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica.

The Eyeris Generation 3.0 system builds on technology features from previous platforms on the market now, with Magna maintaining it improves the field of view as well as the camera resolution.

As part of a fusion system with radar in the front of the Jeep, the system performs functions related to the vehicles lane keeping, automatic high beam, automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control features.

Collaborating with FCA US on higher-demand vehicles like the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Chrysler Pacifica demonstrates our leadership position in the automotive vision system technology market, said Magna CTO and president Magna Electronics, Swamy Kotagri.

Magna has been developing camera systems for automakers for more than 25 years. The supplier has 305 manufacturing operations, as well as 93 product development, engineering and sales centres in 29 countries.
KCON 2016 is returning to the New York metropolitan area and Los Angeles. On March 10, CJ E&M confirmed the dates and locations for the fifth annual KCON USA.

The Hallyu-centered festivities will kick off on June 24 and its expanded with two days of concerts at the Prudential Center in Newark, which will be held through June 25.

The convention that is dedicated to all things Hallyu will then return to the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California for KCON LA, which will be held over the span of three days from July 29 through 31.

KCON USA promises to provide more vendors, new programming, and an increased focus on the growing industries of K-Beauty, food, and e-sports.

In 2015, the event was attended by more than 75,000 Korean culture enthusiasts. The dynamic lineup included K-Drama stars like Kim Soo Hyun (Producer, My Love from the Star), Daniel Henney (My Lovely Sam Soon) and Son Ho Jun (Mrs. Cop).

Korean drama audiences attended KOCCA's special programming dedicated to "My Love from the Star" and the series' talented writer, Park Ji Eun.

K-pop fans were treated to dynamic performances by top acts including Girls' Generation, Super Junior, GOT7, Shinhwa, AOA, and other leading acts.

While the concerts have served as a highlight of KCON, Hallyu aficionados have the opportunity to engage with special guests, attend fan engagements, experience makeovers, while browsing through the convention floor.

More information for KCON 2016 will be released, as the event approaching. Updated ticketing, schedules, and lineup details can be obtained through the official website for KCON USA.




OMAHA -- Elephants are likely to arrive in Omaha today, but the number of them on their way from Africa is one fewer than expected.

One of the 18 elephants that were scheduled to travel from Swaziland to three American zoos died in December.

Thursday afternoon, Omahas Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium and its partners in Dallas and Wichita said the elephant died from an acute gastrointestinal medical condition, which the zoos said was impossible to treat.

In fact, they said, that elephants death prompted the zoos to move the animals as soon as they did.

We knew we needed to act without further delay because the situation in Swaziland is deteriorating, said Gregg Hudson, president and CEO of the Dallas Zoo.

The zoos in Omaha and Wichita are still expected to receive six elephants each, the statement said. Dallas will now receive just five.

The animals were scheduled to touch down near Dallas shortly after midnight. Depending on how long it takes to unload the animals, refuel and prepare again for takeoff, the elephants destined to become new Omahans could arrive as soon as this morning.

The elephants are doing well. And weve just received word from the veterinarians with them on the flight that they are eating, drinking and some are sleeping, said Dennis Pate, executive director and CEO of Omahas zoo. We stand ready to welcome them to their new homes.

Representatives of the zoos sent a plane to Swaziland on Tuesday to carry the elephants from their home at Big Game Parks. Veterinarians sedated the animals, crated them and prepared them for transport.

Then an animal advocacy group, Friends of Animals, asked a judge for an emergency restraining order to block the elephant-import operation. The judge, whos overseeing a pending suit by Friends of Animals against the zoos and the permit-issuing U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, ruled in favor of the zoos and said the elephants could fly.

About 36 hours later, a Boeing 747 left Swazilands King Mswati III International Airport with the elephants aboard. The plane left Swaziland about noon Thursday (4 a.m. in Omaha), stopping in Senegal before heading for Fort Worth, Texas. They landed in Fort Worth shortly after midnight local time.

The zoos said that, for the safety of the animals, they would not reveal transport details.

There are a plethora of sensitivities around the movements of elephants, and in the case of the Swazi elephants, a calculated decision was made to follow a discreet and confidential route, for as long as possible, to shorten our exposure to demonstration and demonization by money-hungry activists, said Ted Reilly, chief executive of Big Game Parks.

Reilly said transporting the elephants is hugely costly, estimating the price at a million U.S. dollars a day.

On Tuesday, Michael Harris, attorney for Friends of Animals, called the sudden elephant transport underhanded.

It signifies that the animals are going to spend the next 40 or 50 years in captivity, he said. I think were going to look back on this someday and say that was the last time we ever did this to elephants.

In their Thursday statement, the zoos said they coordinated the move with multiple governmental agencies, all of whom have been kept apprised of plans along the way.

After the elephants arrive at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, they will enter the 29,000-square-foot Elephant Family Quarters, part of the $73 million African Grasslands exhibit in Omaha, which includes about 4 acres of outdoor space for the elephants.

The three zoos said their exhibits were informed by the latest scientific findings on elephant welfare ... to meet each elephants complex physical, mental and social needs in multigenerational herds.

The elephants will spend time in quarantine before going on public view. Omahas exhibit is expected to open by Memorial Day.
FILE - In this May 17, 2015, file photo, a Louisiana Black Bear, sub-species of the black bear that is protected under the Endangered Species Act, sits in a water oak tree in Marksville, La. U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said the bear that inspired teddy bears is coming off the list of threatened species. She spoke Thursday, March 10, 2016, at the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge, which is at the heart of the Louisiana black bear's domain. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
The USAID Applying Science to Strengthen and Improve Systems (ASSIST) Project is URCs flagship project in quality improvement.ASSIST is managed by URCs Quality and Performance Institute, (QPI), which has implemented quality improvement and operations research programs in health care since 1981 and continues to be at the cutting edge of health care improvement work in countries around the world.URC is looking for individuals to fill the position of Knowledge Management and Communications Officer for a USAID funded project Applying Science to strengthen and Improve Systems (ASSIST).
The Irish Cancer Society report into counselling service highlights long term cancer survivorship needs ahead of Daffodil Day as 1,000 people use service per year.

The counselling service is available locally in Cois Nore Cancer Support Centre Kilkenny, which is affiliated with the Irish Cancer Society. Ahead of Daffodil Day which takes place on Friday, the Society is highlighting the emotional impact of a diagnosis as one of the long term survivorship needs of cancer survivors.

Counselling provides emotional and practical support to cancer survivors and their families said Dorothy Thomas, Community Support Network Coordinator at the Irish Cancer Society. Coping with cancer can be difficult and families may experience many emotions such as anxiety, fear and sadness. It can be valuable to speak to a counsellor who can provide support in adapting to life after cancer and in finding a new normal.

The report shows that cancer patients who attended for counselling make up 58 per cent of clients, 14 per cent were children, siblings or friends and 12 per cent were a partner or spouse, with a further 16 per cent requiring support following the death of a loved one. This further demonstrates the true impact of a cancer diagnosis on all of the family.

A network of community based cancer support services, affiliated to the Society, play a vital role in providing psychosocial care for cancer patients and their families in their own communities .The Irish Cancer Society granted 299,520 to support centres across the country in 2014 to provide a counselling service, free of charge to cancer patients and their families. Over 1,000 cancer patients, survivors and their families, accessed the service availing of 6,086 individual counselling sessions.

This counselling service fills a support gap for cancer patients who often report that while they are undergoing cancer treatment, the focus is on the treatment plan with support from the hospital team and other patients. It is only after the treatment is complete that they realise how much cancer has changed their lives. The emotional effects of cancer may not be felt until weeks, months or years after the initial diagnosis.

People of all ages affected by cancer require emotional support. The majority of those attending the service were between the ages of 45-64 (52%) while 25% of clients were between the ages of 18 and 44 with this age group experiencing significant issues such as relationships, fertility and careers, all impacted on a cancer journey. Women were much more likely to attend for counselling with 76 per cent of clients female and 24 per cent male, in line with the uptake of counselling generally. Clients under 18 made up 5 per cent of clients, almost all of these children were struggling with the diagnosis of a sibling or a significant adult in their life. As a charity, it relies on the generosity of the public.
Waterford's stinging submission to the committee carrying out a review of the boundary between south Kilkenny and Waterford has left a bad taste in the mouth of many people this side of the river.

The tone of the submission and its covering letter has left some here a little taken aback. Chairman of the Piltown Municipal District Pat Dunphy last week said he would not be too happy with it.

Kilkenny County Council later gave the boundary committee its response to Waterford's submission, taking issue with what it termed 'non-evidence based statements', some of which it says are not accurate.

The whole affair has served to further strain the relationship between the two neighbouring counties, who are supposed to be working together even more closely than usual at the moment, as part of the European Capital of Culture bid.

Time and clear reasoning may yet heal some of these wounds. However, there are also some rather serious charges levelled at the Kilkenny local authority in Waterford's submission to the boundary committee.

Notably, Waterford has accused Kilkenny of neglecting the area and has accused the council of having shown 'complete disregard for national and regional planning guidelines'.

The Planning Land Use and Transportation Study (PLUTS) was adopted by both councils in 2004. Waterford refers to it extensively in its submission, noting that the capacity for further expansion to the south and east of the city has become increasingly limited.

It says that the 'logical answer' to this is for the city to expand to the north, describing this idea as 'the underlying rationale' for the PLUTS. Several times in the document, it is suggested that PLUTS advocates bringing the northern banks of the Suir within and expanded Waterford City.

Kilkenny has said that the PLUTS does not make any reference to any need for additional land to the north of the city for Waterford. Nor does implementing the National Spatial Strategy require the allocation of more land.

Waterford's submission also charges Kilkenny with attempting to 'rationalise' the development of the Ferrybank Shopping Centre, referring to it as 'a staggering retail white elephant'. This has raised a few eyebrows in County Hall here.

Planning documents from 2005 reveal that the current chief executive in Waterford (then-director of services) had no objection to the development as proposed, nor did Waterford City and County Council appeal it. Kilkenny County Council maintains that the development has been hampered not by planning issues, but by commercial disputes.

Underperforming

Waterford's submission also expresses concern that the Ferrybank/Belview LAP 2009, as amended, could 'potentially compete and undermine the role and primacy of the city centre'. But, as Kilkenny has pointed out, Waterford's city centre has been underperforming for a while now, with no new significant retail offer in over two decades - and long since before the Ferrybank centre.

Waterford's own development plan also outlines a means to tackle poor city centre performance by investing and redeveloping 'the prime city centre core area'.

Kilkenny has argued that the wide tidal river, the Suir, creates a 'significant' physical barrier between the city and the area of interest. It says the concentric development model, which is not the growth strategy adopted in the PLUTS, is not a basis to argue for a boundary extension.

Indeed, none of the relevant bodies, including the NSS, PLUTS, regional authority, and Department of the Environment, have raised the issue with any of Kilkenny's development plans.

ECONOMIC

In terms of economic development, Waterford cites a range of reports and policy documents, including the South East Action Plan for Jobs, as well as IDA and FDI strategy. None of these, however, call for a change to the existing boundary - rather, they generally advocate a unified regional approach.

The Waterford submission refers to a line in the Action Plan for Jobs, about the need to 'rectify regional impediments to winning investments'. But at no point in that Action Plan is the boundary identified as an 'impediment'.

Kilkenny has also said there is no evidence for Waterford's claim that Waterford City and County Council 'has committed personnel and budgetary resources to economic development that Kilkenny simply cannot'.

It's one more claim that has irked people here who have benefited from some of the local economic development that has taken place in recent years.

The boundary committee is due to submit its report to the Minister for the Environment by March 31.

This is the first part of a four-part series on the boundary and Waterford's submission to the boundary committee. Next week's Kilkenny People looks at the issue of finances and the Belview Port.

For more on the boundary issue this week, see page 19.
A student at Loreto Secondary School in Kilkenny has been selected as a joint winner of the national 2015/2016 ActionAid Speech Writing Competition final.

The competition final was held in the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) on Thursday, March 3. Ten finalists, one of whom was Kilkenny's Jane Oyenuga, delivered their speeches in front of a panel of judges including author Louise ONeill; board member of the National Womens Council Frances Byrne; and Brian Caden from Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Winning finalist Jane, along with her co-winner  Galway student Lauren  will travel with their teachers to visit Malawi in August to see first-hand ActionAids Irish Aid funded womens rights programme.

This is the second ActionAid Speech Writing Competition and again I am truly impressed by the standard of speech writing and delivery, said Chairman of the Board of ActionAid Ireland and Former RTE Broadcaster, Rodney Rice, who hosted the competition.

All students showed excellent analysis of the challenges faced by ActionAid and other NGOs in developing countries. Congratulations to Lauren and Jane, winners of a close fought competition through their combination of content and presentation skills.

Chosen

Jane and Lauren were chosen out of more than 70 students, aged 14 to 17, from over 30 schools across the country who entered the competition. There were three speech topics to choose from which focused on European Year for Development, the Human Rights Based Approach to Development and Womens Rights.

Irish Aid funds an ActionAid Womens Rights programme in Kenya, Malawi, Nepal and Vietnam. ActionAid uses this funding to work with vulnerable communities in an effort to end early girl marriage, prevent gender based violence, gain land rights for women and help women and girls receive an education.

ActionAid Ireland was established in 1983 and is a member of ActionAid International.

For more, see www.actionaid.ie/irish-aid.
EXCITEMENT and energy radiated from the stage at the Hub last week as 1,200 children from schools all over counties Kilkenny, Carlow, and Tipperary joined the renowned Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland (CBOI) for Kilkenny Peace Proms 2012. A capacity audience attended this extraordinary event which was organised by the CBOI in association with Kilkenny Education Centre.

EXCITEMENT and energy radiated from the stage at the Hub last week as 1,200 children from schools all over counties Kilkenny, Carlow, and Tipperary joined the renowned Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland (CBOI) for Kilkenny Peace Proms 2012. A capacity audience attended this extraordinary event which was organised by the CBOI in association with Kilkenny Education Centre.

As this was the inaugural Peace Proms event, it was difficult to know what to expect. But the concert and all the elements far exceeded all expectations. The CBOI is not a classical orchestra. Their sound is new, rich and exciting and evokes the heritage and culture of our Island while communicating with audiences of every age. Their message of universal peace was powerfully conveyed at the Hub. The 110 member orchestra performed rousing and emotional anthems like Amazing Grace and Highland Cathedral, and newly commissioned works like Crossing Borders by IFTA winner and Oscar nominee Brian Byrne.

The CBOIs soloists are regarded the best in Ireland. Patricia Treacy produced sublimely beautiful melodies on violin playing slow airs like Ashoken Farewell and then burst into sparkling virtuosity for Vivaldis Storm from the Four Seasons. Patrick Martin on Uilleann Pipes was brilliant in his performances of show stoppers like Lord of the Dance and a medley from Horslips; while Emmanuel Lawler wowed the audience as outstanding presenter and tenor. The CBOIs imposing Drum and Piping Corps adds huge strength to the concerts, and the booming Lambeg Drum resonated like fireworks. These multiple elements were magically held together and driven by the legendary conductor, Maestro Gearoid Grant.

They combined choirs sang a sensational programme with the full symphony orchestra which ranged from peace anthems like Let there be Peace on Earth to Blame it on the Boogie which rocked the Hub and filled the auditorium with resounding joy. They were quite simply electric!! What a celebration this was. Standing ovations and tumultuous applause were the order of the day at these unique and special concerts. It was impossible to leave Kilkenny Peace Proms concert without feeling uplifted, renewed and full of hope for a brighter future.

Huge credit is due to the teachers from Kilkenny, Carlow, and Tipperary who participated in this programme. 28 primary schools took part in the programme. They have been working on the music and songs since September last and the vast amount of extracurricular work which they undertook certainly paid off.

The Director of Killkenny Education Centre, Paul Fields, was full of praise for the work of the orchestra and the 1200 children in the choir. The standard of performance was most impressive and would grace any worldwide stage, he said. Its success is testament to the hard work put in by the organisers and by the teachers who have been busy teaching eight new pieces to the students over the past number of months, he said.
KIT and FZI at CeBIT 2016: The Kinemic software facilitates operation of augmented-reality applications. (Photo: KIT)

Discover d!conomy  Digital Transformation Is Happening Now is the slogan of next weeks CeBIT 2016 in Hanover. And justifiably so: Digitization has long since reached all areas of our life and is transforming them massively. Digital transformations focus on smartphones, tablets, and data goggles, but also on airplanes, trains, cars, and not least, interconnected production facilities in Industry 4.0. How can the fruit of digital revolution be used more effectively and securely? Answers will be given by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the FZI Research Center for Information Technology at CeBIT 2016 in Hanover (hall 6, booth A30).

Kinemic: Controlling Devices without Touching or Typing

Information technology is used anytime and anywhere. Currently available input devices, such as smartphones, however, still require time-consuming typing on virtual mini keyboards and the operators concentration on small screens.

Kinemic  a spinoff of KIT  has now developed the only software of this type in the world for the free-handed operation of a variety of devices, such as PCs, smartphones or wearables, by writing words into the air or by simple gestures. Hand and arm movements are recorded by a sensor wristband or a smartwatch and then translated into gestures or text. Information and user interfaces are displayed in the field of view of the user wearing augmented reality goggles. Device operation is facilitated and workflows can be executed more quickly with less interruptions.

At CeBIT, visitors can test the system. During their visit of CeBIT, also Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and the President of the Swiss Confederation, Johann Schneider-Ammann, will inform themselves about Kinemic at the booth of KIT and FZI.

More information:



http://kinemic.de/ (in German only)



http://www.pkm.kit.edu/downloads/datenblatt KINEMIC_PressPreview_de_final.pdf (in German only)



How Secure Is Your Smartphone?

Smartphones are widely used and frequently store highly sensitive data, such as contacts, photos, and e-mails as well as bank data and passwords. In case of Android-based smartphones in particular, security holes are closed months after they have become known only. At CeBIT, the demonstrator of FZIs Competence Center for IT Security will point out to visitors known security holes of the smartphone operation system (Android and iOS) they use on their smartphones. Many of these security holes can be exploited with a small effort and allow the attacker to gain complete access to the smartphone and, in the worst case, to the users data.

FZIs Digital Innovation Center supports medium-sized enterprises in digitization and in managing the resulting new business models and challenges. The booth staff will inform visitors about how processes and updating strategies will have to be designed for manufacturers of smart devices to react in due time and appropriately to security holes.

More information:



http://url.fzi.de/smartphony-cebit (in German only)



http://www.diz-bw.de (in German only)

Augmented Reality Provides Big Data for Shop Floor Uses

In tomorrows production, an increasing amount of machines and process data will be recorded. But how can valuable contents be filtered out of these enormous data volumes. How can big data be used smartly?



The Smart Data Innovation Lab (SDIL) of KIT is one of the leading big data centers in Germany. Here, national partners of science and industry jointly work on mastering the challenges associated with big data. At CeBIT, SDIL will present an interactive demonstrator to show how big data analytics can be used by technicians on the shop floor.



Augmented reality is a user-friendly approach to visualizing sensor values of e.g. oscillation frequency and amplitude or temperature of a component in real time on the screen of e.g. a tablet. The data are inserted into the recorded image of the camera and are directly linked to those points of the machine at which they are measured. The image is calculated based on the current angle of view. It is updated automatically when the user moves. This does not only result in an intuitive allocation to currently measured values, but also allows for access to analytical results for preventative maintenance.

More information:



http://www.informatik.kit.edu/english/5088_7775.php



http://www.pkm.kit.edu/downloads/Datenblatt AR_Teco_dt_final.pdf (in German only)



StreamPipes: Real-time capable Big Data Applications without Programming

Integration of sensor data from production machines and processes has become rather simple in the meantime. Frequently, it is aimed at detecting production failures as early as possible by real-time analysis of large data volumes. However, generation of such applications still requires both technical expertise (big data infrastructure) and expert knowledge (data scientists).

At CeBIT, FZI will present StreamPipes, a solution for small and medium-sized companies to establish a big data environment with a small expenditure and to generate real-time capable processing pipelines with graphical tool support. StreamPipes is one of the first modeling tools for distributed real-time systems on the big data scale. It is not limited to a certain runtime environment. Via a semantic integration level, heterogeneous processing nodes can be connected even within a processing pipeline.

More information:



http://url.fzi.de/streampipes (in German only)



http://www.fzi.de/wissen (in German only)



Blurry Box Makes Hackers Fail

A highly digital and interconnected world that is mainly based on software can be attacked. Hackers copy, manipulate, and sabotage software all over the world and, thus, cause enormous economic damage or even something worse.



Blurry Box effectively protects software against cyber crime. In contrast to many other methods, the process is based on Kerckhoffss principle. It is not the algorithm, i.e. the protection method itself, that is kept secret, but an exchangeable key. This enormously enhances security of the software code to be protected.



Blurry Box was granted the IT Security Prize, the highest award in the area of IT security, by the Horst Gortz Foundation. The process is a joint development of the Competence Center of Applied Security Technology (KASTEL) of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the FZI Research Center for Information Technology, and the company of Wibu-Systems.

At CeBIT, visitors will have the opportunity to assume the role of a hacker who is to hack the software, in this case a computer game. On a 3D LED cube, visitors play a flight simulation by joystick and make typical attacks that are defended effectively by the Blurry Box.

More information:



https://www.kastel.kit.edu/ (in German only)



http://www.fzi.de/en/research/research-focuses/forschungsfelder-en/ffeld/sicherheit/tab/reiter_ueberblick/



http://www.kit.edu/kit/english/pi_2014_15864.php



ARAMiS: Safe Use of Multi-core Technology in Mobility

Information technology has given rise to a number of useful assistance systems for driving and flying and determines product properties. In the future, multi-core processors will supply the required computation capacity. They are increasingly replacing the inflexible single-core systems that are limited in capacity. But this will also change programming paradigms. For critical applications in particular, safety and reliability have to be rethought and reviewed. The recently successfully completed ARAMiS (Automotive Railway and Avionics Multi-core Systems) project has laid the central technical basis for the use of multi-core processors in safety-critical systems.

The KIT-coordinated ARAMiS project was funded on a 50:50 basis by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and industry, including automotive, railway, and avionics manufacturers, their suppliers, and hardware and software manufacturers. Altogether, thirty companies, universities, and research institutions took part.

Within the framework of ARAMiS, demonstrators were developed to show how space, weight, and energy can be saved in cars, planes, and trains when many control devices are combined in a few, but powerful multi-core systems. Apart from safety, also efficiency and traveling comfort are increased. At CeBIT, an example of use in the automotive sector will be presented. Visitors are invited to interactively take part in a simulation drive.

More information:



http://www.projekt-aramis.de/ (in German only)

IT Security for Smarter Mobility

Which challenges face research, industry, and users in the area of Security and Mobility? iPads around the research vehicle CoCar Zero, an electric vehicle modified for autonomous charging and parking under the AutoPles project, present current and future challenges in the area of secure future mobility. At the booth, researchers will inform visitors about the work performed at FZI and the challenges ahead and they will provide insight into current projects.

More information:



http://url.fzi.de/autoples (in German only)



http://www.fzi.de/en/research/research-sectors/anwendungsfelder-en/afeld/mobilitaet/



Emmtrix: Parallelization of Multi-core Processors

Emmtrix Technologies, a spinoff of KIT, also focuses on multi-core processors. These multi-core systems can be found in todays desktops, PCs, notebooks, tablets, smartphones, cameras, and many other electronic products. Several processor cores combined on a chip work in parallel and, thus, reach higher speed and power. However, these advantages can only be exploited, if the software can distribute its tasks to two or several processor cores, i.e. if it is programmed in parallel. So far, programming has required a high time and cost expenditure and special knowledge.

Emmtrix Technologies has developed an automated parallelization tool to replace complex, time- and cost-intensive parallelization. This solution will be presented at CeBIT. Visitors can interact with the system presented by movements and gestures. They will be shown how the reaction capacity of the system is improved by parallelization.

More information:



http://www.emmtrix.com/

More information on KITs appearance at CeBIT can also be found at http://www.pkm.kit.edu/cebit2016.php (in German only).

The FZI Research Center for Information Technology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology is a non-profit institution for applied research into information technology and technology transfer. Its task is to provide businesses and public institutions with the latest research findings in information technology. It also qualifies young scientists for their career in academics or business as well as self-employment. Led by professors from various departments, research teams at FZI interdisciplinarily develop and prototype concepts, software, hardware, and systems solutions for their clients.

Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,800 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.
Recently, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a press conference with about 150 journalists from around the world, including representatives of the western media.

Mister Lavrov was brief and concise; however, the question period lasted for some two hours. A breadth of topics was discussed, including the re-convening of the Syrian peace talks in Geneva, diplomatic relations in Georgia and, tellingly, the increasingly fragile relations with the US. (This has not been reported in the Western media.)

This followed close on the heels of reports (again not to be found in the Western media) that the US has quadrupled its budget for the re-armament of NATO in Europe (from $750 million to $3 billion), most of which is to be applied along the Russian border. The decision was explained as being necessary to combat and prevent Russian aggression.

It should be mentioned that this decision, no matter how rash it may be, is not a random incident. Its a component of the decidedly imperialist US Wolfowitz Doctrine of 1992. This doctrine, never intended for public release, outlined a policy of military aggression to assure that the US would reign as the worlds sole superpower and, in so-doing, would establish the US as the leader within a new world order. In part, its stated goal is:

The U.S. must show the leadership necessary to establish and protect a new order that holds the promise of convincing potential competitors that they need not aspire to a greater role or pursue a more aggressive posture to protect their legitimate interests.

Of particular importance here is the term, legitimate interests. With this term, the doctrine reveals that its goal is the suppression of other nations, regardless of whether their ambitions are reasonable or not. All that matters is US hegemony over the world.

Clearly, relations are reaching a dangerous level. The Russian message has repeatedly been, Stop, before its too late, yet Washington has reacted by stepping up its threat of hegemony. If the major powers do not call time out, world war could easily be on the horizon. Yet, incredibly, it appears that the Russian press conference has received zero coverage in the West. No British, French, German or US television network has made a single comment. As eager as the Russians have been to get the word out as to their concerns, there has been a complete blackout of reporting in the West.

Russia Insider has published an article on the internet [http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/russias-had-enough-no-more-business-usual-us-eu/ri12548], but little else appears to be available.

Today, the internet allows us to tap into information from every country in the world. Both official and non-official versions are available, if we know where to find them. And for those who have the time to do so, and take the time to do so, its possible to stay abreast of The Big Picture, although, admittedly, its a major undertaking to do so.

Separating the wheat from the chaff is the greatest difficulty in this pursuit; however, as events unfold, a trend is being revealed  that the world is becoming divided with regard to information. In most of the world, theres an expanse of available information, but, increasingly, the US, EU and their allies are revealing a pattern of information removal. Whatever does not fit the US/EU position on events never reaches the public.

A half-century ago, this was the case in the USSR, China and several smaller countries where tyranny had so taken hold that all news was filtered. The people of these countries had a limited understanding as to what was truly occurring in the world, particularly with regard to their own leaders actions on the world stage.

However, in recent decades, that tyranny has dissipated to a great degree and those countries that had been isolationist with regard to public information are now opening up more and more. Certainly, their governments still prefer that their Press provide reporting thats favourable to the government, but the general direction has been toward greater openness.

Conversely, the West  that group of countries that was formerly called the Free World - has increasingly been going in the opposite direction. The media have been fed an ever-narrower version of what their governments have been up to internationally.

The overall message thats received by the Western public is, essentially that there are good countries (the US, EU and allies), and bad countries, whose governments and peoples seek to destroy democracy. Western propaganda has it that they will not stop until theyve reached your home and robbed you of all your freedoms.

The view from outside this cabal is a very different one. The remainder of the world view the invasions by US-led forces (Afghanistan, Tunisia, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Egypt, Syria, etc.) as a bid for world dominance. In examining the Wolfowitz Doctrine, this would seem to be exactly correct.

This is not to say, however, that the people of the NATO countries are entirely on-board with this aggression. In fact, if they were allowed to know the ultimate objective of the NATO aggression, its entirely likely that they would oppose it.

And, of course, thats exactly the point of the blackout. A country, or group of countries that seeks peace and fair competition, with equal opportunity for all, need not resort to a media blackout. The average citizen, wherever he may live, generally seeks only to be allowed to live in freedom and to get on with his life. Whilst every country has its General Pattons, its Napoleons, its Wolfowitzes, who are socipathically obsessive over world domination, the average individual does not share this pathology.

Therefore, whenever we observe a nation (or nations) creating a media blackout, we can be assured of two things.

First, the nation has, at some point been taken over (either through election, appointment, or a combination of the two) by leaders who are a danger to the citizenry and that they are now so entrenched that they have little opposition from those remaining few higher-ups who would prefer sanity.

Second, the sociopathic goals of those in power are a clear and present danger to the peace and well-being of the population.

In almost all such cases, the blackout causes the population to go willingly along, each time their leaders make another advance toward warfare. They may understand that they will be directly impacted and worry about the possible outcome, but, historically, they tend to put on the uniform and pick up the weapon when the time comes to serve the country.

Trouble is, this by no means serves the country. It serves leaders who have become a danger to the country. The people themselves are the country. It is they, not their leaders who will go off to battle and it is they who will pay the price of their leaders zeal for domination.

Jeff Thomas, Feature Writer for Doug Caseys International Man

email: jeff.thomas1066@gmail.com

Jeff Thomas is British and resides in the Caribbean. The son of an economist and historian, he learned early to be distrustful of governments as a general principle. Although he spent his career creating and developing businesses, for eight years, he penned a weekly newspaper column on the theme of limiting government. He began his study of economics around 1990, learning initially from Sir John Templeton, then Harry Schulz and Doug Casey and later others of an Austrian persuasion. He is now a regular feature writer for Casey Researchs International Man and Strategic Wealth Preservation in the Cayman Islands.
(Kitco News) - Embracing new technology and innovation can pay off big in the mining sector, just ask one Quebec company that won $500,000 to breathe new life into a decommissioned mine.

SGS Geostat, a resource estimation service based in Quebec City, was in the spotlight at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada conference earlier this week for winning Integra Gold Corps Gold Rush Challenge.

The Gold Rush Challenge, was a the collimation of a year-long crowd sourcing experiment used to analyze 75 years worth of geophysical and historical drilling data to produce potential exploration targets throughout Integras Sigma/Lamaque project in Val-d'Or, Quebec

SGS was one of the five submissions that presented its plan to a panel of mining experts Sunday evening. SGSs presentation used a combination of geophysical data, computer learning technology and virtual three-dimensional modelling to highlight potential exploration targets.

It was the last two techniques that captured the attention of the crowd at PDAC 2016, and was a complete shot in the dark for SGS.

This was new technology for the sector. We didnt know what we were going to get when we applied the computer learning to the data, Doug Hatfield, technical manager of development at SGS.

Guy Desharnais, technical manager of geological services added that very quickly they realized they had something with the computer learning model. Not only was the technology able to sift through 6 terabytes of data but it helped to corroborate what the geophysical data was showing.

There was lots of data and our goal was to turn that data into actionable information, said Hatfield. It is a big property and there is the potential for another Lamaque-style deposit, he said.

The SGS team discovered 14 new targets for Integra Gold to explore, and Hatfield explained that new information can be imputed into the model to help narrow and focus the companys exploration.

Through the companys 3-D modeling program, geologists and mining experts can literally immerse themselves in the data and look at the potential deposits. However, it is not just SGS that deserves credit for computer learning. A team of geology students from Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique in Quebec City and The University of British Columbia, -- named the Data Miners -- also made it to the top five with their submission that used computer learning technology to pinpoint exploration targets. The Data Miners came in second place, winning $150,000.

As for Integra Gold, they are thrilled with the results from their crowd sourcing initiative and will incorporate the new information in their business and exploration plans.

Stephen de Jong, CEO and President of Integra Gold, said that the Gold Rush Challenge complete surpassed the companys expectations. He added that they originally bought the Sigma/Lamaque property in 2014 for the Mill and the data was secondary.

We currently have a fairly extensive exploration project going on in our Triangle Zone, which is about two kilometers from the Lamaque mill, he said. We just didnt have time to play around with all the data that we got but we wanted to see what was there so we turned to crowd sourcing.

In total, more than 1,300 groups from 85 countries submitted more than 100 exploration plans for the Gold Rush Challenge. A lot of credit goes to Quebec, not only did two Quebec submissions make it to the top five but they also incorporated computer learning technology, said de Jong.I think this shows that there is an opportunity to bring in technology in a way that works with the physical geological data we collect.

Of the other submissions that made it to the top five  the Goldcrushers came away with third place and $80,000, geologist Paul Pearson won $50,000 for fourth place and GoldRX won fifth and $50,000.

Integra Gold is not the first company to turn to crowd sourcing to analyse exploration data. In 2000, Rob McEwen, then CEO of Goldcorp created the Goldcorp Challenge, a world-wide initiative to find potential deposits at the companys Red Lake mine.

By Neils Christensen of Kitco News; nchristensen@kitco.com

Follow me on Twitter @neils_C
Stuff reports:

New Zealands 61-year-old adoption laws are discriminatory and outdated, according to a new ruling. A Human Rights Review Tribunal decision, which comes after two years of legal battles, has found the Adoption Act 1955 and the Adult Adoption Information Act 1985 contradicts the Human Rights Act and the Bill of Rights Act by discriminating against people based on sex, age, marital status and disability. The current law stops civil union partners or same-sex de facto couples from adopting. It also places restrictions on single men trying to adopt a female child and stops anyone under the age of 25 from adopting.

The law is badly out of date. Apart from all the arbitary restrictions (a married gay couple can adopt but a civil union straight couple can not), it was written in a time when almost all adoptions were to strangers. Today over 90% are not. Almost all modern adoptions happen despite the Act, not because of it.

It does need changing badly. The arbitrary criteria should be replaced with one over-riding criteria  the best interests of the child.

The next step was for the Minister of Justice to bring the declaration on inconsistencies to the attention of Parliament, which has the power to then change the law.

I know Kevin Hague and Nikki Kaye worked on a members bill to update the law. But Kevin doesnt have it in the ballot at the moment. It would be desirable for the Government to introduce a bill so there is certainty around Parliament considering this issue.

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If you're confused about how a caucus works, you certainly aren't alone.

Voters in the Gem State will gather together to vote in the Idaho Democratic Caucuses on March 22.

If you're a resident of Twin Falls County, the process starts at the Fine Arts Building on the College of Southern Idaho campus at 7 p.m.

Voters will gather in a room, where they'll each cast three votes throughout the night.

Sally Boynton Brown is the executive director of the Idaho Democratic Party, and helped to break down the process.

"You'll have a chance to talk to the people that are around you, you'll have a chance to hear from all of the candidates that are running that day and make your final decision. Everybody will vote during that first caucus round. Then we'll do that again," said Boynton Brown.

But before a second round of votes are cast, caucus-goers spend time campaigning for their respective candidates.

"People will campaign with each other and try to pull each other over to their side saying 'this is what I love about my candidate, I think you should vote for them' and then we'll caucus again and see if anybody changes their mind," stated Boynton Brown.

The last votes decide who will represent each candidate at the state convention in Boise this summer. In Idaho, every vote counts as caucuses are proportional, and not winner-take-all.

"Idaho is a proportional state, and so based on the number of votes, we'll split out the delegates that are available and get to go and represent each of those candidates," said Boynton Brown.

Idaho primaries and caucuses are open, meaning voters don't need to be affiliated with a party in order to participate.

"We really believe Idahoans are independent in nature and really private people at the end of the day, and don't need to tell government who they consider themselves to be affiliated with."

The Idaho Democratic Party asks that anyone planning on attending caucuses reserve their seat in advance to give the party an idea of how many people to expect, and to expedite the check-in process.

You can reserve your seat and see where to caucus at IdahoDems.org
In this 2012 file photo, Payne Avenue Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Richard Brown was expressing concerns about the market across the street from the church receiving a beer permit. The Knoxville Beer Board is considering changing distance requirements that keep from allowing beer sales close to churches and schools. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

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By Hugh G. Willett, Special to the News Sentinel

During a workshop Thursday, the Knoxville Beer Board debated whether it makes sense to maintain distance restrictions on establishments serving beer when state regulations can make the city's rules moot.

City-issued beer permits require establishments to be at least 300 feet from any church, school, day care, hospital or funeral home, measured building line to building line. Off-premise permits require 50 feet of distance.

The ordinance, which was implemented in 1962, exempts businesses in the downtown area.

Applicants that are inside the minimum distance are often informed by the board that they can apply for a state liquor-by-the-drink license, which would include beer and liquor. The state permit has no distance restrictions.

Board chair Brenda Palmer said she was looking to find a consensus on the distance issue and several other issues related to the application for a beer license.

Board member George Wallace questioned whether it made any sense to tell applicants that there were rules regarding distance, only to then inform them that by paying several thousand dollars to the state they could find a loophole.

Wallace also pointed out that these days churches are found in places such as shopping centers and close to businesses such as restaurants.

"To keep consistent, our rules ought to reflect what the state rules are," he said.

Board member Nick Pavlis said that any changes would require outreach to the community, including the schools, hospitals and churches that might be affected.

"I can't imagine we're not going to get some pushback," he said.

The purpose of the ordinance was to maintain some sort of dignity and solemnness and to avoid conflict or unseemly conduct around the affected institutions, said board member Nick Della Volpe.

He said the move toward more mixed-use development makes it likely that businesses such as restaurants will find themselves closer to churches and day-care centers. He suggested that outreach to the institutions would be necessary before making a change.

Palmer suggested that a committee be formed to reach out to all constituencies including the churches, schools, bars and restaurants. The committee would report back in September.

"If we don't get input, we'll be opening a can of worms," she said.

Board member Marshall Stair cautioned that any such outreach might drum up opposition.

Wallace agreed that the outreach effort would likely kill the chance for making a change. He said he would not be in favor of the outreach committee.

Palmer suggested that perhaps it was better for someone on the board to make a motion to change the ordinance.

Pavlis said he would not support any change to the ordinance without gathering public input.

"People would be very angry with us," he said.

Palmer said that if the ordinance did come before the board, she would suggest that a public hearing be held.

The board discussed whether applicants for a license should have completed requirements such as the Tennessee Alcohol Seller/Server Knowledge (TASK) educational program and a background check before coming before the board.

Most board members who weighed in on the subject agreed that the educational classes could be completed before the permit is granted but not necessarily before coming before the board.

The records check, however is more subjective because the approval may hinge on the type of information contained in the applicant's criminal history, Wallace pointed out.

"If there is nothing on the records check, then it doesn't need to be evaluated," Pavlis said.

The board also discussed possible changes to the number of special events that could be conducted on a single permit. Currently, the law allows one event to be held over several days in a 12-month period.

Possible changes might allow as many as two three-day events to be held in a 12-month period under a single permit. Board attorney Rob Frost said he would draft an ordinance to that effect for future consideration by the board.
Donald Trump at the Knoxville Convention Center on November 16, 2015. (SAUL YOUNG/NEWS SENTINEL).

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By Carolyn Thompson, Associated Press

BUFFALO, New York  Ryan Lysek rose to become vice president of his fifth-grade class at Lorraine Academy in Buffalo, New York, after the sitting vice president was ousted for saying things that went against the school's anti-bullying rules. So the 10-year-old is a little puzzled that candidates running to lead the entire country can get away with name-calling and foul language.

The nasty personal tweets and sound bites of the 2016 Republican presidential campaign are reverberating in classrooms, running counter to the anti-bullying policies that have emerged in recent years amid several high-profile suicides.

For teacher David Arenstam's high school class in Saco, Maine, the campaign has been one long civics lesson: "Can you really ban a whole group of people from coming into the country?" the students will ask, or "What's the KKK (the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan), and do they still really exist?"

But mostly, Arenstam said, when it comes to Republican Donald Trump, students "can't believe nobody calls him on the carpet the way that they would be called on the carpet if they said those things."

There's Donald Trump calling Ted Cruz a "loser" and a "liar" and singling out Muslims and Mexicans for criticism. And there's Marco Rubio mocking Trump's "worst spray tan in America" and calling him a "con artist."

Cruz says nearly every day on the campaign trail, "I don't respond to insults" and he has been careful not to engage when Trump and others call him names. But during the Jan. 28 Republican debate which Trump didn't attend, it was Cruz who made some quasi-insults he said Trump would have lobbed: "Let me say I'm a maniac and everyone on this stage is stupid, fat and ugly," Cruz said, snickering that he was getting "the Donald Trump portion out of the way."

Last week, Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, jumped into the fray, branding Trump "a phony, a fraud."

"Imagine your children and your grandchildren acting the way he does," Romney said. "Would you welcome that?"

In the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have focused more on policy than on each other. The Republican race is a different story.

"If students are following this election  and they should be  we have a lot of re-educating to do," Buffalo school administrator Will Keresztes said. Much of the rhetoric would violate not only the district's code of conduct, he said, but the state's Dignity for All Students Act.

This is not the first campaign to get ugly, but educators, parents and students say this one is particularly challenging because often the biggest applause lines and headline-grabbers fly in the face of appeals for students be respectful and kind.

Pickerington, Ohio, school counselor Kris Owen said students should be reminded that potential colleges and employers won't find a Twitter feed full of insults as amusing as some have found the candidates'. She suggested using the comments as conversation starters.

"Say, 'Listen, how would you feel if someone was saying these things about you? How could this person approach it differently or why don't you all develop your own campaigns using positive tools instead of the negativity?"' said Owen, who was recognized at the White House last month as a School Counselor of the Year finalist.

Candidates "need to think of what's important, the issues, not whether one gets a spray tan. It's just ridiculous," Ryan Lysek's mother, Cindy Lysek, said.

Associated Press reporter Will Weissert in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.
Susan Alexander/News Sentinel Kathy DeWine is a West Knoxville resident and a secular member of the Order of Discalced Carmelites. Knoxville is home to the only Carmelite Secular Order in Tennessee, though a group in Chattanooga is in the years-long process of discerning whether to form.

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By Susan Alexander of the Knoxville News Sentinel

Kathy DeWine prefers silence.

A west Knoxville resident, wife and mother of grown children, DeWine interacts with her family and community as we all do. But given the opportunity, she chooses silence and prayer, as her religious order prescribes.

DeWine is a secular member of the Order of Discalced Carmelites. Though most people conjure images of cloistered nuns in shadowed convents when they think of Carmelites, the order also includes secular members like DeWine and 21 other Knoxville-area men and women. The Community of the Transfiguration, as the Knoxville group is called, has been organized for 13 years. It is the only Carmelite Secular Order in Tennessee, though a group is Chattanooga is in the years-long process of discerning whether to form. Nationwide there are more than 6,000 secular members of the order.

A lifelong Catholic, DeWine attends Mass daily and spends about two hours each day in prayer.

"It's often in stillness and silence that I understand that God is speaking to me," DeWine says. "It's often hearing a word in a reading or in journaling that I come to know God and myself."

DeWine says that even as a child she was "an oddball. I had a way of being in the world that didn't fit." Her son, she says, kids her that she can find spiritual significance in everything. Entering the Discalced Carmelites at age 61 allowed her to be her truest self, she says, and to honor her gift for "spiritual friendship."

She defines that as being a thoughtful listener who keeps confidences and responds to people with love and care. "It's something that comes so naturally and easily to me, and it calls out the best in me," she said.

"As a Discalced Carmelite (discalced means barefoot and comes from their founder St. Teresa of Avila's emphasis on the practice of material poverty for the love of God), I've made a promise to God, the order and the community to live the life I'm called to live and to be faithful."

She also serves the order as a provincial council member and visits other secular communities three or four times a year to observe their meetings, formation and community life and advise them on any concerns they might have.

The Carmelite order has its roots in the 11th century, when pilgrims traveled to Mount Carmel to live a life of prayer and penance. In 1562 Saint Teresa founded a new style of Carmelite community in Avila, Spain  the discalced order  so that women could contribute to the life of the Church as contemplatives devoted to prayer. Men would soon join the reformed order as friars. Secular members were added in 1699.

The Knoxville community gathers once a month for a meeting, social time and silent prayer and has a silent retreat led by a Discalced Carmelite friar every spring in Maggie Valley, N.C. Members come from all walks of life and include both working people and retirees. The process of becoming a fully professed member takes about six years.

The Secular Camerlite Order concentrates on the practice of prayer, says an article by Anthony Morello, O.C.D. "The Order accordingly wants to teach each member how to pray well: how to say vocal prayers with real presence to words and sentiments; how to meditate on the Word of God, ; how to move into effective rapport with God and simple company-keeping; and how in dry-bones aridity to merely desire God in the stillness of faith and trust, knowing that God's ways are not ours."

DeWine finds her vocation summed up in a quote from the Discalced Carmelite nuns in Little Rock, Ark.: "When we cultivate friendship with Jesus Christ, there opens up within a whole new dimension of life, one of infinite depth and meaning. We truly find Him within us where He patiently waits to be discovered. The intimacy we have with Jesus is closer than any other intimacy ever could be. He is always in the place where we receive life. In prayer we find the meaning of our life, and it is a meaning continually discovered."
Convicted Job Corps killer Christa Gail Pike returns to Knox County Criminal Court on Jan. 29, 2007, for a second chance at appealing her conviction. Her mother, Carissa Hansen of Texas, testified about Pike's difficult childhood, including her premature birth, marijuana and cocaine use and abortion. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL)

By Jamie Satterfield of the Knoxville News Sentinel

Christa Gail Pike might not have had a legal dream team when she was sent to death row two decades ago, but with proof of guilt high and the bar for constitutionally competent counsel low, her conviction and death sentence should stand, a federal judge ruled Friday.

U.S. District Judge Harry S. Mattice Jr. rejected Pike's bid to escape her fate in the 1995 killing of a romantic rival at a now-defunct Knoxville job training program for troubled youth. Not only did Mattice, in a 61-page opinion made public Friday, shoot down her challenge to her conviction and death sentence, but he refused to grant permission for an appeal to the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

Related: U.S. District Judge Harry S. Mattice Jr.'s ruling in the appeal of death row inmate Christa Gail Pike

In theory, Mattice's ruling would shut the door on the case and open the death chamber for Pike nearly 21 years after Colleen Slemmer was killed in a lengthy, torturous attack in which a pentagram was carved in her chest and a piece of her skull taken by Pike as a trophy.

But Pike's current attorneys likely will ask the federal appeals court and the U.S. Supreme Court for review anyway, even if the odds of success are as slim as Mattice contends.

Pike was 18 and infatuated with 17-year-old Job Corps student Tadaryl Shipp in January 1995 when Shipp tossed in her face that Slemmer, 19, had romantic designs on him.

Pike, testimony has shown, enlisted the aid of Shipp and 18-year-old Shadolla Peterson to exact revenge, luring Slemmer to a secluded spot at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture campus. Once there, Slemmer was beaten, sliced with a box cutter and meat cleaver and then bludgeoned to death with a rock. A pentagram was carved on her chest while she was still alive. Pike saved a piece of her skull as a souvenir.

Shipp, too young to be put to death, is serving a life sentence. Peterson, who turned snitch, walked away with probation. Pike was sentenced to die.

After years of unsuccessful legal challenges in the state court system, Pike in 2012 turned to federal court as her last resort. Assistant Federal Defender Stephen A. Ferrell listed a host of arguments that Pike's constitutional rights were violated in the 1996 trial in Knox County Criminal Court and its penalty phase and that those violations were ignored by Tennessee's appellate courts.

But the central issue in each of those claims was whether Pike's attorneys at her trial  Bill Talman and Julie Rice  so failed her as to offend the constitutional guarantee of the right to counsel. The seminal ruling by which such a complaint is judged is a 1984 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Strickland v. Washington, that set out the standards by which attorney performance should be assessed on appeal.

Mattice summed it up this way: "Strickland does not guarantee perfect representation, only a reasonably competent attorney."

To be successful on appeal under Strickland, a defendant must show not only that attorneys were incompetent but also that better attorneys with the same facts could have gotten a better outcome.

Pike, the judge concluded, failed on both counts.

"This is not a case where (Pike's) conviction was only weakly supported by the record," Mattice wrote. "Most of the evidence that (Pike) claims was not presented by counsel was presented in some form during either the guilt or penalty phase, perhaps just not in as comprehensive a way as (Pike) contends it should have been. Regardless, (she) cannot meet her burden of showing prejudice."

Mattice noted Tennessee courts had already decided against Pike in most of her arguments with the work of her trial attorneys, which ranged from failing to fully explore mental health claims to trying to convince jurors to spare her life so she couldn't revel in the notoriety of a death sentence.

Pike's trek through the state court system has been especially lengthy.

She had lost her first round of state appeals and returned to Criminal Court for round two when she suddenly announced a change of heart, insisting she wanted to abandon her legal battle and die at the hands of the state. Less than a month later, she changed her mind again, prompting a new round of appeals. Ultimately, the Tennessee Supreme Court sided with Pike's defenders. Back to Criminal Court she went.

A year of hearings followed in which her new team of defense attorneys attacked her trial attorney as incompetent and mounted a legal campaign to show Pike suffered all manner of mental illness, including brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. Judge Mary Beth Leibowitz rejected the arguments.

In April 2011, the state Court of Criminal Appeals backed Leibowitz's ruling, and the state's high court refused to give her another hearing. Her appeal to U.S. District Court followed.

In that 20-year span, Pike has managed to continue to rack up criminal convictions and charges from death row. She was convicted in 2004 of attempted first-degree murder in an attack three years earlier on Knoxville convicted killer Patricia Jones.

Like Slemmer, Jones was a romantic rival believed by Pike to be vying for the affections of Pike's prison lover, another female killer.

In 2012, Pike was accused of using her romantic wiles to convince a New Jersey man and a male guard at the Tennessee Prison for Women to hatch a plan to break her out. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation foiled the plot, and the men were arrested.

Explore Christa Gail Pike cases in depth:

Mother of Christa Gail Pike's slaying victim outraged over for-profit website

Killer Christa Gail Pike asks fed court to block her execution

Court must determine how long witness has been lying

Story of the skull: Christa Gail Pike still on death row

PHOTOS: Christa Gail Pike: Only woman on Tennessee's death row

Rejected appeal for Pike revealing

Judge denies Job Corps killer Pike's appeal

Appellate court rejects Christa Gail Pike's appeal in attempted murder case

Relationship issue for Pike's defense

Psychiatrist: Pike sees herself as a leopard, as a puppy

Pike weeps as she relives her murder confession

Hearing for convicted Job Corps killer Pike resumes

Pike wins shot at appeal - Court: Death row inmates can change minds about hastening execution

Final death-row appeal of Christa Gail Pike delayed again

Ex-lover says he lied about Pike's involvement in Job Corps killing

Fame on Death Row - Now that James Earl Ray's dead, Christa Gail Pike takes the media spotlight

Mom still waiting for skull of daughter Colleen Slemmer

Mother reunited with daughter's skull, bones during Pike hearing

Expert testifies to Pike's mood swings

Christa Pike's appeal of death sentence falls short

Judge to rule in coming weeks on Christa Gail Pike's attempted murder conviction

iller to killer - Ringleader in torture-slaying corresponds with Satan-worshipping murderer

Judge may release 1995 murder victim's skull to family - Mother wants all remains buried together

Convicted killer writes she wants to end her appeals

Pike gets death row in Job Corps slaying

Pike cries as victim's wounds are described

Psychologist testifies at murderer's appeal hearing

Victim begged for life as killer panicked, tape says

Judge grants Pike's emotional plea to die - Convicted killer sentenced to be executed on Aug. 19

Judge stays on Pike case

Slemmer's kin satisfied by Pike verdict

Skull enters in Job Corps trial

Job Corps coed enters plea

Prosecutors to seek death penalty in Job Corps student slaying case

Trusting others too much cost Colleen Slemmer her life

Slaying suspect, 17, will be tried as adult grisly tale of Job Corps victim's death told at hearing

Voice urged slaying, suspect in Job Corps murder tells police

Job Corps student claims classmate planned murder says after act, she bragged

4 accused in slayings of Job Corps student, molest suspect indicted

3 teens charged in slaying; Job Corps romantic triangle cited in torture killing

Alleged killers held 'soul captive' piece of skull tied to occult events at Job Corps

Satanic links revealed in slaying pentagram carved on victim's chest
By News Sentinel Staff

KNOXVILLE  Police are looking for a man who robbed a Home Federal Bank of Tennessee on Friday morning.

About 9:30 a.m., police responded to a bank robbery at Home Federal Bank of Tennessee, 2940 South Mall Road.

The robber left with an undetermined amount of money and a red currency dye pack was activated when the robber left the bank, according to police.

Police said the robber is a heavyset white man, approximately 6-foot, 2-inches tall or 6-foot, 3-inches, thought to be in his mid-40s, and has a mole on his right cheek. He drove a black or dark blue 2015 Toyota Camry, according to police.

The robbery is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force, comprised of the FBI, Knoxville Police Department, Knox County Sheriff's Office and the Knoxville Police Department's Violent Crime Unit.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Knoxville FBI Office at 865-544-0751 or the Knoxville Police Department at 865-215-7212.

More details as they develop online and in Saturday's News Sentinel.
Bearden Middle School eighth-graders Jacinda Huff, center, and Katie Bowser, right, work painting bowls Friday, March 11, 2016 as part of a project with Second Harvest Food Bank to help hungry kids in their community. The Empty Bowls event on March 28 will raise money for backpacks of food that students take home each weekend to bridge the gap between Friday lunch and Monday breakfast. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL)

SHARE Ana Bruce, 13, and her Bearden Middle School eighth-grade classmates paint bowls Friday, March 11, 2016 as part of a project with Second Harvest Food Bank to help hungry kids in their community. The Empty Bowls event on March 28 will raise money for backpacks of food that students take home each weekend to bridge the gap between Friday lunch and Monday breakfast. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL) Cathy Fan, a Bearden Middle School eighth-grader, works on one of the bowls as part of a project with Second Harvest Food Bank to help hungry kids in their community Friday, March 11, 2016. The Empty Bowls event on March 28 will raise money for backpacks of food that students take home each weekend to bridge the gap between Friday lunch and Monday breakfast. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL) Cathy Fan, a Bearden Middle School eighth-grader, works on one of the bowls as part of a project with Second Harvest Food Bank to help hungry kids in their community Friday, March 11, 2016. The Empty Bowls event on March 28 will raise money for backpacks of food that students take home each weekend to bridge the gap between Friday lunch and Monday breakfast. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL) Some of the finished bowls done by Bearden Middle School eighth-grade students as part of a project with Second Harvest Food Bank to help hungry kids in their community Friday, March 11, 2016. The Empty Bowls event on March 28 will raise money for backpacks of food that students take home each weekend to bridge the gap between Friday lunch and Monday breakfast. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL)

By Lydia X. McCoy of the Knoxville News Sentinel

Before beginning the glazing process, Elisabeth Bernard used a coloring pencil to go over a portion of the Salvador Dali design in the bottom of her bowl one more time.

"I think the teachers have done a really great job of getting the students involved. You feel like you're helping and chipping in and you're making a difference," said the Bearden Middle School eighth-grader.

"Whoever gets the bowl, each one is different, it's unique and every time they look at that bowl, they're going to be reminded of the event and the cause of the event."

Eighth-grade students at Bearden Middle School have partnered with the Second Harvest Food Bank to help hungry children in the community  particularly at their school.

Since January, students have been designing and decorating bowls in preparation of their Empty Bowls event, which will raise money for backpacks of food that students can take home each weekend to bridge the gap between Friday lunch and Monday breakfast. Their goal is raise enough dollars to support 100 students.

At the event, which is at 8 p.m. March 28 at the school, participants will receive a simple meal served in the bowls that eighth-grade students designed and decorated  each bowl contains at least one starfish in reference to the Starfish parable. Guests will then get to keep the bowl as a reminder of childhood hunger and their contribution to making a difference.

Julie Langley, an English teacher at Bearden Middle School working with students on the project, said she is always looking for ways to expand her student's audience. This year she had students participate in a photo essay contest through the nonprofit No Kid Hungry.

"It ended up being situation when I started getting essays in of personal stories of hunger," she said. "Then it wasn't just a photojournalism essay contest anymore. There was just something that said this is unacceptable."

That's when she got students involved and the idea for the fundraiser was born.

"We have 44 confirmed sixth-grade students who are currently being sponsored by Second Harvest so they're getting assistance for themselves and all children in the household  what about our seventh- and eighth-graders?" Langley said.

"We have done some things on the small scale certainly, but it hasn't been an organized effort that can really make the impact that we're getting ready to make."

Langley said she also wants students to understand the impact of leaving a legacy.

Eighth-grader Olivia Sanderson said participating in the fundraiser makes her want to do even more.

"I can see how much of a difference it can make," she said. "If we didn't have free breakfast and free lunch, about 55 percent of our students would be getting (these backpacks), so that just shows how  this project can really help a lot of our students."
Left to right, University of Tennessee freshman Jacob Sides, video production specialist Clint Elmore and assistant professor of journalism Nick Geidner film in the hallway of the Communications building on campus for the documentary "Reaching Recovery" Wednesday, March 2, 2016. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

By Kristi L. Nelson of the Knoxville News Sentinel

Thursday night at Knox County Health Department, about 200 people heard women who used opiates during pregnancy tell their own stories.

Metro Drug Coalition co-sponsored the premiere of the half-hour documentary "Reaching for Recovery: Pregnancy and Addiction in East Tennessee," a film by University of Tennessee journalism professor Nick Geidner and journalism students.

See the film: Landgrantfilms.org/reaching

Geidner said he hoped the film "covers the basics" of pregnancy and addiction while also illustrating that "this is a complex problem that cuts across society. And it can't likely be fixed with a single punitive law," a reference to Senate Bill 1391, which allows prosecution of women whose babies are born drug-dependent. The state Legislature is currently discussing whether to let the law expire in July, or to make it permanent.

Related: Detoxing for delivery: Facing medical challenges, judgment and sometimes jail

From time to time, women speaking in the film elicited murmurs of agreement, shock or disapproval from the audience. Even a technical glitch that stalled the film midway through and compromised the sound failed to distract those watching.

Most of the audience stayed for at least the first part of a panel discussion with experts featured in the film: Knox County Health Department director Dr. Martha Buchanan; Metro Drug Coalition executive director Karen Pershing; Carla Saunders, a neonatal nurse practitioner who works at East Tennessee Children's Hospital; and Evan Sexton, program director for Renaissance Recovery Group, a West Knoxville treatment facility that specializes in pregnant women and new mothers with addiction issues.

The panel took questions submitted by the audience as well as online. Their answers addressed the link between addiction and abuse or other trauma; the need for more resources and long-term follow-up care, especially for women on TennCare; the necessity of treating addiction as a lifelong chronic illness, rather than a simple choice; and the panel's perspective that drug replacement therapies like methadone or suboxone aren't a panacea.

"What I'm looking at is, 60 percent of the babies in our state, 60 percent of the babies in our NICU are withdrawing from a prescribed replacement medication," Saunders said. "To the baby, to its brain, it doesn't matter where that opiate came from. A lot of moms don't understand that what they're taking is an opiate."

Pershing said addressing addiction will require a "culture change."

"We've bought into this notion we should never feel pain, we should never feel anxious, we should never feel sad," she said.

She also urged parents to talk to teenagers, and to make sure prescriptions in the home are not accessible to teens or children.

"How would you store a loaded gun?" Pershing said. "We need to take it that serious."

Buchanan said the human cost and financial toll make the drug abuse epidemic a community-wide problem. Part of the solution is taking about it, both to reduce the stigma against seeking help and to "have those difficult conversations."

"Almost all of us in this audience have somebody in our lives who has been affected by addiction," Buchanan said. "The data backs that up."
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By Michael Collins of the Knoxville News Sentinel

WASHINGTON  Karen Pershing sees a lot of encouraging signs coming out of the federal government in the fight against heroin addiction and prescription drug abuse.

In an unusual display of bipartisanship in a divisive election year, the U.S. Senate voted 94-1 Thursday to pass a bill that will boost state and local programs that provide services for Americans dealing with heroin addiction and the abuse of opioid painkillers.

"It's a very significant piece of legislation in the battle against prescription drug abuse and creating an opportunity for an expansion of addiction treatment services in the country," said Pershing, executive director of the Metropolitan Drug Coalition, which provides substance abuse prevention services in Knoxville.

The legislation is making its way through Congress at the same time that President Barack Obama's administration has been calling attention to the opioid epidemic.

Obama called for new initiatives to deal with the opioid crisis in his State of the Union address back in January and, two days later, sent his top drug-policy adviser to Knoxville for a town forum on preventing drug abuse and heroin addiction.

$94M Awarded to Health Centers

On Friday, the administration announced it is awarding $94 million to 271 health centers across the country to help them fight the opioid epidemic. The money will be used to hire more service providers, improve treatment services and make them available to more patients.

More than $10 million will be distributed to eight southeastern states, including Tennessee, that have been hit particularly hard by the epidemic. Recipients include Knoxville-based Cherokee Health Systems, which will get $325,000.

"This is an issue where we all share common ground," said Dr. Pamela Roshell, regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In the Senate, the bipartisan bill that passed overwhelmingly last week seeks to expand prevention and educational efforts to help curtail prescription drug abuse and promote treatment and recovery.

The legislation would create grants to bolster state and local programs, expand disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications to keep them out of the hands of children and adolescents, and expand the availability of naloxone to law-enforcement agencies and other first responders. The drug is used to counter the effects of an overdose and can help save lives.

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, who chairs the Senate committee that oversees health issues, called the legislation "an important first step towards helping states and local communities address this complex problem."

"It's important to remember that behind these numbers there are very real human beings whose lives are cut short due to this growing epidemic," the Maryville Republican said.

U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, a Chattanooga Republican who also supported the legislation, said the prescription drug abuse and heroin epidemic "is destroying lives and tearing apart families."

In 2014 alone, more than 28,000 drug overdose deaths involved some type of opioid, and 1,269 of those were in Tennessee, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state ranks third in the nation for prescription drug abuse and 12th for drug overdoses.

The Senate legislation, which now heads to the U.S. House, does not provide any new funding for the state and local grants. Pershing finds that worrisome, but said she's nevertheless encouraged to see Republicans and Democrats uniting to tackle the problem.

"It seems to really have become a nonpartisan issue," she said. "It's always great when you see it discussed on both sides of the aisle, because that's what it takes to get things moving."

Lack of access to treatment facilities has been a serious problem in East Tennessee, Pershing said.

"It's critical that we have expanded access to treatment in order to get people who are ready to go into recovery into a program in a timely manner," she said. "We're seeing significant increases in drug overdoses that are both prescription- and heroin-related. If people are having to wait nine and 10 months to get into a treatment program, they are at huge risk of two things happening: Either they end up in jail or prison. Or they end up dead of an overdose."

The bipartisan focus on the epidemic is important not only because of the resources the federal government can provide, Pershing said, but also because of the message it sends.

"There has been a lot of stigma for years around addiction and substance abuse," she said. "The more everyone is engaged in the conversation and is talking about it, it reduces the stigma. And, also, there's a realization that it is a disease, and we need to treat it as such."
University of Tennessee assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering Jon Hathaway installs a weather sensor in a Knoxville neighborhood in an undated photograph. He is part of a team of researchers who are trying to shed new light on climate change by examining the effect trees have on neighborhood microclimates. The sensors measure temperature, humidity and wind speed, with an upgrade coming that will record ozone and other air pollutants. Eventually, Knoxville residents may be able to call up neighborhood weather data to determine when conditions are healthy for outdoor physical activity, or when is the best time to bring plants indoors. (UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL)

SHARE University of Tennessee assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering Jon Hathaway installs a weather sensor on Gay Street in an undated photograph. He is part of a team of researchers who are trying to shed new light on climate change by examining the effect trees have on neighborhood microclimates. The sensors measure temperature, humidity and wind speed, with an upgrade coming that will record ozone and other air pollutants. Eventually, Knoxville residents may be able to call up neighborhood weather data to determine when conditions are healthy for outdoor physical activity, or when is the best time to bring plants indoors. (UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL)

By Morgan Simmons of the Knoxville News Sentinel

A team of researchers at the University of Tennessee are going neighborhood to neighborhood to shed new light on climate change.

For the past two years an interdisciplinary team of UT researchers have been collecting data such as temperature, humidity, and wind speed from sensors mounted on power poles throughout four Knoxville neighborhoods  Lonsdale, Burlington, West Hills and Vestal  as well as downtown Gay Street and Ijams Nature Center.

Represented in the study are UT researchers from the departments of geography, social work, and civil and environmental engineering. They're examining the effect trees have on neighborhood microclimates, as well as the social and economic impact extremes in summer heat and winter cold have on residents of diverse Knoxville neighborhoods.

Kelsey Ellis, assistant professor of geography, and her collaborators began with the premise that poorer neighborhoods usually have fewer trees, thus exposing residents to more extreme heat.

They found that while trees keep neighborhoods cooler during the day, the effect is lost at night as dark paved surfaces emit heat absorbed during the day.

The researchers also discovered that while trees have a cooling effect on urban neighborhoods, they also can make the heat index (heat plus humidity) higher because of the increased moisture level in the soil and grass. So while verdant neighborhoods like West Hills might have lower temperatures in the summer, the heat index could actually be higher due to the abundant greenery.

In addition to temperature, humidity and wind speed, the next round of sensors will be equipped to record ozone and other air pollutants. Eventually, Knoxville residents may be able to call up their neighborhood weather data to determine when conditions are healthy for outdoor physical activity, or when is the best time to bring plants indoors.

"We ultimately want to do more than many microclimate studies by applying our results," said Ellis. "We want to improve conditions in more vulnerable neighborhoods and inform residents of their potential risks, and what they should do about it."

As part of the study, Knoxville residents were asked how extreme weather affected the basic fabric of their lives  everything from higher utility bills to how they interacted with their neighbors.

Lisa Reyes Mason, assistant professor of social work, said a goal of the study is to gain better insight into the social conditions people are experiencing when confronted with changes in their neighborhood microclimates.

"When it's about sea levels rising or ice sheets melting, climate change can feel far away," Mason said. "We hope that by helping people to see how these climate events also are happening here, they can connect locally, and in the long run be more engaged with climate change as an international issue."
Former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson shakes hands with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, after announcing he will endorse Trump during a news conference at the Mar-A-Lago Club, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

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By The Associated Press

PALM BEACH, Florida (AP)  Former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson says he and Donald Trump have "buried the hatchet" after months of political wrangling, and he is endorsing the GOP front-runner's White House bid.

At a news conference in Palm Beach on Friday, Carson, who left the race earlier this month, described "two Donald Trumps"  the persona reflected on stage, and a private, "very cerebral" person who "considers things carefully."

In his introduction to Carson Friday, Trump described the retired neurosurgeon as a "special, special person  special man," and a "friend" who is respected by everyone.

Carson warned that it is "extremely dangerous" when political parties attempt to "thwart the will of the people," and urged politicians to "strengthen the nation," rather than create divisions.
ATV riders line up for the start of the "Bubba Hunt" on April 23, 2005, at the Coal Creek OHV Area, which is now called Windrock Park. Over 300 participants from 9 states took part in the ride. Photo by Tommy Rhea / Windrock ATV Club

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By News Sentinel Staff

People on ATVs in Rocky Top soon may have a little more room to roam after the Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill extending the territory on which ATVs can drive.

The legislation would amend current law allowing all-terrain vehicles to ride on U.S. 25W in Rocky Top from the intersection of Colonial Lane to the intersection at Jacksboro Avenue.

Gov. Bill Haslam is expected to sign the bill into law on July 1.

"Current legislation allows for ATVs to be operated on State Route 116 from Beech Grove to Highway 25," Rocky Top Mayor Mike Lovely said in a news release. "This amendment would extend the riding area and allow riders from Windrock Park to access the commerce area of Rocky Top."

Windrock Park is the largest privately-owned off-road recreation area in the country, the release said, with more than 72,000 acres including off-highway vehicle trails, hiking trails and mountain biking trails. It is also home to the Buffalo Mountain Wind Farm.

"Thousands of people visit Windrock Park every year," Anderson County Tourism Council Director Stephanie Wells said in the release. "This will allow those visitors to come into the city of Rocky Top, buy gas, eat at restaurants, stay at the hotels, etc., without having to reload their equipment."

Riders will also have access to Norris Freeway/U.S. 441 from U.S. 25W to the intersection at 167 Boling Road and Railroad Avenue. That intersection gives riders access to property owned by the city of Rocky Top, where the city plans to provide parking.

Rocky Top city officials are working to passing an ordinance on safety requirements and procedures for riding through town and onto commercial properties," according to the release.

"Our first priority is safety of our citizens and our visitors," Rocky Top Police Chief Jim Shetterly said.

"People wishing to ride in town will have to register and receive a permit. They will also be required to follow all safety requirements."

For more information: 865-426-2838 or mfoster@cityofrockytoptn.com.
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Prohibiting the sending and receiving of text messages while driving a school bus should be one of those no-brainer issues that doesn't need the force of a tough state law.

Nevertheless, after the fatal Knox County school bus crash in 2014 that took the lives of two children and a teacher's assistant, the call for stronger punishment for those violating this prohibition was entirely expected and justified  and is being fulfilled.

A bill sponsored by state Sen. Becky Duncan Massey, R-Knoxville, increases the penalty for violating the law. The measure sailed through the Senate this week on a 32-0 vote. A version in the House is sponsored by Rep. Eddie Smith, R-Knoxville, and is awaiting review in the House Finance Committee since the bill carries a note for an estimated $5,800 regarding incarceration costs for violators.

Current law prohibits school bus drivers from using a mobile phone while the bus is in motion and transporting children except in an emergency. The penalty for violating the current law is a Class C misdemeanor that carries a $50 fine.

Massey's bill specifies that as of July 1, 2016, a school bus driver convicted of violating the law will be subject to at least 30 days in jail and face a fine of at least $1,000. In addition, the driver will receive a court order permanently barring him or her from operating a school bus in Tennessee.

The bill also adds a list of electronic devices and stipulates that no driver can use one while operating a school bus with one or more child on board while the bus is in motion or while it is stopped for loading and unloading.

The bill won unanimous approval in the Senate after Massey explained the circumstances that led to her proposing the measure: The fatal Knox County crash on Dec. 2, 2014.

Investigators concluded that the driver, who died of natural causes last year, was reading a text message when his speeding bus with 22 children on board crossed Asheville Highway in the rain and collided with another school bus carrying 18 children and the teacher's aide.

"The penalty in the current law," Massey said, "is clearly ineffective and inadequate to protect the safety of children."

Massey said the penalties in the new measure will "help ensure that such a tragedy which occurred in Knox County never happens again in Tennessee."

Texting or operating a mobile device might be part of a larger problem across the nation involving distracted driving. The Tennessee Department of Homeland Security said that distracted driving caused 21,024 traffic accidents across the state in 2014.

Even so, there should be zero tolerance for drivers of school buses using mobile devices while students are on board. While the law is clear, school systems are charged with making certain their school bus drivers understand the importance of putting their devices away because of the lives entrusted to them as well as the severity of the penalties for violating the law.

Like Massey, we hope that a tragedy like the one on Dec. 2, 2014, never again occurs in Knox County  or anywhere else in Tennessee, for that matter. The measure passed by the Senate helps move the state in that direction.
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When I moved to East Tennessee 19 years ago, I was relieved by the hospitable welcome I received. Thankfully, I learned quickly that there was a place for me in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains.

Recent events in our country and state, however, have made me question how just how welcoming we are. Super Tuesday revealed that many are attracted to the xenophobic and fear-mongering message of Donald Trump. By the end of the week, we were also reminded that such divisive political grandstanding is one of the signature characteristics of our state legislators as they released a broad attack on hospitality and acceptance by passing a bill to defund the Office for Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Tennessee Knoxville and passing a resolution that continues to denigrate the civil rights of non-heterosexual couples.

Looking back, I realize that the warm welcome I received was less a product of Southern hospitality than it was of disappointing exclusionary identity politics. I was accepted because I was a white, straight, Christian male. In other words, I was "one of us," not "one of them."

The Scriptures of my faith tradition have a hopeful antidote to such divisive and inhospitable practices and politics. The Greek word is philoxenia  the opposite of xenophobia  and can be translated "stranger-love." We often translate it as "hospitality," but what might our state and country look like if we learned this beautiful, life-giving practice of stranger-love? What if we no longer viewed people who may not share our skin color, sexual identification or religious beliefs as threats to our values, but rather as opportunities to express and demonstrate them? If those values include love, compassion and hospitality, wouldn't this build a beloved community? But what instead will we create when our values express hostility, fear and judgment?

Dave McNeely, Jefferson City
12:34 p.m. March 11, 2016

Home Federal Bank seeks Hometown Heroes nominations







Home Federal Bank has launched its sixth Hometown Heroes community service awards program. The program honors outstanding community volunteers who make East Tennessee a more comfortable place for all of us.



Hometown Heroes has contributed $125,000 to nearly 40 area nonprofit organizations thus far.



Potential Hometown Heroes honorees include those who mentor children; support seniors; advocate for the most vulnerable; care for animals; expand the regions cultural opportunities; and serve in other ways to make East Tennessee a great place to live.



The Hometown Heroes program demonstrates there are many unsung heroes in our community, volunteers who passionately and consistently give of their time with little or no recognition, Home Federal Bank Chairman and CEO Dale Keasling said. Hometown Heroes awards celebrate these volunteers and provide a way for them to also financially support the nonprofits that inspire them to action.



Eight 2016 Hometown Heroes honorees will be recognized for volunteer work in the community. Seven will have $2,500 donations made in their names to their favorite nonprofits, and one overall honoree will have $5,000 donated in his or her name.



Last year, Home Federal Bank named Sevier County teen Madison Thomas as the 2015 overall honoree in recognition of her tireless service throughout the Sevierville community. The Sevier County Veterans Emergency Fund received a $5,000 donation from the bank in Thomas name.



Anyone may nominate a Hometown Hero. Nominations will be accepted through Friday, March 25, at 5 p.m. Full details and a nomination form are available for download at www.homefederalbanktn.com or can be picked up at any of the banks 23 offices in Knox, Anderson, Blount and Sevier counties. Honorees will be announced beginning in April.



Hometown Heroes reflects the heart of Home Federal Bank, Keasling said. As a hometown bank, we are invested in our community and welcome this opportunity to honor the people of East Tennessee who tirelessly give of themselves to make it an even better place.

Published March 11, 2016










By Choi Sung-jin



One of the most controversial issues in this shareholder meeting season is the eligibility of outside directors, business sources said Friday.



Some nonexecutive directors are former government officials who were responsible for checking corporate irregularities and still have some influence on their successors. Others have personal connections with top managers by coming from the same regions or schools, they said.



Such independent directors go against the original intent of the system, which was designed to prevent arbitrary management by corporate owners and top managers and enhance business transparency.



Hanjin Shipping, for instance, is pushing to usher in an auditor of Korea Ship Finance (KSF) as one of its outside directors. KSF is a ship management company, signing contracts with shipping and shipbuilding companies on behalf of ship funds or ship investment companies. Hanjin is also one such shipping firm.



"KSF is a channel for the restructuring of poorly run shipping companies," said an industry watcher. "Hanjin's recommendation of the KSF auditor seems to be aimed not to increase managerial transparency but to have in mind the possibility of using him as a lobbyist toward the government and banking community (the auditor in question was a former executive of the Export-Import Bank of Korea)."



Hyundai Steel plans to redesignate Professor Chung Ho-yol of Sungkyunkwan University, who was the chairman of the Free Trade Commission between 2009 and 2011, as its nonexecutive director. Chung also served as Hyundai Steel's outside director in 2013.



The professor is a high school alumnus of Chung Mong-koo, chairman of the Hyundai Motor Group and second-largest shareholder of Hyundai Steel. "We can hardly expect independence required of an outside director if he or she graduated from the same school as the controlling shareholder and still maintains close personal ties," another business analyst said.



Some outside directors simply do not play their role properly.



Credu, an education-related subsidiary of the Samsung Group, plans to rename Hwang Dae-jun, another Sungkyunkwan University professor, as its outside director.



Professor Hwang is an online education expert and has sufficient knowledge and experience in Credu's business area. However, his attendance at board meetings remained at 25 percent in 2014 and 20 percent in 2015. "Prof. Hwang was absent from all board meetings discussing transactions by major shareholders in 2015," said the Center for Good Corporate Governance. "We recommend the company not renominate him."



Many people disapprove of former government officials serving as outside directors of big businesses. They suspect the nonexecutive-director system has long abandoned its duty to enhance transparent management and is serving as a cozy link between businesses and politics.



According to a Chaebul.com analysis of 140 candidates for outside directors of the 10 largest business groups, 61, or 43.6 percent, were former ranking government officials, taxmen, financial regulators, judges or prosecutors. Up to 16 were ex-Cabinet ministers or vice ministers.



"This is hardly normal that former officials at powerful organizations advance to corporate boardrooms," a chaebol critic said. "These businesses pay them large salaries and other benefits and use them as windshields. This is classic collusive links between business and politics and also violates their oath for ethical management."




By Jhoo Dong-chan

The Italian Trade Agency hosted a two-day business seminar, Mar. 9-10, inviting more than 100 Italian businessmen, along with government officials, including Foreign Ministry Under Secretary Benedetto Della Vedova and Korea counterparts, to seek business opportunities in Korea.

According to the agency, Thursday, 41 small and medium Italian companies in fashion, automotive, medical and leather and eight Italian private bank officials participated in the forum to discuss their business strategies in Korea, at Four Seasons Hotel in Jongno-gu, central Seoul.

To help the Italian delegates understand the Korean market and regulations, various industry officials, including Jang Joon-ki, executive director of the Korea Cosmetics Association, made presentations.

"Korea's cosmetics market has jumped about 10.5 percent in size to reach 18.4 trillion won in value," said Jang.

"I believe the market still has the potential to grow further because make-up and hair care now only account for 18.9 and 14.8 percent, respectively, in the nation's cosmetics market."

After Jang's presentation, Korean business consultant expert Jin Soo-young discussed tariffs and trade regulations in Korea.

"The forum was a very helpful opportunity to understand the Korean market," Cosmetica Italia Executive Director Luca Nava said.

"Korea has different sets of regulations and market system in cosmetics than we have in Italy. We learned much useful information so we can effectively set our business strategy here."

The Italian delegates are expected to visit business landmarks, including Hyundai Motor's assembly plant in Asan, Sinsegae Department Store in central Seoul and COEX Center in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul.

One of the affiliated agencies under Italy's Ministry of Economic Development, the Italian Trade Agency, supports Italian companies' business missions across the world. The Rome-based agency encourages more Italian companies to go abroad and provides business consultation and information services to expand the nation's exports.
A Hyundai Motor Santa Fe SUV is stuck in a lobby entrance door of Hyundai Motor's headquarters in Yangjae-dong, southern Seoul, Friday. The driver who turned out to be a company employee and union member allegedly charged his SUV into the building but has yet to explain his intentions. / Yonhap



By Jhoo Dong-chan

A unionized Hyundai Motor worker rammed his SUV into the company headquarters in southern Seoul early Friday, several hours before the automaker's shareholders were set to arrive there.

Hyundai officials deny the possibility that the incident was related to the gathering. But police suspect that the driver, who has not yet revealed his motive, may have intended to disrupt the meeting.

After the worker, a member of the Hyundai Motor Asan plant's labor union, drove his Santa Fe SUV into the building, he was immediately taken to Seocho Police Station. No one was reportedly injured in the incident.

He has yet to explain his intentions why he rammed the building as of Friday afternoon, police said.

"When I was on my way up to the office around 7 a.m., a SUV suddenly crashed into the building's lobby  I was so surprised," said a Hyundai Motor official.

"We understand he is one of our Asan plant workers. As far as I know, however, there is no correlation between the incident and the shareholders' meeting."

In the meantime, the company had its 48th shareholders' general meeting at the Yangjae headquarters at 9 a.m., vowing to do its best in protecting the shareholders' rights and perform fair trade with subcontractors.

During the meeting, Hyundai Motor officially announced its Corporate Governance Charter as a part of the company's efforts to enhance transparency in business management and promote shareholder rights, according to another official.

The company also revealed the annual activities of the Corporate Governance and Communication Committee, which was established last April to increase shareholder trust in an effort to secure their interests.

Also, Hyundai Motor's Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun has been reappointed as internal director of board members at Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors in the meeting. This is his second renewal, as Chung was first appointed to the post in 2010 and reappointed in 2013.

Seoul National University business professor Yi You-jae and Sogang University economics professor Nam Sung-il have been reappointed as the company's Non-Executive Independent Directors as well.

The board directors' salaries have been frozen at 15 billion won ($12.5 million), the same figure as last year.

Reflecting shareholders' requests, Hyundai Motor has decided to give a higher dividend of 4,000 won per share, which includes the company's interim dividend of 1,000 won last July. This is a 33.3 percent increase from last year's figure.

This Friday was referred to as this year's "Super Shareholders' Day" as the nation's 54 conglomerates listed on the primary KOSPI and tech-focused secondary KOSDAQ markets, including major affiliates of Hyundai Motor, Samsung and POSCO Group, held such meetings to discuss changes to their governing structures and offer dividends.
By Kim Jae-won



AlphaGo surprised the world by defeating world go champion Lee Se-dol in the first round of their historic five matches in Seoul, Wednesday. The artificial intelligence (AI) developed by Google DeepMind showed how quickly the technology has advanced.



The financial industry is no exception. Asset management firms are in a rush to use robo-advisors with wealth management services based on AI, applying these to their own program trading tools. A robo-advisor provides automated, algorithm-based portfolio management advice without the use of human financial planners.



Mirae Asset Global Investments, a Seoul-based asset manager, has developed its robo-advisor model in the last few years, using it to design its mid-risk and mid-return funds.



"A robo-advisor is excellent at managing risks," said Lee Jong-gil, a director at Mirae Asset. "It reduces portions of risky assets by detecting risks in advance based on huge data. We apply this model to developing our mid-risk funds."



Lee said that a robo-advisor is already playing a limited role, recommending stocks to investors, but it will expand its role to trading stocks according to its own will.



In the U.S., a robo-advisor is reaching its arms directly out to retail investors. People no longer need to worry about which stocks or bonds they should buy to prepare for life after retirement, because a robo-advisor tells them what to buy and how to make a portfolio.



Intelligent Portfolios, a robo-advisor offered by U.S. investment firm Charles Schwab, is a good example. Investors can get advice from the service on how to allocate their assets in 10 minutes to satisfy their appetites for investments.



For instance, the robo-advisor advised investors to allocate 57 percent of their assets in fixed income and 28 percent in stocks while keeping 15 percent in cash. The robo-advisor recommended they invest 15 percent of their assets in high-dividend stocks while investing 14 percent in secure bonds to hedge against risks.



The AI program also advised them to invest 9 percent of their assets in international high-dividend stocks and bank loans each, balancing profitability and stability.



Local brokerage houses, such as NH Investment & Securities and Yuanta Securities, are also using AI-based programs to invest in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and in designing their wrap accounts. Yuanta has offered robo-advisor services to individual investors since late January, setting up the program in its home trading system.



Experts say that robo-advisors will become more sophisticated in the future, integrating with investment strategies based on quantitative methods.



"A robo-advisor is expected to absorb results from research using quantitative methods, though the program is more related to financial marketing right now," said Kim Soo-hyun, a professor of business administration at Soongsil University in Seoul.



Kim said that the role of the robo-advisor is not clear yet, though investment methods based on big data are often described as tasks for robo-advisors.




By Kim Jae-won





Wi Sung-ho

Shinhan Card CEO Won Ki-chan

Samsung Card CEO Ted Chung

Hyundai Card CEO

Korea's three major credit card issuers  Samsung, Shinhan and Hyundai  have been banned for a year from starting new businesses that require regulatory approval because they illegally offered their customers' private information to sales agents.

The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) said Friday it had reaffirmed its sanctions against Samsung, Shinhan and Hyundai cards in November, refusing to give them any new business licenses for a year. The three companies were accused of letting sales agents review customers' information without permission.

"Our Discipline Examination Committee decided to reject the credit card firms' petition to tone down the punishment, down to the issuance of mere warnings," the FSS said.

"The committee concluded that it should penalize financial firms neglecting to manage their customers' information strictly by law and principles."

The announcement came amid credit card firms seeking new revenue sources after the government and the ruling party lowered the fees the companies can charge retailers and merchants.

The Financial Services Commission and the Saenuri Party agreed to cut credit card firms' fees in November on small stores that make less than 200 million won a year to 0.8 percent from 1.5 percent, apparently seeking to win more votes from the owners of the small stores before next month's general election.

As credit card firms are expected to post lower earnings this year because of the change, their parent groups are planning to share the burden with their affiliates. Shinhan Financial Group said it had rearranged its 2016 budget with other subsidiaries after the cut to reflect the expected losses.

"We could not set our growth goal this year because our credit card affiliate is estimated to have made less profit this year due to the lowered fees," a Shinhan spokesman said.

He said it is hard for a credit card firm to diversify its revenue because it only has two main revenue sources: fees from retailers and interest from loan servicing.
By Kim Jae-won



The national spy agency's move to access bank accounts faces backlash from lenders, as they worry rich and corporate customers will lose trust in banks.



The National Intelligence Service (NIS) will be able to collect the financial data of suspected terrorist from the financial regulator starting next month after the National Assembly passed a revised bill earlier this month.



"I think rich people will worry about this very much because they are sensitive to their financial transactions," said a manager of a local bank, asking not to be named. "They definitely do not want their financial data to be open.



"Corporate customers are also concerned about the confidentiality of their banking transactions. They will not be happy if the spy agency can access their financial information."



According to the revised bill, the NIS can ask the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (KoFIU) to provide the financial records of suspected terrorists. Critics say the agency could abuse the regulation because of vague criteria about suspects.



But others said it is not a problem because it could help the NIS protect people from possible terrorist attacks.



"I think it is a positive change," said a director at a foreign bank, asking not to be named. "The agency can prevent crises based on such information. There is no reason to oppose this because the agency will collect such information only from suspected terrorists."



So far, only four state agencies  the prosecutors' office, the police, the National Tax Service and the Financial Services Commission  can access financial information collected by the KoFIU.



Banks are obliged to report any abnormal financial transactions or those worth 20 million won or more to the KoFIU.



Critics say it is more important to control the spy agency effectively because it has a record of abusing its power, intervening in national politics. Former NIS chief Won Sei-hoon was accused of ordering agents to post tens of thousands of messages online criticizing the opposition party's presidential candidate, Moon Jae-in, during the election campaign in 2012.



The case is still pending after the Supreme Court overturned a lower court's ruling that sentenced Won to two and a half years in jail for violating the Public Election Law.




By Choi Sung-jin



Conflicts are growing between health authorities and smokers, as the latter have lost their footing amid the rapid expansion of non-smoking zones.



Smokers have pressed the government to set up outdoor smoking areas in respect of their right to smoke, but officials are yet to set an official position.



The government is in a dilemma in several ways, according to a recent report by the National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency (NECA).



If the government opposes making outdoor smoking zones, smokers are likely to raise their voices in criticizing the government's no-smoking policy. And many later regulations on cigarettes will likely provoke smokers more. The damage caused by passive smoking could also increase, because more smokers have created their own outdoor smoking zones.



If officials encourage smoking areas or create them, they will be criticized for providing space to maintain the health-ruining habit, the report said. And future tobacco-related regulations could cause public suspicions, because people said the government's tobacco tax increase was aimed at lifting revenue rather than improving public health. But the government could dissolve social conflicts resulting from regulations on cigarettes and justify itself by spending part of the increased tax on smokers.



The central government has not made clear its judgment on this issue, leaving it to local governments, according to the law.



The problem is local administrations are having difficulty managing smoking zones. For instance, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, which is running 26 outdoor smoking sections, temporarily closed one in front of the Seoul Railway Station last September, as the environment nearby was affected by people smoking cigarettes with its doors open.



The Ministry of Health and Welfare has been flooded with petitions from smokers calling for outdoor smoking zones and from local government officials who want clear guidelines on their creation and operation.



"Whether the ministry chooses either of the two options, it has both advantages and disadvantages, so this is time to make the wisest decision possible," a researcher at NECA said. "If the officials decide to allow the increase in outdoor smoking zones, they should give out more concrete and easier guidelines."






By Choi Sung-jin

As China joins international sanctions on North Korea, the Beijing government has unblocked the Internet search of a derogatory title of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, reports say.

Chinese Internet users have called him "Kim the third-generation pig." The title had been blocked in Baidu, the largest search engine in China, but was being searched smoothly Wednesday morning, Yonhap News Agency said Thursday.

Last October, the search engine offered no results for the title, with only a sign that said it did not conform to related regulations and policy.

At the time, Liu Yunshan, the fifth-highest official in China's power hierarchy, visited North Korea to participate in the 70th anniversary of the Workers' Party, demonstrating the traditional friendship between the two socialist states. North Korea watchers say Beijing's move might have reflected its wish to restore bilateral ties. .

In the same vein, the recent unblocking could mean the expression of Beijing's displeasure with the North's recent nuclear and missile provocations, they said.
96% of Koreans oppose allowing them in care centers



By Jung Min-ho



More than 96 percent of Koreans said they are against the government's decision to allow AIDS patients to stay at care centers, a survey showed on Friday.



The survey, conducted by the Korean Association of Geriatric Hospitals, shows that 96.2 percent of 5,627 participants said that the Ministry of Health and Welfare should rescind its decision to allow AIDS patients to receive healthcare in any care center they want.



As an alternative, 94.8 percent of them say the ministry should establish a care system only for AIDS patients, an idea the ministry has rejected.



The survey results bode ill for AIDS patients, who have long been struggling to find places to receive proper treatment in the country.



In December, the ministry changed its enforcement regulations, forcing the nation's care centers to accept AIDS patients. But the move has had little benefit for them.



Without any specific legal penalties, observers say it will be difficult to realistically change the behavior of facilities that continue to refuse AIDS patients.



Many facility owners are concerned about possibly losing their own patients by allowing AIDS patients in.



However, the ministry believes health concerns over AIDS transmission are overblown and inaccurate information is used to violate the human rights of AIDS patients.



According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDCP), the virus is spread, especially here, primarily by unprotected sex and is not transmitted by other bodily fluids such as saliva and tears.



There is no cure for the disease, but today antiretroviral treatments can slow the course of the disease and may lead patients to a near-normal life expectancy.



As more AIDS patients grow older, their calls for the right to use care centers are expected to increase. As of 2014, the average age of AIDS patients in Korea was 46 and 12 percent of them were older than 60.



According to the KCDCP, Korea had 11,504 registered AIDS patients as of 2014.




A coffee shop in a traditional hanok-style building in Seochon, northern Seoul, is shown in this file photo. The Seoul Metropolitan Government is taking steps to limit the entry of franchise stores in the hanok-concentrated area.

/ Korea Times file



Openings of franchise stores to be restricted



By Kim Bo-eun



The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) will limit the entry of franchise stores in the Seochon area in Jongno, central Seoul, in an effort to protect mom and pop stores and curb rising rent costs.



The city government said Friday that it will ban franchise stores from being set up in smaller residential streets and alleys, aside from those along the two main streets running from Gyeongbokgung Station. Franchise stores banned in the residential neighborhood include restaurants, bars, coffee shops, ice cream stores and bakeries. The plan will be finalized this May.



According to the city government, Seochon, known for its hanok, or Korean traditional houses, has been earmarked for protection from gentrification, as the district has rich historic value.



The old neighborhood of Seochon started to rise as a hip area, as small but trendy restaurants, bars and galleries opened amid relatively cheap rental costs. Still preserving traditional places such as Tongin Market, Seochon has a unique ambience that continues to attract visitors and businesses. But rental costs have doubled in the past two to three years.



"This is based on the idea that the victims of gentrification are mainly residents and owners of small shops who live and operate in quieter areas away from the main streets," said Kim Hun, a city official.



"What we are trying to prevent is franchise stores driving out, for example, a dry cleaner. You won't find mom and pop stores along the main street."



The main streets of Seochon have some franchise bakeries and coffee shops, but these have not occupied the residential alleys as of yet.



The city government also plans not to allow any kind of restaurants and cafes in the residential areas, even if they are not franchises.



"Although we cannot completely stop gentrification, we are attempting to do the least we can," Kim said.



"We hope for Seochon to become a precedent for other areas in the city to follow the same steps."



However, some residents and landowners are opposing the city government's move, claiming that it is a breach of property rights.
The presidential secretary for cybersecurity has recently resigned, an official said Friday.



Shin In-seop had been in charge of cybersecurity at the presidential office of national security since last April.



The presidential official said work is under way to find Shin's replacement, though he did not give any details on why Shin quit his job.



Shin was not immediately reached for comment.



A source familiar with the issue said Shin quit his job last week. He declined to elaborate and asked not to be identified, citing policy.



Earlier this week, South Korea accused North Korea of stealing information from about 10 South Korean officials by hacking into their smartphones between late February and early March.



It remains unclear whether North Korea's cyberattacks had any influence on Shin's resignation.



South Korea's Cabinet approved the creation of Shin's post last year as part of its efforts to better deal with cyberattacks from North Korea.



North Korea -- which has thousands of cyberwarfare personnel -- has a track record of waging cyberattacks on South Korea and the United States in recent years, though it has flatly denied any involvement. (Yonhap)




By Chung Ah-young



Korean Air has won the right to operate direct flights between Korea and Iran, beating rival Asiana Airlines.



The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Friday that its review committee has decided to grant permission to operate four flights per week to Korean Air.



Following the decision, the carrier has one year to start operating the flights to the Persian nation. It also must decide whether to operate passenger or cargo flights or both.



The direct flights are expected to reduce travel time from the current 16-20 hours via the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or Egypt to 10 hours.



The new air route came as the demand for visiting the country is expected to grow following the opening of the Iranian market in the wake of lifting of international sanctions against the Middle Eastern country in January.



"The new air route is expected to play a crucial role to boost business cooperation between the two countries, helping Korean companies make inroads into the country, as Iran has been a strategic partner with Korea since the 1970s with its abundant industrial potential in the Middle Eastern region," the ministry said in a statement.



Although Seoul and Teheran agreed to four weekly flights in 1998, the flights were rarely operated due to lack of demand and sanctions on the country. That agreement is still effective.



There have been no passenger flights operated by the nation's flagship carrier between the two countries.



In 1976, Korean Air ran a cargo flight once to Iran. Iran's Mahan Air operated a passenger flight between Tehran and Seoul via Bangkok once a week in 2001, but halted operations after six months. Iran Air also launched a passenger flight between Tehran and Seoul via Beijing in December 2002, but suspended the flights in October 2007 due to the U.S. sanctions against Iran.



Currently, Korean Air operates five routes to four Middle Eastern countries  the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt  while Asiana has none.




By Rachel Lee

About 200 Australian and New Zealand soldiers have teamed up in the joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises that started Monday.

According to South Korean military officials, Friday, around 130 soldiers from the Australian Army and 60 from the New Zealand Defense Force are taking part in the biennial Ssang Yong 16 exercise.

This is the first time New Zealand has participated, while Australia has boosted its contingent this year from 100 soldiers in 2014.

"More Australian and New Zealand troops are participating in the Korea-US joint exercise than ever before, showing the international community's strong will to restrain reckless provocations by North Korea," an official said.

Australia and New Zealand are members of the 17-nation United Nations Command (UNC) and participated in the Korean War (1950-53).

Some 5,000 South Korean Marines and Navy personnel and 12,200 of their U.S. counterparts are participating in Ssang Yong 16.

On Saturday, the four countries will conduct a simulated amphibious assault on beaches near Pohang, during which they will penetrate notional enemy beach defenses, establish a beachhead and deploy rapid transition forces and support.

The largest joint exercise on the Korean Peninsula involves over 300,000 South Korean troops and 15,000 U.S. personnel. It includes two parallel drills  the largely computer-simulated Key Resolve drill and the Foal Eagle combined field training exercise, which will run until March 18 and April 30, respectively.

North Korea responded sensitively to the allies' large-scale drills, apparently because the exercises envision targeting key facilities and the leadership of the Kim Jong-un regime.

The UNC is the multinational military force formed in 1950 to support South Korea during and after the Korean War (1950-1953).

Some 17,000 Australians fought during the war, ranking fifth in the number of soldiers participating. The U.S. ranked first, followed by the United Kingdom, Canada and Turkey. Over 3,500 New Zealand soldiers served during the war.
By Rachel Lee



North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered further nuclear tests, the North's state media reported, Friday.



The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim commanded the military to improve its nuclear attack capacity by conducting necessary tests and get ready to "attack the enemy anywhere on the ground, in the air, at sea and underwater" by diversifying ways for deploying nuclear warheads.



The North's leader also stressed the need for more "tests of nuclear explosions to find the destructive power of the newly produced nuclear warheads," the agency said.



The agency did not disclose when he made the comment, but it appears that he did so while overseeing the launch of two ballistic missiles on Thursday.



Kim also said the country needs to establish strict orders for handling nuclear warheads and guarantee stability and immediacy when the country is in a state of emergency, it reported.



With regard to his remarks, the South Korean government said the North was being "imprudent" and ignorant of the international community's stance towards them.



"The government has been preparing to take immediate action to all possible North Korean threats," said Jeong Joon-hee, a spokesman for the South's Ministry of Unification.



Pyongyang fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, Thursday, to protest the joint military exercise between the South and the United States.



Officials here said the government has sent a letter to a sanctions panel under the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) to call for an appropriate response to the recent firing of the missiles.



In the letter, the government called for a probe into the North's latest provocations and stressed that it was a violation of UNSC resolutions banning any launch using ballistic missile technology.



The U.S. is also expected to send a similar letter to the sanctions panel, the official said.



On Wednesday, Pyongyang announced it has miniaturized and standardized nuclear warheads to fit in its ballistic missiles. But both Seoul and Washington questioned the credibility of the claims, citing a lack of clear evidence.




Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will discuss how to move ahead in the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula during their talks in Moscow on Friday, China's foreign ministry said.



Wang is on a two-day visit to Moscow for talks with North Korea's nuclear standoff expected to top the agenda.



"The two foreign ministers will exchange views on moving ahead in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," China's foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters.



North Korea has been slapped with a fresh round of U.N. sanctions for its fourth nuclear test and launch of a long-range rocket this year.



Recently, North Korea has issued daily threats of nuclear strikes against South Korea and the United States at a time when Seoul and Washington have been conducting joint military drills.



North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered his country to conduct more nuclear tests, according to the North's state media on Friday. (Yonhap)




/ Graphic by Cho Sang-won



By Kang Hyun-kyung

The effects of the Fukushima nuclear accident still linger, even though five years have passed since the magnitude 9 earthquake and ensuing tsunami caused three nuclear meltdowns that devastated northeastern Japan.

The damage to the nuclear power plants had contaminated the surrounding waters with radiation, alarming both domestic and foreign consumers about the safety of food from the area. Although researchers have shown that food from that part of Japan is now safe to consume, the fear remains.

The disaster, however, has not stopped the global demand for nuclear energy. In the face of mounting calls to reduce emissions following the global climate summit in France last year and the surging demand for electricity, some countries are building new nuclear reactors.

"At the moment, no alternative energy source is as effective as nuclear energy," Park Ji-young, a senior fellow at the private think tank Asan Institute for Public Studies in Seoul, said. The nuclear energy expert indicated that such perception, in part, has kept the global demand for nuclear energy alive, despite the lingering fears from the 2011 nuclear disaster.

The 2014 survey conducted by the institute found that nearly seven out of 10 Koreans are in favor of building nuclear plants for electricity while fewer than two out of 10 oppose it.

The global demand for nuclear energy has always been high, as many governments consider it a reasonable alternative to pricey fossil fuels. Industry experts call this nuclear energy boom the "Nuclear Renaissance."

Compared to fossil fuels, such as coal, nuclear energy is considered more effective and does not have emissions. For these reasons, many governments jumped on the nuclear power bandwagon and built nuclear power plants to produce electricity.

The global enthusiasm about nuclear energy, however, abruptly but temporarily disappeared after the March 2011 Fukushima accident. Together with Chernobyl, Fukushima is the worst nuclear accident in history, classified as a level 7, the highest classification on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event scale.

After the Fukushima disaster, pessimism about the future of nuclear power pervaded many governments and the public, with some experts declaring the disaster as marking the end of the Nuclear Renaissance.

However, Lee Young-joon, a senior fellow at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, said that the impact of the Fukushima accident on global demand for nuclear energy was overstated. He said the pessimism that resulted from the disaster was a storm in a teacup that affected only some Western European countries. Many developing countries, however, still consider nuclear energy as a key energy source.

"Skepticism about nuclear energy prevailed in some western European countries, such as Germany and Switzerland, following the Fukushima accident," he said. "Nuclear safety became an issue because the Fukushima accident informed the public about the dangers of nuclear reactors if not safely operated. But this skepticism had not affected other countries, particularly developing nations that had been preparing for nuclear reactors for a long time."

Following the nuclear accident in Japan, Germany decided to scrap its plan to build new nuclear reactors and decided to close existing nuclear power plants by 2022. Switzerland said it would phase out nuclear reactors by 2034.

According to Lee, determining whether Germany's decision was a policy shift or not requires a closer look into what had happened before the decision was made. Germany had originally planned to scrap nuclear reactors even before Chancellor Angela Merkel took office, he said. The Merkel government reversed the plan and promised to expand nuclear energy facilities, only to revert to the original plan following the Fukushima disaster.

"Considering what had happened in German politics before Merkel took office, I think Germany simply returned to its long-time policy position regarding nuclear energy," Lee said.

The World Nuclear Association report, however, found that electricity generation in 2012, a year after the Fukushima disaster, was at its lowest level since 1999, and globally, more nuclear power reactors have closed than opened in recent years.

But the statistics seem to contrast what is actually happening in developing countries. For example, to meet its soaring demand for electricity, China plans to build six to eight nuclear reactors annually, to have a total of 110 reactors by 2030. Similarly, India plans to build seven new nuclear reactors.

In the 1950s, nuclear reactor construction in the United States surged, and for almost three decades, demand for nuclear energy fluctuated. The situation changed, however, on March 28, 1979, with the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, during which reactor No. 2 of the nuclear power generating station in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, malfunctioned. The accident is considered the worst in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history, although the radioactive releases had no detectable health effects on the power plant workers or residents in the area. Construction of nuclear reactors in the United States has since stalled.

The Chernobyl accident, which occurred at the nuclear power plant in what is now Ukraine in April 1986, had a huge impact on the global perception of nuclear energy. The accident killed 31 people and until today, radioactive releases at the sight still cause serious health conditions, such as cancers, among the residents.

The nightmare of Chernobyl was eventually forgotten, and in the 2000s, demand for nuclear energy began to climb back. Fossil fuels are the main emissions culprit, accounting for almost 25 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in the world. Nuclear energy, however, does not have emissions and is more effective compared to fossil fuels. For example, 1 kilogram of coal can light a 100-watt bulb for only four days, whereas the same amount of uranium nuclear fuel can light the same bulb for 140 years.

Naturally, demand for nuclear energy soared. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, in 2010, 441 nuclear reactors were operated in 31 countries. Nuclear energy accounted for nearly 15 percent of electricity production across the globe.

The global nuclear reactor market was considered a goldmine for some countries like France that have world-class nuclear technology. In 2009, Korea became a nuclear technology exporter following its successful bid to build four nuclear reactors in the United Arab Emirates. Korea, which itself has 24 nuclear reactors that produce over 30 percent of the nation's electricity needs, is an emerging supplier in the global nuclear energy market.

Countries with the expertise and ability to build nuclear power plants saw the increasing demand for nuclear energy as an immense opportunity to participate in lucrative bidding to construct nuclear reactors overseas. For them, nuclear energy exports are a growth engine.

Nuclear energy expert Park said the idea of building nuclear reactors, though, became unpopular after the Fukushima disaster and the dilemma with spent fuels and toxic chemicals that contaminated the surrounding area. "For energy security, nuclear reactors are necessary. But from a long-term perspective, I think the government will need to come up with an alternative energy portfolio," she said.

Currently, renewable energy accounts for only 2 percent of energy sources in Korea.
North Korea can "range the continental United States" with an intercontinental ballistic missile and it would be prudent to assume Pyongyang can also miniaturize a nuclear warhead to put on an ICBM, the U.S. northern commander said Thursday.



"I assess that they have the ability to put an ICBM in space and range the continental United States and Canada," U.S. Northern Command Commander Adm. William Gortney said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.



Asked if the range will then clearly include Hawaii and Alaska, the commander said, "Absolutely."



On the North's nuclear missile capabilities, Gortney said, "It's the prudent decision on my part to assume that he has the capability to ... miniaturize a nuclear weapon and put it on an ICBM" and "range all of the states of the United States and Canada."



Gortney stressed that the U.S. has the ability to defend against the North Korean threat.



"We have the ability to engage that threat," he said. "The intel community gives it a very low probability at success. But I don't think that American people want to base my readiness assessment on a low probability."



North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and a long-rocket launch in February, demonstrating to the outside world that it has made strides in efforts to develop a long-range missile capable of reaching the U.S.



Earlier this week, the North released photos of what it claims was a miniaturized nuclear warhead, with leader Kim Jong-un claiming that the country succeeded in making nuclear bombs small enough to fit on ballistic missiles.



South Korea's Defense Ministry said it believes the North has not yet mastered the nuclear warhead miniaturization technology. The U.S. Defense Department also said that the communist nation has not demonstrated those capabilities yet.



Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said Gortney's remark about miniaturization means that "he's doing what he should be doing to prepare for that threat, should it become a reality."



"And at this point, again, we've not seen them demonstrate that capability, but he is doing exactly what he should be doing in preparing his forces and our U.S. forces overall to be able to respond to that challenge," he said at a regular press briefing.



Adm. Cecil Haney, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, said he takes North Korean threats seriously.



"The nuclear test, the fourth test they just did here, and the space launch that they just did, further enhance their understanding and knowledge associated with this. North Korea has made many claims, miniaturization of nuclear warheads. They paraded around their KN-08 intercontinental ballistic missile," he told the hearing.



"I think we have take these problems seriously because it's clear to me they're working hard," he said.



Meanwhile, Cook denounced North Korea's latest firing of two short-range missiles.



"It's another provocative action by the North Koreans, and only further escalates the tensions on the Korean Peninsula," he said. "Of course we're concerned by all their recent activities, the rhetoric that we're hearing from North Korea, and it just makes us stand that much closer, if you will, to our South Korean allies."



The North fired the missiles early Thursday morning (Seoul time), the latest in a series of provocative statements and acts the North has engaged in as South Korea and the U.S. have been conducting annual joint military exercises Pyongyang has long branded as a rehearsal for invasion. (Yonhap)




By Shlomo Ben Ami



TEL AVIV  Israel's persistent occupation of Palestinian lands is irreparably damaging its international standing  or so the conventional wisdom goes. In fact, Israel currently enjoys a degree of global influence unprecedented in its history, as a slew of new international challenges give its foreign policy, long held hostage by the single issue of Palestine, significantly more room for maneuver.



Recognizing mounting popular opposition to unequivocal support for Israel in the West, Israel has been looking elsewhere for economic, and ultimately political, partners. From 2004 to 2014, Israeli exports to Asia tripled, reaching $16.7 billion last year  one-fifth of total exports.



Israel now trades more with the once implacably hostile Asian giants  China, India, and Japan  than it does with its leading global ally, the United States. Neither Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who visited Israel a few weeks after his reelection in December 2014, nor the leaders of China, now Israel's third-largest trading partner, bother to link their economic ties with Israel to the success of peace talks with the Palestinians.



With India, defense cooperation is the order of the day. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon visited India in February last year, and Indian President Pranab Mukherjee reciprocated with a historic visit to Israel in October. The election of the Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi as Prime Minister in May 2014 may be accelerating cooperation. Already, Israel is India's second-largest supplier of military technology.



Beyond Asia, Israel is cozying up to Russia, purely on the basis of strategic considerations. With Russia now setting the geostrategic tone in the Middle East through a show of nineteenth-century-style power diplomacy, Israel has pursued an understanding with the Kremlin concerning the lines that must not be crossed in Syria. (That understanding was undoubtedly facilitated by Israel's neutrality on Russia's annexation of Crimea and arming of separatists in Ukraine.) Earlier this month, speaking before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Israel's ambassador to Moscow praised the "flourishing in an unprecedented manner" of the bilateral relationship.



Even Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, an irascible interlocutor in the past, is now seeking reconciliation. Turkey  locked in conflict with Russia, estranged from Egypt and Iran, and pursuing policies on Syria, the Islamic State (ISIS), and the Kurds that clash with those of its NATO allies  has lately found itself increasingly isolated in a sea of chaos. Having drawn no strategic benefits from the Palestinian cause, Erdo?an finally admitted in January that Turkey needs "a country like Israel."



Interestingly, that statement came upon Erdo?an's return from a visit to Saudi Arabia, another key regional actor that maintains discreet security links with Israel on the basis of a similar logic. For Saudi Arabia, Iran's escape from global isolation, losses in proxy wars in Syria and Yemen, the specter of an ISIS onslaught, and America's non-committal regional policies are far higher priorities than the Palestinians. Other Sunni Gulf monarchies and Egypt are also cooperating with Israel to contain Islamist terrorism and Iran's regional rise.



Even European countries have found new reasons to engage with Israel. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who was fiercely hostile to Israel while in opposition, has become a close ally, having visited the country twice within three months in 2015. In exchange for gas, defense technology, and military intelligence, Greece is now offering its airspace for Israeli air force training. Moreover, Greece and Israel are cooperating with Cyprus in creating a geostrategic counterweight to Turkey.



So strong is Greece's interest in building its relationship with Israel that Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias has declared that the country will not honor the European Union's latest guidelines regulating the labeling of goods produced by Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. No wonder Nabil Shaath, a former Palestinian foreign minister, complained to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz in January about Greece's "betrayal of Palestine."



But Greece is not alone in opposing the EU's new labeling guidelines: Hungary, too, has come out against them. And, in fact, as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu edges Israel toward illiberal democracy, he is counting on Eastern Europe's increasingly illiberal governments to help shield Israel from adverse EU initiatives.



Clearly, Israel faces a multitude of new foreign-policy opportunities, which offer far-reaching potential benefits. But Israel's new friends simply cannot replace its Western allies. With the Asian giants, Israel lacks the shared global outlook that is essential for a true strategic alliance.



As for the Palestinian question, Israel's new alliances surely will not help advance a resolution. On the contrary, they reflect a changing global political agenda that has relegated the question to a lower tier of importance, which is likely to weaken Israel's incentive to rethink its suppression of Palestine. As a result, the possibility of a two-state solution is more remote today than at any time since the start of the peace process 25 years ago.



This is no reason for Israel to rejoice. After all, the suppression of Palestine has, and will continue to have, fatally corrosive effects on Israeli society. Insofar as Israel's new foreign-policy opportunities allow for the continuation of that suppression, they are not good for Palestine or Israel.



Shlomo Ben-Ami, a former Israeli foreign minister, is Vice President of the Toledo International Center for Peace. He is the author of Scars of War, Wounds of Peace: The Israeli-Arab Tragedy. Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate.




North Korea has declared a complete termination of inter-Korean exchange programs in an extremely hostile statement from its Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea. The committee announced "all the North-South agreements on economic cooperation and exchange null and void." It also said it will use "lethal" military, political and economic blows on South Korea to accelerate its demise.



Pyongyang should worry about its own demise before threatening Seoul. At the rate it is charging ahead with its nuclear and missile buildup, North Korea will continue to face economic and diplomatic isolation from the international community. Despite crippling international sanctions, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered more nuclear tests after claiming for the first time that his country has made nuclear warheads small enough to fit on ballistic missiles.



Kim is gravely mistaken to blame the South for the deadlock in inter-Korean relations. This is entirely the result of the North's own doing. We urge North Korea to stop its vile verbal attack on our nation and our commander-in-chief.



Many South Koreans back President Park Geun-hye's stern response to North Korea's provocations, including the closure of the joint factory town in Gaeseong.



We are in no rush to engage with the North on economic, cultural and humanitarian levels as long as Pyongyang keeps up its development of weapons of mass destruction. South Korea is not the one eager to continue inter-Korean exchanges. It is the North that needs them for assisting its survival.




Equal education is key to migrant integration



Despite a noticeable increase in Korea in the number of multicultural children in the last decade, they have not received sufficient attention from the government and the schools. As a result, a significant portion of multicultural youths are heavily struggling to cope with life in Korea.



A recent study shows that one in five people from ages 15 to 24 from migrant families are neither going to school nor working. The percentage of NEET (not in education, employment or training) individuals is significantly higher compared to the same age group among native Koreans. Multicultural kids were also shown to be more prone to quitting school than native students.



The number of children in migrant families has increased around eight-fold in the last decade. In particular, the jump in the number of elementary school students is alarming. The latest statistics show that multicultural kids account for 2.2 percent of all elementary school students in Korea, marking the first time for the percentage to exceed the 2 percent mark. The reality is that the presence of multicultural children will continue to grow in Korean schools. The latest Statistics Korea data shows that 8.3 percent of all marriages were interethnic. But Koreans are still reluctant to embrace these people as one of us.



Some Koreans hold a hostile view of migrant families and see them as an additional burden to Korean society. Some even question why tax money should be paid to support "foreigners." This kind of short-sighted and discriminative mindset has no place in an era of multiculturalism. Migrant families are and will continue to be an indispensable part of our society as contributors to Korea's workforce. It is time for Koreans to stop dismissing these children as aliens and become more open-minded about their inevitability and the benefits of a multicultural Korea. By better accommodating migrant families, Korea can become more inclusive and globalized.



The key to migrant integration is education. Unless the education inequality of multicultural kids is addressed, migrant families will continue to be trapped by economic disparities. This is why policymakers need to place education at the forefront of their support system from multicultural families.



Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn announced a shift toward an education-first perspective in migrant family policy from the current priority placed on helping married immigrant couples' settlement during the government's Multicultural Family Policy Commission meeting on March 9. This is a timely policy direction because well-educated multicultural kids are essential for more stable migrant families. If their kids receive good education, they will be able to equip themselves with the necessary knowledge and skills for a better future in this country.



A survey by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family found that the primary reason for multicultural children's quitting school is bad relations with teachers and peers. Whole-hearted cooperation by teachers and students will be the most effective way to keep more multicultural kids in school.



Another major reason for multicultural students' leaving school is the language barrier. If they don't speak Korean, they will continue to be discriminated against in schools and at jobs. During the meeting chaired by the prime minister, the government said it will address the language issue by establishing more language and culture programs for multicultural children within schools. Expanding language programs will also go a long way in promoting their identity as Koreans.



The government should also expand family counseling services for multicultural youths. Many children face interruption in their education because of family troubles, such as parents' divorcing. Counseling cannot always provide a solution, but at least it can provide guidance and solace for children suffering because of a dysfunctional home. These and other tailor-made programs should be consistently implemented to ensure an uninterrupted education and a healthy upbringing for multicultural children.




North Korea is believed to have restarted a small research reactor at its Yongbyon nuclear complex in a possible attempt to make tritium, a key ingredient for hydrogen bombs, a U.S. research institute claimed Wednesday.



The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) cited two unidentified sources as saying that the Soviet-built IRT-2000 reactor is believed to be running on indigenously produced highly enriched uranium (HEU) as fuel.



The reactor, which first went into operation in 1965, is different from the North's main five-megawatt reactor that has long been the focus of international attention and scrutiny as the source of weapons-grade plutonium for the communist nation.



In the past, the North used the IRT reactor to produce medical isotopes, but now the regime "may also use it to make tritium for its nuclear weapons program," the institute said in a report by nuclear experts David Albright and Serena Kelleher Vergantini.



Tritium is one of the ingredients for hydrogen bombs, a more powerful and sophisticated nuclear weapon than conventional atomic weapons. The North carried out its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6, claiming that it tested a hydrogen bomb. Experts have cast doubt over the claim, pointing out that the yield was too low.



According to ISIS, the North had operated the IRT reactor using highly enriched uranium imported from Russia. Since the early 1990s, the North has been unable to import HEU and therefore operated the reactor intermittently using its existing HEU inventory.



That fuel was completely exhausted by 2011, the institute said.



"However, two independent sources have stated that North Korea may be operating this reactor using indigenously produced fuel," it said. "Enriched uranium could be produced indigenously either at the Yongbyon centrifuge plant or at another unknown location."



The institute said, however, that the North has reportedly experienced problems making the new fuel.



"We have received a report that two of the new fuel elements failed and melted sometime between 2012 and 2013, requiring a complicated cleanup," the institute said. "The report of fuel melting raises serious reactor safety concerns and should stimulate a conversation possibly initiated by South Korea about nuclear safety cooperation with North Korea."




By Lee Kyung-min





Song Sara

Born and raised in Argentina after her Korean parents moved there in 1996, Song Sara, 20, came here for the first time last July, to attend university.

She said she wants to become a nurse and treat not only physical injury but also inner pain, the way her mother did for her.

The freshman at Ewha Womans University School of Nursing said she is excited to study nursing in her home country and follow in her mother's footsteps.

"I am truly happy that I was admitted to the school of my dreams, and I look forward to becoming the nurse that I've always wanted to be  the one who takes care of her patients beyond the physical injury, just like my mother," she said.

Song, who has received an Overseas Koreans Foundation scholarship, is fluent in Korean, Spanish and Portuguese. She is also learning French and German.

"I am happy that I am able to study here to benefit from advanced education and training programs for nursing than where I lived," she said.

Her mother, 49, who was a nurse here before moving to Argentina, has always inspired her to pursue her dreams.

"I used to fall down stairs and trip a lot, but never once did she blame me or get angry with me for not being attentive enough," she said. "She always cared how much I was hurting and told me that I would get better soon.

"By the time that she patted me on my head, smiled and said, Everything's okay,' somehow the pain I felt was, or seemed, already to have gone away. I would like to do the same with the patients I treat."

She said that as she was the only Asian at her schools in Rosario, Argentina, she experienced discrimination.

"I had different looks than the other children," she said. "That is why I think I feel closer to children from multicultural families here."

Affectionate support from others, however small, could change the lives of many, she said.

"Every time I felt depressed, my mom always encouraged me to be strong, never give in to outside pressure and do what I really wanted to do. I think many of the children from multicultural families need such encouragement. I would like to be the one inspiring them."
The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary

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P-22 in December.



It sure sounds as if the city's most famous resident mountain lion, P-22, made off last week with the Los Angeles Zoo's oldest koala, Killarney, in a late-night raid. The lion was spotted on zoo surveillance video the night that Killarney disappeared. The koala's remains were found about 400 yards away from the enclosure where the zoo's (now-10) koalas live. There is no direct proof that the cougar got into the koala habitat and grabbed Killarney, but everyone involved seems to accept that's probably what happened. P-22 has been spotted around the zoo in Griffith Park several times in the past month. Makes sense; he's a predator and at least some of the zoo's animals are apparently easy pickings.

There haven't really been any bad situations since P-22 moved into Griffith Park a few years ago. When he holed up under the house in Los Feliz last April, wildlife officials waited him out and as soon as the crowds of noisy onlookers outside left, he returned to his usual range in the chaparral. But everybody has to fear that something is coming: Griffith Park is smaller than the territory usually inhabited by an adult male lion, he's surrounded by city on three sides, hundreds if not thousands of people come up into the park every day, he will probably never find a mate in Griffith Park, and he faces all the same perils, such as rat poison and cars, that have been claiming lions elsewhere in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Now he's becoming a fixture at the zoo. National Park Service researchers said Thursday it's the zoo's responsibility to keep its animals safe from the park's top predator. P-22 apparently had only to jump into the koala enclosure and back out with Killarney to make the nab.

The two City Council members for that area of the city took different tacks in statements released Thursday. Councilman Mitch OFarrell said it's time for officials to consider relocating P-22 out of the urban park  a tactic that many wildlife experts aren't keen on, since anywhere more wild that P-22 would be moved to is likely to have a male lion already there.

Regardless of what predator killed the koala, this tragedy just emphasizes the need to contemplate relocating P-22 to a safer, more remote wild area where he has adequate space to roam without the possibility of human interaction. P-22 is maturing, will continue to wander and runs the risk of a fatal freeway crossing as he searches for a mate. As much as we love P-22 at Griffith Park, we know the park is not ultimately suitable for him. We should consider resettling him in the environment he needs.

Councilman David Ryu, however, says P-22 should stay.

Griffith Park is the largest natural wilderness within the City of Los Angeles, containing numerous and distinct ecosystems that house various native plants and wildlife species. The park is considered an essential link in Southern Californias wildlife corridor, stretching from Santa Monica to the Verdugo Mountain Ranges.

Griffith Park was originally envisioned as a natural escape from urban pressures. Its absolutely critical that we preserve Griffith Park as a linchpin in the survival of Southern Californias native ecosystems. The incident at the Los Angeles Zoo is incredibly unfortunate; however, relocating P22 would not be in the best interest of protecting our wildlife species. Mountain lions are a part of the natural habitat of Griffith Park and the adjacent hillsides. As our City continues to grow, wildlife and humans are increasingly competing for space, resources, and places to call home. Many of these species play a critical role in creating healthier ecosystems that benefit us all. It is crucial to identify solutions to co-exist so we can ultimately prioritize the safety of our wildlife and the public.



P-22 is beautiful and becoming iconic in the LA narrative  it's still amazing to ponder how he got to Griffith Park from the western Santa Monica Mountains  but in real life he's also the most likely doomed lion of the all those being monitored by scientists. So now that he's picking off zoo animals, and possibly lurking close by when the zoo is filled with children, what now?

Previously on LA Observed:

P-22 captured for check-up: looking good

Secrets of the LA mountain lions

Griffith Park mountain lion found sick, possibly poisoned


Pulitzer winners for the Daily Breeze Frank Suraci, Rob Kuznia and Rebecca Kimitch. Daily Breeze photo: Robert Casillas

When the Daily Breeze in the South Bay won its first-ever Pulitzer Prize last April, one of the reporters, Rob Kuznia, had already left the newspaper and journalism for a media relations job at USC. Now a second member of the Pulitzer-winning Breeze team, Rebecca Kimitch, is leaving the reporting business too. Presumably for the same reason: a bigger and more stable paycheck. Kimitch is reporting currently for the Los Angeles News Group's San Gabriel Valley Tribune. She starts next week on the public affairs team at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

Here is the memo sent around to Los Angeles News Group newsrooms this afternoon:

From: Brian Harr

Date: Thu, Mar 10, 2016 at 12:17 PM

Subject: Rebecca Kimitch



It is with mixed emotions I announce the departure of Pulitzer-Prize winning reporter Rebecca Kimitch. We are happy for the new chapter in her life but sad for the loss on our behalf.



She started with LANG in 2008 as a reporter and has worn many hats during her stay with us, including political reporter and city editor.



She is moving on to bring her expertise to the public affairs department at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.



Her last day is St. Patrick's Day, Thursday, March 17 so give her something green and join us in Monrovia in the afternoon for some cake and a sendoff gathering.



Please join me in wishing her a fond farewell and thanking her for her dedication to LANG.



Brian Harr

Senior Editor

Los Angeles News Group



Optimism about the future is already a pretty scarce emotion in the LANG newsrooms these days, and this has to sting. The Breeze won the 2015 Pulitzer in local reporting for investigating the Centinela Valley Union High School District and Superintendent Jose Fernandez. It was the first Pulitzer Prize awarded to a paper in the LA News Group family.
This transcript appears in the March 11, 2016 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

ZEPP-LAROUCHE AT RAISINA DIALOGUE

The Crisis, the New Silk Road,

and Indias Role

by Helga Zepp-LaRouche

[PDF version of this transcript]

March 2Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder of the Schiller Institutes, spoke in New Delhi today at the annual Raisina Dialogue, co-sponsored by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation, an independent public policy think tank based in India. The two-day conference is described by its organizers as being designed to explore prospects and opportunities for Asian integration as well as Asias integration with the larger world. The event hosted more than 100 speakers from over 100 countries. An edited transcript of Zepp-LaRouches address follows.

Moderator: Now we have Mrs. Helga Zepp-LaRouche to speak on the Chinese Belt and Road initiative. . . . You have the floor.

Helga Zepp-LaRouche: Thank you very much. I want to thank the organizers of this very distinguished forum for giving me the opportunity to speak, because I think most people know that mankind is in one of its most severe crises, and perhaps the most important crisis in all of our history. The strategic situation is described by many analysts as more dangerous than during the height of the Cold War, at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The trans-Atlantic financial system is headed for a new crisis, worse than 2008, and the refugee crisis in Europe is really not only a tremendous humanitarian crisis, but it is about to explode the European Union.

The Crisis, the BRICS and the New Silk Road

EIRNS/Kasia Kruczkowski

Now, the question is, are we, as a human civilization, capable of changing wrong policies which have led to this crisis, or are we doomed to repeat the mistakes which have led, due to geopolitics, to two world wars in the Twentieth Century? But fortunately, we are also witnessing the emergence of a completely new paradigm. Under the leadership of the BRICS countries, a completely new set of relations among states is developing, based on mutual interest, economic cooperation, and collaboration in future-oriented, high-technology areas such as thermonuclear fusion, and space exploration and research, leading to a deeper understanding of the physical principles of our universe.



View full size LaRouche PAC/lpac.co/silk-road

The Chinese New Silk Road program, One Belt, One Road, is offering a replication of the Chinese economic miracle to every country which wishes to cooperate in this win-win perspective. Already 65 states are participating in this new model of cooperation, and it is in the process of overcoming geopolitics, and thereby the source of war, potentially forever.

The new agreement between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for a ceasefire in Syria, is potentially a game-changer for the entire strategic situation, provided that especially Russia, China, and India immediately work with the countries of Southwest Asia to implement a comprehensive build-up program, not only for the war-torn countries of Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, but for the entire region from Afghanistan to the Mediterranean, from the Caucasus to the Persian Gulf. And with the trip of President Xi Jinping to the regionto Iran, Egypt, and Saudi Arabiathe extension of the Silk Road is now on the table.

The Schiller Institute published a 370-page study with the title, The New Silk Road Becomes the World Land-Bridge, which is already available in translation in Chinese, in Arabic, and soon in Korean, which is a blueprint for a comprehensive build-up of the whole world economy. It contains a very concrete plan for Southwest Asia. So this region, between Asia, Europe, and Africa, has a huge development potential, with great human and natural resources, and it is uniquely located.

The Five Seas strategy announced in 2004 by President Assad can still be a reference point for an infrastructure network between the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Caspian Sea, and the Black Sea, making this region potentially a prosperous hub for vast increases in trade among Asia, Europe, and Africa.

Two Major Development Corridors

Two major development corridors, one east-west, and another one north-south, will not only include integrated fast train systems, highways, pipelines, water projects, industrial development, and agriculture. With modern technologiessuch as nuclear energy for the desalination of vast amounts of ocean water and the ionization of moisture in the atmospherewe can green the desert and reconquer large desert areas for agriculture and human habitation.

The New Silk Road, which already extends from Chongqing and Yiwu to Tehran, where the first Silk Road train arrived from Yiwu three weeks ago, can be extended from Tehran via Baghdad, Amman, and Aqaba, and then continue through a tunnel to Sharm el-Sheikh in the southern Sinai to Cairo. The route crosses the Euphrates River, where ancient travel routes can be transformed into modern corridors, from the port of Basra in Iraq at the Persian Gulf, northwest to Aleppo. Existing railroads along the Euphrates in Iraq and a railroad between Aleppo and Deir ez-Zor on the Euphrates in eastern Syria, should be modernized, and a new line from there to Baghdad, connecting the main arteries of the Silk Road, should be built.

Again, this corridor should not just be rail, but should integrate transport, energy production and distribution, and communications, and should create conditions governing the location of new industrial development and new cities.

Indias Role

A land route to India connecting the Iranian rail network to Zahedan on the Iran-Pakistan border, is on schedule to be completed. Other lines, for time reasons very briefly: from Deir ez-Zor to Tadmor-Palmyra to Damascus and Beirut; A north-south link from Syria to the industrial zones of the Suez Canal; a north-south railway from Damascus to Mecca and Medina; a tunnel under the Bab el-Mandeb Strait from Djibouti to the Arab Peninsula; and links to Europe, the Black Sea, and Russia.

India has good relations with practically all of the countries of the region and has already been asked by Russia and China to play a mediating role in such a developing perspective. As Prime Minister Modi has said, 65% of the Indian population is under 35 years of age, and that is the greatest asset of the country. These youth must not only be given a vision to increase the productivity of Indian agriculturethrough the use of power, water, fertilizer, and high-variety seedsso that the number of people working as farmers can be halved and that land be used for a build-up of infrastructure. But the youth of India can also be inspired to take it as their own mission to participate in the economic transformation of Southwest Asia and Africa, and in this way, to be part of creating a future for all mankind.

The realization of such a development perspective is the only way to end the refugee crisis and revive the economies of Europe and the United States, and to develop all of Asia. [applause]
This article appears in the March 11, 2016 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

CONFERENCE REPORT

There Are No Limits to Growth: Mankind Must Conquer Space!

[PDF version of this article]

March 1On Feb. 27, 2016, at a conference held in League City, Texas, LaRouche PAC Policy Committee leader Kesha Rogers demonstrated to the people of Texas, and to the rest of United States, the quality of thinking and the quality of fight required to move America into the future.

Ian Overton

Under the theme, There Are No Limits to Growth: Mankind Must Conquer Space, an all day conference was held in the shadow of the Johnson Space Center under the auspices of the Schiller Institute. Rogers, who keynoted the event, was joined for a panel discussion by Tom Wysmuller, a member of the NASA Alumni Association and The Right Climate Stuff group, and Megan Beets of the LaRouche PAC Science Team.

In both 2010 and 2012, Rogers ran campaigns for U.S. Congress from the district representing the Johnson Space Center. She won the Democratic Party nomination in both races, campaigning under the slogan, Save NASA, Impeach Obama.

The courage and leadership that Rogers demonstrated in those races were apparent again at the League City event, where a lively discussion and dialogue took place between audience members and the speakers. This included useful insights by members of an audience which included NASA alumni and contractors, and other science-minded individuals, into how their own thinking had been challenged, and the way in which they had come to re-evaluate some of their own fixed beliefs.

Inaugurating the Age of Reason

The question facing NASA, began Rogers, is not why was this or that program was cut, but why is our extra-terrestrial imperativewhich Krafft Ehricke defined as the true nature and basis of mankinds creative existencebeing attacked? How do we restore this identity; how do we remove the limitations that have been placed on our imagination?

To begin answering this question, Rogers quoted German space pioneer Krafft Ehricke himself, who said, The world of modern industrial man is no more closed within the biosphere than it is flat. Human growth hinges on technology and its translation into industry. . . . The one underlying, unambiguous technology [that accomplishes this] is space technology. Ehricke illustrated this choice between a growth paradigm of life and a no-growth paradigm of war, famine, disease, and death, in a flow chart demonstrating the necessary physical consequences of our daily choice of accepting one policy over the other (see Figure 1).



View full size Space Global/Krafft Ehricke

Society has lost its capacity to reason as true human beings, because the mission of the space program, and what it truly represents, has been taken away. The ability to create our future has been taken away, and the population has been reduced to the mental status of beasts. Thus, the purpose of this event was to unleash a new paradigmThe Age of Reasonwhere these limitations have been removed, and mankind is free to realize our destiny as mankind in the universe, and shed the last cultural residues of bestiality.

Wysmuller: Science Drivers Systemic Effects

Following these opening remarks, Tom Wysmuller described how his work at NASA during the early 1970sas one of nine people picked to be executive interns who would eventually replace other executivesuniquely provided him a top-down view of how NASAs space technology contributed to Ehrickes Growth Paradigm. Wysmuller presented a detailed overview of the cascade of technologies generated by our space endeavors, pointing out that nearly every job in the United States has been improved through our past science driverseven that of the proverbial ditch-digger, who now uses a titanium-enhanced shovel blade and GPS to determine his dig zone.

This kind of technological advancement should not be put at the whim of political opinions! Wysmuller exclaimed. If we had a Mars program, we would dramatically increase these technologies, we would give people on Earth a raison detre.

In discussing Mars colonization preceded by lunar industrialization, as the next giant leaps for human progress, Wysmuller repeatedly emphasized the need for global collaboration among the four major space powersthe United States, Europe, Russia, and Chinaand told the audience how he was personally corrected in his thinking on this matter by Wernher von Braun.

At the time, Wysmuller stated, I opposed sharing docking technologies with Russia for the Soyuz mission. I did not see why we should give away our superior technology to our opponents. But I was wrong. Von Braun convinced me of this when he said, Tom, if any of our astronauts happened to be in trouble, and the Russians actually had a bird on the launch pad they could send up, all they would be able to do is look out the window and wave as they passed by. They wouldnt be able to rescue us; we could not be rescued, and we would not be able to rescue them. 

The mutually beneficial win-win optimism of Americas two godfathers of space flight, Krafft Ehricke and Werner von Braun, struck a deep chord within the audience, and Wysmuller challenged his colleagues to rethink their current fear of collaboration with China and Russia, in light of what could be accomplished for mankind by such cooperation.

Beets: Political Mobilizationand Demobilization

Picking up on this theme, Megan Beets briefly described how Lyndon LaRouche developed this perspective of a win-win growth paradigm as the science of physical economy. Nations are able to collaborate and grow by making conscious, willful decisions, not simply by trial and error. Such a policy program has been officially adopted by China and Russia, as typified by the trajectory for growth that China has put into its space program as part of its One Belt, One Road policy with the BRICS group of nations and others. To survive, the United States must reject the willful and arrogant take-down of its go it alone manned space program by Obama, and join with China and Russia in realizing the common aims of all mankind.

China Daily

A few months after China launched its first astronaut into space, in 2004, President Bush announced that the United States would return to the Moon, as a launch pad for getting to Mars. NASA laid out a detailed plan for getting back to the Moon by 2015, and to Mars by 2030.

In reading this report, Beets told the audience, I was struck by how everything NASA had been doing was now being reorganized under a single mission. Even projects like New Horizons, which were begun years earlier, were reinterpreted to be part of this unified focus. NASA began to mobilize and regain what was lost after Apollo was cancelled. The new Aries-1 and Aries-5 rocket launch systems, the Altair lunar lander, the Constellation vehicle, and the Orion crew capsule were developed with 50 years of science and engineering improvements to build upon, yet the Obama Administrations FY2011 budget cancelled all of this, declaring it over budget, behind schedule, and lacking innovation.

Yet more crucial than the specifics of Chinas mission objectives, Beets concluded, is the creation and development of mankind. Thats the ultimate mission. Thats why, despite the attack on our space program, a record 18,300 Americans have applied to NASA to become astronauts, more than triple the number of applications received in 2012. Whether its conscious or not, science is not a matter of tripping over a new fact, like a squirrel collecting nuts. As mankind makes discoveries of the universe, we redefine the universe, and that power is what we have to instill consciously into the people of the U.S.A. today. That will create the political victory for the Age of Reason.

Audience Transformed

The audience of NASA alumni and contractors, teachers, and engineers responded enthusiastically to this challenge of the win-win strategy of the Age of Reasonso much so that one organizer noted that if this momentum keeps up, we may have to rename League City and call it Manhattan, Texas!

A rocket scientist spoke up, attacking the opportunistic politicians of our country. He said he is inspired by the idea of Helium-3, but is afraid of the Chinese as well. Kesha Rogers challenged him by showing that the source of the problem with our politicians is the corrupting influence of Wall Street, and Tom Wysmuller reminded him that the Chinese have repeatedly offered us a hand of cooperation on these ventures, yet these same politicians are the ones forcing them to go it alone. Later, that rocket scientist was to admit that he now had come to understand how his fears had been generated, and that he had to change the way he had been thinking.

A Chinese-American photovoltaic engineer asked the panelists to explain the root cause of the United States shutdown, since it is clearly not any lack of enthusiasm in the population. Megan Beets drove home the point just made about Wall Street. The cancellation of the Apollo Program occurred under President Nixon, a crony for Wall Street speculators, right after he destroyed the fixed exchange rate financial system. We are currently living with the effects of 40 years under a no-growth paradigm. People must recognize this, in order to stop being confused about why good projects are not allowed to happen.

[box: Highlights of Chinas Space Program]

A contractor for NASA spoke against the way in which the scientific community tries to adapt to this practical budget-cutting mentality, by attacking the way the James Webb Space Telescope is being promoted. People are talking as if its OK that the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station are being decommissioned, and being allowed to burn up in the atmosphere. Its not OK! she exclaimed. James Webb is not a replacement for Hubble because it sees in a different wavelength! They are complements, not substitutes. But its being sold this way because the money isnt budgeted to keep them active. The problem is not their usefulness, its the way people think about money, as more important than science.

A NASA alum who developed stabilization technology for re-entry vehicles gave personal testimony in support of what the panelists had been saying about the need to dispel the mask of fear used by those who would keep us from working together. I opposed President Clintons decision to jointly build the International Space Station with the Russians, because of my experiences growing up in the Cold War of the 1950s, he said. But my experience of working with Russians on the structural integrity of ISS changed me.

I met them, we ate dinner together, and I got to know them personally. I discovered that neither of us liked our leaders reactions, but we shared ideas as engineers and scientific minds. Ive come to see that the cooperation approach is more important than Us First. 

Jin Liwang/Xinhua

Other participants asked how to get more people to understand the importance of NASAs accomplishments and how to get these scientists to stop being cynical about politicians and budgets, but instead exert their authority as scientists to make policy for mankinds future. Rogers responded that this is precisely why she ran her campaigns for U.S. Congress and her 2014 campaign for U.S. Senate. Scientists were surprised I came to their events, she said. But I told them, NASA is not just some country club, it is the nations organization, our science driver. We deserve for NASA to be able to organize the nation around the success we could be achieving.

This provoked Wysmuller to call for a series of international brain trust conferences. I am going to China soon, and I plan to help this along. We need free and open discussions to dispel prejudices. We have a world here. We need to work together. When the barriers get broken, everybody wins.

Purchase So, You Wish To Learn About Economics from the LaRouche Publications Store
This article appears in the March 11, 2016 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

Zepp-LaRouche Addresses

Top-Level Conference in India

[PDF version of this article]

March 8For close to three decades, Schiller Institute founder Helga Zepp-LaRouche has been the leading advocate worldwide for the policy of the Eurasian Landbridge, which she had originated with her husband Lyndon LaRouche. Her many trips to China on behalf of this policy in the 1990s, earned her the sobriquet there of the Silk Road Lady.

More recently, the adoption of this policy by President Xi Jinpings China in 2013, under the name of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Maritime Silk Road, marked a turning-point in world history. This turning-point has been further consolidated by the far-reaching decisions of the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) meeting in Brazil in 2014, and subsequent developments.

From March 1-3, Mrs. Zepp-LaRouche was a leading speaker and participant in the Raisina Dialogue, hosted in New Delhi by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), in the first of what will be annual sessions. This conference, with over 600 guests from over 100 nations, focused on Asias physical, economic, human, and digital connectivity, as well as the needed international partnerships to effectively address the challenges of this century.

The speakers included policy- and decision-makers, including cabinet ministers from various governments, high-level government officials, and policy practitioners, leading personalities from business and industry, and members of the strategic community, media, and academia. Among the inaugural speakers were the Ministers of Foreign Affairs from Bangladesh and India, Abdul Hassan Mahmood Ali and Sushma Swaraj; and several former Presidents: Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga of Sri Lanka, and Sir James Mancham, Founding President of the Seychelles. The conference was also addressed by Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and several other Indian ministers, as well as former Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing. Other speakers included Ding Guorong, Senior Vice President of the Silk Road Fund, as well as many other incumbent and former political office holders.

Mrs. Zepp-LaRouche addressed the first panel. She chose as her subject the urgent need for the extension of the New Silk Road into the Middle East, in order to guarantee the peace order expressed in the Feb 27 cessation of hostilities in Syria. Her message was very well-received. People came up individually to support what she said, including her interventions on other conference panels. Because this had been her first trip to India since 2008, numbers of Indians also approached her to warmly welcome her back.

The background to Helgas March mission to India features the efforts by British Empire agents in Washington and the European Union, to fragment the BRICS nations, including by pulling India away from the others. These include the efforts to impeach and prosecute Brazils President Dilma Rouseff, as well as Obamas effort to overthrow the Jacob Zuma government of South Africa, which Zuma has attacked as another Washington regime-change operation. Among those trying to tempt India away from China and the other BRICS nations, was U.S. Admiral Harry Harris, head of the Pacific Command, who was also a speaker at the Raisina Dialogue.
This article appears in the March 11, 2016 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

The View from Texas

to the Far Side of the Moon

March 5Megan Beets of the LaRouche PAC Science Team gave this report to the March 4 International LaRouche PAC Webcast.

[PDF version of this article]

I can tell you from my visit to Texas that at this moment, when the breakdown of the trans-Atlantic system is undeniablewere witnessing the complete malfunctioning and shutdown of this old systemwere also seeing the reopening of the space program down in Texas.

Now the event that I was privileged to participate in with Kesha Rogers and Tom Wysmuller in Texas, represents a real beginning of a change of direction of the United States, a rebirth, so to speak, of the United States as a nation. Now, the requirement today is that the United States dump our commitment, our addiction, to this dead, dying trans-Atlantic system, and decide once again to take up a mission in the sense of purpose and contribution to mankind.

Now, you look around today. You look around at our citizens. You look at the heroin epidemic. You look at the death, the self-induced deaths from drugs, from suicide, from alcoholism. You look at the breakdown in cities like Flint, Michigan, the breakdown in places like certain counties of West Virginia that were once booming coal towns. Theres no reflection in the United States of reality.

Now, whats reality? Look at the leadership coming from Asia, particularly from China. Look at the kinds of optimistic developments, the progress for humanity, thats coming from the leadership of China and their space program, and in their commitment to development projects which are beginning to take hold and take place all across Eurasia. Thats reality. Theres no reflection of this yet inside the United States.

Ian Overton

And so, when we look around, its not just that the U.S. economy has disappeared. The United States has disappeared. Theres no sense of a unified purpose. Theres no sense of a unified mission for the existence of the United States as a nation, and theres no sense within our people of what we, as a nation, will organize ourselves to contribute to the purposes of mankind.

Now you contrast that with the U.S. sense of purpose and mission under John F. Kennedy and his Presidency, and his leadership within the United States, and his dedication to the space program. Now, as anyone who truthfully remembersand most especially, those people who were directly involvedcan tell you, this wasnt just a mission for the United States. This was a real mission for all of mankind. And this was reflected in some anecdotes at the Texas event last Saturday from some of the participants who themselves were engineers or otherwise employed in NASA during the Apollo missions.

In an anecdote, Tom Wysmuller said that he had disagreed with Wernher von Brauns view that we should be sharing some of our technology with the Russians, and his mind was changed by von Braun. There was another former NASA employee who said that at first, in the 1990s, he disagreed with President Clintons sharing of U.S. space technology with the former Soviet Unionwith Russia. But he said that once he started working with Russian engineers, he realized that our mission is mankind; its unified; its the same. And this was reflected throughout the entire event: the sense that our work during the space program was contributing fundamental developments and contributions, not to the progress of the United States, but to the progress of man as a whole.

Now, why? What is the space program? What happened during the space program in the United States?

Well, not only was the common, the general citizen transformed. Not only were there innumerable and immeasurable benefits from the economic spin-offs. But most importantly, the people were transformed. The astronauts were fundamentally transformed. The engineers working in the space program were fundamentally transformed, as we confronted problems in space, problems that forced us to overturn our assumptions about the principles which govern and control the Universe. And each of these problems that we confronted, we were to conquer. And you see that in the accounts of the people who were involved during that time in the space program: that we were able to pull together around a common mission, thousands and thousands of people across the country to confront these challenges in our knowledge about the Universe, and to conquer them.

And in that way, in a very short period of time, man began to rapidly transform himself and change to be a more powerful species. We began to progress into a species with more power and control over the processes in the Universe, to the point that we were able to land people on the surface of the Moon, which fundamentally transformed our ideas and our knowledge of what the Moon itself is, of what potential the Moon holds for a new platform of development for man, which was completely unknown until the accomplishments of Apollo.

Now this is what the Chinese are doing today with their space program. In 2018, just two years from now, the Chinese plan to land on the far side of the Moon. This has never been done before. The far side of the Moon has been imaged with satellites; its been seen by the human eyes of the American astronauts who orbited the Moon. But nobody has ever landed on the far side of the Moon.

Now, people may say, Well, we know what the Moon is; weve looked at it. Weve taken pictures. But the fact is, the far side of the Moon is a completely unknown quantity to us. When we land there, for example, what do we think the far side can teach us? When we land there, well have a chance to confront our fundamental notions about the formation of the Moon, the formation of the Earth, and possibly other planets in the Solar system, with the unique geological investigations that well be able to perform there.

When we land there, and when were able to set up astronomical observatories in the very low radio frequency range, which is a band of the electromagnetic spectrum in which it is impossible to look at the Solar system from anywhere attainable to us besides the far side of the Moon; when we are able to look at the Solar system in this new range, were very likely going to discover that the planets, the interstellar medium, distant galaxies, different stars, could exhibit processes to us which were completely invisible before.

Its this kind of potential for mankind to transform our powers, to transform our relationship to the Solar system itself, thats being offered by the Chinese actions today. And its this sense of meaning, this sense of mobilization and commitment to progress for all of mankind, which is what we, in Texas, are reminding people of. Its what Kesha is reminding people ofeven people who participated in these great accomplishments 40 or 50 years ago, and who might have encountered now a sense of demoralization with the actions since that time. Were drawing people out, back to a commitment to this mission. And Kesha is showing once again that the United States can, and must, commit itself to this kind of purpose for all of mankind.

In these beginnings that we are seeing in Texas, we find that people there still associate themselves with reality, and are now playing a leading role, with Kesha, in promoting the understanding that this mission for mankind is the viable option for the United States.
PRESS RELEASE

U.S. Surrounding China with Bombers

March 10, 2016 (EIRNS)The U.S. Strategic Command yesterday announced the deployment of three B-2 bombers "to the U.S. Pacific Command area of operations March 8." The three bombers "will integrate and conduct training with ally and partner air forces, and conduct a radio communications check with a U.S. air operations center." Stratcom didnt say where the three B-2s went, but Air Force Times reported that they went to the British territory of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

"While Diego Garcia sits closer to the Indian peninsula, the deployment comes at a time of heightened tensions with the Chinese over the South China Sea dispute,"

Air Force Times notes.

At the same time, General Lori Robinson, the commander of U.S. Pacific Air Forces, was in Canberra telling the Australians they should host U.S. B-1 bombers in addition to additional B-52 deployments. Robinson, reports Reuters, also told reporters in Canberra that the U.S. would continue to conduct exercises through the South China Sea, while calling on Australia to conduct similar provocative "freedom of navigation" exercises.

"We would encourage anybody in the region and around the world to fly and sail in international air space in accordance with international rules and norms"

the Australian Broadcasting Corporation quoted Robinson as saying.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull refused to confirm whether or not U.S. bombers would be appearing in Australian skies more often, reports Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "We have no closer relationship, obviously, than we do with the U.S.," Turnbull said.
The Westlands Water District is the biggest of big shots in the water world of California's Central Valley--so big that it was able late last year to beat the federal government in a secret deal to secure a reliable water supply for its member almond and pistachio growers in perpetuity--despite the fact that the deal makes a hash of efforts to produce an overall state water policy.

But on Wednesday, the Securities and Exchange Commission unveiled another aspect to Westlands' way of doing business: cooking the books. The SEC slapped the district and two officers with a total of $195,000 in penalties for faking financial records in connection with a 2012 bond issue.

A little Enron accounting.  --Westlands General Manager Thomas Birmingham describes the financial finagling caught by the SEC

As my colleague Geoffrey Mohan reports, the SEC is crowing about this being its largest settlement ever in a case against a municipal bond agency. Sadly, however, the agency's action is just another slap on the wrist for white collar wrongdoers. Nothing in the settlement, big as it is, will deter either Westlands or any other municipal bond issuer from trying to pull the same stunt in the future.

What's especially disturbing is that the SEC, despite calling this a case of "negligence," had evidence that the district and its officers, General Manager Thomas Birmingham and former Treasurer Louie Ciapponi, knew exactly what they were doing. When questioned by a Westlands board member about the transaction at issue, Birmingham joked that they were engaging in "a little Enron accounting."

Yet no one admitted to wrongdoing in the settlement, making this another case of something being done illegally, yet without any human being actually being identified as the wrongdoing party. What's left unsaid in the SEC action is why Birmingham or Ciapponi should be henceforth permitted to hold any official office with an agency issuing bonds to the public. Also escaping scot-free, at least for the moment, is the "independent auditor" who told Westlands that the financial maneuvers the SEC found improper were "permissible."

----------------------

Related:

How a rich water district beat the government in a secret deal

A huge water district defends a secret handout

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The auditing firm isn't identified in the SEC documents, but the firm whose 2012 Westlands audit is attached to the bond circular at the heart of the SEC's case is Clovis-based Sampson, Sampson & Patterson. We've asked the firm to comment, but have not received a response.

Let's look at what they were up to. In 2009, the district discovered that its revenues would fall $10 million below what it needed to meet bond covenants requiring it to collect 25% more each year than it had to pay in principal and interest on its debt. In fact, because of the drought, its coverage ratio wasn't 1.25, but as little as 0.11. Had that happened, it would have been in technical default on some of its bonds.

Whoops: the circled figure in this Westlands bond offering was fake, according to the SEC. (Michael Hiltzik)

Instead of bringing revenue up by raising rates to its users by 11.6%, which would have done the job, Westlands reclassified some of its cash holdings as revenue and moved some other money around. It did so, the SEC says, "solely" to meet the covenant.

What concerns the SEC is that the misstatement made it into the official offering for a $77-million refunding bond issue in 2012. That misled buyers of those bonds into thinking that the district invariably collected enough money to cover its bonds, when the truth is it had fallen hugely short in 2010. That would have made a difference to many investors, who might have decided to stay away.

The implications of all this are serious. For one thing, it shows that Westlands management is willing to mislead investors simply to save money for its users. It raises the question of whether a district that behaves this way is a suitable partner for the federal government in other deals, including the huge litigation settlement last year that was negotiated in secret, and that amounted to a huge federal giveaway to the district. And it could affect a Congressional debate over that settlement. It should.

The SEC action casts a shadow over $200 million in bonds issued by Westlands and a neighboring district, which have been placed on negative credit watch by the rating agency Moody's. But the darkest shadow is cast over the cause of good governance. As long as senior officials can boast about doing "Enron accounting" and then, when they're caught, get off without admitting their wrongdoing for the record, there's little hope that the public interest will be protected.

Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com.

Go to Michael Hiltzik's blog.
Two Detroit automakers announced moves into Silicon Valley on Friday as the companies race to compete in the new era of ride-sharing and self-driving cars.

Ford Motor Co. said it would establish a Palo Alto subsidiary to build and invest in new mobility options, including car-sharing and ride-hailing services, while General Motors Co. revealed that it had acquired Cruise Automation, a small software company that has been testing self-driving vehicles on the streets of San Francisco.

Ford Chief Executive Mark Fields said its subsidiary, Smart Mobility, would also have offices in Fords hometown of Dearborn, Mich. The idea is to make it separate but connected to its parent.

We wanted to make sure to give it the freedom and the flexibility to move almost like tech companies do, Fields told the Associated Press.

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The research and design of autonomous vehicles and vehicle connectivity will remain with the parent company, he said.

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Smart Mobility will be chaired by former Steelcase CEO Jim Hackett, a member of Fords board since 2013. Hackett resigned his board seat Friday to lead the new company. Ford plans to name a chief executive in the near future.

Ford has already conducted more than 30 global transportation experiments over the last 14 months. They include GoDrive, a car-sharing program with guaranteed parking in London, and Bridj, a van service in Kansas City, Mo., that users can summon with a smartphone.

This is not Fords first foray into Silicon Valley. In January 2015, the carmaker opened a research center in Palo Alto dedicated to advanced automotive technologies, such as autonomous and remotely piloted vehicles. The think tank is staffed with more than 100 engineers, designers and researchers.

And in December, there were reports that the automaker was in talks with Google to build the search giants self-driving car. Ford received a permit that same month to begin operating a driverless car on public streets.

At the time, company officials said a Ford Fusion hybrid was being tested in a closed-course setting in the Palo Alto area, and that a small fleet of 2016 Fusions would begin driving around Silicon Valley and San Francisco.

General Motors Cruise Automation is a three-year-old company based in San Francisco with 40 employees. It is developing self-driving car software, according to its website.

The acquisition, coupled with GMs in-house research, should help the company in its race with Google and others to have autonomous cars start transporting people on public roadways.

GM wouldnt give a timetable for rolling out the technology, but President Dan Ammann said it would happen as soon as the company can demonstrate that the cars are ready.

Its the automakers third high-profile venture this year into new mobility.

In January, GM acquired the assets of ride-hailing company Sidecar Technologies Inc., a San Francisco company that shut down at the end of last year.

The automaker also invested $500 million in ride-sharing service Lyft. The two companies plan to collaborate on a service that will allow users to reserve a self-driving car, much as they do with Lyft. Also in January, GM launched a car-sharing service called Maven that allows users to reserve and unlock vehicles with their smartphone.

Times staff writers Charles Fleming and Andrea Chang and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Gig workers such as Uber and Lyft drivers would gain the right to collectively bargain for benefits and wages under legislation introduced in California on Wednesday.

The bill, by Assemblywoman Lorena S. Gonzalez (D-San Diego), seeks to amend state labor law and allow groups of 10 or more independent contractors who work for hosting platforms such as Uber and Lyft to join in union-like groups and negotiate workplace protections.

Called the 1099 Self-Organizing Act, the legislation would apply to businesses and workers who participate in whats sometimes called the gig economy or the on-demand economy, in which companies use online systems and mobile apps to match laborers with customers.

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Gig workers include Uber and Lyft drivers, DoorDash and Postmates food delivery drivers, Handy house cleaners and Amazon flex workers who deliver packages. They are technically independent contractors who set their own terms of employment  taking as many or as few jobs as they want  but they have no control over wages, which can be changed at a whim by the companies in charge.

Gonzalez believes theres a gap in labor law that leaves these workers with few safeguards. Although her bill doesnt mandate terms, it would provide independent-contractor groups with some bargaining muscle to potentially secure better wages or insurance coverage.

Obviously our economy is changing, Gonzalez said. We think its time that our labor laws catch up with that reality.

She estimates that there are 1 million to 2 million gig workers in California, or roughly 10% of the states workforce.

Its really a free-market approach to an innovative economy, Gonzalez said of her bill. We can start to regulate this activity.... But as a former regulator, I just think its better to allow the workers and the employers to get together and negotiate something that works for both of them.

Opponents, however, argue that the legislation, in requiring bargaining collectives, undercuts the definition of independent contractor. In granting more power to workers, the bill could also stifle the growth of on-demand companies, which would have to change the way they do business.

Individuals are now able, like never before, to work for themselves and earn money how, when and where they want, said Michael Beckerman, president of the Internet Assn., which represents the interests of Uber, Lyft and other Internet-based companies. Independent contractors are prevalent in every industry, but this proposal unfairly targets the Internet sector in a way that could hurt the very people it purports to help.

The 1099 Self-Organizing Act, however, would not apply only to people working for tech companies. The legislation would allow a seemingly broad spectrum of independent contractors to unionize, and not in the kind of unions familiar to most Americans.

Currently, U.S. federal labor law grants the collective bargaining privilege only to workers who are classified as employees. And it compels employers to bargain with an employee group only if a majority of the workers in a workplace want to be represented by that union.

The bill is a dramatic departure from traditional labor law, said Seth Harris, a distinguished scholar at Cornell Universitys School of Industrial and Labor Relations and former deputy secretary of the U.S. Labor Department.

It would create what some people call a members-only or minority union bargaining relationship wherein the workers dont have to get a majority of all of the workers in the workplace to agree to join the union. Instead you just need to get 10 or more people working for the online gig economy company to say they want to bargain together with the employer. And thats enough. That does not exist in U.S. federal, private-sector labor law.

The California bill seeks to level the playing field between workers and employers  but it does not seek to classify gig workers as employees.

Rather, it would create a hybrid type of worker who is granted some of the legal protections afforded to employees, said Dan Eaton, a business ethics lecturer at San Diego State and employment lawyer.

This is an effort to shift the power here, he said. The measure is designed to make it easier for independent contractors in the gig economy to bargain for more in the way of pay, in the way of benefits and to give them greater leverage.

Uber and Lyft driver Kevin McGraham, 39, of San Diego views the bill as a positive development. He began working to establish a local drivers association after the ride-hailing companies slashed their fares in January, which cut drivers per-ride earnings by about 30%.

The highest thing on all of our priority lists is negotiating pay, he said. I think being able to collectively bargain with companies like Uber would help the independent contractors have job security and income security.

Even if the bill passes the Legislature and is signed into law, it will probably face court challenges contesting its legality.

Last week, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed suit against the city of Seattle, which recently granted independent drivers for Uber, Lyft and taxis the right to unionize. The suit alleges that the Seattle ordinance violates federal antitrust and labor law.

Still, Gonzalez believes some type of remedy for independent contractors is inevitable.

We live in a society of rules. We have this Wild West economy right now that is being conducted with very few or no rules, she said. Thats not fit for the state. Its not fit for the workers, and ultimately not fit for our country.

jennifer.vangrove@sduniontribune.com
As it plunged toward bankruptcy in 2009, General Motors Co. was slammed for its reluctance to change.

Now, with the auto industry speeding toward a point where cars drive themselves, the automaker is trying to get ahead of the curve.

On Friday, GM said it acquired Cruise Automation, a 40-person software company in San Francisco that has been developing autonomous-vehicle technology.

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GM plans to use Cruise technology to gave autonomous capability to its vehicles, though probably not in existing models.

The company has not yet announced when Cruises technology will be integrated into GM vehicles, only that it will be as soon as possible, said Kevin Kelly, a GM spokesman.

The deal marks Detroits latest foray into Silicon Valley.

Also Friday, Ford Motor Co. announced the creation of Ford Smart Mobility, a subsidiary focused on designing, building and investing in such things as connected vehicles and autonomous technology.

Two months ago, GM bought the assets of Sidecar Technologies Inc., a San Francisco ride-hailing company, and invested $500 million in the ride-sharing service Lyft. GM and Lyft plan to collaborate on a service that will allow users to reserve a self-driving car.

Founded in 2013, Cruise Automation is best known for its software that gave autopilot capabilities to conventional cars, said Kyle Vogt, company founder and chief executive. About a year and a half ago, the company switched its focus to fully driverless technology.

Cruise said it is one of the few firms that has a permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to test self-driving vehicles on public roads.

We share a common vision with GM for how autonomous vehicles will change the world, Vogt said. We were already on that path, and we remain on the path.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, and Vogt and Kelly said they would not comment on speculation about the price tag. ReCode and Fortune quoted anonymous sources as saying the price was at least $1 billion.

GM said Cruise would continue to operate in San Francisco, but would function as an independent unit within the automakers newly formed autonomous-vehicle development team.

Cruise provides our company with a unique technology advantage that is unmatched in our industry, Mark Reuss, GM executive vice president, said in a statement. We intend to invest significantly to further grow the talent base and capabilities already established by the Cruise team.

The Sidecar and Lyft investments  and GMs launch in January of the Maven car-sharing service, which allows users to reserve and unlock vehicles with their smartphone  indicate that the company wants to quickly integrate new technology.

GM is actually investing in products that are already developed, so theyre not inventing from scratch, said Rebecca Lindland, a senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book. It makes sense, saves money and also potentially speeds up the adoption rate and the technology and integration.

Technology is now the biggest difference between vehicles because their quality, durability and reliability are more or less on par, said Ed Kim, vice president of industry analysis at market research firm AutoPacific.

The best example of a seamless blend between technology and autos is Tesla Motors Inc., he said.

Elsewhere in the automotive industry, youve got automakers trying to interact with tech companies, but Tesla is, by its very nature, both, Kim said. Its certainly a driving force in getting the traditional automakers really thinking about the future and  how technology fits into the future of the automobile.

That future poses a threat to the traditional carmakers sales models.

As autonomous vehicles become more and more widespread, especially in urban areas  were looking at a potential future where car ownership may decrease, Kim said. This does have some very big potential and far-reaching implications in the sense that this will definitely have an impact on future auto sales volumes.

GM and Ford have been ramping up their presence in Silicon Valley.

Ford said its new Smart Mobility subsidiary will function as a start-up and will have operations in Palo Alto and Dearborn, Mich.

In January 2015, the carmaker opened a research center in Palo Alto dedicated to advanced automotive technologies, such as autonomous and remotely piloted vehicles.

In December, Ford received a permit to begin operating a driverless car on public streets.

Compared with Ford and GMs tepid interest in alternative energy vehicle development in the 2000s, this time seems different, said Jessica Caldwell, a senior analyst at Edmunds.com.

Theres more visibility in this issue, she said. All of this is very buzz worthy, where if you made a push toward improving fuel efficiency  it wasnt really as interesting back in 2007. I do think theyre being more proactive with this issue.

samantha.masunaga@latimes.com

Twitter: @smasunaga
The Honest Co. built its reputation as an environmentally minded alternative to everyday consumer products such as soaps, lotions and cleaning products  winning over fans and media attention with its celebrity co-founder, actress Jessica Alba.

But the Santa Monica companys image as a safer brand is being called into question by the Wall Street Journal, which commissioned lab tests that showed Honest laundry detergent contained a harsh chemical the company swore it never used.

The ingredient, sodium lauryl sulfate, or SLS, is listed as forbidden in the companys Honestly Free Guarantee, which is posted on its website. The chemical is widely used in toothpaste, shampoo and detergent and blamed for causing skin irritation.

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The Wall Street Journal conducted two lab tests that found the companys liquid laundry detergent contained SLS, according to a story published Thursday.

Honest, which has raised $222 million in private funding, disputes the Wall Street Journals findings and called the story reckless.

We stand behind our laundry detergent and take very seriously the responsibility we have to our consumers to create safe and effective products, the company said in an e-mailed statement.

Honest provided the Wall Street Journal with a certificate from its detergent manufacturer, Earth Friendly Products, stating there was no SLS in the product.

The detergent is supposed to be tested by Earth Friendly Products chemical supplier, Trichromatic West Inc.

But Trichromatic told the Wall Street Journal the certificate wasnt based on any testing and there was a misunderstanding with the detergent maker, the report said.

Instead, Trichromatic said it did not need to test for SLS because none was used in the manufacturing process.

Alba, who co-founded Honest in 2011, has called SLS a toxin. As an alternative, the company uses a detergent called sodium coco sulfate, or SCS.

Scientists told the Wall Street Journal that SCS contains a mixture of various cleaning agents that include a significant amount of SLS.

The company, in light of the Wall Street Journals inquiries, reportedly changed language on its website to say its products are Honestly made without the offending ingredients rather than Honestly free of the chemicals.

The company has been criticized in the past for its sunscreen, which was called ineffective at preventing sunburn.

Follow me on Twitter: @dhpierson
Jeff Daniels has returned to Scottish playwright David Harrowers disquieting drama Blackbird, and his experience in the play has not only deepened but galvanized his performance.

Excellent the first time around when he played opposite Alison Pill in Joe Mantellos 2007 production at Manhattan Theatre Club, Daniels has graduated to brilliant in the Broadway premiere at the Belasco Theatre. Here he shares the stage with the intensely captivating Michelle Williams, in a production by Mantello that perfectly calibrates the volatile sexual chemistry of the leads.

Daniels portrayal seems more urgently embodied than before. The actor is nearly a decade older than when he first performed the part, and he uses his bulkier frame to great tragicomic effect  his middle-aged body serving as a bulwark against the mortality that is invisibly yet palpably encroaching onstage and off.

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Blackbird is a small, strange and for some no doubt off-putting drama about a woman who returns to confront the man who sexually abused her when she was a 12-year-old girl. The subject matter might require trigger warnings for everybody. But the most dangerous aspect of the work, set in a nondescript office break room spilling over with trash, is the playwrights refusal to moralize.

In this gripping, barely-90-minute work, in which two characters are sealed off in a semi-private fishbowl, passion is indistinguishable from pain, fear from desire, predator from prey. Theres a clear victim, but has she returned for revenge or a reenactment of the crime?

Michelle Williams, left, and Jeff Daniels during a performance of Blackbird. (Brigitte Lacombe / AP)

The play begins in the clipped, pugilistic rhythm of a David Mamet altercation and ends in the emotional bloodletting of a warped Sam Shepard romance. No point in asking whether Una, the character played with mesmerizing neuroticism by the waifish Williams, is closer to Carol, the avenging student in Mamets Oleanna, or lovesick May from Shepards Fool for Love. She contains both of these women, and the uncertainty of her motivation is what keeps the audience on its toes.

A suspenseful ambiguity similarly surrounds Rays character. Played by Daniels with the flailing fury of a cornered animal, hes either a guy whod rather not have to relive his one unforgivable mistake or a serial culprit desperate to maintain an innocent cover.

Harrower cunningly arranges the facts to heighten the stakes. Ray presents himself as an accidental child molester, a man who succumbed to the onslaught of a precociously sexual adolescent. After serving a relatively short but life-altering jail sentence, he changed his name, found a respectable if less prestigious job and remarried. The opportunity to put this humiliating incident behind him was facilitated by a stroke of chronological luck: The sex offender registry went into effect several years after his crime.

Una, who tracked him down after spotting him in a trade magazine photo, appears to him as a specter from his secret past. She describes herself as a ghost, and that is how Williams plays her: as a woman whose life has been suspended by their ...

And heres where things get uncomfortable. The word that seems to fit the characters recollections of their sexual experience is affair, but of course there can be no affair between a 12-year-old girl and a 40-year-old man.

Blackbird moves daringly from condemnation to longing. Harrower takes a controversial path in writing this as a twisted love story. But in refusing to simplify the emotional fallout of sexual abuse, the playwright reveals the insidiousness of the psychological damage, the way this sort of violation imprints itself on desire, essentially rewriting its DNA.

The word trauma doesnt need to be spoken to be understood. In this regard, Blackbird truly is a ghost story. Una and Ray are haunted by an experience they can neither integrate into their psyches nor permanently banish from them.

Its fascinating to observe the way different productions balance the aggression and the eroticism, the sadness and the suspicion. (Rogue Machine Theatres 2011 staging in claustrophobic confines was particularly enlightening on the shifting power dynamics.)

Unas invasion puts Ray into a defensive crouch, but in Mantellos new production, I found myself doubting more and more Rays capacity to reckon honestly with himself. Daniels subtly imbues a hint of sinister pathology in Rays weary insistence that hes completely normal. Equally unnerving is the way Unas moral outrage transforms into amorous fury. Their ensuing pas de deux is part seduction, part demonic possession.

Daniels makes every moment of this faceoff vibratingly real. Even when practically bouncing off the walls in anxiety and resentment, he remains grounded in his character. Harrower has Ray and Una at one point toss garbage all over the lounge in a Shepard-esque flourish of hyperrealism, and Daniels treats this as the logical next step in his characters ambushment.

Williams is more stylized in her delivery, but theres no doubt that she is fully experiencing her characters anguish. Her performance calls attention to itself, but never in a gratuitous way.

Unas personality doesnt have the luxury of coherence  she performs her identity in fits and starts, unsure of what she needs, afraid of what she wants. Williams portrayal offers a series of X-rays into the characters interrupted development

What is most powerful about Mantellos production, however, is the bond between Daniels Ray and Williams Una. She seems to physically and emotionally regress into a girl again, luring him back into a shared past that tantalizes and horrifies in equal measure.

Broadway seemed an unlikely next step for Blackbird, a play that thrives in close quarters. But this production, which unfolds with hypnotic concentration on Scott Pasks deserted office set, held me in its grip through the surreal intimacy of the staging and the fugitive passion of the actors.

Williams wispy presence may seem like no match for Daniels overpowering girth, but her acute beauty and distraught air allow her to hold her own against his formidable theatrical command. They fight to a draw, leaving us even more disturbed by a play that unsettles us not by telling us what to think but by provoking within us feelings that are impossible to reconcile.

charles.mcnulty@latimes.com

@charlesmcnulty
Early in the first issue of Marvel Comics Haunted Mansion, a new one-off, five-issue series inspired by the Disneyland staple, readers encounter a ghost. This is expected. After all, as Haunted Mansion lore tells us, there are 999 of them living inside the manor.

Only this ghost isnt of the grim, grinning sort, as described in the attractions popular song. No, this ghost is all bones and menace, with a foreboding cape and a sword flailing wildly.

Its the Haunted Mansion Disney aficionados know and love, only slightly more dangerous.

It makes sense for a comic that we can go a little more sinister here and there, says Tom Morris executive creative director of Walt Disney Imagineering, the arm inside the Disney company responsible for theme park attractions and experiences.

RELATED: Digging up the ghosts of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion ride

I think thats going to compel readers to continue on, he continues. I think its different in an eight-minute attraction, but in something thats a series, you need tension, you need mystery.

Since it opened its doors in 1969, the Haunted Mansion has specialized in mystery. Its a collection of endless corridors and twisting rooms that are seemingly disconnected. What do hitchhiking ghosts have to do with the jolly ghouls who are seen frolicking in a ballroom? What about the bride in the attic? Does she have any connection to the spirit who appears in a crystal ball? And just who is the Hatbox Ghost?

All that says nothing of the gruesome tale once conjured up for the Mansions backstory, one involving a sinister sea captain who murdered his wife and buried her in a brick wall. Some of these stories have been lost to history. Today, for instance, there are only brief nods to the fearsome ship commander. But the entirety of the Haunted Mansions history was fair game for Marvels comic.

There was, however, one rule: Keep the past vague.

Haunted Mansion is not a creation story. In that sense, writer Joshua Williamson says he took inspiration from Alice in Wonderland.

You dont really have a definitive story of what Wonderland is, he says. Theres no origin story. Youre on this adventure going through it. Youre experiencing it the same time Alice is experiencing it. Thats kind of what I wanted for this.

Marvel's Haunted Mansion is ultimately the story of a teenage boy who ventures inside the spooky house after discovering that the spirit of a loved one may be trapped somewhere within its walls. The boy, Danny, is something of scaredy-cat, says Williamson, and in the first issue, he encounters what millions of Disneyland guests have already seen  paintings that stretch, windowless and doorless rooms and floating musical instruments.

He also comes face-to-face with some ghouls that Disneyland regulars may have overlooked. The aforementioned sword-wielding skeleton figure, for instance, is indeed featured in the attraction, but only glimpsed briefly in a painting.

Instead of, say, assigning a narrative to a known figures, the comic allowed Williamson and Imagineers to explore lesser-known dwellers of the Mansion.

The house itself is a personality, and the various elements are a personality, Morris says. In the endless hallway with many, many doors, your mind may begin to wonder. There are many places in this Mansion that we're not getting to see. I wonder what they are? Thats what the comic really allows us to do  to walk around in our mind and expand our imagination about what the house is and who the rest of the inhabitants are.

Numerous theories about the Mansions backstory have been bandied about over the years. The rides beginnings date to the early to mid-1950s, first gaining major traction when Walt Disney assigned the project that ultimately would reside in the New Orleans Square section of Disneyland to Ken Anderson, an animator turned Imagineer.

Andersons treatments give the ride a much more disturbing core than its current incarnation. A Disney Editions book, The Haunted Mansion: Imagineering a Disney Classic, details Andersons initial drafts.

They all present a morbid twist for the family attraction. There was a sea captain  Capt. Bartholomew Gore, to cite one of his early names  who was actually a notorious pirate. His young wife, on discovering this news, was murdered  bricked in a wall in one version of the story, thrown down a well in another.

The comic in its opening pages makes allusions to the many Haunted Mansion theories. One mentions the pirate captain. Another implies that the house belongs to the bride in the attic. Constance is her name, and shes known as the black widow bride because of her penchant for killing her husbands.

Unlike, say, the poorly received 2003 Haunted Mansion film starring Eddie Murphy, Williamson and Imagineers did not want the comic to read as the end-all, be-all for the Mansion. Whatever theories may exist, the comic plays with them rather than trying to set them straight.

It was important for us to not go back and try and create a definite origin for the house, says Andy DiGenova, an associate show producer at Imagineering. It was more important to have an adventure in the Mansion the way that it is. The Mansion is kind of a constant, and then we can have fun with whats going on inside. Anything that happened prior to that, we still leave up to the fans.

One character, however, has clearly fascinated Williamson, and thats the bride in the attic. Though her face isnt seen in the first issue, her chilling presence hovers over the story. At all costs, one specter warns, you do not want to run into Constance the bride.

In the Disneyland attraction, the attic that houses Constance is one of the few places in the ride with a clearly defined story. Now, an ax-wielding ghost, shes seen as a bride in numerous photos, the pearls around her neck getting more extravagant with each groom.

Shes a murderer, right? Williamson says.

Shes this force of nature almost like a Grim Reaper, he adds. She is going to come for you. Shes a supernatural force within the house that you wouldnt want to encounter.

Constance, Williamson says, is the scariest ghost in the attraction. And though Disneylands Haunted Mansion may rely more on humor than frights, Williamson says it still can teach one about managing fear.

One of the lessons of the Haunted Mansion is that its OK to be scared, he says. Scary can be fun. Sometimes being scared can give you an edge.

todd.martens@latimes.com

Follow me @toddmartens

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With Road Games, its tempting to note that finally, someone has turned the sun-dappled, picturesque French countryside into an arena of homicidal danger. In this playfully obtuse British-Gallic thriller from writer-director Abner Pastoll, a serial killer is targeting rural travelers, which might explain why nobodys stopping for stranded British hitchhiker Jack (Andrew Simpson).

Sporting only a British passport and no bags, he teams up with another road denizen, beautiful Frenchwoman Veronique (Josephine de La Baume), and they eventually get picked up by a bearded, chatty and peculiar middle-aged local (Frederic Pierrot) who invites them to dinner at his country home. The Frenchmans American wife (Barbara Crampton) is even odder, a haunted-looking and nervous character who gets nervous when talk turns to the uncaught killer and who privately tells Jack to lock his door.

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Needless to say, people arent what they seem in this scenario, but the build-up of peculiarities is so interminably coy (and not always funny) that any genuine suspense Pastoll generates dissipates almost as quickly. Though the inspiration here is clearly Hitchcockian, the movies vibe is so tongue-in-cheek as to be weightless.

Cult actress Cramptons buzzy weirdness proves to be an incongruous pairing with Pierrots controlled mysteriousness, while a fearful interlude with a grizzled, blade-wielding road-kill specialist (Feodor Atkine) is more head-scratching than freaky. By the time Pastoll unveils his twist, whats transpired has been too strained logically to justify its cleverness. Though built to divert, Road Games mostly feels untethered to any memorably crafty storytelling.

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Road Games

No rating. In English and French with English subtitles.

Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes

Playing: Arena Cinema, Hollywood.
War movies arent what they used to be. Forget about the trench, the foxhole, the cockpit. Instead we have darkened rooms with bright video screens, the unnatural habitat of pilots who guide drones and their lethal payloads toward targets thousands of miles away.

Drone warfare was the subject of the heavy-handed Good Kill and has a questionable cameo in the war-as-personal-adventure comedy Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. But the superbly acted Eye in the Sky, a taut nail-biter starring Helen Mirren, the late Alan Rickman and Aaron Paul, arrives as a fully involving drama about the new rules of engagement.

In lesser hands the deck would feel stacked, but Guy Hibberts screenplay is thoughtful, piercing and laced with dark-comic absurdities. Under Gavin Hoods assured direction, the action pulses with moral quandary.

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With an opening sequence centered on a young family in Nairobi, the film uses human detail to counter the notion of faceless collateral damage. Behind her frontyard gate, 9-year-old Alia (Aisha Takow) displays a charming knack for the hula hoop  much to the fundamentalist horror of a visiting neighbor. In the market square, she sells her mothers fresh-baked bread, as she has many times before. But on this day, she unwittingly places herself at the center of an international debate over the logistics and ethics of a top-secret operation.

That dispute rages across four continents via phone tag, video conference and text message. In Britain, Mirrens laser-focused Col. Katherine Powell is more than ready to close the deal. The mission she heads has traced Al Shabab militants, including a British woman shes been pursuing for years, to a house in Nairobi, where theyre preparing for a suicide bombing.

To Powells profound frustration, her call for a missile strike hits roadblocks, first from Steve Watts (Paul), the American drone pilot under her command. Seeing on the screen in his Nevada bunker that Alia has wandered into the kill zone, he refuses to proceed until the risks and legality have been assessed.

Watts high-ground anguish might at first feel overstated, but his sense of responsibility for this problematic surgical strike is brought into sharp relief as Powells urgency escalates. By contrast, the lieutenant general she reports to (Rickman) is the picture of pained forbearance, surrounded by indecisive politicians who are reluctant to give the go-ahead. They ask penetrating questions along with image-conscious ones, weighing the propaganda value of dozens of suicide-bombing casualties against the potential death of one girl.

Amid the policy wrangling and a farcical round of referring up  this crowds euphemism for passing the buck  heart-stopping scenes follow the missions undercover operative (Barkhad Abdi of Captain Phillips) on the streets of Nairobi.

Hood, who directed the Oscar-winning thriller Tsotsi and the not-so-thrilling Rendition, deftly churns up the suspense without diluting the storys unsettling questions. If there are any answers, theyre no less troubling as the movie draws us  horrified, fascinated, complicit  into the minute-by-minute, kill-or-be-killed deliberations.

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Eye in the Sky

MPAA rating: R, for some violent images and language

Running time: 1 hour, 42 minutes

Playing: The Landmark, West Los Angeles; ArcLight, Hollywood

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The effect is unnerving. Shortly after gazing at artfully displayed museum materials about U.S. government surveillance  primary-color images of Doppler tracks, documents painting distinctions between clandestine collection and covert action  the viewer realizes they are being spied on.

A space where one can lie down to look up at a simulated night sky dotted with drones is, in the next room, made visible on a screen, where those same viewers can see that images of them were being captured. Next to the screen sits a more insidious piece  a Wi-Fi sniffer, which displays technical details of the phone in ones pocket.

It is an exercise in table-turning. Visitors believe they are safely distanced observers  only to suddenly learn they are the subject.

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These experiences come courtesy of Astro Noise, a new installation at the Whitney Museum of American Art about surveillance and the War on Terror by filmmaker Laura Poitras.

In her so-called post-9/11 film trilogy, anchored by the Oscar-winning 2014 Edward Snowden documentary Citizenfour, Poitras sought to use her first language, cinema, to show the spread of government spying in civil society. Now she has undertaken a less-common experiment  bringing her activist zeal and storytelling chops to the world of fine arts.

I wanted to build an experience that would ask you to engage but also make you vulnerable, Poitras said of the installation, which runs through next month. I want it to be shocking but also communicate in a clear way that makes people see things differently.

Poitras is in her downtown office overlooking the Hudson River about a mile south of the Whitney. High-ceilinged but of limited space, the office feels a little larger now that many of the installation materials have finally been moved out.

The journalist-turned-artist, 52, uses the area as a staging ground for all her efforts  as a director (her latest project is about Julian Assange, with cooperation from its subject), as a producer (she helps oversee Field of Vision, an ambitious series of documentary shorts launched last year and mainly distributed online) and as a kind of spiritual leader to a new generation of watchdog journalists.

And, now, as gallery exhibitionist.

It is this last label that raises the most questions, not just due to the material but because of how it expands on her chosen profession. Filmmakers often carry a theme from one movie to the next; Poitras herself has done that with the two movies, My Country, My Country and The Oath, that preceded Citizenfour.

But directors dont often cross into the museum or gallery worlds. Astro Noise implicitly asks whether a commercial filmmaker can move fluidly between mediums if their efforts are united by a common goal.

Poitras says she sees fewer walls than others might.

I wanted this piece to have the same progression as a narrative film, she said. I wanted you to feel as if there was plot. Except there would be no plot  the progression would be the physical space.

Certainly there are narrative elements in Astro Noise, and a measure of flow. The visitor moves from a longform video of post-9/11 CIA interrogations  projected on a giant screen in the center of a large room  into a space where formal documents of CIA and FBI policy can be viewed through eye-level slits.

The installation then steers the viewer to the drone and self-spying spaces before landing them in front of a looping video. The piece represents roughly 10 minutes of footage Poitras took from the roof of an Iraqi home about five years after the U.S. invasion there  footage that appears to be why she landed on a U.S. government watch list.

Astro Noise, in other words, has a continuity of both space and time, emblematic of a mind that thinks in acts. (This, incidentally, is also the operating principle of 12 Years a Slave director Steve McQueen, one of the few other film directors who crosses over to visual art. Later this year the Whitney will host a show of his too.)

But the sequencing is more than just a device. The structure seeks to convey a larger point: What begins as a military response in a foreign land can quickly come home to roost.

Poitras is evidence of this herself  she has an ongoing lawsuit over her place on the watch list and incorporates some of the case documents into the exhibit. The line between chronicler and chronicled is constantly blurring.

Soft-spoken but with an intensity of purpose, Poitras comes off as someone for whom politics is never far from her mind.

The artist actually began work on Astro Noise well ahead of Citizenfour. She and Whitney curator Jay Sanders began talking in early 2012, before Snowden even reached out to her. Poitras and the institution began collaborating in smaller ways  The Oath was at the museums 2012 Biennial, and she held an event in which some visitors were detained, voluntarily. Astro Noise then began to take shape.

Rather than art coming from film, in other words, all her work derives from a core belief: The U.S. is overstepping its bounds, amassing a trove of information about civilians that could easily be turned against them.

It may be a refreshing shift to convey these ideas via conceptual art, but the idea of fashioning gallery shows out of the stuff of government policy raises questions. Can art and its abstractions convey the hard-reality complexities of foreign affairs?

And can a piece like this be enjoyed or even exist independently from its politics? Would Dick Cheney or a more hawkish sort, for instance, behold it in the same way, or even consider it art?

Sanders, who worked closely with Poitras on the show, said the installation is itself meant to grapple with these issues.

Its a complicated dialogue, Sanders said. I think a lot of people would say [the show] is political. But its also empathetic, showing what its like to live in a country where drones fly overhead.

That bundle of artistic intent and political positioning is what makes this interesting. I hope the show opens up those issues.

Poitras says she sees it as a fine but instructive line.

I guess some would say it is political. I dont really think of it that way, she said. I want it to be unsettling. What would it be like if the Chinese were flying drones over the U.S.? What would it be like if our citizens were being interrogated in this way?

Poitras relocated back to New York after several years in Berlin, where she had gone to work on Citizenfour in what she believed was a more hospitable climate for the films provocations.

Her efforts since returning home have to been to build a kind of informal mini-empire of watchdog journalism; Field of Vision in particular is key to this, publishing seasons of documentary-short work. She also has been working on the Assange piece, which is expected to be an episodic series about his actions and life in the embassy of Ecuador in London. (Poitras was last there in the fall and will likely return soon.) Assange, she said, has been railroaded because he exposed important and dangerous foreign-policy decisions.

Her underlying point in much of her work, especially Astro Noise, is that the surveillance state, and the larger culture of interrogation and detainment of which its a part, is not something that happens to others, but affects all of us. No one can simply look at an exhibit with detachment.

If that world view feels unduly dystopian, Poitras believes that can be a dangerous way of thinking. Such concerns seem exaggerated or too early, she says , until its too late.

Nor does she believe foreign-policy mistakes are relegated to the past.

Its not history, its present, she said, turning ideological. Guantanamo is still happening. Look at ISIS. Its shocking how much of the media doesnt talk about the connection between the Iraq War and how it directly led to ISIS.

She built an installation like this, she said, to bring home the urgency.

When you watch a film they are characters in a plot. You have some relationship to them, but its a projection, a transference, she said. In Citizenfour youre watching someone who makes a bold decision. But its someone else. Its not you. And Astro Noise is all about you.

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Sally Field believes that our age changes, but not our character.

We are all just the same, she said during a recent interview in Beverly Hills. If you and I met and we were in our 20s, we could close our eyes and say, we are going to be sitting at a table 35 years from now and we will still be the same person. Your body changes.

The petite actress, a vibrant and youthful-looking 69, lamented the tremendous ageism toward women in this country. In Europe, they are so appreciated and revered. With women  especially in this industry  there is always a feeling of, What have you been doing with yourself? I say, What do you mean, what have I been doing with myself? Im still here. 

Proving her point, Field gives a lovely performance in the new indie comedy-drama Hello, My Name Is Doris, which opens Friday. In the film, directed and co-written by Michael Showalter (Wet Hot American Summer), Field plays the 60-something Doris, a true eccentric with a boring job at an online magazine populated with millennials who take her for granted.

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After the death of her domineering mother, whom she long cared for in their cluttered little house on Staten Island, Doris is looking for love  in all the wrong places. She behaves like a giddy teenager when she thinks the companys cute new young art director John (Max Greenfield) is interested in her.

Field thought of it as a coming-of-age story, just not one about youth. We all see little pieces of ourselves in Doris, Field believes.

The actress, who earned Oscars for her memorable turns in 1979s Norma Rae and 1984s Places in the Heart, was Showalters top choice for Doris.

Doris is a funny, vulnerable, fierce, sexy, odd, intense character, said Showalter. I dont think there are very many actresses besides Sally who could do justice to all of the different things that are that character. It was, like, Sally Field would be amazing, but she would never do it. To my utter delight, she responded to the part.

We knew this would be hard to pull off, Field recalled of her first meeting with Showalter. He kept saying it walks a fine line between comedy and drama. It isnt just sort of a comedy and a drama because a lot of movies do that. Its a Greek drama and a screwball comedy. Some of those transitions are butted right up against each other.

Making matters more complex, Doris lives in her own world and constantly fantasizes.

She has been cut off from the world, Field said, and she doesnt really recognize that there is a world out there. She gets her clothes from thrift stores, off the streets, out of bags and kind of plays dress-up for herself. She has no connection with how she is going to be looked at.

She also discussed Doris personality and hoarding issues with therapists. The report I got back was that all of the mental disorders like OCD  they all have degrees of severity.

Because Showalter let her run with Doris, Field began to imagine her unique look, including a faux bun that sits askew on the top of her head, old glasses, mismatched clothes  including a wonderful poodle skirt and saddle shoes  and a bit too much makeup.

She lives in a time capsule in a way, noted Field. Especially her hairdo. I copied the hair from an old Brigitte Bardot hairdo from the early 1960s, she said. She has these sweeping bangs from the side. I decided the look cant be perfect, so I cut my bangs off.

Costume designer Rebecca Gregg went to old costume houses in Los Angeles and collected clothes for Field. There were racks and racks of clothes, Field recalled. I just started trying on clothes, trying to put a look together, because in my mind, if I started to find her exterior, then I would start to find the interior.

She was so dedicated to the material, said Showalter. She was so willing to make do with the limited resources we had. Everyone worked really hard when we saw how dedicated she was.

Field was determined to make Doris a real person, not a cartoon nor caricature. And shes especially strong in the scenes when Doris realizes shes suddenly free after her mothers death.

Ultimately, its her young colleague John who helps bring her out of her shell.

She talks to him like she has never done before, said Field. And I think John is talking to her in ways he has never done before. It is a connection of two people. No matter how old they are, that is what people want from each other.

calendar@latimes.com
Susan King, our beloved guardian of the Golden Age of Hollywood galaxy, has left the building and will be dearly missed. Im Kevin Crust and I will be your new tour guide as we continue to write about notable birthdays and deaths, movie and TV milestones, fun events around town and the latest in DVDs and books every Friday in our Classic Hollywood newsletter. You can also follow us on the Classic Hollywood Los Angeles Times Facebook page and our film staff will continue to write about historic Hollywood.

I grew up in the Los Angeles area (29 miles east of downtown to be precise) and have fond memories of sneaking around studio backlots (the statute of limitations has surely passed, right?), and seeing movie triple-headers with friends on Fridays in Westwood and then arguing about their merits over coffee and corned beef into the wee hours at Canters. We would then hit the newsstand on Robertson near Pico before schlepping back to the suburbs. I look forward to digging through the L.A. Times archives and sharing content as we continue to explore the cinematic past that is so entwined with the history of Los Angeles.

Who doesnt like a good chariot race?

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In 2009, Stewart Copeland, drummer for the Police and composer of scores for Rumble Fish, Wall Street and TVs The Equalizer, was commissioned to do a score for a live arena version (with chariot race!) of Civil War Gen. Lew Wallaces 1880 novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, that toured Europe. After the tour, Copeland was commissioned by the Virginia Arts Festival to edit Fred Niblos 2 1/2-hour 1925 silent film version and reassemble his score to create a concert with a live performance by an orchestra. Wednesday, at the Valley Performing Arts Center in Northridge, you can experience Copelands lean 90-minute version of Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ featuring the Pacific Symphony with Richard Kaufman conducting and Copeland on percussion. The event will also be presented at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa on March 18 and 19.

Here is the opening of the original Los Angeles Times review of the Biltmore Theater premiere:

Caparisoned with a lavishness virtually beyond compare and enriched with thrills and romance and a rare mood of spiritual feeling, Ben-Hur, a supreme effort of the motion-picture industry, last night came before Los Angeles audiences as one of that industrys most glorious and without doubt also most lasting of achievements.

-- Edwin Schallert, Aug. 3, 1926

Wallaces novel has inspired numerous other film and television versions, and the chariot race is often the most memorable set-piece. The story was told most famously in William Wylers 1959 Ben-Hur, written by Karl Tunberg and starring Charlton Heston, that won 11 Academy Awards, including best picture. The tale involves a Jewish prince, who is enslaved by Romans, has a close encounter with Jesus and becomes a champion charioteer. There is also a new version from MGM and Paramount due Aug. 12 starring fourth-generation Hollywood actor Jack Huston (son of Tony, nephew of Anjelica and Danny, grandson of John, great-grandson of Walter).

For an added treat, go see the Coen brothers Hail, Caesar, which also features a large-scale spectacle with the subtitle A Tale of the Christ.

Sneak peek

In this Sundays Classic Hollywood column, Susan King visits with Martin Landau, who can currently be seen on the big screen co-starring with Christopher Plummer in Atom Egoyans Holocaust revenge drama, Remember. Landau, who won an Oscar for playing Bela Lugosi in 1994s Ed Wood, discusses the new film, the Actors Studio and working with directors.

TV milestones

Day-and-date openings, apparently, are nothing new.

On March 11, 1956, Laurence Oliviers film adaptation of Richard III by William Shakespeare aired on NBC the same day it had its U.S. opening at New Yorks Bijou. The film debuted in London in December 1955, but would not reach the big screen in Los Angeles until September 1956, when it played the Beverly Canon. The film, co-starring John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Cedric Hardwicke and Claire Bloom, had some of its bloodier bits snipped for broadcast, running 3 1/2 minutes shorter.

After seeing the film theatrically, the Los Angeles Times Philip K. Scheuer wrote, to one who was baffled as often as he was stirred by the original telecast, the latter now seems to have been little more than a trailer for the main event.

Perhaps that explains why the practice did not catch on.

A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a theatrical release!

Bon anniversaire!

Funnyman Jerry Lewis celebrates his 90th birthday on March 16. Born Joseph Levitch, Lewis shot to fame with Dean Martin as the comedy duo Martin & Lewis, then embarked on a film career of his own as a comedic auteur and is especially revered in France. For decades, he worked tirelessly for the Muscular Dystrophy Assn., hosting a Labor Day telethon from 1966 until 2010, raising more than $2 billion. In 2009, Lewis was presented the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

Turner Classic Movies will honor him by showing the Martin-Lewis vehicle, The Caddy (1953), directed by Norman Taurog, on Tuesday at 7 p.m.; and Lewis triple-threat outing as writer-director-star in 1960s The Bellboy, on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

DVD Vault

Exodus, starring Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint and based on the 1958 blockbuster best-seller by Leon Uris, arrives Tuesday on Blu-Ray from Twilight Time.

Directed by Otto Preminger from a screenplay by Dalton Trumbo, the 1960 film depicts events based on the blockade of the immigration ship Exodus in 1947 and the creation of the state of Israel. Along with Spartacus, Premingers hiring of the writer, depicted in last years biopic Trumbo, is credited with helping to end the Hollywood blacklist.

From the Hollywood Star Walk

Notable births this week include Dorothy Gish (March 11); Raoul Walsh (March 11); Lawrence Welk (March 11); Al Jarreau (March 12); Gordon MacRae (March 12); Liza Minnelli (March 12); Jon Provost (March 12); Sammy Kaye (March 13); William H. Macy (March 13); Billy Crystal (March 14); Quincy Jones (March 14); George Brent (March 15); Harry James (March 15); Bernardo Bertolucci (March 16); and Mercedes McCambridge (March 16).

A terrific fighter



Susan Hayward went from fashion model to Hollywood star when producer David O. Selznick glimpsed her on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post in 1939. The actress went on to earn five Oscar nominations before winning an Academy Award for the 1958 film I Want to Live!

Here is the L.A. Times obit as it appeared in the paper on March 15, 1975.

kevin.crust@latimes.com

Twitter: @storyspheare
Seth Bogart looked like he suspected something was amiss. Onstage at the Echoplex during his sold-out album release show in February, two beefy security guards flanked him on either side of the stage. They were silent and stoic for most of Bogarts set, while he romped around in a drawn-on pencil mustache and a shellacked head of hair that made him look something like half John Waters, half living Ken doll.

But suddenly, in the middle of Lubed, a candy-hued electropop single, they ripped off their black T-shirts and side-snapped pants and started grinding on him with a Magic Mike"-worthy verve.

I dont think these security guards are real! he shouted in mock distress. Theyre starting to get a little out of control. He shooed them off stage, pleading with a couple of unamused female police officers to come to his rescue.

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But they were no help either, because they also turned out to be strippers.

Over two decades and scores of projects  including tongue-in-cheek disco (Gravy Train!!!!), sleazed-up garage rock (Hunx and His Punx) and a vast archive of psychedelic video art and gallery installations  the 36-year-old Bogart has built a world thats won some high-profile fans beyond underground music circles. YSL designer Hedi Slimane, Miley Cyrus, fashion and media mogul Tavi Gevinson and Bikini Kills Kathleen Hanna are among them.

Just because I have a sense of humor and use bright colors, people always say its camp, Seth Bogart said. Im just doing my thing. I think of it as art. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

But with his debut solo album, released on the beloved Fullerton imprint Burger Records in February, he might be primed for making a more serious  and even bigger  impression.

Just because I have a sense of humor and use bright colors, people always say its camp, Bogart said. Im just doing my thing. I think of it as art.

On a Wednesday afternoon after the show, Bogart was midway through the interior work on a new edition of his pop-up store in Echo Park, Wacky Wacko, devoted to the products of his many pursuits. These include: giant paper-mache props recalling his stage setup, his September gallery show at 356 Mission and his surrealist Hollywood Nailz Web series and rows of T-shirts featuring prints of his demented class-notebook doodles. (Slimanes readywear line, Saint Laurent, used them in a capsule collection; Cyrus has worn his shirt lamenting a case of PMS  Putting Up With Mens ....) The shop is coated in a drippy sherbet interior color scheme that looks like a Barbie dream house after nuclear war.

As soon as the makeup comes on, I transform myself. I like being an entertainer and putting on a show.  Seth Bogart

Onstage, Bogart is an outrageous showman, but off it hes sweet and shy around strangers, tucking in behind a table as a couple of super-fans came in to buy merchandise before the store was even finished. After his Echoplex show, it was almost weirder to see him without his characters getup.

As soon as the makeup comes on, I transform myself. I like being an entertainer and putting on a show, he said. Ive never been in a band where I didnt dress up. It just feels very me.

But after years in the DIY trenches, he might soon face bigger crowds. His eponymous album, produced with the Grammy-winning producer Cole M. Greif-Neill (Beck, Julia Holter), has already dramatically broadened his audience. Hannas vocals on Eating Makeup cemented the records radical punk credibility, while Gevinsons cameo proves Bogarts cool-teen-Tumblr idol status.

Hes a real auteur. His whole career is expanding, and the music is a vehicle to catalyze it all, Greif-Neill said. Hes struck this balance between the absurdity and malleability of his music, but theres also a melancholy side to him thats about wanting to change your identity, and thats something people can relate to.

"[Seth Bogarts] a real auteur. His whole career is expanding, and the music is a vehicle to catalyze it all, says producer Cole M. Greif-Neill. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Since its release, hes gone from playing scrappy DIY venues to headliner status at this coming weekends Burger Records five-year anniversary festival (Bogart performs March 19 alongside Black Lips, Slowdive and dozens of other acts). The taste-making music website Pitchfork gave his album an 8.0 rave. But treating the record as a self-contained object misses the point.

Bogarts true appeal is the sheer scale and imagination of all his work. Its not just the antagonistically Auto-tuned pop songs or the mock infomercials for Lather Daddy Body Wash and Mantyhose that play between songs during his concerts. Its how these off-kilter, homemade touches are also in dialogue with fine art traditions, like the video-based meltdowns of Ryan Trecartin, Gary Panters brightly colored work on Pee-Wees Playhouse or Claes Oldenburg, who also ran a famous store-as-art-concept in 60s New York.

We both loved the idea of playing store and experiencing retail as an art form, said Peggy Noland, a visual artist and frequent Bogart collaborator who co-owns Wacky Wacko. I think Seth absolutely falls in the footsteps of those artists. Were really interested in the idea of opening up a mall together, like a DIY mall where all of our friends can have spaces.

Underground punk and art cultures arent as self-serious as they were in the days of magazines like Maximum Rocknroll. But underneath Bogarts lurid vamping in his current guise, theres a generous and populist vision that may resonate even deeper.

Hes always doing something, and he totally immerses himself in it. Its playful, but it comes from a sincere place, said Lee Rickard, co-owner of Burger Records and a longtime fan of Bogarts many projects, ranging back to Bogarts high school punk zine Puberty Strike. I wouldnt be who I am without Seth. Hes kind of a David Bowie of our generation.

2016 is a good time for Bogart to try being a DIY David Bowie. Its a short hop from his teen-noir doodles to Jeremy Scotts costumes for Katy Perry or from his warped 80s tunes about eating makeup to the daffier sides of Lady Gaga. His songs about bed-hopping with guys might have once been confined to a gay-punk niche or alt-feminist circles. But its telling that now, in his most outsized and synthetic character yet, mainstream crowds seem primed for his musics sweet-and-sour catchiness.

I dont have any qualms about selling out, he said. Ive been doing my thing and punk for 20 years. I just got sick of being in a punk band.

Despite his fascination with retail and mass culture, Bogart believes in the potent little universe hes dreamed up. And true to his musical roots, hell fight for it. Its shocking to me how so many gross men still have power in creative worlds. I cannot wait until gays and girls fully take over, he recently wrote on his saucy Twitter account in the wake of Keshas claims against Dr. Luke. Women publicly speaking out about creepy abusive men in the music industry. So rad. I hope all of those men gets whats coming to them.

As the afternoon grew hotter, Bogart plotted out the ceiling installation in Wacky Wacko, a mess of streamers that was going to take hours to pin up. But in a way he was feathering his nest. The man-eating makeup compacts, muscle-bear body wash, the omnipresent scrims of hot-pink  all of it finally had a place to live that feels like home.

Finally, people have stopped asking me about what its like being gay in a band, Bogart said. And people are asking about the art.
George Martins death was an incalculable loss to pop music. The man who shaped the Beatles sound and forged their advancements in the studio set precedents that are still followed today. And across Los Angeles best recording studios, software production rigs and the most influential radio stations in the world, Martins work is foundational.

George Martin defined what it is to be a modern music producer, said Zane Lowe, the head of Beats 1 on Apple Music. Along with the Beatles, he pretty much invented and perfected the collaborative relationship between a band and their producer. Together they achieved so much in a such a short amount of time, with distinct personalities in each recording. His techniques inspired the technology revolution in music. He was an adventurer.

Those adventures -- grafting seeming-incompatible styles into one song on Strawberry Fields Forever, deconstructing Yesterday into a stately string arrangement, the seesawing orchestras on Sgt. Peppers -- had an immediate practical impact on changing production techniques. But, even more importantly, they represented a way of thinking about the recording studio that resonates just as deeply today.

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Strawberry Fields always is what comes to mind when I think of George Martin. Taking a song that John Lennon wrote on an acoustic [guitar] and helping to create something that was one of the best psychedelic songs they had written always inspires me, said Lars Stalfors, a producer who helmed recent records from Health, Cold War Kids and Alice Glass. I learned that he would sometimes take out the one element of the song that created it [piano, acoustic guitar] and see what you were left with. Not one song goes by that I work on that I dont try that idea out.

His influence on record making goes far beyond any idea of a collection of songs, said Tom Biller, who has worked with Jon Brion, Silversun Pickups, Kate Nash and Warpaint. Like many others, seeing Recording produced by George Martin on the Sgt. Peppers album when I was a lad sent me down this crazy path, and yet Im still trying to understand what that means. From his work, Ive learned that the concepts of bravery, rule breaking and humor should always be components of making an album.

Even outside the rigors of traditional studios, Martins liberal vision for how to capture and create sounds with a band helped create the mentality for todays electronic experiments. Thats seen across pop music, but just as acutely in dance music.

George Martin was the first to use the studio as an instrument; hes responsible for maybe half the magic of modern music in the last century, whether by producing, or by inspiring others to look at popular music as an art form, said the veteran L.A.-based Israeli producer Guy Gerber.

For younger acts, Martins impact is just as palpable.

I was raised on the Beatles. My dad owned their entire discography on every format, even eight-track tape. I was the crazy kid who made his friends at camp call him The Walrus, said the New York producer and new Interscope and Downtown Records signee Sicarii. I think George Martins production is an underrated aspect of what helped make the Beatles catalog so timeless. John and Paul [McCartney]'s songwriting could have been dressed up in many different sonic outfits, so they were lucky to have a trusted friend who could help tailor their records to keep pace with their artistic growth.

The first vinyl single I ever got was Twist and Shout from my dad and it made me fall in love with music. George Martin changed pop music forever and every new artist since should be very grateful for that. I know I am, added the rising Belgian producer Netsky.

But, as always, that magic was in the service of emotion, and Martins productions have an unmatched power to bring back formative musical memories.

This past autumn, I listened to A Day In The Life repeatedly, while recovering from a bad back in Berlin. It is pop musics In Search of Lost Time and George Martin is its Marcel, orchestrating the same kind of epic ambition and melancholy that Proust sought in his novel, said Benjamin Myers, of the house duo Benoit & Sergio. For me, there is no madeleine in pop as evocative as this song. I feel like calling my mom now, and telling her I wish we could go back on a family vacation to Yosemite in the brown Subaru station wagon, listening on cassette to this and all the others that bore the imprint of George Martins genius.

Follow @AugustBrown for breaking music news.



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The vibrant, pop-arty work of Miami-based artist Alex Yanes features cartoonish characters that could pass as stars of an animated television series, or in fashion realms, call to mind the playful creations of Los Angeles designer Jeremy Scott.

Yet it is Rag & Bone, Marcus Wainwright and David Nevilles New York-based brand, known for quietly cool streetwear and a history of supporting street art, that commissioned the 38-year-old Yanes to create an installation on an exterior wall of its boutique on Abbot Kinney Boulevard. The project is an extension of the 5-year-old Houston Project, a monthly rotation of murals by street artists created on one side of the companys Soho store in New York.

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For the Record

April 1, 12:43 p.m.: This post misspells Swizz Beatz name as Swiss Beatz. It also says artist Alex Yanes is crafting a totem pole to donate to Robert F. Kennedy Elementary School; the pole is to be donated to the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools.

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Expected to be unveiled today, So Far So Good took about a month to complete and is the largest and most permanent piece created by the artist to date, spanning about 70 feet in width and 13 feet in height. It will be on display for two years. Yanes previously created short-term, in-store works for companies such as Adidas, Vans and Neiman Marcus. His work is also available at Thinkspace Gallery in Culver City.

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A layered collage of hand-painted, die-cut wood panels mounted onto the brick store exterior, the Venice piece includes palm tree and ocean wave motifs, sparked by Yanes upbringing in Miami, but equally at home in L.A. The artists signature pieced wood creations were originally inspired by California skate culture.

I grew up skateboarding, but we didnt have much of a skate scene or skate parks in Miami, so I would buy [San Francisco-based] Thrasher magazines, and everything was so California, says Yanes. I brought the issues home and said, Hey dad, can we build one of these skate ramps? So I started working with wood. And I always liked to draw and paint. During my senior year of high school, a friend suggested that I cut one of my characters out of wood and that was when the skateboard [culture] and the art merged. I still do my work with the same, basic woodworking tools you would use to build a skate ramp.

Yanes is fast gaining a star following thanks in part to Miami nightclub magnate David Grutman, an avid collector of the artists work, who showcased Yanes work for the celebrity guests frequenting his Sunset Islands mansion. Clients include Lenny Kravitz, Paris Hilton, and Alicia Keys and Swiss Beatz, who purchased a piece for their son, Genesis. In February 2015, just after moving into their Hidden Hills home, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West tried to order a piece in time for Valentines Day, but Fidelity Investments snapped it up first, according to the artist.

Im honored that Rag & Bone chose me to do this, he continues. I never thought Id get to leave a piece of me out here in Venice, [the site of] everything I grew up wanting to emulate. So Far So Good has to do with not giving up on your dreams. Looking back, all these people told me I could never achieve this. That Id starve or go crazy. But so far so good. Im doing all right.

Upcoming projects include designing a print for an oversized swan pool float by L.A. company Funboy and crafting a totem pole out of hand-painted, stacked oil drums to donate to Robert F. Kennedy Elementary School in L.A. in May, through a program by Santa Monica-based Branded Arts.

At a time when some worry that the growing commercialization of Abbot Kinneys retail strip is erasing the neighborhoods arty authenticity, the message behind this multimedia installation may point to a happy new medium where emerging art and global fashion brands coexist.

image@latimes.com
Its time to speak of Mourvedre, the red grape variety that may well qualify as Californias most underused, despite ample evidence it is marvelously simpatico with California terroir. Mourvedre originates in Spain and flourishes in France. But its been in California soils for more than a century and a half, hiding in plain sight for decades after Prohibition, working its way into anonymous, generic blends and in the homemade table wines of countless Italian, Spanish and Portuguese immigrants for generations  until the American Rhone movement kicked into gear in the early 80s, and young winemakers rediscovered Rhone varieties and shone a spotlight on it anew.

Back then, Mourvedre was found in the unlikeliest of places, in old, mixed black vineyards from Ukiah to Fiddletown, in warm isolated enclaves of Mt. Veeder in the Napa Valley, and in the delta sands off the San Joaquin River near Antioch and Oakley, north of San Francisco, a region that is easily the homeliest vineyard country in California. Plantings statewide have slowly but steadily climbed ever since.

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In flavor, Mourvedre is generally undemonstrative, a variety better suited for background vocals rather than lead, and as such it has taken on a complementary role in the markets ubiquitous red blends, the M in your GSM blends, stalwart in support of its more effusive partners, Grenache and Syrah. And yet on its own, Mourvedre is proving to be very well suited to the ever warmer, drier conditions in California wine country, a late ripener whose flavors are slow to mature but reach their peak just as sugars do. Who knows? We may find in coming decades that global warming meets its match in Mourvedre.

The reason? Even when these wines get really, really ripe, they still come off as balanced  powerful, but also lifted, possessing an ungainly equilibrium. Bonny Doons Old Telegram and Domaine de la Terre Rouges Sierra Foothills Mourvedre fit the bill there. But whats remarkable is the newer style of Mourvedre thats emerging in California, light, low-alcohol, thoroughly refreshing vins de soif, a term the French use to describe a wine thats thoroughly thirst-quenching.

2014 Vesper San Pasqual Valley Rancho Guejito Mourvedre: This wine is made with young vine fruit from an Escondido vineyard not far from the San Diego Zoo. At 11.5% ABV, this is the lightest of the wines tasted, a wine so frisky its nearly impossible to sip: No, it must be glugged. Sunny and brisk, with a bright berry scent and salted plum flavors, a happy-making red you can chill. About $24, available at Milkfarm in Echo Park, and at Silverlake Wine.

2014 Dirty and Rowdy California Familiar Mourvedre: This may as well be Mourvedre 101, a wine sourced from five vineyards statewide (Dirty and Rowdy made no fewer than seven Mourvedre wines). Its youthful, pretty and refreshing, smells like a strawberry essence, of jam without the jam, flavors of fresh berry with a leafy, tea-like savor on the finish. 12.7% ABV. About $30, at the Wine House, Wine Country and the Wine Exchange.

2014 Paix Sur Terre The Other One Paso Robles Adelaida District Glenrose Vineyard Mourvedre: The headiest of these three wines, this new winery based in Paso Robles specializes in Mourvedre from single vineyards there. This one, from Glenrose on the west side, achieves a heady intensity, at once generous and balanced, with flavors like oolong tea steeped in strawberry jam, a very pure red-fruited intensity of flavor girded by firm tannins. And at 15.2% ABV, its not for lightweights. About $52, at Silverlake Wine and in Orange County at the San Clemente Wine Company.

food@latimes.com
Kelly P. McCarthy is a 40-year-old San Francisco native with more than a passing interest in the legal fight between the National Park Service and its former concessionaire, Delaware North, over trademarks to Yosemites most famous amenities.

For decades, McCarthy has attended family reunions at Curry Village, Yosemites beloved tent-cabin campsite. Five days before her most recent family gathering here, in fact, the Park Service announced that because of the legal dispute, it would change some of the parks most iconic names: Curry Village is now Half Dome Village.

Did McCarthys family embrace the change?

Oh, no way, she told me Wednesday. We will call it whatever we want. Let them send us a cease-and-desist letter. I am uniquely qualified to respond.

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Indeed.

McCarthy is a trademark attorney who specializes in brand protection. She has many opinions about the Great Yosemite Name Spat.

None is particularly favorable to Delaware North, which has sued for breach of contract because the Park Service failed to require Yosemites incoming concessionaire, Aramark, to pay tens of millions of dollars for the names the company trademarked on the sly.

(Including, most absurdly, Yosemite National Park. That application was denied twice by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. On its third try, though, the company prevailed, but only for gift shop tchotchkes and T-shirts. But still.)

I wondered whether McCarthy thought the Park Service acted in good faith when it sent employees out in the middle of the night last week to change all the road signs in the park.

Or was it trying to raise the heat on Delaware North by making the company look bad to park visitors, who were incensed by the name changes? And did Delaware North behave unethically when it trademarked the names without first alerting the Park Service?

NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >>

I think Delaware North should bequeath the trademarks to the Park Service, for a minimal amount. Doing otherwise is simply gouging the government for intellectual property that is meaningful only in its natural context.

The family-held company profited handsomely from its 15-year contract, which the Park Service extended an additional seven years. The company paid no property taxes for its unique monopoly, and remitted to the Park Service in fees only about 10% of the billion dollars plus it collected in gross revenue.

I thought perhaps the Park Service was being disingenuous by blaming the name changes on advice from its Justice Department attorneys. That seemed a cop-out. Why didnt Yosemite brass just stand up and say, Buzz off, Delaware North, we own the names, and thats that?

We firmly believe that these names belong to these properties and to the American people, Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman told me in his office last week.

The decision to change the names was made after Delaware North sent letters to Yosemite and Aramark officials offering a free license and free use of the names while the lawsuit was litigated.

The feeling of the government, Gediman said, was that if we took them up on that offer, that would be an acknowledgment that they own the names.

McCarthy said that made sense. Rechristening park icons may tick off park visitors, she said, but from a strategic standpoint, it was a good move.

They called Delaware Norths bluff, she said. It sends a message that Look, we dont want to do this, and you guys are jerks, but we can survive with the new names. In the end, if you want to hold us hostage for $51 million, you can keep them, because they are basically useless anywhere else.

Further, McCarthy said, Aramark is thus protected from being dragged into the lawsuit as a contributory infringer on the trademarks.

Dan Jensen, the former president of Delaware Norths Yosemite operation, sounded positively beleaguered when I reached him the other day in Majorca. Having lived in Yosemite for 23 years and raised his children here, he loves the place as much as anyone.

We have never contended the names should be changed, he said, and we had no part in doing that. I think its horrible. Its mean and its silly.

Trademarking names, he said, was simply standard business procedure. Delaware North also wrested Yosemite domain names away from people who had registered them in the 1990s when Internet use was exploding.

Those are valuable assets that we have to leave behind, he said, and the company expects to be paid for them. (The Park Service puts the value of the intangible assets like names at about $3 million.)

Jensen scoffed at the idea that the Park Service was in the dark about the trademarks. When they say the trademarks were obtained without their knowledge, I guess that might be true. But did they know the names were trademarked? Yes, they did. In any marketing document that you would pick up, there was a little TM or R next to all the names. All our marketing material had to be approved by the Park Service.

Nevertheless, the Park Service filed a petition two weeks ago asking that the trademarks be canceled because there is no longer an association between Yosemite and Delaware North.

I can appreciate Jensens frustration with the simplistic narrative that has taken hold: Greedy corporation tricks Park Service, then tries to ransom the names of beloved national treasures. It doesnt seem entirely fair.

But nuances aside, this narrative is winning because its the one that rings true. Last September, after losing the concession and after filing its breach of contract lawsuit, Delaware North applied to register a Yosemite design mark. The application was rejected in January.

robin.abcarian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AbcarianLAT

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Its not easy being an atheist.

A new Pew poll found that atheism ranked at the bottom of a list of 16 traits that might affect someones view of a 2016 presidential candidate. (People are more likely to vote for someone who uses pot, has had an extramarital affair, never held office or is gay.)

The U.S. Supreme Court has brought new meaning to the phrase tear down that wall as its conservative majority has hammered away at the barrier between church and state. Government bodies are now free, thanks to one recent decision, to impose Christian prayer on everyone at the start of public meetings. Next month, in Sebelius vs. Hobby Lobby, the court will decide whether its permissible for private, nonprofit employers to impose their religious beliefs on their employees.

So when I turned on my TV the other day to catch up with The Daily Show, I was surprised to see a full-throated celebrity endorsement for atheism.

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Hi Im Ron Reagan, an unabashed atheist, said the 56-year-old son of our 40th president. And Im alarmed by the intrusions of religion into our secular government. Thats why I am asking you to support the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the nations largest and most effective association of atheists and agnostics working to keep state and church separate, just like our founding fathers intended.

His sign off: Lifelong atheist, not afraid of burning in hell.

People dont usually spout off about their atheism, so I was curious what led him to make the spot. Thursday, I reached Reagan, an MSNBC contributor, in Seattle, where he has lived after leaving Los Angeles in 1994.

He sounded subdued, and said he has not been working much, having just suffered through a personal tragedy. On March 24, he said, his wife of 33 years, Doria Palmieri Reagan, died of complications from a progressive neuromuscular disease that she developed seven-and-a-half years ago. A clinical psychologist, Doria Reagan was seven years older than her husband.

But he had made a promise to the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which honored him in 2009, and he felt obligated to keep it. Reagan has been a nonbeliever since childhood, he said, and is surprised when people react with incredulity when they hear it.

I think when you hold an opinion that you find entirely reasonable, you are surprised when you discover that other people dont also consider it reasonable, and kind of get up in arms, he said.

Thats a familiar reaction to people who are outspoken about their atheism or agnosticism, said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Wisconsin-based foundation, which considers its mission education.

We get emails every day telling us we should leave the country. Very nasty stuff. Death threats, Gaylor said. The crank mail and phone campaigns are unending and almost always in response to our work for separation of church and state--not for promoting free thought and atheism. But theres no question that atheists and agnostics are at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to social acceptance.

Indeed. In 2006, a University of Minnesota study published in the American Sociological Review, found that atheists are less likely to be accepted, publicly and privately, than any others from a long list of ethnic, religious and other minority groups. Atheists topped a list called I Would Disapprove if My Child Wanted to Marry a Member of This Group.

Gaylor said her foundation has been inspired to raise its profile by the recent successes of the gay civil rights movement. We already have an out of the closet movement, but we need to turn up the volume. (The foundation also filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the Hobby Lobby case.)

Comedian Julia Sweeney cut a spot for the organization two years ago, taking on the American Conference of Catholic Bishops campaign against Obamacares contraception mandate. The ad aired 1,100 times, Gaylor said.

Getting a celebrity with Reagans name recognition was a coup, Gaylor said. His spot ran May 22 on two Comedy Central shows, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. The organization paid $155,000 for air time. She hopes to raise enough money to place the ad on 60 Minutes in the fall.

Reagans spot has generated hundreds of responses. Some are very poignantI never thought I would live to see a commercial like this. Theres a lot of gratitude pouring in for Ron Reagan. Hes a big name, and thats what our movement has lacked.

Reagan, who, like his mother former First Lady Nancy Reagan, has advocated for stem cell research, said he worries that religion often goes hand in hand with ignorance and scientific illiteracy.

I think what troubles me  whether its religiously inspired or not  is the ignorance, foolishness, and I might say, stupidity, in this country. This championing of anti-intellectual, anti-science, scientifically illiterate theories and lack of critical thinking is disturbing. Climate change is such a handy example.

Religion, he said, is delusion.

And when it morphs into believing that the Earth is 6,000 years old and insisting on teaching that to our children, thats a very dangerous thing.

So, hey, any freethinking celebrities out there who want to lend the cause a hand: the Freedom From Religion Foundation wants a word with you.

If you know George Clooney, said Gaylor, let me know.
Its becoming harder and harder for me to describe in believable terms what goes on at a California Coastal Commission hearing.

But Im going to give it my best shot.

In the past week the circus came to Santa Monica, where demonstrators, still angry about last months firing of the agencys Executive Director Charles Lester, booed commissioners and called on them to resign.

Our Coast is Not for Sale, said one sign.

In the ensuing follies, Commissioner Erik Howell left Thursdays hearing moments before the announcement that a complaint had been filed against him with the Fair Political Practices Commission. The complaint was over a $1,000 donation to him from the business and domestic partner of the states most powerful hired gun on coastal projects, including a development Howell voted on less than two months after receiving the money.

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Commissioner Martha McClure accepted a $500 donation a few years back from the same person who donated to Howell, but told me she thought the donor and the lobbyist were just friends, rather than a couple. McClure didnt find it unusual that the donor, who lives in Marina del Rey, would write a check to McClure, who was running for county supervisor 730 miles away in Del Norte County.

Commissioner Wendy Mitchell, perhaps responding to the column in which I noted shes a consultant to companies with business before the commission, announced in the midst of a rambling spat with another commissioner that she had dropped two clients from her roster. She claimed she had recused herself from voting on matters involving those clients, and Ill revisit that in a moment.

People hold protest signs Wednesday at the first California Coastal Commission hearing at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium since the firing of Executive Director Charles Lester. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)

Commissioner Roberto Uranga whined about how difficult it is to pick the next executive director when commissioners dont have basic information, such as a budget. Can someone please direct Mr. Uranga to the agencys website, where that information has been available to the entire world since early January?

And Commissioner Mark Vargas, who for days refused to answer my questions about him attending a U2 concert in Ireland last year and meeting with band member David Evans shortly before voting to approve Evans massive five-mansion compound in Malibu, is now touting transparency on his Twitter account. In other news, he spoke in Spanish for several minutes at the meeting, lest anyone doubt the sincerity of his oft-repeated commitment to inclusivity.

Vargas and others had said they fired Lester partly because his staff wasnt diverse enough, with minorities accounting for just under 30%. But isnt it more important to ensure coastal access for all, regardless of income or skin color? Lester worked closely with civil and environmental activists and minorities committed to that very goal, and they praised his work last month on the day Vargas voted to dump Lester.

The commissioners who fired the worlds leading authority on the Coastal Act claimed he wasnt a good leader. But as they struggled in Santa Monica to figure out how to find a replacement, it became more evident that the leadership problem was with the commission. And whod want the job now, after Lesters observation that the commission seems to be more interested in and receptive to the concerns of the development community as a general rule?

This brings us back to Pismo Beach, where Erik Howell is a city councilman in addition to serving on the Coastal Commission as an appointee of Gov. Jerry Brown, who has snored through this entire debacle.

Some Pismo residents were irked last year by a proposal for a small residential development because of a parking issue and because it would block ocean views from the highway. They say that Howell, too, had issues with the project in his council capacity, but told them it was sure to win Coastal Commission approval because the developer was represented by the all-powerful Susan McCabe.

On the eve of the vote on that project, Pismo residents saw Howell and McCabe dining together. The next day, Howell cast a vote in favor of the project, which prevailed, 6-5.

Angry residents then discovered that Antoinette DeVargas, who listed her occupation as operations manager at McCabe & Co., had made a $1,000 donation to Howells city council campaign several weeks earlier. They did a little more investigating and learned that McCabe has said in a published report that she and DeVargas have been in a relationship for 19 years.

Alan Stocker of Pismo Beach attended the hearing Thursday to argue that Howells vote was tainted, and he should have recused himself. As he spoke, he referenced the empty chair vacated by Howell, who had conveniently disappeared.

I respectfully ask that you uphold the integrity of the public process by postponing any action on this project until the FPPC has adjudicated the filed complaint, Stocker told the commission.

The commission unanimously rejected that idea.

A dejected Stocker told me he thought it was cowardly of Howell to have disappeared. Howell, McCabe and DeVargas did not respond to my requests for interviews.

Attorneys tell me the DeVargas donation may not be a problem because she did not personally lobby the commission.

But legal or not, this smells worse than a bucket of dead Pismo clams. And the complaint against Howell claimed that he had voted on several other projects represented by McCabe after receiving the donation from DeVargas.

This is a small matter, but it provides kind of a window into the cozy relationships between agents and commissioners and the lack of a level playing field, said Stocker.

That brings me back to Commissioner Mitchell, who did not readily respond to some of the questions I asked her on Wednesday and Thursday about her consulting business.

She said she had terminated my relationship with PG&E and an engineering company named Carollo. I asked why they were still listed on her consulting business website as clients, and she emailed an answer:

Im not techy enough to figure out how to change my website.

I asked if Carollo was still a client in February 2015 when Mitchell voted in favor of a Santa Barbara desalination project Carollo was a part of, and if so, shouldnt she have recused herself?

She didnt answer, so I asked again.

I was not aware that Carollo was a subcontractor, she responded, and ended my relationship with them as soon as I became aware of their involvement.

Mitchell said she terminated the relationship on March 1, but didnt say what year.

When I pressed, she said 2016.

So by her explanation, she learned only a couple of weeks ago that one of her own clients was involved in a project she voted on a year ago.

I asked Mitchell, who called for more openness and transparency in an op-ed published last month in the Sacramento Bee, how much shed been paid by Carollo in that time.

She wouldnt answer.

The commission meets monthly, moving up and down the coast like a traveling road show.

Comedy, tragedy, its got everything, and I cant recommend it highly enough.

Steve.lopez@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATstevelopez

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Perhaps no traffic bottleneck in Los Angeles County has frustrated transportation planners and commuters more than the Sepulveda Pass, where the infamous 405 Freeway connects the Westside and the San Fernando Valley.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to propose a radical step: Pushing a tunnel through the mountains that could accommodate a toll road and a passenger rail line.

The tunnel is one of nearly a dozen major transit projects Metro says it could build if voters approve a $120-billion tax increase proposal expected to appear on the November ballot.

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Other projects include rail lines through the San Fernando Valley and southeastern L.A. County, as well as faster bus service on a handful of major corridors, according to two officials briefed on the plan. They spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The ballot measure would extend an existing half-cent sales tax for two more decades, and raise the countys sales tax rate by an additional half-cent for four decades or longer. The measure, which needs a two-thirds majority to pass, would boost Los Angeles Countys base sales tax rate to 9.5%.

Some details have yet to be worked out, the officials said Friday, including the exact division of funding between new transit lines, Metro operations and repairs, and disbursements to municipal governments for local projects, such as paving potholes and painting bike lanes.

As envisioned, the plan would funnel about one-third of the $120 billion into full or partial funding for five new transit lines and at least six extensions of lines that are already built or under construction, the officials said.

The project list appears carefully constructed to gain voter support in all areas of the vast county, with rail lines, highway upgrades and other proposed improvements reaching communities as far-flung as Sylmar, Torrance, Artesia and Claremont.

In terms of the order of these projects, whats going to be at the beginning and whats at the end, and how its all rolled out, thats all being finalized, Metro spokeswoman Pauletta Tonilas said Friday. Theres been a tremendous amount of work that went into this, keeping in mind that this is a regional system for everyone in the county.

She declined to comment on any specific projects until the list is released publicly later this month.

What weve been saying is, everyone is going to get something, and no one is going to get everything, Tonilas said. And not everything can be built in the next 15 years.

The construction plan could be transformative for traffic-choked Los Angeles County, which began building a modern rail system a generation ago, decades after other major cities. The plan would provide several critical north-south links in a rail network that runs largely east to west, in part because Metro could purchase abandoned rights-of-way for a deep discount.

But critics say the proposal could be a colossal headache for Metro, which sometimes struggles to manage the budget it has now. Despite major investments over the last decade, ridership has dropped on buses and trains. The widening of the 405 Freeway was completed years behind schedule. And the budget for a new rail connection through downtown Los Angeles has increased by $130 million, or 9%, before tunneling has even begun.

Little is known about what happens when a region faces a sales tax of 10% or higher, said Lisa Schweitzer, a USC associate professor in transportation and urban planning. Although Metros proposal would increase the countys base sales tax rate to 9.5%, some cities  including Santa Monica, Culver City and Commerce  have higher rates.

The county electorate has raised taxes three times to pay for transportation projects, in 1980, 1990 and 2008, taxes that largely funded the existing Metro Rail network. The newest tax, known as Measure R, financed the Gold Line to Azusa, the Expo Line extension to Santa Monica, and three other major rail lines. A proposed extension of Measure R failed narrowly in 2012.

I dont know that theres all that much thirst out there for transit, Schweitzer said. It is not as germane to peoples lives as Metro would like it to be, to keep voting yes and yes and yes.

The cornerstone of the new proposal is the Sepulveda Pass tunnel, which would link the San Fernando Valley and the Westside. Early estimates place the price tag at $7 billion to $9.5 billion.

The 405 is one of the nations most congested freeways, and transportation planners have for decades talked about how to ease the traffic. The idea of a tunnel has been discussed for years, but mostly as a futuristic concept.

Besides the cost and engineering challenges, tunneling could also face political opposition as well. Residents in South Pasadena and other communities have been fighting a plan to tunnel a leg of the 710 Freeway.

The Valley, home to nearly 20% of county residents, has just two of Metros 86 rail stations. Metro officials have proposed two major improvements that would directly benefit the Valley, in addition to the Sepulveda Pass project: a bus or rail line along Van Nuys Boulevard and a series of upgrades to the Orange Line busway, including possibly converting it to light rail.

Metros project list also is said to include:

The West Santa Ana Branch project, which would run 20 miles through southeastern Los Angeles County, connecting Union Station and Artesia.

A further extension eastward of the foothill portion of the Gold Line, which grew by 11.5 miles last weekend to its current terminus in Azusa.

One or more extensions of the Eastside Gold Line, which currently stops in East Los Angeles.

The final leg of the Wilshire Boulevard subway, which would receive funds from the ballot measure if Metro cannot persuade the federal government to provide the money to complete construction by 2024.

A $200-million station near the Los Angeles International Airport that would connect Metros Crenshaw Line, now being built, to a proposed aerial, monorail-like system that will carry passengers to their terminals. Officials envision the station as a transit hub for the region, and where airport travelers can be picked up.

An expansion of so-called bus-rapid transit for two more projects along key routes: Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica and Venice, and the path of the express bus that connects North Hollywood and Pasadena.

A rail line on Vermont Avenue, the second-most traveled corridor in the county, and one of the most heavily used bus routes. This project would run three miles underneath or along Vermont, between the Purple Line subway and the Expo light-rail line along Exposition Boulevard.

An expansion of the Crenshaw Line light rail to Hollywood. The proposed route would run south from the Hollywood/Highland Red Line station in Hollywood, connect with the Wilshire Boulevard subway and end at the Exposition and Crenshaw lines in Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw.

Metros board of directors will vote in June whether to place the measure on the November ballot. Some have expressed concern that a crowded field of proposed ballot measures could complicate the initiatives chances of winning.

laura.nelson@latimes.com

For more transportation news, follow @laura_nelson on Twitter.

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The crews showed up with chain saws 18 months ago, ripping into coast live oaks, black walnuts and other trees that lined the hillsides of Brentwoods Sullivan Canyon.

To the alarm of his neighbors, real estate developer Sam Shakib had secured permission from the city of Los Angeles to chop down 56 trees, part of a much larger plan for developing two mansions on the sprawling 12-acre site.

But his landscaping crew went too far. Three trees that were supposed to be preserved  two live oaks and a towering western sycamore  also came down.

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Now, Brentwood neighborhood groups, bolstered by some big-name environmentalists, want the city to punish Shakib and his business partner, Sean Namvar, by revoking the permits for their planned 14,948-square-foot homes.

If ever these laws need to be enforced to protect our trees ... this is the case and now is the time.  Gideon Kracov, lawyer for the Sullivan Canyon Property Owners Assn.

Under city law, public works officials can prohibit construction on a piece of property for up to 10 years if the owners are found to have violated the terms of their tree removal permit. That type of penalty, foes of the project say, would send a powerful message about the consequences of flouting urban forestry laws.

If ever these laws need to be enforced to protect our trees  this is the case and now is the time, said Gideon Kracov, the lawyer for the Sullivan Canyon Property Owners Assn., a neighborhood group fighting Shakibs project.

Public works officials say they expect a decision to be issued by early next week. Among the factors that will be considered are the number of trees removed, their size and age and whether there was an intent to violate the law.

Tree preservation has also been a hot issue in Silver Lake, where a billboard company came under fire for cutting back nine street trees  all without permits  that blocked views of one of its signs. But the fight in Sullivan Canyon is even more contentious, with one lawsuit already filed and others being contemplated.

Sam Shakib stands next to an earthmover on his land. Brentwood neighborhood groups want the city to punish Shakib and his business partner, Sean Namvar, by revoking the permits for their planned 14,948-square-foot homes. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Foes of the project contend the developers have a history of disregarding the law. The lawyer for the developers, in turn, calls opponents a bunch of wealthy, politically connected Brentwood NIMBYs whose own homes could not have been built without also toppling trees.

Shakibs lawyer, Patrick Mitchell, said the three trees were cut down by accident. The real endgame of the neighbors, he said, is to kill the project outright.

They think my clients multimillion-dollar, 12 acres of private property should be their private park at no cost to them, Mitchell said.

Shakibs hillside property does indeed resemble parkland. Located in a rustic section of Brentwood dotted with horse stables, the site is lined with chaparral and coastal sage scrub. It has a natural streambed that, according to neighbors, has long attracted frogs, deer, countless birds and even a bobcat.

Were not talking about some sterile piece of land, but one of the few remaining pieces of natural habitat left in the city, Sara Nichols, who lives two doors from the site, said during testimony last month.

The developers, who say they have sunk $12 million into the project, are offering to make amends by planting 14 replacement trees. For the neighbors, that offer is a non-starter.

Nichols, a board member with the group seeking to revoke Shakibs permits, doesnt buy the idea that the trees were removed by accident. Ripping out the giant sycamore, she said, will allow the developers to avoid the cost of building a retaining wall for the projects driveway.

It was very deliberate. It was done to facilitate access to the property, she said. To willfully cut a tree like that, that gorgeous specimen  is a criminal act.

Mitchell says Nichols assertion is untrue. Theres no upside for us in taking down the three protected trees, he said. Its all downside.

So far, the neighbors have succeeded in bringing in major players to support their effort. The Natural Resources Defense Council, a national environmental group, has called on the city to revoke Shakibs permits. So has Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin, who represents Brentwood.

The fight over Shakibs project goes beyond the three trees.

In 2014, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board concluded that Shakibs company had violated the terms of a permit allowing construction work around a local streambed. Months later, Nichols and her group filed a lawsuit saying the environmental review for the project was inadequate. They also alleged that neighbors did not receive proper public notification about the development.

The citys rules did not require the neighbors receive notice of the application to take out the 56 trees  which, because they are California natives, have protected status at City Hall. Had notification been issued, Brentwood residents would have shown up en masse at the Feb. 1, 2013, meeting at City Hall where the tree removal permit was approved, project opponents say.

According to the lawsuit, notification did go to then-Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who represented Brentwood at the time and had Bonin as his chief of staff. But no one in Rosendahls office informed the community, Kracov said.

Mitchell, for his part, said his clients tried for months to get a meeting with Bonin but were repeatedly rebuffed. He argued that the property owners may have grounds for a civil rights lawsuit if things dont break their way.

The decision over whether to revoke Shakibs permits will fall to Ron Lorenzen, an assistant director of the citys Bureau of Street Services. Lorenzen said his decision will not take into account the complaints about public notice, the environmental review or the water quality control board.

If the neighbors prevail, Shakib will have an opportunity to appeal the decision to Mayor Eric Garcettis appointees at the Board of Public Works. Meanwhile, the opponents are already pursuing other avenues for challenging Shakibs project.

On Wednesday, Garcettis appointees on the West Los Angeles Area Planning Commission will meet to determine whether Shakibs project should have complied with new rules governing hillside development.

david.zahniser@latimes.com

Twitter: @davidzahniser

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The city of Malibu turns 25 years old this month, and leaders of the famous 21-mile stretch of coastline have a birthday wish: their own school district.

Malibu has spent years trying to secede from the school district it shares with Santa Monica, its relatively upscale  if not Malibu-wealthy  neighbor to the south.

Now residents are closer than theyve ever been to a separation. Theyve gathered the required signatures to petition for the split and persuaded the school district to appoint a committee that would negotiate a breakup.

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But as representatives for both cities met this week to iron out logistics for such negotiations, it became clear that uncoupling the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District could prompt the kind of high-priced, hyper-detailed legal wrangling that marks any stormy, high-profile divorce.

The districts most recent projections show that Santa Monica students would be the financial losers under such a separation. It would receive about $9,500 per student, which is less than it would get if the district remained whole.

Malibu, which has three elementary schools and a high school, would get nearly $14,000 per student by 2017-18, district estimates show.

School Board President Laurie Lieberman said that both sides want to reach an agreement that would allow Malibu to split off, but that it cant come at the expense of Santa Monica children.

We exist to serve all of our students, and we cant very well say, You want to be your own school district for your own reasons  and well support that to the detriment of the remaining students, Lieberman said.

Threats of educational secession have surfaced in cities including Dallas and Memphis, but the proposed split in Southern California is unusual because it features two wealthy beach communities in a high-performing school district.

In this case, Malibu is the richer spouse with a median income of more than $130,000 a year, nearly double the average household earning power in Santa Monica.

Most students in Malibu are white and only about 11% are poor.

Santa Monica schools are more diverse, and about 30% of students come from economically disadvantaged families.

Santa Monica should not be confused with a poor town. The wealth in both cities easily outpaces the county average, which shows two-thirds of students are poor.

Still, Malibu Mayor Laura Rosenthal said the citys differences merit a split.

Rosenthal describes Malibu as a tight-knit rural community that worries about transportation for students who live up to 20 miles from the nearest school and has environmental concerns about land use in an area celebrated for its scenic vistas.

On the other hand, she said, Santa Monica is urban and must focus on how to tailor its education system to serve larger campuses with a greater concentration of children in poverty.

The district is spending a lot of time and energy having to deal with concerns in Malibu that should rightly be spent in Santa Monica, Rosenthal said. They have a lot of educational challenges that we dont and vice versa.

Over the years, Malibu has compiled a long list of grievances against the 11,000-student district.

Malibu residents complain that they lack representation in a district where more than 80% of the students are from Santa Monica.

They still bristle at the fact that the district and the county rejected their attempt to convert Point Dume elementary school into a charter.

Many argue that the district has not done enough to remove polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, that were found in some Malibu schools.

And parents were roiled years ago after the district prohibited PTA groups from raising funds to hire staff, including teachers aides, at individual schools.

Before the policy passed, some schools, particularly in Malibu, were raising up to $2,000 per student, while others were bringing in less than $100 per child.

Lori Whitesell, a parent of two children at Santa Monica High School, defends the decision to require most money raised by parents to go into a districtwide pot that is then distributed more equally among all schools.

Every childs experience, no matter what school they go to, should be comparable. It shouldnt matter whether your child goes to school in Malibu or Santa Monica, Whitesell said.

Negotiating a split wont be easy.

A committee that includes the mayor of Malibu, two lawyers and members of the districts financial oversight committee must figure out how to keep Santa Monica students from being woefully shortchanged by the deal, how to allocate bond debt and how to relieve Santa Monica from a lawsuit alleging that the district has not properly removed contaminants from some Malibu schools.

An agreement between Malibu and Santa Monica could help in the years-long process to become independent but provides no guarantee.

Such a split requires approval from the county and state education departments and must go to voters for a final blessing.

Some California districts have successfully split but many have failed.

In the early 1990s, for example, voters in three South Bay cities  Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach  approved an effort to reorganize.

The city of Carson, on the other hand, jumped through various procedural hoops in its effort to separate from the Los Angeles Unified School District only to have its plan rejected by voters in 2001.

Malibu residents say they will continue to push forward. They have even suggested working out an agreement in which Malibu would pay millions of dollars in losses that the breakup could cost Santa Monica.

One of the school board members literally shouted out in a meeting, We want alimony, said Craig Foster, the sole Malibu resident on the school board. So, were trying to get them some alimony so we can start our new life afresh.

zahira.torres@latimes.com

Twitter: @zahiratorres

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Whens the last time you thought about the freeway? Not about which freeway to take or traffic flow -- or lack thereof -- but about the actual freeway.

Well, here's a little something to ponder as you race down the 10 or the 405 anytime this Womens History Month:

The three-level San Diego-Santa Monica freeway interchange -- where the 405 meets the 10 -- was the first interchange in California designed by a female engineer.

That engineer was Marilyn Jorgenson Reece. In fact, she was the first woman in California to be registered as a civil engineer.

Marilyn's accomplishments inspired not just engineers, but countless women who wanted to go into engineering and other professions yet were hesitant to redraw the boundaries.  Debra Bowen, former California Secretary of State

Urban critic Reyner Banham described the 405-10 interchange in his book "Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies" in glowing terms: "The Santa Monica/San Diego intersection is a work of art, both as a pattern on the map, as a monument against the sky, and as a kinetic experience as one sweeps through it."

That was by design. In 1995, Reece told the Los Angeles Times that she had designed the interchange with aesthetics in mind, putting her heart and soul into it."

It is very airy. It isnt a cluttered, loopy thing, she said of the interchange, which was completed in 1964. The idea was to keep traffic moving at high speeds, and to allow drivers to go 55 mph, the roadway needed long, sweeping curves. That was so you didnt have to slam on the brakes, like you do on some interchanges.

Marilyn Reece works on the 405-10 interchange, which she designed. (California Department of Transportation) (Caltrans)

What made this engineering feat even more impressive is that Reece did it while pregnant with her second child.

Her career spanned 35 years, with numerous projects, including serving as senior engineer for the completion of the 210 Freeway through Sunland in 1975.

The city of Los Angeles honored Reece during Women's History Month in 1983 for making significant contributions to the city. In 1991, she received life membership in the American Society of Civil Engineers.



Four years after Reece died in 2004, the California Department of Transportation dedicated and renamed the interchange. It was dubbed the Marilyn Jorgenson Reece Memorial Interchange.

At the ceremony, California's then-Secretary of State Debra Bowen said: "Marilyn's accomplishments inspired not just engineers, but countless women who wanted to go into engineering and other professions yet were hesitant to redraw the boundaries." Including her two daughters.

One daughter, Anne Bartolotti, works for Los Angeles County as an information technology manager. The other, Kirsten Stahl, is a senior traffic engineer, serving as a "pavement guru" for Caltrans.

You can find out more about and contribute to our growing selection of people and places that make Los Angeles interesting at #WeAreLA. And if you can't get enough transportation coverage, follow Laura J. Nelson for all the news.
The medical examiner-coroner for Los Angeles County, Mark Fajardo, said late Thursday that he plans to resign from his post atop one of the nations busiest and most high-profile coroners offices.

Fajardo said in an interview with The Times that several factors influenced his intention to leave the department. But he said understaffing was among the principal reasons for his decision.

Ultimately, I wasnt supplied the resources I need to perform my job duties, Fajardo said. Every year we made requests for positions that needed to be filled. Each year we were not supplied the personnel we need.

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News of Fajardos resignation was first reported by KCAL-TV Channel 9. Contrary to the news stations report, however, Fajardo clarified that he had not yet formally submitted a resignation letter, but planned to do so in the next couple of days.

He has received one job offer, which he said he will probably accept. He declined to provide additional details.

The KCAL report said the coroners office was under scrutiny because of a backlog in processing cases. Fajardo acknowledged that understaffing had contributed to a huge backlog.

Its hard to quantify, he said of the backlog. Usually we try and turn around 90% [of cases] in 60 days. Under the current backlog, some toxicology reports have taken six months or longer to be completed, he said.

Fajardo was named coroner in August 2013 after serving as coroner in Riverside County.

From the start of his tenure, Fajardo signaled that he didnt think his departments budget was large enough to meet its demands.

In an interview with The Times shortly after he took the job, he said his offices budget, which was $32 million in 2013, was not nearly enough. But he said that the service it provides for such a budget is amazing.

We are the premiere coroners office in the United States, especially in light of -- I wont mind reiterating -- the budget we have, Fajardo said. I think we serve the people of Los Angeles County very well.

Fajardo was born in East L.A., but when he was in seventh grade, his father, a sheriffs deputy, was killed in an auto accident and his family moved to Santa Maria. After he started medical school, a stint in the pathology department led him into forensic pathology.

On Thursday evening, Fajardo said the coroners department staff was saddened by his departure.

I had a wonderful experience here in L.A. County, he said. I wish that things were different.

For breaking news in California, follow @MattHjourno.

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Two Los Angeles police commissioners called Friday for significant changes in the LAPDs rules on when officers can use deadly force and recommended that the department specifically evaluate whether officers could have done more to defuse tense encounters.

The commissioners proposed revamping the Los Angeles Police Departments policy to further emphasize that officers should seek ways to avoid using significant force whenever possible, part of the commissions effort to reduce the number of police shootings and other serious incidents.

If approved, the proposals could have a far-reaching impact on how the five-member Police Commission determines whether officers involved in fatal encounters were justified in using deadly force. By including specific language about so-called de-escalation strategies in department policy, the police chief and commissioners would have to consider whether officers could have tried to avoid using deadly force.

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The recommendations build on de-escalation training that was rolled out departmentwide in recent months amid a heated national conversation about how and when officers use force, particularly against African Americans.

The LAPDs current force policy says officers should be guided by a reverence for human life, but Commission President Matt Johnson said the recommendations go further by

articulating the importance of trying to avoid using force.

That cant just be words on a page, said Johnson, one of two commissioners who crafted the proposals, which were included in a report released Friday. The importance of de-escalation needs to be emphasized throughout every facet of the organization.

Johnson stressed that de-escalation might not be possible in every situation, and said the policy would require officers to try such strategies only when reasonably practical.

This is in no manner meant to decrease officer safety, he said.

But the president of the union representing rank-and-file officers blasted the proposal, saying it would put officers at greater risk of unfair scrutiny of shootings, even if they were justified in pulling the trigger. President Craig Lally said officers try to avoid firing their guns, but that isnt always possible during a rapidly unfolding, dangerous situation.

The best way to de-escalate is to run away, he said sarcastically. If you get a guy thats got a knife, run the other way and hope to God he doesnt stab somebody else.... The officers should just arrive there, look at the situation, see a gun or a knife and say, You know what, Im going to get blamed if I shoot.

Whether its totally justified or not, theyre going to get reamed, theyre going to get second-guessed, he continued.

Its a no-win situation for the officer.

Law enforcement agencies across the country have recently looked toward de-escalation as one way to improve tensions between officers and residents. Earlier this year, the Police Executive Research Forum issued a report calling on departments to go beyond the current legal standard for using force and update their policies to better incorporate de-escalation strategies.

That prompted backlash from some police officials, who said such proposals were a knee-jerk reaction to public opinion and could threaten officer safety.

Michael Gennaco, a longtime policing consultant, said adopting the type of policies proposed by the L.A. police commissioners could help avoid the lawful but awful situations in which officers were legally allowed to use force but there could have been another way of handling it.

Just because you can under the law doesnt mean you should, he said.

The L.A. proposals stem from a 22-page analysis by Inspector General Alex Bustamante that evaluated how LAPD policies and training related to the use of force changed over the last decade. Johnson and Commissioner Robert Saltzman outlined a dozen recommendations based on Bustamantes review.

The commissioners input is the latest indicator of the panels increasingly hands-on approach in recent months to overseeing the 10,000-officer LAPD. The full commission is scheduled to discuss the report at its weekly meeting Tuesday, where a majority vote would put the proposed changes into effect.

The changes would also strengthen the commissions oversight of LAPD training by requiring the department to give commissioners advance notice of any and all contemplated changes to training related to de-escalation strategies, interactions with people believed to be mentally ill and the use of lethal and less-lethal weapons.

Police Chief Charlie Beck released a statement saying the department has been committed to using de-escalation and crisis intervention techniques for many years. LAPD officials, he said, look forward to further incorporating these preservation of life principles in our constantly evolving training standards and policies.

Beck recently signed a special order for a new preservation of life award, saying it would recognize officers who used exceptional tactical skills and sound judgment to preserve the life of another during a dangerous encounter.

Last week, the LAPD released a report that showed that more than a third of the people shot by officers last year had documented signs of mental illness and that African Americans continued to account for a disproportionately high number of people shot.

If enacted, the commissioners recommendations would be a huge step toward sharply reducing tensions and mistrust between minority communities and the LAPD, activist Earl Ofari Hutchinson said. Mayor Eric Garcetti released a statement praising the proposals, saying they could reinforce officers obligations to avoid violent confrontations whenever possible.

Although de-escalation strategies have drawn increased attention, the concept is not new. A 1986 LAPD training bulletin  distributed under then-Chief Daryl Gates  included the term, reminding officers to use the minimum force necessary to take someone into custody.

Fridays proposals echo language that the commission removed from the LAPDs force policy seven years ago, according to Bustamantes analysis. Before then, the department required that all reasonable alternatives have been exhausted or appear impracticable before deadly force could be used. Examples of those reasonable alternatives included moving away from someone holding a knife or using a less-lethal device such as a Taser or bean-bag shotgun.

The 2009 change, Bustamante wrote, implicitly broadened authority for the use of deadly force.

Geoffrey Alpert, a criminology professor at the University of South Carolina, said the commissioners proposals were spot-on in making de-escalation an integral part of department policy, training and supervision. The key, he said, would be for officers to be held accountable.

The best cops think with their heads and not their fists  it reinforces that, he said. No chief can say its a bad idea.

For more Los Angeles crime and LAPD news, follow @katemather on Twitter.

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When Wildin David Guillen Acosta left his apartment to head to high school one chilly morning in January, two immigration agents were waiting.

Acosta, 19, immediately threw himself on the ground and yelled for help. As his father watched from the window of their garden apartment in a scruffy southeast Durham neighborhood, he was handcuffed and taken to jail. Now hes trying to avoid deportation to his native Honduras, where, he said, hes afraid he might be killed by gangs.

These people are crazy, he said in a phone interview this week from Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. One of them killed my uncle. Thats why I dont want to go back to my country. I want to stay with my mother and my father; all my family is here in the U.S.

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Acosta was one of 336 young people snared in raids this year, an attempt by U.S. immigration officials to send a message of deterrence to Central America and avoid a repeat of the 2014 crisis when tens of thousands of children from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala arrived at the U.S. border.

But this small operation, which also netted 121 family members, touched off a giant uproar, spawning fierce protests from the administrations allies on immigration and a new wave of fear in immigrant neighborhoods here and across the country.

The arrests also became an issue in the Democratic presidential primary debate in Miami on Wednesday. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders sparred over who has better defended immigrants, but ultimately agreed they did not support the recent arrests. Children fled that part of the world to try  maybe, to meet up with their family members, taking a route that was horrific, trying to start a new life, Sanders said, adding that President Obama is wrong on the issue of deportation.

Here in Durham, in a muddy yard across from a Catholic school, Latino parents and kids gathered one recent Sunday to buy pupusas and tortillas cooked on outdoor griddles, in a monthly benefit for a man who needs a lung transplant, and discussed their new fears of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

When ICE comes to your neighborhood  its not just terrible for the kids but for the whole community, said Ivan Almonte, whos worked as an immigration advocate here for 15 years. As you can see here, its a family. We come together for things like this.

Since the arrests, residents say, false rumors about ICE sweeps have swept through the city: Agents are at Wal-Mart, coming to schools, spotted lurking in apartment parking lots. At Riverside High School, where Wildin Acosta was a senior, teachers noticed many empty desks right after the raids, as students here illegally stayed home.

People, when they visit us, we say you have to call us before you come, said Luz Romero, 17, a friend of Acostas. She and her parents are in the country illegally, though the teenager is one of the young Dreamers who have received temporary protection from deportation.

Now we live in fear of opening the door, or stepping one foot outside the door, she said.

::

For many, scenes of agents arresting mothers and grabbing young adults on their way to school marked a grim return to a tougher era of immigration enforcement.

In West Mecklenburg, N.C., Yefry Sorto, 18, also was arrested after he left for school, spurring outraged protests when his family claimed he was grabbed at a bus stop. An ICE spokesman said Sorto was picked up before he reached the stop.

In Atlanta, Kimberly Pineda Chavez, 19, was in a car with her aunt and cousin, heading to Collins Hill High School, when agents pulled over the car and took her into custody. She too is in jail, and fighting plans to send her back to Honduras.

In Thomasville, N.C., Alexander Josue Soriano-Cortez was pulled out of the apartment he shares with his brother and a friend. He was sent to the U.S. by his parents, paying smugglers $5,000 for the trip, after dodging bullets and death threats from gangs while in El Salvador, said his older brother, Elman Soriano, who remembers his sibling shaking when he was picked up.

He tells me, If I return to my country, I am sure I am going to my death.

::

The administration said the arrests were in line with Obamas stated intention to focus on sending back those who have come to the U.S. since the start of 2014.

The administration has tried to stem the tide from Central America, launching publicity campaigns about the dangers of the trip and working with Mexican authorities to stop children. More than 68,500 arrived in 2014; after declining through most of 2015, the numbers of unaccompanied children began to increase again last fall. More than 20,000 came in the four months ending Jan. 31, double the number a year earlier.

Under a 2008 law, minors from Central America must be admitted to the U.S. and get a chance to plead for asylum in immigration court.

Many of the students say they are fleeing murderous gangs in countries with some of the highest rates of violence in the world. But their fears are often not enough to win an asylum claim.

All of the young people arrested had reached the age of 18 and were ordered deported by a judge.

They were admitted here to make their case, said Bryan Cox, a spokesman for ICE. In these particular cases, the judges found against them. ICE is the enforcement arm, and were executing those removals.

But no law requires these applicants have a lawyer; of 18,600 Central American families who received deportation notices, about 85% didnt have attorneys. Some, like Soriano-Cortez, say they never got notice of hearings. Acosta skipped his because a lawyer told him he had little chance of success; statistics show that at least 7,000 children were ordered deported without going to court.

Immigration officials believe the operation succeeded; the numbers of kids crossing has dropped since the operations began, Jeh Johnson, secretary of Homeland Security, said at a recent news conference.

I know this has made a lot of people I respect very unhappy, Johnson said of advocates and lawmakers angered over the raids. But we must enforce the law in accordance with our priorities.

::

Some of the recent arrivals from Central America ended up in North Carolina. Once the center of Americas tobacco industry, Durham, home to Duke University, is being transformed by a continuing influx of Latinos. The Latino population was 14% in 2010, and many more have come since. Businesses catering to Latinos have cropped up around the city, including the Latino Credit Union, which has 11 branches.

A bastion of liberalism in purple-state North Carolina, Durham had a reputation as a so-called sanctuary city, where police have avoided cooperation with ICE, until the North Carolina Legislature outlawed that practice last fall.

After Acostas arrest Jan. 28, the news spread quickly through the student body at Riverside, a sprawling school where 30% of students are Latino. I fear whats going to happen, that other Hispanics will be taken out of this country by force, said Bryan Escoto, a 10th-grader at Riverside, whose parents also are from Honduras. They just came here to be safe.

Official Durham also rose in outrage. Acostas arrest was condemned by the school board, the teachers union and the Human Relations Commission, which called for an end of the raids and for the jailed young people to be released. Teachers staged an event to say they were sending Acostas homework to jail.

I never thought the president, our president, would do that, said Pilar Rocha-Goldberg, president of Centro Hispano, a Latino advocacy and service organization in Durham, said of Obama. In some ways, I understand, of course  but going after kids, it was very unexpected.

In suburban Washington, school attendance in Prince Georges County, Md., dipped in January, after news of the arrests began, and leaders in Montgomery County declared that police wouldnt cooperate.

Soon after the arrests began, about two dozen immigration advocates confronted Homeland Security officials about the policies. Ive never been to a meeting like this. People were crying, they were so angry, said one attendee, who spoke on condition her name not be used. The language became heated, she said: This is shameful, this is unconscionable; families are in hiding.

At the same time, Republicans, both on the campaign trail and in Congress, have pressed the Obama administration to get more aggressive about immigration enforcement.

So-called interior removals, detentions of people who arent captured on the border, have plummeted  fewer than 70,000 in 2015, less than a third than in the peak year of 2012. For years, the agency has focused on arresting people with criminal records; they accounted for more than 90% of interior removals last year.

No new arrests have surfaced in the last few weeks, though Johnson said this week that the actions will continue. Meanwhile, the young people remain locked up and could be returned at any time. Lawyers are pressing for new hearings, or for ICE officials to simply grant their discretion and allow them to stay in the U.S. Elman Soriano and Dilsia Acosta, Wildins mother, came to Washington to ask members of Congress to intervene.

In the case of Josue Soriano-Cortez, his brother says they never received notice of a court hearing  just the final order of deportation. Lawyers sent officials copies of police reports from Honduras, where Josue reported a shooting and police did nothing, his brother said. The threats followed him to North Carolina, he said, with texts on his phone from members of the MS gang. Youre dead, one said. The MS is going to take you to hell.

We are very close, and theres a lot of trust, said his brother.

He says, Im very afraid. I know you will do something.

Twitter: @jtanfani

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Two months after Arch Coal filed for bankruptcy protection amid a steep decline in the coal industry, the company has announced that it will stop pursuing a project in the grasslands of southeastern Montana that would have been one of the larger surface coal mines in the country.

In a statement Thursday, the company blamed capital constraints, near-term weakness in coal markets and an extended and uncertain permitting outlook.

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Arch made the announcement on the same day that the U.S. Energy Information Administration released estimates showing coal production declining across the country by 29% in the first 10 weeks of 2016 compared with the same period last year.

The proposed mine, called Otter Creek, is in the Powder River Basin, which is home to some of the most productive coal mines in the country. About 40% of the coal used to generate electricity in the United States comes from the basin, most of it produced next door in Wyoming.

Otter Creek, along with a related rail line, has been pursued in various forms over many years by different companies. Although many people in the region have supported the proposals for economic reasons, the plans have also drawn strong opposition from environmental groups, ranchers and some tribal members, including among the Northern Cheyenne, whose reservation is nearby.

Arch faced a setback in March 2015 when environmental regulators in Montana asked it to make hundreds of corrections to a permit application for the mine. In November, the companies planning to build the railroad, which include Arch, dropped their efforts. Yet that month, Arch said it planned to resubmit an application for Otter Creek. The proposed mine is believed to include as much as 1.4 billion tons of recoverable coal.

On Thursday, Arch noted that it secured a lease for the area in 2010 and soon after began pursuing permits for the project.

That process has taken longer than anticipated, and further deterioration in coal markets has led to the decision to suspend the permitting effort, the company said.

The mine also faced opposition far from Montana, including from groups that did not want Powder River Basin coal shipped to Asia out of West Coast ports.

Cesia Kearns, who helps lead the Sierra Clubs Beyond Coal campaign, noted that Arch owns a large stake in Bulk Millennium Terminals, a company that has proposed building a controversial export facility in Washington state. Archs bankruptcy filing added to questions about the viability of the terminal project. The companys decision not to pursue Otter Creek will increase those questions.

For communities facing the threats of the largest proposed coal export terminals in North America such as Millennium Bulk Terminals in Longview, Washington, this is yet another example of the folly of coal companies pursuing projects of the past, rather than those with a sustainable and thriving economic future, Kearns said in a statement.

Follow @YardleyLAT on Twitter.

For more news on global sustainability, go to our Global Development Watch page: latimes.com/global-development

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Steve Nardizzis aggressive, entrepreneurial approach to charity work transformed the Wounded Warrior Project from a shoestring effort to provide underwear and CD players to hospitalized soldiers into an $800-million fundraising enterprise. It also led to his downfall.

A lawyer by training who never served in the military, Nardizzi traded a career in the courts for one helping wounded veterans. He spent nearly a decade at the United Spinal Assn. before coming to the Wounded Warrior Project in 2006 with a corporate leadership style that catapulted the organization to the top ranks of U.S. charities.

That success led to lavish spending  the groups annual staff meeting in 2014 cost $970,000  prompting complaints from employees, veterans and charity watchdogs about profiteering off veterans that emerged in reports by the New York Times and CBS News in January.

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On Thursday, Nardizzi and Chief Operating Officer Al Giordano were fired, their board of directors said, as the organization cracks down on employee expenses and strengthening controls that have not kept pace with the groups rapid growth.

The Wounded Warrior Projects directors hired outside legal counsel and forensic accounting consultants to conduct an independent review of the Jacksonville, Fla.-based organizations records and interview current and former employees, according to a statement released late Thursday by a crisis management firm.

The reports by CBS and the New York Times described extravagant parties and last-minute, business-class air travel. One former employee compared it to what the military calls fraud, waste and abuse.

The groups 2014 meeting, at a five-star hotel where Nardizzi rappelled from a tower into a crowd of employees, was particularly costly. The public relations firm, Abernathy MacGregor, said such events will be curtailed in the future.

Nardizzi, who did not respond Friday to requests from the Associated Press for comment, defended such spending while still in charge of the charity. An entrepreneurial spirit led to WWPs success, Nardizzi wrote Jan. 18 on his Facebook page.

If nonprofits are going to be effective in their world-changing work (eliminating disease or eradicating poverty), they must be allowed to research, to advertise, and, most important, to fail  in the same way that corporations like Apple and Nike do. We need to embrace the notion that has long guided the for-profit world: think big, and often spend big, in order to succeed big, Nardizzi wrote.

Nardizzi certainly thought big. According to the Internal Revenue Service, the charity took in $800 million over the last six years, while also paying some of the highest salaries, to many more people, than other major nonprofits. Nardizzi earned $496,415 annually and Giordano $397,329, while at least 10 others took in more than $160,000 each for the fiscal year ending in September 2014.

Compensation accounted for $32 million, or 13%, of the groups $248 million in spending that year.

Other details that appear in the nonprofits IRS Form 990 filings also raise questions. The group has built up reserves worth $248 million, mainly held in investments. Charity watchdogs say its OK to keep a rainy-day fund, but the money should go as much as possible to the mission.

Nardizzis leadership drew fans, including Tom Keller, a communications consultant who worked on WWP projects. He described Nardizzi as a Powerhouse CEO and a superb leader in a 2014 recommendation on LinkedIn.

Reached by phone on Friday, Keller said he no longer feels the same way.

I have associations with other veterans organizations, and I just feel sick about the whole situation, Keller said. My involvement with [Wounded Warrior Project] didnt last long after he came aboard. I know the truth will come out.

Donors and veterans also reacted strongly, including some who described themselves as monthly donors. The nonprofits Facebook page was filled with angry comments by people rethinking whether they should donate again.

WWP said in response to the posts that it was proud of its programs and stood behind its fundraising.

The groups statement Thursday said its most recent audited financial statement showed that 81% of donations were spent on programming, not fundraising. The statement cited a joint allocation accounting rule that enables nonprofits to classify fundraising as a service to clients if the event or material also is educational and includes a call to action beyond simply appealing for money.

Invoking that rule, the nonprofit reported to the IRS that it spent $26 million, about 10% of its budget, on conferences and events between Oct. 1, 2013 and Sept. 30, 2014. The statement said about 94% of the was associated with program services delivered to Wounded Warriors and their families.

The IRS filings said that almost $190 million, or 76% of the budget, went to veterans programs  a share that charity watchdogs would consider respectable. However, almost $41 million of that programming amount was claimed as the educational component of fundraising requests; without it, programming accounted for only 60% of the budget. Charitywatch.org says its analysis concluded that Wounded Warriors spent just 54% on programs rather than overhead, giving it a C rating.

Board Chairman Anthony Odierno will oversee the charity on an interim basis.

Calls and messages sent to Nardizzi were not answered Thursday, and a message the AP left at Giordanos home was not returned.

It is now time to put the organizations focus directly back on the men and women who have so bravely fought for our country and who need our support, Odierno said in the statement.

The organization was started in 2003 by John Melia, a former Marine who was injured in a helicopter crash in Somalia. He said Friday that he was open to returning and restoring the groups reputation now that two executives who replaced him have been fired.

He said donors who supported the group since its humble beginnings have every right to be angry about the lack of stewardship shown by the immediate past leadership of WWP, and the new leadership of the WWP must do everything in its power to restore its relationship and regain the trust of those it serves and its donors.

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I beat Hillary in many of the polls that have been taken. And each week, I get better and better.

Some of Donald Trumps statements can be hard to evaluate. That ones easy. Since the start of February, 19 polls have been taken by a wide range of survey organizations testing a potential matchup between Trump and Hillary Clinton; she led in 18 of them. Her margin over Trump has steadily widened and, on average, now stands at about 10 points.

Good afternoon, Im David Lauter, Washington Bureau chief. Welcome to the Friday edition of our Essential Politics newsletter, in which we look at the events of the week in the presidential campaign and highlight some particularly insightful stories.

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As he has mowed down one Republican challenger after another, Trump has taken on the image of an indestructible candidate who can brush aside any attack without suffering damage.

Not so.

Yes, the attacks on Trump have done little, if anything, to shake the support of his ardent backers, who consistently yield 35% to 45% of the votes in the Republican primaries. But as I noted in an article earlier this week, the impact on the wider electorate has been very different.

Only about 25% of Americans now have a positive view of Trump, and the Democratic campaign against him hasnt really started yet. Trump has proved to be a skilled politician, but he would start a general-election campaign in a deep hole. If he becomes the GOP candidate, he may well be the most unpopular major-party nominee ever.

First, of course, Trump needs to nail down the 1,237 delegates needed to claim the nomination when the Republicans hold their convention in July in Cleveland.

Tuesdays primaries will go a long way toward deciding if that happens or if the Republicans land in Cleveland with their nomination still up for grabs. As Mark Z. Barabak explained, the key race to watch is Ohio, where Gov. John Kasich continues to run close to Trump in polls.

By contrast, Floridas Sen. Marco Rubio has run far behind Trump in polls of his state, which also votes Tuesday. Rubio has come under pressure to drop out, but as Lisa Mascaro reported, he has vowed to press on at least until the Florida result.

Mascaro also took an insightful look into Rubios suburban strategy and why it has fallen so badly short.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has focused on the contests in North Carolina, Missouri and Illinois, which award delegates proportionately. Ohio and Florida have outsized impact because they are the nights two winner-take-all contests on the GOP side.

You can follow the outcome of all the primaries, as we post live results, speeches and analysis on Trail Guide.

And as the race unfolds, keep watch on the delegates in both parties with our Delegate Tracker, which shows where each candidate stands and where they have won support.

On the Democratic side, the party has a more straightforward choice, as Cathy Decker explained in her analysis after Wednesday nights Democratic debate: Clintons known negatives versus Sen. Bernie Sanders suspected ones.

Currently, Sanders does well in hypothetical matchups against Trump and other Republicans. But Democrats got a reminder in Wednesdays debate of how little vetting the Vermont senator has gone through -- a video clip of a long-ago interview in which he had kind words for Fidel Castro.

Meanwhile, although Sanders upset Clinton in Michigan this week and may beat her in at least some of the contests this coming Tuesday, she continues to expand her lead over him in the delegate count.

Looking ahead at the general election, Kate Linthicum examined the migration of Puerto Ricans to Florida, which is changing the political balance of the nations biggest swing state.

And before we forget the campaign weve been through, Seema Mehta had this profile of Mike Murphy, the much-heralded Republican strategist who burned through $100 million in a fruitless effort to win the nomination for Jeb Bush.

Finally, one major issue that Democrats hope will play to their advantage this fall, both in the presidential race and in Senate contests, is the fight over the Supreme Court. Read Michael A. Memolis report on the politics of the nomination.

And if youd prefer to get your campaign insight via podcast, check out our latest on Trump and the media.

What were reading

Few reporters have written more insightfully about President Obama and his foreign policy than the Atlantic magazines Jeffrey Goldberg. His latest piece on the Obama Doctrine, based on several interviews with the president, is a must-read.

That wraps up this week. My colleague Christina Bellantoni will be back Monday with the weekday edition of Essential Politics. Until then, keep track of all the developments in the 2016 campaign with our Trail Guide, at our politics page and on Twitter at @latimespolitics.

Send your comments, suggestions and news tips to politics@latimes.com.
Outdated drug policies around the world have resulted in soaring drug-related violence, overstretched criminal justice systems, runaway corruption and mangled democratic institutions. After reviewing the evidence, consulting drug policy experts and examining our own failures on this front while in office, we came to an unavoidable conclusion: The war on drugs is an unmitigated disaster.

For nearly a decade, we have urged governments and international bodies to promote a more humane, informed and effective approach to dealing with illegal drugs. We saw a major breakthrough a few years ago, when the United Nations agreed to convene a special session of the General Assembly to review global drug policy. It is scheduled to begin April 19.

Unfortunately, this historic event  the first of its kind in 18 years  appears to be foundering even before it gets off the ground. What was supposed to be an open, honest and data-driven debate about drug policies has turned into a narrowly conceived closed-door affair.

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In the lead-up to next months session, the U.N. Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna held a series of preparatory meetings with its 53 member countries. The commission took responsibility for crafting a declaration to be adopted by all 193 U.N. members of the General Assembly, and should finish next week.

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But most of these commission-led negotiations have been neither transparent nor inclusive. Input from key U.N. agencies working on health, gender, human rights and development  and the majority of U.N. member states  was excluded. Likewise, dozens of civil society groups from around the world were shut out of the meetings.

Further, the draft declaration represents a setback rather than a step forward. It does not acknowledge the comprehensive failure of the current drug control system to reduce supply or demand. Instead, it perpetuates the criminalization of producers and consumers. The declaration proposes few practical solutions to improve human rights or public health. In short, it offers little hope of progress to the hundreds of millions of people suffering under our failed global drug control regime.

Diplomats attending the UN special session on drugs next month must confront the obvious failure of most existing drug laws.

If the U.N. wants to seriously confront the drug problem in a way that actually promotes the health and welfare of humanity, here are the proposals the General Assembly should adopt.

First, all U.N. member states should end the criminalization and incarceration of drug users  an essential step toward strengthening public health, upholding human rights and ensuring fundamental freedoms. Second, all governments should immediately abolish capital punishment for drug-related offenses. It is a medieval practice that should be stamped out once and for all. Third, U.N. member states must empower the World Health Organization to review the scheduling system of drugs on the basis of science, not ideology.

Most important, diplomats attending the special session on drugs next month must confront the obvious failure of most existing drug laws. The only way to wrest control of the drug trade from organized crime, reduce violence and curb corruption is for governments to control and regulate drugs.

This is not as radical as it sounds. Innovative experiments in drug regulation are underway around the world, and they offer important lessons to those who are prepared to listen.

Switzerlands national health plan, for example, now supports heroin-assisted treatment and maintenance doses for addicts in order to reduce harm to users. Portugal decriminalized the use of all drugs in 2001, with significant crime reduction and public health benefits, including decreasing rates of HIV transmission.

Dramatic changes in drug policy are also taking place across the Americas. In the U.S., 23 states have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes and four for recreational use. Most Latin American governments are taking steps, albeit timid ones, to decriminalize the consumption of some drugs. Uruguay has gone the furthest: it regulated its cannabis market from production to distribution to sale, with human rights at the center of the countrys strategy.

There is still time to get the U.N. special session back on track, and we hope that will happen. But even if the gathering does not live up to its full potential, we encourage heads of state and governments to test approaches to drugs that are based in scientific evidence and local realities. Thats the only way to arrive at an effective global drug control system that puts peoples lives, safety and dignity first.

Fernando Henrique Cardoso is the former president of Brazil and chair of the Global Commission on Drug Policy. Cesar Gaviria is the former president of Colombia. Ernesto Zedillo is the former president of Mexico.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook

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And then there were two  the two whom most Republican Party elected officials, donors and political consultants have identified for months as the least appealing options to be their presidential nominee: Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.

Yes, there are still two other men left in the race, but if Sen. Marco Rubio loses in his home state of Florida in next Tuesdays primary, as looks likely, and if Gov. John Kasich fails to win his home state of Ohio the same night, as is quite possible, both will almost certainly drop out of contention. Only Cruz will be left to challenge the Trump juggernaut.

The American political and media world has been fixated on Trump with a growing realization that he could not only win the GOP nomination, but the presidency. Democrats, at first gleeful about facing Trump in the general election because they saw him as a sure loser, are now sobering up. Trump has brought millions of new voters into the political process, and many of them are working-class folks who once were a key constituency for Democrats. If he is the Republican choice, the Democratic candidate will have to run hard to avoid being swamped by the wave of anger among disaffected voters that Trump is riding.

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Still, for Democrats, there might be something worse than having Trump in the White House. That would be President Cruz. In February, former President Carter told members of Britains House of Lords that he would choose Trump over Cruz.

The reason is, Trump has proven already hes completely malleable, Carter said. I dont think he has any fixed [positions] hed go to the White House and fight for. On the other hand, Ted Cruz is not malleable. He has far right-wing policies hed pursue if he became president.

Trump supporters, of course, think their hero is a tough guy who will do everything he says he will do, but Trump has made clear on various occasions that his hard-edged rhetoric  even his incessant blather about building a big, beautiful wall along the Mexican border  is a bargaining technique. He is ready to make deals because that is what he has spent his life doing. The conservatism to which he is a recent convert is not in his bones, it is just one more batch of notions he has adopted that are open to negotiation. For Democrats like Carter, that is the slim silver lining on the dark-clouded horizon of a possible Trump presidency.

That silver looks black to Cruz. The Texas senators strongest and most accurate attack against Trump is that he is not a deeply convicted conservative. It must be especially galling to Cruz that Trump is stealing away the evangelical voters whom he had counted on to buoy his own campaign. He thought he could be their favored champion with his militant stands in favor of banning all types of abortions, same-sex marriage and Obamacare. Instead, many evangelicals are going for the guy who pays lip service to those issues but who, if given the chance, might opt for Ronald Reagans approach and give ground on them all.

Cruz is not a guy who would give ground. If Democrats look at Cruz and Trump as scary monsters, then Trump is Dr. Frankensteins creature made of many parts; a brutish beast with a hidden soft side. Cruz is Dracula. He wants one thing  to bleed and kill progressive government.

For Democrats, dealing with President Trump would be like appeasing an erratic, impulsive, self-centered teenager; deeply infuriating, but with the possibility of occasional moments of agreement. With President Cruz, it would be unending battle; a culture war without end.
Ben Carson threw his support behind Donald Trump on Friday, calling the Republican presidential front-runner a very intelligent man that cares deeply about America.

Americans need to know that there are two Donald Trumps, Carson said.

One is the man who has dominated headlines and the Republican primary with his brash statements, said Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who captivated some conservative voters with his unconventional presidential campaign before dropping out of the race last week.

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The other is very cerebral and sits there and considers things very carefully.

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Hes much more cerebral and a much more reasonable person than comes across, Carson said of Trump. As voters begin to see the real individual there, he said, I think were going to be comforted as a nation.

The pair appeared together at a news conference at Trumps Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., a day after Trump appeared in a surprisingly civil debate -- elegant, in Trump parlance -- alongside his three remaining competitors for the Republican nomination.

Echoing a plea Trump has made himself in recent days, Carson implored GOP leaders to coalesce around the controversial front-runner.

A house divided against itself cannot stand, Carson said, echoing the biblical reference once cited by Abraham Lincoln, in allusion to some Republican leaders who have said they will not back Trump.

I want the will of the people to be heard, Carson said. I want the political process to play out as it should play out.

While Trump and Carson clashed at times on the campaign trail, they embrace many of the same political beliefs. Both have called for dramatic measures to reduce the number of immigrants living illegally in the U.S., and both have made controversial statements about Muslims. Last fall, Carson said that in order for a Muslim to become president, you have to reject the tenets of Islam.

A member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church who frequently drops biblical references, Carsons endorsement could help boost Trumps support among evangelical Christian voters, many of whom flocked to Carsons outsider campaign, while hurting Trump rival Ted Cruz, who counts evangelicals as part of his base.

Carson has had a rocky relationship with Cruz after accusing the Texas senator of dirty tricks to dissuade voters from backing Carson on the night of the Iowa caucuses.

This week, Cruz won the endorsement of another Republican candidate who dropped out of the race, former Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Carly Fiorina.

Another onetime candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, is said to be meeting with Trumps rivals, although it is unclear whether Bush will endorse anyone ahead of Floridas primary on Tuesday.

Carson said he made his endorsement decision after praying about it, and after a friend called and said: I had a dream about you and Donald Trump.

I got a lot of indications, said Carson, a political novice whose sometimes oddball statements made him a frequent target of jokes on the campaign trail. Appearing on Saturday Night Live last year, Trump joked that Carson is a complete and total loser.

Carson and Trump blamed their earlier friction on the nature of politics, with Carson saying he was not personally offended. We move on because its not about me, its not about Mr. Trump, he said.

For his part, Trump praised Carson as a special, special person who has led an awe-inspiring life. Trump said he and Carson had a good discussion on education this week, and said he hopes to keep Carson involved in his campaign and potential presidency.

Keeping in line with his recent shift away from the insults and name-calling that have characterized much of his campaign, Trump refrained from criticizing his competition for the Republican nomination. And he wanted to be sure that others noticed. Speaking of Thursdays debate, Trump said, There were a lot of good feelings in that room. And I think frankly it was something that the Republican Party needed.

He urged Republican leaders to embrace his campaign.

The Republican Party should grab this, he said, bragging that he has the potential to win Rust Belt states for Republicans in the November general election.

I will get states that are unbelievable for the Republican Party, that are unthinkable for the Republican Party, he said.

Follow me on Twitter: @katelinthicum

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Cathy Kerns expected to spend her retirement savings as her friends do: on cruises or other golden years indulgences. Instead, shes spending her money on pills  14 medications she takes daily to control multiple sclerosis, lupus and other ailments.

Many times you find yourself struggling to find the money to try to stay medicated, said Kerns, 66, a retired advertising executive who lives in Orlando, Fla.

That concern about the cost of prescription drugs has emerged as a big issue in the presidential campaign, prompting candidates in both parties to sharpen their rhetoric against pharmaceutical companies and put curbing drug prices at the center of their healthcare plans.

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The message is particularly resonant here in Florida, which holds its primary Tuesday and where people over 60 make up more than a third of registered voters.

At the Democratic debate in Miami on Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders repeatedly castigated drug companies for ripping off the American public.

Hillary Clinton has vowed to rein in drug prices and is running an ad in Florida specifically focusing on the predatory pricing of one embattled pharmaceutical company, Valeant.

Drug manufacturers also have become a punching bag on the right. Sen. Marco Rubio has called the industrys practices pure profiteering, and Donald Trump wants to let Medicare negotiate drug prices, a break from Republican orthodoxy.

Pharmaceutical companies have a fantastic lobby  they take care of all the senators, the congressmen, Trump said in Thursdays GOP debate. He promised he would be a hard-nosed negotiator because he was not dependent on industry money.

The issue also will appear on Californias ballot this fall, in the form of an initiative that would restrict how much the state could pay for prescription drugs. Pharmaceutical companies already have socked away nearly $40 million to oppose the measure.

The politicization of drug prices come as costs have surged after years of relatively small increases. In 2014, spending on retail prescriptions rose more than 12%, compared with a 2% growth rate the year before. Most of the spending was driven by new specialty drugs, which treat diseases that affect relatively few people, such as hemophilia or end-stage cancer.

Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the industrys main trade group, said the jump was an anomaly and not an overall trend.

But Joel Hay, a health economist at USC, said he expects specialty drug prices to keep climbing.

The industry has figured out that this is where the money is, Hay said.

Across-the-board increases on existing drugs also have driven up costs, said John Rother, president of the National Coalition on Health Care, an advocacy group. He also pointed to one-off situations, like the decision by Martin Shkreli, the former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, to increase by 5,000% the price of a drug that combats rare infections.

Clinton in particular has relished jabbing at Shkreli, calling him, at one point, the worst bad date you can imagine.

Drug companies note that much of the debate centers on list prices, which can be staggering five- or six-figure amounts. Few insured consumers pay those amounts; instead, their co-pays typically are a fraction of a drugs sticker price.

Still, as drug prices have climbed, so have patients out-of-pocket costs. Kerns, for example, said her 20% co-pay for a multiple sclerosis treatment was manageable when the drug cost $900 a month, but over time, the monthly price rose to $10,000.

It just became crazy, she said.

The shift toward high-deductible insurance plans also leads to steeper out-of-pocket costs, said Zirkelbach, who notes that many manufacturers offer rebates or other financial assistance to ease patients burdens.

Drug costs have been thrust further into the spotlight by a sophisticated advocacy campaign, backed by health insurers, physicians, labor unions and other interest groups that want to force drug companies to cut prices.

The National Coalition on Health Cares effort to raise the issues profile  including sending volunteers into early primary states to attend candidate events and ask questions about drug prices  has yielded fruit in the 2016 campaign, evident in frequent mentions of pharmaceutical costs on the campaign trail.

Overall, however, candidates proposals come up short, policy experts say.

Sanders and Clinton, like Trump, support letting Medicare bargain with manufacturers for lower drug prices. The federal government has been barred from such direct negotiations since 2003. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, however, said such savings would be negligible unless the government limited which medications would be covered, a politically controversial idea.

Other proposals meant to slash prices  such as importing treatments from abroad or requiring companies to disclose their spending on research and marketing  may have the effect of chilling development of new medicines, Hay said.

If you restrict prices on drugs, manufacturers will stop inventing new drugs, he said.

To move beyond its defensive crouch, the pharmaceutical industry has made proposals of its own, such as streamlining the federal approval process for new drugs. Clinton and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz both have called for swifter action by the Food and Drug Administration on that front.

We have a responsibility as an industry to be coming to the table with solutions, Zirkelbach said.

Some voters believe that what the industry is really bringing to the table is money. Brad Esposito, an independent pharmacy owner in Tampa, said he wasnt sure which contender would be best suited to take on what he sees as pharmaceutical companies corruption.

I dont know who would be better, said Esposito, a Republican, this is a huge multibillion industry, and Im sure half of these companies are financing their campaigns.

People who work in the pharmaceutical and health products industry and PACs linked to the industry have given more than $1.2 million to presidential candidates so far, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics; the top recipient, Hillary Clinton, has received more than $400,000.

Kerns, a Democrat, is similarly unsure any candidate has the solution.

Meanwhile, she continues to feel the squeeze of her daily drug regimen: In the morning, 13 pills, followed by eight pills at noon and 19 at bedtime.

Trust me, I bless the pharmaceutical industry for at least coming up with medications that were able to modify the diseases I live with, Kerns said.

But, she added, We are being held  our feet to the flames  because we have no other options. I either quit taking a drug, or I may die or get progressively worse. Or I just suffer by using all of my funds.

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A week after one of the most unruly debates in modern political history, the four remaining contenders for the Republican presidential nomination engaged in a polite parsing of their differences Thursday night over radical Islam, Social Security and other weighty matters.

There was no discussion of genitals, no schoolyard taunts, no candidates screaming to be heard over the shouting of others.

The two hours on a stage at the University of Miami in Coral Gables was one of the lowest-key sessions since the early, friendlier days of the GOP contest last summer.

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I cannot believe how civil its been up here, Donald Trump, the front-runner for the nomination and chief instigator in previous debate-night brawls, marveled half an hour into the staid affair.

Held five days before a crucial round of primaries in Florida, Ohio and other big states, the debate  the 12th of the Republican contest  seemed unlikely to alter the direction of the race in any meaningful way.

Even though the bluster was gone and Trump remained subdued, the Manhattan businessman lost none of his swagger.

He suggested a willingness to send up to 30,000 U.S. ground troops to the Middle East to fight Islamic State militants, a dramatic escalation of the countrys military involvement.

We dont fight like we used to fight, Trump said, a line he applied as well to trade negotiations and other facets of the countrys policies. We need to fight to win.

He reiterated his support for waterboarding and other outlawed enhanced interrogation techniques to fight terrorists, and would rewrite the law to do so. Or were being a bunch of suckers, and they are laughing at us, Trump said.

Asked about his comment a day earlier that Islam hates us, Trump repeated the assertion and suggested that anyone who felt differently was callow and a slave to political correctness.

Citing the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he said: Theres tremendous hatred, and Ill stick with what I said.

Im not interested in being politically correct, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida responded evenly. Im interested in being correct.

He said it was wrong to stereotype an entire faith and also counterproductive to alienate countries with large Muslim populations that are vital U.S. allies.

Were going to have to work with other Muslims  to defeat ISIS, Rubio said, using a popular acronym for Islamic State.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Ohio Gov. John Kasich agreed. We need a president who understands the national security interests of this country, Cruz said, implying that Trump did not.

But the exchange struck none of the sparks seen in earlier debates, an obviously conscious decision by Trump, Cruz and Rubio, who had clashed harshly and repeatedly on the debate stage just seven days earlier.

Even when prodded by the moderators, they declined to engage as they had before.

Typical was the disagreement over Social Security.

Trump has broken with many conservatives by insisting there is no need to cut back on benefits for future retirees to preserve the program. I will do everything within my power not to touch Social Security, to leave it the way it is, Trump said.

Rubio warned that the program would go bankrupt without cuts, saying he would allow the retirement age to eventually rise to 70. He said Trumps proposal to cut waste, fraud and abuse would fall well short of the changes needed to place the program on a permanently sound financial footing.

Cruz took it a step further, asserting that Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, also talks of cutting waste, fraud, and abuse.

The answer cant just be  wave a magic wand and say, Problem go away, he added. You have to understand the problems.

When CNN co-moderator Dana Bash asked whether he was comparing Trump to Clinton  an obvious invitation to attack  Cruz said Trump would have to speak for himself.

Throughout the night the candidates agreed more often than they disagreed. On immigration, both Cruz and Kasich spoke of building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, Trumps signature promise.

Kasich, though, took a softer tone, praising immigrations role in the country and insisting that many of the millions of people here illegally would have an opportunity to stay  though not obtain citizenship  under his administration.

Trump was the focus for much of the debate. At one point, he was pressed to explain the outbreaks of violence at several of his rallies, including the assault of a North Carolina protester that was caught Wednesday on videotape. He said people come with tremendous passion and love for the country but also anger over all they see going wrong.

But I certainly do not condone that, he said of the attacks.

Trump has been known to depart from GOP orthodoxy on a host of issues, but on Thursday, he said he did not see himself as fundamentally remaking the Republican Party. He said he believed his views were very similar to many in the party, but acknowledged an exception.

I am different in one primary respect, and thats trade, Trump said. I feel that we have had horrible negotiators, horrible trade deals. The jobs in this country are disappearing, and especially the good jobs.

His protectionist rhetoric marks a departure from the free-trade advocacy of many in the Republican Party, particularly business interests.

With his new above-the-fray stance, Trump at times acted as though the nominating fight was already over.

He noted that former rival Ben Carson planned to endorse him Friday, and used his opening statement to call for party unity  presumably around his candidacy.

The debate could be the last for Rubio and Kasich, both facing must-win contests in their home states Tuesday.

Even if they win  and Rubio is a significant underdog  it would be difficult to overtake Trump in the delegate count after his victories in 15 of the first 24 contests. Five states in all  Florida, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois and North Carolina  will hold primaries on Tuesday.

Despite the high stakes, Rubio has said in recent days that he regretted the nasty and personal tone of last weeks debate, at which he called Trump University  a now-defunct series of get-rich real estate seminars that is the subject of numerous lawsuits  one of several Trump-brand businesses that have ripped off consumers. He charged that the novice candidate lacked a serious grasp of or interest in foreign policy.

Trump shot back with full force, calling Rubio a lightweight and little Marco. He derided Cruz as lyin Ted.

In his opening statement Thursday night, Cruz suggested hed had enough. The election, he said, was not about insults and attacks but the concerns of voters.

For at least two hours, that turned out to be the case.

noah.bierman@latimes.com

Twitter: @Noahbierman

mark.barabak@latimes.com

Twitter: @markzbarabak

Bierman reported from Miami, Barabak from Columbus, Ohio. Times staff writer Melanie Mason in Miami contributed to this report.

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Ismary Guardarrama, a 17-year-old Cuban American, was thrilled to be chosen to stand behind Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders at a recent rally here.

Her older relatives joked that she was committing treason.

Her grandfather  and to a lesser degree, her parents  have embraced conservative politics since they fled Communist-ruled Cuba in the 1970s. They dont trust Sanders Democratic socialism and his call for political revolution.

This generation is different from my generation, said her mother, Marelye Perez. They didnt suffer.

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Yet Perez, who has supported Republicans in the past, is leaning toward Democrat Hillary Clinton this year.

The familys divide reflects a deeper rift among Latino voters in a year when Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, both sons of Cuban immigrants, are the first Latinos to seek the White House from a major political party.

Neither is assured of strong Latino support, polls suggest, should either win the GOP nomination.

Thats partly because nearly two-thirds of Latinos who are eligible to vote are of Mexican ancestry. They often differ sharply from Cuban Americans on hot-button political issues such as immigration and foreign trade, and a majority of them have voted Democratic in recent presidential races.

Increasingly, Cuban Americans tend to be less virulently anti-Castro and more open to better ties with Cuba than their parents  or than Cruz and Rubio, who both oppose President Obamas detente with the former Cold War adversary.

The administration restored diplomatic relations with Cuba last summer and has eased trade and travel restrictions. Despite sharp differences on human rights and other issues, Obama will visit Havana on March 20-22, the first sitting U.S. president to go in 90 years.

Prior to campaigning for Tuesdays winner-take-all GOP primary in Florida, neither Cruz nor Rubio has aggressively sought to court Latino voters in other states.

Rubio has sought to distance himself from his role in the failed 2013 effort in Congress to create a pathway to legal status for 11 million immigrants in the country illegally, and has promised to end a deportation deferral program launched by Obama.

Cruz has agreed with large parts of GOP front-runner Donald Trumps pledge to deport all 11 million immigrants and to build a wall along the Mexican border.

Sometimes its difficult to tell whether one is running on his record or away from his record, said Javier Palomarez, president of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the countrys largest Hispanic business association.

Unlike other Latino populations, which form large voting blocs in New York and the West, Cuban Americans are concentrated in Florida. But a generational shift is changing the political landscape as younger voters, many born in the U.S., reject their parents conservative views.

You can see across the years since 2002 a shift to Democratic Party registration among Cuban Americans, said Mark Hugo Lopez, director of Hispanic research at the Pew Research Center in Washington.

In addition, many Cubans who came to America in the 1980s and 1990s were seeking economic opportunity, not escaping political repression, making their politics less ideological.

Part of the political shift, experts say, is also because of the death nearly two decades ago of Jorge Mas Canosa, the ultra-conservative, stridently anti-Castro leader who held a firm grip over most of Floridas exile community.

When Miami radio host Enrique Santos registered to vote 23 years ago, he didnt think twice about his party affiliation.

I registered as a Republican because that was the right Cuban American thing to do, said Santos, now 41.

But over time, he found himself at odds with the GOP. A gay man who voted for Republican nominee John McCain in 2008, Santos helped reelect Obama in 2012, in part because of the presidents support for marriage equality.

Santos was asked to introduce Obama at a rally that year. His father, who had fled Cubas repression, didnt talk to me for like a week, he recalled.

Yet Everardo Santos, Enriques father, plans to vote for Trump, not either of the Cuban Americans on the primary ballot Tuesday.

Even though Im Cuban, I dont believe that just because a candidate is Cuban I should vote for them, he said.

In Miamis Little Havana district this week, old-timers chewed over the politics and guava pastries at Cafe Versailles, an iconic restaurant known as a gathering spot for Cuban exiles.

Joel Rodriguez, 83, sipped a Cuban espresso and rattled off the views that many of his generation embrace: free enterprise, conservative social values, refusal to negotiate with Cubas Communist leaders.

Rodriguez will vote for Rubio, who repeated his opposition to Obamas Cuba policy in Thursday nights Republican debate in Miami.

Obama is negotiating with an assassin, Rodriguez complained. Rubio, on the other hand, is a smart young man. Plus, hes Cuban.

Across town, in a trendy arts district known as Wynwood, younger Cuban Americans are drawn to graffiti-tagged galleries in old industrial buildings.

On a recent night, Fernando Santos, 33, and his friends sipped beers outside a bar called Gramps, where a DJ played Rihannas latest track. He and his family left Cuba 20 years ago.

Its time for Cuba to integrate with the rest of the world, he said. Cuba cant be stuck in the same place for another 50 years. You have to progress.

Santos hasnt decided how to vote. His friend Juan Sanchez, 36, has no doubts. He already cast an early primary ballot for Clinton.

I support Hillary, he said, because she supports women, she supports gays, she supports Latinos.

Linthicum reported from Miami and Wilkinson reported from Washington.

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Donald Trump likes to claim that he has wide support among the Hispanics, but like some other assertions he makes, that ones not true.

The latest evidence comes from newly released Gallup Poll data: More than three-quarters of Latinos  77%  view Trump unfavorably, the poll found, compared with just 12% who have a favorable opinion.

Trumps net favorability score, negative-65 percentage points, contrasts dramatically with all the other potential candidates in the presidential field. It is notably worse than was Mitt Romneys image among Latinos in 2012, a year in which he won only 27% of Latino votes.

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Even among Latino Republicans, which is a relatively small group, Trumps image is deeply unfavorable  a net reading of negative-29, Gallup found.

The other three Republicans still in the race against Trump, Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, have net scores near zero among Latinos, meaning that the number with positive views of them are roughly the same as the number with negative views. All three have positive images among Latino Republicans.

The two Democrats  Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders  both have net positive ratings among Latinos overall, particularly Clinton, who gets a positive rating from 59% of Latinos and a negative one from 26%.

Gallups figures correspond with data from other surveys.

A Washington Post/ABC News poll released Wednesday found that in a potential matchup against Clinton, only one in five nonwhite voters sided with Trump.

The latest NBC/Wall Street Journal survey found two-thirds of voters overall saying that they could not see themselves voting for Trump. Among nonwhite voters, the figure was 84%.

A separate NBC News/SurveyMonkey tracking poll found that Trump was viewed unfavorably by 86% of black voters and 75% of Latinos. Overall about eight in 10 nonwhite voters in that survey had an unfavorable view of Trump, with about seven in 10 saying their view was very unfavorable.

The Gallup data comes from roughly 1,200 Latino voters interviewed by telephone between Jan. 2-March 8 and has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.

The Washington Post/ABC poll was conducted by telephone March 3-6 among 1,000 adults and has a margin of error of plus or minuts 3.5 percentage points.

The NBC/Wall Street Journal poll surveyed 1,200 registered voters by telephone March 3-6 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

The NBC/SurveyMonkey tracking poll was conducted online Feb. 29-March 6 among 19,051 registered voters. The results have a confidence interval of plus or minus 1 percentage point.

For more on Campaign 2016, follow @DavidLauter

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San Diego taxi company owner Alfredo Hueso is a frustrated businessman.

State regulations are helping companies like Uber and Lyft rob him of business, he believes. And as he complained in a recent letter to the state Senate president, elected leaders arent doing anything to fix the problem.

In that battle, though, Hueso has one advantage over the ridesharing companies: His younger brother is state Sen. Ben Hueso, an important advocate in Sacramento for the taxi industry.

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Since his election to the Legislature more than five years ago, the Democratic lawmaker has pushed for stiffer regulation of rideshare companies amid a battle playing out all over the country. At the same time, the burgeoning industry has stepped up its attempt to influence policy in Sacramento.

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Two bills to ease regulations for ridesharing companies passed the Assembly last year, with only a single No vote between them. But they have stalled in the Senates Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee, where Hueso is chairman.

Hueso has not scheduled votes on either bill, a strategy thats commonly used in Sacramento to kill legislation.

The senator says that his determination to bring broader regulation to the ridesharing industry is informed by his long history with transportation issues.

I think mistakes are being made here in the Legislature, Hueso said in an interview.

Huesos familiarity with transportation comes through his familys taxi business, which has been threatened by the rapid expansion of ridesharing services.

In 1982, Huesos father purchased USA Cab, and Ben Hueso, the eighth of nine children, began helping after school with the company while he was in his early adolescence, he said.

Later, Hueso drove for USA Cab and founded a related company with Alfredo and another brother, Jose Antonio, to provide transit services for the handicapped. (With 42 taxis, USA Cab now has the largest fleet in San Diego.)

Hueso said he never had any personal financial interest in USA Cab and sold his share in the related business in the early 2000s, a few years before first winning elected office on San Diegos City Council.

Hueso was elected to the Assembly in 2010 and won a special election for state Senate less than three years later.

One of the two bills bottled up in Huesos committee would formally exempt drivers from companies such as Uber and Lyft from needing commercial license plates, making it easier for people to work for the services and save drivers money.

USA Cab, owned by Huesos brothers Alfredo and Jose Antonio, has in fact joined other San Diego taxi businesses in suing the state to force regulators to make rideshare drivers register for those plates.

Ben Hueso said he was not aware of the lawsuit, and that it had no influence on his position on the legislation.

If youre going to write a story saying Im doing this for my brother, he said, its going to be wrong.

Three years ago while in the Assembly, Hueso introduced a bill to classify taxi drivers as independent contractors instead of employees of cab companies. The distinction matters because companies generally have to give their employees more generous wages, provide more insurance and meal breaks and allow for easier attempts to unionize among many other work rules.

Hueso has said his bill was motivated by a multi-year lawsuit against his brothers by drivers who argued they should have been treated as employees, not contractors. The bill never went anywhere.

The state Legislature has become a key battleground between the taxi industry and less-regulated rideshare companies. As of last summer, lobbyist spending by Uber alone was in the top 3% of companies and organizations at the Capitol.

The growth of Uber and Lyft has rocketed in recent years and they have taken a chunk of taxis market share. As of January 2015, taxi revenue in San Francisco was about $140 million a year while Ubers in the city was approximately $500 million and growing 200% a year, according to Ubers CEO.

Last year, after the state Department of Vehicles issued an advisory opinion that rideshare drivers were required to register for commercial license plates, Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell) introduced AB 828 to exempt them. (The advisory opinion has since been withdrawn.)

Around the same time, Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) wrote AB 1360, which would allow rideshare companies to carpool, picking up multiple passengers with different destinations at the same time.

Both bills sailed through the Assembly, but got stuck once they landed in Huesos state Senate committee last summer. Hueso said that he wanted to have a comprehensive hearing on rideshare companies before allowing discussion on what he called piecemeal bills. That hearing occurred last month.

During the discussion, Hueso closely questioned ridesharing companies representatives, suggesting that Uber and Lyfts technologies shouldnt be proprietary because taxi cab meters arent. He also expressed frustration that state regulators have been unable to provide strong oversight over the rideshare companies drivers.

Robert Callahan, who leads the California branch of the Internet Assn. trade group and is an advocate for both bills, said his organization is disappointed Hueso has yet to put them up for a vote.

We dont mind when folks disagree with us, Callahan said. We just want to have our day in court, so to speak, and have these bills get an opportunity to be heard.

Low, who sponsored the bill to exempt ridesharing companies from being required to have commercial plates, declined comment. Ting, sponsor of the carpool legislation, said he endorsed Huesos comprehensive approach but was hoping Hueso would schedule a committee vote soon.

We got zero No votes in the Assembly, Ting said. We got zero No votes in our first Senate committee hearing. I am still very hopeful we can get it through the Legislature this year.

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Hueso said he would schedule both bills for committee discussions, likely in June. That would be less than a month before a deadline to act on the bills, which by that point will have been before his committee for almost a year. He maintains that his push for greater regulation over the ridesharing industry is solely driven by his concern for public safety and consumer protection.

Hueso said his role in the legislative debate was no different from legislators who are farmers or cattle ranchers making decisions on bills for those industries.

Its pretty sad to me that you could have a doctor running a bill requiring immunizations that the doctor industry is sponsoring and nobody sees anything wrong with that, Hueso said. It cant be nepotism if what Im doing is a benefit to the whole society. Im not doing a specific law just for my brother.

For his part, Alfredo Hueso said having his brother in the Legislature isnt helping.

If you want the truth, Alfredo Hueso said, him being there hurts our cause because it looks like hes doing me a favor.

San Diego Union-Tribune reporter Kristina Davis contributed to this report.

liam.dillon@latimes.com

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If a safety measure eliminated all but a handful of the nations traffic fatalities per year, it would likely get an enthusiastic hearing in legislatures. If three steps could reliably prevent 9 in 10 of the deaths caused each year by the flu, public health officials would probably lobby hard for their implementation.

With a similar objective in mind, researchers at Boston University have identified specific state laws that, if implemented across the nation, might dramatically reduce the death toll from gun violence, which in many years kills about as many Americans as traffic accidents or the flu.

See the most-read stories in Science this hour >>

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After comparing states trends in firearms-related deaths against those states decisions to adopt any of 25 gun-control measures, the researchers singled out three initiatives that were associated with robust declines in suicides, homicides and fatal accidental shootings.

The three measures linked to substantial drops in firearms-related deaths were: universal background checks for firearms sales, background checks on those buying ammunition, and a requirement that gun owners get their firearms microchipped or fingerprinted for identification purposes.

If all three laws were in force across the land, the number of gun deaths in the United States  31,672 in 2010  might decline by as much as 90%, according to their report published Thursday in the British medical journal Lancet.

Not all of the gun laws on states books appeared to be effective. Indeed, of the 25 laws examined, nine initiatives  some of them dear to the hearts of gun-control advocates  were associated with increases in gun deaths. These included bans or restrictions on assault weapons, limits on the number of firearms a customer could purchase, and laws requiring locking devices on firearms available for sale.

Increased gun deaths were also linked to some of the measures beloved by gun-rights advocates. Those included stand-your-ground laws, which protect from prosecution those who use a gun to defend their home or property, and laws that give police departments discretion in granting concealed-carry permits.

Study leader Bindu Kalesan, a quantitative social researcher at Boston University, said the effort was the first to rigorously examine the impact of specific gun laws on gun-related deaths across the United States.

The researchers made adjustments for factors already known to influence gun-related deaths, such as the rates of gun ownership and of unemployment in each state (where either increases, gun deaths do too).

The findings suggest that very few of the existing state gun-control laws actually reduce gun deaths, Kalesan said.

For public health officials intent on reducing gun deaths, she added, the results highlight the importance of focusing on relevant and effective gun legislation.

Other researchers cautioned that establishing a link between the adoption of a gun-control measure and the subsequent trends in gun deaths falls far short of showing that the law was responsible for the observed effect.

Differing trends in states demographics, economic circumstances and even their hospitals ability to treat gunshot wounds may drive changes in gun death rates, for instance. And enforcement factors  most notably how quickly and completely a new law is implemented  can intervene to make it effective, toothless or even counterproductive, said Dr. Garen Wintemute, an emergency physician who studies violence prevention at UC Davis.

Im generally skeptical of cross-sectional studies of association, Wintemute said. Evidence from such studies is not considered to be strong.

None of the big three measures identified in the new research is widely implemented in the U.S. Universal background checks for the purchase of all firearms are in force in California and Rhode Island, while Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania require background checks for the purchase of all handguns.

Only Illinois, Massachusetts and New Jersey require purchasers of ammunition to have a permit to do so.

The requirement for registries that identify the ballistic fingerprint of every newly sold gun exists only in Maryland and New York. California has adopted such a measure, but its implementation has been stalled by legal challenges, Wintemute said. If California hadnt been included in this part of the analysis, the association with fewer gun deaths might not hold up and the overall reduction in gun deaths might well be lower than 90%.

Follow me on Twitter @LATMelissaHealy and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

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St. Joseph Hoag Health officials announced Tuesday that Tarek Salaway is the new chief operating officer for Mission Hospital campuses in Laguna Beach and Mission Viejo.

Hospital officials conducted a national search beginning in 2015 after Margarita Cowley, the previous COO, retired in 2014, St. Joseph spokeswoman Nisha Morris wrote in an email.

Salaway, who lives in Aliso Viejo, held the same role for the Keck Medical Center of USC, which includes Keck Hospital of USC and the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital.

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Salaway also worked in leadership positions at Stanford Health Care and Providence Health & Services and has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare clinical operations and business management, according to a news release.

The chief operating officer plays an extremely important executive role in the success of Mission Hospital, Richard Afable, CEO and president of St. Joseph Hoag Health and interim CEO of Mission Hospital, said in the release. Having a proven leader like Tarek Salaway in that role fortifies our more than 40-year-old ministry and strengthens our ability to provide our communities with access to advanced, integrated care in the years to come.

In his new position, Salaway will oversee operations at both Mission Hospital campuses and off-site locations including inpatient and outpatient centers.

He will play a key role in developing the hospitals strategic direction, the release said. Salaway will oversee a wide range of clinical and ancillary programs that are core to Mission Hospital and identify and develop opportunities for growth, it said.

Mission Hospital, like many hospitals in Southern California, operates in a changing and intensely competitive market, Salaway said in the release. I look forward to developing our clinical programs and mobilizing our stakeholders to be best positioned to respond to the market and deliver high-quality results for patients and their families.

Salaway earned masters degrees in healthcare administration and public health, with an emphasis in epidemiology and health services, from the University of Washington. Salaway earned a bachelors degree in political science and French literature from UC San Diego.

Afable began as Mission Hospitals interim CEO last month to fill in for Kenneth McFarland, who resigned after 18 years with the organization.

Mission Hospital, one of seven nonprofit hospitals operated by the St. Joseph Health system, opened the Mission Viejo facility in 1971 and acquired the Laguna Beach location at 31872 S. Coast Hwy. in 2009. The Laguna Beach hospital offers an emergency department and intensive care and surgical units.

--

Bryce Alderton, bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Twitter: @AldertonBryce
A defense attorney representing convicted murderer Daniel Wozniak will have until the end of April to file a brief asking the court to throw out the jurys death-penalty verdict.

Wozniak was expected to receive his final sentence in Orange County Superior Court on Friday. Instead, Judge John Conley granted public defender Scott Sanders additional time to file a court brief, which will seek a ruling vacating the verdict and replacing it with life in prison without parole.

Sanders plans ask the judge to grant a new penalty phase of the trial.

The brief will include a detailed analysis of the trial and the relevant law, which the defense believes should be considered before a sentence of death is imposed, Sanders wrote in the motion.

It took the jury a little more than an hour to reach its verdict, jury forewoman Jenny Wong said at the time.

Wozniak, 31, a community theater actor from Costa Mesa, was convicted Dec. 16 of killing Julie Kibuishi, 23, and her friend Army veteran Sam Herr, 26.

In May 2010, Kibuishis body, shot twice in the head, was discovered in a Costa Mesa apartment. Her jeans had been ripped away, as if someone had tried to rape her. Her body wore a tiara that her brother had given her hours before she was killed.

According to prosecutors, Wozniak was desperate for money to cover his rent and fund his upcoming wedding and honeymoon.

So Wozniak hatched a plot to kill Herr, his neighbor, to steal $62,000 that Herr had saved from his military service in Afghanistan.

On May 21, 2010, Wozniak shot Herr twice in the head in the attic of a Los Alamitos theater, according to testimony from detectives and a videotaped confession from Wozniak. He then used Herrs phone to send messages to Kibuishi to lure her to Herrs apartment, where he shot her to death.

The next day, Wozniak returned to the apartment and staged Kibuishis body to look like Herr had sexually assaulted her and fled.

Wozniak used an ax and saw to remove the head, hands and a tattooed forearm from Herrs body before dumping the parts in a Long Beach park.

Police arrested Wozniak days later at his bachelor party in Huntington Beach after ATM withdrawals from Herrs account led them to him, authorities said.

Wozniak is expected to appear in court May 20 for final sentencing. The date marks almost six years since the day Wozniak shot Herr in the attic of the theater.

Steve Herr, the victims father, said the significance of the date isnt lost on him.

Im OK with that date, he said. On the very last day of the fifth year its time to put this thing to rest.

--

Hannah Fry, hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN

 Jeremiah Dobruck contributed to this report

--

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Former Clippers owner Donald Sterling and his wife, Shelly, have decided not to divorce, according to a filing in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Notwithstanding all the difficult events of the last two years, the Sterlings have resolved their differences, Donald Sterlings attorney, Bobby Samini, wrote in an email to The Times on Friday.

Shelly Sterlings attorney, Pierce ODonnell, confirmed the couples decision, but declined further comment.

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Donald Sterling cited irreconcilable differences when he filed for divorce last August, three weeks before the couples 60th wedding anniversary. Sterling said in court documents that the couple separated in August 2012.

Shelly Sterling remains a defendant in her husbands federal lawsuit over the $2-billion sale of the Clippers. Donald Sterling accused her of conspiring with the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver, also defendants in the case in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, to sell the Clippers against his wishes. The case is ongoing.

After Donald Sterlings inflammatory recorded comments about African Americans became public in 2014, Shelly Sterling removed her husband as a member of the family trust that owned the Clippers after two doctors declared him to be mentally incapacitated.

During a probate hearing in July 2014 in Los Angeles County Superior Court that examined the removal and other circumstances of the sale, Donald Sterling called his wife a pig. The judge in the case ruled that Shelly Sterling acted properly in removing her husband as a trustee and pursuing the sale of the Clippers.

The sale of the franchise to Steve Ballmer closed on Aug. 14, 2014.

Samini said last year that his client hadnt received the proceeds from the sale of the team he owned for 33 years. Half of the money was in an NBA-controlled escrow account pending the federal lawsuits resolution while the remainder went to Shelly Sterling.

Its unclear if the issue has been resolved.

nathan.fenno@latimes.com

Twitter: @nathanfenno

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Tank Man. For 25 years, foreign reporters have sought to identify the brave, solitary figure in the most memorable photo to emerge from Chinas crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square. And still, the mystery endures.

Shortly after noon on June 5, 1989, the day after troops stormed through Beijing and into the square to crush the student-led political uprising that had paralyzed and electrified the capital for weeks, a lone man with shopping bags in both hands briefly stopped a column of oncoming tanks on the Avenue of Eternal Peace.

The lead vehicle halted. It moved right and left to avoid the defenseless man. Each time, he adjusted his position to remain in the tanks path. Finally, he shifted the bags to one hand, jumped onto the tank and appeared to talk to its driver.

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The standoff, just east of the square, was captured by newspaper photographers and TV news crews. The standoff lasted but a few minutes, but was so tense with drama that witnesses recall it feeling like an eternity.

Photographer Jeff Widener, whose photo of the incident is the best known, was working then for the Associated Press. He told McClatchy News Service this year that he has always felt Tank Man was like the unknown soldier. He will always symbolize freedom and democracy.

No one knows for sure the mans name, or whether hes dead or alive. Still, Time magazine named the man one of the centurys top 20 revolutionaries, whose moment of self-transcendence [was seen] by more people than ever laid eyes on Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and James Joyce combined.

But its unclear whether Tank Man has ever been aware what an enduring symbol he became, because in China, the image remains barred. (The identity of the tank driver, too, remains unknown to the public.)

Shortly after the incident, a British tabloid identified Tank Man as Wang Weilin, 19, the son of Beijing factory workers. But efforts to substantiate the report ran into dead ends.

In a 2004 piece on Tank Man, Los Angeles Times writer John Glionna contacted British author Robin Munro, who had called the reporter who identified the man as Wang, to determine his sources.

After talking to the journalist for about half an hour, I decided that his story was not reliable, Munro told the paper. It all seemed so incredibly coincidental, and also completely unlikely that a journalist with no China experience, and sitting in London at the time, would be able to identify Tank Man so easily.

Former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin was interviewed in 1999 and asked what had happened to the man.

I think never killed, Jiang answered in English. He said government authorities searched for the protester but did not find him.

While the image of Tank Man is widely known outside of China, inside the country very few people have seen it. The nations Internet censors make sure it is extremely difficult to find  assuming people even know what to look for.

This year, a French TV crew tried to do some man-on-the street interviews in Beijing about the crackdown, showing passersby the picture of Tank Man and seeing what they recalled.

Within 10 minutes, police arrived and ordered the journalists into a squad car, the Foreign Correspondents Club of China reported.

They were taken to a station for questioning and later accused of disturbance of public order.
Donald Trump called the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest a riot in a Republican presidential debate on Thursday night, responding to a question about a 1990 interview in which he said that the governments massacre of protesters shows you the power of strength.

Chinas Communist party leadership deployed the military to open fire on the massive, peaceful demonstration, killing hundreds, maybe thousands of people. Authorities strictly limit public discussion about the protest, which they have condemned as a counter-revolutionary riot.

In the 1990 interview with Playboy magazine, Trump said: The Chinese government almost blew it. Then they were vicious, they were horrible, but they put it down with strength. That shows you the power of strength. Our country is right now perceived as weak.

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On Thursday, he said that he never intended to voice support for the massacre. That doesnt mean I was endorsing that, he said. I said that was a strong, powerful government. They kept down the riot, it was a horrible thing.

Although Chinese social networks barely registered the comment -- mentions of the protest remain censored on the Chinese Web -- many Chinese have been watching Trumps rise as many Americans are, with a mix of bemusement and dread.

His ideas are very strange -- I dont know why Americans support him, said Zhang Ming, a 35 year-old business consultant in Beijing. I know the other Republicans are trying to stop him -- any American with a brain is trying to stop him.

The U.S. is still a role model for democracy. It has its problems though, and Trump is a reflection of its problems. Zhang said that she has never been to the U.S., and has been following election news online.

Trump has repeatedly lashed out at China, especially its currency policy and trade practices, as a perceived source of Americas economic woes.

Yet Chinese Internet users have focused more on his behavior than his positions. Some have bestowed him with unflattering nicknames such as lunatic, big mouth and mattress (the Chinese word, chuanpu, sounds like Trump).

News in early February that Trump had been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize sparked off fierce criticism in China -- not only of Trump, but of the prize itself. (An unidentified U.S. nominator tipped him for his vigorous peace through strength ideology).

On Feb. 4, an article in the state-run Global Times newspaper headlined Big Mouth Trump is nominated for a Nobel prize for his anti-Chinese statements, racked up more than 3,200 comments. Many remarked that Trump perfectly embodies U.S. foreign policy. One called him a violent, impetuous imperialist.

Some observers, both online and in interviews, said that they hoped Trump would be be elected, if only because his presidency would accelerate Americas decline. Hes very interesting, said Zhang Xinyan, 40, a free-lancer. I hope he gets elected, just to see what happens.

Others have voiced support for Trump as an alternative to Hillary Clinton, whom many perceive as tough on China.

If global geopolitics is a Peking Opera, Hillary is an exquisite master, and Trump is an awkward walk-on, a Tuesday article in the Global Times quoted an unnamed Chinese Internet user as saying. Obviously the latter is more likely to make mistakes, to be passive, and to be easy to cope with.

Trump is a just and honorable boor, and Hillary is a calculating hypocrite, it continued. If Trump is elected, the decline of the American economy will accelerate; if Hillary is elected, the decline will be delayed.

Chuan Xu in the Times Beijing bureau contributed to this report.

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By day, this town bustles. Trucks rumble through, carrying equipment to the nearby Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. A temporary supermarket has sprung up to cater to workers employed in the massive cleanup job at the plant; a ramen stand dispenses steaming noodles near City Hall.

But a different Naraha emerges after sundown. Traffic stops. The streetlights come on but the neighborhoods are dark. A dog can be heard barking in the distance. A police car patrols the empty streets, its bright red light visible from miles away, like a meteor in the night. Instead of a siren, it emits a mournful lullaby.

Its true that at night it feels like a ghost town, says a 45-year-old Buddhist priest, Shukan Sakanushi. The streets are empty; its dark, its quiet. But each evening when I go jogging, I notice little by little, more lights are coming on. People are coming back. I believe this town can come back to life. I feel like its part of my karma to make that happen.

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1 / 7 A house sits on the scarred landscape inside the exclusion zone close to the devastated Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Namie, Japan. The area is closed to residents because of radiation contamination from the Fukushima nuclear disaster. (Christopher Furlong / Getty Images) 2 / 7 Workers search for radiation-contaminated debris in the city of Minamisoma. March 11 is the fifth anniversary of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that claimed the lives of 15,894, and the subsequent damage to the reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant. (Christopher Furlong / Getty Images) 3 / 7 Personal items are strewn around a tsunami-damaged home Minamisoma. The nuclear disaster forced the evacuation of 99,750 people. (Christopher Furlong / Getty Images) 4 / 7 Thousands of bags of radiation-contaminated soil and debris wait to be processed in the town of Naraha. (Christopher Furlong / Getty Images) 5 / 7 The elements and nature take over homes and businesses in the town of Namie. (Christopher Furlong / Getty Images) 6 / 7 A graveyard stands in the tsunami-scarred landscape in Namie. (Christopher Furlong / Getty Images) 7 / 7 A house in in Namie. (Christopher Furlong / Getty Images)

Naraha was among the closest towns to the Fukushima nuclear complex when an earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, triggered a meltdown at three reactors. The towns entire population of just over 7,300 people was evacuated.

Although the evacuation order was finally lifted last fall, only 469 people  6% of the towns population  have so far returned.

The confluence of disasters five years ago profoundly traumatized Japan. The earthquake and tsunami together wreaked massive damage. More than 16,000 people died nationwide, and hundreds of thousands were dislodged from their homes. The nuclear meltdown was perhaps even more frightening as it spread a shadow of radiation over a wide area, contaminating food, water and homes.

Many places have bounced back, but healing has come slowly to Naraha.

The pharmacy in the town center remains closed. The bank is shuttered. The elementary and middle school is vacant. Only four children have returned to the town; they commute by taxi to a temporary school in a neighboring city.

The towns train station has reopened, with roughly one train an hour, but the last one of the day pulls out at 8:07 p.m. Taxis stop running at 5 p.m. The liquor store in front of the station remains closed; beer and sake vending machines next to it have the coin slots taped over. Working machines dispense hot cans of coffee or tea and cold soft drinks.

There is a refurbished hot springs resort in town, but it is often empty.

Sakanushi, who is also a local government official, is a tall, impressive man  he still carries himself like the karate kid he once was, and has only a little gray in his trimmed beard.

March 11th, 2011, was a fateful day for him.

It was the day that the Shingon Buddhist Headquarters officially appointed him the 43rd head priest of his temple in Naraha. He was to have taken over the role from his father, the 42nd head priest.

It should have been a happy day  but the official letter of his promotion wouldnt reach the temple that day; it would be three months before he received it. He has it framed and hung inside the temple.

He was working at the town hall that afternoon when the earthquake hit. His wife and two children were in the neighboring city of Iwaki studying English. When the sirens went off warning that a tidal wave would hit the town in 30 minutes, he called his wife and told her, Get in the car and head to your family home in Ibaraki prefecture. Leave now!

Sakanushi didnt leave. He got in a car and along with his co-workers drove through the town and by the seaside, warning people to seek cover, yelling, Seek the high ground!

Naraha, Japan, is almost a ghost town. Only 6% of the population has returned. The majority of the buildings and homes are still empty. (Jake Adelstein / For The Times)

Sakanushi is a native of Naraha, which is in Fukushima prefecture. It is tucked into hills not far from the sea, with small neighborhoods and scattered houses climbing the slopes. It was a good place to grow up, he said. Salmon is plentiful and tasty; the winters are mild; the seaside beautiful in the summer.

After the disaster, he moved with his family to Ibaragi prefecture, just south of Fukushima prefecture. His two children became accustomed to living there. He set up a temporary temple annex in Iwaki City, where 84% of the Naraha residents took refuge.

Time moved on. He returned now and then to maintain the temple and to work with the town toward restoration.

In a survey that reached slightly more than half of the towns pre-disaster residents, a majority of those queried said they would like to return home, according to Japans Reconstruction Agency. But that goal remains out of reach for many.

How do you restore a place when nobody comes back? ... And even if people come back, are they really safe?  Tokuo Hayakawa, Buddhist priest and anti-nuclear activist

Nuclear pollution caused by the meltdown at the plant, run by Tokyo Electric Power Co., or Tepco, contaminated the surrounding land. Agriculture was the principle industry here and with public concern over the safety of anything grown here, many feel it may not be viable as an occupation again, the Naraha town administration said in a statement to The Times.

More than 100,000 people in Fukushima prefecture remain out of their homes  unable or unwilling to return. Many have gotten new jobs and, in some cases, new homes elsewhere.

Many say that the governments shifting declaration of what is a safe amount of radiation exposure makes them dubious that the cleanup has been successful. Before 2011, Japan set the safe annual radiation dosage level at 1 millisievert. Afterward, it adopted the recommendation of the International Commission on Radiation Protection and set 20 millisievert as a safe dosage level in emergencies. One millisievert became a long-term goal.

Recent tests involving volunteers who wore dosimeters for two weeks in Naraha revealed average radiation exposure of 1.12 millisieverts a year, the government said.

Many doubt that the town will ever be what it was.

Tokuo Hayakawa, 76, is the head priest of Hokyoji, a Jodoshu Buddhist temple with a history of 620 years. He has returned to the town to provide support and tend to his community.

Tokuo Hayawaka, a longtime anti-nuclear activist and Buddhist priest in the town of Naraha, Japan, says the number of the dead in the town may now outnumber the living. (Jake Adelstein / For The Times)

Jodo means Pure land, he noted with irony, although this particular land is contaminated with radioactive elements that will take decades to degrade.

Hayakawa is a peace activist who, since the 1970s, has protested the nuclear power plant. He had warned anyone who would listen that Tepco was untrustworthy, that the reactor would melt down and destroy the town.

He wasnt wrong.

Still, there is no bitterness in his laughter as he talks about the history of the town, shows off his teahouse, and explains his greatest joy  going out to the tiny lake he built by the temple at night and viewing the moon reflected on the surface, enjoying a glass of good sake.

For those of us who grew up here, home is where these mountain and streams are, he said. Its not a concrete box in the city. Our definition of home is fundamentally different, and some of us would rather live back home in uncertainty rather than spend what is left of our lives starting over with no money or energy.

But he is not sanguine.

The Japanese word for restoration  fukko  means to put things back the way they were, he said. How do you restore a place when nobody comes back? Anyway, he said, come back to what? To live? To farm? We cant farm. What is there to come back to? And even if people come back, are they really safe? They are abandoning us in the name of restoration.

Japans Environment Ministry declared the cleanup of Naraha to be officially completed as of March 4. But work continues, and the announcement appears to have been premature. Some 360 workers are helping to decontaminate the town, removing contaminated materials from buildings, checking the water supplies.

Sakanushi is living alone for now; his family plans to come back next year. He is working for the General Affairs and Education Department of Naraha, which is planning to reopen the elementary and middle school in 2017. His 11-year-old daughter, Mayu, plans to attend. His son, Homare, age 7, isnt sure yet. Homare doesnt remember the town.

Sakanushi feels an obligation to be back home, in part to serve the towns elderly.

In Japan, people come to pay respects to their ancestors and make offerings to their spirits, he said. Its one way we keep people alive in a sense, by remembering the departed. I have to be here for those families as well.

Adelstein is a special correspondent. Special correspondents Nathalie-Kyoko Stucky and Mari Yamamoto in Tokyo contributed to this report.

For more news on global sustainability, go to our Global Development Watch page: latimes.com/global-development

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Hiroshi Endo spent a decade building a robotic arm that Japan deployed to the International Space Station in 2010. But his next challenge made that one look easy.

In 2011, Endo, a 61-year-old retired engineer at Hitachi, the Tokyo-based mega-corporation, began designing a robot to aid in decommissioning the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, the site of a meltdown that marked the worst nuclear crisis since Ukraines Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

In space, youve got the sun, the moon, the Earth, temperatures. These are very definite, very specific  theyre not going to change, Endo said. But nuclear [reactors] are man-made. Whats going on inside the reactor is totally unknown, after the disaster. The operational environment is very different than space  its much harder.

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Over the last five years, since an earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown devastated a swath of Japans east coast, killing more than 15,000 people and displacing more than 230,000, the country has embarked on one of the most extensive recovery programs in history.

Robots have played a crucial role in Japans efforts to inspect, decontaminate and ultimately decommission the devastated nuclear reactors  a necessary step to regaining public trust and consigning the accident to history.

Experts say that more than 100 types of robots are active at Fukushima, including scores of modifications on a handful of basic designs. Theyve been likened to scorpions, snakes, giraffes and amphibians. They fly, walk, crawl and make underwater maneuvers, braving dust, debris and doses of radiation that could kill a human being. Their variety underscores the size  and complexity  of their task.

The personnel exposure [to radiation] would be much higher without robots, and off-site releases would be much higher, said Lake Barrett, an American nuclear energy expert who has consulted for top Japanese officials on the decommissioning program.

1 / 7 A house sits on the scarred landscape inside the exclusion zone close to the devastated Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Namie, Japan. The area is closed to residents because of radiation contamination from the Fukushima nuclear disaster. (Christopher Furlong / Getty Images) 2 / 7 Workers search for radiation-contaminated debris in the city of Minamisoma. March 11 is the fifth anniversary of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that claimed the lives of 15,894, and the subsequent damage to the reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant. (Christopher Furlong / Getty Images) 3 / 7 Personal items are strewn around a tsunami-damaged home Minamisoma. The nuclear disaster forced the evacuation of 99,750 people. (Christopher Furlong / Getty Images) 4 / 7 Thousands of bags of radiation-contaminated soil and debris wait to be processed in the town of Naraha. (Christopher Furlong / Getty Images) 5 / 7 The elements and nature take over homes and businesses in the town of Namie. (Christopher Furlong / Getty Images) 6 / 7 A graveyard stands in the tsunami-scarred landscape in Namie. (Christopher Furlong / Getty Images) 7 / 7 A house in in Namie. (Christopher Furlong / Getty Images)

There are two types of robots, he said: diagnostic robots, which inspect the interiors of the buildings and reactors, and working robots, which do physical labor such as clearing debris and removing fuel rods.

They have [robots] that shoot dry ice to absorb radiation, he said. Some shoot high-pressure water  some have carbide teeth that chip away at concrete surfaces, which are the most contaminated part, and suck the chips up in a vacuum cleaner.

The decommissioning program is funded by the Japanese government and overseen by the International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning, a Tokyo-based coordinating agency. The robots are built by scores of companies: Toshiba, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, BMW and the U.S.-based firm iRobot, best-known for developing the Roomba automated vacuum cleaner.

Much as the U.S. space program developed products that came to be used in everyday life, Barrett said that much of the technology developed to investigate the plants could be spun off into regular society  tiny cameras, tiny drones, virtual reality, technology that can transmit data through thick concrete walls.

Yet several engineers said that despite the difficulty of their work, widespread anger over the disaster has cast a pall over their public profile.

One of the things thats most interesting, thats not really understood by the public, is the synergism between engineering technologies and social, political and psychological constraints, Barrett said. Engineers can do wonderful things with robots, etc.  and they do  but when it comes time to ask, how do we talk to people about this? How do we explain what the risks are? Thats a big challenge.

The plants operator  the Tokyo Electric Power Co., also known as Tepco  has declared the situation at the plant stable. Thousands of employees still work there, pumping water into the devastated reactors to cool them and storing the contaminated water in massive tanks.

Yet areas in the exclusion zone surrounding the reactors remain abandoned and are decaying, their overgrown roads and railways roamed by packs of feral boars. Many former Fukushima residents, even those outside the zone, still refuse to return to their homes; they blame Tepco for neglecting safety standards while designing the plants, and failing to contain the damage from the meltdowns. They consider the disaster man-made.

Tepcos road map for decommissioning the plants will take 40 years and cost $15 billion.

Space business is always affirmative  Its always glorious, said Endo, the Hitachi engineer. But with nuclear work, were starting at the very bottom.... Those who are working in decontamination are working really hard. However, their public image is really bad, and thats frustrating. People just dont want to hear that this is going to take 50 years.

Fukushima has six reactors, half of which  Units 1-3  melted down in the disaster. Hitachi is developing inspection robots for Unit 1, and Toshiba robots for Unit 2  both strewn with extremely hazardous nuclear fuel. In April, Hitachi deployed two slithering snake robots to explore the Unit 1 reactor, the worst hit in the disaster. One got stuck and failed; neither spotted melted fuel debris.

Terai Fujio, a chief research scientist at Toshiba, the Tokyo-based multinational corporation, said that his team has been developing a 10-inch-long robot equipped with cameras, sensors and a jointed, scorpion-like tail to investigate the pressure containment vessel surrounding the Unit 2 reactor core.

Toshiba planned to deploy its scorpion robot in early August  to pilot it along a 22-foot-long passageway originally intended to deliver fuel rods to the reactor core. But the mission was stymied by rows of concrete slabs blocking the robots path.

Although workers managed to mechanically remove the blocks in October, they soon discovered another problem. Toshiba intended the robot to enter the vessel via a penetration pipe, yet radiation levels near the vessel were too high to safely install it. (Tepco is currently decontaminating the area and hopes to deploy the robot this year.)

Data collected by the robot, engineers say, will eventually help them design a second robot to remove the molten fuel, a task thats never been attempted.

Toshiba has also developed an amphibious robot to remove fuel rods from the rubble of Fukushimas Unit 3, which the firm built decades ago.

The robot is actually two massive, remote-controlled rigs, both more than two stories high and wider than a school bus. They were developed with help from Toshibas U.S.-based subsidiary Westinghouse and will be shipped to Fukushima by boat and placed on top of the units roof, which was destroyed by a hydrogen explosion in 2011.

The rigs are outfitted with dangling mechanical arms that clear debris from the building, then remove the fuel rods from a pool at the bottom of the reactor (hence the amphibious designation) and place them into a radiation-proof cask.

Sekiguchi Koichi, a Toshiba developer, said that 60 to 70 people are working on the project. Last February to December, we actually trained here, he said in an interview at a cavernous Toshiba factory in Tokyo. He gestured at the two hulking rigs and a pit between them, deep and packed with scaffolding. There was water in there, with simulated fuel rods inside. We trained getting the fuel and dismantling debris.

Koichi said that theyve been training for every contingency  but that theyre prepared to fail, over and over, before they get it right.

Of course the pressure is enormous, he said. We are manufacturing a robot thats going into an environment that is completely unknown to us. We have done risk assessments, but things happen that defy expectations. So how do we counter that?

Computers just freeze up from time to time  and so do robots, he added. Theres no 100% guarantee of anything.

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U.S. and Canada pledge to cut methane emissions as part of broad climate change agreement
Most companies require at least two or more years of experience from applicants. But what if you are a fresh college graduate with no job experience to present to an employer? Don't fret. These companies listed below are all willing to hire fresh grads.

NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, commonly known as NASA, is looking for scientists, engineers, IT specialists, human resources specialists, accountants, writers and technicians, among others. The agency demands its employees to exhibit creativity, ambition, teamwork, "a sense of daring" and "a probing mind."

Check out NASA's job listings here.

Goldman Sachs

Goldman Sachs seeks to "recruit talented people from all academic backgrounds" into their university programs and entry level positions. With their full-time jobs, the investment banking firm assures potential employees of learning firsthand about the company, their culture and the financial industry.

You can apply here.

Walt Disney Company

Walt Disney offers Co-op and Post Graduate Programs from January to June or July to December. These programs span numerous business areas and are open to those who have graduated from an accredited educational institution.

Listed below are the job categories you can apply for in Disney.

Technology/Information Technology

Finance/Accounting

Sourcing & Procurement

Human Resources

Marketing/Promotions

Sales

Distribution

Broadcast/Technical Operations

Production & Programming

Journalism

Animals, Sciences & Environment

Engineering

Management

Creative

U.S. Department of State

The U.S. State Department runs a Recent Graduates Program, which is aimed at fresh graduates of trade and vocational schools, community colleges, universities and other qualifying educational institutions or programs. To qualify for jobs, applicants must be a citizen of the U.S., and they must apply within two years of degree or certificate completion. Applicants must also possess the following competencies: attention to detail, customer service, oral communication and problem-solving.

Applicants will also be subject to random drug testing and should be able to receive Top Secret or Secret security clearance.

General Electric

CollegeGrad wrote that General Electric hired 1600 entry level employees last year. The American multinational conglomerate corporation offers entry level jobs in over 160 countries, promising employees "an unparalleled foundation on which to build their careers, their abilities and their dreams."

Some of the positions offered by GE are for its Corporate Entry Level Leadership Programs, which mixes responsible and important job assignments with formal classroom studies. Employees will be given rotational assignments across various aspects of the company's business, providing their personnel with an extensive and valuable job experience that can be attained even in a short period of time.

On a separate note, here are some jobs that value work experience over an educational background.
A coalition of civic engagement groups have taken aim to politically mobilize millions of immigrant voters, especially in three key states with prominent Latino populations.

The Multi-Million Voter Engagement Campaign

According to a statement from the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), regarded as the largest immigrant-rights grassroots organization, several groups -- together known as the Center for Community Change Action -- will launch a multi-million dollar "Families Fighting Back" national campaign to register eligible voters and educate them on each candidate's stance on immigration.

"Latinos and immigrants will vote in unprecedented numbers because their families are at stake," stated Florida Immigrant Action Committee Executive Director Maria Rodriguez. "The villains in this story are all those who seek to divide us: politicians who dehumanize immigrant families to score political points; hate-mongers panicked by demographic shifts; and corporations who profit from the detention of our family members."

"We will be sending a clear message when we vote that we will stand up for our families, our friends, our communities. It has never been more important to naturalize, register, and vote. It has never been more crucial to get politically active in every way possible," continued Rodriguez.

FIRM also confirmed the launch of a super PAC (political action committee), the Immigrant Voters Win Super Pac, which aims to further amplify pro-immigrant voters' voices on Election Day.

"The extremely hateful and dangerous rhetoric coming from some Republican presidential candidates has raised the stakes this election and the immigrant rights movement is once again rising to the call to defeat any candidate who embraces racism and harmful immigration policies," said FIRM spokesperson Sulma Arias. "There will be 27.3 million Latinos eligible to vote this November and we will make sure they show up on Election Day."

Focus in Colorado, Nevada and Florida

While "Families Fighting Back" will be a national campaign, there will be focused attention in Colorado, Nevada and Florida. Of the three states, only Florida has yet to host its presidential primary.

The Sunshine State will hold its Democratic and Republican presidential primaries on March 15. According to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, the state is home to 2 million Latino registered voters, and approximately 1.7 million Latinos will vote on Election Day in November.

Colorado already hosted its Democratic presidential caucus, which saw Bernie Sanders comfortably defeat Hillary Clinton with 58.9 percent to 40.4 percent. Republicans will host a primary election in Colorado on April 9. In Nevada, Clinton defeated Sanders with 52.7 percent to 47.2 percent, while Donald Trump won the GOP's caucus with 45.9 percent as Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz placed second and third place, respectively.

According to NALEO, the 2016 election season could see more than 194,000 Latino voters in Nevada and over 277,500 in Colorado.

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.
Giving immigrants more opportunities to succeed in innovative fields is a good idea, especially since the biggest innovations tend to come from immigrants and not graduates (or dropouts) of elite colleges, according to new research.

Silicon Valley tends to be a pretty insular place these days, though some technology firms are working under public pressure to diversify their pool of workers. Diversity is a good idea, since according to a new study by a Washington D.C. think tank, a huge percentage of innovators in the U.S. have been immigrants.

Immigrants Are Huge Source of Innovation

The real stories of Mark Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates have birthed a myth of the brilliant, U.S.-born college dropout creating entirely new, innovative products and technologies. But new research shows highly-educated, hard-working immigrants are more likely to impact the U.S. economy and culture with new innovations.

A study released recently by the Washington D.C.-based think tank Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) found that highly educated immigrants play an "outsized role" in driving progress in technology in America, even as minorities tend to be significantly underrepresented in the industry.

The report, "The Demographics of Innovation in the United States" surveyed over 6,400 innovators who had impacted technology with new ideas in three fields: information technology, life sciences and materials sciences. The study sought to find out more about these individuals, their ages and their backgrounds.

Importantly, according to the exhaustive survey's findings, more than one-third (35.5 percent) of major innovators in the U.S. were born outside of the country. Another 10 percent were born in the U.S. but to at least one foreign-born parent. And more than 17 percent of innovators were not U.S. citizens at all, a finding that helps explain Silicon Valley's recent support for Obama's DACA and DAPA executive actions, soon to be tested by the Supreme Court.

Big Factors Are Education, Demographics, Location

These innovators didn't appear out of the blue with no training or expertise. In fact, most of them had years of education, with about 80 percent having at least one advanced degree and 55 percent specifically having a PhD in a field related to science, technology, engineering or mathematics -- the so-called "STEM fields."

Those findings about training and education go against another myth, the "rags to riches" immigrant story, but taken as a whole, the study shows how important a reformed, working immigration system could be to the future of the U.S. economy, which increasingly depends on technological innovation to keep pace in the global market.

Some bad demographic news for U.S.-born Latinos and Latinas came from the study as well. It found that only 8 percent of U.S.-born innovators came from underrepresented backgrounds, such as Asian, African-Americans, Latino, Native American and other minority communities. Only 12 percent of U.S.-born innovators were women, and that proportion only grew by 5 percent when innovators born outside the country were included.

Geography plays a role as well, with most U.S. innovation occurring in -- you guessed it -- Silicon Valley, the San Francisco area and San Diego.

Policy Changes Can Spur More Innovation

As a result of the study, the ITIF recommended policymakers do a better job of enabling women and underrepresented minorities to gain STEM degrees -- something that may be helped by the recent expansion of the White House's TechHire program, on which Latin Post recently reported.

ITIF also recommended changes to the immigration system to enable foreign-born STEM workers to better access education in the U.S. college system and to enable them to legally stay in the country after attaining their degrees.
Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego issued challenges to the state's Republican senators on Thursday, urging them to at least consider whoever President Barack Obama nominates for the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy.

"As a member of Congress who was elected to do my job, I take my constitutional duty seriously. It's time for Arizona Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake to take their jobs seriously," Gallego said in a press statement. "The Constitution gives the President the responsibility to nominate Justices to the Supreme Court, and it gives the Senate the job of considering that nominee. There are no exceptions for election years."

The congressman went on to call McCain and Flake's refusal "just another example of GOP destruction and obstruction."

Public Approval for a Nominee

Gallego's message was part of a Mi Familia Vota press call that included pro-nomination stances from Latino advocacy groups, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient and one of the state's former assistant attorney generals. It comes on the heels of a Wall Street Journal survey indicating 55 percent of registered voters disapprove with efforts to block Justice Antonin Scalia's replacement.

More than four-in-five people said they "strongly disapprove" of Republican tactics, as did 57 percent of participants who identified as Independent.

Samantha Pstross, Executive Director of the Arizona Advocacy Network, said Arizonans fall along those lines. She believes the issue is big enough for McCain to lose re-election in November.

"We can see the same trend across race, 70% Hispanics and 61% of whites disapprove of Senator McCain right now," Pstross said. "If Senator McCain wants to keep his job, it's clear that he needs to do his job and fill that seat."

Finding a New Supreme Court Justice

Obama says it is his constitutional duty to appoint a new Supreme Court Justice before his term ends in January. GOP lawmakers would rather hold off until after the general election, when they anticipate either Donald Trump or Ted Cruz wins the presidency.

There was a period when Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval seemed like an ideal candidate for both parties, but the Republican Latino shot down rumors days after his name began circulating.

The glaring hole in the country's highest court means a slew of high-profile cases -- including Obama's executive action on immigration -- will either be postponed or heard by an eight-judge panel. If it comes to the latter, the previous court's decision will be upheld.

"I know how critical it is for our judicial system to have a fully operational Supreme Court to deliver justice and interpret the law for the entire nation, and how important it is for everyone to ensure that all parties have a judicial system that is free from political interference," said Vince Rabago, former Arizona attorney general.

He added, "To inject the politics of election year obstruction only proves that our elected leaders in Washington DC are not working for the people of this great country who elected them."
Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is now facing possible jail time for money laundering linked to the Petrobras scandal that ran during his regime.

On Wednesday, the Sao Paulo state prosecutor's office has officially placed the former Brazilian leader under investigation, linking him to the extensive Petrobras scandal that dragged some of the country's biggest business tycoons to prison.

According to them, Da Silva should be placed under "preventive custody" just as they file money laundering charges against him for failing to declare a luxury sea-front penthouse in the Guaruja resort in his official list of assets.

From Rags to Riches

Based on a concise biography from Britannica, Da Silva was not rich when he started joining the ranks of politicians in Brazil.

Originally known as Luiz Inacio da Silva, the former Brazilian president was born to sharecropping parents in Pernambuco where he worked several blue collar jobs, including as a street vendor, a shoeshine boy and a factory worker.

After the 1964 military coup, his family was among those who suffered greatly during the recession.

With a strike of luck, he found a job at the Villares Metalworks in Sao Bernardo do Campo where he become one of the members of the Metalworkers' Union.

In 1972, he left the Villares Metalworks and worked for the Union full-time until he was elected as their president in 1975.

There, he gained popularity among the Brazilian people and was able to establish the Workers' Party where he and his successor, Dilma Rousseff, were members.

In 2002, he became the president of Brazil after defeating Jose Serra. He ruled over the country for eight years.

During those years, he had been considered as one of the most honest leaders of Brazil.

The Rise of Petrobras

On Friday, Da Silva was questioned by the so-called "Car Wash probe" regarding his participation in the Petrobras scandal.

Apparently, Brazil's former leader is seen to have benefited from bribes from a group of businessmen who aimed to gain control over who got expensive contracts with the oil giant.

According to reports, the Lula Institute received around $8 million in donations.

Despite this, however, he was not charged of anything until Wednesday when prosecutors discovered the undeclared luxury penthouse in Guaruja.

What Lula's Arrest Means for Brazil

Already in a political turmoil, the Brazilian has suffered yet another blow amid recent proposals for Rousseff's impeachment.

According to Barral M Jorge political analyst Gabriel Petrus, the charge filed on Wednesday "tightens the noose further around Lula, and by implication Dilma as well."

If both of them go down, the country will be left without a leader to help the country bounce back from their current state of recession.
The 2016 U.S. Presidential race has become even more interesting in Florida with the sudden influx of Puerto Ricans in the state that will quite possibly greatly affect the results of this year's elections.

In fact, these Latin American migrants showed their voting power last week during the Florida GOP primaries where Republican senator Marco Rubio earned an impressive 24,866 votes.

This, however, does not guarantee that the Republican Party will get the highest seat in the White House as Puerto Ricans have been known to be "swing voters," per WBALTV.

Electoral Vote vs. Popular Vote

Reports today depict how Donald Trump has been dominating the GOP primaries while Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz remain at his heels in spite of numerous attacks on the frontrunner's character.

This is the perfect example of the difference between the popular vote and the electoral vote.

"In a presidential election, the popular vote simply means an aggregate of all voters from all states in America," the website Diffen explained.

According to the website, a candidate's "over all popularity" does not guarantee his or her win in the election because of an election institution known as the "electoral college."

The Electoral College is comprised of 538 electors which are assigned to each state, depending on their voting membership in the Congress.

Florida has the second highest number of assigned electors tying with New York at 29, which means whoever wins the state's vote wILL have a great chance of winning the White House.

Puerto Ricans in Florida

Unlike other Latinos, Puerto Ricans who migrated to the United States due to the effects of the worsening debt crisis in their country are automatically considered U.S. citizens.

Because of their citizenship, they already have the right to vote even if they just arrived in the country.

With this in mind, thousands of Puerto Rican migrants who arrive in central Florida each week are gradually gaining significance in the upcoming November elections.

Puerto Ricans as Swing Voters

While they did show some love to some GOP candidates, there is no guarantee that they will win Florida's electoral votes.

The major proof of this is the fact that 83 percent of Puerto Ricans in Florida voted for Barack Obama in 2012 while still supporting Republican candidates running for other positions.

"Puerto Rican voters are swing voters. The majority have been identified as independent. They did vote for Barack Obama in the last election by wide margin, but they have supported Republican candidates," Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles director Alfonso Aguilar explained.

According to Aguilar, Puerto Ricans in Florida put Rubio in the Senate and supported Jeb Bush when he ran for governor, which means they cannot be considered Democratic or Republican supporters all throughout history.
Amid Ted Cruz's call for GOP unity, and the strong forces from the Republican side ramping up their efforts to stop Donald Trump, the party's polarizing figure and frontrunner is getting a boost from an unlikely source and former rival.

Ben Carson Endorses Trump

Ben Carson, who just recently opted to drop out of the race after a dismal showing in the polls, will be endorsing Trump. The formal announcement will be made in a press conference scheduled on Friday, March 11, 2016, at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.

Carson is "endorsing me, by the way, tomorrow morning," Trump segued while answering a query on the issue of education during the GOP debate hosted by CNN on Thursday night, March 10. "We spoke for over an hour on education. And he has such a great handle on it. I'm going to have Ben very involved with education, something that's an expertise of his," he said.

In an interview on Fox News, the retired neurosurgeon said that there is more to Trump than meets the eye. "There's two Donald Trumps. There's the Donald Trump that you see on television and who gets out in front of big audiences, and there's the Donald Trump behind the scenes," Carson said. "They're not the same person. One's very much an entertainer, and one is actually a thinking individual."

Meanwhile, as Trump's presidential nomination bid gets a nod from Carson, some people are appalled by yet another assault allegation at one of his campaign events.

Violence in Trump Campaigns

John McGraw, 78, was charged with assault and disorderly conduct after numerous videos have surfaced in social media showing him sucker-punching Rakeem Jones, who protested in a Trump rally in North Carolina on Wednesday, Mar 9, 2016. After the incident, Jones was also seen escorted out from the venue.

McGraw was unapologetic about his actions. "Yes, he deserved it," McGraw said in an interview with the "Inside Edition" on hitting Jones. "The next time we see him, we might have to kill him. We don't know who he is. He might be with a terrorist organization."

Trump has been called out by some critics on account of the prevailing physical altercations going on between Trump's camp and the protesters in his rallies. In New Orleans, at least 20 people from the Black Lives Matter movement were aggressively escorted out from a Trump event.

Just recently, Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields accused Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski of physical assault after a press conference in Florida. Trump's camp has since denied the allegations.
In a joint news conference at the White House conducted with the visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Barack Obama washed his hands of the Republican "crackup" and the ascent of Donald Trump.

"I have been blamed by Republicans for a lot of things, but being blamed for their primaries and who they're selecting for their party is novel," he said.

The Polarizing State of US Politics and the Rise of Trump

While some political analysts and members of the Republican elites have earlier suggested that the president has incited the polarized political landscape in the country, Obama fired back and said that the divisiveness couldn't be blamed on anyone other than the Republicans themselves.

He said that the Republican political elites and information outlets like social media and news outlets were the ones who delineated the separation between the "them" and the "us." They came up with the notion that there is a need to oppose everything Obama does and that cooperation or compromise is a form of betrayal on their part.

He also cited the instance when the opposition brought up the issue on his "birth certificate" and birthplace. He said that it was his detractors who insinuated that there were questions about his loyalty to the United States or whether he, indeed, has the country's best interest at heart.

"And so what you're seeing within the Republican party is, to some degree, all those efforts over a course of time creating an environment where somebody like a Donald Trump can thrive. He's just doing more of what has been done for the last seven and a half years," Obama said.

Obama Wants a Better Opposition Party

Obama also took the time to urge the other camp to do some self-contemplation among themselves to have a grasp of the kind of politics that they have created and eventually led to the mess or "circus" as Obama would like to put it.

"I think it is very important for them to reflect on what it is about the politics that they've engaged in that allows the circus we've been seeing transpire," he said. "And to do some introspection."

According to the president, there is a need for a better minority party in order to challenge the blind spots and dogmas in the majority. And, this is the reason why he said he wants a more effective Republican Party.
Immigration once again was a talking point at the final Republican presidential debate before the crucial Florida and Ohio presidential primaries.

H-1B Visas: Rubio on Legal Immigration

During the March 11 debate, sponsored by CNN and the Washington Times, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., was asked about H-1B visas, an immigrant guest work-authorization program. Taking into account Disney's firing of 250 workers in Orlando in late 2015 in exchange for many foreign workers and Rubio's support for more H-1B visas, he was questioned if the visa program takes away American jobs.

"If it's being abused the way Disney did," Rubio said. "Understand that program, it is illegal now under that program to use it to replace American workers. Under that program, you have to prove not only that you're not replacing Americans, but that you've tried to hire Americans, and if a company is caught abusing that process, they should never be allowed to use it again."

Rubio noted that many companies are not directly hiring the foreign employees but rather it's the consulting companies that have done the firing, specifically naming the Indian company Tata. The Florida senator said no consulting firm should hoard up visas in a similar approach as Tata, and the H-1B program should only be used directly from the companies that seek foreign workers.

"It is illegal now, it is a violation of the law now to use that program to replace Americans, and if a company is caught doing that, whether it be Disney or anyone else, they should be barred from using the program in the future," added Rubio.

Rubio said he would be open to the idea of pausing the H-1B program until such abuses are solved, but doesn't believe such pauses would result in fixing the law.

Trump's Take on H-1B

Donald Trump said he knows the H-1B visa program very well and it's something he has used for his business. Despite using it, Trump says the program should not exist, adding it's "very bad" for workers.

"It's very bad for business in terms of -- it's very bad for our workers and it's unfair for our workers, and we should end it. Very importantly, the Disney workers endorsed me, as you probably read, and I got a full endorsement because they are the ones that said, and they had a news conference, and they said, he's the only one that's going to be able to fix it because it is a mess," said Trump.

The real estate mogul said it's likely necessary to investigate at least the last two years to determine if a temporary pause on the visa problem is necessary.

"We have to sort of take a strong, good, hard look and come up with plans that work, and we're rushing into things, and we're just -- we're leading with the chin," Trump continued.

Cruz on Fixing Legal Immigration

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said the legal immigration system needs to be redefined in order to meet the U.S. economy's needs. According to Cruz, too many low-skilled immigrant workers are coming to the U.S., and it's bringing wages down for Americans.

"Our system isn't working. And then on top of that, we've got a system that's allowing in millions of people to be here illegally. And the answer to that, I've laid out a very, very detailed immigration plan on my website: We're going to build a wall, triple the border patrol, we're going to end sanctuary cities. And let me tell you how we're going to do that, we're going to cut off federal taxpayer funds to any city that defies federal immigration laws."

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.
Apple told Univision this week that the FBI's demand for weaker security on iPhones could give the government more power to track immigration.

Apple and the FBI have been sparring over the encryption of the Cupertino giant's iPhones, with the FBI demanding that Apple hand over what amounts to a "back door" to its iPhone data security measures. This week, Apple's top Latino executive told Univision that the federal government's demand for weaker iPhone security could lead to more surveillance powers in immigration matters.

Apple's senior VP of Internet software and services, Eddy Cue, told Univision on Wednesday that Latinos should be worried about the FBI's demands for the company to help it hack into the encrypted iPhone belonging to the San Bernardino shooters.

In no uncertain terms, Cue told the Spanish-language network in an interview that the logical extension of that kind of government power could affect Latinos with immigration issues.

Cue: Latinos Should Worry About FBI Hacking iPhones

The problem outlined by Cue boils down to the question of government authority, and the various possible applications of that power if the government were to successfully argue that it has a right to bypass iPhone encryption -- and thus bypass a corporation's security system and users' data privacy.

"Because where does this stop?" Cue rhetorically asked Univision, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times. "In a divorce case? In an immigration case? In a tax case with the IRS?"

"Someday, someone will be able to turn on a phone's microphone," he added. "This should not happen in this country."

Cue warned that, while the FBI says the encryption fight is limited to only the San Bernardino case, there's no telling how far the federal surveillance apparatus might go if it could force Apple, through court orders, to open up encrypted user iPhones.

"When they can get us to create a new system to do new things, where will it stop?" said Cue in Spanish on Univision.

Apple's play for Latino support, by bringing up fears of more government power to enforce currently messy immigration laws, was seen by experts as a deliberate, and smart, attempt to get politically active Latinos' support.

Mike Madrid, a Republican strategist in the field of Latino politics, told the L.A. Times that Cue's outreach on the immigration issue was a "marvelous stroke" by Apple. "Once there's a sentiment that the federal government could crack into phones to see who's in the country legally or illegally, that's a line in the sand."

Encryption Debate Gets Ugly

Meanwhile, the back and forth between Apple and the FBI in court has only gotten more contentious. As The Verge reported, on late Thursday federal prosecutors on the FBI's side of the case filed a motion questioning Apple's motives in the case.

"Apple's rhetoric is not only false, but also corrosive of the very institutions that are best able to safeguard our liberty and our rights," read the government's court filing. "Far from being a master key, the software simply disarms the booby trap affixed to the door."

Apple took quite a lot of offence to the prosecutors' statement -- essentially saying that the company was lying and had ignoble motives in its fight against the FBI -- and responded to the filing with a statement that was stronger and more pointed than anything the company has said about the case to date.

"Everyone should beware, because it seems like disagreeing with the Department of Justice means you must be evil and anti-American," said Bruce Sewell, Apple general counsel and senior VP of legal, on the record. He called the prosecutor's brief a "cheap shot" that was trying to "vilify Apple," rather than debating the issues at hand.

"I can only conclude that the DOJ is so desperate at this point that it has thrown all decorum to the winds," said Sewell.
The director of the Center for Disease Control, Dr. Tom Frieden, has warned that Puerto Rico could soon face Zika virus infections reaching into the hundreds of thousands.

According to Frieden, the U.S. commonwealth is currently the largest Zika threat to the U.S. population.

Contracting mosquito-spread diseases is a common occurrence in Puerto Rico. The CDC director said that the people of Puerto Rico have shown their susceptibility to contracting the dengue virus, an infection that is, like the Zika, spread through mosquitoes.

Frieden said, "Close to 90 [percent] of adults in Puerto Rico have been infected with dengue  so we need to do everything possible to reduce the risk to pregnant women there."

In Brazil, the Zika virus has led to a major increase in cases of microcephaly, a birth defect which is typified by babies being born with small heads and underdeveloped brains.

Frieden said that the chances of mass Zika infection in Puerto Rico could lead to "thousands" of brain-damaged babies.

The U.S. Sends in Blood Supply

One of the ways to safeguard against the spread of the disease is to make sure that Puerto Rico has access to a Zika-free blood supply.

As previously reported, the U.S. recently shipped Zika-free blood products to Puerto Rico as a preventative measure.

Dr. Karen DeSalvo, the acting assistant secretary for health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has described the shipment of virus-free blood to the U.S. commonwealth as vital to the region. "Availability of safe blood products for the residents of Puerto Rico is a major priority for HHS, she said, We are arranging the importation of blood products from areas unaffected by local Zika transmission to ensure the safety of Puerto Rico's blood supply."

Puerto Rico is Prone to Mosquito-Borne Illnesses

In Puerto Rico, cases of Zika have been doubling every week.

According to Frieden, Puerto Rico is much more likely to face mass Zika infection than the mainland. "Puerto Rico is in a very different situation from the rest of the United States," he said.

Due to a lack of air condition and window screens in homes, the mosquito-dense island of Puerto Rico is unfortunately primed for mass Zika infection.

"The combination of those two things, when you add Zika in, means the likelihood of a very large number of cases," said Frieden.

A Health Community Caught off Guard

Dr. Frieden told reporters at a briefing in Puerto Ricos health department that fighting the Zika virus would be tremendous challenge and that protecting pregnant women from the virus was now a top priority.

The crisis has much to do with how surprised the health community was by the severity of the disease.

"Until a few months ago, no one had any idea that Zika could cause birth defects," he said.
The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, considered by many among the most conservative in the country, announced on March 9 that they will reconsider whether Texas' voter identification law discriminates against minorities.

The case will be heard "en banc," meaning that the entire 15-judge bench will be in court when deliberations begin sometime in late May. The choice to include all judges was reached by the judges themselves, though no reason was given for their decision.

"Today's decision is a strong step forward in our efforts to defend the state's Voter ID laws," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement. "Safeguarding the integrity of our elections is a primary function of state government and is essential to preserving our democratic process. We look forward to presenting our case before the full Fifth Circuit."

Challenges to Senate Bill 14

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry introduced Senate Bill (SB) 14 in May 2011 as a deterrent to voter ID fraud. A federal court blocked the bill from going into effect soon after, stating that the law would disproportionately affect Latinos and African Americans.

It wasn't until June 2013, following a landmark Supreme Court ruling that removed provisions in the Voting Rights Act of 1965, that SB14 received new life. Texas lawmakers could now enforce ID requirement with fewer restrictions.

Texas voters challenged the law, and a District Court judge halted counties from implementing it ahead of 2014 November elections, both claiming SB 14 had discriminatory undertones.

Last April, a three-judge panel appointed by the Fifth Circuit was chosen to rule on the law's constitutionality, specifically if it violates the Voting Rights Act. They ruled it does, upholding a lower court's ruling and the subsequent request from Texas officials to rehear the case.

Voter ID Laws and the 2016 Presidential Election

The case likely won't be settled until August or September, when Democratic and Republican presidential nominees are making final pushed ahead of the Nov. 8 general election. Whichever way they rule directly affects who is allowed to vote.

"Texas has a dismal record of voter participation," Texas Rep. Marc Veasey said in a statement. "State officials like Governor Abbott and Attorney-General Paxton should be doing all they can to expand turnout. "Instead, time and time again, Texans have been victims of political gimmicks meant to prevent them from exercising one of their fundamental rights as U.S. citizens."

A University of California-San Diego study released in February found voter ID laws dissuaded Latinos and African Americans from turning out from 2008 and 2012 state elections; Latino turnout decreased by 9.3 percent in states with strict photo requirements. Researchers warn the trend may continue this fall.

Regardless of what the "en banc" panel decides, it may be the last word for quite a while. The Supreme Court usually presides over any challenges, but President Obama and Senate Republicans are in a stalemate over who fills the vacancy left by Justice Antonin Scalia.

A 4-4 Supreme Court split means it reverts back to whatever the Louisiana court decides.
Perhaps recalling how her husband Ronald Reagan signed sweeping immigration into law that led to amnesty for nearly 3 million immigrants, many Latinos everywhere are still mourning the recent death of former first lady Nancy Reagan.

While the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act legislation was billed as a crackdown on immigration, it offered amnesty to those who had entered the country before 1982.

Reagan Signed Legislation Leading to Amnesty for 3 Million Immigrants

"It's not perfect," former Wyoming Senator Alan K. Simpson said of the now 30-year-old legislation. "But 2.9 million people came forward. If you can bring one person out of an exploited relationship, that's good enough for me."

Latinos remain grateful. And many of them fondly remember Nancy Reagan. She is widely credited with being the president's biggest confidante and his conscious on many social issues.

With the likes of 2016 Republican front-runner Donald Trump now calling for the mass deportations of all 11 immigrants estimated to be residing in the U.S., her death is seen by many as the final link between pro-immigration conservatism and the Republican Party.

Republicans Grow Tougher on Immigration

More recently, fellow GOP candidates Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio have joined Trump in calling for such deportations, openly feuding on just which of them is more against the idea of immigration reform.

Still, many lawmakers have brushed all aside to simply pay homage to the former First Lady and all she seemed to stand for.

In a post to Facebook, Republican U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo of Florida reflected on how much she did to help children everywhere to save children from the scrouge of drug abuse with her "Just Say No" campaign.

Indeed, the salutes have continued to pour in, with Republican U.S. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart adding in a Twitter post:

Saddened 2 hear of Nancy Reagan's passing. May her family find comfort in knowing she is finally reunited w her beloved sweetheart in heaven  Mario Diaz-Balart (@MarioDB) March 6, 2016

Diaz-Balart later retweeted a Twitter post from Republican House majority leader Paul Ryan where he shared flags are now flying at half-staff outside the U.S. Capitol Building in her honor.

Flags @uscapitol are at half-staff in honor of Mrs. Reagan per @SpeakerRyan. Beautiful day, she must be smiling down pic.twitter.com/wFcGKHTlJb  Mario Diaz-Balart (@MarioDB) March 7, 2016

Nancy Reagan passed away at her Los Angeles home earlier this month, reportedly of congestive heart failure. She was 94. The former first lady was slated to be buried alongside her husband.

Born Anne Frances Robbins in New York City on July 6, 1921, in her official White Biography she is quoted as reflecting, "My life really began when I married my husband.

"They had a codependent marriage that became a codependent presidency," CNN presidential historian Douglas Brinkley said of their time in the White House, which commenced after he was elected in 1981. Brinkley further described the first lady as a great judge of character who, first and foremost, had her husband's best interest at heart.

"If she thought somebody didn't have her husband's interest in mind, she nixed them," he said. "You can't overestimate how important she was for the Reagan revolution and Reagan's eight years in the White House."
A former legislative leader was arrested by authorities after he was indicted of trying to bribe a judge in Guatemala City. The former legislative leader's arrest on Wednesday follows the controversial detention of high-profile officials charged of corruption in Guatemala.

Gudy Rivera attempted to bribe Judge Claudia Escobar to favor ruling on the vice president of that time, Roxana Baldetti. The previous legislative leader was arrested after a warrant of arrest was issued to him. He was charged of influence trafficking and bribery, according to Yahoo. Rivera, a close ally of former President Perez Molina claimed that he was a man of law and he would submit himself to justice.

The day the former legislative leader was arrested, a U.N. commission and prosecutors in-charge of investigating on criminal networks in the nation expressed their worries for the safety of some people. They said that they were concerned of an alleged ringleader of La Linea, and Salvador Gonzalez, its supposed financier and Juan Carlos Monzon, Baldetti's former private secretary. "We fear for their lives because the conditions of the penitentiary system where they are being held are so insecure," prosecutor Francisco Sandoval said, The Eagle reports.

Rivera's detention is one of the controversial cases of arresting a public official accused of graft and corruption. Former President Otto Perez Molina, his Vice President Roxana Baldetti and other officers were earlier arrested due to graft cases, reported by ABC News. In 2014, Rivera tried to pay former Judge Escobar to block her decision to remove Baldetti as the secretary-general of the Patriot Party. The judge publicly admitted the bribery case and confessed that she received death threats.

After Escobar' admission of bribery and threats, the Inter-American Human Rights Commission ordered the government to protect her. The then-president, Perez Molina and Baldetti quit their positions last year. They were held in bars for their involvement in the customs graft scheme called La Linea or "The Line."
Polish justices have ruled against the country's government and declared that changes to the functioning and make-up of Poland's Constitutional court are illegal.

The Constitutional Tribunal annulled new bill, passed by Poland's right-leaning government, that has prompted opposition protests and pressure from Poland's allies, including the U.S., to reverse the rules.

Under the legislation, the tribunal would need a two-thirds majority to take a decision instead of a simple majority. The quorum of judges needed in the 15-member tribunal for a decision to be valid was raised from nine to thirteen. It has also rejected court appointments made by the previous government.

The law dramatically limited the court's ability to function independently and thoroughly contravenes Poland's system and cannot be tolerated, according to the tribunal's vice-president, Stanislaw Biernat.

Chief Justice Andrzej Rzeplinski told that the court found many sections of a law passed in December were "non-compliant with the Polish constitution." The law also prevented the honest and proper functioning of the constitutional court by interfering its independence and separation from other powers thus violating the principles of the rule of law, The Guardian reported.

Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydo announced that the government would not be treating the tribunal's decision as valid and binding.

In a report from The New York Times, Poland's Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro voiced the response of the government which has rejected the court's opinion. He said that the actions observed in the Constitutional Court were actions of a group of judges who did not act on the basis of law and within the law, so they acted unlawfully. Hence, their ruling has no legal force, it is not binding.

It has also triggered mass street protests by tens of thousands of Poles worried about democracy in the ex-communist EU and NATO member of 38 million people, also an economic and political heavyweight in central Europe.

The battle started when the government refused to recognize three judges chosen by the previous government ahead of last October's parliamentary election, instead choosing its own candidates who have been sworn in by President Andrzej Duda but have not been permitted by the Tribunal to take their seats.

According to the leaked report of Venice Commission, an expert body of the Council of Europe, it condemned all the government's actions, finding that as long as the situation of constitutional crisis related to the Constitutional Tribunal remains unsettled and as long as the Constitutional Tribunal cannot carry out its work in an efficient manner, not only is the rule of law in danger, but so is democracy and human rights.

But Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the chairman of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party government, opposed that the report is legally absurd. It stressed that the Commission's ruling is purely advisory and does not bind the Polish government.

Mikoaj Pietrzak from the Polish Bar Council opined, "If the decision is not published in the Journal of Laws this will bring about serious legal uncertainty and in the end affect the situation of parties, citizens whose cases are being considered by public administration offices, by courts, by police, because these institutions will have to decide which law to apply."
On Thursday, US President Barack Obama welcomed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada to the Oval Office for a state visit as the two leaders sought to take joint steps in combatting climate change.

The two leaders issued a joint statement outlining steps which will reduce methane emissions from the gas and oil sector. By 2025, both Obama and Trudeau aim to reduce emissions by 40 to 45 percent, CBC reported. Emissions from existing and new gas and oil sources in the US and Canada will now be regulated.

Gina McCarthy, EPA's administrator, said new opportunities to better protect the environment for the future will be 'unlocked' as the two nations unite to fight against climate change particularly methane emissions. Reuters reported that methane leaks from valves and pipelines are a harmful greenhouse gas, which has up to 80 times the potential of carbon dioxide to trap Earth's heat.

"If we don't agree, if we're not aggressive ... then other countries won't step up," Obama said.

The US and Canada are also seeking to improve relations after President Obama rejected the Keystone XL pipeline last year, which was targeted at transporting loaded Canadian oil to the US. Environmentalists had long opposed the Keystone project, which had been under review by the White House for years. According to Bloomberg, Obama and Trudeau are also collaborating in overseeing the Arctic, including taking unspecified 'concrete steps' to protect at least 10 percent of its water and at least 17 percent of its land.

The US Environmental Protection Agency or EPA has started developing policies on the southern part of the border that will regulate and start a process to require companies to provide necessary information about their methane emissions. Meanwhile, the Environment Canada said they will push the move 'as expeditiously as possible' to put into effect national regulations in partnership with the provinces, territories and stakeholders. Reports also say that the department intends to publish an initial phase of proposed regulations by early 2017.
After a series of delays and false alarms, Microsoft confirmed in an email to its partners that it is finally ready to roll out Windows 10 Mobile this March. Vodafone Italy listed the Lumia 535, 635, 735, 830, 930, 950, 950 XL, and 1520 phones to get Windows 10 Mobile update.

Based on the report of Venture Beat, the Windows 10 Mobile rollout has faced several delays. Several tentative release dates were announced but was later discredited by Microsoft as inaccurate. This month, Microsoft confirmed a March release date of Windows 10 Mobile in an email to partners. Users who have been waiting for the release of the update may finally be able to access Windows 10 Mobile.

The launch of Windows 10 Mobile along with the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL last October made it the most highly anticipated software update. According to Indian Express, a Vodafone Italy representative published, via the carrier's official Twitter account, the list of phones slated to get the update. It suggests that the Lumia 535, Lumia 635, Lumia 735, Lumia 830, Lumia 930, and Lumia 1520 are also included in the list.

Tech Times featured the latest updates and improvements users will have on Microsoft's newest Windows 10 Mobile. New features of Windows 10 Mobile include a browser, called Microsoft Edge, comparable to Internet Explorer. An improved user interface and a new keyboard would enhance overall user experience. Furthermore, apart from Microsoft Lumia phones, Microsoft is planning to update other handsets running on Windows Phone 8.1 from companies such as Samsung, HTC, Huawei and more.

Microsoft has confirmed that there will be two separate processes for the Windows 10 Mobile update. Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL would be the first to receive Windows 10 Mobile service updates. Subscribers might expect a passive update of Windows 10 Mobile for other devices. Users may initiate the update manually from their phones' Settings menu.

Other Windows handsets will get an OTA firmware of Windows 10 Mobile between March 7 and March 13. It is recommended that users of Windows 8.1 phones and other eligible devices will first install the recommended firmware updates before getting Windows 10 Mobile.
As South Korea announced a crackdown on companies and individuals linked to North Korea's weapons program, China has barred a North Korean ship from one of its ports. Reports say that harsher sanctions from China and South Korea are underway against the Kim Jong Un-led country.

A Rizhao Maritime Authority, who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said that a North Korean general cargo ship, named Grand Karo, arrived at Rizhao port in northeastern China few days ago, however, the port did not allow the freighter for berthing.

The Diplomat reported that Grand Karo is among the 31 vessels blacklisted by China's Ministry of Transport after they were covered by tougher sanctions on North Korea that were approved by the United Nations Security Council last week. Ship tracking data reveals that at least two other vessels on the list of barred freighters are now sailing away from China's ports.

According to Nikkei Asian Review, sanctions against North Korea will have little impact on Rizhao Port business since most of its trade are with countries like Australia and North and South America. Meanwhile, South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported that China had also stopped importing coal from North Korea in early March before the UN sanctions had been officially imposed.

On Tuesday, the government of Seoul said it would pass new sanctions against 30 entities and 40 individuals because of suspected connections to North Korea's weapons program. South Korea blacklisted Mariner's Shipping & Trading from Thailand and Royal Team Corporation from Taiwan, says Reuters. South Korea would also ban vessels that had anchored at the ports of North Korea in the past 180 days.

The government of South Korea underlined that they will ban companies that are on the list of engaging in financial transactions with entities from South Korea and freeze assets that are held in the country.
California has a law that would ask voters to remove the practice of changing clocks twice a year, and lawmakers in Alaska and other states are also trying to apply similar measures. With that, some lawmakers in New England want to go even further by seceding from the populous Eastern Time Zone and throwing their lot in with Nova Scotia and Puerto Rico.

According to CBS Boston, as most Americans suffer from losing an hour of sleep this weekend, some lawmakers are trying to apply bold alternatives for New England and other states. Lawmakers from California to Kansas are considering regulations that would abolish daylight saving time.

Bills in Rhode Island and Massachusetts also want to apply such method. In fact, they go even further by proposing secession from the Eastern Time Zone. Rhode Island State Representative Blake Filippi, which is a Block Island independent, created a public health case for his bill during a Wednesday hearing.

Yahoo! News reported that a number of lawmakers in New England also want to go ahead with the changes. They want to disaffiliate from the Eastern Time Zone as they throw their lot in with Nova Scotia and Puerto Rico.

"Once we spring forward, I don't want to fall back," stated Rhode Island state Rep. Blake Filippi, who looks forward that the whole region will shift one hour eastward, into the Atlantic Time Zone. He also added, "Pretty much everyone I speak to would rather have it light in the evening than light first thing in the morning."

The critics of the daylight saving time argue that traffic accidents, heart attacks, and stroke incidents rise when people would tend to change time. Contrary to the known belief, it does not also save electricity.

Filippi's bill is motivated by the legislation in Massachusetts. It would have Rhode Island follow the neighbouring state's lead if it ever defects. He also wants New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine to see the light. Filippi figures there's little chance Connecticut would also join in since a lot of its residents commute to New York City, as claimed by ABC NEWS.

Meanwhile, states can still exempt themselves from daylight savings under the Federal Uniform Time Act. But then, moving to a different time zone would require approval from the Congress or the U.S. Department of Transportation, which must consider the effect on commerce.
Updated: New photos added.

Jeep's Hellcat-powered 2018 Grand Cherokee Trackhawk was caught wearing minimal camouflage today.

Unfortunately, what little cover-up Jeep's engineers had applied was strategically placed to hide the one thing we want to see--the telltale signs of a supercharger system in the front end. Thanks to some late-morning sunshine in Michigan, we can see that the front bumper is indeed modified to accommodate airflow to the supercharged Hemi. Just below the signature seven-slot grille sits a wide, horizontal intake with two separators.

What we're left with are the parts the Trackhawk will likely share with the SRT model on which it is based--bright red Brembo brake calipers, the signature dual exhaust and the "SRT" trim on the rear. The SRT's signature hood bulge appears unchanged.

While we know for certain that a Hellcat version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee is on its way (thanks to a confirmation from Jeep CEO Mike Manley), what we're less certain of is the configuration of its production drivetrain. Has Jeep built an all-wheel drive system robust enough to handle all 707 horsepower (and more importantly, the 650lb-ft of torque) on offer with the 6.2L, supercharged Hellcat V8, or will this boast a (very un-Jeep) RWD system only?

Our fingers remain crossed. It's also possible the engine will be de-tuned for the larger Grand Cherokee platform, the precedent for which has already been set by the 392.

We expect to see the 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk make its debut some time in the next year, ahead of a 2017 on-sale date.

Photos by Brian Williams.
Benner ped bridge rendering

This rendering shows developer Dennis Benner's Greenway Park project at Third and south New streets. It will be connected to a 626-space city parking deck by pedestrian walkways. (Sara K. Satullo | For lehighvalleylive.com)

Dennis Benner's six-story building at Third and South New streets gained approval Thursday night from the Bethlehem Planning Commission despite resident's concerns.

The project passed 4-1 with Commissioner James Fiorentino voting against it after he could not gain support to table the vote.

Benner hopes to start construction on the 127,694-square-foot Greenway Park building in April. The build will take a year to 14 months, he said.

The $20 million development will feature a mix of retail and restaurants on the first floor. St. Luke's University Health Network medical offices and Lehigh University's advancement office will occupy the other five floors.

Renderings show patios on the front of the building and a recessed top floor with plantings and an outdoor walkway. Restaurants will have outdoor dining space along the South Bethlehem Greenway.

The development brings retail back to a prominent corner at the foot of the Fahy Bridge in the heart of South Side Bethlehem. It's been empty since a fire in August 2009. Buildings are being torn down to make way for the project.

Much of the resident's objections centered on the three-story pedestrian walkway that will connect the building to a controversial proposed 626-space city parking garage next to it.

City planners Thursday night also approved plans for the garage and a vacation of a portion of Graham Place from New to Vine streets.

Fiorentino wanted to table approval of the project for several reasons. He did not think enough consideration had been given to how eliminating a portion of Graham Place would affect residents or the environmental impact of the traffic the garage will bring.

The walkway will span a newly developed section of the greenway. Residents are concerned the pedestrian bridge will cut off vistas of the trail path and the overhanging walkway will make the path feel like a tunnel.

The bridge will be 19 feet above the trail and will include three stacked enclosed pedestrian bridges with an open air walkway on the top level.

The city must grant Benner an aerial easement to construct the bridge. City Planning Director Darlene Heller said the city does not plan to charge a fee for the easement an an assessor found it had nominal value.

The city is working with Benner to negotiate enhancements to the greenway in exchange, Heller said.

Fiorentino questioned why the city would not charge Benner for the easement because it's clearly of great value to his project.

Resident Don Miles questioned why the bridge could not be one-story.

"It's just entirely inappropriate for a park, a public park," Miles said.

Benner said his development team had made significant changes to the plan because of the feedback. He agrees the greenway is quite important. The bridge is higher than originally proposed because he agreed it was too low.

But Benner seemed unwilling to make further concessions saying he could give out gold bars on the corner and people would still have problems with it.

"We've thought long and hard on this," Benner said.

The city required the bridge be raised, narrowed and the building materials be changed, Heller said.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A contractor drilling Thursday afternoon in a Northampton County industrial park struck a natural gas line, forcing service to be cut to 11 businesses, according to UGI Utilities Inc.

UGI Utilities Inc. responds March 10, 2016, to the report of a gas line struck during construction in the 100 block of North Commerce Way in Hanover Township, Northampton County. (Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com)

It was reported about 4:30 p.m. in the 100 block of North Commerce Way in Hanover Township.

No evacuations were necessary of surrounding warehouses and businesses, UGI spokesman Joe Swope said. A Northampton County 911 dispatch supervisor said some businesses sent employees home early, however.

The line was struck during directional drilling, a process used to install a variety of utilities underground, Swope said. The purpose of the drilling was unclear Thursday night, but Swope said he did not believe UGI or a contractor was doing the work.

UGI crews responded in about seven or eight minutes and shut off valves to isolate the damage, cutting service to the 11 businesses, Swope said.

"We should have them back in service sometime tonight," Swope said, estimating the repair would take about four to six hours to complete.

There were no reported injuries, the 911 dispatcher said shortly after 5 p.m.

The incident forced the temporary closure of a section of North Commerce Way.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
James Baldwin, en 1969. (Photo by Allen Warren) ALLEN WARREN

By Thomas Chatterton Williams

(Vous pouvez lire cet article en francais :  La France doit sauver la maison de James Baldwin .)

James Baldwin, Harlems native son thought by many to have been the finest twentieth-century essayist in the English language, is also a writer France should be proud to claim. When he was in his early twenties, gay, poor and black, he was understandably fearful of the bigotry he experienced in New York. Asked why he decided to flee the United States for Paris in the late 1940s, Baldwin remarked in a 1984 interview with the Paris Review,  It wasnt so much a matter of choosing Franceit was a matter of getting out of America. If I had stayed there, I would have gone under. 

Yet as so many black American artists of distinctionand countless other less famous men and womenhave shown, Baldwins move to France was hardly a random choice. From the earliest days of the Louisiana territory, France, more than any other country, has provided spiritual refuge and cultural nourishment for American blacks, from the first landowning mixed-race elites from New Orleans and the GIs who came after the wars, to celebrity exiles, like Josephine Baker. Richard Wright, Baldwins literary mentor arrived in the French capital to great fanfare in 1946 and helped establish the young, penniless author when he followed in 1948.

Haven of a village for writers and artists

Indeed, it was here that Baldwin first triumphed as an artist, composing much of his early landmark fiction, including Go Tell it on the Mountain, Giovannis Room and Another Country. And although his conscience and commitment to the civil rights struggle would never allow him to permanently abandon the United States, after decades of travel and stints in Switzerland and Turkey, in 1970 he found a large farmhouse in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, where he finally established a home. The property on the Route de La Colle sits on ten fertile acres in the foothills of the Alps, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. It was in this haven of a village for writers and artists (Braque had rented a studio in the same house before him) that Baldwin wrote the majority of his later work and became a fixture of the local community. During the years that he lived there, the last seventeen of his life, he served as an unofficial ambassador to visiting blacks in France, welcoming many of the most important luminaries of the age to his home in Saint-Pauleveryone from Miles Davis to Harry Belafonte, Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone. And it was there that he died, in 1987, one year after receiving the Legion dHonneur from President Mitterand.

James Baldwin is much more than a writer. Hes a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of words and ideas to transform individuals and societies. His role as an artist, as he conceived and realized it, was to  illuminate that darkness, blaze roads through that vast forest, so that we will not, in all our doing, lose sight of [arts] purpose, which is, after all, to make the world a more human dwelling place . The nuance and complexity of his messagehe never allowed himself to be consumed by the politics of ressentimentmarked him as insufficiently radical during the height of the black power movement in the 1960s and 1970s.

Hate and bigotry are twin poisons

Consider the level of sensitivity he never faltered from extending toward even those who most despised people like him:  I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly, he wrote in Notes of a Native Son, is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.  What Baldwin always hoped to locateand then harnesswas this underlying humanity; he knew that hate and bigotry are twin poisons that harm all who come in contact with them, victim and victimizer alike. We are all, as he observed in his essay The Black Boy Looks at the White Boy, regardless of our individual identities and circumstances, to some degree trapped in the roles we must assume. But  [a]ll roles are dangerous, he warned. The world tends to trap you in the role you play and it is always extremely hard to maintain a watchful, mocking distance between oneself as one appears to be and oneself as one actually is.  Of course, it is just this mocking distance that in times of militancy is most necessary to maintain.

But he is enjoying a profound resurgence today. In numerous ways, he has come to embody the humanist ideal of the engaged intellectual: pen in one hand, mirror in the other, pointed at society. Though world-renowned in his own lifetime, he now occupies a position in the imagination of readers and writers that is more hallowed than he enjoyed among the audiences of his day, when he was forced to contend with intense homophobia and cultural provincialism. Where his worldly, nonconformist interests and way of life rendered him suspect in his later years, he now appears prescient, too enlightened for his time. The same qualities of the Baldwin persona that estranged him from the concerns of his generation and of black America writ largehis  intersectionality  before that was a thingare what make him such an urgent thinker in the new century.

One of the archetypal American expats

Baldwins unflinching analysis of tormented dynamics that continue to plague Western societies People who treat other people as less than human must not be surprised when the bread they have cast on the waters comes floating back to them, poisoned combined with his manifold literary gifts, have made him an increasingly inspirational figure in this tumultuous, Black Lives Matter-era of mass protest against police brutality in the United States. And he deserves far greater stature here in France, both as one of the archetypal American expatsin the same pantheon as Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Steinand as a distinctly black writer whose words speak with more currency than ever to the ongoing struggle for equality in our increasingly fractured societies.  All men are brothers, Baldwin insisted in the documentary The Price of the Ticket. Thats the bottom line. If you cant take it from there, you cant take it at all.  Indeed, he ought to be regarded as a beacon of cosmopolitan love and fraternite coupled with principled social critique in a France now more than ever riven by a violent fear of the Othera society dangerously bifurcated along both the color and religion lines.

 It would be impossible to overstate James Baldwins status as a cultural icon today, the Paris-based black American novelist Jake Lamar told me. He has surpassed Josephine Baker as the incarnation of Frances special relationship with African Americans. Baldwins home could become an important place of pilgrimage, much like Bakers Chateau des Milandes in the Dordogne.  Yet even though it had long been the authors dream that his estate in Saint-Paul would be made into a retreat for writers and artists, once his younger brother David died the property reverted to the heirs of his friend and former landlady, Jeanne Faure, in whose care it had remained vacant for years and fallen into dire neglect. More recently, it has been acquired by a large real estate developer with the purported intent of demolishing the buildings and subdividing the tract into luxury villas. This is a terrible shame. In a country famous for commemorating its cultural heroesforeign born and native alikeJames Baldwins house should be granted landmark status and safeguarded immediately. Both regional and national governments along with the private sector should explore any and all possible avenues for preserving this irreplaceable testament to Franco-African-American cultural heritage and exchange.

The quintessential black American in France

Today, James Baldwin, the man and his work, represents a powerful bridge between geographies and points of view, not to mention a testament to the universal mission and promise of France at its best. His longtime home in Saint-Paul, much of which remains salvageable, is the most logical site for a James Baldwin center devoted to promoting the art and ideas that unite us all, a residence for writers, a gathering venue for thinkers and activists, a place to pay homage and reflect on the achievement that was his remarkable life.

Last spring, I went to Saint-Paul and wandered down the Route de la Colle to see Baldwins home for myself. Both wings of the farmhouse have been razed to the ground, with birds flying in and out of the second floor, yet his writing room below remained intact.  You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read, he noted, It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive.  As I peered inside and imagined Jimmy, as he was always called, hard at work on those books that would change so many of our lives, the thought that one of the quintessential black Americans in France would soon be stripped of his only geographical footprint, that his only genuine homelike those of so many nameless black families who never get to pass on a legacywould now be wiped away, struck me as unbearably sad.

Reached by email, Toni Morrison, a friend of Baldwins and the sole living American Nobel laureate, added her support to the cause to save his house. France owes James Baldwin better than thisso do we all.

Thomas Chatterton Williams is an American writer living in Paris, and the author of a memoir, Losing My Cool (Penguin Press, 2010). Born in New Jersey in 1981 and educated at Georgetown and New York University, his writing has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, the New York Times, Harpers, Lui, and many other places.

Le Monde
You dont need to be a church going person to learn and practice positive faith values in the society. The separation of church and state is a phrase thats often used in reference to politics in the context of religious faith. In the US, the distinction between religion and politics is often blurred  you only have to listen to Donald Trump, Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio addressing party loyalists to see just how intertwined the two are. But here in the UK theres something of a taboo about conflating the two. In fact faith values in politics can be an immense force for good, just as they can outside politics.

Here in the UK, unlike our cousins across the Atlantic, we have an established church and our head of state is also the head of this church. This dual rule has been much reduced since the days of Henry VIII. There was once a time when the UK politics was presided over by a monarch who was both president and pope. Gradually their role faded, and religion was replaced by political philosophy as the driving force behind British political ideology. It has led to something of an institutional silence by our political leaders to use the language of faith in political discourse. Think of the reaction that Prime Minister David Cameron received when he stated that he was prepared to do God and take his faith into account when carrying out his duties. He was lauded and criticised in almost equal measure. But doing God  or allowing your religious beliefs to impact upon your political outlook  does not need to be a negative thing. In fact, faith can be an immensely positive in politics and the society as long you interpret it correctly and of course you dont try to force it on others.

Politicians with faith might do well to stick their head above the parapet  after all were a nation of many religions and creeds: hearing about politicians faith as a part of political debate would be no bad thing and might even help to dispel and demystify some widely-held views about different religions, and might help to encourage more tolerance and understanding.

Any democracy functions at its best when it is truly representative of the people who elect it and increasingly Westminster is coming to better reflect modern Britain in terms of its religious make up. In 2015, for example, there were 13 Muslim MPs elected. This growing parliamentary diversity should be encouraged and celebrated. And how interesting it was to see Labour MP Naz Shah recently quoting from the Quran in a debate discussing banning Donald Trump from the UK. The quote that she used  from Surah (Ch41 V34)  teaches that good is better than evil.

For our political leaders to talk more about faith would merely be a reflection of our society in which faith plays such a pivotal role. The vast majority of people in the UK share the sort of values that are common to all religions, such as justice, hospitality, helping others, respect, charity and community. I am reminded of a recent World Economic Forum (WEF) survey about the contribution faith makes to society. It found that faith was seen as playing a crucial role on issues such as human rights and peace-making and found that it plays a constructive force for good and can have a positive influence in promoting social change.

Our political leaders must recognise that their own faith, if expressed openly, honestly and inclusively can gel society better. If our politicians were more willing to discuss faith, and embraced the core shared values that the great religions teach, we would all perhaps be better off.

* The author is a banking professional and a Kingston Lib Dem Member
A PROJECT by three Limerick-based artists forming part of the upcoming Eva International exhibition will broadcast two prospective new citizen anthems celebrating the Ireland of 2016.

Nice Screams, by Deirdre Power and the Softday duo of Sean Taylor and Mikael Fernstrom, invited submissions from the public to write a new anthem that ties in with the centenary of the 1916 Rising, activating a call to action on the streets of Limerick on April 24, say the trio of artists.

The socially engaged, collaborative project sought the publics help in writing the anthems, and then in turn has re-imagined them as ice cream van jingles for Eva International, which opens in April.

After a very positive public response, two compositions have been shortlisted and been converted to ice cream chimes, which will be performed in various locations in Limerick, culminating in a large public performance on April 24 in the Peoples Park, where free ice cream will be available for the public.

The shortlisted entries are Dominic Taylors Hidden Land and Donnacha Toomeys A Dhuine Uaisle Uachtair Reoite (Better World in Mind).

We now call on all citizens to vote for their favoutive tune, said Ms Power, who has seen her work appear in a number of iterations of Eva.

Fifty-seven artists have been selected for the biennial exhibition, curated by Koyo Kouoh, the 37th edition of Eva which is called Still (the) Barbarians, and opens on April 16 at the City Gallery, Cleeves Factory and a number of other city locations which are currently being confirmed.

A number of the selected artists for the prestigious exhibition boast strong links to Limerick including Ms Power and Softday, Carsten Holler from Belgium, who spent a number of childhood holidays in Limerick and Alice Maher, who studied at the University of Limerick.
ONE month after a report into allegations regarding financial practices at the University of Limerick was published, the failure to reinstate two suspended employees in light of the findings has been described as notorious by Fianna Fail deputy Willie ODea.

Deputy ODea is calling for the women to be reinstated in their positions, while the employees have the support of the executive committee of the UL branch of Unite, which is seeking to facilitate their return to work.

The women received the unanimous support of the executive committee at a meeting this week, and the union has written to the human resources department in UL regarding this process.

The two women in ULs finance department were suspended in June last, with pay, after they refused to accept two successive severance packages. The latter, which was offered by Arthur Cox solicitors, amounted to nearly 60,000 each, or two years salary.

They claim that issues with their employers arose after they raised their concerns in October 2013 about money being inappropriately spent. UL has repeatedly refuted their allegations, and has said that the suspended employees are subject to ongoing internal employment processes related to this matter.

After their concerns regarding financial matters were aired in the Limerick Leader last September, it emerged that a third woman had also brought her concerns regarding expenses and other financial matters to the Public Accounts Committee before them, in 2012. She has since left the university.

The plethora of allegations emerging from current and former UL staff led the Higher Education Authority to initiate an independent review, which found that the three women were right to highlight their concerns, and that ultimately no inappropriate payments were made, after they had raised their questions.

Both Mr ODea and his party colleague Niall Collins had urged in the Dail that a review be established, and also called for the university to drop its legal action against the Limerick Leader and its editor Alan English arising from the original article. UL, to date, has failed to comment on how it plans to proceed with the status of the suspended employees, or its legal action against the Leader and Mr English, who was separately sued.

The HEA subsequently expressed a concern that there may have been, or may still be, a culture in the university of inappropriate claims being made, until challenged, and also stated that an investigation is now necessary into whether these issues are indicative of wider practices.

While the review was broadly welcomed by the three whistleblowers, the issue of the employment of the two suspended women remains outstanding.

More than a month has now passed since the Mazars' report was published, and we still feel as if we are in no man's land, with no resolution in sight to our case, employees B and C, as they are referred to in the report, told the Leader. We are still very hurt and want to move on from this, and we are exploring a number of options available to us, given the absence of any communication from UL

It is upsetting that we have received no correspondence, no apology, and are disappointed with UL's public response on the matter. It appears as if they are hoping we are just going to go away or cave in.

Our position has always been to be reinstated in our jobs, to protect our reputations and have our names cleared. We want the record set straight.

We appreciate the support we have now received from the internal executive committee of the union Unite, who fully support our case that we be reinstated. We also appreciate the many letters of support we have received from the public.

Fianna Fail deputy Willie ODea said he is being continually updated on the employees circumstances, which he feels are very unjust. Why are they still going through all this trauma? The findings of the report are quite clear, and UL should act on them now in a bona fide manner. We are in a hiatus in Government, but this is going to reach the floor of the Dail pretty quickly again, and the Public Accounts Committee.

In my view, they are entitled to be reinstated. There is no justification for suspending them or sacking them. UL should recognise what an independent arbitrator has found and act accordingly, and that's the least I would expect a State-funded institution to do. If that doesn't happen the Minister for Education should be able to apply pressure  the State is their paymaster. It's absolutely notorious that in the face of findings of this nature that UL is acting as if nothing has happened. Thats not good enough.

The employees solicitor, Gerard ODonnell, who has also represented Savita Halappanavars widowed husband, told the Leader that they they have a number of options open to them, due to the failure of UL to engage with the employees and reinstate them, despite the findings of the Mazars' report. We hope justice will be done for the two women, given the significant upset and distress that they and their families have been put through, when all they were doing was acting honestly and bringing shortcomings in their workplace to the attention of their employers, said Mr ODonnell.

A spokesperson for the HEA told the Limerick Leader that while they have no powers to intervene in HR issues in State institutions, they are awaiting the full, formal responses to the review from the university, and the complainants  Persons A, B and C.

Based on those responses, they will discuss the next steps with the Department of Education, and the office of the Comptroller & Auditor General is also being kept informed on the case.

All responses will be made publicly available, with the consent of all parties, within a short period. Those responses are expected to be received by the HEA before the end of March.

Persons B and C have also since met with the HEA, since the review was published, and relayed a number of concerns, which the review did not take into account due to its narrow terms of reference.

Those concerns include the way they were treated by UL and the manner in which they were suspended.

The employees said that they also submitted a Freedom of Information request to UL last year, requesting details of how long Dublin-based solicitors Arthur Cox had been involved in their case. Their said their request was denied, due to outstanding legal issues. An appeal also failed.
ETHICON Biosurgery has this Wednesday denied mounting speculation of job losses at its factory in Plassey.

Several sources have indicated to the Limerick Leader the majority of the 60 staff currently in place at the biopharmaceutical firm are set to be laid off from the plant  just two years after it opened in the National Technology Park.

But when this was put to Ethicon, surprise was expressed, with a spokesperson insisting it is business as usual and saying there were absolutely no job losses at Ethicon.

It is understood many of these staff have been told that if they want to remain in employment, they should reapply for positions in Vistakon, which alongside Ethicon is part of the Johnson and Johnson family (J&J) of companies, with a major plant next door. When this was put to the company, a spokesperson said a facility for staff to transfer to companies within J&J is available to all workers  and encouraged.

The spokesperson added contractors come and go from the facility, but these are not permanent Ethicon staff.

Ethicon Biosurgery only unveiled plans to invest in Limerick in April 2014, with a new 60,000 square foot facility being built to manufacture a product which aids the stopping of bleeding during surgery.

The company said at the time the project would create 270 permanent jobs, and 150 temporary construction roles.

As of now, however, just 60 of these have been filled, 40 of whom are full time and the remainder temporary.

Ethicon is doing a review at the moment. It does seem to be down to a product the firm has decided not to proceed with. This can happen for a variety of reasons, a source familiar with the workings of the company said.

They added that it was anticipated an announcement on the company was due in early April.

Limerick Chamber chief executive Dr James Ring expressed sadness at the potential job cuts, saying: There was great hope around it, but unfortunately not every company can be successful. I want to make it clear the Chamber is here to help the Ethicon staff explore new opportunities through upskilling, and training, and pointing them in the right direction.

When Ethicon announced its investment in the city in 2014, Dan Wildman, its worldwide president was in attendance, alongside Jobs Minister Richard Bruton and Limerick Finance Minister Michael Noonan.

At the time, Mr Wildman said: The decision to manufacture Everrest Sealant Matrix in Ireland was due to the unique clustering of medical device manufacturing, automation and biomanufacturing skillsets across the Johnson & Johnson companies already operating in Ireland.

The IDA declined to comment.
THE NUMBER of people killed in car accidents in County Limerick this year is already more than for the whole of 2015.

Four died in the county last year and at the beginning of March the number is five, following another tragic weekend on our roads.

A Nigerian woman in her thirties was killed in a single vehicle accident at Coolanoran on the N21 on Saturday night at 11.30pm.

At 5.30pm on the same day a serious collision between two vehicles took place at the Pike junction outside Bruff. A male, aged in his early thirties, was transferred from University Hospital Limerick to Cork University Hospital.

A garda spokesperson confirmed this Wednesday afternoon that he remains in a critical condition. The female occupant of the other car was also hospitalised but her injuries were not life threatening.

Mike Donegan, a Kilmallock-based councillor, said the locality was in a deep sense of shock after the Bruff accident came less than a week after Jim Walsh, aged 53, was involved in a fatal crash in Garrienderk. It is a worrying trend to have two very serious car accidents occurring within such a short period of time," said Cllr Donegan.

The other deaths involving vehicles took place on the M7 in Annacotty; Gooig, Castleconnell and the Dublin Road.

Head of the divisional traffic corps, Inspector Paul Reidy said: We would appeal for motorists to be aware at all times of all the dangers that are present when they are driving and, in particular, pedestrians.

He urged anyone who gets behind a wheel not to become complacent.

Insp Reidy says gardai have ongoing operations to prevent and detect offences such as not wearing seatbelts, holding mobile phones while driving, speeding, drink and drug driving.

If people reduced their speed by a minimal amount it increases significantly the chances of lesser injuries being caused to the driver and passengers. Speed does cause fatalities.

Holding a mobile phone while driving is the actual offence so what the gardai are requesting is people refrain from talking, texting or sending emails while driving.

It is exceptionally dangerous, said Insp Reidy. They continue to come across occupants not wearing safety belts.

It is another significant factor in the case of serious injury and fatalities, said Insp Reidy, who also warns pedestrians walking on roads in darkness or when visibility is poor to wear high-vis jackets.
THE annual Pieta House Darkness into Light fundraiser is to take place in Limerick for the eighth year in a row.

Thousands of people are expected to get up in the middle of the night of Saturday, May 7, and gather outside Thomond Park for the suicide prevention charitys annual fundraiser.

This Wednesday, more than 100 people were in the Strand Hotel as the charitys founder and CEO Joan Freeman launched the countdown to the walk.

She was joined by Kevin Ryan from principal sponsor Electric Ireland, plus members of local organisations, and volunteers from across the county to launch the event which is now in its eighth year.

The walk begins in darkness at 4.15am, with people clad in yellow tee-shirts walking or running a five kilometre route while dawn is breaking.

Last years event attracted over 100,000 participants in over 80 locations across Ireland and abroad. This included 4,000 people in three locations across Co Limerick, and 7,000 people in Limerick City.

In total 160,000 was raised for the charity, which has a centre in Mungret.

Ms Freeman said: Were so grateful to the people of Limerick for your continued support. Your courage, vision and generosity has helped to change the dialogue around suicide and self-harm and allows Pieta House to bring hope to over 5,000 people every year.

This years Darkness into Light walk is set to be the biggest yet with Limerick City, Kilmallock and Newcastle West joining the 100 plus venues across Ireland, Britain, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

Pieta House is marking its tenth anniversary this year. In that time, more than 20,000 people have availed of its services, with some 5,000 of these seeking help this year.

Online registration and further details of Darkness into Light walks both locally and across the world are available now at www.darknessintolight.ie. Alternatively, call 061-484444 for information.
THE Bishop of Limerick has this week launched a new book examining the faith profiles of the leaders of the 1916 Rising.

The book, which was initiated by Brendan Leahy himself, has been produced by the Limerick Diocese and was launched in Dublin this Wednesday, with a separate Limerick launch to take place next week.

The End of All Things Earthly comprises short yet detailed faith profiles of the leaders of the 1916 Rising, from Roger Casement to Patrick Pearse and Limericks own Con Colbert and Edward Daly.

The 95-page book also offers a glimpse at the general faith interaction of leaders, including in the final moments before their execution and was produced by the Diocese to mark the centenary of 1916.

It was launched in Dublins Capuchin Friary, a venue specifically chosen to reflect the orders central role in the negotiation of peace in 1916 and with clergy there also having ministered to the leaders before their execution.

The question of how faith and armed rebellion can be compatible has exercised much conversation from the time of the rising to, indeed, the present day. However, the book does not seek to adjudicate on this but, instead, merely give a sense of what faith meant to the Leaders, said Bishop Leahy.

The book is edited by Limerick Diocesan archivist David Bracken and will be launched next Tuesday at 6.30pm in MIC. Mr Bracken said it was focussed, in particular, on the spirituality of some of the (leaders) and has, of course, a strong Limerick aspect to it.
HOPES that one of Limericks most legendary nightclubs could be resurrected this week have fallen short.

With a guide price of 380,000 to 420,000, Teds and the Brazen Head on OConnell Street failed to sell at Allsops first private auction in Dublin this Wednesday.

The auction was specifically geared to properties valued at more than a quarter of a million euros.

The Brazen Head was previously listed for sale for 550,000 just over a year ago, through Rooney's auctioneers in the city, and again has failed to attract a buyer after another 100,000 was shaved off its price.

In its heyday, the haunt was visited by the likes of Johnny Depp, Kiefer Sutherland, Phil Coulter, Richard Harris, Russell Crowe, Oliver Reed, Richard Branson, amongst many others.

The landmark property encompassing parts of 102 and 103 OConnell Street, spans to 7,236 square feet overall.

However, another prominent Limerick city centre property did fetch its reserve.

The site of the former ACC bank at 17/19 Patrick Street, had a reserve of 695,000 to 755,000, and sold prior to the auction.

Any new occupiers will be a welcome addition to Patrick Street, where the much lauded Opera Centre site has so far failed to take shape.

This premises on Patrick Street has a total floor area is 11,885 sq ft. The corner office building is arranged over basement, ground, and four upper floors.
NEVER mind daffodils or crocuses, if its a true symbol of spring youre after, look out for a Cheltenham Festival preview.

Examples of this once-rare bloom have been shooting up all over the country in recent years, but the hardy annual that is the Dunraven Arms preview, now in its 20th year, can claim to be the original of the species.

The Adare event attracted its usual full house on Sunday night and was run as a benefit for the injured jockeys fund. It's a popular cause at the best of times, but especially in Limerick given local heroes JT and Robbie McNamara are among its beneficiaries, having suffered life-changing injuries on the racetrack.

Some 320 racing enthusiasts packed in to hear the thoughts of an expert panel on National Hunts big event, ably managed by the smooth Nick Luck.

The Channel 4 Racing frontman even had to conduct an auction of assorted horse-related items at the beginning - if somewhat reluctantly.

Im not sure I have to do this job, he said questioningly, waving a sheet containing items like animal straw pellets and a pallet of equine mineral and vitamin supplements. No such luck, Nick.

With the Irish Thorougbred breeders awards also to deal with ahead of the preview, diners having cleared their plates of beef or hake anxiously checked their watches as time ticked on towards 9.30. It seemed briefly as if this might be the first Cheltenham preview where no actual Cheltenham previewing was performed. Thankfully not, however.

With British trainers Harry Fry and Oliver Sherwood joined by bookmaker Willie Power, tipster Tom Pricewise Segal and Limericks own Andrew McNamara, the tone was one of good-humoured banter throughout and no-one was safe - not even host Louis Murphy.

In the midst of a self-confessed patriotic rant, McNamara said, You know, this is a very English preview night. Louis Murphy brings these English trainers over, he wines them, dines them and sells them a few horses ...

But theyre not for sale, interjected Luck, before Sherwood chimed in: Wait until two in the morning...

McNamara continued: We have the best horses, the best jockeys and while the English will win more handicaps, were going to hammer them in the grade ones.

While such a speech ought to have elicited a more hearty roar, Luck observed, there was little in the way of disagreement from the panel.

Later in the evening the mic was passed down to JP McManus to discuss the chances of his many runners. It was a brief segment.

On the prospects of one of his best horses, More Of That, we were treated to a classic piece of non-committal preview speak - He has his chance, JP softly intoned.

He was more forthcoming, however, about the prospects of a repeat win for On The Fringe, trained locally by Enda Bolger.

Despite an uninspiring return to action at Leopardstown recently, there appears plenty of confidence that last years Foxhunters Chase hero will repeat the trick. Cue much scribbling in notebooks.

Sitting beside JP, multiple champion jockey AP McCoy was more expansive with his opinions and was especially warm on the chances of Don Cossack in the big one, the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup.

McCoy suggested that but for his mishap at the penultimate fence, Don Cossack would have won the King George chase at Kempton.

As for Vautour, who was pipped at the post in the same race, McCoy believes he is not going to appreciate the extra distance of the Gold Cup and won't be winning it.

There were further contributions by phone from champion jockey-elect Richard Johnson - who nominated Kruzhlinin in the Ultima handicap chase and Rock The Kasbah in the Coral Cup as his best chances - and clerk of the course Simon Claisse.

Even the normally dour Claisse got in on the jokes describing his favoured weather forecaster as the least inaccurate he knows.

For the record the going was forecast to be good to soft for the opening day of the four-day meeting, a revelation on a par with night follows day.

While Willie Mullins has seen some high-profile fancies cry off with injury in the past month, he is still expected to pocket the champion trainer title.

Of his team, Annie Power and Un De Sceaux, though not actually recommended as bets, were thought most likely winners of the Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase respectively. Roi Des Francs was popular in the NH Chase, and Vroum Vroum Mag and Limini are justifiably hot favourites for the two mares races.

Douvan was deemed so superior to his opposition in the Arkle chase at 2.05 on the opening day, that Segal reckoned they should leave the cloth on his back and hed win the Champion Hurdle at 3.20.

There wasnt much love for Min, however, Mullins hot favourite for the opening race of day one.

Having learned from previous years the discussion was moved on briskly and despite the early distractions and late start, we were finished shortly after 11.30. Which only leaves the tantalising wait until Tuesday afternoon when it all kicks off again.
LIMERICK Senator and recent general election candidate James Heffernan was arrested for failing to comply with the directions of An Garda Siochana in Dublin on Thursday night.

The 36-year-old Kilfinane man, who ran for the Social Democrats, was taken to Pearse Street garda station around 8.15pm.

A Social Democrats spokeswoman told the Irish Sun: He had been having a couple of pints. Of course he would like to apologise for any confusion caused.

She confirmed she visited Mr Heffernan at the station.

James came across a large crime scene in Temple Bar and was asked to leave. He was confused as to what had happened. He had been out socialising. He didnt realise what was going on.

Mr Heffernan was released without charge late last night.

A Garda spokesman said: A man was arrested in Temple Bar on public order offences.

The 36 year-old returned from Australia some years ago and won a seat on the old Limerick County Council in 2009. He ran for the Dail in 2011 and made it to the fourth count  finishing just over 700 votes off Fianna Fails Niall Collins. His final tally came to 10,104, with 17.6% of the first preferences.

He was subsequently elected to the Seanad and, after breaking from Labour, now carries the Social Democrats flag.

Senator Heffernan polled 3,270 first preferences in the most recent election.

Speaking afterwards to the Leader, he said: To be honest with you I expected a lot more  I really did. I totally obviously misread the election.

"I thought there would have been a number of factors that would have been positive for me. I have led the opposition on the incinerator behind in Gortadroma. I raised the issue of the M20 to try to connect Limerick and Cork. I raised the issue about the Regional Hospital on many occasions.
AN 18th birthday celebration went horribly wrong when a family of 20 were attacked by a mob of youths, in what has been described as a vicious and vile assault.

AN 18th birthday celebration went horribly wrong when a family of 20 were attacked by a mob of youths, in what has been described as a vicious and vile assault.

Girls had necklaces and bracelets ripped from them, while the gang also hurled bottles at and thumped the party group.

A young man also suffered bruised ribs following the disturbing incident which took place in Thomondgate at around 9.30pm on Saturday.

Gardai are investigating the attack, which also saw many of the girls suffer bruised ribs after being hit.

Speaking to the Limerick Leader, the family chose not to disclose their identities for fear of recriminations from the gang.

One family member, who hails from Kings Island, helped organise a party bus for her niece, who had just turned 18, inviting 20 family members along to the celebration.

But when they alighted from the vehicle to stop in a Chinese food outlet, they were set upon by a gang of youths who demanded alcohol from the bus.

When the family refused, the youngsters - some as young as 14 - attacked them.

I have never seen a gang so large in all my life, the family member said.

They just came out of nowhere. We did not even get to go into the Chinese, they just attacked us straight away. It was very frightening. I dont ever want to experience anything like this again.

The young lady who was marking her 18th birthday is heartbroken, as is the rest of the family, they said.

It took so long to organise the party, and there was a lot of expense involved. We wanted to make it so special for her 18th birthday.

The woman said she believed the youths were under the influence of drink when they carried out the attack.

We didnt know any of them. They had no reason to do this to us. It is a disgrace to think children of that age could do such a thing. They were pure vicious and vile. The worst part of it was my nephews friend. His ribs were bruised, and we had to ring an ambulance. But they were thumping us, hitting us, kicking us and throwing bottles at us.

After the Chinese meal, the family were due to go and listen to a family friend playing a gig in the nearby Fitzgeralds Bar in Thomondgates High Road.

But now, the family - most of whom reside in the Kings Island area - are scared to venture north of the Shannon.

I am terrified to even go out that way anymore. I would not dream of entering that part of town anymore: I would be afraid of my life.

Gardai at Mayorstone are investigating the incident and can be reached at 061-456980.
IN Knockaderry Clouncagh, they believed in the seemingly impossible and the incredible came true.

Now, almost 20 years after the local community revisited its past and reestablished an amateur drama society, Knockaderry has become the hub for Limericks only amateur drama festival.

And in a clear case of if you build it, they will come, the community centre which parishioners built with their own hands now welcomes hundreds each year to the West Limerick Drama Festival.

The festival is as good as any in the country, this years adjudicator Terry Byrne said when the fourth festival opened last weekend.

The arrangements are good, the auditorium is excellent, there is a fine big stage and it has all the characteristics of a very good festival, said the man who is currently president of the Association of Drama Adjudicators and who is also an accomplished actor on stage and screen as well as a director.

And he praised the amateur drama movement for its contribution to the arts and culture of the country.

The world of theatre has great art that would never be seen in parts of the country unless the amateur movement brought it to us, because it would not be commercially viable, Mr Byrne said.

And amateur drama gave people the opportunity to experience the work of established figures such as John B Keane but also newer playwrights such as Martin McDonagh, he pointed out.

It is wonderful community activity, he added, an activity that sparks innovation, creativity and detailed work as groups get together to put on their production. The amateur drama movement has also tapped into great talent.

I have seen top class performances on a par with professional productions, Mr Bryne said. Over the years, he has seen the standards improve hugely, spurred on by competition. A few years ago, it was alright to throw up a few flats, put up a few lamps. That is not there anymore, he expanded. People have learnt lighting skills, sound effects, set design. People are spending a lot more time on getting that right, he said and he applauded that.

Later, Mr Byrne explained to the first-night audience that his job involved judging presentation, direction and acting before moving on to give his verdict on the Knockaderry Clouncagh Drama Societys production of A Skull in Connemara by Martin McDonagh.

It was a mountain of a play to climb, he said, and he had particular praise for the second act graveyard set design.

But Mr Byrnes final verdict will not come until he has seen all seven plays in the festival programme. A Skull in Connemara was followed by the Listowel Drama Group, the Sliabh Luachra Drama Group and the Arra Players from Newcastle West.

The festival continues this Friday when the Tarbert Theatre Group take to the boards with Diarmy, a new play written by Tarbert teacher Mary Lavery Carrig. The Glanworth Players follow on Saturday with The Year of the Hiker and another John B play, Sive, will conclude the programme on Sunday night.

See p21 west edition for pictures from the opening night
Mar 11, 2016, 10 AM

City crests of towns in Suvalkija on three Lithuania stamps (left to right): a 70-centas Crest of Mariampole stamp (Scott 642), a 1-litas Crest of Birstonas stamp (Scott 717), and a 1-litas Crest of Sakiai stamp (Scott 814). Suvalkija is located in southw

A 1998 Lithuania 5.20-litas souvenir sheet commemorating the centenary of the Lithuanian national anthem (Scott 595). The statue of Vincas Kudirka and the words of his poem appear on the stamp. The words and music of the anthem are seen in the selvage aga

By Rick Miller

In 1992, shortly after regaining its independence after 50 years of captivity in the Soviet Union, Lithuania began a series of stamp issues celebrating traditional 19th-century dress in the countrys five ethnographic regions.

Lithuanian is the oldest living language in Europe. Philologists believe that Lithuanian is the living language that is closest to the Indo-European mother tongue from which most European, Indian, and Iranian languages are descended.

Lithuanian has affinities with Sanskrit, Greek, and Latin. The five ethnographic regions of Lithuania each have their own distinctive dialects, customs, and traditions coming from the various tribes who originally settled the areas. Today, standard Lithuanian is closest to the dialect of Suvalkija.

The ancestors of the Lithuanians arrived on the shores of the Baltic Sea in northeastern Europe perhaps as early as 3,000 B.C. The Lithuanians were the last pagans of Europe, not converting to Christianity until the 14th century.

In the 14th century, Lithuania was the largest country in Europe, stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea and as far east as present-day Kiev.

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Lithuania has a long history of political, religious, and cultural affiliation with Poland.

Lithuania-Poland became a dual monarchy (two countries with the same king) in 1386. The relationship was formalized as the Commonwealth of Lithuania-Poland in 1569.

As a result of the three Polish Partitions, Lithuania was divided between Prussia and Russia in the 18th century. It regained its independence in 1918, only to lose it to the Soviet Union in 1940. Lithuania independence was reestablished in 1990, leading directly to the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The first set in the Ethnographic Regions series feature three stamps showing couples dressed in costumes from Suvalkija (Scott 434-436).

Suvalkija lies in southwestern Lithuania, ranging from the Nemunas River in the north to the borders of Poland and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to the west and south.

The region was settled by the Sudovian tribe of Lithuanians, and it is sometimes known as Sudovia. The Sudovians were one of the largest and most warlike of the Lithuanian tribes. The area was a battleground during the Crusades carried out by the Teutonic Knights against the pagan Lithuanians.

As a result, Suvalkija was only sparsely settled until after the Crusaders were finally defeated at the Battle of Zalgiris (Grunwald in German) in 1410. Due to the Polish Partitions, Suvalkija was part the Russian Empire in the 19th century.

As part of Congress Poland, an area ruled directly by the czar, Suvalkijans had advantages in education and commerce and were among the best educated and wealthiest peasants in the 19th-century Russian Empire.

They had the highest literacy rate of any peasants in the Russian Empire. Like the Scots, Suvalkijans have a reputation for thriftiness.

A popular anecdote says that when it is cold Suvalkijans sit in front of a candle to keep warm. And if it gets really cold, they light the candle.

Because of the relative wealth of the Sulvalkijan peasants, their traditional clothing was richer and more colorful than that of other regions. In addition to wool, common to all, their clothes were often made of finer materials such as damask, silk, and brocade.

As seen on the stamps, womens clothing comprised wide, gathered skirts; wide-sleeved blouses; and highly decorated aprons. Men wore pleated caftans, tunics, high-top boots, straight-brim hats, and colorful sashes.

Suvalkija has the most fertile farmland and is the least forested region of Lithuania. The largest city in Suvalkija is Mariampole. It is Lithuanias seventh largest city, with a population of about 50,000.

The city crest of Mariampole, which can be seen on the Lithuania 70-centas stamp issued in 1999 (Scott 642), depicts St. George slaying the dragon.

Other cities of Suvalkija whose crests have appeared on Lithuanias stamps include Birstonas (Scott 717) and Sakiai (814).

Kaunus, Lithuanias second largest city, is not considered to belong to any of the ethnographic regions, although technically that part of the city on the south bank of the Nemunas River lies in Suvalkija.

The most noted Lithuanian to hail from Suvalkija is undoubtedly Jonas Basanavicius (1851-1927).

A medical doctor and ethnographer, Basanavicius began publishing Ausra, the first Lithuanian-language newspaper, in 1883. He also founded the Lithuanian Scientific Society and was elected its first president.

During the Revolution of 1905, he organized the Great Seimas of Lithuania, which demanded autonomy from Russia.

On Feb. 16, 1918, he was one of 20 signatories to the Lithuanian Declaration of Independence. He has been commemorated on several postage stamps of Lithuania, both before and after the Soviet occupation.

Vincas Kudirka (1858-1899) is also a native son of Suvalkija. He was a physician and poet, and was the author of the Lithuanian national anthem.

In 1888, Kudirka founded the secret nationalist society Lietuva and began clandestinely publishing its magazine, Varpas (the Bell).

In 1898, he published the poem Tautiska Giesme, which would later be adopted as the lyrics of the Lithuanian national anthem. He also wrote the music to accompany the words.

He died young of tuberculosis. Kudirka has been commemorated on several Lithuania stamps.
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The circulatory system, also known as the cardiovascular system, is a vast network of organs and blood vessels that acts both as a delivery and waste removal system for the body. Nutrients, oxygen and hormones are delivered to every cell and as these necessities are provided, waste products such as carbon dioxide are removed, according to the nonprofit Nemours Children's Health System .

Not only does the circulatory system keep our cells healthy, but it also keeps us alive. The heart constantly receives signals from the rest of the body that direct how hard it needs to pump to properly supply the body with what it needs, according to Nemours. For example, when asleep, the body sends electrical signals to the heart that tell it to slow down. When participating in heavy exercise, the heart receives the message to pump harder to deliver extra oxygen to the muscles.

How the circulatory system works

The heart lies at the center of the circulatory system and pumps blood through the rest of the network. This hollow muscle is made up of four chambers: The left and right atriums make up the two chambers at the top and the left and right ventricles form the two chambers at the bottom, according to the University of Michigan . The chambers are separated by one-way valves to ensure that blood flows in the correct direction.

The rest of the circulatory system is made up of two independent networks that work together: The pulmonary and systemic systems.

The pulmonary system is responsible for providing fresh oxygen to the blood and removing carbon dioxide, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Oxygen-poor blood arrives from veins leading to the right atrium of the heart. The blood is then pumped through the right ventricle, then through the pulmonary artery, which splits off into two and divides into increasingly smaller arteries and capillaries before entering the lungs. The tiny capillaries form a network within the lungs that facilitate the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen. From the lungs, the oxygen-rich blood flows back toward the heart.

Next, the systemic system of arteries, veins and capillaries takes over. Arteries and veins are not the same, although they are both types of blood vessels. Arteries carry oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood from the heart to all parts of your body, according to the National Cancer Institute . Veins carry the oxygen- and nutrient-poor blood back to the heart. The capillaries are the smallest type of blood vessel, and provide the bridge between the arteries and veins.

Find out all about the blood, lungs and blood vessels that make up the circulatory system. (Image credit: Ross Toro, Livescience contributor)

As the oxygen-rich blood arrives from the lungs, it enters the left atrium and then travels through to the left ventricle before being pumped throughout the body, according to NCBI. The blood gets pumped through the aorta artery (the largest artery in the body) before entering the smaller arteries that carry the blood to every part of the body. As the blood delivers nutrients and oxygen to each cell, carbon dioxide and other waste products are picked up as the blood flows through the capillaries and into the veins.

The contraction and relaxation of the heart  the heartbeat  is controlled by the sinus node, which is a cluster of cells situated at the top of the right atrium. The sinus node sends electrical signals through the electrical conduction system of the heart that direct the muscle to contract or relax.

The heartbeat is divided into two phases: the systole and diastole phases. In the first, the ventricles contract and push blood out into the pulmonary artery or the aorta. At the same time, the valves separating the atria and ventricles snap shut to prevent blood from flowing backwards. In the diastole phase, the valves connecting to the atrium open, and the ventricles relax and fill with blood. The sinus node controls the pace of these two phases.

Adult humans have a total of about five to six quarts (a little less than five to six liters) of blood pumping through their bodies, according to Arkansas Heart Hospital . On average, the heart pumps about 100,000 times per day, pushing about 2,000 gallons (7,570 liters) of blood through a total of 60,000 miles (96,560 kilometers) of blood vessels. It only takes about 20 seconds for blood to travel through the entire circulatory system.

Circulatory system diseases

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States, claiming 610,000 people per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

Heart disease is a broad term that covers a wide range of diseases and disorders, including stroke (the blockage of blood to the brain), heart attack (the flow of blood to the heart is blocked), hypertension (high blood pressure causing the heart to work harder), arteriosclerosis (the arteries become thick and stiff) and aneurysm (a damaged blood vessel that can lead to internal bleeding).

Wondering how to improve your circulation (opens in new tab)? Risk factors for heart disease include age, sex, family history, poor diet, smoking and stress, as well as high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels, according to the Mayo Clinic . There are many ways that heart disease can be prevented, including keeping other health conditions under control, maintaining a healthy diet, participating in regular physical activity and keeping stress levels at a minimum.

Additional resources:

This article was updated on Aug. 8, 2019, by Live Science Contributor Rachel Ross.
The first vaccine trials against the Zika virus will likely start this fall, federal health officials announced today (March 10).

President Barack Obama has asked Congress to approve $1.8 billion in federal spending to battle Zika virus, but so far, Republicans in Congress have put up a fight, insisting that health officials should use federal money left over from the Ebola crisis, according to USA Today (opens in new tab). Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a news briefing today that it will be difficult for vaccine trials to move forward to subsequent stages unless Congress grants the funds needed to fight the disease.

And health officials say using the money earmarked to fight Ebola isn't the answer. "The idea that we should rob Peter to pay Paul and hope that Congress replaces money that's essential to keep America safe is frankly, I think, too dangerous to do," Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC, told reporters, according to The Hill. [Zika Virus News: Complete Coverage of the 2016 Outbreak]

The mosquito-borne virus has sickened thousands of people in South and Central America. Only about 1 in 5 people infected with the virus show symptoms, such as fever, rash and muscle pain, but the disease is thought to be far more dangerous for pregnant women. Mounting evidence suggests that if a pregnant woman is infected with Zika, her fetus may be at increased risk of developing microcephaly and other developmental disorders.

Caring for one child affected by the Zika virus in utero could cost about $10 million over a lifetime, Frieden said.

Scientists are hard at work on a vaccine, but it could take years before a successful Zika vaccine clears Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters.

"We believe we can get a vaccine," Fauci said, adding that he felt "cautiously optimistic" because scientists have produced vaccines against other flaviviruses, a group that includes Zika, yellow fever, dengue and West Nile.

So far, Phase 1 clinical trials are slated to start by the end of summer or early fall of this year, he said. Phase 1 trials are small, and are held to evaluate whether a treatment is safe, what dosages are best and what side effects participants report.

If the vaccines given in the Phase 1 trial pass muster and can induce an immune response against the virus, then scientists can proceed to Phase 2 by early 2017, Fauci said. But unless Congress approves the funds, health officials may not have enough money to put together a Phase 2 trial right away, and the entire process may take longer to complete, he said.

Furthermore, private pharmaceutical companies may be hesitant to partner with the government if funding isn't certain, Fauci said. This hasn't happened yet, but it has happened to other drug and vaccine development programs in the past, he added. [10 Deadly Diseases That Hopped Across Species]

Puerto Ricans fight Zika

Meanwhile, the CDC is working on other ways to prevent Zika infections in places like Puerto Rico, where the virus is becoming established. The U.S. territory is approaching its rainy season, a time when mosquitoes thrive. Health experts expect that thousands of pregnant women in Puerto Rico will become infected with the virus this year, Friedman said.

The CDC is running several pilot programs that will determine the feasibility of installing window screens on local dwellings. However, many houses have open eaves, and so installing screens on windows would have little or no impact, Friedman said.

Workers are also spraying insecticides to try to diminish mosquito populations, federal officials said.

The United States is also researching the best ways to prevent Zika infections, and health officials plan to gather at the CDC-hosted Zika Action Plan Summit on April 1 to address the upcoming mosquito season, which typically begins in June or July in the United States, Frieden said.

Follow Laura Geggel on Twitter @LauraGeggel. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.
Vipers are a large family of snakes; the scientific name is Viperidae. They are found all over the world, with the exceptions of Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, Madagascar, north of the Arctic Circle and island clusters such as Hawaii.

The family Viperidae includes adders, pit vipers (like rattlesnakes, cottonmouths and copperheads), the Gaboon viper, green vipers and horned vipers.

All vipers are venomous and have long, hinged fangs. "Generally more venomous vipers are in tropical areas, particularly South America and Africa," said Alan Savitzky, a professor of biological sciences at Utah State University specializing in the biology of snakes. Vipers found in colder, northern climates, such as the black or European adder have more moderate venom.

[Image gallery: Snakes of the World]

Physical characteristics

Vipers range widely in size, though are generally stocky with short tails. One of the worlds smallest vipers is the Mao-Lan pit viper (Protobothrops maolanensis), which was discovered in China in 2011. They are less than 2 feet (61 centimeters) long, according to National Geographic (opens in new tab). The longest viper  and the longest venomous snake in the Americas  is the South American Bushmaster (Lachesis muta), which grows to more than 11 feet (335 cm), according to the University of Michigans Animal Diversity Web (ADW).

Almost all vipers have a distinctive triangular head, according to Discover magazine. This head shape is due to the placement of their large venom glands in the mouth. Some nonvenomous species have evolved a similarly shaped head in order to potentially trick predators into thinking they are vipers. Additionally, most vipers have keeled scales, vertically elliptical pupils and coloring and patterns that serve as camouflage.

Fangs

Vipers are known for their extreme fangs, which are long, hollow, hinged and rotatable, according to an article in the journal Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. These fangs connect to venom glands located behind the eyes at the back upper part of the jaw. Venom travels down through the follow teeth to be injected into prey as the viper bites.

Vipers can rotate their fangs together or independently, which allows them to wait until the last second to erect their fangs. Their mouths can open nearly 180 degrees so the ability to rotate their fangs within that space is an advantage. When not in use, vipers hinged fangs fold up and lie against the roof of the snakes mouth. This allows their fangs to grow relatively long, according to Andrew Solway, author of "Deadly Snakes (opens in new tab)" (Heinemann-Raintree, 2005).

Vipers can extend their fangs and bite without injecting venom. This is known as a dry bite and is common in human snakebites. Dry bites enable vipers to conserve their previous venom, which can run out and takes a while to replenish, according to an article in the journal Tropical and Geographical Medicine.

Habitat

Vipers' habitats vary across their nearly worldwide range. They live in mountains, rainforests, fields and deserts.

Behavioral, hunting and feeding habits

Generally, vipers are nocturnal. They often appear sluggish compared to other snakes, according to Nicolae Sfetcu (opens in new tab), author of "Reptiles: Crocodiles, Alligators, Lizards, Snakes, Turtles (opens in new tab)" (Lulu Press, 2011). This is because many vipers rely on their camouflage for protection rather than their ability to move quickly. They are more inclined to blend in with the surrounding brush, rocks or ground cover when being approached by a predator than to slither away.

Nevertheless, vipers have a speedy strike. For example, Africa's puff adder can strike at a speed of a quarter of a second, according to Perry's Bridge Reptile Park in South Africa.

Their perceived sluggishness impacts their hunting tactics. "Most vipers are ambush predators," said Savitzky. "They detect where prey is most likely to be chemically and just wait. Because they're not expending a lot of energy, low resting metabolic rate, and eat large things, they can afford to do that."

Vipers eat a variety of food depending on the size of the snake. Prey includes small mammals, birds, lizards and eggs, according to Savitzky. When their prey is dead, they swallow it whole.

Vipers engage in a hunting activity called prey relocation, according to an article in BMC Biology journal. This means that once they have identified their prey, they strike it and inject venom. They then immediately release the prey so that it cannot bite back. The bitten prey wanders off, dies and the viper uses its sense of smell to find it.

Bite

The severity of a viper bite depends on the species and if it was a wet or dry bite, which contains no venom. Savitzky pointed out that European vipers (adders) have relatively moderate venom that is not highly lethal, while Gaboon vipers, which are found in sub-Saharan Africa, have highly potent venom.

"Vipers in general tend to have enzymetic venom that affects general tissues," Savitzky said. It causes intense swelling, pain and necrosis, which is cell death and decay. It also functions as an anticoagulant. Death usually occurs from a dramatic collapse in blood pressure. All viper bites should be treated seriously and medical attention should be paid.

In addition to killing prey and injuring predators, viper venom helps vipers digest their food, according to Sfetcu. Since they swallow their prey whole, digesting it is a big job not helped by vipers' generally inefficient digestive systems. The venom breaks down lipids, acids and proteins in the prey during the digestive process.

Reproduction

Most vipers are ovoviviparous, Savitzky said. That means the eggs are fertilized and incubate inside the mother and she gives birth to live young. "But," he added, "That is not true of some basal Asian pit vipers. And all New World pit vipers but one have live birth. That one is the Bushmaster viper and it has re-evolved egg laying."

Vipers' mating season, activities and egg incubation time depends on the species.

Taxonomy/classification

According to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), there are more than 200 species of viper. The taxonomy of vipers is:

Kingdom: Animalia Subkingdom: Bilateria Infrakingdom: Deuterostomia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata Superclass: Tetrapoda Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Suborder: Serpentes Infraorder: Alethinophidia Family: Viperidae Subfamilies:

Azemiopinae (1 genus  Azemiops)

Causinae (1 genus  Causus)

Crotalinae (pit vipers; 18 genera)

Viperinae (12 genera)

Types of vipers

The following are descriptions of some particularly fascinating vipers.

Gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica)

Gaboon vipers are the largest vipers in the world, reaching lengths of up to 7 feet (213 cm) and more than 22 lbs. (10 kilograms), according to the ADW. Females are significantly longer than males. Though the South American Bushmaster is longer, the Gaboon viper is heavier. Savitzky noted that Gaboon vipers are of the adder lineage, so referring to them as Gaboon adders is also correct. They live throughout sub-Saharan Africa in rainforests and other tropical areas. They spend most of their time lying in wait among leaf litter.

Gaboon vipers' real claims to fame are their extraordinary long fangs  the longest of any snake, said Savitzky. Gaboon vipers' fangs can be up to 2 inches (5 cm) long. They also have potent venom. They mostly eat small mammals, birds and amphibians, but have been recorded eating small antelopes and giant rats, according to the ADW.

Pit vipers

Pit vipers are a subfamily (Crotalinae) of vipers. There are about 190 species, according to ITIS. Pit vipers are found throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. All vipers in the Americas are pit vipers, according to The University of Pittsburgh. "Pit vipers apparently have their basal species in Asia and then a lot of radiation in the New World," said Savitzky.

"They are all distinguished by the presence of the pit organ on either side of the face," he continued. "These are infrared receptors. They detect heat energy. Pit vipers see the world in a combination of heat and light. The receptors detect warm blooded prey but also can detect cold blooded prey, though they're more responsive to warm."

Some species of pit vipers include rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, copperheads, lanceheads and bushmasters.

Green vipers

Several types of snakes are referred to as green vipers due to their coloring. They include the Chinese green viper (Trimeresurus stejnegeri), the green night adder (Causus resimus), the Great Lakes bush viper (Atheris nitschei) and the newly discovered ruby-eyed green pit viper (Cryptelytrops rubeus). These are all Old World snakes, found in Africa and Asia.

Probably the most famous of the green vipers is Trimeresurus albolabris, also called green pit viper or white-lipped viper. They are found in Southeast Asia, India and southern China, according to The University of Adelaide's Clinical Toxinology Resources. These vibrant vipers are a bright Kelly green and have vivid yellow eyes. Their jaws are white or yellow, presumably giving rise to their white-lipped name. Males have a narrow white stripe running down the sides of their bodies.

Like other pit vipers, copperhead snakes give birth to live young. (Image credit: Matt Jeppson / Shutterstock.com)

Horned vipers

Several types of snakes are referred to as horned vipers due to the presence of horn-shaped scales on their faces. They include the Saharan horned viper or desert horned viper (Cerastes cerastes), the Arabian horned viper or Middle Eastern horned viper (Cerastes gasperettii), the horned puff adder (Bitis caudalis) and the nose-horned viper (Vipera ammodytes), which has a horn at the top of its nose. The other species have a horn over each eye.

All horned vipers live in Africa and the Middle East but the nose-horned viper, which are found in Europe and Asia. A new species, named Matilda's horned viper (Atheris matildae) was discovered in Tanzania in 2012. [Photos: Vivid Images of New Snake Species]

The horns are made of single or multiple scales, depending on the species, according to the ADW. Not all horned vipers have horns; sometimes the same clutch of eggs will yield animals with and without horns. The horns can bend back to be flat against the head, which is useful when the snake is going down a burrow.

The purpose of horns is uncertain. Some scientists speculate that horns break up the outline of the animal, making it more difficult for predators to see. Others speculate that the horns may help protect the snake's eyes from sand in some way. This would explain why snakes with horns over their eyes are found in deserts.

Eyelash pit viper (Bothriechis schlegelii)

Called both the eyelash pit viper and eyelash palm pit viper, these small snakes are found in Central America and northern South America. They are named for the bristly scales above their eyes, which resemble eyelashes or hoods. They are also distinguishable by their bright coloration and appear in vibrant yellows or greens (the most common coloration), pinks, purples, silver, dark gray or brown, according to the ADW. Their coloring is camouflage and allows them to blend in with banana bunches or flowers.

They average around 2 feet (61 cm) in length and are one of the smallest poisonous snakes in their range. They are largely arboreal.

The purpose of the eyelashes is unknown, according to the ADW. Some scientists have suggested they protect the vipers' eyes as they move through thick vegetation.

Endangerment status

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 57 species of viper are considered near threatened, conservation-dependent, vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered, extinct or extinct in the wild. Some of the rarest vipers are the golden lancehead (Bothrops insularis), which is found only on a small island off the coast of Brazil, and the Santa Catalina rattlesnake, which is found only on Santa Catalina Island in the Gulf of California in Mexico. According to IUCN, this snake has declined principally due to overcollecting.

Additional resources
Eciton burchellii ants, which are among the aboveground species that appeared to regrow the parts of their brains used for sight.

About 18 million years ago, army ants that were adapted to living underground  and had lost much of their sight  returned to the surface and regrew the parts of their brains related to vision, a new study has found.

But the brain benefits didn't end there. Not only did the ants recover a set of previously underused brain structures, but their overall brain size increased as well. In turn, this brain-size increase enhanced the ants' sensory input capabilities as well as their processing centers to handle a more complex environment.

I can see clearly now

The army-ant subfamily Dorylinae dates to about 78 million years ago, and most of these ants live underground at least part of the time; their eyes are either very small or completely absent. In the study, the researchers noted that this subfamily descended from a large-eyed ancestor whose vision capabilities and vision-related brain regions dwindled over time  a transition that occurred repeatedly within the ant lineage.

But what happened to one branch of the army-ant family was extremely unusual: After living underground for 60 million years, army ants from the Eciton genus headed back into the light, and over time, their brains changed dramatically as they adapted to living on the surface.

The researchers found that the optic lobes of surface-dwelling Eciton army ants were significantly larger than the optic lobes in their underground cousins. The regions of their brains dedicated to processing smell were larger, too, and the ants' brain volume increased relative to their body size. [Cool Close-Up Photos Show Ants of the World]

These structural changes suggested to the researchers that the growth in the ants' changing brains was being driven by a range of environmental stimuli, such as variations in activities based on the day-night cycle, an increased threat of predators and greater prey diversity.

Compare the optic lobes in the brains of aboveground and belowground genera of army ants. (Image credit: Sean O'Donnell/Drexel University)

Brain-picking

Study co-author Sean O'Donnell and other researchers in his lab have been investigating army-ant diversity and ecology since 2003. O'Donnell, an evolutionary biologist and professor in the Drexel University Biology Department in Pennsylvania, told Live Science in an email that he and his colleagues were eager to explore an aspect of army-ant biology that was previously unknown: how much the brains of ants that lived aboveground differed from those of ants that lived underground.

"Similar studies on other groups of animals  cave fish and their relatives, subterranean insectivore mammals  suggested they [army ants] were a great place to look for evolutionary changes in brain structure," he said.

O'Donnell explained that peering at the brain of an ant  and in the species they sampled the most, that's about the size of small sand grain  involved a lot of preparation by a skilled and dedicated lab team. After preserving the ant with a fixative, they embedded the tiny head in resin, sliced it into sections, and then stained and photographed the tissue. Once the scientists had the photos, they measured the brain structures and then calculated their volume by stacking the slices and multiplying by their thickness.

O'Donnell and his colleagues suggested a few aspects of the aboveground world that are more complex and require the evolution of extra brain space: a diversity in prey, the presence of predators, and the variation between daytime and nighttime activities.

The large brains and enhanced optic lobes in Eciton ants were exceptional for any species of army ants, but the researchers found that Eciton ants had even more surprises in store. Even though they sported working peepers, their eyes seemed to differ from those of other insects.

"One exciting pattern we uncovered is the suggestion that Eciton eyes are functional but seem to have [a] peripheral and neural structure that is distinct from most insect eyes," O'Donnell said. "We are keen to explore how their eyes function."

The findings were published online March 8 in the journal The Science of Nature (opens in new tab).

Follow Mindy Weisberger on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science
A group of 13 bald eagles found dead last month may have been killed by a person, a new autopsy reveals. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) is now offering a $25,000 reward to anyone who can lead to the person who killed the birds.

The eagles, found in Maryland, did not die of natural causes the analysis showed. Though the necropsy has not revealed exactly what killed the majestic bald eagles, the analysis has ruled out trauma.

"A working theory is poisoning," Candy Thomson, a Maryland Natural Resources Police spokeswoman told The Washington Post. "We just don't know right now, which is why we're asking the public if they heard anything, if they saw anything, we want to know about it," Thomson said.

The new necropsies revealed that the iconic birds did not die of natural causes such as avian influenza, which circulates in poultry farms in the area. [In Photos: Birds of Prey]

Endangered species

The iconic birds were found on Feb. 20 in Federalsburg, Maryland, after a bystander walked by what he said he initially thought was a dead turkey, The Washington Post reported. When the man took a closer look, he found four felled bald eagles. Of the 13 eagles that had died, three were mature enough to mate, with the characteristic white "bald" head and brown feathers. The bald eagle die-off was the biggest one in decades.

The national bird first went on the endangered species list in the 1960s, after the eagles nearly went extinct. Many of them had ingested the pesticide DDT from the environment, which made the eagles' eggshells hard and brittle, meaning baby eagle chicks could not hatch.

Since then, the birds' populations have rebounded and the bald eagle is no longer on the endangered species list. However, the national birds are still protected under two federal laws: the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940 and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, according to the FWS.

Initially, investigators speculated that the eagles may have eaten the poisoned carcasses of rodents, but the owner of the field said he had not used any pesticides recently, NBC reported.

Those who have information about the bald eagles can contact John LaCorte, a special agent in the Office of Law Enforcement at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Cambridge, Maryland, at 410-228-2476, or the Maryland Natural Resources Police hotline at 800-628-9944.

Follow Tia Ghose on Twitterand Google+. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.
In this artist's conception, a Ceres-like asteroid is slowly disintegrating as it orbits a white dwarf star. Astronomers have spotted telltales signs of such an object using data from the Kepler K2 mission.

The real-life "Death Star" that astronomers recently caught in the act of destroying a planet is continuing to disintegrate nearby orbiting objects, researchers say.

This finding could shed light on how dead stars rip apart their planetary systems  a phenomenon that could happen in Earth's solar system billions of years from now, scientists added.

Recently, astronomers detected a dead star tearing apart a planetesimal  a small planetary body, such as a dwarf planet, large asteroid or moon. The dead star is a white dwarfknown as WD 1145+017, which lies about 570 light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo. [Planet Ripped Apart by White Dwarf? (Video)]

White dwarfs are superdense, Earth-size cores of dead stars that are left behind when stars have exhausted their fuel and slough off their outer layers. Most stars, including the sun, will become white dwarfs one day.

"Our sun will one day balloon out to become a red giant star, wiping out Mercury and Venus and maybe Earth, before it becomes a white dwarf," said study lead author Boris Gansicke, an astronomer at the University of Warwick in England. "By looking at this white dwarf, we get a look at what the future of the solar system might be like."

Previous research using NASA's planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft found a planetesimal transiting, or crossing in front of, the white dwarf at a distance of about 520,000 miles (837,000 kilometers)  more than twice the distance from Earth to the moon. Kepler also discovered a cometlike tail of dust trailing this object, as well as perhaps a few additional chunks orbiting the white dwarf at about the same distance, and a shroud of dust enveloping the white dwarf.

Scientists previously estimated that the amount of material seen circling the white dwarf was about equal to that contained by the 590-mile-wide (950 km) dwarf planet Ceres, the largest object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. They suggested that the white dwarf was ripping apart the planetary bodyafter it had spiraled too close to the dead star, and that the rock would be fully destroyed within about a million years.

Now Gansicke and his colleagues find that this white dwarf system has rapidly evolved just months since its discovery.

"It's exciting and unexpected that we can see this kind of dramatic change on human timescales," Gansicke told Space.com.

The astronomers used the Thai National Telescope to observe the white dwarf about seven months after previous work detected the system of rocks and dust around it.

Instead of detecting strong evidence of just one body around the white dwarf, "we identified six, but there are clearly more  it could be 10, maybe 15," Gansicke said.

These bodies are orbiting the dead star at about the same distance as the planetesimal that previous research spotted, and are each two to four times the size of the white dwarf. The researchers suggest that these bodies are not giant, solid rocks, but instead are huge clouds of gas and dust flowing from much smaller rocks that are now disintegrating.

"The average amount of light blocked by material around the white dwarf has gone up from 1 percent or a fraction of a percent up to 10 or 11 percent," Gansicke said. "We interpret that as many more fragments of a planetesimal breaking apart."

Gansicke and his colleagues plan on researching this white dwarf system further.

"We can see how things evolve over time," Gansicke said. "How does the disintegration of a planetesimal work? How long does the whole thing last? Will we be able to see everything disappear in a year or two? How does the disk of dust around the star evolve? How will the metal content of the white dwarf change?"

In the future, researchers could also hunt for similar white dwarf systems elsewhere. "Maybe we can find another one or two or 10," Gansicke said. "If we have a sample of these systems, we can look at common properties and differences among them, to advance our knowledge about the process of planetesimal disruption as a whole. This is how science works  we've found one piece of a puzzle, and now we want to find more."

The scientists detailed their findings Feb. 3 in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Follow Charles Q. Choi on Twitter @cqchoi. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
In a still frame from a video, an Acapulco official examines the strange mass that washed up on Bonfil Beach on March 9, 2016.

A large, shapeless, gray mass that recently washed ashore on a Mexican beach had officials and observers alike scratching their heads over what in the world the thing could be. People guessed it might be a giant squid, a type of whale or perhaps some sort of unknown, monstrous creature.

But according to a marine mammals expert, the jumbled and untidy pile of grayish skin and flesh is likely part of a sperm whale's head.

Representatives of the Proteccion Civil y Bomberos de Acapulco (Civil Protection and Firefighters Department in Acapulco) discovered the peculiar object on Bonfil Beach, and described it as measuring about 13 feet (4 meters) in length, according to a report by the Mexican news site 24 Hours. [Release the Kraken! Giant Squid Photos]

Sabas de la Rosa Camacho, an official with the Acapulco department, told 24 Hours in a phone interview that the department received a notification about the strange object on the beach at 4 p.m. local time on March 9. He speculated that strong currents related to recent bad weather had brought it to shore. Video posted by department officials on Facebook show a uniformed man with a stick lifting the mass's folds and poking at it in several places.

While the mystery object was assumed to be the remains of a decomposing marine animal, de la Rosa Camacho noted that it did not have a strong or unpleasant smell. And though the investigation revealed bones within the heap, officials could not identify what type of animal it was, he said.

A diagram of structures inside a sperm whale's head, from "The spermaceti organ and nasal passages of the sperm whale (Physeter catodon) and other odontocetes" (1933). (Image credit: H.C. Raven / W. K. Gregory)

Heading off rumors

Though it's tempting to assign a monstrous identity to this unfamiliar object, the most probable explanation is that it's the top half of the head mass for a sperm whale, said James Mead, curator emeritus of marine mammals at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

In sperm whales, the roomy top part of the head is divided into two main regions, Mead told Live Science in an email. The top area is occupied by the spermaceti organ, a holding container for a waxy liquid that helps the whale with echolocation. In the bottom area is what's known as "the junk," which is mostly connective tissue.

Mead explained that the flesh pile on the beach is probably a sperm whale's junk and the top part of the head minus the spermaceti organ.

"The junk has separated from the skull, and you can see about midway through the video the nasal plugs, which form the valve that closes the bony narial [nasal] tube," Mead said.

He suggested that the length approximation for the mass, 13 feet (4 m), represented the junk stretched out. Its relaxed length would be about 10 feet (3 m), "which would mean that it had come from a sperm whale that was on the order of about 30 to 40 feet [9 to 12 meters] long," he told Live Science.

Follow Mindy Weisberger on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science
Pregnant women may not need to avoid travel to all areas where the Zika virus is spreading  health officials say that, in high elevations, there is a low risk of becoming infected with the virus.

The new recommendations, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, come after the agency analyzed data from 16 countries with elevations above 4,900 feet (1,500 meters). They found that the mosquito that spreads the Zika virus, known as Aedes aegypti, is unlikely to live in areas above 6,500 feet (2,000 m).

"Consequently, at elevations above [6,500 feet], the risk for mosquito-borne exposure to Zika virus is considered to be minimal," researchers from the CDC said in a report published today (March 11).

Health officials are concerned about a link between Zika virus in pregnant women and microcephaly, a birth defect in which the baby's head is abnormally small. The CDC now recommends that pregnant women avoid travel to areas that have Zika virus and are less than 6,500 feet below sea level. (The CDC's previous recommendation was a blanket warning against travel to these areas for pregnant women.)

The agency has even created maps of each of the 37 countries where Zika is spreading, and indicated which areas are above 6,500 feet. (The maps can be found within the travel notice for each country.) [Zika Virus FAQs: Top Questions Answered]

But this apparent ease in Zika travel warnings comes with several caveats. First, pregnant women are still at risk for Zika if they travel through any area with an elevation below 6,500 feet, including travel into and out of a low-elevation airport, the CDC said.

"Traveling through an area of low elevation or stopping, even briefly, in a low-elevation area on the way to higher elevation increases the risk of getting Zika from a mosquito, and pregnant woman should strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites while in these areas," the agency said in a new Web page with questions and answers about Zika risk at high elevations.

In addition, the Zika virus can be transmitted sexually. As such, the CDC recommends that pregnant women use condoms, or abstain from sex, with men who have been in areas with the Zika virus that are below 6,500 feet.

High altitudes  above 8,000 feet (2,400 meters)  also have low oxygen levels that can pose a risk of altitude sickness, symptoms of which can include headache, nausea and shortness of breath. Pregnant women should avoid doing strenuous activities at high altitudes, the CDC said. Some doctors also recommend that pregnant women avoid spending the night at elevations greater than 12,000 feet (3,650 meters). High altitudes may also be hard to access or far from medical care, which may be a concern for pregnant women, the CDC said.

Follow Rachael Rettner @RachaelRettner. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.
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We are writers from many locations and walks of life, most associated with an international non-profit called Nonviolent Alternatives.
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A well-known Longford butcher is looking to create the county's very own signature sausage.

Louis Herterich is asking the public to submit recipes as he begins his quest to develop a porcine delicacy unique to Longford.

There's a big uptake in specialist sausages at the moment. People have more developed palettes now, he said. We produce 10 varieties at present; in places like the UK and Germany you have sausages specific to certain areas.

Asked what what would make the perfect Longford sausage, Louis (pictured right with Louis Jnr) said he is keeping an open mind and is welcoming all ideas.

For example, should it include beer? Should it be spicy? What type of meat should be in it? Beef? Pork? Lamb? Or maybe even a mix? he asked. Should it be thin or should it be thick? Should it be a breakfast sausage or a dinner sausage? And then there's the texture: should it be meaty or smooth?

Explaining how receipes can be sent to him, he added: on our website we have a section on sausage manufacturing. Through that, you can submit recipes.

Once Louis finds a recipe that will get taste buds salivating, he will make the sausages and put them to the ultimate test by entering them into fine food competitions.

There are national competitions such as the Great Taste Awards and Speciality Food Awards coming up and they are a great way to test the product, he said. Food writers would give an honest opinion, and following on from that we'd stock them in the shop.

Herterichs' reputation for tasty sausages is a longstanding one, and Louis claimed customers come from far and wide to buy his produce.

I just had a woman in the shop from Cork who came in and bought 27lbs of sausages to bring home with her because she says they're the best, he revealed. People from all over the world come to us, too, and I know there's a huge Irish population in Singapore who enjoy our sausages  one customer brought half a suitcase back with them recently.

People want the best and we have a great reputation, having been in business for 100 years. Our sausages have no additives or preservatives, and we mix our own spices, too.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: March 11 2016

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano and the Veterans Services Agency (VSA) today announced the creation of a new food pantry for veterans in need of canned food, toiletries and books

Nassau County, NY - March 11th, 2016 - Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano and the Veterans Services Agency (VSA) today announced the creation of a new food pantry for veterans in need of canned food, toiletries and books. Veterans may visit the Nassau County Veterans Service Agency, located at 2201 Hempstead Turnpike, Building Q in East Meadow, Monday  Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. All donations are welcome!



My administration is committed to providing a better life for our veterans, said County Executive Mangano. Whether veterans are in need of benefit assistance, housing or canned food and toiletries, the Nassau County Veterans Service Agency is here to help. If you serve, you deserve!



The VSA advocates for hometown heroes and their dependents with the United States Veterans Administration, as well as New York State and Nassau County agencies. VSA Counselors are available to educate veterans on programs and benefits in which they are entitled to, as well as assist individuals with financial and economic issues.



Nassau - an officially declared Purple Heart County - hosts a Veteran Stand Down twice a year along with United Veterans Organization (UVO) which provides free food, clothing and access to valuable services for veterans in need. This years Stand Downs will be held on Tuesday, July 12th from 10:00 a.m.  2:00 p.m. at the American Legion in Hempstead and on Tuesday, November 22nd from 10:00 a.m.  2:00 p.m. at a location to be determined.



The County will also host a POW-MIA Memorial Service in Eisenhower Park on Thursday, September 8th at 11:00 a.m. Immediately following the service, County Executive Mangano and the VSA will host 2,000 veterans at Nassau Countys 6th Annual Veterans BBQ in Eisenhower Park.



Since taking office in 2010, County Executive Mangano has enhanced services for Nassaus 100,000 veterans, including free transportation to the Northport VA Hospital and the East Meadow Clinic. The Mangano administration also established 42 homes, located on Mitchel Field, to provide affordable housing for veterans and their families and an additional 18 homes for active-duty military personnel.



Additionally, the County helped rehabilitate five two-bedroom townhouses in Hempstead for homeless veterans and their families.



For more information, veterans may visit the Nassau County Veterans Service Agency at 2201 Hempstead Turnpike, Building Q, in East Meadow or can call (516)-572-6565.



If transportation is needed, veterans may call (516)-572-6526.
Local News, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: March 11 2016

US Senator Chuck Schumer endorsed Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky in the race to replace Dean Skelos in the State Senate.

Five Towns, NY - March 11th, 2016 - Today, United States Senator Chuck Schumer endorsed Assemblyman and former federal prosecutor Todd Kaminsky in the race to replace Dean Skelos in the State Senate.



As the former lead prosecutor of the federal governments local public corruption unit, Kaminsky won big cases against corrupt Democrats and Republicans before his election to the State Assembly. Since then, Kaminsky has delivered results for Long Island, winning tax relief for Sandy victims, significantly increasing education funding for the South Shore, and passing reforms to hold Albany lawmakers accountable.



At a Friday press conference in the Five Towns, Schumer said: Todd Kaminsky is exactly who Long Islanders need to clean up Albany. As a federal corruption prosecutor, Todd took on the tough cases and made sure that if you broke the law, you were held accountable - regardless of whether you are a Democrat or Republican.



As an Assemblyman, Todd has proven that he will do whatever it takes to stand up for his community and fought to lower taxes for middle-class families. Now, in this critical election, we need a leader who will protect taxpayer dollars, take on corruption and fight for Superstorm Sandy victims. That candidate is Todd Kaminsky, and I enthusiastically endorse him for State Senate.



In accepting the endorsement, Todd Kaminsky said: Its time to end the era of politics-as-usual that has overtaken Albany. I have spent my career working to root out corruption and I wont stop until Long Island taxpayers get the state government they deserve. I am thrilled to have Senator Schumers endorsement in this effort because no one knows better than him how to honorably represent our community. Senator Schumer exemplifies what it means to be a public servant and I look forward to working with him to lower taxes and stand up for the State of Israel.



The 9th Senate District seat became automatically vacant upon the conviction of Dean Skelos in December on charges of bribery, extortion and conspiracy. The Nassau County Democrats chose Kaminsky as their preference for the seat on January 5.



As a federal prosecutor, Kaminsky successfully prosecuted former Senator Pedro Espada and former Assemblymen William Boyland among others.



About Todd Kaminsky

Assemblyman Kaminsky has spent his career fighting for Long Island families and working to end government corruption. As a federal prosecutor representing Long Island, Brooklyn and Queens, and as acting deputy chief of the Public Integrity Section, Todd took down corrupt elected officials, drug kingpins and other major felons.



In 2014, Todd was elected to represent the South Shore in the New York State Assembly. During his first term, Todd fought for and won ethics reforms, tax breaks, aid for Sandy victims, and a new emergency center at South Nassau Communities Hospital. Todd authored the most laws by a first-year assemblymember in recent New York State history.
Sports & Recreation, Local News, Top Ten on Long Island, Travel & Local Attractions, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: March 11 2016

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano announces that Old Bethpage Village Restoration will host Step into Spring on Saturday, April 9th & Sunday, April 10th.

Old Bethpage, NY - March 11th, 2016 - Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano announces that Old Bethpage Village Restoration will host Step into Spring on Saturday, April 9th and Sunday, April 10th from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.



The Step into Spring events will include Hands on Activities such as birthday candle making, pinch pot, string doll, and seed planting.



Historical Trade demonstrations including: candle dipping, hat making, broom making, and cooking. As well as, learning the process of how maple syrup is made, including how to identify sugar maple, tapping the tree, boiling the sap, making maple sugar, and cooking with maple products.



As we leave winter behind, I invite residents to get out of the house and Step into Spring while enjoying the fun family-friendly activities Old Bethpage Village Restoration has to offer, said County Executive Mangano.



Old Bethpage Village Restoration provides visitors with a unique and wonderful opportunity to step back in time and experience life in a recreated mid-19th Century American village set on more than 200 acres. Hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m.  4:00 p.m.



Entrance fees are: $10 for adults, $7 for children (5 - 12), seniors and volunteer firefighters. Old Bethpage Village Restoration is located at 1303 Round Swamp Road in Old Bethpage (Exit 48 of the Long Island Expressway).



For more information about Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation and Museum, please call: (516) 572-0200, or visit the website.
Looking to stay up to date about all of the news stories and local headlines that are important to Long Islanders? We've rounded up the top coverage for all of the important topics from multiple sources around Long Island, so you can be sure you've got the most recent update on the top stories for Long Island. Have an idea for a news story? Email us at news@longisland.com

Columnists Press Releases
Hisham Ali Ashmawi, as pictured in a new message released on March 3.

Hisham Ali Ashmawi, a former Egyptian special forces officer who is openly loyal to al Qaeda, released an audio message earlier this month in which he called on scholars to support the jihadists cause.

Ashmawi, also known as Abu Umar al Muhajir, is the leader of Al Murabitoon, an al Qaeda-linked group that operates in the Sinai and elsewhere in North Africa.

Ashmawi claimed Egyptian Muslims are experiencing a tragedy under President Abdel Fattah El Sisis rule. The ulema (Islamic scholars) should incite the youth and remind them it is now our duty to expel the invaders from the abode of Islam and wage jihad against the criminal El Sisi, his soldiers, and supporters, he added, according to a translation obtained by The Long War Journal.

Ashmawi argued that the mujahideen cannot be victorious unless the ulema and sheikhs support them. The jihadists battlesto settle the conflict between truth and falsehood will not continue, nor be successful, without the scholars help in mobilizing the people.

Ashmawis 23-minute audio statement, which was disseminated via social media on March 3, is likely intended to influence Egyptian clerics and rally them to al Qaedas cause in the Sinai and elsewhere. His message is accompanied by a still photo of him dressed in military garb with his face obscured.

Al Murabitoon attempted to tie Ashmawis latest message to the jihadists conflict with Israel. Images from Jerusalem are shown at the end of production. (A screen shot can be seen on the right.) And the words, O Aqsa, we are coming, are flashed on the screen. This is a reference to the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.

The first message attributed to Ashmawi was released in July 2015, when he announced his leadership role in Al Murabitoon. [See LWJ report, Former Egyptian special forces officer leads Al Murabitoon.]

It is not entirely clear how Ashmawis group fits into al Qaedas network as another al Qaeda-linked organization, led by Mokhtar Belmokhtar, also calls itself Al Murabitoon and operates in North Africa. Ashmawi is likely responsible for at least some of al Qaedas efforts inside Egypt, and he may be al Qaedas overall emir inside the country. The US targeted Belmokhtar in an airstrike last June, but his fate remains uncertain. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Al Murabitoon, and Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula have all issued statements denying that Belmokhtar was killed.

Ashmawi was once a leading figure in Ansar Bayt al Maqdis (ABM), which swore allegiance to the Islamic States Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. ABM was subsequently rebranded as the Islamic States Sinai province and is waging a prolific campaign against Egyptian security forces. The arm of the Islamic State also claimed responsibility for downing a Russian airliner last October.

Unlike his comrades in ABM, however, Ashmawi did not join the Islamic States expanding global network. Instead, he remained faithful to al Qaeda.

In August 2015, the Islamic States supporters claimed that Ashmawi was in Libya and assisting the caliphates jihadists rivals. Baghdadis loyalists even released a wanted dead poster for the former Egyptian military officer, underscoring the Islamic States enmity for him. [See LWJ report, The Islamic States wanted dead list in Libya.]

Egyptian officials have accused Ashmawi of being involved in a string of high-profile attacks since he left the military and joined the jihadists.

Hisham Barakat, Egypts chief prosecutor, was killed by a car bomb in Cairo in June 2015. Thus far, no jihadist group has claimed responsibility for the assassination. Egyptian authorities initially said Ashmawi was responsible. But Egypts interior minister, Maj. Gen. Magdi Abdel Ghaffar, alleged earlier this month that the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas were actually behind the operation. Ghaffars claims drew skepticism, however, as he contradicted earlier assessments offered to the public and he didnt provide concrete evidence to back up his allegations.

Previous Egyptian press accounts have also claimed that Ashmawi is suspected of masterminding the attempted assassination of Mohammad Ibrahim, who was then Egypts interior minister, in September 2013. As The Long War Journal previously reported, the plot against Ibrahim revealed a number of intriguing connections between Ashmawi and al Qaedas global network. Walid Badr, the suicide bomber who attempted to kill Ibrahim, also once served in the Egyptian military. Both Badr and Ashmawi reportedly fought in Syria under the banner of Al Nusrah Front, an official branch of al Qaeda.

Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
Two top al Qaeda leaders provided detailed feedback on the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistans charter, according to one of the 113 documents taken from Osama bin Ladens Abbottabad compound and released by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence last week. The document, and others previously released, highlights al Qaedas influence over the Pakistani jihadist group.

Al Qaeda leaders Abu Yahya al Libi (Shaykh Abu Yahya) and Atiyah Abd al Rahman (Shaykh Mahmud al Hasan) inserted instructions, comments, advice, and requests for more information in the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistans charter, which clearly was submitted to al Qaeda for approval and feedback. While the date of the document was not disclosed, it was likely written sometime in 2007. The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, or TTP, was formed in December 2007.

At that time, Atiyah and Abu Yahya likely served under Mustafa Abu Yazids staff. Yazid, who is also known as Sheikh Saeed al Masri, was al Qaedas chief of staff during that timeframe. Both Atiyah and Abu Yahya eventually served as al Qaedas chief of staff.

Atiyah and Abu Yahyas response to the TTPs charter is detailed. The two al Qaeda leaders seemed concerned about the lack of clarity in the TTPs suggested methods of appointing its leader, deputy leader, shura council members, and the leaders of the local TTP branches, as well as how disputes are resolved. Atiyah and Abu Yahya pointed out the flaws in the TTP charter, and made suggestions based on their interpretation of sharia, or Islamic law.

For instance, while the TTP outlines the duties of its leader, or emir, Atiyah and Abu Yahya note that the TPP did not detail how he was chosen and how he can be dismissed, or how a deputy emir and the members of the shura council are appointed. The two al Qaeda leaders make suggestions on all of these areas.

After we covered the Amir, his deputy, their attributes, and responsibilities, we should cover the Shura Council, their membership count, the attributes of their members, the duties of the Shura Council, how they reach crucial decisions to include their meetings timetable, and whether it should be on a monthly, bimonthly, or a six-month basis, they wrote.

Atiyah and Abu Yahyas advice on the TTPs selection process for a new emir proved to be prescient. After the US killed Hakeemullah Mehsud in a drone strike in late 2013, the TTP fractured over the selection of a new leader. Several important TTP subgroups split from the center after Fazlullah was appointed to replace Hakeemullah. [See LWJ report, Discord dissolves Pakistani Taliban coalition.]

The TTP also outlines the roles and responsibilities of its committees, which includes:

Finance

Information

Intelligence

Judicial

Enjoin what is Just and Forbid Evil (Virtue and Vice)

Prisoners

Preaching and Guidance

Reform

Martyrs, Prisoners, Handicapped, Orphans, and the Poor

Negotiation with the Enemy

Atiyah and Abu Yahya provide comments at several points within the committee description. One interesting exchange occurred at the end of the document, when the TTP discussed the Negotiation with the Enemy Committee:

The Immigrants are not to interfere in any local issues, point number 11 stated.

The two al Qaeda leaders marked this as an issue of concern, and stated This subject is to be looked into. I will separately send you my comments on this important subject.

In the next point, the TTP noted Every member of the Movement is to take care of the Immigrants (Muhajirin) and consider them as a part of him.

Additionally, the link between the TTP and the Afghan Taliban has often been dismissed as merely lip service, but the TTP felt it was important enough to place the relationship in its charter.

In the first point, the Negotiation with the Enemy Committee noted All of the Mujahidin of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TPP) are to trust the rule of the Amir of the Believers Mullah Muhammad Omar Mujahid, and to consider him as their emir.

The fact that two influential al Qaeda leaders edited the TTPs charter should come as no surprise. The close links between the two groups have been detailed multiple times. In one instance, Muhammad Khurasani, the TTPs central spokesman, noted that Ustad Ahmad Farooq, al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinents (AQIS) deputy emir who was killed in a drone strike in 2015, oversaw Umar Medias activities and provided guidance. Umar Media is the official propaganda arm of the TTP. Khurasani noted he frequently worked with Farooq, who prior to serving as the deputy emir of AQIS led al Qaeda in Pakistans media efforts.

Additionally, in another letter seized from Abbottabad that was written in December 2010 by Atiyah to Hakemullah Mehsud, who at the time was the emir of the TTP, the al Qaeda leader asserted the groups authority over the TTP. The letter referred to other exchanges between the TTP and al Qaeda, and while it was contentious, it highlights al Qaedas primacy over the TTP.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
Explore Wales & The Picturesque British Countryside with Cox & Kings



The Undiscovered Wales takes guests from Cardiff, the country's bustling, timeless capital to the Brecon Beacons where hills and valleys are home to unique towns like Hay-on-Wye (a book lover's paradise) and stately homes like Tredegar House. Throughout this handcrafted journey guests are introduced to this often-overlooked country of the United Kingdom with a tour of the open-air St. Fagan's National History Museum, a scenic boat ride on the Monmouth and Brecon Canals, and Betws-y-Coed the charming alpine village in Snowdina National Park. They will immerse themselves in Welsh cuisine during a private culinary experience, and marvel at the historic 12th Century Caenarfon Castle while spending their nights in boutique hotels and regal country estates. The price for this 9 day, 8 night journey is $8550 per person based on two people traveling together and double occupancy.





Guests looking to go off the beaten British path will enjoy Picturesque Yorkshire, a region home to atmospheric moors, verdant valleys and spectacular coastline, as well as a rich history that spans the millennia. This journey through Yorkshire offers guests the opportunity to step back in time and explore as a local. After discovering Manchester with a private guide, guests travel on to York where they will walk amongst the city's medieval walls with a local historian. From there it is onto Harrogate, and a visit to the village of Goathland, better known as Hogsmeade in the Harry Potter films. They will immerse themselves in the magnificent countryside of North York Moors National Park with a scenic ride on the steam-hauled North York Moors Railway, and see Bolton Abbey in historic Yorkshire Dales National Park. There will be a visit to Fountains Abbey, home to beautiful gardens and a pastoral deer park before heading up Wensleydale to Middleham where thoroughbreds are training for upcoming races. Guests will take in the spectacular views of Bolton Castle and Wensleydale before stopping at the market town of Leyburn. The price for this 7 day, 6 night journey is $5890 per person based on two people traveling together and double occupancy.





The Gems of the Lake District offers 6 days, 5 nights of exploration through the beautiful woods, rivers, lakes and mountains that have inspired generations of painters and writers. Beginning in the industrial city of Manchester, guests will learn about the city's rich history and Gothic architecture. For the next three days, an elegant Georgian country estate set on 22 acres in Windermere will be home. From here, guests will admire the views from mountain passes, discover ancient castles and tour the fascinating towns and villages that surround the ten stunning lakes. With a private guide, follow in Roman Emperor Hadrian's footsteps and discover Hardknott Fort, continue onto Ravenglass and enjoy a ride on the miniature Ravenglass and Eskdale narrow gauge railway. Cruise Lake Windermere to Waterhead, and with a private historian tour Hill Top Farm, the 17th century cottage where Beatrix Potter lived and wrote many of her famous children's stories. Finally trace the history of William Wordsworth in the medieval village of Hawkshead. The price for this 6 day, 5 night journey is $5515 per person based on two people traveling together and double occupancy.



Each of these three new journeys capture the history, scenic coastal beauty and iconic royal majesty of this enchanting land.For the 2016-2017 travel year, Cox & Kings is meeting the demands of today's traveler with a larger selection of short trips or Spotlight Journeys' around the globe. New this year within the UK's is Cardiff, Wales . During this 4 day, 3 night itinerary, guests will discover the 2,000 year old Cardiff Castle, wander the new Wales Millennium Center and the Victorian-era Queens Shopping Arcade. They will walk through the beautiful Bute Park, take a ferry ride to explore the newly rivitalized Cardiff Bay and learn the culinary history of the city while sampling several traditional Welsh treats at Cardiff Market, which dates back to 1891.
 Samuel Richter and www.mainstreetliberal.com, 2010-2018. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this sites author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Samuel Richter and www.mainstreetliberal.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.








The paper copies of the March issue are now well on their way to subscribers. You can also read the full contents online (subscription or trial required).

There is a special focus on patents in this issue, with the second part of the IP STARS rankings listing the top firms in some 80 jurisdictions. You can read these, and the rankings for trade mark work, on the IP STARS website.

To complement the patent rankings, we decided to examine trends in a couple of interesting areas of patent practice.

In "Institutional change", our Americas editor Michael Loney takes a look at the past and future of the PTAB in the United States. He reports that the Board is taking a harder line on institution, using data including rankings of the top petitioners, patent owners, law firms and attorneys at the PTAB in 2015.

PTAB data PTAB data

Michael also previews the Cuozzo case heading to the Supreme Court, which addresses both the broadest reasonable interpretation standard and the possibility of reviewing decisions to institute. Note that the online version of the article includes extended analysis of issues including the redundancy clampdown, motions to amend claims and how estoppel is being applied.

The second topic we look at is one that will be alien to practitioner in many countries: utility models. With applications soaring in China (a trend that grew in 2015, according to data I saw this week), but falling in many countries, we ask: what is the point of utility models?

Utility model trends Utility model trends

Economists are divided over the merits of utility models (or petty patents) in promoting innovation. Indeed, as we report in this article, Australia is reviewing its innovation patent system. However, from China to Germany, practitioners we spoke to argued that utility models can have a role to play in a multi-tool patent strategy. In particular, as Andy Booth of Dyson told me, they can provide important interim protection where fast-track patent examination is not available.

Whether utility models are appropriate for you or not, they cannot be ignored - especially in China - so we hope the article provides some food for thought.

Other features in the March issue include: a review of trade mark cases in Malaysia; our second UPC scenario dealing with an SPC and licensing issues; patent jurisdiction in China; trade secrets in the cloud; patenting computer programs in India; and further analysis of trends at the PTAB.

We also have our monthly international briefings articles written by the sponsoring firms in each jurisdiction, and the monthly gossip from our fictional columnist John of Utynam.

Read all of this on the dedicated page.
The number and severity of reported incidents against ships in Asia declined significantly in February compared with both the previous month and previous year period, ReCAAP reported.



A total of three incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia in February 2016. No piracy incident was reported. Graph 1 shows the number of incidents reported between February 2015 and February 2016. The number of incidents reported in February 2016 is lowest among the 12-months period.



Further, no incidents involving oil cargo theft was reported in February 2016, continuously from September 2015.



All three incidents in February 2016 were Category 4 incidents, indicating that the incidents were opportunitistic in nature involving perpetrators who were not armed and escaped immediately after realising that they have been sighted by the crew. Of the three incidents, one reported loss of stores and in the other two incidents, nothing was stolen.



Of the three incidents reported in February 2016, two occurred on board ships while anchored in India (Tuna Buoy anchorage, Kandla and Haldia Dock Complex, Kolkata); and the third incident occurred while the ship was underway in the Gulf of Khambat off Gadhula, India.



The situation of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia continued to improve in February 2016 with lowest number of incidents reported during February 2015-February 2016. Coupled with the decrease in the number of incidents was also a reduction in the severity level of incidents. Notably, no incident involving hijacking of tankers for theft of oil cargo had been reported since September 2015. Also, there was no report of unauthorised boarding in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) since November 2015.



However, more needs to be done at certain ports and anchorages in India where the port authorities along with the state marine police and relevant enforcement agencies need to enhance their surveillance; and ship masters and crew to maintain stringent watch-keeping while their ships are anchored/berthed there.



Whilst there has been improvement, consolidated efforts by the stakeholders at sea and on land to do their part towards apprehension and prosecution of the perpetrators are key towards clamping down this maritime crime.
The crowd of spectators swelled with anticipation as a formation of Marines, dressed in pristine blue dress uniforms and brandishing M1 Garand rifles, took the field. As the platoon commenced their unique precision drill routine, no verbal commands were necessary and only a cadence of acute clacks from the rifles broke their silence.



The Silent Drill Platoon, Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Corps, and the Official Marine Corps Color Guard comprise the Marine Corps Battle Color Detachment and performed during a Battle Color Ceremony at Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray Field March 9, 2016.



The detachment of more than 100 Marines travels worldwide to demonstrate several key traits of United States Marines, to include discipline, dedication and bearing.



I really love seeing ceremonies like this because it epitomizes the Esprit de Corps and morale of our branch, said Cpl. Jamar Hodge, awards clerk, Installation Personnel Administration Center. Being able to see them perform is a great opportunity because it shows the level of discipline a Marine can reach.



The Drum and Bugle Corps, also known as The Commandants Own, began the ceremony with selections composed by Italian composer and musicologist, Ottorino Respighi, accompanied by complex and precise formation movements.



I think its a great experience, said Marisa McDonald, military spouse. I home school my seven-year-olds so its really cool for them to be able to see this side of the Marine Corps and then get up close and interact with the Marines.



For the climax of the ceremony, the Marine Corps Color Guard presented the battle colors adorned with streamers and silver bands, which symbolize the 54 military campaigns and more than 400 battles in which the Marine Corps has played a role throughout history. The ceremony concluded with the Marines of the detachment remaining on the field to greet those in attendance.



I love coming out, talking with the people and being able to represent a positive image for the Marine Corps, said Lance Cpl. Megan Almojuela, soprano bugler, Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Corps. Its great to show people something fantastic that they may only get one chance to see in their lives.



The Marines with the Battle Color Detachment are scheduled to continue their tour and will move on to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma and Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego in the days to come.





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Secretary of Defense Ash Carter approved the Marine Corps Force Integration Implementation Plan, which systematically opens all military occupational specialties, March 10, 2016.

The Marine Corps utilized the time afforded to the services and United States Special Operations Command to develop a comprehensive plan to fully implement the policy of the Secretary of Defense. As a result of the research, the Marine Corps instituted clearly defined gender neutral, operationally relevant, individual performance standards across the spectrum of Marine training and military occupation specialties, which facilitates the matching of Marines to jobs for which they are best qualified.

This systematic plan is conditions-based and event-driven, with many actions occurring in the first 12 months.

The implementation plan was deliberately and thoughtfully designed to ensure that the Marine Corps takes advantage of this opportunity to maximize the talent and skills of all its Marines and to make sure we sustain the most combat effective force, said Maj. Misty Posey, plans officer for Manpower Plans Integration.

A large subject of controversy is the idea that the Marine Corps will lower physical standards because of this change.

Thats absolutely not the case; thats never been part of the plan, said Posey. In most cases, when we codified our standard, they actually are higher than what they were before.

The implementation process can be broken down into four broad sections: screening, classification, qualification and continuation.





SCREENING

When an applicant applies for a ground combat arms military occupation specialty they are required to meet the screening standard before leaving for recruit training.

To meet the screening standard, the applicant must complete a ground combat arms initial strength test. This test is very similar to the current IST. They will execute pull-ups, crunches and a 1.5-mile run, with the addition of ammo can lifts. Both men and women will need to get a minimum of three pull-ups.

As you travel through the entry-level pipeline, the test gets a little bit harder and a little bit more direct, said Posey.

CLASSIFICATION

While in recruit training, the recruit must meet a specific score on both the physical fitness test and the combat fitness test to attend a ground combat arms MOS school after graduating. This time around, both men and women must get a minimum of 6 pull-ups on the PFT in addition to a specific score or higher.

If a recruit does not pass the classification standard they will be put into another MOS they are physically qualified for.

When a recruit passes an MOS classification standard, which consists of PFT and CFT events, that tells the Marine Corps that they have the minimum level of physical prowess to begin their MOS school, said Posey. It doesnt guarantee that they will pass it.

QUALIFICATION

During a ground combat arms MOS school, both men and women must pass the MOS specific physical standard.

These standards are not as straight forward as getting a particular score on the PFT and CFT because they vary depending on the MOS and fall in line with the existing tests of the school.

If you must hike under load over a certain distance carrying a certain weight to be in that MOS, well thats exactly what you are going to do, said Posey.

CONTINUATION

Once a Marine has passed a ground combat arms MOS school they will finally be sent to their new unit, but the evaluation of their physical performance does not stop.

Once you get the MOS and youre in the operating forces, to keep that MOS you have to continually prove that you have the physical prowess to serve in that MOS, said Posey.

Proving a Marine who is still physically capable and proficient at their respective MOS will be up to the units commanding officers. The evaluations will vary and can be done as a unit during an exercise or training event.

We want to make sure the standards provide reasonable assurance that a Marine can physically perform and even excel in their MOS, said Posey. But we want to also make sure that the physical standards are not unnecessarily high because then you exclude qualified women and men.

UNIT ASSIGNMENT CRITERIA

Marines directly in a ground combat arms MOS are not the only ones affected by the integration.

A load-bearing unit is any ground combat arms unit that is the most physically demanding for support MOS Marines. These include units such as infantry, reconnaissance, light-armored reconnaissance and more.

For support MOS Marines to be assigned to such units they must meet the unit assignment criteria, which is having a high first-class annual PFT and CFT.

So Marines take their PFT and CFT, their scores are reported and when monitors are making assignments to units, they will simply look at the scores to determine who is eligible for assignment to a load-bearing, ground combat arms unit and who is not, said Posey.

To help prevent these load-bearing units of having institutional biases toward women, each one will have a few senior enlisted female Marines. These Marines will be there to perform their duties while helping male Marines get used to having women around and can also act as mentors to both male and female junior Marines.

These senior enlisted Marines will need to meet all of the same standards in order to be assigned to these units.

Posey believes that integration and this plan will only strengthen the Marine Corps as a whole.

More people competing for the same jobs and assignments will help create a definitive standard across the board.

When you broaden the population from which you select your best and most fully qualified Marines, youre opening up to more competition and competition tends to drive up performance, said Posey. If I have ten applicants for a job and I only have room for five, why not interview all ten because then I will probably get the best five.

This plan will allow for the best and brightest, regardless of gender, to have the opportunity to prove their talents and skills while truly being part of the team.
The current meme for the global economy: Excluding the US (and to a lesser extent the UK), growth overall isn't looking too hot and it may need help-particularly in the form of fiscal and/or monetary stimulus. However, the story is more nuanced than that. While pockets of weakness certainly exist (particularly in commodity-reliant nations), much of the world is growing-and the strong can keep pulling the laggards along. Stocks still have plenty of economic support.

Updated GDP figures confirm broadening, underappreciated growth. See the much-maligned eurozone, which has quietly grown for 11 straight quarters. The second estimate of Q4 2015 GDP confirmed growth of 0.3% q/q, and with 17 of 19 members reporting, only Latvia (-0.3 q/q) contracted. Germany grew just 0.3% q/q, but the bloc's hottest economy, Ireland, jumped 2.7% q/q-bringing full-year growth to 7.8%. The report also adds more color about quarterly growth, as gross fixed capital formation (1.3%), household spending (0.2%), exports (0.2%) and imports (0.9%) all rose. All are signs external and domestic demand are driving growth forward, contrary to constant handwringing otherwise, and January retail sales volumes' 0.4% m/m (2.0% y/y) rise suggests 2016 started off on the right foot.

Commodity-heavy economies have also gotten a bad rap, particularly with Brazil and Russia sinking deeper into recession, but they aren't uniformly weak. Australia expanded 2.6% annualized (0.6% q/q) in Q4 2015, as consumer spending (0.7% q/q) added 0.4 percentage point to quarterly growth-helping offset mining's struggles. Similarly, Canada, hit hard by falling oil prices, grew 0.8% annualized in Q4, besting expectations. Household spending rose 0.2% q/q, with services (0.4% q/q) the biggest contributing component. While both Australia and Canada have big commodity sectors, they aren't one-trick ponies like Brazil and Russia.

Throw in the US and UK's solid Q4 GDP reports, and it's pretty clear the developed world is doing just fine, overall and on average. It isn't all bluebirds and lemonade, as Japan's struggles continued with the second estimate of Q4 GDP revised only slightly higher to a -1.1% annualized contraction. The upward revision isn't really cheerworthy either, as it came from inventories-always subject to interpretation. The higher number could either mean businesses are anticipating more demand or they're struggling to work through existing inventory. Given tepid domestic demand (private consumption fell -0.9% q/q), the latter seems more likely. But though Japan has struggled for years, with three recessions since 2011, it has yet to derail the current global expansion-and we see no reason this will change.

So far, early indications are Q1 started off on a reasonably nice note. In the US, the February Institute for Supply Management's Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 49.5 from January's 48.2, while the Non-Manufacturing PMI ticked down from 53.5 to 53.4. (Readings over 50 indicate expansion.) While the media largely glossed over the latter, instead highlighting the contractionary reading in Markit's US Services PMI, this seems a tad myopic. Besides the usual "monthly data are volatile" disclaimer, Markit's gauge also has a much shorter history (it has never existed during a recession) and has been far more volatile than ISM's gauge, even though ISM's includes the very troubled mining sector. So we'd consider ISM's growth reading more telling. As for manufacturing, though its contractionary streak continued, this shouldn't necessarily signal trouble. PMIs are surveys reporting how many businesses grew or not, giving, at best, a rough picture of recent economic conditions. They don't measure magnitude of growth (or contraction). So a slower PMI reading like ISM Non-Manufacturing's doesn't automatically translate to a slower economy, and a contracting PMI doesn't always mean activity falls sector-wide-a point France has proven numerous times since 2013. More telling is that the New Orders subindex for both Manufacturing (51.5) and Non-Manufacturing (55.5) point to future growth. Today's orders are tomorrow's production.

February PMI readings across the Atlantic similarly slowed but remained above 50-nothing suggesting contraction. Eurozone and UK Manufacturing PMIs were 51.2 and 50.8, respectively. For Services, the eurozone hit 53.3 and the UK eased a bit to 52.7. Even Industrial Production gauges-which have been soft-enjoyed a rebound in January. German Industrial Production rose 3.3% m/m, its fastest monthly jump since September 2009, while French Industrial Production bested expectations at 1.3% m/m. UK Industrial Production rose 0.3% m/m, as manufacturing (0.7% m/m) more than offset North Sea oil's continued decline. Now, we aren't arguing one month of Industrial Production data is reason to be bullish. However, it does counter the many fears of faltering heavy industry dragging down the global economy.

That leaves China, where February trade numbers weren't great: Exports fell -25.4% y/y and imports dropped -13.8% y/y (both in US dollar terms), extending longer declines. However, the Lunar New Year holiday likely skewed the numbers, as it does every year. China typically lumps January and February data together to account for the Lunar New Year's shifting placement on the Gregorian calendar. Compared to last year's January/February, exports fell a not-as-bad -17.9% y/y, though imports were a bit worse at -16.6% y/y. However, falling commodity prices impact those import figures quite a bit. In volume terms, imports of raw materials rose. And another big caveat: Chinese trade data cover only goods, not services. Cross-reads from other trading partners show Chinese demand remains solid. For example, Australia reported services exports (many to China, its largest trading partner) are now outpacing commodity exports for the first time in almost six years. Sectors like tourism-where visitors from China are up almost 22% from 2014-are booming. While growth is indeed slowing as the economy transitions to a services-led model, the evidence counters fears China's current prospects are dire.

In our view, folks fretting the global economy's weak spots aren't giving enough credit to the stronger parts-a bullish disconnect between dour expectations and a better-than-believed reality. This has been good enough for stocks for nearly seven years now, and it's still bullish. Stocks move most on the gap between expectations and reality, and folks recognizing that economic drivers are in better shape than previously thought should help boost investor sentiment-driving the global bull market higher.
Martinsville Police Chief Sean Dunn admits he cannot explain why, despite increases in several years, crime has sharply declined overall in the city during the past decade.

"I really dont know," said Dunn, who came to Martinsville in May 2014 to oversee the police force. "Without me being here (longer), Id really hate to take a stab at it."

Possibilities that he mentioned, though, include a decline in the citys population as well as improvements to the local economy that have helped jobless people find work. When people have jobs to support themselves, it lessens their desire to steal, for instance, and reduces stress that sometimes can lead to violence, he said.

"Certainly, Id hope that good police work has something to do with it," too, he said of the decline.

The Martinsville Police Departments latest annual report, released earlier this week, shows the number of crimes committed in the city has dropped from 583 in 2005 to 469 last year. That is despite increases in five of the past 11 years  the highest total being 682 in 2007  before drops occurred.

The number of property crimes fell from 515 in 2005 to 413 last year, the report shows. Burglaries, larcenies (including shopliftings), vehicle thefts and arsons are included in that category.

Property crimes rose during the same years  2006, 2007, 2011, 2013 and 2015  that spikes in overall crime occurred. The highest number of property crimes to occur in a year within the past decade was 621 in 2007, the report reveals.

The report puts much emphasis on the overall drop in crime that has occurred since 2013, when a total of 573 criminal incidents were reported. Overall crime dropped to 448 incidents in 2014 before rising to 469 last year.

Dunn considers 2013 to be a baseline year because since then, the police department implemented measures aimed at improving policing. Those include bicycle patrols, which help officers reach places that police cruisers cannot, and the addition of two new canine units, according to the report.

The number of property crimes dropped from 506 in 2013 to 395 the following year before increasing to 413 last year, the report shows.

Dunn cautioned against reading too much into last years increases.

"Just because crime is up a little bit doesnt mean youre not doing the right things" as a police force to control it, he said.

He noted the police departments emphasis in the past year, at the request of merchants, to reduce shoplifting. The number of reported shoplifting incidents climbed from 92 in 2014 to 114 last year, the report shows.

When police get more aggressive in fighting crime, even one particular type, it is going to cause an increase in statistics, Dunn said.

Like property crimes and overall crime, the number of violent crimes increased during five of the past 11 years although the category shows an overall drop from 68 in 2005  the highest figure  to 56 last year. The latter was three more than in 2014, the report shows.

Violent crimes include murders, robberies and sexual and aggravated assaults.

Of 35 aggravated assaults that occurred last year, 21 involved domestic disputes, Dunn said, mentioning that he wants to work with the Martinsville Commonwealths Attorneys Office and others to find ways to reduce domestic violence. It is hard to prosecute such cases, he said, because frequently before they reach the courtroom, the people involved have reconciled and no longer want to pursue charges.

Most crime today  violent or not  somehow is connected to the use, sale or distribution of illegal drugs, Dunn said.

He wants to keep police work to combat the drug problem as visible as possible because otherwise, people involved "feel more empowered" to be violent, he said.

For instance, he mentioned, he would rather see a few drug sellers indicted and arrested periodically rather than a much larger number being indicted and arrested at one time over the course of a year or two.

Late Wednesday, Dunn did not have arrest and conviction figures for reported crimes.

But as crime is reduced, fewer arrests will be made overall, he emphasized.

He predicted that crime in Martinsville will continue to decrease if the public continues to work with police to battle the problem, such as by keeping an eye on neighborhood activities and reporting anything suspicious.
The immediate past chairman of the Henry County Republican Party said he thinks 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney was "very much out of line" in his harsh criticism of Donald Trump; that Trumps popularity shows the Republican establishment is not in touch with the people; that the Republican presidential race now is essentially between Trump and Ted Cruz; and that Marco Rubio and John Kasich should drop out.

W.C. Fowlkes also described as "scare tactics" Carly Fiorina saying that she is among those "horrified" by Trump and some commentators comparisons of Trump to Hitler and some of his supporters as "brown shirts." Fiorina recently endorsed Cruz.

The Associated Press reported that Romney said Trump "is not the temperament of a stable, thoughtful leader." Romney called Trump "a phony" who is "playing the American public for suckers," a man whose "imagination must not be married to real power."

Fowlkes said he thinks Romneys comments were "in very poor taste," "not professional," "almost on the same level of Trump and Rubio a week or 10 days ago," and "made no sense."

If Romney "has an issue" with Trump or anyone in the party, "if he is going to criticize them, he needs to have some type of solution," said Fowlkes, adding he feels Romney offered no solution.

The Associated Press reported that Ron Kaufman, a senior member of the Republican National Committee, openly embraced the possibility of a contested convention: "If thats the only way to stop Trump, it makes sense."

As Kaufman suggested, Romney embraced what might seem a long-shot approach to deny Trump the delegates necessary to secure the nomination, though he did not call on Republicans to unify behind a single alternative, the AP reported.

Fowlkes said he felt Romney was taking "potshots" at Trump, which Fowlkes felt was inappropriate for Romney, being a leader in the GOP by nature of having been the partys 2012 presidential nominee. "I guess voters were correct in not electing him (Romney)" in 2012, Fowlkes said.

He said he believes the current Republican presidential race has "clearly become a two-man race" between Trump and Cruz, neither of whom appears to be the GOP establishment choice. "The establishment is not in touch with the people. The people are speaking up, paying more attention, picking up steam in that regard," Fowlkes said.

He added that Trump "has not been the most eloquent" of the candidates, but "he is making his point and with so many people out there.

"Trump is involved in what would have to be considered middle America, not executives who control so much of the economy (or others in control) , but blue-collar workers, the largest number in any successful economy, the working class. These people have spoken," Fowlkes said.

A lot of candidates have "been talking around" blue-collar workers, "or over them, but not listening to them," Fowlkes said.

"I really dont see much success" with the stop Trump movement, Fowlkes said. However, he added that as of Thursday he thought it was too early to say whether Trump will have the delegates he needs to secure the nomination before the convention. "I think it will be real clear after Tuesday (March 15)."

On Saturday, March 12, a Republican convention is scheduled in Guam, a Democratic caucus in Northern Marianas and a Republican caucus in the District of Columbia. On Tuesday, March 15, primaries are scheduled in Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio, and a Republican caucus is scheduled in the Northern Mariana Islands. The primaries in Florida, Missouri and Ohio are winner take all.

Fowlkes said it seems Trump is "almost insurmountable" in Florida" and that Kasich is slightly ahead in Ohio but within the margin of error. Fowlkes said he believes with Kasichs loss in Michigan, near his home state of Ohio, that Kasich cant be too comfortable about winning Ohio. However, if Kasich does win Ohio, he might also win in some neighboring states.

As for Rubio, Fowlkes said he thought Rubio had promise earlier in the campaign but "has totally lost his way."

Fowlkes said he doesnt know what impact Fiorinas endorsement of Cruz will have.

Fowlkes said he thinks Sanders win in Michigan was "an eye-opener" for the Democrats, that Clinton thought she "had it sewed up," and the fact that Michigan is a big union state probably was a factor.

Fowlkes described Sanders as devout socialist and noted that Clinton "is facing an indictment or whatever happens in that regard I dont know." During a televised debate in Florida Wednesday, in response to a question about whether she would drop out if indicted over emails, Clinton responded, "Oh goodness! That is not going to happen. Im not even answering that question." Fowlkes said he believes if a Republican had been in Clintons position, the Republican would have already had to drop out of the race.

Wanda Green, president of the Piedmont Democratic Womens Club, said she believes the Democratic race has gotten more competitive between Clinton and Sanders as a result of recent primaries and caucuses. "Im still thinking (and hoping) Mrs. Clinton will continue to be the front-runner for the Democrats. I think what she wants to do is a little more realistic and is what the average working person needs."

Green said she favors Clinton over Sanders because she feels Clinton has more experience in government and that she would be a better representative of the United States.

"Sanders has some good ideas. He is an honest person. I dont see a lot of things he is saying are realistic," Green said.

Green said she has no predictions for the primaries and caucuses in the near future.

As for the Republicans, Green said she "would not be happy" if Trump is elected president. "The manner in which he conducts himself, I would not be proud to say he is my president. His comments are out there a little bit."

"I still think if he (Trump) continues to be the front-runner for the Republican Party, I think that would help the Democratic ticket. I cant see America electing someone like Mr. Trump," Green said.

"It looks like Trump is out there ahead of the other people. It looks like people he is catering to like what he is saying," Green said.

Green described Mitt Romneys harsh criticism of Trump as "a whiplash turn"  in the sense that Romney sought Trumps endorsement when Romney ran for president in 2012. Green also described Romneys sharp criticism of Trump as "a sign of desperation." She said she believes the Republican establishment does not want Trump to represent the GOP, that they think Trump would not represent the party well.

Green also said she is fearful how Trump, if elected president, "would behave" around other world leaders.

She said its a "sad situation" that some "outlandish things" have been said by Republican candidates and that "bad talk is not setting an example for good people."

Green said if Rubio doesnt carry Florida, "he needs to throw in the towel."

She considers Kasich "a decent person" and prefers him over Trump and Cruz, but she doesnt know if Kasich can get the momentum going to get the nomination.

Dwayne Waller, chair of the Martinsville-Henry County Democratic Committee, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Jim Enniss, chair of the Martinsville Republican Committee, said, "I dont know if they can stop Trump."

Unless people stop voting the way they have been, Enniss thinks Trump will get the nomination, he said.

As for the Democrats, Enniss thinks Clinton is the preferred candidate.
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SPRINGFIELD -- Mercy Medical Center and LiveWell Springfield have received a $2.5-million, five-year grant from Mercy's parent organization, Trinity Health, to fight health threats in Springfield including smoking and obesity.

Strategies include adding bicycle lanes to city streets, providing breakfasts during school hours and healthier food to children in preschool child care centers and pushing to make it illegal for anyone younger than 21 to buy cigarettes.

The program might also be used to encourage mothers to breast feed their infants rather than bottle feed formula, doctors said Thursday.

"We believe health doesn't begin within the four walls of the hospital or within the four walls of the doctor's exam room," said Dr. Bechara Choucair, senior vice president of safety net transformation and community health for Trinity Health which is based in Livonia, Michigan.

The choice to focus on tobacco and on obesity is an easy one, Choucair said.

"When you look at what is causing deaths in our communities, it is all things that come back to obesity and smoking," he said. "Those are the two things we need to address."

The effort fits in with a trend across the country away from fee-for-service medicine and to a focus on population health, said Dr. Scott A. Wolf, president of Mercy Medical Center and its affiliated entities.

SPRINGFIELD -- Dr. Bechara Choucair, senior vice president of Safety Net Transformation and Community Health at Trinity Health in Livonia Michigan, announces Thursday, March 10, 2016 a $2.5 million grant for wellness and prevention efforts in Springfield

"It's really taking ownership and responsibility for an entire population and an entire community," Wolf said. "This is an exciting day."

LiveWell Springfield is a Community Movement to support healthy living and active living in Springfield.

Mercy Medical Center and Sisters of Providence Health System have been a part of Trinity Health, the nation's second-largest Catholic health system, for three years. Trinity does busiess in 21 states.

This Transforming Communities Grant for Springfield is part of an $80-million national effort with other grants going to Trinity-affiliated organizations in Boise, Idaho; Syracuse, New York; Trenton, New Jersey; Chicago and Silver Spring, Maryland.

Springfield's need is acute, said Jessica Collins, executive director of Partners for a Healthier Community.

A recent survey of 8th grade students in the city showed that just 20 percent of them get the recommended hour of physical activity a day. Less than half of the grade 8 students, 48 percent to be precise, said they had not had a fruit or a vegetable to eat in the last 24 hours.

Springfield had one encouraging statistic: 95 percent of eighth graders said they had not smoked in the last 30 days. That's better than the statewide average of 48 percent.

But Ronn Johnson, president and CEO of Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services in the city's Mason Square neighborhood, said smoking and tobacco is still a big threat. He wants to use the money to make sure those 8th graders who aren't smoking now don't pick it up later.

"And a young person who is smoking tobacco now might start smoking other things later on," Johnson said. "It can lead to all sorts of drug involvement."

The answer, he said, is to give young people and families safe places to engage in wholesome recreation away from the streets and bad influences.

Increasing access to healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables is also the answer, Johnson said. Mason Square is a "food desert" with a proliferation of fast food restaurants and corner stores selling packaged and processed snack but not apples and bananas.
HARTFORD -- Connecticut is spending $643 million in state and federal money improving the rail line from Springfield south to New Haven, with plans to run frequent commuter service by the beginning of 2018.

And now is the time, U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal said Friday, for Springfield and the Pioneer Valley to figure out how to leverage that investment and cooperate with Connecticut to bring more passenger rail service here going both north-south and running east-west from Boston through Worcester to Springfield -- and then on either to New Haven and Amtrak's Northeast Corridor or to Montreal.

"Before you know it they are going to be in Springfield from the Connecticut side," Neal-D-Springfield said Friday following a closed-door meeting with Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy at the statehouse in Hartford. "The state of Connecticut has made a sizable investment in rail."

Malloy, a Democrat who recently came to Springfield stumping for Hillary Clinton, accepted Neal's invitation to visit Springfield again and talk rail service with civic, government and business leaders. Neal also wants to set up a meeting here on passenger rail with Malloy and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican.

"Gov. Baker has been very open minded. I've talked to him about it," Neal said.

Baker and Beacon Hill leaders are talking about expanding the MBTA Green Line or creating a rail link between Boston's North Station and its South Station, itself a $2 billion to $4 billion project. Fall River is also looking for more commuter rail.

"Obviously we are looking for some regional equity," Neal said.

Malloy spoke Friday of Connecticut's plans to use increased commuter rail service to spur economic development in cities including Springfield, Neal said. The need was clear for the Congressman to see Friday, as he was stuck in traffic headed north on Interstate 91 -- one of a rush of people getting out of Hartford at 3 p.m. on a lovely Friday afternoon.

"It is one of the great challenges and opportunities for government," Neal said. "Getting people efficiently from one place to another."

Brennan said metro areas around the country are finding it harder, if not impossible, to add highway lanes. Rail is a good solution to relieve highway congestion.

At this point, Connecticut plans to add 16 trains a day from New Haven to Hartford, with a dozen of those going through Hartford to Springfield.

According to one plan floated, east-west service might involve as many as eight Springfield-Worcester-Boston shuttles a day, as well as long-distance service between Boston and New Haven, Boston and Montreal and New Haven and Montreal through Springfield.

"It underscores that Springfield is really the crossroads of New England when it comes to rail travel," Brennan said.

But it could be 15 years before east-west service is up and running, Brennan said. Tracks are in poor condition for passenger service.

Today, there is only one east-west train a day through Springfield: Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited, which services Cleveland, Chicago and cities in New York.
Each week, MassLive showcases pets available for adoption at shelters at rescue organizations in Western Massachusetts.

With the participation of the shelters listed below, many animals should be able to find a permanent home.

We also provide some pet related news items that we hope you will enjoy.

Pet owners seek alternatives to post-surgery plastic cones

By SUE MANNING

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- Call it the cone of shame. Radar dish. Elizabethan collar.

Whatever the name, pets seem to hate the stiff, lampshade-like piece of plastic that vets often put around their necks to keep them from biting or chewing wounds, stitches or other problem areas.

"She was not a happy camper. She couldn't eat in it, she couldn't play in it, she couldn't move around in it," Brooke Yoder of Millersburg, Ohio, said about her Maltese-Shih Tzu dog, Marley, who got a cone to protect her stitches after she was spayed.

This undated photo provided by Gayle Swetow shows her dog Mike, wearing a Cover Me by Tui one-piece , patented, post-surgical garment, which takes the place of a plastic cone to protect his allergies year-round in Nevada. Many dog owners dislike the cone because it is hard for the dogs to see, get around or eat. Despite efforts to replace the cone, veterinarians say there are some times when only the cone will do.

The first cones were handmade by pharmaceutical salesman Edward J. Schilling in the early 1960s, and they remain the best-selling wound or suture protection on the market for pets, said Ken Bowman, president of the Chino, California-based KVP International, a cone manufacturer.

Yet his company and others are trying to come up with something better.

KVP makes recovery collars in 14 styles, including two inflatables and two soft collars. They have cones to fit pets from mice to mastiffs.

The company is running studies on whether the cone acts like an amplifier, potentially hurting an animal's ears, and whether the loss of vision it causes can create stress.

One alternative has come from Stephanie Syberg of St. Peters, Missouri, founder and president of Cover Me by Tui, which makes a one-piece, post-surgical garment for dogs.

"I was in veterinary medicine myself for 16 years. I was constantly being asked, 'What can we use instead of the plastic cone?'" Syberg said.

Her onesie, made of Peruvian cotton, was tested on 200 dogs. "Vets are seeing the calming effect," she said. "The fabric is breathable so it promotes healing."

She sells pullover and step-in versions at TulanesCloset.com.

Dr. Charlie Sink, who runs the Grand Paws Animal Clinic in Surprise, Arizona, bought 3,000 of them on his first order.

"They are the softest cloth and the dogs just love them. You can wash them. It's an amazing product," said Sink, who has been a vet for 47 years.

But there are times, he said, when only the hard cone will work: if the dog's injury is on a body part not covered by the onesie, for instance.

Gayle Swetow of Henderson, Nevada, has become a regular customer of Syberg's. She was told to put a cone on her 2-year-old pit-bull mix to protect a 6-inch incision after he had surgery on his hip.

"I slept with him every night downstairs because I couldn't bear to put a cone on him," she said. "That didn't work so I started frantically looking up dog onesies or dog pajamas."

"I think I've bought 10 of them already because the dog has an allergy too. I keep him in this every day," Swetow said.

The cones, she continued, are "awful. The dogs can't see where they are going. They can't jump up. Eating, moving or walking is nearly impossible with a cone. But they can do anything and everything if they have a onesie on."

The cone's unpopularity has also led to some creative alternatives by designers and artists at the website More Than a Cone (www.morethanacone.com).

In addition to making the cone more attractive, Bowman said, efforts are under way to make it more comfortable and effective too.

Fund established to help homeless cats, kittens

SPRINGFIELD - Dakin Humane Society has announced the formation of Pat's Cats Feline Success Fund to provide necessities and upgrades for several aspects of cat and kitten care at Dakin's two locations in Leverett and Springfield.



The Fund is named for the late Patricia Ford Yurkunas, former director of development and marketing at Dakin Humane Society. Yurkunas, who passed away March 13, 2015, had provided a bequest for Dakin which has been used to establish the Fund. A resident of Palmer, Yurkunas was especially fond of the cats and kittens who arrived at Dakin, and spent considerable time caring for them. She adopted several during her seven years at the non-profit organization.



"Pat's generosity enabled us to launch this important fund, and we are asking the public to join in to help these cats and kittens," Nancy Creed, president of Dakin's board of directors, said in a prepared statement. "Your contributions will bring many wonderful essentials and enhancements to the lives of these felines as they await a new home, including nebulizers for sick kittens in Nick's Nursery, which is our kitten care ward, as well as lifesaving medical treatments, specialized behavioral support, spay/neuter surgery for community cats and mothers with litters, enrichment toys, climbing surfaces and more. You'll also help with much-needed renovations to our cat-housing areas. The cost of providing these life-saving services is more than $110,000, so we hope you will help make them a reality for these homeless cats. Every donation counts"



Donations can be accepted online at www.dakinhumane.org/support. Whether choosing to make a one-time gift or a monthly contribution, donors may select "Pat's Cats" as a "Designation" option. Those wishing to send a check may write "Pat's Cats" on the memo line to ensure that their gift will be directed to the Fund. Donations may be mailed to Dakin Humane Society, P. O. Box 6307, Springfield, MA 01101.





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Shelter offers 'Animal Adventures' for children this summer

SPRINGFIELD - The Dakin Humane Society will present its annual Animal Adventures program this July featuring an array of activities especially geared for children interested in animals.

The five-day sessions will take place from 9 a.m. through 3 p.m. as follows at Dakin's adoption and education center at 171 Union St. in Springfield

July 11-15, "Pet Pals," for children ages 6-8

July 18-22, "Kids & Critters," for children ages 9-11

July 25-29, "Animal Ambassadors," for children ages 12-14.

Participants will be treated to, among other activities, guest appearances from animal professionals (usually accompanied by animals of interest), craft-making, and quiet time with the shelter animals.

"This year we're creating three different programs, instead of two, based on the ages of the participants," Lori Swanson, manager of education and volunteer services, said. "This will enable us to plan more age-appropriate activities for all. Animal Adventures has always had a full enrollment, and we're able to engage each group by offering them interaction, compassion, education, plenty of play time and unforgettable animal experiences."



Both "Pet Pals" and "Kids & Critters" programs have space for 24 participants. "Animal Ambassadors" is a program for 12 participants.

To enroll a child, visit www.dakinhumane.org and click on the "Learning" tab.

Registration may be done online only. For more information please contact Lori Swanson at 413.781.4000 x 112 or lswanson@dakinhumane.org.



Swanson is also seeking people at least 18 years old to serve as volunteers for the program.

"We've had children who came to Animal Adventures for several years come back to help run the program as volunteers, which is very gratifying," she said.

Dakin encourages anyone who is a teacher, education major, or who has an overall interest in children and animals to inquire about volunteering for this year's program by calling 413.781.4000 extension 112.

WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS SHELTERS:

Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society

Address: 163 Montague Road, Leverett

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 548-9898

Website: www.dpvhs.org

Address: 171 Union St., Springfield

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 12:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 781-4000

Website: www.dpvhs.org

The following is a video of Trudy, a dog available for adoption at the T.J. O'Connor Animal Adoption and Control Center in Springfield.

Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center

Address: 627 Cottage St., Springfield

Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Saturday, noon-4 p.m.; Thursday, noon-7 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 781-1484

Website: tjoconnoradoptioncenter.com

Westfield Homeless Cat Project

Address: 1124 East Mountain Road, Westfield

Hours: Adoption clinics, Thursday, 5-7 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Website: http://www.whcp.petfinder.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westfieldhomelesscatprojectadoptions



Westfield Regional Animal Shelter

Address: 178 Apremont Way, Westfield

Hours: Monday-Friday, noon-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 564-3129

Website: http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/ma70.html

Franklin County Sheriff's Office Regional Dog Shelter and Adoption Center

Address: 10 Sandy Lane, Turners Falls

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Friday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 676-9182

Website: http://fcrdogkennel.org/contact.html

Polverari/Southwick Animal Control Facility

Address: 11 Depot St., Southwick

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 569-5348, ext. 649

Website: http://southwickpolice.com/chief-david-a-ricardis-welcome/animal-control/

Berkshire Humane Society

Address: 214 Barker Road, Pittsfield

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-4 p.m.; Thursday, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 447-7878

Website: http://berkshirehumane.org/

Purradise Feline Adoption

Address: 301 Stockbridge Road, Great Barrington

Hours: Monday and Tuesday: Closed; Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.; Friday,10 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, noon-4 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 717-4244

Website: http://berkshirehumane.org/contact-us/
On July 13th and 14th, Governor Steve Bullock will host the second Main Street Montana Project http://mainstreetmontanaproject.com/ "Innovate Montana Symposium" in Billings. The keynote speaker is Debbie Sterling, Founder and CEO of Goldiblox, a toy company that makes engineering-based Erector-style toy sets, action figures and animated videos for girls (www.goldieblox.com).

The "Innovate Montana Symposium" is the second of a series of events driven by the Governors Main Street Montana Project initiative. The first Symposium was held in November 2015 and focused on another top priority of the Project  workforce recruitment and development.

***

8 Key Industry Network Final Recommendations from the Main Street Montana Project http://www.matr.net/article-70676.html

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The Fifth Pillar of the Main Street Montana Project is Nurture Emerging Industries and Encourage Innovation. The "Innovate Montana Symposium" will highlight Montanas top-ranked entrepreneurial ecosystem, exceptional business and startup environment and resources available for small businesses to enhance their potential to achieve growth and stability.

Business leaders from across the state will present and exchange ideas for growing and supporting the next generation of small businesses and community leaders who are innovating in their industries. The Symposium will also highlight the partnerships between Montanas University System and the private sector to develop and grow Montanas workforce, entrepreneurs, and community leaders.

Registration is available at http://www.innovatemontana.com/symposium.

Contact: John Rogers, Chief Business Development Officer

Governors Office of Economic Development

Phone 406-444-5634  email [email protected]

***

Welcome to the Governors Office of Economic Development

The Montana Governors Office of Economic Development is the states lead organization to help businesses succeed in our state  and we take that mission to heart.

Whether you are interested in locating your business here, starting a new one, or expanding an existing business, we are ready and able to assist you. Let one of our team members answer any questions you have, and direct you to the best resources available to help your venture succeed.

http://business.mt.gov/
A Montana-based bread company with more than 200 Great Harvest https://www.greatharvest.com/ bakery franchises is suing its competitor for attempting to mislead customers with a similar slogan.

Great Harvest Franchising, Inc. https://www.greatharvest.com/ , which is based in Dillon, filed the suit Thursday in U.S. District Court in Charlotte, NC.

The plaintiff argues that Panera Bread https://www.panerabread.com , which is based in Missouri, is using a slogan that is intentionally similar to that of Charlottes Best Breads, which is owned by Great Harvest.

By Aja Goare

Full Story: http://www.kpax.com/story/31442374/battle-of-the-breads-montanas-great-harvest-bread-sues-competitor
The following are projects, initiatives and economic developments making news in eastern Washington and northern Idaho. This email is distributed by the Inland Northwest Economic Alliance (INEA) on behalf of its regional partners.

QUINCY, Wash. Yahoo announced that it will expand its data center in Quincy, adding about 300,000 square feet of space, effectively doubling its size. The company chose to expand in Quincy as "a direct result of the unbeatable mix Quincy offers: impressive local talent, abundant renewable energy sources and Washington States commitment to creating an attractive business location," according to a company spokesperson. To learn more, visit http://www.grantedc.com.

COEUR D?ALENE, Idaho  Coeur dAlene was listed among the Metro High Growth Leaders in a report by research firm SYNEVA Economics. Metro High Growth Leaders are currently experiencing six or more consecutive months of employment growth with annual growth rates in the top 25 percent of all metros, as measured by the year-over-year change in employment for the same month. Coeur dAlene has experienced a six-month average job growth of 4.4 percent. To learn more, read the SYNEVA press release http://syneva.com/.

The City of Coeur dAlene has been named the Google 2015 eCity for the State of Idaho. Googles eCity Awards recognize the strongest online business community in each state. These cities? businesses are using the web to find new customers, connect with existing customers and fuel their local economies. More information about Google eCities can be found at http://www.google.com/economicimpact/ecities.

WHITMAN COUNTY, Wash.  Whitman County is the top wheat producing county in the nation, according to Wheat Life, the official publication of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers. In 2015, the county produced nearly 30.5 million bushels, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. For more information, read the Spokesman-Review article or visit http://www.seweda.org.

MOSCOW, Idaho  Economic Modeling Specialists Inc. (EMSI), an independent and respected economic analysis firm located in Idaho, recently released a study showing that the University of Idaho provided a cumulative impact of more than $1 billion in the Fiscal Year 2013-14. The University creates economic value in a variety of ways. It improves higher education delivery throughout the state and helps students increase their employability and potential. The university facilitates new research and company developments and also draws visitors to the state, generating new dollars and opportunities for Idaho. For more information on the study, go to http://www.uidaho.edu/president/news/economic_impact.

SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash.  Servatron Inc., an electronic manufacturing services provider, has entered the aerospace industry by signing a three-year contract with AvtechTyee, an Everett, Wash.-based manufacturer of electronic systems for the aerospace industry, to test and assemble that company?s electronic circuitry boards. Tom Vieri, Servatron?s vice president of sales, says the contract will require hiring more employees and the addition of more shifts effective immediately and most likely continuing through 2016. Read the Journal of Business article or go to http://www.servatron.com to learn more.

HAYDEN, Idaho  The Odom Corp., Bellevue-based wholesale beverage distributor, is erecting a 92,000-square-foot distribution center and warehouse in Hayden, where it plans to move its North Idaho operations, according to a Journal of Business article. The building permit application on file with the city of Hayden lists the construction value at $9.2 million. For more information about Odom Corp., go to http://www.odomcorp.com.

COLFAX, Wash.  Colfax was recently accepted into Washingtons Main Street Program. The Washington State Main Street Program helps communities revitalize the economy, appearance and image of their downtown commercial districts. To learn more about the program, visit http://www.dahp.wa.gov/programs/mainstreet-program.

The Port of Wilma received $1 million in WSDOT Freight Rail Assistance Funds (FRAP) for the Port of Wilma Rail Rehabilitation Project. The project will consist of rehabilitation of the existing lead by replacing the existing wooden tie and asphalt crossings with concrete crossings, installing cross bucks at all railroad crossings, replacing approximately 1,200 railroad ties and 600 tons of railroad ballast. For more information on the Port of Wilma, visit http://www.portwhitman.com/doingbusiness/portwilma.

POST FALLS, Idaho  Tedder Industries, a North Idaho company that makes gun holsters, has purchased the outlet mall in Post Falls, according to an article in the Spokesman-Review. Tedder Industries is known for its Alien Gear line of concealed carry holsters. The fast-growing company was founded in 2010, and employs about 300 people. The company will use about half of the space in the outlet mall. Thomas Tedder, the company?s founder, said hell be looking for tenants to lease the remaining area. For more information about Tedder Indutries, visit http://tedderindustries.com.

The University of Idaho Cybersecurity Training and Operations Center recently opened at the university?s Post Falls research park. The cybersecurity professional development and technical education training program includes a cybersecurity certification exam preparation boot camp and classroom seminars, on the job training and Security Operations Center laboratory. For more information, visit http://www.uidaho.edu/cda/uirp/ctoc.

LEWISTON, Idaho  The Port of Lewiston?s Business and Technology Park will soon have a new tenant. The port is finalizing negotiations with the developer of Advanced Health Cares in-patient physical therapy center for the sale of 2 acres in the business park. The planned facility will be approximately 20,000 square feet with 30 beds and employ 35 people. Employees will provide intensive rehabilitation for patients recovering from knee, hip and shoulder replacements. This operation is part of a chain that has locations in Denver, Colo.; Meridian, Idaho; and Albuquerque, N.M.

The Southgate Plaza shopping center in Lewiston was purchased by a developer who is breathing new life into the commercial property. Major renovation activities are underway at the 10-acre site, including paving, new roofs and facades and demolishing a previous restaurant building. A new national chain restaurant will be constructed, and improvements are underway for a variety of new retail tenants.

For more information about news in the Lewis-Clark Valley, contact Valley Vision at (208) 799-9083.

SPOKANE, Wash.  The developers for the Vinegar Flats Public Market, a proposed seven-story, $12 million mixed-use building in Spokane, intend to break ground this year, according to an article in the Journal of Business. The buildings main level would have 11,800 square feet of commercial space. Plans call for a total of 52 living units on the second through seventh floors, and 21 one-bedroom units would be designated as housing for international exchange students.

About the Inland Northwest Economic Alliance (INEA)

The Inland Northwest Economic Alliance (INEA) is an alliance of 13 regional economic development agencies representing 16 counties in Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington. The collaborative effort is aimed at building economic growth through enhancing the brand recognition of the Inland Northwest and its communities and showcasing its business value. To learn more, visit http://www.inlandnorthwestregion.com.

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Visunex Medical Systems, a firm based in Fremont, California, got hold of FDA clearance for its new PanoCam Pro Wide-field Imaging System used for identifying external, anterior, and posterior segment vision disorders in newborn infants. The system is intended to be used for screening all newborns arriving at any hospital equipped with a PanoCam Pro Wide-field.

Newborns these days are typically screened for a number of problems, including hearing, but vision is somewhat ignored until testing starts a few years later. Visunex hopes its new system will be able to spot early cases of eye disease.

Moreover, large scale screenings will allow researchers to correlate early abnormalities with conditions that develop later in life, potentially helping to find new ways to prevent those diseases.

Via: Visunex
by Larry Dobrow , Featured Columnist, March 10, 2016

What is it that they say about sense of smell? That its the most acute and powerful of our five senses? Per that linked video, which employs powerful descriptive phraseology like crazy interesting, we smell better than we see or hear, or something. Works for me.

But a more relevant question to my life is this: Which sense is most easily ignored and/or selectively engaged? While long-ago middle ear infections have gift-wrapped for me an excuse to ignore disagreeable utterances ( hey, those juice boxes are reserved for the Girl Scouts, this is a no-solicitation zoo), Id give smell the nod there as well. I am the Steph Curry of odor-denial; I have been blessed with the ability to disable my olfactory receptors whenever I am confronted with a post-poop one-year-old or a NYC subway station during the afternoon rush in July. There is only one exception: I am unable to nose-mute mens cologne.

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This dates back to Parental Date Night circa 1986, which was publicized to my sisters and me via the chemical pong of Dads cologne. Upon application, it wafted out of his bathroom and announced its presence with the hushed understatement of a feral mongoose. Even now, that cologne is smell-stamped on my brain; I could identify the faintest trace of it from two zip codes away. In terms of strength and incorruptibility, the bond between scent and memory ranks right up there with mother and child and my college pal Chucks shoes and the rubber cement we slathered on the floor of his closet.

Needless to say, then, fragrance marketing is a mystery to me. I dont know how one even begins to go about conveying, If you douse this substance liberally about your torso, hell yeah youll smell like Cher. Indeed, celebrity associations appear to send fragrance sales through the roof, so thats one approach. But what if youre just some random chemist with a dream, a dream of helping people smell like sperm whale vomit?

That mustve been the dilemma faced by Robert Graham, a clothesmaker of fashion-world repute but unknown to those of us who buy socks at Costco. For the brands most recent foray into the jasmine-kissed world of fragrances, Robert Graham made the excellent - and thoroughly nonsensical - decision to hand over a big honking chunk of the marketing budget to Wet Hot American Summer/The State heroes David Wain and Michael Showalter.

To sell the brands three new fragrances (Fortitude, Valour and Courage), Wain and Showalter have devised The Second Sound Barrier, a gloriously retro trailer to a 70s action flick that doesnt exist. In it, three former friends brought together by cinematic circumstance - Charles Michael Fortitude, Roger Valour and Theolonius Courage - must reunite to save Lady Billionaire, who will perish unless the trio breaks the second sound barrier.

As mentioned before, this makes no sense, either within or outside the context of fragrance marketing - indeed, within/outside the context of pretty much anything. But the actors - among them, Vincent Kartheiser, Jeremy Sisto and Juliette Lewis - play it straight, which amplifies the absurdity even higher. There are action-movie nonsequiturs galore (Ive only got two speeds: fast and dead, well, I guess it really is Howdy Doody time, literally) and there are, in no particular order, explosions, fights, multiple unmaskings, romance, peyote, a bulldog, a group dance, a robot with a German accent and a training sequence that requires the characters to walk down the stairs while balancing books on their heads. There is a *lot* packed into the videos four minutes.

The Second Sound Barrier will probably confuse the hell out of half the people who encounter it, plus theres no connection to the brand or product beyond the names of the protagonists. But who cares? It delivers silliness in a place where weve been trained to expect utter self-seriousness. Thats a real achievement. If youve got a more attention-grabbing way to introduce a new product in a glutted marketplace, an awful lot of marketers would love to hear it.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, March 11, 2016

Despite the benefits of linking keywords or images to specific pages in applications to help search engines find the content when someone queries their brand, fewer than one third of companies monitored by Searchmetrics that are building and making mobile apps available do not deploy deep-linking practices.

The Searchmetrics study shows that among the top 100 sites in the United States they monitor, few apply the ability to index content in their apps through deep-linking techniques. In fact, only 30% of the 84% of companies that offer an Android app offer this type of app support. Of the 88% offering iOS apps, only 19% offer app linking to make content searches easier.

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Deep linking allows Google to connect an image or word to a specific page or item on a Web page in mobile search results.

To support app indexing, app owners need to provide Google with data about the relationship between individual pages of their app and the pages on their Web site. The site also needs to give Google permission to crawl and index the content within their app, similar to the way it does for Web pages. Searchmetrics data suggests that many firms that offer apps are not yet doing this.

Enabling deep linking also potentially attracts new app installations through search. For instance, if a searcher has not installed an app, it could still feature in Googles search results as a suggested app they should consider installing via the Google PlayStore if it believed to have content relevant to their query.

Searchmetrics CTO and founder Marcus Tober estimates that while companies have invested in apps, on average 20% of the apps a person installs on their device are only ever opened once. The app could also appear higher in the list of search engine query results, he said.
by Colleen G. Steinman , March 11, 2016

Without realizing it, Marriott hotel visitors will be helping to create American jobs every time they wrap up in a fluffy cotton towel during their stays.

The hotel chain will place labeled Made in USA towels and bath mats in nearly 3,000 hotels, a first for the hospitality industry, Marriott International leaders said in a statement.

"We're proud to be the first hospitality company to commit to providing our guests with 'Made in USA' bathroom towels in our U.S. hotels," said Marriott President and CEO Arne Sorenson.

Besides the labels and the initial press announcement, there are no plans to continue advertising the change.

But the move will create 150 new jobs in Standard Textiles facilities in Thomaston, Ga., and Union, S.C. Additional jobs will be created at its headquarters in Cincinnati and in supply chain locations throughout the company. Standard uses all American-grown cotton fiber for its products.

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"Marriott's desire to provide guests with terry bath products made by U.S. textile artisans speaks to the heart of why Standard Textile is thriving and creating new jobs after 76 years," company president and CEO Gary Heiman said.

Marriott recognized Standard Textile in 2015 with its Americas Recognition Award for superior service, innovative new products and continuous collaboration.

The move to American-made textiles will include annual production of 2.6 million bath towels and 4.9 million hand towels, the equivalent of as much as 5.6 million pounds of textiles. If laid end-to-end, the textiles Marriott will purchase in one year would stretch more than 4,300 miles, the distance from Chicago to Honolulu. The move also reduces greenhouse gas emissions by eliminating more than 300 ocean-going container shipments annually.

"We believe our guests will appreciate knowing that even simple items they use every day in our hotels represent progress for the U.S. economy," Marriott Executive Chairman J.W. "Bill" Marriott, Jr. said in a statement. "We also hope this sends a message to other businesses that buying locally can make business sense."
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, March 11, 2016

In a victory for AT&T, a federal judge has granted the company's request to send a lawsuit over its data-throttling practices to arbitration.

U.S. District Court Judge Edward Chen said in his ruling that the wireless consumers who are suing AT&T all signed contracts that call for arbitration of disputes on an individual basis.

Chen's ruling, quietly issued last week, means that AT&T won't face a class-action for allegedly duping people by selling them "unlimited" data plans, but throttling them after they hit a monthly cap. The consumers can still proceed with individual arbitrations, but doing so often is prohibitively costly.

The battle stems from AT&T's 2011 decision to start throttling subscribers with "unlimited" smartphone data. That move also is at the center of a lawsuit brought against AT&T by the Federal Trade Commission; that case is currently pending in federal court.

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From 2011 until 2015, AT&T allegedly throttled more than 3.5 million customers who exceeded monthly allotments of 3GB or 5GB, depending on their phones, according to the FTC. (AT&T recently revised its throttling practices and now only slows down customers who exceed 22 GB in a month; the company also now only throttles those users when the network is congested.)

The telecom says it implemented the throttling policy after Apple's introduction of the iPhone sparked a surge in mobile broadband use.

AT&T is arguing that the FTC has no jurisdiction to proceed, because broadband is now classified as a "common carrier" service. The FTC has no authority over common-carrier services.

Chen rejected AT&T's position, ruling that broadband wasn't considered a common carrier service until the Federal Communications Commission enacted net neutrality rules in 2015. Once the Reclassification Order of the Federal Communications Commission ... goes into effect, that will not deprive the FTC of any jurisdiction over past alleged misconduct as asserted in this pending action, he wrote.

AT&T appealed that decision to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which is expected to hear arguments about the matter in June.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, March 11, 2016

AUSTIN TEXAS -- Some publishers believe all it takes for consumers to turn off the ad blockers in browser software is to make better ads. Others like Lewis DVorkin, Chief Product Officer at Forbes Media, believe agencies and brands need to better align.

Along with DVorkin, experts from Dish and Adblock Plus, and moderator Rob Griffin, chief innovation officer at Almighty, debated the definition of an "acceptable ad business" at MediaPost's OMMA SXSW at the South By Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) Friday.

The focus on how to make advertising friendlier to consumers and site visitors has become a never-ending battle that spans from display to search. Google has held a longtime position when it comes to returning relevant information and content in query results.

Finding a better experience might not be that easy.

"I'm a big proponent of Adblock and Adblock Plus, because I don't believe display ads work and banner blindness has conditioned us," Michael Killi, SEO and reputation management at Wyndham Vacation Ownership, told Media Daily News. "CPC rates for display ads are minuscule, and I don't believe you need display ads in media campaigns, because they interrupt your experience on the site."

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While he admits consumers are fed up and sick of advertising interrupting the experience, Killi believe there are other ways to market and advertise on publisher sites.

"About 200 million Internet users who block ads," said Ben Williams, head of operations at Adblock Plus. "We have more than 500,000 downloads, averaging about 3 million per week."

Pointing to the music industry and iTunes, Williams said there's more than one way to fund content. Micropayments could become one options, but it will take more than a handful of publishers getting on board, Williams said. "It will be a race to the best content," he said.

DISH continues to focus on getting better at ad targeting. The company doesn't want to "pray and spray" to bring people in and stay, said Marjorie Gray, digital brand manager at DISH.

In December 2015, Forbes -- a media owner with an ad-supported business model -- began searching for the middle ground when it comes to serving ads on its site to visitors using ad-blocking software.

It began running tests that asked ad-block users to turn off the browser-based software before entering the site. Forbes would reduce the number of ads served during the visitors' stay.

Initially, Forbes found that non-ad blockers saw about 2 page views per visit and those that Forbes managed to convert viewed 2.8 page views, according to Forbes' DVorkin.

Most recently, Forbes ran a survey. Those who answered the questions could enter the site even with the ad blocker on.
by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, March 11, 2016

Tamara Fields, the widow of a man who was killed by a terrorist in Jordan, recently sued Twitter for allegedly enabling the growth of ISIS.

"For years, Twitter has knowingly permitted the terrorist group ISIS to use its social network as a tool for spreading extremist propaganda, raising funds and attracting new recruits, Fields alleged in a lawsuit filed in January in San Francisco federal court.

This week, Twitter asked U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick to dismiss the case. The company argues that the allegations in the complaint fall short of connecting Fields' death to Twitter.

"Mr. Fields death is heartrending, and the attack that killed him is appalling. But nothing that Twitter allegedly did can plausibly be said to have 'led directly' to that horrible crime," the microblogging platform says.

Twitter adds that the complaint doesn't allege that the shooter used Twitter to plan or carry out the attack that killed Fields, or even that the shooter had an account with the service.

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Twitter also suggests that allowing this lawsuit to proceed could leave other Web companies more vulnerable to litigation. Fields' "breathtakingly broad and remarkably attenuated" theories of liability "potentially expose every Internet service provider to liability for horrible crimes committed anywhere in the world, not only by their users but even by individuals who were loosely affiliated with or even just inspired by those users," Twitter argues.

Twitter, which is represented by former U.S. Solicitor General Seth Waxman, also points out that the federal Communications Decency Act provides that Web platforms aren't responsible for crimes committed by users.

As tragic as Fields' death is, it's obviously a huge stretch to try to hold Twitter responsible. In fact, numerous judges throughout the country have already ruled that other Web companies -- including Backpage, Craigslist, Facebook and MySpace -- aren't responsible when their platforms are used to commit crimes.

Even though Twitter is fighting the lawsuit, the company also is now policing its service more aggressively. Last month, the company announced a new push to take down accounts associated with terrorism. The company said that since 2015, it has suspended more than 125,000 accounts for threatening or promoting terrorism.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, March 11, 2016

The advertising industry sits at a crossroads in the early stages of defining the future, so the debate rages on whether digital media such as content can contribute to the loss from any traditional or digital advertising. The news business is seeking new revenue models to develop it.

On Friday, a panel of experts debated some of the issues, led by MediaPost Editor in Chief Joe Mandese at MediaPost OMMA SXSW at South By Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) -- and sparked some forward-thinking strategies to integrate text, images, social and search into traditional media coverage.

"How do we build a sales organization that's trained to sell content instead of advertising?" asked Lindsay Nelson, global head of brand strategy at Vox Media, the parent company of online publications like Re/code.

Nelson said about 60% of Vox's overall business has branded content associated with it, and companies need to "get beyond the traditional IAB ad units."

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Online, information becomes the content. Mandese asked what happens once the information moves into the public domain -- how do online publishers mange the distribution and monetize the content? "There's nothing you can do," said Jed Hartman, chief revenue officer at The Washington Post.

Hartman believes that media companies must diversify within advertising, so they are great at everything. WaPo's revenue stream comes from DSPs, open programmatic, native, newsletters and videos, among others like live media and licensing, It fact, it relies on about 18 sectors.

"I'm incredibly optimistic," Hartman said. "If the content company experimenting executes well and makes good decisions, there's a bright future."

Images are also important. Joy Jones, VP of products, Associated Press, said clients are much less likely to pick up a story without an image.

The window for opportunity is quick, requiring media outlets to continually keep the machine churning out the next piece, Jones said.

Global reach through digital also supports monetization for AP, a 170-year-old news organization. The media company launched a products team just two years ago, Jones said. The company generates 1,000,000 photos and 50,000 video stories per year, as well as 2,000 stories per day from about 110 countries.

Regional hubs were once a place for journalist to hang their hat, but for AP, they are now a place to understand trends and user-generated content. Revenue sources also continue to shift. The AP allocated 30% of the budget to the Internet in 2015 vs. 15% in 1993.
Viagra, also known as sildenafil, is used by many men to treat erectile dysfunction and has been on the market since the 1990s. But researchers have found a signaling pathway in melanoma cells that is affected by the drug, indicating that sildenafil actually stimulates skin tumors to grow.

Share on Pinterest Sildenafil, also known as the popular ED drug Viagra, encourages skin tumors to grow, researchers say.

The researchers, led by Prof. Robert Feil from the University of Tubingen in Germany, publish their results in the journal Cell Reports.

A class of medicines called phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors, sildenafil treats erectile dysfunction (ED) by increasing blood flow to the penis, facilitating an erection.

The team explains that normally, cells contain PDE type 5 (PDE5), which is an enzyme that ensures signaling molecules are constantly broken down. The signaling molecule is called cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), and it plays an important part in complex metabolic pathways, including blood vessel cells, the heart, neurons and sensory cells.

The effects of cGMP on various growth processes in the body are not well understood, but Prof. Feil explains that he and his team have discovered that the cells of malignant melanoma also use the cGMP signaling pathway for their growth, after conducting experiments in animals and human cell cultures.

He adds that sildenafil appears to inhibit PDE5, which acts like a brake on cGMP. As such, he equates taking sildenafil as disabling that brake, allowing melanoma to grow more robustly.

The researchers say this mechanism could explain the increased risk of melanoma in men who take sildenafil.
A new method that can detect a large range of pesticides in bees could help scientists work out what is causing the global decline in honey bees. A study using the method found up to 57 different pesticides and digested pesticide compounds in poisoned honey bees.

Share on Pinterest The researchers say their findings will help expand knowledge about the influence of pesticides on honey bee health.

A paper on the study, by the National Veterinary Research Institute in Pulawy, Poland, is published in the Journal of Chromatography A.

The researchers, led by Tomasz Kiljanek of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, report how they developed and validated a method for simultaneously detecting up to 200 pesticides and metabolites in honey bees.

Honey bee populations are falling worldwide, including in the US. Without the honey bee, American dinner plates would look quite bare; around one third of the food eaten in the US comes from crops pollinated by honey bees.

One of the reasons honey bees are declining in Europe and the US is a condition called colony collapse disorder (CCD).

While nobody has yet fully explained the causes and mechanisms of CCD, scientists generally agree several factors could be involved and working together  pesticides being one of them.

Because some studies have linked them to bee deaths, the European Union have already banned the use of neonicotinoid pesticides.

However, the problem of declining bee populations is not going to be solved by banning one pesticide, say the authors of the new study. With so many pesticides in current use, it is very difficult to work out which ones could be harming bees. Harm can also arise from combined effects, or accumulation over time.
Patients with diabetes are almost three times more susceptible to life-threatening blood infections by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, according to a study published in the European Journal of Endocrinology. These findings could indicate a need for greater infection surveillance among long-term diabetes patients.

S. aureus is a bacterium that normally lives harmlessly on the skin. Occasionally it causes infections, which can be fatal if the bacteria enter the bloodstream. The incidence of S. aureus infection has increased in the past 20 years driven by both known and unknown factors. The presence of this bacterium within the blood stream is a serious medical condition, with a 30-day mortality rate of 20-30%. This study found that, diabetes patients have a 2.8 times increased risk of S. aureus blood infection acquired outside of a hospital.

Researchers from Aalborg University Hospital and Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark analysed records of 30,000 people from four different medical registries in Denmark over a twelve year period. The team compared the risk of infection when taking into account different types of diabetes, how long patients had been diagnosed with the condition and other associated complications of living with diabetes.

Compared to patients without diabetes, people with type-1 diabetes were 7.2 times more at risk of S. aureus infection whereas people with type-2 were 2.7 times more at risk. Also more at risk were those suffering from other complications - such as heart and circulation problems, and diabetic ulcers. Kidney problems associated with diabetes were one of the highest risk factors, with a 4.2 times increased risk.

The risk of infection also increased with the number of years a patient had had diabetes; those who had suffered for 10 years or more were 3.8 times more at risk. The extent to which patients had control over their diabetes was also considered, with those with poor management of their diabetes showing a greater risk.

"It has long been a common clinical belief that diabetes increases the risk of S. aureus infection, but until now this has been supported by scant evidence," says lead author Jesper Smit. "Poor management of diabetes can lead to an impaired immune response. This may be the reason why diabetes patients are at higher risk of infection. Similarly, diabetic patients often suffer associated illnesses - the burden of multiple healthcare problems can also increase susceptibility to infection."

Following this study, the next steps will be to investigate how diabetes may affect the prognosis of blood infections of S. aureus, and determine how the increased risk factor of diabetes may correspond to disease outcome.

It is important to note the limitations of the study; the medical data available did not allow the researchers to adjust for smoking or body mass index in their sample - two factors which may affect the immune response and subsequent possible infection. It must also be noticed that methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is rare in Denmark, and the epidemiology of S. aureus may be different in countries where MRSA prevails.
New research investigates the ties between certain genetic variants and kidney disease in African Americans. The findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN), suggest that widespread screening for these variants in the black general population is not yet justified.

African Americans have an elevated risk for chronic kidney disease and kidney failure compared with European Americans. Studies have shown that much of this risk is due to genetic variations in a gene called apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1), which creates a protein that is a component of HDL, or good cholesterol. These variants arose tens of thousands of years ago in sub-Saharan Africa, and so are present in individuals who have recent sub-Saharan African ancestry. Approximately 5 million African Americans carry APOL1 risk variants; however, not all persons with such variants develop kidney disease.

To getter a better sense of how APOL1 genetic risk variants affect kidney disease and other aspects of health over the long term, Morgan Grams, MD PhD (Johns Hopkins University) and her colleagues evaluated the prognosis and APOL1 status of participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Among 15,140 ARIC participants followed from 1987-1989 to 2011-2013, 75.3% were white, 21.5% were black/APOL1 low-risk, and 3.2% were black/APOL1 high-risk. "Our study is a population-based cohort following participants over 25 years and thus well suited at assessing a fairly comprehensive set of outcomes among people with the high-risk genotype," said Dr. Grams.

In analyses that adjusted for differences in demographics, blacks had a higher risk for all assessed adverse health events: acute kidney injury, kidney failure, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hospitalization, and death; however, in analyses that also adjusted for comorbid conditions and socioeconomic status, blacks had a higher risk for hypertension, diabetes, and kidney failure only. When considering only blacks, the APOL1 high-risk variants were linked with a higher risk of kidney failure, but there was high variability in kidney function decline among those with and without the variants.

"We found great variability in kidney function trajectory, such that most African Americans with the high-risk genotype experienced similar decline as African Americans with the low-risk genotype," said Dr. Grams. "We did find pervasive racial disparities in adverse health outcomes not explained by the APOL1 risk variants, which suggests that interventions to improve health and health outcomes in African Americans are needed."
The latest and final in a series of congressionally mandated biennial reviews of the evidence of health problems that may be linked to exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides used during the Vietnam War changed the categorization of health outcomes for bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, and spina bifida and clarified the breadth of the previous finding for Parkinson's disease. The committee that carried out the study and wrote this report, Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2014, reviewed scientific literature published between Oct. 1, 2012, and Sept. 30, 2014.

Bladder cancer and hypothyroidism were moved to the category of "limited or suggestive" evidence of an association from their previous positions in the default "inadequate or insufficient" category. A finding of limited or suggestive evidence of an association means that the epidemiologic evidence indicates there could be a link between exposure to a chemical and increased risk for a particular health effect. A finding of inadequate or insufficient evidence indicates that the available studies are of insufficient quality, consistency, or statistical power to permit a conclusion regarding the presence or absence of such a link. For both bladder cancer and hypothyroidism, new results from a large study of Korean veterans who served in the Vietnam War were compellingly suggestive of an association. In combination with pre-existing supportive epidemiologic findings and substantial biologic plausibility, the new information provided evidence to merit a change in category of association for these two outcomes.

The committee for the first Veterans and Agent Orange report in 1994 concluded that there was little and inconsistent evidence concerning an association between any birth defects and parental exposure -- either mother or father -- to herbicides. The committee for the next report, Update 1996, placed spina bifida in the "limited or suggestive" category of association based on preliminary findings from the then ongoing Air Force Health Study. However, to date, a complete analysis of the data from the Air Force Health Study for neural tube defects has not been published. No subsequent studies have found increases in spina bifida with exposure to components of the herbicides sprayed in Vietnam. Contrary to expectation, intensive investigation of possible heritable effects in animal models still has not demonstrated that herbicide exposure of adult males can produce birth defects in their offspring. Taking these factors into consideration, the committee for this final report concluded that the evidence did not merit retaining spina bifida in the limited or suggestive category of association and downgraded it to the category of "inadequate or insufficient" evidence. This is only the second time that a Veterans and Agent Orange committee has demoted a health outcome to a weaker category of association. The first instance was the move of porphyria cutanea tarda from the "sufficient" category to the "limited or suggestive" category by the committee for Update 1998.

In addition to reviewing the evidence of health problems that may be linked to exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides, the committee was asked to address the specific question of whether various conditions with Parkinson's-like symptoms should qualify the assignment of Parkinson's disease to the limited or suggestive category of association with herbicide exposure. The committee noted that Parkinson's disease is a diagnosis of exclusion, and therefore, the diagnostic standards for this condition should not be assumed to have been uniform in the epidemiologic studies that constitute the basis for this association or in the claims submitted by veterans. Consequently, there is no rational basis for exclusion of individuals with Parkinson's-like symptoms from the service-related category denoted as Parkinson's disease. To exclude a claim for a condition with Parkinson's-like symptoms, the onus should be on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on a case-by-case basis to definitively establish the role of a recognized factor other than the herbicides sprayed in Vietnam.

Given that this is the final report mandated by the Agent Orange Act, the committee developed recommendations for future actions to advance the well-being of Vietnam veterans, including that the VA should continue epidemiologic studies of the veterans; develop protocols that could investigate paternal transmission of adverse effects to offspring; and design a study to focus on specific manifestations in humans of dioxin exposure and compromised immunity, which have been clearly demonstrated in animal models. The committee also called for a careful review of evidence concerning whether paternal exposure to any toxicant has definitively resulted in abnormalities in the first generation of offspring. In addition, the committee formulated recommendations for improved assembly and evaluation of information necessary for monitoring possible service-related health effects in all military personnel, including creating and maintaining rosters of individuals deployed on every mission and linking U.S. Department of Defense and VA databases to systematically identify, record, and monitor trends in veterans' diseases.
Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has filed a 'patent opposition' in India to prevent US pharmaceutical company Pfizer from getting a patent on the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13), so more affordable versions can become available to developing countries and humanitarian organisations. This is the first time a vaccine (biosimilar) patent has been challenged in India by a medical organisation, with the goal of millions more children being protected against deadly pneumonia.

Pneumonia is the leading cause of childhood death, killing almost one million children each year. Currently, pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) are the only two manufacturers of the vaccine, which could prevent a large number of these deaths. Pfizer has priced PCV13 (marketed as Prevenar) out of reach of many developing countries and humanitarian organisations. It is now 68 times more expensive to vaccinate a child than in 2001, according to a 2015 MSF report, The Right Shot: Bringing down Barriers to Affordable and Adapted Vaccines. The pneumonia vaccine accounts for almost half the price of vaccinating a child in the poorest countries.

"The pneumonia vaccine is the world's best-selling vaccine, and last year alone, Pfizer brought in more than US$6 billion dollars in sales just for this product - meanwhile many developing countries, where millions of children risk getting pneumonia, simply can't afford it," said Dr. Manica Balasegaram, Executive Director of MSF's Access Campaign. "To make sure children everywhere can be protected from deadly pneumonia, other companies need to enter the market to supply this vaccine for a much lower price than what Pfizer charges."

One vaccine producer in India has already announced that it could supply the pneumonia vaccine for $6 dollars per child (for all three doses) to public health programmes and humanitarian organisations like MSF. This is almost half the current lowest global price of $10 dollars per child, which is only available to a limited number of developing countries via donor funding through Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

In 2015, all 193 countries at the World Health Assembly passed a landmark resolution demanding more affordable vaccines and increased transparency around vaccine prices. "Last year, more than 50 countries spoke out against high vaccine prices and about the difficulties of introducing new vaccines, including Indonesia, Jordan and Tunisia. We can't wait any longer for all countries to be able to afford this vaccine," said Balasegaram.

The pre-grant opposition - a form of citizen review at the patent examination stage - submits technical grounds before the patent office to show that claims that cover a certain aspect of a drug or vaccine do not merit patenting under India's Patents Act. An equivalent patent to the one opposed today in India was already revoked by the European Patent Office (EPO) and is currently being challenged in South Korea. Pfizer's patent application involves the methods of conjugating 13 serotypes of streptococcus pneumonia into a single carrier.

"Our pre-grant opposition shows that the method Pfizer is trying to patent is too obvious to deserve a patent under Indian law, and is just a way to guarantee a market monopoly for Pfizer for many years to come," said Leena Menghaney, Head of MSF's Access Campaign in South Asia. "India must rebuff demands from pharmaceutical companies, which are backed by diplomatic pressure tactics of the U.S. and other governments, that India change its patentability standards to restrict generic competition. Pfizer's unmerited patent application on the pneumonia vaccine should be rejected, opening the door to more affordable versions of the vaccines being produced."

After years of fruitless negotiations with Pfizer to lower the vaccine's price for use in its projects, MSF is challenging this patent application in India to ensure that manufacturers who are planning to produce the pneumonia vaccine do not face key patent barriers at the time of launching a more affordable version.

"Pneumonia kills a child every 35 seconds," said Balasegaram. "As doctors who have watched far too many children die of pneumonia, we're not going to back down until we know that all countries can afford this vaccine."


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On March 8, 2016, Saudi journalist Muhammad Aal Al-Sheikh wrote in his column in the Saudi daily Al-Jazirah that today, Iran is the No. 1 enemy of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries, supplanting the historical enemy Israel. Any citizen of the Gulf who disagrees with this assessment, he added, is a traitor.

Arguing that Iran is exploiting the Palestinian issue as a pretext for "infiltrating deep into the Arab world, shredding its Arab fabric, and dragging Arab society into supporting its expansionary plan," he emphasized that the Palestinians should expect no salvation from Iran. He also warned the Gulf Shi'ites that they were mere pawns for Iran, which was using them to promote Persian national aspirations.

Below are translated excerpts from Aal Al-Sheikh's column:[1]



Muhammad Aal Al-Sheikh (image: Kn19.com)

"The Persian enemy is Enemy No. 1, and the Zionist enemy is [only] Enemy No. 2. We must present this truth directly, flattering no one, to all those [who try] to extort us with the tale that Israel is the Arabs' Enemy No. 1 and that Iran supports us on the Palestinian issue. This tale could still be true vis-a-vis the Arabs to the north [of the Arabian Peninsula], and in Egypt, because Israel threatens [Egypt] and its security and stability. But as for the [Saudi] kingdom and the Gulf states, it is Iran, not Israel, that tops the list of the enemies and the dangers that lie in wait for us, face us and threaten us. Iran is exploiting the issue of the Palestinians and the liberation [of Palestine] as a pretext for infiltrating deep into the Arab [world], shredding its Arab fabric, and dragging Arab [society] into supporting its expansionary plan.

"It is true that the Palestinian issue has throughout history been the No. 1 Arab cause, and liberating Jerusalem from the yoke of the Israeli occupation has doubtless been the No. 1 issue for us, with nothing more important. However, at this time, and in light of the Persian ambition that the extremist Muslim Iranian government is backing with all its resources and for which it is mobilizing all its forces and capabilities, the Persian enemy takes priority - and must take priority - over the Israeli danger.

"For example, when [former Iraqi president] Saddam [Hussein] invaded Kuwait, occupied its territory, expropriated its sovereignty, and annexed it to Iraq, Kuwait's Enemy No. 1, and the No. 1 enemy of the [rest of] our Gulf countries, was not Israel but Saddam's Iraq. Furthermore, I am not ashamed to say that anyone in the Gulf, particularly among the Kuwaitis, who prioritized liberating Palestine over liberating Kuwait from the claws of the Iraqi occupier was considered a clear traitor. The Lebanese need to realize this, as do the Egyptians and the Palestinians...

"I do not think that any reasonable Gulf resident would consider the danger [posed by] the Zionist enemy to be greater than [that posed by] the Persian enemy. The Palestinians, Lebanese, and Syrians, whose land is wholly or partially occupied by Israel, are expecting us - for whatever reasons and excuses - to be courteous towards them and to prioritize the Israeli danger over that posed by the Persian enemy. They are delusional.

"Moreover, let me say this bluntly: Any citizen of any of the five Gulf states who prioritizes the Israeli danger over that of the Persian enemy, whether from a pan-Arab or an Islamist perspective, is sacrificing his homeland, its security, its stability and perhaps its very existence for his neighbor's cause. By any national standard, this is absolute treason.

"This issue has to do with our very existence, and there is no bargaining over it or dismissing or neglecting it. It is a matter on which the Gulf residents, whether Sunni or Shi'ite, agree equally. I know that for a minority among the ordinary Gulf Shi'ites, sectarian affiliation is the most important factor, and they place it above national affiliation. To them I say: The Persians have no interest in sect or even in religion. What really interests them is utilizing [your] sectarian [affiliation] as a lure to mobilize you against your homeland, as a fifth column. Take, for example, the Arabs of the Ahwaz [district in Iran].[2] Although they are Twelver Shi'ites, they are oppressed and excluded [in their own homeland], and the Persians are eradicating their [Arab] identity and with it their human rights. The regions [of Iran] where they live are the least developed and have the highest rates of poverty and unemployment - [even though] they are [the country's] richest in natural resources. Were sect and faith important [to the Persians], they would not be fighting the [Ahwazi] identity and heritage and forcing [the Ahwazis] to assimilate into a Persian identity, and would not be stopping them from speaking their language [Arabic], the language of the Koran... The [Persians'] goal and purpose is to [advance] the Persian race's control [in the region] and to establish a Persian empire with Baghdad as its capital - as a Persian religious scholar said in a documented press release..."[3]

Endnotes:
The following are some of this week's reports from the MEMRI Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Project, which translates and analyzes content from sources monitored around the clock, among them the most important jihadi websites and blogs. (To view these reports in full, you must be a paying member of the JTTM; for membership information, send an email to [email protected] with "Membership" in the subject line.)

Note to media and government: For a full copy of these reports, send an email with the title of the report in the subject line to [email protected]. Please include your name, title, and organization in your email.

EXCLUSIVE: Following MEMRI's Exclusive Publication Of ISIS Fighter's Letter To Al-Baghdadi, ISIS Activists Protest Breach Of Security

The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.

MEMRI's exclusive publication of the letter by Gazan ISIS fighter Abu 'Abdallah Al-Muhajir, in which he complained to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi about the cooperation between ISIS-Sinai and Hamas, caused a stir among the organization's operatives in Sinai and its supporters in Gaza. (For the letter, see MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6334, Exclusive: Letter By ISIS Fighter To Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Reveals ISIS-Sinai's Ties To Hamas, March 2, 2016).

After MEMRI exposed the letter and published a comprehensive translation of its contents, ISIS operatives in Sinai accused Gaza-based social media activists of breaching internet security and promised to hold them accountable for their indiscretion.

Abu 'Abdallah Al-Muhajir himself removed the letter from Justpaste.it and replaced it with a clarification, in which he did not retract his claims he had made in his letter but rather reiterated them. He wrote that he was sorry the letter had been widely distributed and used to defame ISIS. However, he was pleased that the issue had been brought to the attention of "concerned parties" in the organization, and expressed confidence that Al-Baghdadi would take care of the problem. Abu 'Abdallah also lashed out at the pro-ISIS media group Al-Nusra Al-Maqdisiyya for criticizing him, and challenged it to disprove the truth of the letter's contents.

Posting A Screenshot Of MEMRI's Report, ISIS-Sinai Activist Slams Those Who Wrote And Disseminated The Letter

On February 29, 2016, a supporter of ISIS-Sinai on Twitter who calls himself Al-Muhajir (@almohajer_3bk) rebuked the author of the letter and those who had disseminated it - specifically the Tameh Al-Ghazawi Twitter account (@t4560xcvx), which was the first to post the letter but later removed it. Al-Muhajir wrote that "the publication of lies, the spreading of false rumors, and neglect of the monotheists' security" are a mark of shame that will stick to all those who wrote the letter and spread it.

EXCLUSIVE: Senior ISIS-Sinai Commander Urges His Fighters: Be Patient, Allah Is Testing Us, We Will Win Despite Being Vastly Outnumbered

ISIS's official radio station Al-Bayan recently aired a 25-minute sermon by Abu-Osama Al-Masri, a senior commander and the chief spokesman of ISIS in Sinai. The sermon was also posted on YouTube on February 21, 2016 and on the Telegram channel of Al-Nusra Al-Maqdisiyya, an ISIS-affiliated media company, on March 5. In it, Al-Masri exhorts ISIS fighters to display forbearance and patience in this difficult period because Allah is testing and challenging them. His statements reflect the difficult situation in which ISIS currently finds itself, in Sinai and elsewhere.

EXCLUSIVE: In New Interview, AQAP Commander Khaled Batarfi Says Al-Qaeda Still Threatens U.S Security

On March 6, 2016, the Yemeni news website Al-Wasat published an interview with Khaled Batarfi, a senior commander of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), in which he said that Al-Qaeda is still threatening U.S. security and targeting its interests. In the interview, conducted by journalist Ibrahim Al-Yafi'i, Batarfi also reiterated his rejection of the Caliphate declared by the Islamic State (ISIS), noted that Al-Qaeda seeks to liberate Muslim lands from occupation, and urged jihadi factions fighting in Syria to unite.

EXCLUSIVE: AQAP-Affiliated Newspaper Publishes Part IV Of Untold Stories About 9/11

In its sixth issue, Al-Masraa, a weekly jihadi newspaper affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) published the last in a series of articles based on an audio recording of the group's late leader, Nasser Al-Wuhaishi. In that recording, Al-Wuhaishi talked about what he had seen and experienced before, during, and after the 9/11 attacks, when he was with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.

EXCLUSIVE: Self-Declared Virginia Grandma Part Of Pro-ISIS Clique On Facebook

A woman calling herself Amina Virginia on Facebook is part of an expansive network of Islamic State (ISIS) and jihad supporters. Amina, who says that she lives in Winchester, VA, also says that she is a convert to Islam, and a 60-year old grandmother. She appears to be very careful about what she posts, and has stated that someone had "reported my name as violation" to Facebook. For the most part, she does not appear to be overtly pro-jihad or pro-ISIS, but the organizations and clerics she promotes indicate her allegiances, and her Facebook friends are overtly pro-ISIS. Most of them are ISIS supporters, but one is an ISIS recruiter and another is an ISIS fighter in Syria.

EXCLUSIVE: ISIS Newsletter Touts Role Of The Organization's 'Media Points' In Indoctrination And Recruitment

An article in the Islamic State's (ISIS) official newsletter, Al-Naba', discusses the "media points" that ISIS has established in the territories under its control (booths where the organization screens videos and distributes other propaganda materials). The article stresses the effectiveness of the media points in bringing ISIS's message to the local population and in recruiting loyalists and fighters, and presents testimony to this effect from ISIS members and officials (For more on the media points, see MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 1190, The Islamic State (ISIS) Establishes 'Media Points' In Syria, Iraq, Libya To Indoctrinate Caliphate Citizens And Enhance Its Cyber Activities On The Ground: A One-Year Review, October 7, 2015).

EXCLUSIVE: English-Speaking Jabhat Al-Nusra-Affiliated Fighter Tweets Weapons For Sale In Syria

An English-speaking fighter with on Twitter, who is supposedly based somewhere near Latakia governorate in Syria, periodically tweets images of weapons and advertises them for sale. He has listed guns, artillery pieces, night vision gear, a vintage vehicle, and even an elderly horse. He seems to be quite serious about selling the items, though regarding some he does appear to be kidding. The fighter does not provide specifics as to how the items can be purchased, but his Twitter page shows an address on the encrypted Tutanota email service. The following are some of the items he has offered for sale.

ISIS In The Caucasus To Muslims In Russia And The Caucasus: 'Join The Islamic State In Order To Fight The Russian Regime And President Putin'

In recent days, two videos were posted on social media that carried messages by ISIS in the Caucasus to Muslims in Russia and the Caucasus region to join the Islamic state and fight the Russian regime. These videos come on the backdrop of Russian involvement in Syria and efforts by Russian security forces to thwart ISIS activity and expansion in the country. It is possible that the posting of these videos in close succession can indicate that ISIS is in desperate need to recruit new fighters to help it resist the pressure applied by the Russian regime. Additionally, ISIS apparently aims to use these videos to prove that it is also active outside of Syria and Iraq, where it recently suffered a series of territorial losses.

ISIS News Bulletin Publishes Interview With New ISIS Leader In Libya

The most recent issue of the Islamic State (ISIS) official newsletter Al-Naba', released online on March 8, 2016, featured an interview with Sheikh 'Abd Al-Qadir Al-Najdi, the newly appointed ISIS leader in Libya. Al-Najdi replaces Abu Al-Mughira Al-Qahtani, the late Islamic State (ISIS) wali (governor) in Libya, who was killed last November in a U.S. airstrike.

ISIS Campaign Calls To Topple The Regime In Tunisia

ISIS supporters on social networks have launched an online campaign against the Tunisian regime, titled "Topple The Tunisian Tawaghit." The campaign comes against the backdrop of the events of the last few days, especially the massive ISIS attack on Tunisian army forces in the town of Ben Guerdane on March 7, as well as efforts by the authorities to discourage Tunisians from traveling to the jihad arenas. The campaign has included articles, banners, videos and the like, many of which were posted under a designated Twitter hashtag: "terrorize the Tunisian tawaghit."

African Jihadi Shares Lectures In Wolof Language By Islamic State Sheikh On Facebook

On March 4, 2016, on Facebook an individual shared a link to a series of lectures hosted on archive.org by an Islamic State sheikh who delivers sermons in the Wolof language. Wolof is spoken by more than 10 million people in West Africa, especially in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania. He appears to be an ISIS fighter himself, however, his current whereabouts are unclear. His profile has several references to Libya, and his name "Assomaly" denotes that he is from Somalia, so it is possible that he is fighting in Libya.

Al-Qaeda In Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) Launches 'Al-Hadeed News Report' News Service Using Hashtag On Twitter



Screenshot of an AQIS-affiliated Twitter handle

Idara As-Sahab Barr-e-Sagheer (As-Sahab Institution for the Subcontinent) - a media group belonging to Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), has launched a new series of reports on its activities, which includes a new Twitter hashtag. In the first week of March, AQIS-affiliated Twitter accounts began using the new hashtag, which refers to the Al-Hadeed News Report - AQIS's new initiative on social and electronic media.

Al-Athir Agency Publishes Photos Of AQAP Da'wa Center In Al-Bayda, Yemen

On February 18, 2016, Al-Athir, a media agency affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), published photos of a Da'wa Center opened by the group in the city of the Al-Bayda, Yemen.

On Facebook And Twitter, Jaysh Al-Fath Affiliate Circulates Q&A Poster

On March 7, 2016, the Al-Muhajirun, a group of foreign fighters affiliated with Jaysh Al-Fath in Syria, released, via Facebook and Twitter, a poster with answers to three questions it said were asked frequently by prospective fighters: "Where does most of your help come from?

Telegram Channel Distributes AQAP 'Inspire' Magazine

On February 22, 2016, a Telegram channel called 'Inspire Magazine' was created to disseminate the English-language Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) magazine Inspire. Users can download PDF copies of issues of the magazine via the channel.

Jihadi Tech Group Offers Tutorial On Using Secure Messaging App Threema

On March 8, 2016, the Electronic Horizon Foundation (EHF), a crowdsourcing group that offers tech-related information for jihadis, published a lengthy tutorial on installing and using the secure messaging app Threema.
Remember the mugshot of this criminal that sent many a girls heart aflutter? Well, he has been released from jail and his life looks kinda sorted because hes now a model. Of course!

 Facebook

Jeremy Meeks became an internet celebrity when Stockholm Police Department released his mugshot on their Facebook page back in 2014. He had all the girls swooning over him almost immediately, and understandably so because look at those cheekbones! His photo got more than 90,000 likes and he soon became the Hot Mugshot Guy.

According to a report in Time, Jeremy was sentenced to over two years in prison for illegal gun possession in 2015, but before going behind bars, he signed a modeling contract with White Cross Management. Now that this hot thug is out, his future definitely looks exciting.

I mean this convict has a verified Instagram account for crying out loud!

I want to thank my family and everybody for all your love, support and prayers. I'm overwhelmed and grateful for what lies ahead. I'm ready @jimjordanphotography and @whitecrossmanagement #jeremymeeks #jimjordan #whitecrossmanagement A photo posted by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on Mar 9, 2016 at 4:43pm PST

White Cross owner Jim Jordan released a statement saying that he basically signed Meeks to give him a second chance, and also because those cheekbones! ;)

Said he, When I first saw Jeremys picture, the first thing that came to my mind was, I needed to help this guy. After speaking with his wife and meeting his family, I got a real sense of who Jeremy was as a husband and father, not to mention how beautiful he is inside and out. We are looking forward to Jeremys future. I do not think it will affect Jeremys career due to the overwhelming response he has received from clients and fans around the world.

Looking forward to my time on the lake with my kids A photo posted by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on Mar 8, 2016 at 11:29am PST

So excited to see @jmeeksofficialjr in two weeks! #almosthome A photo posted by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on Feb 24, 2016 at 4:53pm PST

Meeks has now more than 40,000 followers on Facebook. His popularity has only increased ever since the day he was discovered, a proof of which lies in the fact that many women had offered to pay his bail when he was in jail.

Although his agency has not really cleared out the specifics of the nature of his work, but they said that he had potential endorsement deals with modeling agencies around the world as well as reality-show interests.

Whats next, runways, films or both?
The modern-day North Korea is an eerily mysterious place simply because you have to move mountains to get an entry into the country. That its rampant with poverty, censorship, dictatorship and the worst kind of human rights violations is a fact well known. Yet several journalists and photographers who have had the chance to visit North Korea (or just its capital city Pyongang which is the only developed city in the country) claims that its a hermit kingdom, a part of a big set up, a reality that dictator Kim Jong-Un wants to present to the travelers or the tourists. Imagine living in your own The Truman Show under the clutches of a personality that both Stalin and Mao would approve, a place thats completely closed off to the outside worldthats North Korea for you.

So, when a photographer visits the place and clicks illegal photographs and then smuggle it outside to show you the harsh, convoluted and an unfiltered life of the citizens of the country, you know its supposed to be a big deal. This is what Polish photographer Michal Huniewicz actually did.

I visited North Korea and took these photos, most of them illegal, so you could get a more candid look into the most mysterious country on the planet. I was told I would be detained in case photos like these were found (You took many photos. Too many,  said my guide), but I managed to smuggle them out of the country, which was very stressful.

He apparently managed to shoot the photographs from his hip when no would see. We had an American in our small group, he was attracting a lot of attention, which allowed me to photograph more easily. I used a Nikon D300s with a 24-70 mm, which isn't really a good combo.

Check out his first set of photographs here.

1) Military personnel in the capital city of Pyongyang. They are, apparently, present everywhere.

2) On your left is North Korea and on your right is China. The difference between the two sides is definitely striking.

3) The difference thats even more prominent in the night.

4) According to Michal, there are several of these forms that one has to fill after they have entered the country.

5) Michals first photo of the place from the train, something thats prohibited in North Korea.

6) These are the people waiting to sell human waste so that they can be later used as fertilizers.

7) (The Korean Workers) Party is never going to forget the comrades of Rakwon [city]

8) A bus full of North Koreans travelling within the country. You need a permit to even travel in the country.

9) North Korean soldiers patrolling the place.

10) Rural countryside.

11) This is where things start to get real creepy. Arrival in Pyongyang. I believe this was staged, as there were no other trains that day, so those elegant looking travellers had no reason to be there.

12) Pyongyang  we were intercepted by our guides, who we could not leave during the entire stay, and whod tell us when to sleep and when to wake up.

13) Some more people on the streets of Pyangyong.

14) Brutalist architecture of an old, worn-off building.

15) The cityscape from his Yanggakdo hotel.

16) The hotel in which the photographer was staying had no official 5th floor. You have to use the stairs to access that floor. The door is almost always closed, but if you manage to get in, the place is full of propaganda posters, and people speculate its used for spying on the guests.

17) According to Michal, they did not interact with the locals at all. In fact, even the waitresses in his hotel seemed to be slightly terrified of the tourists.

18) Kim Il-Sungs square, the only place that they really want you to photograph.

19) Those allowed to live in Pyongyang are privileged, and wear a badge that is impossible to buy (you can get a fake one in China).

20) This photograph is technically forbidden because you need to photograph both the statues in their entirety.

21) I had 15 seconds to take this picture. This shop is for the locals only, and I was kicked out of it by my guide soon after taking this photo, but he didnt see me taking it.

22) Souvenirs to buy that are widely available for the tourists.

23) Pyongyang is a relatively clean place but they were not allowed to walk anywhere. Within maybe a minute or two from leaving the train we were all squeezed into a minivan that would be our second home for the entire stay. Although its okay to take your smartphone with you, there will be no reception and/or Wi-Fi anywhere. Your phone will be thoroughly searched on your way out.

24) Shit hits the roof when they take your passports away, not allowing you to vanish from their sights at all. There was hardly any traffic, but they took our passports away and forbade us to go anywhere on our own in case we participate in a car accident.

25) North Korean workers.

26) Pretty sure that the man is flouting the rule and can be subjected to fine (or more) if caught.

27) Some of the socialist murals, probably the only kind of murals youll see in abundance in North Korea.

28) People travelling to work.

H/t- Bored Panda

Facebook/Michal Huniewicz
"The historical geopolitics of Religion in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans: Aspects of coexistence between Orthodox Christianity and Islam"

Ladies and Gentlemen,



1. Introduction



The lands of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkan Peninsula were for centuries a single administrative space, which Western Europeans, starting in the 19th century, referred to as the Near East. Naturally, it never occurred to any Byzantine, Arab or Ottoman to describe their geographical space in relation to its proximity to the West, as they perceived their state as the center from which all others drew their relative position. The theocentric perception of society, for both Byzantines and Arabs, rendered their states the kingdom of God on earth; the Emperor and the Caliph existed as the image of God and the successor to the angel of God respectively, and the main purpose of the state was the defence and dissemination of the one true faith as a prospect for salvation.



It was precisely this perception of the uniqueness and sacredness of the kingdom that led to the two most important schisms in the Christian and Islamic worlds. The adoption of the title of Emperor by Charlemagne and his crowning in Rome, on Christmas day, 800 AD, by Pop Leo III marked both the questioning of the legitimate Roman power of Constantinople and the beginning of the schism between East and West, which was consolidated in 1054 as a religious split that has lasted until today.



The controversy over the hegemonic and spiritual successor to the prophet Muhammad brought about the major schism in early Islam. Succession by bloodline was supported by the Shiite Muslims, followers of Muhammad's cousin Ali, while Sunni Islam wanted the prophet's father in law, Abu Bakr, to succeed him. The title of caliph needed to be passed on to a single true successor who, as Governor of the Faithful, had all Muslims under his power. The parallel claims to the title meant a schism. This is why early Greek-language literature refers to the Shiites as Schiites, in the belief that they got their name from the Greek word schism. However, the similarities are not limited to the causes of the schisms, but extend to the contact between and coexistence of the two worlds, which brought about major borrowings, on both sides, in all areas of culture.



2. Muhammad as the guarantor of Christians' security



The relationship of the teachings of Muhammad with the Judaic and Christian religions became an object of study early on by scholars and academics. However, beyond the Koranic sources there is a body of texts that indicate the Prophet's intentions with regard to the peoples of the Book  as the Christians and Jews are called  and concern mainly promissory writings and peace agreements concluded with Christian abbots, bishops and rulers.



During the tenth year of Hegira, the prophet Muhammad received a delegation of sixty Christians from the city of Najran, of Arabia Felix. The audience of those Byzantine-style Arab Christians took place in the temple of the prophet, and Muhammad allowed them to pray therein, which they did, facing east.



The Christians of Najran talked to the prophet about theological issues, including the nature of God, and he recited to them Surah 112 of the Koran, which is called The Surah of Sincerity and Absolute Faith: Say: He, Allah, is One, Allah, the Eternal, the Absolute (of whom all creatures have need). He begets not, nor is He begotten, And there is none like unto Him. Further discussion regarding the nature of Jesus Christ led to certain disagreements, regarding which he recited to them three verses of the Koran from the third Surah. After three days, the Christian delegation decided to conclude its mission.



Despite dogmatic disagreements, Muhammad concluded a treaty with the Christians of Najran. The prophet dictated the terms of the treaty to Abdullah Abu Bakr, who served as his scribe, and it was ratified by five of his acolytes. This treaty provided religious and administrative autonomy to non-Muslim citizens of Islamic territories.



A similar treaty was concluded the same year between Muhammad and Yuhanna or Ioannis, a Byzantine governor or, likely, bishop of the Biblical city of Aylah, in Arabia Petraea. The treaty marked the first Muslim conquest in the Anatolic Theme of the Byzantine Empire, and, in exchange for taxation, secured the right of the citizens of the city to religious freedom and guaranteed their property and their personal security: Thou hast to accept Islam, or pay the tax, and obey God and his Messenger and the messengers of His Messenger.



However, for the Orthodox Christianity the most important text ratified by Muhammad is the Ashtiname (Testament) to the Monastery of Saint Catherine of Sinai, the importance of which lies in the duration of its effect, which extends to our day. The Prophet Muhammad's agreement with the monks of Mount Sinai is certified by Muhammad's biographer, Al-Waqidi (748-822), and his student Ibn Sa'd al-Baghdadi (784-845), in the Kitab Tabaqat Al-Kubra, where it is set out, albeit in a shorter form than in the existing copies of the charter of rights, but containing all of the main articles, almost word for word.



The Testament is a very early Muslim text, given that it was written in the sixth year of Hegira; that is, in 628 by the Christian calendar. With the increasing influence of Islam in Arabia, in 626 the Prophet Muhammad sent a number of epistles to various kings and rulers around the Arabian Peninsula, stating his desire for peace and cooperation. In 628, a delegation of monks from the Monastery of Saint Catherine came to Muhammad and asked for his protection. Responding to this request, Muhammad gave, on penalty of excommunication, an obligation, ratified by his palm print. Official copies of the Testament are today preserved in the Monastery's Sacristy and at a number of its metochions beyond Sinai and on Mount Athos.



The account of Muhammad's journeys to Sinai and the historical background of the writing of the Ashtiname are mentioned in the first volume of the Journal des Voyages of the French diplomat Balthasar de Monconys (1611-1665), in which Monconys maintains that he saw the content of the Testament engraved in stone.



Below are some excerpts from the Ashtiname:



[]Whenever monks, devotees and pilgrims gather together, whether in a mountain or valley, or den, or frequented place, or plain, or church, or in houses of worship, verily we are [at the] back of them and shall protect them, and their properties and their morals, by Myself, by My Friends and by My Assistants, for they are of My Subjects and under My Protection. []



[] Their judges should not be changed or prevented from accomplishing their offices, nor the monks disturbed in exercising their religious order, or the people of seclusion be stopped from dwelling in their cells. []



[]No one is allowed to plunder the pilgrims, or destroy or spoil any of their churches, or houses of worship, or take any of the things contained within these houses and bring it to the houses of Islam. And he who takes away anything therefrom, will be one who has corrupted the oath of God, and, in truth, disobeyed His Messenger. []



This selections show that the Muslim state must not damage Christian churches in any way; nor may any Muslim official involve himself in the election of Christian religious leaders. Provided the Christians are subjects of Muslim authorities and ask for those authorities' protection, they should be given the assistance of Muslims in every legal manner.



The commitment to this rule of non-assimilation was institutionalized during the Ottoman Empire in the form of the millet system. In accordance with this practice, each religious community was considered to be an autonomous social unit that enjoyed relative administrative and legal independence. The millets were headed by high-clerics, who were made responsible for family law, judicial matters, church assets, education, philanthropy and tax collection. This system tried to allow for peaceful coexistence within the Empire, though placing non-Muslims in a lower social position within its sovereign boundaries.



3. The Christian perception of Islam



The appearance and spread of Islam among Christian populations of the East favored mutual understanding and dialogue between the two monotheistic religions.



Familiarity among the populations did not come about all at once, but was a dynamic process with multifaceted dimensions and chronological phases. It is characteristic that in the period of the 8th century the Christian world had vague image of the emerging religion, and that is why, initially, no serious reaction was expressed on the level of religious perceptions and theological premises. To the lack of information must be added the archaic form of expression of the theological truths of the new religion, a fact that did not favor a rational classification of the similarities and differences between Christianity and Islam. The two civilizations, Byzantine and Arab, were still seeking the common framework for dialogue and debate, which for the time being were unattainable due to language and ethnic disparities.



These initial obstacles were overcome when Christian scholars served in the courts of the caliphates as political officials and made the first assessments of the content of the Arabs' religious convictions. The first preeminent Christian theologian to set out the principles of the new religion in a systematic manner was John of Damascus, who had a profound knowledge of Arabic. This advantage helped him to penetrate the religious writings of the Arabs and ascertain, in an initial phase, the differences between the two religions.



In fact, what he assessed as the common points between the two religions led him to believe that Islam was another version or heretical perversion of the True Faith. For this reason, on the level of history as well, he linked the Prophet Muhammad genealogically with Ismael (of the tribe of Ismael), while on the theological level he identified Islam with dynamic Monarchianism and Docetism. His polemic turns critical when it deals with the moral life and eschatological convictions of the Muslim Arabs, a tendency repeated in subsequent Christian writings.



Theodore Abu Qurrah (Avoukaras) is considered his successor in the late 8th and early 9th centuries. This scholarly polyglot monk and, later, bishop debates the teaching and other aspects of Muhammad, refuting the accusations against Christians to be found in early Islamic writings and tradition. His writing is characterized by a defensive tone and, at the same time, a polemic inclination against the new religion, as he accuses it of perversion of the Christian message and the life ideals of the Christians.



Bartholomew of Edessa is regarded as the last apologist against Islam in the first millennium. Living at the end of the 9th century, he reacts to the Koran's accusations against Christians and endeavors to belittle and debunk the historical role and prophetic calling of Muhammad. In employing this tactic, he emulates and borrows elements from the polemics of the Jews against the beliefs of Christians and the identity of Christ. He approaches the moral teachings of the Koran and Muslim perceptions regarding predestination and paradise in a particularly mordant and sarcastic manner, showing in this way the difficulties Christianity was facing from the rapid spread and consolidation of Islam and the Arabs in the wider Middle East region. Nicetas of Byzantium, a contemporary of Photius, was the first Christian writer to call on the imperial administration (Michael III and Basil I the Macedonian) to draw up apologist writings on Christianity's superiority to Islam, responding to analogous outlooks that were gestating in the Arab world. His example was to be followed by numerous scholarly Byzantine writers who would serve the political and religious exigencies of Byzantine Emperors, writing epistolary texts and dialogues. But from the 10th century on, the source and departure point of the dissertations would be the capital, Constantinople.



Over the next two centuries, the development of Arab culture and its connection with the Greek philosophical categories of thought and expression created fertile ground for dialogue, which contributed to Islamic theological thought's being built on the foundation of the Christian theological model and the logic of Aristotelean philosophy. To this must be added the certifiable interactions between the various forms of art and culture, proving that propinquity and coexistence within a broader political and social framework did not deter interaction and mutual understanding.



Only from this perspective is it possible to understand and appreciate the effort of Manuel Comnenus (1143-1180) to eradicate the anathemas and aphorisms against Muhammad that were included in ecclesiastical practice and worship, believing that such a move could favor of the interests of Christians in regions under Islamic rule.



However, a more systematic rapprochement between the two religions took place during the Palaiologean era, when a great Saint of the Orthodox Church, Gregory Palamas, and two emperors, (John Kantakouzenos and Manuel II Palaiologus) attempted a comparison and theological juxtaposition of Christianity and Islam. All three writers spent time in the courts of Turkish sultans and debated with Muslim theologians on all levels (Trinitarian theology-monotheism, Christology, worship, moral life, etc.). Their extant texts, mainly apologetic in nature, bear witness to the dynamic movement of the leaders of Islam to break the morale of Christians by pointing up the superiority of their own religion.



4. A Christian monastic state in a Muslim theocracy



Eight hundred years after the writing of the Prophet Muhammad's Ashtiname, the Ottoman caliphate had become consolidated on the Balkan Peninsula and the few free pockets of the old Christian Empire of the East maintained their independence as tributary or vassal states to the sultans. The monastic state of Athos, which succeeded the great Lavras of the East, had developed -with the favor of the Byzantine Emperors- into an autonomous and self-administered area of the kingdom, with special rights and exemptions.



The first Ottoman domination of Mount Athos began in 1383 and ended in 1402, when Sultan Bayezid I was crushed in Ankara by Tamerlane. The following year, his son and successor, Suleyman, signed treaties with the Byzantines, to whom he returned the Theme of Thessaloniki, which included Mount Athos. In 1424, the Ottoman forces reappeared in the region and the city of Thessaloniki was granted by the Byzantines to the Venetians, so that the latter could defend it. The same year, a delegation of monks, with the consent of despot Andronicus Palaiologus, traveled to the court of Sultan Murat II, in Adrianople, where they declared their allegiance. From that moment on, until 1912, Mouth Athos survived as a Christian monastic island in an Islamic kingdom.



In 1430, when Murat captured Thessaloniki, the Athonite monks met him again and asked to confirm the sultan firmans of privileges which his predecessors, Bayezid I and Mehmed I, had issued. The firman of Murad II confirmed the privileges of the monasteries of Mount Athos, referring in particular to the tax-allowances, which was necessary for their survival.



In brief, the effect of the Firman guaranteed the assets of the monasteries and recognized their properties on the Mount Athos peninsula. Moreover, it prohibited the entry of laymen or state officials into Athos, it allowed the free movement of goods between monasteries and their dependencies, and it granted the privilege of exemption from emergency taxes. A second sultanic Firman, issued in 1485 by Bayezid II, reconfirmed the terms of the 1430 document.



Although under Ottoman rule, Mount Athos continued to be the greatest spiritual center of the Orthodox world, which was now in large part under Ottoman control. However, significant developments took place in the internal organization of the monasteries. The reduction of the term of abbots to just one year tended to weaken the traditional system of communal living. This unusual system, which emerged early in the 15th century, had become nearly universal by the 17th century. The monasteries were now administered by a council of elder monks who were elected by the brotherhood for a term of one year. This unusual system brought major changes to the lives of the monks, allowing, as it did, for the monks to have personal estates, to organize their own meals, and to receive a wage for the work they did for the monastery. This relaxing of austerity was seen as modernization and degeneration of monastic traditions.



Nevertheless and despite the changes and the need to adapt, Mount Athos managed, in periods of prosperity and decline throughout Ottoman rule, to maintain its distinctive character and remain a place of monastic devotion and spiritual productivity. The founding of the Athonite Academy, in 1789, and the emergence through it of major figures of the Modern Greek Enlightenment, bears witness to the fact that Athos continued on its great course even in the midst of a theocratic regime of another faith, though this regime did in general terms show respect and tolerance for the unique Athonite system.



5. Epilogue



The intellectual encounter of Greeks and Arabs as a result of the transmission of the Greek culture after the expedition of Alexander the Great, was one of the most important events in the history of civilization, the consequences of which are enormous in the Islamic world, Europe and the ecumene.



In the centuries that followed, the spiritual affinity between the two peoples evolved. The Aristotelian philosophy dominated the late school of Alexandria and its influence inevitably passed in the Christian world and Islam. The Syrian study of Aristotle was formed in the school of Edessa in the fifth century, mainly regarding the works of Aristotle on logic. After all, logic became a science by Aristotle. With the Aristotelian logic was connected the (Isagoge) Introduction of Porphyry of Tyre, and with his broader philosophy, the epitome of the Syrian writer Damascius. The wider study of the Aristotelian corpus was achieved with the use of Scholia (comments) for the first time by the Syrian, Probus, and then by the Alexandrians, Ammonius and John Philoponus. It should be noted that the Arabic interpretative projects of Aristotelian philosophy were mainly Neo-Platonic, and it was the Neo-Platonic tendency that dominated the Arab philosophy and influenced the Muslim theology. This influence increased further by accepting the epitome of the plotinian Enneads as the "Theology of Aristotle" and thus as an original work of him.



Almost the same mental path followed the Christian philosophy in Byzantium, which during the 4th and 5th AD centuries dominated by the influence of Neoplatonic thought. The apophatic terminology would be considered as a key element of similarity between Neoplatonism and Christianity. The relevance of theological faith with the philosophical problematic and scientific research developed systematically, and with proof manner, a trend validation of theological positions based on the philosophical dialectic, the mathematical principles and infinitesimal elements and concepts of space and time of natural science.



Thus, the two major religions using common philosophical bases developed their theological thought. This fact together with the description of the occurrences of the history of geopolitics of religion in the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean demonstrate the positive foundations of the current dialogue, which must be a dialogue of cultures aimed to consolidate pluralism and peaceful intercultural coexistence.
Jeff Perryman of DeWitt rushed Ike, a 7-year-old German shepherd, to an after-hours clinic where he underwent surgery for a twisted stomach when he first became ill around Jan. 22 while the two were at the bureau's National Academy in Georgia, Perryman told the Lansing State Journal. The dog became ill again after the pair returned to Michigan, so Perryman took him to the MSU Veterinary Medical Center.

Veterinarians performed an ultrasound and determined that Ike had a rare condition where the entire intestinal track twists. He underwent surgery a second time and was able to pull through despite low odds of survival.

Perryman crawled into the dog's cage and stayed by his side for five days after the major surgery. Ike would howl when Perryman attempted to leave the cage.

"It was touch and go for a while," Perryman said.

More than a month after the procedure, Ike is back to normal.

But the dog's close call with death shook up Perryman, who considers Ike to be much more than just a work partner.

"It's like a family member that goes to work with you every day, that goes home with you every night, and throughout that time period, they watch your back and protect you," Perryman said. "He's tremendous."

Ike is among 11 highly trained dogs in the U.S. used by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to apprehend violent suspects.

"Everything is very clear to him. He learns quickly. He loves to train, loves to work. He enjoys people. He understands when to work and when to play," Perryman said.
If the Senate approves Thursday and Gov. Jerry Brown signs off, California would become the second state to move the age to buy cigarettes from 18 to 21, and electronic cigarettes would face the same restrictions as tobacco products.

The six bills represent California's most substantial anti-tobacco push in nearly two decades, the American Cancer Society said. But advocates couldn't garner enough support to raise cigarette taxes, which requires a two-thirds supermajority. The Cancer Society and other groups are seeking to qualify an initiative for the 2016 ballot.

"With California having such a huge population it's going to be very impactful nationwide," said Cathy Callaway, associate director of state and local campaigns for the American Cancer Society.

Thursday's vote comes amid intense lobbying from tobacco interests and fierce opposition from many Republicans, who say the state should butt out of people's personal decisions, even if they're harmful to health.

Still, the bills are likely to pass the Democratic-controlled Senate, which approved substantially similar legislation last year before it stalled in the Assembly.

A spokesman for the Democratic governor said last week that the governor generally doesn't comment on pending legislation.

The Senate vote would come just over a week after San Francisco supervisors opted to raise the tobacco-purchase age, making it the second largest city to do so after New York. Nationwide, more than 120 jurisdictions have raised the smoking age to 21, according to Tobacco 21, a group that advocates the policy shift nationally. Hawaii was first to adopt 21 as the smoking age statewide.

New Jersey's Legislature voted to raise the smoking age from 19 to 21, but the bill died when Republican Gov. Chris Christie decided not to act on it before a January deadline.

Advocates of a higher smoking age note that the vast majority of smokers start before they're 18, according to data from the U.S. surgeon general. Making it illegal for 18-year-old high school students to buy tobacco for their underage friends will make it more difficult for teens to get ahold of tobacco products, they say.

Critics say adults are trusted to make weighty decisions to vote or join the military once they turn 18. In response, Democrats changed the bill to allow members of the military to continue buying cigarettes at 18.

"You can commit a felony when you're 18 years old and for the rest of your life be in prison," said Assembly Minority Leader Chad Hayes, R-Yucca Valley. "And yet you can't buy a pack of cigarettes."

Another bill would classify increasingly popular e-cigarettes, or "vaping" devices, as tobacco products subject to the same restrictions on who can purchase them and where they can be used.

The federal Food and Drug Administration has proposed regulating e-cigarettes but the rule hasn't taken effect. Anti-tobacco advocates fear that vaporizers are enticing to young people and may encourage them to eventually take up smoking. Others say they are a less-harmful, tar-free alternative to cigarettes. They haven't been extensively studied, and there's no scientific consensus on their harms or benefits.

The package would expand smoke-free areas to include bars, workplace breakrooms, small businesses, warehouses and hotel lobbies and meeting rooms. Smoking bans would apply at more schools, including charter schools, and counties would be able to raise their own cigarette taxes beyond the state's levy of $0.87 per pack.

Meanwhile, anti-smoking groups are collecting signatures for a ballot initiative that would raise the cigarette tax to $2 a pack and direct the money to be used for purposes including health care, tobacco-use prevention, research and law enforcement. With backing from wealthy liberal donor Tom Steyer, organizers have collected at least 25 percent of the signatures they need to place the measure on the November ballot.
The commander of the 1st Infantry Division was eager Thursday to begin integrating women into the previously restricted combat billets of the "Big Red One."

Maj. Gen. Wayne. W. Grigsby, Jr., also said he expected that opening up combat roles to women would have no impact on the readiness and operations of the division, which has 4,000 of its 15,000 troops deployed.

"I'm all for it. I think it's wonderful," Grigsby said in a video conference from Fort Riley, Kansas, to the Pentagon. "I think it will really enhance our capability to continue to work and get things done," he said.

Earlier, the Pentagon announced that all the services had submitted their plans for implementing Defense Secretary Ashton Carter's directive to open up all jobs previously closed to women and to begin recruiting, training and assigning women who qualify to those positions.

For the women of the 1st ID, it will mean qualifying for combat roles in formations that are switching from preparing for the small-unit operations of counter-insurgency (COIN) warfare to preparing for potential conflict with what the Army terms a "near-peer" competitor.

It will also mean being constantly ready to deploy. The 1st ID currently has 4,000 troops deployed to Djibouti, Honduras, Israel, Jordan, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley has made readiness his top priority for a near-peer conflict. "So what you do is you do it," Grigsby said, and Fort Riley offers the space for realistic training. "We're able to deploy an entire brigade here out in the field  take the entire brigade out there and put them to the test."

In the coming months "I'm going to do a brigade movement to contact  all at Fort Riley" about 125 miles west of Kansas City, Grigsby said. What makes it possible is the troops, he said. "These kids have got it all," he said. "They cannot only fight COIN  they're quickly transitioning, picking up on decisive action operations we may conduct in the future."

"I think we're ready now," Grigsby said of the 1st ID. "The thing I continue to worry about is the leader development piece," he said, but the troops give him confidence. "These company commanders, these platoon leaders, they are so much better than I ever thought about being."

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at richard.sisk@military.com
Almost 100 people mostly from Haiti who were rescued from an overcrowded boat off the Florida coast had no food or water for...
As the Marine Corps looks to prepare for future conflicts and expand key highly skilled communities, the service will consider adding a new primary military occupational specialty: 0521, Military Information Support Operations.

A briefing document obtained by Military.com proposes expanding what is now a free, or additional MOS, into a primary MOS and increasing the total number of MISO Marines from 87 to a steady state of 322. The enlisted-only MOS would be composed chiefs of sergeants and staff sergeants, with a tapering senior enlisted leadership structure.

MISO, which has also been called psychological operations, or PSYOP, aims to influence emotions and behavior by targeted messaging and information distribution. It requires an understanding of the people and cultures with whom Marines will interact and how they are affected by various communication strategies. Humvees equipped with loudspeakers that blast messages to communities, leaflet information campaigns, and one-on-one meetings with local leaders all fall under the umbrella of MISO.

Currently, the Marine Corps deploys its small community of MISO Marines in teams of two to four aboard Marine expeditionary units and its special purpose Marine air-ground task forces for Africa and the Middle East. They also support elite operations at Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command and assist in major exercises and sometimes with larger Marine force operations.

The MISO MOS brief, prepared in October 2015 by Col. Drew Cukor, commanding officer of Marine Corps Information Operations Center in Quantico, Virginia, which contains the MISO program, notes that U.S. adversaries have seen success in exploiting the "information environment" to their own advantage.

"[Marines] may win physical battles but still lose because of failure to fight effectively in the cognitive dimension," Cukor notes.

Creating a MISO primary MOS would allow the Corps to get more value from the investment it makes training its Marines, the brief notes. Currently, about 30 Marines a year complete a 17-week training course at Fort Bragg, N.C. at a cost of $12,000 per student, plus another $5,000 per Marine to obtain a required Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance. Total training costs add up to more than $600,000, according to the brief.

However, few MISO Marines remain in the community, with 80 percent choosing to end active service following their three-year tour in the free MOS.

In an award-winning Dec. 2015 essay published by the U.S. Naval Institute's Proceedings Magazine, Marine Sgt. Dion Edon, a MISO Marine, said that those in his community tended to seek out other opportunities after their three-year tours because there was little incentive to stay.

"The Marine Corps loses an Army Special Operations Forcestrained Marine to the civilian contracting world, Army SOF, or the fleet, where their MISO-specific knowledge is unavailable," he wrote. "The MISO MOS should become a primary MOS with warrant and limited-duty officer opportunities so that the Marine Corps can retain its investment in behavioral experts who can support senior-level staff with technical expertise and advice."

Edon, who recently returned from a deployment supporting the 15th MEU as a MISO noncommissioned officer, also proposed giving MISO Marines more regionally focused and language specific training, and incorporating them further into Marine Corps planning and wargaming operations.

He quoted 15th MEU commanding officer Col. Vance Cryer, who said the addition of the MISO capability aboard the MEU had resulted in a "much more refined" approach to the integration of intelligence with operations.

"The MISO mission and support provides me [with] critical context, insight, and validation of various levels of information for use in the planning and execution phases," Edon quotes Cryer as saying in the essay. "As a key part of a networked organization, it provides timely, value-added tools that enable asymmetric advantages to the MEU or MAGTF level of operations."

Expanding the community would also better allow MISO Marines to meet high operational demand and increase the number of MISO personnel available to serve within each Marine expeditionary force and at MARSOC, Cukor's brief shows.

Officials with Marine Corps Information Operations Center declined requests for an interview because the plans were pre-decisional.

But the deputy commandant of Marine Corps Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Lt. Gen. Mark Brilakis, told Military.com that preliminary decisions could be made as soon as this fall regarding how to develop the MISO community.

"In MISO, within those specialties and capabilities, I think those are some of the things that we're going to be wrestling with to determine whether or not the Marine Corps needs more structure, whether it becomes a primary MOS, whether it becomes an expanded MOS, or whether it becomes a series of MOSs, depending upon the specific specialties," he said. "So if individuals are interested in MISO and expanded realm of information operations, etcetera, then they should stand by, because I think more will come out of this."

He noted that Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller has directed Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, commanding general of Marine Corps Combat Development Command, to conduct a study that defines where the Marine Corps needs to be in 2025 and whether the force is properly organized to address future challenges.

"One of the larger discussion areas is in cyber, information, deception, psychological operations, where is the Marine Corps with those capabilities, that structure, that capability inside the force," he said. "So there will be a fairly robust discussion about where we sit today, and where we may want to go tomorrow."

Brilakis declined to speculate whether the Corps could add even more MOSs, but said many decisions had yet to be made.

This push for a MISO primary MOS comes as Neller pushes to expand certain Marine Corps communities, including information and cyber warfare. He told an Atlantic Council audience in February that the Corps had two options in light of this objective: to ask for an end strength increase, or to restructure, perhaps shrinking other communities such as infantry, to realize growth in others.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@monster.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
The Pentagon transferred the head of the Islamic State terror group's chemical weapons development unit to the Iraqi government Thursday shortly after the U.S. captured him in a raid, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook announced.

Cook stressed the U.S. would keep ISIS detainees only for the "short term," handled on a "case by case" basis. "We have a government on the ground in Iraq, a partner in the fight against ISIL, that we feel confident we can rely on in this instance."

A defense official who would not reveal his identity reached by Fox News after the briefing confirmed the Pentagon has no plan on handling ISIS detainees. Cook would not say whether the U.S. government had access to ISIS detainees once turned over to the Iraqi government.

U.S. special forces captured Sulayman Dawud al-Bakkar, also known as Sleiman Daoud al-Afari, in a raid last month in northern Iraq, according to Iraqi and U.S. officials. The special commando unit was deployed to Iraq to conduct raids and collect intelligence on the ground.

The Pentagon press secretary said al-Bakkar's capture and transfer could be "a template for future cases."

Cook said the airstrikes conducted as a result of al-Bakkar's capture "disrupted and degraded" the group's chemical weapons capabilities, but did not necessarily eliminate the problem.

"We feel good about the damage we've done to the program," he said.

Cook declined to provide details of the strikes but said the information they've received will allow the U.S. to conduct additional strikes.

Al-Bakkar worked for the late President Saddam Hussein's now-dissolved Military Industrialization Authority, where he specialized in chemical and biological weapons. Iraqi intelligence officials said he is about 50 years old and headed the Islamic State group's recently established branch for the research and development of chemical weapons.

He was captured in a raid near the northern Iraqi town of Tal Afar, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

-- Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has no interest or ownership rights to what's been called a "miracle drug" for curing hepatitis C, the department said on Thursday.

Furthermore, the department said Dr. Raymond Schinazi, a former VA researcher officials previously claimed invented the drug alternately known as Sofosbuvir or Sovaldi, did not do so.

"Our review of Dr. Schinazi's work indicates that VA has no financial right to this drug. Dr. Schinazi was not the inventor nor does he hold the patent on the drug. Therefore, VA has no ownership rights," VA spokeswoman Ndidi Mojay told Military.com on Thursday.

The drug has been used to cure tens of thousands of veterans of the disease. The treatment regimen last about 12 weeks and costs the VA an average of $40,000 per veteran, officials have told Congress.

House lawmakers' anger over treatment costs when the VA claimed to have a role in developing the drug led the department to review what, if any, ownership rights it might have. Under a technology transfer program, the VA can declare an interest on inventions it helps develop, with a percentage of commercial sales going into VA coffers for continued research.

In January, Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Florida, denounced Gilead Sciences of California, the company that has reaped billions in sales of the drug, noting it charges only about $900 for the same course of treatment for which the VA pays $40,000.

"Gilead's tone-deaf pricing strategy also fails to take into account the fact that without the Department of Veterans Affairs, the drug at the center of this debate would not even exist," Miller said in an op-ed posted on CNN, adding that the drug "was invented by a team led by a VA doctor, who sold the company" to Gilead.

The VA in the past has played up Schinazi's role as a VA researcher, and in 2015 presented him the Middleton Award, the top honor given by VA Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development, for his development of drugs to treat hepatitis infections as well as HIV.

The VA statement on Thursday that it had no part in the drug's development is consistent with what Schinazi told Military.com in early February. He said the work all was done at Pharmasset, his own research laboratory, which he operated while he also worked for the VA in Atlanta and Emory University.

In 2011 he sold Pharmasset -- and with it the drug -- to Gilead in a deal that netted him more than $400 million.

As for the drug itself, Schinazi told Military.com on Thursday that he never claimed to be its inventor.

Ownership will eventually be decided by a court, he said, because it has been the subject of a lawsuit for several years.

Miller invited several VA officials to testify to his committee on the drug in early February, but Schinazi was a no-show. He put in for retirement the same day that Miller's committee invited him, Under Secretary for Health Dr. David Shulkin and others to testify, and it took effect on Feb. 1, two days before the hearing.

Schinazi told Military.com he was never made aware of the hearing.

"I never received the letter or was asked by the VA to attend this meeting," he wrote last month in an email. "I decided to retire from the VA well before all this. My labs are now based at Emory University and I am now 65 years old."

-- Bryant Jordan can be reached at bryant.jordan@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @bryantjordan.
Thailand's tourism minister has made her first trip to Myeik archipelago to assess the opportunities for investment along the untouched coastline of Tanintharyi Region.





Myeik district, home to almost 700,000 people, mirrors the far more frequently visited shores of southern Thailand, along the opposite coastline of a narrow strip of land.

Officials from Thailand and Myanmar have been discussing improved cooperation in promoting tourism in the area, U Myo Win Than, director of Grand Andaman Islands Company and local representative for the Myanmar Tourism Federation, told The Myanmar Times.

Following the annual ASEAN tourism forum in the Philippines in late January, the two countries met in February to discuss marketing themselves as a single destination.

When talking about Myanmar, we mentioned that the Mergui archipelago in Myeik district is very fresh and attractive with unspoilt destinations. Thai officials were very interested and asked for further discussions, he said.

Thailands minister of tourism and sports, Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, then visited Myeik with a private sector delegation to assess the opportunities for development, as part of a program called ASEAN connect.

We want people from other parts of the world to visit ASEAN countries, and we would like to focus [the program] on Myanmar. We can use the strength of our two countries combined  Myanmar has many untouched destinations, and Thailand has connectivity and airlines, she said in an exclusive interview in late February.





Thailand remains one of the top destinations for international visitors in Asia Pacific, despite a deadly bombing in Bangkok last year and a high-profile trial for the murder of a pair of British backpackers on a holiday island.

While Thailands economy has taken a hit over the past few years, tourism revenue has remained high, Ms Wattanavrangkul said. The industry contributed 16.6 percent to the countrys GDP last year, with earnings of 2.43 trillion baht (US$68.89 billion).

Of this, she said, 1.64 trillion baht came from 29.8 million international tourists, including 7.8 million from ASEAN countries.

Myeik meanwhile remains virtually untouched with just 11 hotels in operation offering 441 rooms. U Aung Aye Han, deputy director of the directorate of tourism, under Myanmars Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, said he would welcome Thai ventures in Tanintharyi. So far there is just one wholly foreign-owned investment in the area  the Pearl Laguna Resort, on 13 acres of land in Myeik township.

Myeik still has some way to go in developing connectivity, launching flight routes, building hotels and providing reliable electricity, the minister added. She believes opportunities to invest will develop as infrastructure improves.

Electricity is a must. I have heard that [Thai state-owned oil and gas company] PTT is looking at investing somewhere around Myeik. Actually, we dont intend to supply the energy, but [more stable electricity] is a requirement.

Since last May, regular flights have run from Chiang Mai and Bangkok to Mandalay, Bagan and Nay Pyi Taw, she added, but much more remains to be done.

The Thai government can support tourism investment to a certain extent, if projects are innovative. We think we can bring people and experience. We have made many mistakes which we dont want Myanmar to repeat. We need to think long-term about the benefits of sharing, not only for the big cities but for the other towns.

The tourism minister made headlines in late 2014, following the murder of two British backpackers on a Thai island, when she recommended that tourists should be issued with identification wristbands and that party hours on some islands should be limited.

For Ms Wattanavrangkul, while revenues from community-based tourism can be low, such projects are important. If you bring too many people, you destroy the city or town and its culture. But with community projects, local people can lead and benefit from tourism income. This is wealth distribution, she said.

Regulations and policy are often ineffective at protecting unspoilt destinations, and so community commitment to protect their land is crucial, Ms Wattanavrangkul said.

We can make Myeik very popular. Then the land prices will go up. If you start selling your land, the people who buy it will definitely invest in something bigger. If you sell your home, investors will build a hotel. If you sell your hotel, theyll build a bigger hotel. Thats when you find yourself in a mess.
Scores of people are moving to a former rubber plantation in Kawhmu township, Yangon Region, attracted by the chance of owning their own land, while mystery surrounds the real ownership status of the plantation.





The Suukalat plantation emerged as a centre of controversy in 2013 when the large plot was awarded in a murky tender to Young Investment Group. Two months later, the son of the former owner tried to reclaim the land from the government which, he said, had seized it decades earlier.

The 1325-acre farm, comprising three plots of land, is now dotted with newly built bamboo houses. Even local residents are camping out to stake a claim on a plot of up to 2000 square feet. Ko Kyaw Lwin Aung, of Pyin Pin Ne village, Kawhmu township, said, As the rumour spread, people began arriving, including some who already have homes in Kawhmu township. Before the rumour there were 20 households here. There are now more than 100.

The rumour seems to have arisen after a ward administrator took the names of temporary residents, supposedly for land allocation purposes, last October.

But nothing has happened since, except that more people turn up every day, he added.

More squatters started to arrive after administrators evicted 50 families from nearby grazing land to make way for a castor plant project. They relocated to Suukalat, he said.

Enterprising individuals reportedly sold their sites to newer arrivals for as much as K60,000, despite having no title to the land, said Ko Kyaw Lwin Aung.





Ward administrator U Myo Myint Maung, of Shar Pwar village tract, which includes Suukalat, said Yangon Region government had offered to draw up a list of illegal residents in Suukalat last October.

There were 400 then. In December, the authorities said they would allot 40,000 sq ft plots to each family living in Suukalat, providing they owned no other land. But no survey has yet been done, he said, adding that 250 squatters had written to the regional government requesting the land in January.

Before allocating any land, there has to be an investigation to make sure applicants own no other property, he added. There are a lot of fake squatters.

Ive reported to higher-level authorities because I cant do anything at my level. But Ive had no reply, he said, adding that the views of the owner of Suukalat would have to be taken into account.

The ownership of the farm is disputed. It was bought in 1957 from its British owners by a Mr Babulal, a Myanmar citizen of Indian origin, but the land was appropriated in 1968 under unclear circumstances by the Ne Win regime.

Mr Bablulals son, Ashok Kumar, tried to claim the land back in mid-2013. My father never sought compensation because the government said its seizure of the land was only temporary, he said, as reported by The Myanmar Times. Local residents have confirmed aspects of Mr Kumars account.

However, control of the land has passed from one government department to another. The latest owner is the Yangon Region government. The ownership dispute sharpened as the government launched a tender process for the sale of the property, which was cancelled amid widespread calls of foul play.

My father planted rubber there, and so did all the Union government departments that controlled it. But Yangon Region government has left the land idle, and squatters have gathered there. Some of the rubber plants have been chopped down, said Mr Kumar last week, though his manager who is handling the dispute. He is based in Bangkok.

This is the second time officials have tried to sell my land, said Mr Kumar, adding that his attempts to regain ownership were continuing, and that if necessary he would be willing to pay to see the land in his familys possession once more.

U Kyaw Swar Htun who is living on the land said I dont own this land, but I cant afford anywhere else. Im ready to move if I have to.

Daw Aye Aye Moe should she had been living illegally in Suukalat for two years. At first I was glad when other squatters came, but now Im worried action might be taken against all of us. Even though were squatting, at least were in our own houses. But the soil here is not good, so we cant grow our own food. Transportation is poor, so it takes a long time to get into Kawhmu town, she said.

Approached by The Myanmar Times, a spokesperson for Yangon Region government said it had no authority to determine the ownership of the land and declined to go into further detail.
This is the story of how I found myself lying shirtless on a sidewalk in Yangons downtown district at 2pm on a Sunday. You might have seen me. You should have seen me  a pasty white man with black tape dividing my torso into four distinct sectors, swatting flies away from my melting chest. As I was situated in front of St Marys Cathedral, some nervous church officials expressed concerns that my act was one of protest or condemnation; I did, after all, have a black cross taped to my body.





But it was no civil unrest. It was a science experiment, an endeavour to determine the sun-blocking potential of thanakha.

For context: I am almost preposterously white-skinned. Translucent, really  when standing in a swimming pool of clear water, my feet often blend in with the white pool bottom. In direct sunlight, I can burn in less than 20 minutes. Where others tan, I boil like a freshly caught lobster.

As a result I moved to tropical Myanmar with a stout supply of sunscreen. During my first week here I was shocked to find so many of my new neighbours wearing a sort of sunscreen of their own, the ubiquitous thanakha beauty cream that doubles as skin protectant. On my first assignment in Magwe Region, village children came running up to me to examine my fair skin; I was equally interested in the yellow thanakha cream, made from tree bark, adorning their cheeks.

The conventional explanation for the creams popularity is that it is equal parts cosmetic and ointment. Myanmar people have long ritually applied the cream to clear up acne, cool the skin and prevent UV damage. Even with the arrival of Western beauty products, thanakha remains the reigning cosmetic of choice among women and children (if less so for grown men, apprehensive of appearing too feminine).

It is, by most local accounts, a miracle cream, even used in organic products such as US-based Manda Organic Sun Paste and Thailands Organic Thanakha Soap. But would thanakha protect my body from sunburn as well as the Western sunblock I brought from home?

The experiment began. First, I split my torso into quadrants with some black electrical tape. Then, with the help of my colleague Myo Satt, I acquired a piece of the Limonia acidissima  or wood apple  tree bark that grows in central Myanmar and creates thanakha. He showed me how to make the paste, grinding the bark (K4000) into a coarse stone and mixing the remnants with water. It truly cools the skin, I discovered as I slathered it on the top right quadrant of my torso.

For the top left quadrant, I used the cheaper store-bought thanakha (K700) in order to compare authentic cream versus commercial. Sold in a small tub, this version was already pasty. I mixed it with water and applied it to my skin, coating the surface.





On the bottom right side of my stomach, I applied Coppertone SPF 30 brought from the US. Similar sunscreen in Myanmar can cost upward of K10,000, making it the most expensive option for UV protection.

As a control component, I braved a naked and unprotected bottom left side. I expected to be able to compare the three versions of sunscreen against the plain, steaming burn.

The experiment went as planned, though I did not expect to generate so much curiosity. More than once, a concerned pedestrian informed me that I would get burned by the sun, laying out in the open like that. I know, I kept saying. Thats the point.

After an hour of sweating and another of hour of waiting for the burn to set, the evidence was clear  thanakha works as a sun protectant, especially if homemade. Though not as effective as SPF 30, both types of thanakha managed to keep my chest significantly less red than the unprotected region.

Part of the reasoning is physical  the paste acts as a protective layer on top of the skin, not unlike the way mud would protect against sunburn. And in a 2004 study conducted by students at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, South Korea, and published in The Journal of Plant Biology, an active compound in thanakha known as marmesin was found to absorb over half of the UV ray spectrum that reaches earth through the ozone layer. The study concluded that marmesin could be commercially useful as a natural UV-A filtering product.

So there may be a scientific aspect  thanakhas active ingredient specifically helps with UVA rays, which contribute more directly to wrinkling, leathering, sagging and other light-induced effects of aging. UVB rays, which cause sunburn, are not absorbed as readily. This could be one reason why the thanakha-covered areas did see some slight reddening.

Still, Dr Christoph Gelsdorf from the SOS Clinic in Yangon pointed out that my experiment is only a case study and does not prove anything about thanakhas effects against skin cancer.

You can say objectively that it caused less burn, he said. But the thing to remember is that with sunscreen, were protecting against more than sunburn  were protecting against skin cancer. Sunburn is just a proxy for skin cancer.

A more extensive, randomised study conducted over large populations for extended periods of time is necessary before any kind of SPF rating could be accurately awarded to thanakha, but Dr Gelsdorf noted that this case study is a start to future research.

I applaud what youve done because youve given literature a case study of the possible benefits of thanakha, he said. Though it does not prove causality, it could be a first step in additional research studies.

Conclusion: In a pinch, use thanakha to keep your skin cool and relatively sunburn-free. But to prevent skin cancer, youre better off using sunscreen  at least until a few more sidewalk studies are conducted.
The First Buddhist Precept says, I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying living creatures. Will Yangon City Development Committee follow this precept? Having asked this, I do believe it may not be entirely possible to follow the precept according to its true meaning, but it is possible to follow it in a more humane way.





All truths begin as hearsay, as far as this incident is concerned. And now I believe it is the truth. I am referring to a recent episode of cleansing the streets of Yangon of the menace of stray dogs.

In the early hours of March 2, near the up-market Market Place on Dhammazedi Road, passersby saw about 10 unsuspecting stray dogs writhing on the main street, wracked by tremors and seizures, unable to cry out in pain  they were suffering a depression of the central nervous system, stiffening and dying.

Residents explained that YCDC scatters poison-soaked meat in places where packs of mongrels live or settle. The dogs eat the meat and die within minutes. But is YCDC aware that the poisoned food may be carried away by birds, or by moving vehicles, or by other means into neighbourhoods that are relatively free from strays?

While this sordid story was playing out, a robust, adorable little beagle strolled with his owner on their morning walk, the dog gamboling and enjoying the fresh air and clean roads of Golden Valley.

They returned home, energised and ready for the day. The one-year-old beagle ate his breakfast half an hour after they got home. And within the next 20 minutes, he died in his owners arms. The family is devastated. He never suffered any illness or infection. He did not even walk to the main road, where the other dogs were being snuffed out, yet he died in the exact same way they did. He writhed, suffered tremors and spasms. Seizures gripped his body, his limbs outstretched and slowly stiffening  in this way, he died.

The owner had no time to seek a veterinarians help, as the death happened in minutes.





For those who dont know, beagles walk with their noses on the ground. This one did too  he smelled something interesting, and this time may have taken a lick at whatever it was. This is the same road he had been walking on for the past six months or more  a quiet street behind Market Place, very residential, and free from traffic during the early-morning hours.

YCDC, do you even know that poison scattered in one place can reach way beyond your target zone? Did your people discard the empty poisoned food packets on a side street? Did you know that other birds, animals, even human beings could be your victims? Please explore ways and mechanisms of reducing the menace, without causing pain to other innocent creatures. Wake up YCDC and clean up your act.

Something on your mind? Talk it out this Weekend! Pitch us your stories by email at [email protected] or tweet us @TheMyanmarTimes
On March 2, Yangons much-awaited new water park opened its doors to excited crowds. Within eight hours, however, a combination of closed slides, dirty river water, stray dogs and inappropriately clothed visitors had staff closing the park early.





Im not happy at all, said Nay Myo Aung, who brought his wife and two children to Yangon Water Booms opening day. We paid K80,000 to come here, and thats a lot of money for us. Especially because my kids werent happy here  they kept switching off the water, and everything was not fresh. It is not good at all. We didnt get any information about some of the slides being closed.

All four of the parks signature slides  including the Tornado, Python, Boomerango and Combination Slide  were closed. There were also reports of frogs hopping in and out of the water, as well as metallic slides already rusting in the Myanmar sun. The park issued a public apology on Facebook the next day and announced it would be closed until further notice, but the post did not explain how the project, put together by one of Myanmars largest and most diversified conglomerates, went from boom to bust so fast.

After much deliberation, the Management would like to announce that Yangon Waterboom will be temporary closed until further notice, the announcement stated. Our team is currently working hard to fix the problem to meet the expected condition. Rest assured, we will resolve this as quickly as possible. YWB will re-open in the near future with a much better and improved service. We deeply apologize for any inconveniences caused.

The park was built by UMG, a property and infrastructure development business that has operated in Myanmar since its founding in 1998. CEO Kiwi Aliwarga has set a goal of making it a billion-dollar company by 2020, and the company motto is relentless pursuit of excellence.

The Myanmar Times spoke with Ko Ye Wint Thu, a representative from UMG, on March 7 to find out how excellence turned into disaster.





On the opening day, the water was clean in the morning, he said. But at about 1pm, the water filter and cleansing machineries stopped working. We dont blame this on anyone and admit our machineries problems.

A water filtration issue at Yangon Water Boom is a serious concern, as the water source is none other than the Yangon River. Sewage from the six downtown townships was actually dumped directly into the river as recently as 2003, and its murky green colour does not quite match the clear droplets splashed across Water Boom promotional materials.

Soe Thiha Hlaing, a park visitor who posted a critique on Facebook that quickly went viral, highlighted the filthy water quality as a chief concern.

Murky to a point where you cant see the bottom of the pool, states the post, which was shared 517 times. By the way, you dont get clean fresh water in the showers. I question what was the point of me taking a much awaited shower when the dripping liquid that came out of the shower is that same saltish tasting whatever I escaped

According to Ko Ye Wint Thu, technicians are repairing the filtration machines. At the same time, management is working on improving visitors support to make sure experiences like Soe Thiha Hlaings do not happen again.

We care about all the comments of our visitors from social websites and apologize for our weakness, he said. As our machines stopped, we couldnt control the water system and the park filled with dirty water. Then we lost our ability to entertain visitors.

For UMG, a company that trades primarily in heavy machinery such as excavators, the mechanical failure was a surprise. But it was not the only complaint  park visitors also lamented long waits for snacks at the food court, stray dogs wandering around inside the compound and an insufficiently enforced swimwear-only code.

I saw more people in their underwear and gym gear than in swimsuits, Soe Thiha Hlaing wrote. Truly horrific, when you are going up winding stairs just to bump into some guys in wet briefs.

Water Boom slides appeared to be built from metal, a departure from traditional slide construction materials such as PVC or fiberglass. Considering Yangons climate and the very nature of a water park, upkeep could become an issue.

There has also been speculation that the high price of admission  which costs K25,000 for an adult on the weekend  is an attempt to keep some of Yangons economically disadvantaged population from hanging out at the park.

Visitors such as Nay Myo Aung, who visited opening day, will be given a chance to re-enter the park for free during its first month whenever it re-opens.

But that date remains unknown.

We cant say definitely, but we can say our Yangon Water Boom will open soon, Ko Ye Wint Thu said.

Additional reporting by Charlotte Rose
Up to 1000 more refugees have fled intensifying fighting in northern Shan State, sources in the area have reported.





Residents of Ngut Nga village fled 35 miles (56 kilometres) from their homes to Nant Phat Kar and Mong Yu Lay in Kutkai township, due to flare-ups between the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Tatmadaw that started on March 4.

They fled from their home because Tatmadaw battalion 33 intimidated them and they feared forced conscription and shelling in their village, said Ta Aik Nyi, secretary of the Nant Phat Kar IDP camp. He said about 600 additional IDPs have arrived in the last three days.

After the Tatmadaw started shelling the village on March 4, families took cover in the jungle. The next day, the military called them back, according to accounts from the locals.

They took them to the village chiefs house and selected 14 strong, healthy young men as porters to the front line. Ten of them fled when the fighting started, but four are still missing, Ta Aik Nyi said.

U Aik Hla, 35, one of the refugees from Ngut Nga village, said the Tatmadaw soldiers looted the village market the night after the shelling.

They broke into my house but they didnt take anything because I have nothing, he said. They took everything from the shop near my house.

Mong Thein Win, a Taang youth activist, said one of the villagers died while trying to flee.





He was killed in a car accident on the way to Nant Phat Kar from his village, he said.

The fighting is going on continuously, so people dont dare to live in their village anymore. They are desperate to move to a safe place, he added.

According to the TNLA, deadly clashes have erupted on four occasions in locations between Kyaukme and Namhsan townships. One Taang fighter and 10 Tatmadaw soldiers were killed on February 8, according to a statement released by the TNLA.

The Tatmadaw has not issued any reports about the fighting, which the TNLA said is ongoing in Namkham, Namhsan, Monton, Kutkai and Kyaukme townships.

The TNLA estimates 1600 Restoration Council of Shan State troops and 6000 Tatmadaw troops are operating in those areas.

Its a bad sign for the peace process. We are willing to talk with the new government, but the Tatmadaw is keeping up a serious offensive against us. They are provoking conflict intentionally, said Ta Gyoke Ja, the vice chair of the TNLA.

Since the first week of February, more than 6000 displaced villagers took refuge in Kyaukme, after they were pushed out of their homes by outbreaks of fighting. Some have since returned, according to local groups, but only to Tatmadaw and RCSS-controlled areas.

Fighting is usual for us, said Mong Ai Kyaw, a TNLA spokesperson. Since 2013, we have had at least 10 and at most 40 clashes per month. But it is the locals who suffer the most.
U Htin Kyaw and Henry Van Thoi have been confirmed as nominees for the presidency, both easily defeating their Union Solidarity and Development Party rivals in parliamentary voting this morning.





In the Pyithu Hluttaw, or lower house, U Htin Kyaw  who is widely tipped for the presidency  defeated outgoing Vice President Sai Mauk Kham.

The National League for Democracy candidate received 274 of the 317 votes cast, or more than 86 percent.

While party leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi did not attend yesterdays nomination, she cast a vote this morning as the Pyithu Hluttaw representative for Kawhmu.

Union Solidarity and Development Party candidate Sai Mauk Kham, who received 29 ballots, was not present for the vote. Both he and fellow vice president U Nyan Tun, also a USDP lower house representative, took leave, along with four other representatives.

Fourteen votes were declared invalid.

The result suggests that the NLD gained the majority of votes from ethnic minority parties, as the USDP holds 30 seats.





In the upper house, NLD nominee Henry Van Thio defeated former Speaker U Khin Aung Myint, who had been nominated yesterday by his party.

The ethnic Chin Christian MP received 148 votes to 13 for U Khin Aung Myint, with six votes invalid.

The confirmed nominees from the upper and lower house, together with a military nominee, will be vetted by a seven-member scrutiny team, whose members were announced yesterday.

NLD nominee profiles:

U Htin Kyaw: from computer science grad to NLD loyalist

Henry Van Thoi: From Chin mountains to high office

The military is expected to announced outgoing Yangon Region Chief Minister U Myint Swe as its nominee in parliament on March 14, although several other candidates have been mentioned, including MPs U Hla Htay Win and U Thet Swe.

A vote on the presidency is expected by the end of next week.
Nearly two months after his arrest, U Gambira, one of the leaders of a popular uprising led by monks in 2007, was formally charged with violating the Immigration Act yesterday.





U Gambira, also known as U Nyi Nyi Lwin, was arrested on January 19. He has been charged under section 13(a) of the colonial-era Burma Immigration (Emergency Provisions) Act of 1947.

He was prosecuted by U Thaung Tan, an immigration official who led the investigation against the former monk.

Defence lawyer U Robert San Aung has now applied to re-examine three witnesses of the prosecution who had previously testified in Maha Aung Myay Township Court, where the trial is being held. He has called for staff officer U Thaung Tin, Police Lieutenant Kyaw Swar Lin from Special Branch and accountant Ma Zarni Maw of the Power Hotel where U Gambira was arrested.

We have applied to summon the three prosecution witnesses for re-examination. Now that the court has decided to charge [U Gambira], we have to prepare the required evidence, said U Robert San Aung.

I wish to end the tradition of these cases not being settled freely under the new government, he added.

The defence plans to call the Ministry of Immigration in Thailand as a witness as, so far, no evidence has been presented in the case, according to U Robert San Aung.





U Gambira maintains he is innocent and his supporters say the charges are politically motivated. I have committed no sin. I went to Thailand legally for medical treatment, U Gambira said after the hearing.

Vani Sathisan, an international legal adviser in Myanmar for the International Commission of Jurists, said that it was still unclear whether evidence had been presented against U Gambira and whether section 13(1) of the Immigration Act applied to Myanmar citizens.

She also said that proper legal procedures had not been followed during U Gambiras arrest.

Gambira was first detained in prison without any notification of the reason(s) for his arrest. Anyone who is arrested or detained must be informed, at the time of arrest, of the reasons why they are being deprived of their liberty. This right should apply at all times and is guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 9(2)). Gambira has a right to challenge the lawfulness of his detention, Vani Sathisan said.

U Gambira and his wife had entered Myanmar at Tachileik, flown to Heho and then taken a bus to Meiktila, where they stopped to visit his family. From there, they went to Mandalay. The couple had returned to Myanmar to get him a passport, and to have a new marriage certificate issued.

Despite two applications to have the former political prisoner released on bail for health concerns  U Gambira suffers from acute post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)  the former monk remains locked up in Mandalays Oboe Prison.

The next court hearing is scheduled for March 18.

Additional reporting by Kay leigh Long, translation by Emoon
UPDATE: Parliament confirmed NLD candidates as nominees from Pyithu & Amyotha assemblies today





A tired-Looking Daw Aung San Suu Kyi addressed National League for Democracy MPs in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday evening, explaining the reasons for selecting U Htin Kyaw and Henry Van Thio as the partys presidential nominees.

The identities of the two nominees were revealed in parliament yesterday morning. While U Htin Kyaw had been widely tipped to get the nod, and is expected to be confirmed as president next week, the selection of Henry Van Thio came as a shock.

Reporters were blocked from entering yesterdays meeting, which began at 4:30pm and was held at Nay Pyi Taws municipal guesthouse, where most MPs live while parliament is in session.

Experts weigh in on presidential pick

Representatives said afterward she had given three reasons for selecting U Htin Kyaw, citing his loyalty, education and experience. Henry Van Thio, an ethnic Chin Christian, was chosen for national reconciliation, she said.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi also warned all MPs to wear the NLDs distinctive orange-coloured jacket, known as a pin ni, to todays parliament session, at which MPs will confirm U Htin Kyaw and Henry Van Thio as the presidential nominees from the lower and upper houses,respectively.

The Union Solidarity and Development Party has also nominated candidates for the presidency in both houses.

She told all MPs to wear the pin ni because tomorrow will be a very important day at which they will make a very important decision, said NLD representative U Htay Oo.





Senior NLD official U Aung Kyi Nyunt said party MPs were not given instructions on how to vote today.

Read more: Outsourcing the presidency  the proxy problem
UPDATE: Parliament houses confirm NLD nominees





Barring unforeseen circumstances, the two houses of parliament are to vote separately today on their candidates for the presidency, with the NLDs overwhelming majority ensuring that Daw Aung San Suu Kyis chosen proxy will emerge victorious ahead of a final vote by the combined chambers next week.

U Htin Kyaw, a trusted aide with apparently no military background and little political experience, was nominated yesterday by the National League for Democracy in the lower house as a candidate for president. Henry Van Thio, a hitherto-obscure ethnic Chin Christian lawmaker, was put forward as a presidential nominee from the upper house.

Four months of uncertainty, secrecy and speculation ended with confirmation that the NLD leader had failed in top-level talks with the military to get around the constitutional provision barring her from the presidency. She will attempt to run the government above the president, even while the Tatmadaw controls three key ministries.

U Htin Kyaw: from computer science grad to NLD loyalist

Despite having only 42 MPs following its heavy defeat in last Novembers elections, the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party made a last defiant gesture by putting forward its own two candidates yesterday.

Sai Mauk Kham, current vice president and an ethnic Shan, was nominated as the USDP lower house candidate, and former speaker U Khin Aung Myint was named as its upper house candidate.

NLD MPs did not hide their disappointment that Myanmars voters will not have the politician they wanted as president, even though 69-year-old U Htin Kyaw will become the countrys first elected head of government without a military pedigree since U Nu was ousted by the Tatmadaw in 1962.





We feel sorry that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi could not become president, but we made the best decision to nominate the most suitable person in U Htin Kyaw. We believe he can do the best for the country, said U Myo Aung, a Pyithu Hluttaw NLD representative and former military doctor who had been tipped as among the front-runners.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi did not take part in yesterdays parliamentary session but issued a statement which some read as an admission that the NLD had fallen short during the protracted transition process.

As we continue to try to realise the peoples desire completely, wed like to respectfully request people to support and surround us with great wisdom to reach the goal we aim to achieve peacefully. Implementing the peoples will completely is the commitment of the NLD, so we will try our best, the 70-year-old leader said.

A seven-member parliamentary vetting committee will scrutinise the winning candidates for their eligibility under section 59 of the constitution which requires them to be over 45, have knowledge of military affairs and no direct relatives who are foreign citizens.

The committee is made up of the two Speakers, two deputy speakers and one representative each from the upper house, lower house and the military. The lower house approved U Myo Aung as its representative while U Ba Myo Thein, also an NLD lawmaker, was approved in the upper house. The military nominated General Than Soe.

Under the 2008 constitution written by the former junta, the military bloc holding 25 percent of seats in parliament also appoints one candidate for the presidential contest, guaranteeing the Tatmadaw one of the two vice presidents.

Henry Van Thio: from Chin mountains to high office

Lieutenant Colonel Ye Naing Oo said its nomination had already been submitted to the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, which would announce the name.

The combined chambers of parliament, which acts as an electoral college, is due to meet next on March 14 when it will confirm the vetting committee. The final vote for president and the two vice presidents may not take place until late next week.

The new president is to take office on March 30 at the end of U Thein Seins five-year term. He then appoints his cabinet, with speculation now turning to whether Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will choose an executive position, such as foreign minister.

USDP lawmaker and former military general U Hla Htay Win defended the USDPs decision to put forward candidates. We proposed presidential nominees because we want to participate in this process. Moreover we nominated quality candidates who have the ability to work for the sake of the country, he said.

Asked for his personal view on whether U Htin Kyaw can lead the country, he replied, I assume he is suitable. He declined to elaborate on his expectations of the next president, however.

NLD MPs admitted they knew little about U Htin Kyaw but willingly accepted the decision of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, despite the opaque selection process.

Analysis: Outsourcing the presidency  the proxy problem

Im so sad but I couldnt do anything for her. Personally I like U Htin Kyaw as he is an educated man with the qualifications to lead the country, said Daw Myint Myint Soe.

MPs from other parties said they felt left in the dark.

I only heard his name, but dont know anything about him, said U Kyin Wan, a Pyithu Hluttaw MP of the Wa Democratic Party.

Additional reporting by Pyae Thet Phyo and Swan Ye Htut
Four months after the nation cast election ballots, a face and name have finally been offered for the position of the president.





In lieu of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains constitutionally barred from the top office due to her British sons, her loyal aide and longtime friend U Htin Kyaw was nominated by the Pyithu Hluttaw yesterday.

He seems certain to get the presidency ahead of Amyotha Hluttaw nominee Henry Van Thio and the militarys candidate, taking on the job as a proxy for the NLD leader, who has vowed to lead the country from the sidelines.

Yet relatively little is known about the presumed next president. The NLDs tight-lipped policy created a vacuum, one swiftly filled with an onslaught of rumours, including that U Htin Kyaw is an Oxford-trained economist who served as the partys leaders occasional driver. Some reports also conflated the candidate with his father, writer U Min Thu Wun, who contested and won a seat in the 1990 elections. Others confused him with a much younger jailed activist with the same name.

With the NLD spokespersons phones turned off yesterday, the party did little to staunch the hearsay or alleviate confusion. MPs doorstopped at parliament sang U Htin Kyaws praises, but had little to add to his bio.

U Tun Tun Hein, an NLD spokesperson, eventually denied that U Htin Kyaw was formally employed as Daw Aung San Suu Kyis chauffeur.

I dont understand who started sharing this information, he said, adding that he didnt know about the alleged graduate degree from Oxford, or have anything else to add about the man who will likely soon occupy the countrys top office.





Born on July 20, 1946, U Htin Kyaw is a year younger than Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and attended school with her at Dagon townships Basic Education High School Number 1.

According to a resume posted to Facebook by U Kay Nyein, an NLD information officer, U Htin Kyaw received a bachelors and then a masters degree in economics from Yangon University. The NLD has yet to confirm if the biography is official.

According to the resume, U Htin Kyaw worked as a university teacher. In 1971 he became the first scholar to be sent abroad by the universitys fledgling computer department. He studied at the now-defunct University of London Institute of Computer Science at the same time that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi lived in London. She later became a student at the University of Londons School of Oriental and African Studies, while U Htin Kyaw returned to socialist-era Burma, ruled by General Ne Win.

Nominees chosen for loyalty and reconciliation: Daw Suu

He completed a second masters, in computer science, in 1975 before joining the Ministry of Industry the same year. Five years later U Htin Kyaw entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Foreign Economic Relations Department. He continued obtaining overseas degrees, in 1987 studying at the Arthur D Little School of Management in Massachusetts, which is now the Hult International Business School.

In 1992 he resigned from the ministry. Currently, he works as a director of the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation, a non-profit named for Daw Aung San Suu Kyis mother, and is a party executive committee member.

U Thant Thaw Kaung, a project director at the foundation, said he supported the nomination of U Htin Kyaw. We agree that he should be our president, he said. He is honest and he has a brilliant ability to lead. He is perfect for the president post.

U Htin Kyaw is married to Daw Su Su Lwin, the daughter of U Lwin, a founding member of the NLD. Daw Su Su Lwin is a lower house MP for Thongwa township who is always by the side of the NLD leader. Both husband and wife remained close to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during her years of house arrest.

Historian U Thant Myint-U, himself a one-time wildcard pick favoured in Myanmar media for the presidency, called his family friend U Htin Kyaw a stellar choice. [He is] well respected, [with] unimpeachable integrity, and a very nice man.

Additional reporting by Laignee Barron
We are about to be governed by a party, the National League for Democracy, which campaigned on a slogan of change. How much change are we likely to see, and what kind of change will it be?





For the vast majority of people in the country, the main interaction they have with government officials is on the local township, ward or village level. What are the prospects for change at that level?

Changing the constitution is easy in theory but, as we have seen, very difficult in practice. But one change the incoming government might wish to consider is removing control over township and district-level administration from the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is controlled by the military, and placing under state and regional governments, where the chief minister is to be named by the NLD president.

Under the Ward and Village-tract Administrator Law, local administrators are elected by the people. They are also supposed to be persons whose integrity is respected by the community. Higher-level administrative posts, at the township and district level, are allocated to civil servants. As long as those administrators are not elected by the people  and particularly when they are civil servants appointed by the military-controlled Ministry of Home Affairs  people cannot expect to see much change at a local level. It will still seem to them as if they are under a military regime.

Land ownership questions are of great importance throughout the country. But as long as township land management officials do not side with farmers whose lands were seized, ownership disputes arising from land-grab cases will rumble on. Electing township administrators and mayors by majority vote could bring significant changes. The same would be true if the city development committee and the department collecting municipal tax were under the management of an elected mayor.

All of these changes would require a change to the constitution. That is, they would require military support.

But what if authority for these posts was transferred from the Union government to the states and regions? That would not require a constitutional amendment.





Section 260 of the constitution states, The head of the General Administration Department of a Region or State is ex-officio the secretary of the Region or State Government concerned.

The constitution does not say the head of the general administration department of the region or state shall be under the responsibility of the Union minister, or under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The region or state government concerned is responsible for the duties and staff of the lower levels of the general administration department.

The constitution also allows state and region governments to supervise township and city development committees, without the involvement of the Union government.

To devolve these activities and responsibilities from the Union government to the states and regions would also be an act of decentralisation.

What about the question of whether a state or regional parliament can select its own chief minister? Under the constitution, this is the prerogative of the president. Nor can any state or region reject the presidents choice unless he or she is deemed to be unqualified.

In my opinion, which I shared through the media before the election, the president should consult with any party that wins more than half the seats in a state or regional parliament over the appointment of the chief minister. Otherwise the majority party could slow down or disrupt the legislative process, not least by blocking the formation and adoption of the state or regional budget.

In the event, no such ethnic party is in such a position, and the NLD has made it clear that the president will nominate the chief ministers in every state and region, even in the two cases  Shan State and Rakhine State  where it does not have an overall majority.

Even the Arakan National Party, which won a near-majority in Rakhine State, does not have enough seats to block the adoption of the budget. Thus, the right of the president to select the chief minister would not be challenged.

The way is therefore open for the new government to appoint chief ministers for each state and region who will not only pick the best-quality people to form the local governments, but who will also ensure that local administrators serve the best interests of the people.

 Translation by Thiri Min Htun

Ye Tun was the Pyithu Hluttaw representative for Hsipaw from 2011 to 2016 for the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party.
It has been uplifting and inspiring to see the many strong stories about women in the media this week in the lead-up to International Womens Day.





Naturally, many articles focused on the challenges facing girls and women across the world, a large number of which are highly relevant to Myanmar: gender-based violence; blatant cultural and institutional discrimination; and the insidious, confidence-draining, quiet-but-debilitating messages from so many quarters that girls are simply not as important as boys.

Other stories celebrated women, including lots of inspiring Myanmar women, who have succeeded despite those challenges and pointed to strong female role models in developing and developed nations.

But among all those valuable and positive articles and messages was a smaller number  mainly from Western commentators  decrying International Womens Day. Some suggested it was simply not relevant to women in wealthy nations. Others felt offended by the idea that all women should be lumped together. Some even went so far as to point to the fact that girls are outperforming boys academically and to suggest that somehow feminism was to blame for this and had become an enemy of equality.

Now its natural that whenever a big deal is made about something, some people like to make themselves out to be different or cool by criticising it. Its also true that some media commentators spout a lot of provocative nonsense in order to generate a reaction.

But what is not cool, what is actually highly pernicious, is to take something that has proved to be a day of positivity and strength-gaining for so many people who face marginalisation, discrimination and worse, and try to tell them their day of celebration isnt relevant or important, or is just yet another example of women getting uppity.

And its definitely not cool to suggest  as the editor of the UKs Spectator magazine did in his blog this week  that its somehow feminisms fault that fewer boys are applying to university. Naughty girls! Imagine working hard and having ambition and doing well.

If somehow the number of boys passing exams and applying to university in the UK was dropping as the number of girls increased, there might have been a little more force to the argument. But thats not the case. The tables published along with the commentary showed that more students of both genders are achieving better grades and applying to university, although more girls are doing so than boys.





Now, I wouldnt labour what was a clear reference to the UK, had it not got some resonance for young women in Myanmar and elsewhere. Here a system exists that deliberately discriminates against girls wanting to pursue certain degrees, including engineering, requiring them to gain more academic points than boys in a bid to redress girls better exam results.

It is a form of positive discrimination that is certainly not returned in the majority of fields, including politics, where women are vastly outnumbered by men.

It is certainly cause for concern that boys, particularly those from poor backgrounds, are no longer matching girls in academic achievement. This is not only happening in the UK  it is a growing global trend.

That needs to be investigated and support given. We must aim for all young people to fulfil their academic potential.

But to turn girls success into a negative thing and lay blame on that, rather than the wide range of social factors that affect boys school achievements, is reductionist and borders on the misogynistic.

Boys do not automatically lose out when girls achieve, and anyone who suggests they do is promoting a dangerous and fallacious correlation.

A 10-year study of 1.5 million 15-year-olds from around the world published last year by researchers at the University of Missouri in the US and the University of Glasgow in Scotland found that girls were outperforming boys in 70 percent of the countries studied, regardless of gender or the level of political, economic, or social equality  including in countries where womens liberties are severely restricted.

In other words, it is certainly not feminism thats to blame for boys lagging behind girls in academic achievement.

As for those women in developed countries who said they didnt feel the message of International Womens Day related to them, well, of course, it is their right to say so.

I can understand why some women might feel uncomfortable about a day which focuses on their gender as their defining characteristic. Some women may also genuinely feel that gender has not been a barrier for them personally. Certainly gender equality issues in many countries have improved significantly in recent years.

But women in many developed countries still face far too many examples of gender-based violence, discrimination and interference in their reproductive rights, as has been widely evidenced in the many reports out this week. And I defy any woman, in any country, even if she doesnt believe she has personally faced gender discrimination, to say she doesnt personally know women who have.

As for women in developing countries, including Myanmar, the need to highlight and address gender inequalities and promote the rights of women and girls is of vital importance, as I have written many times in these pages.

So lets all be a bit gracious about this. If it makes you feel uncomfortable and you dont want to celebrate International Womens Day, then just dont celebrate it. There is no need to condescend to or criticise those who do, or imply that its somehow anti-male.

But maybe also think again about whether you really want to turn your back on other people reaching out for support and inviting you to join them in celebrating their own and others successes in the face of hardship, abuse and discrimination.

Concern, support, encouragement, and recognition of peoples rights and achievements are positive things. The more we do those, the better it is for everyone in society.
If child prostitution, animal cruelty and general lawlessness are your idea of a dream holiday, then youre in luck. As The Myanmar Times reported last week, local travel company Thu Kha Lan Nyun is to start offering excursions to the casino city of Mong La, a notorious den of vice and debauchery in eastern Shan State.





Mountain vistas and ballooning over Bagan, it seems, are no longer enough for todays adventure-seeking tourist. Where getting off the beaten track once meant finding a hostel not listed in Lonely Planet, travellers seeking a truly memorable experience must now include on their holiday itineraries a morbid glimpse into the depths of human misery.

Because make no mistake, there is little to see in Mong La except misery. Run by the rebel group known as the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), the enclave bordering Chinas Yunnan province has become a hub for prostitution, gambling and crime. Everywhere you go in the city centre, scantily dressed girls  some as young as 13  sit like dolls on display in shop-front brothels. Brochures in hotels advertise sex with 14-year-old Vietnamese virgins. Away from the vast, columned casinos on the outskirts of the city, the poor gamble away their savings in backstreet betting shops. Save for a few joyless attractions brought in to satisfy sightseers  a depressing elephant show, a few miserable caged animals  theres nothing to see.

So why does a travel company think this far-off border town warrants an excursion? Perhaps theyve spotted a gap in the market for a dark, voyeuristic variety of tourism in which the affluent pay to stare at the poor and vulnerable. If so then, sadly, theyre probably right. I visited Mong La in 2015 for The Myanmar Times, and have since received countless emails from friends, journalists and strangers all asking for advice on visiting Myanmars infamous vice city. A colleague, who is planning his trip as I write, described it as a once-in- a- lifetime experience - something to check off the bucket list. Skydiving? Check. Seeing Elton John in concert? Check. Paying to ogle the poor and abused? Check.

Some will point to the role that writers like me play in contributing to the allure of places such as Mong La. We dress them up in sin city metaphors and then expect people not to be intrigued. But what is it that makes misery and depravity so interesting to tourists in the first place? Were talking in some cases, remember, about the abuse of children. Why does a crime that would enrage us in our own countries suddenly become so charmingly photogenic when its happening on the other side of the world? Im willing to bet no foreign visitor to Mong La would dream of strolling around their own cities looking for prostitutes and crack addicts to gawp at. But throw in a couple of palm trees and call it an excursion, and theyll happily pay for the privilege.

The same questions have been asked of other travel experiences in which tour companies cash in on poverty. In India, so called poverty tourism is big business, with operators offering special slum tours that allow rich visitors to cross paths with poor people. Some say that these experiences offer an opportunity for the rich to really understand what poverty means. But a 2010 study by the University of Pennsylvania of tourists visiting the Dharavi slum in Mumbai showed that visitors were motivated mainly by curiosity, not self-actualisation. And it is this same curiosity that will bring visitors to Mong La. Sex, after all, sells even better than poverty.

But the problem with visiting places like Mong La isnt only the voyeurism and exploitation. The real dangers of this growing interest are far more sinister. Because as long as the enslavement and abuse of women and children is bringing in tourist dollars, it isnt going to disappear.





Like the orphanages of Cambodia and Thailand  where well-meaning, uninformed tourists have turned the institutionalisation of children into a profit-making enterprise  an influx of affluent foreign visitors into the Mong La area will make protecting the rights of these groups all the more difficult. When you visit Mong La, every Chinese yuan you spend is helping to sustain an economy based partly on the commodification of women, children and illegal wildlife. The unsavoury characters behind this cruelty and exploitation will profit very nicely from a tourism boom.

But most disturbing of all is the possibility that some of these visitors will want to pay to partake in the abuse of children themselves. Where there is opportunity without the possibility of retribution, it will inevitably attract predators. By making it easier to travel to Mong La, were opening the door to visitors who may be motivated by something far more ominous than macabre curiosity.
[March 10, 2016] Angola Capital Investments CEO Zandre Campos Featured In Huffington Post

NEW YORK, March 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Angola Capital Investments (ACI) announced today that its CEO Zandre Campos was featured on the Huffington Post with his insight on health insurance in Africa. The article entitled "Health Insurance in Africa? There Should Be an App for That" originally published on the Huffington Post on February 25, 2016. The article looks at the cost and availability of healthcare in Africa. "The goal of universal health coverage is to provide everyone with access to the quality health services they need at a reasonable cost," Mr. Campos said. "Clearly, more and better coverage would transform healthcare in Africa." One of ACI's healthcare portfolio companies, Sphera Bluoshen, has developed an innovative solution called M Health, a mobile app that allows for consultation 24/7 for pediatric and general medicine. It provides easier access to healthcare, with better quality, increased efficiency and reduced costs. Patients can communicate easily with their doctors, receive medical information to which they never before had access, and essentially control their own health. "Quality healthcare for all is a challenge in many parts of the world, not just in Africa. We can make progress toward more feasible insurance, better coverage and quality healthcare in Africa - by employing the latest technology combined with the will to get it done," added Mr. Campos. Zandre Campos is the chairman and CEO of Angola Capital Investments a leading international investment firm in Angola and throughout Africa. ACI invests in companies in the energy, transportation, hospitality, healthcare and real estate sectors.



Read the full Huffington Post article:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zandre-campos/health-insurance-in-afric_b_9307102.html About Angola Capital Investments

Angola Capital Investments (ACI) is an international investment firm that invests in companies in the healthcare, energy, transportation, hospitality, and real estate sectors throughout Africa. The mission of ACI is to create global value for developing countries in Africa, while contributing to their economic development.

About Zandre Campos

Zandre de Campos Finda is one of the great, innovative business leaders and global entrepreneurs emerging out of Africa. Currently, he is chairman and CEO of Angola Capital Investments (ACI), an international investment firm headquartered in Angola with holdings throughout Africa and Europe. Prior to founding ACI, Mr. Campos was CEO of Nazaki Oil & Gaz S.A. He has held the positions of CEO of the mobile phone company Movicel Telecommunications and an executive in the office of the president of SONAIR, Air Service S.A., a subsidiary of Sonangol, Angola's state-owned oil company that oversees oil and gas production. He began his career as a legal advisor with Sonangol Holdings. Mr. Campos also sits on the board of Oshen Group S.A. Sphera Bluoshen S.A. is a subsidiary of Oshen Group. Sphera is committed to bringing high-quality healthcare services to nations around the globe with current activities in Angola, Morocco, and Rwanda. Sphera is dedicated to healthcare equality and accessibility. He is also a board member in Boost - Communication & Strategy, S.A. Mr. Campos graduated from Lusiada University, Lisbon, with a degree in Law. Mr. Campos has dedicated his career to helping advance Angola and other developing nations. His work makes him one of the most socially forward and conscientious business leaders of our time. Through his entrepreneurial spirit and diverse business portfolio that is ever-expanding, Mr. Campos is creating thousands of new job opportunities and building stronger communities. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/angola-capital-investments-ceo-zandre-campos-featured-in-huffington-post-300234471.html SOURCE Angola Capital Investments

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2016 Vlisco Ambassador Ghana  Regina Honu

11.03.2016 LISTEN



Vilsco has announced Regina Honu of Soronko Solutions, a software development powerhouse and social enterprise, as the new Vlisco Ambassador for Ghana.

The announcement, which usually kick-starts a month of activities by Vlisco to celebrate women, took a different turn this year as there was no public voting to elect a new ambassador.

Instead, the panel of judges chose Regina because of her powerful story of achieving her dream and excelling in her field as well as her passion for building up and empowering young women to also identify and achieve their own dreams.

She represents the Vlisco brand by daring every woman to choose the path less travelled and to be unafraid of being unique and expressing their individuality.

As the Vlisco Ambassador for Ghana, Regina will be sharing her inspirational story via multiple platforms including the media and various speaking engagements like visiting the educational institutions she attended.

Her primary role will be to meet with groups of women across the country as part of the Vlisco Connoisseur of Style campaign, in order to raise awareness on the increasingly prevalent counterfeit issue within the textiles industry while providing education on how to identify genuine Vlisco fabrics on the market.

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Under Soronko Solutions, she will travel to five regions in Ghana in 2016 and visit universities to engage with women studying Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

These women will be enrolled in Soronko's mentorship programme where they will develop more practical technology skills all with the aim of inspiring young women and breaking down stereotypes that tell women that technology is just for boys.

Vlisco Women's Month

This year Vlisco will honour all inspiring women in Ghana during the entire month of March, which is the month to celebrate women, with the theme, DREAMS COME TRUE, to pay tribute to all African women with dreams and especially those who dare to take the right steps to bring them to life.

During the month of March, on the special Vlisco Women's Month website, dream.vlisco.com , online surfers will find all the inspirational stories of ambassadors and previous nominees.

By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri


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Theresa Ayoade, the Chief Executive Officer of Charter House, organisers of the Ghana Music Awards, has described as heartbreaking the verbal attacks by Dancehall artiste on the company.

Shatta Wale

She told Bola Ray during Starr Chat on Starr FM Wednesday evening that sometimes she regrets having invested in the Ghanaian music industry due to the situation.

Yes I do regret along the line in the sense that we are putting in so much efforts and it seems that it is not appreciated and not valued but at the end of the day, we derive satisfaction that we know we doing a good job and doing our best and that discerning people are listening.

Wale didn't get any nominations at this year's Ghana Music Awards because of his verbal attacks on the scheme's organisers and board.

 After two years of publicly campaigning about not wanting to be included in the awards and recording and posting materials that tarnished and denigrated the image of the scheme, he has presented an entry for nomination. The board, however, thinks it is the first step to redeeming himself from the denigration of the scheme, said Mrs Ayoade at a press conference held weeks ago.

He has not completed the process. The board wants to encourage him to complete the process he has started, which would include a public apology to the board and the scheme, and thereafter we will move things forward, she added.

SOURCE: livefmghana.com


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Ghana's all-time best gospel music trio, Daughters of Glorious Jesus, is set to treat their fans in the Volta Region to an unforgettable Easter celebration.

The veteran trio will host other gospel musicians in the third largest city for the maiden edition of 'Hohoe Easter Praise'.

The event which is slated for Sunday, March 27 will be held at the all-new 1,200-capacity auditorium at the St Francis Training College in the Hohoe Municipality, and will also see performances from some of the region's finest performers as well as the 2H City Mass Choir.

'Hohoe Easter Praise', which is expected to be patronised by many music lovers, will be an event of purely good gospel music, mixed with a lot of eating and drinking, creating an ideal ambiances for a perfect climax to Easter.

This is the first time the trio are visiting the Volta Region for a concert after 27 years in the music business.
Nairobi (AFP) - Using chalk and a blackboard, Kenyan teacher Ayub Mohamud writes out a simple lesson in front of the packed classroom: "Islam versus violent extremism."

Mohamud, a teacher in the capital Nairobi's Eastleigh suburb, teaches business and Islamic studies but also discusses the deradicalisation of students, and is one of 10 teachers from across the world up for a $1 million (911,000 euro) prize this Sunday for his efforts.

"We need to make these students understand these ideologies of these extremist groups," Mohamud told AFP.

He began giving anti-extremism classes three years ago, shortly after Kenyan troops crossed into neighbouring Somalia to attack gunmen from the Al-Qaeda linked Shebab.

Kenya later joined the African Union force fighting the Shebab. In response, Shebab insurgents carried out revenge killings and recruited Kenyans to join its ranks, launching homegrown attacks.

The most shocking was the 2013 seige by Shebab gunmen at Nairobi's Westgate shopping mall, which claimed at least 67 lives, and the 2015 assault on Garissa University College when 148 people, mainly students, were killed.

"We need to make these students understand the effects of joining these terror groups," said Mohamud, who teaches at a school in a district dubbed "Little Mogadishu" after Somalia's capital, for the large number of ethnic Kenyan-Somalis and Somali nationals living there.

His work for deradicalisation has been singled out by the Varkey Foundation's "Global Teacher Prize", with the winner due to be announced at a ceremony in Dubai.

The Varkey Foundation, which describes the award as the 'Nobel Prize for teaching', said the $1 million award (911,000 euro) prize "aims to put teaching excellence in the spotlight, where it belongs".

While welcoming the praise, Mohamud says he is driven by the need to educate youngsters to prepare them in case they are swayed by those who call for them to fight.

"It was important for them to understand these issues, so that they can be able to have the confidence and critical thinking," he said.

"In case they are approached, then they can be able to reject the demand of these extremist groups."

He gives lessons showing how the extremists twist the message of the Koran.

"It is important for us to know about what our religion is all about," said student Ahmed Hassan.

"If we know, it is very difficult for any stranger to change our mind."

The fund, set up by Dubai-based entrepreneur, philanthropist and educator Sunny Varkey, a UNESCO education ambassador, is paid in instalments and requires the winner to remain as a teacher for at least five years.
Seoul, South Korea  At 3:08p.m (local time) on March 8, International Womens Day, 10 million women across 132 countries participated in the grand scale of the IWPG International Womens Day Peace Campaign.

International Womens Peace Group (IWPG, Chairwoman Nam Hee Kim) initiated a campaign, under the theme of The Flower of Peace has Blossomed not only at Yeouido Han River Park in Seoul but also through its 200 branches across 132 countries, to start at 3:08 pm in their respective time zones.

Considering the time differences in each country, the campaign has relayed for 24 hours. 3,000 women participants at the Yeouido Han River Park marched for peace and shouted, SHE CAN. SHE CAN. SHE CAN. WORLD PEACE!, urging for womens rights and the realization of peace.

In her opening remarks, IWPG Chairwoman Nam Hee Kim said, If the most beautiful human beings do the most beautiful work, the work of peace, there is nothing more valuable than that.

.....The enhancement of womens rights is directly linked to the development of mankind. Thus, when the loving heart and power of mothers are embedded in every womans heart, we will be able to make the greatest progress.

She added, With IWPG at the forefront, the worldwide movement of women and youth will rise together to urge the implementation of the international law on the cessation of war and achievement of world peace.

The event in Seoul began with a beautiful art performance of 50 multi-cultural female performers wearing their traditional clothes dancing to Hand in Hand, the official song of the 1988 Olympic Games, and Arirang, the Korean folk song most widely loved and sung. The performance expressed the unity of women transcending nationalities, ethnicities, and religions.

In the meantime, on March 5th, Chairwoman Kim was invited to MARCH IN MARCH hosted by UN Women for Peace Association (UNWFPA) in New York City. At the event, she delivered the keynote speech along with Ms. Yoo (Ban) Soon-taek, spouse of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon. She also gave a speech on empowering women and gender equality at the 59th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW59) held at the UN headquarters in March 2015.

The UN began celebrating International Womens Day on March 8, 1975 to remember and recognize womens economic, political, and social achievements and to elevate womens status in honor of the 1908 garment workers strike when women protested against poor working conditions.

The 2016 theme for International Womens Day is Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality urging governments to take national action plans in establishing equal status (50/50) between men and women by 2030.

In line with the UN womens peace initiatives, IWPG has received the spotlight as an NGO constructing a peace network among international women in various sectors of society.

With its headquarters in South Korea, IWPG has been actively carrying out womens peace initiatives with the heart of motherly love and is leading on the front lines in the battle to achieve cessation of war and world peace in their respective communities and beyond.
KIGALI, Rwanda, 10 March 2016, -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- On Monday 14th March, Rwanda will host the inaugural African Transformation Forum (ATF). The Forum is jointly organized by the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET), one of Africa's leading think tanks, and the Government of Rwanda.

K.Y. Amoako, president of ACET said that for years, his organization had wanted to convene leading thinkers, policy makers, the private sector and civil society to shape solutions to deliver economic transformation in Africa.

"With the inaugural ATF, this has now happened," he said and thanked the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame for "his unwavering support for the Forum and his government's characteristic efficiency in bringing it to fruition".

Rwanda's Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Claver Gatete, notes in his message to visiting delegates that though Rwanda may be a small country geographically, its aspirations - for both itself and the continent - are great. The path to meeting these aspirations, he adds, requires an unwavering focus on economic transformation.

The focus of the Forum will be on key areas that can unlock rapid and sustained growth, establish the continent as part of the global supply chain and make Africa globally competitive not only in terms of exports but also as a frontier manufacturing base.

In its 2014 African Transformation Report, ACET described this as 'Growth with DEPTH'; that is diversification of production, export competitiveness,productivity increases, technology upgrades and human wellbeing. This forum is designed to advance the agenda from the 'what' of economic transformation to the 'how'.

One of the key objectives of the Forum, said Anver Versi, ACET communications chief, will be to introduce and create a Coalition for Transformation in Africa. "This is a leadership network organized in Chapters, each focused on a specific and vital area of economic development. The idea is that after the Forum, Chapter members including governments, businesses and civil society dedicated to Africa's economic transformation, will continue to meet, discuss and find solution beyond the Forum".

The programme has a stellar cast of speakers, including some of the continent's leading analysts and thinkers. Amongst them Carlos Lopes, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa; Makhtar Diop, VP for Africa at the World Bank; Antoinette Sayeh, Africa Department Director of the IMF; Nkosana Moyo, Founder and Executive Chair of MINDS , James Mwangi, Executive Director at Dalberg and ACET's own experts - Yaw Ansu, Ed Brown and Joe Amoako-Tuffour amongst others.
Today Smile Communications Uganda (Smile Uganda) ( https://Smile.co.ug ) announced the introduction of two 4G LTE innovations to its customers in Uganda - SmileVoice and SmileUnlimited.

Smile is the first operator in East Africa to offer its customers Voice over LTE services, giving them access to the fast growing Global standard for voice and video calling.

SmileVoice comes in two forms; using a world-first downloadable free mobile App that affords customers with Android and Apple iPhone devices the ability to make SuperClear voice calls over Smile's 4G LTE network, or through the use of a VoLTE-capable handset (such as the latest Samsung devices) plus a Smile SIM card.

SmileUnlimited offers customers 30 days of unlimited access to Smile's SuperFast 4G LTE mobile broadband service.

Mrs Beatrice Kiraso, Chairperson, Smile Uganda said, Smile is the first mobile operator in East Africa to develop and introduce Voice over LTE, plus a world first to develop and introduce a free Voice over LTE mobile application that enables all our customers in Uganda, with Android and iPhone devices, to experience high-quality voice calls over Smile's network. We are committed to improving the quality of voice and data services in Uganda, and with SmileVoice our customers can call anyone locally and internationally, just like on any other mobile.

With our recently announced funding Smile has expanded its existing 4G LTE network in Uganda from 3 to 15 towns, and now provides 30-days of unlimited access to SuperFast mobile broadband  there is no other provider that is offering its customers such value and convenience, says Mrs Beatrice Kiraso.

Elaborating on the SmileUnlimited offering, Mr Steve Bannon, Country Manager Smile Uganda explained that any unlimited offering is subject to a fair usage policy (FUP). Smile's Usage Policy is very generous and ensures that connectivity will be maintained throughout the 30-day period.

Not only is Smile's pricing more affordable than that of competitor narrowband offerings, but the superior quality of true broadband also makes SmileUnlimited a fitting application of Smile's value proposition of speed, quality, reliability and simplicity.

The free SmileVoice App is a world-first, enabling customers that don't have VoLTE-capable handsets the ability to make reliable Voice over LTE calls when connected to Smile's mobile broadband. In the Ugandan market Android is the leading handset and together with the free SmileVoice App, we are ensuring that all our registered customers have a way to experience high-quality voice calls from their mobiles, says Mr Bannon.

To use SmileVoice, customers will be required to have a registered Smile SIM card and active SmileData service. When out of range of the Smile network, the SmileVoice App will enable calls from any device that is connected to the Internet via 3G or Wi-Fi at home or abroad. Customers who make calls when travelling abroad will be charged their local call rates, as if they were calling from home.

Issued by:

Steve Bannon Smile Communications Uganda SmileVoice number: +256 720 0000 052 Office number: +256 720 100 100 Email: [email protected]

On behalf of:

Smile Communications Uganda Ltd www.Smile.co.ug

About SmileVoice

Registered Smile (www.Smile.co.ug) customers can use their one data bundle for SuperFast mobile broadband plus voice calls, video calls and SMSs. All SmileVoice calls are charged in MBs per second to an active data bundle which equates to a UGX/second rate. For example, when a customer has a 10GB Anytime bundle and makes a one minute local call, the customer will be charged 10MBs from their data bundle, which equates to UGX142/minute. The effective call rate of UGX2.4/second associated with the 10GB Anytime bundle is lower than any local call rate in the market! Customers who activate SmileVoice will get FREE minutes and SMSs valid for 30 days to call anyone in Uganda. For more information on SmileVoice please visit www.smile.co.ug/voice

About SmileUnlimited

Smile (www.Smile.co.ug) offers customers the convenience to stay connected to SuperFast 4G LTE mobile broadband for 30 days without the concern of being disconnected. The Smile Usage Policy (SUP) applies and when reached a slower speed will be experienced, however access to applications such as email, online banking and searching information on the internet is still available and a very good experience. Please visit www.smile.co.ug/#products for more information.

About Smile Uganda coverage

Smile Uganda ( https://Smile.co.ug ) launched its SuperFast 4G LTE mobile broadband services in Entebbe and Kampala in June 2013, thereby revolutionising the way people access the internet in Uganda. We've expanded our network coverageand services to15 towns in Uganda including Wakiso, Mukono, Mbarara, Masaka, Masindi, Fort Portal, Kabale, Gulu, Lira, Soroti, Mbale, Jinja and Tororo, Entebbe and Kampala. Customers in Uganda can experience SuperFast and the most reliable 4G LTE mobile broadband services as well as SuperClear voice calls, video calls and SMSs over LTE, in the country. For more information please visit www.smile.co.ug/coverage/
South Sudanese government forces deliberately suffocated more than 60 men and boys who were detained in a shipping container before dumping their bodies in an open field in Leer town, Unity State, according to new evidence gathered by Amnesty International.

The organization's researchers recently visited the grounds of the Comboni Catholic Church where the October 2015 killings took place. They also visited the site, about one kilometer from Leer town, where the bodies were dumped. They found the remains of many broken skeletons still strewn across the ground.The findings are contained in a new briefing South Sudan: 'Their Voices Stopped': Mass Killing in a Shipping Container in Leer.

The arbitrary arrest, torture, and mass killing of these detainees is just one illustration of the South Sudanese government's absolute disregard for the laws of war. Unlawful confinement, torture, willfully causing great suffering, and willfully killing are all war crimes, said Lama Fakih, Senior Crisis Advisor at Amnesty International.

The researchers interviewed more than 42 witnesses, including 23 people who said they saw the men and boys being forced into a shipping container and later saw their dead bodies either being removed or at a mass burial site.

According to witnesses, between 20 and 23 October 2015, government soldiers arbitrarily arrested dozens of men and boys in Luale village and Leer town. They then forced them, with their hands tied behind their backs, into one or more shipping containers located at the Comboni Catholic Church.

Witnesses described hearing the detainees crying and screaming in distress and banging on the walls of the shipping container, which they said had no windows or other form of ventilation. They said that civilian and military officials had direct knowledge that the detainees were in distress and dying but did nothing to help them. For example, one witness said that she saw the then area commander order soldiers to open the container and remove the bodies of four dead men and then close the container again on the remaining detainees who were still alive inside.

By the following morning, all but one of the remaining detainees had died. One witness told Amnesty International researchers:

We could see the people inside and they were not alive.what we saw was tragicthe container was full of people. They had fallen over one another and on to the floor. There were so many people.

Following their death, government soldiers loaded dozens of bodies into a truck and dumped them in two open pits in Kulier, Juong payam, approximately 1km northeast of Leer town. Family members who visited the area in the following days said the bodies, left in the open, had been eaten by animals and had started to decompose.

Despite evidence of war crimes no steps have been taken to hold perpetrators to account or to provide reparations, including compensation to relatives of the deceased for the loss of their loved ones.

Dozens of people suffered a slow and agonizing death at the hands of government forces that should have been protecting them. These unlawful killings must be investigated and all those responsible brought to justice in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty, said Lama Fakih

In order for effective prosecutions to take place, the African Union Commission should immediately take steps to set up the hybrid criminal court provided for in the August 2015 peace agreement, and ensure that it immediately opens investigations into crimes under international law, including into this atrocity.
James Duddridge, the United Kingdom's Minister for Africa, visited Tanzania 7-8 March. During the visit Mr Duddridge met with Minister for Foreign Affairs Mahiga, Trade and Industry Minister Mwijage, and the Minister for Policy, Parliament and Employment in the Prime Minister's Office, Jenista Mhagama.

Mr Duddridge met with major UK investors and heard about the potential for British business in Tanzania. He also visited the Port of Dar es Salaam to see UK-Tanzanian cooperation on counter-narcotics and saw how UK Export Finance is supporting the construction of a new Terminal at Julius Nyerere International Airport.

At the end of his visit Mr Duddridge said:

Tanzania has been a great friend of the UK for many years and I enjoyed seeing how our relationship has developed and grown over a broad range of issues, including through our UK-Tanzania prosperity partnership, which has the potential to benefit both our countries greatly. I also raised my concerns over the political situation in Zanzibar. With so many connections, friendships and common priorities, Tanzania and the UK can build a partnership that will deliver benefits for both our countries for many years to come.
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Introduction

The ultimate purpose of this paper is to assess and evaluate almost the four years economic actions of the Minister of Finance under the constitutional obligation of the Republic of Ghana with the major reason that the contemporary politico-economic management of every state in modern world order, depends strictly on the following key players to cause a meaningful transformation in the economic welfare of the people.

This does not necessarily devalue other sectors created for economic development of a State but argues that its role is complimentary to assist the key players.

This paper seeks to arrange in their order of importance of economic transformation key players, in modern global economic order as follows

The Office of the President The Office of the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning The Office of the Minister of Trade and Industry The Legislative and Judicial system

This order of arrangement is likely to be debated by constitutional activists of the republic of Ghana in opinionated line of argument but this analytical argument is presented beyond the geo-political hemisphere of Ghana due to the line of knowledge contribution, it seeks to share and further brings consciousness on the continent of Africa.

The major focus of this paper is to scientifically assess and evaluate the management of finance and economic affairs of the Republic State of Ghana, and deduce if such module of the Finance Minister worth repetition of such practice under economic science for posterity studies and for it to be further kept in the library of Pan-African University of Higher learning.

Even though previous ministers until today had never been placed on such scale of scientific analysis, but their works are purely assessed by the court of public oral analysis not mostly documented, I however, presume this paper could pave a new pathway to evaluate the key managers of the financial market of Ghana from one governments regime to the other, since this office has a lot to contribute to a rich historic record to the economic management & planning of the political economy of a State.

The scientific objective, this paper is seeking to establish through critical examination, is to deduce whether the Minister of Finance has command over the Economic Management & Planning of the State through his policies and actions or not.

This will be analyzed based on present Press Release from the Ministry themed The Turn Around Story of Ghanas Economy on the 9th February, 2016.

The Table below, defined as Fig. X1; draw in summary, the revenue data of the republic of Ghana under Minister Terkper from 2012 to 2014 as the bases of our parameters set up to analyze his operations.

Fig. X1

GOVERNMENT REVENUE

VARIABLE GHC. /2012 GHC./2013 GHC./2014 Corporate Income Tax (Oil) GHC.384.1 M GHC.311.0M GHC. 214.3M Non-Oil Tax GHC. 112.3 M GHC. 2,926.2M GHC. 1,258.7M Grants GHC. 389.4M GHC. 519.1 M GHC. 576.7M TOTAL GHC. 885.8M GHC. 3756.3 GHC. 2049.7

Fig. X 2

GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE

VARIABLE GHC./2012 GHC./2013 GHC./2014 Wages & Salaries GHC.1028.0M GHC.777.6M GHC.229.9M Wages Arrears GHC.881.0 GHC.922.6M GHC.5.5M Interest Payment GHC.245.0M GHC.1,202.6M GHC.803.8M Utility & Fuel Subsidies GHC.339.0 M GHC.135.9 M GHC.145.1 M Goods & Services GHC. 354.7M GHC. 293.3 M GHC.691.6 M TOTAL GHC. 2,847.7 GHC. 3,332 GHC.1,895.9

Fig X3.

NET INCOME OF REPUBLIC OF GHANA

YEARS NET INCOME 2012 GHC. 1,961.9M 2013 GHC.424.3M 2014 GHC.173.8 M 2015 GHC. 6,995M

SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS

Analyzing from Fig. X2 indicates that Wages & Salaries was in a trend of decline from 2012 downward on the grounds of fiscal discipline and the question raised is, do we need IMF orders to cause the Finance Ministry to lead in the reduction of deficit of GDP from 11.5% of 2012 to 7.0% in 2015. It also has to be made clear that studies depict that reduction of the deficit of GDP was not necessarily as a result of Industrial performance to GDP growth of Ghana but government expenditure cut-down from some sectors of the economy, which under sound economic reasoning is counterproductive on a medium and long term basis.

It is further studied by this paper that, there is a scientific relation of grant offer and policy construction influences on the recipient through our phenomenological research methodology applied, and the findings deduce a direct proportional relation. It therefore confirms that the rise of grants offer from 2012 to 2015 as figure Fig.X2 Indicate above to consolidate the expenditure budget has a higher susceptibility to external policy influences in the economic planning and transformation of the State.

Further critical studies in data report of the Ministry of Finance starting from 2012 up to 2016, lack a scientific correlation of wages & salary investment and its corresponding productivity impact. To the extent that the State has to suffer from wages arrears to the tune of GHC1,809.1million from 2012 to 2014 but lacked corresponding productivity assessment report to that effect.

Per the Fig. X2, it indicates that the State further accrued debt on Goods & Services to the Civil servants of the Republic of Ghana at a tune of GHC1,339.6million from 2012 to 2014 yet lacked correlation data report of how such investments had translated to economic efficiency in productive wise.

Quoting from the report of Hon. Terkper under the caption, GHANA- THE TURN AROUND STORY 9th February, 2016, it states The Implementation of IMF three years extended credit facility and related structural reforms, is improving credibility in the budget and providing confidence. This analytical study, is a clear sign of failure on the part of the minister in control of economic management and planning affairs of the Republic State of Ghana.

PROPOSED QUALITIES OF A FINANCE MINISTER IN CONTROL OF ITS DOMESTIC ECONOMY

Globally, Finance & Economic Planning Ministers are known to be very influential when they are very active in domestic construction of credible policies and its effective implementations beyond the normal account balance sheet business of the finance ministry. Therefore a special method was adopted to measure policy performance of the Finance Minister from the date he took up that office to the present date of 2016. Probability sampling methods was used to select economic experts that are not politically identified but perform their academic and intellectual duties according to the accepted standard of the science society in Ghana. The findings from the data report indicate that the efficiency of the Ministry through its investment and policy scored 22%, as a performance assessment test.

The ultimate interest of this paper is to further analyze two thematic areas defined by the Economic science community of Ghana to be a total failure in performance of this Ministry as follows:

Lack of credible policy to check the correlation of investment and efficiency of labour to the market

Lack of credible policy that creates a domestic private sector very competitive to qualify for government and private sector partnerships.

Under which economic science do we expect a policy that causes tariff increment on Electricity & Water in a percentage of 59.2 and 67.2 respectively, excluding double taxations on domestic businesses, with an increase of the base rate of the Central Bank of Ghana at 100 basis point to 26%; Finally governments further competition with the domestic industry for capital in the narrow domestic capital market to satisfy its unlimited borrowing with the economy suffering from inflation rate of 19.0% as at January 2016 and the Ghana currency econometrically projected to be suffering from depreciation of 4-5% to the dollar in this same year. Furthermore noted to have establish the petroleum tax of 33% per litre, diesel of 40% per litre and LPG 22% per kg in the same year. This is just an abuse of Keynesian formula in economic management application and cruel manner to make the soil of Ghana unfertile for enterprise growth and successful investment of ideas to become viable ventures.

Measuring the liquidity ratio of the Ghana market from the Central Bank perspective is very low, yet the Ministry of Finance continuous pushing in all kinds of policies, which has all the characteristics to kill domestic businesses and promote capital import a deliberate means of selling the economy of Ghana out to external capitalist is enough to Judge the economic management prudence of Ministry of Finance & Economic Planning under the Science of Terkpernomics to be questionable for realistic economic transformation message they seem to carry and persuade the citizens to believe in a bright future. Which lack a clear scientific economic basis to accept the promise of better future they seek to propose through the Ministry of finance by their publication GHANA ECONOMY TURN AROUND early February 2016.

Under this science, it could never restore and correct unemployment challenges both in short, medium and long term in Ghana unless there is a total change in this kind of economic module.

Hence this style of policy direction scientifically never establishes any interest of economic welfare for the people with clear indicators of empowerment through microeconomic fundamental developments.

THE EXTENT OF MACROECONOMIC FORCES JEOPARDIZING TRADE & INDUSTRY

Fig. X3.

The figure X3 above, defines the extent and the measuring effect of this macroeconomic forces on the market as experienced by the private sector both formal and informal report, through non-probability sampling method.

A contemporary African economy that lacks a private sector support will lack economic welfare structures to the benefit of the masses on a sustainable ground.

All this economic deficiency in the science of Terkpernomics, causes this paper to confidently deduce that it lack the economic credence and could never be trusted whatsoever, in any oral promise from his office on the theme Turning Around Ghanas Economy For The Better, with this kind of economic module.

E. Tweneboah Senzu, DBA., Ph.D.

Research Professor of African School of Economics

Director of Finance & Economic Planning Kilombo Centre of Education, HQ. UK

Policy Analyst and Research Fellow Bastiat Ghana Institute

[email protected]

+233506400451
11.03.2016 LISTEN

At the end of the day, we are all human earthlings with equal claims to wherever we may find a sleeping place and/or rest. The problem here, though, is that none of us lives in the best of worlds. We are deeply bonded by languages and cultures which have shaped us into the recognizable national characters and races that we are.

Since Messrs. Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby were born and raised in Saudi Arabia, the heartland of the Islamic world, one would have thought that the Obama Administration would have bargained hard to have these recently discharged Guantanamo Bay Prison inmates, original charged with acts of terrorism, return to the kind of world that made them who they had become at the moment of their capture by U.S. military agents.

I am also frankly concerned about the strategically neutral stance reportedly taken by Messrs. Atef and Al-Dhuby vis-a-vis the volatile and apocalyptic activities of the Al-Qaeda and the Taliban networks. No doubt, these two young men are titled to their opinions. That is their inalienable right, all right, except for the equally significant fact that their self-proclaimed profile and/or identity does not square up with who their former captors say they are, and also why the Americans decided to lock them up for more than a decade without any formal judicial prosecution and/or conviction. Like their American captors, Messrs. Atef and Al-Dhuby claim that they pose no significant threat to their new Ghanaian hosts.

But the irony of this fact inheres in the flat refusal of the United States to permit these men, among a legion of others, largely of Muslim-Arab cultural and ethnic provenance, to even spend a night in the most technologically fortified maximum-security prison establishment or institutions in either mainland or offshore United States.

The vehement calls by both the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) and the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council are thus perfectly understandable; but it may be too late and ineffectual, since the leaders of these religious establishments have no military and/or statutory powers to back their demand (See Clergy Insist on Repatriation of Former Gitmo Detainees to US MyJoyOnline.com / Ghanaweb.com 1/11/16).

On the preceding count, both the Mahama-led government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Obama Administration ought to equally share the blame, especially vis-a-vis the apparently cynical and deliberate blindsiding of Ghanaian citizens. As the most powerful democratic culture in the world, it would have been laudably responsible for the Obama Administration to have both ascertained and ensured that the Ghanaian leaders with whom it was in the process of negotiating for the release of Messrs. Atef and Al-Dhuby had healthily and courteously informed their people about precisely what they were getting themselves into.

Indeed, as I had a teachable moment to tell a panel of interested discussants on this issue not quite a while ago, unless the decision to halfway house the two Yemeni persona-non-gratas also came with the immediate extension of NATO membership to Ghana, I absolutely do not see any signs of the Unites States being that much concerned about the value and fate of Ghanaian humanity in the dog-eat-dog global reality of Arabo-Islamic terrorism.

I am also quite certain that this inescapably unsound policy decision by the Americans to spread both the wealth and potential harm entailed in having certified, even if retired, terrorists settled in countries least prepared to fend off a full-scale and well-coordinated acts of terror, such as have been witnessed in such African countries as Kenya and Tanzania, does not presage a progressive relationship between the West and the rest of us, my profuse apologies to Prof. Chinweizu.

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
Geneva (AFP) - South Sudan lets fighters rape women as payment, the UN rights office said Friday, describing the country as "one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world."

"The assessment team received information that the armed militias... who carry out attacks together with the SPLA (South Sudanese army) commit violations under an agreement of 'do what you can and take what you can,'" the rights office said in a new report.

"Most of the youth therefore also raided cattle, stole personal property, raped and abducted women and girls as a form of payment," the report added.

In a report, the UN human rights office painted a harrowing picture of civilians suspected of supporting the opposition, including children, being burned alive, suffocated in shipping containers, hanged from trees and cut to pieces.

UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein meanwhile warned that brutal rapes had been used systematically as "an instrument of terror and weapon of war."

"This is one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world," he said in a statement.

After gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan erupted into civil war in December 2013, setting off a cycle of retaliatory killings that have split the poverty-stricken, landlocked country along ethnic lines.
Anti-Museveni protesters- mainly Uganda expatriates living in the United Kingdom (UK), converged outside the Uganda High Commission Trafalgar Square in London to protest against what they termed the February 18- fraudulent presidential elections and the subsequent violent repression of opposition leaders and civil society protests.

On Wednesday, March 9, the protesters urged the European Union, the UK, the US and other Uganda's partners to push for a recount of the poll under the supervision of international observers, and for sanctions against the Museveni regime if no redress is secured.

They warned that Musevenis continued rule is likely to lead further crackdowns on civil society, including the opposition and the LGBTI community, among others. During the the February 18 polls, Uganda government blocked the access to several sites of social media.

In a loud, vibrant demonstration, the protesters danced and waved placards to the sounds of African drums, vuvuzelas and popular Ugandan songs that call for change and democracy.

They carried placards proclaiming the election Not free. Not fair, Recount now, Sanction Museveni regime, Britain. Dont recognise Museveni presidency, UN. Speak out against Musevenis crimes in Uganda, and Museveni! Stop supressing peaceful protests.

Speakers after the other urged the UK government and international community to not recognise Gen. Yoweri Museveni as the legitimate leader of Uganda.

In Uganda, the protest has been praised by opposition politicians and has won widespread public support on social media.

The protest was supported by the African LGBTI Out and Proud Diamond Group, the Uganda opposition movements the Forum for Democratic Change (UK) and the P10 (UK) coalition, and the Peter Tatchell Foundation.

Protest organiser, Edwin Sesange, Director of Out and Proud, said: On 18 February, Ugandans held presidential elections. There is strong evidence that these elections were not free and fair, but manipulated to return to power the incumbent anti-democratic leader, Yoweri Museveni. The provisional results that were cited to declare Museveni as the winner do not match the results that were read out at many polling centres immediately after the election.

These elections have been strongly criticised by the United Nations, European Union observers, the Commonwealth monitor team, Ugandan Church leaders, the United States and Botswana governments, local election observers and NGOs, as well as by Ugandan opposition candidates.

We are very concerned that Musevenis return to power will lead to further state repression against civil society, including the LGBTI community, he said.

Prince Dickson Wasajja, of the Forum for Democratic Change (UK) and Chair of P10 (UK), outlined the key demands of the protest, which echoed similar demands being made by protesters inside Uganda:

We call upon the UK Prime Minister and the international community to not recognise Museveni as the legitimate president of Uganda and to expedite a forensic independent audit of the election results by international experts  including an investigation into the conduct of the head of the Uganda electoral commission, Badru Kiggundu.

We urge the immediate and unconditional release of the opposition leader, Dr Kizza Besigye of the Forum for Democratic Change, and other political prisoners  plus the freezing of assets and the instigation of travel bans on key regime officials who are implicated in the fraudulent poll, including Yoweri Museveni, Kasule Lumumba, General Kale Kayihura, General Katumba Wamala and Felix Kaweesa among others.

The elections were characterised by the jailing, torture, murder and disappearance of opposition supporters, widespread voter intimidation and harassment, delays in the delivery of voting material to opposition strongholds, manipulation of the poll results, lack of transparency and accountability by election officials, social media blockage, state surveillance and outright vote rigging.

These tactics used by Museveni ,who has been in power since 1986, are similar to the tactics used by the rogue regimes that were first to congratulate him, such as President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, Kim Jong-un of North Korea and Paul Kagame of Rwanda, said Mr Wasajja.

Additionally, human rights activist, Peter Tatchell, Director of the human rights organisation, the Peter Tatchell Foundation, joined the call, saying: Museveni is the new Mugabe  a democrat turned tyrant who has clung on to power for 30 years using terror and fraud to sustain his misrule. Uganda is a member of the Commonwealth yet its government is systematically violating Commonwealth principles by rigging elections, shutting down social media, arresting opposition leaders and supporters, and beating peaceful protesters and journalists. We stand in solidarity with the people of Uganda who defend democracy, human rights and social justice, he said.

Before and throughout the 2016 election campaign, live rounds, tear gas, water cannon, tanks and commandos were deployed against unarmed opposition supporters and sympathisers.

On polling day, Gen. Museveni's main challenger, Dr Besigye before he was arrested, he had involved in an altercation with police arrested after he busted and exposed a house in Naguru a suburb of Kampala, allegedly used by state agents which was as vote-rigging centre. The police later issued a statement that the alleged house was in fact their communication centre.

Many opposition polling agents, volunteers, supporters and leaders were rounded up by agents of the current regime and thrown into detention centres and torture chambers euphemistically known as safe houses. Others have disappeared. Some have been murdered by agents of the state or thrown into prisons, with no access to their families and legal representatives. A majority of Ugandans are now living in fear for their lives due to their political opinions.

Aidah Asaba, a Ugandan human rights activist, stated: The regime of President Museveni has thwarted all efforts by Dr Besigye and his team to gather evidence in order to petition the Supreme Court with regard to illegality of the election results. Many opposition polling agents have been incarcerated on trumped up charges by the government.

"The former Prime Minister and former Presidential candidate, Mr Amama Mbabazi, petitioned the Supreme Court to nullify the presidency of Mr Museveni. However, the state machinery is being used to frustrate his efforts. The offices of the two lead counsels on Mr Amama's legal team have been broken into and computers, paper work and other evidence taken. A number of witnesses in this case have been arrested at the residence of Amama Mbabazi. The United States ambassador to Uganda has strongly opposed these actions but it seems Museveni is determined to continue his violation of human rights with total impunity. This can no longer be tolerated," she said.

The leading opposition candidate for president, Dr. Kizza Besigye, has been under house arrest but with no formal charges brought against him. He has been arrested many times during and after the elections, and been subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment  including being pepper sprayed, abducted, beaten, starved, shoved and threatened with guns by state agents.

Since February18, after the polls, Besigye, a former personal doctor of Gen. Museveni has been denied access to his doctors and medical treatment. People who have tried to visit him at his residence in Kasangati have ended up in Museveni's jails and torture chambers operated by General Kale Kayihura, General Katumba Wamala, Felix Kawesa and others.

Journalists who have tried to report on the on-going reign of terror in Uganda have been pepper sprayed, arrested and physically assaulted.

Joan Natukunda of the Out and Proud Diamond Group added: The majority of Ugandans are currently living in fear for their lives due to their political opinion or choice. They label Mr Museveni's rule a regime of terror. We strongly believe that the international community can do much more to pressure the Ugandan government to cease its repression of civil society. Inaction is collusion, with anti-democratic and fatal consequences
The four female car snatchers

11.03.2016 LISTEN

A GANG OF four young women, who are said to be snatchers of vehicles from their owners at gun or knifepoint, have been arrested by the police.

They are Agnes Darkoa aka Last Killer, Ernestina Amponsah aka Akosua Frimpomaa, Mavis Addo aka Maame Konadu and Sally Sarpong.

They were apprehended after they had allegedly robbed a taxi driver of his money and mobile phone at knifepoint.

ASP Mohammed Yussif Tanko, Ashanti Regional police spokesperson, said the four women were in police custody and that they would be arraigned before court soon.

He said the suspected robbers, around 11:30 pm, took the taxi from Asafo to Afful Nkwanta, all suburbs of Kumasi.

.

But upon reaching Afful Nkwanta the suspects reportedly told the driver to take them to Anwiam near the NDC regional office instead of the original destination.

According to ASP Yussif Tanko, the driver headed for Anwiam but Last Killer, who was in the front seat, pulled a knife on him, seized the ignition key and ordered him to surrender everything on him.

The suspected lady gangsters took the driver's proceeds for the day together with his mobile telephone and took to their heels to avert arrest, but the driver raised an alarm, leading to Sally Sarpong's arrest.

Sally mentioned the three as her accomplices and a police patrol team managed to arrest the rest, who were escaping in another taxi at Ahinsan, another Kumasi suburb.

The police retrieved GH145, Huawei mobile phone and Samsung T-Mobile phone from the robbers during a thorough search.

FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi


The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, commends the United Nations (UN) Security Council for designating the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and its leader, Joseph Kony, as of 7 March 2016, as subject to sanctions imposed by UN Resolution 2262 (2016), including the measures contained in paragraphs 5 and 8 of the same Resolution, pertaining to travel ban and asset freeze, respectively.

The Chairperson applauds the steps taken by the United States (US) Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, on 8 March 2016, to complement the UN listing of Joseph Kony and the LRA for sanctions by imposing a freeze on any LRA assets within U.S. jurisdiction and prohibiting US persons from engaging in transactions with the group.

The Chairperson calls uponall AU Member States to ensure that funds, financial assets or economic resources are prevented from being made available for the benefit of Kony and LRA, by their nationals, any individuals or entities within their territories. She once again recalls theCommunique on the 299thMeeting of the AU Peace and Security Council which, on 22 November 2011, authorized the AU Regional Cooperation Initiative for the Elimination of the LRA (RCI-LRA) and designated the LRA as a terrorist organization.

The Chairperson of the Commission remains optimistic that the UN sanctions will contribute to dismantling the LRA's network through which the group has been resupplying itself by trafficking minerals looted from the eastern part of the Central African Republic and ivory poached from the Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to exchange for weapons and other essential supplies.She stresses that, this will, in turn, hasten the elimination of the LRA, leading to the creation of conditions conducive for the security, peace, stability, and development of the affected region.
speaker of parliament, Doe Adjaho

11.03.2016 LISTEN

A lot of hackles have been up lately following the introduction of a bill that is purported to eavesdrop on the inhabitants of Ghana. If, indeed, the august house of parliament rubberstamp the bill into law, we are told, no more shall the nefarious be allowed to proceed in their clandestine schemes where ever in their sightless substances as they wait on natures mischief. The sober reality is that, a maliciously-laden message will be intercepted with a cyclopean force whilst on its way to the recipient, dissected and lobotomized and action immediatedly taken by the regularized body to nib any insurrection in the bud.

In point of fact, if passed into law, the bill among other things is expected to fight crime like money laundering, terrorism, drug trafficking and many more. Lamentably, eavesdropping is a misdeminour just like pilfering, and unauthorize spying, that should not be encouraged in any society, so to speak, and I am at a loss why government wants to introduce it in Ghana. What is more, everybody anathematizes an officious person who is always as impertinent as a mule when poking his nose on peoples affairs and even so, the Ghanaian, by virtue of article 18 (2) will do no less other than cacophonously repudiate the intent-to-muzzle bill with adamantine rigidity and the contempt it deserves.

Even though, the government may have good intentions to introduce this bill, the bill is at cross purposes with the privacy of the good people of Ghana and at the same time in a breach of trust between the telecommunication provider and the user.

Like the move of a knight on a chess board, this bill is as clumsy as the jazz notes of an opera show. Considering the tense political environment in the offing, it will be suicidal to vainly attempt to waylay the bill as a whimsical and capricious idea of vindictively and callously dealing with political opponents which I sincerely believe has cataclysmic effect on the landscape of Ghana.

What the excutive arm of government ought to be doing is to use their all-pervading influence to adequately and promptly resource the EOCO to stand to the task of overtly or covertly busting crime rather than belligerently affronting the Ghanaian people with a bellicose bill. Needless to say, the regularize body can boorishly abuse the information so obtained by such interception since criminals are always nine-out-of-ten ahead of the law enforcement agencies, candidly packaged communication between business-men/ business-women, amatory effusions of illicit lovers, an exiled man expressing nostalgia to his wife at midnight, the knell of a feneral are some of the decoys that will mislead the bill-to-be-law into a ditch.

The ambrosial essence of writing, in my view, is to reiterate the fact that, the bestial ferocity with which terrorist act, for instance, does not called for listening to them for they have been indoctrinated and undergone training in that regard not to spill any beans, should occasion demand, but rather die meekly in the cult as a faithful dog to its masters will.

Terrorist are a bunch of cowards who hide around, but mostly are thugs, to violently attack their victims and later hide in an obscure part of the world to proclaim that, they are responsible for such a heinous and dastardly crime. Nobody has been able to logically decipher what their beef is, but one thing is certain, innocent people including women and children are victims which makes their reason(s) devilish and unacceptable in any socio-political setting. Consequently, these criminals are incurably and incorrigibly petulant otherwise they will not be able to proceed with amazing redundance, ebullience and peccantness in the way they do.

The government should take a cue from the developed countries and stop pestering the good people of this country with the antiquated bill. It has been tried else where without success. The solutions to the problems enumerated above lies with the availability of resources and commitment from government and mot otherwise.
Cardinal Sarr

11.03.2016 LISTEN

This would not be the very first time that I have had to say this, but it looks as if the Catholic bishops in Africa have yet to find their calling when it comes to the question of homosexuality (See Africa Wont Accept Homosexuality  Catholic Bishops Starrfmonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 2/22/16). First of all, Roman Catholic prelates like Cardinal Theodore Sarr have bought into the biologically questionable oath of celibacy, which has absolutely no place in traditional African mores and cultural praxis.

The African bishops also continue to take marching orders from the Vatican, a predominantly European establishment at least about 20-percent of whose priests may be homosexual and a considerable number of whom have been hopelessly mired in child sexual abuse  or pedophilia  cases.

In other words, if these African Roman Catholic bishops were that serious about the inviolable need to preserving the integrity of traditional African cultures, whatever the latter may be legitimately perceived to entail, they would since long have declared their independence from the thoroughgoing racist clerical culture of the Vatican.

It is also vacuous and hypocritical to blame the United States for the acceptance of homosexuality when, as already pointed out, a sizeable percentage  it may be very conservative  of the Catholic clergy is homosexual. Fundamentally speaking, I dont see the difference between same-sex marriages and the tacit condonation of clerical homosexuality in the Catholic Church, except for the crass hypocrisy on the part of prelates like Cardinal Sarr.

We also know that human beings are incurably sexual in our makeup and orientation. Which means that all these bishops pooh-poohing the existence and practice of homosexuality in African societies and elsewhere must be expressing their sexuality in one form or another. As a Catholic-educated person who once seriously considered joining the Church of Rome, I know fully well about the quite riotously rampant practice of fornication, adultery and pedophilia among the membership of the Catholic priesthood, both in Ghana and abroad.

What is known to be widely practiced among the Catholic priesthood but is rarely spoken about, or discussed, if at all, is the practice of masturbation, otherwise known as Onanism, which in the scriptures is a punishable offence.

And so Cardinal Sarr and his colleagues would do themselves and the rest of us quite a heck of great good by addressing the place and practice of Masturbation in the global Roman Catholic Church; merely focusing the brunt of their ire or resentment on the Americans, as if it was the United States that invented the pre-Biblical practice of homosexuality is patently absurd.

Maybe if the pontifical likes of Cardinal Sarr joined hands with African politicians and governments to make life better for their people, we would become far less economically reliant on Western donors and aid workers and charitable organizations, and then we would not have to worry about the purportedly psycho-cultural imperialism of the Americans and their Western allies.

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
11.03.2016 LISTEN

A few Nigerians believe that Kajuru castle does not exist while others question why such a magnificent and beautiful castle is in a country like Nigeria.

One of many tourist attractions in Nigeria, this castle is Africas best kept secret. As usual, Jovago.com, Africas No 1 hotel booking does its best to promote Nigerian destinations so we present to you a two-minute travel guide to Kajuru castle.

History

The foreign architecture of these awesome and incredible castle makes it unique. It was constructed by a German expert who lived in Kaduna State in 1978. The castle has a very European look which adds to its beauty which is why it is one of the most amazing destinations to visit in Nigeria.

Where

The Castle is located in south-east Kaduna on Kachia road , Kajuru local government area. The imposing structure makes it conspicuous to all travelers. You cannot miss it. You can access Kajuru by road or by flying into Kaduna from any city in Nigeria via the Kaduna Airport.

The Castle

It is a gorgeous masterpiece with the breathtaking ambience that is sure to thrill every tourists or visitor to the Castle as there is so much to see and do but first, you would have to brave the mountain as the castle comfortably sits at the top of a rocky formation. At the end of your climb, the reward for your hard work would be a picturesque view of Kajuru village.

The castle is a private lodge that covers 360 square metres and can perfectly accommodate 12 individuals. Its features include four dungeon rooms, masters bedroom, swimming pools and kitchen. You also have the opportunity to see a live crocodile. The mystery of the castle is still intact as a there is a secret door whose location will not be disclosed by Mr Bela Becker, the Hungarian caretaker of the castle.

Kajuru is the most appropriate place to visit for an awesome getaway, however, do not forget to pack the things you need as you cannot buy anything at the castle except adjoining villages circling the estate.

Ogunfowoke Adeniyi

Travel/Technology Writer
The Writer

11.03.2016 LISTEN

The legal adage which posits that law has the capacity to positively regulate the conduct of people anywhere anytime has never ceased to fascinate me. One reason behind this attraction is how ambitious that proposition looks - sometimes almost daring the intrigues of people in a dreamland. Another reason for this fascination is the fact that law, in action, has proven to do a lot of positive things about human behavior that otherwise would have gone so awry and injurious to public interest.

Through exploitation of the potency of law, the old age menace caused by the activities of Fulani herdsmen in Ghana can be sustainably addressed. That course of action is, indeed, within the realm of reasonable possibilities.

How the menace evolved

Before nomadic Fulani herdsmen found their way into the shores of Ghana, many years ago, some Ghanaians reared cattle primarily as a source of livelihood. Cattle rearing amongst the indigenes were particularly predominant in the northern belt of the country. At this point in time, the cattle used to sparingly destroy crops. This occasionally generated conflicts between farmers and indigenous cattle owners.

There was always a way of amicably resolving such conflicts whenever they occurred. At this juncture, even though conflicts still occasionally arose between farmers and Fulani cattle herdsmen (particularly the nomadic), there still existed harmony amongst the people. This was because there was a more disciplined way of avoiding confrontation and addressing problems when they occurred. This was often done through the forthrightness of traditional authority and commitment by cattle owners not to allow their cattle to invade farms that had been earlier invaded.

However, as human population grew, more nomadic Fulani herdsmen increased, cattle numbers increased and land became scarce or competitive (which was fostered by weather variabilitys negative effects on grazing lands), the structures that had ensured harmony amongst competing economic forces were found wanting. Increasingly, it became clearer that time-tested legal and socioeconomic structures were urgently needed to effectively counteract the situation.

Apparently, the authority of chiefs and other elders was heavily undermined, to this extent. Various District Assemblies where the activities of the Fulani herdsmen took place came out with by-laws to regulate such activities. But these were also flagrantly submerged by combined forces of institutional weaknesses of assemblies and sheer overwhelming nature of the menace at hand. This was evidenced by frequent clashes that kept occurring between farmers/indigenes and Fulani herdsmen/settlers.

The situation could not have been more described as a menace. It became worst to the extent that the narrative was generally in favor of them against us. Thus, instead of recalcitrant and errant Fulani herdsmen against farmers/communities, it was rather widely deemed as Fulanis against Ghanaians/indigene residents. Almost a near xenophobia situation creeping into Ghanaian society, it was as if some Fulanis were not Ghanaians or that the destructive activities perpetuated by some Fulani herdsmen were done and shared by all Fulanis in Ghana, unfortunately.

In recent times and even more recently in the first quarter of 2016, the menace has become more particularly awry and nauseating. In Agogo area of Ashanti region, in particular and other areas of the country in general, some of the Fulani herdsmen have allowed their cattle to be on unprecedented rampage destroying crops here and there and adversely affecting livelihoods thereof.

The worst part of it is that because the systems put in place, including operation cow Leg and local legal instruments, did not live up to expectation, the disgruntled innocent farmers got killed anyhow by criminal elements of the Fulani herdsmen whenever the farmers complained and reacted to the destruction brought onto their farmlands. This also came along with reprisal attacks where some innocent Fulanis may have been killed.

Ranching legislation

To this day, hundreds have lost their lives to this menace, as the unfortunate situation persists and worsens. If left unchecked or continued to be checked lackadaisically with lack of thoroughness, coherence and decisiveness, many more innocent Ghanaians and foreign herdsmen are bound to lose their lives to the menace.

In a democratic and peaceful country, it is very unacceptable to continue to leave indigenous Ghanaians and Fulani herdsmen to their own fate - as has largely been so far decorated with window-dressing and kneejerk reactions by authorities concerned. That is why there is more than needed a legally sustainable remedy championed by commitment and action to the course of lasting order and justice.

It first brings into broader focus why there is the urgent need to reconsider the free-range manner in which livestock including cattle, sheep and goat are reared by most people in the country including both Fulanis and Indigenes. To this, I propose the following - that a national legislation on rearing of cattle in particular and other ruminants should be fashioned out, enacted and promulgated with immediate effect. Core principles that should guide this legislation will include:

Anyone owning, rearing or intending to rear cattle or such ruminants in Ghana must have ranch (es) or very restricted area(s) within which the animals can be kept and fed, much so that no such animals under the possession of any person or group of people can have the freedom to move freely outside the restricted borders to invade, tamper with and or destroy property of others.

This is mindful of the fact, to some extent, that the right to freedom of movement by these animals may be necessarily violated. Under the circumstance, this is the best especially so when the ranching legal framework should provide the most legally appropriate way the animals will be handled in the restricted space.

Foreign migrants with cattle or such other ruminants while entering Ghana must under no circumstance be allowed into the country without absolute proof that they have the capacity to acquire space to rear and keep their animals in a restricted space. Without this proof and permit thereof, any such foreign animals and their possessors found illegally wandering in Ghana must have the owners immediately repatriated and have their animals seized for use by hospitals, prisons or such other empathic public establishments.

With respect to foreign animals that have gained legal entry into the country, if they violate the articles of the legislation, the owners should be heavily fined and given a strong warning that three of such violations will result in heavy fines each with their outright repatriation and seizure of their animals on the last count.

In the case of the indigenes or Ghanaians for that matter, first violation will result in heavy fine while three subsequent violations thereafter will result in heavy fines each with the last one attracting outright seizure of the animals.

This proposition is mindful of ECOWAS protocols on free movement of persons, establishment and residence (Ch.IV). It also gives recognition to the 1992 constitution which protects the migration rights of foreigners under its own principles and the international laws it binds Ghana to respect and enforce.

The protocols or any international legal instruments by no means deposit any meaning which suggests that the right to free movement of goods, people and services should be recklessly achieved. If that were the case, then the protocols and such international legal instruments may have unreasonably outlived its purpose and far behind the reality of the times.

Strict licensing and monitoring mechanisms will be activated to ensure compliance with the tenets and components of the legislation. The ministry of food and agriculture, in collaboration with district assemblies under local government ministry, ministry of justice and attorney general, ministry of interior, ministry of defense, Members of Parliament, Chiefs and opinion leaders, should be the implementing agency under the auspices of a commission. By-laws of district assemblies on ranching should be developed and or strengthened to detail, protect and enhance the implementation of any legislation on ranching

Bottom-line

Formulation, Passage and implementation of ranching law in Ghana are long overdue. The discussions on ranching legislation which started in 2012 have been in the pipeline for too long. The plight and voices of ordinary communities and farmers, particularly the Peasant Farmers Association, on expediting ranching law in Ghana must be respectively alleviated and heard forthwith.

Burkina Faso, Cameroon and other countries in the sub-region have significantly curbed the menace of herdsmen through ranching. There is no excuse why Ghana must not act decisively now - If for nothing at all but at least to ensure harmony, peace and tranquility between farmers/local communities and cattle/animal owners or caretakers. It is important that the foregoing principles and guidelines are incorporated in the ranching law in order to secure a sustainable remedy to the menace of herdsmen in Ghana.

In the meantime, the police and military should constantly have their boots and ears on the ground and take lawfully drastic actions against anyone who is found to disturb the peace of local communities with their cattle or such other livestock.

Adam Abukari

International Legal Specialist

[email protected]
There was a scuffle between machomen of the two main political parties, National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the funeral of the late Bantamahene in Kumasi on Thursday.

This happened when President John Dramani Mahama arrived at the funeral grounds of the late Baffour Asare Owusu Amankwatiah V.

As part of the exchange of pleasantries and in line with custom, the President went round to greet mourners when he arrived.

When he went to greet the flagbearer of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who had arrived at the funeral grounds earlier, machomen /security men of the NPP guarding the flagbearer were said to have attempted to prevent machomen and party fanatics from the NDC who followed the president from getting close to where Nana Addo was seated.

This degenerated into a brief scuffle between the two political parties machomen.

Graphic Onlines reporter, Kwadwo Baffoe Donkor who was at the funeral grounds reported that there was a heavy presence of police personnel in the area to provide security and also direct traffic due to the temporary closure of the main road.

According to our reporter, one could see that it was a turf war between the two groups as the NDC machomen found their voices when the President arrived and they decided to follow him while he greeted the people.

It had to take the intervention of the military detail following the President and the jeers from some of the mourners for the confrontation to stop.

President Mahama was in Kumasi to join the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and other dignitaries to bid farewell to the late Bantamahene, Baffour Asare Owusu Amankwatiah V, the war Marshall of the Asantehene.

The President, together with his brother, Mr Ibrahim Mahama; the Chief of Staff, Mr Julius Debrah; the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr John Alexander Ackon and other party functionaries of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) joined the bereaved families to mourn the late chief.

A large crowd of people thronged the Bantama palace where the late chief was laid in state, to pay their last respects to the fallen hero.

Among them were traditional rulers including the Mamponghene, Dasebere Osei Bonsu II; the Tepahene, Nana Adusei Atwenewa Ampem; the Kumawuhene, Barima Safo Tweneboah Kodua and the Asokore Mamponghene, Nana Boakye Ansah Debrah.

Others were politicians such as the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; the suspended national chairman of the NPP, Mr Paul Afoko; Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, Dr Afriyie Akoto and Mr Bernard Antwi Boasiako, the Ashanti Regional chairman of the NPP.

There was also a large representation from the movie industry with the likes of Rose Mensah popularly known as Kyeiwaa and Mercy Asiedu, who also made their presence felt at the gathering.
Alhassan congratulating Ms Valentina for the award

11.03.2016 LISTEN



Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of West Blue Consulting, Valentina Mintah has received an award for supporting Start in Ghana Investment, a business group that promotes investments in Africa, particularly in Ghana and Nigeria.

The award was in recognition of West Blue's promotion of trade between Ghana and Nigeria and the company's outstanding performances in Nigeria.

It was also recognized for shaping the IT systems and technology to enhance trade in Ghana and increase revenue.

Speaking at the event in Accra recently, Ms. Mintah said, If we go back several years no boundaries existed between countries and so there is no Ghana and there is no Nigeria. I am therefore calling for unity between the two countries to mobilize the resources of the two nations for self-sustenance to compete in the wider world.

The CEO of the Start in Ghana Investment Yahaya Alhassan, thanked her for championing trade between the two beacon nations of West Africa and added that the successful story of West Blue in Nigeria will be transferred to Ghana to promote businesses for economic development.

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He urged Ghanaian business establishments to follow the examples of West Blue and Kasapreko to rather explore the bigger Nigerian market.

Mr Alhassan, who is an attache at the Nigerian High Commission in Accra and promotes trade and the rights of Nigerians, especially students, appealed to Ghanaians to show their hospitality spirits to the Nigerian students who are pursuing their education in Ghana.

He congratulated Dangote Cement for bringing competition into the market and regulating cement prices in Ghana.

The Start in Ghana Investments used the event to launch the 9JA City Project to encourage Nigerians to develop homes and offices in Ghana for employment and infrastructural development.

A Business Desk Report


11.03.2016 LISTEN

Drama unfolded in an Accra circuit court yesterday when Kofi Anokye, an Estate Developer, was in open court reprimanded for invading the privacy of one of his clients.

According to the trial judge, Mrs Patricia Quansah, it was wrong for the accused who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Koans Building Solutions Limited to have forcibly entered the house of one Mark Addo, Protocol Officer at the State Protocol Department in Accra.

Mrs Quansah was of the view that Kofi Anokye could have used due process to address his grievances instead of the manner he chose, stressing that the accused must be of his best behaviour while she referred the case for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

Charges

It is the case of the prosecution led by ASP Stephen Adjei that the accused on September 11, 2014 at Kuntunse violently entered the house of the complainant without lawful authority.

The Koans boss has been slapped with an additional charge of offensive conduct for saying You a fraudster, I will beat you up and put you in prison, to the annoyance of the complainant, with the intent to provoke breach of the peace or occasion same.

Appearing in the court presided over by Mrs Quansah, Kofi who appeared without a lawyer denied the offence and was bailed in the sum of GH50,000 with one surety.

The case was adjourned until April 14.

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Facts

Addo, in 2009, purchased through mortgage a two-bedroom house from Kofi where he lived with his family.

ASP Adjei said in September 2012, Addo sold his Tata Tipper truck to Kofi for $45,000, of which the accused paid $5,000 leaving a balance of $4,000.

The police officer said in September 2013 Addo again sold his Jac Tipper truck for $65,000, bringing the total debt of the accused to $105,000, adding that in October 2013, the accused entered into an agreement to purchase a house for the amount.

ASP Adjei stated that instead of paying in cash Kofi entered into a barter agreement with the understanding of Addo that he had fully paid for the house and was allocated the facility.

However, on the said day Kofi led some of his workers to the house of Addo and forcibly opened the main gate and blocked it with a truck, preventing Addo from going out with his car.

ASP Adjei noted that in the process, Kofi threatened to beat Addo, compelling the complainant to leave the house.

By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson

[email protected]


File Photo

11.03.2016 LISTEN

What constitutes a people lie in their commonly held values. The Nigerian peoples,Hausa,Fulani,Yoruba,Igbo,Ijaw, etc have core values and beliefs that keep them united as a people and Nigeria has imbibed these collectives of values cemented by Western Education that keep her going as a people. Now what the invaders or conqueror s do is to violate these values to disunite the people before engaging them in a war.

This is what Boko Haram and its affiliates are doing with Nigeria right now. Remember that the British Colonialists used it to success in conquering or pacifying the then thriving city states of old Nigeria at the turn of the century. Before then the Arabs used it to great effect on Northern Emirates and what did British use? A new religion,a new education,a new language,indeed new values. The Arab invaders also used a new language Arabic,a new religion Islam and these translated to a new value system. Now Nigeria faces a new threat. Boko Haram,meaning Western Education is sacrilege. It says volumes about this new insurgency happening in modern times.

The very cement of nationhood Western Education is to be violated by a determined group with international affiliates who believe that it was the British Colonialists that stopped them from totally colonising Nigeria before 1900. So if western education is removed,then the likelihood that Nigeria would be reduced to its tribal parts is high and under this fluid situation the very binding values that keep each of the tribes together could then subsequently be attacked to create a mass of confused people ready to be pacified or conquered!!

So how to go about it in an environment of pervasive Western education and tools of communication.Simple. Just make these institutions,tools unworkable by exploiting its loopholes. Indeed the social media has become a veritable tool since it could not be banned.Watchers of the social media report unprecedented influx of fake and duplicated profiles with half baked commentators.

Their strategy is to violate our most cherished values and create disbelief,shock and frustration. They post insane videos and graphic photos against all existing journalistic laws.For instance they bring you graphic video of beheading of human beings to create convulsion and fear. Some post snakes, graphic scenes of rituals. Others bring blue movies of incest and other abominable behaviours to tell you that it is possible and violate your inmost beliefs.

How to tackle these insurgents. When you see them avoid their company on social media and protect all those connected with you. You may wish to use any of the avenues open to you on social media. Retain your cherished values and refuse to allow those who could not obtain good western education or who had no home training dictate your lifestyle. Refuse to focus unduly on 'mediocres' whether they are elevated by our skewed political system or not for they have nothing better to give you than to take away the most cherished values that protect you as a person and as a people.
Franklin Cudjoe, IMANI Ghana President

11.03.2016 LISTEN

Press Statement IMANI: Supposed Imani Ghana ranking of good governance in Ghana heads of government since independence

Our attention has been drawn to a supposed Imani Ghana ranking of good governance in Ghana heads of government since independence relating to the performance of all the Heads of State of Ghana in terms of Good Governance, since the countrys accession to Independence in 1957, which appears to be circulating on various social media platforms; Facebook and Whatsapp in particular.

We would not have ordinarily issued this statement except for the palpable implications of this rather disappointing intellectual exercise on our credibility and integrity as a globally respected think tank.

The said exercise  details presented below, ranked the following; Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, John Dramani Mahama, J.J. Rawlings, John A. Kufuor, Dr. Hilla Limann, John Evans Atta Mills, E. Akuffo- Addo in order of their performance in terms of good governance  from the highest to the lowest.

The Supposed IMANI Ranking

IMANI GHANA RANKING OF GOOD GOVERNANCE IN GHANA HEADS OF GOVERNMENT SINCE INDEPENDENCE;

(1) Dr. Kwame Nkrumah 87%

(2) John Dramani Mahama 83.1%

(3) J.J. Rawlings 76.4%

(4) John A. Kufuor 73.8%

(5) Dr. Hilla Limann 68%

(6) John Evans Atta Mills 65.3%

(7) E. Akuffo- Addo

You can visit www.imani ghana . com

We wish to categorically state that Imani Centre for Policy and Education is not responsible for the said ranking and any other surveys / studies in connection with this poll. We have not commissioned any such task, and certainly not commissioned anybody  individual or entity, to undertake such a study on our behalf.

All reports, surveys, policy papers, briefs, rankings and the totality of our work at any point in time can be assessed as www.imanighana.org which has since December 2015 been migrated to www.imaniafrica.org and NOT www.imanighana.com as the purported ranking suggests.

Needless to say, the spirit of this porous exercise does not in any way echo our philosophy.

We wish to emphatically state that the raking referred to herein is not our work and we do not assume responsibility of its content.

We humbly call on our partners, stakeholders and all other sympathizers to discard any of such information.

Signed

Franklin Cudjoe

President, IMANI
Three persons have been killed by cerebrospinal meningitis - better know as CSM - at Bole in the Northern region, health authorities have said.

In total, about 30 CSM cases have been reported in the region - 14 at the Bole hospital and 16 at the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba polyclinic.

While no deaths were recorded at the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba polyclinic, three people lost their lives at the Bole hospital.

This has compelled the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba Health Directorate to step up surveillance in the district to curtail the spread of the disease.

District Director of Health Services, Thomas Sennor told Joy News in an interview the situation is under control.

He said the deaths occurred because infected persons did not report to the hospital early enough.

We have stepped up surveillance and following up everywhere to find where there is a possible sickness of CSM, where there is a possibility that someone is dying of CSM and where there is possibility of the disease spreading.

We are following up with education and appealing to people to report immediately to the hospital. We have education facilities set up in the churches, schools and market places as well as daily health education activities in the communities, Thomas Sennor said.

In January, one person was reported to have contracted the disease in the Volta Region.

The recent outbreak of variants of meningitis in the country has become a major cause of concern for residents located in regions worse hit by the epidemic.

In all, about 100 people have been killed by pneumococcal and meningococcal meningitis since November last year.

Some 500 other cases were reported in various hospitals nationally.

The disease was first reported at Tain, a district in the Brong Ahafo region but spread quite quickly to other parts of the country.

Northern, Ashanti, Eastern, Volta, Greater Accra, Upper West, Upper East and Western regions have also recorded cases of the disease since it broke in December 2015.

Health Minister, Alex Segbefia assured that his ministry was working assiduously to curb the spread of the disease.

What is cerebrospinal meningitis?

Cerebrospinal Meningitis is a chronic medical condition which causes an inflammation of the membranes of both the brain and spinal cord.

The inflammation of the brain and the spinal cord often results in a very serious infection and becomes an often fatal variety of meningitis caused by the meningococcus bacteria.

Symptoms include sudden fever, severe headache and stiff neck.

See Also:

Meningitis Outbreak: Health officials urged to stop causing fear, panic

Meningitis Outbreak: PPP call for resignation of Health Minister

MoH deploys supplies for treatment of pneumococcal Meningitis

Pneumococcal Meningitis: Public Information

Video: What you need to know about Pneumococcal Meningitis

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Naa Sakwaba Akwa | [email protected]
When was it I wrote "Nigerias Siamese Twins of Corruption" in Tell magazine and Sahara Reporters? It must have been a while ago. Right now I think some echoes of that article have begun to haunt my memory again. I look at Lagos. I look at Abuja. I shake my head in wonder. How would the founding fathers of this magnanimous idea feel today could they come out from their graves to witness to what extent their vision has been so insensitively flawed by a mindless cabal of public office holders who have insisted on holding sway over the land since the years of independence?

Until Nigeria attained self rule in 1960, Lagos had remained the capital city of the amalgamated southern and northern protectorates. In 1960 the city was officially confirmed as the capital of a newly independent Nigeria. On its own, Lagos had always been a thriving commercial coastal city that held massive attractions to traders from many parts of the world.

It may have been Luggards idea that the strategic coastal position of Lagos meant that Britain could still have considerable influence over the citys commercial activities, and in effect over the new countrys political direction. In other words, although Nigeria had its independence, Britain still longed to have unbridled influence over this its former colony, especially in terms of commerce and political activities. After-all, had Lagos not served well as a get-away coast through which Nigerian slaves had been shipped to the Gold Coast, and from there to the New World and trading companies like the Royal African Company, RAC and the United Africa Company, UAC made sure that trade with Nigeria was monopolized by the British government?

By 1850 Britains trading interests had been concentrated in Lagos and the Delta Region around River Niger. By 1861, Lagos had become a crown colony. Lagos became both the commercial nerve centre and the seat of the government of Nigeria. Lagos thrived. Lagos swarmed with people. Being a coastal city, crew men came in their ships from every nook and cranny of the universe to add to the glamorous night life that made Lagos tick. Traders of sorts and businessmen and women of various persuasions trooped into Lagos in their droves to make money and better their lives. Lagos became congested.

Expansion became a necessity. But even at that, the coastal city was experiencing difficulties in terms of accommodating the number of people who came to live and do business in the land. Lagos became polluted. The infrastructure became inadequate for the swarming population that inhabited the coastal city. The atmosphere became more and more humid and hot. But beyond these was the fact that being surrounded by water meant that Lagos was vulnerable to invasion from the sea. It meant that the country was not safe from external attack by any other country.

Meanwhile, the post war years had seen Nigeria enjoy massive wealth from its newly found oil wells scattered all over the Delta Region. The scope of economic and social activities in Nigeria had expanded to an unprecedented level with increased earnings from oil, making it possible for the country to join the expensive Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC. But the period equally witnessed a massive increase in corruption, mostly within the circles of Federal military government officials and their cronies in the business community.

It was military era. And General Gowon was said to have turned a blind eye to the undesirable activities of his cronies who were Nigeria's public office holders at the time. With the first oil production in 1958 and soon after Nigeria's independence in 1960, petroleum production and export had begun to play a dominant role in the country's economy. The new oil wells had created enormous wealth for Nigeria. Literally, money was flowing like a river through every nook and cranny of the country. Every Nigerian knew by this time that the main source of the nation's enormous wealth was its vast oil wells scattered all over the Delta Region and environs.

Then the first problem hit the nation. The way most of the oil companies treated their host communities became a national embarrassment. Nigerians from the oil producing states felt bitter that the oil companies were extremely greedy. They never really bothered about the lands which produced the oil they were so profusely exploring, or the welfare of the people who owned the land.

Although the oil companies made strenuous efforts to exonerate themselves from the allegation of neglect, one only needed to travel the very narrow roads in the Delta region, in comparison with the rest of the country, to have a feel of the level of injustice that was actually visited on those people. In particular, their polluted seas meant an unpropitious retardation in the means of livelihood of riverside dwellers.

In the midst of the excruciating poverty ravaging vast swathes of the land, the oil companies were pillaging billions of pounds daily from their oil deals. Their chief executives and top officials were living like mini-gods in the big cities, feasting with senators and governors, walking tall in the corridors of power. Then, at the height of the oil boom, Gowon made a decision which was to backfire on the Nigerian economy in later years.

His indigenization decree of 1972 declared many sectors of the Nigerian economy out-of-bounds to all foreign investors. The decree provided a financial windfall for many well-connected Nigerians. With no prying eyes to see what was going on inside the military government circles, the growth of bureaucracy created an extensive rise in corruption levels. At a point in time, stories were being told of Nigeria importing stones and sand, and of General Gowon saying to some foreign reporters: "the only problem Nigeria has is how to spend her money."

The situation was not arrested then. Nor has it been arrested even as we speak. Nigeria started talking about moving the capital from Lagos to a new site. Lagos was congested. Lagos was polluted. Lagos didnt have sufficient infrastructure. Lagos was hot and humid. But beyond that, Lagos was a coastal city and as a consequence, Lagos was vulnerable to foreign invasion.

The oil boom of the 1970s may have partly been responsible for the accelerated desire to relocate Nigerias capital from Lagos. From increases in oil earnings, Nigeria had the funds to build a new capital. But the immediate desire to relocate the national capital came through tactical change in the military politics of the time. What was government to do with Lagos which doubled at the time as a state capital and as the federal capital, in addition to being the nations commercial nerve centre?

When the military government of General Yakubu Gowon was ousted on 29 July 1975, the new military Head of State, General Murtala Mohammed, appointed a panel to evaluate the possibility of relocating the capital. The panel approved a relocation of the federal capital and seat of government and recommended that while the seat of government is moved to a new location, Lagos should remain as the commercial nerve centre of the nation. Of course, no one would have expected anything different. It had all been mapped out in the military agenda.

Nigerians set out to study world capitals. They looked at Brasilia, the new capital of Brazil. They visited Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. They went to Paris, the capital of France and to Washington D.C., the capital of the United States of America. Nigeria was looking for a central place to build a new national capital where its entire people would be equally represented, or so it seemed at the time. And the new territory was to have favourable climate conditions, vast acres of land and plenty of facilities.

In 1976, after Abuja had been chosen as the land for the new national capital, General Mohammed spoke to the nation. He said: We believe that the new capital created on such virgin lands, as suggested, will be for all Nigerians a symbol of their oneness and unity. The Federal Territory will belong to all Nigerians. The General proclaimed a new era of justice, peace and unity for all Nigerians. But seven days later, he was assassinated.

General Murtala Mohammed shed his blood for his vision, and the vision of those who were there before him as Heads of State of Nigeria. That vision lives on, but how? How have those who inherited the new capital fared with the fate of Nigerians?

A competition was held and won by International Planning Associates (IPA), a consortium of construction firms. Planning the new capital was extensive. IPA created two zones: a central zone accommodating government buildings and cultural institutions on broad avenues, and a residential and shopping zone. Within the government zone, there was adequate water supply. There was an airport. There were schools.

There were health care facilities, and there was public transport. Construction began in 1980 and by 1987, infrastructural facilities to accommodate a million people were already in place. The population of Abuja at the time was about 15,000. A university was founded in 1988. The area became a great success. People swarmed into Abuja faster than houses could be built to accommodate them. Private developers were encouraged to build. Abuja became, and has remained years after, the fastest growing city in the world. A slogan for the new capital was created: Center of Unity.

But look at Abuja today. If there is any form unity in that well conceived idea called the Federal Capital Territory, it is only the unity of a cabal of irresponsible civil servants, over-greedy public office holders and unscrupulous bank officials who collude to pay ghost workers, steal pension funds meant for the upkeep of hundreds of thousands of elderly Nigerian citizens who spent the better parts of their lives serving their country and defraud the petroleum industry of billions of pounds every day.

If there is any unity in Abuja today, it is the unity of a mindless political class whose only concern in government is to find ways to enrich themselves, their families and their hangers-on while tacitly making life most miserable for the teeming population of voters who defy heavy rains to troop out to vote them into authority, hoping against hope that they will represent them fairly in government.

If there is any unity in Abuja, it is the unity of these official and unofficial criminals who have vowed that Nigerias wealth must continue to go to few families of the already wealthy and that the majority of the countrys rural dwellers must continue to wallow in darkness and penury.

Why cant Abuja be a centre of unity for like-minded and patriotic politicians and civil servants whose primary concern would be to fix a nonstop electricity supply in every village and every town and every city in the country because they know that with uninterrupted electricity supply, small and middle-size industries will thrive? People can work day and night as they do in the more developed countries. The issue of youth unemployment will be meaningfully addressed.

Why cant Abuja become the centre of unity of teachers whose preoccupation will be the sincere upbringing of the children entrusted into their care, rather than those whose first point of call is the trade union that holds government by the jugular for money, whether or not the teachers are doing their jobs well?

Why cant Abuja become the centre of unity of media practitioners who will sincerely direct government on the best way to achieve economic and social stability for the nation and report what could be wrong to the authorities?

Why cant Abuja become the centre of unity of public office holders who see the need to pay workers as at and when due and who see the need to avert the danger that is manifested in the shameful practice of child labour so prevalent in every part of the country?

Why cant Abuja be turned around to become the centre of unity and reconciliation for every part of the country that has for whatever reason felt alienated from the mainstream and found it necessary to take to arms in defence of local aspirations?

I look at Abuja, and I sigh in wonder. Abuja, Centre of Unity indeed!
11.03.2016 LISTEN

Rosemond Awotwi Frempong (left) presenting the cheque to the headmistress of the school

Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL) has presented a cheque for GH10,000 towards the construction of a borehole for the Boso Senior High Technical School (SHS) in the Eastern Region.

The donation was in fulfillment of a pledge by the Oil Marketing Company (OMC) to help provide water for the school.

Students of Boso Senior High Technical School have been facing severe water shortages.

The media recently reported that some of the students do not bath before morning lessons owing to the situation.

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The students depend on old borehole which is one kilometer away from the school.

Boso Senior Technical High school has a student population of 900, with about 60 percent of the students in the boarding house.

GOIL Corporate Affairs Manager, Rosemond Awotwi Frempong, together with the Personnel Manager, Ing Dr. Belinda Boadi presented the cheque to the school's authorities on behalf of the company.

Ms Awotwi Frempong said her outfit was happy to be assisting the school, promising that the company would continue to improve the lives of the citizenry by supporting projects that touch lives.

The headmistress of the school, Jennifer Kpodo- Gbesemete, in the company of some Board members and the District Director of Education, Mavis OparebeaYirenkyi, received the cheque on behalf of the school.

Mrs. Kpodo Gbesemete expressed appreciation to GOIL for the gesture and promised to execute the project soon to alleviate the suffering of the students.
11.03.2016 LISTEN

The National Women's Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Otiko Afisa Djaba, says Ghanas growth from a lower-income to a middle-income status can be only be achieved if women are empowered to go to into farming and trading, which are the two major areas that drive the growth of every nation.

According to her, most Ghanaian women who are supposed to work and move the nation forward are dying in labour due to lack of access to free maternal healthcare delivery and malfunctioning of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which should be the fundamental right to every woman in the country.

"All those women who are supposed to have maternal healthcare delivery are not having and they are dying including their babies are all princesses and princes of mother Ghana and we must ensure that we bring back the 'free maternal healthcare and the NHIS in full force.

It is not about numbers, it is access to quality healthcare delivery so that the woman and her children and family will have good healthcare delivery to be productive to mother Ghana and increase growth.

Madam Otiko Djaba made the remark in an interview with journalists on the sideline of an event to commemorate the International Womens Day celebration organized by the NPP womens wing on Tuesday in Accra.

In attendance were scores of women groups made up of the civil society organizations, politicians, human rights activists, nurses, the disabled, widows and kayayes amongst others.

Mad. Otiko Djaba bemoans Ghanas growth has reduced drastically to 3.5 per cent including the falling of agriculture which is the said to be the engine of growth for the economy of any nation.

She lamented the malfunctioning of the NHIS system, calling for a complete restoration of the scheme.

She urges all women in Ghana to rise up and speak for themselves in order to bring about the change they deserve.

For his part, Elizabeth Sackey, Member of Parliament for Okaikwei North Constituency, advised the women to use the day to reflect on the struggles of womanhood and emulate the gestures of powerful women in the society who have distinguished themselves through hardwork and perseverance.

Meanwhile, Madam Otiko Djaba and Mrs. Stella Agyapong, C.E.O of Oman Fm and Net2 Television, used the occasion to donate some relief items to the disabled, widows and Kayayes who trooped to the venue to observe the International Womens Day Celebration.

The items included 2 bags of mosquito net, 12 bags of ladies clothes, 2 bags of mens clothes, 10 boxes of toilet soap, 10 boxes of hand sanitizer, one box of mackerel, six bottles of frytol cooking oil, 32 cans of tin tomatoes and 8 bags of rice.

According to Otiko Djaba, the items are intended to put a smile on faces of the vulnerable women in the society especially during the International Womens Day Celebration.
IOM yesterday (10/03) helped 172 stranded Nigerian migrants, including 6 women, to return home to Nigeria from Libya. One hundred forty-two had spent months in immigration detention centers.

The repatriation  done in close cooperation with Libyan authorities, Nigeria's Embassy in Tripoli and the IOM office in Nigeria was on board a charter flight departing Tripoli's Mitiga Airport and arriving in Lagos in the morning.

Before departure, IOM Libya staff provided clothes, shoes, underwear, and hygiene kits. A mobile patrol from the Tripoli Security Committee escorted the buses to Mitiga airport.

Almost all the migrants traveling on this charter were detained as they were trying to cross to Europe. Despite ending their journey of hope inside detention centres, these migrants consider themselves lucky to have escaped death on the Mediterranean, which this year has taken the lives of 97 migrants and refugees on the route linking Libya to Italy.

The funds for this charter were provided by the European Union and the Italian Ministry of Interior, under the project called Prevention and Management of Irregular Migration Flows from the Sahara Desert to the Mediterranean Sea (SAHMED).

The stories were similar in the light of the current unstable situation in Libya, which caused migrants many physical and psychological problems.
11.03.2016 LISTEN

The prosecutors in a group photograph with resource persons and the director of NIMBUS Foundation

About 57 police prosecutors, who were selected from Accra and Tema to undergo training in human rights and related issues, have completed the course.

The three-day training, organized by the NIMBUS Foundation, was part of efforts to improve the capacity of the personnel on human rights and related issues with emphasis on the abuse of the rights of the vulnerable groups such as women, children and the disabled in society.

Director-General in-charge of Human Resource Development, DCOP Beatrice Zakpa Vib Sanziri, whose speech was read on her behalf by Superintendent Phyllis Osei, said the police service believes that personnel, especially the prosecutors, should acquire the requisite knowledge to be able to discharge their duties effectively.

She said training and retraining equip officers to deliver on their mandate and through this process, their skills would be sharpened which will also improve their confidence.

It is against this background that this programme is specifically designed to build the capacity of the police to deliver on its delegated functions by the Attorney-General.

She urged the participants to use the knowledge acquired to improve their job.

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Joyce OpokuBoateng, Chief Executive Officer of NIMBUS Foundation, on her part, said her foundation has been at the forefront of promoting women and children's rights through advocacy, training and sensitization and the conduct of research on pertinent issues in our society.

Human rights violation is daily occurrence in Ghana as reported in the media, especially the rights of vulnerable groups such as women and children.

She said gender-based violence includes sexual violence, domestic violence, human trafficking, forced marriages and harmful traditional practices.

She noted that many of the victims do not even report cases which also result in low conviction rates.

Prosecutors play a critical role in the criminal justice system. While prosecutors face different duties and tasks, they generally represent the authority of the state in bringing a criminal case against the accused, ensuring the application of the law during the criminal proceedings.

She averred that the goal of the prosecution is to protect the victims while holding perpetrators accountable for their actions and communicate a strong message to the community that violence against women and girls would not be tolerated.

By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey

( [email protected] )


11.03.2016 LISTEN

Elijah Ofori, a 55-year-old hunter at Elijakrom, a village near Enchi in the Western Region has been arrested by the police for allegedly shooting and killing his 60 year-old fiancee after suspecting her of dating another man in the area.

The lifeless body of the deceased, Cecilia Adokatsi, who lived at a village called Sunka, on the Elubo-Enchi road, has been deposited at the Enchi Government Hospital morgue pending autopsy.

Superitendent Peter Lennox Aidoo, the Enchi District Police Commander who disclosed this to DAILY GUIDE, indicated that the suspect and the deceased were initially friends but decided to marry about four months ago.

The police commander noted that because the two were not living together, they used to visit each other in their villages.

He indicated that some time ago, the woman visited the suspect and in the course of their conversation, the man alleged that the woman was dating another man, and this led to verbal exchanges between them.

In the process the suspect told the woman that he would go to her village and collect everything he had bought for her, an intention he truly carried out.

According to the District Police Commander, a friend of the suspect, one Yaw Andoh who heard about the misunderstanding decided to help them settle the matter amicably.

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So on Saturday, March 5, 2016, at about 5:30pm, Yaw Andoh with Cecilia Adokatsi and her two grandchildren aged 18 and 14, went to the suspect to solve the fracas.

After successfully settling the dispute between them, Yaw Andoh, Cecilia and her grandchildren decided to return home, to Sunka.

As they were leaving, the suspect, Elija Ofori told them that he was also going for hunting in a forest near the fiancee's village so he went for his gun and followed them.

Supt Aidoo said upon reaching the woman's village near the forest where the suspect claimed he was going for hunting, he allegedly shot and killed Cecilia Adokatsi from the back.

Supt Aidoo indicated that on realising that the woman had died, the suspect took to his heels and hid at a nearby village called Kwahu.

He was later arrested by some of the community folks who had heard of the incident and handed over to the police.

The District Police Commander told DAILY GUIDE that the suspect was put before a District Magistrate Court in Enchi and was remanded into police custody to assist in investigations and would reappear on March 22, 2016.

From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi


Mr. Kofi Arhin ( seated second left) at the roundtable discussion

11.03.2016 LISTEN



THE COALITION of Domestic Elections Observers (CODEO-Ghana) has warned the Electoral Commission (EC) to avoid complacency in its preparations towards the November 7 polls.

That, CODEO believes, was necessary to ensure the conduct of a successful election this year.

National Coordinator of CODEO, Kofi Arhin issued the warning on Wednesday in Accra.

Mr. Arhin was speaking at a roundtable discussion organized by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and CODEO to share experiences of the February 18, 2016 Uganda parliamentary and presidential elections and the lessons Ghana could pick from that to prepare for the general elections.

According to Mr. Arhin, the stakes in the 2016 polls are very high and EC needs to take a cue from the Ugandan elections to ensure a free, fair and credible election, saying that with barely eight months to go, there are a lot of question marks with most of the measures the EC is expected to put in place for the conduct of the elections.

He stated that even though the general atmosphere of the elections in Uganda was not friendly enough for many voters, some measures put in place by that country's electoral body were exemplary and needed to be replicated in Ghana.

For instance, he recommended that the EC introduces the Voter Location Slip system which he said was an innovative measure used by the Electoral Commission of Uganda to aid voters to locate their polling stations.

Also, he urged that the EC adopts the affirmative system of Uganda which allows certain number of parliamentary seats to be reserved for vulnerable groups including the disabled, women and others.

With low public confidence in the electoral commissions of both Uganda and Ghana, Mr. Arhin indicated that the EC needs to communicate to Ghanaians as to whether it will adhere to the request of the Justice Crabbe committee for the validation of the nation's electoral roll.

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Since the proposal was made by the committee in 2015, the EC has been silent as to whether it will validate the register.

He disclosed that Uganda was successful in cleansing one million voters from its register ahead of its third elections since its return to multiparty democracy in 2006.

Mr. Arhin complained about the limited time available to the EC to prepare for the polls, stating that while Uganda's Electoral Commission started preparations 36 months ahead of that country's elections the EC has only eight months to prepare for the polls.

Election Time-Table Out

Meanwhile, a comprehensive time-table for the conduct of the 2016 elections has been released by the Electoral Commission.

Director of Elections at EC, Samuel Tettey who released it to the media at the roundtable discussion, said the time-table will be distributed to the various political parties to aid their preparations for the elections.

BY Melvin Tarlue

[email protected]


The Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) has arrested David Philip McDermott who is among the 10 of Britain's most wanted fugitives.

His arrest was occasioned by a request from the British Authorities to their Ghanaian counterparts.

Joy News Kofi Siaw Larbi reports that that BNI arrested the fugitive who is wanted by the British Authorities to stand trial for drug offences, on Friday in Accra.

According to a Telegraph report of Friday, March 11, McDermott is on the National Crime Agency (NCA)s list of 10 of Britain's most wanted fugitives who are believed to be on the run.

McDermott, 41, who is originally from Ormskirk in West Lancashire, is believed to be a member of a Liverpool-based organised crime group.

McDermott faces extradition in the coming days.
11.03.2016 LISTEN

Executives of the Ghana Committed Drivers Association have declared their intention to embark on a nationwide strike if government does not review the 500 percent increase in insurance premium.

The association, which has over 500 members nationwide drawn from the Ghana Private Transport Union(GPRTU), Progressive Transport Owners Association(PROTOA),Trailer Drivers Union, among others, gave the warning at a press conference held at the Obra Square, Accra last Wednesday.

The aggrieved drivers described the increment as harsh and a cut-throat decision by government to collapse their business.

They warned that if government does not respond to their call to review the insurance premium by March 14, 2016, they will equally call on their members to embark on a nationwide strike.

Addressing the media, chairman of the Ghana Committed Drivers Association (GCDA), Charles Danso narrated that the announcement of the 500 percent increase in insurance premium came to them as a surprise.

He stated that with the current rate, taxi drivers, who used to pay GH71 for insurance, will now pay GH365 while drivers of Sprinter buses, who used to pay GH90 now pay a premium of GH550.

Drivers of articulated trucks in the past paid GH120, but will now pay GH865.

He said it would be difficult to pass the cost onto passengers, describing the increment as evil, wicked' and unwarranted.

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Mr. Danso explained that earlier negotiations the various unions held with the Ghana Insurance Commission, the Ministry of Transport and that of Finance further proved their case that government had a hand in the increment of insurance premium.

According to the Chairman, the Insurance Commission indicated that it wanted 800 percent increment.

He said that this was contrary to what the President said at Kasoa that he will do something about it since he knew nothing about the increment in insurance premium.

The chairman further indicated that it was unfortunate that one month after the statement, the President continues to ignore their concerns.

Vice President of the Association, Prince Amankwa urged vehicle owners to cooperate with the association by allowing the drivers to join the strike action next week Monday.

He bemoaned the frustrations drivers go through when making claims for insurance, adding that some members had applied for insurance from neighbouring countries where it is also cheaper.

By Solomon Ofori


Dakar (AFP) - Is Africa ready to take on the war against malaria, HIV, Ebola and the like? Not yet, said some of the continent's brightest scientific minds at a landmark gathering this week in Senegal.

Researchers at the cutting edge of international vaccine and public health research told AFP at the first gathering of the ambitious "Next Einstein Forum" for Africa that their academic success stories remained exceptional -- though the landscape is changing.

"If I'd remained in Cameroon I'd never have got where I am, so at a relatively early stage I identified what I really wanted to do and I had to leave the country," said Wilfred Ndifon, whose mathematical approach to designing vaccines has brought him international acclaim.

Ndifon's skill with numbers and determination to eradicate disease that afflicted those around him as a child, led him to a scholarship abroad and a PhD from Princeton after he realised he could reach more people through science than as a medical doctor.

His work on a general principle for innoculation is now being used to develop a comprehensive malaria vaccine, but he says young Africans who want to take a similar path would still likely require time abroad to develop their skillset.

"The kind of education I got... a lot of it was informal, with a lot of like-minded people doing curiosity-driven research," he said. Attracting the brightest minds and giving them the space to think would require a sea change in African universities, he added.

Higher education participation in sub-Saharan Africa remains the lowest in the world, meaning the pipeline of scientists and technology professionals remains tiny in terms of the region's needs.

Although private universities are booming, government investment remains well under one percent of GDP across sub-Saharan Africa, compared with rates of around 1.0-3.5 percent in Western Europe and the United States.

Researchers said countries experiencing stronger comparative economic growth such as Rwanda, Nigeria and Ethiopia had a duty to start investing in this area.

Commitments to science would help countries become "capable of solving their own problems," said Mohlopheni Jackson Marakalala, just back from four years of research at Harvard's School of Public Health.

The University of Cape Town lecturer attended the forum before embarking on a major research project into tuberculosis, which still kills 1.5 million people annually.

Marakalala's university experience in South Africa, home to sub-Saharan Africa's most respected institutions, was marked by gaps in funding and technology he feels must be addressed if the continent is to compete on the world stage.

In the west "you start with good money, the right equipment," he said.

In his line of work, Africa does offer some advantages.

"To have access to clinical material (tuberculosis-infected tissues) is a tool that can actually address very complex questions," he said. "It's a dream for scientists in the US or Europe."

But when a crisis strikes, such as the recent Ebola outbreak, disease samples in the early stages had to be shipped outside Africa to be tested, delaying results.

"Africa was caught unprepared," he added.

There are signs of change, however: Rwanda's laptop programme for schoolchildren was a bright spot for budding scientists on the continent, Marakalala said.

Cameroon's Ndifon meanwhile cited the work of the Pasteur Institute in Senegal as a successful African venture already performing at a world-class level for its work on the ground in Ebola-affected countries.

- Systems not gadgets -

Beyond the level of institutions, Africa also faces structural and environmental issues holding back its would-be Nobel laureates.

Travelling within Africa for example is costly, time-consuming, and more likely to require a visa for an African than an outsider.

This is "a huge barrier to accessing information and sharing ideas physically", said Nigeria's Tolu Oni, whose work focuses on why HIV-positive patients in South Africa are also more likely to have diabetes.

Raising Ebola's legacy again, she said more prosaic reforms were required than the mobile apps and tablet-based solutions excitedly put forward by US scientists last year.

"We are so obsessed with gadgets and it's so much sexier to focus on that than health systems, but actually that is what you need," Oni said.

"The components of the health system and the service delivery, the leadership in government, the human resources, the financing and communications -- those are the building blocks."
The question of the sort of political chemistry that really exists between the first families of the Mahamas and the former first family of the Rawlings has become a curious and urgent question for many political actors and observers in Ghana to answer.

This question has been brought up recently by the open determination by President John Mahama and his wife Lordina Mahama to get Zanetor Rawlings, daughter of former President Rawlings elected into Ghanas parliament to join his possible next government in 2017. And this is against the backdrop that Dr. Zanetor Rawlings has failed to meet the basic requirement to be a registered voter in Ghana and an active member of the NDC for the past five (5) years for which reason she is currently facing a court challenge to her qualification to contest as a member of parliament under the national and party constitution and guidelines.

After having fallen out during the period of 2007-2008 in the run up to picking a vice presidential candidate for the NDC, relations between the two families remained strained until after 2012 when President Mahama was elected to serve his first term as President. President Rawlings and his wife Nana Konadu Agyeman  Rawlings opted to support Madam Betty Mould Iddrisu as running mate to Prof. Mills for the 2008 elections against John Mahama but Prof. Atta Mills disappointed Rawlings by picking John Mahama as his running mate in that election.

During the tenure of Prof. Mills as President and John Mahama as vice President, former President Rawlings became the most rancorous critic of their administration ( He called them thieves, greedy bastards, corrupt, unprincipled, babies with sharp teeth etc). President Rawlings openly campaigned against the Mills administration.

President Rawlings also openly showed hatred for President Mills and vice President John Mahama. In his bid to prevent vice President John Mahama from succeeding President John Atta Mills, former President Rawlings rooted for his wife Nana Konadu Agyeman  Rawlings to contest President Mills in the 2011 NDC Presidential primaries. His wife was utterly humiliated with barely over 3% of the delegate vote in that contest.

Nana Konadu Agyeman  Rawlings went ahead to form a new political party the National Democratic Party (NDP) which formed an alliance with the opposition NPP and its candidate to take power away from the ruling NDC and John Mahama. Former President Rawlings opted to support his wife and failed to campaign for the NDC and John Mahama in 2012. In 2012, President John Dramani Mahama and the NDC retained power  with the active opposition of Mr. and Mrs. Rawlings and their family and allies.

Interestingly and intriguingly however, former President Rawlings suddenly started playing good cop with President Mahama and his wife Lordina Mahama immediately power was retained by the NDC in 2012. Unlike during the reign of President Mills, the former President has been charitable in his criticism of President Mahama and his style of governance. Indeed, so far, he has only sought to occasionally criticise  without any attention from the public or the media  some of the appointees in JMs government.

Many people in Ghana feel that there is more to criticise about the John Dramani Mahama government than there was about the John Evans Atta Mills government. The only difference is that President Mills refused to entertain the double face of the Rawlings family whose methods seeks to dine with the President privately and castigate him publicly as a government. And that may have accounted for why President Mills and his cronies desisted entirely from entertaining the Rawlings family.

With President Mahama, former President Rawlings, instead of following his usual holier-than-thou chorus of probity and accountability, social justice, transparency and anti-corruption etc etc which should compel him to be more venomous with the JM government as he was rancorous with Atta Mills government, he appears to have again buried all these values and principles of the June4 which he originally rendered meaningless rhetoric by indemnity clauses inserted into the 1992 constitution to prevent Rawlings and his family from accounting to their own principles and professed values.

Perhaps, Rawlings now knows that people do not take him serious when he tries to be publicly sanctimonious. But does his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman  Rawlings know that her meaningless public anti-corruption rhetoric does not tongue-fool the public?

The Ghanaian public are well educated on the state owned enterprises and seized private landed properties of private citizens, including prime state lands which were coveted and appropriated by the Rawlings family under the guise of the 31DWM, a private Non-governmental womens organisation owned by Mrs. Rawlings. Currently, the 31DWM office building at north ridge is under litigation in court by a private Ghanaian family whose private home it is that was confiscated using PNDC decrees by the Rawlings family for their own private use.

But out of perhaps delirium, the former first lady Konadu Agyeman - Rawlings wants the Ghanaian people to believe that she has the integrity to be President of Ghana  better than President John Mahama.

Rawlings is trying hard through any means necessary, to make his own family a part of the JM government because he is at the verge of political extinction. He is doing this by pushing his first daughter Dr. Zanetor Rawlings into the JM government through the parliament of Ghana. And President John Mahama is not only known to be financially and logistically supporting the bid of Dr. Zanetor Rawlings to enter into government, his wife; Lordina Mahama has taken every public opportunity to demonstrate a warm relationship between her and the Rawlings daughter as well as to Mr. Rawlings himself. Lordina Mahama, Ghanas First Lady seems charmed by the sudden good cop posture of Mr. Rawlings and his daughter. And she seems to be enjoying it. But could this be a poisoned chalice?

Whiles President Rawlings is hoodwinking President Mahama and his wife Lordina Mahama to put his daughter in a present - future NDC government, his wife Nana Konadu Agyeman  Rawlings is on rampage, playing the bad cop. She is playing her role pretty well.

Nana Konadu Agyeman  Rawlings is so adamant in her opposition against the Mahamas. She insists that John Dramani Mahama is not competent enough to be President of Ghana. She feels and believes that she is more qualified to be President than JM. She endorsed Nana Akufo-Addo the opposition NPP Presidential candidate in 2012 after her own failed attempt at running for President. She recently announced her intention to run for President in the 2016 general elections. And she continues to berate President John Mahama and his government through the mainstream media.

At public state functions besides her husband, Nana Konadu Agyeman  Rawlings shows her disdain for the President John Mahama and his wife Lordina Mahama with a grimaced face hiding behind dark glasses. Many times, her husband, J.J Rawlings also puts on a similar face in public. Nana Konadu cannot even pretend, or does not want to pretend, about her disdain for the Mahamas. Nana Kondu Agyeman  Rawlings openly hates President Mahama and his wife and she is not apologetic about that.

So: what at all is the motivation for Mrs. Mahama who is embracing Zanetor Rawlings publicly and appearing to show more support for the political ambitions of the Rawlings daughter than her own mother Nana Konadu Agyeman - Rawlings who is openly campaigning against the NDC and President John Dramani Mahama.

Many questions come to mind about this on-going political chemistry between the Rawlings and the Mahamas.

Is it the case of keep your friends close..and keep your enemies closer?

Are the Mahamas keeping the Rawlings closer because they are the enemies?

Why will the Mahamas be actively sponsoring and promoting the Rawlings daughter into government at a time that her own mother Nana Konadu Agyeman  Rawlings is actively working against his government and for the opposition NPP and probably supported by her husband and NDC founder Jerry John Rawlings?

Yes probably. Rawlings has always rooted behind his wife throughout their familys political rebellion against the NDC 2 government. He rooted with her to run in the primaries against President Mills. He also stood by her in her determination to form a new political breakaway party in 2012. President Rawlings gave the longest speech against the NDC government of John Mahama in 2012 during the launch of the NDP campaign in Kumasi, Ghanas second biggest city, after the capital. Rawlings has openly endorsed the hostile political activities of his wife against the ruling NDC government.

There is nothing, not even a signal, to indicate that Rawlings and his wife are currently politically divergent. They may be working in opposite directions  like the good cop and the bad cop  but their political goals have always congregated.

Nor is there any signal to suggest that Dr. Zanetor Agyeman - Rawlings herself, who is being bulldozed into the NDC government by her father J. J Rawlings and sponsored by the President and his wife, is not working in tandem with her mother Konadu Rawlings.

Despite running as an NDC parliamentary candidate for Klottey Korle constituency, Zanetor Rawlings has been unable to publicly endorse and commend any good works of President Mahamas government. She has also failed to take public positions against her mother who has continually accused President Mahama of corruption and incompetence.

So what exactly is the end game for the Rawlings who are obviously struggling to remain relevant at a point when Ghana has moved on? Do they actually want to eat their cake and still have it? Can the Rawlings family continue to overtly and covertly work against the John Mahama government and in support of the opposition NPP whiles at the same time, having the largesse and active state support of the President and his family and government?

Is there anything the President John Mahama and his wife Lordina Mahama are covering up and hiding from the public? Such as corruption, nepotism, tribalism, thievery etc etc that they are afraid may become exposed by a bad relationship with Mr. Rawlings who loves to talk?

Has President Mahama completely neutralized and compromised former President Rawlings into hearing no evil, seeing no evil and speaking no evil of his government, with the promise in exchange, to keep him relevant through his daughter Dr. Zanetor Rawlings in power?

What about Konadu Rawlings, wife of Mr. Rawlings who is currently in bed politically with the opposition NPP? How does Mr. and Mrs. Mahama plan to handle her? Or does the President not still realise that he cannot negotiate with the Rawlings family separately? Once one of them is not with you, none of them is with you, or so they say.

Many of us who are observing from a distance will be totally shocked to see President Mahama continue to alienate more and more of his core supporters in the NDC who are angry about his kids gloves treatment of the Rawlings who have never hidden their wish to have John Mahama and the NDC out of power in the present  future. Some of these supporters believe that Rawlings and his family are being opportunistic and hypocritical after having campaigned against the ruling party and the President in the last elections.

They also believe that Rawlings has totally lost his political value in terms of the credibility of his campaign message and therefore should be left by the President to remain in political oblivion going into 2016 elections. Some are also worried about the level of apparent weakness and lack of independence on the part of the President John Mahama in his relations with the former first family, and they fear he could eventually become a puppet of the NDC founder and his family.

Will President John Mahama succumb to the machinations of the Rawlings family, continue to give people reasons to continue to be suspicious of allegations of corruption made against his government and be remote  controlled from the back, which could ultimately lead to him losing power to the opposition NPPs Nana Akufo-Addo or will he concentrate and focus on the people who believe in him and are working to retain him and his government in power come November 2016?

Time will tell!

Maame Adjoa Sarpong/GH REVEALER
Accra, March 11, GNA - Mobile Money Customers of telecommunications giant MTN could soon earn interest on monies left in their wallets should discussions with partner banks prove successful, Mr. Ebenezer Asante, Chief Executive Officer MTN Ghana, has announced.

Speaking at the company's annual media forum to interact with editors and stakeholders, Mr. Asante said discussions were already underway with partner banks to set the modalities on how much interest to be paid and the criteria for qualification to earn an interest.

There are currently about six million MTN mobile money users, necessitating the creation of a subsidiary to handle the increasing demand on the service.

He said the mobile money business was being regulated by the Central Bank to ensure that it operated within the framework to safeguard customers' interest.

Mr Asante said MTN had acquired ISO 27001 certification for its mobile money transaction platform, the only company to achieve that feat in Ghana, to give confidence to the service subscribers.

The mobile money service in 2015 contributed six per cent of the company's total revenue of GHa2.23 billion.

He said the company was very optimistic of increasing the number of MTN mobile money merchants from the current 35,000 to cover more potential customers.

On the company's investment plan for this year, Mr. Asante said MTN had earmarked $USD 96 for investment to enhance its network, improved information technology and the deployment of the 4G LTE in the Ghanaian economy.

Giving a breakdown of the investment figure, he said USD $62 million had been allocated for infrastructure development, USD $16 for Information Technology and USD $18 million for the rollout of the newly acquired LTE.

On MTN financial performance for 2015, Mr Asante said the results were by far very good with all segments of the business contributing to the growth.

He said the company was able to diversify its revenue stream from voice and data with enterprise and mobile money making substantial contribution to revenue growth.

Mr Asante said MTN's open market partnership being implemented with most handset dealers allowed subscribers who purchase handsets to be immediately hooked to data subscription and helped move the data growth upwards.

He said the company expected robust growth in 2016 but warned that the growth was likely to taper off going into 2017.

Mr Asante said consolidation would be a key driver of the telecommunication industry in the future, adding, a market of about 30 million was too small for six major players.

'We see a lot of partnership in the future,' he said, adding the LTE would not be different.

He said MTN would also focus on improving communication in the rural areas in the next few years in partnership with the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications.

On the 4G network, Mr Asante said MTN was committed to full deployment by the middle of the year.

GNA
Accra, March 11, GNA - The Women, Peace and Security Institute (WPSI), of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, has called for support for efforts at bringing gender parity into non-proliferation and disarmament efforts in the West Africa sub-region.

A statement issued by WPSI in collaboration with the Women, Peace and Security Communication Network (WPS CommNet) and copied to the Ghana News Agency to mark this year's international women's day, said in October 2000, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1325.

This Resolution acknowledged the impact of violent conflicts on women and their absence from peace efforts and called on member states to facilitate measures for redressing the imbalance.

It said after 15 years of sustained activism, advocacy, policy and action to redress the imbalance, women continued to be at the receiving end of the horrors of violent conflict.

'They continue to be caught in the crossfire in violent conflict situations. The insurgence of violent extremism and terrorism has further exacerbated their vulnerability. Women continue to be kidnapped, murdered and more recently used as unsuspecting suicide bombers,' the statement said.

It said the proliferation of arms in the region reinforced the perpetration of such acts as gender-based violence, violence against women, and the violation of women and girls' human rights especially in insurgencies in Libya, Somalia, Northern Nigeria, the Central African Republic, Burundi and South Sudan in recent years.

The statement said in situations of conflict and the unregulated availability of arms, incidents of domestic violence especially against women and girls became an issue of concern.

'As the world pauses to reflect on the status of women globally at forthcoming Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 60) meeting and to celebrate the International Women's Day, we of the WPS CommNet wish to take the opportunity to congratulate women everywhere on the occasion and to pledge our continuing support for the demand for gender parity in all spheres of society.

'As we continue the search for, and fine tune strategies for women's greater access, representation and participation in all sectors of public life, we as a network remain committed to their participation in governance and peace processes.

'We call on all key stakeholders and policy makers to ensure that the gender dimension and women's interests continue to receive priority attention in the development debate and efforts.

'In particular, we want to urge the creation of opportunities for women to become more involved in peace efforts, including non-proliferation of arms and disarmament initiatives,' it said.

The statement said women were often very 'practical' and able to relate to situations and issues in ways that men alone may not be able to and that called for the need to create room for them to be able to bring their perspectives to bear on those processes.

'In marking the 2016 IWD, we want to call attention to the work of the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) and to express our commitment to serve as a platform for drawing attention to efforts at disarmament and the control of the illicit circulation of arms in our region.

'We think that the two key UN resolutions that address women's role and interests in peace efforts, i.e. Resolutions 1325 and 6569 which call for women's greater participation in peace building and their involvement in disarmament efforts need not run parallel to each other.

'We need to find practical ways and points of convergence that allow for women's increased role and contribution to peace building and disarmament initiatives,' it said.

The WPSI, therefore, recommend the identification and implementation of strategies that would facilitate opportunities for increasing women's role and contribution to non-proliferation and disarmament initiatives; and to facilitate early warning mechanism for control, reporting and community watch in remote/boarder villages and communities in ways that allow for women's greater involvement. GNA
Ampain (WR), March 11, GNA - The Firm Health Ghana Foundation, a non-governmental pro-health organisation, has organised a free kidney screening for more than 800 Ivorian refugees at the Ampain Refugee Camp in the Ellembelle District to mark the World Kidney Day.

The exercise also offered the refugees the opportunity to check their blood pressure and sugar levels are receive medications, where necessary. Those suffering from malaria, waist pains and mild health problems were also treated.

The Director of Medical Services for the NGO, Dr. Joseph Darko, who also works at the Tarkwa Government Hospital, said the day was set aside to create awareness about kidney diseases to ensure early detection and prevention of defects.

He said those who would prove positive for kidney infection after the screening would be advised to seek further medical treatment.

The theme for this year's celebration is, 'Kidney Disease and Children: Act early to prevent it.'

It focuses on kidney dysfunction in children and those born with kidney abnormality.

The Day is observed on the second Thursday in March.

Dr. Darko observed that diabetics and hypertensive patients were prone to kidney failure; as well as cigarette smokers, excessive alcohol consumers, those with sedentary lifestyles or exercised irregularly.

He, therefore, advised those with such negative lifestyles to refrain from it in order to promote healthy living.

He explained that it was difficult to detect kidney infections early; however, common symptoms such as nausea, the passage of scanty urine, as well as swollen face and legs were clear indications that someone had kidney infections.

He said the kidney was a vital organ that removed waste substances from the body and its dysfunction would be detrimental to the proper functioning of the entire body.

Therefore, kidney failure would require the person to undergo dialysis treatment twice every week which is very expensive to treat.

A senior nurse at the Ampain Health Centre, Mr. Silvanus Annor, said the Centre was established in 2011 during the Ivorian Crisis as an emergency facility, which offered health services to the displaced Ivorian refugees.

He said initially, it recorded a lot of sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), malaria, upper respiratory tract infections, worm infestations, eye infections and some communicable diseases.

However, with the support of the Government through the Ghana Health Service and United Nations High Commission for Refugees, it had managed to control those ailments.

He said the Health Service had made available Rapid Diagnostic Test Kits for diagnosing malaria at the Camp and continued offering primary healthcare to the refugees; as well as Ghanaians in surrounding communities.

The serious cases, however, were referred to the Eikwe Government Hospital, the district hospital.

Mr. Annor announced that the Centre would soon be registered to accept holders of the National Health Insurance cards and gave the assurance that there were sufficient medicines to cater for the health needs of patrons of the facility.

He applauded the NGO for the intervention and asked other philanthropist organisations to emulate the gesture and screen the refugees for hernia because some cases had been recorded at the Camp.

The Foundation was established in 2012 in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality, in the Western Region, with a vision to build the first dialysis centre in the Region to support people with kidney malfunction.

It also organises health walk on regular basis for the residents. GNA
Have, March 11, GNA - Dr. C. D. Anyomi, an Economist, has advised communities to adopt strategic plans to direct the course and pace of their development.

He said such plans serve as road-maps for successive generations of community leaders and citizenry towards maintaining a consistent momentum in resource mobilization, evaluation and development.

Dr Anyomi, who hails from Have in the Afadjato South District of the Volta Region, was addressing the 'Have all stakeholders' Forum and Agadevi 2016', launch at Have.

The forum took stock of development activities in the town over the last 13 years.

The Forum focused on safety and security, resource mobilization, land issues, water, sanitation and establishment of Education Endowment Fund.

An initial amount of 9,000 Ghana cedis was mobilized at the forum towards the establishment of the Endowment Fund to be launched during the celebration of the Agadevi festival in June this year.

Agadevi, an annual festival in remembrance of a major landslide in Have in June 1933, has become a mirror in which the community undertakes self- assessment in development.

The last 13 years have seen improvement in the provision of school infrastructure, new Outpatient Department for the local Health Centre, and extension of electricity to most parts of the community.

Remnants of the Agadevi rocks and boulders which rolled down the mountain overlooking the town could be seen close to a cluster of schools along the main road not far from the Have Police barrier.

GNA
Head of Business at SME Bank, Unions Savings and Loans Dominic Donkoh has cautioned small business owners against emptying their bank accounts this election year.

Election years are characterized by economic instability that makes most business owners empty their accounts to make investments they deem secure.

However, speaking to JOY BUSINESS after the first edition of the Union SME Clinic this year, Mr. Donkoh said saving up is a more prudent decision.

If you do not have a strong business opportunity, the best you can do is to save your money in the bank and earn interests. Keeping your money in your pocket does not earn you income, he said.

Main speaker at the Clinic Toma Imirhe also advised businesses against taking up debts.

He projects interests rates would go up for the rest of the year as the Central Bank maintains a tight monetary policy this year.

This he expects will reduce the demand for money and limit the pace of economic expansion.

Now is not a good time to undertake major investments if you are a small business owner, Mr. Imirhe told the businesses gathered at the SME Clinic. He urged small scale businesses to rather save more to avoid the economic shocks of an election year.

The Union SME Clinic organized by Union Savings and Loans is a periodic workshop organized to equip small businesses with the requisite management skills.

The theme for this edition was Managing your business for success in an election year.
11.03.2016 LISTEN

Member of Parliament for Dome/Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo, has donated a high capacity generator set to the Taifa Polyclinic to assist in the delivery of healthcare to the community.

That aside, she also gave out 50 pieces of bed sheets, detergents and clean-up brushes.

Presenting the items to the polyclinic on Friday, Ms Safo said the gesture was spurred by a plea from the medical officer of the facility.

According to her, the erratic power supply confronting the country, and in particular, Taifa and surrounding communities, was having a telling effect on the smooth operations of the health facility, hence the gesture to shore up the power deficit.

Dr Charles Dewhurst, the medical officer, receiving the items on behalf of the health facility, said with the generator in place, the clinic would soon begin its 24-hour service.

According to him, the hospital has for some time now been operating only day services because of the erratic power supply, making it very difficult to reach out to many patients who visit the facility for healthcare delivery on daily basis.

However, with the provision of the high capacity generator set, the health centre has no excuse to open up its operations.

Very soon we will be starting night services. As you can see, the main challenge was to fence this facility. That is being done. The power outage was also a big problem to us. Now that we have this wonderful high capacity generator set, we know that that problem is also solved. So, now we don't have any excuse at all with the night services, he mentioned.

The health facility, he added, will also run three new services 

dental, eye and E&T beginning May 1, 2016, to complement the existing programmes.
The toilet facility

11.03.2016 LISTEN

Residents of Dadiesoaba near Asafo in Kumasi have benefitted from a modern 20-seater toilet facility which also boasts of six bathrooms.

Constructed at an amount of over GH500,000 by Franksliz Enterprise in a Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis, the project would enhance the living conditions of the people.

This is a unique facility in the entire Kumasi Metropolis, following the quality of materials that were used for its construction. It was officially opened on Wednesday at a colourful ceremony.

Speaking after cutting the tape to open the facility, Nana Pokua Ampomah II, the Dadiesoaba queen mother, commended the assemblyman and the contractor (Franksliz Enterprise) for the work done.

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She charged the people of Dadiesoaba to uphold high maintenance culture so that the toilet facility would have a longer lifespan.

Frank Adafia, who owns Franksliz Enterprise together with his wife, said the facility is their widow's mite in contributing to make life better for the masses, urging other affluent people to also support the society.

Little drops of water make a mighty ocean; therefore, little contributions from each one of us will help make our motherland Ghana better. And this is the contribution from me and my wife to our country, he added.

Mr Adafia said a well had been dug and three big polytanks had been purchased to store water so as to ensure constant cleaning of the facility to guarantee its longevity, urging the people who visit the facility to keep it tidy.

Mr Adusei Bonsu, the assemblyman, expressed happiness that Dadiesoaba now boasts of a toilet facility which would make life better for the people.

From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi


LONDONThe United Nations Secretary-Generals High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines hosted the first of two Global Dialogues in London, UK, on 10 March 2016. Hundreds of people from around the world joined online and in-person  from industry, government, civil society groups, multilateral organizations and academia  to discuss the solutions and barriers to increasing access to medicines, vaccines and diagnostics and promoting innovation in health technologies.

This is an emergency. It doesnt matter where you live, people are dying every day in rich and poor countries because they cant afford or access the health services they need, said Michael Kirby, member of the High-Level Panel and chair of the Expert Advisory Group. When we look back at the HIV epidemic, the ground reality changed when Yusuf Hamied and Festus Mogae, members of this panel, and others dramatically reduced the cost of treatment, which meant low- and middle-income countries could afford them.

The Panel was convened in November 2015 by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to address the policy incoherence between intellectual property laws and access to health. With representation from the private and public sectors, as well as from civil society, participants openly analyzed issues such as the tensions between intellectual property laws and access to medicines.

If we had todays laws in 2000, I guarantee 10 million more people would have died from HIV/AIDS, warned Yusuf Hamied, Chairperson of Cipla. There are today 160 drugs that are off patent in America and there is no second manufacturer. Albendazole, for example, costs two cents in the rest of the world. In America, $240 a tablet.

Due to the complexity of the task, the Panel issued an open Call for Contributions asking stakeholders from every field to submit their ideas on the issue. The Panel received more than 170 contributions and throughout the dialogue, participants discussed how old and new mechanisms  such as medicine patent pools, public-private partnerships, and alternative sources for R&D financing  could be utilized to increase access to medicines without jeopardizing innovation.

In terms of innovation the patent system has been highly effective in incentivizing biopharmaceutical research and development and in developing new medicines and tomorrows cures, said Corey Salsberg, Head International IP Policy at Novartis. Im not here to say the patent system is perfect, but the patent system does work for what it was designed to do. There are gaps in unmet medical needs and gaps in some areas of access, but what we should be doing is building on the successes of the patent system not dismantling the parts that have worked.

The concept of delinkage was put forward by several groups as a way of separating research and development, on one side, from production and distribution, on the other side of the health equation.

There are a substantial number of potential answers to this question. R&D costs can be financed through government subsidies and grants, the awarding of prizes to successful innovators, through mechanisms designed to provide tax incentives, said Frederick Abbott, co-chair of the Committee on Global Health Law. Delinking R&D and production does not mean companies wont be able to make substantial profits through successful innovation. This all depends on how much one decides to spend on innovation. In principle, pharmaceutical companies can earn very substantial returns from subsidies or prizes paid for the successful development of a new medicine, vaccine or diagnostic.

While the London Dialogue represented the largest interactive event hosted by the Panel, it was not the first. In an effort to increase the breadth of the contributions received and ensure cross-sectional conversation at the dialogues, the Panel has already held four briefings during the last two months, including two member state briefings, a briefing for civil society, and a private sector briefing. The Panel will now travel to Johannesburg, South Africa, for a further dialogue before the Panel authors its report, which will be released in June 2016.
11.03.2016 LISTEN

The Founder and CEO of Media For Development Foundation (MEDEF), a Human Rights and non-profit Media Advocacy Organization in Sunyani, Mr. Emmanuel Odeneho Appiah has called on all stakeholders to ensure a peaceful elections.

Mr. Emmanuel Odeneho Appiah speaking in an interview the News Hunter Magazine explained that the various security agencies in the country has a crucial role to pla as Ghanaians prepare to vote come November 7, 2016.

He pleaded with the security agencies to be fair and shouldnt be influenced with regards to their political affiliation or being sympathetic to any of the political figures or a particular party.

Mr. Odeneho Kwesi Appiah revealed that, within the security agencies, they have formed a tax force called election security tax force...which was initiated by the regional commanders.

He, however preceded that, unequivocal...the political parties must comply with the rules and regulations by the electoral commission to enable peaceful elections in the country.

"Also the electoral commission is the regulator of our election, therefore they should put in place the necessary logistics to improve the elections.

The electoral commission should also invite the media if necessary in their issues...and also the inter-party advisory committee (IPAC), stakeholders and religious bodies, he enunciated.

Mr. Emmanuel Appiah advised Ghanaian electorates to exercise their franchise when the time is due.

I appeal to all Ghanaians to go out in their numbers and for vote. If you decide not to vote, somebody will vote and the candidate that you think doesnt have the capacity to win, may be the one who will be chosenso you have the power to make your own decision. Dont stay at home for others to decide for you. Your vote is your power, he stated.

Source: Newshuntermag.blogspot.com
Societe Generale [SG] Bank offers yet another thrilling package that obviously provides customers the comfort of accessing loans at highly competitive rates.

The Managing Director of Societe Generale Ghana, Mr. Sionle Yeo, said the launch of this promo Unlock Your Dreams will make getting loans simple and financially sound for their customers.

The Managing Director noted that the promotion is geared towards giving customers a helping hand and the ability to unlock their dreams through the introduction of this new and exciting Unlock Your Dreams promo.

The Deputy Managing Director of Societe Generale Ghana, Francois Marchal indicated that the promotion gives customers and potential customers of the bank the chance to get loans at incredibly low rates compared to the market rates.

According to him, the promo aims at giving customers a cost effective, stress-free and convenient way to get the cash they need to fund the most important events and projects in their lives.

..we understand that every customers has some specific financial needs, and our strategy is to cater for this, making sure our loans do not create new financial challenges for our customers but act as a good way through which they can alleviate any financial stresses they may be facing, he emphasized.

Mr. Kwaku Tweneboah-Kodua, Head of Retail Banking, Societe Generale, said the Bank has made sure that every frontline staff is fully prepared to assist in customers in every way to ensure full participation in the promo with ease.

Speaking on the dynamics of the promotion, the Head of Marketing Analytics, Mr. Fred Addy explained that the promotion runs until Monday, 13th May, 2016.

He added that the promo is open to both existing and new Societe Generale Ghana customers who are salary workers.

Mr. Fred added that salaried account holders who have accounts with other banks can enjoy the benefits of the promotion by opening current accounts with the Bank, having one salary processed at Societe Generale Ghana and providing 6 months statement from their previous bank.

According to him, customers also benefit from concessionary rates, which are amongst some of the best in the country.

He indicated that customers can also borrow up to GHS100, 000 without security.

Borrowers with salaries above GHS 1,000.00 can have up to 60 month (5 years) repayment period. Existing customers who have loans with the Bank can also enjoy top-ups to their existing loans without the requirement to bring financial statements from their employers, he emphasized.

Mr. Addy concluded that the early refinancing penalty of 2% will be waived during the campaign period.
Kwarteng-Arthur

11.03.2016 LISTEN

I have yet to take a critical look at the much-talked-about error-laden brochure put out by the Information Services Department (ISD) for the commemoration of the 59th anniversary of Ghanas independence (See Brochure Gaffe: I Detected Errors But Allowed It  ISD Boss Starrfmonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 3/8/16). The fact of the Matter is that I really dont see what the fuss is all about. After all, isnt mediocrity as Ghanaian as twists or Atwomo, my profuse apologies to my kinsfolk and citizens of Nsawam-Adoagyiri.

To be certain, I was very disdainfully amused when I came across a media headline over the portrait of Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby (aka Dr. McNasty), claiming Ghana to have become worse than a Banana Republic, as if the status of our country was ever elevated above that of a veritable Banana Republic. Properly speaking, Ghana is an effete, or fast-dying, Cocoa Republic. In other words, Ghana stinks as fetidly as fermented cocoa beans. I know this because I partly grew up at Akyem-Asiakwa and am the bona fide great-grandson of Nana Aboagye, the Dwaben/Juaben royal prince, after whom a sizeable chunk of the farmlands immediately surrounding Asiakwa is named. Nana Aboagye is also credited with having uniquely pioneered the advent and spread of Presbyterianism in Okyeman.

Well, if Dr. McNasty were not the congenital self-righteous hypocrite that I have always known him to be, he would have first gone back and taken a good look at President John Agyekum-Kufuors speech marking the Golden Anniversary of Ghanas independence in 2007. He could also try reading Mr. Ivor Agyeman-Duahs extensively advertised biography of Mr. Kufuor, titled Between Faith And History, and report back to the rest of us how significantly different it is from the much-maligned brochure that was recently published by President John Dramani Mahama and his Flagstaff House Abongo Boys. About all that I can say right now is that the Mahama-minted independence anniversary brochure truly reflects the ramshackle state and quality of public education in our country.

After all, wasnt it only yesterday, both figuratively and literally speaking, that the OECD, the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, released a global ranking of the academic levels and educational quality of some 76 countries, of which Ghana came butt-naked last? And so, really, what is the justification for pretense here? I shall have more to say about the brochure that most accurately  you heard me right  listed Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta as the democratically elected President of the Republic of Ghana. I even hear the Kenyans are having a hearty kick out of this so-called misrepresentation of their leader on the streets of Nairobi. Very likely, they were greatly relieved to see their bloody butcher and unconscionable political criminal, who deftly scuttled his own indictment, trial and conviction at The Hague, depart the shores of Kenya to accept another coordinately plum job at the Flagstaff House.

It is also quite certain that President Uhuru Kenyatta went to Accra to tutor his most staunch backer on the continent in the enviable art of political criminality, especially on how to suavely scheme for victory in the upcoming November 2016 general election. This is a very funny story because it is not the very first time that the Mahama-led government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has had the opportunity and privilege to host the countrys annual independence festivities. And this year, too, by the way, an elementary schoolteacher  or was he a middle-school teacher?  from my maternal radix of Akyem-Nkronso was reported to have collapsed and died during a rehearsal for this years independence anniversary festivities scheduled to be held in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional Capital.

What appears to have been remarkably exceptional about this years independence anniversary brochure/program was that part that truthfully and poignantly stated that Ghana is now recognized as having attained low-income status in the world. You see, truth-telling is perhaps the greatest enemy of the average Ghanaian citizen. And it was about time somebody with guts and balls like Mr. Abisat, the Deputy ISD Director, told it like it veritably was.

As for the latters boss, Mr. Francis Kwarteng Arthur, the Acting Director of the Information Services Department, taking full responsibility for these epic gaffes simply means being lavishly honored by President Mahama, like retired EC hatchet man Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan. Having the man executed by firing squad would be too cheap and unmemorable.

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
11.03.2016 LISTEN

A top commander of so-called Islamic State (IS) may have survived a recent US air strike in north-eastern Syria, US defence officials in Iraq say.

Omar Shishani, a Georgian whose real name is Tarkhan Batirashvili, may have limped away from the bombing, a US spokesman said.

Twelve of 13 people targeted in the attack are known to have died, the spokesman said.

There has so far been no comment from IS over Shishanis fate.

Last year, the US offered a $5m (3.5m) reward for Shishani who, it said, had held numerous top military positions within the group, including minister of war.

Late on Wednesday, a UK-based Syrian opposition news service, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said its sources had confirmed that an air strike had targeted Shishanis convoy on Friday.

Several of his bodyguards were killed, the sources said, but the commander himself was badly wounded.

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Hes not dead, the Syrian Observatorys director, Rami Abdul Rahman, told AFP news agency.

He was taken from the province of Hassakeh to a hospital in Raqqa province, where he was treated by a jihadist doctor of European origin.

US officials have said they believe Shishani was sent to the Shaddadi area to reinforce IS militants following a series of military defeats.

Shaddadi was captured last month by the Syrian Arab Coalition, an alliance of Arab rebel groups which joined forces with the Kurdish YPG militia to battle IS.

However, a senior US general said the US-led fight against IS was not quite yet at an inflection point despite recent successes, including the reported capture of a top IS chemical weapons expert in Iraq.

General Paul Selva, vice chairman of the joints chiefs of staff, told a conference in Washington that IS was an incredibly flexible opponent that was highly decentralised and incredibly resilient.

-bbc


11.03.2016 LISTEN

The main Syrian opposition group has said it will attend the next round of peace talks scheduled to start in Geneva on Monday.

The High Negotiations Committee (HNC) said it was not putting any preconditions on its participation.

But it stressed what it called the importance of working within the framework of international resolutions.

The last attempt at reviving talks collapsed amid a Russian-backed government offensive.

BBC Middle East editor Sebastian Usher says there was some ambiguity over conditions set for the oppositions participation.

But in a statement, the HNC said it would attend as part of its commitment to international efforts to stop the spilling of Syrian blood and find a political solution.

It said it was not setting preconditions but insisted on commitment by all parties to international humanitarian agreements.

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We know that [the government] are committing crimes, and that they are preparing an air and ground escalation in the coming period, said HNC coordinator Riad Hijab, quoted by Reuters news agency.

He said the HNC would push for an interim government with full executive powers in which President Bashar al-Assad and the current leadership would have no role.

Russia has said it expects the Syrian government to attend the talks, but this has not yet been confirmed.

A temporary cessation of hostilities agreed by most participants in the conflict  but excluding so-called Islamic State (IS) and the al-Nusra Front, al-Qaedas branch in Syria  began at the end of last month.

Our correspondent says that despite violations it has held better than expected and the daily death toll has gone down dramatically  a small sign of hope before talks resume.

More than 250,000 Syrians have been killed and millions more have been forced from their homes in five years of Syrias civil war that began with the aim of overthrowing Mr Assad.

-bbc


A convicted Dutch paedophile who was on the run from a 19-year prison sentence has been arrested in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

Pieter Ceulen was spotted while looking for a job as a teacher, according to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.

Sentenced by a Belgian court in January for sex offences against children, he had fled while out on bail.

Ceulen, 60, is expected to be handed over to the Belgian and Dutch authorities.

He is being held at a police station in the capital after his lawyers negotiated his surrender with the Cambodian authorities, the Phnom Penh Post reports.

Ceulen was detained after visiting a school in Siem Reap, looking for a job as a teacher.

Finding him suspicious, a Belgian volunteer searched a Facebook page for expats and recognised him as a wanted paedophile, De Telegraaf reports.

Ceulen had been sentenced in absentia for distributing child pornography and sexual abuse of minors. He had also been accused of abusing children in Cambodia and the Philippines.

-bbc
Sunyani, March 11, GNA - Ghanaians have been advised to develop a high level of tolerance and preach the message of peace as the country moves towards the presidential and parliamentary elections in November.

Alhaji Collins Dauda, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, gave the advice at the opening of the 19th biennial national delegates' conference of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG) on Wednesday in Sunyani.

The three-day conference on the theme 'Localising the Post-2015 Agenda: The role of MMDAs in the Effective Delivery of the SDGs in Ghana' is being attended by 1,080 delegates, comprising five each from the 216 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the country.

Alhaji Dauda entreated Ghanaians to avoid acrimony, rancour and violence in the electioneering campaign to maintain the country's prevailing peace.

He tasked politicians and party activists to address issues that would earn them the votes of the electorate rather than attacking personalities and destroying the nation.

This, he noted, could be the only way to ensure a successful, peaceful and incident-free election and also foster unity for continuous national development.

Alhaji Dauda said the element of unity was for the benefit of all Ghanaians but not for one clan or tribe in the country, and therefore, implored every Ghanaian to exercise the greatest restraint 'even in the face of extreme provocation' for the peaceful conduct of the election 2016.

Mr. Justice Samuel Adjei, the Deputy Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, indicated that the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies were mandated to stimulate business development at the local level within the overall national development plan.

Mr. Adjei therefore urged the Assemblies to identify the economic potential of their areas and harness them to increase their revenue generation and create the enabling economic environment for businesses to thrive.

Alhaji Mohamed Kwaku Doku, the out-going National President of NALAG, advised members of the Association to remain united at the end of the conference for that to impact on the development of the various Assemblies nation-wide.

The conference would be climaxed with an election of new national executives to steer the affairs of the Association for the next two years.

GNA
11.03.2016 LISTEN

Accra, March 11, GNA - Cassava has become a potential industrial crop, which could reduce imports, increase exports, create employment and increase smallholder farmers' incomes along the value chain.

Due to the versatility of High Quality Cassava flour (HQCF) and high starch content, cassava could be processed into four main product areas, which are cassava chips, HQCF, starch and ethanol.

HQCF is unfermented edible cassava flour.

The Managing Director of Caltech Ventures, Mr Chris Quarshie, in a presentation on the 'Africa HQCF Market Prospects:' Ghana as case study, said of the four categories, HQCF was the low hanging fruit.

He explained: 'This is because of its relative ease of production and higher value addition; compared to chips, it has relatively lower investment cost, and it is a viable alternative to wheat flour and native starch in bakery and in industrial applications.

The conference, 'The Second Cassava World-Africa Summit', held on the theme, 'Roadmap to Increase Cassava Production and Investments of higher value-added products', was organised by the Centre for Management Technology based in Thailand.

Mr Quarshie said when promoted, a total of 115,000 tonnes of HQCF could be used to address demands in the bakery industry to replace wheat flour, industrial starch production and packaged food industry.

However, he said there were major constraints such as importation of wheat flour into the country among others, which needed to be addressed through government policy and interventions.

According to him, market prospects for HQCF in Ghana were bright if the supply, consumer awareness, technological and price challenges could be addressed through policy, applied research, production and promotional interventions by various stakeholders.

Hosted by the Ghana Cassava Growers Association, the summit brought together representatives and stakeholders from major cassava growing countries in the world including, Nigeria, Brazil and Mozambique.)

The conference was aimed at encouraging cassava producing countries to add value to their products to help alleviate poverty among small holder farmers.

The Africa Regional Agro Industrialist Officer of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Ms Stephanie Gallatova, called for a more conducive policy environment to promote public-private-partnership (PPP) in the agriculture sector.

This, she said, would make the sector more attractive as, 'There are lots of opportunities in the agriculture sector in Africa but also there are more challenges due to small holder farmers'.

Ms Gallatova said PPP in the agriculture sector would make it more attractive for the private sector to venture into agro-processing and investments in the sector.

The private sector, she said, could help build the capacity of small holder farmers to help produce more.

She said over the years, the Nigerian Government had embarked on a cassava transformation agenda, which had led to the country producing 35 per cent of high quality cassava in Africa and 19 per cent of the global agricultural need.

She said due to the more conducive policy environment in the production of cassava in Nigeria, the country over the last three years, increased its production from 42 million tonnes to 55 million tonnes.

Ghana, on the other hand, she said, produced 14 million tonnes to 15 million tonnes, yearly, and noted that the country had the potential to produce more with the right policy environment.

Mr Lambert Abusah, the Director, Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, in a speech read on behalf of the sector Minister, Alhaji Mohammed-Muniru Limuna, said currently, the Government was considering a policy for high quality cassava flour for use in the food industry as a key ingredient of composite flour.

The Minister said, 'We have put together a cross-sectoral team, which is working to develop a composite flour using High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) policy for Government with the support from the FAO'.

This, according to the Minister, would go a long way to help open the market for small-holder farmers.

He said the cassava value chain was an economic transformational tool for food security, economic opportunities and poverty alleviation when structured properly.

'Cassava is a major transformational crop, which can be a major game-changer in our national development agenda,' he said.

GNA
Kumasi, March 11, GNA - The police have discounted claims that sought to link the death of a Ward Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress at Nhyiaeso, Kumasi, Alpha Fiator, to robbery attack.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mohammed Yussif Tanko, the Ashanti Regional Public Relations Officer, in a signed press statement said their investigations had established that he died from the injury sustained after he fell violently into a deep uncovered gutter. It again denied reports that the deceased Nissan Frontier pick-up, was missing - stolen by imaginary attackers.

The vehicle had already been recovered from where the late Fiator had gone to park it - Kwadaso Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church.

It said the deceased, who from all indications was heavily drunk, had driven to the mission house at about 2100 hours on March 6, with a lady and insisted that was his house.

He reportedly started behaving abnormally, resulting in a plea by the lady to give the ignition key to her which succeeded in collecting from him.

The statement indicated that from the evidence gathered, they had ruled out robbery.

Mr. Fiator had been sent to SDA Hospital in Kwadaso in critical condition.

Two men, who allegedly saw him lying in the deep gutter at Denchemuoso assisted the lady in his company at the time, to carry him to the hospital.

Meanwhile, the police are looking for the yet to be identified lady to assist in investigations.

GNA
Weta , March 11, GNA - Mr Adiali Pwadabi Ayagitam, Ketu-North District Director of Education has expressed worry about what he referred to as the insecurity in schools in the area, resulting from fears of sorcery perpetuated by pupils and community members.

He was speaking at a-day's stakeholder forum on emerging trends on education in the area on Thursday at Weta Senior High Technical School (WESTEC) at Weta in the Volta Region.

Mr Ayagitam said in some instances, it was alleged some male pupils had sought 'spiritual powers' to charm their female colleagues and teachers for intimacy.

The forum was convened by John Gatsi Educational Foundation, a private entity fostering improvement in academic standards in the area, through competitive exams and teaching skills update, with support from the National Investment Bank (NIB).

'Sadly enough our environment is not conducive enough for teaching and learning, having been characterized by occultism, sex activities, defecating in our classrooms among others', Mr. Ayagitam said.

He said at Avekordome Basic School, for example, some suspected human teeth were placed on the tables and chairs of some teachers in February this year, after a similar occurrence in November last year.

Mr Ayagitam said the teachers, including the head and some pupils, who came into contact with the object were said to have received some 'electric-like shock waves in their arms, followed later with severe headache, swollen arms and legs and a feeling of coldness and shivering among others'.

'As I am talking to you now the headteacher and other teachers and pupils are sick and everyone, particularly the teachers are scared of staying to work in the area', Mr. Ayigitam said.

He said one of the nine communities which feeds the Avekordome school, had withdrawn pupils from the school because in their thinking the school should have been located in their community.

Mr Ayagitam said Avekordome community leaders fearing some form of spiritual attack, 'have started rituals to cleanse the school'.

He said in that community, some black powder suspected to be spiritual, was sprinkled at the doorsteps of some teachers who punished pupils.

The Director said in most cases the suspects had been dismissed and barred from enrollment in any school in the area, while the two men who allegedly supervised the spiritual process were brought before a traditional court and fined GHa300.00 and some bottles of liquor.

He said a pupil thought to be under some invocation during morning devotion, revealed some of them had put some magical preparations in the food of some teachers.

Mr Ayagitam said the boy under spell alleged some food vendors were also involved.

The Director said a total of 275 pupils, 114 of them in primary school, became pregnant in the area between 2012 and 2015, with the highest of 78, including 28 in primary occurring last year alone.

'These issues are endangering our learning environment, and is very worrying', he said.

Dr. John Gatsi, Founder-Director of John Gatsi Educational Foundation, expressed happiness for the support, openness and willingness of the Education Directorate to openly discuss challenges for redress, observing that such openness was not available in some areas.

Mr Gatsi who is also a lecturer at the Cape Coast University School of Business, called on all stakeholders to come around to address challenges, as the future of the youth and the area depended on education.

When the GNA visited Avekordome School at 13:00 hours on Thursday, there were no pupils on campus, except one teacher who was also on the way home.

That teacher confirmed the sorcery allegation and said the teachers in the school were seeking transfers. GNA
Kumasi, March 11, GNA - The Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr. John Alexander Ackon, has urged metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) to scale-up the effort at bringing development - to improve the quality of life of the people.

This, he said, called for transparency and prudent management of financial resources.

Speaking at an awards ceremony held to recognize hard working Regional Ministers and MMDCEs in Kumasi, he asked that they put the common good ahead of personal comfort and convenience.

The event was organized by Bombisco Multimedia Productions, a Berekum-based organization.

In all, five Ministers and 36 MMDCEs from across the nation were honoured with citations for strong leadership and helping to change the living conditions of the people.

Mr. Ackon reminded all public officers to be modest and to uphold the values of integrity and accountability.

They should work together with passion to drive the government's development agenda - to fight poverty and make things better for everybody.

His Brong-Ahafo counterpart, Mr. Eric Opoku, identified hard work, humility and service as critical elements for good local governance.

Mr. Isaac Asare, the Chief Executive Officer of Bombisco, said the goal was to motivate public office holders to give it their all to speed up the nation's socio-economic progress.

He said there could not be any doubt that they would be inspired by the awards to sustain the good job they were doing.

Mr. Ackon, Mr. Opoku, Mr. Rickett Hagan, Madam Mavis Ama Frimpong, and Mr. Paul Evans Aidoo were the regional ministers honoured.

Among the MMDCEs were Mr. Mohammed Doku, MCE for Asunafo North, Mr. Kwaku Oppong Kyekyeku Kaakyire, DCE Afigya-Kwabre and Mr. David Addai-Amankwaah, DCE for Ahafo-Ano North.

GNA
Cape Coast, March 11, GNA - The Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), a policy think tank, has advised the Government to invest part of the oil revenue in Agriculture, Education and Health to ensure effective economic growth and development.

Dr. Ishmael Ackah, the Head of Policy Unit of ACEP, who made the call at a consultative forum on Oil Revenue Management, said properly financing these sectors would help address the challenges of socio-economic disparities and help reduce poverty.

He said there was the need for the Government to prioritise and increase investment in these areas for long-term benefits and equity.

The forum, organised by ACEP, in collaboration with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) was on the theme: 'Five years Oil production in Ghana, the Need to Invest in Education, Health and Agriculture'.

He noted, however, that even though oil revenue played a significant role in the capital budget, it could not solely fund the budgets of Education, Agriculture and Health but it could directly facilitate their growth if more of it was used to supplement the existing budgets.

He called for a proper investment plan that had a target with concrete monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure that Ghana got value for money, while there must be determined efforts to use the oil resources to transform these sectors of the economy.

Mr. Benjamin Boakye, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of ACEP, said by the virtue of Ghana being a lower -middle income country, donor support towards the sectors under review had dwindled, hence the need for the Government to put more oil revenue in those sectors.

He said it was important that the citizenry participated in discussions on the management of revenue from the oil and gas sector for the country to derive maximum benefits from the resources.

Some of the participants suggested that the amount of oil revenue allocated to the Education sector must be channeled to the basic schools to build stronger foundation for Ghanaian students.

Others also called for a portion of the amount to be used to support research in the tertiary institutions, and suggested that strict measures be put in place to monitor projects funded with oil revenue for the citizenry to get involved in its usage.

GNA
you are here:
business NDA govt 'gracious' in taking forward Aadhaar: Nilekani Former UIDAI Chairman and ex-Infosys chief Nandan Nilekani says he feels "great" after the government today passed the Aadhaar bill using the money bill route in the Lok Sabha.
business Challenge before us to maintain reform pace: FM at IMF event The focus of the Narendra Modi government is keep the reform machine moving at the same speed at which it has so far into its tenure, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today.
Despite the incredible gains Fortescue Metals Group Ltd [ASX:FMG] was able to produce on Monday (and the week before that), the stock has given back those gains over the course of this week.

What happened to the FMG share price?

Despite the incredible gains Fortescue Metals Group Ltd [ASX:FMG] was able to produce on Monday (and the week before that), the stock has given back those gains over the course of this week. Right now, the stock is down from where it started on Monday. So how should investors position themselves in a stock like FMG?

Why did FMG shares do this?

We saw an incredible rally in energies and iron ore prices earlier in the week. The Aussie dollar also picked up some meaningful gains during the commodities rally.

FMG is an exciting stock. What do I mean by that?

FMG is a mid cap stock. It has historically been a stock that provides investors with huge gainsas well as large losses. Thats what makes it exciting.

Timing and agility is important when trading this stock. This is especially true for short term investors. However, the stock exhibits trend behaviour that has been responsible for some of its large gains over time. This means a certain degree of inference can aid our investment in stocks such as FMG. These stocks are closely tied to the commodity prices.

FMG has generally been a loser during the last few years of commodity bear market. You were much better off shorting the stock. However, the tide is slowly turning for commodity stocks. It is obvious that commodity prices arent likely to fall infinitely and forever. At some point, they have to turnaround. Is that time now? I cant be certain, but I can tell you that FMG tends to generate more impressive gains during recoveries and commodity bull markets.

What now for FMG?

After the mediocre performance this week, I am not sure if FMG is still a stayer for short term traders (long positions). However, that wont stop long term investors from taking a bet on a recovery case for commodities.

Fundamentals are still weak, that is true, but stocks have also been oversold. What this means is this may be a good opportunity for long term investors to get in.

Ken Wangdong+

Emerging Market Analyst, New Frontier Investor
The verdict in Scranton came at the end of a bitter lawsuit pitting homeowners in Dimock against Houston-based Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. The company, a prolific driller in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale formation, said it will appeal, accusing the jury of ignoring "overwhelming scientific and factual evidence that Cabot acted as a prudent operator in conducting its operations."

Dimock was the scene of the most highly publicized case of methane contamination to emerge from the early days of Pennsylvania's natural-gas drilling boom. State regulators blamed faulty gas wells drilled by Cabot for leaking combustible methane into Dimock's groundwater. Cabot claimed the methane was naturally occurring and said the problems in the water wells predated Cabot's arrival.

Dozens of plaintiffs settled with Cabot in 2012, but two families opted to take their claims to trial.

"They did something wrong. That was the whole point of getting it into the courtroom," one of the plaintiffs, Scott Ely, told reporters outside the courthouse.

Residents first reported problems in the wells in 2008. The water that came out of their faucets turned cloudy, foamy and discolored, and it smelled and tasted foul. Homeowners, all of whom had leased their land to Cabot, said the water made them sick with symptoms that included vomiting, dizziness and skin rashes.

A state investigation found that Cabot had allowed gas to escape into the region's groundwater supplies, contaminating at least 18 residential wells.

The plaintiffs' attorney called the verdict a warning shot that will resonate beyond the courtroom.

"Cabot doesn't care. Industry doesn't care. They're the big bucks. Their influence is wide and far. ... It's fine with me if industry takes a big fat hit," Leslie Lewis said.
'Closet indexing' is the common term used to describe funds that claim to be actively managed but in fact are not sufficiently differentiated from the benchmark to support that claim. There are a few ways to spot funds that mimic their benchmark. Tools such R-squared and tracking error describe a portfolio's deviation from the benchmark index in statistical terms based on its past returns. By directly comparing and measuring differences between a fund's portfolio holdings with its benchmark holdings, the concept of active share has offered investors a new tool to quantify the activeness of a fund and therefore identify benchmark huggers.

The concept was popularised in a working paper by the then-academics Martijn Cremers and Antti Petjisto in 2006. Cremers & Petajisto drew the line between active and closet-indexing funds at an active share of 60%. It should be noted that while this threshold has effectively become an industry standard, the limit is valid only as long as the underlying benchmark index is well diversified.

It All Comes Down to Fees

Low active share funds are not inherently bad. However, with a small proportion of active positions the fund's returns tend to deviate much less from those of its index. This is where the impact of fees becomes critical. The issue is that it turns out this kind of funds often charge fees similar of even higher than truly active funds in Europe. This narrows considerably their likelihood of outperforming the benchmark.

In Morningstars recent study Active Share in European Funds: The Activeness of Large-Cap European Fund Managers through the Lens of Active Share, we found that 20.2% of funds that are marketed as active had an active share below 60% among European large-cap funds, based on a three-year average of each funds active shares. The asset-weighted share of closet indexers was 17.5%.

We found that the least active funds as measured by their active share calculated against their category benchmark are actually charging fees close to those of true active funds. More specifically, we found that the cost per unit of active share is much higher in closet indexers than in other funds.

In the same study, we also found that closet indexers, as identified by combining low active share and low tracking error, have not done well in terms of performance. In the five years spanning from July 2010 until June 2015, just 22% of the closet indexers identified in our study managed to beat the category benchmark against 34% of funds in the rest of the sample. One-fifth of closet indexers were able to achieve a positive information ratio while 33% of the funds with an active share above 60% had added value.

How Widespread is Closet Indexing in Europe?

Many national regulators in Europe have launched investigations into this practice. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published on February 2 2016 the results of its investigation on closet indexing tracking. By combining active share, tracking-error and R2 at varying degrees, they identified that between 5 and 15% of UCITS equity funds could potentially be closet indexers.

In Morningstars study we also found that closet indexing is indeed not a negligible practice. According to our data, 15% to 20% of funds in European large-cap categories could be labelled as closet indexers. We also established that the proportion of funds staying close to the benchmark index has varied significantly over time. The peak in closet indexing clearly coincides with the aftermath of the global of financial crisis in 2009.

Our research indicates a significant correlation between closet indexing and the level of risk in the equity market. When uncertainty is greater, fund managers may be tempted to reduce the size of their active bets, for instance by reducing their exposure to smaller companies and sticking to more liquid, large, established companies. It might be the case that some want to voluntarily manage their career risks by staying closer to the benchmark. Underperforming the benchmark in a down market is indeed more painful than losing to the competition in a bull market: if a fund manager underperforms in a down market because he keeps a highly distinctive portfolio, he runs the risk of being fired. If he outperforms, he will enjoy some temporary success.

Fund managers can also be heavily influenced by external and internal stakeholders; clients, supervisors, and risk managers, to reduce the activeness of the portfolio in times of uncertainty  even though these are often the periods, when investors would arguably need their managers activeness the most.

The increasing scrutiny of regulators and the greater competition from low-cost passive vehicles are putting a lot of pressure on asset managers to disengage from such practice by either being more active and lowering their fees. It seems, however, that investors are not waiting for regulators to act and fund companies to change their behavior. Morningstars data on asset flows for European large-cap funds suggests that funds with a higher active share have received considerably more flows in recent years than the least active funds.
So lets get this straight. Investors are worried about the downturn in Asia, the stalling of recovery in the United States, anaemic growth in Europe and the fragile recovery in the UK. Yet three companies with global operations reported results this week that flew in the face of this argument. It goes to show that whatever is happening in the world, a strong company can survive and thrive.

One Shipping

Of all the companies you would expect to be struggling in this scenario, Clarkson (CKN) would rate prominently. The self-styled world's leading shipping services group says it plays a vital intermediary role in the movement of the majority of commodities around the world from offices in 20 countries on six continents.

Whats been happening with commodities over the past year? Dont all answer at once. Yet Clarkson managed to increase pre-tax profits from 25.2 million in 2014 to 35.8 million in 2015. A sharp rise in revenue was admittedly helped by the acquisition of RS Platou last February but there is no arguing with a 50% leap in underlying profits last year. The dividend rises from 60p to 62p  it has increased every year since 2002 and there have been plenty of global crises in that time.

Utterly undaunted, chief executive Andi Case is looking to capitalise on new opportunities. His update makes light of what he calls the unprecedented challenges and plays up the positives. I like his attitude. Case adds: Market turbulence continues to drive a flight to quality. Quite so. All the bad news has been absorbed by the share price, which has fallen from 2,800p last August to 1,722p a month ago. Despite a recent pick-up, they are still languishing. Any investor believing that global recovery will come sooner or later might like to take a look. Two Recruitment Well if not shipping, surely recruitment must be in the doldrums. Not if Robert Walters (RWA) is anything to go by. Pretax profit and revenue both grew in 2015, by 28% and 20% respectively. Like Clarkson, Walters has raised its dividend. Expectations for 2016 have been reaffirmed despite potential economic challenges. Net fee income increased across its international operations, with very strong growth in Japan  yes, slowdown in Chinese growth doesnt mean the entire continent is in recession. There was also a robust performance in the UK despite a slowdown in financial services recruitment towards the end of the year. Europe net fee income grew on strong Dutch, Belgian and Spanish markets, while Robert Walters said some encouraging signs of recovery emerged in France. Apparently the strong performance has been underpinned by growth across emerging and established recruitment markets, across permanent, interim and contract recruitment as well as in the outsourcing business Expectations for the full year remain undented. The shares have fallen from 475p to below 300p in seven months. Again, a lot of bad news is priced in. Three Insurance So, what about insurance? Prudential (PRU) is milking the growing middle class in Asia, where operating profits were up 16% and the value of new business won by 26%. The insurer likewise won new business in the US and UK. Pre-tax profits, after allowing for returns to policyholders, rose from 2.6 billion to 3.15 billion, no mean feat in the circumstances and the Pru felt able to pay a special dividend of 10p on top of the total 38.78p for 2015, itself a 5% increase on the previous year. Mike Wells, group chief executive, says: The fundamentals of the Group remain compelling. Im not inclined to argue with that. Pru shares are also well down on the highs of last March despite an uptick over the past month. The moral is that you should not take fright and quit the equities market. You just have to be more discerning when times are tough. Small Setback I apologise for the non-appearance of last weeks column. I was taken ill the previous Monday and despite a rapid recovery I decided to rest for a week. Ill try to see it doesnt happen again. Rodney Hobson is a long-term investor commenting on his own portfolio; his comments are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice.
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A new completion system just tested in the Williston Basin could find its way to the Permian Basin.

Nine Energy Service recently tested its first 50-stage Divert-A-Frac open-hole system for a large independent oil and gas operator.

The 50 stages used 3.5 million pounds of proppant and 52,300 barrels of fluid, taking a little more than 50 hours, compared to the typical 12 and 15 days for a standard plug-and-perforate well. Each stage averaged about an hour.

We believe this new 50-sleeve single-ball drop system will have a good application in the Permian Basin. Although we have successfully run our open-hole liner assemblies with frac sleeves and swell packers in the Permian Basin, it is still currently primarily a cemented plug & perf market, Kendall Manning, Nine Energy sales director of U.S. completions, told the Reporter-Telegram in an email.

However, in todays low oil price market, we are seeing a shift from our customers to enhance completion techniques. They are drilling longer laterals, which equates to more stages during the frac operation. These types of wells are where our new 50-sleeve system is more cost-effective and efficient than cemented plug-and-perf, Manning said.

It is also very difficult to drill out plugs on these long laterals and, in some cases, not feasible, Manning said.

Since the Permian Basin is now leading with new technology advances, it should fit in nicely with our product offerings, Manning said.

Nine Energys Williston Basin customer was looking to increase stage count without reporting to limited entry cluster stimulation.

Rickey Green, Nine Energys vice president for the Rocky Mountain region, described the companys Divert-A-Frac test in a press release:

The operator was looking for a single-point entry solution to significantly increase their stage count from 35 to 50 without resorting to limited entry cluster stimulation. This success was a result of detailed testing and analysis of Nines Divert-A-Frac Port Sub (DAFPS-III) frac sleeve to confirm the 50-stage design was sound.

The system was engineered for the operators 10,000 foot laterals and the sleeves were pressure tested with dissolvable metallic actuation balls, and computational fluid dynamics analysis demonstrated that ball-on-seat performance would not be affected by the planned proppant stimulation in the 50 sleeve system, Green said.
The price of West Texas Intermediate futures contracts have ended with weekly gains for four consecutive weeks, and Friday's closing price marked a new year-high.

April contracts settled at $38.50 a barrel Friday, up 66 cents (1.74 percent) on the day and up $2.58 (7.18 percent) since March 4.

The price set new year-highs four times this week, which previously was $36.79 a barrel on Jan. 4, the first day of trading in 2016.

At 48 trading days so far this year, the price has finished positive 22 days, and only 12 days have been below $30 a barrel. The year-low is $26.21, set Feb. 11.

For the year, the futures price is up $1.74 (4.73 percent).

The Plains All American posted price for WTI also set a year-high Friday after fetching $35 a barrel, up 75 cents (2.19 percent) on the day and $2.50 (7.69 percent) since March 4.

WTI posted has been $30 or above 14 days this year and has seen gains 21 days, losses 25 days and no change on two days.

While not hitting its year-high, West Texas sour reached $30 territory this week, fetching $30.15 a barrel Wednesday and $30.40 on Friday, up 75 cents (2.53 percent).

West Texas sour has been $30 or above only three days this year. The year-high is $32 a barrel, set on Jan. 4. West Texas sour has risen $2.50 (8.96 percent) since March 4.

The April futures contract, which expires March 21, was the only contract Friday below $40. May settled at $40.09 a barrel, while June closed at $40.98.

The nearest month above $40 range was May 2021, which fetched $50.

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Through ever-evolving technology and data collection and analysis that has let them zero in on the sweetest of sweet spots, Permian Basin production has soared to levels not seen in decades.

But without an end-user, theres little incentive for Permian Basin oil and gas producers to coax their product out of the ground.

Numerous companies have invested billions in takeaway infrastructure, such as pipelines.

One company has seen so much business that it opened an oil-marketing office on the first floor of downtown Midlands Bank of America building.

We move 30,000 to 35,000 barrels of oil a day from the Permian Basin, said Paul Vega, director, West Texas marketing for Trafigura Trading LLC, adding that recent growth and current projects are sending that figure to 40,000 barrels a day.

Jeff Kopp, director of North America operations, said the companys goal is to move product, including crude oil, around the globe to the best market.

The global trading company, headquartered in Geneva, has been buying crude from Permian Basin producers since late 2012.

Here, we have a lot of customers with a lot of product they need to moved, said Kopp, who is based in Houston.

Vega said the company has purchased crude from New Mexico, the Delaware Basin, Midland Basin and the Cline Shale.

According to Vega, Trafigura has extensive storage facilities around the globe, including in Cushing, Oklahoma, and at Corpus Christi on the Gulf Coast. Other facilities are in West Texas and Louisiana.

Kopp noted that the company recently installed a condensate splitter at its Corpus storage terminal.

With the ban on exporting U.S. crude lifted, Oil can flow anywhere, Kopp said. Weve already moved oil from the Permian Basin to Israel and the Mediterranean.

Before exports were allowed to resume, oil had to stay in the U.S., and prices became weaker and weaker, he said.

The ban was lifted at a time of significantly lower oil prices and weaker demand, he said. But he said the company believes demand is improving amid low prices, as is seen with gasoline demand. Hopefully, demand will pick up a little and help refiners pick up some margin, he said.

Opening its new Midland office at this time is even more important than ever, said Vega.

It tells our customer base were here for the long-term, even in a downturn. It sends the message well be here all the time, Vega said.

Trafigura officials understand crude oil is a cyclical business that will recover, he said. Unfortunately, you have to find the bottom.

Vega said he plans to split his time between Houston and the Midland office until the current school year ends, when he'll relocate to Midland permanently. The office currently employs five people, including himself. The new office is 4,000 square feet, so theres room for growth, he said.
Representatives of the newly assembled Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative met with local business leaders and government officials Thursday to get feedback on students workforce-readiness needs.

The event, which took place at Pioneer Natural Resources, was the first of eight stops over the next four months for the initiative. There will be a workforce summit in Austin in September.

Media was restricted from attending the discussion, but Raymond Paredes, head of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, said afterward that he and the initiatives other commissioners  Mike Morath, head of the Texas Education Association, and Andres Alcantar, chairman of the Texas Workforce Commission  learned a lot about what Texas needs.

When discussing the states efforts to prepare the next generation of workers, (Overall), we dont do as well as we need to, Paredes said.

Among whats lacking are so-called soft skills, which include appropriate workplace behavior and work ethic, Paredes said. Business leaders in attendance suggested increasing the number of paid internships to give students real-world experience in a workplace environment before they graduate from college.

Paredes said getting college students marketable skills also is important, whether theyre a journalist or a philosophy major. Internships can help with that, he said.

However, preparations for a students workplace future shouldnt begin in college. Paredes said college readiness itself is equally important and that it should be part of curricula in kindergarten through 12th grade. That cant be accomplished without better training for teachers, he said.

Morath said the initiatives No. 1 priority is supporting teachers; however, there isnt one answer to accomplishing this, though personal development and cultural management are factors that need to be addressed.

As for the cost to improve education and make students more workforce-ready, Its too early for a dollar figure, Paredes said.

Finding ways to keep kids in school and save money are also on the commissioners to-do list.

Gov. Greg Abbott established the Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative on Monday, but its not this initiatives first iteration. Commissioners said they cooperated in a similar initiative on their own in 2014 but said it was formed too late -- three to four months before the 2015 legislative session.

Whats different about this initiative is that it was put in place by the governor and that it has specific objectives, Paredes said. Commissioners hope that the earlier start this year will give them ample time to share their recommendations with state legislators far ahead of the 2017 legislative session.

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MIAMI (AP)  The spread of the Zika virus in Latin America is giving a boost to a British biotech firms proposal to deploy a genetically modified mosquito to try to stop transmission of the disease.

Oxitec has genetically modified the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also transmits dengue and chikungunya, so the males produce offspring that do not live.

But until now, its proposal to test the mosquito in the Florida Keys has languished at the Food and Drug Administration while the company conducted similar field trials outside the United States.

The data seems to be promising in terms of reducing the mosquito populations in those small field trials, but we need to go through our process, and we are greatly expediting the process, FDA Assistant Commissioner Dr. Luciana Borio said earlier this month at a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on Zika preparedness.

Here are some things to know about genetically modified mosquitoes.

HOW ARE THEY MODIFIED?

Oxitec modifies Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with synthetic DNA to produce offspring that wont survive outside a lab. Modified females are manually separated in the lab from the modified males, which do not bite and are released to mate with wild female mosquitoes.

DOES IT WORK?

Oxitec says it has completed successful tests in Panama and the Cayman Islands, along with a test as part of a dengue-fighting program in Piracicaba, Brazil. The citys health department has confirmed Oxitecs results: a reduction in the wild Aedes larvae population in the targeted neighborhood by over 80 percent.

Some experts have questioned whether the use of genetically modified mosquitoes is feasible on a countrywide scale or is efficient for controlling mosquito populations and the spread of diseases over the long term.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the March congressional hearing that researchers would have to show that a reduction in the mosquito population led to a decline in disease. Scalability is really going to be a problem, he said. You dont want to scale up unless you know it works.

Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Thursday that tests of the genetically modified mosquitoes have only been done in small areas involving the release of tens of millions of mosquitoes. So while theyre promising technologies that we absolutely need to pursue, I think we also have to be realistic about what the impact in this mosquito season is likely to be, he said.

World Health Organizations Marie-Paule Kieny has called for extreme rigor in evaluating the effectiveness of modified mosquitoes.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS?

Oxitec says it has received no reports of adverse impacts from its modified mosquitoes.

Anti-GMO activists say they want more proof that stray female modified mosquitoes that leave Oxitec labs arent spreading genetic material through bites or that there are no other environmental risks, such as opening areas to infestation by another disease-carrying mosquito species. Outside researchers say Oxitecs method is safe and worth exploring as a weapon against a hard-to-eliminate mosquito, but some also say public perceptions about GMOs pose a significant challenge for Oxitec, which was bought last year by the biotechnology company Intrexon.

In a preliminary finding, the FDAs Center for Veterinary Medicine said Friday that the release of genetically modified mosquitoes as part of a field trial in the Florida Keys would not be harmful to people or the environment.

Based on the data and information submitted in the draft (environmental assessment), other submissions from the sponsor, and scientific literature, FDA found that the probability of adverse impacts on human or other animal health is negligible or low, the finding said.

PUBLIC OUTREACH

Before the trial started in Brazil last April, Oxitec spent months on public outreach, including a radio jingle explaining how the technology worked and fliers about the friendly mosquito. Oxitec also invited residents to place their bare arms in bug dorms containing hundreds of its modified mosquitoes, to demonstrate that the insects would not bite.

About 35 million modified mosquitoes have been released in the middle-income residential neighborhood of Eldorado, flying from vans equipped with bladeless fans to blow insects out their windows

Piracicabas mayor and health secretary say they hope to continue and expand the trial because traditional eradication methods hadnt been effective. We were aware of its application in agriculture, and we have no doubts that it would be an important alternative to tackle what has become a daily headline story in the media, Mayor Gabriel Ferrato said when the trial results were announced in January.

THE FLORIDA PROPOSAL

The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District wants Oxitec to test its modified mosquitoes in a neighborhood of 444 homes clustered on a relatively isolated peninsula north of Key West. With or without the test, the district is looking for additional options to kill Aedes aegypti, which it considers a significant and expensive threat in the tourism-dependent island chain. In a statement Friday, executive director Michael Doyle said the district is looking at several different eradication technologies, but those other methods take years to develop, and Oxitec is furthest along.

A residents group called the Florida Keys Environmental Coalition wants the district to instead try infecting mosquitoes with a bacteria that curbs their ability to transmit disease, arguing that Oxitecs proposal is mostly marketing hype and wont be subject to adequate federal oversight.

WHEN WILL THEY BE RELEASED IN FLORIDA?

Not anytime soon. The FDA still needs to review public comments on Oxitecs proposal and may require more documentation from the company before deciding whether to approve the trial  and there is no deadline for this process. The draft environmental assessment will be available for public comment for 30 days, beginning Monday.

We need to give the public an opportunity to comment on the environmental assessment, given the significant attention that this novel technology has generated, especially in the communities for the proposed sites, Borio said.

HAVE GENETICALLY MODIFIED INSECTS EVER BEEN RELEASED IN THE U.S.?

Yes. Oxitec has released genetically modified pink bollworms in field tests aimed at reducing the population of the cotton pest in Arizona. Last summer, the company received approval for field cage trials in upstate New York for genetically modified diamondback moths, another agricultural pest, and Oxitec plans to continue further field trials in conjunction with Cornell University this summer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has overseen both projects.



Associated Press writer Bruce Douglas in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report.
The Texas Rangers are investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred about 5 p.m. Thursday in Odessa, according to a press release from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Odessa Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service were called to the 1200 block of Douglas Avenue, where Odessan Jason Meador, 50, was threatening to harm himself, according to the release. When Meador brandished a handgun in the direction of police, he was shot by law enforcement officers, according to the release.
President Barack Obama welcomed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to the White House on Thursday for a state visit as the two leaders sought to join forces to combat climate change.

Trudeau and Obama have both described the warming planet as among the world's most pressing challenges. On Thursday the United States and Canada issued a joint statement agreeing to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas by as much as 45 percent from 2012 levels by 2025. As part of that effort, the U.S. is beginning regulatory efforts to limit emissions at existing oil and gas infrastructure for the first time.

The announcement underscores that the outgoing president and the incoming prime minister are ideologically aligned and eager to address areas of mutual interest.

"We have a common outlook on the world," Obama said Thursday in welcoming Trudeau during a sun-drenched ceremony on the South Lawn. "We are steadfast allies and the closest of friends."

Obama, 54, sees himself in the younger Trudeau, 44, whose ascent in Canadian politics was built on pledges of hope and change and an inclusive vision of his country, and whose children are roughly the same age as Obama's when he was elected in 2008. Obama noted the leaders' shared commitment to universal health care, gay rights, and support for immigrants and refugees.

"It's wonderful to see our American friends and partners share and are working on the exact same priorities," Trudeau said at the White House.

Following the welcome ceremony, Trudeau and Obama headed to the Oval Office for a private meeting where they were also expected to discuss more prickly issues, including security-induced traffic jams at the U.S.-Canadian border and Canada's halting participation in the bombing campaign against Islamic State.

Later in the morning, the two leaders planned to hold a joint news conference at the White House. And in the evening, Trudeau will be treated to a state dinner, including a main course of herb-crusted Colorado lamb splashed with Canadian whiskey. It will be the first state dinner for a Canadian prime minister since 1997.

The centerpiece of the leaders' policy discussions will be the new regulations to limit methane emissions. Methane is 84 times as potent as carbon dioxide in warming the atmosphere over 20 years, and the oil and gas sector accounts for about a third of U.S. emissions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Next month, that agency will begin a formal process to compel energy companies to provide information about the methane emissions produced through oil and gas activities, including production, transmission, processing and storage.

The EPA is already finishing a rule that would require oil and gas companies to upgrade equipment and search out methane leaks at new and modified wells. Thursday's announcement that the federal government will also clamp down on leaks at existing equipment may assuage concerns from environmentalists who say cutting leaks at new wells isn't enough to meet Obama's carbon-cutting pledges.

According to the statement, the EPA "will move as expeditiously as possible to complete this process."

If the EPA is unable to complete work on its methane regulation before the end of the Obama presidency, a Republican successor likely would withdraw the rule. Oil and gas companies, whose profits are suffering because of a drop in prices, probably will seek to derail the plan.

The government in Canada's Alberta province is considering stricter methane rules for new equipment, though they likely won't be as prescriptive as U.S. regulations, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Bernard Chen. Environmental regulators in Canada intend to publish an initial phase of proposed methane regulations by early 2017, according to the joint statement.

Obama and Trudeau also are promising to collaborate in managing the Arctic, including taking unspecified "concrete steps" to protect at least 17 percent of the region's land and 10 percent of its water.

From shipping to oil development, commercial activities in the region should only occur when the highest environmental standards are met, the countries said. According to the joint statement, the U.S. and Canada will work to develop a shared, science-based standard for considering the broad environmental impacts of commercial activities in the region  reviews that could incorporate climate change considerations.

Trudeau is bringing with him to Washington his fisheries minister, Hunter Tootoo, an aboriginal Canadian who represents the district of Nunavut, a thinly populated and developed northern territory.

"As an Inuk, I'm keenly aware of the issues in the North," Tootoo said in an interview. "We're on the front lines of climate change and we're feeling the impacts of it already."

The two leaders also professed their support for halting routine flaring at oil and gas sites by 2030, committed to collaborate on boosting the fuel efficiency of post-2018 model year heavy-duty vehicles and said they would work together to integrate U.S. and Canadian electric grids, allowing more renewable power to be brought online and shared across the border.

Canada's contributions to the fight against Islamic State have caused some heartburn for the Obama administration. Trudeau withdrew Canada's six fighter jets from the coalition bombing the terrorist group in February, while increasing the number of Canadian troops helping to train Iraqi forces fighting the militants.

Trade is another difficult issue for Obama and Trudeau. The Canadian leader remains noncommittal on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free-trade deal between the U.S. and 11 other Asia-Pacific countries, including Canada, that Obama views as a cornerstone of his legacy.

The pact was hammered out in the middle of Canada's election campaign. Under Trudeau, Canada hopes to enact its own free trade agreement with Europe after revising it to avoid fears that corporations would be gain too much power, a concern that has stalled trade negotiations between the U.S. and the European Union.

The two sides also need to decide whether they want to renew an agreement on Canadian softwood lumber imports that expired in October. U.S. industry groups say that the country unfairly subsidizes its lumber production.

White House officials want Canada to drop a World Trade Organization case challenging a U.S. labeling law requiring retailers to note an animal's country of origin on red meat packaging. That law was repealed last month after repeated WTO rulings against the U.S.

The two countries appear to be nearing an agreement to share more records on border crossings between law enforcement agencies and cut restrictions on shippers. The latter would probably require legislation in both countries, the White House said.

There may be incentive to resolve border issues now, before the November U.S. presidential election. Republican front-runner Donald Trump has made a central issue of tightening U.S. immigration policies and border security. Trudeau's aides privately acknowledge they worry about advancing their agenda if a Republican takes the Oval Office. Trudeau, however, has said he could work with Trump.

"One of the things I demonstrated through my approach to politics is I work across all party lines. I don't pick and choose on ideologies," Trudeau said of Trump. "I think I made very, very clear during our own election campaign here what my take was on certain issues that have come up in the U.S. context, but I don't need to re-litigate any of that. Canadians spoke clearly and I look forward to seeing what Americans decide in November."

***

The following is a press release from the House Energy and Commerce Committee about proposed methane regulations:

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), and Environment and the Economy Subcommittee Chairman John Shimkus (R-Ill.) issued the following statement in response to the administration's plan to have the Environmental Protection Agency regulate methane emissions from existing oil and natural gas sources.

"We should be celebrating American-made energy, not regulating it into oblivion. We are a nation blessed with abundant and affordable energy, and through American ingenuity, we've been able to create more efficient ways to extract oil and natural gas, increase safety, and modernize our energy infrastructure for the 21st century. That's good news," said Upton, Whitfield, and Shimkus. "But this fanatical pursuit of regulations will have real costs to innovation, job growth, and affordable energy. It is not fair for America's working families to be collateral damage in the administration's effort to meet commitments for a Paris climate deal that is not legally binding."
Zac Efron is currently busy on the Baywatch set with Dwayne Johnson but that didn't stop fans from watching him flex those muscles for the show, just like one fan who accidentally broke his phone when he followed Efron's car.

While filming for the Baywatch reboot in Miami, fan Ahmed Ture was chasing Efron to get a Snapchat video with the 28-year-old actor but his iPhone fell and shattered, Today reported.

"I ran after his car with no care in the world, did not care [whether] the police stop me or not, my phone fell on the ground and shattered [completely]," wrote Ture on his Instagram with the handle is @dopekid_23. "Zac said, 'Dude did [your] phone just break?'"

Upon learning about Ture's broken phone, Efron offered to buy him a new one knowing that his iPhone dropped while chasing him on his car just to get a video for social media.

"He allowed me to take a video with him," Ture added. "He allowed me to come on set to meet him properly. And also bought me a brand new phone. Which was $949.99 retail."

Not only Ture was thrilled about the encounter but even the High School Musical star was also stoked as he posted a photo of himself and his fan on Instagram, ET Online reported.

"This is what I love about my fans -- when they get excited, but @dopekid_23 actually smashed his phone while chasing me for a snapchat -- that's dedication so I'ma hook you up with a new phone my brother!" Efron wrote on Instagram. "To all my fans out there holdin it down -- love and respect. And be careful with your phones."

Ture then shared to Instagram that Efron kept his promise and indeed bought him a new phone.

"What a f**king honor bro, you stuck to you're words and got me a brand new phone," he wrote. "@zacefron you truly are inspiring to ur fans. Very appreciative indeed thank you man."

Aside from a new phone, Ture was able to get a video with Efron and even a photo with Efron's co-star in Baywatch, Johnson.

 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
50 Cent was forced to answer lingering questions regarding his financial state during a bankruptcy hearing on Wednesday (March 9) in Hartford, Connecticut. After certain Instagram posts began to draw suspicion, the rapper reached an agreement deal in the case and admitted the money he used on social media was actually fake.

50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, reached a settlement with the creditors who look after more than 95 percent of his debts. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Ann Nevins called the rapper to court to voice his opinion on a variety of photos that show him leisurely playing with large amounts of money, one of which showed him sitting next to bundles of cash organized to spell the word "broke."

A photo posted by 50 Cent (@50cent) on Oct 14, 2015 at 3:17am PDT

His lawyers held a meeting with the creditors' lawyers to assure them the piles of cash seen in the photos were not real, according to a recent Hartford Courant report. In an affidavit filed earlier, the 40-year-old New York native revealed the money was a prop used to promote different business ventures he's involved in.

The agreement, if approved by Judge Nevins, would allow all creditors to be payed in full, while the unsecured creditors would be paid between 74 and 92 percent of the debt their owed over the past five years. The amount of repayment revolves around how fast 50 Cent can pay them.

Last July, many fans were shocked when he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This came about after his ex, Lastonia Leviston, won a $7 million lawsuit against him for posting a sex tape of her to his website. Leviston has since agreed to a $6 million settlement listed in his bankruptcy plan. 50 Cent claims to have accumulated $19.86 million in assets and liabilities of $36.09 million.

A photo posted by 50 Cent (@50cent) on Mar 9, 2016 at 2:38pm PST

Shortly after leaving the hearing, 50 Cent retreated back to his personal Instagram account to let his followers know how he was feeling after the hearing. He even made a joke, by posting a pair of dirty sneakers in hopes of seeking the approval of the bankruptcy court.

"For some reason people love me," 50 Cent wrote on his Instagram caption. "I went to court today and all I felt was love. They asked me about money I said I ain't got none, but if you want some m&m's here ya go."

 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
On Wednesday (March 9) night, Mac Miller stopped by Comedy Central's The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore with a mouthful to say about 2016 presidential candidate, Donald Trump. The rapper took his beef with the controversial business man to the next level by explaining why people should not vote for him, referring to him as a "racist" along the way.

There wasn't always bad blood between the 24-year-old Pittsburgh native and 69-year-old controversial father of five. In 2011, Miller released a single titled "Donald Trump" from his fifth official mixtape Best Day Ever. Miller praised the business magnate for the money he's accumulated over the years and expressed his ambition to become wealthy and successful.

The music video reached over 20 million views on YouTube. The track made its way on to the Billboard Hot 100 chart and in March 2013 it was certified platinum by the RIAA. The real Trump initially took a liking to the song, but threatened to sue Miller for royalties after the song reached its platinum status. From then on, Miller has spoken openly about his dislike for Trump.

A photo posted by Mac Miller (@larryfisherman) on Mar 9, 2016 at 5:26pm PST

"You say you want to make America great again, but we all know what that means," Miller said on the late night talk show. "Ban Muslims, Mexicans are rapists, Black lives don't matter. Make America great again? I think you want to make America white again, you racist son of a b****."

Miller told his fans on Twitter not to vote for Trump. During the show's segment, he went on to admit that he doesn't know if Trump is really evil. However, he does believe Trump will do anything and everything he can to make more money and stay in the spotlight.

"If we're stupid enough to elect you... I'm staying right here," Miller added. "Imma be here every day telling the world how much of a clown you are and how we as a nation are better than you will ever be as a racist f*ckwad of a human. Because I love America and I'm never giving it up to a troll like you."

The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore airs Monday to Thursday at 11:30 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.

 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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Calaveras County Planning Commissioner Kelly Wooster View Photos

San Andreas, CA  Splashed across Northern California tv media outlets, a recent comment widely perceived as a slam against Mexicans was retracted Thursday by the local official who made it.

Today, at the Calaveras County Planning Commission meeting, District 4 Planning Commissioner Kelly Wooster attempted to qualify his reasons for uttering at the March 3 meeting what some thought was an insensitive crack. At the time, the commission, poring over general plan elements, discussed streamlining the phrase invasive plant and animal species to read invasive species. About 1:03: 40 into the meeting footage (recorded by the Community Action Project & Calaveras Planning Coalition here) Wooster intimated that shortening the phrase would cover everything, including people from Mexico.

Two days ago, a change.org petition to the Calaveras County Supervisors initiated by San Andreas resident Michael Magana (here) requesting they remove Wooster from the commission showed over 290 supporters as he was making his public amends. (As of Friday morning, at 10:30 the number read 522.)

At Thursdays meeting, right after the Pledge of Allegiance, Wooster was given the floor. Attempting to explain himself, he stated that his comment reflected negative experiences with Mexican cartel marijuana growers on his ranch  an invasive species who were here illegally  and that he did not mean to slur decent, talented and hardworking people of Mexican heritage. Then came his apology: My remark was a very unfortunate choice of words  it never should have happened. So to those that I have offended and hurt, I do apologize.

Nearly a dozen people rose to make public comments over the next 20 minutes, many which urged public officials to do better, although a few maintained Wooster was merely being politically incorrect.

Board Chair Fawn McLaughlin went on record to take issue with Woosters racial comment and agreed with some of the speakers that the board missed an opportunity by not addressing it as it was first uttered. She further stated, Racism and prejudice, even though that is not what [Woosters] intent was  just to be clear  has no home here in these chambers and will not be tolerated. Should this situation arise againplease be assured that I will speak out in a more timely manner.

Calaveras County government spokesperson Sharon Torrence subsequently released footage of todays meeting, including Woosters apology and the public comments, which can be viewed by clicking here.
Congressman Tom McClintock View Photos

Congressman Tom McClintock took to the U.S. House floor to argue against new federal gun restrictions.

McClintock was Fridays KVML Newsmaker of the Day.

The Republican represents the Mother Lode region. In his speech this morning, he stated, Ever since the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, leftist politicians have called for more restrictions on gun ownership for Americans. These are the same politicians who have worked for years to open our nation to unprecedented and indiscriminate immigration from hotbeds of Islamic extremism.

McClintock later went on to say, The most effective defense against an armed terrorist is an armed American. If one person in that room in San Bernardino had been able to return fire, many innocent lives could have been saved.

President Barack Obama has recently called for an increase in gun control measures. Earlier this week the President called for making it more difficult to purchase assault weapons after the terrorist attack in San Bernardino.

You can watch McClintocks entire speech in the video box in the upper left hand corner. It is also transcribed below:

Mr. Speaker: Ever since the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, leftist politicians have called for more restrictions on gun ownership for Americans. These are the same politicians who have worked for years to open our nation to unprecedented and indiscriminate immigration from hotbeds of Islamic extremism.

The most effective defense against an armed terrorist is an armed American. If one person in that room in San Bernardino had been able to return fire, many innocent lives could have been saved. But Californians are subject to the most restrictive gun laws in the country, making it very difficult for law abiding citizens to exercise their second amendment right to defend themselves. And in a society denied its right of self-defense, the gunman is king.

I repeat: The most effective defense against an armed terrorist is an armed American. Yet the President and his followers act to increase the number of terrorists entering through porous borders and lax immigration laws, while at the same time acting to decrease the number of armed Americans.

Their latest ploy was announced by the President on Sunday and has been parroted by his Congressional allies this week to the point of disrupting the work of the House. In the Presidents words, Congress should act to make sure no one on a no-fly list is able to buy a gun. He asked, what could possibly be the argument against that?

While serving in the California State Senate a decade ago, I discovered that suddenly I couldnt check in for a flight. When I asked why, I was told I was on this government list. The experience was Kafkaesque. My first reaction was to ask, Why am I on that list? We cant tell you that. What are the criteria you use? I asked. Thats classified. I said, How can I get off this list? The answer was, You cant. I soon discovered another California State Senator had been placed on that list. A few months later, U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy found himself on that list.

I, at least, had the office of the Senate Sergeant at Arms to work through  something an ordinary American would not. Even so, it took months working through that office and repeated petitions to the government to get my name removed from that list. The farce of it all was that I was advised in the meantime just to fly under my middle name, which I did without incident.

In my case, it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity with an IRA activist the British government was mad at.

This could happen to any American. And the fine point of it is this. During this administration, the IRS has been used extensively to harass and intimidate ordinary Americans for exercising their first amendment rights. What the President proposes is that on the whim of a federal bureaucrat, Americans can be denied their second amendment rights as well, with no opportunity to confront their accuser, contest the evidence, or avail themselves of any of their other due process rights under the Constitution.

The concept that the Left is seeking to instill in our law is that mere suspicion by a bureaucrat is sufficient to deny law-abiding American citizens their Constitutional rights. And given the Lefts demonstrated hostility to freedom of speech and due process of law, its not hard to see where this is leading us.

I would support the Presidents proposal IF it established a judicial process where an individual could only be placed on such a list once he was accorded all of his constitutional rights to be informed of the charges, given his day in court, accorded the right to confront his accuser and contest the evidence against him and submit himself to a decision by a jury of his peers. But that is the farthest thing from the Lefts agenda.

The Presidents proposal would have done nothing to stop the carnage in San Bernardino, where the terrorists were not on any watch list. Indeed, one was admitted from Saudi Arabia after vetting that the President has assured us is rigorous and thorough. And several of the guns used in this massacre werent even acquired directly, but rather through a third party.

Of course the American people dont want terrorists to have guns! They dont want terrorists in our country at all! But the Presidents policies have left our nations gates wide open  while he seeks to take from Americans their means of self-defense.

So I leave off as I began: the best defense against an armed terrorist is an armed American. Thats what the second amendment is all about. It is an absolutely essential pillar of our security.

Our best defense of all is the Constitution itself, and it, in turn, must be defended against all enemies  foreign and domestic.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 AM.
Retired neurosurgeon and onetime Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson has endorsed Donald Trump, a rival who once mocked him.



Speaking from Palm Beach Friday morning, Carson said he and Trump actually are more in line on several issues politically and spiritually.



The two appeared together and each spoke during the news conference, a day after Trump participated in a GOP debate in Miami.



The electoral process can be a daunting one. But don't worry  our Florida Decides Voting Guide is your easy-to-digest handbook to the what, when, where, why and how of voting.

Trump and Carson met in south Florida on Thursday and discussed the retired surgeon becoming involved with Trump.



Florida, a main prize in the 2016 nominations race, votes Tuesday, and Trump is ahead there in polling. He is seeking to best Senator Marco Rubio, who sees his home state as a do-or-die contest.



The religiously conservative Carsons outsider campaign soared last year but ultimately lost steam as Carson stumbled over questions about the veracity of aspects of his compelling life story.



Trump also mercilessly taunted and mocked Carson on the campaign trail, particularly over Carsons claim that he once tried to stab a fellow student but that the boys belt buckle prevented the knife from breaking the skin.



But Trump later sided with Carson over a dispute in Iowa, when Senator Ted Cruzs campaign wrongly told voters that Carson had dropped out of the race before the states February 1 caucuses.



Carson said he believed the billionaire real estate mogul will be able to put aside his caustic, controversial rhetoric that has become a hallmark of his public appearances.



There are two Donald Trumps. Theres the Donald Trump that you see on television and who gets out in front of big audiences, and theres the Donald Trump behind the scenes, Carson said.



Theyre not the same person. Ones very much an entertainer, and one is actually a thinking individual.

Dr. Ben Carson's full statement on Facebook:

Our country is at a crossroads and in the midst of a moral crisis. We must be careful not to continue our current path, which is littered with uncertainty at best and ruination at worst. We can make changes to our system and that change starts now with, We the People.

We can have disagreements, but it is critical that we not allow those disagreements to divide us as a party or as a country.

It is with that in mind that I endorse Donald Trump for President. I have known Donald for many years. He is a successful businessman who has built a recognizable global brand that no one can question. His experience as a businessman is exactly what we need to move our economic engine in the right direction and empower those who have been left out of the American dream for far too long.

With our support, I am sure that we can help restore America's values and faith.

I know there will be some who want to underscore our differences and others will wish to return to statements he has made about me in the past, but that is politics. As a man of faith, all is forgiven and we have moved beyond the past, as the future is now.

Join me in supporting and rallying around the only candidate the GOP has that can defeat Hillary Clinton in 2016 and return America to that shining city on a hill.
A double lung transplant patient in Central Florida is getting a second chance at life.

Debra Morgan and her doctors are celebrating each new breath she can take with her new lungs.

Morgan suffered from pulmonary fibrosis and was dependent on an oxygen tank. She underwent a double lung transplant at Florida Hospital on Jan. 30.

On Friday, she was cleared to go home with her family. She said she will be forever grateful to the organ donor.

I want to thank them so much and to let them know Im going to do really good with this," Morgan said. "Me and my lungs have a greater calling. We dont know what it is yet. We want to do some good.

One thing she can check off her bucket list: dancing the "Nae Nae."

She said she can now enjoy her grandchildren without fear of running out of breath. She said she wouldnt be here without her medical team and their dance moves.


Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz took aim at the front-runners of major parties at an Orlando rally Friday morning, just days ahead of Florida presidential primary.

With former GOP candidate Carly Fiorina at his side, Cruz told the thousands in attendance at Faith Assembly of God Church on Curry Ford Road how he would make the most difference in the White House.

"We need a president who knows what he's doing," Senator Cruz told a packed audience at Faith Assembly church.

For an hour, Cruz talked to Sean Hannity about how he is the only viable candidate for the presidency, painting not only Hillary Clinton  but also Donald Trump  as establishment candidates.

"Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are the flip side of the same coin. They are Washington. They are power. They are big business. They are corruption," Cruz said.

Cruz's attack on Trump may have been strategic. As it stands, our exclusive poll shows Cruz in third place behind Trump and Rubio among likely primary voters.

Although it's unclear what role Fiorina will play in the near future, she did pledge her support.

"Ted Cruz has substance and solutions from which he has never strayed," Fiorina said.

Despite the exclusive poll numbers, thousands of Cruz fans waited for hours in the sun to hear him speak.

Barabara Nelen, who was first in line, said that if anything, the polls have just encouraged her to support Cruz that much more.

"Miracles happen, you know, stuff turns around," Nelen said. "It would be wonderful if Cruz could win Florida, because he's only a few delegates behind Trump right now, and that would bring him right up."

Others such as the Hendry family came out to see Cruz, because they are undecided.

"The one thing we are hoping to take away from this is just what Ted Cruz stands for," Sam Hendry said.

Those were the kinds of voters Cruz was hoping to reach with the rally, voters who Cruz says need someone like him, a candidate looking out for the "little guy."

"The problem is we have too much government. My belief is that we need less government, more freedom, less bureaucrats, more opportunities for you, and that's what I'll do as president."
DALHART -- Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) Special Rangers Harold Dempsey and Dean Bohannon arrested a Guymon, Okla., man on Friday after catching the suspect in the act of stealing cattle from a Dalhart livestock auction. Dempsey led the investigation and Bohannon assisted.

Dempsey said he was contacted by TSCRA Market Inspector Anita Prizilas concerning the suspected theft of two head of cattle from the Cattlemens Livestock Commission in Dalhart. Prizilas told Dempsey the owner of the sale barn had been coming up short on head counts.

The investigation revealed the suspect, Dannie Talcott, 63, of Guymon, had been purchasing cattle over the Internet from Cattlemens Livestock Commission and shipping them to Preferred Beef, a packing plant in Booker. When Talcott would go pick up the cattle he bought from the Dalhart based livestock auction, he would load more cattle than he paid for.

Dempsey and Bohannon caught the suspect stealing the cattle by setting up surveillance on March 3 around 11 p.m. at the sale barn. Around 5 a.m. the following morning, the special rangers watched Talcott load the cattle he bought, plus a couple of extra cattle he didnt pay for. Dempsey and Bohannon stopped Talcott and arrested him.

Talcott was transported to the Dallam-Hartley County Jail where he admitted to stealing the cattle. He also confessed to committing the same crime on four different occasions. Talcott was charged with theft of livestock and the other four cases will be presented to the Dallam-Hartley County District Attorney.

Through the teamwork of the sale barn owners, local law enforcement officials, TSCRA market inspectors and special rangers, we were able to catch this suspect in the act of stealing cattle, said Dempsey. I encourage anyone with cattle to keep a close watch over their herds and report any suspicious activity to local law enforcement as soon as possible.

TSCRA would like to thank Hartley County Sheriff Franky Scott and Chief Deputy Tim Bell for their assistance in this case.

TSCRA has 30 special rangers stationed strategically throughout Texas and Oklahoma who have in-depth knowledge of the cattle industry and are trained in all facets of law enforcement. All are commissioned as Special Rangers by the Texas Department of Public Safety and/or the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
Plainview Rotary Club

The Plainview Rotary Club met Tuesday at the Plainview Country Club.

President Stan DeMerritt called the meeting to order. David Hodge called the meeting to order and Ross Owen led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Guests were Plainview City Manager, Jeffrey Snyder; Jayci Wirth, March Student of the Month; and Kako Sague, Rotary Foreign Exchange Student Andrew Freeman introduced the day's speaker, Capt. Derrick McPherson.

Capt. McPherson explained the new Plainview Alerts System. It is new and powered by Everbridge. It has more options. It can alert citizens with weather alerts, city road closures, notices of emergency situations and community events.

It is free of charge. Citizens may sign up www.plainviewalerts.com. For help citizens may contact McPherson at 806-296-1185 or dmcpherson@plainviewtx.org.

Ross Owen led the Four-Way-Test and Stan DeMerritt dismissed the group.

--Cynthia Gregory

Plainview Lions Club

A pride of this city assembled Wednesday at the civic center for fodder, fun and fellowship, with Lion Boss Greg Brown, Queen Madi Rossi and Princess Colti Wright manning the head table. Angie Nelms led both pledges, Larry McNutt led a cappella singing and Fred Meeks gave the invocation. Pontiff of the cloth Rey Rodriquez read from his little black magic box, selected words of encouragement. A guest of Shala Whalen was her daughter McKinnley.

Our ever popular weekly raffle raised $84 for FISH with every ticket a winner. Tailtwister Donnie Ebeling declared all participants would be rewarded with a giant chocolate bar in return of their moderate $1 penance.

Misty Rowell introduced our program, Kim Harper of Love In Action, an organization that gives time and resources to help needy individuals with housing, repairs and other issues in our community.

Its coming. The annual Silent Auction plans are being formulated at this time. The event will begin on April 11 and run until April 25. Finalization activity will continue by all members of the club with announcement of the event in plenty of time for every resident of this area will have their opportunity to participate in the fun.

We serve - Ron White

Plainview Kiwanis Club

Eleven members of the Plainview Kiwanis Club and one guest met at noon Thursday at Plainview Country Club. Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Jonathan Petty offered a prayer.

President Kevin Lewis reminded board members of their noon meeting on Wednesday, March 23, at Carlitos.

March program chairman Janis Roberson introduced Susan Hurt, who serves as Plainview site coordinator for SnackPak4Kids. Susan gave an update on this program which the club is proud to help sponsor. - Kevin Lewis

Daughters of American Revolution

The Mary McCoy Baines Chapter of the DAR met March 9 at the West Texas Woodfire Grill. Following the opening prayer by Chaplain Floy Smith, the members enjoyed a seated luncheon.

Wayne Buxton, Texas Rangers, Company C, gave the program on History of the Texas Rangers. In his PowerPoint presentation Braxton traced the history of the Rangers from its founding by Stephen F. Austin in 1823 through the present. Braxton emphasized that the Rangers are the best part of the Texas legend and through the years have solved crimes involving cattle rustling, border raids, range wars, the Mexican Revolution and criminal gangs.

Regent Pam Green called the business meeting to order and led the opening ritual. National Defense Chairman Shirley Scott reported on the naval ceremony followed by ships as they pass Washingtons tomb at Mt. Vernon. Linda Reed, commemorative chairman, said plans for the Vietnam memorial are on track to be finished by March 29. Acting in the absence of the registrar, Shirley Scott reported that the application of Constance Westfall had been approved on March 5.

In other business a new slate of officers was selected: Shirley Scott, regent; Kim Horne, vice-regent; Corky Terrell, treasurer/registrar; Linda Reed, secretary; and Carolyn Courtney, librarian/historian. Regent Green appointed a committee composed of Carolyn Courtney, chairman; Kim Horne and Corky Terrell to organize the upcoming genealogical workshop. An audit committee was selected to verify finances at the end of the club year. The next meeting of the chapter will be April 12. -- Carolyn Courtney
The U.S. Economic Development Administration has awarded $1 million to the City of Plainview and Hale County to make water infrastructure improvements to the new regional business park adjacent to the former Jimmy Dean Meat Co. facility.

The grant was announced Thursday morning in Washington, D.C. by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and in Plainview by U.S. EDA Regional Director Jorge Ayala.

The Obama Administration is committed to ensuring that our communities and regions have the critical infrastructure they need to support business and jobs, said Secretary Pritzker in Washington. This EDA investment will allow for the expansion of Plainviews business park, which will diversity the local economy by providing resources that support small business development in the region.

EDA is pleased to be able to invest again in the Plainview communitys continuing plans to expand economic opportunity in the area, Ayala said to local officials and business leaders in Waylands McClung Center. The city, county, business sector and higher education have demonstrated an impressive collaboration in responding to the loos of a major employer. The resiliency and dedication of this community is a tribute to the local leadership which continues to move this community forward. This business park will contribute to Plainviews continued progress in establishing itself as a great place to live and do business in the South Plains.

The city and Hale County hope to break ground this summer on the business park, west of the former Jimmy Dean Meat Co. plant on I-27, and north of Texas Highway 194 (Dimmitt Highway). The project to develop the business park infrastructure is expected to take about nine months to complete, according to Assistant City Manager Andrew Freeman.

Pritzker said EDAs investment will support the engineering and construction of water and wastewater lines to serve the community-owned business park that will eventually build out to approximately 100 acres. The business park represents a major investment by both the City of Plainview and Hale County to continue their joint efforts to diversify the local economy. The project represents a continuation of a regional effort to diversify the local economy.

The City of Plainview is excited to be partnering with Hale County, Plainview/Hale County EDC and the EDA to construct the new business park, commented Plainview Mayor Wendell Dunlap. This business park has been an idea for a long time, and now all the pieces of the puzzle have come together to make it happen. It truly takes a group effort in a community our size to take on this project, and we cant thank our partners enough for their support.

The business park will feature roads, water lines and sewer lines in order to create tracts of land that are considered shovel ready so that any major employers interested in building can start construction right away with limited lead time required. The City of Plainview and Hale County will be 50/50 partners when it comes to construction and on-going maintenance expenses for the park. A joint board will also be appointed to provide direction and guidance on the layout, construction and future needs.

Hale County is pleased to be partnering with the City of Plainview on this project, which will be a major recruitment tool for our area, said Hale County Judge Bill Coleman. This joint business park shows how strongly we support the cities in our county, and we will look forward to seeing which businesses our Plainview/Hale County EDC is able to recruit to town in the near future. Its great to be able to pool resources with the U.S. EDA, city and county in order to build a long-lasting investment for our region.

City Manager Jeffrey Snyder believes the business park will be a game changer for the City of Plainview and Hale County, giving the community shovel ready land that has been missing when trying to recruit major employers to the area. We always hear that having a business park is something every major employer relocating will look for when considering your city. Snyder says. We are very thankful for the U.S. Economic Development Administrations financial commitment to our community to help make this project a reality. We had a great team work on this application between the city, county, South Plains Association of Governments, and the Plainview/Hale County EDC. This strong partnership will help ensure that our business park is a success.

Joining city, county and Plainview/Hale County EDC representatives in Plainview for Thursdays grant announcement were Brent Oden and Jaci Glover, regional and deputy regional directors for U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, Jay Ibarra and Mary Whistler representing U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer, South Plains Association of Governments officials, Plainview Chamber of Commerce and Plainview ISD leaders, South Plains College-Plainview officials, and High Ground of Texas Executive Director Kevin Carter.

Ayala said the U.S. EDA grants are highly competitive. Not everyone responds to such devastating events as the closure of the communitys largest employer as you did, such as collaborating and working together. He said that strong unity is one of the deciding factors in the grant selection process.

The entire community came together, realizing how much stronger you can be when working together than staying apart. We are here to help communities respond when facing these issues and work to help create jobs for you. It was obvious that you would move forward with this industrial park project, with or without our assistance, which is a strong indication of its future success.

Under the Economic Development Assistance Project program, the EDA solicits applications from applicants in rural and urban areas to provide investments that support construction, non-construction, technical assistance, and revolving loan fund projects under EDAs Public Works and EAA programs. Grants and cooperative agreements made under these programs are designed to leverage existing regional assets and support the implementation of economic development strategies that advance new ideas and creative approaches to advance economic prosperity in distressed communities. EDA provides strategic investments on a competitive- merit-basis to support economic development, foster job creation, and attract private investment in economically distressed areas of the United States.
Jesus Carmona, an eight-year Army veteran, received a Thanks Vet & Welcome Home resource basket from Runningwater Draw RSVP Project Director Irma Shackelford.

On hand for the presentation Angie Nelms, Military Veterans Peer Network, Carmona, Shackelford and Karla Glowicki, Hale County Veterans Service Officer.

Through a joint venture with the Military Veterans Peer Network and Hale County Veterans Officer, this project is reaching out to assist military men and women to transition from military life to civilian life. RSVP continues to present welcome baskets to veterans as they return from the service and relocate in Floyd, Hale and Lamb counties.

Plainview businesses providing gift cards or certificates include Chilis, Cotton Patch, Grumpys Grill, Amigos United and West Texas Woodfire Grill.

Jesus Carmona served in the Army 11B Infantry for eight years. Carmona spent 26 months deployed in Iraq. He was stationed in Ft. Carson, Colorado.
NORTH HAVEN  A total of 38 Clintonville School students had their heads shaved for the schools first St. Baldricks event. The fundraiser brought in more than $9,000 for childhood cancer research.



The Clintonville gym was crowded with students, parents and others on Wednesday. The event also included face painting and a raffle.



JT Thomas, a 6-year-old first grader, was one of the first to have his head shaved.



He said, I want to shave my head for St. Baldricks, and he did it, said Monica Thomas, his mother.



Kathryn Raccio, owner of Terrace Hair Studio, was one of four hair stylists who participated. She carefully shaved JTs scalp, spending extra time on it because he had long hair.



This is the first time Ive participated in the event, Raccio said. I love children and want to help them as much as I can.



The first St. Baldricks event took place in New York City in 2000. The St. Baldricks Foundation has quickly grown into one of the worlds largest fundraising operations benefiting childhood cancer research. Since 2005, it has raised more than $100 million.



Since 2000, some 390,000 people have had their heads shaved at 9,000 events across the country.



The annual head-shavings take place around St. Patricks Day, with many of the organizers, including Carrie Gambardella, a fourth grade teacher at Clintonville, electing to wear bright green wigs.



We were hoping to raise $5,000 but we took in more than $9,000, she said. The kids took in donations to shave their heads and we sold green bracelets.



The St. Baldricks Foundation explains that there is no St. Baldrick, stating on its website that the name is a combination of the words bald and St. Patricks.



Heads are shaved because kids with cancer often lose their hair during treatment, and we stand proudly bald beside them, the foundation web site says.










Image source: Tesla.

What happened?

Earlier this week, the Virginia Automobile Dealers Association, or VADA, filed suit against electric-auto maker Tesla Motors and the state of Virginia, seeking to block Tesla from opening a second store in Virginia. VADA says that a 2013 agreement with Tesla precluded the company from opening more than one store. Tesla operates one store in Tysons Corner, a relatively affluent area of Northern Virginia.

Tesla has responded and says it will "vigorously defend" itself from the suit, saying it is "entirely without merit." Tesla's interpretation is that the 2013 agreement does not block it from opening additional dealerships.

Does it matter?

This is but the latest skirmish in Tesla's ongoing war against the dealer model. The company has long maintained that the dealer model would not be economically viable for Tesla, due to conflicts of interests that dealers have with selling gas-powered cars while relying heavily on profits from service. National and statewide dealer associations often attack Tesla for not allowing them to sell its vehicles, and aggressively attempt to block Tesla.

The news comes shortly after two bills were tabled in Indiana and Utah. The Indiana bill would have forced Tesla to either work with a franchised dealer or be pushed out of the state. Tesla is not currently able to sell directly in Utah, and believed that a recently proposed bill to allow it to included many provisions that were overall net negative.

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Copyright  1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
WASHINGTON  The Obama administration argued Thursday that no single corporation  even one as successful as Apple  should be allowed to flout the rule of law by refusing to cooperate with law enforcement officials.

In a filing in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, the Justice Department said Apple should be compelled to help the FBI break into the iPhone used by a gunman in the San Bernardino, California, mass shooting last year. The company should not be allowed to hide behind what prosecutors said were diversionary tactics in the court of public opinion, the Justice Department said.

Apple and its supporters try to alarm the court by invoking bigger debates over privacy and national security, the Justice Department said. Apple desperately wants  desperately needs  this case not to be about one isolated iPhone.

The governments filing was a point-by-point rebuttal of a motion that Apple filed two weeks ago opposing a federal court order requiring it to break into the iPhone used by Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the San Bernardino attackers. Apple had argued that the court order violated the companys First and Fifth Amendment rights, and said the governments request oversteps the All Writs Act.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

In the filing Thursday, prosecutors argued that they have sought a modest step in the case and that the courts, the executive branch and Congress share the power to decide how best to balance between public safety and privacy.

The fight between Apple and the government has been brewing since mid-February, when Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California ordered Apple to create and deploy an alternative operating system that would help law enforcement agents break into the iPhone in the San Bernardino case.

Apple publicly opposed the order, igniting a standoff with the FBI and the Justice Department. The fight has fueled a debate over privacy and civil liberties versus security. and has been a flash point in the growing tension between technology companies and the government over who can access private customer data and under what circumstances.

Law enforcement officials like James Comey, the FBI director, say that tools such as strong encryption technology hurt his organizations ability to capture criminals. Timothy D. Cook, Apples chief executive, has said that the governments request would harm civil liberties, society and national security. He said that he was prepared to take the fight to the Supreme Court.
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A Central Texas woman was arrested Wednesday for prostitution after allegedly offering to perform a sexual act on an undercover detective at a massage parlor, officials said Thursday.

RELATED: North Texas school police officer arrested on charges of sexual assault of child

Linan Wang, 59, has been charged with prostitution, a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Wang's arrest came after an investigation by the Hays County Narcotics Task Force

The Hays County Sheriff's Office received a tip that Chi Massage, a business just outside of San Marcos on 1904 Old Ranch Road 12, was advertising sexual services on social media, the office said in a news release Thursday.

RELATED: Police: North Texas man accused of drunken driving crashed into man in wheelchair

Officers found online reviews written by customers who described sexual acts allegedly performed on them at the parlor, according to the release.

The sheriff's office said it is undergoing a process to revoke the parlor's operating license after taking note of several code violations.

RELATED: Feds: Suspects in North Texas slaying of ex-Mexican drug cartel lawyer tied to 12 other killings

Wang was booked into Hays County Jail on Wednesday, according to online jail records.

The 59-year-old woman was released Thursday on a $2,000 bond.

jfechter@mySA.com

Twitter: @JFreports
SAN ANTONIO  A woman taken to University Hospital in critical condition Friday morning after an apparent murder suicide has died.

Officers were dispatched to the home in the 3600 block of Ivory Creek around 7:30 a.m. When they arrived they found 46-year-old David Ross and his wife 43-year-old Casey Ross shot inside of the home.
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Actress Kate del Castillo  who rocketed to international infamy after brokering a meeting between actor Sean Penn and Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman  says she didn't know that Penn planned to write about the meeting for an infamous piece in Rolling Stone magazine.

RELATED: The rising Mexican drug cartel figures that could replace Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman

Del Castillo believed that Penn was interested in developing a movie with her about Guzman's life, the actress told The New Yorker in an article published Friday.

Penn claims that he discussed his intention to have an interview with the Sinaloa drug cartel leader, then on the run from Mexican law enforcement after breaking out of prison in July 2015, during his first meeting with the actress.

According to The New Yorker, Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner had assigned Penn to write an article after he told Wenner he was visiting Guzman to discuss the potential film.

Del Castillo told the magazine that Penn's claim is "total and complete bullshit."

"This was not how I was expecting the night to be," del Castillo told the magazine. "But at the moment I thought, Maybe we can base the movie on this article."

RELATED: Feds: Suspects in North Texas slaying of ex-Mexican drug cartel lawyer tied to 12 other killings

The actress later sent Guzman an encrypted email with 22 questions from Penn, telling the drug lord, "After this article, we'll begin with this movie."

It wasn't until del Castillo and Penn met once more to go over the article's final draft that she realized Penn had no interest in joining the proposed film project.

Mexican authorities captured Guzman in January in the town of Los Mochis.

When authorities announced that they had opened up "a new line of investigation" concerning the Sinaloa cartel leader's communications with actresses and producers, del Castillo said "wanted to die."

RELATED: Why 'El Chapo's' beauty queen wife says she is 'afraid for his life'

Del Castillo still holds the rights to produce the movie about Guzman, and told The New Yorker that she plans to move ahead with the project.

jfechter@mySA.com

Twitter: @JFreports
Soon after The Prince of Tides became a blockbuster movie in 1991, People magazine put the films leading man, Nick Nolte, on its cover as the Sexiest Man Alive.

This couldnt possibly be true, I thought (and wrote) at the time. Nolte, who played protagonist Tom Wingo, was a good-looking actor who did well by his role. But what made him sexy was the character created by beloved author Pat Conroy, who died last week.

Conroy, I wrote, was the sexiest man alive.

It was Conroy, after all, who had crafted sentences so sensuously lush and true that they begged to be read aloud. He wrote that ... salmon dreamed of mountain passes and the brown faces of grizzlies hovering over clear rapids. Copperheads ... dreamed of placing their fangs in the shinbones of hunters. Ospreys slept with their feathered, plummeting dreamselves screaming through deep, slow-motion dives toward herring.

It was Conroy who described South Carolinas seductive Lowcountry as something you breathe: the bold, fecund aroma of the tidal marsh, exquisite and sensual, the smell of the South in heat, a smell like new milk, semen, and spilled wine, all perfumed with seawater.

Ever after, there would be no point in anyone else trying to describe animal dreams or the marsh. Forevermore, the world would experience the Lowcountry through Conroys eyes.

Several years after that column, I met Conroy at a Naples, Florida, hotel where, serendipitously, we happened to have adjoining rooms. We discovered this while speaking to each other on the phone, a conversation that I was simultaneously hearing through the hotel wall.

Wondering whether we might be next-door neighbors, we poked our heads out our respective doors, receivers to ears, and were delighted to find ourselves face-to-face. Over drinks later that evening, Conroy regaled me with stories, including that cartoonist Doug Marlette had teased him mercilessly about my sexiest-man-alive column. We talked about friends, family, children and writing.

Why, he asked, hadnt I written my own father-daughter novel? I began to answer, I was waiting ... when he interrupted to complete the sentence: for your father to die.

Yes.

I wish I had, he said. At the time, his father  the great Santini  was up in their hotel room, waiting for his son to escort him to the family wedding that had brought them to Naples.

Before we parted, I asked him, Whats it like to be Pat Conroy?

He threw back his head and roared with laughter: Its a dream! he said, though I was never sure he really meant it. Sometimes, as his readers know, it was a nightmare, too.

One painful irony was his recognition that his books had liberated throngs of fellow sufferers  the depressed, the abused, the father-haters  not to seek therapy or write books but to share their miseries with Conroy at book signings. This was an unwelcome duty for a writer who wasnt inclined to guide others through their self-realization. Writing is not group therapy.

But such was the price Conroy paid for exposing so much of himself and his family, book after book, as he sought to explain his tortured childhood to himself.

When he wasnt writing, Conroy was reading  four hours a day  or talking to Marlette on the phone, nearly every day for decades. Marlette, who wrote two novels of his own before his death in a 2007 car accident, also drew cartoons and comic strips.

The last time I saw Conroy was, alas, nine years ago at Marlettes funeral, where we were two among 10 eulogists and became forever bonded as members of what Conroy dubbed Team Marlette. Bereft beyond measure, we were nearly staggering with grief and choking on tears as we rendered our words of farewell.

Now we are heartbroken again, our losing season upon us, another of our most brilliant players down. At least there is consolation in knowing that Conroy and Marlette can roar together now, laughing and weeping at the glory of it all  as ever the envy of the living.

kathleenparker@washpost.com
School districts try to produce graduates who will earn enough to support their families and communities. In another fashion, districts can give the same kind of help to certain families and communities  by giving school workers a living wage.

This is what some of these workers  aided by organizations such as COPS/Metro and the Southwest Workers Union  are advocating for school districts in San Antonio.

School boards, in preparing their next budgets, should make this happen. San Antonio Independent School District can set the example.

In an ideal world, the Texas Legislature would have put a measure on the ballot this year that would have asked voters if they wanted to up the states minimum wage  now matching the federal level of $7.25 per hour. That proposal by Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, floundered in the last session, legislators not trusting voters with a basic decision on fairness, though the boost would have taken the wage up to only $10.

No worker should earn less than a living wage for full-time work. But absent legislative action, taxpayers can still help the employees who essentially work for them by supporting this effort.

The city of San Antonio and Bexar County have already taken such action for their employees  a move urged by COPS/Metro. School districts can do the same. And the Legislature can help by upping the amount of state financing for schools no matter how the Texas Supreme Court rules on a pending case on the constitutionality of the current funding method.

An Express-News article recently by Alia Malik and Greta Kaul explained that the alliance pushing this proposal is urging a wage floor of $13 per hour next fiscal year and a move to $15 within three years.

An SAISD spokeswoman said fewer than 1,000 of the districts 3,500 full-time, nonexempt workers make less than $13 per hour. The alliance estimates that 2,000 could also be affected if they get decompressed wage increases  more senior workers who make more than $13 an hour also getting a boost.

The alliance will also campaign for such increases in Harlandale, Northside and North East ISDs.

The article told of workers who have second jobs to support their families. Their children often attend SAISD. And that provides another reason for increasing this pay. Children with absent parents often do not fare well in school.

Mostly, however, living wages for public employees is simply a matter of fairness.
Yves here. I anticipate that readers will debate whether decline is inevitable. My short answer is that with the caliber of leadership we have in the US and abroad, its hard to see how we escape it. And we may be too far along a bad trajectory to change course in a big enough way.

But Jospeh Tainter, in his classic study, he Collapse of Complex Societies, had to concede that some societies were able to pull themselves out of a downward path, yet offered no guidance as to why they were different, save that their ruling classes acted to ward it off. Tainter was likely unwilling to examine these cases because he was dogmatic about the cause of collapse: it was the rising cost of complexity, in particular, the increasing cost of energy. He rejected culture as a cause of decline. Yet even if he is correct about how energy needs drive complex societies towards their own demise, that does not obviate the idea that better leadership and/or better social values can enable civilizations to adapt rather than fail.

And let us also not forget that the things are going to get worse for you story also conveniently diverts attention from the degree of rent extraction and looting that is taking place. US corporate profit share of GDP has been at record levels, depending on how you compute if, of 10% of 12% of GDP, when no less than Warren Buffett deemed a profit share of over 6% of GDP as unsustainably high as of the early 2000s. That higher profit share is the direct result of workers getting a far lower share of GDP growth than in any post-war expansion. So the increased hardships that ordinary people face is not inevitable, but is to a significant degree due to the ruling classes taking vastly more than their historical share out of greed and short-sightedness.

By Gaius Publius, a professional writer living on the West Coast of the United States and frequent contributor to DownWithTyranny, digby, Truthout, and Naked Capitalism. Follow him on Twitter @Gaius_Publius, Tumblr and Facebook. Originally published at at Down With Tyranny. GP article archive here.

578,000 live homeless on any given night (click to enlarge; source)





If you think of the country as in decline, as most people do, and you think the cause is the predatory behavior of the big-money elites, as most people do, then you must know you have only two choices  acceptance and resistance.

Why do neo-liberal Democrats, like the Clinton campaign, not want you to have big ideas, like single-payer health care? Because having big ideas is resistance to the bipartisan consensus that runs the country, and they want to stave off that resistance.

But thats a negative goal, and theres more. They not only have to stave off your resistance. They have to manage your acceptance of their managed decline in the nations wealth and good fortune.

Again: The goal of the neo-liberal consensus is to manage the decline, and manage your acceptance of it.

I want to turn the keyboard over to one of my favorite left commenters, Avedon Carol, proprietor of Avedons Sideshow, to explain. Her kickoff point is the identity-fight on the left, or as she calls it, an attempt to actively divide us by making personal and tribal differences into the main show of the public political arena. She offered her thoughts via email (emphasis hers):

Bernie Sanders wants to do these two important things: Create enough abundance for everyone so that there is far less resentment and bitterness to divide us. Empower us to be better able to fight for ourselves. Clintons program for dealing with sexism and racism is  what? As far as I can see, shes offering, at best, a kind of paternalistic sympathy that does little to ameliorate the actual problems we face. And yet, the Clinton campaign is attacking Sanders for some sort of weird and undefined insensitivity to issues of racism and sexism that is proven by an inadequacy of photo-ops and the fact that some of his supporters, just like some of her own supporters, say things that are sexist and insensitive. And she is still talking like the DLC. Corey Robin says when Clinton tells the truth, believe her: Amid all the accusations that Hillary Clinton is not an honest or authentic politician, that shes an endless shape-shifter who says whatever works to get her to the next primary, its important not to lose sight of the one truth shes been telling, and will continue to tell, the voters: things will not get better. Ever. At first, I thought this was just an electoral ploy against Sanders: dont listen to the guy promising the moon. No such thing as a free lunch and all that. But it goes deeper. The American ruling class has been trying to figure out for years, if not decades, how to manage decline, how to get Americans to get used to diminished expectations, how to adapt to the notion that life for the next generation will be worse than for the previous generation, and now, how to accept (as Alex Gourevitch reminded me tonight) low to zero growth rates as the new economic normal. Clintons campaign message isnt just for Bernie voters; its for everyone. Expect little, deserve less, ask for nothing. When the leading candidate of the more left of the two parties is saying that  and getting the majority of its voters to embrace that message  the work of the American ruling class is done. In Germany after WWI, austerity imposed by outsiders created the conditions for fascism to grow. We knew this. We were even taught this in school. And we certainly know just how good that is for women and minorities. But in America (and Britain), that austerity is being imposed by our own leaders, and most effectively by leaders of the Democratic Party (and Labour Party)  the supposed left party, the party that was understood to support working people. Clinton, like all of the DLC, talks like this new economy of decline is something that just happened, like its a natural force. They do not admit that it was a political decision to break the power of ordinary working people and put it back into the hands of the aristocracy. They pat us on the head and tell us they will try not to make it as bad as the Republicans will, but it will happen and there is nothing to be done about it. And they actively divide us by making personal and tribal differences into the main show of the public political arena (only 7% of Americans claim never to have used birth control, so how is it a Democrat thing?) while behaving like the really big decisions that are wrecking our lives are none of our business. (Bank bailouts that were opposed 200-1 in calls to the White House from the public! Stopping the prosecutions of fraudulent banksters! HAMP instead of real home-owner relief! Secret TPP talks, for godssakes!) As a woman and person of funny-color, I know who is being callous and insensitive toward me, and it isnt Bernie Sanders.

To emphasize one of Avedons last points  bank bailouts  Clinton accused Sanders of being against the auto bailout by voting against a bank bailout bill, which she supported. An excellent piece of misdirection  she puts him on defense, when she should be on defense herself. Deeply dishonest, of course, but well-manipulated. (Seems to have cost her though, in Michigan, whose voters werent buying it.)

Again, the main point is this one from Corey Robin (emphasis mine):

The American ruling class has been trying to figure out for years, if

not decades, how to manage decline, how to get Americans to get used to

diminished expectations, how to adapt to the notion that life for the

next generation will be worse than for the previous generation, and now,

how to accept (as Alex Gourevitch reminded me tonight) low to zero growth rates as the new economic normal.

All you need to know. Both parties are giving away the store, cleaning out the cash register. Your lives will be very much worse unless you stop them. Yet both parties want you to get used to it, get used to being made poor. The Democrats want to soften the blow more than the Republicans  a kinder, gentler devastation if you will. A softer crash landing.

But either way, the goal of the neo-liberal consensus is to manage the decline, and manage your acceptance of it.

And thats what this election is about  on both sides. Acceptance or resistance.
Mossack Fonseca are in it up to their thighs, and Stuart Gulliver has no idea.

That idealessness matters a lot already, and will soon matter more.

Naked Capitalism, 6th March 2015

Lets explain a few terms:

Stuart Gulliver is the CEO of the worlds second-biggest bank, HSBC, which is usually embroiled in some giant tax dodging or money laundering scandal or other; Swiss, on this occasion. Hed been summoned before the UKs Treasury Select Committee to explain himself. He was shortly to endure another torrid session at the Public Accounts Committee in which he didnt really explain how HSBC selected Mossack Fonseca to supply a shell company through which Gulliver received his bonuses.

soon turns out to mean starting in about 10 days time and continuing for the foreseeable future.

As for Mossack Fonseca itself, a picture is worth a thousand words; accordingly, several pictures follow, and several words, too.

First up, heres March 16 2015, (soon), in Brazil:

Close to a million demonstrators marched in cities and towns across Brazil on Sunday

Heres a little bit of what that looked like:

Photo: Agencia Brasil.

The WSJ adds:

Many taking part in Sundays march called for President Rousseffs impeachment, amid revelations of alleged graft at oil giant Petroleo Brasileiro SA that largely occurred while she chaired the companys board of directors from 2003 to 2010.

Petroleo Brasileiro SA is better known as Petrobras. By December 2015, the impeachment proceedings against the Brazilian President had indeed been started:

Brazils president Dilma Rousseff has begun the fight for her political life after the first impeachment proceedings for more than 20 years were launched against her in Congress. After months of jockeying, the removal proceedings were pushed forward by her political nemesis  the lower house speaker Eduardo Cunha  as Brazil slipped deeper into a crisis that has hamstrung decision-making even while the economy suffers its worst downturn since the Great Depression.

Mind you, our axe-grinding Eduardo might be dodgy too:

Julius Camargo, one of the whistleblowers in the Lava Jato investigation into corruption at Petrobras, has testified that the Cunha asked him for a $5m bribe  a claim that the speaker denies.

Oh, and heres Mossack Fonseca:

Brazilian police and prosecutors said Wednesday that as part of their investigation into a massive corruption scheme centered on Petrobras they were looking into whether some of the money diverted from the state-controlled oil company was laundered through real-estate transactions coordinated by a Panamanian-based law firm. Investigators said they were probing the alleged role of Panama City-based Mossack Fonseca, which also operates in 40 other countries and is suspected of assisting several of those implicated in the Petrobras scandal with opening offshore companies in that Central American nation. The investigation points to money laundering and asset-concealment transactions via real-estate businesses, prosecutor Carlos Fernando Dos Santos Lima said at a press conference. Evidence obtained thus far indicates that Mossack Fonseca is a big money launderer, Dos Santos said, adding that Brazils federal Attorney Generals Office has asked police in other countries for their cooperation, without mentioning which ones.

It looks as if Mossack Fonsecas Brazilian employees may have taken their client service commitment a bit too far:

One of the Mossack employees who was arrested, Maria Mercedes Riano, is accused of destroying and hiding documents. An e-mail obtained by prosecutors indicates that she removed due diligence documents and client records from the office. Mossack Fonseca issued a statement claiming that the employees are being wrongly charged and that the firm has no connection to the suspects in the Lava Jato investigation.

Even while that was brewing, HSBC was already heavily entangled with the Petrobras scandal:

HSBC this week admitted failings in compliance and controls in its Swiss private bank after media reports alleged it helped wealthy customers conceal millions of dollars of assets in a period up to 2007. However HSBC noted that there are numerous legitimate reasons for having a Swiss bank account.

Being Swiss, or a Swiss resident, are the main ones, Id have thought; definitely not this, anyway:

In what is being called Brazils worst corruption scandal in history, prosecutors allege that politicians from President Dilma Rousseffs ruling coalition used Petrobras to skim billions of reais through overpriced contracts for over a decade. So far more than 40 people have been detained over their involvement in the scandal, which is known in the country as Operation Car Wash. Thesource said that there is a clear link between Operation Car-Wash and the HSBC Swiss bank accounts.

Presumably laundering the proceeds of grand corruption is not one of the reasons for holding a Swiss bank account that HSBC would consider legitimate, but for the moment, its not easy to be sure.

These are certainly strange days for HSBC. Its apparent link to rampant Brazilian corruption now seems to be trampling all over other apparently respectable lines of HSBC business:

HSBC Holdings Plc is suing Schahin Engenharia SA, a Brazilian oil-industry supplier accused of paying kickbacks to win public contracts, for 173.6 million reais ($55 million) related to unpaid promissory notes. The claim, which was filed in Sao Paulo on March 30, doesnt say when the notes were supposed to have been paid to London-based HSBC, a court filing shows. HSBC joins Deutsche Bank AG and Banco IBM SA, the local financial division of International Business Machines Corp., in making claims against Schahin this year. Schahin is among more than 20 companies that have been temporarily banned from bidding on new projects with state-run Petroleo Brasileiro SA, known as Petrobras, amid allegations that suppliers and builders paid bribes to inflate the value of contracts.

Synergies can go wrong in the world of banking, in surprising ways.

Thats it from Brazil for the moment, where the situation, as they say, continues to develop.

Our next photo is of a street protest in Moldova in April 2015, concerning a billion-dollar bank fraud:

(User tolea93, Wikipedia)

To the relief of Stuart Gulliver, no doubt, HSBC hasnt shown up in connection with this particular imbroglio. Money laundering in the former Soviet Union isnt one of HSBCs big franchises, as far as anyone knows.

However, theres certainly a cameo by Mossack Fonseca, under a light disguise. According to Kroll Investigations, whose initial fraud report was leaked by Moldovan politician Andrian Candu, one of the British companies that facilitated the Moldova fraud was Trimms Green Limited. Trimms Green has a registered office at Invision House, Hitchin, the address of Mossack Fonsecas UK subsidiary, RM Company Services. Kroll explains the role of Trimms Green Limited in the covert seizure of control of one of the Moldovan banks involved in the fraud, Unibank SA (UB):

The truncated Andrew is in fact Andrew Moray Stuart, who has since resigned his directorship, and is heir presumptive to the Viscountcy of Findhorn. He is a descendant of one of many by-blows of the magnificently fertile, but reliably erratic Stuart dynasty.

Anticlimactically, Andrew Moray Stuart earns his keep as an international stooge director, if you call that earning. His name therefore crops up in all sort of interesting places, such as the Magnitsky murder relentlessly investigated by Bill Browder, or as a director of Pennard Chemicals, which according to The Guardian earned EUR100Mn of commission on unexplained Russian deals in three years, or as a director of improbable British debt collectors such as Civil Enforcement Ltd.

By September 2015, the fraud crisis had claimed one Moldovan Prime Minister and the street protests had got even bigger:

Photo: Accent TV.

Then in October, with another former Prime Minister detained, the Moldovan government fell. The situation continues to develop

Lets remind ourselves of the timescales: the Petrobras scandal, with the current president, Rousseff, (update 3-Apr-16) ever closer to impeachment and her predecessor, Lula, now also facing the prospect of charges, (update 3-Apr-16  or not: friendlier judges all of a sudden), was a decade or more in the making. The Moldova bank fraud, which has so far put paid to the tenures of two Prime Ministers and one government, and led to the detention of another Prime Minister, took about three years.

Lately, the delay between Mossack Fonseca rocking up, and the onset of street protests and government corruption scandals, seems to be shrinking still more. Heres a 2013 press release:

PANAMA CITY(Marketwired  Aug 9, 2013)  The Group Mossack Fonseca & Co. has reached a total of 47 offices around the world with the recent opening of its office in the Republic of Malta. It meets the objective of offering its customers a jurisdiction that has several attributes, including: a) Be a member of the European Union. b) To be included in the white list of the OECD since 2005. Malta currently enjoys international recognition as an excellent jurisdiction for international trade. Multiple multinational companies have established their headquarters in this country, which is testimony to the confidence that large employers have placed upon strategically diversify their investments. And no wonder, because the reason is that this jurisdiction available to employers, users and customers, an address that complies with European Union directives, while being flexible, strong incentives and a international business vision aimed at satisfying the needs of customers from all over the world.

After that ominous 2013 press release, readers can probably guess what happened next in Malta. This time it only took a couple of years. Heres a picture from a few days ago:

Photography by Alan Carville for wwww.daphnecaruanagalizia.com

This, and much more, comes from the ferocious and cunning Maltese blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia, who tells us what she was getting up to in late February:

In the afternoon of 22nd February, I uploaded two posts in quick successionThey would have seemed mysterious to everyone but four people: Joseph Muscat, Keith Schembri, Konrad Mizzi and Brian Tonna of Nexia BT. Its unlikely that Sai Mizzi Liang, in Shanghai and clearly having already left Malta behind, would have bothered reading them.

Joseph Muscat is the Prime Minister of Malta. Keith Schembri is his Chief of Staff. Konrad Mizzi is Maltas Minister for Energy and Conservation of Water. Sai Mizzi Liang is Konrad Mizzis wife. Brian Tonna of Nexia BT is also Brian Tonna of Mossack Fonseca, (Malta), and Galizias post is in fact a booby trap

Some of my readers might even have thought that I was having a bad hair day, so to speak, as the posts seemed inexplicable. But they were not aimed at my readers. They were aimed at that audience of just four people. I wanted to see what they would do next.

which is immediately sprung:

The following day, Konrad Mizzi approached Malta Today and gave the news portal a story in which he said he will reveal his ownership of a trust in New Zealand. He did not tell them that the only reason the trust exists is to further conceal the existence and ownership of a company in EU-blacklisted and top-secret Panama. Nor did he tell them that he set up this structure concurrently with the Prime Ministers chief of staff, Keith Schembri, who has exactly the same set-up besides companies (plural) in another secretive offshore haven, the British Virgin Islands. Malta Today then published its story early the day after, on the 24th. On reading it, I immediately reported that Konrad Mizzi owns a company in Panama, and that he lied to Malta Today by concealing key information from them. Late in the evening on the 29th (Saturday) I watched Konrad Mizzi lying even further in the TVM news bulletin that had omitted to cover, in any way, the story everyone was talking about. I also heard that he had given exclusive interviews to all three English-language Sunday newspapers, The Sunday Times, The Malta Independent on Sunday and Malta Today, not letting them know that the others had the exclusive too. I discovered that he had still failed to mention that he did this together with the Prime Ministers chief of staff, so at 9.30pm I uploaded the news on this website: Keith Schembri, too, has a Panama in company sheltered by a trust in New Zealand whose sole purpose is to contain the Panama company, and they set them up in concert, using Brian Tonna of Nexia BT for all the arrangements.

Now that theyve been screwed over by Mizzis incomplete and non-exclusive exclusive, the Maltese pressmen are taking no prisoners. Heres The Independent plying its cattle prod on the Prime Minister

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat this afternoon could not say exactly what role Brian Tonna of Nexia BT has within the government. Mr Tonna advised Energy and Health Minister Konrad Mizzi and Dr Muscats Chief of Staff Keith Schembri to acquire a company in Panama. He said that this question was already answered in response to a Parliamentary Question, and that he could not say off the top of his head.

and chasing him round and round and round

Dr Muscat was asked to clarify comments he made on Thursday. At one point Dr Muscat said that Dr Mizzi has paid the fine for breaking the tax law and then said that he will be paying the fine. Dr Mizzi had admitted he had broken the law by not informing the Commissioner for Inland Revenue about the financial structures he had set up  the law stipulates that he had 30 days to do so. Asked about whether Dr Mizzi has in actual fact paid this fine, in light of the procedures involved such as the Commissioner filing a police report and an investigation taking place, Dr Muscat replied: I checked the transcript of what I said yesterday and I checked the procedure in full. Dr Mizzi has now filed (a submission) in order to conform to the situation  the fine is still to be determined.

and round and round

The Malta Independent this morning broke the story that Economist and Director of E-Cubed consultants, Gordon Cordina and his staff have left the offices of Nexia BT in order to distance themselves from the current scandal. Questions were raised as to why Dr Cordina chose to do this if it was true that no wrongdoing had occurred, with Dr Muscat responding that its his business. Due to Mr Tonnas position within Nexia BT, and the fact that he provides services for the government, Dr Muscat was asked whether the government would still be using their services. He deviated from giving a point blank response, and said that we use the services of any company that is registered in Maltaincluding the big four and all companies.

This government suddenly looks just as precarious as the Moldovan Powers That Were, and the almost-impeached Brazilian president, doesnt it?

The Maltese back story is just as bad, too. Courtesy of the Times of Malta, who prudently dont call Azeri supremo Ilham Aliyev a dictator:

An Azeri billionaire described by the US State Department as a very close collaborator of Azeri President Ilham Aliyev set up various companies in Malta soon after Joseph Muscat visited the country, The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt. On December 23, 2014, Manuchehr Ahadpir Khangah registered Mulsanne Investments Ltd together with BTI Management Limited, a company owned by Nexia BT. The new company shared the same registered office as Nexia BT in San Gwann. The Azeri businessman set up the company just a week after Dr Muscats unannounced visit to Azerbaijan, during which the government signed an oil and gas cooperation agreement. Dr Muscat travelled with his chief of staff, Keith Schembri, and Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi. However, no government officials or members of the media accompanied the delegation. The following month, Mr Khangah set up six more holding companies in Malta, all named after famous composers  Mozart to Vivaldi to Puccini. Mr Khan-gahs company, Mulsanne Investments, held all the shares in the new companies except for one share which was held by a subsidiary of Nexia BT. Though the companies are relatively new in Malta, some of them just over one year old, all Mr Khangahs companies have been put into liquidation. It is not known why they were set up and what trading, if any, was done. Efforts to reach Nexia BT about the sudden liquidation of Mr Khan-gahs companies proved futile.

Daphne Caruana Galizia spells out what the sudden liquidations look like to her:

What Ivan Camilleri describes in this article is  perhaps unbeknown to him or hes just not permitted to say it  typical money-laundering strategy. You open up several companies concurrently or at brief intervals, then close them down a year later or less. Then you open up several more either in the same jurisdiction or another one and repeat the process. Not to draw attention to what youre doing, you move between jurisdictions, so that no red flag goes up on all the opening and closing of companies which are just a few months old.

The situation continues to develop. You can keep up with the knockabout in Malta via the Twitter hashtag #Panamagate.

So that was Mossack Fonsecas year in words and pictures, except: the anniversary of this announcement in the Suddeutsche Zeitung, of a huge Mossack Fonseca document leak that sparked a tax raid on Commerzbank, has just passed (my English):

According to the documents, at least three more large German financial companies are entangled in alleged criminal activity in Luxembourg and Panama, including state-owned banks. For years, just like Commerzbank, these companies obtained shell companies for rich clients from Mossack. The financial industry expects further raids on more banks in the coming weeks.

After that it went a bit quiet, but in October, the other culprits emerged, rather reluctantly (my English):

To our tax investigators, the Luxemburg subsidiaries of several German banks have started looking a bitSpanish, lately. That includes private firms such as Commerzbank and HypoVereinsbank as well as state-owned banks: Landesbank Baden-Wurttemberg (Stuttgart) und HSH Nordbank

In each case, the banks paid tens of millions of Euros in fines. The bills their clients paid, if any, are not disclosed; such is tax confidentiality the world over.

We go back to the Suddeutsche Zeitung to discover thats still not the end of it. Mossack Fonseca has another interesting year or two ahead:

Other European countries and the USA have also acquired Mossack data.

HSBC are still living in interesting times, too. A couple of years ago they were subpoenad to provide to the IRS a huge swathe of historic account transactions relating to their subsidiaries in Panama, Hong Kong and the USA. Given HSBCs known fondness for Mossack Fonsecas shell companies, that swathe may well make even more interesting reading, in conjunction with the Mossack leaks

One last thing: the Maltese press reports imply that Mossack Fonseca is well-versed in setting up anonymous trusts in New Zealand. Thats a story all by itself. So, perhaps in the company of US IRS agents, we shall soon be bothering the poor old Kiwis, some more.

(Updates 3-Apr-16: correction: Roussef still not quite impeached; fresher links on Brazil; and I simply must add a link to Ken Silversteins 2014 deep dive into Mossack Fonseca).
Noam Chomsky Announces Las Vegas Residency Onion (Sherry)

Please Stop Using Neanderthal As An Insult, Say Neanderthal Experts Atlas Obscura (furzy)

Penguin swims 5,000 miles every year for reunion with the man who saved his life Metro (Wat). AaawBe sure to watch the clips.

Polar Bears Win Huge Swath of Alaska Atlas Obscura (furzy)

Major League Baseball Manager Saves Swarm from Bee Genocide Motherboard (resilc)

How to detect a credit card cloner at the gas pump City Pages (Chuck L). A public service announcement.

Eyeglasses That Can Focus Themselves Are on the Way MIT Technology Review (David L)

Cokes cash: 14 health experts whove taken the soft-drink giants money Sydney Morning Herald (EM)

Fukushima Anniversary

China?

ECB Goes More Negative

ECB Cuts Rates and Expands Stimulus Wall Street Journal Euro Strengthens Despite Fresh ECB Stimulus Measures Wall Street Journal. As with Japan, the currency rose when the authorities no doubt wanted it lower. Oops.

Refugee Crisis

Grexit?

Bailout review resumes in Athens but substantial gap remains Macropolis

Syraqistan

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

Imperial Collapse Watch

2016

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz Is Taking A Ton Of Heat For Helping Payday Lenders Huffington Post (YY)

Christians Flock to Groups That Help Members Pay Medical Bills New York Times. Another indictment of Obamacare.

Self-Protectionist Moment: Paul Krugman Protects Himself and the Establishment Thomas Palley. Confirmation of our post yesterday.

What Crisis? Big Ratings Firms Stronger Than Ever Wall Street Journal

ANALYSIS-Calmer markets, positive data prime Fed to push ahead with rate rises Reuters

Guillotine Watch

The Assets of the Ultrarich Come Closer to Earth New York Times

Class Warfare

Antidote du jour. Speaking of penuins, via @AkaravutTV9:

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Scott McIntyre/Staff (2) A customer walks past a wall of wine Thursday at Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurant in North Naples. The winery and restaurant opens Monday.

SHARE Tasting room attendant Mike Breheny talks with Connie Vestal about Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurant's wine club. The dining room at Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurant in North Naples on Thursday, March 10, 2016. The winery and restaurant opens on Monday, March 14. (Scott McIntyre/Staff) The dining room stands ready Thursday at Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurant in North Naples. Scott McIntyre/Staff (2) A sampling of various menu items seen during a media tour Thursday at Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurant in North Naples.

By John Osborne, Daily News Correspondent

With a media sneak peek Thursday, Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant hoped to drum up further interest in its Monday grand opening at 11905 U.S. 41 N. in North Naples.

General manager Ryan Quisenberry said he expected about a dozen media outlets to attend an event designed to serve as a window into the Illinois-based chain's latest location.

"The idea is to give locals an inside view of what our concept is all about  something that's new to the Naples area and something that a lot of different pieces go into," said Quisenberry, a 34-year-old Chicago native and 2004 University of Iowa graduate who moved to Naples in October.

Asked to elaborate on the restaurant's concept, Quisenberry said the answer could be found in the upscale-casual eatery's name.

"It's not just a restaurant, and it's not just a winery. It's both," he said.

For guests, Quisenberry said the two-pronged approach should be immediately apparent upon stepping through the front doors.

"The first thing people will see is a pure, Napa-style tasting room, where they're greeted with an assortment of more than 50 different wines they should feel free to taste before entering the dining room, where many different fusion-cooking styles combine to provide a lot of different dining options in a modern, casual environment," he said.

By offering Thursday's preview to the media, Quisenberry said prospective visitors could get a good feel for the restaurant's atmosphere before the official opening.

"Through the media, we want to give everybody a guided tour in order to show the public what's in store for them," Quisenberry said, adding that the restaurant would leverage more than just inkstained scribes and perfectly coifed TV reporters to get the message across.

"It's mostly TV news, but we'll have a little bit of everything, including blog writers and other online sites," he said. "We'd definitely like to cover all avenues of media so that every person possible hears about us somewhere or another."

Quisenberry said social media would play an especially important role in unveiling the restaurant to the community.

"So much has changed with social media; it's a different industry than it was 20 years ago," he said. "Social media is such a huge monster, and it's amazing how huge of an influence it has had. Everything is instant now, with people taking pictures of their food with their phones or writing and posting reviews right from the restaurant. So it's very important for us to be in tune with every different media type. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter  all the different avenues through which we hope to present a positive perspective to the general public and convince them to come in."

With well-known locations in seven states, Quisenberry said the local Cooper's Hawk would look to replicate that success in Southwest Florida.

"The challenge for us with our business, since we're brand-new to the area, is being able to get our name out there and spreading the word," he said. "Unless they are vacationers from another part of the country, a lot of people might not know who we are, so we want to share that information about our company and what we stand for."

Asked to use one word to define what the company stands for, Quisenberry didn't hesitate with his reply.

"That would be 'community,' " he said. "For us, it's all about upholding the four pillars of our core values: We care about people. We're different. We're committed to being the best. And have fun and celebrate."
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Stefan Muehlbauer, CEO of Arma Communications, has earned the title of Infusionsoft Certified Partner

Lee Physician Group Cardiothoracic Surgery program has earned a 3-star rating for coronary artery bypass grafting surgery patient care by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

Events

The Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce will host its monthly Business After Five networking event at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Lamoraga Bar/Restaurant, 3936 U.S. 41 N. Information: www. napleschamber.org/events

Norris Furniture & Interiors interior designer Domnick M. Minella will presents Show & Tell Flooring, a seminar previewing the newest fashion trends in flooring. The free seminar is 11 a.m. Saturday at the Norris Fort Myers showroom, 14125 U.S. 41 S. Information: 239- 690-9844

Appointments

Lee Memorial Health System said Ronnie Word, M.D. joined the professional staff of Lee Physician Group  Vascular Surgery.

Lipman named Suresh DeCosta as its new director of food safety, North America and Latin America.

To submit your business news directly online, go to naplesnews.com/BIZwire or email news@naplesnews.com.
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If politicians had to cease being hypocritical, there would be no politics, and for all its sins, we need politics. But if something as big as freedom of speech is on the line, maybe it's time to use the H-word in reference to some of the guilty and to argue against vitiating the First Amendment.

Start with Hillary Clinton. She's as angry as can be with corporate big spenders throwing gobs of money at politicians and thereby corrupting the political system. But there's a catch. Even though she wants to rewrite the First Amendment to fix all this by further controlling who can say what and when, she herself stuffs special interest moolah in her purse or campaign coffers every time she gets a chance. Don't worry. She says she herself cannot be corrupted.

Yep, big money is hurtful but cannot buy her influence, because, well, what? In a debate with another Democratic candidate for president, Bernie Sanders, she answered his snarls on the issue by pointing to President Barack Obama. In the 2008 campaign, she said, he got more Wall Street cash to help his cause than any candidate ever did before, and look at how he then jimmied up financial operations by his support of Dodd-Frank regulations people are still trying to figure out.

She didn't put it quite that way, but in bringing up Obama, she did point to another anti-speech hypocrite. Last year, the president was giving a speech about solar power operations he wants to smother with subsidies and excoriated the Koch brothers who oppose that, saying they want to keep these world-saving businesses from succeeding. "That's not the American way," the president said.

Charles Koch, brother of David, responded by saying it was "beneath ... the dignity of the president" to be indulging himself in these and other insults, and, yes, throwing mud while splattering one's self is something Oval Office occupants should avoid. That's especially the case when these political contributors would also like to get rid of all subsidies, even those directed at their own fossil fuel business, and have been fighting fiercely and openly for an end to all corporate welfare.

Obama is the one distorting free enterprise in his crony capitalism enthusiasm for ladling out taxpayer money to campaign-contributing solar power companies and the like, and the Koch brothers, of course, are a favorite Democratic punching bag. Get this: As has been reported, numerous Democratic donors have outspent the libertarian Koch brothers over the years, the two side with liberals on many social issues and they have given generously to medical research, the arts and universities.

For a small-H hypocrite, consider Sanders for a minute. He has shunned giant contributors to get his campaign dough from ordinary folks, but this advocate of using public funding instead has not used public funding. That's mainly because he wouldn't get enough early money to win that way, which is much like the Koch brothers still taking subsidies because they would otherwise be at a competitive disadvantage. But it does put this morally superior guy in the same boat.

The main issue in all of this is the Citizens United Supreme Court case that said unions and corporations can't be shut up on politics. If the NCAA, the Sierra Club, Goldman Sachs or the AFL-CIO want to pay for pamphlets, books, movies or TV ads taking stands on candidates or issues during an election, they can as long as they aren't conniving with the candidates.

That much is clear in the blessed Constitution, which is why Democrats want to change it to better control what people are allowed to say. One argument is that the big voice of big money will fool the voters apparently considered stupid, but that has always been overstated and this year turned upside down as one of the most heavily financed campaigns headed south. Remember Jeb Bush, anybody?
SHARE Band director Gary Smith conducts. The Bonita Springs Concert Band played their first show of the season Sunday afternoon in Bonita's Riverside Park. Lance Shearer/Special to the Daily News

By John Osborne, Banner Correspondent

The Bonita Springs Concert Band will move its toe-tapping act indoors for the first time ever when it presents "A Music Celebration" at 7 p.m. March 19 at Estero High School, 21900 River Ranch Road.

Under the direction of Gary Smith, the concert is slated to showcase a variety of music, including well-loved tunes from "Celtic Ritual," "Dixieland on Parade," "West Side Story" and more.

Internationally known saxophonist and Yamaha concert artist George Wolfe is on tap to appear as a featured soloist during the event. Wolfe's resume includes stints as a featured soloist for the Royal Band of the Belgian Air Force, the World Band at Disney World, the United States Navy Band, the Saskatoon Symphony and the Chautauqua Motet Choir.

With a playing style critics have praised as "brilliant and moving," Wolfe plans to perform renditions of the "Porgy and Bess Medley" by George Gershwin and "Lightnin'"  a ragtime composition by Rudy Wiedoeft  among other songs.

An Indiana resident who taught saxophone at Ball State University for 32 years and now holds status as professor emeritus, Wolfe said his trip to Southwest Florida came about through a chance meeting in New York with Hal Reisenfeld, president of the Bonita Springs Concert Band.

"I perform each summer in Chautauqua, New York, and I met Hall at the Chautauqua Institute," Wolfe recalled. "Since we both play the sax, we struck up a conversation and he mentioned the band he had in Florida. The rest is history."

Though it won't mark his first visit to the Sunshine State, Wolfe said the experience would be a new one for him nonetheless.

"I've never been that far south  I've been to Orlando for some soloist work at Disney World and also at Central Florida University  so I'm excited to see the Everglades and to spend some time on the beach, especially since it's so cold in Indiana," he said.

Reisenfeld said scoring Wolfe represented quite the coup for the band.

"George Wolfe is a world-renowned professor of saxophone and he has soloed all over the world," he said. "To get him is a very big thing for the band."

Reisenfeld said he and Wolfe would also conduct free saxophone clinics at Florida Gulf Coast University and Estero High School on Friday, March 18.

"We'll be at the FGCU Bower School of Music 10:30 a.m. until noon and in the band room at Estero High School from 2:30 until 4 p.m.," Reisenfeld said. "The clinics are open to everyone who want to learn something about saxophones and those who want to bring their horns will have to chance to play for George and have him critique their performance  sort of like a master class. It's going to be a fun-filled day and really informative for those who attend."

Bonita Springs Concert Band Director Gary Smith said performing indoors would give the 90-plus musicians a chance to capture a clear recording for submission to the Association of Concert Bands in hopes of being invited to this year's national convention in Fort Lauderdale.

"It's so much harder to play outside because the players can hardly hear themselves or each other," said Smith, a professor emeritus at the University of Illinois who also directs music for Disney. "I think being inside will allow for more precision and a more solid performance because the band will be able to focus much more on the music."

Like Reisenfeld, Smith said Wolfe's appearance would only add to the excitement of the night.

"He's very well known all over the country and the world, and every time I tell people he's coming, they say, 'Oh, yeah, George Wolfe? He's great!'"

IF YOU GO

Bonita Springs Concert Band: "A Musical Celebration"

WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday, March 19

WHERE: Estero High School, 21900 River Ranch Road, Estero

COST: Tickets are $5, tax-deductible. Purchase concert tickets at the door, in advance by mail at Bonita Springs Concert Band, PO Box 367872, Bonita Springs, 34133 or at bonitaspringsconcertband.com.

INFORMATION: 239-949-2670
File photo of author Randy Wayne White. David Albers/Staff

SHARE Best selling author Randy Wayne White stands for a portrait at Doc Ford's Sanibel Bar and Grill on Sanibel Island on Thursday, July 31, 2014. Scott McIntyre/Staff Randy Wayne White; "Deep Blue"

By Joan Krzykowski

Since leaving home at age 16, and skipping college in the process, New York Times best-selling author Randy Wayne White has been a farm hand, a brass and iron foundry worker, a telephone lineman and, for 13 years, a full-time fishing guide at Tarpon Bay Marina on Florida's Sanibel Island.

White has been stabbed, "shot at with intent," and was in a hotel that got blown up by Shining Path Anarchists in Peru. As a columnist for Outside magazine he has been diving in the infamous Bad Blue Hole lake on the desolate Cat Island in the Bahamas; searched for wild orangutans on Borneo; covered the America's Cup races in Australia; gone dog sledding in Alaska, brought back refugees from Cuba, and even participated in a mission to steal back General Manuel Noriega's bar stools.

All in all, this author has lived his stories and it definitely shows in his writing.

In "Deep Blue," we find Doc Ford, though still recovering from the injuries he received in Cuba (see White's previous best-seller, "Cuba Straits"), enlisted for a deadly covert operation to track down an ISIS sympathizer in Mexico. The man Ford is seeking is a failed actor from Chicago who has turned into a terrorist, and Ford has seen a video of him apparently murdering three American citizens. Why apparently? Because Ford has his suspicions about one of the three victims.

Clearly, this mission is not entirely what it seems. Things are about to get incredibly complicated for Doc Ford (and even Tomlinson back home) -- especially after Ford's suspicions about the third victim are confirmed (he's alive and well in Mexico). The truth slowly begins to come to light after Ford returns home to Sanibel Island, Florida, only to find that someone has followed him.

But I don't want to tell you too much  you'll really have to read it for yourself to find out if this plot ends in death for Ford, Tomlinson and scores of innocents around the country. This could be the last Doc Ford novel ever.

"Deep Blue" will be released by Penguin Randomhouse on Tuesday, March 15, and on that same day (at 3 p.m.) Randy Wayne White will be at Sunshine Booksellers South. He'll be talking about his book, telling a few stories and autographing copies for his many fans. This event is free, open to the public, and a limited amount of priority seating will be available for those who pre-order.

If you go:

What: Author Randy Wayne White visits Marco Island

When: 3 p.m., Tuesday, March 15

Where: Sunshine Booksellers South, 677 S. Collier Blvd., Marco Island

Information: 239-393-0353
SHARE Bling!, world champions of the Sweet Adelines competition, join the Everglades Barbershop Chorus in concert Friday.

By Harriet Howard Heithaus of the Naples Daily News

In their saltwater taffy color blazers and soft black fedoras, the Everglades Barbershop Chorus of Naples is the picture of a postmodern product: Barbershop 3.0. Institutionally, they're one of the youngest barbershop choruses around, only six years old.

So, they reasoned, why not offer a young perspective? The men's group is bringing in a women's barbershop quartet, Bling!, as its featured guests for their concert Friday, March 18, at Shepherd of the Glades Lutheran Church. They're the world champion female barbershop quartet who just won the award last fall at the Sweet Adelines International Competition; they're aligned with Southwest Florida's own Sweet Adelines organization, Spirit of the Gulf. And  most important  they have that creamy trademark harmony other quartets of both genders only dream about.

People change, harmony stays

And as it happens, said Robert Dimond, publicist for the Everglades Barbershop Chorus of Naples, their featured appearance comes just two months after a decision by the international Barbershop Harmony Society, to welcome women into some categories of their competition.

The pressure was growing, especially among its younger members, explained Brian Lynch, public relations director for the U.S. national organization.

"A dyed-in-the-wool barbershopper would consider it apostasy but practically we see a demand, and in some cases, a need for it,"

High school music educators  despite the grant-supplied free hotel and registration  were rejecting invitations to come to the national youth chorus festival because they could only bring male performers. Even some of the best men's chorus directors were women.

"In January, we approved an affiliated mixed barbershop harmony association. That is still in its formative stages, but its aim is to encourage barbershop harmony among everyone, everywhere," he said. "The demand we were seeing is mostly in quartets where there are two and two. Then our youth chorus festival wanted some flexibility to invite mixed groups."

This doesn't immediately make barbershop singing a coed organization.

"To tell the truth nothing will replace a men's quartet or a women's quartet," he said. But the collaborative possibilities just became a lot wider."

"I have seen in interest in mixed boys and girls groups and some eight part arrangement of counterpoint," said Lynch. "I haven't had a lot of mixed adult choruses to date."

But, he added, there are some men's choruses who have trouble finding male tenors  "And there's something to be said, if you have two barbershopper parents in the family, not having to take up two different nights for rehearsal."

Dimond concedes he wasn't thinking about a mixed chorus when he invited Bling! to sing. He was just thinking about offering a concert of great music: "They're amazing, and everyone will love them." As to a future mixed barbershop chorus in Naples, which already has two  the other is the north side Paradise Coastmen  he is philosophical. "Who knows? " he said.

For Ed White, who is new as director for the group this season, national changes don't affect them as much, since the Everglades Barbershop Chorus, until now, has elected to be one that is classified as "entertaining" rather than "competitive. Generally, said Dimond, the group performs to support local charitable organizations.

Something old, something new

Proceeds from the spring concert go to pay for music, rentals, guest group fees and publication costs for the nonprofit group. The musical focus: First loves. Count on barbershop traditionals such as "Down by the Riverside" and "Pretty Baby," but the chorus is also singing "Blue Velvet," a sweet ballad recorded by Bobby Vinton in 1963.

Look for a little Auld Sod in "Irish Lullaby (Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ra)," and some gospel, which Dimond says is especially popular in Southwest Florida, in "This Little Light of Mine."

Something else new is their inclusion of an "interlocutor" in Jim Baker, former Illinois fair announcer and commercial voice-over professional. Baker, as a daydreamer in his rocking chair, will offer his own introductory thoughts for the men's songs, similar to the conversational style of radio programs such as "Music from the Hearts of Space" and "Moon River."

The Everglades Barbershop Chorus is still small, only 28 members. But it is fielding several of its own new quartets  The Four Flats, the Four-tune Tellers and the Vagabonds  who will debut with several numbers, said White and Dimond.

White is looking forward to the experiments, and the experience: "The year has been a learning scale for me, but it's been a great one."

How great? If we get our chorus up to speed, I'd like to consider going to one of the regional contests," he offered.

---

If you go: 'Down By the Riverside'

What: Annual spring concert of The Everglades Barbershop Chorus, featuring BLING!, the Vagabonds, the Four-Tune Tellers and the Four Flats

When: 7 p.m. March 18

Where: Shepherd of the Glades Lutheran Church, 6020 Rattlesnake Hammock Road (at Santa Barbara Boulevard), East Naples

Tickets: $15 at the door or from members
By Alexi C. Cardona of the Naples Daily News

Kathryn Leib-Hunter was a true advocate.

As the chief executive officer of NAMI of Collier County, she knew how to get things done and fought to change the stigma associated with mental illness.

She died on Wednesday evening at 54.

A release the organization sent out Thursday afternoon states she had been suffering severe health issues.

Leib-Hunter became known in the community as a champion for those affected by mental illness. It was a cause close to her heart. One of her brothers struggled with mental illness and substance abuse and died as a result.

More than 20 years ago, she helped found a Guardian ad Litem program, which trains adults to represent the interests of children in court.

In 1993, she went on to become executive director of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Collier County, now NAMI, an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

"She built the organization to what it is today," said Karen Kalinowski, NAMI's director of administration. "She was a force, but she was also very human. She touched you instantly. She had tremendous love and showed it for the entire community."

Under her leadership, the organization grew to serve more than 12,000 people. Leib-Hunter trained more than 700 law enforcement officers and community leaders in crisis intervention.

"Kathryn was a passionate advocate and community leader," said Scott Burgess, CEO of the David Lawrence Center. "Her impact has been great in Collier County and I have been honored to serve in partnership with her towards effectively addressing the mental health needs of our community. Her efforts helping bring mental health training to area law enforcement professionals through a rigorous training program we worked on together, called CIT, is just one example of how her legacy will live on and on, to the benefit of our community."

She also partnered with the Naples Children & Education Foundation to start HUGS, Health Under Guided Systems, which screens 2,000 children a year for mental health problems and helps families find services.

Leib-Hunter brought her faith and family values to her work.

"You never had a conversation with her without her twin boys being part of that conversation," Kalinowski said. "She was a family person first and foremost. Kathryn also had tremendous faith and brought it into everything she did. That really resonated with the people she helped."

In 2015, Leib-Hunter was honored as one of the Naples Daily News' 25 over 50. She was asked what she was most proud of accomplishing, and she said, " I am most proud of being able to provide hope and help to people in need. I have been blessed to realize my mission in life, and constantly challenge myself to work harder in helping others."
By Ryan Mills of the Naples Daily News

Down by double digits in most Florida polls, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio said Friday during a stop in Naples that he has not given any thought to dropping out of the Republican presidential race if he doesn't win the state's primary next week.

Rather, he said, a win in Florida, whether by blowout or a single vote, would breathe new life into a campaign that has struggled to regain its footing after an ugly bit of school-yard sparring with frontrunner Donald Trump.

Rubio is confident he'll take his home state.

"I think it reshapes the contours of this race and really gives us a boost of momentum heading into Arizona and Utah," Rubio told reporters before hopping onto a jet at the Naples airport.

Earlier in the afternoon, hundreds of Rubio supporters packed Sugden Plaza in downtown Naples for a quick meet-and-greet with the senator. Rubio may be far behind Trump in polls, but he was the star walking through the enthusiastic crowd and snapping cell phone photos with supporters as he made his way to Yabba Island Grill.

It was a burst of excitement for the Naples crowd, eager to get involved in this presidential race before Tuesday's primary. In always important Florida, where all 99 Republican delegates go to the winner, Rubio is the first presidential candidate from either party to mingle with a crowd during such a public appearance in Collier or Lee counties.

Blake Walker used his 10-year-old son Brayden as a wedge to get close to Rubio. The tactic worked. Both father and son squeezed to the front to shake his hand.

"I told him, 'Please beat Trump for me,'" Brayden said, beaming after the encounter. "He said, 'I'll try.'"

Joan Hoffmeister of Naples was at the front of the line to meet Rubio on Friday.

"I want to stop Trump," she said, "because I don't like his image of America, of our values."

Rubio is fighting to remain afloat in the cutthroat Republican primary, where Trump has dominated and already jettisoned more than a dozen promising contenders.

After a series of losses in other state contests, Rubio is betting on his home state to remain in the race. He's coming off a strong Thursday debate performance and offering strategic thinking for voters. Rubio is selling himself as the only real opponent to Trump in Florida in an attempt to coalesce the anti-Trump vote.

"I have made the argument here in Florida that if you're a Ted Cruz supporter or a John Kasich supporter, voting for them in Florida means you're voting for Donald Trump because I'm the only one who can beat him in Florida," Rubio said.

It's an uphill battle.

The Real Clear Politics average of polls from March 2-9 has Trump with a nearly 15-point lead. None of those polls has Rubio closer than 6 points, and one has Trump up by 23.

But polls can be wrong.

While Trump is leading with wins in 15 states and 458 delegates  100 more than Cruz of Texas and about 300 more than Rubio  he has underperformed in closed primaries like Florida's, where only registered Republicans vote.

Rubio continued to hit Trump Friday. Though he said he regretted getting into the name-calling recently  he mocked the size of Trump's hands, made fun of misspelled words in his Tweets and even implied that Trump wet his pants  Rubio said he won't stop shining a light on Trump's record.

"Donald Trump has created a character," Rubio said. "Donald Trump the character is this very successful businessman who has this reality show called, 'The Apprentice.' This very successful businessman whose starting a school called Trump University that's going to teach you to be as successful as he is. As it turns out, in business he's had some spectacular failures. As it also turned out, Trump University didn't teach anyone do to anything, and people got conned out of $36,000 and in return got nothing.

"My argument is, what he did with Trump University is what he's trying to do now with America."

The excited crowd in Naples is a sign of the growing momentum of his candidacy, Rubio said, promising he will outwork his competitors over the next four days.

"It's what I've done my whole life," Rubio said. "You just chip and chip and chip until you get there."

After the stop in downtown Naples, Rubio stopped by a private fundraiser at the Port Royal home of former IBM executive Ned Lautenbach.
By Maryann Batlle of the Naples Daily News

Greg DeWitt and Jesse Purdon, rivals for the District 2 city council seat in Bonita Springs, live a few houses away from each other on the same street.

They've kept their competition neighborly, said DeWitt, 47, assistant chief of the Bonita Springs Fire Control & Rescue District.

"Me and him have a gentleman's agreement," DeWitt said. "We're not going to get down in the mud and start mud slinging."

Related: Watch editorial board interviews with all of the Bonita Springs and Naples candidates for mayor and council.

Dewitt is a good person, said Purdon, 34, who works in Rep. Curt Clawson's Collier County office. Aside from a little lawn sign war, they have refrained from antagonism, said Purdon.

"I'll buy him a beer when this is over," he said of DeWitt.

GREG DEWITT

There are three generations of DeWitts living in Bonita Springs.

There's Greg Dewitt and his wife, their two children  a 16-year-old daughter and a 26-year-old son  and their son's young child.

For Dewitt, that shows Bonita Springs can appeal to people of all ages.

But DeWitt is adamant the city has to reinvent itself a bit, particularly downtown, if it wants to draw a more diverse crowd and expand outside of its gated communities.

"We need to define ourselves. We are in a crossroads," DeWitt said. "I want to see a town that has young professionals, that keeps young professionals."

DeWitt said he has lived in Lee County since 1994. He graduated from Cypress Lakes High School in Fort Myers, where he met his wife. They married in 1988, and they moved to Bonita Springs that same year to be closer to her family and her father's produce store.

DeWitt joined the fire district full time in 1989. He moved up the ladder over the years to assistant chief. He's also served in the past as president of the fire district's union.

His career as a firefighter gave him the chance to meet Bonita Springs residents from all over the city. DeWitt, a chatty people person, said that's part of what makes his job fun.

"We want to be part of the community," DeWitt said. "So if someone sees me at Publix or at Rural King, or wherever, I want them to know I'm not unapproachable."

If elected to the city council, DeWitt said, he would keep his job at the fire district. That's not a conflict of interest because the fire district is a separate taxing entity than the city, he said.

"There's nothing that would preclude me from either job," DeWitt said

He's found out activism runs in his family. About ten years ago, DeWitt discovered a photo of his grandfather Charles Foltz with Ted Kennedy. Foltz, "a meat cutter," was involved with the AFL-CIO, a federation of labor unions, DeWitt said.

"It's kind of one of those things that's been in my blood, and I just never knew it," DeWitt said.

DeWitt has raised $4,545 as of Feb. 26, and his supporters include firefighter labor unions and a $500 donation from a political action committee, or PAC, named Bonita Springs Action Group.

So what would DeWitt do with a vote on the city council?

DeWitt promises Bonita Springs apolitical leadership that will push the city in its next stage.

"We're 16 years old right now. We're adolescents," DeWitt said. "We're hitting adulthood now. We need to become adults. We need to start figuring out what we really want to be in Bonita Springs."

JESSE PURDON

Purdon calls himself the "underdog."

So his strategy has been to knock on doors and use social media to his advantage, he said.

He even created a hashtag that he and his supporters use, prolifically, to flaunt their city: #BonitaProud.

"We are going to be the best city in the state," Purdon said. "I love an underdog."

His exuberance stems from the challenges he's overcome on his way to the city council election.

Purdon credits his adoptive parents with helping a curly-haired Latino kid, who spent years in Michigan's foster care system, grow up to launch a run for public office. He also thanks Bonita Springs.

"This community wrapped its arms around me and made me feel like I have a place and a home," Purdon said.

He has raised $8,500 as of Feb. 26, enough to repay the $1,000 loan he gave himself after he joined the race. His campaign has spent $4,574.16, according to records available online.

Purdon said he supports "government lite," local home rule and would fight at every meeting for the best interests of the people who live in District 2, a working and middle class slice of Bonita Springs that is largely without gated communities.

"I'm gonna hit the gas like I never have in my life," he said. "I'm a new kind of councilman."

Purdon said he and DeWitt diverge on what to do with land that is part of the Density Reduction Groundwater Resource area, known as the DRGR. Purdon opposes opening the DRGR to more construction, though he said he supports building the city's new high school on a property on Bonita Grande Drive.

"People can count on me to hold the line on the DRGR," Purdon said. "There is no appetite to develop out there."

His relationship with Clawson, who also opposes development on the DRGR, will not impact his votes on the city council, however.

"What (Clawson) is concerned about is that the folks down here aren't getting kicked around," Purdon said. "We don't really focus on city (level) issues."

As March 15 draws nearer, Purdon is not slowing down. Thursday, he was outside the early voting location with volunteers and signs. He said he feels good about his chances.

"This may be another one of those things in my life that I wasn't supposed to do, but I do."
SHARE

Collier County commissioners addressed a question posed by a local civic organization and agreed Tuesday they didn't want to go down a political "slippery slope."

Yet there's another slippery slope commissioners are poised to slide down, which deserves caution and public attention in the coming months.

The backdrop is the election season ahead and four of five County Commission seats up for grabs later this year. At the top of the slippery slope are Commissioners Georgia Hiller and Tom Henning, who have declared their intentions to run for another elected office.

During Tuesday's meeting, commissioners decided they couldn't support a request from the Collier Citizens Council to utilize county staff to record two upcoming campaign forums in Golden Gate and northeast Collier for candidates in commission districts, then show the forums on the county's government channel.

"I think it's a slippery slope," Commissioner Penny Taylor said. Other commissioners agreed that assigning staff members to record the forums would open the door to other such requests by groups and those would need to be treated equally. Airing County Commission political debates on the county's government channel isn't appropriate, it was suggested.

So commissioners decided to turn down the request. Good call. Minutes later, however, along came the other slippery slope of what may be perceived as political debates getting aired on the county's government channel  commission meetings themselves.

Henning vs. Hiller?

Henning took several shots at Hiller during two separate discussions of the County Commission's relationship with the Clerk of Courts Office. He wasn't alone in his criticism. Hiller has announced her intention in the fall elections to seek the office held by Clerk Dwight Brock.

During one discussion Tuesday, Hiller suggested Brock has a conflict of interest in his working relationship with county government because he manages a computer financial system while he also is responsible for auditing internal functions within that system. Hiller called for a fresh review of the county's management contract with Brock.

"If we talk about a conflict of interest, if you are going to run for Dwight Brock's seat, you have the biggest conflict up here," Taylor said to Hiller.

Later, when Hiller said she wanted to place the commission's contract with Brock on a future agenda, Henning called it "campaigning on the public dole."

If that's the case though, the perception also arises with Henning, who has declared his intention to seek a Greater Naples fire district board seat after he steps down as a county commissioner. During the same meeting, Henning stated his intention to bring up an issue that came to commissioners from a current Greater Naples fire board member and also touted his own work of being "very much involved" in fire plan review overhaul and how Greater Naples "is absolutely wiping out the floor" in county staff plan review time when compared with the North Collier fire district.

More of this?

Neither Hiller nor Henning is required to resign yet to seek the other offices, so there are months of service ahead for them as county commissioners. Commission Chairwoman Donna Fiala is also up for re-election. Taylor isn't up for election this year and Commissioner Tim Nance plans to leave public office.

It's improper for an elected official to use his or her current position to posture for an advantage in an upcoming election. Yet we'd also have to agree with Hiller's take that she and Henning remain duly elected to address the public's business, and issues such as the clerk's contract or fire plan review fall within their current responsibilities.

Fiala, the commission chairwoman who at one point during Hiller's and Henning's exchanges scolded them  "children," offered a sound solution. Any commissioner can put an item on a future agenda for discussion, Fiala noted.

We urge strict compliance with Fiala's approach. It creates an opportunity for anyone with a stake in the issue to come to the commission meeting to offer public comment. It also gives voters a way to keep track of whether a commissioner is misusing their current elected position for a future political advantage.
SHARE

Jack Quinn, Bonita Springs

Where are we going?

I just can't get over that the two people running on the Democratic ticket for president would use the likes of Al Sharpton and the Black Lives Matter Organization to obtain votes.

Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have asked for the backing of these knowing that they are against law enforcement in this country. Both are saying that law enforcement needs to be reformed  how about reforming the criminals to obey the laws?

When a police officer has to use deadly force against a person who is breaking the laws, there are riots and protests. When a police officer gets killed in the line of duty protecting our lives, there is only sorrow and a line of police officers paying respect in a long line, as was the case in Virginia as respect was given to police officer Ashley Guindon, who was killed the first day on the job. I guess all lives matter.

Whether you are in police, fire or an EMS service, I thank you for your service and say a quick prayer that you all return to your families after your shifts.
SHARE

Joseph Doyle, Naples

Wrong about Trump

It is quite clear that Americans on both sides of the political aisle are disenchanted with the insider politicians in D.C. and are expressing themselves at the ballot box this primary season.

Donald Trump has the GOP establishment biting their fingernails on the one hand and the conservatives threatening to sit on their hand(s) in November if he becomes the Republican nominee.

As a self-described conservative, I am also a realist. The GOP establishment has alienated the mainstream American voter, leaving the conservatives with a party in ruins. Trump has tapped into the disappointment of the average voter. He is welcoming them to the Big Tent and remaking the Republican Party in the process.

Love him or hate him, he is a successful man with a beautiful, upright family. Many of us are accustomed to his crass personality from watching the Apprentice. So, we know what we are getting, and it is much different from politics as usual.

This country needs to get back on track after straying away from our constitutional principles. Doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results is the definition of insanity.

Make America Great Again. Step No. 1: Retake the White House.
CONNECTICUT

HARTFORD

Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers promoted Mike Zammitti to chief investment officer of U.S. equity investments.

He succeeds Drew Williams, who retired from the company at the end of February after a 22-year career at Cornerstone.

Previously, Zammitti served as Cornerstone's deputy CIO, U.S. equity, having been appointed to this position in June 2015.

He joined Cornerstone in 1996 as a vice president of asset management and joined the acquisitions team the following year.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

WASHINGTON

Mayer Brown announced that a consumer financial services group of partners has joined the firm, representing a significant addition to its global financial services regulatory and enforcement practice.

The nationally recognized group, which will be based primarily in Mayer Brown's Washington office, is led by Laurence Platt, Phillip Schulman, Steven Kaplan, Melanie Brody and Jonathan Jaffe. All previously practiced at K&L Gates LLP.

The new consumer financial services group advises financial services companies  including banks, investment banks, private equity funds, hedge funds and mortgage companies  as well as various types of participants in the consumer credit and real estate finance arenas.

FLORIDA

SUNRISE

Hamilton Group Funding has appointed Kevin Dilday to the position of senior vice president-national production executive.

Dilday, who brings more than 20 years of mortgage banking and institutional lending leadership to his position, will initially oversee the company's growth and management in the U.S. Southeast and mid-Atlantic regions.

He joins Hamilton Group Funding after serving with Stonegate, Citibank, Bank of America and Countrywide.

IDAHO

IDAHO FALLS

Docutech has named Harry Gardner as its new executive vice president of e-strategies.

Bringing more than 16 years of industry experience to Docutech, Gardner most recently served as vice president of e-strategies at Ellie Mae.

Prior to Ellie Mae, he was president of SigniaDocs Inc., and also served as vice president of industry technology for the Mortgage Bankers Association.

ILLINOIS

GLENCOE

Exceleras, formerly Default Servicing Technologies, said that industry veteran Michael Harris has joined the firm and will serve as president and chief executive officer.

Harris previously owned his own quality assurance consulting firm Jennick LLC.

Before that he served as president of Carrington Property Services, president at Stewart Asset Recovery and vice president in charge of operations for First American REO Servicing.

MISSOURI

COLUMBIA

Providence Bank Mortgage has hired Ronna Tresslar as a mortgage banking officer.

Tresslar, who has over 13 years of lending experience, will be responsible for originating residential mortgage loans.

Her background includes loan processing, loan servicing and residential mortgage loan origination.

NEW YORK

NEW YORK

M&T Realty Capital Corp. has appointed Michael Edelman as program manager for its Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac lending platforms.

Edelman joins M&T Realty Capital Corp. with more than 25 years of mortgage banking experience.

His most recent appointment was at Meridian Capital Group, where he served as a senior managing director leading the group's national multifamily origination network.

Prior to this appointment, Edelman served as a senior vice president of production management at Beech Street Capital/Capital One Multifamily.

Are you a mortgage professional who recently changed jobs? Let us know! Send your announcement and photo (if available) to Glenn McCullom at glenn.mccullom@sourcemedia.com.
What the study shows

The actual reason for low HPV vaccine uptake

You have the right to choose

(NaturalNews) The first preventive HPV vaccine was approved by the FDA in 2006 and then marketed under the name of Gardasil by Merck & Co. After being tested for only 6 months , in 2007 the vaccine was fast-tracked in over 80 countries. By 2009, a similar vaccine called Cervarix was also approved in the United States.Here, a single dose of HPV vaccine costs more than $200, while a total of three doses is usually recommended. In just the first nine months of 2015, the Gardasil vaccine sold for $1.4 billion worldwide, while Cervarix brought in $72 million in sales. Nevertheless, it seems that current profits are not satisfactory for Merck and GlaxoSmithKline, who claim that their efforts to sell the vaccines are hindered by reluctant doctors A recent poll involving nearly 600 pediatricians and family practitioners showed that only 60% and, respectively, 59% of doctors are strongly recommending the HPV vaccine for girls aged 11 to 12. For boys of the same age, 52% of pediatricians and 41% of family practitioners strongly recommend the vaccine. Why?According to several Big Pharma-corrupted mainstream media sources , these doctors are not knowledgeable enough about the HPV vaccine. Apparently, they require a deeper understanding of why this vaccine is most effective on children aged 11 to 12, as well as guidance on how to better persuade parents into accepting it. As a result of their reluctance, the two companies that spent several years marketing the HPV vaccines are nowhere near their anticipated annual sales of $4 billion to $10 billion. "Unfounded" safety concerns and "inaccurate" web information are also to blame.What is conveniently omitted in this interpretation of the study is the fact that a staggering majority of medical professionals  84% of pediatricians and 75% of family practitioners  always discussed the HPV vaccine at the 1112-year wellness visit. Those doctors who discussed the HPV vaccine only occasionally or rarely were actually 3.4 times more likely to be concerned about its efficiency and waning immunity. They were also 2 to 8 times more likely to state that parents refuse the vaccine.As the recent poll clearly shows, it is hardly a want of knowledge that leads doctors to not recommend the HPV vaccine. On the contrary, they refuse to push the vaccine onto their patients mainly because they are concerned with its ineffectiveness, the damage it might cause and the parents' consent in the matter.Contrary to what mainstream media sources would have us believe, the parents who refuse to injure their children with the HPV vaccine do not base their decision on "unfounded" safety concerns. As the recently launched European Union investigation into the HPV vaccine shows, the side effects of this injection are very real. The investigation arrives after several years during which the desperate voices of thousands of parents throughout the world were quieted down.In the meantime, some of the girls who took the vaccine died , and others developed conditions that will require lifelong care, while one 16-year-old girl is now experiencing menopause.The investigation launched by the European Medicines Agency into the side effects of the HPV vaccine is a sign of hope for parents throughout the world. However, until the truth about this vaccine finally surfaces, you must acknowledge your right to choose in the matter.If you are a parent, you will most likely be pressured into giving your child a HPV vaccine. If you are not completely convinced about the effectiveness or safety of the vaccine, consider your consent carefully. In spite of what you might be told, you have the right to say no.
(NaturalNews) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has repeatedly denied a petition filed by environmental groups asking for better pesticide labeling. In March, Beyond Pesticides, the Center for Environmental Health, Physicians for Social Responsibility and other advocacy groups sued the EPA for failing to act on the petitions that were filed more than eight years ago.The 2006 petition requested that the EPA require the labeling of 374 inert chemicals on pesticide bottles that were considered hazardous under other EPA environmental laws. Pesticides manufacturers are only required to label active ingredients, despite the fact that some so-called inert ingredients are far more toxic than active ones.Take for example polyethoxylated tallowamine (POEA), an inert ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup that, when mixed with glyphosate, amplifies the toxic effect on human cells. A 2009 study published by the American Chemical Society concluded that POEA can kill human cells within 24 hours, especially embryonic, placental and umbilical cord cells.POEA was found to bethan glyphosate.Despite this research, the EPA denied the petition, and a California federal judge threw out the case in September. U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick ruled that the EPA had already complied with the plaintiff's terms when they agreed to remove 72 inert ingredients from their list of approved ingredients.Although a step in the right direction, the EPA's proposal is inadequate in many regards, including the fact that there are still more than 300 other potentially harmful inert ingredients still approved for use. And the chemicals targeted by the EPA's proposal aren't even being used as inert ingredients anymore, such as rotenone, turpentine oil and nitrous oxide, according toInstead of rulemaking, a process that the EPA says will be a "long, complex and resource-intensive activity," the agency says it's developed an "alternative strategy" that will reduce the risks linked to hazardous inert ingredients The EPA "will review inert ingredients currently listed for use in pesticides, update that list, establish criteria for prioritization, and select top candidate inert ingredients for further analysis and potential action."Green groups voiced disappointment with the outcome after waiting three years for an answer. "The agency had really been looking at good changes for progress on the issue and has now just backed off," said Carolyn Cox with the Center for Environmental Health.The EPA said they could not legally commit to any "particular outcome for rulemaking," reported U.S District Judge Orrick wrote:Environmental advocates say knowing what type of chemicals we are exposed to is important, and doctors having that information can save lives and provide better treatment to victims of pesticide poisoning."Because pesticides are something we are all exposed to every day, there are a lot of compelling reasons to know the ingredients," pressed Cox. "This has been an important, controversial issue for decades.... We are definitely not going away."
DARK Act 2.0 headed for the U.S. Senate

(NaturalNews) When Mike Pompeo (R-KS) and G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) introduced the "Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2014" to Congress, they were nefariously supported by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO).However, they didn't have the backing of the American people. The internet exploded with opposition against the bill. People participated in global marches, protesting against poison-promoting biotech bastards like Monsanto As soon as the bill was introduced, The Environmental Working Group (EWG) shone a light on its true intended purpose, and dubbed it the "Deny Americans the Right to Know" (DARK) Act. The bill tried to block the individual states from enacting their own GMO labeling laws . The bill sought to keep consumers in the dark by allowing biotech companies to continue masking their herbicides, pesticides and use of genetically modified organisms in the food supply.Now Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) has released a similar bill that is extremely reminiscent of the Dark Act. The bill not only seeks to stop states from requiring labeling of genetically engineered (GMO) foods, but also to stop any pending state GMO labeling laws from going into effect.Vermont was one of the courageous states to pass a food transparency law in 2015, calling on Big Food and Big Biotech to disclose the genetically modified ingredients in their food products. Vermont's progress could be halted if DARK Act version 2.0 takes effect.Why do Big Food and Big Biotech keep fighting against Americans' desire to know what they are putting in their bodies? If these genetically engineered ingredients and manipulations of nature are as safe as advertised, then why not be transparent about it all?Let people make informed choices. 64 other nations around the world require some form of GMO labeling , including places like Russia and China.If people don't know what's going into their bodies, how will the free market ever progress? When bills like the DARK Act are drafted, it becomes apparent that the federal government is owned by corporate demands. How will people ever be able to make a clear vote with their dollars if they don't know what the hell they are buying in the first place?Food companies use the excuse that it wouldto disclose GMO ingredients on the label, but that is such a sad excuse, because these corporations already waste millions of dollars lobbying the federal government to block GMO labeling!Over the first two quarters of 2015, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Kellogg's, Kraft, General Mills and Land O'Lakes disclosed $12.6 million on lobbying expenses for legislation that would stop state and federal GMO labeling . In the first half of 2015, trade associations, Big Food and Big Biotech all teamed up to spendto fight GMO labeling.It's important to know which products contain genetically modified ingredients so that consumers can avoid food that has been sprayed with glyphosate . Herbicides such as glyphosate, which destroy the microbiome and initiate disease processes in the body, should be avoided whenever possible. Glyphosate is now recognized as carcinogenic.If enough states get on board with GMO labeling laws, it would become inevitable that Big Food and Big Biotech lose their stranglehold on the American people. Instead of using millions of dollars to lobby for secrecy, they would have to use the money to create new labels that tell the public exactly what is in their products. As transparency comes, the people can then vote with their dollars whether they want to remain suppressed by agro-chemicals, or want to support more organic agriculture practices.The health of future generations hangs in the balance.
Zero scientific testing of product composition?

Just floored to learn that The Honest Company never even tested their own products

Stop buying The Honest Company products until they get their act straight

Hey Jessica Alba, here's what you need to start doing to rescue your brand from a face plant

(NaturalNews) As a food research scientist and author of an upcoming book called Food Forensics , I'm totally floored to discover that Jessica Alba's "Honest Company" failed to conduct scientific testing of the composition of their own manufacturing ingredients.Just WOW.Alba sits atop a corporation valued at $1.7 billion based mostly on her good looks, easy public relations victories with the mainstream media and the (empty) promise that her products completely avoided using toxic chemicals like SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate), a chemical frequently found in conventional detergents. But according to an expose published by the Wall Street Journal , Alba's own products are loaded with SLS. Click here for the SLS description at the Environmental Working Group website , which lists SLS as a "low" concern for overall health. By the way, in my view as an active laboratory scientist, SLS is nowhere near the top of my list of concerning chemicals. SLS is probably 1/10000th the toxicity of BPA, in my opinion, and I personally wouldn't care about a little SLS in The Honest Company's products. But the point is that Alba promised the whole world her products were free of this chemicals... and they clearly aren't. So it's an integrity problem, a marketing problem and a shattering of the public trust. But it's not necessarily really an urgent health problem, in my view.How much SLS was found in Alba's products, exactly? According to this article on Fortune.com A little more digging reveals that Alba's supplier never even tested their own materials for SLS. As the LA Times reports: Woah! Hold the presses! So Jessica Alba's $1.7 billion companyAs a food scientist who routinely tests everything we sell at the Natural News Store for toxic heavy metals -- and by the way we reject a huge number of samples we acquire from various sources -- I can only characterize the "Honest Company" business practices asHow on Earth can this "Honest Company" claim to be selling products that are free of chemical ingredientsAre The Honest Company's executives really so gullible that they believe whatever their suppliers tell them? Seriously? Everybody in this industry knows that, and that's even more true when those suppliers are located in communist China. (Where do you really think Alba's chemical ingredients come from, anyway?)Perhaps Alba is too naive, too young or too inexperienced to even be in this business. If you're going to slap the name "Honest Company" across your corporation, then you'd better actually conduct the scientific testing of the composition of your "honest" products. If you fail to do this, you're just being totallyIt makes you wonder what other toxic chemicals are now lurking in The Honest Company's products, doesn't it? Apparently this company hasn't even been testing their products for all these chemicals. So it's a pretty safe assumption thatThey honestly have no idea what they're really selling, in other words.As of today, I'm announcing aunless and until they start conducting rigorous scientific testing of the composition of its products -- for each production lot! -- and starts making those test results available online. There is NO EXCUSE for a $1.7 billion corporation to not cover the relatively low costs of composition testing for their products.In fact, I'm going to start testing The Honest Company products in my own lab. We've just added an organic chemistry section which can detect SLS at parts per billion concentrations, and it's organizations like ours that need to keep these "honest" companies truly honest.Oh, and just in case you weren't already spooked about The Honest Company,is reporting that Alba's corporate executives have been furiously editing their website during the WSJ investigation. Via the WSJ:So what's the solution for all this?If The Honest Company wants to call me for advice, I'll tell them exactly what they need to do. I run a high-end analytical laboratory that now includes a cutting-edge organic chemistry department with LC/MS-TOF instrumentation. We can detect SLS, BPA, BPS, solvents, chemical additives, phytochemicals, pesticides and much more.The Honest Company, after now being caught lying to its customer base, needs to announce a new science initiative, comprehensive analytical testing of every production lot across their entire product line, and the public posting of composition results for all the chemicals they claim to be avoiding.As a scientist, I want to know:1) What is the actual ppb of these chemicals in The Honest Company's products?2) What lab did they use to conduct the testing? And what instrumentation and methodologies did those labs use?3) What is the country of origin for the product ingredients?And if I were a customer of The Honest Company, I'd be... followed by demanding the company start conducting routine scientific testing of its products and posting the results online.By the way, if you want to know the full truth about what's in your food -- really, the HONEST truth -- you can now preorder my groundbreaking new book Food Forensics , available now at Amazon.com and BN.
When Anthony Smith walked away from Hunters Point four years ago, he carried a secret with hima secret involving radiation, deception and a government contractor.

For the first time last November, the former radiation control technician revealed to the Investigative Unit the tactics he said his supervisors used to conceal radiation on Hunters Point. The 800-acre former Superfund site is slated for parks, shops and homes.

Smith said what he witnessedand what he didcalls into question claims that Hunters Point has been properly cleaned up and does not pose a public health hazard. For decades on Hunters Point, the Navy operated a radiological defense laboratory and decontaminated ships exposed to nuclear weapons tests.

[GALLERY]Photos: Cleaning Up Hunters Point Naval Shipyard

Pasadena-based company Tetra Tech won $300 million in Navy contracts to oversee the cleanup of radiation. Smith said the company repeatedly cut corners to save money. In an interview with NBC Bay Area, Smith claimed Tetra Tech supervisors:

Ordered him to replace potentially contaminated soil samples with clean soil samples.

Instructed him to dump potentially contaminated soil into open trenches across Hunters Point.

Forced him to sign falsified documents that were later submitted to the government.

Tampered with computer data that analyzed radiation levels.

He said he decided to speak out to clear my name, make everything right and let people know what really happened.

Tetra Tech has ignored multiple interview requests to discuss claims made by Smith and concerns raised by the state health department and whistleblowers in a series of NBC Bay Area investigations dating back to 2014.

An onsite supervisor told the Investigative Unit that inquires about Tetra Tech must go through the Navy, but the Navy has also declined interview requests. A Navy spokesman said the agency hired another contractor to provide extra quality control at Hunters Point.

Switching Soil Samples and Dumping Soil into Trenches

Smith left his Georgia home in 2002 and worked on and off at Hunters Point as a radiation control technician until 2012. As part of his job, he collected soil samples. That soil was then surveyed to determine contamination levels.

Smith said beginning in 2009, his supervisors began instructing him to get rid of contaminated soil samples and replace them with clean soil samples. He said the switching of the soil samples often took place out of public view, inside large Conex bins located around the job site. He estimates hundreds of samples had been switched.

I didnt like it because it wasnt right, Smith said. Thats not the way it was supposed to be done.

Smith believes multiple locations across Hunters Point may still be contaminated with radiation.

Former radiation control technician Anthony Smith collected soil samples on Hunters Point, including underneath a building referred to as Building 351A. The building used to house the Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory. The soil underneath the building had been cleaned up, but Smith says he discovered a soil sample contaminated with radiation even after the building had been remediated. He says...

He said he collected soil samples underneath a structure referred to as building 351A, which once housed part of the Navys radiological lab. He recalls a sample tested positive for radium, an element linked to bone cancer.

When I took a sample it came back hot, he said, and they made me get rid of it.

Smith said the building should have been remediated after he found a hot soil sample, but he questions whether crews subsequently cleaned up the contamination. He said remediating the area would have taken more time and money.

The California Department of Public Health also questioned the cleanup of building 351A. In December the department ordered the structure to be retested. The state reported that no contamination was found. Health officials confirmed Tetra Tech conducted the retesting.

Smith said his supervisors directed him to dump the discarded, potentially contaminated soil into trenches that have since been covered or paved. Smith said there is no way to know what the contamination levels are in the trenches without retesting the soil. He said as far as he can tell, Tetra Tech did not test the trenches after they were backfilled.

Falsified Documents and Data

Smith also said Tetra Tech fabricated documents called Chain of Custody forms, which are supposed to document where and when Smith took soil samples and certify that the samples stayed under his control. He said sometimes his bosses would fill out the forms instead.

I never got to see them until the end of the day when all I done was sign my name and put the date, Smith said.

He said he also watched Tetra Tech supervisors change computer data that detailed radiation readings, a practice he considers to be fraud. Smith said if his bosses thought a radiation level was too high, they would knock it down to a lower level.

Smith said he repeatedly raised concerns to Tetra Tech but that the response was always the samehe could go home if he didnt like the companys tactics. Smith said he needed the job so he stuck it out.

I really didnt have nowhere else to go work if I didnt stay here, Smith said. I tell you one thing, when I came out here I was healthy and when I left I had high blood pressure. Very high. Thats how much it ate at me.

Internal Tetra Tech Report

Smiths contract expired in 2012. He put Hunters Point behind him until the Investigative Unit contacted him about an internal Tetra Tech report produced in April 2014. In it, the company admitted to the mishandling of soil samples and submitting falsified data to the Navy.

Tetra Tech came up with multiple theories, but could not definitively conclude how or why soil samples were switched and data was falsified. In the report, the company blamed the sample collectors on the chain of custody forms including Smith. He believes the company made him its scapegoat.

They were blaming me for something [they] were telling me to do every day, Smith said.

According to Tetra Techs report, the company disciplined two supervisors, conducted ethical training and resurveyed and remediated the areas identified in the report. In February, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission found Tetra Tech may have violated an NRC requirement and is now considering enforcement action.

Smith believes the company failed to identify and retest other questionable locations on the site. He worries the health of people who will work, play and live at Hunters Point may be at stake. He said the cleanup cant be trusted.

Its not good and its not right, Smith said.

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A San Francisco police sergeant who arrested a former deputy public defender in the Hall of Justice, which was caught on video, was found to have wrongly arrested her.

But that finding, released by the San Francisco Public Defenders Office on Friday, actually ended up further frustrating Jami Tillotson, who was placed into handcuffs on Jan. 27, 2015 as she was talking to a client in the halls of the San Francisco courthouse. Her colleague took video of the bizarre arrest, and by Friday, the YouTube clip had been viewed more than 1.5 million times.

Im concerned and discouraged, said Tillotson, who has since left the public defenders office for private practice. There was a huge delay in getting a response, and the police department didnt offer any more training or take him off the street.

San Franciscos police watchdog agency, the Office of Citizen Complaints, issued their findings about two unwarranted actions by Sgt. Brian Stansbury in December, about a year after she filed a complaint. The watchdog group also noted several departmental policy and training failures. Several other allegations relating to the incident were either not sustained, found to be proper conduct, or there was no finding

But to this date, Tillotson said she has no idea whether Stansbury had been disciplined. She has heard that he went right back to the streets. San Francisco police officer Albie Esparza said "this is a personnel matter," and referred all questions to the Office of Citizen Complaints.

Inez Vargas Frenkel, senior staff attorney of the watchdog group, said she was prohibited by law to talk about specifics. Regarding the seemingly long timeframe, she said simply: "Many cases have unique challenges."

Tillotson was arrested for allegedly obstructing police after she questioned why officers were photographing her client and another man outside a courtroom at the San Francisco Hall of Justice. She was led to the police station and handcuffed to a bench for an hour before being released. The district attorney declined to file charges.

Since then, Tillotson also decided to sue San Francisco and the police department alleging constitutional violation of rights. The high-profile Tony Serra law firm is handling the case.

Public Defender Jeff Adachi said that Tillotsons arrest is just one in a string of national incidents where public defenders faced disrespect and in some incidents, violence.

Last June, a Florida judge challenged and engaged in a physical fight with a veteran public defender after the public defender refused to waive his clients right to a speedy trial. Also last year, a Mississippi judge permanently banned a public defender from his courtroom for her zealous representation and announced he would reassign all of her cases to private attorneys against the clients wishes and in violation of their 6th Amendment right to counsel.

This week, a district attorney investigator in Orange County beat a defense attorney bloody after the defense attorney scored a court victory against the district attorneys office in the ongoing jailhouse snitch scandal.

Public defenders represent people with little money and even less power, Adachi said. It is contempt for the poor that results in routine disrespect of public defenders. In the face of this contempt, Jami never wavered in her duty to her client. Thats because the right to counsel is a shield to protect ordinary citizens from intimidation.


As Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump attempts to unify a fractured GOP around his candidacy, images of his supporters attacking protesters and allegations that he's inciting violence are casting new attention on the divisive nature of his candidacy.

Trump had to answer questions at Thursday night's GOP debate about video that showed a supporter punching a protester at a rally this week in North Carolina. It was the latest in a string of scuffles at his often heated rallies, at which protesters frequently clash with supporters and security.

Trump rejected the idea that he was responsible for the incidents and allegations he sets a tone at his rallies that encourages violence.

"I hope not. I truly hope not," Trump said, explaining that his debates draw thousands of people who are filled with emotion.

"People come with tremendous passion and love for the country," he said. "When they see what's going on in this country, they have anger that's unbelievable."

Trump will hold a pair of rallies on Friday in two states that vote next Tuesday. The first in St. Louis at the city's Peabody Opera House, the second at an arena at the University of Illinois at Chicago  a civil and immigrant rights organizing hub with large minority student populations.

Trump's visit has already created waves on the campus. Dozens of UIC faculty and staff petitioned university administrators to cancel the rally, citing concerns it would create a "hostile and physically dangerous environment" for students. Chicago police plan a heavy presence.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, student activists and longtime Chicago organizers are all planning to protest outside the university venue over issues that include what they called Trump's disparaging comments, particularly about Muslims and Mexicans.

"Donald Trump's campaign, it incites hatred and violence with the things he says with marginalized groups that are very prevalent UIC," said Casandra Rebledo, a 19-year-old nursing student. "This is something we feel is a form of empowerment."

Gutierrez said he had no plans to enter the event. Instead, he would rally in a parking lot outside with a message focused on welcoming all.

"We're not going to let Donald Trump take us back to the 1950s," said Gutierrez, a Chicago Democrat, who has long rallied for immigrant rights. "We've worked too hard."

Organizers of a student-led group, who expected hundreds of participants, planned to meet on campus and march to the arena where Trump will speak and set up shop in a nearby parking lot. Members of Black Lives Matter Chicago, which has held largely peaceful smaller protests following a police-involved shooting in Chicago, also planned to participate.

Chicago police said they were coordinating with the Secret Service, university police and fire department officials on logistics

"People can expect to see a very visible police presence," police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.

The renewed attention on Trump's rallies comes after a white Trump supporter was charged with assault Thursday after video showed him hitting a black man being escorted out of the venue by sheriff's deputies at a campaign rally Wednesday in North Carolina. Last year, video captured Trump supporters physically assaulting Mercutio Southall Jr., an African-American activist, at a rally in Birmingham, Alabama.

At past events, Trump has said he'd like to punch a protester in the face and promised to pay supporters' legal fees if they get into trouble. During Wednesday night's rally in North Carolina, he recalled a past protester, "a real bad dude."

"He was a rough guy and he was punching. And we had some people - some rough guys like we have right in here - and they started punching back," Trump said. "It was a beautiful thing."

In an interview broadcast Thursday on MSNBC, Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton said she was "truly distraught and even appalled by a lot of what I see going on, what I hear being said."

"You know, you don't make America great by, you know, dumping on everything that made America great," she said, "like freedom of speech and assembly and, you know, the right of people to protest."
A crowd waiting for Donald Trump to speak Friday erupted after the presidential front-runner postponed his rally at the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion over safety concerns.

"Mr. Trump just arrived in Chicago and after meeting with law enforcement has determined that for the safety of tens of thousands of people that have gathered in and around the arena, tonight's rally will be postponed until another date," an announcer said. "Thank you very much for your attendance and please go in peace."

Chicago Police brawl with protesters outside UIC Pavilion after Trump cancels rally. Sky 5 reports.

The crowd burst into shouts and cheers, and some scuffles broke out in the minutes after the announcement was made. Some people could be seen yelling at each other or making vulgar gestures; multiple punches were thrown. A man who took the podium was escorted away by officers.

People could be heard chanting "Trump" shortly after. The protests spread to the streets around the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion, where a group of people were seen stopping cars.

At a Friday evening press conference, Chicago Police said five people were arrested amid the chaos. Additionally, two CPD officers were injured  both non life-threatening -- though one officer was struck on the head by a bottle.

Jedidiah Brown was removed from the stage at the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion Friday after Donald Trump canceled his rally at the arena.

Trump told MSNBC shortly after the announcement that he thought it was the "right thing to do under the circumstances."

"My decision is: I just dont want to see people hurt We can come back and do it another time," he said.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel released a statement thanking police for their work during the protests.

For all of us who cherish the ideals upon which our country was founded, the hateful, divisive rhetoric that pits Americans against each other demeans our democratic values and diminishes our democratic process," Emanuel said. "I want to thank the men and women of the Chicago Police Department for their hard work tonight in unexpected circumstances, and their continued commitment to protecting peoples first amendment rights.

A Trump rep announces the Republican presidential candidate is postponing his UIC rally.

The scenes brought reproach from Trump's presidential rival, Sen. Ted Cruz. Outside a dinner for Illinois Republicans, Cruz said Trump "bears a responsibility for creating" the kind of environment seen at the rally, and that its escalating is "the predictable consequence."

Tensions were high even before the rally began.

Protesters were already being escorted out of the UIC Pavilion an hour before the rally was scheduled to begin. Three attendees wearing shirts that read "Muslims United Against Trump" and "Make America Hate Again" were removed from the venue as protesters gathered inside and outside the pavilion.

Crowds shouted as the protesters were escorted out before several people in the audience began repeatedly chanting "U-S-A." It was not immediately clear why the three were removed from the event.

[NATL-CHI] Trump, Sanders, Cruz Visit Chicago Area

Another man was seen being taken out of the venue as some chanted "let him stay."

Inside the rally, an announcement could be heard telling the crowd to "not touch or harm the protesters."

"Mr. Trump will continue his right of free speech in America," the announcer said. "As a matter of fact, he supports the First Amendment just as much as he supports the Second Amendment. However, some people have taken advantage of Mr. Trumps hospitality by choosing to disrupt his rallies by using them as an opportunity to promote their own political messages. While they certainly have their right to free speech, this is a private rally paid for by Mr. Trump."

The announcer also told supporters at the rally if they see a protester, they can notify law enforcement by placing a rally sign over their head and chanting "Trump, Trump, Trump."

Supporters of Trump began lining up at the building before sunrise Friday.

The GOP front-runner was scheduled to speak at the schools pavilion at 6 p.m., with doors opening at 3 p.m. The first person in line to wait for a spot at the free event arrived at 3 a.m. The arena seats 9,500, though it's not clear how many are set to attend the rally.

Supporters of Donald Trump began lining up at University of Illinois-Chicago before sunrise Friday, hours before a rally that also was expected to draw protesters. NBC 5s Phil Rogers reports.

More than 10,000 officially RSVPd that they will be going to the university to protest the event.

Ahead of Trumps Chicago campaign stop, more than 50,000 people signed a moveon.org petition in an attempt to get the event canceled, saying it has no place in Chicago, especially not at an institution of higher learning." Protesters cited the Republicans stance on immigration, his calls to bring back torture tactics on alleged terrorists, and a recent endorsement from white supremacist David Duke.

Trump is known for drawing large rallies where protesters frequently clash with supporters and security, but during Thursday nights GOP debate he argued that he was not responsible for the incidents.

I hope not. I truly hope not, he said. "People come with tremendous passion and love for the country. When they see what's going on in this country, they have anger that's unbelievable."

As fury over Trumps appearance grew, the school's chancellor, Michael Amiridis addressed the students' concerns, clarifying that the school was "not endorsing, sponsoring or supporting any candidate for political office." Rather, it was continuing its tradition of hosting campaign events on campus, and candidates could not be excluded "because of the views he or she expresses."

Local politicians have also pledged to protest the rally, including Ald. Ray Lopez (15th Ward) and Congressman Luis Guitierrez.

Illinois presidential primary will be held March 15.
Donald Trump postponed his Chicago rally for safety concerns after thousands of protesters and supporters gathered inside the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion Friday.

"Mr. Trump just arrived in Chicago and after meeting with law enforcement that for the safety of tens of thousands of people that have gathered in and around the arena, tonight's rally will be postponed until another date," an announcer said. "Thank you very much for your attendance and please go in peace."

Donald Trump postponed his Chicago rally for safety concerns after thousands of protesters and supporters gathered inside the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion Friday.

The crowd erupted in shouts and cheering and some scuffles broke out in the minutes after the announcement.

Shortly after, Trump spoke with MSNBC saying he met with law enforcement for about a half hour before the event.

I think it was the right thing to do under the circumstances," he said. However, CPD said in a statement after the interview the department had not advised Trump's campaign to cancel the rally and did not issue any public safety threats or safety risks.

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Trump also noted there was a high demand for people to attend the rally.

Weve had by far the biggest rallies. We had over 25,000 people wanting to come today," he said. "We have had very little protest and weve had nobody hurt."

He also addressed concerns surrounding protesters at the event.

"You cant even have a rally in a major city in this country anymore without violence, or the potential of violence. Thats why we called it off," he said. "My decision is: I just dont want to see people hurt We can come back and do it another time."

[NATL-CHI] Trump, Sanders, Cruz Visit Chicago Area

The Republican presidential front-runner was scheduled to speak at the arena at 6 p.m., with doors opening at 3 p.m. The first person in line to wait for a spot at the free event arrived at 3 a.m. The arena seats 9,500.

Chicago Police said Friday night five people were arrested amid the chaos that erupted following the announcement. Additionally, two CPD officers were wounded  both with non life-threatening injuries.

A Trump rep announces the Republican presidential candidate is postponing his UIC rally.

Trump, who owns Chicago's massive Trump Tower, has been a divisive figure throughout the presidential election cycle. He has called for the construction of a wall between the U.S. and Mexico and for the cessation of Muslim immigration to the country.

Trump leads the Republican field after recently scoring primary victories in Hawaii, Michigan and Mississippi Tuesday.

Trump's campaign focuses largely on job creation and finances. He declared during his presidential announcement last June that he would be "the greatest jobs president God ever created."

In the latest Republican debate Thursday, Trump refused to "stoop to being politically correct" and avoid making statements such as "Islam hates the West." He also delcared that he would "not touch Social Security" and would "leave it the way it is."

Last month, Trump went after the Ricketts family, who own the Chicago Cubs, in a tweet accusing the family of donating money to campaigns to prevent him from winning the Republican nomination.

I hear the Rickets [sic] family, who own the Chicago Cubs, are secretly spending [money] against me, Trump tweeted. They better be careful, they have a lot to hide!

Marlene Ricketts, the familys matriarch, donated $3 million to Our Principles Political Action Committee last month.

Last week, the PAC release two TV ads questioning Trumps racial sensitivity and business practices.

Trump currently holds 459 pledged delegates. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz holds 360 pledged delegates, while Florida Sen. Marco Rubio holds 152 and Ohio Gov. John Kasich holds 54.

Illinois' Republican presidential primary will be held on March 15.
What was supposed to be a quick lunchtime errand for a Sycamore woman recently turned into a much longer ordeal, which she says left her shocked and disappointed by one of her favorite retailers.

"I felt like Big Brother was watching!" Linda Hallstrom told NBC5 Responds.

Hallstrom headed to Carsons with a few baby outfits to returnthe result of a failed guess for this grandma. Her intuition said boy, but the ultrasound said otherwise. So she went back to the store to return the boyish outfits, and grab a few pink ones.

However, she never got past the return counter.

"So, I said, here's some baby outfits I need to return because I'm going to buy some little girl things," Hallstrom said.

With tags on the items and receipts in hand, this self-proclaimed loyal Carsons shopper said what happened next left her blindsided.

"Out of the register came a slip that said, 'returns denied, I said to the cashier, what is this? I have never seen a slip like that before, and she said, Oh, we're getting a lot of them lately, Hallstrom said.

That slip not only prevented her from making the returns at hand, it also declared Linda Hallstrom ineligible for other returns for two months. Certain it was a mistake, Hallstrom says she asked for clarification- and neither the clerk nor the manager could help.

"She says, well, I can't explain it. You're just going to have to do it as it says, Hallstrom said.

The slip said a California company named The Retail Equation was behind the decision to sideline Hallstrom from returns. TRE, which did not return our call for comment, works with companies to cut down on return fraud. That type of fraud is a major problem for retailersbut not remotely close to what Linda Hallstrom says she was doing that day. Her request for clarification, she says, got her nowhere.

"They simply said I had returned too many items in a period that dated approximately from 2009," she told NBC5 Responds.

When we asked Carsons parent company for more details, a spokesperson told us the company would immediately lift the restriction on Linda Hallstrom, and offered the following statement:

Regarding your questions on this matter, we would like to state that our return policy is displayed on signs next to each of our registers, is printed on the back of our receipts, and is also on our website in the assistance section. The current policy has been in place for nearly two years. The policy itself states, among other things, that "we reserve the right to limit returns or exchanges regardless of receipt."

Like many other retailers, we place a variety of conditions or restrictions on returns that we feel make sense for the cost-effective management of our business. As these conditions and restrictions are applied via computer systems and programs using complex algorithms, on a rare occasion the results might appear problematic. We regret any frustration or inconvenience Linda Hallstrom might have experienced and look forward to serving her in the future.

We thank you for the opportunity to share our perspective in this matter.

Her retail timeout lifted, the Sycamore grandmother says the experience changed her mind about where she will go next to buy those little pink outfits.

"It made me feel tacky, unappreciated, and so what good is loyalty?" Hallstrom asked.
Rapper 50 Cent tweeted a photo that he deemed "court approved" a day after appearing in court for bankruptcy.

"My guess is this image is court approved. #EFFENVODKA," the rapper tweeted on Thursday.

My guess is this image is court approved.#EFFENVODKA pic.twitter.com/4zBpABwe2J  50cent (@50cent) March 10, 2016

A bankruptcy court official on Wednesday urged a federal judge in Connecticut to order an independent review of the rapper's assets, after questions were raised about his financial reporting and photos of him with piles of cash were posted online.

The grammy-winning rapper, whose name is Curtis Jackson III, was ordered by Judge Ann Nevins in Hartford to appear at Wednesday's hearing to explain photos he posed on his Instagram page last year. The pictures showed Curtis sitting on the ground with piles of money arranged to spell out "broke" and stacks of cash piled on his bed and in a refrigerator.



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Nevins told Jackson she was "concerned" about how seriously he took the bankruptcy process.



He did not answer her but his lawyers explained the pictures were his "marketing strategy" to continue to get endorsements and roles in films and TV.



She said she would take their explanations "under advisement."

On his Instagram page after the hearing, Jackson posted a photo of himself with a bag of M&M's and wads of what appears to be cash tucked halfway in the front of his pants. He wrote, "I went to court today and all I felt was love. They asked me about money I said I ain't got none, but if you want some m&m's here ya go."

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCv9PT4sL9G/

Jackson's lawyers said in court documents that the bankruptcy filing was the result of several factors, mainly a $17 million verdict against him in 2014 in a legal dispute over headphone products and a $7 million verdict against him last year in a lawsuit filed by a woman who said he posted her sex tape online without her permission.
Two young children were removed from a Woodstock home on Thursday when police raided the residence and found a cache of guns and drugs within six feet of a toddlers crib, according to state police.

This bust was part of a year-long drug investigation in Massachusetts and Connecticut that resulted in eight search warrants and 11 arrests, according to police in Worcester, Massachusetts.

State police said Victor Perez-Carrasquillo, 31 of 442 Eastford Road, was suspected of storing, processing and selling narcotics from his home and members of the Troop D Quality of Life Task Force, the Statewide Narcotics Task Force - East Office, state troopers from Troop D, members of the Massachusetts State Police and of the Worcester Police Department, and the Hartford DEA Field Office raided the home at 6 a.m. on Thursday.

It was part of an investigation into trafficking of crack cocaine, powder cocaine and heroin.

When police went into the house, Perez-Carrasquillo, Luis Diaz-Rivera, 32, Arelis Lacen, 24, as well as a 5-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy were inside.

A search led police to find 200 grams of heroin, around 1,265 kilograms of crack cocaine, approximately 1,021 grams of powder cocaine and approximately $80,000 in cash, according to state police.

Police also found seven firearms, one of which had been stolen from Sutton, Massachusetts.

They seized four pistols, two modified AR-15 assault rifles, one .22 caliber rifle, two 30-round 5.56 high-capacity magazines for the AR-15 rifles and several rounds of ammunition of various calibers.

Police also seized several cell phones, two digital scales, two drug grinders, a heat sealer, a large quantity of plastic packaging materials and a large container of a cutting agent and drug notes.

"Many cops in bullet proof vests, with what looked like semi-automatics rushing in, right at dawn. It was still quite dark and saw flashlights shining out the windows, said Ken Wolslegel, who lives directly across the street.

Police noted that all the guns and drugs seized were found within six feet of the toddlers crib and would have been easily obtainable for both children.

Police said they followed the drug endangered child protocol and called a state Department of Children and Families employee to the scene, who removed both children from the home.

DCF is investigating and has custody of the children for 96 hours.

Perez-Carrasquillo, Diaz-Rivera and Lacen were arrested and charged with possession of narcotics, possession of narcotics with intent to sell more than one kilogram, operation of a drug factory, two counts of risk of injury to a minor, two counts of possession of an assault weapon, two counts of possession of a high-capacity magazine and criminal negligent storage of a firearm.

They appeared in Danielson Superior Court today, where bond for Diaz-Rivera was set at $250,000 and a new court date of April 29 was set.

Bond for Lacen was set at $350,000 and a court date of April 29 was set and bond for Perez-Carrasquillo was set at $350,000. He was placed on mental health watch and a court date of April 22 was set.

Officials said the market value of the heroin is around $78,000 and is sold on the street for $60 to $150 per a gram.

The market value of the cocaine is around $35,000 to $40,000 and is sold on the street for around $60 to $100 per gram and the market value for the crack is between $35,000 and $45,000 and is sold on the street for around $100 for a gram.

Neighbors said the people who live in the house are renters who are noisy, blast loud music and are disrespectful.

It wasnt a quiet neighborhood anymore. Youd come home and theyd have their music blazing as loud as they could and then theyd had parties from time to time. The music would be extremely loud, you could hear it in every room of our house. It was very unpleasant for what seemed like about 8 months, Wolslegel said.

Worcester police said authorities simultaneously raided properties in Worcester, Mass, Oxford, mass and Auburn, Mass., in addition to the Woodstock home.

[HAR] Woodbury Drug Bust

In all, police seized more than 200 grams of cocaine, more than 200 grams of heroin, 11 firearms, 10 vehicles and approximately $75,000 cash.

"These arrests and seizures of narcotics, firearms and suspected drug profits will deliver a significant blow to the cocaine and heroin trade in Worcester and the surrounding region, Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of Massachusetts State Police, said in a news release. Today's operation and the investigation that preceded it is a model for interagency cooperation.
Fireman Jason Martinez recently returned to work after being badly burned and injured in the same fire that killed firefighter Kevin Bell.

"You're never promised tomorrow and that's one of the things I realized and I'm taking advantage of life as it goes," Martinez said.

It has been a long fight back but Martinez was determined to be reunited with the Hartford Fire Department which he's called home for nearly a decade.

Martinez admits he's a changed man after surviving that devastating blaze in Oct. 2014. Not only did the fire leave Martinez in rough shape, it claimed the life of fellow fireman Kevin Bell.

"Physically, I've come a long way and I feel a lot better as time went off," Martinez said. "And now, I feel pretty much 100 percent."

At a quick glance, someone wouldn't be able to tell the procedures that were done to treat Martinez's burns.

"It's a skin graft," Martinez said. "They took it from my right thigh and they placed the skin there."

The 30-year-old spent nearly a month hospitalized at the Bridgeport Burn Center suffering from burns covering 10 percent of his body.

"Burns to (the) back of my neck, as well as surgery to remove of the cysts on (the) burn as well," Martinez said.

He was knocked unconscious and fell from a second story window.

The fire department allowed him to speak to the Troubleshooters on the condition he couldn't talk specifics from the day or about the loss of Bell, all based on the city's ongoing litigation.

But Martinez was able to elaborate on his training.

"My training even going back in and coming out of the building, the training just reverts back to you and it's like a light switch."

And for two and a half weeks of his hospital stay, Martinez was sedated before he finally woke up.

"Just glad to be alive," Martinez said. "But, just knowing I missed two weeks of my life, it was kind of tough at first."

It would take more than 15 months and three surgeries along with intensive amount of physical therapy every week before coming back.

"It was tough at first, I'm very independent to have others try and assist me," Martinez said. "I was more hesitant but the physical therapy helped me out."



After the whole experience, he said he wants to just focus on the future.

"I feel like I did what I had to do at the time, and I think I did the right thing as well. It's unfortunate things turned out the way they did."

The firefighter said he'll always be grateful for his nurses, doctors, a supportive family, fellow firefighters and the community.

"It helped me a lot. I received a lot of notes and letters from all over the country," Martinez said "It's definitely a brother, and sister hood, so I definitely want to thank them all for that. Want to thank them all for their support."
A man and a woman from Florida are accused of scamming two elderly Connecticut residents into letting them into their homes and then stealing from them.

Farmington police started investigating when the neighbor of a 96-year-old woman on Main Street reported that a man and woman were soliciting to do some tree work and appeared to have forced their way into the neighbors house.

Police detained Virginia Demetro, 44, and Steve Nichols, 47, both of Fort Lauderdale, who are accused of telling the victim that her roof was leaking and she needed to have some tree work done, then stealing $340 from the womans purse when they got into her house.

Demetro and Nichols also had some credit cards from an elderly Simsbury resident and that victim told police that Demetro and Nichols had pulled a similar scam on her earlier in the day.

The Simsbury victim was also missing some jewelry, which has not been located.

Demetro and Nichols were arrested and charged with second-degree burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary in the second degree, sixth-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit larceny in the sixth degree, criminal attempt to commit larceny in the second degree and conspiracy to commit larceny in the second degree.

Both are in police custody, where they are on medical watch.

Neither has ties to Connecticut. and they told their public defenders they've only been here a few days.

Authorities said Demetro has no record, but Nichols s been arrested in four states.

Farmington police said Simsbury police will be applying for arrest warrants for the incident there.
A proposal to commission a state funded independent study of a third casino was the major topic in the General Assembly's Commerce Committee Thursday.



Rep. Chris Perone, (D - Norwalk) wants to see a study that hasn't been bankrolled by tribes that already operate gambling facilities in the state. He says some key questions haven't been adequately answered.



The question is does Connecticut have a handle on what the impact of starting new industries is going to be, relative to whether the market is saturated and that kind of thing," he said during the meeting.



The chairmen of the Mohegan and Mashantuckett Pequot Tribes argued they've already conducted a study that concluded that the casino being built by MGM in Springfield could "devastate" the gaming industry in Connecticut, taking with it as many as 9,000 jobs. Their study showed a third facility would protect most existing positions at Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods, while creating 6,000 more, and adding more than $300 million in gaming revenue.



"We are Connecticut based tribes with reservations that will be in this state forever" said Kevin Brown, Chairman of the Mohegan Tribe. "We are business interested, but we are business interested in the state of Connecticut unlike any other business that might come in and purport that they have a better idea."



Brown called the prospect of another study, a "diversion."



MGM commissioned its own study that concluded a casino would be best suited in Southwestern Connecticut.



MGM filed a lawsuit in Hartford Federal Court this week along with the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation, challenging the legality of the process that allows the existing federally recognized tribes to search for a site of tribal land.



Their attorneys contend the rules and laws are different now that Connecticut is authorizing a casino off of reservation lands.



Chief Richard Velky with the Schaghticokes told committee members he believs the tribe's equal protection rights have been violated.



It does not allow any other parties to participate except for the two privileged tribes" he said.



Brown, the Mohegan Tribe, said he thinks MGM is transparent in its bid for a casino in Connecticut.



I think its disingenuous to use a tribe, another Connecticut tribe as a charrette for making your case on where you think a casino should go in the state of Connecticut.
The union that represents nearly 2,000 staff members at UConn voted this week overwhelmingly to reopen contract negotiations with UConn and the state, scrapping a deal that had been brokered since last June.



The issue became a political punching bag over the past month due to the facts that the deal included years of raises totaling roughly $94 million and lawmakers from both sides and the governor had said the deal didn't fit with the state's fiscal challenges.



The UConn Professional Employee Association voted 970-272 to negotiate a new agreement. Seventy percent of of the 1,833 bargaining unit participated in voting this week which closed Thursday at 2PM.



UCPEA's president, Kathleen Sanner, slammed those who opposed the deal saying, "We will continue to work and ensure that our voice is heard in Hartford to support the collective bargaining process, which was so egregiously disrespected by the governor and the General Assembly.



Sen. Len Fasano, the top Republican in the Connecticut Senate, said the vote sends a positive message about the character of the employees, while also saying had the group come back with the same deal, the Senate would have likely struck down the contract on a bipartisan basis.



I think the University of Connecticut employees recognized the state of Connecticut is in trouble and I certainly appreciate the fact that theyre willing to withdraw their contract and that theyre willing to go back and talk about it" he said.



"I wish the Democrats had the same foresight" he added.



A spokesman for Gov. Dannel Malloy described the deal as "prudent," and that the administration looked forward to both parties coming to an agreement that reflects the state's "new economic realities."



Sen. Bob Duff and Sen. Martin Looney, who described the contract as "awful" the day it was withdrawn over a clerical error last week, said, "We are hopeful that UConn and UCPEA will reach an agreement that is fair to workers, fair to taxpayers, and sustainable for years to come."



UConn President Susan Herbst challenged the idea that her staff wasn't aware of the state's dire financial situation when it negotiated the agreement that was submitted to lawmakers last month.



Herbst described the pay increases as "modest" and added that with an increased workweek from 35 hours to 40, it would increase productivity and save the university money in the long term. She said the university determined it could fund the cost of the final contract.



She fired back at critics saying, "We would not have negotiated a contract that necessitated significant layoffs or required tuition increases to pay for it and we would not have signed a contract that our budget could not support, nor would the Board of Trustees have approved it."
U.S. clocks will "spring forward" again on March 12 to make room for an extra hour of sunlight in the evenings as winter fades away.

Daylight saving time officially starts at 2 a.m. Sunday, when clocks are pushed forward one hour to 3 a.m.

Here are five things to know about daylight saving time before you adjust your watches, alarms and microwaves (most cell phones adjust on their own):

How It Affects Your Health:



The hour of sleep lost  or gained  may play a bigger, perhaps more dangerous role in our bodys natural rhythm than we think.

According to a University of Colorado study, researchers found a 25 percent jump in the number of heart attacks occurring the Monday after we spring forward compared to other Mondays during the year  a trend that remained even after accounting for seasonal variations in these events.

"[Heart attacks] were much more frequent the Monday after the spring time change and then tapered off over the other days of the week," lead author Dr. Amneet Sandhu, a cardiology fellow at the University of Colorado in Denver, said in an American College of Cardiology news release. It may mean that people who are already vulnerable to heart disease may be at greater risk right after sudden time changes."

When Was DST Implemented



Before President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act in 1966, which established a uniform daylight saving time, local governments could start and end daylight saving time as they desired. For five weeks a year Boston, New York and Philadelphia were not on the same time as Washington, D.C., Cleveland or Baltimore. Different daylight saving times also caused confusion for travelers going from the Midwest to Northeast.

In 2005, President George W. Bush extended the daylight saving time for an extra four weeks through an energy bill. Since 2007, daylight saving time has begun on the second Sunday of March, ending on the first Sunday of November.

Not All States Observe DST



Arizona and Hawaii are the only two states that do not observe daylight saving time. Indiana did not observe the practice until 2005. The American territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands also do not participate.

Some states have tried to get rid of daylight saving time but haven't been successful. In the last year alone, 14 state legislatures have debated bills aimed at revising how we keep time. In March, the Utah state legislature rejected a bill that would have ended daylight saving time.

Founding Father Did Not Come Up with DST



According to the History Channel, Benjamin Franklin did not come up with the idea of daylight saving time; he only suggested a change in sleep schedules.

Englishman William Willett is the one who suggested in 1905 that the United Kingdom move its clocks forward by 80 minutes between April and October, so people could enjoy the sunlight. He published "The Waste of Daylight" and spent much of his fortune and time promoting the idea.

DST is Singular Not Plural



By the way, it's "daylight saving time," not "daylight savings time."
At least two North Texas cities are preparing to pitch themselves at the world-famous South by Southwest in Austin.

Representatives from Fort Worth and Denton are headed to Austin Friday for the start of SXSW  a popular nine-day set of music, film and creative festivals and conferences. Fort Worth is headed to Austin to pitch its growing film and music industries.

"Music and film are the bellwethers, I think, of a healthy city, a creative city," said Mitch Whitten of the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Its a great time to be in Fort Worth."

Whitten extolled the virtues of the Fort Worth Film Commission and the growing group of trained professionals who call Cowtown home.

"We have a lot of talent here who can be hired to work on films. We have great locations for films, so we think its now time for our film industry to get a look by a lot of the people at SXSW," he said.

The Fort Worth music scene is playing a different tune.

Brooks Kendall Jr. is a talent buyer for local performance venues in Fort Worth, and is the President of the newly-formed "Hear Fort Worth," an organization focused on promoting local musicians. Ahead of SXSW, Kendall was excited to talk about a planned showcase at Austins Soho Lounge from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. March 17.

Dubbed Fort Worth House, the showcase will feature Fort Worth musicians:

 Luke Wade

 Mike Ryan

 Quaker City Night Hawks

 Grady Spencer and The Work

 Green River Ordinance

 Jake Paleschic

 Reagan James

What its really about, what we are doing, is not about finding artists to bring to Fort Worth, Kendall said. Its about bringing Fort Worth artists to the rest of the world.

Denton city leaders head to SXSW in Austin to network and promote their new motto.

In Denton, the focus at SXSW will be different every day.

Kim Phillips of the Denton Convention and Visitors Bureau showed off her packed office Thursday, full of items labeled with the city's "Original, Independent" motto; just a fraction of what will be loaded onto a moving truck Friday and delivered to the Austin Convention Center.

[We have] all kinds of stuff thats going with us, Phillips said.

But her mission is far more focused on what Denton can bring back from Austin.

We can come back with leads. That what were going to generate, Phillips said.

For instance, at Dentons booth at last years SXSW convention, a Denton-based custom coaster maker was on site, printing out coasters to highlight the event. A businessman from the American Virgin Islands was fascinated by the process and decided on the spot to sign a big dollar deal with the company to produce custom coasters for his businesses on the islands.

And the beer being served on those coasters last year was Denton-brewed Audacity, which was at that time only available in the Denton area. However, according to Phillips, Audacity is now being served at several bars in Austin, thanks to its popularity at SXSW.

You plant seeds, Phillips said. Were like farmers. We go to SXSW and youve got this giant, fertile field of people seeking. And you throw out seeds. And some of those seeds will come out immediately. A week later, two weeks later it says, I met you at SXSW. I want to talk.
Federal prosecutors on Friday asked a jury to convict a Phoenix moving company owner of a terrorism charge, saying he provided the guns, ammunition and motivation to two Islamic State followers in an attack on an anti-Islam event last year in Texas.

Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem is charged with providing support to the Islamic State terrorist group for what prosecutors describe as a crucial behind-the-scenes role in a plot by two friends to shoot up a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in the Dallas area. They were killed in a police shootout outside the event.

Kareem, 44, is believed to be the first person to stand trial on charges related to Islamic State. A trial in New York that started halfway through Kareem's trial concluded Wednesday with a guilty verdict against a U.S. military veteran charged with attempting to join the terrorist group.

Prosecutor Joseph Koehler told jurors in his closing argument that witness testimony shows Kareem knew that Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi were Islamic State members and planning an attack at the cartoon contest and an Arizona military base.

Kareem taught Simpson and Soofi how to operate and maintain rifles and provided the guns and ammunition they brought to the cartoon contest, he said.

"He was a motivator. He was a bankroller," Koehler said. "He was a trainer and an intended participant."

Koehler noted that the two men printed out an Islamic State flag and brought it to the cartoon contest.

"They want to announce to the world that we are here on behalf of ISIS," he said.

Kareem surprised many in the courtroom by taking the stand in his own defense, testifying steadfastly that he knew nothing about the plans for the attack. His lawyers believe it is a flimsy case that is nothing but guilt by association with Simpson and Soofi.

Kareem told jurors that he evicted Simpson from his home because he believed Simpson was putting a tracking device in his car. He also said he strongly disapproved of Simpson using Kareem's laptop to watch al-Qaida promotional materials.

Defense attorneys are scheduled to make closing arguments after Friday's lunch break.

Authorities say Kareem, Simpson and Soofi had researched travel to the Middle East so they could join Islamic State fighters. It's unknown whether the attack was inspired by the Islamic State or carried out in response to an order from the organization.

Prosecutors said Kareem tried to carry out an insurance scam to fund the conspiracy to support Islamic State and attempted to indoctrinate two teenage boys in his neighborhood on radical jihadism.

They also say Kareem, Simpson and Soofi initially wanted to blow up the Arizona stadium where the 2015 Super Bowl was held, but when that plan failed, they set their sights on the contest in suburban Dallas.

Simpson and Soofi regularly watched Islamic State videos showing beheadings and mass executions. Kareem admitted that he saw on Simpson's phone images of a Jordanian pilot being burned in a cage by Islamic State, Koehler said.

"He knew exactly what was going on with these folks," Koehler said.
A married couple was sentenced Thursday for embezzling federal funds from a film school they founded for wounded veterans, according to a release from the U.S. Attorneys office.

Judith Paixao received a six months sentence in custody and six months in home confinement, said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy. Her husband Kevin Lombard received half of her sentence with three months custody and three months home confinement, according to the release. They were also fined $150,000.

The U.S Attorneys Office says the married couple started the Wounded Marine Careers Foundation with the apparent intention to provide job training, benefits and equipment for injured Marines returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Paixo and Lombard were directors of the foundation from 2007 to 2009. It was a tax-exempt foundation that aimed to prepare retired soldiers and injured veterans for a film career, according to Duffy. They used the film school to make numerous requests for money from the VA under false circumstances.

While they claimed to donate over $200,000 to launch the foundation, the media report says the couple ended up stealing more than $400,000 from the Foundations account in the course of a few years.

These defendants capitalized on the misfortune of wounded marines in their time of vulnerability and took advantage of the VAs commitment to serving wounded veterans to defraud the VA and enrich themselves, said Duffy. War profiteering which takes advantage of our veterans is not in any way, shape or form acceptable.

Their offenses include transferring money from the foundation to their own personal bank accounts and credit cards. According to Duffy, the foundations funds were then used to pay for a breadth of personal expenses including a family trip to Bermuda, cell phone bills, car insurance, gifts for their family, prescription medications and counseling, a New Years sailing trip around the San Diego Bay, and wine and dinners for two.

At the court hearing, Judge Jeffrey T. Miller denied the couples request for a new trial or judgment of acquittal. Duffy says he followed this decision by observing, whatever commendable vision served to launch the Foundation, that idealism spawned theft, embezzlement and worse.

He noted several pieces of evidence throughout the case known as tells. This included continual misrepresentations of fiscal donations, said the U.S. Attorneys office. For example, the couple claimed to donate over a hundred thousand dollars to the Foundation from selling their house, when it was actually foreclosed.

Duffy says another tell was shown in how the couple billed Veterans Affairs for camera equipment purchased for the Foundation with an inflated price tag.

According to the media report, one of the witnesses, Lance Corporal Frey, was previously quoted in a positive review from the New York Times. When Frey testified at the trial he said that he was not provided with the level of equipment, training or job placement that he was originally promised.

When explaining why the couple received sentences below the advisory guidelines, Judge Miller noted their community support, low risk of recidivism and the courts assessment that the couple had originally started the foundation with a well-intentioned vision, said the media report.

In the release, Douglas J. Carver, Special Agent in Charge of the VA OIG Western Region said, It is our hope that the successful investigative and prosecutive efforts in this case will serve as a deterrent to others from engaging in criminal activity that cheats veterans and the VA programs designed to assist our nations heroes.


Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith's time representing Florida in the U.S. Capitol is coming to an end while clergy will be able to say no to gay weddings under new laws approved by Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday.

Scott signed a bill that requires Smith's statue in the National Statuary Hall be replaced. Another among the more than two dozen he signed puts into law language that specifies clergy don't have to marry same-sex couples, a right many said is already protected under state law and the U.S. Constitution.

Among other new laws: Florida will boycott companies that boycott Israel, disabled veterans will get free parking at public airports and Floridians will be able to designate a custodian to access and manage their social media, email and online financial accounts when they die or become incapacitated.

But the replacement of Smith and the so-called pastor protection bill were easily the two most talked about among the batch of bills.

Hours were spent debating the pastor protection bill in committee and on the chamber floors, with Republicans saying they wanted to give peace of mind to church leaders who fear societal changes could force them to marry gay couples against their religious beliefs. Democrats questioned the motivations behind the measure, saying clergy already can choose not to marry any couple, gay or not. It was seen as making a political statement against gay marriage, and supporters acknowledged the bill was a result of the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage.

"It's totally unnecessary and it's also motivated by a disapproval of same sex couples,'' said Carlos Guillermo Smith, spokesman for the gay rights group Equality Florida. "We had to go through this divisive exercise in political posturing that was a giant waste of time.''

Some Republican legislators objected to the bill that will replace Smith's statue, saying it was an attempt to erase Southern history. Smith is famous largely as the last Confederate officer to surrender a significant force at the end of the Civil War, nearly two months after Robert E. Lee's April 9, 1865, surrender at Appomattox Court House in Virginia.

Each state is allowed two statues in the Capitol. John Gorrie, whose inventions led to modern air conditioning and refrigeration, also represents Florida in the Capitol. The Department of State's Division of historical resources will provide three recommendations to replace Smith.

And a new law that took effect when Scott signed the bill will force the State Board of Administration to identify companies that boycott Israel and then notify them they are on a "scrutinized companies'' list. The board is responsible for managing the state's retirement fund.

If the companies continue to boycott Israel, the board would not be allowed to invest in them. It would also place limits on state agencies from contracting with companies on the list.

The push to take action against companies that boycott Israel is a reaction to a global movement backed by pro-Palestinian groups.

"The state of Florida will not waver in our support of Israel, one of our greatest allies and friends. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanction movement is fueled by anti-Semitism, and has no place in Florida or any part of the world that values freedom and democracy,'' Scott said in release announcing the bill signing.

Another new law will allow people to use food stamps to buy fresh produce at farmers markets, flea markets and similar open air venues.
Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio addressed an invitation-only crowd in West Palm Beach Friday morning to talk specifically about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.



Rubio was joined by Jewish and national security leaders at Temple Beth El, located at 2815 North Flagler Drive, in West Palm Beach, at 11:30 a.m.

He's discussed his commitment to stand with Israel as Jewish leaders continue to react to GOP frontrunner Donald Trump's comments during Thursday night's debate.



Trump reiterated that he would come from a position of neutrality if he gets the chance to negotiate a peace deal. It's a stance that is at odds with a broader feeling among Jewish leaders that the U.S. should be more sided with Israel.



While he described himself as pro-Israel, Trump said he would "like to at least have the other side think I'm somewhat neutral to them."



Rubio called Trump's policy anti-Israel.



"There is no peace deal possible with the Palestinians," Rubio said, adding "the Palestinian authority is not interested in a serious deal, and they are now in union with Hamas, an organization whose specific purpose is the destruction of the Jewish state."

Rubio is struggling to save his candidacy by energizing voters in his home state of Florida. The latest Quinnipiac University poll was released shows Trump ahead of Rubio among likely Florida Republican primary voters 45 to 22 percent, despite the hometown senator's vow to win at home.

"I need your help, we have to win here in Florida," Rubio told a crowd of supporters in Hialeah Wednesday. "It was always going to come down to Florida, this state is always in the middle of every political fight and it will be again."

Florida is the biggest prize of Tuesday's five-state round of voting. All 99 of the state's delegates will go to the winner.



NBC 6 anchor Jackie Nespral spoke to Marco Rubio Friday morning where he said he's "very confident we're going to win Florida." Hear more from her exclusive interview starting at 6 p.m. on NBC 6.

Stay with NBC 6 during updates on this developing story.
UPDATE: Strike Averted: NJ Transit, Union Reach Deal to Keep Trains Running

Negotiations between rail worker unions and NJ Transit concluded without a deal Thursday, as a strike deadline neared that would affect some 160,000 people who ride the system on a typical weekday  105,000 of those into New York City.

NJ Transit says that it has developed a contingency plan, but that it would only accommodate up to 40,000 seats, or about 38 percent of riders. That means only about 4 in 10 commuters will be able to get into New York City on the extra buses the agency said it would put into service as part of the plan.

Here are some ways to get around if the rail strike happens.

TICKETING

All existing valid rail tickets and passes with an origin or destination of New York, Newark or Hoboken will be accepted for travel on all park-ride service, and will be cross-honored on NJ Transit buses and light rail lines, private bus carriers, PATH, NY Waterway and Seastreak.

Customers who do not already have a ticket or pass may purchase round-trip tickets during morning hours on site from the park-ride locations. Round-trip tickets for regional park-ride service also will be available via MyTix, a mobile ticketing feature on NJ Transit's mobile app.

Fares from regional park-rides are based on the existing fares from those locations. Adult, senior/disabled, and child fares will be available as follows

CROSS-HONORING

NJ Transit rail tickets and passes will be cross-honored on all NJ Transit bus and light rail lines as well as on private bus carriers and PATH trains.

Passes also will be cross-honored on all NY Waterway service, including Weehawken, Hoboken and North Hoboken, as well as on Seastreak service into Manhattan.

Atlantic City Rail Line tickets will be honored at the PATCO station in Lindenwold to and from Philadelphia (8th & Market St. Station).

REGIONAL PARK-RIDE

Park-ride service will operate on a first come, first served basis from five key regional park-ride lots, weekdays only, during four-hour AM inbound (6 a.m. to 10 a.m.) and four-hour PM outbound (4 p.m. to 8 p.m.) peak periods.

No midday, evening, weekend or reverse commute service will operate on these park-ride routes.

Park-ride locations were selected based on their size/parking capacity, access to regional highways, and geographical distribution. Access to area PATH stations and ferry service also was analyzed to minimize congestion at Hudson River crossings.

MetLife Stadium to Port Authority Bus Terminal, New York

to Port Authority Bus Terminal, New York PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel to New York City (Academy Bus)

to New York City (Academy Bus) Hamilton Rail Station to Newark Penn Station for PATH service

to Newark Penn Station for PATH service Metropark Rail Station to Harrison PATH Station

to Harrison PATH Station Ramsey/Route 17 Rail Station to Lincoln Harbor Ferry, Weehawken

BUSES

NJ Transit will enhance peak period service on 29 existing New York bus routes in close proximity to rail stations. The routes are:

Northeast Corridor: 108, 112, 115 and 129 bus routes

108, 112, 115 and 129 bus routes North Jersey Coast Line: 116 and 133/135 bus routes

116 and 133/135 bus routes Raritan Valley Line: 113 and 114X bus routes

113 and 114X bus routes Morris & Essex Lines: 107X and 114X bus routes

107X and 114X bus routes Montclair-Boonton Lines: 191X and 324 bus routes

191X and 324 bus routes Main/Bergen County Lines: 145, 160L, 160T, 160P, 163P, 164SX, 190P/D, 190R, 190X and 192X bus routes

145, 160L, 160T, 160P, 163P, 164SX, 190P/D, 190R, 190X and 192X bus routes Pascack Valley Line: 151, 162, 163L, 165P, 165R and 165T bus routes

In addition, to accommodate Atlantic City Rail Line customers, NJ Transit will enhance service on the 554 bus route, which operates between Atlantic City and Lindenwold. At Lindenwold, customers can connect with PATCO service to Philadelphia. PATCO will cross honor Atlantic City Rail Line tickets and passes to/from Philadelphia (8th & Market St. Station).

To lessen traffic congestion and delays at the Lincoln Tunnel and to take advantage of the proximity to connecting PATH and ferry service, NJ Transit will make the following service adjustments in the event of a rail stoppage:

The 156R, 158 and 159R bus routes serving the River Road corridor will terminate at the Port Imperial Ferry Terminal in Weehawken on weekdays, enabling cross honoring with connecting NY Waterway ferry service. Weekend service will operate on its regular route to/from New York.

will terminate at the Port Imperial Ferry Terminal in Weehawken on weekdays, enabling cross honoring with connecting NY Waterway ferry service. Weekend service will operate on its regular route to/from New York. The 126 bus route in Hoboken will operate on a reverse routing on weekday mornings, beginning at Willow Avenue and 19th Street and operating south to Hoboken Terminal for cross honoring with PATH and ferry service. In the evening, the 126 bus route will operate from Hoboken Terminal back to Willow Avenue and 19th Street. Weekend service will operate on its regular route to/from New York.

will operate on a reverse routing on weekday mornings, beginning at Willow Avenue and 19th Street and operating south to Hoboken Terminal for cross honoring with PATH and ferry service. In the evening, the 126 bus route will operate from Hoboken Terminal back to Willow Avenue and 19th Street. Weekend service will operate on its regular route to/from New York. The 153 bus route will not operate. Customers should use 159 bus service, which provides frequent service in the Fort Lee area and connects with NY Waterway ferry service at Port Imperial Ferry Terminal in Weehawken.

will not operate. Customers should use 159 bus service, which provides frequent service in the Fort Lee area and connects with NY Waterway ferry service at Port Imperial Ferry Terminal in Weehawken. The 329 bus route will not operate. Customers should use 124 or 129 bus service as an alternate.

FOR THE LATEST FROM NJ TRANSIT

In addition to this website, customers may access NJ Transit's Twitter feed at @NJTRANSIT or listen to broadcast traffic reports. Additionally, NJ Transit will provide the most current service information via the My Transit alert system, which delivers travel advisories for your specific trip to your smartphone. Service information also is available by calling 973-275-5555.

NY WATERWAY

NY Waterway is expecting a heavy volume of people if the strike happens. 400 parking spaces will be held within the Port Imperial parking garages for customers who hold monthly passes at the garages. Ferry customers should allow more time to get to and from the terminals, especially during peak hours in the morning and evening. NY Waterway can be reached at 1-800-53-FERRY and updates about the possible strike are on its website.

PATH TRAIN SERVICE

PATH wouldn't be affected by an NJ Transit rail strike because it's run by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.

PATH service runs from Newark Penn Station into New York City at the World Trade Center (direct) or to Ninth, 14th, 23rd and 33rd streets (requires a transfer at Journal Square Station in Jersey City).

PATH trains leave Newark Penn Station approximately every 5 minutes during the morning commute.

More details on PATH service, including maps, schedules and fare information can be found at the PATH website.

JITNEYS

Some municipalities, including South Orange and Maplewood Township, plan to offer jitney services, but warn that these won't be able to accomodate the large influx of NJ Transit commuters. Maplewood Township Mayor Victor DeLuca said that out of 2,000 NJ Transit commuters, jitneys will only be able to transport about 500.

CAR POOLING AND RIDESHARING
A quiet Sunday morning in November turned into a frightening experience for Jamall Henderson and his neighbors.

A Philadelphia Fire Department ladder truck jackknifed on Baltimore Avenue between 54th and 55th streets.

I thought they were coming through my front wall, Henderson told the NBC10 Investigators.

The ladder truck crashed into crashed in cars, sending one into Ludlow Hardings shipping business.

We had to replace the security gate and push out the wall, according to Harding.

But residents wondered if anyone was held responsible.

The Philadelphia Police Department did not issue any tickets related with the crash. In an email a spokesperson wrote, There were no traffic violations issued to the Fire Operator as they were operating in emergency mode at the time. The crash was due to a combination of a curve in the road, trolley tracks, wet conditions, and speed too high to compensate for these factors combined. Only parked cars were struck.

Philadelphia Police could not determine the speed of Ladder 13 at the time of the crash.

Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer believes this is one of the worst fire truck accidents he has seen. Four firefighters were injured. One is still recovering while off the job.

One firefighter was disciplined for the crash and Sawyer says the driver was speeding. "I think a lot of people would believe that whenever you operate an emergency vehicle that you can go as fast as you want but we still have laws that we have to follow which means that we have to follow the speed limit, Sawyer says.

Its unclear whether Ladder 13 will be repaired. Similar trucks cost between $500,000 to one million dollars.

Once you talk about the damage to the truck and the cost of repair versus the cost of what the truck is worth currently then you make a decision on whether or not you want to repair, according to Sawyer.

To put the crash in perspective, the fire department responded to 370,360 calls in 2015. It had 319 accidents, ranging from minor side view mirror damage to the Ladder 13 crash.

The City of Philadelphia received four claims related to the accident. One has been settled. One is pending resolution and the other two are open.

Harding did not file a claim. He thought the process would be too slow and he needed repairs done quick. License and Inspections cited him for the damage to his property caused by the fire truck. He had thirty days to make the repairs or face fines.

His insurance company paid $15,000 to fix the metal gate and facade. Harding believes the damage could have been much worse.

Lives could have been lost. Were just so, so lucky that no one lost their life, Harding says.


Weeks after a car crash claimed the life of former Miss New Jersey Cara McCollum, a memorial service was held to celebrate her life.

McCollum, a South Jersey news anchor and former beauty queen died tragically after a car crash. The Princeton University grad was traveling north on Route 55 in Pittsgrove Township, Salem County on Feb. 15 when police say her car spun off the road and struck a tree head-on.

The 24-year-old died about a week later. Her funeral services were held in her hometown in Arkansas.

Saturday's memorial service and life celebration took place at 1:30 p.m. at Ocean City Tabernacle on Wesley Avenue in Ocean City, New Jersey. [[371777432, C]]

McCollum was the girlfriend of NBC10 anchor Keith Jones for nearly two years. He thanked everyone for "this tremendous outpouring of love and support for my sweet, beautiful everything, Cara," in a Facebook post.

"Sadly, Cara passed away this morning," wrote Keith. "We were with her in the operating room, and she died peacefully at 4:31am. Before she died, Cara made the selfless decision to donate her organs. At this very moment, she is saving lives." [[369659101, C]]

McCollum was known for her volunteer work, and started her own organization, the Birthday Book Project, as a high-school student in Arkansas in 2008. The project gives books to children and has donated more than 25,000 in Arkansas and New Jersey since its creation, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. [[369757201, C]]

McCollum joined Millville-based SNJ Today to anchor its first-ever news broadcasts in July. She earned her bachelors degree in English with a certificate in journalism from Princeton University in 2015, and was valedictorian of the class of 2010 at Forrest City High School in Arkansas.
A man punched the window of a SEPTA bus, followed the bus then pulled a woman off the bus -- punching her in the face -- before throwing her in his car and driving off.

Philadelphia Police spent the early hours of Friday trying to find the woman forced from the Route R Bus as it rolled down Roosevelt Boulevard near Garland Street around 1:45 a.m. Friday.

A woman, claiming to be the woman taken from the bus, later showed up at Northeast Detectives and said she was not actually abducted, said Philadelphia Police.

The bus driver said a clean-shaven 25-year-old man drove very close to the bus and eventually stopped next to the bus and punched a window while yelling at the woman who had boarded the bus at the Frankford Transportation Center. The driver  who had around 20 passengers on board the Wissahickon Transportation Center-bound bus  continued down the Boulevard for four to five blocks. Witnesses told Philadelphia Police the suspect in a four-door silver sedan  either a Pontiac Grand Am or Grand Prix with Delaware temporary tags  then cut the bus off and the woman began to get off the bus.

At that point the male grabbed the female off of the bus, punched her several times in her head and her face and then forced her into the back seat of the car, said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.

Investigators said the incident could be domestic in nature and that the victim and suspect may know each other.

Small said another man was possibly in the front passenger seat of the car, which peeled off south on the outer lanes of Roosevelt Boulevard.

Philadelphia Police worked with SEPTA Police to grab surveillance video from the bus.

There are cameras inside that more than likely recorded him, said Small.

Police said that the license plate number for the car turned up no results in any local states.

Police have yet to announce any charges in the case.
A 112-year-old Israeli who lived through both World Wars and survived the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz is the world's oldest man, Guinness World Records announced on Friday.

Guinness said in a statement that Israel Kristal is 112 years and 178 days old as of March 11.

Marco Frigatti, Head of Records for Guinness awarded Kristal a certificate at his home in Haifa on Friday.

"I don't know the secret for long life," Guinness quoted Kristal as saying. "I believe that everything is determined from above and we shall never know the reasons why."

"There have been smarter, stronger and better looking men then me who are no longer alive. All that is left for us to do is to keep on working as hard as we can and rebuild what is lost," he added.

Guinness said Kristal was born in 1903 to an Orthodox Jewish family near the town of Zarnow in Poland. He moved to Lodz to work in the family confectionary business in 1920, it said. During the Nazi occupation of Poland he was confined to the ghetto there and later sent to the Auschwitz and other concentration camps. His first wife and two children were killed in the Holocaust.

Kristal survived World War II weighing only 37 kilograms (about 81 pounds)  the only survivor of his large family. He moved to Israel in 1950 with his second wife and their son, Guinness said.

In Israel, Kristal "continued to grow both his family and his successful confectionary business," Guinness said.

Yasutaro Koide of Japan was the previous oldest man. He died in January at the age of 112 years, 312 days.

Susannah Mushatt Jones, 115, an American born in 1899, is both the world's oldest living person and the oldest living woman, Guinness said.


California lawmakers voted Thursday to make the nation's most populous state the second to raise the smoking age from 18 to 21 as part of a sweeping package of measures they are considering to crack down on tobacco.

Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown still must sign off on the legislation the Senate approved to make California the first state after Hawaii with the higher age limit. His spokesman said last week that the governor generally does not comment on pending legislation.

The bills also would restrict electronic cigarettes the same as tobacco products. The increasingly popular devices are not regulated by the federal government.

The higher age limit got approved despite amid intense lobbying from tobacco interests and fierce opposition from many Republicans, who say the state should butt out of people's personal decisions, even if they are harmful to health.

The six bills, which the Assembly has already backed, represent California's most substantial anti-tobacco effort in nearly two decades, the American Cancer Society said.

"With California having such a huge population, it's going to be very impactful nationwide," said Cathy Callaway, associate director of state and local campaigns for the American Cancer Society.

The Senate vote comes just over a week after San Francisco officials opted to raise the tobacco buying age to 21, making it the largest city to do so after New York. Nationwide, more than 120 municipalities have raised the smoking age, according to Tobacco 21, a group that advocates the policy shift nationally.

Hawaii was first to adopt the higher age limit statewide. New Jersey's Legislature voted to raise the smoking age from 19 to 21, but the bill died when Republican Gov. Chris Christie decided not to act on it before a January deadline.

Advocates note that the vast majority of smokers start before they are 18, according to data from the U.S. surgeon general. Making it illegal for 18-year-old high school students to buy tobacco for their underage friends will make it more difficult for teens to get the products, they say.

Critics say adults are trusted to make weighty decisions to vote or join the military once they turn 18. In response, Democrats changed the bill to allow members of the military to continue buying cigarettes at 18.

"You can commit a felony when you're 18 years old and for the rest of your life, be in prison," Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes said. "And yet you can't buy a pack of cigarettes."

Some California residents said they believed the decision, which oftentimes had lifelong consequences, would benefit youths.

"People who are 18 really aren't mature enough to really make that kind of life or death decision," said San Diego resident Virginia Phillips. "I think that at 21, people are more mature and better able to make a deicion that would help their health later on in life."

San Diego resident Jenny Kane said raising the age may get kids to think twice.

"I actually smoked for over 10 years and I started really young," she said. "So I think raising the limit to 21 would help just keep it a little more out of reach for kids."

Others said that 18 was the age people leglly become adults, and that should include the decision to smoke.

"That's the age when you become an adult and respondible for your own actions, then I think everyone should be free to do what they want at that age," said Milima Devillez, of San Diego. "There's consequences, good and bad, but ultimately, their own decision."

She said the difference between 18 and 21 was not significant.

"It's really no major difference when you think about it," said "18 to 21, your mindset is still the same place, you still want the same things and it doesn't make any sense, why you'll be denied one thing and given another thing."

Another bill would classify e-cigarettes, or "vaping" devices, as tobacco products subject to the same restrictions on who can purchase them and where they can be used.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed regulating e-cigarettes but the rule has not taken effect.

Anti-tobacco advocates fear that vaporizers are enticing to young people and may encourage them to eventually take up smoking. Others say they are a less-harmful, tar-free alternative to cigarettes. They have not been extensively studied, and there is no scientific consensus on their harms or benefits.

The package of bills would expand smoke-free areas to include bars, workplace breakrooms, small businesses, warehouses, and hotel lobbies and meeting rooms. Smoking bans would apply at more schools, including charter schools, and counties would be able to raise their own cigarette taxes beyond the state's levy of $0.87 per pack.

Anti-smoking groups are collecting signatures for a November ballot initiative that would raise the cigarette tax to $2 a pack and direct the money to health care, tobacco-use prevention, research and law enforcement.
A former employee of the French Embassy was fired for being pregnant and Muslim, a federal judge ruled.

Saima Ashraf-Hassan is a Pakistan-born French citizen and came to the United States a few months after the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

She took a job at the French Embassy in D.C. where she said her co-workers harassed her, called her a "terrorist" and told her she couldn't wear a hijab at work.

"This was the first time somebody was calling me a terrorist inside the French Embassy," Ashraf-Hassan told News4's Mark Segraves.

She said when she told her supervisor she was pregnant, the embassy fired her.

She sued the French Embassy for discrimination and last month a federal judge ruled in her favor.

"This may be the only time a U.S. court has extended the reach of the civil rights laws to extend to a foreign citizen, working for a foreign government on foreign soil at an embassy here in D.C.," said Ashraf-Hassan's attorney Ari Wilkenfeld.

But the embassy is still fighting the case and an attorney for the embassy told News4 he has filed two new motions asking the judge to reconsider his ruling.

"We are still firmly confident that Mrs. Ashraf's Claim will ultimately be dismissed," said attorney Pierre Chone.

Three years into the case the embassy tried to invoke sovereign immunity.

"I don't think the embassy should be able to hide behind its immunity," said Ibrahim Hooper with the Council on American Islamic Relations.

The judge in the case agreed, ruling the "defendant may delay these proceedings, but it may not evade trial by means of this transparent ploy."

Katie Atkinson represented Ashraf-Hassan on the issue of sovereign immunity and says because her job didn't have anything to do with the government, sovereign immunity didn't apply.

"Her job was to oversee the intern program. It had nothing to do with French government policy or law," Atkinson said.
A man connected to more than a dozen robberries targeting women in D.C. and Prince George's County, some involving force and violence, has been arrested, but police say there are more suspects at large.

Terrell Strickland, 23, of Northwest, D.C. was arrested on Wednesday, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier announced.

Strickland has been charged with multiple robbery offenses and police said he sometimes punched and shoved the women he robbed. At the time of the robberies, Strickland was on probation, News4's Jackie Bensen reports.

But police said there are more suspects out there who were involved with the series of purse snatches and robberies that occurred from Jan. 26 to March 3. All of them involved women who were alone, Bensen reports.

Lanier said in one case an 80-year-old woman was attacked and injured. Seven out of the 14 robberies in D.C. were violent.

D.C. police said they are working with Prince George's County Police Department to find additional suspects.

Police ask that anyone with more information call (202) 727-9099 or text 50411. DC Crime Solvers is offerring up to $10,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest.
The D.C. woman who danced her way into the hearts of millions of people when she met President Barack Obama broke out her best dance moves to celebrate her 107th birthday Friday.

Virginia McLaurin and 300 of her friends gathered at THEARC in southeast Washington to celebrate Friday.

McLaurin's day was full of surprises. Bob's Discount Furniture gifted her with furniture to make her more comfortable in her northwest D.C. apartment.

Even the White House also sent McLaurin a gift -- a Presidential Medal of Honor for her years of volunteer service.

In her 107 years, McLaurin has worked as a housekeeper, nanny and seamstress. She now volunteers at an area school, where she works with young children.

"She works one-on-one with kids. I think it's the love that she gives, the patience that she gives," said Cheryl Christmas, who directs United Planning Organizations Foster Grandparent Program.

Last month, McLaurin fulfilled her dream of visiting the White House and meeting President Obama and the first lady. McLaurin was so happy during the meeting, she just couldn't stop dancing.

The White House video featuring McLaurin has received over 64 million views on the White House's Facebook page. Many of those commenting expressed their joy over seeing McLaurin dance during the meeting.
Democratic Virginia Senator Tim Kaine is condemning Republican presidential candidates for using "hateful rhetoric" in the race for the White House.

Kaine was speaking to a group of Hispanic and African-American publishers at the National Press Club when he made comments referring to Donald Trump's controversial statements on Thursday.

"From a declaration that we shouldn't allow Muslims into the United States, to horrible stereotypes trafficked about many ethnic groups in this country," Kaine said. "This hateful rhetoric which I condemn and abhor - it is the death spasm of a feeling people have about losing control."

News4's Tom Sherwood reports Kaine's comments are getting national attention as he might be a vice presidential candidate with Hillary Clinton.

But Kaine declined to say if he would run for vice president.

"Well, I'm a happy senator and I like my job and I'm not looking for another one, but, look, my best use is helping Secretary Clinton - especially win Virginia."

Kaine said Virginia is among a handful of critical states for Democrats to win in November.
Greek officials worked to clear an overcrowded makeshift refugee camp on Friday as European leaders met to discuss the border crisis that has left thousands stranded there in desperate conditions, NBC News reported.

Nikos Toskas, Greece's deputy minister for public order, said the 14,000 migrants camped out at the border near the village of Idomeni were being persuaded to relocate to nearby government-built shelters. Toskas said Greece cannot use tear gas to move them because "half the people there are women and children."

Macedonia closed its borders to all migrants and refugees this week  joining several Balkan countries in adding border restrictions after European Union leaders agreed Monday to close the Balkans route.
Keith Emerson, founder and keyboardist of the progressive-rock band Emerson, Lake and Palmer, has died. He was 71.

Emerson's longtime partner, Mari Kawaguchi, called police to his condominium in Santa Monica, California, at about 1:30 a.m. on Friday.

Emerson had an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, and authorities are investigating his death as a possible suicide. Kawaguchi told police that Emerson could have died anywhere between Thursday evening and Friday morning.

Emerson, drummer Carl Palmer and vocalist/guitarist Greg Lake were giants of progressive rock in the 1970s, recording six platinum-selling albums. They and other hit groups such as Pink Floyd, the Moody Blues and Genesis stepped away from rock's emphasis on short songs with dance beats, instead creating albums with ornate pieces full of complicated rhythms, intricate chords and time signature changes. The orchestrations drew on classical and jazz styles and sometimes wedded traditional rock instruments with full orchestras.

Emerson, Lake and Palmer's 1973 album "Brain Salad Surgery" included a nearly 30-minute composition called "Karn Evil 9" that featured a Moog synthesizer and the eerie, carnival-like lyric: "Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends."

A musical prodigy, Emerson was born in Todmorden, Yorkshire in England. By his late teens, he was playing in blues and jazz clubs in London. He helped form one of the first progressive rock groups, the Nice, before hooking up with Lake and Palmer in 1970 and debuting with them at the Isle of Wight Festival, shows that also featured Jimi Hendrix and the Who.

Although it filled stadiums, ELP also was ridiculed as the embodiment of the pomposity and self-indulgence that rock supposedly stood against. When the punk movement took off in the mid-'70s, the band was a special target, openly loathed by the Sex Pistols' Johnny Rotten among others.

Years later, Rotten (then calling himself John Lydon) and Emerson became friends, Lydon told News of the World in 2007.

"He's a great bloke," Lydon said. "I've told Keith in no uncertain terms that what put me off his band were those 20-minute organ solos and that film of their convoy of trucks crossing America."

ELP broke up in 1979, reunited in 1991, later disbanded again and reunited one last time for a 2010 tour.

Throughout, Emerson continued to compose and perform, sometimes solo and other times with various musicians, including Lake.

Palmer said in a statement that Emerson "was a pioneer and an innovator whose musical genius touched all of us in the worlds of rock, classical and jazz."

Steve Hackett, who was Genesis' lead guitarist from 1970 to 1977, called Emerson a "great showman."

"A lot of pop stars are there because they've got great hairstyles or could dance wonderfully," he said. "But he was, above all, a fantastic musician, arranger and writer."

Despite his influence, Emerson never considered himself a rock or pop icon and his true musical devotion lay elsewhere.

"At home, he listened to either classical or jazz. We never listened to rock," Kawaguchi said.

"He hated being called rock star or prog-rock star...he wanted to be known as composer," she said. "He never succumbed to being commercially successful. He had no interest. He always said: 'I'm not a rock star. I've never been a rock star. All I want is to play music.'"

Kawaguchi said Emerson was able to compose without any instrument.

"He was just natural. The music was always in his head, always," she said. "Even when he was sleeping, you know, I could tell he was always thinking about music. Sometimes he would wake up and compose music. And it was all so, so beautiful."

Emerson had been composing and working with internationally known symphonies, including two in Germany and Japan, and was about to embark on a short tour in Japan starting on April 14 with his band, Kawaguchi said. His work included a classical piano concerto.

"All these people from the classical world were playing his music," she said. "When he was young, he was using classical music for rock and now the wheel has turned and now the classical world is using his compositions."

Associated Press music writer Mesfin Fekadu and Hillel Italie in New York contributed to this article.
Family, friends and figures from the worlds of politics, entertainment and media gathered Friday to remember first lady Nancy Reagan, whose life and love affair with her husband were celebrated with music and memories at the Reagan Library in Southern California.

Reagan called her husband's presidential library "the shining city on the hill," using a phrase that President Reagan had borrowed from history to describe his aspirations for the nation. Inseparable in life, they will be reunited again on that hilltop, side by side.

The service began with a musical prelude from the 1st Marine Division Band from Marine Corps Camp Pendleton and a performance of "Battle Hymn of the Republic," one of Ronald Reagan's favorite songs, performed by the Santa Susana High School Choir.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney read a love letter from Ronald Reagan to his wife that he wrote to her on their first Christmas in the White House in 1981, a fitting tribute to the love story they shared from the time they met in 1950. Nancy Reagan wrote in her memoir, "My Turn," that her life really began when she met the handsome Hollywood star and Screen Actors Guild president -- after a dinner meeting, he helped her clear her name from a Communist blacklist -- who would become her husband.

The White House Christmas love letter is a testimony to the fact that Nancy Reagan filled the president's entire life with "warmth and love."

Mulroney recalled waiting with Reagan and his security detail for the first lady to arrive after a meeting in Ottawa in 1987. He described the president's reaction when his wife got out of the car and began walking toward the two world leaders, already buoyed by a successful round of political talks.

"President Reagan beamed, and he threw his arm around me and said with a grin, 'You know Brian, for two Irishmen, we sure married up,'" Mulroney said. "It reflects a unique Reagan reality. She really, always was on his mind."

Former White House chief of staff James Baker told guests about Reagan's habit of hiding love notes around the couple's Pacific Palisades home for his wife to find. Nancy Reagan kept those letters in a shopping bag and secreted notes and his beloved jelly beans into his suitcase before trips. One holiday themed note read, "I live in a permanent Christmas because God gave me you," Baker recalled.

"They were defined by their love for one another," Baker said. "They were as close to one another as is possible for any two people to be."

As a storm front darkened the skies over Simi Valley, Camarillo bagpiper Bill Boetticher, 71, played "Amazing Grace," marking another link between the couple. Boetticher played at Ronald Reagan's funeral, and family members decided his presence would be fitting.

Light rain began to fall during the ceremony -- organizers raised a tent earlier this week to shelter guests -- and continued as Reagan's rose-and-peonies-adorned casket was place near the grave site. Mourners unfolded umbrellas as they paid their final respects.

The former first lady will be buried Friday night beside her "Ronnie" at the library they loved. Guests began to arrive at the hillside property northwest of Los Angeles about an hour before a musical prelude to the service, most details of which were planned by the former first lady.

The sprawling, Spanish Mission-style library is located between the Reagan's post-White House home in the upscale Bel Air section of Los Angeles and Rancho del Cielo, the "ranch in the sky" where the Reagans spent their leisure time, sometimes on horseback, in the rugged mountains near Santa Barbara.

The guest list for the funeral tells a story about their lives, which stretched from Hollywood's Golden Age to the California statehouse during Reagan's time as governor to the Washington Beltway. Four of the five living first ladies and relatives of every president dating to John Kennedy were invited.

Friend Mr. T, the 1980s TV icon, entered the service wearing a U.S flag-themed bandanna on his head and military fatigues before taking a seat next to actor Gary Sinise.

The service brought together Democrat and Republican, an unusual tableau at a time of deep division in Washington and the 2016 campaign trail. Hillary Clinton took a break from the presidential campaign to attend, and other politicians on the list cover the political spectrum, from Newt Gingrich to Nancy Pelosi.

Nancy Reagan's two children, Patti Davis and Ronald Prescott Reagan, were among the speakers at the funeral. Davis described how Nancy Reagan was adamant about reuniting with her husband, who died in 2004, and called her parents as "two halves of a circle."

Ron Prescott Reagan told the guests there likely would not have been a President Ronald Reagan without Nancy Reagan, saying she had an absolute belief in him, as well as provided guidance and a refuge.

Former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw also gave remarks during the private ceremony officiated by the Rev. Stuart Kenworthy, vicar of Washington National Cathedral.

On Wednesday and Thursday at the library, lines of mourners and Reagan faithful filed slowly past the former first lady's closed casket, blanketed with white roses and peonies, Mrs. Reagan's favorite flower.

Tears often fell. The crowd, many in graying years, spoke to an era closed, a time of "morning again in America" and the Reagan doctrine intended to weaken Soviet influence during the Cold War.

Reagan left the presidency after eight years, on January 20, 1989.

Mrs. Reagan, who died Sunday at 94, planned the smallest details of her funeral. She selected the funeral's flower arrangements, the music to be played by a Marine Corps band and the list of guests invited to the private memorial.

The library site, where the 40th president was buried in 2004, provides sweeping views of horse country dotted with oaks and, on a clear day, a vista to the Pacific.

The Reagans "just fell in love" with the spot, Boston developer and Republican fundraiser Gerald Blakeley recalled in a 2004 interview. He was part of a partnership that donated the land where the library now sits.

"We're just grateful for the Reagan years," Ray Brooks of Simi Valley said Thursday as he waited in line with his wife Jackie to board a shuttle to the library grounds, where Mrs. Reagan's casket was placed in the marble lobby with a bronze statue of a smiling Ronald Reagan nearby.

"Everybody, no matter how they felt about those years, when they look back they remember them as good years because of the example they set. We need an example like that now," Brooks said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Eleven people have been arrested following a year-long drug investigation, according to police in Worcester, Massachusetts.

The investigation was a joint operation by Worcester Police and Massachusetts State Police.

Police executed eight search warrants Thursday at several locations, including 11 Russell St., 48  Ward St., 74 Ward St., 21 Merrick St., 141 Orchard Hill Drive in Oxford and 848 Southbridge St. in Auburn.

Worcester Police and Mass. State Police also worked with Connecticut State Police to execute a search warrant at 442 Eastford Road in Woodstock, Connecticut.

Police seized more than 200 grams of cocaine and heroin, 11 firearms, 10 vehicles and $75,000 cash.

The following individuals were arrested and charged:

Juan DeJesus, 24, of 48  Ward St. Worcester, was charged with Possession of Class A Substance with Intent to Distribute, Possession of Class B Substance with Intent to Distribute, Trafficking in Class B Substance more than 200 Grams and Conspiracy to Violate Controlled Substance Laws.

Jose Tapia, 26, of 48  Ward St., Worcester, was charged with Possession of Class A Substance with Intent to Distribute, Possession of Class B Substance with Intent to Distribute, Trafficking in Class B Substance more than 200 Grams, Conspiracy to Violate Controlled Substance Laws, Possession of Class B Substance, and Possession of Class C Substance

Jose Correa, 38, of 143 Orchard Hill Drive, Oxford, was charged with Trafficking in Class B more than 200 Grams and Conspiracy to Violate Controlled Substance Laws.

Joshua Amart, 24, of 11 Russell St., Apartment 2, Worcester, was charged with Distribution of Class B Substance (Subsequent Offense).

Pito Bauza, 45, of 42 Grand St., Apartment 2, Worcester, was charged with Possession of Class A Substance and Conspiracy to Violate Controlled Substance Laws.

Eduardo Diaz, 33, of 159 Water St., Worcester was charged with Use of Firearm in a Felony, Resisting Arrest, Possession of Firearm/Ammunition without an FID Card, Possession of Class A Substance with Intent to Distribute, Interfering with a Police Officer and Conspiracy to Violate Controlled Substance Laws.

Wilfredo Valle, 32, of 300 Gregory Ave., Passaic, New Jersey, was charged with Use of Firearm in a Felony, Resisting Arrest, Possession of Firearm/Ammunition without an FID Card, Possession of Class A Substance with Intent to Distribute, Possession of Class B Substance with Intent to Distribute and Conspiracy to Violate Controlled Substance Laws.

Israel Diaz, 36, of 41 Merrick St., Worcester, was charged with Possession of a Machine Gun, Trafficking in Class B Substance more than 200 Grams, Trafficking in Heroin more than 200 Grams, Conspiracy to Violate Controlled Substance Laws, Use of a Firearm in a Felony, Possession of a Firearm without an FID Card, and Possession of Ammunition without an FID Card.

Additional charges are pending and the individuals will be arraigned in Worcester County District Courthouse Friday.

Three individuals were also arrested in Connecticut.

Victor Perez-Carrasquillo, Luis Dias-Rivera and Arelis Lacen, all of 442 Eastford Road in Woodstock, are facing drug and firearm charges.

Connecticut State Police say the search warrant executed at their residence yielded 200 grams of heroin, 1.265 kilograms of crack cocaine, 1.021 grams of powder cocaine, approximately $80,000 and seven firearms, ranging from pistols to rifles.

A 3-year-old and 5-year-old were also found to be living in the home, leading to child endangerment charges for the suspects. The children were removed from the home by DCF officials.

All three suspects were held on $350,000 cash bond each and are scheduled to appear in court Friday.
A driver and a Massachusetts State Police trooper both suffered minor injuries after a car went off the road and into a reservoir in Lexington Thursday night.

Police confirm the driver was transported to Lahey Clinic after crashing into the Concord Reservoir shortly after 8 p.m. According to investigators, the driver went off the ramp from Route 2 eastbound onto I-95 southbound.

A trooper who responded sustained a minor injury when he was hit in the head by part of a tree. He was also transported to Lahey Clinic.

Officials say the trooper was conscious and alert and is expected to be fine.

No charges have been filed.
The highest court in Massachusetts has reversed the murder conviction of a Worcester man charged with fatally shooting a college student in the neck during a drug-related robbery.



Donovan K. Smith was convicted in 2012 of first-degree murder in the 2010 slaying of Michelle Diaz.



Prosecutors say Smith shot the Worcester State University student in the neck as they sat in her car. Diaz died days later.



In his appeal, Smith contended that although he initially waived his Miranda rights, he later invoked his constitutional right to remain silent when he said he was "done talking," but that police continued with questioning.



The Supreme Judicial Court in its ruling Friday said when police continued questioning Smith they "created a substantial likelihood of a miscarriage of justice," and Smith should get a new trial.
A Massachusetts school bus driver is accused of being drunk behind the wheel while driving the vehicle on school property.

Police in Sturbridge say 49-year-old Allison Silvestri was arrested Friday afternoon after first responders arrived to Tantasqua Junior High School for a reported medical issue.

When crews arrived, they found it wasn't a medical emergency, and officers arrested Silvestri for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol, according to police.

Children were not on the bus at the time when Silvestri was behind the wheel, police said.

The superintendent's office has been notified.

The town employs the school bus drivers, according to police.

Silvestri is in police custody pending bail, and she'll be arraigned Monday in Dudley District Court.
It took a while, but the clouds eventually let go of the coastline this afternoon. Payoff was a beautiful afternoon and evening. Temps however, were mighty cool compared to communities just to the west of Boston: we didn't even make 50 in many spots.

Meantime, overachieving warmth lurked across Connecticut and Rhode Island as highs again hit the 60s. Given that fact, I'm not exactly going out on a limb tomorrow with highs in the mid 60s.

The atmosphere is certainly primed for it. Full sunshine will be the final piece to the puzzle - and I expect that to be bright from sunup to sundown. Winds are more substantial in the afternoon than in Wednesday's warmup. As a result, the coast of Connecticut/Rhode Islands, both Capes, Buzzards Bay, the Islands and the coast of Maine east of Kennebunk will remain in the 50s.

A touch cooler on Sunday thanks to a subtle cool front that slides down from the north. That will help turn the winds onshore and push the warmth back into Central and Western New England. I still expect a few spots to touch 60, but that may be the last of it as the pattern turns cloudy and wet.

Onshore winds - with clouds and showers - are the hallmark of a New England spring. It's not uncommon for that to repeat for days either. (Notice the foreshadowing here.) Unfortunately, that may be what we have coming next week with a few weather system slowly moving through New England. On some days, we'll be hard-pressed to get out of the 40s.

All the more reason to enjoy the weekend. Make it a good, safe one!

-Pete
All countries regulate RF spectrum, but the form of regulation differs. In the case of LTE-in-unlicensed-spectrum, the US regulator invites the industry to police itself, while Europeans are more rules-oriented. These forces are shaping the path and future adoption of LTE-U (LTE in Unlicensed spectrum) and LAA (Licensed Assisted Access). This column draws no conclusions as to which is the better approach, but it is indisputable that the future of these technologies will be determined in Europe.

In late 2014, some participants in the cellular industry thought it would be fun to start using the 5GHz unlicensed band, which is widely known as a Wi-Fi band although it is not reserved for Wi-Fi by any regulation. Emerging from the cellular world, they decided the best signal to use would be LTE, as that would require the fewest changes.

+ ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD LTE-U: A quick explainer +

But LTE transmits blindly in accordance with a base-stations schedule (the licensee is the sole occupant of the spectrum), whereas Wi-Fi uses a packet-by-packet, listen-before-talk protocol to force devices  even on independent, overlapping networks  to take turns to transmit, rather than jamming each other. Thus, LTE as it stands is not a good neighbor for Wi-Fi (or any other wireless communication): an LTE device would transmit over the top of any other signal.

At this point we note that the US FCC (Federal Communications Commission) rules for the 5-GHz band are so thin that unmodified LTE in the 5-GHz band would be completely legal by the letter of existing FCC regulations. Meanwhile, ETSI (the European Telecommunications Standards Institute) is known for a more prescriptive approach to regulation. These two regulatory bodies have global significance because most countries follow the lead of one or the other.

So the LTE-in-unlicensed-spectrum group developed a two-pronged strategy. A hastily-assembled consortium, the LTE-U Forum (LTE-Unlicensed Forum), defined a set of loose rules explaining how LTE could work in 5GHz, with some modifications that they claimed would ensure co-existence with Wi-Fi. The goal of LTE-U was to get product to market quickly in the US, establishing working trials and networks without delay and meeting the commercial requirements of its proponents (selling and deploying new gear as soon as possible).

Meanwhile, work started on the European regulators. The movers behind LTE-U lobbied the global cellular standards body, 3GPP, to develop standards that would satisfy ETSI. Since 3GPP-ETSI is a multi-year exercise, this was envisaged as a slower, parallel path to the LTE-U-FCC work.

For a while, all this seemed to be following the plan. But unsurprisingly, the Wi-Fi industry viewed LTE-U as an existential threat. Cellular operators have many resources, and LTE-U transmitters in celltowers, urban hotspots and large buildings could monopolize much of the spectrum that Wi-Fi uses today. So the Wi-Fi industry approached the FCC with much weeping, gnashing of teeth and rending of raiment, suggesting LTE-U would interfere with Wi-Fi networks.

+ MORE: U.S. carriers tight lipped on LTE-U deployment +

And the FCC, taking a stance it may yet regret, asked the industry  current and prospective users of the spectrum  to go away and figure it out among themselves. Companies were exhorted to develop rules that would allow the different types of equipment to fairly coexist. Both sides found this difficult to accept, being diametrically opposed, but they went through the motions out of respect for the FCC.

Then, a little while later, the FCC dropped a bombshell. It formally expressed concern about the possible effects of LTE-U (primarily vis-a-vis Wi-Fi) and established a requirement for all LTE-U equipment to submit for special approval. This, and silicon development delays, set back the timeline for LTE-U in the USA: we may see a handful of localized trials publicized before the end of 2016, but largely for show.

Meanwhile ETSI is moving, through a series of hearings, to establish explicit rules that all transmitters in the 5-GHz band will be required to follow, rules that will ensure fair coexistence between different wireless technologies. These rules will eventually apply to Wi-Fi, LAA and all new technologies wanting to share the band.

ETSI is stepping into the regulatory void left by the FCC. There are three consequences.

First, the timeline must be readjusted. LTE-U will very likely never see commercial deployment. While there will be small-scale tests and trials in various US cities, it now seems likely that LTE-U is so distant that most operators see its timeline converging with LAA, and will opt to use LAA as it will be the globally-accepted standard.

Second, all devices transmitting in the 5-GHz band will comply with ETSI rules and implement a form of packet-by-packet listen-before-talk technology, similar to Wi-Fi today. This is very desirable, as it will allow independent networks to share common spaces on the same RF channel, with some degree of fairness.

And the third, rather interesting consequence is that ETSI will become a much more influential regulator, setting explicit rules unlicensed wireless protocols must follow and eclipsing the FCC which gave birth to the Wi-Fi industry by opening up the 2.4- and 5-GHz bands. ETSIs rules are likely to have influence beyond Wi-Fi and LAA, and beyond the 5-GHz band.
In Florida Thursday night, Republican presidential candidates took on the H-1B visa program in a way they have never done before. They said the program is being abused, needs reform and GOP frontrunner Donald Trump, in particular, seemed to recommend ending it.

The attention is due to the layoff last year of Disney IT workers, most who were working in Orlando. Some of those workers had to train visa-holding replacements. Disney laid off between 200 to 300 IT workers after bringing in IT contractors that are heavy users of the visa.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who has supported an H-1B cap increase, and has said little about the visa-related IT layoffs at Disney or any other place, offered an extended critique of the H-1B program.

Rubio faulted, in particular, the use of visas by large IT services companies, pointing to firms based in India, in particular. He said H-1B program abuses take jobs from U.S. workers.

When it was his turn to talk about the visa, Trump, the billionaire businessman, began with an admission. "First of all, I know the H-1B very well, and it's something that I frankly use and I shouldn't be allowed to use -- we shouldn't have it," said Trump. He explained himself by saying the visa is available to use and "I'm a businessman."

+ ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD Laid-off IT workers speak out at Trump rally +

The frontrunner has sent out confusing signals about the H-1B program.

At last week's debate, Trump said he was "softening" his position on the visa. But immediately following the debate, he issued a statement saying that his remarks were about immigration, and not the non-immigrant H-1B visa.

In that post-debate statement at the time, Trump said: "I will end forever the use of the H-1B as a cheap labor program, and institute an absolute requirement to hire American workers first for every visa and immigration program."

Last night, Trump seemed more focused, certain -- even radical. He talked about ending the visa. "It's very bad for our workers and it's unfair for workers and we should end it," said Trump.

"Very importantly, the Disney workers endorsed me," said Trump. "They said he is the only one that's going to be able to fix it, because it's a mess."

The Democrats, by contrast, have had little to say about the controversial program.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, is a critic of the visa program, and joined a bipartisan group of 10 senators last year seeking an investigation into its use after IT layoffs at Southern California Edison.

But former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton doesn't raise the H-1B visa as an issue. In debates, both Sanders and Clinton have kept the focus on comprehensive immigration reform.

On the GOP side, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said little about the visa program at Thursday's debate in Miami. But he didn't have to. In last week's debate he said that "abuse of the H-1B program has been rampant."

Cruz, as well as Trump, have issued platforms calling for H-1B visa program reforms.

The Disney IT layoffs prompted U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) to introduce legislation seeking program restrictions. Rubio has not offered any legislation, even though the job cuts took place in his home state.

At a recent Trump rally, one former Disney IT worker who took the stage, Dena Moore, said she trained a visa-holding replacement and was critical of Rubio. "What a great disappointment Marco Rubio is," she said.

At Thursday's debate, Washington Times reporter Stephen Dinan asked Rubio about Disney, and said that "some of the Americans even had to train their own replacements."

"You support increasing the H-1B visa program that made it possible to bring in these foreign workers. Doesn't this program take jobs away from Americans?" asked Dinan.

"If it's being abused the way Disney did," said Rubio. "It is illegal now under that program to use it to replace American workers. Under that program, you have to prove not only that you're not replacing Americans, but that you've tried to hire Americans."

In reality, the H-1B program does allow firms to easily replace U.S. workers, thanks to program loopholes. The employers bring in contractors that rely heavily of visa workers. These IT services firms are required make a good faith effort to hire U.S. workers, but not if the H-1B worker is paid at least $60,000 or has a master's degree.

Rubio, in the debate, acknowledged the problem with contractors, citing India-based firms, in particular.

"What I argue is that no consulting business such as that should be allowed to hoard up all these visas," said Rubio, adding that visas "should only be available for companies to use to directly hire workers and that we should be stricter in how we enforce it."

This story, "Disney's IT layoffs fuel Trump, Rubio H-1B attacks at debate" was originally published by Computerworld .
You didn't think the science types at NASA would let March 14 (a.k.a. Pi Day 2016) pass by without notice, did you?

Indeed, the US civilian space program agency bows at the alter of pi, noting that it "has all sorts of applications in the real world, including on missions developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory." This includes using pi to make measurements of Mars.

JPL this year has launched its third Pi Day challenge, which gives math-minded students a chance to essentially match wits with NASA scientists and engineers. Use pi to calculate how much sunlight is blocked by Mercury as it passes between Earth and the sun, among other problems. While the four illustrated math programs are designed for kids in grades 4-12, others are welcome to give them a whirl, too.

Answers will be revealed on March 16, so you'll actually get a little extension beyond the formal Pi Day to work on these.

Take the Pi in the Sky 3 challenge right now (no word on whether you get bonus points for using a Raspberry Pi computer to do your calculations...)

MORE: Best ways to celebrate Pi Day 2016
Columnist

Tom Kacich is a columnist and the author of Tom's Mailbag at The News-Gazette. His column appears Sundays. His email is tkacich@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@tkacich).
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Sunny to partly cloudy. High near 80F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low 61F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.
Reporter/Columnist

Julie Wurth is a reporter covering the University of Illinois at The News-Gazette. Her email is jwurth@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@jawurth).
The dilemma of our immune system is comparable to the story of Icarus and Daedalus from Greek mythology. To escape their captivity, Daedalus built wings from feathers and wax for himself and his son. Daedalus warned his son that he must neither fly too high but also not too low, otherwise the sun's heat or the humidity of the sea would destroy his wings and he would crash. After they had successfully escaped, Icarus became boisterous and flew higher and higher until the sun began to melt the wax of his wings and he fell into the sea. Similarly, an over- or under-reaction of our immune system can be life-threatening.

The molecule IL-1 plays a key role in the balanced defense against bacteria

Which are the molecules that ensure a balanced immune response? The research of Pavel Kovarik and his team at the Max F. Perutz Laboratories of the University of Vienna addresses this question. "For our experiments we simulated infections with group A Streptococci, which are best known as the common cause of tonsillitis. However, in some cases, they can also cause serious invasive infections. The related disease - toxic shock syndrome and necrotizing fasciitis - can be fatal," explains PhD student and first author of the study Virginia Castiglia. As part of a project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF project, the young scientist examined what happens at the molecular level in invasive streptococcal infection. Her results show that the molecule IL-1 play a key role in the defense against streptococci: if there is too little, the bacteria gain the upper hand followed by blood poisoning, if there is too much, the result is excessive inflammation. Both can be lethal.

Tipping the scales: type I interferons

But how is the amount of IL-1 regulated? "We could show that type I interferons (IFN-I) are key," says study lead Pavel Kovarik: "We have known for a long time that IFN-I helps in the fight against viruses, but their role in the defense against bacteria was far less clear. For the first time, we could now show in our model system that they also play an important role in bacterial infections too by reducing the amount of IL-1 and so preventing excessive inflammation."

New therapies to treat invasive streptococcal disease

These results should now prompt medical research as it is important to understand, besides the model system, how the amount of IL-1  is balanced in patients and how it is related to the severity of the infection. Virginia Castiglia explains: "In our model we have shown that if IFN-I effects are reduced, treatment with inhibitors of IL-1 synthesis have positive effects and balance is restored. Once we understand the relationship between IFN-I and IL-1 in humans, we can test these and similar therapies." Until now, serious invasive streptococcal infection can only be treated symptomatically. Antibiotics only help in the early stages and anti-inflammatory agents show little effect. Often the only way is the generous removal of the inflamed tissue. So there is still a lot to do for Pavel Kovarik and his team. Virginia Castiglia also continues to address questions related to infection biology. Since mid-February, she is a Postdoc at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, funded by a prestigious Marie Curie grant from the European Union.
Undesirable associations with sex can be unlearned, but return if the circumstances change. They must therefore be unlearned in different situations. The drug D-cycloserine may help here. These are the findings of psychologist Mirte Brom.

Treating sexual disorders

Leiden PhD candidate Mirte Brom conducted a large-scale study of 600 test subjects. Her findings could help treat people with a sex addition, for instance, or alternatively people who find it difficult to become aroused. Test subjects were conditioned to feel aroused, and Brom researched whether this could be unlearned again.

Experiment

In an experiment Brom showed images to healthy test subjects. Their sexual arousal could be measured and stimulated: in the women with a tampon-like device and in the men with a band around the penis. They were shown a neutral image while vibrations were applied to arouse them. They were also asked about the image's effect on them.

Neutral images can become sexually charged

The neutral image was then offered without vibration, and the test subjects also become sexually aroused. Brom: 'Healthy men and women can easily become sexually conditioned, which means that neutral stimuli can also become sexually charged. It could be that people with little sexual desire have too few associations between stimuli and sexual reward. People with too much sexual desire may have too many of the stimuli that induce sexual arousal.'

Unlearning learned associations

A subsequent experiment showed that it was possible to unlearn the learned association. One way to achieve this was by showing the image without vibration but with another colour of light in the experiment room. This helped: the image then left the test subject cold. But the sexual response returned if the image was shown again later in the old, yellow light.

Attention to environment and context

The environment and context in which these sexual associations are learned and unlearned (this is also known as extinguishing) thus play an important role. This finding could help in the development of treatment methods. Brom: 'Undesirable sexual responses can be unlearned in a treatment setting, but back at home people can revert to the undesirable behaviour. This means that undesirable sexual responses and behaviour must be extinguished in as many contexts and circumstances as possible. So also where they were initially learned.'
Research teams separated by 14 hours and 9,000 miles have collaborated to advance prospective treatment for the world's second-leading cause of death.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln chemists partnered with medical researchers from the National University of Singapore to develop a molecule that can inhibit an enzyme linked with the onset of stroke.

Most strokes occur when a disruption of blood flow prevents oxygen and glucose from reaching brain tissue, ultimately killing neurons and other cells. The team found that its molecule, known as 6S, reduced the death of brain tissue by as much as 66 percent when administered to the cerebrum of a rat that had recently suffered a stroke.

It also appeared to reduce the inflammation that typically accompanies stroke, which the World Health Organization has estimated kills more than 6 million people annually.

"The fact that this inhibitor remained effective when given as post-stroke treatment ... is encouraging, as this is the norm in the treatment of acute stroke," the researchers reported in a March 9 study published by the journal ACS Central Science.

The inhibitor works by binding to cystathionine beta-synthase, or CBS - an enzyme that normally helps regulate cellular function but can also trigger production of toxic levels of hydrogen sulfide in the brain. Though hydrogen sulfide is an important signaling molecule at normal concentrations, stroke patients exhibit elevated concentrations believed to initiate the brain damage they often suffer.

Chemist David Berkowitz and his UNL colleagues modeled their inhibitor on a naturally occurring molecule produced by the CBS enzyme, tailoring the molecule's structure to improve its performance. By swapping out functional groups of atoms known as amines with hydrazines, the team ultimately increased the inhibitor's binding time from less than a second to hours.

"We wanted a compound that would bind well, specifically to this enzyme," said Berkowitz, a Willa Cather Professor of chemistry. "But we also wanted one that could be synthesized easily. Those are two very different considerations."

Berkowitz and his colleagues achieved the latter goal, in part, by plucking out the molecule's carbon-sulfur bond and replacing it with a double bond. Slicing that double bond gave the researchers two identical halves of the molecule. With the assistance of a Nobel Prize-winning technique called cross-metathesis, the team was then able to "synthesize two halves of the molecule for the price of one," Berkowitz said.

To test the effectiveness of the 6S molecule in treating stroke, Berkowitz and fellow UNL chemist Christopher McCune reached out to Peter Wong, professor of pharmacology at the National University of Singapore.

"We started researching this and came upon Peter's work pretty quickly," Berkowitz said. "We saw that he was one of the protagonists, one of the guys who is on the leading edge of understanding how (hydrogen sulfide) signaling works."

Though the research teams have never actually met in person, Berkowitz said videoconferencing and a steady stream of emails have helped overcome the barriers of time and distance. In the process, he said, each team has developed a profound appreciation for the other's work.

"Peter ended up latching onto the chemistry more than we did, and we ended up latching onto the biology," Berkowitz said. "It's actually been really fun. These are two kinds of science that are pretty far apart, and that's probably the most exciting thing about this: the interdisciplinary nature."

Because the 6S inhibitor has demonstrated its effects in cell cultures and the brain tissue of rats, Berkowitz cautioned that it represents just an initial step toward developing a stroke-treating drug for humans. However, he said the proof-of-principle experiments effectively illustrate the concept's promise.

Berkowitz also expressed optimism that the synthesis method detailed in the study could streamline the more general production of enzyme-targeting inhibitors.

"We started out with a very fundamental-science perspective on understanding the chemistry of this whole class of vitamin B6-dependent enzymes," he said. "We're in a good place now, because that science has allowed us to make these inhibitors and many others. We're now working on several enzymes that may represent important targets for translation of the basic inhibitor chemistry into truly therapeutic goals."

Source: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Gov. Terry McAuliffe has vetoed legislation that would prevent Virginia cities from taking down monuments to the Confederacy and other war-related memorials, saying it would prohibit communities from making their own decisions about controversial symbols.

In a veto announced Thursday, McAuliffe said he supports historic preservation, but called the legislation a "sweeping override of local authority" that has ramifications for "interpretive signage to tell the story of some of our darkest moments during the Civil War."

"There is a legitimate discussion going on in localities across the commonwealth regarding whether to retain, remove, or alter certain symbols of the Confederacy," McAuliffe said in his veto message. "These discussions are often difficult and complicated. They are unique to each communitys specific history and the specific monument or memorial being discussed. This bill effectively ends these important conversations."

House Bill 587 would have clarified a law passed in 1998 that prevented local governments from disturbing or interfering with war-related monuments. The bill introduced this year by Del. Charles D. Poindexter, R-Franklin County, would clarify that monuments built before 1998 were also protected under the law.

In an interview, Poindexter said the governor's veto leaves all of Virginia's war memorials at risk.

"Yeah, they're in the locality, but these are Virginian and American resources," Poindexter said. "I think we've got more work to do here."

The General Assembly will have a chance to overrule the governor during a veto session scheduled for April 20. The bill passed the House on a bipartisan, 82-16 vote. The margin was tighter in the Senate, where the bill passed 21-17 with broad Democratic opposition.

Poindexter has said the legislation stemmed from a court ruling in Danville, where a judge found that the law did not apply to a Confederate flag previously flown above the Sutherlin Mansion, the last capitol of the Confederacy. The judge ruled that the law did not apply retroactively to memorials built before 1998.

"I think that interpretation needs clarifying to protect the Revolutionary War monuments, the World War II monuments, the Korean War, Word War I, Algonquin War," Poindexter said.

The 1998 law had a particular focus on the Civil War, which it refers to as "the War Between the States." The placement of Union markings on Confederate memorials is explicitly banned by the law, as is the placement of Confederate markings on Union monuments.

After a racially motivated shooting in South Carolina last year that killed nine African-American churchgoers, McAuliffe moved to phase out state-issued license plates showing the Confederate flag.

The legislation on war symbols carries particular importance for Richmond, which served as the Confederate capital and is dotted with monuments to rebel figures such as Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, J.E.B. Stuart and Stonewall Jackson.

As other Southern cities have grappled with Confederate history and openly discussed removing statues, Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones has said he's more focused on "building up" rather than tearing down.

Other cities have taken a more aggressive approach. In Portsmouth, local officials are actively considering moving a Confederate monument.

Questions of race and history could factor into this year's local elections, when Richmonders will choose a new mayor, city council and school board. Some historians have floated the idea of putting up more signage on the city's iconic Monument Avenue to add context about why the statues were built.

The city is planning a statue of pioneering black businesswoman Maggie L. Walker in a prominent spot on Broad Street.

Del. Delores L. McQuinn, a Richmond Democrat who has worked to elevate the city's black history as head of the Richmond City Council Slave Trail Commission, said she agreed with the governor that authority over monuments should lie with local governments and their residents. She said she's "not interested in pulling down monuments."

"I just have a strong feeling that we should focus on telling the balanced story," McQuinn said. "And in doing that, there ought to be monuments to African-Americans who really helped build the city of Richmond."
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Home News Sports Social Obituaries Events Letters Looking Back Health Jewels Stitch in Time Judge orders continuing custody for Boundary County man charged in Bundy standoff; will be transported to Nevada for arraignment March 10, 2016 Todd C. Engel, a man who is reportedly from Boundary County, Idaho, will remain in federal custody and will be transported to Nevada to face charges for multiple felonies in connection with his participation in the 2014 Cliven Bundy armed standoff with law enforcement over grazing rights and access / control of federal lands.



The decision for Mr. Engel to remain in detention was issued today by U.S. Magistrate Judge Candy W. Dale, a judge for the United States Courts District of Idaho, after hearing arguments from Mr. Engel's attorney and from a federal prosecutor in a hearing to determine whether Mr. Engel could be released from custody or if he should remain jailed pending his upcoming arraignment to answer charges filed by a Nevada grand jury. Today's hearing was held at the U.S. District Court Courthouse in Coeur d'Alene.



A Superseding Criminal Indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Nevada, dated March 2, charged Mr. Engel with the following felonies:



 Conspiracy to Commit an Offense Against the United States

 Conspiracy to Impede or Injure a Federal Officer

 Use and Carry of a Firearm in Relation to a Crime of Violence

 Assault on a Federal Officer

 Threatening a Federal Law Enforcement Officer

 Obstruction of the Due Administration of Justice

 Interference with Interstate Commerce by Extortion

 Interstate Travel in Aid of Extortion



He is charged with one count of each of the above violations, with the exception of the charge of Use and Carry of a Firearm in Relation to a Crime, for which he is listed four times in the indictment.



He was arrested on these charges on March 3 in Idaho, the day after the Grand Jury indictment was made public. Three other Idaho men, all from southern Idaho, were also arrested the same day, as well as eight others from four other states.



The Nevada standoff drew national attention back in 2014, when Mr. Bundy, a rancher from Bunkerville, Nevada, resisted federal rules to obtain required permits and pay fees for allegedly grazing his cattle on federally-owned public lands in southeastern Nevada. The incident quickly became a flashpoint for, among others, those who contend that federally-owned land actually belongs or should belong to the states and who oppose the exercise of federal authority on those lands. The standoff escalated into an armed confrontation between law enforcement and Mr. Bundy, along with supporters who were drawn to his cause.



Mr. Engel traveled to Nevada during the standoff; the charges he is now facing stem from what the grand jury said was his role in that confrontation.



Court proceedings today

Mr. Engel entered the courtroom in Coeur d'Alene just before today's hearing began. Approximately 50 people were seated in the spectator section of the courtroom, including some from Boundary County. He appeared to immediately recognize, smile at, and wave to some of those in attendance.



The prosecutor in the hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Traci Whelan, emphasized that the proceedings were not to determine whether Mr. Engel was guilty or innocent of the charges; instead the hearing was only to determine whether he should be released pending trial, or should remain in custody. She indicated that he is presumed innocent at this time, and his guilt or innocence will be determined at a full trial at a later date in Nevada.



Ms. Whelan went on to present material that she felt indicated Mr. Engel should remain in custody. She started with a video she said Mr. Engel had made and posted online on the morning of the day he was arrested. In this video, Mr. Engel is seen seated alone as he states he is aware that arrests of other participants in the Bundy standoff were being arrested, and expressed concern that he may be arrested also. He stated in this video that he knew people were getting ready to fight, and that this could be a "turning point in the resistance," as in the Oklahoma City bombings.



She also played for the court a recording of a telephone conversation Mr. Engel had with LaVoy Finicum, the man who was shot and killed by law enforcement officers at the recent Malheur Wildlife Refuge standoff in Oregon. In that conversation, Mr. Engel is heard telling Mr. Finicum to consider leaving the Malheur site, and moving to a different location in a county where he might have a sheriff more friendly to those in the standoff. Later in the conversation Mr. Engel said he could round up some "seriously armed dudes," who could participate in the standoff.



The prosecutor also presented other Facebook posts she felt backed up her request that his incarceration be continued.



She also read lines from a transcript of a meeting Mr. Engel had in the Bonner County Sheriff's Office, where he met with an undersheriff and a lieutenant. In that conversation, he reportedly said at one point, "I'll stay out of your county, but I will wage war." She later stated Mr. Engel indicated in this meeting that he would like a phone call if a warrant were to be issued for his arrest, which she interpreted as meaning he would then try to avoid being apprehended.



Mr. Engel's defense attorney, Colin Prince with Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho, called two witnesses who testified to the character of Mr. Engel. Both indicated that they knew him well, and did not consider him a violent man, and that to their knowledge he had never hurt anyone. One witness said that Mr. Engel was "just the opposite of a violent person." He went on to say that he did not agree with all of Mr. Engel's political views, but still considered him to be of good character.



The other witness said he considered Mr. Engel to be a part of his family, and that at times in the past he had permitted Mr. Engel to take his children on outings, camping, and so forth. This witness went on to say he believed Mr. Engel would appear for all required court proceedings if he were released. Mr. Prince went on to point out that the presence of so many people present to observe the proceedings in the courtroom indicated the defendant had ties to the community.



Attorneys present closing arguments

In her closing arguments, Ms. Whelan listed reasons she felt the defendant should remain in jail. She stated he did not seem to have close ties to the community, that in a prior interview since his arrest, he was not able to supply reliable contact information for neighbors or friends, that the address on his driver license did not match where he was living, and that all of this indicated he would possibly be an increased risk for fleeing if freed.



She further stated that the law enforcement officers in Nevada at the site of the Bundy standoff were there to enforce a total of three valid court orders regarding Mr. Bundy's use of federal lands. She said that if Mr. Engel wished to challenge those orders, he could have done so through legal means, but instead he showed up on the scene armed and intimidating. She asked that because of the risk that Mr. Engel might flee if freed, and because he could potentially pose a harm to the community, that incarceration be continued.



Mr. Prince, Mr. Engel's attorney, countered by saying it is true the defendant owned guns, had a lot of opinions, and often expressed his opinions in military language, but that he had never been a threat to anyone. Mr. Prince stated the defendant had traveled to Nevada and more recently to the Malheur Wildlife Refuge to help facilitate a peaceful end to those standoffs, not to escalate them.



Mr. Prince further pointed out that when Mr. Engel had heard people were being arrested in the Bundy case, and he feared he might also be arrested, he did not flee. Instead, he simply went to his office that day. Mr. Prince said if a person is looking to flee, "what you don't do is go to the office." He further pointed out that in the two years since the Bundy standoff, Mr. Engel had not harmed anyone, had not fled to avoid prosecution, should not be considered a flight risk or a danger, and should now be freed pending trial.



Mr. Prince requested that instead of incarceration, the judge consider permitting Mr. Engel to stay at a halfway house, with possible GPS monitoring, and with having other strong conditions.



The judge's decision

In presenting her decision, Judge Dale indicated that she was required to consider and follow guidelines required by legislation and by previous case law in determining if Mr. Engel would be a flight risk or a danger to the community. She said that although he is presumed innocent, the Nevada grand jury had already considered whether there was probable cause in charging Mr. Engel with unlawful use of a firearm, and that the alleged crimes were of a violent nature that included use of a firearm. She indicated it was relevant to this hearing that he had aided in defying a lawful court order in appearing on scene in an apparent show of support for Mr. Bundy in Nevada with a loaded AR-15. She stated that a lot of people could have potentially been harmed in the Bundy standoff.



She went on to state that his conduct since the Bundy standoff continued to show active support of people who defied lawful orders of a court, and said that whether those orders were right or wrong, they were still lawful. She felt he could be a danger, given that he had allegedly encouraged, or participated, or encouraged others in defiance of a lawful court order.



She stated her final determination was that it had been shown by a preponderance of evidence that Mr. Engel was a flight risk, and potentially a dangerous person, that he would continue to be held in custody, and that he would be transported by the U.S. Marshal's service to face charges in Nevada.



Is Mr. Engel really a resident of Boundary County?

Finally, regarding Todd Engel as a current resident of Boundary County: News reports across the nation on the day Mr. Engle was arrested consistently identified him as "Todd Engel of Boundary County, Idaho." At today's hearing, no one was ever asked or made a statement as far as where Mr. Engel has been living. It was brought up that the address on his driver license did not match where he was living. It was mentioned that he had lived in an apartment in Coeur d'Alene, and that he was building a house.



It was mentioned that he at one point had worked with a real estate office in Sandpoint. It was mentioned that he has been a contractor, and that he was involved with a company called the North Idaho Training Center, which, according to its website, provides military-style training, has "Todd E." listed as an owner and instructor, and has an address given as "Bonners Ferry, Idaho." Paperwork on file with the Idaho Secretary of State, dated just seven weeks ago on January 19, shows the North Idaho Training Center is a current business in Idaho, with Todd Engel listed as the contact person for the business, and gives a contact address in Ponderay, Idaho.



NewsBF checked with officials at the District Court today to find an address for Mr. Engel's residence. They tried, but could not find any address for him in their records. They recommended we contact Mr. Engel's attorney, which we did. His attorney, Mr. Prince, declined to provide any information on the defendant's residence, citing concerns for his privacy. Questions or comments about this article? Click here to e-mail!
Cubas Baro hosts free workshop today

Baro is the feature performer alongside the Alexis Baro Quintet at tomorrows Jazz Artistes on The Greens 2016 (JAOTG.) Event co-ordinator of JAOTG, Rolf Doyle, said the headline act of the JAOTG event always leads a free workshop on the day before their performance.

This workshop series was born from the great synergistic relationship between event producers, Production One Limited and the UTT and all are welcome to attend and participate in the tremendous musical and educational experience which has become a hallmark of these workshops. Baro was born into a musical family in Havana and took up the trumpet as a youngster and pursued his music studies earning teaching certification from Havanas Amadeo Roldan Music Institute and became an accomplished trumpeter and flugelhornist.

After moving to Toronto in 2001, Baro began exploring a multiplicity of musical styles, embracing not only the jazz genre, but also adding R&B, funk and calypso to his repertoire. Early on he worked with a diverse list of artistes that included: Ruben Vazquez, Evaristo Machado, Cassava, David Rudder, The Clash, Son Ache, and Kollage among others and his artistic abilities led to more high-profile engagements, accompanying touring greats such as: The Temptations, Donny Osmond, Sheena Easton, and Jon Secada.

Baro was opening act for the legendary Herbie Hancock and has led his own groups on tour across Canada and the West Indies.

He is a three-time nominee for Best Trumpet Player at the National Jazz Awards, co-winner of a Juno Award and recipient of a Gemini Award. He has performed and recorded as a sideman with a variety of artists including: David Foster, Paul Shaffer
ANSA McAL secures ORTT medal

I am filled with pride and joy that we were able to ensure that this cherished national award will soon be on its way back to Trinidad and Tobago, said Sabga.

There are many moments in my life when I have felt we have done something really worthwhile, but nothing can outmatch this by the sheer significance of its national patrimonial value and meaning. Sabga gave the background to events.

We came to an agreement with the owner of the store that, given the historic significance of the medal, and in consideration of ANSA McALs noble intention to reclaim the award on behalf of Trinidad and Tobago, all other bids would be closed. He will seek President Anthony Carmonas support to donate it to the National Museum.

The ORTT is an18-carat gold medal signed by former President George Maxwell Richards and stamped with the presidential seal. Rienzi, born Krishna Deonarine in 1905, founded the Oilfields Workers Trade Union and the All Trinidad Sugar Estates and Factory Workers Union.
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(Newser)  A nuclear power plant in Florida described by critics as "environmentally fragile" is almost certainly leaking radioactive cooling water into the nearby ocean, the Miami New Times reports. "You would have to work hard to find a worse place to put a nuclear plant, right between two national parks and subject to hurricanes and storm surge," South Miami mayor Philip Stoddard says. The Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant near Miami has been around for four decades and powers more than 1 million homes, according to Fusion. But problems started being detected with the system of canals used to cool it two years ago after Florida Power & Light increased the plant's power output. Now a study released Monday found tritium levels in Biscayne Bay up to 215 times higher than normal, the Miami Herald reports.

It's unclear at the moment if those levels of tritium, a radioactive isotope, are dangerous to people or animals, but they are high enough to "suggest a consistent flow" from the cooling canals into the ocean. A state representative calls the study "the last straw" and is asking the EPA do something to "protect the public." Stoddard says he and others warned Florida Power & Light about the canals years ago but were ignored. "They argued the canals were a closed system, but that's not how water works in South Florida," he tells the New Times. Just two weeks ago, a judge ordered the utility to fix the canals because they were contaminating groundwater and potentially endangering drinking water. Stoddard says there are only two solutions: replacing the canals with cooling towers or shutting the whole thing down.(Radioactive groundwater was detected in New York City.)
(Newser)  It seems applying to join ISIS isn't so different from applying to be a Subway sandwich artist. NBC News reports thousands of what appear to be ISIS recruiting forms were leaked to various news agencies by a "disillusioned" member of the terror organization. CNN has the full list of 23 questions from the forms. Those questions include normal job application queries (education level, current employer, and recommendations) as well as some questions not likely to be asked by your local HR departmentreligious level, previous jihad experience, obedience level, and preference for becoming a fighter or suicide attacker.

Of more use to intelligence agencies around the world, the leaked documents include the names, addresses, phone numbers, and travel routes of ISIS members, Sky News reports. The names not already known by officials include ISIS members in the Middle East and beyond, including the US and Canada. Officials believe this information could be key in preventing future terror attacks. The documents, which include a file marked "martyrs," also shed light on the mindset of people hoping to become suicide attackers. One applicant wrote he was interested in a suicide mission because "I have a headache because (of) shrapnel in my head." An Australian man was also interested in becoming a suicide attacker but worried about his poor night vision and inability to drive stick. (Read more ISIS stories.)
(Newser)  Let's be honest, those moments after a plane lands but before it reaches its gate are always a powder keg thanks to cooped-up flyers anxious for freedom. On Wednesday, that powder keg finally exploded with two drunk, music-loving women playing the part of the match, the Los Angeles Times reports. According to CNN, the two women started playing loud music from a boom box or portable speaker while the Spirit Airlines flight from Baltimore was taxiing to its gate at Los Angeles International Airport. When fellow passengers asked the women to turn the music down, the women held the boom box over their heads, waved it around, and asked, "What are you going to do?"

The answer to that question was apparently "fisticuffs." KTLA reports cellphone videos (such as this one or this one) show three other women getting into a punch-throwing, hair-pulling melee with the original duo. The fight was broken up without any injuries, but the FBI and police were at the gate to greet all five women, according to CBS Los Angeles. None of the women were arrested or charged for the incident. Id be really afraid just because of all the security and all the issues going on right now," one traveler at LAX tells CBS. A plane is probably the last place you would want to do something like that." (Read more air travel stories.)
(Newser)  Terminally ill California residents will be able to legally end their lives with medication prescribed by a doctor starting this summer, ending months of uncertainty for dying patients hoping to turn to the practice. State lawmakers adjourned a special session on health care Thursday, paving the way for the law allowing physician-assisted suicide to take effect June 9. The law approved last year made California the fifth state in the nation to adopt the practice, but patients were left in limbo until the special session wrapped up and the law could take effect 90 days later. It passed following the heavily publicized case of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old California woman with brain cancer who moved to Oregon to legally end her life in 2014.

Opponents say it could lead to premature suicides. Religious institutions, like Catholic hospitals, can opt out and ban their doctors from participating in any assisted deaths. Patients must have two separate meetings with a physician before a doctor can prescribe a life-ending drug. Elizabeth Wallner, a Sacramento resident with stage 4 colon cancer that has spread to her liver and lungs, said she is relieved a date has finally been set. "It gives me a great peace of mind to know that I will not be forced to die slowly and painfully," Wallner said in a statement provided by Compassion & Choices, a right-to-die advocacy group that worked closely with her and others to campaign for the law. (Read more right to die stories.)
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Trump on Visa Program He Uses: 'Very, Very Bad for Workers'

But 'I'm a businessman, and I have to do what I have to do'
(Newser)  A happy ending in a case where cops feared the worst: Two teenage sisters who vanished in upstate New York have been found alive and well in the home of a woman who is accused of kidnapping them. Shaeleen Fortner, 14, and her sister, Kylea Fortner, 16, were found in the Vestal, NY, home of 29-year-old Amanda Hellmann after cops received a tip, reports the Press & Sun Bulletin. The girls were 13 and 15 when they disappeared on April 27 of last year. They had been living with a foster family in Binghamton. After they disappeared, police said they had last been seen waiting for a school bus. Hellmann, described as a family acquaintance, has been charged with kidnapping.

Hellmann "conducted numerous acts to prevent law enforcement from returning the two children to their foster parents," according to a police complaint. Broome County DA Steve Cornwell says the girls are healthy and were apparently being held without their consent. "For all of us, I think 11 months goes by and you think you are never going to see them again or you think the worst, but police didn't give up," he tells WBNG. "State police knew that they were going to keep working the case and keep working leads and talking to people and they didn't give up." He didn't comment on a possible motive or offer details on the captivity of the sisters, who are now in the custody of Child Protective Services. (Read more missing teen stories.)
(Newser)  After decades of barely clinging on as a species, the bear that inspired teddy bears has bounced back. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced on Thursday that the Louisiana black bearwhich appeared in the famous "Teddy's bear" political cartoon after Teddy Roosevelt refused to shoot a tied-up one in 1902has been taken off both the threatened and endangered species list after a population increase from as few as 80 in 1959 to up to 750 today, the Christian Science Monitor reports. In what authorities say should serve as an example to other areas, the bear rebounded with the help of habitat restoration and wildlife corridors that connected different populations of the bear subspecies, which once ranged all the way from eastern Texas to eastern Mississippi.

Jewell praised the "recovery of a species," though the AP notes that some groups think the move is premature. "The work's not over," Jewell told reporters. "The work's really just beginning to bring back more of these hardwoods so Louisiana can help enjoy the kinds of animals that Teddy Roosevelt saw when he was here at the turn of the century." There hasn't been a legal bear hunt in the state since 1988, and the New Orleans Advocate reports that state authorities, who will now take over work to protect the species, say it's far too early to talk about holding one now. (This has also been a great month for grizzly bears.)
(Newser)  A CEO of one of the world's most prominent ad agenciesan agency the New York Post points out creates diversity campaigns for Fortune 500 companiesis at the center of a gender discrimination lawsuit that alleges he subjected employees "to an unending stream of racist and sexist comments as well as unwanted touching and other unlawful conduct," the Guardian reports. The complaint against J. Walter Thompson's Gustavo Martinez was filed by Erin Johnson, who has worked for the agency for more than 10 years. She claims Martinezwho ascended to the CEO's chair in January 2015once said to her in front of co-workers, "Come here, so I can rape you in the bathroom" before grabbing her by the neck and laughing. That same day, she alleges he interrupted a meeting and asked Johnson which female staff member he could rape.

There are more allegations regarding Martinez and women, and the suit also claims he made racist remarks, such as referring to airport workers as "black monkeys" and "apes." Johnson says in the suit that when she brought his behavior to light, to both JWT and parent company WPP, she was suddenly left out of top-level meetings and had her bonus decreased by Martinez. Martinez says in a statement: "I want to assure our clients and my colleagues that there is absolutely no truth to these outlandish allegations." WPP reportedly issued a memo to senior execs at JWT that said it has been looking into the claims since Feb. 25 and has "found nothing as yet to substantiate these charges," per Ad Age. Johnson, meanwhile, is on paid leave from JWT, which counts Ford, Johnson & Johnson, Avon, and the US Marine Corps among its clients. (Read more lawsuit stories.)
(Newser)  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's state visit to Washington went so smoothly that social media and even the press seem agreed that a "bromance" has bloomed. In the first such visit since Jean Chretien dined with Bill Clinton at the White House in 1997, Trudeau and President Obama discussed issues including terrorism and climate change and appeared so much in sync that the Washington Post, AFP, and the New York Times, among many others, used that bromance descriptor. It was also big on Twitter, notes CTV. Meanwhile, Canada's Globe and Mail notes that Michelle Obama introduced Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau as her "soulmate" when the spouses attended an event to promote girls' education Thursday morning.

The two countries are "closer than friends," Trudeau said at the Thursday night state dinner, which was peppered with Canadian celebrities, including Ryan Reynolds and Michael J. Fox, the Post reports. "We're more like siblings, really," he said. "We have shared heritage, though we took different paths in our later years. We became the stay-at-home type. You grew to be a little more rebellious." Obama praised the "enormous energy" of the Canadian delegation and warned the new leader: "If in fact you plan to keep your dark hair, then you have to start dying it early. You hit a certain point, it's too late. You'll be caught." McClatchy notes that Trudeau would be wise to push for a close relationship with the Obama administration now, as bromance is unlikely to blossom between the liberal leader and the likes of Donald Trump or Ted Cruz. (Read more Justin Trudeau stories.)
(Newser)  It was worth the wait: Two Pennsylvania couples were awarded $4.2 million on Thursday, more than six years after first accusing Cabot Oil & Gas of contaminating their well water. Originally among a group of 44 Susquehanna County residents who sued Cabot in 2009, these two couplesNolen Scott Ely and Monica Marta-Ely and Raymond and Victoria Hubertrefused to settle in 2012, reports the Scranton Times-Tribune. After a 14-day trial in which the couples argued Cabot negligently drilled two natural-gas wells that contaminated their water wells with methane, a federal jury agreed, awarding $2.6 million to the Elys and $1.4 million to the Huberts. Each of their children, a total of four, were awarded $50,000 over the fracking. "It wasn't about the money," Nolen Scott Ely says. "We were voicing ourselves and standing up for our rights." Cabot plans to appeal.

A state investigation that started in 2009 found Cabot responsible for contaminating 18 water supplies in Dimock Township, where residents complained that brown water would cause a lit match to burst into flame, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Oh my God! They heard! They heard! said the couples' attorney, Leslie Lewis, after the verdict. Cabot attorney Jeremy Mercer says that there was no evidence to suggest anything but naturally occurring gas reached the couples' wells and that the water problems started before Cabot began drilling nearby. He also accused Lewis of mentioning evidence that was supposed to have been excluded. "Without plaintiffs' counsel's conduct, the evidence in this case did not allow for a jury to reach the verdict it did," he says. (Fracking is likely causing daily earthquakes in Oklahoma.)
(Newser)  A Joe's Crab Shack in Minnesota apparently thought a lynching was fair game to joke about on its table decor. Two diners noticed a photo embedded inside a table at a Roseville location Wednesday night that appeared to show a black person being hanged while white people watched, USA Today reports. Below the picture is the text, "Hanging at Groesbeck, Texas, on April 12th, 1895." Above the picture: "All I said was that I didn't like the gumbo." One of the diners says that the manager was "apologetic," but that the "sickening image" should never have been used.

The Minneapolis NAACP got involved, demanding a public mea culpa, donation to an organization serving African-American youth, and removal of the image and any others like it from the company's restaurants. No word on the donation, but the COO of Joe's Crab Shack's parent company issued an apologetic statement and said the image was removed from that restaurant. The president of the local NAACP tells the Washington Post that no one has yet committed to investigating other locations to ensure no similar images have been used in the decor, and one of the two diners tells CNNMoney that a friend told her he's seen a similar photo at an LA-area Joe's: "So I do believe this is around the nation." (Read more racism stories.)
(Newser)  Maria Sharapova isn't the only athlete who's been busted for taking a heart medicine once used by Soviet troops to build stamina. Turns out the World Anti-Doping Agency has seen nearly 100 positive tests in 2016 for meldonium, a drug the group banned Jan. 1, spokesman Ben Nichols told the AP via email. "There have been 99 adverse analytical findings for meldonium recorded," he writes, though he didn't indicate who exactly was nailed for it, other than noting seven of the confirmed cases were revealed to be from Russians (including Sharapova). And there may be more instances to come, as the New York Daily News reports WADA may go back to 2006 to recheck urine samples.

"Under the World Anti-Doping Code, the revised statute of limitations allows [WADA] to pursue anti-doping rule violations for a period of 10 years from when any violation was said to have occurred," Nichols says. And believe it or not, there are probably urine samples still sitting around, as license agreements all Olympic athletes sign when they apply permit samples to be kept around in case of new advancements in testing down the road. As for healthy athletes who are tempted to take drugs like this in what health blogger Aaron Carroll calls in the New York Times a "pharmaceutical quest for the edge," it's not worth it. "There's no magic here," he writes. "Unfortunately, most of those people are getting all the harms of the substances they take, but few of the benefits." (Read more sports doping stories.)
(Newser)  A South African teenager vacationing in Mozambique may have found part of a wing from missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which his family dismissed as "rubbish" and his mother nearly threw away, he said Friday. On Dec. 30, Liam Lotter was strolling on a beach in southern Mozambique, near the resort town of Xai Xai, when he spotted a gray piece of debris washed up on the sand, he recalled. It had rivet holes along the edge and the number 676EB stamped on it, convincing him he had found a piece of an aircraft. So he dragged the piece back to his family's vacation home. The curved piece of debris is about 3.3 feet long, and about half that length wide, his father Casper Lotter said.

His parents dismissed it as a "piece of rubbish" that was probably debris from a boat, with his uncle making fun of him for dragging it around, but the 18-year-old insisted on bringing it back to South Africa to research the fragment. He ultimately set it aside; it was only when Lotter read about another piece of possible debris from the missing airliner also found in Mozambique, about 186 miles from where he had made his discovery, that he resumed his probe. "I was very shockedMozambique, similar color, similar area," the teen said of the piece discovered by an American man. "He described it similarly to what I'm looking at right now." A spokesperson for the South African Civil Aviation Authority tells the AP, "We have arranged for collection of the part, which will be sent to Australia as they are the ones appointed by Malaysia to identify parts found." (Read more Malaysia Airlines stories.)
The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574.
New Delhi:

A report in a leading English daily suggested on Friday that Vijay Mallya flew out of India on March 2. The report, citing a government official, further states that he took a Jet Airways' Delhi-London flight 9W 122 on a first class ticket. Accompanied by a woman, he was carrying seven baggages, the report says, adding it doesnt appear to be a business trip.

Amid a row over the alleged defaulting of loans of more than Rs 9000 crore from several banks, Mallya took it to Twitter to clarify that he has not fled from India but because he is an international businessman, he travels abroad more often. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder, Vijay Mallya said on Twitter on Friday.

The UB Group chairman and Rajya Sabha member Mallya, who is facing legal proceedings following the alleged money laundering, is believed to be in London in an English village.



It is believed that the liquor baron is currently in the village of Tiwen near St Albans in Hertfordshire. His London home is located near Baker Street area.

I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 10, 2016

As an Indian MP I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 10, 2016

Let media bosses not forget help, favours,accommodation that I have provided over several years which are documented. Now lies to gain TRP ?  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 10, 2016

News reports that I must declare my assets. Does that mean that Banks did not know my assets or look at my Parliamentary disclosures ?  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 11, 2016

Once a media witch hunt starts it escalates into a raging fire where truth and facts are burnt to ashes.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 11, 2016

According to sources, the Supreme Court is likely to serve him a notice to return to India via the Indian High Commission in London soon. Last month, Mallya had indicated that he wanted to move to UK to meet his children

My statement as to my personal future after quitting Diageo/USL  that I want to spend more time in England closer to my children  has been grossly distorted and mis-portrayed," he had said.

"I wish to reduce my business commitments gradually and devote more time to my family, and that my resignation from United Spirits was a step in this direction, he had said in a recent statement," he added.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend Sri Sri Ravi Shankars controversial three-day World Culture Festival, scheduled to take place on Friday on the banks of Yamuna river. A government press statement confirmed the development asking the media to report two hours before the arrival of PM Modi.



The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Foundation to pay Rs 5 crores fine for environmental damage to the ecologically-sensitive banks of the river. However, the NGT gave a go ahead to the World Culture Festival.

The Foundation has been asked to pay the fine by Friday and if it fails to do so, the law will take its course, it said. Sri Sri had said on Thursday that he will not pay the fine as he had not done anything wrong, adding, he was ready to go to jail.

The NGT had pulled down the foundation, DDA and the environment ministry over the event. President Pranab Mukherjee had turned down the Sri Srias invitation and the Delhi High Court had described the event as a "disaster" from the ecological point of view.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi :

Sri Sri Ravi Shankars Art of Living (AOL) courted controversy in March 2016 after his grand celebration to mark the World Cultural Festival on the Yamuna floodplain went viral in news.

The extravagant plan attracted criticism after activists and National Green Tribunal accused the organisation of violating green norms.

The matter went in the tribunal court for hearing where the event was given green signal but only after a hefty fine of Rs 5 crore.

Defiant Sri Sri while talking to News Nation claimed that he is ready to go to jail but will not pay fine as his organisation has done no harm to the environment.

He insisted that AOL is deeply concerned in case of environmental matters and will turn the event into a biodiversity park thus not violating any norms.

The matter even turned up in the Supreme Court which once again gave green signal to the Cultural fest terming that the issue should have been risen before as now nothing can be undone.

The mega-event is set to kick off today. Let us take a look at the good and ugly world of Art of Living.

The Good

Art of Living Foundation is a volunteer-based, humanitarian and educational non-governmental organizations (NGO), which was founded by Ravi Shankar in 1981.

It is spread over 156 countries and is considered the world's largest volunteer-based NGO as it work in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations and focuses on the upliftment of human values at the grassroots level.

Their work is spread to Art of Living Foundation (U.S.A.), Vyakti Vikas Kendra (India), Die Kunst des Lebens (Germany), Art of Living Center (Canada), Art of Living South Africa, Art of Living Israel, Art of Living Brazil, and Art of Living Argentina.

The Foundation operates as a charitable organization actively conducting "Art of Living" stress-relief courses, based on yoga, breathing, and meditation.

Guinness Book of World Records

They have a Guinness Book of Records for a Mohiniyattam dance where several danced on the traditional Kerala dance form in Cochin.

Another sitar concert "Brahm Naad" also entered Guinness Book of Records of whose proceeds went towards rehabilitation of the victims of the Bihar floods.

"Taal Ninaad" held on 17 January 2012 at Sholapur, which included 1230 tablas and 318 pakhavaj also entered the Guinness Book of Records.

The mass recital of Jnanappana, a devotional poem written by the 16th century Malayalam poet Poonthanam, organized by the foundation on 2 February 2014, has also found place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The Bad

AOL first hit controversy in 2010 when two anonymous bloggers, "Skywalker" and "Klim", were sued and accused of defamation, trade libel, copyright infringement and disclosing trade secrets.

Then in 2011 a public interest litigation petition was filed in the high court alleging that Art of Living had constructed huge structures, encroaching upon the water spread area of Udipalya tank. A show cause notice was issued to the foundation by the state government.

In March 2014, the organization's yoga center in Islamabad, Pakistan was burned down, even threats were issued to the organization by Taliban.

Hitting the deck was AOL controversy, which saw Sri Sri fighting a battle with the tribunal and Supreme Court.
New Delhi :

The Supreme Court on Friday quashed the public interest litigation (PIL) seeking action against Gujarat cops in the alleged fake encounter.

A petition was filed in the Supreme Court seeking the quashing of criminal cases against Gujarat policemen in the alleged encounter killing of Ishrat Jahan, who, the plea claims, was a terrorist plotting to kill the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.

Pakistani-American terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley informed court during investigation that Ishrat Jahan was a LeT activist and played the role of a suicide bomber.

CBI filed a charge sheet and supplementary charge sheet declaring Ishrat Jahan as an innocent Muslim student and prosecuted various police officers.

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New Delhi :

Cheering homebuyers, the Rajya Sabha passed the Real Estate Regulatory Bill on Thursday giving a fillip to the realty sector, which has been facing slowdown during recent years.

It is a historic day for housing sector as PMs guidance and support of Parliamentarians fulfilled long pending dream of home buyers, tweeted Union Minister for Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu after the happy move.

Let us take a look at how the Bill will benefit the sector, homebuyers and developers:

Real estate sector

Housing for all by promote timely execution of projects

Speedy adjudication of disputes and orderly growth through efficient project execution, professionalism/standardisation

Restoring confidence of consumer in the real estate sector by bringing in more transparency and accountability

Provides for specialised regulations and enforcement

The Bill will also promote private investment by boosting domestic and foreign investment in the sector

Illegal and unplanned development will end

Home Buyers

Transparency will help inform buyers.

The Bill will curb unfair trade practices.

One-sided agreements would end.

Funds diversion will be controlled easily

Black money will be curbed

Indefinite delay in dispute resolutions in civil courts will end

Developers

Will be punished if found guilty of misleading advertisements

First-time offenders will be fined 10% of project cost and repeat offenders could face jail term.

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New Delhi:

The controversial exit of Vijay Mallya from the country rocked Rajya Sabha for the second day today, with Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad asking the government why did the CBI amend its lookout notice against the industrialist within a month last year.



Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Azad said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had amended the lookout notice against Mallya issued in October 2015 which had sought his detention if he tried to leave India.



However in November, this order was changed to merely inform the authorities in case he left the country.



What made the CBI change its original notice, the senior Congress leader asked and accused the government of being a party to the exit of the businessman when so many bank default cases were pending against him.



Observing that the government was arguing that there was no court order against Mallya, he said in the case of Greenpeace activist Priya Pillai, she was detained at an airport only on the governments order and there was no court order then.



So why was Vijay Mallya not stopped? You said there was no court order against him but Pillai was detained on governments order, Azad said.



Taking potshots at the Congress, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the NDA government will not give any concession to Mallya like the Congress-led regime did to Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi.



Mallya had left the country on March 2, well before banks moved the Supreme Court for seizure of his passport.



Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had yesterday informed Parliament that the total dues in Mallyas cases including interest amount to Rs 9,091.40 crore as on November 30, 2015.



The loans to companies promoted by Mallya were sanctioned in 2004 to 2007 and those turned into bad loans in 2009. The NPAs of his companies were restructured in 2010.

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Raipur:

A CRPF jawan was today killed and four others, including two officers, were injured in an IED blast in Chhattisgarhs Naxal-hit Sukma district.

The incident occurred in the forests near Murliguda village when a patrol party of the 217th battalion of the force was out to provide security to an under-construction road between Murliguda and Banda under Konta police station limits, Sukma Additional Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh told PTI.

While Head Constable Ranga Raghavan succumbed to his splinter injuries later in the day, injured Deputy Commandant Shyam Niwas is critical and his colleague and DC Prabhat Tripathi and two other jawans are stable.

The team ventured out from the Murliguda paramilitary camp for patrolling around 9 AM and the improvised explosive blast occurred soon after when they reached just about 500 m away from the camp.

The personnel inadvertently stepped over a pressure IED hidden beneath the dirt track by the Naxals, the ASP said.

The injured personnel who first evacuated to Bhadrachalam were later airlifted to Hyderabad for further treatment, the ASP added.

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Beijing:

Amid Indias concerns over dams being built on the Brahmaputra in Tibet, China today said the projects are scientifically planned to ensure that there is no impact on water flows to downstream areas but asserted its just and legitimate right over the water resources.

There has been good cooperation between China and India on the issue of trans border rivers for a long time. The Chinese side has overcome many difficulties and provided service such as provision of hydrological data to the Indian side thus playing a positive role, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told PTI here.

Responding to Minister of State for Water Resources Sanwar Lal Jats statement in Parliament yesterday in which he said India has expressed its concerns to China about the likely impact of the dams, Hong said, the Chinese side has a just and legitimate user right towards the water resources of trans border rivers.

At the same time, the Chinese side also takes a responsible attitude and carries out a policy of protecting while exploiting the resources. All utilisation of trans border rivers are carried out through scientific planning and takes into account the interests of the upstream and downstream, he said.

On the Chinese dams restricting the water flows, Hong said, As per my understanding, the hydropower projects constructed by China at present will not have an impact on flood control and disaster reduction and on the environment of the downstream.

The Chinese side is willing to continue to maintain communication and cooperation with the Indian side on the issue of trans border rivers through existing cooperation mechanisms and enhance mutual understanding and trust between the two sides, he said.

Jat, yesterday had said, India has urged China to ensure the interests of downstream states are not harmed by any activities in upstream areas.

The minister said, according to reports, Chinas Zangmu hydroelectric project was operationalised in October, 2015.

The outline of the 12th Five Year Plan for the Peoples Republic of China indicates that three more hydropower projects on the mainstream of Brahmaputra river in Tibet Autonomous Region have been approved for implementation, he said.

For its part, China has maintained that its projects aimed at hydropower are run of the river projects without storing much waters.

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After more than a year of negotiations, medical technicians and clinicians at Danbury and New Milford hospitals have voted overwhelmingly to ratify their first contract with the Western Connecticut Health Network.

The union of approximately 260 surgical and radiologic technologists, licensed practical nurses and respiratory therapists voted 123-12 in favor of the tentative agreement reached with management.
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Simi Valley, Calif.

They came to mourn the stylish, influential first lady and celebrate an era.

The death of Nancy Reagan at 94 has rekindled memories of a presidency passed, when the "Reagan revolution" reshaped American politics, ushered in the end of the Cold War and telegraphed a cheery optimism to supporters that's little more than a distant echo in the tumult and tawdriness of the 2016 presidential campaign.

As hundreds of mourners, admirers and just the curious continued a procession Thursday past Mrs. Reagan's flower-draped casket at the Reagan Presidential Library, some paused to recall the days of "morning again in America," a Reagan campaign theme, and the Reagan doctrine intended to curb Soviet influence during the Cold War.

"We're just grateful for the Reagan years," Ray Brooks of Simi Valley said as he waited in line with his wife, Jackie, to board a shuttle to the library grounds where Mrs. Reagan's casket was placed in the marble lobby with a bronze statue of a smiling Ronald Reagan nearby.

"Everybody, no matter how they felt about those years, when they look back they remember them as good years because of the example they set. We need an example like that now," Brooks said.

Asked who among the candidates running for president this year might set that example, both burst out laughing.

"I try not to think too much about that," Ray Brooks said.

Though Reagan was a Republican icon, Richard Venn remembered the 40th president as a unifier known for his humor and with friends among political rivals. He recalled Reagan's friendship with the late Democratic House leader Tip O'Neill of Massachusetts.

"We keep looking for his replacement, and we're still looking for his replacement," said Venn, dressed in a red, white and blue shirt, who lives in nearby Oak Park.

Preparations were under way for Friday's funeral, when forecasters said brilliant skies could be replaced by thunderstorms and wind. A tent was erected over the site.

More than 3,000 people came to the library northwest of Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Mrs. Reagan will be buried next to her husband, who died in 2004.

The guest list of politicians and celebrities is a portal into the lives of the Reagans. It includes former President George W. Bush and California Gov. Jerry Brown. Four of the five living first ladies and relatives of every president dating to John Kennedy were also expected to attend.

The list ranged from broadcaster Katie Couric to Las Vegas legend Wayne Newton, actor Tom Selleck and Caroline Kennedy.

Nancy Reagan's two children, Patti Davis and Ronald Prescott Reagan, will be among the speakers at the funeral, which will include choirs and a Marine Corps band.

James A. Baker, who served in the Reagan administration, and former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw also will give remarks during the private ceremony officiated by the Rev. Stuart Kenworthy, vicar of Washington National Cathedral.

The Reagans inspired a devoted following, particularly among Republicans and conservatives but were often reviled on the political left. Their popularity had limits.

The Iran-Contra scandal  secret moves to trade arms for hostages in Iran and divert the profits to Nicaraguan rebels  shook the White House. Fights over supply-side economics, which critics blamed for hurting American workers, shadowed his tenure. The debt held by the public soared on his watch  from $712 billion in 1980 to $2 trillion in 1988.

But mourners at the library Thursday did not dwell on political battles on Capitol Hill, or darker moments.

Foy Curry, who runs a home for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts in Pasadena, couldn't put a finger on why, but he said the country just seemed to be in a better state of mind during the Reagan years.

"America just seemed to be more whole in those days, and I think that's because Ronald and Nancy Reagan, they just drew people in," he said.
A&W Commits $100,000 Research Grant to Farm & Food Care Canada to Help Set Canada at the Forefront of Global Best Practices for Egg Laying Hen Housing.

VANCOUVER, March 10, 2016 /CNW/ - A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. announces today a major commitment to become the first national quick service restaurant in Canada to serve eggs from hens raised in better cage-free housing. It expects to achieve this goal within two years. A&W has already established its leadership role by being the first and only quick service restaurant chain to serve eggs from hens in enriched housing and raised without the use of antibiotics. Currently, there are no open barn housing options available that meet A&W's supply needs and allow for an antibiotic-free environment.

A&W is committing to improving and redesigning housing for egg laying hens, and will source eggs from hens raised without the use of antibiotics while simultaneously advancing the best practices for egg laying hens.

As a part of its commitment to improving egg laying hen housing, a $100,000 A&W grant is being made to Farm & Food Care Canada, a leading Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to building public trust in food and farming. With this investment, the organization will bring together industry experts from many fields to help build on existing work and set better direction for hen housing in Canada.

"At A&W, we are committed to finding better hen housing options within two years that can benefit Canadians, egg farmers and the entire food industry," says Susan Senecal, President and Chief Operating Officer, A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. "We are investing in innovation to accelerate the pace of change because right now there are no viable cage-free egg options that meet our supply standards regarding the use of antibiotics. We are committed to change because we think it is the right thing for the animals, the industry, our business and Canada."

"Right now, cage-free is only being done by a relatively small number of producers in the industry, who cannot fulfill the volume, needs and specifications of A&W," says Dr. John Church, PhD, Natural Resource Science, and Thompson Rivers University. "We need to improve the standards for laying hens overall, particularly when it comes to the health and welfare of the flock, and Canada has an opportunity to be a world leader in this area."

Funding a Sustainable Egg Future

A&W's initial $100,000 grant to Farm & Food Canada will be used to fund a leadership discussion, potential research and related work with animal welfare scientists, veterinarians, university researchers, non-government organizations, farmers, egg suppliers and food service/restaurant and retail companies.

Background on Building Better Housing First

Innovation is the norm at A&W. As the only national QSR serving eggs from enriched housing, A&W is already at the forefront of egg laying hen health and welfare. This has been achieved against an industry background where more than 90 per cent of Canada's egg supply still comes from battery cages.

"Enriched housing helps farmers to ensure hen safety and minimizes mortality and aggressive behaviours that are difficult to control in open barn settings," says Dr. Church. "Enriched housing is more spacious and the hens also have access to adequate food and water as well as nests, perches and scratching areas, which allows them to engage in many more natural behaviours compared to battery cages."

"We have a long history of innovating. We worked with highly committed Canadian egg farmers to move from conventional cages," says Senecal. "While it costs more, we made the switch because it was the right thing to do. Now we are advancing to the next stage. We have led our industry in the past and we will continue to lead in the future."

About A&W

A&W Food Services of Canada Inc., home of Canada's best-tasting burger, is 100 per cent Canadian owned and is one of the strongest brand names in the Canadian foodservice industry. A&W is the nation's second largest hamburger restaurant company with 850 locations coast-to-coast. A&W Restaurants feature famous trade-marked menu items such as The Burger Family, Chubby Chicken, and A&W Root Beer. For more information, please visit www.awguarantee.ca.

SOURCE A&W Restaurants

Image with caption: "A&W is the first and only quick service restaurant chain to serve eggs from hens in enriched housing and raised without the use of antibiotics. A&W is committing to improving and redesigning housing for egg laying hens within two years. A&W egg laying hens in enriched housing pictured. (A&W Food Services of Canada Inc.) (CNW Group/A&W Restaurants)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160310_C2019_PHOTO_EN_640421.jpg

Image with caption: "A&W is providing a $100,000 grant to Farm & Food Care Canada. The organization will bring together industry experts from many fields to help build on existing work and set better direction for hen housing in Canada to benefit all Canadians with healthy, affordable eggs grown sustainably. A&W eggs at its production facility pictured. (A&W Food Services of Canada Inc.) (CNW Group/A&W Restaurants)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160310_C2019_PHOTO_EN_640417.jpg

Image with caption: "A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. (CNW Group/A&W Restaurants)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160310_C2019_PHOTO_EN_640419.jpg

For further information: or to interview Susan Senecal, President and Chief Operating Officer, A&W; John Church, PHD, Natural Resource Science, Thompson Rivers University; or Crystal Mackay, CEO, Farm & Food Care Canada, please contact: Sara Beckford, Strategic Objectives, T: 416.366.7735 ext. 275, M: 416.262.7241, Email: [email protected]
CALGARY, March 11, 2016 /CNW/ - A report released today by The School of Public Policy and author Radek Stefanski, examines a unique method to measure fossil fuel subsidies. The method results in a 170/country, 30 year/span database that can help gauge the impact of those subsidies on emissions.

Threatened by climate change, governments the world over are attempting to nudge markets in the direction of less carbon-intensive energy. Subsidies to fossil fuels have been accused of encouraging wasteful consumption which in turn creates more carbon emissions. Many of these governments continue to subsidize fossil fuels, distorting markets and raising emissions. Determining how much money is involved is difficult.

According to Radek "The resultant 170-country, 30-year database finds that the financial and the environmental costs of such subsidies are enormous- and steadily increasing. The overwhelming majority of the world's fossil fuel subsidies stem from China, the U.S. and the ex-USSR; as of 2010, this figure was $712 billion or nearly 80 per cent of the total world value of subsidies. For its part, Canada has been subsidizing rather than taxing fossil fuels since 1998. By 2010, Canadian subsidies sat at $13 billion, or 1.4 per cent of GDP. In that same year, the total direct and indirect financial costs of all such subsidies amounted to $1.82 trillion, or 3.8 per cent of global GDP."

According to the report, aside from the money saved, in 2010 a world without subsidies would have had carbon emissions 36 per cent lower than they actually were. Any government looking to ease strained budgets and make a significant (and cheap) contribution to the fight against climate change must consider slashing fossil fuel subsidies. As the data show, this is a sound decision  fiscally and environmentally.

The paper can be downloaded at http://www.policyschool.ucalgary.ca/?q=research

SOURCE The School of Public Policy - University of Calgary

For further information: Media Contact: Morten Paulsen, 403.220.2540, [email protected]
MTN has proposed to pay N300bn to the federal government the N780bn ($3.9bn) fine slammed on it by the Nigeria Communication Commission (...

The fine was initially N1.4 trillion before it was reduced to N780bn. But the telecom has proposed to pay N300bn.A document from the office of the Solicitor General of the Federation read at the hearing of the Senate Committee on Communications stipulated this.The hearing was attended by the Minister of Communication, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, the Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta and representatives of MTN.MTN was fined in October last year by NCC for failure to disconnect unregistered SIM cards as directed by the authorities, thereby contravening the provisions of the regulation on SIM card registration.Vice Chairman of the Committee, Senator Solomon Adeola Olamilekan, said the telecom proposed to pay another N250bn in addition to the N50bn it paid last month.However, there was controversy over the N50bn already paid being part of the fine. Chairman of the committee, Senator Gilbert Nnaji, queried the payment, saying it violated the law establishing the NCC.But the Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, said the money was paid following a directive by the minister of justice.The FG asset recovery account has been credited with N50bn, the narration clearly shows that it was deposited by the MTN and the money is intact. The money was paid into the recovery account because of the pending litigation on the issue, he said.(Daily Trust)
Members of the Ekiti state House of Assembly yesterday stormed Abuja the federal capital territory and asked President Muhammadu Buhari ...

The DSS operatives had reportedly invaded the state House of Assembly complex in Ado Ekiti and whisked away the four members to Abuja and said to be acting on the order from above.Briefing newsmen at the National Assembly complex in Abuja, the Chairman, Ekiti House Committee on Information, Honourable Gboyega Aribisogan, said the call for the president to direct the release of the detained legislators has become imperative because the DSS would not embark on such action without presidential approval.According to him, Like we have maintained plotters of evil against the government of Ayodele Fayose and by extension the people of Ekiti State will not get our support."(Vanguard News)
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Femi Falana, has described the reorganisation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation by the Min...

According to him, having realised the illegality of the reforms, the minister, who is also the group managing director of the NNPC, has said that he has not unbundled the corporation but is merely reorganising it.Falana said in a statement on Thursday, It is pertinent to point out that the reforms being carried out by the NNPC GMD are illegal in every material particular. Section 2 of the Nigerian National Petroleum Act stipulates that the affairs of the corporation shall be conducted by the Board of Directors of the body. To that extent, it is the board of the corporation that is saddled with the responsibility to carry out the reorganisation of the body.The board of the NNPC shall consist of the Minister of Petroleum Resources; Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance; the managing director of the corporation and three other persons appointed by the President. The minister shall be the chair of the board. By virtue of Section 3 of the Act, the managing director of the NNPC shall be the chief executive and shall be responsible for the execution of the policy of the corporation and the day-to -day running of its activities.According to him, since the board has not been reconstituted by President Muhammadu Buhari, the minister has usurped its functions and has been running the affairs of the NNPC like a sole administrator, adding that the combination of the posts of GMD of the NNPC and minister of state had compounded the illegality.Falana stated, It is an anomalous situation whereby the minister, as the chairman of the NNPC board, is supervising his own activities as the GMD of the NNPC. Whereas the GMD is required to carry out the decisions of the board chaired by the minister, Dr. Kachukwu has become the executor and regulator of the affairs of the corporation. The Federal Government should take advantage of this crisis to put an end to the incongruity.In the same vein, the body established by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency Act to regulate the supply and distribution of petroleum products in the country is equally run by a sole administrator contrary to the provisions of the enabling law.Whereas the agency shall have a board of 26 members, including the representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and the trade unions in the oil and gas industry, the body is run singlehandedly by the executive secretary. Despite the several calls by the Nigeria Labour Congress and other stakeholders, the Federal Government has not deemed it fit to reconstitute the board of the PPPRA.The lawyer added that with the perennial fuel crisis in the country, a litre of petrol was currently selling for between N200 and N300 contrary to the official price of N86.50 fixed by the minister pursuant to section 6 of the Petroleum Act.In an atmosphere of impunity, petroleum products are sold even though there is the Petroleum Equalisation Fund set up under the law to reimburse marketing companies for any loss sustained by them as a result of the sale of petroleum products at uniform prices throughout the country. Apart from the occasional sealing up of a few filling stations by the Department of Petroleum Resources for selling above the official price, the Petroleum Equalisation Fund has never been cautioned by the Federal Government, Falana said.He asked the President to direct Kachukwu to put on hold the so called reorganisation of the NNPC with a view to presenting it to the board of the NNPC whenever it is reconstituted, and called for the separation of the posts of the GMD of NNPC and the petroleum minister as envisaged by the NNPC Act.Furthermore, the board of the PPPRA should be reconstituted, while the PEF should be made to discharge its statutory duty of ensuring uniformity in the prices of petroleum products throughout the country, he stated.
It is believed that he has never lost a case to the Nigerian government.

Kanu Godwin Agabi, SAN, is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who was a National Senator, and was twice Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the federation during the presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo.Kanu was appointed a Senior Advocate of Nigeria on 15 September 1997. In the April 1999 elections, Kanu ran for governor of Cross River State, but was defeated by Donald Duke. He was said to be a candidate for the same position in the 2003 elections.In March 2002, Kanu wrote in a letter to Nigerian state governors that the application of strict Islamic or Sharia law was unconstitutional, since some judgments passed under Sharia discriminated against Muslims.[3] That month, Amina Lawal, a young Nigerian woman accused of giving birth to a child out of wedlock was sentenced to death by stoning, a punishment that was confirmed in August 2002 by a Shari'ah court of appeals in Funtua, Katsina State. Kanu came under pressure from Amnesty International to abolish the death penalty in Nigeria.In May 2003, the Attorney General urged a Federal High Court in Abuja to order the arrest of the National Assembly leadership, and to imprison them for contempt of the court. He appealed to the court to set aside the anti-graft bill which the National Assembly had passed into law despite a presidential veto.In June 2007, Kanu represented the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in a suit launched by General Muhammadu Buhari, the Presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), seeking to jail the INEC Chairman Professor Maurice Iwu for refusing to allow Buhari's lawyers access to electoral materials.In May 2009, Kanu was counsel for the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Nicholas Ugbane, who had been charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of complicity in defrauding the government of about N5.2 billion earmarked for rural electrification.Chief Kanu Agadi is currently in charge of Bukola Saraki's case in the Code of Conduct Tribunal CCT. He succeeded in stalling the trial till 18th of March by presenting a fresh application.
A glimmer of hope for the Nigerian economy surely as the Brent crude was on track for its third weekly gain on Friday, supported by an o...

A glimmer of hope for the Nigerian economy surely as the Brent crude was on track for its third weekly gain on Friday, supported by an optimistic report from the International Energy Agency.Still, analysts cautioned that a large glut of oil remained, with Goldman Sachs warning that U.S. crude could saturate storage in the coming months. U.S. crude futures were trading at 38.64 dollars a barrel, up 80 cents from their last close, having hit a 2016 high of 38.96 dollars earlier in the day.Brent crude futures were at 40.65 dollars a barrel, up 60 cents, and on track for their third weekly gain in a row.We expect a decision next week on imposing sanctions on these three, said one EU diplomat. He stressed that EU foreign ministers are not expected to decide on Monday but that a decision could come later in the week.
A 52-year-old housewife, Olasunkanmi Lawal, has lost the use of one of her eyes after a scuffle with her mother-in-law, Aduke Awakan.

The mother of two was also said to have been attacked by her sisters-in-law, Bose Showole (39) and Oduntan Enitan (24), at their family house on Isale-Agbede Street, on the Lagos Island area of Lagos State.PUNCH Metro learnt that the case was reported at the Adeniji Adele Police Station, leading to the arrest of the suspects.The victim explained that she was attacked because she stopped giving money to the septuagenarian.She said, My husband and I live in the family house and we have been there since 1989. We have two children.However, my mother-in-law started keeping malice with me after I stopped giving her money. I lost my jewellery business due to the demolition of my shop in 2014 and because of that; I could no longer support her.On Saturday, January 16, around 4pm, I returned from work and I met her at home. When I greeted her, she shunned me. I was surprised because I never had any disagreement with her.Before I knew it, one of her children, Bose (Showole), punched me in the left eye. I fought back. Her grandchild, Enitan, used stone to hit me in the same eye, while the woman herself hit me with a chair. Blood started coming out from the eye.She said she reported the assault at the Adeniji Adele Police Station and from there, she was referred to the Lagos Island General Hospital, where the doctors told her she had lost the use of her left eye.A medical report from the hospital, signed by one J.O. Owuye, said the victim was diagnosed with, left periorbital swelling, abrusion at anterior chest wall.It was learnt that the police arrested the 79-year-old, but later released her on bail after the two other suspects, Showole and Enitan, were produced by the family.Lawal, however, accused the Investigating Police Officer, Ajekigbe Sarah, of siding with the suspects against her.She alleged that the IPO deliberately prevented her from completing her statement at the station.She stopped me midway and said I should go to the hospital for treatment.But when I returned to finish writing the statement, she said it was no longer necessary. Even the DPO queried her for the action, she added.Her father, Alhaji Ahmed Oshodi, called for justice.But the septuagenarian suspect, Awakan, denied the allegations.In her statement to the police she said, It was about 4pm. I was at home when Alhaja (Lawal) came in and greeted me and I told her not to greet me again.Alhaja is the wife of my son. I asked her not to greet me because the previous day, she abused me indirectly and I decided not to reply her greetings again.So, when she came in and greeted me, I shunned her, but one of my daughters intervened.She said Lawal and her daughter had an argument which degenerated into a fight.I dont know how she got injured in the eye, she added.Showole, in her defence, said she intervened because Lawal, who was her brothers wife, was abusing my mother and pointing a finger at her.I pushed her hand and she slapped me on the face.Then we started fighting. She held my clothes and I did the same. I dont know what happened to her eye, she said.Enitan denied involvement in the fight.She said the fight was between Lawal and Showole.The police, however, arraigned the trio before a Tinubu Magistrates Court on three counts of assault occasioning harm.The charges read in part, That you, Aduke Awakan, Bose Shobowale and Oduntan Eniola, on January 16, 2016, did unlawfully assault one Olasunkanmi Lawal, by giving her fist blows and injuring her with a crate of eggs and stone that led to injury in her left eye.The police prosecutor, I. Okeke, said the offence was punishable under sections 409, 171 and 170 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges and elected summary trial.The Magistrate, Mr. A.A. Adefulire, admitted them to bail in the sum of N20,000 with two sureties in like sum.The case was adjourned till March 24, 2016.(Punch)
Ex-Liverpool player Jamie Redknapp has expressed his sympathy for Manchester United youngster Marcus Rashford.

Ex-Liverpool player Jamie Redknapp has expressed his sympathy for Manchester United youngster Marcus Rashford.Rashford broke into the scene for United last month after netting a brace against Arsenal but the youngster has struggled in recent matches and he endured a difficult time during United's 2-0 Europa League Round of 16 first leg defeat against Liverpool at Anfield on Thursday night.Rashford who was deployed in a wide position had to at times fill in at right-back during the first half before he was subbed off for Michael Carrick and Redknapp has now gone on to criticise United manager Louis van Gaal for overburdening the 18-year-old with defensive responsibilities."I feel sorry for Marcus Rashford - he's gone from centre forward to helping out at right back in the space of a week! He should play up front or not at all."His strengths are running in behind centre halves and first-time finishing, and by giving him a role with defensive responsibility, Van Gaal is in danger of over-exposing the 18-year-old."
A pair of drugs can dramatically shrink and eliminate some breast cancers in just 11 days, UK doctors have shown. They said the "s...

A pair of drugs can dramatically shrink and eliminate some breast cancers in just 11 days, UK doctors have shown.They said the "surprise" findings, reported at the European Breast Cancer Conference, could mean some women no longer need chemotherapy.The drugs, tested on 257 women, target a specific weakness found in one-in-ten breast cancers.Experts said the findings were a "stepping stone" to tailored cancer care.The doctors leading the trial had not expected or even intended to achieve such striking results.They were investigating how drugs changed cancers in the short window between a tumour being diagnosed and the operation to remove it.But by the time surgeons came to operate, there was no sign of cancer in some patients.Prof Judith Bliss, from the Institute of Cancer Research in London, said the impact was "dramatic".She told the BBC News website: "We were particularly surprised by these findings as this was a short-term trial."It became apparent some had a complete response. It's absolutely intriguing, it is so fast."The drugs were lapatinib and trastuzumab, which is more widely known as Herceptin.They both target HER2 - a protein that fuels the growth of some women's breast cancers.Herceptin works on the surface of cancerous cells while lapatinib is able to penetrate inside the cell to disable HER2.he study, which also took place at NHS hospitals in Manchester, gave the treatment to women with tumours measuring between 1 and 3cm.In less than two weeks of treatment, the cancer disappeared entirely in 11% of cases, and in a further 17% they were smaller than 5mm.Current therapy for HER2 positive breast cancers is surgery, followed by chemotherapy and Herceptin.But Prof Bliss believes the findings could eventually mean some women do not need chemotherapy.However, that will require larger studies especially as HER2 positive cancers have a higher risk of coming back.(BBC)
The Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, has berated the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, for categorising himself among t...

At a fundraiser for a professorial chair instituted in his honour by the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, in Lagos on Thursday, the Awujale said the Alake was a junior oba in Yorubaland.Reacting to a categorisation of monarchs by the Alake recently when the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, visited him (Alake), Oba Awujale said the Egba monarch was peddling falsehood and turning history upon its head.The Awujale said, The Alake, while receiving the Ooni in his palace, said Yoruba Obas (the Big Five so to say) had been categorised with the Ooni in the first position followed by the Alaafin, the Oba of Benin, with the Alake coming fourth and the Awujale occupying the fifth spot in that order. He also went further to quote wrongly from a 1903 Gazette to support all the fallacies in his statement.He added that when he learnt about the comment, he contacted the Alake, who he added, vehemently denied saying so.He added, In a recent discussion between the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, and me, we also touched on the same issue and the Oba of Lagos told me that he too had asked Alake the same question, which he had again denied vehemently.Regrettably, however, when the said statement few days later was continuously credited to the Alake on the pages of newspapers, I expected him to deny it or issue a rebuttal, but he did not do so.Therefore, I consider it necessary to debunk the falsehood and misrepresentation of facts from the Ake Palace so as to put the records straight.The Awujale argued that the 1903 Gazette referred to by the Alake was just a newspaper publication.The first question to Alake is: who categorised the Yoruba Obas and when? I challenge him to produce the document of the said categorisation. It is a known fact that Alake was a junior traditional ruler under the Alaafin at Orile Egba before he fled to Ibadan for refuge as a result of the war then ravaging the Yorubaland.Following the defeat of Owu by the Ijebu Army in 1826, the Owus became refugees all over Yorubaland. Some of the Ijebu troops that fought the war proceeded to Ibadan, where they met the Alake and sacked him; consequently forcing him to seek refuge at Ake in Abeokuta in 1830, where, of course, he met the Osile, Olowu and Agura already settled at Oke-Ona, Owu and Gbagura sections of Abeokuta township respectively.Even then, the Olubara of Oyo origin had always argued that all the aforementioned four rulers met him in Abeokuta and therefore claimed to be their landlord.To even refer to the Alake as the Alake of Abeokuta, not to talk of Egbaland, is a misnomer, as his control since his arrival at Ake in 1830 and till today is restricted to the Ake section of Abeokuta. The official Government Gazette testifies to this fact.In short, the Alake, from history and all available records, is a very junior traditional ruler in Yorubaland. His peers in Ijebuland are the Dagburewe of Idowa; Ajalorun of Ijebu-Ife; Akija of Ikija-Ijebu; Olowu of Owu-Ijebu; Oloko of Ijebu-Imushin; Orimolusi of Ijebu-Igbo and Ebumawe of Ago Iwoye.
Following the recent killings and destruction of properties in Rivers state, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for the sack...









Speaking on Thursday, March 10, during a media chat, the deputy national secretary of the party, Ngofa Oji said had proven his inefficiency in discharging his duty, PM News reports.According to him, Arase has been unable to protect lives and properties of the people of Rivers state.He also accused the IGP of complacency, noting that he had not given attention to all the petitions written to him by the party.Oji said: These matters were reported and it shouldnt have gotten to the point where institutions charged with the responsibility to take care of these things are doing nothing.We would not have gotten to the point, where people are beginning to wonder if actually we have an APC government and APC members are targeted in Rivers state.People cannot believe that Nigerian citizens are killed this way in Rivers.Engr. Segun Oni, the acting national chairman of the party had on Wednesday during a press briefing said the security situation in Rivers state is clearly an affront on the Federal Governments power to protect lives and property within its territory.At the weekend, an APC chieftain, Franklin Nkukuru Obi, his wife and son were murdered in Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of Rivers state.Shocked by the reckless killings, the state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Felix Obuah said it was condemnable and unacceptable.
The trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, before the Code of Conduct Tribunal on 13 counts of alleged false assets decla...

The Supreme Court, through its judgment delivered on February 5, 2016, had paved the way for the trial to begin after dismissing the Senate Presidents objection to the validity of the charges and the jurisdiction of the CCT to hear the case.The Danladi Umar-led tribunal subsequently fixed March 10 for the commencement of the trial, but it later shifted the date to March 11, following a request by Sarakis new lead counsel, Mr. Kanu Agabi (SAN).According to a statement issued on March 1 by the Head, Press and Public Relations of the CCT, Mr. Ibraheem Al-hassan, Agabi pleaded with the tribunal for a shift in the trial date to enable him to attend to other urgent matters.The CCT spokesperson said Agabi conveyed his request to the CCT in a letter dated February 26, 2016.Saraki was arraigned on 13 counts of false assets declaration on September 22, 2015.In the charges instituted by the Federal Government, Saraki was accused of making false assets declaration in his forms submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau as a two-term Governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011.The Senate President, who was said to have submitted four assets declaration forms investigated by the CCB, was allegedly found to have corruptly acquired many properties while in office as the Governor of Kwara State but failed to declare some of them in the said forms earlier filled and submitted.He also allegedly made an anticipatory declaration of assets upon his assumption of office as governor, which he later acquired.He was also accused of sending money abroad for the purchase of property in London and that he maintained an account outside Nigeria while serving as a governor.Saraki initially refused to appear before the tribunal, prompting the CCT to issue a bench warrant against him.He voluntarily submitted himself to the tribunal before the arrest warrant could be executed.The tribunal rejected his request for the quashing of the 13 counts shortly after he was arraigned on September 22, 2015.He appealed to the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, against the decision of the CCT to continue the trial.But by a two-to-one split decision of its three-man bench, led by Justice Moore Admein, the Court of Appeal dismissed the Senate Presidents appeal.Saraki, in his further appeal to the Supreme Court, asked the apex court to quash the charges filed against him, citing among his seven grounds of appeal, that the CCT lacked jurisdiction to try him as it was constituted by two instead of three members.But a seven-man panel of the apex court presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, unanimously ruled in its judgment on February 5 that Sarakis appeal against the jurisdiction of the CCT and the competence of the charges lacked merit.Justice Walter Onnoghen, who delivered the lead judgment, dismissed all of Sarakis seven grounds of appeal, affirming that the charges instituted against him were valid and that the tribunal was validly constituted with requisite jurisdiction to try him.The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, and other members of the full panel of the apex court, comprising Justices Tanko Muhammad, Sylvester Ngwuta, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Chima Nweze and Amiru Sanusi, also consented to the judgment.Meanwhile, Justice Abdukadir Abdu-Kafarati of a Federal High Court in Abuja, had on March 1, fixed March 22 for his judgment in a fundamental human rights enforcement suit, through which the Senate President is asking for an order to stop his trial before the CCT.But at the hearing of the case on March 1, Jacobs, who represented the Federal Governments agents sued as respondents to the suit, urged the court not to grant Sarakis prayer, as that, according to him, will amount to overruling the judgment of the Supreme Court.The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, represented by Mr. Suleiman Abdukareem, also adopted Jacobs contention in opposing the Senate Presidents suit.But Sarakis lawyer, Mr. Ajibola Oluyede, urged the court to stop the CCT trial on the grounds that the Senate Presidents right to fair hearing was breached during the investigation of the allegations leading to the charges preferred against him.Oluyede argued that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission usurped the powers of the Code of Conduct Bureau to investigate the details of assets declared by the Senate President and filed charges relating to the infraction discovered.
Liverpool took charge of their Europa League last-16 first leg clash with Manchester United after a 2-0 win at Anfield thanks to goals fro...

Liverpool took charge of their Europa League last-16 first leg clash with Manchester United after a 2-0 win at Anfield thanks to goals from Daniel Sturridge and Roberto Firmino.The Reds opened the scoring after 20 minutes, Daniel Sturridge beating David de Gea from the penalty spot after Memphis Depay had tugged back Nathaniel Clyne.Liverpool almost doubled their lead just minutes later, Philippe Coutinho guilty of a glaring miss at the back post, opting to nudge it goalwards with the outside of his boot, allowing De Gea to get back and save.Louis van Gaal opted to make changes at the break sending on Michael Carrick for Marcus Rashford as the visitors switched to a 3-5-2 formation but Liverpool continued to have the better chances.De Gea once again impressed for United but was finally beaten once again on 73 minutes, Carrick guilty of an awful clearance, allowing Adam Lallana to find Firmino who smashed home from close range.
Boko Haram is still holding territory in Northern Nigeria, commander of the U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM), David Rodriguez, has said. ...

Boko Haram is still holding territory in Northern Nigeria, commander of the U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM), David Rodriguez, has said.General Rodriguezs claim challenges Nigerias official position on the seven-year old insurgency that has so far claimed about 20,000 lives and displaced 2.5 million people.Mr. Rodriguezs assertion comes almost two months after President Muhammadu Buhari told the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki Moon, that the terrorist group was no longer holding any territory as we speak.Mr. Buhari, who was speaking on the sidelines of the World Future Energy Summit in the UAE, said Nigerian Armed Forces in collaboration with the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNTJF) had driven the terrorist group from Nigerian territory into fall-back positions.Mr. Rodriguez spoke Tuesday in response to a question during testimony before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee reviewing fiscal year 2017 defence budget.His comment about Boko Haram was in response to a question by Senator Angus King of Maine who asked about Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram more than ninety minutes into the testimony.Mr. Angus direct question to General Rodriguez was: Is Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram growing, are they adding members? I know they dont hold territory, are they adding areas of influence? to which Mr. Rodriguez replied, actually sir, Boko Haram does hold some significant territory in Northern Nigeria as do Al-Shabaab in limited areas of Somalia.(Premium Times)
Four teenagers who allegedly shot an airsoft gun at a jogger were arrested.

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP -- Four boys who shot a woman with an airsoft gun while she was jogging in Canale Park on Monday afternoon have been charged, police said.

Three of the teenagers were arrested Tuesday when Egg Harbor Township spotted a 2016 Jeep Cherokee that matched a description of the shooters' vehicle, police said in a news release.

The fourth was taken into custody on Wednesday. All have been charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon.

The jogger suffered a minor injury, police said.

The quartet charged was "terrorizing the public," by driving around and targeting random victims, police said. Cops encouraged any one else who was shot at by the boys to call them at (609) 926-4051.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU) is appealing a recent court decision barring public school records from a Washington, D.C. advocacy group because the group is based out of state.

The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law previously requested enrollment and disciplinary data from the Atlantic City School District. The decision to release the data reached the Superior Court of New Jersey, where a judge ruled on Feb. 19 that the district was not required to honor their Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request.

"OPRA was created to serve the people of New Jersey by giving anyone with an interest in the state the right to access public records, not by limiting who can view those records," said Iris Bromberg of the state ACLU in a statement. "Granting access to public information for out-of-state requestors, whether they're potential homebuyers, journalists or civil rights advocates, doesn't just create more access -- it builds a culture of transparency and accountability."

Atlantic City Public Schools did not return a request for comment by telephone Friday.

The Lawyers Committee originally asked the school district for the data on Feb. 20, 2015, but was denied because the group is out of state, the request was overly broad and such data is not maintained by the district, according to court documents.

The committee and the district went back and forth legally until the Feb. 19 ruling by Judge Nelson C. Johnson that dismissed the request.

The judge rules that the legislation that became OPRA specifies that citizens of this state have accessibility to records and that the benefit of being a New Jersey citizen should be for New Jersey citizens.

The state ACLU's appeal is on behalf of the Lawyers Committee.

Don E. Woods may be reached at dwoods@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @donewoods1. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
CINNAMINSON TOWNSHIP -- Heavy traffic and road closures are expected for the township Monday, when New Jersey State Trooper Sean Cullen will be laid to rest in his hometown.

Cullen died early Tuesday morning of injuries he sustained on duty Monday night. The 31-year-old trooper was struck by a vehicle while walking on the shoulder of 295 in West Deptford as he responded to a car fire.

Gov. Christie Christie has ordered flags lowered Monday to honor Cullen.

Services for Cullen will begin Sunday afternoon, when a public viewing will be held at St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church on Branch Pike in the township from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Heavy traffic delays in the area of Pomona Road and Branch Pike are expected.

Cinnaminson police said delays will begin again Monday morning, when another viewing will be held from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. before a funeral mass at 12 p.m. Drivers in the area are urged to plan alternate routes. The following road closures will go into effect at 7 a.m.:

Pomona Road will be closed from Branch Pike to Riverton Road

North Forklanding Road will be closed from Woodview Lane to Branch Pike

Susan Drive will be closed from Cambridge Drive to Branch Pike

Starting at 10 a.m., Route 130 northbound will be closed from Riverton Road to Andover Road. The funeral procession will travel along the highway for Cullen's internment at Lakeview Memorial Park.

Hundreds of friends, family, fellow law enforcement officers and community members came out to an informal vigil held Thursday night at Burlington County's Fallen Officer's Memorial in Westampton Township. Cullen was a part-time officer in Mount Holly township for four years and full-time in Westampton for two years before he became a trooper in 2014.

An outpouring of community support has also been seen in a GoFundMe fundraiser for his family, which has raised more than $97,000 in just two days.

In addition to a 9-month-old son, Cullen left behind a fiance, mother, father, a sister and two brothers, including one who is also a trooper.

Michelle Caffrey may be reached at mcaffrey@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ShellyCaffrey. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
Life without parole for New Orleans man convicted of killing at 15
Featured Post Dine' Land and Water: Sounds of Resilience, Cortez on Saturday By Shemayme AnTro Cortez, Colorado THIS SATURDAY (10/22) DINE' LAND and WATER Presents: Sounds of Resilience in so-called CORTEZ, CO @ G...

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About Censored News Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell. Since 2006, Censored News has received more than 20 million pageviews. As a collective of writers, photographers and broadcasters, we publish news of Indigenous Peoples and human rights. Contact publisher Brenda Norrell: brendanorrell@gmail.com

From the publisher Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell, a journalist in Indian country for 40 years. Norrell created Censored News after she was censored and terminated as a staff reporter at Indian Country Today in 2006. She began as a reporter at Navajo Times during the 18 years that she lived on the Navajo Nation. She was a stringer for AP and USA Today and later traveled with the Zapatistas through Mexico. She has been blacklisted by all the mainstream media for 14 years. Contact brendanorrell@gmail.com

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The federal government plans to pour $125 million into the fight against a mysterious disease that has ravaged corals in Florida and much of the Caribbean, and now poses a dire threat to the treasured reefs off the Louisiana and Texas coasts.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has issued a subpoena to Donald Trump. The nine-member panel sent a letter to the former president's lawyers on Friday, demanding his testimony under oath by mid-November and outlining a series of corresponding documents. The decision by lawmakers to exercise their subpoena power comes a week after the committee made its final case against the former president, who they say is the "central cause" of the multi-part effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. It remains unclear how Trump and his legal team will respond to the subpoena, if at all.
Mud Flood, Re-set Cities and Seeing Tartaria Worldwide The Mud Flood Event- What was it, and why are we talking about it? We...
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Sunny to partly cloudy. High near 80F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.

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A few clouds. Low 66F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.

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Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High 82F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
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News / Africa

by Staff Reporter

The hunting of Albino children in Malawi has irked the Zimbabwe member of the house of assembly Fortune Chasi who raised concerns over the reports that Albino children were being snatched from their mothers.Human traffickers are reportedly hunting for Albinos in Malawi and Tanzania amid reports that their parts were fetching huge sums of money across the international borders."I read with great trepidation the issue concerning Albino hunting in Malawi, a story that was extremely depressing where a child was snatched away from its mother by five men. The child was an Albino and they were to go and clip off the child's hands and other body parts. I think that is something that as a country we should abhor. If an individual crosses into our country and it is proven that they have participated in this type of conduct, I think we must be able to take action against them and provide jurisdiction for our courts to deal with such matters, notwithstanding the fact that they have not occurred in Zimbabwe," Chasi said."I also want to say as members of the Pan African Parliament and the SADC arrangements concerning our Parliaments, I would like to say that the members of this House who represent us in those Parliaments must be required to raise these issues at those forums, as well and take precisely the positions that we are taking in this country to ensure that child abuse is not only dealt with legally in this country but also in countries that we deal with."Chasi said he want to say that this is a very serious matter which in a sense is an indictment on some aspects of our social life."A lot of young girls end up in marriages because after Form 4 they cannot go to Form 6. As a country, we need to think outside the box and ensure that we come up with interventions that assist the girl-child in particular. When we speak about child abuse, we will talk about both boys and girls but when it comes to child marriages, we are really primarily talking about the girl-child as the focus of the problem," he said."I have witnessed this in my constituency, when we have a meeting you see girls as young as 14 years old, trooping to the centre of the meeting holding children. It is a very embarrassing and painful situation and I think that all the ministries that intersect with the child, ought to come up with interventions that favour the maturity of the child and their continued education."The MP said there was mention here about artists and others playing their role, as Members of Parliament we also have a role to play and speak against this at every meeting that we hold and to ensure that the local leadership also understands the gravity of the matter."I think we need to move away from the pretense that it is part of African culture that a 10 year old child should be married," Chasi said."I am sure that the mover of the motion will be pleasantly surprised and impressed with me in that as a budding musician I have already done a song around this issue appropriately titled "regai dzive shiri, zai harina muto".
News / Local

by Nqobile Tshili

A TEACHER at Entumbane High School in Bulawayo has been arrested after he allegedly attempted to rape a Form One pupil from the same school.Edwin Shamu, a History teacher, allegedly attempted to rape the pupil in a bushy area located within the school's premises on Wednesday at about 12PM.The pupil is said to have screamed for help and the teacher escaped from the scene.It was not immediately clear if Shamu was one of the pupil's teachers.Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Precious Simango said an attempted rape case was reported from the school."I can confirm that police arrested a male suspect who attempted to rape a school child at Entumbane High School premises," she said without giving further details.A source at the school said after committing the crime, Shamu allegedly went back to the school's classroom blocks pretending as if nothing had happened."The pupil screamed for help and was heard by two men who were nearby. This led to the teacher escaping from the scene. He went back to the school as if nothing had happened. However, the child told the two men who had come to rescue her about what her teacher tried to do," said the source.He said the girl was accompanied to report the matter to school authorities' by the two men."The school authorities reported the matter to Entumbane police resulting in his arrest," said the source.A Chronicle news crew visited Entumbane High School yesterday and officials at the school referred questions to the provincial education offices.Bulawayo provincial education director Dan Moyo said the matter had not reached his office.
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Sudbury Secondary supports teacher after breast cancer diagnosis

Sudbury Secondary School English teacher Vicki Ashick said it was humbling to receive a warm welcome from her colleagues and students Thursday, as they raised $3,400 for the Northern Cancer Foundation.

Sudbury Secondary School student Steve Chevrier had his head shaved Thursday to support English teacher Vicki Ashick in her ongoing chemotherapy after a breast cancer diagnosis in January. The school, in collaboration with Churchill Public School, raised $3,400 for the Northern Cancer Foundation in two weeks. Photo by Jonathan Migneault.

Sudbury Secondary School English teacher Vicki Ashick said it was humbling to receive a warm welcome from her colleagues and students Thursday, as they raised $3,400 for the Northern Cancer Foundation.



Ashick was diagnosed with an invasive form of breast cancer in January.



We were blindsided, she said. We were originally told it was not cancer.



The cancer was discovered early, and Ashick had a full mastectomy in one breast shortly after her diagnosis.



She is now undergoing chemotherapy, and is expected to conclude that treatment in May.



If all goes well she is expected to return to her classroom in September.



Hundreds of students and colleagues gathered at the school's auditorium Thursday to announce the funds they managed to collect in two weeks. Churchill Public School  which Ashick's children attend  also contributed funds through a bake sale.



The funds will help support the Angels in Pink fund to purchase breast cancer equipment for the Northeast Cancer Centre.



The fund is currently purchasing navigation probes  medical tools used to detect and manage lymphedema, the swelling of damaged nymph nodes.



A small group of students and faculty cut their hair, and shaved their heads, to support Ashick as she continues her chemotherapy.



She's so fun, said Sudbury Secondary School Grade 10 student Abbey Loiselle. She pushes you and gives you the support you need to do the best you can in the classroom.



Loiselle is a member of Sudbury Secondary School's student Parliament, which is organizing an event called The Breast Cancer Gala, which will take place at the Cambrian College Student Centre on Friday, April 29.



The evening will feature dinner, dance, live performances and a silent auction.



Tickets for the event are $50 and can be purchased at the Northern Cancer Foundation office, Stage and Street, Jett Landry Music and Lockerby Convenience.



For more information call 705-523-HOPE (4673).
Sudbury reacts to the passing of Ted Szilva

Im very sad to hear that Ted Szilva has passed. He was a leader, a visionary and strong advocate for Sudbury, and I know he was working hard for his community right to the end.

Ted Szilva, the mind behind Sudbury's most iconic symbol, the Big Nickel, has passed away. File photo
The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce will welcome Sudbury MP Paul Lefebvre and Nickel Belt MP Marc Serre for a President's Series Luncheon on April 5 at Ristorante Verdicchio.

The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce will welcome Sudbury MP Paul Lefebvre and Nickel Belt MP Marc Serre for a President's Series Luncheon on April 5 at Ristorante Verdicchio.In a news release, the chamber said Lefebvre and Serre will touch on topics including local priorities on the federal stage, economic development opportunities for the region, and the steps the Government of Canada is taking to strengthen the success of the business community.The MPs will also present an update on their experiences thus far at the House of Commons.Lefebvre and Serre will each be providing an address followed by a Q&A period where members of the audience are encouraged to ask questions.If you are interested in attending the luncheon, you can register online here.
Few people have left such an indelible legacy on Greater Sudbury as Ted Szilva, the creator of the Big Nickel, who passed away Wednesday at age 81.

Few people have left such an indelible legacy on Greater Sudbury as Ted Szilva, the creator of the Big Nickel, who passed away Wednesday at age 81.The monument that was erected in 1964 quickly became known around the world and made Sudbury something that it hadn't been before: a tourist destination.Jim Szilva, Ted's son, said Thursday the reaction to the news has been overwhelming."Both through social media and people personally reaching out, the reaction has been overwhelming, Jim said. There's a lot love for Ted in this city  and all across Canada, as a matter of fact."While a beloved monument today, the elder Szilva had to overcome a number of obstacles to make the Big Nickel a reality. That tale became the focus of The Big Nickel: The Untold Story, a book father and son put together in 2014, to mark the monument's 50th birthday."When it started, it was all about the idea of what it could be and what it could represent, Jim said. And I think that's why he fought so hard to make it happen, even though so many people told him no.But his father had a vision and the tenacity to make it a reality, his son said. And he had a vision of expanding the site to include a mining science centre.(And) that ended up becoming Science North and Dynamic Earth, he said. So he definitely knew that it was going to be an important thing for Sudbury. He knew that bringing in a tourist attraction, that it was going to generate spinoff business through restaurants and hotels. He was a pretty amazing fellow."Growing up, Jim said people recognizing his father and wanting to talk about the Big Nickel became an almost daily routine."We pretty much couldn't go anywhere, whether it be Tim Hortons or Sears or wherever, without someone saying, 'Hey Ted! How you doing?' he said. He was very passionate about this community. He loved Sudbury and he was passionate about helping people."I just think about how, not even 12 hours after his passing, how many people have called, just to show their support."Father and son first talked about writing the book in the 1980s, as Ted constantly received calls from students and others who wanted to know the history of the Big Nickel."I said to him, 'you get a lot of those calls, don't you?' I said we should write a book and tell the story and that way, if anybody ever wants to know how it began, they'll have a definitive source to go to, he said. We had talked about it years ago when I was in college studying journalism. That's when the idea originally came up."As the 50th anniversary approached, Jim told his dad that it was time for the two of them to make the book a reality. While he was always close with his father, writing The Big Nickel: The Untold Story brought them even closer."Being able to write that book together, and put that together as a project over two years ... He was always my best friend and were able to get that much closer. He was a man of faith, and he loved his family. He not only loved his community, he loved the people in the community and wanted to help them."His father battled several health issues in recent years, Jim said, including leukemia, heart disease and diabetes. But his health took a serious turn for the worst last May after he suffered a serious fall. He had been in hospital or the nursing home for much of the last 10 months."It was a very, very difficult year," Jim said. "After he fell back in May, he ended up in a delirium at that point lost some cognitive ability.Ted caught a cold last week that, in his weakened condition, couldn't fight off."Basically, his body had shut down, he said. "I think the cold did him in.Several politicians and officials in the city paid tribute to Ted on Thursday. You can see those tributes here. Visitation for family and friends will take place Sunday at Jackson and Barnard Funeral Home from 2-5 p.m. and again from 7-9 p.m. Szilva's funeral will be held Monday at 10 a.m. at St. Patrick's Church on Walford Road in Sudbury.More information the book The Big Nickel: The Untold Story can be found here.
Ontario Provincial Police want you to confirm who youre dealing with before sending any money anywhere for any reason.

Ontario Provincial Police want you to confirm who youre dealing with before sending any money anywhere for any reason.



As part of the annual Fraud Prevention Month awareness campaign, the Emergency Scam and the more recent Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and other agency-related extortion threats have increased the financial losses sustained by unsuspecting victims.



In 2015, the Emergency (or Grandparent) Scam claimed 474 victims in Canada lost nearly $2.5 million from more than 1,100 complaints.



The CRA fraud drew 15,091 complaints, resulting in 751 identified victims who lost a combined $2.49 million. Police admit 95 percent of the crimes go unreported.



In the typical Emergency Scam, the victim will receive a frantic phone call from someone claiming to be a grandchild or loved one. The caller will explain that they are involved in some sort of mishap or are having trouble returning from a foreign country and need money right away.



In the CRA scam, the criminals extort money from their victims by telephone, mail, text message or email, a fraudulent communication that claims to be from the Canada Revenue Agency requesting personal information such as a social insurance number, credit card number, bank account number, or passport number.



Fraudsters impersonate the real CRA by telephone or by email. Fraudsters are either phishing for your identification or asking that outstanding taxes be paid by a money service business or by pre-paid debit/credit cards.



They may insist that this personal information is needed so that the taxpayer can receive a refund or a benefit payment. Cases of fraudulent communication could also involve threatening or coercive language to scare individuals into paying fictitious debt to the CRA.



Other communications urge taxpayers to visit a fake CRA website where the taxpayer is then asked to verify their identity by entering personal information.



These are scams and taxpayers should never respond to these fraudulent communications nor click on any of the links provided.





Here are some warning signs:



Urgency - The scammer always makes the request sound very urgent, which may cause the victim to not verify the story.

Fear - The scammer plays on the victims emotions by generating a sense of fear. For instance they may say, I am scared and I need help from you.

Secrecy- The scammer pleads with the victim not to tell anyone about the situation, such as, Please dont tell Dad or Mom, they would be so mad.

Request for Money Transfer - Money is usually requested to be sent by a money transfer company such as Money Gram, Western Union or even through your own bank institution.

To avoid becoming a victim, police advise you to first check with another family member or trusted friend to verify the information before sending money or providing credit card information by phone or e-mail.If you or someone you know suspect theyve been a victim of the Emergency Scam or someone posing as a Canada Revenue Agency official, hang up and contact your local police service.You can also file a complaint through the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre , Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or online
News / National

by Staff reporter

Zimbabwe People First (ZPF) said yesterday it has started staging rallies to pile pressure on President Robert Mugabe and his beleaguered Zanu-PF party ahead of the 2018 vote.Joice Mujuru, who was Mugabe's deputy for 10 years and touted as a likely heir until she got fired in 2014 on untested allegations of plotting a putsch, said in her first remarks in the wake of the launch of her ZPF launch last week that Zimbabweans were hungry for change, and promised to address unemployment and to amend the governing Zanu-PF's controversial black economic empowerment laws, which critics say have spooked foreign investors.ZPF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo said since publicly announcing that she will be leading the opposition party, there has been a groundswell of support even from people still sitting in the Zanu-PF political bureau (politburo)."It is an active period for us and the president has been meeting people who are coming to her home enquiring about the party," Gumbo said."We have been doing rallies in the provinces and in Harare; it is a hive of political activity having held rallies in Mabvuku/Tafara at the weekend."Tomorrow, ZPF will hold yet another rally at Glen View 3 Shopping Centre in Harare while in Mashonaland East, all roads lead to Marondera where the party's provincial leadership will hold a meeting with supporters.A series of rallies have been lined up in Masvingo, Manicaland and Matabeleland regions.Asked if Mujuru will attend any of the rallies, Gumbo said "presently people are mobilising"."We have not yet set a date for the president's star rally but she is definitely going to be there on the ground and meet the people because they are now expecting her," he said.Apart from rallies, Mujuru is also secretly holding talks with senior Zanu-PF bigwigs.In a development that has shaken the ruling party to its very foundations, Mujuru is said to be in contact with several legislators who are plotting to spring a surprise for Mugabe. She recently hosted two Zanu-PF politburo members.Among the high-profile fingers that were suspended from Zanu-PF - not expelled - and are now working with Mujuru are former deputy Energy minister Munacho Mutezo and several legislators."Mutezo has since come out in the open and we are currently working together."The president (Mujuru) recently hosted two politburo members whose names we cannot divulge at present. They indicated their willingness to join us and it is now a question of when and not if they will join," Gumbo said.Mutezo flatly refused to comment on the issue.While Mutezo refused to speak to the Daily News on his new political home, a picture posted by ZPF supporters on Facebook shows the Chimanimani West MP seated on the front row with former ZBC board member Finance Elliot Kasu.Efforts to get a comment from Zanu-PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo were unsuccessful yesterday, but the governing party has derisively dismissed the new political party as a "damp squib."This is notwithstanding the fact that Mugabe's party-at war with itself owing to succession fights-has been frantically trying to woo back into the party disgruntled officials, including Chikomba Central MP Felix Mhona , his Marambapfungwe and Murehwa North counterparts Washington Musvaire and Tenda Makunde respectively, who are all linked to the Mujuru-led outfit.Other governing party officials who have officially joined hands with Mujuru to take Mugabe head on in the eagerly-awaited 2018 elections include former deputy Information minister, Bright Matonga who is in the ZPF information department.Meanwhile, it is a hectic period for Mujuru with party supporters swarming her Harare home as the widow of the late liberation war icon, General Solomon Mujuru, begins her baby steps in the quest to end Zanu-PF 36 year old rule.So far, Mujuru's political outfit has dispatched emissaries nationwide as they seek to take advantage of the simmering wars in Zanu-PF to poach more officials ahead of the 2018 elections."We launched our party here last week because it is the capital but soon the president shall be going to every corner of the country to reach out to the people who are impatiently waiting for her. They are also rallies that have been lined up and these are because people are just excited," Gumbo said.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

Harare Residents Trust has reported that about 100 Church buildings are facing demolitions in Budiriro as the Harare City Council seek to deal with illegal structures in the city."100 churches face demolitions in Budiriro. Residents informed the HRT that the Harare City Council came and gave them two weeks notice to evacuate their registered church stands," said the trust."These people confirm that they have been paying rents and bills with the same Council that allocated them the stands wanting to destroy their places of worship. From destroying houses for example the Arlington Estate along airport road they have now turned to churches."The trust said this shows the insensitive nature of the City Council."HRT is alarmed by this, it has come to our attention that the City Council does not care about the social welfare of residents but the question is do they not fear God and how long will they continue with this satanic act?" said the trust.
News / Regional

by Fairness Moyana

A MAN from Hwange who brutally murdered his wife by stabbing her eight times with a knife after allegedly stumbling on a WhatsApp love message on her phone, has been sentenced to 25 years in jail.Bulawayo High Court judge, Justice Francis Bere, sitting on circuit in Hwange, convicted Tendai Nkomo, 31, of murder with constructive intent after giving him the benefit of the doubt since there was no one who could testify about what actually transpired between the couple on the fateful day.He described Nkomo's actions as callous and brutal as he had killed his wife in front of their three-year-old son - something that was going to traumatise the little boy for the rest of his life."Deceased died a painful death because of your vicious actions where you repeatedly stabbed and even went on to assault her with fists as she lay on the floor with the knife stuck in her back. It was a callous and brutal murder done in front of a little boy, something that will have a psychological effect on him for years to come," said Justice Bere.The judge heard how Nkomo stabbed his wife, Sithembile Lupahla, 23, with a 30cm kitchen knife in the presence of their son. In his defence, Nkomo said he acted in self-defence after his wife charged at him armed with a kitchen knife threatening to kill him and their child following an altercation over a love message sent to her by an unnamed boyfriend."After I saw the love message, I asked deceased what was going on and she told me to mind my own business before she asked for her phone back. I refused to give her and she became aggressive and went into the kitchen where she took a knife before charging and stabbing me once on the thigh. Fearing for my life and that of my son who was next to me after she said she wanted to kill us both, I turned the knife on her and made her stab herself several times as we wrestled for its possession," he said.Nkomo blamed the pain of discovering his wife's infidelity and alcohol as factors that drove him to stab her. The court heard that on September 10 last year at around 6PM, Nkomo went to Lwendulu Flea market in Hwange where his wife worked. He escorted her to her elder sister, Rachel Lupahla's residence, also in Hwange, where she was now living.Prosecutor Namatirai Ngwasha said on arrival, the two had a misunderstanding. Nkomo then stabbed Sithembile several times using a kitchen knife. She died on admission to Hwange Colliery Hospital, the court heard.Testifying, Rachel told the court that a few hours before the incident, Nkomo had called her and asked her to bring him anointing oil from PHD Ministries founder, Prophet Walter Magaya, to end his marital problems."He wanted me to assist in resolving his marital problems. He asked me to bring him anointing oil from Prophet Magaya so his problems would end since I was in Harare. I told him I would and he hung up saying he would call me again as the network was bad."I was shocked to learn the next day through a message that he had stabbed my younger sister," said Lupahla. Nkomo was represented by Tonderai Mukuku of Marondedze, Mukuku and Ndove Legal Practitioners.
SUTHERLAND  The search for the car belonging to Ronald W. Kubiak, 50, of Sutherland was called due to darkness Thursday evening. The Lincoln County Dive team searched about 1/2 mile of the canal just west of the Gerald Gentleman Power Plant but did not find a vehicle in the canal.

After calling off the search, Lincoln County Sheriff Jerome Kramer said the search would continue with the dive team again on Saturday. If that search doesn't turn up a vehicle belonging to Kubiak, the Nebraska Game and Parks will bring their sonar equipment to continue to the search on Monday.

Check out the Telegraph print edition as well as the website on Friday morning for a complete story on the search on Thursday.

Telegraph staff reports

Update on body found in the Sutherland Canal System. Investigators of the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office believe the deceased is 50 year old Sutherland resident Ronald W. Kubiak. Kubiak is being scheduled for autopsy at Central Nebraska Cremation and Mortuary service in Gibbon.

Lincoln County Dive team will try to extract Kubiaks vehicle today around 5 p.m. The vehicle is believed to be a red 1993 Chrysler Concorde. The investigation continues.
CHICAGO  More candidates for president are making stops in Illinois on Friday as they make a final push before the state's primary day, which could make or break some campaigns.

Republicans Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz had evening events planned, with Cruz addressing a closed-door, big-dollar Illinois Republican Party fundraiser at a Chicago hotel and a GOP dinner in Rolling Meadows.

Trump's rally at the University of Illinois at Chicago was expected to draw thousands of protesters. Among the protest organizers is Democratic U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, of Chicago, who said Trump's anti-immigrant positions would "take us back to the 1950s."

Democratic candidate U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders was also planning a campaign stop in the Chicago suburb of Summit on Friday night.

The Vermont senator released three new TV ads in Illinois on Friday, including one that features Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, who forced Chicago Rahm Emanuel into a runoff election for a second term last year. In another, Chicago Public Schools principal Troy LaRaviere, a frequent critic of Emanuel, says the mayor is to blame for the city's problems and that any candidate who backs him is "not willing to take on the establishment."

It's a clear swipe at Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, who has strong ties to Emanuel. The mayor has faced calls to resign since the city delayed releasing dash-cam video of a white police officer shooting a black teenager 16 times. Emanuel served as a top adviser in President Bill Clinton's White House, and he has endorsed Hillary Clinton.

Holding a get-out-the-vote rally Thursday night in the Chicago suburb of Vernon Hills, Clinton aimed most of her criticism at the Republican candidates, saying they're overly pessimistic and more focused on rhetoric than policy. The former secretary of state said people around the world "watch us so closely."

"I've been getting messages from a lot of leaders I know from around the world and their message basically is, 'What is happening?'" Clinton said, referring to the race for the GOP nomination.

Illinois Republicans will award 69 delegates in Tuesday's primary, with the winner of the statewide preference poll getting 15 delegates and the remaining elected from each congressional district.

On the Democratic side Illinois awards 182 delegates, including 102 awarded proportionately within each congressional district, provided a candidate gets at least 15 percent of the vote.

But the biggest contests Tuesday will be in winner-take-all races in Ohio and Florida. Those are must-win races for Ohio's Republican governor, John Kasich, who campaigned in Illinois on Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, of Florida. The two trail Trump and Cruz in delegates.
A Brooklyn man is walking free after nearly a quarter of a century in prison for a murder he didn't commit. NY1's Lori Chung filed the following report.



Andre Hatchett enjoyed his first real taste of freedom after more than two decades in prison, celebrating his exoneration with relatives at a barbecue dinner.

"I feel good. I feel good. I'm glad I'm free. I just want to maintain and stay with family," Hatchett said.



A judge overturned his 1992 murder conviction in the beating death of a woman whose body was found in a Bedford-Stuyvesant park.

The only evidence in the case was the eyewitness testimony of a man who first told police someone else killed the victim and who then fingered Hatchett when police found out that first suspect was in jail at the time of the killing and couldn't have done it.



The Brooklyn district attorney's Conviction Integrity Unit cooperated with lawyers from the Innocence Project, who say Hatchett was also recovering from gunshot wounds at the time and was physically unable to carry out the murder.

Attorney Barry Scheck says Hatchett's case shows that pending legislation on witness questioning should be passed.

"In that eyewitness legislation, there are procedures in place for documenting identification and training law enforcement on how to do this that would prevent anything like this from happening again," Scheck said.



"I've been innocent almost 25 years," Hatchett said. "There's a lot of innocent people in jail."



Now, Hatchett is surrounded by relatives who say they never lost faith, even as he became a victim of the system.



"We always knew that he was innocent," said Jacqueline Hatchett, Andre's cousin.



Walking free at last, Andre Hatchett says he's lost way more than just time in all this, but he's focused on the future.



"My son caught a heart attack. My mother died. My little brother died while I was in here, got sick," he said "But I'm strong. I always fall, get back up and try again."



Hatchett was 24 years old when this all started. He turns 50 in May.

The Conviction Integrity Unit has vacated 19 convictions since its inception when Ken Thompson took over as DA, with about another 100 cases pending review.
Lawyers for families of September 11th terror attack victims are asking a federal court to reinstate Saudi Arabia as a defendant in a lawsuit that alleges the country's involvement in the attacks.

Plaintiffs allege that the Saudi government funded and supported the hijackers who carried out the attacks.

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens.

The appeal comes after a Manhattan Federal court ruled last year that the plaintiffs didn't show enough of a link between Saudi Arabia and the attacks, and that Saudi Arabia was protected by sovereign immunity.

An attorney says the lawsuit was filed on behalf of nearly 3,000 families.

The case has gone through a round of appeals since 2002, with the Supreme Court declining to consider it in 2009.
Perhaps the most famous Catholic martyr of the time was Edmund Campion, a Jesuit priest who was executed by Elizabeth in 1581. Although some biographers have suggested a connection between Campion and Shakespeare's father, neither Peter Levi (1988) nor Park Honan (1998) nor Anthony Holden (1999) in their biographies suggested there was ever a meeting between William Shakespeare and Campion. Indeed, Samuel Schoenbaum in "Shakespeare's Lives" (1970), still the definitive book on how biographers have dealt with the scant documentation surrounding Shakespeare, does not even mention Campion.

It is true that Campion visited some families with whom Shakespeare may have had a vague association, and that he heard confessions. "Was one of those with whom he exchanged whispered words the young man from Stratford-upon-Avon?" Greenblatt asks. He does not even answer. Instead, he immediately writes: "Let us imagine the two of them sitting together then, the 16-year-old fledgling poet and actor and the 40-year-old Jesuit. Shakespeare would have found Campion fascinating. . . . The Jesuit too, perhaps, even in a brief encounter, might have noticed something striking in the youth." Edmund Campion might indeed have found it striking that the youth was not, in fact, there at all.

We have documentary evidence, on the other hand, that the youth got married in 1582. Once again, there is a difficulty of interpretation over the name of his bride, as the clerk may have erred in his spelling, or Shakespeare may have attempted to marry someone else before he married Anne Hathaway. It is clear in any case that Anne Hathaway gave birth to a daughter, Susanna, who was christened in 1583, and twins, Hamnet and Judith, in 1585. Hamnet died in 1596. When Shakespeare went to London in the 1580's -- and we have no real idea of exactly when or quite how -- he traveled without his family, who remained in Stratford. In 1597 Shakespeare bought the second-largest house in Stratford; he subsequently bought more property in the town and its environs. On his death in 1616 -- he had retired to Stratford some years earlier -- he left the bulk of his estate to his daughter Susanna. He left his wife his "second-best bed with the furniture," thus offering his many biographers, including Greenblatt, much room for speculation.

It is very difficult to connect any of the events in Shakespeare's personal life with his work. Greenblatt concedes that "very little is understood about the life experiences" that caused the imaginative leaps Shakespeare made. He is ready to imagine a set of plausible triggering events, but he is not always convincing. Because Shakespeare's own marriage may have been unhappy, for example, he may as a result have not written about happy marriages. But, on the other hand, unhappy marriages are by their very nature more dramatic, so the creation of exciting drama may have impelled him more than the obvious display of his conscious experience. He may certainly have named his character and his play "Hamlet" to commemorate his dead son, but the play itself does not have a dead son. He did dramatize unforeseen material catastrophe, but this may or may not have been influenced by his father's slowly waning fortunes. As Greenblatt himself writes about "King Lear": "Once again, there is no easy, obvious link between what Shakespeare wrote . . . and the known circumstances of his own life."

Greenblatt is at his best when he merges his gifts as a literary critic and scholar with his instincts as a biographer. He writes with real subtlety and skill about the sonnets -- suggestive rather than certain about what they tell us of Shakespeare the man. "The sonnets," he writes, "are a cunning sequence of beautiful locked boxes to which there are no keys, an exquisitely constructed screen behind which it is virtually impossible to venture with any confidence." He also writes very well about the climate of fear and the use of public punishment and torture in Elizabethan and early Jacobean England, and how this enters into the very spirit of Shakespeare's work.

This dark spirit is most apparent in the four tragedies, daring and original even 400 years later, written in the early years of the 17th century: "Hamlet," "Othello," "King Lear" and "Macbeth." Greenblatt, returning to the more difficult rhetoric of his essays, offers an interesting key to their endurance. He calls it "the excision of motive" and the use of a "strategic opacity" in the creation of character. Action thus becomes "more arbitrary and more rooted in deep psychological needs" than explicable by outward events. The technique displayed, he writes, Shakespeare's "preference for things untidy, damaged and unresolved."

After 400 years Shakespeare's own life and its relationship to his work remain also untidy, damaged and unresolved. The opacity surrounding him adds to the mystery of his work, which is all we have, save a few poor and rather useless facts about his life. Greenblatt would, perhaps, be the first to admit that this is enough to be going on with.
Opinion / Columnist

"Economic difficulties have deepened and Zimbabwe cannot wait and needs to act now. A comprehensive and ambitious economic transformation program is needed to revive the Zimbabwean economy and to cement support among international partners" These are the comments attributed to Zimbabwe's IMF Country Representative Domenico Fanizza at the completion of the most recent IMF visit to the country.As PDP we agree with this observation that Zimbabwe needs urgent substantive action now in order to arrest the social and economic decline which is now evident everywhere. However ZANU (PF), especially President Mugabe, continue to behave as if all is well and there is no urgency to rescue Zimbabweans from their continued incompetence and misappropriation of the country's resources.Zimbabwe is in a man-made crisis manufactured by ZANU (PF) led by President Robert Mugabe and needs an emergency rescue package now. As PDP, we are proposing that this rescue be led by an inclusive Transitional Technical Committee which has necessary integrity and political will to turn our economy around and not the ZANU (PF) cabal who have clearly failed to revive our economy since their unrealistic and politically expedient promises of 2013 to create 2.2 million jobs.It is our view that the reduction of government recurrent expenditure to 52% of GDP by 2019 as proposed by Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa is not only too little too late, but is not the panacea of economic recovery.Zimbabwe has a deep seated ethical challenge at political leadership level and no amount of money will change that fact. ZANU (PF is fundamentally flawed, fundamentally unethical and corrupt and this is not about to change.In the highly unlikely event of the country managing to scrounge around and pay the promised US$1, 8 billion arrears to development partners by May 2016, there is no guarantee that any further funds advanced by development partners to Zimbabwe will result in any fundamental economic shift. In fact, it is our strong belied that if a ZANU (PF) led government were to access any further funding from the IMF, we are likely to see them entrench themselves and continue to behave as they have done in the past as has recently happened in Iran after the unfreezing of its resources by the United States.In our view, Zimbabwe needs a Marshall Plan which must be an inclusive and well thought- out plan to address food security and poverty alleviation, revive agriculture in a sustainable manner, reindustrialise the country, rehabilitate our infrastructure and create jobs and sustainable incomes. In addition we need to build confidence within the international community and behave differently so that we may attract new investments. We cannot, for example, continue to seize private assets and expect to earn any respect from foreign investors.With regard to indigenisation our position is very clear and consistent. This is an ill-conceived policy at the wrong time for the wrong reasons and there is no way that this policy can be sanitised. As PDP we continue to call for its total repeal.Zimbabwe needs new national and local governance structures that are accountable, transparent and managed by competent team of technicians and led by principled political leaders. Only then can we begin to expect substantive change in how we allocate and manage our resources.As PDP we continue to advocate the immediate step down of ZANU (PF) and President Mugabe so that we may save Zimbabweans from this cabal which has decimated lives and livelihoods without consequence.A new Zimbabwe is possible!
Season 4, Episode 10, Chapter 49

The specter of death seeps into every story line in this chapter of House of Cards. Claires mother, Elizabeth Hale, passes away. Frank makes a confession to Cathy Durant that for a moment feels as shocking as the final scene of The Jinx. Yet as sad and macabre as things get, everything still works out for the Underwoods. Frank is officially chosen as the Democratic presidential candidate, and Claire  who picks up some sympathy votes in the wake of her recent loss  is officially named her husbands running mate. It seemed as if it couldnt be done, mainly because it still doesnt make much sense. But apparently, all a first lady needs to shatter political conventions and logic is a little help from the Grim Reaper.

Like her husband, who, as noted in a previous recap, has a habit of bumping people off on his way up the political ladder, Claire, in a manner of speaking, kills to get her nomination. Itll help you win, having your mother gone, Elizabeth tells Claire, just before Claire places a few drops of morphine in her mothers mouth and, with Elizabeths consent, turns out her light. Claires not committing murder here, certainly not the way Frank has in the past. But shes making a conscious decision to assist in her mothers suicide, partly to ease her pain but also because she knows her mothers death will strike an emotional chord with the delegates and give her the final boost she needs, just as that morphine provides the last push Elizabeth needs to drift into permanent sleep.

Lets talk about what a shame it is to see Ellen Burstyn leaving this show so soon. Shes marvelous in this episode, flirting shamelessly with Tom Yates from her deathbed and wistfully showing Claire the baby teeth she saved for her. Ms. Burstyn has such depth as an actor that you can sense the whole history of Claire and Elizabeths tumultuous relationship in even her smallest gestures and expressions. Even the way she says Claire in that melancholy Southern twang brims with affection, disappointment and regret. The loss of Elizabeth may be harder for the House of Cards audience to bear than it is for Claire.

Elizabeths death alone doesnt guarantee Claire the vice-presidential nomination. Cathy Durant has to get out of the way first, but, to her credit, she digs in hard, threatening to throw her delegates behind Heather Dunbar, who technically dropped out of the race but is still receiving enough votes to be a viable presidential contender. Im not scared of you, Cathy tells Frank.
A lawsuit brought by a hedge fund owner who claimed that an F.B.I. raid had violated his civil rights and forced him to close his business may proceed to determine whether evidence will support his grave allegations, a judge said on Thursday.

Judge William H. Pauley III of United States District Court in Manhattan freed lawyers to learn more to support David Ganeks claim that the raid in November 2010 of the New York offices of Level Global Investors as part of a federal crackdown on insider trading resulted from deliberate misrepresentations.

In a lawsuit seeking unspecified damages, Mr. Ganek asserts that fabricated evidence led a magistrate to issue a warrant approving the raid, which with the governments heavy-handed tactics led to the closure of Level Global in February 2011. The company, which was based in Greenwich, Conn., had more than $4 billion in assets under management.

These are grave allegations, the judge wrote. He said letting lawyers assemble more evidence would help determine whether the governments actions had resulted from a simple misunderstanding or whether something more troubling was afoot.
However, the choice of Ms. Jarrar, who is respected for her distinctive and disciplined point of view, as expressed most often in an inventive way with a tuxedo suit, is a canny one. She has an impeccable fashion pedigree, having started her career under Jean Paul Gaultier, and then been studio director for Nicolas Ghesquiere at Balenciaga, and head of couture design for Christian Lacroix. She opened her own brand in 2010, became a part of the official couture schedule in 2013 and is one of the few independent female designers working in Paris. Though slight and soft-spoken, she is known for a steely determination and has the good will of the industry.

In announcing the appointment, Ms. Huiban said: Her timeless style is in agreement with the style and values of our house. Her talent, her rigor, her mastery of the body and materials will bring to the house of Lanvin a freshness and modernity while respecting its historic couture soul, a symbol of French elegance.

According to Ms. Huiban, Ms. Jarrar plans to close her own brand to devote herself to Lanvin.

It was her choice. She decided she wanted a bigger playing field.

The appointment of Ms. Jarrar heralds the understanding of Lanvin management that whatever Lanvin becomes next, its aesthetic will necessarily be different from what it was under Mr. Elbaz. Ms. Jarrar is known for her tailoring, as well as her more functional approach to couture: Though the workmanship of her clothes is never less than perfect and she has a way with the flou, she eschews complicated ball gowns for more streamlined, cooler styles; her quintessential look is a razor-sharp pair of trousers with an elaborate, feathered perfecto jacket or vest.

In an internal memo seen by The New York Times, Ms. Jarrar said: My wish is to bring to Lanvin harmony and coherence of a world for women, a world of our time. I rejoice in being part of this beautiful chapter in the life of the house with all its teams.
The nations top health officials said Thursday that urgent action was needed to contain the Zika virus and appealed to Congress to allocate money to fighting the outbreak.

President Obama has asked for $1.8 billion, but the request is stalled in Congress, with Republicans suggesting that money previously allotted to the Ebola virus be used instead.

Health officials contend that most of those funds have already been committed to testing vaccines and to keeping up monitoring in Africa, because another Ebola outbreak could erupt at any time.

Describing a recent trip to Puerto Rico to survey efforts there to contain the Zika virus, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the island is on the front lines and facing an uphill battle.
Times Insider delivers behind-the-scenes insights from New York Times journalists.

An editor is supposed to keep reporters from making mistakes in print.

In 1921, Carr V. Van Anda, the managing editor of The New York Times, kept Albert Einstein from making a mistake in print.

Among many coups attributed to Mr. Van Anda, a cold fish in person but a dazzling polymath in practice, were The Timess scoop on the sinking of the Titanic and the exposure of forgeries made by the pharaoh Horemheb, who claimed to have created a stele that was in fact the work of Tutankhamen.

His greatest intellectual achievement, however, is worth recalling now that Einsteins general theory of relativity is back in the news, with the announcement last month that scientists have heard and recorded evidence of gravitational waves in the sound of two black holes colliding a billion light-years away.
Simon Romero, The Timess Brazil bureau chief, joined NPRs All Things Considered to discuss his coverage of Brazils ex-leader, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and how he was detained as part of a massive corruption investigation:

Lula was really the face of Brazils boom in the previous decade and is one of the most towering politicians in the country today, so for this investigation to finally get to him is an enormous deal.

Trip Gabriel, a political reporter for The New York Times, joined WNYCs The Brian Lehrer Show to discuss a recent altercation between a Secret Service agent and a photographer at a rally for Donald J. Trump and his prior experience getting thrown out of a campaign event:

I have covered campaigns before and Ive never seen this level of protests at any given candidates rally that youre seeing at Trumps. Sometimes up to a dozen incidents occur at a Trump rally, and he has magnified it.

Lou Cannon, who wrote The New York Times obituary for Nancy Reagan, join WCCO Radios The Chad Hartman Show to discuss the life and legacy of the former first lady:

[Nancy Reagan] never missed an opportunity to try to isolate the people within the administration who she felt were harming or undermining her husbands policies. And she was very strong in her support of his policies to the Soviet Union. ...

Kate Murphy, a contributor to The Times, discussed the rise of ad blockers and the impact they will have on how websites make money on KPCC Radios Take Two:
This case involved a perfect storm of error  bad defense counsel, an unreliable witness, critical evidence that was never disclosed to the defense, Ms. Saifee said.

When the killing occurred, on Feb. 18, 1991, Mr. Hatchett was 24 and hobbling on crutches after being hit with bullets in the throat and leg as a bystander in a shooting the previous year. He had an I.Q. of 63, with the reading and writing ability of a first grader, according to lawyers from the Innocence Project.

Mr. Hatchett and Ms. Carter had seen each other earlier on the evening of the murder, in a rooming house where his aunt lived alongside Ms. Carter and her mother. Mr. Hatchett gave Ms. Carter money to buy crack, his lawyers said in an interview. She left around 9:30 p.m. and never returned.

Though he cooperated with the police and provided an alibi, Mr. Hatchett was arrested and convicted almost entirely on the testimony of a career criminal named Gerard Williams, who said that he had seen, from 30 to 40 feet away, Mr. Hatchett striking a body on the ground in the park that night.

Mr. Williams offered the account after he was arrested in connection with a burglary a little over a week after the killing, and after having initially identified someone else as the killer  information the prosecutors never gave the defense, as was required.

The defense itself was so incompetent that a judge declared Mr. Hatchetts first trial a mistrial. But even at the second trial, Mr. Hatchetts lawyer failed to present evidence of his intellectual disability or of the fact that his injuries would almost certainly have prevented him from striking Ms. Carter with the force Mr. Williams had described or lugging her body across the park while leaning on crutches.

Its frightening how easy it is to convict an innocent person in this country, Ms. Saifee said. And its overwhelmingly difficult to release an innocent person.
A Long Island teenager pleaded guilty on Thursday to more than a dozen criminal charges stemming from a 2014 street-racing crash that left five other teenagers dead, prosecutors said. He is likely to be sentenced to six months in jail under an agreement.

Prosecutors said that Cory Gloe, 17 at the time, was racing with another car in the Nassau County community of Farmingdale when the other vehicle crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with a sport utility vehicle.

Last year, Mr. Gloe was indicted on charges including manslaughter, assault, reckless endangerment, criminally negligent homicide and leaving the scene of an incident without reporting. At State Supreme Court in Nassau County on Thursday, Mr. Gloe, now 19, pleaded guilty to all 17 counts listed in the indictment.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of five to 15 years in prison, prosecutors said. But Justice Terence P. Murphy has committed to sentencing him to six months in jail and five years of probation, along with revoking his drivers license for a year, prosecutors said.
In a lawsuit filed on Thursday in federal court, the society accused the planning board of breaking a law unanimously passed by Congress in 2000 protecting houses of worship from being unduly burdened by land use regulations. In a 111-page complaint, the Islamic Society said the decision also violated the rights of its members to freely practice their religion and to enjoy equal protection of the law.

What should have been a simple board approval for a permitted use devolved into a Kafkaesque process, said the suit, filed on behalf of the society by Adeel A. Mangi of the Manhattan law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler. These proceedings took place against a backdrop of ugly spectacle.

Lori Caratzola, a resident of Basking Ridge who opposed the mosque, attended virtually all the hearings and regularly put questions to the technical witnesses, said that the board had made a sound decision, strictly on land use grounds. Although she is not named as a defendant in the suit, her affiliations with anti-Islamic groups and websites are cited. I stand by that, Ms. Caratzola said when asked about her support for the American Public Policy Alliance, which maintains that American legal institutions are under threat from Islamic codes.

Those views were irrelevant, she maintained, to the boards decision.

Lets say someone or people did have feelings about Islam  the fact that every single terrorist attack in the last 20 years was committed by Muslims  they never spoke about that during the planning board meetings, Ms. Caratzola said. (Her count of terrorist attacks excludes mass shootings in the United States, most of which have been carried out by people not associated with Islam.)

Criticism of the mosque proposal on land use grounds, she said, should not limit what she and other members of the public express elsewhere.

Are we not allowed to voice concerns about a religion, or is it not O.K. just about Islam? Ms. Caratzola asked.

Image A rendering of the Islamic Society of Basking Ridges proposed mosque, presented to the local planning board in 2012. Credit...

The decisive moment in the planning boards work came early on, when it turned down the proposal for a 50-car parking lot, although the boards own planner, as well as the townships, appeared to have initially accepted it. The townships formula for church parking, one spot for every three people, is not applicable to mosques, or for that matter, to houses of worship, the boards lawyer and planner wrote in a January 2013 memo. By its express terms, this standard only applies to churches, auditoriums and theaters.
With two days left before New Jersey Transit rail workers could go on strike, negotiators from the agency and its rail unions met again on Thursday but did not reach an agreement.

Transportation agency officials held talks with the unions for most of the day in Newark and planned to meet again on Friday morning. A rail strike could begin as early as Sunday if the agency does not reach a deal with the unions over wages and benefits.

But even as both sides reported progress in the talks, the rail unions were angered on Thursday by a notice that New Jersey Transit issued to workers about conditions under a strike, including the suspension of health benefits. The unions called the notice draconian and said it showed the agency was unwilling to reach a fair solution.

A spokeswoman for the agency, Nancy Snyder, said the notice was required by federal law.

Earlier in the day, New Jersey Transits lead negotiator, Gary Dellaverson, told reporters that the negotiations were headed in a positive direction and that both sides wanted to avoid a strike.
Opinion / Columnist

Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC-T president, is the cheapest politician that thrives on sensationalism, and capitalizing on human emotions. When the pained Itai Dzamara family and associates were demonstrating peacefully over his obscured, and controversial disappearance a year ago, he took this as an opportunity to spew his cheap propaganda in order to sustain his fast waning political relevance in Zimbabwean affairs.Tsvangirai uttered some baseless statements which he failed to substantiate for purposes of clarity for the benefit of the generality of the public, let alone the Dzamara family. He pronounced that Itai was removed from society because he had in his possession 2013 election fraud evidence. He also made an assertion that he shared this information with Itai before his disappearance. In the interest of the public, why can't Tsvangirai make these amazing revelations available for us all to see and shame the perpetrators?If he fails to do this, then he is just poking the emotions of the grieving family for no apparent reason, than to seek personal political aggrandizement.His MDC-T withdrew wholesomely its 2013 High Court challenge before the initial hearing by the court after failing to furnish sufficient evidence to prove a prime facie case against the winner, President Robert Mugabe. But surprisingly, up to this day he still claims that he shared such information with Itai. Why didn't he utilise that evidence to boost his challenge to the poll outcome? He is displaying hypocritical tendencies which are characterized by his sensationalization of public issues of concern for his selfish gains.The Itai Dzamara matter is an issue which is above the scope of simple political activism as every Zimbabwean remains expectant in anguish that Itai will resurface one day alive to recount, and share his experience with us all. It is wrong for someone to seek achieving political scores from such a predicament bedeviling the Dzamara family.We need leaders that mourn with us and enjoy with us too, rather than derive personal pleasure out of our plight when our cheeks are wet with tears, and hasten to increase their political mileage.If Tsvangirai is truly a rational political leader, he should worry most about the challenge posed by the entry of Joyce Mujuru, of the Zimbabwe People First (ZPF) political movement on the local opposition political landscape.Mujuru champions a real threat to his pre-existing hegemony on the opposition politics front in the country. This explains why MDC-T has become the fishing pond for Mujuru as its supporters are in a mass exodus towards ZPF. Since the inception of ZPF, he seems clueless on how to rescue his sinking party from slumping into abyss.
After federal prosecutors declined this week to file criminal charges against a white New York City police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager in the Bronx four years ago, the Police Departments long-delayed internal case against him will proceed.

The mother of the teenager, Ramarley Graham, stood at City Hall on Thursday and called on Officer Richard Haste, who shot her son, to be fired along with other officers of the Street Narcotics Enforcement Unit involved in the episode.

The public needs to know that we dont have any rights in our homes anymore, Constance Malcolm, the teenagers mother, said later. A cop can break into your home  thats what the city is telling us right now.

Mr. Graham, 18, was killed after officers in the narcotics unit spotted him on the street on Feb. 2, 2012, in the Wakefield neighborhood, thought he might be armed and followed him into his familys home. Officer Haste fired one round at Mr. Graham, who was inside the second-floor bathroom.
But its also fascinating to read in the midst of a presidential campaign. It shows how insanely far removed campaign bloviation is from the reality of actually governing. It also reveals that the performance of presidents, especially on foreign policy, is shaped by how leaders attach to problems. Some leaders are like dogs: They want to bound right in and make things happen. Some are more like cats: They want to detach and maybe look for a pressure point here or there.

If we want to understand the dog or catlike qualities in candidates, we should be asking them a different set of questions:

How much do you think a president can change the flow of world events?

President Obama, for example, has a limited or, if you want to put it that way, realistic view of the extent of American influence. He subscribes to a series of propositions that frequently push him toward nonintervention: The world is a tough, complicated, messy, mean place and full of hardship and tragedy, he told Goldberg. You cant fix everything. Sometimes you can only shine a spotlight.

Furthermore, Obama argues, because of our history, American military efforts are looked at with suspicion. Allies are unreliable. Ukraine is always going to be in Russias sphere of influence, so its efforts there will always trump ours. The Middle East is a morass and no longer that important to U.S. interests.

Even the Iran nuclear deal is seen as a limited endeavor  not to reshape the Middle East but simply to make a dangerous country less dangerous.

Do you think out loud in tandem with a community, or do you process internally?

Throughout the Goldberg article, Obama is seen thinking deeply and subtly, but apart from the group around him. In catlike fashion, he is a man who knows his own mind and trusts his own judgment. His decision not to bomb Syria after it crossed the chemical weapons red line was made almost entirely alone. His senior advisers were shocked when he announced it. The secretaries of state and defense were not in the room.
When and why did an alien gain control of Donald Trumps body?

The Trump who usually causes us to gasp and gape didnt show up in Miami on Thursday night. There was, to be sure, a bright, brassy pouf of hair that looked familiar, and a man below it who pursed his lips and shook his head in a distinctly Trumpian fashion.

But he didnt bray like Trump. Didnt interrupt like Trump. Didnt redden like Trump, turning crimson when challenged, scarlet when corrected. No, this interloper was unflappable, and he remained a whiter shade of male.

When other candidates took jabs at him, he didnt mock them with demeaning nicknamesno little Marco for Rubio, no lyin Ted for Cruzor tell them how puny their poll numbers were. When moderators tried to provoke him, he didnt bellow about the injustice of it all.

He bit his tongue. Waited his turn. Maintained his dignity.

Dignity? Thats not a word that I ever expected to type in the vicinity of Trump. But then this Trump wasnt that Trump. This Trump was already doing a general-election pivot, and he had clearly decided to confront the greatest resistance to him and the biggest raps against him.
Partners at private-equity firms and hedge funds typically treat a big portion of the fees they charge their clients as a capital gain  that is, as profit on the sale of an investment  so they can pay tax at the capital-gains rate of 20 percent (plus a surtax of 3.8 percent typically). Ordinary income is taxed at a rate of up to 39.6 percent. But labeling fees as capital gains is a stretch, in part because the partners generally earn their fees by managing other peoples money, not by investing their own.

Image Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry Credit... Mike Groll/Associated Press

The New York bill is supported by a coalition of activists focused on inequality and tax fairness. The group plans to work with lawmakers in nearby states on similar bills. The aim is for the tax increase to take effect once various states have closed the loophole. That way, the tax could not be avoided by moving to a neighboring state.

The bills supporters estimate that closing the loophole would raise $3.7 billion a year in New York. Estimated annual revenue would be $938 million in Massachusetts, $535 million in Connecticut and $112 million in New Jersey.

Virtually every tax dodge involves somehow passing off relatively high-taxed ordinary income as low-taxed capital gains. The best solution would be for Congress to do away with special low tax rates for capital gains. But for now, the New York bill and the push for similar legislation in other states could offer a bold and smart step forward.
On Monday, John Cornyn, the senior Republican senator from Texas, warned President Obama that if he dares to name a successor to Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court, the nominee will bear some resemblance to a pinata.

Violent imagery has been commonplace in political statements for a long time, but even so, it is disgraceful for a senator to play the thug, threatening harm to someone simply for appearing before Congress to answer questions about professional accomplishments and constitutional philosophy.

On Thursday, during the first Senate Judiciary Committee hearing since Justice Scalias death last month, Mr. Cornyn and his fellow Republicans found themselves in an unenviable position. By refusing to do the job that every previous Senate has done, they look like deranged obstructionists. On the other hand, they know that if they give the presidents nominee a hearing, it will become nearly impossible to portray that person as unqualified.

For a while, Republican leaders were saying that delaying the nomination until after a new president takes office would respect the peoples voice on this critical appointment. Now some, like Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin, are admitting that it would be a different situation if a Republican were currently in the White House. Lets face it, he said in a radio interview on Thursday morning, I dont think anybodys under any illusion. President Obamas nominee would flip the court from a 5-to-4 conservative to a 5-to-4 liberal-controlled court, and thats the concern.
Why did Bernie Sanders win a narrow victory in Michigan, when polls showed Hillary Clinton with a huge lead? Nobody really knows, but theres a lot of speculation that Mr. Sanders may have gained traction by hammering on the evils of trade agreements. Meanwhile, Donald Trump, while directing most of his fire against immigrants, has also been bashing the supposedly unfair trading practices of China and other nations.

So, has the protectionist moment finally arrived? Maybe, maybe not: There are other possible explanations for Michigan, and free-traders have repeatedly cried wolf about protectionist waves that never materialized. Still, this time could be different. And if protectionism really is becoming an important political force, how should reasonable people  economists and others  respond?

To make sense of the debate over trade, there are three things you need to know.

The first is that we have gotten to where we are  a largely free-trade world  through a generations-long process of international diplomacy, going all the way back to F.D.R. This process combines a series of quid pro quos  Ill open my markets if you open yours  with rules to prevent backsliding.

The second is that protectionists almost always exaggerate the adverse effects of trade liberalization. Globalization is only one of several factors behind rising income inequality, and trade agreements are, in turn, only one factor in globalization. Trade deficits have been an important cause of the decline in U.S. manufacturing employment since 2000, but that decline began much earlier. And even our trade deficits are mainly a result of factors other than trade policy, like a strong dollar buoyed by global capital looking for a safe haven.
Climate change brings with it many existential threats  rising seas, acidifying oceans, species extinction. But the most immediate and costly threats result from the changing risks of extreme weather. Our perception of these risks has been almost entirely based on the past. Thats how insurance companies have assessed our premiums. But if weather risks change, and events that used to have a 1-in-500 chance of happening in any given year now have a 1-in-50 chance, insurance premiums will rise or insurance itself might become unavailable.

Heres an example that underscores the predictive power of extreme event attribution: A recently published study in the journal Nature Climate Change analyzed record-breaking rains in Britain that flooded thousands of homes and businesses and caused more than $700 million in damage in the winter of 2013-14. Scientists found that such an event had become about 40 percent more likely. As a result, roughly 1,000 more properties are now at risk of flooding, with potential damage of about $40 million.

Climate change is, of course, never the only player in a so-called natural disaster. Many other natural and human factors are at play. Countless communities are vulnerable because of limited resources and poor infrastructure. Certain classes of extreme events will be relatively straightforward to dissect and attribute (heat waves, heavy rains, certain types of drought) while others are at the far edge of what science can now understand (tornadoes, wildfires and the frequency and intensity of hurricanes).

Heat waves, for example, are expected to become more common, intense and longer because of the increase in heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere. One recent study found that an extreme heat wave last May in Australia was made 23 times more likely because of climate change. When the numbers get that big, its fair to say that some episodes of extreme heat would have been virtually impossible (but never absolutely impossible) without climate change.

Drought is more complicated because of the multiple factors  temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, snowpack levels  involved. The California drought is an example of this complexity. While we now know that higher temperatures resulting from global warming are worsening the drought, current evidence indicates that the lack of precipitation in the state is not primarily a result of climate change.

Without the rigorous methodologies outlined in the National Academies report, we run the risk of attributing extreme weather to climate change based on sheer conjecture or political bias.
On Tuesday evening, a sign was placed in the window of Lost City Arts, a high-end vintage design store in Lower Manhattan, saying the shop was closing early. Inside, 30 of the citys top antiques dealers had gathered for a tense, hastily arranged meeting. Other dealers dialed in from Texas and California to hear the proceedings.

The topic: the online antiques marketplace 1stdibs and its new approach for enforcing commissions.

Jim Elkind, Lost Citys owner, addressed his colleagues, who sat amid the kind of $4,000 Italian floor lamps and $2,800 midcentury modern low tables that are routinely sold (or just ogled) on 1stdibs.

This sort of reminds you of that moment in The Godfather when all the heavyweight bosses from the mafia show up to the big party, Mr. Elkind said to laughs. I think we are a formidable group here.

But as the dealers began to voice their concerns and frustrations, it became clear they view themselves not as powerful figures but as little guys being pushed around and financially squeezed by an influential company they have come to rely on.
Hollywood is such an industry town, so the parties tend to be industry-led. Few of them are personal. I think thats a big difference with my parties: I want it to be more of a party, and not an event. Im not a corporate person. Im not interested in any sort of pecking order. The purpose of my party is to hug the people that I like, or just shake the hands of people I really admire, and have some nice red wine and some food. I dont want it to be panicky. I want it to be very relaxed.

Image

Its important for the host to be polite enough to say hello to guests. Surprisingly enough, not many people do that. But its a big thing, symbolically, to be at the front door shaking peoples hands, saying, Im so happy youre here. Armani always used to do that at his parties. If there are people I dont know, I always introduce myself. I try to look into their eyes and ask them about their life. For the most part, I try to invite people that I already know. Ive always been pretty tough on people saying, I want to bring my brother and my sister and my uncle. I want to make sure the feeling of the room is really cozy.

The seating plan is bloody difficult. Usually, I have to be rugby tackled into making it, because I spend days avoiding it, hiding out and pretending its going to do itself. I think its quite a good idea to seat people with people they actually like, even if they see each other all the time. I think people like going to a party and sitting with people they already know and love. It gives them a sense of security. If youre going out on a Saturday night, its nice to know all your friends will be there, instead of going and sitting with people youre never going to see again, or, at the end of a busy week, sitting with people and having to explain who you are. I want you to go and sit around the table and have your friends there, but also someone who you deeply admire, or someone whos fascinating. I like to have a painter next to an actor next to a politician  which I think is very different from what happens in Hollywood, where at the industry parties, everyone is in the same business. At my parties, theres a very interesting mix of people.

Before people sit down, its important to make the effort to introduce them correctly. You have to make sure the people who are going to sit together all know something about each other, because then theyre going to talk.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.Wicked Pictures contract performer and sex educator Jessica Drake is helping to celebrate the opening of Minneapolis newest erotic store, Intimate Treasures, with two sexual health and wellness workshops. The free events will begin at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Friday, March 11, at Intimate Treasures, located at 314 N. First Ave., Minneapolis.

Im excited to be a part of Intimate Treasures Grand Opening, and instead of one workshop, I'll be doing two! Drake said. Through my teaching, I want to bring a positive message about improving our sex lives and relationships through better communication, sexual tips, and techniques, and I offer the ability to explore our sexuality in a completely safe and nonjudgmental space.

Intimate Treasures grand opening celebration runs from 7 to 11 p.m. on Friday. It will include giveaways, drawings, product demos, and Jessica Drakes sex ed workshops, which are based on her acclaimed sex instructional series, Jessica Drakes Guide to Wicked Sex.

During the workshops, Drake will share her observations, knowledge, and unique experiences for better sex, giving participants a comprehensive look at sex and sexual practices like never before. Guests will be able to join revealing discussions about real life sexual situations ranging from erotic techniques and role-playing, to product recommendations and personal health.

Presented in a supportive and nurturing environment, the workshops will encourage guests to join in an open discussion of sexual issues, particularly issues impacting their lives. Nothing is off limits at our workshops. Every question is important, as it means we can help someone with their relationship, Drake added.

A question-and-answer session with Drake will follow each workshop.

Uproxx.com writer Phoenix Tso recently attended one of Drakes workshops in Los Angeles, which she detailed in an article. To read Tsos account, click here.

For more information about Intimate Treasures, click here.
Bobby Steggert is a good little girl. Let me clarify: In the title role of Boy, the diligent new play by Anna Ziegler that opened on Thursday night at the Clurman Theater at Theater Row, Mr. Steggert is very good at portraying a little girl who wants to be good but is thwarted by the discomfort that comes from being born a boy, a fact of which she (he) is unaware.

Hmm. Thats a confusing clarification, isnt it? But just imagine how confused youd be if you were Samantha (born Samuel, later known as Adam). Her bewilderment is affectingly and persuasively embodied by Mr. Steggert, a gifted actor in his 30s who assumes the aspect of a child in a dress without any assistance from a feminine costume, a wig or even a toddlers lisp.

What he does convey is the heartbreaking unease of someone who has been denied the chance to inhabit the body he was born with. Best known for his sensitive performances in musicals (Ragtime, Yank!), the open-faced Mr. Steggert once again brings disquieting shadows to his naturally sunny presence.

Boy  a world premiere production from the Keen Company, the Ensemble Studio Theater and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation  could use more of such shading. Ms. Ziegler applies a strict organizational hand to a subject that is anything but tidy.
UNITED RETROFIT: 10-ABREAST SEATING IN ECONOMY

Domestic flying on United Airlines is about to get cozier. The airline announced this week that it plans to retrofit the economy class on 19 of its 74 Boeing 777 planes with 10-abreast seating in a 3-4-3 configuration, a change from its current nine-abreast 2-5-2 or 3-3-3 configuration. The planes will operate on domestic routes including Hawaii and Guam, and the first aircraft with the new seating is scheduled to debut in May, according to a spokeswoman, Karen May. The change will bring the total number of seats on the planes to 364, an increase of either 20 or 98 seats depending on the aircraft. The move echoes a larger industry trend, Ms. May said. Many airlines are now offering 10-abreast seating on 777s so we are not an exception, she said. United expects to have all 19 of the planes retrofitted by May 2017.

IN COOPERSTOWN, ANSEL ADAMS: EARLY WORKS

The Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., is reopening for the spring and summer season on April 1 with a new exhibition of 41 prints by the renowned photographer Ansel Adams. Called Ansel Adams: Early Works, it runs through Sept. 18 and gives visitors a chance to see prints by Mr. Adams from the 1920s into the 1950s such as Moonrise, Hernandez, a 1941 print from New Mexico depicting a light gray sky  a contrast to his darker prints from the 1970s and 1980s. In commemoration of the exhibit, the nearby Otesaga Resort Hotel has an Ansel Adams Special package; it includes accommodations, breakfast, tickets to the museum and a collection of Ansel Adams postcards. Prices from $299 a night.

A ROYAL OFFER IN BHUTAN

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, recently announced plans for their first visit to Bhutan this spring, and in celebration, Uma by Como, Paro, a 29-room resort in the Paro Valley of Bhutan, has introduced a Royal Himalayan Discovery package. The offer includes a five-night stay, all meals, daily guided hikes in the surrounding mountains, excursions to cultural sites such as Tigers Nest Monastery, a spa treatment per person and traditional English afternoon tea on three occasions. Available from April through July. Prices from $5,827 for two.

A NEW CRUISE ON THE GANGES

Seeing the Ganges River in India by boat isnt common, but a new cruise from Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection on its river cruise ship, the Ganges Voyager II, gives travelers a chance to do just that. The 13-day trip, called Indias Golden Triangle and the Sacred Ganges, includes seven nights on the new 56-passenger, all-suite vessel and five nights in Oberoi Hotels & Resorts in New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. Those who book the trip will see Humayuns Tomb in Delhi, the Taj Mahal in Agra, Mother Teresas home and tomb in Kolkata and the Hare Krishna Complex and Temple of the Vedic Planetarium in Mayapur.
WASHINGTON  Senior Democrats in Congress have accused the inspectors general of the State Department and the nations intelligence agencies of politicizing their review of Hillary Clintons use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

The accusation  made in an unusually pointed letter dated Wednesday  underscored the increasingly partisan nature of the controversy over the email practices of Mrs. Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Those practices are the subject of an F.B.I. investigation, in addition to inquiries by the inspectors general and congressional committees.

Already, this review has been too politicized, the Democrats wrote to Steve A. Linick, the State Departments inspector general, and I. Charles McCullough III, the inspector general for the nations 16 intelligence agencies. We are relying on you as independent inspectors general to perform your duties dispassionately and comprehensively.

The letter accused Mr. McCulloughs office of mistakenly asserting that some emails were highly classified, and it cited claims by a potential whistle-blower that Mr. Linicks office had an anti-Clinton bias. It was signed by the ranking Democrats on the House and Senate committees overseeing intelligence, foreign affairs, government operations, Homeland Security and the judiciary.
MIAMI  Get live updates about voting in the Florida primary.

After 11 adversarial debates, the two chief antagonists to Donald J. Trump on Thursday night largely abandoned their strategy of brutally attacking him, choosing instead to use their final face-off before next weeks round of big Republican primaries to project gravitas and champion conservative positions on trade, jobs and Israel.

Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, whose candidacy is on the line in his states primary on Tuesday, passed up easy chances to challenge Mr. Trump on immigration and foreign visas, and he stopped insulting the front-runner after his recent jabs backfired. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who is running second to Mr. Trump in many states, stuck to policy at first but gradually turned tougher against Mr. Trump, eventually saying he would be a disaster as the Republican standard-bearer.

If we nominate Donald Trump, Hillary wins, Mr. Cruz said.

But much of the debate was so subdued that Mr. Trump was prompted to say, So far, I cannot believe how civil its been up here.

He was eventually challenged over his temperament, his harsh language about Islam, and recent violence at his campaign rallies, but he also talked more about policy than he has in past debates, saying, apparently for the first time, that he would consider sending up to 30,000 American ground troops to fight the Islamic State in the Middle East.
Heres how we analyzed the Republican debate.

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MIAMI  The four candidates still battling for the Republican nomination for president gathered at the University of Miami for the partys 12th debate, hosted by CNN. Donald J. Trump leads in both delegates and states won, with Gov. John Kasichs home state, Ohio, and Senator Marco Rubios home state, Florida, both heading to the polls on Tuesday.

 In a surprise twist, the first question, on jobs and the economy, goes to Mr. Kasich. Asked by Jake Tapper, the debate moderator, if his advocacy for trade deals had come at the expense of the middle class, Mr. Kasich cited his blue-collar background  his father was a mailman and his family worked in the steel industry  and said he believes in free trade, but fair trade.

 Mr. Rubio  who supports increasing the number of H-1B visas for high-skilled workers  was asked about the case of Disney, which used a loophole in the program to lay off American workers and replace them with foreign workers. Companies like Disney that abuse the program, he said, should be barred from using it in the future.

 On the question of visas for high-skilled workers, Mr. Trump seemed to try to have it both ways. As a businessman, he said, he uses the program and I do what I have to do. But, he added, its unfair for workers  And we should end it.
Overriding the governors veto for the fourth time this year, West Virginia lawmakers put a ban on a common second-trimester abortion method into law on Thursday. Lawmakers voted to override a veto by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, a Democrat, of a bill outlawing the dilation and evacuation procedure, considered the safest second-trimester abortion method. Many Democrats sided with the Republican majority in favor of the override, which required a simple majority vote from the House and the Senate. The abortion ban takes effect in late May. In vetoing the bill, Mr. Tomblin cited patient safety concerns from doctors and worries that it would be unconstitutional. Courts blocked similar bans that Kansas and Oklahoma enacted in 2015. Proponents of the bill refer to the procedure as dismemberment. The law bans the abortion method unless the doctor had already caused the fetuss demise. Exceptions exist for medical emergencies.
The Wounded Warrior Project ousted its top two executives Thursday after accusations of lavish spending and financial irregularities by the charity.

The groups chief executive, Steven Nardizzi, and its chief operating officer, Al Giordano, were fired by the nonprofit organizations board of directors, according to a news release from the board distributed by Abernathy MacGregor, a crisis-management public-relations firm hired by the charity.

Mr. Nardizzi and Mr. Giordano were instrumental in building the organization into a fund-raising juggernaut that took in more than $372 million in 2015.

But the leadership came under fire after former employees said the charity spent recklessly and became overly focused on fund-raising at the expense of veterans programs. Mr. Nardizzi was given $473,000 in compensation in 2014. A staff meeting at a five-star hotel in Colorado, in which he rappelled into a crowd, cost nearly $1 million.
This measure against the ex-president is yet another sad attempt by the prosecutor to use his post for political ends, the institute said.

The focus on Mr. da Silvas business affairs offers a view into how the former president sided with the same elites whom he rallied against as a union leader campaigning as an anticorruption outsider.

In the federal case against him, prosecutors say that five of the builders tainted in the Petrobras scandal paid Mr. da Silva the equivalent of about $2.7 million for speeches since 2010, when he left office. In addition, they say Mr. da Silvas foundation received about $5.5 million in donations from the same companies, some of which was channeled to one of Mr. da Silvas sons.

Federal prosecutors are trying to determine whether the money used to pay Mr. da Silva was obtained in the Petrobras scheme, and whether he illegally lobbied on behalf of the companies in a quid pro quo.

In the state case, investigators claim that a construction company paid for about $200,000 in renovations at a beachfront apartment. Mr. da Silva denies owning the property, but prosecutors say he had control of it and tried to mislead investigators about acquiring it.

The scandal grew more serious for Mr. da Silva this week when prosecutors in Sao Paulo State charged Mr. da Silva with money laundering and misrepresentation of assets in connection with the penthouse apartment in the coastal city of Guaruja, crimes that could involve jail sentences.

The state prosecutors in Sao Paulo justified their request to arrest Mr. da Silva by contending that he could mobilize a violent support network against their scrutiny into his dealings. As part of their rationale, they cited a video distributed on social media by a legislator from the Workers Party in which Mr. da Silva is seen in the background talking on the phone with Ms. Rousseff while disparaging the federal case against him.
SANTIAGO, Chile  Boris Weisfeiler, a mathematics professor at Penn State, liked to hike alone. A naturalized American citizen who immigrated from the Soviet Union in 1975, he had explored remote parts of Siberia, Alaska, Canada and Peru. On Dec. 24, 1984, Mr. Weisfeiler embarked on a hiking tour of southern Chile while the country was under military rule.

Two weeks later, he vanished.

In 2012, eight retired police and military officers were finally indicted with his abduction, a breakthrough after years of cover-ups and diplomatic intrigue.

But now the mystery of what happened to Mr. Weisfeiler will probably remain unsolved  because a judge has closed the case.

The judge, Jorge Zepeda, has put an end to the 16-year investigation into Mr. Weisfeilers death by applying a statute of limitations on the case, clearing all those charged, denying the family any compensation and failing to establish what had ultimately happened to Mr. Weisfeiler.
BUENOS AIRES  A federal judge on Thursday refused to reopen a criminal complaint against former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner first brought by a prosecutor who died in mysterious circumstances last year, according to Telam, the state news agency.

Prosecutors thought they had new documents that warranted trying to revive the case against Mrs. Kirchner and her political supporters. The prosecutor who later died, Alberto Nisman, had accused Mrs. Kirchner and others of conspiring to derail his investigation into the 1994 fatal bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires. The complaint dissolved in Argentinas courts.

Judge Daniel Rafecas said Thursday that the new documents presented were not sufficient to reverse his decision last year to dismiss the complaint, reiterating his determination that there was no evidence of a crime. The ruling can be appealed by Gerardo Pollicita, the prosecutor who sought to revive the case.

Mr. Nisman died of a gunshot to the head days after filing the original criminal complaint, but it has not been established whether it was a suicide or murder.
North Koreas leader, Kim Jong-un, ordered his country to conduct more nuclear tests, its state media reported on Friday, while a senior United States military commander, Adm. William E. Gortney, warned during a Congressional hearing that the North had the ability to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile to the United States. The United States and South Korea began large-scale annual joint military exercises this week. Such drills typically prompt the North to issue bellicose warnings.
In China, as in other countries ruled by authoritarian regimes, journalists and authors intent on exposing wrongdoing and telling the truth inevitably find themselves at odds with the government. Such is the case with Yang Jisheng, a longtime reporter for the state news agency Xinhua who, after he retired, published a landmark book, Tombstone, documenting the deaths of 36 million people during the 1958-62 famine, one of the worst man-made disasters in history.

For his efforts, he earned the enmity of the Communist Party, which is increasingly intolerant of what it calls historical nihilism that tarnishes its stewardship of the nation. Mr. Yang, 75, was awarded the Louis M. Lyons Award for Conscience and Integrity in Journalism by the Nieman fellows at Harvard. He was to have received the award in person Thursday evening, but last month, his former employer told him that he was forbidden to travel to the United States.

Following are excerpts from the speech he would have given, translated from Chinese by Stacy Mosher, who was a translator of Tombstone. (A full transcript is available here.)
Executions in Iran surged to nearly 1,000 in 2015, a United Nations investigator said on Thursday, the highest level in more than a quarter-century.

The investigator, Ahmed Shaheed, the special rapporteur for human rights in Iran, said in a report to the organizations Human Rights Council that at least 966 people were put to death in the country last year, roughly double the number executed in 2010 and 10 times as many as were executed in 2005.

Iran has been one of the worlds leading users of the death penalty, along with China and Saudi Arabia.

According to annual figures on capital punishment compiled by Amnesty International, the 2015 figure for Iran is the highest since 1989, when more than 1,500 people were executed. Most executions in Iran are by hanging, with a majority of the condemned having been convicted of drug-related offenses.
For several weeks in February and March, the Whitney Museums fifth-floor gallery has been drenched in the slamming of gates, the rattling of keys and the bellowing of prisoners and guards. The artist Andrea Fraser recorded the sounds at Sing Sing, the infamous prison 34 miles up the Hudson River, then fed them into a gallery thats roughly the same size as the prisons A Block.

Down the River, her commanding work, alludes to the practice of separating slaves  and prisoners to this day  from their families and sentencing them to backbreaking labor on the Souths cotton plantations. It is a show that prods viewers to consider the institutional and symbolic polarization that increasingly defines American society, Ms. Fraser said.

Artists around the country are grappling with Americas incarceration system, as a subject and a social force. Like Ms. Fraser, Cameron Rowlands show at Artists Space engaged a privileged art world with the economic mechanisms behind mass incarceration, focusing on how our society benefits from prisoners labor.

Museum curators are increasingly paying attention to artists that visualize the criminal justice debate, and bringing subjects like necessary prison reform into their institutions, said Klaus Biesenbach, director of MoMA PS1 in Queens. Last December, the Rauschenberg Foundation called for fellowship proposals for Creative Interventions to Mass Incarceration, granting chosen artists up to $100,000.
Online blogs and magazines track Mexico City exhibitions in independent spaces. Mexico City in the global artistic imaginary, its a bit like Detroit, Mr. Sharp said. Theres an inherent exotic appeal to the city which is aggravated by social media.

The artists who run the spaces are keenly aware of how to reach a global audience. For any space, documentation is essential, said Francisco Cordero-Oceguera, the founder of a small space called Lodos. Your reachability is infinite if you have space on the Internet and a Twitter account.

The citys new collectors and its many museums help focus interest, of course, along with some government support and more adventurous backing from a few companies and philanthropists. But the most vital part of the movement is artist-run projects like Bikini Wax.

There are dozens of such spaces, with as many as 60 popping up over the past three years, said Tamara Ibarra, an artist who is writing an academic study about the phenomenon. She is also planning a digital portal for projects to present exhibits and store archives. Information should be socialized, everything should be shared, Ms. Ibarra said.

Some of these new spaces, like Lodos, are no bigger than a single room. Mr. Cordero-Oceguera set up the space to show the work of fellow artists, and collectors made their own way to him.

Others are much bigger, like the elegant early-20th-century mansion that Anuar Maauad has restored to create an exhibition space and a residency for artists from outside the city.
But the publicity surrounding the effort to stem the flow of smuggled artifacts from Syria, Iraq and other war zones in the Middle East has had a dampening effect, said Christopher Marinello, the founder and director of the Art Recovery Group, an organization in London that has developed a database to recover lost and stolen artworks around the world.

The media coverage has done such an incredible job that any reputable dealer will have taken a huge step backwards, Mr. Marinello said. We see dealers and auction houses coming in with questions about specific objects. We have seen catalogues for antiquities shrink. Small items periodically appear on e-commerce sites: Two coins from Apamea, a looted archaeological site in Syria, recently showed up on eBay, priced at $84 and $133.

But most people agree that the market for larger, more valuable pieces has shrunk under international pressure. This concerns Ms. Tubb who fears that precious artifacts are being stashed in warehouses  in the Middle East but also in Europe  where they will remain hidden until the pressure eases.

Who knows where these things are housed, she said. There are all sorts of different routes.

Col. Ludovic Ehrhart, an investigator for Frances cultural theft police unit, told Le Monde that those trading in blood antiquities can afford to bide their time. These long-standing networks wait three, five, even 10 years before they sell them on the official market,  he said.

The role played by terrorist groups such as Islamic State in the looting of antiquities from the Middle East has helped put a chill on the market, Mr. Marinello said. It didnt hurt that the F.B.I. has said you could be arrested for aiding international terrorism, he said. That is quite an incentive to not buy something. Although Islamic States vicious attacks and subsequent pillaging of Syrian sites like Palmyra have attracted attention, there are other culprits.

It is not just the Islamic State that is destroying or looting, said Sam Hardy, a research associate at University College Londons Institute of Archaeology, although they have certainly upped the attention.
LONDON  There is only one Mona Lisa, and only one Sistine Chapel. And every year, millions of travelers flock to Paris and the Vatican in a mad scramble to see them.

The visitor numbers are growing. Globally, international tourist arrivals  in which a person stays at least one night in a destination  hit a record 1.18 billion last year, up from 25 million in 1950, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Visits to the Sistine Chapel have quadrupled since 1980, according to the Vatican Museums; as many as 25,000 people arrive on peak days.

With the planets population on the rise, the global middle classes expanding and travel increasingly cheap and easy, tourist numbers are poised to keep rising.

For museums, more visitors mean more cash. Yet they also represent a threat to cultural heritage. Body sweat, carbon dioxide exhalation and the dust brought in by visitors can damage works of art.
The top art auction houses had a carefree and comfortable time of it for most of the first couple of centuries of their existence, but lately they have been hustling to adjust to a radical transformation of their industry. New digital technology and new customers with new attitudes in new places, along with new competition from deft and nimble upstarts eager to cater to them, have forced the dominant companies, Sothebys and Christies, to develop new ways to do business.

They are responding to the challenge by throwing their money and names around, buying or forming looser affiliations with rivals that understand the shifting realities of the marketplace, including a collector base increasingly inclined to buy art online and on the go, better than they do because the arrivistes helped create those realities.

Businesses need to evolve, and although the auction process has been around close to forever, the technology changes things; the way the market works changes things, and so does the global nature of the market, said Suzanne Gyorgy, global head of art advisory and finance at Citi Private Bank, a subsidiary of Citigroup.

As with many businesses, the Internet presents the greatest threat to the established order in the art market and the greatest opportunity, too. Online art sales in 2014 reached 3.3 billion euros, or about $3.6 billion, according to the latest edition of the European Fine Art Foundation annual report. That represents about 6 percent of the global market in art and antiques and a 32 percent increase from 2013.
This slightly atypical work by one of the great names of Renaissance art will test the fairs continuing ability to find buyers for top-level old masters.

A 13-foot-wide Luca Giordano painting, The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew, from 1690 and priced at 2 million at the booth of the London dealer Colnaghi, was one of the few big-ticket old masters sales at the Thursday preview.

The Paris dealership Galerie Talabardon & Gautier is showing Rembrandts Smell, one of five panel paintings of the senses made by the artist in the 1620s while still a teenager. The painting, which is not available for sale, was bought in September by the French dealers as continental school, 19th century for $1.1 million with fees at an auction in New Jersey. It was subsequently identified as an early Rembrandt and sold to the American billionaire Thomas S. Kaplan for about $2 million, according to a dealer with knowledge of the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The London dealer Fergus Hall is also showing an auction sleeper. He bought a monumental early 17th-century canvas of Hercules at Sothebys in 2014, described as Jusepe de Ribera and workshop for 350,500 pounds, about $500,000. Now widely, if not unanimously, accepted as the fourth known Giants of Antiquity painted by the artist himself, it is priced at $4.8 million. Like that early Rembrandt, the Ribera underlines the potential profits that can still be made by discoveries in the old master market.

The Tefaf report describes the art market in 2015 as highly polarized, with most of the value in sales of postwar, contemporary and modern art at the very highest price levels. While overall sales in Britain declined 9 percent in the past year, and in China 23 percent, those in America increased 4 percent to $27.3 billion, representing 43 percent of the global value.

In response to the growing dominance of American collectors and museums, Tefaf announced last month that it would be holding two mini Maastrichts in New York at the Park Avenue Armory.
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia highlights a growing rift between the country and the nations highest court on questions of economic power and support for big business.

And that gap, legal experts say, is unlikely to be significantly narrowed by the kind of justice President Obama  or the next president, Democrat or Republican  is expected to nominate.

Americans have grown substantially more populist in their outlook over the last 15 years, according to some measures of public opinion, like whether they are satisfied with the size and influence of major corporations, and whether the government should redistribute wealth by heavy taxes on the rich. Indeed, if the presidential primaries are any indication, there is perhaps no more potent force in American politics today than economic populism.

At the same time, some argue that the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has become perhaps the most business-friendly court in recent history. A 2013 study by Lee Epstein of Washington University in St. Louis, William M. Landes of the University of Chicago Law School and Judge Richard A. Posner of the federal appeals court in Chicago ranked justices according to their rulings in cases involving business. The findings, which Ms. Epstein and Mr. Landes updated through the 2014-15 term for this article, show that six of the 10 most business-friendly justices since 1946 sat on the Supreme Court at the time of Justice Scalias death.
Long before the creation of various rare-breed organisations in different parts of the world, Ians vision had been to conserve indigenous livestock breeds, even then being threatened by the rapid expansion of major commercial breeds. His aim was firstly to identify and catalogue each breed, preferably by seeing them in the field in their own country, and then to promote their protection by educating breeders, institutes, academics and practical farmers about their special qualities. As he wrote in 1974, any extinction or disappearance of a species or breed represents an irreplaceable element of the life diversity that is lost.

A tall, spare, bearded, lively, modest, quietly humorous and gentle man, the animal breeding consultant Ian L Mason was known and respected worldwide for his encyclopaedic and authoritative knowledge of livestock breeds and breeding. It was said of him by a friend in Israel: It is known in Asia that Dr Mason has a beard, wears a beret and rides a bicycle. His wife Elizabeth  they were married for nearly 70 years  first met him at Cambridge University in the 1930s when she became aware of a tall (6ft 2), gauche and unpredictable young man with a shock of wavy fair hair and very long legs, who rushed about a lot.

In 1951, CAB published the first edition of Ians scrupulously researched A World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types and Varieties  the forerunner of the new Masons World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding published 65 years later. It was a massive challenge in the early days to identify and describe the breeds before they disappeared. Each entry in his World Dictionary was brief, with a standardised breed name for use in English publications, the place of origin and simple codes to identify the breeds various characteristics and uses.

He updated the World Dictionary several times over the decades and the number of entries expanded with each new edition. As the century turned when he was in his late 80s, he decided to hand over the reins and asked me to edit the fifth edition on his behalf, published by CABI in 2002. When I stayed with Ian at his Edinburgh home in the shadow of the Castle to start editing the World Dictionary, I came away with many boxfuls of papers, journals, his own black-and-white photographs of livestock all over the world, an eclectic collection of books (several in foreign languages)  and a hefty handwritten card-index system, none of it stored electronically. He had made at least 50 overseas tours in his quest to see livestock in their local context and to identify as many breeds and types as possible for each country.

Ian remained active and fully occupied with research, writing papers and corresponding with his global network of friends until he died in June 2007 at the age of 93. His benign presence would continue to look over my shoulder during the several years it took to research, write and bring the World Encyclopedia into print and I have always been acutely aware of what The Scotsman described in its obituary as Ians attribute of systematic collecting, meticulously categorising and patiently cataloguing. He had set a very high standard.

When CABI was considering a sixth edition of the Dictionary after Ians death, we discussed the idea of extending it even further by using it as the basis of an encyclopaedia. This gave us the scope to describe the breeds in much greater detail and to set them in their wider context, including how they linked with other breeds in their own region and indeed worldwide. The task was a huge one and, like the Dictionary, the Encyclopedia grew and grew  to such an extent that we soon asked for a second author, Lawrence Alderson (internationally known in the rare breeds world), to handle the sheep section and also to write a general chapter about genetics and breeding. Later we invited another two highly respected and knowledgeable authors, both of them professors: Stephen Hall to write most of the cattle section and, in the USA, Phillip Sponenberg to write about horse breeds. The Encyclopedia now has separate sections for sheep, cattle, horses, pigs, goats, donkeys, camelids, water buffalo, yak and also other potential domesticants such as elephants, reindeer and other cervids, bison, antelopes, musk oxen and a look at rabbits, guinea pigs, grasscutters and fur-bearing mammals. The aim has been to describe every breed of every type of four-legged mammalian livestock in every country in the world. The task has taken eight years.

I hope that Ian would have approved of the results and I hope that we have honoured his very high reputation. I think he would have been quietly amused to note that my three co-authors all happen to be bearded.

Guest blog post by Valerie Porter

Mason's Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding is available to buy at a 20% discount, using the discount code CCMEL20 on the CABI Bookshop
TransCanadas Keystone XL pipeline plan was denied by the Obama administration last year. Another big project intended to ferry oil from Alberta and Saskatchewan to Canadas east coast has also become snarled in problems. These developments may have led executives to decide that the company would be better off trying to buy pipelines in addition to building them. Still, steady revenue from the companys sprawling network of regulated energy infrastructure puts it in a relatively good position in the recent industry slump.

Like many American peers, Columbia has been under pressure as investors worry about whether the companies that produce the gas that goes into its pipes will stay afloat. Even if it has to renegotiate some contracts, though, its financial position looks sound. Columbia ended 2015 with $2.9 billion of liquidity after tapping investors for $1.4 billion of equity in December. Shares of the company and a related master limited partnership have held up well since then, suggesting that shareholders are confident that executives can keep increasing dividends while investing $1.4 billion to $1.6 billion in various projects this year.

Whether or not TransCanada and Columbia can consummate a deal, that they are talking at all suggests that spirits may be reviving. If the 40 percent rally in crude oil prices in recent weeks holds, it could coax other energy survivors out of their hiding places.
LONDON  BP has decided to end its 26-year sponsorship of the Tate group of art museums, one of Britains most high-profile cultural institutions, the energy giant and Tate said on Friday.

The sponsorship has been the target of protesters for years, including after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010 when activists poured a slick substance on the steps of Tate Britain, but a BP spokesman said the oil company was ending the arrangement purely for financial reasons.

The spokesman, David Nicholas, said it was a commercial decision prompted by the collapse in oil prices which has led to a decline in BPs profit since the summer of 2014. Last month, BP reported a $6.5 billion loss for 2015.

Mr. Nicholas said that at a time when BP was cutting thousands of jobs and slashing investment, our arts sponsorship program does not have an exemption.
The federal government on Friday moved to clear the way for the release of genetically engineered mosquitoes into the wild for the first time in the United States, tentatively approving a field test that might help slow the spread of the Zika virus.

The genetically engineered insects, which contain a gene that will kill their offspring, have already shown effectiveness in small tests in Brazil and other countries in suppressing the populations of the mosquitoes that transmit both Zika and dengue fever.

But an application to test the mosquitoes in the Florida Keys had appeared to languish in regulatory review. It has also faced fierce opposition from some residents in the state.

The threat of Zika virus, which is running rampant in Latin America and threatening the United States, spurred the government to speed up its review. On Friday, The Food and Drug Administration said it had determined that the field trial of the mosquitoes was unlikely to cause any harm to people, animals or the environment.
At a time when genetic testing and genetically personalized treatments for cancer are proliferating, buoyed by new resources like President Obamas $215 million personalized medicine initiative, women with breast cancer are facing a frustrating reality: The genetic data is there, but in many cases, doctors do not know what to do with it.

That was the situation Angie Watts, 44, faced after she walked into a radiation oncologists office last June expecting to discuss the radiation therapy she was about to begin after a lumpectomy for breast cancer. Instead, Dr. Timothy M. Zagar of the University of North Carolina looked down at a sheet of test results and delivered some shocking news.

A genetic test showed she had inherited an alteration in a gene needed to repair DNA. Radiation breaks DNA, so the treatment might actually spur the growth of her cancer, he said. He urged her not to take the risk and to have a double mastectomy instead.

Im not a betting man, he said in a recent interview.

Shaken, Ms. Watts called Dr. James P. Evans, a professor of genetics and medicine at North Carolina. He told her the opposite: The mutation she had was not known to be harmful, so he urged her to go ahead with the radiation.
Just weeks before he was to go on trial in federal court, a Russian bank employee in New York pleaded guilty on Friday to one count of conspiring to act as an unregistered Russian agent in the United States.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan had accused the employee, Evgeny Buryakov, 41, and two other Russians stationed in New York of being part of a ring that collected intelligence on behalf of the S.V.R., the Russian foreign intelligence agency.

The two other Russians, Igor Sporyshev and Victor Podobnyy, have left the United States. All three men were originally charged with conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.

Mr. Buryakov pleaded guilty to the first count, of conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. He will be sentenced on May 25.
To the Editor:

Re A $15 Minimum Wage for New York (editorial, March 5):

While it is true that it would be very difficult to live on ones own on $9 an hour, it is even harder with no job at all. And when someone is sharing a home with family, friends or a domestic partner, every income, however modest, helps meet expenses. A low-wage starter job is often the best way for teenagers, immigrants and labor force re-entrants to acquire the skills that will eventually qualify them for higher-paying jobs.

The $15 minimum wage proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo will at best drive these jobs underground, and at worst will turn the lowest-skilled into perpetual welfare clients by denying them entry-level employment. Instead of raising the minimum wage, New Yorks legislators should eliminate it altogether.

J. HUSTON McCULLOCH

New York

The writer is an adjunct professor of economics at New York University.

To the Editor:

Republicans in New York, and everywhere else in the country for that matter, use scare tactics in the quest to defeat legislation for a livable wage. Small-business owners will be ruined. Low-wage workers will lose jobs. And on and on.

But I read Paul Krugman, so I know that workers making minimum wage will spend the increase in their salaries, and spend it in their local communities. A living wage means buying a pizza and new shoes for the kids, a new television and curtains for the living room, and even splurging for tickets to a ballgame. Those are, of course, the components of a vigorous economy.
LONDON  A telephone suspended in midair provides an aptly Magritte-like opening image for Welcome Home, Captain Fox!, a play that tilts reality on its axis so that nothing is quite what it appears. The production, directed by Blanche McIntyre at the Donmar Warehouse through April 16, represents a genuine rarity in a theater capital that prefers to revisit familiar titles.

Is the amiable-seeming Gene, an amnesiac war veteran played by Rory Keenan, actually Jack Fox, the son of a snobbish Long Island family among whom he finds himself after 15 years away? Maybe, but perhaps not, in a scenario that will be familiar to those who remember The Return of Martin Guerre  if that comparably plotted 1982 French film had been displaced to status-conscious America during the Cold War era.

The script, by Anthony Weigh, is itself adapted from a French source, Le Voyageur Sans Bagage (The Traveler Without Luggage), written in 1937 by Jean Anouilh, a once-fashionable dramatist who is performed with notable infrequency these days. A young Maggie Smith appeared in Anouilhs The Rehearsal in London in 1961, and one can imagine Dame Maggie lending her comic luster to the defining role of Mrs. Fox, a grasping matriarch whom any child might well want to forget.

That role is taken here by Sian Thomas, who strains a bit to communicate the wicked bite of a woman whose household includes two black servants who are given more to do than just stand watchfully by, roles that are filled with aplomb by Michelle Asante and Trevor Laird. The rest of Ms. McIntyres cast, too, catches the disorienting breeziness of a piece that comes gracefully by its thematic import.
MIAMI  Convinced that his surprising victory in Michigan represented a turning point, Senator Bernie Sanders and his advisers are maneuvering and spending aggressively to pull off a huge upset on Tuesday  a victory in the Ohio primary  by focusing on Hillary Clintons past support for trade deals that are deeply unpopular in the Midwest and other key states in his updated battle plans.

Mr. Sanders seemed newly energized and tactical as he sat by a pool at his Miami hotel and predicted that Tuesdays win was just the beginning of a phase of the campaign that he would dominate. Saying that coming primaries and caucuses looked unusually promising for him, he described plans to crisscross the country arguing that Mrs. Clinton championed policies that wrecked lives. He also said he would tell voters that he was the strongest candidate to put up against Donald J. Trump, the Republican front-runner.

We are heading to the Midwest. We are going to Ohio. We are going to Illinois, going to Missouri, drop into North Carolina, Mr. Sanders said. These states in the Midwest are going to respond to us and our message in the same way Michigan workers did, and that is, We need an economy that works for all of us and not just the 1 percent. We need a trade policy that creates jobs in America, not in China or in Mexico. 

I think the future now bodes well for us because we are moving out of the Deep South, where we have not done well, he continued.
Its absolutely a con, said Mr. Guillo, who spent $36,000 on Trump University classes and later requested a refund. The role of the evaluations were a defense against any legal actions. They anticipated those actions.

At the same time, students and their lawyers have raised doubts about Mr. Trumps claim of 98 percent satisfaction. A website set up to defend Trump University, 98percentapproval.com, has published 10,000 student evaluations, but not all of them were from paying students. They include some from the more than 3,000 free guests that paying participants were encouraged to bring to the classes. More than 2,000 other students never made it to the end of their courses  they sought and received refunds before the end of their classes, as company policy allowed, according to court records.

In an interview, a lawyer for Mr. Trump, Daniel M. Petrocelli, said the experience of students who felt manipulated is not representative of what happened across the board.

Folks were not coerced, he said of the positive evaluations. Its completely implausible to suggest that the 10,000 reviews from the students and their guests were the result of pressure or coercion. They gave overwhelmingly positive reviews because they were being honest about their assessment.

Mr. Trump has vowed to fight the litigation, which includes a class-action lawsuit in San Diego seeking refunds for former Trump University students, and a lawsuit from the New York attorney general. He has said the aggrieved former students are simply looking for easy money after having learned valuable lessons about how to buy and sell real estate, obtain financing and spot undervalued properties.

Though the business no longer operates, Mr. Trump has vowed to bring it back, giving it to his children to run if he is elected president.
About Me Alan Ross Radio program Caffe Latte began on JOY 94.9 FM (in Melbourne, Australia) in Sept. 1997 through to July 2012. Caffe Latte is now back on JOY Sundays 11 am - 1 pm (Aust. Eastern Time) & can be heard online all over the world and as a podcast on various media platforms. Check back here for my Top 10 current tracks of the week; the latest countdowns; this month's new addition to the Gay & Lesbian Icons & Anthems Gallery; the earlier versions of hit songs, retro in the Time Capsule posts and more. Check out the Caffe` Latte` playlists available on spotify. Become a follower. All images used on this website are the copyright of the respective copyright holder and are used on this site for educational or informative purposes only. View my complete profile

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.  This is what the political equivalent of hospice care looks like.

Senator Marco Rubios friends, supporters and aides use words like miracle to describe the likelihood of a victory here in his home state on Tuesday. They soldier on through sparsely attended rallies, insisting, Trump-like, that his crowds are larger than they appear.

His top donors, who gathered in Miami Beach for a two-day retreat planned as a victory party, are now contemplating a desperate Plan B: which candidate or which group they might instead pool their resources behind to stop Donald J. Trump.

Mr. Rubios campaign, once hopeful that Florida would be the final stop on his road to the nomination, has gone from fighting for its life to just getting through the day.

If I never hold elective office again, Im comfortable with that, Mr. Rubio said at a news conference here on Friday, answering yet another question that was some variation of Why dont you just throw in the towel? or Will you try to run again next time?
Democrats had the grave and glamorous era of J. F. K., a sparkling time and an irrecoverable one, Ms. Noonan said in an interview. And now, perhaps, Republicans look back and feel they too had a Camelot, a time of gravity, glamour and American success, and it was the Reagan era. And theyre not sure theyll ever get one quite like it again.

The marriage to the former Nancy Davis was not Ronald Reagans first, but it was so loving and close that Republicans still idealize it, particularly in the way the couple glazed traditional roles with Hollywood glamour and a patina of newly minted wealth. Although the Reagans may have come to Washington as envoys from nouveau riche California, by the end they were pillars of manners and dignity. To their supporters, they were reverse Kennedys: unapologetically old, old-fashioned and utterly faithful to each other.

They were also a couple with rebellious children who did not always pay fealty to Reagan family values  their daughter, Patti Davis, 63, was often estranged from her mother and wrote an unflattering autobiography, The Way I See It.

Ms. Davis, in her eulogy on Friday, recalled the difficulties. Its no secret that my mother and I had a challenging and often contentious relationship, she said, adding that I tried her patience, and she intimidated me. Nonetheless, Ms. Davis said, there were moments in our history when all that was going on between us was love.
It was a restrained, PG-rated debate in a primary campaign drenched in vulgarity and rhetorical bile. But in the last forum before the critical primaries in Florida and Ohio, the Republican presidential contenders all gave powerful signals of where their candidacies are headed.

For Donald J. Trump, the debate on Thursday was an acute test of his fluency with policy. For Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, it was an opportunity to set the rules of engagement that might govern a drawn-out nomination fight between him and Mr. Trump.

And for Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, it was a last chance to appeal for loyalty and support from the states that elevated them to high offices  and that have the power to sustain or break their campaigns on Tuesday.

Trump repudiated Republican policy

Under determined questioning, Mr. Trump was finally forced to fill in some of the gaping blanks in his policy vision. The result was a broad rejection of core Republican priorities. He assailed free-trade agreements, pledged not to cut government benefits for retirees and defended taking a neutral stance in negotiations with Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
In recent years many African nations that had moved toward instituting more democratic principles have started shedding them. Some nations seem to be keeping up appearances, putting into place new presidential term limits that are even endorsed by their long-serving leaders. But these longtime presidents keep winning election after election. Observers have criticized these elections as nothing more than pageantry. The outcomes, they say, are decided before the first ballot is cast.

Voters in the Republic of Congo will go to the polls on March 20 in an election that many candidates have decided to boycott because of accusations the vote is rigged to favor President Denis Sassou-Nguesso, who has been in power since 1997. His first stint as president stretched from 1979 to 1992, when he was ousted in the nations first-ever multiparty election. Now, Mr. Sassou-Nguesso is vying for a third consecutive term in office after a change to the countrys constitution that, among other things, eliminated an age limit for the presidency, allowing him to run for re-election.

Voters in Rwanda last year rolled back term limits, allowing President Paul Kagame to theoretically stay in power until 2034. Ninety-eight percent of voters backed the necessary change to Rwandas Constitution. Opposition leaders fear President Joseph Kabila of Democratic Republic of Congo will push to change the Constitution and run for a third term in elections later this year.

Africa is not the only continent where term limits are in retreat. In Ecuador last year, lawmakers passed a constitutional amendment that would eventually allow President Rafael Correa to run for the office again after his term expires, though he is barred from seeking another consecutive term in 2017 elections. In Nicaragua, lawmakers in 2014 got rid of presidential term limits, allowing President Daniel Ortega to remain in power indefinitely. But in Bolivia, an effort by Evo Morales to stay in power was recently rebuffed.

Pro-democracy groups have long assailed the notion of constitutional changes that allow for long stretches in office, saying they lead to corruption and worse.
GENEVA  First they killed her husband. Then, the South Sudanese woman said, government soldiers tied her to a tree and forced her to watch as at least 10 of them raped her 15-year-old daughter.

A little more than two years after the outbreak of civil war in South Sudan, the United Nations said Friday that all parties to the conflict had committed serious and systematic violence against civilians, but it singled out forces loyal to President Salva Kiir as the worst offenders.

Crimes against humanity and war crimes have continued into 2015, and they have been predominantly perpetrated by the government, David Marshall, the coordinator of a United Nations assessment team, said in an interview that was videotaped in South Sudan and released Friday along with the teams report.

The mothers account to United Nations investigators of the rape of her daughter was among many stories cited by the United Nations as evidence that government forces and affiliated militias had used sexual violence systematically to punish and terrorize civilians. Opposition forces also committed atrocities, but to a lesser degree, the United Nations said.
BEIJING  Chinas formidable propaganda apparatus came under renewed attack on Friday, when a denunciation spread online in the name of an employee of Xinhua, the main state-run news agency. The letter accused censors of using tactics reminiscent of Maoist times to silence and smear critics.

The letter reflected a growing discontent among journalists, academics and even party insiders about the tighter censorship and about the giddy exultation of President Xi Jinping in state-run media.

Under the crude rule of the Internet control authorities, online expression has been massively suppressed, and the publics freedom of expression has been violated to an extreme degree, said the letter, which spread quickly online in China and was taken down just as swiftly.

The letter was issued in the name of Zhou Fang, who gave his work address as Xinhua News Agency headquarters in Beijing, and included his cellphone number and identity card number. A man who answered the phone at that number said that he was Mr. Zhou, an employee of Xinhua, and that he had written the letter.
BEIJING  With the din they make, they are often mocked and berated and worse. Dogs have been loosed on them. Rocks flung, water sprayed.

Yet those dancing grannies, the middle-aged and elderly outdoor dance enthusiasts who crowd sidewalks, parks and squares across China, have shimmied on.

Not even the excrement lobbed by irate residents has deterred them.

But last week, opposition to their boisterous line dancing took a violent turn, when a man in the southern region of Guangxi opened fire on a troupe near his home, wounding a woman in the leg, according to news reports on Friday.

The assailant fled but was captured Wednesday by the police, according to Xinhua, the state news agency.
HONG KONG  During the Republican presidential debate on Thursday, Donald J. Trump was forced to defend his earlier comments about the Chinese governments 1989 crackdown on the Tiananmen protests in Beijing. He said that he did not endorse the crackdown, which he called horrible. But critics pointed out that in his comments on Thursday he called the protests a riot, which matches the Chinese governments description of the events.

In 1990, Mr. Trump told Playboy magazine that Beijing showed the power of strength when it used military force to quell the student-led demonstrations the year before.

When the students poured into Tiananmen Square, the Chinese government almost blew it, he said. Then they were vicious, they were horrible, but they put it down with strength. That shows you the power of strength. Our country is right now perceived as weak ... as being spit on by the rest of the world.
PORT BLAIR, India  India and Japan are in talks to collaborate on upgrading civilian infrastructure in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an Indian archipelago seen as a critical asset to counter Chinas efforts to expand its maritime reach into the Indian Ocean.

The first project being discussed is a modest one: a 15-megawatt diesel power plant on South Andaman Island, as described in a proposal submitted late last month to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

But the collaboration signals a significant policy shift for India, which has not previously accepted offers of foreign investment in the archipelago. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are northwest of the Strait of Malacca, offering control of a so-called choke point that is one of Chinas greatest marine vulnerabilities.

It is testimony to the unfolding relationship between India and Japan, which is also funding a $744 million road building project in the northeastern Indian border regions of Mizoram, Assam and Meghalaya. Like the Andaman and Nicobar chain, the northeastern region is a strategic area that has remained relatively undeveloped because of its separation from the mainland.
MOSCOW  A nonprofit group that promotes democracy has become the latest American-linked group to be banned in Russia under restrictions on undesirable organizations signed into law by President Vladimir V. Putin in May.

The office of Russias prosecutor general on Thursday outlawed the group, the National Democratic Institute, claiming in a statement that the it posed a threat to the foundations of Russias constitutional order and national security.

The restrictions on so-called undesirable organizations are meant to limit the influence of outside groups in Russia and to prevent what the Kremlin worried might be a foreign-sponsored uprising against the government.

Russians are barred from working with organizations deemed to fall under the law, and the offices of such groups in Russia have been shut and their assets frozen. With the National Democratic Institute, five organizations have now been added to the list, all American-linked. They include the nonprofit National Endowment for Democracy, and the Open Society Foundations, a group founded by the billionaire George Soros to help countries make the transition from Communism. The MacArthur Foundation, which is based in Chicago and which awards grants for activities related to higher education, human rights and limiting the proliferation of nuclear weapons, closed its offices in Russia in July.
WARSAW  Polands new right-wing government received a sharp rebuke on Friday from a European human rights group over its efforts to blunt the ability of the countrys constitutional court to rule on new laws.

Some of the language in the ruling by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe had been softened from a draft report, leaked in February, but the commission still found that some of the governments actions had violated European Union rules governing separation of powers and the rule of law.

The ruling seems likely to widen the gap between Brussels and the governing Law and Justice Party just months before Warsaw is to host the annual gathering of leaders from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Leaders of the Law and Justice Party dismissed the ruling, saying the commission was poking its nose into domestic matters that were not its concern and had, in many instances, simply parroted charges made by the governments critics.
One long proposal of chemical magic, the fantastic origin of the very color blue, and Bass has situated us at the intersection of science and another kind of terrestrial alchemy. As the dog trainer Ann and her client Gray Owl take his hunting dogs out for a few days in the wilderness, Basss world-building is so beautiful, crisp and perfect that dread mounts. Something must go wrong. And it does. A hellish arctic front descends. They decide to pitch camp and wait out the storm near a frozen lake. Gray Owl goes for water and promptly disappears into the ice. He has taken with him their tent and rations. Ann has no choice but to try to retrieve them, and she hazards out onto the cracking ice:

Image Rick Bass Credit... Uf Andersen/Getty Images

She peered down into the hole and dimly saw Gray Owl standing down there, waving his arms at her. He did not appear to be swimming. Slowly, she took one glove off and eased her bare hand into the hole. She could find no water, and, tentatively, she reached deeper.

Gray Owl reaches up and helps her in. He explains that the lake froze over and then drained. This happens more often than people realize, and Bass renders every detail of this waterless world with bracing exactness. The storm blows itself out and the stars in the night sky appear embedded in the grinding ice, contracting in the chill. When the pack sets out the next morning, they use cattail torches to light their way, igniting little pockets of methane in explosions of brilliance, like flashbulbs, marsh patches igniting like falling dominoes, or like children playing hopscotch until the flames blow holes through ice. The dogs flush little birds hiding in the lake bed, which collide with the ice above and drop unconscious. Ann and Gray Owl pocket the birds, emerge from the ice and put the still-unconscious snipe into little crooks in branches, up against the trunks of trees and off the ground, out of harms way.

The story could end here, a close call, an encounter with the sublime. But as in every story in this collection, Bass goes one step further into the heart of the matter. In the last pages of The Hermits Story, he does this by shifting our attention, asking us (literally) to consider not what we think of the ice and the snipe, but what the snipe make of the humans. Perhaps they believed that the pack of dogs, and Gray Owls and Anns advancing torches, had only been one of winters dreams. To those little birds, the steaming vent holes in the ice made by humans are the strange and sublime event. The empty lake is home. The humans who crashed through their icy roof  thats the magical thing.

When Bass concludes the story, Such is the nature of the kinds of people living, scattered here and there, in this valley, he isnt elevating nature  hes elevating us.

The valley Bass is talking about is the Yaak Valley in northwestern Montana, where he moved in 1987 after years as a petroleum geologist in the South. The people who choose to live in the Yaak dont endure the long harsh winters as much as celebrate them. To be in a truly wild place with verdant summers and the proximity to elk, wolves, wolverines and moose is a privilege afforded to few. And the characters in For a Little While  even those from Mississippi or Texas or the Southwest  are Yaak people. Independent people. People drawn by a mysterious valence to cavort naked, leap into the water, run, hunt and fight. In short, they act like the animals they are. The animals we are.
Seven new paperbacks to check out this week.

WOMEN OF WILL: The Remarkable Evolution of Shakespeares Female Characters, by Tina Packer. (Vintage, $16.) Packer, a founding director of the Shakespeare & Company theater, traces how the playwrights relationship to women evolved throughout his body of work, and draws on her familiarity with many of his most notable female characters. As she put it in the books introduction, the long journey to discover the truth that lay below the surface of the women in Shakespeare was a path that allowed me to see my own life.

PRUDENCE, by David Treuer. (Riverhead, $16.) In the 1940s, Frankie, a handsome Princeton student, returns to his familys Minnesota resort for a last visit before joining the war efforts overseas. He is joined there by his family, a Native American caretaker and his childhood friend (and eventual secret lover), Billy. Treuers novel follows the consequences of a single day that reverberate throughout characters lives.

THE ITALIANS, by John Hooper. (Penguin, $17.) Fifteen years as an Italy-based journalist for publications like The Economist and The Guardian have prepared Hooper to explain and interpret the countrys idiosyncrasies (whether baffling or charming). Italys geography, religion and history have had profound influences on the country and its culture.
As she recasts her story, Nelly fills gaps in the original and draws a portrait of her own life of caretaking and sacrifice. Her perceptions are so specific and accurate that you have to wonder if Nelly 2.0 is, in part, a riposte to literary scholars who have called Brontes Nelly an unreliable narrator. Here, for example, she describes looking after Hareton as a newborn baby: He was with me both day and night, and I never had more than a couple of hours when he did not need my care, so of course I slept but little. I could not attend to many of my regular duties, and the loss of those familiar routines made my new state seem that much stranger. It seemed as if time slowed to a snails pace, in which hours felt like days, and days like weeks.

While not a palimpsest of Wuthering Heights, Nelly Dean is no country for Bronte novices, especially at the start, when characters are introduced at a rapid-fire clip. Still, its a country well worth exploring.

THE MADWOMAN UPSTAIRS

By Catherine Lowell

337 pp. Touchstone, $25.99.

Samantha Whipple, the American heroine who narrates this piquant paean to the Bronte sisters, is the last living descendant of the family, through her fathers line. Arriving in Oxford to study English literature, shes also prompted to track down a rumored inheritance: a collection of novels, diaries, paintings and other Bronte treasure that may have been left to her by her father, Tristan Whipple, an esteemed scholar who spent his entire life trying to deconstruct the writings of his famous forebears. His annotated copies of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall may hold the clues to finding the treasure.

Mysteriously, some of these books begin turning up at the door of Samanthas Oxford lodgings, sending her on a hunt filled with Gothic twists and leading her  and the reader  down pathways strewn with Bronte arcana. If Samantha can unearth a formerly unknown diary by Anne Bronte called, quite significantly, The Warnings of Experience, she may gain a precious historical artifact. But eventually she comes to the realization that Anne Brontes life doesnt give meaning to this diary; the Bronte novels give meaning to this diary. The fiction is more real than the reality. And its this aha moment that may propel her into the arms of her very own Rochester.
Aspiring artists who enroll at Rutgers University do not lack for accomplished role models.

The theater department chairman is David Esbjornson, whose credits include the Broadway debut of Driving Miss Daisy with Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones. Jayne Anne Phillips, a National Book Award-nominated novelist, leads the Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing. Jazz students learn from celebrated musicians like the pianist Fred Hersch and can gain access to the Institute of Jazz Studies, the most comprehensive jazz library in the country.

But it wasnt until last fall that film students had a celebrated cineaste at their disposal. In September, the university officially introduced an undergraduate digital filmmaking Bachelor of Fine Arts program at its New Brunswick campus, and hired as its director Nicolas Pereda, a 33-year-old filmmaker whose works have been the subject of more than 20 retrospectives worldwide.

The new offering, however, has come with some growing pains: Dena Seidel, who said she wrote and developed the digital filmmaking program at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers, said that she was dismissed from her position as director of the Rutgers Center for Digital Filmmaking last summer. (Mason Gross officials countered that her appointment was due to expire, and not renewed.) Ms. Seidel, 49, had collaborated closely with students on a variety of successful projects.

Many of her students circulated a petition last year to investigate her departure from the program.

Its easy to understand why they did so: Under Ms. Seidels leadership, film students helped to create the 2015 documentary Antarctic Edge: 70 Degrees South, about a team of researchers, led by Oscar Schofield, a Rutgers professor of marine and coastal science, who explore climate change from one of the worlds most dangerous and remotest corners.
In an article about the Brooklyn Navy Yard last fall, Chris Terrell, a wine importer, described what it was like to run a business inside the 300-acre walled industrial park. Its literally like working in a federal prison, he said, referring to the security checkpoints. If thats your fetish, get there quickly, because the rusted old shipyard, which New York City bought from the federal government in 1966, is rapidly going the way of the rest of Brooklyn, with a small-batch distillery and rooftop farm already in place and a cavernous food hall featuring an outpost of Russ & Daughters, a purveyor of smoked fish and Jewish delicacies, on the way. The yard, which has long been closed to everyone but employees and their guests, is in the process of opening up, with more than 300 industrial tenants currently humming and promises of wider public access in the near future. If you hand-slice Nova, they will come.

But the old maritime behemoths are not gone yet. The photographer Emon Hassan, accompanied by a security escort on two recent Sundays, explored some of the unchanged corners of the yard, concentrated near the old dry docks that Arthur Miller, a former ship worker, commemorated in his short story Fitters Night.

Mr. Hassan, who is also a filmmaker, said he was disappointed that his escort would not let him into some decrepit buildings, like the old naval quarters or the historic residences of Admirals Row. But he was moved by the spectral interplay of old and new, as one creakily gave way to the other. With the Navy Yard, I imagined the thousands of lives who had worked there and interacted with those objects, many of which are now abandoned, he wrote in an email. In essence, I approached the structures as witnesses to the history of the Navy Yard and tried to capture what they were telling me.
Five years ago Chris Szewczyk quit a successful career as a software engineer, abandoning his office cubicle to follow the lure of barbecue. The restaurant he and his wife, Jenny, opened in 2012, Taino Smokehouse in Middletown, adjoining the Ace Hardware store, isnt much bigger than a cubicle. Its tiny kitchen barely holds the restaurants Ole Hickory Pits smoker, and its cozy dining area has just seven tables. The walls are painted a reddish brown, between black wainscoting below and black ceiling above, so the room itself looks, vaguely, suitably charred; a big overhead fan lazily pushing smoky air around adds to the effect.

Taino Smokehouse is the essence of casual. My first time there, one friendly employee was wearing a trapper hat with furry earmuffs. Already I loved this place. And the food only deepened my love. It reflects lessons learned in four cross-country barbecue road trips Mr. Szewczyk made, visiting such monuments to the smoky art as Smittys Market in Lockhart, Texas (A totally raw barbecue experience, he said). The menu he developed from his research presents a hodgepodge of regional approaches. Ribs in a St. Louis/Kansas City style. Texas brisket. Wings with an Alabama white barbecue sauce.

Image A smoked Reuben sandwich with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, and house-made mustard at Taino Smokehouse in Middletown. Credit... Jessica Hill for The New York Times

Such an eclectic approach dictates improvisation over purity, and Taino Smokehouse shows how rewardingly barbecue can subsume other culinary traditions. Its playful appropriation of Asian cuisine is a barbecue egg roll, a thick tube straight out of the deep fryer, hot, crunchy, oily and sweet, stuffed with pulled chicken, bits of red bell pepper, and both mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. Tainos take on the Jewish deli tradition yields a smoked Reuben sandwich containing giant slices  more like slabs  of corned beef, crusted thick with bark on the edges, with a small gracing of sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing. I added the house-made barbecue sauce, more sweet than hot, and flecked with oregano that Mr. Szewczyk added as a nod to Connecticuts love of Italian food.
That he cares deeply about health and sustainable agriculture, and still manages to create rich, novel dishes that go far beyond the usual coconut-besotted, excessively salty, fried or jerk-saturated staples, adds to Vitals appeal.

Image The chef Kwame Williamss version of hummus is made with black-eyed peas instead of chickpeas. Credit... Bryan Anselm for The New York Times

The name is also apt: Espoused by the Rastafari movement, Ital cuisine (the term derives from the English vital) celebrates natural foods and avoids those made with additives and preservatives. Ital food is vegetarian, but Vitals offerings include a mix of vegan, vegetarian and those made with goat, oxtail, chicken, seafood and beef that any paleo could love.

The creamy callaloo dip, served as an appetizer, is similar in texture to a spinach and artichoke dip, but Mr. Williams has reconstructed it in a wholly wonderful and new way. Instead of the usual dairy components, like sour cream and cream cheese, he adds coconut milk. He carmelizes onions, muting the harsh flavor of the mineral-rich callaloo (a leafy vegetable). Flecks of scotch bonnet peppers leave a pleasant tingling sensation on the tongue.

Finally, instead of frying up huge batches in the morning, Mr. Williams fries to order each serving of the whole wheat chips that accompany the dish. The results are crisp chips without an oily residue, the perfect vehicle for scooping up creamy mouthfuls of the dip.

At Vital, hummus is boldly reconfigured. Mr. Williams substitutes the usual chickpeas with black-eyed peas that are similar to the pigeon peas used in Jamaica. Instead of tahini, he adds hemp seeds (for extra protein and to appeal to diners with nut allergies, he said). Concentrated lemon juice gives commercial hummus a metallic flavor. Mr. Williams replaces it with more mellow orange juice. The result is stunning. If only Whole Foods sold it.
Q. Id like to do something more the week of St. Patricks Day than watch a parade. Would you know of any Manhattan tour focusing on Irish-American history?

A. Try the Irish Outsiders tour, which is offered seven days a week by the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, whose visitor center is at 103 Orchard Street on the corner of Delancey Street. Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for students and people over 65. The museum itself is a five-story former tenement building at 97 Orchard.

The tour, one of several offered by the museum, is free to museum members. The museum recommends buying tickets online in advance, because the tours often sell out. The number of Irish tours and their times vary from day to day; each has a maximum of 15 people. People can buy tickets online at tenement.org or by calling 877-975-3786.

The Irish Outsiders tour has been revised to focus on Irish immigrant identity and St. Patricks Day. The tour used to be a much more somber affair, including the scene of a wake and a childs coffin. That is gone. This was the only tour we offered at the museum that schoolchildren were not allowed to take, Jon Pace, a spokesman for the museum, said. The museum recommends the new tour for anyone age 8 and over. (The museum gets 55,000 visits by children a year, Mr. Pace said.)
He used his mothers recipes and was known for wearing rubber clogs and a chefs outfit adorned with funky prints.

Customers enjoyed the oval-shaped falafel balls with homemade tahini sauce, as well as the shawarma pita made of grilled marinated chicken or lamb and beef, topped with pickled turnips, lettuce and onions, on homemade pita bread.

Mr. Zeideia would banter with passers-by. He would crank up the Middle Eastern music and belly dance for his customers, who would often eat in his dining section: a row of mismatched chairs he would set up in an adjacent supermarket parking lot.

You have to sell yourself, along with your food, said Mr. Zeideia, who showed up at the Vendy ceremony in 2010 with a team of belly dancers and joined them, to the crowds delight.

He became known for his favorite tagline  Yeah, baby!  as he served customers, and for the bright green truck he acquired several years back as a rolling kitchen, to expand at the Astoria location.

At his new restaurant, those playful elements live on. Printed on the awning is his slogan  #YEAHHHHHBABY  and built into the facade is a model of the front of his truck, down to its license plate: FALAFEL1.

I wanted it to look like I backed the truck into the storefront, said Mr. Zeideia, 50, who lives in East Elmhurst, Queens, and is married with three children and three grandchildren.
By Casey Houser, Contributing Writer

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Continuum, a company that provides call center services through its Help Desk in Pennsylvania, recently announced that it has hit a milestone by reaching support for more than 50,000 users.

Help Desk includes a number of agents staffed around the clock to meet their partners needs  managed service provider (MSP) clients  for support of various operating systems such as Windows and OS X, virtual desktops, mobile phones, malware, and third-party office applications from some of the biggest names in those industries. Continuum targets operations that have found their techs overworked and burdened with important service calls that deal directly with specific business and industry issues. Those highly-skilled agents do not need the extra burden of acting as general support representatives of basic computing issues, so Continuum picks up the slack with its own set of professional agents.





Jacque Rowden, the senior director of Help Desk at Continuum, commented that his company helps other MSPs avoid high costs but still allows them to improve relationships with end users  the customers of each MSPs own business client.

Continuums Help Desk has been increasingly providing comprehensive, high-quality, around the clock support to our partners end user customers without the high labor costs and uncertain staffing requirements that plague many traditional MSPs, Rowden said.

By outsourcing their need for customer support, he continued, clients relationships only improve with their customers as their outreach is now proactive.

At Help Desk, Continuum seeks to provide such services to small and medium-size MSPs by offering them the skills of more than 125 call center representatives. Those individuals make themselves available, in rotating shifts of course, 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Continuum has been proud to announce that their customer satisfaction scores rank high and that they keep a strong relationship with the Continuum network operations center that houses 600 more agents. Together, their support extends to a number of industries, including information technology, communications, and healthcare, which is made possible through Continuums compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

The company has been busy building the various parts of its brand. Late last year, it announced a new certification program for Continuity247, its backup and disaster recovery software, to teach MSP agents how to use that platform within their own call centers. The certification program was made available at no cost to IT professionals through the online learning center, Continuum University.

It is clear that Continuum is continuing to expand its services. Now that it has hit 50,000 users at Help Desk, the company will no doubt look for even more traffic and improved relationships with existing and future clients.

Edited by Rory J. Thompson
ON Feb. 29  a bad day for anniversaries  Pakistan executed my fathers killer.

My father was the governor of Punjab Province from 2008 until his death in 2011. At that time, he was defending a Christian woman who had fallen afoul of Pakistans blasphemy laws, which are used by the Sunni majority to terrorize the countrys few religious minorities. My father spoke out against the laws, and the judgment of television hosts and clerics fell hard on him. He became, in the eyes of many, a blasphemer himself. One January afternoon his bodyguard, Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, shot him dead as he was leaving lunch.

Mr. Qadri became a hero in Pakistan. A mosque in Islamabad was named after him. People came to see him in prison to seek his blessings. The course of justice was impeded. The judge who sentenced him to death had to flee the country. I thought my fathers killer would never face justice.

But then, in the past few months, it became possible to see glimmers of a new resolve on the part of the Pakistani state. The Supreme Court upheld Mr. Qadris death sentence last October. Earlier this year, the president turned down the convicts plea for mercy  which, at least as far as the law goes, was Mr. Qadris first admission that he had done anything wrong at all. Then on the last day of last month came the news: Pakistan had hanged Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri. How would the country  not the state, but the people  respond?

I spoke to my sister in Lahore and for a moment we dared to hope that Pakistan, which had suffered so much from Islamic terrorism, might turn a corner. A lot had happened in the five years since Mr. Qadri killed our father. There was attack after hideous attack. In December 2014, terrorists struck a school in Peshawar, killing 132 children. Was it possible that Pakistan was tired of blood and radicalism? Had people finally begun to realize that those who kill in the name of a higher law end up becoming a law unto themselves? Had the horrors of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria done nothing to dampen enthusiasm for Islamism? Perhaps. I hoped.
With a potentially expensive program, financing is critical. Like Social Security, an expanded wage insurance system might best be financed by a payroll tax. To be fair, people with wages just below the $50,000 limit  who might receive more money from the program than lower-income workers  should pay higher premiums. True insurance needs to be priced appropriately.

There is another objection to wage insurance. It can create a moral hazard  an incentive to take a lower-paying, and perhaps less demanding, job than the one the person lost. Most people will agree that people who want to work harder and at unpleasant jobs to earn more income should not be discouraged from doing so. There is a safeguard against this in the current plan, which limits benefits to two years. That reduces moral hazard, but at the expense of providing benefits with a longer horizon. There are always trade-offs.

The role of government is important in this case because for social insurance, governments have a significant advantage in putting into place big ideas that are difficult to market. That was true for federal Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance in the Social Security system starting in 1935, which was followed by an explosion of additional private pension, life insurance and disability plans. Government is needed again now.

But ultimately, there should be two insurance systems, a government one that is limited to assisting lower-income workers and a private one that allows everyone  including those with higher incomes  to buy insurance against wage loss.

In my book The New Financial Order, I proposed a private sector form of wage insurance that I called livelihood insurance. It would be an extension of disability insurance, which is already marketed and sold by private insurance companies. It would just add specified job market problems to the list of covered disabilities. For example, it might include a decline in income for, say, nurses, or a decline in the number of people employed in nursing, or some combination of the two, with payments not just for two years but for as long as the condition persisted. Such insurance policies would be based on objective marketwide factors for a persons occupation, reducing the possibility that the insurance might encourage people to take less demanding jobs.

Appropriate pricing for livelihood insurance would also avoid selection bias  people with exceptionally insecure jobs signing up in disproportionately large numbers  a problem that government wage insurance can avoid by being offered to everyone.

If the private sector offered livelihood insurance, people in riskier careers would be charged higher insurance premiums. At the same time, by reducing wage risk, the insurance would encourage people to be more adventuresome and entrepreneurial. Risk management and insurance costs might then become essential elements of career planning. Employers in risky industries might buy livelihood insurance for their employees as a benefit.

If these concepts seem unfamiliar, that is partly because privately issued livelihood insurance is not common today, if it exists at all. But that could change quickly. Expanding government wage insurance now might clear the way for the private sector. At a time of rising economic inequality and job dislocation, wage insurance makes a great deal of sense.
A Very Quick History Lesson

Mr. Landgraf points back to television before The Sopranos.

It was a time when the television business model dictated that producers needed to create 22 episodes a year. If the series had few continuing story lines, all the better, since that meant it would repeat better. And to get a series to syndication, it had to reach at least 100 episodes.

What you were saying to artists was: Come up with the best show you can, given those requirements, Mr. Landgraf said. And that basically eliminated the potential existence of virtually every great show thats been made since The Sopranos. 

The Sopranos had its premiere in 1999, and the golden age of television started in earnest. The shows story lines were dark and developed over numerous episodes, and the series spawned a new type of business model for television.

But then that becomes its own orthodoxy, Mr. Landgraf said. Now, we make serialized shows. They have to be 13 episodes or 10 episodes a season. And if you dont have at least five seasons, we cant sell them. Six seasons is better. So now instead of making 22 episodes and 100 episodes, were trying to make 91 episodes over seven years. And, by the way, it should be dark, it should be serialized, it should have an antihero. Now youre telling artists: Write the best show you can given these restrictions.

After Mr. Murphy pitched American Horror Story several years ago, Mr. Landgraf had a revelation.

The innovation isnt the 13-episode, seven-year show, Mr. Landgraf said. The innovation is fit the business model to the artist, not the artist to the business model.
I know my television is too loud.

Im asking people to repeat themselves more often.

Im the restaurant patron asking the manager to please turn down the music so I can hear my friends across the table.

Almost two-thirds of Americans older than 70 have meaningful hearing loss, experts say, and I probably will be among them. I should do something about it.

One reason I havent is the average price for hearing aids: roughly $2,500, often more  and most of us need two. That helps explain why only 20 percent of those with hearing loss use hearing aids.

Medicare declines to cover a number of products and services that older beneficiaries need. Dental care ranks high on my personal list of exclusions that make the least sense, but the fact that the 1965 Medicare law specifically prohibits the national insurance program from paying for hearing aids is also a strong contender.
J.J. Abrams must have been asked a million times how he was dealing wit the pressure of directing Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which had been dubbed as the first $2 billion movie.

It was really insane, Abrams told New York Times editor Charles Duhigg at the New Work Summit. There was a level of expectation of what it must be. The feeling on the set was one of exploration. It felt closer to making Super 8 movies when I was a kid.

Abrams said he designed his production company (Bad Robot) with the idea that his employees could speak up even if their ideas didnt work. He wants his employees to have a childs wonder in pursuit of ideas.

When kids play, they dont care whos watching, he said. We lose that.

Abrams said the Oscar controversy, in which no actors of color were nominated for the second straight year, prompted him to send a letter to studios demanding more diversity.

Abrams has required that his future lists of potential hires needs to be representative of this country.

Lets choose from a pool that represents the real community, Abrams said. The better stories are going to come from the most inclusive voices.
SAN FRANCISCO  Google is previewing the next version of its Android operating system two months ahead of schedule in an effort to get the upgraded software on more mobile devices.

The upgraded software, known as Android N for now, offers a split-screen feature so users can toggle between apps more easily. Android N also enables users to reply directly to notifications, something already available on the software that Google makes for smartwatches running on Android Wear.

Another change is being made to reduce the battery power drawn by apps when the devices screen turns off. Devices running on Android Marshmallow, a version released last year, shift into a battery-saving mode called Doze only when stationary.

The new edition initially is being recommended only for mobile app makers and will work only on a few smartphones and tablets.

Google typically hasnt released test versions of Android until its annual developers conference, which begins May 18 this year. The head start is designed to get Android N in the hands of mobile device makers earlier than ever, according to a Google blog post, to give them more time to set up the new software on their latest models.

By the time phones running on the software hit the market this fall, Android N is expected to eventually be named after a sweet food beginning with n in the tradition of all the previous versions that Google has made.

Although other improvements could be added before the software is released to consumers later this year, Android N doesnt appear to breaking any new ground. Both the split-screen and reply-to-notifications features, for instance, are already offered in the operating system running Apple Inc.s iPhone.

The absence of a gee-whiz factor underscores the challenges facing the smartphone industry as its market matures and it becomes more difficult to come up with new ideas nearly a decade after Apple revolutionized mobile computing with the iPhones debut.

The decline in innovation extends beyond the mobile software to the devices themselves, reducing the incentive for consumers to buy new smartphones. Thats one of the reasons Apple is bracing for its first-ever quarterly decrease in iPhones sales during the opening three months of this year.

Google doesnt make smartphones, choosing instead to give away Android to device makers. The software is designed to highlight Googles search engine, maps and other features, giving the company more opportunities to sell the digital ads that generate most of its revenue.
CAIRO  The Arab Leagues 22 members picked a veteran Egyptian diplomat to head the body in a late-night session on Thursday. Ahmed Aboul-Gheit was the only contender for the post.

The appointment came at a critical time for the Middle East, with Syria marking the fifth anniversary of its devastating civil war, regional proxy wars between Saudi Arabia and Iran on full display, and the battle against the Islamic State group raging in several Arab countries.

Egypts Aboul-Gheit, a former ambassador to the United Nations and veteran diplomat under autocrat Hosni Mubarak, had been widely expected to win approval from the league members. It is a long-held protocol that Egypt, as host of the Arab League, traditionally nominates the chief. The league has been almost exclusively led by Egyptians.

Bahrains Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa announced the decision after some last-minute wrangling over the appointment, saying Aboul-Gheit would serve a five-year term effective July 1 as secretary-general.

Diplomats said earlier that Qatar and Sudan had opposed the choice of Aboul-Gheit, with Egypt and Saudi Arabia lobbying them to accept the choice. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they werent authorized to brief journalists.

The secretary-general can be elected by obtaining a minimum two-thirds majority of member states, but the group prefers to have unanimous agreement.

Divisions have weakened the Arab League since the 2011 uprisings that toppled three longtime autocratic rulers but also sparked three civil wars.

But despite its waning influence, a strong leadership might help shore up a Saudi-led Sunni front against Iran at a time of ongoing military involvement by the Saudis and other Gulf Arab countries in Yemen and Syria.

Past league chairmen have included pan-Arab nationalists such as Amr Moussa and the outgoing head, Nabil Elaraby. Aboul-Gheit appears to mark a shift as he is known to be a pragmatic diplomat with strong enmity for political Islam factions like the Muslim Brotherhood, the parent organization of Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.

Aboul-Gheit was the last foreign minister under Mubarak, who was toppled in Egypts 2011 uprising. He was replaced after Mubaraks ouster and kept a low profile while many of Mubarak loyalists were sent to courts for trials in corruption-linked cases.
MOSCOW  In a terrifying outburst of brutality, a small group of journalists investigating human rights abuse in Russias North Caucasus became victims themselves  waylaid by cars full of masked men who dragged them by the hair from their minibus, beat them with sticks and set the vehicle ablaze.

Four Russian journalists, one reporter each from Norway and Sweden, and two activists from Russias Committee to Prevent Torture, were headed with a driver toward Chechnyas provincial capital of Grozny on Wednesday evening when several cars forced their bus off the road and the ferocious attack began.

As they smashed the bus windows and pulled the passengers out, the assailants were shouting You arent human rights activists, youre terrorists; youre killing our people, Maria Persson Lofgren said Thursday on Swedish Radio, her employer.

The attack near the border of Chechnya drew attention to the violence and anger that blight the region and brought condemnation of Russian authorities for tolerating or encouraging it.

The Norwegian reporter who was on the trip said he escaped from the groups minibus only seconds before it exploded into flames.

Oystein Windstad of the Ny Tid weekly told The Associated Press that the men who ambushed the bus had dragged others off the vehicle, some by the hair, but that he resisted.

I resisted going out of the bus because I thought: OK, if Im out on this country road somewhere in the Caucasus, this is your death. Youre finished, this is your death, Windstad said from a hospital in Ingushetia, just over the border from Chechnya.

He tried to escape by jumping through a window of the bus, when the assailants werent looking.

I ran toward a dark field and I few seconds after I jumped out of the car, the whole bus exploded. It was completely in flames just five seconds after I jumped out, he said.

Windstad said two of his teeth were broken and he got stitches under his eye, on his chin, a foot and a knee, and Lofgren said she was beaten, and needed 10 stitches in her thigh after she was thrown onto an iron beam by the roadside. She was also heavily bruised on her arms and legs.

Lofgren said that although the attack took place in the republic of Ingushetia, everyone here points their fingers at  Chechnya, and it is hard not to agree with that.

Because above all that is where there is a very tough regime and where people dont have any wider human rights and that was, among other things, what we wanted to investigate the story about and that is why they attacked us, she said.

After two separatist wars that nearly obliterated Grozny over the past 20 years, Chechnya now sees little fighting and massive federal funds have financed its rebuilding. But the comparative quiet is overlaid by Chechnyas belligerent president, Ramzan Kadyrov, whose security force is widely alleged to commit murder and torture.

Kadyrovs fierce proclamations of loyalty to the Kremlin have included a recent video showing opposition leader Mikhail Kasyanov in the crosshairs of a rifle sight. His allies have denounced the opposition as devils and jackals.

Russias liberal opposition has accused Kadyrov of involvement in last years assassination of prominent Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov; the suspected triggerman was an officer in Kadyrovs security force.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday decried the attack as absolutely outrageous, absolute hooliganism  and this is totally unacceptable.

But the Committee to Protect Journalists said authorities were effectively complicit in the attack.

The attack follows a burst of menacing comments on social media and in the press  by government officials in Chechnya, a CPJ statement said. The assault was enabled by the governments inaction in the face of overt hostility to the press.

Amid suspicion that the attackers were Kadyrov thugs, Chechen government ombudsman suggested a conspiracy to sow discord, suspicion and mistrust among our people.

He said he did not discount the possibility that the attack was designed so that the news would go outside the countrys boundaries, the state news agency Tass reported.
SANTA ANA  An Orange County defense attorney on Thursday launched an online petition calling for the arrest of a district attorneys investigator involved in a courthouse altercation with Orange lawyer James Crawford.

The criminal defense community is infuriated and we are frightened, to be frank, said attorney Drew S. Levine, whose Change.org petition has garnered nearly 300 supporters. Its really disturbing.

To avoid a possible conflict, the District Attorneys Office has asked the state attorney general to review the incident and determine if charges should be filed.

District Attorney Tony Rackauckas declined to comment Thursday. His office cited state personnel laws and the Officers Bill of Rights as the reason for not disclosing the investigators name or status.

Crawford, who last month won a big victory against local prosecutors in Orange Countys ongoing battle over jailhouse informants, said the dispute erupted Wednesday morning at the Santa Ana courthouse.

The attorney said he was speaking with a witness and an interpreter in a 10th-floor hallway when a district attorneys investigator he did not recognize interrupted the conversation and stated defense lawyers are sleazy.

Jerry Steering, Crawfords attorney, said that after a testy back-and-forth between the two men, the investigator slammed Crawfords head into a bench and began punching him.

Neither man was immediately taken to a hospital. Crawford said he went to an emergency room Wednesday night to treat what turned out to be a fracture below his left eye.

Defense attorney Paul S. Meyer, who represents the investigator, urged the public to withhold judgment.

There are two sides to every story and that is certainly true here, Meyer said. The one-sided version currently being circulated is simply not accurate. The independent witnesses and favorable evidence and injuries to the investigator will be evaluated. We believe it is in everyones best interest to let the investigation proceed.

The Orange County Sheriffs Department is investigating the incident and will turn over the results to the office of California Attorney General Kamala Harris.

Attorney general spokeswoman Kristin Ford did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.

Separately, the attorney general has been investigating the District Attorneys Office for the past year, focused on Orange Countys controversial use of jailhouse informants.

On Thursday, Dena Iverson, a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, said for the first time that the Justice Department is now reviewing requests to investigate Orange Countys fractured justice system.

One of those requests came in a November letter from three dozen former prosecutors and legal experts who declared a crisis in Orange County.

Rackauckas also has asked for a federal investigation.

Wednesdays fight is the latest sign of escalating tension in the countys legal system, where six criminal cases have unraveled since 2015 in the fallout over jailhouse informants and complaints about withheld evidence.

Levine said Thursday he launched the online petition because Orange Countys legal community is up in arms about Crawfords injuries and wants the attorney general to prosecute.

This is an indication that prosecutorial misconduct is not taken seriously in the District Attorneys Office, Levine said. Its time for Kamala Harris to step in, take a stand and make it clear this is not going to be tolerated anymore.

Some defense attorneys questioned why the investigator wasnt taken into custody after the dispute.

If anyone else would have done that to Mr. Crawford, they would be arrested, said Kate Corrigan, a veteran Orange County defense attorney and former prosecutor. They arent ever willing to acknowledge there is a problem. It is deny, deny, deny. People cant even act like adults in a courthouse.

Crawford said he believes the confrontation with the investigator stemmed from his victory over prosecutors in the case of Henry Rodriguez, who was twice convicted of murder and won a retrial last month.

Crawford alleged that prosecutors improperly used a jailhouse informant and withheld evidence from Rodriguezs attorneys.

The Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, which also represents district attorneys investigators, disputed Crawfords account of the altercation.

Within mere hours of the incident Crawford was boasting on television that he was going to sue the taxpayers. This causes us grave concern. His one-sided version of events is simply not true, said Tom Dominguez, president of the deputies union. We are confident the investigation will reveal what truly happened, and we hope the investigation looks into the very real possibility that this is an effort by a criminal defense attorney to drum up a payday.

Staff writer Kelly Puente contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: semery@ocregister.com
Delegates to Julys Republican National Convention are increasingly contemplating the possibility of a contested convention, though few sound like they relish the potentially contentious and divisive process.

Sharp party divisions over controversial frontrunner Donald Trump  combined with his inability to capture 50 percent of the delegates distributed so far  is spurring talk of a convention that would bypass the usual pro forma coronation of the nominee.

It would be a wide-open rodeo, said Surfsides Shawn Steel, one of the states three members of the Republican National Committee  a role that automatically makes them delegates. It would be a multi-level chess game.

See a state-by-state breakdown of GOP delegates awarded and yet to come.

While Trump currently leads the field, hes only received 44 percent of the pledged delegates from the primaries and caucuses to date. If no candidate captures more than 50 percent of the 2472 delegates in the first round of convention voting, pledged delegates become free to vote for whomever they like in subsequent rounds.

That means Trump could start the convention with the more delegates than anyone else and end up watching another Republican win the nomination.

I believe Donald Trump is the one Republican candidate running who cannot beat Hillary Clinton, said Newport Beachs Mike Schroeder, a co-chairman of Texas Sen. Ted Cruzs campaign who hopes to be a Cruz delegate. Hes basically attacked everybody  women, minorities, the handicapped. Hes got a checkered past with Trump University, there are all the assorted bankruptcies with his businesses and hes been fined $1 million for hiring illegal immigrants.

Hillary will have a field day with all of those things.

Such sentiment could fuel a convention uprising against Trump, though Schroeder is among those who think a contested convention is unlikely. He sees Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich dropping out soon, leaving Trump and Cruz to battle it out. And he thinks one of those two will build a lead large enough to secure a majority of delegates before the convention.

Others arent so sure. And if Rubio and Kasich win their home states Tuesday, it will get harder for Trump to reach a majority and will buoy the odds of a contested convention.

Its looking more and more like its possible, said RNC member Linda Ackerman of Irvine. As committee members, Ackerman and Steel are among 168 GOP delegates who will enter the convention unpledged  that is, without the obligation to back a given candidate in the first round of voting for the nominee.

If nobody has a majority going into the convention, a close first ballot could leave the fate of the nominee in the hands of unpledged delegates like Ackerman and Steel. But if either has a favored candidate at this point, they arent telling.

Californias role

A contested convention is rare. So is California deciding a presidential nomination.

Voters in California, whose June 7 primary is on the last day of primaries, usually go to the polls with the major parties nominees already determined by states with earlier primaries. This year, though, the states 169 pledged delegates could be the deciding factor if the race is close.

I see California as a place Trump would do well in the Republican primary, because Cruz is so conservative and California is not conservative, said Lori Cox Han, a political scientist at Chapman University.

But if June 7 comes and goes without a candidate winning the majority of delegates, expect the delegate lobbying and horsetrading to begin. Smoke-filled rooms may be a thing of the past, and not just because of the ban on indoor smoking. The whole nature of politics and conventions has changed.

Those conversations will take place ahead of time and people will know who their second choice is when they arrive at the convention, said Harmeet Dhillon, vice chairman of the California Republican Party.

Dhillon hopes to be a delegate herself, but said she doesnt have a preferred candidate yet  she wants to first determine who has the best chance to beat the Democratic nominee.

I dont know if thats Trump, she said. Some polls show other candidates running stronger against the other side. And he has not yet been as critically examined by the media as some of the other candidates.

Kasich-Rubio ticket?

Whether Trump appears to be the strongest potential nominee could sway delegates like Dhillon in a contested convention. At this point, theres a broad difference of opinion of who would be Republicans best bet.

Some share Schroeders view that the billionaire former reality TV star is damaged goods, while Steel says the difference in polling numbers of the various GOP matchups against Clinton is too small to be significant. And Han sees Trump as a stronger nominee than Cruz.

Trump can pull in independents and some Democrats  Cruz cant, she said.

But Han and Ackerman also see the possibility of a contested convention in which a Rubio-Kasich or Kasich-Rubio ticket emerges, in part because they both poll well against Clinton and in part because they come from swing states that often determine which party prevails.

In any event, Tustin political consultant Jeff Corless says Trump will have to start lobbying his delegates early if a contested convention appears likely.

He needs to have an effective delegate defense strategy, to make sure theyll stick with him, said Corless, who hopes to be one of those Trump delegates.

Possible backlash

Then theres the threat of a independent bid by Trump, should he emerge from the primaries with the most delegates but fail to secure the GOP nomination at the convention.

Schroeder, Ackerman and Han think Trump is unlikely to run on his own, in good measure because it would be difficult for him to get on many states ballots as an independent after the July convention. But Corless says that even if Trump doesnt run, a snub by nominating delegates would hurt the party.

Theres a realignment of the electorate and theyre coalescing around Trump because theyre tired of being promised things that never happen, he said. The Republican Party put itself in this position by not paying attention to the frustration. If he has the most delegates and isnt nominated, there could be a significant backlash and we hand the election to Clinton.

Contact the writer: mwisckol@ocregister.com
Orange County celebrates its birthday in August, when, in 1889, its court and Board of Supervisors officially began work, but one could argue its birthday could be today.

On this day in 1889, the governor of California signed a bill authorizing residents of Orange County to vote on separation from Los Angeles County.

The drive to carve a new county out of L.A. County began in 1869, when the first mayor of Anaheim, Max Strobel, proposed an Anaheim County. Strobels efforts failed in the California Senate, along with several other proposals in the 1870s and early 1880s, because L.A. County officials set up legal challenges to prevent pulling any land out of its jurisdiction. The efforts to become the county of Orange continued for years but failed until the rail lines had several depots in the area. With new boundaries drawn and businesses in Southern L.A. County gaining clout, the negotiations moved forward.

William H. Spurgeon represented Los Angeles County in the state Assembly and served as a county supervisor for L.A. County and, later, for Orange County, once he helped create it. William H. Spurgeon represented Los Angeles County in the state Assembly and served as a county supervisor for L.A. County and, later, for Orange County, once he helped create it.

Several things changed in the state that helped redraw the county lines. The first was that Santa Anas founder, William H. Spurgeon, along with several other prominent leaders, raised money and worked together to lobby the Legislature.

The second was that San Franciscos reign as the most influential area of the state was waning as Los Angeles grew in influence, and representatives in the north were pleased to carve out a chunk of Los Angeles.

According to county historian Phil Brigandi, Santa Ana businessman James Edgar boasted: Hell, yes! We bought the county from the state Legislature for $10,000. I went out and raised the money myself in two hours. And it was a rainy morning at that.

The bill sailed through the Legislature and was voted on by residents. On June 4, residents approved the creation of their own county, voting 2,509 in favor and 500 opposed. County offices opened in early August.

California Counties

On Feb. 18, 1850, Californias first governor, Peter Burnett, signed into law the first 27 counties. Today there are 58 counties in the state.

The animation below illustrates how county lines grew from 1850 to 1900. The first counties in the state were Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Los Angeles, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma, Sutter, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo, Yuba

Then and now

1889: Three incorporated cities: Santa Ana, Tustin and Orange. The population was about 17,000.

2016: 34 incorporated cities with a population of more than 3 million.

Most desirable place to live in America

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service ranked every county in the contiguous U.S. with a natural amenities scale. The scale was constructed with six measures of climate, topography and water area. Here the top 10 rankings of the 3,111 counties.

1. Ventura County

2. Humboldt County

3. Santa Barbara County

4. Mendocino County

5. Del Norte County

6. San Francisco County

7. Los Angeles County

8. San Diego County

9. Monterrey County

10. Orange County

Whats in a name?

County historians point out that in 1872, when the name Orange County was first used, the citrus industry was not the giant agribusiness it would become at the turn of the century. The name was chosen as a marketing ploy to evoke images of a warm-weather paradise.

Original county

The original plan for Anaheim County in the 1870s included the areas of Norwalk, Whittier and bordered the San Gabriel River.

Sources: Orange County Archives, The Birth of Orange County  1889 by Phil Brigandi, city of Orange, U.S. Census; U.S.D.A., California State Association of Counties
BERKELEY  The dean of UC Berkeleys law school has resigned instead of taking an indefinite leave of absence while a sexual harassment lawsuit from his executive assistant moves forward.

Berkeley Law announced Sujit Choudhrys resignation on social media Thursday. University spokesman Dan Mogulof confirmed the news and said more details would be forthcoming.

The development came a day after Choudhry took leave from the deans position, with plans to remain at the law school as a faculty member. He would have made a professors salary of $284,200. As dean since July 2014, he had earned $415,000.

Choudhrys assistant, Tyann Sorrell, alleged in a lawsuit this week that her boss kissed and touched her repeatedly but received only a temporary pay cut as punishment following a campus investigation last year.
RICHMOND, Va.  Virginia could use the electric chair on death-row inmates when lethal-injection drugs are not available under a bill that cleared the legislature Friday and headed to the desk of Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

McAuliffe, a Democrat, told reporters Friday that he would have to examine the bill before taking a position on it.

Like many states, Virginia has struggled with how to carry out capital punishment at a time when lethal-injection drugs have become hard to obtain. The electric chair is already an option in the state, where condemned inmates are allowed to choose between it and lethal injection. The bill is intended to make the electric chair the default method of execution if the state is unable to obtain the drugs.

The House and Senate gave final passage to the bill after a conference committee hammered out a seemingly minor tweak to the language that an anti-death penalty Democrat said made the measure a total mess.

The version that the Senate passed on Monday would have required the director of the Department of Corrections to make substantial efforts to obtain lethal-injection drugs before using the electric chair. Del. Jackson Miller, R-Manassas, who sponsored the bill, objected to adding that language, and the House followed his recommendation to reject it.

In the end, both chambers agreed to require the director to make reasonable efforts to obtain the drugs.

Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, said that regardless of whether the bill read substantial or reasonable, the language was so vague that it invited litigation. Earlier in the week, he had failed to amend the bill to require the corrections director to publicly disclose what efforts had been made to obtain lethal-injection drugs, including which pharmaceutical companies had been contacted.

After Sen. Richard Stuart, R-Stafford, urged the body to vote for the amendment, Surovell challenged him to explain the difference between substantial and reasonable.

Im not even going to attempt to do that, Stuart said.

For anyone who wanted to know what steps the director had taken, the vast majority of this would be subject to FOIA, Stuart said, referring to the Freedom of Information Act.

McAuliffe campaigned as a supporter of capital punishment when he ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2009. Last year, McAuliffe backed a bill that would have allowed the state to order lethal-injection drugs from specialty pharmacies. That measure died amid controversy over provisions that would have shrouded the pharmacies in unprecedented secrecy to protect them from political pressure. A European export ban has stopped pharmaceutical firms from sending the drugs to the United States.

Amid last years debate, Coy noted that McAuliffe is a Catholic but said he would not let his personal beliefs about capital punishment keep him from performing his duties as governor.

There are seven people on death row in Virginia, according to the state Department of Corrections. The only scheduled execution is for Ivan Teleguz on April 13. Teleguz was convicted of taking part in a murder-for-hire plot in Harrisonburg that left a woman dead.

In 2014, Tennessee became the first state to allow use of the electric chair when no lethal-injection drugs are available. No one has been executed since the law passed and last year Tennessees Supreme Court delayed the remaining four executions in the state pending appeals.
This might be an odd admission for an ardent movie-goer to make, but I try not to read any reviews of a film that I know I want to see.

Thats because our world these days is so full of spoilers, trailers and people anxious to tell us what to think about every flick on the planet that, by the time we walk into the theater, our minds have already been made up for us.

This, to me, is whats fundamentally wrong with the perception of Tina Feys latest effort, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, which is a wartime drama-with-humor being marketed as one of her typical lighthearted comedies.

A star of Feys magnitude automatically generates expectations and comparisons with other efforts, but the actual film suffers badly from these.

This movie, co-produced by Fey and Saturday Night Live founder Lorne Michaels, tells a fictionalized version of the true story of former Chicago Tribune reporter Kim Barker, based on her memoir The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan,

In the movie, Feys character, renamed Kim Baker, is now a network TV reporter who is woefully unprepared for the reality of life in a war zone.

In real life, people who work in life-and-death situations, whether theyre cops, soldiers or reporters, become accustomed to teetering between grim bloody realities and the gallows humor that often follows it.

This movie does the same, with Robert Carlocks adapted script using humor to relieve tension as its main character lurches from one unfamiliar, frightening situation to the next.

Some of the films reviews have faulted the script for this uneven tone, yet it is a realistic glimpse of life in a war zone, where drinking, sex, drugs and jokes are used to decompress from constant fear and boredom.

As a news reporter myself, I identified with Feys attempts to get her bearings while being thrust into unfamiliar combat situations, including naively bringing a bright orange backpack when shes invited out on military patrol, amid a sea of camouflage.

As one of the few women reporters in Afghanistan  a country where women must be covered from head to toe  she fights to get anyone to care about the firebombing of a girls school by the Taliban.

She endures leers and propositions from the male officials shes trying to cover, one of whom invites her to share the bed in his office.

One night, she drunkenly leaves a party in a taxi, without her ever-present security guard. As she exits the taxi, the cabdriver shouts, Wear your headscarf! Wear your headscarf!

She doesnt hear him, and instead panics when she realizes she went to wrong address and doesnt know where she is, aware of the ever-present danger of rape, as a lone woman out after dark.

As a woman, she also discovers shes privy to secrets that male veterans arent, including why a local well is continually destroyed.

Fey handles this job nimbly, and shes believable as the earnest rookie Baker, who soon learns to dodge advances and bullets while pitching her stories to her network.

The beautiful Margot Robbie plays the only other woman reporter sequestered in their compound, and she kicks butt as Feys competition.

I never entirely believed actor Martin Freeman as Bakers Scottish war photographer love interest, Iain MacKelpie, perhaps because in my mind he was still The Hobbit, after spending so many hours watching him in that role.

But Billy Bob Thornton was a delicious treat as a war-hardened general whos tired of rookie reporters.

The more sour note for me was the casting of two solidly American guys as the only two major Afghan characters in the story

Christopher Abbott played the oddly touching former physician whos now Bakers fixer with conviction. Alfred Molina was buffoonish as the sex-obsessed politican who continually asks Baker to become his special friend.

After my friend and I enjoyed this film, I read the reviews and was stunned at the negativity. This never set out to be a polemic about the war in Afghanistan, nor was it a laugh-a-minute chucklefest.

I felt that if Tina Fey werent famous, and this movie played in an art house, critics would be falling all over themselves to recommend it.

But it suffered from misguided marketing campaigns that played up the humor and made it seem like something its not.

I often feel that our satisfaction with the movies we see is based entirely on expectations, rather than the actual product. And people were given false information about this one, which deserves a closer look.

I intend to see this movie again, this time with my teenage daughter.

Despite the R rating, theres nothing in this movie that a high schooler hasnt already seen or heard.

And I want her to see a portrayal of a strong woman who bursts out of her shell, faces fear and adversity, perseveres in the face of oppressive male bigotry and harassment, and ultimately has control of her own life.

Ill be getting a copy of the book, too.

Contact the writer: mfisher@ocregister.com or 714-796-7994
SANTA ANA  Sentencing was postponed on Friday to May 20 for convicted double-murderer Daniel Wozniak.

The 31-year-old Costa Mesa community theater actor was convicted in December of killing his neighbor, Samuel Herr, 26, and Herrs friend Juri Julie Kibuishi, 23, in a plot to steal Herrs savings.

An Orange County Superior Court jury in January deliberated for just over an hour before recommending the death penalty.

The sentencing was scheduled for Friday, but Superior Court Judge John Conley agreed to continue the hearing at the request of Wozniaks defense attorneys, Scott Sanders and Tracy LeSage, who said they plan to file a motion requesting that the death penalty to taken off of the table.

Prosecutors said Wozniak was broke and had no money to pay for his honeymoon and wedding when he plotted to kill Herr, an Army veteran, and steal more than $60,000 in savings earned from combat service in Afghanistan.

On May 21, 2010, Wozniak lured Herr to the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos and then shot and killed him. The actor returned the next day and cut off Herrs head, a hand and a forearm and tossed the body parts in Long Beachs El Dorado Park.

In an attempt to throw police off of his trail, Wozniak used Herrs cellphone to lure Kibuishi to Herrs apartment. Prosecutors said Wozniak then shot and killed her and pulled her pants down to make it look like Herr had killed Kibuishi and sexually assaulted her.

The case was delayed for years as Wozniaks attorney alleged systemic misconduct by Orange County prosecutors and sheriffs deputies involving the use of jailhouse informants. Judge Conley last year determined there was no evidence of misconduct in Wozniaks case.

Contact the writer: kpuente@ocregister.com
CAIRO  The Arab League on Friday formally branded Lebanons militant Hezbollah group a terrorist organization, a move that raises concerns of deepening divisions among Arab countries and ramps up the pressure on the Shiite group, which is fighting on the side of President Bashar Assad in Syria.

The decision came during a foreign ministers meeting of the Arab League at the organizations seat in Cairo, the Egyptian state MENA news agency reported. It came just a day after the league elected veteran Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Aboul-Gheit as its new chief.

The move aligns the 22-member league firmly behind Saudi Arabia and the Saudi-led bloc of six Gulf Arab nations, which made the same formal branding against Hezbollah on March 2. It also brings the league in line with the United States, which is closely allied with the Gulf states and has long considered Hezbollah to be a terrorist organization. The European Union only lists the military wing of Hezbollah on its terrorist blacklist.

In Cairo, Saudi Ambassador Ahmed Qattan, told the satellite TV station Al Arabiya that the vote was not unanimous as Lebanon and Iraq abstained.

Earlier in the day, the Saudi delegation stormed out of a league meeting in protest over a speech by Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari hailing Hezbollah and Shiite militias as resistant movements.

I only described Hezbollah as a resistant movement and rejected accusations against the Popular Mobilization Forces (a Shiite Iraqi group) and other resistant movements, al-Jaafari told the state daily Al-Ahram.

The decision by the Arab League is a significant blow to Hezbollah and it is also likely to further aggravate tensions in Lebanon, undermining the countrys delicate political balance amid fierce political infighting between groups loyal to Hezbollah and Saudi-backed factions.

The leagues decision also reflects deep regional divisions between Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Shiite powerhouse Iran, Hezbollahs patron. Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic relations with Iran earlier this year after protesters angry over the kingdoms execution of influential Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr set fire to the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and another diplomatic mission in Iran.

In addition to diplomatic pressures, Saudi Arabia has just finished a three-week long counter-terrorism drill dubbed Northern Thunder that included 20 participating countries, in what observers say was a show of force by the kingdom against its foes. It also sent a strategic message to Iran, and extremist Sunni groups like al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

The kingdom has taken other punitive measures against Lebanon, including cutting $4 billion in aid to Lebanese security forces and urging its citizens to leave Lebanon  a blow to the tiny nations tourism industry  in retaliation for Lebanons siding with Iran amid the Sunni kingdoms spat with the Shiite power.

The GCCs and Arab Leagues decisions underline the steep price that Hezbollahs very public and bloody foray into Syrias civil war has had. Once lauded in the Arab world as a heroic resistance movement that stood up to Israel, Hezbollah has seen its popularity plummet among Sunni Muslims because of its staunch support for Assad.

In Lebanon, the main political divide pits a Sunni-led coalition against another led by the Shiite Hezbollah movement, which includes both political and military wings. The Mediterranean country has weathered a string of militant attacks in recent years linked to the war in neighboring Syria.

Lebanons Foreign Ministry Gibran Bassil, speaking to reporters after the meeting in Cairo, said labeling Hezbollah as a terrorist organization goes against the Arab treaty for combating terrorism, which distinguishes between terrorism and resistance. He said Lebanon asked that the word terrorist be struck from the records of the meeting as if did not happen.

Hezbollah is a Lebanese party that enjoys broad representation in the parliament and Cabinet  Naturally we cannot accept that Hezbollah be described as a terrorist organization, he said.

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah. On its main evening newscast, the groups Al-Manar TV reported on al-Jaafaris speech at the Arab League meeting without commenting on the league designation against Hezbollah.

Hours before the GCC decision, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah delivered a televised speech in which he harshly criticized Saudi Arabia for its punitive measures against Lebanon.

He repeated his accusations that the kingdom was directly responsible for some car bombings in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, and denounced Saudi massacres in Yemen, where the kingdom is leading a U.S.-backed coalition of Arab states targeting Iran-supported Shiite rebels.

Who gives Saudi Arabia the right to punish Lebanon and its army and Lebanese people living in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf just because Hezbollah is speaking out? We urge Riyadh to settle accounts with Hezbollah and not all the Lebanese, he said.

He also accused Saudi Arabia of seeking to cause strife between Sunnis and Shiites everywhere in the world and said its execution of al-Nimr in January came in that context.
JERUSALEM  Israel said Thursday it is looking into the death of a Palestinian attacker shot dead by police after he killed an American student in a stabbing spree earlier this week.

In Tuesdays attack, the Palestinian assailant ran through the ancient port city of Jaffa with a knife, stabbing several people along his way, until he was shot by a police officer.

Israels Justice Ministry said the routine check is conducted after every shooting incident by police.

It follows a video that emerged from the scene of the Jaffa stabbing, showing the attacker lying on the ground as an onlooker yells at the officer to shoot him in the head. A sound that seems to be gunfire is heard. Other voices then tell the officer to stop, saying the attacker is lying down and dont shoot him again.

The Palestinians accuse Israel of using excessive force in trying to subdue more than five months of near-daily Palestinian attacks. The bloodshed  mainly stabbings but also shootings and car-ramming attacks  has killed 28 Israelis and two Americans. During the same time, at least 179 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, a majority of which are said by Israel to have been attackers. The rest were killed in clashes with security forces.

Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri says police arrested about 250 Palestinians from the West Bank who were in Israel without valid permits, as part of a security crackdown since the Jaffa stabbing. Police also arrested 30 Israelis who employed or assisted the West Bank Palestinians.

The attack in Jaffa took place as Vice President Joe Biden, on a visit to Israel, was meeting former Israeli President Shimon Peres at the nearby Peres Center for Peace. The American victim, Taylor Force, was a 28-year-old MBA student at Vanderbilt University and a West Point graduate who had served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Biden criticized the Palestinians for failing to condemn the stabbing, after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas political party posted a statement online praising the stabber.

A statement from Abbas office following his meeting with Biden on Wednesday night said Abbas offered his condolences for the Americans death, but stressed that Israel has killed nearly 200 Palestinians during the current round of violence.

In a press conference with the visiting Romanian president Thursday, Abbas did not directly mention the Jaffa attack but said he opposes violence, extremism and terrorism regardless of its source.

Palestinians say the violence stems from frustration at nearly five decades of Israeli occupation. Israel says it is fueled by a campaign of Palestinian incitement compounded on social media sites that glorify and encourage attacks.
WASHINGTON  Irelands Prime Minister Enda Kenny is heading to the White House next week for annual St. Patricks Day festivities.

The White House said President Barack Obama will host Kenny on Tuesday for an Oval Office meeting and a St. Patricks Day reception. Vice President Joe Biden also plans to host Kenny for breakfast.

House Speaker Paul Ryans office said Kenny will also travel to the Capitol for the annual Friends of Ireland Luncheon.

Kenny has been Irelands leader since 2011. Hes made an annual tradition out of the St. Patricks Day visit.

This year, St. Patricks Day falls next Thursday. The White House said its celebrating early because Kenny is traveling to Brussels on March 17 for a European Council meeting.
The legal tug of war between Apple and law enforcement has nothing to do with keeping Americans safe from terrorism. Its simply the latest iteration of a protracted effort by government to undermine electronic security.

On the surface, the issue is the recovered San Bernardino County-owned iPhone used by one of the shooters at the Inland Regional Center. FBI investigators have been unable to access the phone, so its unclear whether anything of significance is even on it. What Apple has been ordered to do is impair the security of the device to help investigators access the data.

This would create a precedent in which tech companies could be forced, time and again, to weaken their products security. Ultimately, this could easily result in mandates that tech companies build in back doors to all of their security systems, leaving everyone vulnerable to overreaching governments and hackers alike.

Assemblyman Jim Cooper, D-Elk Grove, is already proposing such a measure in Sacramento. His Assembly Bill 1681 would apply to smartphones manufactured on or before Jan. 1, 2017. His official cover is that electronic security created a public safety crisis that has armed criminals and criminal organizations with a powerful weapon to conduct illicit activities while simultaneously providing a shield to conceal crimes and remain out of reach of law enforcement.

Never mind, of course, that the overwhelming majority of people, businesses and even governments that benefit from electronic security arent trying to evade law enforcement detection, but nevertheless would be impacted by such an overreaching proposal. One can only hope the folks in Sacramento are perceptive enough to see through the fearmongering.

Similarly, one need only to look at the sloppy, even laughable, arguments advanced by law enforcement to conclude that fearmongering is essentially all they have in the San Bernardino case.

In a court filing dated March 3, San Bernardino District Attorney Michael Ramos argued it was necessary for the courts to compel Apple to cooperate with the IRC investigation so that it may be determined whether the shooters iPhone was used as a weapon to introduce a lying dormant cyberpathogen that  poses a continuing threat to the citizens of San Bernardino County.

What exactly is a lying dormant cyberpathogen? No one knows, but Ramos at least had the decency to acknowledge to the Associated Press that he had zero evidence to suggest it, and only that his contention was slightly more credible than a hypothetical. But aside from Ramos assertions, a broad coalition of law enforcement groups across the state, and the country, has been stoking fear.

In a joint filing, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys and the National Sheriffs Association argue that Apples noncooperation is helping criminals. To be clear: if Apple can refuse lawful court orders to reasonably assist law enforcement, public safety will suffer, they argue. Crimes will go unsolved, and criminals will go free.

Perhaps if law enforcements requests were more reasonable, theyd have a point. But what they want from the courts is an expansive interpretation of the 1789 All Writs Act to justify forcing tech companies to cooperate in the hacking of their own software. And what they want is a clear precedent to justify continued efforts to undermine electronic security, without the legislative authority to do so.

Meanwhile, the California State Sheriffs Association, among other state law enforcement groups, has argued law enforcement, absent Apples cooperation, is hampered in its efforts to provide for the publics safety. This is probably true in the same sense that the Constitution, due process and the rule of law can hinder law enforcement, which does not yet have limitless authority to do whatever it wants.

For all the vague talk about public safety, law enforcement groups are really just after convenience. But at least in America, convenience shouldnt trump liberty, and fear shouldnt circumvent reason.
A man serving 20 years in a Florida prison pleaded not guilty to a string of cold-case sexual crimes in Orange County on Thursday.

Arnold Eduardo Martinez was extradicted from Blackwater Correctional Facility in Milton, Fla., to face felony counts of attempted kidnapping to commit a sexual offense, assault with the intent to commit a sexual offense, kidnapping to commit a sexual offense, battery with serious bodily injury, and false personation, with sentencing enhancement allegations for great bodily injury and great bodily injury to a sexual assault victim, the Orange County District Attorneys Office said.

Prosecutors believe that on July 18, 2008, Martinez sat next to a woman on a bench in Westminsters Sigler Park and engaged in a brief conversation. When she left, he grabbed her from behind, put his hand over her mouth, and forced her toward his car to sexually assault her, the DA said.

He fled after she screamed and attempted to get away.

At 4:30 a.m. on July 24, 2008, Martinez again approached and grabbed a woman walking near Sigler Park in an attempt to drag her toward his car, prosecutors said. He sexually assaulted her in nearby bushes and punched her multiple times as she was trying to escape, the DA said. The woman suffered bruises, swelling and cuts.

The DAs Office said Martinez struck again at 4:55 a.m. on Jan 14, 2009, when he was driving behind a woman as she was walking to church near Sigler Park. He forced her into his passenger seat, and chased her after she escaped, the DA said.

The woman was dragged to some bushes and her head slammed against the ground during the attack. She was left with bruises, swelling and cuts on her head. She reported the crime to Westminster police.

Martinez left California after the third assault.

On July 20, 2011, he pleaded guilty to kidnapping and sexual battery in Duval County, Fla. Part of his sentence required submitting a DNA sample.

In September 2011, the Orange County Sheriffs Department received a match linking Martinez to the unsolved assaults. He was identified as the source of a DNA sample collected from the third attack and extradicted to Orange County last month.

Martinez is being held in Orange County jail and faces up to life in prison. His next court appearance is March 17.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2478 or lcasiano@ocregister.com
JACKSON, Miss.  In fresh details provided as a young Mississippi man pleaded guilty to a terrorism-related charge, federal prosecutors said his fiance led him toward a plan to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State.

Muhammad Dakhlalla, 23, pleaded guilty Friday in Aberdeen to providing material support to terrorism and faces up to 20 years in prison, $250,000 fines and lifetime probation. U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock hasnt set his sentencing date yet.

His fiance, Jaelyn Delshaun Young, is set for trial June 6 before Aycock. Plea agreements typically require cooperation with federal prosecutors, so Dakhlallas plea makes it likely that he would testify against Young if a trial proceeds.

Both remain jailed without bail in Oxford.

A five-page statement of facts added new details about Youngs conversion to Islam and her influence on Dakhlalla, who had been raised as a Muslim. The pair at one point planned to claim they were going on their honeymoon while traveling to Syria.

Young, a sophomore chemistry major at Mississippi State University at the time of her arrest, is the daughter of a school administrator and a police officer who served in the Navy reserve. She was a former honor student, cheerleader and homecoming maid at Vicksburgs Warren Central High School.

Dakhlalla is a 2011 psychology graduate of Mississippi State who grew up in Starkville, a son of a prominent figure in the college towns Muslim community. He is the youngest of three sons and was preparing to start graduate school at the university.

By the time Young began dating Dakhlalla in November 2014, she was already interested in converting to Islam. Prosecutors say she announced her conversion in March and began wearing a burkha, a garment worn by some Muslim women to cover their face and body.

After her conversion, Young distanced herself from family and friends and felt spending time with non-Muslims would be a bad influence, prosecutors wrote in a statement of facts they expected to prove if the case had gone to trial. Dakhlalla taught Young how to pray and to recite the Quran in Arabic, and Young began watching YouTube videos about Islamic law.

Those videos included pro-Islamic State messages from Anjem Choudry, a British Muslim preacher who faces criminal charges of supporting the Islamic State

The statement of facts says Dakhlallas fiance increasingly complained about the treatment of Muslims in the United States and United Kingdom. Prosecutors said Young approvingly cited a video of a man accused of being gay being thrown off a roof to his death by Islamic State militants. They say she and Dakhlalla, after watching pro-Islamic State videos, began to view them as liberators.

Young continually asked Dakhlalla when they were going to join (the Islamic State) and began to express hatred for the U.S. government and to express support for the implementation of Sharia law in the United States, prosecutors wrote.

The court papers reiterate earlier government claims that Young and then Dakhlalla contacted undercover FBI employees online stating they wanted help to travel to Islamic State territory. Dakhlalla, in online contacts, said he was good with computers and media and wanted to contribute to the Islamic States struggle. Court papers say Dakhlalla said online that he wanted to become a fighter and learn what it really means to have that heart in battle.

The couple was arrested Aug. 8 before boarding a flight from an airport near Columbus, Mississippi, with tickets for Istanbul. The papers confirm that both Young and Dakhlalla left farewell letters that explained they would never be back, with Young acknowledging her role as the planner of the expedition and that Dakhlalla was going as her companion of his own free will.

A spokesman for Dakhlallas family said the case laid out by prosecutors portraying him as following his fiance down a path to radicalization is fair and reasonable.

Attorney Dennis Harmon, who is speaking for the family but not representing Dakhlalla, said the young man did little beyond respond to a federal judges questions as he pleaded guilty Friday.

The plea agreement drops a related charge against Dakhlalla, cutting the possible length of any imprisonment. However, in the plea agreement signed Wednesday, Dakhlalla and his lawyer acknowledged that the sentencing recommendation would be adjusted upward because terrorism is involved.
JERUSALEM  Palestinian attackers opened fire at Israeli troops in the West Bank and wounded two soldiers before fleeing Friday night, the Israeli military said. Soon afterward, Palestinian gunmen in Gaza fired several rockets at southern Israel, causing no injuries.

The attacks followed a morning raid by Israeli forces of a TV station run by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in the West Bank as part of a crackdown to curb months of violence that Israel says has been fueled by incitement in the Palestinian media.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the head of the Falestine al-Youm  or Palestine Today  was detained in the raid in Ramallah early Friday morning. She said Farouq Elayan, 34, had been incarcerated in the past for activities in the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad group. The outlet, which also publishes material on social media sites, encouraged Palestinians to attack Israelis, she said.

In a statement, Falestine al-Youm said two other two staff members had also been arrested and that their equipment was confiscated. Islamic Jihad has carried out suicide bombings and shootings in the past.

Israel faces near-daily Palestinian assaults on civilians and security forces that have killed 28 Israelis and two Americans since September.

At least 179 Palestinians have died by Israeli fire in that time, the majority of them said by Israel to have been attackers while the rest died in clashes with Israeli forces.

Israel has long pointed to the glorification of attackers in Palestinian media and social networking sites as a major factor in the recent bloodshed.

Palestinians say it stems from anger at nearly five decades of Israeli rule in the West Bank and east Jerusalem and frustrations at not achieving statehood.

On Friday afternoon, a Palestinian attacker stabbed and wounded a 29-year-old Israeli man, before running ran away in Jerusalems Old City, police said. It later displayed a picture of the weapon used, a kitchen knife with a white handle that had been left at the scene. The Palestinian attacker was found and arrested after a short chase, police said.
As Sean Bean read the screenplay for The Young Messiah, the story of a young Jesus Christ just beginning to understand who he is, the actor says it was the parts of the story that he didnt know that appealed to him much more than those that he did.

I thought it was an interesting, fresh look at the story of a young boy Jesus, Bean said by phone from England a few days before the film opened today. Obviously, there have been countless stories about Jesus and his life, The Passion of the Christ, and things relating to the birth of Jesus.

We kind of all know the story of Jesus but I thought it was a very kind of refreshing and informative rendition  knowing what we know, how he came into the world and how he left the world, Bean says. I thought it was very moving, very poignant.

Certainly when he holds his arms outstretched near the end, almost in that kind of pose when hes on the cross, a kind of premonition which leaves you with a sense of foreboding but also a sense of hope.

The Young Messiah looks at the life of Jesus when he was 7 and just home to Israel from exile in Egypt. Its a part of his life that gets much less attention in the Bible, though Anne Rices novel Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, the source material for the film, uses biblical and historical accounts as its foundation.

The film stars Adam Greaves-Neal as Jesus, with Bean  whose many credits include the warrior Boromir in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Ned Stark on HBOs Game of Thrones  playing Severus, a Roman centurion ordered by Herod to find and kill the boy rumored to be the Messiah.

The film is directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh, whose film The Stoning of Soraya M. had impressed Bean, and its producers include Chris Columbus, for whom Bean had recently played Zeus in Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.

Their backgrounds made him confident in the project  I felt very much in good hands, Bean says  but it was the freshness of the approach to the story of Jesus that mostly drew him in.

The Young Messiah in many ways is a subtle story, a gentle telling of Jesus slow realization of the truth of his life. Its open quality was another aspect of the production that attracted Bean.

Im Christian, so Im familiar with the stories, though Im no theologian by any means, he says. Its always interesting as an adult to go back on things and look at things in a fresh light. Because youre taught things at an earlier age and theyre not really presented in an interesting manner.

I think this kind of brings this story to life, and its actually very credible, Bean says. You know, rather than having it drummed into you or having it taught, it leaves it open for you to make up your mind. Its very open-minded.

So I think thats one of the good qualities and beauty of the film  that its not a kind of sanctimonious, kind of pontificating deal with religion about what we should believe, what we should not believe. Its the story thats presented for the viewer to make up their own mind.

His character of Severus  a creation of Rice, not a figure from the Bible  has relatively few lines, with much of his acting done quietly, an emotion that crosses his face, a reaction to the words of another character. As hes sent out to hunt the boy Jesus for Herod, you can see him move from grudging obedience to concern that he might not be doing the right thing and finally to acceptance that the boy is special and should protected, not harmed.

I think the character of Severus is a representation of Jesus consciousness, his human consciousness, Bean says, adding that his character evolves from doing the will of the Romans to actually, truly believing in this young boy and what he could bring to the world.

Obviously Severus had a very powerful transformation in his psychology and spirituality, and I think that kind of represents the society at the time, he says. This one man represents the whole raft of ideologies at the time that converted to Christianity. For me it was more symbolic. I just tried to flesh him out and give him some life.

Asked whether he sees similarities between the Bible as source material and the novels by J.R.R. Tolkien and George R.R. Martin that served as the basis for Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, Bean says he does.

The stakes are so high, he says of the stories shared across their many pages. Tolkien was quite a religious man and so is George R.R. Martin. They kind of have this epic quality about them when they write the material.

And beneath them all are echoes of Greek myths, he says.

Behind it all theres morals and principles and fairness and love and treachery, Bean says. One of the things I think that comes across in The Young Messiah is that the message is that it takes love  thats kind of the overriding kind of emotion that the Bible professes.

We all know its been used for nefarious purposes, the Bible, by various politicians and churches and organizations in the past, he says. But when you do actually look at the Bible, or have a chance to try and get to the bottom of it, you find that the overriding message is love and compassion and fairness and truth. And I think that applies to Lord of the Rings and the Greek myths.

Theres always a sense if you do the right thing, thats probably the best thing to do because things have a habit of coming back at you and you get your just desserts. Theres a certain fatality to these stories that personally Im quite drawn to.

With its opening two weeks before Easter, The Young Messiah is perfectly timed for Christians. But Bean says he thinks the film can appeal to people of all faiths, or no faith at all.

It doesnt beat you over the head with a stick about religion, he says. Its not forcing you to believe anything. Its just a very, very interesting story, which I happen to believe is a true story.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7787 or plarsen@ocregister.com
President Ronald Reagan, whose wife Nancy passed away last week, had a passion for educating young adults. Even today, the Young Americas Foundation uses the late presidents Santa Barbara-area ranch to help develop the next generation of conservative leadership. So its with all confidence that I predict President Reagan would be distraught at the current ideological preferences of Americans under the age of 30.

A YouGov survey conducted in January asked respondents whether they had a more favorable view of capitalism or socialism. Americans between the ages of 30-44, 45-64, and 65-plus all preferred capitalism by a wide margin. However, 43 percent of Americans under age 30  the so-called millennials  had a favorable view of socialism, while 32 percent said the same thing about capitalism.

Its not unusual to find young adults at the core of progressive movements for change, but the millennial generation is uniquely susceptible to the easy political promises of socialism. For starters, many young people who tried to enter the workforce during the Great Recession havent experienced the benefits of a capitalist economy: According to data from the St. Louis Federal Reserve, nearly half of all 25-year-olds are living at home with their parents, up from roughly 25 percent at the turn of the millennium.

We also live in an age of instant gratification  instant news, same-day delivery of consumer goods, an on-demand chauffeured ride. This digital generation communicates in shareable icons and images, and signals its support for candidates and causes with likes and retweets.

But what millennials gain in multitasking skills, they can lose in deep engagement on difficult issues. A 2012 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center and Elon University suggested that the Millennial generation will exhibit a thirst for instant gratification and quick fixes, a loss of patience and a lack of deep thinking ability as a consequence of their always-connected lives.

Instant gratification and quick fixes are exactly whats been promised by todays variant democratic socialism: Free health care and free college, financed by the wealthiest of the wealthy and with few costs for the rest of us. The reality is far less appealing: Theres not enough money at the top of the income pyramid to finance this agenda, which is why everyone has to pay the tab for free services.

For instance, the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, in its analysis of Sen. Bernie Sanders tax plan, estimated that middle-class families earning $45,000 a year would pay $1,600 more in taxes on average to finance these benefits.

Of course, free college for all is far easier to share and digest on Facebook or Twitter than is a dense table of tax figures. The bigger concern here is the anti-prosperity underside of the ideology that the millennial generation is embracing.

Consider the social-democratic policies on offer in much of Western Europe, where rigid labor markets, confiscatory tax regimes, and a hostility to entrepreneurship have resulted in years of low growth and high unemployment rates.

At its extremes in Venezuela, the results of socialism are devastating. A columnist for business newspaper City A.M. explains: Food is running out, as are other essentials, even though the country claims the worlds largest oil reserves. There are shortages of toilet paper and soap, empty shelves and massive crowds queuing for hours in front of supermarkets.

In a series of radio commentaries that aired in the late 1970s, Ronald Reagan explored the dangers of socialism in an easily-understood format appealing to young listeners. He continued to speak forcefully and memorably on the topic during his time as president.

Today, we need another generation of political leaders who are passionate about speaking to young people on the dangers of anti-market ideologies. We shouldnt ostracize or look down upon millennials who embrace socialism; instead, we should show them why a free market is better than a free lunch.

Michael Saltsman is research director at the Employment Policies Institute.
BERLIN  Thousands of files have surfaced with personal data on members of Islamic State  documents that might help authorities track down and prosecute foreign fighters who returned home after joining the extremists or identify those who recruited them.

Germanys federal criminal police said Thursday they are in possession of the files and believe they are authentic.

The announcement came after Britains Sky News reported it obtained 22,000 Islamic State files that detail the real names of fighters for the group, where they were from, their phone numbers and even names of those who sponsored and recruited them. In a joint report, Germanys Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper in Munich and broadcasters WDR and NDR reported independently Monday they had obtained many dozens of pages of such documents itself.

This is a huge database  there are more than something like 22,000 names, so this is very, very important, said Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck, a research analyst at the Carnegie Middle East Center.

She said the files would definitely help international security services, including those in Arab countries, to confirm the identities of those who have already left to fight for Islamic State, to discover the identities of new fighters, and to help them in identifying those who return home from Syria and Iraq.

Sky said the files, obtained at the border between Turkey and Syria, were passed to them on a memory stick stolen from the head of the Islamic States internal security police by a former fighter who had grown disillusioned with the group.

The documents highlight the bureaucratic work of the highly secretive extremist group that has spread fear through its brutal killings and deadly attacks in its self-declared caliphate of Syria and Iraq, as well as in places like France, Turkey, Lebanon, Yemen and Libya.

The information could help the U.S.-led coalition that is fighting the Islamic State group by aiding in a crackdown on the extremists foreign fighter networks, said U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren, a spokesman for the coalition.

He said that while he was not able to verify the documents, he hoped that if there is a media outlet that has these names and numbers, I hope they publish them.

Both Sky and Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported the documents were forms with 23 questions to be filled out by recruits when they were inducted into the Islamic State. Sky said they included nationals from at least 51 countries, including the U.S. and Britain.

Zaman al-Wasl English, a Syrian news site critical of extremist fighters and the government, also obtained the documents from a source in the border area, said its editor, Mohamed Hamdan.

The document gives the jihadists who want to join Daesh the choice of profession, what does he want to be: a suicide bomber, a martyr, a fighter or an administrative worker.

The date of the documents suggested they may offer insight into fighters recruited in 2013.
WASHINGTON  Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, met with President Barack Obama on Thursday for the first official visit by a Canadian leader in 19 years, a diplomatic honor made possible in part by new pledges of cooperation on combating climate change.

Obama and Trudeau announced Thursday new commitments to reduce planet-warming emissions of methane, a chemical contained in natural gas that is about 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide and that can leak from drilling wells and pipelines.

In a joint statement, the leaders promised that their two countries would play a leadership role internationally in the low carbon global economy over the coming decades. As part of the announcement, United States officials said they would immediately begin a new push to regulate methane emissions from existing oil and gas facilities, though finishing that process before the end of Obamas tenure is unlikely.

Methane is upwards of 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide in warming the planet, said Gina McCarthy, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. It has become clear that it is time for the EPA to take additional action to regulate existing sources in the oil and gas sector.

Obama and Trudeau also pledged new cooperation in preserving the Arctic and focusing on biodiversity, science-based decision-making, indigenous people and building a sustainable Arctic economy. The two nations also promised to accelerate the carrying out of agreements made in climate talks in Paris last year.

Both nations know we must care for the one planet we share, said Sally Jewell, the secretary of the interior in the United States. I appreciate Canadas strong leadership.

The climate announcements came before a day of ceremony that will conclude with a state dinner in the East Room of the White House. On the menu is Alaskan halibut casseroles, roasted apricot galette, baby lamb chops with Yukon Gold potato dauphinoise and a maple pecan cake with cocoa nib wafer and butterscotch swirl ice cream.

The arrival of Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, has prompted comparisons to a similar visit in 1977 by Pierre Trudeau, a former prime minister and the current leaders father. That visit made headlines when Margaret Trudeau, Pierre Trudeaus wife, wore an above-the-knee dress to the White House state dinner.

While Canada and the United States have long been close allies, Obamas efforts to confront global warming had become a major point of contention with Justin Trudeaus predecessor, Stephen Harper, who sought to aggressively expand Canadas oil industry.

As Obama became more determined to leave behind a lasting environmental legacy, he delayed and eventually rejected construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have transported nearly a million barrels a day of heavily polluting oil from Alberta to refineries on the Gulf Coast.

Obamas rejection of the pipeline severely strained relations with Harper.

But Trudeaus election last year signaled a shift in policy that was welcomed by the White House. Trudeau did not criticize Obamas rejection of the pipeline, and Trudeau has pledged to pursue an ambitious environmental agenda to coincide with Obamas policies.

In December, Canadian officials helped to push through a historic global climate agreement in Paris.

The climate relationship with Canada really just ramped up dramatically quickly, Todd Stern, Obamas special envoy for climate change, told reporters before Trudeaus arrival.

The two leaders will meet privately on Thursday to discuss military cooperation, efforts to combat terrorism, improvements in trade and environmental concerns.

Among the issues the two leaders will seek to resolve is a decades-old dispute over softwood lumber. U.S. officials say lumber from Canada is unfairly subsidized by the government there, an assertion that Canadian officials reject.

Thats a longstanding and complicated issue, but we do welcome the Trudeaus government interest in discussing a new arrangement for softwood lumber, and were open to exploring all options with Canada to address this important trade issue, said Mark Feierstein, the senior director for the Western Hemisphere at the National Security Council.

But the most anticipated topic is the environment.

Prime Minister Trudeau is already showing serious, concrete commitment to accelerating progress on climate, Stern said. The commitment of both leaders to addressing this global challenge is clear. And I suspect under their leadership, North America will make significant progress this year and next.

The Obama administration wants to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40 percent to 45 percent from 2012 levels by 2025. The Interior Department has proposed a number of regulations on methane leaks, but it has yet to write a regulation governing such leaks from current oil and gas drilling on public land.
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.  A white Donald Trump rally attendee was charged with assault Thursday after he was caught on video hitting a black man being escorted by deputies from the venue, authorities said.

A news release from the Cumberland County Sheriffs Office said John Franklin McGraw, 78, of Linden, was charged with assault and disorderly conduct after the rally for the Republican presidential front-runner Wednesday in Fayetteville.

The release said the assault victim was being escorted out of Crown Coliseum after disrupting the rally, and deputies had their eyes on the stairs when the assault happened.

The deputies who did not see the assault continued up the steps with the victim, who was ultimately escorted from the Coliseum, the news release said.

McGraw was arrested Thursday after investigators reviewed a video posted on social media. Videos from the event show a man with a pony tail and cowboy hat hitting a black man being escorted from the seating area.

Sheriff Earl Butler condemned the assault and launched an internal investigation into how deputies handled the situation.

Listings for McGraw rang disconnected. Authorities didnt respond to an email asking if he had an attorney.

The television program Inside Edition said it interviewed McGraw after the incident and asked him if he liked the rally.

According to the video posted online by the program (http://goo.gl/wFtXIl), he responded: You bet I liked it  knocking the hell out of that big mouth.

The video shows the man going on to say: Yes, he deserved it. The next time we see him, we might have to kill him. We dont know who he is. He might be with a terrorist organization.

After detectives reviewed the video, McGraw was also charged with communicating threats.

The man who was punched, Rakeem Jones, told The Associated Press that he and others went to the event as observers, not protesters. He says someone swore at one of their group, and by the time they tried to object, the police were escorting him out.

It was like, wow, I got hit while the police are escorting me out.  The police watched me get hit, he said.

He said his right eye is swollen and bruised.

Confrontations between protesters, Trump supporters and police have become standard at Trump rallies across the country. And Trump has incorporated reactions to them into his usual stump speech.

At one point during Wednesday nights rally, Trump described an altercation at a past event between the audience and a protester, whom he described as a real bad dude. He was rough, he was tough. And hes starting to punch people and hes screaming.

He was a rough guy and he was punching. And we had some people  some rough guys like we have right in here  and they started punching back. It was a beautiful thing. I mean, they started punching.

Audiences are usually told ahead of rallies in an announcement not to harm protesters  and instead attract authorities attention by chanting, Trump! Trump! Trump!

At least a dozen people were escorted from Wednesday nights rally.

In an email in response to a question about the altercation, Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks said only that we are not involved.

Trump said at Thursdays GOP debate that he hopes he hasnt played a role in inciting the violence with some of his provocative language.

He said supporters who attend his rallies have anger thats unbelievable and love this country.
To Rakeem Jones, flanked on all sides by uniformed sheriffs deputies, it was more than just the shock of being ejected from a political rally for Donald Trump. The black man felt as if he was being transported back in time.

Its not the America they portray on TV, the 26-year-old said, the day after he was wrestled to the ground by officers and punched in the face during the campaign event in Fayetteville, N.C.

But to friend Ronnie Rouse, who caught the incident on video, it was totally American.

This is the America everybody wants to ignore, the music producer told The Associated Press Thursday. This is the America, when people tell you, Oh, racism doesnt exist. Its here.

What should we make of scenes like this Wednesday evening at Crown Coliseum?

They have become a regular thing at Trump rallies, and while security experts say Trump has every right to quash dissent at events hes paying for, they say the Republican front-runner is playing with fire by not tamping down uncivil behavior and assault.

I would go so far as to say that I find that abhorrent, security consultant Stan Kephart, a former police chief in Arizona and California, says of Trumps failure to call out his pugnacious followers. To me, hes pressing the line. Hes doing things that you would see a showman do.

Whats Trumps attitude about all of this?

He once said hed like to personally punch a protester in the face, and has pledged to pay his supporters legal bills if they get in trouble.

Hes spoken fondly of the good old days when police could rough protesters up without fear of backlash. But today, he said Wednesday in Fayetteville, they walk in and they put their hand up and they put the wrong finger in the air  and they get away with murder. Because weve become weak. Trump also told the Fayetteville crowd about one past protester, a real bad dude, who punched people. And we had some people  some rough guys like we have right in here  and they started punching back. It was a beautiful thing.

In Fayetteville, strong words between Trump supporters and protesters quickly ignited.

Rouse said his group was reacting to an insult against one of their party when they were suddenly swarmed by officers, and Jones was thrown to the floor. As he was being led away, Jones said he could hear Trump shouting, Go home to your mama. Jones mother died eight years ago.

Jones said the man who hit him was allowed to stay, but on Thursday, the Cumberland County Sheriffs Department charged John Franklin McGraw of Linden, North Carolina, with assault and disorderly conduct.

The role of law enforcement in these situations is not simple.

We respect folks First Amendment rights to free speech. Were not there to police the protesters, said Robert K. Hoback, a spokesman for the Secret Service, commenting on reports that Secret Service agents escorted protesters out of a recent Trump event in Georgia. He said they only act on threats to the protectee.

Crowd control expert Paul Wertheimer, who has been keeping track of Trump events, said he hasnt seen any instances where law enforcement or private security have overstepped. But he thinks the candidate should show more tolerance for protest.

Mr. Trump is a wise and wily man, said Wertheimer, head of Los Angeles-based Crowd Management Strategies. I think he, in general, knows what hes doing, and he does this intentionally to stir up the crowd.

But he said the candidate is taking a risk.

I think things can quickly get out of control if he continues to act this way, said Wertheimer, whos consulted with authorities in Ferguson, Missouri, Baltimore and other recent hot spots. The man or woman on the stage with the mic has a lot of power  to calm things down or to provoke confrontations, to inspire or to create an atmosphere of intolerance.

Kephart, the ex-police chief, agrees that Trump should be a little more willing to take the boos and heckling. What he shouldnt tolerate, he said, is violence.

If you dont say anything, youre assenting to it. Youre saying its OK. he said. You want to be president, you should stand up for what is right and what is wrong.

In an email about the incident and arrest, Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said Thursday, We are Not involved.

Whether someones rights are being trampled depends on the venue, be it public or private, said Ken Paulson, president of the First Amendment Center at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

Basically, you always have to remember that the First Amendment says, Congress shall make no law. It doesnt say, Trump shall make no rules in a private setting, he said. But a public place doesnt become a private country club, he added, just because somebody writes a big check.
If youve always wanted to visit Japan but were scared off by high prices, like me, take note:

Your yen to visit may be strong, but the yen is weak, making Japan a more affordable destination than in many years.

Airfares are also down, due to lower fuel prices. Bargain fares lately have ranged from $500-$700 round-trip.

Last year, 1 million Americans visited Japan. My friend Iris, whose parents are Japanese, has seduced me with tales of hot springs and sacred mountains, so I do intend to go.

I havent had a chance to make my visit yet, but I recently cadged expert advice on how to save from Tina Grindol of the Los Angeles branch of the Japan National Tourism Organization.

You can call or stop by the downtown L.A. tourist office to get personalized recommendations, too.

Saving money on money

Money tips: The U.S. dollar vs. Japanese yen exchange rate is favorable right now, giving us a 10 percent to 15 percent discount on everything. At this writing, one dollar equaled 113 yen, making the yen worth slightly less than one cent.

Inside Japan, get your yen at a 7-Eleven store or Japan Post ATM, which charge no fees, though your bank back home usually slaps a foreign transaction fee on you. (Note that 7-Eleven is owned by a Japanese company, and stores are better stocked than here.)

Get off the tourist track: Eighty percent of North American tourists visit the Tokyo, Mount Fuji and Kyoto areas and then go home. Yet many lesser-known regions are equally beautiful and historic  and cheaper, with a better chance of meeting locals and exploring the real Japan. Examples include the beautiful coastal artisan town of Kanazawa, or the scenic Iya Valley on Shikoku Island.

Getting around

Bus it: Instead of the pricey bullet train between Tokyo and Kyoto, try highway buses starting around 3,000 yen. Yes, they take longer, but they save you money. Also consider the lie-flat sleeper buses, starting at 8,000 yen, that get you to your destination in the morning and save the cost of a hotel room. Willer Express (willerexpress.com/en) has 70 bus routes throughout Japan.

Flights: For flights inside Japan, check out low-cost Japanese carriers starting at 4,000 yen. The cheapest flights are early morning weekdays. And if you fly to Japan on All Nippon Airways or Japan Airlines, you can get discounted domestic fares if you bought an international ticket with them or their alliances.

Where to stay

Hostels: Japan has 220 hostels that are generally very clean and safe. Shared dorms start at 2,000 yen per night. Although they are called youth hostels, they are for all ages, and many have family rooms. Check out Hosteling International (hiusa.org), which also offers hostels in the U.S. and around the world. (Ive been a member for years.)

Guest houses: Check out backpacker hotels and small guest houses, which have private sleeping areas with shared bathrooms and even kitchens.

Business hotels: Clean rooms are available for 7,000-10,000 yen per night, good for budget travelers who want more privacy. Example: the Toyoko Inn (Toyoko-inn.com/eng).

Suburbs: You can stay in the cheaper suburbs and still have access to Tokyo sites because of fantastic public transportation. Stay in Yokohama, 25 miles away, and take the train into Tokyo. Or the Hachiogi suburb, where a new Toyoko Inn is opening in June with rooms at this writing for around $60 per night.

Shopping

Visitors can shop tax-free in hundreds of participating stores now due to new regulations. Also check out the 100 Yen stores and temple flea markets on weekends.

When to go: Bargain seasons are late May to early June, also late September to early October. Climates vary, so consider Japan a year-round destination.

What to eat

Eat like a local: You pay as little as about 500 yen for the average lunch of ramen noodles, curry plate or beef bowl at local places. Follow people in suits to local places with set lunches around 1,000 yen.

Pick up a freshly made meal at a convenience store or market. Most have food prepared and delivered several times daily. Examples: a bottle of hot black tea for 190 yen; chicken ramen salad for 300 yen; fresh melon bread for 200 yen. And note that fresh food often goes on sale after 7 p.m.

Cheap doesnt mean low quality in Japan. For example, the ramen shop Tsuta has a Michelin star, but a hearty bowl of ramen starts at 850 yen, or less than $8. Especially in Tokyo, eat anywhere, because if a place is low quality or bad, it just wont stay in business.

Sightseeing savings

Many temples and shrine outer grounds are free to visit.

Pick up a local welcome card from a tourist center when you arrive for museum and sightseeing discounts. These are often found in or around the main train station.

If you cant afford to stay at a pricey hot spring spa inn, most offer affordable day passes.

Learn more

The Japanese National Tourism Organization has brochures, maps and more. Information: 213-623-1952 or www.jnto.go.jp /eng; or email info@jnto-lax.org;

Got a recommendation for budget travel in Japan or elsewhere? Let me know at mfisher@ocregister.com.

Contact the writer: mfisher@ocregister.com or 714-796-7994
House With a Heart is an animal sanctuary in Gaithersburg, Maryland, thats exclusively dedicated to the care of elderly dogs and cats. Founded in 2006 by Sher Polvinale, the shelter regularly rescues senior animals abandoned by their owners, and cares for them until the very end.

Sher and her husband had been working with rescued cats and dogs for nearly 20 years before they had the idea for House With a Heart Senior Pet Sanctuary. Over the years, they had received several calls from people who could no longer care for their aging pets. These animals almost never got adopted again, so they eventually decided to convert their home into a haven dedicated to their care.

I started thinking about all the dogs and cats we had placed over the years and how we had agonized over finding just the right home, Sher said, speaking to The Huffington Post. I just felt terrible thinking about a pet who loved and trusted its person being given up because it was old, and not so convenient anymore.

The couple used their own home in Maryland to set up House With a Heart, transforming it into a full-time haven for pets from all over the nation. The animals that live with them are all aging and ill with conditions like dementia, incontinence, or blindness. Many of them cannot walk unassisted and need wheeled devices to help them move around. Others have diabetes or heart disease. But thanks to contributions made by generous donors, Sher ensures that every dogs special needs are met.

The home has a total of 55 volunteers who come in at different times of the day to care for the animals around the clock  changing diapers, cleaning up, and engaging the dogs in various games. Sher herself rarely leaves the house, dedicating all her time to looking after the animals. She starts her day at 6am to prepare the dogs food and doesnt go to bed until well after midnight. Despite her strenuous schedule, Sher says that she enjoys every minute spent in the company of the animals.

Every morning I open my eyes and jump up ready to spend another day loving and caring for these dear ones who need me, she said. I am so fortunate to have this life!

Shers relentless dedication and the volunteers hard work extends until the very end of each dogs life. And even after their passing, the residents of House With a Heart are never forgotten  their photographs are displayed on a wall as a special tribute.

Photos: House with a Heart/Facebook

Sources: The Huffington Post, Dog Time
New York-headquartered full-service PR agency The Rosen Group has appointed Matt Sutton senior account executive.

Sutton, who joined the agency in January 2015 as an account executive, previously worked in Capitol Hill, where he served as communications director to Rep. Beto ORourke (D-TX). He later led business development initiatives in APCO Worldwides Washington D.C. office.

At Rosen Group, Sutton has fielded communications campaigns for clients such as the Brewers Association, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, Kiplingers Personal Finance, Focus Products Group and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
After holding out for six years, Quogue, N.Y., has succumbed to the blackmail of the East End Eruv Assn. which said put up our religious symbols permanently on your telephone poles or pay millions in fines and legal costs.

That is not an idle threat since the politicized courts, blind to the visibility of eruv markers on the web and in the media, contend that since they are barely visible on the telephone poles, they are not signs at all.

Further visibility was given to the eruvim by the Southampton Press which made the Quogue cave-in the top story in its March 10 edition, also carrying it on the 27east.com website.

An email to 27east.com on the cave-in captured the reaction of many: What an utter scamsue the villages and then selfishly have your way by not forcing them to pay your legal fees.

The rationale for the cave-in is spelled out in the story. The East End Eruv Assn. has agreed not to seek millions in legal costs and fines if Quogue will allow religious symbols to be permanently affixed to 48 poles in the village.

Quogue Mayor Peter Sartorius

The same deal was made and accepted by Southampton at the end of its Council meeting Aug. 25. There had been no advance notice to citizens and no discussion allowed at the meeting. For shame! wrote a member of Jewish People for the Betterment of WHB to the Southampton Press.

Its blackmail, pure and simple, religion at its worst, trampling on the rights of citizens who do not want to live in a religious enclave.

Courts, Elected Officials, Media, Libraries Fail Citizens

It is also the courts at their irrational, politicized worst, no decision on eruvim ever mentioning the existence of the web. Instead, the decisions cite the 1971 case of Lemon v. Kurtzman as the rationale for allowing eruvim. That opinion emphasized the lack of visibility of eruvim to casual passersby.

Also hitting a new low are local government officials. They have done a poor job of explaining eruvim and of guiding citizens through the fog of billions of words in legal filings. A particularly poor job has been done by the WHB government headed by Mayor Maria Moore. The WHB website has billions of words of legal mumbo-jumbo with no attempt to make sense of it. Many important documents are not included.



Verizon and Long Island Power have joined in the fray on the side of eruv proponents, both launching suits against the Hampton towns demanding that they accept the religious enclave. Both ignore the fact that about 95% of their customers do not want to have religious symbols permanently affixed to their telephone poles. The principle of separation of church and state, one of the basic building blocks of America, is ignored. Public and private industry officlals have ganged up against the public and the Constitution of the U.S.

Also derelict are major media including the New York Times which has not covered this mess since Feb. 4, 2013, even though one of its top public affairs reporters, Nicholas Confessore, is the son of Lynda Confessore, president of the Quogue library.

NYT does not cover the story because it would be too embarrassing for many of those involved. How is it to explain its avoidance of a story involving millions of dollars in legal fees and billions of words of legal arguing?

The SH Press is derelict because it editorialized on July 23, 2015 in favor of the eruv in WHB, saying it is not visible and therefore of no concern to anyone. Its not only highly visible on the Hampton Synagogue website but the editorial itself made the eruv even more visible as did the page one story March 10. Editorials should be reasonable if nothing else. Completely ignoring the long, costly dispute is patch.com, the local news service. It focuses on incidents calling for police action and the weather.

Children who can read are aware of the behavior of the adults in the Hamptons.

We think the SH Press is influenced by real estate interests since eruvim in the Hamptons will be a major selling point. Mr. Sneiv, a columnist in Dans Papers, has predicted zooming prices if eruvim get established.

An 800-word piece by Sneiv on Sept. 21, 2015 was a plea to Pope Francis to step into the dispute and talk the EEEA out of its quest for eruvim lest protests turn violent.

Mr. Sneiv said he wrote months ago to the Vatican asking for intervention by the Pope who could bring peace before this escalates into the throwing of rocks or worse.

WHB already has a healthy mix of religious options including a Synagogue and Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian and Episcopal churches, he said.

Residents have been fighting an eruv since 2008 because they feel that it could eventually change the entire look and feel of the community, he added. There are usually about 1,800 homes for sale in the East End.

There supposedly is an eruv in WHB but neither the EEEA nor the Synagogue will say where any of the markers are. An exhaustive search of telephone poles in WHB by the SH Press failed to find a single lechi.

Under Jewish law, if even one lechi is missing or broken in some way, the entire eruv is invalid. It seems the EEEA is afraid that residents of WHB, able to see the lechis, will take some of them down and invalidate it.

Libraries Skip Issue

Alexandra Susman

Libraries in Westhampton, Southampton and Quogue are AWOL on this issue because none of them has even the suggestion of an exhibit or filing of any sort on the subject even though this battle has been waged since 2008.

They are hotbeds of politics and anti-intellectualism when they should be in hot pursuit of facts and truth. Public discussion and debate would be the way to arrive at that but the libraries want no part of it.

Eruvim are unconstitutional as has been shown by extensive analyses by two distinguished law professorsAlexandra Susman of UCLA and Marci Hamilton of Yeshiva University.

The EEEA is a frightening monster against which the normal weapons of reason and fairness have no effect. Virtually all local residents oppose any religious symbols on their telephone poles but they stand by helplessly as their institutions get flattened by the EEEA monster.

Courts, Media, Libraries, Utilities, Schools, Squashed

This includes the courts, which refuse to invoke the weapon of the web against EEEA. Court decisions buy into the claim that eruvim markers are invisible and therefore of no concern to the public. No decision has ever mentioned that eruvim are shown and explained in detail on Synagogue and Google websites.

Abusive behavior by lawyers was captured on videotape behavior by lawyers at the Sept. 3, 2015 meeting of the WHB board. Outside counsel Brian Sokoloff talked from 17 minutes to 1:11 without ever mentioning that eruvim have been outed by the web. Instead, court decisions attesting to the unobtrusiveness and invisibility of eruvim were quoted.

After listening to Sokoloff for about 55 minutes, we took the mike and slammed the courts for not mentioning how visible eruvim are. We slammed Southampton for agreeing on Aug. 25 to allow EEEA to place eruv markers on utility poles in return for not being liable for millions in legal claims and penalties. That was extortion and blackmail, we said.
Eric Lebson and Ian Christopher McCaleb authored this piece.

Fools rush in: a cliche, trite, overused truism that anyone involved in all sorts of complicated, high-risk, high-reward business transactions must mull over before plowing ahead into a situation that may generate substantial, sustained income. Corporations, well meaning but highly ambitious individuals, and even charities or philanthropic ventures looking to boost their coffers for aid and assistance efforts, should be wary of moving into anything too quickly.

No one beginning a transaction or business relationship  no matter their motivation  wants to think of himself or herself as the fool. That label arrives later, involuntarily and unfortunately, when bloggers, analysts and journalists learn of a relationship failing miserably or souring, or when a profitmaking venture exudes a criminal taint of some sort.

At the American Bar Associations White Collar Crime Conference in San Diego last week, some of the biggest law firms in the Western world  as well as government officials whose charge it is to bring high-yield prosecutions  presciently warned attendees about maintaining ones reputation in the midst of a legal action or any other shade of crisis.

Companies should be wary of their reputations, was heard time and again in the conferences breakout sessions. No matter their criminal specialty, attorneys and government prosecutors alike urged corporations in particular to plan and strategize for the moment a prosecutorial spotlight shines on them. They should be thinking about self-reporting as well as their own internal investigations and disciplinary actions. They need to condition their employees for cooperation and compliance and plan for a media storm that will surely follow once wrongdoing is uncovered.

No venture, no matter its scope or money-generating potential, should be entered without thorough investigation and consideration. And no such venture should be maintained without drafting and executing a full-scale communications protocol that explains the ethos behind the profit-making  for internal and external audiences alike  and sets conditions and responses for the possibility that the whole thing could turn bad with a moments notice.

Indeed, the most effective course of action for anyone thinking about a high-risk, high-reward venture is to engage in both processes at the same time.

Due diligence feeds crisis avoidance and crisis response

Foreign partnerships, new investments, new markets and even the emergence of new products and services can all lead to great return if properly planned.

Some questions that must be asked: how is one certain that they know all that should be known about the people or organizations with whom they are contracting or aligning? How thoroughly can someone research the regulatory, legal, social, political and security landscape of a newly entered region or country? And what of the new investment or business venture itself? Is it being managed appropriately and lawfully? Are you aware of all potential legal and reporting issues associated with your work? Are you up-to-date on the statutes that directly govern your business sector?

Due diligence, financial monitoring and several varieties of analytics, as well as thorough background investigations and ground-level data collection  all conducted by an independent and dispassionate third party investigative team  can arm any organization for the road ahead, even if that road doesnt appear to be fraught with the peril that accompanies the outset of a new venture or operation.

These intertwined investigative disciplines can reveal problems waiting to occur, or they can effectively discredit or unmask bad actors with whom you already may have begun to interact.

Perhaps more importantly: they will all give you reputational cover, and a self-revealing roadmap to recovery, in the event of a catastrophe such as prosecution, a product failure, a melted-down investment or the actions of a seen or unseen adversary.

The end results of these investigations can be leveraged to inform the work of your dedicated communications team as they formulate back-pocket strategies for crisis mitigation and management, general communications, financial communications and the soothing and long-term buy-in of internal and external stakeholders.

An easily referenced, deeply detailed and informed communications strategy  all of which is set in place and fueled by the investigative processes described here  will answer the concerns aptly voiced by attorneys and prosecutors at the ABA conference in San Diego earlier this month. Their lamentations didnt come from just anywhere: they are all, especially on the litigator side, finding themselves defending companies and individuals who are not the least bit prepared to defend themselves in public. These attorneys know that their job gets that much harder if there is no concurrent public defense effort.

Take their advice. Start your defensive communications and investigative efforts before you launch your next big profit-seeking exercise. You may find yourself extending your startup timeline just a bit longer, but the yield in piece of mind and a newfound ability to react immediately should a crisis break  could be the difference in survival of your most cherished processes, operations or partnerships.



* * *

Ian Christopher McCaleb and Eric Lebson are Business Intelligence practitioners at Levick. They work closely with some companies to help them avoid conflict and with others to help them navigate crisis when it occurs.
Washington D.C.-based public affairs, communication and political advisory shop Sanitas International, LLC has been hired to represent Dominican Republic independent politician Minou Tavarez Mirabal, who is running for president in that countrys 2016 general election.

Minou Tavarez Mirabal

Tavarez Mirabal, who previously served as DR deputy foreign minister, was later elected to that Hispaniola-based country's parliament, for which she has served since, and is also the committee president of non-profit international network Parliamentarians for Global Action. She is the daughter of revolutionaries Manolo Tavarez Justo and Minerva Mirabal, the latter of whom was killed in 1960 along with her two sisters by Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo's Military Intelligence Service secret police unit.

Tavarez Mirabal is currently the leading candidate to succeed the Dominican Republic's current president, Danilo Medina.

According to Foreign Agents Registration Act documents, Sanitas will provide political strategy for Tavarez Mirabal and her campaign and will also work to secure principal media interviews in international media outlets.

Tavarez Mirabal's campaign receives financial subsidies from DRs Opcion Democratica (Democratic Choice) political party, which she formed in 2014.

Sanitas founding partner Christopher Harvin, who held senior advisory positions in the Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs and the Office of the Secretary of Defense, signed the agreement.
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Marco Rubio says he's "not entirely proud" of his deeply personal attacks on Donald Trump and would have handled his critiques of the GOP front-runner differently if he could do it all over again.

The Florida senator, whose standing has fallen since he launched the Trump attacks, says his own children were "embarrassed" by his actions.

Rubio garnered significant attention for criticizing Trump's tan, his hair and his hand size. But the attacks did little to slow the billionaire's march toward the nomination or boost Rubio's own standing.

In a town hall with MSNBC, Rubio says he knows the attacks are "not what we want from our next president."
A 27-year-old man was sentenced to two years in prison for spitting on a law enforcement officer  his fifth conviction for assaulting an officer.

Last May, Bureau of Indian Affairs officers reported they were sent to Duane Rouillards house in Winnebago, Nebraska, on a report of a domestic disturbance:

Rouillards mother and cousin were restraining him when officers arrived. When an officer tried to handcuff Rouillard, he spat on the officers face and neck, saying, Now you know I am real. Did you feel that?

Rouillard is in the Douglas County Jail, awaiting trial on a separate charge of assaulting a health care worker in November.
Police on Thursday accused two brothers who are students at Iowa Western Community College of carrying a 12-gauge shotgun on the Council Bluffs campus.

The gun was found outside a dormitory in a car owned by one of the brothers, police said.

Before their arrest, the brothers at about 2 p.m. "made threatening comments and gestures" as they drove past a group of walking students, police said.

Both suspects, who are 18 and 19, were booked on suspicion of carrying weapons on school grounds, a felony, and first-degree harassment and criminal trespass, which are misdemeanors.
A Hollywood actor and an Internet entrepreneur and his wife opened their wallets Thursday to help nearly 200 schools in Nebraska and Iowa.

The donors were among almost 60 business leaders, celebrities, philanthropists and athletes who committed $14 million to fund nearly 12,000 projects across the country.

Teachers had posted their requests on the Internet website DonorsChoose.org  asking for everything from books and science equipment to art supplies and field trips.

Twitter co-founder Evan Williams and his wife, Sara, funded 86 projects in Nebraska, according to DonorsChoose.org. Williams is a native of Clarks, Nebraska.

Fifty of the Nebraska projects were at schools in Omaha, mostly in the Omaha and Millard school districts. Money also went to schools in Norfolk, Papillion, Crete, Grand Island, Hastings, Kearney, Waverly, Valley, Columbus, Lexington, Blue Hill, Lincoln, Walthill and Crookston.

Actor Ashton Kutcher, who was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, funded 131 projects in that state from Dubuque to Council Bluffs.

He posted a video on Twitter crediting his Iowa public school teachers for his success.

In the video, the film star and former model says the education he received was extraordinary.

His teachers went above and beyond, inspired him and helped him get where he is today, he said.

They probably believed in me more than I believed in myself, he said.

Officials at DonorsChoose.org declined to release the total amount of the donations in Iowa and Nebraska. But most of the projects requested on the site are under $1,000 each.

The projects vary from new classroom rugs to iPads, lab coats and clarinet mouthpieces.

Malia Hendricks, a kindergarten teacher at Edison Elementary School in Council Bluffs, got an email Thursday notifiying her that her project was funded. Four projects in the district got funded.

Kutcher paid for seven computer tablets in Hendricks classroom at a cost of about $1,700.

She was excited to receive the email, which came with a link to Kutchers video.

I think it was a very proud moment as an educator to hear someone famous say how grateful he was for his teachers and how awesome his education was, and that he wanted to give back to other schools in Iowa, she said.

She called her project Kindergarten TECHniques. She has tablets in her classroom now but not enough for everyone to work with one at the same time. She plans to introduce kids to computer applications that reinforce what shes teaching and allow them to create their own books.

In all, 58 celebrity philanthropists  including Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson and Serena Williams  pledged to fund the projects.

It is the latest effort underscoring the use of online philanthropy to bridge the gap between what school budgets provide and what teachers say they need. Educators, many of whom report spending an average of $500 from their own pockets to equip students, have secured millions of dollars for books and supplies by floating requests in cyberspace instead of before the school board.

Before Thursday, DonorsChoose.org said more than $400 million had been raised on its site to fund nearly 700,000 education projects posted by about 280,000 teachers.

The celebrity givers in Thursdays campaign hope to inspire others to pitch in and get all the pending projects funded. Google co-founder Sergey Brin and WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton will match $3.2 million in citizen donations.

The idea was inspired by Stephen Colbert, The Late Show host and a DonorsChoose.org board member who surprised teachers in his home state of South Carolina by funding all the classroom projects in one day in May.

This report includes material from the Associated Press.
Bengaluru: Authorities say 'NO' to bike service by taxi aggregators

Bengaluru

oi-Shalini

Bengaluru, March 11: It has been a week that online cab aggregators Ola and Uber had launched their bike taxi initiative in Bengaluru, but by the looks of it these 'bike taxis' may soon be off the roads.

On Thursday, March 10 Ola stopped its service as there were no option of Bike taxi on their app.

The reason for withdrawing its service is still not clear but its seems that the state government was behind it and wanted to stop the illegal service. However, reports suggest that government has even advised citizens not to use the bike service.

Ramegowda, Transport comissioner exclusively told OneIndia: "They are suppose to obtain license from the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) which is headed by the deputy commissioner of concerned districts [Bengaluru: After Uber, now Ola launches bike taxi service]

We have seized all bike taxis which are operating without license in the state and we will look ahead that no such service is not running in city without licence. Proper action will be taken against those bike taxi service aggregators for illegal service in the city," he concluded.

Competing with its rival Uber, Ola also had launced a similar bike taxi service, but soon stopped their service. Uber is still plying its bike taxi service with its UberMoto app service.

OneIndia News
Tarun Gogoi was one of my dearest friends from Assam: Manmohan Singh

'No problem' was Gogoi's guiding mantra; Cong stalwart had said it helped him take hard decisions

Assam Assembly Elections 2016: Know your leader Profile- Tarun Gogoi

Feature

oi-Shradha

By Shradha

The Congress government in Assam is currently spearheaded by Tarun Gogoi, who has been the Chief Minister since May 2001.

The longest serving chief minister of Assam, Gogoi has led the Congress to victory in three consecutive legislative assembly elections in the state.

However, anti-incumbency have been on the rise against Gogoi who is facing allegations of being involved in corruption and nepotism while pushing development on a back foot in the state.

Assembly Elections in Assam are scheduled to be held in two phases on 4th and 11th April 2016 to elect members of the 126 constituencies in the state. Poll results will be declared on 19th May.

Know your state-Assam

Let's take a look at the brief profile of Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

Date and place of birth: Born on 1st April 1936, at Rangajan Tea Estate in Jorhat (erstwhile Sivasagar District), Assam.

Family history: Tarun Gogoi was born into an ethnic Assamese Tai-Ahom family, to Dr. Kamleshwar Gogoi and Usha Gogoi. His father was a medical practitioner at the Rangajan Tea Estate, while his mother is known for compiling a collection of poetry called 'Hiyar Samahar'.

Gogoi started his academics at No. 26 Rangajan Nimna Buniyadi Vidyalaya. Later, he joined Jorhat Madrassa School and stayed there till standard IV. Gogoi then attended Bholaguri High School near Badulipar Tea Estate and studied there till standard VI.

He passed the HSLC examination from Jorhat Government High School in 1949 and graduated from Jagnnath Barooah College in district Jorhat. Gogoi then did LLB from Gauhati University, Assam.

He got married on 30 July 1972 to Dolly Gogoi, a post graduate degree holder in Zoology from Gauhati University. The couple has two children - a daughter Chandrima who is an MBA and son Gaurav, an MP from Kaliabar parliamentary constituency.

Political career: Tarun Gogoi's political career took off in 1968 when he was appointed as a member of the Jorhat Municipal Board. Gogoi became a political leader with national stature after he was elected Joint Secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in 1976 under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

He won in the 6th and 7th Lok Sabha elections in 1977 and 1980 respectively. During Rajiv Gandhi's term as the Prime Minister of India from 1985-1990 Gogoi was promoted as the General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee. Simultaneously, he served as the President of the Pradesh Congress Committee, Assam.

Gogoi was the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Food in 1991-1993. From 1993 to 1995, he served as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Food Processing Industry. In 1997, he was elected to the Assam Legislative Assembly from Margherita Assembly Constituency.

In the following year, Tarun Gogoi held memberships of Committee on Government Assurances, Committee on External Affairs and Consultative Committee, Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. In 1998 and 1999, Gogoi was elected to the 12th and 13th Lok Sabha respectively.

Gogoi was elected Chief Minister of Assam in 2001 after he led the Indian National Congress to victory in the state elections. He has since led the party to a record three consecutive electoral victories in the state as Chief Minister.

But outcome of the 2014 Parliamentary Elections , where Congress won only three out of 14 Lok Sabha seats from Assam has called for a reality check for Gogoi as well as the grand old party . In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls BJP got seven seats, which is the highest number of seats won by the party in any Lok Sabha election in Assam.

Before the election, Gogoi had declared that he would resign from the post of Chief Minister if the Congress party won less than seven out of 14 Lok Sabha seats. Also, in July 2014 Gogoi had indicated that he might not lead the party in the 2016 Assembly elections.

Performance as Assam CM: Recently, Tarun Gogoi laid the foundation of the much-awaited Metro line project in Guwahati, with the formation of special purpose vehicle namely Guwahati metro rail corporation limited for implementing the project.

While the Chief Minister states that he has significantly contributed to the rise in Gross State Domestic Product, per capita income, annual plan size and total deposits, while also improving infrastructure overall development of the state has shown otherwise.

Tarun Gogoi also had to appear in court in January this year in connection with a 100 crore defamation suit by BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma, his former lieutenant who left the Congress in August 2015.

Sarma had then alleged that he "could bring many Congress MLAs to the BJP, but there will be a problem of accommodating them in the party"- reflecting an internal conflict within the Congress party under Gogoi's leadership.
India and Bahrain to sign MoU on Prevention of Human Trafficking

Feature

oi-Lisa

By Lisa

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Bahrain on cooperation for prevention of human trafficking especially trafficking in women and children; rescue, recovery, repatriation and re-integration of victims of trafficking.

This MoU will strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two countries and increase the bilateral cooperation on the issues of prevention, rescue, recovery and repatriation related to human trafficking especially women and children expeditiously.

The MoU is expected to be signed during the Home Ministers upcoming visit to Bahrain in the first week of April 2016.

The following are the salient features of the Memorandum of Understanding between India and Kingdom of Bahrain:

To strengthen cooperation to prevent to all forms of human trafficking, especially that of women and children and ensure speedy investigation and prosecution of traffickers and organised crime syndicates in either country. Taking preventive measures that would eliminate human trafficking in women and children and in protecting the rights off victims of trafficking. Anti-trafficking Cells and Task Force will work on both sides to prevent human trafficking. Police and other concerned authorities will work in close cooperation and exchange information which can be used to interdict human traffickers, The repatriation of victims would be done as expeditiously as possible and home country will undertake the safe and effective re-integration of the victims, A Joint Task Force with representatives from both sides would be constituted to monitor the working of the MoU.

Background:

As a destination of trafficking, South Asian countries are mainly affected by domestic trafficking, or trafficking from the neighbouring countries. However, South Asian victims are also increasingly detected in the Middle East.

India is a source and transit country as far as trafficking to Bahrain is concerned. On the other hand, Bahrain is a destination country for men and women subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced labour and forced prostitution. Men and women from South Asia migrate voluntarily to Bahrain to work as domestic workers or as unskilled labourers in the construction and service industries.

However, some face conditions of forced labour after arriving in Bahrain, through use of such practices as unlawful withholding of passport, restrictions on movement, contract substitution, non-payment of wages, threats, and physical or sexual abuse.

The reinforcement of anti-trafficking efforts at all levels between the Kingdom of Bahrain and India is essential for prevention and protection of victims. This requires mutual cooperation among both the countries for intelligence sharing, joint investigation and a coordinated response to the challenges of human trafficking.

For this purpose, it is proposed to sign an MoU with the Kingdom of Bahrain. India has already signed one MoU to prevent trafficking with Bangladesh.
Puducherry Assembly Elections 2016: Know your leader Profile- N Rangasamy

Feature

oi-Lisa

By Lisa

N Rangasamy is Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Puducherry. He has been elected from Thattanchavady assembly constituency.

Let us look at the brief profile of N Rangasamy, the two time Chief Minister of Puducherry.

Date and place of birth: N Rangasamy was born on the 4th of August 1950 in Puducherry.

Family history: He was born to Nadesan Krishnasamy and Panchali. He got his BCom degree in Tagore Arts College and BL in Dr. Ambedkar Law College, Puducherry.

Political career: N Rangasamy contested the first election at Thattanchavady constituency in 1990. He won the 1991 assembly election with a huge margin of votes and was appointed as Minister of Agriculture and Co-operation.

He again won the election from the same constituency in 1996. He was made the Minister of Tourism, Education, Public Works, Civil Aviation and Art and Culture during the year 2000.

During the 2001 Assembly Election he again won from Thattanchavady constituency and worked as Minister for Public Works, Agriculture and Forest. In the year 2001 itself he became the Chief Minister of Puducherry on the 27th October.

Performance as Puducherry Chief Minister: During his first tenure as Chief Minister N Rangasamy gave Puducherry various path breaking schemes for socio-economic development like:

'Perunthalaivar Kamarajar' Housing Scheme for making the UT of Puducherry a "Hut-free Zone",

Distribution of free text books, note books, rain coats, cycles, umbrella,

'Shri Rajiv Gandhi Breakfast Scheme' under which hot milk and biscuits are provided to students of Government and Government aided schools apart from mid-day meal scheme (this is the welfare scheme which made him exceedingly popular among masses),

Free LPG connection with free stove and cylinder to BPL families,

50 % concession on stamp duty for immovable property registered in the name of Women, and

full reimbursement of tuition fees for students selected through CENTAC for pursuing Medicine and Engineering courses.

He is considered instrumental in developing infrastructure for Puducherry that is at par with metro cities. His welfare scheme for distribution of wheat through public distribution system for poor diabetics who are above 60 years of age has earned him lot of support from the citizens.

Resigned from Congress: While holding the post of Chief Minister coming belonging to Congress Party, N Rangasamy resigned on the 28th August 2008. Congress had asked him to resign due to internal politics.



Form new party and win election: N Rangasamy after resigning from Congress floated a new political party named All India NR Congress (AINRC) on the 7th of February 2011 and within 3 months contested Legislative Assembly Elections and formed the government in the union territory.

On April 21st 2015 MLA M V Ramachandra quit AINRC along with 20 lawyers leaving the party with just 14 members. However, AINRC survived the scare as INC MLA Malladi Krishna Rao joined AINRC, Ramachandra quit AINRC alleging that his efforts were not recognised and that Rangasamy had failed to fulfil the aspirations of the people of Peravai. Ramachandra was also unhappy with Rao's closeness to Rangasamy.

Association with National Democratic Alliance (NDA): Currently N Rangasamy's party AINRC is part of NDA. Simplicity, Fairness and Transparency is the official motto of AINRC.

AINRC fielded former Puducherry Assembly Speaker, R Radhakrishnan for the only Lok Sabha seat from the UT. R Radhakrishnan won the seat.

Mr. Honest image of N Rangasamy: Mr. Rangasamy has always maintained the image of an honest politician all through his career. He is the only CM in India who moves around without any security cove. He still rides his motorcycle in his constituency and goes to meet his constituents. It is said that any person irrespective of caste, creed and religion can come and meet him at his house during the mornings.

He is credited with ensuring that Puducherry was voted as the first choice to live in India among all states and UTs. The UT scored first rank when evaluated for literacy, women empowerment, infrastructure, roads, water, etc.
Vijay Mallya showed PM Modi's 'I want to be chowkidaar' slogan hasn't worked

Feature

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

Two-and-half-years ago when Narendra Modi was gaining momentum as the prime ministerial candidate by making speeches across the country, he had said at a rally in Jhansi: "Aap mujhe pradhanmantri mant banaiye! Aap mujhe chowkidar banaiye. Mein dilli ja kar ke mein chowkidar ki tarah baithunga. Mein hindustan ki tijori par koi panja nahi parne dunga!"



How did Mallya leave India" title="Vijay Mallya slams media, says 'Let media bosses not forget help, favours that I provided'



How did Mallya leave India" />Vijay Mallya slams media, says 'Let media bosses not forget help, favours that I provided'



How did Mallya leave India

It literally means "Don't make me the prime minister but a security guard who will sit in Delhi to protect the nation's wealth".

That was at the Vijay Shankhnaad Rally in October 2013. Modi's appeal was heard by the electorate as he stormed Delhi's throne by becoming the leader of a party with single majority, first time in three decades.

After 2 and half years, Modi couldn't keep his promise

But today, almost two years after Modi took over the reins, Vijay Mallya has made the headlines for allegedly siphoning off whopping sums, leaving back state-run banks exasparated. The political, banking, legal and media circles have awaken up after Mallya has left the country and with it, a question mark over the fate of Rs 9,000 crore public money that the banks lent to him.

So, to what extent has Modi succeeded in keeping up to his promise in protecting the nation's wealth? Has the chowkidaar in him failed his supporters?

The ruling BJP has hit back at the Opposition Congress saying the loans were given to Mallya during the days of the UPA but that doesn't make the case strong for the party whose leader had vowed to be the chowkidaar. Did the NDA take up the problem of non-performing assets after it came to power, knowing very well that it has been a major challenge to India's economy?

Why has the problem of bad loans not been addressed?

A sizeable capital from the state exchequer is directed at helping the state-run banks to make their balance sheets look healthy and this makes the government of the country, which is elected by the people, answerable to the latter as to why the big corporate defaulters are not being brought to justice. This is not a new problem as these corporate defaulters make up the majority of the NPAs in the banking sector.

Shouldn't have the government of Modi, who wished to be more a chowkidar than the PM, take special care of Mallya who has openly defied the banking system? Can Union Finance Minister give a convincing reasoning on why moves on Mallya came so late that he conveniently chose a date to fly abroad to escape the law?

RBI governor had alerted the govt: Any step taken yet?

In January, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan warned from Davos, where the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting was held, that bad loans could go out of control if corrective measures were not taken soon.

The trend could see the economy getting caught in a fresh deflationary cycle in 2016 as the bigger part of the economy will be choked if a smaller section of borrowers fail to return the loans. Rajan's forthright words were undoubtledly aimed at Mallya, who oraganised his 60th birthday bash with great pomp in Goa. And this despite the fact that his company has been formally declared as a debt defaulter by the State Bank of India.

Banks equally at fault

If the Mallyas are at fault for reckless treatment of money, the banks also can not escape the blame for they also lend fresh loans to the corporate defaulters whereby the latter just pay the interests. It helps the defaulters avoid the defaulter tag and the banks to show that their loans have not gone bad as interests return immediately.

These strategies are implemented no matter which party is in power at the Centre and the current NDA government cannot evade its own responsibility of taking an initiative to fix the issue. A rough estimate says the top 10 indebted business bodies, who have thrived both during the UPA and NDA rule, have over 7 lakh crore of loans and are struggling to meet the interest-related obligations.

Didn't these facts, along with Rajan's warning about the deepening cisis in the public sector banks, which has been revealed by the stock market, raise enough alarm for the Modi regime? Rajan also found a backing from Uday Kotak, chairman of the Kotak Mahindra Bank, on the poor state of affairs in loan, in Davos.

Why Modi's task as a chowkidar becomes difficult

The problem is politics is so heavily dependent on money power today that it becomes a herculean task for the political leadership to back its own words uttered before the elections. Rajan made a bold move in putting the ball in the court of Modi and Jaitley, irrespective of the finance minister's efforts to convey a feel-good message on India's financial health at Davos.

But can the NDA really take on the crony capitalists and bring them to justice as a step towards saveguarding "Hindustan ki tijori"? On the contrary, any effort to give these crony capitalists a relief will be seen as an attempt to protect those who have touched the "tijori".

Modi's sloganeering in Jhansi has not delivered in reality.
Why India urgently needs Uniform Civil Code

Feature

oi-Oneindia

By Ashwini Upadhyay

The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is the sign of modern progressive nation, which shows that the nation has moved away from religion, race, caste, sex and place of birth discrimination. While our economic growth has been the highest in the world, our social growth has not happened at all. Socially and culturally, we have degraded to a point where we are neither modern nor traditional. Secularism means that citizens have to follow uniform civil code whether they are Hindus, Muslims, Christians, or Sikhs.

UCC doesn't limit people's religious freedom

UCC does not limit the freedom of people to follow their religion; it means every person must be treated equally. Most of the personal laws have bias against rights of women such as Unilateral Oral Talaq in Muslim law, Restitution of Conjugal Rights issue in Hindu law and limited property rights of women in Christian Law. Bias is not only against women but also operates against men.

Other than Hindu Marriage Act, no other personal law provides alimony to husband from wife, even the gender-neutral Acts such as Special Marriage Act and Foreign Marriage Act do not have provision for the husband to demand alimony from his wife. Similarly, personal laws don't allow for inter-religion marriages, thus are divisive in society. Personal Laws confer unconstitutional benefits - Hindus get tax exemption under Hindu Undivided Family and Muslims need not register gift deeds thus saving stamp duty. These benefits are entirely based on religion and hence unconstitutional.

Constitutional provision

Article 44 of the Indian Constitution says: "The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a Uniform Civil Code throughout the territory of India."

Significance of Shah Bano case

The conflict between secular and religious authorities over the issue of UCC eventually decreased, until the Shah Bano case. In 1985, the Supreme Court ruled in Shah Bano's favour under the provision of section 125-CrPC, which applied to all citizens irrespective of religion. ShahBano case soon became nationwide political issue and a widely debated controversy.

After the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, minorities in India, with Muslims being the largest, felt threatened with the need to safeguard their culture. All India Muslim Personal Law Board defended the application of their laws and supported the Muslim conservatives, who accused the government of promoting Hindu dominance over every Indian citizen at the expense of minorities.

Section 125 of the CrPC was seen as a threat to the Muslim Personal Law and Muslim personal law board members started a campaign for complete autonomy in their personal laws. It soon reached at national level, by consulting legislators, ministers and journalists. The Union government, which previously had orthodox Muslims' support, lost the local elections in December 1985, because of its endorsement of the Supreme Court's decision in Shah Bano case.

An independent MP proposed a private member bill to protect personal law in the parliament. Congress reversed its position and supported the bill while the Right, Left, Muslim liberals and Women's organizations strongly opposed it.

The Muslim Women's (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act was passed in 1986 and it made Section 125 of the CrPC inapplicable to Muslim women. In the Shah Bano case, the Supreme Court said: "A UCC will help the cause of national integration by removing disparate loyalties to personal laws which have conflicting ideologies". In SR Bommai case, the apex court observed that: "Religion is the matter of individual faith and can't be mixed with Secular activities."

Sarla Mudgal case

In Sarla Mudgal case, the Supreme Court said; "It appears that even 41 years thereafter, the Rulers of the day are not in a mood to retrieve Article 44 from the cold storage where it is lying since 1949. The Governments - which have come and gone - have so far failed to make any effort towards unified personal law for all Indians. When more than 80% of the citizens have already been brought under the codified personal law, there is no justification whatsoever to keep in abeyance, any more, the introduction of Uniform Civil Code for all citizens in India".

The apex court further observed: "It is not matter of doubt that marriage, succession and like matters of secular character can't be brought within the guarantee enshrined under Article 25 and Article 26 of constitution". Court also cautioned that any legislation, which brought succession and like matter of secular character within the ambit of Article 25 and Article 26 is a suspect legislation.

On July 23, 2003, the Supreme Court struck down Section 118 of the Indian Succession Act and said; "We would like to state that Article 44 provides that the state shall endeavour to secure for its citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India. It is matter of great regret that Article 44 of the constitution has not been given effect to. Parliament is still to step in for framing a common civil code in the country. It will help the cause of national integration by removing the contradictions based on ideologies."

Arguents on the issue

Politicisation led to argument having two major sides: the Congress and Muslim conservatives versus the Right wing and the Left. The legal reversal of introducing the Muslim Women law significantly hampered nationwide women's movement in 1980s.

The debate for the UCC, with its diverse implications and concerning secularism in the country, is one of the most controversial issues in 21st century. Major problem for implementing the UCC is country's diversity and religious laws, which not only differ section-wise, but by community, caste and region-wise. Women's rights groups have said that UCC is based on their rights and security, irrespective of its politicization.

The BJP was the first party to promise the UCC if elected into power. Presently Goa is the only state, which has the UCC. Declaration was made in United Nation General Assembly, known as the 'Right to Development'; discussed the inconsistency between the personal laws and fundamental human rights and stated that all personal laws should be in conformity with fundamental human rights. Former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam strongly supported the UCC.

Recently, the apex court said: "This cannot be accepted, otherwise every religion will say it has a right to decide various issues as matter of its personal law. We don't agree with this at all. It has to be done through a decree of a court". Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan released survey report of ten states and revealed that 90% of Muslim women, want ban on unilateral oral divorce and polygamy. 88.5% women want action against the cleric for sending notice of oral divorces.

The UCC is necessary because personal laws are inconsistent with our declaration "To constitute India into Socialist Secular Democratic Republic" and it is almost impossible to achieve the golden goals as set out in the Preamble of the Constitution without the UCC. Marriage, divorce, maintenance, inheritance, adoption matters are of secular nature and can be better regulated by the UCC. Different personal laws for different communities creates unnecessary burden on the legal system.

Bringing the UCC would reduce and help in simplifying many technicalities and loopholes, present in existing personal laws. UCC was the dream of our constitution makers. The Government should draft a Common Civil Code with the opinion of Law Commission, National Human Right Commission, National Commission for Women, Former Attorney Generals, Solicitor Generals and Judges of the Supreme Court and must implement the UCC in spirit of the Article-44 of the Constitution on priority.



(The writer is spokesperson of Delhi BJP and an Advocate in the Supreme Court)
Prashant Kishor claims Nitish Kumar in touch with BJP says don't be surprised if he joins hands with it again

BJP creating false binary of nationalism vs anti-nationalism

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Mar 11: Amid a raging row over JNU, Rajya Sabha MP Pavan Verma today attacked BJP for "creating" a "false binary" and "unwarranted" argument of "nationalism vs anti-nationalism" for "short-term political benefits".

"They (BJP leaders) are not going into the subtleties of the meaning of nationalism and are dishing out monolithic argument of nationalism vs anti-nationalism," Verma said extending his support to the JNU students agitating against alleged branding of the university as "anti-national".

"Aggression, violence, distortion of logic and the creation of this brittle hysteria every time there is an opinion, voice which is contrary to their notion of what nationalism is, is not acceptable," he alleged.

Verma, who was addressing the students at the varsity's administration block, which has been the venue of students' protest for a month, said that he had faith in the country's judiciary and its people and that they will ultimately reject such kind of "extreme" nationalism and politics.

Earlier in the day, historian Jairus Banaji addressed the students and said India today lives "in a climate of violence" consciously created by a few organised groups.

"In this country, we are today living in a climate of violence. 'They' are the upholders of the law. This climate of violence has emerged in the last so many months and it's really dangerous for us," said Banaji.

"It seems to me that explosions of violence (communal riots) that happen from time to time have nothing spontaneous about them.

They are the works of organised groups and have very careful and intricate planning. The violence is the product of these organisations wanting to create a climate of violence and fear and triggering," he added.

PTI
Prashant Kishor claims Nitish Kumar in touch with BJP says don't be surprised if he joins hands with it again

BJP objects to Tej Pratap shouting at MLA in Bihar Assembly

India

oi-PTI

Patna, March 11: Opposition BJP today objected to the shouting of Bihar Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav at a party MLA for asking a supplementary question while he was replying to a query by another member in the Assembly.

During the Question Hour, Yadav got angry when BJP legislator Vijay Sinha asked a supplementary question while he was replying to a query of JD(U)'s Virendra Kumar Singh on primary health centre. Yadav, the elder son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, shouted at Sinha as to why he was "interfering" when he was answering a question raised by another member.

BJP MLA and former Leader of Opposition Nand Kishore Yadav took objection to it and said, "The minister should know that a query in the Assembly is a property of the House and every member had a right to ask a supplementary question which he cannot prohibit."

As he urged Speaker Vijay Chaudhary to "make this clear" to Yadav about who is a "first timer", some RJD and Congress members intervened favouring the minister.

Lalit Yadav of RJD and Congress Legislature Party leader Sadanand Singh said the BJP MLA was speaking without the permission of the Chair and it is against the rule. The health minister, who was not present to take questions related to his department last week, drawing criticism from NDA members, answered the questions today.

Labour Minister Vijay Prakash sat by the side of Tej Pratap to help him in answering the questions. Principal Secretary Health R K Mahajan, who was OSD of Lalu Prasad when he was the Railway Minister, was present in officers' gallery throughout the Question Hour to assist the minister.

On some occasion, Tej Pratap Yadav received praise from opposition members for agreeing to demands of recruiting doctors or taking action against officials not performing duty carefully, to which he responded by smiling.

PTI
CCTVs in Vidhan Bhavan lobby meant to keep watch on Oppn: NCP

India

oi-PTI

Mumbai, March 10: Maharashtra Legislative Council Chairman Ramraje Nimbalkar today directed removal of all CCTV cameras from the lobby adjoining the Council Hall in Vidhan Bhavan building here, after NCP legislators alleged that the BJP-led government has installed these cameras to keep a watch on them.

Raising the issue in the Upper House, NCP MLC Amarsingh Pandit alleged that the CCTV cameras have been installed at the lobby adjoining the Council Hall of the state Legislature complex here as members of the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena want to keep an eye on the Opposition's moves.

"It seems that the Opposition members are being watched as we discuss our strategies on how to go about during the session. These cameras should be removed as the ruling parties need not know whom we meet in the lobby," he said.

Responding to his request, Nimbalkar instructed that all CCTVs be removed from the lobby. When contacted, a senior security official said that four CCTV cameras each have been installed in the lobbies of the state Legislative Council as well as Assembly.

"We felt that cameras were required in the lobbies as we are taking extra security measures on Vidhan Bhavan premises. There are a total 78 cameras on the premises, of which 28 are permanent and the rest are installed during the session," he said.

Citing an example, the security official said that recently, a mobile phone was recently stolen from a cabinet minister's chamber, which was recovered with the help of CCTVs.

PTI
Complaint over loud music leads to 5-women brawl on flight

India

oi-PTI

Los Angeles, Mar 11: In an unusual mid-air drama, a fight broke out among five women aboard a flight in the US after two of them, believed to be drunk, refused to turn down music from a 'boom box', according to the airline.

The two intoxicated women blasted music from a 'boom box' on board Spirit Airlines flight 141 on Wednesday from Baltimore to Los Angeles. When passengers complained, the loud-music lovers held the boom box in the air, Spirit Airlines spokesman Paul Berry said.

Authorities say five women got into a brawl before the plane landed at Los Angeles International Airport. Berry said several other customers asked the women to turn down the music, but the women refused.

Instead, the women posed a challenging question: "What are you going to do?" "Then to provoke the other customer they were holding up their boom box in the air, waving it around," Los Angeles Times quoted Berry as saying.

Then a second group of passengers approached the two women and a fight started, he said. Police were notified and met the crew when the plane landed, Officer Rob Pedregon said. The five women involved in what he called the "mutual combat situation" were pulled off the plane, he said.

Cargo plane crashes in Bangladesh

The Federal Bureau of Investigation was called in to investigate; no one was charged in the fight, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.

PTI
Government comes out with 6 pronged strategy to combat fake currency menace

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, March 11: It has been several times that the menace of fake currency will continue to damage the Indian economy. Various agencies in the country which have probed cases relating fake currency point out the dangers if the problem is not curtailed.

The government of India states that multiple steps have been taken to curb the menace of fake currency. The National Investigation Agency which is probing several such cases has been coordinating with their counterparts in Bangladesh to address the problem.

Steps taken to prevent fake currency:

It has been decided by the government that it would require multiple agencies to coordinate with each other in a bid to curb this menace. On this issue the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Home Affairs, Reserve Bank of India, Security and Intelligence Agencies to the Centre and States are working in tandem.

A Special FICN coordination (FCORD) Group has been formed by the MHA to share intelligence among the different security agencies.

The CBI and National Investigation Agency are the Central Agencies for investigation of FICN cases. The Government has also constituted a Terror Funding & Fake Currency Cell (TFFC) in NIA to investigate Terror Funding and Fake currency cases.

Further the government has made amendments to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention Act, 1967 (UAPA) wherein damage to the monetary stability of India by way of production or smuggling or circulation of High Quality Fake Indian Paper currency, coin or any other material has been declared as a "Terrorist" act.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between India and Bangladesh to prevent and counter smuggling and circulation of Fake Currency Notes. The objective of this MOU is to promote bilateral cooperation in the field of preventing and combating, production, smuggling and circulation of fake currency notes, taking into account the applicable laws and legal provisions of the two countries.

The RBI conducts awareness programmes to make the public aware of the features of Indian Bank notes and to identify genuine Indian bank notes. The RBI regularly conducts training programmes on detection of counterfeit notes for employees/officers of banks and other organizations handling large amount of cash.

To prevent smuggling of fake currency notes in India, staff posted at airports, Railway Stations and border posts have been sensitized from time to time, which has resulted in significant hauls of FICN in these locations.

OneIndia News
Govt plans to use social media for 2nd International Yoga Day

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, March 10: The government plans to extensively use social media to create buzz around the 2nd International Yoga Day which will focus on youth.

There are also plans to project photographs of Yoga Asanas and through an exhibition while it is proposed that a special animated series  'Asana of the day' will be brought out on Doordarshan for enhanced reach and impact.

A meeting was convened between officials of the I&B ministry and AYUSH where it was emphasised that the Day would focus on youth and connecting Yoga and its benefits with them as a part of their lifestyle and habits.

I It was strategized to leverage the potential of Social Media space and Talkathon to create a buzz and reach out to younger generation about benefits of Yoga, a statement released here.

It was decided to bring out a special edition of Yojana by Publications Division highlighting specific Yoga Asanas and their benefits for different health ailments like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, stress management, the statement added. I&B secretary Sunil Arora and Secretary (AYUSH) Ajit M Sharan and several senior officials were present at the meeting.

PTI
Dhanteras 2022: How much gold can you buy from Dubai

Gurgaon shocker: Woman employee raped, blackmailed by company's cab driver

India

oi-Preeti

Gurgaon, March 11: Most of the women employees generally feel safe while commuting when the companies they are working with provide cabs.

But this facility, turned into a nightmare for a 35-year-old woman working with a company in Manesar near Gurgaon.

According to media reports, the woman was allegedly raped by company's cab driver from last two years and he also blackmailed her.

On Thursday, March 10, the accused driver Harish Chauhan, who hails from Kasan village in Haryana, was arrested and sent to judicial custody.

Chauhan told police that he first raped woman in 2014, after offering her sedatives-laced water, when he was dropping her home from office.

The victim also told police in her statement that he raped her atleast 10 times, after making her unconscious.

The accused also clicked her obscene pictures and made video of the act, to blackmail her later, and forced her to continue physical relation with him.

On Tuesday, the victim reached police station and lodged a complaint against the accused driver. The victim is a resident of Delhi and stays with her husband and children.

OneIndia News
Jayalalithaa DA case: A 1,000 page brilliant order reversed without stating reasons

India

oi-Vicky

Bengaluru, March 11: A verdict that ran into 1,000 pages which was passed after considering all material and evidence on hand was over turned in no time without a single reason being given. This was what senior advocate Dushyanth Dave arguing for Karnataka submitted to the Supreme Court which is hearing an appeal challenging the acquittal of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

Dave in his concluding arguments picked extensively on the errors made by the Karnataka High Court which reversed the trial court verdict and acquitted Jayalalithaa and three others.

Correction of one error can change verdict in Jayalalithaa case; next hearing on Mar 15

Why did the Karnataka High Court not even make one mention as to why it was reversing the order of the trial court, Dave questioned.

There is no reason given

Dave pointed out to the order of the Karnataka High Court and said there is not even a single line which states why it is reversing the order of the trial court. The High Court while reversing the order ought to have mentioned what was wrong in the trial court order, but there is no such mention.

Dave said that is necessary that reasons are given before an order is reversed. However while going through the entire judgment of the Karnataka High Court, there is no mention of what wrong the trial court had committed. The order of the trial was brilliantly analysed and the judge had arrived at the right conclusion.

Dave also pointed out once again that it had become fashionable for politicians to term crores of rupees they get as birthday gifts. This case cannot also be viewed as a mere instance of default in payment of income tax, Dave further stated.

Dave concluded his arguments on Thursday, March 10, following which senior counsel and Special Public Prosecutor for Karnataka, B V Acharya began submissions. The matter will come up next for hearing on March 15.

OneIndia News
We cannot wait longer now: SC to hear Vijay Mallyas contempt case in January for final disposal

Vijay Mallya can be evicted from London home over unpaid loan, UK court orders

Mallyas London home to be held on by family

Mallya was tipped off to leave India, alleges Congress

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, March 11: The Congress on Friday alleged that Vijay Mallya, the founder of the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines (KFA), was tipped off to leave the country through a "secret understanding" between him and the government.

"Facts now suggest that Shri Vijay Mallya was actually tipped off to leave the country in order to escape recovery of over Rs.9,000 crore of loan by a consortium of banks," All India Congress Committee (AICC) members Randeep Singh Surjewala, Rajeev Gowda and Ranjit Ranjan said in a statement here.

"If government has a secret understanding or is handling the issue through back channels, it owes a duty to place the same in public domain," they said.

On Wednesday, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, representing the banks that lent money to the Kingfisher Airlines, informed the Supreme Court that Mallya left the country on March 2, citing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Mallya left the country six days before a group of creditor-banks led by the State Bank of India on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court to restrain him from leaving India.

"Will the prime minister fix responsibility and punish all those who are guilty, including the CBI, finance ministry, immigration officers, consortium of banks?" the Congress leaders asked.

They said, "Modi government came to power on the solemn promise of bringing back black money within 100 days."

But here in this case a single defaulter with a default of over Rs.9,000 crore could leave India "despite the fact that a criminal case for financial irregularities and diversion of funds was lodged by CBI nearly seven months earlier".

They said while Mallya was interrogated, he was "neither arrested nor his passport impounded".

The Congress leaders attacked Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who on Thursday raked up Bofors scam of 1980s to taunt the party.

Why was the finance minister hiding behind the lame excuse of "no case against Shri Vijay Mallya" as against banks seeking confiscation of his passport, they asked.

Jaitley on Thursday said Mallya's leaving the country was different from Ottavio Quattrocchi, once wanted in the Bofors scam and now dead, not being proceeded against while he was in India.

"Rahul Gandhi should understand that going away of Ottavio Quattrocchi and Vijay Mallya is not the same. When CBI had alerted government about Quattrocchi, it was a criminal case and the then government did not stop him," Jaitley said.

The Congress leaders said the Enforcement Directorate, Security Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) had initiated probe against Mallya "without much consequent action".

Meanwhile, in a series of tweets on Friday, Mallya said he has not fled India.

"I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish," Mallya tweeted.

IANS
Next set of Netaji files to be released post Budget session

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, March 11: The second tranche of 25 secret files on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose will be released after the conclusion of Budget session of Parliament, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said today. "There is lot of curiosity among people about the life of Netaji.

We are ready with the set of 25 secret files on Netaji that will be released after Parliament session," Sharma told reporters on the sidelines of an event to mark the culmination of 125th foundation year celebrations of National Archives of India (NAI) here.

The Budget session would conclude on May 13 subject to exigencies of business. As many as hundred secret files were made public by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Netaji's 119th birth anniversary on January 23. NAI Deputy Director Sanjay Garg said National Archives is converting the second set of files into digital form for the public. "We have received the second tranche of 25 files on Netaji from Culture Ministry.

We are in the process of making their digitalised copy," he said. The files, released last month, comprised over 16,600 pages of historic documents, ranging from those from the British Raj to as late as 2007, an official had said.

NAI also opened a dedicated website to store all the declassified files related to Bose. In October last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met the family members of Netaji and announced that the government would declassify the files relating to the leader whose disappearance 70 years ago remains a mystery.

While two commissions of inquiry had concluded that Netaji had died in a plane crash in Taipei on August 18, 1945, a third probe panel, headed by Justice M K Mukherjee, had contested it and suggested that Bose was alive. Meanwhile, Sharma also launched the emblem of NAI, besides releasing its commemorative coin of Rs 125 and a circulating coin of Rs 10 during the event.

A commemorative postal stamp of Rs 5 and a DVD containing private papers of Amiya Nath Bose, brother of Netaji, was also presented to the minister.

PTI
32-year-old critical after being shot at in Gurugram

OROP activist arrested for alleged financial irregularities, Cong slams Modi Govt

India

oi-Avinash

Gurgaon, Mar 11: In what could trigger fresh face-off between government and veterans protesting over OROP, an ex-Indian Air Force officer and a prominent face of One Rank One Pension campaign has been arrested by Gurgaon Police for alleged financial irregularities.

As per a NDTV report, the retired IAF officer, Wing Commander CK Sharma, has been arrested for irregularities in connection with an organisation for veterans and their widows.

Sharma, is a treasurer of the Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement or IESM, will be produced in the court on Friday.

The veteran's daughter Nisha Sharma took to her Facebook post and said: "My father Wing Commander CK Sharma (Retd) has been very active in OROP fight... 5 police men just half hour ago barged into parents house, threw his phone away and physically picked him and carried him away (sic)."

[What is One Rank, One Pension of Armed forces?]

Lieutenant General Raj Kadian (Retd), also a prominent face in the OROP movement, was quoted by NDTV that Sharma's arrest was made following his complaint to the police and court in 2013 and 2015.

[Seventh Pay Commission: Govt may not implement 'salary hike' before OROP execution]

Meanwhile, Congress leader Digvijay Singh has termed Sharma's arrest as witch-hunting by Modi Government.

The former MP CM tweeted, "Big mistake: Instead of Mallaya, they arrested Wg Cdr CK Sharma #OropWar. Look Out notice for Gen Satbir Singh. Shame on Modi Govt."

Big mistake: Instead of Mallaya, they arrested Wg Cdr CK Sharma #OropWar. Look Out notice for Gen Satbir Singh. Shame on Modi Govt.  digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) March 11, 2016

OneIndia News
Now, book upto 24 tickets in a month by linking IRCTC user ID to Aadhaar: Step-by-step Guide

Man thrown out of moving train in UP: He argued about a water bottle

150 year old British era Carnac Bridge to be demolished in Mumbai: Traffic diversions announced

Railways to supply 18 diesel locos to Myanmar

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Mar 11: India will supply 18 meter gauge diesel locomotives to Myanmar to augment the loco fleet of Railways of that country.

Equipped with 1350 horse power (HP), the locos are expected to meet increasing demand for passenger and freight traffic in Myanmar.

A contract to this effect was signed last week at Naypyitaw, by SB Malik, Director Technical, RITES Ltd. (a PSU of Railways) and U Thurein Win, Managing Director, Myanmar Railways in presence of U Nyan Tun Aung, Minister of Rail Transportation, Myanmar and Gautam Mukhopadhaya, Ambassador of India to Myanmar.

The supply contract of locomotives is a vital project being funded under an existing line of credit extended to Myanmar by the government.

These locomotives will be manufactured by Diesel Locomotive Works at Varanasi with several modern features like microprocessor controls, fuel-efficient engine and ergonomic cab design etc.

Rajeev Mehrotra, Chairman and Managing Director said RITES is making all efforts to augment export of rolling stock manufactured at Railway Production Units. Response from South East Asian markets is very encouraging, he said.

PTI
Three family members, including a toddler, die in wall collapse in UP's Deoria

Fact Check: Video of waves pounding Gateway of India is old

Will rains play spoilsport in Tamil Nadu this Deepavali? Check weather predictions

Rains kill nine people in SW Pakistan

India

oi-PTI

Quetta, Mar 11: Torrential rains killed at least nine people including children in southwestern Pakistan this week, disaster management officials said today.

The deaths occurred during the last 48 hours in different parts of the oil and gas rich Balochistan province that borders Iran and Afghanistan.

"Nine persons including four children and a woman died in the torrential rain," Zahid Saleem, chief of the province's disaster management authority, told AFP.

He said four children and a woman were killed today after a roof caved in due to heavy rains in Sheerani district.

"In other incidents, three people were killed in two districts of Mastung and Loralai during the last two days".

Saleem added one person also died after being struck by lightening in Dalbandin district. The local meteorological office said more rain was forecasted across the province over the weekend.

Every year Pakistan is hit by severe weather patterns, which have killed hundreds and wiped out millions of acres of prime farmland in recent years, harming the heavily agrarian economy.

During the rainy season last summer, torrential downpours and flooding killed 81 people and affected almost 300,000 Pakistanis across the country.

PTI
Read: An open letter to 'misogynist' Kanhaiya Kumar by the girl whom he threatened

India

oi-Reetu

New Delhi, Mar 11: Amid a raging row at JNU, it has now emerged that its students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who is facing sedition charge, was fined by the varsity administration last year for allegedly "misbehaving" with a girl student and "threatening" her.

The incident had occurred on June 10, 2015, when the girl student asked Kanhaiya not to urinate in the open inside the campus.

The girl, who now teaches at Delhi University, alleged that Kanhaiya "misbehaved" with her when she objected and also called her a "psychopath" while threatening her with dire consequences.

More trouble: When Kanhaiya Kumar threatened JNU girl student!

The girl recently wrote an open letter to Kanhaiya Kumar on her Facebook wall saying "misogynist like Kanhaiya is being hailed as revolutionary." Read the open letter here:

Why to create False Revolutionaries' : My open letter to the Upholder of Women Dignity' Mr Kanhaiya

This spring will be known for open letters. Everyone, starting from renowned TV anchors to common students has been expressing their thoughts, concerns and fears through open letters to Modi, Irani, Ravish Kumar and many more.

I also want to use this mean to give some ventilation to my grieving heart. I am writing this letter because I am disheartened to see the way twist and turns are given to JNU case. I am dejected and pained to see how my JNU community has ganged up to create false revolutionary.

I am writing this letter to JNUSU president Mr Kanhaiya and other JNUites who are hell bend to portray him as the Bhagat Singh' of this century.

I am eligible to write this letter because I have an ugly encounter with this newly found Che Guevara of JNU and therefore I know his real face which I should definitely expose. I had my first and may be last encounter with this moron known as Kanahiya (the president of JNUSU) in June last year when he was urinating on road in JNU campus.

When I objected, instead of saying sorry he not only shouted at me but also threatened me of dire consequence and suggested that I should take psychiatrist help. Being a JNUite, I filed a complained against him with JNU proctor office in June 2015.

After enquiry, Chief Proctor and Vice- Chancellor of JNU found his behavior "So unbecoming of a JNU student" and fined Rs. 3000. Given this background, I have strong reasons to ask few questions to Kanahiya and his followers.

However, before saying anything, I want to clarify that I was a student of JNU for 7 years and I have been associated with this institution for past 11 years. I respect this institution for its progressive culture. I appreciate JNU's culture of debate and dialogue. I have learnt a lot at this utopian world. With this disclaimer, I would like to ask following equations.

 Mr Kanhiya talks about his fight for "Dignity of Women" in his post-9th February speech which was published in Economic and Political Weekly. I want to ask, do you really understand the D for Dignity of a female Mr. Kanhiya? Unzipping your private part in public and urinating on road-Are these your revolutionary tools to uphold a female's dignity.

When you were requested by a female not to urinate on road (as you were close enough to use a toilet, with a friend with a car to drive you there), you shouted at her, threatened her to shut up, called her by names, insulted her and asked her to go to mental hospital to treat herself (which shows this act of public urination and uncovering your private part on road is completely normal for you), Is this the way you uphold a female's dignity?

 You claimed that public urination and Sutta Pina (public smoking) as your freedom right. So these are your notion and understanding of right to freedom? This underlines shallowness of your political and revolutionary ideology. Please update your definition of Revolution and freedom. Freedom is not just about "Urination on Road" and Smoking in No Smoking Zone'.

 In your speech, you informed that you came from a very poor family where your mother's monthly salary is 3000 rs per month. So Mr. Revolutionary! Do you really value her struggle?? You spend 3000 bucks as fine for Public Urination' and "harassing and threatening a girl'! Stop making a hue and cry about poverty of your family when you don't even value their struggle. I also belong to a poor family.

My mother has worked as an agriculture labourer for raising me and my 4 other siblings. I know what does "Dignity of female means." We females, struggle at every step to uphold our dignity. When I see a male urinating in public place, I feel unsafe for me and my fellow females (forget about hygiene). I have seen how females are being molested on the pretext of public urination. This is what I tried to explain to you when your fragile male ego got hurt.

 When I am writing all this, I am not justifying, Government's move. However "Criticizing Government" and "portraying Kanhiya as revolutionary like Bhagat Singh" are two different cases. I am very disappointed the way politics is being done.

As VC and Chief Proctor addressed him, He is so unlike JNU student, such a hypocrite and opportunist politician. Many newspaper and news channels come up with Kanhiya's family background and his school time pictures with Comrade Bardhan to show his life time commitment for communist ideology.

Do you really understand "What is communist Ideology about gender equality?" I come from communist family. My brother Late Com. Rajender Ghira was active member of CPM, Haryana. I was associated with student movement in JNU. I have witnessed how JNU student movement is committed to the issue of "Gender Justice".

I have closely observed How CPM members like Comrade Jagmati Sangwan, Comrade Phool Singh, Master Sher Singh, Styapal Siwach are fighting for Gender Justice in patriarchal society of Haryana?

And then I faced the wrath of a public urinating male chauvinist like you in JNU who claims himself a revolutionary! I could not find any trace of communism ideology in your behavior.

I am shocked to see how a misogynist Like Kanhaiya is being hailed as Revolutionary.

People (JNUites and outside JNU)! Do criticize government; do criticize his arrest, but why to create fake sympathies by discussing his family background and by sharing his childhood pictures with Comrade Bardhan? What is the urgency of creating false revolutionaries?

Please consider what kind of message you are giving'! Keep your rationality intact.

Kamlesh Narwana

Ex-JNU Student

Assistant Professor

Institute of Home Economics

Delhi University

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Friday, March 11, 2016, 15:02 [IST]
Dhanteras 2022: How much gold can you buy from Dubai

Sri Sri Ravishankar's AoL Fest, 20,000 Weddings: Be ready for big Traffic Jams in Delhi

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Mar 11: With more than 20,000 weddings scheduled along with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's World Cultural Festival and event hosted by Radha Soami Satsang Beas, Delhi is expected to witness massive traffic jams today.

The roads identified include the Ring Road stretch in south Delhi, Noida Link Road, NH-24, areas near Akshardham, Mayur Vihar, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, Ashram Chowk, Aurobindo Marg, Mahipalpur Chowk and Mehrauli-Gurgaon road - all considered major arteries and intersections in south and east Delhi.

Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Muktesh Chander, who is charting out the traffic plan for the three-day cultural extravaganza organised by the Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living Foundation, visited the venue on Thursday and took stock of the arrangements.

AOL says its a charitable org, difficult to generate Rs 5 cr in a short time

"Organisers have made provisions for parking on the Yamuna Bank. The space is limited and so, parking will be on a first-come-first-served basis," a senior traffic official said.

"People should preferably take public transport to commute and avoid the Noida Link Road, NH-24 and the Ring Road stretch from the point of intersection with Bhairon Marg till the mouth of the DND Flyway," the official said, adding, congestion can be expected on these stretches between 12 noon and 11 pm.

The official further said, those approaching from the trans-Yamuna side towards central Delhi, should use the ITO Road as Akshardham and NH-24 will be congested.

Commuters from Noida heading towards Delhi should take the DND flyover as traffic on the Noida Link Road is expected to be heavy during the event, he said.

Around 1,700 traffic personnel have been deployed for the event.

Another blow to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar as Robert Mugabe pulls out of WCF

"For an event by the Radha Soami Satsang Beas, also to be organised from March 11 to 13, at south Delhi's Fatehpur Beri area, traffic will be heavy near Bhati Mines, Andheria More, Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, especially the stretch between Lado Sarai and Khanpur, and the road near IIT-Delhi," the senior official said.

In view of the large number of marriage programmes scheduled today, special arrangements will be made near Ashram Chowk and other south Delhi areas that include Mehrauli and Chhatarpur, the official said.

PTI
Vijay Mallya slams media, says 'Let media bosses not forget help, favours that I provided'

India

oi-Sandra

Bengaluru, March 11: While there has been a huge uproar over Vijay Mallya leaving the country, Mallya in a series of tweets on Friday clarified that he was not absconding and also hit out at media houses for presenting blurred facts.

There was a huge uproar when the CBI had stated that Mallya had left the country on Mar 2 even as Mallya said that he was not an absconder not did he flee the country. Hitting out at one editor in particular, Mallya said that the editor should be in prison clothes for libel, slander and sensational lies.

I have not fled India, says Vijay Mallya

In a series of tweets, he even went ahead and slammed the media and said: "As an Indian MP I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media."

As an Indian MP I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 10, 2016

Let media bosses not forget help, favours,accommodation that I have provided over several years which are documented. Now lies to gain TRP ?  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 10, 2016

He goes on to say, "Let media bosses not forget help, favours, accommodation that I have provided over several years which are documented. Now lies to gain TRP ?"

Mallya says that the media trial escalates issues where the truth and facts are burnt to ashes. In another tweet he says. "News reports that I must declare my assets. Does that mean that Banks did not know my assets or look at my Parliamentary disclosures ?"

"Once a media witch hunt starts it escalates into a raging fire where truth and facts are burnt to ashes," he said.

News reports that I must declare my assets. Does that mean that Banks did not know my assets or look at my Parliamentary disclosures ?  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 11, 2016

Once a media witch hunt starts it escalates into a raging fire where truth and facts are burnt to ashes.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 11, 2016

Meanwhile, the Congress today hit out at the government and said, "When he had so many cases against him then why was Vijay Mallya allowed to flee the country?"

OneIndia News
Why are so many Pakistan boats lying abadoned along the Gujarat coast?

India

oi-Vicky

Ahmedabad, March 11: In the past four months several boats have been found along the Gujarat coast. The number of abandoned boats has shot up since November 2015 and the exact number of them recovered is 8.

This has not only created a security scare, but also puzzled security agencies as to why so many boats from Pakistan have been abandoned along the Sir Creek area in Gujarat.

This is the most favoured route for both terrorists and drug smugglers when they attempt entering India from Pakistan. There have been numerous instances in the past as well when suspicious activity has been reported along this coast.

Officials that OneIndia spoke with say that investigations have shown that these boats are abandoned by drug smugglers after they transfer the loot on to another boat on reaching the Gujarat coast.

The drug mafia coupled with terror:

When the security agencies found these boats, they inspected it to find various material in it. The contents were pretty much similar in all the boats that had been abandoned. A note with a checkpoint at Pakistan, blankets, food, blankets and jackets had been found in these boats.

Officials however confirm that these boats have come in from Pakistan. In one of the incidents security officials while seizing the boat which had been abandoned found at least 8 men fleeing towards Pakistan in another boat.

Officials say that there are a couple of aspects to consider in these cases.

Men from Pakistan come into India for various reasons. One is the drug mafia, while the others are the terrorists.

There is also illegal fishing that takes place and hence people do come for this purpose as well. The drug mafia and the illegal fishermen often complete the task and go back into Pakistan waters. They abandon the boat and due to the tidal movement the boats are pushed back into the Indian waters.

For security officials there is no question of taking any chances.

It may be recalled that on December 31 2014, the coast guard had destroyed a boat from Pakistan. There was intelligence suggesting that terrorists may come in through the waters and upon spotting this boat, the coast guard first directed them to surrender and when they refused the boat was blasted.

Officials however point out that a majority of the illegal transactions that happen on sea is related to the drug mafia. It is a thriving business and in the past too we have intercepted several such boats. The boats from Pakistan come into the Indian waters, transfer the drugs and head back. There have been seizures close to Rs 1,500 crore worth of drugs in the past three years.

OneIndia News
Blacklisting Mahmood blocked by China: The man who raised funds under garb of religion in India

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EU agrees to Ukraine aid, but no gas price cap

China pledges, signs climate accord but how green is its promise?

12 Western countries: Human rights 'deteriorating' in China

International

oi-PTI

Geneva, Mar 11: The United States and 11 other Western countries are criticising China's "deteriorating human rights record," saying its "extraterritorial actions are unacceptable."

The call at the Human Rights Council follows recent disappearances of five Hong Kong residents associated with a publisher of books banned in China.

They include a Swedish national who disappeared from his holiday home in Thailand and later made a tearful appearance on Chinese state TV to say he surrendered over a 12-year-old fatal drunk driving case.

The Western countries denounced the "unexplained recent disappearances and apparent coerced returns" of Chinese citizens and foreigners to China.

US ambassador Keith Harper told the council state broadcasts of confessions before any judicial process violates international conventions and Chinese laws.

PTI
North Korean leader orders further nuclear tests

International

oi-PTI

Seoul, Mar 11: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has ordered further nuclear tests, state media said today, as military tensions surge on the Korean peninsula with South Korean and US forces engaged in large-scale joint exercises condemned by Pyongyang.

Since the joint drills began Monday, the North has issued daily warnings and statements, talking up its nuclear strike capabilities and threatening to turn Seoul and Washington into "flames and ashes."

Just days after he was photographed posing in front of what state media described as a miniaturised nuclear warhead, Kim said the weapon required further testing.

Overseeing a ballistic missile launch yesterday, Kim ordered "more nuclear explosion tests to estimate the destructive power of the newly produced nuclear warheads," the North's official KCNA news agency said.

Experts are divided as to just how far the North may have gone in shrinking warheads to a size capable of fitting on a ballistic missile -- a major step forward in strike capability that would present a heightened threat to South Korea, other countries in the region and, eventually, the US mainland.

According to KCNA, yesterday's launch of two short-range ballistic missiles, which traversed the eastern part of the country before falling into the East Sea (Sea of Japan), was part of a nuclear strike exercise. The aim was to simulate conditions for "exploding nuclear warheads from the preset altitude above targets in the ports under enemy control," the agency said.

Watching the exercise, Kim reiterated an earlier threat to launch an immediate nuclear attack if the "sabre-rattling" South Korea-US drills should harm "even a single tree or a blade of grass" on North Korean territory. "I will issue a prompt order to launch attack with all military strike means," he said.

Military tensions on the divided Korean peninsula have been on the rise since the North carried out its fourth nuclear test in January, followed by a long-range rocket launch last month.

South Korea and the United States responded by scaling up their annual joint drills, which Pyongyang has always condemned as provocative rehearsals for invasion.

The North's anger has been fuelled this year by reports that the drills included a "decapitation strike" scenario in which the North Korean leadership and command structure is taken out at the start of any conflict. In light of such drills, "our self-defensive countermeasures should adopt a more preemptive and offensive mode," Kim said.

The UN Security Council responded to the North's latest nuclear test and rocket launch by adopting tough, new sanctions, which Pyongyang condemned as a "gangster-like" provocation orchestrated by the United States.

Reacting to Kim's call for more nuclear tests, South Korea today said the North Korean leader was being "rash" and displaying his ignorance of international opinion.

AFP
I use H-1B visas, it should end: Donald Trump

International

oi-PTI

Washington, March 11: Republican presidential front- runner Donald Trump on Friday, March 11 said the H-1B visa programme he uses to employ highly-skilled foreign workers at his own businesses should end as it is "very unfair" for American workers and has been taking away their jobs.

The last Republican presidential debate in Miami began with all the four White House aspirants slamming the H-1B visa system - popular among Indian techies, with Florida Senator Marco Rubio even naming Tata and India as part of his anti- H-1B rhetoric.

"I know the H-1B very well. And it's something that I frankly use and I shouldn't be allowed to use it. We shouldn't have it. Very, very bad for workers. It's very important to say, well, I'm a businessman and I have to do what I have to do," Trump said while responding to a question on foreign workers, in particular H-1B visas.

"When it's sitting there waiting for you, but it's very bad. It's very bad for business, it's very bad for our workers and it's unfair for our workers. We should end it," he said.

IT professionals from India and major Indian IT companies are major beneficiary of H-1B, a non-immigrant visa in the US which allows US employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in speciality occupations.

Rubio said it is illegal under the H-1B programme to use it to replace American workers. "Under that programme, you have to prove not only that you're not replacing Americans, but that you've tried to hire Americans. If a company is caught abusing that process, they should never be allowed to use it again," he said.

The second problem with the current structure of the programme people perhaps do not understand is a lot of these companies are not directly hiring employees from abroad, he pointed out. "They are hiring a consulting company like Tata, for example, out of India.

That company then hoards up all of these visas. They hire workers. Disney or some other company hires this company," Rubio said. "What they're basically doing is they are insourcing and outsourcing. They are bringing in workers from abroad that are not direct employees of a Disney or someone else, they're employees of this consulting business," he said.

"What I argue is that no consulting business such as that should be allowed to hoard up all of these visas, that the visas should only be available for companies to use to directly hire workers and that we should be stricter in how he enforce it," he said.

"It is illegal now, it is a violation of the law now to use that programme to replace Americans. If a company is caught doing that, whether it be Disney or anyone else, they should be barred from using the programme in the future," Rubio said.

Trump said that he has been endorsed by Disney workers  where several people lost their job due to H-1B visa workers.

PTI
Prosecutions story may be attractive but should be backed by evidence

Why Shiites unwilling to join fight against ISIS in Iraq?

International

oi-Jagriti

Baghdad, Mar 11: Shiites in Iraq have started losing interest in fight against the Islamic State (ISIS). Shiites are not willing to send their youth to take part in fight against the terror outfit.

"It is no use for the Shiites to participate in the upcoming Mosul battle because the citizens hate them, and taking part in these battles will not end this enmity," Al-Monitor quoted Haidar al-Khafaji, a Shiite whose son died while fighting against ISIS in Tikrit on July 12, 2014.

There is lot of discontentment among Shiites as they feel that their sacrifices for the country is not being appreciated by the Sunnis.

Hostility between them went up during the Baathist regime when Shiites were suppressed by the Sunnis. Shiite leaders and clerics were assassinated and removed from high-level positions during Saddam Hussein regime.

Man who wanted to join ISIS gets job in Navi Mumbai

"Yes, many Iraqis no longer have national zeal, and they are no longer driven by slogans that pushed them to liberate regions in the past. Many have even joined IS, social researcher Ali al-Hussein told Al-Monitor.

A sense of ingratitude on the part of some Sunnis towards Shiites, who consider them as militias among the reasons are de-motivating Shiite men from fighting to liberate Mosul and Fallujah

Shiite journalist Walid Taei supports the idea of not involving Shiite youth in the fighting in Sunni areas. He told Al-Monitor, "The Shiite sacrifices will be in vain for Iraq's Sunnis, who curse the martyrs and consider them a sectarian militia."

However, a Sunni man who moved from Ramadi to Baghdad, told Al-Monitor, "These claims are false. The fact is that I have volunteered with dozens of Sunni youths in the Popular Mobilization Units and that both Sunnis and Shiites are citizens of this homeland. The sectarian stances of some Sunnis or Shiites do not apply to everyone."

While another researcher find, Sunni organizations, such as al-Qaeda and IS, that went too far in shedding Shiite blood behind the Shiites' conviction that the armed confrontation is the only choice they have."

OneIndia News
Navalny facing fresh charges and up to 30 years in prison

Fact Check: Is this video of a Russian soldier being run over by a tank a recent one?

Russia to deliver S-300 missile system to Iran

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Tehran, March 11: Moscow is set to deliver Russian-made surface-to-air S-300 missile defence systems to Iran before the end of this year, an official said.

"I think we will deliver the S-300 by the end of the year... The first delivery will be in September or August," Press Tv quoted Sergei Chemezov, head of Russia's industrial conglomerate Rostec as saying on Friday.

Last month, Iran's Defence Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said the country would take delivery of the first batch of S-300 missiles in the first quarter of 2016.

Russia committed to delivering the systems to Iran under $800 million deal in 2007.

Moscow, however, refused to deliver the systems to Tehran in 2010 under the pretext that the agreement was covered by the fourth round of the UN Security Council sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.

Following Moscow's refusal to deliver the systems, Tehran filed a complaint against the relevant Russian arms firm with the International Court of Arbitration in Geneva.

In April 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a presidential decree, paving the way for the long-overdue delivery of the missile defence system to Iran.

The decision came after Iran and the P5+1 group of countries -- the US, France, Britain, China and Russia plus Germany -- reached a mutual understanding on Tehran's nuclear programme in the Swiss city of Lausanne on April 2, 2015.

Tehran also developed its domestically-built Bavar-373 air defence system, which was successfully test-fired in August 2014.

The long-range missile system, which is similar to the Russian S-300, has been manufactured by Iranian defence experts, and is capable of hitting air targets at a high altitude.

IANS
Sky News 21 Oct 2022

Boris Johnson has arrived back in the UK as speculation mounts that the former prime minister will enter the Tory leadership race.
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Prince William and Prince Harry will feel 'quite uncomfortable' watching their mother's death play out in season 5 of 'The Crown.'
Former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, has dropped his initial position that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, should not contest his defeat in court.

The senior lawyer had initially advised Atiku not to challenge President Muhammadu Buharis emergence as the winner of the February 23 presidential election in court.

But in a statement on Wednesday, Agbakoba said his initial advice has become irrelevant and that he now fully support and wish former Vice President Atiku Abubakar every success, in the challenge of his election loss in court.

Agbakoba, meanwhile explained that he formerly asked Atiku not to drag Buhari to court because of the uphill task he would face following the Presidents alleged subversion of the Supreme Court by the suspension of Walter Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of Nigeria.

Atiku had rejected the result of the presidential election which he lost to the All Progressives Congresss (APC) candidate, Muhammadu Buhari.

My initial decision to charge former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar not to go to court is based on the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari has subverted the Supreme Court by the removal of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen and the appointment of the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria.

As one of Nigerias experienced Election Petition lawyers, I know that the burden of proof to succeed in an Election Petition is unfairly huge. We first have to prove that there are electoral irregularities and in my view, once you prove this, you should succeed.

Unfortunately, even if you prove electoral irregularities you will have to show how that affected the results of the Election. Remember that the gap between Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and President Muhammadu Buhari is about 4 million votes.

It is clear to me that the Presidential Election results were manifestly riddled with electoral irregularities. Now that Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has approached the Court, it is important to emphasize that he is constitutionally entitled to do so. My personal advice has become irrelevant. I fully support and wish Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar every success, Agbakoba said.
Oyo State governor-elect, Engr Seyi Makinde and outgoing governor Abiola Ajimobi

Oyo State governor-elect, Engr Seyi Makinde visited outgoing governor Abiola Ajimobi today.

This is coming 6 days after Makinde, who is of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, defeated All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate, Oloye Adebayo Adelabu in the governorship election.

Oyo State Governor admonished Seyi Makinde, the governor-elect to be wary of praise singers, avoid acrimony and make a frantic effort to leverage on relationships.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor-elect led his deputy, Mr Rauf Olaniyan, and several other members of his team on the courtesy call.

Ajimobi, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), urged the governor-elect to leverage on his relationships, commending him for his noble move.

You must beware of praise-singers and avoid acrimony. It is also better to leverage on relationships. I know you as a man of peace.

You have started with a very good spirit. I want you to encourage inclusiveness and accommodate those you know can add value to your government and the state, he said.

Ajimobi commended Makinde for initiating the noble gesture of visiting, imploring him to form an all-inclusive government with quality people.

The governor urged him to accommodate other people in the state that could add value, rather than party members alone.

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It has been reported that an Igbo businessman narrowly escaped death after being attacked by thugs in Taraba.

Rotn Akanwoke Gideon, aka Arkgee, the CEO of Arkgee Computers in Yola was attacked along Wukari Road in Taraba state.

Arkgees car was destroyed during the attack. He was also injured, so much so that he was bleeding badly and his white singlet turned red.

Sharing the story, Emmanuel Goji Hammana blamed the Yan Chirani in Taraba state for the attack.

He wrote: Thank God for sparing the life of Rotn Akanwoke Gideon (Arkgee), the CEO of Arkgee Computers Yola. He was attacked along Wukari Road by thugs. The extreme tendency displayed by Yan Chirani in Taraba is getting out of hand. Politics is not madness. Is APC synonymous to violence?
Ghanaian actress, Moesha Boduong Visits Her Grandmother





Ghanaian actress, Moesha Boduong shares cute photos as she visit her grandmother. Gistvic Reports.





Moesha Boduong says there is nothing more wonderful than a grandmothers love for her grandchildren.





She wrote:

Is there anything more wonderful than a grandmothers love for her grandchildren?Its just pure love nothing but pure love .It was see good to see her ?.









SOURCE: GISTVIC.COM

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Reprinted from us4.campaign-archive1.com

Wiesel was very upset. He seemed very nervous. Very agitated. [He said,] "I believe these are bad results and I believe it's reportable," and then he took the volume of federal regulations from the shelf and went to section 50.55(e), which describes reportable deficiencies at a nuclear plant and [they] read the section together, with Wiesel pointing to the appropriate paragraphs that federal law clearly required [them and the company] to report the Category II, Seismic I deficiencies. Wiesel then expressed his concern that he was afraid that if he [Wiesel] reported the deficiencies, he would be fired, but that if he didn't report the deficiencies, he would be breaking a federal law. . . .
Reprinted from Smirking Chimp

According to one Michigan mayor, members of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) asked security to eject audience members who vocally supported Bernie Sanders during Sunday's debate in Flint, Michigan.

Seriously.

Jim Fouts, a three-term Independent mayor of Warren, Michigan, attended Sunday's Democratic debate, just like he had attended the Republican debate on Thursday. Fouts told Buzzfeed News that the GOP audience was loud when he attended that debate on Thursday, and even though he wasn't expecting the Democratic debate to be quite as rowdy as the Republicans, he expected to be able to express himself.

But after Sunday's debate, he wrote on Facebook that:

"The Democratic debate is totally controlled by Hillarys [sic] good friend DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. No commentary is allowed by the audience. Particularly if you are cheering Bernie Sanders. Persons who do not adhere to Hillarys [sic] rules are threatened with expulsion."

He told BuzzFeed News that he was seated behind Wasserman Schultz, and that he was praising Bernie's performance and talking about how this debate proved that more debates were a good idea for the Democrats.

Then, during an early commercial break, Fouts and his assistant were taken out of their seats and the sergeant at arms told him, "The people that run this want you ejected, they don't want you here." Fouts was allowed to watch the rest of the debate from his seat, but he had to be careful about even clapping too loud or at the wrong time, for fear of getting ejected.

On Monday, Fouts joined the growing chorus of voices calling for Wasserman Schultz to step down as the chair of the Democratic National Committee. But really, she should have resigned months ago, and she probably shouldn't have ever held the position in the first place. Not just because she's repeatedly and blatantly attempted to tip the scales in Hillary Clinton's favor during the Democratic primary, but also because, based on her words and her votes, she is exactly the type of so-called "centrist" corporate Democrat that the party needs to rid from its ranks.

To start, she's right now co-sponsoring a bill that would gut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's payday loan and car loan regulations, basically protecting loan sharks from regulations at the expense of low-income Americans. Never mind the fact that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is one of Barack Obama and Elizabeth Warren's major progressive achievements to reign in financial abuses.

She also just lifted the ban that President Obama himself put in place that bans lobbyists from donating to the Democratic National Committee, and her lifting of that ban officially ended one of the few remaining rules that stem the tide of corporate money into the Democratic Party.

In the most recent omnibus spending bill, she voted for one provision that prevents the Securities and Exchange Commission from writing rules that would require corporations to disclose political spending to shareholders. In the same bill, she voted for another provision that would make it impossible for the IRS to create rules to curb special interest donors from forming "social welfare organizations" to hide political spending.

Schultz was one of the 28 Democrats who voted for fast-tracking the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and she received $300,000 from interest groups backing the trade deal, presumably for that vote, according to the The American Prospect.

Just after the Democratic party lost the House and Senate catastrophically back in 2014, Wasserman Schultz voted to eliminate that part of Dodd-Frank that had prevented big banks from using deposits to speculate in financial derivatives.

Not to mention the fact that even though 58 percent of people from both parties in Florida support legalizing medical marijuana, Debbie Wasserman Schultz still opposes legalizing medical marijuana. She says it's because marijuana is a gateway drug, but it might have more to do with the tens of thousands of dollars she's gotten from the alcohol industry since she's been in Congress.

That's just a glimpse at Wasserman Schultz' voting record, and it shows a pattern of voting for pro-corporate legislation and for legislation that opens our political system to even more political spending and corruption.






Michigan tells plutocrat mass media and pollsters to just stop talking about Clinton winning

Maybe the historic Michigan primary will cause people to tune out the insistent mass-media megaphone that keeps sounding the falsehood that Sanders can't win. "Myth of inevitability" propaganda, along with lies about Sanders' record (e.g., auto bailouts, health-care finance), seem to be Clinton's primary campaign strategy. No wonder only 58% of Michigan Democrats consider her honest. The fact is that where it counts, in the blue and purple states, outside the South, Sanders has either won landslides or at least fought Clinton -- with her far superior SuperPAC resources for buying large media markets like Detroit and Boston, as well as in Nevada -- to a virtual draw.

A week after Super Tuesday Clinton has completed her sweep of the red-state South that should be irrelevant, because it will predictably make no contribution at all to a Democratic electoral-college victory in November. At the same time Sanders dramatically refuted the polls (including the now 99% opinionated 538) that overlook the role of independents. He turned an essential corner with a slim 1.5% margin of victory over Clinton in Michigan. Sanders generously and properly calls this a draw because delegates are awarded proportionately. Clinton won Detroit Metro -- 60% of Wayne (40% black), 51% of Oakland (15% black) and 48% of McComb (8% black), the three largest counties in the state that have about 100,000 voters or more. Clinton also won 50% in Genesee County (20% black) (Flint), which cast about half that number of votes. Sanders won pretty much everywhere else in the state.

The media treats Mississippi and Michigan as offsetting primary victories. They are not. That "she won Mississippi by a huge margin" is irrelevant, or should be; quintessentially blue-state Michigan is epoch-changing.

"Rotten-borough" Delegates

In a separate article I have argued that the Clinton "victory" awarded to her by the mass media on the basis of her primary results in the red-state South, starting in South Carolina and ending now in Mississippi, is an illusion created by four or five undemocratic devices that should be corrected, or compensated for, by DNC rule changes. One of those devices is the "rotten borough." This term was originally used to describe the royally-rigged English voting system that founders like Thomas Paine ridiculed as part of the corrupt system that they revolted against. It applies to any depopulated election district that retains its original representation and voting strength although hardly anyone lives there any more.

The primary results in Mississippi and Michigan demonstrate how rotten-borough corruption works. The electoral college determines who will be President, not individual Democratic voters who are disenfranchised by red-state winner-take-all presidential-election laws. No longer are any Democratic electors living in these red states like Mississippi. In the Democratic nominating convention, blue and purple states need to select a candidate who can win blue- and purple-state electors. Red states have no proper role to play in this process. Red-state electors will be voting against the Democratic nominee in the electoral college. Under what theory, then, are rotten-borough delegates authorized to choose a blue-state nominee?

Voting red-state delegates allow the plutocratic candidate and her plutocratic mass-media supporters the opportunity to propagandize that everyone should just stay home from the primaries because Clinton is going to win anyway based on her "rotten-borough" results. In a fair run-off system those results would be considered nothing more than straw polls. That is the system that the Sanders campaign should be demanding of the DNC.

Others argue from the fact that Super Tuesday is deliberately frontloaded with red states that it distorts the apparent relative strength of the candidates and thereby favors plutocrats by weakening the morale of the opposition. It is said: "The idea was to crush any liberal candidate in those states ... so their funding would dry up and their campaigns would die early in the primary season." Democrats in red states are not very well informed by local media about Democratic politics, and therefore are more easily propagandized than are blue-state residents by plutocratic money and its control of the national mass media. Although this result is deliberate, and this argument also tends to delegitimize the red-state Super Tuesday results, including South Carolina and Mississippi, it leaves any principled remedy to future rescheduling.

The argument made here is not about the timing of the red-state primaries, but their illegitimacy for purposes of acquiring voting strength in the nominating convention.

The rotten-borough delegate system allows states empty for a generation, or more, of any Democratic electoral votes to nevertheless share in the power of nominating the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate who, as a matter of fact, will only win by carrying a coalition of blue and purple states. "Rotten-borough" voting by red-state delegates is one of several corrupt rules that the Democratic Party uses to throw the nomination to the candidate of plutocrats. It is undemocratic and arguably also unconstitutional, because discriminatory against blue- and purple-state delegates.

Excluding these "rotten-borough" states from the scorecard, the current count is that Sanders has won four blue states by landslides, has scored virtual ties in the important blue states of Massachusetts and Michigan, and has a 1-1 record in purple states, with two more virtual ties in purple Nevada and Iowa.

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The destruction of Libya, Iraq and Syria as unified states generated Islamist radical groups in the Middle East, which create havoc, said investigative journalist Chris Hedges. This was caused by the invasion of outside forces, he added.

RT: How much of a threat does Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) pose in Tunisia? Chris Hedges: It is probably not an existential threat, but it is a threat, because after the US overthrow of [Muammar] Gaddafi it essentially opened up these massive Libyan arsenals to a series of groups reaching all the way down into Sub-Saharan Africa -- countries like Mali. So you have provided one logistical base, because these militants are based just over the border in Libya, along the border with Tunisia; and it has provided weapons by which they can carry out attacks. Of course it has also provided training. The destruction of Libya as a unified state -- like the destruction of Iraq and Syria -- has spawned these groups that can create significant havoc inside countries in the region, and that is what we're seeing. RT: Tunisia has built a new 200 kilometer barrier on the Libyan border to stop ISIL. Will this help?





CH: That is a long border. I don't know how long it is, but I have been there. It is going to be pretty hard to keep ISIS out; it is a remote, often inaccessible, porous border. So I expect to see more attacks like this one.





RT: Have the US air strikes against ISIL in Libya had any impact?





CH: I think the problem is, as we have seen, with the attacks against IS in Iraq and Syria that unless you can occupy the territory you can certainly damage and to a certain extent cripple these movements. But as long as they control the ground, as long as they are able to operate within vast swaths of territory, air campaigns are not going to be able to stop them. And that has just been proven over and over -- the Israelis tried that a few years ago in Southern Lebanon and it didn't work out very well for them.





RT: A US commander recently admitted that Libya is turning into a failed state. Could Tunisia go the same way?





CH: No, I think that the failed states are largely created by the destruction of central authority on the part of outside forces. We saw that with the US invasion of Iraq; we saw that with the decision -- not only by the US, but by its allies the Saudis, the Qataris and others -- to arm and fund the insurgent groups within Syria; we saw that with the overthrow of Gaddafi. I don't see that happening in Tunisia. However the creation of a failed state on the border of Tunisia is certainly going to create significant problems, because these armed jihadists have the tools and the space to carry out almost unlimited attacks inside Tunisia.





RT: The US is considering a deeper military involvement in Libya. How could that change the situation in the region?





CH: It's not just Tunisia. They are moving into all sorts of states around Libya, including in Egypt. You have a significant number of Tunisian jihadists who have already flooded into Iraq and Syria. And if we go back far enough, Afghanistan. So there is a network by which ISIS can draw on in order to attempt to create havoc inside Tunisia. I wouldn't say Tunisia is necessarily the next target, I'd say it is one of several targets, and the capacity that ISIS has to disrupt life in Tunisia is significant. I don't think we can speak about Tunisia becoming an Islamic state -- and that is what I mean by saying it is not an existential threat to Tunisia -- but it certainly can deeply disrupt life within Tunisia.
An analysis of Hillary Clinton's vote totals and delegate counts to date do not bode well for her in November if she is the Democratic Party nominee. And she knows it.

That's why Bernie Sanders' surprising (to them) win in Michigan has the Clinton camp worried. It points to a trend that the Clinton camp does not want anyone to notice.

At this point in time (March 11), Bernie Sanders has won eight states outright to Hillary Clinton's nine. They have basically tied in four others:

Iowa caucus, Clinton by roughly 355 votes.

Nevada caucus, Clinton by roughly 8,000 votes.

Massachusetts, Clinton by 17,064 votes out of 1.2 million cast, 1.4% difference.

Michigan, Sanders by 19,437 out of 1.2 million cast, 1.64% difference.

(Hillary also won American Samoa, where she got 162 out of the 237 total votes tabulated.)

Hillary Clinton has seen her largest delegate gains to date in the Deep South (South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas). She touts her support from the Black community in those states as a sign of her "electability."

The problem is that Hillary Clinton knows that her path to the White House does not include winning any of those Deep South states in November. These eight states, all of them, will go Red (Republican) in November, regardless of which Democrat and which Republican are on the ballot.

While the Democrats in those states may support her, the demographics show the Republican vote will overwhelm any candidate the Democrats put forward. Check the record: All those enthusiastic black voters in those eight states could not pull out a single win for Barack Obama in either of his races in 2008 or 2012.

Fact: No Electoral College votes out of the Deep South will be cast for a Democrat in November.

So, how does that fact change the analysis of the race going forward?

Dramatically, as it turns out.

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www.highbrewcoffee.com

Cold-Brew Beverage Company Introduces New Additions to Coffee Line at Seasonal TradeshowANAHEIM, Calif. (March 11, 2016)  High Brew Coffee, the premier provider of ready-to-drink cold-brew coffee, will unveil their new line of lattes in three delicious, full-bodied flavors: Creamy Vanilla, Caramel Pecan and Toasted Coconut. Attendees are invited to sample the new latte offerings for the first time at Natural Products Expo West, booth 5828. The latte lineup, which is shelf- stable like their previous products, is also vegan and non-GMO. These offerings provide options for every lifestyle to enjoy the brands bold-tasting coffee in a can.High Brew Coffees new additions are similar to the original cold-brew line embodying a truly smooth, rich flavor of cold-brewed coffee, now in latte form. Creamy Vanilla Latte is made with almond milk, and both the Caramel Pecan Latte and Toasted Coconut Latte are made with coconut milk, to offer a dairy-free alternative that boasts the same decadent creaminess found in similar lattes. High Brew Coffee is made from 100% Fair-Trade-Certified Arabica coffee beans, which are filtered and brewed over time, not heat, for less acidity than your average cup of Joe, representing what High Brew Coffee stands for: better, not bitter.Our consumers are always top-of-mind when we create new products, and we aim to provide an elevated coffee experience that doesnt compromise quality or flavor, said David Smith, founder and CEO of High Brew Coffee. We are confident that our new line of lattes sets High Brew apart as we continue to listen to our consumers and provide cold-brew coffee products that deliver a premium coffee experience on-the-go.The Natural Products Expo West will take place from March 11-13 at the Anaheim Convention Center located at 800 West Katella Avenue Anaheim, CA 92802. High Brew coffee invites attendees to sample their new line of dairy-free lattes at Booth #5828. For more information on the show, please visitHigh Brew Coffees dairy-free line of lattes will be available in June 2016. For more information, please visit###About High Brew CoffeeAfter working non-stop for 13 years to turn his tiny tea company into a booming success, David Smith, co-founder of Sweet Leaf Tea, embarked on the sailing adventure of a lifetime. Discovering the benefits of cold, refreshing cold-brewed coffee during muggy nights navigating rough waters, the idea for High Brew Coffee was born. Officially founded in 2014, High Brew Coffee is an all-natural 100 percent Arabica blend ready-to-drink cold brew coffee made from fair trade coffee beans. Brewed with zero heat, High Brew Coffee offers premium low-calorie cold-brews in smooth, delicious flavors such as Double Espresso, Mexican Vanilla, Salted Caramel, Dark Chocolate Mocha, and Black & Bold. For more information, please visitKonnect1710 Evergreen Ave., Austin, TX 78704Emily Anderseneandersen@konnect-pr.com
Become a U.S. Citizen & Cast your Vote for the Upcoming Presidential Election 2016

U.S. Immigration Center

www.usimmigration-center.com/citizenship-eligibility

www.usimmigration-center.com

www.usimmigration-center.com

During this crucial year of elections, becoming a US citizen authorized to vote is extremely important. Though the situation is extremely frustrating for many, there are ways available to speed up the Naturalization process.As the deadline to vote in 2016 is fast approaching, there are only 8 more months left until the U.S. presidential election. New U.S. citizens must need to register their vote by October 2016, in order to elect the next President of the United States.Getting a U.S. citizenship has several benefits besides making the life easy going. Out of so many benefits, the most empowering is the right to vote, which is a constitutional right as a citizen of a country. If someone is interested in travelling, with a U.S. passport, they become safe to abroad. They can be a federal employee only with a U.S. citizenship. By getting a U.S. citizenship a child born to someone outside U.S. will automatically get the U.S. citizenship.By applying for a U.S. citizenship, one can enjoy all the rights and freedoms afforded by all U.S. citizens, including increased job opportunities, voting privileges and much more benefits as stated below. Right to run for elected office Freedom to express yourself Freedom to worship as you wish Freedom to pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happinessFilling out the U.S immigration forms manually could cause unnecessary, costly clerical mistakes. To make the entire U.S. immigration form filling process hassle-free, time saving and enjoyable, USImmigration-Center.com provide Digital Immigration Solutions and help applicants to fill the U.S. immigration applications easily, quickly, and efficiently. Their step-by-step, easy-to-use automated software converts complex questions into simpler questions which applicants can easily understand and answer on their own.USImmigration-Center.com helps prepare United States Citizenship & Green Card Renewal application online which are simple, secure & error-free. By using their online immigration form filling service, the applicants can reduce the risk of rejection, which could potentially cost them additional time and money.The form N-400 is used to apply for U.S. citizenship. The green card holders, who satisfy the eligibility requirements, can apply for the Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. The N-400 application for U.S. Citizenship can be filled out quickly and securely online.With the online form navigating software, U.S. Immigration Center help avoid easy-to-make errors on the paperwork. Plus, the applicants can save their progress at any point of time and fill out the form at their own pace. Low service fees, so prepare and complete Naturalization Form N-400 today and pay less for U.S. citizenship.Check the eligibility to apply for U.S. Citizenship for FREE -Apply for U.S. citizenship today to take advantage of the rights of U.S. citizen with U.S. Immigration Center. Applying for citizenship now will give the opportunity to vote in the upcoming 2016 U.S. presidential election. Do not miss out! Call 1-888-943-4625 now to get started or visitand start filling the N-400 citizenship application online.USImmigration-Center.com help applicants to fill the U.S. immigration applications easily, quickly & efficiently. They make the entire form filling process stress-free, time saving and enjoyable. Their goal is to make users comfortable in filling in the online application with the guidance of the 24/7 customer service team and by using the form navigating software which will stop users in case of errors on the application and alert users to correct the mistake that will then help them to move forward.U.S. Immigration Center Inc.1623 Central Ave, Suite 145Cheyenne, Wyoming - 82001United StatesPhone: 1-888-943-4625Email: support@usimmigration-center.comWeb:
HASHPLAY - FIRST LIVE GAMING PLATFORM FOR VIRTUAL REALITY (VR)

https://goo.gl/T9FFUT

San Francisco, March 10th, 2016, Hashplay Inc. launches its beta virtual reality (VR) application for Google cardboard. The application is now available in the Android Play Store ().The Hashplay platform lets users enjoy 2D,3-D and VR gaming content in an interactive VR experience. The cardboard app for Android is the first Hashplay app to be released of several more for other VR devices.Hashplay is the first platform to play, stream and watch live gameplay in 2D, 3D and virtual reality. Users simply download the free application to watch the live game streams of their choice. The streams are provided by gaming enthusiasts who freely download the publishing application and stream their gameplay live to Hashplay.For now Hashplay presents demos of their VR experience that will be substitute successively by their VR live gaming publisher application. Feedback is welcome (feedback@hashplay.tv) to improve the experience constantly.Once our publisher application has been rolled out, gamers can play computer games in virtual reality and share them so viewers are put right into their games says Jan-Philipp Mohr, Founder and CEO of Hashplay.  Moreover, you can independently look around in someones Gameplay. Mohr added.We anticipate to change the way video games are watched, played and shared.Founded by Jan-Philipp Mohr (CEO), Ingo Nadler (CTO) and Jan Schlueter (CMO) in 2015. Hashplay provides the infrastructure to play, share and watch games in virtual and augmented reality. Hashplay is headquartered in San Francisco.Hashplay Inc350 Townsend #755San Francisco,94107 United States
LANSDOWNE ARTS BOARD ANNOUNCES SECOND IN A SERIES OF EXHIBITIONS JURIED BY BRIDGETTE MAYER

GALLERY SHOW, LILT: NEW WORK BY JACQUE LIU, OPENS MARCH 12, 2016Lansdowne, PA---The Lansdowne Arts Board is pleased to announce the work of contemporary visual artist Jacque Liu, the second show in its inaugural Juried Solo Exhibition Series. The show will be on view from March 12 through May 1, 2016. An opening reception is scheduled for Saturday, March 12, 2016 from 4 PM - 8 PM.Artists in this exhibition series were selected by one of Philadelphias most distinguished gallery owners, Bridgette Mayer of Philadelphias Bridgette Mayer Gallery. Founded in 2001, the Bridgette Mayer Gallery is one of Philadelphias preeminent contemporary galleries, and has earned a national reputation for finding and cultivating American abstract artists.Jacque Liu was born in Taipei, Taiwan and currently lives in Philadelphia, PA. He received an M.F.A. from Cranbrook Academy of Art, a B.F.A. from Alfred University, and a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the Universitat der Kunste Berlin. He has exhibited nationally and internationally, and is the recipient of numerous awards and grants. His work and projects have been reviewed in media such as The New York Times, Newsweek, National Public Radio, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.Throughout every body of work that I make, there seems to be a desire to understand the notion of place, explains Liu, whos travelled extensively and lived in places such as Taipei, St. Louis, Berlin, and Detroit, before landing in Philadelphia in 2008.To understand place, Liu continues, my eye gravitates towards everyday architectural elements, often focusing on windows, doors, vents, staircases, chairs, and abandoned houses in the vastness of a cityscape.Lilt is a recent body of work that consists of wooden shelves with acrylic sheets placed upon them. Both the wood and the acrylic forms were created based on shapes that Liu found within urban environments. The work recalls Liu's memory of places, re-contextualizing his encountered sites and objects.This is an exciting opportunity for the Board, the 20*20 House, and the borough of Lansdowne, says Megan Halsey, President of Lansdownes Arts Board. Collaborating with a well-respected gallery owner like Bridgette Mayer raises the profile of this new art space. The gallery shows will be important additions to Lansdowne's ongoing calendar of art and music events, and will help build our identity as a vibrant artistic community.Over the next two years, the Juried Solo Exhibition Series will provide eight emerging and established regional artists the opportunity to showcase their work in an up-and-coming arts space, the newly renovated 20*20 House.The Full Juried Solo Exhibition Series:September 2015 - Izaak SchlossmanMarch 2016 - Jacque LiuSeptember 2016 - sculptor Elisabeth NicklesSpring 2017 - painters Leanne Grimes and Lisa HaskellFall 2017 - painters Anne Canfield and Jeff CarpenterSpring 2018 - painter Gerard BrownLocated just six miles west of Center City, Lansdowne is a historic Borough that is proud of its architecture, its charming, tree-lined streets, and its long-standing focus on cultivating creative community. The Lansdowne Arts Board is dedicated to bringing artists of all career stages into the community to help develop Lansdowne as a leading center for artistic living. The 20*20 House is the new venue to launch this mission, featuring a beautiful first floor gallery with natural light and original architecture.The 20*20 House is located at 20 Lansdowne Court, in Lansdowne, PA and will be open Saturdays and Sundays March 12 through May 1 from 12-4pm. Easily accessible by public transportation, the 20*20 House is one block from the Lansdowne stop on the Media / Elywn SEPTA train line. For more info, contact Hanne Weedon, LansdowneArts@gmail.com, or 610.623.7300 x125Located just six miles west of Center City, Lansdowne is a historic Borough that is proud of its architecture, its charming, tree-lined streets, and its long-standing focus on cultivating creative community. The Lansdowne Arts Board is dedicated to bringing artists of all career stages into the community to help develop Lansdowne as a leading center for artistic living. The 20*20 House is the new venue to launch this mission, featuring a beautiful first floor gallery with natural light and original architecture.The 20*20 House is located at 20 Lansdowne Court, in Lansdowne, PA and will be open Saturdays and Sundays March 12 through May 1 from 12-4pm. Easily accessible by public transportation, the 20*20 House is one block from the Lansdowne stop on the Media / Elywn SEPTA train line. 1303 South Broad StLower LevelPhiladelphia, PA 19147
Information Security recognition: BSI & Agilyx

John Catarinich, Agilyx CEO, receiving award from BSI

Agilyx, Unit4s leading software partner in Australia and New Zealand has been awarded the significant world-renowned ISO Information Security certificate  ISO27001.At a recent recognition event with BSI (the global ISO27001 certifying body), Agilyx celebrated the dual honour of achieving the ISO27001 certification with a zero non-conformance score from their independent auditors  the equivalent of an A+.ISO27001 is the strictest standard available internationally in information security management systems. The standards mandate rigour in management systems to prevent and/or reduce the impact of security incidents by enabling organisations to adopt and certify best practice in data security and systems. The audit process is a comprehensive examination of the information security risks in an organisation, highlighting threats and vulnerabilities and assesses the efficiency and effectiveness of the existing controls and countermeasures.As a cloud-first solutions company, Agilyx has always placed a high priority on safeguarding information and the ISO 27001 certification independently confirms our commitment to comprehensive information security at every level. Compliance with this internationally recognised standard underscores the fact that Agilyxs security management system is both comprehensive and contemporary and follows best practice in maintaining confidentiality, integrity and availability of information. It provides the assurances and clarity often required by customers wishing to engage with Agilyx for ERP services, in particular, government agencies and large private sector organisations.As part of the ISO certification process, Agilyx had its information security management systematically audited and the ERP software company was found to have met all certification requirements with zero non-conformities including:Numerous processes that ensure the ongoing improvement of Information Security, such as: Policy and procedure development Risk management Security reviews Monitoring control effectiveness Regular governance meetings Internal auditsA comprehensive business management system that empowers Agilyx to detect, evaluate and treat information risks effectively.A set of security procedures such as physical security, processes, third-party contracts, technical controls and business continuity management.BSI, who independently audited and certified Agilyx for ISO27001 comments:Organisations must be trusted to safeguard sensitive information and adopt information-security minded practices to show customers theyre willing to go the extra mile to protect and look after their data. Throughout the audit process Agilyx showed strong top management commitment and widespread information security awareness throughout the business. They should be proud of this achievement which reflects the commitment to the services they provide their clients.John Catarinich, Agilyx CEO, commented:We are very excited to have achieved our goal in creating an enduring, integrated security management system for our business and customers. The award of the ISO27001 accreditation, and acknowledgment from our auditors that the quality and scale of what we have created is best-in-class, is something that we are all incredibly proud of. The award of the ISO standard marks another first for our company and our amazing team and is a practical win for our customers in terms of a sustainable business benefit for them.As a cloud based solutions Company, we are acutely aware of the need to operate robust, secure systems for the benefit of our customers. More than 2 years of planning, review and execution in our security management protocols culminated in the award of the ISO accreditation  our challenge is to safeguard and extend this management philosophy and practice into everything we do for all of our global operations.About AgilyxAs a full service software provider, Agilyx (formerly Agresso) provides a comprehensive suite of services to our customers in Australia, New Zealand and North America. Our operations include ERP software sales, maintenance and a full range of support services. Agilyx is truly Change Ready  as Unit4s leading Australian and New Zealand partner for more than a decade, the company has a deep and rich experience working with the regions most dynamic organisations and governments. With local knowledge, inspired thinking and a healthy disrespect for the status quo, we deliver an unrivaled business transformation experience leveraging Unit4s People Focused business solutions.AgilyxAgilyx, Suite 403 Level 4, 151 Castlereagh StreetSydney NSW 2000Telephone +61 2 8047 6300Stephanie King - Marketing Managerstephanie.king@agilyx.com.au+61 2 8047 6318
Bello2 Lucky Price

http://www.bello2.com

KUALA LUMPUR, 10 March, 2015  Bello2, Malaysias largest online beauty and wellness marketplace launches the anticipating bidding contest of Lucky Price today.Following the success of Mad November and All About Valentine campaigns, Bello2 aims to continue amusing online consumers with the all-new Lucky Price. The latest campaign is an exclusive bidding game for Bello2 members to participate in grabbing the opportunity to buy their chosen deals or beauty products in their own price.With the growing purchasing power of online shoppers, the goal of the campaign is giving members the power to bid featured offers at the lowest and unique price and winners get to purchase based on their winning bid price. Featured offers include therapeutic beauty deals and products starting from as low as RM1.The Lucky Price also encourages the budding number of online shoppers to take part through sharing with friends and family as well as social media for the tech-savvy. The highest number of successful sign up will reward members with amazing prizes monthly and fresh bidding ticket to increase your chances to win Lucky Price.Visitto find out more.About Bello2Bello2 has become the largest online beauty and wellness e-marketplace in Malaysia since 2014. It started off as a marketplace providing more than 2000 deals from over 500 prestige merchants and has expanded into carrying beauty products.Bello2 strives to become a convenient and trusted online destination for customers to discover great values when it comes to feeling confident in beauty.With an efficient and dedicated team behind the scene, Bello2 steps up in connecting customers and merchants seamlessly for comfort and beauty fix.Ozura Firstlogix Sdn BhdUnit 6-1, Tower 3 Avenue 3, The Horizon,Bangsar South, Jalan Kerinchi59200 Kuala Lumpur
Rhino-Conjunctivitis Market Outlook, Global Clinical Trials Review, H1, 2016: Acute Market Reports

http://www.acutemarketreports.com/category/healthcare-market

http://www.acutemarketreports.com/

http://www.briskinsights.com/report/anti-aging-products-and-services-market

SummaryGlobalData's clinical trial report, Rhino-Conjunctivitis Global Clinical Trials Review, H1, 2016" provides an overview of Rhino-Conjunctivitis clinical trials scenario. This report provides top line data relating to the clinical trials on Rhino-Conjunctivitis. Report includes an overview of trial numbers and their average enrollment in top countries conducted across the globe. The report offers coverage of disease clinical trials by region, country (G7 & E7), phase, trial status, end points status and sponsor type. Report also provides prominent drugs for in-progress trials (based on number of ongoing trials). GlobalData Clinical Trial Reports are generated using GlobalDatas proprietary database - Pharma eTrack Clinical trials database. Clinical trials are collated from 80+ different clinical trial registries, conferences, journals, news etc across the globe. Clinical trials database undergoes periodic update by dynamic process.The report enhances the decision making capabilities and helps to create an effective counter strategies to gain competitive advantage.Browse full report with TOC @ acutemarketreports.com/report/rhino-conjunctivitis-global-clinical-trials-review-h1-2016*Note: Certain sections in the report may be removed or altered based on the availability and relevance of data for the indicated disease.Scope- The report provides a snapshot of the global clinical trials landscape- Report provides top level data related to the clinical trials by Region, Country (G7 & E7), Trial Status, Trial Phase, Sponsor Type and End point status- The report reviews top companies involved and enlists all trials (Trial title, Phase, and Status) pertaining to the company- The report provides all the unaccomplished trials (Terminated, Suspended and Withdrawn) with reason for unaccomplishment- The Report provides enrollment trends for the past five years- Report provides latest news for the past three monthsView all reports of this category @*Note: Certain sections in the report may be removed or altered based on the availability and relevance of data for the indicated disease.Reasons to buy- Assists in formulating key business strategies with regards to investment- Helps in identifying prominent locations for conducting clinical trials which saves time and cost- Provides top level analysis of Global Clinical Trials Market which helps in identifying key business opportunities- Supports understanding of trials count and enrollment trends by country in global therapeutics market- Aids in interpreting the success rates of clinical trials by providing a comparative scenario of completed and uncompleted (terminated, suspended or withdrawn) trials- Facilitates clinical trial assessment of the indication on a global, regional and country levelMore Information Click Here -*Note: Certain sections in the report may be removed or altered based on the availability and relevance of data for the indicated disease.About Acute Market ReportsAcute Market Reports is the most sufficient collection of market intelligence services online. It is your only source that can fulfill all your market research requirements. Acute Market Reports provide online reports from over 100 best publishers and upgrade Acute Market Reports collection regularly to offer you direct online access to the worlds most comprehensive and recent database with expert perceptions on worldwide industries, products, establishments and trends. Acute Market Reports database consists of 200,000+ market research reports with detailed & minute market research.Contact:Chris PaulOffice No 01, 1st Floor,Aditi Mall, Baner, Pune,MH, 411045 IndiaPhone (India): +91 7755981103Toll Free (US/Canada): +1-855-455-8662Email: sales@acutemarketreports.comFor More Related Market Research Reports visit,Acute Market Reports is the most sufficient collection of market intelligence services online. It is your only source that can fulfill all your market research requirements. Acute Market Reports provide online reports from over 100 best publishers and upgrade Acute Market Reports collection regularly to offer you direct online access to the worlds most comprehensive and recent database with expert perceptions on worldwide industries, products, establishments and trends. Acute Market Reports database consists of 200,000+ market research reports with detailed & minute market research.Office No 01, 1st Floor,Aditi Mall, Baner, Pune,MH, 411045 India
Web Development Company| Web Design and Development Services | Web Designing Company Ecommerce Web Design Company| Ecommerce Website Development Company

Web Design and Development Company

Web Design and Development Company is part of Ardor Technology Solutions an offshore PHP web development and multimedia company based in Chennai, India offering the best solutions at much affordable price. The service includese-Commerce Development, Website Design, Website Development, Graphic Design, 3D Modelling /Animation/Texturing/Lighting, Mobile Apps and SEO.Web Design and Development Company have team of 25+ experienced IT professionals dedicated to deliver customize and open source technology business solutions.Ardor Technology Solutions has been serving US, AUS, UK and Canada for the last 9 years. They are seeking good business relations with companies. They love to adopt best practices and will be happy to provide their technical assistance/guidance/recommendations/quotation, as and when required. Their technical team will provide assistance to grow other companies business for mutual benefits.WE GROW WHEN OUR CUSTOMERS GROWWeb Design and Development Company is ready to share portfolio, case studies and testimonials, if you feel interested.Select Web Design and Development Company if you needE-Commerce Solutions  Magento, OSCommerce, bigCommerce, CRELoaded,Open CartPhone Applications - Iphone, Ipad, Android, blackberry apps and mobile websites + Mobile Express Checkout Library (MECL)Open Source Solutions - Word Press, Word Press Thesis and Joomla + Virtumart, Drupal Etc..Customize web application development in openPHPPayment Gateway Integration - PayPal, EBS, Google Checkout, WordPay, Moneris, Sage Pay etc.Designs  Creative layouts, high quality graphic designs etc.PSD to Xhtml conversion - SEO Semantic, W3C and Jigsaw validated xhtml conversion to boost ranking in SEs.Accessibility Guidelines 2.0Corporate Branding - Logo, e-Brochure, Postcard, Business card, Letterhead, Product CatalogArdor Technology Solutions is a Web Design and Development Company in Chennai India, focused on designing and developing Web Solutions, for the Fortune elite as well as SMEs across the USA, Canada, UK, Australia and many parts of Europe that are serious about achieving online success for their businesses.52/88, V S Mudali Street,Near Subramaniya Swamy Koil,Saidapet,Chennai  600 015.sales@ardortech.inBy Phone044  42010042+91 9787870101 ( IN )
Paper security stickers for rfid identification (gyrfidstore)

RFID Label and NFC Stickers is designed for various applications especially the asset tracking and NFC payment.The strength of RFID label compared with other tags is the thinner thickness, various size, flexible and cost efficient. It can be sealed inside of goods or stick on the device surface with adhesive layer. The label is also optional with anti-metal layer to mount and working on metal surface. GYRFID has the ability to produce the paper label and PVC label in mass production.Features:Model number: LAPMaterial: Aluminum Antenna with Paper or PVC StockSize options: 8654, 80x50, 5517, 5050, 45x45, 4025, 38x25, 3535, 25x25, 3015, 18x18, 12x20mm, dia45/ 40/ 35/ 30/ 27/ 25/ 18mmThickness: Antenna position 0.35mm IC position 0.55mmNote: Optional with Anti-metal or 3M adhesive or magnet on fidgetsPersonalization Support: Offset Printing with CMYK or Pantone colors Silk-screen printing logo Thermal transfer printing Serial Number or UID Barcode printing and QR code printing, Photo printing Hologram UV printing Chip encodingApplication: NFC payments Promotions and advertisements Logistic management Parcel tracking Library Management Inventory ControlIC options: 13.56Mhz ISO14443A: NXP MIFARE Classic 1K, MIFARE Classic 4K, MIFARE Ultralight, MIFARE Ultralight EV1, MIFARE Desfire 2K, MIFARE Desfire 4K, MIFARE Desfire 8K, MIFARE Plus, Fudan FM11RF08; NTAG203, NTAG213, NTAG215, NTAG216; LEGIC MIM256, LEGIC ATC1024, LEGIC ATC2048 13.56Mhz ISO15693: ICODE SLI; ICODE SLI-X; Tag-it 256, Tag-it 2048 840-960Mhz UHF: Alien Higgs, Monza 3, Monza 4D, Monza 4QT; NXP UCODE G2iLAbout GYRFID STOREGYRFID Store is a brand of Go Young International Ltd, which is an online purchase platform of the RFID products.GYRFID Store sells a wide range of Cards and RFID tags embedded with 125KHz, 13.56Mhz, 868Mhz-915Mhz, as well as the personalization to apply in access control and industrial management. We also provide the accessories like lanyard, card holders, badge, ibuttons for office daily usage. We also welcome the personalization like serial number printing, offset printing, encoding service etc.GYRFID Store is located in Shanghai, China mainland. We have customers all around the globe and can ship products all worldwide.GYRFID Store will help you to make the best choices for your RFID system requirements. Shop in GYRFID Store will make your purchase much reliable and flexible.Should any of these items be of interest to you, please let us know. We will be happy to give you a quotation upon receipt of your detailed requirements.ADDRm1516, Qiangjin Building, QiXin Rd No.1318 ,Shanghai, 201100, China
FMI Releases New Report on the Warehouse Robotics Market 2015-2025

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-842

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-842

www.futuremarketinsights.com

Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the Warehouse Robotics Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2015-2025" report to their offering.Warehouse robots are gaining a lot of popularity and its rising importance due to its usage in varied number of applications such as food and beverage, automotive, pharmaceuticals, electronics, construction, defense, oil and gas. Companies are investing huge in research and development activities in the warehouse robotics market, especially developed countries for product innovation and also to automate it in a more advanced way. With rapid advancement in technology and increasing demand of warehouse robotics to improve product quality, production and space utilization, the market for warehouse robotics market is growing at a positive rate globally.In December 2014, Amazon installed almost 15,000 robots in its US warehouse to cut operation cost by one-fifth and to meet up the increasing consumer demand during festive seasons. They also wanted to compete with the brick and mortar stores and to deliver items to customers on time and at a faster rate. The technology was developed by Kiva Systems, a robotics company. Recently, Amazon announced that it would renamed Kiva systems to Amazon Robotics and also hire a head of Robotics.Warehouse Robotics Market: Drivers & RestraintsIncreased demand of automation, time saving and reduction in cost, increasing number of stock keeping units, increasing demand and awareness towords quality and safety production, advancement in technology, increased use in various applications and industries such as food and beverage, electronics, are the important market drivers for the warehouse robotics market.Initial high adoption cost related to training, deployment, lack of awareness and difficulty in interacting with robots for some end users are some of the barriers which is hampering the growth of warehouse robotics market.Request Free Report Sample@Warehouse Robotics Market: SegmentationWarehouse robotics market is broadly classified on the basis of the following segment By Product:Fixed RobotsMobile RobotsGantry RobotsStationery Articulated RobotsBy Application:AutomotiveFood and BeveragePharmaceuticalElectronicsConstructionDefenseOil and GasOthersWarehouse Robotics Market: OverviewThe warehouse robotics market has grown substantially at a healthy CAGR due to recent advancements in the technology and increasing demand in its applications. Asia Pacific will emerge as the fastest growing region for warehouse robotics market due to increasing demand for automation and increasing awareness about quality production.Visit For TOC@Warehouse Robotics Market: Region-wise OutlookThe warehouse robotics market is expected to register a double-digit CAGR for the forecast period. Depending on geographic regions, warehouse robotics market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market for warehouse robotics market due to increasing research and development and increasing investment made by the automotive companies.Warehouse Robotics Market: Key PlayersSome of the key market players in warehouse robotics market are ABB Robotics, Kiva Systems, Foxconn Technology Group, Seegrid, SSI Schaefer, Swisslong, Fanuc Corporation.Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global and China ANC Headset Market Will Grow Fast by 2017

http://www.intenseresearch.com/market-analysis/global-and-china-anc-headset-market-industry-analysis.html

http://www.intenseresearch.com/

The 'Global and Chinese ANC Headset Market, 2011-2021 Market Research Report' is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global ANC Headset industry with a focus on the Chinese market. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the ANC Headset manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry.Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including its definition, applications and manufacturing technology. Then, the report explores the international and Chinese major industry players in detail. In this part, the report presents the company profile, product specifications, capacity, production value, and 2011-2016 market shares for each company. Through the statistical analysis, the report depicts the global and Chinese total market of ANC Headset industry including capacity, production, production value, cost/profit, supply/demand and Chinese import/export. The total market is further divided by company, by country, and by application/type for the competitive landscape analysis.The report then estimates 2016-2021 market development trends of ANC Headset industry. Analysis of upstream raw materials, downstream demand, and current market dynamics is also carried out. In the end, the report makes some important proposals for a new project of ANC Headset Industry before evaluating its feasibility. Overall, the report provides an in-depth insight of 2011-2021 global and Chinese ANC Headset industry covering all important parameters.Get Free Sample Report of ANC Headset Market:Table Of Content Of ANC Headset Market:Chapter One Introduction of ANC Headset Industry1.1 Brief Introduction of ANC Headset1.2 Development of ANC Headset Industry1.3 Status of ANC Headset IndustryChapter Two Manufacturing Technology of ANC Headset2.1 Development of ANC Headset Manufacturing Technology2.2 Analysis of ANC Headset Manufacturing Technology2.3 Trends of ANC Headset Manufacturing TechnologyChapter Three Analysis of Global Key Manufacturers3.1 Company A3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Product Information3.1.3 2011-2016 Production Information3.1.4 Contact Information3.2 Company B3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Product Information3.2.3 2011-2016 Production Information3.2.4 Contact Information3.3 Company C3.2.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Product Information3.3.3 2011-2016 Production Information3.3.4 Contact Information3.4 Company D3.4.1 Company Profile3.4.2 Product Information3.4.3 2011-2016 Production Information3.4.4 Contact Information3.5 Company E3.5.1 Company Profile3.5.2 Product Information3.5.3 2011-2016 Production Information3.5.4 Contact Information3.6 Company F3.6.1 Company Profile3.6.2 Product Information3.5.3 2011-2016 Production Information3.6.4 Contact Information3.7 Company G3.7.1 Company Profile3.7.2 Product Information3.7.3 2011-2016 Production Information3.7.4 Contact Information3.8 Company H3.8.1 Company Profile3.8.2 Product Information3.8.3 2011-2016 Production Information3.8.4 Contact InformationAbout Intense ResearchIntense Research provides a range of marketing and business research solutions designed for our clients specific needs based on our expert resources. The business scopes of Intense Research cover more than 30 industries includsing energy, new materials, transportation, daily consumer goods, chemicals, etc. We provide our clients with one-stop solution for all the research requirements.Contact UsIntense Research3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442,United StatesTel: +1-386-310-3803GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651Email: sales@intenseresearch.comWeb:
Emerging Opportunities in Augmented Reality (AR) Market with Current Trends Analysis

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-240

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/augmented-reality-market

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Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the Augmented Reality (AR) Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2014 - 2020" report to their offering.Augmented reality applications and gradually witnessing mainstream adoption and are witnessing rapid traction among consumers. Augmented reality (AR) generally portrays as a real time hub and integrated combinations of text, graphics, audio and several other enhancements to customer screens and showcase real-world objects. With increasing uptake of social media, Augmented Reality application providers are focusing on developinga location-based services for mobile devices.Typically consumer use Augmented Reality hardware which include smart phone with GPS, camera, compass, and tilt-sensing technology all integrated under a single platform. This augmented reality applications is gradually witnessing traction among retailers, as customers are using this to find locations or products with maps and directions; customers are also using the same to search in-depth information about certain products. Retailers use this as an opportunity to contextualize products and send personalized promotional messages to their potential clients for upselling and cross selling.Request Free Report Sample@Tier 1 retailers continue to experiment with Augmented Reality applications in-store, online and on mobile devices. Globally the retail space is increasingly becoming overcrowded and customers are not responding to traditional marketing methods. Thats where augmented is pitching in. As shoppers are preferring omni-channel strategy with combination of online, mobile, and bricks-and-mortar shopping for their convenience, brands and retailers has to think of new and innovative ways in which they can capture customer attention.Examples of implementations include enabling customers to virtually try clothing online or in a "virtual dressing room" in the store or how jewelry would appear in certain lights and against certain skin tones., to enable shoppers to virtually try on their purchases quickly and easily.Full Report Analysis@In terms of US$ market opportunity for providers, its still not more than US$50million in 2014; however Future Market Insights in its upcoming report indicated, with the phenomenal adoption of Augmented Reality applications for mobile devices, the retail opportunity is expected to grow at CAGR of over 35% in next few years.In terms of application the retail opportunity can be split into, location search, and product search, accessing product information & receiving relevant promotional message.However FMI in the upcoming report highlighted that after initial hype of mobile based Augmented Reality around GPS, there have been development to develop richer and more graphic-intensive applications which is expected to drive. During forecast period, FMI predicts functionality is bound to expand its horizon to computer-vision-based location services (such as image and objection recognition) to deliver the ability to visually identify still and moving objects.Visit For TOC@FMI in the upcoming report highlighted that there are several options how vendor can tap this opportunity. Success of adoption of Augmented Reality among retailers will depend on their ability to use it as a means of Omni-channel shopping experiences rather than using it as a one of technology. Key vendors which were analyzed in the report are GoldRun; Iryss; Layar; Metaio; Total Immersion; Zugara.Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: futuremarketinsights.com
Global Life jacket Market 2016 Industry Trends, Sales, Supply, Demand, Analysis & Forecast to 2021

Life jacket Market

http://www.qyresearchgroup.com/market-analysis/global-life-jacket-market-2016-industry-trends-sales.html

http://www.pdf.qyresearchgroup.com

Global Life jacket Industry 2015 Market Size Share Growth Forecast Research and DevelopmentThe Global Life jacket Industry report gives a comprehensive account of the Global Life jacket market. Details such as the size, key players, segmentation, SWOT analysis, most influential trends, and business environment of the market are mentioned in this report. Furthermore, this report features tables and figures that render a clear perspective of the Life jacket market. The report features an up-to-date data on key companies product details, revenue figures, and sales. Furthermore, the details also gives the Global Life jacket market revenue and its forecasts. The business model strategies of the key firms in the Life jacket market are also included. Key strengths, weaknesses, and threats shaping the leading players in the market have also been included in this research report.The report gives a detailed overview of the key segments in the market. The fastest and slowest growing market segments are covered in this report. The key emerging opportunities of the fastest growing Global Life jacket market segments are also covered in this report. Each segments and sub-segments market size, share, and forecast are available in this report. Additionally, the region-wise segmentation and the trends driving the leading geographical region and the emerging region has been presented in this report.Get Complete Report with TOC : qyresearchgroup.com/market-analysis/global-life-jacket-market-2016-industry-trends-sales.htmlThe study on the Global Life jacket market also features a history of the tactical mergers, acquisitions, collaborations, and partnerships activity in the market. Valuable recommendations by senior analysts about investing strategically in research and development can help new entrants or established players penetrate the emerging sectors in the Life jacket market. Investors will gain a clear insight on the dominant players in this industry and their future forecasts. Furthermore, readers will get a clear perspective on the high demand and the unmet needs of consumers that will enhance the growth of this market.Table of ContentChapter One Life jacket Industry Overview1.1 Life jacket Definition1.1.1 Life jacket Definition1.1.2 Product Specifications1.2 Life jacket Classification1.3 Life jacket Application Field1.4 Life jacket Industry Chain Structure1.5 Life jacket Industry Regional Overview1.6 Life jacket Industry Policy Analysis1.7 Life jacket Industry Related Companies Contact InformationGet Sample Copy of Report @ qyresearchgroup.com/report/54505#request-sampleChapter Two Life jacket Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis2.1 High Purity colloidal silica Supplier and Price Analysis2.2 Equipment Suppliers2.3 Labor Cost Analysis2.4 Other Cost Analysis2.5 Manufacturing Cost Structure2.5 Life jacket Manufacturing TechnologyChapter Three Global Life jacket Capacity Production and Production Value3.1 Global Life jacket Manufacturing Base3.2 2010-2015 Global Life jacket Capacity and Production3.3 2010-2015 Global Life jacket Production Value and Growth Rate3.4 2010-2015 Global Life jacket Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value and Gross MarginChapter Four Life jacket Sales and Sales Revenue by Regions4.1 2010-2015 Global Life jacket Sales by Regions4.2 2010-2015 Global Major Regions Life jacket Sales and Growth Rate4.3 2010-2015 Global Life jacket Sales Revenue by Regions4.4 2010-2015 Global Major Regions Life jacket Sales Revenue and Growth Rate4.5 2010-2015 Global Major Regions Life jacket Sales PriceChapter Five Life jacket Application Consumption5.1 2010-2015 Global Life jacket Key Applications Consumption5.2 2010-2015 Global Life jacket Key Applications Consumption ShareChapter Six Life jacket Price Cost and Gross Margin Analysis6.1 2010-2015 Global Life jacket Price and Sales Price6.2 2010-2015 Global Life jacket Cost and Gross MarginChapter Seven Life jacket Major Manufacturers Analysis7.1 Company A7.1.1 Company Profile7.1.2 Product Picture and Specification7.1.3 Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value7.1.4 Contact Information7.2 Company B7.2.1 Company Profile7.2.2 Product Picture and Specification7.2.3 Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value7.2.4 Contact InformationRead Report in PDF Format @ pdf.qyresearchgroup.com/market-analysis/global-life-jacket-market-2016-industry-trends-sales.pdf7.3 Company C7.3.1 Company Profile7.3.2 Product Picture and Specification7.3.3 Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value7.3.4 Contact Information7.4 Company D7.4.1 Company Profile7.4.2 Product Picture and Specification7.4.3 Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value7.4.4 Contact InformationChapter Eight 2016-2021 Life jacket Industry Development Trend8.1 2016-2021 Global Life jacket Capacity Production Overview8.2 2016-2021 Global Life jacket Sales and Growth Rate8.3 2016-2021 Life jacket Production Value8.4 2016-2021 Life jacket Price8.5 2016-2021 Life jacket Gross Margin8.6 2016-2021 Life jacket Cost Price Production Value Gross MarginChapter Nine Life jacket Marketing Analysis9.1 Life jacket Marketing Channels Status9.2 Life jacket Ex-work Price Channel Price End Buyer Price Analysis9.3 Life jacket Regional Import Export Trading AnalysisChapter Ten Life jacket Industry Chain Suppliers and Contact Information Analysis10.1 Life jacket Raw Materials Major Suppliers and Their Contact Information10.2 Life jacket Major Suppliers and Their Contact Information10.3 Life jacket Key Buyers (Consumers) and Their Contact Information10.4 Life jacket Supply Chain RelationshipChapter Eleven Life jacket New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis11.1 Life jacket Project SWOT Analysis11.2 Life jacket New Project Investment Feasibility AnalysisChapter Twelve Global Life jacket Industry Research ConclusionsRead More @About Us:QYResearch Group is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. QYResearch Group also carries the capability to assist you with your customized market research requirements including in-depth market surveys, primary interviews, competitive landscaping, and company profiles. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics. QYResearch Group is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air.Contact US:Joel John3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442,United StatesTel: +1-386-310-3803GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651Web: qyresearchgroup.comWeb:Email: sales@qyresearchgroup.com
Edition Digital Publishing System Now Free For Students Everywhere

http://edition.digital/8Dy2

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Edition Digital, developer of the new generation of digital publishing platforms, is ready to share its signature technology with a new generation of passionate and ambitious students. The company is committed to supporting the most exciting, creative and inspiring ideas as they will shape our future world. By offering free access to all students everywhere, Edition Digital empowers students with the technology to create and deliver magazines, portfolios, yearbooks and other digital projects to a global audience.Edition Digital is now available for all students to create digital projects using the new generation of publishing solutions which are not just app-based but ready for mobile and web. The Smart Digital Publishing System is the first real one-stop shop as it manages all the key requirements of effective publishing; CREATING, MANAGING, DISTRIBUTING, MONETISING and ANALYSING.Keith Martin, Senior Lecturer at London College of Communication, University of the Arts London, said: I'm delighted that students will get free access to Edition Digital! Putting powerful digital production tools in the hands of students is a truly great move. This is a cutting-edge digital platform, it is based on industry standards, and it is flexible enough to fit into all kinds of student project ideas. Practically all other digital publishing options are either seriously limited in scope or seriously expensive (and they're often both), so free access to Edition Digital is like a breath of fresh air. I've always thought that if we could give students access to tools like this they'll become even more creative and innovative. I'm looking forward to seeing what they make!Rok Pulevic, CEO of Edition Digital added: We firmly believe in passion, aspiration, imagination and the power of knowledge. Our platform is built for exciting, inspiring ideas and to support creative students all around the world were offering the use of our Smart Digital Publishing System completely free.To guarantee free access, all students have to do is prove their academic status at a qualified university. Importantly, even part-time students or people who enrol for a class at their local community college can be eligible  there is no upper age limit. And online colleges are on the list, too. Students simply provide proof of enrolment such as a school ID card, report card, transcript, tuition bill or statement. Any documents dated within the last year are valid. The verification happens online and takes just one day. In the meantime, students can start creating their digital projects in a fully-functional free trial.There are no differences between academic versions of Edition Digital Smart Digital Publishing System and regular accounts. ED Free for Students includes up to 5 Live Publications, unlimited GB storage, unlimited advanced animations, unlimited video, audio, animated links and up to 3 users. It can take in your universitys or private site, custom branding, project Folio and advanced Analytics for Live Publications. All publication can be accessed on any device, are Mobile optimised and allow social media connectivity.More on:Press images available here:The Edition Digital Smart Digital Publishing System is a unique comprehensive solution for efficient creating, managing, distributing and monetising of digital content. The System also empowers clients with detailed analytics to track publication sales, advertising and content performance to find out what works best for the subscribers. Edition Digital is fully automated and easy to use because of the companys deep understanding of the importance of a creative approach to delivering digital content. It also supports integrated workflow to make collaboration of the entire digital team easy and efficient.Edition Digital is already used by many global companies such as Mazda (UK, USA, Canada, Australia), Land Rover, Boots, Marks & Spencer, British Telecom, Esprit, Fiat, BNP Paribas, Barclays, Sainsburys, Argos, Yamaha and British Airways.36 Wattleton RdBeaconsfield, Buckinghamshire HP0 1SEUnited Kingdom
Global Insulin Pump Market Analysis, Competitive Landscape and Future Outlook to 2020

Market Research Reports and Industry Trends Analysis

http://www.marketreportsonline.com/contacts/purchase.php?name=448563

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http://www.marketreportsonline.com/cat/medical-devices-market-research.html

The Global Insulin Pump Market with Focus on Patch Pumps 2016  2020 research of 55 pages with 59 Figures to the medical devices industry segment of its online data and intelligence library. Over the next five years the global insulin pump market revenue is expected to grow due to increasing diabetic population, increasing diabetes health expenditure and innovation in technology etc. Complete report available at marketreportsonline.com/448563.html.The report provides global diabetic population in terms of volume, global diabetic population by region and diabetes health expenditure etc. It provides detailed analysis of global insulin pump market in terms of value as well as volume. The report summarizes the revenue, number of pump users, pump penetration rate and top market players etc. In addition to traditional insulin pumps, the report also focuses on recent launched innovative insulin patch pumps in the market in terms of value and its market share.The report titled Global Insulin Pump Market with Focus on Patch Pumps 2016 - 2020 analyzes the significant trends and potential opportunities in the global insulin pump market. The market size and forecast in terms of US$ for global insulin pump market has been provided for the period 2016 to 2020, considering 2014 as the base year. Analysis of insulin patch pump, a latest technology, is also covered in the report.The report also provides the detailed analysis of the US insulin pump market. It provides detail on total diabetic population in the US with Type1 and Type2 diabetes. The US insulin pump market is measured in terms of volume and market share of top players has also been provided in the report. The US is the market leader of the insulin pump market globally.The report also provides competitive landscape of the global insulin pump market. The global insulin pump market is very less fragmented as major part of market share has been captured by top market players such as Medtronic, Insulet Corporation and Animas Corporation etc. Medtronic is the market leader with the highest revenue earned in the fiscal 2014.Purchase a copy of this Insulin Pump Market research report at USD 800 (Single User License)Furthermore the report profiles key market player such as Insulet Corporation, Medtronic, Animas Corporation, Roche and Cellnovo on the basis of attributes such as company overview, recent developments, strategies adopted by the market leaders to ensure growth, sustainability, financial overview and recent developments.Country Coverage: The USCompany Coverage of Insulin Pump Market: Medtronic Insulet Corporation Animas Corporation Roche CellnovoA medical device that is used in for the management of insulin in the treatment of diabetes is known as insulin pump. It is a small automated device almost similar to the dimension of a mobile phone. It is very convenient in use, as this can be easily carried on a belt or inside a pocket. The device contains buttons to program insulin and navigate through the menu, LCD color screen to show the programming, battery compartment and a reservoir compartment. There are various types of insulin pumps available in the market and the latest pump available in the market is patch pump which is technologically more advanced than traditional pumps. Major points from Table of Contents atThe number of diabetic population around the world is growing at a rapid rate which ultimately helps to grow the insulin pump market. Global insulin pump market has shown continuous growth over the past few years and is expected to grow in the near future. The growth in the market has driven by ageing population, increasing number of diabetic patients and technological advancements etc. The market is expected to achieve a significant growth in the forecasted period. Global insulin demand continued to expand at a rapid pace in 2015 over the previous year. Global insulin pump market is very less fragmented as major part of market has captured by top players.Explore more related reports on medical devices market atMarketReportsOnline comprises of an online library of 2,50,000 reports and in-depth market research studies of over 5000+ micro markets. We provide 24/7 online and offline support to our customers. Get in touch with us for your needs of market research reports.Ritesh TiwariUNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZMagarpatta city, HadapsarPune, Maharashtra 411013, IndiaTel: + 1 888 391 5441E-mail: sales@marketreportsonline.com
UAE Exchange Recognized As A Great Place to Work

UAE Exchange receiving the Great Place to Work Award

Working for an organisation that offers a work-life balance is a blessing but working for an organisation that rewards and helps improve skills of its team is a richer blessing. One such organisation that inspires and motivates its staff is UAE Exchange, the leading global remittances, foreign exchange and payment solutions brand. In a survey conducted by Great Place to Work, UAE Exchange ranked among the top 20 best employers in the UAE.In a glittering award ceremony held on March 8, 2016 at Jumeirah Zabeel Saray in Dubai, the brand was officially recognised as one of the Top Companies to Work for in the UAE by Great Place to Work. The survey was based on the confidential feedback of employees and an audit of management practices.We are delighted to be recognised by Great Place to Work for this award. Our people are our strength. This award speaks about the commitment of our staff representing different nationalities coming together to create a positive work culture. The resilience with which the team rises to any occasion is commendable. Their strength encourages us to explore new horizons, drive the business forward and achieve the vision of the organisation. The various employee engagement programmes also instill the core values of the organisation and build team spirit, which leads to a healthier and productive work culture punctuated with innovation. People are offered new opportunities to come up with ideas to improve processes and service quality, thus fulfill their aspirations of career growth. said Promoth Manghat, CEO, UAE Exchange.Commenting on the Top Companies list, Maha Zaatari, Managing Director of Great Place to Work in the UAE said, Congratulations to all 20 companies that made it onto our 2016 list. The expansion of the 2016 list is testament to the value UAE companies place on human capital development. There is no doubt that this years competition was the toughest since we introduced the annual benchmarking programme six years ago. The top 20 list makers truly understand how investing in their workplace cultures leads to stronger business and people performance within their organisations.About UAE ExchangeUAE Exchange commenced its operations in 1980. Today, it has grown into a leading global remittances, foreign exchange and payment solutions brand. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, the brand has spread its footprint across the world. With close to 800 branches spread across 31 countries in 5 continents, it has emerged as the widest globally networked remittance brand. Strong correspondent banking relationship with over 140 global banks and smart technology add to its might. Over 9000 professionals, representing more than 40 nationalities, strive to achieve excellence and bring delight to more than 13.2 million customers worldwide. UAE Exchange is an ISO certified brand and member of prestigious global associations, recognised and awarded for its quality and business excellence.PO BOX 170, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Smart Lighting Market: Segments, Dynamics, Size, Forecast, competitive landscape and etc, 2015 to 2021

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3892

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/3892

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com

Lighting is enormous sources of energy used across the globe. In order to reduce consumption of energy, it is necessary to decrease the utilization of this source by turning lights off or under set conditions or down at set times. Smart lighting shows massive potential market as it facilitates delivering the exact amount of light at right place and at right time. The demand for lighting control systems is increasing at a huge rate and advanced technologies and designs for lighting systems would further boost up the development of industry in coming years. It deals with technology where lights automatically perform several operations at set times or conditions. It also uses of intelligent lighting control systems to control light, based on several parameters such as movement, occupancy, amount of natural/daylight, color temperature and so on.The smart lighting market is segmented on the basis of lighting type, connectivity technologies, lighting control components, application and geography. The different lighting types include LED lamps, compact fluorescent lamp, fluorescent lamps and high intensity discharge lamp. Several lighting control components are relays, controllable breakers, passive infrared, occupancy sensors, dimming actuators, ultrasonic, switch actuators, transmitters, receivers and others. The connectivity technologies for smart lighting are wired, digital addressable lighting interface, bacnet, and other technologies. Smart lighting are being used in applications such as office lighting, educational institution lighting, commercial and industrial, residential, outdoor lighting and automobiles.The smart lighting market is growing at a decent rate and the major factors that drive the growth of this market are increasing growth of Light Emitting Diode (LED), increasing growth of street lighting systems, use of lighting in commercial modernization and development of smart lighting for smart cities. However, unsuited wireless communication solutions, difficulty of maintenance and lack of awareness for smart lighting are some of the factors hindering the growth of the market. In coming years, expansion of smart lighting in smart cities acts as opportunity for this market.Request Brochure of this Report:The smart market lighting covers different geographical regions such North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. Presently, Europe region is the largest market for smart lighting particularly in industrial and commercial, government and public buildings applications. Europe is followed by Asia-Pacific. Numerous new players are emerging in this region that has built up breakthrough products related to smart lighting. The market is estimated to grow at a modest rate in developed regions that include America as well. Government, building owners, utilities and other share holders are accepting the implementation of lighting control systems on broader scale owning to concern associated to energy consumption. Industrial and commercial application shows largest growth potential and would grow at highest CAGR during forecasted period as compared with other applications.Request to view TOC:Some of the key players for smart lighting market are Encelium Technologies, Inc., Lutron Elecronics, Co., Legrand S.A., Zumtobel AG, Royal Philips Electronics N.V., Honeywell International, Acuity Brands, Inc., Digital Lumens, Inc., Streetlight Vision and Osram Licht AG among others.About Us:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is an innovative provider of market research reports and consulting services. The three PMR pillars of strength that have helped us win clients for years are: Quality Research, Quick Research, and In-depth Research.PMRs team of seasoned analysts and consultants are experts in their domain. At PMR, we process complex, exhaustive primary and secondary research data into valuable insight. We uAbout Us:nderstand that each client has a unique problem statement, and address it with our strengths.Contact:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Wireless Audio Device Market: Segments, Dynamics, Size, Forecast, Technology, Drivers and Restraints, 2015 to 2021

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http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/4094

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com

A device that uses wireless technology to play different types of audio files is called a wireless audio device. A wireless audio device consists of microphones, sound bar, wireless speaker system, wireless transmitter and receiver system, integrated audio system, dedicated speaker docks, speaker adapters, in-ear monitoring systems, and musical pickups. Depending on the design, modern wireless audio devices either come with power cables or run on batteries. A wireless audio device offers proper connectivity, expandability, flexibility, and convenience. These devices can operate in the vacant spectrum between frequency ranges of 520 MHz and 1800 MHz.Based on technology, the global wireless audio device market is segmented into four categories: Airplay, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and others (including skaa, play- fi, and sonos). Among various applications, Bluetooth accounts for the largest segment in the wireless audio device market.Based on application, the global wireless audio device market is segmented into four categories: consumer and home application, commercial application, automotive application, and others (including security application and defense application). Commercial application forms the largest segment owing to the soaring demand of wireless audio devices from thte automotive and defense sectors. Based on product, the global wireless audio device market is classified into four categories: sound bars, wireless speaker systems, wireless headsets & microphones, and others. Wireless speaker systems are further divided into three different categories: Bluetooth speakers, speaker adapters, and dedicated speaker docks.Increasing mobility requirement, advancements in wireless audio technologies, and growing demand for infotainment services are the key factors driving the global wireless audio device market. Negative health effects on children and other user groups as well as other issues, such as operating frequency compliance acts, restrain the global wireless audio device market. Major companies such as Apple, Inc., Bose Corporation, DEI Holdings, Inc., Harman International, Inc., and Plantronics, Inc. offers innovative audio devices with the latest features. Growing investment for research and development of sophisticated wireless audio devices further helps in the growth of this market.Request Brochure of this Report:North America is the largest market for wireless audio devices, followed by Asia Pacific. In North America, the U.S. accounts for the largest market share in the wireless audio device market. China, Japan, and India are some of the major market for wireless audio devices in Asia Pacific. This market is expected to exhibit double digit growth rate during the forecast period.Request to view TOC:Some of the major players in the global wireless audio device market are Plantronics, Inc., Polk Audio, Inc., Boston Acoustics, Inc., Avnera Corporation, Bluetooth Sig, Inc., Bose Corporation, DEI Holdings, Inc., Harman International, Inc., Koninklijke Philips N.V., Sennheiser Electronic GmBH, Shure, Sony Corporation, Vizio, Inc., VOXX International Corporation, and Apple, Inc.About Us:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is an innovative provider of market research reports and consulting services. The three PMR pillars of strength that have helped us win clients for years are: Quality Research, Quick Research, and In-depth Research.PMRs team of seasoned analysts and consultants are experts in their domain. At PMR, we process complex, exhaustive primary and secondary research data into valuable insight. We uAbout Us:nderstand that each client has a unique problem statement, and address it with our strengths.Contact:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Global Industry Analysis on Smart Factory Market, 2015 - 2021

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Smart factories are affordable and offer fully integrated automation solutions for manufacturing facilities to streamline the flow of materials during the manufacturing process. Smart factories are characterized by increasing the use of technology and field devices to offer complete automation in manufacturing process. By incorporating cyber physical system into the forefront of manufacturing flow, smart factories are able to connect every process and component across the value chain. This interconnection of information and production has revolutionized the automation industry and thereby, facilitated manufacturing units to perform at an optimum level. Moreover, manufacturing companies are able to achieve shortest time to market and zero waste production through smart factories. Automation in smart factories makes the use of various control devices such as sensors, motors, drives, switches and relays and networks technologies such as wired, wireless and radio frequency identification (RFID). Integrated systems such as Manufacturing Execution System (MES), Information Technology (IT) system, Programmable Logic Control (PLC), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) are designed to meet the specific requirements of a manufacturing unit. These industrial control systems manage the process and streamline the flow of materials across the manufacturing line. Smart factories also make use of industrial robots such as articulated robots, SCARA (Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm or Selective Compliance Articulated Robot Arm) robots, Cartesian robots, cylindrical and other robots for various manufacturing processes such as painting, welding, conveyance, heavy lifting etc.One of the major factors driving the growth of smart factory market is the increasing need for improving efficiency and energy saving in the manufacturing process. Automation has enabled manufacturing units to utilize every second of production time through efficient streamlining of the manufacturing process. Technological advancements such as machine to machine communication enable smart factories to eliminate wastage of time caused due to the delay in the process change. Moreover, with rise of Internet of Things (IoT) and services, integration of manufacturing and engineering processes has experienced a tremendous leap forward. However, the growth of smart factory market faces a few restraints due to lack of standardization and interoperability issues. These factors raise concerns in designing integrated solutions using components provided by several automation solution providers. The shortage of trained workers and increasing skill gap further restrains the growth of smart factory market. Other crucial factors such as cyber security threats and associated costs limit the growth of this smart factory market in industries such nuclear, weapons and armaments.Request Brochure of this Report:With its immense applications in industries such as automotive and transportation, packaging, mining of minerals and metals, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and process industries such as oil and gas, the smart factory market is expected to experience immense growth in coming years. Thereby, companies have invested heavily to explore untapped opportunities in the applications of industrial robots and control devices.Request to view TOC:Some of the major players in smart factory market include Intel Corporation, General Dynamics Corporation, CMC Associates, Freescale Semiconductor Inc., Honeywell International Inc., Johnson Controls Inc., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Rockwell Automation Inc., Siemens AG, Schneider Electric SA, General Electric Co., Apriso Corporation, Emerson Electric Co., Invensys Plc., Teledyne Technologies Inc., ABB Ltd., Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, and National Instruments Corporation.About Us:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is an innovative provider of market research reports and consulting services. The three PMR pillars of strength that have helped us win clients for years are: Quality Research, Quick Research, and In-depth Research.PMRs team of seasoned analysts and consultants are experts in their domain. At PMR, we process complex, exhaustive primary and secondary research data into valuable insight. We uAbout Us:nderstand that each client has a unique problem statement, and address it with our strengths.Contact:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Global Plastic Packaging (Rigid Plastic Packaging and Flexible Plastic Packaging) Market Set for Rapid Growth, To Reach Around USD 375.0 Billion by 2020

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Zion Research has published a new report titled Plastic Packaging (Rigid Plastic Packaging and Flexible Plastic Packaging) Market for Food & Beverages, Industrial, Household Products, Personal Care, Medical and Other Applications - Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2014-2020. According to the report, global demand for plastic packaging was valued at USD 270.0 billion in 2014, and is expected to reach USD 375.0 billion in 2020, growing at a CAGR of 4.8% between 2015 and 2020. In terms of volume, the global plastic packaging market stood at 81,750.0 kilo tons in 2014.Plastic packaging is a type of casing in the form of plastic containers, bags, pouches, and jars to be used for food & beverages, personal care products, household products, and industrial goods. High-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are mainly used in plastic packaging. Plastics can be easily molded or altered into any shape as per the packaging requirement of goods. It is one of the fastest growing segments of the packaging industry. It combines the best qualities of plastic to deliver a wide range of protective properties while using minimum quantity of material. Plastic packaging is broadly used in consumer products, and in industrial applications. It is used to market, protect, and distribute a wide range of products.Browse the full "Plastic Packaging (Rigid Plastic Packaging and Flexible Plastic Packaging) Market for Food & Beverages, Industrial, Household Products, Personal Care, Medical and Other Applications - Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Segment, Trends and Forecast, 2014  2020" report atRigid and flexible are two types of packaging products. In rigid plastic packaging, product is packed in a rigid cases or container and for flexible packaging the material used is flexible that takes the shape of the products when it is packed. Furthermore, rigid plastic packaging segment dominate the market with significant shares in 2014. And it is expected to continue this trend owing to the demand from pharmaceutical industry.Food & beverages packaging applications segment was the largest segment of global plastic packaging industry and accounted for around 55% share of the entire market in 2014. It is expected to remain prolong application over the forecast period owing to high demand of packed food. Moreover, plastic packaging is expected to witness the fastest growth from the medical application segment in next five years.Get Sample Research Report:Asia Pacific was dominating regional market for plastic packaging owing to strong demand from China and India. It accounts for around 35% share of the overall market volume consumption in 2014 and further expected to remain major regional market for plastic packaging due to the heavy consumption of packed foodstuff and changing lifestyles during the next five years. Asia Pacific was followed by North America and Europe. Both the regions are expected to have lucrative demand during forecast period.The key players for the plastics packaging market include Amcor Ltd., Crown Holdings Inc., Bemis Company Inc., BASF SE, Huhtamaki Oyj, Mondi, Sealed Air Corporation, Sonoco Products, Saint-Gobain and amongst others.This report segments the global plastic packaging market as follows:Plastic Packaging Market: Product Segment AnalysisRigid Plastic PackagingFlexible Plastic PackagingPlastic Packaging Market: Application Segment AnalysisFood & BeveragesIndustrialHousehold ProductsPersonal CareMedicalOtherPlastic Packaging Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilMiddle East & AfricaDo inquiry Before Purchasing Report:Zion Research is a market intelligence company providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Zion Research experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants uses proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each Zion Research syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food and beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve the overall research requirement of clients.Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@marketresearchstore.comWebsite:
Waste to Energy (Thermal and Biological Technology) Market: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Segment, Trends and Forecast, 2014  2020

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Zion Research has published a new report titled Waste to Energy (Thermal and Biological Technology) Market: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2014 - 2020 According to the report, the global waste to energy market was valued at approximately USD 24.0 billion in 2014 and is expected to reach approximately USD 36.0 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of around over 7.5% between 2015 and 2020.Waste to energy (WtE) is a waste treatment process that generates energy in the form of electricity, heat or fuels from both organic and inorganic wastes. Advanced waste to energy technologies can be used to produce biogas, syngas, and liquid biofuels. These fuels can then be converted into electricity. Waste feedstock includes agricultural waste, municipal solid waste and industrial waste. Energy can be recovered from waste by various technologies such as biological and thermal technology. Biological and thermal technologies used to convert waste matter into different forms of fuel that can be used to supply energy.Browse the full "Waste to Energy (Thermal and Biological Technology) Market: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Segment, Trends and Forecast, 2014  2020" report atBased on technology, the global waste to energy market has been segmented into thermal and biological. Thermal technology was the dominant segment in 2014 due to widely used form of energy generation through waste matters. Biological technologies are used for anaerobic digestion of solid waste to produce energy which is biodegradable content and hence are mostly preferred by farmers. This segment is anticipated to witness fastest growth over the forecast period in emerging economies such as Japan and China.Europe dominated the global waste to energy market with over 45.0% share in total revenue generated in 2014. Europe closely followed by Asia Pacific. However, with increased advance technology penetration in Japan and China, Asia Pacific is expected to witness robust growth during 2015 to 2020. Latin America and Middle East & Africa are also expected to experience significant growth of waste to energy market in the years to come.Get Sample Research Report:Some of the key players in Waste to energy market Foster Wheeler A.G., C&G Environmental Protection Holdings Ltd., Veolia Environment, Suez Environment S.A., KEPPEL SEGHERS, Babcock & Wilcox Co., Xcel Energy, Covanta Energy Corporation, Constructions industrielles de la Mediterranee (CNIM), China Everbright, International Limited and Waste Management Inc.This report segments the global waste to energy market as follows:Global Waste to Energy Market: Technology Segment AnalysisThermalBiologicalGlobal Waste to Energy Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilMiddle East and AfricaDo inquiry Before Purchasing Report:Zion Research is a market intelligence company providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Zion Research experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants uses proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each Zion Research syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food and beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve the overall research requirement of clients.Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@marketresearchstore.comWebsite:
World Tape Library Industry Overview, Trends, Developments 2016 Market Advancements, Investments, Global Revenues & Analysis

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The research report on the global Tape Library market aims to provide its readers a fair chance at understanding the markets trends and dynamics at a greater level. The precision-based approach of researchers has helped the researchers create a meaningful document about the Tape Library market in a comprehensive manner. The research report has used SWOT analysis and Porters five forces analysis to highlight the key elements in the market. Furthermore, the research report has also analyzed the market through a political, environmental, social, technological, legal, and economic lens.With these market measurement tools, the researchers have provided a thorough study of the market to help the readers make well-informed business decisions. The descriptive format of the research report analyzes the market through a macro as well as microscopic point of view. The research report has been collated using primary and secondary research methodologies. The researchers have studied the historical data and compared it with the current market scenario to map a trajectory of the global Tape Library market for the near future.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @ qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=536142&type=EThe research report on the global Tape Library market explains the competitive landscape of the market as well as the impact of the regulatory framework. Additionally, the research report also profiles some of the top players in the global Tape Library market and explains their financial overview, research and development activities, strategic mergers and acquisitions, investment outlook, and product portfolio. The researchers have also discussed the developmental policies that are likely to impact the manufacturing processes and cost structure in the near future. To put it simply, the report aims to be a valuable source of guidance for all the market enthusiasts and policy makers.Browse Complete Report with TOC @Table of ContentsChapter One Tape Library Industry Overview1.1 Tape Library Definition1.1.1 Tape Library Product Pictures & Product Specifications1.2 Tape Library Classification & ApplicationChapter Two Tape Library Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis2.1 Tape Library Raw Material & Equipments Supplier and Price Analysis2.3 Tape Library Labor & Other Cost Analysis2.5 Tape Library Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis2.6 Tape Library Manufacturing Process AnalysisChapter Three Tape Library Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis3.1 2016 Global Key Manufacturers Tape Library Capacity and Commercial Production Date3.2 2016 Global Key Manufacturers Tape Library Manufacturing Plants Distribution3.3 2016 Global Key Manufacturers Tape Library R&D Status and Technology Sources3.4 2016 Global Key Manufacturers Tape Library Raw Materials Sources AnalysisRead More Reports on ICT @QYresearchreports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.QYResearchReports1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Web: qyresearchreports.comEmail: sales@qyresearchreports.com
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Dear customers, partners, suppliers, employees, shareholders, press representatives and friends!After 10 years with ups and downs we have decided to address us new tasks.We would like to say thank you for the great support and excellent cooperation! Thanks for so much confidence! Because of you we got to know the textile industry and we have great respect of your daily work. For an outsider it may be just a shirt or just a blanket but in future we will see the complex and hard way from a fiber to the finished product  by so many dedicated experts.Thanks to the great cooperation with you we achieved a great deal. Today the fibers are the basis for innovative and high-quality products of well-known brands in the sector of: Clothing, home textiles and nonwoven. The recognized fibers SeaCell and smartcel sensitive stand for the connection of extraordinary skin care and sustainable production. Today lots of textile producer which use the fibers of the smartfiber AG can show great sales figures for their products.With lots of you we still stay in contact. Many friendships came about! And although the way was sometimes very rocky we wont miss the time!We wish you all the best for the future and for smartfiber AG furthermore much luck!Yours Natalia and Michael KohneAbout smartfiber AG: smartfiber AG, with its headquarters in Rudolstadt (located in Thuringia, Germany), was founded in 2005. The company develops and markets lyocell fibers with different functionalities for the international market. The technology is based on the research and development of the renowned Thuringian Institute for Textile and Plastics Research (TITK) in Rudolstadt, Germany. smartfiber AG succeeded in permanently incorporating natural additives into cellulosic fibers known as lyocell, with resulting positive effects on skin and body. These high-tech fibers , with the internationally protected trademarks SeaCell and smartcel sensitive, are today the basis for innovative products in the textile and nonwovens industry. On this account smartfiber AG sets greatest value on quality controls implemented by independent institutes and laboratories. To ensure the premium processing of the fibers, the company cooperates with selected international production partners in the entire textile-processing industry. Lenzing AG, the world market leader for industrially produced cellulose fibers, exclusively produces the lyocell fibers developed by smartfiber AG since the latter part of 2011. The fiber received several awards in technology, among others the famous Deutscher Innovationspreis (German Innovation Prize) in 2010. The board of directors consists of CEO Michael Kohne and COO Thomas P. Daue. For further information, please go to smartfiber.de,andKunzer KommunikationAm Homburg 8766123 SaarbruckenFon: 0681-9686350Fax: 0681-968635-19
BroadNet Technologies launches Revised HLR Lookup Service

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Dubai, UAE BroadNet Technologies, a giant in IT and Telecommunication business, lately announced to offer the HLR Lookup service in revised form. The service is furnished with improved ease of use and functionality to better the user's experience. By exploiting the power of worldwide coverage and carrier-grade connectivity of BroadNet's privately-owned and operated SMSCs, the company is now able to offer its users real-time mobile number information.The bottom-line to revise the HRL lookup service is to deal with the issues related to Mobile Number portability and cutting down the level of costs whilst making the most of the results of the real-time lookup. To ascertain other varied benefits of the revised service can be resolved in its utilization, for example, Bulk SMS Gateway or mGate enterprise messaging interface.As a result of this recent revision in the HLR Lookup services, BroadNet is now giving a major heed to the application of HLR Lookup in the enterprise business, incorporating additional features and functionalities which are hopeful of cutting down communication costs and enhance operational competencies.BroadNet's Founder and CEO, Mr. Rabih Farah said, HLR Lookup is although one of the key telecommunication services yet we believe it should transcend the sector now. With this in mind, we are keen to see businesses of different types like BPO centers; marketing and logistics companies start using this standard yet cost-effective service and make the most of it.BroadNet is a premier international telecommunication specialist company catering to the wide-ranging telecommunication needs of worldwide clients successfully. The Company's comprehensive portfolio of services and solutions have already set a record in the market and we are yet making consistent efforts in this domain to perform better and better on a continued basis.The up-to-date revision in the HLR Lookup service is the offshoot of the evolving needs and demands of BroadNet's international clients and partners. Our focused approach combined with dyed-in-the-wool development enables the company to furnish the international clients with high-grade quality, dependability and tractability.About BroadNet TechnologiesCommenced in 2003, BroadNet is a recognized and a reputable Company offering a variety of telecommunication services such as HLR, SMSC, A2P, and OTP Verification and a variety of IT services such as Mobile app development, App Store Optimization and Search Engine Optimization under one roof for its international clients. The Company also offers wide-ranging and cost-effective e-marketing solutions with the view to connecting businesses with the intended targeted audiences.Headquartered in Lebanon and the branch offices in different global locations including the UAE, UK, Singapore and India, BroadNet is a privately-held Company and a certified GSMA Associated member.BroadNet proven international global simplified Bulk SMS and various IT Services continually embolden our confidence to consider us without a second thought!To learn more about the HLR Lookup services or other services BroadNet offers, Please visit the website atBusiness Bay, Almanara Tower Dubai , UAE
Attendance on Move, a feature of COSEC APTA  the mobile application of Matrix COSEC for employees, facilitates automatic attendance marking of the user.

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Attendance on Move, a feature of COSEC APTA  the mobile application of Matrix COSEC for employees, facilitates automatic attendance marking of the user.How it worksThis feature works on the GPS coordinates or Wi-Fi signals received from the respective employees mobile device. The HR/Admin will be required to pre-define a location and save it in the Location Master of COSEC Web. As a result, whenever the user enters/exits the pre-defined location, his or her attendance gets automatically marked.ApplicationThis feature can be used to address the following issues faced by HR/admin and employees:Missed punchesMany a times, it may so happen that an employee misses out on punching and marking his attendance. In such cases, this feature can prove to be a great solution. Instead of having to apply for attendance correction, the employee can make use of this feature and have his or her attendance automatically marked upon entering a pre-defined location.Attendance of field employeesFor employees working in the field, attendance marking is a major issue. For them, coming and marking their attendance at the office every day is quite a cumbersome task. The Attendance on Move feature can prove to be a perfect solution for the field employees of an organization. With this feature in place, field employees can have the location that they would be visiting pre-defined in the system for automatic attendance marking.Credentials not identifiedAt times employees may face difficulties if the punching device does not read and identify their credentials. This may especially occur in places like construction sites or manufacturing units. In order to avoid such events, employees can make use of the Attendance on Move feature.Long queuesIn many organizations employees working the same shift often have to wait in long queues for punching on the attendance marking device. When such events start occurring on a regular basis, it tends to affect employee morale and in turn their productivity. In order to deal with this issue, HR can have employees use this feature of the COSEC APTA application. With this feature, employees attendance gets automatically marked upon entering/exiting the office premises.BenefitsThis feature benefits in following ways: Increases productivity of employees and HR Less time spent after trivial tasks such as attendance corrections Improves employee moraleTarget Audience BFSI Industry: Employees working in the field, such as sales executives, insurance agents, etc. Organizations with Field Employees: Organizations such as FMCG, white goods, pharmaceutical having employees working in the field. Manufacturing and infrastructure sites having numerous employees during a shift Corporate Segment, IT/ITES where attendance marking device installation is to be avoided Government Offices, Shopping Malls, Hospitals, etc. for their staffProducts Required: COSEC CENTRA (Application Platform) COSEC TAM (Time-Attendance License) COSEC ESS (Employee Self Service License) COSEC APTA (Mobile Application of COSEC to be installed through Play Store/App Store)Contact: MATRIX COMSEC394 GIDC, Makarpura, Vadodara+91 93744 74302More@MatrixComSec.comEstablished in 1991, Matrix is a leader in Telecom and Security solutions for modern businesses and enterprises. An innovative, technology driven and customer focused organization; Matrix is committed to keep pace with the revolutions in the telecom and security industries. With more than 40% of its human resources dedicated to the development of new products, Matrix has launched cutting-edge products like Video Surveillance solutions, Access Control, Time-Attendance, IP-PBX, Universal Gateways, Terminals, Convergence solution, VoIP Gateways and GSM Gateways. These solutions are feature-rich, reliable and conform to the international standards. Having global foot-prints in Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Africa through an extensive network of more than 500 channel partners, Matrix ensures that the products serve the needs of its customers faster and longer. Matrix has gained trust and admiration of customers representing the entire spectrum of industries. Matrix has won many international awards for its innovative products.Matrix COmsec394 GIDC, Makarpura, Vadodara
Healthcare Payer BPO Market Analysis, Size, Share, Growth To 2022 by Grand View Research, Inc.

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Global healthcare payer BPO market is expected to reach over USD 34.2 billion by 2022 according to a new report by Grand View Research Inc. Key drivers attributing to the growth are ObamaCare, shift to ICD-10 coding system, growing geriatric population, increasing disease burden and penetration of insurance coverage in emerging economies.In 2013, as per estimates published by the Americas Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), which is the national trade association representing the health insurance industry, one-sixth of the U.S. economy or nearly USD 2.7 trillion is dedicated to healthcare spending and the number is expected to increase year on year. However, the healthcare system is not able to reap the benefits of such expenditure due to process inefficiencies and use of redundant systems. The estimated loss due to such inefficiencies is nearly 800 billion or approximately 20 to 30 percent of the overall expenditure.Browse full research report on Global Healthcare Payer BPO Market:Increasing healthcare expenditure is a major concern for the U.S. and all the other major economies. In order to reduce the economic burden and provide universal access to healthcare, governments are encouraging outsourcing of payer services to onshore or offshore locations.The shift from ICD-9 coding system to ICD-10 coding has created huge work load for the payers to upgrade their systems, train their staff and has significantly increased the financial burden. The ICD-9 code system had 13,000 codes, where as the ICD-10 code system has nearly 68,000 codes. This shift from the legacy system to the latest system has significantly increased the need for medical coding, accounting, HR, and other technical professionals, thereby is expected to positively reinforce the healthcare payer BPO outsourcing market growth in the next seven years.Read detailed report or request for free sample of this research report:Further key findings from the study suggest: In 2014, claims processing services accounted for the maximum share of approximately 55%. Key reasons attributed are growth in new member enrolments due to ObamaCare, increase in disease burden. For instance, as per data published by ObamaCare and CMS, in 2013 nearly 8 million people enrolled through the marketplace and nearly 11.7 million people were enrolled in 2015. However, Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market over the forecast period owing to high economic development in the region, favorable government initiatives and growth in insurance penetration across urban and rural centers. For instance, the Indian governments initiatives such as Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, are expected to benefit millions of people seeking life insurance and personal accident coverage and as consequence is expected to contribute to the healthcare payer BPO market expansion over the forecast period. Some key players operating in the market include, Xerox Corporation, Genpact Limited, Wipro Limited, Capgemini, Hinduja Global Solutions, HCL Technologies Ltd, Cognizant Technology Solutions, EXLService Holdings Inc., and Accenture. These players dominate the market owing to their strong product and service delivery portfolio, and presence of large customer base in the U.S and European markets.Browse more reports of this category by Grand View Research:Grand View Research has segmented the Healthcare payer BPO market on the basis of services and region:Global Healthcare Payer BPO Services Outlook (USD Million, 2015  2022) Claims Processing Services Member Services HR Services Finance And AccountsHealthcare Payer BPO Regional Outlook, (USD Million, 2015  2022) North Americao U.S.o Canada Europeo Germanyo UK Asia Pacifico Indiao China Latin Americao Brazilo Mexico MEAo South AfricaGrand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.Sherry JamesCorporate Sales Specialist, USAGrand View Research, IncPhone: 1-415-349-0058Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519email: sales@grandviewresearch.comWeb: grandviewresearch.comRead Our Blogs  legalworkshop.org, mediafound.org
Global Solar Tracker Market Set for Rapid Growth, To Reach USD 6.0 Billion by 2020

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Zion Research has published a new report titled Solar Tracker (Single Axis and Dual Axis) Market by Technology (Solar PV, CPV and CSP) for Utility and Non-utility Applications: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2014  2020. According to the report, global demand for solar tracker market was valued at over USD 2.40 million in 2014 and is expected to reach around USD 6.0 billion in 2020, growing at a CAGR of slightly above 17% between 2015 and 2020. Global solar tracker market installed capacity was 2,874.2 MW in 2014.The device used to enhance energy output by moving the solar panels or modules towards the sun is called as solar tracker. Solar tracker follows the moment of sun throughout the day to as it rotates from east to the west. The solar energy collectors or solar panels are the devices which receives the solar energy and are directly oriented towards the sun. In photovoltaic systems, trackers help minimize the angle of incidence (the angle that a ray of light makes with a line perpendicular to the surface) between the incoming light and the panel, which increases the amount of energy the installation produces.Browse the full "Solar Tracker (Single Axis and Dual Axis) Market by Technology (Solar PV, CPV and CSP) for Utility and Non-utility Applications: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Segment, Trends and Forecast, 2014  2020" report atBased on technology, solar tracker market can be segmented as solar photovoltaic, CPV (Concentrated Photovoltaic) and CSP (Concentrated Solar Power). With over 65% share of the global solar trackers installed capacity, solar PV was the largest technology segment in 2014. Concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) is expected to be the fastest growing technology for solar tracker market over the forecast period, growing at a CAGR of slightly above 18% from 2014 to 2020.Single axis and double axis are the major product segments of solar tracker market. Single axis tracker dominated the solar tracker market in 2014 and it accounted for over 55% of the total market in 2014. Single axis tracker is cost effective as compared to double axis tracker and is widely used in commercial and residential applications due to which single axis dominate the market. However, double axis tracker is expected to be the fastest growing segment of the market.Get Sample Research Report:Key application markets for solar tracker include utility and non-utility applications. Utility was the largest and fastest growing application segment and accounted for over 80% share of the total installed capacity in 2014. Non-utility applications are also expected to have the robust growth in years come.Asia Pacific and Europe together dominated the solar tracker market with around 50% share of the total installed capacity in 2014. Increasing demand for power and taking measures to control the energy consumption is due to improving energy infrastructure in emerging economies in Asia Pacific is expected to drive the demand for global solar tracker market over the forecast period. Latin America is projected to be the fastest growing regional market.The rising demand of solar PV in commercial and residential organization is the major growth driver for solar tracker market. Efficiency of solar cells increases due to the solar trackers, which is also likely to drive the demand for solar tracker. Solar tracker is widely used in various application areas like utility and non-utility. Government incentive schemes and feed-in-tariffs (FIT) is anticipated to drive the market during the forecast period. However, solar trackers are slightly more expensive than their stationary counterparts, due to the more complex technology and moving parts necessary for their operation. High maintenance cost as compared to stationary systems is another factor expected to hamper the growth of this industry.Global solar tracker market is highly competitive, with the presence of well-established global market participants. Wuxi Hao Solar Technology Co. Ltd., Abengoa Solar, S.A., AllEarth Renewables, Inc., Array Technologies, Inc., DEGERenergie GmbH, SunPower Corporation, Grupo Clavijo Elt SL, Titan Tracker SL, SmartTrak Solar Systems Pvt. Ltd., Powerway Renewable Energy Co., Ltd., Energia Ercam SL, Mecasolar Espana SL, First Solar, Inc., Mechatron S.A., Soitec, Optimum Tracker and CM Tracker are some of the key vendors in the market.The report segments the global solar tracker market into:Global Solar Tracker Market: Product Segment AnalysisSingle AxisDual AxisGlobal Solar Tracker Market: Technology Segment AnalysisSolar PVCPVCSPGlobal Solar Tracker Market: Application Segment AnalysisUtilityNon-utilityGlobal Solar Tracker Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeGermanyFranceUKAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilMiddle East and AfricaDo inquiry Before Purchasing Report:Zion Research is a market intelligence company providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Zion Research experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants uses proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each Zion Research syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food and beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve the overall research requirement of clients.Joel John3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@marketresearchstore.comWebsite:
imbus en francais: French internet presence provides facts about the company, TestBench and career opportunities

Moehrendorf/Sousse, 11 March 2016  Software quality assurance is not only underlined at imbus, now its also written in French: Customers, applicants and other interested parties who visit the ibus Homepage, now find also the francophone version of the internet presence  with content specifically tailored for imbus Tunisia.The business location in the Tunisian city Sousse was established in 2014. The team there supports the colleagues at the headquarter in Germany in the further development of the TestBench, which is a professional test management solution for all phases of the test process. In addition to that, imbus Tunisia offers French user support for the tool.The French web-site is specifically intended for users from the Maghreb region. Everybody, who aspires a career at imbus Tunisia himself, can get informed about current vacancies and the working life at imbus, too.imbus is a leading solution partner for professional software testing and intelligent software quality assurance.Our customers develop software better and faster. Software tested by imbus works and inspires.imbus portfolio includes consulting for process improvement, software testing services, test outsourcing, test tools, and training.With our comprehensive know-how, the latest tools, and our proven methodology, we increase the reliability and performance of software products, software-intensive systems, and complete IT structures, and as a manufacturer-independent partner, we assure their correct functionality.Since 1992, the experienced and highly-qualified imbus team has been synonymous with across-the-board software quality assurance from a single source that covers the entire lifecycle.The expertise acquired from around 5,000 successful projects over a period of more than 20 years provides a solid foundation for the daily work of our experts, all of whom are ISTQB Certified Testers.imbus is currently represented by ca. 230 employees at locations in Mohrendorf near Erlangen, Munich, Cologne, Hofheim near Frankfurt, Norderstedt near Hamburg, Shanghai (China) and Sousse (Tunisia).imbus AGPress OfficeFiona ProellKleinseebacher Str. 1191096 MoehrendorfPhone +49 9131 7518-0Fax +49 9131 7518-50Mail presse@imbus.de
IOP Tester for Ethernet ECUs

Test structure for Automotive Ethernet interoperability

www.ruetz-system-solutions.com

RUETZ SYSTEM SOLUTIONS Tests ECUs for InteroperabilityRUETZ SYSTEM SOLUTIONS  experts for automotive data communications - provides an interoperability test platform for Automotive Ethernet. This IOP tester operates within the framework of compliance tests for Automotive Ethernet. The test platform constitutes a component of the test set-up for Open Alliance Layer 1 interoperability tests for ECUs. The IOP tester allows the verification of ECUs for interoperability with other ECUs for Layer 1, based on (100BASE-T1 / OABR). It offers an open application programming interface (API) and, so, is easy to integrate into existing test systems. Users can create their own tests and test sequences. Measurements of link-up time, signal quality and cable diagnosis belong within the scope of testing.Compliance for Ethernet ECUsThe IOP tester is a component of the compliance verification process at RUETZ SYSTEM SOLUTIONS. The standardized test methods for Automotive Ethernet combine the new automotive standards with existing reliable and stable systems. Therefore, for component and ECU verification, the compliance verification process provides the necessary system and simplifies the introduction to this technology for new carmakers and suppliers.RUETZ SYSTEM SOLUTIONSWith comprehensive expertise in data communication for automotive electronic systems, Ruetz System Solutions provides full service to carmakers and suppliers for a smooth and timely production start (SOP). The technology partner based in Munich offers engineering services for system specification and integration, Test Laboratories as a Service, compliance tests, technology assessment and training. Part of the test laboratory solutions are test systems and platforms. With broad competency in data bus systems for all in-car data transmission standards such as, amongst others, AVB, Bluetooth, CAN, Automotive Ethernet, FlexRay, LIN, MOST, USB and WLAN are supported competently and reliably by the general contractor. More information is available atRUETZ SYSTEM SOLUTIONS GmbHWalter-Gropius-Strasse 1781543 Munich, GermanyMedia Contact:Mandy AhlendorfT +49 8151 9739098E ma|at|ahlendorf-communication.com
Bavarian Inns Michigan on Main Bar and Grill Hosting Annual Bells Brewery Oberon Ale Release

www.bavarianinn.com

www.bavarianinn.com

http://www.logos-communications.com/bavarianinn/

One of the most anticipated craft beer releases of the upcoming season takes place Monday, March 21, from 5-7 p.m. at the Bavarian Inn Restaurants Michigan on Main Bar and Grill, the scene of a party to celebrate the annual release of Bells Brewery Oberon Ale.Its one of the most popular seasonal brews produced by the Kalamazoo and Comstock, Michigan, brewers as Michigan on Main Bar and Grill stays true to its mission of presenting a food and beverage menu devoted to Michigan-made products, and celebrating the states agricultural diversity.Bavarian Inn President Bill Zehnder notes that Michigan on Main is the only venue in the Frankenmuth area to host the Oberon Ale release. Guests will be able to participate in games, giveaways, prizes, and one-on-one discussion time with Brewery representatives. In addition, Michigan on Main will have expertly-matched food pairings on its menu to complement Bells Oberon Ale, which has declared From Our Summer to Yours as this years slogan.Available only until September, Bells Oberon Ale is a wheat ale described as a classic summer beer, with a spicy hop character blended with mild, fruity aromas.For more information, go toand view the calendar of events.Michigan on Main Bar and Grill inside the Bavarian Inn Restaurant is a casual and contemporary dining space showcasing Michigan-sourced food along with Michigan craft-brewed beers, Michigan wines and specialty Michigan cocktails.About Bavarian Inn RestaurantCelebrating 125 years of service in 2013, the Bavarian Inn Restaurant has become a Michigan landmark. Generations of diners, lodgers and tourists from around the globe have discovered true Bavarian hospitality thanks to Dorothy and her late husband William Tiny Zehnder. Guests experience the old-world European charm of the Bavarian Inn  whether its the famous chicken dinners, fresh baked goods or Michigans greatest selection of German beer. Bavarian Inn also prides itself on being one of the top consumers of Pure Michigan agricultural products. Nestled within a backdrop of authentic German architecture, a variety of shops and other fun activities, a trip to Frankenmuth would not be complete without a visit to the Bavarian Inn Restaurant. Learn more atBavarian Inn online press room:Celebrating 125 years of service in 2013, the Bavarian Inn Restaurant has become a Michigan landmark. Generations of diners, lodgers and tourists from around the globe have discovered true Bavarian hospitality thanks to Dorothy and her late husband William Tiny Zehnder. Guests experience the old-world European charm of the Bavarian Inn  whether its the famous chicken dinners, fresh baked goods or Michigans greatest selection of German beer. Bavarian Inn also prides itself on being one of the top consumers of Pure Michigan agricultural products. Nestled within a backdrop of authentic German architecture, a variety of shops and other fun activities, a trip to Frankenmuth would not be complete without a visit to the Bavarian Inn Restaurant. Learn more at bavarianinn.com.713 S. Main StreetFrankenmuth, MI
OBT - Serenade

Alison Roper in the Oregon Ballet Theatre 2004 production of George Balanchine's "Serenade." The company is bringing back the landmark ballet as part of its 2016-17 season.

(Blaine Truitt Covert)

Oregon Ballet Theatre has been hitting its stride this year, moving into a new home in Portland's South Waterfront District, and improving its roster of company dancers.

Now it's poised to take some giant steps with its 2016-'17 season, which will feature Oregon premieres of important works by George Balanchine and William Forsythe, a new look at the classic ballet "Swan Lake," and the addition of Nicolo Fonte as the company's resident choreographer.

Here are some highlights from what the ballet is billing as its "Season of Giants":

Nicolo Fonte works with dancers during the staging of "Petrouchka" in 2011. Next season, Fonte will join Oregon Ballet Theatre as its resident choreographer, an important step in the company's artistic growth.

Nicolo Fonte: The biggest news of the new season is the addition of Fonte as resident choreographer, cementing his place as a favorite with local dancegoers. Over the years, his "Bolero" and "Petrouchka" have been artistic high points for the company, and his collaboration with Pink Martini in 2014 was a crowd-pleaser. The ballet hasn't had a resident choreographer since the James Canfield era (when Trey McIntyre created a number of landmark works for the company). Adding Fonte to the creative staff is a sign of artistic stability, and an opportunity for a choreographer to better know the dancers he's creating work for, which could result in new works that emphasize the company's current strengths.

Fall program: The ballet is bringing back Balanchine's iconic "Serenade," which it has performed several times over the years. Also on the program: the company premiere of William Forsythe's "In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated," and "Giants," a new work created for the company by Fonte. (Oct. 8-15, Keller Auditorium)

More "Nutcracker": It wouldn't be Christmas without "The Nutcracker," and this year there will be more of it. Due to increased ticket demand, there will be 19 total performances by the Sugar Plum Fairy and her gang of sweets, though only 8 will feature live music by the Oregon Ballet Theatre Orchestra. (Dec. 10-26, Keller Auditorium)

A new take on "Swan Lake": The addition of a full-length production of "Swan Lake" was one of the high-water marks for former artistic director Christopher Stowell during his tenure with the ballet. Artistic director Kevin Irving will put his own stamp on the production, turning to the original work by Petipa for inspiration, looking beyond the swans to an expansion of the Prince Siegfried character, giving a chance to showcase the ballet's less-explored themes of coming of age. All six performances will feature live orchestral accompaniment. (Feb. 18-25, 2017, Keller Auditorium)

The company also will have a spring program (April 13-22, 2017, Newmark Theatre) featuring works by Helen Pickett and Nacho Duato.

Individual tickets are not on sale, but season subscriptions are available at the ballet's website.

-- Grant Butler

503-221-8566; @grantbutler
Updated Wednesday, March 16

The festivities of St. Patrick's Day can no longer be contained to one day or one location, at least not at Kells Irish Pubs. That's especially true this year, their 25th annual festival.

The celebration begins Thursday, March 17 - naturally -- and includes live music, dancing and bagpipes at Kells Irish Pub, in a tent behind Kells and at Kells Brewpub and tent on N.W. 21st Avenue. Each location has its own set of activities. Details, including activities and admission.

Perhaps the main event is the sixth annual black-tie smoker, which pits Golden Glove boxers from Ireland against the best USA amateur fighters. It's Friday, March 18, in the tent behind Kells downtown. That's followed Saturday, March 19, with family-friendly day of activities.

At the brewpub in Northwest Portland, Thursday and Friday are filled with Irish music, dancers and bands. On Saturday, there's a march at 7:30 p.m. to the Timbers home match lead by the Kells Pipers. Sunday is family day.

Feckin Irish Craft Ale Festival

Oregon City is home to an increasing number of breweries. One of them, Feckin Irish Brewing Co., is invited some of its neighbors as well as brewers from Portland, Bend and beyond to bring their Irish brews - "with Northwest flavors and traditional Irish roots" - to its first Feckin Irish Craft Ale Festival in Oregon City.

Not to be missed is Feckin's Top O' The Feckin Mornin, which our food critic named as one of the best beers at last year's Holiday Ale Festival.

There will be bagpipes, live music and Irish dancers every day and food from Tony's Smoke House.

Irish Craft Ale Fest, noon to close, March 17-19, 415 S. McLoughlin Blvd, Oregon City. Must be 21 years old or older, tickets are $20 and available online.

St. Patrick's Day at McMenamins

McMenamins is celebrating St. Patrick's Day at several of its properties.

But on the eve of St. Patricks Day it's offering a traditional Irish dinner - that means no corned beef and cabbage - and pairing it with Irish cocktails and a hotel package at Zeus Cafe downtown.

Zeus Cafe St. Patrick's Irish Dinner, 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 16, Crystal Hotel and Zeus Cafe, 21 and older, $75 per person.

Also of note:

Dermot McCann will

The Sidebar will release Lompoc Brewing's St. Patrick's Day season, Dagda, Thursday, March 16, for it's
It sat there at the top of the Washington Post's "most read" list for hours on Thursday: "Trump protester sucker-punched at North Carolina rally, videos show."

Another day, another example of Donald Trump's presidential campaign inciting violence and race-hate. And news junkies couldn't get enough of it.

Thomas Frank says we're missing the point. The best-selling liberal author wrote in The Guardian this week that, yes, Trump is a ridiculous "insult clown." But he added that the businessman and reality-TV star is winning election after election in the Republican primaries because he's onto something, something that gets all too little attention from reporters who are obsessed with the campaign's blood lust.

"A map of his support may coordinate with racist Google searches, but it coordinates even better with de-industrialization and despair, with the zones of economic misery that 30 years of Washington's free-market consensus have brought the rest of America," Frank wrote. He added that when Trump isn't riling up his crowds with crude boasts about his manhood or imitations of people with physical disabilities, he talks about "an entirely legitimate issue, one that could even be called left-wing." That is, Trump talks about the Democratic Party-led trade agreements and jobs policies of the past two decades that cut the heart out of an American working class that was already feeling under the weather.

This thesis might seem surprising coming from Frank, the man who wrote "What's the Matter with Kansas," the influential 2004 book that lays out how the Republican Party -- the party of big business -- tricked and manipulated socially conservative, working-class Americans into voting against their economic interests.

Frank doesn't seem happy that he's making the case for Trump. Because Republican voters, by embracing Trump, now appear to understand that they've been hoodwinked by their party's leaders and are doing something about it. While it's not at all clear Democrats have learned the same lesson. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' insurgent presidential campaign has been an unexpected sensation. But former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whose husband Bill led the New Democrat transformation that took the party to the center, still looks like she's going to land the nomination.

The Democrats, of course, historically are the party of the working class. They brought you the minimum wage and Social Security, the New Deal and the Fair Deal and the Great Society.

But that was then. More recently, Frank points out, they have given us the North American Free Trade Agreement and embraced corporate and high-tech interests at the expense of blue-collar Americans. (Remember Al Gore, Bill Clinton's vice president, debating NAFTA with Ross Perot in 1993? Watch some pointedly-presented video clips below.)

"This is an age of Democratic failure," Frank writes in his new book, "Listen, Liberal: Or Whatever Happened to the Party of the People?" (He'll appear at Powell's City of Books on April 1.)

Hillary Clinton understands that Trump is not necessarily the candidate she wants to face in the fall, assuming she manages to see off Sanders' challenge. Trump's focus on the issues of trade and jobs can be appealing to traditional Democrats.

The stock market has gone up and up and up for most of the past few years, and unemployment is now below 5 percent. This is good news, especially considering where we were in 2008, when the bottom fell out of the economy. But most Americans tell pollsters they don't believe the Great Recession has ended. Middle-class Americans' wages are stuck, while young Americans are drowning in student debt that bought them, at best, low-paying, insecure jobs.

"There was a time when average Americans knew whether we were going up or down -- because when the country prospered, its people prospered, too," Frank writes in "Listen, Liberal." "But these days, things are different. From the middle of the Great Depression up to 1980, the lower 90 percent of the population, a group we might call 'the American people,' took home some 70 percent of the growth in the country's income. Look at the same numbers beginning in 1997 -- from the beginning of the New Economy boom to the present -- and you find that this same group, the American people, pocketed none of America's income growth at all."

Suddenly the rise of Trump and Sanders makes sense.

To be sure, Frank writes, Republicans started this rolling disaster for 90 percent of Americans, beginning with deregulation and upper-income tax cuts during Ronald Reagan's presidency. Keep in mind what President Barack Obama said back in his general-election campaign-mode days: "I think Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that, you know, Richard Nixon did not, and in a way that Bill Clinton did not."

And the reason Bill Clinton did not: he accepted the Reagan Revolution as a fait accompli -- indeed, he embraced it. He pushed for NAFTA and signed into law the abolition of the Glass-Steagall Act, the Depression-era law that separated commercial and investment banking. (Glass-Steagall's repeal, some economists argue, played a central role in the 2007-08 collapse of the financial system.)

Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren have become progressive heroes in the past couple of years because they want to remake the Democratic Party into what it once was, before the Clinton era. They want to clamp down on Wall Street, raise the minimum wage and not just save but expand Social Security. Frank considers President Obama an extension of the Democratic Party's acquiescence to Reaganism, dismissing him as just "another ordinary consensus Democrat with ordinary consensus ideas."

All of that said, neither Sanders nor Trump appear to be Frank's ideal candidate for president. But "Listen, Liberal" suggests he believes they are both playing an important role: they're waking up the political class, making them realize they can no longer ignore "the American people."

-- Douglas Perry
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission moved decisively into the Aequitas Capital Management scandal Thursday, suing the Lake Oswego company and three top executives for allegedly running a $350 million Ponzi scheme.

The SEC claims Aequitas defrauded more than 1,500 investors into believing they were making health care, education and transportation-related investments, when their money was really being used in a last-ditch effort to save the firm.

The commission has asked the court to appoint a receiver to take control of Aequitas. It also removed Aequitas chief executive Bob Jesenik and his longtime partner, Brian Oliver, from positions at the company and sought to ban them from the securities industry.

Jesenik, Oliver and Scott Gillis, former Aequitas chief financial officer, were named defendants in the complaint.

Filed late Thursday in U.S. District Court in Portland, the suit alleges that since 2014, Aequitas has used much of the new money it raised from investors to fund operating expenses and, increasingly, to pay off existing investors.

"By at least July 2014, Jesenik and Oliver knew that redemptions and interest payments to prior investors were being paid primarily from new investor money in a Ponzi-like fashion, and that very little investor money was being used to purchase trade receivables," the SEC alleges.

Jesenik said the SEC rushed to judgment.

In a written statement issued by his lawyer, Jesenik said Aequitas brought on a consulting company called FTI last month. Thursday, in an effort to protect investors' interests, he said the SEC agreed to ask a federal judge to retain FTI as a receiver in the case.

"However, I'm disappointed that the SEC has also chosen to rush to judgment about the company's management and make sweeping allegations without the benefit of a thorough investigation," Jesenik said. "I look forward to addressing these claims in court."

Oliver too disputed the SEC's claims. ""Brian has not done anything wrong and we are deeply disappointed that the SEC would make such serious allegations without even speaking to him," said Oliver's lawyer Jahan Raissi.

After reading the complaint, veteran Portland securities lawyer Bob Banks said it's a wonder Aequitas executives and its allies "that peddled these junk notes into 2016 can sleep at night."

"I've listened to panicked Aequitas investors for the last two weeks, some of them in tears," said Banks, who is representing some of those investors. "Some have lost their children's college funds, some don't know how they will pay for medical treatments that they need. There are people in their 80s and 90s who turned over a lifetime of savings to Aequitas."

As first reported by The Oregonian and OregonLive, Aequitas was hurt badly when its deal to buy hundreds of millions of dollars worth of student loans from controversial for-profit college Corinthian Colleges fell apart in January 2014. Though the loans were deemed predatory and illegal by a federal judge, it was Aequitas largest source of revenue. The company continued to try and collect the debt from former Corinthian students long after Corinthian went bankrupt.

The SEC claimed in its lawsuit that Corinthian accounted for 75 percent of Aequitas debt-buying business. Aequitas insisted to the bitter end that losing Corinthian had an "immaterial" impact on the company.

As Aequitas' position grew weaker, it became more desperate to raise investor cash. By late 2014, it offered to pay investors 15 percent interest if they would commit their money for a full year, an extraordinary rate of return in today's low-interest environment.

The Aequitas scandal could spread well beyond Oregon. The company convinced independent investment advisers from Puget Sound to Long Island to peddle its private note investments. Aequitas paid many of them 2 percent commissions for every dollar they steered into its private notes.

Investors across the country, some of whom are convinced they were misled, have lawyered up and are considering whether to sue Aequitas, their individual investment advisers or both.

The company laid off most of its employees in February.

In all investors have about $600 million in Aequitas private notes and in various Aequitas investment funds. It remains unclear how much they will recover.

-- Jeff Manning

503-294-7606, jmanning@oregonian.com
Two days after a Clackamas County jury found him responsible for the death of an acquaintance, Francis Weaver stood before the man's mother Friday and told her his death was never meant to happen.

As tears streamed down his face and onto his black-and-white jail uniform, Weaver described Edward Kelly Spangler as a good man.

"I pray for you guys every day," Weaver told Alice Spangler. "I prayed for his children every day for over 25 months while I was at the Clackamas County Jail."

Weaver said that even at his own expense, he did what he could to ensure "everyone involved didn't walk away from what happened" to Edward Spangler.

The judge then ordered Weaver, 33, to serve life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years for providing the gun used to kill Spangler, 43, in February 2014.

Weaver was one of four people arrested in the killing in Canby. A jury found him guilty of murder, first- and second-degree robbery, conspiracy to commit first- and second-degree robbery and felon in possession of a firearm.

Weaver is the stepson of one of Clackamas County's most notorious convicted killers. His stepfather, Ward Weaver III, is serving a life sentence for raping and killing two Oregon City girls in 2002. His step-grandfather, Ward Weaver Jr., was sentenced to death for killing a stranded motorist in California in 1981 and then raping, killing and burying the motorist's fiancee.

Prosecutors said Francis Weaver lured Spangler from his home in Grants Pass to Canby two years ago under the pretense that he would help him sell marijuana, but Weaver actually planned to rob the Grants Pass man.

Weaver enlisted the help of his next-door neighbor, Michael Orren, and longtime friend Shannon Bettencourt to break out Spangler's SUV window when it was empty and swipe a suitcase with 15 pounds of marijuana inside. Weaver also provided the gun later used in the killing.

Orren and Bettencourt failed to break out the window and steal the marijuana after four attempts in Canby and Clackamas. While Spangler was parked in his SUV at the Canby apartment complex where Orren and Weaver lived, Orren shot him twice. Spangler hit several vehicles in the lot while trying to escape, crashed into a park across the street and later died.

Weaver and his attorney claimed during the trial that although he picked up the pistol earlier that morning from a friend's apartment, he didn't give the gun to Orren and told his two friends not to engage in any violence. Weaver also testified that Spangler was in on the plan, which he described as an attempt to rip off Spangler's drug supplier. Weaver claimed that the two other men involved didn't know the break-in and theft were supposed to be staged.

Bettencourt, 34, and Orren's ex-wife, Brittany Endicott, 26, were convicted of first-degree robbery in connection with the scheme. Both received 71/2-year sentences and testified against Weaver as part of their plea agreements.

Orren, 29, pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and first-degree robbery. He is serving a 71/2-year prison term for the robbery and will be sentenced for aggravated murder on April 5. He is scheduled to receive a life sentence and serve a minimum of 30 years before he'll be eligible for parole.

Jack Bernstein, Weaver's attorney, told Clackamas County Circuit Judge Michael Wetzel that his client maintained his innocence after he was found guilty. Weaver's mother, Maria Weaver, angrily stormed out of the courtroom in tears soon after the proceedings began and yelled, "I know he didn't do it."

"There is no justice," Maria Weaver said in a courthouse hallway after the sentencing. "He didn't pull the trigger. He didn't know they were going to do this and now he has to pay?"

Rusty Amos, the Clackamas County deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case, read several letters from Spangler's family that expressed grief over his loss, anger at the actions of others that led to his killing and disappointment over his choice to sell marijuana.

Spangler left behind four children and a granddaughter, Alice Spangler wrote, and was killed on his stepson's birthday. She said her grief at losing her only son has affected her health.

"The past two years have been a living hell," Amos read from the mother's letter. "I ask myself 'Will it ever get better?' I have nightmares almost every night."

Alice Spangler wrote that her family's lives will never be the same, but she believes "justice, in this case, has been served."

Hope Gibbs, Spangler's adopted sister, wrote that she still misses the man who was her father figure, bought her first bike and taught her to ride it, and made a point to keep in touch with her.

"I don't know if I can ever forgive him for putting himself in the position he did," she wrote. "The only positive thing I have to take out of this situation is a real-life example of what drugs can do to people for my three children to learn from."

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey
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Michael Jamar Jones, 28, and a 17-year-old girl were arrested by Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force detectives on March 9, 2016, police said. They're accused of being part of a four-person group that assaulted and robbed a female victim on Feb. 11, 2016, outside an ARCO gas station and ampm convenience store at 2829 E. Mill Plain Blvd. in Vancouver.

(The Oregonian/OregonLive/file)

Authorities have arrested two people suspected of assaulting and robbing a female victim outside a gas station last month, police said.

Michael Jamar Jones, 28, and a 17-year-old girl were arrested by Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force detectives on March 9, the Vancouver Police Department said in a news release.

Jones and the teen girl are accused of being part of a four-person group that assaulted and robbed the victim on Feb. 11 outside an ARCO gas station and ampm convenience store at 2829 E. Mill Plain Blvd. in Vancouver. The other two people are still at large, police said.

Jones and the teen girl were taken into custody on assault and robbery charges, police said. Vancouver police helped arrest them.

Police didn't specify what the group stole from the woman or how she was assaulted. She suffered multiple injuries and was hospitalized, police said.

Authorities are looking for a woman described as being in her early 20s and having a thin build and dark blond hair, police said. She was wearing a black jacket, maroon top, dark jeans, and short, black combat boots at the time of the assault and robbery. She was also carrying a gray duffle bag.

Authorities are also looking for a man described as being in his 20s and having a small build and short, black hair, police said. He was wearing a black hoodie with a red heart and white letters, light-colored jeans and Converse-type shoes at the time of the assault and robbery. He was also carrying a black duffle bag.

Police urge anyone who has information about them to call Detective Neil Martin at 360-487-7423.

-- Jim Ryan

jryan@oregonian.com

503-221-8005; @Jimryan015
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Officers booked Anthony Schierer, 27, and Joseph A. Cunningham, 27, into the Clark County Jail on accusations of second-degree assault, police said in a news release on Friday.

(The Oregonian/OregonLive/file)

Vancouver police released the names of the two men suspected of shooting bullets at officers Thursday morning forcing a late start to Washington Elementary School.

Officers booked Anthony Schierer, 27, and Joseph A. Cunningham, 27, into the Clark County Jail on accusations of second-degree assault, police said in a news release on Friday.

Officers responded around 3:15 a.m. Thursday to the 2900 block of R Street on reports of gun shots, according to a press release. Officers found two men near the school and heard bullet rounds fired in their direction, Kim Kapp, police spokeswoman, had said in a statement. They ran into a house at 1715 E. 29th St.

"SWAT responded, surrounded that residence and both suspects were taken into custody and arrested without incident," she wrote on Thursday.

-- Tony Hernandez

thernandez@oregonian.com

503-294-5928

@tonyhreports
Our reporters and digital producers are accustomed to using pens, notebooks, computers, spreadsheets, voice recorders and cameras. And now you can add plastic spoons, latex gloves and baggies.

A few weeks ago, members of our data and watchdog team fanned out in Southeast Portland to gather up dirt. Not the sensational kind of dirt. Real dirt. They collected soil samples near two glass manufacturers that have been linked to toxic air. And by doing so, they brought new meaning to the word "scoop."

By now you've heard the back story. Elevated levels of cadmium and arsenic were detected in 2014 by U.S. Forest Service researchers in moss samples near Southeast 22nd Avenue and Powell Boulevard. The results were reported to the Department of Environmental Quality in November of that year but weren't publicly disclosed until February - leading to sharp criticism of the state for having waited so long to notify the community.

We've written extensively about the subject - interviewing key sources and mining important public documents. But we set out to do our own testing to see what else we could find. On a rainy afternoon, data team members Dave Cansler, Carli Brosseau, Mark Friesen and Mark Graves gathered up a couple of dozen samples near Bullseye and Uroboros, the two Portland glass makers that used cadmium to add color to their products.

I've overseen some journalistic testing initiatives in the past and even spoken about it at investigative reporting conferences. There are important steps to take before you get started. In this case, investigative reporter Rob Davis, who has had some past experience with laboratory testing, wrote out a dummy's guide to the Environmental Protection Agency's 42-page protocol for dust and soil sampling.

Our team in the field set out to gather samples in public spaces or in yards where residents would grant us access. At each sampling spot, team members dug soil a half-inch deep from three distinct locations within a one-foot circle. After each soil sample was placed in a plastic bag, we logged the latitude and longitude coordinates so we could later map the samples. The team members discarded their latex gloves and plastic spoons after each sample was gathered to avoid contaminating the next sample. It was tedious work. The team went out twice, including a first time in the pouring rain.

"Ink was smearing on the bags," said Graves, who usually produces interactive graphics for The Oregonian/OregonLive. "It was a mess. But then we got the hang of things."



The soil was sent to two accredited labs for analysis. Then we waited. Environmental reporter Kelly House was tasked with writing the story. She happened to be on vacation when the samples were collected and missed out on the fun. "I didn't have to get my hands dirty," she said with a smile. Most of the samples came back relatively clean - especially the further away you got from Bullseye, which has suspended its use of the chemicals. But we were able to identify one location close to the glass maker with levels of cadmium way above state soil guidelines.

That was one of the samples that Graves had put in a baggie.

"Constantly having to put on new gloves after every sample was a pain," he said. "But after I saw the findings, I was glad I was wearing those gloves."

Since we published our story last week, the state has released more results that it says indicate no cause for alarm.

Some readers have argued to me in the past, that it's not a newsroom's place to collect samples, send them off for analysis and write about what we found. (I suspect these are some of the same readers who have maintained that it wasn't our job to dig into ex-Gov. John Kitzhaber's emails.) The argument goes like this: Leave that to the authorities. Your job is to cover what they find - not to be so proactive. Just stick to the news.

That's not a point of view we share. When we're doing investigative reporting, we see it as an important part of our watchdog mission to find enterprising ways to uncover new information, recognize patterns and share the results with clear, authoritative story-telling.

"We are not scientists, but we do offer this: an independent perspective and speed," said Steve Suo, who oversees our data and watchdog reporters and has edited the air-quality stories. Suo headed up our soil testing initiative. "We knew readers felt a sense of urgency. We thought we could deliver results faster than the state could while providing accurate context for what the numbers mean."

And he was right on all counts.

We've used laboratory testing rarely, but effectively, in other instances over the past year. Last spring, reporter Noelle Crombie uncovered that actual THC levels in medical marijuana edibles didn't come close to matching the levels stated on the labels at medical marijuana dispensaries. She relied on laboratory testing to provide key findings. A few months later, we analyzed more marijuana. This time we wanted to see if medical cannabis sold at dispensaries contained pesticides. Almost every sample was contaminated. Crombie's story stunned consumers who thought they were smoking organic pot. It prompted some processors to recall their products and added urgency to state efforts to limit pesticide use and regulate marijuana labs.

As Suo notes, we're not conducting peer-reviewed scientific research. Instead, we approach journalist-commissioned laboratory testing as a means to gather additional context to tell a broader story. It's not cheap. It cost $1,800 just to test the soil samples.



But we've definitely developed a taste for it. So what should we test next? We have plenty of ideas, believe me. But I'd be curious what you'd want to know more about. Please send your ideas along, and we'll see what else we can unearth.
Hillary Clinton

Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton speaks during a rally at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Monday, March 7, 2016, in Detroit, Mich. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

(Charlie Neibergall)

In February 2008, Black Eyed Peas front-man will.i.am brought together Scarlett Johansson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, John Legend and more stars for a musical mash-up of a Barack Obama speech. It became by far the most popular advertisement for Obama's campaign, helping sweep the underdog candidate to the Democratic presidential nomination. The lesson: star power matters.

Now Hillary Clinton, who lost to Obama in that Democratic primary contest eight years ago, has a celebrity-driven ad of her own.

Kerry Washington of "Scandal," Ellen Pompeo of "Grey's Anatomy," Viola Davis of "How to Get Away with Murder" and writer-producer Shonda Rhimes released an ad for the Democratic presidential front-runner on Thursday.

"Every day I wake up and play a brilliant, complex, overqualified, get-it-done woman who obsessively fights for justice," Washington, Pompeo and Davis take turns saying.

They add: "Our characters are on television, but the real world has Hillary Clinton."

The video certainly isn't going to have the impact of will.i.am's tour de force, but it might help shore up the support of African-American and women voters -- as well as lovers of good TV dramas. Watch it below.

-- Douglas Perry
In a decision that stunned supporters and critics alike, federal regulators Friday rejected plans for a massive liquefied natural gas export terminal in Coos Bay, saying applicants had not demonstrated any need for the facility.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission denied applications from the Calgary-based energy company Veresen Inc. and its pipeline collaborator, the Williams Partners, to locate the Jordan Cove Energy Project in the Southern Oregon coastal town, as well as a feeder pipeline that would have stretched halfway across the state.

Regulators said they were required to balance the need for any project against any adverse impacts it would have on landowners or the environment. The need for Jordan Cove was based entirely on demand for natural gas from customers in Asia, and with those markets in upheaval, Jordan Cove's backers have yet to demonstrate that the demand exists.

Regulators noted that Veresen and Williams had signed no formal contracts to sell the terminal and pipeline capacity, and had not even held a successful "open-season" process to demonstrate informal interest in the facility.

The decision was a stunner for all involved, from the project's backers to property rights and environmental groups who have fought the plan since it was it first proposed as a gas import facility more than a decade ago.

"Clearly, we are extremely surprised and disappointed by the FERC decision," said Don Althoff, chief executive of Veresen, which has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the project. "The FERC appears to be concerned that we have not yet demonstrated sufficient commercial support for the projects. We will continue to advance negotiations with customers to address this concern."

The company said Jordan Cove LNG and Pacific Connector will file a request for a rehearing of the decision.

Even Gov. Kate Brown's office received no early word about the rejection. Brown has taken no formal position on the controversial project, though her predecessor had expressed support.

"We are currently reviewing the denial order internally and with the Oregon Department of Justice," a spokesman told The Oregonian/Oregonlive when asked about Brown's reaction.

Opponents, meanwhile, were thrilled. They have fought the project since 2004, when it was proposed as an import facility to supplement what were supposedly dwindling domestic gas supplies. Backers switched the project to an export facility after North American gas production soared with the advent of hydraulic fracturing.

"This has been 12 years of my life," said Jody McCaffree, a North Bend resident who formed the advocacy group Citizen's Against LNG to take on the. "It gives you a bit of faith that sometimes the people can win with perseverance and hard work, even though you're up against astronomical odds and deep pockets."

"I'm ecstatic," said John Clarke, a landowner in Winston whose rural property was bisected by the pipeline route. "I don't know what to do. Jump in the air?"

The LNG terminal, its 232-mile feeder pipeline and a natural gas-fired power plant were expected to cost some $7.5 billion. Supporters expected thousands of construction jobs, 150 permanent positions and an ongoing flow of taxes and fees to a corner of the state that has been down on its luck for decades.

Building the pipeline would affect nearly 160 miles of private lands and the more than 600 landowners.

A proposal for a separate LNG terminal at the mouth of the Columbia River also hit a new stumbling block last week, when a lawyer for the city of Warrenton denied the Oregon LNG company's application for a permit to build the facility.

Clatsop County has also denied permits for the feeder pipeline proposed to serve that project, which throws into doubt its ability to secure state land use approvals. And the project is mired in a dispute over its lease with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

-- Ted Sickinger

503-221-8505; @tedsickinger

- Oregonian/Oregon Live reporter Kelly House contributed to this story.
A 30-year-old Midlander was ejected from a Suburban during a crash in Isabella County, then pulled out from under the truck by bystanders, the Isabella County Sheriffs Office reports.

The crash occurred this morning at the intersection of East Blanchard and South Wise roads when a 1998 Chevy Suburban and a 2013 Kia Sportage collided. A media release states the Chevy, driven by Shaun Aldrich of Midland, failed to yield the right of way while traveling north on Wise Road. The Kia, driven west on Blanchard Road by Mary-Louise Greening of Shepherd, was hit and both vehicles came to rest in a field.
The following list includes reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department.

Tuesday, March 8

2:45 a.m.  A Porter Township man, 34, was stopped for speeding at 11 Mile Road near Redstone Road, and was arrested for drunken driving.

9:26 a.m.  Detectives received a referral from the Department of Health and Human Services regarding a case of sexual assault involving juveniles in Hope Township. The case is being investigated.

12:38 p.m.  A deputy assisted a Lee Township woman by witnessing her open a package from an eBay seller and confirming the serial numbers. The incident is part of a theft case being handled by Detroit Police.

4:09 p.m.  A deputy assisted Coleman Police investigate a fight involving two teenage males near a Coleman home.

4:20 p.m.  A Jerome Township woman, 50, reported finding nails at the end of her driveway. It is unknown when the nails were placed there, or by whom.

11:30 p.m.  A 31-year-old woman was arrested for retail fraud and the stolen property was recovered. She also was arrested on several outstanding warrants.
Team Osan was tested March 10, 2016, when Republic of Korea and U.S. military branches banded together in a multi-service, multi-cultural, chemical detection and decontamination exercise scenario here during Beverly Midnight 16-01.

In the scenario, a Humvee and a Patriot missile launcher from the 5th Air Defense Artillery Brigade were in transit and suspected of being contaminated.

Weve been setting up this scenario for about two months now, said Tech. Sgt. Emily Martin, 51st Civil Engineer Squadron readiness and emergency manager and lead inspection team member for the scenario. The teams responded well and aided in the detection and quick decontamination of the equipment.

After sweeping the affected vehicles for chemical contamination, ROK military chemical management teams guided the vehicles to mobile decontamination pressure washers.

We had bioenvironmental, medical, emergency management, and ROK forces out to make this event happen, said Martin. Everyone worked so well together; it appeared seamless. Im definitely proud to see how well it all was handled.

This marked a first time the specific scenario was evaluated at Osan. The assets had never been used in conjunction with the personnel involved.

Scenarios like this help us work better together, said Senior Master Sgt. Frank Roman, 51st CES readiness and emergency management flight chief. Its important for us to have a strong relationship with our Korean and sister service partners. Nothing but good can come from the results of this scenario and Im very excited our team was able to facilitate and contribute to this occasion.

The scenario ended after the ROK members, who sprayed down the vehicles, processed through a contamination control point.

[Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense] is a unique specialty that can be overlooked, however, these warriors relish the opportunity to sharpen their skillset and test their abilities, said Master Sgt. Angel Peraza, 51st CES readiness and emergency management superintendent.
Three B-2 Spirits deployed from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, to the U.S. Pacific Command area of operations March 8.

While in the Indo-Asia-Pacific, the B-2s will integrate and conduct training with ally and partner air forces, and conduct a radio communications check with a U.S. air operations center.

This deployment will ensure bomber crews maintain a high state of readiness and crew proficiency, and will provide opportunity to integrate capabilities with key regional partners.

These flights ensure we remain ready to deter strategic attack, now and into the future, and are one of the many ways the U.S. demonstrates its commitment to security and stability across the globe, said Adm. Cecil D. Haney, U.S. Strategic Command commander. Additionally, these efforts provide invaluable opportunities to build relationships and interoperability between the U.S. and ally and partner forces.

Strategic bomber deployments ensure our ability to project power at a time and place of our choosing and develop strong interoperability with our regional allies and partners, said Gen. Lori J. Robinson, Pacific Air Forces commander. Recent events demonstrate the continued need to provide consistent and credible air power throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. Our ability to demonstrate credible combat power while training and interoperating with our network of like-minded partner nations is vitally important.

U.S. Strategic Command routinely demonstrates its capability to command, control and conduct global bomber missions, most recently by deploying B-52s into the U.S. European Command area of responsibility earlier this month.

U.S. Strategic Command bombers regularly rotate through the Indo-Asia-Pacific to conduct USPACOM-led air operations, providing leaders with deterrent options to maintain regional stability.

One of nine DoD unified combatant commands, USSTRATCOM is charged with strategic deterrence; space operations; cyberspace operations; joint electronic warfare; global strike; missile defense; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; combating weapons of mass destruction; and analysis and targeting.

For more information, contact the Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs Office at 808-448-3209 or pacaf.paops@us.af.mil.
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- If theres one thing that can ruin a good plan, its inclement weather. During exercise Beverly Midnight 16-01 here, the 51st Operations Support Squadron weather flight makes sure aircrews and leadership in the emergency operations center have the most recent forecasts for mission success.

The weather flight provides a five-day generalized forecast for the base and specific forecasts for each of the fighter squadrons. Hourly observations are accomplished to support flying operations and to make sure the data from the sensors and actual weather match-up.

During exercise Beverly Midnight 16-01, a weather officer in the EOC is readily available to make sure wing leadership and the mission commander are briefed with expected weather here and in the region.

It is important to update leadership on current weather conditions that will affect both our base and flying operations around the entire peninsula, said 1st Lt. Jaclyn Kuhn, 51st Operations Support Squadron wing weather officer. It is also important to show forecasted weather conditions that could affect the region over the next few days so that leadership can plan possible work arounds for mission limiting weather conditions.

Mitigation is very important to our weather team, and we are often able to offer better times or locations for training and exercise missions in order to most successfully accomplish the goals of our leadership at the EOC.

Weather affects flying operations both for takeoff and landing as well as for the target flying area.

We have a weather forecaster in each fighter squadron so they can brief all the pilots, said Kuhn. Thats one less person they have to call on the radio for mission information.

The weather squadron employs a minimum of four weather airmen, 24-hours a day, each at a different location to support the mission. The main weather office is collocated with the airfield management flight and is responsible for taking hourly observations on the airfield and producing the five-day forecast.

We are there twenty-four hoursfor the safe takeoff of aircraft, said Staff Sgt. Sean Huseby, 51st Operations Support Squadron weather forecaster.

During Beverly Midnight 16-01, weather operations ramp up as flying operations increase to mimic real-world contingency operations as airfield traffic would increase due to support of additional units and sorties.

This job can get extremely busy and it can be pretty taxing when we do have bad weather. You cant crack when youre under pressure, the pilots rely on us, especially the transient ones, Huseby said.

Real world or exercise, Team Osan can rely on the weather flight all day, every day.
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Wolf Pack Security Forces members and augmentees work together during base-wide exercises throughout the year to sharpen their ability to Fight Tonight and defend the base.

During augmentee training, Airmen are taught everything from basic Law Enforcement to Air Base defense, said Staff Sgt. Michael Woodhouse, 8th Security Forces Squadron augmentee trainer.

Fifty to 80 Airmen are called from 12 units across the 8th Fighter Wing to train alongside 8th SFS to supplement base defense in the event of a contingency.

The augmentees are very important to the Wolf Pack mission, we can't win without them, I feel that the augmentee program truly embodies the Wolf Pack mindset, stated Woodhouse.

The job of defending the base mainly falls on the wings 8 SFS, however if there is a big enough threat to the bases security, they might need extra personnel from other units to form a more robust force.

The augmentees typically do very well during the exercises especially coming from other career fields, said Master Sgt. Christopher Wright, 8 SFS, Wing Inspection Team member. Working with other career fields assigned here gives our younger Airmen an understanding of the Wolf Packs mission and what those career fields do to ensure mission accomplishment

The training is not unique to the 8th Fighter Wing; other Air Force units also train augmentees for base defense duty.

This training is known as the augmentee and selarm program, and 8th Security Forces Squadron members hold a training session each month at the base, Woodhouse said.

I thought the training was easy as long as I applied myself and understood the importance of the training, said Senior Airman Stacey McRobbie 8 Maintenance Squadron Non-Destructive Inspection tech inspector. I had really good instructors who cared about the subject.

The augmentees learned how to detain and handcuff prisoners, use tactical radios and briefed on Air Force policies on the use of force. They were taught rules of engagement, proper treatment of enemy prisoners of war and combat skills such as moving under fire individually or by teams.

Being an augmentee is important because everybody should be able to defend the base, McRobbie said. Its always a good experience working with SFS and getting to know their job as well as working with other people and learning about their career fields.

Augmentees bring a lot of reinforcement and manpower to Kunsan that we cant cover every day, said Staff Sgt. Tia Garland 8 SFS Base Defense Operations Center controller. We learn a lot from each other during our shifts. The skills and experience augmentees bring to the table not only help us protect Kunsan, but also makes us aware to the different careers the Air Force has.

Augmentees are important in order to defend the base regardless of anything; they are the extra man power we need Garland stated.
KOMATSU AIR BASE, Japan -- U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. John L. Dolan, commander of U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force, headquartered at Yokota Air Base, visited Komatsu Air Base, Japan, during the Komatsu Aviation Training Relocation exercise March 9, 2016.

Since taking his post as commander of USFJ, Dolan has worked to improve the bilateral security alliance through the Aviation Training Relocation program. The ATR program has three main goals: to increase operational readiness, improve interoperability, and reduce local noise impacts. These goals are achieved by dispersing unilateral jet fighter training of U.S. forces based in Misawa Air Base, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, and Kadena Air Base to six Japan Air Self-Defense Force bases on mainland Japan.

"The purpose of the ATR program is to provide some relief to our Japanese neighbors from the noise generated by our aircraft operations at bases throughout the mainland and Okinawa, said Dolan. A secondary benefit is the opportunity for our aircrews to train with their Japanese counterparts, which enhances readiness and interoperability."

The majority of these ATR events relocated from Okinawa, mitigating noise impacts on the local community while still meeting required training objectives and upholding alliance obligations.

Maj. Gen. Kenichiro Nagumo, 6th Air Wing commanding general, and the JASDF Honor Guard greeted Dolan on the Komatsu flightline upon arrival. Dolan toured the base, conversed with members of visiting units Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 and Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12 from MCAS Iwakuni, and discussed the ATR plans with U.S. and Japanese pilots.

Its a huge statement for a three star general to visit Komatsu Air Base, said Lt. Col. Gregory A. McGuire, commanding officer of VMFA-314. Lt. Gen. Dolan and his staff work hard to bring our two services [U.S. and Japanese] together. I think this visit solidified for him the reality of how useful and important the ATR program really is for both the U.S. and Japan defense.

Bilateral engagements like the Komatsu ATR enable the U.S and Japanese forces to further understand each others capabilities and tactics. The program offers exceptional opportunities for Marine Corps aviation and the JASDF to mature their interoperability, while solidifying the stability and strength of an already incredible alliance with the host nation.

Just look at us here in the planning room, said McGuire. We have Japanese and American pilots sitting around the same table talking over the next days events. You cant find that anywhere else. I believe having the commander and Japanese leadership observe this level of bonding today will pave the way for a greater magnitude of bilateral training in the future.

Dolan emphasized the importance of bilateral training for both American and Japanese forces during a gift exchange with Nagumo. This international relationship is essential to security in the Pacific region.

"We are extremely grateful to the people of Japan for their vital contributions to the alliance, which is the cornerstone of peace and stability in Asia, said Dolan. We are committed to maintaining good relations with our local communities on the mainland and in Okinawa and we continue to be cognizant of the impact of the U.S. military presence in Japan."
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- Three B-2 Spirits deployed from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, to the U.S. Pacific Command area of operations March 8.





While in the Indo-Asia-Pacific, the B-2s will integrate and conduct training with ally and partner air forces, and conduct a radio communications check with a U.S. air operations center.

This deployment will ensure bomber crews maintain a high state of readiness and crew proficiency, and will provide opportunity to integrate capabilities with key regional partners.

These flights ensure we remain ready to deter strategic attack, now and into the future, and are one of the many ways the U.S. demonstrates its commitment to security and stability across the globe, said Adm. Cecil D. Haney, U.S. Strategic Command commander. Additionally, these efforts provide invaluable opportunities to build relationships and interoperability between the U.S. and ally and partner forces.

Strategic bomber deployments ensure our ability to project power at a time and place of our choosing and develop strong interoperability with our regional allies and partners, said Gen. Lori J. Robinson, Pacific Air Forces commander. Recent events demonstrate the continued need to provide consistent and credible air power throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. Our ability to demonstrate credible combat power while training and interoperating with our network of like-minded partner nations is vitally important.

U.S. Strategic Command routinely demonstrates its capability to command, control and conduct global bomber missions, most recently by deploying B-52s into the U.S. European Command area of responsibility earlier this month.

U.S. Strategic Command bombers regularly rotate through the Indo-Asia-Pacific to conduct USPACOM-led air operations, providing leaders with deterrent options to maintain regional stability.

One of nine DoD unified combatant commands, USSTRATCOM is charged with strategic deterrence; space operations; cyberspace operations; joint electronic warfare; global strike; missile defense; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; combating weapons of mass destruction; and analysis and targeting.

For more information, contact the Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs Office at 808-448-3209 or pacaf.paops@us.af.mil
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- EXERCISE EXERCISE EXERCISE

Those three words have blared across Osan Air Base day and night throughout the past four days and nights.

Members of Team Osan are participating in combat readiness exercise Beverly Midnight 16-01 with aircraft combat sorties, base defense missions and logistical operations, all of which are being faced and conquered almost hourly.

One Airman in particular believes performing all these tasks and responsibilities safely may just be the most important of all.

Weve all heard the horror stories about serious injuries, property damage or even loss of life during exercises, said Senior Master Sgt. Sean Rouillier, 51st Fighter Wing superintendent of safety. As warriors here at Osan, we train to fight tonight, and that degree of combat readiness gives everyone an increased sense of urgency.

The main goal of the base safety office is eliminating the myriad of problems which can occur due to the added stresses of an exercise.

During exercises, our role mirrors our day-to-day operations of ensuring Airmen are properly managing risks and performing their duties as safely as possible, said Rouillier.

According to Rouillier, a Crystal River, Florida native, the main aspect of safetys role is being able to get out, communicate with Airmen, and ask questions about their jobs and well-being.

We want to identify fatigued or overwhelmed members before they make that wrong move and become a statistic, he continued.

Occupational safety members are responsible for educating, inspecting and advising senior leaders on risk mitigation strategies during both peace and wartime.

Many people do not realize that there are deployed safety professionals across the globe in constant rotations, requested by commanders at all levels, which maximizes mission effectiveness, said Master Sgt. Shane Christian, 51st FW occupational safety manager and Lone Grove, Oklahoma native. During exercises, we must have a presence on the flightline because Airmen see us and perform with higher levels of safety awareness.

We understand how busy and tired they are; we were in their shoes a while ago, so if our presence helps to further the mission safely then everyone wins, he continued.

During normal operations, wing safety provides consultation services, compliance inspections, education and training, program management and risk management advisement to all units assigned to Team Osan.

We are all warriors, required to possess combat skills, and cannot avoid risk completely whether during exercises or normal operations, said Rouillier. We can however, avoid unnecessary risks and still win the fight. Our main goal for this exercise (and all exercises) is to have zero preventable mishaps. Our team has been safely performing combat operations on the ground and in the sky with exceptional skill and expertise.
JINHAE, Republic of Korea (NNS) -- The 30th Naval Construction Regiment (30 NCR) is working hand-in-hand with Republic of Korea (ROK) Seabees for exercise Foal Eagle, March 10.

The regiment is forward deployed to provide command and control for Naval Mobile Construction Battalions (NMCB) 4, NMCB 133, and Underwater Construction Team (UCT) 2.

"30 NCR is participating in Foal Eagle to exercise our readiness to respond to contingencies and continue to build our strong partnership with our ROK counterparts," said Capt. James Meyer, commodore, 30 NCR. "The exercise is a great opportunity to demonstrate our support to the Republic of Korea as well as our resolve to security and stability in the Region."

The exercise will test the regiment's operational abilities to include embark, logistics, communications, and engineering and construction outside of a stateside training environment, Meyer added.

Operations throughout the exercise will see Naval Construction Force Units working directly with their ROK counterparts to demonstrate their capabilities in major combat operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, theatre security cooperation, and construction readiness operations.

UCT 2 will join a ROK Underwater Construction Team and other divers to construct a concrete wharf, execute underwater cutting, welding, and pier inspection training, conduct pier inspections and harbor surveys in Jinhae, and other underwater construction training.

"The Korean Seabees are trying to build up an underwater construction team so, every time we come out here we show them something new that is involved with underwater construction," said Lt. Joshua Baker, executive officer of UCT 2. "Last year we showed them underwater concrete pours and how to do pile wraps, and this year we're doing coordinated crane operations with divers in the water placing blocks."

NMCB 4, working hand-in-hand with ROK engineering forces, is conducting road and port surveys and horizontal road construction on Yokjido Island. NMCB 133, together with their ROK Seabee counterparts in Busan, are erecting tents, Southwest Asia Huts, observation towers, material yards, and bunkers.

"The relationship between the U.S. and ROK Seabees is extremely strong and continues to grow," said Meyer. "The close relationship between our countries' Seabees creates great synergies, improving our interoperability, and readiness to respond to any crisis."

Foal Eagle 2016 is a combined field training exercise conducted annually by the ROK armed forces and the U.S. Armed Forces with the support of the Combined Forces Command. One of the largest military exercises in the world, it is defensive in nature and provides tactical level units the opportunity to confirm force deployment readiness, capabilities, validate interoperability and familiarize forces with the environment.

Commander, 30th NCR provides operational control over naval engineering forces throughout the Pacific, Southwest Asia and the western United States in response to combat commander and naval component commander requirements. They serve an integral part of the Naval Construction Force and accomplish major combat operations, theater security cooperation, humanitarian assistance, disaster recovery and Phase Zero requirements across the Pacific area of responsibility.
Lady Gaga in "American Horror Story" Season 6 for certain has "American Horror Story" fans in a tizzy. Aside from sure knowledge that Lady Gaga is returning, "London Has Fallen" star Angela Bassett gave a few more details on her role in "American Horror Story" Season 6. However, rather than Lady Gaga, Slender Man may actually be the main villain in "American Horror Story" Season 6.

According to Den Of Geek, Lady Gaga told radio station Z100 in New York that although she is part of "American Horror Story" Season 6, the details are yet to be firmed up. Lady Gaga had been an instant hit in the "American Horror Story" franchise.

Apparently, though, Lady Gaga may be in a more peripheral role in "American Horror Story" Season 6. News surfaced that Slender Man will be in the crux of "American Horror Story" Season 6. Slender Man, by creator Eric Knudsen, reportedly came to be known in the forums of the website Something Awful before he reached the attention of "American Horror Story" co-creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk.

"American Horror Story" Season 6 is a viable home for the faceless Slender Man, who built his reputation by tormenting and stalking his victims, particularly the young ones. Producers surely faced a tough call for "American Horror Story" Season 6 between Lady Gaga and Slender Man.

On a firmer ground, Season 6 is reported to be set in the present time. Collider also reports that Angela Bassett will be a character with a special gift in "American Horror Story" Season 6.

"I think I might be psychic," Bassett said. "But it can all change, we don't start filming until June this year, so anything is possible and everything can change between now and then."

FX will air "American Horror Story" Season 6 this coming October. Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Bassett, Lady Gaga may yet be joined by Evan Peters and "Scream Queens" star Emma Roberts in "American Horror Story" Season 6.
Leading Sydney analysts have named an American specialist's recommendation as "ludicrous" after she proposed that parents shouldn't kiss their kids on the lips since it is excessively sexual. Dr. Charlotte Reznick, a child analyst from UCLA California, cautions parents that a pure peck on the lips could cause a confusion for their child.

Her remarks, which were distributed in 2010 when Hollywood star Harry Connick Jr. was envisioned kissing his eight-year-old little girl on the lips, have started a warmed verbal confrontation online this week after they became a web sensation. "In the event that you begin kissing your children on the lips, when do you stop? It gets exceptionally befuddling," Dr. Reznick said.

As a kid gets to the age of four to six and their sexual mindfulness comes to fruition, a kiss on the lips - even from a parent - could be stimulating for the child. This might not even be the first instance of sexual mindfulness for your child though - it's not a rare occurrence to see an infant unknowingly jerking off at the age of two or three.

"Regardless of the fact that it never strikes a child's mind, it's fair excessively confounding," added Reznick. "On the off chance that mommy kisses daddy on the mouth and the other way around, what does that mean when I, a young lady or kid, kiss my guardian on the mouth?"

Although Reznick provides a good argument, Dr. Fiona Martin from the Sydney Child Psychology Center (SCPC) opposes this idea. Dr. Martin commented that "It's truly silly to think a guardian kissing their child could be alluded to as excessively sexual," Martin told Daily Mail Australia.

"It's typical and beneficial to be friendly to your children. It's imparting to your kids that you adore them," she continued. Martin said there were no mental impacts for a child who has been kissed on the lips by their guardians.

#Femail - When should parents stop kissing their child on the lips? As a psychologist ar... https://t.co/36PsXgFGn8 pic.twitter.com/bTLMB7ShsW  Discover News (@Discover_News_) March 10, 2016

"It doesn't consider connections that are sheltered and trusting. There is nothing sexual about kissing an infant on the mouth," Dr. Irvine-Rundle said. "Typically the children will discover they need to grow up, they no more need to have that closeness with folks anymore in broad daylight. It's dependent upon us as sensible folks to work out when is the correct time."
A study had found that how early people eat played an important role in human evolution. Eating made room for physiological advances that helped make what humans can do today.

Paleoanthropologist Daniel Lieberman tried to chew a raw goat meat for him to know what challenges the first people experienced when they had to eat raw meat without utensils, as reported by Los Angeles Times.

"It's a little salty, and it's very tough," Lieberman said. "You put it in your mouth and you chew and you chew and you chew and you chew, and nothing happens."

He is the first person to discover that modern human teeth are not design to chewing chunks of uncooked meat. Human teeth are designed to crush like mortar and pestle unlike raw meat eaters like predators that can slice through elastic meat like scissors.

"It stays like a wad in your mouth," Lieberman said. "It's almost like a piece of chewing gum."

A fossil record shows that ancient human has the same teeth with us but they are already consuming meat 2.5 million years ago. The meat was probably raw at that time since cooking meat was discovered roughly 500 years later.

Due to these challenges, however, ancient people have undergone notable evolutionary changes. They acquired smaller teeth, chewing muscles and jaws. They also lose the snout possessed by their ancestors, Reuters reported.

"Shortening the snout might have been beneficial for producing articulate speech, for having a more balanced head, especially useful when running, or perhaps for other reasons," Lieberman said.

The changes, they believe, may also the reason behind the larger brain development in early human species like Homo erectus compared to Australopithecus, which are in earlier members of human lineage who has the combination of ape-like and human-like traits.Compared to plants, meat added a calorically dense food to these early human's diet as their body and brains got bigger.


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Okay. So the Ghostbusters reboot has incited a lot of anger. A LOT of anger. I cant look at any of my social media pages without seeing my pals rage over reboots ruining their childhoods. And Im with themto a point.

I dont think the new Ghostbusters looks funny (though it involves funny people) but I DO think Hollywood has a problem with remakes and reboots. I just wish people had some consistency in their unbridled rage. Here are some of the top YouTube comments on the trailer:







Heres the thing: the internet has let some TERRIBLE remakes go without incident. Without outrage. Even Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull didnt incite the kind of anger Ghostbusters did (except maybe from South Park). People were skeptical and mad, but they chose to wait until it came out for some reason. Hell, my friends and I saw the third Star Wars prequel! Even after seeing the first two! Im pretty sure thats enough to diagnose us all with Stockholm Syndrome. The fact that theres this much rage over a trailer makes me think its not the trailer were truly mad at, otherwise, there would have been equal amounts of outrage over these reboots:

Okay, Im gonna go out on a limb here and say that every single guy engaging in social media rage over Ghostbusters loved Robocop. Hey, me too. And Im going to say everyone who loved Robocop thought a sequel was unnecessary. The new Robocop met every reboots demand for grittier, witless action. There was none of the charm of the original. But hey, thats exactly what reboots are for. To suck the fun out of everything they touch. But if all the anger over Ghostbusters was about that fact, my Facebook feed would have lit itself on fire over this film. It didnt.

This film fell into the too much backstory trap that a lot of reboots do. Also, WHY? Why did we need this? The artificial deepening of Freddys voice didnt make him scary, and the actors didnt seem lifelike before OR after their deaths. To be honest, I never thought Nightmare on Elm Street was supposed to be straight up horror. Freddy used to be kind of witty. In this film, he is not. But the Internet let this one go by without incident.

Okay, Ill grant that this movie happened during a completely different era of InternetIll call it the Homestarrunner epoch. This was around the time when I was going to AOL Harry Potter chat rooms to pretend to cast spells on other sad teens (Dont judge me! Confundus!) That said, the original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a classic kids movie. Several generations grew up on its charm. Those little actors conveyed so much wonder! Gene Wilder was so charming and enigmatic! Then he was replaced by Johnny Depp who thought acting like a known pedophile would make him edgy or something. Ugh. Also what is this obsession in modern movies with inserting father-son conflict into everything?? I dont care about Willie Wonkas daddy issues. We get it, producers, you had shitty fathers. Thats why youre producers. Leave it out of the movie.

This reboot existed solely to put us face-to-face with the fact that we were just making fun of foreigners and falling down this whole time. A great movie for dads.

Okay, this was straight up unnecessary. The reason the original Carrie was so thrilling was because we didnt know what was happening. Who is this spooky girl? Why is this happening to her? Is this a metaphor for puberty and social strife? Now that weve ruminated over all of these questions, the mystery is gone. The fun is gone. Carrie is just straight up revenge porn. Which is fun and all, but it kind of fucks with our ability to appreciate the original. Which is supposedly what people bitching about Ghostbusters are complaining about. Plus, Carries discovery of her powers in this new film is basically just a superhero origin story. But hey, smash two popular things together and youll get a new popular thing! Thats been the industrys thinking for awhile.

Like Robocop and A Nightmare On Elm Street, heres another reboot with none of the humor and charm of the original. Despite that, no one got upset over it. Reddit didnt implode. None of my buddies took to twitter to complain. Critics actually liked it!

Until Ben Affleck got cast as Batman, none of the Zack Snyder outrage (though there was outrage) even closely rivaled the anger over Ghostbusters. And it should have! The guy cant tell a story! Theres no substance! What are his values? He just cares that everything looks pretty! Thats it! I hope he doesnt have daughters, fuck!

So why are we upset over Ghostbusters? A movie with four strong funny women taking the place of four men what could be inspiring such rage? I guess well never know.

Jason Michelson writes stuff.
"We make war that we may live in peace."

--Aristotle

"I exhort you never to debase the moral currency or to lower the

standard of rectitude, but to try others by the final maxim that

governs your own lives, and to suffer no man and no cause to escape

the undying penalty which history has the power to inflict on wrong."

--Lord Acton

"Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the

highest political end...liberty is the only object which benefits all

alike, and provokes no sincere opposition...The danger is not that a

particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern...

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

--Lord Acton

"It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry,

Peace, Peace--but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from

the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the

field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life

so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it,

Almighty God! I know not what course others may take;

but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

--Patrick Henry

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine

patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now,

deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we

have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."

--Thomas Paine

"The way to secure liberty is to place it in the people's hands, that is,

to give them the power at all times to defend it in the legislature and

in the courts of justice"

--John Adams

"Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will

within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I

do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often

but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights

of the individual."

--Thomas Jefferson

"No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the equal rights of

another, and this is all from which the laws ought to restrain hima?the idea

is quite unfounded that on entering into society we give up any natural rights."

--Thomas Jefferson

"An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his

fellow citizens."

--Thomas Jefferson

"The protection of our citizens, the spirit and honor of our country, require

that force should be interposed to a certain degree."

--Thomas Jefferson

"To draw around the whole nation the strength of the General Government

as a barrier against foreign foes... is [one of the] functions of the General Government on which [our citizens] have a right to call."

--Thomas Jefferson

"It is our duty still to endeavor to avoid war; but if it shall actually

take place, no matter by whom brought on, we must defend ourselves. If our house be on fire, without

inquiring whether it was fired from within or without, we must try to extinguish it."

--Thomas Jefferson

"I am ever unwilling that [peace] should be disturbed as long as

the rights and interests of the nations can be preserved. But whensoever hostile aggressions on these

require a resort to war, we must meet our duty and convince the world that we are

just friends and brave enemies."

--Thomas Jefferson

"By nature's law, man is at peace with man till some aggression is

committed, which, by the same law, authorizes one to destroy another as

his enemy."

--Thomas Jefferson

"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against

every form of tyranny over the mind of man."

--Thomas Jefferson

"Our duty to ourselves, to posterity, and to mankind, call on us

by every motive which is sacred or honorable, to watch over the safety of our beloved country

during the troubles which agitate and convulse the residue of the world, and to sacrifice to

that all personal and local considerations."

--Thomas Jefferson

"It is an essential attribute of the jurisdiction of every country

to preserve peace, to punish acts in breach of it, and to restore property taken by force within

its limits."

--Thomas Jefferson

"By nature's law, man is at peace with man till some aggression

is committed, which, by the same law, authorizes one to destroy another

as his enemy."

--Thomas Jefferson

"Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy,

and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it. But the temper and folly of our enemies may

not leave this in our choice."

--Thomas Jefferson

"We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly,

we shall all hang separately."

--Benjamin Franklin

"I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people

by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent

and sudden usurpations."

--James Madison

"Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without

it nothing can succeed."

--Abraham Lincoln

"At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we

fortify against it? Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a

blow? Never! All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted)

in their military chest; with a Buonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a

track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years. At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected?

I answer, if it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot,

we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time,

or die by suicide."

--Abraham Lincoln

"The probability that we may fall in the struggle ought not to deter us from the

support of a cause we believe to be just; it shall not deter me."

--Abraham Lincoln

"Property is the fruit of labor...property is desirable...is a positive

good in the world. That some should be rich shows that others may become rich, and hence is just encouragement

to industry and enterprise. Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another; but let him labor

diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall

be safe from violence when built."

--Abraham Lincoln

"We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean

the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and

the product of his labor; while with others, the same word many mean for some men to do as they please

with other men, and the product of other men's labor. Here are two, not only different, but incompatible

things, called by the same name - liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective

parties, called by two different and incompatible names -

liberty and tyranny."

--Abraham Lincoln

"If all do not join now to save the good old ship of the Union this voyage

nobody will have a chance to pilot her on another voyage."

--Abraham Lincoln

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points

out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust

and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again;

who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause;

who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst,

if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with

those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

--Theodore Roosevelt

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs,

even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy

much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that

knows not victory nor defeat."

--Theodore Roosevelt

"The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth

of private power to a point where it comes stronger than their democratic

state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism - ownership of government by

an individual, by a group."

--Franklin D. Roosevelt

"War has been waged against us by stealth and deceit and murder.

This nation is peaceful, but fierce when stirred to anger. This conflict was begun on the

timing and terms of others. It will end in a way, and at an hour,

of our choosing."

--George W. Bush

"When the conduct of men is designed to be influenced, persuasion, kind unassuming persuasion, should ever be adopted. It is an old and true maxim that 'a drop of honey catches more flies

than a gallon of gall.' So with men. If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him

that you are his sincere friend. Therein is a drop of honey that catches his heart, which, say

what he will, is the great highroad to his reason, and which, once gained, you will find but little trouble in convincing him of the justice of your cause, if indeed that cause is really

a good one."

--Abraham Lincoln

"To arrive at a just estimate of a renowned man's character one must judge

it by the standards of his time, not ours."

--Mark Twain

"It is with trifles and when he is off guard that a man best

reveals his character."

--Arthur Schopenhauer

"When men speak ill of thee, live

so as nobody may believe them."

--Plato

"He that has light within his own clear breast may sit in the center,

and enjoy bright day: But he that hides a dark soul and foul thoughts benighted walks under the

mid-day sun."

--John Milton

"Character consists of what you do on the third

and fourth tries."

--James A. Michener

"We should be too big to take offense and too noble to

give it."

--Abraham Lincoln

"I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the

content of their character."

--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"A man's character is his guardian divinity."

--Heraclitus

"Character develops itself in the stream of life."

--Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

"Do what you know and perception is converted into character."

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Of all the properties which belong to honorable men, not one is so

highly prized as that of character."

--Henry Clay
Its been an odd, unpredictable seven days in the presidential primaries. In a week where nine states went to the polls, chunks of the electorate defied voting expectations, pollsters lost significant bets, and candidates near-enough counted out made shocking comebacks.

Some of what went down was just business as usual. The GOP continues to inspire a high turnout, the electorate is still voting against the establishment candidates (first goes Bush, now Rubio appears to be on his way out), while Dem voters choosing between Clinton and Sanders remain divided along lines of age and fortune. Otherwise, it was a week where presumed truths were proven false, and where Ted Cruz possibly outing himself as a Brony wasnt even the most surprising thing that happened. Here are some key myths that got shattered this week.

In southern states like Alabama and South Carolina, Hillary Clinton had been winning with as many as 90% of black voters, easily beating Bernie Sanders with that demographic. So, quite rightly, the pundits had been asking whether the Sanders campaign was ever going to make inroads with more than just Caucasians. Well, on Tuesday, in Michigan, Sanders got 31% of the African-American vote, a significant enough number to bring him victory in a state where 20-30 percent of likely Democratic voters are black. Either the Sanders campaign was right on the money when it assumed black voters in the north would be more receptive to Sanders message, or Clintons firewall is breaking. (Its probably not the latter, considering Sanders suffered his heaviest defeat in Mississippi  the state with the largest percentage of African-Americans  the same night he won Michigan.)

This follows Sanders strong showing among Latinos in Colorado and a heavily disputed victory with Hispanic voters in Nevada. Its also interesting to note that Sanders did very well with Michigans Arab-American Muslim community on Tuesday night, though thats perhaps not so surprising: Sanders is, after all, the most popular of any candidate among Asian-Americans.

It was said before this week that the only evidence of a political revolution was to be found on the Republican side. Rather than Bernie Sanders, it looked like Donald Trump was actually the one driving people to the polls. This week, however, that changed.

Of Bernie Sanders wins since Saturday, there was reportedly massive turnout in the Nebraska caucus; record breaking turnout in Kansas (more than 40,000 voters, 10% up from 2008); and record breaking caucus turnout in Maine (about 48,000), with some areas so overwhelmed they were forced to cancel the actual caucusing and just hand out paper ballots instead. Turnout in Tuesdays Michigan primary also broke a record held since 1972, with 2.5 million stepping out to cast their vote. Many of these were for the GOP, but the Democratic field was also flush with voters, with some Dem polling stations even running out of ballots early. Bernie Sanders revolution may have started later than he anticipated, but hell be pleased to see its finally underway.

A lot of faith has been put into polls by pundits this primary season, and for good reason. The polls, up until this week, had been predicting the outcome in most states with a solid degree of accuracy. It got to the stage where commentators had basically been calling votes before theyd even happened. Then along came Michigan.

Hillary Clintons shock loss in the Wolverine State proved that not a 10, nor 20, nor 37-point deficit in the polls necessarily means a loss on the day. In what has been called one of the greatest upsets in modern political history, Bernie Sanders defied an average 21-point shortfall in the polls to win Michigan by some 19,000 votes. On the GOP side, both Ted Cruz and John Kasich also made unexpectedly strong showings through the week, with Cruz snatching three states from Donald Trump and Kasich in seven days doubling the number of delegates hed amassed in the previous month. This was after Trump had been declared the runaway frontrunner, with pollsters finding him ahead in most states polled.

Though weve learned the hard way that the polls arent always foolproof, we have to assume based on the still-high level of accuracy that theres some value in them. So, we look to the question of voter trust for Hillary Clinton. While its true that, nationally, trust for Clinton remains a problem, some individual states reveal rather different results. After South Carolina voters declared Clinton more honest than Bernie Sanders, Mississippi exit polls this week revealed voters there trust Clinton on race relations much more than they do her opponent. So, Clinton isnt entirely the least trusted of the presidential hopefuls. Depending on what state youre in, she might be the candidate you trust most.

Bernie Sanders is big with young voters. His problem? Well, as Salon put it, a good number of them never bother voting. And this may have been true prior to this week, as even Sanders himself complained low turnout was keeping him from coming out on top in some states. But on Tuesday 18-29 year-olds made up 21% of the vote on the Democratic side in Michigan, while voters under 45 made up in total around half of the state vote. It was these folks more than any others that helped bag the state for Sanders, and proved that young voters, when motivated, do GOTV.

We know Bernie Sanders performs well amongst the young and that Hillary Clinton is big with older voters and African-Americans, but what about Donald Trump? Does he continue to do best amongst the poorly educated, as he calls them Well, yes, white voters without college degrees are still Trumps bread and butter, but this past week the Donald has perhaps surprisingly been picking up the college graduate vote as well. In Michigan, Trump split graduates with John Kasich roughly evenly, and he was shown to perform very well in areas with high numbers of graduates in Mississippi, too.

Marco Rubio might not be posing too much trouble these days, but John Kasich did well enough to steal a big portion of the delegates in Michigan, where late-deciding voters went for the Ohio governor first and Trump third. Kasich isnt the major threat in the long-run, however (though the most recent poll out of Ohio has Kasich regaining his lead over Trump there, unsurprising considering its his own state). That would be Ted Cruz.

Cruz not only won, but performed much better than expected in Maine on Saturday. Even more impressively, he defied the polls to beat Trump in both Idaho and Kansas, and proved a stronger-than-anticipated challenge in Kentucky and Louisiana. With home state Texas behind him, it was assumed this Southern niche candidate was only on a downward curve, but after a fortnight of Trump taking flak from both the media and the GOP establishment, Cruz has been making a comeback. There are now less than 100 delegates separating Trump and Cruz, with 25 states left to vote. Cruz taking over in first place is easily within the realm of possibility, especially with so many winner-takes-all states coming up.

If were to assume that the Republican Party is, in fact, dead as an electable entity, then the race to decide the nominee on the Democratic side is by default the more interesting one. It shouldnt be, because it wasnt ever even supposed to be a race: from the start, Hillary Clinton has been the runaway favourite, and she remains the favourite today. On Tuesday night, though, just as the punditocracy was about to disregard Bernie Sanders altogether, the battle for the Dem nomination heated up with his unexpected Michigan win. Sanders has a lot of catching up to do delegates-wise, but with the Deep South vote done on 3/15 (after North Carolina, it gets tougher demographically for Clinton) and with Sanders proving he can perform well in major rustbelt states, this competition just got very, well, competitive again.
Youve likely heard of ransomware. Its been around for a while now but has taken a whole new degree of danger this year.

The form of malware infects your system, encrypts all your data and, as the name would suggest, holds it to ransom in exchange for a payment, sometimes a couple of hundred dollars worth of bitcoin.

For a long time this typically only affected Windows users but this week, cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks discovered the first known strain of OS X ransomware for Macs. The KeRanger malware was downloaded through an infected copy of BitTorrent file sharing software Transmission. It was allegedly downloaded more than 6,000 times before Apple and Transmission were able to patch things up.

This 6,000 figure is relatively small for ransomware infections in the grand scheme of things compared to Windows and Android. Nevertheless, the advent of a Mac version of ransomware shows that this threat isnt going away any time soon. As Vann Abernethy, CTO of DDoS protection firm told Help Net Security, Mac users will now have to become as wary of threats as Windows users have been for the last number of years.

The most high profile ransomware case recently was at the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center hospital in Los Angeles. Likely thanks to an innocuous phishing email attachment, the ransomware was introduced to its network, encrypting valuable medical data for which there were no efficient backups and some patients even had to be moved to other facilities. Ultimately the hospital paid the $17,000 in bitcoin ransom that was being held over their heads.

Similarly a schools district in South Carolina had no choice but to dig deep into its pockets and hand over $8,500 to get its files back. And in one of the more extreme examples, a county council in the UK was hit with a ransom for 1 million.

The Evolution of Ransomware

Ransomware has been morphing a great deal of late. Before, a piece ransomware would just encrypt the files and send the demand to the victim. Lately its switched to using different languages to communicate with the victim, like the Cerber malware that supports 12 languages and purposefully avoids infecting computers in Eastern Europe.

CTB-Locker, another strain of the malware, goes after WordPress websites, encrypts their files and demands the website owner pays up.

On Monday McAfee Labs reported on the growth of the Locky ransomware late. This is the very malware that is believed to have infected the LA hospital network. The virus is on the rampage according to security researchers and has been spread through an infected Microsoft Word file but lately, says McAfee Labs, it has shifted to using a bogus JavaScript that you are lured into downloading.

These are the sorts of things that users need to keep an eye out for. Phishing emails are a classic yet still reliable method of infecting a system.

The only true remedy to ransomware, other than vigilance when it comes to attachments and the like, is to keep a secure backup. This sounds like a logical thing to do but youll be surprised by the number of people and organizations that dont do it. A ransom attack similar to LA in the last few weeks at a hospital in Germany was thwarted for the most part as it had backups it could turn to.

Preparedness is key because targets almost seem random. A church in Oregon, not the first kind of target that springs to mind, recently paid $570 to unlock its files after an attack. Ransom demands are typically kept low for individuals and small businesses to increase the chances of someone actually paying and it appears to be working. According to figures from the FBI, Cryptowall, a particular kind of ransomware, generated $18 million in revenue in 2014 and 2015.

The probable reason for this jump in ransomware activity is down to the ease of access to these hacking tools, according to a report from the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology.

A trendy crypto ransomware sells for about $2000 on dark net forums. Locker ransomware probably costs less. This means that an attacker only needs to ransom eight everyday users (at the average $300) to generate a profit, write the authors.

Ransomware is spreading. It may be taking on new forms but your due diligence remains the same in staying cautious of email links, phishing websites, and maintaining back-ups of your data.
New Zealand native Marlon Williams played a few songs for us in our studio off of his brand new self-titled debut. The 25-year-old is an eclectic mix of country, blue-grass and occasionally what could have had radio play in the 60s doo-wop era. With a deep voice that could be mistaken for a young David Byrne, Williams has a timeless quality.

His new self-titled album was released in February. He told us last month in our The Best of Whats Next; segment that for his solo album he used country music as his baseline.

The simplicity of country music was the backbone of what I wanted to do, he told us. I played around for a while and then went into the studio and started trying to expand on some of those simple ideas.

Williams is currently on a world tour, but will be back in the United States for South by Southwest this month and then in May for a full American tour.
In our increasingly globalized world, some places still appear cemented in a time gone by. Haiti is one such place that captures the imagination, but theres more depth to the country than youd find on the surface. In his latest novel, National Book Award Finalist Mischa Berlinski digs deep into the local and national politics on which Haitis fortunes hingeand the rapidness with which it all can be undone.

Narrated by an unnamed American writer living in Haiti with his diplomat wife, Peacekeeping is about, well, a road. Terry White is a former Florida police officer and failed politician who is training with the UN and supporting police forces in the isolated city of Jeremie. Johel Celestin is a judge with aspirations to make Jeremie a better place. So the two come up with a plan: Celestin will run against powerful local Senator Maxim Bayard, championing a platform focused on building a road that would connect Jeremie to Haitis capital Port-au-Prince.

In reality, building a road means more than construction. The election system is corrupt; ballot boxes and candidate lists are manipulated by higher officials, while locals are happy to accept bribes on behalf of campaigns in exchange for possible loyalty on election day. Bayard has a reputation for ruthlessness when it comes to opponents, and hes had a whole career to cultivate influential alliances. Getting into the election will mean dismantling a system designed to keep people like Celestin out.

Then theres the question of the road itself. As Terry and Celestin explain at length, the road would mean economic growth for the area, which in turn would bring stability and relief from poverty. It would undermine the network of patronage and reliance Bayard has developed among the population, with individuals coming to him to for help in exchange for cash and favors. By building a road, Terry and Celestin would rewrite the future of Jeremie.

The narrators role is unique. Hes not quite part of the story, but he inexplicably wins the confidence he needs to be part of the inner circle. He hangs around campaign headquarters, has lunch with Kay White and is kept in the loop. His wife, however, never gets more than a passing mention, her stance and the implications of her diplomatic position as embassies become involved in the escalating election never explored. The narrator is simply an observer passing on what hes witnessed.

His distance makes for an interesting perspective. Hes alert to whats going on around him, a naturally observant man who sticks around in crowds. As such, he witnesses the tragedies inherent in povertychild-sized coffins, for examplebut hes also a member of a privileged elite in Jeremie. Hes one of many international players inhabiting the center strata of the hierarchy, wealthy enough to be comfortable but estranged from the actual levers of power that govern the nation.

Peacekeeping reaches almost 400 pages, but Berlinski whips up tension and excitement as the campaign unfolds. Yet it takes time for the story to set up its principal parts and players, including Celestins wife Nadia and Terrys wife Kay. The languid beginning masks the high-stakes plot, similarly to how Haitis seemingly monotonous existence belies the shifting international interests and money-funneling below the surface.

The novel proves to be fascinating, but its the ending that clinches it as a remarkable story. The entire narrative comes together in one moment of sudden, unexpected shock that forever changes the lives of all involved in the story, including the future of Haiti. With Peacekeeping, Berlinski brings a quiet but vital nation to vivid, horrific, incredible life.
Like it did last year, the 2016 Portland International Film Festival, now in its 39th iteration, offered Portlanders a glimpse into a realm of cinema typically inaccessible, providing a non-market-based three weeks (or so) of, undoubtedly, some of the best contemporary films the world has to offer. As the festival details, through 97 features and 62 short films from three-dozen countries, the Portland International Film Festival explores not only the art of film but also the world around us, no matter the place or the language spoken.

There are several of us who have our eyes on films all year long, says Nick Bruno, Publicity and Promotions Manager at the Northwest Film Center, the indispensable organization behind the festival each year. A few of us travel to festivals around North America scouting for movies. And, of course, we also have an open submission period for the festivalwe received around 900 submissions for this years festival. The Centers goal, as it has always been with PIFF, is to expose regional audiences to films and film culture otherwise unavailable in the Metro area. Because, for as artistically inclined as Portlanders often insist they are, rarely do many of the celebrated films that hit Cannes, Berlin or Toronto ever make it to the City of Roses.

Which means that, long after the bidding wars and hype of higher profile festivals have thankfully died down, PIFF offers an unsurprisingly comprehensive idea of the state of world cinema. Asking Bruno what he saw in international film, if anything, that could be construed as a through line, he responded:

Perhaps what has most changed is Portland itself. Housing prices have risen to a worrying degree in the past year, largely due to the citys boom in major tech companies breaking ground, with much of the Portlands available (and non-available) real estate going to condo developments. Blame Portlandia, blame the Dream of Portland, blame whateverregardless, the face of Portland is changing drastically. I spent most of my festival time at Cinema 21 this year, since thats where PIFF After Dark, which I program, happened, Bruno explains after hes asked if hes seen this change somehow manifest in the festival itself. The main thing that I noticed that was different was a lot of younger faces attending those screenings. My impulse was to assume that the huge influx of people moving to Portland was somehow fueling that change, though there may be other factors involved.

This year, the partnership with Voodoo Doughnuts may suffice as another sign of New Portland. The doughnut seller, now well known to tourists and cable TV subscribers alike, has become ubiquitous when thinking of Portland as a destination. Bruno described the festivals alignment with the confectionery giant, Our festival design team (Sandstrom Partnerswho weve work with for decades now) floated the idea of the international doughnuts leading up to last years festival. We went with a different idea then, but returned to the doughnut theme for this years festival. The Northwest Film Centers director Bill Foster approached Voodoo with the idea and they loved it. Not only did Voodoo sponsor the festival and provide a particularly delicious theme (Each of those doughnuts featured in the design was hand crafted by Voodoo and then photographed and digitally perfected by Sandstrom, remembered Bruno), but they posted up doughnut food trucks outside of certain showings. No matter how big Portland gets, one cant escape the citys sense of community.

Otherwise, PIFF was as dependable as ever, drawing crowds to such beloved theaters as the aforementioned Cinema 21, as well as Fox Tower, Roseway, and Whitsell Auditorium in the Portland Art Museum, where an extra dose of whimsy was added to ones viewing experience via the so-called greatest cat painting ever made, which sits right outside the theater doors. The focus of the festival was of course access and comprehensive content, but special events popped up all over town, from Man vs Snake directors Andrew Seklir and Tim Kinzy (who worked together on Battlestar Galactica) hosting a midnight Q&A at Cinema 21 on the festivals last night, to documentary short directors and Portland natives Irene Taylor Brodsky and Skye Fitzgerald showing their films, Open Your Eyes and 50 Feet from Syria respectively, before a crowd of supportive friends and fanswhich led naturally into a reception hosted by a mighty proud HBO Documentary Films. Fitzgerald even brought along the subject of his film, hand surgeon Dr. Hisham Bismar, to talk about his time serving Syrian refugees in Hungary.

But really, the star here is the Northwest Film Center. As late as this coverage can seem, and as redundant as these lists can feel given much of their coverage elsewherewith many reviews of these films featured on this site alreadythe point, we hope, in so obligatorily picking our favorites is to point out just what a phenomenal event the Film Center puts on each year. Which of course doesnt end with PIFF: Among its current list of showings and series are a complete viewing of Jacques Rivettes Out 1, a Wim Wenders retrospective, a showcase of Bollywood films, a collection of picks from the UCLA archive, and, every second Friday of the month, a film discussion clubthis week is Otto Premingers Laura. So, in other words, if youre going to take one thing from this article, we hope its a renewed support and enthusiasm for Portlands foremost film resource.

And so, as always, we missed a handful of films we shouldnt have missednotably Chantal Akermans No Home Movie, Radu Judes Aferim!, Ciro Guerras Embrace of the Serpent, Guy Maddins The Forbidden Room, Peter Greenways Eisenstein in Guanajuato and Marcin Wronas Demonbut we did catch like 30-something titles, 15 of which weve included in the following pages as our favorites, showcasing the sheer breadth of stuff to find at the festival each year. Films worth checking out that we havent listed are Johnnie Tos 3D musical Office, which is a welcome departure for the director but one that struggles to compare to the precision of his Hong Kong action films, and Lee Joon-Iks The Throne, an affecting period piece that loses all earned melodrama in its bloated final 10 minutes. Plus, if youre going to watch one Ghanaian Pidgin musical in your lieftime, make it King Luus Cuz Ov Moni 2: FOKN Revenge, whose soundtrack (by stars Fokn Bois) is on Spotify and is magnificently, grotesquely catchyespecially if you prefer your musicals beginning with its two main characters on the toilet, talking about their shits.

With that, the following films are our favorites at this years PIFF, beginning with Doms picks for the 10 best narrative features, followed by our five full-length documentaries. Covering everything from Oscar nominees to the final works of film legends, these films should be considered a primer to the best of whats to come for 2016 as far as wide release foreign films. In other words, if any of these show up in your town, go while you still can:



Tobias Lindholm; Denmark

Tobias Lindholm and cinematographer Magnus Nordenhof Jnck shoot A War in unadorned, exacting clarity, treating both the scenic mountains of Afghanistan and the urban outlines of Denmark with the same stark, practically clinical eye. For yet another wartime narrative, Lindholms film is refreshingly sparemusic, color palette, dialogue are all bereft of anything dramaticand instead the director allows conflict to come from the natural exigencies of war, of being away from home, of attempting to do the right thing when what youre doing is shooting at other people. The moral quandary at the center of the film may not be an original oneDanish commander Claus Pedersen (Pilou Asbk) must go to court over a split-decision made during a firefight in which his actions saved a comrade while unknowingly leading to a number of civilian casualtiesbut Lindholm takes seemingly ages to get to that point, allowing the audience to soak in the monotony and incessant-if-buried burden of Pedersens position: serving as ersatz father for his unit while knowing, intuitively, that his family desperately needs him back home. Nothing at home happens with action-packed aplomb (though the director sets up tense red herrings to lure the audience into a sense of unease), and yet the stakes are very, painfully real. Pedersen did the only thing he knew to do, yet in saving his unit he may have sacrificed his familys well-being. And when the happy ending does come, there is absolutely no sense of relief, just the overpowering drama of imagining what it must be like to be that man, living with what he must. Dom Sinacola



Grimur Hakonarson; Iceland

Though they share a homestead upon which their prized lineages of sheep have been grazing for generations, graying brothers Gummi (Sigurur Sigurjonsson) and Kiddi (Theodor Juliusson) havent spoken in 40 years. Setting them as quiet specks against one gorgeous Icelandic vista after another, director Grimur Hakonarson never once attempts to explain why theyve grown apart, but it hardly matters: If youve ever endured a long-held grudge amongst family membersas we all have, seeminglythen you know that the origins of the schism rarely bear such interminable silence. Instead, when Gummi, the ostensibly more responsible one, discovers that his brothers flock is showing signs of a fatal illness that threatens to take out the sheep population of their whole valley community, he sets in motion a government intervention that might as well drive them even further apart. Both devastating and playful, heartbreaking and wistful, Rams carefully picks at the bonds of blood and brotherhood, wondering how far we can stray from such essentially unselfish connections before we start to lose all sense of self anyway. DS



Anders Thomas Jensen; Denmark

We live in a wondrous world where a film which breaks box office records in Denmark prominently features a chronic masturbator (the inimitable Mads Mikkelsen at his least charming) and a reasonable-sounding description of the logic behind certain forms of bestiality. In Men & Chicken, Elias (Mikkelsen, mustachioed repugnantly) and his pecky milquetoast of a brother Gabriel (David Dencik) share both a harelip and, upon trekking to a remote island estate where they meet their estranged brood, the discovery that the foundations of their existences hinge on a sort of nightmarish debauching of the basest tenets of life and love. What begins as a pitch-black take on a Farrelly Brothers farce descends irrevocably into madness as director Anders Thomas Jensen revealsthrough a deeply unsettling mastery of tonewhat the title of his film really means, never once losing his sense of humor or penchant for gross setpieces as he approaches trenchant, even transcendent ideas about what it means to be human. DS



Ben Rivers; UK/Morocco

Using Paul Bowles celebrated short story A Distant Episode to frame his sojourn to the brink of madness, director Ben Rivers imagines the worst case scenario of the filmmaking process for such well-known ecstatic truth auteurs as Werner Herzog or, recently with The Revenant, Alejandro G. Inarritu. In his verite-like story of a young director (Oliver Laxe) who tries to make a film in Morocco, conscripting locals to fill his roles, directing these non-actors to follow his every word bit by bit, Rivers inevitably sends both Laxe and the film down a harrowing path, questioning both art and truth as worthy ends to suspect means. Understandably, in severely punishing the other-ness of Laxe (and if youve read the Bowles story, then you know exactly how severe it gets), Rivers risks unfairly emphasizing the exoticism of the native people over whom Laxe exercises his unearned authority, but one cant help but watch what happens with aloofness. Which may be Rivers point: Were afraid of places like this and situations like this because we do not understand them, and we do not understand them because maybe there are some things we shouldnt understand. So we keep ourselves at a distance, and we immerse ourselves in experiences in which we do not belong through people with greater courage, or deeper arroganceor both. In Les Blanks documentary The Burden of Dreams, which chronicles the beyond troubled production of Herzogs Fitzcarraldo, the director laments, we are cursed with what we are doing here. And though The Sky Trembles and the Earth is Afraid and the Two Eyes are Not Brothers is an often starkly beautiful film, its that curse that concerns Rivers most. DS



Athina Rachel Tsangari; Greece

Nearing the end of a sort of luxury fishing vacation on the Aegean Sea, six friendsto varying degrees of allegiance to that wordattempt to quantify their worth as men by engaging in a game in which each person serves as contestant, judge and jury to determine who is best at everything. Each round can take any form: There is the requisite dick-measuring, of course, but there is also the assembling of Ikea furniture or the calling of loved ones, to the point that every gesture, word and interaction are judged to an obscene degree, each contestant carrying a small notebook in which he jots down a series of points, assigned according to no discernible structure. And director Athina Rachel Tsangari refuses to limn that structure with logicto each his own, she insists, to the point that all subjectivity is erased in thrall to an absurd idea of whatever it means to be a man. All of the men do agree on a winner, but not before excruciating embarrassment, humiliation and emasculation takes each character down a peg or two, climaxing in a pathetic act of violence which serves absolutely no one. Chevalier may be an unexpected examination of a nation in depressing economic straits, drawing lines between money and masculine validation, but that its also directed by a woman (still proving herself to be one of Europes contemporary masters) makes the film an especially hilarious bloodletting of the male ego. DS



Miguel Gomes; Portugal/France/Germany/Switzerland

Nearly six and a half hours, the Arabian Nights trilogy isnt exactly that: If one watches one, one should watch all three, but if one watches one, one should wait some time to watch the next, and then one should wait some more time to watch the next after that. Not because Gomess tri-volumed opus is an especially weighty filmits actually quite a lot of fun to watchbut because it seems as if Gomes never really intended it to be viewed all in a row. In assembling a hybridized narrative of documentary and adaptation fable, Gomes provides a take on the aforementioned classic story by distilling its spirit into an entirely bonkers portrait of modern Portugal in the throes of economic desolation. A cadre of bureaucrats cant get rid of their erections, a beached whale explodes only to beach a mermaid, an immortal dog happily serves generations of owners, an old skinny criminal uses teleportation to avoid the authorities, a rooster avoids execution by telling the story of young lovers embroiled within an arson investigation, a judge listens to the testimony of a talking cow who seeks permission to speak from a gender-ambiguous genie, a community of gruff bird trappers prepare their finches for singing competitionsand somehow I feel as if Ive missed so much, unable to grasp the light but immense complexity of what Gomes has accomplished. Of course there is the overarching story, of Scheherazade telling nightly stories to the King of Baghdad to avoid execution, and there is inexplicable time-leaping, as there is the emergence of Gomes himself, explaining that even he is unsure of what it is hes doing, which the audience has no reason to disbelieve, which the director obviously expects, which the audience cant possibly accept without total devotion to the sheer glee of Gomess kitchen-sink conceit. Above all, the Arabian Nights volumes are a testament to the power of storytelling, to losing oneself within the folds of a human imperative without once taking that imperative for granted. DS



Apichatpong Weerasethakul; Thailand

Deep into the enchanting Cemetery of Splendour, an assortment of fit-looking bodies get up, sit down, join one another, walk away, split apart, ride bikes and trade seats, all without reason but obviously with rhyme, as if, as a viewer, youve stumbled upon a reel of background footage with the films main action cut out. Soon after, a sparkling shot of blue sky is calmly violated by a giant amoebaor not, because maybe the amoeba is normal size, because the perspective isnt clarified. And soon after that, a woman (Jenjira Pongpas) rises from an unperturbed nap, unsure if shes found her way out of the labyrinth of her dreams, or if shes only woken into another level of subconscious surreality. Meanwhile, a hospital of soldiers afflicted with a mysterious sleeping sickness, who rest indefinitely under glass tubes used as part of an ill-defined light therapy, rests indefinitely upon a sacred burial ground. At least thats what the modern manifestation of god-like princesses, come to life resembling the statues at the womans favorite shrine, tell her. Such is the stuff of Apichatpong Weerasethakuls typical filmmaking fodder, the Thai director not so much doing something radically different with Cemetery of Splendour as just laying one more layer of fantasy upon his oeuvre, waiting with clairvoyant patience to see if his characters, and by extension his viewers, will ever wake upor if they even want to. DS



Yorgos Lanthimos; Ireland/UK/France/Greece/Netherlands

Greek director Yorgos Lanthimoss follow-up to international break-out Dogtooth ditches that films knotted familial pathology, but refuses to be any less insular. Instead, it expands, even bloats, Dogtooths logic as far as itll stretch. I know: That doesnt make much sense, but stay with mewhich is exactly how Lanthimos and co-writer Efthymis Filippou (who also co-wrote, unsurprisingly, Chevalier above) assume the audience will approach The Lobster, starting with the familiar, inviting visage of Colin Farell, gone full dad-bod for a role that is debatably the actors best example for his still unheralded genius. With a remarkable dearth of charm, Farrell inhabits David, a man who, upon learning that his wife has cheated on him and so must end their relationship, is legally required to check-in to a hotel where he has 45 days to find a new mate, lest he be transformed into an animal of his choosing. David easily settles upon the titular namesake, the lobster, which he explains he picks because of their seemingly-immortal lifespans, the creatures like human ears growing and growing without end until their supposed deaths. At the hotel, David tries his best to warm to a beautifully soul-less woman, but the depths to which she subjects his resolve eventually encourages him to plan an escape, through which he matriculates into an off-the-grid conglomerate of single folk, led by Lea Seydoux. There, of course, against all rules he falls in love with another outsider (Rachel Weisz).

The world of The Lobster isnt a dystopian future, more like a sort of mundane, suburban Everywhere in an allegorical alternate universe. Regardless, Lanthimos and Filippou find no pleasure in explaining the foundations of their film, busier building an absurd edifice over which they can drape the tension and anxieties of modern coupledom. In that sense, The Lobster is an oddly feminist film, obsessed with time and how much pressure that puts on people, especially women, to root down and find someone, no matter the cost. If youve ever had a conversation with a significant other concerned about the increasing dangers of becoming pregnant in ones late 30s, then The Lobsterand its ambiguous but no less arresting final shotwill strike uncomfortably close to the home youre told you should have by now. DS



Roberto Minervini; Italy/France/US

A bit too directed to be a documentary, but too unflinching to be fiction, Roberto Minervinis The Other Side skirts the fringes of both cinematic forms as oneirically as it floats on the sidelines of civilization. Which isnt meant to be a pejorative description of the Louisiana people Minervini portraysfrom meth addicts to libertarian militia members, the people of this film purposely plant themselves (via addiction, political leaning or some strange brew of both) on the outskirts of what most viewers understand as a functional way of life. From there, many of them simply subsist, Minervini following one ex-con named Mark as he falls in love, tries to hold down a job, helps a pregnant stripper shoot up, cooks meth in his coffee maker, rants about Obama, uses the N-word flagrantly and visits his mother: It is all, violently and shamelessly, a mess of enraging and deeply touching, humane moments, splayed out before the camera without question or judgment.

By the time The Other Side leaves Mark behind, lost literally in the bayou of his own remorse, the film has ballooned to orgiastic proportions, joining a group of armed freedom fighters preparing for what they see as the countrys inevitable collapse. Theyre angry, but so are those of us watching as a cadre of drunks use Obama masks and cut-outs to obscene ends, and not because they dont have a right to protest our government, but because there is so much terror in the ways in which they do. As the film ends on a scene of metaphorical effigy, as the idea of Barack Obama is filled with bullets and a car bearing the words OBAMA SUCKS ASS is pulled apart at the seams, its difficult not to be absolutely disgusted by what were witnessing. My partner turned to me, her face blank with shock, Imagine if Obamas daughters saw this. No, I dont want to imagine thatId rather imagine the disgust the people of this film would have for me, an outsider thinking I have any right to look in. DS



Lucile Hadzihalilovi?; France

Hadzihalilovi?s gorgeous enigma is anything and everything: creature feature, allegory, sci-fi headfuck, feminist masterpiece, 80 minutes of unmitigated, unmoored gut-sensationit is an experience unto itself, refusing to explain whatever it is its doing so long as the viewer understands whatever that may be on some sort of subcutaneous level. In it, prepubescent boy Nicolas (Max Brebant) finds a corpse underwater, a starfish seemingly blooming from its bellybutton. Which would be strange were the boy not living on a father-less island of eyebrow-less mothers who every night put their young sons to bed with a squid-ink-like mixture they call medicine. This is the norm, until Nicholas discovers one night what the mothers do once their so-called sons have fallen asleep, and from there Evolution eviscerates notions of motherhood, masculinity and the inexplicable gray area between, simultaneously evoking anxiety and awe as it presents one unshakeable image after another.

In fact, since this was Nick Brunos favorite film at the festival, a recommendation which Im glad I took to heart, I asked him to weigh in:

Yup. Me too, Nick. DS

On the following page, find our brief run-down of the five best documentaries we saw at PIFF.



Mark Helenowski and Kevin Pang; US

Those going into For Grace unfamiliar with chef Curtis Duffy might think it another on-trend slice of foodie porn about the latest culinary rockstarand theyd be right, kind of. Chicago Tribune dining reporter/filmmaker Kevin Pang and filmmaker Mark Helenowski introduce Duffy as a two-Michelin-starred hotshot who sharpened his knives under Charlie Trotter and Grant Achatz before leaving his latest venture (Avenues) to open labor-of-love restaurant Grace. And thats where the devastating backstory comes into focus. As the even-keeled, hyper-disciplined Duffy describes a troubled upbringing that involves the murder-suicide of his parents, viewers glimpse the moments that shaped the recently divorced father of two young girls. He frets over $1,000-a-pop dining room chairs, but he frets arguably more about an opening night visit from his middle school home-ec teacher, who took on a motherly role following his own moms death. Throughout, Duffy holds himself with a quiet dignity and, yes, grace that resonates on the elegant plates he crafts. So too does his staff, helmed by a GM/business partner who understands how important it is to make each diner feel specialGoogling and social media searches of that nights reservations are par for the course. At now $235 per tasting menu, such a personalized experience should go without saying, but the sincerity and gratitude is obvious. And, of course, the food looks nothing short of exquisite. Amanda Schurr



Andrew Seklir and Tim Kinzy; US

Like a companion piece to The King of Kong, Man vs Snake patiently tells the story of one mild-mannered man on a relentless quest to utterly dominate one specific classic arcade game. In this case, that means Nibbler, the original Snake (whattup, old school Nokia cell phone users) in that the whole point is to grow your snake as much as possible without running into your own ever-lengthening torso. This time, the seemingly insurmountable feat is to reach 1 billion points on Nibbler, accomplishable only through a multi-day marathon session, a record first set by a fella named Tim McVey (it is quickly noted that he is not that McVeigh) in 1984. When, 25 years later, Tim learns that an Italian teen named Enrico Zanetti apparently beat his record decades before, he decides to claim back the title, though he is now much older and markedly out of shape. With help from bad boy gamer Dwayne Richard and classic gaming stalwarts Walter Day and Billy Mitchellwho people may recognize from King of Kong as the obsessive owner of Twin Galaxies and ersatz villain, respectivelyTim begins to question everything he is, everything hes ever done, as he tries to regain old glory. With pomp and flair, Man vs Snake does more than make watching a guy play video games exciting, it makes one seriously considerI shit you notwhat immortality really means. DS



Albert Maysles, Lynn True, David Usui, Nelson Walker III and Benjamin Wu; US

Albert Maysles (Gimme Shelter, Grey Gardens, Salesman) final documentary is an unforced, unsentimental portrait of the American Dream, as witnessed on the rails of Amtraks cross-country Empire Builder route. Set between Chicago and Portland and Seattle, the terrifically literal In Transit spans three days and any number of ages, races and socio-economic classes, with tales of new beginnings and last trips out, family and leaps of faith, reconciliations and escapes: Itd be boringly cliche were it not so soft-spokenly authentic. Passengers craft with beads, they sleep, they play with toys and make new friends, they philosophize, they drunk dial, sometimes they even look at the northern oil fields and mountains just outside the train windows. Theres a normalcy, a structure, a comfort to this microcosm, to the contents of the cars as a world that will eventually stop, wherein some folks are scared of the near unknown, others fear a return to the all-too-familiar. Maysles and his co-filmmakers echo the meditative rhythms of the rails, rolling into each station as stories board and depart, flies on the wall for overheard and -seen moments of hope and heartache. In Transit is a fitting coda to the groundbreaking career of the legendary documentarian, who died in March of last year and, along with his brother David (who died in 1987), thrived on capturing the human condition, ordinary and otherwise. AS



Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami; Iran/Germany/Switzerland

Sonita is a documentary of projected moments: a mother buried under lifetimes of religious oppression picking up the phone to soon after hang up on a daughter finally digging herself free; an Iranian teenage girl accepting that she is little more than a commodity to be sold for a reasonable price, collapsing in tears under the weight of futility; a documentarian who cant help but intervene in the life of her subject, even though she knows to do so would be to breach the duty that gives her purpose. In 18-year-old Afghani refugee Sonitaan aspiring rapper who finds that everything she loves is against the law in her new Tehranian homeeveryone discovers inspiration to do more, to be more, to hope for more than their lives have ever ostensibly allowed. But when Sonita turns the camera on its filmmaker, detailing Maghamis decision to spend the money required to keep Sonita in Iran when her family decides to return to war-torn Afghanistan, the film becomes so much more than a portrait: Like last years The Look of Silence, Sonita emerges as a testament to the responsibility of seeing. In a world like ours, there is no longer any such thing as an impartial observer. DS



Friedrich Moser; Austria

Rarely have the inner workings of metadata seemed so riveting as in Austrian filmmaker Friedrich Mosers portrait of Bill Binney, the former tech director of the NSA. The master code breaker and cryptologist behind the ThinThread program, he was essentially a math geek who delighted in making the infinite finite, mapping all of the relationships of all the people in the world in a program proven to predict catastrophic manmade events over several decades. Binneys ability to find structure in behaviors is tracked back to the Bay of Pigs, though metadata in particular is discussed as a product of the digital age; he explains how the sheer explosion of information buried analysts of the time with meaningless data before Binney, et al. reframed the problem. At the forefront of his worries are the unintended consequences of misinformation and misinterpretation, along withas ThinThread includedprivacy protections in response to the arrogance of power that accompanies trillions of touchpoints. Presented with the slick production and suspenseful dramatizations of a spy thriller, A Good American contextualizes analytics from the first attacks on the World Trade Center in 1993 to Sept. 11, whichtragicallydid not benefit from Binney and Co.s creation: Itd been scrapped by the government three weeks prior. The Imitation Game, this is not. Everything is human behavior, Binney says matter-of-factly. When you see the pattern and break, thats exhilarating. A Good American is at its most compelling in the words of its brilliant whistleblower, who believes in the humanity of numbers, and their ability to provide a greater understanding of how people operate. AS

Dom Sinacola is Assistant Movies Editor at Paste and a Portland-based writer. Since he grew up in the Detroit area, it is required by law that his favorite movie is Robocop. You can follow him on Twitter.

Amanda Schurr is Assistant Movies Editor at Paste and a Pac NW-based culture writer. You can follow her on Twitter.
When disappointments rack up, there comes a point where fans have to question whether the comic genius is really worthy of the labeland for Sacha Baron Cohen, The Brothers Grimsby will be that moment to take stock. A decade on from Borat, this generations Peter Sellers has delivered his third consecutive failure as writer-producer-star, while his 2006 opus now increasingly looks like a blip made in between the cash-in of Ali G Indahouse and the scattershot Borat B-side Bruno. The Brothers Grimsby is Baron Cohens second fully scripted botch-job in a row after The Dictator, and by now the concern is real, that Baron Cohens post-Borat super-fame will forever prohibit him from returning to what he does best: largely improvised comedy made amongst an unsuspecting public.

In The Brothers Grimsby, Baron Cohen plays Nobby Butcher, a loutish Liam Gallagher type hailing from the English town of Grimsby, a giant sink estate of unemployables twinned with Chernobyl. When he reunites with his long-lost MI6 agent brother Sebastian (Mark Strong, here the focus of multiple bald gags, because thats the level), Nobby becomes a wanted man, entangled in a global conspiracy to decimate the human race. His first big idea is to hide himself and Sebastian out in their hometown.

Just 83 minutes-long, The Brothers Grimsby bears the hallmarks of a severe edit. Considering that even Sony thought the project was weak sauce (per the Sony leaks, one studio exec thought the script lazy and predictable), you can imagine heavy cuts were made as a means of damage limitation. So actors like Tamsin Egerton are reduced to near-wordless cameos, and the already sparse plot is stripped to the bone. For example, the film doesnt offer much of an explanation as to why Nobby and Sebastian have to hide out in Grimsby before heading to South Africa, and then Chile: Everythings just streamlined down to set-pieces.

The sub-007 action sequences are headache-inducingly orchestrated by Louis Leterrier, though surprisingly the Transporter director does a more capable job with the comedy, not that theres a great deal for him to work with in the first place. Baron Cohen is unfortunately one of the films bigger problems, his comic timing off and his accent forever wavering. When Mark Strong  here doing straight comedy for the first timeis funnier than the comic genius whose show this is supposed to be, then something is clearly wrong.

Baron Cohens surprise recent appearance at the Oscars as Ali G proved he hasnt lost his knack for inducing belly laughs and for delivering cutting cultural commentary. He can be effective when hes inhabiting a well-developed character, but Grimsbys Nobby is too ill-defined a creation to be nearly as interesting or ripe for jokes as Baron Cohens best. The character is also out of date, the embodiment of boorish British lad culture circa 1996 as opposed to 2016, while the depiction of the working class as a coterie of boozers and scroungers feels lazily ripped from conservative press headlines. Its a weak, cliched basis for a comic scenario.

Let nobody say Baron Cohen doesnt know how to throw down the gross-out gauntlet, though. No one else in comedy, mainstream or otherwise, is creating scenarios like those found in The Brothers Grimsby. Which is not necessarily a compliment: Grimsby features some truly rancid gags, involving incest, elephant vaginas and an HIV-infected Daniel Radcliffe (not the real Daniel Radcliffe). The problem isnt just that these go beyond gross-out into the realm of morbidity, but that Baron Cohen has seemingly forgotten the reason he used to employ shock as a comedic tool. Borat, and to a lesser extent Bruno, were outrageous but still smart enough to reveal something about Baron Cohens targets. Here there are bestial bukkake jokes just because.

A few of The Brothers Grimsbys gags do land, and land well. Many of the best ones come at the expense of Strongs Sebastian, a James Bond figure transplanted into a movie where his very super-ness is routinely scuppered by an idiot sidekick. This line of comedy is more tolerable because it finds Baron Cohen punching up rather than down for a change. Some of his other targets are less comfortably deserving. One could argue that Donald Trump has earned his stripes as the butt of a bilious Baron Cohen wisecrack, but what on Earth did Daniel Radcliffe do to piss the comic off this much?

Its not always easy to tell in The Brothers Grimsby what Baron Cohen is making light of, or why. Take Grimsbys deprived inhabitantsare they figures of fun, or objects of defiance in a society thats given up on them? Or the scene in which Nobby, standing in for Sebastian, is tasked with seducing Annabelle Walliss femme fatale and mistakenly goes for the wrong woman, a South African maid played by Gabourey Sidibe: Whats the joke here? The mere fact that the wrong woman happens to be not blonde and beautiful, but overweight and black? If so, then Baron Cohen has become little better than the figures of prejudice he once tried to expose, and about as edgy as Adam Sandler.

Director: Louis Leterrier

Writers: Sacha Baron Cohen, Peter Baynham, Phil Johnston

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Rebel Wilson, Isla Fisher, Tamsin Egerton, Annabelle Wallis, Barkhad Abdi, Gabourey Sidibe

Release Date: March 11, 2016
After West Virginia lawmakers passed a bill legalizing the sale of raw milk nearly a week ago, several of state representatives have fallen ill, presumably thanks to the bacteria in the raw milk.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed a bill, known officially as Senate Bill 387, allowing for both the distribution and consumption of unpasteurized milk. Although the stricken insist that their sickness is a result of a stomach bug, they all coincidentally happen to be among the group that toasted the new law passing with several sips ofyou guessed itraw milk.

After having admitting to sipping some raw milk, courtesy of Scott Cadle, a delegate who sponsored Senate Bill 387, Pat McGeehan told WSAZ that he highly doubt[s] raw milk had anything to do with it, in my case.

[Cadle] caught me in the hallway, offered a cup to me, and you want to try to be a gentleman, said McGeehan. I had a small sip and walked away and tossed the rest of it.

The states health officials are looking into the potential food poisoning after they received an anonymous complaint and at least one person claiming that the milk was distributed illegally.
In 2014 we posted a report regarding Samsung's Galaxy S5 sales plummeting 50% in China and that heads were beginning to roll for their poor performance and yet J.K. Shin was able to stave off dismissal. A year later Samsung's continued stagnating smartphone sales lead to a more sweeping management shake-up and still J.K. Shin, "Mr. Galaxy" was able to hang in one more time. Today we're hearing about Samsung's annual general meeting held on Friday and it was a very unhappy event indeed, especially for J.K. Shin.

The Financial Times is reporting that "Samsung Electronics faced shareholders disgruntled over the company's deteriorating performance and governance problems. The meeting, packed with 400 individual and institutional investors, lasted for more than three hours and featured an unusual vote on the appointment of board members.

Proceedings were frequently interrupted by vocal shareholders raising concerns about issues including the company's slowing growth, lack of new growth drivers, and poor oversight by outside directors. It marked a change from the annual meetings commonly full of praise for the South Korean company's performance that typically concluded within an hour.

A shareholder at the meeting noted that "Most of us are gloomy these days, no longer so proud of owning Samsung shares. How long will Samsung just rely on smartphones?" Another shareholder expressed his anger by stating "How far can you go with just hardware manufacturing? You should come up with stronger platforms and software to cope with the rapidly changing IT environment."

And finally, shareholders were fed up with 'Mr. Galaxy' J.K. Shin's excuses for poor sales and the restless investors made their presence felt by opposing his reappointment to the board and demanded measures to revitalise the slowing smartphone business and boost low margins for home appliances.

Kim Sang-jo, economics professor at Hansung University captured the mood of the meeting best when he said that "The good old days are over."

About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Comments are reviewed daily from 4am to 6pm PST and sporadically over the weekend.
Late today the US government fired back at Apple's refusal to help investigators open the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone, saying that its rhetoric about the wider security and privacy implications was corrosive and overblown. Our report provides you with a copy of the actual government filing for your independent review along with a few key flash points made in the filing as well as the government's full conclusion. To top off our report we provide you with a few counter points made by Apple's Senior Legal VP Bruce Sewell who stated that the tone of the government's brief read like an indictment.

Full Government Reply in Support of Motion to Compel

Patently Apple Government s Reply to Apple s Motion to Vacate





Random Points from the Government's Filing

As Apple Inc. concedes in its Opposition, it is fully capable of complying with the Court's Order. By Apple's own reckoning, the corporationwhich grosses hundreds of billions of dollars a yearwould need to set aside as few as six of its 100,000 employees for perhaps as little as two weeks. This burden, which is not unreasonable, is the direct result of Apple's deliberate marketing decision to engineer its products so that the government cannot search them, even with a warrant.

The Court's Order is modest. It applies to a single iPhone, and it allows Apple to decide the least burdensome means of complying. As Apple well knows, the Order does not compel it to unlock other iPhones or to give the government a universal "master key" or "back door."

Apple and its amici try to alarm this Court with issues of network security, encryption, back doors, and privacy, invoking larger debates before Congress and in the news media. That is a diversion. Apple desperately wantsdesperately needsthis case not to be "about one isolated iPhone." But there is probable cause to believe there is evidence of a terrorist attack on that phone, and our legal system gives this Court the authority to see that it can be searched pursuant to a lawful warrant.

The government and the community need to know what is on the terrorist's phone, and the government needs Apple's assistance to find out. For that reason, the Court properly ordered Apple to disable the warrant-proof barriers it designed. Instead of complying, Apple attacked the All Writs Act as archaic, the Court's Order as leading to a "police state," and the FBI's investigation as shoddy, while extolling itself as the primary guardian of Americans' privacy.

Even if "criminals, terrorists, and hackers" somehow infiltrated Apple and stole the software necessary to unlock Farook's iPhone, the only thing that software could be used to do is unlock Farook's iPhone. Far from being a master key, the software simply disarms a booby trap affixed to one door: Farook's.

The Government's Conclusion in Full

The All Writs Act empowered this Court to issue the Order, just as it empowered a court to order a corporation to engage in computer programming and technical assistance in Mountain Bell. As the Supreme Court has repeatedly recognizedand as Congress's repeated reaffirmation and expansion of the Act have confirmedthe Act's flexibility in confronting new problems shows the Framers' foresight and genius, not a blind spot. As the decades since New York Telephone have shown, as indeed the centuries since 1789 have proven, courts' exercise of power under the Act does not lead to a headlong tumble down a slippery slope to tyranny. That is because the Act itselfby relying upon the sound discretion of federal judges and by being subordinate to specific congressional legislation addressing the particular issuebuilds in the necessary safeguards. Moreover, the Fourth Amendment, which Apple concedes has been satisfied here, protects against unreasonable privacy invasions.

In short, the limits Apple seeks are already found in the Constitution, the Act, and the three branches of government: congressional legislation, executive restraint, and judicial discretion. The government respectfully submits that those authorities should be entrusted to strike the balance between each citizen's right to privacy and all citizens' right to safety and justice. The rule of law does not repose that power in a single corporation, no matter how successful it has been in selling its products.

Accordingly, the government respectfully requests that this Court DENY Apple's motion to vacate this Court's February 16, 2016 Order, and compel Apple to assist the FBI in unlocking Farook's iPhone.

Apple's Speedy Public Response In-Part

Bruce Sewell, Apple's general counsel and senior vice president of Legal and Government Affairs responded speedily to the government's latest filing.





Sewell noted that "We received the brief just over an hour ago and honestly we're still absorbing it but we wanted to get a couple of points out for you guys as you're working your way through it.

First, the tone of the brief reads like an indictment. We've all heard Director Comey and Attorney General Lynch thank Apple for its consistent help in working with law enforcement. Director Comey's own statement that "there are no demons here." Well, you certainly wouldn't conclude it from this brief. In 30 years of practice I don't think I've seen a legal brief that was more intended to smear the other side with false accusations and innuendo, and less intended to focus on the real merits of the case.

For the first time we see an allegation that Apple has deliberately made changes to block law enforcement requests for access. This should be deeply offensive to everyone that reads it. An unsupported, unsubstantiated effort to vilify Apple rather than confront the issues in the case.

We know there are great people in the DoJ and the FBI. We work shoulder to shoulder with them all the time. That's why this cheap shot brief surprises us so much. For more on Apple's response, see the full Business Insider report here.

About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Comments are reviewed daily from 4am to 6pm PST and sporadically over the weekend.
Today, Tibetans and supporters of a free Tibet around the world mark the 57th anniversary of the March 10, 1959 uprising against Chinese occupation.

On that day thousands of Tibetans flooded the streets of the capital city, Lhasa, to protest eight years of armed occupation by the Communist Party of China and to protect the Dalai Lama from a plot to kidnap and likely kill him. In response to this, the Chinese military rounded up an executed members of the Dalai Lamas security along with other Tibetan citizens caught with weapons in their homes. Tibetan sources suggest that upward of 85,000 Tibetan lives were lost in the days following the uprising.

Soon after, on March 17, the Dalai Lama decided that there was no hope for a peaceful resolution to the Chinese occupation and fled to India where he has resided ever since.

He embarked on a dangerous journey to asylum, crossing the Himalayas on foot with a retinue of soldiers and cabinet members. They traveled only at night, to avoid detection by Chinese sentries. Rumors later circulated among Tibetans that the Dalai Lama had been screened from Red planes by mist and low clouds conjured up by the prayers of Buddhist holy men, according to TIMEs 1959 cover story about the escape. (TIME)

The Dalai Lama has never been allowed to return to his homeland and to this day any citizen there caught with even his picture can be severely punished. Under the repressive hand of the Communist government over 100 Tibetans have resorted to self-immolation, including at least one just last week. Nevertheless, the plight of the Tibetan people remains unheard by most in the international community.

Read more about events today at Students for a Free Tibet.

Read more about U.S. politicians Nancy Pelosi and Jim McGovern urge greater attention to Chinas human rights violations.

Video streamed live earlier today shows events in India:

#Tibetan National Uprising Day. A photo posted by Justin Whitaker (@buddhistphilosopher) on Mar 10, 2016 at 4:13pm PST

Stay in touch with American Buddhist Perspectives on Facebook:
The terrible tragedy involving the Ooltewah High School basketball team has obviously struck more than a match in our community. Yet it appears life in the administration of our school system will continue largely unchanged save for some minor public relations optics. Were this awful event the only material problem facing our county school system, it might be possible to conclude that no change in the management system under which the schools operate is required. But sadly it is not.

Our schools are---as I understand itthe worst in the state. We have been failing far too many children for far too many years. Against the backdrop of so many children whose future lives and prospects have been, and continue to be, openly gutted under a failing public education system, we can no longer simply shrug our shoulders and wonder how we got here. We need to recognize that current conditions are the product of human hands. We need to take ownership of the problem.

The process for taking ownership begins by recognizing the obvious, namely, that our schools are operated under a system that has failed us for far too long not to be embarrassed by it. State law divides the operation of our schools between a County Commission responsible for providing funding, and a school board tasked with day to day operational responsibility. See, in particular, Parts 1 and 2 of Chapter 2 of Title 49 of the Tennessee Code, T.C.A. 49-2-101, et. seq.

But the problem is much more profound than the types of problems so often associated with divided management structures. It is a system that fails to account for electoral infirmities, and the ability of busy citizens to make wise and well informed decisions on school board candidates. This is not to say that well qualified candidates have not been elected. I simply knew next of nothing about the issues recited by Rhonda Thurman in a recent letter to the Chattanoogan. In fact, embarrassing as it may be to admit, I know the name of only one current school board member (though I used to know two names). I suspect I am not all that far behind a great many citizens. It is hard enough for citizens to make an informed decision about candidates for county mayor and the County Commission. Expecting voters to make informed decisions about school board candidates is, I believe, a bridge too far in terms of the world of rational expectations. I suspect many people who watched the recent school board meetings regarding Superintendent Smith might readily concur. We have, in a pejorative sense, earned what we have gottenwe have been voting for it election after election.

It is time for our state representatives to draft legislation which would allow counties, by public referendum, to jettison the current school management structure, and move to a consolidated management structure with the schools being managed by a superintendent reporting to the county mayor and serving at the pleasure of the County Commission. Public input on legislative details should be sought, and it is probably too late on the current legislative calendar to move legislation this year. But there is no reason it could not be moved forward and enacted early next year.

Placing school management within a single governmental bodyespecially the preeminent governmental body in any county - will lead to more focused public awareness and scrutiny. It will no less importantly impose a focused sense of responsibility on the primary elected leaders of the county.

The importance of our school system and its success plainly merits the attention of our primary elected leaders. They should be accountable for its success or failure. Expanding the importance of the County Commission may also attract more and better candidates leading to better decisions across the board for all county functions.

Having said all of this, I freely admit the proposed management structure may have its own faults. The more important question to me, however, is whether it could be worse than what we currently have.

David R. Evans

Signal Mountain

* * *

I find your desire to radically change the school board/director of schools (superintendent) system we currently have is as highly unlikely.

Your admission of ignorance about Rhonda Thurman's comments also show that you have been unaware of what has been happening in the schools until the recent controversies.

Mr. Evans, the relationship between the director or schools and board did radically change in the 1990s giving the director fall more responsibilities and authority than in the first 90 years of that century. And it changed the focus of the board of education as well.

What you are suggesting as a change is called an independent school district (you might research this especially in Kentucky). The school board has more authority than what we have as well as the authority to set the tax rate. In Tennessee, the county commission has that authority and is very unlikely to to give that up.

If you think the Tennessee legislature and the County Commissions are going to jump on that band wagon to change to this form of government, you are dreaming. It didn't happen over the last 45 years and won't happen in the foreseeable future.

I would further suggest you contact Ms Thurman and ask her to clarify her comments. She was exactly right in everything she said regarding spending, initiatives, votes and the single track system which almost every teacher opposed.

And if you are wondering why the other major school districts in Tennessee did not drop so drastically when the state testing got more challenging, you might ask how many of them are single path.

Ralph Miller






Patna: Patna High Court is all set to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is slated to deliver the keynote speech at the historical house of justice on Saturday to mark its 100th anniversary.

In his first trip to Bihar since he ended his Assembly campaign in the state last year with extremely frustrating results, the Prime Minister's special aircraft will arrive at the Patna Airport on Saturday around 1:30 pm from where he would be brought to the Patna High Court.

He will be at the High Court for only about an hour and after delivering his speech, he would be escorted to Hajipur by road where he would dedicate the Digha-Sonepur Railway Bridge to the nation. While in Hajipur, Mr. Modi would also flag off a new passenger train and inaugurate plying of freight train on the Munger-Sahebpur route.

The Prime Minister's visit to Bihar is expected to last nearly four hours after which he would fly back to New Delhi.
News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism.
"We're not used to seeing growth in our check business," said Deluxe's Tracey Engelhardt, who reports a 6% to 7% increase in revenue for check orders from businesses and consumers in each of the last three quarters, driven by various factors originating from the pandemic.
Russian, Iranian Ministers To Discuss Oil-Output Freeze

03/11/16

Source: RFE/RL

Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak will meet with Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh on March 14 in Tehran to discuss how an oil-output freeze might apply to Iran, officials say.



The Oil War

(cartoon by Saeid Sadeghi, Iranian daily Arman)





Tehran has rejected a proposal by Russia and Saudi Arabia to freeze production at January levels, arguing that its output has been artificially depressed by international economic sanctions that had not yet been lifted in January.

However, OPEC sources told Reuters that Iran might be willing to freeze its output at around 4 million barrels a day, the level that prevailed before sanctions were imposed. Iran's current output is just under 3 million barrels a day.

Under the freeze plan, other OPEC members and major producers like Russia which have not been held back by sanctions would maintain production at the near-record levels they were pumping in January.

OPEC has previously allowed exemptions from agreements on output restraint, most notably for Iraq when it was under sanctions.

Other items on the agenda for Novak's visit to Tehran are joint nuclear power, desalinization, and railway projects, Russia's embassy in Tehran said.

Based on reporting by Reuters, TASS, and RIA Novosti

Copyright (c) 2016 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
U.S. Said Ready To Blame Iran For Cyberattack On Dam In New York

03/11/16

Source: RFE/RL

U.S. news media are reporting that the Obama administration will publicly blame Iranian hackers for a 2013 cyberattack against a small dam in New York state. The Justice Department has prepared an indictment against the hackers and a public announcement could come as soon as next week, Reuters and CNN reported on March 10.





Related Article by New York Times:

Obama Order Sped Up Wave of Cyberattacks Against Iran (June 1, 2012)





U.S. officials believe the hackers gained access only to some back-office systems, not the operational system of the Bowman Avenue Dam, a flood-control system 50 kilometers north of New York City.

The attack was not considered sophisticated, but "we obviously take seriously all such malicious activity in cyberspace," U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

"We are going to continue to use all the tools at our disposal to prevent, deter, detect, counter, and mitigate that kind of activity."

The Obama administration has grown increasingly concerned about the threat of foreign states hacking U.S. infrastructure since it determined that a cyberattack was the cause of a December power outage in Ukraine that affected nearly a quarter million customers.

Based on reporting by Reuters and CNN



Copyright (c) 2016 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org

Related Articles:

Copyright (c) 2016 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
Women Deputies Sue Iranian Lawmaker Over 'Donkey' Remarks

03/11/16

By Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE/RL



Iranian Nader Ghazipur's controversial comments came just as it seemed likely that a record number of of women would gain seats in parliament following elections on February 26.

Iranian female lawmakers are suing a hard-line male colleague, Nader Ghazipur, for saying parliament was no place for women and donkeys.

Parliamentary deputy Fatemeh Rahbar told the government news agency IRNA that she and some of her colleagues had filed complaints with Iran's prosecutor-general, parliament's supervisory committee, and parliament speaker Ali Larijani.

There has been a defamation against women, and Ghazipur must be held responsible," said Rahbar, who has a similar hard-line stance to her fellow lawmaker on many other issues.





A cartoon mocking Nader Ghazipour

(by Keyvan Varessi, Iranian daily Ghanoon)





Ghazipur who was returned to parliament in general elections last month, reportedly made the comments during his reelection campaign. A video of his remarks was later posted online, sparking outrage in many quarters.

"The parliament is not a place for women, it's a place for men," Ghazipur says in the video, before going on to place women in the same category as "donkeys," a term used to insult a person's intelligence.

"We didn't easily win control over the country to send every fox, kid, and donkey there. The parliament is not a place for donkeys," he said.

The 57-year-old lawmaker's comments came as a record number of women -- as many as 20 -- were expected to gain seats in the parliament following the February 26 poll.



WATCH: Nader Ghazipur's Controversial Campaign Speech (in Persian, no subtitles)



When the YouTube video of Ghazipur's controversial and crude remarks was published, it quickly attracted both online and offline criticism, as well as calls for him to be barred from office.

Zahra Nejadbahram, the head of the Information Council of the government's office for women's and family affairs, was quoted by Iranian news sites as saying that Ghazipur should be disqualified.

"When his thinking [allows] him to insult half of the country's population, he should expect a reaction, and the reaction should be the rejection of his [credentials]," Nejadbahram said on March 2.

The video also prompted a social media backlash, with some calling on the Guardians Council, which approved Ghazipur's parliamentary candidacy, to disqualify him. Others likened him to former President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who was known for his use of crude and undiplomatic language.

As the condemnation mounted, the parliamentary deputy apologized to the women of his electoral constituency, saying he "wasn't talking about them."

Ghazipur, however, went on to describe himself as a "servant and soldier" of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and insisted that he would not be changing his "stances."





Another cartoon mocking Nader Ghazipour

(by Alireza Seddighi, Iranian daily Ghanoon)





According to fellow lawmaker Fatemeh Rahbar, Ghazipur has since issued another apology through mediators and said that he didn't mean to insult female parliamentarians. Nonetheless, Rahbar said the complaint won't be withdrawn.

"His words have gone public through the media and gone viral inside and outside Iran," she said. "He should come out and [explain himself] in the same way, she said."

Ghaazipur is currently a member of the parliament's Mine and Industry Commission. His biography says he fought during the 1980-88 war with Iraq to defend "his country and Islamic values."

His biography posted on the website of the parliament's research center says he also worked as Khamenei's campaign manager when the supreme leader ran successfully for president in 1981 and 1985.

According to media reports, the journalist who originally posted the video of Ghazipur's controversial comments online was later beaten up by unknown assailants.

With reporting by IRNA, AFP

Copyright (c) 2016 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
Mass Child Marriage Ceremony in Iran Denied by Local Officials

03/11/16

Source: International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran

Fifty high school students were married in a mass ceremony in the Iranian city of Parsian, according to local news reports. But city officials have been downplaying the event and distancing themselves from the idea of encouraging child marriage.



cartoon by Naeem Tadayyon, Iranian daily Shahrvand





The celebration was first mentioned by the chairperson of the Wedding Committee in Parsians Womens Affair Department. Azar Khosravani said the event was aimed at facilitating marriage according to Iranian and Islamic norms and culture, according to the Vaghaye daily.

An employee of Parsians education department claimed to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that the event was only a gathering of married students and the department had no involvement in organizing it.

But education officials who support the practice of marriage at a young age had attended the ceremony held at the governors office in late February.

The official, who asked to remain anonymous, admitted to the Campaign that marriage among high school students was a serious problem throughout Hormozgan province located in southern Iran.

News of the mass marriage ceremony raised concerns that local officials were directly or indirectly promoting child marriage. But Khosravani claimed the students had already been married in an interview with Irans official state-controlled news channel.

Fifty married students from girls schools, along with their families, attended the ceremony. Some officials, such as the Friday Prayer leader of Parsian as well as the town governor gave speeches and presents were given to the married students. Some philanthropists and supporters of making marriages easier were also there, she told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

Parsians Friday Prayer leader, Hojatoleslam Hadi Mirzaie, has been unabashedly supportive of what he calls the Islamic lifestyle.

The culture of easy marriage should grow and spread within society and young people and their families should lower their demands to allow this divine religious matter to blossom, he said.

According to official Iranian statistics, tens of thousands of girls under the age of 15 are married off by their families each year.

Reporting on the high number of child marriages in Hormozgan, the Qanoon news site published official statistics showing that there were five marriages of girls under the age of 10, and 530 under the age of 14, in the province during the Iranian year ending March 21, 2011.

The acting head of Parsians education department, Mahmoud Ravan, told the local ANA news agency on March 1 that the ceremony at the governors office was not officially sanctioned by the department but was organized for students who were either married or engaged to inform them about the benefits of easy marriage.

Most of the married students in our district are in high school or junior high school, and sometimes in elementary school. Having these married students studying next to unmarried students has caused some problems, said Ravan.

The United Nations has categorized child marriage as a human rights violation. Civil and childrens rights activists in Iran have opposed religious conservatives who advocate child marriage.

A top official from the government of President Hassan Rouhani, who promised to improve human rights during his 2013 presidential campaign, has requested an investigation into the report.

In the past couple of years we have received worrying reports about girls getting married before the legal age, even some under the age of 10, said Shahindokht Molaverdi, vice president in charge of Women and Family Affairs, on February 29.

We have requested the Ministry of Justice to present a report to the vice presidents office about girls having early and illegal underage marriages. This matter has been referred to the National Center for Childrens Rights for investigation, she said.

Experts say the Iranian governments marriage statistics are imprecise because underage couples who do not register their union cannot be tracked and counted.

Attorney Shima Ghoosheh previously told the Campaign that many families avoid the civil registry office and only have religious marriage ceremonies that do not require official registration, or register the marriages illegally.

Ghoosheh added that the official marriage age for girls in Iran is 13 because the government considers them to be sexually and mentally mature.

Thirteen-year-old girls can legally get married. But even if a girl is under 13, her father can ask a judges permission for her to marry, she told the Campaign in an interview.

Sharvand newspaper reported updated government statistics on child marriage on August 18, 2015: The National Organization for Civil Registration statistics show that in the past year, 40,404 girls under the age of 15 and 32,587 boys under the age of 20 have registered their marriages. According to the most recent statistics of the National Organization for Civil Registration, 419,488 girls under the age of 15 and 484,885 boys under the age of 20 got married between 2004 and 2014.

Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, reported in 2014 that at least 48,580 girls between 10 and 14 years of age were married in 2011, 48,567 of whom were reported to have had at least one child before they reached 15 years of age.

Some 40,635 marriages of girls under 15 years of age were also registered between March 2012 and March 2013, of which more than 8,000 involved men who were at least 10 years older. Furthermore, at least 1,537 marriages of girls under 10 years of age were registered in 2012, which is a significant increase compared with the 716 registered between March 2010 and March 2011, said Shaheed in his report to the UN.
Iran Missile Launches Prompt Sanctions Push in US Congress

03/11/16

By Michael Bowman, VOA

CAPITOL HILL- The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee told VOA that Irans missile launches are sparking stronger resolve in Congress to renew and boost U.S. sanctions on Tehran. There are three categories [of sanctions] that can be looked at in a bipartisan way, and we are attempting to do that now, Republican Senator Bob Corker said.





In particular, Corker said he is working to extend the Iran Sanctions Act, which was suspended as part of last years landmark international nuclear accord with Tehran. The law targets international investment in Iran. It remains on the books but will expire at the end of the year unless Congress extends it.

Responding to congressional developments on Iran, a senior administration official told VOA, "It's not necessary to extend the Iran Sanctions Act at this time since it does not expire until the end of the year. Right now our focus is on implementing the deal, and verifying that Iran completes its key nuclear steps."

President Barack Obama has stated repeatedly that sanctions will snap back if Iran violates the nuclear accord. Such leverage will be lost if the Iran Sanctions Act expires, according to Corker.

In the event there are violations, the snap-back provisions that are a part of the [nuclear] agreement mean that there has to be something to snap back to, the senator said. So extending that, dealing with conventional weapons and dealing with ballistic missiles are three areas that I think we have a possibility of reaching consensus on.

Another committee member, Democrat Robert Menendez, also is on record supporting the ISAs renewal through 2026.

In a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry last October, Menendez wrote, Provisions of the Iran Sanctions Act expire in 2016. Failing to reauthorize these provisions is also a message to the Iranian regime.

Testifying on Capitol Hill last month, Kerry counseled against a rush to extend the ISA and suggested patience during the implementation of the international nuclear deal.

Patience at an end

Iran is developing a nuclear program so that they can put it on top of a ballistic missile and destroy the nation of Israel, Republican Senator Cory Gardner told VOA. They wrote as much on the ballistic missile [launched this week] itself.

Absolutely Congress should increase our sanctions and efforts. But the president might veto it, because this president doesnt seem to want to stop Iranian bad behavior. In fact, in many ways, I think the Iran nuclear deal has enabled Iranian bad behavior, Gardner added.

Democratic Senator Chris Coons hopes for a unified international response to Irans violations of the U.N. resolution.

I think this calls for sustained active global engagement. I think the Security Council should act against this recent ballistic missile launch, Coons said. I continue to urge the administration to be engaged and strenuous in enforcing our existing sanctions against their ballistic missile program, their ongoing human rights violations, as well as their support for terrorism in the region.

Corker said renewing the Iran Sanctions Act would be a unilateral U.S. move, but could cause other nations to act, as well.

Weve seen in the past, sometimes when we begin - just like with North Korea - there are follow-ons that are taken up by other countries, Corker said.

Iran has warned that punitive measures would cause it to terminate its adherence to the nuclear deal.

Asked about Irans most recent missile launches, on Wednesday State Department spokesman John Kirby said the United States will take whatever appropriate response is necessary, either at the U.N. or unilaterally.

We condemn all threats to Israel, and we stand - will stand - with Israel to help it defend itself against all kinds of threats, Kirby added.
PAAIA Releases 2016 National Survey of Iranian Americans

03/11/16

Press Release by Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA)

2016 National Public Opinion Survey of Iranian Americans:



Poll Examines Attitudes Toward U.S.-Iran Relations and Iranian American Identity





Click Here to Read the Full 2016 Report



March 8, 2016, Washington, D.C. - The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) today released the findings of a national public opinion survey examining the attitudes of Iranian Americans with respect to U.S.-Iran relations, the newly implemented nuclear agreement with Iran, and the experience of the Iranian American community.

Nearly two-thirds of Iranian Americans (65%) approve of the P5+1 agreement with Iran designed to place limits on Irans nuclear program. A majority of respondents say they expect the agreement to have a positive impact on improving Irans relations with the United States and the West (77%) and improve personal and civil rights of the Iranian people (68%).

Moving beyond the nuclear deal, Iranian Americans believe the top two priorities for the U.S. government in dealing with Iran should be advancing democracy and promoting personal and civil rights (56%) and allowing Americans to invest in Iran to improve the economy and create personal opportunities (52%). When asked about their concerns as Iranian Americans, they identified the promotion of human rights and democracy in Iran as the most important to them personally (68%).

What we find is an Iranian American community that while well assimilated in American society continues to maintain close ties to the people of Iran. They regularly communicate with family and friends in Iran and closely follow news from the country, said PAAIA's Director of Government Affairs, Morad Ghorban. Their opinions on U.S.-Iran relations are reflective of their concern for the Iranian people while their identity as Americans is associated with Iranian heritage and culture.

A majority of Iranian Americans personally identify themselves based on their country of origin while only 10% identify themselves based on their religion. Overwhelmingly, Iranian Americans say that there is no support for ISIS or other religious extremist groups and ideologies in their community, with only 2% of respondents believing there could be some support.

Nevertheless, about half of all Iranian Americans are concerned that their ties to Iran, as well as their ethnicity, may lead to discrimination. Two-thirds (68%) of Iranian Americans worry that rhetoric used by some presidential candidates against immigrants, Muslims, and Iranians will lead to increased discrimination against them.

More than seven in ten respondents rate Barack Obama's presidency (75%) and Obamas handling of U.S.-Iran relations (71%) as either excellent or good. When asked who they would vote for in the 2016 presidential primary or caucus in their state, on the Republican side respondents were deeply divided, with only John Kasich receiving double digit support (13%). On the Democratic side 43% indicated that they would vote for Bernie Sanders while 34% would support Hillary Clinton. Among the respondents, the two most important issues determining their vote in the federal elections are the economy and jobs (59%) and foreign policy (33%).

Zogby Research Services (ZRS) was commissioned by PAAIA to conduct, in partnership with Zogby Analytics, a live operator telephone survey of Iranian Americans with a representative sample of 400 adult respondents. The poll was conducted between February 10th -16th, 2016 and has a +/- 5% margin of error. Read More



About PAAIA:

The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian, independent organization that represents the interests of the Iranian American community before U.S. policymakers and the American public at large.






Lee University School of Music will host the spring concert of the Lee University Chorale on Monday, March 21, at 7:30 p.m. in Pangle Hall. Dr. William R. Green, dean of the School of Music, will conduct this 26-voice select ensemble in a program including the music of Josef Rheinberger, J.S. Bach, and dynamic American composers John Wykoff, Rene Clausen and Eric Whitacre.

The program will begin with a selection of sacred pieces that encourage us to reflect on the significance of Christs sacrifice as we begin Holy Week in preparation for Easter Sunday, said Dr. Green.

The centerpiece of this portion of the program will be the setting of the Stabat Mater by Romantic composer Josef Rheinberger. The text of the Stabat Mater dates from the 13th century. It describes the suffering of Mary, mother of Jesus, as her son is crucified. According to Green, Rheinbergers setting is tender and does not draw attention to itself but rather to the remarkable reflective text, producing an almost timeless sacred style. The Rheinberger will be followed by one of J.S. Bachs six great motets Lobet den Herrn, a setting of the two verses in Psalm 117.

The second portion of the program will feature selections from living American composers beginning with three recently composed Appalachian folk songs by Lee University music professor, John Wykoff. These will be followed by three selections for choir and piano from Eric Whitacres The City and the Sea, a setting of poems by E. E. Cummings. The concert will conclude with sacred selections as former members of the Lee University Chorale are invited to join for Rene Clausens Prayer.

Review for Lee University's Chorale:

Today, over a decade after its inception, Chorale has solidified itself as an elite ensemble of highly motivated vocalists. Chorale is known for the breadth of its repertoire, which ranges from sacred classical works and spirituals to vibrant cultural pieces. They have been featured in performances at Carnegie Hall and have traveled across Europe performing at the Vatican, St. Marks Cathedral in Venice, and St. Patricks Cathedral in Dublin. Recently the Chorale was privileged to sing as a part of the Vienna Advent Sing, an Austrian festival that included performances in cathedrals and concert halls in Salzburg, Melk, and Vienna.

The concert is open to the public and free of charge. For information about the event, contact the School of Music at 614-8240.
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The FCC today proposed an update to the way that ISPs can handle your data.

Under a proposal(Opens in a new window) floated to commissioners this week, providers like Comcast or Verizon would have to give customers more say in how their personal information is shared with ISP partners and other third parties.

The plan, from Chairman Tom Wheeler, would allow ISPs to "use customer information for other purposes that are consistent with customer expectations; for example to market higher speed connections and to bill for their services."

ISPs could also share customer data with affiliates so they can market communications-related services, though customers would be allowed to opt out. "All other uses and sharing of your personal data would require your affirmative 'opt-in' consent," the chairman said.

Simply by logging online, you have no choice but share personal info w/ your ISP. You have the right 2 know what they do w/ it. #ItsYourData(Opens in a new window)  Tom Wheeler (@TomWheelerFCC) March 10, 2016 (Opens in a new window)

Consumer group Free Press applauded the move, arguing that websites and apps have "millions of options" when it comes to privacy settings, but "we have little to no choice when it comes to our Internet service providers."

The cable industry, however, was not amused.

"We are disappointed by Chairman Wheeler's apparent decision to propose prescriptive rules on ISPs that are at odds with the requirements imposed on other large online entities," the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) said in a statement. "As the full Commission considers further action, we hope that it will engage in a more sober assessment  one guided by facts and not demonstrably false claims and fears  to promote an approach that will ensure greater consistency in consumer privacy protection and fair competition among all Internet participants."

It appears the proposal might be split down party lines. Republican Commissioner Mike O'Rielly called the plan "troubling" and said the agency is just "doubling down on its misguided and broken net neutrality decision."

O'Rielly and his fellow commissioners will consider the chairman's proposal at the FCC's March 31 meeting, where it will also vote on a proposal to extend phone subsidies for low-income Americans to cover broadband.
As Apple dukes it out with the government there's another battle brewing on the tech front, this one between Microsoft andEvernote.

Redmond just fired the first battle shot, releasing a tool that lets you easily transfer all your to-dos from Evernote to its own OneNote service. "OneNote and Evernote have a lot in common," Microsoft admitted. "But we think you're going to love OneNote's standout features."

While both services are available across platforms, OneNote offers additional benefits like free offline access to notes on mobile, unlimited monthly uploads, and the ability to "write anywhere on the page with free-form canvas," Microsoft said.

Other areas they converge? Both services let you share content with others and save content from the Web. But, with Evernote you'll need a paid subscription to do things like save email into your notes and digitize business cards, features that are available for free in OneNote, Microsoft said.

Convinced that OneNote is better? Head over to Microsoft's site to download the new importer(Opens in a new window).

The new Microsoft tool comes at rough time for Evernote, which has faced some major challenges in recent months, starting with the departure of CEO Phil Libin in July. The company recently laid off 13 percent of its workforce, or 47 employees, and closed three international offices  the second round of pink slips after letting 20 people go in January 2015. Evernote has also been paring down its services of late, recently shutting down its Market for physical goods and ditching three other products to refocus on its core app.
If you're an exclusive Instacart driver or shopper, you might want to think about diversifying your "shuttling stuff around" kind of a lifestyleperhaps try incorporating a ride-sharing service or two, or another delivery service entirely. Why? An email from Instacart indicates the company is tightening the purse strings and forcing drivers to make a lot more trips (or shoppers to prepare a lot more orders) to earn as much as they were earning previously.

According to various emails, a number of drivers and shoppers operating across several cities are now having their rates adjusted. For example, drivers in San Francisco(Opens in a new window) who used to make $4 every time they dropped off a pre-packed bag will now only make $1.50a 62.5 percent cut. They're also going to lose a bit on the per-item commission they make when they're shopping in stores, which will be dropping from $0.50 to $0.25.

"Instacart is a growing company. From time to time, based on order volume, efficiency, and delivery costs, we need to evaluate the rate that we offer shoppers. By making these adjustments, the Instacart community will grow together," the company told Re/code(Opens in a new window).

In other emails, Instacart appears to be urging its driverseven those who are already among the company's best-performing deliverersto work even faster. As the email notes, Instacart "cannot sustain its business model" if drivers grab and deliver items too slowly.

Drivers and shoppers in other areas Instacart services are also going to experience some fee changes. And it's a little confusing to figure out exactly what is being cut where, and by how much. In Washington D.C., for example, one Instacart shopper speaking to Re/code noted that his (or her) hourly wage is going up from $3.35 to $11.50, but the amount the person makes from tips is dropping from 100 percent to 20 percenthaving the net result of dropping said person's hourly earnings from $20 to $14.

In Austin, however, Instacart shoppers will get $7.25 an hour and a "bonus" that equals around 40 percent of an order's tip. Previously, shoppers made much less each hour, but kept all the tips.

"Attracting and retaining shoppers is vital to running our business. We have made some recent rate changes to reduce variability in how much shoppers earn, and we are constantly innovating to help shoppers get more orders. After these changes our shoppers will earn, on average, an effective rate of $15-$20/hour, which is both in line with historical levels and strongly competitive within our markets," Instacart told Recode.
The leader of the state Senate plans to introduce legislation this week to expand the number of seats on the board that regulates Southern California air quality and counter Republican-led efforts to make pollution rules more business-friendly.

Senior staff in the office of Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, said Wednesday that he is finalizing a bill to add three seats to the Air Quality Management District board, to give a voice to communities most affected by air pollution.

We will not stand by and allow oil industry interests to undermine decades of bipartisan efforts to clean up Southern Californias air, de Leon said. This board should reflect the will of the people it represents and the people have made clear they want clean air and clean energy.

The announcement follows Fridays ouster of the districts longtime executive director, Barry Wallerstein. He was known for pushing regulations needed to meet federal health standards and was often criticized by industry members for rules they said cost them money and jobs.

All seven Republican members of the board voted to fire Wallerstein; the five Democrats and one independent voted against it.

Bill Magavern, policy director for the Coalition for Clean Air in Los Angeles, praised de Leons plan.

Were glad that Senator de Leon is taking action and hope his proposal will be enacted quickly because the people of the region have already been breathing polluted air for too long, Magavern said.

De Leons bill would add two members from the environmental justice community and one public health expert. They would be appointed by the Senate Rules Committee, the speaker of the Assembly and the governor.

The board has 13 members, including three appointees and 10 elected officials from the counties and cities in the South Coast Air Basin, which includes all of Orange County and the urban sections of Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties.

De Leon also wants to eliminate the four-year terms served by appointees and have any modifications to smokestack industry requirements reviewed by the state Air Resources Board within 60 days, rather than the two to three years it takes now, staffers said.

Air district board member Janice Rutherford, a San Bernardino County supervisor, said adding people to the board would make it more unwieldy.

I think the elected officials on the board already represent the communities most impacted by smog. I think the board demonstrates a great deal of concern for public health, she said, adding that the board recently enacted the most strenuous lead emission rule in the nation.

The boards decisions have been based on scientific evidence, not political alliances, Rutherford said.

The South Coast Air Basin, home to 16.8 million people, has the worst smog in the nation.

The region failed to meet the ozone standard during 83 days last year, and missed a 2015 federal deadline to clean up diesel soot and other kinds of fine-particle pollution associated with early death, heart disease, stroke and stunted lung development in children.

If the AQMD board crafts a clean air plan that the Environmental Protection Agency deems inadequate, the federal government could impose its own requirements and halt nonessential federal transportation dollars for the region, said Angela Johnson-Meszaros, a staff attorney at Earthjustice in Los Angeles.

Also on Wednesday, Earthjustice filed a lawsuit against the district on behalf of four environmental groups. The suit challenges the boards adoption in December of a measure allowing oil refineries and other polluters to delay installation of equipment that would reduce particulate matter and smog-forming nitrogen oxide.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9586 or jzimmerman@pressenterprise.com
Freedom Communications CEO Rich Mirman on Friday said his investor group submitted a bid Friday for The Orange County Register and The Press-Enterprise, setting up what appears to be a three-way battle for Freedoms assets in a court-run auction next week.

Terms of the bid by Mirmans group were not disclosed.

Two of the regions other newspaper publishers also are expected to be bidders on Wednesday at a U.S. Bankruptcy Court auction: Digital First Media, owner of the Los Angeles Daily News and Long Beach Press-Telegram; and Tribune Publishing, owner of the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune.

Orange County and the Inland Empire are two very powerful and healthy media markets, Mirman wrote to employees in a letter on Friday explaining the bid. As the primary source of local news and information in those markets, we look forward to serving our communities for many years to come.

Bids for Freedoms assets  two newspapers and related real estate  were due by Friday in advance of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court-supervised auction.

Freedom creditors will be paid back through the auction of the companys assets, which includes the two newspapers and related real estate. The sale is expected to close March 31.

Digital First and Tribune both seek to grow their Southern California market reach and create savings by eliminating corporate overlap in a newspaper business grappling with shrinking readership, competition and advertising moving away from printed products.

Ron Hasse, president of Digital Firsts Los Angeles News Group, said his company is committed to winning the auction. He described the Register and Press-Enterprise in Riverside as solid businesses opportunities and said weve got good plans for them, if we are to win.

Freedom publishes six of Digital Firsts nine daily newspapers in the region at the Registers printing plant in Santa Ana. But Hasse said printing services are not a primary goal of their bidding interest.

We plan to invest back into the Register and Press-Enterprise and keep them, strong, local and independent, Hasse said.

Freedom filed for bankruptcy protection in November. Mirman, who was a Freedom consultant and investor, took over as chief executive in March 2015. He said at the time of the bankruptcy filing that his group, which includes Santa Ana developer Michael Harrah and Freedom Chairman Eric Spitz, would seek to be the stalking horse bidder, but the group has since changed plans.

Digital First and Tribune previously said they proposed stalking horse bids to Freedom that would set the auctions opening price. An accepted stalking horse bidder gets a small fee for its work.

Freedom has not publicly accepted any stalking horse bid and one is not needed to hold the auction.

Tribune reaffirmed its interest in Freedoms two papers earlier this month after a boardroom shakeup in February. The Chicago-based newspaper company named a new chairman and largest shareholder, Michael Ferro. Ferro then selected Justin Dearborn as Tribunes new chief executive.

Dearborn told Wall Street analysts on March 2 that Tribune was eager to make a deal to bolster its Southern California holdings but that the company would not overpay for Freedom assets.

One big question is Freedoms sale price, which will be tricky to determine because of the complicated collection of businesses being sold. One of Freedoms advisers estimated in court papers that the bidding could start at $40 million. But since the company  along with its advisers and creditors committee  has not yet accepted a stalking horse bid proposal, Freedom may sell for a lower price.

Newspaper analyst Ken Doctor predicted Tribune would win the auction, especially after new chairman Ferro gave a recent interview to the Chicago Tribune describing his thoughts on the potential of the L.A. Times. Dominating a region, like Tribune could do in Southern California by acquiring Freedoms papers, is one path to prosperity in the struggling newspaper industry, Doctor said.

Given Michael Ferros new L.A.-centric ambitions, Tribune Publishing is the only logical longer-term buyer for the Register and Press-Enterprise, Doctor says. In the newspaper business today, the only way to make money is to save more money.

That expense reduction, probably in the $10 million to $12 million million range for a Tribune Publishing owning everything between San Diego and northern L.A. County, is still what drives this deal.

Contact the writer:jlansner@ocregister.com
For the second time in its eight-year history, Wildomar is divided into voting districts.

This time, however, the districts are expected to stick around and be used for future City Council elections, starting Nov. 8.

The council voted 5-0 Wednesday night to select a map that divides the city into five zones. As a result, voters in each of the zones will cast ballots on a candidate from their zone.

Beginning with the citys first election held along with the incorporation vote in 2008, each of the four council contests has been conducted at large. Any registered voter in the city could vote for any candidate.

However, the city was hit with a legal challenge in December contending the at-large approach violated the state Voting Rights Act of 2001. The threat prompted the city to turn to districts rather than fight a court battle that could have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

To institute the changes for the November election, city officials had to expedite establishing districts, including demographic research and legal scrutiny at a cost of about $70,000.

We acted quickly and decisively, and avoided a costly lawsuit, Mayor Bridgette Moore said.

The city first carved out council districts after voters in the February 2008 cityhood election chose to adopt that approach over the at-large method. However, the original council, including current members Moore, Bob Cashman and Marsha Swanson, opposed the concept of splitting the city into wards and believed the electorate misunderstood the ballot question.

As a result, the council put the question back on the ballot in November 2009. Voters overwhelmingly rejected districts, and elections since then have been at large.

While the city successfully fought off one lawsuit challenging the reversal, council members capitulated to the December threat enunciated in a letter from the law firm Shenkman & Hughes, which lodged similar threats against Hemet and other cities.

The attorneys alleged Wildomar is violating the voting rights act because no Latino has been elected and only one had run.

That is not true because Moore is of Mexican heritage, but the council chose not to take the financial risk.

Because of the way the state law is written, cities have had to pay plaintiffs huge awards even when the agencies won their cases.

Under the map chosen by the council Wednesday, District 1 on the northwest side includes the largest share of Latino residents at 47 percent, of whom 33 percent were registered to vote in the 2012 election. The seats of Moore in District 1 and Cashman in District 4 are up for election in November.

Moore said she will run for re-election but does not anticipate changing campaign tactics, other than possibly printing her brochure in Spanish as well as English.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9690 or michaelwilliams@pressenterprise.com
A San Bernardino County resident who returned from South America in January has become the Inland areas first confirmed Zika case, an official said Friday, March 11.

Riverside County still has none. Los Angeles County has four confirmed cases, while two have cropped up in recent weeks in Orange and San Diego counties. The rest have been confirmed in Northern California.

While the California Department of Public Health lists 11 confirmed cases in 2016 as of Friday, but information from individual counties total 13.

A San Bernardino County woman in her 60s was recently confirmed by the state public health and San Bernardino Countys public health department to have had the virus, but she has recovered, said Susan Strong, a San Bernardino County communicable disease program manager.

The womans city of residence, the country she visited and the dates testing confirmed she had Zika were not available, Strong said.

Riverside County has not yet had a Zika case, county public health department spokesman Jose Arballo Jr. said Friday.

The testing process takes four to six weeks and begins with a doctors call to the county.

Orange County health officials reported Thursday, March 10, that a Costa Mesa man in his 40s was infected with Zika while in Central America.

San Diego County Public health Services spokesman Jose Alvarez confirmed a San Diego woman had contracted the virus in Colombia. Both have recovered.

The U.S. has 193 travel-related cases. Its territories report 174 cases, with all but one acquired within those territories, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.

The virus is believed to be spread mainly by mosquitoes, primarily the tropical Aedes species mosquitoes, detected in small numbers in isolated Inland areas last fall. However, Zika has been transmitted from men to women during sex and possibly from a pregnant woman to her fetus.

About 1 in 5 people infected with Zika virus get sick, and most actual cases are mild. However, the virus is suspected of causing microcephaly in babies, leaving them with small heads and brains, and Guillain-Barre syndrome cases in Latin American countries with Zika.

California health officials wont say which counties have had the states 11 confirmed cases this year. Their policy is to withhold that information due to patient confidentiality concerns, state public health spokesman Orville Thomas said.

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Staff writer Jenna Chandler and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9444 or shurt@pressenterprise.com
Several county district attorneys offices, including Riverside, have filed a civil lawsuit against two family-owned plastics manufacturing businesses, including one in Corona, alleging unlawful business practices.

The lawsuit filed Monday, March 7, in Ventura County Superior Court claims Corona-based TRM Manufacturing Inc. and La Mirada-based United Polymers Inc. repeatedly violated a prior court injunction for similar conduct and failed to comply with the California Fair Packaging and Labeling Act.

The new case involves inspections conducted by state and county weights and measures officials in 2014 and 2015. Inspections at the Corona business and customer Home Depot locations found that packages had less quantity than represented or were not labeled correctly, according to the lawsuit.

The companies paid a $310,000 penalty to settle a prior 2013 court case. The 2013 settlement was based on weights and measures inspections from March 2010 to April 2013.

TRM was the subject of three other enforcement actions in 1988, 1989 and 1996 in other counties for failing to comply with the state packaging law, according to a news release from the Riverside district attorneys office.

TRM products include plastic films, sheeting and bags, according to its website.

The new case was filed by the Ventura County district attorney and Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin. District attorneys in Santa Cruz, Fresno and Los Angeles counties also are participating.
Lee University will host Nancy Zeltsman, marimba performer and teacher, to lead a masterclass on Saturday, March, 19 at 8 p.m. in Pangle Hall.

She has presented recitals and marimba classes across the United States, Europe, China, Japan, and Mexico. Venues include the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music, Znakel Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York, and Shenzhen Concert Hall.

Since 1993, Ms. Zeltsman has taught at The Boston Conservatory and Berklee College of Music. For the past 15 years, she has been artistic director of the Zeltsman Marimba Festival, an annual two-week seminar held in a different location each summer. In 2013, she was appointed as regular guest professor at Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where she teaches two weeks each year.

She is the author of a method book, Four Mallet Marimba Playing: A Musical Approach for All Levels. She also edited Intermediate Masterworks for Marimba. She served as a jury member for the TROMP International Percussion Competition in Eindhoven (the Netherlands) in 2010, 2012, and 2014.

Ms. Zeltsmans recordings include three solo CDs, three CDs with Marimolin, William Thomas McKinleys marimba concerto recorded with Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and a duo marimba CD with Jack Van Green.

Ms. Zeltsman graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music with a degree in percussion performance. She resides in Boston, Mass.

The masterclass is a free, non-ticketed event for all who would like to attend.

For more information about Ms. Zeltsman, visit http://www.nancyzeltsman.com/biography.html. For more information about the masterclass or other School of Music events, contact 614-8240.




Former Inland Assemblyman and 2014 gubernatorial candidate Tim Donnelly on Friday, March 11 announced plans to run for Congress against a fellow Republican.

In a news release, Donnelly said he decided to run against Rep. Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley, after the congressman voted for a bill that would allow more unchecked, unvetted refugees and potential terrorists from the Middle East into our country just weeks after the terrorist attack in San Bernardino.

Donnelly, who represented a San Bernardino County Assembly district from 2010 to 2014, accused Cook of repeated flip-flops.

Whether it is saying hes against sanctuary cities and then voting to give them funds, pretending to help off-roaders and then introducing a bill to take away their rights, or saying he will keep our promise to our veterans and then voting for a bill that fails to restore their pensions, but includes funding for illegal alien tax credits, this has to stop, he said.

In an emailed response, the Cook campaign said: Colonel Paul Cook (ret.) was elected to be our Congressman for his proven record of protecting American jobs from being outsourced and for fighting to keep America safe.

Having served 26 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Cook is trusted by San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon and San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan to ensure were doing everything we can to keep all threats  foreign and domestic  from harming our communities.

Cook was elected in 2012 to represent Californias 8th Congressional District, which includes Apple Valley; Barstow; Hesperia; Big Bear City; Highland; Twentynine Palms, Lake Arrowhead, Yucaipa and Yucca Valley.

The district also encompasses Mono and Inyo counties. A plurality of district voters  roughly 40 percent  are registered Republicans.

Donnellys congressional bid marks his first run for public office since his campaign for governor, when he finished second to Republican Neel Kashkari in the primary. Kashkari eventually lost to Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown.

During his time in Sacramento, Donnelly gained a reputation as a passionate gun-rights advocate andfoe of illegal immigration. As the state GOP sought to move to the center, Donnelly was well-received in tea party circles for his unabashed, outspoken brand of conservatism.

In late 2014, Donnelly told the San Francisco Chronicle that California Republican leaders have taken the Grand Old Party and turned it into the moderate wing of the Democrat Party  Theyve continually told the people who are their strongest supporters that you dont matter.

Since leaving office, Donnelly has hosted an AM radio talk show airing on a Victorville station.

Donnelly is hosting a fundraiser on March 12 in which he will auction off several firearms. Heres a link to his campaign website.
Three years ago, San Bernardino business leaders joined together to raise money for the police department as it grappled with budget cuts due to the citys bankruptcy.

That effort has taken on new momentum since the Dec.2 shooting that left 14 people dead at the Inland Regional Center. The San Bernardino Police Foundation, formed in 2013, is leading an effort to raise funds to buy equipment that police lacked that day.

Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said the first units that responded didnt have rifles, and better breaching tools would have helped open heavy-duty doors.

Scott Beard, a San Bernardino businessman who is on the police foundation board, said the foundation formed as a way for businesses to help with equipment and other needs at a time when the citys resources were limited.

Obviously, with the tragic events of Dec. 2, weve had a little more traction in raising funds, he said.

Initially, the foundation mainly helped with programs such as the K-9 unit, police explorers, and Shop with a Cop, said Wayne Austin, president of the foundation and general manager of the Arrowhead Country Club.

He estimated the group raised $60,000 to $80,000 for those programs.

A few months ago, Burguan, who is also on the foundation board, asked for help obtaining equipment such as rifles and vests, Austin said. Their goal is to raise between $250,000 to $300,000, he said.

Its been very positive, he said of the response. You see a lot of support out there.

BNSF Railway, which has an office next to the Inland Regional Center, has taken the lead in reaching out to other businesses and sent letters to 200 companies within the past month and a half, spokeswoman Lena Kent said.

This is one way we can honor them for their bravery and everything they did that day, she said.

The company contributed $25,000 and its goal is to collect enough money so that all officers have a vest and rifle in their patrol car, Kent said.

Donations can be made online at www.sbpolicefoundation.org/donate or by mailing the foundation at P.O. Box 775, San Bernardino, CA 92402.

The foundation is not the only funding source the city will tap for equipment.

In January, San Bernardino County received a $2.2 million grant for counter terrorism training and equipment. The agency plans to give out $1.5 million of that money for equipment to about 60 local police and fire departments.

Mike Antonucci, the countys emergency services director, said San Bernardino will receive an amount based on the application it submitted in June.

Staff writer Alejandra Molina contributed to this report.

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Contact the writer: 951-368-9558 or ighori@pressenterprise.com
Simon is a classic Cesar Millan show character.

In a Feb. 26 Cesar 911 episode that aired on National Geographic, the part-French bulldog, part-terrier was described by those who know him as a terror. He hates all dogs, his human acquaintances said, and worse: he once killed a pet potbellied pig.

Jody Orr, the co-founder of a shar-pei dog rescue operation called Pei People, put it bluntly: We call him Satan behind his back.

All these qualities made Simon ripe for the Millan treatment. For eight years, the 46-year-old hosted the series Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, on which he rehabilitated the behavior of problem dogs, unruly dogs that wreaked havoc in their owners homes.

The National Geographic series gained a large following and made Millan a celebrity, even as his techniques were criticized by other animal behaviorists for overusing force and dismissing positive reinforcement.

The television personality is now being investigated for possible animal cruelty, NBC Los Angeles reported.

Sheriffs deputies with Los Angeles County Animal Control visited Millans Dog Psychology Center on Thursday evening, but he was away on a business trip, a family member told NBC.

The animal welfare officials had received several inquiries after the episode with Simon, which showed the dog biting a pigs ear during a training session led by Millan.

A 24-hour notice has been issued, requiring him to contact the investigators, according to NBC. They want to know what has happened to the pig since the episodes filming.

The contentious incident took place inside a fenced yard, where Millan was conditioning Simon to become accustomed to the pigs company. This concluded with Simon bounding towards a pig which appeared to be restrained by one of Millans assistants. Simon proceeded to bite the pig and leave the area around its ear bloodied.

Meanwhile, Millan chased the pig around the yard, repeating, I got this.

For Simons owner, Sandy, it recalled her memory of a previous incident in which Simon had bitten a pigs ear off. It was a bloodbath, Sandy said.

In a statement to NBC, a representative from National Geographic said:

Cesar Millan has dedicated his life to helping dogs and to showing how even the most difficult problem dog can be rescued and rehabilitated. . . .A short clip from the episode was shared online and showed Simon chasing a pig and nipping its ear, causing the ear to bleed. The clip caused some concern for viewers who did not see or understand the full context of the encounter. 

The statement continued: It is important to clarify that Cesar took precautions, such as putting Simon on a long lead to assess his behavior, making initial corrections and removing the leash. The pig that was nipped by Simon was tended to immediately afterward, healed quickly and showed no lasting signs of distress.

An additional clip provided by the channel shows the same pig that was attacked by Simon now taking [the dog] for a walk as the two are linked by a leash, learning to coexist.

Dont eat the pig, but you can eat with the pig, Millan explained.

More than 8,300 people have signed a Change.org petition calling for Millan to be reported to animal control, the American Humane Society and the Los Angeles City Attorney because of the episode, citing California state law against cruelty to animals.

Another petition with nearly 10,000 signatures declared that Millan should be banned from all television.

Millans technique hinges on applying dominance theory, which is derived from an understanding of how wolves compete to be alphas within their packs. Millan believes that dogs that display aggression are attempting to gain dominance over their owners, and the humans in their lives must in turn establish themselves as alphas in the relationship, using force if necessary.
Two men were killed in a shooting in San Bernardino on Thursday, March 10.

Police responded to a reported shooting along Roxbury Drive at 11:18 p.m. to find 24-year-old Reggie Troy Christian Bland, of San Bernardino, dead in the street, said Lt. Rich Lawhead.

He was identified by the San Bernardino County Coroners office.

Police then learned of a man who had arrived at the St. Bernardine Medical Center emergency room at 11:41 p.m.

A news release from the coroner identified him as a 20-year-old San Bernardino man. He was pronounced dead about 12:30 a.m. Friday.

The second mans name will be released after his family is notified of his death.

Both of the men are known to police, but Lawhead declined to say in what capacity.

Court records show that Bland was cited in 2010 for participating in a gang.

Lawhead could not say where the 20-year-old was when he was shot, but a preliminary investigaton indicates that the two homicides were related.

Investigators will spend the day piecing together what happened.

No suspect information was available, but Lawhead said police believe there were witnesses and encourage anyone with information to call 909-384-5742.

Check back for updates.
Vincent F. Cilurzo, a Wine Country pioneer who staunchly defended the ability of the region to grow grapes for red wines, died late Wednesday night.

My dad had been on home hospice for the last six months at my parents home in Murrieta, wrote his son, Vinnie Cilurzo, in an email to The Press-Enterprise. His quality of life had really deteriorated there at the end and we all feel so lucky to have had so much time with him. He passed away with my mom by his side. He was 91 years old and he lived a pretty great life.

Cilurzo, a lighting director who had a long career in Hollywood, and his wife, Audrey, moved to the Temecula Valley in the late 1960s, buying property well ahead of the land rush that would find the region transformed from grazing land into a multi-million dollar tourism destination.

Rancho California Road was called Long Valley Road and it was a dirt road if you can believe it, wrote Cilurzo, the co-owner of Russian River Brewing Co. in Northern California, one of the most celebrated breweries in the country. Soon after purchasing the old Yoder Ranch they decided to plant 40 acres of grapes. Talk about taking a chance.

He grew both red and white varietals on the property and opened his namesake winery, Cilurzo Winery, in 1978. At the time, the region was known and marketed by his fellow growers as an ideal spot for white wines.

Cilurzo used to joke that the reputation lingered because he didnt share the secret that allowed him to make quality red wines with the other growers in the region, according to historical accounts.

While some of his neighbors focused on large-scale wine grape production, Cilurzo and Audrey carved out a niche as a destination for adventurous travelers, who were treated to tales of Hollywood and winemaking and meals from Audreys kitchen.

They were very hospitable. You became part of their family, the whole winegrowers association, thats the way it was, said Ben Drake, president of the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association.

As the region matured, many of the people who bought property here followed Cilurzos blueprint by producing a full spectrum of wines and offering food service.

There are a lot of great stories to remember him by which well all reflect upon as we toast my dad with a glass of his favorite wine, Petite Sirah, Cilurzo wrote.

The association posted an item about Cilurzos passing on Thursday that lauded him for his role in the regions founding.

The Cilurzos were instrumental in making our wine country what it is today. He was a great man whose legacy will remain, the association wrote on its Facebook page.

Drake said Friday that Cilurzo, who was frequently found wearing his signature Greek fishermans cap, was a true visionary, a man who turned what could have been a hobby into a viable business.

He was the first one to grow grapes here in Temecula, thats a statement of its own. It took visionary people and people willing to try something. Thats where it all began, he said.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9698 or aclaverie@pressenterprise.com
Lose an hour of sleep this weekend, gain an hour of evening light for months ahead: Daylight saving time is back.

Set those clocks 60 minutes ahead before you hit the hay Saturday night. The time change officially starts Sunday at 2 a.m. local time.

Consider putting in new batteries in warning devices such as smoke detectors and radios  and repeat the exercise when standard time returns Nov. 6.

The time change is not observed in Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.

California has a bill that would ask voters to abolish the practice of changing clocks twice a year. Lawmakers in Alaska and nearly a dozen other states are debating similar measures. Some lawmakers in New England want to go even further, seceding from the populous Eastern Time Zone and throwing their lot in with Nova Scotia and Puerto Rico.

Once we spring forward, I dont want to fall back, said Rhode Island state Rep. Blake Filippi, who hopes the whole region will shift one hour eastward, into the Atlantic Time Zone. Pretty much everyone I speak to would rather have it light in the evening than light first thing in the morning, he said.
Hikers treat Paul and Alice Bodnar  whose hiking app maps the Pacific Crest Trail, among others  like rock stars.

Lynnda Hart, of the Idyllwild Area Historical Society, witnessed it herself in the spring 2015 while interviewing Pacific Crest Trail hikers passing through town on their 2,650-mile journey from Mexico to Canada.

When she learned many were using the app, she told them its developers, the Bodnars, were her friends. Minutes later, the Bodnars happened by. Hart said the hikers raved about the app and posed with them for photos.

The Bodnars are two-thirds of Guthook Hikes, a developer of hiking apps for Apple iOS and Android devices. Guthook is the trail name of the companys other third, Ryan Linn, of Portland, Maine.

Officially, Linn runs Guthook Hikes as an LLC. The Bodnars work under their own LLC, High Sierra Attitude.

Paul Bodnar and Linn met in the community of Belden, about 100 miles north of Sacramento, in 2010 while both were hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. As they hiked together, they noted an unmet need for long-distance hiking apps.

Bodnar, who was collecting data to update a Pacific Crest Trail guide book he first published in 2009, realized he could also use that data to source an app.

After finishing the hike, Bodnar set out to develop a Pacific Crest Trail app. A scientist by training, he taught himself data management. Alice Bodnar, whose background is in law, learned how to program on her own before taking courses through a community college.

They launched the iOS version in early 2012, and the Android version about a year later. Shortly after, Linn, who also taught himself programming, launched an app covering the Appalachian Trail.

Guthook Hikes now sells about 15 apps for hikes in the United States and parts of Europe. Each one provides information vital to hikers, including changes in elevation and locations of water sources, campsites and laundromats when they come to town. The apps also allow users to add comments and photos and provide feedback.

David Getchel of Placerville has hiked both the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail while using Guthook Hikes apps. He said they helped him find water sources and decide where to camp.

The apps made it so Im not too surprised with whats coming up, he said.

The apps use data primarily sourced from guidebook writers and trail maintenance organizations, though the Bodnars sometimes gather their own. In August 2015, they drove almost 4,000 miles to over 30 towns along the Pacific Crest Trail to provide hikers more thorough and up-to-date information.

Living and working in Idyllwild puts the Bodnars in close contact with users of the Pacific Crest Trail app. One of the best parts of job, said Alice Bodnar, is hearing people express appreciation while also sharing feedback.

The Bodnars didnt disclose sales figures, but said on average app sales have doubled every year. It allows them to support themselves 100 percent through app development, though they quickly point out theyre not getting rich.

We joke we have a market with a tiny audience who doesnt want to spend money, said Alice Bodnar.

Its the perfect market to keep out competition, added Paul Bodnar.

In addition to updating existing apps, Guthook Hikes is developing new ones, including an app for the 93-mile Wonderland Trail around Washingtons Mount Rainier and a series aimed at cyclists.

The work keeps the Bodnars busy and they enjoy it, but theres one drawback.

The pair have not had time to hike in months.

Contact the writer: community@pressenterprise.com
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture oversees restaurant inspections in the state. Inspection reports are "snapshots" of the day and time the inspections took place. In many cases, violations are corrected on site prior to the inspector leaving.

The following restaurants and other establishments in Lebanon County that handle food were inspected during the week of Feb. 14-20 and were recorded as of March 3.

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Lebanon County

Establishments with violations.

Feb. 18

BIG LOTS #0494

467 W. PENN AVE., CLEONA

Regular inspection.

Non-food contact surfaces not cleaned at a frequency to preclude accumulation of dirt and soil - food debris and dust accumulation on floors around end caps at the grocery section; furniture receiving door has a gap at the bottom and does not protect against the entry of pests.

Feb. 17

COUNTRY SUNRISE CREAMERY 2

2210 STIEGEL PIKE, MYERSTOWN

Change-of-owner inspection.

Equipment food-contact surfaces and utensils are not being immersed for a minimum of 10 seconds in the chlorine sanitizing compartment of the manual ware-washing sink.

Feb. 16

CEDAR GRILL

1800 E. CUMBERLAND ST., LEBANON

Regular inspection.

Working containers of spray cleaner in dining area not marked with the common name of the chemical; three food employees in prep area were not wearing proper hair restraints, such as nets or hats; in-use knives and/or cleavers were stored between table edges or between tables, an area not easily cleanable and sanitized; fume hood not cleaned at a frequency to prevent grease from dripping; various equipment, in the prep and storage areas, had an accumulation of dust, dirt, food residue, debris on non-food contact surfaces, such as handles and shelves; ice machine not cleaned at a frequency to prevent the presence of mold; plumbing system not maintained in good repair - a four-inch PVC sewer line in basement leaking at a coupling sealed with silicone, not an approved method.

FRANZ'S TAVERN

1400 S. FIFTH AVE., LEBANON

Regular inspection.

Shellstock tags are not maintained for 90 days from the date the container is emptied.

KREISER MINI MARKET

122 RACE HORSE DRIVE, JONESTOWN

Regular inspection.

Commercially processed refrigerated, ready-to-eat, time/temperature-control-for-safety food (non-exempt cheese and deli meat), located in the bain-marie and held more than 24 hours, is not being marked with the date it was opened; refrigerated ready-to-eat, time/temperature-control-for-safety food (chicken salad) prepared in the food facility and held for more than 24 hours, located in the small self-service refrigerator, is not being date-marked; prepackaged sandwiches, baked goods and chicken salad are not labeled with the ingredient statement, net weight, distributed/manufactured-by statement; a deeply scored cutting board was on the bain-marie sandwich unit; dried milk spillages on floor, black/mildew-like growth on shelves and dust accumulation around the cooling unit inside walk-in cooler; dry storage room - apparent rodent droppings (more than 30 pellets) on the unfinished wood baseboard; potential rodent harborage areas inside the food facility in the dry-stock room due to storage of unused equipment and supplies.

MAST'S BULK FOODS

158 N. RAMONA ROAD, MYERSTOWN

Regular inspection.

Food contact items not properly sanitized after washing and rinsing; unapproved disinfection agent used to sanitize scoop for the transfer of bulk items.

Establishments with no violations.

Feb. 18

HOLY SPIRIT CATHOLIC CHURCH

245 W. PINE ST., PALMYRA

Regular inspection.

No violations.